The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Supreme Court to Hear Convicted Ex-Minister’s Corruption Appeal
- President Seeks Expanded UEC to Add Ethnic Voices
- Govt Accepts 45 Journalists for ‘President’s Press Corps’
- Sangha Prohibits Prominent Monk From Public Speech
- Taiwanese Man Gets 4 Months, Hard Labor for Illegal Firearm
- Myanmar Times Cartoon Prompts Swift Apology to Military
- President Attends Ceremony Where Govt, Rebels Signal Support for Draft Nationwide Ceasefire
- Nancy Pelosi to Lead US Delegation in Burma
- Former Political Prisoner Facing Charges over Letpadan Protest
- The Lady’s Predicament
- Singapore Teen Faces Charges for Insulting Lee Kuan Yew, Christians
- Blogger Hacked to Death in Bangladeshi Capital
- With Lee’s Passing, Mahathir Is Last of SE Asia’s Old Guards
- Electoral Education Underway as Batch of Voter Lists Is Released
| Supreme Court to Hear Convicted Ex-Minister’s Corruption Appeal Posted: 31 Mar 2015 04:22 AM PDT  Former Religious Affairs Minister Hsan Hsint attempts to speak to reporters during a court appearance last year. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's Supreme Court will hear the appeal of former Religious Affairs Minister Hsan Hsint, who was jailed last October for misappropriation of public finances and sedition. Presently serving out his sentence at Toungoo Prison, Hsan Hsint was sentenced to 13 years in prison by Naypyidaw's Detkhinathiri District Court for embezzling 7.2 million kyats (US$7000) and breaching Article 124(a) of the Penal Code, which prohibits "attempts to bring hatred or contempt … or disaffection toward [the government]." An appeal to the Mandalay Division Court was rejected in December. The former minister's appeal to the Supreme Court in Naypyidaw, filed in February, will be heard in April. "We pointed out the mistakes in the verdicts for both charges as [the lower level court] referred to the wrong laws in deciding its verdict," Hsan Myint, the brother of Hsan Hsint who has also acted as the ex-minister's defense counsel, told The Irrawaddy. "The Supreme Court has accepted the appeal and will announce the date for the hearing. It will be some time in April." Hsan Myint said his brother was legally entitled to use the disputed public funds, quoting regulations issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs which entitled the responsible minister to spend up to 150 million kyats ($145,000) per month for "donations and presentations". "The minister, under this title, can donate for religious purposes, for monks and nuns and for pagodas. Under this law, U Hsan Hsint did not use a scrap of state funds for his own personal benefit. The verdict of lower level court is wrong," he said. Hsan Hsint's conviction on sedition charges, accounting for 10 years of his total sentence, was decided on allegations he prompted a local weekly to report the absence of President Thein Sein and other senior cabinet figures from the fifth All Order Meeting of the Sangha. The court found that the ex-minister had misused the journal to promote discord between religious leaders and the government in the case of a land ownership dispute between the state-backed clergy and the Maha Thanti Thukha Monastery in Rangoon. The former minister is reported to be in good health and is permitted to see his family every 15 days. The post Supreme Court to Hear Convicted Ex-Minister's Corruption Appeal appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| President Seeks Expanded UEC to Add Ethnic Voices Posted: 31 Mar 2015 04:15 AM PDT  Members of the Union Election Commission meet with media representatives and free speech advocates on Feb. 24 in Naypyidaw. (Photo: Union Election Commission) RANGOON — President Thein Sein has sent a letter to Parliament requesting that lawmakers appoint eight new ethnic minority members to the Union Election Commission (UEC), which will oversee Burma's much-anticipated national elections in November. Khin Maung Swe, chairman of the National Democratic Force (NDF) party, told The Irrawaddy that the president indicated in the letter sent Monday that he wanted to double the size of the UEC to 16 members, from its current eight-person roster. "The president directly sent the names of eight ethnic members who he wants to appoint to the current UEC and lawmakers who oppose [the proposed candidates] are requested to submit their [alternative] names by April 2," he said. "It is good for ethnic political parties, generally, to add eight ethnic members to the commission. But we don't know about their backgrounds: where they are from, what they did and whether they are connected with any party," he said. The eight ethnic nominees, according to the NDF leader, are N Zaw Naw, Kham Win, Ba Hlaing, Har Kee, Maung Maung Kyi, Nong Taung, Tun Thein and San Win. Among the prospective new UEC members are voices from some of Burma's largest ethnic minority groups, including Shan, Kachin and Karen representatives. If approved by Parliament, the presidentially initiated expansion of the UEC would bring a reform of the elections body that has been long-sought by ethnic political parties. They have argued that the absence of minority voices on the commission might imperil prospects for free and fair elections later this year, in a country with a population thought to be about 40 percent comprised of more than 100 ethnic minority groups. Zo Zam, the chairman of the Chin National Party (CNP), said his party had been appealing to both the president and the UEC to add ethnic minority representatives to a UEC that, in its current form, is dominated by members of Burma's majority ethnic Bamar. "There are over 40 ethnic political parties in our country and if the UEC—which will supervise the countrywide elections—doesn't include ethnic members, I don't think it can fully ensure that it will hold fair elections. So, I have made the demand," he said. Zo Zam said he welcomed the president's proposal to appoint members of ethnic minorities to the UEC but would wait and see whether the new members would serve as fair arbiters of the electoral process. Among the current UEC members, five members were also included in the commission's previous iteration. That body