The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Calls for Apology Over Deaths in Custody Under Burma’s Junta
• MI Officers Could Be Released Soon: Lawmaker
• Thein Sein Says ‘a Healthy Constitution Must Be Amended’
• Foreign Booze Returns to Burma’s Shelves—For Now
• Over 800 Burmese Refugees Affected by Two Fires
• From Feared Burma Spymaster to Art Gallery Owner
• The Irrawaddy Launches Weekly Burmese Journal
• Thai PM Returns to Bangkok as Protest Showdown Looms
• In Cambodia, Pressure Mounts on Longtime Leader Hun Sen
• Indonesian Anti-Terror Squad Kills 6 Suspects
• North Korean Leader Says Purge Was a Cleansing of ‘Filth’

Calls for Apology Over Deaths in Custody Under Burma’s Junta Posted: 02 Jan 2014 04:48 AM PST Generation 88 leader Min Ko Naing speaks at an event honoring those who died in custody after being locked up by Burma's military regime. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's leading political activists and the family members of political prisoners who died in custody have demanded an apology from members of the country's former military regime and anyone involved in atrocities committed during the junta's rule. Thousands of people were locked up on political or trumped up charges during decades of military rule in Burma. In prison, as well facing abuse and torture by officials, inmates were kept in harsh conditions and routinely denied access to medical treatment. According to advocacy groups, 175 political prisoners died in prisons or interrogation centers throughout the military regime that came to power 1988 following a mass uprising, and was replaced by a nominally civilian government, still made up largely of former generals, in 2011. During a ceremony in Rangoon on Thursday to honor political prisoners who passed away behind bars, Min Ko Naing, the prominent student leader of 88 Generation Student Group, remembered those who died in custody as "stars that would never fall from the sky." He called for those who were in charge during the regime to take responsibility. "Whether they are in power or not, they have to responsible for what they had done," Min Ko Naing told the audience of several hundred, including many relatives of the deceased. "Make them ashamed of what they did and take responsible for their atrocity. "If they are honest enough to confess their guilt, our national reconciliation process will be a lot easier." The event was co-sponsored by Assistant Association for Political Prisoners in Burma (AAPP) and the Former Political Prisoners Society in order to hand over monetary assistance for the family members of 54 deceased political prisoners for the first time. Each family received nearly US$1,000. Bo Kyi, the joint-secretary of AAPP, said the ceremony was aimed to mark for the record that there were political prisoners that died during their detention, and hopefully to help toward finding the truth about what happened to them. "We don't want revenge. But we want the former military regime to know that they committed these bad things, and [to consider] how can they collaborate to prevent the history repeating," said Bo Kyi. "I want to request to those responsible for atrocities to apologize to the victims and their families." Win Tin, one of the founding members of Burma's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, also said in a speech at the event that members of the former military regime, and even current president Thein Sein, a former general, must apologize to the family members of the political prisoners who died in their custody. However, he said, "An apology is not the end of the story. Every political prisoner has their family. The government is responsible for rehabilitation program for them too." The government has claimed that a widespread presidential amnesty to coincide with the New Year will mean no more political prisoners will remain in Burma, although AAPP insists 46 prisoners were still jailed as of Thursday. Win Tin thanked the government for the release, but warned leaders against falling back on the use of incarceration against political opponents. "If they make more arrests later, we will condemn it," he said. Ko Ko Gyi, another 88 Generation Students Group leader, said that as long as the former military regime doesn't confess what they did, national reconciliation will be "up in the air." "It doesn't make sense that even most responsible person for the atrocities said he did it as he was ordered," he said, referring to former military intelligence chief Khin Nyunt, who recently rejected calls to apologize, insisting that political prisoners under the regime were "guilty." "We don't mean convict them. Just to take responsibility," Ko Ko Gyi added. Yin Hla's late husband, Aung May Thu, was one of the political prisoners recorded to have died during detention. He died after prison authorities denied him medical treatment for a stomach ulcer. "I feel very sad and the event makes me think of my husband," the 65-year-old said. "At the same time I feel proud as my husband is honored." Like many others who attended the event, she has one wish: an apology from the military regime. "They killed my husband," she said. "Not only him but all the political prisoners who died during their detention. "I have no hatred or desire for revenge, but please just say: 'Sorry, I did it.' Then I will wipe the slate clean." The post Calls for Apology Over Deaths in Custody Under Burma's Junta appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

