Friday, December 21, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Govt Announces Transfer of Military-Controlled Dept to Civilian Ministry

Posted: 21 Dec 2018 06:37 AM PST

YANGON — The military-controlled General Administration Department (GAD) will soon be transferred to the Ministry of the Office of the Union Government, President’s Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay said Friday.

The plan was announced at a press conference in Naypyitaw. The GAD is currently a branch of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is one of three ministries under the control of the country's powerful military.

The GAD has long been central to the functioning of government administration across the country, as its officials oversee local governance in both rural and urban areas and deal with people’s day-to-day needs, from registering births and deaths to mediating disputes.

Some lawmakers have complained that its centralized control of government bureaucracy has been one of the main obstacles to reform.

U Zaw Htay said the move would implement the pledges President U Win Myint made in April to reform the government from the bottom up and to prepare the country for a federal system by reducing central control and adopting the suggestions of Myanmar’s states and regions.

The Ministry of the Office of the Union Government is one of the new ministries created by the current administration. In November a retired colonel and former pilot for the Burma Air Force, U Min Thu, was appointed its new minister.

U Zaw Htay said U Min Thu was appointed knowing that the GAD would soon be put under his supervision.

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Army Chief Says He’ll Ask Security Ministers to Be More Open With Media

Posted: 21 Dec 2018 06:36 AM PST

YANGON—Myanmar military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing promised the Myanmar Press Council at a meeting in Naypyidaw on Friday that he would encourage all 14 state and regional security and border affairs ministers to answer journalists' questions if they have relevant information.

Press Council member U Myint Kyaw, who attended Friday's meeting with the senior general, confirmed his vow to The Irrawaddy. Speaking by phone, U Myint Kyaw said Press Council representatives urged the Army chief and other senior military officers to provide greater access to information and to provide security guards to ensure journalists' safety in conflict zones. He said they also urged the officers not to immediately launch court cases against journalists, but rather to lodge complaints with the Press Council—as required by the Media Law—if the Army felt that news coverage of military-related issues was incorrect.

U Myint Kyaw said, "Although Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing did not mention a specific timeframe in regards to the spokespersons for the border affairs ministers, he said he will encourage them immediately.”

Based on the Army chief's responses, U Myint Kyaw explained that sometimes information linked to armed conflicts is available, but border affairs ministers refrain from revealing it to journalists as they are concerned about misunderstandings appearing in press reports, adding that their main concern is with not providing information that exceeds the scope of their authority. U Myint Kyaw called to mind the Army chief's stated view that media news coverage should prioritize accuracy over speed. However, the military chief, rather than discussing the establishment of proper communication channels between media and senior military officers, prefers to continue holding dialogues with the Press Council. Another will be held in Yangon next month.

"The Press Council has regular engagements with the military, but there is no proper channel between media organizations and the Army,” said U Myint Kyaw.

Press Council member Daw Thu Zar said she discussed whether Military Intelligence officials conducted surveillance of reporters at protest events and human rights rallies in urban areas, saying reporters felt unsafe. The commander-in-chief simply answered that officials carry out such activities as they are assigned to do, and claimed they would not harm reporters.

Another Press Council member, Tha Lwun Zaung Htet, handed a letter to the Army chief demanding the unconditional release of Reuters journalists Ko Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were imprisoned for seven years on a widely condemned conviction of violating national security laws. In a related case, Police Captain Moe Yan Naing was jailed for one year as a "hostile witness" after telling the court the reporters had been set up. Daw Thu Zar said the Army chief listened patiently to the Press Council members' complaints before simply answering that intervening in the judicial system could be regarded as contempt of court.

Right after the meeting, the military announced that in order to accelerate its peace dialogues with non-signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, including the Laiza, Kachin State-based Arakan Army (AA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), it would halt operations at five of its commands, excepting northern Rakhine. Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun was quoted by local media as saying that operations would continue in northern Rakhine State, as the Arakan Rohingya Salivation Army was still active in the area. He was quoted as saying that peace talks will continue with the AA despite a series of clashes between it and the Tatmadaw in recent months.

The meeting was the first between the newly elected Press Council, now in its second term, and Army chief Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing.

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‘Pure Gold’ Exhibition Displays Treasures Made from Trash

Posted: 21 Dec 2018 06:24 AM PST

The design exhibition "Pure Gold", which has been hosted by a number of cities around the world, is now ongoing at Yangon's Secretariat Office with the aim of educating local people about the virtues of transforming rubbish into useful and beautiful objects.

Organized by Goethe Institut Myanmar, the exhibition's aim is to raise ecological awareness in Myanmar while giving a platform to local artists and NGOs involved in "upcycling" projects.

Previous events held at the Secretariat Office have occupied a few rooms, but the building's operators opened up two extra rooms for the "Pure Gold" exhibition.

The exhibition occupies four main rooms, including two workshops and two exhibits. At the entrance of the exhibit, a big golden pangolin made from bamboo and recycled newspaper and a giant dragon's head — the main highlight of the exhibition, made from bamboo sticks, re-used rice sacks, and plastic sheets — welcome the guests.

Children participate in Chu Chu’s DIY upcycling workshop. / Aung Kyaw Htet

A body of a giant nagar (a mythical dragon) created by young artist Arker drapes the exhibition's walls from room to room. It will be covered slowly everyday by visitors with small pieces of plastic, taken from huge sheets made out of old plastic bags.

The first room is a workshop room set up by Chu Chu, a non-profit organization that creates beautiful objects from recycled plastic, rubber and others in Yangon.

The workshop is full of handicrafts such as wallets, cardholders, belts, pencil holders, bottle holders, bags and decorative items that have found a new life after being rescued from the trash. The upcycled items include worn out tires, plastic bags, empty bottles, coffee mix sachets, cement bags and so on.

Beautiful bags made from used plastic. / Aung Kyaw Htet

"All the items are really pretty; I never noticed before that we can turn those trash into useful and beautiful artistic object. I had to learn and see new ideas about possible designs or objects that can be made from trash," said Sein Lei, 14, a student who visited the exhibition.