organized Burma's last general elections in 2010, which were widely criticized amid widespread reports of voting irregularities and fraudulent balloting. Two of the newly nominated ethnic UEC members, N Zaw Naw and Saw Ba Hlaing, served on the former UEC. That body was comprised of 17 members including chairman Thein Soe, who was replaced by current elections chief Tin Aye in 2011. Additional reporting by The Irrawaddy's Wei Yan Aung. The post President Seeks Expanded UEC to Add Ethnic Voices appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Govt Accepts 45 Journalists for ‘President’s Press Corps’ Posted: 31 Mar 2015 04:09 AM PDT  Burmese President Thein Sein (left) speaks during a quarterly meeting of senior government officials in Naypyidaw. (Photo: President's Office website) RANGOON — Burma's Ministry of Information has accepted 45 journalists into a so-called press corps that will be granted access to the Presidential Palace and public events involving the president and other cabinet members. Kyaw Swar Min, secretary 2 of the Myanmar Journalist Association and correspondent for Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, said he attended a meeting with the ministry on Tuesday where he was informed by officials that they had selected 45 journalists for the corps. "They said we can't change the press card with others [journalists] and it will only be granted for President U Thein Sein's turn in office," he said. Information Ministry director general Ye Tint said eight applicants for joining the corps are still being reviewed and are being asked to redo their application, while one local journalist was rejected as he was involved in a court case. "After they redo their application form, they [the President's Office] will approve them soon," he said of the eight pending applications. The corps members will be allowed to attend daily press briefings at the President's Office and Presidential Palace between 10 am and noon, during which presidential spokesmen and cabinet members will address the media. Kyaw Swar Min said the corps members had been informed by Special Branch about the security arrangements, adding that the daily press briefings would start per April 1. In remains to be seen how much media access will improve with the creation of the press corps. Gaining media access to the government and the secretive and powerful Burma Army has been difficult in recent years, despite the introduction of wide-ranging reforms by the Thein Sein administration. The reforms have greatly increased press freedom compared to the junta-era, yet members of the media still run the risk of running afoul of authorities. At least 20 journalists have been arrested in Burma since 2013, among them one who was killed in the custody of the Burma Army. Twelve media workers are currently serving prison sentences, some for up to seven years with hard labor for violating a colonial-era secrecy law that critics call antiquated, vague and susceptible to abuse by authorities. The post Govt Accepts 45 Journalists for 'President's Press Corps' appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Sangha Prohibits Prominent Monk From Public Speech Posted: 31 Mar 2015 04:00 AM PDT  Buddhist abbot Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw has been banned from giving public sermons. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A prominent Buddhist abbot has reportedly been banned indefinitely from giving public sermons by the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, also called the Mahana, Burma's highest religious authority. A letter bearing the Mahana's official insignia and signed by one of its members circulated on social media announcing that Ashin Pyinna Thiha, commonly referred to as Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw, is no longer authorized to give public religious talks because he "is not acting as Dhamma teacher." Labeling the monk, who is the abbot of the Shwe Nya Wah Monastery in Rangoon's Hmawbi Township, as "disobedient", the letter urged state and divisional governments to enforce the ban as local Sangha committee members recommend. One of his disciples told The Irrawaddy that the monastery has not been directly informed of the ban from the Mahana but that the abbot is aware of the new restrictions and has been subject to similar prohibitions in the past. The announcement followed a recent complaint by Rangoon Division Sangha members that the abbot was delivering sermons unrelated to Buddhism. Ashin Pyinna Thiha is widely known as an outspoken monk who often speaks publicly about politics and is close with Burma's leading opposition party, the National League for democracy (NLD). The abbot has provided material assistance to student demonstrators, and some of his recent Dhamma talks have openly criticized a recent crackdown on the movement in central Burma that resulted in many injuries and more than 100 arrests. He has also provided assistance to several monks who were injured by police later found to have used white phosphorous against demonstrators in Letpadaung in 2012. The 47-member Mahana has banned him from giving public sermons in the past. In February 2011, he was banned from public speaking for one year shortly after meeting with then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He said at the time that he did not know if the ban was related to their meeting, but that the council had increased pressure on him since. He has also been denied permission to give Dhamma talks in some areas by divisional religious affairs departments. A talk scheduled for Nyaung Zin village in Dawei's Tayatchaung in February was cancelled on those grounds. The abbot enjoys a broad support base among the rural population, poor laborers and students, and is known for his long-standing sympathies toward Burma's political opposition. He recently told Radio Free Asia that he felt he was being targeted by the Mahana, which is government-appointed and strongly supportive of other Buddhist figures that have the backing of the government. The post Sangha Prohibits Prominent Monk From Public Speech appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Taiwanese Man Gets 4 Months, Hard Labor for Illegal