Friday, June 14, 2013

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Photo of the week 05

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 06:38 AM PDT

 

 

h

 

UN Aid Convoy Reaches Kachin IDPs in Humanitarian Breakthrough

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 06:14 AM PDT

A woman at a camp for people displaced by fighting between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army outside the city of Myitkyina in northern Burma. (Photo: Reuters)

A United Nations-led aid convoy reached the village of Mai Ja Yang on Friday to deliver humanitarian assistance to Kachin refugees displaced by fighting in the northern state, according to UN officials, two weeks after a seven-point peace agreement was signed by the Burmese government and ethnic Kachin rebels.

It marked the first time in almost a year that UN humanitarian aid was able to reach internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the area, which is controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO). KIA forces have been fighting against government troops for more than two years, after a 17-year ceasefire broke down in 2011.

The UN Information Center in Rangoon reported on Friday that the 10-truck relief convoy departed from Bhamo Township on Wednesday, arriving at Mai Ja Yang on Friday with life-saving supplies including food, household kits, and hygiene and sanitation supplies. The aid aims to reach about 5,100 IDPs at multiple camps along the route before it returns to Bhamo on Sunday.

"They [refugees] have many difficulties there," Aye Win, the UN's Rangoon spokesperson, told The Irrawaddy. "But we could not travel there to help them. It has been almost a year that they have not received aid.

"We have tried for a long time to travel there. For us, we needed permission from both sides—from the government and KIA—to travel there. Without help from them, we could not get there."

Ashok Nigam, the UN's resident humanitarian coordinator, welcomed the breakthrough.

"The cross-line convoy represents a positive step forward by the government to help all people in need across Kachin State. It is crucial for this convoy to be the first of many, and that regular and unimpeded access to all people displaced in Kachin State is sustained."

He described the successful aid delivery as "an encouraging sign of positive progress in Kachin State, following closely in the footsteps of recent peace talks held in Myitkyina [the Kachin State capital]."

The KIO and the Burmese government signed a peace accord in Myitkyina on May 30, in which the two sides agreed on seven points aimed at facilitating further political dialogue in the future.

Hla Maung Shwe, a peace broker from the government side who is from Myanmar Peace Center, said the President's Office would grant permission to any humanitarian groups seeking to deliver aid to Kachin IDPs in the future. He added that previously, the government had been unable to provide security to convoys traveling in the area due to the fighting, which has since ceased.

"U Aung Min [the government's chief peace negotiator] told me that he is working for aid groups. His office [the President's Office] will give permission to any aid groups that want to donate to Kachin refugees," Hla Maung Shwe said.

Burma's military has been at war with Kachin rebels for decades, but both sides signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The conflict flared up again up in June 2011 after the longstanding ceasefire broke down. Fighting escalated in December last year until February, when clashes became less frequent.

On May 30, the government and the KIO both agreed to "undertake efforts to achieve de-escalation and cessation of hostilities" and to "continue discussions on military matters related to repositioning of troops," according to two points from a translation of the agreement.

Since June 2011, the UN estimated that fighting between the KIA and the government has forced an estimated 100,000 people from their homes. Loss of life, and the destruction of homes, livelihoods and infrastructure have accompanied the armed conflict. About 60,000 of the people displaced are living in areas beyond the government's control, according to the UN.

For the 60,000 IDPs in areas not controlled by the government, local groups have provided some aid, but UN assistance had been on hold since July 2012 because approval had not been granted by authorities.

Based on the situation that the UN and humanitarian partners observed almost a year ago, restrictions on humanitarian access have meant significant suffering for the people displaced in Kachin State. The UN has warned that the dire humanitarian conditions that are set to worsen with the onset of the monsoon season, which began in May.

"The humanitarian community is ready to assist all people affected by the conflict, and looks to the government and the Kachin Independence Organization for their continued support in guaranteeing regular safe and unimpeded passage for humanitarian assistance, including for those delivering it," stated Nigam. "We will continue to deliver assistance in accordance with the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and operational independence."

From Factories to Teashops, Child Labor a ‘Tradition’ in Burma

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 06:09 AM PDT

A child sells brooms in Rangoon. (Photo: Aung Thet Wine / The Irrawaddy)

Child servers are a common sight at the average teashop or restaurant in Burma, where often the underage employees are working at the expense of schooling.

Burmese children have long been exploited as part of labor pools both at home and abroad, working for a pittance and receiving few social protections, labor activists and community leaders say.

"It is a serious issue to take into consideration," said Thet Thet Aung, a leading labor activist from the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society.

"We have seen that many young employees from the age of 15 to 18 in the industrial sector are being forced to work like adult employees," she added.

Since last year, Thet Thet Aung said she and the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society have provided support to labor protests at factories where more than 90 percent of the workers are women, with young girls representing the highest number.

"However, our efforts have not yet reached children who are working at worksites other than factories."

Protection for child laborers at smaller-scale local businesses is sorely lacking, the activist said.

The Rangoon office of Save the Children, an international NGO focused on the issue of childlabor, employs a "community-based child protection system" to address the issue in Burma, according to the organization's senior protection advisor Ma Thanda Kyaw. That includes encouraging parents to keep their children in school and providing assistance, in the form of school supplies and uniforms, to those families that cannot afford them.

In cities and villages across Burma, child workers at local commercial enterprises such as teashops or restaurants are often preferred by owners.

"The shop will only pick the younger one if a 10-year-old boy and a 20-year-old male apply for a job at the teashops," said Hsu Hnget, a writer in Mandalay, adding that children were particularly vulnerable to exploitation as cheap labor.

