Friday, August 9, 2013

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Remembering Thailand’s Red Revolt

Posted: 09 Aug 2013 06:48 AM PDT

Red Shirt protesters occupy the intersection at CentralWorld shopping center on the morning of May 19, 2010. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

An inquest in Thailand this week found that Thai soldiers used high-velocity rounds to kill six people at a Buddhist temple in Bangkok three years ago during a crackdown on anti-government protesters. Also this week, an amnesty bill that would offer immunity to many people involved in both sides of the conflict came before the Thai Parliament for debate. This has led to renewed protests from the families of victims as well as the Red Shirts, who support former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and the Yellow Shirts, who support the monarchy.

In 2010, Irrawaddy photographer Steve Tickner covered the months-long Red Shirt protests that crippled central Bangkok, left dozens dead, and was brought to a brutal conclusion by Thai army forces. Tickner was at Wat Phatumwan temple on the night that Thai army forces moved in and killed six people with sniper fire. All of the victims, who included volunteer medics, were unarmed. These are some of his photos from the controversial events on May 19, 2010.

Police Shoot 3 Rohingya in Clash With Mob

Posted: 09 Aug 2013 06:09 AM PDT

Policemen stop civilians at one of the road blocks that surround Aung Mingalar, Sittwe's last Muslim quarter, which is home to 6,500 people. (Photo: Jpaing / The Irrawaddy)

Police shot and wounded at least three Rohingya Muslims in a village near the Arakan State capital, where an angry mob gathered outside a police outpost on Friday demanding that the body of a fellow Rohingya who had drowned the day before be handed over.

An aid worker from the village of Oh Daw Gyi in Sittwe Township told The Irrawaddy that the trouble arose after police recovered the body of a Rohingya man who had drowned on Thursday.

A group of Rohingya Muslims went to a police checkpoint on Friday morning to ask authorities to return the body to them, according to the aid source. When police refused to turn over the body, the crowd became unruly and police shot into the group after some tried to set fire to the outpost.

Win Myaing, a spokesperson for the Arakan State government, confirmed to The Irrawaddy that some members of the group were injured, but added that no one was killed as police sought to break up the unruly mob.

"I heard that three to four people were wounded. No one was killed in the breaking up of the protest," Win Myaing said.

Three people with gunshot wounds were treated by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) at a camp in the nearby village of Tek Cal Pyin and calm has been restored to the area, according to the aid worker.

The Rohingya are a Muslim minority who reside primarily in Arakan State. They are denied citizenship by the Burmese government, which considers them illegal "Bengali" immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh, despite the fact that many of them have been living in Burma for generations.

International human rights groups and the UN human rights envoy have repeatedly criticized the government's handling of the crisis in western Burma, where Arakanese Buddhists clashed with Rohingya in June and October 2012. The unrest led to nearly 200 deaths and displaced about 140,000 people, mostly Rohingya Muslims.

Photo of the Week 10

Posted: 09 Aug 2013 06:06 AM PDT

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2 Kachin Men on Trial after Torture by Military Interrogators

Posted: 09 Aug 2013 04:28 AM PDT

Kachins protest in Myitkyina in July 2012 for the release of farmer Lahtaw Brang Shawng, who was freed last month as part of a presidential amnesty. (Photo: KDNG)

Two ethnic Kachin men who were accused of having illegal connections to armed rebels and attacking a government office were tortured and sexually abused by the military before undergoing trial in northern Burma, their lawyer said.

The two men, who were staying at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) after fighting broke out in 2011 between the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the Burmese government army, were arrested in June last year and initially charged with violating the Unlawful Association Act for alleged connections to Kachin rebels.

Six months later, Brang Yong and Lahpai Gum were also blamed for an earlier bombing at a township government office in the city. No casualties were reported from the bombing, which took place in December 2011, but officials said the attack caused damages worth about 4 million kyat (US $4,000) to the building and a nearby van.

"The charges against my clients are baseless," their attorney Boung Mai told The Irrawaddy on Friday. He said the two men were IDPs, like tens of thousands of others in the state, and had fled from their village, Gan Daung Yan.

Lahpai Gum's case was heard in court last week, the attorney said.

