The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Protesting Textile Workers Seek Return of Govt Hand at Privatized Factory
• Sectarian Violence in Burma Has Regional Impact, Says Indonesian Foreign Minister
• Prioritize Bamboo Production in Burma: Environmentalists
• 27% of Children Chronically Malnourished in Burma Dry Zone: Survey
• Graves Found Near Abandoned IDP Camps in Kachin State
• South Korean-Burmese Joint Venture to Start Pepsi Drinks Production
• Is China Betting on a Suu Kyi Presidency?
• India’s Tata Faces Challenge in Burma’s Japan-Dominated Car Market
• Chinese Police Take Away Outspoken Uighur Activist
• Buddhist Mob, Police Raid Rohingya Village, Many Left Dead: Rights Group
• Australia Admits It Breached Indonesian Territory Blocking Refugee Boats
• Thai Protesters March on New Govt Targets

Protesting Textile Workers Seek Return of Govt Hand at Privatized Factory Posted: 17 Jan 2014 04:20 AM PST Protesters sit outside a textile factory in Paleik, Mandalay Division, on Friday. (Photo: Ko Hein) MANDALAY — More than 100 factory workers staged a protest outside a textile factory in Paleik, Mandalay Division, on Friday, urging the Ministry of Industry to intervene in a dispute with their employer, a Chinese firm that runs manufacturing operations handed over by the government last year. The textile factory in Paleik was formerly run by the Ministry of Industry (1), but was handed over to Panda Group of Companies in April 2013. The protesting laborers accuse their new employer of labor rights violations and complain that the company has been unclear about the future of the enterprise. They also question the authenticity of a recent announcement, which came in the form of a letter purportedly issued by the Naypyidaw government, concerning compensatory pensions for workers laid off in an impending restructuring of the company. "We have no rights on overtime pay, annual leave and other absences. The letter about compensatory pensions, which claimed it was from Naypyidaw, has no seal or signature and we accuse the ministry and the company of lacking transparency," said Ko Kyaw, a protesting factory worker. The protesting workers said a notification from Panda in December said the company would restructure the factory as well as the salary and benefits packages at its Paleik operations. Then early this month, a separate announcement indicated that compensatory pensions would be paid out to those among the 1,025 employees currently working at the Panda factory who were laid off as a result of the restructuring. The laborers, who doubt the authenticity of the latter pronouncement, say their future is uncertain because Panda has not clearly indicated whether all of the laborers would be re-employed. The company has also failed to provide information on employees' future salaries under a corporate restructuring. "If the ministry really issued that announcement, our understanding is we will become the company's employees. But the company said they will re-employ only skilled laborers and laborers who work hard without taking compassion leave or any other leaves," said Ko Kyaw. "If it is so, all 1,025 of the laborers won't have a chance to be re-employed. Moreover, we still don't know how much we would earn or what kind of benefits we would get," he added. According to the protesters, they are currently working at the same salary, an average of 80,000 kyats (US$80) per month, that they earned when the ministry ran the factory. The workers said the company has broken agreements signed with the ministry prior to the factory handover regarding employment, salary and other benefits. "When the factory was handed over to the company, the company had signed an agreement with the ministry that they would employ back all the workers and would give the same benefits as the government gave. But now, we do not receive overtime pay, leaves and benefits like repairs to housing," said Hla Ko, a worker and a member of the factory's labor association. Although about 800 employees have been allowed to remain at company hostels, the laborers say Panda has forced them to foot the bill for any maintenance required at the company-owned housing. The protesting workers are demanding greater transparency from the ministry, and are asking the government to mediate on issues of re-employment, salary, leave and overtime. They are also urging the company to jointly manage operations, along with the ministry, until 2015, as is the arrangement at other factories in Burma undergoing gradual privatization. "Working under the ministry was not so good. Working under the company is worse. While we were with the ministry, they handled maintenance [at company-provided housing], but now with the company, they said they take responsibility only for the factory so it is not their concern. Actually, they formerly said, in 2013, that they would take care of everything, but that has not been the reality," said Hla Ko. "That's why we are staging a protest, not to the company but to let the ministry know how their laborers have suffered since they turned over the factory to a Chinese company. If we are fired, we will have to move from the hostel as well. We want the ministry to solve these problems with transparency. All 1,025 of us just do not want to lose our jobs. And we want to work with full labor rights," he added. Tin Tin Shwe, the secretary of Panda's Paleik factory, said the company was awaiting the arrival of senior management officials to resolve the labor impasse, adding that the ministry's involvement was expected. "We've submitted the case and the facts requested by the workers to the senior officers of the factory," Tin Tin Shwe said. "Negotiation is the best way for a better result." The post Protesting Textile Workers Seek Return of Govt Hand at Privatized Factory appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Sectarian Violence in Burma Has Regional Impact, Says Indonesian Foreign Minister Posted: 17 Jan 2014 03:29 AM PST Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and Asean Secretary-General Lê Lương Minh at a meeting of regional foreign ministers in Bagan on Friday. (Photo: Simon Roughneen / The Irrawaddy) BAGAN – Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Friday that Burma's ongoing Buddhist-Muslim violence has ramifications outside of the country, citing attempts by Indonesian terror groups to attack Burma's Embassy in Jakarta last May, a plot hatched apparently in retaliation for attacks on Muslims in Burma since mid-2012. "While it is an internal matter, it obviously impacts all of us. There have