The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Supreme Patriarch Sees Rangoon’s Armenian Church Granted Heritage Status
• Peace on the Table, War on the Ground
• 20 Foreign Firms Agree to Build Factories at Thilawa SEZ
• US Embassy Issues Warning After Clashes in Burma
• Burma’s Central Bank Awards 9 Foreign Lenders Operating Licenses
• Irrawaddy Founder Among 2014 International Press Freedom Awardees
• Burma Says Sectarian Violence Challenges Reforms
• Burma Activists Demand Law to Ban Violence Against Women
• Burma’s Last Armenians to Pray With Supreme Patriarch
• Burma’s Wirathu and Sri Lankan Nationalist Monks Sign Agreement
• Indonesia’s Widodo Manages Hopes as Hostile Parliament Convenes
• Obama and Modi Work to Deepen Improving US-India Ties
• Hong Kong Protests Approach Potential National Day Flashpoint

Supreme Patriarch Sees Rangoon’s Armenian Church Granted Heritage Status Posted: 01 Oct 2014 05:39 AM PDT Catholicos Karekin II, the supreme patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church, attends the unveiling of a blue plaque to honor the heritage status of the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. John the Baptist in Rangoon. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Catholicos Karekin II, the supreme patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church, attended a ceremony in Rangoon on Wednesday that saw the city's historic Armenian Apostolic Church of St. John the Baptist fitted with a blue plaque to honor its status as a heritage site. The church, Rangoon's oldest Christian place of worship, is the third beneficiary of a larger project by the Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT) to highlight the city's expansive colonial architecture. Along with Karekin II, who made his first-ever visit to Burma this week, Rangoon Division Chief Minister Myint Swe, Rangoon Mayor Hla Myint and the British ambassador to Burma, Andrew Patrick, attended an event unveiling the plaque at the church, located on the corner of Merchant and Bo Aung Kyaw streets. The plaques serve to commemorate landmarks, or well-known events or people, in the city, YHT said. "It is a special day for us. Because today, at the entrance of the church, there is a plaque which has been established to indicate its heritage position," Karekin II told attendees via a translator. "We have come here to encourage Armenians and their children to preserve the tradition. We have come here not only to see the preservation of the church, but also to strengthen [Rangoon's] Armenian heritage," he said. Burma's dwindling population of Armenians arrived in the 17th century from Iran, where they had settled after fleeing the Ottoman Empire. In 1881, a census by the colonial administration revealed that there were 466 Armenians living in the country, and a decade later that number had grown to 1,295. But today the church is struggling to fill the pews, with only a small number of worshippers attending service each week. Of these, few trace roots back to the community that founded the building more than 150 years ago. Distinguished by its tropical architecture combined with Gothic features, the church is the oldest church surviving in Rangoon, according to a press release from YHT on Wednesday. Canadian Sharman Minus, who said her great-great-grandparents helped build the church, told The Irrawaddy that the Armenian delegation had been incredibly welcoming to her, inviting her to Wednesday's event and taking great interest in her personal family history. "I feel like I am in dream," she said of Wednesday's ceremony. "This event marks the third plaque to be installed in a historic building of Rangoon," said Moe Moe Lwin, director of YHT, at the unveiling ceremony. "We hope that this blue plaque will highlight our city's heritage, and serve as a gateway for Rangoon residents as well as visitors to celebrate its wonderful diversity and incredible history." Previously, plaques have been fitted on City Hall and the building that once housed the up-market department store Rowe & Co. Moe Moe Lwin said YHT is working to extend the existing list of heritage buildings in Rangoon. The blue plaque designation means the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. John the Baptist will be included in the extended list, help to ensure its long-term preservation. The post Supreme Patriarch Sees Rangoon's Armenian Church Granted Heritage Status appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Peace on the Table, War on the Ground Posted: 01 Oct 2014 04:05 AM PDT Villagers from Shwe War Chong village in Mon State's Kyaikmayaw Township aboard a boat headed into town. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Recent heavy armed conflicts in ethnic regions have exposed the shortcomings of a peace process that critics say looks increasingly likely to sideline fundamental issues in favor of pushing through the token signing of a nationwide ceasefire deal. The fighting last month, which has forced dozens of local residents to flee their homes even as peace talks between ethnic leaders and government officials were being held in Rangoon, were further proof of what hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Burma have long known: that civilians often bear the brunt of the country's decades-long civil war. Although combatants in the conflict zones informed their leaders and government peace negotiators about deadly clashes between ethnic Karen rebels and the government army in Karen and Mon states, the senior leadership on both sides appears unwilling—or unable—to effectively put a stop to the fighting. The latest clashes have taken place as the government tries to secure a nationwide ceasefire agreement—while only agreeing to discuss matters such as a code of conduct, troop repositioning, demining and border demarcation at a later date. Observers have warned peace negotiators that without implementing and consolidating the ceasefire process on the ground, the government and ethnic rebels will likely only repeat past mistakes, and any agreement will break down—as has been recently evident in Mon and Karen states. Fighting in the two states recently broke out between the Burma Army and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), a Karen rebel group that has already signed a ceasefire agreement with the government. The hostilities occurred in part due to the absence of a code of conduct between the two sides and attendant uncertainty over troop movements and border demarcation. The collateral damage resulting from this failure is inflicted on the civilian populations in conflict areas, with some forced to flee for their lives. The fighting has also impacted their livelihoods. Some have lost their properties and, hiding for their safety, fear a return to work. Schools and clinics were also shut down in conflict-affected areas. During a trip to Karen State earlier this year, I took a truck with villagers from Mae Tha Waw village to Hpa-an, the state capital. In the middle of our journey, we suddenly heard from local residents that the route was blocked by troops from the Border Guard Force (BGF), a government-backed Karen militia. Our driver, an ethnic Karen man named Pha Bout, seemed afraid to continue the journey. However, he managed to take us