The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Suu Kyi Says Wants West to Spur Reform not Reimpose Sanctions
• India Seeks Help From Bhutan, Burma to Hunt Down Militants
• CSOs Condemn Govt Response to Mine Protests
• Thai Trial Begins for 2 Burmese Accused of Killing UK Pair
• YCDC Members ‘Not Decision-Makers,’ Says Rangoon Mayor
• Burmese Actor Charged With Rangoon Employee’s Murder
• NZ National Appears in Court as Defense Lawyer Details Death Threats
• Protests in Rangoon After Letpadaung Shooting
• ‘Illegal’ Shipments to China Dominate Burma’s $340m in Rice Exports
• Hundreds Attend The Funeral of Slain Letpadaung Protestor
• Ethnic Alliance Restates Call for Tripartite Political Dialogue
• Russia Offers Support to North Korea Amid Sony Hack
• Asia Marks 10 Years Since Indian Ocean Tsunami
• India’s Military Hunts Rebels After Deadly Attacks in Remote State

Suu Kyi Says Wants West to Spur Reform not Reimpose Sanctions Posted: 26 Dec 2014 06:03 AM PST US President Barack Obama puts his arm around opposition politician Aung San Suu Kyi after a joint press conference following their meeting at her residence in Rangoon, November 14, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) LONDON — Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday called on the West to encourage her country's government to enter meaningful reform talks but told it not to reintroduce punitive sanctions even though democratic reforms were foundering. Suu Kyi, who is ineligible to become president after planned parliamentary elections next year because of a technicality in the constitution, criticized the West for being too optimistic about change but said it could help by pushing for talks. "That's a problem with the international community. They have not lost interest in Burma, they still want Burma to have a happy ending," she told BBC Radio 4's Today Program, using the country's old name. "But they think that they'll get a happy ending simply by insisting that it is a happy ending and that's not how things happen." Burma began its emergence from international pariah status in 2011 when military leaders launched reforms after nearly half a century in power and installed a quasi-civilian government, but the military still holds substantial sway. US President Barack Obama visited last month, saying the law that barred Suu Kyi from becoming president "doesn't make much sense." Suu Kyi, who wants the constitution amended so she can run for president, said reforms were not going "too well" and that the government wasn't keen on genuine change with many people in the military continuing to believe they were the only ones who could hold the country together. But she strongly rejected the idea of reintroducing European Union sanctions which were lifted in 2013 to reward Burma for progress in moving towards democracy. "I don't like going backwards," she said. "I like going forwards so I think rather than reintroducing old methods I think what would help greatly is if everybody seriously put their minds to doing whatever they can to encourage negotiations. That is the doorway to the future." The post Suu Kyi Says Wants West to Spur Reform not Reimpose Sanctions appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

India Seeks Help From Bhutan, Burma to Hunt Down Militants Posted: 26 Dec 2014 05:59 AM PST A tribal plantation worker holds a bow and arrow as he stands next to a burning house belonging to indigenous Bodo tribesmen after ethnic clashes in northeastern Indian on Dec. 24, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) GUWAHATI, India — India has sought cooperation from Bhutan, Burma and Bangladesh in an offensive against a tribal militant group that had shot dead at least 80 people in Assam state this week, officials said on Friday. Police believe that a faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), fighting for a separate state for ethnic Bodos, was behind coordinated attacks on tea plantation workers and their families this week, the deadliest in years. Some militants may have fled to neighboring Bhutan while their leader was believed to be in Burma, officials and police said, prompting calls for cooperation. "We are determined to hunt down the rebels and destroy their base, both in the country and outside," India's junior home minister Kiren Rijiju told Reuters. Assam is one of the seven states that make up India's remote northeast, home to more than 200 tribes and dozens of insurgencies, some seeking greater autonomy and others secession. The region has trailed the rest of India in economic development and the gap has widened in recent years, fueling discontent. Residents accuse the federal government of plundering the natural resources while ignoring development. The latest attacks, in which half the victims were women and children, have shaken Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government that came to power promising economic growth as well as a militarily secure