The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Hundreds Hide at Monastery After Recent Fighting in Northern Shan State
• Burma’s Press Reforms at Bursting Point
• Burmese Refugees Criticize Thailand’s Push for Quicker Repatriation
• Burma Police to Visit Newspaper Offices to Identify Protesting Reporters
• Lawmaker Criticizes Law That Caps Monthly Alimony for Women at 100 Kyats
• UN Rights Body Says Govt Detention of Kachin Farmer Illegal
• New UN Rights Rapporteur to Begin Burma Visit This Week
• Put Some Color in Your Life in Pyin Oo Lwin
• An Ounce of Detention
• Singapore Anti-Gambling Ad Backfires Thanks to Germany World Cup Run
• Copter Crash Kills 2 Cambodian Military Generals
• Obama Tells Xi He Wants ‘Constructive Management of Differences’

Hundreds Hide at Monastery After Recent Fighting in Northern Shan State Posted: 15 Jul 2014 04:38 AM PDT Displaced children eat a meal at the Wan Wat village monastery in Kyaythee Township, northern Shan State. (Photo: Hsenpai News Journal /Facebook) More than 200 ethnic Shan people from Kyaythee Township in northern Shan State are sheltering at a monastery after they fled an outbreak of fighting between government troops and ethnic rebels in late June. Three weeks after the fighting erupted, tension remains high in the area around Pha Saung village, with government soldiers still present at the village, according to local residents and aid workers. "They left their homes about 10 days after fighting resumed between the SSA-N [Shan State Army-North] and government troops near Tar Pha Saung bridge on June 26," said Sai Zin, an editor with Shan-language community newspaper Hsenpai News Journal, who went to provide support for the displaced people on Sunday. "They told us that they had no place to hide when the government troops attacked the SSA-N troops with artillery. They used to hide in their own bomb shelters, but as now it's the rainy season, so they could not hide in these bomb shelters underground." Sai Shwe Thein, the local chairman of the Shan National League for Democracy in Kyaythee Township, said the Pha Saung residents were now sheltering at a nearby monastery in Wan Wat village. The displaced are also worried that more people will have to flee due to the possibility of further fighting as government troops remain deployed in contested territory, Sai Shwe Thain said. Local people said the Tar Pha Saung bridge was under the control of the SSA-N and its political wing, the Shan State Progressive Party, until 2011, when the area saw an offensive by the Burma Army. The rebel group signed a ceasefire agreement with the government in 2012, but the two sides now once again vie to control the bridge. Sai Shwe Thein said there were 209 displaced people, mostly women, young children and elders currently staying at the monastery. "Before the refugees arrived at the Wan Wat monastery in July 5, some were hiding in the jungle after they fled from their homes," he said. Local residents say they want the fighting to end soon so they can return to their farmland to grow rice paddy this rainy season. For now, they are supported by civil society groups and donations. "Providing food and shelter support for them is very difficult, we can only help them temporarily," said Sai Kyaw Khaing, a Kyaythee Township resident who is helping the displaced people. Additional reporting by Nang Seng Nom. The post Hundreds Hide at Monastery After Recent Fighting in Northern Shan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma’s Press Reforms at Bursting Point Posted: 15 Jul 2014 03:27 AM PDT Burma’s Press Reforms at Bursting Point The post Burma’s Press Reforms at Bursting Point appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burmese Refugees Criticize Thailand’s Push for Quicker Repatriation Posted: 15 Jul 2014 03:19 AM PDT Refugees kids play cane ball at Ei Htu Hta refugee camp in Thailand. (Photo: Saw Yan Naing / The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI — Burmese refugees have criticized the Thai junta's plan to send them home within the next year, saying they have been left in the dark about the repatriation process and are not yet ready to return. Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who leads the Thai junta, known as the National Council for Peace and Order, said on Monday that Thailand and Burma would work together to repatriate more than 120,000 Burmese refugees who live in camps along the border. "They can make it happen if they do not consider how our human rights will be affected," said Naw Day Day Poe, deputy secretary of the Mae La refugee camp, which is the largest Burmese refugee camp in Thailand with about 40,000 residents. "There are still on-and-off conflicts in Burma. It's not safe yet for the refugees to return home." She criticized a lack of transparency in the repatriation process. "We are like victims. We are not informed about how repatriation