The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Burmese Politicians Will Head to Chiang Mai to Meet Rebel Leaders
• NLD Claims Overwhelming Public Support for Amending Constitution
• Burmese Migrant Workers Fret Under Malaysian Authorities’ Scrutiny
• Senior KIA Figure Visits Rangoon, Fresh Fighting In Kachin State – Updated
• Stigma Against HIV on Agenda as Burma Joins Regional Conference
• Balloon Festival Lights Up Shan Mountains
• India’s Tendulkar Bids Farewell With Tears and Cheers
• OIC Chief Visits Rohingya Camps: ‘I Was Crying’
• Beijing Sets Sights on a New China
• Commonwealth Nations Vow to Help Postwar Sri Lanka
• Ex-strongman’s Brother Sworn in as Maldives Leader

Burmese Politicians Will Head to Chiang Mai to Meet Rebel Leaders Posted: 18 Nov 2013 04:28 AM PST The government's peace negotiating team and leaders of ethnic armed groups meet at the Kachin State capital, Myitkyina, earlier this month. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) Senior members of 12 Burmese political parties will meet with leaders of ethnic armed groups in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, later this week to discuss ongoing efforts to resolve the Southeast Asian nation's numerous armed conflicts. The three-day meeting will be organized by the government-linked Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) and is set to begin Friday. The meeting will precede further talks between government negotiators and armed groups that the government of President Thein Sein hopes will lead to a nationwide ceasefire agreement before the end of the year. The government also wants to hold a political dialogue with ethnic groups in the early part of next year. According to the MPC, representatives of 12 political parties, including the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the main opposition National League for Democracy, as well as ethnic parties, will meet with the United Nationalities Federation Council (UNFC), an alliance of ethnic armed groups and other groups involved in the ethnic conflicts. "[The meeting] will help to strengthen trust between the leaders prior to future political dialogue, which will happen sooner or later," said MPC spokesman Hla Maung Shwe. He said that although it was now possible to hold such talks inside Burma, some rebel leaders were still apprehensive about meeting in the country. "There are some exiled people who still feel unsafe about going back inside the country for such a meeting due to the matter of Section  17 (1) of the Unlawful Association Act. So the party leaders will go [to Chiang Mai] and meet them to share their different ideas," he said, referring to the 1908 law, still in force, that makes it illegal to be associated with dissident groups and is often used to prosecute ethnic rebels. “We want to show that the political culture is, in fact, changing toward political dialogue." Than Than Nu, the secretary of Democratic Party (Myanmar), told The Irrawaddy she was at a meeting last week with the MPC, where the government's lead negotiator, Minister Aung Min, said the meeting would help politicians of all parties and civil society to be more involved in negotiations to end armed conflict in Burma. “This meeting is to prepare for all-inclusive participation in the peace process," Than Than Nu said. The meeting comes after talks earlier this month in Myitkyina, Kachin State, between government negotiators—led by Aung Min—and most ethnic armed groups. The parties agreed to work toward a nationwide ceasefire, although there remain key points of disagreement—including the rebels' call for a federal army and for drastic changes to Burma's current Constitution to allow a federalist system. Nai Hong Sar, secretary of the UNFC, said he welcomed the MPC initiative to bring politicians into the peace process. Although the agenda for the meeting has not been specified, Nai Hong Sar, said he will want to discuss constitutional reform. "When we meet, the main focus will be to talk about peace prevailing urgently in our country," Nai Hong Sar said. "We will talk about peace-building in our country. When talking about peace building, it is related to the 2008 Constitution, so we will talk about how to prepare for [changing] it." On Friday, the political leaders will also meet with women activists from the Chiang Mai-based Women's League of Burma (WLB). "It will be a separate meeting with the political parties' leaders and us on Friday," said Tin Tin Nyo, the general secretary of WLB. The MPC's Hla Maung Shwe said that in addition to the UNFC and the WLB, the parties' leaders will also meet with the members of Working Group for Ethnic Coordination (WGEC), Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and other Shan community leaders. The USDP has not yet confirmed who it will send to the meeting. But 11 other politicians will represent the National League for Democracy, two Shan political parties—the Shan National League for Democracy and the Shan Nationalities Development Party— the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, the Chin Development Party, the Chin National Party, the Karen People's Party, the National Democratic Force, the Union and Diversity Party, the Democratic Party (Myanmar), and the Democracy and Peace Party. The post Burmese Politicians Will Head to Chiang Mai to Meet Rebel Leaders appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

NLD Claims Overwhelming Public Support for Amending Constitution Posted: 18 Nov 2013 04:26 AM PST Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi attends a constitutional survey in Naypyidaw on Monday. (Photo: Teza Hlaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — An opinion poll conducted by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party has indicated overwhelming public support for amending Burma's Constitution, according to the NLD office in Naypyidaw, where the survey was taken. "Eighty-eight percent of 25,000 people who attended the poll were in agreement on amending the Constitution. Eight percent favored rewriting the whole Constitution, while the remainder were neutral," said Zarni, the president of the opposition NLD's Naypyidaw office. The NLD's public poll in the capital's Zabuthiri Township, was attended by citizens of Naypyidaw and beyond, together with NLD members from Rangoon and Mandalay. Though the result confirms widespread perceptions that public opinion favors amending the Constitution, the Monday poll's methodology hardly passes as scientifically credible. Whereas professional polling requires that a random sampling be surveyed, the NLD simply asked citizens to show up and voice their opinion. Authorities initially refused on Friday to grant permission for the poll taking, citing the planned event's close proximity to schools and government