Tuesday, March 12, 2019

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Second ‘Analog Dimension’ Concert to Showcase Myanmar’s Finest Indie Bands

Posted: 12 Mar 2019 08:15 AM PDT

A line-up of the best new indie and alternative bands will perform at the second concert in the ongoing "Analog Dimension" series at Yangon's Basement Bar on March 17.

According to the founder, the series will retain its focus on indie music. "I want to create a music platform for all the local indie bands," said Ko Thurein, founder of the concert series and frontman of the band Sunrise 18.

"Through this music platform, I want to let people know that artists who create their own music with their own style still exist in Myanmar," he said.

The second edition of "Analog Dimension" will feature eight acts including local indie bands Sunrise 18, The Peacists and The Reasonabilists.

Ko Thurein organized the first "Analog Dimension" gig in November last year with help from other supporters of local music.

"I wanted to create a music platform similar to the [local underground] 'Jam It' concert series. 'Jam It' includes hip-hop, metal and punk; it has more music genres. So, I started 'Analog Dimension' for indie music," he said.

"Since 2017, people have started recognizing the indie music style and more bands have been formed, including us [Sunrise 18]. Actually, some old songs by former singers like Soe Lwin Lwin and Zaw Win Htut are indie music mixed with blues, but people don't think of it as indie," Ko Thurein said, offering his view that indie music has in fact existed in Myanmar for a long time.

Previously, Ko Thurein was in a band called Sunrise, which was more of an alternative rock band.

"Then, the times changed. We also love independent music. So, we changed the band's name and started making indie music in 2017," he said.

"Nowadays, indie music styles are still different from back in the old days. But you still can get the feeling of the '90s style from some of today's indie bands," he added.

The frontman for local indie band The Reasonabilists performs at Union Bar in Yangon in November 2018.

After organizing the first edition of "Analog Dimension", Ko Thurein realized there were many new indie bands in town.

"That's what I want. I want to see more indie musicians; some of those bands will be included in this second edition," he said.

But while the number of bands has increased, it's hard not to notice that one tends to see the same faces at all the gigs. Ko Thurein acknowledged the truth of this observation.

"That's true; it's because we are still at the beginning. Most of the bands haven't released official albums yet, but they have released songs online. So, only a few people know the bands and songs, mainly in the underground music scene," he said.

He added, "I love that kind of gig vibe with the same old audiences which include musicians, artists, audiences who truly love our music. But we can't stop here—we need to release more songs and hope to host bigger concerts in the future."

Currently, the band Sunrise 18 is writing songs for their first official album, which they hope to release this year.

"We will release our album on 'Jam It' records. That's why we took a lot of time between the first and second edition of this concert series, because we're recording the songs," he said.

Regarding his future plans, Ko Thurein said, "We're hoping to organize a gig once every two months. I'll try."

Extending an invitation to indie fans, he added: "Come and chill with our indie music this coming 17th of March. I'm sure you'll have a great time."

The concert will start at 7 pm. Admission is 5,000 kyats.

The post Second 'Analog Dimension' Concert to Showcase Myanmar's Finest Indie Bands appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Mining Company Accused of Assaulting Journalists Sues for Defamation

Posted: 12 Mar 2019 05:10 AM PDT

YANGON—A mining company in Kachin State has filed a defamation lawsuit against two editors and a reporter from the Myitkyina Journal over their coverage of local residents' concerns about a controversial Chinese tissue-culture banana plantation in Waimaw Township.

The case follows the Journal's own lawsuit against the managing director and five other employees of the mining company. The Journal opened cases at the Waimaw Police Station on five counts relating to the alleged detention and assault of two Myitkyina Journal reporters in late February.

The director and employees of Tha Khin Sit Mining, Import and Export Co., a Chinese joint venture, are accused of forcibly taking two reporters, Mun Mun Pan and Ahje, from the news outlet's office a day after it published a story about local residents' plans to stage a protest against the company, which is carrying out site clearances for banana plantations in Waimaw Township.

The two reporters said they were detained in separate rooms in the mining company's compound. They said a company employee slapped Mun Mun Pan's face with a copy of the Journal, while Ahje was forced to do 300 sit-ups. The two reporters were only released after the Journal contacted Waimaw Township Police Station, which sent police officers to surround the company.

