The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Concerns Over Impunity in Burma Soldier’s Alleged Rape of 13-Year-Old
• Burma Defense Ministry Puts Forward Budget Request
• Relevance of Norway-Supported Peace Project Under Review
• 4,000 Squatter Shanties Leveled in Rangoon Mass Eviction
• Latest Nationwide Ceasefire Talks Delayed Once Again
• Tourists Take the Short Trip to Dala for a Look at Rural Burma
• Discovery Could Fill Out Historical Record on Little-Known Burmese King
• Dynamite Fishing in Burma’s Mergui Archipelago Proves Hard to Stop
• Burma Army Still Uses Rape as Weapon of War: Women’s Group
• Thai Opposition Leader’s House Attacked, Politics in Deadlock
• No Asylum Seekers Reach Australian Shores in Weeks
• US Lawmakers Urge Tough Stance on China Sea Claims

Concerns Over Impunity in Burma Soldier’s Alleged Rape of 13-Year-Old Posted: 15 Jan 2014 05:01 AM PST A parade to mark the 68th anniversary of Armed Forces Day in Burma's capital Naypyitaw March 27, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — A Burma Army soldier who allegedly raped a 13-year-old girl last month in Mon State's Ye Township may escape justice, an ethnic Mon women's advocacy group warned. The Mon Women's Organization (MWO) raised concerns over the case Wednesday, as a comprehensive report by the Thailand-based Women's League of Burma (WLB) accused the Burmese military of using rape as a weapon in the country's ethnic conflicts. A Burmese soldier from Infantry Battalion 31 is accused of raping the girl in Kawzar sub-township, southern Ye, on Dec. 24, when her parents were not at home. The girl was discovered by a community leader and reported that she had been tied up and raped, which was confirmed by a medical examination. The Burma Army's Southeast Regional Command launched an investigation into the case, and the soldier, who has been accused by name, has reportedly been detained at his barracks, according to MWO chair Mi Lawi Han. The local community has not been officially informed of the detention, however, and MWO is concerned that the soldier will not face proper punishment for the crime. In cases where soldiers are accused of crimes, including rape, it is common for the army to apply its own disciplinary processes, which are opaque and deliver lenient punishments. The organization last week visited the victim's family, who were concerned that the soldier would not be punished, said Mi Lawi Han. "They [the military] should inform to organizations and the community if they have taken action against their soldier. We found no one in the community heard anything about this. In fact, they should make public any action about the crime," she said. MWO is trying to get legal help for the victim and her family—who are afraid to take action against the army—to bring charges in the civilian legal system against the soldier, she added. Human rights groups based on Burma's borders that work with different ethnic groups frequently report rapes of ethnic women by Burma Army troops, and impunity for the soldiers responsible. Kachinland News, an ethnic news outlet in Burma's far north, reported that three Kachin women were abducted while traveling on a bus between the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina and Sumpra Bum by soldier from the 298th Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) on Jan. 10. The report said that one woman was raped by a gang of soldiers after the other two managed to escape. WLB's report, bringing together information for a number of women's groups based in ethnic areas, said it had found more than 100 cases of women and girls being raped by soldiers since 2010. The Kachin Women Association Thailand reported 39 cases of Kachin women or girls raped and the Shan Women's Action Network reported 35 cases for the report. "Their widespread and systematic nature indicates a structural pattern: rape is still used as an instrument of war and oppression," the report said of the findings. It said allegations of rape by soldiers, which may constitute war crimes, must be independently investigated. According to a Reuters report of the WLB publication on Wednesday, the US State Department also urged the Burmese government to investigate the allegations, as the United States begins to re-establish military-to-military ties with Burma. Reuters also quoted Burmese presidential spokesman Ye Htut denying the allegation that rape was used systematically by the Burma Army. "It's not the policy of our Tatmadaw [military] to use rapes as weapons," presidential spokesman Ye Htut told Reuters. "If there are rape cases committed by individual members, we try to expose them and take effective action against the offenders. It would be very helpful in taking action against the offenders if those who prepared that report could send us the details of the cases," Ye Htut said, according to Reuters. The post Concerns Over Impunity in Burma Soldier's Alleged Rape of 13-Year-Old appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma Defense Ministry Puts Forward Budget Request Posted: 15 Jan 2014 04:51 AM PST Burma's armed forces take part in a ceremony to honor the 65th anniversary of independence from British rule in Naypyidaw on Jan. 4, 2013. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) Burma's Ministry of Defense has requested less funding for the 2014-15 fiscal year, although the proposed budget, if approved, would still be the biggest budget of all government ministries. Defense Minister Lt-Gen Wai Lwin on Tuesday requested a budget of 2.36 trillion kyats (US$2.36 billion) for this fiscal year, about $40 million less than his ministry's $2.4 billion budget last year. Although the proposed defense budget is smaller this year, it is still the highest of all budget proposals for ministries, according to Ba Shein, a member of the Parliament Budget Committee who called for greater spending on social services such as education. "The education system is in ruins," said the lawmaker, adding that the defense budget proposal would likely be discussed in Parliament next week, along with the budget requests of other ministries. Of the $2.36 billion requested for the total defense budget this year, $2.282 billion would go toward military projects, while the rest would go toward salaries. Last year the defense ministry had a similar level of funding