India. "This is terrorism, there is zero-tolerance for terrorism," Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who flew to Assam to commiserate with the families of the victims, told reporters. The northeast is wedged between China, Burma, Bangladesh and Bhutan, and militants are known to criss-cross borders that run through thickly forested mountains. Assam police say the leader of the NDFB, I.K. Sonbijit, is based in Burma, from where he controls his cadres. He is believed to have ordered this week's attacks in retaliation for an army offensive against his group in which he lost 40 men and a large quantity of arms and ammunition. Some 7,000 villagers have fled their homes in Assam, fearing more attacks from the Bodo militants and are sheltered in relief camps guarded by the army and police. The post India Seeks Help From Bhutan, Burma to Hunt Down Militants appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

CSOs Condemn Govt Response to Mine Protests Posted: 26 Dec 2014 05:14 AM PST Protesters in Rangoon on Dec. 25 march against the fatal police shooting of a villager from Letpadaung. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Nine civil society groups involved in the implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Burma issued a statement on Thursday strongly condemning the government's handling of the Letpadaung copper mine protests during which a 56-year-old woman was killed and several other protestors injured on Dec. 22-23. The groups said that the authorities' heavy-handed response to the protests highlighted possible barriers to the implementation of the EITI, a resource revenue reporting protocol. Win Myo Thu, a member of Burma's EITI civil society steering committee and director of EcoDev, an NGO advocating for sustainable development and good environmental governance in Burma, said the authorities' actions had caused him to question his future participation in the EITI process. "If the government's implementation [of the EITI process] is just for show, to get recognition from the international community, I don't want to be involved. I want to stay on the side of the public," Win Myo Thu said. The groups' statement said that the EITI process was about good resource governance, transparency and responsibility—not just international recognition. A coalition of more than 200 civil society groups supported the statement. Since Burma became a candidate for EITI membership in July this year, civil society has the right to voice their opinion about the management of the country's resources, the statement said. The violence at the Letpadaung mine "violated that guideline," it said. The civil society groups are now collecting facts regarding the Letpadaung protests and will report to EITI board members next month, Win Myo Thu said. EITI is a voluntary protocol established in 2002 that has been endorsed by the G-8 and currently has 29 fully compliant members. An additional 17 countries, including Burma and the United States, now have candidate status. Becoming EITI compliant is a crucial reform for Burma, which has long had a reputation for shady and corrupt business deals, particularly with regard to extractive projects in ethnic areas. Members produce an annual revenue report that enables citizens to see how much money their government is making from extractive projects. On Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in Burma issued its own statement on the unrest at the Letpadaung mine site. The embassy expressed its "deep condolence" over the death of Khin Win, a protestor shot dead by police on Monday, but backed the project's continued implementation. The embassy emphasized that the Chinese government: "requires overseas Chinese enterprises to abide by the laws and regulations in the host countries, while carrying out social responsibility and obligations and focusing on environment protection." The Letpadaung copper mining project is being developed as a joint venture between the Chinese company Myanmar Wanbao Mining Copper Limited and the Burma Army-owned Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings. The post CSOs Condemn Govt Response to Mine Protests appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Thai Trial Begins for 2 Burmese Accused of Killing UK Pair Posted: 26 Dec 2014 04:59 AM PST May Thein, mother of Win Zaw Htun, one of two Burmese workers suspected of killing British tourists in Thailand, shows her son's picture at a monastery outside Rangoon on Oct. 16, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Soe Zeya Tun) BANGKOK — The trial of two Burmese migrant workers accused of killing two British tourists on a popular resort island in southern Thailand began Friday, in a case seen as a test of Thailand's justice system. The bodies of David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were found Sept. 15 on a beach on the island of Koh Tao. Autopsies showed both had suffered severe head wounds and that Witheridge had been