been cases of terrorist activities driven by these developments elsewhere, so we have to be keenly concerned," the minister told The Irrawaddy, speaking after the closing of a meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) foreign ministers. On Monday, a Jakarta court found militant Rokhadi guilty of "evil conspiracy" for plotting the bombing of Burma's Embassy in Indonesia, while on New Year's Eve, Indonesian police killed six alleged Islamist terrorists said to be hatching other anti-Buddhist attacks. Elsewhere, in Malaysia, host to hundreds of thousands of Burmese migrant workers and refugees, there have been several bouts of violence in recent months involving Burmese Buddhists and Muslims, as well as more recent fighting between Burmese and Indonesian migrant workers. Those clashes were again thought to be sparked off by Burma's internal strife, in which the majority of the dead and displaced have been Muslims. The comments came as reports emerged that one policeman and possibly dozens of Rohingya Muslims were killed this week in Burma's Arakan State, the region worst-hit by sectarian clashes. The US Embassy in Rangoon said in posts on its Twitter account Friday it was "deeply concerned" about the allegations, "especially reports of excessive use of force by security officials." "We urge government to thoroughly investigate, bring perpetrators to justice, and ensure equal protection & security under the law in [Arakan State]," the embassy said. "Government must do more to address roots of on-going violence, lawlessness and human rights abuses that continue in [Arakan] State." But Burma's Deputy Information Minister Ye Htut has denied reports that Rohingya were killed in the latest incident, and told media at the Asean meeting that Burma's sectarian strife—particularly cases involving the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic group regarded by the Burmese government as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh—was a domestic matter. "The Bengali issue is our internal affair and we will not discuss it in the Asean meetings, even if member countries ask for it," Ye Htut, who is spokesman for Burma's President Thein Sein, was quoted as saying. Burma's internal conflicts were not raised at the Asean foreign ministers meeting in Bagan, in accordance with the wishes of the host country. "Today we did not delve into any particular situation," Natalegawa said, echoing remarks made by his Burmese counterpart at the post-meeting press conference. Wunna Maung Lwin, Burma's foreign minister, told media that Asean's "non-interference" maxim would be applied across the board during Burma's first-time chairing of the bloc. "One of the principles of Asean is that of not interfering in the internal affairs of member countries. So, what is happening in Thailand or Cambodia is their internal affair, so we do not comment about the internal affair of those countries," said the minister. Neither Thailand nor Cambodia sent their respective Foreign Ministers to the Bagan meeting, citing ongoing political strife in their countries, the latest round of which saw explosive devices thrown at anti-government protesters in Bangkok earlier on Friday. Asked about deteriorating inter-religious relations in Indonesia, where there were incidents of discrimination and sometimes violence against Christians, Shia Muslims and Ahmadis during 2013, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that issues of tolerance would be raised at Asean meetings during 2014. "Even from today's discussion, the issue of religious tolerance is going to be very much an issue that will be very much discussed throughout this year's Asean work, and certainly Indonesia will work toward this." Ye Htut and Natelegawa were both speaking at the Asean foreign ministers' meeting in Bagan, Burma's tourist-draw temple haven on the Irrawaddy River. The meeting was the first to be held in Burma as part of its chairmanship of Asean. This year marks the first time Burma has chaired the bloc, after a previous turn in 2006 was blocked due to concerns that the then-ruling junta's human rights record would prompt a freeze in relations with the United States and other Western countries. Burma joined Asean in 1997, 30 years after Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country and by far the biggest country in Southeast Asia, led the way in setting up the organization. The just-concluded meeting of the region's foreign ministers aimed to set some of the agenda for the coming year's series of Asean and related meetings to be held in Burma, a year-long series of parlays that will conclude with meetings taking in leaders of Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and the United States. Burma's chairing of the bloc comes at a pivotal time, with regional leaders hopeful of forging closer economic ties. "The success of Myanmar's chairmanship in 2014 will play a key role in deciding whether Asean can implement the community by 2015," said Asean Secretary-General Lê Lương Minh, referring to the hoped-for establishment of an Asean Economic Community by the end of 2015. The post Sectarian Violence in Burma Has Regional Impact, Says Indonesian Foreign Minister appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Prioritize Bamboo Production in Burma: Environmentalists Posted: 17 Jan 2014 03:18 AM PST A man walks on a makeshift bamboo bridge following flooding in the Irrawaddy delta in 2012. (Photo: Simon Roughneen / The Irrawaddy) Environmentalists say bamboo should be given special consideration for commercial plantation in Burma, which ranks among the world's top producers of the plant. The Myanmar Green Network (MGN) is calling for the sustained development of bamboo forests and the application of modern technology to produce high quality bamboo products. "We don't want bamboo groves to be depleted, and at the same time we want people to know its value," said MGN chairperson Dewi Thant Sin, an environmentalist and the great granddaughter of Burma's last monarch King Thibaw. She was speaking at the launch event for a new group known as the Bamboo Lovers Association in Rangoon on Jan. 11. Citing Burma's Ministry of Forestry, she said China was the most bamboo-rich country in the world, followed by India and Burma. But government officials say bamboo groves in Burma have been improperly cared for and poorly protected. "In the past our department did not take care of bamboo groves, but just collected taxes from the private sector for cutting them," Dr. San Win, an official from the ministry's Forestry Department, told The