offices as justification for the denial. The local government reversed course a day later, giving the green light for the NLD event, at which party chairwoman Suu Kyi delivered a speech. Suu Kyi slammed those with "phony smiles" who are opposed to amending the Constitution, repeating an oft-uttered claim that changing the Constitution was critical to Burma's future. "I respect those who say frankly that they absolutely cannot accept the amendment of the Constitution. But I would say do not vote in the upcoming election to those who try to convince the public with cunning tricks and phony smiles to amend only the very minor issues of the Constitution. Those kinds of people are not committed to serving the country but are instead working for themselves or their organization," Suu Kyi said. "Amending the Constitution is a must for peace, stability and the development of the country," she added. "If there is no willingness to amend the Constitution, that means there's no willingness to create peace, stability and development." Suu Kyi said that with the formation of a parliamentary committee to review the 2008 Constitution, the opportunity to amend the document had never been better. The opposition leader added that she welcomed the committee's input and urged its members to conduct their review with the good of the country and its citizens in mind. Parliament's Constitutional Review Joint Committee, set up in July and consisting of 109 lawmakers, was tasked with taking input from a wide range of stakeholders on whether—and in what ways—to amend the Constitution. The deadline to take public opinion and suggestions regarding the Constitution is Dec. 31. "Our citizens must have knowledge about this Constitution," Suu Kyi said. "There are many chapters that are very important for the future of the country, while there are many unimportant, minor chapters. Study it and decide freely whether amendments are needed or not. "We don't want your agreement just because you were told by me or the NLD. Decide on your own," she urged. Suu Kyi also said that the lack of rule of law in Burma was in part due to the absence of an independent judicial system. "The judiciary must be free from the governance of the state. For that, we need to revise the Constitution," she said. The NLD, which is aggressively pushing for amendments to the controversial Constitution, began a public surveying campaign on the matter last month. A similar poll in Rangoon on Nov. 10 saw more than 99 percent of 20,000 respondents agree on a need to amend the Constitution. "We are doing these events to discuss the Constitution openly with the public," Suu Kyi said. "I would like to urge the military parliamentarians as well not to look out only for the military but for the people. If the citizens strongly back you, the military will not be weakened." The controversial Constitution was written by the former military government. It allows for amendments but doing so requires the approval of a full 75 percent of lawmakers. The Constitution was passed in a referendum in 2008, just a week after Cyclone Nargis devastated the country's Irrawaddy Delta region. The result, in which more than 90 percent of voters supported the Constitution, was widely criticized as illegitimate. The post NLD Claims Overwhelming Public Support for Amending Constitution appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burmese Migrant Workers Fret Under Malaysian Authorities’ Scrutiny Posted: 18 Nov 2013 03:06 AM PST A 'mobile police station' used to carry out passport and work permit checks on migrant workers is pictured near Kuala Lumpur's Berjaya Times Square. (Photo: Kyaw Hsu Mon / The Irrawaddy) KUALA LUMPUR — Burmese migrant workers here say local authorities are making a difficult situation worse by rigorously enforcing legal checks on the foreign worker population in Kuala Lumpur, where undocumented migrants face detention and the threat that religious violence in Burma could again spill over into Malaysia lingers. In Malaysia, clashes between Burmese Buddhists and Muslims took place this year in late May and early June, mostly confined to areas around Kuala Lumpur. At least six Burmese migrant workers were killed and hundreds others, fearing for their safety, were repatriated in the aftermath. June also saw more than 1,000 Burmese migrant workers detained by Malaysian police who said they were rounded up "to prevent further bloodshed," and a similar push over the last three months has the Burmese migrant community in Malaysia on edge once again. "We're always worried about Malaysian police wherever we go around Kuala Lumpur—even though we hold legal permit documentation and a passport, they check us meticulously at every check point, especially near Chinatown where many Burmese stay," said Kyi Aung, a 43-year-old Burmese migrant who has been living in Kuala Lumpur for more than 10 years. "Especially [Burmese nationals who] overstay. Police know who they are, so if they suspect it, they arrest them and let them call their boss to take responsibility for them. Sometimes, police offer overstayers the chance to bribe them, at least 100 ringgit [US$31]," he said. Kyi Aung, who works for a recruitment company in Kuala Lumpur's Damansara Township, said that in the course of his 10-year stay in Malaysia, the Selayang neighborhood was often the scene of conflicts between foreigners—most commonly Burmese, Nepalese, Indians, Filipinos and Indonesians—and Malaysians. "I hear that there is violence almost every day in that area. There is no rule of law in that place, but after media reported on it repeatedly, Burmese people got more notice from both governments. Now we are checked rigorously by the Malaysian government … overstays are more of a concern," he said. With Malaysian authorities stepping up a campaign to root out undocumented workers in early September, a second wave of Burmese migrants returning to their home country appears to be underway. On Sept. 13, 170 migrant workers returned to Burma, saying they had chosen to voluntarily leave Malaysia because they feared arrest by authorities. They said this year's crackdown was particularly thorough and unregistered migrants were living in fear of being apprehended. Thein Naing, a food shop owner in Kuala Lumpur, said the process of making oneself legal was unclear, with the governments of Burma and Malaysia providing different and sometimes contradictory information on the matter. "For instance, the Malaysia government said if a worker can show their identity documents approved by the Burmese Embassy, they will issue legal stay cards, but on the embassy's side, they said if the Malaysian government grants permission [to work in the country], they will confirm a long-stay permit, so people don't know how to do it. There is no consistency between