The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Thingyan Brings No Respite in Burma’s Ethnic Conflicts
• Rebel Summit in Wa Area to Discuss Ceasefire, Decision on Accord to Follow
• Germany Receives US Blacklisted MP for Financial Tour
• Charter Referendum ‘Unlikely’ in May: Ethnic Leader
• Water Festival Crimes, Accidents Leave 16 Dead, 356 Injured
• Charity to Donate 50 Prosthetic Hands
• UK-Based Burmese Doctor Jailed for Fondling Female Patient: Reports
• Photo of the Week (20.4.2015)
• China Paper Blames Poor Upbringings for Top-Level Graft
• Chinese President to Launch Economic Corridor Link in Pakistan
• Indian Farmers Protest Govt Plans to Ease Land Acquisition
• March of the Marionettes

Thingyan Brings No Respite in Burma’s Ethnic Conflicts Posted: 20 Apr 2015 06:47 AM PDT A rebel soldier of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army holds his rifle as he guards near a military base in the Kokang Special Region on March 11, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Fighting flared in the ethnic minority strongholds of northern Shan, Kachin and Arakan states last week even as most of Burma was busy celebrating the Buddhist New Year, casting further doubt on the ability of the government and ethnic armed groups in Burma to achieve a meaningful end to decades of hostilities. Heavy fighting over the weekend around Laukkai, in northern Shan State's Kokang Special Region, resulted in dozens of casualties and continued into Monday, according to a spokesman for Kokang rebels in northern Shan State against whom government troops are battling. Prior to that, state media said on Thursday that the military had managed to occupy "the main strategic outposts of the Kokang rebels" after fighting from April 10-16 in which 16 government troops were killed and 110 injured. Since the fighting broke out on Feb. 9, the Burma Army-run Myawaddy news outlet said a total of 126 government troops were killed and 359 others injured, an acknowledgement of some of the deadliest clashes in years between the government and ethnic armed groups. Over that period, the Burma Army said it had recovered the bodies of 74 Kokang rebel soldiers resulting from 253 hostile engagements with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in Laukkai. Htun Myat Lin, the MNDAA spokesman, said he could not confirm the government's claim of having recovered 74 of the rebel group's soldiers, saying only that "we have not lost many." He rejected the assertion that the Burma Army had made territorial gains over the April 10-16 period. Htun Myat Lin said additional intense fighting beginning Sunday in Shikawnin and Shitontshein areas east of Laukkai had killed two MNDAA soldiers and injured one, while the Burma Army lost 21 soldiers and suffered between 65 and 70 injuries. "Until this morning, the Tatmadaw [Burma Army] has been shooting toward our posts, using 122 mm rocket launchers and shelling at the same time," the spokesperson said on Monday. An accurate picture of casualty counts on either side has been difficult to ascertain, with often wide disparities existing between state media accounts of the fighting and Htun Myat Lin's version of events. The MNDAA spokesman has consistently contradicted Burma Army claims, and vice versa. In Kachin State's Hpakant Township, meanwhile, Brigade No. 6 of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) traded fire with the Burma Army over the weekend. The KIA's deputy chief of staff, Gen. Gun Maw, told The Irrawaddy that the clash was minor and that Monday brought no reports of further clashes. The Burma also said last week that it had conducted military operations in western Arakan State, where fighting broke out with Arakan Army troops in the area. Nyo Tun Aung, the Arakan Army's deputy chief of staff, told The Irrawaddy that his armed group had lost one soldier during three days of fighting. "The clashes between the AA's Brigade No. 5 and Light Infantry Battalion 539 in Kyauktaw Township were heavy and we lost one soldier on the second day, on April 18," he said. Clashes between the Arakan Army and the Burma Army, an uncommon occurrence, were first reported on March 29. Just two days later, however, government negotiations and representatives from ethnic armed groups' Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) hailed what they called a breakthrough in negotiations aimed at achieving a nationwide ceasefire accord. The NCCT considers both the Arakan Army and MNDAA to be part of its alliance, though the government does not recognize their memberships. Additional reporting by The Irrawaddy's Kyaw Kha. The post Thingyan Brings No Respite in Burma's Ethnic Conflicts appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rebel Summit in Wa Area to Discuss Ceasefire, Decision on Accord to Follow Posted: 20 Apr 2015 06:34 AM PDT Panghsang in northern Shan State is the headquarters of the United Wa State Army (UWSA). (Photo: Sai Zom Hseng / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Ethnic rebel leaders said the United Wa State Army (UWSA) will host a meeting between ethnic armed groups involved in the drafting of the preliminary nationwide ceasefire accord and several ethnic groups that have not directly participated