MI Officers Could Be Released Soon: Lawmaker Posted: 02 Jan 2014 04:42 AM PST Khin Nyunt, former spy chief and prime minister, before his fall from grace in 2004. (Photo: AP) RANGOON — A senior lawmaker said he expects President Thein Sein to soon order the release of dozens of former officers of the notorious Military Intelligence (MI) Service who were purged in 2004 by former strongman Than Shwe. Burmese human rights groups said in a reaction that they did not object to the men's release, but added that they want the government to prioritize the release of 46 remaining political prisoners, many of whom are members of ethnic armed groups. Thein Nyunt, a member of the Political Prisoners Scrutinizing Committee, said the committee recently sent Thein Sein a letter requesting the release of 20 former MI Service officers and 18 customs officials detained since 2004. "I submitted the letter to the president through Minister Soe Thein for their release and there was no objection from the other committee members. Minister Soe Thein also agreed with that. That's why I expect they will be released," he told The Irrawaddy. "They are in prison for the treason; they should be released on Independence Day [Jan. 4]," said Thein Nyunt, who chairs the New Democracy Party. Most of the men were arrested following former military junta leader Than Shwe's decision to oust spy chief Khin Nyunt in 2004 and abolish the National Intelligence Bureau and MI. The bureau functioned as an umbrella organization of intelligence departments, which included MI, the police force’s Special Branch, the Bureau of Special Investigation and the Central Investigation Bureau. For more than a decade, Khin Nyunt's men were responsible for a nationwide crackdown on all forms of dissent against military rule and they locked up tens of thousands of people in Burma's harsh prisons, where scores died in custody. Thein Sein's reformist government has tasked the Political Prisoners Scrutinizing Committee, which comprises activists, presidential advisors and lawmakers, with identifying remaining political prisoners in Burma with the aim of releasing them. The Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) is on the committee and the group's joint secretary Bo Kyi said it did not object to the release of the MI officers. "They could be released if the government wants, that's what most committee members think," he said, before adding, "But we—AAPP, the 88 Generation Students and the Former Political Prisoners Groups—don't consider them political prisoners." Bo Kyi said, however, that the government should speed up the release of the 46 political prisoners that remain behind bars, adding that most of the detainees are members of the Karen National Union, Kachin Independence Army, the All Burma Students' Democratic Front and other armed groups. "We expect many of these prisoners in the coming days or weeks," AAPP spokesperson Talky said. On Tuesday, Thein Sein ordered the release of political prisoners and instructed authorities to drop charges against some 200 defendants, who were on trial for what are considered political activities. Many of the defendants were being charged for organizing protests without prior government permission. Thein Sein's government has previously announced that there would be no more political prisoners in Burma by 2014. It released 44 people earlier in December and 69 prisoners in November. Tin Htut Paing of Generation Youth was among the released on Tuesday and he said that a total 15 prisoners were released from Rangoon's Insein Prison, adding that 12 of them were political prisoners. Prominent activists, Htin Kyaw and Naw Ohn Hla, were among the released, Tin Htut Paing said. Naw Ohn Hla was facing charges for participating in a protest in Rangoon in which a Chinese flag was burned, and for allegedly disturbing religious gatherings while holding prayers for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi back in 2007. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has welcomed the latest release of political prisoners in Burma, but raised concerns over the plight of three aid workers of Medicine Sans Frontiers and Rohingya human rights defenders Tun Aung and Kyaw Hla Aung, who were arrested in Arakan State in mid-2012 and mid-2013, respectively. "We ask the authorities to release those prisoners and to ensure that the prisoner review committee continue its work to resolve all pending cases," OHCHR spokesperson Cécile Pouilly said in a news release on Tuesday. Bo Kyi of AAPP said the committee had discussed the situation of the Rohingya activists and aid workers detained in Arakan State but failed to agree on whether they should be released or considered political prisoners. Thein Nyunt, the lawmaker who defended the release of the MI officers, showed little support for the release of the NGO workers and rights activists detained in Arakan State's notorious Buthidaung Prison. "Myanmar's national security is more important than internationally recognized human rights," he said, before declining to further comment on the issue. Tun Kyi, a member of the Former Political Prisoners Group, said former MI officers could be released from prison on humanitarian grounds, adding that activists and NGO workers detained in Arakan should also be released, although he stopped short of calling them political prisoners. "They should be released too because this is being requested by international organizations, including the UN," he said. The post MI Officers Could Be Released Soon: Lawmaker appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Thein Sein Says ‘a Healthy Constitution Must Be Amended’ Posted: 02 Jan 2014 04:00 AM PST President Thein Sein, center left, stands with 88 Generation Students leaders in Naypyidaw in September. (Photo: President's Office) RANGOON — Facing mounting pressure for greater political reform, Burmese President Thein Sein says he supports efforts to change the Constitution and remove restrictions that currently prevent opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president. Speaking Thursday in a monthly radio address, Thein Sein said "a healthy Constitution must be amended from time to time to address the national, economic and social needs of our society." "I would not want restrictions imposed on the right of any citizen to become the leader of the country," he said. "At the same time, we will need to have all necessary measures in place in order to defend our national interests and