for projects, at $2.289 billion, meaning that much of the $40 million reduction in the total defense budget this year would come from salaries. The military projects include building infrastructure for military camps, building roads to connect bases, purchasing vehicles and equipment, offering training and sending trainees abroad. In addition to the official budget, the Ministry of Defense can use funding from a range of military-backed businesses, including the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings. The defense minister told Parliament that he requested a smaller budget this year than the budgets of defense ministries in other Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, which allocates $5.38 billion to defense, and Malaysia, which allocates $4.2 billion. Under military rule in Burma, a major share of funds went to defense while the health and education sectors were largely neglected. Since President Thein Sein's quasi-civilian government took office, military spending has reduced by half—from about 23 percent of the total national budget in 2011 to 12 percent of a $19 billion total national budget last year. The education and health budgets are expected to increase this year, but only slightly. Last week the Financial Commission led by Thein Sein proposed a boost to education spending from 4.9 percent of the national budget last year to 5.43 percent this year. It proposed an increase in health spending from 3.15 percent of the national budget last year to 3.38 percent this year. In 2011 the education budget was 4.3 percent of the national budget, while the health budget was 1.3 percent. Burma had revenue of more than $16 billion in the 2013 fiscal year but spent $19 billion, leaving a deficit of about $3 billion. The debt will be discussed in Parliament after reports are submitted by the auditor general and the Public Expenditure Committee, according to Ba Shein. After meeting with the Financial Commission last week, Thein Sein called for a crackdown on tax evasion, recommending a system to provide incentives to taxpayers in the next fiscal year. May Sitt Paing contributed to this report from Naypyidaw. The post Burma Defense Ministry Puts Forward Budget Request appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Relevance of Norway-Supported Peace Project Under Review Posted: 15 Jan 2014 04:19 AM PST Burmese President Thein Sein, left, meets with Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg in Oslo on Feb. 26, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) The relevance of the Myanmar Peace Support Initiative (MPSI) is being reviewed two years after Norway spent US$2 million on dozens of development and aid projects in Burma's ethnic conflict areas, the initiative's director said. "We are trying to see whether what the MPSI has been doing for two years is still as important and still relevant today," Charles Petrie, who heads the MPSI, said in an interview in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. “MPSI peace-related support might be no longer needed," he said, adding that the project could be renamed and offer a different type of support to the peace process. "What we are doing right now is reviewing what the MPSI has done," he said, before adding, "I didn’t say that the MPSI is going to end." Petrie said MPSI had spent about $2 million in the last two years. The Norway-funded initiative began in January 2012 with the aim of supporting the peace process that was started by President Thein Sein's reformist government and has resulted in the signing of more a dozen ceasefire agreements with ethnic armed groups in the past two years. The MPSI launched dozens of pilot projects in Burma's ethnic border areas, such as in Shan, Karen, Karenni, Mon, Chin states as well as Pegu and Tenasserim divisions. The projects focused on humanitarian aid, education support, development and the possible return of internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees. Some 60,000 IDPs were issued national identity card with the support of MPSI, which also held consultations and workshops in ethnic areas. The initiative funded projects by international organizations such as Norwegian People Aid, Norwegian Refugee Committee, the International Labor Organization and local relief groups, such as the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People. However, some Burmese and ethnic community-based organizations (CBOs) working with conflict-affected ethnic groups and refugees in Thailand have criticized the Norway-led initiative. The groups said it lacks transparency, fails to consult CBOs, and risks channeling aid into conflict areas before Naypyidaw and ethnic armed groups have reached a political settlement to end their long-running conflicts. Currently, the government and the ethnic rebels are trying to consolidate their ceasefire agreements; the sides are due to hold a second round of talks next month in Karen State capital Hpa-an to discuss the signing of a nationwide ceasefire agreement. Petrie said the MPSI had been launched early on in the peace process in order "to test whether the commitments made by the government were real commitments, and to help the armed groups test those commitments." "We have a number of pilot projects … of 100,000 and 150,000 dollars. And they are basically a type of relief supports. They were used to test how the authorities and the IDPs can get along," he said. "Today, I think the situation is very different. You have ceasefires. It is very clear that the [ceasefire] process is serious," Petrie said, adding that a review of the MPSI would be completed in February to assess whether its approach remains relevant. Petrie said the project could change its name and offer other, scaled-down forms of support that would focus on new political structures that are likely to be created as a result of the peace process. The initiative might, for instance, focus on support for administrative zones run by ethnic groups, he added. Although international donors have been enthusiastic about Thein Sein's achievements in the peace process, local ethnic populations, CBOs and other NGOs remain cautious. They have stressed that ethnic people's aspirations for greater political autonomy and control over their own natural resources need to be addressed first. Meanwhile, reports of human rights