The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Tensions Rise as Military Orders Rebels to Disarm in Myawaddy 
• Karen Rebels, Govt Troops Clash as Peace Talks Loom
• Dismissed Rangoon Workers Allege Police Beating
• Couple Guilty of Immigration Offense in Case Tied to Mandalay Riots
• Thailand to Allow Foreign Day Laborers Without Passports
• Teachers’ and Students’ Organizations Join Up to Oppose Education Bill
• Burma Sees Foreign Investment Topping $5b in 2014-15
• Sri Lanka Backs China’s Maritime ‘Silk Road’ Plan 
• ‘Forced Labor’ Rife in Malaysian Electronics Factories: Report
• Fijians Head to Polls for First Post-Coup General Election

Tensions Rise as Military Orders Rebels to Disarm in Myawaddy  Posted: 17 Sep 2014 06:07 AM PDT Col. Tiger, who leads the KNU/KNLA-Peace Council, said a Burma Army commander ordered his men to disarm before entering Myawaddy. (Photo: KNU/KNLA-Peace Council) RANGOON — Tensions continue to rise in Karen State's Myawadday after a local Burma Army commander reportedly ordered some armed Karen rebel groups not to carry weapons or wear uniforms in the Burma-Thai border town. The news comes just days after the discovery of two small bombs in and around Myawaddy, and follows a temporary blockade of a nearby road by a Karen rebel group last week. The order was sent by the commander of Light Infantry Battalion 275 in Myawaddy in a letter dated Sept 14, according to Col. Tiger, who leads a small armed group callings itself the KNU/KNLA-Peace Council, a splinter faction of the Karen Nation Union (KNU). He said he his men would ignore the order. "Why can they use guns and wear their uniforms, but not us? We will keep holding on to our weapons and uniforms. Our weapons are to protect our people," Col. Tiger said. "We will only agree to their order when their units decide not to hold guns and wear uniforms." He quoted the letter as stating that, "Starting today, we fully prohibited all armed groups to wear uniforms and hold guns while travelling in the town. In urgent cases, your liaison offices in Myawaddy first need to inform us about the number of troops and guns, and where they want to go, before they can travel in the town." "Traveling in the town in full uniform disturbs the security of the civilians… Therefore, we ask you to act in accordance with the rule of law, which is the basis of our ceasefire agreement," the letter said. Col. Tiger said the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and the small rebel group Klohtoobaw Karen Organization (KKO) also received the letter of the Burma Army commander. Maj. Saw Roe, in charge of the KNU liaison office in Myawaddy, said he did not receive the Burma Army order, but added that KNU officers did not wear uniform or carry arms in the town. "We heard that they [Burmese authorities] issued the letter ordering Karen armed groups not to wear uniform and carry weapons when traveling in towns and cities. They sent it to other Karen armed groups, but not us," he said. The KNU, the DKBA, the KNU/KNLA-Peace Council and the KKO all have signed bilateral ceasefires with the central government and are allowed to maintain liaison offices in Myawaddy and their soldiers regularly travel into town. This is the first time that they have been ordered to disarm when entering the town and it is unclear what prompted the message. Myawaddy is the most important route for Burma-Thai trade, but has always been vulnerable to the influence of Karen rebels in the surrounding countryside, who have fought an insurgency against the Burman-dominated government for decades. In 2010, the DKBA temporarily seized the town. Many of the groups also seek a cut from the profitable cross-border trade and smuggling of goods and drugs in the region. Earlier this week, authorities discovered two small explosive devices in and around Myawaddy. None of the armed groups have claimed responsibility for the explosive devices. Last week, the KNU/KNLA-Peace Council temporarily blocked 30 trucks that were attempting to transport Thai goods across the border in a show of force meant to draw the attention of Thai authorities. The group has accused Thai border authorities of mistreating and extorting Burmese migrant workers, citing the daily bribes that migrants crossing the border to work in Mae Sot are forced to pay as an example. The KNU/KNLA-Peace Council have threatened to stage another blockade if they are not granted a requested tripartite meeting with the Burmese and Thai governments to address migrant workers' mistreatment. Additional reporting from Chiang Mai by Saw Yan Naing.  The post Tensions Rise as Military Orders Rebels to Disarm in Myawaddy  appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Karen Rebels, Govt Troops Clash as Peace Talks Loom Posted: 17 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT Karen National Liberation Army soldiers stationed at an outpost near the Thai-Burmese border. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) As Burma's government and ethnic armed groups prepare to meet for peace talks next week, on-and-off fighting between the Burmese Army and ethnic Karen rebels continues to plague eastern Burma. The latest clash took place on Sept. 9 in an area controlled by Brigade 5 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the military wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), near the Oo Thu Hta region of Karen State's Papun District. Maj. Saw Kler Doh from KNLA Brigade 5 told The Irrawaddy by phone from the frontline that one Burmese Army soldier was killed in the clash. "They [Burmese Army troops] crossed the limits of the border line and entered our territory. They also didn't inform us before they patrolled. They met with a group of our soldiers by surprise, and both opened fire. We later found out that one Burmese soldier died." The KNU signed a ceasefire with the Burmese government in 2012, but clashes between the two sides have continued intermittently ever since. Critics say a failure to consolidate the ceasefire through efforts such as the implementation of a code-of-conduct to govern the armed groups has contributed to the ongoing hostilities. "We asked them [the Burmese Army] to inform us first if they want to travel anywhere in our territory. They can travel only where we allow. If they cross the line or don't inform us in advance, there is always the possibility of a clash," Saw Kler Doh said. According to Karen sources who asked for anonymity, some clashes in the area controlled by Brigade 5 are not even reported to senior KNU leaders for fear that the fighting might affect the peace process. Some KNU leaders are thought to be eager to press ahead with a government-spearheaded effort to ink a nationwide ceasefire agreement between Naypyidaw and Burma's ethnic armed groups, while Brigade 5 leaders are viewed as more reticent to move quickly on the proposed accord. Brigade 5 has an estimated 3,000 troops and is believed to be the KNLA's strongest brigade. On Sept. 1, the KNU suspended its participation in a bloc of 12 ethnic armed groups known as the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), saying it would focus its peacemaking efforts on a process led by the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), an alliance of 16 ethnic armed groups. The move raised speculation that the Karen group might take the lead in pushing for a nationwide ceasefire, which the Burmese government is trying to secure but has failed several times to meet deadlines it has set for a signing. In addition to the Karen rebels, two other ethnic armed groups—the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA)—have regularly traded fire with government troops in recent months. Those two rebel groups do not have ceasefires with the central government in place. The NCCT is due to meet on Sept. 22 with government negotiators from the Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UPWC), led by President's Office Minister Aung Min, in Rangoon to continue discussions on a nationwide ceasefire agreement. The post Karen Rebels, Govt Troops Clash as Peace Talks Loom appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Dismissed Rangoon Workers Allege Police Beating Posted: 17 Sep 2014 04:50 AM PDT Police are deployed at the former South Korean Master Sports footwear factory on Tuesday afternoon, later they allegedly beat workers waiting inside. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) Laid off workers of the South Korean Master Sports footwear factory allege that they were beaten by police and that 20 workers were injured when they went to the closed down factory on Tuesday to pick up their unpaid salaries and severance pay. The factory closed abruptly in late June and workers were dismissed without receiving their salaries for that month. About 700 workers marched to protest in front of the South Korean Embassy on July 17 to demand the payments. In August, the Rangoon Division Labor Tribunal decided that the factory should provide a severance pay of several months and salary for June to the workers by Tuesday, Sept. 16. Phyu Phyu Soe, a leader of the workers, said some 200 former employees went to the factory in Rangoon's Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone on Tuesday afternoon to meet Win Shein, director-general of the Factories and General Labor Laws Inspection Department of the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security, adding that many had hoped to receive their payments. "The director-general told us to enter into the factory compound to talk as we asked him to give us a specific date for the compensated payment," she said, adding that Win Shein then told workers they would have to wait until November to receive their pay, a demand that caused anger among the workers. "After we were inside, the gate is closed and