The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Environmentalists Hope for Stronger Safeguards under NLD
• Suu Kyi Blames Lack of Safety Regulations For Deadly Landslide
• SSA-N Official: ‘We Will Not Let Them Take Our Headquarters’
• Thai Graft, Royal Insult Cases Threaten To Embroil Junta
• Migrants Processing Thai Chicken Exports Abused, Exploited—Researchers
• Indonesia Increases Security after Video Calls For Attack

Environmentalists Hope for Stronger Safeguards under NLD Posted: 26 Nov 2015 05:35 AM PST Miners walk along a mountain on their way to search for jade stones at a jade mine in Hpakant, Kachin State, November 24, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) In the wake of recent disasters that have shone a light on the human toll wrought by a lack of environmental and development-related safeguards, local activists are hoping to reverse Burma's abysmal environmental protection record when a new government assumes office in March next year. In July and August, swaths of the country were inundated by severe flooding, which in some areas triggered deadly mudslides, exacerbated in part by deforestation. Less than a week ago, a landslide near a jade mine in Kachin State's Hpakant Township claimed more than 100 lives when a man-made mountain of earthen waste collapsed on workers' makeshift huts. Such events have added urgency to public calls for more attention to be paid to the social impact of environmental neglect and rapacious resource extraction. President Thein Sein's decision to suspend the Chinese-backed Myitsone hydropower dam project in 2011 was an early positive gesture. The following year, the Environmental Conservation Law was enacted, supplemented with by-laws passed in 2014. Yet these moves have hardly been a panacea for Burma's environmental woes. On Wednesday, the Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability (MATA)—a collaboration among environmentalists, civil society groups, and environmental lawyers to push for better management of environmental resources—held a press briefing, urging for the 2012 conservation law to be amended. According to MATA, the law does not stipulate punishments sufficient to deter offenders or compensation for victims; allows virtual impunity for projects that have Naypyidaw's stamp of approval; and creates little incentive for conservation efforts. People across the country are being adversely affected by deforestation, the unchecked extraction of natural resources, and water, air and soil pollution perpetrated by big business, MATA said in a statement. Win Myo Thu, the director of prominent NGO EcoDev, said the law is too broad to be effective. "It doesn't clearly state people's rights in relation to the environment," Win Myo Thu said. Aung Kyaw Lin, a lawyer and volunteer with MATA, concurred, arguing that the law was not effective in putting environmental concerns ahead of development interests. He also cited the need for better environmental awareness training in Burma's rural areas, which account for 70 percent of the country's population. Davi Thant Zin, a prominent environmentalist and member of the Myanmar Green Network, said Burma was not alone in facing environmental challenges. What is key, she said, is implementing effective laws and policies. "Our government has signed international treaties [to support environmental conservation], but these won't be effective unless they—the people with the power to legislate and implement—work hard and listen to the public's needs," Davi Thant Zin said. A Greener Government? Tin Thit, a Lower House MP-elect for the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Pokebathiri Township, Naypyidaw, said he expects the new government to place more emphasis on preserving the environment. "We will work more and try harder," he declared. Tin Thit, a poet and environmental activist who is a current advisor to local civil society group Sein Yaung So (Greenery) in Mandalay, argued that better law enforcement was needed to punish those who violate the law. "We must monitor both the environmental conservation body [established under the conservation law] and the practice of the law," he said. Tin Thit has also been involved in the multi-stakeholder group (MSG) tasked with implementing the requirements of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), an international resource revenue reporting protocol. The group is required to submit its first annual EITI report to a team of independent auditors in 2016. Burma will benefit from abiding by strict international standards, Tin Thit said in relation to the scheme. "[But] it's not only about financial transparency," he said. "We must pay attention to resource governance weaknesses and recommendations as well." The new government will also be faced with addressing the unresolved Myitsone dam project. While the NLD's stance is unclear, public opinion is firmly against the project, according to Davi Thant Zin. The dam would be constructed at the confluence of the Maykha and Malikha tributaries which meet to form the Irrawaddy River. "Whatever government is formed, we will continue to object to the Myitsone dam," Davi Thant Zin said. "It would affect residents living downstream from the delta, but also, the Irrawaddy River is a national, mother-like symbol for our country." The post Environmentalists Hope for Stronger Safeguards under NLD appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Suu Kyi Blames Lack of Safety Regulations For Deadly Landslide Posted: 26 Nov 2015 02:04 AM PST Rescue workers look for bodies of miners killed by a landslide at a Hpakant jade mine in Kachin State on November 24, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON & HPAKANT, Kachin State — A disregard for the rule of law in the jade mining industry in Burma has made accidents such as the landslide that killed more than 100 people at the weekend a common occurrence, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi said on Thursday. Authorities called off search efforts late on Wednesday in Hpakant, with as many as 100 people estimated still missing after a huge slag heap of mining debris gave way on Saturday and buried a makeshift settlement of migrant workers as they slept. "As far as we understand, it was the fifth similar incident this year," Suu Kyi told Radio Free Asia's Burmese language service during an interview broadcast on Thursday. "This sort of accident is common just because there is no rule of law. It also reflects lack of due consideration for the safety of people's life and property." They were Suu Kyi's first comments on the disaster in Hpakant, where rescue workers recovered 114 bodies before giving up the search. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), which swept to victory in the Nov. 8 elections, has called for stricter safety measures and increased government oversight of the industry in the wake of the disaster. Reforming the sector will be difficult. The lucrative jade industry is dominated by companies linked to leaders of the previous military government, ethnic armies and businessmen with close connections to the former junta. Hpakant is at the heart of the jade mining region and produces some of the world's highest quality jade, but workers, many migrants from other parts of the country, operate in perilous conditions for little pay. Some work for mining companies, but many others pick over the massive debris dumps that are excavated from vast mines. They hope to find precious stones that may have been passed over. Landslides on the debris dumps are common, especially during the heavy monsoon rains, but rarely this deadly. Htin Kyaw, a local police officer who was assisting with rescue efforts, said that only 80 of the 114 bodies had been identified. Authorities would now focus on finding safe shelter for survivors, he said. "Now, we are trying to help relocate those who escaped the landslide to safer places," he said. Exactly how many people were sleeping in the huts and tents is unknown, but Tint Soe, who was elected as lawmaker for the NLD to the lower house for the area, said that he estimated the death toll to be between 170 to 200 people. The post Suu Kyi Blames Lack of Safety Regulations For Deadly Landslide appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

SSA-N Official: ‘We Will Not Let Them Take Our Headquarters’ Posted: 25 Nov 2015 09:38 PM PST A novice monk in the doorway of a building at the Wi Pu La Monastery in Wan Hai village, Kyethi Township, Shan State, which the Shan State Army-North says was targeted by the Burmese air force on Nov. 10. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) WAN HAI, KYETHI TOWNSHIP, Shan State — Amid ongoing hostilities between the Burma Army and the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) in central Shan State, the ethnic armed group has pledged it will not relinquish its Wan Hai headquarters. "We withdrew from three places already in order to show the UPWC [Union Peacemaking Working Committee] that we wanted to have peace. But after [the Burma Army] took three places from us, they keep asking us to withdraw our troops based in Mong Nawng and Mong Hsu," Major Sai Phone Han of the SSA-N told The Irrawaddy. Fighting between the Burma Army and the Shan armed group first broke out on Oct. 6 and ongoing clashes have been reported in Mong Hsu, Kyethi and Mong Nawng townships, including near the SSA—N's headquarters in Wan Hai. "We are not deploying a lot of troops at our frontline but we are still attacking them. Our last defensive battle will be at our headquarters," Sai Phone Han said. "We will not let them take our headquarters. We will not accept them asking us to withdraw our troops." Another SSA-N major, Sai Pah Tun, said the Burma Army was endeavoring to gain more territory before a new government comes to power in Burma in early 2016, while also targeting the armed group for not signing the "nationwide" ceasefire agreement inked between Naypyidaw and eight non-state armies on Oct. 15. "We have found that they have three objectives in attacking us. One is they want to punish us for not signing the NCA. The second is they want to take more territory under their control. And the third is they want to destroy our Shan State Progressive Party," Major Sai Pah Tun said. Wan Hai village in Kyethi Township hosts around 1,500 houses. Although many have fled in the face of Burma Army attacks in the area, at least some local residents could be seen walking through the village on Tuesday and there was a small ceremony at a local monastery. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the fighting in Shan State has displaced around 6,000 people since early October, though locals have claimed that figure could be as high as 10,000. A member of the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), the SSA-N's political wing, showed The Irrawaddy two Buddhist monasteries that he claimed were damaged in attacks by the Burmese air force on Nov. 10, just two days after the country's general election. The guide said the Burma Army may have targeted the monasteries in the belief that SSPP leaders would take shelter there. A government delegation led by President's Office Minister Aung Min met with SSPP representatives, including the party's vice-chairman, in Rangoon on Nov. 23-24. The two sides discussed implementing the bilateral ceasefire agreement that was concluded in January 2012 and provisionally agreed to relocate some troops from either side of the Mong Nawng-Mong Hsu road in Mong Hsu Township. Additional reporting by Kyaw Kha in Rangoon. The post SSA-N Official: 'We Will Not Let Them Take Our Headquarters' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thai Graft, Royal Insult Cases Threaten To Embroil Junta Posted: 25 Nov 2015 06:17 PM PST Thai people pay their respects to a giant bronze statue of former King Ram Khamhaeng after a religious ceremony at Rajabhakti Park in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan province, Thailand, July 27, 2015. (Photo: Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters) BANGKOK — Accusations of corruption involving a park