The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• The Results Are In: Rangoon Polls Not Up to Scratch
• Three Activists Arrested for Anti-Mine Protest in Rangoon
• Realtors Predict Rangoon Property Market Slowdown in 2015
• Burma Landmine Casualty Rate Among World’s Worst: Report
• Bodies Found in Indonesian Waters Where Plane Disappeared
• Suu Kyi Says NLD Not Yet Committed to 2015 Election
• Water Woes for Residents of Chin State Capital
• Taungup Residents Demand Marble Quarry Closure
• UN Urges Burma to Give Citizenship to Rohingya Muslims
• Chinese Access to Gmail Cut, Regulators Blamed
• Indonesia Expands Search for Missing AirAsia Jet, US Sends Warship
• Pakistan Court Suspends Detention of Mumbai Attack Planner

The Results Are In: Rangoon Polls Not Up to Scratch Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:48 AM PST   A voter marks her ballot in a polling booth in Insein Township, Rangoon, on Dec. 27, 2014. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — At around 4pm on Saturday, the doors were closing at 1,086 polling stations across Burma's commercial capital, Rangoon, wrapping up what was expected to be a "landmark" day in a city that had not seen elected municipal leaders in more than 60 years. Poll workers in each station—mostly teachers and other civil servants—peeled the tape around seven giant Tupperware-like bins and began to count the color-coded cards inside. The starkest proof of the failure of Saturday's elections was the turnout. Rangoon is Burma's largest city, home to roughly 5 million people. Of those, only 409,889 people were eligible to vote because of a one vote per household limit. That's about 8 percent of the total population, and only 26 percent of that fraction of the city turned up at the booths. About 2 percent of Rangoon voted. Those 106,089 voters placed 115 people in seats at the central, district and township levels of the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), a municipal governing body that manages water distribution, waste management, road construction and other services. The YCDC has never been fully elected, instead being steered by government-appointed officials. Saturday's vote created 115 seats for leaders chosen by the people, but reserved an appointed majority presence of YCDC's ultimate authority, the Central Committee. The Central Committee has nine members, including the mayor, four of whom are newly elected. One of the winners, Aye Min of Rangoon's southern district, acknowledged shortly after his victory that while he will try to "do my best," the committee's non-elected bloc "will make the decisions." Aye Min, a 53-year-old doctor, was among the four big winners, and the only one of them who is not known as a distinguished businessman. Even they—the handful of men who benefitted from their privileged status of facial familiarity and financial resource—admitted that the system is flawed. Khin Maung Tint, a cement company owner who will soon serve as the Central Committee's representative for Rangoon's northern district, said that although the polls ultimately favored him, campaign guidelines were not up to code. "We didn't have enough time to raise public awareness about election," he told The Irrawaddy, when pressed on how the elections played out. "The time was too short." 'They Put the Blame on Us' The Irrawaddy canvassed much of the city on Saturday, speaking with voters, candidates, poll workers and township administrators. After visiting polling stations in four townships, our reporters were struck by one recurrent comment: "I don't know." In every township, turnout was low. In every township, voters showed a general lack of awareness about the candidates. Many people voted for candidates they nothing about, while others simply abstained because they didn't know how to decide. Not only did most people know nothing about the candidates, many were completely unaware of the complex procedures of getting their vote counted: step one, determine your eligibility and register one name per household; step two, show up at a polling station that may or may not have been arbitrarily relocated without notice; step three, wind through a labyrinthine polling place to cast seven ballots for three new kinds of representatives. Eyebrows were raised when the YCDC Election Commission introduced campaign regulations that limited voter eligibility, excluded candidates with criminal records, cropped campaign periods and banned the use of flyers and posters picturing candidates. The effects of the regulations, however, were not fully felt until after the polls were over. Soe Thaung thought he was an eligible voter in Sanchaung Township, but when he arrived at his polling place in the Shan Lann Buddhist Function Hall he didn't see his name on the dozen-or-so A-1 printouts taped to a board outside. When he asked the site administrators why his name wasn't there, they told him he had missed his chance. "We declared [that residents should check our voter lists] with a loudspeaker in the ward," said administrator Aung Lwin, which explained that voters had a five day window in which to register. On Saturday, he said, many people turned up at the polling station claiming that they didn't hear the announcement, "and now they are complaining because their names are not included." Soe Thaung was not allowed to cast his vote on Saturday, even though he has been a homeowner in the ward for five years and is the head of a registered household. "They put the blame on us, saying that we didn't check ahead. I didn't even notice their announcement, or when they made the voting list," he said. Low voter turnout is a strong testament to claims that the voter registration process was problematic, but those who did vote revealed even more kinks. Yin Than, a 72-year-old former civil servant, arrived at a polling station in Insein Township at midday with a friend on each arm to help