The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Chin State Faces Looming Food Shortage after Flood Crisis
• Joint-Exhibition Depicts Rangoon’s Fading Facades
• Karen Leader Defends KNU Signing of Ceasefire
• Wa to Host Ethnic Summit for Non-Signatory Ceasefire Groups
• 3 Injured by Grenade Blast in Taunggyi, Police Say
• Border Trade Plans Leave Thai Locals in Flux
• Suspect in Thai Royal Defamation Case Dies in Jail
• Bangladesh Rejects Islamic State Claim of Attack on Shiites

Chin State Faces Looming Food Shortage after Flood Crisis Posted: 26 Oct 2015 05:24 AM PDT Homes in Hakha Lay village, Tonzang Township, which were damaged during heavy rains, flooding and mudslides in Chin State over July and August. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Three months after the nationwide flood disaster, civil society groups say that government has vastly underestimated the damage toll in Chin State, where locals are facing a looming food shortage. While emergency relief has found its way into many affected Chin State communities, local aid workers say that damage to food storage infrastructure and disruption to slash-and-burn rice cultivation is likely to pose a significant threat to food security in the next 6-12 months. "Locals usually cut down trees and burn them for hillside cultivation, but now, due to the extraordinary rain, they haven't been able to burn trees," said Van Biak Thang Cenhrang, the news editor of the Chinland Guardian and a volunteer with the Chin Committee for Emergency Response and Rehabilitation (CCERR), a coalition of 60 civil society organizations, political parties and religious groups. "If they can't farm this year, they have no food next year. Another concern is transportation. If roads are not good, food can't come in," he added. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has raised around half of the US$67.5 million is estimates will be needed to provide assistance to flood-affected communities across Burma through to December. CCERR members told a Rangoon press conference on Friday that other emergency relief for Chin State, including rice and financial remittances, were being donated by the overseas Chin community. Across the state, damage to farmland, roads and bridges, irrigation networks and ports has been extensive. The northeastern road connecting Hakha to Falam and Sagaing Division town has been repaired to allow small jeeps access into the state capital, while the southeastern road to Monywa is once again obstructed after another round of landslides. Van Biak Thang Cenhrang said that the CCERR's local relief committees had only been able to reach 600-700 of the sparsely populated region's 1500 villages as a result of damage to roads connecting village tracts to larger towns. "Although emergency aid has arrived in Hakha, it is not reaching villages. The villages nearby towns get aid, while others have to walk to towns to carry aid back," he said. The CCERR estimates around 50,000 locals—10 percent of the state's population—have been affected by the disaster, while 13,000 acres of farmland has been destroyed or damaged across the state's nine townships. Flora Bawi Nei Mawi, a program officer with Chin Human Rights Organization, told The Irrawaddy that government damage estimates were significantly lower than the figures tallied by the CCERR, which showed an additional 15,000 people belonging to flood-affected households and an additional 4,000 acres of affected farmland. She highlighted concerns that the government's long-term aid program would exclude those left out of the official statistics and outside of government's efforts to rebuild Hakha. "The government said they will provide 40 lakh ($3,115) for each house to be rebuilt, and a government contractor will rebuild the homes," she said of the relief work underway in Hakha. "I asked MOECAF [the Ministry of Environmental Conversation and Forestry] whether they had plans to rebuild houses in other towns, and they replied that they didn't." Dr. Shwe Khar, a joint secretary of the Chin National Front, told reporters on Friday that the disaster had influenced the ethnic armed group's decision to sign the government's "nationwide" ceasefire agreement on Oct. 15, saying that participating in the accord was necessary to ensure that relief and recovery projects were smoothly administered. "It is necessary to look at deep roots of the problems, where accurate information is necessary for transparent and effective rehabilitation projects," he said, adding that the success of future relief work depended on a proper collaboration between the government and local civil society networks. The post Chin State Faces Looming Food Shortage after Flood Crisis appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Joint-Exhibition Depicts Rangoon’s Fading Facades Posted: 26 Oct 2015 04:58 AM PDT Click to view slideshow. RANGOON — British artist Kate Bowen, who has resided in Rangoon for the past three years, and Burmese artist Ko Ko Naing have joined forces for an exhibition at Nawaday Tharlar Gallery on Gyaw Min Gyi Street in Dagon Township this month. Illustrating their shared fascination with Rangoon's historic architectural legacy, the works depict aspects of buildings and structures in Burma's former capital; reflecting how the city has undergone rapid changes in the past few years under increasing pressure from commercial developers. While Ko Ko Naing works exclusively