The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Arson Attack Hits Shan State Market Slated for Redevelopment
• Asean Award Under Its Belt, Burma Business Group Vows to Continue Work
• Eight Detained Students Sent to Rangoon for Medical Treatment
• Raimon Land Unveils New Condominium Development
• UNHCR Welcomes Reduction of Stateless People in Thailand
• China Behind ‘Massive’ Cyber-Attack on Australian Government
• Indian Plan to Let Kids Work in Family Business Is Backward Step: Satyarthi
• Int’l NY Times’ Thai Printer Refuses to Run Front-Page Story
• US Nominee to Be Burma’s Envoy Does Not See Big Sanctions Changes

Arson Attack Hits Shan State Market Slated for Redevelopment Posted: 02 Dec 2015 02:47 AM PST The burnt out remains of Daw Than's printing shop after the Monday morning arson attack. (Photo: Supplied) MANDALAY — Shop owners at the old market of Mong Ko, a town near the Sino-Burmese border town of Muse in northern Shan State, have asked the Union Government for protection after their shops were burned down in an apparent effort to intimidate merchants. Shortly after midnight on Monday, a small bomb was detonated near a photo studio and printing house owned by Mong Ko local Daw Than. Two hours later, her shop was burned to the ground by two unidentified men. Daw Than had been representing 20 local shop owners in negotiations with a company with close ties to militias operating in the village and local authorities, which is attempting to upgrade the market. Locals say the company is demanding that merchants pay around 900 million kyats (US$696,000) for shops in the refurbished market. The shop owners had written to the company, municipal authorities, local administration offices and the Shan State government urging for either the price of new shops to be lowered to a level merchants could afford, or compensation to be offered to merchants displaced from the market. Instead, at the end of November, the company issued a directive telling merchants to relocate within 10 days. Daw Than lost a printing press and all her merchandise and equipment in Monday's blaze. "Nothing remains from my shop," she said. "I don't know exactly who is responsible but the company was very angry with us when we requested a price reduction and compensation." The old market of Mong Koe has more than fifty shops with an open space for street vendors. Locals said the company offered a meager amount of compensation to merchants and did not include any substitute shops for current shop owners in its redevelopment plan. "Normally old owners have the rights to claim back the shop at a reasonable price after an upgrade," said Nan Htwe Kham, another shop owner in the old market. "The price they set is too expensive for local Shan owners to afford. We believe the new market is only for Chinese investors, who can easily afford that amount of money." "We are just asking for our rights and we've been attacked. We informed the local police and administration office. But we want more protection from the central government to ensure the rule of law in our region," she added. No casualties were reported in either incident on Monday. The Mong Ko police station said they were investigating the attack. The post Arson Attack Hits Shan State Market Slated for Redevelopment appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Asean Award Under Its Belt, Burma Business Group Vows to Continue Work Posted: 02 Dec 2015 02:07 AM PST Pyi Wa Tun, center, receives the Asean People's Award on Nov. 21 in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo: Facebook / Pyi Wa Tun) RANGOON — The Rangoon-based Parami Roundtable Series Group was one of 10 winners last month of the Asean People's Award for "outstanding contributions toward the creation of a united, prosperous and caring Asean community." The award honors individuals and organizations that have been a positive force for change in areas such as poverty eradication, rural development, charitable works, education and entrepreneurship. Since 2013, the Parami Roundtable Series Group has provided workshops that offer volunteer services to Burma's business community and raise awareness about the Asean Economic Community (AEC). The group is sponsored by the Parami Energy Group of Companies. Burma's government invited applicants for the award through calls in local newspapers, and a total of three individuals and five organizations submitted bids. For the first time in Asean history, the honor was awarded to an individual, group or company from each Asean country. "This award is a first-time honor in the region. We're proud to have received it, and we will continue our work next year, too," said Tin Cho, a senior consultant of the Parami Roundtable Series Group. At a press conference on Tuesday, Pyi Wa Tun, CEO and chairman of the Parami Energy Group of Companies, echoed this enthusiasm, emphasizing the group's motivation to keep going with their awareness workshops in Burma. "With the Asean Economic Community set to begin next year, people need to know what the challenges will be and what to prepare for. That's why we do these workshops," Pyi Wa Tun said. "We want to expand our AEC awareness activities and our vision of being globally connected in the next government era." Other recipients at the award ceremony, held in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 21, included the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia, the Thasano Rice and Seed Multiplication Center (Laos), Ray Paolo J. Santiago (Philippines), Dr. Saisuree Chutikul (Thailand), Prita Kemal Gani (Indonesia), Singapore Polytechnic, the late, former Malaysian Home Minister Tun Muhammad Ghazali Shafie, Persatuan Basmi Dadah (Brunei) and Nguyen Manh Cam (Vietnam). The award consisted of a trophy and a cash grant of US$10,000 intended to encourage recipients in their efforts to build a better Asean community. The post Asean Award Under Its Belt, Burma Business Group Vows to Continue Work appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Eight Detained Students Sent to Rangoon for Medical Treatment Posted: 02 Dec 2015 12:12 AM PST Detained students arrive at Thayawady District Court in Pegu Division in October, 2015. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Eight student protesters and their supporters detained at Thayawady Prison in Pegu Division since March have been sent to Rangoon General Hospital for medical checkups and to receive necessary treatment following a court appearance on Tuesday. The activists who were sent to Rangoon General Hospital were Khin Maung Win, Min Min Zaw, Bo Bo Myo, Myo Htet Paing, Tezar Htut, Wai Yan Tun, Kyaw Swa Lin and Honey Oo. "They have been sent to Rangoon Hospital because medical checkups at Thayawady Hospital are not enough," said Khin Khin Yu, the mother of detained student Min Thway Thit, adding that the families of those detained had long asked authorities to allow more frequent medical checkups. "Two weeks ago, we had an outside doctor give medical checkups and only then did we know that the children are suffering from around three different health problems each. It is partly because of the [police] beating," she said. Around 50 student activists and supporters remain behind bars for their role in nationwide protests against the controversial National Education Law earlier this year which culminated in a violent police crackdown on peaceful protesters at Letpadan, Pegu Division, on March 10. Min Thway Thit and Htein Lin Aung who are still being detained at Thayawady Prison had throat X-rays on Monday at the doctor's instruction, according to Khin Khin Yu. She said some students had symptoms of Tuberculosis and one student had been found to have Hepatitis C. Last month, a group of the detained students ended a hunger strike that, at its peak, involved 15 students and supporters. The hunger strike was initiated by Aung Hmein San in Thayawady prison on October 23 in protest at the continued incarceration of political prisoners in Burma. The students' next court appearance in a protracted legal process is scheduled for December 8. Translated by Thet Ko Ko. The post Eight Detained Students Sent to Rangoon for Medical Treatment appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Raimon Land Unveils New Condominium Development Posted: 01 Dec 2015 09:55 PM PST The Lofts Asoke: Raw Industrial Interior Styling (Sky Loft Duplex) SPONSORED CONTENT — Leading Thai real estate developer Raimon Land recently unveiled plans for the new Lofts Asoke freehold condominium development located in Bangkok's Sukhumvit, in a prime location on Asoke road just 150 meters from the MRT and airport link. According to Raimon Land, the Lofts Asoke provides 211 units ranging from one to three bedrooms, with designs inspired by stylish loft districts around the world, including Tribeca, SOHO and London Docklands. The development boasts a gym, sky garden and swimming pool with views over the city, as well as a workspace/lounge area. "The Lofts Asoke location provides the convenience of being near the thick of the action in downtown Bangkok," said Mr. Gerard Healy, Head of Development, Raimon Land. "The 2nd floor lounge and intelligent workspace exclusively for residents is an innovation to build a sense of community, with technology, décor and services designed for exchanging ideas through collaborative meetings, films/events, study or relaxation." Public presales commenced on November 6-8 at The Lofts Ekkamai Sales Gallery. The post Raimon Land Unveils New Condominium Development appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UNHCR Welcomes Reduction of Stateless People in Thailand Posted: 01 Dec 2015 09:48 PM PST Sunisa, a young ethnic Akha girl, carries her sister in Mae Fa Luang District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand, August 19, 2011. (Photo: Sukree Sukplang / Reuters) The UN Refugee Agency on Tuesday welcomed the government's announcement that 18,773 formerly stateless people have been granted citizenship over the last three years. Statistics shared by the Department of Provincial Administration processing nationality applications, show a total of 443,862 stateless persons recorded in the governmental database as of the end of October, the agency said. "It's very encouraging to see that people who faced difficulties in accessing civil-status documentation, formal employment or health services as a result of their undefined legal status, are now recognized as Thai nationals and enjoy unrestricted access to rights and services as full members of the Thai society," said Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)'s representative in Thailand. In Thailand's northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Tak, UNHCR supports various initiatives aimed at facilitating access to nationality, through sensitization of communities, assistance in completing applications, follow-up on pending applications and counseling, in tandem with the important work done by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn focusing on greater access to nationality for school aged children and vulnerable persons. In recent years, UNHCR has worked with the authorities to reach out to people who face difficulties in proving their nationality and often live in remote areas. The agency supported capacity building programs for nationality officers at district level and funded the deployment of mobile teams to remote villages. "These figures and the commitment to the nationality application process at various levels of the national administration really show the potential for ending statelessness in Thailand," Ms Menikdiwela said on Tuesday. "This is also the result of years of sustained efforts by civil society actors, research groups and civil servants of the Bureau of Registration Administration." This article first appeared here on the Bangkok Post. The post UNHCR Welcomes Reduction of Stateless People in Thailand appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Behind ‘Massive’ Cyber-Attack on Australian Government Posted: 01 Dec 2015 09:33 PM PST Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, second