The Irrawaddy Magazine

---

• Buddhist Protests Continue as OIC Prepares for Arakan Visit
• Europe May Give $850M More in Aid to Burma
• Former US President Clinton Praises Burma Transition
• Burmese Orchestra Joins With French Quartet for Concerts
• Foreign Investors Must Be Aware of Burma’s Political Situation: Suu Kyi
• Forum Emphasizes Need for Women’s Voices in Peace Process
• SEA Games Tickets to Go on Sale Next Week
• Unlocking a ‘Sleeping Petroleum Giant’
• Homecoming Still Out of Ousted Thai leader’s Reach
• Chinese State Media Kick Into High Gear to Ease GMO Food Fears
• Monster Typhoon Exposes an Ill-Prepared Philippines

Buddhist Protests Continue as OIC Prepares for Arakan Visit Posted: 14 Nov 2013 05:06 AM PST OIC Secretary-general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and senior officials during their visit to Burma. (Photo: Twitter / MFA Turkey) RANGOON — Protests against the visit of an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) delegation continued on Thursday as about 200 Buddhists took to the streets in Meikthila, Mandalay Division, while Buddhists in Sittwe and Rangoon said they were planning further demonstrations. On the second day of the visit, the OIC travelled to the capital Naypyidaw and on Friday the delegation will pay what is expected to be a tense visit to Sittwe, the capital of strife-torn Arakan State. The delegation of the OIC, a grouping of 57 Islamic countries, comprises OIC Secretary-general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and senior officials from Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Djibouti and Bangladesh. The delegation reportedly met with top Burmese officials on Thursday, but President Office spokesman Ye Htut told VOA that the delegation would not meet with President Thein Sein. National League for Democracy officials reportedly said the OIC would neither meet with Aung San Suu Kyi. Minutes from an OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission meeting on Oct. 31 indicate that the organization wanted to conduct "a fact-finding mission to Myanmar to assess the situation of Rohingya Muslims," a stateless minority living in northern Arakan State. The government has released few details about the OIC visit, but officials have said the trip would help the organization gain an understanding of the real situation on the ground in Burma. An UN employee based in Sittwe said the OIC delegation was expected to arrive in the Arakan capital on Friday afternoon. The aid worker, who declined to be named, said the delegation would be accompanied by central government officials and US Ambassador Derrick Mitchell, adding that the delegation was expected to stay one night in Sittwe. "They will visit the IDP camps, but I don't know which camps they will go to," the UN staffer said, adding that only senior UN officials had been informed about the details of the OIC visit. "This is all being arranged by the central government—they arranged the helicopters already," the aid worker added. During two waves of violence between Arakanese Buddhists and the Rohingya Muslim minority last year 192 people were killed and 140,000 people were displaced, mostly Muslims. The displaced Rohingyas continue to languish in dirty, crowded camps, where they receive little support from the government, which refuses to recognize the persecuted group as Burmese citizens. The international community has repeatedly criticized the government's response to the Arakan crisis. Human rights groups have alleged that the Burmese government—which is dominated by Buddhist officials—gave tacit support to Buddhist mob attacks on Rohingya villages. Indonesian delegation member Ark Hananto told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the OIC had received security guarantees of the government for their Arakan State visit. International aid workers and journalists have reportedly been temporarily barred from travelling to Sittwe during the visit. In Meikthila, on Thursday, some 200 people protested against the OIC visit, after they heard rumors that the delegation would inspect the situation in the city, which was hit by deadly anti-Muslim violence in late March. "We held a protest of about 200 people, half of them Buddhist monks. Because we heard that they [the OIC] were going to visit today, but we didn't see them yet," said a protest organizer, who declined to be named. "We got government permission to protest this morning," she added. Arakanese Buddhists in Sittwe told The Irrawaddy that they would hold large protests against the OIC visit on Friday. "We have government permit to protest already, so we'll be at the airport to protest tomorrow morning," said Tun Hlaing, an organizer of the protest. "We will all meet at airport at 9 am. We will protest at the airport. They [the OIC] will come with a Myanmar Airline flight, that's what we heard," he added. Aung Win, a Rohingya activist from Sittwe Township, said the local Muslim community hoped they would have an opportunity to meet with OIC delegation to express their concerns about their dire situation in Arakan State. "If I have a chance to talk to them [the OIC], I will speak about our problems because there are still problems, even though one year has passed" since violence broke out, he added. Aung Win said, however, that Rohingya leaders had received no information from the Arakan State authorities about the delegation's plan to meet with their community. "I am worried that the state government will not give them much freedom … and just give them little time to meet with the displaced," he added. Some 1,000 people took the streets in Burma's biggest city Rangoon on Tuesday to protest against the visit, after they obtained a government permit for the demonstration. Protests against the OIC are also being planned in Rangoon on Friday and Saturday, Wai Lin Aung, a Buddhist organizer, said. "We will have protest at Shwedagon Pagoda tomorrow. Then, we will have another one at the [Rangoon] airport the next day," he said. Local Muslim leaders in Rangoon said they did not yet have an opportunity to meet with the OIC. Asked about the anti-OIC protests, Haji Aye Lwin, a leader of the Yangon Islamic Center, said, "They have the right to protest, but it is important to understand the reasons of the OIC visit to the country." Last year, a plan to open an OIC office in Burma led to nationwide protests. The plan was cancelled and earlier this year, the Burmese government rebuffed calls from the OIC to allow a delegation to visit and discuss the Rohingya issue. The post Buddhist Protests Continue as OIC Prepares for Arakan Visit appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Europe May Give $850M More in Aid to Burma Posted: 14 Nov 2013 04:48 AM PST Workers in Rangoon from the Myue & Soe Garment factory stand during a protest for a salary increase in September 2012. New aid from Europe to Burma will include assistance for the garment sector. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — European Commission on Thursday announced a proposal for aid to Burma, which could see an extra US$121 million a year donated to the Southeast Asian nation's development for the next seven years. During a press conference in Rangoon—as part of this week's high level meetings under the banner of the EU-Myanmar Task Force—Andris Piebalgs, the European Commission's chief on development and cooperation, announced the main sectors the 28-nation bloc planned to fund from 2014 to 2020—rural development, education, governance and peace building. He said the European Union was increasing its assistance to Burma in recognition of reforms that have taken place since a quasi-civilian government took power in 2011. Europe has in recent years canceled economic sanctions, instated preferential trade terms and given financial support to the Myanmar Peace Center, a government-linked body involved in solving Burma's conflicts. "The main purpose of the current program is on education and health," said Piebalgs. "We plan to support about 600,000 children who are in the poorest primary schools across the country. Our development program also includes a government development plan, with particular focus on rural development, education, governance and supporting the peace process." Since 1996, the European Union has given a total of 300 million euros (US$413 million) in aid to Burma, and the bloc's mission in Rangoon said last month that 70 million euros of projects were ongoing. "Although the bilateral assistance budget hasn't been formally approved by the European Parliament and the European Council, EU support could increase up to €90 million [$121 million] per year," a statement released Thursday said. Over seven years, the that would mean Burma would get an extra $847 million in aid. Piebalgs said that he is believed the aid will create jobs for the people of Burma. "Support for trade is one of the priorities of the EU's development cooperation with Myanmar. This project is to inform and to build up skills that could raise the skills and also develop the enterprises of Myanmar. We hope this will welcome opportunities for a lot of Myanmar citizens," he said. Piebalgs also launched a 2 million euro ($2.7 million) grant to fund a three-year program titled SWITCH-SMART, which will target Burma's small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME). The program will try to improve the environmental approach, accountability, corporate responsibility and transparency of Burmese firms, with a particular focus on the garment industry, he said. "The objective is to improve the competitiveness of SME and the garment sector through more sustainable production and consumption within Myanmar," said Khine Khine Nwe, local coordinator for coordination and implementation of the project. The project will involve European organizations, including Sequa from Germany, the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the UK, the Confederation of German Textile and Fashion Industry, and the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific, as well as local business associations . "We are working together with the [International Labor Organization] on labor standards at work places…. To have at least 10 showcase factories by the end of 2015, is our goal", Khine Khine Nwe said. The European Union's "Everything But Arms" trade scheme means that Burmese goods get duty-free and quota-free access to European markets. Burma's garment sector is expected to expand in coming years as manufacturers take advantage of the preferential terms, and low wages that suit the labor-intensive garment industry. The post Europe May Give $850M More in Aid to Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Former US President Clinton Praises Burma Transition Posted: 14 Nov 2013 04:40 AM PST Former US President Bill Clinton, fifth from left, poses with Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at the latter's home in Rangoon on Thursday. (Photo: National League for Democracy) RANGOON — Speaking in Rangoon on Thursday, former US President Bill Clinton talked up Burma's political reforms, calling the country's transition from military rule to a nominally civilian government "remarkable." "The whole world has been pulling for Myanmar since you opened up," Clinton added. It wasn't all backslapping, however, as the former American president, whose two terms in office ended in 2001, warned that Burma needs to involve ethnic minorities more closely in government, saying "it is important to have inclusive and transparent politics." On his first visit to the former military-ruled country, Clinton gave a 40-minute speech that was wide-ranging in its political allusions—drawing on the former president's first-hand work on peace processes in the Balkans, the Middle East and Northern Ireland—but was short on specifics directly related to Burma. Acknowledging that he was on unfamiliar terrain, Clinton joked that he had been briefed prior to his trip by wife Hillary, the former US secretary of state, and daughter Chelsea—both of whom have visited Burma in the last two years. Perhaps making an oblique reference to Buddhist protests against the ongoing visit to Burma by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), during which protestors on Wednesday referred to Burmese Muslims as "animals," Clinton mentioned his administrations' funding of research on the human genome, which he said showed that all human beings are 99.5 percent the same. Despite being criticized over American inaction during and after the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Clinton made several references to the mass murder. Mentioning the need for forgiveness and healing in countries such as Burma, which are divided by ethnic and religious conflict, Clinton delivered a lengthy and poignant concluding anecdote about a bereaved Tutsi mother who not only forgave but gave a job to the Hutu killer of one of her seven children murdered during the genocide. Jumping from politics to economics, Clinton compared Nigeria, which he described as a resource-rich but corrupt and impoverished nation, with Botswana, where a transparent diamond export system has seen citizens' incomes grow. Clinton warned that resource-laden countries cannot expect to prosper unless graft is curbed and transparency made the norm. Burma is known for its array of natural resources, such as gemstones, timber, and oil and gas, but the former military-ruled country typically languishes near the bottom of global corruption indices and is regarded as a tough place to do business. "Every day you can go online and see how much money is in the diamond trust," Clinton said, referring to Botswana. Clinton contrasted Botswana with Nigeria, saying that despite its oil and gas wealth, the West African giant "couldn't keep the lights on"—a failing that will likely resonate in Burma, where less than 30 percent of the population has electricity, despite Burma's own oil and gas resources. Some of those energy reserves are expected to be tapped in the coming years by foreign and Burmese firms alike, with the government planning to announce the winners of a tender for 11 shallow-water blocks and 