Thursday, April 11, 2019

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Recent Death Threats Against Journalists Draw Rebuke

Posted: 11 Apr 2019 05:34 AM PDT

YANGON — Journalists and others have warned that recent death threats against media outlets over their reporting on the fighting in Rakhine State pose a threat to the whole country as it transitions toward democracy, though some also urged reporters to maintain high ethical standards.

Last week, about a dozen media organizations in Myanmar spanning print, television and the internet received death threats via anonymous emails, phone calls and social media messages on their coverage of the fighting between the Arakan Army and Myanmar military. They are believed to have come from people who support either side.

Some of the outlets that received the threats — including The Irrawaddy, 7Day, Democracy Today and Khit Thit — reported them to the Myanmar Press Council and the President's Office and called for an investigation.

"The threats against journalists are bad for journalism and also not good for the country," said U Aung Hla Tun, the deputy minister of information.

The veteran journalist-come-cabinet member said the media "has to be able to work in their profession without being threatened" so that they can perform "as watchdogs, not lapdogs, to point out maltreatment and injustice.”

But he added that most people lack social media literacy and often unwittingly share false information not posted by established news outlets, so that a few bad actors end up besmirching the reputation of the news media as a whole.

Even though the latest threats came from anonymous sources and fake accounts, U Myint Kyaw, a member of the Myanmar Press Council, said they could inspire yet more threats. If they did, he said journalists would be at increased risk of attack.

U Myint Kyaw said the chairman of the council has forwarded the reports it received on to the President’s Office in hopes that it can track down who sent the threats.

At the same time, he urged journalists to always act ethically, especially when covering sensitive stories.

"Upholding ethics is a shield that protects journalists, and this is an alarm to remind us that we should never drift from ethical reporting," he said.

Foreign diplomats in Myanmar also expressed their concern over the threats.

"The recent increase in threats and intimidation to newsrooms and journalists reporting on conflict is deeply concerning. Journalists need to be able to do their jobs as part of a democracy," U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel told The Irrawaddy.

Khit Thit founder Ko Thar Lun Zaung Htet said the lack of legal protection for journalists left them especially vulnerable to being labeled the “enemy” by the government, military and ultra-nationalists.

"These threats, which can be considered organized crime, show that our media are again in a dark period in this democratic era when we are struggling to be independent because the media industry is suffering economically." he said.

He also worried that more threats might follow in the lead-up to next year’s general election.

The post Recent Death Threats Against Journalists Draw Rebuke appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

State Counselor Blames No One Over Lack of Peace Process: Negotiator

Posted: 11 Apr 2019 05:18 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW—State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is not interested in assigning blame for the stalled peace process, Union Attorney General U Tun Tun Oo said in Naypyitaw on Thursday.

"As the government [leader], chairperson of the NRPC [National Reconciliation and Peace Center] and State Counselor, [Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] doesn't blame anyone. We take it that we are all in the same boat sailing toward peace," said U Tun Tun Oo, who is currently acting as the government negotiator at peace talks with the Karen National Union at the NRPC in the administrative capital.

It is important to make compromises to break the stalemate in the peace process, U Tun Tun Oo said.

"It is completely impossible that each group can get 100 percent of their demands satisfied in political discussions. Only with mutual understanding and trust can negotiations deliver results," he said.

Though the government of the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi gives priority to internal peace, three years into its administration it has only been able to convince two ethnic armed groups—the New Mon State Party and the Lahu Democratic Union—to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

The NLD-led government has also convened the 21st-Century Panglong Peace Conference to adopt fundamental principles for federalism. But it has been more than five months since the last formal Panglong discussions between the government, the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) and NCA signatories took place.

KNU general secretary Padoh Saw Tadoh Moo (right), the leader of the group's delegation, chats with the government’s NRPC delegates led by Attorney General Tun Tun Oo (center) during a break from their meeting in Naypyitaw on Thursday. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

Meanwhile, the meetings of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting on the NCA (JICM) and Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) have also been suspended.

The government has been holding informal talks with individual NCA signatories in order to re-start political talks, which is one of the reasons the KNU delegation was in Naypyitaw on Thursday to meet government negotiators.

There have been problems with interpretation of the terminology in the NCA, said KNU secretary-general Padoh Saw Ta Doh Moo at the meeting on Thursday.

"I suggest it is time we think about how we can narrow the differences between us that have existed since before the third session of the Panglong Conference, so that we can find common ground to move forward," he said at the meeting.

U Tun Tun Oo called for collaborative efforts in addressing the challenges facing each group. "The government really wants to start official talks as soon as possible. And I'd like to say seriously that the government is ready to cooperate to resolve the problems obstructing the talks," he said.