he started calling the police," Phyu Phyu Soe said, alleging that "hundreds of policemen" arrived at about 10 pm to bring Win Shein to safety and beat the laborers. "Many of us are women workers and they beat us mostly to our heads and arms," she said, adding that four people sustained severe head injuries while another 16 received minor injuries. U Htay, a lawyer helping the workers, said, "The workers told me this morning that when they were beaten, [Win Shein] did not even protect them. "We help with sending those with head injuries to the hospital for treatment. Many of those with minor injuries received treatment at outside clinic." Rangoon Region Police Col. Chit Oo said some of his men were injured by workers during the unrest. "Nine police were also hurt in yesterday's clash, six are now at the hospital," he said, adding that police had no plan to press charges against the workers. "We just asked two of their leaders to come to the police station and sign a document that they will not gather again," he said. During a press conference in Rangoon on Wednesday, Win Shein, the director-general, failed to address the unrest. He stated that some 650 workers would receive their payments after the factory's assets are auctioned off on Oct 9. The Rangoon Labor Tribunal's decision from August said the severance must equal to three months of pay for workers who worked in the factory for more than a year, and three months for workers who worked in the factory less than 10 months. The Labor Ministry has said it filed a lawsuit against the factory owner. The state-run media reported last month that if the Korean owner failed to appear at the court to solve the problem, his assets will be seized and dispensed as compensation for workers. Workers have been angered by the long wait, however, and claim that the ministry is not working quickly enough to ensure they receive their pay. Additional reporting from Rangoon by Nang Seng Nom. The post Dismissed Rangoon Workers Allege Police Beating appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Couple Guilty of Immigration Offense in Case Tied to Mandalay Riots Posted: 17 Sep 2014 04:45 AM PDT Lt-Col Sein Tun from the Mandalay Police Force talks to Buddhist monks after clashes between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Mandalay on July 1. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — A court in Pyinmana Township has found a married couple guilty of violating Burma's immigration law in a case linked to July's deadly rioting in Mandalay, sentencing them to two years in prison with hard labor. Ye Htut and Nu Nu Myat were found guilty on Monday of exiting Burma without the required documentation, in breach of the immigration law. They are also facing separate charges for allegedly fabricating rape claims and providing false information in a case that has been blamed for igniting the violence in Mandalay, which left two people dead and more than 20 others injured. The couple fled the country with two other people sometime after three days of violence wracked Mandalay in early July. They were later arrested in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. "The Pyinmana Township Court has sentenced them to two years' imprisonment with hard labor. They still have to face the other trials," said a duty officer from the Pyinmana police station, declining to provide further details. According to the Mandalay divisional police office, the couple will stand trial in Mandalay and Pyin Oo Lwin jurisdictions on charges of providing false information and contempt of court. "After they finish all the trials in Pyinmana, they have to face three more trials in Mandalay and Pyin Oo Lwin, for providing wrong information about the rape case and contempt of court," said Zaw Win Aung, the deputy police superintendent of the Mandalay divisional police. The false rape claims set off rioting after word spread, largely via social media, that two Muslim men had raped a Buddhist woman. Burma's Ministry of Home Affairs has said that the couple paid a woman named Phyu Phyu Min to open a rape case against the Muslim brothers, Nay Win and San Win, at the behest of Tun Tun, a business rival of the brothers. The businessman Tun Tun and his wife, who has also been implicated in spreading the rape allegations, have also reportedly been arrested and are standing trial in Pyinmana. Meanwhile, a trial related to the killing of the two men—one a Buddhist and the other Muslim—is ongoing, with witnesses currently providing court testimony. According to lawyers involved in the case, 14 suspects have been detained and are facing trial for the murders of Tun Tun and Soe Min. "The cross examination of the witnesses is going to end at the next hearing and the court is likely to finalize charges against the suspects. Some suspects will go free if the court finds that they were not involved in the murder," said Thein Than Oo, a lawyer for one of the murder suspects. "I believe these suspects, including Ye Htut, Nu Nu Myat and Phyu Phyu Min, are just the victims during this violence. The authorities need to uncover the real culprit behind this incident. If not, this kind of violence will break out again in the future," said the lawyer, who is also a member of the Mandalay Peacekeeping Committee. The post Couple Guilty of Immigration Offense in Case Tied to Mandalay Riots appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Thailand to Allow Foreign Day Laborers Without Passports Posted: 17 Sep 2014 03:57 AM PDT Burmese migrant workers stand in line on the Mae Sot-Myawaddy Friendship Bridge in 2011. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Thai authorities plan to put a new rule in place allowing foreign migrant laborers without passports to work in border towns of the Kingdom on a day-to-day basis, in an attempt to reduce the number of migrants who travel on to bigger cities for better paying jobs. The Thai Labor Ministry's new regulation will allow foreign workers to enter and work legally without passports, but only in border areas and with the stipulation that they must return to their home country at day's end. Daily entry documents will be used in lieu of passports. The news comes as a rare spot of good news for many Burmese who work in Thailand illegally and have seen a deterioration in their fortunes since a May coup brought several measures restricting their ability to live and work in the Kingdom. Most of Thailand's foreign labor force is from neighboring Burma, with the number of Burmese nationals working in the Kingdom estimated to be as high as 3 million. Migrants' rights groups estimate that about 2 million have been registered under a "national verification program" and are legally eligible to work in Thailand, but hundreds of thousands are believed to be undocumented and stand to benefit from the opportunity to work legally under the new regulation on day laborers. Htoo Chit, executive director of the Thailand-based migrant rights group Foundation for Education and Development, welcomed the new policy. "It is a good system for migrant workers because it will be easier for them to come and work daily in Thai border towns," he said. "The new law will allow them to work officially with border passes." Htoo Chit, however, said the new regulation would not affect registered migrant workers who have already passed national verification and obtained passports to work and travel across Thailand. "They [Thai authorities] won't stop issuing or extending passports for migrant workers who hold them. So I think it is a good regulation," said Htoo Chit, adding that he was not aware of when the new plan would go into effect. Many migrant workers travel beyond Thailand's border towns for big cities, where they can earn more money after passing the national verification process and obtaining passports. The trend has been a source of frustration for business operators on the border, who are forced to deal with disruptive employee turnover rates as a result. Though Thai law mandates a minimum daily wage of 300 baht (US$10) for both domestic and migrant workers, many foreign laborers on the border earn far less. Thailand's permanent secretary for labor, Jirasak Sukhonthachat, told the Bangkok Post newspaper that Labor Ministry authorities had approached the ruling Thai junta, which calls itself the National Council for Peace and Order, for approval and the plan is now under consideration. "The regulations would stipulate which documents could be substituted for passports, where the workers could work, suitable occupations and work timeframes for those foreign workers," the Bangkok Post reported, citing Jirasak. Currently, Thai law states that border passes only allow foreigners to enter Thailand to visit or trade, but not to work. Only migrant workers with passports are officially allowed to travel around the country. The Bangkok Post reported that the new regulations must be approved by the cabinet before negotiations with neighboring countries can move forward. The Thai junta in July approved special economic zones to be set up in a handful of border towns including Mae Sot, which borders Burma's Karen State. Businesses along the border are also expected to view the forthcoming regulation favorably, as it has the potential to reduce the number of migrant workers that leave their jobs in border towns for Bangkok and other urban centers. The post Thailand to Allow Foreign Day Laborers Without Passports appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Teachers’ and Students’ Organizations Join Up to Oppose Education Bill Posted: 17 Sep 2014 03:15 AM PDT Blindfolded students wearing graduation gowns protest against the National Education Bill on the campus of Dagon University in Rangoon in early September. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Myanmar Teachers' Federation (MTF) said it plans to cooperate with students' organizations and join their protests against the National Education Bill if the proposed legislation is not revised in Parliament in the coming weeks. The MTF also called on authorities to stop their criminal investigations into recent, unauthorized student protests against the bill. Last month, teachers, students and education experts slammed the bill and said the government had failed to properly consult them during the drafting process. Students' organizations held protests against the bill in recent weeks at universities across the country to highlight their concerns. The MTF, which comprises associations representing teachers in all levels of the education system, said on Monday that it would join the student organizations during future protests. "We have the same intention as them, which is to reform the education system in a democratic way. So we encourage them and we will fully cooperate with them," Arkar Moe Thu, secretary of the MTF, said. The National Education Bill is a key piece of legislation intended to reform Burma's education system which suffered from decades of underfunding and overbearing government control under previous military regimes. Teachers, students and the National Network for Education Reform, a collection of civil society and political groups, have criticized the bill for not releasing schools and university's from central government control, and for preserving the risk of political influence in education. They said their suggestions during consultation meetings on the bill were ignored by the Ministry of Education. Arkar Moe Thu of the MTF said on Monday, "The controls over the education sector during 50 years of military rule have left Burma's education system far behind and destroyed its education standards. "So for education system reform we want the management of education institutions to be free from government control." Despite these concerns, Parliament passed the bill on July 30 and sent it to President Thein Sein. He sent it back to the legislature last month, saying some two dozen amendments were required. Lawmakers are expected to discuss the bill during the current parliament session, which ends this month. The president will then have to accept the changes lawmakers will make and sign the bill into law. Ye Yint Kyaw, an executive committee member of the All Burma Federation of Students Unions (ABFSU), said student protests against the bill had not been held since early September because of ongoing university exams. "At the moment, we are holding public talks about why we are opposed to the bill. In the future, we will hold protests again and more public talks," he said. Criminal Investigations Against Student Protests Ye Yint Kyaw, who is based in Mandalay Division, said that students at colleges and universities in the region have held recurrent protests against the bill since May. Authorities in Monywa, Taunggu and Prome townships, he said, have since launched investigations into the student protests as some were reportedly held without prior government approval. Ye Yint Kyaw said he and another ABFSU executive committee member are being investigated by Prome authorities, while another seven students are under police investigations. Organizing an unauthorized protest violates the Peaceful Assembly Law's Article 18 and can result in a six-month prison term. The controversial article has been routinely used to apprehend activists in Burma in recent years. The MTF condemned the criminal investigations into student protests and called for the government to immediately cease the investigation. "We have learned that the authorities are investigating and threatening to take legal action against students who have been holding peaceful protests to call for a democratic education system," the group said in a statement on Monday. "But these actions by the authorities go against the president's speeches on the 'Third Wave' [of reforms], which aims to establish democratic practices. Therefore… we seriously reject these actions," it said. The post Teachers' and Students' Organizations Join Up to Oppose Education Bill appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma Sees Foreign Investment Topping $5b in 2014-15 Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:41 AM PDT Laborers work on a scaffold at a construction site in downtown Rangoon on Oct. 31, 2013. (Photo: Reuters / Minzayar) RANGOON — Burma has revised its forecast for foreign direct investment (FDI) to more than US$5 billion for the fiscal year that began in April, a senior official said on Tuesday, surpassing earlier expectations and led by new ventures in energy and telecoms. The figure exceeds an earlier estimate of $4 billion, with investments in the first five months of this fiscal year worth $3.32 billion, said Aung Naing Oo, secretary of the