Irrawaddy. "There was almost no knowledge about bamboo in the department, and people generally did not even know that we had to grow bamboo from seed." He said that since 2001 bamboo has been used in the country to make furniture and for home decoration, but that more skills were needed to craft such products. "Management of bamboo forests is key to producing high quality bamboo," said Aung Moe Zaw, a researcher at the Forestry Department. "I did four years of research for a bamboo project under the government's plan for rural area development. It is quite difficult to collect straight and old enough bamboo. Without proper technique, it is also hard to cut them." Dewi Thant Sin said the Burmese people could profit by protecting bamboo groves and improving production of bamboo products. She said the country generated $1 billion annually from bamboo, compared to $500 billion in other countries. More than 178,000 acres near the Pegu and Tenasserim Yomas mountain ranges are reportedly vacant, and environmentalists say the geographic conditions are suitable for bamboo growth. The post Prioritize Bamboo Production in Burma: Environmentalists appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

27% of Children Chronically Malnourished in Burma Dry Zone: Survey Posted: 17 Jan 2014 03:00 AM PST A farmer works in a rice field along the Mandalay-Myitkyina railway line during a time of drought. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Almost one in five households in Burma's dry zone are food insecure, while more than a quarter of children are chronically malnourished, a new survey shows. Findings from an assessment of the nutrition and food security situation in the dry zone were launched in Rangoon on Thursday by the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development, along with the UN World Food Program and international NGO Save the Children. About 18 percent of 1,500 households surveyed lacked access to enough nutritious food to meet their dietary needs, while 12 percent of children under the age of 5 were acutely malnourished and 27 percent were chronically malnourished, or stunted. The survey was conducted in June and July, near the start of the rainy season and during a period when the dry zone faces annual food insecurity. Data was collected from 1,800 children and their mothers in the zone, which includes parts of Mandalay, Sagaing and Magwe divisions that see limited rainfall and high temperatures, leading to smaller crop yields and water shortages. "The assessment of the rural dry zone reveals the nutrition situation to be a concern, with high rates of wasting and medium rates of stunting, high rates of low birth weight and high rates of undernutrition among mothers," an executive summary of the findings said. "The pattern of indicators suggests that flood plains and irrigated areas are best off, but the situation is far from acceptable in the dry zone as a whole. "Given the political stability, the absence of extreme weather conditions in the dry zone at the time of the assessment and the seasonality typical food security indicators, including indicators of adequate household food access and consumption, these nutrition indicators are concerning." In 2009-10, a survey by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development found that 35 percent of children under age 5 nationally were stunted. The World Food Program classifies Burma as one of 24 "high-burden" countries worldwide with the greatest numbers of children under age 5 who are moderately or severely stunted. Nicolas Guillaud, a World Food Program officer who focuses on vulnerability analysis and mapping, said it was difficult to compare the recent dry zone findings with statistics from other areas of the country, due to a lack of data. He said the nutrition and food security assessment in June and July was the first of its kind to cover the entire dry zone, although smaller studies have been conducted in the zone and in other areas. "We did the same food security survey—but only food security, not nutrition—in the Bago [Pegu], Ayeyarwady [Irrawaddy] and Yangon [Rangoon] regions [divisions] already, in November and December last year, but that data has not been analyzed yet," he told The Irrawaddy. "The plan is to do Shan, Kachin, Chin and Sagaing regions and states in February and March this year, and then probably later in the year Kayin [Karen], Mon and Kayah [Karenni]. That's when we would be able to do some more comparisons." In the past the World Food Program has published bulletins three times annually about the food security situation in Burma's dry zone, at times revealing higher percentages of households that lack access to enough nutritious food. However, these bulletins did not include data from the entire dry zone, but rather focused on only parts of the zone, usually areas that were more food insecure and vulnerable. The World Food Program cautioned that statistics can also vary greatly depending on the time of year data is gathered, given the change in temperatures and rainfall between the seasons. The assessment in June and July did reveal some positive practices for nutrition in the dry zone, including almost universal breastfeeding of children until the age of 2 and small family sizes. However, it found poor diet diversity and infrequent meals from six months of age, as well as poor diet quality of mothers. Next month Burma is expected to become one of 45 countries to join the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, a collective global effort by national governments and development partners that focuses on evidence-based nutrition interventions to improve maternal and child nutrition. A launch event and workshop will take place in Naypyidaw from Feb. 6-8. The post 27% of Children Chronically Malnourished in Burma Dry Zone: Survey appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Graves Found Near Abandoned IDP Camps in Kachin State Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:35 AM PST Civilians who fled from the Nam Lim Pa camp are now staying in emergency tents at another camp for internally displaced persons in territory held by the Kachin Independence Army. (Photo: Wunpawng Ninghtoi) Six graves have been found near an abandoned camp for internally displaced persons in Kachin State following a raid by government troops on a nearby village three months ago. The graves were discovered near the Nam Lim Pa IDP camp in Mansi Township by an ethnic Kachin relief group. Local civilians say the dead were killed by government troops. "We learned the dead included people who