The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Locals Left Shaken After Military Maneuvers in Pegu Division’s Taungoo
• At Least 20 People to Face Charges for Alleged Arakan Army Ties: Police
• Land Dispute Thwarts Plans for Monastic College in Mandalay
• Private Dailies Still Struggling with Govt Competition, Production Costs
• Ethnic Rebel Conference in Wa Region Wraps Up
• Long Road for ‘World’s Wordiest’ Ceasefire Text
• Keeping it Cool in Rangoon
• Thai Army Finds 6 More Bodies in Suspected Rohingya Trafficking
• Thai Police Find New Trafficker Camps, Crackdown Intensifies 
• Tea to Tech: China’s Cybersecurity Push Sparks a ‘Gold Rush’
• Nepal, Aid Agencies Trade Blame as Confusion Mars Quake Relief

Locals Left Shaken After Military Maneuvers in Pegu Division’s Taungoo Posted: 06 May 2015 05:17 AM PDT A Burma air force MiG-29 fighter jet is seen at Rangoon airport. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) Residents of Pegu Division's Taungoo District were left shaken late last month when the Burma Army carried out missile tests on territory controlled by the largest Karen rebel group, the Karen National Union (KNU). The military exercises took place near the Taungoo District Brigade No. 2 headquarters of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the KNU's armed wing, from April 29, according to KNU joint secretary Thaw Thi Bwe in comments to Karen media. An unnamed KNLA officer told Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) that the government army had tested air-to-ground missiles using Russian-made aircraft in maneuvers which terrified local civilians. "Our commander inquired with the regional military command and told them the bombings had caused panic among the local populace," the officer told DVB, indicating that the KNLA was not informed in advance of the military operations. While the officer did not specify the type of aircraft used, the Burmese air force is known to possess Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets, obtained from Russia in at least two major consignments since 2001. The Burma Army has recently deployed air power in its fight against Kokang rebel group the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army in northern Shan State, including an errant air strike in Chinese territory in mid-March that killed five civilians and incensed Beijing. Another KNU official told The Irrawaddy that the bombing exercises were conducted without prior notice between April 29 and May 1 and warned that the rebel group would lodge a complaint. "The KNU will send a letter to tell [the government] that [the military exercise] throws peace negotiations into doubt at a time when we are building peace," the official said. Representatives from 12 ethnic armed groups, including the KNU, convened in the Wa Special Region capital of Panghsang from May 1 to 6 to discuss a proposed nationwide ceasefire agreement that Naypyidaw is eager to finalize. Min Zaw Oo of the Myanmar Peace Center told The Irrawaddy that "there are regular communication channels between the government and the KNU" and pointed out that the government air force had carried out exercises in KNLA Brigade No. 2 territory in the past. The Irrawaddy's Kyaw Kha contributed reporting. The post Locals Left Shaken After Military Maneuvers in Pegu Division's Taungoo appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

At Least 20 People to Face Charges for Alleged Arakan Army Ties: Police Posted: 06 May 2015 05:09 AM PDT Arakan Army soldiers conduct a military exercise at Laiza in Kachin State, where the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) is headquartered. (Photo: Thaw Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Amid a large-scale operation to interrogate individuals in Arakan State who are suspected of having links to the ethnic rebel Arakan Army, 20 people have so far been arrested and will face prosecution, according to the Kyauktaw Township Police Station. The detainees will be charged under Burma's Unlawful Association Law and, upon completion of their interrogations, will stand trial at the local district court within 15 days, said Police Maj. Khin Maung, head of the Kyauktaw Township Police Station. "They are not locals, but are instead insurgents and their staunch supporters," said Khin Maung. Authorities started rounding up suspects after the Burma Army clashed several times with Arakan Army forces in a number of Arakan State townships beginning in late March. The fighting has forced hundreds of locals from their homes, volunteers who are helping the displaced told The Irrawaddy. Khaing Pyi Soe, vice chairman of the Arakan National Party, said authorities' handling of the situation had spawned a climate of fear in the state. "Now, locals are really scared," he said, adding that he was prepared to offer legal assistance to those being charged with unlawful association. The junta-era Unlawful Association Law was used under the previous military regime to jail hundreds if not