The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• White Cards Expire, Rohingya to Enter Citizenship Verification Process
• Equine Lovers Saddle Up for New Riding Club
• Parliament Approves US$19b Annual Budget
• Rockslide at Burma Jade Mine Kills 9, Around 20 Missing
• In Presence of Dutch Queen, Govt Launches Strategy to Expand Microcredit
• Home Affairs Ministry to Overhaul Burmese Passports
• Ministry Denies Evicting Disabled Woman over Student Protests
• The Students Too Deserve an Olive Branch
• Disagreements Signal Long Road Ahead for Nationwide Peace
• Thai Leader Moves to Lift Martial Law, Impose Absolute Power
• Malaysian Police Arrest Media CEO, Editors Over Sedition
• Thai Man Jailed for 25 Years Over Royal Insult Posts on Facebook

White Cards Expire, Rohingya to Enter Citizenship Verification Process Posted: 01 Apr 2015 07:27 AM PDT A woman in a displacement camp in Arakan State's Myebon Township holds up her white card, October 2014. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Hundreds of thousands of temporary identity cardholders, most of whom are stateless Rohingya Muslims, saw their official identification papers expire on Wednesday as a result of a controversial government decision taken in February aimed at revoking their voting rights. Authorities in western Burma's Arakan State, where many of the Rohingya live, said hundreds of so-called white cards were voluntarily returned on Wednesday, but local Muslim leaders said many would refuse to give up their only remaining form of official identification. The card holders lack official citizenship and are effectively stateless. There are believed to be between 600,000 to 800,000 white card holders, most of who are Rohingya, a Muslim minority of around 1 million people who live in northern Arakan State. The government measure requires the holders to render their temporary identity cards to local authorities before May 31, after which they are supposed to undergo a citizen verification process carried out by local authorities to determine their status in Burma. Khin Soe, an immigration officer in Arakan State capital Sittwe, said 1,363 people in nine northern townships had returned their cards by noon Wednesday. "There are people who come to give back their white cards directly to our immigration officers, or some people gave it back to their community leaders. This is just first day and many more people will come to give it back in the remaining period," he said. Those who give up their white cards are given a "receipt" to prove they had a temporary identity card and can enter the citizenship verification process come June, Khin Soe said. The process will be implemented by local authorities in accordance with the 1982 Citizenship Law and was piloted last year in Arakan State's Myebon Township, where some 200 Muslims were granted citizenship status. It was suspended after several weeks because the local Buddhist Arakanese population demonstrated against the project. The Arakanese population and the Rohingya minority have been embroiled in a sometimes violent communal conflict, with about 140,000 of the latter having been displaced by violence since 2012. Burma's government has failed to take clear steps to resolve the citizenship issue of the Rohingya, which is deeply unpopular with the predominantly Buddhist public. The citizenship verification process is obscured by a dearth of information. The 1982 Citizenship Law does not recognize the term Rohingya as an ethnic minority of Burma and members of the Muslim group are unlikely to obtain any form government documentation if they insist of self-identifying under the name Rohingya. The government insists on calling the group "Bengalis" to suggest that most of are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Khin Soe said card holders would have to show proof of a long family history in Arakan State if they wanted to obtain Burmese citizenship and have an identity card again. "When they provide documents showing their grandparents and parents stayed here, we need to look at the records in detail. Then, township level, regional level and the central government will decide whether to give them ID cards," he said. "If we found someone came from Bangladesh and they do not have enough documents, we could punish them." Aung Win, a Rohingya rights activist and community leader in Sittwe, said most members of the Muslim community were reluctant to give their only form of official identification to Arakanese authorities, as they distrusted officials and the citizenship verification process and feared being labelled immigrants. "Our people here are worried about what they will happen next after they return their white cards," he said. "I do not see many people come out yet [to return their cards], but there are more days left, maybe they will come on other days." Hla Maung, a Rohingya man from Maungdaw Township, said his eight family members had given their white cards to a local community leader on Wednesday. "We do not get a receipt yet, but they told us that they will give us a receipt soon, when it is signed by the township authority," he said. Hla Maung said he was hopeful his family could successfully join the citizenship verification process. "We were born here; we did not come from Bangladesh. We have