Firearm Posted: 31 Mar 2015 01:20 AM PDT  Chen Chih Wei, a Taiwanese national, will serve out his four-month sentence at Pathein Prison, pictured, in Irrawaddy Division. PATHEIN, Irrawaddy Division — An Irrawaddy Division court last week sentenced a Taiwanese man to four months in prison with hard labor for carrying an unlicensed firearm aboard a boat in the delta region. Naval personnel from Panawaddy Naval Region based on Ngapudaw Township's Haigyi Island on Feb. 5 stopped a fishing vessel owned by a local company called Shwe Nan Win for fishing beyond permissible maritime boundaries. Authorities' search of the vessel turned up a 12-gauge shotgun and three bullets owned by Taiwanese national Chen Chih Wei. The suspect was transported to Haigyi Island police station, where he was charged with carrying an unlicensed firearm, a crime for which the Ngapudaw Township Court found him guilty on Thursday of last week. The Taiwanese man was transferred to Pathein Prison on Saturday. Police officer Aung Naing Moe, a spokesman for the office of the Irrawaddy Division chief of police, told The Irrawaddy: "The gun was kept on the vessel. It is hard to say for what purpose it was kept. We charged him because it is unlicensed." When the naval personnel searched the vessel, called Jin Yeu Shuenn, there were eight Taiwanese men on board, all of whom held valid visas for Burma. Police charged Chin Chih Wei, the owner of the gun, and turned the seven other Taiwanese men over to the local Fisheries Department. Kyaw Myint Kyaw, deputy chief of Irrawaddy Division's Fisheries Department, said the seven other men were released after they were found in full compliance with the law. The post Taiwanese Man Gets 4 Months, Hard Labor for Illegal Firearm appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Myanmar Times Cartoon Prompts Swift Apology to Military Posted: 31 Mar 2015 01:13 AM PDT  The Myanmar Times has apologized for publishing this cartoon, carried in the latest Burmese language edition of the newspaper. (Photo: Facebook) RANGOON — Local private newspaper The Myanmar Times apologized on Monday for a cartoon published in its Burmese-language weekly that drew a link between Burma's armed forces and forced evictions of farmers. The offending cartoon, drawn by artist Htoo Chit and published in the Mar. 25 edition, features a husband and wife discussing the ongoing conflict in Laukkai between the military and ethnic Kokang insurgents. The husband relays that the army had taken the hills, to which the wife replies "aren't they satisfied with taking the farms?" "This cartoon was inappropriate and not in good taste," wrote the paper's CEO, Tony Child, on the Myanmar Times website. "It characterized the contribution of the brave soldiers and families of the Tatmadaw in a poor light. No offence was intended". The military discussed the cartoon with the Interim Press Council, and a public statement by a body presenting itself as the Armed Forces Accurate Information Team said that the cartoon insulted the dignity of the armed forces, whose members had given their lives to fight for stability, peace and the rule of law in Burma. The Irrawaddy has been unable to locate any prior reference to the Armed Forces Accurate Information Team or its functions. Thiha Saw, the editorial director of the Myanmar Times, said it was the first time a body by that name had released a public statement. The Myanmar Times has pledged to take disciplinary action against those involved. The incident marks the second time in a year that the newspaper, which recently relaunched its English edition as a daily publication, has fallen afoul of authorities. In March last year a confidential memo from former Editor in Chief Ross Dunkley, subsequently leaked and published by Foreign Policy, instructed staff to refrain from running any stories about the country's Rohingya population without his prior approval, citing "a considerable amount of pressure from different quarters". The post Myanmar Times Cartoon Prompts Swift Apology to Military appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| President Attends Ceremony Where Govt, Rebels Signal Support for Draft Nationwide Ceasefire Posted: 31 Mar 2015 12:48 AM PDT Click to view slideshow. RANGOON — In a ceremony overseen by President Thein Sein on Tuesday morning, government negotiators, Burma Army commanders, ruling party lawmakers and ethnic armed group representatives signaled their support for a draft nationwide ceasefire, which if endorsed and signed could bring an end to Burma's decades-old ethnic conflict. In recent days, Minister Aung Min's Union Peacemaking Working Committee met with the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Committee (NCCT), which represents an alliance of 16 ethnic groups, and the sides were able to iron out remaining differences on the content of a single text for a nationwide ceasefire accord that included more than 100 points. On Monday evening, the sides announced they agreed in principle on the text and on Tuesday morning Thein Sein observed a ceremony at the Myanmar Peace Center in Rangoon, during which NCCT leaders Nai Hong Sar, Kwar Htoo Win, Gen. Gun Maw, Khun Okkar, and Lian H. Sokhong signed a document expressing support for the draft ceasefire text. The members of Aung Min's Union Peacemaking Working Committee, which includes the army's Lt-Gen. Myint Soe and Lt-Gen. Thet Naing Win, and Union Solidarity and Development Party lawmakers Thein Zaw and Khet Thein Than, also signed the document supporting the draft ceasefire. A copy of the draft ceasefire text was not immediately available on Tuesday morning. Difficult political issues—such as disarmament of rebels, creation of a federal army and issues relating to federal autonomy—which proved sticking points in previous negotiation rounds have been left out of the draft text. These will now have to be addressed in a political dialogue that is supposed to follow the signing of a nationwide accord. The ethnic armed groups in the NCCT will now hold a conference in the Karen State capital Hpa-an to discuss the nationwide ceasefire text and endorse it before the signing of the agreement by the various groups can take place. "After signing the