on an alternative, rougher route. It was later learned that the BGF had blocked the route in retaliation for being attacked by DKBA troops, who seized some of their weapons. They threatened to fire upon any vehicles carrying DKBA soldiers. Pha Bout, who operates a transport business from Mae Tha Waw village to Myaing Gyi Nyu in Hlaing Bwe Township, said that he had experienced threats at gunpoint several times and was fed up with the situation. "We are civilians. Whoever [DKBA or BGF] asks or forces us to give them a ride or carry their weapons and supplies, we have to do so. I dare not refuse because they have guns. Sometimes they even force me to stay with them several days just in case they need my car for urgent stuff," Pha Bout said. "But when you carry DKBA soldiers, the BGF think we are sided with the DKBA. And when you carry BGF soldiers, the DKBA think the same. We are the victims," he added. On one occasion, he experienced a frightening incident in which he thought he would die. "Five BGF soldiers spotted me [and] pointing their rifles [fixed with bayonets] ordered me to get out of the car. They acted like pirates. They then interrogated me for hours. They finally let me go after they found no weapons or military supplies. They warned that they would blow up my car if I carry DKBA soldiers next time," Pha Bout said. Other villagers who had traveled the same route joined the conversation. "We villagers are victims. I have been on the run, hiding [from] hostilities since I was a little girl," said one middle-aged Karen woman. "In an accident, gunfire was exchanged in our village. I could see shells landing and bullets were flying around the village while I was running [for safety]." The woman said the ethnic Karen people were accustomed to experiencing hostilities, but she expressed her desire for civilians to live in peace and safety. "Sometimes, I want to let them [ethnic rebels and the Burma Army] fight until one group totally beats the others. I can be shot dead while running [for my life]. But, it doesn't matter. If one becomes champion, then there is no group to keep resisting … so no more war," said the woman. "If they don't completely beat one another, there is always the possibility of conflicts. And we always have to stay in fear," she added. Recent fighting in Karen and Mon states forced dozens of villagers to flee their homes and even cross into neighboring Thailand for safety. Some who hide in the jungle in Mon State are still too afraid of returning home, or to their fields to cultivate crops. Observers said one cause of the ongoing armed conflict was the lack of a military code of conduct, an issue that is now being sidelined by the government peacemaking delegation in talks. "We still have the code of conduct issue to discuss, but they [the government] proposed not to discuss this issue first because this issue could delay a peace agreement," said Nai Hong Sar, head of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), a working committee that combines 16 ethnic armed groups. On Sept. 9, clashes broke out between the government army and the Karen National Union (KNU), the largest Karen armed group, whose leaders maintain good ties with the government. One Burmese soldier died. Government troops clashed with KNU troops again on Sept. 27, killing one KNU soldier in Kyaukgyi Township, Pegu Division, which is under KNU control. All these incidents transpired as government troops patrolled in KNU-controlled areas without informing the rebel armed group in advance, evidence of the lack of coordination and communication between opposing troops on the ground. Naw K'nyaw Paw, secretary of the Karen Women Organization (KWO), said that a code of conduct should be prioritized. "What we worry about the most is the lack of a code of conduct [in the peace process]. We support ceasefires. But we think a code of conduct should be prioritized as we think it will prevent tension and conflicts," said K'nyaw Paw. "As there is no such mechanism, clashes can happen easily. And finally, civilians are the victims and they don't even know who to blame. So, we think the government should seriously think about it," she added. Ethnic observers said that a nationwide ceasefire agreement, without implementing mechanisms to consolidate the ceasefire process, would be more like a piece of signed paper than a peace that protects civilians from harm, fear and abuses. "They [government and ethnic groups] signed several bilateral agreements alreadym, but none of these included a code of conduct," said K'nyaw Paw. "The KNU proposed it, but the government asked them to work on a better one. They are negotiating for words and terms but they still can't move forward [with it]." The post Peace on the Table, War on the Ground appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

20 Foreign Firms Agree to Build Factories at Thilawa SEZ Posted: 01 Oct 2014 03:44 AM PDT The Thilawa port is located less than 20 miles southeast of Rangoon and is a key part of the Thilawa SEZ project's infrastructure.. (Photo: Simon Roughneen / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Twenty foreign companies and one local company have signed agreements to build factories in the Japan-backed Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a project representative said on Tuesday, adding that a total of 51 firms have expressed an interest in investing in the zone that is being developed near Rangoon. Win Aung, chairman of Myanmar Thilawa SEZ Holdings Public Holdings (MTSH), said nine of the firms that signed an investment agreement were Japanese, while the other companies include one local firm and one American firm, and companies from Taiwan, Thailand, China, Sweden, Hong Kong and Australia. "Some plants will be able start operations by mid-2015," Win Aung said during a press conference at the Asia Development Bank's Rangoon office. He added that 19 of 21 companies will build on more than 54 hectares of land, but the area to be allotted to remaining two firms is yet to be determined. He said the investors were involved in construction, steel pipes production and wood- and aluminum-processing. Win Aung said the Swedish firm would build a textile factory and the US firm a bottling plant. Altogether 51 companies have expressed an interest to invest in manufacturing facilities at Thilawa SEZ, according to Win Aung. Companies will be allowed to rent the land in Thilawa SEZ for 50 years and can extend the lease twice with 10 years, according to the Special Economic Zone Law. The Thilawa SEZ is a joint venture by these Burmese and Japanese governments, and companies from both countries. MTSH, a conglomerate of nine local public companies, owns 41 percent of the project and the government's Thilawa SEZ management committee 10 percent, bringing the total Burmese share to 51 percent. MMS Thilawa Development Co Ltd, a consortium of Japan's Sumitomo, Mitsubishi and Marubeni companies, owns 39 percent and the Japan International Cooperation Agency 10 percent. The project, which includes a deep sea port, is being developed 23km southeast of Rangoon. The post 20 Foreign Firms Agree to Build Factories at Thilawa SEZ appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