government-run Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC). That sum was more than half of the annual target set earlier and up 113 percent over the corresponding period a year prior. "Considering the rapid growth in the inflow of FDI in the first five months during this fiscal year, we've revised our estimates," he told Reuters. "It will be over $5 billion." The surge in investment follows a series of political and economic reforms launched three years ago by President Thein Sein, a former general who has overseen Burma's transition from decades of military rule and international isolation. The suspension of most sanctions by the European Union and the United States, in place since the 1990s over the poor human rights record of the former junta, has allowed more investment to flow into a country rich in energy and mining resources and strategically located between India, China and Southeast Asia. Aung Naing Oo said 31 percent of the investment received by the end of August was in the telecoms sector, with 23.8 percent in oil and gas and 18.4 percent in real estate. Hotels accounted for 13.3 percent and 8.1 percent went into manufacturing, primarily garments. Total FDI stood at $4.11 billion during the fiscal year to March 2014, up sharply from $1.42 billion a year earlier. That compares with $329.6 million in 2009-10, a year before the new government took office and embarked on reforms. Despite its business potential, Burma still trails neighboring markets in terms of foreign investment this year. Thailand received $6.8 billion in the period from January to June, according to the central bank, while Vietnam recorded $7.9 billion of investment for the first eight months of 2014. Additional reporting by Ho Binh Minh in Hanoi and Orathai Sriring in Bangkok. The post Burma Sees Foreign Investment Topping $5b in 2014-15 appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Sri Lanka Backs China’s Maritime ‘Silk Road’ Plan  Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:35 AM PDT China is offering $1.4 billion in loans for the development of Colombo Port, seen here in 2009. (Photo: Creative Commons) COLOMBO — Chinese President Xi Jinping won Sri Lanka’s support Tuesday for a proposed maritime "Silk Road" linking China with Europe, and helped launch a billion-dollar power plant and port city projects funded by his government. Xi, the first Chinese leader to visit Sri Lanka in 28 years, and President Mahinda Rajapaksa oversaw the signing of 27 agreements in areas, including highways and the construction of a joint coastal and marine research center. They also agreed to start negotiations on a free trade agreement. Xi is visiting countries in South Asia this week to seek closer relations and support for his vision of a modern "Silk Road" sea route between China and Europe. "We both believe we have to make use of the opportunity brought about by the 21st century maritime Silk Road to strengthen our cooperation in such areas as port construction and development, development of coastal industrial parks, maritime economy and maritime security," Xi told a signing ceremony. Earlier Chinese investment in the southern port of Hambantota led many to speculate that Sri Lanka is meant to be a key stop along the maritime Silk Road. On Monday, Xi secured backing for the plan from the nearby archipelago nation of the Maldives. The ancient Silk Road was a series of overland routes that linked China with the Mediterranean Sea, opening the way for economic, political and cultural interchange. Before departing for India on Wednesday, Xi planned to help launch Colombo Port City, being constructed on an artificial island off Colombo with $1.4 billion in Chinese loans, according to the builder, China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. The company said the port city will be a "hub on the marine Silk Road of Asia and position itself as the preferred global tourism destination in Asia." Rajapaksa said the port city would be the single largest development project in the country’s history with the potential to attract $5 billion in investments. Xi and Rajapaksa also launched the final phase of a 900 megawatt coal power plant valued at more than $1.3 billion. Rajapaksa said the plant will help make electricity available for every Sri Lankan household, and announced a 25 percent reduction in electricity fees. China has become Sri Lanka’s largest lender in recent years, providing more than $6 billion through September 2013 for port facilities, highways and a new international airport. Two-way trade totaled more than $3 billion last year, a 368 percent increase since Rajapaksa came to power in 2005. Seventeen percent of Sri Lanka’s total imports are from China. China also supplied weapons to the government during Sri Lanka’s 27-year civil war that ended in 2009 with the defeat of ethnic Tamil separatists, and has defended the Indian Ocean island nation from allegations of human