The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Last Call Already? Exams Curb Alcohol Sales in Rangoon
• Govt Gives Green Light for Wine Imports
• 5 Accused of Sparking Mandalay Riots Sentenced to 21 Years Jail
• Where is the Red Cross?
• Special Branch Harassing White Armband Campaign: Organizers
• TNLA Claim Seizure of Massive Meth, Heroin Haul
• 16 Killed, 28 Injured in Fresh Kokang Clashes
• Threatened UN Rights Envoy Confident Burma Govt Will Protect Her
• Indonesia Defers Execution of Foreign Drug Traffickers 
• After Nun Rape, India Cardinal Says Protect Humans, Not Just Cows
• Bangladesh Court Indicts 8 in Dhaka Blogger Murder
• Antique Furniture Enjoys a Rangoon Renaissance
• Property Market ‘Still Strong’
• Amid Peace Talks, Ethnic Armed Groups Decry Kokang War
• Education Law Hearings Conclude in Naypyidaw
• Readers Rejoice: Burma Studies Centre Opens in Rangoon
• Journalists Handed 2-Month Prison Sentence on Defamation Charge
• After Arakan Shipwreck Tragedy, Myanmar Transport Ministry to Inspect National Ferry Fleet
• Public Service Media Bill Shelved by Parliament
• Burma’s ‘Midnight Inspections’ Remnants of Military Rule

Last Call Already? Exams Curb Alcohol Sales in Rangoon Posted: 19 Mar 2015 06:11 AM PDT A government crackdown on illegal import of alcohol has affected sales of foreign alcohol brands such as Heineken. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — The Rangoon Division government last week began enforcing a ban on alcohol sales after 10 pm while students in the city sit matriculation exams, and say they will re-enforce restrictions already on the books that prohibit those sales year-round after 11 pm. Township administrators in Rangoon told restaurants and convenience stores in the commercial capital to stop selling alcoholic drinks after 10 pm to lessen the likelihood of fights breaking out or other alcohol-induced disruptions, according to Aung Lwin, an administrator from the Lin Lunn quarter in Sanchaung Township. He told The Irrawaddy that he was following the instructions of a superior in the township administration who cited the exams, which ended on Wednesday. On the final day of exams, some drinking establishments in Rangoon had posted signage indicating the last call for drink orders would take place at 9 pm. "Almost the whole city cuts off alcoholic drink sales at 11 usually," Aung Lwin said. The owners of shops that continue to sell alcohol after 11 pm will be responsible for any violence or disturbance linked to the illegal sale, he added. Though 11 pm is the official cut-off for alcohol sales in Rangoon, a handful of the city's ubiquitous "beer stations" and several bars and convenience stores routinely flout the restriction without consequence. Win Kyi, deputy police chief of Rangoon's West Division police force, claimed the 11 pm cut-off was being enforced, and confirmed that authorities had further curbed drinking hours in the city during the exams. "We can notify the respective administrators to revoke the license if found in violation. The shop can be shuttered and the license will not be granted next year," he said. Myo Min Aung, deputy chairman of Myanmar Retailors Association, said the permitted window for alcohol sales varied from township to township, with some jurisdictions cutting off sales as early as 6 pm. He took the authorities' recent tightening of restrictions as an opportunity to criticize the citywide policy of allowing alcohol sales beginning at 6 am. "It's wrong to allow selling from 6 am to 6 pm. It's like encouraging people to drink in the morning. No other country has a system like this." "In Thailand, the booze sales start from 4:30 [pm] to 5 pm. People buy it while they are free at night. Here it is the other way around. … If people are asked to buy in the morning, they will drink it. If they don't have it in their hands, then they don't have a chance to drink it." The post Last Call Already? Exams Curb Alcohol Sales in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Govt Gives Green Light for Wine Imports Posted: 19 Mar 2015 06:00 AM PDT Imported wines in Rangoon, a product that is hard to come by in Burma, will soon be legally available to retailers. (Photo: Timo Jaworr / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Domestic companies can apply for wine import licenses as of Wednesday, the Ministry of Commerce has announced, nearly one month after a major retail association stopped selling foreign alcohol demanding swift reforms. Commerce Ministry deputy director general Yan Naing Tun told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that relevant authorities are collaborating to streamline Burma's alcohol imports to regulate licensing, taxation and retail standards. "We will issue import licenses and other departments will handle their responsibilities," Yan Naing Tun said. The ministry's announcement said that all potential wine importers will be required to show company registration materials, a list of countries from which they intend to import, a recommendation from the Food and Drugs Administration and the targeted alcohol content for their imports. The new regulations limit imports to marine and air trade via Rangoon; overland cross-border trade wil be prohibited. Existing licenses for hotels and duty-free shops will not be affected by the change in policy. The ministry said that due to the changing political situation in Burma and an influx of foreigners, growing demand for luxury imports prompted the new regulations. Local retailers, many of which began a voluntary boycott of imported alcohol in late February to avoid lawsuits over selling products illegally imported by their distributors, welcomed the new policy and said they hope to have foreign wines back on the shelves shortly. Win Win Tint, director of City Mart Holdings, said her chain of retailers will aim to restock in April, and urged the ministry to act fast on legalizing other types of alcohol imports. "We will resume selling the wine bottles, but I expect that it will resume after April because there are a lot of processes involved," she said. "But I want the government to allow us to import other alcohol soon as well." On Feb. 20, more than 300 sellers listed under the Myanmar Retailers Association (MRA) voluntarily stripped their shelves of foreign alcohol out of concern that they could be targeted by the government. Burma has maintained a strict import policy implemented in the mid-1990s as part of reforms that largely benefited military- and crony-owned companies that controlled much of the economy. Over the years, many retailers acquired luxury foreign goods through connections in the hotel industry or black market channels. The practiced continued largely unhindered until late 2013, when mobile task forces comprising ministry, customs and police officials carried out two major crackdowns on retailers and announced plans to revise the policy. The post Govt Gives Green Light for Wine Imports appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

5 Accused of Sparking Mandalay Riots Sentenced to 21 Years Jail Posted: 19 Mar 2015 05:44 AM PDT Lt-Col Sein Tun of the Mandalay Police Force talks to Buddhist monks after clashes between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Mandalay last July. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — A court in Naypyidaw's Pyinmana Township sentenced five people to more than 20 years in prison on Wednesday after finding them guilty for instigating religious riots in Mandalay last July. According to the state-run Myanma Alin newspaper, Phyu Phyu Min, Haji Htun Htun, Nu Nu Myat, Ye Htut and Mar Mar Ni have each been sentenced to 21 years' imprisonment with hard labour under Emergency Provisions Act, and were sent to Mandalay Central Prison at the end of the hearing. The defendants were accused of fabricating rape claims and providing false information in an incident blamed for igniting the violence in Mandalay, which left two people dead and more than 20 others injured. The riots began after word spread via social media that Muslim brothers Nay Win and San Win had raped Phyu Phyu Min, who went to Pyinmana police station and reported the case under the false name of Soe Soe. The Ministry of Home Affairs said that Nu Nu Myat and Ye Htut, a couple, had paid Phyu Phyu Min to open a rape case against the Nay Win and San Win at the behest of Tun Tun, a business rival of the brothers. Last September, Ye Htut and Nu Nu Myat were arrested in the Thai border town of Mae Sot and sentenced to two years' imprisonment for breaching the Immigration Act, after fleeing the country in the aftermath of the three-day riot. The additional 21-year sentence will be added to the couple's earlier conviction. Defense counsel for the accused were unavailable for comment on Thursday. The post 5 Accused of Sparking Mandalay Riots Sentenced to 21 Years Jail appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Where is the Red Cross? Posted: 19 Mar 2015 05:35 AM PDT A worker labels a box containing water purification systems donated by the Singapore Red Cross bound for Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in 2008. (Photo: Tim Chong / Reuters) RANGOON — The violent crackdown against peaceful demonstrators in Letpadan on Mar. 10, has led to a wave of condemnation from foreign embassies and international human rights organizations. Many students and activists facing criminal charges remain in detention, some of whom were severely beaten in the police assault. Burma's nominally civilian government has refused relatives and other visitors access to these detainees, and at this point it seems clear the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will be similarly prevented from checking on the health and welfare of the prisoners. It is unknown how many of those in custody have been severely injured and need medical treatment. The government has not released any reliable information on the current status of detainees, either to the public or to the ICRC. Since the beginning of Burma's political reform, the ICRC, international organizations and foreign diplomatic missions have been given permission to alleviate the suffering, poverty and repression faced by the people of this country. The Burmese government granted permission for the ICRC to resume prison visits in Nov. 2013, after denying access for five years. Indeed, under the military regime, the ICRC's repeated requests to visit political prisoners in Burmese jails were almost always denied, with the exception of limited and supervised access to renowned figures such as the journalist and politician Win Tin. While the European Union, the United States and other donor countries have publicly expressed their deep concern over the Letpadan crackdown, there has been no similar pronouncement from the ICRC or its parent organization, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. There has been no indication that the ICRC is exercising its influence behind the scenes to request access to this latest round of political detainees. Despite a pledge by President Thein Sein to release all political prisoners by the end of 2013, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has documented the continued incarceration of 177 people for political and land rights activism to Feb. 10 of this year. A further 213 political activists are awaiting trial in criminal proceedings. As of Tuesday this week, 102 people connected to the Letpadan protest and its aftermath remain incarcerated in Thayawady prison, with some facing criminal charges that carry a cumulative total of eight years imprisonment. If the ICRC remains committed to the welfare of political prisoners in Burma, it must speak out and demand access to those 102 people now languishing in Thayawady. For its part, after losing the public's confidence in the sheer ferocity of the Letpadan attack, the government should consider how it can strive to win back the trust of its people. Granting the ICRC immediate and unimpeded access to these prisoners would be a commendable start. The post Where is the Red Cross? appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Special Branch Harassing White Armband Campaign: Organizers Posted: 19 Mar 2015 04:15 AM PDT RANGOON — Organizers of the white armband campaign, which was formed to protest violent government crackdowns on student demonstrators, said on Thursday that plainclothes security forces from the Ministry of Home Affairs had been recording and interrogating the campaign's participants in Rangoon and Mandalay. Poet Saung Kha, one of the campaign's organizers, told The Irrawaddy that Special Branch officers were using mobile phone cameras to record both the campaign members and those accepting white armbands. "My colleagues said [the Special Branch officers] recorded the people involved in the campaign and then called their superiors," he said. Saung Ka said that campaign members had observed the Special Branch officers relaying the campaign's actions over the phone. He added that organizers in Mandalay had informed him of similar actions taken by Special Branch members in that city. Ni Lar, a participant in the campaign who has been handing out armbands on Pansodan Street in downtown Kyauktada Township, told The Irrawaddy that plainclothes men had confronted people who had stopped to speak to campaign members, which was in turn intimidating members of the public into avoiding the campaign. After beginning across various townships in Rangoon on Mar. 13, the white armband campaign was on Thursday being rolled out to 19 other regional centers, including Pyin Oo Lwin, Magwe, Prome and Dawei. The campaign was launched by Saung Kha and others in the aftermath of an attack on a student protest on Mar. 5, which resulted in multiple injuries to demonstrators and the detention of more than 100 people. Its members are donning armbands which read "We are students, respect our rights" and distributing them to members of the public. "On Mar. 5 the solidarity protest held for Letpadan students near Sule Pagoda was attacked violently by plainclothes men. We want to denounce this event, which is the reason for this campaign," Saung Kha said. The post Special Branch Harassing White Armband Campaign: Organizers appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

TNLA Claim Seizure of Massive Meth, Heroin Haul Posted: 19 Mar 2015 12:42 AM PDT The driver of a mining truck is being detained by the TNLA after the rebels reportedly found a massive haul of meth and heroin in Mantong Township, Shan State. (Photo: PSLF) The Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) has announced that it seized a large haul of heroin and methamphetamine said to be worth more than US$3.5 million, after the ethnic Palaung rebels stopped and searched a truck passing through northern Shan State's Mantong Township. Mai Ai Kyaw, a TNLA information officer, said TNLA soldiers were carrying out an anti-drug patrol on the Namkham-Mantong road when they inspected a truck that was carrying a hidden haul of 2.3 million methamphetamine pills, estimated to be worth about $3.5 million, and 16.5 kilogram of heroin with an estimated local value of about $90,000. "The gravel truck was driving down from Namhkam. When we stopped the vehicle for inspection, a man ran away from the vehicle. We seized heroin and yaba [meth] as we inspected the vehicle and we have arrested the driver," he told The Irrawaddy. In a statement announcing the seizure of the illicit drugs haul, the TNLA said the truck was transporting gravel and had a license of the Ministry of Mines for quarrying-related business. The truck traveled south from Namkham, located close to the Burma-China border, to Mantong, a town in the Palaung Self-Administered Zone. It reportedly passed through two checkpoints manned by government forces and pro-government militias before it was stopped and inspected by the TNLA, the group said. The Irrawaddy contacted Namkham Township Police Station to ask about the massive drug seizure, but an officer answering the phone said he was not aware of the TNLA's operation. Northern Shan State has long been plagued by ethnic conflict and large-scale illicit drugs trade and production. All actors in the conflict are said to profit from the trade, which is destined largely for China and Thailand. The Wa rebels as well as pro-government militias are allegedly involved in production and trade, while other ethnic armed groups, local authorities and the Burma Army reportedly collect money from the trade. The TNLA, which has been fighting the Burma Army in recent years, said they are carrying out drug eradication operations to stem rampant drug abuse in Palaung minority communities. The rebels and Palaung NGOs have alleged that pro-government militias in the Namkham region are producing drugs and peddling it in minority communities. The post TNLA Claim Seizure of Massive Meth, Heroin Haul appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

