Tuesday, February 19, 2019

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

AA Warns Private Bus Companies Not to Transport Gov’t Troops

Posted: 19 Feb 2019 07:39 AM PST

YANGON—The Arakan Army (AA) on Monday warned private bus companies in Rakhine State not to transport Myanmar Army troops after learning that the military was using private vehicles in addition to its own trucks to move its personnel into conflict zones.

AA and government troops have clashed on a near daily basis in northern Rakhine State recently. The AA has warned that the fighting is likely to intensify as the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) has poured additional light infantry battalions into the area in order to crush the group. The recently added troops are from the Tatmadaw's 22nd, 55th and 99th divisions based in lower Myanmar.

The AA told all private transport companies to report their passenger information to the AA in a timely manner via email or the Viber social media platform. It said it would not be responsible for what happened to those highway coach owners who failed to follow the order. It also urged the Arakanese public to avoid traveling in the region at night and to steer clear of private vehicles carrying soldiers.

The AA claimed responsibility for mine blasts involving two coaches in Ponnagyun Township on Sunday, saying the vehicles were carrying Tatmadaw troops from Sittwe to a location in northern Rakhine State. The Irrawaddy viewed footage that went viral online showing two express coaches as they were stuck by the mines. In a previous statement, the AA claimed that one of the vehicles was forced to return to Sittwe to seek medical treatment for wounded passengers.

Sources in the transport business in Sittwe confirmed to The Irrawaddy that the Tatmadaw had hired coaches belonging to the Gissapa Nadi and Shwe Lamin companies for use in military transport, and that on the way to its destination, the Gissapa Nadi coach, with vehicle plate No. 9I-4701, struck an AA landmine in Ponnagyun Township.

The owner of Gissapa Nadi declined to comment over the phone on Tuesday out of concern for his safety and the welfare of his business.

"I don't want to say anything at this moment because both sides [of the conflict] pose risks for businesspeople like us," he said.

Ko Maung Maung Naing, the operator of the Aung Thitsar Highway Express company, which operates several routes between Yangon and Rakhine, said his line was not interested in transporting government officials or Army troops unless they guaranteed the safety of his vehicles and covered all damages. He declined to comment on the AA's Tuesday announcement.

"As far as I know, Sunday's attack did not target civilian vehicles," Ko Maung Maung Naing said.

In an interview with The Irrawaddy Burmese edition on Monday, Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief denied the mine incident. AA rebels and Army troops clashed for almost the whole day on Tuesday along the Yangon-Sittwe Highway.

As fighting continued to intensify between the AA and government forces across northern Rakhine and in Chin State's upper Paletwa Township, the Indian army deployed some 500 soldiers near the Myanmar border in the country's Mizoram State over the weekend.

In the past one-and-a-half months, armed violence in Rakhine has displaced more than 6,000 villagers. Most of them are relying on humanitarian assistance from local relief groups, as international aid groups are being blocked by the Army, with the exception of the World Food Program and the Red Cross.

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President’s Office Requested to Investigate Civil Service Board’s Connection with Bogus Universities

Posted: 19 Feb 2019 04:33 AM PST

YANGON—A complaint was submitted to the President's Office on Tuesday, calling for an investigation into the Union Civil Service Board (UCSB) over its ties with two unaccredited foreign universities.

The UCSB, a government agency responsible for recruiting and training civil servants, worked with Hawaii-based Akamai University and an affiliate institution in Malaysia, EDS Business School, in providing several courses since 2017 and a master's degree in 2018 for high-ranking government officials. Neither university is recognized by the government of its home country.

The scandal broke in December last year after a Myanmar scholar studying at Oxford University in the UK pointed out the flaws of two bogus universities on social media. Accreditation aside, scholar Ko Nay Yan Oo also raised questions about a possible conflict of interest in the UCSB's partnerships with the Akamai University and EDS Business School.

Amid public criticism surrounding its connections with the bogus universities, the board ended its partnerships with the two institutions on Jan. 4, and vowed to collaborate only with legitimate universities in the future. However, no further details, nor explanation of how the connections were formed, have yet emerged.