were mentally disabled and were not aware of the need to flee, like the others," said Mary Tawm, head of the Wunpawng Ninghtoi relief NGO. IDPs fled from Nam Lim Pa camp in October after clashes between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) broke out in nearby Mung Ding Pa village, south of the town of Bhamo. The government army moved four battalions into areas nearby, encouraging civilians in a number of villages and IDP camps to flee. Government troops withdrew from the Nam Lim Pa area on Dec. 28, but many IDPs are continuing to take shelter elsewhere, including at relief camps in Bhamo Township or at camps in rebel-controlled territory. Nearly 2,000 people are now staying at three camps in KIA-controlled area and churches in Man Win Gyi, a government-controlled area. About 100 Kachin elders from Nam Lim Pa were unable to travel to these areas and remain near their abandoned camp. "We went to meet the elders," said Mary Tawm, adding that many of them were disabled or physically incapable of making a long journey. She said the elders believed the six graves were the result of killings by government troops. She said a home in Nam Lim Pa was burned down by artillery shelling, while boarding homes for IDP children were destroyed by government troops. In Mung Ding Pa, tensions remain high after government troops and the KIA exchanged gunfire on Jan. 6. Naw Din, head of the Karuna Myanmar Social Services relief team in Bhamo, which helps support some 50,000 IDPs, said the situation was not yet safe enough for IDPs to return. "There is no security for them in the villages," he told The Irrawaddy. "The safe return of the IDPs is totally dependent on the peace talks. …There are concerns about landmines in the villages where the armed groups were deployed." IDPs are reportedly taking shelter in emergency tents despite the cold winter weather. "It is not very bad in camps in the towns such as in Bhamo, Mansi and Moemauk in the government-controlled areas, where around 50,000 IDPs are taking shelters" said Naw Din. "But those IDPs camps along the Sino-Chinese borders, in the KIO-controlled areas, may need more help as this winter is colder than previous ones." Mary Tawm said her group was working to construct more latrines, bathing spaces and water tanks for IDPs, who currently lack sufficient access to these services due to overcrowding. Basic items such as firewood, clothing, medicine and shelters are urgently needed, she said, as well as psychosocial support, education for students, and opportunities for income generation. The government army and the KIA have been fighting since a ceasefire broke down in 2011. Both sides have met for peace talks this year and have pledged to de-escalate hostilities. The post Graves Found Near Abandoned IDP Camps in Kachin State appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

South Korean-Burmese Joint Venture to Start Pepsi Drinks Production Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:28 AM PST Pepsi and Coca-Cola for wholesale at Nyaungpinlay Market in Rangoon. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — South Korea's Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co. Ltd and Myanmar Golden Beverage Co Ltd (MGS) announced that they will team up to produce and distribute PepsiCo drinks in Burma. The firms said on Thursday that they formed a joint venture, Lotte-MGS Beverage Co. Ltd, adding that the investment had been approved by the Myanmar Investment Commission a day earlier. Lotte Chilsung Beverage will take a 70 percent stake and MGS a 30 percent stake in the joint venture, which will have US $81 million in capital, according to a press release. MGS has a soft drinks production plant in Rangoon's Hlaing Tharyar Industrial zone, which will undergo a technological upgrade in order to produce PepsiCo drinks such as Pepsi-Cola, 7-Up and Mirinda, according a MGS spokesperson. The joint venture firm will bottle and distribute the drinks in 17 major cities in Burma. "Through this investment to bring Pepsi production back to Myanmar, we seek to bring benefits to Myanmar people. We will create thousands of good local jobs. We will provide career training," Byoung-Tak Hur, managing director of Lotte-MGS Beverage Co. Ltd said in a press release. From 1994 to 2012, Pepsi was not sold and distributed in Burma due to international sanctions, which were imposed on the country because of the poor human rights record of its military government. Before the sanctions, MGS used to run a Pepsi plant in Rangoon. Lotte Chilsung Beverage has long worked with PepsiCo to produce drinks in South Korea. In 2012, following democratic reforms and the lifting of sanctions, PepsiCo had entered into an agreement with Rangoon-based Diamond Star, which gave the Burmese company the exclusive rights to import, sell and distribute PepsiCo drinks. Diamond Star, one of Burma's largest packaged consumer goods distributors, imported Pepsi beverages bottled in Vietnam, but stopped the import in October last year. A staffer at Diamond Star, who declined to be named, said the firm had ended the imports as many PepsiCo cans produced in Thailand were being transported into Burma, undercutting the firm's profits. "Pepsi cans from Thailand are much cheaper than our imported Pepsi produced in Vietnam, so our company decided to stop selling," he said. The post South Korean-Burmese Joint Venture to Start Pepsi Drinks Production appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Is China Betting on a Suu Kyi Presidency? Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:16 AM PST Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi smiles before delivering the annual Godkin Lecture at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Sept. 27, 2012. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — China seems to have softened its stance toward opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party amid a democratic transition in Burma that could see the former political prisoner one day elected president. More visible efforts have been made by China in recent months to reach out to Burma's biggest opposition party, which many expect will beat out the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in elections scheduled for 2015. In December, a 10-member delegation from the NLD led by Nyan Win, the party secretary and a close confidant of party leader Suu Kyi, traveled to China at the invitation of the Chinese People's Institute for Foreign Affairs, a semi-official Chinese organization. The visit by the NLD members was the fourth of its kind last year, and came as both sides seek to enhance engagement ahead of parliamentary elections in 2015, according to analysts. Following the polls, the new Parliament will select Burma's next president. Chinese Ambassador to Burma Yang Houlan told The Irrawaddy this week that China stands ready to engage with all of Burma's political parties, including the NLD, as long as they are willing to help further the sound development of relations with China. He also assured that China would continue to maintain inter-party exchanges with the NLD in future. "Myanmar-Chinese friendship and cooperation will not change fundamentally, but the way to deal with it has to be reviewed as there are new actors involved," said former Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win in a meeting on the recent developments of Burma's reform last week. "Previously it was easy because there was only the government, but today we are practicing multi-party democracy." Meanwhile, Chinese state mouthpiece the Global Times published an interview with Yang on Oct. 21 of last year, in which the ambassador said his embassy would like to arrange a visit for Suu Kyi to China "at a convenient time for both sides." Though no concrete date has been set and Yang said Suu Kyi's visit is "still out of the schedule," the ambassador acknowledged that given her international profile and popularity among Burma's people, an invitation from China was only a matter of time. A retired deputy director general at Burma's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kyee Myint, told The Irrawaddy that understanding sentiment toward China among the Burmese people was one of Beijing's most important challenges. "The government of China has more capacity to control its own people, especially its business people, but China cannot control Myanmar's people and their wishes," he said. Yang too stressed mutual respect between the two nations, adding that China would honor Burma's democratic process and would not interfere in its internal affairs. Suu Kyi has expressed a willingness to visit China in the past, but she has insisted that the invitation should come from the Chinese government. She has previously declined invitations that came from semi-official Chinese organizations. The Burmese democracy icon Suu Kyi's relations with China are a relatively new development. For decades, the Chinese government refrained from any formal contact with Suu Kyi or her party, with her strong pro-democracy stance at odds with China's own record of human rights abuses under a one-party communist regime. Burma has undergone seismic political changes since Snr-Gen Than Shwe, who sat at the top of the country's military regime, officially stepped down to make way for his hand-picked successor, President Thein Sein. The latter took office in March 2011 and has since introduced democratic reforms to the nation's formerly authoritarian political system. Thein Sein early this year said he supported changing the country's Constitution to allow "any citizen" to become president, an apparent reference to Suu Kyi, whose political ambitions are constrained by a military-drafted Constitution that bans her from running for president. However, Than Shwe is considered to still wield influence among leaders of the quasi-civilian government, and the retired dictator in October was reportedly "concerned about the ongoing political process," according to Shwe Mann, a member of the former regime and current speaker of Parliament. That, and a shrinking window in which to pass constitutional amendments that would then need to be ratified by a national referendum, have cast doubts on the viability of a Suu Kyi presidency. The post Is China Betting on a Suu Kyi Presidency? appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

India’s Tata Faces Challenge in Burma’s Japan-Dominated Car Market Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:07 AM PST Tata Motor's Nano and Xenon models are on show at an Indian trade exhibition in Rangoon on Thursday. (Photo: Kyaw Hsu Mon / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Tata Motors is facing a challenge in the Burmese auto market, which is currently dominated by second hand Japanese imports, the local distributor of India's largest car maker said. Tata is looking to build a presence as the auto market in Burma opens up with relaxed import restrictions, and in 2010 it established a truck assembly factory in Magwe Division. The company put its investment for the plant at US$20 million and said it plans to manufacture 1,000 vehicles per year increasing to 5,000 vehicles in the future. Local company Apex Greatest Industrial (AGI) Co Ltd is selling those trucks, as well as new India-made Tata cars like the Nano, which can be used as a private taxi. Speaking to The Irrawaddy at an Indian trade exhibition at Rangoon's Tatmadaw Hall on Thursday, AGI managing director Sein Lwin said it was still necessary to import the cars. "Although we have a plant in Magwe region, we are just manufacturing heavy trucks there, and importing private passenger cars for the local market," he said. "Manufacturing costs and import costs are similar, so if we produced private cars here, it would more cost for us." Since a civilian government took power in 2011 and embarked upon liberalizing economic reforms, including of the autos sector, more than 100,000 cars have been imported. But a quick look at the taxis and private cars on the streets of Burma's biggest city, Rangoon, reveals they are almost all not from India, but from Japan, and to a lesser extent South Korea. "In the current market situation, Tata can't compete with the well-known Japanese used car market, although we are importing brand new cars," said Sein Lwin. "But more people will get to know about our brand within a few years." He said used Japanese Hondas, for example, could be bought for about 10 million kyats, about $10,000, cheaper than the Tata pickup truck, the Xenon. "We just sell the Tata Xenon for 18 million kyats. People like cheap prices and the Japanese brands, even though they are second hand," Sein Lwin said. The market is overwhelmingly dominated by Japanese brands, for which there is high demand, according to Rangoon car dealers. Popular models are Toyota's Harrier, Mark II, Mark X, Hilux Surf, Probox, Belta and Landcruiser, as well as Nissan vans, Suzuki vehicles, the Honda Fit, the Honda Vitz and the Nissan March. Maung Shwe, managing director of the Bandoola group of companies said Burmese people like Japanese used cars right now due to the low prices, but in the long term brand new cars will