all the documents to prove our grandparents and parents stayed here," he said. The international community has repeatedly criticized Burma's treatment of the Rohingya, who are denied basic government services, such as education and healthcare, and freedom of movement. Foreign governments have called on Burma to grant the Rohingya citizenship and resolve Arakan's humanitarian crisis. In February, the government backtracked on a decision to grant white card holders voting rights in an upcoming constitutional referendum and announced it would let all white cards expire. Tom Malinowski, US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said in February that invalidating the white cards is "counter to reconciliation" in Arakan State and inclusive elections. The post White Cards Expire, Rohingya to Enter Citizenship Verification Process appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Equine Lovers Saddle Up for New Riding Club Posted: 01 Apr 2015 07:13 AM PDT RANGOON — Equine lovers rejoice: the country's first public horse riding course will soon be opened in Rangoon's Hlegu Township, and aspiring equestrianists with cash to splash will soon be offered riding courses catering both novices and seasoned gallopers. The steep cost of suitable riding mares—around 4 million kyat or US$3870 each—has kept the sport out of reach to all but Burma's ultra-wealthy. Win Aung, an executive member of the Myanmar Equestrian Federation (MEF), said he hoped to entice more people into horse riding by providing a relatively affordable option at the newly founded Kyi Thar Aye Mya Riding Club. "There are some private riding clubs at the moment, and some people raise horses with affection in some regions," he said. "But riding courses haven't been opened for the wider public before, because of the high cost and time needed to train and keep horses before people are able to ride them." Win Aung will be opening the course on April 4 with three friends and have employed three teachers, each of whom won medals for equestrian events in the 2013 Southeast Asian Games. Training will cost 150,000 kyats (US$145) for a two-month course. "We are also planning to offer club memberships to those wanting to ride and trainees who complete the course," Win Aung said, adding that the club will begin accepting membership applicants once construction of a café and bar is finished. Various forms of horse riding sunk into obscurity in Burma after the former dictator Gen. Ne Win banned horse racing, despite himself being an enthusiast of the sport. During the late years of the Burmese monarchy and the colonial era, gambling on horse races was a popular pastime. The new riding club is banking on a resurgence in equestrianism, offering a range of courses including dressage and show jumping in the hopes of sending recruits off to compete on the world stage. "I would like to coach my trainees to be skilled enough to send to international competitions," said Win Aung. Nay Chi, a 22-year-old Rangoon resident now beginning her training at the club, said she hopes to enter competition once she has mastered the art of horse riding. "After I've finished the basic training, I will continue until I am skilled in show jumping," she said. An Equestrian Academy is also slated to open in Naypyidaw and Rangoon at the end of this year, with the support of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports. The post Equine Lovers Saddle Up for New Riding Club appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Parliament Approves US$19b Annual Budget Posted: 01 Apr 2015 06:51 AM PDT A view of Burma's Parliament in Naypyidaw. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's Union Parliament on Tuesday approved its annual spending bill, with expenses totaling more than 20 trillion kyats (US$19.3 billion) for the fiscal year that began this month. The total budget of 20.6 trillion kyats represents a seven percent increase over last year, but is markedly lower than the initial proposal submitted by President Thein Sein's cabinet in January, which requested 23.2 trillion kyats. Burma's annual budget is based on regular expenditures and the capital of each government ministry. Lawmakers said that new expenses this year mostly fall under regular expenditures such as costs of petrol, guest stipends and vehicle maintenance. About 38 billion kyats of the requested budget were trimmed from government ministries, after lawmakers requested that they resubmit their budgets on the grounds that they were calculated on high price estimates that exceeded the actual value. Ministries trimmed their budgets by about two percent with the exception of the ministries of defense and home affairs, according to Lower House parliamentarian Sandar Min of the National League for Democracy (NLD). The Ministry of Defense requested about 2.7 billion kyats, while the Ministry of Home Affairs requested 2.8 billion. A ministerial breakdown of the approved budget is not yet publicly available, though lawmakers said that those numbers were mostly unchanged. After four years of parliamentary approval for the national budget, lawmakers said that while there is still room for improvement on how Burma prioritizes and balances spending, members of Parliament are actively trying to improve their capacity and skill in