While the Tatmadaw's four-month unilateral ceasefire will come to an end on April 30, there has been little progress in talks with the NCA non-signatories to sign the pact.

At a press conference on March 25, the Myanmar military's Major-General Soe Naing Oo said the Tatmadaw would not extend the truce, as four months should be enough to move the peace process forward.

The government and Tatmadaw are set to meet the Kachin Independence Army before and after the Thingyan Festival in April. But with Thingyan falling on Saturday, the two sides are likely to meet after Thingyan at the earliest.

The government and Tatmadaw are also set to meet the Restoration Council of Shan State and Shan State Progress Party to discuss resettlement of internally displaced persons in Kyaukme and Hsipaw, and the deployment of troops.

The post State Counselor Blames No One Over Lack of Peace Process: Negotiator appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

5 Water Resources Officials Face Corruption Charges

Posted: 11 Apr 2019 04:15 AM PDT

YANGON—Five senior government officials from the Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems (DWIR) have been sued under the Anti-Corruption Law for allegedly misusing more than 537 million kyats (about US$355,000) of public funds since 2014.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) said in a statement on Wednesday that it has opened cases against DWIR director-general U Htun Lwin Oo, now retired deputy director-general U Ko Ko Oo, who is still serving at the directorate as an adviser, his successor U Thaung Lwin, and two directors, U Aung Kyaw Hmu and U Tun Naing Win. DWIR is under the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The commission said it conducted an investigation after receiving a complaint against them and found that the five misused 238 million kyats in 2014, 89 million kyats in 2015, 129.5 million kyats in 2017 and 81 million kyats in 2018 from funds allocated to sub-offices.

All five have been sued under Article 56 of the Anti-Corruption Law, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence for political officeholders found guilty of corruption.

In early April, the commission sued the managing director of the government's mining enterprise under the same charge, and the managing director and two employees of gold mining firm National Prosperity Gold Production Group Co. Ltd under Article 59 for making a false bribery claim. The latter charge carries a maximum sentence of three years' imprisonment and a fine.

The post 5 Water Resources Officials Face Corruption Charges appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Inle Lake Prepares For First-Ever Floating Water Festival

Posted: 11 Apr 2019 04:13 AM PDT

YANGON — A floating Thingyan will be held for the first time ever over the four days of this year’s annual water festival with many activities aimed both at promoting the culture of the ethnic Intha who live around Shan State’s popular Inle Lake and at boosting tourism.

The event is being put on by the Miss Inle Organization and starts Saturday at the Inle Cultural Heritage Trust Complex in Nan Pan Village, Nyaung Shwe Township.

"During the Thingyan festival, Inle Lake didn't have many things to do and did not have many places to celebrate Thingyan with a crowd. That's why we want to make this a place where everyone can enjoy the Myanmar water festival, Thingyan," said Ko Sai Soe Tun Aung, general manager of the Miss Inle Organization and the Inle Cultural Heritage Trust Complex.

"The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism gave us guidelines and we organized this festival to make it happen. This is the first time for a floating Thingyan festival for us and for Inle Lake, so we've done our best to prepare for the visitors," he added.

Over the four days, the event will run in two sessions daily, one from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and another from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

It will feature free food and traditional dance performances and sets by top local singers spread across 21 floating venues. There will also be a Mr. and Mrs. Inle 2019 contest on the last day.

Tickets to get onto the stages will cost 15,000 kyats per person per day.

"We will place many trash bins at the festival and we also have a team to collect the trash from Inle Lake. We have started a campaign urging people not to throw any trash into the lake and to save Inle Lake," said Ko Sai Soe Tun Aung.

On Wednesday, Myanmar New Year’s Day, the organizers will make donations to 1,000 monks on the lake. A New Year’s Dhamma ceremony will also be held.

"I'm sure all the activities of the Inle Floating Thingyan are new and will be a new experience for Intha, travellers and foreigners. So I want to invite everyone to come and celebrate this floating Thingyan with us," said Ko Sai Soe Tun Aung.

The post Inle Lake Prepares For First-Ever Floating Water Festival appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Myanmar Military Chief Backs BRI Projects in Talks With China’s Xi

Posted: 11 Apr 2019 03:05 AM PDT

YANGON—China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) includes a host of projects that could benefit Myanmar, military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing told Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday, adding that Myanmar's military was ready to cooperate on implementing them.

While the BRI is beginning to face resistance from a number of countries due to fears of a "debt trap", Sen-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said during a meeting with Xi at the Great Hall of the People that he believed it would be successful.