in the process. Wa spokesman Aung Myint said 12 ethnic groups are expected to convene on May 1-3 in Panghsang, a town located in northern Shan State on the Burma-China border where the powerful UWSA has its headquarters. "We are hosting it upon the request of our ethnic brothers," he said. The meeting will not be the much-anticipated conference in which the major rebel groups decide whether or not to endorse the preliminary ceasefire text that was recently agreed upon with the government, ethnic representatives said. Gen. Gun Maw, deputy chief of staff of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), said the goal of the Panghsang meeting was to foster discussions between groups involved in the nationwide ceasefire negotiations with the government and ethnic groups that are not part of this process. He said the conference would focus on "the peace process and evaluate on the progress as a whole." On March 30, the government agreed in principle with the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), which represents 16 ethnic groups, on the text for a nationwide ceasefire. The understanding was hailed by the government as a breakthrough, though the NCCT said it would have to take the draft text back to its leaders, who would have to convene and endorse its content before an accord can be signed. Earlier reports suggested that the key meeting could take place in the Wa-controlled area, but it now appears that this meeting will take place later in KIA or Karen National Union (KNU)-controlled territory. The conference in Panghsang is merely meant to foster discussions between NCCT members and those groups who are not NCCT members, such as the UWSA, the Mongla group and Shan State Army-South, and groups that the government refuses to acknowledge as participants in the nationwide ceasefire process. The latter groups include the Arakan Army and the Kokang's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army. Both have been involved in heavy fighting with the Burma Army in northern Shan State in recent months. NCCT members that are expected to attend the meeting in the Wa area include the KNU, the KIA, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, the New Mon State Party and the Shan State Army-North. Gun Maw said the Panghsang meeting "is not the NCCT's proposed summit," adding that a date and location for the NCCT meeting on endorsing the draft ceasefire agreement was yet to be determined. The post Rebel Summit in Wa Area to Discuss Ceasefire, Decision on Accord to Follow appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Germany Receives US Blacklisted MP for Financial Tour Posted: 20 Apr 2015 05:26 AM PDT Senior USDP member and former Burmese junta general Aung Thaung addresses the media during a press conference. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A US blacklisted lawmaker is leading a delegation of Burmese banking reformers to Germany this week for a study of financial institutions, a move meant to encourage development of Burma's dilapidated banking sector. Aung Thaung, a Lower House parliamentarian who was recently added to the US list of Specially Designated Nationals for "undermining" reform, announced upon his departure on Sunday that he would be overseeing seven members of the Banks and Financial Development Committee on a tour that will continue throughout the month. The parliamentary committee will meet with several bankers in Germany and throughout the European Union, as well as visit the Central Bank of Germany, he said. The stated purpose of the visit is to observe solutions for financial sector weaknesses and forge a stable course for investment as the country's trade deficit widens. Local bankers expressed optimism that the visit could strengthen the capacity of the Central Bank of Myanmar and dozens of private banks now operating in Burma. Pe Myint, managing director of the Cooperative Bank, said that a "lack of human resources" among private financial institutions is still hampering development. "The Central Bank needs to be reformed, and the private sector needs to be upgraded," he said, "so we can gradually see reform in the industry." Senior Economic Advisor to Burma's ministry of Commerce Maung Aung told The Irrawaddy that the parliamentary study trip would serve as an important initial step in financial reform. "Parliament has a major responsibility to make rules and regulations for the local banking sector. In Burma, the banking industry is under development as there are still few users in the country, so we need to promote this sector first," Maung Aung said. Aung Thaung, who chairs the committee, was thrown into the international spotlight last November when the US Treasury Department blacklisted him for "perpetuating violence, oppression and corruption" just weeks before US President Obama made his second state visit. A member of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and former industry minister, Aung Thaung is viewed as a political hardliner and has close ties with the former military regime. Members of his immediate family are believed to have benefitted from his close relationship with former junta-leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe. Aung Thaung's son, Nay Aung, is