Ko Nay Yan Oo said on Tuesday that he has waited for two months but as no explanation has yet made to the public so far, he is submitting the complaint to the President's Office.

"The President's Office is responsible for looking into the complaint," he said.

In the complaint, he called for an investigation into why the board chose to work with the institutions, whether background checks had been carried out into the institutions, if public money had been spent on them and whether there is a conflict of interest.

He said the public funds spent on those universities are wasteful and the collaborations with such unaccredited universities harm the nation's and government's dignity.

Former information minister U Ye Htut is also a signatory of the complaint. Posting on his personal Facebook account, he said his reason for signing the petition calling for an investigation is that the UCSB's partnerships with the bogus universities will harm the government's civil service reform action plan launched by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi if the complaint is not handled effectively.

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State Counselor Vows Proper Scrutiny of all BRI Projects in Myanmar

Posted: 19 Feb 2019 03:36 AM PST

YANGON—Thorough scrutiny of the projects under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is needed to assess their likely short- and long-term impacts on the country and the public, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said on Monday at the first meeting of a committee tasked with overseeing implementation of the projects.

During her first meeting with members of the Steering Committee for Implementation of the BRI in Myanmar, held in Naypyitaw, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who chairs the panel, emphasized the need "to make sure that the selected projects are in conformity with national plans, policies and domestic procedures."

She added, however, that "Being a country located at a strategic position for the BRI, Myanmar needs to participate in the initiative," and that joint activities under the scheme could bring mutual benefits to both sides.

Lying at the junction of South and Southeast Asia, and between the Indian Ocean and southwestern China's landlocked Yunnan province, Myanmar occupies a unique geographical position within the ambitious international development plan.

In September last year, the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) agreement, a part of the BRI, was signed by both countries to construct basic infrastructure across key economic centers in Myanmar.

Unveiled in 2013, the BRI is Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature foreign policy project. Also known as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, the project aims to build a network of roads, railroads and shipping lanes linking at least 70 countries from China to Europe passing through Central Asia, the Middle East and Russia, fostering trade and investment.

In November 2017, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced a proposal to build the CMEC following a meeting with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyitaw. Wang said the economic corridor would enhance investment in development and trade under Chinese-Myanmar cooperation as part of the BRI.

The CMEC will stretch 1,700 km between the two countries from Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan Province, to Myanmar's major economic centers. The first leg of the CMEC will link with Mandalay in central Myanmar. The corridor then branches east to Yangon and west to the Kyaukphyu SEZ.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attends the first meeting of the Steering Committee for Implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative in Naypyitaw on Feb. 18, 2019. / Office of the State Counselor / Facebook

Myanmar's BRI steering committee comprises 25 members including 18 Union ministers (from ministries ranging from Home Affairs to Hotels and Tourism); five chief ministers (from Kachin, Mandalay, Rakhine, Yangon and Shan); the foreign affairs permanent secretary; and the chairman of the Naypyitaw Council. The committee plans to attend the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Beijing in April.

Even as BRI projects face pushback among Southeast Asian countries, the vice chairman of China's top economic planning agency pressed the State Counselor to work out an implementation plan for the CMEC during his visit to Naypyitaw in November.

Myanmar inked a separate framework agreement in November for China's ambitious Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a key strategic project under the BRI that is expected to boost development in China's landlocked Yunnan province and provide China with direct access to the Indian Ocean, allowing its oil imports to bypass the Strait of Malacca.

China has proposed 24 CMEC projects, and Myanmar has agreed to speed up work on nine of the biggest of these, according to the Mandalay Region finance and planning minister. These include the Kyaukphyu SEZ in the west, the New Yangon City Development in Yangon and border economic cooperation zones in Kachin and Shan states.

An estimated US$2 billion will be spent in the initial stages of the project. Experts are questioning how the infrastructure projects across Myanmar will be financed and have raised concerns about a debt trap. Despite these concerns, the government has yet to make public details of the CMEC.

Among three proposed border cooperation zones, the Muse-Ruili Border Economic Cooperation Zone will be the first one to be implemented, Shan State Minister for Planning and Economy U Soe Nyunt Lwin told The Irrawaddy.