will work. They should not repatriate us if the conditions are not right in terms of safety, food and job security for the refugees," she said. Prayuth met with his Burmese counterpart Gen. Min Aung Hlaing last week to discuss a timetable for returning the refugees to their homeland. While repatriation is expected to take one year, Thai officials will likely start counting the populations in some camps as early as this week, to verify the nationality and ages of residents, and to ensure that everyone is a registered refugee. This "verification program" is expected to begin at Mae La Oon camp in Mae Hong Son Province on Thursday or Friday, according to camp residents. Chi Poe, a teacher at the camp, said refugees who are not present during the inspection will be deleted from the list of registered refugees, losing their rights to assistance. "Every refugee must stay at home during the inspection. If they don't see a refugee in person, they will delete his or her name," she said. Officials from the Bangkok-based Mae Fah Luang Foundation and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are working with Thai authorities and other NGOs to conduct interviews in some refugee camps. They say they have identified about 3,000 residents who are not refugees, particularly in Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi provinces, according to The Bangkok Post newspaper. Many of the refugees in Thailand fled from Karen State in southeast Burma, where the Burmese military fought for decades against ethnic armed groups. Since Burma's quasi-civilian government began signing ceasefire deals with the armed groups in 2012, the refugees have faced increasing pressure to return home. However, international NGOs and the Thai and Burmese governments have said in the past that repatriation must be voluntary. They have said that returning refugees would require protection from armed attacks and material security, such as land access and a means of livelihood. The post Burmese Refugees Criticize Thailand's Push for Quicker Repatriation appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma Police to Visit Newspaper Offices to Identify Protesting Reporters Posted: 15 Jul 2014 03:02 AM PDT Journalists in Rangoon stage a protest over curbs to press freedom in Burma near the Myanmar Peace Center. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) Police in Rangoon say they are planning to visit newspaper offices to confirm the identities of about 50 journalists who are accused of staging an unauthorized protest against President Thein Sein. On Saturday, journalists taped over their mouths outside a meeting at the Myanmar Peace Center in Rangoon attended by the president to register their opposition to the sentencing of five newspaper staffers last week. Four reporters and the CEO of the Unity journal were given 10 years with hard labor after the President's Office sued them for reporting allegations that a military facility in Magwe Division is being used to manufacture chemical weapons. After Saturday's demonstration, police said the journalists named on a list of those present would be charged with Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Law, which requires prior permission for public gatherings. The list includes numerous reporters who were only there to cover the event. Kamayut Township police officer Zaw Win told The Irrawaddy that police would be visiting the offices of media companies to confirm the identities of those involved in the protest. "We still don't have an accurate list of names [of the journalists]," said Zaw Win. "At the moment, we've got only the photos of protesters and we still have to go to each and every newspaper's office to identify them. Only then, we'll be able to know their names and write a report [in order to prosecute them]. "We can't just prosecute them without even knowing their names. If civilians were among the protesters, we'll also have to confirm their identities," he added. Burma's Interim Press Council is trying to meet with President Thein Sein to express its concerns about recent setbacks to media freedom in the country. "We've asked to meet President Thein Sein," said council member Zaw Thet Htwe. "If he refuses, we'll summon an emergency meeting and reconsider the role of our council. If we can do nothing for press freedom and the rights of journalists and keep going on like this, it is of no use having this council. We're really disappointed." The post Burma Police to Visit Newspaper Offices to Identify Protesting Reporters appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Lawmaker Criticizes Law That Caps Monthly Alimony for Women at 100 Kyats Posted: 15 Jul 2014 02:55 AM PDT One hundred kyats, or about $0.10, is the maximum amount of financial support that divorced women can receive from their ex-husbands according to Burmese law. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A lawmaker from Burma's largest opposition party is calling for an amendment to a century-old law that caps monthly alimony payments for divorced women at 100 kyats, or about US$0.10. Khin Htay Kywe from the National League for Democracy (NLD) raised the issue during a session of the Lower House of Parliament on Monday, saying that the law, enacted in 1898 during the British colonial era, did not allow for enough financial support, especially for single mothers and their children, given the rising costs of living. "100 kyats is nothing today. Even a cup of tea costs more than that," she told lawmakers. Prominent lawyer Robert San Aung has campaigned for amendments to the law for nearly a decade. In 2005 he submitted a letter to the country's prime minister calling for a higher alimony cap, and when his request was denied, he submitted letters again to the then-military government in 2006 and 2007. "The amount that women pay in legal fees to courts and lawyers when they sue [for alimony] is more than the money they receive in return," he said, adding that as a result, women rarely attempted to file the lawsuit. "If a husband can earn a lot of money, he should support his [ex-] wife and children." In 2012, Burma's High Court submitted a proposal to Union Parliament to increase the cap on alimony payments to 50,000 kyats in line with inflation. The alimony cap falls under Section 488 of the Criminal Code. Under the law, men cannot sue for financial support from their ex-wives. The post Lawmaker Criticizes Law That Caps Monthly Alimony for Women at 100 Kyats appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

UN Rights Body Says Govt Detention of Kachin Farmer Illegal Posted: 15 Jul 2014 01:25 AM PDT Ethnic Kachin people protest in Myitkyina in July 2012 for the release of another Kachin farmer Brang Shawng, who was freed last year as part of a presidential amnesty. (Photo: KDNG) The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has ruled on the case of ethnic Kachin farmer Brawn Yung, who is serving a 21-year sentence in Myitkyina Prison, and called on the Burmese government to immediately release him and offer reparations because his detention is illegal. It is the second time in recent months that the UN rights body has ruled that the government's imprisonment of a Kachin farmer is illegal. The latest ruling, issued on May 20, was released on Tuesday by the Burma Campaign UK, which took the case of Brang Yung to the UN Working Group with the assistance of the Burma Justice Committee and Kachin National Organization UK. The working group ruling states that Brang Yung "was targeted for prosecution as he belongs to the minority Kachin ethnic group. Members of this group have been subjected to numerous arrests as well as alleged torture against them to extract confessions." "The deprivation of liberty of Mr. Brang Yung was arbitrary, being in contravention of Articles 2, 7 and 10 of the [Universal Declaration of Human Rights]," the ruling said. "The Working Group requests the Government to take the necessary steps to remedy the situation, which include the immediate release of Mr. Brang Yung and the provision of adequate reparation to him." It has also referred the case to the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The UN group said it had contacted the Burmese government about the case but had received no reply. Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, campaigns officer at Burma Campaign UK, said in a statement, "By keeping Brang Yung in jail it is President Thein Sein who is the one breaking the law, not Brang Yung. "The failure to release political prisoners, even when the UN rules their detention is illegal, is yet another example of the backsliding of the reform process." The campaign group is calling for a new independent review mechanism for political prisoners to be established in Burma. Brang Yung, Laphai Gam and La Reing were arrested in mid-2012 and allegedly severely tortured and subject to degrading treatment on accusations that they belonged to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which is fighting an insurgency against the government in northern Burma. The Burma Campaign UK said that "According to family members, during the interrogations, [Brawn Yung] was repeatedly kicked, beaten till his scalp was cut open, forced to drink water mixed with fuel, and his arms were pierced with needles. He was also forced to have sexual intercourse with one other male prisoner." The three men were subsequently charged on a number of different counts on the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act and the 1908 Explosive Substances Law and sentenced to lengthy prison terms. In November, the UN Working Group of Arbitrary Detention had ruled in the case of Laphia Gam and said his detention is illegal. The Burma Campaign UK brought a legal complaint on behalf of Laphia Gam to the UN. The UN Working Group said at the time that "The Army in this case is prosecutor and judge, and has arrest, investigative and trial authority, leaving little room for an impartial trial and outcome." The post UN Rights Body Says Govt Detention of Kachin Farmer Illegal appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

