The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Guitarists Rock Rangoon With Instrumental Show
• Govt Growth Target Overshoots IMF Forecast Amid Calls for Aid
• Thai Police Rescue Hundreds of Rohingya in Raid on Suspected Traffickers’ Camp
• ‘Within the Political Structure, Women Are Treated as Decorative’
• British Envoy Cautions on Land Investments in Burma
• World Bank Pledges $2B for Burma’s Health, Energy Sectors
• Constitutional Change Could Trigger ‘Political Instability’: Shwe Mann
• Thai Anti-Government Protester Killed, Adds to Doubts Over Election
• Philippines to Grant Amnesty to Muslim Rebels
• Twelve Dead in Fresh Violence in China’s Xinjiang

Guitarists Rock Rangoon With Instrumental Show Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:24 AM PST Guitarist Naing Zaw plays his three-necked guitar during Burma's first ever guitar instrumental show in Rangoon on Sunday. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — For Burmese guitar fans, it was the night they got to see guitarists they admire playing their hearts out, as if they were possessed by spirits. For the guitar players, it was the moment they too had been waiting for—a chance to show off their skills, and to mesmerize the crowd with their signature speed, precision and outlandish techniques. That was exactly what happened when 23 Burmese guitarists, established names as well as rising stars, shared the stage on Sunday at an open-air Burmese-style guitar festival—the "Biggest Guitar Instrumental Show 2014" at Myoma Parade Ground. During the country's first ever guitar instrumental gig, the audience of several hundred was left in amazement, speechless. "It was the moment I have been waiting 25 years for," said guitarist Aung Aung of the band Warriors, after earning applause from the audience with his unusual guitar playing technique—playing with an electric drill—seemingly inspired by Paul Gilbert of US West Coast rock group Mr Big. "Ask any guitarist what is their dream. You will be told 'to play instrumental in front of a large audience,'" said the guitarist. During the eight-hour long event, the audience witnessed a vast array of guitarists from long-respected six-string virtuosos to younger players, giving the gathered guitar enthusiasts various musical flavors, ranging from modern rock to jazz and blues. Probably the highlight of the event was when one of the country's most famous guitarists, Chit San Maung from Iron Cross, took to the stage after midnight, generating cheers from the audience. As soon as he hit the stage, he was a whirlwind of movement, attacking his guitar angrily. At one point, he threw the guitar up in the air, caught it again and resumed playing. Stirring performances of his new songs were topped off with his song "Wasteland" from his first instrumental album, "Six-String Magic." The gig came to an end with two jamming sessions of the guitarists playing a tribute to the country's biggest river "Irrawaddy" and Deep Purple's trademark song "Smoke on the Water." Before hitting the stage again for a final jamming session, Chit San Maung told The Irrawaddy the night had been a success. "We guitarists mostly work with vocalists, playing backing music and solos for them. Tonight, there is no vocal, guitar only," he said. "I have to say the first guitar instrumental show here is a success. I hope it will herald more gigs like it in future," the guitarist added. The post Guitarists Rock Rangoon With Instrumental Show appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Govt Growth Target Overshoots IMF Forecast Amid Calls for Aid Posted: 27 Jan 2014 05:29 AM PST Burma President Thein Sein stands beside World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim at the Myanmar Development Cooperation Meeting in Naypyidaw on Monday, greeting British Ambassador to Burma Michael Patrick and US Ambassador Derek Mitchell. (Photo: Samantha Michaels / The Irrawaddy) Myanmar Govt Growth Target Overshoots IMF Forecast Amid Calls for Aid NAYPYIDAW — Burma's government is targeting higher economic growth than the International Monetary Fund has projected for the coming fiscal year, and has called for greater cooperation with international development partners to achieve that goal. Speaking at the Second Myanmar Development Cooperation Forum on Monday, President Thein Sein said the government aimed for 9.1 percent growth in GDP for the 2014-15 year, compared with the IMF projection of 7.75 percent growth. He said cooperation with development partners had been key to achieving growth of more than 7 percent in GDP over the last two years. "In the past we have relied only on the state budget for the development of our country," he said in an opening address. "Now we can also count on other sources of finance, such as foreign aid, loans, and domestic and foreign investment, and by mobilizing these resources we have been trying to implement sectoral and regional development." While development partners at the forum pledged further support in the coming year, a top diplomat cautioned that investors would be watching to ensure that human rights are respected, following renewed reports of alleged anti-Muslim violence in the country's west. The two-day forum, organized by the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, brings together high-ranking officials from government, UN agencies and other members of the international community to discuss ways of enhancing development efforts as Burma transitions from decades of authoritarian rule. At the First Myanmar Development Cooperation Forum in January last year, Thein Sein and donors signed a non-binding agreement known as the Nay Pyi Taw Accord that set out guidelines for offering aid to the country. "Myanmar is emerging decisively from conflict, fragility and isolation toward a prosperous and peaceful future," Dr. Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group, said in a keynote address at this year's forum. Kim, who is the first sitting president of the World Bank Group to ever visit Burma, announced on Sunday that the bank would invest US$2 billion in the country in a multi-year program to improve access to electricity and health care. He said on Monday that the funds would also help develop the agricultural sector, which accounts for over 40 percent of the country's GDP. Under the former military regime, Burma was ineligible for World Bank development lending after it stopped payments on loans in 1987. The country's debts to the bank were cleared last year, opening the way for further funding. Burma has sought to win more foreign investment since Thein Sein's government came to power in 2011, and has attracted interest in part due to its strategic geographic position between neighbors China and India. The country's rich natural resources are also an asset, said Lei Lei Thein, deputy minister of national planning and development. However, she cited a number of challenges moving forward, ranging from widespread poverty to weak infrastructure, an underdeveloped private sector, and regional disparities in development. "Most economic generating activities are concentrated in the main urban cities," she told the forum. She added that it would be crucial to diversify the economy, which she said was dominated by agricultural projects and resource extraction activities. Zaw Oo, an economic adviser to Thein Sein, said that of the targeted 9 percent growth in GDP for 2014, the government hoped to see a reduction in the percentage of GDP growth from forestry and an increase in contribution from the telecommunications sector. "We also need to overcome inequality. Myanmar cannot leave out the many populations which have not been able to benefit from the progress of reforms," he said, noting migrant workers, landless farmers and people who have been displaced by years of conflict between the government army and ethnic armed groups. He urged the international community to increase support for capacity building, to remove disincentives to investment, and to fully resume official development assistance. In honor of reforms, the West has suspended or lifted most economic sanctions on Burma since 2012. The European Union, which lifted sanctions in April last year, has committed to significantly increasing development cooperation with Burma over the next five years, according to EU Ambassador to Burma Roland Kobia. "The envelope was already substantial, but it will be increased further," he told the forum, saying funds would focus on peace-building, governance, rural development, health, education, trade and private sector development. India also pledged to step up its investment. "While we have perhaps been a somewhat passive partner in the Nay Pyi Taw Accord, I would like to signal through this meeting that we would like to be a much more active participant in the process as it takes shape in the future," said Indian Ambassador to Burma Shri Gautam Mukhopadhaya, adding that India has committed $1.5 billion to Burma's development assistance, including $750 million in direct project aid. US Ambassador to Burma Derek Mitchell also praised the Burma government on its political and economic reforms over the past two years, noting the president's continued outreach to civil society. "I am confident that the international community and donors will support you in the task that lays ahead in the coming weeks, months and years," he said. However, he said international investors would be watching over the next year to determine whether reforms continued to progress, and to advocate for the inclusion of all of Burma's people in national reconciliation efforts, regardless of gender, ethnicity or religion. "Will the peace process move past conversation between those who bear arms to embrace farmers and women—average citizens at the local level who have always simply wanted peace and to live their lives normally, to raise their families and educate their kids? Will that comprehensive dialogue begin in this next year? And will dialogue and debate overcome violence and summary justice as a way of dealing with differences?" he said. "We all will be watching. All of us here at this table, all the donors, will be watching this very closely, and in fact, I should say, so are our businesses. My businesses ask me, 'Where are things going to move in the next year, in the next two years? Is it stable enough for us to invest large amounts of money, to create the jobs and the rest of the foundation for true stability and true development in the country?' So we will be watching." The Second Myanmar Development Cooperation Forum comes at a time of some tension between the Burma government and members of the international community who have called on Naypyidaw to take stronger measures to ensure that human rights are respected. Last week, the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom and other members of the international community urged a thorough investigation in Arakan State following reports of sectarian violence against a Muslim minority known as the Rohingya. The UN said Friday that it had credible information that at least 48 Rohingya Muslims were attacked and killed in Maungdaw Township—allegations which Burmese authorities have denied from the start and continued to deny over the weekend. The post Govt Growth Target Overshoots IMF Forecast Amid Calls for Aid appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Thai Police Rescue Hundreds of Rohingya in Raid on Suspected Traffickers’ Camp Posted: 27 Jan 2014 05:09 AM PST A Thailand Immigration Police van carries a group of Rohingya Muslims to a port outside Ranong city Oct. 30. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — Thai police have rescued hundreds of Rohingya Muslims from a remote camp in a raid prompted by a Reuters investigation into human trafficking, police officials said on Monday. Police detained 531 men, women and children in Sunday's raid at a camp near the town of Sadao in the southern province of Songkhla, on a well-established route for human smugglers near Thailand's border with Malaysia. It was the first raid on illegal Rohingya smuggling camps since Jan. 9, 2013. The police said they were following up on a Dec. 5 Reuters report that Rohingya were held hostage in camps hidden near the border with Malaysia until relatives pay ransoms to release them. Some were beaten and killed. The Rohingya are mostly stateless Muslims from Burma. Deadly clashes between Rohingya and ethnic Arakanese Buddhists erupted in Buddhist-majority Burma last year, making 140,000 people homeless, most of them