grow in popularity. "The difference between used cars and brand new is the long term benefits. If you are using a brand new car, you don't need to repair it for at least five years, but for used cars, you will have to have it fixed after a year. Also, it's hard to find accessories," Maung Shwe said. "But in Burma, people have liked the Japanese brands for decades, so India's Tata will find it difficult to expand its local market." The post India's Tata Faces Challenge in Burma's Japan-Dominated Car Market appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Chinese Police Take Away Outspoken Uighur Activist Posted: 16 Jan 2014 10:00 PM PST A police officer stops a car to check for identifications at a checkpoint near Lukqun town, in China's Xinjiang province on Oct. 30, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — Police have taken away an outspoken scholar of China's Turkic Uighur ethnic minority and raided his home, seizing computers, cellphones and even his students' thesis manuscripts, his wife said Thursday. About 30 police officers raided economics professor Ilham Tohti's home in Beijing in a six-hour operation Wednesday afternoon after taking away the academic, his wife Guzaili Nu'er said in a phone interview. It was the most serious of recent actions by Chinese authorities in apparent retaliation against the scholar, who is arguably the most famous mainland-based critic of the ruling Communist Party's restrictive policies in Xinjiang in western China. China has tightened control over the restive region, which has been rocked by a series of riots and attacks on police and other symbols of Chinese power over the past year. State media reported earlier this month that President Xi Jinping has ordered authorities to refocus their efforts on "maintaining social stability" in Xinjiang. Guzaili Nu'er said that Ilham Tohti and his two sons were at home while she was at work when police arrived. She rushed home but her husband had already been taken away. Beijing police did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a regular briefing that Ilham Tohti "is suspected of violating the law and committing a crime" and that police have placed him under criminal detention. Calls to the scholar's mobile phone failed to connect. The overseas-based website he runs, Uighurbiz.net, was also down. US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement that the United States was deeply concerned about the reports that Ilham Tohti had been taken away, and called on the Chinese authorities to account for his whereabouts. The statement said the detention "appears to be part of a disturbing pattern of arrests and detentions of public interest lawyers, Internet activists, journalists, religious leaders and others who peacefully challenge official Chinese policies and actions." Ilham Tohti has been barred from traveling and placed under house arrest numerous times in the wake of deadly ethnic rioting in the capital of the Uighur ethnic homeland of Xinjiang in 2009 that sparked a nationwide crackdown on Uighur activists. He has not joined calls for Xinjiang's independence but his outspokenness on problems with China's ethnic policies has made him a target of security forces. He has criticized the authoritarian government's heavy-handed handling of recent unrest, saying China's stifling security presence, widespread discrimination and restrictions on religious and social practices have fanned ethnic discord in Xinjiang. "The Uighur people have become outsiders in the development of their own homeland and survival," Ilham Tohti wrote in a post on his mobile social media account Wednesday morning. "It is here that the people's anger begins to grow. Uighur people need an avenue to express their aspirations and protect their rights." The scholar's wife said she feared the authorities meant to take stronger measures against him this time. Although he has been taken away for questioning before, she said, he usually returns late at night. "This time it's different. They sent so many security officers, including police from Xinjiang, Beijing and the nearby police station. This time it is more serious," she said. Guzaili Nu'er said police seized four computers, several mobile phones and Ilham Tohti's students' thesis papers, and refused to answer her questions about where he had been taken to, or why. On Thursday afternoon, two men in plainclothes were stationed in the hallway outside the apartment and they tried to block reporters from entering the apartment. Atilamu, 22, who was one of two undergraduate students of Ilham Tohti's at the apartment Thursday, said that police took them away for several hours of questioning Wednesday before releasing them near midnight, and that their cellphones, computers and class notes also were seized. The students said they knew of at least about a half-dozen other Uighur students who were similarly questioned. Associated Press reporter Isolda Morillo contributed to this report. The post Chinese Police Take Away Outspoken Uighur Activist appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Buddhist Mob, Police Raid Rohingya Village, Many Left Dead: Rights Group Posted: 16 Jan 2014 09:50 PM PST An armed policeman observes a scene at unofficial camp for displaced Rohingya in Sittwe Township in May 2013. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON— Arakanese Buddhist villagers in the company of government security forces attacked a Rohingya Muslim village in southern Maungdaw Township in strife-torn Arakan State on Tuesday morning, leading to the deaths of possibly dozens of Rohingya women and children, a human rights group reports. Many other villagers have been arrested, while hundreds have since fled their homes, according to initial reports from the region. Government officials claim that a policeman went missing after he was attacked by villagers and they denied the reports of the Rohingya killings. The violence occurred in southern Maungdaw Township in the Muslim village of Du Char Yar Tan, according to the Arakan Project, a Thailand-based Rohingya rights group that has a local monitoring network in Maungdaw. The officers had come to the village on Monday night "to confiscate mobile phones and check family lists," the Arakan Project said. "As police entered houses, angry Rohingya villagers gathered and the mob attacked and beat the police." Many Rohingya men then fled the village out of fear for arrest, it said. Police returned in the early hours of Tuesday morning with soldiers and many Arakanese Buddhist villagers to search for a policeman who had gone missing