The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• In Panglong, ‘Union Spirit’ Monument Lies in Chauvinistic Shadow
• Burma in the West, the West in Burma
• Burmese Exiles, Now British Citizens, Head to Polls in UK
• K-pop Star BoA to Launch New Album
• Authorities to Evict Cyclone Victims at Camp as Nargis 7th Anniversary Passes
• Singapore’s UOB Offers First Onshore Loan in Burma
• As Summit Closes, Ethnic Leaders Say Unchanged Charter Cripples Peace Deal
• Army Chief Jets Off to Pakistan, Serbia
• Over 50 Thai Police Punished Over Links to Human Trafficking
• Militants Rob Bank in Bangladesh to Raise Funds
• Asia to Lead Growth in 2015 Despite China Slowdown: IMF
• SIM Sales Soar as Burma Races to Catch Up in Telecoms
• Thailand’s New Weapon to Beat Southern Insurgency: DNA Swabs
• Decades of Poppy Production Cede to Tea Time in Wa Region

In Panglong, ‘Union Spirit’ Monument Lies in Chauvinistic Shadow Posted: 07 May 2015 06:39 AM PDT The Panglong monument commemorates the signing of the historic agreement on Feb. 12, 1947. (Photo: Kyaw Zwa Moe / The Irrawaddy) PANGLONG, Shan State — Last month, I made my first pilgrimage to the Panglong monument, an obelisk commemorating the historic Panglong Agreement that Burma's national hero Aung San and a handful of ethnic leaders signed in 1947. Along the way to the small town that is the accord's namesake from Taunggyi, Shan State, my excitement at the prospect of seeing the monument began to build. Since childhood, we are taught the Panglong Agreement's importance as a cornerstone of modern Burma, helping as it did to smooth the way for independence less than a year after its signing. I believe that like myself, many Burmese would want to visit the monument, if for no other reason than to look upon what was meant to be physical embodiment of the long-sought but never realized "Union Spirit" that the Panglong accord championed. For my part, I hoped that the three-hour drive would be worth it. I imagined myself not only feeling aesthetic appreciation for the stone pillar, but also gaining a greater sense of the comity that brought together Aung San, a member of the ethnic majority Bamar, and the ethnic minority signatories of Panglong. I was utterly mistaken, and disappointed from the moment I arrived at the site of the monument. It was not because the monument was of a more modest scale than I'd envisioned, however. Rather, the source of my negative reaction was a pagoda that was built right in front of the historic monument. As someone born in a country known as "The Golden Land" for its innumerable pagodas, temples and statues of Buddha, I scarcely find myself disappointed—or surprised—to see a pagoda anywhere. But this pagoda, towering over the Panglong monument, was different. From the main road a view of the latter, which stands at just over a dozen feet, is obscured entirely by the pagoda. "Who built this pagoda?" I asked my ethnic Shan friend who lives in Panglong and accompanied me, as our cab drove into the pagoda compound to reach the monument. Kyaw Zwa Moe is editor (English Edition) of the Irrawaddy magazine. He can be reached at kyawzwa@irrawaddy.org. "Khin Nyunt built it," my friend replied. He was referring to a leading member of the bloody 1988 coup, Burma's former powerful spy chief and prime minister under the previous regime. Khin Nyunt, who was eventually sacked in 2004, was known as Burma's "prince of evil" for the leading role he played in clamping down on pro-democracy movements over the years, mostly by using lengthy prison sentences for pro-democracy activists and students to stifle dissent. My friend said the pagoda near the Panglong monument was a replica of Shwedagon in Rangoon, the most famous Buddhist shrine in Burma. The way my friend uttered "Shwedagon" made clear that this replica was not viewed as an indigenous shrine; it was an "export" of the military regime in Rangoon Immediately, questions crept into my mind: Why did the previous regime build that pagoda smack-dab in front of this important monument? Was that site the only place to build that pagoda in this town, where even today there is no shortage of vacant land? I began unknowingly re-envisioning the landscape around the monument in my head, not only for me but also for Panglong's residents and anyone who had previously visited or would in future make the effort to visit. This should have been a place with a sprawling promenade or well-manicured gardens, unfolding from the main road to the base of the monument. With the majestic mountains of Shan State as backdrop, it would not have been difficult to make this space a welcoming one; a public park perhaps, with this small but politically and culturally significant stone pillar as it focal point. When I shared these thoughts with my Shan friend, who is an artist and a devout Buddhist like most Shan, he said some people in the town wished the pagoda would vanish. The main reason for this kind of thinking is rooted in our country's old political system, dictatorship, which was imposed by the late strongman Gen. Ne Win in 1962. In the decades since, ruling generals called all the shots. No matter was too small to be undeserving of their dictates, with the people's desires at best an afterthought. There is every reason to believe that the case of this pagoda was no different. While researching the pagoda later, I found a 2009 report that called it Maha Rahtarbhithamaggi, meaning Great