US Embassy Issues Warning After Clashes in Burma Posted: 01 Oct 2014 02:09 AM PDT Soldiers from the Burma Army check identity cards at a jetty in Kyaikmayaw Township, Mon State, after clashes there with Karen rebels last month. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The US Embassy in Rangoon on Wednesday issued a warning to its citizens traveling in eastern Burma after clashes between the military and ethnic minority rebels. Various rebels groups have battled the central government in Burma since shortly after its independence in 1948. While the government has in recent years struck ceasefires with almost all factions, clashes occasionally flare up. The US Embassy said incidents over the past week included a rocket-propelled grenade attack on a bus in Karen State and the discovery of two improvised explosive devices in the Karen State town of Myawaddy on the border with Thailand. "If you see something suspicious, leave the area immediately and report it to local authorities," the embassy posted on its Twitter account. "Do not touch, move, or tamper with any suspicious package." No group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the bus and Burmese officials have not said if there were casualties. Media has reported clashes during the past week between the military and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and a faction of the Karen National Union (KNU), ethnic minority guerrilla factions that have ceasefire agreements with the government. Burma's military and government officials were not available for comment. Thailand put its troops on the border on high alert this week because of the clashes in Karen State, said Paradorn Pattanathabutr, a security adviser in the office of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. On Monday, Thailand closed the border crossing between the western Thai town of Mae Sot and Myawaddy, one of the main crossing points between the two countries. A Thai official told Reuters on Wednesday that the border was open again. The latest round of peace talks between the Burmese government and an array of ethnic minority guerrilla factions ended on Friday without agreement on a nationwide ceasefire. Most of the rebel factions have been battling for greater autonomy under a federal system. Burma's semi-civilian government, which took over in 2011 after nearly 50 years of military rule, has made signing a national ceasefire a part of its reform program. "We are confident that we are now getting close to achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace," Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin told the UN General Assembly on Monday. But an officer in the KNU, Col. Ner Dah Mya, said the government should be aware that the latest clashes could undermine the effort to seal a national agreement. "The fighting that has happened could destroy the peace talks," he told Reuters. Additional reporting by Somjit Rungjumratrusamee in Mae Sot. The post US Embassy Issues Warning After Clashes in Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma’s Central Bank Awards 9 Foreign Lenders Operating Licenses Posted: 01 Oct 2014 12:05 AM PDT Burma's Central Bank building in the capital Naypyidaw. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — The Central Bank of Myanmar on Wednesday announced that nine foreign banks have been awarded licenses to operate in Burma, with Japanese lenders winning a full third of the license bids. Among 25 contending foreign banks, all nine of the license winners are based in the Asia Pacific, including the world's largest bank, Beijing-based Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, ANZ Bank from Australia and three Japanese lenders. Attempts by The Irrawaddy to contact Central Bank Deputy Governor Set Aung for comment on Wednesday were unsuccessful. The Central Bank of Myanmar announced on Tuesday that it would hold a press conference in Naypyidaw on Wednesday night. More than 40 foreign banks have opened representative offices in Burma since 1994, but offering financial services to clients in Burma had been prohibited. Among the banks with representative offices, 25 foreign lenders had applied to the Central Bank's Foreign Bank Licensing Committee in July. While the licenses represent a major win for the awardees, who will be allowed to make a pioneering entry into one of the world's last untapped financial markets, the scope of their activities in Burma will be limited, at least at first. In late June, Set Aung told Parliament that the government would not initially allow foreign firms to compete in the retail banking sector with local lenders, and would also only be allowed to operate a single branch. "Retail banking for foreign banks will not be allowed, that's why local banks do not need to worry as they enter the local banking market," Set Aung told lawmakers at the time. Among the winners, four banks are also from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). They are Thailand-based Bangkok Bank, Malayan Bank Berhad (Maybank) of Malaysia, and United Overseas Bank (UOB) and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) Bank, both of Singapore. The three Japanese lenders—Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, Sumitomo Bank and Mizuho Bank—round out the list of license winners. The post Burma's Central Bank Awards 9 Foreign Lenders Operating Licenses appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Irrawaddy Founder Among 2014 International Press Freedom Awardees Posted: 30 Sep 2014 11:22 PM PDT The Irrawaddy's founding editor-in-chief, Aung Zaw. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) Aung Zaw, the founding editor-in-chief of The Irrawaddy, is among four international journalists who are awarded the Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ)'s 2014 International Press Freedom Awards. The award is an annual recognition of courageous reporting, and acknowledges the work of journalists who have faced imprisonment, violence, and censorship. This year's other awardees are journalists from Iran, Russia and South Africa. CPJ noted that The Irrawaddy, like other Burmese media, "still comes under pressure from the current Burmese government." CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said journalists across the world "are confronting record levels of violence and repression against journalists and, recently, vivid displays of brutality perpetrated against reporters covering the Syrian conflict." "The journalists that CPJ will honor with the International Press Freedom Award are undeterred and unbowed. They have risked all to bring us the news," said Simon. In March this year, Aung Zaw was also honored with the 2013 Shorenstein Journalism Award from Stanford University's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. In 2010, he received the Netherlands-based Prince Claus Award for Journalism "for his active dedication to achieving democratic government in Burma." In 1988, Aung Zaw was a student activist who joined the massive democracy uprising in Rangoon. He was arrested on the Rangoon University campus during one of the student rallies and detained for a week. Shortly afterward, he fled to Thailand where he launched The Irrawaddy news magazine in 1993 to cover developments in Burma as it was sinking into international isolation and