19 deep-water blocks by early 2014 at the latest. The event took place at the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC), a government-linked organization that facilitates the various peace negotiations between Naypyidaw and Burma's alphabet soup of ethnic minority militias. After the speech, Clinton left without taking questions from the journalists squeezed into a small holding area at the back of the MPC. Clinton said he arrived in Burma on Wednesday, and prior to his speech on Thursday afternoon, met with Burma President Thein Sein as well as House Speaker Shwe Mann and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the latter pair already pushing themselves as possible successors to Thein Sein, pending national elections in 2015. The post Former US President Clinton Praises Burma Transition appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burmese Orchestra Joins With French Quartet for Concerts Posted: 14 Nov 2013 04:04 AM PST The Myanmar National Symphony Orchestra (Photo: Fondamentus) RANGOON — More than a decade since it played its first notes, the Myanmar National Symphony Orchestra will next month take its first overseas tour, under a cultural, orchestral and choreographic event called Fondamentus. Led by French composer Odile Perceau, the 26-member string section of the orchestra will be joined by French string quartet Le Quatuor Des Equilibres to perform masterpieces by Bach and Handel, as well as original compositions by Perceau. They will play for two days at Cambodia's sacred temple Angkor Wat in early December, where the orchestra will perform with the Royal Ballet of Cambodia. During a press conference in Rangoon on Thursday, Perceau—who has trained members of the Burmese orchestra for nearly 30 days over the past three months—said the Burmese musicians will play a major role in the concerts, on what will be their first time on tour as a group. "I feel proud to be able to have trained them, to let know the world about Myanmar through music. They are talented," she said through a Burmese interpreter. The French ambassador to Burma, Thierry Mathou, said the concert also represents the first-state level cooperation between Burmese and French government. "Since two years ago when Myanmar began opening up, France has wanted to work together with Myanmar government in the information and culture sector," he said. "We have sent our proposals, like this concert, as our priority to Myanmar government." Ahead of the Cambodian tour, the orchestra will play in Rangoon and Mandalay, the last royal capital of Burma, on Nov. 21 and 23, respectively. Although Fondamentus was initially scheduled to be performed at the old palace in Mandalay, the plan was changed thanks to "technical issues," the ambassador said. "We had to move it to the National Theater there. It's sad," he added. The composer explained what makes Fondamentus a unique event is that, contrary to most orchestral performances, the musicians will play without glancing at written music. "It might be challenging for them, but I've encouraged them to make it happen as this is the first concert to show the world that Burmese can do it," she said. For violinist Aye Thida, the tour abroad will be a happy moment, and an exciting opportunity to represent the country. "I believe we can do it, and it will be something for Burmese to be proud of, as this is the first time we will perform as whole outside the country since the orchestra was founded," said Aye Thida, who is also a conductor for the orchestra. According to Aye Thida, the Myanmar National Symphony Orchestra was founded in 2000 by the Ministry of Information, and is mostly made up of graduates from Rangoon's National University of Arts & Culture. Normally, the orchestra has nearly 60 players but for the tours, Perceau said, she has just picked the string section to match the French string quartet. "I hope both Myanmar and French musicians could play in harmony as well as with Royal Ballet in Cambodia. If so, everyone will have a perfect musical evening!" she said. Fondamentus is produced by Le Khloros Concert and co-organized by the Cambodian APSARA Authority with the support of Unesco, the Burmese and French governments. The post Burmese Orchestra Joins With French Quartet for Concerts appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Foreign Investors Must Be Aware of Burma’s Political Situation: Suu Kyi Posted: 14 Nov 2013 03:50 AM PST Burmese opposition leader Aung San SuuKyi sits on a discussion panel at the EU-Myanmar Task Force in Rangoon on Thursday. (Photo: Zarni Mann / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday warned potential European investors that they must not ignore the Southeast Asian nation's political situation, as a major EU-Burma summit kicked off in the former capital. The European Union's foreign policy and security chief, Catherine Ashton, and President's Office Minister Soe Thane opened the first EU-Myanmar Task Force at the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) in Rangoon. In her opening speech, Ashton lauded Burma's progress since a nominally civilian government took power in 2011. Political and economic reforms have precipitated the European Union dropping economic sanctions against Burma and instating preferential trade terms for Burmese exports to the 28-nation bloc. Ashton said the task force aims to bring together European and Burmese businesspeople, politicians and civil society representatives. "More than anything, it's about showing the people of this country that we believe they deserve a better future. A future that will give them all that they aspire to—a democratic nation where they are free, where their rights are respected, where their aspirations are fulfilled," Ashton said. The event continues on Friday in Naypyidaw, where President Thein Sein, parliamentary Speaker Shwe Mann and the government's lead peace negotiator Minister Aung Min are expected to attend. Suu Kyi and Ashton co-chaired a civil society forum Thursday, which was not open to the media, before sitting in on a business forum chaired by Antonio Tajani, European Commission vice president for industry and entrepreneurship, and President's Office Minister Tin NaingThein. Following speeches from the chairs and other participants, Suu Kyi took the microphone and chided some speakers for ignoring the responsibilities of businesses and the need for more political reform ahead of national elections in 2015. "2015 is important because we need to get the Constitution amended before then. And anybody who encourages business or investment or any other activity in Burma, while at the same time totally ignoring the need to amend the Constitution, is not being pragmatic," Suu Kyi said. The leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) singled out Soe Thane for ignoring constitutional reform during his opening speech. "His speech this morning did not once mention the Constitution," Suu Kyi said. "Let us not avoid the crucial issues of this day." Under Burma's 2008 Constitution, which was drawn up by the former military regime, Suu