them," said Thein Naing, who has lived in Malaysia for more than 20 years. Malaysian authorities are reportedly targeting about 400,000 unregistered migrant workers in their latest sweep. "If possible, the Burmese government should help Burmese workers who want to legally stay in Malaysia by issuing the required approval letter. If not, there will be more illegal laborers working in Malaysia," he said. Burma's Labor Minister Aye Myint visited Kuala Lumpur in September to discuss the expulsion of unregistered Burmese workers with the Malaysian government. Upon his return, he said that unregistered workers would be allowed to come back to Burma without facing fines, even if they had left the country by crossing the border illegally. As his figure, there is about 250,000 Burmese nationals work in Malaysia, more than 110,000 of whom are without proper legal documentation. Some 8,000 Burmese in Malaysia hold UN refugee status in the fellow Asean nation. However, those numbers may be shrinking. Burmese migrant workers said that following the September crackdown, many of their fellow laborers were returning home, delivering a blow to Malaysian industries heavily reliant on them and nearly forcing the owners of some factories and small and medium enterprises to close shop. Win Myint, a chef at the Old Town coffee shop in Kuala Lumpur's Sunway neighborhood, said many Malaysian businessmen valued Burmese migrants' work ethic and did not want to see them leave the country in the wake of the crackdown. "Some owners tried to get stay permission for their workers because Burmese workers work hard—they can even work 12 hours a day, which local workers can't do," he said. Even Burmese migrant workers who are not concerned about being harassed by the government are finding it difficult to envision a long-term future in Malaysia, where rising living costs present another challenge. "I earn 1,500 ringgit [US$500] per month. I can't save money and can't send any to my family, but the reason I am still working here is, how can I earn that much money in my country?" Win Myint said. "However, I am considering going back next year. "We spent more than 3,000 ringgit to come Malaysia, meaning in one year we cannot save money, because some workers in food shops, construction sites and factories only earn less than 1,000 ringgit. They can't even send money back to their families," he added. Burmese workers on the ground in Malaysia agreed that anyone earning 200,000 kyats (US$206) or more per month in Burma would be better off remaining in the country rather than face the hardships of the current migrant labor situation in Malaysia. "This is not a good time for us migrant workers in Malaysia," Thein Naing said. The post Burmese Migrant Workers Fret Under Malaysian Authorities' Scrutiny appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Senior KIA Figure Visits Rangoon, Fresh Fighting In Kachin State – Updated Posted: 18 Nov 2013 01:31 AM PST Displaced Kachin from Nam Gau village flee on foot to Nam Lim Pa village in late October. (Photo: Free Burma Rangers) RANGOON — Fighting between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) continued over the weekend in southern Kachin State's Mansi Township, where fresh clashes displaced about 2,000 villagers, according to Kachin aid groups. The skirmishes came as KIA Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Gun Maw visited Rangoon, where he said that the militia hopes for a ceasefire with the Army but cautioned that political negotiations need to come after a ceasefire. "The main issue is a guarantee about political dialogue," Gun Maw told media in Rangoon on Monday. "We can only know how solid the guarantee is if the parties sit down and discuss." However, ongoing fighting in Kachin State is clouding prospects of a ceasefire between the Burma Army and the KIA. On Saturday, government troops fought with KIA fighters for about three hours near the village of Nam Lim Pa, causing ethnic Kachin villagers to flee into the surrounding forest, said Naw Din, the manager of the Karuna Myanmar Social Service Relief Team based in Bhamo. Many of displaced walked for a day and a night to reach the nearby village of Maw Win Gyi, the aid worker said, adding that more Kachin villagers continued to arrive on Monday morning. "Our members are preparing food for them. Our staff cook food, so they can eat when they arrive there [Maw Win Gyi village]," said Naw Din, whose organization supports internally displaced people's camps in Bhamo Township. He said local aid organizations struggled to take care of the growing number of displaced villagers, adding that an estimated 2,000 people had fled from Nam Lim Pa village over the weekend. Many of them had previously fled other villages and sought refuge in Nam Lim Pa, but this village had now become too dangerous, Naw Din explained. Gen Gun Maw speaks to the media during a visit to Rangoon on Monday. (Photo: Jpaing) The border of southern Kachin State and northern Shan State has seen fighting since late October, with the violence breaking out shortly before the government was scheduled to hold peace talks with 17 rebel groups. The Burma Army supposedly began operations in the KIA-controlled area of Mansi Township to tackle illegal logging in the area. Thousands of people from several villages have fled their homes to escape the continuing violence. Maran Seng Aung, of the Kachin Peace Creation Group in the state capital Myitkyina, said gun battles had raged in parts of Mansi throughout the weekend. "There is often fighting in this area. Some fighting lasted 3 hours, some 2 hours. Sometimes the fighting stopped for a while and then it starts again," he told The Irrawaddy on Monday. According to Maran Seng Aung, the fighting is the result of a Burma Army operation that aims to cut communications between the KIA troops in Kachin State and Shan rebels in Shan State. "The border line between Kachin and Shan State Army-North [troops] is in this area. They [Burma Army troops] want to cut off the [communication] line and this is why they are fighting there," he said. Echoing Gen Gun Maw’s comments, Maran Seng Aung said the fighting could derail ceasefire talks between the KIA and Naypyidaw, while also undermining government efforts to sign a nationwide ceasefire with 17 ethnic armed groups. "This fighting could cause damage to the peace process. They need to build more trust and should stop fighting," he said, adding that he hoped upcoming peace talks would put an end to the fighting in Mansi. During a meeting in Myitkyina on Nov. 5, the government's chief peace negotiator Aung Min presented 17 of Burma’s ethnic armed groups with a draft nationwide ceasefire proposal. The sides are scheduled to hold another round of talks on the proposal in the Karen State capital Hpa-an