repression. Today, The Irrawaddy reports from a local office in Rangoon, Burma's commercial capital, and has an English- and Burmese-language daily news website with news, features, in-depth analysis, and interviews with experts from Burma, as well as articles by contributors from around the world. The Irrawaddy has two print publications: a monthly magazine in English and a Burmese-language weekly journal. The post Irrawaddy Founder Among 2014 International Press Freedom Awardees appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma Says Sectarian Violence Challenges Reforms Posted: 30 Sep 2014 10:25 PM PDT Burma's Minister of Foreign Affairs Wunna Maung Lwin waits before a meeting of Asean foreign ministers during the UN General Assembly in New York in 2013. (Photo: Reuters / Carlo Allegri) NEW YORK — Sectarian violence between Buddhists and minority Muslims has thrown up "an unfortunate and unexpected challenge" in Burma's transition to democracy, the nation's foreign minister said Tuesday, but denied the unrest has been fueled by racism. Wunna Maung Lwin told The Associated Press in an interview that the former pariah state's shift from military rule remained on track. He said next year's pivotal elections would be free and fair, but he wouldn't comment on whether opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be able to run for president. The foreign minister also said his government has started a "verification process" in strife-torn Arakan State to enable stateless Rohingya Muslims who have been in Burma for three generations to become naturalized citizens. But he stressed that the government was still not recognizing Rohingya as a group. The government describes the estimated 1.3 million Rohingya as "Bengali," a term which many members of the minority group object to strongly, as it implies they are illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK, a London-based activist group, also said he was concerned that those who do not accept that classification will be deemed refugees who should be sent to a third country. The foreign minister said his government was still considering what would happen to those who don't meet the citizenship requirements of Burma's 1982 immigration law, which requires "conclusive evidence" a person's family has been in Burma since before independence from Britain in 1948. Rights activists say the law is discriminatory. "It's an apartheid law," said Mohamad Yusof, the president of New York-based Rohingya Concern International, who was leading about two dozen Rohingya activists protesting in front of the United Nations on Tuesday. The protesters denounced the verification process, saying they were concerned it would force the Rohingya to identify as Bengali. "This verification process is totally against international law and does not apply to the Rohingya. It is meant to exclude the Rohingya people," said Shoaukhat Kyaw Soe Aung, president of the Milwaukee-based Rohingya American Society. A spokesman for the UN secretary-general said Tuesday that the United Nations hopes the verification process will be done according to human rights principles. "It is hoped that a significant number of the members of the Rohingya community currently in the camps, and outside, will be eligible for citizenship," Stephane Dujarric told reporters. Tun Khin predicted few Rohingya would have the required documentation and that even more would end up in camps. Buddhist mob attacks against Muslims have sparked fears that religious intolerance is undermining Burma's democratic reforms. More than 140,000 Rohingya have been trapped in crowded camps since extremist mobs began chasing them from their homes two years ago, killing up to 280 people. The sectarian violence has spread to other parts of the country. The foreign minister described the communal unrest as "an unfortunate and unexpected challenge that we have been facing in our transition." "This has created a lot of international attention because some of the elements have portrayed that as religious discrimination or discrimination among the ethnic minorities, which is not true," he said. He blamed criminality for the unrest. The foreign minister has been attending the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. On Monday, he urged the world against "jumping to conclusions" about the situation in Arakan State, which has drawn global condemnation. He said his Southeast Asian state should be removed from the UN Human Rights Council's agenda. International excitement over political changes in Burma since 2012, when former prisoner of conscience Suu Kyi was elected to Parliament, have been tempered by growing concerns over whether there will be genuine civilian rule in the country. The military was in direct command for the previous five decades. Wunna Maung Lwin maintained the reforms were gaining momentum. But he would not comment directly on the prospects, widely seen as diminishing, for reform of a provision in the military-era Constitution that bars Suu Kyi from running for president because she has sons with British citizenship. The minister said the election would be open to those who meet the eligibility requirements. "I don't think the election is meant for only one individual or a person," the foreign minister said. "We do not wish to recommend a particular individual or person, whether he or she may run or not." Associated Press writer Alexandra Olson at the United Nations contributed to this story. The post Burma Says Sectarian Violence Challenges Reforms appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma Activists Demand Law to Ban Violence Against Women Posted: 30 Sep 2014 10:16 PM PDT A woman in Lashio, Shan State. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — One afternoon in September, a 13-year-old student walking home in central Burma was accosted by a young man declaring his love for her. She swore at him. Incensed, he killed her, holding her head under water in a ditch for five minutes. "There was no reason to die if she had spoken courteously. It's her rudeness that killed her," a Facebook user said under a news story about the girl’s violent death. A week earlier a young man barged into an office, grabbed his estranged girlfriend and stabbed her 20 times in the office bathroom. This followed the attack on a model by a man – said to be her ex-boyfriend – who knifed her in the neck at her home in Rangoon. These killings and the "victim blaming" that followed show that Burma is in urgent need of a law to protect women from violence, activists and lawmakers told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Male-dominated and socially conservative, Burma lived under military rule for almost half a century until a quasi-civilian government took over in 2011. Women's groups say existing laws, which date back to the British occupation in the 19th century, are outdated, unclear and poorly enforced. They demand the swift submission and approval of the Anti-Violence Against Women Law that is now being drafted. Some are concerned that the lack of women in Myanmar politics – just two out of 36 ministers and less than 5 percent of 644 parliamentarians are women – and traditional, patriarchal attitudes that still prevail are major barriers to the bill being passed before the next