The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Parliament Votes to Boost Pay for Lawmakers, Civil Servants
- US Must Address Rights Concerns Before Further Engagement
- Govt Criticizes Ban Ki-moon Over Use of ‘Rohingya’ Term
- Burma, China Commit to Bilateral Trade
- US Says Burma Should Draft New Plan to Give Rohingya Citizenship
- World Leaders Arrive in Burma for Asean Summit
- What Do Ordinary Burmese Expect From Obama’s Visit?
- It’s All About How You Frame It
- Rickshaw Drivers Take ‘Respect For Women’ Message to Delhi’s Streets
- Cambodia Raises Garment Wage by 28 Percent, But Unions Say Not Enough
- US-China Climate Deal Surprises After Secret Negotiations
- Colorful Fields in Shan State Signal Another Bumper Opium Crop
- Aid Groups in Burma Trip Over Links to Elite
| Parliament Votes to Boost Pay for Lawmakers, Civil Servants Posted: 13 Nov 2014 04:41 AM PST  A shot of Parliament in Naypyidaw in 2011. (Photo: Reuters) Lawmakers in Burma's Union Parliament unexpectedly and unanimously approved a salary hike for themselves and civil servants for the next fiscal year at a legislative session on Wednesday, after a ruling party parliamentarian proposed the increases in an emergency motion. Besides the salary increases for civil servants, lawmakers and government pensioners at all levels of government, parliamentarians also agreed to adopt minimum wage bylaws and measures to protect farmers in anticipation of potential inflationary impacts due to the wage rise. The opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party supported the motion, but only after party chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi unsuccessfully attempted to limit the proposal to civil servants' pay, according to Min Thu, an NLD lawmaker from Naypyidaw's Oattarathiri Township constituency. The opposition leader pushed for scrapping the raises for lawmakers, and said the farmers' protections and minimum wage should be discussed separately, he said. Union House Speaker Shwe Mann rejected the NLD leader's suggestion to separate the issues, and the proposal ultimately passed unanimously. "We think it is not the right time yet to raise the issue of increased stipends for parliamentarians," Min Thu told The Irrawaddy on Thursday, saying that it sent the wrong message at a time when many people in Burma continue to live in poverty. Each Union lawmaker is currently paid 3 million kyats (US$3,000) per month, while the house speakers each receive 3.5 million kyats. Shwe Mann and his ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) have raised salaries for civil servants and lawmakers at least three times since the reformist government took office in 2011. The last two have increased salaries by 20,000 kyats and 30,000 kyats per month, in 2012 and 2014, respectively. The salaries of civil servants, which includes police and military personnel, can be up to 30 times less than what a government minister or parliamentarian earns. Government employees and departmental heads earn from 100,000 kyats to 260,000 kyats per month, while ministers are paid up to 2.5 million per month. The vice presidents receive 4 million kyats each and the president earns 5 million kyats. Lawmakers this week said underpaid civil servants was a main driver of corruption in Burma. With past salary increases, commodity price hikes have followed, with critics saying benefits have been at best negligible for civil servants, and a burden on the Burmese people. Ye Htun, an ethnic Shan lawmaker from the Shan Nationalities Development Party, told The Irrawaddy that he thought commodity prices could be controlled as long as the foreign exchange rate is stable. Ye Htun said prospects for the pay increases to take effect in the 2015-16 fiscal year beginning next April were good, given that "the government and the Parliament this year share a common interest in raising salaries." He added that a political calculus would aid proponents of the plan. "The dream for higher salaries will be realized before the 2015 election, because there is a political gain for the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party as they could win votes from Burma's 1 million to 1.5 million civil servants," Ye Htun said. The proposal was not listed on the agenda for Wednesday's session, but was raised as an urgent issue by Zaw Myint Pe, a USDP lawmaker representing a constituency in Mandalay, who said he raised the issue to address the "desperate need" of underpaid civil servants. Ministries involved in the budget, such as the Finance and the National Planning ministries, will next put forward a proposal on how much to increase the salaries, which lawmakers must again approve. Min Thu, the NLD lawmaker, on Thursday reiterated the party line regarding separation of the wage increases from the minimum wage and farmers' protections. "There are no specific laws, or bylaws set yet for the protection of the rights of farmers who have lost their lands," he said, "therefore, these issues ought to go under separate categories." The post Parliament Votes to Boost Pay for Lawmakers, Civil Servants appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| US Must Address Rights Concerns Before Further Engagement Posted: 13 Nov 2014 03:52 AM PST  A farmer calls through a megaphone at a protest against land confiscations in Rangoon in January. (Photo: Simon Lewis / The Irrawaddy) As a former political prisoner and a democracy activist involved in civil society initiatives, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the United States and international community for their ongoing support of my home country of Burma and our longstanding struggle for democracy. Since the 2011 release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the visit of then-Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Burma's