sovereignty." The 2008 Constitution was written by the former military regime and passed after a referendum that was widely criticized as rigged. It includes a provision that makes Suu Kyi ineligible for the presidency because her late husband was British and her two sons continue to hold foreign citizenship. Thein Sein said he believed the Constitution would need to be changed for national reconciliation, as he seeks to secure a nationwide ceasefire with over 10 ethnic armed groups after decades of civil war. "Political dialogue, which is essential for national reconciliation and the foundation of the national peace process, may require amending, or revision, of the Constitution," he said. Ethnic groups are calling either for broad changes or a complete rewriting of the Constitution to create a federalist system that would give ethnic minority states greater power over their own affairs. Thein Sein added a note of caution about how far political reform might go. "Since the beginning of my administration, I have not done anything in an unaccountable manner. I have tried to promote harmony. I have tried to do everything I can to meet the needs and wishes of the people," he said. "However, I would like to emphasize that if the political demands made by the public are larger than what the current political system can accommodate, we can all end up in political deadlock. If this happens, we could lose all the political freedom we have achieved so far. I would therefore like to urge all of you to handle such situation with care and wisdom." The president's speech drew mixed reactions from opposition leaders, who said it was unclear whether talk of amendments would translate to action. "It depends how he will implement his words," Nyan Win, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday. NLD member Yan Myo Thein also criticized the radio address as ambiguous, saying, "He did not give a clear message. He was very cautious in his speech." On Monday, Thein Sein's Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) said in a surprise announcement that it had put forth proposals for amendments to the 2008 Constitution, including a change that would make Suu Kyi eligible for the presidency if her two sons became Burmese citizens. Suu Kyi said she would allow her sons, both adults, to make their own decision. It is not possible to hold dual citizenship in Burma, meaning that they would need to give up their British citizenship. "Since they turned 21 years old I have not had the right to decide for them," she told Radio Free Asia's Burmese service. "It would not be up to the standards of democracy if there was a law to decide for them." The USDP has voted in favor of changing 52 articles in the Constitution and eliminating 21 articles. The NLD is pushing to change 168 articles. Members of the public have been asked to submit comments about constitutional reform to lawmakers, with about 320,000 letters of suggestion submitted thus far, according to the parliamentary committee working on constitutional reform. Thein Sein said the military has also submitted proposals to the parliamentary committee, but he did not elaborate as to the nature of those proposals. The Constitution currently reserves 25 percent of seats in Parliament for military representatives. Burma is gearing up for elections in 2015, and Suu Kyi has expressed ambitions to become president. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate recently suggested that her party might boycott the polls if there was no constitutional reform, but the NLD later said it would contest the elections no matter what. In 2012 by-elections which brought Suu Kyi to Parliament, the NLD won 43 of 44 seats it contested. The post Thein Sein Says 'a Healthy Constitution Must Be Amended' appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Foreign Booze Returns to Burma’s Shelves—For Now Posted: 02 Jan 2014 02:48 AM PST Imported alcohol is back on the shelves as Burma's authorities relax enforcement of import restrictions. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's retailers resumed sales of foreign wines, beers and spirits just in time for New Year's revelry as the authorities eased the threat of seizures that had left shelves empty. But imports remain restricted as the government reviews its import policy, and it remains to be seen how long the booze will last. Restrictive government policy dating back to the former military regimes had led to widespread illegal importing of alcohol, until the Ministry of Commerce's mobile task force initiated crackdowns on retailers' warehouses in Rangoon and Mandalay. It is unclear why the authorities suddenly decided to enforce what had been widely-flouted restrictions, and why distributers rather than importers—hotels and duty free shops that include crony-owned businesses-were targeted. A spokesman for the country's biggest retailer, City Mart Holdings, said sales had resumed in the firm's stores. "We started selling booze again since Dec. 28, before New Year's Eve, including wines and other alcoholic products," the spokesman said, adding that the new sales were above board. "All are tax-paid bottles." One of City Mart's suppliers, Premium Food Service Products, was raided in early December, with about 90,000 bottles of wine and spirits seized. Directors both of Premium and Quarto Food Products, another supplier that was raided in October, are still facing trail for importing alcohol without paying duties. After the sudden enforcement of the rules, which came without warning to most retailers, complaints grew from customers and businesses as the supply of foreign alcohol dried up. The government has eased its enforcement now, however. Soe Aung, assistant director of the mobile team, said that the team would not raid shops selling imported alcohol. "We won't investigate on the shelves, but in the warehouses," he said, adding that at present, no warehouses are being investigated. But it remains unclear where the new