New UN Rights Rapporteur to Begin Burma Visit This Week Posted: 14 Jul 2014 10:58 PM PDT Yanghee Lee, the new UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burma. (Photo: Unicef.org) The new UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burma, Yanghee Lee, will make her first official visit to the country from July 17-26, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights announced (OHCHR). Lee, an "independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor, report and advise on the situation of human rights" plans to visit the capital Naypyidaw, Rangoon, strife-torn Arakan State and restive Kachin State, as well as Mandalay, which suffered from a recent outbreak of anti-Muslim violence, OHCHR said in a statement She will meet with government officials, political, religious and community leaders, civil society representatives, as well as victims of human rights violations and members of the international community. "A frank and open exchange of views will be vital to help me better understand the realities on the ground," Lee said in a statement. "And it is my intention, as special rapporteur, to work closely with the government and people of Myanmar, towards the promotion and protection of human rights in the country." The new rapporteur, who is independent from any government or organization and serves in an individual capacity, will submit her first report to the UN General Assembly in October. Lee is from South Korea and currently a professor at Sungkyunwan University, Seoul. She served as chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and is a founding president of International Child Rights Center. She succeeds rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana, from Argentina, who completed his six-year term by June 2014. Quintana oversaw sweeping political reforms in Burma, but also large-scale rights violations following the outbreak of the Kachin conflict and inter-communal violence in Arakan State. Quintana had an at times difficult relationship with the government, which outright dismissed his reports of mass rights violations and persecution against the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority in western Burma's Arakan State. The post New UN Rights Rapporteur to Begin Burma Visit This Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Put Some Color in Your Life in Pyin Oo Lwin Posted: 14 Jul 2014 05:30 PM PDT The colonial-era British Club is one of many elegant old buildings in the former hill station of Pyin Oo Lwin. (Photo: Teza Hlaing/ The Irrawaddy) PYIN OO LWIN — For such a small place, Pyin Oo Lwin packs a lot in. The former British hill station, located 3,510 feet (1,070 meters) above sea level and 42 miles (67 km) east of Mandalay in the Shan Hills, is home to some well-preserved colonial architecture, two elite military academies, more than half a dozen Hindu temples, and Myanmar's only botanical garden. Beyond the town itself, you can see the country's first and finest coffee plantations, fields full of produce thriving in its temperate climate, including strawberries and a colorful array of flowers, and natural attractions such as two magnificent waterfalls within easy reach. Established by the British in 1896, the town was originally named Maymyo, or "May's Town," after Colonel May, who commanded a regiment of the British Indian Army that was temporarily stationed here in 1887. Today, you can still see evidence of its military roots. Uniformed cadets from the elite Defense Services Academy and the Defense Services Technological Academy are a common sight around the central market, near the Purcell clock tower, on weekends. The ties to Myanmar's neighbors to the west are also much in evidence. Although the pre-British population of the site where Pyin Oo Lwin now stands was mostly ethnic Danu, these days, a sizeable portion of the town's population is descended from settlers from India and Nepal. This connection to the subcontinent was on full display in late May, when the completion ofv a four-year-long renovation of a local temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ganesh was marked by a festival attended by thousands of local devotees and others from around the country and abroad. Trouble in Paradise In a country that has a history of ethnic and political conflict, Pyin Oo Lwin has an enviable reputation as an oasis of relative harmony. Although it is still seen by many as an excellent place to get away from the troubles of the world, some locals feel that it is in danger of losing a precious part of its legacy. While some of the