State Unity. The report by the Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN), which is active in Shan State and neighboring Thailand, said the pagoda "was built directly in front of, and vastly overshadowing, the monument commemorating the site where the [Panglong] Agreement was signed." The report, "Forbidden Glimpses of Shan State," also said that the shrine "is 135 feet tall and was built in 2002 with orders of Naypyidaw top officer Senior General Than Shwe and completed in 2006." SWAN said that the junta was attempting to "erase ethnic culture, religion and history of the country," adding that 20 replicas of Shwedagon Pagoda were built by the junta in Shan State along. Indeed, there are many reasons for Shan people, like other ethnic minorities, to be furious about the previous regime's deliberate and insensitive cultural and historical encroachment in ethnic areas. In 1991, three years after the previous military regime staged its coup, it ordered the demolition of the historical and beautiful Kengtung palace. Three years later, a modern hotel was built on the site, over the objections of local monks and laypeople. Its original name was changed to Kyaing Tong Hotel. Back in Panglong, junta leaders broke ground on the pagoda with great fanfare in December 2002, dispatching Khin Nyunt to preside over a ceremony attended by several other senior members of the ruling State Peace and Development Council Burma's "prince of evil" that day said the pagoda was being built at the order of junta supremo Than Shwe, whose stated intention was for the shrine to strengthen the union spirit. To build the Panglong monument, it was the national leader Aung San who donated 1,000 kyats (quite a valuable sum at the time) on behalf of the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League. While we'll never know what he might have thought about Maha Rahtarbhithamaggi, it's safe to say that he would not have condoned the use of religious sentiment or structures as a tool to subjugate a culture or history. The replica of Shwedagon Pagoda not only blocks the view of the Panglong monument; it is an affront to the very Union Spirit forged by Aung San and his ethnic minority countrymen. The post In Panglong, 'Union Spirit' Monument Lies in Chauvinistic Shadow appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma in the West, the West in Burma Posted: 07 May 2015 05:27 AM PDT Click to view slideshow. RANGOON — The work of two prominent Burmese artists, showcasing a juxtaposition of Burmese and Western landscapes, are on display now at Rangoon's Gallery 65. The "Beauties of East and West" features new works by New York-based Ye Min and Rangoon-based Than Soe in acrylic and oil. Visitors will be treated to a tour through the beauty of Buddhist culture, Burmese customs, the diversity of the country's ethnic minorities and vignettes composed from the life of Ye Min's time in the United States. Than Soe said the pair will donate proceeds from the exhibition to the Lotaya Hinthada Kyaung monastery in Swepyithar Township, home to 130 novice monks. The exhibition runs until Sunday at No. 65 Yaw Min Gyi Street, Dagon Township, from 10am to 6pm daily. The post Burma in the West, the West in Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burmese Exiles, Now British Citizens, Head to Polls in UK Posted: 07 May 2015 04:36 AM PDT An advertising hoarding featuring UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour party leader Ed Miliband in London. (Photo: Peter Nicholls / Reuters) LONDON — Members of the Burmese diaspora living in the United Kingdom will have their opportunity to participate in the country's general election on Thursday, with some set to exercise their right to vote for the first time in their lives. Polling suggests no party will gain an outright majority on the floor of the House of Commons and the outcome of the election will likely not be known for several days afterward. In a campaign characterised by widespread voter apathy and heated criticism of the country's major parties, Burmese migrants are enthusiastic about the poll. "It is a big deal for me to cast my vote, because even now there has been no chance for many of my own people in the villages of Burma to cast votes in a democratic system," said Zoya Phan, campaign manager of the London-based Burma Campaign. Born in strife-torn Karen State and spending her childhood in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border, Phan resettled in Britain 10 years ago. After being awarded citizenship last year, Thursday will be the first time she has been given an opportunity to participate in an election. The UK is home to roughly 10,000 foreign-born people with Burmese lineage, according to OECD figures. Among their numbers are refugees who have since successfully sought British citizenship, asylum seekers and migrant workers. Orng Joi Tamoi, a Burmese migrant and potential first-time voter residing in Scotland, said he was unsure whether he would participate. Born in Mon State's Kyaikmayaw town, Orng Joi Tamoi was awarded UK citizenship last year, but remains interested in Burma's current era of political and democratic reform. "I haven't decided whether to participate in the election, even though I have the right to vote and registered to vote," he said. "I wish that the first time I voted was in a constituency of my own in Burma." In what is set to be a remarkable poll, negotiations during the