next month. Gun Maw said that the Burma government needs to follow-up the ceasefire proposal with discussions about Burma’s political future, with the KIA and other ethnic minority militias seeking greater local autonomy for their homelands. Those demands have long been resisted by the government, which has been fighting with the KIA since a 1994 ceasefire broke down in June 2011. "There are many things to discuss between the two sides," the KIA Vice Chief of Staff said on Monday. "We had a 17-year ceasefire in the past, but there was no political dialogue, and in the end more fighting. "Without a political process after another ceasefire, it will just stay a ceasefire," he warned. This article was updated on Nov. 18, 2013 at 5:30 pm. The post Senior KIA Figure Visits Rangoon, Fresh Fighting In Kachin State – Updated appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Stigma Against HIV on Agenda as Burma Joins Regional Conference Posted: 18 Nov 2013 01:03 AM PST A peer educator, left, teaches Burmese migrants about HIV prevention in Thailand's Samut Sakhon province. (Photo: Jeanne Hallacy / ICAAP11) RANGOON — Government health officials from Burma will travel to Thailand this week for a major regional conference focused on fighting the spread of HIV. More than 50 Burmese delegates—including dozens of civil society leaders and health professionals, along with several lawmakers and officials from the Ministry of Health—are expected to attend the Bangkok-based 11th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific. The five-day conference opened on Monday and will draw over 3,000 delegates from across the region to share lessons from their national outreach programs and devise strategies for raising more awareness on prevention of sexually transmitted infections. Another goal is to reach out to key affected populations, including men who have sex with men, drug users and sex workers, according to Dr. Ni Ni Khaing, who will attend the event as the national program officer on HIV for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Burma. "In Myanmar [Burma], HIV/AIDS is still considered a taboo subject and as a result of the stigma attached to the disease, many delay or even avoid getting tested, or they receive treatment when it is too late," she told The Irrawaddy. Burmese laws that criminalize the behaviors of some of these at-risk populations often keep people away from health facilities where HIV detection and treatment is possible. "For the most at-risk populations, including sex workers and intravenous drug users, if you stigmatize them, HIV transmission can be increased," says Kyi Minn, another Burmese delegate representing World Vision, an international humanitarian organization. "This is the main reason I am interested in attending the conference." Nearly 5 million people in Asia were infected with HIV in 2012, according to UNAIDS. In Burma, about 200,000 people are HIV-positive, and at the end of last year only about 40 percent of those who required antiretroviral therapy (ART) were receiving it, according to medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières, the first and biggest provider of ART in the country. Beyond legal reform, one strategy to reduce stigma is to increase tolerance among faith-based communities, Kyi Minn says, adding that World Vision conducts workshops in Burma to teach religious leaders about the challenges faced by HIV-positive people. "We ask people living with HIV to come and give their personal perspectives about their experience," he says. Nearly two in 10 people living with HIV in Burma reported being verbally insulted as a result of their HIV status, while one in 10 reported physical assault, according to surveys by UNAIDS. Major annual religious festivals could also provide an opportunity to raise awareness about safe sex practices, says Dr. Phone Myint Win, the Burma country representative for the Burnet Institute, a health-focused humanitarian organization, and a former medical officer at public hospitals under Burma's Ministry of Health. "Men who report having both male and female sexual partners are hidden in nature and have low access to health care services," he says. "Festivals where they usually come should be used as a site for future prevention programs. Peer-to-peer education strategies should be adapted to reach non-identifying MSM [men who have sex with men] to increase health literacy and promote behavior change." Less than one in three men who have sex with men were tested for HIV in South Asia and Southeast Asia over a one-year period, UNAIDS reported in 2012. Burma was one of several countries, including Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, that reported high coverage of condom use among surveyed MSM populations, at more than 75 percent. Although Burma's transition from military rule has led to a slight increase in national funding for health care while allowing more access for medical humanitarian organizations, it has also caused new challenges, says Soe Naing, chairman of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Burma. "Myanmar is opening up, so the Internet has become much easier to access and many people, especially young MSM, can date on the Internet and chat to each other," he says. "And then they tend to start having sex at an earlier age, before 16." "Some transgender people are also forced to have sex," he adds, calling for better child protection laws. Poor health infrastructure in rural areas is also worrisome, according to the Burma national association of the YMCA, which is also sending a delegate to Bangkok and offers counseling to HIV patients in Kachin State, where prevalence of the disease is high due to the large number of migrant workers, drug use and sex trafficking. "We also support their children in education and we have handicrafts training for women who have been affected by HIV," says the group's general secretary, Maung Maung Win, adding that the services are also offered in Rangoon and Irrawaddy Division. Asked whether there was enough cooperation regionally to fight the disease, Kyi Minn of World Vision said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), a regional body that includes Burma, agreed to allow migrant workers to access health services in their host countries. "Myanmar migrant workers with HIV in Thailand should be able to get ART in Thailand. The employer should pay for health insurance. Under this kind of scheme, they should be able to get ART treatment from the Thai government," he says. "But I'm not sure if this is really accessible—migrants may not be able to access treatment because some are undocumented." Some 2.5 million Burmese migrant workers live in Thailand—about half of whom are estimated to be undocumented—and health care professionals say many lack