election, due in late 2015. "All the other countries in the regional bloc ASEAN have laws protecting women from violence. Myanmar is the only country without such a law," said Nyo Nyo Thin, an independent member of parliament in the former capital Rangoon. "The government have been saying for over three years now that they're drafting this law. Please don't just talk the talk," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on the sidelines of the Myanmar Women's Peace Forum in late September in Rangoon. Outdated and Unenforced Burma currently has no laws to prevent violence against women at home or sexual harassment in the workplace, or to allow women to seek restraining orders on violent men. Under the Penal Code, the colonial-era primary legislation on violent crimes, rape is narrowly defined, and marital rape is exempted unless the wife is under 13. The punishment for rape – up to 10 years’ jail – is often not enforced, activists say. "The arm of the law does not reach ethnic areas and other remote places," said Kay Thi Myint Thein, senior coordinator at the Gender Equality Network, a coalition of some 100 NGOs. "Some cases were resolved when the man gave a new pair of cows to the woman's family or when he killed a pig and fed the whole village. The women don't get anything," she said. "Most women are told not to make one form of shame (rape) into two with a legal case. That kind of attitude still exists in both remote places and big cities," she added. The GEN is helping the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement draft the law that would criminalize violence, including domestic violence, against women. It hopes the draft law will be in line with international human rights standards, including the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) which Burma acceded to in 1997. It is unclear whether the draft law will address contentious issues such as marital rape and traditional practices that discriminate against women – for example, only sons are eligible for inheritance in some ethnic groups. Women's groups are also fighting to stop a new law intended to prevent Buddhist women from marrying non-Buddhist men in majority-Buddhist Burma. The draft law has the backing of Buddhist monks as well as the president. Incomplete Data While ethnic women's groups have painstakingly documented atrocities committed against them, especially by the Burmese military, there are few reports on general violence against women across Burma. Activists say there is no baseline data and whatever data there is may be incomplete. For example police figures only count cases of rape that have been reported to them. Anecdotal evidence shows a rise the number of reports of rape, though it is unclear whether this is due to increased awareness or an increase in the number of incidents. Burmese media, quoting police sources, said there were 654 rape cases in Burma in 2012, making it the second most frequently reported serious crime after murder (1,323 cases). There were 605 reported rape cases in 2011 and 377 in 2010. Despite repeated calls, the police department did not provide 2013 figures. "There are more cases but more people are also speaking out," said Mar Mar Cho, coordinator of Women's Organizations Network of Myanmar (WON). "Previously we couldn't speak of these things and the media was also not allowed to cover them," she said. The post Burma Activists Demand Law to Ban Violence Against Women appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma’s Last Armenians to Pray With Supreme Patriarch Posted: 30 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT The interior of the church. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Pigeons flutter on the sidewalk outside, and well-wishers lean against a wall with corn kernels to feed them, but for the most part, this colonial-era church with a small white bell tower remains quiet on weekdays, tucked away in a leafy compound of downtown Rangoon. It is only once every week, on Sunday at 10 am, that the bell tolls loudly to herald the start of a morning service, bringing the sleepy brick building to life. Welcome to the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. John the Baptist, the oldest Christian place of worship in town. Built in 1862 and consecrated one year later, the church at the corner of Merchant and Bo Aung Kyaw streets was erected by the Armenian community that was residing in Rangoon at the time. Their descendants arrived in the 17th century from Iran, where they had settled after fleeing the Ottoman Empire. From there, they followed trade routes to Burma by way of British India. In 1881, a census by the colonial administration revealed that there were 466 Armenians living in the country, and a decade later that number had grown to 1,295. But today the church at the corner of the two busy streets is struggling to keep its congregation going, with a small number of worshippers turning up each week. Of these, few trace their roots back to the community that founded the building 152 years ago. Indeed, the last full Armenian in Rangoon died last year. Only 18 people attended a recent Sunday service, and most of the 14 pews inside the prayer hall were left vacant. "Me and my dad are the only regular worshippers at the church," Rachel Minus, who is part Armenian, told The Irrawaddy afterward, adding that her relatives joined sometimes. Her father, Richard Minus, 60, said he was saddened by the low weekly turnout. "The larger the congregation we have, the better it is for the church," he said. When he was a child, the church was packed with Armenian worshippers who came to listen to Armenian priests, and after evening prayers on Christmas the group would head over to the nearby Strand Hotel for a holiday feast. The current pastor, Rev. John Felix, confirmed that his current congregation was small, but added that the church still played an important role. "It is the only Armenian church in Burma that is still functional," he told The Irrawaddy. Now, however, the church is set to receive a high-level visitor who could help it reestablish ties with the community to which it belongs. On Tuesday, Catholicos Karekin II, the supreme patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church—one of the most ancient Christian communities in the world—arrived in Burma for the first time. "One of the primary objectives of His Holiness's six-day visit to the Far East is to help strengthen the Armenian Church and maintain the Armenian heritage and legacy in Myanmar [Burma], to [make] Armenians aware of Myanmar and its people, and vice versa," the Armenian leader's delegation said in a statement. Coming Together According to Burmese historian Thant Myint-U, the Armenians were once a vital part of the Burmese political and business landscape. "Famous Armenians served as government ministers under the Konbaung kings and were prominent businessmen up through the 1950s," he told The Irrawaddy. But most Armenians fled the country during World War II, and afterward many did not return. Even more left for good in 1962, when the military regime led by former dictator Gen. Ne Win seized power, kicked out foreigners and confiscated their businesses. Despite pressure from the government, some stayed behind. Rachel's grandfather, Alfred