a 90 percent shareholder in United Amara Bank. The post Germany Receives US Blacklisted MP for Financial Tour appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Charter Referendum ‘Unlikely’ in May: Ethnic Leader Posted: 20 Apr 2015 05:21 AM PDT Aye Maung, a representative of Burma's ethnic groups, writes notes during six-party talks at the Presidential Palace in Naypyidaw on April 10, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — A nationwide referendum on amending Burma's controversial Constitution is unlikely to take place in May as a senior parliamentary leader has previously suggested, according to an ethnic politician involved in high-level talks on the matter. Aye Maung, the chairman of the Arakan National Party who was selected to represent ethnic interests in six-party reform talks with the country's leading political figures, said Parliament had failed to make the necessary preparations required to hold the referendum within the proposed timeframe. "I don't think it [the referendum] is likely to be held in May. … We have to look back and analyze whether the tasks [required] to hold the referendum were done by Parliament in April," the lawmaker said, referring to a parliamentary session that wrapped up on April 10. "If we schedule to hold a referendum on May 31, all the articles to be amended must have already been approved by over 75 percent of votes in the Union Parliament two weeks before the set date." He said even then, it would take time to complete the administrative procedures necessary for a referendum to take place, such as the formation of a committee tasked with handling the vote, the compilation of voter lists and the logistical preparations required for polling day. The speaker of the Union Parliament, Shwe Mann, said in November that a referendum to amend the military-drafted Constitution would be held in May of this year. Aye Maung said high-level agreement in the six-party talks—first held on April 10 in Naypyidaw and involving himself, President Thein Sein, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, parliamentary leaders and the Burma Army commander in chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing—was critical to prospects for constitutional reform. The six-party dialogue, according to Aye Maung, is intended to reach a deal on specific changes to the charter, with that proposal then needing to go before Parliament where it would require the backing of more than 75 percent of lawmakers in order for a referendum to occur. The preliminary six-party meeting concluded with few details disclosed about the substance of the discussion, and the parties have reportedly agreed to further talks as soon as next month. A report submitted last year by a 31-member parliamentary committee formed to review possible amendments to the charter could serve as a basis for those discussions. It recommended more than 100 specific changes to the Constitution. "The next meeting is scheduled only after May 11, so there is very little chance [for the referendum] to take place [next month]," he said, referring to the date that Parliament is due to reconvene. "We had proposed to meet between April 21 and May 11, but it seems like the state leaders don't have time. … From [presidential spokesman] Ye Htut's statement, it's likely to happen sometime between May 11 and 17. When we meet for the second time, we will be able to discuss the articles in detail," Aye Maung said, adding that a referendum would not take place until the last week of June "at the earliest." Asked by The Irrawaddy about prospects for a May referendum, the director general of the Union Election Commission (UEC), Tin Tun, on Monday said "we know nothing at all" about how the process might play out. Under a Referendum Law approved by the president in February, the UEC is responsible for "supervising" the vote, including by announcing a date for the vote 30 days in advance and forming committees nationwide to implement a referendum. The UEC is also tasked with compiling eligible voter lists ahead of the referendum. Political commentator Yan Myo Thein agreed with Aye Maung's assessment, citing the shrinking window in which to submit a draft referendum law to Parliament and the deliberations that would need to ensue prior to the passage of any legislation. "There are many steps. It's not possible yet," he told The Irrawaddy. Ethnic groups and Suu Kyi have been at the forefront of calls to amend the 2008 charter, which critics view as a deeply flawed document that lacks democratic legitimacy. Suu Kyi has focused her scrutiny on the political power that the Constitution grants to the military and a provision barring her from the presidency, while ethnic groups want to see changes that would devolve power under a federal system of governance. The post Charter Referendum 'Unlikely' in May: Ethnic Leader appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Water Festival Crimes, Accidents Leave 16 Dead, 356 Injured Posted: 20 Apr 2015 04:35 AM PDT Water Festival revelers throw water on a street close to Rangoon's Shwedagon Pagoda on Friday. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Police said a total of 16 people died and 356 others were injured because of traffic accidents and crimes during last week's Thingyan celebrations, which saw millions of people across the country welcome in the Burmese New Year with street parties, ceremonies and water-throwing. The Myanmar Police Force said on its Facebook page that deaths and injuries occurred in 11 of Burma's 14 states and divisions during the April 13-16 celebrations, with most accidents and crimes taking place in Rangoon, Burma's biggest city. Nine people died during traffic accidents, two people were murdered and five others died during other types of accidents, according to the police. The force recorded 174 criminal cases across the country during the festival, including numerous cases of theft, robbery and assault, some 70 cases of which occurred in Rangoon. During the 2014 Water Festival, police recorded 15 deaths and 194 criminal cases nationwide. Lt-Col. Win Kyi from Rangoon's Western District said the number of crimes and accidents in the city was down from last year's Thingyan festivities. "We did a lot of preparations in advance to curb crime during the festival. So, the number criminal cases this year in Rangoon are much lower than last year," Win Kyi said, though he was unable to provide figures on the number of crimes and accidents that occurred during Thingyan last year. Aung Myo Oo, who oversees the emergency center of the Free Funeral Services Society, said the local charity had kept three ambulances on standby in the city during the festival and these had transported 27 patients, including four foreigners, to Rangoon General Hospital's Emergency Ward. "Most were injured during traffic accidents and fighting. Among the patients, 12 people were injured during fighting," he said. The post Water Festival Crimes, Accidents Leave 16 Dead, 356 Injured appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Charity to Donate 50 Prosthetic Hands Posted: 20 Apr 2015 03:10 AM PDT The Dr. Saw Mya Aung Foundation will provide 50 amputees in Rangoon and Arakan State with prosthetic hands that can seize and hold objects. (Photo: Dr. Saw Mya Aung Foundation / Facebook) RANGOON — The Dr. Saw Mya Aung Foundation announced that it will provide 50 amputees in Burma with prosthetic hands that have the ability to seize and hold objects. Tin May Aung, president of the local charity, said on Monday that the prostheses were donated by a Rotary Club in the United States. "We have 50 hands and when we get 50 applications we will announce when and where we will distribute them," she said, adding that so far the organization had received 25 applications. She said the organization would select applicants based on their needs, such as whether they had lost a right or a left hand, and whether in each case the device is a good fit, as it can only be fitted on a person who has lost his hand less than 5 inches below the elbow. The hands can seize and hold light objects, Tin May Aung said, adding that for those who lost a hand receiving the prosthesis was of great importance. "Some people cry with joy because they can handle things again," she said. "I feel delighted when they are so happy." She added that most amputees lost their hands during harvest accidents when machines are used to process crops. Between 2013 and 2015, the charity distributed 50 prosthetic hands in western Burma's Arakan State, where it is most active. The organization also provides impoverished communities there with donated LED lights, wells and free medical treatment. The foundation is named after the late Arakanese politician Saw Mya Aung, who won a seat during the 1990 election but was subsequently imprisoned for years by the former military regime. The post Charity to Donate 50 Prosthetic Hands appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UK-Based Burmese Doctor Jailed for Fondling Female Patient: Reports Posted: 20 Apr 2015 12:02 AM PDT Dr. Unt Tun Maung was sentenced on Saturday by the Durham Crown Court. (Photo: North News & Pictures) RANGOON — A 43-year-old married Burmese physician was sentenced last week to 18 months in prison for sexual assault after he fondled a teenager's breasts in the United Kingdom, British and local media have reported. The general practitioner Dr. Unt Tun Maung was ostensibly examining the patient after she complained of chest pains in July 2012, according to the Daily Mail, when his lawyer told the court that his client was overcome by "a moment of madness." The London-based publication reported on Saturday that the doctor "asked the teenager to remove her bra, before cupping and squeezing her breasts before telling her to put her clothes back on." The victim filed a complaint with Britain's National Health Service (NHS), but police were not alerted for "several months," reported the online news portal metro.co.uk, adding that the doctor was suspended from practicing medicine in October 2013. British media reported that Unt Tun Maung had been working for the NHS for 12 years and is a father of one. His lawyer told the court that he was otherwise held in high professional regard. The Daily Mail said the doctor is also facing a General Medical Council investigation and quoted the trial's presiding judge as saying his medical career was "unquestionably over." Burmese media have reported that Unt