political transition has become one of the biggest hot-button issues of our time, both within and beyond our borders. Between 2010 and 2012, we witnessed undeniable progress. As of December 2013, 1,300 political prisoners had been released, including Min Ko Naing and other activists who had been arrested during the 2007 Saffron Revolution. In addition, the National League for Democracy was allowed to once again register as a political party after years of struggle. Government media censorship eased, and members of the opposition were finally allowed to obtain passports. As a result of this opening, Burmese government officials once condemned by the West now freely visit the Western world. The United States and Canada promote diplomatic relations with Burma and have opened new embassies and consulates in the country. What's more, the United States has eased its sanctions, and international expertise and investment are pouring in. But what's next? Since 2012, I have been recommending that the West engage with Burma by strengthening civil society organizations through education and capacity building. Humanitarian aid alone cannot ensure a democratic transition while the military remains the strongest actor in the country. Instead, we must address the implementation of human rights and democratic principles across all levels of government while supporting civil society organizations and activists.  Human rights activist Zin Mar Aung. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) In hailing Burma's recent political liberalization, we must exercise caution. The central question is whether this liberalization is on the right track toward a democratic transition or simply leading to another type of authoritarianism. We need to closely review the so-called reform agenda, which is still very much in its initial stages. Before fully embracing the Burmese government as a democratic partner, the United States must revisit its carrot and stick policy, which has, of late, been much more carrot than stick. Instead of a credible "stick," we have seen an overall lack of accountability toward the regime. There are at least five reasons for Washington to reconsider its current approach. First, three years after the signing of a ceasefire agreement in 2011, fighting continues in Kachin and Shan States, and the number of internally displaced people grows as new generations are born into camps. Of course, they need urgent humanitarian support, but in the long term, they need real, actionable peace. Second, the military's widespread confiscation of land goes unaddressed, while at the same time people are arrested simply for taking part in demonstrations against this practice. In Kantbalu Township, 56 people were arrested earlier this year for protesting the seizure of their land. Third, optimism over the loosening of media restrictions is premature. Journalists are still regularly arrested on false criminal charges, and in October, freelance journalist Ko Par Gyi was tortured and killed by the military while reporting from conflict areas in Mon and Karen States. Fourth, In the midst of growing sectarian violence, in which Muslims serve as scapegoats for national issues, President Thein Sein has submitted a controversial anti-interfaith marriage law to parliament. This law targets Buddhist women's right to self-determination, while the true instigators of communal violence act with impunity. Finally, human rights activists, especially women, face harassment and death threats from ultra-nationalist groups. Appeals to police for legal protection go unanswered. The issue now at stake is no longer lack of technical capacity, but rather, lack of political will on the part of the Burmese regime, especially the military, to put democratic principles into practice. In addition, civil society activists are forced to wonder whether the United States, despite its long history of supporting democracy and human rights, will continue to uphold its values of freedom, justice, and liberty. In the end, as Dr. Martin Luther King famously said, "We will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends." Zin Mar Aung is a former political prisoner and human rights activist who co-founded the Rainfall Gender Studies group and won an International Women of Courage Award in 2012. The post US Must Address Rights Concerns Before Further Engagement appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| Govt Criticizes Ban Ki-moon Over Use of ‘Rohingya’ Term Posted: 13 Nov 2014 03:34 AM PST  United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon shakes hands with Myanmar president Thein Sein as he arrives for the East Asia Summit (EAS) plenary session during the ASEAN Summit in Naypyitaw November 13, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) NAYPYIDAW — Burmese government officials on Thursday criticized UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon over the use of the term Rohingya, after the visiting leader had called for better treatment of the stateless Muslim minority. The secretary general said in a reaction later on Thursday that the government's focus on the terminology was "unnecessary" and could "lead to entrenched polarization." Shortly after arriving for the Asean and East Asia summits on Wednesday, Ban had told journalists that he "encouraged Myanmar leaders to uphold human rights, take a strong stance against incitement, and ensure humanitarian access to Rohingya living in vulnerable conditions." This irked the government, however, and prompted a response from Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Thant Kyaw, as well as from Arakan State Chief Minister Maung Maung Ohn. "We've repeatedly explained that we're not happy with the use of the word Rohingya by the United