aftermath of this year's general election are expected to take some time as the Labour and Conservative parties compete to form a governing majority with the assistance of several minor parties represented on the crossbench. In the UK, both major parties have promised to implement stricter controls on immigration into Britain. The Conservative Party has promised a referendum on Britain's continued membership of the European Union, while Labour has promised to revitalize the country's National Health Service. As polls opened, The Irrawaddy visited two polling stations in predominantly migrant areas of London on Thursday. Voting was orderly and the mood of those queued at the ballot box was evocative of the dutiful performance of an errand, on an otherwise unremarkable day. The post Burmese Exiles, Now British Citizens, Head to Polls in UK appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

K-pop Star BoA to Launch New Album Posted: 07 May 2015 04:30 AM PDT South Korean K-pop star BoA, whose latest album "Kiss My Lips" will be available online from midnight May 12. (Photo: S.M. Entertainment) South Korean K-pop star BoA will release her latest album, titled "Kiss My Lips," online at midnight on May 12. The renowned performer often referred to as the Queen of Korean Pop has produced a string of well-received records since debuting at the age of 14 with her first release, "ID; Peace B." The title track of "Kiss My Lips" is a minimal pop song, with the S.M. Entertainment artist's baritone-style vocals resonating over the sounds of a synthesizer. Another track from the album, "Who Are You," that was released on May 6, has already risen to the top of various music charts in South Korea. Outside South Korea, BoA, whose real name is Kwon Boa, has achieved significant success in Japan, aided by the fact that she speaks fluent Japanese. Her latest album is produced by the well-known production team "Stereotypes." The post K-pop Star BoA to Launch New Album appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Authorities to Evict Cyclone Victims at Camp as Nargis 7th Anniversary Passes Posted: 07 May 2015 04:15 AM PDT A view of Mile 3 camp site in Irrawaddy Division's Labutta Township. (Photo: Salai Thant Zin / The Irrawaddy) LABUTTA TOWNSHIP, Irrawaddy Delta — Some 300 poor villagers in Irrawaddy Division's Labutta Township who have lived at a resettlement site after their homes were destroyed by Cyclone Nargis almost exactly seven years ago say authorities are forcibly evicting them from the site. Villagers interviewed at a settlement called 3 Mile, located near Labutta, one of the Delta's major towns, said that on Wednesday the township general administration department issued a notice ordering the families to vacate the land "as soon as possible." "Squatting like this can lead to undesirable problems that may harm regional peace and stability and the rule of law," the notice signed by Toe Toe Tun township administrator said. "Houses are not to be built without any permission on the land under government control, and legal actions shall be taken in line with existing laws [against those who build houses]." One of the Nargis victims, Hsan Oo, told The Irrawaddy, "Kyauk Hmaw Village Administrator U Nay Linn and some police gave the notice on [Wednesday] evening. They also put up notices on our houses." The families said they would refuse the order as authorities had failed to offer them a suitable alternative site to live. "We won't move and we have no place to move to," said Khin Htay. Ninety three families comprising some 300 people have lived in makeshift huts at the site after their homes and crops were destroyed by Cyclone Nargis on May 2, 2008. The cyclone was Burma's worst-ever natural disaster and hit the Delta—the country's rice bowl and a densely populated, low-lying area—extremely hard: Some 138,000 people were killed in 10 townships when a storm surge flooded up to 40 kilometers inland. The then-military government failed to provide a weather warning or an adequate emergency response. Some 800,000 people were left homeless and had their farming livelihoods destroyed. The families at 3 Mile were among several thousand displaced people who were resettled by military authorities at 13 villages in Labutta Township in the wake of the cyclone. Authorities hired the land from local landowners and with the help of the Norwegian Refugee Council temporary camp sites were set up. Most displaced returned to their home villages in the years after the cyclone, except for some 1,000 people from 407 households at 3 Mile, whose villages were so utterly destroyed that they had nowhere else to go. In recent years, 293 families have asked authorities to grant them the right to stay at the site and build homes there. Labutta constituency lawmaker Zaw Win asked Irrawaddy Division parliament in August 2013 whether their request would be met and Irrawaddy Division Minister San Maung replied that the Nargis victims would be granted lands a 3 Mile. However, authorities have since reneged on the promise after the original landowners demanded their land back, 3 Mile residents said, adding that instead they were offered 30×30-meter plots at a site further away from Labutta town. "Now, land owners are asking us to move. So, we have no place to live. It has been over two years that we asked the government to grant us lands in 3-Mile, but they did not give it to us," said Daw Hmay. "The new