The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Ceasefire Signing Uncertain as Major Ethnic Armed Groups Withhold Support
- Three Policemen Implicated in Deadly Assault on Maday Island
- Govt Peace Broker Urges Mon Rebels to Sign Ceasefire
- For One Kachin Woman, Peace-Brokering is in the Blood
- Singapore Keeps Firm Hands on Economy as New Cabinet Revealed
- US Lawmakers Call For Internal Probe of Malaysia Human Trafficking Ranking
- China’s Xi Says to Commit 8,000 Troops for UN Peacekeeping Force
| Ceasefire Signing Uncertain as Major Ethnic Armed Groups Withhold Support Posted: 29 Sep 2015 06:01 AM PDT  Mon representatives look on during an ethnic summit in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Tuesday. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — One by one, ethnic leaders have taken the floor to stake out their positions on a nationwide ceasefire agreement during a meeting in Chiang Mai this week, with several groups still holding out on a pact seen as falling short of its stated "nationwide" ambition. Of the 19 ethnic armed groups represented at the three-day meeting in northern Thailand which began on Monday, seven have indicated they will sign the pact. The groups are: the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF); Arakan Liberation Party (ALP); Chin National Front (CNF); Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA); Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNLA-PC); Karen National Union (KNU); and the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO). Two observer groups, the Restoration Council of Shan State and the National Democratic Alliance Army, that are not members of the ethnics' negotiating bloc, the Senior Delegation, did not reveal their intentions. The former group was initially among those willing to accede, but renewed fighting against government troops in recent weeks has thrown that position in doubt. Saw Roger Khin of the KNU, one of the groups most outspoken in favor of signing, said on Monday that ethnic groups should "maintain collaboration between those who sign and those who don't." The KNU delegation suggested that the roles of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team and its successor, the Senior Delegation, be dissolved. Major armed groups, including the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) and the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), have thus far declined to sign the peace pact while it excludes several armed groups. The government has only accepted the 14 ethnic armed groups that have previously inked bilateral ceasefires with Naypyidaw since 2011, in addition to the KIO, as signatories. Three armed groups locked in ongoing conflict with government troops, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army, are currently excluded. Aung San Myint, secretary of the KNPP, said the barring of some armed groups would not lead to effective political dialogue. "It is not that we do not accept the NCA [nationwide ceasefire agreement], but we need more time to make sure the pact guarantees all-inclusiveness," he said. "If the government accepted all groups today, the signing would occur [immediately]." The ethnic summit, originally slated to conclude on Wednesday, may be extended as groups continue deliberations on whether to sign the NCA, the framework for political dialogue and the ongoing role of the Senior Delegation. The government has invited 15 ethnic armed groups to join a second meeting in Rangoon on Oct. 3 to discuss the proposed ceasefire signing ceremony. Despite the growing perception of a rift among ethnic armed groups over the ceasefire process, ethnic leaders are battling to uphold a cooperative approach. "We understand that all of our fellow groups agree, in principle, to sign the NCA, but some are not ready to sign it yet. This is due to each group's needs," said KNU secretary Padoh Kwe Htoo Win. He said the KNU would pursue its aim of realizing peace with the current government and working to achieve a federal system of governance. Armed groups that elect not to sign the NCA can only attend subsequent political dialogue as observers, Padoh Kwe Htoo Win said, and "will not be eligible to make any decisions in the dialogue." Naypyidaw has also pledged that NCA signatories will be removed from the official list of unlawful associations. The post Ceasefire Signing Uncertain as Major Ethnic Armed Groups Withhold Support appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Three Policemen Implicated in Deadly Assault on Maday Island Posted: 29 Sep 2015 03:16 AM PDT  Maday Island in Arakan State's Kyaukphyu Township. (Photo: Khin Oo Tha / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Three police constables on Maday Island in Arakan State's Kyaukphyu Township were detained on Monday in connection with the recent death of a villager in police custody, according to district authorities. Win Kyi, district police head officer in Kyaukphyu, confirmed the three were under investigation for their role in the death but had not yet been charged. According to Tun Kyi, coordinator of the Kyaukphyu Rural Development Association, the allegedly inebriated police constables were involved in an altercation with a local fisherman, Aung Chan Nu, on the evening of Sept. 22 after the latter declined to help moor the constables' schooner. The police, who were out of uniform, allegedly climbed onto Aung Chan Nu's boat and beat him, according to Tun Kyi, who added that the victim had picked up a knife to defend himself but dropped