alcohol is coming from. No new regulations are in place to import more booze legally, and the authorized importers are not allowed to sell on their imported alcohol to distributers or retailers. Soe Aung said all the alcohol seized by the team had been handed over to the Customs Department, but that he did not know where that alcohol had ended up. The Customs Department does not have a spokesman and officials do not speak to the media. Than Aung Kyaw, director of the Ministry of Commerce's trade directorate, said the foreign alcohol situation was being handled on a month-by-month basis. For now, he said, sales of foreign booze are allowed as the broader trade policy that seeks to restrict imports on some types of foreign goods—including tobacco and processed foods, as well as alcohol—is reviewed. "The policy on imported foreign booze is a specific part of overall trade policy. Alcohol products are [currently] a limited product, so while we're considering more imports of foreign booze, they [the mobile team] plan to ease the rules for retail shops," Than Aung Kyaw said. "We need to consider how to allow the sale of alcohol—wholesale or retail—as well as tax collecting systems," he added. Ko Thadoe Swe, a Rangoon resident and a regular customer at drinks retailers, said he was glad to see the shelves of the country's major retailers full of drink once again. "But the price has significantly increased," he complained. "Especially Red Label and Black Label [Johnny Walker whiskey], which has gone up from 3,000 kyats to 7,000 kyats [about US$3 to $7]." The post Foreign Booze Returns to Burma's Shelves—For Now appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Over 800 Burmese Refugees Affected by Two Fires Posted: 02 Jan 2014 02:00 AM PST Residents in Mae La refugee camp in Thailand clear debris from the fire and prepare for reconstruction. (Photo: The Border Consortium) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — More than 850 people have been directly affected by fires that broke out at two Burmese refugee camps in Thailand last week, destroying homes and leaving at least one person dead, aid agencies say. The first blaze was reported at the biggest Burmese refugee camp in Thailand, known as Mae La camp in Tak Province, last Friday. The camp is home to than 40,000 refugees, mostly ethnic Karen people who fled armed conflict in Burma and have lived in Thailand for over two decades. The second fire, on Saturday, was in Mae Hong Son Province at the Ban Mai Nai Soi camp, largely home to ethnic Karenni refugees. More than 850 people were directly affected by both fires, while 165 homes were destroyed and at least one person was killed, according to the UN refugee agency, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In a statement on Monday, it said the fire at Mae La camp destroyed some 130 homes, leaving one refugee badly burned. In the second fire, about 35 homes and community structures were damaged, and a 70-year-old woman died after being trapped in her home. Several other people were injured. "We are deeply saddened by these tragedies," Mireille Girard, the UNHCR representative in Thailand, said in the statement. "UNHCR is working with the government and other humanitarian partners to provide immediate relief to the victims and to help them back on their feet." Mike Bruce, a spokesman for the The Border Consortium (TBC), a humanitarian agency that has supported Burmese refugees on the Thai-Burma border since 1984, said Thai authorities were conducting an investigation into the fires because of the fatality. "This needs to be completed before clearing and reconstruction can begin, but we are hopeful that this will begin within days," he told The Irrawaddy on Thursday. "The community began working together immediately to find temporary housing in the camp or in schools for those affected. Clearing of the damage began immediately and building supplies are already being received at Mae La." The governor of Mae Hong Son Province visited Ban Mai Nai Soi camp on Tuesday to distribute blankets to affected families. About 130,000 Burmese refugees currently live in nine border camps in Thailand. This is not the first time that camps have been hit by fires. In March last year, a massive blaze at Ban Mae Surin camp, also in Mae Hong Son Province, killed over 30 people and left 2,000 people homeless. Girard of the UNHCR said training in fire prevention and response intensified after the March tragedy, but that fires have continued to break out and can be difficult to control because the camps are densely populated and surrounded by vast forests. "We fear that more fires could break out as we have not reached the peak of the dry season yet," she said in the statement. At Mae La camp, the UNHCR has distributed 200 plastic sheets, 200 blankets and 200 plastic mats. The International Organization for Migration has transported blankets provided by the Karen Refugee Committee, a group representing refugees in the camps. In Ban Mai Nai Soi camp, the UNHCR, local authorities and aid agencies such as TBC, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR) are distributing plastic sheets, blankets, pillows, mosquito nets, clothing, cooking utensils, stoves and food to survivors who are now living with friends and relatives in the camp. The post Over 800 Burmese Refugees Affected by Two Fires appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

