Friday, January 16, 2015

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

“In some areas I have not observed progress since my last visit”: Yanghee Lee

Posted: 16 Jan 2015 05:27 AM PST

Concluding her second official visit to Burma on Friday evening, the UN's Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Burma, Yanghee Lee, urged the government to redouble efforts to improve the country's still-worrisome human rights situation.

"Based on all the information I have gathered, I feel assured that in some areas the Government is continuing to progress in its reform programme," she said. "However, in some areas I have not observed progress since my last visit… In the area of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, positive gains risk being lost. Indeed, the possible signs of backtracking I noted in my first report have gained momentum in this area."

Over the course of her ten-day trip, following up on an earlier trip to the country in July, she met with a wide cross-section of political and civil society actors, including activists, journalists, ethnic and religious leaders, and government officials. She visited Insein Prison in Rangoon, where she met with prominent activists arrested in December for protesting the Chinese-backed Latpadaung copper mine in central Burma.

She travelled to Burma's restive Arakan State, the site of resurgent communal clashes since 2012 and home to more than a million Rohingya Muslims, most of whom are denied citizenship rights and essential services, and who are subject to severe mobility restrictions. She subsequently visited Lashio, near the front lines of resurgent fighting in northern Shan State and the site of interreligious violence last year.

Her visit to Burma was met with protests from Buddhist nationalist sympathisers, who deplored her support for the rights of Burma's persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority to citizenship, mobility, and self-identification.

"Yes, I have been greeted with several protests, and I am informed that there will be another protest today, later on, waiting for me," she told journalists at Rangoon's Sedona Hotel before her departure from the country. "I would like to see this as an improvement in the ability to voice opinions and views."

Nationalists on Friday afternoon, protesting what they see as UN bias towards Rohingya people. (Photo: DVB)

Nationalists on Friday afternoon, protesting what they see as UN bias towards Rohingya people. (Photo: DVB)

On Friday morning, a group of some 500 monks and lay supporters, led by hardliners Wirathu and Parmaukkha, marched from Kyay Thon Pagoda, to the east of Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon, to Tamwe Township east of the city centre, holding placards reading "UN decisions cause problems in Burma – we don't want that!"

Among the marchers were members of the Arakan National Network, which has condemned the UN's call for Burma to grant citizenship to members of the Rohingya community who were born in the country.

In December, the UN General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution, drafted by the European Union, that called on Naypyidaw to extend citizenship rights to the Rohingya and remove the mobility restrictions placed on them. The resolution also urged investigation into rights abuses in Arakan State, equal access to essential services, and conciliation between Buddhist and Muslim communities in the region.

"Fundamental rights are not hierarchical – they aren't conditional upon one another. They're inalienable. You can be assured that in all my meetings with government interlocutors, I use the word 'Rohingya'. The rights of Rohingya people must be protected, promoted and upheld," Lee said.

Echoing the sentiments of other high-level UN envoys to Burma over the past year – including UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon and his deputy, Haoliang Xu – Lee claimed that an undue focus on terminology has stalled progress on fundamental issues relating to humanitarian access and the acquisition of citizenship.

"There's many complexities involved in this, and I'm bringing to the public's attention that the fixation on the word has paralysed any forward movement," she said. "That does not mean negating one word or the other, because it is a fundamental right for people to self-identify."

While she praised some recent developments in Arakan, including the resumption of front-line health care by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in December, she claimed the situation in the troubled state "remains at crisis stage," and that humanitarian access is "still minimal and high risk."

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She also noted that, while some of the inhabitants of Myebon Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp were granted citizenship through the government's pilot "citizenship verification" programme, their living standards have not improved as they remain subject to onerous mobility restrictions.

"They remain inside the camp with minimum food rations, limited access to health care and to other essential services," she said. "The despair that I saw in the eyes of the people in the Myebon IDP camp was heartbreaking."