Visitors can join a do-it-yourself workshop and learn how to change trash into treasure. Some kids could be seen putting plastic pieces on the beautiful dragon's as part of the giant nagar artwork.

The other room is a big exhibition produced by Bonjour Yangon. It focuses on creating traditional masterpieces and beautiful souvenirs, mainly from wood, bamboo and urban materials.

Some artistic decorative items made mainly from wood, bamboo and urban materials by Bonjour Myanmar. / Aung Kyaw Htet

The objects are mainly artistic, decorative items. Some are genuine art installations made from betel nut, bamboo and beans. A human form made from branches seems very real, and the toys made from paper are so cute.

The next room is another workshop room but it's for participating artists including Yadanar Win, Aung Myat Htay, Zun Ei, Ma Ei, Ko Latt, Ko Ye, Nge Nge, Kaung Myat Thu, Thiri Wai Maung, Pau San, Sen Sen, Suan Huai, Aye Lwin, Nang Hseng Noon, and Sai Puen Kur.

They introduce the concept of "upcycling" to visitors by making artworks in groups; some transform old shirts into trendy ones, some make slippers from old used copper cables and clothes.

"One of my friends works at Goethe Institute Myanmar and asked me to join this exhibition project. Personally, I had also wanted to join this kind of ecological awareness project that introduces ideas about upcycling and recycling," said Ko Latt, a local visual artist and one of the participants of the exhibition.

A human form made from a tree is shown at the exhibition. / Aung Kyaw Htet

He added that, "Our country has a huge amount of garbage and most of the people don't have the knowledge to transform trash into useful things. So, people gain knowledge and ideas through this event. This kind of exhibition is really good and we need it."

Most of the visitors are foreigners, but there were a few local people. He hoped more local visitors would show up, and said local people need to get more comfortable with the idea of going to exhibitions.

The last room is filled with 76 beautiful objects that were made from garbage by 53 designers from all over the globe, alongside works of Myanmar artists.

The objects are mainly furniture, waste paper baskets, and all kinds of chairs and tables. Some are real art pieces. Some are pure art, some are designed to be useable objects, which could be put to use anywhere.

The event features colorful and beautiful objects made by 53 designers from all over the globe, alongside works by Myanmar artists. / Aung Kyaw Htet

Among my favorite objects from this room are "Raymond table" by Davie Amar. The table was made from old bleached, varnished and stained cut boards. It's modern furniture and really stylish. Another one is an object made by the local artist Htein Lin. The "Dhamma Seat" was made by from an old cartwheel.

The last one is "Football carpet" by the artist Janina Stubler. The stylish and colorful carpet was made from old football covers. The other objects are also pretty.

"We don't expect that we will resolve the problem of garbage. Of course, recycling is the only way—good recycling, systematic recycling—is the only way to deal with the huge amount of garbage," said Franz Xaver Augustin, director of the Goethe-Institut Myanmar.

He added that, "What we can do here is create awareness about the problem of throwing away everything without thinking. If that is achieved, we will reach our goal and our intention."

The 'Dhamma Seat' by the artist Htein Linn, which was made from an old cartwheel. / Aung Kyaw Htet

Objects made from waste products are already available in shops now in Myanmar and sell at a good price. They make good money, he said.

"So, if you are able to transform waste in the right way, and create something beautiful and useful, then you will find the market," added Augustin.

The "Pure Gold" exhibition traveled from Hamburg, Germany to London, and then to Bangkok. Yangon is the fourth stop on its tour around the world. It runs until Jan. 6, open daily from 10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. The exhibition is open to the public free-of-charge.

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Military Reps Urge Parliament to Counteract Foreign ‘Interference’ Over Rakhine Crisis

Posted: 21 Dec 2018 05:27 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — The military’s representatives in Myanmar's Union Parliament have urged the national legislature to respond to what they described as misinformation and propaganda about Myanmar over the Rakhine crisis.

During discussion of a report by the Lower House’s International Relations Committee on Thursday, the representatives said the legislature should not remain silent but respond in a timely fashion to the actions of foreign parliaments targeting Myanmar.

"Parliament’s International Relations Committee should keep an eye on those issues, and raise objections and make counter-statements as necessary," Lieutenant Colonel Zaw Tun Oo said.

On Dec. 13 the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly adopted a resolution that called the Myanmar military’s actions against the country’s Rohingya a “genocide” and accused it of committing crimes against humanity.

If such actions by other countries have an impact on Myanmar, the International Relations Committee should report them to Parliament, assess the repercussions and offer recommendations, said Lt. Col. Zaw Tun Oo.

Colonel Kyaw Soe Lwin, another military representative, accused some major powers of interfering in Myanmar’s internal affairs while Myanmar remained independent and neutral.

"Whenever there is interference, [the committee] should assess it in real time and report its findings to Parliament," he said.

The report says Myanmar's relations with Western countries including the U.S. and EU members and majority-Muslim states have cooled because of the violence in Rakhine State. It says those countries are putting pressures on Myanmar and attempting to impose sanctions.

"I think the suggestion of the military representatives is constructive. It would be better if we understand the issues facing our country well and respond strategically," said committee member Daw Pyone Cathy Naing.

Other lawmakers also supported the military’s suggestion.

"The military has no direct communication with the international community. Only the government and Parliament have direct communication with foreign diplomats. But the military can also do what it can through its military attaches," political analyst U Maung Maung Soe told The Irrawaddy.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Tatmadaw Announces Four-Month Ceasefire in North, Northeast

Posted: 21 Dec 2018 05:20 AM PST

The Myanmar Military (or Tatmadaw) on Friday declared a unilateral four-month ceasefire effective in active conflict areas in north and northeast Myanmar. The first truce ever initiated by the military, the unprecedented move has been hailed as a constructive gesture.