thousands of people accused of links to Burma's numerous ethnic armed rebel groups, or other organizations designated as illegal. Under President Thein Sein's administration, the law had until recently been effectively allowed to lapse as Naypyidaw embarked on an ambitious set of peace negotiations with more than a dozen armed rebel groups. In addition to those accused of ties to the Arakan Army, the military on Sunday said any journalist who reported on statements made by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), which the government also labels an unlawful association, would face prosecution "under existing law." The ethnic Kokang rebels of the MNDAA have been engaged in hostilities with government troops since Feb. 9 in northeastern Shan State. Representatives from both the MNDAA and the Arakan Army are currently in Panghsang, Wa Special Region, where they are attending a meeting of ethnic armed groups that was convened on Friday to discuss a proposed nationwide ceasefire with the government. Both illegal groups were invited by the United Wa State Army (UWSA), against the government's wishes. The post At Least 20 People to Face Charges for Alleged Arakan Army Ties: Police appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Land Dispute Thwarts Plans for Monastic College in Mandalay Posted: 06 May 2015 05:01 AM PDT The Phaung Daw Oo monastic school in Mandalay. (Photo: Teza Hlaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — An ambitious expansion plan for a monastic school in Mandalay has been suspended due to a land dispute, with local authorities claiming the land used for the project was unlawfully transferred. Phaung Daw Oo Monastery, which also operates well-respected primary, middle and high schools offering free education to underprivileged youths in Aungmyaytharzan Township, had already begun building a college on the 400-acre property donated by local patron Mya Mya Aye. The patron and four farmers from whom she claimed to purchase the disputed land are currently being detained in Patheingyi Township and are due to face trial later this week, according to Mya Mya Aye's husband, San Nyunt Wai. "Police said we misused public property, but we bought those lands from local farmers and we have all the documents to prove it," said San Nyunt Wai. "We don't understand why the police want to sue us for doing a good thing by donating to a monastery that gives free education to the poor." The five detainees, who are being held in Mandalay's Oh-Bo prison, face charges under article 6 (1) of the Public Property Protection Act, which carries penalties of up to seven years in prison, "whipping" or both. Police in Patheingyi declined to comment on the case. Mya Mya Aye's son and two daughters may face the same charges, her family and lawyer said. Several monks who were living on the property were also forced to leave following pressure from authorities, according to the school's principle, Sayadaw U Nayaka, who told The Irrawaddy that police warned them they "would get in trouble" if they stayed on the premises. First founded in 1993, Phaung Daw Oo monastic schools are known throughout the region for offering education to thousands of students that cannot afford to attend government schools. The planned college was intended to serve graduating students and others who had little access to higher education. The future of the institution is unclear at present. "I'm afraid my dream of giving better education, which is absolutely free, will not happen," said Sayadaw U Nayaka. "I also feel terribly sorry for the donor, who is in jail for donating her land for us. I just want to request the higher authorities to help us to make this end for the sake of our children's future." The post Land Dispute Thwarts Plans for Monastic College in Mandalay appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Private Dailies Still Struggling with Govt Competition, Production Costs Posted: 06 May 2015 04:56 AM PDT A newsstand in downtown Rangoon. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Privately owned newspapers are still struggling with competition from state-run publications and exorbitant production costs, with industry insiders predicting further closures and consolidation in the sector. By the end of 2013, the year when the government began issuing licenses to private dailies, 26 titles were on the market. Since then, 18 have ceased publishing. With the recent relaunch of the Myanmar Times as a daily publication, there are now nine private newspapers and three state-run dailies in Burma's metropolitan markets. Publishers said that production costs, competition with state-run newspapers and lack of advertising revenue remain almost insurmountable barriers to survival. The Voice daily newspaper Chief Editor Kyaw Min Swe said his newspaper has struggled to remain afloat for the last two years. "We still lose money every day, even when every single copy sells out, because of the imbalance between sale price and production cost," he