Nations, or by neighboring countries, including Bangladesh," Thant Kyaw told journalists at the Asean conference center I Naypyidaw. "We duly understand the humanitarian issue facing this minority and we'll keep supporting them," he said, adding, "[But] whenever the United Nations has used the word Rohingya, we keep telling them we do not accept it." Arakan Chief Minister Maung Maung Ohn sent a letter to the secretary-general, which was distributed among journalists at the Asean Summit. Maung Maung Ohn wrote that Ban's use of the term Rohingya "can have lasting detrimental impact on our ability to do the work needed on the ground to bring the [Muslim and Buddhist] communities together." "The term 'Rohingya' has fostered distrust and further led to a greater divide between the [Arakanese] and the Bengali populations as well as between the Myanmar people and the international community," he wrote, adding that use of the term "has alienated the [Arakanese] population and further fueled their distrust of all the United Nations agencies and international organizations." Since 2012, Arakan State has been wracked by outbreak of deadly inter-communal violence between Arakanese Buddhists and the Rohingya that have displaced 140,000 people, mostly Muslims. Burma's Buddhist-dominated government is accused of imposing a range of human rights-violating restrictions on the stateless Rohingya, who are not allowed to travel and lack access to basic government services such as education and health care. The government and the Arakanese population reject the group's claims to citizenship and right to self-identify as Rohingya—the government insists on calling the group "Bengalis" to suggest they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Asked by The Irrawaddy about the government's criticism, Ban said, "There should be no misunderstanding on the conditions of the United Nations on this terminology; I'm appealing to you, let us overcome this issue of terminology, if you continue to talk about terminology it may lead to entrenched polarization, this is not necessary." "Whatever the terminology, Rohingya or Bengalis, what is important is that we create the conditions where two communities can live harmoniously and where the United Nations can give assistance for communities to develop… That is more important," he told a press conference. Maung Maung Ohn is a former Burma Army general who was put in charge in Arakan State in recent months. Since then, the government has put forth a controversial Action Plan for Arakan State that involves permanent segregation of the communities, and internment of Rohingya who refuse to register as "Bengalis." A United States official said on Thursday that Washington calls for a completely new Action Plan. Ban also said on Thursday that he met with President Thein Sein, Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, to discuss Burma's peace process, the Arakan crisis, and next year's general elections. He urged all parties to push the stalled nationwide ceasefire negotiations forward as such a ceasefire is "a pillar of the reform process." "Compromise will be critical as the parties reach the final stage of a nationwide ceasefire agreement and the framework for political dialogue. The reappearance of clashes shows that the mindset of the past needs to be overcome by a leap of faith on both sides," he said. "The status and lives of the people of Myanmar, especially those of the minority communities, who face daily discrimination, oppression and injustice, is a core concern of the United Nations." The post Govt Criticizes Ban Ki-moon Over Use of 'Rohingya' Term appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| Burma, China Commit to Bilateral Trade Posted: 13 Nov 2014 01:41 AM PST  Burma President Thein Sein gestures beside Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the East Asia Summit in Naypyidaw on Thursday. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) NAYPYIDAW —Burma will sign a bilateral trade agreement with China geared toward increasing agricultural cross-border exchange, Union ministers told The Irrawaddy on the sidelines of the 25th Asean Summit in the capital Naypyidaw this week. While the agreement targets an increase in the general trade volume, it will likely have the greatesteffect on rice exports from northeastern Burma to southwestern China, which are currently illegal. Minister of Commerce Win Myint told The Irrawaddy that an agreement would be reached during the summit. "We're going to commit to working together to increase trade of agricultural products during the days while China's Prime Minister [Li Keqiang] is here [in Burma]," Win Myint said. Minister of Information Ye Htut said that President TheinSein also supports the agreement to increase trade and improve border stability. "President Thein Sein has made a special request to China for them to buy agri-based products from Burma through regulated trade, and China has generally agreed on this issue," he said. Chit Khaing, chairman of the Myanmar Rice Federation, welcomed the agreement. He said that the deal indicates a commitment to solving what has in recent months become a crisis for rice farmers, as the criminalization of rice exports has led to seizures of illicit products and severe devaluation. "China has been taking serious action against rice smugglers, so the agreement will be progress," he said. Chit Khaing said that he was not privy to the exact details of this week's agreement, but that China had already agreed to begin legal imports of Burmese rice in January 2015. China has committed to purchasing 1 million tons of rice from Burma during the next year, priced at US$400 per ton, he said. China has long been one of Burma's biggest customers for rice, much of which is harvested in central