Wednesday, October 17, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Brother Appeals Inheritance Ruling to Supreme Court

Posted: 17 Oct 2018 07:49 AM PDT

YANGON—Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's brother has filed a special appeal to the Union Supreme Court asking it to review a Yangon court's decision in his legal dispute with her over an inheritance.

Yangon's Western District Court ruled in 2016 that the home on Yangon's University Avenue in which Daw Aung San Suu Kyi spent her house arrest until 2011 belonged to her, while most of the nearly 2 acres of land it stands on should be divided between her and her brother, U Aung San Oo. It also ruled that a 70 x 100-foot piece of the land belonged to their cousin U Khin Maung Aye, as it had been left to him by their mother.

U Khin Maung Aye died in August.

The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by U Aung San Oo against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in 2001, in which he demanded half of the lakeside house and the land, claiming they had been left to him and his sister by their mother.

U Aung San Oo objected to the 2016 decision, and on Wednesday he said he had submitted a request for a special appeal to the Supreme Court, asking the court to review the ruling.

He said he wants to put the whole nearly 2-acre plot of land and home up for auction and divide the earnings two ways, between himself and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

U Aung San Oo's lawyer U Aye Lwin said U Khin Maung Aye had never objected to his client's claim, adding that the decision to award the cousin part ownership of the property was made by the court.

"That's why we seek a special appeal," he told the media.

The home is located at No. 54 University Avenue, in one of Yangon's prime neighborhoods on the shore of Inya Lake. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi spent part of her childhood there before moving to New Delhi with her mother, who was appointed Burma's Ambassador to India in 1960.

Upon Daw Khin Kyi's retirement—with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi living in the U.K. and U Aung San Oo in the U.S.—the former ambassador moved back into the villa, where she resided until her death in 1988.

Daw Khin Kyi reportedly left the 70×100-foot plot of land to her nephew U Khin Maung Aye with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's knowledge. She reportedly made the decision shortly after Daw Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Burma to nurse her ailing mother, while her brother was still in the U.S.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi lived at the home from 1988, including during her periods of house arrest. When she became a lawmaker in 2012, she moved to Naypyitaw to attend Parliament but returned to the lakeside villa when the chamber was in recess.

Since becoming State Counselor in 2016, she has spent most of her time in the capital, but the mansion is still the place she calls home when making occasional visits to Yangon. She has welcomed numerous international dignitaries to the home, including former U.S. President Barack Obama.

The post Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Brother Appeals Inheritance Ruling to Supreme Court appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Observers Urge Parties to Heed Code of Conduct Ahead of By-Election

Posted: 17 Oct 2018 06:45 AM PDT

YANGON — Election observers stressed the need for political parties and candidates to stick to the Code of Conduct they have agreed to while campaigning for the Nov. 3 by-election.

During the first five weeks of the campaign period, the People's Alliance for Credible Elections (PACE) and Phan Tee Eain observed 150 campaign rallies in 12 of the constituencies with seats up for grabs. They did not monitor the campaign for Shan ethnic affairs minister in Mandalay Region.

At a press conference in Yangon on Monday, the observers said they also interviewed 43 candidates for the ruling National League for Democracy party, the main opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party, other smaller parties and independents in the 12 constituencies they traveled to.

They said they witnessed six rallies at which speakers made defamatory comments about other groups or individuals based on their race, religion or gender but offered no details about what was said or who said them.

"Six cases is not much, though it is better to have no such cases. It is important that the parties follow the Code of Conduct as the campaign period is still going on," PACE Program Manager Ko Han Soe Tun told The Irrawaddy.

Registered political parties signed the Code of Conduct in June 2015, committing the parties and their candidates to ethical campaigning. Off-limits behavior includes making discriminatory remarks based on race or religion and slandering the competition.

The observers said that a total of four complaints have been filed with sub-national election commission offices by the NLD, USDP and individuals up to Oct. 7.

The complaints related to damaged NLD and USDP campaign materials, the NLD's use of images of President U Win Myint and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and a village head’s alleged insult of a candidate.