said. "We haven't got enough advertisements for our paper to keep running." "Since before we began publishing, the government has planned to compete with us. The state-run newspapers offer lower ad rates. It is an intentional attempt to kill private newspapers," he added. Maximum circulation for private dailies usually runs between 30,000 to 50,000 copies per day, rising to 100,000 copies with big stories. State-run dailies, by contrast, often distribute more than 200,000 copies per day. Myanmar Journalists Network Secretary Myint Kyaw echoed Kyaw Min Swe's claims that the government's leeching of potential advertising revenue was the greatest threat to private newspaper publishers. He told The Irrawaddy that he expects the market to continue its consolidation. "I expect less than five papers will survive," he said. Thaung Su Nyein, the Chief Editor of 7 Days, which has a majority share of the private daily market, said that his company's newspaper relies on the profits generated by its sister publication, a weekly journal. "After two years, the circulation numbers have not changed much, but other dailies have received more advertisements," he said. He added that while 7 Days was competing with government dailies at present, he believed that his publication would eventually face a stronger threat from rival private publications as the industry evolved. "We have different contents and news presentation, that's why I don't believe they are our main competitors," he said. "In the future, the newspapers which can stand strongly with better capital and management will remain, and those will be our main competitors." Newspaper proprietors are all wary of the threat posed by the country's rapid increase in internet connectivity and speeds. While the trend towards digital media remains in its infancy in Burma, and publishers are ill equipped to devise revenue streams for their online assets, more young users are using social media as their primary source of news and eschewing print publications entirely. "Based on surveys here, most young people under 25-years-old don't read print news at all," said Kyaw Min Swe. "That will keep readership of print edition limited. We will not be able to rely only on digital news, because advertisers will keep seeking print…but as people's lifestyles change, we will have to change as well." Market surveys estimate that Burma currently has about 4.5 million Facebook users, 7 million Viber users and 10 million mobile phone subscribers. Thaung Su Nyein said that while making money on digital audiences was difficult, he was optimistic about the potential for reaching an audience that was growing rapidly and unconstrained by the limitations of print circulations. "These are huge numbers," he said. "If they all became our readers, we would have a massive audience that we would never get with our print version." Mizzima ceased the publication of their Burmese language print daily in February, replacing it with a digital edition after the withdrawal of funding from Yoma Chairman Serge Pun and the departure of former shareholder Sonny Swe. Soe Myint, the managing director of Mizzima Media Group, said there was evidence that digital publications were starting to make money in the local market. "My digital daily newspaper's advertising situation is good now," he said. "I can say that it is possible to make money on digital publications here, but we need better strategies for long-term business." The post Private Dailies Still Struggling with Govt Competition, Production Costs appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ethnic Rebel Conference in Wa Region Wraps Up Posted: 06 May 2015 03:35 AM PDT Click to view slideshow. PANGHSAN, Wa Special Region — On Wednesday, leaders and commanders from 13 ethnic armed groups will wrap up a six-day conference on Burma's nationwide ceasefire process, an event that was hosted by the United Wa State Army (UWSA) in their semi-autonomous Wa Special Region in northern Shan State. The conference brought together 10 groups that are part of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Committee (NCCT) and non-NCCT members, the UWSA, the Shan State Army-South and the Mongla group, to discuss a draft ceasefire agreement. The conference provided a rare opportunity for media to visit the Wa region and see ethnic leaders—some of whom are wanted by the government—convene in rebel-held territory. The NCCT represents 16 groups involved in ceasefire negotiations with the government. The NCCT reached an in-principle agreement on a nationwide ceasefire accord on March 31, an agreement that was reviewed in Panghsan in recent days by assembled leaders. Among the leaders and commanders of the ethnic groups in the NCCT were those leading the Kachin Independence Army, the Karen National Union, the Shan State Army-North, the New Mon State Party, the Kokang's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Karenni National Progressive Party, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, the