Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Bullet Points: 14 November 2014
• ‘Much hard work remains’ as Obama meets Suu Kyi
• Lower House rejects PR system
• Obama exhilarates, inspires at Rangoon University
• BUSINESS WEEKLY 14 NOVEMBER 2014
• Students rally against education law
• ASEAN Summit ends in Naypyidaw
• The rising scourge of diabetes
• MPs start debating Constitutional amendments
• Obama affirms support for govt reformists

Bullet Points: 14 November 2014 Posted: 14 Nov 2014 05:23 AM PST On tonight's edition: ‘Much hard work remains’ as Obama meets Suu Kyi  Shan politician shot by police Students march in Rangoon Proportional representation blocked in Lower House You can watch the English headlines every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

‘Much hard work remains’ as Obama meets Suu Kyi Posted: 14 Nov 2014 05:18 AM PST US President Barack Obama met Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at her Rangoon home on Friday. The two Nobel laureates met the press on Suu Kyi's balcony after a closed doors meeting. There they passed their judgment on the state of political and economic reform in the country. Related Stories Lower House rejects PR system Obama exhilarates, inspires at Rangoon University BUSINESS WEEKLY 14 NOVEMBER 2014

Lower House rejects PR system Posted: 14 Nov 2014 05:06 AM PST The lower house of parliament decided on Friday that a  "first-past-the-post" (FPTP) voting system is best suited to Burma. The decision was made after Burma's Constitutional Tribunal announced its opinion that all other electoral systems proposed by the Electoral System Review Commission—including proportional representation (PR)—were inconsistent with the Constitution. Min Thu, a National League for Democracy (NLD) lower house MP, told DVB that after the tribunal issued its opinion the lower house debated the matter and decided to continue using the existing FPTP system. "The [lower house] concluded that the seven other systems were not in accordance with the constitution, and that FPTP is the only compatible and appropriate system for Burma," he said. 10 MPs participated in a debate on the voting system in the lower house on Friday morning, including Lt. Col. Maung Maung Aye, who expressed his support for continued use of the FPTP system. However, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) generally supported a change to the PR system. Related Stories ‘Much hard work remains’ as Obama meets Suu Kyi MPs start debating Constitutional amendments Japan to lend Burma US$285 million The Electoral System Review Commission was established by Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann after various groups—especially the NLD and ethnic groups—objected to the upper house's approval in June of a bill recommending that Burma change to a PR system. The bill still has a chance of being enacted, however, as bills approved by the upper house but rejected by the lower house must be sent to the Union Parliament. If a majority of MPs in the Union Parliament vote in favour of the legislation it is then sent to the president, who can choose whether to sign the bill into law.

Obama exhilarates, inspires at Rangoon University Posted: 14 Nov 2014 05:01 AM PST US President Barack Obama inspired and exhilarated some 300 youths and students at Rangoon University on Friday, urging them to take the lead in areas such as business, education and climate change while calling on them to speak out against religious intolerance. Speaking on his final engagement on a whirlwind two-day visit to Burma that has taken in an ASEAN conference, a meeting with Burmese MPs, and one-to-one talks with both Burma's President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Obama conducted a town hall meeting with representatives of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Institute. He opened with a brief speech in which he told the youngsters that their generation has the greatest opportunity of all to improve society. To the delight of his star-struck audience, Obama tried out a few rehearsed phrases in Burmese language, most notably: tat naing phyar yout, which loosely translates as "you must be strongly committed to succeed". Offering the floor for students' questions, Obama was immediately asked what young people in Burma could do to promote tolerance and eradicate extremism. He responded by alluding to religious intolerance in Syria and Northern Ireland, and the US' own tainted record of racism. Related Stories ‘Much hard work remains’ as Obama meets Suu Kyi BUSINESS WEEKLY 14 NOVEMBER 2014 Students rally against education law He called on young people to respect the views of others and to "speak out against intolerance" when they witness it in their daily lives. In what was perhaps a slight against the current generation of leaders in Southeast Asia, Obama said, "I think that the leaders of ASEAN countries don't like to criticise each other because they think it is not respectful". He said that such criticism was "constructive" and called on the audience, which included a smattering of students from other Southeast Asian nations, to embrace diversity, assuring them that integration among the bloc is "inevitable". Asked what he would do if he were "president of Myanmar", Obama joked that he was mostly popular abroad while back home he was the target of complaints. Responding to the question, he emphasised Burma's commitment to elections in 2015, constitutional reform, and laying laws in place to protect the press, and the freedoms of expression and to organise. After an hour of fielding questions, the US head of state bowed out to rapturous applause and screams of excitement when shaking hands and posing for photos with students. "He was fantastic. Amazing," said Cracy Than, a 23-year-old Muslim woman from Pegu. "I am so excited," said Nan Lao Kkam, 25, who studies at the local American Center. "I am so proud to have met him. He is my idol." Obama now moves on to Australia for a G-20 summit where he will be hosted by Tony Abbot, a co-participant in the ASEAN and East Asian summits in the Burmese capital this week, as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin who sat with his American counterpart at two-day APEC conference in Beijing immediately prior to the ASEAN summit.

