The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Burma’s Skills Sector in the Spotlight
• Parliament Votes Against Constitution Reform, Reserves Military Veto
• Military Presence Grows in Hpakant Amid Further Clashes
• Stateless ‘Sea Gypsies’ Face Severe Discrimination: Report
• Military Chief Touts Air Force Procurement
• Banking on Plastic
• Japan’s Secret Navy Bunker Gives Glimpse of War’s Final Days
• US and China to Cooperate to End ‘Massacre’ of Wildlife: US Official
• Development Fund for Indonesian MPs a Setback to War on Graft

Burma’s Skills Sector in the Spotlight Posted: 25 Jun 2015 06:01 AM PDT About 70 percent of Burma's workforce is employed in the agricultural sector. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Sources in domestic business circles have welcomed a recent call for British companies to consider investing in Burma's skills sector, with the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) office saying a dearth of qualified workers could be remedied, in part, by British education and training enterprises. According to a UN-backed business survey last year, a skills gap in Burma was the second most severe barrier to progress after corruption, and a UKTI report this month said policy liberalization and attendant economic growth of recent years has seen opportunities go unrealized as the workforce has failed to meet the needs of an expanding pool of jobs. Maung Aung, an economist with the Ministry of Commerce, said the UKTI report painted an accurate picture of the challenges many businesses in Burma face; namely, a shortage of skilled labor. "For example, in the garment industry, the [low-skill] labor supply is adequate, but skilled laborers are very rare to find. That's why if we compare to other countries, minimum wages are lower [in Burma]," he said. "It concerns not only the garment sector; almost every sector in Burma is facing this issue," Maung Aung said. "Burma has the advantage of a large workforce of over 30 million people, of which 40 percent are between the ages of 15 and 29," the report said. "The majority of the workforce, however, is under-skilled and under-educated." The report said "recent research highlighted inexperienced trainers, out-dated facilities and minimal processes to align standards with demand." Current education and training providers in Burma most commonly offered courses in languages, ICT and business, researchers found. Burma's education system was decimated under five decades of military dictatorship, which gave way to the quasi-civilian administration of President Thein Sein in 2011. The result: While many people may hold post-secondary degrees, often that is not enough to meet the needs of the job market, where an influx of foreign investment has created jobs requiring skills that Burma's neglected education system has been unable to adequately provide for decades. "Most young people are not qualified," Maung Aung said. "I don't mean all, and it's not about degrees, it's about how can they work for their professionals. Here most workers are learning by doing, they just rely on on-the-job trainings," he said. "When many international firms come here, the major challenge for them is human resources," Maung Aung said. Soe Thein, executive director of the Asia Green Development Bank, said finding employees in the banking sector, like many segments of the services industry, was one of the major problems facing the country's economy. "Many foreign banks are coming, qualified laborers are needed there, as well as many local banks are expanding, that's why this problem is an important issue for us," he said. "To sustain businesses, HR trainings and development trainings are essential for us," he added. Given the labor market picture painted in the report, the UKTI invited British businesses to invest in skills sector enterprises in Burma. Lisa Weedon, director of UKTI Burma, said in a statement: "Many British training providers are already active in the Asean region and I hope this report will encourage them to look at the very real opportunities that Burma offers. "I believe that British companies have an important role to play in helping Burma up skill its young and ambitious workforce and I hope to see many more of them here in the future," she said. The report identifies manufacturing, infrastructure and energy, financial services and ICT as key sectors of opportunity, and notes a need for core business skills in all sectors of the economy. Maung Aung said he welcomed British investors to assist Burma's education sector, but suggested that the limitations of the market, in particular consumers' purchasing power, be a priority of their business plans. "Trainings and schools should consider [affordability] for people, so that participation can be inclusive," he said. The post Burma's Skills Sector in the Spotlight appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Parliament Votes Against Constitution Reform, Reserves Military Veto Posted: 25 Jun 2015 05:35 AM PDT Military appointees sit in the Union Parliament in Naypyidaw. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's Union Parliament on Thursday voted against major changes to the nation's Constitution, keeping a military stronghold on the legislature firmly in place. In a secret ballot vote attended by 538 lawmakers, 67 percent voted in favor, just shy of the 75-plus minimum required for passage. The bill recommended amendments to several controversial clauses in the charter, which was drafted by the military in 2008. Most notably, it sought to reduce a benchmark for votes on some amendments, which effectively grants veto power to an unelected military contingent. Articles 436(a) and (b) require more than 75 percent of lawmakers to vote in favor for designated changes to the charter, ironically including Thursday's vote, while a separate provision reserves 25 percent of seats for military appointees. The amendment bill recommended reducing the requirement to 70 percent to check military power. The bill also recommended altering section 59(f), which makes those who have a foreign spouse or child ineligible for the presidency. The clause is largely viewed as a deliberate attempt to keep opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose sons are British citizens, out of office. Suu Kyi addressed the press after the session, claiming the bill's failure would ultimately benefit her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). "People are now crystal clear about who they have to support," Suu Kyi said. Her colleague, NLD lawmaker Win Myint, expressed similar sentiments. "Now people clearly know who is not interested in reform and the wishes of the people," Win Myint said. "They know which party they should vote for [to achieve] democracy and reform." After boycotting a general election in 2010, the NLD joined by-elections in April 2012 with an eventual eye toward constitutional reform. The party has spent the years since rallying nationwide for public support, as most amendments—after being approved by Parliament—still require more than 50 percent approval in a national referendum. While the NLD has vowed to "keep pushing for change," Constitutional lawyer Ko Ni recommended a more radical approach in light of the difficulties of retrofitting the document. "Some people think that changing the Constitution will be easier after the 2015 election because the opposition and ethnic [minority] parties will have more seats in Parliament," Ko Ni told The Irrawaddy. "They are daydreaming. As long as you don't have approval from the Commander-in-Chief, you can't do anything." The post Parliament Votes Against Constitution Reform, Reserves Military Veto appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Military Presence Grows in Hpakant Amid Further Clashes Posted: 25 Jun 2015 04:57 AM PDT Kachin Independence Army troops defending Laiza in January 2013. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) Burma Army troops have boosted their presence in Kachin State's Hpakant Township amid renewed fighting in the jade-rich northern town. Residents of Hpakant and nearby towns where the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)'s battalion 6 operates said the number of Burma Army troops in the area had risen following fighting last week which drove some 100 villagers from their homes. "More troops are present in downtown Hpakant, near monasteries and in almost every part of the town over the last two to three days," said Hpakant local La Seng. The latest fighting between the Burma Army and the KIA occurred on Wednesday near the Tada Nyi Naung bridge between Kamaing village and Hpakant, according to KIA spokesperson La Nan, with no casualties reported. Since early June, around 300 Burma Army troops repeatedly attacked KIA battalions 6 and 11 and captured several KIA posts, according to La Nan. He said one KIA soldier died during a skirmish near Lone Kin village in Hpakant. "They took control of our bases and they have been using artillery to clear the area," La Nan said, adding that government troops were trying to disrupt supply routes to the rebel group. "Even when there are no [direct] skirmishes, the [sound] of their artillery can be heard all the time," he said. Win Naing, a resident of Namti, some 110 km southeast of Hpakant, said more government troops were patrolling the Namti-Hpakant road, as well as the Tanai-Ledo road, and had established additional checkpoints. He said that villagers in Lone Khin and Kamaing in Hpakant Township, and in Tanai Township, were particularly concerned by the growing military presence as they traveled from their homes to work on farms. The recent military buildup also follows a bomb blast in Hpakant on June 17 which injured two police officers. Two other explosions were reported on the same night, with the perpetrators still unknown. La Nan said the KIA had tried to communicate with government representatives of the conflict negotiation committee to ease tensions but had only received a stern rebuke. He said that government committee members accused the KIA of being behind the recent bomb blasts in Hpakant—a charge the KIA spokesperson denies. La Nan warned that further Burma Army troop deployments would only lead to more clashes in the long-running conflict that entered its fifth year earlier this month. The post Military Presence Grows in Hpakant Amid Further Clashes appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Stateless ‘Sea Gypsies’ Face Severe Discrimination: Report Posted: 25 Jun 2015 04:45 AM PDT A still from the film "Sailing A Sinking Sea" by Olivia Wyatt, which explores Moken mythology and culture. (Photo courtesy Olivia Wyatt) RANGOON — The Moken, one of Southeast Asia's last remaining hunter-gatherer populations, face increasing threats to their livelihood and access to services, a leading rights group warned on Thursday, calling for an immediate end to discrimination against the seafaring minority. In a report titled "Stateless at Sea: The Moken of Burma and Thailand," Human Rights Watch detailed mechanisms in both countries that entrench marginalization of the Moken community, including faulty citizenship criteria and abuse by Burma's armed forces. Numbering about 3,000 people spread across some 800 islands in the Andaman Sea, the Moken are known as one of Asia's dwindling "Sea Gypsy" tribes. Most Moken spend much of their time fishing and foraging from small wooden boats, though about 800 are believed to have taken to more permanent settlement