Hsu Hnget said the practice had become so deeply rooted in society that it had become a "tradition."

Children of both sexes are often sent to Burma's big cities to work, sometimes forced by their own parents.

From Rangoon to Mandalay to Myitkyina, "in order to support my family" is a common refrain from these sons and daughters when asked why they are working instead of studying.

"I have been working here for a couple of years to support my mom, as my parents are divorced," a skinny 11-year-old girl working at a local restaurant in Myitkyina told The Irrawaddy when asked why she wasn't in school.

A 13-year-old boy from Shwebo Township, who works at a teashop in Mandalay, said he had only completed his studies through the fourth grade and started working at the teashop a year ago.

"It's sad to see that some of the children working at those shops are wearing their school uniform," Hsu Hnget said.

And then there are underage domestic workers, who toil out of public sight and away from the sweatshops that often get most of the public attention.

On Wednesday, the International Labor Organization (ILO) marked World Day Against ChildLabor by reporting that an estimated 10.5 million children worldwide under the age of 15 are being forced to work as domestic laborers, where they receive little or no pay.

In Burma, laws regulating childlabor exist, but few underage workers benefit from protections stipulated in the legislation. It is illegal to employ children less than 15 of age, and under the colonial-era Factory Act, employees from 15 to 18 years old are allowed to work no more than four hours a day, but youth laborers are routinely forced to work more than the statutorily mandated limit.

"Children who are forced to work as cheap labor is the result of unequally developed social and economic sectors," Hsu Hnget said.

To eliminate the scourge of childlabor, Save the Children recommends focusing on making education more accessible and affordable for Burma's poorest. It also urges the government to better monitor compliance to labor laws, and aggressively prosecute employers who violate them.

Without such efforts, deeply entrenched poverty will continue to force children out of the classroom and into the workforce, Thet Thet Aung said, casting a shadow over Burma's much-praised reforms of the last two years.

"It is because the grassroots community is not benefiting from the current political changes made by the government," she said.

Violence in Malaysia Has Some Burmese Heading for Exits

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 04:58 AM PDT

Aung Myo Oo, a Burmese migrant who was attacked by unknown assailants on June 3, 2013, lies in a hospital bed in Kuala Lumpur recovering from his injuries. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

A week after a series of violent attacks that has left five Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia dead, and as local authorities talk of deporting thousands arrested in connection with the violence, many Burmese in the country are considering leaving voluntarily—if they can.

"Many migrants who obtained work permits want to leave Malaysia now because they are very afraid. They no longer want to stay here," said Myat Ko, a Burmese migrant living in Kuala Lumpur.

According to Myat Ko, who is a member of a network of Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia, 18 Burmese nationals left the country on Thursday, and many more are expected to return to Burma in the coming days. Among them, he said, are around 800 who have overstayed their visas, making them vulnerable to the police sweep that has ensued in the wake of a series of attacks from May 30 to June 7.

The attacks, carried out by unknown assailants, and apparently targeting Burmese Buddhists, have raised fears of further violence to come, despite assurances from the Malaysian government that it has the situation under control.

On Friday, Burmese state-run media reported that a total of five people had died as a result of the attacks, up from previous reports of four fatalities. Several others have been hospitalized.

In response to the panic among some Burmese in Malaysia, several of Burma's richest businessmen, including Aung Ko Win, chairman of Kanbawza Bank, Zaw Zaw, the managing director of the Max Myanmar Group, and Tay Za, founder of the Htoo Trading Company, have pledged to help those wish to return.

"Some will get a free ticket, while others will get a 50 percent discount to fly back to Burma," said Myat Ko, who is also involved in fundraising efforts.

However, lack of return airfare is not the only obstacle for some who don't want to stay in Malaysia. Many say that bureaucratic red tape at the Burmese embassy, where they are expected to submit ID certificates and other documents before they are permitted to return, is another problem. Others say that their Malaysian employers won't let them leave unless they pay a 1,000- ringgit (US $320) fine.

On Thursday, Malaysia's Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Jaafar said after a meeting with a visiting Burmese delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Zin Yaw that his government is seeking Burmese cooperation in repatriating Burmese nationals.

"We have 4,400 Myanmars detained in immigration detention centers now, and we have invited the Myanmar authorities, especially the embassy, to… bring them back," the Malaysian minister said, according to a report by Agence France-Presse.

He also called on the UN refugee agency UNHCR to expedite processing of Burmese refugees who feel they can't return to Burma.

There are an estimated 95,000 Burmese refugees living in Malaysia. They are allowed to stay in the country, but are not granted legal status.

There are believed to be a total of 400,000 Burmese nationals living in Malaysia, including many undocumented migrants and holders of fake UNHCR registration cards.

Art Gallery Fails to Paint a Rosy Picture of Spymaster’s Legacy

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 04:52 AM PDT

Burmese ex-spy chief Khin Nyunt talks to reporters after voting at a polling station in Mayangone Township on April 1, 2012. (Photo: Reuters)

In one of the starkest about-faces in Burmese public life since the reforms of the last two years, the once-feared former head of the country's Military Intelligence is today an art gallery owner.

Khin Nyunt, an ex-general and former director of Military Intelligence who has also served as secretary 1 and prime minister, was an influential figure in the days of Burma's military regime. He was also notorious for sending thousands of politicians, activists and monks to prison, a political persecutor virtually unrivaled in Burma's five decades of oppressive junta rule.

For many of Burma's former political prisoners, Khin Nyunt is the man to thank for brutal interrogations, lengthy imprisonments and opportunities lost. His victims have endured economic and social hardship, health problems, and difficulty reintegrating into families and society. Some have divorced, others have lost contact with family members, and the unluckiest died in prison without ever having a chance to say last goodbyes to loved ones.

