Saturday, August 10, 2013

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Mandalay’s New Day

Posted: 09 Aug 2013 09:32 PM PDT

Exploring art by his students, Suu Myint Thein encourages questions and discussion. (Photo: VIRGINIA HENDERSON / MANDALAY)

Voluptuous and provocative, she sure is. Suu Myint Thein's huge sculpture of a strong nude woman, perching precariously on the roof of the kooky art center on 69th Street is becoming a Mandalay icon—a celebrated symbol of freedom of expression and equality.

For 10 years she lay on the floor of a workshop at the Mandalay School of Art, covered with cloth and hidden from government advisors visiting to check on Suu Myint Thein's unconventional teaching at the institution. When the passionate art instructor eventually left the state system, he set out to forge an alternative path and follow his dream of reaching outside the city walls and teaching children to express their ideas and feelings through art.

The Mandalay Contemporary Art Centre (MCAC), which opened in March of last year, is a humming vibrant space with an extraordinary capacity to inspire and reach children. A successful partnership between AlinDagar Art School, Suu Myint Thein's own art school where he has taught summer intensive classes for 21 years, and the Dreamland Art Studio, created by artist Kyan Lee and her husband Arr Lone, MCAC brings together dedicated art trainers and supporters with many years' experience. The new artspace works on the underlying conditions for artistic freedom of expression, including addressing the lack of arts education in communities and schools. An active meeting place for young and old curious about art, MCAC explores the key theme of "art and politics" through innovative workshops and exhibitions with young people.

Bold art education outreach programs take the MCAC team to villages near and far from Mandalay, enabling thousands of young rural people to experience the wonders of art through stimulating and engaging activities. Many of the children had never done any art in their lives. The Colorful Light International Children's Art workshop and exhibition continues to grow, following road trips to Kyauk Mae, Lashio, Hsipaw and Nam Kham in Shan State, Myittha in Mandalay Region and Zi Gon in Bago Region. Large crowds of Shan, Kayin, Palaung, Danu, Myanmar and Chinese children and their parents participated in the drawing, painting and performance art activities, producing their own artworks which were exhibited, documented and shared at other venues. These days MCAC is being urged by the locals themselves to visit more towns, to come back soon, and to share their extraordinary teaching skills and approaches.

Suu Myint Thein explains: "For a long time, it's been my dream to go to many towns where the children have never been exposed to art. It was the first time they had done any drawing. The children thought that the artworks by kids overseas were great but then they did the workshop and saw their own work and realized their potential. They said to themselves, "I can do it!" The seed is planted for the future—for us to become an art college for kids."

MCAC's public performance art events have also attracted hundreds of participants. Supporting the revival and reinterpretation of traditional arts, during the Thingyan New Year's festival in April, MCAC performed with the country's first female Thangyat (traditional poetry and song) group, the Tamaryeit Women's Group, on stages around Mandalay.

In August of last year, former political prisoner Htein Lin, who now resides in the UK, worked with MCAC in a performance art workshop on freedom of expression, culminating in 12 public performances and outreach activities at a local monastery and monastic school.

Although he is known chiefly as a sculptor, Suu Myint Thein is also a highly respected painter and performance artist. In his Blue Man for Peace performance last September, he took to the streets completely wrapped in blue tape, walking slowly, saying nothing, but in doing so generating enormous public interest.

Curious crowds followed the artist until he was stopped by the police and taken to the station for creating a disturbance. Police told Suu Myint Thein they took him away for his own health, to protect him from exhaustion and the crowd. MCAC's artistic director reported overhearing people saying things like, "That's strange," "He's mad," and "It's some kind of art".

The outcome? Another successful challenge to the people, encouraging them to question and explore new ways of being and expressing ideas and feelings. Mission accomplished, for MCAC. And so it goes, seeking to push the boundaries of conventional thinking to create alternatives.