Kyi is not eligible to be president because she married, and had children with, a foreigner. The Constitution, which guarantees the military a quarter of parliamentary seats, is opposed by many, including ethnic groups who demand that it be changed to reflect a federalist system. Soe Thane later retorted that he simply omitted any reference to Constitutional reform to save time in his speech, in which he trumpeted the progress made by the current government. "We have worked hard to make the foundation of a new Myanmar that is a peaceful, democratic, all-inclusive vibrant country, with sustainable economic growth," Soe Thane said in his speech, before also warning against unrealistic expectations for the reform process, and the dangers of reforming too fast. In her impromptu comments, SuuKyi said that while she did not want to discourage foreign investors, they had to do more than simple corporate social responsibility, or CSR. "I want good, hard-headed businessmen who are intent on making a good profit for themselves, but in a responsible way so that we also may benefit from your presence," the Nobel Peace Prize winner said. "That means that when you talk about responsibility, it's not just CSR, it's not just social responsibility. It's political responsibility, legal responsibility. It's responsibility in a very broad sense of the word. "So if you want to make responsible investments in Burma, you must be aware of the political situation in Burma, the peace situation, the social situation, the human rights situation." One speaker at the business forum that did mention the duties of companies operating in Burma was Vicky Bowman, director of the Myanmar Center for Responsible Business, who warned investors that ignoring the impacts of their business risked both loss of their operating licenses and great reputational damage. "Scrutiny on businesses operating here is far greater than almost any other market in the world," said Bowman, a former British ambassador to Burma. She emphasized the importance of companies following internationally recognized processes for resettlement, in order to avoid land disputes. "There is very little trust here between people and the government: People don't trust the authorities, people don't trust businesses," she said. "It's incumbent on businesses now to change and engage directly with communities. When you don't, you end up with the sort of problems that you've seen, for example, in the copper mine recently," Bowman added, referring to a Chinese project in Letpadaung, Sagaing Division, which has been met with protest and a subsequent political intervention to stall the venture. The post Foreign Investors Must Be Aware of Burma's Political Situation: Suu Kyi appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Forum Emphasizes Need for Women’s Voices in Peace Process Posted: 14 Nov 2013 03:34 AM PST The National Women's Dialogue was held in Rangoon this week. (Photo: Facebook / Chan Nyein Aung) Some 300 Burmese and international women's activists gathered in Rangoon this week to discuss the role of women in peace-building and the ongoing reform process in Burma. The National Women's Dialogue was organized by two Burma women's groups—the Women's Organizations Network and the Gender Equality Network—and the Civil Society Forum for Peace from Nov. 9-14. The dialogue was supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). "Our theme is to raise our voices for women's participation in Burma's peace-building, security and development," said May Sabae Phyu, the coordinator of the Gender Equality Network. "We found that many of our people are not yet fully aware of why women's participation in peace-building is important. And especially the male leaders, they do not accept it [women's role in the peace process] yet," said May Sabae Phyu, a Kachin peace activist and women's rights advocate. Joined by Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian peace activist and 2011 Nobel laureate, and women activists from Nepal, Sri Lanka and the United States, dialogue attendees discussed a range of topics, from women's role in Burma's politics and national reconciliation process, to their contributions to economic development. Cheery Zahau, an ethnic Chin human rights activist who served on one of the panels at the dialogue, said the discussion also focused on how to better protect women in conflict zones and those at risk of domestic abuse. "In addition to women's issues, I discussed Burma armed groups' violations of the Geneva Convention—violations of the rights of combatants and civilians, because there is a lack of practice in following the code of conduct during battle," she added. Burma ratified the Geneva Convention in 1992. The organizers also invited female leaders from outside Burma to share their experiences working for peace within their own countries. The dialogue opened with the screening of an award-winning documentary, "Pray the Devil Back to Hell," with more than 700 people attending the first day of the forum. "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" features Liberia's Gbowee, and chronicles the efforts of a small band of women who worked to end more than a decade of civil war in the African nation. "Because women played a very important role in ending 14 years of civil war in Liberia, we want to share that our Burmese women are also capable of being involved in peace building," May Sabae Phyu said. May Sabae Phyu said women in male-dominated Burmese society were being excluded from the peace process, referring to the current ceasefire talks between leaders of government, the affiliated Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) and dozens of ethnic armed groups. "Both sides of the armed groups' leaders and the government officials said we cannot be in the room for the peace talks as their talks involve military affairs that are not a matter for women," she said. "They say we can contribute our inputs when the political dialogue begins." The activists said such limitations, which extended to the economic sphere, and violence against women were the main obstacles that they faced in achieving economic security. They suggested empowering women through vocational training in order to help reduce violence against women in conflict-affected areas. The post Forum Emphasizes Need for Women's Voices in Peace Process appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

