The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Thai Princess Sirindhorn to Visit Burma in October
• Protests in Nepal Choke Essential Supplies from India
• Indian Environment Minister: Less Poverty is Climate Justice
• Japan’s Abe Airs Abenomics 2.0 Plan for $5 Trillion Economy
• Burma’s Bond with Israel: From Meditation to Military Muscle

Thai Princess Sirindhorn to Visit Burma in October Posted: 24 Sep 2015 11:20 PM PDT Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visits the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon, March 16, 2010. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, daughter of the country's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, will visit Burma next month. The princess, who will be in the country from Oct. 3-6, will visit the coastal town of Dawei in Tenasserim Division before touring the National Museum in Naypyidaw, according to Burma's deputy commerce minister Than Swe. The minister, who was informed of the princesses' plans by the Burmese ambassador to Thailand Win Maung, said she would visit two pagodas in Dawei thought to be built by Siamese kings—the Auragalon Pagoda in Sinseik Ward and Octagonal Pagoda in Konwundat Ward. The area of present day Tenasserim Division was part of the Hanthawaddy Kingdom that ruled lower Burma from the late 13th to the mid-16th centuries. After the Burmese-Siamese War of 1759-1760, King Alaungpaya reestablished Burmese authority in Tenasserim as far down as Dawei. Than Shwe said he was unsure if Princess Sirindhorn would visit the long-stalled Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a controversial project backed by successive Thai governments which is reportedly under development again after years of delays due to financing difficulties. The princess has made several visits to Burma, the first in 1986 at the invitation of the late dictator Gen Ne Win. In 1994, she made a two-day cross-border trip to Kengtung and Tachilek in Shan State. Almost 10 years later, on her third visit to Burma in 2003, the princess spent five days visiting Pegu, Mandalay, Muse, Puta-O in Kachin State and Mrauk-U in Arakan State. In a 2010 trip, she visited a school and hospital in Irrawaddy Division established with donations by the Thai royal family in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. The post Thai Princess Sirindhorn to Visit Burma in October appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Protests in Nepal Choke Essential Supplies from India Posted: 24 Sep 2015 09:04 PM PDT Porters load goods inside a truck during a general strike called by the Madhesi groups in Biratnagar, Nepal, September 15, 2015, in protest at the proposed constitution. (Photo: Navesh Chitrakar / Reuters) KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepal's top political parties on Thursday reached out to protesters angry about the country's new constitution, after violence in the region bordering India halted more than 1,000 oil tankers and trucks with essential supplies from entering Nepal. Officials said nearly 400 Nepalese protesters clashed with police in Birgunj, a town on the border with India, on Thursday. They belong to ethnic and religious groups dissatisfied with Nepal's constitution adopted on Sunday, and demand more territory and rights for ethnic federal states. The area is nearly 300 kilometers east of Kathmandu, the capital. About 1,500 oil tankers from India used to enter southern Nepal every day from the Jogbani border post, but there has been no movement for the past three days, said Indian official Sri Prakash. The disruption of traffic has raised fear of shortages in the Himalayan nation. Trucks from India are loaded with sugar, salt, food and cooking gas cylinders. Nepal is heavily dependent on supplies from its giant neighbor. Ashok Arya, an Indian customs official at a border crossing in Gorakhpur district, blamed the Nepalese side. Nepalese officials apparently are reluctant to allow the vehicles to travel unescorted for fear of being looted by protesters. India says that the aspirations of the disgruntled groups from the southern plains bordering India have not been met, and that the troubles might flare up violence spilling into India, where a large number of Nepalese nationals work. Nepalese Home Ministry spokesman Laxmi Pasad Dhakal declined comment on some Nepalese media reports that India had enforced a blockade to pressure the Nepalese government to meet the concerns of the ethnic and religious groups. Dhakal said Thursday there have been some minor protests in the region, but they had gone down significantly. The violence in recent weeks has killed at least 45 people. A senior leader of the Madhesi ethnic group in southern Nepal, Laxman Lal Karna, said earlier this week that the new constitution failed to address many of the issues and that protests would continue. On Thursday, three major political parties appointed Forest Minister Mahesh Acharya to try to broker talks. "He will talk to the agitating parties to build an environment of trust," said Chudamani Khadka, a Maoist leader and aide to Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The ethnic groups have not yet responded. The post Protests in Nepal Choke Essential Supplies from India appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indian Environment Minister: Less Poverty is Climate Justice Posted: 24 Sep 2015 08:56 PM PDT A laborer drinks water as smokes rise from the chimney of a brick factory at Togga village on the outskirts of the northern Indian city of Chandigarh, December, 2009. (Photo: Ajay Verma / Reuters) NEW DELHI — India will confirm plans next week for a fivefold increase in renewable energy by 2020, the environment minister said. But it will continue to champion poor countries in their demand that industrialized nations assume the brunt of responsibility for decades of