People who took part in Suu Myint Thein's Creative Art Workshop at MCAC every Wednesday from February to April 2013 said they had been given the chance, for the first time in their lives, to question teachers, discuss free expression and open their minds. They valued the new conversations and encouragement to explore alternative modes of expression. At the end-of-workshop group exhibition, "A Flight of Free Thoughts and Colors," in early June, the new artists were able to speak about the social and political messages in their bold and expressive artworks.

Student Ko George explained:

"These three months have been so strange. I can feel again. I got the smell; I got the feeling. Before that, I had lost my social life, like many my age in this country. We are alive again. My life is so positive, now we can write again. We can see the future more clearly. I see good things."

This story first appeared in the August 2013 print issue of The Irrawaddy magazine.

Onyx Restaurant: A Focus on Meat

Posted: 09 Aug 2013 09:09 PM PDT

Tenderloin steak with Korean seasoning with a side of sautéed kale and mashed potatoes at the Onyx restaurant (Photo: SEAN HAVEY / THE IRRAWADDY)

Tucked away down a side street in Bahan Township, the Onyx Restaurant is a favorite of meat-crazed locals and expats alike. Opened nine years ago by Martin Shin, a native Korean, Onyx offers juicy steaks and a decent selection of wines that are sure to satisfy.

"Our restaurant is not very sophisticated, but people come here to eat and fill their stomachs. It makes them happy, and that makes me happy," says Mr Shin.

With steak entrees that cost 6,000 kyat and a glass of the house red going for 3,000 kyat, a meal at the Onyx is well within the budgets of most travelers or the NGO crowd that has made up roughly half its patronage in recent years.

There is also an extensive list of vegetarian and fish dishes that can be perused for a while, but the focus is definitely on the meat at Onyx.

If you can't find anything you like, Mr. Shin is happy to make a few off-menu suggestions, including steak smothered in blue cheese or a full tenderloin big enough to feed three or four people for just 15,000 kyat.

Of the variety of meals on offer, the steak tenderloin with Korean spices is the best bet. Cooked to perfection and topped with grilled onions with a side of lightly sautéed kale and rather stiff but tasty mashed potatoes, the substantial portion is sure to leave even the hungriest patron's appetite satiated.

Ask for a wine list and a waiter will direct patrons to a crate of 10 to 15 international varieties of wine that they can dig through. Bottles range in price from 12,000 kyat to over 20,000 kyat.

Located at 135 Dhamazadi Road, the Onyx can be reached by taxi from downtown for no more than 3,000 kyat. It's very close to the Savoy Hotel, so dinner at the Onyx would dovetail nicely with a drink or two at the nearby Vista Bar to soak up the night view of Shwedagon Pagoda.

This story first appeared in the August 2013 print issue of The Irrawaddy magazine.

Burma Business Roundup (Aug. 10)

Posted: 09 Aug 2013 09:00 PM PDT

US Import Ban on Rubies, Jade Stays Due to 'Problematic Burmese'

The United States is maintaining an import ban on Burmese precious stones such as rubies as well as jade.

The ban will stay because some of the people involved in their mining and trade still "contribute to human rights abuses or undermine Burma's democratic reform process," the US deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said in a statement.

It was renewed as part of an otherwise general relaxation of trading between the two countries as many US sanctions expired at the end of July.

"President Obama fully supported the expiration of the broader ban on imports from Burma and is taking this step to advance our policy of promoting responsible economic engagement and encouraging reform that directly benefits the Burmese people," Rhodes said in the White House statement on Wednesday.

"The removal of the broad ban on imports of articles other than jadeite and rubies, and articles of jewellery containing them, represents the next step in the Administration's continued efforts to promote responsible trade and investment in support of Burma's reform process," he said.

Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed US official as saying, "We want to encourage responsible trade and investment in Burma, and at the same time we want to continue to target … those sectors and entities and individuals that we consider to be problematic."

The continuing ban on jade and rubies is "largely an act of political symbolism," said the former British ambassador to Thailand and Vietnam, Derek Tonkin, who is now chairman of the non-profit Network Myanmar.

"China is far and away the greatest importer of jadeite, while the [US] ban on imports of rubies affects Thai and Singaporean jewellery exporters as much if not more than [Burma] itself," he wrote in a statement on the Network Myanmar website.