Rohingya. Since then, tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled from Burma by boat and many arrive off southwest Thailand. The United Nations and the United States called for an investigation into the Reuters report, based on a two months of research in three countries, that revealed a clandestine policy to remove Rohingya refugees from Thai immigration detention centers and deliver them to human traffickers waiting at sea. "After Reuters gave us information, we ordered an investigation into the camps," said Chatchawan Suksomjit, deputy national police chief. He said they captured three suspected ringleaders at the camp, all of them Thai males. Reuters gave the Thai authorities coordinates to one camp near Sadao which was empty by the time they arrived, but police found another camp nearby. "From the Reuters report, we received a clue that it was in Kao Roop Chang [village]. But the camp was already moved from there when we found it. We found only an empty camp there. So we investigated more until we found the new camp," said Colonel Kan Tammakasem, superintendent of immigration in Songkhla. The plight of the Rohingya illustrates the limits to Burma's wave of democratic reforms since military rule ended in March 2011. Inside Burma, they face apartheid-like conditions and, according to the United Nations, many forms of "persecution, discrimination and exploitation." US Scrutiny Police are trying to identify the origins of those detained after the raid, not all of whom were Rohingya, said Chatchawan. "We are interviewing all of them to see if they are victims of human trafficking," he said. They are being kept at an immigration detention center in Songkhla. "We have to interview them and proceed according to Thai immigration laws," he said. "It will depend on whether they want to go back. If they are willing we will send them back as we have done before." Last year, Thailand implemented a secretive policy to deport the Rohingya. These deportations delivered many Rohingya back into the hands of smuggling networks and human traffickers, who in some cases ferried them back to Thailand's secret border camps, reported Reuters. The raid comes as the US State Department is finalizing its research for its next Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report, due in June, which ranks countries on their counter-trafficking performance. Thailand is Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy and a close US ally, but has a poor record in fighting trafficking and faces a possible downgrade to the report's lowest rank, putting it at risk of US sanctions and potentially placing it on a par with North Korea and Iran. Nine people were arrested in Thailand in relation to Rohingya smuggling in 2013, including two government officials, according to police data, but none of the arrests has led to convictions. The post Thai Police Rescue Hundreds of Rohingya in Raid on Suspected Traffickers' Camp appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

‘Within the Political Structure, Women Are Treated as Decorative’ Posted: 27 Jan 2014 04:46 AM PST Salai Isaac Khen, executive director of the Gender and Development Initiative Myanmar, joins a taping of Dateline Irrawaddy in Rangoon. (Photo: Nyein Chan / The Irrawaddy) Despite many changes in Burma in recent years, gender discrimination remains "structural," according to Salai Isaac Khen, executive director of the Gender and Development Initiative Myanmar. His Rangoon-based research and advocacy group is working to change that in Burma, a deeply religious and conservative nation long-isolated by a military junta that only ceded power in 2011. Formed in February 2010, the initiative focuses on three main issues—gender equality, indigenous people's rights, and women's participation in ongoing peace talks between the central government and ethnic armed rebel groups. Salai Isaac Khen sat down with The Irrawaddy to talk about the importance of women's voices in the peace process and gender equality—or a lack thereof—as the country continues to undergo an economic and political transformation. Question:Why is it important to have gender sensitivity in the peace process and development? Answer: When considering a community or country's development, one cannot neglect the gender equality perspective, because in a society or a country, men's and women's proportional development is essential. Sometimes, when a society or economy develops, control and decision-making power is not equal. Men tend to have more power to make decisions. Men tend to have more control over development, resources and benefits. In most societies, women are left behind in this case. That's why a gender perspective should be considered in the process of sustainable development. There will be discussions on a ceasefire, the rehabilitation process, DDR [disarmament, demobilization and reintegration]. In those discussions, women's participation is important. Women were mainly the victims of [Burma's civil] war. So, it will be more comprehensive when women's perspectives are accounted for in peace discussions. In interpreting the term 'security,' what a woman understands the term to mean may differ from what a man thinks. When a woman says 'security,' they take into account their right to freedom of movement and protection from gender-based violence. Men sometimes don't take these things into consideration. The reconstruction process will have better results if it includes women's perspectives on issues of war that have affected them. Women's participation in the peace process is still quite rare. Women are in a situation where they do not have the right to participate. In a country where conflicts exist like Burma, the government has to draw up an action plan for women's peace and security, according to United Nations Security Council decision 1325. [The resolution "reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security."] Men have been fighting this civil war continuously, being trained militarily. When they don't need to fight [if hopes for an end to the civil war are realized], what will they do? They need to be trained to fit in with a democratic and peaceful society. What can happen, when they are disarmed and become civilians again, is what we call a 'masculinity