place, which they call 5 Mile New Village, has no drinking water, no electricity and no school. It is also far from schools and Labutta. We can't get a livelihood there. That's why we refused to live there," said Tin Tin Nyo, another resident. "It is not convenient to live in the [new] village. Our 3-Mile is close to Labutta and schools. That's why we ask [authorities] to grant us land at this place," said Khin Htay. The post Authorities to Evict Cyclone Victims at Camp as Nargis 7th Anniversary Passes appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Singapore’s UOB Offers First Onshore Loan in Burma Posted: 07 May 2015 03:28 AM PDT A man passes a logo of United Overseas Bank in the central business district in Singapore, April 29, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Singapore-based United Overseas Bank (UOB), which was recently awarded one of nine initial foreign banking licenses in Burma, announced on Thursday that it will offer the first onshore loan in the country once isolated from the global economy. The loan will be awarded to Rangoon Excelsior Company Ltd, a French-Burmese joint venture, for refurbishing a colonial building in downtown Rangoon for use as a hotel. UOB said in a press release that as it expands in Burma it will prioritize corporate loans, trade and project financing with a focus on the hospitality sector, viewed as one of the fastest-growing industries in the country as investment and tourism increase. The bank expects to offer additional onshore loans within one month of opening its Rangoon branch this week, financing factories, retailers and hotels, the statement said. Singapore-based companies topped the list for foreign direct investment in Burma at the start of the current fiscal year, according to the Myanmar Investment Commission. Due to the number of Singapore-listed companies entering Burma's newly liberalized market, the government granted two of nine foreign operator licenses to Singaporean banks in October 2014—UOB and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC). The post Singapore's UOB Offers First Onshore Loan in Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

As Summit Closes, Ethnic Leaders Say Unchanged Charter Cripples Peace Deal Posted: 07 May 2015 02:49 AM PDT Zau Raw (L), Aung Myint (C) and Kyi Myint (R), at a press conference marking the end of an ethnic leadership summit in Panghsang, Wa Special Region, on May 6, 2015. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) PANGHSANG, Wa Special Region — Burma's ethnic rebel leaders on Wednesday called on the government to prove its commitment to peace through constitutional reform and a cessation of hostilities on the country's northeast and western frontiers. At the end of a six-day summit held in Wa Special Region, a remote, semi-autonomous zone in eastern Burma, representatives of 12 ethnic armed groups said the country's decades-long civil war can only be solved through political dialogue following the adoption of a nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA). President Thein Sein announced on Monday that the government is "ready to sign" the NCA draft, which was endorsed by both ethnic and government negotiators on March 30, pending results of a forthcoming ethnic summit. Wa spokesman Aung Myint said at a closing ceremony that ethnic leaders will convene again before talks can continue with the government, but no date for the meeting has been set. A statement unanimously endorsed by attendees said they urged the government "in all seriousness" to stop assaults in Kachin, Ta'ang, Kokang and Arakan territories, warning that the attacks undermine trust and endanger the prospect of durable peace. Chief ethnic negotiator Nai Hong Sar, head of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), reiterated the group's solidarity with three armed groups that are still in active conflict with the Burma Army, vowing that "we will not leave them [behind]." "Some of our members feel that we did not listen to their feelings, and they may have misunderstandings if we sign the NCA," Nai Hong Sar said. "They think we are not considering the situation they are in. But we will try to bring about an agreement inclusive of all armed groups." The Arakan Army (AA), the Kokang Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA)—the latter being the only of the three to be recognized by the government—are still engaged in fighting with the government. The conflict in Kokang, in particular, has been the deadliest and most aggressive in recent memory, despite ongoing negotiations elsewhere in the country geared toward a nationwide accord. "You all may not know how forcefully [the Burma Army] are attacking Kokang," said the UWSA's Aung Myint. "In the history of Burma, they have never used such large armed forces and heavy military assaults. This is largest and strongest one." The conflict in northeastern Burma's Kokang Special Region, a disputed ethnic territory that borders China, was reignited in early February and has since claimed at least 200 lives and displaced tens of thousands of civilians. The Wa have some experience in how to negotiate peace with the government. Formed from the splintered remains of the now-defunct Communist Party of Burma (CPB), the United Wa State Army (UWSA) reached a ceasefire with the Burma Army in 1989, paving the way for some economic opportunities while also cementing itself in a notorious and devastating drug