In October, two state-owned companies, China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group (China Railway Group Ltd) and Myanmar Railways signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to begin studying a proposed railway line from Muse to Mandalay, which are envisioned as key hubs in a plan to improve connectivity in Southeast Asia.

At Monday's meeting, Union Vice President U Myint Swe, who serves as vice chairman of the steering committee, stressed the importance of learning from the experiences of other countries in the region when implementing BRI projects, and of choosing only projects that are suitable and really necessary for the development of the country.

Also at the meeting, Union Commerce Minister Dr. Than Myint reported on the progress of establishing the Myanmar-China Border Economic Cooperation Zone; Union Planning and Finance Minister U Soe Win reported on the progress of the implementation of the Myanmar-China Economic Corridor; and Union Minister for International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin reported on preparations for the 2nd BRI Forum in Beijing.

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Green Light for Charter Amendment Committee Despite Objections

Posted: 19 Feb 2019 02:21 AM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand—The Union Parliament on Tuesday voted in favor of the formation of a joint constitutional amendment committee, despite objections from the opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and military appointees.

Three hundred and eighty-nine votes were cast in favor of establishing the committee, a move initiated by the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party, while 192 votes against and three neutral votes were submitted. The Parliament is made up of 385 NLD lawmakers (59 percent); 166 military appointees (25 percent) and 41 USDP lawmakers (5 %). The remaining 11 percent are representatives from 12 other parties, including the ethnic parties, and independent lawmakers.

The committee will review the 2008 Constitution for undemocratic principles, report their findings to the Parliament and draft an amendment bill based on their findings.

Efforts in amending the charter have been widely discussed since January when NLD lawmaker U Aung Kyi Nyunt raised it in Parliament as an urgent motion, pressing for the committee urgently. In the first week of February, Parliament approved the proposal with a majority of votes and meetings between party representatives were held on Feb. 8 and 15.

USDP and military Parliament members rejected the formation of the committee from the outset, saying it is not in accordance with the Constitution. They refused to submit nominees for the proposed 45-member joint committee which is to be led by Deputy Union Parliament Speaker Tun Tun Hein.

Committee seats were to be allocated in proportion to the breakdown in representative numbers in Parliament, U Tun Tun Hein, deputy speaker of the Union Parliament said during Tuesday's parliamentary session.

The committee is to be made up of 18 NLD lawmakers; eight military appointees; two each from the USDP, Arakan National Party (ANP) and Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD); and one representative each from ten other ethnic political parties in Parliament; one independent lawmaker and the upper house deputy speaker in the charter amendment Joint Committee.

Though this is not exactly in proportion to their respective representation in Parliament, U Tun Tun Hein said it gives "a chance for the minority political parties, regardless of their size, to be able to take part in the charter amendment process, to give their input in drafting the charter amendment bill like the other bigger parties."

He explained that charter amendment efforts under the previous government were impeded by having too many representatives in the 109-member Constitutional Review Committee and too few representatives in the additional 31-member Constitutional Amendment Implementation Committee. Thus, he said, "there were delays in task implementation."

He said it took 22 months for the previous Constitutional Review Committee to execute all the charter-amending tasks – from submitting the motion to holding a referendum.

U Tun Tun Hein said they "will not try to amend the Constitution using means of short-cuts. Instead of [working with] the consent of one party or one group, we will try to amend the Constitution with public consent and through cooperation."

The fourteen political parties currently represented in Parliament are the ruling NLD, USDP, ANP, SNLD, the Wa Democratic Party, the Pa-O National Organization, the Zomi Democracy Party, the Ta'ang National Party, the Kokang Democracy and Unity Party, the Mon National Party, the National United Democratic Party, the National Unity Party, the Kachin State Democracy Party and the Lisu National Development Party.

Brig-Gen Maung Maung, leading military appointee in Parliament told reporters after the Tuesday session in Naypyitaw that if amendments were to be made to the charter, they should not lose track of the original essence of the Constitution.

The military appointee reiterated the Commander-in-Chief Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing's words that they already consented to amending the Constitution, but accused the NLD of moving on with its proposal without considering the Military’s request to adjust their representation in the committee.