rights abuses and calls for a U.N. investigation into alleged war crimes. Xi reiterated that backing on Tuesday. "China firmly supports Sri Lanka in choosing a development path suited to its national conditions … and resolutely opposes any move by any country to interfere in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs under any excuse," Xi said in an article that appeared in the state-run Daily News. However critics say Sri Lanka-China deals are a debt trap shrouded in secrecy, with most projects unsolicited and leaving way for corruption. "China’s role in modern Sri Lanka is not without controversy," independent Sunday Times newspaper wrote in an editorial ahead of Xi’s visit. "The secrecy, the swiftness and the economy with facts and figures in its financial dealings with the Rajapaksa government fuel conspiracy theories and genuine fears alike, that, to put it mildly, Sri Lanka is in China’s pocket," it read. "The people are clueless. Both governments seem to operate on the principle that what people do not know will not hurt them. Either that or there is too much to hide." The post Sri Lanka Backs China’s Maritime ‘Silk Road’ Plan  appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

‘Forced Labor’ Rife in Malaysian Electronics Factories: Report Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:26 AM PDT A technician monitors a machine that makes laser disc at a semiconductor factory in Penang, Malaysia. (Photo: Reuters) KUALA LUMPUR — Nearly a third of some 350,000 workers in Malaysia's electronics industry—a crucial link in the international consumer supply chain—suffer from conditions of modern-day slavery such as debt bondage, according to a study funded by the US Department of Labor. The survey by Verite, an international labor rights group, found that abuse of workers' rights—particularly the tens of thousands from low-wage countries like Nepal, Burma and Indonesia—was rife in a US$75 billion sector that is a mainstay of the Southeast Asian country's export-driven economy. Several US, European, Japanese and South Korean multinationals have operations in Malaysia, including Samsung Electronics, Sony, Advanced Micro Devices, Intel, and Bosch. Some big brands use suppliers such as Flextronics, Venture Corporation, Jabil Circuit, and JCY International to make parts for smartphones, computers and printers. The US government funding adds credibility to a report that is likely to come as a surprise to many consumers. Malaysia is a middle-income country where labor standards have been seen as better than in some of its Asian neighbors such as China, where questionable labor practices have drawn scrutiny in recent years. Verite did not single out any companies in its report, released on Wednesday, but blamed a system in which government and industry policies have given Malaysian recruitment firms increasing control over workers' pay and other conditions. "These results suggest that forced labor is present in the Malaysian electronics industry in more than isolated incidents, and can indeed be characterized as widespread," the group said. Several US companies with operations in Malaysia told Reuters they could not comment until seeing the full report. An Intel spokesman said most of the chipmaker's 8,200 employees in the country were Malaysian and it did not use contractors. Flextronics said it was aware of issues related to foreign workers and had "rigorous" policies to prevent abuses. Malaysian government officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The study comes three months after Malaysia was downgraded to Tier 3 in the US State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons report, which cited a lack of progress in protecting the rights of about four million foreign workers. The report, based on interviews with 501 workers, found that 28 percent of employees were in situations of "forced labor," where work is coerced through factors including indebtedness from excessive fees charged by recruiters. That figure rose to 32 percent for foreign workers, who are often misled about salary and other conditions when they are recruited in home countries, and are commonly charged excessive fees that lead to indebtedness. Verite said the numbers were based on conservative definitions. It found that 73 percent of workers displayed "some characteristics" of forced labor. Malaysia's electronics and electrical industry made up 33 percent of exports in 2013. In 2011, foreign investment in the sector accounted for $2.68 billion, or 86.5 percent of the total. Malaysia has benefited in recent years from a reputation for stability and low costs, gaining fresh investment after floods in Thailand in 2011 crippled factory operations there. On average, workers in the survey were found to have paid 2,985 ringgit ($925) to brokers in their home country and in Malaysia as payment for their passage and jobs. That is more than the average