From Feared Burma Spymaster to Art Gallery Owner Posted: 02 Jan 2014 01:55 AM PST Khin Nyunt, the former chief of Burma's military intelligence unit, speaks during a book launch in Rangoon in November. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Former political prisoner Than Htay walked into a small souvenir shop, hoping to catch a glimpse of the owner: a man once known in Burma as the Prince of Darkness. Moments later, he was face to face with the bespectacled 74-year-old, who had long ago traded his military uniform and polished black shoes for a simple button-down shirt and flip-flops. The man he sought had been among the country's most feared figures—a former junta leader whose intelligence apparatus jailed and tortured thousands of pro-democracy activists like Than Htay who stood against their rule. Now he runs a small art gallery that opened last year on the grounds of his sprawling residential compound, where he sells tourist crafts and dotes over his orchids. The man, Khin Nyunt, smiled at his former captive. He was smaller than Than Htay had imagined. "I walked over to him and said, 'Hello, uncle. We used to be enemies,'" Than Htay said, recalling the moment several months ago he told the once all-powerful spymaster that he was among those jailed for dissent against the junta in the 1990s. Khin Nyunt brushed aside that messy history and reached out to shake Than Htay's hand. "What you speak of, that is in the past," he said. "It's nice to meet you." It was a meeting that showed that Burma has come a long way, but has a long way yet to go. In 2011, this Southeast Asian country's former military rulers ceded power to a government led by retired generals who surprised the world by embarking on an era economic and political reform. But no one responsible for a half-century of rights abuses under army rule has been held accountable, and some are trying to bury the past by remaking their images. Khin Nyunt's transformation may be the most spectacular: He now portrays himself as a genteel humanitarian who spends quiet days meditating peacefully, cultivating flowers and fruit trees, and spending time with family and two huge guard dogs named Chit Chit and Chaw Chaw — "Lovely" and "Cutie." "I'm not interested in politics anymore. That part of my life is over," he said in a recent interview as the soothing tones of a traditional Burmese bamboo xylophone filled his souvenir shop. "I'm now focused only on my family." A protege of former dictator Ne Win, Khin Nyunt ascended through the ranks of Burma's army to become one of the country's most powerful people. In 1988, he was a member of the junta that seized power after crushing a pro-democracy student movement. He eventually took over the country's intelligence apparatus, and spent years hunting down dissidents. Among them was Than Htay, who was arrested in 1991 for funneling food and money to an anti-government militia. He spent five years in detention, where he said he was blindfolded, beaten with clubs, kicked and tortured with electric shocks. Khin Nyunt became the junta's prime minister in 2003, but his career came to an abrupt end a year later amid a reported power struggle with junta chief Than Shwe. He was accused of corruption and placed him under house arrest, and hundreds of his followers were jailed or purged. Khin Nyunt said he was confined to his home for seven years, cut off from friends and relatives without a phone. He said his savings ran so low he was forced to sell orchids to survive, with sympathetic security officers guarding him taking the flowers to a nearby market. In January 2012, he was freed in a general amnesty along with hundreds of political prisoners. But he said more than 20 of his associates are still detained. The meetings he has had with former prisoners of conscience have been rare, and some have occurred by chance. He ran into Win Tin, an opposition party stalwart who spent 19 years in prison, during an awkward moment at a funeral. Than Htay's visit came as part of a field trip to Khin Nyunt's art gallery with about 20 students from World Learning's Institute for Political and Civic Engagement, a nonprofit group that provides pro-democracy education to civil society activists. After brief introductions, students asked Khin Nyunt questions about his past and future. He answered most of them only obliquely. "I felt pity for him, actually," Than Htay said. "He was smiling, trying to be nice to us. He was pretending to be somebody totally different than he was. "When he was in power, everybody had to show him their respect. But now he seems so lonely … he's powerless." Than Htay said it is unjust that the ex-spymaster is living a comfortable life: "He should be facing trial for what he did. He should be in jail for the crimes he committed." Asked about well-documented abuses of dissidents such as Than Htay, Khin Nyunt said, "When you run a spy agency, you have to interrogate people to get answers. You have to use certain techniques. [But] what we did was no different than what the CIA does, or the KGB, or Mossad. You can't say this was torture." Still, he added, "there were lots of things we did that I didn't want to do. You had to follow orders. If you didn't, it meant you were against the government and you would be punished." Khin Nyunt dismissed the unflattering sobriquets he acquired at the height of his power—another was "Prince of Evil." "Do I look scary to you?" he said, laughing. Today, he lives in a large villa on one end of his compound with eight family members, including his wife, children and grandchildren. He spends his days strolling through his garden, which is filled with mango, pineapple and durian fruit trees. He said he opened the gallery out of love for culture and to allow local painters, many of them poor and struggling, to exhibit their work. He takes a 20 percent commission from works that are sold, and said he channels much of it to education and health programs in his native upcountry village, something he hopes will bring him good karma as a Buddhist. The gallery does modest business, and draws tourists unaware of who its owner is, as well as others who come specifically to hoping to see him. Beside it are a coffee shop and a souvenir store that sells tourist items like pricey petrified wood carvings from northern Burma. Khin Nyunt has plenty of time on his hands. He said he spends much of it reading—books on Burmese history, local newspapers, and international news magazines that are no longer banned. "One thing I have come to realize is, this is all about change," he said. "Nothing is constant. Everything is in flux. Life changes. Things change. Human beings change." AP writer Esther Htusan contributed to this report. The post From Feared Burma Spymaster to Art Gallery Owner appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