Than Zaw, a member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), was one of those victims, having been wrongfully imprisoned for allegedly bombing the Thanlyin Oil Refinery in 1989. He was released last year after serving 23 years behind bars.

While in prison, both his parents died, and since his release he has struggled to secure a permanent place to live. Finding a job has been equally difficult.

Currently, he takes refuge at his sister's house and sometimes stays at a friend's place. Because of his lengthy imprisonment, he lost contact with the outside world, rendering him unfit for most jobs and ill-equipped to handle the technological advances of more than two decades. That means taking any job he can get to earn a living.

"It would be a lie if I say I am not ruined," Than Zaw said. "Now I have no place to live. I've lost my parents as well. I just have to cling to my sister's and friend's house for shelter. I want to work but there are no jobs for me. My life is more than ruined. It is both mentally and physically ruined."

Than Zaw's story is not unique. Nyi Nyi Oo and Moe Kyaw Thu from Thanlyin Township, also NLD youth leaders, were sent to prison along with Than Zaw for their alleged involvement in the same case. They too are finding it difficult to pick up the pieces of the lives they left behind at the prison gates.

All three were arrested by intelligence officers under Khin Nyunt and charged with blowing up the Thanlyin Oil Refinery in July 1989. They were sent to Yay Kyi Ai, a notorious interrogation camp that was also known as the "Hell Room." There, they were interrogated and tortured in a variety of ways, and were later forced to admit that they were the perpetrators of the refinery explosion. Their false admissions of guilt saw them sentenced to death.

The real culprit, who bombed both the Thanlyin Oil Refinery and Rangoon City Hall, was later caught, admitted his guilt and was sentenced to death, but was released in 2005.

Far from being exonerated and released with the true perpetrator revealed, Than Zaw, Nyi Nyi Oo and Moe Kyaw were accused of having been in contact with underground cells and remained imprisoned.

Than Zaw said he does not bear any grudge against Khin Nyunt, despite the fact that upon his release, Than Zaw had spent more of his life in prison than he had as a free man.

"Just like Aung San Su Kyi said, I hold no grudge," Than Zaw said. "I am not even jealous about the fact that he [Khin Nyunt] still lives a luxurious life. But I want to say one thing only: He is the only one who knows fully the extent of Myanmar citizens' troubles because of his deeds."

From Jailer to Jailed

After becoming a favorite disciple of the deceased former dictator Ne Win, Kyin Nyunt ascended as the head of military intelligence. He is regarded by many as the mastermind behind the capture, torture and imprisonment of hundreds of democracy and human rights activists during the 1988 student-led uprising.

But in October 2004, Khin Nyunt got a taste of his own medicine when he and 38 of his subordinate intelligence officers were arrested, dismissed from service and sentenced to lengthy prison terms on charges of accepting bribes and abuse of power. Khin Nyunt was sentenced to 44 years' imprisonment, but the term was later relaxed to house arrest.

He was released from house arrest on Jan. 13, 2012, under an amnesty order by President Thein Sein.

Khin Nyunt's face has recently returned to newsstands, TV screens and websites as journalists have flocked to his home, which these days also serves as a public space of art and coffee.

Media have been granted interviews with Khin Nyunt, but the former spymaster prefers that questions focus on his art gallery and the adjoining café and souvenir shop.

"I did many things [during military rule], as it was my duty for the country," he told The Irrawaddy last month, providing nothing more specific about his time in the junta's senior leadership. "It was a big burden. My life is free now and it is very different from the past."

Back in the public eye with the opening of his Nawaday Art Gallery, Khin Nyunt's reemergence has opened old wounds for some.

Daw Khin Hlaing Kyu's husband, U Tin Maung Win, was elected to Parliament representing Khayan Township in the 1990 election, the results of which were ignored by the military regime. U Tin Maung Win was subsequently arrested and died in prison in 1991.

"I think to myself, 'Oh, this man reappears.' But it is I who suffered, as I lost the leader [my husband] for my family unit. Because of this, I had to struggle hard to bring up my sons and daughters," Daw Khin Hlaing Kyu said, tears streaming down her face.

One of her sons was so stricken with grief that he could not complete his studies.

Many dissidents arrested by Khin Nyunt's intelligence apparatus were ruthlessly tortured, with some losing their lives in prison, according to Ba Myo Thein, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his association with the People's Defense Force (PDF).

"Those arrested wore hoods and were interrogated while they were kicked by intelligence members in different ways. They were also asked to stand on their toes for a long time," said Ba Myo Thein, who was released from prison in 2010.

"l lost my freedom, and time," he added. "The worst is my mother died while I was in prison. I had no place to live when I got released. I had to begin my life from zero again. But Khin Nyunt didn't suffer like I suffered."

Since his release from house arrest, Khin Nyunt has repeatedly insisted that his actions and orders as head of Burma's military intelligence were a matter of duty—dictates from a higher authority.

For Ba Myo Thein and many others, that claim is a dubious one.

"I don't accept that he said what he did was his duty. So what was his duty? I'd like to ask whether his duty was to systematically suppress and stop those who were trying for the development of our country. Now, if he changes his views on what he did, I'd say it is acceptable. But it is necessary that he apologizes publicly for his mistakes."

Win Tin, a political figure as well as a journalist, said that although Khin Nyunt himself was imprisoned for more than seven years, the nature of his detainment and the manner in which he was released were hardly comparable to the circumstances of those whom he had put behind bars.