town's older red-brick buildings have been turned into cozy guesthouses and hotels for visitors, others stand empty, surrounded by pine and cherry trees and long-uncut grass. Owned by the government, which keeps them as lodgings for officials, they often get sold off to outside investors who have little respect for their historical significance. "When rich people—especially the Chinese—come in and buy houses with big compounds, the first thing they do is tear them down," said U Mya Khaing, a local nursery owner and longtime resident. "They build gigantic houses or divide the land up for sale at a high profit." "A lot of colonial buildings have disappeared in this way," he added. "It's a shame not to value this heritage." Local people say that the rush to capitalize on Pyin Oo Lwin's appeal to visitors is also harming some nearby natural beauty spots. "The manmade bridges and food stalls all around the Pway Kyaut waterfall are so ugly," said Ko Aung Phyu, who runs a shop in Pyin Oo Lwin's central market. The construction of a resort near the Dat Taw Gyaing waterfall has also had a negative impact, he said. "Before, the environment around the waterfall was so tranquil, and really gave you the feeling that you were deep in the forest. But now, with the view of that resort, that feeling is completely gone." All Is Not Lost While many Pyin Oo Lwin residents lament some of the changes they've witnessed in recent years, most visitors still seem to feel that the town and its environs have a lot to offer. Some things have even improved, according to those who have kept coming back over the years. The most notable example of development done right is the National Kandawgyi Botanical Garden, founded in 1915. Expanded in area from 150 acres to 240 acres in 1924, it underwent a major renovation in 2000 and now includes an orchid garden and butterfly and fossil museums. Managed by the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry, the botanical garden is used not only for research, but also attracts tens of thousands of visitors annually. "When we were young, the park was very lively only in the summer and winter, but now there are so many things to see year round," said Daw Yin YinNwae, who was visiting from Mandalay with her family. "The fossil museum and butterfly museum are incredible for our children," she added. "We come every month now to have a family picnic and enjoy our time here." As times change, Pyin Oo Lwin is likely to change along with them, for better or for worse. But whatever name it is known by—Pyin Oo Lwin, Maymyo, the Town of Mountainous Stairs or the Misty Town—this is a place that will always remain close to the hearts of locals and visitors alike. Other Information Getting There: There are direct bus services from Yangon to PyinOoLwin, but the easiest way to reach the town is by car, taxi or minivan from Mandalay. Shopping: PyiOoLwin is famous for its knitwear, strawberries, coffee and other products associated with its relatively cool temperatures. This article first appeared in the July 2014 print edition of The Irrawaddy Magazine. The post Put Some Color in Your Life in Pyin Oo Lwin appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

An Ounce of Detention Posted: 14 Jul 2014 05:00 PM PDT Military police officers stand guard during a reconciliation event organized by the army at a shopping mall in Bangkok on June 14. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — The latest military regime in Thailand has brought to national attention an army compound located at the corner of a tree-lined street in a historic quarter of the capital. It was once the main venue for the army's top-heavy generals and lower-ranking officers to relax. They still refer to it as the Army Club. But its new use since the late May coup—Thailand's 12th successful military putsch out of 19 attempted power grabs in over 80 years—is far from recreational. It has been transformed into something darker: the gateway into a world of military-enforced detentions for hundreds of Thai citizens summoned to hand themselves over to army custody. The junta's modus operandi was unveiled soon after the coup and has proceeded, hardly surprisingly, at an efficient military clip. Names of those wanted by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), as the junta is known, are read nightly by a deep, somber voice over television and radio stations, conveying a hint of McCarthyism. And those named on the list have little choice but to obey: report the next morning to the Army Club. The regime's dragnet has been spread far and wide in its quest to go after the political class and those whose names have popped up in Thailand's deeply polarized political divide. It began with former elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and many of her cabinet ministers, and extended to parliamentarians, businessmen and women, academics, political activists, broadcasters and journalists from across the political spectrum. Most of them meekly obliged, resulting in stays at various military compounds across Thailand from one to five days. Only one openly protested—senior journalist Pravit Rojanaphruk—by covering his mouth with black tape as a stand against the climate of repression, before walking through the gates of the Club on a rainy Sunday morning. But some intellectuals named on the junta's nightly lists have opted to spurn the military's hospitality, going underground or fleeing into exile. 