The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Fair Pitches US Universities to Burma’s Young People
• Art for Love’s Sake
• Thaksin’s Former Wife Visits Burmese Astrologer
• Photo of the Week (February 14, 2014)
• No Clean Bill of Health Yet for Burma’s Anti-Money Laundering Drive
• US Exim Bank Raises Hopes in Burma With Credit Offer
• $22Mln in ADB Programs to Reduce Poverty, Improve HIV/Aids Care
• Burma’s Govt Not Quite Ready for Its Media Close-Up
• Denied Pagoda Venue, Literary Festival Kicks Off at Mandalay Hotel
• Graves of Empire Tell of India’s Troubled Past
• Thai Police Target Traffickers But Rescued Rohingya May Face More Abuse
• Thai Police Move to Reclaim Protest Sites

Fair Pitches US Universities to Burma’s Young People Posted: 14 Feb 2014 05:52 AM PST US Deputy Chief of Mission Virginia Murray speaks at the US University Fair in Rangoon on Thursday. (Photo: Facebook / US Embassy in Rangoon) RANGOON — Though challenges involving academic qualifications and financing loom large, education officials from the United States are optimistic that more Burmese students will take advantage of growing opportunities to enroll at American universities in the coming years. Representatives from more than 30 institutions of higher learning were in Burma this week for the US University Fair in Rangoon, where participants sought to lure more Burmese students to study in the United States. The second annual fair was sponsored by EducationUSA, an education network supported by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which provides information to students internationally on how to study at US colleges and universities. Erik Eisele, cultural affairs officer at the US Embassy in Rangoon, said there was learning to be done on both sides of the educational exchange between US universities and Burmese students. "They [the universities] understand increasingly the Myanmar system of matriculation exams— that was another issue, with the age of Myanmar graduates. But our universities are learning about that. They are encouraging Myanmar students to come," he said. Eisele's reference to graduates' age relates to the fact that for the average Burmese student considering a university in the United States, the hurdles begin with the fundamental structure of Burma's secondary schooling system. "Qualifications are difficult," acknowledged Susan Strow, the assistant director of international admissions at Columbia College Chicago. "Traditionally, to get into university, you need 12 years of high school. In Burma, they only go up to 10 years. It's a big problem. "I think there are some schools that are starting up right now that offer those two-year American degree programs," she told The Irrawaddy, describing a kind of pre-college program for students who did not receive a 12-year primary/secondary education, which could go some way toward bridging the qualifications gap. Eisele said that another challenge for students was gathering information on the thousands of US universities that they could potentially apply to. "That's why we are having this university fair," he added. "A lot of the universities here are from cities and towns that maybe Myanmar students are unfamiliar with. They are here very, very eager to accept Myanmar students. Several universities even have scholarships dedicated to Myanmar students." The US Embassy official admitted that the process of researching and applying to these schools could be daunting. "There are over 4,000 universities in the US and all of them have different requirements for entrance," he said. "For instance, I know for community college, some of them require TOEFL [Test of English as a Foreign Language], some of them don't. They may have other ways of testing English and we know that Burmese/Myanmar students have great success getting into those once they apply." Aung Hein Htet attended the fair this week with his eyes set on prospects for a US post-secondary education. "It is my dream to study abroad and I want to study engineering there [in the United States]. I want to earn a bachelor's degree," Aung Hein Htet said. The freshman engineering student at Yangon Technological University (YTU) said he was confident that he could meet US universities' testing requirements, but expressed concern over his ability to afford tuition if admitted. "Though I want to go, I can only make it with a scholarship. I can't afford it with 100 percent my own funding. So I am also inquiring about scholarships, but so far, the offers here are not enough," Aunt Hein Htet said. "Tuition fees at universities I want to go to are about US$30,000 in general per year. Some even $40,000." For the vast majority of Burmese students, US universities' "sticker price" (the cost of tuition, room and board, and fees, before any financial assistance is provided) is well beyond their families' means. But Eisele, from the US Embassy, said he believed that ordinary Burmese students would be able to attend universities in the United States with the financial assistance packages that many institutions offer. "Certainly, finances are an issue, but US universities are very generous in offering scholarships and grants. There are literally hundreds of thousands of opportunities. The question is how to find out about them. And I think once Myanmar students find out about some of those grant and scholarship opportunities, not just through the embassy but in other ways, they go a long way toward financing." "I think the first step is for college admissions advisors and counselors who are here to go back to their institutions and just let them know about the students they've seen in Burma," said Strow. "And hopefully trying to find out about funds available to offer additional scholarships for those students who might have a little more need. I think this is