Brig-Gen Maung Maung added, "we raised [this issue] because the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) must have its 25 percent quota in the constitutional amendment [body]", reiterating that it is the military's prime responsibility to defend the Constitution.

U Pe Than, a lawmaker from the Arakan National Party, told The Irrawaddy over the phone on Tuesday that unless the military and NLD can come to an agreement, attempts to amend the charter would not work.

"As I understand, the military and opposition parties are not objecting to constitutional changes, but they are against the way the NLD initiated the formation of the committee. We also share the same thoughts: before the charter is amended, 20 percent of lawmakers must sign the bill to be submitted to the Parliament where it will then be debated by the lawmakers."

He suggested that negotiations be held rather than seeking a majority of votes.

"The military will not accept the changes to its 25 percent [Parliament] quota, or to Article 59 (f) [which disqualifies anyone from becoming president if they have family members who are foreign nationals] or to reduce the provisions restricted under Article 436," said U Pe Than.

He said that apart from provisions stated in Article 436 (a), the parliament may be able to amend articles in accordance with the Article 436 (b) within the remaining timeframe of the NLD government as Parliament has direct power to change those provisions. Article 436 (b) stipulates that "provisions other than those mentioned in Sub-Section (a) shall be amended only by a vote of more than seventy-five percent of all the representatives of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw [Union Parliament]."

In Article 436 (a), most of the 96 provisions stipulated are related to the military's role in the legislature, executive and judicial sectors, limitations to the presidency and state of emergency. Not only is it necessary to receive more than 75 percent of votes in Parliament, but a nation-wide referendum must also be held to in order to pass the amendment bill.

"Regarding Article 261 [which states the president's authority in appointing regional chief ministers], the military rejected changes under the previous government but they now agree to changing it," said U Pe Than. "I think the NLD will also try to amend this so that our government will be more democratic."

The ANP won a majority votes in the Rakhine State parliament in the 2015 elections, but due to the above mentioned constitutional barriers, it was not permitted to appoint its own regional chief minister. The NLD also exercises its constitutional right to appoint its own representatives as chief ministers and not to collaborate with the local party and this has caused friction between the NLD and ANP.

Also on Tuesday, the USDP submitted its own charter amendment bill to Parliament, focusing on the amendment of Article 261. The Parliament will debate the bill later, according to Speaker T Khun Myat.

The post Green Light for Charter Amendment Committee Despite Objections appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

S. Korean Ambassador Eager to Promote Rakhine as Investment Destination

Posted: 19 Feb 2019 02:08 AM PST

YANGON—While many foreign investors have been scared away by the recent Rohingya crisis in Rakhine State, South Korea's ambassador to Myanmar is confident of securing more investment from his country. His goal is in line with the South Korean president's "New Look South" policy to deepen relations with Southeast Asian nations, including in the economic realm.

Speaking two days before he was due to travel to Myanmar's most troubled and impoverished state to attend Rakhine's first Investment Fair in Ngapali, Ambassador Lee Sang-hwa said on Monday at the embassy in Yangon that Seoul intends to increase investment in Myanmar. He said that while he is pleased with his country's current place among Myanmar's top investors, there is plenty of room for growth. South Korea is the country's sixth-largest source of foreign direct investment, with FDI between 2012 and December 2018 totaling nearly US$4 billion (6.13 trillion kyats) according to the Myanmar government's investment agency, the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration.

The ambassador said there are about 270 South Korean companies operating in Myanmar, compared to more than 2,700 in fellow ASEAN member Vietnam.

"Why not Myanmar?" he said. "State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi stated in her speech at the Investment Myanmar Summit [in Naypyitaw last month] that Myanmar is the last, best frontier market [in Southeast Asia]."

Despite Rakhine's tarnished reputation due to the Rohingya crisis and the ongoing armed conflict there, the government plans to promote investment in the state, believing economic development is a key to solving the conflict.

On Feb. 21-23, the Rakhine State government will host the first Rakhine Investment Fair. Under the slogan "Rakhine is Open for Business to the World", it will focus on developing three major sectors—tourism; SMEs; and agriculture, livestock and fisheries. The investment fair is part of the government's "Look East" policy, designed to arrest a two-year decline in FDI.