"The Tatmadaw will cease all military operations in each command from Dec. 21 to April 30" in order to allow negotiations with each ethnic armed group in the region, according to the statement issued by the Office of the Commander-in-Chief on Friday. The order covers the Northern Command in Kachin State; the Northeastern, Eastern and Central Eastern commands, and the Triangle Command in Shan State.

The military stated that during the unilateral ceasefire period, the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) would engage in peace negotiations with the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in their respective areas. Ceasefire-related issues will be on the agenda. If necessary, the negotiations will be led by the Tatmadaw's negotiation team led by Lieutenant-General Yar Pyae.

This move comes after three members of the Northern Alliance pledged to lay down their arms and seek political resolutions to conflicts at a Dec. 12 meeting with members of the government's Peace Commission in China's Yunan province.

China has been brokering peace talks in the northern and northeast regions of the country, and the government conducted informal peace talks over the past five months with the Myanmar National Truth and Justice Party/Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNTJP/MNDAA), the Palaung State Liberation Front/Ta'ang National Liberation Army (PSLF/TNLA) and the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA).

U Min Zaw Oo, the Director of the Myanmar Institute for Peace Studies, said the "Tatmadaw's announcement is a constructive gesture and a key step to reaching ceasefires with the northern groups. Most importantly, it opens up a path to resuming political negotiations."

He told The Irrawaddy on Friday the Tatmadaw seemed to have been preparing for this announcement for at least five months, having noticeably reduced military engagements in the northern region.

The NRPC issued a statement welcoming the military's move and pledging to work to bring all remaining eight EAOs that have not yet signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement to enter peace negotiations.

Observers viewed the move as a positive step for peace, saying the Tatmadaw had never before announce this kind of unilateral ceasefire, even under the previous government.

The Tatmadaw also backed down from its insistence on upholding its six-point policy, saying that "all EAOs need to comply with four of them: to respect the agreements, not to exploit the peace agreements, not to burden local residents and to abide by the existing laws."

Meanwhile, the Tatmadaw said its Negotiation Team will continue talks with the 10 signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and if necessary the team will hold talks with groups individually.

However, the Tatmadaw's truce announcement does not cover Rakhine State in western Myanmar, where it has been engaged in weeks-long clashes with the Arakan Army. Because of the fighting between the Tatmadaw and AA troops, hundreds of local residents have been forced to take shelter in nearby towns such as Ponnakyun.

The fighting in Rakhine State may continue, said U Min Zaw Oo, because the Tatmadaw doesn't recognize the AA's claims of authority in the area.

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Civil Servant Investigated for Criticism of Gov’t Training

Posted: 21 Dec 2018 05:07 AM PST

YANGON—A senior public health officer from Mandalay Region is being investigated by a top-level team for criticizing a government civil servant training on social media.

An official statement issued on Wednesday from the chair of the investigation team said the case has been opened on Dr. Soe Thuya Zaw, head of Mandalay Region's Mogok Township's public health department (dental), who attended a compulsory mid-level training session from Oct. 9 to Dec. 1, 2017. The statement said the investigation was opened for three reasons—for his criticism of the rules and regulations that trainees need to follow, for pointing out the faults of lecturers and claiming the training is a waste of government budget.

In October and November this year, the dentist U Soe Thuya Zaw shared a series of posts on his Facebook page about his experiences while attending public service training at the Central Institute of the Civil Service in a town called Zee Pin Gyi near Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay Region. The Zee Pin Gyi civil service training was once known as an education for civil servants in the military mindset and basic military training.

The training targets civil servants from the level of junior clerk up to deputy director general and is offered as regular training, special refresher training, mid-level training and senior-level training. There are also mandatory training programs for cadres of civil servants newly entering the civil service or being promoted.

According to U Soe Thuya Zaw, the training included courses on financial management within government departments, political science, economics, English and information technology.

One of his posts said that during a class, the lecturer criticized the National League for Democracy (NLD) government's efforts in the peace process and said that the NLD isn't willing to achieve long-lasting peace. Later, the lecturer was slammed by classmates of the dentist who asked counter questions. They said most people know that first priority of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's government is the peace process and it has been since they took office in 2016.

One of his posts said that while teaching the political science course, the lecturer also told the trainees not to marry or buy anything from non-Buddhist people and particularly referred to Muslim people, saying that they pose a risk to Myanmar's monogamous Buddhists.

U Soe Thuya Zaw criticized the lecturer's comments, saying that the topic is "too sensitive" and not suitable for discussion in the trainings as more than 600 trainees from different backgrounds and religions attended the courses.

He commented that the training topics pose a risk of brainwashing civil servants who will be the people implementing government policies in the future.

His latest status about the training pointed out that it is a waste of government budget and questioned whether it really is advantageous to each civil servant and whether it is worth taking up so much of their time.

The Irrawaddy contacted the chair of the investigation team but she refused to answer questions, saying that the case is currently under investigation and they will announce the results officially later.

The chair said U Soe Thuya Zaw now has a limited amount of time to send a letter or voice a complaint using evidence to show he is not guilty.

The investigation team includes the head of Mandalay's public health department, the directors of the public health departments of Naypyitaw and Mogok.

A statement issued on Thursday by the Students' Union of the University of Dental Medicine, Mandalay said the union condemns the investigation and allegations which totally go against the civil servant's by-laws and freedom of speech. The union also demanded for U Soe Thuya Zaw not to put any further pressure on the investigation team.

In a press conference on Friday, government spokesperson U Zaw Htay said, "The action needs to follow civil servant act and rules and regulations."

U Zaw Htay said that whether action will be taken on the case will be decided by the ministry of health and if there are complaints or incorrect decisions made by the investigation team, U Soe Thuya Zaw can send an official complaint letter to the President's Office.

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A Letter from Mandalay

Posted: 21 Dec 2018 04:59 AM PST

As we read news of Mandalay's ambition to become a "smart city" with the former royal city in the midst of a high-tech makeover and recently rewarded for its efforts, being named among the top five urban areas in Southeast Asia making progress toward smart-city status. But it still has a long way to go.