raped. The trial is being held on the nearby island of Koh Samui, with prosecutors and defense lawyers submitting their plans for evidence and witnesses Friday in the case against Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin, both 21. The men say they're innocent of rape and murder charges, and that police tortured them to force confessions that they later recanted. Relatives of the defendants were in court for the all-day hearing, at which the two accused again asserted their innocence. The judge set July 8 for the trial to resume with testimony from prosecution witnesses, rejecting a defense plea to delay proceeding until they could further evaluate evidence. Concern that the men were tortured by police arose in part because migrant workers are often abused and mistreated without the safeguards of rights held by Thai citizens. But the allegations also caught the attention of the British government, which expressed its concern through diplomatic channels. About 2.5 million people from Burma work in Thailand, most as domestic servants or in low-skilled manual labor industries like construction, fisheries or the garment sector. Investigating police officers faced a variety of criticisms, starting with their failure to secure the crime scene and releasing several names and pictures of suspects who turned out to be innocent. After Britain's Foreign Office expressed concern to Thai authorities about the way the investigation was conducted, British police were allowed to observe the case assembled by their Thai counterparts. The killings tarnished the image of Thailand's tourism industry, which has been struggling to recover since the army staged a coup and imposed martial law in May. The post Thai Trial Begins for 2 Burmese Accused of Killing UK Pair appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

YCDC Members ‘Not Decision-Makers,’ Says Rangoon Mayor Posted: 26 Dec 2014 04:47 AM PST Ahead of landmark elections on Saturday, Rangoon's mayor seeks to downplay the policy making role of the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). RANGOON — The first elected representatives to Rangoon's municipal government in more than five decades will not be involved in any major decision-making, according to the city's mayor, who has sought to downplay the policymaking role of the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). A total of 293 candidates, including members of civil society organizations, community leaders and academics, are running in a poll that will be held on Saturday for 115 seats on committees at the central, district and township levels of the YCDC, a municipal body that oversees Burma's largest city. These 115 seats had been appointed by the country's former military regimes since a military coup in 1962. But Rangoon Mayor Hla Myint, who heads the YCDC, said at a meeting with local media this week at City Hall that the municipal body is not empowered to make policy decisions. "We are operating under the instructions of the president, Rangoon's chief minister and the regional government. So we committee members are not policymakers or decision-makers," he said on Wednesday. His remarks are discouraging news for Mae Ohn Nyunt Wai, one of 38 candidates competing for a seat on the nine-member YCDC Central Committee, who told The Irrawaddy earlier this month that she was competing for a chance to reshape policies in the city. The YCDC Central Committee will still be comprised of five appointed seats, including the mayor. "As far as I understand, YCDC has their own by-laws and laws and the [Central] Committee members have the right to decide on these matters. If it is not, why are they having the elections?" she said on Friday, adding that elected committee members should have the right to make decisions or at least advocate on behalf of the public's needs. "I hope all other candidates will expect that as well. If it is not the case, how we can guarantee the public that we can effect change?" she said. While acknowledging the supremacy of the divisional government over YCDC, Mae Ohn Nyunt Wai said issues like municipal budget allocations should first be decided at committee levels before being submitted to the divisional government for final approval. "If the committee members are just obeying instructions, they might as well directly appoint the [committee] instead of holding elections," she said. Win Cho, a former political prisoner and well-known rights activist who is competing for a seat on the Central Committee, questioned who was making decisions on municipal matters, if not the committees. "Up until now, I have been just a citizen. But I tried to change the policies and I have done it. If we didn't do anything, there wouldn't be any change. So if I become a committee member, I will definitely also try [to change policies]," he said. The landmark YCDC elections have faced criticism as details of the poll have been made available, including the Central Committee's