Xi's signature foreign policy, the BRI is a grand vision to revive the historic Silk Road trade route and create a "21st-Century Maritime Silk Road". These would create a network of trade routes from China to Europe passing through Central Asia, the Middle East and Russia. Unveiled in 2013, the BRI will ultimately encompass nearly 70 countries and two-thirds of the world's population.

After signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) in September last year, Myanmar officially became a partner in the BRI.

The senior general said the majority of Myanmar citizens live in rural areas and improving their socioeconomic status would require developing the nation's economy first. This was the reason he requested support for developing Myanmar's economic opportunities.

The senior general is visiting Beijing on a goodwill visit at the invitation of General Li Zuocheng, a member of China's Central Military Commission and chief of the Joint Staff Department. During the visit Sen-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has held talks with leaders of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and toured training schools, factories and other significant places. The visit comes two weeks ahead of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's scheduled visit to Myanmar's northern neighbor to attend the second BRI forum in late April.

Nearly three dozen national leaders will attend the forum. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to negotiate agreements on at least six projects as part of the CMEC agreement. During her bilateral meeting with Xi, the State Counselor will likely discuss some of the more controversial Chinese projects in Myanmar, including the suspended US$3.6-billion (5.43 trillion kyats) Myitsone hydropower  project in Kachin State.

During his meeting with the military chief, Xi said the militaries, political parties, governments and peoples of the two countries enjoy deep relationships, with military relations in particular having grown noticeably closer.

He said Myanmar was facing a lot of external pressure, but the years of effort by various leaders had led to visible progress for the country.

"China has always supported Myanmar and will continue to do so," Xi said.

China would increase military cooperation between the two countries and strive to discover solutions to common problems, he added.

Myanmar occupies a strategic geographical position in the BRI, lying at the junction of South Asia and Southeast Asia, and between the Indian Ocean and southwestern China's landlocked Yunnan province.

In Myanmar, the CMEC will stretch for 1,700 km, starting in China's Yunnan Province and going through Myanmar's major economic cities—Mandalay in central Myanmar and the commercial capital of Yangon—and reaching the coast at the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Rakhine State. Under the CMEC, Myanmar has also signed an MoU for the Kyaukphyu deep-sea port, a potential hub for China that would give it direct access to the Indian Ocean and allow its oil imports to bypass the Strait of Malacca. It also serves Beijing's goal of developing landlocked Yunnan.

Despite warnings from critics that the project could burden Myanmar with unsustainable debts and provoke more armed conflict in the project areas, Myanmar has signed an MoU to begin studying a proposed Muse-Mandalay high-speed railway.

The railway could become a lifeline for China-Myanmar trade. Muse sits on Myanmar's border with Yunnan, and is the largest trade portal between the two nations, while Mandalay is central Myanmar's commercial center and the country's second-largest city.

In Yangon, the multi-billion-dollar New Yangon City project is a part of the CMEC plan. The two sides have also agreed to implement three economic cooperation zones in Kachin and Shan states.

Snr-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has also held meetings with top Chinese leaders including Song Tao, head of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and General Wei Fenghe, minister of national defense and a member of the Central Military Commission. He has visited a PLA training school, observed military simulation training and visited a center featuring experimental equipment support technology.

The post Myanmar Military Chief Backs BRI Projects in Talks With China's Xi appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Yangon Timeout

Posted: 11 Apr 2019 02:26 AM PDT

Beauty of World Heritage in Japan

This ongoing photo exhibition organized by The Japan Foundation features photos of Japan's 22 world heritage sites recognized by UNESCO including 18 cultural and 4 natural sites. The photographer Mizuno Katsuhiko is a well-known Japanese landscape photographer and gallery owner. The exhibition is open weekly from Tuesday to Saturday.

 

April 2 to 27 | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | The Japan Foundation Yangon | No.70 Nat Mauk Lane 1, Bahan Township

Atlas Water Party

One of the first real parties in town to set off the Thingyan festival theme takes place at 6 p.m. on Friday at Atlas Rooftop. This might be where you want to go with colleagues after the last day of work before the holiday. Entry is free and guests are encouraged to bring water guns and prepare to get wet! A free welcome glass of Heineken beer will be offered and later, DJ Shock will play music to get the dancing started.

 

April 12 | 6 p.m. | Atlas Rooftop Bar & Lounge | Uniteam Building, 84 Pan Hlaing Street, Sanchaung Township

Fab Water Party

This is a big club night for the LGBTQ crowd and friends who are staying in the city for the holidays. There will be water hoses installed on the night and DJ Mike will be playing cheesy classics and some Thingyan-themed music too. Guests are reminded to bring waterproofing for your devices and valuables and to prepare to get wet! Tickets are 5,000 kyats.