trade, from which it claims to be disengaged. The Wa region has maintained Burma's largest and most well-equipped non-state army, and has not fought with the government in 26 years. It also never fully achieved the autonomy it sought in a peace accord, and still remains an unrecognized special zone within Shan State. One of the points made in Wednesday's statement was that "most of the ethnic armed groups attending this conference understand and support Wa group demand for a Wa State." The UWSA is not a member of the NCCT and as such is unlikely to sign the peace accord, though it nonetheless affirmed its support for an agreement that includes all parties involved in the conflict. The group's spokesman also pointed out a number of concerns about the current draft, particularly involving the government's insistence that rebel groups disarm. "As for the Tatmadaw [Burma Armed Forces], they say all ethnic armed groups have to disarm," he said, "but these points are not included in the current draft of the NCA. If they keep saying these things, ethnic groups will not participate in the peace process." Other attendees showed similar concern, worried that they could again come under attack after a deal is reached. Tar Bong Kyaw, general secretary of the TNLA, said the group has "a bad feeling" about signing the accord because "the Burma Army might still come to attack us despite signing the draft." Despite these concerns, ethnic leaders were unanimous that while peace must be reached, it could only be achieved through political dialogue and its prerequisite, the NCA. For ethnic armed groups to become signatory to that document, however, will require the government to take additional steps to demonstrate its sincerity and commitment to a peaceful federal state that grants political rights to ethnic minorities. "Our history has the burden of 60 years of conflict," said Aung Myint in his closing remarks. "This is too heavy a burden to be resolved in one or two days. These ethnic conflicts are related to the Constitution. As long as the country doesn't amend the Constitution, it will need to work hard to achieve peace." The post As Summit Closes, Ethnic Leaders Say Unchanged Charter Cripples Peace Deal appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Army Chief Jets Off to Pakistan, Serbia Posted: 07 May 2015 02:06 AM PDT Burma Army Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing flew out of Rangoon on Wednesday to pay official visits to Pakistan and Serbia, according to state-run media. Defense sources in Burma indicated the traveling military delegation was comprised of other top brass, including those believed to be involved in purchasing arms and other military hardware. Only last week, Min Aung Hlaing met with a Pakistani delegation led by Brigadier-General Muhammad Aneeq Ur Rehman Malik in Naypyidaw. In 2013, reports surfaced that about 20 Burmese naval officers had received submarine familiarization and training in Pakistan. Further fueling speculation that Burma was looking to develop a submarine capability, it was also reported that during his visit to Russia in June 2013, Min Aung Hlaing expressed an interest in purchasing two 3,000-ton Kilo-class diesel-powered submarines. (Photo: Min Aung Hlaing inspects a military parade during Armed Forces Day, March 2015. Credit: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) The post Army Chief Jets Off to Pakistan, Serbia appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Over 50 Thai Police Punished Over Links to Human Trafficking Posted: 06 May 2015 10:50 PM PDT   Human remains are retrieved from a mass grave at a rubber plantation near a mountain in Thailand's southern Songkhla province on May 6, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — More than 50 Thai police officers have been punished over suspected links to human trafficking networks, the country's police chief said on Thursday, after the prime minister ordered a probe into the discovery of trafficking camps near the Malaysian border. Thirty-two bodies, believed to be migrants from Burma and Bangladesh, have been found in shallow graves over the past week in the southern province of Songkhla. Some of the bodies were found at a suspected human trafficking camp hidden deep in the jungle. "We have transferred over 50 police officers over this issue because commanders in local areas know who has been involved in what," Chief of Royal Thai Police General Somyot Poompanmuang told reporters ahead of a meeting in Bangkok to discuss efforts to crack down on the illicit trade. "In the past there were no sincere efforts to solve this problem. This is only something that has happened recently." Some Thai officials say human trafficking has been allowed to flourish for years amid indifference and, sometimes, complicity by Thai authorities. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered a clean-up of suspected human trafficking camps around the country within 10 days, while UN officials have called for a regional effort to end the illicit trade. Thailand was not to blame for the crisis, said Prayuth. "This problem comes from abroad and not from us. To solve it we must look to the source because we are merely a transit country," he said. Thousands of illegal migrants, including Rohinghya Muslims from western Burma and from Bangladesh, brave dangerous journeys by sea and land to escape religious and ethnic persecution and in search of work abroad. They are often trafficked through Thailand, a predominantly Buddhist country, and taken into the country's jungles, where traffickers demand ransoms to release them or smuggle them across the border to mainly Muslim Malaysia. Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch told Reuters that the latest crackdown was the "first effort by the Thai government to leave no stone unturned" and called for an investigation of military personnel suspected of involvement in human trafficking. "We see local politicians and police being investigated and named but what about military personnel? What about officials from forestry departments which have long been alleged to have provided support to human traffickers?" Thai police have arrested four men—three Thais and a Burmese national—on suspicion of human trafficking. Arrest warrants have been issued for a further 14 people, police said on Thursday. The post Over 50 Thai Police Punished Over Links to Human Trafficking appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Militants Rob Bank in Bangladesh to Raise Funds Posted: 06 May 2015 10:43 PM PDT A scene from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on July 7, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) DHAKA — A gang of Islamist militants staged a bank robbery in Bangladesh last month in which nine people were killed in order to fund their operations, police said on Wednesday. At least 10 members of the al Qaeda-inspired Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) robbed the branch of state-run Bangladesh Commerce Bank on April 21, in Ashulia, 20 km north of the capital Dhaka. They killed the manager of the bank to get the key to the vault, and managed to pocket 700,000 taka ($8,860) from the cash counters before the alarm was raised by the loudspeaker from a nearby mosque. The gang detonated a bomb as they fled, chased by customers and onlookers who beat one ABT member to death. A total of nine men were killed in the incident. In February, ABT claimed responsibility for the killing of blogger Avijit Roy, a U.S. citizen of Bangladesh origin who had condemned what he saw as religious extremism. His killing has also claimed by al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. "The aim of the robbery was to raise fund to expand and strength militancy activities inside the country by ABT," said Muhammad Habibur Rahman, the chief of Dhaka police. So far, seven of 10 have been arrested, he said. "After extensive interrogation we have been confirmed that all of them were active members of ABT, as they confessed," he said. He said police also found several documents and books related to militancy at their homes. Police suspect ABT of involvement in the killing of two other bloggers in 2013. Police say the group follows the ideology of Anwar al-Awlaki, an American cleric who worked in Yemen with Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula before he was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2011. It aims to force Bangladesh into following a harder line strand of Islam. The post Militants Rob Bank in Bangladesh to Raise Funds appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Asia to Lead Growth in 2015 Despite China Slowdown: IMF Posted: 06 May 2015 10:16 PM PDT A construction worker eats a bun during a lunch break in front of a wall at a construction site in Beijing, Apr. 20. (Photo: Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters) TOKYO — Asian economies will lead world growth in 2015, expanding at a 5.6 percent pace that is level with last year, as recoveries in India and Japan help to offset the slowdown in China, the IMF said in a report Thursday. IMF economists expressed concern, however, over the potential for weaker growth if policy makers in the region fail to follow through with needed changes, saying it was a time not for “alarm but it is a time for alert.” The IMF’s regional economic outlook forecasts that growth in the Asia-Pacific area will moderate to 5.5 percent in 2016. Asian growth fell to 5.5 percent in 2014 from 5.9 percent in 2013, and is bound to shift lower as China’s economy, the world’s second largest, settles at a more sustainable level than the torrid double-digit pace of the past decade. China’s report of 7 percent growth in the first quarter of the year was in keeping with that trend. “You cannot expect that a country can keep 10 percent growth forever,” said Changyong Rhee, director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department. “The current phase of growth is in line with our forecasts, but even if it’s a desirable slowdown it can have a negative impact on other countries.” Rising levels of debt and potential financial market disruptions are other risks to growth, though moves by Chinese financial regulators to rein in margin trading and umbrella trusts are a positive step, he said in a news conference that was broadcast online. On a broader scale, the IMF report said its estimates show lower oil prices could help boost global growth by 0.3 percentage points to 0.7 percentage points in 2015. Major producers of oil and other commodities are suffering from lower exports, but for countries such as Japan, China and Thailand the lower costs are a boon both for businesses and consumers. Growth varies widely across the region, from 8.3 percent forecast for 2015 in Burma, 7.5 percent for India and 6.8 percent for China to 1 percent for Japan. Japan, the world’s