budget management and are becoming more vigilant of government expenditures. In some instances, budgets for expenses such as roads and other infrastructure were cut because they were built on inaccurate estimates, according to ethnic Arakanese lawmaker Aye Maung, who represents the Arakan National Party. Lawmakers also urged government ministries to carefully assess whether their proposals are beneficial to citizens, finding that some ministries had previously been granted funds for projects that ultimately failed. One such example, said Sandar Min, was an unsuccessful rural housing and sanitation project initiated by the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development several years ago. Despite failing each year to meet its goals, the ministry requested 11 billion kyats for its continuation. "The minister [Ohn Myint] said the budget cut shouldn't happen this year. He said that if the Parliament wants to cut, they should do it next year," said Sandar Min. "This is an avoidance of accountability." Some minority lawmakers also criticized the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party for what they called "unnecessary spending" on new government posts that have not yet proven useful or accountable, while long-neglected sectors such as health and education still suffer from budgetary shortfalls. The post Parliament Approves US$19b Annual Budget appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rockslide at Burma Jade Mine Kills 9, Around 20 Missing Posted: 01 Apr 2015 06:37 AM PDT A view of the jade mining district in Hpakant Township, Kachin State. (Photo: Saw Yan Naing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A rockslide at a jade mine in northern Burma killed at least nine miners, and rescuers were searching for around 20 others, state media reported on Wednesday, two days after the accident. The miners were searching for pieces of jade in a 300-foot high heap of excavated rubble when it collapsed, the state-owned Myanma Alinn newspaper reported. The disaster happened near the town of Hpakant, 350 kilometres (217 miles) north of Mandalay, in an area where scores of mining companies operate. "The rescue work is continuing," the newspaper said. Accidents are frequent in Hpakant and victims are often "handpickers"—independent miners who find jade fragments by combing through unstable mountains of rubble dumped by mining companies. At least two people were killed in a similar incident in January. Hpakant is the largest source of Burmese jade, which netted US$3.4 billion in sales at the annual gems emporium last October an official from the Mines Ministry cited by The Irrawaddy. Estimated revenues from the illegal trade dwarf that figure. The Harvard Ash Center published a report in July 2013 that put unofficial sales at about $8 billion in 2011, with almost all of that jade smuggled over the border into China. The post Rockslide at Burma Jade Mine Kills 9, Around 20 Missing appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

In Presence of Dutch Queen, Govt Launches Strategy to Expand Microcredit Posted: 01 Apr 2015 05:40 AM PDT Queen Máxima of the Netherlands gives a speech on financial inclusion at Rangoon University on Tuesday. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's Ministry of Finance launched a new strategy on Wednesday that aims to expand access to financial services, such as microcredit and insurance, to a broader public in an effort to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty. The Financial Inclusion Roadmap was developed in cooperation with the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and other development organizations, and was launched in Naypyidaw in the presence of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, who serves as the UN secretary-general's special advocate for inclusive finance for development. The new strategy seeks to overhaul Burma's current, restrictive regulatory framework for the provisions of loans, savings, payment and insurance, so that financial institutions can expand these services to most of the population, and in particular to lower and middle income households. The roadmap also aims to further develop microfinance institutions so that they can attract international and commercial funding for the growth of financial services in Burma. In the country, access to financial services for low and middle income households or small and medium enterprises remains undeveloped as a result of military regime-era restrictions on the services and policies that gave state-owned institutions, such as state banks and cooperatives, a large role in providing credit. The roadmap document said research into financial services in Burma "paints a clear picture of a market where although the levels of formal access stands at a moderate 30 percent, such access is thin [only 6 percent have access to more than one product], and even where available, the formal product frequently does not suit customer needs." Burma's levels of access to microcredit are low compared with other developing countries in Southeast Asia, where microfinance institutions have expanded rapidly in the last two decades or so. The government roadmap sets a goal of expanding access to financial services from 30 percent to 40 percent of the adult population by 