Tun Maung is the husband of well-known Burmese author Lun Htar Htar, whose Facebook account was deactivated on Saturday. The Irrawaddy could not independently confirm those reports. The post UK-Based Burmese Doctor Jailed for Fondling Female Patient: Reports appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Photo of the Week (20.4.2015) Posted: 19 Apr 2015 11:55 PM PDT The post Photo of the Week (20.4.2015) appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Paper Blames Poor Upbringings for Top-Level Graft Posted: 19 Apr 2015 10:50 PM PDT A man reads at a newsstand in Beijing on Jan. 10, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — Poor family upbringings are to blame for some of the most serious corruption cases facing China and officials should learn from the examples of heroic figures from the earliest days of Communist rule, a top paper said on Monday. President Xi Jinping has embarked on a sweeping campaign against deep-seated graft since taking office two years ago, vowing to take down powerful "tigers" as well as lowly "flies". Two of the most senior figures caught so far are the powerful former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang and Ling Jihua, who was an aide to Xi's predecessor, Hu Jintao. The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party, wrote in a commentary that those two cases showed the "special characteristic" of there being a general problem of corruption in their families. "It was exactly because upbringings were not rigorous and the family style was unhealthy that allowed their homes to become exchanges of power and money, converting their families into a community of [special] interests," it said. Those following the old Chinese maxim of everyone in the family taking advantage of the promotion of one member to enrich themselves would find that the upshot was they would "all suffer together in jail," the newspaper said. A person's upbringing was crucial to their future morals, it said, pointing to the fine examples set by people like Chen Yun, a contemporary of Mao Zedong and one of Communist China's most senior figures in the austere early years. Chen had very strict requirements for his children and led by example, making sure he always finished food set before him and ensuring water was not wasted, the newspaper said. The post China Paper Blames Poor Upbringings for Top-Level Graft appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Chinese President to Launch Economic Corridor Link in Pakistan Posted: 19 Apr 2015 10:42 PM PDT A man hangs decorations on a pole next to a banner showing Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain (L), China’s President Xi Jinping (C) and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, ahead of Xi’s visit to Islamabad April 19, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) ISLAMABAD — Chinese president Xi Jinping is due in Pakistan on Monday where he will launch US$46 billion in projects linking the old allies, a figure that far exceeds U.S. spending in Pakistan and underscores China’s projection of power in Asia. The infrastructure and energy projects are aimed at establishing a Pakistan-China Economic Corridor between Pakistan’s southern Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea and China’s western Xinjiang region. The plan reflected a shift of economic power in the region from the West to China, said Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairman of the Pakistani parliament’s defense committee. "Pakistan, for China, is now of pivotal importance. This has to succeed and be seen to succeed," he said. The corridor will run through Pakistan’s poor Baluchistan province, long plagued by a separatist insurgency, criminal gangs and Islamist militants. The army has promised to crush the insurgency and the security of Chinese workers will be a prime concern for Xi. In his talks with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Xi is also expected to discuss cooperation on Afghanistan and China’s fears that Muslim separatists from Xinjiang are linking up with Pakistani militants. On Sunday, Xi linked economic cooperation with progress on security. "China and Pakistan need to align security concerns more closely to strengthen security cooperation," he said in a statement to Pakistani media. "Our cooperation in the security and economic fields reinforce each other, and they must be advanced simultaneously." China will provide about $34 billion in investment for the energy projects. Concessional loans will cover nearly $12 billion of infrastructure projects, said Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s minister for planning and development. China’s government and banks, including China Development Bank, and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd, one of China’s "Big Four" state-owned commercial banks, will lend to Chinese companies, which will invest in projects as commercial ventures. Major Chinese companies investing in the energy sector will include China’s Three Gorges Corp and China Power International Development Ltd, Pakistani officials said. Sharif made ending chronic power blackouts a central promise of his 2013 election campaign and will be hoping for an improvement before the next polls in 2018. The United States has given $31 billion to Pakistan since 2002, according to the Congressional Research Service. About two-thirds was earmarked for security. Pakistan got $710 million in foreign direct investment in the first nine months of this fiscal year, the central bank said last week. Xi will be in Pakistan for two days and is due to address parliament.   