built to honor Thailand's revered monarchy are threatening to damage an anti-graft drive by the ruling junta, which seized power last year vowing to clean up government and protect royal prestige. The accusations, leveled by some Thai media and opposition groups, have transfixed a country anxious over the declining health of the long-reigning King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87. They come amid a widening police investigation into corruption involving two nationwide cycling events, also aimed at celebrating the royals, in which two suspects have died in military custody. The army said on Friday an internal investigation found no graft in the construction of the 1 billion baht ($28 million) Rajabhakti Park, near the royal resort town of Hua Hin. The project was overseen by General Udomdej Sitabutr, a former army chief who is currently deputy defence minister. "There isn't any [corruption] at all. If there were any, I wouldn't let this go, that's all I'm going to tell you," army chief General Teerachai Nakwanich told reporters, announcing the results of the military probe. Teerachai was the latest in a succession of top junta leaders, including Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, to publicly stress there were no irregularities in the use of private donations raised for the construction of the park. Yet allegations made by anti-junta groups of irregularities in the project's funding persist in the Thai media, and a usually subdued opposition has seized a rare chance to score political points. "Can people still trust the junta?" said Thanawut Wichaidit, a spokesman for the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, or "red shirts," which backed the government toppled by the military in 2014. General Udomdej, who oversaw the project, told reporters on Nov. 10 that there was "an element of truth" to media and opposition allegations that an unnamed civilian had demanded bribes from the foundries that cast giant statues of past Thai kings for the park. "But everything has died down now and it is all above board," he said, without elaborating further. On Tuesday, the defence ministry said it was setting up its own committee to investigate the construction of the park, which was opened by Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn in September. It will be headed by the permanent secretary for defence, General Preecha Chan-ocha, the prime minister's brother. Deaths in Custody The accusations of kickbacks relating to the park project have been raised in the widespread coverage by Thai media of separate cases involving the organisation of two cycling events, "Bike for Mom" and "Bike for Dad," aimed at honoring the king and queen. Those events, in August and December this year, are seen as aiming to boost the image of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, who does not enjoy the same level of popularity as his father. Since October, seven people involved with the events, including two army officers, have been charged by the authorities with using the monarchy's name for personal gain. They were charged under Thailand's strict lese majeste law that provides for sentences of up to 15 years per count for insulting the monarchy. Two have since died in custody. Prakrom Warunprapa, a police major charged with falsely claiming close royal connections to raise funds, was found hanging by his shirt in his cell at a military base on Oct. 23, officials said. A second suspect, celebrity-fortune teller Suriyan Sucharaitpalawong, who had been the main organiser of the August cycling event, died two weeks later in the same military prison. Better known as "Soothsayer Yong," he succumbed to a blood infection, the corrections department said. The deaths prompted the United Nations to urge the Thai government on Tuesday to stop using military facilities to detain civilians and to allow independent experts to investigate. Police said the two men were represented by lawyers but did not provide details. Reuters has been unable to identify anyone who had represented them. Both men were cremated within a day of their bodies being retrieved by relatives, contrary to the week-long funeral rites typical in Buddhist-majority Thailand. Police said a committee had been set up to investigate the deaths and that the cremations were a private family matter. The authorities have denied widespread speculation of foul play in both mainstream and social media, and issued a statement saying a third suspect, the soothsayer's secretary Jirawong Wattanathewasin, was "alive and well" in military custody. Police said they filed a case to the military prosecutor on Friday accusing Jirawong of lese majeste for falsely claiming to act on behalf of the monarchy for personal benefit. A fourth suspect, army Colonel Kachachart Boondee, has fled abroad, say police. Kachachart has been charged with defaming royalty and abusing his authority for personal gain, according to documents filed against him by a unit of the Thai military. Reuters was not able to establish if either man had appointed a lawyer. Police issued warrants against three more suspects on Wednesday, also on charges under the lese majeste law. Lese Majeste The laying of lese majeste charges in the corruption cases arising from the cycling event fits with a pattern of increased use of the law in recent years, legal experts and human rights monitors say. Since the army seized power in May 2014, Thai authorities have charged at least 54 people with lese majeste, and courts have handed down record jail sentences of up to 60 years. It is also the second time in the past two years that lese majeste charges brought in corruption cases have touched the wider circle of the crown prince. In 2014, Princess Srirasmi, the crown prince's third wife, relinquished her royal title following the arrest of several of her relatives and six police officers on charges of extortion, operating gambling dens, accepting bribes and exploiting the name of monarchy for personal gain. Among those arrested was Srirasmi's uncle Pongpat