undemocratic appointment of a majority of its members. Additionally, the municipal voter rolls will be limited to one vote per household. Hla Myint said a more democratic municipal government would depend on reforming the 2013 Rangoon Division Development Law. "To have a fully elected municipal body will happen at a later date," he said, adding that he hoped the committee members elected in Saturday's poll can serve as liaisons between YCDC and the public. "Since they are elected by the public, they will find out the public's needs and they will find out about difficulties faced by YCDC too." The post YCDC Members 'Not Decision-Makers,' Says Rangoon Mayor appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burmese Actor Charged With Rangoon Employee’s Murder Posted: 26 Dec 2014 04:35 AM PST Min Oak Soe attends a court hearing in July 2013 on charges he faced for punching a police car and swearing at firefighters. (Photo: Public Domain) RANGOON — The Burmese actor Min Oak Soe has been arrested and charged with murder, after a woman employed at a magazine he owns was found beaten to death at his home in Rangoon. According to the police report, Min Oak Soe, also known as Aung Naing Tun, turned himself in to the Bahan Police Station at 4:30 am on Christmas morning, confessing to having killed Nu Nu Yin, also known as Tay Nu Yin. He reportedly told police he had become enraged after finding out that the Nu Nu Yin, 33, had lied about a personal relationship that she was in, and had punched and kicked her until she was no longer conscious. Nu Nu Yin was found dead when police arrived on the scene, with wounds to her head, neck and torso. Her family told The Irrawaddy that multiple ribs were also broken. Nu Nu Yin had worked for years as an editor of Tarapa magazine, which is owned by Min Oak Soe, according to her family. In the police report, Min Oak Soe described Nu Nu Yin as his cousin, a claim refuted by her family, which said that there was no blood relation between the two. The actor is being charged with murder under Article 302 of the Penal Code. "Police told us that they have opened a murder case. They will do what they need to do based on the post-mortem investigation," said Thin Thin Mu, a cousin of Nu Nu Yin. The victim was originally from the city of Yaw in Magwe Division, and was living with her family in Rangoon's Tamwe Township. The family was notified of Nu Nu Yin's death at about noon on Thursday. Min Oak Soe, 44, rose to fame starring in Burmese horror movies, though he has also acted in comedies and dramas. In addition to his acting career, he also owns the media company Tarawun Video Production, and runs an art gallery at his home on Pho Sein Street in Rangoon. It is not his first run-in with the law: In 2013, he spent three months in prison after he set fire to a pile of garbage in the middle of a Rangoon street, blocking traffic. He was sentenced for punching a police car and swearing at firefighters in the incident. In November of this year, he was forcibly restrained at a birthday celebration for the well-known singer Soe Paing, after he took to the stage and began behaving erratically. The post Burmese Actor Charged With Rangoon Employee's Murder appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

NZ National Appears in Court as Defense Lawyer Details Death Threats Posted: 26 Dec 2014 03:53 AM PST The defense lawyer for New Zealander Philip Blackwood, who is accused of insulting religion, speaks to reporters outside a Rangoon court on Friday. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The defense lawyer for a New Zealand national charged with insulting religion told reporters at a court appearance in Rangoon on Friday that he had received death threats for representing the accused. "They threatened to chop up and burn my body because I am working on this case," said Mya Thwe, the lawyer for Philip Blackwood, the general manager of V Gastro Bar who, along with owner Tun Thurein and bar manager Htut Ko Ko Lwin, was arrested on Dec. 10. The trio were detained after an image posted on the V Gastro Bar's Facebook page, of the Buddha wearing headphones against a psychedelic backdrop, drew outrage online. The threats against Mya Thwe were discovered on Facebook by his children, who then showed the lawyer. "I do not have Facebook. But my children showed me a threatening message," Mya Thwe said. "I do not know who they are. They could kill me if they wanted." Mya Thwe, who is 73 years old, elected to represent the accused despite security concerns. Some Buddhist monks and members of the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion—known locally as Ma Ba Tha—were present for Friday's court hearing. The case has drawn both international and domestic attention, including from hardline Buddhists. One Ma Ba Tha member told The Irrawaddy on Dec. 18 that the group would push for their own legal action if they were unhappy with the court's decision. Mya Thwe said that representatives