important. I think it is also about diversifying the campus." May Palè Thwe, an English-language trainer and founder of the Smile Education Training Institute based in Rangoon, said Burma's education system had some way to go in preparing students to meet the standards required to attend internationally accredited universities. "Apparently, teaching systems and curricula in government [high] schools [in Burma] are being revised to catch up to international standards. This must provide student-centered learning objectives, while at the same time we have to try to build up teachers' capacity to meet international standards." She said those preparations should include English proficiency skills and more training on the post-secondary entrance exams required for US universities and community colleges. "For Burmese students to earn internationally recognized, professionally specialized majors that are in demand [from employers] right after they graduate from high school, lots of preparation is needed." Eisele advised Burmese students who want to study in the United States to seek assistance from EducationUSA. "We have an EducationUSA office here. EducationUSA does have general information about the [student] visa and they do provide what we call pre-departure orientation. So, the students want to sign up with Education USA. They are able to get pre-departure orientation, which walks them through the steps of how to study in the United States. "It starts at the beginning with finding out about universities, then about financing, applying, student visas and actually departing to the United States." The post Fair Pitches US Universities to Burma's Young People appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Art for Love’s Sake Posted: 14 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST Paintings on display for the 'Valentine's Day Love Art Show' at Rangoon's Pansodan Scene. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Aung Soe Min has been encouraging Rangoon's lovebirds to consider a less tradition gift to mark Valentine's Day this year. "Giving a painting as a Valentine's Day present is another option for couples instead of giving a bouquet of flowers or chocolates. Despite lacking any text, it will tell many words for a long time," says Aung Soe Min, owner of the Pansodan Scene. To facilitate this, he put about 70 paintings on display and up for purchase in the two-day "Valentine's Day Love Art Show." "We present in this show how to combine two different shapes to be in harmony, symbolizing love, because generally people think that the things will not match when they have different shapes," he said at his gallery, where a painting of two green, intertwined chili peppers hangs alongside an image of a couple of apples pressed against each other. Kissing apples, perhaps? The paintings, about 10-inches-by-10-inches in size, range in price from 20,000 kyats (US$20) to 50,000 kyats. More than 20 paintings were sold on the first day in two-day art show. The "Valentine's Day Love Art Show" wraps up today on Pansodan Street in Rangoon's Kyauktada Township, where a book fair is jointly being held. The "History and Traditional Book Fair" was organized in celebration of Gen. Aung San's 99th birthday, which was on Thursday. "Three bookshop owners are showing their rare and special books about history and tradition in this book fair," Aung Soe Min said. Hla Min Aung, owner of the New Vision book and media shop in Kyauktada Township, said about 1,500 books on history and cultural traditions, both local and international, are on display. "The earliest books that I have showing in this book fair are from the 1800s," he said. Books such as "Burmese Folk Songs," and traditional tomes from the country's Kachin, Arakanese, Mon, Shan and others ethnic groups, can be purchased at the book fair, along with historical accounts from the late 1800s. "If we don't know the history and traditions of society, we can't know what went wrong, what we lost, how we improved, so we can't take lessons from the past and we can't see the truth," he said. "History and tradition are the most important foundations of a society." The post Art for Love's Sake appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Thaksin’s Former Wife Visits Burmese Astrologer Posted: 14 Feb 2014 05:31 AM PST Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, right, and his then-wife Potjaman wade through photographers at a criminal court in Bangkok on July 31, 2008. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — The former wife of Thailand's ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra paid a visit to one of Burma's most famous astrologers during a recent trip to the country. Earlier this month Potjaman Na Pombejra, who was reportedly visiting the country with Thaksin, went to see Rangoon-based astrologer San Zarni Bo to seek advice for her former husband's smooth re-entry to Thailand and to ask about his business concessions in Burma. The couple divorced in 2008 after more than three decades of marriage but remain close friends. "The political situation is not good in their country, so they wanted to do some yadaya for internal peace and Thaksin's return to the country," a source close to the matter told The Irrawaddy on Friday. Yadaya is a form of magic practiced in Burma to ward off evil spirits and weaken one's enemies. "She also asked about their oil-related business concessions in Burma's Tanintharyi [Tenasserim] Division." The source said Thaksin and Potjaman stopped at Kaba Aye Pagoda (World Peace Pagoda) during their trip to promote peace in Thailand. The pagoda seemed to be a perfect place for the 66-year-old ex-prime minister to perform the yadaya numerological rituals, as the Sixth Buddhist Council was once held there. Thaksin also visited Burma last April over