The observer groups urged the parties and candidates to follow the Code of Conduct at all times and to use the mediation committees formed in each state and region to settle disputes both before and after the election.

They also called on the Union Election Commission to do more to educate voters in order to promote a high turnout. Only 34 percent of eligible voters cast ballots during the last by-election in 2017.

The observer groups said they would continue monitoring the election campaigns, which must come to a stop on Nov. 1 at 12 p.m.

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Chinese Security Forces Alarmed by Market Construction Near Border

Posted: 17 Oct 2018 06:09 AM PDT

Mon State — Chinese soldiers and police crossed into Muse Township in northern Shan State Wednesday morning to inspect and complain about a market being built near the border, according to a local official.

Video footage posted to Facebook shows the soldiers and border police, through a translator they had brought with them, asking Muse locals what the building was to be used for and who it belonged to and complaining about its location. During what appeared to be a tense discussion, the locals replied that the building belonged to the Myanmar government and the Chinese soldiers and police left.

"They came to complain about the new market because they said we are building it on the borderline," said U Okkar, a deputy administrator for Muse Township.

He said border authorities from each side meet monthly and that his office has written to China suggesting they discuss the market construction the next time they convene.

U Okkar insisted that the market was clearly on Myanmar land and criticized China for sending soldiers across the border.

"We sent a complaint letter to them for using armed forces across the border. There was no reason for them to use armed forces and cross our borderline," he said.

Muse shares a long border with China with many illegal trade routes where territorial disputes sometimes flare up.

Last month, tensions rose briefly when China began building a wall along a stretch of the border with Muse. It tore the wall down after Myanmar authorities complained.

The post Chinese Security Forces Alarmed by Market Construction Near Border appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Food Fiesta: Celebrating Spanish Simplicity at Olea

Posted: 17 Oct 2018 04:50 AM PDT

YANGON—Aiming to introduce Spanish food and culture to local diners, Olea, the modern and charming Mediterranean restaurant at Melia Hotel Yangon, has a Spanish food menu at amazing prices for the whole of October.

Olea's new executive chef Lluis Cantons Pesarrodona has designed and will serve an entire menu of Spanish food and the Spaniard promises pure, authentic Spanish food experiences for all.

"I selected some basic Spanish foods which can perfectly suit the local taste," said Chef Lluis.

He added, "Some dishes from our menu are only available at Olea. It's authentic."

Olea exudes a real Mediterranean atmosphere which is unique in Yangon. The restaurant is beautifully decorated in bright shades of white, blue and cream. Even the crockery has Mediterranean-style blue and white patterns. Even though it's a hotel restaurant, there is plenty of natural light flowing through.

The modern and charming interior design and decoration of Olea. /Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

With relaxing and comfortable oversized sofas, this is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea or dinner.

Here in Yangon, Spanish food is not very popular among locals and there are few Spanish restaurants.

"That's why we would like to introduce the Spanish food culture to our Myanmar people," said Ko Htet Myint Ko Ko, marketing and communications manager of Melia Hotel Yangon.

The regular Olea menu features dishes inspired by traditional, basic cuisine from Mediterranean countries including Greece, Spain, Italy and France. Since October is "Spanish Food Month" at the restaurant, we decided to go on something of a tour of Spanish food.

We started with the salmorejo ($6), a thick, cold tomato soup topped with boiled quail egg. The presentation of the dish is really pretty and it had a refreshingly sour taste. It's served in a bowl and I couldn't finish it all.

Salmorejo, a thick, cold tomato soup topped with boiled quail egg./Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

The patatas bravas ($7) is made of fried potato wedges served with a spicy tomato sauce. This one is a basic and popular Spanish tapas dish, according to Chef Lluis. The fried chunks of potato are golden and crispy and the tomato sauce is a little sour and not very spicy. When mixed up and eaten, the taste is really perfect.