crisis.' In the transitional process, we need to help them to start again as civilians after they drop their guns. In the peace process, not only the organizations involved need to transform, but the transition of individuals within these organizations is also important. Soldiers coming home after fighting in wars are prone to committing domestic violence, according to other countries' experiences. That's why gender issues need to be considered in the transitional period. Q: Why have few women—on both sides—been involved in peace negotiations? A: Who has said only soldiers can negotiate in the peace process? The current peace process seems to allow only soldiers and ethnic armed groups' leaders to discuss, mostly generals from the government and soldiers-turned-politicians from ethnic groups. For sure, military [personnel] must be involved, but it [peace] is not possible with only the military's involvement. Women's participation in fighting the war has been smaller, but the peace process is not about discussing military operations. Women can and should participate. Q: Why is it that women are not considered to have a role in public life? Do women also think along these lines? A: Some women themselves think that they don't have a role in those sectors. They think that it's enough that men do it. Men also are not much impressed when women take these roles. Some women also do not express a desire to do them. Q: Is it the nature of the work in these cases? A: The perception is more important than the nature of work. People perceive that women are not suited to heavy and difficult work. Some educated and rich women don't want to carry bags themselves, and rather ask a man to carry them. Some women themselves are corrupted and they do not think that they can do it. Not only do men keep women on the sidelines, some women also want to keep it that way. Q: Is there a way to balance traditional values with a push for greater gender equality? A: From a human rights perspective. Whether in decision-making or peace negotiations, it should be a woman's right to participate. Q: Some rights groups have advocated for a 30 percent quota applied to parliamentary seats to ensure women's participation in government. What is the difference between this and the 25 percent of seats in Parliament reserved for the military? A: We are aiming for civilian supremacy. Fundamentally, the 25 percent military reservation means militarization. Thirty percent women's participation is not militarization. At the very least, if a quota system is enacted, it would not be based on appointments but rather elections, which is at variance with the military's appointment. We want to provide a space to women so that the political parties and voters will encourage women's participation in the process. Women are facing structural discrimination—within the structure I feel they are treated as decorative, but what is their role in decision-making? The post 'Within the Political Structure, Women Are Treated as Decorative' appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

British Envoy Cautions on Land Investments in Burma Posted: 27 Jan 2014 02:36 AM PST James Townshend, the UK's business ambassador for agriculture, speak to reporters in Rangoon last week. (Photo: British Embassy Rangoon / Facebook) RANGOON — A business ambassador for Britain has warned that uncertainty over land ownership in Burma could limit investment in agriculture, as the Southeast Asian nation looks to expand the sector. The United Kingdom's business ambassador for agriculture, James Townshend, completed a six-day visit to Burma on Saturday, during which he met with Burmese government officials and toured agricultural projects in the country. He told reporters during a press conference at the British Embassy on Thursday that while agriculture was already making a large contribution to Burma's economy, there was "huge potential" for expansion. "With technology and investment and the infrastructure that's needed to support the industry; with investment in the training and development of the people engaged in the industry; and with investment in linking up the industry with the market, there really is enormous scope for the sector," he said, before warning that there would be obstacles along the way. "Of course there are all sorts of problems that have to be dealt with, but the underlying fundamentals, I would suggest, are extremely positive." With most of the West's economic sanctions dropped or suspended, Burma is hoping to boost overseas investment in its underproductive agricultural sector. Agricultural investments have made up only 0.43 percent of foreign direct investment since 1988, according to the latest Directorate of Investment and Company Administration figures. One difficulty the country will face as it tries to boost that figure is likely to be land tenure. During decades of military rule—which officially ended when the nominally civilian government of President Thein Sein took power in 2011—hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland were forcibly seized by the government and the armed forces, often to be handed to companies with close ties to the junta. As a result, the past few years has seen rising complaints over land confiscation, and demands that land is returned to its rightful owners. Earlier this month, about 500 farmers from across the country demonstrated in Rangoon, calling for the return of seized lands. Townshend—who is the chief executive of large-scale agriculture firm Velcourt Group—said uncertainty over land ownership, and the potential for land grabs, would be of particular concern in "land-intensive" agricultural projects. "Myanmar isn't alone in terms of the issues that arise, but it's one that clearly needs to be thought through," he said. "In my judgment, until such time as it is thought through, and there is real visibility on who owns, or has title to, or has legal right to occupy [land], there's going to be an impediment in the way of the industry." Many people in Burma are living or farming on land to which they have no title, meaning they face eviction if the government decides the land should be used for something. Townshend warned that the lack of secure tenure could inhibit agricultural development, as well as making