Arakan Army and the Pa'O National Liberation Organization. The post Ethnic Rebel Conference in Wa Region Wraps Up appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Long Road for ‘World’s Wordiest’ Ceasefire Text Posted: 05 May 2015 10:50 PM PDT President U Thein Sein and Nai Hong Sar, leader of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team, shake hands after signing the nationwide ceasefire draft agreement in Yangon. (Photo: Reuters) Myanmar made history a few weeks ago. Negotiators representing the government of President U Thein Sein and the ethnic armed groups overcame the unthinkable: They concluded a protracted negotiation over a nationwide ceasefire on March 31. It stunned everyone, even some deep within the peace process. A few months ago, there were comments calling the process "as good as dead." But it is now likely that the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) will be signed in May. Therefore, for the first time the real possibility of ending Myanmar's 67-year history of armed conflict has emerged. This is an incredible feat for a government whose legitimacy has constantly been called into question by opponents for its association with the previous military regime. Yet the president has resolutely stuck by the call he made for peace with ethnic armed groups a few months after assuming power in 2011. More importantly, he has acted decisively to reach this point. Undoubtedly, there was much skepticism and that was absolutely warranted. Overall, the NCA process took 17 months. It required both sides to meet 22 times informally and seven times formally. The meetings took place in Myanmar as well as abroad. Beyond these meetings the technical teams representing both sides met over 200 times in preparation for formal negotiations. Throughout the talks, fighting flared up too many times and in its worst moments threatened to derail the whole process. Political conditions outside the negotiation table also often overshadowed the dynamics of the talks. Negotiations took place against the backdrop of larger social, economic, administrative and political reforms that Myanmar has initiated. This was further compounded by the complex web of the conflict's history; the multiplicity of groups involved; ethnic and other grievances; diverse interests and allegiances; and the negotiating cultures involved. A seemingly endless series of hurdles meant that it even took seven months—from September 2014 to March 2015—to prepare for the final round of talks. It took six days straight to finish most of the remaining eight items and then the negotiators needed to take a break. They resumed the bargaining for two more days at the end of March when everything was eventually wrapped up. Critically, the president made a last minute intervention to overcome the final hurdles in the talks. Government insiders said a cabinet meeting was interrupted as a request came from the negotiation team for his involvement in concluding the last few compromises. On March 31, he himself showed up at the Myanmar Peace Center and congratulated the negotiators from both sides. In his short speech, he said, "I was so happy I could not even sleep last night after watching the heart-felt speeches by ethnic leaders." 'A Political Roadmap' On the whole, the negotiations have been multiparty, although they are described as comprising only two sides. The government side has been made up of ministers, high-ranking army officers and parliamentary representatives. The ethnic participants—representing 16 armed groups—have negotiated as a team. In a country unfamiliar with compromise, it has been a constant struggle for both sides to bargain from a common position. The agreement started out with 122 points and ended with 106 provisions under 33 headings in seven chapters. It has been billed as the world's longest and wordiest ceasefire deal. Despite being called a nationwide ceasefire agreement, it more closely resembles a political roadmap for the future of Myanmar. It is therefore no wonder it took negotiators from both sides 17 months to "grind it out." However, over the course of those 17 months, a negotiation first characterized by distrust has evolved into one of trust. Thus it is no surprise that there are two recurring words that appear throughout the NCA—negotiation and cooperation. They are there to ensure that the agreement, once signed, will be abided by and carried out in the spirit of accommodation and compromise. The NCA covers many critical issues such as the formation of the Joint-Monitoring Mechanisms to monitor ceasefire violations. They will be buttressed by the Codes of Conduct and a multitude of humanitarian provisions and civilian protections. More importantly, the NCA contains several key promises from the government, the most important of which are the guarantee of political negotiations and the eventual establishment of a democratic federal state—the long-standing and most critical demand of the ethnic groups. As such, the