it when he recognized the assailants as policemen. After the alleged assault, the local man was taken to Maday Island police station where his condition deteriorated, Tun Kyi said. The following morning, he was transported to Kyaukphyu hospital but died in transit. Tun Kyi said a number of people witnessed the incident but many were too frightened to come forward. "Locals fear the police and dare not speak about it," he said. Tun Tun Naing, a Kyaukphyu resident voluntarily assisting the victim's family, said he had met with several Maday Island locals who witnessed the altercation. "According to local witnesses, the police kept hitting the boatman all the way along the road from the village to the police station. I myself found many drops of blood on the road," he said. The victim's employer, Aung Mya Tun, who is also a local administrator on Maday Island, told The Irrawaddy on Monday he wanted to see a full medical report on the victim's death. "My [employee] was strong. He could not have died from a minor illness," he said. The Irrawaddy contacted Maday Island police on Monday, who would not speak with the media. One of the victim's family members, Nyunt Than Maung, was also not available for comment on Monday. One Maday Island resident, Maung Maung Myint, said he believed the victim passed away en route to the hospital at around 9-10 am on Sept. 23. Dr Shwe Thin, the superintendent of Kyaukphyu hospital, declined to comment on the particulars of the case, but said that medical personnel were preparing a medical examination report to be provided to police. The post Three Policemen Implicated in Deadly Assault on Maday Island appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Govt Peace Broker Urges Mon Rebels to Sign Ceasefire Posted: 29 Sep 2015 01:17 AM PDT  Union Minister Aung Min, the Burmese government's chief peace negotiator, meets with religious leaders in Mon State. (Photo: Nyo Ohn Myint / Facebook) RANGOON — The Burmese government's chief peace negotiator recently visited Mon State in the country's southeast, delivering a strong message that the minority will be limited to observer status during political discussions if it does not accede to a nationwide ceasefire agreement. A central committee member of the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the state's ethnic armed organization, told The Irrawaddy that Union Minister Aung Min met with influential monks over the weekend before convening with the group's leadership and urging them to sign the peace pact in advance of a Nov. 8 general election. The NMSP official, Banyar Leir, said the minister "told us that eight [ethnic armed] groups informed the government that they are ready to sign the NCA [nationwide ceasefire agreement]. This is on Oct. 10, as planned by the government. He wanted our group to sign along with them." Banyar Leir, who was present at the meeting between Aung Min and the NMSP leadership, said the minister informed them that if they do not sign the accord they will not be able to play an active role in political dialogue set to commence within 90 days of the pact. "He told us our Mon [representatives] will have a chance to join the political dialogue whether we sign or not, but we can only be observers. We can attend the dialogue, but we can't talk at the talks," he said. A number of ethnic armed groups have now sent representatives to Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, for a three-day leadership summit in advance of the next round of talks with the government in early October. The NMSP held a central committee meeting in the days before the summit, at which they reaffirmed their decision not to sign the accord unless it is inclusive of a number of armed groups that the government currently does not accept. Three armed groups—the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta-ang National Liberation Army (TNLA)—are viewed as illegitimate by the government and hence excluded from the pact, though several eligible stakeholders have vowed to abstain until the deal is made all-inclusive. The AA, TNLA and the MNDAA have all been active allies of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) during conflict in northern Shan State, and the KIA, the only group eligible for the nationwide pact without a bilateral ceasefire with the government, has also insisted that they be looped in. Several other groups that were initially ostracized have been invited into the discussions as they are not active combatants, though a number of them declined to participate. The armed groups that have expressed readiness to sign a pact next month are the All Burma Students Democratic Force (ABSDF); Arakan Liberation Party (ALP); Chin National Front (CNF); Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA); Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNLA-PC); Karen National Union (KNU); and the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO). The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) was initially among those ready to accede, though its willingness has waned since coming under aerial attack by the Burma Army over the past two weeks. The post Govt Peace Broker Urges Mon Rebels to Sign Ceasefire appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| For One Kachin Woman, Peace-Brokering is in the Blood Posted: 28 Sep 2015 10:55 PM PDT  Ja Nan looks on at peace negotiations in Rangoon on March 31, 2015. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON & CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Not an ounce of expression as Ja Nan retells the story of how her father first became involved in Kachin State ceasefire negotiations a quarter century ago. He was living abroad in 1989, she said, when Maran Brang Seng, then-chairman of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), called him to ask for help. She remembers her father's account of that phone call, the chairman pleading, "You are over in Canada having a good life, but here we are dying." Ja Nan is the director of the Nyein Foundation, a peace facilitation group based in the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina. She is among a small cadre of professionals to work as technical advisors for Burma's peace process, and as such has been the recipient of a number of international honors including a prestigious N-Peace Award, which she was given just last month. The Nyein Foundation was established by Ja Nan's father, Saboi Jum, a reverend and former director general of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC), who along with his brother had been a key broker of the 1994 ceasefire between the Burmese government and ethnic rebels in the country's far north. That peace deal, the only one in Burma to have culminated in a written agreement at the time, proved to have unpleasant outcomes. Brang Seng didn't live to see the damage done, suffering what turned out to be a fatal stroke just months before the deal was made. The accord held for 17 years, a period now viewed as one of increased occupation by the Burma Army, economic exploitation and rapid depletion of the state's rich resource reserves. While it was a time of relative peace for the ethnic Kachin minority, it came at a very high cost. Political talks promised in the pact took years to commence and were ultimately denounced as a sham. Saboi Jum, who was also debilitated by a stroke just a few years ago, earned notoriety among Kachin people for ushering in an era of cronyism and subjugation to the regime's capital interests, which included a wealth of jade, timber and energy extracted from the once virgin territory. In 2011, just months after President Thein Sein took office and the wheels of reform began to turn, that period came to an abrupt end. The Burma Army broke the pact when it attacked several positions of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the KIO's militant wing, near the site of the Ta-Pein hydropower project in Momauk Township, in the southern part of the state near the China border. War soon spread to other parts of Kachin and northern Shan states, and continues to date. The renewed conflict has been among the most ruthless in Burma's prolific history of civil war, characterized by aerial bombardment, attacks on civilians and allegations of systemic sexual violence in conflict. Four years on, after the displacement of more than 100,000 civilians, countless deaths and broken promises, the KIA is one of 16 ethnic armed groups involved in negotiations with the government geared toward a nationwide ceasefire agreement. Following a cascade of deadlines set by the government and then forgotten as they passed uneventfully by, several stakeholders in the process say they now believe they are approaching a deal that would lead to a political dialogue, the ultimate aim being the establishment of a federal union granting autonomy to ethnic states. Thein Sein has recommended penning the pact before a general election in November, which would cement his presidential legacy as a unifier before his premier term ends early next year. A Man's War Ja Nan is one of only a handful of women privy to the inner workings of the peace process, though she's not what you would call a decision maker. The Nyein Foundation, which is unofficially called "Shalom" but the government does not accept the name, provides technical support for the process; she trains women for future participation, observes many of the precursory conferences and liaises between the government's negotiation body—the Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UPWC)—and the ethnic bloc—the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), represented in negotiations by an elite lineup called the Senior Delegation. Those two teams, in various permutations, have spent nearly two years trying to broker a deal that would end the decades-long civil war between the Burmese government and more than a dozen ethnic armed groups, all of which are overwhelmingly steered by men. While the effects of war are often felt acutely by women—who lose both loved ones and livelihoods, are threatened by or subjected to sexual violence, and feel the fallout of shattered economies in the form of mass migration—they are largely excluded from conflict resolution because they were never empowered in the ranks of the warring forces. Given her personal history, Ja Nan is in an unusual and highly privileged position. "This is something of a family tradition," she told The Irrawaddy in her Rangoon office earlier this year. Born in Myitkyina in 1965 and schooled abroad, Ja Nan wasn't naturally drawn to peace studies. She lived through war, and she knew many families that were affected by conflict. An active member of the Baptist church, she chose to focus on religion and education until the Nyein Foundation's board members encouraged her to follow in her father's footsteps. After completing a Master's degree in peace and conflict resolution at the Eastern Mennonite University in the United States, Ja Nan joined the Nyein Foundation in 2003, a few years after it was founded. When her father resigned last