climate-warming emissions. Describing poverty as a key source of global pollution, Prakash Javadekar told The Associated Press on Thursday that nations hoping to reach a global climate pact in Paris in December must commit to a world where all 7 billion-plus inhabitants have equal rights and access to electricity, opportunity and justice. "Poverty is, in a way, a real polluting factor," Javadekar said, adding that India's top priority is elevating hundreds of millions of Indians still living on less than $2 a day. At the same time, expanding the economy and building infrastructure will cause carbon emissions to grow, as the country relies on burning coal to fuel most of the 254 GW of electricity it generates today. "But today, I see the carbon space occupied by the developed world," he said. "We are asking the developed world to vacate the carbon space to accommodate us. That carbon space demand is climate justice. It's our right as a nation. It's our right as people of India, and we want that carbon space." India is one of the last major polluters yet to submit its plans for combating and coping with climate change to the United Nations, before the world's nations attempt to nail down a global climate pact in December. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi joins other world leaders at the UN General Assembly meeting Friday, experts and officials are eager for India's climate commitments. Already, countries and territories accounting for at least 60 percent of global emissions have announced their targets, including the world's No. 1 and 2 polluters, China and the United States. But experts say the pledges so far fall short of what's needed keep temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius by mid-century—a level beyond which scientists say we'd see extreme climate changes, including sizzling hot summers, much higher sea levels, torrential storms and more severe droughts. Current national pledges put us on track for a 2.9 to 3.1 degree temperature rise. On Thursday, Indonesia submitted its pledge to the UN, vowing to strengthen forest protection and increase renewable energy production to account for at least 23 percent of the Southeast Asian island nation's total capacity by 2025. Experts have worried that India's position could doom global efforts to limit the rise in temperatures. "India for a long time has been resistant to the notion of developing countries taking targets at all," former UN climate chief Yvo de Boer said Thursday in Paris. "Modi has indicated he wants to make a very big push on the economy, focus more on manufacturing. There's a lot of coal in India so the logical fuel for him to choose in driving that growth is coal. If he takes an ambitious climate target, that means he wants to balance that growth with climate ambitions." Javadekar said the Indian pledge on climate action will be released Oct. 1, and will include targets not only for increasing renewable energy but also for curbing its emissions intensity, or how much carbon dioxide the country produces divided by its GDP. In 2009, India said it could cut emissions intensity by 20 to 25 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. Javadekar indicated the new intensity target would be more ambitious, but he would not give details. The pledge will not include targets for cutting overall emissions, and it will not include a projection for when India's emissions growth might peak. "Nobody has actually asked us for this… because they know India's particular situation," the minister said, alluding to India's relatively low emissions rate of 1.6 tons per capita compared with a US rate that is about 10 times higher. While the US and China, emitting around 7 tons per capita, pledged to bring theirs to a common 12 tons per capita by 2030, India "will never reach there," Javadekar said. "I don't see going beyond 10 any time soon." India's plans for a fivefold boost in renewable energy, from about 34 GW today to 175 GW by 2020, had been promised earlier by Modi as he vowed to bring universal electricity access to India's 1.2 billion people by 2020. The 175 GW goal includes 100 GW of new solar power, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from biomass and 5 GW from small hydropower dams. It's an astonishing pledge, considering where India is today. A quarter of the country, or 300 million people, still has no access to electricity, while hundreds of millions more make do with just a few hours a day. Blackouts are so common that hospitals and many businesses are forced to use diesel generators, while about a quarter of the 254 GW being produced today is lost in grid leakages and theft. Experts estimate it will cost at least $150 billion for India to sort out its electricity woes and meet the renewable energy target—funding India does not have. Instead, it will rely on building business opportunities, and will hope for international commitments in waiving high intellectual property costs for technologies that can help India improve its energy production and efficiency. "We definitely will expect a good amount of technology, affordable technology," Javadekar said. "Why people should profit from disaster? They should actually help India to build this huge program, making it a reality." The post Indian Environment Minister: Less Poverty is Climate Justice appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Japan’s Abe Airs Abenomics 2.0 Plan for $5 Trillion Economy Posted: 24 Sep 2015 08:41 PM PDT Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (front, center) shouts "banzai" (cheers) as he raises his hands with members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party during the annual party convention in Tokyo, March 17, 2013. (Photo: Toru Hanai / Reuters) TOKYO — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's updated plan for reviving Japan's economy and achieving a GDP