The post Chinese President to Launch Economic Corridor Link in Pakistan appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indian Farmers Protest Govt Plans to Ease Land Acquisition Posted: 19 Apr 2015 09:40 PM PDT A farmer shouts slogans as he holds up a placard during a farmers rally in New Delhi on April 19, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) NEW DELHI — Tens of thousands of flag-waving farmers rallied in India's capital Sunday to protest a government plan to ease rules for obtaining land for industry and development projects. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said existing rules, established in 2013 to protect land owners from land grabbing and forced relocation, were creating obstacles that were spooking investors. He and industrial leaders say the rules should be simplified to entice foreign business and boost manufacturing in India. Modi passed an executive order in December doing away with some of the rules. The unilateral move upset opposition parties and rights groups that had long fought for legal safeguards on land acquisition, and they vowed to fight any effort to make the changes permanent after the order expired earlier this month. Rights activists, labor unions and many among India's hundreds of millions of farmers say the changes effectively trample the rights of the poor. They accuse Modi of catering to corporate interests, and worry changing the law will leave them vulnerable to poor compensation packages or forced relocation from ancestral lands. "With the single-minded agenda of kneeling before the corporates … this government has shown that it simply does not care for the poor and toiling people, for our land, agriculture and nature," the National Alliance of People's Movements said in a statement. The opposition Congress party—in power when the 2013 law was passed—has seized on the issue as it struggles to repair its political image following its stunning election defeat last year to Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Both Gandhi family scion Rahul and his mother, party leader Sonia, addressed the rallying farmers at a protest park in central New Delhi on Sunday. Rahul accused Modi of winning the election with funding from industrialists he now needs to pay back. "How will he pay back the loan now? He will do it by giving your lands to those top industrialists. He wants to weaken the farmers, then snatch their land and give it to his industrialist friends," Rahul Gandhi, speaking Hindi, told more than 50,000 cheering farmers who came to the rally from all over India. Many have questioned how the Congress party planned to counter Modi's election-winning promise of rapid economic growth. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Modi's order was intended to hurt farmers' interests, and Sonia Gandhi accused the government of being against farmers, the helpless and the poor. Just an hour earlier, however, Modi pre-empted the rally by telling lawmakers from his party, "Lies are being spread on the land bill by perverted minds. Some people have decided not to speak, see or hear anything good about our government." In comments spoken in Hindi and broadcast widely on Indian TV, he said, "All decisions I am taking are for the welfare of the poor." Meanwhile, in Germany days after Modi visited the country, Indian corporate leaders reportedly urged their foreign counterparts to be patient. "The government has undertaken a number of policy initiatives in the last few months," Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry said at the Hannover Fair, according to Press Trust of India. "We are very positive about the future, but it will take time." Critics are most upset about proposed changes eliminating the requirement of land owners' approval for acquisitions sought for projects in defense, infrastructure, affordable housing or industrial corridors. The changes would also remove the need for assessing the social impact of such projects. Restrictions on buying fertile agricultural land would be removed. Abuses by government employees, now answerable by law, would be exempt from prosecution unless ordered by the government. "The rights which we had before, this present government has taken them away, which is wrong. Now the farmers have to pay the price," said 47-year-old Babulal, one of a crowd of farmers who came to the rally from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The post Indian Farmers Protest Govt Plans to Ease Land Acquisition appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