According to the Myitkyina Journal, the company filed a case under Article 500 of the Penal Code against reporter Mun Mun Pan as well as two of the news outlet's editors, executive directors Brang Mai and Zau Hkun, alleging that the story damaged the reputation of company.

Brang Mai told The Irrawaddy, "We expected this kind of response. We were prepared for it."

Brang Mai said the company's name was not mentioned in its story.

Police on Monday summoned the Journal employees to appear in court.

Mun Mun Pan told The Irrawaddy, "It's a public interest story. I simply reported how people on the ground are suffering because of the banana plantations."

Controversial China-backed banana plantations have been the target of a backlash from local residents in Kachin State for more than two years. Operators are accused of unfairly taking over land previously leased from the authorities by locals, many of whom have been displaced by conflict.

According to the state Agriculture Ministry, there are more than 60,000 acres of banana plantation in the state. However, civil society organizations put the figure at more than 170,000 acres. A report by the CSOs found that 85 percent of the banana plantations are owned by Chinese or joint-venture companies. Local lawmakers have also pointed out the discrepancy between government data and information on the ground. They are calling for action to be taken against those behind the cultivation of tissue-culture bananas.

Last Wednesday more than 50 farmers from multiple villages in two townships of Myitkyina District told the media how the China-backed plantations were causing suffering in local communities. The famers also said they have been threatened by the Chinese companies for opposing the banana plantations near their villages.

According to a Lisu environmental report, the companies are using insecticides, weed killers and fertilizers and disposing of them carelessly. This has led to the pollution of water supplies in these areas, in turn causing soil damage and killing fish and livestock.

The Irrawaddy attempted to contact Tha Khin Sit managing director Ding Sau, but his phone was switched off.

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Shan Rebel Group Demands Release of Detained Fighters

Posted: 12 Mar 2019 04:59 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) is demanding the release of 31 fighters is says the Myanmar military detained recently so that they can continue implementing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

RCSS Chief of Staff Gen. Pao Khay made the demand during a meeting with the government and military at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) in Naypyitaw on Monday.

"Such arrests and detentions are the main reasons why the implementation of the NCA is being delayed, so we would like the NRPC to consider it seriously," he said.

The general said NCA implementation was also being hampered by restrictions the military was imposing on the public meetings ethnic groups are supposed to hold as part of the peace process, making it impossible for them to join the Panglong Peace Conference sessions.

Gen. Pao Khay said the fighters were mistakenly detained as suspected drug traffickers and that the RCSS would like to cooperate with the government and military to tackle northeast Myanmar’s drug trade.

NRPC Vice Chairman U Tin Myo Win called for frank discussions between the government, military and RCSS to clear up any misunderstandings and doubts.

RCSS and military leaders met again in Naypyitaw today.

On Feb. 12, about 50 RCSS members collecting money from motorists on the highway between Mong Ping and Kengtung in eastern Shan State stopped a vehicle with two military commanders and seized the military equipment on board.

The next day, the military fired artillery at an RCSS position near the group’s headquarters in the town of Loi Tai Leng, according to the RCSS. It returned the military equipment it had seized that evening.

The RCSS has signed up to the NCA but has not engage in official peace talks with the government since October. It is currently fighting with the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, Shan State Progress Army and Pa-O National Liberation Organization.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Shan Rebel Group Demands Release of Detained Fighters appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Racially, Religiously Discriminative Lesson to be Dropped from National Curriculum

Posted: 12 Mar 2019 04:42 AM PDT

YANGON—The Ministry of Education has ordered the removal of a lesson from the civic education subject in the elementary curriculum of both government and private schools which has been the subject of complaints for its racism and religious discrimination.

In December, more than 100 civil society groups wrote an open letter to President U Win Myint to complain that a civics education lesson taught in elementary schools includes discriminatory phrases such as, "Mixed blood is a hateful wrongdoing, and the race will be extinct." Such phrases have been taught in schools since the early 2010s.

"Those lessons seem to attempt to indoctrinate the innocent minds of children with discriminatory practices," it said.

The letter was also copied to the State Counselor's Office, the Ministry of Education and parliamentary speakers.

The directive issued by the Ministry of Education to stop teaching the lesson and remove it from the curriculum was recently circulated on social media.