from the New Zealand embassy had met him last week, and that embassy staff would come to the court on Jan. 3 to discuss the case with the judge. Although he did not provide details of his meeting with the New Zealand officials, Mya Thwe said, "I told them (embassy staff) i would do my best." Philip Blackwood told the court on Friday that he did not have any intention to insult Buddhist religion by posting the offending image on Facebook. Blackwood had already submitted two letters apologizing for his actions, according to his defense team, which the court had rejected. He is being held in Rangoon's Insein Prison, where he has been detained since his arrest after being denied bail. The court only heard from the New Zealand national on Friday, while the two Burmese men will address the court on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4, according to Mya Thwe. All three men face charges for violation of articles 295, 295(a) and 188 of Burma's Penal Code. The first two charges pertain to destruction, damage or defilement of sacred places or objects with intent or knowledge that the action could cause insult. Article 188, under a chapter of the Penal Code covering contempt of authority, pertains to disobeying an order issued by a public servant. The defense attorney said the charge related to keeping the V Gastro Bar open after authorized hours. The post NZ National Appears in Court as Defense Lawyer Details Death Threats appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Protests in Rangoon After Letpadaung Shooting Posted: 26 Dec 2014 03:16 AM PST Protesters gather in front of the Chinese Embassy in Rangoon on Dec. 25, 2014. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Protests were held across Rangoon on Thursday after a 56-year-old woman was fatally shot by police near the Chinese-backed Letpadaung copper mining project in central Burma earlier this week. "We are here to show that we are against the actions taken by the government on December 22nd and 23rd in Letpadaung," said demonstrator Kyaw Ko Ko, a member of the All Burma Federation of Students' Unions (ABFSU). More than 200 people joined a peaceful procession from the Hledan overpass to Inya Lake, ending with a waterside candlelight vigil. Some carried placards reading "Stop violence against people," "No violent action on Letpadaung" and "Down with dictatorship." The demonstration was part of a "Black Campaign" organized by ABFSU, which calls on citizens to wear black clothing to show their grief. A series of related events have taken place since police clashed with villagers near the controversial development on Monday, when authorities ordered a group of roughly 60 villagers to disperse when they attempted to prevent contractors from building a fence around disputed property. One woman was killed and several others injured when police fired at the villagers, who refused to move and fired slingshots at the officers. Three people were injured by rubber bullets fired by policemen when clashes resumed on Tuesday morning. Several demonstrations have since been held to show opposition to both the mining project and the behavior of security personnel. On Thursday afternoon, nearly two dozen activists marched to the Chinese Embassy in Rangoon with posters demanding "An immediate halt" to the development, which is jointly operated by the government-owned Union Myanmar Economic Holdings (UMEH) and Chinese firm Wanbao. In another act of protest, a lone masked figure marched through Rangoon's Chinatown neighborhood on Wednesday holding a tombstone-like tablet bearing the names of the two companies, then burned it along with a Chinese flag. The post Protests in Rangoon After Letpadaung Shooting appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

‘Illegal’ Shipments to China Dominate Burma’s $340m in Rice Exports Posted: 26 Dec 2014 01:47 AM PST A man lies on a truck loaded with rice bags as it drives by a port in Rangoon on Feb. 1, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Soe Zeya Tun) RANGOON — Rice shipments across the Sino-Burmese border, considered illegal in China, accounted for more than two-thirds of total rice exports over the last nine months, the Ministry of Commerce announced this week. Though total rice exports reached nearly 915,000 tons from April 1 through the second week of December, overseas exports totaled only 198,698 tons (US$70.1 million), while border exports to China and Thailand reached 716,272 tons ($272.6 million). Chit Khine, chairman of the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF), said Burma's rice exports across the Sino-Burmese border constituted the highest bilateral trade total, despite a Chinese ban on Burmese rice imports. "Rice exports, from our side, are legal, but on the China side these exports are illegal, that's why we're discussing with the Chinese government to legalize rice exports. One of our business missions will go to China in the second week of next month," he