Lee is one of six ambassadors to Myanmar expected to attend the Investment Fair. He said he aims to show his support for Rakhine and encourage South Korean investors to visit and see with their own eyes the investment opportunities the state has to offer.

The ambassador said the chairman of the Korea Garments Association in Myanmar would accompany him to the fair, as some garment factory owners have expressed an interest in relocating to Rakhine State.

There are more than 100 South Korean garment factories already running in Yangon, and some in Bago Region.

Lee said he discussed at a meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi last year how

South Korea could contribute to the development of Rakhine's economy. During the meeting, the state counselor mentioned two major sectors in Rakhine that were in particular need of investment—agriculture and the garment sector.

Recently, Lee visited the state capital, Sittwe, with representatives of the Korea International Cooperation Agency. The agency identified three townships in Rakhine as having potential for rural development projects: Sittwe, Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U. The projects involve upgrading roads, connecting residents to the national power grid, and introducing improved agricultural techniques.

State-wide, the Rakhine government has established six priority investment projects: the Kyaetaw-Mingan development project (an economic zone with a port, trade zone, apartments, supermarket and SME zone in Sittwe Township); construction of a new airport in Mrauk-U; upgrading Ngapali Airport in Thandwe Township; an ecotourism project on Man Aung Island; the Ponnagyun industrial project in Sittwe; and a New City project in Mrauk-U.

Additionally, "There is growing interest in the fishery and tourism sectors in Rakhine," the ambassador said.

Regarding Special Economic Zones, Lee said, "My view is how do you make it special? In other words, how do you make it attractive [to potential investors]."

He urged the government to consider providing incentives like tax waivers, pointing out that the garment sector, the country's most labor-intensive industry, ran into difficulty last year due to an increase in the minimum wage. He said some industries needed a 24/7 power supply, adding that there are still questions about the government's ability to provide the full-scale electricity supply needed to make Rakhine a business friendly place suitable to an SEZ.

Situated on Myanmar's west coast, Rakhine is rich in natural resources, particularly oil and gas, but remains one of country's least-developed states. Nearly 70 percent of the population lives in poverty and lacks public services. Residents must cope with a lack of infrastructure, unemployment and poor living conditions.

Rakhine is already home to a number of major projects, however. Since 2016 India has been constructing a deep-water port in Sittwe, which sits on the Bay of Bengal. The estimated cost of US$120 million (183.9 billion kyats) is being financed by India as part of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, a bilateral initiative aimed at developing transport infrastructure in southwestern Myanmar and northeastern India.

Moreover, Rakhine is also home to a key section of a Chinese pipeline that has been carrying natural oil and gas from the Bay of Bengal across Myanmar to Kunming in China's Yunnan Province since 2010.

And in November, Myanmar and China inked a framework agreement to construct the Kyaukphyu Deep Sea Port, which would give China access to the Bay of Bengal while enhancing its regional connectivity as part of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Since the National League for Democracy-led government took office in 2016, it has initiated several economic reforms. However, the 2017 Rohingya crisis has badly tarnished the country's image, causing foreign investment to decline significantly, with Western investors becoming particularly wary of Myanmar. FDI into Myanmar declined by nearly US$900 million in fiscal 2017-18 from the previous year to its lowest level since 2013.

In recent weeks, the leaders of seven foreign business groups from the British, Australian, U.S., E.U., Italian, German and French chambers of commerce in Yangon signed an open letter calling on the government to promote FDI in Myanmar, pointed out that such investment has a major role to play in the country's ongoing democratic transition. Last week, Japan also unveiled a plan to promote investment in Rakhine State by pushing Japanese investors to consider opportunities there.

South Korean companies currently operating in Rakhine are involved in the agriculture, real estate, urban development, fishery and tourism sectors.

Ambassador Lee said that whenever people speak about Myanmar now, the topic of Rakhine is inevitably raised, something he said was detrimental to securing investment. He stressed that, "On our part, what we can do is help [investors] to come and see [Rakhine]."

Rakhine has much to offer businesspeople, he said.