One of the famous Spanish tapas, Patatas Bravas /Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

"Patatas bravas is the most common Spanish tapas and it's perfect with beer," said Chef Lluis.

Another popular Spanish food called jamón Iberico ($9) is also offered as an appetizer. Jamón is cured ham and Olea's version comes from the black Iberico pig. The thin slices of ham are salty and the flavor left on the tongue is pleasing. It can be eaten on its own or with bread. Olea's homemade breads are also great.

Tasty Croquetas, a ham and chicken croquette,/Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

The last tapas we tried is croquetas ($8), a ham and chicken croquette, served in four small tubes. This croquette is a marvelous blend of crunchy and creamy and I really loved it. My stomach was almost full of tapas before the main dish even arrived.

The staff next served the main dish, seafood paella ($23), which is a mix of prawns, squid, clams, lobster and rice. This one is the most famous Spanish rice dish and the chef hopes locals will love it. The large portion is enough for two people and it is served on a pan. The seafood is mixed together with beans, rice and herbs and is a yellow color with three big lobsters placed on the top.

Popular and basic Spanish foods which served at Olea Restaurant. /Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

This authentic paella is bursting with Spanish flavors and the whole pan is baked as one. The rice used is a special Spanish type which is slightly harder than typical rice. Local rice can't be baked and would become overcooked. The chef said, "it is better not to eat a lot of rice as digestive problems might happen."

The most famous Spanish rice dishes, Seafood Paella./Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

Our Spanish food tour ended up with a dessert of churros ($5). Churros is a hot, fried doughy pastry coated with sugar crystals and served with chocolate sauce which is a popular, sweet Spanish snack.

Something special about this whole Spanish food tour is that Olea uses only olive oil in every dish, which makes it taste even more authentic. Chef Lluis said, "We rarely use butter. Olive oil is the most essential ingredient in Spanish food."

A staff working on the Olea’s Bar at Melia Hotel Yangon. /Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

All of the flavors were perfect and the dishes are worth their prices, especially considering the high-quality ingredients and the whole dining experience in a five-star hotel.

So if you are a foodie and would love to try Spanish food, Olea is now serving a variety of great Spanish tapas and dinner dishes for the month of October at a discounted promotion price.

The post Food Fiesta: Celebrating Spanish Simplicity at Olea appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to Open Drug Rehab Center in Myitkyina

Posted: 17 Oct 2018 04:38 AM PDT

YANGON—Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will make a one-day visit to Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, on Friday to open a drug rehabilitation center, according to the vice speaker of the Kachin State parliament.

Ding Hkang Hpung (also known as Hkang Len) told The Irrawaddy the drug rehabilitation center was established with a donation from the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation. The charity was established in 2012 in memory of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's late mother.

According to local NGOs and religious leaders, drug addiction is a major problem in Kachin State, where more than 70 percent of youth use drugs, according to one estimate. According to the Three Millennium Development Goal Fund (3MDG), the number of drug abusers increased in Kachin this year. The state also has the country's highest HIV infection rate, at 28.5 percent.

"The state counselor will also visit Njang Dung IDP [internally displaced persons] camp in Myitkyina during the trip," Ding Hkang Hpung said.

He said the IDPs were displaced from areas near Myitkyina by fighting between the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which has flared periodically since 2011.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi also plans to visit a boarding school on the outskirts of town to meet students displaced from some parts of Kachin State by a series of floods in 2014-16, as well as a monastery in Myitkyina's Waimaw Township, he said.  

The trip will be Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's second to Myitkyina as state counselor. During her first visit last year she discussed the peace process with Kachin State religious leaders and met with local civil society organizations and Kachin IDPs to urge them to participate in the peace process, which her government had recently relaunched as the "21st Century Panglong Conference."

According to local NGOs, more than 130,000 people have been forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing fighting in Kachin State. In May, more than 6,000 more people were made homeless by a new Tatmadaw offensive against the KIA.

Lawmaker Nhtung Hka Naw Sam, a member of the National League for Democracy's Central Executive Committee, told The Irrawaddy that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi isn't scheduled to meet religious leaders to discuss the peace process during this trip, plans for which were drawn up by the state government last week.