violations in ethnic areas by the Burma Army continue to surface regularly. The military also still carries out operations in Kachin and Shan states, while many ethnic communities fear that the military is continuing to consolidate and expand its power in ethnic areas. "Any outside parties, including MPSI, who want to offer their help for peace in Burma, must have in-depth understanding of ethnic people's long-term struggle to achieve their birthrights. Superficial understanding will do more harm than good," said Soe Aung, a spokesman of the Forum for Democracy in Burma, a Thailand-based political activist group. Petrie defended the Norway-backed project from criticism that it had put aid projects before a political settlement, saying, "The MPSI has been very conscious of the fact that development must not displace political dialogue." While the Norwegian peace project is being reviewed and could end in the near future, some other foreign countries plan to greatly increase their role in Burma's long-running, complex ethnic conflict. Japan's government and influential Japanese charity the Nippon Foundation announced last week that Japanese NGOs plan to spend a staggering $96 million on aid projects in Burma's ethnic areas in the next five years. The projects would supposedly support peace by offering food aid and promoting local socio-economic development. Veteran Swedish journalist Bertil Lintner, who authored several books on Burma and its ethnic conflict, questioned the relevance of MPSI and other international projects aimed at supporting the intricate peace process. "There seems to be hordes of instant, foreign experts running around promoting 'peace' and 'dialogue' these days. They come with models which may have worked elsewhere in the world and believe it will work in Burma too. It’s become an industry," said Lintner. "The problem is that they don’t know enough about the ethnic conflicts. Economic development won’t solve anything," he added. The post Relevance of Norway-Supported Peace Project Under Review appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

4,000 Squatter Shanties Leveled in Rangoon Mass Eviction Posted: 15 Jan 2014 04:16 AM PST Police stand guard on Tuesday as squatters' homes in Rangoon's Hlaing Thaya Township are dismantled by municipal authorities. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — More than 4,000 huts built by squatters on the outskirts of Burma's former capital were demolished without explanation by the Rangoon Division government on Tuesday. The rickety bamboo shacks, located on land beneath the Pan Hlaing Bridge, and other makeshift dwellings erected along the highway between the townships of Hlaing Thaya and Twan Tae were torn down with little warning by local police, and municipal and township administrative staff, according to squatters evicted in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Asked about the reason for the evictions, the Rangoon Division government's Deputy Director Aung Kyaw Soe told The Irrawaddy that senior officials from the divisional government were taking care of the case. "Nothing bad will happen and we are trying our best to keep everything under control. We are going to release information very soon," he said. Though there were no clashes on Tuesday, the ongoing removal of the dwellings on Wednesday saw as many as 20 people arrested as some squatters wielding knives, sticks and slingshots resisted the mass eviction by authorities, a witness said. Myint Aung, one of the squatters living on alluvial land under the Pan Hlaing Bridge, said his family members were evicted from their hut on short notice and were afforded no time to pack their belongings. "They shouted 'Get out! Get Out!' and then tore down my hut," he told The Irrawaddy. "While they were tearing down huts, police were providing security for them," he added. Many of those affected this week had built huts in the area last month, after the government targeted another part of Hlaing Thaya, in western Rangoon, for clearance of illegal dwellings, informing inhabitants that they would be forced to leave by Jan. 27. Than Soe, one of the squatters who were evicted on Tuesday, said he had built his hut in the area anticipating that he would be forced off the other plot as the Jan. 27 deadline approached. "I can't afford to rent a place so I ended up here. I have no idea what to do next," he told The Irrawaddy. Most of the squatters are laborers who survive on meager daily incomes of US$2.50 or less, while some have no regular income at all. With a hand-to-mouth existence that leaves them unable to buy or rent a residence, they end up as illegal tenants who settle in any free space they can find, said Nay Lin, an MP from Hlaing Thaya Township in the Rangoon divisional legislature. The lawmaker estimated that there were nearly 30,000 squatter families around Hlaing Thaya. Nay Lin urged the government to handle any evictions with care, citing the potential volatility of the issue. Another local parliamentarian, Nyan Win, admitted that the situation presented a difficult conundrum. "If I stand for the squatters because they have nowhere to live, I am somewhat encouraging illegal activities. If I follow legal procedures, I feel I am against the people," he said. The post 4,000 Squatter Shanties Leveled in Rangoon Mass Eviction appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Latest Nationwide Ceasefire Talks Delayed Once Again Posted: 15 Jan 2014 02:53 AM PST Talks between ethnic armed groups in Laiza, Kachin State, in October 2013. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) A meeting between a team of negotiators from Burma's ethnic armed groups and the government's peace negotiating team, due to be held in the Karen State capital of Hpa-an, has been postponed for the second time, according to an ethnic leader. The National Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), which includes representatives from 14 armed groups, was originally set to meet with the government negotiators in December, but ethnic groups said they needed more time to coordinate and said the talks would take place this month. The Hpa-an talks are meant to be the next step toward the government's aim of having a nationwide ceasefire signed with all groups, which has been repeatedly put back. Nai Hong Sar, the head of the NCCT, told The Irrawaddy that the talks would now take place in February, as ethnic groups are still yet to finalize their collective position. "We need to take time for more mutual discussion," said Nai Hong Sar. "Therefore, we decided to move it to next month, tentatively on Feb. 20." The decision to postpone comes after the NCCT leader held talks on Jan. 11 with Deputy Minister Aung Thein, who works under President's Office Minister Aung Min—the government's chief negotiator. Members of the government-linked Myanmar Peace Center, led by Aung Thein, were in Chiang Mai, Thailand, last week to talk about a draft agreement that is still being discussed between the ethnic armed groups. "We are still at the discussion level and will wrap it up on Jan. 16 and 17. Then we'll take it [the draft] to an ethnic conference in Law Khee La,"  said Nai Hong Sar, referring to a base in a Karen National Union controlled area near the Thai-Burmese border, also known as Lay Wah. The meeting between the ethnic groups will take place on Jan. 20, he added. Nai Hong Sar said both sides had agreed to move the Hpa-an meeting to next month to spend more time on the draft. The NCCT first met with government negotiators in the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina in early November after an ethnic armed groups' conference held in Laiza, the Kachin Independent Organization’s headquarters on the Chinese-Burmese border, in October. The post Latest Nationwide Ceasefire Talks Delayed Once Again appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Tourists Take the Short Trip to Dala for a Look at Rural Burma Posted: 15 Jan 2014 02:45 AM PST Rural Dala is a contrast from the bustle of downtown Rangoon, which lies just across the river. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON —About a hundred tourists a day are heading across the Rangoon River to Dala, an undeveloped and largely rural area on the other bank, hoping to get a glimpse of the reality of life for most people in Burma. "Just across the river, we can see the countryside of Burma," tour guide Thiha Kyaw Win, who often takes tourists to see what lies on the other side, told The Irrawaddy. Foreigners join the throngs of local commuters who use the ferries across the river, and often hire trishaws to visit sights in Dala. The town of Dala has a market, pagodas, a clock tower and tea shops, while there are fields and lakes to see further afield. "The roads in Dala are really bad and the houses are poor. The people's lives in Dala are really different from downtown," Thiha Kyaw Win said. "Dala shows how the river affects the lives of the people," he said. There are four government-owned ferries that serve the river crossing, cross a total of 46 times each day. Each is named for a Burmese historical hero: Dabin Shwehtee, Anawrahta, Htee Hlaing Shin and Kyansit Thar. The boat only takes about 10 minutes from downtown's Pansodan terminal to the Dala jetty and costs 2,000 kyats, or about US$2 for foreigners and 100 kyats for locals. "We arranged to open the top level [of the ferries] for foreigners starting from five months ago. Most are satisfied as they get to go up where they can take the best photos of river scene," a manager at Inland Water Transport, who requested anonymity, said. Reaching the Dala side on a recent visit, a skinny, barefoot man was collecting the plastic bottles and packets along the river bank. My trishaw driver navigated the dusty and bumpy roads through the wards of Dala to reach Mahar Thingyan Lake. When the lake is opened up to locals between 4 and 5 pm, young girls and boys, as well as old men and women, carried pails to fetch drinking water for their homes. Around Dala one can hear the sounds of Buddhist ceremonies under way in pagodas and monasteries. But at times the otherwise peaceful atmosphere is broken by something else you don't get on the other side of the river—motorbikes. "People here are very kind and you can walk everywhere without worries. You can feel safe and that's the remarkable thing from this trip," Karstew, a visitor from Denmark, said. Most of the houses are built with bamboo and palm leaves, and some people live in huts as little as 4-6 feet wide. "Most people here do not own land, so people built their homes only with bamboo and toddy-palm leaf which can be easily removed when they get the order to move," trishaw driver Than Myo said. Khin Mar, a resident of Dala, said that foreigners are coming to Dala since they want to see the countryside of Burma and they want to understand the "nature" of the Burmese people. While the rest of Rangoon is speedily developing, there is a sense that Dala is in a different time. When I arrived at the Dala clock tower at 5:30 pm, the clock showed 4:15. Thiha Kyaw Win, the tour guide, said that foreigners choose to visit Dala since it is the nearest place to Rangoon to see the rural life of the Burmese. It also provides a photogenic view of the sunset over Rangoon and the river, he added. "Tourists visited Dala more in 2013. From the November 2013, about 100 foreigners are going to Dala every day, which is about 40 percent higher than in early 2013," the manager of Inland Water Transport said. He said South Koreans were the most frequent visitors among foreigners, followed by tourists from European countries. Rumors of a possible bridge from the city have driven land speculation in Dala in recent years. And if that happened, the manager said, development would surely spread there, as it has to other suburbs connected to the city. For now, however, it remains a poor but charming rural idyll, in comparison to the bustling streets across the water. "There are no jobs in Dala. There are no factories, no companies and no big shops," the manager said. The post Tourists Take the Short Trip to Dala for a Look at Rural Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Discovery Could Fill Out Historical Record on Little-Known Burmese King Posted: 15 Jan 2014 02:23 AM PST A handout shows the front and back of a stone tablet inscribed in several languages and dated back to the 11th century. MANDALAY — Burmese archaeologists and historians said Tuesday that a recently discovered stone tablet dating back more than 900 years could help to shed light on the largely untold life of King Sawlu, son of Burma's much better known King Anawrahta. The experts