To keep our beloved royal city alive, I would prefer to see Mandalay—its charm, rich heritage, historic buildings, palace and temples—preserved as a cultural city, as well as a preservation of its unique pace of life—not too fast and not too slow. The question now is can we save Mandalay?

The country's last royal capital, at more than 160 years old, is rapidly changing and facing a growing Chinese influence with businesses and unchecked migration flowing in through our northern border.

With Chinese influence growing day by day, perhaps it is time for Mandalay's chief minister and officials to work hard on preserving the real essence of Mandalay before it is too late.

It is no longer news that Mandalay is becoming a Chinese city. Mandalay life has been obviously impacted by a rapid pace of growth of Chinese businesses, and the ensuing Chinese temples, architecture and restaurants are nestling up to Chinese-financed shopping centers.

There is concern among Mandalay residents about the city's old heritage and charm being wiped out by greed and ugly modern buildings which have mushroomed over the decades without strict monitoring by officials.

Meanwhile, the Chinese celebrate lavish weddings and parties in expensive hotels and continue to buy up expensive land in prime areas in downtown Mandalay. In fact, the streets outside the old palace are now prime business zones. I see many local Mandalay citizens sit in teashops puffing cheroots, chewing beetle nut and sipping tea: they are slow, while newcomers to Mandalay are moving fast.

Mandalay was founded in 1858 by King Mindon, a devout Buddhist who organized the Fifth Great Buddhist Synod in what was then a relatively new city. Even today, the city remains known as the country's center of culture and Buddhist learning, and its place in history as the country's last royal capital makes it a primary symbol of Myanmar sovereignty and identity.

King Mindon is remembered not only as a great king but also as a reformer who envisioned a modernizing country catching up with the rest of the changing world in the 19th century and he tolerated other faiths including Christianity and Islam. But his kingdom was too weak to defend itself against the British colonialists.

When he built the city, some 13 kilometers away from the Irrawaddy River, the lower part of the country was already under the British. The king was concerned about invasion and the range of hostile cannon fire from British ships on the river when he moved the city from Amarapura.

Mindon died in 1878 and was succeeded by his son Thibaw, the last monarch. The British overthrew Thibaw in the Third Anglo-Myanmar War in 1885, and the king and queen were sent to India where he died in exile.

Walking into the palace today, those interested in learning about the history can see some information boards, but they are not enough to grasp the attention of young people who are visiting only to take selfies and have a laugh. The military still occupies much of the land inside the palace walls. The palace belongs to the public and people of Myanmar.

But where is the history? There are many stories recounting how the British took over the palace. They turned it into a headquarters for their occupying forces and demolished buildings. Then lootings began. It signaled the loss of independence and sovereignty of the kingdom. The history that follows has been distorted under the proceeding generals. Our young generations, as well as visitors, deserve to learn the history of these places in Mandalay.

The walls and moat of Mandalay’s royal palace looking towards Mandalay Hill. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

The beautiful moat surrounding the palace walls was rebuilt under the previous regime. It had been destroyed during World War II when occupied by the Japanese and allied forces pounded the city, flattening the palace and destroying several other historic buildings. In the 1990s, as part of their campaign to beautify the country, the notorious generals ordered prisoners to rebuild the moat in an effort to attract tourists. Today, Mandalay will need a stronger effort to rebuild these monuments to remind the people and new generations, as well as to attract tourists and tell the history of the royal city—it is important.

Mandalay is also home to some historical masterpieces of architecture built as monasteries. While in town, visitors should go to the magnificent Shwe Kyaung, Shwe Inn Pin, Kin Wun Mingyi and Yaw Min Gyi monasteries. Both Kin Wun Mingyi and Yaw Min Gyi were royal officials of their time who built magnificent monasteries which today stand wearily waiting to be renovated. One will see fine wood carvings at Shwe Kyaung Monastery which failed to achieve UNESCO's World Heritage listing when its application was submitted in 1996. Restoration work at the monastery is still underway amid widely shared rumors of the siphoning of restoration funds. Kuthodaw Pagoda, where you can find what's known as the "world’s largest book," is worth a visit too, but apart from Shwe Kyaung Monastery, visitors will find very little information on display at any of these locations.

Shwe Kyaung Monastery in Mandalay. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

I am told that some teak monasteries and buildings are preserved by respected local abbots. They have saved money and received local donations for the preservation of the finely carved wooden doors, windows and buildings which were built in the 19th century. A shared fear among monks and residents is that if these buildings are handed over to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture their maintenance will be compromised.

Shwe Inn Pin Monastery in Mandalay. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

One also wonders at the potential of renovating Gaw Wein Jetty where the country's last king and queen departed by steamer ship to India, and of providing information of the historical events to students and tourists. A ship, statues and a display of information recounting the whole episode would be educational and attract visitors.

If you are in Amarapura we will see the stunning U Bein Bridge and Mahagandayon Monastery where young monks can be seen walking under the beautiful old trees to receive alms. This old tradition of offering alms to monks is well preserved and quietly observed. It is a peaceful atmosphere, but the question is, how long will it last?

Young monks collect alms outside Mahagandayon Monastery in Mandalay. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

In September, Myanmar and China agreed to establish the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) and the estimated 1,700-kilometer-long corridor will connect Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan Province, to Myanmar's major economic checkpoints—first to Mandalay, and then south-east to Yangon and west to the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ). China is a key supportive neighbor in backing up Myanmar when it faces Western criticism over conflict in northern Rakhine State. There has been criticism that the Myanmar government is increasingly becoming pro-China—just like the previous regime—but there are those who defend the government, asking "Do they have a choice? The west is pushing Myanmar into China's orbit."

In any case, the 15-point MoU signed between Myanmar and China stipulates that the two governments agree to collaborate on many sectors including basic infrastructure, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, transport, finance, human resource development, telecommunications, research and technology. I still haven't found any think tank group in Mandalay researching or studying China's Belt and Road Initiative.