16 Killed, 28 Injured in Fresh Kokang Clashes Posted: 18 Mar 2015 10:21 PM PDT Burma Army troops patrol in the town of Laukkai, capital of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone, on February, 2015. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Three rebels and 13 Burma Army soldiers were killed while 28 others were wounded during clashes with ethnic Kokang rebels in eastern Burma on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Information. The ministry said in a statement late Wednesday that the Burma Army was attacked by five small groups of soldiers from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in the former rebel stronghold of Laukkai in northern Shan State. The statement said three rebels and 13 government troops were killed in the clashes, while 28 others injured have been transferred to an army hospital for emergency medical care. The statement also said the Burma Army seized narcotics from members of the MNDAA, which the group denied. "We're having major fighting, how could we carry out illegal drug trade or grow opium while we are still hiding in the jungle?" said Htun Myat Lin, a spokesman for the MNDAA. Fighting between the Burma Army and MNDAA has escalated since early February, when clashes flareed forcing tens of thousands of civilians to flee, many into neighboring Yunnan, China. Peace talks between the government and Burma's myriad ethnic armed groups continued this week, as many of ethnic leaders raised concern about the dangerous situation in northern Shan State. The MNDAA is a member of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team, an ethnic peace negotiation bloc, but the group is not recognized by the government as a potential signatory for a nationwide ceasefire agreement. The post 16 Killed, 28 Injured in Fresh Kokang Clashes appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Threatened UN Rights Envoy Confident Burma Govt Will Protect Her Posted: 18 Mar 2015 10:16 PM PDT Yanghee Lee speaks to reporters in Rangoon at the end of a 10-day visit to Burma in July 2014. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) GENEVA — A UN human rights investigator said on Wednesday she expects Burma to guarantee her security, despite failing to censure a radical Buddhist monk who called her a "whore" and incited his followers against her. Yanghee Lee, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, has angered the country’s government by criticizing its restrictions on political freedom and by demanding citizenship rights for the Rohingya Muslim minority in Arakan State. That has also made her a hate figure for Buddhist monks led by U Wirathu, who once called himself "the Burmese bin Laden" and mosques "enemy bases". He denounced Lee as a "whore" and a "bitch" at a public rally in January. After Lee submitted her latest report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last week, U Wirathu posted a threatening riposte on his Facebook page. "Dear patriots, let us find ways and means to teach the beastly woman a lesson," he wrote, according to a translation by the U.N. Human Rights Office. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein is "disgusted with the latest comments", his spokesman Rupert Colville said. "He sees it as a clear and personal incitement to violence … and he wants to stress that it’s absolutely the responsibility of the government of Myanmar to deal with threats of violence and incitement and to ensure the safety of the special rapporteur when she visits." Lee told reporters there was "always a great possibility" that her personal safety could be jeopardized. "I have confidence in the Myanmar government that they will see that my security and the security of my staff is their utmost priority. But it doesn’t mean that any individual couldn’t do something very crazy. "However, I am disappointed that the government has not disassociated itself from these remarks, and the government has blamed me for leaving the country with this distrust, discord and incitement." Under Burmese law, all slogans and logos for any rally must be cleared with authorities beforehand, Lee said, so the government could have prevented U Wirathu’s 10-minute-long inflammatory speech. U Wirathu was jailed for 25 years in 2003 for distributing anti-Muslim pamphlets that incited communal riots in his hometown, where a Buddhist mob killed at least 10 Muslims, but he was freed in 2011 during an amnesty for political prisoners. A Reuters investigation in 2013 found that organized attacks on Muslims in late 2012 were led by Arakanese nationalists incited by Buddhist monks and sometimes abetted by local security forces. The post Threatened UN Rights Envoy Confident Burma Govt Will Protect Her appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indonesia Defers Execution of Foreign Drug Traffickers  Posted: 18 Mar 2015 10:09 PM PDT Brazilian national Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira in a holding cell of Tangerang court near Jakarta, shortly after his death sentence was pronounced in June 2004. (Photo: Beawiharta BEA-TW / Reuters) JAKARTA — Indonesia’s vice president said Wednesday that the execution of 10 drug smugglers, nine of them foreigners, might not happen in the near future because some of them have legal appeals pending. Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the government has to be careful and await the decisions by the Supreme Court. Authorities had previously indicated the execution was imminent. Nine men are now jailed on a prison island where Indonesia conducts its executions, and final preparations for the firing squad to execute the group were done. The execution was adjourned since four of them filed judicial reviews and two challenged the president’s rejection of clemency in the administrative court. The foreigners include three Nigerians, two Australians, four men from Brazil, France, Ghana and a Filipino woman. "Actually that [executions] should have been carried out weeks ago but some of them have filed judicial review to the court," Kalla told the private El Shinta radio station in an exclusive interview. "The Attorney General has to await the rulings … so that there would be no legal problem in the future," he said. The execution strained Indonesia’s diplomatic relations, particularly with Australia and Brazil, which sought to spare their citizens. Kalla reminded that the issue has drawn the world’s attention, "therefore the government has to be careful in term of legal aspects." The Jakarta High Administrative Court is expected to hold a hearing Thursday on an appeal by the Australians, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. Their lawyers argue that President Joko Widodo’s refusal to grant clemency did not give proper consideration to their appeals. Three other inmates—Mary Jane Viesta Veloso of the Philippines, Serge Areski Atlaoui of France and Martin Anderson of Ghana are awaiting process of their judicial reviews to the Supreme Court, while an appeal from Indonesian Zainal Abidin has been rejected. All but Veloso have been moved to the prison island of Nusakambangan, off the southern coast of main Java Island where they will be executed. The only woman is still being held in Wirogunan prison in Central Java town of Sleman. The post Indonesia Defers Execution of Foreign Drug Traffickers  appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