'Military Vacation' The NCPO, however, sees the implications of naming names and the stays in military custody in a different light. There is nothing to fear, assured Col. Werachon Sukondhapatipak, an NCPO spokesman, from the summonses and the military treatment that follows. "We are inviting them to give them some time to think about their actions, so they can be relaxed and be calm and they are looked after very well," he said of those called in and immediately relieved of their mobile phones to cut off any outside contact. "We also talk to them to get their opinions as part of this cooling off period." The rationale for such a "military vacation," as Mr. Pravit sarcastically wrote of his ordeal as a "guest detainee," is no laughing matter. The junta's chief, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, has been drumming into the heads of Thailand's 67 million population that it is one of a slew of plans to restore political peace and prevent the country, in the military's view, from teetering toward a civil war. The color-coded politics that has divided Thailand has to end, the gruff strongman has repeatedly said. The information gathered from those in military custody will reportedly be collected to shape the junta's reform and reconciliation blueprint. The junta's outreach will also feature National Reconciliation Centers in all provinces, aiming to drive home the latest martial tune: happiness and unity in Thailand. "[Gen. Prayuth] has emphasized the need to create a new value for our people … the divided society must be mended [so that] living in harmony becomes a priority," said Col. Werachon. "Gen. Prayuth has said this is a daunting task for him." Such professed intentions, however, fail to mask the military-style approach to shepherding millions of famously free-wheeling Thais into a pen of national unity, patriotism and political harmony. And the nightly naming of names raises the obvious question: Can detentions in military custody achieve political peace and reconciliation? Purging Thaksin's Legacy "The military's solution is classic textbook, with ideas based on deterrence," said Panitan Watanayagorn, a national security expert at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. "The strategy is to neutralize its opposition by categorizing people as troublemakers, those who cooperate and those who can be co-opted." The lists of people summoned reinforce that view. After all, a large swathe of those in the junta's crosshairs are politicians, the business elite, activists, broadcasters and intellectuals directly linked or associated with Ms. Yingluck's elder brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, the former, twice-elected prime minister who was ousted in the September 2006 military coup. The elder Shinawatra, living in self-imposed exile, has remained a scourge of the traditional, ultra-royalist establishment, which includes the military, ever since he emerged on the national stage in 2001 and saw his pro-Thaksin parties win every successive election. No wonder the post-coup purging of "network Thaksin," as Mr. Panitan describes it, has also extended to targeting pro-Thaksin bureaucrats in important ministries, such as defense, being transferred to ineffective positions. The junta's unorthodox push to secure political peace has, for obvious reasons, drawn the attention of veteran conflict-resolution experts in the country. "They are pursuing a dual-track approach by trying to keep the people [detained] quiet for a while and making the case for peace, law and order to prepare the way toward reconciliation," noted Gotham Arya, former director of research at the Centre for Peace Building at Bangkok's Mahidol University. "According to the Western textbook, this may not work, because of the contradiction, since those detained are opinion leaders and they may have negative feelings afterward." Yet, the junta may have something more homespun to grapple with. How will the strategy "correspond to the sociological approach of Thailand?" asked Mr. Gotham, given the attempt to force people to reconcile. "If the people accept this new approach, then reconciliation may be possible." The post An Ounce of Detention appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Singapore Anti-Gambling Ad Backfires Thanks to Germany World Cup Run Posted: 14 Jul 2014 10:53 PM PDT A man