information about safe sex practices. The Asia-Pacific director for the International Labor Organization, however, says Thailand has done a relatively good job of offering health services for migrants. "Of course there are some areas that need some improvement, but that's a model," Yoshiteru Uramoto reportedly told the media team for the HIV conference in Bangkok. "But with other countries concerned in Asia, I think there's a lot of room for improvement. "Not just skilled labor, but unskilled, undocumented, irregular migrants—often they are in the shadow of national registration. … So they face all sorts of problems." Throughout the Asia Pacific, progress in fighting HIV infections varies. The rate of new infections fell by more than 25 percent in Burma, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea and Thailand between 2001 and 2011, according to UNAIDS. The rate increased by more than 25 percent in Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. The International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, organized by UNAIDS as well as the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific (ASAP), is known as the largest forum on HIV in the region. Approximately 22 countries in Asia and the Pacific, as well as Europe, the Americas and Africa are expected to be represented. Among the Burmese delegates will be Ko Ko Naing, assistant director of the National AIDS Program in Naypyidaw, along with Aung Thurein, a medical officer at the National AIDS Program and a public health specialist from the Ministry of Health. Burmese officials from international organizations, including the World Health Organization and UNAIDS, will also be in attendance. The post Stigma Against HIV on Agenda as Burma Joins Regional Conference appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Balloon Festival Lights Up Shan Mountains Posted: 18 Nov 2013 12:45 AM PST A balloon crashes to the ground, sending fireworks in all directions, on Saturday at the annual Taunggyi balloon festival. (Photo: Simon Lewis / The Irrawaddy) TAUNGGYI — Tens of thousands of people gathered in the Shan State capital last week for the annual balloon festival to mark the Buddhist celebration Tazaungdaing, also known as the festival of lights. Each November, teams of locals launch homemade hot air balloons of paper and bamboo in an eight-day competition that concludes on the night of the full moon, which his year fell on Sunday. The ancient festival marks the end of Kahtein, where robes are given to Buddhist monks. Although the annual balloon competition was reportedly introduced by the British during the colonial era, the practice is also considered an offering of light to Buddhist spirits. During the day, balloons shaped like animals are launched, and a fairground runs at the site of the festival—a field on the outskirts of the mountaintop town of Taunggyi. At night, events take on a sense of danger. Streams of people rush into the field for the main event. The teams of locals—cheered on by drums, dancing and chanting—launch their balloons with torches, at the last minute attaching a battery of fireworks or decorative candles. The crowd looks on at the awesome rise of the balloon, and an airborne pyrotechnics display presumably costing thousands of dollars in fireworks. Sometimes dozens of individual candles fall slowly to ground with tiny parachutes. Often, however, the launch does not go as planned, and the balloon catches fire, descending rapidly to the ground and sending the crowds fleeing from a fireball. The post Balloon Festival Lights Up Shan Mountains appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

India’s Tendulkar Bids Farewell With Tears and Cheers Posted: 17 Nov 2013 11:23 PM PST Cricket fans shout slogans as they stop traffic while holding a banner in tribute to Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar outside a stadium in Mumbai Nov. 16, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) MUMBAI — Sachin Tendulkar struggled to hold back the tears as he soaked up the unconditional veneration of an Indian crowd for the last time when the sun set on the master batsman's glittering 24-year career on Saturday. After his side completed the formalities of an easy victory over West Indies, Tendulkar collected a stump as a memento and slowly made his way through a mobile guard of honor formed by his team mates, head bowed and struggling to hide his emotions. As television coverage broadcast images of a huge banner in the stands proclaiming "Legends Never Retire," the 40-year-old Tendulkar shook hands with opposing players and staff before climbing the stairs leading to the dressing room. Tendulkar later returned with his wife Anjali, daughter Sara and son Arjun to make a moving and humble farewell speech at the presentation ceremony before completing a lap of honor on the shoulders of his team mates. "All my friends settle down, let me talk. I will get more and more emotional," he said, his voice almost drowned by chants of "Sachin, Sachin" reverberating around his hometown Wankhede Stadium. "It's getting little difficult to talk but I'll manage." A solemn Tendulkar spoke for more than 20 minutes as the 32,000-strong crowd listened intently with hands folded as if in prayer and eyes moist with tears. A day after the anniversary of his international debut against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989 as a mop-haired 16-year-old, Tendulkar finished his career as the sport's most prolific international run-scorer. He leaves the game after playing more test matches (200), scoring the most test (15,921) and one-day international (18,426) runs, and compiling more test (51) and one-day (49) hundreds than any other player in cricket history. Emotional Speech "My life's been 22 yards for 24 years. It's hard to believe that wonderful journey is coming to an end," he said, going on to thank his family, friends and all the people associated with his career. A perfect role model for the country's youth and the sport worldwide with his impeccable image on and off the field, Tendulkar offered a rare glimpse into his fiercely private family life through the speech. "The most beautiful thing happened to me in 1990 when I met my wife Anjali," Tendulkar said, addressing his wife as she wept uncontrollably. "I know Anjali being a doctor, there was a wonderful career in front of her. "When we decided to have a family, Anjali took the initiative to step back and say that 'you continue with your cricket and I will take responsibility of the family.' "Without that, I don't think I would have been able to play cricket freely and without any stress. "You are the best partnership I've had in my life." Such was India's dominance that Tendulkar was only required to bat once in his final test, scoring a stylish 