March of the Marionettes Posted: 19 Apr 2015 05:00 PM PDT Click to view slideshow. MANDALAY — Ma Toe Toe was in her twenties when a senior male puppeteer and close friend first taught her the art form that would eventually become her profession. "I was introduced to puppetry in 1998, and I soon got hooked," recalled the puppeteer who now manipulates the strings nightly at the Mandalay Marionettes Theater and whose sister is a harpist with the group. Traditional puppetry was once performed as entertainment for Myanmar's royalty and on street stages during carnivals and events, including Buddhist full moon days. The shows thought to date back to the late 1700s were also popular among rural populations, and performances often lasted an entire night. Under the previous military junta, Myanmar's marionette operas became a dying art and were only performed for a handful of foreign tourists. For some years, Ma Toe Toe worked primarily entertaining tourists at hotels in Bagan in central Myanmar and her career looked precarious. Now with nascent political and economic reforms since 2011 and a boom in tourist arrivals, the culturally significant art form is back in the spotlight and the role of the puppeteer is increasingly being viewed as a potential career option for young artists, including women. In September 2014, the Myanmar Puppeteer Association was formed, and performances now take place in some schools and at the National Theatre in Mandalay. The revival is owed mostly to the chair of the Myanmar Puppeteer Association Daw Ma Ma Naing, who co-founded the Mandalay Marionettes Theater in 1990. Public interest is growing again at last, she said. "These days, the art is transforming," she said, explaining that puppetry is now also taking on current issues such as health awareness and human trafficking. Beginning earlier this year, puppeteers now perform shows twice a month at the Mandalay National Theater. One performance is a 45-minute awareness-raising drama, "Tear from the Sky," which explores the issue of child trafficking, Daw Ma Ma Naing said. The troupe appeared at an event to mark the 100th birthday of Gen. Aung San in Nat Mauk, Magwe Region, in February, together with the Yangon-based Htwe Oo Myanmar Puppetry group. "Many people in the audience showed a lot of interest in this rare art," Ma Toe Toe recalled with a broad smile. Keeping Tradition Alive Daw Ma Ma Naing has helped lead the way in recent years to ensure that the unique art retains its place in Myanmar's cultural landscape. In a globalized economy, she warned, "our culture is in danger of extinction due to foreign cultural influences." She said a firm commitment to her work and a healthy dose of stubbornness had helped her to continue. Daw Ma Ma Naing performed street puppet shows to rural audiences in more than 50 villages across Mandalay and Sagaing Regions from 1995 to 2007. Though she was not from a puppetry background, she was a quick learner. Since founding the Marionettes Theater, she has recruited both professional puppet masters and a new generation of performers. It's vital to have a real "interest in the art," according to Ma Toe Toe, as the skills for mastering puppetry only develop with plenty of practice. She learned the basics in ten days, but mastering the ability to play all the characters took a lot longer. She has now been a puppeteer for more than 17 years. Today Ma Toe Toe is one of seven women pulling the strings at the Marionettes Theater, the only venue in Mandalay where tourists can enjoy the traditional art form. One-hour shows take place every night from 8:30 pm and are primarily targeted at foreign tourists. An Egyptian tourist, Susanne, told The Irrawaddy, "it was a special show" after a recent performance. But while the shows are popular with foreigners, so far few Myanmar attend, according to Daw Ma Ma Naing. Prominent local writer Hus Nget said many youth still lacked an appetite for the art. "Despite it being a career option for young artists in this tourist-driven economy, we don’t see many youth interested in the art itself," he said. It was fortunate that puppet lovers such as Daw Ma Ma Naing and a few other small troupes were trying to maintain the art, Hus Nget said, but it was a difficult job. Artists also needed to master the singing techniques that accompany traditional Myanmar puppetry, he added. "Mandalay lost its good vocalists in puppetry about forty years ago," he said. The small Mandalay theater employs about 30 staff who balance multiple roles including making the puppets, dancing, singing, playing the harp, and manipulating puppets for the audience. "I dance when we need a dancer, I play harp when we need a harpist and I pull the strings when we need a puppeteer to make the dolls dance," said another female puppeteer, Ma Han Su Yin. Now 27, she developed her skills from an early age with the help of a special tutor: her mother, Daw Ma Ma Naing. "At that time, we lived in the theater, which was a stage at night and a home as well," Ma Han Su Yin said. A puppeteer by night and a hairdresser during the day—while also running a beauty salon— Ma Han Su Yin shared her hope that the art form her mother helped to preserve will once again attract a local audience. "As a youth, I try to balance work and my interest in the traditions we should maintain," she said. This article originally appeared in the April 2015 issue of The Irrawaddy magazine. The post March of the Marionettes appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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