"He's just an ordinary farmer, not a member of the KIO," he said.

The men's trial for allegedly violating the Unlawful Association Act began in June last year, and another trial for the bombing charges began in December, according to Mah Kha, another lawyer defending them.

Brang Yong and Lahpai Gum were arrested from the Shweset IDP camp near the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina in June last year and were interrogated for 10 days by Military Affairs Security at military camps. During this time they faced severe abuse, according to Boung Mai, the attorney, who says red-hot knives were placed on their bodies.

"The scars from their burns are still on their bodies," said Boung Mai, adding that minor scars on their legs had faded. He said the two men were sexually abused by male officers during the interrogation. "They were tortured in many brutal ways. It was inhumane."

Since then, the men have been detained in prison and have only been allowed to meet with their families during trial, the attorney added. During the trial, the township police presented evidence against the men based on records provided by Military Affairs Security.

The accused will appear in court again on Monday, he said.

Last month, a Kachin farmer, Lahtaw Brang Shawng, was released under presidential order after being sentenced to two years in prison under the Unlawful Association Act. The farmer was also arrested in June last year while staying at an IDP camp, and he was sentenced to two years in prison after being accused of having links to the KIO.

He was one of 26 Kachin detainees released as part of the presidential pardon last month, which came after peace talks between the government and Kachin rebels.

A total of seven people, including Brang Yong and Lahpai Gum, are still being detained on charges related to the conflict in Kachin State.

Activists to Face Charges for Unpermitted ’88 March

Posted: 09 Aug 2013 02:35 AM PDT

Activist Phyu Phyu Win talks with police on Thursday during a march commemorating those killed in the 1988 uprising. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

Three activists will face charges after leading a peaceful but unauthorized march through Rangoon on Thursday to mark the anniversary of Burma's 1988 pro-democracy uprising.

The activists told The Irrawaddy that police from the townships of Kyauktada, Pabaetan and Lathar would take action under Article 18 of the Assembly and Procession bylaw, which prohibits the staging of public gatherings without official permission.

A police officer from the Kyauktada police confirmed to The Irrawaddy by phone that charges would be pressed. "We are preparing to take action against them. We told them already yesterday that we would take action against them. However, we are not ready yet to say exactly when we will bring them to court."

Human rights and democracy activists in Rangoon and Mandalay held commemorations on Thursday, marking the anniversary of the 1988 uprising that was violently crushed by Burma's former military regime. Small ceremonies were also held in several other states to honor those who paid for their democratic activism with their lives. Though most of the events were held with proper permits, organizers of the march through Rangoon did not seek official permission.

The three activists facing charges allegedly led Thursday's illegal gathering, in which at least 200 people marched through four townships in Rangoon to honor students killed during the uprising. Win Cho, Phyu Phyu Win and Aung Tun, who are all former political prisoners, will be charged with organizing an unauthorized protest in three of the four townships they marched through.

The activists said police had made phone calls asking them to come to their offices after the march concluded at Sule Pagoda in downtown Rangoon. The activists said they were not surprised at the charges, which remain on the books from the days of the former military regime and are still used to prosecute unauthorized demonstrations.

"They called me by phone to come to the office after we ended our peaceful march," said Win Cho. "We are not above the law. They are the people who wield the law. We have to face what they are going to charge us with."

He said that if the organizers had sought permission from police to hold the march, it would have taken five days' time, with no guarantee that the demonstration would ultimately receive approval.

Phyu Phyu Win said she was told that she would be made to answer for her previous activism as well.

"We went to the police station in Kyauktada and they told us to sign a paper because they were going to charge us. The police told me that they will file more charges against me as I have already been accused of crimes involving the case of mining in Letpadaung.

"They told us that they are going to take action against us because we did not ask permission from them for the street protest. For our part, we told them the reason we did not seek permission is that even U Aung Min [the government's lead peace negotiator], who attended the silver jubilee, acknowledged the uprising. This is why we did not seek permission," said Phyu Phyu Win.

"Our protest walk in the streets was only intended to remember people who were killed during the uprising," she continued. "They [the government] claim they are democratic. We did our peaceful protest as we wanted to honor those who sacrificed their lives during the uprising. We are ready to face these charges."