for a difficult environment to investors. "If they've got no security, [the current occupiers of land] can't sensibly make the investment needed to deliver a competitive agricultural sector," he said. "I would have thought it would be unwise to contemplate disenfranchising the people who occupy the land at the present time. That would be a fairly dangerous route to go down." Lisa Weedon, director of the UK Trade and Investment office at the British Embassy in Rangoon, agreed that land-intensive agriculture was a "very difficult sector to invest in at this stage." "If we had a British business who was looking at land-intensive agriculture, we would have to offer them lots of advice and support on how to negotiate that," she said. Townshend highlighted the possibilities for British companies to export to Burma technology and training, as well as commodities, including the semen of livestock—for which Britain recently signed a US$74 million-a-year deal with China. Townshend's visit included a trip to a joint venture project in Pathein, Irrawaddy Division, between Burmese conglomerate Yoma and Britain's ED&F Man, which aims to produce export-quality coffee in the Irrawaddy Delta. The visit also involved a meeting with Vicky Bowman, director of the Myanmar Center for Responsible Business. Bowman said the government was making "steps forward" in dealing with the land ownership issue, including introducing new laws on agriculture and a land registration program. "But there is no comprehensive land-use policy yet in place," she told The Irrawaddy by email. "What's needed is an inclusive and transparent consultative process to develop a land policy, involving civil society, farmers, private sector companies (including from other sectors using land, such as forestry, mining and tourism) and other stakeholders. This needs to balance interests concerning national food security, economic development and human rights." Bowman also said there was a lack of transparency around the government's granting of land concessions to companies for development, and how the existing tenants of land taken over by firms are dealt with. "If Myanmar starts to implement a consistent and transparent Environmental and Social Impact Assessment process, as foreseen under the Environment Law and the Foreign Investment Law, this should help identify where displacement [of people] is occurring and provide a mechanism for ensuring that it is in line with international safeguards standards. But we are still a long way away from that," she said. The post British Envoy Cautions on Land Investments in Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

World Bank Pledges $2B for Burma’s Health, Energy Sectors Posted: 27 Jan 2014 02:26 AM PST World Bank President Jim Yong Kim (C) talks with Burma Health Minister Dr. Pe Thet Khin (L) during his visit to the North Dagon Township Hospital in Rangoon Jan. 26, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — The World Bank has promised US$2 billion to Burma in loans, aid and investment it is hoped will improve the country's ailing energy infrastructure and patchy health care provision. The World Bank returned to Burma last year after not lending to the country for 26 years, and the Bank's president, Jim Yong Kim, is currently on his first visit to Burma. Jim Yong Kim on Sunday visited to the North Dagon Township Hospital in Rangoon, along with Burmese Health Minister Dr. Pe Thet Khin. During a press conference, Jim Yong Kim said the program will include projects should help poor people in Burma. "Two of the major efforts will be energy and health," he said. A statement from the World Bank said the funding was a sign of recognition that Burma was reforming after decades of military dictatorship. The aid package, which includes soft loans, grants and investment, will involve various agencies in the World Bank Group—including the International Development Association (IDA) and the International Finance Cooperation. Of the $2 billion, half will go to expanding electricity generation, transmission and distribution in Burma, where more than 70 percent of people do not have reliable electricity, according to the statement. The Bank will support the development of a National Electrification Plan, and promote reforms to make private sector participation sustainable, it said. After Japan helped Burma to write off about its Gen Ne Win-era debt to the institution, the World bank in September announced its first financing to the country for decades—an interest free loan of $140 million to improve a power plant in Mon State. Some $200 million of IDA funding will go toward making access to health care universal in Burma by 2030, said the World Bank president. "As a medical doctor, I am so interested in this project," Jim Yong Kim said. About 75 percent of people in rural Burma lack access to health care, according to the World Bank. Dr. Pe Thet Khin said universal health care coverage was a priority for the government, but said achieving this by 2030 would be a challenge. "It's takes a long time [to achieve universal health care coverage]. Even some European countries took more than 60 years to cover their whole nation. The shortest time was in Thailand and South Korea, they took only 40 years," he said. "For us [Burma], experts have drawn up a program for 20 years, but it might be too short and fast. But if we can learn from others' mistakes, we can do it." He also encouraged international health organizations to work collaboratively with the government toward the goal of improving health care in Burma. "To reach the target, there shouldn't be overlap," he said. Dr. Pe Thet Khin said the government was already increasing its health budget, which despite recent increases remains one of the smallest in the world, relative to the size of the population. A commission led by President Thein Sein has proposed that 3.38 percent of the national budget goes on health in the 2014-15 fiscal year, up from 3.15 percent this year. "The health expenditure per person by the ministry is now gradually increasing. It will be $11 per person [this year], while people spend $14 of their own money [on health care]. In 2010, government provided only $2 per person. It's increasing," he said. According to the health minister, in 2010-11, the health budget was just 74 billion kyats, about $74 million. In the current financial year, which runs until the end of March, spending on health is 499 billion kyats, rising to 650 billion kyats in 2014-15, he said. The post World Bank Pledges $2B for Burma's Health, Energy Sectors appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Constitutional Change Could Trigger ‘Political Instability’: Shwe Mann Posted: 27 Jan 2014 02:06 AM PST Aung San Suu Kyi meets with Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann in Naypyidaw in December 2011. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Union Parliament speaker and chairman of Burma's ruling party, Shwe Mann, has publicly warned against being "too greedy" when seeking amendments to the 2008 Constitution, saying disagreements over the charter could cause "political instability." Shwe Mann made the remarks during a visit to Sagaing Division's Monywa District, according to state media, which quoted him as saying, "We need to learn from the past, we have a bitter history with amending the Constitution." The leader of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which is the political incarnation of Burma's former military junta, said now was a good time to begin amending the Constitution, but warned politicians and the public to not be too demanding in their aspirations. "If we look at international community standards [for amending a Constitution], we should not be too greedy when we make constitutional amendments," he said. Shwe Mann claimed disagreements over the Constitution could lead to political upheaval like in the Middle East, where several countries have experienced unrest and internal conflict in recent years. "It was sad to see political instability in the Middle East and some countries in Africa. There, political instability harmed properties of the people and the country. This should not to happen in our country. Our country needs to wisely decide on amendments of the constitution," he said. Burma's Constitution was drafted in 2008 by the then military regime and is widely considered as being undemocratic because it gives great political powers to the army, which controls a quarter of the legislative and can veto any proposed constitutional amendment. The charters also prevents opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president as Article 59(F) states that Burma's president cannot have a spouse or children with a foreign nationality. Suu Kyi's late husband was a British citizen, as are her two sons. In recent months, the National League for Democracy (NLD) leader has been publicly increasing pressure on the USDP-dominated Parliament and the quasi-civilian government of President Thein Sein, calling on them to back broad-ranging amendments ahead of the 2015 national elections. Many ethnic armed groups are also demanding changes to the charter, as it concentrates political power over Burma's ethnic, resource-rich regions in the hands of the central government in Naypyidaw. The USDP has dragged its feet on discussions over constitutional change, however. In December, the party proposed a small change to Article 59 (f) that would allow Suu Kyi to become president as long as her two sons renounce their British citizenship and become Burmese citizens. Suu Kyi has rejected the proposal. Last week, Shwe Mann said the USDP would "not block" amendments to Article 59(F), but added that this change was not the party's main focus. The US Ambassador to Burma Derek Mitchell recently called Article 59(F) "a relic of the past" and questioned why some politicians continue to resist changing it. The post Constitutional Change Could Trigger 'Political Instability': Shwe Mann appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Thai Anti-Government Protester Killed, Adds to Doubts Over Election Posted: 26 Jan 2014 11:02 PM PST An official packs election material at a polling station after anti-government protesters forced its closure in central Bangkok on Jan. 26, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Damir Sagolj) BANGKOK — A Thai anti-government protest leader was shot and killed in Bangkok on Sunday when violence erupted as demonstrators blocked early voting in many areas of the capital ahead of a disputed election next week. It brought the death toll to 10, with scores wounded, since protesters took to the streets in November, vowing to shut down the capital and force Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office. A spokesman for the national police, Piya Utayo, identified the dead man as Suthin Tharatin, one of the protest leaders. "Suthin was shot in the head and in the chest," he said. Yingluck called the Feb. 2 election, hoping to cement her hold on power, but the protests have continued and the Election Commission has been pushing to delay the vote. In a clear setback for Yingluck, a senior government official said that as many as 45 of the 50 polling stations set up in Bangkok for advanced voting had been shut because of anti-government protesters. Bangkok police said clashes had broken out between anti-government protesters and Yingluck supporters, with the two sides trading punches before shots were fired. The Erawan Medical Center, which monitors Bangkok hospitals, said 11 people were hurt in the clashes in the Bang Na district. It was not immediately clear who had fired the shots, but the protesters accused the government and police of trying to intimidate them. "The government has allowed thugs to use weapons," Akanat Promphan, a spokesman for the protesters, told reporters. Private gun ownership is widespread in the country. The violence, the worst in a month, came after a state of emergency took effect on Wednesday and adds to doubts over whether the Feb. 2 election can go ahead. The US State Department said on Sunday it was "deeply troubled by efforts to block polls and otherwise prevent voting in Thailand, and by the most recent acts of political violence. "While we do not take sides in the political dispute and strongly support freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest, preventing citizens from voting violates their universal rights and is inconsistent with democratic values," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. Chris Baker, a historian