 

April 13 | 10 p.m. | Pyrite Club | No. 37, Kabar Aye Pagoda Road, Yankin Township (Near Inya Lake Hotel)

Thingyan Parties at The Penthouse

Before the hoses are turned on for the real street parties, where will you go to kick off the weekend? The Penthouse has two Thingyan-themed nights this Friday and Saturday. On Friday, Aung Myo Oo aka DJ Eric will be spinning tunes and Saturday will feature groovy beats by James Leatham. Entry is free.

 

April 12 and 13 | 9 p.m. | The Penthouse | 8th Floor, Parkside One Building, 271-273 Bagayar Street, Sanchaung Township

Little Luxuries Brunch

Chill out with a brunch and pool day this Sunday at the new Grand Wyndham Hotel next to Kandawgyi Lake. This is a good event for the whole family with swimming pool access included in the price, a live band, henna hand art and face painting for the little ones. The buffet includes a live grill, tempura station, cocktail bar, chocolate mousse and espuma tiramisu station and a chocolate truffle corner. Tickets for the buffet with free-flow soft drinks and beer are $38 (net) and with sparkling wine $42 (net).

 

April 14 | 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. | Grand Wyndham Yangon Hotel | No. 11 Corner of Kan Yeik Thar and U Aung Myat roads, Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township

Game of Thrones Night

For Game of Thrones addicts and other nerds looking to escape the water festival madness, The Savoy is starting an exciting series of screening nights for Season 8, the first of which falls on Monday April 15. The show will be aired on a large HD screen in Captain's Bar and a Game of Thrones-themed menu and drinks will be available as well as a season-long Game of Throne bingo game.

 

April 15 | 8:30 p.m. | The Savoy Hotel | 129 Dhamazedi Road, Bahan Township

The post Yangon Timeout appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit

Posted: 11 Apr 2019 02:16 AM PDT

The Government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) recently announced that the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit will take place in Busan from Nov. 25-27 2019. This will mark the culmination of the New Southern Policy initiated by ROK President Moon Jae-in, which aims at furthering and deepening the ASEAN-ROK Strategic Partnership based on the three pillars of "People, Prosperity and Peace".

What makes this upcoming commemorative summit even more special is the fact that there will be back-to-back summit meetings between Korea and the five Mekong nations, including Myanmar. This is unprecedented and, as such, it attests to our government's firm commitment to elevating its relationship with our friends in the Mekong region to a whole new level. In fact, there has been growing recognition of the potential that the Mekong region holds. And as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the State Counselor, underscored in her recent speeches, Myanmar is regarded by many as the last frontier market in this region.

The fact that Busan is the host city for the commemorative summit is also meaningful. Busan is a sister city of Yangon, the largest city and No. 1 economic and cultural hub in Myanmar. U Phyo Min Thein, Chief Minister of the Yangon Region Government, has played a key role in enhancing the cooperation in trade, investment and culture between our two countries. Among key foreign business communities in Yangon, Korean investors were his first choice for the business talk series he newly embarked on this year. More recently, the Chief Minister and I visited a garment factory in Yangon to have a first-hand interaction with the workers and management. It is reported that in 2018, the garment industry ranked as the No. 1 export for Myanmar. Korean garment factories account for more than 15 percent of that export. Considering the labor-intensive nature of the garment sector, it significantly contributes to job opportunities in the local community. There is another welcome development in this regard. In the wake of the Rakhine State Investment Fair in February, preparatory work is under way between a Korean garment investor and the relevant authorities in Myanmar. This will be the first ever foreign garment factory in Rakhine.

Korea's interest in investing in Myanmar has been growing fast. Among others, its investment in the industrial complex and urban development sector stands out.

The Korea-Myanmar Industrial Complex in Nyaung Hnitpin, Yangon is expected to become a smart and eco-friendly industrial park, which will draw as many as 200 Korean companies. This marks the first foreign direct investment by Korea Land & Housing Corporation, the largest government-owned infrastructure development agency in Korea. The ground-breaking ceremony for the Dala Bridge, better known as the Korea-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, was held last December, which, in turn, raised expectations for development in the Dala area. Relevant parties have been brainstorming to further develop the Dala area, which is compared to the Gangnam area in Seoul.