the Buddhist New Year, meeting with the commander-in-chief of Burma's armed forces, Gen Min Aung Hlaing. The ex-prime minister holds property in Dawei, the southernmost town in Tenasserim Division, where a special economic zone is planned and the multimillion-dollar Dawei deep-sea port project is under construction. His most recent visit to Burma was reported last week by the Bangkok Post newspaper, which said online photographs showed him at a temple taking part in a merit-making ceremony. Others speculated that he was visiting to attend a supernatural ceremony in Mandalay to fight back against two leaders of the People's Democratic Reform Committee, Suthep Thaugsuban and Luang Pu Buddha Issara, who have undertaken a campaign to unseat his sister, caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. But the Bangkok Post, quoted Somchai Wongsawat, a leader of the Pheu Thai Party, a pro-Thaksin party, as saying that Thaksin was only in the country to participate in a Buddhist merit-making ceremony. A Kaba Aye Pagoda official said he was not aware of Thaksin's presence at the pagoda because the ex-prime minister had not made an official visit. "Probably, he slipped into the pagoda among other visitors, we don't know," Tun Win, a trustee member, told The Irrawaddy. This is not the first time Thaksin has sought astrological advice from a soothsayer. According to an AFP report last year, he went to see another famous Burmese astrologer, ET, before he was ousted in a 2006 coup. At the time he was working in the telecommunications industry and wanted to ask about his prospects for power. Since the coup, Thaksin has lived in exile except for a brief visit in 2008 to Thailand, where various criminal charges await him if he returns. The post Thaksin's Former Wife Visits Burmese Astrologer appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Photo of the Week (February 14, 2014) Posted: 14 Feb 2014 04:15 AM PST a The post Photo of the Week (February 14, 2014) appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

No Clean Bill of Health Yet for Burma’s Anti-Money Laundering Drive Posted: 14 Feb 2014 04:03 AM PST Piles of Burmese kyat currency are counted in Rangoon. (Photo: Jpaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma looks set to get a new law to counter money laundering soon, but the country still faces numerous challenges in curbing financial crimes. On Thursday the Upper House passed the Anti-Money Laundering Bill, which will next go to the Union Parliament, where Burma's Lower House and Upper House sit in joint session. Once the bill clears the Upper House it will go to President Thein Sein for sign-off. The bill suggests punishments of up to 10 years in jail and a 500 million kyats fine (US$500,000) for money laundering convictions, and is the latest in a series of financial reforms that aim to make Burma a more reputable investment destination. Thurein Aung, a senior investigator at Burma's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), part of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which led the anti-money laundering bill's drafting, described the passing of the measure as significant. "It is very important for Myanmar," he told The Irrawaddy. "The old anti-laundering law [from 2002] contained a lot of loopholes and was not up to international standards." However, insiders say that as Burma's financial system integrates more with the outside world, institutions such as banks and governments will need to be more cognizant of possible laundering from abroad. "The money laundering monitoring system in Myanmar [Burma] is very weak, there are many ways to launder money in Myanmar," said Soe Thein, executive director of the share management department at Asia Green Development Bank (AGD), when asked by The Irrawaddy whether he thought the anti-laundering bill would prove effective once passed into law. "It is about enforcement as much as having a law," he added, discussing the challenges of curbing money laundering. AGD Bank is owned by Tay Za, a Burmese entrepreneur who was close to the country's former military junta and remains under US sanctions. As well as legislative reform, there is a need for more awareness of possible laundering among officials and workers at financial institutions, and a firmer grasp of how to recognize the signs of possible financial crime. "There is knowledge within directorates of government departments and upper levels banks, but it doesn't always filter down," said Sett Hlaing, legal counsel to the Kanbawza Group, the parent company of one of Burma's main banks, KBZ, and a participant in a British Embassy-backed anti-money laundering training event in Rangoon. Matthew Hedges, chargé d'affaires at the British Embassy in Rangoon, warned in a press release that Burma could be vulnerable to money laundering and other financial crimes. "The UK is committed to preventing this—committed to working with you to ensure that the right systems are in place to protect your economic reform process," Hedges said. The training, which covered countering terror financing as well as anti-money laundering, was given to an audience of police, government officials and bank representatives by GovRisk, a London-based training and consultancy company, and followed a similar event held in the capital Naypyidaw. But new anti-laundering measures aside, some of Burma's other projected reforms could, in turn, attract would-be money launderers. A tourism blueprint drawn up last year by the Burma government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) moots legalizing casinos—a possible pull for tourists akin to gambling draws such as Macau and Singapore—and part of government hopes to attract 7 million tourists annually by 2020. "Casinos get special and high attention in any risk analysis," said Gert Demmink, a