Last year the State Counselor's Office donated 300 million kyats to Kachin IDPs through the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.

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Two Monks Arrested in Drug Raids on Two Buddhist Monasteries in Mandalay

Posted: 17 Oct 2018 03:48 AM PDT

MANDALAY—Mandalay police arrested four men including two Buddhist monks and seized drugs from two monasteries in Mandalay's Pyigyidagun and Patheingyi townships on Sunday and Monday.

Pyigyidagun police raided the Chanmyatharzi meditation center and seized over 41.9 million kyats worth of methamphetamine tablets hidden in a speaker and bookshelves.

Ashin Arsina, 52, also known as U Aye Kyaw, was disrobed and arrested for possessing the drugs.

"He has been a monk for 13 years. We believe he used his status as a monk as a cover for his drug dealing. He is now in police custody and we will take him to court under the anti-narcotics law," Mandalay district police chief Police Colonel Myo Aung told journalists on Wednesday.

The arrest followed a tip from the President's Office that drugs were being sold from the meditation center. President U Win Myint recently invited members of the public with information about the illegal drug trade to report it to his office or to local authorities.

On Monday, Patheingyi Township police arrested a monk and two other men with heroin and other drugs worth over 6,000,000 kyats at Thatipathan monastery, located at the foot of Yankin Hill.

Cases were opened against Ashin Sandawbartha  (also known as U Soe Moe), 49, who had been in the monkhood for about 18 years; Ar Chan (also known as Myo Myint), 49; and Aung Latt, 28, under the anti-narcotics law. Police said they were investigating another person in relation to the case.

"In this case, local residents informed us directly and we were able to arrest them in time. There are many cases of drug abuse that police do not know about. Thanks to the president's instructions and invitation to report drug abuse directly to his office or to other responsible departments or local authorities, we were able to take action against these drug dealers," Police Col. Myo Aung said.

Police said it was not uncommon for drug dealers to enter the monkhood as a cover for their illegal activities inside monasteries, and welcomed any further information from the public.

"We've arrested these kinds of people in the past. Taking cover under Buddhist monks' robes to commit crimes is an ugly stain on the country and the whole Buddhist community. We police need cooperation from the public [to fight it], as we cannot know everything," he said.

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Irrawaddy Govt Tells Ex-Chief Minister to Return Over $3 M in Development Funds

Posted: 17 Oct 2018 03:31 AM PDT

PATHEIN, Irrawaddy Region — The Irrawaddy Region government has warned its former chief minister to return within two months the 5.2 billion kyats ($3.28 million) he collected in regional development funds or face a lawsuit.

The previous regional administration, led by U Thein Aung, had raised funds for its Ayeyarwady Multi-Developments Foundation by organizing concerts and soliciting contributions from local businesses and reconstituted it as the Ayeyarwady Health and Education Multi-Developments Foundation before handing over power to a new government in early 2016.

U Thein Aung, who also chaired the local chapter of the outgoing Union Solidarity and Development Party, allegedly transferred the region’s development funds to the new foundation, of which he was also the patron.

"We have asked him to reply by Oct. 19. We have asked him to give back the money saved in banks immediately, the money invested in companies within 30 days, and the money lent for regional development projects within 60 days. If he fails to do so, we can only take action in line with the laws and rules," Irrawaddy Region Finance and Planning Minister U Htay Win told reporters on Monday.

The investigation started after U Zayar Min Thein, a lawmaker representing Pyapon (1) in the local legislature, asked the Irrawaddy Parliament in 2016 if the previous administration had handed over the regional development funds to the new government.

On instructions from the President's Office, the Auditor General's Office carried out an investigation and reported back that the funds should be reclaimed from the foundation.

The Auditor General's Office found that the foundation had saved nearly 4 billion kyats with private banks, invested around 400 million kyats in joint ventures with three private companies, and lent nearly 1 billion kyats for 28 regional development projects.