"It is absolutely different," Win Tin said "There are two main differences. The first is that the political prisoners suffered a lot of troubles during their imprisonment. So compared to Khin Nyunt's situation in prison, it differs in the way that hell is very different from heaven. After being released, it was very difficult for political prisoners to begin their lives again with dignity and grace, and also to integrate with society. But for Khin Nyunt, after being released, he is still capable of living grandiosely."

Given the work that he does to help rehabilitate former political prisoners, Win Tin comes from an informed perspective. He also spent 19 years in prison, and was released in 2008.

Whatever the collateral damage—in terms of lives and livelihoods—of Khin Nyunt's professed dedication to duty, the 73-year-old spymaster-turned-curator says he, at least, has found his peace.

"I want to create a peaceful life for myself. Now, I am peaceful," he said. "I opened these shops and gallery with the hope that my life will become more peaceful."

Official: Rohingyas Provoked Fatal Shooting By ‘Attacking Authorities’

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 04:17 AM PDT

An armed policeman observes a scene at unofficial camp for displaced Rohingya in Sittwe Township. (Photo: Jpaing / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — A spokesperson for President Thein Sein has said that last week's fatal shooting of three Rohingya women by police in Arakan State had been provoked by local Muslim villagers because they "attacked authorities who tried to help them."

On June 4, local authorities ordered a group of Rohingyas living in makeshift bamboo shelters in the village of Parein, Mrauk-U Township, to relocate to another site.

When they protested against the order police opened fire on the unarmed villagers, killing three women and injuring five villagers, according to the UN rapporteur on human rights in Burma Tomás Ojea Quintana. He condemned the incident on Tuesday as a "shocking example" of how police mistreat the Rohingyas "with complete impunity" and called for an investigation.

Presidential spokesman Ye Htut told The Irrawaddy however, that the government rejected the rapporteur's account of the incident, which he said had been brought on by the villagers.

"He failed to mention [that the] mob refused to move to newly built homes and attacked authorities who tried to help them," he wrote in an email.

Ye Htut said Quintana had proven to be biased in his assessments of the human rights situation in Burma. "I am not surprised by his statement because he already has prejudice towards the government," he said.

The UN envoy has repeatedly deplored the government's handling of the crisis in western Burma's Arakan State, where Arakanese Buddhists clashed with Rohingyas between June and October 2012. The unrest led to 192 deaths and displaced about 140,000 people, mostly Muslims.

Quintana has accused security forces of carrying out "widespread and systematic" human rights abuses against the Muslim minority, which are not recognized by the government as citizens of Burma.

Myo Thant, a Rohingya politician with the Maungdaw-based Democracy and Human Rights Party, said the unarmed villagers in Mrauk-U Township had protested against the order to leave their village because they feared that they would be confined to a camp and lose their farmland.

Following the shooting, Myo Thant said, police had come to Parein Village to round up 30 men and boys, adding that authorities were planning to charge them with causing hurt to deter a public servant from carrying out his duty.

Revised Publishing Bill to Parliament This Month: Press Council

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 03:02 AM PDT

Burmese journals on display in Rangoon. (Photo: Reuters)

RANGOON — After several weeks of negotiation between Burma's government and local journalists, lawmakers this month will receive the final, revised draft of a controversial law to replace one of the former regime's most draconian publishing acts, a member of the country's Press Council says.

The draft Printers and Publishers Registration Law is intended to replace a decades-old act that required all publications to register with and submit copies to the former military regime's censorship board, which was disbanded this year. An earlier draft of the publishing bill, written by the Ministry of Information, was revealed in February but was widely criticized among journalists for giving the ministry broad powers to grant and revoke publication licenses, as the censorship board once did.

"For us, it was an attempt to revive the old draconian law," Thiha Saw, deputy chief of the Myanmar Journalists Association and a member of Burma's interim Press Council, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday, the same day a major international press watchdog condemned the February draft in a report on Burma's media freedom. The Press Council is a 28-member body of mostly journalists and 10 government-appointed representatives, which formed last year to come up with a code of journalism ethics and draft a separate press law to boost media freedom.

Thiha Saw, the council's coordinator for information, communicates closely with the Ministry of Information. After meeting with the ministry five times last month to discuss journalists' concerns with the publishing bill, he said the ministry agreed to make revisions, including removing its authority over licensing. Under the revised bill, he said, publications would no longer be required to register with the ministry's department for copyrights and registration, but would instead register like other businesses through the Ministry of Commerce or local authorities. "The MoI agreed to that," he said.

The revision would be a win for local reporters, as the old draft gave the ministry broad powers to revoke or terminate publication licenses for offenses including "disturbing the rule of law," "inciting unrest" or "violating the Constitution." These broad powers had been highly criticized by press advocates in Burma and abroad, including the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which on Thursday published a report urging the government to "scrap" the February bill, which "aims to impose broad and vaguely worded censorship guidelines, an arbitrary newspaper licensing regime, and possible prison sentences for violations."

In the updated bill, Thiha Saw said the ministry's Copyrights and Registration Department would be renamed as the Copyrights and Archives Department, with a new function: Rather than registering publications and controlling licensing, the department would create an archive of local newspapers and magazines by collecting copies after publication.

"They [the ministry] will send their version [of the bill] to Parliament by the end of this month," Thiha Saw said, adding that the Press Council would also send lawmakers the final draft of its own Press Law, which aims to define reporters' rights, promote media ethics and boost overall press freedoms for journalists and journal publishers.

He said Parliament could decide to merge the two bills into one law, to ensure that there was no overlap. "The two may be combined and made into one single law, or kept separate," he said, adding that if the bills remained separate, the publishing bill would concern technical matters such as rules for printing machines, while the Press Council's bill would focus more on media professionalism and ethics.