Burma's Irrawaddy Delta and shipped over land borders in Shan and Kachin states. Earlier this year, China banned the import of Burmese rice pending new safety and quality control regulations, devastating Burma's rice market and causing steep and sudden devaluation. Ninety-five percent of cross-border trade between Burma and China is tax-exempt, making it a highly incentivized trade partner. According to the Ministry of Commerce, 83 percent of Burma's trade for fiscal year 2013-14 occurred over the Burma-China border. Burma's exports to China amounted to about $2.9 billion while imports surpassed $4 billion last year. Local media recently cited the Ministry of Commerce stating that Burma's national trade deficit reached $3 billion in the first half of the current fiscal year. Thein Sein's administration began prioritizing agricultural production in 2011, setting a rice export goal of 4 million tons by 2020. The boost caused a brief and slow increase in exports that has noticeably dipped since last year. According to the Myanmar Rice Exporters Association, exports fell from 1.47 million tons to 1.2 million tons during the 2013-14 fiscal year. The World Bank has estimated that about 70 percent of Burma's population relies on agriculture as a primary source of livelihood. The post Burma, China Commit to Bilateral Trade appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| US Says Burma Should Draft New Plan to Give Rohingya Citizenship Posted: 13 Nov 2014 01:14 AM PST  US President Barack Obama attends the 2nd Asean-US Summit in Naypyidaw on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) NAYPYITAW — The United States on Thursday urged Burma to draft a new plan to allow the ethnic Rohingya minority to become citizens and to scrap a proposed plan to send them to detention camps if they refuse to identify themselves as Bengalis. Most of Burma's 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims are stateless and live in apartheid-like conditions in Arakan State on the west coast of the predominantly Buddhist country. Almost 140,000 are displaced after deadly clashes with ethnic Arakanese Buddhists in 2012. The Rakhine [Arakan] State Action Plan will require Rohingya to identify themselves as Bengali—a term most reject because it implies they are immigrants from Bangladesh despite having lived in Burma for generations— in order to possibly receive citizenship. According to a draft of the plan obtained by Reuters in September, the government has proposed that authorities "construct temporary camps in required numbers for those who refuse to be registered and those without adequate documents." The plan violates "universal rights" and challenges Burma's reform efforts, said US deputy national security adviser for strategic communications Ben Rhodes. "We would like to see a new plan that will allow the Rohingya to become citizens through a normal process without having to do that type of self-identification," he told reporters in Burma's capital, Naypyidaw, where US President Barack Obama is meeting with leaders at a regional summit. Obama will travel to Burma's largest city, Rangoon, on Friday to meet with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at her home where she spent more than 15 years under house arrest, because of her public resistance of the former military junta. Suu Kyi, who became an international icon for democracy after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, has been notably quiet on the plight of the Rohingya. Rhodes urged her to speak out. "Her voice is obviously critically important," he said. Burma emerged from 49 years of military rule when a semi-civilian government took power and initiated sweeping reforms, including releasing political prisoners and lifting restrictions on the media. But Obama told local news website and magazine The Irrawaddy in an interview published Wednesday that Burma is "backsliding" on reforms, citing issues including a crackdown on journalists and the treatment of the Rohingya. The post US Says Burma Should Draft New Plan to Give Rohingya Citizenship appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| World Leaders Arrive in Burma for Asean Summit Posted: 13 Nov 2014 01:02 AM PST  Leaders of Asia-Pacific nations pose for a photo at the East Asia Summit in Naypyidaw on Thursday. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) World leaders arrived in Burma's capital Naypyidaw for the start of the 25th Asean Summit and the East Asia Summit on Wednesday and Thursday. US President Obama arrived with Air Force One on Wednesday night. Other leaders include Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. They were welcomed by Burma's President Thein Sein, who chairs the Asean meeting. The post World Leaders Arrive in Burma for Asean Summit appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| What Do Ordinary Burmese Expect From Obama’s Visit? Posted: 13 Nov 2014 12:40 AM PST
 US President Obama gets off Air Force One at Naypyidaw airport on Wednesday night. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) US President Obama touched down in the capital Naypyidaw on Wednesday night to attend the Asean and East Asia summits. Two years ago, he first visited Burma and met with President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss the start of sweeping political reforms. His historic visit caused a wave of excitement among the people of Burma and was a cause of great hope. After a good start, however, reforms have stalled during the past year and enthusiasm among the public has diminished significantly. The Irrawaddy interviewed ten people on the streets of Rangoon to ask how they feel about Obama's second visit to their country, and what they hope he can achieve through his visit and meetings with Thein Sein and Suu Kyi.