in acrylic, Kate Bowen occasionally uses oils, giving a rich depth and color to her work. The post Joint-Exhibition Depicts Rangoon's Fading Facades appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Karen Leader Defends KNU Signing of Ceasefire Posted: 26 Oct 2015 02:33 AM PDT Gen. Saw Johnny, left, commander-in-chief of the Karen National Liberation Army, attends a conference of ethnic armed organizations in Law Khee Lar, Karen State, headquarters of the Karen National Union, January 2014. (Photo: Saw Yan Naing / The Irrawaddy) The leader of the militant wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), Burma's oldest ethnic rebel group, has said his organization will move forward with the country's peace process and has committed to fighting a "bloodless battle" with the government in order to achieve greater autonomy. Gen. Saw Johnny, commander-in-chief of the KNU's Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), earlier this month in Rangoon made rare public remarks defensively articulating his position on the so-called "nationwide ceasefire agreement" signed by the KNU and several other non-state armed organizations on Oct. 15, while acknowledging uncertainty over negotiations with the government to come. "We are still on the battlefield. But now we don't fight with guns," said Saw Johnny, whose KNLA was founded in 1949 and controls about 6,000 troops in southeastern Burma. "We are finding ways to avoid bloodshed in battle. We are changing the blood-stained battlefield into a bloodless one. We have yet to reach our goal. And we don't know how many years it will take." Saw Johnny said political dialogue was the only way to end more than six decades of conflict between the Karen armed group and the country's ethnic Burman-dominated central government. "We love honesty and we have fought for it against the government for more than 60 years. But neither the Burmese government nor the KNU has been vanquished. Only Burmese and Karen soldiers have died and civilians have lived in poverty. So we will solve the conflict by political means," said Saw Johnny, addressing about 50 Karen community leaders and others at Rangoon's Panda Hotel on Oct. 17. He acknowledged that not every ethnic armed group agreed with this approach, and even admitted to a split within the ranks of the KNU leadership on the issue. Saw Johnny said, however, that he saw no better way to achieve a lasting peace than to meet the government at the negotiating table, adding that the signing of the ceasefire agreement marked only the beginning of a process. The KNU would not listen to criticism from third parties including the media, he said, and would instead act based what it believes is in the best interest of the Karen people. "Among our Karen leadership, we have different opinions over the peace talks and we even used to try to dismiss one another. As you know, to date, we are not united. But we will go forward in spite of disunity," said Saw Johnny, who claimed that 80 percent of the Karen people supported the KNU's decision to engage in the government-led peace process. He added that the KNU had already seen its approach bear fruit, with the government removing the group from its list of illegal organizations. Prior to that delisting, anyone could be imprisoned for having contact with the KNU under Article 17/1 of Burma's Unlawful Association Act. "We have been opening the door for political talks for a long time, but the Burmese government didn't offer a chance for it. They only asked us to disarm and come back into its 'legal fold.' But now, we don't need to disarm while holding political talks," said Saw Johnny. "You all can cooperate with us now. All Karen people from cities, villages and overseas have a duty to achieve what we want. No foreign country can achieve it for us," he told the audience. The KNU leadership has struggled to maintain a united front for years, resulting in the formation of a handful of splinter groups and internal divisions within the organization as government efforts to forge a nationwide ceasefire accord have progressed over the last two years. The KNU's vice chairperson, Naw Zipporah Sein, turned down a government invitation to attend the ceasefire signing ceremony in Naypyidaw, an indication that serious doubts about the sincerity of the Burmese government linger in the upper echelons of the ethnic armed group's leadership. "I don't need to point out how many Karen factions there are even within the KNU. But it doesn't matter. We will move forward in accordance with the people's support. We will convince others to move forward. But we can do nothing if they want to move backward," said Saw Johnny. Founded in 1947, the KNU is one of the largest ethnic armed groups in Burma. The KNLA was founded two years later and had waged a war with the government through 2011, before signing a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the government in 2012. Clashes, however, have still been reported sporadically despite the ceasefire. "Since 1949, many soldiers and leaders have sacrificed their lives for the prosperity and freedom of the Karen people. We have to achieve realization of the goal [of self-determination] in order to honor their sacrifice. So, we will try to be united and work together to achieve our goal," said Saw Johnny. The KNU, along with six other ethnic armed groups and the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF), signed the multilateral ceasefire with the Burmese government in Naypyidaw on Oct. 15, while other major armed groups of ethnic Kachin, Wa, Kokang, Karenni and Mon identities abstained from signing. Disagreement over whether to sign the ceasefire, both among and within the country's ethnic armed groups, has in recent months largely boiled down to the government's refusal to allow some rebel armies to sign the accord. Burma Army attacks have occurred on some of the non-signatories in the days since the signing. The post Karen Leader Defends KNU Signing of Ceasefire appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Wa to Host Ethnic Summit for Non-Signatory Ceasefire Groups Posted: 26 Oct 2015 02:01 AM PDT Delegates from ethnic armed groups at May's Panghsang summit. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A number of ethnic armed groups that have not signed the government's 'nationwide' ceasefire agreement will convene in Panghsang, the capital of the Wa Special Region, at the beginning of next month. According to the summit's organizing committee, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) will host 11 other armed groups for a three day discussion commencing on Nov. 1. "The meeting will focus on the views of ethnic armed groups on the election and how we, ethnic armed groups, should engage with the new government," Zhao Xiaofu, a UWSA spokesperson, told The Irrawaddy. Panghsang hosted a similar summit in May, attended by 12 groups including the Karen National Union (KNU). At its conclusion, representatives issued a statement calling on the Burmese government to demonstrate its commitment to the peace process by ceasing hostilities against three insurgent armies in the northeast and west of the country. The three groups—the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Kokang-based Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army—were blocked by the Burmese government from participating in the ceasefire accord, signed in Naypyidaw on Oct. 15. A ethnic conference in the Karen State village of Law Khee Lar, held in June to consider whether to ratify the text of the government's draft ceasefire agreement, saw the emergence of a split in the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), as representatives of member organizations debated whether to withhold support for the accord while the three groups were excluded. The KNU was the largest ethnic armed group to support signing the ceasefire accord without requiring the government allow the three groups to participate. It has not been invited to the November summit, along with the seven other groups that signed the Oct. 15 agreement. Hla Maung Shwe, a senior advisor with Myanmar Peace Center (MPC), told The Irrawaddy that ethnic armed groups which did not sign the ceasefire agreement would be able to sign at a future debate and participate in planned political dialogue with the next elected government. The post Wa to Host Ethnic Summit for Non-Signatory Ceasefire Groups appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

3 Injured by Grenade Blast in Taunggyi, Police Say Posted: 26 Oct 2015 01:52 AM PDT A car damaged by a grenade blast in the Shan State capital Taunggyi on Oct. 25, 2015. (Photo: Nang Seng Nom / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Three people were wounded and one car was damaged by a small blast on Sunday night in Taunggyi, the capital of eastern Burma's Shan State. Police told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the explosion was caused by a small grenade thrown onto the street from a motorbike at 8:30pm. A suspect has been identified but is still at large, Taunggyi police officer Aung Aung said. Two men injured by the blast are being treated at a local hospital, while a third suffered only a minor injury and is recovering at his home. Sunday's blast was the latest sign of unrest to hit the town, a central Shan hub near the famed Inle Lake. Further northeast in the state, the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) is still in active conflict with the Burma Army, which rebels say has made recent advances on their headquarters in Wan Hai. Fighting erupted between the SSA-N and government troops on Oct. 6, causing some 3,000 civilians to flee. Many took refuge with relatives, while others are still sheltering at a Buddhist monastery in Mong Hsu Township. Last week, state newspaper The Global New Light of Myanmar reported that government troops had clashed with the SSA-N a total of 37 times from Oct. 6-19. The SSA-N, which was not among the signatories of a ceasefire agreement reached between the government and eight non-state armed groups on Oct. 15, has sent a letter to Burma's vice president Sai Mauk Kham requesting that the government stop all military operations against the group. "To be able to solve political problems by using political and peaceful means, we humbly request the immediate halt of the military operations near the SSA-N headquarters," the letter said. "In the case that you prefer to use military force to solve political problems, you should inform us that you have chosen to do so." The post 3 Injured by Grenade Blast in Taunggyi, Police Say appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Border Trade Plans Leave Thai Locals in Flux Posted: 25 Oct 2015 10:45 PM PDT A view of the border-crossing checkpoint into Burma from Mae Sot, Thailand, in March 2014. (Photo: Zaw Thu Ra / Facebook) Walk