Again on instructions from the President’s Office, the new administration asked that the funds be returned. The foundation offered to provide records of the savings accounts, accounts receivables and loan contracts, but the administration insisted that the funds be returned in cash.

"We will only accept the money in cash. It is hard for us to ask for money [from businesses and borrowers]," said U Htay Win, the regional finance minister.

The foundation’s secretary, U Kyi Aung, told The Irrawaddy that the funds had not been misused.

"When we received the money, we got it in cash and accounts receivable. So we can only give the government back the cash and accounts receivable. We didn't spend any money [for personal use]. This can be settled if the foundation, the regional government and those who have to give back the money have a tripartite meeting," he said.

Late last month, the Mandalay Region government said its predecessor had returned 500 million kyats ($315,000) it had failed to properly account for while in power.

The regional chief minister U Zaw Myint Maung said in June that a 2017 audit found that discrepancies and incomplete reports relating to the use of regional development funds amounted to 3.75 billion kyats ($2.36 million) between 2012 and 2016, before the current administration took office. He said officials from the previous administration had agreed to give back all the money by March.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Sixth Suspect Arrested in Currency Manipulation Crackdown

Posted: 17 Oct 2018 02:35 AM PDT

YANGON—The Bureau of Special Investigation has detained a joint auditor of the Yangon Region Gold Entrepreneurs Association for allegedly participating in attempts to manipulate the kyat-dollar exchange rate.

U Nyi Nyi Oo (also known as Hla Lay Sein) is the sixth person to be detained by the BSI since President's Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay announced a crackdown on currency market manipulation in late September. The bureau is under the control of the Home Affairs Ministry.

The kyat has weakened against the dollar since June, reaching a record low of over 1,600 kyats per dollar last month.

In the last week of September, the BSI started investigating currency and gold dealers on Yangon's Shwebontha Street believed to be involved in manipulating the dollar market.

"We have opened a case against U Nyi Nyi Oo under Section 42 of the Foreign Exchange Management Law," BSI director U Aung Myo told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

The bureau would continue its investigation and track down other currency manipulators, he said.

The bureau has charged five other suspects under sections 38 and 39 of the Foreign Exchange Management Law.

Section 38 relates to engaging in currency trading without a license; Section 39 concerns violations of the terms of the license. A conviction on either charge carries a sentence of three years' imprisonment and/or a fine.

The bureau has filed complaints against the five at Pabedan, Kyauktada and Pazundaung police stations.

On Tuesday, the kyat was trading at 1,583 to the dollar, while gold remained at over 1 million kyats per tical.

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Indian State Won’t Ease Crackdown on Crime Despite Apple Manager’s Death

Posted: 16 Oct 2018 10:16 PM PDT

LUCKNOW, India — Private security guard Ajit Singh Rana says he supports a police crackdown on gangsters in India’s most populous state, even after cops gunned down an Apple executive at a road stop in what human rights activists say was the latest in a series of extra-judicial killings.

Police have said the shooting was an accident, but are adamant there will be no let-up in the anti-crime campaign, which is popular with many people in India’s most politically important state.

“Goons and criminals have held back the state for years,” said Rana, 31, who guards a riverfront park in Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow in the evening and is the supervisor of a group of street cleaners in the morning.

“The government is right in killing them and everyone here appreciates it,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh, in India’s north, is home to 220 million people and sends more lawmakers to the lower house of parliament than any other state.

It is run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a saffron robe-wearing Hindu priest, launched a “zero tolerance” fight against criminals months after taking office in March last year.

Since then police have killed 67 suspected criminals in more than 2,700 “engagements,” wounded 700 and arrested 6,500, according to the draft of a government report reviewed by Reuters. Four policemen died and about 500 officers were injured in the incidents.

Adityanath’s state government has been boasting about the success of the crackdown and claims it has reduced major crimes significantly.