The Irrawaddy Launches Weekly Burmese Journal Posted: 02 Jan 2014 12:58 AM PST The Irrawaddy's new Burmese-language weekly journal hit the stands on Jan. 2. (Photo: Jpaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — For the last 13 years, The Irrawaddy Burmese Online, as the name suggests, was confined to online readers both inside and outside Burma. But with the launch of our weekly print journal in Burmese on Thursday, The Irrawaddy will reach out to a larger readership inside the country. Published by The Irrawaddy Publishing Group (IPG) from Jan. 2, the Burmese weekly is a sister publication of The Irrawaddy monthly magazine, which has been published in English since 1993 and has since become a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma and the Southeast Asia region. Originally, the Burmese-language Irrawaddy website was launched in 2001 as an online daily to target the growing number of Burmese readers worldwide and inform them about what was happening inside their country. Since last year, The Irrawaddy magazine has been published and distributed inside the country, after two decades of publication in exile. "It's like a dream come true to be able to publish both our English magazine and Burmese weekly inside country," said Aung Zaw, the editor-in-chief of both publications. "I feel we are reconnecting with our readers." "I would like to thank all our colleagues and readers for their tremendous support in helping us publish these distinguished publications," he said. "We have a great team here and I think that during this year and the next, Burma will see tremendous change, so good news coverage is needed." "Our reporting will be balanced and fair in both hard news and features. In terms of content, our focus is not only political but also covers a wide range of issues, from entertainment to business news, to the question of transitional justice," Aung Zaw said. The Irrawaddy journal will appear every Thursday. During the launch on Jan. 2, the journal was sold out at news stands in Rangoon and Mandalay. The post The Irrawaddy Launches Weekly Burmese Journal appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Thai PM Returns to Bangkok as Protest Showdown Looms Posted: 01 Jan 2014 11:16 PM PST Democracy protesters march from Bangkok's Democracy monument to Government House in early December in what protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban said at the time was their last protest. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) BANGKOK — Embattled Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra returned to the capital, Bangkok, on Wednesday for traditional New Year celebrations in a display of unity alongside military chiefs before a looming showdown with anti-government protesters. Demonstrators who accuse Yingluck of being the puppet of her self-exiled brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have vowed to occupy government ministries and other key sites in Bangkok in their bid to scuttle a snap Feb. 2 election. The protests since late November have pitted the brother and sister's political machine with its base among the rural poor in the north against Bangkok's conservative elite. It has flared into sporadic violence, and army chief General Prayuth Chan-Ocha refused to rule out a coup after wild clashes outside an election registration center a week ago. Three people have been killed since last week Thursday. Yingluck, who is caretaker leader after calling the snap poll in a bid to defuse the crisis, had spent more than a week outside Bangkok shoring up support in the north but returned to the capital early on Wednesday. She joined Prayuth and other senior military leaders in paying their respects to retired general Prem Tinsulanonda, the president of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Privy Council. Prayuth's warning last week was a sobering reminder that the military has staged or attempted 18 coups in 81 years. In a New Year message aired overnight, Thailand's revered King Bhumibol urged peace, prosperity and unity among Thais. "Everyone's wishes do not seem to be very different, either for their own sake or for the peace of the country," he said. Wednesday's largely ceremonial duties were a prelude to what are shaping as rougher days ahead for Yingluck, whose Puea Thai Party normally would be expected to win the election. The demonstrators, led by fiery former deputy premier Suthep Thaugsuban, have vowed to derail the ballot and demand instead an appointed "people's council" before a future vote. Suthep has vowed to seize ministries and other sites across the capital, although it is not clear when that will start. The main opposition Democrat Party has also declared it will boycott the election. Thailand's Electoral Commission has offered to act as a mediator between Puea Thai, the Democrats and the protesters. Commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn said the commission would meet senior members of Puea Thai and the Democrats on Thursday, although he said the protesters had rejected a similar offer. "I believe that something positive will come out of the meeting and the situation will ease up," Thai media quoted Somchai as saying. While the protests have mainly been in Bangkok, election registration has also been blocked in at least seven provinces in the south, where the protesters and Democrats draw support. The wider aim of the protesters is to neutralize the power of Thaksin, who they say has manipulated democracy by buying the support of the rural poor with populist policies such as cheap health care and subsidies for rice farmers. Thaksin was overthrown in a 2006 coup and fled into exile two years later to avoid jail for graft charges he said were politically motivated. In November, Puea Thai tried to push through an amnesty bill that would have allowed Thaksin to return a free man, sparking the latest round of protests. Additional reporting by Reuters reporter Wirat Buranakanokthanasan. The post Thai PM Returns to Bangkok as Protest Showdown Looms appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