Investments in high-tech industries and massive infrastructure are also on the rise. This year, Hyundai Motors, the world's fifth-largest car maker, and Daewoo Bus have respectively set up assembly factories in Myanmar. The CEO of POSCO Group, Korea's largest investor in Myanmar, recently visited Myanmar to spearhead the second stage gas exploration after its successful operation of the Shwe gas field. Many Korean investors are also eyeing projects related to railways and highways.

KOICA (the Korean government's development assistance agency) and EXIM Bank are working in lockstep with private business partners to identify suitable projects. Myanmar is one of the top priority countries when it comes to development assistance by KOICA. On the part of EXIM Bank, a new loan agreement topping US$1 billion (1.5 trillion kyats) is soon expected to be sealed.

To chime with these encouraging developments, the two countries also strive hard to create a more business-friendly atmosphere. The Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement went into effect last November and a Korea Desk designed to provide a single-window service to Korean investors is in progress. Given Korea's standing as the 6th largest investor in Myanmar, these legal and institutional measures will help further boost confidence in their business in Myanmar.

As far as Korean investment in Myanmar is concerned, I would be remiss if I did not highlight the ever increasing number of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. For most Korean investors in Myanmar, CSR programs are becoming an integral part of their business. A number of CSR and volunteer programs have been done in such sectors as education, vocational training and health. This resonates well with what State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi stated at the Invest Myanmar Summit in January: that the smartest and great investment in Myanmar is in its people.

Our New Southern Policy is according particular focus to winning hearts and minds of the people in ASEAN. As the Korean Ambassador in Myanmar, it is most rewarding to see ever growing passion and love for Korean dramas and movies among Myanmar people. The Korea-Myanmar K-pop Friendship Concert in March, where a video message of the State Counselor was shown, made a splash among the young generation. Tourism and cultural exchanges should be two-way traffic. Ever since the visa exemption last October, Korean tourists have significantly increased. According to the recent survey by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, the number of Korean visitors to Myanmar rose more than 60 percent from October 2018 to February 2019 compared to the same months of 2017 and 2018.

Already having a lot in common, historically and emotionally, the complicated strategic locations of Korea and Myanmar are another striking resemblance. There have been positive developments on the Korean peninsula and the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit will serve as another momentum in that direction. For its part, Korea is a staunch supporter of Myanmar's noble endeavors for its 21st century union peace process.

People, peace and co-prosperity, the three pillars of Korea's New Southern Policy, are also key elements of Myanmar's Sustainable Development Plan. In this context, the commemorative summit in November will offer a golden opportunity for Myanmar and Korea to nurture its win-win partnership. Therefore, both sides should redouble their efforts to seize the moment.

Lee Sang-hwa is ambassador of the Republic of Korea. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author only.

The post ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Arakan Army to Release Relatives of Police Officers

Posted: 11 Apr 2019 01:59 AM PDT

YANGON —Arakan Army (AA) leader Major General Tun Myat Naing said the rebel group would release police officers’ relatives it took away after attacking a police and military base in northern Rakhine State’s Mrauk-U Township on Wednesday.

"I have instructed [my subordinates] to feed [them] properly and not to scare the children. I have instructed them to keep them well. I will officially hand them over after looking at the situation," he told The Irrawaddy.

Maj. Gen. Tun Myat Naing said the AA would hand them over either to the government or a local ethnic Arakanese women’s group.

AA fighters attacked the No. 31 police regiment on Tuesday evening and a temporary military base near Lay Hnyin Taung Mountain on the outskirts of Mrauk-U in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday morning. They took the family members of the police officers with them as they retreated.

"There are men, women, and children among them. We didn't abduct them. We brought them for fear that they might be killed in the exchange of fire. The [military] planes dropped bombs directly on the outpost. We just rescued them," Maj. Gen. Tun Myat Naing said.

In a statement, the Myanmar Police Force said the AA abducted seven relatives of police officers during the attack and that the wife of one officer was killed in what it called an act of terrorism.

Among the relatives are the wife and daughter of a sub-lieutenant, the mother, wife, son and daughter of another sub-lieutenant, and the wife of a constable, according to the statement, which included their photos. It said the three children are aged 1, 3 and 6, respectively.

Maj. Gen. Tun Myat Naing said the AA attacked the No. 31 police regiment because soldiers from the Myanmar military’s Light Infantry Division No. 22 had been firing 105-mm howitzer shells both from there and from the military base near Lay Hnyin Taung, which lies about 8 km from downtown Mrauk-U, on a near-daily basis for more than 20 days.

He said the AA failed to destroy the howitzers but did seize some ammunition.

"We have evidence of how long they had been firing with 105-mm howitzers. It is up to the people to decide which side is wrong considering that artillery shells are being fired from the police station. It is not fair to label us terrorists," the AA leader said.