The activists have signed a pledge guaranteeing that they will appear before a judge if called upon, according to Phyu Phyu Win.

The charges are a blotch on a day that was otherwise lauded by many as an indicator that the government was increasingly willing to acknowledge human rights abuses perpetrated by the former military regime. The main commemoration ceremony in north Rangoon received a permit and was even attended by some government ministers.

Derek Mitchell, the US ambassador to Burma, issued a statement on Thursday honoring the fallen.

"On this day, 25 years ago, brave citizens marched in the street, to call for an end to authoritarian rule and to urge the beginning of democratic change. For that, they were met with guns. As we reflect on what happened that day, we honor those who gave their lives by vowing to never forget their sacrifice, and by cherishing the values embodied by the 1988 movement: freedom, democracy, justice, and human rights for all people."

Myanmar Patients Pay the Price

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:09 PM PDT

Dr. Tin Myo Win speaks with 41-year-old U Haronbi, a laborer in Yangon who went to the Muslim Free Hospital for a hernia operation, in the surgical wing of the hospital. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

YANGON — When Myanmar's former dictator fell ill six years ago, he didn't waste time looking for help at local hospitals. Instead, Snr-Gen Than Shwe got on an airplane and flew overseas to Singapore General Hospital, where he reportedly received treatment for an intestinal ailment.

It's a vastly different story for U Haronbi, a 41-year-old laborer from Yangon who makes just 5,000 kyat (US $5.30) a day. He never set foot inside a hospital for the first four decades of his life, opting to treat himself with over-the-counter medicines during times of poor health. "I cannot afford much," he told The Irrawaddy.

In 2007, the same year the now retired U Than Shwe sought treatment in Singapore, Myanmar's former military junta spent less than $1 per person on health care, according to statistics from the Health Ministry. Six years later under the country's new quasi-civilian government, experts are calling for an overhaul of a medical system that many say is broken after decades of underfunding.

The Health Ministry says it aims for universal coverage in the next 20 years—a major goal considering its starved budget—but in the meantime, patients in the government's public hospitals have been forced to foot the bill. Yangon General Hospital, among Myanmar's biggest and best known, is notorious in this regard, requiring patients to pay for any equipment used during their treatment. And in a country where the average person earns about $2.50 a day, many are forced to forego care, or seek other options.

"For [Myanmar's] public hospitals, which are completely under-resourced by the government, patients often have to pay for everything themselves—IVs, medications, dressings, cleaning, food," said Dr. Vit Suwanvanichkij, a public health researcher who has worked with migrants from Myanmar on the Thai border for more than a decade, and who visited hospitals in Myanmar last year.

"It's probably the most privatized health system in the world," he added, noting that due to widespread poverty, particularly in rural areas, this means that the vast majority of Myanmar's population is effectively deprived of any access to health care.

Official statistics also show that the government plays an almost negligible role in providing health care. According to National Accounts Data from the Ministry of Health in 2008-09, the ministry was responsible for just 10 percent of all health-care spending, while private households accounted for about 85 percent, with additional funding from other ministries and NGOs.

The Lady's Doc

In Myanmar's biggest city, there are a few other options for patients with limited income, including the Muslim Free Hospital, where U Haronbi went earlier this year for a hernia operation.

In addition to offering free medical care to the city's poor, the hospital has another draw: Its head surgeon, Dr. Tin Myo Win, is the personal physician of opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The hernia operation would cost about $100 at a public hospital, according to the doctor. "Here it's charity, true charity," he said of the hospital, which is named for the religion of its founders but is nonsectarian, serving people of all faiths and classes.

Several patients in the hospital's surgical and outpatient wings said they avoided public hospitals because they could not afford them and had heard stories about poor treatment. "Some of the doctors and nurses are unfriendly," said 19-year-old Ma Su Hla Phyu, a mother in Yangon seeking prenatal care during her second pregnancy.

U Ne Win, 53, preparing to be discharged after a surgery in May, agreed: "I've never been to any other hospital because I only trust this hospital," he said.