right, shakes hands with embassy staff as China's Ambassador to Australia Zhang Junsai, right, looks on, June 20, 2010. (Photo: Andrew Taylor / Reuters) SYDNEY — A major cyber-attack against Australia's Bureau of Meteorology that may have compromised potentially sensitive national security information is being blamed on China, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Wednesday. The Bureau of Meteorology owns one of Australia's largest supercomputers and the attack, which the ABC said occurred in recent days, may have allowed those responsible access to the Department of Defense through a linked network. The ABC, citing several unidentified sources with knowledge of the "massive" breach, placed the blame on China, which has in the past been accused of hacking sensitive Australian government computer systems. "It's China," the ABC quoted one source as saying. The Bureau of Meteorology said in a statement on its website that it did not comment on security matters, but that it was working closely with security agencies and that its computer systems were fully operational. The Australian Federal Police declined to comment on the matter. The Department of Defense said in a statement that it was barred by policy from commenting on specific cyber security incidents. The Chinese Embassy in Canberra could not be reached for comment. China has long been accused of using its considerable computing resources to infiltrate online businesses for competitive advantage, as well as conducting acts of cyber espionage. In June, US officials blamed Chinese hackers for compromising the records of up to 4 million current and former government employees. China called the US comments irresponsible, while President Barack Obama vowed that the United States would aggressively bolster its cyber defenses. China is Australia's top trading partner, with two-way trade of about Aus$150 billion (US$110 billion) in 2013, and they signed a landmark free trade agreement in 2014 that is likely to further boost commercial ties. Australia needs China's help to transition from a reliance on exports of minerals such as coal and iron ore to expanding its food and agricultural exports to a growing Asian middle class, moving from a "mining boom" to a "dining boom." But Chinese firms have been locked out of sensitive deals in the past over security concerns, most prominently a decision in 2013 to bar Huawei from bidding on Australia's National Broadband Network, a deal worth tens of billions of dollars. The post China Behind 'Massive' Cyber-Attack on Australian Government appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indian Plan to Let Kids Work in Family Business Is Backward Step: Satyarthi Posted: 01 Dec 2015 09:27 PM PST Kailash Satyarthi, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, takes part in a panel during the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting in New York, September 27, 2015. (Photo: Lucas Jackson / Reuters) NEW DELHI — India's plans to allow children to work for family businesses and bar teenagers from employment in only a few hazardous industries are "regressive," Nobel Laureate and child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi said on Tuesday. The government wants to amend a three-decade-old law which bans children under 14 from working in 18 hazardous occupations and 65 processes including mining, gem cutting, cement manufacture and hand-looms. If passed by parliament in the coming weeks, the changes will outlaw child labor below 14 in all sectors, stiffen penalties for offenders and expand the age range covered to 15- to 18-year-olds. But there are exceptions. Children who help their family or family businesses can work outside school hours, and those in entertainment or sports can work provided it does not affect their education. Also, children aged 15 to 18 will be barred from working in only three hazardous industries, Satyarthi said. Satyarthi, whose charity Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) is credited with rescuing more than 80,000 enslaved children, said he welcomed the move to amend the child labor law, but disagreed with the two exemptions. "I definitely appreciate the government's move to enhance the age of employment from 14 to 18, but these are two serious grey areas," Satyarthi said, speaking during an event hosted by the United Nations in the Indian capital. "Finally, the government has agreed to bring an amendment to the existing law, but what is more shocking is that this amendment is regressive, it is not progressive." There are 5.7 million Indian child workers between the ages of five and 17, out of 168 million globally, an International Labour Organization report said in February. More than half are in agriculture, toiling in cotton, sugarcane and rice paddy fields, and over a quarter work in manufacturing—confined to poorly lit, barely ventilated rooms embroidering clothes, weaving carpets or making matchsticks. Indian children also work in restaurants and hotels, washing dishes and chopping vegetables, or in middle-class homes, looking after other children or cleaning and scrubbing floors. Satyarthi asked how the law would be implemented in a country where most enslaved children do not have birth certificates, and traffickers and employers pretend to be their uncles or other relatives. "I have personally rescued thousands of children, and most times in small-scale industries especially, the employers, traffickers and slave masters claim that they are uncles of the children," said Satyarthi, who was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousefzai. "Who is going to do a DNA test on them to check if they are related to the children?" The government says the exemptions aim at striking a balance between education and India's socio-economic reality, where children must go to school but also help their parents in occupations like agriculture and artisanship. The post Indian Plan to Let Kids Work in Family Business Is Backward Step: Satyarthi appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Int’l