her walk. As the only available member of her household (her children were out of town), she said she came to vote "as a duty" despite not knowing who the candidates were. "I just looked at their photos [on the ballot] and voted for who I think is a good person. I did not know any of them," said Yin Than. Winners and Losers Win Cho is known not for owning one of Rangoon's highest buildings—as one of Saturday's winners is—but for his political activism. He has been jailed several times on charges of unlawful assembly and incitement for participating in public demonstrations over issues such as land rights and utilities prices. When he applied for candidacy as a Central Committee member, the YCDC quickly struck him down. The YCDC election rules prohibit convicted criminals from seeking office, and the Election Commission argued that Win Cho had misrepresented himself by not disclosing his time in jail, during which he was considered a political prisoner. The commission eventually allowed him to run, but other candidates had a head start on campaigning. Win Cho was up early on Saturday at a Dagon Township polling station, waiting with pride to cast a vote for himself. Although his name appeared on the voters list, he was denied a vote because of his "criminal record," an issue that he thought was no longer relevant, considering that he was allowed to run for office. While his wife was ultimately able to cast a vote in his favor, it wasn't enough to secure him a win. "Since the beginning, when [the YCDC] issued the rules, it hasn't been fair," Win Cho said. "We all knew it, but we vowed to run because we thought that we may be able to see what was wrong, complain about it and get them to take action when the rules were violated." He wasn't alone in his opinion that the election's restrictive policies were being unfairly enforced. Susanna Hla Hla Soe, another well known activist and unsuccessful candidate for a Central Committee post, remarked that while the pair of them were subject to particular scrutiny, other candidates proved the campaign rules to be more flexible. After the polls closed, Susanna Hla Hla Soe joined Win Cho and Aye Min—who won a seat representing the southern district—at a press conference on Sunday to alert the media of irregularities in the election. One of their concerns was that authorities had "turned a blind eye" to certain candidates who broke the rules by plastering city buildings with their image and handing out campaign materials near polling sites on the day of the election. "When we reported violations to the township administrators, they just blamed the YCDC, and vice versa," she said. Win Cho had a similar experience in his ward, where he found that other candidates had acted against a Dec. 16 order to remove campaign posters out of concern that they might "make the city look bad." "I still found them in the downtown area," said Win Cho, "but the commission failed to take action. Is it nepotism? If so, this will be very bad for 2015." Reporting by Lawi Weng, San Yamin Aung and Kyaw Phyo Tha. The post The Results Are In: Rangoon Polls Not Up to Scratch appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Three Activists Arrested for Anti-Mine Protest in Rangoon Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:15 AM PST Activist Naw Ohn Hla speaks to reporters during a protest in Rangoon against the shooting death of a protestor at the Letpadaung mine project site on Dec. 22. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Police in Rangoon arrested at least three protestors on Tuesday who led a demonstration outside the Chinese Embassy the previous day against the killing of 56-year-old Khin Win at the site of the controversial Letpadaung copper mine last week. Khin Win was shot dead by police during a protest at the site of the Chinese-backed project on Dec. 22. Nearly 100 protestors attempted to lay wreaths for Khin Win in front of the Chinese Embassy in Rangoon on Monday but were blocked by police from accessing the street where the embassy is situated. After negotiations between the two sides failed, the protestors finally laid the wreaths in front of the security forces and left the area. Police arrested three activists involved in the protest, Naw Ohn Hla, Nay Myo Zin and Sein Htwe, in Dagon Township on Tuesday morning, according to Ma Thandar, who co-founded the Democracy and Peace Women Network with Naw Ohn Hla. "The police have detained them. We still can't meet with them," Ma Thandar said, adding that it was not clear on what charges, and for how long, the activists would be detained. "We arrested them because they protested near the Chinese Embassy without permission and disgraced the government," said Thaung Sein, a police lieutenant from Dagon Township. He said police had opened a case against seven protestors who led the demonstration on Monday, including the three detained activists, under Article 353 of the Penal Code for committing assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duties, and Article 505(b) of the same code—a broadly defined charge punishing those who spread or make statements that can "alarm the public" or incite offenses against the state. "We will show the Chinese Embassy that we, the public, don't want the project and want the Chinese company Wanbao to leave. If they leave, the military-owned Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings will stop [the project] too," Naw Ohn Hla told The Irrawaddy during the demonstration on Monday. Last week, the Chinese Embassy in Rangoon issued a statement on the unrest at the Letpadaung mine project site, expressing its "deep condolence" over the death of Khin Win and concern for Chinese citizens injured in the protests. The embassy expressed support for the ongoing, peaceful implementation of the project and stressed that overseas Chinese enterprises were required "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 a joint venture between Wanbao and the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings (UMEHL). It attracted widespread notoriety in November 2012 when police used incendiary devices against demonstrators, including Buddhist monks, during a brutal crackdown at a protest camp. The Irrawaddy's Bone Myat contributed reporting. The post Three Activists Arrested for Anti-Mine Protest in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Realtors Predict Rangoon Property Market Slowdown in 2015 Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:09 AM PST The Sakura Tower on Sule Pagoda Road, downtown Rangoon. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The city's hitherto skyrocketing property prices are expected to taper off next year while the continuing impact of high land costs will sustain an upward trend in residential and commercial rental costs, real estate experts have said. Land values in Rangoon have risen dramatically since the former military regime lowered the property tax sales rate to 15 percent in 2007, with a significant boost since 2011 as a result of successive economic and political reforms instigated by the nominally civilian government. Median prices for properties situated on Rangoon's main roads have reached unprecedented highs ranging between 700,000 and one million kyats (US$680-970) per square foot, with Pyay Rd and Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd the most lucrative areas in the city. "The highest land prices in Yangon reached about one million [kyats per square foot] in 2013, so I expect that they won't be able to increase more than that in the next year," said a senior manager from Unity Real Estate Services. "Prices will not fall but the market will cool down because landowners will wait until after the general election." A steep rise in the property tax to 37 percent last year failed to slow down meteoric rises, as buyers and sellers widely rorted the system by under-declaring land values. In an attempt to prevent landowners from sidestepping their tax obligations, since Oct. 1 the Rangoon Division government has applied fixed values on property transactions based on official assessments of property values, with annual revaluations to start from next year. Developers have made calls for higher rental prices for apartments across the city to match the property boom, including proposals for setting a floor price of 200,000 kyats ($US194) per month in downtown areas. Increased foreign investment and a shortage of suitable commercial space is also driving up the cost of commercial tenancies, particularly in highly-sought after areas of Rangoon such as Sanchaung, Kamayut and Mayangone Townships. The Su Mon, manager of the Rangoon office for John W Hancock & Associates, said that increased rental costs are becoming a burden for foreigners seeking to invest in Burma and may eventually crowd out potential foreign residents. "Some medium income foreigners are reducing spending because of rental costs. If a day comes when they can't pay or there is not enough space for them, the real estate bubble will burst," she said. Maung Aung, an economist and consultant to the Ministry of Commerce, said it was imperative that the government solved land issues immediately before they became a substantial drag on the broader economy. "Land prices in Burma are among the highest in Asia. This is a major issue for the government," he said. "There will be trouble as more foreign businesses come into the country if the government doesn't start solving this problem right now." The post Realtors Predict Rangoon Property Market Slowdown in 2015 appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Landmine Casualty Rate Among World’s Worst: Report Posted: 30 Dec 2014 03:36 AM PST Nay Min Aung, who lost his sight after being injured by a landmine, sits with his daughter at his home in Bago Division. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON —Burma has the third-highest landmine-related casualty rates in the entire world, has edged away from international forums focused to eradicate the munitions, and is one of the only countries in the world still actively deploying mines in conflict areas, according to the latest report from the research arm of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). The 2014 Landmine Monitor report documents 3,450 casualties between 1999 and the end of 2013, resulting in at least 348 deaths. The recorded landmine casualty rate in the six years from 2006 is surpassed only by Colombia, a nation that has spent five decades fighting a Marxist insurgency financed by drug trafficking, and Afghanistan, a country ravaged by seemingly interminable war for most of the last 35 years. Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan, the Landmine Monitor researcher for Burma, told a press conference yesterday that the country's refusal to ratify the Mine Ban Treaty and allow direct inspection of conflict flashpoints made it difficult to compile an accurate number of casualties, but the ICBL's official estimates over the period were almost certainly understated. He added that despite a request from President Thein Sein for European Union assistance in establishing clearance programs in 2012, international organizations had been prevented from traveling to areas contaminated with landmines, with the military and the government blaming each other for the refusal of access. According to Landmine Monitor, there has been no mine clearance by accredited organizations in the last two years, although some ethnic armed groups and organizations such as the Free Burma Rangers have engaged in some local demining programs. The Landmine Monitor report found "credible allegations" of anti-personnel mine use by the Burma Army over the last two years in Kachin and Arakan States, including a stretch of land less than 100 meters from the country's border with Bangladesh. While the report was unable to corroborate any accounts of landmines being used over the same period by ethnic armed groups, it noted that none of these groups had renounced the use of landmines since negotiations toward a nationwide ceasefire agreement began in 2011. 