AA deputy leader Brigadier General Nyo Tun Aung claimed that the military used three fighter jets, two bombers and an attack helicopters in the battle.

The Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services said in a statement that the military gave chase to the AA fighters as they retreated and arrested 23 of them, and that all were dressed in civilian clothes.

Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, from the military’s True News Information Team, said the military suffered some casualties in the attack.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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India’s Giant Election Gets Underway With Voting in First of 7 Phases

Posted: 10 Apr 2019 10:30 PM PDT

GHAZIABAD — Indians began voting on Thursday in the first phase of a mammoth general election, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi gunning for a second term having campaigned strongly on his national security record following a flare up in tensions with Pakistan.

Security for the polls was increased after seven people were killed in militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, the country’s only Muslim majority state, and in eastern India, where Maoist insurgents were blamed for a bomb that killed a state legislator from Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Voting in the first of seven rounds is being held in 91 Parliament constituencies across 20 states and federally administered regions. There are 543 seats at stake.

Modi’s BJP has entered the election as the frontrunner, despite economic distress over mounting unemployment, and weak farm incomes in rural areas, where two-thirds of Indians live.

In a posting on Twitter as voting began, Modi urged people to turn out in large numbers and said the mood nationwide was running in favor of his alliance.

Pollsters say support for the BJP rose in response to Modi’s tough stance against Pakistan, which saw aerial clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbors following a Pakistan-based militant organization’s suicide attack in February that killed 40 paramilitary police in Kashmir.

The main opposition Congress party, which wrested three major farming states from the BJP in December by promising to waive the outstanding loans of distressed farmers, has looked for allies among regional parties to defeat the BJP over its record on the economy.

But the upsurge in nationalist fervor has undermined the opposition strategy.

“I support the prime minister’s policies, especially his foreign policy,” Sachin Tyagi, 38, a mobile phone shop owner, told Reuters near a polling station in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

“He’s improved India’s global standing and taken revenge against the enemies of the country. I am happy with Modi-ji, but the employment situation could be improved.”

About two dozen voters had lined up at that voting center and more were streaming in early on Thursday. Young men in jeans and shorts, older men in white kurtas and women in colorful sarees stood in the lines.

Spread over 39 days, the final phase of the election will be held on May 19, and the result will be announced on May 23.

Gilles Verniers, a political science professor at Ashoka University near New Delhi, predicted Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, would struggle to catch the BJP.

“The gap between Congress and the BJP is still enormous, so no one is seriously thinking that Congress is going to fill that gap,” he added. “The opposition landscape remains heavily fragmented.”

An average of four opinion polls showed the BJP-alliance on course to win 273 of the 545 seats in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, a much reduced majority from the more than 330 seats it scored at the last election.

In the 2014 general election, the BJP alone won a landslide 282 seats, securing a clear single-party majority for the first time in decades and raising hopes of economic reform after a period of sluggish growth.

In Uttar Pradesh, which sends more lawmakers to parliament than any other, Ajesh Kumar, who runs a roadside restaurant, said he voted for the BJP in 2014, when Hindu-Muslims riots in the area killed at least 65 people, and would do so again.

“But jobs are a problem here,” he said, echoing government and private statistics that show Modi’s government has failed to create enough work for the millions of young Indians entering the labor force each year.

Almost 900 million of India’s 1.3 billion people are eligible to vote. The first phase of voting covers an electorate of 142 million.

From sugar farmers in northern India going unpaid for produce, to small businesses in the south shut because they are unable to meet the requirements of a new, unifying national tax, discontent over the economy has brewed for months.

A Reuters analysis of 50 pledges from the BJP's 2014 manifesto showed Modi only partly fulfilled, or did not fulfill, most promises on the economy and business.

Having won only 44 seats last time, Congress is trying to rebuild its appeal, and has promised monthly handouts of 6,000 rupees ($86.59) for the poorest families.

It hopes to win enough seats to lure regional parties opposed to Modi to back it after the election and form the government.

The post India’s Giant Election Gets Underway With Voting in First of 7 Phases appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Pushing the Envelope: Money Politics Mars Indonesian Poll

Posted: 10 Apr 2019 09:59 PM PDT

JAKARTA — Shanti Ramchand learned quickly what was expected when she began campaigning in Jakarta for Indonesia’s national parliament — distribute envelopes of cash at a small campaign event, and gift a motorcycle or an air conditioning unit to the community leader.

Ramchand, an aspiring politician from the National Democrat Party, part of President Joko Widodo’s coalition, is trying a novel approach to getting elected. She is not only eschewing the cash and gifts that are traditionally given out on the campaign trail, but making it the centerpiece of her pitch to voters.

