The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- A Closer at Look at Chin State’s Vulnerable Flood-Displaced
- UK Firm Withdraws Application to Explore Jade Area
- Sagaing Faces More Flooding After Heavy Rains
- Indonesia Migrant Boat Death Toll Rises to 61
- Thailand’s Army-Backed Council Rejects Charter, Delays Polls
- Nauru Camp Refugee Resettled in Cambodia Wants to Go Home
- No Quick Fixes for Kale’s Flood-Displaced
| A Closer at Look at Chin State’s Vulnerable Flood-Displaced Posted: 07 Sep 2015 04:56 AM PDT Click to view slideshow. HAKHA LAY, Chin State — Hundreds of newly displaced families in this small village in Chin State wait hopefully for relief in temporary shelters after a landslide wiped away their homes and belongings. Situated in the remote state's Tonzang Township, just under three hours by car from Kale, the town has suffered greatly since severe floods struck the state in late July and early August. Weeks after major rains subsided, Hakha Lay remains in danger of landslides. In recent weeks, waters trapped by debris further up the nearby hillside came crashing down, toppling homes and trees. The displaced have since set up camp in the surrounding areas, which are difficult to reach and have only very poor roads. The encampment has no running water and no toilets. The residents recalled frightening sounds around midnight just before the muddy water flooded into the town after a nearby natural reservoir was breached. "Water came first, then later we heard the roars of mudslide," said Van Oak Lin, and ethnic Chin man who now resides in one of the camp's small blue tents. Rescue teams slowly reached the area by small roads that were extremely difficult to pass. Some people can only move about the camp by walking on felled logs. A team leader for the Chin Youth Association from Tamu Township, who had organized a group of 200 youths to carry out a rescue mission, described the damages he found when he arrived at Hakha Lay. The houses he entered were filled with mud, he said, and most of the locals had already fled without their belongings. "The water has a muddy appearance when we look at the river," the young man said, worried that another breach of nearby natural dams could lead to even further devastation. "This very strange, not normal. There could be another collapse from the upper valleys." The post A Closer at Look at Chin State's Vulnerable Flood-Displaced appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| UK Firm Withdraws Application to Explore Jade Area Posted: 07 Sep 2015 03:43 AM PDT  People look for precious stones at a dump near a jade mine in Hpakant Township, Kachin State. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Less than a year after submitting three applications for mineral exploration licenses to Burmese mining authorities, London-based firm Aurasian Minerals Plc has announced it will not pursue activities in the country for the foreseeable future. The company said the decision to withdraw the applications, which covered a total area of 1,900 square kilometers (734 square miles), was taken "in view of the slow approvals process in Myanmar currently and the need for management to focus on opportunities with a nearer-term prospect of creating value," according to a Tuesday announcement on the London Stock Exchange. In a January progress update, Aurasian disclosed that it had made applications to explore for gold, silver and copper in an area subject to jade and gem mining concessions. Although the firm did not disclose the exact location, land for at least one of the applications is likely to be located in Kachin State's Hpakant Township, the only jade mining area in Burma of any significant output. Aurasian's January statement added that mineral exploration applications were pending due to "the current security situation in the relevant areas", and the company was awaiting a security clearance from authorities. There have been repeated clashes around Hpakant's existing jade mines since the collapse of a 17-year ceasefire between the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the Burma Armed Forces in June 2011. Peter Mullens, who was appointed Aurasian CEO in mid-July, said he was unable to identify the locations for the exploration licenses or elaborate on the security clearance process. "I was not involved in application so not sure which state," he told The Irrawaddy via email. Attempts to clarify the exploration license applications from other members of Aurasian's senior management were unsuccessful. In March, outgoing chairman Tony Shearer directed enquiries to his successor, Bruce Kay, who did not respond before his resignation in August. Mullens directed questions on Aurasian's Burma operations to Jon Loraine, the company's vice president of development, who also did not reply to a request for comment. Mark Farmaner, director of the Burma Campaign UK, said that the firm appeared to have sought exploration licenses in Burma without appreciating the implications