BUSINESS WEEKLY 14 NOVEMBER 2014 Posted: 14 Nov 2014 03:20 AM PST   Ups & downs The Burmese kyat was selling on Friday at 1024 to the US dollar, while buying at 1015. The price of gold stands at 640,000 kyat per tical. Fuel prices remain constant: petrol 820 kyat; diesel 950 kyat; octane 950 kyat per litre.   Thein Sein discusses development with Japanese PM Abe Burma’s President Thein Sein held bilateral talks on Wednesday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as part of the East Asia Summit, which is running parallel to the 25th ASEAN Summit in the Burmese capital. According to an ASEAN spokesperson, negotiations centered on bilateral cooperation, as well as Japanese efforts to boost Burma’s education, human resources development, the construction sector, telecoms, SMEs, the Thilawa project, and Rangoon city transportation plans.   India –Burma talk business in Naypyidaw Burmese President Thein Sein and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed furthering bilateral trade between the neighbouring countries. India and Burma have agreed to cooperate in energy and natural gas sectors, small-scale industries development, human resource development, rural development as also socio-economic development in the Chin State and Sagaing region, which share borders with India. Read more   Japan to lend $285 million for development projects  Japan has agreed to lend Burma US$ 285 million for development projects. This was affirmed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a meeting with Burmese President Thein Sein in Naypyidaw, where the ASEAN summit is in progress. At the ASEAN- Japan summit held on 12 November, talks were held on promotion of trade and tourism, establishing a free ASEAN- Japan trade zone. Leaders also discussed the progress of the Thilawa SEZ zone, in which Japan is a major partner. Read more   Burma, WHO partner in Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign The Burmese Ministry of Health announced on Sunday its plan to launch a nationwide measles-rubella vaccination campaign in January. Partnering with the World Health Organisation's aim to eradicate measles in South East Asian countries by 2020, the Burmese health ministry is expected to provide vaccinations to more than 17 million people in the country.   Obama impressed with Burma's ASEAN chairmanship At the ASEAN-United States Summit in Naypyidaw, President Barack Obama lauded Burma's chairmanship of ASEAN, claiming the country has "shown solid leadership on issues of critical importance to the entire region". Heralding cooperation between the United States and ASEAN, he affirmed Washington's commitment to the ten-country bloc, "both as an institution and as a community of nations bound by our shared interests and values." On Friday Obama flies to Rangoon, where he will also meet Aung San Suu Kyi.   GE to help Burma improve gas power plants. General Electric International Inc (GE) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise under the Ministry of Electric Power, on the improvement of gas power plants. Currently the Burmese ministry operates18 GE built power plants, 7 Hitachi plants and 2 Mitsubishi plants.   TEEMA to invest $456 million in southern Burma Taiwan's Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (TEEMA) will invest US$456 million to develop an industrial park in Southern Burma. TEEMA has already signed an agreement with its Burmese counterpart to obtain 1,400 hectares of land from the government, reported the Economic Daily News. Related Stories ‘Much hard work remains’ as Obama meets Suu Kyi Obama exhilarates, inspires at Rangoon University ASEAN Summit ends in Naypyidaw