Deputy Education Minister U Win Maw Tun confirmed the decision to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday. He said they decided to remove it as it goes against with the ministry's no-discrimination policy.

"We really thank the Ministry of Education for the decision," said Daw Kathleen Thein, who chairs Inngyin May Hindu Women's Network, which also signed the letter.

The ministry's decision came following a meeting with representatives from the civil societies last month.

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N. Shan Residents Live in Fear as Rights, Security Situation Deteriorates

Posted: 12 Mar 2019 04:08 AM PDT

If you lived in northern Shan State, how would you describe the current conditions, in which the human rights situation has deteriorated dramatically? And would you dare to speak out? Two men were shot and killed in Kyaukme Township this month.  The first, a retired Myanmar Army captain, was murdered in the town, while another local man was murdered at his house. Some locals describe Kyaukme as a "murder town", one where the killers are never caught.

There have been a lot of human rights abuses in northern Shan. The people are afraid to speak out, as they are worried they will be killed. Among the media, it is difficult to find someone who dares to criticize the rights abuses in the region. Last week, I talked to a member of the Ta'ang Women's Organization, and asked her about the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS)' detention of 10 ethnic Ta'ang people in Namtu Township.

She asked me not to use her name in my news story if possible. I can understand her request, but Myanmar is undergoing political reforms, and more people are daring to criticize the government and the Myanmar Army. If I left out her name, my story would lack credibility among my readers. So, I just told her—don't be afraid to speak.

Northern Shan has various ethnic groups, and various ethnic armed groups too. There are Shan, Burmese, Ta'ang, Kachin, Lisu, Lahu, Wa and Kokang. Trust between the groups has broken down since armed conflict flared in the region. Ethnic people look at Burmans as spies who provide information to the Myanmar Army. This was apparently why the former captain was killed, as some locals believed he was a spy.

Again, the Shan and Ta'ang have no trust in each other. When a Shan sees a local Ta'ang, they suspect him or her as a person who provides information to the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). Ta'ang people view Shan the same way. This is how northern Shan descended into a state of violence, with fighting escalating and more and more people becoming IDPs.

About 40 ethnic Ta'ang have disappeared in Namtu since fighting broke out between the TNLA and the RCSS in the region in 2016. The families' victims have no ideas where their loved ones are. Local Ta'ang people accuse the RCSS of killing them. Otherwise, those persons would have come back to their families, they say. But the families have not been able to solve the killings.

Let me describe one more type of ongoing rights abuse. If you have a strong armed force, you would not have a problem fighting back against the Myanmar Army. So, firstly you have to recruit more troops from among your people, then build up a strong armed force. This is the idea that ethnic armed groups have in Kachin and Shan states.

Forcing someone to join your armed group is a human rights violation, according to international law. But some ethnic armed leaders say they have a duty to protect their people. If you do not protect your ethnic group from the Myanmar military, they say, it will disappear soon.

So, youths have come to wonder whether they should join their ethnicity's armed group or try to find an income for their families.  Many people do not want to serve in ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), as they do not like war. But when your family members are recruited, you have to keep silent about it. If not, you will be accused by nationalists of betraying your people. Many people dare not say so to the media, but they hate the words "You have a duty to protect your people."

There is daily fighting day between the Myanmar Army and ethnic rebels in northern Shan. Rival ethnic armed groups are also fighting every day. So, northern Shan State has no peace, no days on which local people can travel freely, or grow food freely. Local people are recruited into their ethnic armed forces sometimes despite not wanting to join the fighting.

Northern Shan State has become a war zone where local people are forced to flee almost every day. Buddhist monasteries are meant as places where people go to pray and meditate. However, they have become IDP camps. The same goes for Christian churches, where many Kachin IDPs have taken refuge. Meanwhile, 2,000 IDPs in Hsipaw have fled fighting in Namtu and Hsipaw townships.

Tatmadaw plays EAOs off against each other

All ethnic armed groups have been warned to remain within their bases since Feb. 12, according to an order from the Myanmar Army. If not, the Army said it would take action against those armed groups who fail to heed the order.

However, the RCSS continues to be active in Hsipaw and Namtu townships, despite being based in Loi Tai Lang, in southern Shan State. The Myanmar Army has not said anything to the RCSS despite the deadline having passed already.

