The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• After Decades in Limbo, A Family Will Put Their Daughter’s Soul to Rest
• Burma Repatriates 48 Bangladeshi Migrants
• As Conflict Abates, Shan State Rebels Weigh Naypyidaw Dialogue
• Spurned NDF Sees Future in Govt Oversight
• In Paris for Climate Talks, Burmese Activists Urge Govt to Follow Through on Action Plan
• Should the NLD Look West to Bolster Burma’s Economy?
• ‘Building Bridges’
• India to Ban Old Trucks as Cities Choke on Dirty Air
• Satellite Photos Show North Korea Digging New Nuclear Tunnel: Report
• Conflict-Hit Women Need More Reproductive, Sexual Health Aid: UN Agency Head
• Malaysia’s PM Najib to Meet Anti-Graft Agency Over 1MDB Scandal
• UN Food Agency Faces $40 million Burma Funding Shortfall to Mid-2016

After Decades in Limbo, A Family Will Put Their Daughter’s Soul to Rest Posted: 03 Dec 2015 03:48 AM PST This iconic photo, pictured in the Oct. 3, 1988 issue of Newsweek's Asia edition, shows Win Maw Oo being carried away by doctors after being shot by soldiers in Rangoon. RANGOON — Win Maw Oo's parents kept their promise for 27 years, steadfastly waiting for the moment they could bestow peace on her restless soul. They now believe that moment will arrive early next year when the party of Aung San Suu Kyi takes power. Most people recognize Win Maw Oo as the blood-soaked young woman who was pictured being carried away by two medics during the 1988 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Rangoon. That photograph, which appeared in the Oct. 3, 1988 issue of Newsweek's Asia edition, became an iconic reminder of the brutal event. After learning that she had been shot down and left unconscious, her father frantically searched the wards of Rangoon General Hospital until he found her.  From what turned out to be her deathbed, then 16-year-old Win Maw Oo begged her father not to perform Buddhist funeral rites until "Burma enjoys democracy." The request was difficult for her family to accept; Burmese Buddhists share a deeply rooted traditional belief that a person's soul cannot rest in peace until his or her name is called out by the family to share their merit with the deceased. It was painful for them, believing that their daughter's soul wandered in limbo for more than two decades, but now they plan to put her to rest. "We will do it right after Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's new democratic government comes to power next year," her father, Win Kyu, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday. The rite of calling out the name of the deceased, which is known in Burmese as a hmya pay, will be repeated on the anniversary of her untimely death, Sept. 19. The traditional rite will also be held in her honor in Irrawaddy Division on Sunday, organized by Ohn Kyaw, a former political prisoner in Nyaungdon Township. "Given the current political situation—and as a fellow comrade," Ohn Kyaw said, "I just wish for Win Maw Oo's soul to rest in peace. That's why I arranged the event and I have got her parents' permission." Win Kyu said that he and his wife will attend the ceremony, but they will not perform the rite of calling out her name, stating that "we will only do it once Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's government has come to power." Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), secured a landslide victory in the Nov. 8 general election, granting it the power to form the next administration. The party had won a 1990 election in similar fashion, but the results were annulled by the military. Twenty-five years later, the party looks certain to assume its rightful place among Burma's leadership. "It will be good for both the country and my daughter," Win Kyu said, "Burma gets democracy and my daughter's soul will be put to rest." The post After Decades in Limbo, A Family Will Put Their Daughter's Soul to Rest appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Repatriates 48 Bangladeshi Migrants Posted: 03 Dec 2015 03:37 AM PST Migrants from Bangladesh, who were rescued by the Burma Navy, are seen at a Muslim religious school used as a temporary refugee camp at Aletankyaw village in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, May 23, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — Burma repatriated 48 Bangladeshi nationals on Wednesday, bringing the total number of "boat people" returned to the country's western neighbor since May to 777, according to state-run media. In May and June, thousands of people from Bangladesh and Burma's Arakan State boarded rickety boats in search of work or refuge abroad, with many ending up in the hands of human traffickers. A Thai crackdown on the unscrupulous trade spooked many traffickers who abandoned their human cargo, leading to a regional crisis as countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand initially baulked on accepting those stranded at sea. Among those seeking sanctuary abroad were Rohingya Muslims, a stateless minority that largely lives in apartheid-like conditions since deadly violence erupted in Arakan State in 2012. Tareque Muhammad, Minister & Deputy Chief of Mission of the Bangladeshi Embassy in Rangoon, provided slightly different repatriation figures to those carried in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar on Thursday. He told The Irrawaddy that 781 verified Bangladeshi citizens had been repatriated in several batches since June and confirmed that the repatriation process had now concluded. However, Khin Maung Lwin, a Maungdaw district administrator, said 28 people still remained to be deported to Bangladesh. The Burmese government initially claimed that 853 migrants were from Bangladesh, according to Tareque Muhammad, but Bangladeshi authorities tallied 799. The remaining 18 nationals verified by Bangladesh had either fled from the camp in Maungdaw Township to an unknown location or had made their own way back across the Burma-Bangladesh border, he said. Arakan State information department director Hla Thein could not be reached for comment on Thursday. In late May, a conference was convened in Bangkok to address the "boat people" crisis, attended by regional delegates, US and Japanese officials, as well as United Nations and International Organization for Migration (IOM) representatives. A follow-up to that meeting will convene in Bangkok on Friday. The post Burma Repatriates 48 Bangladeshi Migrants appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

As Conflict Abates, Shan State Rebels Weigh Naypyidaw Dialogue Posted: 03 Dec 2015 02:50 AM PST Sai Khum Lum, a farmer from Mong Ark village in Mong Hsu Township, has been living at a displacement camp following fighting between the Burma Army and Shan State Army-North. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) WAN HAI, Kyethi Township, Shan State — Leaders of the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) may soon travel to Naypyidaw to meet with the government, amid a lull in fighting but simmering tensions as a territorial standoff here enters its ninth week. The Shan rebel group earlier this week decided it would not comply with a Burma Army demand that its armed forces withdraw from positions east of a road cutting though Mong Nawng, Mong Hsu and Kyethi townships in central Shan State, vowing to instead defend its Wan Hai headquarters. A deadline for the pullout, set by the Burma Army, came and went without event on Sunday. Two days later, the military's Eastern Central Command phoned the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N), the SSPP's militant wing, in an apparent effort to resolve the impasse, but leaders from the Shan rebel group declined an invitation to meet at the regional command's Kho Lam headquarters. Maj. Sai Han Kham from the SSA-N said his group would consider pulling back its troops from their positions east of the motorway if Naypyidaw could guarantee that there would be no more attacks on the Shan armed group following the withdrawal. "We talked about this with the Eastern Central Command commander [Lt-Gen Yar Pyae], but he could not give a guarantee on this. This is why he told our leaders to talk to Naypyidaw," said Sai Han Kham. "They promised us that their ground troops would not attack us during our leaders' travels to Naypyidaw. We hope that we will have a little peace for a while," he said. The personal assistant for Thein Zaw, a member of the government's Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UWPC), told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the two sides had agreed to meet in the capital, though no date had yet been set. Previously, a government delegation led by President's Office Minister and UWPC member Aung Min met with SSPP representatives, including the party's vice-chairman, in Rangoon on Nov. 23-24. SSA-N troops have been on heightened alert since the Sunday deadline for their withdrawal passed, fearing another Burma Army offensive was imminent. As of Thursday afternoon, no renewed fighting had been reported despite the expiry of the troop withdrawal deadline. "They could come and attack us at an area where we do not expect, so we all have to be alert for our security," said Sai K-Main, deputy chief of the SSA-N. About 200 Burma Army troops have been deployed to a hilltop post overlooking Mong Hsu Township's Mong Ark village, and more soldiers have been stationed in Mong Nawng Township, with locals fearful that the buildup presages another attack. Fighting between the two sides first flared on Oct. 6 and hostilities have recurred in the weeks since, with the Burma Army launching multiple offensives that have at times included aerial support and heavy artillery fire. The SSA-N has deployed about 1,000 troops to its headquarters and the surrounding area in anticipation of any such offensive, according to leaders of the Shan armed group. Monastic to Militant Even as SSA-N representatives consider meeting the government at the negotiating table, there are signs that a resolve to continue the fight—if necessary—is hardening here, and not just among longstanding members of the Shan armed group. Until last month, Sao Thiha was a Buddhist monk in Mong Nawng Township, but less than two weeks ago he decided to shed his robes to join the SSA-N's armed resistance, he told The Irrawaddy at Wan Hai. Sao Thiha said at least two other monks had followed suit after their monastery came under attack from the Burma Army. "I feel it is the right time to do it, time to take action against injustice. It was just 10 days ago that I changed to this new life," said Sao Thiha, adding