former head of supervision at the Netherlands Central Bank and now managing partner at Philip Sidney, a firm based in the Netherlands which advises businesses on legal compliance. Casinos have long been a feature of some of Burma's ethnic militia-controlled borderlands close to Thailand and China, with the gambling dens functioning as a revenue source for groups that have fought the Burma Army off and on for up to seven decades, but they remain banned in areas under government control. "If you are going to have casinos, you better make sure you are in line with FATF regulation first," Demmink told an audience of businesspeople, bankers, lawyers and government officials in Rangoon on Friday, referring to the Financial Action Task Force. The FATF is an intergovernmental body set up in 1989 that aims to "promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system." There are other potential loopholes to implementing an effective anti-money laundering regimen in Burma. In the absence of a viable banking system, many Burmese—particularly emigrants remitting money from Thailand or Malaysia to family in Burma— have relied on informal money transfer mechanisms, such as the hundi system. "I cannot say specifically whether it is a money laundering issue, but there should be licensing, oversight and supervision where money transfers are concerned," Demmink told The Irrawaddy. "Anything unlicensed or unregulated is a threat," he cautioned, when asked about the hundi system. Underground banking systems have their disadvantages, including lack of enforcement, said Thurein Aung of Burma's FIU, discussing hundi. "For villagers and people in the countryside, how can they conduct with the formal banking system?" he added, saying that for Burmese, informal money transfer systems, such as the hundi, remain a vital lifeline for rural families who live far from any bank and depend on money sent back from family abroad. There seems to have been international pressure on Burma during recent months to make progress with anti-money laundering efforts, and both Thein Sein and Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann have discussed the need to pass legislation. An October 2013 FATF statement listed Burma as one of 11 countries with "deficiencies that pose a risk to the international financial system," though it commended the country for improving its Anti-Money laundering (AML) and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) procedures. The worst rankings were reserved for Iran and North Korea, countries described as causing "ongoing and substantial money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) risks." Burma is not one of the 34 FATF member states, but is part of the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), a FATF associate member. In November 2013 a joint visit to Burma by the APG and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommended the swift enactment of a new anti-money laundering law, which the APG said "would address many concerns expressed by the APG and the FATF in the context of the pace of Myanmar's AML/CFT reforms." An official at the Attorney General's Office, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that getting the anti-money laundering bill passed into law was important given a Feb. 10-14 meeting of the FATF and whispers of possible sanctions by the task force against Burma if the country did not improve its anti-money laundering regime. "It is not in law yet, but it was timely that the Upper House passed the bill this week," the official told The Irrawaddy. The post No Clean Bill of Health Yet for Burma's Anti-Money Laundering Drive appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

US Exim Bank Raises Hopes in Burma With Credit Offer Posted: 14 Feb 2014 03:40 AM PST A US $100 dollar bill sits beside the Burmese kyat equivalent. (Photo: Giles Orr) RANGOON — Local businesses are hoping for more foreign investment in Burma, after the Export and Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) began offering credit for trade with the country last week. US businesses are considering their options in Burma, after staying away for over a decade due to economic sanctions imposed on the previous military junta by the US government. Similar sanctions were imposed by Europe under the junta, and as a result Burmese traders largely dealt with Singaporean banks for export and import products. After a quasi-civilian government came to power in Burma nearly three years ago, US President Barack Obama suspended most sanctions in 2012. He has since waived restrictions on the provision of financial services, while also authorizing new investments by Americans and permitting the importation of all products from Burma except jadeite and rubies. "The Export-Import Bank is sending a strong signal that we are committed to strengthening economic ties with Burma as the nation continues its transition," Ex-Im Bank board chairman and president Fred Hochberg said in a statement last week on Thursday, announcing that the bank was beginning to provide export-credit insurance, loan guarantees and direct loans for creditworthy export sales to Burma. "After a diligent review, the Bank's Board reached this decision—which will improve trade flows between our two countries and help reintegrate Burma into the global economy," he said, adding that the decision would also create a new market for US exports and support American jobs. The bank will provide similar terms as credit agencies from European and Asian countries, whose governments have gone even further in ending barriers to trade with Burma over the past three years. While the United States has suspended most sanctions against Burma, the European Union last year decided to lift all sanctions other than an arms embargo. Burmese businesses hope the