He stressed that "seeing is believing," adding, "From the embassy's point of view, we would like to inspire potential investors and businessmen to come and see what Rakhine can offer."

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List of Approved Candidates for Yangon Election Released

Posted: 19 Feb 2019 02:06 AM PST

YANGON — The Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) on Monday released a list of the 274 candidates for the March 31 municipal election.

They include candidates for the ruling National League for Democracy, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party and some independents.

Of the 277 people who applied to run, "one applicant withdrew his application, and we rejected two others because they did not meet the eligibility criteria,” U Aung Khine, chairman of the Yangon Election Commission, told The Irrawaddy.

“[One of] their parents was not a citizen when they were born," he said.

According to eligibility criteria, candidates must have been born to Myanmar citizens, must be more than 25 years old, must have lived for three consecutive years in the township they intend to represent, must not owe taxes to the YCDC, and must be loyal to the country.

There are a total 105 seats up for grabs, 99 at the township level — three seats each in 33 townships — and six for the YCDC's executive board.

The executive board originally consisted of nine members — the mayor, four appointees and four elected representatives — but has been expanded to include two more elected seats.

One of the six elected representatives will become the vice mayor, a post created by the new YCDC Law to ease the workload of the mayor of Myanmar's largest city and commercial capital.

The campaign period will run from Feb. 28 to Mar. 29.

Yangon saw its first-ever municipal elections in December 2014.

In that poll, only one person per household was allowed to cast a ballot. This time, the election is open to everyone 18 years old or over.

In addition to creating two more elected executive board posts, the new YCDC Law, which took effect in June, allows for the replacement and recall of both appointed and elected members. It also aligns the term of the YCDC with that of the Union president and stipulates that municipal elections must be held within three months of a new Union government taking office.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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13 Charged For Alleged Ties to Arakan Army, 13 Others Released

Posted: 19 Feb 2019 01:11 AM PST

SITTWE, Rakhine State — A court in Rakhine State's Kyauktaw Township on Monday charged 13 of 26 ethnic Arakanese arrested over the previous weeks on suspicion of breaking the Unlawful Associations Act and released the others.

Among those charged are 11 people from Shin Let Wa Village, in Chin State's Paletwa Township, and the couple who sheltered them at their home in Kyauktaw, according to defense lawyer U Tun Hla.

"The 13 were charged at the Kyauktaw Township Court on Monday. Because there was no strong evidence against 13 others, they were asked to sign a pledge at the police station and released in the evening," he told The Irrawaddy.

A total 24 people from Shin Let Wa Village were taking shelter with the couple in Kyauktaw, having fled their homes in late January to escape nearby fighting between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA).

The couple had informed the ward administrator and the township’s police force and General Administration Department about their guests but were arrested along with them in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 4 on suspicion of having ties to the AA.

They were sued by Major Naing Aung Phyo of the military’s Battalion No. 275 based in Kyauktaw.

The next hearing for those charged is scheduled for March 4.

Police Captain Hla Htay, of Police Station No. 1 in Sittwe, the state capital, said they have been interrogated at his station.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Many Indians Rally Behind Modi After Kashmir Attack

Posted: 18 Feb 2019 08:41 PM PST

NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has suffered a series of political reverses in recent months but widespread anger after 40 troopers were killed in an Islamist militant attack last week could lead to a surge in support for his Hindu nationalist party.

As emotions run high following the deadliest attack on security forces in decades, Modi, who faces a general election by May, said he had given a free hand to security forces to avenge the killings in Kashmir, the region disputed with arch-foe Pakistan.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals have ratcheted up and shouts of “down with Pakistan” and “blood for blood” have reverberated at funerals of the victims. Many Indians have held candle-lit marches across the country demanding the government “not forget, not forgive.”

The attack has been claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group, but the Pakistan government has denied any responsibility.

Rakesh Kumar, a 32-year-old part-time teacher in Kasba Bonli town in the western state of Rajasthan, said he was now inclined to vote for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the national election after backing the main opposition Congress in a state vote late last year.

“If he teaches Pakistan a lesson, support for him will rise,” Kumar said in a telephone interview. “It’s a matter of the country’s security, and we need to see what he can do for us.”