NCA [nationwide ceasefire accord], our country will open the door for a political dialogue. There will be some difficulties along the road of having political dialogue, but we will continue to do it. This will be a new historical era for Myanmar," Thein Sein said at the ceremony. Nationwide ceasefire talks first began in mid-2013 and appeared to be progressing well until in September last year, the talks hit a deadlock as key differences could not be bridged. Since then, heavy fighting has become increasingly frequent between government forces and Kachin and Palaung fighters. In mid-February, a full-scale conflict erupted in northern Shan State between the Kokang rebels and the Burma Army, displacing tens of thousands of civilians and leaving dozens of soldiers and rebels dead. The Kokang rebels are members of the NCCT, but the government refuses to recognize the group, along with several other NCCT groups, as potential signatories to a nationwide ceasefire. The post President Attends Ceremony Where Govt, Rebels Signal Support for Draft Nationwide Ceasefire appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Nancy Pelosi to Lead US Delegation in Burma Posted: 31 Mar 2015 12:26 AM PDT  US House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington, February 27, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — A delegation of US officials led by Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader of the US House of Representatives, will arrive in Burma on Wednesday for high-level meetings in Naypyidaw and Rangoon. "Our delegation will discuss ways we can strengthen security cooperation; advance human rights with an emphasis on women, workers and religious minorities; and increase fair trade," Leader Pelosi said in a statement. The Democratic leader is accompanied by members of Congress Charlie Rangel, Sander Levin, Anna Eshoo, Zoe Lofgren, Mike Thompson, Doris Matsui, Mike Fitzpatrick, Dan Kildee and Mark Takai. The delegation's tour also includes stops in Cambodia, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. "We arrive at an important moment for the United States' relationship with these countries, and find ourselves presented with fresh opportunities and familiar challenges in the region," the statement read. The visit will also focus on "gaining further understanding of how the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement that is currently being negotiated will impact the region's markets and economies." The TPP, a proposed regional investment treaty that has become the subject of some controversy, is a cornerstone of the Obama administration's so-called pivot to Asia. This week's visit follows an elite development conference held in Washington, DC, focused on US-Japan cooperation in Burma's development, attended by US Ambassador to Burma Derek Mitchell, officials from the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, expert advisors and a representative of the Myanmar Peace Center. The United States has rapidly stepped up relations with Burma since the former pariah state initiated political reforms in 2011. Since that time, an ambassador was appointed for the first time in decades, long-standing economic sanctions were eased and legislation has been amended to allow for more humanitarian aid and limited military cooperation. Despite the accelerated engagement, the United States has shown several signs of reprove toward the Burmese government. As recently as Tuesday, the US Embassy in Rangoon issued a statement of concern in response to criminal charges being filed against scores of peaceful protesters earlier this month. The Embassy called for "the immediate, unconditional release of all individuals being detained in the country as a result of exercising their right to peacefully assemble" and recommended an impartial investigation into two recent crackdowns on demonstrators that left many injured by police and more than 100 in jail. The post Nancy Pelosi to Lead US Delegation in Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Former Political Prisoner Facing Charges over Letpadan Protest Posted: 30 Mar 2015 11:55 PM PDT  Nandar Sit Aung, left, was detained in Rangoon on Mar. 27 for his role in the Letpadan student protests. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Prominent activist and former political prisoner Nandar Sit Aung is facing four charges after being detained in Rangoon for his role in the Letpadan student protest, which was violently quashed earlier this month. After he was arrested and detained in Lanmadaw Township police station on Mar. 27, Nandar Sit Aung was transferred to Mingalardon Township police station before being sent to Thayawady prison on Monday. He was brought before the Letpadan court for an arraignment on Monday evening. "We are facing the same problems we have faced in the past," he said during an interview with Myanma Khit Journal while at the Mingalardon police station on Monday. "They arrested us and said we were people who were trying to instigate problems in the country and were defaming the government by protesting." He added that the government had the power to make peace with student protesters if they chose, but was instead regressing to the era of military rule by penalizing student leaders. Nandar Sit Aung was imprisoned in 2004 along with five other university students for participating in a leaflet campaign which criticized the military junta's decision to reconvene the National Convention, the forum which was responsible for drafting the 2008 Constitution. According to US State Department embassy cables released by Wikileaks, Nandar Sit Aung was sentenced for "illegal assembly" and for violating immigration law as a result of his contact with Thailand-based Burmese exile groups. His 17-year sentence, the longest given to the six defendants, was later commuted by President Thein Sein as part of a broader political prisoner amnesty. On Monday, the US State Department released a statement expressing concern at the criminal charges brought against student protesters, and called for a halt to prosecutions. We call for the immediate, unconditional release of all individuals being detained in the country as a result of exercising their right to peacefully assemble," the statement read. "We strongly urge an impartial and credible investigation into the [student protests] of Mar. 5 and 10, in cooperation with civil society, that would hold accountable all those involved in the violence, including security forces who applied excessive force." Additional reporting by Sean Gleeson. The post Former Political Prisoner Facing Charges over Letpadan Protest appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Posted: 30 Mar 2015 11:49 PM PDT  Aung San Suu Kyi offers flowers at the Mahamuni pagoda during a visit to Mandalay in February. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) With general elections in Burma drawing ever nearer, questions arise over the future of the key political players beyond this exciting milestone. Many are convinced that the incumbent Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has very little chance of securing another victory, while the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) and other big ethnic parties are in the box seat. If this turns out to be case, and we see a primarily civilian government, what will next year's political landscape look like, and how can we expect the relationship between civilian politicians and the military to evolve? We have seen a new institutional framework emerge from the 2008 Constitution, in which a new generation took over the reins of government from a single strongman. We also saw that the new constitutional structures and decision-making forums did not yield any intense frictions among the new elites as they assumed key positions. This is no surprise, and it is not for nothing that the post-2010 government is seen as a continuation of the military regime in a civilian disguise. There may be optimism that a post-2015 will be more dynamic, more democratic and more legitimate. Many are excited by the prospect of a new relationship between the cabinet, the parliament and the military, with hope the latter will withdraw from politics once its leaders become convinced their interests are no longer threatened. I do not share this optimism, and increasingly I find my doubts echoed both here and abroad. In this, I am reminded of what a member of the NLD youth wing told me a year ago. Aung San Suu Kyi, the party's chairwoman, revealed in a meeting with party cadres that she had come to realize the United States was prioritizing stability over democratization, and she now believed the US would prefer to see the USDP remain in power until at least 2020. If this were true, it is necessary to ponder what concerns the US would have over a likely NLD victory. With a Constitution that protects their interests and is nearly impossible to amend, the USDP and the military arguably needn't worry about an opposition takeover. Free and fair elections and a smooth transition of power would even bolster their reputation, potentially giving the USDP the political capital to contest future election battles and reducing criticism of the military's continued parliamentary presence. On the other hand, such concerns are not baseless. If the NLD wins, frictions are inevitable between their cabinet and the military. Any frictions that followed an opposition victory will be genuine and intense. An NLD-installed president and NLD-dominated parliament are very likely to try to make reform more democratic which will—despite a quarter of all parliamentary seats being allocated to military appointees—inevitably impact the interests of senior military personnel, former officers and their cronies, particularly their stakes in lucrative and monopolistic business enterprises.  Wai Yan Hpone. Another important thing to recall is that any future government will be excluded from decision-making in a number of substantial portfolios. Four ministers, including the Minister for Home Affairs, will be appointed by the military commander-in-chief under the terms of the 2008 Constitution. The next president will have no control over how security forces handle protesters, but will have to wear the blame for any violent crackdowns, and should the president try to exert control over military-appointed portfolios, he or she will be at loggerheads with the commander-in-chief. Even darker possibilities loom. The Constitution allows the military to assume control over the government, should the president choose to declare a state of emergency. With the lingering threat of communal violence, such a scenario in the future is not beyond the realm of imagination. Perhaps there will be instances of vote rigging and electoral fraud, as was reported in the 2010 election. After the total drubbing given to the USDP in the 2012 by-elections, and the party's lackluster attempts at campaigning in recent months, perhaps the incumbents consider ballot stuffing a necessity to ensure some token level of parliamentary representation, even as they tread gingerly around the prospect of engineering a victory so out of step with public sentiment. It may be that the senior echelons of the USDP and the military do not believe they will face any serious reproach from the United States, now that the machinery of the recent détente between the US and Burma has assumed its own momentum. The current US administration has its own reasons for wanting to portray this country's recent history as a success story, and in the past its leaders have shown an eagerness to reach accommodations with repressive regimes, including Burma during the time of Ne Win. Against this backdrop, what does the future of the Lady and her party hold? An opposition leader, stubbornly confrontational for twenty years, changed her mind and decided to play the game in 2012. After meeting President Thein Sein for the first time, she told diplomats that she believed he was sincere in his desire to reform, and on the back of Western endorsements, she decided to change tactics. She contested the by-election with a vow to amend the constitution with "one brave soldier's" support. Initially she had good relations with Thein Sein, who indulged her without conceding anything. She later tried to side with Shwe Mann, who gave ultimately empty promises of constitutional reform before the election. She has attempted