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| It’s All About How You Frame It Posted: 12 Nov 2014 10:21 PM PST The post It’s All About How You Frame It appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| Rickshaw Drivers Take ‘Respect For Women’ Message to Delhi’s Streets Posted: 12 Nov 2014 09:15 PM PST  Narotan Singh, 37, poses in his auto-rickshaw along a roadside in New Delhi November 12, 2014. The words inside the rickshaw read, ”This responsible rickshaw respects and protects women”. (Photo: Reuters) NEW DELHI — Delhi rickshaw driver Narotan Singh was never interested in the problems faced by women and girls—his only interaction with the opposite sex was with females from his middle-class family such as his mother, wife and daughter. Weaving through the streets of the Indian capital, the 37-year-old driver would often frown or stare through his rear view mirror at female passengers wearing tight-fitting jeans or skirts, or make a comment about how they should not smoke or be out late. But Singh's chauvinistic ways are now behind him. Last month his attitude toward women was transformed by a class on gender sensitization run by the charity Manas Foundation and Delhi's Transport Department. "When I was told that we have to do this training, I was not happy as I thought it was an unnecessary waste of my time—time which I could use to make some money by picking up passengers," said Singh from the driver's seat of his green and yellow motorized three-wheeler. "But when I went into the training and understood the problems faced by women on Delhi's streets and that I had the ability to change this, I realized that this is something that everyone should know about." Singh is one of 40,000 auto-rickshaw drivers in Delhi who have already attended the classes and are helping to spread the message of respect for women across the city, which has become known as India's "rape capital." According to the National Crime Records Bureau, the number of reported rapes in India rose by 35.2 percent to 33,707 in 2013 from the previous year. Delhi was the city with the highest number of rapes, reporting 1,441 in 2013. Delhi's Gatekeepers Experts say the media attention surrounding the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman on a bus in Delhi in December 2012 helped to raise awareness about safety for women on transport and in public places. The attack, which prompted thousands of urban Indians to protest against rising violence against women, also highlighted the need to change the attitudes of men and boys in India's largely conservative and patriarchal society. "We show the city's shocking statistics on rape and then provide anecdotes and pictures to drive home the point of how serious the situation is," said Smita Tewari Pant, a trainer on gender sensitization from the Manas Foundation. "We also explain that … businesses will be affected as tourists will stop coming to Delhi if violence against women continues as it is." But what has been most effective in engaging participants, said Pant, is the message that auto-rickshaw drivers are, in essence, the city's gate-keepers who have the power to change the situation by making women feel secure and respected. The message allows drivers to feel that they are not part of the problem, but part of the solution, she added. Don't Judge Women To secure their annual auto-rickshaw fitness certificate from the Transport Department, Delhi's 120,000 drivers are now required to attend the one-hour gender class every year. Pant said the course had received a positive response and drivers proudly displayed stickers reading "This responsible rickshaw respects and protects women" in Hindi on their vehicles. Singh said the course had changed his thinking so much so that he now talks to other drivers, as well as his friends and family, about gender equality. The training should be expanded to taxi and bus drivers, he said, adding that if this kind of sensitization had started five years ago, the infamous Delhi gang rape may not have occurred. "After the training, I realize working women's problems much better. They face many issues – they have to manage their home life and they have to deal with pressures at work so they should at least feel comfortable when they commute," said Singh. "The training made me and other drivers think twice about our behavior towards our female passengers. "We used to think 'I only had a little look at what she was wearing' or 'I only made that comment for her own good' but now we realize that it's really none of our business and we should not judge women, but respect them." The post Rickshaw Drivers Take 'Respect For Women' Message to Delhi's Streets appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| Cambodia Raises Garment Wage by 28 Percent, But Unions Say Not Enough Posted: 12 Nov 2014 09:10 PM PST  Workers spell "160$" with balloons as they demand an increase in minimum wage from 100 USD to 160 USD per month during the International Workers’ Day rally at Freedom Park in Phnom Penh May 1, 2014. (Photo: Pring Samrang / Reuters) PHNOM PENH — Cambodia on Wednesday raised the controversial monthly minimum wage for garment workers by 28 percent, a decision likely to infuriate unions seeking a higher increase and revive calls for strike action. Cambodia deployed armed troops in the capital in September as garment workers held rallies to revive a campaign for higher wages that had helped to stoke a year-long political crisis. Sixteen members of the Labor Ministry’s Labor Advisory Committee voted for the government-proposed minimum wage of $123, compared with the current wage of $100, which was later raised to $128, starting next year. Independent unions were pushing for $140. "I believe that workers will improve their living conditions, factories will be able to pay and production will increase," Labor Minister Ith Sam Heng told reporters. The growth of the garment sector has been a boon for the fledgling economy, providing as many as half a million jobs and generating $5 billion annually, but frequent protests by increasingly assertive unions, complaining about poor wages and bad conditions, have tested the government’s patience. At stake, if the campaign leads