The BJP was ousted from power in three major states, including Rajasthan, in December, and Modi has been blamed for weak rural incomes and an inability to provide employment to the millions of young Indians entering the job market each year.

Although still tipped to win, pollsters had said before the attack that the ruling party could fall short of a majority in the general election.

No polls have been published since the attack, but political analysts say the anti-Pakistan wave has become a rallying point for the BJP.

Yogendra Yadav, a former pollster and now a political activist, said the Kashmir attack would be a distraction from economic challenges facing the government.

“Ever since those issues have emerged, there have been systematic attempts to divert attention, some by design, some by accident,” he said.

“The consequence [of the attack] would be to bring the spotlight on issues of national security, which is exactly what the ruling party may have wanted.”

No compromise

The BJP has not lost time in underlining its nationalist credentials. Addressing a political rally on Sunday, party president Amit Shah ended a brief period of bipartisan politics by saying that Modi was better at responding to militant attacks than the previous government headed by Congress.

“This time it’s not a Congress government that is in power. The BJP government of Narendra Modi does not do any compromise in matters of national security,” Shah said to loud cheers.

“The BJP government will completely uproot terrorism. Narendra Modi’s political will to finish terrorism is the highest among global leaders.”

Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal State and an outspoken critic of Modi, has lashed out at the BJP comments.

“We didn’t raise any questions [about the attack] because we thought we will be united in the fight [against terror],” she told reporters. “But now we see that we are silent and they are giving such speeches that it seems only they are patriots and the rest are outsiders.”

Modi has often spoken about adopting a more muscular approach to Pakistan, after a surprise visit to the neighbor in 2015 failed to improve ties.

BJP spokesman Nalin Kohli declined to say if the response to the attack would be an election issue for the party. But he defended party chief Shah’s comments as a reflection of the “national mood of grief and anger.”

In 2016, Indian forces carried out what they called a “surgical strike” on militant targets across the border in Pakistan in retaliation to an attack on an army camp in Kashmir.

Earlier this month, before last week’s attack, Modi said the strike had “shown to the world what will be the new policy and culture in India.”

On Monday, he said any hesitation to take action against militancy and those who support it was akin to encouraging the menace.

“Terrorism is a very serious threat to global peace and stability,” Modi said. “The brutal terrorist attack shows that the time for talks is over.”

The post Many Indians Rally Behind Modi After Kashmir Attack appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thai Opposition Party Undeterred After Ally’s Failed Princess Bid

Posted: 18 Feb 2019 08:24 PM PST

UBON RATCHATHANI, Thailand—Leaders of Thailand’s biggest opposition party campaigning on Monday did not mention ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whose policies they espouse, nor the princess whose shock candidacy could see its ally banned from the March 24 election.

They didn’t need to. Supporters in the northeastern stronghold of the Pheu Thai party are well aware of the complexities of the first general election since a 2014 coup – and are determined to return their party to power despite electoral rules limiting their voting power.

“How long have you all waited, how long have you all suffered?” asked Sudarat Keyuraphan, Pheu Thai’s top prime ministerial candidate, asked supporters during a campaign stop in Ubon Ratchathani province.

“We all have to wait just a little while, until March 24. That day will be a day of victory for all of us!” she told the cheering crowd.

Pheu Thai is the largest of several parties in the election linked to ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and lives in self-exile after a corruption conviction he says was politically motivated.

The party and its offshoots retain support among rural farmers and the poor for their social welfare programs, but they face an uphill battle in the election, with new rules that prevent any one party gaining a big majority.

Junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, who as army chief in 2014 ousted the last civilian government, is also running, as the prime ministerial candidate of a new pro-military party.

Pro-Thaksin parties have won every election since 2001, but after Thaksin was ousted their successive governments have been ended either by court rulings or coups, with the most recent military takeover ousting a Pheu Thai government that Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck, had led.

After nearly five years in power, the junta is in the process of choosing all 250 members of the Senate, which will elect a prime minister along with the 500-seat House of Representatives, putting pro-military forces at a significant advantage even before election.