As night falls and we are watching the sunset by the Irrawaddy River, we dive into discussions with Mandalay friends and one suggests that instead of fearing China, Myanmar must take advantage of its unique geopolitical position to forge stronger economic ties. But how do we strike a balance? Another retorted, questioning what sort of power, capacity, vision and imagination do we have? These debates are endless.

Yaw Min Gyi Monastery located in Mandalay. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

Amid rumors that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Myanmar in the near future, residents in Mandalay go about their daily lives. A handful of intellectuals and writers, however, whisper to me that they worry about China's growing clout in the north and the danger of Myanmar again being a pawn between bullying superpowers. We now see the rise of China and how its economic power has a huge impact on the border regions and is coming deeper inside Myanmar. Mandalay is on its list. "We are falling into China's hands," one member of a prominent intellectual family in Mandalay told me.

Our ancestors saw their king and queen taken away, foreign troops fighting over the royal city out of strategic and geopolitical interest and then the destruction of Mandalay. Who knows if in 50 to 100 years the country's map may ultimately change? Saving Mandalay is not going to be easy.

Aung Zaw is the founding editor-in-chief of The Irrawaddy.

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Yangon Retailers Refusing 10,000-Kyat Notes After Spate of Counterfeit Arrests

Posted: 21 Dec 2018 04:55 AM PST

YANGON — Shoppers in Yangon say some retailers are refusing to accept 10,000-kyat notes following a series of arrests this month of people using counterfeit bills, afraid they could unwittingly be next.

The use of counterfeit notes is not new in Myanmar, but it is rarely reported. The amounts have usually been small and the fake bills were typically easy to spot.

But the problem has come to the fore over the past month with arrests across Myanmar of people holding stacks of face 10,000-kyat notes.

"I went to a grocery to buy cooking utensils. When I tried to use a 10,000-kyat note, the shopkeeper rejected it and asked me to give her another note, saying she was afraid that the note might be fake," said Daw Myint, a housewife from Tamwe Township.

Daw Khin Kyaw, a resident of Yangon’s Yuzana Garden City Housing, reported a similar experience.

"But not every shop rejects 10,000-kyat note," she added.

Some say shopping centers are rejecting 10,000-kyat notes as well. Residents of Dagon Township said local offices of the Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation are even turning the notes down.

A couple from Singapore was arrested in Yangon last month after trying to use fake 10,000-kyat notes to pay the entrance fee for foreigners at Shwedagon Pagoda. They said they received the notes from a moneychanger in Singapore and have had a related lawsuit filed against them by police. Authorities in Singapore followed up on the couple’s claim by raiding 18 moneychangers in the island state, coming up with more counterfeit cash.

Also this month, a Myanmar woman was arrested after being found with $1,000 worth of fake 10,000-kyat notes in Bago Region. The woman had worked as a domestic helper in Singapore and said she received the bills from a moneychanger there. She has been charged under Article 105 of the Central Bank of Myanmar Law with knowingly using counterfeit currency and faces up to three years in jail if convicted.

In yet another case, from this week, a man was arrested in Naypyitaw and charged under the same law after transferring about 50 fake 10,000-kyat notes through a local bank.

Photos of shop signs asking customers not to pay with 10,000-kyat notes have started spreading on social media.

"As a wholesaler, we have to take 10,000-kyat notes. But we are very careful with them because there are fakes," a pharmacist in Yangon’s Shwe Pyae Sone Market said.

U Than Lwin, an adviser to Kanbawza Bank, said the public should be educated about the problem but speculated that the Central Bank was wary of doing so for fear of making people think it was a bigger problem than it actually was.

On Dec. 14 the Central Bank issued a notice in state-run newspapers explaining how to identify the fake notes.

The Public Accounts Committee of the Union Parliament’s Upper House held a hearing with Central Bank officials on Thursday to ask them about the counterfeit notes as well as its recent controversial purchase of $30 million from local private banks.

Committee Chairman U Saw Than Htut said he urged the Central Bank officials to help secure bail for the people recently arrested for holding fake bills. The officials, he said, told the committee that they did not break the law if they did not know the bills were fake but added that their fates were up to the courts.

At a press conference in Naypyitaw on Friday, President’s Office spokesman U Zaw Htay said the government will take action against anyone found printing fake notes or knowingly distributing them. He said anyone using counterfeit cash unknowingly would not be punished.

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UWSA to Allow Lahu, Kachin Churches to Reopen

Posted: 21 Dec 2018 03:34 AM PST

The United Wa State Army (UWSA) will allow churches to reopen in the areas under its control in northern Shan State after ordering them shut for several months.

Nyi Rang, a spokesperson for the UWSA based in Lashio, northern Shan State, told The Irrawaddy that the central Wa authorities had made the decision to let the churches reopen.

"They will let Lahu and Kachin churches reopen. The decision was made at [Wa leaders'] recent meeting," said Nyi Rang.

The UWSA shut down over 100 churches run by Lahu and Kachin Christians in August and September. Nyi Rang said his group had completed its investigations into those churches and was now ready to allow them to reopen.

Lahu Baptist Convention (LBC) Secretary-General Reverend Lazarus said his group would go back to the Wa region again if the UWSA allowed it to.

"If they [the UWSA] allow us to go back there, we are ready to go. We do very simple work; we will teach our religion and reopen our schools," Rev. Lazarus said.

He said that all churches remain closed, and no one from the LBC was currently able to stay in Wa region, as the UWSA had detained its members and expelled them from the area.

Bishop Philip Zahawng, a Catholic leader based in Lashio who used to work in the Wa region, told the BBC's Burmese version last night that his group would ask the UWSA what regulations it intended to impose on its work in the region.

"We will go back to work there if they allow us to go. But, we would ask them whether they have proper laws for persons who work for religion in their region. They could shut down our churches once again if we do not ask about their law," Philip Za Haung said.

No one yet knows what restrictions the UWSA has in mind for the reopened churches. The UWSA issued a statement on Dec. 9, but it was in Chinese only, according to Nyi Rang, who declined to let The Irrawaddy see it.