Simon Minus, was among them. "I have no idea how many Armenian descendants remained in Rangoon, not to mention the whole country," she said, adding that she hoped Karekin II's visit would bring Armenian descendants together. "I think they will come to pay homage to the patriarch. If so, at least we'll know how many Armenians are still here." During the patriarch's visit, the church in Rangoon will hold a ceremony to install a commemorative blue plaque as part of larger project by the Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT) to highlight colonial architecture. Despite its age, the church has never been officially recognized as a heritage site, though it is one of the most functional colonial-era buildings in the city. Since August, the YHT, a heritage preservation NGO, has installed plaques outside sites of architectural and historical significance in Rangoon, with descriptions in Burmese and English languages to help the Burmese people and visitors appreciate the city's colorful history. The Armenian church will be the third building to receive a plaque. "We wanted to install the plaque while he was here," Thant Myint-U, who founded the YHT, said of Karekin II's visit. If preserved, he added, the church could become not only a tourist destination, but also a place to remember the Armenian contribution to Burmese history. Richard Minus hopes the patriarch's visit will help the church in the long run. "I will ask him to send us an Armenian priest," he said. His daughter Rachel says she has never attended a service with an Armenian priest, and that the service this Saturday, to be led by the patriarch, will be among the most memorable events of her life. "I am very excited," the 34-year-old said. "Even though I'm part Armenian, I am never reluctant to reveal that I'm of Armenian descendent. The patriarch's visit means a lot, not only to me, but for the church and our future generation." The post Burma's Last Armenians to Pray With Supreme Patriarch appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma’s Wirathu and Sri Lankan Nationalist Monks Sign Agreement Posted: 30 Sep 2014 05:30 PM PDT Buddhist monk U Wirathu, center, leader of the 969 movement, looks on as he attends a convention held by the Bodu Bala Sena (Buddhist Power Force) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sept. 28, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A Burmese Buddhist monk and a Sri Lankan ultranationalist both known for campaigning against Muslims formally signed on Tuesday an agreement to work together to protect Buddhism, which they say is challenged worldwide. U Wirathu leads the fundamentalist 969 movement that has been accused of instigating deadly violence against minority Muslims in Burma. He was a special invitee Sunday at a rally of Bodu Bala Sena, or Buddhist Power Force, which also has been accused of instigating violence and claims minority Muslims are trying to take over Sri Lanka by having more children, marrying Buddhist women and taking over businesses. The groups said their agreement involves networking and building the capacity to stabilize Buddhism. They promised to release the contents of the agreement soon. "I expect a lot of problems because I have decided to work with Bodu Bala Sena for the upliftment of Buddhism. But we are ready to face anything," he told reporters. "The problems will not be from within but from outside," U Wirathu said without elaborating. He however insisted that the partnership was not to harm any religious group. Joining 969 could boost an already soaring support base for Bodu Bala Sena, which, in turn, could exacerbate mistrust and tensions between Sri Lanka’s majority Sinhalese-Buddhists and its Muslims, who are 10 percent of the country’s 20 million people. Politically, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s credibility among Muslims stands to erode further after his government allowed U Wirathu to visit Sri Lanka despite opposition from Muslim groups, including his own allies. U Wirathu’s 969 started on the fringes of society but now boasts supporters nationwide in Burma. Hundreds of people died in 2012 sectarian violence in Burma, with about 140,000, mostly Muslims, forced from their homes. Buddhist monks were accused of instigating and sometimes actively participating in the violence. Bodu Bala Sena is also accused of instigating violence against Muslims in June killing two and wounding dozens. Many shops and homes were also destroyed by fire. The post Burma's Wirathu and Sri Lankan Nationalist Monks Sign Agreement appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Indonesia’s Widodo Manages Hopes as Hostile Parliament Convenes Posted: 30 Sep 2014 10:08 PM PDT Indonesia's president-elect and current Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo looks up as he leaves a swearing-in ceremony of new local legislators at the city council in Jakarta on Sept. 26, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Darren Whiteside) JAKARTA — Incoming Indonesian president Joko Widodo is trying to manage the expectations of his supporters and investors as an opposition-dominated parliament likely to obstruct his ambitious reform program convenes on Wednesday. Widodo, the popular former governor of the capital, Jakarta, narrowly won an election in July, becoming the first businessman to become president of Southeast Asia's biggest economy, which had previously always been led by members of political elites. Widodo's simple, direct approach and success in cutting red tape appealed to ordinary voters and investors who welcomed his victory by pushing the stock market up to a record high. Foreign companies including Japan's Mitsubishi Motors and South Korea's Samsung Electronics have also been encouraged by his victory and announced plans to expand Indonesian operations. But with the convening of the new parliament, where Widodo can only count on a minority coalition, as well as with pressures from within his own camp, the honeymoon looks to be over. The president-elect and his transition team now aim to contain unrealistic expectations or they risk disillusioning supporters after taking office on Oct. 20. "The expectations are very high," said Anies Baswedan, a senior member of Widodo's transition office. "It's difficult to please all sides and we have to be prepared to deal with that fallout." The opposition, led by the party of losing presidential candidate and retired general Prabowo Subianto, takes issue with many of Widodo's plans, such as cutting fuel subsidies, and it has been giving him a taste of what looks to be in store. Prabowo's coalition scored a major victory in the dying days of the old parliament session by depriving Widodo's Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle of the coveted parliament speaker position. A hostile speaker and opposition bloc could hold the government's programs "hostage" by hijacking debate, Widodo's allies fear. Given the rivalry in the new parliament, a senior member of the Widodo's transition team warned against expecting too many sensational developments, or "wow factors," in the first 100 days of the new president's term. "What may be a wow factor for us may not be a wow factor for the international community," said the team member, who declined to