The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Pre-Election Release of Political Prisoners Urged
• NLD Wades Into Boatpeople Crisis
• Arakan Officials Face Off with Muslim Leaders over Boat People Crisis
• Central Bank’s US Dollar Policy Will Bolster Black Market: Critics
• Well-Known Social Activist Kyaw Thu to Run for Parliament
• A Burmese Reggae Album for Love and Country
• Shwe Mann to Lead USDP Through Elections
• Matt Dillon Puts Rare Celebrity Spotlight on Rohingya
• China to Conduct Military Exercises Near Kokang Territory
• Burma Detains Journalists Covering Boat People ‘Rescue’
• Holiday in Socialist Fairyland? North Korea Woos Tourists

Pre-Election Release of Political Prisoners Urged Posted: 01 Jun 2015 06:50 AM PDT A student charged in connection with a sit-in protest in Letpadan, Pegu Division, looks out from a detention vehicle prior to a hearing on March 25. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A group of former political prisoners in Burma has demanded the release of all prisoners of conscience and detainees facing trial for similar charges, urging President Thein Sein to free them before a general election due late this year. "Burma's President Thein Sein made a pledge to release all political prisoners by the end of 2013. But he didn't keep his promise," Tun Kyi from the Rangoon-based Former Political Prisoners Society (FPPS) told The Irrawaddy on Monday. "There were 27 political prisoners who remained behind bars at that time." He said there are currently 163 political prisoners behind bars and more than 500 still facing trials, including 68 student protesters who were detained after a police crackdown on students protesting for education reform in Letpadan, Pegu Division. "So, we urge the release of all political prisoners who were incarcerated and are facing trials before President Thein Sein's term expires, not just saying this [that there are no political prisoners in Burma] but to prove with deeds," Tun Kyi said. The FPPS released the demand, along with two others, at the end of a two-day conference over the weekend in Rangoon. More than 160 people from 18 groups of former political prisoners in the country attended the conference. The three demands included amending Burma's military-drafted 2008 Constitution in accordance with the people's wishes and to accelerate an all-inclusive peace process with Burma's ethnic armed groups. "We will ask for the support of the public, and local and international organizations, for our demands," Tun Kyi said. The government and political activists have been at odds over what defines a political prisoner. Groups for former political prisoners held a workshop and established a definition of political prisoners last year, which is due to be submitted to Parliament seeking recognition from the government. Various denouncements have been issued by activist groups as the number of people jailed for offenses such as illegally protesting has grown, but the government maintains that such charges are criminal and thus require prosecution. It is a claim that Bo Kyi, joint secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), flatly rejects. "What they are saying—that there are no political prisoners—is ignoring the truth," he told The Irrawaddy. "No political freedom, no rule of law, and civil wars in Myanmar are the causes of having political prisoners and I would like to say unequivocally that there are still political prisoners." Bo Kyi said the credibility of the November election would be compromised if the government failed to release the country's political prisoners beforehand, with these people being denied the chance to compete for parliamentary seats or otherwise participate in the political process. Thein Sein has granted amnesties to more than 1,000 political prisoners since taking office in 2011, as part of a democratic reform program that has won the president international praise. Thein Sein made the pledge to release all of Burma's political prisoners by the end of 2013 in London on July 14 of that year. The post Pre-Election Release of Political Prisoners Urged appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NLD Wades Into Boatpeople Crisis Posted: 01 Jun 2015 06:44 AM PDT An Indonesian student holds a poster of Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest against what they say is the killing of Muslims in Burma, in front of the Burmese Embassy in Jakarta on May 29, 2015. RANGOON — The National League for Democracy (NLD) released a statement on Monday addressing the so-called boatpeople crisis unfolding in Southeast Asian seas, with Burma's main opposition party urging a crackdown on human traffickers while warning that "the slower we are in taking actions, the bigger the problem will become." The NLD press release comes as the party's leader, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has faced international criticism for her silence on the plight of Muslims in Arakan State who identify themselves as Rohingya. "The National League for Democracy (NLD) and the chairperson herself have reiterated that human rights, democratic rights and rule of law must be heeded, and words and behaviors that