target of 600 trillion yen ($5 trillion) suggests a recognition that earlier policies are not doing the trick. Abe took office in late 2012 vowing to end deflation and rev up growth through strong public spending, lavish monetary easing and sweeping reforms to help make the economy more productive and competitive. So far, those "three arrows" of his "Abenomics" plan have fallen short of their targets though share prices and corporate profits have soared. Recent data suggest consumers and corporations remain reluctant to step up spending—the key to getting growth back on track. Japan's inflation rate remained flat at 0.2 percent in August, according to data reported Friday, with core inflation excluding volatile food prices slipping 0.1 percent. A preliminary survey of manufacturers released Thursday showed a sharp drop in export orders. Recent corporate investment figures were likewise worse than expected. In a news conference Thursday, Abe did not dwell on those harsh realities. "Tomorrow will definitely be better than today!" Abe declared on national television. "From today Abenomics is entering a new stage. Japan will become a society in which all can participate actively." Abe announced his updated economic platform after his re-election, unopposed as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The initiative also appears aimed at shoring up support ahead of elections for the upper house of parliament next year, analysts said. The new targets indicate a fresh resolve to focus on the economy after enacting security legislation enabling Japan's military to participate in combat even when the country is not under direct attack. Abe's popularity ratings took a hit after the "collective self-defense" law was forced through parliament, as thousands of Japanese converged outside in protest. Apart from his 600 trillion yen ($5 trillion) GDP target, Abe says he is determined to ensure that 50 years from now the Japanese population, which is 126 million and falling, has stabilized at 100 million. He also set a target for increasing the birth rate to 1.8 children per woman from the current very low rate of 1.4. Abe said his new "three arrows" are a strong economy, support for child rearing and improved social security, to lighten the burden of child and elderly care for struggling families. But with Japan also committed to reducing its massive public debt, it is unclear how he intends to achieve those goals. Abe recently announced plans to accelerate reductions in corporate taxes. The central bank also is widely expected to add to its already unprecedented monetary easing by pumping more cash into the economy later this year. Japan's economy, estimated at $4.6 trillion in 2014, contracted at a 1.2 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, and China's slowdown and recent market turmoil are hindering a rebound. At Japan's recent pace of growth, achieving Abe's goal—for which he set no timetable—would be a stretch. The Japan Center for Economic Research, an independent think tank, is forecasting growth at 0.9 percent this year and 1.5 percent in 2016. A sales tax increase planned for April 2017, to 10 percent from 8 percent now, is expected to dent growth for that year. Japanese officials acknowledge in private that the country needs a "great leap" in productivity, which is hard to attain at a time when the labor force is shrinking due to the aging population. Given that reality, Japanese employers have been reluctant to invest or to raise wages, even when many are short-handed. With wages still barely rising, families have tended to save, and increases in demand from monetary stimulus have been weaker than expected. The post Japan's Abe Airs Abenomics 2.0 Plan for $5 Trillion Economy appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma’s Bond with Israel: From Meditation to Military Muscle Posted: 24 Sep 2015 08:13 PM PDT Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing during a tour of ELTA Systems Ltd in Ashdod, Israel, on September 8. (Photo: Min Aung Hlaing / Facebook) Surrounded by hostile neighbors, Israel has long sought to cultivate allies further afield, including in Asia. In Burma, which achieved independence from Britain in 1948—the same year Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the state of Israel—the Jewish state found an understanding ally. Jacob Abadi, the author of several books on the Middle East, wrote in "Israel's Quest for Recognition and Acceptance in Asia: Garrison State Diplomacy" that "Burma served as a workshop for Israel's foreign policy in Asia." Both countries were born into conflict. Burma faced ethnic and communist insurgencies that sparked soon after independence, followed by the incursion of Chinese nationalist Kuomintang troops into Shan State. In the same period, Israel faced a fight for its very existence with the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli war in 1948. Jewish merchants began arriving in Burma in the early 19th century. Historical sources describe the Jewish populace as largely flourishing under British colonial rule, however, the majority left Burma following the invasion of Japanese troops during the Second World War. In Burma's former capital Rangoon—renowned as a center of ethnic and religious diversity—the Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue was built in the 1890s. Today, the over 100-year-old synagogue remains a prominent cultural landmark in the city and a reminder of early Jewish influence. Israel's Ally: U Nu After the war, then Prime Minister U Nu visited Israel in 1955, becoming the first Asian leader to travel to the Jewish state. During his visit, U Nu toured several "kibbutzim" communities—settlements based on co-operative agricultural practices—and was sufficiently impressed that he established similar settlements in Shan State upon his return. U Nu, one of