In the first nine months of this year, reported cases of murder fell 4 percent, rape 8 percent, burglary 11 percent, extortion 35 percent and robbery 40 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, according to a government document reviewed by Reuters.

“This will benefit Modi and Yogi, 100 percent. I will vote for them again, 100 percent,” said Rana.

Rana’s colleague Damodar Singh, 34, said he also approved of the tough stance but added crime won’t end as long as there’s a big jobless problem.

Opposition parties and rights activists say that as farm distress and high unemployment dent the BJP’s popularity in the country, the Adityanath government is playing to the basest fears of the electorate about their safety and security.

Fired accidentally

The Apple executive, Vivek Tiwari, was stopped by two police constables on motorcycle patrol near Lucknow early on the morning of Sept. 29 and shot dead. One of the constables told reporters he fired accidentally at Tiwari, who was driving back from an iPhone store launch.

In an attempt to defuse the wave of criticism, Uttar Pradesh offered the widow a state government job and compensation for the death of her husband. Police also issued a rare public apology.

But that hasn’t stopped activists and opposition politicians from demanding the state government rein in “trigger-happy” police. They say Tiwari’s killing garnered attention because he was a high-caste Hindu and worked for a high-profile company but the deaths of minority Muslims and poor people at the hands of the police rarely get a public airing.

Adityanath’s aides and police officers, however, told Reuters that security forces would continue to operate without fear or political interference as they needed to improve the law and order situation to attract more investment.

“The Lucknow incident has given us a setback, made us hang our heads in shame,” Anand Kumar, the second highest police official in Uttar Pradesh, told Reuters. “But it really was an aberration and we are resilient enough to bounce back. In this state we can’t let our guard down.”

He said that courts in the state had cleared police of any wrongdoing in more than half of the “encounter” deaths, that investigations were ongoing in other cases, and that 95 percent of the dead criminals had a bounty on their heads. Kumar said the perception of the state was changing from “no go” to “go go.”

It is difficult to estimate the impact of the hardline strategy on next year’s national election, due to be held by May, given law and order will be only one of the issues amid concerns about weak farm incomes and job creation.

An opinion poll by Times Now TV channel in August said Modi’s BJP would see its parliamentary seats from Uttar Pradesh fall to 49 from 73 in 2014. There are 80 seats altogether from the state.

State BJP leaders say they will win more seats than in 2014. Sanjeev Singh, a BJP politician who is now in the state government as an officer on special duty to Adityanath, said “change is visible” to the common man and that should benefit the party politically.

No bias

Ten Hindu voters Reuters spoke with during visits to Lucknow and Shamli, a district near the site of several of the killings, said they backed the clampdown while half a dozen Muslims – who make up just 19 percent of the state’s population – said they felt it was mainly targeting them.

Kumar, an additional director general of police, said there was no bias against any community or caste. He said 22 of the suspected criminals killed were Muslims, while the other 45 were Hindus.

But rights activists say the BJP government is allowing police to take the law into its own hands.

“Evidence points to use of encounters as a means to instill fear in the minds of criminals, and to raise the image of the state government and the police, in the public eye, as being tough on crime and criminals,” said Citizens Against Hate, a civil society alliance, in a report in May.

The report said the alliance had found at least 17 cases of suspected extra-judicial executions, based on interviews with victims’ families and analyses of police complaints and medical reports.

Showing a stamp-size photo of his son’s body stitched up from the front after a post-mortem examination, Meer Hasan said he hoped trouble for his family would end with the police killing of the eldest of his nine sons, Furquan.

Hasan, a Muslim, said in an affidavit to a court in western Uttar Pradesh that 37-year-old Furquan was with his cousin and a friend on the evening of Oct. 22 last year when police officers seized and beat them. Furquan, his father told Reuters, had been out on bail in connection with a village land dispute case.

He said the same night they were taken away to a jungle where Furquan was shot dead in a “fake encounter” — a deliberately staged police shootout — while his two companions were wounded in the legs and taken into custody. Hasan said his court statement was based on what his son’s two companions said happened.