would fuel the conflicts must be avoided in resolving racial conflicts in Rakhine [Arakan] State," the statement read, offering a seven-point roadmap to ease tensions between majority Buddhists and minority Muslims in the state. Its recommendations include border security, rooting out corruption among border affairs personnel and delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need. "Declarations have been made about the problems in Rakhine State, but it is just not enough," the statement read. Last month thousands of migrants from Burma and Bangladesh began washing up on the shores of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Their boats were abandoned by human traffickers who feared a crackdown on the smuggling of persons, leaving them stuck at sea for weeks with dwindling supplies of food and water. Thousands more are possibly still at sea, with 17 nations attending a meeting in Bangkok on Friday to attempt to address the issue. Burma's Foreign Ministry representative to the conference reportedly warned against "finger-pointing" in addressing the crisis. The Burma Navy has so far seized two boats filled with migrants. The first contained 200 Bangladeshis and eight people from Burma, while the second was found with 727 people on board. The government says it plans to deport the 200 Bangladeshis, while the fate of those on board the second boat remained unclear on Monday. Many of those taking to boats in search of better lives are believed to be Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Burma. Three points in the NLD statement were aimed at addressing conditions in Arakan State where most Rohingya live, with the party urging speedy resettlement for people in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), socioeconomic development of those living in the camps and to scrutinize the citizenship claims of Rohingya "fairly and openly" as soon as possible. The statement did not use the word Rohingya in referring to those found at sea from Burma, nor did it use the government's preferred term, "Bengali," which implies that they are illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. The post NLD Wades Into Boatpeople Crisis appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Arakan Officials Face Off with Muslim Leaders over Boat People Crisis Posted: 01 Jun 2015 05:26 AM PDT   Arakan State officials and Muslim leaders face off during a televised DVB Debate in Rangoon on May 31, 2015. (Photo: Kyaw Phyo Tha / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Speaking after a televised debate about a migrant crisis plaguing Southeast Asia, a top official of the state from which thousands have fled stood firm in his view that the world was being unfair to Burma in dealing with the crisis. Arakan State Chief Minister Maung Maung Ohn joined a panel in Rangoon on Sunday with three other speakers, hosted by exile broadcasting group Democratic Voice of Burma's DVB Debate program, which airs on television nationwide. The minister rejected statements made by world leaders and Nobel laureates at an emergency conference last week in Oslo, Norway, which chided the Burmese government for its "persecution" of Rohingya Muslims, a stateless minority in western Burma that has been fleeing the country for years, many falling prey to human traffickers. The exodus came to international attention last month when a crackdown on trafficking in Thailand left thousands of people—some migrants from Bangladesh while most were Rohingya refugees—stranded and starving at sea. Last week, Burma's foreign ministry agreed to participate in a regional summit in Bangkok to address the crisis on the condition that the migrants and refugees, who have come to be referred to as boat people, be referred to as "irregular migrants" instead of Rohingya. The Burmese government has consistently denied that the migrants are from Burma, claiming instead that they are all from Bangladesh. The government does not recognize Rohingya as an ethnic group in the country, and refers to them as "Bengali" to imply that they are illegal immigrants. Riots in 2012 left hundreds dead and about 140,000 in isolated displacement camps, where they are denied mobility and basic services. International observers, including a top US diplomat, have said that conditions in the camps and political estrangement in the state have been driving factors in the crisis. When asked after the debate if conditions in the state were a "root cause" of the recent exodus in the Bay of Bengal, Maung Maung Ohn contradicted overwhelming claims by the international community. "Who can say they all are from Burma? There may be a few people from Burma among them, but I can't accept the fact that all of them were from Burma," the minister said, despite a statement by US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a recent visit that a "majority" of the boat people are from Arakan State, "are Rohingya, and left because of desperate conditions that they faced." Last week's "Oslo Conference to End Myanmar's Persecution of Rohingya Muslims" reinforced the sentiments of the US State Department. In a pre-recorded address, Nobel laureate and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu referred to warnings by scholars and researchers who view the situation as a "slow genocide being committed against the Rohingya people." "I can't accept it at all," Maung Maung Ohn said on Sunday, the same day state media published a press release from the government that "categorically rejects unbalanced, negative comments" made by the international community about Burma's role in the crisis. The Burma Navy recently intercepted a boat in the Bay of Bengal carrying more than 200 people, all but eight of whom are believed to be from Bangladesh. Those eight, found to be displaced Rohingya from a camp near Kyauktaw, will return to their families while the 200 others are soon to be deported. "If you want to know whether or not what they [the international community] say is true, come and have a look at Arakan State. We are open to any investigation," Maung Maung Ohn said. "Don't say anything based on hearsay." The origins of more than 700 people found on a boat near the coast of southern Burma on Friday, however, have not yet been revealed, and journalists have been denied access to the area where they are being detained. Panelist Win Soe Tun, director of the Arakan State Peace and Development Organization, based in the state capital Sittwe, had the unprecedented chance to respond to the minister's claims on television, based on his experience working first-hand in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs). "Most of the boat people are from the camps [in Arakan State]," he said. "They can no longer bear the suffering they face in the camps, so they run away to have a better life and future." The response did little to sway the minister, who said that those seeking more rights should become citizens, an impossible choice for the group whose ethnic identity is categorically denied the privilege by a 1982 Citizenship Law. "If they want citizens' rights, they have to first be a citizen. If you are an IDP, you are entitled to the rights of an IDP," Maung Maung Ohn said. Also on the panel were Upper House parliamentarian and Chairman of the Arakan National Party Aye Maung and chief convener of the Islamic Center of Myanmar Al-Haj Aye Lwin. The full debate is available in Burmese on the DVB Debate website, and an edited version with English subtitles is viewable on www.dvb.no. Additional reporting contributed by Moe Myint. The post Arakan Officials Face Off with Muslim Leaders over Boat People Crisis appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Central Bank’s US Dollar Policy Will Bolster Black Market: Critics Posted: 01 Jun 2015 05:10 AM PDT A Cooperative Bank ATM in downtown Rangoon. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Central Bank of Myanmar has halved the permitted withdrawal limit of US dollars for local bank customers, in an apparent effort to prevent the greenback from becoming an alternate currency in Burma—a move experts say is unlikely to succeed. On May 27, the Central Bank issued an announcement ordering banks to limit US dollar withdrawals to $5,000 per customer, per day, down from the previous $10,000 limit. The move comes as the kyat continues its steady depreciation against the dollar and a growing discrepancy between official exchange rates and those found at local currency exchanges. The Central Bank's official exchange rate remains at 1090 kyats per dollar, while smaller and unlicensed operators are trading at around 1140 kyats. Pe Myint, managing director of the Cooperative Bank, said that the restrictions would not stop the use of US dollars, particularly in the hotel and tourism sector, or address the local currency's continuing fall in value. "It's very clear that, if customers can't withdraw the amounts needed for their businesses, they will definitely buy dollars on the black market," he said. "[Banks] still can't buy enough US dollars to satisfy market demand." The kyat was floated in 2012, prior to which the government set the official exchange rate at a 6.4 kyats to the US dollar, about 125 times the value as the black market rate at the time of the float. Business owners were likely to draw on their institutional experience of sidestepping Central Bank regulations in the wake of the latest regulations, according to Dr Maung Maung Lay, the vice chairman of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers and Commerce Industry. "This is only temporary solution for recent market problems," he said. "Businessmen here don't get assistance from the Central Bank, they always solve their problem by themselves. This time, or whenever they try to control the amount of US dollars in banks, they will look for other sources." Economist and author Aung Ko Ko said that the government needed to consider wider structural reform rather than implementing a piecemeal strategy. "The major problem is the bigger trade deficit," he said. "Local manufacturers can't produce essential commodities to compete with regional imports. As long as the government can't address this issue, the value of the kyat will continue to fall. If people trusted the value of their currency, they wouldn't need to rely on foreign currency." Burma ran a trade deficit of $4.9 billion in the 2014-15 fiscal year, according to figures from the Ministry of Commerce. The post Central Bank's US Dollar Policy Will Bolster Black Market: Critics appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Well-Known Social Activist Kyaw Thu to Run for Parliament Posted: 01 Jun 2015 04:07 AM PDT   Kyaw Thu, a prominent social activist and former actor, will try his hand at politics. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The former Myanmar Academy Award-winning actor and prominent social worker Kyaw Thu says he is looking to add "politician" to his résumé, with plans to compete in Burma's general election later this year. The founder and president of Rangoon's Free Funeral Service Society (FFSS), Kyaw Thu told The Irrawaddy on Monday that he had not yet decided whether he would compete with the backing of a political party or run as an independent. He intends to run for office in the constituency of either Mayangone Township in Rangoon or Pegu Division's Pyay Township. The quinquagenarian said that if he were to opt for party affiliation, "I may join the hearts of the people's party." He did not say whether that would mean running as a member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), widely considered to be Burma's most popular party. Kyaw Thu's wife Shwe Zee Kwat said she did not consider her husband to be an NLD member. The Irrawaddy was unable to contact a representative from the NLD on Monday to find out if the party was interested in fielding Kyaw Thu as one of its candidates. Kyaw Thu declined to offer specific issues that he would champion in his campaign for a parliamentary seat. Hla Swe, a sitting parliamentarian with the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), told The Irrawaddy that he was "really impressed with [Kyaw Thu's] courage to test his qualifications like that." The FFSS was founded in 2001 and offers funeral services free of charge to people of all race, religion and background. Kyaw Thu has received nearly 10 international humanitarian aids awards for his work. If Kyaw Thu contests in the general election, it will be his first taste of professional politics. More than 70 political parties have registered to compete in the nationwide elections, expected to be held in early November. Parties are currently in the process of assembling their candidate lists. The post Well-Known Social Activist Kyaw Thu to Run for Parliament appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

A Burmese Reggae Album for Love and Country Posted: 01 Jun 2015 02:34 AM PDT Cartoons accompany each of the 10 songs on 'Go Rest on a Big Branch,' including the album's title track. (Cartoon: Lai Lone) Saw Poe Khwar must be among Burma's most talented artists when it comes to musically conveying his beliefs, raw emotions and political ideology to his fans—and to those in power as well. After listening to his newest album, I hope President Thein Sein and the key players of his reformist government will pick up a copy. The 10 songs of his latest reggae record beautifully and emotionally address issues relating to the social and political context of our shared country. His songs express a broad spectrum of sentiment, from sarcasm and mockery to sadness and loving kindness. The title track, "Go Rest on a Big Branch," is especially meaningful for Burmese people, most of whom have cultivated a deep loathing for the military leaders who ruled them over the past five decades. Its mocking rhymes are paired with an amusing melody and the overall message to Burma's former (or perhaps current?) leaders is clear: Please, just go away. The phrase "go rest on a big branch," for those not In The Know, is a Burmese expression that literally means "go away" or "don't meddle with us." The song reads: "You, don't dictate over us. Take a look at what you've done; it's been more bad than good. We all know it… Go and rest on a big branch." In simple terms, the song reflects the feeling of many Burmese people, though it might be difficult for foreigners to get the point. A cartoon accompanying the song offers more clarity for the non-Burmese among us, depicting a reggae musician as he releases a slingshot aimed at a man-bird wearing a military cap and perched on a tree branch. The song's chorus goes: "Step out if you are not aware; go away if you don't understand." For the Burmese audience, the pronoun "you" is at best a thin veil for a more specific target of criticism. Kyaw Zwa Moe is editor (English Edition) of the Irrawaddy magazine. He can be reached at kyawzwa@irrawaddy.org. Another song—less irreverent and more sorrowful—is "The Landmine." It is, in this listener's opinion, the most touching song on the album. It begins with a conversation between the singer and a young Karen girl in a remote village. When he asks the girl why one of her legs is missing, she answers: "While my mom was taking a shower in a stream, I was playing with my younger brother in the jungle nearby. Then the two of us stepped on a landmine. My brother died instantly and I lost my leg." The girl asks the singer, "Also in your city, are there landmines?" "No landmines there," the singer replies hesitantly. "But