162 countries are signatories to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which accounts for more than 80 percent of the world's governments. Burma has repeatedly abstained on United Nations General Assembly resolutions to prohibit the use, stockpiling and production of anti-personnel mines, and President Thein Sein told an audience at the 2012 Asean Summit in Phnom Penh that the country's continued use of landmines was necessary "in order to safeguard the life and property of people." While Burma has participated in several recent international forums established by the Mine Ban Treaty, the government declined to field representatives for the most recent review conference, held in Mozambique in June. Myo Myint Aung, a former military doctor who lost his eyesight and sustained 86 separate shrapnel wounds in a landmine injury at the age of 25, told The Irrawaddy that all landmines in Burma should be eliminated. "I want to say solemnly that landmines should not available," he said. "When people fire guns, you are aware of the danger in front of you, but with landmines you can never know when you will be hurt." The post Burma Landmine Casualty Rate Among World's Worst: Report appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bodies Found in Indonesian Waters Where Plane Disappeared Posted: 30 Dec 2014 02:29 AM PST Family members of passengers onboard missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 cry at a waiting area in Juanda International Airport in Surabaya on Dec. 30, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia — Six bloated bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday painfully ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea with 162 people aboard and was lost to searchers for more than two days. The bodies were found about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from land and 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the plane's last known coordinates. The plane vanished Sunday on its way from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore after encountering storm clouds. The six bodies were recovered, swollen but intact, and taken to an Indonesian navy ship, First Adm. Sigit Setiayanta, the Naval Aviation Center commander at the Surabaya air force base, told reporters. The corpses did not have life jackets on. Search and rescue teams were lowered on ropes from a hovering helicopter to retrieve the corpses, their efforts hindered by 2-meter-high (6-foot) waves and strong winds, National Search and Rescue Director SB Supriyadi told The Associated Press. The discovery came after several pieces of red, white and black debris were spotted in the Java Sea near Borneo island. AirAsia planes are red and white. Supriyadi said that from an aircraft above, he said he saw what appeared to be a life jacket and an emergency exit door. More wreckage could be seen beneath the water. Indonesian television showed a half-naked bloated body of a man whose shirt partially covered his head. The images sent a spasm of pain through family members watching together in a waiting room at the Surabaya airport. Many screamed and wailed uncontrollably, breaking down into tears while they squeezed each other. One middle-aged man collapsed and had to be taken out on a stretcher. AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes tweeted, "My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501. On behalf of AirAsia my condolences to all. Words cannot express how sorry I am." Ifan Joko, 54, said he was still hoping for a miracle. His brother, Charlie Gunawan, along with his wife, their three children and two other family members, were traveling to Singapore on the plane to ring in the New Year. "I know the plane has crashed, but I cannot believe my brother and his family are dead," he said, wiping a tear. "… We still pray they are alive." The post Bodies Found in Indonesian Waters Where Plane Disappeared appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Suu Kyi Says NLD Not Yet Committed to 2015 Election Posted: 30 Dec 2014 01:05 AM PST Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi speaks during a press conference at the headquarters of the National League for Democracy in Rangoon on Tuesday. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has indicated that it's too early to say whether her party will contest national elections slated for late next year, when the Southeast Asian country expects to hold its first democratic poll in more than two decades. "When they officially announce the exact date for the general election, we will tell you whether we will join it or not. But for now we can't reveal this," said she during a press conference at the headquarters of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party on Tuesday. "We have no idea about the rules and regulations of the elections so far. We have to wait for them and decide," she said, adding that the Burmese public would have to work together to ensure that the elections are inclusive, transparent and fair. "And that they are held on time, on schedule," she said. The Union Election Commission chairman, Tin Aye, has said that Burma will see general elections held in the last week of October or the first week of November. During an hour-long press conference, Suu Kyi said that for the "great majority" of Burmese people, the last year had not brought improvements to their lives. "I don't think 2014 is exactly the kind of year that you can be particularly proud of. We have to work a lot harder in 2015," the democracy leader added. With regard to the controversial Letpadaung copper mine project, she referred