Although she was promised access to the latest draft of the government's "action plan" for Arakan – a leaked earlier draft of which stirred outrage, as it called for the deportation en masse of those failing to acquire citizenship through the verification process – she claims it "has not yet been delivered" to her.

"I stress that international human rights norms must be at the centre of a solution in the Rakhine [Arakan] State," she said. "Collective punishment of the entire Muslim population of the Rakhine State for the deeds of a limited number of perpetrators from the violence in 2012 is not the answer."

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DVB Bulletin: 16 January 2015

Posted: 16 Jan 2015 04:28 AM PST

On tonight's bulletin:

  • Over 1000 displaced as Kachin fighting continues
  • US rights delegation offers findings
  • Yanghee Lee’s visit to Burma ends with protest
  • Mandalay purists fight to save traditional martial art form

You can watch DVB Bulletin every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

The post DVB Bulletin: 16 January 2015 appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Will a ceasefire be signed on Union Day?

Posted: 16 Jan 2015 03:56 AM PST

It's not easy to point to any one particular meeting or issue which could be identified as the "breakthrough" during the series of talks, meetings and negotiations that have taken place over the past year. Progress has been sluggish, characterised by mistrust between the government and the ethnic groups on either side of the table. In the meantime, hostilities on the ground only intensified in Kachin and northern Shan states.

Proposals for a framework to implement political dialogue have been labourious, with ethnic leaders insistent that dialogue be agreed ahead of a nationwide ceasefire accord and the government keen to put pens to paper first – then worry about the nuts and bolts later.

Simmering at the bottom of this cauldron was the age-old rallying cry for a federal union, a recognition of semi-autonomy that the Karens, Shans, Kachins and other ethnic groups felt they had been cheated out of back in 1948.

But on 1 December, in his monthly radio address to the nation, Burma's President Thein Sein announced that a firm political agreement had been reached with ethnic armed groups to establish a federal union in the country.

Then on 5 January, following Independence Day talks between representatives of 12 ethnic armed groups and President Thein Sein and Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw, word emerged that Thein Sein had assured the delegation of his intention to facilitate a nationwide ceasefire agreement before the end of his term and expressed a wish to sign one by 12 February, the country's Union Day, commemorating the founding of the Union of Burma in 1947.

But how close are both sides to an agreement? Several crucial issues are yet to be resolved. In addition, the Kachin Independence Organisation and its allies appear further than ever from a truce.

DVB asked several political players their opinions on the prospect for a Union Day ceasefire. We asked them how probable they believed a peace deal would be.

Here are the answers from some of the respondents.

But DVB also wants to hear from you, the readers. What do you think of the likelihood of an imminent nationwide ceasefire? VOTE in our online poll below.

 

Khun Okkar, Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT)

"The military commander-in-chief has told us that the army follows the command of the president. However, it is necessary to stop fighting ahead of the nationwide ceasefire signing rather than after, to show a genuine commitment to ending the hostility. Only then there will be an environment that will allow a ceasefire. No matter how much we agree on the ceasefire text, it will be challenging to implement it without the right circumstances. We cannot foretell whether it will actually happen on the Union Day or not but, if we can agree on two basic conditions, there is a possibility."

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Manam Tuja, Kachin State Democracy Party

"There is a slim chance that the ceasefire agreement will be signed on Union Day. We have said that it would be ideal to include all ethnic armed groups in the nationwide ceasefire accord – leaving just one behind would mean the problems are not completely resolved. Whether the signing happens will also depend on the success of the upcoming talks between the Union Peace-Making Work Committee (UPWC) and ethnic armed groups. But I see that [the ceasefire agreement] is not likely not happen on Union Day, but not only just because of clashes. There are other issues at play."

Hla Maung Shwe, Myanmar Peace Centre

"After an announcement that the NCCT and the UPWC, led by Aung Min, would hold a meeting in January 2015, we are anticipating an NCCT meeting, currently set for the 19 and 20 of this month – this is fairly close to Union Day. We have also received reports about fighting in Kachin State's Hpakant. We hope that the hostility will end without escalation, but we need to wait and how it will play out in real life."