to meet with Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, to no avail. No genuine political dialogue has ever come to fruition. In return she has sacrificed her credibility in the hopes of courting the military, approving the Letpadaung copper mine project, staying quiet during communal violence, and refusing to support student protesters, resulting in domestic and international criticism. She is focused on the election, and overly cautious to ensure that her party's prospects are not hampered by those developments, which in her view are relatively trivial matters that can be addressed once she and her party are in power. Today, Suu Kyi needs to reconsider her strategy and calculations. Among those who are now wielding power, there are figures who are ready to do anything to retain their fiefdoms. The Lady's mistake is in its essence that she believed there were honest individuals in the government who she could work with, notwithstanding their military pedigree. Of course, there may be honest dealers, but the ultimate decisions are not theirs to make. Suu Kyi seems to have taken a path that leads up a blind alley. There is no confirmation that she has found "one brave soldier". Western support is not unequivocal. In the months ahead she must deliberate carefully and make considered decisions about the future of her party. If her decision to trust Thein Sein in 2012 was wrong, then the price for putting the 1990 election behind her once and for all, in the process lending international legitimacy to a regime with a long pedigree of despotism and repression, would be unimaginably expensive. At the moment, it doesn't seem she has many cards left to play. Wai Yan Hpone is a freelance writer and translator living in Yangon. He has worked with several local media organizations and has so far published two translated books, as well as contributing to both local and international publications. The views expressed here are the author's own. The post The Lady's Predicament appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Singapore Teen Faces Charges for Insulting Lee Kuan Yew, Christians Posted: 30 Mar 2015 11:41 PM PDT  Special editions of newspapers bearing images of former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew are sold and distributed at the central business district in Singapore March 23, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) SINGAPORE — A Singapore teenager has been charged with harassment and insulting a religious group for comments he made on social media about former premier Lee Kuan Yew and Christians soon after Lee's death, authorities said on Tuesday. Amos Yee, who police said was 16, was charged under the recently enacted Protection from Harassment Act over a YouTube video in which he celebrated the death of Lee, the founding father of modern Singapore who died last week aged 91 and was cremated after a state funeral on Sunday. Yee's case has reignited concerns about censorship and social controls in the Asian financial hub and drew criticism from an international media freedom watchdog. Other offences on Yee's charge sheet included intentionally wounding the religious or racial feelings of another person, which carries a jail term of up to three years, and circulating an obscene image. Yee faces a fine of up to S$5,000 (US$3,633) if found guilty of the harassment charge. His comments about Lee were made in a widely viewed YouTube video, in which he also made what were described as insensitive remarks about Christianity. The clip was viewed hundreds of thousands of times before it was taken down. Yee appeared in court accompanied by his parents. Outside the court, his father told reporters he wanted to apologize to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew's son. Bail was set at S$20,000, and deputy public prosecutor Hon Yi asked that Yee agree not to upload or distribute any comment or content while the case is being heard. A pre-trial conference has been set for April 17. Police said they received more than 20 reports about the video which they said contained "insensitive and disparaging remarks" against Christians. "Police take a stern view of acts that could threaten religious harmony in Singapore," Deputy Commissioner of Police Investigations & Intelligence Tan Chye Hee said in a statement. "Any person who uploads offensive content online with [the] deliberate intention of wounding the religious or racial feelings of any person will be firmly dealt with in accordance with the law," Tan said. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a statement it was concerned about Yee's arrest on Sunday and called on authorities to release him immediately. "The arrest of a young blogger for comments made in a video highlights the restrictive environment in which Singaporean journalists are forced to work," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. Singapore has tight rules on censorship, blocking dozens of websites and publications ranging from Playboy magazine to some children's books and comics. The post Singapore Teen Faces Charges for Insulting Lee Kuan Yew, Christians appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Blogger Hacked to Death in Bangladeshi Capital Posted: 30 Mar 2015 09:40 PM PDT  Protesters at a 2013 rally in Dhaka. (Photo: Andrew Biraj / Reuters) DHAKA — A blogger was hacked to death by three men in Bangladesh’s capital on Monday, and two of the attackers were caught near the scene, police said. The killing took place a month after a prominent Bangladeshi-American blogger known for speaking out against religious extremism was hacked to death in Dhaka. In the latest incident, Washiqur Rahman Babu, 26, was declared dead at a hospital shortly after being attacked in Dhaka’s Tejgaon area, police official Biplob Kumar Sarker said. Two suspects, both students at Islamic schools, were captured and three meat cleavers were recovered, Sarker said. The third suspect fled, he said. One of the suspects told reporters they attacked Babu because he had disrespected Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. "I stabbed him because he humiliated my prophet," said Jikrullah, a 20-year-old student at Hathajari Madrassah in the southeastern