to prolonged strikes, is the possibility of reduced orders from firms that outsource to Cambodian factories, such as Gap, Nike, H & M Hennes & Mauritz and Zara, owned by Inditex. Two unions, the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union and the Free Trade Union, said that they didn’t agree with the new figure and will hold meetings with their members about what to do next. Joel Preston, a consultant at labor rights group Community Legal Education Centre, denounced the pay rise. "There is going to be a really strong response from the unions and from the workers. This decision is completely unacceptable," he said. The post Cambodia Raises Garment Wage by 28 Percent, But Unions Say Not Enough appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| US-China Climate Deal Surprises After Secret Negotiations Posted: 12 Nov 2014 09:04 PM PST  US President Barack Obama, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping have a drink after a toast at a lunch banquet in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 12, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — The climate change agreement between the United States and China caught the world by surprise after months of secret negotiations, built on an opening that arose last year when President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in the California desert. The deal, announced Wednesday, could mark a turning point in international negotiations because for the first time it brings together the two largest emitters of heat-trapping gases. Whether it will actually help clean up the atmosphere and slow the increase in world temperatures remains to be seen. But the agreement clearly signals that Obama intends to charge ahead on the issue in his final two years in office, even though many of Congress' staunchest supporters of action lost in last week's elections. The US-China deal has its roots in a June 2013 summit at the Sunnylands estate, where Obama and Xi reached an agreement on pursuing the reduction of hydrofluorocarbons that are used in refrigerators and insulating foams. To the White House, the deal suggested a broader openness from China to tackling climate change, senior Obama administration officials told reporters traveling with the president to Asia. The officials said Secretary of State John Kerry returned from a trip to China in April with the idea of pursuing a joint climate change plan with Beijing. A senior administration official said Kerry worked with his Chinese counterpart, State Councilor Yang Jiechi that launched the US-China Climate Change Working Group. Later, Kerry invited Yang to visit him in Boston, where the former Massachusetts senator used the vista of the Boston Harbor to show how government action can make positive change, the administration official said. The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly by name. The following month, Obama sent Xi a lengthy letter outlining areas where he thought their two countries could find common ground, including climate change, possible military cooperation and trade partnerships. When Obama and Xi met in the Hague on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit in late March, the US president raised his climate proposal again. But the Chinese leader was noncommittal, the officials said. It wasn't until September when the United States began to feel it was making progress with the Chinese. White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice traveled to China and received a signal from her counterparts that they wanted to proceed on a climate accord. In an effort to generate momentum, Obama met later that month with Chinese Vice Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli on the sidelines of the annual UN gathering in New York to press the climate deal. The officials said Zhang came to the meeting with a message from Xi: Let's get this done. That go-ahead cleared the way for an intensive process that concluded in the days leading up to Obama's visit to Beijing. The deal was largely finalized ahead of the US president's arrival this week but was kept quiet until Obama and Xi could discuss it over a lengthy dinner in the Chinese capital Tuesday night, officials said. The presidents announced the deal during a joint press conference the following day. The agreement isn't binding, but it is seen as a signal to the world that the United States and China are united on a need to reduce carbon emissions. That could be significant heading into high-stakes international climate negotiations in Paris next year. The United States set a new target to reduce its emissions of heat-trapping gases by 26 percent to 28 percent by 2025, compared with 2005 levels. That's deeper than earlier in Obama's presidency, when he pledged to cut emissions by 17 percent by 2020. China, whose emissions are still growing as it builds new coal plants, didn't commit to cuts of a specific amount. Rather, Xi set a target for China's emission to peak by 2030, or earlier if possible. He also pledged to increase the share of energy that China will derive from sources other than fossil fuels. Both leaders have a political incentive in pushing their countries to follow through on the pact. Xi faces growing public concern in China about environmental quality, particularly from the millions of Chinese who live in large cities overwhelmed by pollution. For Obama, who clearly sees tackling climate change as part of his presidential legacy, the agreement is a way of proving he still has global influence even though his political power at home may be waning following his party's defeats last week. The agreement does not require congressional approval, although leading Republicans voiced their opposition. House Speaker John Boehner called it "the latest example of the president's crusade against affordable, reliable energy that is already hurting jobs and squeezing middle-class families." The post US-China Climate Deal Surprises After Secret Negotiations appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| Colorful Fields in Shan State Signal Another Bumper Opium Crop Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:00 PM PST  A young child stays close to his mother as she gathers opium resin from one of the many poppy fields in Phekon Township, southern Shan State. Click on the box below to see more images. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) PEKHON TOWNSHIP, Shan State — In west-Padaung, a hilly region located on the border of Shan and Karenni states, farmers are hard at work in their fields. It's harvest season and the ethnic Kayan tribes here are busy tending to their crop: Papaver somniferum, or the opium poppy. In the valleys between the rugged, green hills, poppy fields bloom with bright red, pink and white flowers. The isolated region has poor soils and cold nights that suit the hardy herb but few other cash crops, leaving the impoverished farmers with little choice when it comes to sustaining a livelihood. "We could not grow any other plants here to make a living, except poppy. If they [the government] ban it, we will have no other jobs," said a 50-year-old villager, before asking a reporter if such a ban is being planned. Farmers said poppy has been cultivated in the region, which straddles southern Shan State and northern Karenni State, for more than a decade. A Loikaw-based representative of the National League for Democracy (NLD) estimated that some 20,000 acres are under poppy cultivation here. According to Aung Than, an ethnic Kayan activist from the Karenni State capital Loikaw, the opium harvested from poppy has offered poor villagers an opportunity to earn a decent living in their remote region. "These people had no job in the past. They had to find jobs in Loikaw or other towns, which are very far away," he said. "They had many difficulties, but after they became aware of the fact that their land could grow poppy they became owners of poppy farms. Now, other workers have to come and work for them." He pointed at the homes of the roughly 400 families in Be Kin village, named after a sub-tribe of the Kayan minority that live here, and said that before all houses were made from bamboo and thatch. "Now, many people have homes made of bricks and iron roofs," said the activist. He added, though, "Everyone wanted to get rich in a short time, and they came to grow poppy, but they did not get rich—only the opium traders become rich." The NLD representative said farmers know their livelihoods are considered illegal and fuel an international criminal trade, but they have no other options to survive. "Few use it themselves; they just grow it as a business. Perhaps 2 percent smoke opium themselves," said the man, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the opium trade. Burma is the second-largest opium producer after Afghanistan and accounted for about 18 percent of global trade in the illicit narcotic last year, according to the UN Office of Drugs and Crime. Opium production in Shan, Karenni and Kachin states reached 58,000 hectares in 2013, according to UN, rising for a sixth consecutive year since 2006, when production had sharply dropped from record 1990s levels as a result of a crackdown by authorities and ethnic armed groups. In June, the Home Affairs Ministry told Parliament that its drug-elimination efforts, started in 1999, had failed and that a deadline to make Burma "drugs-free" would be extended with another 10 years. For many years, northern Burma has been the hub for the production of opium, its derivate heroin and methamphetamine in Asia, and the trade is directly tied to the country's decades-old ethnic conflict. Tens of thousands of poor ethnic farmers grow the opium. Authorities and parties involved in the ethnic conflict—rebel groups, the Burma Army and pro-government militias—tax the drug trade to fund the war, while Chinese criminal syndicates and some militias and rebel groups are directly involved in drug production and trade, researchers have said. 'Police Do Not Come Here' Farmers said they plant their crop in late August and it takes about three months before the bulbous fruit and flowers are ready to produce white, raw opium. Farmers cut the bulbs in the early morning and collect resin the next day when the opium has dried and become a sticky brown paste. The bulbs produce opium for about two weeks, while a flowering plant lasts about one week. Few of the Kayan farmers speak Burmese and some of the women brought their children to the fields, where the farmers live in small huts during the growing season. Many of the farmers travel on motorbike, while some own a car. Day laborers travel from other areas to west-Padaung to work the fields during the season, earning about US$5 per day. Many poppy farmers hid in their homes when approached by reporters, but some were friendly and welcoming. Those interviewed said they had little to fear from police and authorities administering the region in Phekon Township, as long as they pay an opium tax to local officials. "Of course, I am afraid of police, but police do not come here because we pay them taxes. I've never seen police come here in my whole life," said a 68-year-old Kayan woman, who was collecting raw opium from her 1.5-acre field. The woman, who declined to be named, said she was able to harvest around 3 viss of raw opium (about 4.9 kilo) per year from her farm. Farmers said they were paid about $700 per viss of opium last year, but they added that prices fluctuated and feared getting lower prices this year. When asked who bought the opium harvest, farmers said "Chinese" traders came to their villages. It is unclear if they meant Chinese nationals, or referred to ethnic Chinese communities in northern Shan State, some of which are known to have been involved in the illicit trade. Ba Khaing, 50, said he had cultivated a 10-acre area of poppy for more than a decade, he explained that authorities never bothered him but collected about $5 in tax from each of the approximately 100 poppy farmers in Be Kin village every week. He said the amount of poppy planted by villagers varied every year depending on the availability of labor and expected opium prices. "It is depends on the price. If we can get higher prices, we will grow more. A lot of people are waiting to see price conditions first," he said. Names in this story were changed at the request of interviewees to protect their identity. The post Colorful