After Nun Rape, India Cardinal Says Protect Humans, Not Just Cows Posted: 18 Mar 2015 10:04 PM PDT Girls hold a placard and candles during a special prayer service at a church to show solidarity with the nun who was raped during an armed assault on a convent school, in Kolkata March 17, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) NEW DELHI — The head of India's Catholic bishops, speaking out after a nun was raped in the east of the country last week, has said the country should be as concerned about the welfare of its people as it is about its cows. The comments appeared directed against hardline Hindu nationalists who have stirred up animosity against India's Christian and Muslim minorities, while successfully lobbying for tougher laws against killing cows. Cows are considered sacred by many Indians, but beef is eaten by some poor and lower-caste Hindus as well as by Christians and Muslims. Campaigns to protect cattle are often used to vilify religious minorities. "The country has a responsibility towards all of us—every human being—and not just cows," Cardinal Baselios Cleemis told journalists. The comments, reported in newspapers on Wednesday, were confirmed by his office. The western state of Maharashtra banned the selling of beef in February and the northern state of Haryana has since imposed stringent penalties for cow slaughter. Cleemis spoke before visiting the hospitalized nun who was raped at a convent school in West Bengal, an attack which has triggered protests on city streets and in parliament. Police have not established whether the assault motive was religion or money. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said he was "deeply concerned" and demanded a detailed report into what happened. The attack was the most serious in a series of incidents that have spread fear among Christians since activists, emboldened by Modi's election victory last year, began their "ghar wapsi" (homecoming) campaign to convert followers of "foreign religions" to Hinduism. Indian Christians emphasize their religion's long history in India and say it is an integral part of the country. Some Hindu hardliners, however, are seeking to define the country as primarily a Hindu nation, in which other religions are guests. Cleemis is head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, an Indian branch of the faith that is in communion with Roman Catholicism and that traces its roots back to Thomas the Apostle, who tradition says arrived here in the first century. The same weekend as the convent school was attacked, activists partly demolished a church being built in the state of Haryana, near Delhi, replacing its cross with a Hindu image. A few days before the demolition, a member of parliament for Modi's Hindu nationalist ruling party, Subramanian Swamy, was criticized for saying that churches and mosques were not sacred buildings. The post After Nun Rape, India Cardinal Says Protect Humans, Not Just Cows appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bangladesh Court Indicts 8 in Dhaka Blogger Murder Posted: 18 Mar 2015 09:39 PM PDT Some of the more than 100,000 people attend a mass funeral for blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider in Feb. 2013 (Photo: Andrew Biraj / Reuters) DHAKA — A court in Bangladesh’s capital on Wednesday indicted a leader of a hard-line Islamist group and seven students in the hacking death of an atheist blogger two years ago. The Metropolitan Sessions court issued the indictments after accepting the police investigation into the killing of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider in front of his house in Dhaka’s Mirpur area. The indictments mean a trial will begin for Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani, head of the Ansarullah Bangla Team, and six students at North South University who earlier confessed involvement in the killing. A seventh student said to have planned the attack is in hiding. All of the students were suspended by the university after their arrests. Despite their earlier confessions, Rahmani and the six students pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. The judge set Apr. 21 for the start of the trial, and the seventh student will be tried in absentia. Islamic extremism has made few inroads in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people, but there have been a series of similar attacks in recent years blamed on militants. Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-American atheist who wrote against Islamic radicalism, was hacked to death about two weeks ago on the campus of Dhaka University. Roy’s wife was also injured. A suspect has been arrested and investigators say Islamist radical groups were responsible for the attack. In their investigation report, police said Rahmani incited the seven students to murder Haider in sermons in which he said all atheist bloggers should be killed to protect Islam. Haider had criticized the Prophet Muhammad and Islam in his blog. He was also a leading campaigner for banning the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, which opposed Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. Police said the student who allegedly planned the attack is a member of Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir. The party has denied involvement in the killing. The post Bangladesh Court Indicts 8 in Dhaka Blogger Murder appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Antique Furniture Enjoys a Rangoon Renaissance Posted: 18 Mar 2015 05:30 PM PDT Kyaw Kyaw sells fine refurbished furniture from a bygone era at his shop in Rangoon. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — More than 20 years ago, Kyaw Kyaw wandered the streets of Rangoon asking people if they had any old, disused housewares to sell. His purchases would run the gamut, from taxidermic stag heads and grandfather clocks to furniture shoved into cobwebbed corners in their neglectful owners' attics. He then supplied what he had bought to local curio shops and worked as a broker to a handful of dealers who took great interest in old teak furniture, often adorned with ornate and intricate carvings. "As a broker, I earned little. Sometimes they failed to pay me the price they had promised. That forced me to learn more about the trade and set up my own business," the 60-year-old recalled recently. Named after Kyaw Kyaw's son Aung Aung, who is also the store's manager, today that business is doing an increasingly brisk trade as more and more customers both at home and abroad seek out his retro wares. Since Burma reconnected with the outside world four years ago, Kyaw Kyaw has seen a surge in business, as have other antique furniture dealers scattered across town. With more foreigners in residence as well as a shifting interest to old furniture among a modest but growing number of Burmese, many of these pieces are enjoying a popular revival. "They are all still usable with a few minor repairs," Aung Aung told The Irrawaddy. "Foreigners buy them not just as souvenirs but for their everyday use." "For local people who are trying to open hotels or start companies, they are eyeing old furniture to decorate offices because this old stuff can give a more varied and unique ambiance than modern furniture," he added. Aung Aung's Furniture Shop is well stocked to meet its customers' needs. On a recent afternoon, a cluster of re-polished easy chairs with designs dating back to Burma's pre-independence era sat outside the shop to dry in the sun. Dining tables from the 1960s stood in one corner, while post-colonial black wooden wardrobes with intricate Burmese traditional carving patterns were packed into the entrance of the shop. Some already bore labels reading, 'Sold Out.' "If you compare with the last 10 years, nowadays we have a stream of customers every day. In the past, I hardly sold a single item in a week," said Kyaw Kyaw. With their ornate craftsmanship and the use of teak, a valuable hardwood known for its durability and rich color, Burmese furniture and artifacts crafted more some 50 to 100 years ago have caught the attention of antique collectors from all over the world. In the Thai-Burmese border town of Mae Sot, a riverside market is scattered with kitsch shops that sell old furniture along with ancient Buddha statues and other handicrafts smuggled from Burma. In Chiang Mai's Ban Thawai, a tourist destination famous for wood carvings and furniture, an easy chair from Burma's colonial era sells for around US$1,300 while it costs only about $200 in its native country. Kyaw Kyaw said cross-border sales hubs are a legacy of a thriving trade in smuggled antique goods that saw its heyday about 15 to 20 years ago, when Burma was cut off from the outside world because of its then-ruling military government. "At that time, dealers here smuggled everything via Myawaddy—ranging from a bust of Buddha statue to old clocks to chairs—that might be in the interest of prospective buyers from Thailand," he recalled. Myawaddy is a Burmese town just across the Moei River from Thailand's Mae Sot. "I'm not sure whether the dealers I supplied at the time were involved or not. But the situation today is a lot better because we can deal with our customers directly," he added. Wah Wah, a Burmese interior designer for 7 Mile Highland Residence and Montage Café in Rangoon, said she decorated the residence