Before the RCSS arrived in northern Shan State, the TNLA and Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) only fought the Myanmar Army, and conditions in the region weren't as bad as they are today. The RCSS moved into northern Shan State after signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015.

The TNLA has clashed over 100 times with the RCSS, according to its annual report—fewer than with the Myanmar Army. Sometimes, the TNLA is joined by the SSPP in attacking the RCSS.

As a joint force, the TNLA and SSPP continue to fight the RCSS with the intention of kicking it out of northern Shan State. Both armed groups said that the Myanmar Army backs the RCSS in the fighting—if it did not, they say, the RCSS would have to leave northern Shan.

In the latest example, Major Sai Than Aung of the SSPP told The Irrawaddy that his troops spent two days fighting against the Myanmar Army in Hsipaw Township on March 9 and 10. One local man was killed and two were wounded, he said.

The Myanmar Army (or Tatmadaw) intensified its attacks, using helicopters on March 10, he said. He said the incident began when tensions heightened between the two Shan groups over an apparent RCSS plan to attack an SSPP base.

The Myanmar Army secretly entered the area with the help of the RCSS, he said.

Brigadier-General Tar Phone Kyaw from the TNLA told of a similar incident where a joint force attacked the RCSS in Pan Loa village, Kyaukme Township. That fighting has been ongoing for almost a week. When the RCSS left the village, the Myanmar Army occupied it, he said.

The RCSS consistently denies accusations from the TNLA and SSPP that it cooperates militarily with the Myanmar Army.

The post N. Shan Residents Live in Fear as Rights, Security Situation Deteriorates appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Chin State Investment Fair Starts Saturday

Posted: 12 Mar 2019 03:43 AM PDT

YANGON — The Chin State Investment Fair gets underway at the Myanmar Convention Center in Yangon of Saturday to stir up foreign interest in one of the least developed parts of the country.

The Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations is partnering with U.K. Aid and private businesses to host the two-day event as part of the government’s efforts to counteract a significant decline in foreign direct investment.

Together they intent to raise awareness of the business opportunities in Chin State, said U Wunna Aung, director of Investment promotion at the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA). He said panel discussions will address both the opportunities and challenges of doing business in the region.

Situated in western Myanmar along the border with Bangladesh and India, Chin State has a mountainous terrain that has hindered infrastructure development. Road upgrades and renewable energy projects are in the works, but much more investment is needed, in particular to improve roads and energy supply.

The state plans to use the fair to highlight infrastructure and urban development projects in Hakha, Falam, Tedim, Paletwa and Mindat townships; agriculture, organic farming and traditional weaving projects in Falam, Hakha, Kanpetlet, Mindat and Paletwa townships; tourism projects at Khonumsum National Park, Rih Lake, Kimo Wildlife Sanctuary, Seinmu National Park and the Khuado Festival; and hydro and wind power projects in Manipur, Lay- Myo, Bawinu, and Tedim townships.

"We hope to increase investment in the tourism and infrastructure sectors in Chin State," U Wunna Aung said.

investors from the U.S, Canada, China, India, Australia, France, Germany, Belgium, Israel and ASEAN countries including Burnie and Vietnam are registered to attend, according to DICA. But the agency said it was too soon to say how many people would attend or which countries were showing the most interest.

Chin State also joined the first Invest Myanmar Summit in Naypyitaw in January, showcasing 38 tax-exempt project including 10 in the tourism industry and 28 in the energy sector.

The Chin State Investment Fair is part of the government’s Myanmar Investment Promotion Plan, launched last year. Foreign investment has tumbled over the past two years, and the plan aims to attract more than $200 billion over the next 20 years from responsible and quality businesses abroad.

With the plan’s help, Myanmar hopes to become a middle-income country by 2030. It calls for reforms to improve investment transparency and project oversight, business support, human capital and competition.

In February, the government hosted the Rakhine State Investment Fair in the beach resort town of Ngapali and showcased six priority projects there.

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Govt Spokesman Says Fighting in Rakhine a ‘Cause for Concern’

Posted: 12 Mar 2019 01:17 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — Union government leaders are concerned about the escalating fighting between the Myanmar military and rebel Arakan Army (AA) in Rakhine State, a government spokesman said.

"It has become a cause for concern not only in terms of security and development, but also in terms of the democratic transition. Leaders will review it and do their best. They have been holding talks," U Zaw Htay told reporters in Naypyitaw on Monday.