said the stone inscription, found in Myittha Township, Mandalay Division, was written in Mon, Pyu, Parli, and Gone Shan languages, as well as another unknown script. The tablet is believed to have been chiseled in the early 11th century and mentions a monastery built and donated by the wife of Sawlu. The experts said only some lines of the stone inscription are still legible, with the slab found not fully intact and some pieces still missing. "From just a few words that we were able to read in the Mon language, it said that King Sawlu ruled the nation by the teachings of Lord Buddha. This means Sawlu was not a bad king as history has portrayed him," said Naing Ba Shin, an expert of ancient Mon inscriptions who formerly worked for the government's Department of Archaeology. "If we could read more, and if we could get the remaining parts, we would know more untold details about King Sawlu and his queen, and this might change some part of history," he added. Sawlu has long been considered a disappointing heir to King Anawrahta, who, as founder of Burma's Pagan Dynasty, is widely regarded as one of Burma's greatest monarchs. Accounts of Sawlu's reign describe the king as a drunkard who was fond of gambling and was eventually dethroned by a popular rebellion. Due to the brief time that he spent as king—reigning less than a decade—and the imposing legacies of both his predecessor and successors to the throne, history has largely neglected to offer a detailed account of Sawlu's life. The Burmese experts said they were in the process of researching the temples, pagodas and statues built and donated by Sawlu, with the recent discovery adding a significant contribution to their efforts. "We've been researching inscriptions written by King Sawlu, but there were very few about him to study. Recent findings disclose more about him and inspire us to study more about him," said Myint San, a Pyu language expert. Part of the stone inscription was found while workers were cleaning Myittha's Paytaw Monastery compound, where a new monastery is slated to be built in November. Additional pieces of the stone slab were unearthed as researchers descended on the site after news of the initial discovery was reported by local media. The inscription is etched onto a stone slab some 2.6 feet wide, 4.3 feet high and 5 inches thick. The various languages are inscribed on both sides of the tablet. According to the researchers, only a small portion of the text is legible and states that the Maha Anuruda Deva Rama Monastery was donated by the Sawlu monarchy in the king's quest to attain Nirvana. "The year of inscription, in the Burmese year 415 [circa 1052 AD], is clearly written. And the words written on this stone are very similar to other inscriptions of that time. So we can say this stone inscription dates back about 1,000 years," said Myint San. However, the researchers acknowledged that given the poor condition of the tablet's inscription and the fact that large portions of the slab are still missing, the discovery may lead to as much debate as revelation regarding the long-dead king. "As with many other historical discoveries, there will always be controversy surrounding the year of inscription, the language, about the people, et cetera. There is always a justification to debate, and that is what archaeologists and historians do," said Naing Ba Shin. Win Maung, an expert on Burmese traditional arts and a member of the team currently researching the Sawlu tablet, said that inscriptions in Mon, Pyu, Parli and Gone Shan languages were confirmed, but one script remained unknown. "Because it was written many years ago and was broken into pieces, we still can't confirm some of the language," he said. "We have a lot of research ahead, of course." The abbot from Paytaw Monastery and interested elders and youth in Myittha are preparing to erect a small building to conserve the centuries-old stone inscription while researchers continue to probe the finding. "More experts' help is needed to research more about this valuable stone inscription," Win Maung said. "We hope remaining parts of the broken stone slab are found." The post Discovery Could Fill Out Historical Record on Little-Known Burmese King appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Dynamite Fishing in Burma’s Mergui Archipelago Proves Hard to Stop Posted: 15 Jan 2014 01:40 AM PST A Mergui golden pearl, found in the vast archipelago off the coast of Burma's Tenasserim Division, is removed from an oyster. (Photo: Jacques Maudy) MERGUI ARCHIPELAGO — Dynamite fishing destroys the seabed and sterilizes the sea for at least three years, killing every single fish, mollusk, coral and plant in a radius of 3 nautical miles. The practice is nonetheless so widely used in southern Burma's Mergui Archipelago—in at least five recorded locations: Mat Chong Phe, Chalam, the Five Sisters Island group, Lampi, Kyin Gua Chong—that the impact on the local economy is now huge. The archipelago is a vast group of more than 800 mostly unspoiled islands off the coast of Tenasserim Division. It is home to a shrinking tribe of sea gypsies and gets only a few visitors, mainly scuba divers seeking coral reefs, but plans are underway to develop the tourism infrastructure as Burma welcomes more foreign visitors. Myint Lwin, chairman of a major Burmese pearl company, who runs farms in six locations in the Mergui, or Myeik, islands, said that he could not breed oysters in his new farm south of Lampi this year because they were being killed by the blasts. As most of the highly prized Mergui golden pearls are exported, this represents a loss of an estimated US$15 million per year for the country. Burmese golden pearls are currently the most expensive in the world, and reached as much as eight times the floor price at a Hong Kong wholesale auction in March last year. But the pearl industry is not the only area that suffers from bombing fishing. The practice is dangerous for recreational divers visiting the area from Thailand and hampers the development of the tourist industry. Hotels and guest houses on Kyin Gua Chong are concerned that the systemic destruction of their marine environment will hurt their tourist operations. A retired fisherman from Domel Island, who asked to remain anonymous, said he had himself had tried dynamite fishing. He explained that a first