decision by the US government's official credit agency will encourage more American investment in the country and, assuming the Burma government allows for it, the engagement of private US banks. Burma's central bank currently prohibits private foreign banks from operating in the country, much to the disappointment of businesses that would prefer these banks' interest rates, which are better than the rates at local banks. But the central bank may be looking to ease its policy, says Maung Maung Lay, vice chairman of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI). Foreign banks have opened representative offices in the country over the past year, and the central bank is now considering whether to allow them to open branch offices, he says. "I expect it may allow joint ventures with local banks," he told The Irrawaddy. Last year the central bank pledged to allow some foreign banks to begin offering limited financial services this year. Thirty-four international banks have opened representative offices in the country, but they have thus far been forbidden from opening branches or offering services other than advising clients. Maung Maung Lay expressed hope that the US Ex-Im Bank's decision last week would lead to easier access to credit for local Burmese businesses. "The problem is that money transfers still don't work, meaning foreign traders or companies cannot transfer money to Burma. This is because in the data systems of US banks, Burma remains on the list of countries where sanctions have been suspended, not lifted," he said. "In practice it's hard to deal with US banks for trading, so this should make it easier." He said foreign direct investment might also rise, with investors more likely to trust credit from the United States. "The US Ex-Im Bank can offer credit to US exporters to invest in Burma. It's the beginning of their time to invest here," he said. Foreign investors are considering their options in Burma's largely untapped consumer market. The country boasts plenty of natural resources, including gas and oil, and a strategic location bordering China and India. However, experts predict that investors will likely remain cautious this year, as the country's political situation remains far from certain ahead of the 2015 elections. Myat Thin Aung, chairman of the Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone near Rangoon, said he was optimistic that more private US banks would consider doing business in Burma now that the US government has started offering credit. "US banks offer interests rates at only 5 percent. Here, local banks offer rates of 13 percent," he said. "In the past some businesspeople took credit from US banks and saved it in local banks, so they could make money. US banks offer fast services, and if they can lend to the local manufacturing sector then development will progress more quickly. "I doubt US heavy industries will come to invest here because we still lack regular electricity, but perhaps more small and medium enterprises will come if the US Ex-Im bank supports them." He urged local private banks to prepare for competition with foreign banks in the future. Foreign direct investment has risen since Burma passed its foreign investment law in 2012 and Western countries began lifting or suspending sanctions. According to the most recent figures available, the first six months of the 2013-14 fiscal year—beginning April 1—saw the government approve projects worth more than US$1.8 billion. That compares with just $1.4 billion of FDI for the whole of the 2012-13 fiscal year. The post US Exim Bank Raises Hopes in Burma With Credit Offer appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

$22Mln in ADB Programs to Reduce Poverty, Improve HIV/Aids Care Posted: 14 Feb 2014 03:30 AM PST A mother and child in drought-hit Dala, a town located close to Rangoon, carry water containers to fetch drinking water in May 2013. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Japan continues to ramp up its aid assistance to Burma as it was announced on Friday that Tokyo is providing US$22 million in grants to finance Asian Development Bank (ADB) programs aimed at rural poverty reduction and improving HIV/Aids care in the country. The ADB said in a press release that the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction will fund a $12 million program that will "benefit at least 700,000 people in villages in [Irrawaddy] Delta, Central Dry Zone, [Tenasserim] Region, and Shan State, where some rural communities face poverty rates more than double the urban level." "Village infrastructure like access roads, jetties, water and irrigation facilities, schools and community health centers will be improved. New income earning opportunities will be developed in areas such as fish, shrimp and pearl farming, livestock husbandry, and production of cash crops, including garlic and chilies," the ADB proclaimed. "Basic English skills training will allow communities to take advantage of the country's fast growing tourism market." Tin Ngwe Deputy Minister for Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development added in the release that, "The project will […] enable rural people to benefit from political and economic reforms." The ADB said another $10 million in Japanese funds will finance programs that "increase access and quality to health and HIV/Aids services, along fast developing economic corridors in Mon, [Karen], and Shan states, where new opportunities attract migrant workers and mobile populations." The bank said funding will also help improve public services for HIV/AIDS patients and help improve reaching out to at-risk populations. An estimated 200,000 people in Burma are thought to be living with HIV, according to the ADB. Japan's government, firms and influential Japanese charity the Nippon Foundation have