Police told the court that Furquan was a “dreaded” criminal with a bounty of 50,000 rupees on his head for offences including rioting, carrying deadly weapons without a license and unlawful assembly.

According to the police version of events, a group of five men on two motorcycles fired at officers when asked to stop at a checkpoint. In the ensuing shootout, two policemen were wounded and Furquan was killed.

In January, the court dismissed Hasan’s petition seeking an investigation into the killing.

Hasan said he would not pursue the case any further.

“Whatever had to happen with Furquan happened,” Hasan, 68, said sitting outside his rundown red brick house in his village in Shamli. “I hope my other boys stay safe. I hope they live.”

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Chinese Electric Car Makers, Nurtured by State, Now Look for Way Out of Glut

Posted: 16 Oct 2018 09:59 PM PDT

HANGZHOU, China—Humming away in an industrial estate in the eastern Chinese resort city of Hangzhou, electric vehicle designer Automagic is one of hundreds of companies looking to ride the country’s wave of investment in clean transportation.

The company wants to find a niche in a crowded sector that already includes renewable equipment manufacturers, battery makers and property developers like the Evergrande Group, as well as established auto giants.

But not all of these electric vehicle hopefuls will make it to the finish line.

"This [large number of firms] is inevitable, because whenever there is an emerging technology or emerging industry, there must be a hundred schools of thought and a hundred flowers blooming," said Zhou Xuan, Automagic’s general manager, referring to Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s ill-fated 1956 "Hundred Flowers" campaign aimed at encouraging new ideas.

China is using preferential policies and brute manufacturing power to position itself at the forefront of global efforts to electrify transportation. By the end of 2017, ownership of new energy vehicles (NEV)—those powered by fuels other than petrol—reached 1.8 million in China, over half the world’s total.

With market expectations high, Chinese NEV maker NIO, a rival to Tesla, launched a high-profile stock market launch in New York last month.

In July, the industry ministry published a list of 428 recommended NEV designs built by 118 enterprises throughout the country. It included not only established carmakers like FAW Group and Geely Automobiles, but also small, new entrants with names like Greenwheel, Wuhu Bodge Automobiles and Jiangsu Friendly Cars.

But regulators are already concerned about overcapacity and "blind development." As subsidies are cut, smaller start-ups need to develop a competitive edge.

"After a period of intense competition, the rocks will appear, and the weak will be consolidated or eliminated," Zhou said.

Strategic gluts

Overcapacity has been a persistent concern for many Chinese industries, with thousands of firms, backed by growth-hungry local governments and supported by risky loans, expanding quickly.

Over the years, China has been forced to take action against price-sapping supply gluts in steel, coal and solar panels, among others.

Electric vehicles could be next, as local governments feel pressure to create champions while following state instructions to "upgrade" their heavy industrial economies.

Some executives say the market is already distorted by subsidies granted to inefficient and poorly performing firms.

"Right now, the rapid growth of NEVs is not a market choice but government-guided behavior, with growth stimulated by subsidies," said Li Lei, deputy director of the new energy department of Jiangxi Dacheng Autos, a new joint venture carmaker in eastern China’s Jiangxi province.

Though sales soared 88 percent in the first eight months of 2018, hitting 601,000 units, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has promised to tackle irrational growth in the sector.

In draft rules released this year, it said it would "plan and arrange the new energy vehicle industry scientifically," and block new production capacity in regions where the utilization rate was less than 80 percent.

But China has often relied on "strategic" supply gluts to boost competitiveness. Excess production in solar power forced producers to reduce costs and compete, subsidy-free, with conventional energy sources.

Liu Xiaolu, sales manager with ICONIQ Motors, a Tianjin-based luxury electric vehicle maker, said the large number of companies could be a "necessary stage" of development for the sector.

"You cannot say that 20 enterprises will definitely be able to develop the entire industry by themselves, and it probably needs everyone to come together, and then gradually get eliminated afterwards," he said.

Competitive edge

Established automakers told Reuters they’d already had plenty of time to prepare for the shift towards electric transportation.