In the latest incident, the AA killed nine police officers and injured two during an attack on the Yoe Tayoke police station in Ponnagyun Township on Saturday. It was the second-deadliest AA attack since the fighting erupted last year; the rebel group killed 13 officers and injured nine in a coordinated attack on four police posts in Buthidaung Township on Jan 4.

Government sources say authorities are likely to impose a curfew in affected areas soon.

U Oo Hla Saw, secretary of the Arakan National Party, blamed the fighting on government mismanagement, the lack of jobs and the stalled national peace process and said civilians were bearing the brunt of the violence.

"There are no job opportunities in Rakhine and democratic reforms have failed. And because the Union government has failed to handle the Rakhine issue effectively, radicalism is on the rise,” he said.

"If people have a lot of trust in democracy and the Panglong [Peace] Conference, the armed revolution will fall. This is happening because there is little trust,” he added.

U Zaw Htay said the government remains open to peace talks with the AA but insists that the rebel group promise to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, which 10 other armed groups have signed to date.

"Only with that promise can we move forward. We have made that clear,” he said.

The AA launched its offensive in Rakhine in November, shortly after it released a statement offering to lay down its arms and join the formal peace process along with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army.

"People are in a state of panic in Rakhine State. Now students are sitting the matriculation exam, and I heard that they are shocked [by the latest AA attack] and don't feel safe. We are sorry to hear that" U Zaw Htay said.

AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha could not be reached for comment.

The fighting has spread to Rathaedaung, Buthidang, Kyauktaw, Ponnagyun and Mrauk-U townships and displaced about 10,000 people.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Scandal-Hit Tenasserim Region Chief Minister Fired

Posted: 12 Mar 2019 01:14 AM PDT

YANGON—The President's Office on Monday announced the dismissal of Tenasserim Region Chief Minister Daw Lei Lei Maw, who has been charged under the Anti-Corruption Law.

The regional minister for resources and environmental conservation, U Myint Maung, is serving as the acting chief minister.

Daw Lei Lei Maw and three officials of Global Grand Service (GGS) Company—managing director U Thein Htwe and directors U Aung Myat and U Thura Ohn—were remanded and sent to Dawei Prison on Monday, according to Police Colonel Sein Win of Tenasserim Region Police Force.

Inspector U Than Zaw Oo of the Anti-Corruption Commission filed a complaint with Dawei Police Station on Sunday against the four under the Anti-Corruption Law.

Daw Lei Lei Maw allegedly awarded business contracts to GGS Company, which is reportedly owned by her relatives.

On Sunday evening, the Anti-Corruption Commission released a statement saying that it had conducted an investigation from Feb. 4 to March 6 in Naypyitaw, Yangon and Dawei in response to complaints about the chief minister.

The regular session of the Tenasserim Region Parliament is scheduled to start in the first week of April, but the parliament will hold an emergency meeting due to the dismissal of the chief minister, regional Parliament Speaker U Khin Maung Aye said.

"The investigation will be conducted as the Anti-Corruption Commission has said in its statement," President's Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy.

"Since U Aung Kyi took charge, the commission has worked effectively. And U Aung Kyi has been given a mandate in line with the law. We have said that we will practice zero tolerance for this [corruption and bribery]," U Zaw Htay said.

The Anti-Corruption Commission said Daw Lei Lei Maw abused her position and awarded many contracts to GGS in exchange for bribes, in violation of financial regulations and the instructions of the Union government.

GGS Co. produces electricity from gas purchased from the government. The company owes over 8 billion kyats for gas supplied between July 2017, when it launched its power supply service, and late 2018.

Daw Lei Lei Maw, who is charged under Article 55 of the Anti-Corruption Law, faces up to 15 years' imprisonment and a fine if convicted.

The post Scandal-Hit Tenasserim Region Chief Minister Fired appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Asia Ride-Hailing Giant Trains Drivers to Fight Human Trafficking

Posted: 11 Mar 2019 09:57 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR — Southeast Asia’s largest ride-hailing firm, Grab, said on Monday it is to train its millions of drivers to spot victims of human trafficking in one of the world’s worst hit regions.

Businesses around the world are under increasing pressure to tackle human trafficking, which affects more than 40 million people globally and generates $150 billion a year, but they have been slow to act in Asia.