74, but he did get to bowl a couple of overs on Saturday to at least play an active role in his last day of duty. Bowling Repertoire Responding to chants of "We want Sachin, We want Sachin" from the packed stadium, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni tossed the ball to Tendulkar, who delighted his home fans with a brief bowling cameo in his 200th test match. A crowd-pleasing wicket was not forthcoming but he did show off a full repertoire of deliveries, offering leg-spin, off-spin and an immaculate googly which tail-ender Shane Shillingford somehow fended away. The regular bowlers returned to finish off a match that will be largely forgotten as a contest but remembered as a fitting farewell for a man who may be small in stature but cast a giant shadow of greatness over cricket in India and beyond. Tendulkar said he had a simple message for his team mates and all those aspiring to represent the country when Dhoni presented him with the special cap to mark his farewell. "I feel all of us are so fortunate and proud to be part of the Indian cricket team, serving the nation," Tendulkar added, seeking to pass the baton on to the next generation. "I know you will continue to serve the nation in the right spirit, the right values. "Each generation gets this opportunity to merely take care of this sport and serve it to the best of our ability." In a fitting and final tribute, Tendulkar returned to the 22-yard strip of land that has defined his life and career to perform a 'Dandavata,' an Indian form of respect requiring one to bow the forehead and stoop to touch the ground. The post India's Tendulkar Bids Farewell With Tears and Cheers appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

OIC Chief Visits Rohingya Camps: ‘I Was Crying’ Posted: 17 Nov 2013 10:52 PM PST OIC secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu meets with displaced Rohingyas in Arakan State. (Photo: OIC website) RANGOON — The secretary general of the world’s largest bloc of Islamic countries said emotional visits with members of the long-persecuted Rohingya Muslim community — chased from their homes in Burma by Buddhist mobs and arsonists — brought him to tears. "I’ve never had such a feeling," Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said late Saturday, as he and other delegates from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation wrapped up a three-day tour to Burma that included talks with the president, government ministers, interfaith groups and U.N. agencies. But he said it was the huge, emotional crowds living in trash-strewn camps outside the Arakan State capital, Sittwe, that made the biggest impression. "I was crying," Ihsanoglu said. Burma, a predominantly Buddhist nation of 60 million, emerged from a half-century of military rule in 2011, but its transition to democracy has been marred by sectarian violence that has left more than 240 people dead and sent another 240,000 fleeing their homes. Most of the victims have been Rohingya. Though many of their families arrived generations ago, all have been denied citizenship by the government. Many children in displacement camps have not gone to school for more than a year. Those who wish to leave — for medical treatment or otherwise — have to pay hefty bribes. Humanitarian aid workers face constant threats by Buddhist Arakanese, who accuse them of being biased in favor of Rohingya. Ihsanoglu said that while visiting the Sittwe camps, he and other members of the IOC delegation were met by crowds of 5,000, but due to the language barrier, they were unable to communicate. "They were desperate. They were afraid. They were happy we were there, but it was a happiness expressed in crying," he said, adding that he was eventually able to offer the Islamic greeting, "Assalam Alaikum," or "May God grant protection and security," and the crowd responded in kind. "I can’t explain the feeling I had," he said. "It was very moving." The OIC visit to Burma was marred by frequent demonstrations, with thousands turning out to meet the delegates when they landed in Rangoon and then Sittwe, some carrying banners that said "OIC get out" or chanting "Stop interfering in our internal affairs." Still, Ihsanoglu called it a success — mostly because it came at the invitation of a government that has largely remained silent about the repeated attacks on minority Muslims. He said he received assurances that the government was seeking to resolve issues of citizenship for its 800,000 Rohingya, but gave no details. "If this issue is not solved, it will be a big problem," he said. Rohingya, excluded from Burma’s 135 recognized ethnic groups, have for decades endured systematic discriminatory and exclusionary policies, restricting movement, access to education and jobs. Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi — who has said little in defense of the religious minority — declined to meet with the OIC delegation. The post OIC Chief Visits Rohingya Camps: ‘I Was Crying’ appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Beijing Sets Sights on a New China Posted: 17 Nov 2013 10:52 PM PST A police officer stands guard near the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — China has pledged to make the most sweeping changes to the economy and the country's social fabric in nearly three decades with a 60-point reform plan that may start showing results within weeks. Some financial and fiscal reforms are likely to be the first out of the blocks, analysts said, but more wrenching changes such as land reform, reining in the power of state behemoths, and a more universal social welfare system may take years as the Communist Party leaders balance reorganizing the economy with a need to maintain stability. "It's clear that they understand what reforms are needed. They will probably start with reforms that could offer the highest returns with the lowest costs," said Lu Zhengwei, chief economist at Industrial Bank in Shanghai. China unwrapped its boldest reforms since Deng Xiaoping set the country on a course of opening up to the world in the 1970s and 1980s. The Communist Party pledged to let the market play a "decisive" role in the economy and outlined changes designed to unleash new sources of growth that it said would yield results by 2020. After three decades of breakneck expansion, the economy is showing signs of spluttering under the weight of industrial overcapacity and piles of debt. Chinese leaders have made clear that reforms will be carried out in a more concerted way by setting up a high-level group to lead them, but analysts believe they will move first with some less controversial reforms, such as interest rate and price deregulation on utilities and natural resources. "They are likely to start with some easier ones or reforms that have already been kicked