said. Early this year, China officially banned rice imports from Burma, demanding that a trade agreement be signed guaranteeing that most rice is milled and meets certain quality standards. China had long been—and continues to be—one of Burma's biggest customers for rice, much of which is harvested in the Irrawaddy Delta and shipped over land borders in Shan and Kachin states. According to government figures, rice exports to China through the Burmese border town of Muse to Ruili in China accounted for the vast majority of overland exports, at 700,000 tons, while overseas rice shipments to China reached 11,000 tons. "That is why the business delegation from the MRF and the government will talk with the Chinese government next month to buy our rice legally over the borders," Chit Khine said, adding that he expected the legalization of rice exports to China would further accelerate export growth. A bilateral agreement on rice standards would allow the MRF to legally export about one million tons of milled rice to China, starting in January. Dr. Soe Tun, chairman of the Myanmar Farmers Association, said that China would continue to hold its position as the No. 1 buyer of Burma's rice next year. He added that a China Certification and Inspection Group would open an office in Rangoon soon, pending its obtaining a company license from the government, and will serve to monitor the quality of Burmese rice before exporting to China. "We expect that the rice export volume will reach 1.5 million tons in this 2014-15 budget year. We expect 2 million tons for next budget year," he said. Burma's rice exports totaled 1 million tons in the 2013-14 fiscal year. Rice prices are also on the rise, with the grain selling for $400 per ton, up from $350 per ton last month, after a heavy monsoon season lowered yields in Burma. In October, the MRF reached an agreement with Indian rice traders to supply two states in northeastern India with 240,000 tons of rice per year at $400 per ton, although Burmese traders will incur all costs for transporting the goods to the Indian border. Paddy yields in Burma are among the lowest in Southeast Asia, at 2.5 metric tons per hectare. Most rice mills used outdated machinery that produces rice with a high portion of broken grains, making it unsuitable for high-value foreign export markets such as the European Union and Japan. The post 'Illegal' Shipments to China Dominate Burma's $340m in Rice Exports appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Hundreds Attend The Funeral of Slain Letpadaung Protestor Posted: 26 Dec 2014 01:18 AM PST Up to 1,000 people attended the funeral of Khin Win, who police shot dead during a protest against the controversial Letpadaung copper mine on Monday. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) The funeral of Khin Win, the 56-year-old woman who was shot dead by police during a protest at the site of the controversial Letpadaung copper mine on Dec. 22, was held in her home village of Moegyobyin on Thursday. As many as 1,000 people attended the funeral, including members of Khin Win's family, representatives of political parties and civil society organizations and local farmers from villages in the Letpadaung region whose lands are being acquired for the copper mine project. The funeral party first visited the scene where Khin Win was shot, with some locals chanting, "Down with the copper mine which killed Daw Khin Win." The body of the victim was later entombed. Some local farmers attending the funeral referred to Khin Win, who was protesting against the copper mine when she was shot by police, as "Letpadaung's martyr." The post Hundreds Attend The Funeral of Slain Letpadaung Protestor appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Ethnic Alliance Restates Call for Tripartite Political Dialogue Posted: 26 Dec 2014 12:13 AM PST A meeting of the United Nationalities Alliance underway in Rangoon on Dec. 23. (Photo: Facebook / United Nationalities Alliance) RANGOON — The United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), an umbrella group of ethnic political parties, reiterated its long-standing call for tripartite political dialogue following a three-day meeting in Rangoon that ended on Wednesday. "We want a nationwide peace agreement and political dialogue," said Sai Nyunt Lwin, a senior leader with the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy and a member of the UNA. "Our stand is to have a tripartite political dialogue." Sai Nyunt Lwin said the UNA did not accept the Burma Army as a single negotiating group in the three-way political dialogue, which would include the ethnic armed groups and political parties, the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Burmese government. "The army and the government have one command. They are one organization," Sai Nyunt Lwin said. "The army should not be seen as one [negotiating] group. We do not accept this. On our side, our ethnic political parties and ethnic armed groups