“They [drivers] can be our eyes and ears on the ground,” Grab spokeswoman Teresa Tan told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from the firm’s Singapore headquarters.

“Taxi and ride-hailing drivers often unwittingly become the first point of contact for traffickers or victims, at airports or bus terminals. We want to make sure if that happens, they can detect and report these instances to authorities,” she added.

Grab, which operates in eight countries from Vietnam to Indonesia, has teamed up with anti-trafficking group Liberty Shared to offer training through its app, starting this year in Cambodia and the Philippines.

From migrant workers trapped in forced labor to women forced into marriage, Asia has the world’s second-highest prevalence of modern slavery after Africa, according to the United Nations.

From airlines to hotels, the travel industry is on the front line of the fight against trafficking, and campaigners hope the popularity of ride-sharing will help bolster the effort.

“This is a dynamic crime and it often involves moving people around,” said Archana Kotecha, a regional director at Liberty Shared, by phone from Hong Kong.

“Ride-sharing methods have by far become the most popular in this region and that’s why we felt it would be a good idea.”

Grab has more than 9 million drivers, delivery and merchant partners who provide private car, motorbike, taxi, carpooling and food delivery services in the region.

Uber, which sold its Southeast Asian business to Grab last year, introduced similar training for its drivers last year.

Kotecha said it was important for Asian businesses to be proactive and expressed hope more would follow suit.

“Asia has a lot of catch-up to play, given that we have some of the world’s highest number of victims and this is where a lot of the world’s supply chains are located,” she said.

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China Official Says West Using Christianity to ‘Subvert’ Power

Posted: 11 Mar 2019 09:29 PM PDT

BEIJING — Western forces are trying to use Christianity to influence China’s society and even “subvert” the government, a senior official said, warning that Chinese Christians needed to follow a Chinese model of the religion.

China’s Constitution guarantees religious freedom, but since President Xi Jinping took office six years ago, the government has tightened restrictions on religions seen as a challenge to the authority of the ruling Communist Party.

The government has cracked down on underground churches, both Protestant and Catholic, even as it seeks to improve relations with the Vatican.

In a speech on Monday, Xu Xiaohong, head of the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China, said there were many problems with Christianity in the country, including “infiltration” from abroad and “private meeting places.”

“It must be recognized that our movement’s surname is ‘China’ and not ‘Western,'” Xu said, according to remarks reported on Tuesday by the United Front Work Department, which is in charge of co-opting non-communists, ethnic minorities and religious groups.

“Anti-China forces in the West are trying to continue to influence China’s social stability and even subvert our country’s political power through Christianity, and it is doomed to fail,” he said, speaking to Parliament’s largely ceremonial advisory body.

“For individual black sheep who, under the banner of Christianity, participate in subverting national security, we firmly support the country to bring them to justice.”

Only by eliminating the “stigma of foreign religion” in China’s Christianity can its believers benefit society, he added.

“Only by continually drawing on the fine traditions of Chinese culture, can China’s Christianity be rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese culture and become a religion recognized by the Chinese themselves,” Xu added.

“Only by continuously carrying forward and practicing the core values of socialism can our Christianity truly be suited to socialist society.”

China has been following a policy it calls the “Sinicisation” of religion, trying to root out foreign influences and enforce obedience to the Communist Party.

Restrictions on religion have attracted particular concern in the United States. Last week, during a visit to Hong Kong, the U.S. ambassador for religious freedom called on Beijing to end religious persecution.

What China calls a de-radicalization program in its restive far western region of Xinjiang has also caused widespread opprobrium in Western capitals and among rights groups, who say authorities have been placing Muslims there in internment camps.

The government says they are vocational training centers where the Uighur people who call Xinjiang home and other Muslims are sent to learn about the law and the Mandarin language, and has defended the practice.

Yang Jie, an imam from Xinjiang, told the same advisory body on Monday that some adherents had poor “religious and civic awareness,” which made them vulnerable to “the temptation and incitement of religious extremist forces.”

They mistakenly believed that their religion came before their citizenship, and that certain illegal acts were a “firm expression of faith,” Yang said.

“This wrong view and behavior has seriously affected social stability, ethnic unity and religious harmony, and has vilified the social image of the Muslim community and must be resolutely stopped.”