Despite assurances from the ministry, however, he said the Press Council had not yet seen a copy of the final publishing bill. To ensure Parliament understands the agreed revisions, he said the Press Council met in Rangoon last Sunday with lawmakers who were visiting from Naypyidaw.

A Facelift for State Mouthpieces?

The ministry is also set to submit another controversial bill to Parliament by the end of the month. The bill, known as the Public Service Media Law, aims to revamp government mouthpieces such as the New Light of Myanmar newspaper, The Mirror newspaper and Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) by turning them into independent public service media.

Public service media are common in other countries, in the form of public radio and television broadcasting typically funded by the public as opposed to being privately or state-owned.

While some Burmese journalists support the general idea of creating public service media, the proposed bill came under fire last weekend by the Press Council, which said the legislation would create an uneven playing field that put privately owned media at a disadvantage.

According to the bill, which has support from international organizations including Unesco, public service media would receive 70 percent of its funding from Parliament and 30 percent from commercial sources such as advertising, but would not pay taxes like other publications.

At a press conference on Saturday, Ye Htut, the deputy minister of information and President Thein Sein's spokesman, said the bill aimed to promote editorial independence from the government. However, he said a 15-member administrative team would be formed to oversee the transformation, with five members appointed by the president and the rest by Parliament, raising doubts among journalists about editorial independence.

"We don't want an attempt to replace something old by creating the same thing with a new name," Thiha Saw told The Irrawaddy.

Aung Myat Kyaw, a lawmaker from the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, echoed similar concerns.

"Formerly, the Ministry of Information was a propaganda tool for the government, and it wasn't transparent or fair at all," he said at the press conference on Saturday. "If the public service media about to emerge are the same, we don't like it at all. It's unacceptable."

However, if public service media were allowed enough editorial independence, he said they could help raise awareness of ethnic minority issues, in a country where ethnic minorities have long been discriminated against by the ethnic Burman-majority government.

"It is a good idea that there are programs for ethnic minorities," he said. "If there were programs about ethnic minority cultures, that would foster mutual understanding."

Thursday's CPJ report, which was based on interviews with 30 editors and reporters in Burma, also highlighted a lack of media outlets in ethnic minority regions.

"We do not have any regional papers yet, not in [the] Burmese language, not in their own ethnic languages," Ma Thida, a human rights activist and editor of The Myanmar Independent, a Rangoon-based newspaper that specializes in ethnic issues, was quoted as saying in the report.

"Unless we have that type of paper, we cannot say we have freedom. Otherwise we cannot hear the voices from far, remote areas: What are they suffering? What are their needs? What is happening? We haven't got a clue."

'Hanging Above Our Heads'

While the publishing bill and public service media bill have received the most media coverage, more laws governing Burma's press may also be on the way.

The Ministry of Information also plans to draft laws governing broadcasting, libraries and film production, according to Thiha Saw, who said the ministry's deputy-general told him about the plans in February.

"Most of us journalists, we're concerned about more laws coming from the MoI," he said, adding that he had not seen drafts of the three bills but expected the broadcast bill to be completed soon. "They have already planned for it.

"With this democratic reform, there should be fewer laws, less control," he added. "More laws mean more restraint."

CPJ also called on Burma's government to amend or abolish several restrictive laws left over from the former regime, including the 1950 Emergency Provisions Act, the 2000 Internet Act and the 2004 Electronic Transactions Act.

"Although currently not enforced, many of the harsh and arbitrary laws used to suppress and imprison journalists under military rule remain on the books," wrote Shawn Crispin, the report's author, who said many journalists censored themselves as a result. He said the Emergency Provisions Act, Internet Act and Electronic Transactions Act all allowed for prison sentences for spreading information deemed a threat to national security, domestic peace or racial harmony.

"These laws are still there and so can be used at any time. They are hanging above our heads," Win Tin, a co-founder of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party who was imprisoned for 20 years for his writing, told the CPJ. "These laws are more or less a real danger for press freedom in the future. We want to abolish all these laws."

With reporting by Myat Su Mon.

Returning from Exile, Win Pe Splashes Rangoon Gallery with Color and Capricorn

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 02:51 AM PDT

Artist Win Pe beside his painting 'Leo' at Galler 65 in Rangoon. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

The widely known, multi-talented artist Win Pe has returned to his beloved Burma for the first time in 18 years and is currently showing off a selection of his paintings in Rangoon.

A movie director, scriptwriter, novelist, cartoonist and artist, Win Pe has played leading role in the evolution of modern art in Burma, and returned to his home country eight months ago after nearly two decades in exile.

Win Pe, who learned to painting from his father and other famous artists in Mandalay, told The Irrawaddy that he is already looking forward to another exhibition of his artwork soon.

Most of the colorful artworks of Win Pe, currently showing at Rangoon's Gallery 65, are based on Zodiac signs, invoking different feelings for the viewer. While expressing the Zodiac signs in his paintings, Win Pe mainly used the Burmese women wearing longyis, with mouths conspicuously absent from their faces.

Win Pe said the meaning of the paintings was not for him to dictate.

"My paintings have no special explanation concerning politics or about the country, but rather let the viewer interpret them."

The artist's works are being exhibited jointly alongside famed Burmese artist Sein Myint (Shwe Chi Doe) at Gallery 65, located on Yaw Min Gyi Road in Dagon Township. The exhibition runs until June 16 and is open from 10:00am to 6:00pm daily.