Supporters of Pheu Thai say the new rules are aimed at ridding the country of Thaksin’s influence once and for all. The party has to distance itself from the former telecommunications tycoon because the law on political parties forbids outsiders from controlling or directing them.

But Thaksin’s loyalists in Udon Ratchathani were undeterred.

“I think Pheu Thai will win by a landslide, despite what’s happened, and regardless of the military-appointed Senate,” said Kriangsak Lamun, 64.

Mathematically, however, Pheu Thai’s chances of regaining power would be reduced even if it is the top vote-getter if one of its allied parties, Thai Raksa Chart, is disqualified.

'As popular as ever'

Thai Raksa Chart stunned the nation and electrified supporters on Feb. 8 with the surprise nomination of the king’s older sister, Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi, as its sole prime ministerial candidate, breaking tradition of royalty shunning politics.

The nomination drew a swift rebuke from King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and the princess was disqualified by the Electoral Commission. Now, her nominating party faces a possible ban in a Constitutional Court decision due later this month.

Thai Raksa Chart is one of at least three pro-Thaksin parties contesting the elections to help scoop up seats under the complex electoral laws that limit the impact of the largest party.

With Pheu Thai likely to be hamstrung by those rules, other pro-Thaksin parties such as Thai Raksa Chart and the Pheu Chart party are intended to gain some of the proportionally awarded seats that favor smaller parties.

If Thai Raksa Chart is disqualified, that safety net may disappear – making the headline-grabbing nomination of the princess seem like a miscalculation.

Die-hard supporters of Thaksin’s populist policies were mixed in their opinions about Thai Raksa Chart’s recruiting royalty, revered as semi-divine in Thai culture, into politics.

Some said they admired the princess as a candidate, while others found it inappropriate.

“I don’t think it was a good move… Royals should not get involved in politics,” said Virat Laddabut, 55, though he said he wouldn’t change his vote.

Another voter, Somchai Wongsa, said voters in the rural northeast would vote for pro-Thaksin parties whatever their name.

“It doesn’t matter if Thai Raksa Chart is dissolved,” he said.

“People here will still vote Pheu Thai. The party is as popular as ever.”

The post Thai Opposition Party Undeterred After Ally’s Failed Princess Bid appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Huawei Founder Says Huawei CFO Arrest was Politically Motivated: BBC

Posted: 18 Feb 2019 08:12 PM PST

Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said on Monday that the arrest of his daughter, Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, was politically motivated.

“Firstly, I object to what the U.S. has done. This kind of politically motivated act is not acceptable,” Ren told the BBC in an interview.

Canada arrested Meng on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States. Meng was charged with bank and wire fraud to violate American sanctions against Iran.

The U.S. Justice Department denied the charges were politically motivated. "The Justice Department's criminal case against Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is based solely on the evidence and the law. The Department pursues cases free of any political interference and follows the evidence and rule of law in pursuing criminal charges," spokeswoman Nicole Navas said in an email to Reuters.

Huawei, along with another Chinese network equipment company, ZTE Corp , has been accused by the United States of working at the behest of the Chinese government. The United States has said their equipment could be used to spy on Americans. Huawei has repeatedly denied the claims.

Commenting on the spying concerns, the Huawei founder reiterated that the company will “never undertake” any spying activities.

Huawei, the world’s biggest producer of telecoms equipment, faces intense scrutiny in the West over its relationship with the Chinese government and allegations of enabling state espionage, with the United States calling for its allies not to use its technology.

Ren said the company could downsize to weather such attempts by the United States.

“The world cannot leave us because we are more advanced. Even if they (U.S.) persuade more countries not to use us temporarily, we can always scale things down a bit,” he added.

In comments on a potential ban in the UK, Ren said it would not make the company withdraw its UK investments, adding that it will shift its investments to the UK from the United States if U.S. actions against Huawei continue.

“We will invest even more in the UK. Because if the U.S. doesn’t trust us, then we will shift our investment from the U.S. to the UK on an even bigger scale,” Ken told the BBC.

Reuters reported earlier on Monday that British security officials do not support a full ban of Huawei from national telecoms networks despite U.S. allegations against the Chinese firm.

The post Huawei Founder Says Huawei CFO Arrest was Politically Motivated: BBC appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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