and restaurant with refurbished furniture because she likes the aesthetic qualities of bygone eras in Burma. "They look elegant and royal. Modern furniture is beautiful, of course," she said, "but these look fancy." But for Kyaw Kyaw, hunting for old furniture scattered across the country is not an easy job. He used to scour every township in the Irrawaddy Delta in search of disused furniture. Once he was even robbed at knifepoint by a group of thugs, after they lured him by claiming to have antiques that he might be interested in purchasing. "Nowadays I no longer travel. I now have brokers," he said. In spite of a growing interest in old furniture among local people, nearly 70 percent of customers at his shop are foreigners, Kyaw Kyaw said. "Maybe partly because of their superstition. For example, many Burmese rarely buy an old bed as they think someone may have died on it, so using an old bed is quite inauspicious. Most [Burmese] wouldn't take it even if you gave it to them free of charge," he explained. "But it depends on the eyes of beholder. If you love old stuff, it would be alright. Otherwise, it's just a piece of old wood just as well used to fuel a fire." The post Antique Furniture Enjoys a Rangoon Renaissance appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Property Market ‘Still Strong’ Posted: 18 Mar 2015 05:00 PM PDT Sai Khun Naung, the managing director of Sai Khun Naung Real Estate Company. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) The price of real estate in Myanmar's commercial capital has been on the rise since 2007, when the former military government lowered the property sales tax rate to 15 percent. Political and economic reforms since 2011 have failed to curb the trend, with sky-high commercial and residential rental prices in Yangon pricing out many businesses and local residents. Sai Khun Naung, the managing director of Sai Khun Naung Real Estate Company, spoke with The Irrawaddy's Kyaw Hsu Mon on the outlook for the booming property market. Q: What was your experience when you first entered the real estate market in Myanmar? A: I started my business in 2002 with 20 staff and targeted only commercial areas in downtown Yangon. The Asian financial crisis in 1997 had some impact on the local property market, which then began redeveloping in the years 2000-01. But the market then was not as developed, compared to now. We only had a small number of clients at that time. Q: How did real estate agencies like yours survive Myanmar's banking crisis in 2003 (which began after more than a dozen deposit-taking financial firms collapsed)? A: We were seriously impacted by the crisis in 2003. Many real estate agencies surrendered their businesses. But we survived because I had some clients in Shan State, my native state. At that time, many small financial groups had invested in the property market. After these groups folded, real estate agents like us were affected [as investor confidence plummeted]. Most people thought we were liars, so we had to really struggle hard to survive in the market. Money from some retired government officials was also involved in that crisis. They invested money in small financial groups like Ayeyar Myay, Thitsar Pankhin and Htoo Char. Now we no longer have these kind of small financial groups here. We are lucky. The property market has been reborn again, and we no longer have a bad name among the people. Q: What are the main reasons property prices have been constantly increasing in Yangon? A: The major problem is that the government eased property taxes in 2007, and then didn't ask investors where their money came from. People say that Myanmar is the best place for money laundering. So some money has come from this source. People have realized that they will definitely reap the benefits if they invest in the property market. Demand and supply are not balanced. Q: Can you confirm the highest land prices in Yangon? Is it true that some land is US$1,500 per square foot? A: It's true. Price depends on location. Land prices along some main roads in Yangon have reached that much, because of high demand. But now this is beginning to cool down as many wait and see how the political situation develops this year. Q: Do you think the government's new property sales tax system can help reduce land prices? A: Taxes are not the only answer to controlling prices. If the government wants to reduce land prices, they will have to expand Yangon. A tax increase is just a cure for the short term. The government should try to expand not only Yangon but also Mandalay. Prices will definitely come down, like they did in the imported car market. People rely on Yangon for their businesses, that's why people prefer to stay here. But there is a lack of new housing projects in Yangon. There are many vacant lands on which to expand projects, so we need better transportation too. Q: Where are the most in-demand areas of Yangon at present? A: There are many good locations in Yangon, including along the main roads—Kabar Aye Pagoda Road, Pyay Road and Waizayantar Road. The new popular areas include North Dagon Township, not so far from downtown. And also East Dagon Township, which the government should develop for the future. North Dagon Township is already developing into a commercial area. These areas will have potential on the market soon. Q: How does the weakness of Myanmar's banking system affect the property market? A: There are no long-term loans for buying houses here. It is related to the political situation. Political instability is a major factor. People are fearful of when the property bubble will burst. Banks are also watching the situation with interest. As far as I know, banks may give loans at one-third of the property price. For example, if the price is worth 100 million kyat, they will loan 30 million kyat to the buyer. There are still many difficulties here, all related to the political situation. Q: Will the real estate bubble in Myanmar burst soon? A: My personal point of view is that it won't happen soon. There is only a small amount of foreign direct investment coming into the country, and there is also no better investment to make than in the property market right now. A lack of new housing projects here is also a factor. I don't see many people selling property at low rates; the market is still strong. Banks are also strong, that's why it won't happen until three to five years from now. This article first appeared in the March 2015 print edition of The Irrawaddy Magazine. The post Property Market 'Still Strong' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Amid Peace Talks, Ethnic Armed Groups Decry Kokang War Posted: 18 Mar 2015 06:55 AM PDT Gen. Gun Maw, left, the KIA chief of staff, shakes hands with Lt-Gen Myint Soe, third left, as the government's lead peace negotiator Aung Min, second left, looks on. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Ethnic armed groups of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) have shared their concerns with the Burma Army over intense fighting in northern Shan State, where ongoing clashes between Kokang rebels and the government caused tens of thousands of civilians to flee across the Chinese border last month. The Kokang rebel Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) is a member of the NCCT, and the group pressed the issue with Burma Army representatives during peace negotiations in Rangoon on Wednesday, according to Khun Okkar, an NCCT leader who spoke to media following the talks. "We are concerned a lot for our member [MNDAA]. We even had a plan to meet our member, but it is difficult to meet now as there is major fighting there," said Khun Okkar, adding that the Burma Army did not offer any response to the group's Kokang concerns at the meeting. The government recognizes 16 ethnic armed groups as constituting the NCCT, but Naypyidaw uses a different list of members than the NCCT does. It refuses to recognize the MNDAA and four other groups that the alliance considers its members. Hla Maung Shwe, a senior member of the government-affiliated Myanmar Peace Center (MPC), said it was the Kokang armed group that was to blame for the latest ethnic conflict to wrack Burma, with an MNDAA attack on the Kokang Special Region town of Laukkai igniting hostilities on Feb. 9. "I cannot give comment on the fighting there," the MPC official said. "Indeed, we invited them for peace talks in 2011, but they did not