district of Chittagong, without elaborating. Jikrullah said he traveled from Chittagong and stayed overnight at a mosque to attack Babu. The other detained suspect, Ariful Islam, also 20, is a student at an Islamic school in Dhaka’s Mirpur area. They named a third suspect, but details about him were not available. It was not immediately known what kind of blogging Babu did, but the suspects told police they targeted him for anti-Islamic writings, Sarker said. The deputy spokesman for the UN secretary-general, Farhan Haq, expressed concern at the latest death. "We have been calling for the respect of basic rights in Bangladesh, including the right to freedom of expression," he said. "It’s a matter of tremendous concern that journalists and other intellectuals have been attacked." Two of Babu’s cousins told reporters at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where his body was being kept, that he recently joined a travel agency in Dhaka after finishing his studies, and they were not aware of any blogging he had done. Local media reported that Babu had a Facebook page that contained the line "IamAvijit," meaning he was a follower of Avijit Roy, the Bangladeshi-American blogger who was hacked to death late last month. Roy, a Bangladesh-born US citizen, died after being attacked at Dhaka University as he was leaving a book fair with his wife. A previously unknown militant group, Ansar Bangla 7, claimed responsibility for the attack. Detectives have arrested one suspect in the case, and the FBI is helping with the investigation. The post Blogger Hacked to Death in Bangladeshi Capital appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| With Lee’s Passing, Mahathir Is Last of SE Asia’s Old Guards Posted: 30 Mar 2015 09:35 PM PDT  Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, left, is greeted by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad at the latter's office in Putrajaya, 20 miles south of Kuala Lumpur, in September 2001. (Photo: Reuters) KUALA LUMPUR — Two of Asia's best-known strongmen, Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew and Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad, had much in common—a streak of authoritarianism, little tolerance for dissent and vision that changed the face of their countries. But friends they were not, and the two rarely saw eye to eye. In fact one of their only agreements was to move their countries' time—which was 7 ½ hours ahead of GMT—forward by half an hour to be in line with world time zones. "I am afraid on most other issues we could not agree. … I cannot say I was a close friend of Kuan Yew, but still I feel sad at his demise," Mahathir wrote on his blog on Friday. With Lee's death at age 91, Mahathir remains the last of a generation of old guards in Southeast Asia, which boomed economically under their authoritarian leadership and came to be known as the "tiger economies." Indonesia's Suharto, spoken in the same breath as these two, died in 2008. Both Lee and Mahathir were English-educated leaders, who successfully delivered economic prosperity—to varying degrees—and gave international prominence to their countries. They were respected, but ruled with iron fists, curbing civil liberties and using harsh laws against political opponents. Yet Lee and Mahathir leave starkly different legacies from their time in power. During his 31 years as prime minister, Lee transformed Singapore, a marshy island trading post with no natural resources, into Asia's richest nation as measured by GDP per capita, five times higher than Malaysia. He crushed corruption at all levels, built a top-notch, efficient bureaucracy, set up an excellent education system and focused on creating world-class service industries that would be competitive in a global market. Mahathir, meanwhile, fostered a patronage system by giving out contracts to his cronies, and his policies increased bureaucratic red tape. Despite having far more resources and a much bigger workforce, he promoted and protected inefficient industries such as steel and cars with tariff protection. "Both men are equally Machiavellian in their methods. They are both alike in the kind of politics they employ but Lee Kuan Yew achieved much, much more than Mahathir despite having a lot less resources and capital," said Malaysian political analyst Ibrahim Suffian. Although the two were contemporaries—Mahathir is only two years younger—Lee shot to prominence much earlier. He was already the prime minister of Singapore when it became independent of British colonial rule in 1963. The same year the small island-nation joined neighboring Malaya to form the Federation of Malaysia, believing it needed to be part of a bigger country to survive. Mahathir became a Parliament member in 1964, and that was the first time the two met. "We crossed swords many time during the debates. But there was no enmity, only differences in our views of what was good for the newborn nation," Mahathir wrote. But the federation was a marriage that was doomed to fail. For one, the ethnic Malay leaders of Malaysia were suspicious of Lee, an ethnic Chinese. Soon ideological and political differences surfaced, and Singapore was expelled from the federation in 1965, leaving Lee to set his own course with a vision that until today defines Singapore. He ensured that the country ran on meritocracy. He demanded the best prices and most efficient companies handle government projects. Government-linked companies compete for projects with private companies. Although ethnic Chinese are a majority in Singapore, and Malays and Indians form large minorities, nobody gets special preference. "Despite his autocracy, Lee Kuan Yew was driven with building meritocracy that saw Singapore grow by leaps and bounds, but Malaysia is hobbled by its racial politics and insecurities," Ibrahim said. Mahathir, who became prime minister in 1981, championed an affirmative action program for the country's Malay majority, which to this day is the root cause of deep disenchantment among the minority Chinese and Indians. Mahathir saw the Malays—with good reason—as downtrodden and gave them privileges in business, education and housing. He promoted race-based politics to ensure that his