Khin Maung Swe, National Democratic Force

"In my opinion, the conflict may continue as the ceasefire cannot yet be signed. There will be demarcation disputes and territorial expansion, as well as competition to control lucrative business routes, while illegal logging operations by the Chinese continue too. I think clashes will be inevitable until the nationwide ceasefire agreement is signed, so I believe the government will try to make the ceasefire happen."

Mya Aye, 88 Generation Peace and Open Society

"Honestly, I feel discouraged when the news of the fighting broke. Previously, I thought there was about 75 percent chance of the ceasefire signing taking place on Union Day but now I would say its 50-50. One thing to consider is that, although there is fighting on the ground, there is a chance that fighting will be reduced if leaders from both sides can grow stronger on policy issues. If there are positive outcomes in the seventh round of talks between the NCCT and the UPWC planned ahead of the union day, it's possible that the ceasefire could be signed on Union Day."

But DVB also wants to hear from you, the readers. What do you think of the likelihood of an imminent nationwide ceasefire?

Have your say in our poll and discuss the issue in the comments section below.

The post Will a ceasefire be signed on Union Day? appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Using religion to divide people is ‘playing with fire’: US official

Posted: 16 Jan 2015 02:35 AM PST

A delegation led by US Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski concluded a six-day trip to Burma on Friday, urging Naypyidaw to address concerns about the depth and pace of political reforms.

"At the forefront of this dialogue is whether the [Burmese] government can maintain trust that the reform process is moving forward," Malinowski said at a press conference in the US Embassy in Rangoon. "How can it earn the trust of its own people, first and foremost?"

The delegation – which included Ambassador Derek Mitchell and senior officials from the Departments of Defense, State, and USAID – met with civil society groups in Rangoon and Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, before taking part in a "bilateral human rights dialogue" with governmental officials in Naypyidaw, the first such meeting to be held since 2012.

Although Malinowski deemed the delegation's interactions with its Burmese counterparts to be "extremely constructive and productive", his assessment of the country's overall human rights situation and reform process was decidedly less rosy.

Malinowski expressed particularly strong concern about the religious demagoguery that has engulfed Burma over the past few years, claiming that the use of religion to "divide people" was "extremely dangerous", particularly in the run-up to nationwide polls scheduled to occur later this year.

"This is really playing with fire, and is exposing the country to dangers that it is not prepared to handle," he said.

The delegation discussed a package of four controversial laws pending approval by parliament that would place limits on religious conversion and interfaith marriage with the government and civil society leaders. The delegation also urged the government to end indefinite detention of stateless people – primarily Rohingyas – in Arakan State and quickly establish "non-discriminatory” pathways that would allow them to obtain citizenship.

"The question, we suggested, in assessing citizenship, should not be, 'What is your race?' it should not be 'What is your color?' [or] 'What is your religion?' It should be, 'What are you prepared to do to help build this country?'" he said. "That is the way to build what everybody in Myanmar says is their goal: national unity and national peace."

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On Thursday, two days after the delegation's departure from Kachin State, fighting erupted in the jade-mining centre of Hpakant, displacing more than 1,000 civilians. To Malinowski, this latest round of hostilities exemplifies the mistrust that has stalled Burma's peace process. "It reinforces the imperative of bringing this conflict to an end through a ceasefire and political dialogue, something we have been encouraging for some time," he said.

High on the delegation's agenda was addressing Naypyidaw's limitation of humanitarian access in conflict-affected regions of the country, particularly in areas of Kachin and northern Shan States controlled by ethnic armed groups. He claimed the government explicitly committed to fulfilling its obligations to protect civilians under the Geneva Conventions, but maintained that it "need[s] to ensure that that principle is reflected in practice," also calling on the military to submit to civilian oversight.

"Whoever you blame for this conflict, whatever your interpretation for why this is happening, IDPs [internal refugees] should not be punished," he said.