2020 and increasing the number of people with access to more than one financial product from 6 percent to 15 percent. Queen Máxima said improving formal financial services for low-income families in Burma would reduce their dependency on informal moneylenders and their vulnerability to financial shocks, such as illness or loss of harvest. "Savings accounts and health insurance can help cope with these unexpected crises, thus making more money available for investing in a business, or sending your child to school," she said in a speech at Rangoon University on Tuesday. "For financial inclusion to make significant improvements in people's lives, [financial] services need to be carefully regulated, safe, affordable, and designed according to the needs of customers," she said. "This roadmap aims to establish a common vision of how to significantly expand financial inclusion—taking into account the needs of customers as well as banks and government." Julie Earne, a microfinance expert at the IFC, said one of the challenges for the planned expansion of financial services in Burma is the lack of large microfinance institutions (MFIs) that have experience with obtaining international capital that can be used to provide microloans. "Here in Myanmar, the sector has grown up basically with donor [funding] … and very little commercial funding. As a result, these institutions have never had to finance themselves on a commercial basis," she told The Irrawaddy. "There are some NGO MFIs that have started and are in early stages of scale, but their growth is constrained because it is very difficult for them to obtain funding." "In order for the sector to grow it needs access to different sources of funds," Earne said, adding that the institutions needed to be well-managed and properly regulated so that they could attract capital through international commercial loans and by taking on savings deposited by the public. UNCDF and Central Bank of Myanmar representatives could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. Royal Visit Criticized Queen Máxima visited Burma in her capacity as UN representative and talked to government leaders, Central Bank officials, financial sector representatives and also briefly met with Rangoon University students. There was some criticism of her visit in the Netherlands in the light of a recent, brutal government crackdown in Burma on a student protest calling for Education Law reform. The Burma Center Netherlands said in an open letter to the queen, "Because you are visiting Myanmar in these troubled times, we urge you, on behalf of all the Burmese struggling for democratic freedoms, to address the issue of the student arrests, and the importance of peaceful protests in a democratic society. "We ask you to share your empathy with the students in prison and their families, as well as your concern about the pace of the reform process, now that the government is openly resorting to the methods of the dictatorship," the letter said. It was unclear whether Queen Máxima addressed these concerns in her moments with the students. She briefly took questions on Tuesday afternoon from the media, who had been instructed to focus only on the issue of financial inclusion. The post In Presence of Dutch Queen, Govt Launches Strategy to Expand Microcredit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Home Affairs Ministry to Overhaul Burmese Passports Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:48 AM PDT Burmese nationals hold up their passports outside the Myanmar embassy in Singapore as they wait their turn to vote in the country's 2008 constitutional referendum. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced plans to overhaul the country's passport system, including the introduction of travel documents with biometric data, according to reports. The government-owned New Light of Myanmar on Wednesday announced an open tender for local IT companies from Apr. 6-30 to build the new system in concert with foreign enterprises. The system will replace the machine-readable passport (MRP) system introduced in 2010, decades after the MRP's widespread adoption by the international community. "After Apr. 30, we will start the necessary processes, and I expect the new system will be ready this year," Police Lt-Col Kyaw Nyunt, a ministry spokesman, told The Irrawaddy. "The electronic system would be more secure than the recent MRP system, it will become the international standard soon." Kyaw Nyunt added that equipment at immigration desks and passport issuing offices would also need to be upgraded, which necessitated the use of private contractors. Current international standards for biometric travel documents include facial, fingerprint and eye recognition technology, with information stored digitally in the passport itself. Burma, Vietnam and Laos are the only three Asean countries yet to begin issuing biometric passports. Since MRPs were introduced in Burma, waiting times for passport applications have decrased dramatically. New applicants need to wait 10 days for their passport from the Rangoon, Mandalay and Naypyidaw issuing offices, down from an average of 40 days in 2008. However, some former dissidents have reported difficulties with passport requests, after the introduction of an official requirement that