Rangoon Firm Pushes for Transparency With Burma’s Secretive Public Companies

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 12:42 AM PDT

An office staff writes on a white board at the Myanmar Securities Exchange Center in Rangoon in 2011. Burma's anemic securities exchange is set to be replaced in 2015 by a brand-new, computerized stock exchange. (Photo: Reuters)

RANGOON — Thura Swiss, a Rangoon-based economic research and consulting firm, on Thursday released the first equity research report to ever be written about a Burmese company.

The report is the first in a planned series, according to Thura Swiss chief executive Aung Thura, and is intended to encourage more transparency in Burma's equity markets and to help investors make informed decisions.

The report, on Burmese tycoon Serge Pun's First Myanmar Investment Company (FMI), details the company's historic financial performance and future prospects, assigning a "hold" rating to the company's shares.

There are currently very few public companies incorporated in Burma. Most of these were formed after October 2012, in the wake of new rules passed by the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) making it easier for them to form.

But in Burma, even public companies remain shrouded in secrecy. "There are companies here that are public, but nobody knows anything about them," Jeremy Rathjen, vice president of research at Thura Swiss and the author of the report, told The Irrawaddy. "It's kind of a strange dichotomy—you're public, but you're not really public."

While a bourse known as the Myanmar Securities Exchange Center (MSEC) has been operating in Burma since 1996, it only trades shares for two listed companies. Poor infrastructure means shares are traded the old-fashioned way: on paper at the center itself.

Shares in the majority of Burmese public companies not listed on the exchange are generally traded in private, among small groups of investors. A lack of developed capital markets means that Burmese companies also tend to turn to informal channels for financing. The opacity of these funding sources raises the specter of corrupt practices and money laundering, underscoring the importance of establishing modern and accountable capital markets in Burma.

Despite the speculative hype surrounding Burma's "frontier" economy, foreign investment has been slow to actually arrive. President Thein Sein claimed in May that Burma attracted US$1.4 billion in foreign investment in the fiscal year 2012-13, a tiny fraction of the incoming capital that will be needed to jumpstart Burma's long-moribund economy.

A large reason for this slow investment is a lack of reliable information about local companies available to prospective investors, says Rathjen. "It's a good thing to be more transparent because they [local companies] will attract more investors," he said. "If you're not transparent, you have a small group of friends or whatever, they might invest in you because they know you. But if you want to attract more capital, from the public, you need to… show people what you're doing. We see ourselves as trying to push in that direction."

FMI is a subsidiary of Serge Pun & Associates (SPA), a sprawling conglomerate chaired by Serge Pun, one of Burma's most prominent tycoons. Pun's companies are already reputed among observers of Burma's economy for their transparent business practices, and Rathjen admits that Thura Swiss' future research subjects might not be as forthcoming with accurate data. "FMI has been very transparent and helpful to us, so they're maybe easier [to analyze] than some other companies are going to be. So we'll see how it goes," he said.

Burma's anemic securities exchange is set to be replaced in 2015 by a brand-new, computerized stock exchange, which will be established using funds and technical expertise provided by the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Daiwa Securities Group, which helped set up the existing bourse. The establishment of the exchange should serve as an important step toward developing functional capital markets in Burma, but Rathjen says barriers to entry will be high. "We're only expecting maybe five to six companies to be listed [at first]," he said. "From our conversations with Daiwa and other key players, we know that the requirements to list are quite stringent."

A draft of the rules for companies to list on the exchange include a minimum capitalization of 500 million kyat (US$530 million), as well as two years' proven profitability. "There are all these requirements that we think a lot of companies will probably not be able to meet," Rathjen said.

By issuing equity research reports on companies that are either unable or unwilling to list on the new exchange, Thura Swiss hopes to promote good corporate governance and accountability. "So should we say that because you're not listed, transparency isn't important? I don't think so," Rathjen said. "In terms of those companies that don't list, or have other plans, we still want to encourage transparency for them."

Whether Thura Swiss can convince more of Burma's secretive public companies to expose themselves to this kind of scrutiny remains to be seen.

SingTel says it will help Burma launch its own satellite if it wins a telecoms license.

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 10:46 PM PDT

SingTel Offers to Help with Satellite in Bid to Win License

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 10:45 PM PDT

Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) is hoping to improve its chances of winning a mobile operating license in Burma with an offer to help the country design and build its own telecommunications satellite. "SingTel will invite the government to participate in feasibility studies for future satellite programs and lend its assistance in the launch of a Myanmar national satellite," the company said in a statement on June 11. SingTel is part of a consortium that includes Burma's KBZ Group and Myanmar Telephone Co. It also promised to provide 95 percent coverage within three years of starting work if it is awarded the license.

Japan, China to Boost ‘Soft Power’ with TV Dramas

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 10:44 PM PDT

NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, will provide two drama series for broadcast in Burma this summer, while a dubbed version of a popular Chinese TV series is also set to go on air soon, according to The Hollywood Reporter. An NHK spokesperson said that the two Japanese series, "Carnation" and "Atsuhime," will be offered to Burma free of charge to "help with the social and educational development of the country," while China's state-run Xinhua news agency said the Chinese TV drama "Jin Tailang’s Happy Life" is about to begin broadcast in Burma "to promote the traditional friendship between the two peoples."

Burma to Lend Thailand White Elephant as Symbol of Ties

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 10:44 PM PDT

Thailand plans to borrow a white elephant from Burma as a symbol to mark 65 years of bilateral ties between the countries, Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul said on Thursday. According to the Bangkok-based newspaper The Nation, the idea was discussed with Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin during this week’s Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation meeting in Bali. The white elephant, considered an auspicious animal in the Buddhist countries of Southeast Asia, would be displayed in Chiang Mai Zoo for six months, said Surapong. The two countries will mark 65 years of diplomatic relations next year.