per-capita annual income in Nepal. Unable to afford a lump sum upfront, more than two-thirds of workers who paid broker fees had to borrow money. One in five immigrants were working more than the suggested 60 hours of overtime a week—the industry's international standard limit—the group said. Malaysian law allows employees to clock up to 72 hours of overtime. Malaysian laws have been amended in recent years to encourage the growth of recruitment companies that provide workforce services to multinationals, including paying, accommodating and disciplining employees. "Liability over violations of worker rights is obscured, creating vulnerability on the part of the worker to exploitation and abuse," the group said. The group found workers' passports were often confiscated by recruitment firms, which is illegal in Malaysia. Some firms were found to charge more than $1,000 for a worker to "borrow" his or her own passport. Additional reporting by Noel Randewich in San Francisco. The post 'Forced Labor' Rife in Malaysian Electronics Factories: Report appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Fijians Head to Polls for First Post-Coup General Election Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:07 AM PDT The beaches of the South Pacific island nation of Fiji. (Photo: Creative Commons) SUVA — Voters in Fiji headed to the polls on Wednesday for the first time in eight years, following a decision by the South Pacific island nation’s military junta that the time was right for a transition back to democratic rule. Fiji, a tropical idyll about 3,200 km (2,000 miles) east of Australia, has suffered four coups since 1987, the latest in 2006 led by former army chief Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama, whose Fiji First Party had a strong lead heading into the general election. Voters thronged to the polls, appearing ecstatic about once again choosing their leaders despite the specter of security threats raised by the military and criticism of Bainimarama for using state media to drown out other parties. "I have waited for eight years to be part of this historic day. Everyone voting as … members of this place we call home," Ramesh Chand told Reuters after casting his vote for Fiji First. Bainimarama seized on a long-simmering rivalry between indigenous Fijian nationalists and minority ethnic Indians, the economically powerful descendants of laborers brought by the British to work sugarcane fields, to justify his coup in 2006. In 2000, ethnic Fijians held the first Indo-Fijian prime minister hostage in Parliament for 56 days, in a coup that began with deadly riots in the streets of the capital, Suva. Bainimarama quickly abolished traditional, rival power bases such as the ethnic Fijian Great Council of Chiefs and old electoral boundaries that roughly grouped people according to their ethnicity, to the advantage of majority ethnic Fijians. He also pushed steadily for equal rights, culminating in a 2013 constitution, helping him to consolidate his popularity among Indo-Fijians. While new laws mean equality has improved on the surface, some have argued that the animosity continues to fester under the surface. Military chief Mosese Tikoitoga seemed to be warning against any repeat of that sort of violence, while at the same time implying that the majority ethnic-Fijian military retained the right to intervene in politics. "The very same people who didn’t want the military to provide the security … are now creating an atmosphere of intimidation against the people or parties that want to cast their vote in a free and fair environment," he told the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation. Peaceful, 'Great Weather' Seven political parties and two independent candidates are standing for representation in the 50-seat Parliament. Under the constitution, a government must be formed within 17 days of the election, leaving open the possibility of a coalition of several minor parties. Nearly 20 percent of the population are voting for the first time because Fiji, a chain of 300 islands with about 900,000 people, has not held an election in almost a decade. That alone lent polling stations a festive air. At several stations, voters began queuing before dawn, expecting long waits, only to sail through in what appeared to be a well-managed system that left many polling sites empty by mid-morning. "Honestly, I was expecting the long lines and long hours of voting like in the past," Serupepeli Tulai, 62, told Reuters at a polling station in Suva, after casting a ballot for Bainimarama’s Fiji First. "The weather has been great and the main thing for me is it has been peaceful." Preliminary results should begin trickling in late on Wednesday, after polls close. The post Fijians Head to Polls for First Post-Coup General Election appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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