SEA Games Tickets to Go on Sale Next Week Posted: 14 Nov 2013 02:38 AM PST Burmese runners practice at Wunna Theikdi Stadium in Naypyidaw in preparation of the 27th SEA Games. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — With less than a month to go until the start of the Southeast Asia Games (SEA Games) in Burma, organizers have announced that ticket sales for the sports event will begin on Monday. The opening ceremony of the 27th SEA Games, which Burma is hosting for the first time in its history, will be held in the Wunna Theikdi Stadium in the capital Naypyidaw on Dec. 11 at 6 pm. "We will sell 4,000 tickets to locals and 4,000 to foreigners, starting from November 18," said Min Tun, general manager of Accord Myanmar Service, an authorized ticket sales agent for the SEA Games opening and closing ceremonies. He said Burmese spectators can buy tickets for "ordinary seats" at 3,000 kyat (about US $3) and "first class" seats for 5,000 kyat, while foreigners will have to pay ten times more to attend, with ordinary seats costing $30 and first class costing $50. Min Tun said ticket prices for the ceremonies at the 30,000-seat, gleaming new Wunna Theikdi Stadium were reasonable. "The tickets are really cheap compared with other SEA Games," he said. Foreign and Burmese ticket buyers are required to bring ID to the sales points, while people overseas can purchase tickets through an online payment system. Tickets for the ceremonies will be available in Naypyidaw at Wunna Theikdi Stadium, Myoma Market Shopping and at Pyinmana Stadium. In Rangoon, tickets can be bought at Rangoon International Airport's Yangon Sales Center and at Moe Yan Lottery Enterprise in front of Bogyoke Aung San Market. In Mandalay, Moe Yan Lottery Enterprise headquarters offers tickets for sale. Tickets for most sporting events will go on sale on Monday and will cost 2,500 kyat ($2.50) for both Burmese and foreign spectators. "For all sports events, except football, people will be charged 2,500 kyat to obtain a card. With this card you can attend all sports events," said Moe Zaw Htut, a director at the Ministry of Sports. "We are considering reducing the price of the cards," he said, adding that foreign and Burmese nationals need to bring ID to obtain a card. The SEA Games card will be sold at Naypyidaw's Wunna Theikdi Stadium, Leway Sports Training Center, Paung Laung Sports Stadium in Pyinmanar Township and at Junction Center, Hotel Zone, according to the Ministry of Sports. In Rangoon, tickets will be available at Junction Square Mall and the National Indoor Stadium in Thuwunna Township. Tickets for football matches will go on sale on Nov. 29, according to staff at at My Asia Ticket, a football ticket sales point in Rangoon's Bahan Township. The Myanmar Football Federation (MMF) said on its website that tickets for a men's football match will cost 2,000 kyat for ordinary seats and 4,000 kyat for first class seats. Attending women's football will cost 1,000 kyat and 3,000 kyat for ordinary and first class seats, respectively. Tickets for semi-final and final football matches will cost 3,000 kyats for ordinary and 5,000 kyats for first class seats. Staff at My Asia Ticket Head Office said they were awaiting instructions from the MMF regarding ticket pricing for foreign nationals. The SEA Games will feature 35 different sporting events, such as football, badminton and athletics, basketball, boxing, cycling, golf and field hockey, while traditional Asian sports such as chinlone (Burmese cane ball) and vovinam (Vietnamese martial arts) are also included. The opening and closing ceremonies, and most competitions are held in Naypyidaw. A number of events—including some football games, wrestling, hockey, kempo, shooting, body building and weight lifting—will be held in Rangoon. Ngwe Saung Beach will host a sailing competition. In the past year, Max Myanmar Group, owned by Burmese tycoon Zaw Zaw, has built the Wunna Theikdi Stadium, which includes a swimming pool and an indoor stadium, the Zeyar Thiri Football Stadium and a range of other sports facilities in Naypydaw, such as an outdoor cycling track, an equestrian field and the Royal Myanmar Golf Course. The post SEA Games Tickets to Go on Sale Next Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Unlocking a ‘Sleeping Petroleum Giant’ Posted: 14 Nov 2013 12:46 AM PST A map of petroleum basins off of Myanmar's coast. (Graphic: North Petro-Chem Corporation (Myanmar) Ltd.) YANGON — Potential investors at a hotel conference room in Yangon in September were invited to salivate over Myanmar's geology. By all accounts, the maps and cross-section graphics on display indicate that the country is sitting on vast energy wealth. Although the exact quantities of hydrocarbons are unknown, "it can be envisaged as a sleeping petroleum giant in the Southeast Asia region," said one slide presented by China's North Petro-Chem Corporation (Myanmar) Ltd. Investors were shown historic images of oil being pulled out of the ground by hand, hinting at just how easy the business could be here. The government hopes foreign investors will help unlock energy to fuel Myanmar's development and provide big state revenues. Many of those watching were from—or hope to link up with—the 61 local and international firms named as prequalified to bid for 11 shallow-water blocks and 19 deep-water blocks—more than 2,000 feet deep—off the coast. The offshore bidders must submit their proposals by Nov. 15. Some 20 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves have already been proven offshore, and another 80 trillion cubic feet of "probable and possible" reserves had been identified before proper exploration of the deep-water areas has even begun, according to the North Petro-Chem Corp. presentation. "[The] deep-water area has a better chance than shallow water to discover world-class commercial oil and gas reserves," the presentation said. As an indication of how valuable these reserves could be, the Shwe gas field—which began producing gas this year and justified the building of a US$3.7 billion gas pipeline from the Bay of Bengal, across Myanmar, to China—has reserves of up to 9.1 trillion cubic feet. U Aung Kyaw Htoo, deputy director of the Ministry of Energy's production planning section, told investors he was confident the unknown reserves were "giant." "The offshore blocks are good incentive for the investors," he said. "Especially the deep-water blocks—they are untapped, they have never been touched before." The offshore blocks are set to be awarded early next year, shortly after 18 onshore blocks, which are expected to go to the highest bidders before the end of 2013. The tenders run alongside the rapid development of the Shwe gas field and accompanying pipeline, a separate oil pipeline connecting Kyaukphyu in Rakhine State with China, and onshore oil and gas developments, meaning a veritable boom in the extraction and transportation of fossil fuels could be about to break. While deep-water drilling has opened up vast reserves of oil and gas worldwide that could not be reached before, there are dangers. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, which was operating at a depth of more than 4,000 feet, blew out, causing the deaths of 11 crewmen, and initiating the largest oil spill in US history. U Aung Kyaw Htoo said ministry officials had spoken with the US State Department for "advice" on how to make sure such an incident didn't happen in Myanmar's waters. Paul Donowitz, campaign director at conservation group Earth Rights International, said he was concerned about the government's readiness to deal with multiple offshore drilling projects, as well as "significant quantities" of crude oil on vessels docking in Kyaukphyu to send oil to China. "The ability to respond to an incident is completely untested," he said. The government has made public no information about emergency management and how it intends to ensure companies have in place comprehensive plans for incidents, he said. Even a small spill could do huge damage to Myanmar's mangrove-lined coastal habitats, Mr. Donowitz added. "The question is whether the government has the capacity to regulate the industry," Mr. Donowitz said. "I just don't think it is clear and the government has yet to demonstrate the capacity to oversee the industry. This industry is likely going to be effectively self-regulating." One way of balancing that risk is to bring in large companies who have experience drilling in deep seas and can make the necessary investments. Among the firms allowed to bid for the offshore blocks are major international firms like Total of France, Chevron and ExxonMobil of the United States and Norway's Statoil. The China National Petroleum Corporation, which is the developer of the Shwe gas pipeline, is also on the list alongside state-owned Korean and Japanese companies. The Ministry of Energy has told companies, contrary to initial indications, that it will negotiate on the amount of profits from oil and gas projects they will share with companies. The move appeared to be a sweetener for entering a joint venture with the state, which on Myanmar's preferred terms give the government more than 80 percent of the takings of an oil or gas project. Economist and long-time Myanmar-watcher Sean Turnell said that while there will certainly be interest in the bidding from the major companies from the West, they may not be able to outbid regional firms, many of which have state backing. "I think we will find the blocks are picked up by Chinese, Thai, Korean and other firms familiar from the past few years," Mr. Turnell said in an e-mail. Mr. Turnell also said the large revenues the government could be in for pose their own risks, since "such revenues kept the old regime afloat, and allowed its unhelpful policies." Myanmar is trying to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which Mr. Turnell said was a necessary step, but would not have an impact on the way government spends oil and gas revenues. "In short, good policymaking remains the issue, and resource rents pose dangers to this to the extent they allow poor decisions to be made," he said. This story was first published in the November 2013 print issue of The Irrawaddy magazine. The post Unlocking a 'Sleeping Petroleum Giant' appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Homecoming Still Out of Ousted Thai leader’s Reach Posted: 13 Nov 2013 10:04 PM PST Protesters react to the speech from the stage at the Democracy monument as thousands gather in a protest against the amnesty bill in central Bangkok on Nov. 11, 2013. (Photo: Reuters / Damir Sagolj) BANGKOK — After two weeks of noisy protests, the message from the streets of Bangkok is clear: There will be no immediate homecoming for Thailand's most polarizing political figure, Thaksin Shinawatra. The former prime minister has waited five years—the last two with his own sister in power—to come home from self-imposed exile as a free man. But broad-based protests over a proposed deal for his return, largely ending with the frantic extinguishing of a bill that would have erased a corruption conviction, suggest that wait is far from over. Analysts say the misstep by the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her Pheu Thai party suggests that Thaksin, the country's most powerful politician, may be losing his grip on Thai politics. "I think it means that Mr. Thaksin perhaps lost his ability to calculate or to predict the Thai political landscape," said Veerapat Pariyawong, an independent scholar. "This is Thaksin's problem," said Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, a law lecturer at Bangkok's Thammasat University. "He's too hotheaded and then makes a mistake." It's understandable that the former prime minister might be frustrated. Supporting pro-Thaksin parties through two successful election campaigns—in 2007 and 2011—and funding the grassroots pro-Thaksin Red Shirts organization—and likely many under-the-table deals—has probably cost the billionaire businessman-politician millions of dollars, but still failed to free him from the threat of time behind bars. He was ousted in 2006 after middle class-led protests in Bangkok accusing him of corruption, rights violations and disrespect for King Bhumibol Adulyadej paved the way for a military coup. The action hit both his pride and his wallet: More than a billion dollars of his assets were seized. The coup also sparked years of sometimes-violent struggle for political power between Thaksin's supporters and opponents, hitting a nadir in 2010 when an army crackdown on pro-Thaksin demonstrators led to the deaths of more than 90 people. Thaksin was convicted in 2008 of violating a conflict-of-interest law and fled abroad to escape a two-year jail term. Paving the way for his return has been the unspoken priority of Yingluck's government. After smoothing relations with the army and the palace, Yingluck's government made its move last month, submitting a political amnesty bill to Parliament. Its original version would have let rank-and-file violators of all camps off the hook for politically linked offenses, but not leaders of political factions. It didn't kick up much of a fuss beyond a small circle of hardcore anti-Thaksinites, who warned it was a trick to lay out the welcome mat for the former prime minister. They were right. After the House of Representatives passed the original bill in principle, it was amended in committee to also cover political big-shots, including Thaksin. The bait-and-switch tactic flopped badly, sparking anger and disappointment among many Thaksin opponents as well as supporters. Those unhappy with the bill included some Red Shirts who were angered that the amended bill did not apply to people accused of violating the country's harsh law against insulting the monarchy. Some Red Shirts who lost friends and relatives in the 2010 army crackdown also were angry that justice would not be done, and especially that Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, prime minister at the time, would not be held accountable. Nonpartisan opposition came from human rights groups, who opposed the amnesty for perpetuating impunity for officials. Thaksin, in a statement released by his lawyer, complained that the amnesty bill "has been criticized and turned into a political issue to slander me, to distort the message that it is to return the money and whitewash the wrongdoings for only one man even though the true purpose of the amnesty law is to let the country move beyond the conflict and to return justice to the victims of the 2006 coup." But faced with growing anger that could fracture its own political base, Yingluck's government signaled that it would let the bill die, and the Senate voted unanimously against it on Monday. The more powerful House could still revive the bill after 180 