Students rally against education law Posted: 14 Nov 2014 03:02 AM PST Four hundred students held a march through Rangoon on Friday, begining at the central railway station and culminating in a sit-in demonstration outside the town hall. The protest continued until evening and coincided with US President Obama's visit to the former capital. The protest was staged in opposition to the National Education Law, signed into effect by President Thein Sein on 30 September. Students did not have permission to demonstrate  as required by Burma's Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Processions Law. Student activist Phyo Phyo Aung told DVB that the protest had continued despite pressure from police. "Along the way security officials attempted to stop us, and they are still near the town hall monitoring the protest in civilian clothing," she said. Phyo Phyo Aung said she was invited to attend an interactive forum at Rangoon University held by President Obama, but had skipped the event to join the demonstration. The protest comes after a two-day workshop organised by the All Burma Federation of Student's Unions (ABFSU), which examined the National Education Law. At the conclusion of their two-day meeting, students announced they would organise the demonstration and form a 15-member group called the "Committee for Democratic Education Movement," a leadership team responsible for organising future campaigns against the law. Related Stories Obama exhilarates, inspires at Rangoon University Students oppose National Education Bill Prevalence of the truth The ABFSU maintains that students were frozen out of the drafting of divisive bill. The bill provides for the creation of a National Education Commission, which civil society organisations such as the National Network for Education Reform believe will keep the education sector under tight government control. Burma's education system was stymied under decades of military rule, a period which also saw the imposition of policies geared towards disenfranchisement of the nation's minorities. The country is sorely short of highly-skilled instructors and the budget allocated for the school system is under six percent of national spending.

ASEAN Summit ends in Naypyidaw Posted: 14 Nov 2014 12:38 AM PST The 25th ASEAN summit ended on Thursday. The week of diplomatic meetings was the final event in Burma’s role as 2014 ASEAN chair. Burma passed on the baton of leadership to Malaysia.

The rising scourge of diabetes Posted: 14 Nov 2014 12:10 AM PST At a mobile clinic in East Dagon, a 27-year-old female patient with early diabetes is about 16 weeks pregnant. Few weeks ago, a doctor prescribed her oral hypoglycemic agents that would be safe to take during the pregnancy. However when she went to a pharmacy for refills, she received a different, contraindicated drug. May Kyaw Thet, a doctor at the clinic run by the local NGO Better Burmese Health Care, would like to switch the patient to insulin injections, but she doesn't have a refrigerator at home. The clinic could supply an icebox, but that will need to be replenished every couple of days at a cost of about 200 kyats, which the patient cannot afford. The management of diabetes, relatively simple in developed countries, is complicated by lack of access to medical services, low health literacy and poverty in Burma. Situations like these provide a glimpse into a large and growing health threat within Burma. As of 2013, the International Diabetes Federation Atlas puts diabetes prevalence in Myanmar among people aged between 20 and 79 at at 5.8 percent. Based on a Rangoon-only sample, a WHO study in 2003-2004 found 11.8 percent prevalence. While the later number "doesn't represent the whole country", said Dr Ko Ko, part of a diabetes prevention project of the Myanmar Society of Endocrinologists and Metabolism, the numbers are concerning as more people settle in cities, adopt sedentary lifestyles and consume more fast foods on top of an average diet that consists of up to 75 percent white rice, a food that's high on the glycemic index. "We need to know the magnitude of the problem," he said "how much it has economic impacts. To get accurate data is very much important for us to show the public, government and parliament." Related Stories Asian alarm at deadly hepatitis spread Do Ko Ko is undertaking a new survey of 9300 people in 52 townships that will be completed by March 2015. He said he expects the current countrywide diabetes prevalence to be around 6 percent and hypertension (high blood pressure) to be around 30 percent. The latter can lead to or complicate forms of diabetes. On 14 November, International World Diabetes Day, he will give a public lecture to over 500 people in Naypyidaw, on the symptoms of diabetes and its treatment and risk factors. The lecture will be followed by an event of free blood-sugar and body-fat screenings. Dr Ko Ko said that "by modifying environmental factors such as cutting out on an unhealthy diet and lack of physical activities,we can prevent DM by 58% [according to]evidence-based data." For its part, Better Burmese Health Care doctors see over 11,400 patients each year through their mobile clinics in East and South Dagon. About 85 percent are diabetic and over 90 percent patients have hypertension. When Dr Jalin Sama founded the NGO in 2008 to provide humanitarian reliefcare in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, the doctors had not predicted that diabetes would become the center of their focus. "We were simply responding to the needs of the Nargis victims," Dr Sama said."We just happened to notice high rates of diabetes mellitus and started focusing on managing and treating it." Poverty and lack of health education in Burmahas made this work a challenge. "Many people with Type 2 diabetes do not have the appropriate knowledge to manage the disease," Dr Sama said. As such, doctors at the clinic have incorporated group education about diet, physical activity, mindfulness and well being, as also compliance with drug treatment into the clinic program. However, since diabetes does not cause immediate health problems the way tuberculosis or malaria does, doctors find it hard to persuade patients to accept treatment or even to modify their lifestyle. "That's partly understandable," said Dr Sama ,since following a healthy lifestyle can be "a tremendous financial burden" on patients. "Vegetables and meat are expensive. Medications are expensive. Access to health facilities is difficult." Without a health insurance system, patients must pay out of pocket for everything."There's no funding for non-communicable diseases," Dr Ko Ko said. "Many donor countries donate only towards communicable diseases. And we cannot control [the availability of] soft drinks,alcohol, tobacco and palm oil, although we are trying." Although diabetes is non-communicable, depending mostly on genetic and lifestyle factors, it causes immunodeficiency in patients increasing their vulnerability to contracting communicable diseases. A recent study in The Lancet has placed Myanmar among the top 10 countries in the world with the highest rates of diabetes-related tuberculosis, with 21,000 cases. The study has pointed out that in order to achieve complete success in eliminating TB on a worldwide scale, it is important to tackle diabetes. "Ameliorating high rates requires a multi-prong approach," Dr Sama said. She suggestedpublic awareness campaigns at the national level, proper or upgraded training of health-care personnel and making it easy to access care. Supported by the Ministry of Health, efforts to tackle diabetes have begun. Dr Ko Ko said the diabetes prevention project is training around 50 health-care workers each year and monthly public education sessions will be a focus of 2015.