Funding for the Muslim Free Hospital initially came through religious donations from local Muslims in the city, but later, largely thanks to Dr. Tin Myo Win's relationship to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, donations also started coming from abroad.

Even so, the hospital has limited resources. The surgical unit offers just 25 beds—at least theoretically. "Sometimes we have to put [patients] in between the beds, so we can accommodate more than 35 or 40 if necessary," Dr. Tin Myo Win said, adding that he often performs 10 to 15 surgeries in a single day. "You should only perform about five major operations a day as a surgeon. Sometimes I have to stay late into the evening."

"This is a small hospital. Some cases, like heart operations, brain operations and kidney operations, we cannot afford to do them here," he said. He needs to refer about two patients a week to other institutions, although they often say they cannot afford to go elsewhere.

Free medical services are also available at the Thukha Charity Clinic, a project of the Free Funeral Service Society, where pro bono care is offered by volunteer doctors and specialists, including orthopedic surgeons, oncologists, dermatologists, radiologists, pediatricians and ophthalmologists.

Relying on Midwives

In rural areas, these services and more are covered by midwives, who are responsible for about 3,000 patients each in some states, according to the Health Ministry.

"They're expected to do everything—primary health care, ante and postnatal care, pediatrics, delivering babies, collecting health data. Rural health-care providers joke that the midwife does everything except have the baby," said Dr. Suwanvanichkij.

"They are so incredibly busy, underappreciated and underpaid for the essential services they are tasked with providing," he added.

The reason for this overreliance on midwives is that doctors are in extremely short supply. Availability varies from about six doctors per 100,000 people in Mon State to about 60 doctors for the same population in Chin State, according to Health Ministry statistics from 2009, the latest publicly available.

The lack of health infrastructure in rural regions has had devastating results. Malaria is a leading cause of death in Myanmar, while the country's tuberculosis prevalence is more than 500 cases per 100,000 people, compared to about 270 cases on average regionally, according to 2010 data from the World Health Organization. For HIV, the prevalence is 455 cases per 100,000 people, compared to the regional average of 189.

Want Treatment, Will Travel

The game is completely different for the limited strata of Myanmar's population with wealth—including President U Thein Sein, who reportedly underwent a health examination at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital last year.

Increasingly, Myanmar's affluent are flocking to Bangkok, which is home to one of Southeast Asia's most acclaimed hospitals, Bumrungrad International. More than 1,000 Myanmar patients travel to the hospital every month, including government officials and high-profile public figures, according to Helen Hla Kae Khine Aye, senior manager of the hospital's referral office in Yangon. That's up from about 50-60 Myanmar patients monthly when she started working for Bumrungrad a decade ago.

"In Myanmar, at our hospitals and medical care centers, maybe they couldn't get the correct diagnosis," she said. "A lot of people go abroad to get the correct diagnosis."

Bumrungrad International Hospital has 14 Myanmar-language interpreters, and the referral office in Yangon helps patients arrange Thai visas and buy plane tickets in advance.

"There are two types of patients," Helen Hla Kae Khine Aye said. The first, "the very wealthy ones," visit regularly for checkups and minor ailments. "The other type of patient, they can't afford much but they would like to get the correct treatment. They sell their houses and property just to go there."

The Rubik's Cube

As Myanmar transitions from nearly half a century of military rule, health experts are calling for an overhaul of the country's health system, though they admit the challenges will be immense.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has made health and education reform two of her major platforms since winning a seat in Parliament last year, is spearheading a project to upgrade Yangon General Hospital.

Dr. Tin Myo Win, a member of the project's fund-raising committee, said Parliament had already allocated 5 billion kyat ($5.3 million) to upgrade the century-old 1,500-bed hospital, including plans to build a new 1,000-bed facility to accommodate patients during the renovation.

The surgeon is also developing a national health policy for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, with a National Health Network that he formed this year. In addition to meeting health experts from Myanmar and overseas, the network plans to create a mobile clinic with surgeons, specialists and emergency medical technicians traveling to remote areas.

Starting this year, some public hospitals have also begun offering limited financial aid—but they're not advertising it.