agreement will open the door for inclusive political negotiations in order to end the armed conflict once and for all. The Path Forward In reality, the NCA is just the beginning of the peace process in Myanmar. It will have to be followed by the development of a framework for political dialogue on which political negotiations will be based. The agreement sets out deadlines for these steps to be implemented; notably political negotiations must begin within 90 days of the formal signing of the nationwide ceasefire. From here onward, the process will become even more complicated. To date, ceasefire talks have only included the government and the ethnic armed groups. Political parties, including opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other stakeholders, have not yet been included in the process. Their participation will commence in the next phase—the political framework negotiations. The issues up for negotiation will move beyond ceasefires to wider, more complex topics such as power and wealth sharing and security reintegration. The politics outside the peace negotiations—the upcoming election—will add more fluidity and uncertainty to the peace process. While the election is crucial for the further development of Myanmar's young democratic processes, negotiators are deeply worried that it could have an adverse effect on the peace process. Effectively there are only five months left to get the political negotiations underway before campaigning for the November elections begins. Having realized that there would be time constraints, the president signed a pledge in February to begin political negotiations before the election. The goal is to build a firm foundation for peace before his term is complete. Credit must also go to the hard work and determination of all those involved in the process—particularly the government team led by Union Minister U Aung Min and the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) representing the ethnic armed groups. Myanmar is attempting an extremely difficult and ambitious undertaking. To say every step on the way to producing the final NCA draft has not been easy would be an understatement. Skepticism and destructive comments will remain. However, it appears that the negotiations to date and the resulting NCA have set the country on the right track to confront the challenges that lie ahead in the peace process. Aung Naing Oo is the associate director of the Peace Dialogue Program, Myanmar Peace Center. Opinions expressed here are his own. This story first appeared in the May 2015 print edition of The Irrawaddy magazine. The post Long Road for 'World's Wordiest' Ceasefire Text appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Keeping it Cool in Rangoon Posted: 05 May 2015 10:48 PM PDT Click to view slideshow. As the monsoon season approaches, and with daily peak temperatures this week forecasted at more 103 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius), Rangoon residents are proving themselves quite adept at keeping their cool, finding shade and escaping the scorching summer heat. The post Keeping it Cool in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thai Army Finds 6 More Bodies in Suspected Rohingya Trafficking Posted: 05 May 2015 10:39 PM PDT Rescue workers dig as human remains are retrieved from a mass grave at an abandoned camp in a jungle some 300 meters from the border with Malaysia, in Thailand’s Songkhla Province. (Photo: Reuters) PADANG BESAR, Thailand — Authorities in Thailand have dug up the bodies of six suspected Rohingya migrants from Burma at a rubber plantation near a mountain where a mass grave was found at the weekend, the military said on Wednesday. The discovery was made in Thailand’s Songkhla province near the country’s border with Malaysia around 4 km from the site where the 26 bodies were found a few days ago. "Villagers living nearby told us the bodies buried here are the bodies of Rohingya migrants from Myanmar from nearby human trafficking camps," Colonel Jatuporn Klampasut, deputy secretary general of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 4, told Reuters. Many illegal migrants in Thailand are Rohingya Muslims from western Burma and from Bangladesh who brave often perilous journeys by sea to escape religious and ethnic persecution. Thousands arrive in predominantly Buddhist Thailand every year, brought by smugglers. Many are then taken into the jungle where traffickers demand a ransom to smuggle them south across the border to mainly Muslim Malaysia. Authorities on Tuesday said they had found a second, abandoned camp used for human trafficking. Three people were rescued from the near the camp, Thai police said. The United States, which has censured Thailand for failing to act against human trafficking, has called for a speedy and credible inquiry into the discovery of the mass grave.. Police in Thailand have arrested four men—three Thais and a Burmese national—on suspicion of human trafficking. Arrest warrants have been