bomb of low impact is detonated during the daytime, killing small fish that will then surface belly up. The bigger fish then concentrate in the area to feed on the dead small fry. A second, much stronger bomb, is detonated at night to kill the big fish. This double whammy effect leaves nature with no chance. The fishermen simply wait for the water to settle, dive and "harvest" their catch. Small and large operators, Thai and Burmese alike, practice dynamite fishing. Large fishing boats wait nearby while smaller vessels bomb, harvest and bring back the catch. This makes law enforcement by the Burma Navy difficult. The fishing boats are elusive and their crews have become expert at the cat and mouse game of evading authorities. Dynamite is smuggled from Thailand through the Kaw Thung, the southernmost tip of Burma. Thai operators even employ people of the Salone, or Moken, ethnic group—so-called sea gypsies who live nomadic lives at sea—to dynamite on their behalf. Thus these people are involved in further clouding their tentative future. Once their environment is destroyed, their traditional way of life will be gone. This week, the Burma Navy sent four vessels to Lampi Island while the Burma Army also sent one vessel in a bid to clamp down on dynamiting. The concern and the efforts of the Navy are genuine, although everyone is frustrated by the results. It might be early days. The Burma government could greatly help the navy's job by facilitating the development of the tourist and diving industry in the area. The more stakeholders that are interested in protecting the environment, the more likely the practice will be reported to the authorities. The post Dynamite Fishing in Burma's Mergui Archipelago Proves Hard to Stop appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma Army Still Uses Rape as Weapon of War: Women’s Group Posted: 14 Jan 2014 09:55 PM PST Burmese soldiers take part in a military parade marking the country’s Armed Forces Day at a parade ground in the capital Naypyidaw in 2008. (Photo: AP) WASHINGTON — A women’s group says that Burma’s military is still using rape as a weapon of war, with more than 100 women and girls raped by the army since a 2010 election brought about a nominally civilian government that has pursued rapprochement with the West. The Thailand-based Women’s League of Burma said in a report made available to Reuters on Monday that 47 of the cases documented were gang rapes and 28 of the women were either killed or had died of their injuries. It said several victims were as young as eight. The report was dated January. The group said the issue showed the need for legal reform in Burma and for changes to a 2008 constitution to ensure that the military is placed under civilian control. Burma’s government denied rape was used as a means of war. "It’s not the policy of our Tatmadaw (military) to use rapes as weapons," presidential spokesman Ye Htut told Reuters. "If there are rape cases committed by individual members, we try to expose them and take effective action against the offenders. It would be very helpful in taking action against the offenders if those who prepared that report could send us the details of the cases," he said. The report from the women’s group comes less than a month after a bipartisan group of prominent US senators, Bob Menendez, Marco Rubio, Ben Cardin and Bob Corker, introduced a bill that said the Burma government should not receive any funds made available to the Pentagon in 2014 until there is reform and rights abuses are addressed. The bill, which makes an exception for human rights and disaster response training for the military, also calls on the Pentagon and the US State Department to present a report on US strategy for military-to-military ties with Burma, including an assessment of the Burma military’s rights record and the link between a deepening of such ties and reform. The US State Department said it was aware of the report and urged the Burma government to investigate all the allegations. "Despite tremendous progress in Burma over the past three years, significant challenges remain, including further improving the country’s overall human rights situation," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said. "These violations highlight the need for professionalization of the Burmese military, especially to promote understanding of and respect for human rights." The women’s group said most of the rape cases it and its member organizations had documented were linked to offensives by the Burma military in the northeast of the country against ethnic minority Kachin and Shan insurgents. It said that in the past three years, the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand had documented 59 cases of sexual violence by Burma government soldiers. The Shan Women’s Action Network had reported another 30 cases involving 35 women and girls. "Widespread, Systematic" The women’s league said the attacks were more than random isolated acts by rogue soldiers. "Their widespread and systematic nature indicates a structural pattern: rape is still used as an instrument of war and oppression." The league said more than 38 different army battalions were implicated in the cases it had documented. It said the incidents took place in at least 35 different townships and that it believed the reported cases were only the "tip of the iceberg" as many cases went unreported. "The use of sexual violence in conflict is a strategy and an act of warfare that has political and economic dimensions that go beyond individual cases," the report said. "Sexual violence is used as a tool by the Burmese military to demoralize and destroy ethnic communities." The group said the abuses were potential war crimes and crimes against humanity and called for a thorough independent investigation. The report highlighted one case in which an 8-year-old girl living with her grandparents was raped by a soldier in Hsipaw Township in northern Shan State, on April 14, 2013. In another case, soldiers raped three women and a 12-year- old girl in Shan State’s Ke See Township on July 5, 2011. It said the girl was raped in front of her mother and one of the women was nine-months pregnant. The 2012 State Department human rights report on Burma referred to rapes by both government forces and ethnic minority insurgent groups in Shan and Kachin