of the country's ongoing ethnic conflicts. "Aurasian should never have put in these applications with the Burmese government. They appear to be in conflict zones and without any consultation with local people," he told The Irrawaddy. "While some British companies will do their research on Burma and adapt their investment accordingly, or decide not to invest at all, a few small British companies specialize in trying to work with dodgy regimes or in difficult places. It means they don’t have to compete with the bigger companies, and can negotiate higher returns from regimes desperate for cash. Aurasian appears to be one of these." A number of Western companies are waiting for changes to the regulatory framework of Burma's mining sector to be bedded down before investing in the country. Current rules restrict foreign firms from certain parts of the mining industry, which is expected to change with highly anticipated new legislation to replace the 1994 Mining Law. Revisions to the junta-era legislation, first introduced to parliament in the second half of 2013 and set to amend nearly 70 percent of the 1994 law, have been stalled in Naypyidaw amid heated debate between parliamentary committees in the Upper and Lower House. The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Forestry, meanwhile, has yet to finalize regulations for conducting environmental impact assessments. Burma's extractive industries remain the subject of serious human rights and environmental concerns, as outlined in a January World Bank study. "When it comes to mining, Myanmar currently lacks the necessary laws and enforcement mechanisms to protect its environment and vulnerable populations against the impacts of mining," the report said. "Over the past two decades, this has led to conflict and severe environmental degradation in the wake of a rapid increase in large-scale mining." Around 20 percent of Aurasian's shares are currently held by a subsidiary of the US-based Newmont Mining Corporation, one of the largest gold mining conglomerates in the world. Newmont was active in Burma during the 1990s, developing the Kyaukpahto gold deposit in Sagaing's Kawlin Township before withdrawing in 1997. When asked if Aurasian would consider returning to Burma after the expected passage of a new mining law next year, Mullens indicated the withdrawal was open to review. "We will wait and see what happens with law and review, then consider our position," he said. The post UK Firm Withdraws Application to Explore Jade Area appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Sagaing Faces More Flooding After Heavy Rains Posted: 07 Sep 2015 01:23 AM PDT  Tents set up in Thayawady, Bago Division to provide shelter for villagers displaced from flooding in Sagaing's Kale Township. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology has released flood warnings for seven townships along the Chindwin River in upper Sagaing Division after heavy rains last week. State-run media reported on Monday that river levels had swelled above danger levels in Mawlaik, Kalewa, Mingin, Homalin, Kani and Monywa over the weekend. The department warned villagers in low-lying areas to relocate ahead of predicted further rises. In Paungbyin, water levels rose more than 6 feet above danger levels on Sunday, with more than 6000 people in the township relocating to two relief camps. Sagaing Division was one of the hardest hit areas of the country during the July and August floods, with 24 people killed and more than 400,000 severely affected by the disaster.
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| Indonesia Migrant Boat Death Toll Rises to 61 Posted: 06 Sep 2015 11:26 PM PDT  Foreign workers from Indonesia chat outside a cabin at their quarter in Kuala Lumpur June 19, 2011. (Photo: Reuters) KUALA LUMPUR — Sixty-one bodies have been recovered from an overloaded wooden boat which sank off Malaysia carrying dozens of Indonesian illegal immigrants, maritime officials said on Saturday. The dead were mostly men, with one toddler on board, the maritime agency's search and rescue director, Robert Teh, told Reuters. Only 20 people are believed to have survived. "If no more bodies are found today, we may call off the search and rescue operations tomorrow," Teh said. The boat is believed to have overturned due to overloading and bad weather as immigrants were making the journey home for the Eid al-Adha holiday, officials told reporters on Thursday. Most of Malaysia's estimated six million legal and illegal migrant workers are from Indonesia, working in construction sites, plantations, factories and in domestic service. Southeast Asia had a huge migrant crisis in May after boats carrying thousands of people from Burma and Bangladesh were left at sea following a Thai crackdown on people-smuggling gangs. Last week's tragedy occurred at a time when Europe is facing its biggest refugee crisis with thousands of Middle Eastern refugees making their way by boat across the Mediterranean. Hundreds have died.