issued for a further four who are on the run. A police officer based in Padang Besar, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that police intelligence showed there could be three more camps on the same mountain range. "There are three camps on that mountain with up to 700 people in each camp we are told," said the officer. "It is just a matter of time now whether we can find them as we’ve been told the human traffickers are being tipped off and are moving their camps." The post Thai Army Finds 6 More Bodies in Suspected Rohingya Trafficking appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thai Police Find New Trafficker Camps, Crackdown Intensifies  Posted: 05 May 2015 09:53 PM PDT Rescue workers inspect a mass grave at an abandoned camp in a jungle in Thailand’s southern Songkhla province on May 5. (Photo: Surapan Boonthanom / Reuters) PADANG BESAR, Thailand — Police found two more camps Tuesday believed to have held human trafficking victims in southern Thailand—one recently abandoned and the other containing a buried skeleton—days after the grim discovery of 26 bodies at a separate location exposed a thriving human smuggling network in the country. “We will keep searching, because this means the traffickers are still on the run and taking people with them,” said police Maj. Gen. Amphon Buarubporn, the commander of police for Songkla province, who joined dozens of officers in a trek up Khao Kaew mountain followed by reporters and camera crews. Teams of police dismantled the camp’s eight huts and shelters made of freshly cut wood, where a cellphone charger and clothing were strewn about in signs of an apparent recent evacuation. Tuesday’s discovery was part of a mission to find survivors—or bodies—that activists say are hidden in the mountains, five days after authorities dug up the 26 corpses at a nearby camp along the Thai-Malaysian border. Authorities say the camps are believed to have been used by a transnational network that smuggled ethnic Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and migrants from Bangladesh and then abused them and held them captive until their families could pay ransoms. Separately, in Phang Nga province, a skeleton was found in a mangrove forest and was believed to be the remains of an ethnic Rohingya woman, said Gov. Prayoon Rattanasenee, who was led to the location by a Rohingya who said there were more camps in the area. The coastal province is one of several known entry points used to smuggle Rohingya, who often flee Myanmar in overcrowded boats, into Thailand. The discoveries have publicly shamed Thailand, which is already under pressure from the United States and the European Union to crack down on human trafficking. Last June, the US downgraded Thailand and Malaysia to its lowest category—Tier 3—in an annual assessment of how governments handle human trafficking. Thailand promised action to get off the blacklist, but its reputation suffered more following recent revelations by the Associated Press that some Thai fishing vessels kept men from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos on board as forced labor or slaves. Thai authorities say they are investigating the complicity of police and local officials in the trafficking network, an alliance that human rights groups say has long fueled the smuggling industry. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha gave orders Tuesday for provincial officials at all levels “to scan every inch of their areas” for more detention camps, trafficking victims or signs of collusion with officials, and warned that “those who seek or receive benefits [from human trafficking] will be investigated and punished,” according to deputy government spokesman Maj. Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd. Critics say the tough talk and a rush of arrests, VIP visits to the south and media tours to suspected trafficking camps are part of a dog-and-pony show that should not be mistaken for an actual crackdown. In an editorial Tuesday, The Nation newspaper said the government’s “pledge to combat human trafficking has been diverted into a public relations exercise.” National police chief Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung ordered the transfer late Monday of more than 15 police and border patrol officers, including a senior commander in southern Thailand he said was suspected of close association with a prime trafficking suspect. They were moved to what Thailand calls “inactive posts” pending an investigation. Arrest warrants have been issued for five local officials, four of whom are now in custody. Their suspected collusion prompted the Department of Provincial Administration to issue an internal order warning civil servants “not to get involved in any human trafficking activities.” “In addition, every province and every district must raise awareness among the local public to oppose human trafficking and to cooperate with the government in solving the issue,” said the order, calling for regional TV and radio