they furnish their prison release certificates with their application. Former political prisoner Eaint Khine Oo, who recently applied for an MRP, said that the need to acquire a release certificate had led to long delays in applications lodged by her and others. "We're not criminals," she said. "They don't treat actual criminals as seriously as they treated us. I want the process to be equal and for former political prisoners to be treated as fast as other people." According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, more than 2 million passports have been issues since the MRP system was introduced. The ministry also extended the validity of Burmese passports from three to five years in 2012. The post Home Affairs Ministry to Overhaul Burmese Passports appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ministry Denies Evicting Disabled Woman over Student Protests Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:12 AM PDT Su Pon Chit, a 25-year-old disability advocate who was evicted from a government-provided apartment at the end of March. (Photo Myat Su Mon / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The government has denied widespread reports in Burmese language media that disability advocate Su Pon Chit was evicted from her government-owned apartment as a result of her involvement in recent student protests. The 25-year-old, who was born without arms and only has limited use of her legs, was recently evicted from an apartment belonging to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, where she has resided for 10 years. Thin Thin Nwe, director of the Department of Social Welfare, told the government-owned Mirror newspaper that Su Pon Chit had first received notice to move from her residence in Dec. 8, more than a month before the recent round of student protests began. "We informed her before the student protests in February, so the claim we evicted her for her involvement in the protests is totally irrelevant," she said, adding that a recent increase in staff required the ministry to evict tenants in order to provide accommodation for its employees. Su Pon Chit relinquished control of her apartment at the end of March, during exams for her masters program. After receiving a postgraduate degree in public policy at the University of New South Wales in Australia, she had returned to Rangoon to attend the Rangoon Technical University in Hlaing Thar Yar. She now faces the prospect of commuting to campus from her home village of Nyaungdon, 63 kilometers (39 miles) away. "I don't know exactly the reasons for removing me from my apartment," she told The Irrawaddy. "I appealed the decision to the upper levels of the government but did not receive any response." The Mirror report also featured a reminder to journalists about their professional and legal obligations to be accurate. The post Ministry Denies Evicting Disabled Woman over Student Protests appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The Students Too Deserve an Olive Branch Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:05 AM PDT   A student charged in connection with a sit-in protest in Letpadan, Pegu Division, looks out from a detention vehicle prior to a hearing on March 25. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) Who would have thought that as government negotiators were shaking hands with their ethnic rebel counterparts this week, 70 students would hear news of the historic moment sitting in prison northwest of Rangoon, where they await trial for various charges after police cracked down on their peaceful protest last month? Admittedly, students' battles with successive authoritarian governments go back nearly as long as ethnic armed rebellions in Burma, but surely a betting man would have put money on the country's complex civil war as the more intractable of the conflicts. The students and some of their supporters are facing criminal charges for their involvement in advocating reform of the National Education Law. They ended up in Thayawaddy prison, nearly 80 miles northwest of Rangoon, after their 40-day march from Mandalay and a subsequent sit-in was violently dispersed by police on March 10 in Letpadan, Pegu Division. Apart from those who have been detained, another three student leaders—Kyaw Ko Ko, Myat Thu and Ye Yint Kyaw—are in hiding as authorities attempt to hunt them down. You may ask: Surely, there's more to the plot—some nefarious undercurrent motivating the students for which their ostensible aims are merely a façade? But you would be wrong. These protesters are merely demanding an overhaul of the country's long-neglected and highly centralized education system. They took to the streets not in support of the immediate resignation of Thein Sein's administration or the violent overthrow of his government. The government's response to the students' nonviolent protest was quite the opposite of peaceful, and one more stain on its reformist mantle was inked. In other words, sadly, the way the government and its "civilian reformers" are handling these protesters is no different than how their predecessors in previous military regime would have: brutal crackdowns and follow-up arrests. The detainees have been charged with at least five articles, including under Burma's Peaceful Assembly Law. Right after