He also urged the government to speed up the release of prisoners of conscience and address pervasive land issues affecting vast swathes of the country. He singled out repressive laws that place limits on public protest, noting that they are not in line with international standards. "In our view, it is not in Myanmar's interest – it is not in any country's interest – to be known as a country that imprisons people solely for engaging in peaceful protest," he said.

Malinowski assumed his current position in April 2014, after 13 years as the Washington director of Human Rights Watch. In June last year, he led another delegation of senior US Treasury, Defense and State Department officials to Burma, which focused on peace and reconciliation in southern Burma and the sanctions regime on targeted individuals maintained by the United States.

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Business weekly 16 January 2015

Posted: 16 Jan 2015 01:42 AM PST

Ups and downs

The Burmese kyat exchange rate on Friday was at 1,029 kyat to US$1. It was 1,198 kyat to 1 Euro, and 32 kyat to 1 Thai baht. The price of gold rose slightly over the past week to 677,000 kyat per tical.

Gearing up for Burma's new stock exchange

Applications for licenses to practice on the Yangon [Rangoon] Stock Exchange (YEX), set to open in October 2015, have been given the go-ahead by the Burmese Securities and Exchange Commission (SECM) by Maung Maung Thein, Deputy Minister for Finance and Revenue and SECM Chairman. Underwriting, dealing, brokerage and consultancy businesses will be able to apply for the licenses, with certification costs ranging from 7 billion kyat (US$ 7 million) to 30 billion kyat, depending on the type of business.

Read the DVB story here.

Animal parts seized

Illegal wildlife parts – including animal horns, claws, teeth, bones, and the skins of leopards and tigers – were seized by the Burmese police force in Muse on Saturday.

Authorities searched the house of a 53-year old man in the town on the China-Burma border after receiving a tip off, according to Global New Light of Myanmar. The action was taken by police officers and officials from the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry. The trade in wildlife parts has risen significantly in recent years.

Government plans retirement benefits

Retirees from government and private companies will be able to benefit from free education, health care services and insurance, social security and legal assistance under the Myanmar Provident Fund, according to President's Office Minister Hla Tun. Ministers and officials from groups including the Central Bank of Myanmar, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Construction took part in discussions, where the need to care for service personnel and private companies' staff was highlighted, state media reported. 

Timber exports cut at the roots

 The export of raw timber products from Burma has dropped by nearly US$500 million since a ban came into force last April. The Ministry of Commerce says that figure accounts for 92 percent of the trade. Under the timber ban, the export of unprocessed timber is banned, but processed wooden products are still allowed. However the black market trade appears to continue. Burma's military announced last week that nearly 150 suspected timber smugglers had been arrested on the Chinese border.

Source: Myanmar Business Today

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OECD issue report on Burma

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a forum of 34 countries which aims to address globalisation issues, released a new report on Burma on Wednesday, part of the group's ongoing Multi-dimensional Review of Myanmar [Myanmar] project. Of the latest economic investigation, it says that "overall, the report finds that the need for reform is immense." A number of recommendations for essential progress were made. There were calls to make a structural transformation towards a more manufacturing and service-based economy, filling the skills gap and financing development.

Read the DVB story here.

Price of beans and pulses set to rise

Official sources have said that an increase in the price of Burmese beans and pulses is likely, attributing the rise to the ascending value of the US dollar. Citing the annual production of 1.2 million tons of beans and pulses, an article in the Global Light of Myanmar quotes a bean exporter as saying that the higher demand for the products in foreign markets where harvests have been affected by floods and heavy rains is also pushing up the price.

India imports 5,000 tonnes of Burmese rice

Five thousand tonnes of rice will be exported from Burma to the state of Manipur, India, next month, chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh has been quoted in Indian state media as saying. Indian Railways works in Assam have affected the availability of rice in the region, he added.