walks past a World Cup anti-gambling advertisement at a taxi stand in Singapore July 9, 2014. Singapore has scored an own goal with the World Cup anti-gambling ad. (Photo: Reuters) SINGAPORE — An ad campaign warning of the perils of gambling that began as just another bland public service announcement by Singapore’s government has turned into fodder for international mockery, and left authorities scrambling after Germany’s World Cup victory. In the TV version of the ad, which debuted last month when the World Cup kicked off, a sullen young boy named Andy tells his friends in the playground that his father had used all of Andy’s savings to bet on Germany to win the tournament. Sad piano music is cued and a message is displayed: "Often, the people who suffer from problem gambling aren’t the gamblers." The PSA wasn’t lampooned until Germany won its first match against Portugal, 4-0. As the World Cup progressed and the Germans looked more and more like favorites to win the title, the mocking of the ad intensified, with many wondering if little Andy and his dad were going to make a killing on the bet. After Germany’s stunning 7-1 semifinal drubbing of Brazil, the ad prompted ridiculing on "The Tonight Show." "Cheer up, kid, your dad bet on Germany," host Jimmy Fallon said. "He’s so rich you don’t even need to go to college anymore." Even Singapore’s usually stoic politicians could not resist taking a few pot shots. Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin wrote on Facebook: "Looks like the boy’s father who bet all his savings on Germany will be laughing all the way to the bank!" But Singapore’s National Council for Problem Gambling refused to back down and withdraw the campaign, which also included radio spots, posters around the country and banners on the council’s website. In a statement, it said selecting Germany "injected a sense of realism in our messaging, since no one will bet on a potentially losing team." On Monday, following Germany’s 1-0 win over Argentina in the final, Facebook pages were full of congratulatory messages for Andy and his dad. A few suggested the two were off to Germany for a holiday, while another showed Andy wearing a suit, accompanied by the caption, "Who’s your daddy?" The council, meanwhile, rushed to post a new ad on its website. It features Andy’s friend asking him: "Your dad’s team won. Did you get your savings back?" Andy replies: "No, Dad never stops … he wants to bet one more time." Singapore has a strong gambling culture, even though it only opened its casinos in recent years. Government-run sports betting and the lottery are hugely popular in the tightly controlled Southeast Asian city-state of 5.4 million people. The post Singapore Anti-Gambling Ad Backfires Thanks to Germany World Cup Run appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Copter Crash Kills 2 Cambodian Military Generals Posted: 14 Jul 2014 10:47 PM PDT Cambodia’s soldiers carry a body which rescue workers found at the site where a Cambodian military helicopter crashed on the outskirts of Phnom Penh on Monday. (Photo: Pring Samrang / Reuters) PHNOM PENH — Two generals who led the helicopter unit of Cambodia’s air force were killed in a crash Monday, along with two pilots, police said. Defense Minister Tea Banh, who rushed to the crash site in a muddy pond south of the capital, said a fifth person on the chopper was seriously injured. Gen. Um Phy, deputy chief of staff of Cambodia’s air force, confirmed the casualty count and said the aircraft was a Chinese-made Z-9 helicopter. Authorities had previously said five people were killed. It was not immediately clear what caused the accident, which police said was a training mission for new pilots. Two of the dead men were a major general and a brigadier general, Phnom Penh Deputy Police Chief Chuon Narin said. An incident report filed by police at the scene said the generals were the head and deputy head of the helicopter unit, and the other two men were pilots. Military officials confirmed the men’s ranks, but not their positions. The survivor was not identified. The chopper went down about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Phnom Penh, sinking in a rain-filled excavated rice field surrounded by rural land and other fields. Defense Ministry Secretary of State Moeung Samphan said 300 military personnel were sent to take part in the recovery operation. By evening, all four bodies had been recovered, said Um Phy. The main part of the helicopter’s fuselage, whose cabin could be seen badly mangled in photographs from the local DAP news agency as it was lifted by a winch, was also retrieved and taken to air force headquarters for inspection, he said. Cambodia last year took delivery of 12 of the Z-9 helicopters, a licensed version of France’s Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin that can carry nine passengers in addition to a pilot. The aircraft were