the crackdown, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced that anyone found to have been behind the incident, encouraged unlawful activity or "tried to destabilize the country" would be charged in accordance with the law—a euphemism for repression that was previously embraced by Burma's military juntas. It is taken for granted that if found guilty, the verdicts will further fuel public anger toward the government, which boiled to the surface in the aftermath of the heavy-handed tactics in Letpadan and played out on social media and in the editorial pages of Burma's dailies and weeklies. It is to this publication's bewilderment that the government is able to set aside more than 65 years of armed conflict with ethnic minority groups while actively stifling students' right to advocate for political change. The protest's ultimate goal is educational reform. On their nearly 320-mile march down from Mandalay, the protesters had hardly done anything that threatened "to destabilize the country." We know this because a freer media environment in recent years allowed journalists to document the protest movement relatively uninhibited. At this moment when, at least ostensibly, the government is feeling unprecedented goodwill toward the country's ethnic armed groups, another gesture in the spirit of national reconciliation is in order: the immediate release of the protesters. A presidential pardon for the students would be a public relations boon for a government that has lost a great deal of luster in the eyes of both domestic and international audiences as a result of the crackdown in Letpadan. And if the young activists remain behind bars? Well, then it's a good day to ask: Regarding this government's claims of reformist intent, are we being played for April Fools? The post The Students Too Deserve an Olive Branch appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Disagreements Signal Long Road Ahead for Nationwide Peace Posted: 01 Apr 2015 01:31 AM PDT Lt-Gen Myint Soe (2nd left), Aung Min of the Myanmar Peace Center (4th left) and Nai Hong Sar (5th left) with government and ethnic leaders at Tuesday's press conference. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The tentative optimism arising from an agreement on a draft nationwide ceasefire agreement  that was presented earlier this week was tempered by signs of the magnitude of the remaining political differences between the government and ethnic armies that emerged during a press conference on Tuesday evening. At a brief, 30-minute event, two generals from the Burma Army sat alongside government chief peace negotiator Minister Aung Min and two ethnic leaders to discuss the final day of negotiations between the government's Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UWPC) and the ethnics' Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), which succeeded in negotiating an in-principle agreement of the ceasefire accord text. Following the potential signing of a nationwide ceasefire accord in the coming weeks, a number of key political differences would have to be bridged in the extended political dialogue that is supposed to start after the accord. Contentious political issues, such as the disarmament of ethnic armies, have been left out of the draft ceasefire agreement, and will instead be negotiated in the political dialogue, a process that could take years to complete. An indication of the differences yet to be resolved between the government and ethnic armies came when Lt-Gen Myint Soe and NCCT leader Nai Hong Sar offered their opinions on the army's six-point statement, which was devised by Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing last year. Government negotiators had been pushing to include the statement in the ceasefire text, but recently agreed to include it in the political dialogue phase instead. One of the points, which calls for the "march towards a democratic country in accord with the 2008 Constitution," could be interpreted as requiring the disarmament of ethnic armies.  The ethnic groups object to this step unless a comprehensive political settlement is reached that addresses their longstanding demands, such as greater political autonomy for their regions. . "We will not abandon our six-point road map," said Myint Soe. "We will keep our six points. If our six points are accepted, there will be permanent peace in the country." Nai Hong Sar offered an immediate rebuttal. "The six points have not been included in our draft nationwide ceasefire agreement," he responded. "But our ethnic armies will not accept any order to disarm." Aung Min told the press pack that Tuesday's agreement would be remembered as a historical day for the country and a milestone in the government of President Thein Sein. At the same time, he reiterated the government's refusal to negotiate with ethnic armies outside of the NCCT members it has granted official recognition. "There were 16 members of the NCCT when we began our peace talks with them. We only accept these 16 groups for participation in political dialogue," he said. "Firstly, we will talk with these 16 groups. It will take a long time for us to accept new members. Our government does not have time for this." Five ethnic armies have joined the NCCT since negotiations began, including