Business books in Indiana-Rangoon partnership

Almost 2,000 books, focusing on business and economics and including teaching manuals, are being donated from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business to Rangoon University, AP has reported. The donations will include many books donated from faculty members’ extensive personal libraries, programme manager Jonathan Crum has said. The partnership is part of a three-year Global Development Alliance project between the universities.

The post Business weekly 16 January 2015 appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Four injured in Hpakant grenade attack

Posted: 16 Jan 2015 12:53 AM PST

Four people were injured in a grenade attack on the police station in the village of Lawng Hkang in Kachin State's Hpakant Township on Thursday evening.

Lawng Hkang police station chief Tin Ko Ko told DVB that four people, all family members of police officers, were injured when unknown assailants on a motorbike hurled a hand grenade into the station's compound.

"The incident took place around 6pm. The grenade landed right in front of the police station and four family members of policemen – two male and two female –sustained shrapnel injuries on their head, stomach and groin," said the police station chief.

"One of the female victims suffered serious injuries and was taken to the hospital in Hpakant."

He said the assailants could not be identified due to the busy traffic on the road at the time of the attack. "Police have now stepped up security in the village," he added.

The police station in Lawng Hkang [also spelt Lonkhin] is relatively small, with only three police officers and 20 privates.

The attack took place amid fierce fighting in the area between Burmese government forces and the Kachin Independence Army.

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Gunfire broke out around the Uru Creek, about 10 miles southeast of Lawng Hkang, on Thursday morning and fighting was continuing as of Friday morning, said Tin Soe, a National League for Democracy member in Hpakant.

Residents from nearby villages, including Lawng Hkang, Aungbarlay, Kansee, Bawsadee and Tagaung, as well as workers in the Hpakant jade mines, have fled their homes to shelter in a Buddhist monastery and a Catholic church outside the range of hostilities.

Sargi, a member of the Kachin Social Development Network civil society group, said that around 700 villagers, including more than 200 students and 20 teachers, are trapped inside the village of Tangun.

"Charity groups and religious leaders in Hpakant on Thursday tried to go to Tangun village to provide necessary help to the stranded villagers but the roads were blocked – the army has blocked access between the village and the town," said Sargi.

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Karenni State Day held amid controversy

Posted: 15 Jan 2015 10:22 PM PST

The 63rd Karenni State Day, also known as Kayah Day, is being celebrated in the regional capital Loikaw.

Karenni State Day falls annually on 15 January. This year's celebrations began on 10 January at Loikaw's Kantarawaddy Park and are expected to last until the 16th, with festivities including displays of traditional dress, dance performances, rice pounding, sports and tournaments of lethwei, a traditional martial art.

A journalist from the area told DVB that many shops selling the traditional rice liquor khao yae are crowded with revellers.

On Thursday, regional government leaders, parliamentarians and representatives from ethnic armed groups and political parties attended an event for the celebrations. The eastern Burmese state is one of the least developed regions in the country and has seen much armed conflict.

In a message marking the occasion, President Thein Sein said, "There are rays of peace in the Kayah State nowadays, and prospective opportunities for development. Moreover, foundations for tranquillity and regional progress have been laid."

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However, Dr Khin Sithu, a community leader in Loikaw, said that peace is yet to prevail in the region, and that it is dependent on the amendment of the 2008 Constitution.

"Even though there is some electricity here, we only receive a tiny fraction of the output from the Lawpita hydropower dam. We cannot call this development," he said.

The Karenni State formerly fell within Karen State under the 1947 Constitution but was renamed as Kayah State under a charter amendment in 1951.

The Karenni State Day was first celebrated on 15 January, 1952.

Khu Oo Reh, deputy-chairperson of the armed group Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), said the Karenni people did not consent to the renaming of the state.

"We consider that there may be a political motive behind the name change, so we do not officially recognise the observation of Karenni State Day on 15 January, the date when the amendment was made," he said.

There are also criticisms that the term "Kayah" is representative of only one of many ethnic groups in the region.