In early September the UWSA detained a total of about 200 Christian religious leaders from the LBC and Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) and shuttered more than 100 churches.

Nyi Rang told the media in September that the Lahu and Kachin Christian leaders had to be detained because "extremists" among them were putting the unity of the ethnic Wa people at risk by recruiting members not just from their own ethnic groups but from the Wa as well.

The UWSA want ethnic Wa to function as religious leaders in the future, according to a statement it issued in August. The statement has caused concern among the Lahu and Kachin about the fate of their own Christian communities.

 

The post UWSA to Allow Lahu, Kachin Churches to Reopen appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bangladesh Tightens Security of Rohingya Refugee Camps Ahead of Poll

Posted: 21 Dec 2018 01:47 AM PST

DHAKA — Officials in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar District say they will bar Rohingya refugees from leaving their camps for all but emergencies and medical trips and restrict the movement of foreign aid workers in and out for three days around the national elections on Dec. 30.

"The camps will apparently be sealed for those days," Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Kamal Hossain told The Irrawaddy. "The checkpoints on the roads will be strengthened."

Cox’s Bazar police Superintendent Masud Hossain said Bangladeshi authorities were worried that local politicians might try to hire the refugees to pose as supporters or even cast ballots.

“We will keep them in these circumstances so that no one can misuse them,” he said.

An official with the government’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission said his agency was also asked to keep an especially close watch in the lead-up to the elections.

"We have held a meeting with the officials to beef up vigilance in the camps," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the press.

In addition to an unknown number of army and border guard personnel, about 1,100 police currently serve the camps, which shelter some 1.1 million mostly Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. Most of them have arrived since August 2017, when attacks by the militant Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on security posts in northern Rakhine State triggered a violent crackdown there by the Myanmar military.

According to police, at least 22 Rohingya have been killed in the camps over the past year by other refugees and that gangs in the camps are involved in everything from kidnapping to ransom, extortion, robbery, smuggling, drug trafficking and rape.

In a report released Nov. 12, the International Crisis Group says ARSA members were present in the camps and could launch cross-border raids on Myanmar's security forces.

“Other militant factions have also been organizing in the camps, though their capacity for violent action is unclear,” the report adds.

Kamal, the deputy commissioner, said aid agencies have been asked to supply the camps with extra food ahead of the security clampdown.

Abdul Kashem, however, executive director of the non-profit Help Cox's Bazar, said his group had not been informed of the plans to restrict movement in and out of the camps but would adjust its work as soon as it was.

The post Bangladesh Tightens Security of Rohingya Refugee Camps Ahead of Poll appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Harnessing Myanmar’s Natural Tea Treasure

Posted: 21 Dec 2018 01:06 AM PST

YANGON — In southern Shan State, 1,800 meters above sea level, a farmer plucks leaves from mature, woody tea bushes. The leaves have not felt the spray of a chemical fertilizer nor pesticide since they sprouted. They're collected in woven baskets on the backs of farmers who receive a fair price. They're going to Yangon.

Sitting in a brand new office in a not-yet-finished building in Yangon's exclusive Golden Valley neighborhood feels like a world away from the Shan hills. But here, Sandra Min and her husband, Nyantha Maw Lin, sit with bags and jars of tea — both dried for drinking and pickled for eating — recounting the story of how it all got here, how they got here, how they left their jobs as a senior executive of a financial company and a political and public policy consultant and found themselves on cold, rural Shan hillsides drinking tea with farmers.

Khaya also produces three kinds of laphet, the pickled tea leaves for which are fermented for one year or more. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

Sandra, a self-professed non-coffee drinker, always had an affinity for tea.

"Everywhere I go I try to find the finest teas," she said. "Myanmar already has a tea-drinking and tea-eating culture, so it's not rocket science."

During the time he worked with an agriculture-based social enterprise, Nyantha spent countless hours traveling on motorbikes through rural areas to connect with farmers, traders and distributors on marketing strategies and financial services.

But it's much more than a love of tea that brought them around to creating Khaya, a premium quality, natural brand of drinking tea and the pickled version, laphet. They recognized that the underdeveloped agriculture industry was one of Myanmar's few untapped treasures, decades behind other Southeast Asian nations. Nyantha and Sandra decided to combine their skills and know-how and create Khaya.

"Before a product gets to the market in Myanmar it changes hand more times than it should. There are a lot of inefficiencies, a lot of missed opportunities," said Nyantha.

"When we looked at the agricultural space here in Myanmar, we saw that it's got massive potential. You've got the climate for it. You've got the variety across the country, whether it's altitudinal difference or topographical difference, that really allows for a lot of diversity. But it hasn't had the decades of investment go into its upkeep and its development."

After quitting their high-powered jobs, their tea-drinking research trips took them all across the country. They wanted to raise Myanmar's tea industry to the standard it deserves to be at, to unlock its true potential. They looked at where they could add value to the product and connect farmers to a market that is prepared to pay above average prices for a healthier, higher quality of tea. They want to send Myanmar tea beyond the borders, and with pride.

"If we compare Myanmar tea [production] with Sri Lanka or China, we don't get the same kind of yield. We need to plant new bushes, use better growing techniques, give [assistance] to the farmers, invest in the processing facilities and get the right certifications. Only then can we look at the export market and put Myanmar on the map," said Sandra.

Now they work closely with farmers in Pindaya, Shan State, and other parts of the country and guide them in their farming practices. They pay them enough so they don't need to take shortcuts or use chemical fertilizers and can take more time to produce the tea. They build trust with farmers and traders and connect them to stronger markets.

A view over one of the tea plantations in Pindaya, Shan State supplying tea to Khaya. / Supplied

"We found tea in Pindaya in particular to be among the highest quality of tea, not just in Myanmar but just as competitive to teas anywhere else in the world," said Nyantha.

Khaya's range of teas was launched earlier this year and consists of four different drinking options and three pickled tea varieties that are naturally produced with no chemicals whatsoever. The high altitude of the Shan hills lends itself to fresher air and purer water as well as a certain type of surrounding vegetation, all of which create an overall better quality of tea.