in Thailand. While the Moken have sustained their nomadic lifestyle for centuries, tightening immigration laws and maritime conservation efforts have left them restricted to remote areas with little access to livelihoods, basic services and legal protection, Human Rights Watch said. The Moken, also known as the Salon, are among Burma's 135 officially recognized ethnic groups as per a 1982 Citizenship Law, though many lack the documents to prove their nationality. According to Human Rights Watch, the Burmese government has been "inconsistent" in granting national ID cards to the remote community. Moreover, the Burma Navy, which patrols the areas where the Moken reside, have been known to exploit their statelessness through fear and extortion. The report cites several examples of fishermen abandoning their boats and spoils at the first sign of approaching authorities, fearful that officers will "point their guns at us." In centuries past, the Moken moved freely along the Andaman coast, weaving in and out of both Thai and Burmese waters. Those who were born on Thai islands also lack citizenship and face tremendous bureaucratic obstacles to obtaining legal status. Thailand amended its nationality law in 2008 to allow stateless persons to register and seek citizenship, but required that applicants present a birth certificate, prove 10 years of residence within the Kingdom or verify blood relation to a Thai national. Many do not have birth certificates or proof of residence, as they are a nomadic people. Like other stateless peoples, the Moken lack access to fundamental services such as healthcare and education. According to Human Rights Watch, most Moken children do not attend school at all, and medical treatment is typically not sought unless a condition becomes critical. Development has offered little relief for the ill-fated outsiders. Many who intermittently reside on islands, where in some cases they have been returning to otherwise uninhabited lands for years, have no legal claim and now face eviction as developers move in, the report said. Unwanted and ill-fitting in inland communities, the Moken are finding themselves with few places left to go. In other areas, such as the Surin Islands Marine National Park off the coast of Thailand, new regulations geared toward nature conservation have had the adverse effect of limiting livelihoods. According to Human Rights Watch, new laws within the park prohibit chopping wood needed to repair boats and homes. While the Moken are still allowed to catch fish for their own consumption, they cannot collect and trade sea products. "Ironically, the Thai government's creation of national parks in the Andaman Sea, ostensibly aimed at protecting the environment the Moken have helped to preserve, is seriously affecting the Moken lifestyle," the report read, continuing with the story of Jui, once a forager who now begs for a living. Jui told researchers that about 16 years ago, officials came around and told locals they could no longer fish around the Surin islands. "They set so many rules and restrictions on our ways of life," he told Human Rights Watch. As a result, many Moken have abandoned their traditional livelihoods to seek other work. Unfortunately, their maritime prowess and informal legal status has made them ideal recruits for dangerous and often illegal jobs, such as free diving and dynamite fishing, Human Rights Watch said. Urging the governments of both Thailand and Burma to "immediately end discrimination and other rights abuses against the Moken," HRW Asia Director Brad Adams stressed the urgency of addressing statelessness. "Far from the idyllic image that tourism promotes of the Moken people, these sea nomads face increasing restrictions and attacks at sea, and systematic discrimination on land," Adams said. "By effectively denying them citizenship, the Thai and Burmese governments make the Moken easy targets for exploitation and other threats to their very existence." The post Stateless 'Sea Gypsies' Face Severe Discrimination: Report appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Military Chief Touts Air Force Procurement Posted: 25 Jun 2015 04:20 AM PDT Military commander in chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing gives a thumbs up from the cockpit of an aircraft recently entered into service for the Burma Air Force. (Photo: Facebook / Hmuu Zaw) RANGOON — The Burma Air Force has purchased 36 aircraft over the last four years, according to a press release from the country's Ministry of Defense, and a recent report predicts defense spending will increase by nearly one-third by 2020. In a statement chronicling Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing's attendance at a ceremony christening newly acquired aircraft at a flight training base in Meikhtila, Mandalay Division, on Wednesday, the military commander in chief was quoted as saying the buildup of military hardware was needed to keep Burma on even footing with other countries in the region. On four occasions the Air Force has upgraded its fleet with "newly acquired, modernized aircraft over four years—29 airplanes of four different types and seven helicopters of three different types—altogether 36," he said on Wednesday. The newly acquired aircraft entering service on Wednesday included Beech-1900D and Grob-120 TP airplanes, and Mi-35 and Bell-206 helicopters, according to the announcement. Meanwhile, a report this month by research firm Research and Markets projected Burma's military spending to increase by 32 percent from its 2015 level, US$2.8 billion, to $3.7 billion. The findings of the report, titled "Future of the Myanmarese Defense Industry – Market Attractiveness, Competitive Landscape and Forecasts to 2020," were compared with