The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Military Stabilized Kokang, Says Military-Made Movie
• Shan Villagers Flee Alleged Forced Recruitment by Ethnic Army
• Ethnic Bloc Seeks Election of Regional Chief Ministers
• Govt Claims Jump in Foreign Investment
• Parliament Delays ‘Top Up’ Tax on Mobile Phone Use
• Over 2,500 Migrants Still Adrift, UN Says Ahead of SE Asia Meeting
• Thailand Revokes Passports of Ousted PM Thaksin 
• Australia’s Search for Malaysia Airlines’ MH370 Under Scrutiny
• Woman Accused of Witchcraft Axed to Death in PNG: Missionary

Military Stabilized Kokang, Says Military-Made Movie Posted: 28 May 2015 05:10 AM PDT Behind the scenes: the making of "Our Lovely Mother's Land". (Photo: Myawaddy TV) RANGOON — A new documentary meant to educate the Burmese public about the ongoing conflict in Kokang Special Region premiered Wednesday night on a military-owned television station, offering a thorough, albeit lopsided, introduction to the war that has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced tens of thousands of civilians since early February. Part one of the government-backed documentary, "Our Lovely Mother's Land," opens with a montage of multicultural harmony, dissolving into shots of hillside blasts on forested enemy hideouts. Myawaddy TV will air a new installment every night, but has not yet announced how many parts there will be. Stay tuned. Kokang Special Region is located in the northern part of Shan State along the border with China. The people of the region are a recognized minority in Burma of Chinese descent. Former members of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), the group splintered in 1989 and formed its own armed faction, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). Under the leadership of strongman Peng Jiasheng, the group secured a peace deal with the Burmese government, which held until his ouster in 2009. At that time, the Burmese government raided his Laukkai stronghold, seized his army's weapons and replaced him with a leadership comprising members of the government-backed Border Guard Force (BGF). Peng spent the years that followed in hiding, presumably just across the Chinese border, virtually unheard of until early February of this year, when his troops reemerged and attempted to reclaim their former headquarters. The ensuing conflict was among the most relentless fighting Burma has seen in decades, even as the government pushed on in its attempt to secure a nationwide peace accord with other ethnic rebels. The new documentary—available only in Burmese—serves as a public explanation of the war, which since its start has shocked international observers, upset Chinese diplomats with deadly cross-border fire, and devastated communities. The government has admitted to losing some of its soldiers, though independent sources claim the casualties to be much higher. Despite the fallout, the domestic response to the conflict in Kokang has been surprisingly positive, and the new film is viewed by critics as the latest element in a major government PR campaign depicting the Burmese Armed Forces as heroes storming into troubled territory to restore order. "Our Tatmadaw [Armed Forces] brought the Kokang Region back to stability during this time, in Laukkai and other related areas," the narrator abnnounced with confidence. "Ethnic Kokang people are now able to study and receive healthcare, and even restart their businesses." The film's insistence that stability has been restored, however, is somewhat undermined by a recent parliamentary ruling to extend martial law in the area for at least the next three months. The documentary includes a lengthy segment dedicated to character degradation, explaining the power struggle between Peng and the Yang clan, two brothers who were also powerful within the MNDAA during the ceasefire period. The whole lot was notorious for their involvement in the drug trade, gambling and other illicit forms of finance. "Our Lovely Mother's Land" also revisits events leading up to Peng's banishment in 2009; a succession of captures and weapons seizures were carried out by both sides after government troops discovered in 2008 that Peng was operating his own munitions factory. The exchanges—one of which involved the capture of 37 Burmese police, 14 of whom were killed by MNDAA—eventually culminated in a complete overthrow that brought the region back under the control of the Burmese government. Part one focused mostly on the events leading up to the conflict, but didn't show much of the war itself. The government has to date kept a tight lid on information coming from the area, going so far as to issue a media gag order against rebel-affiliated sources. Nonetheless, gruesome and saddening images have trickled out on social media in recent months, showing scenes of deserted streets, burning bodies, piles of munitions. Some civilians have begun to return home, but the situation on the ground is far from clear and reports of clashes still surface every few days. Haw Shauk Chan, a lawmaker representing Kunling Township for the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), admitted that the area was not completely stable yet as some rebel bases remain hidden in the hills around Laukkai. He nonetheless defended the program as an honest document. "This is true about what's happening on the ground," he said. "I like it." The post Military Stabilized Kokang, Says Military-Made Movie appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Shan Villagers Flee Alleged Forced Recruitment by Ethnic Army Posted: 28 May 2015 04:32 AM PDT Shan commandos on parade at Shan State National Day on Feb. 7, 2014, in Loi Tai Leng, the headquarters of the Restoration Council of Shan State. (Photo: KyawKha / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Villagers in eastern Burma's Shan State have been fleeing en masse amid an alleged forced recruitment drive by a non-state armed group, according to local aid workers. As many as 700 people may have fled from Theinse village tract in Nansang Township, local volunteer Sai Tun Sein told The Irrawaddy. He said people from eight villages have sought shelter in Taunggyi and Nansang since the recruitment began in mid-May. "[Armed men] recruited 50 to 70 people per village, and the villagers fled because they were scared. At present, more than 120 people have been taken [by the soldiers]," said Sai Tun Sein, who is now in Nansang assisting those who relocated. Villagers told Sai Tun Sein and other volunteers that the soldiers, who appeared to be members of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA), visited homes, removed young men by force and physically assaulted those who tried to flee. The RCSS/SSA is an ethnic armed group based in southern Shan State, which is currently engaged in union-level peace negotiations with the government. The group's spokesman, Sai Hla, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that he was unaware of any such forced recruitment by RCSS forces. Ting Maung Toe, chairman of the Taunggyi chapter of the National League for Democracy (NLD), confirmed that hundreds of villagers had arrived in the state capital in recent weeks. He said that more than 500 people were sheltering at Htan San Cave Pagoda, while about 100 were at a monastery in Nansang. At least 50 more were in Hopang Township, he said. Speaking to The Irrawaddy by phone from a shelter in Taunggyion Tuesday, U Maung from Hlaing Hkar village described the scene before he fled. "We left because soldiers bearing the insignia of the white tigers [a familiar name for the RCSS/SSA] came to recruit our villagers. People had also beenrecruited in nearby Naungbu village, and some girls fled. The soldiers told us they would take the women if there were no men in the village," U Maung said. The area is also occupied by a number of local militias including the Shan Nationalities People's Liberation Organization and the Pa-O Liberation Army. The RCSS/SSA, southern Shan State's dominant ethnic armed group, has an estimated force of about 6,000 troops. The group was among the first of Burma's ethnic armies to reach a new bilateral ceasefire with the government in 2011, and is a participant in ongoing peace talks geared toward a nationwide accord. The RCSS is not, however, a member of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), the country's ethnic negotiating bloc in peace talks with the government. The post Shan Villagers Flee Alleged Forced Recruitment by Ethnic Army appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ethnic Bloc Seeks Election of Regional Chief Ministers Posted: 28 May 2015 02:31 AM PDT President Thein Sein meets representatives of ethnic political parties at the presidential residence in July 2012. (Photo: Facebook / Hmuu Zaw) RANGOON — The Nationalities Brotherhood Federation (NBF), an alliance of 20 ethnic minority political parties, is pushing ahead with its demand that the chief ministers of Burma's states and divisions be elected. The alliance hopes that regional parliaments will be able to vote for their chief ministers, who are currently appointed by the president. That would require amending Article 261 of the 2008 Constitution, which grants the president the power to nominate a lawmaker from a state or division's regional parliament for the job of chief minister. Regional legislatures have little ability to reject the nominee, with the Constitution stating that lawmakers have that right only if "it can clearly be proved that the person concerned does not meet the qualifications of the Chief Minister of the Region or State." The NBF issued a declaration early this week calling on the government to amend the provision before the forthcoming nationwide elections in early November. The question of who selects a regional government's chief minister is seen as particularly pressing in Burma's seven states, which are named for the dominant ethnic minority residing within their borders. The incumbent chief ministers of regions and states are either from the ruling Union Solidarity and Development (USDP) or were appointed from the ranks of the military. While ethnic minority ministers are at the helm of the Kachin, Chin, Karenni, Mon and Shan state governments, the ministers of Karen and Arakan states are both generals. Naing Ngwe Thein, chairman of the All Mon Region Democracy Party, an NBF member, told The Irrawaddy: "The chief ministers should be local ethnic persons. It is nonsense that they are appointed by the president. All the ethnicities do not like it." The NBF plans to contest in 161 townships as well as for what is expected to be 29 ethnic affairs ministerial posts. Like most ethnic minority groups in Burma, the NBF seeks to see power devolved within a democratic system of federalism. The post Ethnic Bloc Seeks Election of Regional Chief Ministers appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Govt Claims Jump in Foreign Investment Posted: 28 May 2015 02:23 AM PDT Workers tailor and arrange clothing at a garment factory in Rangoon's Hlaing Tharyar industrial zone. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Government figures show an astounding US$2.2 billion worth of foreign direct investment for April, the first month of the 2015-16 financial year, but officials have remained tight-lipped over how much of the money has made its way into Burma. The Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) said that $2 billion was allocated to the oil and gas industry, while $116 million went to manufacturing and a further $50 million was allocated for the hotel and tourism sector. Aung Naing Oo, secretary of the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) and DICA director-general, told The Irrawaddy last week that foreign direct investment appeared set to exceed government projections once again, after $8 billion was pledged during the 2014-15 financial year. "I expected only $6 billion for 2015-16, but last year's record spend was also over expectations," he said. The MIC secretary would not be drawn on whether the investment figures reflected the amount pledged by investors or the total influx of foreign investment capital for the month. Phyo Min Thein, a Lower House lawmaker for the National League for Democracy and a member of the Financial Development Committee, said that much of the total foreign investment reflected memoranda of understanding signed between the government and international companies ahead of this year's general election. "Many foreign companies want to invest here but they are concerned by the country's political situation," he said. "They don't want to take risks, which is why they have negotiated agreements well before actually coming inside the country." With the overwhelming majority of foreign direct investment slated for resource projects, Burmese business leaders have expressed concerns about the national economy's ability to diversify beyond primary industries. "Investment will disappear when there are no more resources left," said Pyi Wa Tun, chairman of the Parami Energy group of companies. "We have to promote the emergence of competitive local industries, so that when our resources are depleted, we can stand on our own because we know how to compete." A relatively minor capital allocation to manufacturing has precipitated a boom in the rag trade, according to local industry sources. In the last year, garment factories have opened their doors in Rangoon at an average rate of more than one a week, and there are now more than 100 garment manufacturing operations in the Hlaing Tharyar industrial zone on the city's outskirts. According to the DICA figures, Singapore remained the top source of foreign direct investment at $1.4 billion in April, followed by The Netherlands at $430 million and India at $207 million. The post Govt Claims Jump in Foreign Investment appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Parliament Delays ‘Top Up’ Tax on Mobile Phone Use Posted: 28 May 2015 12:56 AM PDT A man uses his mobile phone on the side of a street in Rangoon. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Burma's Union Parliament on Wednesday agreed to postpone the enactment of a 5 percent levy on all cellphone usage until the end of the 2015-16 fiscal year. Parliamentarians were acting on the urgent proposal of Lower House lawmaker Thein Tun Oo from the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which was submitted to the legislature on May 21 and sought to delay the tax until at least the end of the fiscal year on March 31, 2016. The tax had been set to go into effect on June 1 of this year. Lawmaker Soe Thein from Kalaywa constituency told Parliament that he agreed with the proposal to delay the tax pending further consideration, according to the state-run Myanma Alinn daily. The government announced on May 18 that subscribers of Burma's three telecommunications providers—state-owned Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), Ooredoo and Telenor—would need to pay a commercial tax of 5 percent on all mobile "top-up" cards starting from June 1. The cards are used to add credit to mobile devices in order to make phone calls, send text messages and use the Internet. The announcement sparked backlash among a public that for years had to pay exorbitant sums for a SIM card due their limited release by MPT, which until last year had a monopoly on Burma's mobile network. The small supply spawned a black market trade that has only fully disappeared in the last few months as Ooredoo and Telenor have established their networks and injected competition into the country's telecommunications industry. Myanma Alinn reported that Union Minister for Finance and Revenue Win Shein defended the tax before Parliament on Wednesday, telling lawmakers that it was a modest levy relative to other countries, where a tax of up to 20 percent is applied to cellphone use. Neighboring nations Thailand and Malaysia collect a tax of 7 percent and 6 percent, respectively, he added. The minister said that a survey by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology found that mobile phone subscribers in Burma use an average of 5,000 kyats (US$4.50) per month, and that based on the 28 million SIM cards sold in the country, the estimated commercial tax revenue was 84 billion kyats annually. Speaking to The Irrawaddy on May 21, Thein Tun Oo said he was not opposed to implementing the tax at a later date. "I think it is OK to collect after some time, when the country's economy develops. But now … we must consider whether we should collect the tax from the pockets of low-income people or from the rich people," he said last week. As news spread of the tax's postponement, social media users offered both praise and criticism for the USDP lawmaker, with some saying he had acted in the interests of the public, while others accused him of making a political play on behalf of the ruling party ahead of elections due late this year. Thein Tun Oo's proposal to delay the tax was passed by Parliament without objection. The post Parliament Delays 'Top Up' Tax on Mobile Phone Use appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Over 2,500 Migrants Still Adrift, UN Says Ahead of SE Asia Meeting Posted: 27 May 2015 10:39 PM PDT Thai fishermen, right, give some supplies to migrants