stations to make announcements on the subject. Ethnic Rohingya Muslims are one of the world’s most persecuted minorities. They have suffered for decades from state-sanctioned discrimination in Myanmar, which is predominantly Buddhist, and in the past few years have been targeted by mob attacks that sparked one of the region’s biggest exoduses since the Vietnam War. The post Thai Police Find New Trafficker Camps, Crackdown Intensifies  appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Tea to Tech: China’s Cybersecurity Push Sparks a ‘Gold Rush’ Posted: 05 May 2015 09:49 PM PDT Sipu Enterprises Group CEO Zhang Long poses at his office in Kunming, Yunnan province, on Feb. 16, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — Zhang Long made his fortune selling Pu'er fermented tea and handcrafted furniture from the mountains of his native Yunnan Province in southwest China. Last November, the 49-year-old entrepreneur, who has no technology background, strode into a Beijing ballroom to pitch his latest made-in-China product: SPGnux, a Linux-based operating system he says could replace Microsoft Corp's Windows. "Information security is vital to the interests of China and the interests of the Chinese people," Zhang proclaimed as a marketing video flashed images of former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden on large monitors. Snowden's disclosures in 2013 of US cyberspying and security holes in American technology products have prompted China's government to accelerate a broad campaign to replace foreign technology with Chinese-developed systems. And that has triggered a frenzy among state-affiliated software firms, investors and savvy businessmen—all hoping to capitalize on Silicon Valley's waning grip over China's US$450 billion-a-year enterprise computing market. Some of those who've entered the fray look better equipped to succeed than others. When Hongqi, a software company that developed China's most successful operating system during the 2000s, but which has since struggled, put itself up for sale last year, bidders included a coal magnate, an aviation company and a food transport provider. It was eventually sold to a company with a background in household cleaning for just $6 million. "We're in a new bubble because of Snowden," said He Weijia, a former director at Hongqi. "These bosses don't need that much money or expertise to get into the game, but the payoff can be potentially large." International venture capitalists say China's start-ups are more attractive bets than before as Beijing is backing the enterprise computing sector much like it did Internet firms in the last decade. "This is obviously an area that the government wants to develop or promote—how is this different from Baidu in 2003?" said a China-based partner of a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, referring to the Chinese search engine that debuted in New York a decade ago and is now worth $75 billion. With an unorthodox resume and a penchant for gold watches, Zhang is an unlikely beneficiary of the post-Snowden rush to push local technology—a race that also illustrates how the industry in China is often influenced by the political climate. After the Snowden leaks, Microsoft said it would stop supporting Windows XP, leaving many computer systems potentially vulnerable to hackers. Incensed, Chinese leaders banned Windows 8 in retaliation, while antitrust regulators last year opened an investigation into Microsoft, focusing on its Windows and Office software sales practices. Charlie Dai, a senior analyst at Forrester, said a few Chinese firms, including Shanghai-based Standard Software and Wuhan-based Deepin, both part-owned by or tied to the central government, have created viable operating systems for desktop PCs, but Chinese banks are wary of using local software on servers that process the most critical data. Qiao Yong, a Standard Software vice president, said Chinese technology has matured, but it will take years before a big state agency like China's social security fund feels comfortable to transfer its servers to a local operating system. The cybersecurity debate has helped raise the profile of China's Linux developers, Qiao said, but it's also been a distraction. "Some leaders think we can do this overnight, but it will take a very long time to reach a one-third market share, much less reach Microsoft's level." Zhang says his Kunming-based Sipu Enterprise Group has rolled out more than 10 versions of SPGnux, including ones in English, Chinese and Arabic. Since the Snowden revelations the number of government offices using SPGnux has more than doubled to 1,600, and his company is profitable, he said, declining to detail financial or sales figures. "No one believed in us because we started at zero," said Zhang, who employs more than 200 people working on SPGnux and counts Ni Guangnan, an influential member of China's Academy of Engineering and Lenovo Group's founding chief technology officer, as one of his firm's