Yangon's North Okkalapa General Hospital began offering financial aid in January for patients who could not afford to pay for their medicine or IVs, according to an assistant medical officer at the Muslim Free Hospital who completed a yearlong internship at North Okkalapa General last year.

"But the patients don't know about it," said the medical officer, 23-year-old Sandy, who studied at the University of Medicine (2) in Yangon. "The public hospital in Insein Township also started offering financial aid, but patients from Insein still come here [to the Muslim Free Hospital] because they do not know."

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry's goal of achieving universal health coverage within 20 years will be very difficult to achieve with a health budget that Dr. Tin Myo Win calls "very insufficient."

"For the Ministry of Health, we can understand. With the amount they have in their hands, they are doing quite a good job for the people," said the doctor. "But how can you [fix everything] with this limited budget?"

According to the latest figures, health-care spending still accounts for only about 3 percent of the total national budget.

Other experts say it is important to keep a broad focus, with attention paid to building reliable data systems and ensuring that investment reaches rural areas.

"There are so many moving parts that are broken," said Dr. Suwanvanichkij. "I think when it comes to public health, you need to work on all these places to fix up this messed up Rubik's Cube."

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

In India Rape Trial, Even Fast-Track Justice Plods

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 10:49 PM PDT

A student prays during a vigil for a gang rape victim, who was assaulted in New Delhi, in Ahmedabad. (Photo: Reuters)

NEW DELHI — The government promised swift justice after the gang rape of a young university student on a moving bus in India's capital late last year sparked nationwide outrage.

But speed is relative in a legal system so overburdened that even a normal criminal trial can stretch well over a decade.

Seven months later, the trial in a special "fast track" court is still plodding along.

Take a recent day in the case.

The court was in session just two hours, as it is every day of the trial. Only one witness—out of nearly 100 called in the case—had time to testify. The judge himself translated the testimony sentence-by-sentence from Hindi into English, and carefully corrected the court stenographer's errors.

"That's not how you spell 'sign,'" the judge admonished, as assembled reporters and police nodded off in boredom.

That was one of the more efficient days in the trial.

On the bad days, the three mercurial defense lawyers delay proceedings with their infighting, accusing each other of colluding with the police or the prosecution. Or witnesses listed for cross-examination don't show up—so the court adjourns early.

The attack on the 23-year-old woman in the heart of New Delhi on Dec. 16 shook a country long inured to brutality against its women. Hundreds of thousands of protesters poured into the streets demanding justice now, not the usual yearslong trial.

The pressure led to the creation of a fast-track court for violence against women, and the rape was its first case. Optimists say closing arguments could be made by the end of August and a verdict reached in September.

"The judge has a busy case load and all of us lawyers also have other clients. We cannot drop all of them and just work on this case," said A.P. Singh, one of the defense lawyers.

While it's not unusual in other countries for high-profile cases to drag on, the court hearing this trial was formed specifically for speed, a standard it hardly begins to meet.

Still, if the case does wrap up soon, it would be remarkably fast by Indian standards.

One reason for the delays in India's justice system is a shortage of judges. India—a country of 1.2 billion people—has approximately 11 judges for every million people, compared with roughly 110 per million in the United States, according to a 2009 report by India's Law Commission, which was set up by the Law Ministry to suggest reforms. Then there is the endemic problem of corruption, which delays the process of gathering evidence and ensuring cases are trial ready. Court procedures lack flexibility and often involve excruciating layers of paperwork.

The commission has suggested the entire legal system be overhauled, with more judges, time limits on trials and bans on "frivolous" adjournments.

Meanwhile, the rape case keeps throwing up new twists. Last month, the lawyer of two of the surviving adult defendants accused a third of changing his testimony at the last minute to get a lighter sentence at the cost of his co-accused.

The four defendants are accused of convincing the woman and her male companion to board an off-duty bus after the pair had watched an evening movie at an upscale shopping mall. The police say the men then raped the woman, using a metal rod to inflict such horrific injuries that she died two weeks later at a Singapore hospital. The four adult defendants all face charges of gang rape, murder and kidnapping and are likely to face the death sentence if convicted. A fifth defendant was found dead in his cell in March and a sixth is being tried as a juvenile.