the period from 2011 to 2015, when the military's budget allocation increased by 40 percent, from $2 billion to $2.8 billion. "Myanmarese military expenditure will be driven by the country's need to ensure a smooth political transition, the civil war prevailing in the country, and a dispute with Bangladesh over the control of oil and gas reserves along its maritime boundaries," the report says. The projected increase comes even as the Burmese government continues to seek a nationwide ceasefire agreement with the country's ethnic armed groups, a yet unfulfilled aspiration that it says is a prerequisite for a more durable peace and national reconciliation. In recent months, the Burma Air Force has been called into rare action to support ground troops fighting rebels in the Kokang Special Region of northeastern Shan State. Prior to that, the last known air offensive was against positions held by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in late 2012. As a percentage of total spending, Burma is one of the region's most militaristic countries, a distinction that has persisted for years despite the Southeast Asian nation having no external enemies. The post Military Chief Touts Air Force Procurement appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Banking on Plastic Posted: 25 Jun 2015 04:18 AM PDT Zaw Lin Htut, CEO of the Myanmar Payment Union, pictured in May 2015. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) Almost a decade after Myanmar's 2003 banking crisis, the government introduced debit cards overseen by the Myanmar Payment Union (MPU) in 2012, the country's sole domestic card-based payment system. Despite a still-weak local banking sector, debit cards are rapidly gaining in popularity, although technical errors and poor infrastructure continue to hamper users' experiences. The Irrawaddy's Kyaw Hsu Mon spoke with Ko Zaw Lin Htut, Chief Executive Officer of the MPU, on his vision for a "cashless society." When was Myanmar Payment Union (MPU) first formed and who led the process? MPU was founded in 2011, at the start of the civilian government's term. It was established under the Central Bank of Myanmar. There was a payment system development committee before the MPU was formed, so the government reorganized the committee and allowed us to form the payment union in 2011. The chairman was the Central Bank of Myanmar's chair at that time. The member banks became the vice chairs and filled the other positions. In late-2011, member banks contributed 200 million kyat to start the process after setting up the union. There were [originally] 15 banks including three state-owned banks. In October 2012, we started operating the MPU debit cards and distributing them to users. At that time there were only four ATM machines, each from member banks, set up for card users around the country. In 2015, there are now 21 member banks and more than 1,300 ATM machines around the country are ready to use. When can we expect credit cards to be launched in Myanmar? Actually we had launched credit cards prior to the 2003 banking crisis, but it was stopped. A card-based system was re-introduced in Myanmar in 2012. We're proposing to the Central Bank to allow credit cards on behalf of members' banks here. We expect that the Central Bank will allow this very soon as they know we need a better financial system. That's why we're encouraging member banks to get ready to issue credit cards when the Central Bank gives the green light. Which foreign financial groups are working with MPU today? UnionPay International (UPI) [a subsidiary of China UnionPay] and Japan Credit Bureau (JCB) are both working with us. We launched their cards for use here in 2013. Now we're working together to launch core brand cards like JCB-MPU and UPI-MPU soon. When we're permitted by the Central Bank, the members' banks will produce cards soon. MPU cards can also be used in foreign countries within our member banks' network. So Myanmar card holders will not need to bring cash and, like other citizens, can use cards… They [UPI and JCB] have been working in the banking industry for a long time. We can study the latest technology and how to make the process run smoothly [by learning] from them. What are MPU's plans to upgrade the system? Some card users have recently complained that they can't withdraw money from ATMs due to technical errors. Some said their cards have been taken by the machines after they keyed in the wrong [pin] number three times when withdrawing money. This just means that we're protecting the card holders. If the real owners are using their own cards, they can't be entering the wrong [pin] number three times. It is international practice that if a pin code is [entered] wrong three times, the machine will take the card, believing it is fraud. That's why we're always warning users to set easy pin numbers that can't be forgotten. Communications [infrastructure] was terrible in 2012 compared with today. Now the internet connection is getting better. But we can't say it is one hundred percent OK. We know we faced difficulties when starting the cards, we know card holders are facing problems, anyway, we thank them and the media too. But to be successful in this process, MPU can't do it alone; we will have to work together with the government, stakeholders and users. What is your plan to protect users against fraud, including those who have their accounts accessed by third parties from ATMs? This kind of fraud is happening everywhere, not only here. Card fraud happens all over the world, it can be counted in billions of dollars every single year. That's why card companies use the latest technology to protect card holders from fraud. We're also going down this path. Because we're coming to this business