during the previous unrest—a claim that the Rohingya villagers deny. The Arakan Project, which talked to numerous villagers and other sources on the ground, alleged that the Arakanese Buddhist mob and security forces then looted and attacked the women and children who had remained in Du Char Yar Tan village, possibly killing dozens. "The joint forces and [Arakan] villagers looted many houses in the village. Women and children were brutally killed (as many men had already fled) and some were allegedly raped. The exact number is unknown so far—figures we received vary between 10 and 60," the organization said in a briefing on the incident. The organization quoted a local resident who had briefly returned to the village later as saying that he saw the dead bodies of two women and a boy who had been killed by stabbing. "Stabbings with knives (rather than shooting) would clearly indicate that the massacre was committed by [Arakan] villagers rather than police or army, but in the presence of law enforcement agencies who also did nothing to stop it," the group said. It noted, however, that it had received conflicting reports from the isolated Muslim-majority region in northern Arakan State, which is administered by government security forces. The organization said dozens of Rohingya villagers—including women and children—were rounded up in the aftermath of the unrest on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Arakan Project said the violence had been preceded by a recent visit of Buddhist monk U Wirathu of the nationalist 969 movement, who reportedly told the Arakanese that they are the only "sons of the soil" and could drive out the Rohingyas. Deputy Information Minister Ye Htut on Friday morning denied the reports of Rohingya killings. "The police are investigating the case of the missing policeman," he told The Irrawaddy, while speaking on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Nations Foreign Ministers' meeting in Bagan. "We have had no information about the killings that have been reported in the media. Those reports might be a cover-up, because of the policeman going missing," he said. Arakan State spokesperson Win Myaing provided few details of the outbreak of bloody violence, but claimed that about 80 Muslim villagers had "attacked" policemen on Monday night and an officer called Aung Kyaw Thein had gone missing. He gave no reasons for the attack by the Rohingyas. "The local army is on the ground and police forces are still searching for the missing policeman. We did not know yet whether he has died already or not," he said. A Muslim resident of Maungdaw town named Husson said he met some of the villagers from Du Char Yar Tan, adding that they had told him that six villagers were killed and hundreds had fled. On Thursday morning, some 50 Rohingya villagers were arrested by authorities in relation to the unrest, he added. Aanis, a Muslim man who lives nearby Du Char Yar Tan village, said, "Many families from that village have run away and tried to escape to other villages, some are hiding in my village." Aung Myo Min, a Muslim Arakan State lawmaker with the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), said he and state officials visited Du Char Yar Tan village on Tuesday and found it was largely deserted, except for a few dozen elderly villagers and some women. "I didn't have a chance to talk to them. I don't know exactly what happened on [Monday] night or if anyone was killed," he said, adding that several thousand Rohingyas lived in Du Char Yar Tan. Aung Myo Min said he saw no dead or injured villagers. Shwe Maung, a Muslim Lower House lawmaker who represents Buthidaung Township for the USDP, said he heard conflicting reports about the numbers of villagers killed and injured. "A lot of people are missing. Normally when they are missing family members, Rohingya people think they are dead," he said, adding that hundreds of security forces remained stationed at Du Char Yar Tan village. "Now the situation is very tense, the security forces are still in the village," Shwe Maung said. In June and October 2012, two waves of deadly inter-communal violence between Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims swept through western Burma's Arakan State, killing almost 200 people, destroying thousands of homes and displacing 142,000 people, mostly Muslims. Burma's government has been accused of tacitly supporting Buddhist mob violence. It does not recognize the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority as citizens and officials refer to them as "Bengalis" to suggest that they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The Rohingyas claim they have lived in Arakan for generations and are entitled to citizenship. Additional reporting by Simon Roughneen in Bagan. The post Buddhist Mob, Police Raid Rohingya Village, Many Left Dead: Rights Group appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Australia Admits It Breached Indonesian Territory Blocking Refugee Boats Posted: 16 Jan 2014 09:32 PM PST An Indonesian policeman stands near broken eggs and tomatoes thrown by protesters at the Australian embassy in Jakarta in November, when tensions were rising between the two countries over spying allegations. (Photo: Reuters) SYDNEY — Australia will apologize to Indonesia on Friday after its navy breached Indonesian territorial sovereignty several times as part of the government's controversial policy of stopping boats carrying would-be asylum seekers from entering its waters. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said he had been told earlier this week about the "inadvertent breaches" on multiple days and immediately informed the Indonesian navy. He said Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was unable to reach her Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa to discuss the breaches and that a formal apology would be issued by Australia's embassy in Jakarta later on Friday. Acknowledgement of the breaches will likely further strain ties that had already hit their lowest point since the 1990s after recent allegations Australia had spied on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other senior Indonesian officials. Indonesia downgraded its relations with Australia in November as a result of the embarrassing spying allegations, suspending intelligence and military cooperation, including over asylum seekers. A protracted crisis between the often uneasy neighbors could have serious repercussions. Indonesia is a major importer of Australian agricultural products such as wheat and live cattle. Australia is Indonesia's 