like landmines, there is fearsome hatred that is planted in the hearts of our human beings. It causes a lot of wars, violence and conflict in many areas. They are 'landmines' planted in humans' hearts." The story, whether based on fact or fiction, would be sad in any context. But its poignancy is profound in Burma, where the real stories of Karen and other ethnic minority families echo the young girl's hardship as 60 years of civil war have left the country peppered with landmines. According to the Geneva-based International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), at least 3,200 people were killed and injured over a 10-year period ending in 2011, though the actual number was almost certainly far higher. The ICBL said: "As of May 2013, mine warfare continues to take place within the country by both government forces and some non-state armed groups, but on a more limited scale than previous years." Saw Poe Khwar's song calls for a complete end to the use of landmines. This album is the fifth for the devout reggae artist Saw Poe Khwar, who is in his late 40s. He describes reggae in one of his songs as rhymes of peace, a symbol of freedom and true love or loving kindness. As one of Burma's foremost practitioners of the genre, Saw Poe Khwar is a passionate advocate for peace, freedom and equality. For the Karen crooner, there is no place for discrimination based on color, ethnicity or creed, as revealed in the song "Human = Human." Another tune tells a tale of two lovers who lost each other after Burma's former military regime cracked down on a peaceful student demonstration near the Rangoon University campus in 1988. It is titled "A Love Tale-88." Other songs call for the end to wars across the world, as well as in Burma's ethnic minority areas. It's obvious that the singer released the album with the objective not only of entertaining his audience, but also to better inform them of the complex country in which they live. All of the songs are accompanied by cartoons illustrated by Lai Lone that are laden with political overtones. Saw Poe Khwar titles the first song of the album "Love is the Answer," setting listeners up for what, it becomes clear, is the essence of the record. Bookended by the track "Love Each Other," the album's message is indisputable. The first song reads: "There is no fighting…, there is no more crying…; there is no trouble…, there are no more problems. That means no more war." Amid all the complexities of Burma's transition, the message of Saw Poe Khwar seems to call for more love as the antidote to what ails us. For that, I think the word "love," which the singer uses throughout the album, must be interpreted politically. I believe that politically speaking, "love" means exercising empathy, benevolence, goodwill and altruism toward people. And I believe that a government and its constituent parts must practice that kind of love as they govern. Only with that love in mind can a government truly serve its people. And to put it in terms of electoral politics, you have to love in order to be loved. It's an axiom all of Burma's aspirant leaders would do well to internalize ahead of a nationwide election later this year, when the ballot box will indicate where the hearts of the people lie. The post A Burmese Reggae Album for Love and Country appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Shwe Mann to Lead USDP Through Elections Posted: 01 Jun 2015 12:40 AM PDT USDP General Secretary Thein Swe in Naypyidaw on may 31, 2015. (Photo: Nobel Zaw / the Irrawaddy) NAYPYIDAW — Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann will remain chairman of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), leading the ruling party into elections later this year. Following a three-day Central Executive Committee meeting in Naypyidaw, the USDP announced on Sunday that the Speaker would maintain his position atop unchanged party leadership. The committee was expected to discuss its strategy for the upcoming general election and settle on candidates for constituencies nationwide. USDP General Secretary Thein Swe told reporters that Shwe Mann will head the party's Elections Winning Committee. Whether he will be backed as a presidential candidate will ultimately depend on election outcomes, but Thein Swe showed some degree of confidence in incumbent President Thein Sein, stating that he might receive the party's support if he seeks re-election. "It depends on the party's decision. The party's conference can resolve that issue," Thein Swe said in response to a question posed by The Irrawaddy. "Until we hold the 2015 elections, [Shwe Mann] will be president of the elections committee," Thein Swe said, dispelling misguided speculations that Thein Sein would take the role, which would contravene the Constitution. Upon taking office, the president and Union ministers are prohibited from taking part in party activities. Thein Swe said the party has not yet decided on all of its candidates and will try to release more detailed information about its election strategy within the next two weeks. The party expects to face more challenges than in previous elections, the secretary said, because of the