to a report published by a parliamentary commission she led, saying "the report was prepared in the interests of both parties." The mine was the site of a fatal shooting last week after protesting villagers clashed with police over efforts by the project's operators to fence in disputed lands. "If you strictly follow the suggestions in the report, I believe everything will be alright. But I think they failed to follow them so that they have problems," she explained. Asked about four interfaith draft bills, which have been widely panned by human rights and women's groups and are likely to be discussed in Parliament next month, Suu Kyi said the NLD's legal support team and parliamentarians would thoroughly review the legislation. "After that we will release an assessment. I can't give comments on them recklessly as they are complicated and sensitive." The post Suu Kyi Says NLD Not Yet Committed to 2015 Election appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Water Woes for Residents of Chin State Capital Posted: 30 Dec 2014 12:37 AM PST Workers broaden roads in Hakha, the Chin State capital. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) Local residents in the Chin State capital Hakha are facing a potable water shortage amid a partial suspension of the township's water supply that has lasted more than three months. "It is about three months now that the municipality has stopped supplying water, which has caused a lot of trouble for people. I have to buy water for my shop, for which I have to spend around 20,000 [US$20] or 30,000 kyats monthly from my profits," the owner of an eatery in Hakha told The Irrawaddy. The municipality stopped providing water after underground water pipes were damaged during the expansion of roads in Hakha, the administrative seat of the Chin State government. More than half of Hakha's 15,000 residents have been affected by the water crisis and have had to rely on private water sellers, according to locals. The majority of the town's pain has been gain for some entrepreneurial spirits, however, who have taken to fetching water from the nearby Thee River and selling it to needy residents. A bucket of water is sold for 200 kyats and an entire car's load worth of water goes for 12,000 kyats, locals said. The head of Hakha township municipality, Aung Tun Lin, told The Irrawaddy that efforts were underway to restore the town's piped water system. "Pipelines in certain areas were damaged as roads in downtown Hakha were broadened. Therefore, we cannot supply water to those areas. We plan to repair the pipes and resume water supply by January 15 [of 2015]." While some locals have relied on buying water from private sellers, others drive to the Thee River, some seven miles from Hakha. "Those who can afford it buy water. Those who can't afford it go to Thee River by motorbike and fetch water. They take their clothes and wash them there. I have to buy water, 200 kyats per bucket, when I don't have time to go to the Thee River," said a departmental staffer. The system used by the Hakha municipality sees piped water supplied from eight watersheds in areas surrounding the town, and the late 2014 water woes likely will not be the town's last. The surrounding watersheds have been decreasingly productive since 2000, due to deforestation and hillside cultivation, making water shortages in the months of March through May an annual occurrence, said Aung Tun Lin. "The watersheds produce less water and creeks are drying up year by year, mainly because of cutting down trees for fuel or crop cultivation," he said. "Now, we only get 65 percent of water from those sources. Therefore, Hakha is always confronted with a water shortage in March, April and May every year," he added. In an effort to resolve Hakha's water scarcity, the Chin State government started building a dam on the Thee River in April of this year. The project comes at an estimated cost of 8 billion kyats. The post Water Woes for Residents of Chin State Capital appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Taungup Residents Demand Marble Quarry Closure Posted: 30 Dec 2014 12:31 AM PST Locals protesting against the Mt. Naypu marble quarry. (Photo: Arakan Social Network / Facebook) RANGOON — Residents of Taungup in Arakan State's south have demanded an immediate end to marble quarrying at nearby Mt. Naypu, saying that the project is tantamount to environmental vandalism and operates contrary to the wishes of the local community. Representatives from civil society organizations and hundreds of locals from Taungup and surrounding townships staged a protest on Sunday against the quarry, operated in a joint venture by Vietnamese firms Simco and Song Da, and expected to export up to 7850 metric tons of marble each year for the next two decades. Zeya Kyaw, a representative of the Arakan Social Network's Taungup chapter, told The Irrawaddy that the project had failed to deliver benefits to local people and damaged the area's delicate ecological balance. "Rather than exporting these valuable, scarce resources as raw materials, we'd like [the government] to develop ecotourism," he said. The protesters are planning to petition the state and Union governments and the Vietnamese Embassy in Rangoon within the next month, and said they will stage protests across Arakan State if a formal response is not forthcoming. Simco and Song Da signed a deal with the Union government in 2012 granting mineral rights over the Mt. Naypu concession until 2033. Arakan State Industry Minister Aung Than Tin told The Irrawaddy he expects a new deal will be signed with the company upon the conclusion of the original lease. State lawmaker Aung Mya Kyaw told a session of the Arakan parliament in Mar. 2013 that locals had no prior knowledge of the project, which had been negotiated and approved without any semblance of transparency. The post Taungup Residents Demand Marble Quarry Closure appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UN Urges Burma to Give Citizenship to Rohingya Muslims Posted: 29 Dec 2014 10:39 PM PST Rohingya children study in a government primary school in Byuhar Kone village on Nov. 10, 2014, in northern Arakan State's Maungdaw Township. (Photo: Minzayar / Reuters) UNITED NATIONS — The UN General Assembly approved a resolution Monday urging Burma to provide "full citizenship" to its Rohingya Muslim minority and to allow them to move freely throughout the country. The 1.3 million Rohingyas are denied citizenship under national law and are effectively stateless and have almost no rights. Burmese authorities want to officially categorize them as "Bengalis," implying they are illegal migrants from neighboring Bangladesh. After Burma started a transition from dictatorship to democracy in 2011, newfound freedom of expression fanned the flames of hatred against the Rohingyas by the Buddhist majority. Violence by Buddhist mobs left up to 280 people dead—most of them members of the religious minority—and chased another 140,000 from their homes. The Rohingyas now live under apartheid-like conditions in camps or in restricted villages in Arakan State. The resolution, adopted by consensus, stressed the assembly's "serious concern" about the government's treatment of the Rohingya, sending a strong message from the 193-member world body that the international community is united in wanting change in Burma's treatment of its minorities. The General Assembly urged the government to allow the Muslim minority to call itself Rohingya. It urged Burma to ensure that the Rohingyas have equal access to services such as health and education, and to address the root causes of violence and discrimination against them. It also called on the government to take measures to ensure that the Rohingya can safely return to their communities, to conduct independent investigations into rights abuses, "and to promote peaceful coexistence." While the assembly welcomed continuing positive developments in Burma toward political and economic reform, democratization, national reconciliation and promotion of human rights, it urged the government "to step up its efforts to end remaining human rights violations and abuses, including arbitrary arrest and detention, forced displacement, rape and other forms of sexual violence." The European Union-drafted, non-binding resolution also urged the Burmese government to accelerate efforts to address discrimination, "violence, hate speech, displacement and economic deprivation affecting various ethnic and religious minorities, and attacks against Muslims and other religious minorities." The resolution also addressed international concerns over next year's presidential election, saying Burma should ensure that it is "credible, inclusive and transparent," and allow "all candidates to fairly contest" the vote. There has been uncertainty over whether opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi could hold the presidency. A clause in the Constitution bars anyone whose spouse or children are loyal to foreign countries from becoming president or vice president. Suu Kyi's two sons are British citizens, as was her late husband. The post UN Urges Burma to Give Citizenship to Rohingya Muslims appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Chinese Access to Gmail Cut, Regulators Blamed Posted: 29 Dec 2014 09:10 PM PST An employee walks past the logo of Google in front of its former headquarters in Beijing, June 2, 2011. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — Chinese access to Google Inc.'s email service has been blocked amid government efforts to limit or possibly ban access to the US company's services, which are popular among Chinese seeking to avoid government monitoring. Data from Google's Transparency Report show online traffic from China to Gmail fell precipitously on Friday and dropped to nearly zero on Saturday, although there was a tiny pickup on Monday. Taj Meadows, a spokesman for Google Asia Pacific, said Google has checked its email service and "there's nothing technically wrong on our end." In a Tuesday editorial, the Chinese Communist Party-run Global Times newspaper raised the possibility, without confirmation, that the government had cut access to Gmail. "If the China side indeed blocked Gmail, the decision must have been prompted by newly emerged security reasons," the editorial read. "If that is the case, Gmail users need to accept the reality of Gmail being suspended in China. But we hope it is not the case." Earl Zmijewski, vice president of data analytics at US-based Internet analysis firm Dyn Research, said his tests showed that China's government had blocked Google IP addresses in Hong Kong used by people on the mainland to access Gmail services. Calls to the government regulator, the China Internet Information Office, were unanswered Monday. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she did not know about any blockage. US State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said in a statement that the development was troubling. "We continue to be concerned by efforts in China to undermine freedom of expression, including on the Internet, and we believe Chinese authorities' censorship of the media and of certain Web sites is incompatible with China's aspirations to build a modern information-based economy and society," he said. Google closed its mainland China search engine in 2009, saying it would no longer cooperate with the country's censors. That followed hacking attacks traced to China aimed at stealing the company's operating code and breaking into email accounts. Since then, access to Google services has been periodically limited or blocked, possibly in an effort to pressure Chinese users into abandoning Google products and shifting to services from domestic companies willing to cooperate with the government. The Global