The post Indonesia Migrant Boat Death Toll Rises to 61 appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Thailand’s Army-Backed Council Rejects Charter, Delays Polls Posted: 06 Sep 2015 10:58 PM PDT  General Thanasak Patimaprakorn talks to Thai PM Prayuth Chan-ocha during a meeting at the Army Club in Bangkok in June 2014. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — Thailand's military-backed legislature on Sunday rejected an unpopular draft of a new constitution, delaying a return to democracy following a coup last year. The junta-picked drafters had hoped the proposed charter would move the Southeast Asian country past almost a decade of political conflicts, but it was met with strong opposition on almost all sides of the political divide. The legislature appointed by the junta, known as the National Reform Council, voted down the draft 135-105, with seven abstentions. The rejection, although welcomed by many, still sets back a tentative plan for Thailand's transition to electoral democracy, with the military retaining substantial powers until a new constitution is drafted. A new 21-member drafting committee will now be appointed with a mandate to write a new charter within 180 days. It also needs approval by the legislature and will be put to a referendum—meaning elections aren't likely until at least 2017, according to analysts, if the new draft is approved. The government had previously said elections could take place late next year. "The army has been uncommitted from the beginning of the process, but it's quite significant to have a rejection at this stage rather than a rejection at the referendum," said Ambika Ahuja, an analyst for the Eurasia Group political risk firm. "Now it's become even more clear that the current regime prefers to drag on the status quo of direct military rule rather than risk going to the polls earlier, even with a constitution that would give the military a lot of power," she said. One of the most contentious provisions in the draft included a 23-member panel, including military members, that would be empowered to take over from the parliament and prime minister in times of "national crisis." Almost all parties criticized it, and the draft risked being voted down in a referendum that had been planned for early next year. Any new charter under the junta appeared aimed at preventing a political comeback by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in a 2006 coup after being accused of corruption and disrespect for the revered king. Thailand has remained divided since, with Thaksin's supporters and opponents struggling for power at the ballot box and in the streets, sometimes violently. The military abolished an earlier constitution after it deposed Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, as prime minister last year, and the government operates under a temporary charter. The junta later picked the drafters and the 247-member National Reform Council to help write a new constitution. "We might not be able to say that this is a true democracy as viewed in the Western world; it is transitional democracy," Kamnoon Sidhisamarn, spokesman for the Constitution Drafting Committee, said before the vote Sunday. He defended the draft as necessary to lessen the supremacy of a few political parties, saying that since Thailand became a democracy in 1932, "we found that we haven't had any political stability." "There have been elections and coups during all these 83 years. In the past 10 years, we had two coups already. And two political parties came to power but they couldn't solve problems," he said. The draft also envisioned an upper house that's only partially elected—123 out of 200 members would be appointed. A prime minister also could be appointed without having to win a parliamentary seat, as was the case in the past. Supporters and opponents of Thaksin, as well as academics and activists, have criticized the draft, while the ruling military has stifled public debate on it. Although the rejection of the draft delays a return to democracy, it is still better than a "meaningless election" that would take place if the draft had been approved, said Chaturon Chaiseng, an outspoken critic of the junta who had served in previous governments headed by Thaksin and Yingluck.
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| Nauru Camp Refugee Resettled in Cambodia Wants to Go Home Posted: 06 Sep 2015 10:14 PM PDT  Asylum seekers are pictured being transported from an aircraft to a bus upon their arrival on the island of Nauru on Sept. 14, 2012. (Photo: Reuters) PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — One of four refugees resettled in Cambodia just three months ago in a multimillion-dollar deal that saw them sent from an Australian-run detention camp on the Pacific island nation of Nauru has decided he wants to go home, an official said Sunday. The man, an ethnic Rohingya from Burma, said he wanted to give up his refugee status and return to his homeland, according to Cambodian Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak. The man, who was not named, has contacted Burma's embassy in Cambodia to get permission to return home, but Khieu Sopheak was unaware of the response. Two Iranian men, an Iranian woman and the Rohingya man came to Cambodia under a 40 million Australian dollar (US$32 million), four-year agreement aimed at resettling hundreds of asylum seekers who have been living for years in Nauru. They were the only ones among 677 there who signed up for the package—despite substantial encouragement—and arrived in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh in early June. Only asylum seekers granted refugee status by the UN's refugee agency were eligible for the move. "The agreement of the two countries remains valid, but at the moment we want to see the first pilot refugees that have already arrived here integrate into our society before we accept newcomers," Khieu Sopheak said by phone. The deal, part of Australia's efforts to deter boats of asylum seekers, has been criticized since Australia made the agreement with Cambodia last September. Critics have expressed concerns that Cambodia is too impoverished to handle the new residents and that its poor human rights record would put them at risk. Khieu Sopheak said that the Rohingya man, who was born in 1990, did not explain why he wanted to return to Burma, but that his father had visited him recently in Cambodia and may have sought to reunite his son with their family. The man's action comes as many Rohingya, who are Muslims, are expected to take to boats in fresh efforts to leave Burma to escape persecution and better their economic prospects. Many try to head to Malaysia, with which they have a religious affinity, but others try to make the long and dangerous journey to Australia. Khieu Sopheak said the Cambodian government respected the man's decision. Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to Ian Rintoul, Sydney-based director of the Australian advocacy group Refugee Action Coalition, none of the four resettled people wants to stay in Cambodia. He said they expected to get a lump sum of at least $10,000, but that was not what happened. "They all went with the idea that they would get the money that they were being told they would get and be able to go somewhere else," Rintoul said. "The government has dribbled the money to them. They've been kept in a very isolated arrangement and there's been no prospects for them." Rintoul, who maintains close contacts with the refugee community, has been a major source of information on the Nauru asylum seekers, to whom the Nauru, Cambodian and Australian governments have allowed limited access. "The Iranian couple never had enough money even to subsist, let alone do anything with it. They complained quite bitterly that they were struggling to survive in Cambodia," Rintoul said. "The whole resettlement arrangement is going belly-up," he said. "The harassment on Nauru to get people to go to Cambodia stopped a few weeks ago. There's no sign of anyone else on Nauru going to Cambodia."