Chayaphan, then the chief of Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau. Pongpat has been sentenced to more than 36 years in jail for crimes including lese majeste, bribery and intimidation. The post Thai Graft, Royal Insult Cases Threaten To Embroil Junta appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Migrants Processing Thai Chicken Exports Abused, Exploited—Researchers Posted: 25 Nov 2015 05:56 PM PST Cambodian workers wait for their documents to be processed at the Aranyaprathet police station as they prepare to move back to Cambodia in Sa Kaew, June 15, 2014, following a crackdown on migrant labor in Thailand. (Photo: Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters) LONDON — Migrants processing Thai chicken for its biggest export market, Europe, face widespread abuse by their employers, partly because foreign auditors have focused on food safety rather than workers' conditions, researchers said on Wednesday. Chicken is set to become the world's most consumed meat, within the next five years, overtaking pork. Its increasing popularity is a boon to major poultry suppliers like Thailand, which shipped about 270,000 tonnes of processed chicken to the European Union in 2014, according to Swedwatch, which monitors the impact of Swedish companies on the environment and human rights. In a joint study with Finnwatch, the group found that factory workers from Thailand's poorer neighbors Cambodia and Burma are being exploited by brokers and employers who withhold their passports and charge excessive recruitment fees. "Those together put the migrant workers in a very vulnerable situation," said Swedwatch researcher Kalle Bergbom, who helped compile the report based on interviews with 98 migrant workers. "Lots of these testimonies are indicators of trafficking for labour exploitation according to the ILO [International Labour Organization]," Bergbom told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Many workers reported being verbally and physically abused by supervisors who hide any malpractice during official audits, Bergbom added. "[Supervisors] would slow down the pace of work, they would be a lot softer in their attitudes towards the worker. It shows that they're trying to cover up any possible problems during official audits," Bergbom said. "That of course makes it harder for foreign companies… to get a true picture of the conditions." Similar abuses in Thailand's seafood sector led the US State Department to downgrade the country in 2014 in the Trafficking in Persons report, an annual ranking of nations by their efforts to combat human trafficking. The European Union threatened earlier this year to ban Thai seafood imports if Thailand failed to adopt adequate measures against slave labour and illegal fishing. Bergbom said Swedish importers and wholesalers had focused more on ensuring food safety requirements were met, than on checking workers' conditions. Swedwatch also said the Swedish authorities, in their procurement of food, had failed to recognise the risk of human rights abuses in the food sector. "This means that children and adults in Sweden's public institutions such as schools, retirement homes and hospitals may be served poultry products produced by exploited migrants," it said. The post Migrants Processing Thai Chicken Exports Abused, Exploited—Researchers appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indonesia Increases Security after Video Calls For Attack Posted: 25 Nov 2015 05:35 PM PST The head of Indonesia’s National Counter Terrorism Agency, Saud Usman Nasution, during an interview at his office in Sentul, south of Jakarta, November 20, 2015. (Photo: Darren Whiteside / Reuters) JAKARTA — Authorities increased security across Indonesia after a video appearing on social media threatened attacks against police and other targets, police and officials said Wednesday. Security was raised at airports, the presidential palace, foreign embassies, and shopping centers in the capital after a threat was made by an Islamic militant group, said Jakarta police chief Maj. Gen. Tito Karnavian. "There will be enhanced security," Karnavian told reporters. "But public vigilance and caution on suspicious behavior in their neighborhood is particularly important to ward off terror attacks." The video calling for attacks on Jakarta police headquarters and the presidential palace appeared on social media, including Facebook this weekend. It was blocked by authorities on Monday. The 9-minute voice-recorded video purportedly came from the East Indonesia Mujahidin, led by the country's most wanted militant, Abu Wardah Santoso, who has taken responsibility for the killings of several police officers and has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. Santoso faces charges of running a terrorist training camp in Poso, a flashpoint of terrorism in Central Sulawesi where a Muslim-Christian conflict killed at least 1,000 people from 1998 to 2002. Indonesia's security forces began a large manhunt early this month against Santoso and his group in their hideout in Poso. Karnavian said police are still investigating whether the speaker in the video, featuring a picture of Santoso with black Islamic State flags, is Santoso himself or a follower. But he said that he did not want to downplay any potential threat anytime a terrorist group calls for an attack. In addition to the increased security, Indonesia's alert level was upgraded from "green" to "yellow" because of the threat to civil aviation after the Paris attacks, the Transportation Ministry's spokesman Julius Barata said. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has seen a spate of deadly attacks by the Jemaah Islamiyah network, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. Strikes in recent years have been smaller and less deadly and have targeted government authorities, mainly police and anti-terrorism forces. The post Indonesia Increases Security after Video Calls For Attack appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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