will be a single group." Aye Thar Aung, leader of the Arakan National Party, said the UNA would not accept four- or six-party talks. "Tripartite political dialogue is the best option for our country to solve our political conflicts," Aye Thar Aung said. "We have three political forces in our country. If all three groups sit together, we could resolve our political issues." Following the UNA meeting, held on Dec. 22-24 in Rangoon, the group issued a nine-point statement calling on the government to hold political dialogue, work toward a federal system of governance and afford equal rights to ethnic nationalities. About 200 representatives from ethnic political parties, civil society and ethnic armed groups joined the meeting. Representatives from the Shan State Army-South, the New Mon State Party, the Karen National Union, the Karenni National Progressive Party, the Kayan New Land Party and the All Burma Students' Democratic Front were present as observers. The UNA is an umbrella group of eight ethnic political parties that was formed following the 1990 elections, when the ruling junta refused to cede power to the NLD. Originally it was comprised of 12 different political parties. UNA members refused to participate in the 2010 national elections as they opposed the military-drafted 2008 Constitution. However, some UNA leaders have indicated that they intend to participate in national elections slated for late 2015. Min Soe Lin, a senior leader with the Mon Democracy Party, told The Irrawaddy that his party had already decided to participate in next year's elections as the party had determined that they could criticize, and possibly amend, the Constitution from within Parliament. "We know this government is buying time before [instituting genuine] democracy," Min Soe Lin said. "They are afraid of change because they are worried about their rights abuses in the past, and that the people will take revenge if the country has a fully democratic system." Aye Thar Aung also expressed reservations over the current government's reform process. "I have doubts about their reforms because now more conflicts have broken out. They should bring ethnic leaders, who could help solve these conflicts, to the table," Aye Thar Aung said. The post Ethnic Alliance Restates Call for Tripartite Political Dialogue appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Russia Offers Support to North Korea Amid Sony Hack Posted: 25 Dec 2014 10:26 PM PST North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a New Year address in Pyongyang. (Photo: Reuters) MOSCOW — Russia on Thursday offered sympathy to North Korea amid the Sony hacking scandal, saying the movie that sparked the dispute was so scandalous that Pyongyang's anger was "quite understandable." Washington failed to offer any proof to back its claims of Pyongyang's involvement in the hacking, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said at a briefing, adding that the US threats of retaliation were "counterproductive." The United States has blamed Pyongyang for the recent cyber attack on Sony Pictures, which produced "The Interview," a comedy depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Pyongyang has denied a role in the hacking, but also praised it as a "righteous deed." Sony initially decided not to release the film because of threats against U.S. cinemas, but released the movie online Wednesday. Russia's ties with the communist North soured after the 1991 Soviet collapse, but have improved under President Vladimir Putin's watch. Moscow has taken part in international efforts to help mediate the standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs, although its diplomatic efforts have had little visible effect. Last week, the Kremlin said that it had invited Kim to Moscow in May to attend festivities marking the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany. Commenting on the Sony hack scandal, Lukashevich said that "the concept of the movie is so aggressive and scandalous, that the reaction of the North Korean side, and not just it, is quite understandable." He went on to say that Pyongyang had offered to conduct a joint investigation into the incident, adding that the proposal could help ease tensions and reflected a "sincere desire of the North Korean side to study the issue in detail." "We perceive the US threats to take revenge and calls on other nations to condemn the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as absolutely counterproductive and dangerous, as they only would add tensions to the already difficult situation on the Korean Peninsula and could lead to further escalation of conflict," Lukashevich said. The post Russia Offers Support to North Korea Amid Sony Hack appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Asia Marks 10 Years Since Indian Ocean Tsunami Posted: 25 Dec 2014 09:32 PM PST A worker looks at names of the 2004 tsunami victims on a wall at the Aceh Tsunami Museum during preparations for a