Malay party dominated politics. That legacy continues. Lee faced criticism for the strict limits on free speech and public protest, which he insisted were necessary to maintain stability and order and to promote economic growth in his multiethnic, multi-religious country. Although his electoral politics to quash the opposition were questionable, his People's Action Party, or PAP, has members from all races. "Lee was an unshakeable bulwark against majoritarian tendencies that could have easily overwhelmed Singapore," said Cherian George, a Singapore author, academic and commentator. "Lee went to the extent of amending the republic's Constitution to stop any party from sweeping into power without minority support," he wrote on his blog on Sunday. Mahathir, a doctor-turned-politician and Malaysia's fourth prime minister, helped turn the country from an agricultural backwater into a key trading nation during his 22-year rule before stepping down in 2003. With the help of massive petroleum and palm oil revenues, he oversaw grand infrastructure projects such as the Petronas Twin Towers, which once were the world's tallest; he also built a technology hub, a new capital city and an F1 race track. He also used a security law allowing indefinite detention without trial against political opponents and critics. And unlike Lee, he was no friend of the West. In fact, he lost no opportunity to criticize it, especially the US war in Iraq. Singapore's higher wages, standard of living and merit-based system have drawn tens of thousands of Malaysians, mainly ethnic Chinese, to the city-state. A 2011 World Bank report said more than 1 million Malaysians live abroad and warned the outflow of skilled workers could hurt Malaysia's economy. Lee stepped down as prime minister in 1990, but remained a commanding presence in Singapore politics and the region for decades. He also successfully groomed his son Lee Hsien Loong, who became Singapore's prime minister in 2004. Mahathir, however, failed to retain much clout after he resigned. Today he is seen by many as a former leader who rails against his successors and bemoans in his blogs the weak governance of a country he once dominated. A recent blog comment captured his ever-critical outlook: There's "something rotten in the state of Malaysia." The post With Lee's Passing, Mahathir Is Last of SE Asia's Old Guards appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Electoral Education Underway as Batch of Voter Lists Is Released Posted: 30 Mar 2015 05:01 PM PDT  A woman examines voter lists posted alongside election education materials in Rangoon on Monday. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — With a handful of voter lists made public this week for landmark elections due later this year, civil society organizations and a group advocating digital literacy are taking the lead in encouraging citizens in Rangoon to ensure they are properly registered with local election authorities. Voter lists for 10 townships in Burma's biggest city have been made available this week for voters to check that their names are correctly enumerated. Voters are able to seek changes if necessary, including asking that an eligible voter not currently on the list be added, or requesting the removal of names of voters who have moved from the constituency or are deceased. The lists were first released on Monday, and will be available for checking through April 12. A Facebook campaign initiated by Myanmar ICT for Development Organization (MIDO) in cooperation with a dozen civil society organizations and the Rangoon Election Subcommission has been launched to disseminate information on the electoral process, including how to handle the voter lists now available. The "Let's Check Voter List" page has gained more than 7,000 Facebook "likes" in two weeks. Yadanar Htun, program coordinator for MIDO's election monitoring project, said the Facebook page provides important information on the voter lists and how to change a wrongly recorded name. "With the information provided by UEC [Union Election Commission] and IFES [International Foundation for Electoral Systems, an international NGO], we posted information that a voter needs to know. We have seen people sharing our posts. … People also come and ask questions and we answer them back. So, people are interested to a certain extent," she told The Irrawaddy on Monday. "One of our main reasons for the online campaign is to target first-time voters" of a younger generation most effectively reach online, she said. Mya Nandar from the New Myanmar Foundation said her organization was conducting voter education activities on the ground in Rangoon's Pazundaung Township. "We are raising awareness by distributing pamphlets in the quarters encouraging them to go check out the voter lists. We distribute door-to-door and also do performances. People in the quarter are interested but we need to do it more widely." The 10 townships in which voter lists have been released to the public are Seikkan, Dagon, Latha, Seikgyikanaungto, Dawpone, Lanmadaw, Botahtaung, Kamayut, Kyauktada and Pazundaung. The Rangoon Election Subcommission chairman told The Irrawaddy earlier this month that voters would have another chance over a seven-day window to check the voter lists' accuracy after the election date is announced. He added that an ongoing second phase of voter list compilation in Rangoon was expected to be completed in May, and a third and final phase would begin by the end of this month. Election officials are targeting the completion of voter list compilation nationwide in June. The compiling of accurate voter lists is considered a major challenge for Burma, where a credible national election last took place in 1990. By-elections in 2012 were widely considered to have been conducted freely and fairly, but only involved races in 45 constituencies, compared with polls due in late October or early November that will involve all 498 elected seats in the national legislature, as well as hundreds of state and divisional contests. The post Electoral Education Underway as Batch of Voter Lists Is Released appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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