growing influence of ethnic parties in Burma's outlying states and the rise of the main opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) in Bamar-majority divisions. Elections for Union and regional legislatures are expected to be held in early November, the first such nationwide polls since 2010. Burma's 2010 election was boycotted by the NLD and largely considered fraudulent. By-elections held in April 2012 were viewed as more credible, with the opposition winning 43 contested seats. Burma's presidency is determined by a vote of the Union Parliament, which serves as the nation's electoral college. The Parliament elected in November will assume office on January 30, 2016, and the electoral college is set to convene in early February. Three presidential candidates will be nominated by the college and later put to vote—two selected by elected lawmakers and one by the military's 25 percent bloc in the legislature. The two unsuccessful candidates will be appointed as vice-presidents. Additional reporting contributed by Tun Tun. The post Shwe Mann to Lead USDP Through Elections appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Matt Dillon Puts Rare Celebrity Spotlight on Rohingya Posted: 01 Jun 2015 12:35 AM PDT Actor Matt Dillon at a photocall for the television series 'Wayward Pines' during the annual MIPCOM television program market in Cannes on Oct, 14, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) SITTWE, Arakan State — American actor Matt Dillon put a rare star-powered spotlight on Burma's long-persecuted Rohingya Muslims, visiting a hot, squalid camp for tens of thousands displaced by violence and a port that has served as one of the main launching pads for their exodus by sea. It was "heartbreaking," he said after meeting a young man with a raw, open leg wound from a road accident and no means to treat it. Mothers carrying babies with clear signs of malnutrition stood listlessly outside row after row of identical bamboo huts, toddlers playing nearby in the chalky white dust. "No one should have to live like this, people are really suffering," said Dillon, wearing his trademark black T-shirt and jeans. "They are being strangled slowly, they have no hope for the future and nowhere to go." Though Rohingya have been victims of state-sponsored discrimination for decades, conditions started deteriorating three years ago after the predominantly Buddhist country of 51 million began its bumpy transition from a half-century of dictatorship to democracy. Taking advantage of newfound freedoms of expression, radical monks started fanning deep-seated societal hatred for the religious minority. Hundreds have been killed by machete-wielding mobs and a quarter million others now live under apartheid-like conditions in camps or have fled by boat—hundreds of dehydrated, hungry Rohingya washing onto Southeast Asian shores in recent weeks. As they become increasingly marginalized, several groups are warning that the building blocks of genocide are in place. "I know that's a very touchy word to use. But there's a very ominous feeling here," said Dillon, one of the first celebrities to try to get a first-hand look at what life is like for Rohingya in the western state of Arakan. Denied citizenship, they are effectively stateless with almost no basic rights Dillon said he decided to come to Burma following a desperate, urgent appeal by Rohingya activist Thun Khin at a Refugees International fundraiser in Washington, D.C., just over a month ago. In Japan to promote his new television series, Wayward Pines, he decided it was a good time to make the trip. "There are people working here, people who know a hell of a lot more about it than I do," Dillon said after hearing grumbling from some aid workers about what he hoped to achieve. "But listen, if I can use my voice to draw attention to something, where I see people suffering, I'll do that any day of the week. I'm happy to do that." He spoke to two teenage boys who tried to flee by boat, only to find themselves in the hands of human traffickers, and was chased away by armed security guards when trying to snap pictures of the last standing Rohingya neighborhood in the state capital—a ghetto surrounded by tall walls topped by rolls of heavy barbed wire. But what really choked him up were the camps: "It affected me more than I thought it would." While there were clear signs humanitarian agencies are active—new latrines, well-placed hand pumps, concrete open sewers—he noted in contrast to camps he's visited in Sudan and the Congo, he didn't run into a single Western aid worker during his two-day visit. Nor were NGO trucks rumbling through with medical equipment, food or other supplies—due primarily to severe restrictions placed on aid agencies by the government following pressure from Buddhist extremists. "I've been to some places where the threats of violence seemed more imminent," he said. "Here it's something else. It feels more like people are going to be left to wither away and die." The post Matt Dillon Puts Rare Celebrity Spotlight on Rohingya appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China to Conduct Military Exercises Near Kokang Territory Posted: 01 