off," said Chen Letian, an economist at Rising Securities in Beijing. The central bank is likely to unveil a long-awaited deposit insurance system by the end of this year or early in 2014 to pave the way for freeing up bank deposit rates, which are now subject to administrative caps, analysts say. The insurance scheme would protect depositors as Beijing is concerned some smaller lenders could go under as banks compete for deposits in a more open regime. Earlier this year, the central bank removed controls on lending rates. They expect qualified private investors will get the green-light in the coming months to set up banks to compete with big state lenders that currently dominate. The government will further loosen its controls on prices of water, electricity and natural resources, in line with the pledge to let the market play a "decisive" role, with changes sooner rather than later. Fiscal reform is likely to gain some urgency as a lack of constraint on the finances of heavily indebted local governments will make interest rate reform less effective. A bigger slice of tax revenues would reduce their need to borrow heavily or to sell land to raise revenues. The leadership pledged to push fiscal reform to improve budget management and let the central government assume more spending obligations. Some Reforms May Lag But some changes will require much more preparation and may not show any signs of happening for months or years, analysts say. Reform to allow farmers to sell their land more freely is still being tested in parts of the country, so the government appears a long way off from deciding exactly how the new idea will work in practice. Policymakers also want to make sure that urban areas can absorb the hundreds of millions of rural migrants they want to move to cities to help promote a consumer-led economy. That means social welfare systems, from healthcare to education, have to be strong enough to cope with the influx of people and importantly that jobs are available in the cities. Policymakers worry a sudden rise of landless and jobless migrants could upset the national stability central to the Communist Party's justification for one-party rule. "The pre-condition for reforms is that economic growth will be steady and social stability will be maintained," said Xu Gao, chief economist at Everbright Securities in Beijing. A relaxation of the household registration system, or hukou, which currently means that migrants leave behind the public services they are entitled to as resident of their home villages, will only gradually be expanded from smaller cities to bigger ones, analysts say. A more universal system is seen as critical if Beijing is to encourage more migration to urban areas. But Beijing is attempting to overturn a social system in place since 1958, so change will take probably some years, they say. Reforming state-owned companies will also take years, analysts say. The Communist Party signaled it was in no rush to break up the monopolies that dominate many sectors of the Chinese economy. Instead, it appears to be targeting a slow squeeze on these companies, which analysts say probably reflects a more practical approach given the political power of the big state firms and the ministries that back them. The Communist Party has raised the amount of profit the state-owned enterprises have to set aside for dividend payouts, will allow private firms to enter some protected business sectors and will allow markets to play a greater role in pricing assets, suggesting these bloated companies will have to become more efficient over time to cope with market forces. The government has previously tried to open up sectors currently monopolized by state firms—such as oil and gas, banking, telecommunications, electricity, and transportation—to private investors, but with little success. The reforms pledge to quicken the process of making the yuan fully convertible, but some government economists caution against high expectation amid fears among some policymakers that allowing the currency to move freely too quickly could expose the economy to volatile capital flows, such as the ones blamed on the US Federal Reserve's economic stimulus program. The central bank has pledged to make the yuan "basically convertible" by 2015 but it has never given a clear definition of what that means. Still, Beijing cannot be too cautious, said Zhu Baoliang, chief economist at State Information Centre, a top government think-tank in Beijing. "They may have to quicken reforms in all fronts, otherwise they may not achieve the tasks by 2020," Zhu said. Thorniest Issue The team leading reform is likely to be more powerful than the State Commission for Restructuring the Economy, which was responsible for drawing up a reform blueprint that led to the shutdown of thousands of inefficient state-owned firms and the loss of millions of jobs in the 1990s. A top party official could head the team, they said. Some speculate that Premier Li Keqiang could take charge, while others pointed to Han Zheng, Shanghai's party chief. Eventually, Beijing may have to deal with the thorniest issue. "Over the longer term, both central and local governments will have to downsized and they will no longer need so many people," said Xu at CCIEE. The post Beijing Sets Sights on a New China appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Commonwealth Nations Vow to Help Postwar Sri Lanka Posted: 17 Nov 2013 09:53 PM PST Sri Lankan Tamils hold pictures of family members who disappeared during the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at a protest in Jaffna, about 400 km (250 miles) north of Colombo, where a meeting of the Commonwealth was taking place on Nov. 15, 2013. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Leaders including South Africa's president said Sunday that they are ready to help Sri Lanka achieve postwar healing, as the island nation closed a Commonwealth summit held amid international outcry over its human rights record. The summit was dogged by constant attention to Sri Lanka's refusal to allow international inquiries into alleged atrocities committed during and after its 27-year civil war, which ended in 2009. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said his troops committed no abuses during or since the country's brutal civil war against ethnic Tamils fighting for a homeland in the island's north. Rajapaksa has also said his country's institutions are actively processing mounting abuse complaints that include reports of missing people, attacks against journalists and harassment of government critics. "It will take time," he said during a news conference closing the summit. "We have to change the minds and thinking of the people, not only in the north, but in the south, too." Rajapaksa's government has staunchly refused international calls for an independent inquiry, seeing it as an invasion into domestic matters. "You must respect our views also, without trying to put us in the corner," he said. On Saturday, British Prime Minister David Cameron gave Sri Lanka a March deadline for showing progress on postwar reconciliation, after which he said he would press the issue with the United Nations. "You can't say do it in one week or four months. That's very unfair," Rajapaksa said. The leaders of Canada and Mauritius boycotted the summit over Sri Lanka's human rights record. India's prime minister sent his foreign minister in his place, with Indian Tamil voters demanding a boycott. But Cameron and other leaders who defied calls to boycott the summit argued that engaging Sri Lanka was a better plan. South African President Jacob Zuma, whose country is still working on reconciling its minority white and majority black populations after abolishing apartheid in 1990, said he shared lessons on reconciliation with the Sri Lankan government. "We have some experience to offer," Zuma said, adding that his country was ready to help further "if there's a need for South Africa to play a role." Rights groups questioned Sri Lanka's resolve in addressing the rights issues, noting a deterioration in the rule of law in recent years and ongoing media harassment. Since Rajapaksa became president in 2005, more than 80 journalists have fled—26 of them in the last five years. Leaders who attended described the summit as a success and emphasized the importance of keeping the group of Britain and its former territories together in order to lobby in other international forums as one unit that shares linguistic and judicial colonial residues, while representing a third of the world's population and a fifth of its economy. "We should not be divided," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said, adding that the 27 leaders who attended out of 53 Commonwealth nations expressed a "sense of wanting to stay together." "We can benefit from sitting down and learning from each other," he said. The Commonwealth leaders produced a final document committing once more to the group's core values, including democracy and human rights, as well as outlining plans to push for changes to international lending that would help small nations access loans and financing for projects to help cope with the effects of climate change. The next Commonwealth summit will be in Malta in 2015. The post Commonwealth Nations Vow to Help Postwar Sri Lanka appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Ex-strongman’s Brother Sworn in as Maldives Leader Posted: 17 Nov 2013 09:39 PM PST A supporter of Maldives presidential candidate Mohamed Nasheed shouts slogans in front of a police officer during a protest in Male on Sept. 27, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) MALE — The brother of the Maldives’ former authoritarian ruler was sworn as the country’s new president on Sunday, a day after his runoff victory capped a messy election that raised concerns that the tiny archipelago nation’s fragile new democracy was in jeopardy. In a close runoff on Saturday, voters chose Yaamin Abdul Gayoom, the brother of former autocrat Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the Indian Ocean nation for 30 years, over the Maldives’ first democratically elected leader. Gayoom and his deputy, Mohamed Jameel, were sworn in Sunday by the country’s chief justice. Gayoom received 51.4 percent of the vote Saturday, according to the Elections Commission. Mohamed Nasheed, who led the Maldives’ struggle for democracy and was elected president in the country’s first multiparty election in 2008, had 48.6 percent. Nasheed, who resigned last year amid protests, was the leading vote-getter in the Nov. 9 first round, with 47 percent to Gayoom’s 30 percent, but a runoff was required because no candidate got 50 percent. Gayoom improved on his first-round performance by courting supporters of tourist resort owner Qasim Ibrahim, who finished third in the first round with 23 percent of the vote. Ibrahim drew his support from conservative Muslims who accused Nasheed of undermining Islam because of his friendly relations with Israel and Western nations. Addressing the nation after being sworn in, Gayoom said his main priority would be to "increase the love of the religion and the nation" and bring back stability. He also promised economic policy changes that would give more opportunities to youth, fishermen and farmers. Nasheed was the clear pre-election favorite, but lost his momentum amid long delays to complete the election. He conceded the election Saturday and said he would not challenge the results. "This is a very happy day for all of us. We now have an elected president," he said. "We don’t want to go to the courts." The Maldives had failed to elect a president in three attempts since September, raising international concerns that the fledgling democracy may slip back to authoritarian rule. Nasheed received 45 percent in a Sept. 7 election, but the result was annulled by the Supreme Court after Ibrahim complained that the voters’ register contained made up names and those of dead people. Last month, police stopped a second attempt at holding the election because all the candidates did not accept a new voters’ list as the court had mandated. The court intervened again to change the runoff election date, which had been set for the day after the Nov. 9 vote. It also ordered incumbent President Mohamed Waheed Hassan to continue in office despite the official end of his term on Nov. 11, purportedly to avoid a constitutional void because the country was past the legal deadline to elect and seat a new president. The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka congratulated Gayoom and said it looked forward to working in partnership with him. The Maldives has seen much upheaval in the five years since its first multiparty election. There has been conflict between the judiciary, Parliament and the presidency, which often worked in different directions. The judiciary and bureaucracy were often accused of being loyal to Gayoom, the former autocratic ruler. Nasheed was elected in 2008, but resigned midway through his term last year after weeks of public protests and declining support from the military and police over his decision to detain a senior judge whom he perceived to be biased. He later said he was ousted in a coup, but an inquiry commission rejected the allegation. The Maldives is a predominantly Muslim nation of 350,000 people. About 240,000 people were eligible to vote Saturday, and turnout was more than 91 percent. The post Ex-strongman’s Brother Sworn in as Maldives Leader appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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