states. It said that when government soldiers committed rape in ethnic minority areas, the army rarely took action to punish those responsible. The January 2013 Human Rights Watch report on Burma said sexual violence by the military remained a serious problem. In October, 133 civil society organizations representing ethnic groups in Burma, including the women’s league, wrote to US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to express concern about their military engagement with Burma. The post Burma Army Still Uses Rape as Weapon of War: Women's Group appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Thai Opposition Leader’s House Attacked, Politics in Deadlock Posted: 14 Jan 2014 09:52 PM PST Anti-government protesters wake up in their encampment built between shopping malls in central Bangkok January 15, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Damir Sagolj) BANGKOK — A loud blast shook the house of a senior Thai opposition leader overnight, police said on Wednesday, as protesters trying to oust the government remained camped in central Bangkok with no end to the political deadlock in sight. Some hardline protesters have threatened to blockade the stock exchange and an air traffic communications facility on Wednesday if Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra does not step down. But there were no early signs of trouble at either the bourse or at the central Bangkok offices of AeroThai, which is in charge of air traffic control for planes that use Thai air space. No one was hurt in the blast at the residence of Democrat Party leader and former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. "There was no one at home at the time. The explosion destroyed part of the roof of the house. It wasn't a bomb. We believe it could have been a big firework," said an officer at the nearby Thong Lor police station, declining to be named. Abhisit and other Democrat leaders have joined in the protest movement against Yingluck, and have refused to take part in an election she has called for Feb 2. She has invited leaders of the protest movement and political parties to a meeting on Wednesday to discuss a proposal to postpone the election, but it looked like only her allies would turn up. The unrest is the latest chapter in an eight-year conflict pitting the Bangkok-based middle class and royalist establishment against the mostly poorer, rural supporters of Yingluck and her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former premier ousted by the military in 2006 who is seen as the power behind her government. Abhisit was prime minister in 2010 when troops were sent in to end a two-month protest in central Bangkok by Thaksin supporters. More than 90 people died during those protests. Current protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban was one of his deputies at the time and oversaw security matters during the 2010 crackdown. Both now face murder charges. The latest protests have been relatively less violent. Eight people, including two police officers, have been killed and scores wounded in violence between protesters, police and government supporters since the trouble flared up in November. National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanathabutr said two protesters were slightly injured overnight when shots were fired by the Siam Discovery mall near the main protest camp. One man was shot in the ankle and a woman was hit by a ricochet. No one was arrested. Yingluck's meeting on the election date will be held at the air force headquarters in the north of the city. She has been unable to work from her office in Government House since late November because of the protests. Suthep's supporters have blockaded at least seven big intersections in Bangkok and are also trying to stop ministries from functioning, forcing many to remain closed, with civil servants working from back-up facilities or from home. Protest leaders say demonstrators will occupy the city's main arteries until an unelected "people's council" replaces Yingluck's administration, which they accuse of corruption and nepotism. Yingluck's Puea Thai Party seems certain to win any election held under present arrangements and Suthep's central aim is to alter the electoral rules to make a different outcome possible. The post Thai Opposition Leader's House Attacked, Politics in Deadlock appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

No Asylum Seekers Reach Australian Shores in Weeks Posted: 14 Jan 2014 09:50 PM PST An Indonesian officer negotiates with asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran to leave the Australian vessel Hermia docked in Merak in April 2012. (Photo: Reuters) CANBERRA, Australia — No asylum seeker has reached Australia by boat in more than three weeks, but the army general charged with ending the sea traffic of would-be refugees from Southeast Asia said Wednesday he was not yet prepared to declare victory. The government won elections in September last year with a promise to stop people smugglers from sending asylum seekers to Australian shores in rickety boats, mostly from Indonesian ports. Indonesians have complained that the government's promise to turn back boats carrying asylum seekers from countries such as Iran, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka is a breach of its national sovereignty. Lt-Gen Angus Campbell, who as commander of Operation Sovereign Borders oversees Australia's efforts to stop the boats, said he would wait until the end of the current monsoon season in northern Australia in late March before judging the campaign. Asylum seeker traffic typically slows during the monsoon season because of the rough seas it brings. "I'm just going to wait until March," Campbell told reporters. "I'm patient, determined. We're going to do everything we possibly can to deter and ultimately stop maritime people smuggling." Human rights groups and political opponents have criticized the government over the secrecy of its border security operations and its policy of sending boat arrivals to Pacific Island detention centers in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. The government has said that 30,000 asylum seekers and refugees currently seeking residence in Australia will not be allowed to stay permanently. The government last week refused to comment on a newspaper report that Australia was buying lifeboats to carry asylum seekers back to Indonesian islands. Fairfax Media newspaper reported Australia was buying 16 engine-powered and enclosed lifeboats—similar to those carried by cruise ships and oil tankers—for border protection boats to carry as an alternative to rescuing asylum seekers found in unseaworthy vessels, Crews on boats smuggling people often resort to sabotaging engines or sinking their vessels to avoid their ships being turned back to Indonesia by Australian border protection crews. Campbell on Wednesday confirmed that lifeboats had been bought, but declined to say what they would be used for. "We've acquired them to be part of the range of measures at play" to stop the boats, he said. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison talked down the influence of the monsoon season on the absence of boat arrivals. "We've had no arrivals now for coming on to four weeks. In that same period last year, there was over 450 arrivals," Morrison said. "We still have a lot of work to do, but the policies are making an impact," he added. The post No Asylum Seekers Reach Australian Shores in Weeks appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

US Lawmakers Urge Tough Stance on China Sea Claims Posted: 14 Jan 2014 09:48 PM PST A group of disputed islands, Uotsuri island (top), Minamikojima (bottom) and Kitakojima, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China is seen in the East China Sea, in this photo taken by Kyodo September 2012. (Photo: Reuters) WASHINGTON — The United States must not tolerate China's use of military coercion in pursuit of its territorial claims in the seas of East Asia, lawmakers said at a hearing Tuesday, where experts warned that Beijing's assertiveness is unnerving its neighbors and challenges American security interests. Separately, the Philippine envoy to Washington complained about China's "aggression" and urged Vietnam, another claimant state in the South China Sea, to follow the Philippines in mounting an international legal challenge to Beijing's expansive claims. China's recent declaration of an air defense zone over disputed islands controlled by Japan in the East China Sea, and its new rules to regulate fishing in a huge tranche of the South China Sea, have deepened concerns that its rise as a regional power could spark a confrontation. House lawmakers overseeing US policy toward Asia and America's use of sea-power held a joint hearing to consider Washington's response, amid worries that US may be drawn into a crisis or conflict over a territorial dispute involving China because the US has bilateral defense treaties with Japan and the Philippines. Republican Rep. Steve Chabot called China "dangerously aggressive" and said it was attempting to take disputed territories by gradual force with the "misguided hope that Japan, Southeast Asian nations and the US will just grudgingly accept it." Democratic Rep. Ami Bera called for a strong, bipartisan message from Congress that China's "threatening and provocative moves to assert their maritime territorial claims are unacceptable." Republican Rep. Randy Forbes said the US must be "100 percent intolerant of China's territorial claims and its continued resort to forms of military coercion to alter the status quo in the region." Lawmakers typically take a more uncompromising stance on foreign policy than the administration. But their opinions reflect widespread concern in Washington about China's intentions as it challenges decades of American military pre-eminence in Asia, and its adherence to international law. China unilaterally declared its air defense zone over parts of the East China Sea in late November, requiring foreign aircraft to submit flight plans to Chinese authorities and accept instructions from the Chinese military. The US responded by flying B-52 bombers through the zone, to show it didn't recognize it. The State Department last week also criticized the new Chinese regulations on fishing in the South China Sea as "provocative and potentially dangerous." China maintains that it has peaceful intentions and it wants the US to stay out of territorial disputes in which it has no claim. The US, however, says it has an interest in freedom of navigation and commerce through the Asia-Pacific. Despite America's huge national debt, the Obama administration wants to boost the US military presence in the region and recently announced tens of millions of dollars in new security assistance to Vietnam and the Philippines. Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said the US response to China's coercion will be a key measure of the effectiveness of the Obama administration's policy shift toward Asia and how countries there assess its staying power in the region, she said. Philippine Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. told reporters in Washington late Monday that the Manila wants good relations with Beijing, but called it "unacceptable" that China is preventing Philippine fishermen from operating inside parts of its own exclusive economic zone, or EEZ. That is the 200-nautical-mile (370-kilometer) offshore area where a nation has sovereign rights for exploring and exploiting resources. Cuisia said to avoid a potential confrontation, the Philippines has told fishermen to avoid seas covered by China's new fishing regulations, pending clarification from Beijing on what they entail. The Philippines has antagonized Beijing by bringing a case challenging China's claim to virtually all of the South China Sea to a UN arbitration tribunal. Cuisia called it a "legitimate and friendly" way to resolve a dispute, and when asked, supported the idea of Vietnam taking the same approach. China is refusing to participate in the arbitration. While most lawmakers at Tuesday's hearing were strongly supportive of the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific, Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman was skeptical. He complained that the US was plowing huge resources into confronting China and helping defend the territorial claims of nations like Japan that allot a far smaller proportion of their own budgets to defense. The post US Lawmakers Urge Tough Stance on China Sea Claims appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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