the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement, was seen as Israel's lone champion in Asia, as one western diplomat put it at the time. Subsequently, hundreds of Burmese students, military officers and officials were sent to Israel for education and training. According to Jacob Abadi, U Nu had pushed for Israel to be invited to the 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia, but reneged over concerns of alienating Arab states. But Israeli officials likely noted U Nu's public support and the budding bilateral relationship flourished. The two countries not only established economic and agricultural ties but also military cooperation. Under U Nu, Burma purchased second-hand spitfires from Israel, as well as machine guns and ammunition, and a team of Israeli pilots was sent to Rangoon to conduct trainings. Israeli construction company, Solel Boneh, was also involved in construction projects in Burma, again, at the invitation of U Nu. Building Ties Interestingly, there seemed to be little domestic opposition to Burma forging stronger relations with Israel. Instead, much, largely uncritical, local literature was widely available on the Jewish state's quest for independence, its national intelligence agency Mossad and the eye patch-wearing defense minister Moshe Dayan. Many Burmese in the 1970s even suspected that some of the country's intelligence officers were trained by Mossad, but there were no grounds to substantiate such speculation. In reality, U Nu could not pursue a pro-Israel foreign policy without countenancing other pressures, including from China, a country that fostered ties with Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. U Nu publically distanced himself from Israel over the Suez Canal crisis in 1956. The Burmese leader condemned Israel and Western powers, including the UK and France, and backed the United Nations' calls for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Egypt. But the honeymoon was far from over. In 1961, Israel's Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion visited Burma, seeking to make an immediate positive impression on his local interlocutors by wearing traditional Burmese headgear, or gaungbaung, during official functions. On the lengthy overseas trip, the Israeli prime minister practiced meditation at U Nu's residence, a man he described in his memoirs as representing a state that evinced more loyalty and sympathy to Israel than any other nation in the world. Prominent Israeli figures including Shimon Peres, Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and Golda Meir all visited Rangoon in the 1960s. Shimon Peres and Moshe Dayan came to Burma in 1958 where they met Ne Win, the nationalist general and former member of the legendary "Thirty Comrades" that were trained by the Japanese ahead of their ouster of the British colonial power in 1941-42. The general informed his visitors of his strong support for Israel, a fact cited in Shimon Peres' autobiography published in 1995. Military Imperatives In 1959, Ne Win, who was then serving as interim prime minister, reportedly made a strong impression on his Israeli counterparts during a visit to the country. Around that time, Burma sent some 80 soldiers and army veterans to study the agricultural methods practiced in Israel's kibbutz communities. Three years later however, the general staged a military coup and placed David Ben-Gurion's friend, U Nu, in detention. As Ne Win shut the door to the outside world and Burma's foreign policy turned increasingly nationalistic, the general's bodyguards were still equipped with Israeli supplied Uzi submachine guns. Despite flagging ties, in the mid-1980s, Burma's socialist government awarded Israeli communications firm Telrad a US$5 million contract to install public telephones in the country. The deal, aided by the World Bank, was labeled by Telrad as the company's "first breakthrough in the Burmese market." But the diplomatic warmth enjoyed when U Nu was in power had evaporated and there was only limited contact between the two countries throughout the 1980s, although diplomatic missions were maintained in Rangoon and Tel-Aviv respectively, as Jacob Abadi notes. The Israel-Burma relationship came under increased scrutiny after the 1988 military coup in Burma that accompanied a ruthless crackdown on nationwide pro-democracy protests. After much of the international community had imposed sanctions on the country, in 1991, Israeli weapons manufacturers reportedly sold submachine guns and 150mm howitzers to the military regime. Other Israeli companies also continued to deal with Burma's ruling generals. Koor Industries Ltd. opened an office inside the country in 1995 and Telrad expanded its operations the following year to provide digital and switchboard telecommunications systems. The visit to Israel by Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing earlier this month reminded many of the cozy, and at times controversial, ties of the recent past. The commander-in-chief, alongside other senior military brass, toured Ashdod Naval Base to inspect FAC Super Dvora Mark 3 patrol boats, an unknown number of which have been ordered from Israel by Burma's military. He also toured the offices of local defense manufacturers. Speaking to journalists at a meeting in Naypyidaw on Monday, Min Aung Hlaing described the visit as an opportunity to promote cooperation between the nations' armed forces. The trip's military focus, however, did little to convince observers of a genuine and robust re-embrace between the two countries. In contrast to David Ben-Gurion's 1961 visit, Min Aung Hlaing's mission centered more on military hardware than modes of meditation. The post Burma's Bond with Israel: From Meditation to Military Muscle appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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