Jun 2015 12:29 AM PDT A J-31 stealth fighter of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force on the runway in Guangdong province last year. (Photo: Alex Lee / Reuters) RANGOON — China's military will on Tuesday conduct a live-fire drill around the border with Burma's restive Kokang region, according to the country's state-run media. A brief report carried by the Xinhua News Agency on Monday morning was followed by an announcement on China's Ministry of Defense website, confirming a joint air-ground training exercise around a 200-kilometer (124-mile) stretch of the border, between the convergence of the Manxin and Salween rivers and ending at the highway into the Burmese border town of Chin Shwe Haw. The exercises will be conducted in the area of the border that directly abuts Yunnan province's Lincang administrative region, where in March a bomb dropped by a Burma Air Force plane killed five Chinese civilians in a sugarcane field. The Chinese government issued a diplomatic rebuke in response to the incident and the military scrambled fighter jets to the border. In May, artillery fire originating from inside Burma landed across the border and wounded five people. Min Aung Hlaing, the Burma Armed Forces commander-in-chief, told Chinese ambassador Yang Houlan that Kokang rebels were to blame for the attack. The Ministry of Defense report said that Burma had been informed of the training exercise. The Chinese Embassy in Rangoon and Burmese presidential spokesman Ye Htut could not be reached for comment on Monday. On the other side of the border from where Tuesday's military exercises will take place is Laukkai Township, where fighting broke out between Burma's military and the ethnic Kokang rebels of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in February. China has distanced itself from the rebel army in response to accusations by the Burma military, in the first weeks of the conflict, that it had provided shelter and support to the MNDAA rebels. The Laukkai area remains subject to martial law. The post China to Conduct Military Exercises Near Kokang Territory appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Detains Journalists Covering Boat People ‘Rescue’ Posted: 31 May 2015 10:10 PM PDT Rohingya Muslims from Burma, who were rescued by the Burma Navy alongside Bangladeshi refugees, are interviewed by immigration officers at a Muslim religious school used as a temporary refugee camp, in Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State on May 23. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) BAY OF BENGAL — Burma's navy briefly detained journalists who tried to reach a remote island Sunday where more than 700 migrants were being held after their giant wooden ship was found drifting off the country’s southwestern coast. Some journalists were forced to hand over their camera memory cards or sign documents saying they would not try to make the journey again. The wooden boat was one of more than a half-dozen that have either washed to Southeast Asian shores or been rescued in the last month following a massive, regional crackdown on human trafficking networks. Around half of the 3,700 people to come ashore have been Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Burma, according to the UN Refugee Agency, and the remainder Bangladeshis escaping poverty. Burma, however, has denied that Rohingya have been among the boat people, saying all have been from Bangladesh. It also has refused to shoulder the blame for a spiraling humanitarian crisis. It insisted Sunday that all 727 people on board the ship recovered in the Bay of Bengal on Friday—including 74 women and 45 children—were Bangladeshi. When journalists tried to reach Thameehla Island in small boats to see for themselves, they were either turned back or briefly detained and questioned by navy officials. Four Associated Press journalists were among those who were detained for about two hours before being released. A navy commander at the base, who refused to give his name, told the AP that “we have safely rescued migrants from Bangladesh.” He said they were brought inside a naval base compound, though the AP was able to see the ship tied to a naval vessel from the water and the tops of the heads of around 50 people still on board. “We have given them food and medication,” the navy official said. “The doctors are taking care of them. We will send them back whenever they are safe.” The post Burma Detains Journalists Covering Boat People 'Rescue' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Holiday in Socialist Fairyland? North Korea Woos Tourists Posted: 31 May 2015 09:57 PM PDT North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gives field guidance at the 810 army unit's salmon farms in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. (Photo: Reuters) PYONGYANG, North Korea — If you're still looking for somewhere exotic to go this summer and don't mind a vacation that comes with a heavy dose of socialist propaganda and leader worship, North Korea says it's just the place for you. Fresh off a drastic, half-year ban that closed North Korea's doors to virtually all foreigners over fears they would spread the