and Bangkok-based analyst, said the violence added pressure on Yingluck to delay the vote. "It does weaken the government's position. The protesters will blame this on the government," said Baker. "With or without this incident, the likelihood for violence was there already. I don't think it changes in the trajectory." The protests are the latest eruption in a political conflict that has gripped Thailand for eight years and is starting to hurt growth and investor confidence in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy. The conflict broadly pits Bangkok's middle class and elite, and followers in the south, against mainly poor rural backers of Yingluck and her brother, ousted former Premier Thaksin Shinawatra, in the populous north and northeast. The protests mark the biggest demonstrations since deadly political unrest in April and May 2010, when Thaksin's "red-shirt" supporters paralyzed Bangkok to remove a government led by the Democrat Party, now in opposition. More than 90 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured in that unrest. Yingluck, who would probably win the election easily, is set to meet Election Commission officials on Tuesday. The Democrat Party also plans to boycott the election. The protesters, led by firebrand former Premier Suthep Thaugsuban, accuse Yingluck of being Thaksin's puppet and want an unelected "people's council" to oversee reform before any future election is held. On Saturday, a government minister said Yingluck was prepared to discuss cancelling the Feb. 2 election if the activists ended their protests. Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul, also a deputy prime minister, said in a televised address the blocking of advance voting was "a serious offense" and that protesters had used force to prevent people voting. Yingluck's government had already warned that anyone who tried to stop voting would be jailed or fined. City officials said they had begun negotiating with the protesters. "We have to negotiate with them and let them know that blocking the election is illegal," said Luckana Rojjanawong, a Bangkok district official said. The election was already in doubt after a Constitutional Court ruling on Friday that opened the possibility of a delay. The Election Commission is seeking the delay, arguing that the current environment is too unsettled. The protesters say Thaksin's powerful political machine has subverted Thailand's fragile democracy by effectively buying the support of rural voters with populist policies such as cheap health care and subsidies for rice farmers. Paul Chambers, director of research at the Institute of South East Asian Affairs in northern Chiang Mai, said before the violence began that the disruption of advance polling would add impetus to the calls for an election delay. "The ability of those against advance voting to keep it from happening today could signal what may come next week—a decision to delay the vote due to an inability to hold the election properly," Chambers said. About 49 million voters out of Thailand's population of 66 million are eligible to cast ballots, with about 2.16 million registered for early polling. Yingluck's government had been proceeding relatively smoothly until her Puea Thai Party miscalculated in November and tried to force through an amnesty bill that would have allowed her brother to return a free man despite a 2008 graft conviction he says was politically motivated. Thaksin, a billionaire former telecoms tycoon, was ousted by the military in 2006. Additional reporting by Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Jutarat Skulpichetrat, and David Brunnstrom in Washington. The post Thai Anti-Government Protester Killed, Adds to Doubts Over Election appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Philippines to Grant Amnesty to Muslim Rebels Posted: 26 Jan 2014 10:05 PM PST Government of the Philippines (GPH) chief negotiator Miriam Coronel Ferer shake hands with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal (R) as they exchange peace agreements between both parties at the GPH-MILF Formal Exploratory Talk in Kuala Lumpur Jan. 25, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) MANILA — The Philippine government will grant amnesty to Muslim guerrillas who are facing or have been convicted on rebellion-related charges under a newly signed peace pact, which calls for the 11,000-strong rebel force to be deactivated, an official said Sunday. Presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles said the amnesty, which still needed congressional approval, would only cover fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and exclude guerrillas who broke off from the group and continue to endanger peace. According to the pact that was signed by Philippine government and rebel negotiators in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday, the granting of the amnesty and pardon was aimed at facilitating "the healing of the wounds of conflict and the return to normal life." The conclusion of the Malaysian-brokered talks has been the most significant progress made over 13 years of negotiations to tame a tenacious insurgency that has left more than 120,000 people dead and derailed development in Muslim-populated southern regions that are among the most destitute in the Philippines. Under the peace deal, the Moro insurgents agreed to end violence in exchange for broader autonomy. An existing five-province Muslim autonomous region is to be replaced by a more powerful, better-funded and potentially larger region to be called Bangsamoro. Despite the milestone, both the government and the rebels acknowledged that violence would not end overnight in a region that has long grappled with a volatile mix of crushing poverty, huge numbers of illegal firearms, clan wars and weak law enforcement. Like other amnesty programs, only rebellion-related crimes could be absolved. Others like rape would not be covered, Deles said. "It's not a blanket amnesty," Deles told The Associated Press, adding that the details still have to be threshed out. Rebel spokesman Von Al Haq said dozens of guerrillas were currently detained on rebellion-related charges and that his group would draw up a list of fighters eligible to benefit from the program. Under the "normalization" pact, the government and the insurgents also agreed to establish a joint task force to turn six main guerrilla camps in the southern Philippines into "peaceful and productive communities" although no timetable was mentioned. "There will be no more camps, they will become peaceful, unarmed communities," Deles said. "Camp Abubakar will no longer be known as such," she said, referring to one of the Muslim rebels' largest strongholds. An independent Decommissioning Body to be led by foreign experts would oversee the deactivation of rebel forces and collection of their weapons. The huge military presence in the autonomous region would be scaled down and a joint assessment would be made for an orderly redeployment of troops and "avoid a security vacuum," according to the pact. The government also pledged to disband private armies, mostly of politicians and warlords, and encourage the Moro rebels to give up their own weapons—a decades-long concern past presidents have failed to fully address. "They need to be assured that they will be secure even if they are decommissioned and their weapons put beyond use," Deles said. Saturday's pact was the final component of a peace agreement, which is expected to be signed soon by both sides in the Philippine capital, Manila. British Foreign Secretary William Hague congratulated the Philippines and said his country would continue to back the difficult peace process. "As we know from our own experience, many of the most difficult challenges will emerge as the parties work toward implementing the agreement," Hague said. "But the courage and leadership shown by the parties gives great hope that these can be overcome." The post Philippines to Grant Amnesty to Muslim Rebels appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Twelve Dead in Fresh Violence in China’s Xinjiang Posted: 26 Jan 2014 09:41 PM PST Members of an ethnic Uighur family at a Sunday market in the oasis city of Khotan in China's Xinjiang Region. (Photo: WikiMedia) BEIJING — Chinese police shot dead six people during a "terrorist" attack in the restive western region of Xinjiang and six more died when explosives they were carrying detonated, state media said, as officials accused a prominent academic of aiding militants. Police came under attack on Friday by a group throwing explosive devices in Xinhe county, the official news agency Xinhua said on Saturday, citing regional authorities, the latest violence to jolt an area with a large Muslim population. Five suspects were captured and one policeman was slightly wounded, Xinhua said. The Global Times, owned by Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece the People’s Daily, said two explosions had occurred in a beauty salon and a grocery market in Xinhe on Friday evening. Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the main Uighur exile group, the World Uyghur Congress, suggested that the beauty salon was a front for a brothel that had offended Uighurs "as it directly affected the Uighurs’ traditional lifestyles". "China has refused to disclose the real reason for the protests by the Uighurs," Raxit said in an emailed statement. "The forced repression and provocation is the real reason for the confrontation. The Uighurs simply cannot endure the current repressive policies pursued by China." Xinjiang has been the theatre of numerous incidents of unrest in recent years, which the government often blames on the separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), although experts and rights groups cast doubt on its existence as a cohesive group. Around 100 people, including several policemen, have been killed in violence in Xinjiang since last April, according to state media reports. Many rights groups say China has overplayed the threat posed by militants from the large Uighur minority, Muslims who speak a Turkic language, to justify tough controls in energy-rich Xinjiang. The region lies on the borders of ex-Soviet Central Asia, India and Pakistan. Eleven people believed to be members of a militant group of Uighurs were killed in Kyrgyzstan after illegally crossing into the former Soviet republic from China, Kyrgyz border guards said on Friday. Police in Xinjiang’s regional capital Urumqi said on Saturday a well-known, Beijing-based Uighur economics professor, Ilham Tohti, was being investigated for promoting Xinjiang’s independence and abetting separatists. Tohti was detained in Beijing last week, prompting concern from both the United States and European Union. Tohti used his classes to laud the attackers in recent militant incidents as "heroes", "inciting the students to hate the country, hate the government and seek to overthrow it", Urumqi police said on their official microblog. The Chinese-language statement implied a link with ETIM, but a later English translation by Xinhua did not use such specific terms. "Ilham Tohti used his position as a teacher to entice, lure and coerce certain people to form a gang, colluded with leaders of overseas East Turkestan separatist forces, and sent followers overseas to engage in separatist activities," the statement said. Tohti also sowed misinformation and rumors and "agitated for Xinjiang independence", the police said, adding they had "cast-iron evidence" against him. Tohti’s wife, Guzaili Nu’er, said on Sunday she thought the accusations were ridiculous. "Do they really think the university would allow him to say such things in class? He’s just an ordinary teacher. Why are they saying these things?" she told Reuters by telephone from her house, which is under close watch by police. "And all this stuff about East Turkestan elements. What rubbish." Nu’er said she still had no idea where he husband was being detained because authorities had not told her anything and were following her every move. Tohti has championed the rights of the Uighur community in Xinjiang, and has challenged the government’s version of several incidents involving Uighurs, including what Beijing says was its first major suicide attack involving people from Xinjiang in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square last year. The post Twelve Dead in Fresh Violence in China’s Xinjiang appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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