Khaya's oolong variety is roasted alongside leaves from the sticky rice plant that give it a distinctive sticky rice aroma. The black breakfast tea, which is fully oxidized, is the stronger, highly caffeinated version served with milk and sugar or condensed milk at teashops around the country. The red tea is the full-leaf version of the black tea; it has a similarly sweet aroma and is a full-bodied tea. This is well paired with honey and goes down well with a drop of milk and sugar. The green tea is the variety found in China and Japan and is not oxidized; it's simply plucked, withered, steamed and roasted. It has a lighter flavor and is a good option to pair with laphet salad.

Khaya tea comes in four varieties, all of which are grown and processed without the use of chemicals or additives. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

As for pickled tea for eating, Khaya produces jars of classic, hot-and-sour and cashew-infused laphet. Perhaps the most exciting of their products is the recently launched "lapenade," a tapenade made with laphet that might go well as a spread on bread or as a salad topping.

Through Khaya, Sandra and Nyantha plan to introduce their Myanmar tea to the international market as soon as possible. But considering the time it takes for the newly planted tea bushes to yield the right quality of tea leaf, it looks like full export operations won't be ready for another three years. Looking towards 2019, they will focus on building production volume, ideally reaching one ton of Khaya tea per day. They are currently suppliers to a number of high-end restaurants in Yangon including Rangoon Tea House, and individual orders can be made through their website. They hope to soon have Khaya on supermarket shelves as well.

The post Harnessing Myanmar's Natural Tea Treasure appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Hacked HPE, IBM and Then Attacked Clients–Sources

Posted: 20 Dec 2018 09:07 PM PST

WASHINGTON/LONDON/SAN FRANCISCO—Hackers working on behalf of China’s Ministry of State Security breached the networks of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and International Business Machines Corp (IBM) and then used the access to hack into their clients’ computers, according to five sources familiar with the attacks.

The attacks were part of a Chinese campaign known as Cloudhopper, which the United States and Britain on Thursday said infected technology service providers in order to steal secrets from their clients.

While cybersecurity firms and government agencies have issued multiple warnings about the Cloudhopper threat since 2017, they have not disclosed the identity of technology companies whose networks were compromised.

IBM said it had no evidence that sensitive corporate data had been compromised. While HPE said it could not comment on the Cloudhopper campaign.

Businesses and governments are increasingly looking to technology companies known as managed service providers (MSPs) to remotely manage their information technology operations, including servers, storage, networking and help-desk support.

Cloudhopper targeted MSPs to access client networks and steal corporate secrets from companies around the globe, according to a US federal indictment of two Chinese nationals unsealed on Thursday. Prosecutors did not identify any of the MSPs that were breached.

Both IBM and HPE declined to comment on the specific claims made by the sources.

"IBM has been aware of the reported attacks and already has taken extensive counter-measures worldwide as part of our continuous efforts to protect the company and our clients against constantly evolving threats," the company said in a statement. "We take responsible stewardship of client data very seriously, and have no evidence that sensitive IBM or client data has been compromised by this threat."

HPE said in a statement that it had spun out a large managed-services business in a 2017 merger with Computer Sciences Corp that formed a new company, DXC Technology.

"The security of HPE customer data is our top priority," HPE said. "We are unable to comment on the specific details described in the indictment, but HPE's managed services provider business moved to DXC Technology in connection with HPE's divestiture of its Enterprise Services business in 2017."

DXC Technology declined to comment, saying in a statement that it does not comment on reports about specific cyber events and hacking groups.

Reuters was unable to confirm the names of other breached technology firms or identify any affected clients.

The sources, who were not authorized to comment on confidential information gleaned from investigations into the hacks, said that HPE and IBM were not the only prominent technology companies whose networks had been compromised by Cloudhopper.

Cloudhopper, which has been targeting technology services providers for several years, infiltrated the networks of HPE and IBM multiple times in breaches that lasted for weeks and months, according to another of the sources with knowledge of the matter.

IBM investigated an attack as recently as this summer, and HPE conducted a large breach investigation in early 2017, the source said.

The attackers were persistent, making it difficult to ensure that networks were safe, said another source.

IBM has dealt with some infections by installing new hard drives and fresh operating systems on infected computers, said the person familiar with the effort.

Cloudhopper attacks date back to at least 2014, according the indictment.

The indictment cited one case in which Cloudhopper compromised data of an MSP in New York state and clients in 12 countries including Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and the United States. They were from industries including finance, electronics, medical equipment, biotechnology, automotive, mining, and oil and gas exploration.

One senior intelligence official, who declined to name any victims who were breached, said attacks on MSPs were a significant threat because they essentially turned technology companies into launchpads for hacks on clients.

"By gaining access to an MSP, you can in many cases gain access to any one of their customers," said the official. "Call it the Walmart approach: If I needed to get 30 different items for my shopping list, I could go to 15 different stores or I could go to the one that has everything."

Representatives with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security declined to comment. Officials with the US Justice Department and the Chinese embassy in Washington could not be reached.

A British government spokeswoman declined to comment on the identities of companies affected by the Cloudhopper campaign or the impact of those breaches.

"A number of MSPs have been affected, and naming them would have potential commercial consequences for them, putting them at an unfair disadvantage to their competitors,” she said.

The post China Hacked HPE, IBM and Then Attacked Clients–Sources appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Sacred and Political: World’s Largest Religious Festival to Kick Off in India

Posted: 20 Dec 2018 08:42 PM PST

NEW DELHI—Spirituality, politics and tourism: welcome to the Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest gathering of humanity, that begins next month in India.

During the Kumbh Mela, to be held in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, millions of pilgrims including naked, ash-smeared ascetics, will bathe at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and a mythical third river, the Saraswati.

Devout Hindus believe that bathing in the waters of the Ganges absolves people of sins and bathing at the time of the Kumbh brings salvation from the cycle of life and death.