year, the mother of three was appointed as the director and has since become an integral member of the peace process, one of the few female faces seen in photographs of the negotiations. Under-representation of women is not lost on anyone who has observed Burma's peace process. Ja Nan doesn't actually sit at the drafting table, but she's often in the room when high-level decisions are made—and that's about as close as a woman can get at this juncture. Only three women are among the negotiators: Zipporah Sein, vice-chair of the Karen National Union (KNU) and the daughter of its former leader; Saw Mra Razar Lin of the Arakan Liberation Party; and Mi Yin Chan, a government-appointed member of the UPWC. Ja Nan said, however, that there's more to the picture than meets the eye. While few women even come close to the negotiating table—exactly 12, by her count—a network of highly trained women occupy "supportive roles" and are likely to come out of the woodwork once a deal is struck and political dialogue begins, which will happen within 90 days of signing an accord. Because of "structural challenges" within every tier of power, Ja Nan said, women cannot reach positions from which they can argue for their inclusion in high-level decision making. Low representation in the government, the Burma Army and the leadership of ethnic armed groups—all of which she suggested could be ameliorated with the help of gender quotas—leave women ill-equipped and lacking in confidence. "In the current phase," Ja Nan said, "I don't think they can be doing any more to include women. The discussions happening now are about the ceasefire, and the men at the table are the ones in the highest positions of their respective militaries. During the political dialogue, that's when we will see much more room opening up for women's participation." This will happen, in part, through the work of the Alliance for Gender Inclusion in the Peace Process (AGIPP), a five-member network co-founded and currently chaired by the Nyein Foundation. Its other members include the Gender Equality Network (GEN), Gender and Development Institute (GDI), Women's League of Burma (WLB) and the Women's Organizations Network (WON). These organizations, which are among Burma's most distinguished women's rights groups and are led by award-winning figures such as May Sabe Phyu and Tin Tin Nyo, are already working tirelessly—albeit invisibly—to prepare for the eventuality of a space for women's input. For better or worse, they are ready for the war to end. The post For One Kachin Woman, Peace-Brokering is in the Blood appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Singapore Keeps Firm Hands on Economy as New Cabinet Revealed Posted: 28 Sep 2015 10:02 PM PDT  Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his team thank supporters after the 2015 general election. (Photo: Edgar Su / Reuters) SINGAPORE — Singapore has named Heng Swee Keat its finance minister, replacing Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who will remain deputy prime minister and maintain an important economic role after a spate of weak indicators. The appointments, two weeks after an election victory for the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), suggest Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wants experienced hands to steer the S$390 billion (US$273 billion) economy through choppy waters. Heng, currently education minister, was a former managing director of Singapore’s central bank and praised by Singapore’s late first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, for being the best principal private secretary he ever had. Shanmugaratnam, who has worked for the International Monetary Fund, will also be the coordinating minister for economic and social policies and continues as the chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the central bank. “The economy needs steady hands on the deck because the outlook remains challenging,” said Song Seng Wun, an economist at CIMB Private Bank. Shanmugaratnam and Heng have the experience to roll out, if necessary, policies in response to any further slowdown or recession, he said. Singapore’s industrial output shrank more than expected in August, the latest in a run of indicators that has prompted economists to flag the risk of a technical recession, or two straight quarters of contraction. Lee told a news conference among the priorities were jobs and opportunities. He appointed two ministers to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, one of whom will focus on economic restructuring. The government has slowed a rapid inflow of foreign workers, which had led to grumbling among voters, and taken up initiatives to help Singaporeans secure more managerial and professional jobs. Lee said the new cabinet would prepare the next team of leaders to take over from him and his senior colleagues after the next general elections, due within five years. K Shanmugam will remain minister for law and also take the home affairs portfolio. His foreign affairs portfolio will be taken by Vivian Balakrishnan, currently minister for environment and water resources. Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan, who has been credited with solving a housing crunch, will take up the transport portfolio. A series of mass-transit breakdowns has become another source of complaints. Lee and his PAP, which has ruled the city-state since its independence in 1965, won a convincing general election victory this month with 69.9 percent of the vote, its highest share since 2001.