through any farmland in Mae Sot district's Tha Sai Luat at the end of the rainy season this year and you're unlikely to step on ripening produce. You're more likely to encounter muddy, empty land. "Most land owners are hesitant to plant crops at the moment so their farmland is lying empty for a while," said farmer Sombat Ngamdee, 53. Farmland at this time of the year—the beginning of harvesting season—was once filled with produce waiting to be harvested. But since the government announced the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tak earlier this year, Mr Sombat said farmers such as himself have been afraid to invest in farming as they have no idea if they will have to leave their land. Mr Sombat backs the SEZ in Tak, first proposed in 2004, as he believes it will bring opportunities to local people. However, the decision by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's government last year to set up SEZs across the country, and use Section 44 of the interim charter to implement the project on May 15 this year, came unexpectedly. Locals fear the SEZ in Tak will not only take away their farmland, but also affect the trans-boundary environment. The government said a total of 2,182 rai (3.4 million square meters) of forest land and public areas in tambon Tha Sai Luat would go into the SEZ. About 800 rai will be managed by the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand and the rest by the Treasury Department. The government also announced it would use the land for an industrial estate and invite companies to join. A total of 97 families who have occupied land which the government intends to allocate to the SEZ—only a few of whom have land documents—will have to relocate, with the state accusing them of encroachment. "We've pushed forward with the SEZ in Tak for a decade in the hopes of improving local opportunities," said Chaiwat Wititthammawong, president of the Federation of Industries in Tak. While a supporter of the SEZ, Mr Chaiwat criticises the choice of industries for the zone in Tak—including ceramics, textiles, leather, furniture, gems and jewellery, engines and vehicle parts, electronics and electrical appliances and tourism—which he says are not "connected" with the local industry which relies heavily on agriculture. "It seems the government is focusing on industry and giving privileges to emerging private investors despite the original purpose of the SEZ being to boost border trade," he said. The locals won't benefit much from the proposed businesses, except as laborers, along with migrants working for these labor-intensive industries. There have been several attempts by previous governments to develop an SEZ in Tak as the province is a hub of border trade with Burma, which also connects to the Indian market. Mae Sot contributed 64 billion baht (US$1.8 billion) in export value in the 2015 fiscal year—a 14.8 percent increase from 2014. The government has seen the potential and has pushed forward with economic zones in Tak and the provinces of Mukdahan, Sa Kaeo, Songkhla and Trat. The second phase is expected to begin next year in five more provinces—Chiang Rai, Kanchanaburi, Narathiwat, Nakhon Phanom and Nong Khai. The government says it expects the zones to boost the economy by up to 800 billion baht a year. Mr Chaiwat also expressed concerns over the environmental impacts on the Moei River shared by people in Mae Sot and Burma. Meanwhile, activists said rushing into setting up the SEZs in Thailand has led to trans-boundary impacts on the environment and people. The Karen Environmental and Social Action Network reported fights between Burmese soldiers and Karen armed groups are still breaking out near the proposed site of the Hat Gyi dam on the Salween River. Many Karen people were moved from the land to make way for the dam, which will serve as the main source of power for the SEZ in Tak with about 1,500 megawatts to be sold to Thailand. The Karen Human Rights Group says other projects, including the Asia Highway 1, a super highway linking the SEZ in Tak with northeast India via the Thai-Myanmar Relationship Bridge II, Burma's Myawaddy, Hpa-an, and Rangoon, have also affected local Karen. Many received little compensation when they were forcibly moved. Farmers in Mae Sot who have occupied land in the future SEZ area are likely to be paid about 7,000-12,000 baht per rai in compensation. Locals say the figure is too low, as the market price of land has increased by at least 12 million baht per rai since the launch of the SEZ. Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd insisted the SEZ in Tak will give priority to both the agricultural and industrial sectors. The SEZ will take in degraded forest without the need to expropriate land, he said, adding the state will also pay compensation to resettle villagers who may have encroached on the forest. This article first appeared here on the Bangkok Post. The post Border Trade Plans Leave Thai Locals in Flux appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Suspect in Thai Royal Defamation Case Dies in Jail Posted: 25 Oct 2015 09:22 PM PDT Police Major Prakrom Warunprapa, a lese-majeste suspect, is escorted by police as he arrives at a military court in Bangkok, Thailand, October 21, 2015. (Photo: Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters) BANGKOK — A policeman who was under investigation as part of a high profile royal insult probe has died in custody