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| No Quick Fixes for Kale’s Flood-Displaced Posted: 04 Sep 2015 05:34 PM PDT Click to view slideshow. KALE TOWNSHIP, Sagaing Division — After a month living in a cramped hut, San Htay still has no idea where she will ultimately end up. This much she does know: It is unlikely that she and her husband will ever return to live in the village they were forced to abandon when floodwaters ravaged western Kale Township, Sagaing Division, several weeks ago. When The Irrawaddy met the 45-year-old, she was returning from a salvage mission, walking back from her native Maw Lite village with household possessions in both arms, and balanced precariously atop her head. Asked what her future holds, San Htay's answer was resignedly simple: "I have no clear future." That's true for many of the 385,000 households displaced nationwide by severe flooding that began in mid-July and has since affected 12 of Burma's 14 states and divisions. For now, San Htay said she would wait and see what kind of land the government would provide for those without the monetary means to take an initial offer put to displaced residents of Kale Township. "They [authorities in Kale] told us we have to deposit at least 250,000 kyats [US$195] to get a small plot of land to stay on, but those who have money have to pay 500,000 [kyats] all at once, up front. But I do not have money, and so I have not enrolled to deposit money," she said. For many victims of the high waters here, the uncertainty is not just about finding a new place to live. Along with homes, paddy fields have been inundated, and with this an economic engine for the region and vital source of livelihoods has been imperiled. More than 300 households in Maw Lite village have been abandoned, with a lack of potable water and an all-covering residual mud keeping its former inhabitants away for the time being—and maybe for good. Though it was a stretch for him financially, 68-year-old Tin Win said he had already paid the 500,000 kyats required of some to get a small plot of land to stay on. "I can't really afford it, but I have to think about my children's future. So, I paid it," he told The Irrawaddy. Like San Htay, Tin Win returned to Maw Lite village, joining a humanitarian aid convoy from Rangoon that was delivering supplies to the region. Visiting his abandoned home, Tin Win said the scene was without personal precedent. "Our grandfather was 90 years old, and died in that house," he said. "As I remember it, even he had never had such a terrible experience as we are having now." As the waters swiftly inundated Maw Lite, Tin Win had little time to gather his belongings before fleeing to higher ground. With waters rising above the entryway, Tin Win was forced to punch a hole through his roof to retrieve spare clothes. "I lost 600 baskets of [rice] paddy," he said, pointing his finger toward the storehouse where the rotting rice remained. Moving Day About 150 families from neighboring Pauk Khaung village who have been staying in a temporary camp at the entrance of Kale town will soon be relocated, according to those displaced. They too have lived for a month along the main road at the entrance of Kale, their village also hard-hit by the flooding. But rather than to offer the displaced greater certainty, it is safety that has prompted authorities to instruct the families to move; three children have been involved in car accidents since the roadside settlement was established. "It is not safe for us to stay along the road. This is why they told us to relocate to another place," said San Yee, a woman from Paung Khaung who has been staying along the highway in what amounts to a wall-less raised platform covered by tarpaulin. "Cars are trying to avoid having accidents, but there are many kids here," she added. Pauk Khaung village was decimated by the flood, and as is a common refrain in Kale, the villagers still do not know when they might return to their homes. The authorities in Kale have hired locals to help resettle the roadside camp at a football field in Tharyarwaddy village, a 20-minute drive from the town of Kale. The UN said last week that more than $75 million would be required through December to meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the floods. For many in Kale Township and elsewhere, foremost on their Maslowian list of unmet needs is a place to call home.
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