Times editorial pointed a finger at Google, saying "China welcomes the company to do business on the prerequisite that it obeys Chinese law; however, Google values more its reluctance to be restricted by Chinese law, resulting in conflict." Google products are popular among Chinese young people and activists who do not want their email communications to be monitored or intercepted by the Chinese government. Web access in China to Gmail has been blocked since June, according to Greatfire.org, a China-based advocacy group for Internet freedom, but users had been able to access the mail service through mobile apps or third-party email software such as Microsoft Outlook and Apple Mail until the current block. It was not immediately clear what prompted the complete ban at this time. The post Chinese Access to Gmail Cut, Regulators Blamed appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indonesia Expands Search for Missing AirAsia Jet, US Sends Warship Posted: 29 Dec 2014 09:05 PM PST The pilot of Navy airplane CN235 M. Naim holds a map to co-pilot Rahmad while flying over the Java Sea during joint search operations of AirAsia flight QZ8501 on Dec. 29, 2014, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. (Photo: Reuters / Antara) JAKARTA — Countries around Asia on Tuesday stepped up the search for an AirAsia plane carrying 162 people that is presumed to have crashed in shallow waters off the Indonesian coast, with Washington also sending a warship to help find the missing jet. Soelistyo, head of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, told local television the search area between the islands of Sumatra and Borneo would be expanded. Authorities would also begin scouring nearby islands as well as coastal land on Indonesia's side of Borneo. So far the focus of the search has been the Java Sea. There have been no confirmed signs of wreckage from the Airbus A320-200 operated by Indonesia AirAsia, which disappeared in poor weather on Sunday morning during a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. The missing plane, which was carrying mainly Indonesians, could be at the bottom of the sea, Soelistyo said on Monday. The Java Sea is relatively shallow, making it easier to spot wreckage in the water, say oceanographers, but strong currents and winds in the area mean any debris would be drifting up to 50 km (31 miles) a day east, away from the impact zone. "The lesson that should be learned from MH370 is that you need to move quickly," said Charitha Pattiaratchi, an oceanographer at the University of Western Australia, referring to the Malaysia Airlines flight that went missing on March 8 during a trip from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew and which has not been found. Around 30 ships and 21 aircraft from Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea would search up to 10,000 square nautical miles on Tuesday, officials said. Indonesian Air Force spokesman Hadi Tjahjanto said authorities would investigate an oil spill sighted on Monday, although a separate possible slick turned out to be a reef. Searchers had investigated several areas where possible debris had been sighted in the water but had found nothing connected to the missing plane, Tjahjanto told Reuters. Authorities would also investigate reports by local fishermen of an explosion on Sunday morning off an island in the area, Tjahjanto added, although dynamite fishing is common in Indonesian waters. The US military said the USS Sampson, a guided missile destroyer, would be on the scene later on Tuesday. "We stand ready to assist in any way possible," Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said. Could Plane Have Stalled? What happened to Flight QZ8501, which had sought permission from Indonesian air traffic control to ascend to avoid clouds, is still a mystery. Online discussions among pilots have centered on unconfirmed secondary radar data from Malaysia that suggested the aircraft was climbing at a speed of 353 knots, about 100 knots too slow in poor weather, and that it might have stalled. While searchers had picked up an emergency locator signal off the south of Borneo, no subsequent signal was found, officials said. The plane, whose engines were made by CFM International, co-owned by General Electric and Safran of France, lacked real-time engine diagnostics or monitoring, a GE spokesman said. Such systems are mainly used on long-haul flights and can provide clues to airlines and investigators when things go wrong. Officials said the sea in the general search area was only 50 to 100 (150 to 300 feet) meters deep, which would be a help in finding the plane. "The Java Sea area where they are now searching isn't even an ocean, it's more of an inland sea," Erik van Sebille, a physical oceanographer at the University of New South Wales in Sydney told Reuters. "It's so shallow that they may just be able to spot the plane," said van Sebille, noting that sunlight travels through water up to about 100 meters. Oceanographer Pattiaratchi said debris would normally be expected to float on the surface for around 18 days before sinking. Three airline disasters involving Malaysian-affiliated carriers in less than a year have dented confidence in the country's aviation industry and spooked air travelers across the region. In the third incident, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine on July 17, killing all 298 people on board. No Foul Play Seen On board Flight QZ8501 were 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans, and one person each from Singapore, Malaysia and Britain. The co-pilot was French. US law enforcement and security officials said passenger and crew lists were being closely examined but so far nothing significant had turned up and that the incident was still regarded as an unexplained accident. The plane, which did not issue a distress signal, disappeared after its pilot failed to get