Ebola virus—despite the fact that there were no cases of Ebola reported anywhere in Asia—the country is once again determined to show off its "socialist fairyland" to tourists. The focus on tourism is the blessing of Kim Jong-un himself and, in typical fashion, officials have set lofty goals in their effort to please their leader. About 100,000 tourists came to North Korea last year, all but a few thousand of them from neighboring China. Kim Sang-hak, a senior economist at the influential Academy of Social Sciences, told The Associated Press the North hopes that by around 2017, there will be 10 times as many tourists and that the number will hit 2 million by 2020. Pyongyang's interest in attracting tourists may sound ironic, or even contradictory, for a country that has taken extreme measures to remain sheltered from the outside world. But Kim said the push, formally endorsed by Kim Jong-un in March 2013, is seen as both a potentially lucrative revenue stream and a means of countering stereotypes of the country as starving, backward and relentlessly bleak. "Tourism can produce a lot of profit relative to the investment required, so that's why our country is putting priority on it," he said in a recent interview in Pyongyang, adding that along with scenic mountains, secluded beaches and a seemingly endless array of monuments and museums, the North has another ace up its sleeve—the image that it is simply unlike anywhere else on Earth. "Many people in foreign countries think in a wrong way about our country," Kim said, brushing aside criticisms of its human rights record, lack of freedoms and problems with hunger in the countryside. "Though the economic sanctions of the US imperialists are increasing, we are developing our economy. So I think many people are curious about our country." Opponents in the West say tourists who go to North Korea are helping to fill the coffers of a rogue regime and harming efforts to isolate and pressure Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons and improve its human rights record. For safety reasons, the State Department strongly advises US citizens not to travel to North Korea. None of that has stopped the number of American and European tourists from gradually increasing, and such concerns are not so strong in the countries North Korea is most actively wooing—China, Russia and Southeast Asia. "About 80 percent of the tourists who come are from neighboring countries," said state tourism official Kim Yong-il. "It's normal to develop tourism within your region, so our country is not exceptional in that way. But we are also expanding to European countries as well." While the overall quality of life in North Korea hasn't shifted much in the past few years, efforts to build attractions for visitors and the infrastructure required to host them are already beginning to change the face of the capital and some scattered special tourism zones recently established across the country. Amid the generally Spartan context of their surroundings, those attractions, which are also used by average North Koreans at much lower fees, can be quite striking. In Pyongyang, some of the more popular tourist sites include a new, high-tech shooting range, where visitors can hunt animated tigers with laser guns or use live ammo to bag real pheasants, which can be prepared to eat right there on the spot. There is also a new equestrian center, a huge water park and revamped "fun fairs" replete with roller coasters, fast-food stands and a 5-D theater. After a year of feverish construction, Pyongyang's new international airport terminal could open as soon as next month. Outside of the showcase capital, where funds, electricity and adequate lodging are much scarcer, development has been focused on the area around Mount Kumgang and Wonsan, a port city on the east coast. A luxury ski resort was recently opened just outside of Wonsan and a number of new restaurants have sprung up along the city's beachfront area, which is popular with tourists and locals alike for swimming, clambakes and outdoor barbeques. But like everything else, North Korea is approaching tourism "in its own way." Tourists of any nationality can expect constant monitoring from ever-watchful guides and a lot of visits to model hospitals, schools and farms, along with well-staged events intended to impress and promote Pyongyang's unique brand of authoritarian socialism. Like all other visitors to the North, they have precious few opportunities to interact with average people or observe their daily lifestyle. Tourists can also expect severe repercussions if they step out of line. Tours to Mount Kumgang by South Koreans were quite popular for about a decade until 2008, when they were halted after a South Korean housewife who walked into a restricted area was shot dead by a North Korean guard. More recently, an American tourist who impulsively left a Bible in a provincial nightclub was detained for nearly six months until the Pentagon sent a plane to Pyongyang to pick him up. The post Holiday in Socialist Fairyland? North Korea Woos Tourists appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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