be identified. In a painful illustration of Widodo's legislative vulnerability, the opposition last week pushed through a bill scrapping direct elections for provincial, district and city leaders. Widodo warned that the vote would be a "step back for democracy" but was powerless to block it. "The political drama likely shows the future political map in parliament," brokerage house Mandiri Sekuritas said in a report. Widodo's principles are also a source of contention for some members of his own side. His refusal to swap cabinet posts for support may have endeared him to graft-weary voters but members of elites within his own coalition object, according to one party insider who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. This month, apparently forced to give ground, Widodo said just over half his cabinet would be technocrats with the rest of the posts going to "party professionals." Earlier, he had said approximately 80 percent of his cabinet would be technocrats. Baswedan said the new president was mapping out plans for his early days with a high-powered transition team, members of which have been drawn from financial services companies such as McKinsey and Bank Mandiri. Political analyst Paul Rowland said Widodo had been good at managing expectations as Jakarta governor. "Stepping up to the national level, it is going to be a lot more complex and there are more areas to provide disappointment," Rowland said. "He's going to have a steep learning curve." Additional reporting by Yayat Supriatna and Fransiska Nangoy. The post Indonesia's Widodo Manages Hopes as Hostile Parliament Convenes appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Obama and Modi Work to Deepen Improving US-India Ties Posted: 30 Sep 2014 10:03 PM PDT US President Barack Obama smiles as he hosts a meeting with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Sept. 30, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Larry Downing) WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed on Tuesday to deepen US-Indian cooperation on maritime security to ensure freedom of navigation in what amounts to a response to China's naval muscle-flexing in Asia. The agreement emerged from two days of talks between Obama and the new Indian prime minister as they worked to revitalize a relationship hurt by a heated diplomatic dispute at the turn of the year and flagging optimism about India as a place to do business before the reform-minded Modi came to power in May. Obama and Modi, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, said their discussions ranged from trade to space exploration to climate change to the Islamic State threat in the Middle East. "We already have the foundation of a strong partnership," said Modi, seated beside Obama. "We now have to revive the momentum and ensure that we get the best out of it for our people and for the world." Modi received a warm welcome in the United States, even though he was denied a visa in 2005 over rioting in his home state three years earlier that killed more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims. Modi, a Hindu nationalist, was exonerated by an Indian Supreme Court investigation. A stronger relationship between the United States and India, the world's two largest democracies, has the potential to provide a counterweight to China, whose maritime moves in the Asia-Pacific have rattled regional nerves. A joint statement said Obama and Modi agreed "to intensify cooperation in maritime security to ensure freedom of navigation and unimpeded movement of lawful shipping and commercial activity, in accordance with accepted principles of international law." China's increasing assertiveness over territorial claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea has angered its neighbors. India and China have a long-running land border dispute and India's military has recently been monitoring Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean. Obama and Modi also agreed to negotiate a 10-year extension of a military cooperation framework due to expire at year-end, and will stress counter-terrorism cooperation and joint efforts against militant networks. However, Indian officials noted that while terrorism was a big shared concern, the joint statement made no reference to any plan for India to joint Obama's coalition against the Islamic State. While the leaders did not announce big-ticket agreements or breakthroughs in resolving significant trade and business irritants, the visit amounted to an official clearing of the air after Modi's visa issue and India's outrage at the arrest in New York last year of one of its diplomats, who was charged with visa fraud and paying her nanny less than the minimum wage. In a joint "vision statement" on Monday, Obama and Modi vowed to make what the two countries call a "strategic" partnership a model for the rest of the world. Obama said he was impressed by Modi's interest in addressing poverty and growing India's economy, as well as his determination that India should help bring about peace and security in the world. "I want to wish him luck in what I'm sure will be a challenging but always interesting tenure as prime minister," Obama said. In a unique departure from protocol, Obama took Modi on a short motorcade drive from the White House to the memorial honoring slain US civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Modi met congressional leaders and members of the US India business lobby before leaving on Tuesday. After meeting the former, he stressed the importance of addressing environmental issues and cooperation on security. "The humanity of the entire world needs to come together to fight terrorism," he said. Speaking to the US India Business Council, Modi vowed to continue his war on red tape and urged US business to take advantage of the rapid changes in India. "My country has come awake," he said. "Please come. And together you will benefit and my country will also benefit." Rick Rossow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank said the effort Modi had made to interact directly with business leaders and the Indian diaspora during his visit would have been a great encouragement, given some doubts in the business lobby about his commitment to reform. "The numbers are already showing business is interested," Rossow said, referring to increases in foreign direct investment and institutional investment since Modi came to power. Ashley Tellis, an international security specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, called the Obama-Modi vision statements "wonderfully aspirational," but added: "Now we've got to see whether the policies both sides pursue actually get them to where they want to go. The record thus far does not inspire confidence." Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton. The post Obama and Modi Work to Deepen Improving US-India Ties appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Hong Kong Protests Approach Potential National Day Flashpoint Posted: 30 Sep 2014 09:56 PM PDT Protesters gather around the Golden Bauhinia Square during an official flag raising ceremony to commemorate the Chinese National Day in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Carlos Barria) HONG KONG — Thousands of pro-democracy protesters thronged the streets of Hong Kong early on Wednesday, ratcheting up pressure on the pro-Beijing government that has called the action illegal, with both sides marking uneasy National Day celebrations. There was little sign of momentum flagging on the fifth day of a mass campaign to occupy sections of the city and to express fury at a Chinese decision to limit voters' choices in a 2017 leadership election. That was despite widespread fears that police may use force to move crowds before the start of celebrations marking the anniversary of the Communist Party's foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The crowds have brought large sections of the Asian financial hub to a standstill, disrupting businesses from banks to jewelers. Overnight thunder, lightning and heavy rain failed to dampen spirits as protesters sought shelter under covered walkways, while police in raincoats and hats looked on passively nearby. At dawn on Wednesday, protesters awoke to blue skies. Riot police had used tear gas, pepper spray and baton charges at the weekend to try to quell the unrest but tensions have eased since then as both sides appeared prepared to wait it out, at least for now. Protests spread from four main areas to Tsim Sha Tsui, one of the city's most popular shopping areas for mainland Chinese, which would normally do roaring trade during the annual National Day holiday. Underlining nervousness among some activists that provocation on National Day could spark violence, Hong Kong University students made an online appeal not to disturb the flag-raising ceremony that began at 8 a.m. (midnight GMT). Proceedings went ahead peacefully, although scores of students who ringed the ceremony at Bauhinia Square on the Hong Kong waterfront booed as the national anthem was played. Hundreds of protesters lined up to view the ceremony, with some organizing a human chain to create a buffer between about 100 police at the site and other demonstrators. A beaming Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying shook hands with supporters waving the Chinese flag even as protesters who want him to stand down chanted "We want real democracy." The Hong Kong and Chinese flags billowed in the wind at the completion of the ceremony but one of the main protest groups said they marked the occasion "with a heavy heart." "We are not celebrating the 65th anniversary of China. With the present political turmoil in Hong Kong and the continued persecution of human rights activists in China, I think today is not a day for celebrations but rather a day of sadness," said Oscar Lai, a spokesman for the student group Scholarism. Solidarity Hundreds of demonstrators had gathered outside luxury stores and set up makeshift barricades from the early hours of Wednesday in anticipation of possible clashes. As in most parts of Hong Kong, the police presence was small. M. Lau, a 56-year-old retiree, said he had taken to the streets of Hong Kong to protest in the 1980s and wanted to do so again in a show of solidarity with a movement that has been led by students as well as more established activists. "Later this morning I will come back," he said. "I want to see more. Our parents and grandparents came to Hong Kong for freedom and the rule of law. This [protest] is to maintain our 160-year-old legal system for the next generation." The protests are the worst in Hong Kong since China resumed its rule of the former British colony in 1997. They also represent one of the biggest political challenges for Beijing since it violently crushed pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Cracking down too hard could shake confidence in market-driven Hong Kong, which has a separate legal system from the rest of China. Not reacting firmly enough, however, could embolden dissidents on the mainland. China rules Hong Kong under a "one country, two systems" formula that accords the former British colony a degree of autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, with universal suffrage set as an eventual goal. However, protesters reacted angrily when Beijing decreed on Aug. 31 that it would vet candidates wishing to run for Hong Kong's leadership. Leung failed to meet an ultimatum from student leaders to come out and address them by midnight on Tuesday but has said Beijing would not back down in the face of protests. He also said Hong Kong police would be able to maintain security without help from People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops from the mainland. Communist Party leaders in Beijing worry that calls for democracy could spread to the mainland, and have been aggressively censoring news and social media comments about the Hong Kong demonstrations. Hong Kong shares fell to a three-month low on Tuesday, registering their biggest monthly fall since May 2012. Markets are closed on Wednesday and Thursday for the holidays. The city's benchmark index has fallen 7.3 percent over the past month, and there are few indications that the protests are likely to end any time soon. Protesters have set up supply stations with water bottles, fruit, crackers, disposable raincoats, towels, goggles, face masks and tents. "Even though I may get arrested, I will stay until the last minute," said 16-year-old John Choi. "We are fighting for our future." Mainland Chinese Visitors Watch On Mainland Chinese visiting Hong Kong had differing views on the demonstrations, being staged under the "Occupy" banner. "For the first time in my life I feel close to politics," said a 29-year-old Chinese tourist from Beijing who gave only her surname, Yu. "This is a historic moment for Hong Kong. I believe something like this will happen in China one day." A woman surnamed Lin, from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, however said the protesters' demands for a democratic election were "disrespectful to the mainland." "Even though the government has brought a lot of development to Hong Kong, they don't acknowledge this," Lin said. The message from Beijing has been clear. The deputy director of China's National People's Congress Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee, Li Shenming, wrote in the People's Daily: "In today's China, engaging in an election system of one-man-one-vote is bound to quickly lead to turmoil, unrest and even a situation of civil war." The outside world has looked on warily. British finance chief George Osborne urged China to seek peace and said the former colony's prosperity depended on freedom. Washington urged Hong Kong authorities "to exercise restraint and for protesters to express their views peacefully." US Secretary of State John Kerry will discuss the protests with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during talks in Washington on Wednesday, US officials said. The events have also been followed closely in Taiwan, which has full democracy but is considered by Beijing as a renegade province that must one day be reunited with the mainland. Additional reporting by Farah Master, Diana Chan, Twinnie Siu, Yimou Lee, Kinling Lo, Charlie Zhu, John Ruwitch, Clare Baldwin, Diana Chan and Anne Marie Roantree. The post Hong Kong Protests Approach Potential National Day Flashpoint appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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