days, but Yingluck pledged it would not. Thaksin's opponents had hoped to build on the anti-amnesty movement to launch a campaign to oust Yingluck's government. But once the Senate rejected the bill, the growing political crisis was quickly deflated. A dramatic call by the opposition Democrat Party for civil disobedience fell flat. Thaksin, meanwhile, must bide his time. "The Pheu Thai party must know what lessons they've learned from trying to force the people to accept their action," said Prinya, who like many other observers believes that the bill's rejection has delayed any hopes that Thaksin may have of returning home soon. "At this point, Thaksin has to keep a low-profile," said Pavin Chachavalpongpun , an associate professor at Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies. But he said Thaksin remains "a significant factor in Thai politics." "If push comes to shove, Thaksin can press the election button and expect to win again," political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University wrote in an op-ed for the Bangkok Post newspaper last week. "For the Red Shirts and Pheu Thai voters, deploring the amnesty bill is not the same as voting for the opposition party. Pheu Thai will most likely win an election again if one were held tomorrow. This is Thaksin's ultimate fallback position." The post Homecoming Still Out of Ousted Thai leader's Reach appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Chinese State Media Kick Into High Gear to Ease GMO Food Fears Posted: 13 Nov 2013 09:36 PM PST A Chinese child stands next to inflatable corn cobs carrying the slogan 'We Do Not Want GMO' in Guangzhou. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — China's state media are working overtime to persuade the public that genetically modified food is safe, apparently softening up the population for a policy switch to allow the sale of such food to ensure its 1.35 billion people have enough to eat. In the past 30 years, China's urban population has jumped to about 700 million from under 200 million, driving up demand for meat and staples such as rice that scientists say only GMO can satisfy. Imported GMO soybeans are already used as feed for animals but winning acceptance for the more widespread use of GMO may be a hard sell in a country frequently in the grip of food scares—just this year over baby milk powder and chemicals in chickens, for instance. GMO food faces opposition even at the top levels of Chinese bureaucracy, with a senior national security official likening it to opium. But state media is taking up the fight: On Monday, Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily rejected rumors that eating GMO food could alter human DNA, and news agency Xinhua ran an investigation last week debunking tales that GMO corn consumption had reduced sperm counts. Zhang Qifa, known as China's "father of GMO rice," recently criticized the Ministry of Agriculture for refusing to approve strains that have cost billions of yuan in research over the past decade. Beijing granted safety certificates for its first genetically modified rice in 2009 but has so far refused to authorize commercial production until the public is onside. The certificate for Zhang's pest-resistant "Bt" rice will expire next year, meaning researchers have to reapply, a process that could take years. "Right now, China's GMO rice production has ground to a halt … I personally think we have missed opportunities to develop," Zhang said, adding that GMO commercialization wasn't a matter for the public and should begin without delay. Huang Dafang, a researcher with the Biotechnology Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, was unimpressed with the media campaign. "We have not seen any signs of progress, only the continuation of the debate." Scientists have been at pains to show that GMO is already part of the food chain: China is the world's top importer of GMO soybeans, used as feed, and also imports GMO corn from the United States and elsewhere. The US Department of Agriculture has forecast China's rice imports would reach a record high of 3.4 million tons in 2013-14 and researchers say China is facing a growing food gap that can only be properly addressed through the use of GMO. But while policymakers have expressed optimism about GMO crops and scientists have long urged the government to allow new strains of GMO rice, Beijing will not move until it is sure the risks are minimal and that, crucially, the public is behind it. The debate hasn't been entirely one-way, with influential researchers still urging caution, especially when it comes to staples like rice and wheat. "Many have said there are no risks to GMO food but the risks may not even be discovered in three or five years but actually over three to five generations," said Jiang Changyun, research director at the Industrial Development Research Institute, who wants the government to improve food labeling so that people can decide themselves whether to eat GMO or not. The debate has moved into the realms of national security, with Peng Guangqian, deputy secretary-general of the National Security Policy Committee, likening GMO food in August to a new kind of opium being forced upon China by Western companies. Writing in Global Times, a tabloid backed by the People's Daily, Peng said companies such as Monsanto and Dupont were dumping GMO products on China. Wang Xiaoyu, an official at the Heilongjiang Soybean Association, said GMO soyoil consumed in southern parts of the country was linked to high cancer rates. However, another worry, he conceded, was that imports of cheap GMO soy had led to a fall in local production, since many planters were unable to compete. Huang of the Biotechnology Research Institute complained that the scientific debate had been hijacked. "GMO is a scientific matter and should not be debated at the social level. If China's Three Gorges dam and nuclear power were decided by public debate, neither would have been established," he said. The post Chinese State Media Kick Into High Gear to Ease GMO Food Fears appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Monster Typhoon Exposes an Ill-Prepared Philippines Posted: 13 Nov 2013 08:46 PM PST Residents put up a sign asking for help and food after super Typhoon Haiyan battered Tanauan, Leyte in the central Philippines. (Photo: Reuters /John Javellana) TACLOBAN, Philippines — Dead bodies clog the basement of the Tacloban City Convention Center. The dazed evacuees in its sports hall are mostly women and children. The men are missing. That so few men made it to this refuge shows how dimly aware they were of the threat posed by Typhoon Haiyan, which crashed into the central Philippines on Friday with some of the strongest winds ever recorded. Many men stayed at their homes to guard against looters. Poorly enforced evacuations compounded the problem. And the bodies illustrate another, more troubling truth: The evacuation center itself became a death trap, as many of those huddling in the basement perished in a tsunami-like swirl of water. Those with the foresight to evacuate