on a boat drifting 10 miles off the coast of the southern island of Koh Lipe, Thailand, on May 14, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — More than 2,500 migrants could still be stranded on boats in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, according to estimates by the United Nations, as Thailand prepares to host a regional meeting it said was focused on "immediate action" to tackle the crisis. Thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Burma and migrants from Bangladesh have tried to land in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia since a Thai crackdown on people smugglers in early May led to trafficker crews abandoning them at sea. Regional governments have struggled to respond, although images of desperate people crammed aboard overloaded boats with little food or water prompted Indonesia and Malaysia to soften their initial reluctance to allow the migrants to come ashore. More than seven boats carrying around 2,600 people are thought to be still at sea, according to data from UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) sources. Friday's meeting in Bangkok will bring together 17 countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and elsewhere in Asia, along with the United States, Switzerland and international organizations. "The meeting focuses on immediate actions to tackle the issue," said Panote Preechyanud at the Department of Information at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. "It is an urgent call for the region to comprehensively work together to address the unprecedented increase of irregular migration across the Bay of Bengal in recent years." The gathering takes place against the grim backdrop of Malaysia's discovery of nearly 140 shallow graves at 28 suspected people smuggling camps strung along its northern border, some of which authorities believe were abandoned in haste when the Thai crackdown began. On Wednesday, Malaysia said it had detained 12 policemen for suspected links to the trafficking gangs. Thailand, under pressure from the United States to do more to combat people smuggling, began its crackdown after finding at least 36 bodies in similar graves just across the border. That made it too risky for smugglers to bring their human cargo ashore. Since then, more than 3,000 migrants left to fend for themselves have landed in Malaysia and Indonesia. Southern Thailand and northern Malaysia are part of a well-trodden route for people smugglers transporting Rohingya Muslims, who say they are fleeing persecution in Burma, and Bangladeshis escaping poverty at home. The UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, cautioned that its figures for those still risking sickness and starvation at sea were loose estimates. Malaysia, which says it has already taken 120,000 illegal immigrants from Burma, and Indonesia said last week they would give temporary shelter to those migrants already at sea, but that the international community must shoulder the burden of resettling them. Thailand has refused to allow the boats to land, saying it is already sheltering 100,000 migrants from Burma, but has deployed a naval task force to offer medical aid at sea. The United States has said the deadly pattern of migration across the Bay of Bengal would continue unless Burma ends discrimination against the Rohingya, a mostly stateless minority of 1.1 million people who live in apartheid-like conditions, mostly in the western state of Arakan. Burma denies the Rohingya face persecution and says it is not the source of the problem, suggesting many of the "boat people" are economic migrants from Bangladesh. Vijay Nambiar, the UN Secretary-General's special adviser on Burma, said upcoming elections in the country, likely to be in November, could be a complicating factor in making attempts to resolve the Rohingya issue. "My feeling is that the government is trying to address these problems," he told Reuters in the Arakan State capital of Sittwe. "Very often they cannot do it too directly because of the upcoming elections, the need to curb excitement from some places, the need to curb violence. I don't think that finger-pointing is going to deliver." The UNHCR, IOM and UN Office on Drugs and Crime—the three agencies invited to the regional meeting—have shared a 10-point action plan with regional governments, including a proposal to address the issue of citizenship, which is a problem for the Rohingya in both Burma and Bangladesh. Some diplomats were skeptical, however, about how much would be achieved in a region where collective action can be stifled by Asean's policy of non-interference in other members' affairs. "Most people are hinging on what happens in Bangkok for a solution—short-term and long-term," said one Western diplomat in the region. "There's not going to be a solution next week. If there's more recognition of the problem, then more countries may be willing to help. The long-term solution has to be in Myanmar. It is an Asean issue and has to be resolved by Asean." The post Over 2,500 Migrants Still Adrift, UN Says Ahead of SE Asia Meeting appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thailand Revokes Passports of Ousted PM Thaksin  Posted: 27 May 2015 10:06 PM PDT An anti-government protester holds a placard against ousted former PM Thaksin Shinawatra in Bangkok last year. (Photo: Damir Sagolj / Reuters) BANGKOK — Thai authorities said Wednesday they revoked two passports belonging to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra following an interview he gave in South Korea they said could affect national security. Speaking to South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper last week, Thaksin suggested that Thailand’s Privy Council, which advises the nation’s constitutional monarch, had engineered months of anti-government protests that culminated in a May 2014 coup. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the former army chief who organized the coup, has insisted he staged it to restore stability and because there was no other way out of the country’s political deadlock. On Wednesday, the foreign ministry said in a statement that security agencies and police had advised that passports be canceled because the interview could impact Thailand’s “security, safety and pride.” A highly divisive figure in Thai politics, Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup, and has lived in self-imposed exile before he was convicted in absentia on corruption charges in 2008. His supporters say the junta now in power is doing everything it can to eradicate his influence. Thaksin became a billionaire in the telecommunications industry before ascending to the premiership. His sister, former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, was removed from office just before the 2014 coup by a court ruling for illegally transferring a civil servant. Deputy government spokesman Maj. Gen. Verachon Sukhonthapatiphak told reporters in Bangkok that Thaksin was not being targeted by the junta. He said the government had to take action after security agencies referred the issue to them. Thaksin, who lives in Dubai, had his passport revoked by a previous Thai government in 2009. He acquired nationality and passports from Montenegro and Nicaragua, enabling him to travel, and Yingluck’s government issued him new passports after she came to power in 2011. The post Thailand Revokes Passports of Ousted PM Thaksin  appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Australia’s Search for Malaysia Airlines’ MH370 Under Scrutiny Posted: 27 May 2015 10:00 PM PDT Students watch as a group of artists paint a three dimensional artwork, based on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, that was painted on a school ground in Manila on March 17, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Romeo Ranoco) SYDNEY — Nearly a year after embarking on a multi-million dollar quest to solve one of aviation's greatest unsolved mysteries, authorities and search teams are being criticized over their approach to finding Flight MH370 in the remote southern Indian Ocean. The Australian-led search, already the most expensive in aviation history, has found no trace of the Malaysia Airlines jet or its 239 passengers and crew, prompting calls for a rethink into the way the mission is conducted. Experts involved in past deep water searches say the search to find MH370 could easily miss the plane as Dutch company Fugro NV, the firm at the forefront of the mission, is using inappropriate technology for some terrain and inexperienced personnel for the highly specialized task of hunting man-made objects. Heightening concerns, Australian authorities said on Wednesday that another search vessel, the Go Phoenix, which is using the world's best deep-sea search equipment and crew provided by US firm Phoenix International Holdings Inc., would pull out within weeks. No reason was given for withdrawing the vessel from the quest. "Fugro is a big company but they don't have any experience in this kind of search and it's really a very specialized job," said Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a former French naval officer who was hired by France's air accident investigation agency BEA to coordinate the search and recovery of Air France Flight AF447 in 2009. "This is a big job," Nargeolet told Reuters. "I'm not an Australian taxpayer, but if I was, I would be very mad to see money being spent like that." Fugro, which was contracted by the Australian government to operate three ships pulling sonar across the vast 60,000-km search zone, has rejected claims it is using the wrong equipment, saying its gear is rigorously tested. Still, Nargeolet's concerns are echoed by others in the tightly held deep-sea search and rescue industry, who are worried that unless the search ships pass right over any wreckage the sonar scanning either side of the vessels won't pick it up. Experts also question the lack of data released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) on the activities of the Fugro ships. Three of the bidders rejected for the MH370 contract, US firm Williamson & Associates, France's ixBlue SAS and Mauritius-based Deep Ocean Search Ltd., have taken the unusual step of detailing their concerns—months down the track—directly to Australian authorities in correspondence viewed by Reuters. Several other experts are also critical, including some who requested anonymity, citing the close knit nature of the industry, which has just a few companies and militaries capable of conducting deep-water searches. "I have serious concerns that the MH370 search operation may not be able to convincingly demonstrate that 100 percent seafloor coverage is being achieved," Mike Williamson, founder and president of Williamson & Associates, told Reuters. Diving Into the Unknown Australia took over the search for the missing plane from Malaysia in late March last year, three weeks after MH370 disappeared off the radar during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The search area was determined by satellite data that revealed the plane turned back sharply over the Malaysian Peninsula and flew undetected for another six hours before crashing into the inhospitable southern Indian Ocean. The unchartered waters, buffeted by the Roaring Forties winds, stretch as deep as 6 km, hiding old volcanoes and cliffs in their depths. Australia, Malaysia and China earlier this month agreed to double the search area to 120,000 sq km. Whether Phoenix International, which has US navy contracts and