In Cambodia, Pressure Mounts on Longtime Leader Hun Sen Posted: 01 Jan 2014 10:17 PM PST A huge opposition-led street protest was held in Phnom Penh on Sunday against the government of long-serving Cambodian strongman Hun Sen. (Photo: Reuters) PHNOM PENH — Cambodian garment factory workers Then Any and Vong Pov aren’t showing up for work anymore. They make pairs of jeans sold in American stores at prices per pair higher than their $80 monthly income and struggle to make ends meet. It sounds like an all-too familiar story of labor disputes in one of Asia’s poorest countries, but this time it’s different. Their strike has taken on a new significance and is presenting a rare challenge to one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, Prime Minister Hun Sen. The pair are just 18 and have only basic education, but are among 350,000 new and powerful allies of a political opposition seeking a re-run of a July election they say was stolen from them by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). Huddled behind barbed wired fences and stared down by riot police outside Hun Sen’s offices are hundreds of factory workers demanding a doubling of wages and threatening to shut down roads and cripple an industry worth $5 billion a year. "I can’t feed myself," said Then Any, as workers hurled water bottles towards police lines. Vong Pov added: "Factories must give us a raise, otherwise, we will strike continuously." Instrumental in courting support of disgruntled workers who make clothes and footwear for brands like Adidas, Gap and Nike is Sam Rainsy, whose once-impotent party reinvented itself this year to tap resentment and present Hun Sen with an unprecedented electoral challenge. Rainsy has led the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), its supporters and now garment workers on rallies and marches of tens of thousands of people in the past two weeks, demanding Hun Sen agree to a new election after he rejected calls for an independent probe into results of the July poll. Protests of this scale are rarely seen in Cambodia, where despite his authoritarianism, the self-styled "strongman" has steered the country from a failed state to an unprecedented spell of stability and growth after civil war and the horrors of the 1970s Khmer Rouge "killing fields" reign of terror. "This is about the incapability of the ruling CPP, the people want them out," top CNRP member Yim Sovann told Reuters. "We have no other options other than to demand for the election reforms and another election." ‘Robbed of Votes’ The CPP won 68 seats in the July election to the CNRP’s 55, according to the National Election Committee, but CNRP says that body is one of many under CPP’s influence and maintains it was cheated out of 2.3 million votes. Hun Sen, 61, has been in power for 28 years and has vowed to rule Cambodia into his seventies. He appeared to have rode through protests that fizzled out a few months ago, but the opposition has returned to the streets with reinforcements from unions representing nearly 500 factories. The government recently agreed to increase the monthly minimum wage for garment workers from $80 a month to $95, but CNRP says it would push that to $160 if it wins an election. The protests have put the government in a tight squeeze and many Cambodians worry security forces with a reputation for zero tolerance will crack down harshly. CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said pay rises should be incremental and workers were unaware of the damage they could cause. "They’re strangling themselves," he said. "When investors close factories, we can’t find hundreds of thousands of jobs for the people. Businesses are worried. They might say ‘bye bye’." The Labor Ministry on Monday threatened six unions with lawsuits and ordered factories to reopen and workers to return by Jan. 2, vowing "serious measures" against non-compliance. Ou Virak, a political analyst and human rights advocate, said the situation was precarious and the government’s strategy was not to cave in, but to cling on and hope protesting workers run out of money. "The ruling party is nervous," he said. "Will they respond with more concessions? Or with crackdowns to guarantee their continued rule?" "This is untested territory for the ruling CPP. They know how to fight wars and battles, but not when people are taking to the street in such masses." The post In Cambodia, Pressure Mounts on Longtime Leader Hun Sen appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Indonesian Anti-Terror Squad Kills 6 Suspects Posted: 01 Jan 2014 09:31 PM PST People from Indonesian Muslim hardline groups hold a banner and placards during a protest near the Burmese Embassy in Jakarta on May 3, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) JAKARTA — An elite anti-terrorism police squad killed six suspected militants and arrested another during an extended standoff at a house near the Indonesian capital, a police spokesman said Wednesday. Intelligence gathered from earlier arrests allowed police to storm hideouts in Ciputat on Jakarta's outskirts as part of an investigation into an alleged plot to bomb the Burmese Embassy and a Buddhist temple, said National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar. The nine-hour shootout started late Tuesday when most Indonesians were preparing to celebrate New Year's and ended Wednesday. Amar said those killed had refused to surrender and had fired guns and lobbed homemade bombs at security forces, injuring one police officer in his leg. He added that the fatal attack was inevitable since calls for the suspects to surrender