Thailand Named Burma's Biggest Investor in January-June Period

Thailand was the biggest investor in Burma in the first half of this year, according to figures from the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development.

Thai companies spent US$410 million in investments in the January-June period.

Thailand was also the second-biggest two-way trader with Burma in the half year, behind China, said local media and the Chinese news agency Xinhua.

The half year saw significant investments also from Vietnam, with $140 million, and Singapore with $136 million.

The largest investments were in energy developments, including power generation, oil and gas exploration, said the ministry.

The Burmese government recently authorized the opening up of more commercial trade border points with Thailand.

Both Thailand and China are listed as the biggest overall investors in Burma in recent years.

The ministry says China has invested a total of $14 billion and Thailand $10 billion. However, it gives no time frame for these investments, or what they were for.

One-Way Land Border Crossings Planned to Boost Foreign Tourism

Foreign tourists traveling in the Mekong region will soon be allowed to cross into Burma from land borders in Thailand and then leave by air from Mandalay or Rangoon, according to the regional tourism industry magazine TTR Weekly.

At present, foreigners can cross into Burma from Thailand at several northern border points but must leave their passports to ensure they return back to the same border post, usually the same day.

TTR Weekly quoted Burma's Ministry of Information as saying that this restriction was undermining tourism income and would end by the end of this year.

"We expect the tourism industry will show good signs of improvement once the new measure is introduced," Aung Win Thein, head of the Immigration Administration and National Registration of Myawaddy District, was quoted as saying by TTR Weekly.

However, foreigners will still need a visa in advance before crossing into Burma through land borders.

Japanese Business Group in Rangoon to Find Local Investment Partners

Burma is to get technical help from Japanese companies on constructing high-rise buildings in Rangoon, said the Myanmar Construction Entrepreneurs Association (MCEA).

Representatives from Japan's Construction Entrepreneurs Association met officials of the MCEA to discuss cooperation, reported Eleven Media.

The linkup between the two associations came in the same week that a delegation of 50 Japanese companies led by the Tokyo government-funded Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro) held meetings in Rangoon with the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The Jetro-sponsored visit was to help Japanese firms find business investment partners in energy, construction, real estate, consumer goods, clothing, warehousing, machinery and information technology, according to an Eleven Media report.

Bangladesh Sea Gas Hunt Draws Blank as Burma Readies to Explore

A survey of two deep-water blocks in Bangladesh's part of the Bay of Bengal adjacent to Burma has failed to find any signs of natural gas.

The two dimensional survey of blocks 10 and 11 by the US major oil company ConocoPhillips has so far been unsuccessful, reported EnergyBangla, the Dhaka-based oil and gas news website.

The two blocks cover about 2,500 square kilometers of sea, said EnergyBangla.

In July, the state-owned oil company PetroBangla said the country had failed to attract any firm bids for several new offshore blocks in shallow seas of the Bay of Bengal.

Burma's Ministry of Energy, working with the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, is in the middle of assessing international offers to explore for gas and oil in 30 blocks in shallow and deep waters of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

Note to Cameraman: Frame the Shot Shoulders and Above.

Posted: 09 Aug 2013 08:45 PM PDT

Two Ways of Remembering

Posted: 09 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT

Who could have imagined 25 years ago, at the height of the popular uprising to topple Burma's hated military regime, that many who participated in that historic event would one day be free to publicly commemorate it as we did on Thursday?

Surrounded by former political prisoners, activists and many friends and colleagues at the Myanmar Convention Centre, I saw many smiles, but also felt rather strange—a feeling that many who were there shared.

"It was surreal," said Min Zin, a former student leader activist who is now working on his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley.  Together, we spoke of establishing an archive of records about the thousands who died a quarter of a century ago, many of whom are still only privately mourned by their families but not publicly recognized for their role in the struggle to restore democracy in Burma.

Foreign journalists were also there, including some who covered the massive 1988 demonstrations. One of them was former BBC correspondent Christopher Gunness, who was vilified by the state-run press and even accused of triggering the uprising. He told me he was stunned to see the packed auditorium and the freedom that we now enjoyed.