The post Singapore Keeps Firm Hands on Economy as New Cabinet Revealed appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| US Lawmakers Call For Internal Probe of Malaysia Human Trafficking Ranking Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:56 PM PDT  Roshida, a 25-year-old widow who was released from a human trafficking ship, is seen at a refugee camp outside Sittwe on May 20, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) WASHINGTON — A group of Democratic lawmakers called on Monday for the US State Department's internal watchdog to investigate the removal of Malaysia from a list of worst offenders in human trafficking following concerns that politics may have played a role in the decision. The State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, issued in July, upgraded Malaysia from the lowest tier, potentially smoothing the way for a landmark free-trade deal with the Southeast Asian nation and 11 other countries. Six members of the House of Representatives, including outspoken trade critics Rosa DeLauro and Louise Slaughter, wrote to State Department Inspector General Steve Linick requesting a probe into why Malaysia was moved up a rung. They cited reports that Malaysia was not doing enough to tackle human trafficking as well as a Reuters examination, published in August, that said the State Department office set up to independently rate countries' efforts was repeatedly overruled by senior US diplomats. "We are concerned about the role that possible political influence may have played in the development and content of the TIP Report, particularly as it relates to Malaysia's status," the letter said. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. State Department officials have denied any political interference in the report. Secretary of State John Kerry said last month that he had "zero conversation" within the administration about the Asia-Pacific trade talks relative to the decision on Malaysia's upgrade. The Reuters report said that over the objections of the State Department's own experts, Malaysia, Cuba and other strategically important countries were among those upgraded. In total, analysts in the anti-trafficking office disagreed with US diplomatic bureaus on ratings for 17 countries during the decision-making process, according to the Reuters report. The analysts, specialists in assessing efforts to combat modern slavery, prevailed in only three of those disputes, the worst ratio in the 15-year history of the unit. Malaysia stands out because US lawmakers earlier this year passed a trade bill that would have barred it and other countries that earn the worst US human trafficking ranking from an expedited process to ensure trade deals have a fast track through Congress. Removing Malaysia from the lowest ranking, known as "Tier 3," takes away that hurdle as Washington seeks to complete negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, President Barack Obama's signature trade pact. Malaysia's upgrade followed international scrutiny and outcry over the country's efforts to combat human trafficking after the discovery this year of scores of graves in people-smuggling camps near its northern border with Thailand. The Senate Foreign Relations committee has conducted hearings into whether this year's human trafficking report was watered down for political reasons. The post US Lawmakers Call For Internal Probe of Malaysia Human Trafficking Ranking appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| China’s Xi Says to Commit 8,000 Troops for UN Peacekeeping Force Posted: 28 Sep 2015 08:07 PM PDT  President Xi Jinping of China addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York on Sept. 28, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) UNITED NATIONS — China will contribute 8,000 troops for a United Nations peacekeeping standby force, China's President Xi Jinping told the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, a move that could make it one of the largest players in UN peacekeeping efforts. Xi's pledge comes as China is trying to show it is a responsible international player amid concern over its growing military might and territorial disputes in the Asia-Pacific region. During a state visit to Washington on Friday, Xi agreed with US President Barack Obama that both countries would increase their "robust" peacekeeping commitments. They are among leaders from more than 50 countries who pledged some 40,000 troops and police, as well as equipment or training for UN peacekeeping missions during a UN summit chaired on Monday by Obama. "China will join the new UN peacekeeping capability readiness system, and has thus decided to lead in setting up a permanent peacekeeping police squad and build a peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops," Xi said. He also said China would provide US$100 million in military assistance to the African Union in the next five years to support the establishment of an African standby force and to boost its capacity for crisis response. At the later summit, Xi said part of a new 10-year, $1 billion China-UN peace and development fund set up by China would be used for peacekeeping operations. China would give "favorable consideration" to future UN requests for more Chinese engineering, transport and medical staff, but operations' "exit strategies need to be timely formulated and executed," Xi said. Obama, who held tense summit talks with Xi last week in Washington, shook his hand vigorously as he left the podium on Monday. The US military told dozens of UN ambassadors and military advisers in New York in July that the UN needed rapid response forces, equipment and training. Washington pays more than 28 percent of the $8.2 billion UN peacekeeping budget, but Beijing says it contributes more personnel to peacekeeping missions than each of the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council: the United States, Russia, France and the United Kingdom. The top five troop- and police-contributing countries are Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan and Rwanda, according to August data from the UN website. China now provides around 3,000 of the more than 106,500 UN troops, police and advisers deployed by all countries, making it the ninth biggest contributor of peacekeeping personnel. Its largest contingent is in South Sudan, where it has played a growing diplomatic role and is a major investor in the oil industry. Experts have noted that China's expanding peacekeeping role in recent years parallels its desire to expand its military's capabilities farther abroad and could provide logistical and operational experience. "They clearly want to create a more international armed force so they can operate in more challenging environments," said Douglas Paal, director of the Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. During his earlier address to the General Assembly, Xi tried to allay concerns that his country's growing influence was a threat. "We are committed to peaceful development. No matter how the international landscape may evolve and how strong China may become, China will never pursue hegemony, expansion, or sphere of influence," he said.
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