Indonesia — the world’s third-largest democracy — has some of the worst money politics in Southeast Asia, according to researchers. Handouts of cash and gifts, anti-graft advocates and politicians say, lead to rampant corruption in its national legislature as successful candidates recoup their election expenses, and more, once elected.

Envelopes, usually stuffed with cash ranging from 20,000 to 100,000 rupiah ($1.42 to $7.08), are commonly doled out to voters. These are small amounts, but the overall cost can be huge over a six-month campaign.

Earlier this month, Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) seized six storage chests in a concealed basement owned by Bowo Sidik Pangarso, a parliamentarian seeking re-election from the Golkar Party, another party in Widodo's ruling coalition. The chests contained 400,000 envelopes each believed to contain 20,000 rupiah — a total of 8 billion rupiah or over $566,000.

Bowo, who has been detained but not formally charged, told reporters last week after leaving an interview with the anti-corruption body that the envelopes were for the national parliament election, not the presidential election, both due on April 17.

While illegal, politicians and analysts say it is relatively rare to see prosecutions for election-time bribery.

Two politicians from the National Mandate Party, part of the opposition coalition headed by former general Prabowo Subianto, were sentenced to three months in prison in December for distributing coupons for the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca to voters. They will not be disqualified from running for office again.

In 2017, the then speaker of the national parliament, Setya Novanto, was arrested for orchestrating a scheme to plunder $173 million from a government contract for a national electronic identity card.

The KPK alleged most of the money was to be funneled to up to 60 lawmakers. Novanto was sentenced to 15 years in prison, underscoring why Indonesia’s national Parliament rates as among the most corrupt institutions in the country in surveys.

“Kleptocracy”

In a south Jakarta neighborhood, Ramchand is working the courtyard crowd, engaging in some questions and answers as she tries to convince constituents to vote for her.

“We don’t choose the envelope, right?” she says, receiving scattered approval from the crowd of about 40 congregating in a shady courtyard to ward off the mid-afternoon sun.

“That’s right. Check the background of the candidate. Ask them about their programs. Your voice can’t be bought.”

In an interview, Ramchand said at three out of ten planned appearances, community leaders would demand gratuities to allow her to talk to the voters in her South Jakarta electorate.

“Sometimes people bluntly ask for money. Others ask for air conditioning units or a motorbike,” she told Reuters.

Ramchand, a policy consultant to corporations and governments who has lived overseas for most of the past decade, showed Reuters WhatsApp messages sent to her by village chiefs and officials from religious organizations demanding money to let her speak at gatherings.

Reuters could not independently verify the messages.

Ramchand said she has also declined to pay the usual political “dowry” required by political parties to endorse candidates.

The going rate for a serious run for one of 560 seats in the national legislature is about 10 billion rupiah, or $708,000, according to the former deputy chief of the KPK, Busyro Muqoddas.

“We live in a kleptocracy, not a democracy,” said Busyro.

A spokesman for the campaign team of Widodo, Ace Hasan Syadzily, said his own party, Golkar, does not demand a political dowry but conceded “vote buying does happen.” The president was against money politics, he added.

A spokesman for the opposition coalition led by Prabowo, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, declined to comment on whether candidates had to pay parties to be endorsed.

“The cost of running for political office is expensive and can potentially be the cause of corruption,” he said. “We are pushing for political parties to be funded by the state and, if they are corrupt, they should be disbanded.”

Dawn attack

Ramchand said she was met with broad skepticism that her campaign strategy could work.

She admits that she has had to cancel many events.

A poll of voters in three Jakarta constituencies by the Charta Politika agency in January found support for cash and other gratuities at 58.2 percent, 47 percent and 42.6 per cent.

Edward Aspinall, a professor at Australian National University who has researched money politics across Southeast Asia, said the practice of cash handouts is deeply entrenched in Indonesia.

“It’s more common in Indonesia than elsewhere in Southeast Asia,” he told Reuters.

He blamed the deterioration on the introduction of the “open list” electoral system in 2009 where voters choose candidates, rather than a party, and it is the candidates who bear most of the costs of the campaigns.

“The incentive is for individual candidates to maximize their personal vote,” he said. “Very often they do this with money. How else can you differentiate yourself from rivals from the same party when you have the same policies?”

Cash-for-votes reaches its peak during the “dawn attack,” the morning of the election when candidates blitz voters.

“It’s high drama at the last minute,” said Aspinall. “Candidates see this is really inefficient and ineffective but they feel if they don’t do it, they won’t stand a chance.”