been rapidly expanding their activities in Burma ever since the country began implementing political reforms under President Thein Sein and US-led international sanctions against the country were lifted. Last year, Japan wrote off billions of dollars of outstanding Burmese debt and helped Naypyidaw clear its arrears with the World Bank and ADB so that the multilateral banks can resume lending and implementation of grant programs. The post $22Mln in ADB Programs to Reduce Poverty, Improve HIV/Aids Care appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma’s Govt Not Quite Ready for Its Media Close-Up Posted: 14 Feb 2014 02:52 AM PST Burma’s Govt Not Quite Ready for Its Media Close-Up The post Burma’s Govt Not Quite Ready for Its Media Close-Up appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Denied Pagoda Venue, Literary Festival Kicks Off at Mandalay Hotel Posted: 14 Feb 2014 02:32 AM PST Jane Heyn, organizer and director of the Irrawaddy Literary Festival 2014, announces adjustments to the event’s scheduling due to a venue change, at the Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel on Friday. (Teza Hlaing / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — The second Irrawaddy Literary Festival got off to a bumpy start here on Friday, with a last-minute venue change after organizers were denied permission to hold the event at Kuthodaw Pagoda, a sacred Buddhist compound that authorities said would be at risk if the international festival proceeded as planned. A prohibition letter issued by the Ministry of Culture was received by the Mandalay festival's organizers on Thursday afternoon, citing the pagoda compound's value as a global monument to Buddhism and justifying the denial in the name of its conservation. In addition to immediate concerns about the effect of holding the festival on the pagoda grounds, the letter cited the precedent that its approval would set and said future requests to hold similar events would be difficult to deny, with potential long-term impacts on the heritage site. "It is such a shame as there are a lot of world famous writers and authors present at the festival. However, we had to rush to move the location to Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel. We deeply apologize to the speakers, the authors and everyone for the inconvenience," said Dr. Aung Myint, a member of the festival's organizing committee and an author. The organizing committee had to scramble to move festival materials to the Mandalay Hill Resort and arrange rooms for the festival's opening speech, a photo exhibition and literary discussions. The venue change is not the first controversy to beset the festival, which runs through Sunday. Last month more than 50 Burmese poets and 30 cartoonists declared that they would boycott the event. In a public letter, the Mandalay-based poets said they were unhappy about "manipulation" in the organization of the event, without providing specifics. One writer who spoke to The Irrawaddy in January said the boycott was likely related to a long-standing schism between artists who had worked with Burma's former military regime and those who maintained independence. "To sum up what is happening now in Mandalay: the ones who have been standing up for the oppressed are not happy to stand with the ones who are for the oppressors," said the author, who requested anonymity. The inaugural Irrawaddy Literary Festival was held in February 2013 in Rangoon. On Friday, Aung Myint brushed off this year's venue snafu. "We do not want to blame anyone but want to thank everyone who gave their kind understanding. Despite the unsmooth start, we believe this second literary festival will open another door to the world for literature and book lovers," he said. U Phone, a well-known Burmese author, was similarly unfussed. "This is what happens at events all the time," he said. "We understand that and blame no one. We just need to play our role in how to best present and promote our literature to the world." The post Denied Pagoda Venue, Literary Festival Kicks Off at Mandalay Hotel appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Graves of Empire Tell of India’s Troubled Past Posted: 13 Feb 2014 10:47 PM PST A worker cleans a grave at the Nicholson Christian Cemetery in old quarters of Delhi on Feb. 13, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Adnan Abidi) NEW DELHI — By the side of a crowded Delhi highway with buses thundering by and hawkers touting their wares lies a small, walled cemetery. It holds the graves of hundreds of British citizens and other foreigners who, for better or worse, played roles in India's colonial past. Soldiers, missionaries, traders and officials rest here, the cracked tombstones giving only hints of their lives. Despite the peaceful air, the Nicholson Christian Cemetery near the Kashmere Gate is also testimony to a history of violence. It was founded after the Indian Mutiny in 1857 and many of its inhabitants died in that conflict, now seen by some as India's first war for independence. The cemetery is named after Brig-Gen John Nicholson, who was mortally wounded at the age of 36 leading the assault to relieve the siege of Delhi during the insurrection. His grave is surrounded by a railing fence and features a white marble slab. His ghost is reputed to haunt the cemetery. Nicholson was a controversial character in life and in death. An Ulsterman who fought in Afghanistan and Punjab before meeting his fate in Delhi, he was disliked for his haughty manner by fellow officers but revered by many of his Indian troops who elevated him to a cult-like status. But he detested Indians and Afghans and dealt with them ruthlessly, reputedly displaying the severed head of one of his adversaries on his desk. To a fellow officer, he proposed "the flaying alive, impalement or