flimsy homes along the coast gathered in concrete structures not strong enough to withstand the six-meter (20-ft) storm surges that swept through Tacloban, capital of the worst-hit Leyte province. The aid, when it came, was slow. Foreign aid agencies said relief resources were stretched thin after a big earthquake in central Bohol province last month and displacement caused by fighting with rebels in the country's south, complicating efforts to get supplies in place before the storm struck. The Philippines, no stranger to natural disasters, was unprepared for Haiyan's fury. "We're all waiting for our husbands," said Melody Mendoza, 27, camped out with her two young sons at the convention center, which towers over the devastated coastal landscape. Local officials say 10,000 people were killed in Tacloban alone. President Benigno Aquino told CNN the death toll from the typhoon was 2,000 to 2,500, saying "emotional drama" was behind the higher estimate. Aquino defended the government's preparations, saying the toll might have been higher had it not been for the evacuation of people and the readying of relief supplies. "But, of course, nobody imagined the magnitude that this super typhoon brought on us," he said. Warnings Unheeded Two days before the storm hit, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies predicted a "dangerous" typhoon with winds of 240 kph (150 mph) heading straight for Leyte and Samar—the two most devastated provinces. Warnings were broadcast regularly on television and over social media. More than 750,000 people across the central Philippines were evacuated. "As bad as the loss of life was, it could have in fact been much, much worse," said Clare Nullis, spokeswoman for the UN's World Meteorological Organization, praising the government's work in issuing warnings. "Certainly on Thursday and Friday, PAGASA, which is the Philippines' meteorological service, they were sending out regular warnings of a seven-meter (22 ft) storm surge. That was going out on an hourly basis." But as the storm approached Tacloban and authorities crisscrossed the city, their warnings often fell on deaf ears. "Some people didn't believe us because it was so sunny," said Jerry Yaokasin, vice mayor of Tacloban. "Some people were even laughing." Getting relief supplies to survivors has also been chaotic. Foreign aid workers said they had struggled to get equipment and personnel on to Philippine military cargo planes, with the government prioritizing the deployment of soldiers due to widespread looting at the weekend. Mark Fernando, 33, a volunteer for the Philippine National Red Cross, arrived in Tacloban on Tuesday afternoon after a two-day wait at nearby Cebu city for a military plane. "They said, 'Our priority is to bring in soldiers and policemen,'" said Fernando, whose 10-strong team plans to clear debris and set up a water filtration system. One survivor at the Tacloban convention center said he would have evacuated if he had been told a tsunami-like wall of water might hit. "On Thursday night we could see the stars in the sky," said Moises Rosillo, 41, a pedicab driver sheltering beneath the center's distinctive domed roof with his family. "We thought it would just be wind and rain." Rosillo evacuated his wife and son, but stayed behind with his father and thousands of other men in a neighborhood near the airport. The authorities warned of a storm surge—a term Rosilla said he didn't understand—but didn't try to forcibly evacuate them. Winds of 314 kph (195 mph) were followed by a surge of water, which rose to the height of a coconut tree within five minutes, he said. Rosillo was swept into a bay, which he likened to a giant whirlpool, and clung for hours to a piece of wood before struggling ashore. His father died in the water. Medical workers are treating evacuees at the convention center for lacerations and other wounds. But many, like Mendoza, complained of a lack of food and poor hygiene. "People won't come here because they are scared their children will get sick." 'The Preparations Were Not Enough' With so little help arriving, people are still streaming toward Tacloban's airport, where hundreds of people are waiting for a chance to board a flight to Cebu or Manila. "It appears local government units failed to mobilize officials for forced evacuations to higher and safer ground, out of the way of strong winds, storm surges and widespread flooding," said Doracie Zoleta-Nantes, an expert on disasters at the Australian National University in Canberra. Typhoons are a frequent phenomenon in the Philippines and the flimsy nature of rural housing means fatalities are hard to avoid. Haiyan was the second category 5 typhoon to hit this year after Typhoon Usagi in September. An average of 20 typhoons strike every year, and Haiyan was the 24th this year. Last year, Typhoon Bopha flattened three towns in southern Mindanao, killing 1,100 people and causing damage of more than US$1 billion. Zoleta Nantes, a Philippines native, said despite those disasters and efforts to strengthen disaster management since 2010, "the Philippine government continues a reactive approach to disasters." Survivors complained of shortages of food and water, piling pressure on Aquino whose once soaring popularity has been eroded in recent weeks by a corruption scandal roiling his political allies. Some officials said they could have done more. "Now, looking back, the preparations were not enough, especially in Tacloban. What we did not prepare for was the breakdown in local functions," said Lucille Sering, secretary of the government's Climate Change Commission. More than 30 countries have pledged aid, but distribution of relief goods has been hampered by impassable roads and rudderless towns that have lost leaders and emergency workers. Hardest-hit Leyte province has only one working airstrip, which is overrun with relief supplies and crowds jostling to evacuate. It can handle only lighter aircraft. Philippine Army Major Ruben Guinolbay said help from the United States, other countries and aid agencies was slowed by the lack of clear information. Tacloban's government was wiped out by the storm. Many officials are dead, missing or too overcome with grief to work. "The usual contact people could not be reached because communications were cut and there was no way of getting information," he told Reuters. A US Marine commander came to Tacloban to personally assess the situation, he added. After his trip, help started to flow. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the government's response this time was faster than previous disasters. "We saw something that is really unprecedented," Abad said. "I don't think we could have prepared for this." Additional reporting by Rosemarie Francisco and Erik dela Cruz in Manila, Maggie Lu Yueyang in Sydney and Stephanie Ulmer-Nebehay in Geneva. The post Monster Typhoon Exposes an Ill-Prepared Philippines appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

You are subscribed to email updates from The Irrawaddy Magazine To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610