NY Times’ Thai Printer Refuses to Run Front-Page Story Posted: 01 Dec 2015 09:20 PM PST Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha delivers a speech during the opening session of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) at Le Bourget, near Paris, France, on Nov. 30, 2015 (Photo: Stephane Mahe / Reuters) BANGKOK — The printer of The International New York Times in Thailand refused to print an article portraying a gloomy outlook for the country, leaving in its place a large blank space at the center of Tuesday's front page. The printing company called the story too "sensitive," but declined to specify the offending material. The article, titled "Thai spirits sagging with the economy" in the paper's other Asian editions, described a moribund economy, pessimism after years of political turmoil and concern about the royal succession. The military took power in a May 2014 coup, and elections that were promised have been put off until at least 2017. Discussion of the monarchy has always been a delicate matter in Thailand, where strict laws limit frank discussion of the royal family. But freedom of speech has been constricted even further under the military government, prompting many publications and reporters to self-censor to avoid offending the junta. There was no indication that the government was involved in the decision not to print the story. An official at Eastern Printing Co. overseeing the newspaper's account said the printer decided not to publish the article because it was "inappropriate," without elaborating. In place of the article was a two-line note that said: "The article in this space was removed by our printer in Thailand. The International New York Times and its editorial staff had no role in its removal." "It's sensitive," said the official, who declined to give her name for that reason. "The printing company has the right to deny printing articles that touch upon inappropriate issues, according to the contract." Beyond highlighting a general sour mood among Thais, the article touches on the eventual succession of the ailing 87-year-old king. Insulting the monarchy is punishable by three to 15 years in prison. Another blank space appeared on page 6, where the rest of the article was to run. However, the article was still available online to readers in Thailand. This is the second time in three months that the newspaper's local printer has blocked publication of a piece about Thailand. The printer decided not to publish the entire Sept. 22 edition because it contained an article about the future of the Thai monarchy that it also called "too sensitive to print." Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for The New York Times, said it was notified about the printer's decision, but that the newspaper played no role in it. Murphy said there have been rare instances in other countries where printers have chosen not to publish stories because they were deemed too sensitive. "We understand the pressures local publishers sometimes face, but we regret any censorship of our journalism," she wrote in an email. The newspaper, known until 2013 as the International Herald Tribune, announced recently that it was ceasing printing and distributing its print edition in Thailand as of year-end. In a letter to subscribers, it attributed the decision to rising operating costs. The junta, which has curbed dissent through intimidation and detentions, also has said that defense of the monarchy is its priority, and has vigorously pursued prosecutions under the law. Over the past year, there has been a significant increase in convictions. In a 41-page report on Thailand issued last month, the Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders noted that due to censorship, threats and harassment of the media and increasing use of repressive laws, the country "is now seen as one of the region's most authoritarian regimes as regards journalists and freedom of information." The post Int'l NY Times' Thai Printer Refuses to Run Front-Page Story appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Nominee to Be Burma’s Envoy Does Not See Big Sanctions Changes Posted: 01 Dec 2015 08:59 PM PST Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Scot Marciel, pictured in 2008. (Photo: Reuters) WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama's nominee to be ambassador to Burma said on Tuesday he does not anticipate major changes in US sanctions in the wake of the country's historic election last month. "I would not anticipate, nor recommend any dramatic change," Scot Marciel, currently a deputy assistant secretary of State and former ambassador to Indonesia, said at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. However, Marciel said the sanctions system is "somewhat dynamic" and allows the measures to be eased if the targets are found to have made significant changes. Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won a resounding victory in Burma's Nov. 8 polls, which were seen as a significant step toward ending decades of military rule. The Obama administration, which has continued deep concerns about human rights and other issues in the country, has remained cautious. US officials have said they would watch for the democratic process to move forward before lifting more sanctions, which target more than 100 individuals and businesses and limit US investment in Burma. Generally, however, Washington is eager to expand relations with Burma as part of an effort to counteract China's rise in Asia and take advantage of a growing, emerging economy. Obama nominated Marciel to be his next envoy to Burma in October. To be confirmed, he must first be approved by the foreign relations panel, and then by the full US Senate. The date for those votes has not been set. There was no sign during the confirmation hearing of significant resistance to Marciel's appointment. The post US Nominee to Be Burma's Envoy Does Not See Big Sanctions Changes appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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