Aung Zaw is founder and editor of the Irrawaddy magazine. He can be reached at aungzaw@irrawaddy.org.

"It is extremely significant that government ministers and military people came to an event like this, because in all societies that are transitioning from dictatorship to democracy, the first step along the way is truth, is discovering the truth, is telling the truth and acknowledging the truth," he told me.

This was indeed a significant occasion. Not so long ago, such a gathering would have been unthinkable: The generals who ran the country would have seen red and thrown us all in prison, or, more likely, have prevented it happening in the first place.

But right up until the event was held, there were some who felt it might never come to pass. The chief minister of Rangoon Division objected to the use of the word a yay taw bon, meaning "uprising" or "revolution," to describe what took place in 1988, and asked for it to be changed. But in the end, the central government in Naypyidaw approved the use of the term, overriding the chief minister's objections.

Min Ko Naing, who is generally regarded as the leader of the student-led uprising, delivered a speech that gave no hint of vengeful feelings against those who used brutal force against the peaceful protests of 25 years ago. He did, however, speak from the heart about the suffering of those whose lives were torn apart by the crackdown and the ensuing oppression. And he warned that if the changes of the past few years proved not to be genuine, another nationwide uprising was not out of the question.

Min Ko Naing—whose speech in some ways read like a poem—drew hearty applause, even from the high-rollers in the crowd, including some of the country's most prominent tycoons. After all, he is still the "Conqueror of Kings." Politicians, ethnic leaders, activists, diplomats and journalists in the crowd were also appreciative.

One foreign reporter, Gwen Robinson, formerly of the Financial Times, said she was impressed by what she heard, especially the fact that Min Ko Naing did not call for retribution against those who imprisoned him and countless others for decades.

After this speech was delivered, Aung San Suu Kyi arrived from Naypyidaw to give one of her own. I wish she had been there to hear what Min Ko Naing had to say.

In her speech, Suu Kyi acknowledged that she was not involved in the 1988 uprising. It was only after the mass killings in August had begun that she appeared on the scene. Initially, she thought she might be able to help defuse the tensions between the students and the Ne Win-led regime by acting as a mediator. But that wasn't what the people wanted. They were looking for a national leader who could steer the country after the regime was overthrown. As the daughter of independence hero Gen Aung San, she immediately became the one on whom everyone fixed their hopes for a better future.

But from the very beginning, there was a love-hate relationship between her and the students, some of whom accused her of riding the wave of unrest to achieve national prominence. They even criticized her for "stealing" the fighting peacock symbol for the flag of her party, the National League for Democracy.

Despite such hard feelings, however, the former activists who gathered on Thursday wanted her to join them for the anniversary. It was difficult at first to get past her minders, but in the end she agreed to come. If she hadn't, it would probably have done permanent damage to her political career.

A veteran foreign journalist told me that Suu Kyi stole the show, and I could see the public expectation when she began to speak. But to me, her speech sounded more like a lecture, and was not nearly as heartfelt as Min Ko Naing's.

Even when she told the packed auditorium, "We have to be grateful to the people for their involvement in the uprising," I felt like she wanted to avoid saying too much about the events of 1988 and the abuses of the next two decades. Now an MP, she seemed more interested in talking about her party and the Constitution.

After listening to her speech, some prominent leaders of 1988 told me that Suu Kyi failed to recognize the importance of the 88 Generation. "Did she feel that we were a threat to her?" asked one leader who spent several years behind bars as a political prisoner. He said it had been difficult to get in touch with her, even to invite her to the event. "She still treats us like schoolboys and is condescending," he complained.

These former student activists were imprisoned because they supported Suu Kyi all along, and I still believe that she and the 88 Generation complemented each other.

"Where is the metta?" asked Jeanne Hallacy, a Western journalist who has covered Burma since 1988, using a Buddhist term that in this case could best be translated simply as "heart".

She added: "It went away when she came and gave her speech."
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