The government says about 100 million to 150 million people, including one million foreign tourists, are expected to attend over the eight-week festival period beginning on Jan. 15, and the scale of the efforts to feed and house the pilgrims is immense.

Organizers are erecting temporary bridges, 600 mass kitchens, more than 100,000 portable toilets, and vast tents, each sleeping thousands of pilgrims at a time, in a pop-up city on the banks of the two rivers.

And yet, based on tradition, there shouldn’t be quite such a giant event next year—which is where politics and tourism promotion comes in.

The Kumbh Mela is traditionally held every three years in one of four cities along India’s sacred rivers, with one of the largest of those in Prayagraj. The next Kumbh Mela, meaning “festival of the pot,” was due to be held in the city in 2025.

But with a general election due by May in which the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faces a tough contest, the northern state of Uttar Pradesh has transformed a smaller Ardh, or “half” Kumbh Mela, into a full version of the festival.

The BJP controls both the federal and the Uttar Pradesh governments.

And this “half Kumbh” may by some measures end up being one of the biggest Kumbhs yet because of the state’s massive promotional efforts, especially as Prayagraj—which until recently was known as Allahabad—is seen as the holiest of the four sites.

Besides the upcoming election, the promotion coincides with an international charm offensive to improve the image of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state of more than 220 million people with a reputation for poverty and violence.

But the state’s chief minister Yogi Adityanath, a Hindu monk who is close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has an eye for publicity, has also been driving support for any event that celebrates the dominance of Hindu culture in India, and marginalizes the nation’s Muslim minority.

Place of sacrifice

It was Adityanath who in October renamed Allahabad, a city of six million where there are nearly 800,000 Muslims, as Prayagraj, from its ancient name of Prayag meaning “place of sacrifice” in Sanskrit.

Allahabad is a Muslim name given to the city by a Mughal emperor in 1575.

“It is part of a Hindu nationalist agenda and is very worrying to us,” said Zafaryab Jilani, a senior member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, that liaises with the government on Muslim affairs.

“There is no justification for changing these names.”

Neither side is expecting tensions to lead to violence during the festival, although a stampede at the last Kumbh Mela held in Allahabad in 2013, as it was then known, killed 42.

“Muslims have always respected the Kumbh. We will not challenge it in public,” Jilani said.

Officials do not expect clashes either, but have boosted the number of police on duty compared with previous events.

“People who are not involved will not come,” said a state official involved in the preparations. “This is not a problem for us.”

But he added: “To ensure security and safety, there will be five times the number of police officers compared to the previous Kumbh.”

Officials say the festival won’t be a “half” event by any means.

“This is the way we are taking it forward. There is nothing which is half,” said Awanish Kumar Awasthi, a senior official in charge of tourism in the Uttar Pradesh government.

The state government has promoted the Kumbh Mela at several tourism expositions in Europe, and has invited representatives of every country in the world to attend. Last Saturday, foreign diplomats visited Prayagraj to witness the set-up.

The festival has its roots in a Hindu tradition that says the god Vishnu wrested a golden pot containing the nectar of immortality from demons. In a 12-day fight for possession, four drops fell to earth, in the cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, who share the Kumbhs as a result.

The post Sacred and Political: World’s Largest Religious Festival to Kick Off in India appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Canadian Detained in China Questioned Daily, No Lawyer Access–Sources

Posted: 20 Dec 2018 08:24 PM PST

BEIJING—A former Canadian diplomat detained in China is being denied legal representation and is not allowed to turn the lights off at night, people familiar with the situation said, offering new details on the highly charged and closely watched case.

China last week detained two Canadians—Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat and an adviser with the International Crisis Group (ICG), and businessman Michael Spavor—after Canadian police arrested Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on Dec 1.

Canada arrested Meng at the request of the United States, which is engaged in a trade war with China. Meng faces extradition to the United States to face fraud charges which carry a maximum sentence of 30 years' jail for each charge.

China has given only vague details of why they have detained the two Canadians, saying they are suspected of engaging in activities that endangered China’s security, and has not drawn a direct link to Meng’s arrest.

Canada has said the detentions are unacceptable and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said China should free the men. ICG President Robert Malley also called for Kovrig’s release on Saturday.

The sources familiar with Kovrig’s case said the Canadian was taken away around 10 p.m. local time on Monday last week while on the street in Beijing.

China formally notified the Canadian government of Kovrig’s detention two days later, at 4 p.m. on Wednesday last week. Canada only gained consular access to him at a police station on Friday last week, when he was visited for half an hour by the Canadian ambassador and two other Canadian diplomats, the sources said.

He is not allowed to apply for bail and not allowed to see a lawyer, said one source, adding Kovrig is questioned every morning, afternoon and evening, not allowed to turn the lights off at night, and is being held at an undisclosed location.

He is also only allowed one consular visit a month and is not allowed to see family or loved ones.

He is physically alright but tired and stressed, but physically he does not appear mistreated, the source said.

Two other people familiar with the case corroborated the details.

A third person said Kovrig was being confined to a single room, but despite the stress remains lucid.

The comments were made in recent days. All the sources requested anonymity citing the sensitivity of the situation.

China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has said that the lawful rights of both men were being fully protected.

China’s Ministry of State Security, which is leading the investigation into Kovrig, has no publicly available contact details.

“Our previous comments on this case stand,” said Adam Austen, a spokesman for Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

The Canadian government has said several times it saw no explicit link between the arrest of Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, and the detentions of Kovrig and Spavor.

But Beijing-based Western diplomats and former Canadian diplomats have said they believed the detentions were a “tit-for-tat” reprisal by China.

A Canadian court last week granted Meng bail.

If a Canadian judge rules the case against Meng is strong enough, Canada’s justice minister must next decide whether to extradite her to the United States. If so, Meng would face US charges of conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions.

China on Thursday said a third, female Canadian is undergoing “administrative punishment” for working illegally, after Canada’s government confirmed the detention.

The post Canadian Detained in China Questioned Daily, No Lawyer Access–Sources appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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