burning of the murderers of [British] women and children. The idea of simply hanging the perpetrators of such atrocities is maddening." Historian William Dalrymple, in his book "The Last Moghul," calls Nicholson an "imperial psychopath" with a "merciless capacity for extreme aggression and brutality." Still, his grave is designated a national monument by the Archaeological Survey of India's antiquities department. "We don't bear any grudges," said Father Jesuario Rebello, head of the Delhi Cemeteries Commission. Other soldiers buried among the bougainvilleas and tamarind trees include Alexander William Murray of the 42nd Bengal Regiment. According to his gravestone, Murray "fell while encouraging his men to follow his example on the 18th of September 1857 during the siege of Delhi." Plenty of civilians are buried here too. James Cumming was a telegraph master killed by lightning on July 28, 1874, "leaving a widow and infant daughter to bewail his loss." James Daof "died of heatstroke" in August 1907 at the age of 29. Elizabeth Badley Read, daughter of the Reverend B.H. Badley of the American Methodist Mission Society, was born in Los Angeles in 1885 and died in Delhi in 1935. "She loved India," her tombstone says. There are also the graves of many infants and children for whom the rigors of life in India were too much. No Vacancies Father Rebello's problems are with the present, not the past. "The cemetery is closed now. There's no space anymore," he told Reuters at New Delhi's Sacred Heart Cathedral. Only "second burials" are allowed—when relatives move the deceased's cremated remains to a niche and use the vacated lot for a new body. In fact, five of Delhi's 11 old Christian cemeteries are full. The government had allocated land for a new cemetery but that is getting crammed too, said Rebello, a Roman Catholic priest from the former Portuguese colony of Goa. "We're fighting. The government does not give easily. We are a minority," he said. The small staff of gravetenders often have to chase away drug addicts, who climb over the wall to seek peace and seclusion to indulge their habit, he said. Funds are also a problem. The graveyard charges a small fee from relatives to clean the graves and clear away the weeds which sprout relentlessly. So modern India has encroached on the graveyard. One way to raise money has been to rent it to Bollywood movie productions as a set. But after the plot of one movie involved an assassination attempt on a politician by a bishop, the committee now vets scripts to make sure they are appropriate. Anything too racy—no doubt with the silent approval of the Victorians lying there—will not be allowed. "We don't permit any semi-nudity and things like that here," Rebello said. The post Graves of Empire Tell of India's Troubled Past appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Thai Police Target Traffickers But Rescued Rohingya May Face More Abuse Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:38 PM PST Akram (R) and two other Rohingya men who cannot walk, rest on a makeshift bed at a mosque near Songkhla, close to Thailand’s border with Malaysia on Wednesday. He escaped a Thai trafficking camp less than three weeks ago. (Photo: Reuters) SADAO, Thailand — Thai police have announced a new campaign against human traffickers, although the officer in charge said hundreds of recently rescued Rohingya boat people could end up back in the clutches of the regional smuggling networks they had escaped from. After two raids last month freed a total of 636 people, mostly Rohingya, police said they planned to target the trafficking "kingpins" who routinely smuggle humans through southern Thailand to Malaysia with impunity. Rohingya are mostly stateless Muslims from western Burma, where deadly clashes with ethnic Arakanese Buddhists in 2012 killed at least 192 people and left 140,000 homeless. After arriving in Thailand by boat, many Rohingya were held hostage in remote Thai camps near the border with Malaysia until relatives paid ransoms to release them, according to a Reuters investigation published on Dec 5. Some were beaten and killed. Last month, Thai police said they rescued hundreds of Rohingya Muslims from a remote camp in a raid prompted by the Reuters investigation. Ten major traffickers operate in southern Thailand, said Police Major General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, a U.S.-educated commander put in charge of the region’s anti-trafficking campaign in October. "This month I’m going to arrest the big guy," he said on Wednesday, referring to a Thai suspected of being a regional kingpin. The Rohingya rescued in January will be detained and deported according to a policy secretly implemented by Thailand last year but still in force. These deportations return many Rohingya to smuggling networks and human traffickers, who often take them back to Thailand’s border camps. Thatchai said under the policy, police hire boats to ferry the Rohingya across Thailand’s maritime border into Burma, where he admitted they are met not by the Burma authorities but by unidentified brokers who would then smuggle them to Muslim-majority Malaysia. Thatchai admitted this process opened the deportees to possible exploitation by human traffickers. But he said this "natural channel" was better than handing over the Rohingya to the Burma authorities, who often meted out long jail sentences. "It’s about humanity," he said. "We can’t do that. Many are women and children. Cracking down on major traffickers in Thailand would reduce the chances of Rohingya being held in camps, he said. 