Burma Ruling Party: Suu Kyi Coalition Possible

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 10:40 PM PDT

Opposition leader Aung Sun Suu Kyi, left, sits next to Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann during lunch at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Naypyidaw on June 7, 2013. (Photo: Simon Roughneen / The Irrawaddy)

WASHINGTON — The chief of Burma's pro-military party said he is not ruling out a coalition government with the opposition party of Aung San Suu Kyi after crucial elections in 2015 if it's in the national interest.

In the past two weeks, both lower house speaker Shwe Mann and Nobel laureate Suu Kyi have said they want to run for president. The election will be crucial in setting Burma's political direction as it shifts from decades of authoritarian rule.

Shwe Mann made the comments Thursday to The Associated Press during a visit to Washington with a multi-party delegation of Burma lawmakers, one of them from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD). Shwe Mann was third-ranking member of the repressive junta that imprisoned Suu Kyi for years.

Shwe Mann said his party is collaborating with Suu Kyi, who was elected to Parliament last year. Asked if a coalition was possible after the election, he said it was too soon to say whether or not that would happen, but indicated it was possible.

"I believe time will decide on this matter. But the important thing here is to have confidence between Aung San Suu Kyi and us," he said through an interpreter.

Few epitomize Burma's dramatic transition from pariah state to aspiring democracy as powerfully as Shwe Mann, a 65-year-old former general who was a trusted lieutenant of junta chief Than Shwe. A March 2007 diplomatic cable from the US Embassy in Rangoon published by Wikileaks even dubbed him a "dictator-in-waiting." He also led a secret 2008 trip to North Korea, reportedly to reach agreement on missile technology.

But as Burma has changed direction, so has Shwe Mann. He's now viewed as a committed reformer and closer to Suu Kyi than the current President Thein Sein, who has led the nation's political changes.

Shwe Mann recently replaced Thein Sein as head of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which dominates the fledgling legislature. His influence also extends into the still-powerful military he served in for four decades.

His delegation has gotten a grand reception in Washington, meeting with top State Department officials, former top diplomat Hillary Rodham Clinton and lawmakers, including House Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Joe Crowley, and Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell and John McCain.

The trip, to learn how the US Congress works, was organized by the National Democratic Institute and the Institute for Representative Government. Six Burma lawmakers are participating.

At a public forum they attended at a Washington think tank, it was Shwe Mann who did all the talking. He voiced commitment to rule of law, and said those who broke it would be punished.

But he later denied to AP reports from international human rights groups that security forces have been complicit in sectarian violence against minority Rohingya Muslims in the west of predominantly Buddhist nation.

The violence has killed hundreds in the past year, and uprooted about 140,000, in what some say presents a threat to Burma's political reforms because it could encourage security forces to re-assert control.

While acknowledging challenges in the democratic transition, Shwe Mann predicted the 2015 elections would be free and fair.

The 2010 vote that installed his party in power wasn't, and was boycotted by Suu Kyi. Her party only has a toe-hold in the legislature after winning a few dozen seats in 2012 special elections. In the last nationwide free vote in 1990, Suu Kyi's party won convincingly but the military ignored the result.

Despite his cooperative spirit toward the opposition leader, Shwe Mann would not be drawn on whether he would support changes to the army-dictated constitution that disqualifies the popular Suu Kyi from becoming president. He said a parliamentary commission is considering amendments.

"I don't want to make any remarks that would influence others or hurt the interest of another person, because this matter concerns the majority of the people," Shwe Mann said.

Thein Sein has not ruled out running for a second term as president but is widely expected to retire. Last month, he became the first Burma leader in 47 years to visit the White House, a sign of the dramatic improvement in US-Burma relations in the past two years after decades of diplomatic isolation.

A key US demand has been that Burma sever military ties with North Korea, because of fears that arms sales to Burma, in violation of UN sanctions, help Pyongyang finance its nuclear weapons program.

US officials say there's been progress but are still calling for that military relationship to be terminated, which suggests transactions continue.

Shwe Mann asserted that the arms trade has stopped.

"If there's any information that we hear on this matter we will continue to take actions as required. Because our country, like others, will abide by the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council," he said. "We are not neglecting this matter."

Rights Group Says Cambodian Land Program Flawed

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 10:30 PM PDT

Former residents of the Borei Keila community build a makeshift tent at the Borei Keila complex in protest after being forcedly evicted in 2012, in Phnom Penh. The number of land disputes in Cambodia has exploded in recent years as the economy grows rapidly. (Photo: Reuters)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — An international human rights group charged Thursday that a massive land redistribution program spearheaded by Cambodia's strongman prime minister is unfair, open to corruption and politically motivated.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report that the program, which began a year ago, was designed to be closely identified with Prime Minister Hun Sen ahead of national elections next month, with extensive coverage in state media but no oversight.

The report urged Cambodia’s aid donors—who provide a major portion of the country’s national budget—"to insist that the program be reformed into a professional and apolitical process, or canceled."

Tith Sothea, a government spokesman, described the report as "baseless" and "garbage," and accused Human Rights Watch Asia director Brad Adams of "never speaking positively about Cambodia." He said Cambodians are benefiting from being given titles to their land because it prevents it from being stolen.

Virtually all records of land ownership were destroyed during the late 1970s rule of the Khmer Rouge, who sought to abolish private property. Their widespread relocation of the population furthered complicated land rights questions.

The report noted that Hun Sen recently announced the land titling program would be suspended until after the July 28 elections, which are certain to be won in a landslide by his Cambodian People's Party. The ruling party is campaigning aggressively, and last week used a legal maneuver to expel opposition members from parliament.