10th-largest export market. Morrison said on Friday Australia "deeply regrets" the breaches of territorial sovereignty but at the same time maintained Australia's right to protect its own borders. "We have offered the apologies, we have been very clear about what has occurred both with Indonesia and here today," he told reporters. "But we won't let this setback get in the way of the job we were elected to do, which is stop the boats," he said. Concerns Over Secrecy The number of refugees reaching Australia pales in comparison with other countries but it is a polarizing political issue that also stokes tension with Indonesia over border policies that have been criticized by the United Nations and international human rights groups. Prime Minister Tony Abbott's conservative government came to power partly because of its tough campaign against asylum seekers after an easing of border policies by the former Labor government that resulted in a rise in the number of boats. Its policies include offshore detention centers that hold thousands of asylum seekers, many of whom have fled conflicts in Afghanistan, Darfur, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria. Abbott's government is also coming under fire at home over the secrecy surrounding its "Operation Sovereign Borders," which he recently likened to a war. He has said secrecy is important to prevent "the enemy" receiving information. On Wednesday, Morrison moved to restrict access to information further even as he touted the operation's success, refusing to confirm reports that the navy had forced the return of a number of boats to Indonesia in recent weeks. The UN refugee agency has asked for information from the government, warning that Australia could be breaking international law if it is forcing boats back to Indonesia without proper regard for refugees' safety. Friday's news conference followed Australian media reports about the breaches of Indonesian sovereignty. Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, the officer in charge of the operation, said the breaches occurred on multiple days by "a vessel or vessels" but declined to give more details. Many of those trying to reach Australia pay people-smugglers in Indonesia to make the perilous journey in often unsafe boats. Last year's spying allegations left relations between the two countries at their lowest level since 1999, when Australia sent troops into East Timor amid escalating violence after Indonesia pulled its troops out of its former colony. The post Australia Admits It Breached Indonesian Territory Blocking Refugee Boats appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Thai Protesters March on New Govt Targets Posted: 16 Jan 2014 09:27 PM PST An anti-government protester uses a pair of binoculars during a rally in central Bangkok on Jan. 16, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Chaiwat Subprasom) BANGKOK — Throngs of whistle-blowing protesters surrounded several new government agencies in Thailand's capital on Thursday to keep up pressure on the prime minister to resign and call off next month's election. The marches to the Revenue Department, Health Ministry and other offices appeared to be a way to maintain momentum amid a decline in the number of protesters who have blocked key intersections in Bangkok for four days in an attempt to shut down the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Their numbers could swell again this weekend. Yingluck's opponents, largely from the south and urban middle and upper classes, say she is carrying on the practices of her billionaire brother by using the family fortune and state funds to influence voters and cement her grip on power. But she has widespread support among Thailand's poor majority in the countryside because of the populist policies carried out by her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives in self-imposed exile to avoid being imprisoned on a corruption conviction. The protests this week have been mostly peaceful, although there have been several acts of violence including gunshots in the middle of the night at protest venues and small fireworks-type explosives hurled at the homes of protest leaders, according to police. Since the latest wave protests started in November, at least eight people have been killed and more than 450 have been injured. Despite pressure from the protesters, Yingluck has said repeatedly that the Feb. 2 parliamentary election will go ahead. She dissolved Parliament and called the early vote to defuse tension that has been building over the past three months. Her opponents don't want an election because they know that her rural supporters would almost certainly give her victory. Instead, they are calling for an unelected "people's council" to replace the government and amend laws to fight corruption in politics. The protesters are hoping that pressure from the powerful military—and particularly Army Commander Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha—could help push Yingluck out. Thailand has had about a dozen successful military coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. "General Prayuth Chan-ocha, our brothers and sisters are waiting for you to come out and announce that you are on the side of the protesters. This will be immediately over and the government will without a doubt be finished," protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban said in a speech to followers Thursday. Yingluck's government also faces threats on the legal front. The National Anti-Corruption Commission announced Thursday that it found grounds to investigate allegations that she was criminally negligent in her handling of what the government has described as a deal to export surplus rice to China. The commission has already determined that there are grounds to press charges against her former commerce minister and more than a dozen other officials. While the road blockages created traffic disruptions, life continued normally in most of Bangkok, a bustling city of 12 million. Thailand has been wracked by repeated bouts of unrest since the military ousted Thaksin in 2006 amid charges of corruption and alleged disrespect for the monarchy. The crisis boiled over again late last year after a failed ruling party bid to push through an amnesty bill that would have allowed Thaksin to return from exile. Associated Press writers Papitchaya Boonngok and Jinda Wedel contributed to this report. The post Thai Protesters March on New Govt Targets appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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