'People Died Every Day' The flawed deportation policy is a local response to a regional problem no government seems eager to solve. Thousands of Rohingya are confined to grim, apartheid-like camps in Burma’s Arakan State with little or no access to jobs, schools and healthcare. These conditions have compelled tens of thousands to flee the state in one of the biggest movements of boat people since the end of the Vietnam War. Last month, the Burma government said the issue of "Bengalis," as it calls Rohingya, was an internal matter which would not be discussed at meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional bloc Burma will chair through 2014. Thailand is stepping up its anti-trafficking campaign as the U.S. State Department finalizes 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 U.S. ally, but faces an automatic downgrade to Tier 3, the lowest rank, unless it makes "significant efforts" to improve its record in combating trafficking, the State Department says. Tier 3 status could make Thailand subject to U.S. sanctions. Akram, 18, was one of 1,300 Rohingya that police said they detained and deported last year. He escaped a Thai trafficking camp less than three weeks ago with a horror story that underscores the human toll of Thailand’s deportation policy. Akram, who uses only one name, left Arakan State by boat 16 months ago, hoping to reach Malaysia where many Rohingya already live and work. Instead, he was arrested in Thailand and spent 10 months in an immigration detention center before Thai immigration police put him back on a boat – supposedly to Burma. Instead, the boat turned around at dusk and headed back to Thailand, where Akram and dozens of others were trucked to a camp in a rubber plantation near the Malaysian border. The Rohingya were forced to squat during the day and sleep in a foetal position at night, and beaten by camp guards if they stood or even stretched, said Akram. Fed rice gruel twice a day and weakened by chronic diarrhea, Akram soon discovered he was paralyzed. "People thought I would die," he said. "People died there every day." In late January, after three months at the camp, the guards and their able-bodied detainees fled at news that police were coming. The raid never happened, but Akram and about 24 others too weak to move were found by local Muslims and taken to a mosque to recuperate. Akram still cannot walk, and his body is pocked with sores from months of immobility. Rohingya rescued by police from such brutal conditions are "happy to see us," said police commander Thatchai. Others were less pleased, he conceded, since they had already paid smugglers thousands of dollars for passage to Malaysia. The post Thai Police Target Traffickers But Rescued Rohingya May Face More Abuse appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Thai Police Move to Reclaim Protest Sites Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:23 PM PST Anti-government protesters camp as they occupy Rama VIII bridge in Bangkok Feb. 4, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — Hundreds of riot police moved through parts of the Thai capital on Friday to retake areas occupied by anti-government protesters during a three-month push to unseat Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Helmeted police with riot shields tore down sandbagged barriers blocking a major boulevard near the prime minister's office compound, known as Government House, which has been closed since December as protesters camped nearby. The area in the capital's historic quarter is one of several Bangkok neighborhoods where demonstrators occupied major intersections and forced government ministries to shut down and work elsewhere. There was no immediate sign of resistance from protesters, who abandoned the site and regrouped elsewhere before police arrived. The protesters are demanding that Yingluck's administration be replaced by a non-elected "people's council" which would implement reforms they say are needed to end corruption and money politics. Protesters have battled police on several occasions, and have been targeted in several attacks for which no one has been apprehended. At least 10 people have been killed and scores injured in connection with the protests, Thailand's biggest anti-government street rallies in years. As police entered the protest zone, they called for cooperation through a megaphone: "It is necessary for the police to clear this area…. For your own safety please strictly follow police instructions." The police tore down tents and searched for weapons. Authorities said they confiscated slingshots, firecrackers and a variety of materials they said could be used for explosives, including a small bag of urea, metal objects and other items. Until now, police had avoided dispersing demonstrators for fear of unleashing greater violence. Friday's operation, which came on a national holiday when offices were closed, marked the first time in three months that police had successfully entered and cleared a protest area. But the significance of reclaiming one street was not immediately clear given the protesters' continued occupation of several areas in central Bangkok. Thailand has been wracked by political unrest since 2006 when Yingluck's brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted by a military coup after being accused of corruption and abuse of power. Since then, his supporters and opponents have vied for power, sometimes violently. The conflict pits the Bangkok-based middle- and upper-class and southerners who disdain Yingluck against the poor, rural majority who support her and have benefited from populist policies including virtually free health care. In a bid to defuse the crisis, Yingluck dissolved Parliament in December and called for elections that were held earlier this month. But the elections were boycotted by the main opposition Democrat Party, which backs the protesters. The post Thai Police Move to Reclaim Protest Sites appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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