after he hanged himself in his cell, Thailand's justice minister said on Sunday. Police Major Prakrom Warunprapa had been jailed by a court on Wednesday along with two other people as part of a probe into a group of people who allegedly falsely claimed ties to the monarchy for personal benefit. The other two people charged are Suriyan Sujaritpalawong, a well-known fortune teller, and his assistant, Jirawong Wattanathewasilp. Prakrom hanged himself in his cell on Friday and was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital, said justice minister Paiboon Koomchaya. "It would appear that the suspect hung himself. The jailed person was found dead in his cell and authorities tried to revive him," Paiboon told Reuters. "Right now we are doing the autopsy. Whatever the result we will have to accept it because this is a high profile case of huge public interest." Thailand has the world's harshest lese-majeste law which makes it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen, and heir to the throne or regent. Under Article 112 of the criminal code, anyone convicted of insulting the monarchy faces up to 15 years in jail for each offence. The investigation comes at a time of heightened anxiety over the health of 87-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is convalescing at a Bangkok hospital after being treated by doctors for 'water on the brain.' His frail health has added to the political uncertainty surrounding Thailand since a 2014 coup. Nervousness over the succession has formed the backdrop to a decade of political crisis in the country. The investigation also comes at a time when the military government is cracking down on perceived royal defamation. There have been numerous prosecutions since the coup. Critics of the law say it is often used to pursue opponents of the country's military and royalist elite. The post Suspect in Thai Royal Defamation Case Dies in Jail appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bangladesh Rejects Islamic State Claim of Attack on Shiites Posted: 25 Oct 2015 09:11 PM PDT People who sustained injuries in a series of blasts are surrounded by their relatives at a hospital in Dhaka, October 24, 2015. (Photo: Ashikur Rahman / Reuters) DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh's government on Sunday dismissed the Islamic State group's claim that it was behind a bomb attack on thousands of Shiite Muslims in the nation's capital, and said there was no evidence that the Sunni extremist group had any following in the South Asian country. It was the third time the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack in Bangladesh, after it said it was behind the recent killing of two foreigners—an Italian aid worker and a Japanese agricultural worker. The government again redirected blame toward locally banned Islamist groups and the main Islamist political party, accusing them of staging Saturday's attack to destabilize the already fractious and impoverished nation. "Again, I am saying there is no IS," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said. The country is struggling, however, to stem rising fears about radical Islam after a spate of violent attacks, including the murder of four atheist bloggers. Responsibility for those attacks was claimed by the domestic Islamist group Ansarullah Bangla Team, and authorities are investigating new threats against more bloggers made in an email signed by an Ansarullah spokesman and sent to Bangladeshi media last week. Before dawn on Saturday, unidentified attackers hurled a set of home-made bombs into a crowd of Shiite Muslims as they were gathering for a religious procession in Dhaka's old quarter. A teenage boy died and more than 100 other people were injured. It was the first time the 400-year-old Shiite procession for the holiday of Ashoura had been targeted in Dhaka. Shiites are a minority in Bangladesh, but are generally not discriminated against, and attacks against them are virtually unheard of. Within hours of the attack, the Islamic State group posted a statement online claiming responsibility for the attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi activities. The statement could not be independently verified. Police were questioning three suspects detained after the blasts and examining closed-circuit television footage for clues, Dhaka police spokesman Muntasirul Islam said. Investigators also visited the bomb site—the 17th century Huseni Dalan, a Shiite center of learning—where three bombs exploded and two were found undetonated. Despite the attacks, thousands of Shiites went ahead with the 8-kilometer (5-mile) procession on Saturday without any further disruption. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a moderate who pledged to stamp out militant radical groups, has overseen the arrests of dozens of suspected militants and the banning of six groups in recent years. Experts say the crackdown has left some of Bangladesh's more hard-line Muslims feeling alienated, and has led to a resurgence in activity by Islamic extremist groups. The violence has rattled foreigners and threatened the impoverished country's economy, which relies heavily on foreign aid and a $25 billion garment industry that produces clothing for top international brands. The post Bangladesh Rejects Islamic State Claim of Attack on Shiites appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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