supporters. Public records show Sipu's software has been purchased by agencies including China's State Oceanic Administration. Aside from software, tea and furniture, Zhang said he has invested in films, runs an import-export business and sells powdered Maca, a Peruvian herbal supplement prized for its libido-boosting effects. He said he is looking beyond China, too, and is courting customers in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, markets he believes also want an alternative to Microsoft. "I don't think of products as having nationalities," he said, smiling. "I only follow market demand." The post Tea to Tech: China's Cybersecurity Push Sparks a 'Gold Rush' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Nepal, Aid Agencies Trade Blame as Confusion Mars Quake Relief Posted: 05 May 2015 09:44 PM PDT Nepalese soldiers unload emergency aid supplies as part of earthquake relief efforts in Dhunche, Nepal, May 4, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) KATHMANDU/NEW DELHI — A row has broken out between Nepal and some international agencies over the handling of aid that poured into the country after last month's devastating earthquake, with each side blaming the other for confusion and delays in getting help to victims. Relief efforts have been slow to reach many people affected by Nepal's worst disaster in more than 80 years, leaving an unknown number of people stranded, injured and hungry for days. The 7.8 magnitude quake, which struck 10 days ago, has killed more than 7,500 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless. Relief material initially piled up at the airport as Nepalese customs officials checked each crate that came in so commercial goods did not slip through. Senior government officials said customs checks were necessary, because they did not know what was coming into the country. Supplies included goods that Nepal did not need and many relief workers arrived without proper documents to enter the country, complicating efforts to move the aid effort along, officials said. "Many donors are sending relief materials without even consulting us about what we need," said Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, a home ministry official. Some rescue workers, for their part, said they were frustrated by what they saw as bureaucratic delays and lack of coordination by the government. For example, Huijbrechts Marcel, from the Urban Search and Rescue team from the Netherlands, showed up along with teams from four other nations, including the Nepal army, at one house to search for survivors. "When we arrived here there was absolutely no coordination," Marcel said. Frustrated by delays and a lack of coordination, some donors are circumventing the government and sending aid directly through non-governmental organizations for distribution, adding to disagreements, said an aide to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. "There are differences between the government and some donors over this," the aide said. The confusion came despite years of preparation by the government and international aid agencies for such a disaster; Nepal sits atop one of the world's most seismically active zones. Chaos Not Unusual Meetings about earthquake preparedness have been a regular feature in Kathmandu in recent years, and global donors have invested millions of dollars to help Nepal be better prepared for a major seismic event. Chaos after a disaster of this magnitude is inevitable, experts said, and given that aid groups had estimated a major quake near Kathmandu could kill 100,000 people, they said things could have been worse. "The challenge here is that you have a factor that you didn't have in the Philippines [typhoon] or Haiti [earthquake]: eight of the 14 highest peaks in the world are in Nepal," said Ertharin Cousin, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program. "As a result, even though we are operationally ahead, we may not have reached as much of the remote population as we have in other disasters at this point because of geography," Cousin said on Saturday. United Nations Resident Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick said the situation at the airport had improved, although there had been delays when the aid started to flow in. "We're seeing a more permissive environment developing where we are getting goods out," he said. Nepal's foreign minister, Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, who addressed an international conference in Japan just weeks ago on a possible earthquake in Nepal, said the help from donors was welcome, though not always smooth. For example, he said, the government had made an error by urgently requesting tents for Nepalis who had lost their homes. "When donors sent them, they were huge and heavy. What we really want are tarpaulins," he said. The post Nepal, Aid Agencies Trade Blame as Confusion Mars Quake Relief appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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