late and learning lessons from other countries, we can be protected by the latest technology here. How many MPU card users are there in the country? About one million people are now using MPU cards in Myanmar. At the moment, we can only issue debit cards. If we could issue credit cards here also, we would expect an increase of three to five million users each year [to a total of] 30 million card users. What do you think will be the impact when the Central Bank allows banks to issue credit cards, since most Myanmar people have not owned a credit card before? The advantage of credit is that when you do not receive your salary and you need to buy something urgently, you can use your credit card. But if you can't control your credit and use it excessively, it will create problems. We will have to find a balance. But it is the best way to transition to a cashless society in the future. I think the government is taking a long time before allowing credit cards because it is considering different views. Are you facing any delays or difficulties in working with the Central Bank? I agree some processes are being delayed by the Central Bank, though they are an independent body now. I think they are also facing a human resources problem too. If they can take quick action and processes, it will be better for the speedy development of the market in our society. What is the latest on the MPU transforming into a public company? Recently, we're now working with our local consultant company to finish our own policy. We will apply for company registration with the government within two months. We will attempt to start working within one year. After forming the public company, we will look to stand as a commercial organization. So we will look to profit too. Our payment system will be upgraded for people to use, at lower prices. We will later expand in many areas. This interview originally appeared in the June 2015 issue of The Irrawaddy magazine. The post Banking on Plastic appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Japan’s Secret Navy Bunker Gives Glimpse of War’s Final Days Posted: 24 Jun 2015 09:59 PM PDT A woman prays in front of a monument commemorating those who died in the battle of Okinawa during World War II at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, in this photo taken by Kyodo on June 23, 2015. (Photo: Reuters / Kyodo) YOKOHAMA, Japan — On a hillside overlooking an athletic field where high school students play volleyball, an inconspicuous entrance leads down a dusty, slippery slope—and seemingly back in time—to Japan's secret Imperial Navy headquarters in the final months of World War II. Here, leaders of Japan's combined fleet command made plans for the fiercest battles, including those of Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima and Okinawa from late 1944 to the war's end in August 1945. They knew when kamikaze pilots crashed to their deaths when signals from their planes stopped. They cried when they monitored cables from officers aboard the famed battleship Yamato as it came under heavy US fire and sank off southern Japan. Today, the barren, concrete tunnels sit quietly underneath a high school and university campus, largely untouched and unknown, occasionally visited by guided tours for the students. The school opened them to the media for the first time this week to raise public awareness of the site and the tragic history it represents, in the 70th anniversary year of the end of World War II. "It's a negative heritage that humans made. It's the perpetrators' legacy," said Takeshi Akuzawa, assistant headmaster of Keio Senior High School, who escorted a media tour on Tuesday. "Just imagine the massive number of people who had to die in the final year of the war because of their operations." The inverted U-shaped tunnels are a silent reminder of a time when students and many others were sent to war, many to their deaths, under orders that emanated from this bunker under a school. Experts say the significance of such war remains is increasing, especially as that era fades from memory, and amid a growing reluctance among some Japanese to look at the negative side of the history. One of the top Japanese universities, Keio, leased the site to the navy in 1944 under an Education Ministry order, after thousands of teachers, staff and students were drafted and sent to the battlefield, leaving the campus virtually empty. Above ground, the navy commanded from a dormitory, rushing to the underground command center whenever US B-29 bombers flew over. Keio's Hiyoshi campus, south of Tokyo in Yokohama, was chosen apparently because of its relative proximity to both Yokosuka naval base and command headquarters in Tokyo. The hilltop campus also was suitable for an underground facility. Construction of the underground tunnels began in July 1944, mobilizing troops and Korean forced laborers. A room for the chief commander, Adm. Soemu Toyota, and key departments were up and running in a few months. Only in the chief commander's room, cement on the walls was smoothed out, the floor was covered with tatami mats and there was a door. He climbed up and down 126 stairs between the two command centers—above and below ground. His room was slightly elevated so that the floor remained dry, and there was even a flush toilet. The tunnel command center also had ventilation ducts, a battery room, food storage with ample stock of sake, in addition to deciphering and cable and communications departments. Marks on the ceiling remain from where overhead lights hung. The tunnels housing the command center and its facilities under the campus are 30 meters (100 feet) underground and stretch about 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles) in length. The conditions for