The verdict in the trial of the juvenile was expected last month but has been indefinitely delayed.

Mukesh Singh has testified he was driving the bus—even though his brother was the official bus driver—and did not attack the woman. But he said all the other defendants charged were there. The others have all claimed they were framed by the police and were not on the bus.

A.P. Singh, who represents two other defendants, said Mukesh Singh had earlier said he didn't know who was on the bus, but changed his account because "his lawyer has been hijacked by the police and is colluding with them."

One of the lawyers on Mukesh Singh's defense team, Vibhor Anand, called A.P. Singh's accusations "weird."

"My client is only speaking the truth. He hasn't changed his story at all. These are all false stories cooked up by other defense counsel," Anand said.

News reports say defense lawyers have shouted at one another in court. On a recent day in court, one defense lawyer smirked and giggled openly as another's witness testified. The four accused, who in the early days of the trial came to court with their faces covered by caps and scarves, surrounded by dozens of policemen, now sit at the back of the courtroom listening blankly to the ongoing testimony. Each man is flanked by an officer. A few other policemen wait outside the courtroom.

While prosecutors refused to talk on the record to The Associated Press, news reports say they have consistently blamed the defense team for deliberately delaying proceedings. The defense blames the prosecutors, who have called a whopping 82 witnesses compared to their 15.

Rebecca John, a criminal lawyer who practices in India's top court, said the prosecution had put up such a massive witness list because of the high profile nature of the case. She also criticized the fast track court system, saying it promised justice in only a few very visible cases.

"The entire Indian legal system needs to be overhauled and made fast-track," she said. "When you fast-track one case out of 100 you actually slow-track all the others."

Muslims Celebrate Eid With Prayers, Feasts

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 10:43 PM PDT

Thousands of Filipino Muslims take part in morning prayers during Eid al-Fitr celebration, marking the end of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, along a road outside Blue Mosque in Taguig, Metro Manila, on Friday. (Photo: Reuters)

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Millions of Muslims began celebrating the end of the fasting month of Ramadan on Thursday with morning prayers followed by savory high-calorie feasts to mark the holiday, amid concerns over violence.

In Syria, mortars pounded an upscale district of Damascus in the same area where President Bashar Assad was attending holiday prayers at a mosque. A rebel brigade claimed on its Facebook and Twitter pages that it hit the motorcade, but the information minister denied the attack and state TV showed Assad at the mosque.

The Eid al-Fitr holiday includes three days of festivities after a month of prayer and dawn-to-dusk fasting for Ramadan, when observant Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex as a way to test their faith. But despite Eid's peaceful message, some countries remained on heightened alert amid fears over violence.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai took a moment after Eid prayers in a speech to thank security forces fighting the insurgency and called for the Taliban to lay down their arms, stop killing and join the political process.

In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, throngs of believers donning brand new clothes made their way to mosques. The holiday is also a time of reflection, forgiveness and charity—cars were seen driving around the capital, Jakarta, carrying people handing out envelopes to the poor.

Fireworks exploded across Jakarta throughout Wednesday night, with hundreds of people gathering at a landmark downtown traffic circle to watch the impromptu displays.

Still, Indonesian authorities were on high alert after a small bomb exploded in Jakarta earlier this week outside a Buddhist temple packed with devotees praying. Only one person was injured, but two other devices failed to detonate. Officials have said the attack appears to have been carried out by militant Muslims angry over sectarian violence in Buddhist-majority Burma.

Indonesia's National Police chief, Gen. Timur Pradopo, said he mobilized thousands of officers to help safeguard the millions involved in the mass exodus across the country, an archipelago of some 17,000 islands. Police also stood guard at mosques, churches and temples in many cities.

In Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, about 100 Muslims braved a stormy morning to pray at the city's sole mosque, on the edge of the old quarter. The Vietnamese imam gave a sermon in Arabic and then English to the congregation, which comprised mainly expatriates. Vietnam is also home to some 60,000 indigenous Muslims, most of them in the south.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines on Thursday, the military clashed with fighters from the militant Muslim group Abu Sayyaf, killing one soldier and an estimated seven militants, said local army commander Col. Carlito Galvez. The operation was based on information that the group was building bombs to be used in attacks in southern cities at the end of Ramadan. The latest violence follows two weeks of bomb attacks across the volatile southern Philippines that has killed 16 people and wounded about 100.