Ramchand, for her part, says: “I’ll be sleeping in.”

The post Pushing the Envelope: Money Politics Mars Indonesian Poll appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

N. Korea’s Kim Says Must Deliver ‘Blow’ to Those Imposing Sanctions – KCNA

Posted: 10 Apr 2019 09:30 PM PDT

SEOUL—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country needs to deliver a “telling blow” to those imposing sanctions by ensuring its economy is more self-reliant, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Thursday.

It was the first time Kim stated North Korea’s position on the second U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi that collapsed in February, and signaled a continued focus on economic development, a strategic direction officially declared a priority last April.

On North Korea’s position on the summit, Kim said he would double down on efforts to create a self-supporting national economy “so as to deal a telling blow to the hostile forces who go with bloodshot eyes miscalculating that sanctions can bring (North Korea) to its knees,” according to KCNA.

U.S.-North Korean engagement has appeared to be in limbo since the Feb. 27-28 summit in Hanoi, which collapsed over differences about how far North Korea was willing to limit its nuclear program and the degree of U.S. willingness to ease economic sanctions.

Kim has continued to highlight his economic push in recent weeks despite the lack of sanctions relief.

State media have published images and reports of Kim’s visits to at least four economic projects in five days over the past week, including a remodeled department store, tourist resorts, and an economic hub near the border with China.

At a similar plenary session last year, Kim formally announced a “new strategic line” that focused on economic progress and improving North Koreans’ lives, rather than the previous two-pronged approach of economic and nuclear weapons development.

North Korea is expected to convene a session of its rubber-stamp legislature, the Supreme People’s Assembly, on Thursday.

In its Wednesday meeting, the ruling party also elevated Choe Son Hui, one of North Korea’s leading negotiators with the United States, to a position as member of the party’s Central Committee.

Despite not explicitly naming the “hostile forces” that imposed sanctions, Kim is displaying a more hardened stance toward Washington than was recently in state media, analysts said.

The comments were reported hours ahead of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Washington on Thursday to discuss North Korea and other alliance issues.

Moon has suggested that sanctions could be eased to allow inter-Korean economic engagement in return for some nuclear concessions by North Korea, but so far Washington has not agreed.

“It did not directly mention the U.S., but linked sanctions with hostile forces,” said Shin Beom-chul, a senior fellow at the Asian Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. “He’s saying North Korea would take an independent course unless the U.S. offered to lift sanctions. You maintain sanctions, you’re a hostile force; if you ease sanctions, you’re not.”

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a congressional committee on Wednesday that he would like to leave “a little room” in the sanctions in case North Korea makes “substantial” progress toward giving up its nuclear weapons.

In Hanoi, Kim sought relief from major U.N. sanctions, but Pompeo said those must stay in effect until North Korea completely denuclearizes.

“The enforcement regime, the core U.N. Security Council resolutions, need to remain in place until the verification of denuclearization has been completed,” he said.

The post N. Korea’s Kim Says Must Deliver ‘Blow’ to Those Imposing Sanctions – KCNA appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The Day Myanmar’s Independence Hero and His Colleagues Were Laid to Rest

Posted: 10 Apr 2019 07:00 PM PDT

A state funeral for Myanmar independence hero General Aung San and eight of his colleagues was held on this day 71 years ago. Their bodies had lain in state for more than eight months at the Jubilee Hall in downtown Yangon after their assassination on July 19, 1947. The bodies were entombed at the current site of the Martyrs' Mausoleum near Shwedagon Pagoda. More than 300,000 mourners from all walks of life showed up at the funeral to pay their final respects.

When the bodies were placed in the hall after the assassinations, people from across the country headed to Yangon to mourn the slain leaders. A 7 p.m.-5 a.m. nighttime curfew was imposed in the vicinity lest the remains be snatched.

Gen. Aung San and his colleagues lie in state at the Jubilee Hall in Yangon.

On the morning of the funeral day, then Myanmar President Sao Shwe Thaik and the bereaved families made donations to Buddhist monks in remembrance of the dead. In the afternoon, volunteers wearing black armbands gathered at Jubilee Hall for the funeral procession, while mourners lined Shwedagon Pagoda Road to pay their final respects. At the burial site, then Prime Minister U Nu delivered the eulogy and four Myanmar Air Force planes scattered flowers over the area. Foreign diplomats and military attachés and representatives of international organizations laid wreaths. The event concluded with the singing of the national anthem in the evening. It was also a busy day for medics, as many people fainted during the procession.

The post The Day Myanmar's Independence Hero and His Colleagues Were Laid to Rest appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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