were met with gunfire and explosions. Human rights groups have criticized the US-funded squad, known as "Densus 88" in the past, saying it was not trying to take suspects alive, a trend seeming to fuel the very extremism the predominantly Muslim country is trying to counter. The critics alleged that the suspected militants were victims of extrajudicial killings that drive militancy and reduce public sympathy for police. Amar said the men were suspected of being part of a larger group involved in robberies used to fund terrorist activities, mainly aimed at police. They also were linked to terrorist group led by Abu Wardah Santoso—on the police's most wanted list—in Poso, a flashpoint of terrorism in Central Sulawesi where a Muslim-Christian conflict killed at least 1,000 people from 1998 to 2002. "There is a strong indication that they were involved in a series of police killings," Amar told reporters, adding police found at least six homemade bombs at the house. Police also confiscated five pistols and a revolver, 200 million rupiah ($16,500) in cash, and materials used for making bombs. Police were trying to determine whether the men killed in the raid were connected to an alleged plot in May against the Burmese Embassy to retaliate against Burma for attacks on Muslims in that country. "There are also printouts of addresses of about 20 to 30 Vihara (Buddhist temples) we believed to be their targets," Amar said. In August, a small bomb exploded outside a Buddhist temple packed with praying devotees in Jakarta. One person was injured, but two other devices failed to explode. Officials have said the attack appears to have been meant to avenge the deaths of Muslims in Burma. Religious violence in Buddhist-majority Burma has killed scores of people, and tens of thousands of Muslims have been driven from their homes. Amar said at least nine suspects were arrested in past two weeks, including one in Central Java whose interrogation led to the latest raid. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has been battling terrorists since bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. The post Indonesian Anti-Terror Squad Kills 6 Suspects appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

North Korean Leader Says Purge Was a Cleansing of ‘Filth’ Posted: 01 Jan 2014 08:59 PM PST North Koreans celebrate the New Year by visiting statues of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung and former leader Kim Jong Il at Mansudae hill in Pyongyang, in this Jan. 1, 2014 photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang. (Photo: Reuters) SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first reference to the execution of his powerful uncle in a New Year's address, saying the reclusive state's ruling party had become stronger after it was purged of "factional filth." And he called for better relations with South Korea, warning that another war on the Korean peninsula would cause a massive nuclear disaster that would hit the United States. Kim, the third generation of his family to rule North Korea, did not refer by name to his uncle Jang Song Thaek, who was executed last month in a rare public purge for crimes against the ruling Workers' Party and harming national interest. "Our party took a firm measure to get rid of factional filth that permeated the party," Kim said in a broadcast on state television that appeared to be pre-recorded, without showing if he was speaking to an audience. "Our unity strengthened hundredfold and party and revolutionary lines became more solid by purging the anti-party and anti-revolutionary faction," Kim said. After the sudden death of Kim's father in December 2011, Jang acted as regent to his young nephew as Kim established himself in power. With the purge, Kim may have chosen to remove the only man who may have posed any real threat to him. Kim's call for improved ties with the South followed a threat from Pyongyang last month that it could strike Seoul without notice. "It is time to end abuse and slander that is only good for doing harm … We will try hard to improve North-South ties," Kim said, adding that "dark clouds of nuclear war constantly hovered over the Korean peninsula". "If there ever is once again war on this land, it will bring about an enormous nuclear disaster and the United States will not be spared from it," he said. The two Koreas remain technically at war under a truce that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. The United States maintains 28,500 troops in South Korea in joint defense against the North. Robert Carlin, a contributor to 38 North, a project of Johns Hopkins University's US-Korea Institute, noted that so far Pyongyang's treatment of South Koran President Park Geun-hye had avoided the relentless personal attacks on her predecessor. "Many times over the past 30 or 40 years, the two sides have started dialogue by agreeing to stop slander of the other," Carlin said. "It's a relatively easy and verifiable first step. By raising it, Kim would appear to be signaling that he's prepared to start off with something concrete, if modest, in order to open the door." Construction Plans State media reported on Tuesday that Kim rode on a ski lift at the Masik ski resort, a widely publicized public project where the North expects up to 5,000 skiers a day when it opens this year. Kim has been pushing for massive projects throughout the country that go beyond the ski resort, pleasure parks and apartment blocks reported by state media, largely with the financial aid of its sole main ally China. On Wednesday, he emphasized his eagerness to pursue more construction projects. "This year, we should open up a new period of prosperity in construction. Construction is an important frontline to set grounds for the strong nation and people's happiness," he said. The post North Korean Leader Says Purge Was a Cleansing of 'Filth' appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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