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UN Envoy Fears ‘New Crisis’ for Rohingya if Moved to Bangladesh Island

Posted: 11 Mar 2019 09:20 PM PDT

GENEVA—A United Nations human rights investigator on Myanmar voiced deep concern on Monday over Bangladesh’s plan to relocate 23,000 Rohingya refugees in April to a remote island, saying it may not be habitable and could create a potential “new crisis.”

Bangladesh says moving refugees to Bhasan Char—whose name means “floating island”—will ease chronic overcrowding in its camps at Cox’s Bazar, which hold some 730,000 Rohingya. The U.N. says the Muslim minority fled mass killings and rapes committed during an army crackdown in Rakhine State since August 2017.

Some humanitarian groups have criticized the relocation plan, saying the island in the Bay of Bengal is vulnerable to frequent cyclones.

“There are a number of things that remain unknown to me even following my visit, chief among them being whether the island is truly habitable,” said Yanghee Lee, U.N. special rapporteur on Myanmar, who visited the island in January.

“Ill-planned relocation, and relocations without the consent of the refugees concerned, have the potential to create a new crisis,” she told the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Shah Kamal, secretary of Bangladesh’s Disaster Management Ministry, said the government was in talks with U.N. agencies on the issue.

“[The agencies] have agreed. Now we're finalizing with them how to move them (the refugees) and all other factors. Everything is ready… Housing, power, healthcare, communication, storm surge embankment, cyclone shelter centers and all other facilities,” he told Reuters in Dhaka.

“There is absolutely no reason to be concerned about floods because we have built an embankment. And no one will be moved there against their will.”

'Systematic genocide'

Lee, who is banned by Myanmar’s government from visiting, told the Geneva forum that up to 10,000 civilians were reported to have fled their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine State since November due to violence and a lack of humanitarian aid.

“For decades we faced a systematic genocide in Myanmar. They took our citizenship, our land, they destroyed our mosques,” Mohib Bullah, a Rohingya refugee from the camps who is documenting name-by-name those killed in Myanmar, told the Council.

“Over 120,000 Rohingya still live in concentration camps in Myanmar, others outside live in fear of violence,” he said. “We want to go home to Myanmar, with our rights, our citizenship, and international security on the ground.”

A U.N. fact-finding mission last year said Myanmar’s 2017 military campaign that pushed out the Rohingya was orchestrated with “genocidal intent.” Myanmar denies allegations of mass killings and rape and says its offensive was a legitimate response to an insurgent threat.

Lee urged the U.N. Security Council to refer alleged atrocities in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and encouraged Yangon to accept its jurisdiction.

But Myanmar’s ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun said The Hague-based court had “no jurisdiction over Myanmar whatsoever.”

“Myanmar is fully committed to ensuring accountability where there is credible evidence of human rights violations committed in Rakhine State,” he said.

The most pressing task is to focus on a speedy start to repatriating the refugees, he said, without using the word ‘Rohingya’ —who are mostly stateless in Myanmar.

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Looted Throne Comes Home

Posted: 11 Mar 2019 07:08 PM PDT

On this day in 1948, Lord Mountbatten, the governor-general of India, returned the Thihathana Palin — the Lion Throne — to Myanmar’s first president, Sao Shwe Thaik. Mountbatten originally intended to return it on Jan.4, the day Myanmar gained independence from Britain. However, due to difficulties disassembling the giant chair, it could only be returned in March.

There were eight types of thrones in the royal court, of which the Lion Throne was the most important, representing sovereignty. The throne was placed in the royal assembly and used when the king received foreign envoys, accepted presents from vassals and issued royal decrees.

The Lion Throne.

After the British moved the Myanmar royal family to Ratnagiri, India, on Nov. 29, 1885, General Harry Prendergast’s forces looted Mandalay Palace and took the Lion Throne there as well. The throne was then put on display at the India Museum in Kolkata in 1902. When Myanmar was on the verge of independence, Mountbatten discussed returning the throne with King Gorge. It finally made its way back to Myanmar on this day in 1948, after spending more than 50 years abroad.

Once back home, the throne was taken to the presidential residence on Ahlon Street in Yangon. Myanmar’s presidents used it to received international dignitaries including Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon.

On September 12, 1959, the throne was moved to the National Museum in Yangon for public display and remains there to this day.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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