Xu Hongfei, general manager with Zotye Automobile, a mid-sized Chinese automaker, said it had been preparing for China’s "exit schedule" from traditional vehicles for more than a decade and had developed core technologies such as batteries.

With a staff of 20, Automagic was founded in 2015 by former engineers from IBM and Geely. It is talking with partners to bring its models to the market.

The company is focusing on small, short-distance family vehicles rather than large-scale cars built by the likes of BYD. It is also seeking better ways to produce, recharge and recycle batteries.

"The most important point is that new energy vehicles need to be energy efficient, with low energy consumption, so we focus on cutting weight and making cars smaller so battery use can be reduced," said Zhong Jin, Automagic’s co-founder and chief executive.

GCL, one of China’s biggest renewable developers, plans to turn its "new energy town" at Jurong in Jiangsu province into a major manufacturing center with its expertise in batteries and recycling expertise, and even create a battery rental system.

Although all the companies are trying to get an edge through innovation, Li of Jiangxi Dacheng said success could simply come down to market positioning.

"Our company doesn’t have any very big advantages or very big disadvantages and competition is dependent first on branding, second on financing, and third on sales channels," he said.

The post Chinese Electric Car Makers, Nurtured by State, Now Look for Way Out of Glut appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Nine UN Security Council Members Ask to Discuss Myanmar Inquiry

Posted: 16 Oct 2018 09:46 PM PDT

UNITED NATIONS — The chair of a United Nations inquiry that accused Myanmar’s military of genocide is likely to brief the Security Council this month after Britain, France, the United States and six other members requested the meeting, diplomats said on Tuesday.

The move comes as global pressure mounts on Myanmar to act on accountability after a Myanmar military crackdown in the western state of Rakhine last year drove some 700,000 Rohingya over the border into Bangladesh.

The crackdown followed attacks by Rohingya militants on security posts. Myanmar has denied committing atrocities against the Rohingya, saying its military carried out justifiable actions against militants.

The UN inquiry’s report, released in August, called for the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Myanmar, apply targeted sanctions and set up an ad hoc tribunal to try suspects or refer them to the International Criminal Court.

Diplomats say council veto powers China and Russia are likely to protect Myanmar from any push for such measures.

However, they cannot block the briefing on the UN report because a minimum nine of the 15 council members support the move, which cannot be vetoed. Diplomats say China and Russia believe the report should first be addressed by the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, which deals with human rights.

The letter requesting the briefing was signed by Britain, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Peru, Kuwait, Ivory Coast and the United States.

Myanmar’s UN Ambassador Hau Do Suan wrote to the Security Council on Tuesday to object to the chair of the inquiry being invited to brief the body, warning that it “will only exacerbate mistrust and polarization among different communities in Rakhine” State, where the military crackdown occurred.

“Putting accountability above all else without regard to other positive developments is a dangerous attempt that will face utter failure,” he wrote.

The UN inquiry, established by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council, said the military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya with “genocidal intent.” Myanmar rejected the findings as “one-sided” and said it was a legitimate counterinsurgency operation.

The European Union is considering trade sanctions on Myanmar over the Rohingya crisis, potentially stripping the country of tariff-free access to the world’s largest trading bloc, three EU officials said earlier this month. The EU has already imposed travel bans and asset freezes on several military members.

The United States imposed sanctions on four military and police commanders and two army units in August. New sanctions are under consideration for half a dozen other individuals and at least two military-run businesses, US officials have said.

“Unilateral coercive measures without regard to the situation in Myanmar and imposition of politically motivated external pressure will be detrimental to the existing good will and cooperation of the Myanmar Government with the international community,” Myanmar’s UN envoy wrote to the Security Council.

Separately, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has begun examining allegations of forced deportation of Rohingya to Bangladesh. Myanmar has said it wants to repatriate Rohingya who fled.

The post Nine UN Security Council Members Ask to Discuss Myanmar Inquiry appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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