the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, an ethnic Kokang force which has been engaged in pitched battles with government troops around Laukkai, northern Shan State, since the middle of February. On Tuesday, Aung Naing Oo, a government advisor at the Myanmar Peace Center, told the Los Angeles Times that the Kokang conflict had no bearing on the signing of a "nationwide" ceasefire agreement. "It’s possible to have a nationwide ceasefire and still be fighting the Kokang—they are considered a renegade group," he said. At the press conference, Nai Hong Sar said the government should seek to accommodate all ethnic armed groups in order to produce a genuine national ceasefire deal, and asked the Burma Army to cease fighting in northern Shan State. "We have finished drafting the nationwide ceasefire agreement," he said. "This is just a draft. There are many things we have to work before in order to receive a signed agreement. The government should have genuine political talks in order to have peace." When a reporter asked Myint Soe about how the Burma Army will end fighting in the Kokang region, the general said that the onus also rested on ethnic groups to bring an end to the conflict. "If we blamed each other for fighting or disputes, we would not have been able to finish our discussions here," he said. "I can only say we will work together to reduce conflict." Elsewhere, presidential spokesman Ye Htut was upbeat about the negotiations, saying that President Thein Sein and Min Aung Hlaing had ensured their legacy in the country's history books for their efforts to achieve peace. "Our President Thein Sein and Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing today can implement peace, which is a rare feat. They have become historical leaders,” he said on Facebook. Nai Siri Mon Chan, a former colonel from Mon National Liberation Army (MNLA), said that ethnic groups had a lingering lack of trust as to whether their push for a federal system of governance would be adequately addressed by the government after the ceasefire is signed. The post Disagreements Signal Long Road Ahead for Nationwide Peace appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thai Leader Moves to Lift Martial Law, Impose Absolute Power Posted: 31 Mar 2015 10:35 PM PDT Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha poses for a ‘picture with an employee of the Stock Exchange of Thailand in Bangkok last month. (Photo: Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters) BANGKOK— Thailand’s military-installed prime minister said Tuesday he plans to lift martial law 10 months after staging a coup, but will invoke a special security measure that critics say is more draconian. The development has sparked concern from human rights groups, lawyers, political parties and scholars who say the measure, Article 44 of a junta-imposed interim constitution, gives Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha unchecked authority over all three branches of government. Prayuth, the former army commander who led the May 22, 2014, coup that overthrew an elected government, told reporters Tuesday that he is seeking King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s approval to revoke martial law. The monarch’s approval is considered a formality. Prayuth has faced growing pressure to scrap martial law, which places the military in charge of public security nationwide and has been criticized as a deterrent to tourists and foreign investors. Thai media have referred to Article 44 as "the dictator law." Under a similar law in the 1960s, a Thai dictator carried out summary executions. The measure gives Prayuth power over all aspects of government, law and order, and absolves him of any legal responsibility for his actions. "Article 44 essentially means Prayuth is the law. He can order the detention of anyone without charge, without having to put the person on trial and for as long as he desires," Pravit Rojanaphruk, an outspoken columnist for The Nation newspaper, wrote Tuesday. The Geneva-based rights group, the International Commission of Jurists, expressed strong reservations about Article 44. "Article 44 violates the fundamental pillars of the rule of law and human rights, including equality, accountability, and predictability," the group’s secretary general, Wilder Tayler, said in a statement posted on its website. He said the statute would not be a real improvement over martial law, which he said should be lifted in favor of returning to civilian rule. Prayuth sought to downplay such concerns, telling reporters he would use Article 44 "constructively" to solve security issues. "Don’t worry," he told reporters after a Cabinet meeting. "If you’re not doing anything wrong, there’s no need to be afraid." The post Thai Leader Moves to Lift Martial Law, Impose Absolute Power appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Malaysian Police Arrest Media CEO, Editors Over Sedition Posted: 31 Mar 2015 10:30 PM PDT Malaysian lawyers hold placards and shout slogans during a protest calling for the repeal of the Sedition Act in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 16, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) KUALA LUMPUR — Police have arrested five people from a Malaysian media group, including a top executive, on