Fields in Shan State Signal Another Bumper Opium Crop appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| Aid Groups in Burma Trip Over Links to Elite Posted: 12 Nov 2014 04:00 PM PST  The Rangoon office of Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI), which is rented from the family of Burma's former spy chief, Khin Nyunt. (Photo: Jonathan Hulland) RANGOON — Staff hired to work with the U.S. government’s aid agency in Burma are preparing to move out of their office following revelations their landlord is a notorious former spymaster who oversaw the imprisonment and torture of thousands of pro-democracy activists. The debacle surrounding Development Alternatives Inc., a company contracted by USAID to deliver humanitarian programs, highlights the contradictions ensnaring foreign donors who flocked to the country after reclusive military leaders ended a half-century of iron-fisted rule and self-imposed isolation. With almost all property in the biggest city Rangoon owned by former and current generals and their cronies, much of which was seized during military rule, many organizations find themselves funding a tarnished elite that still holds sway despite elections. The U.S. government, via its aid proxies, has been lining the pockets of former spy chief Gen. Khyin Nyunt since Washington eased economic sanctions two years ago. UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, pays $87,000 a month to a famously corrupt former minister; the European Union around $80,000 to a conglomerate founded by a drug kingpin; the World Health Organization $79,000 a month, to a mystery owner. For Development Alternatives, there was only one way to clear its name: Move. Development Alternatives "failed to take proper account of the political context of Myanmar," said spokesman Steven O’Connor of its 2012 decision to sign a $7,000 a month lease with Khin Nyunt’s family. When President Barack Obama and other world leaders arrive in Myanmar on Wednesday for a regional summit they will have a chance to reflect on reforms implemented immediately after President Thein Sein’s 2011 inauguration, many of which have since stalled or experienced a worrying backslide. The military controls the parliament and is blocking popular opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s path to the presidency. Business conglomerates linked to the old guard remain the engines of the economy and the main beneficiaries of more than $10 billion in post-junta foreign investment and aid. The scandal behind Burma's "development aid rush" was revealed by The Irrawaddy news agency earlier this year. It reported that UNICEF was paying astronomical rent for a three-story house belonging to the family of Nyunt Tin, one of the most corrupt ministers under Gen. Than Shwe’s former junta. Noting its rent was "steep," the agency said it looked at some 40 properties before signing the seven-year lease. Decades of corruption and mismanagement by military regimes, together with crippling sanctions by the West, turned the country of 50 million from one of the richest in Asia to among the poorest. Most buildings in Rangoon are in a serious state of disrepair, but some experts say international organizations should play a role in saving these crumbling reminders of Burma’s past. "You don’t have to walk 200 meters in this city to find a property that is not being used," said Lex Rieffel, a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution of the magnificent colonial-era buildings threatened by demolition. "These agencies say they are helping the country develop," said Rieffel, an expert on Burma who has worked for USAID, the US Treasury Department and several international NGOs. "Well, one of the ways you do that is take under-utilized space and utilize it." There are few offices as ostentatious as that now occupied by the World Health Organization, located in a palatial mansion on one of Rangoon’s busiest thoroughfares, and surrounded by an imposing 8-foot-high concrete wall and cast iron gates. When asked about allegations it belonged to the family of the country’s current commander in chief, WHO’s acting country representative Krongthong Thimasarn said "the building is owned neither by General Min Aung Hlaing nor his daughter, but by a landlady whose name is Daw Khin Nwe Mar Tun." Efforts by The Associated Press and local media organizations to track her down were unsuccessful. Former and current generals and cronies put their assets under the names of relatives to avoid scrutiny. Thimasarn said the rent came to nearly $1 million a year. That’s enough to immunize 30,000 children against diseases such as measles, polio and hepatitis B. The European Union, which has one of the biggest aid programs in Burma at more than $1 billion, described the property debate as one of the "struggles of transition." It occupies 2 1/2 floors in the Hledan Center, a building owned by Asia World, the country’s largest conglomerate. It is headed by Stephen Law, who took over the reins from his father, the late Lo Hsing Han, a former drug king pin. Law remains on the U.S. Treasury’s blacklist. The EU did not disclose its rental, but an official with the property management company put it at round $1 million a year. The story behind the Hledan Center mirrors that of land grabs nationwide. Just over a decade ago, it was a 1 1/2 acre plot of land that was home to 68 families, many of whom had lived there for generations, and dozens of barbershops, tailors, teashops, noodle stalls and other small businesses. When kicked out in 2003, residents received assurances they would be compensated. While many have been given small, windowless rooms on two floors of the circular eight-story building, they say it’s no substitute for what they lost. "We never wanted to leave," said 54-year-old Cho Cho Mar, who longs for her old two-story, four room house and her once-thriving hot pot business. "But what could we do? We couldn’t complain under the powerful military regime." The EU says it will eventually move into a Rangoon heritage building. The post Aid Groups in Burma Trip Over Links to Elite appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
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