purchased with a $195 million loan made to Cambodia in 2011 by China, the closest ally of the small Southeast Asian nation. The helicopters were meant to replace a small fleet of aging Soviet-made transport helicopters. The deal with China was made as Cambodia was engaged in intermittent border warfare with neighboring Thailand, but it was unclear if any were fitted as attack helicopters, which would be the first ever in Cambodia’s arsenal. Cambodia has a strong disadvantage in air power compared to larger neighbors Thailand and Vietnam. Chhay Bunna, chief of police at Phnom Penh’s nearby international airport, said the flight was a training mission for new pilots. Tea Banh said the area where the crash took place has been used for training for several years without any previous accidents. A witness said she saw helicopters flying the same route almost every day, but the doomed flight seemed to be flying lower than usual, almost hitting her house. Ath Neang, 48, who lives about 15 meters (yards) from the pond, said that as one of the craft’s rotor blades hit the bank of the pond, one man jumped out into the water. At about the same time, she heard what sounded like an explosion from the aircraft, which then sank. The post Copter Crash Kills 2 Cambodian Military Generals appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Obama Tells Xi He Wants ‘Constructive Management of Differences’ Posted: 14 Jul 2014 10:43 PM PDT U.S. President Barack Obama (R) meets China’s President Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, on March 24 2014. (Photo: Reuters) WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday he wants U.S.-Chinese relations defined by more cooperation and a constructive management of differences during a phone call in which Iran and North Korea were discussed. Escalating tensions between China and some countries in the South China Sea and with Japan in the East China Sea, as well as U.S. charges over hacking and Internet spying, have provoked anger on both sides of the Pacific in recent months. A White House statement about the Obama-Xi conversation did not get into the details of U.S.-Chinese tensions. It came after two days of talks in Beijing that were an opportunity for the world’s two biggest economies to lower tensions after months of bickering over a host of issues. Obama and Xi have tried to develop a working relationship over the past year, meeting for two days in June 2013 at a retreat in the California desert and, more recently, chatting in March at The Hague on the fringes of an international summit. However, their talks have done little to resolve festering issues in the Asia-Pacific region. The statement suggested the two leaders would seek to work together when they can despite their disagreements. "The president reaffirmed his commitment to developing a relationship defined by increased practical cooperation and constructive management of differences," the White House said. China’s official Xinhua news agency said Xi told Obama that the two countries should continue to meet each other half way and keep strengthening cooperation on key issues like climate change. Obama told Xi he looked forward to seeing him at an Asia-Pacific summit in Beijing in November. The White House statement said Obama stressed to Xi the need for communication and coordination on actions with China to ensure North Korea meets its denuclearization commitments. China is North Korea’s only major ally. Last week, North Korea launched short-range missiles that were in defiance of a U.N. ban that prohibits Pyongyang from using or procuring ballistic missile technology that could be used in its nuclear or intercontinental ballistic missile programs. Xinhua said only that the two leaders "exchanged views" on the situation on the Korean peninsula. The two leaders also reviewed efforts to persuade Iran to agree to a nuclear agreement by a July 20 deadline. The White House said the two leaders "discussed the need for continued U.S.-China cooperation" in the ongoing international negotiations between Iran and six world powers. "The president underscored the need for Iran to take the steps necessary to assure the international community that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful," the statement said. China and Iran have close energy and trade ties, and Beijing has repeatedly resisted U.S.-led demands to impose tougher economic sanctions on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions. Iran says it is enriching uranium for peaceful energy purposes only. Xi said that China was willing to work with the United States to ensure a comprehensive, lasting solution, despite the difficulties that still needed to be overcome, Xinhua reported. The post Obama Tells Xi He Wants 'Constructive Management of Differences' appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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