join. They are the ones who first started the [ recent ] fighting." This week's peace talks are the seventh official round of negotiations between the NCCT and the Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UPWC), the government body tasked with negotiating on behalf of Naypyidaw. Leaders from both sides spoke positively of the first two days of the talks, which are due to conclude on Friday. Negotiators have struggled for months to bridge differences concerning a draft nationwide ceasefire accord. Khun Okkar said the latest round of peace talks was proceeding smoothly, aided by an "understanding" reached between the government and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) over the weekend. "They got some understanding from the talks. So, this supported our peace talks a lot and even fighting in northern Shan may stop in the future," he said. Khun Okkar and other ethnic leaders did not offer details about what that agreement might entail, and the KIA—engaged in its own intermittent fighting with the Burma Army since 2011—has not spoken to the press about its weekend meeting with the government. The Rangoon negotiations got underway on Tuesday even as fighting in the Kokang Special Region continues to rage. Sources in the area say the Burma Army this week ceased its use of aerial support in attacking rebels amid tensions with neighboring China, which has said a Burmese warplane dropped a bomb on Chinese territory on Friday, killing five Chinese nationals. Ground troops continue to operate, however, with clashes between the two sides effectively a daily occurrence. "Fighting broke out very early today [Wednesday]. It happened at Konegyan hill" near Laukkai, the semiautonomous region's main town on the Chinese border, according to MNDAA spokesman Htun Myat Lin. He said that fighting also broke out on Tuesday in Tong Shan, where he said dozens of Burma Army soldiers were killed. "Fighting yesterday was very intense. It took place almost the whole day and even into the night," Htun Myat Lin told The Irrawaddy. Citing Burma's Ministry of Information, state-run media reported that three Burma Army officers were killed during fighting on Tuesday, on top of two officers killed on Monday. The reports said eight other government soldiers were wounded in fighting with the MNDAA, while three members of the rebel group were killed. Htun Myat Lin's casualty count diverged widely from the official narrative, with the spokesman saying about 80 Burma Army soldiers were killed in Tuesday's clashes in Tong Shan and "many others" were wounded. The Burma Army had mobilized a ground force about 1,000-strong in an effort on Tuesday to clear and control areas held by the MNDAA. "They launched a big military offensive. Their strategy is first to shoot artillery and then use ground forces to attack our army," he said, claiming that no MNDAA soldiers were killed on Tuesday. A statement issued by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), another ethnic armed group operating in northern Shan State, vowed to withhold its signature from a proposed nationwide ceasefire if the government continued to deploy additional troops to the area and launch military offensives. "We welcome having peace talks in Rangoon and even the meeting between the KIA and the government in Naypyidaw, which are efforts working toward peace in the country," the statement on Wednesday read. "But we cannot see a solution and real peace in the country with the launching of military offensives in our Palaung [Ta'ang] and Kokang areas. We continue to fight defensively and will attack the Burma Army unless the Burma Army withdraws from our area of control." The TNLA has openly allied itself with the MNDAA, while the KIA has denied claims that its troops are contributing to the rebels' armed resistance in the Kokang Special Region. "They are trying to get rid of our Kokang soldiers," Htun Myat Lin said. "But for us, we are practicing defensive warfare to fight back at them. Fighting will continue to happen every day as long as they come to attack our troops. "They do not want us to participate in the peace process. For us, we feel badly about this because we are one of the country's ethnic groups." Parts of this article were rephrased on March 19, 2015 to clarify the NCCT status of the MNDAA and the government’s position towards the NCCT’s membership list. The post Amid Peace Talks, Ethnic Armed Groups Decry Kokang War appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Education Law Hearings Conclude in Naypyidaw Posted: 18 Mar 2015 06:40 AM PDT The Draft Law Committee hearings into the National Education Law on Tuesday. (Phoe Thar / Action Committee for Democratic Education) RANGOON — After wrapping up its inquiry into the National Education Law in Naypyidaw, the Upper House Draft Law Committee will publish its findings on Friday, members of the National Network for Education Reform (NNER) have told The Irrawaddy. On Tuesday, representatives of the student-led Action Committee for Democratic Education (ACDE) and NNER attended the committee's final hearing session, putting the case for reforming the bill in line with the Feb. 14 settlement reached between government representatives, students and education reformers. Some reform proponents told The Irrawaddy they were unhappy with the time allotted for those speaking in favor of amending the law. Dr Nyo Nyo Thin, a lawmaker in the Rangoon Division parliament who attended the committee hearing as an NNER member, said that the final session was cut short at 3:40pm while she was waiting to explain key reform proposals. "Some of the people in previous hearing sessions had two hours to speak in defense of the bill," she said. "We only got 15 minutes. I wanted to explain the rest of our proposals." The two reform groups had earlier refused an invitation to attend hearing sessions on Mar. 5-6 as a result of the police blockade against student demonstrators in Letpadan, Bago Division. After police launched a crackdown on the Letpadan protesters in Letpadan, the groups joined the committee hearings in order to petition for the release of students detained after the incident, in addition to arguing for reform to the education law. Representatives of the Confederation of University Student Unions (CUSU) and the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABSFU) were also invited to participate, but declined due to fear of arrest. From Mar. 5, the committee has discussed the 11 proposals put forward by students and education reformers, including decentralizing the curriculum and changes to the university entrance system. Concerns have been raised about how any reforms would affect schools run by religious groups. "There are many schools teaching the government curriculum operated by Christian organizations in remote areas, and children of different faiths attend those schools," said Thu Thu Mar of the National Network for Education Reform. "We want to expand the scope of the bill to include some schools opened by religious organizations." Thu Thu Mar said that NNER representatives used the committee hearings to rebut suggestions by the Education Ministry that the creation of independent student unions would lead to a resurgence in communist activity. Committee president Khin Maung Yi told Tuesday's session that the lawmakers present would be mindful of criticisms leveled against the education law by students, as the reintroduction of the education law into parliament was a result of student protests. He added that the committee would try to produce a bill proposal in line with student expectations. The post Education Law Hearings Conclude in Naypyidaw appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Readers Rejoice: Burma Studies Centre Opens in Rangoon Posted: 18 Mar 2015 05:21 AM PDT Moira Po Shein and her husband, Ye Myo Hein, at the Burma Studies Center on March 18, 2015. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's cultural and commercial capital just got a new resource for inquisitive city-dwellers. The Burma Studies Centre, a homegrown institution that opened on Wednesday, features an extensive book collection and a space reserved for reading, research and writing. The center is free and open for all to peruse books and documents about Burma's history, politics and culture, and offers facilities for visitors to work in, complete with free Wi-Fi. The founders, Ye Myo Hein and his wife, Moira Po Shein, said they hope the center will eventually serve as an archive, a venue for expert lectures and a networking hub for scholars. "We will collect and preserve books and artifacts, and turn this into a research library. Most of [Burma's] cultural materials, books, papers and fine arts are either collected abroad or have been destroyed. We want to collect it and make it available to those who want to study it here," Ye Myo Hein told The Irrawaddy during an opening ceremony on Wednesday. Ye Myo Hein and Moira Po Shein have been collecting rarities of Burmese literature and materials related to Burma for about two decades, they said. Many of their books date back to the early 1900s. The Burma Studies Centre was modeled after the Myanmar Book Club founded in the 1920s during the time of J.S. Furnivall and Gordon Luce, Ye Myo Hein said. "Lots of young intellectuals emerged from that, who later took up important roles in Burma," he said. "Beyond the1960s, everything was being controlled [by the government]." To mark the opening of the new facility, the Burma Studies Centre teamed up with the Tagaung institute of Political Science to jointly publish a bilingual paper by revered Burma expert and journalist Bertil Lintner, titled "Myanmar 2015: The Ethnic Issue." Among the other featured books on display for visitors' perusal are "Burma: A Nation at the Crossroads" by Benedict Rogers; "In the Name of Pauk-Phaw: Myanmar's China Policy Since 1948" by Maung Aung Myoe; and "A History of Southeast Asia" by D.G.E. Hall. "We want to give people resources," said Moira Po Shein. "If people also want to consult with Burma experts and discuss their research, we can arrange that." The Burma Studies Centre is located at No. 501, building D, Anawyahtar Housing, Hledan, in Rangoon's Kamayut Township. The center is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm. The post Readers Rejoice: Burma Studies Centre Opens in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Journalists Handed 2-Month Prison Sentence on Defamation Charge Posted: 18 Mar 2015 05:14 AM PDT Chief editor Than Htike Thu and deputy chief reporter San Moe Tun were sentenced to two months in prison on defamation charges in Mon State on Wednesday. (Photo: Hein Htet / Facebook) RANGOON — A Moulmein Township Court in Mon State on Wednesday sentenced two local journalists with The Myanmar Post to two months in prison on charges of defamation, an editor of the newspaper said. Zaw Min Naing, editor in-chief of The Myanmar Post, said, "Moulmein Township Court sentenced [the two] to two months' imprisonment on a defamation charge… We have yet to consult with our lawyer on whether to appeal." Chief editor Than Htike Thu and deputy chief reporter San Moe Tun were sentenced for a news story that appeared on Jan. 29, 2014 and reported on Maj. Thein Zaw, a military lawmaker in the Mon State legislature. The army lawmaker apparently was upset over the headline of the piece, which read: "A Military Parliamentary Representative Says They Have to Take Seats in Parliament Because of Low Educational Standards." Maj. Thein Zein's lawyer filed a complaint of defamation against the chief editor and deputy reporter and called the reporter who wrote the piece as a witness in the case, according Tun Aung, a lawyer of the two convicted journalists. "The story was sent by a freelance reporter called Zaw Min Oo, aka, Thalwin Maung Maung. According to his testimony, he said he recorded the audio file [of the major's interview] and wrote the story and sent it by email. He also presented the email to the court. The account of the discussion of the major is also included in the email," said Tun Aung. "The major presented the reporter as a witness and prosecuted Than Htike Thu and San Moe Tun. Zaw Min Oo who wrote the story was not included in the complaint," he added. Thiha Saw, a member of the interim Press Council, said the criminal sentencing of the two journalists was the latest sign of a lack of media freedom in Burma. "It is wrong to say that we are enjoying media freedom. We still do not enjoy absolute media freedom. [Although] journalists do enjoy a greater degree of freedom compared to the past," he said. On Monday, The Myanmar Post journal was the first organization to publish a large black box instead of a front page photo to show its support for a campaign proposed by Myanmar Journalist's Network to temporarily boycott government press events following a violent police crackdown on a student protest last week. During the incident, reporters and photographers were also targeted. The post Journalists Handed 2-Month Prison Sentence on Defamation Charge appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

After Arakan Shipwreck Tragedy, Myanmar Transport Ministry to Inspect National Ferry Fleet Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:55 AM PDT A government-owned ferry arrives in Dala Township, Rangoon. In the wake of the Arakan ferry tragedy on Mar. 13, the government has announced plans to inspect all state-owned marine vessels. (Photo: Damir Sagolj / Reuters) RANGOON — After more than 60 people died in a ferry accident off the coast of Myebon over the weekend, the government has announced plans to inspect all state-owned vessels across the country, beginning with ferries operating in Arakan State. The government-run Aung Tagun-3 ferry capsized during a voyage from Taungup to Sittwe on Mar. 13, a few hours after leaving the port town of Kyaukphyu. Between 250 and 350 people are believed to have been traveling on the ferry. A total of 61 bodies, including 47 women, were recovered from the shipwreck as of Tuesday, with a further 169 people rescued. On Wednesday, the state-run newspaper The Global New Light of Myanmar said a team led by the managing director of Myanma Shipyards, a department of the Ministry of Transport, would investigate the safety and strength of all vessels operated by the government, with a priority given to the remaining eight vessels in the Arakan fleet. "Those ferries were bought from China from 1996-97 and have been running since then," Pe Than, a Lower House lawmaker representing Myebon, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. "They are very old and their bodies have become rusty and thin because of seawater." Pe Than added that the government should seek a more comprehensive solution and replace Arakan State's ferry fleet instead of patching up existing vessels. The Ministry of Transport has also launched its own investigation into the Arakan ferry, which had been asked to report its findings by Wednesday. Pe Than said that the investigation had asked for more time to finalize its report, and stressed that any findings should attempt to ascertain the number of people killed in the incident. "They haven't been able to recover all the bodies remaining in the boat, so we can't know exactly how many people are dead. Without knowing that, as well as who they were and where they were from, the investigation is not complete," he said. The post After Arakan Shipwreck Tragedy, Myanmar Transport Ministry to Inspect National Ferry Fleet appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Public Service Media Bill Shelved by Parliament Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:34 AM PDT State-run newspapers in Myanmar. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — After languishing for more than a year, an omnibus bill aimed at overhauling government-run media services has been withdrawn from the Union Parliament at the request of the Ministry of Information. Information Minister Ye Htut told The Irrawaddy that the request to withdraw the public service media bill was withdrawn without any objections from lawmakers on Wednesday. "The draft law has been withdrawn in order to be amended in accordance with the changing situation of the country and to consider the suggestions from media organisations and public received by the ministry," he said. According to the minister, the bill will be also reviewed with the television and broadcasting bill, which passed the upper house of parliament at the end of November but has yet to be enacted. The public service media draft law will be reviewed with the help of experts from UNESCO and other media organisations, however the ministry has not given any details over the length of the review period or when the revised bill will be tabled. Introduced to parliament in March last year, the draft law would transform lucrative government-owned media organizations into not for profit enterprises. Earlier this month, Ye Htut anticipated state-run daily newspapers generating more than 4 billion kyats (US$3.86 million) in revenue for the 2014-15 fiscal year. The bill also mandates editorial independence for state-owned media organizations, the incorporation of content which reflects Burma's ethnic diversity, and the broadcast of programs which cater to minority languages. The previous information minister, Aung Kyi, told The Irrawaddy in Nov. 2013 that the bill was unlikely to come into effect until after the 2015 general election, contradicting MRTV director-general Tint Swe, who predicted at the time that a revamped suite of state-owned television stations, radio services and newspapers would be operational by the beginning of this year. Journalists and media professionals criticized the bill shortly after it was tabled, arguing that it provided an unfair competitive advantage to state-run enterprises and casting doubt on its capacity to ensure editorial independence in services that have long served as government mouthpieces. The post Public Service Media Bill Shelved by Parliament appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma’s ‘Midnight Inspections’ Remnants of Military Rule Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:13 AM PDT Riot police detain a man in Hlegu, outside Rangoon, late April 4, 2014. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — The knock at the door of her family's home came without warning in the dead of night, just as it always did during Burma's long era of military rule. Outside, a group of government officials announced they had come to verify who was living there, citing a law that empowers the state to enter private homes any time they wish. When the woman opened the door, they hauled her son away. Such intrusions, known here as "midnight inspections," have declined dramatically since Burma's army ceded some power in 2011 and opened the country as never before. But the law that facilitates them is still on the books and being employed to suppress dissent. It's just one facet of the massive power the military continues to wield here despite the country's much-touted transition from junta rule. "They knocked on the door saying they needed to conduct a midnight inspection, but when we opened it, they took my son," the distraught mother said of the 1 am visit last week. The woman spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared both for her safety and that of her son. Several of those detained recently had been deemed sympathetic to students whose protests against a new education law were brutally crushed by police this month. The night the woman's son was taken into custody, The Associated Press documented three other inspections that ended with student activists being detained. The legislation allowing "midnight inspections," known as the "Ward or Village Tract Administration Law," has been on Myanmar's books for nearly a century, since British colonial times. It was adopted by successive military juntas, which used it to monitor political opponents and restricting their movements, helping smother pro-democracy uprisings in 1988 and 2007. The law requires families to obtain permission from the state to host guests in their own homes, in some cases every three days, regardless of how long the visitors are staying. People who rent their homes are also considered "guests," as are squatters who have built dwellings on land they don't own. In the impoverished Yangon neighborhood of Dala, residents say administrators drive around on rickshaws equipped with speakers reminding people to register guests or "face charges according to the law." Violations are punishable by seven-day jail terms and fines of about US$50. The law gives administrators the right to examine "the places needed" to ensure compliance, paving the way for "midnight inspections." This grants local officials "almost boundless authority" over their subjects, according to the Bangkok-based advocacy group Fortify Rights, which is releasing a report called "Midnight Intrusions" on Thursday urging the government to dismantle the law. The group says the law "represents a systematic and nationwide breach of privacy" that has been used to obstruct public gatherings and stymie political activists, some of whom have sometimes been refused permission to host guests for training workshops. "It's a remnant of authoritarian rule that's still being used to control the population," Fortify's executive director Matthew Smith told The Associated Press. He said he fears that as Burma moves toward elections expected later this year, "we're going to see this implemented more and more." Although the local administrators who enforce the law are elected, they report to and must be approved by the Home Affairs Ministry, a portfolio overseen by the army. The home affairs minister, Lt-Gen Ko Ko, was accused in a Harvard study last year of bearing responsibility for the execution, torture and enslavement of civilians during his time as a military commander. The government says the law is aimed at ensuring peace and security. Parliament member Thein Nyunt said the law is essential in a country still wracked by rebel fighting and ethnic tensions. "It's too early to speak of abolishing it. You can't look at it solely from a human-rights perspective. We need stability first," he said. But he added, "We need to ensure the law is used to protect, rather than oppress." Changing the law is not a priority for opposition parties, which are more focused on amending the nation's charter, in part to ease the military's hold on power. At present, soldiers are guaranteed 25 percent of parliament seats and the army commanders hold the "right to take over and exercise state sovereign power" if an emergency is deemed to threaten the union. Smith also said many people are so habituated to submitting to the midnight-inspections law that they don't even consider it intrusive, or a violation of human rights. Home inspections typically include community representatives of the government, police, army and intelligence services, even firefighters. The Myanmar Red Cross also has taken part, though last month announced it would no longer allow staff to participate. In the Dala neighborhood, several residents interviewed said that although they had not experienced "midnight inspections" for nearly a year, they were still required to register guests with the township administrator. Dala resident Htwe Yi said most people were used to the process. When a 17-year-old relative came to stay with her recently, she had to send him to the township administrator's office to get permission first. For three weeks, her family had to register the boy every three days, until authorities relaxed the requirement to each week. Though administrators are prohibited from collecting fees during their duties, Dala residents said they routinely come to homes holding out bowls to collect cash. The residents said they typically pay between 50 US cents and a dollar. In one township administrator's office in Dala, where geckos scampered across wooden desks covered with paper and notebooks, administrator Sein Win denied that he or his staff take payments from residents. Records are kept in simple pen-and-paper ledgers, which list guest names alongside their age, national identity card numbers, host names and addresses, where they've traveled from and the amount of time the government has allowed the guest to stay. Asked how long the data is stored, Sein Win pointed toward the ceiling, where cobwebs shrouded seven large white rice sacks perched on two thick bamboo poles. Each sack was filled with ledgers going back to 1994. Pyone Cho, a pro-democracy activist who spent much of the last 20 years in jail, said the government uses the data when it needs to: "I know, because when I was in prison, they came to me with records of where I had been in this and that year." Whether authorities enforce the laws or not, "people remain afraid of them," he said. "This was used as a weapon to oppress us for decades. We're still traumatized. Everybody knows they can enforce turn these laws against us whenever they wish." The post Burma's 'Midnight Inspections' Remnants of Military Rule appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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