Thailand's security agencies have also warned about more frequent, escalated insurgency attacks at the end of the Ramadan period in the three Muslim-dominated southernmost provinces that border with Malaysia, despite its ongoing peace talks with Muslim separatists facilitated by its southern neighbor.

"The end of Ramadan is the period the insurgents will attempt to show off their strategies and attacks," said Col. Jaroon Ampha, an adviser to the National Security Council.

Muslims believe God revealed the first verses of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan, which starts with the sighting of the new moon. The Muslim lunar calendar moves back through the seasons, meaning Ramadan starts 11 days earlier each year under the Western calendar.

Not all countries begin celebrations on the same day. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, for instance, are expected to officially begin Eid on Friday after the moon is sighted there. However, the holiday was celebrated Thursday with dancing in the streets and firing guns in the air in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area, the main sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaida militants in the country, after officials there urged residents to begin the festivities after the moon had been sighted in Saudi Arabia.

Associated Press writers Ali Kotarumalos and Andi Jatmiko in Jakarta, Indonesia; Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines; Thanyarat Doksone in Bangkok; Chris Brummitt in Hanoi, Vietnam; Farid Hossain in Dhaka, Bangladesh; Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan; and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report.

Thai Lawmakers Give Initial OK to Amnesty Bill

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 10:35 PM PDT

Anti-government protesters confront riot police officers outside the parliament in Bangkok on Wednesday. Thailand’s parliament was due to debate a political amnesty bill as anti-government protesters marched to try to get it scrapped, saying it could let ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra return from exile without having to serve a jail sentence. (Photo: Reuters)

BANGKOK — Thai lawmakers gave initial approval Thursday to a controversial bill to grant amnesty to people charged with political offenses during turmoil that began with a 2006 military coup.

The lower house of parliament voted 300 to 124 to accept the government-sponsored bill in principle after a two-day debate. Critics of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra fear it is an initial move toward allowing his return from overseas, where he fled to avoid jail after a conflict of interest conviction.

The bill is also opposed by some human rights groups that suggest it promotes impunity for rights violators, including both civilians and security personnel responsible for causing deaths in political unrest from 2008 to 2010.

The amnesty bill does not cover Thaksin or other political leaders.

The government's firm parliamentary majority ensured the bill would easily receive initial approval, though the opposition Democrat Party tried vigorously to derail the proceedings by invoking legislative technicalities.

Opposition from outside parliament was unexpectedly weak, and fears of major clashes involving street protests were not realized. The fate of Thaksin, who was ousted by the coup after being accused of corruption and disrespect for Thailand's revered monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, arouses fierce passions that sometimes have erupted into violence.

In 2008, Thaksin's so-called "Yellow Shirt" opponents occupied the prime minister's offices for about three months and Bangkok's two airports for a week. In 2010, about 90 people were killed when Thaksin's "Red Shirt" supporters occupied part of downtown Bangkok for around two months before being swept away by the army.

The bill would cover most rank-and-file Yellow Shirt and Red Shirt members.

Thaksin, whose sister Yingluck Shinawatra is now prime minister, garnered large majorities in winning office, especially from rural voters who gained from his populist policies.

But critics, especially in Bangkok's traditional ruling elite, accused him of corruption and abuse of power, charging he was imposing a "parliamentary dictatorship" and trying to usurp the king's constitutional authority.

Even as the bill stands, it could still get derailed. A 35-person parliamentary committee will vet it to present another draft within seven days, after which the house must pass it twice more. Its signing by the king is a necessary but usually pro-forma formality.

The bill can also face challenges in the courts, an action the opposition Democrats have already threatened.

While Thaksin loyalists control the legislative branch, Thailand's court system is closely associated with the country's traditional elite, who generally abhor Thaksin.

Past court decisions tossed out two pro-Thaksin prime ministers in 2008 and sidetracked a government effort last year to amend the constitution, which was drafted under an unelected 2007 interim government that served for a year after the coup.
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