ceremony in Banda Aceh on Dec. 25, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) KHAO LAK, Thailand — Beachside memorials and religious services were planned across Asia on Friday to mark the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami that left more than a quarter million people dead in one of modern history's worst natural disasters. The devastating Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami struck a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean rim. It eradicated entire coastal communities, decimated families and crashed over tourist-filled beaches the morning after Christmas. Survivors waded through a horror show of corpse-filled waters. As part of Friday's solemn commemorations, survivors, government officials, diplomats and families of victims will gather in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and elsewhere. Moments of silence were planned in several spots to mark the exact time the tsunami struck. The disaster was triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake, the region's most powerful in 40 years, that tore open the seabed bed off of Indonesia's Sumatran coast, displacing billions of tons of water and sending waves roaring across the Indian Ocean at jetliner speeds as far away as East Africa. Indonesia's Aceh province was hit first and hardest. The sea rose as high as 10 meters (33 feet) and surged inland for kilometers with seemingly unstoppable force, carrying along trees, houses, train cars—and thousands of people—in a churning rush. More than 160,000 people died in Indonesia, more than half of the total 230,000 people killed across the region. In Thailand, more than 5,000 people were killed, about half of whom were tourists celebrating the day after Christmas on the country's renowned white-sand beaches. In Sri Lanka, the water swept a passenger train from its tracks, killing nearly 2,000 people in a single blow. A symbolic recreation of the train journey was planned as part of Friday's ceremonies. The post Asia Marks 10 Years Since Indian Ocean Tsunami appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

India’s Military Hunts Rebels After Deadly Attacks in Remote State Posted: 25 Dec 2014 09:26 PM PST Tribal plantation workers armed with tools for self-defense move to a safer place after ethnic clashes in Tenganala village in Sonitpur district, in the northeastern Indian state of Assam December 24, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) GUWAHATI, India — India deployed military helicopters to hunt down tribal militants in the northeastern state of Assam on Thursday after rebels killed 75 people this week, the deadliest in the remote area in years. Assam has a history of sectarian bloodshed and armed groups fighting for secession from India. On Tuesday, suspected militants of a faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland attacked four villages in the space of an hour, pulling people out of their homes and shooting them dead. More than half of the victims were women and children of tea plantation workers from outside the state, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said as more bodies were discovered in the remote area. The attacks appeared to have been in retaliation for an offensive that security forces launched against the Bodo faction a month ago that inflicted heavy losses. The militant group lost 40 men and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, state police said. The rebels turned on plantation workers, believing that some were informing the police about their movements. "This is an act of terrorism. We are going to be very tough," federal Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who flew to the state, told reporters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government took power in May promising economic development and a tough stance on national security. "We have said there will be zero tolerance for terrorism," Singh said. India's northeast region, bounded by China, Burma, Bhutan and Bangladesh, is home to more than 200 ethnic groups. The region has trailed the rest of India in economic development and the gap has widened in recent years, fuelling discontent. For decades, the Bodos have been fighting for a state of their own called Bodoland, accusing New Delhi of plundering their state's resources and flooding the area with outsiders. The group follows a distinctive culture and speaks a Tibeto-Burman language. A military official said helicopters were scouring the jungles of Assam to track down militants trying to flee to Bhutan and the neighboring Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which has thickly forested mountains. About 5,000 additional soldiers have been deployed to Assam in response to this week's attacks, the government said. The post India's Military Hunts Rebels After Deadly Attacks in Remote State appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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