"It is good news that the land titling campaign has been suspended until after the elections, but this demonstrates just how political the effort has been from the outset," Adams said.

The report cited Hun Sen as saying the titling program would provide ownership documents to 478,928 families covering 1.8 million hectares (4.4 million acres) of land.

"While some have benefited from the campaign, in other cases the scheme has amounted to a land grab by powerful interests with no legal protections or recourse for those who lose out in the process. The campaign is being conducted in a secretive and bullying manner in which independent organizations are prevented from monitoring what is happening and local residents are threatened if they complain," Adams said in the report.

Adams, an American lawyer, worked for five years in Cambodia in the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and as legal adviser to the Cambodian parliament's human rights committee.

Land grabbing has become a volatile social problem nationwide, with backroom deals and deadly force sometimes employed against those living on properties. Activists link the deals to corruption and cronyism.

The issue could give the opposition an opportunity to pick up some parliamentary seats in the elections. The report says an estimated 700,000 Cambodians have been evicted from land the government has sold or given away as economic concessions for commercial development.

Vietnam Arrests Well-Known Blogger for Criticism

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 10:25 PM PDT

Veteran Le Dung, center, reads articles on the Internet at his house in Van Giang district, outside Hanoi in August 2012. The unlikely alliance between war-hardened farmers and young, urban Internet activists illustrates a rapidly evolving challenge to the Communist government’s authority as Vietnamese people grow bolder in their protests. (Photo: Reuters)

HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnamese police have arrested one of the country's best known bloggers for posting criticism of the communist government, intensifying a crackdown against Internet-fueled dissent in the one-party, authoritarian state.

The arrest of Pham Viet Dao, 61, indicates the level of concern in the Communist Party over the threat posed by Internet activism in a country where until a few years ago it had a monopoly on information. Now, scores of blogs and Facebook report gleefully on its failings and internal feuding, reaching millions of people.

So far this year, 38 bloggers or democracy activists have been arrested, close to the same as in the whole of 2012. Foreign governments, led by the United States, have criticized the crackdown and called for the activists' release but have little leverage to force Hanoi to change tack.

Dao was arrested from his home in Hanoi on Thursday for the offense of "abusing democratic freedoms," the Ministry of Public Security said on its website. That violation of Article 258 of the Penal Code carries up to seven years in prison.

Dao, a former government official and member of the Vietnam Writers Association, ran a website where he had written posts critical of Vietnamese leaders. The site was not available Friday, apparently blocked by the government.

"This is horrible. Who will be next?" said Nguyen Quang A, an economist and outspoken critic of the government.

"They want to show that you have to shut up your mouth. When somebody is weak and wants to appear to be strong, he does things like this."

The government is under pressure because of its mishandling of the stuttering economy, once one of Asia's brightest. Well-connected state-owned enterprises have been allowed to run up massive debts over the last few years, while producing little of value, dragging down the economy.

In televised testimony on Thursday to the lawmaking National Assembly, a government minister said the Internet has brought huge benefits to Vietnam since it was introduced there in 1997, but he warned of the negative impact of online dissent.

"Recently, opportunist elements in the country and the overseas hostile forces have abused the Internet to spread information that sabotaged the country, distorted the policy of our Party and state," Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son said.

Vietnam has 31 million Internet users, some 73 percent of them younger than 35. Vietnam's population is 90 million.

Unlike China, the government is unable to enforce a firewall or efficiently block access to websites. Vietnam's problems are now compounded because Internet business and commerce are important for future economic growth, yet cracking down on Internet freedom would also cut into that prospect.

American Internet firms like Google and Facebook want to do more business in the country, but are wary of the regulatory environment. Dao's blog appeared to be hosted by blogger, Google's blogging platform, highlighting the problems.

Another well-known blogger was arrested last month for the same charges as Dao. He has yet to face trial. Other bloggers have been imprisoned for up to 12 years so far this year. The government says no one has been jailed for peacefully expressing their views, only those who break the law.

Malaysia is urging UN refugee agencies to speed up the process of resettling Burmese nationals to other countries.

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 10:05 PM PDT

The EU Parliament adopted a motion condemning “the grave violations of human rights and the violence perpetrated against Rohingya Muslims.”

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 10:05 PM PDT

Malaysia Asks UN to Speed Up Resettlement of Burmese Refugees

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 10:04 PM PDT

Malaysia is urging UN refugee agencies in the country to speed up the process of resettling Burmese nationals to other countries, Malaysian newspaper The Star reports. "Malaysia would like the UNHCR to seriously look into expediting the resettlement process of Myanmar UNHCR card holders to third countries,” Deputy Home Minister Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said. His statement comes amid growing concerns in Malaysia over the tensions between Burmese nationals in the country. Last week, about 1,000 Burmese were apprehended following clashes in Malaysia between Burmese Buddhist and Muslims. The incidents were a spillover of recent sectarian unrest in Burma.

EU Parliament Condemns Rights Violations Against Rohingyas

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 10:04 PM PDT

The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted a motion condemning "the grave violations of human rights and the violence perpetrated against Rohingya Muslims" in western Burma's Arakan State. It deplored "the failure of the government to protect the Rohingya from organized violence" and called on Naypyidaw "to do everything in their power to protect Rohingya Muslims from violent actions." The EU parliament also urged Thailand to let UN refugee agencies access 1700 Rohingya asylum seekers being kept in "inhumane detention". Arakan State has experienced bloody clashes between Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingyas, which have displaced 140,000 people, mostly Muslims, and left almost 200 dead.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)