found AF447, will be part of that extended search area is unclear after the ATSB said that Go Phoenix, owned by Australian firm Go Marine, will cease operating on June 19. Phoenix International, which was contracted separately by the Malaysian government, did not immediately return calls about its position. The Malaysian government also did not reply to requests for comment. Two of the Fugro ships traverse up and down 2.4 km-wide strips of the sea floor, pulling via a cable a "towfish" that contains sonar equipment, in a technique often called "mowing the lawn." The towfish coasts around 100 meters above the sea floor, sending out sound waves diagonally across a swath, or broad strip, to produce a flattened image of the seabed. The Fugro ships are using sonar provided by EdgeTech, the same US company whose sonar was used successfully to find Air France AF447 after it crashed in the Atlantic Ocean. However, experts say while the type of sonar equipment being used by Fugro gives good results in flat surfaces, it is less well-suited to rugged underwater terrain, a world of confusing shadows. The ATSB has routinely released detailed data from Go Phoenix, but has not done so for the Fugro ships. Experts have cobbled together an analysis from glimpses of the sonar use and data in videos and images posted to the ATSB website. From that, they've gauged the EdgeTech sonars are operating at swathes beyond their optimum capabilities, resulting in poor quality images and leaving side gaps in coverage. "It makes no sense to be using fine scale tools to cover a massive area; it is like mowing an entire wheat field with a household lawnmower," said Rob McCallum, a vice-president at Williamson & Associates. Fugro deputy managing director Paul Kennedy said the sonar is running within its capabilities, noting the system identified five "debris-like" objects in 700-metre deep water at a test range off the West Australian coast. "The test range gives us full confidence the sonars will see the debris field when we cross it," he said. Wild Weather Fugro is known for its expertise in high-quality low-resolution mapping of sea floors but has far less experience than some of the rejected bidders in deep-water aircraft searches. It has been involved in 17 search and recovery efforts for aircraft or ships over 15 years, compared with some of the bidders who search for 4-5 aircraft every year. Kennedy pointed to the find earlier this month of a previously uncharted shipwreck as evidence Fugro was capable of finding the plane. Concerning experts further is the fact that the third Fugro vessel, which was being used to scan the gaps between the other two ships with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), was this month taken out of action because of encroaching wild winter weather. That leaves the daily search without an AUV, a much more nimble piece of equipment that was vital in the successful search for AF447. "We are continuously reviewing the search data as it comes in and we are satisfied that the coverage and detection standards we have specified are being met or exceeded," ATSB Chief Commissioner Martin Dolan said in an email. The post Australia's Search for Malaysia Airlines' MH370 Under Scrutiny appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Woman Accused of Witchcraft Axed to Death in PNG: Missionary Posted: 27 May 2015 09:53 PM PDT A young boy sits next to a small shelter made from a disused shipping container in a settlement in Papua New Guinea's capital city of Port Moresby in 2005. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — Police in Papua New Guinea vowed to find the men who axed to death a woman accused of using witchcraft to spark a measles outbreak in the country's remote jungle highlands, a missionary said on Wednesday after meeting authorities. The woman, Mifila, was one of four women accused with 13 of their family members of using sorcery to cause measles deaths last November in the village of Fiyawena, in Enga province, said Lutheran missionary Anton Lutz. Women are often accused and killed in witch hunts even though laws passed in 2013 make revenge killings over black magic punishable by death. Human Rights Watch earlier this year named Papua New Guinea as one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman due to gender based violence. Lutz, an American who grew up in the South Pacific nation, led a group of about 20 missionaries and local police to Fiyawena in January to intervene and save the women's lives. But last week about 10 men from a village across the river from Fiyawena, armed with homemade guns, axes and machetes, attacked two of the women and killed Mifila in front of her family, witnesses from the village told Lutz. "Police have promised to move in and take action," Lutz told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by telephone after meeting with local and provincial police in Enga's capital Wabag. "The villagers are still scared that the men will come back. It's still a tense situation for the community," he said, adding that the only access to the village is by walking for several hours or getting a plane to a local landing strip. "It's deep jungle out there… This is a big piece of jungle for people to hide in." Police could not immediately be reached for comment. Papua New Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world with the majority of its 7 million people living in traditional societies. People in the country are deeply superstitious and accusations of sorcery are commonly used to explain deaths caused by disease or to kill rivals or enemies. The post Woman Accused of Witchcraft Axed to Death in PNG: Missionary appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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