permission to fly higher because of heavy air traffic, officials said. Pilots and aviation experts said thunderstorms, and requests to gain altitude to avoid them, were not unusual in that area. The Indonesian pilot was experienced and the plane last underwent maintenance in mid-November, the airline said. Indonesia AirAsia is 49 percent owned by Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia. The AirAsia group, including affiliates in Thailand, the Philippines and India, had not suffered a crash since its Malaysian budget operations began in 2002. The plane's disappearance comes at a sensitive time for Jakarta's aviation authorities, as they strive to improve the country's safety reputation to match its status as one of the airline industry's fastest growing markets. The post Indonesia Expands Search for Missing AirAsia Jet, US Sends Warship appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Pakistan Court Suspends Detention of Mumbai Attack Planner Posted: 29 Dec 2014 08:26 PM PST A reporter outside Mumbai's Taj Hotel on Nov. 27, 2008, one of the locations of a series of coordinated attacks which claimed the lives of 164 people. (Photo: Arko Datta / Reuters) ISLAMABAD— A Pakistani court Monday suspended a detention order keeping the alleged planner of the Mumbai terror attacks in jail, possibly paving the way for his release, officials said. The prospect of Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi going free presents an embarrassing turn of events for the Pakistani government that has vowed to crack down hard on militancy following the Dec. 16 Taliban school attack in Peshawar that left at least 148 people dead, mostly schoolchildren. It also raises the prospect of a serious political conflict with India, which has long-accused Islamabad of being soft on its homegrown militants. Lakhvi is one of seven men on trial in Pakistan in connection with the 2008 attack in the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people. Lakhvi is still in prison, pending the posting of his bail money, and Pakistani officials could try to fight the court’s decision. An immediate condemnation by neighboring India, calling the development "extremely disturbing," underscored how contentious the issue remains. The ruling came at a hearing in the capital of Islamabad, said prosecutor Jahanagir Jadoon. Monday’s developments stemmed from a surprise Dec. 18 ruling in which the judge in a Pakistani anti-terrorism court hearing Lakhvi’s case granted him bail, saying there was not enough evidence to hold him. The government immediately ordered his detention for 30 days under a law giving them leeway to detain certain suspects. Lakhvi then appealed the detention order. Monday’s hearing in a separate court was to hear that appeal. Judge Noorul Haq Qureshi said no grounds were provided Monday to continue Lakhvi’s detention, according to Jadoon. The judge set another hearing date for Jan. 15 and said that if the Interior Ministry provides evidence to justify Lakhvi’s continued detention, he could reverse the Monday order, Jadoon said. A spokesman for the prime minister could not be reached for comment Monday, and Pakistani television reported that senior officials were meeting at the Interior Ministry to discuss the case. News of Lakhvi’s possible release puts a spotlight on Pakistan’s policies toward militancy just as it is pledging to get tough on terrorism following the Peshawar attack. "The optics are simply atrocious," said Michael Kugelman, the Woodrow Wilson Center’s senior program associate for South and Southeast Asia. "This whole incident has really indicated a level of wishy-washiness in the Pakistan judicial system … that gives the lie to the notion that the country is going to be much more strong in how it goes after militants." India has long charged that a Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out the Mumbai attack with the help of Pakistan’s intelligence agency and called on Pakistan to do more to fight militancy. Pakistan vehemently denied any connection with the attack, and indicted Lakhvi and six others in Nov. 2009. But the case has proceeded slowly. All court proceedings are closed to the media and held in a high-security prison in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. So far the court has heard 50 witnesses in the case, said a lawyer for Lakhvi, Rizwan Abbasi. India has already reacted angrily to any suggestion that Lakhvi might be released. India summoned Pakistan’s high commissioner to their Foreign Ministry Monday to voice their displeasure. "It was once again conveyed that we expect the Government of Pakistan to abide by the commitment conveyed to us, including at the highest level, that expeditious steps would be taken to bring all those responsible for the heinous acts of terrorism in Mumbai to justice," the ministry said in a statement. "It was extremely disturbing that despite the assurances we have been receiving over the last six years, and the recent tragedies in Pakistan, there seems to be no end in sight to Pakistan remaining a safe-haven for well-known terror groups." The bail announcement also puts a spotlight on Pakistan’s troubled court system, which has a shoddy record of prosecuting terrorism suspects. The system suffers from poor investigations by police, and intimidation of judges and witnesses. Anti-terrorism courts like the one trying Lakhvi were supposed to speed up trials but even they have become bogged down. In the wake of the Peshawar attack the government has taken a number of legal steps to crack down on terrorists. The prime minister lifted a moratorium on the death penalty and announced that terrorism suspects would be tried by military courts as a way to speed up such trials. The post Pakistan Court Suspends Detention of Mumbai Attack Planner appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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