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Questioning this year’s Manau Festival

Posted: 15 Jan 2015 08:06 PM PST

The controversy over the Manau, or traditional communal dancing, featuring at this year's Kachin State Day celebrations had been brewing ever since the State government announced in August last year that it was bringing back the Manau after an absence of three war-torn years.

The Kachin public opposed the plan as they felt it was inappropriate to dance the celebratory Manau in the midst of an ongoing war, while thousands of IDPs continue to languish in camps in deplorable conditions, with no end in sight for their return home and resumption of normal lives.

Given prevailing conditions, Kachins question the validity of the Kachin State Day Manau as it does not fall into any of the major categories of a Manau. The "Sut" celebrates wealth and success, with Manau-goers enjoying the largesse of a rich sponsor. The "Ninghtan" is danced in preparation for war, and the "Padang" to celebrate victory in war. The "Kumran" is to bid farewell to friends and family who are leaving for greener pastures, the "Ju" held at the funeral of a chieftain or family patriarch/matriarch, is to say prayers for the health and well-being of the remaining family of the departed, and the "Htingram" or reconciliation Manau, aims at healing rifts between clans or family members.

Things came to a head when the state chief minister, evidently with prodding from the Central, chose to forge ahead with plans for the State Day Manau, ignoring public opinion, specifically a petition with 10,000 signatures to reconsider the Manau issue.

The Kachin public was in uproar with calls to boycott the Manau. The Kachin Culture and Literature Central Committee, which traditionally heads Manau celebrations, closed its office in the Manau grounds in protest.

A new state-backed Manau committee was formed, and government officials took over the reins of managing all other aspects of the celebration. This led many to label it a "government sponsored" Manau. Many a Kachin lamented: "It is not the kind of Manau that we knew and used to participate with joy".

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When the Manau opened on 5 January, despite attempts to fill the grounds through coercion and bribes (as high as 10,000 kyat (US$10) a day for those who came in full costume), there was only a smattering of Manau-goers – mostly civil servants and government supporters, greedy Kachin tycoons looking to snag more business concessions, faint-hearted Kachins who fear government reprisals, and empty-stomached Kachins who could do with the promised reward.

This was in stark contrast to previous Manaus when throngs of Kachins dressed to the nines in colorful tribal costumes filled the grounds to capacity. They would snake around the decorated Manau poles in dance, swaying to the beat of gongs and drums, the men brandishing silver swords and the women waving fans or kerchiefs. The dancing and revelry would go on for several days.

The real reason for holding this year's State Day Manau became mightily clear when President Thein Sein made a "surprise" visit to the Manau Compound on 10 January, accompanied by Minister Soe Thein, Parliament Member Thein Zaw, the Northern Regional Commander, and other high-ranking government officials.

The President in his State Day speech, made much of "progress" made towards the signing of a nationwide ceasefire accord, ignoring facts on the ground that even as he spoke, Burmese army troops were attacking Kachin Independence Army (KIA) positions in Kachin, as well as those of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) in northern Shan State.

Clearly, the Manau had been staged at the insistence of the central government. This left most Kachins with the bitter feeling that the most sacred of their cultural traditions had been usurped, appropriated, by a government dominated by the majority Bamar ethnic group, who had shown little understanding or appreciation of Kachin history and culture. An unwilling minority people had once again been made to dance to the tune of a dominant ethnic majority group.

The President, decked out in Kachin costume, was perhaps hoping to use the Manau as an auspicious backdrop to launch his political campaign in this election year. But one cannot help but wonder how he would react if some unknowing person, possibly a foreigner, seeing him in costume asked if he were Kachin. Would he react in the same way as the ethnic Bamar girl (one among an all-Bamar cast of young women dressed in ethnic minority costumes to welcome delegates to the 25th ASEAN summit in Naypyidaw in November 2014), dressed in a long brass neck coil distinctive to the Kayan Padaung ethnic group, appeared quite miffed at being mistaken for a real Kayan Padaung.

 

This article was originally published in Kachinland News on 15 January 2015.

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