those leading the war contrasted with those of ordinary people, who hid in small mud shelters as firebombs rained down from the sky, Akuzawa said. Hisanao Oshima, who was there from February to May 1945 as a communications crew member monitoring Morse code, still cannot forget the moments when he lost signals from kamikaze fighters. "The sound stops, and that means he crashed. I just cannot get that out of my head," he said in an interview with public broadcaster NHK. This site must be preserved "so that we can say it's the proof why we should not wage war ever again," Oshima said. Japan also built the Matsushiro Imperial Underground Headquarters in central Japan for then-Emperor Hirohito and Imperial Army and key government officials, as they prepared for a possible ground war with the Americans, though that one was never used. Hundreds of hangers, tunnels and other wartime remains still exist in Japan, but many have been abandoned as interest has waned. A growing sentiment among some conservatives favors the removal of such remains if they are seen portraying the negative history. Sections of the navy tunnels at Keio were damaged in a development project a few years ago, prompting experts and volunteers to call for more support from the city to preserve the site. Akuzawa said what struck him the most as a teacher was the fact that the university was used as a war command center to send students to the battlefield. A Keio University graduate himself, he did not know about the tunnels until he started teaching at the high school. "I feel emotionally shaken when I think of those students sent to war were just like these boys," he said. The post Japan's Secret Navy Bunker Gives Glimpse of War's Final Days appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US and China to Cooperate to End ‘Massacre’ of Wildlife: US Official Posted: 24 Jun 2015 09:51 PM PDT Long-tailed macaque babies are seen inside a basket as police seized a truck smuggling them from Vietnam to China, in Changsha, Hunan province January 8, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) WASHINGTON — United States and Chinese officials on Wednesday agreed during high-level talks in Washington to work together to end the "massacre" of wildlife and reduce the flow of illegal wildlife trafficking, a senior U.S. official said. The talks are significant because the United States and China are among the largest markets for wildlife trafficking and the illegal trade contributes nearly US$10 billion in profits for criminal organizations annually, according to the US State Department. "This is a real massacre, it's a tragedy. It's not just elephants; there are many other endangered species," said Catherine Novelli, US under secretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment. Novelli said the dialogue would lead to closer cooperation between the two countries and increase the level of communication "so that we can really be partners on virtually a daily bases." She said the dialogue, for the first time, had included the issue of marine trafficking, including the protection the Totoaba, a fish in the Gulf of California, and sea turtles. Zhao Shucong, China's state forestry administration minister, said China would work with the United States and other countries to come up with a "better international cooperation mechanism to deter wildlife trafficking and illegal trade." Prior to the event, the two officials were shown illegal wildlife that had been seized. The post US and China to Cooperate to End 'Massacre' of Wildlife: US Official appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Development Fund for Indonesian MPs a Setback to War on Graft Posted: 24 Jun 2015 09:28 PM PDT   Activists and supporters of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) hold a rally of support at the KPK’s headquarters in Jakarta on Jan. 23. (Photo: Darren Whiteside / Reuters) JAKARTA — Indonesia’s parliament has voted to allow MPs use of nearly a billion dollars in state funds to develop their constituencies, which a minister said on Wednesday would only encourage more graft in one of the world’s most corrupt countries. At the same time, the house pressed ahead with debating a bill that would further weaken the country’s anti-corruption agency. Indonesia consistently ranks among the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International, which also rates its parliament, the house of representatives, as one of its most corrupt public institutions. The moves late on Tuesday deals another blow to President Joko Widodo, who is already under fire for a flagging economy and perceived failure to stand up to vested interests and to protect the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). “These funds are prone to corruption because it is difficult to control and oversee how they are spent in the regions,” Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo told reporters. Parliament this week also moved to prioritise a proposed bill that would take away from the KPK one of the key weapons in its limited arsenal—wiretapping graft suspects without a warrant. Critics say the legislation will cripple the agency, which has already been severely weakened by attacks from the police, the Attorney General’s Office, the vice president and members of Widodo’s own political party. Members of parliament have tried in previous terms to limit the agency’s powers but have failed due to public opposition. Widodo’s coalition controls only 37 percent of seats in parliament and by law the president does not hold veto power over parliament. The post Development Fund for Indonesian MPs a Setback to War on Graft appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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