MPs start debating Constitutional amendments Posted: 13 Nov 2014 11:26 PM PST Burma's parliament began its much-anticipated debate on whether to amend the 2008 Constitution on Thursday. The debate is expected to focus on the findings of two parliamentary committees, the Joint Parliamentary Constitution Review Committee and the Committee for Implementation of 2008 Constitution Amendment. During Thursday's debate, MPs from the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) and ethnic political parties attempted to steer the agenda towards amending Articles 436 and 59(f) of the Constitution. The former guarantees the military veto power over constitutional amendments, while the latter prohibits Aung San Suu Kyi from running for president. Military MPs focused their comments on Article 201, which they said should be changed to empower the National Defence and Security Council (NDSC)—already a supremely powerful government body under the Constitution—to dissolve parliament if one-third of parliamentary seats are vacant. Phyo Min Thein, a NLD lower-house MP from the Rangoon area, told DVB that during the debate, "[Opposition] MPs focused on power decentralisation and amending Article [59(f)], stressing that the Tatmadaw should not retain its leadership role in national politics. Rather, they said political power in Burma should be granted to the masses [acting through duly elected representatives]." "But military MPs insisted that Articles 436 and 59(f) should be kept as they are, and instead suggested that Article 201(a) should be amended, a move that would [centralise power even further by enabling] the NDSC to recommend the dissolution of parliament [and call new elections]," he said. The NLD, in collaboration with civil society group 88 Generation Peace and Open Society (88GPOS), launched a nationwide campaign earlier this year to garner public support for amending Article 436. After their campaign, the two groups presented parliament with a petition signed by around five million people in support of amending Articles 436 and 59(f). By contrast, a report submitted by the Constitution Amendment Implementation Committee on 22 October indicated that military MPs did not want to amend Articles 436(a) and (b). Phyo Min Thein said that military MPs expressed support for a Constitutional amendment which requires mandatory consultation with the NDSC when considering prisoner amnesties and peace talks. Military MPs also insisted that Article 201(a) should be amended to empower the NDSC to dissolve parliament and call new elections if more than one third of parliament resigns. Related Stories ‘Much hard work remains’ as Obama meets Suu Kyi Lower House rejects PR system Obama affirms support for govt reformists The NDSC is composed of Burma's president and vice-presidents; parliament's upper and lower-house speakers; the military's commander in chief and vice-commander in chief; and the ministers of defence, home affairs and border affairs. Yan Myo Thein, a political analyst, said the situation in the parliament shows that it will be very challenging to amend the constitution under existing parliamentary procedures. "Based on what I've seen in the report by the parliament's Constitution Amendment Implementation Committee, Tatmadaw MPs are firmly…opposed to [amending] certain articles in the constitution. This shows that any efforts to amend the Constitution in parliament will be very challenging," he said. During Thursday's debate, lower-house representative Ba Shein said that amending Article 436 is the key to constitutional reform. Ba Shein is one of 140 Burmese parliamentarians involved in the debate, a process that will continue until 25 November. In her recent visit to Karenni State, Aung San Suu Kyi urged the public to closely follow the debate.

Obama affirms support for govt reformists Posted: 13 Nov 2014 10:49 PM PST Obama held one on one talks with his Burmese counterpart Thein Sein on Thursday in Naypyidaw. The 2015 general elections were the major talking point. The US President threw his support behind government reformists, but urged that more must be done.

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