number three economy, shows signs of recovering from a recession last year following an increase in the country’s sales tax to 8 percent from 5 percent. The IMF’s report said that Japan’s growth will remain modest but could improve with more aggressive measures to improve productivity through improved labor laws and corporate governance. Despite its slowdown, China remains a main driver of global GDP expansion, accounting for a larger share of world economic growth than the rest of Asia combined, the IMF said. Reforms intended to make the state-dominated economy more productive, with stronger domestic consumption and services, and less dependence on trade and investment are crucial for future growth, Rhee said. Full implementation of reforms would boost overall income by 5 percent by 2020 over the economy’s performance without such reforms, he said. The post Asia to Lead Growth in 2015 Despite China Slowdown: IMF appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

SIM Sales Soar as Burma Races to Catch Up in Telecoms Posted: 06 May 2015 09:56 PM PDT Ross Cormack, CEO of Ooredoo Myanmar, explains the telecommunications company's roll-out plans during a press conference in Rangoon on Aug. 2, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Burma, long one of the world's least connected nations in terms of telecommunications, is now racing to catch up, providing a boost to the foreign mobile companies allowed into the country last year. The number of mobile phone SIM cards in the Southeast Asian country of 51 million people has shot up to more than 18 million from around one million just three years ago, according to data compiled by Reuters. That has surprised some of the foreign entrants, who expected more modest growth in one of the world's poorest nations. "The Myanmar economy has had more money in circulation than we had originally expected," said Telenor Chief Executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas on Wednesday, after the Norwegian mobile firm posted an unexpected profit in Burma. "We will now increase the speed of our roll-out." Burma was ruled for 49 years by the military, which placed strict controls over communications and built little infrastructure. In a 2012 report, telecoms equipment firm Ericsson said only about one million people in Burma had access to mobile phones. Huge swathes of the country were not covered by the patchy network of state-owned Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT). SIM cards, which sold for thousands of dollars when they were first introduced, fetched around US$200 as recently as April 2013—far out of reach of the average citizen. That started to change after a semi-civilian government took power in March 2011 and initiated sweeping reforms, including granting two licenses to foreign telecoms operators. Qatar's Ooredoo launched its service last August followed by Telenor a month later, while MPT has partnered with Japan's KDDI Corp. All three operators have been building telecoms towers, increasing the range of Burma's network and allowing more SIM cards into the market, bringing the price down to about $2. And Burma's 51.4 million people are buying them en masse. There are now at least 18.1 million SIM cards in active use, according to the operators, not including cards that have been sold but are not used regularly. MPT told Reuters last week it had 8.4 million customers, while Ooredoo said in its quarterly report on April 29 that it had 3.3 million. Ooredoo Myanmar CEO Ross Cormack said on Wednesday demand had "met, if not exceeded, our expectations," adding most customers were using the Internet, with 80 percent of those using smartphones. Telenor has 6.4 million customers in Burma, it said on Wednesday. It launched with 70 towers and has been adding 200 a month. Its network now covers more than half the population, Tor Oddland, a regional vice-president, told Reuters. Under the terms of their 15-year license, foreign operators are required to provide voice services across three-quarters of the country within five years and data services across half. The post SIM Sales Soar as Burma Races to Catch Up in Telecoms appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thailand’s New Weapon to Beat Southern Insurgency: DNA Swabs Posted: 06 May 2015 09:34 PM PDT Maj-Gen Anurut Kritsanakaraket, commander of the Southern Border Provinces Police Operation Centre, speaks in Yala province, Thailand on Apr. 29. (Photo: Aubrey Belford / Reuters) YALA, Thailand — Thailand’s military government has introduced a new strategy to curb the insurgency that has rumbled on in the country’s jungle-blanketed deep south for more than a decade: DNA swabbing. It has been widely panned for mishandling the economy and undermining democracy, but the top brass that seized power a year ago can point to a drop of more than 50 percent in attacks by Muslim Malay rebels across the restive region. The police chief put in charge by the junta of the southern provinces bordering Malaysia, told Reuters that DNA samples have now been taken from more than 40,000 people, making arrests and prosecutions easier. Resistance to Buddhist rule in the south spilled over in 2004 and, since then, more than 6,500 people—most of them civilians—have died in violence, including shootings and bomb attacks. Successive governments have failed to quell the separatist trouble. The Muslim Attorney Centre in the province of Pattani says security-related