suspicion of sedition, their lawyers and authorities said on Tuesday, over a news report concerning punishments meted out under Islamic law. Publisher and group CEO of The Edge Media Group, Ho Kay Tat, and chief executive of the group's The Malaysian Insider news portal, Jahabar Sadiq, were arrested on Tuesday when they arrived at a police station in the capital Kuala Lumpur to give a statement, the company said. Police chief, Khalid Abu Bakar, confirmed their detention, but provided no further details. "No tolerance toward any seditious activities," Khalid tweeted in Malay. Late on Monday, police and officials from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) raided the offices of The Malaysian Insider news portal and arrested three of its editors. Syahredzan Johan, a lawyer representing the company, said the editors were arrested under the Sedition Act and Communications and Multimedia Act. The latter concerns improper use of a network service that is obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive in character. Malaysia's Sedition Act, which dates from British colonial times, criminalizes speech with an undefined "seditious tendency." Critics have said the government has used the law to silence dissent, preventing open debate and discussion. The government says the law is necessary to clamp down on inflammatory actions that could stir ethnic or religious tension. Prime Minister Najib Razak, who had pledged to repeal the act in 2012, bolstered it last year to protect the sanctity of Islam and Malaysia's traditional rulers, the sultans. The two executives arrested on Tuesday will be held in jail overnight, The Malaysian Insider reported. A remand application for the three editors was rejected by a magistrate, the portal's lawyer Syahredzan tweeted on Tuesday. The Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) called for their immediate release. "CIJ and SEAPA view these arrests under the Sedition Act and Communications and Multimedia Act as an assault on media freedom and an act of intimidation in using police powers of arrests and detention against the four editors and Ho," CIJ said in a statement. Authorities in socially conservative Malaysia have conducted a series of arrests since last August for sedition, detaining opposition politicians, activists, and academics. Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, was arrested for sedition this month over a speech made in parliament. The arrests were over an article that said the Confederation of Rulers—Malaysia's monarchy—had rejected a proposal to amend a federal law that could allow the use of the Islamic punishment, hudud, in Malaysia. Malaysia's Islamist opposition party is calling for strict enforcement of sharia, or Islamic law, for Muslims that includes amputations and stonings. The post Malaysian Police Arrest Media CEO, Editors Over Sedition appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thai Man Jailed for 25 Years Over Royal Insult Posts on Facebook Posted: 31 Mar 2015 10:25 PM PDT Activists hold signs as they gather in front of the Thai Criminal court during a protest in Bangkok January 25, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — A Thai military court on Tuesday jailed a man for 25 years for posting pictures on his Facebook page deemed insulting to Thailand's monarchy, in one of the toughest such sentences in recent years. Thailand's lese-majeste law is the world's harshest and makes it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen or heir to the throne or regent. Since taking power in a May coup, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a staunch royalist, has repeatedly vowed to vigorously pursue royal insult cases and try those perceived to be anti-monarchists. In the latest case, Tiensutham Suttijitseranee, a 58-year-old businessman, was found guilty of posting defamatory content in a closed-door court sentencing, his lawyer told Reuters. "The court decided that because he posted five pictures with captions last year that the court deemed defamatory, he would be sentenced to a total of 50 years; ten years for each picture posted, reduced by half to 25 years," lawyer Sasinan Thamnithinan told Reuters, adding that the term was halved because Tiensutham pleaded guilty. The court did not allow his relatives and reporters to attend the verdict, she said. Since the coup, all lese-majeste cases have been tried by military tribunals. There have been 20 new cases involving royal defamation after the coup, deputy national police chief Jaktip Chaijinda said. An elderly man was jailed for one-and-a-half years this month for scrawling graffiti in a Bangkok shopping mall toilet. The lese-majeste prosecutions come at a sensitive time in Thailand, amid heightened anxiety over the health of the revered but ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87, and nervousness about what a royal succession might bring. Prayuth on Tuesday said he had asked for the king's permission to lift martial law, which has been in place since before the coup 10 months ago, replacing it with a law that maintains the army's wide-ranging powers. The post Thai Man Jailed for 25 Years Over Royal Insult Posts on Facebook appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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