charges this year are set to exceed 2014’s, in part because more DNA evidence is being used. Last year 37 people were charged in the province while in the first four months of this year the figure was 22. Reuters was denied entry to the DNA labs by police pending permission from the Royal Thai Army. While the military credits DNA collecting for the decrease in violence, lawyers and activists say the forced sweeps are further alienating locals in the Muslim-dominated provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat that were annexed by Thailand a century ago. Zawawee Pi, a 26-year-old community radio member in Pattani, said he had been DNA tested three times already. The fourth time, early this year, he refused. Zaweewee, who has no criminal record, said a police officer came to his door asking for fingerprints and a saliva sample. When he refused, the officer threatened him with a gun. “They said they wanted evidence in case I did something wrong in the future. Why test for a crime I have yet to commit?” Lawyer Abdul Aziz, at the Muslim Attorney Centre, said DNA collections were fuelling distrust. “DNA does not lie, a match is a match, but the problem is the collection process. What is their technique?” said Abdul. Major General Anurut Kritsanakaraket, commander of the Southern Border Provinces Police Operation Centre, denied his forces were being heavy-handed. He said that DNA testing, which includes saliva swabs of suspected rebels and analysis of post-blast explosive residues, was not arbitrary. LACK OF TRUST The military’s heavy presence and perceived tough line has stoked resentment among many in the southern provinces. Last month, a group of villagers were gathered at a house in a remote Pattani village when nine cars drove up, said Marongsee Tayee, 23, one of those present. Without warning, the soldiers and police opened fire, killing four men. A panel set up to investigate the deaths found that none of those killed had a connection to the insurgency. The military said the operation was intended to arrest insurgents, but later offered a rare apology. Manasye Wanu, whose brother died in the attack, said when soldiers came to apologise, his mother chased them out with a kitchen knife. “Knock on any door in this area and they will tell you they do not trust the Thai state,” he said. Marongsee and 21 others were detained for up to nine days. He was later released without charge. Shintaro Hara, a Malay-language professor at Prince of Songkhla University in Pattani, said little had changed in the south. “We have stagnation. There is no will by authorities to offer long-lasting solutions.” The post Thailand’s New Weapon to Beat Southern Insurgency: DNA Swabs appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Decades of Poppy Production Cede to Tea Time in Wa Region Posted: 06 May 2015 05:00 PM PDT Click to view slideshow. MONG MAO, Wa Special Region — In Mong Mao, one of seven districts that comprise the Wa Special Region here in northeastern Burma's Shan State, tea is tops. The region, bordering China's Yunnan province, is mostly inhabited by ethnic Wa people under the control of the United Wa State Army (UWSA), Burma's largest ethnic armed group. It takes about four hours by car to get to Mong Mao from Panghsang, where a dozen ethnic leaders are gathered this week to discuss prospects for a nationwide ceasefire with Burma's government. The high altitude and relatively cool temperatures here provide a suitable climate for growing tea, which is primarily exported to Taiwan. On the verdant slopes of Mong Mao's hills, tea plantations stretch to the horizon. harvested leaves from the plantations are sent to nearby tea-leaf processing plants. The UWSA offered ethnic leaders and a handful of journalists a tour of one such factory, which processes raw tea leaves picked by about 200 workers, most of them women and girls, at one plantation spread across 700 acres. But according to UWSA chairman Bao Youxiang, there is more to these agricultural enterprises than job creation and profit: The tea of Mong Mao is an example of successful crop substitution on hills that were once covered in opium poppies, he explained. Farmers in the area had grown opium poppies for more than 120 years, he said, earning condemnation from the United States and other Western countries, which viewed the UWSA as complicit if not actively involved in cultivation of the crop. But Bao said this week that his army had worked to successfully eradicate opium production in 2005, with the cooperation of local people. "Our region no longer grows opium. On June 26, it will be a decade since the end of opium production in our region," he added. An inspection by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime last year appears to bear out the claim, with the UNODC "rapid assessment" finding no evidence of opium poppies in the Wa region. A healthy skepticism is warranted, however, toward any claims of noninvolvement in the wider illicit narcotics trade, which is rife in parts of Shan State. A leaked US diplomatic cable described the UWSA in 2010 as "known narcotics traffickers," citing a US Drug Enforcement Agency assertion that "senior leadership of the UWSA are heavily and directly engaged in narcotics trafficking." The post Decades of Poppy Production Cede to Tea Time in Wa Region appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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