that in addition to his former monastery sustaining damage from Burma Army fire, soldiers at one point conducted a search of the building, suspecting, erroneously, that SSA-N soldiers were hiding inside. "For us, we want to act in accordance with justice, but they do not act according to justice. They oppress our people. All our Shan and other ethnic groups have been suffering from human rights abuses," said Sao Thiha, wearing a newly minted SSA-N uniform with a pistol holstered at his waist. "I have seen this for a long time. How I could keep my tolerance, having seen this for so long?" For now, the monk turned soldier will spend his time among those displaced by the fighting. "I will take whatever duty they assign to me. I am ready to help them," he said of the SSA-N. "They have given me a duty to help IDPs [internally displaced persons]. They do not give me big responsibility yet as I am a new recruit." Battlefields and Paddy Fields Sai Khum Lum from Mong Ark village said the protracted hostilities were a threat to livelihoods and, ultimately, farming communities' survival. "Our problem is that we cannot cultivate our paddy fields. The Burma Army will shoot us if we do, so we are afraid to go to the fields to cultivate," said the 52-year-old farmer. From its hilltop position near Mong Ark village, the Burma Army has a line of sight down to the paddy fields that serve as an informal buffer between its troops and the SSA-N. Sai Khum Lum said two of his friends who were farmers from Mong Ark were shot by government troops last month after they attempted to cultivate this year's crop. One was killed and the other wounded, he said. When The Irrawaddy met Sai Khum Lum at an IDP camp on Wednesday, he described the latest setback in efforts to resume some semblance of normal life. "We planned to cultivate early this morning, but we stopped when we heard [Burma Army] gunfire. "I worry that our people will starve," said the father of five, pointing to local residents' reliance on the rice harvest for subsistence. Sai Khum Lum said this was first time in his life that he has had to flee his village and all but abandon his crops. "I was born in here. We lived in peace. But now the Burma Army has destroyed our peaceful life," he said. Additional reporting by Nang Seng Nom in Rangoon. The post As Conflict Abates, Shan State Rebels Weigh Naypyidaw Dialogue appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Spurned NDF Sees Future in Govt Oversight Posted: 03 Dec 2015 01:19 AM PST A National Democratic Force candidate at a rally in downtown Rangoon during the election campaign. (Photo: NDF / Facebook) RANGOON — After failing to win any seats in last month's election, the National Democratic Force (NDF) has vowed to continue its political activities by setting up an oversight group to monitor the activities of the next government. The Political Monitoring and Evaluation Society of Myanmar (PMESM) was announced on Nov. 9, the day after the poll, and its leadership is comprised of unsuccessful candidates from the NDF. It expects to begin its activities in January, shortly before elected candidates take their seat in the next parliament. "Mainly, we'll be constructive and aim for the public interest," said Kyaw Thura, who failed to win the Lower House seat of Kyauktada in downtown Rangoon last month. "We won't be the opposition to the new government, but we will stand up for people against things which are unacceptable to the majority of citizens and which can harm the interests of the people." Htet Aung Kyaw, who had unsuccessfully contested a divisional seat in Rangoon's Latha Township, said the group so far had a membership of over 200 people. Other parties that unsuccessfully contested the election say that they were not inclined to join the monitoring group until they had a clearer idea of its purpose and function. "We'll have to wait and see if their actions will really contribute to the new government of the victorious party and future development of the country," said Aung Moe Zaw, the chairman of the Democratic Party for a New Society. "I think it is too early to give comment now as it has not even been established. We'll wait and see what they will do before deciding whether or not to join them." The NDF, composed largely of erstwhile members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), broke with their former party in 2010 as a result of the NLD's decision to boycott that year's election. The party won 16 of the 161 regional and Union seats it contested in 2010, but failed to pick up any of the 13 seats it sought in the 2012 byelections. In 2011, three lawmakers broke away to form the New National Democracy Party, which also failed to win seats in the Nov. 8 poll. A number of other NDF lawmakers defected to the NLD soon after that party swept the 2012 byelections. The post Spurned NDF Sees Future in Govt Oversight appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

In Paris for Climate Talks, Burmese Activists Urge Govt to Follow Through on Action Plan Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:11 AM PST Thar Zin Oo, environmental activist and chair of Gaiha Hita, in Paris for a UN climate conference in December. (Photo: Yen Snaing / The Irrawaddy) PARIS, France — Burmese environmental activists in Paris for a 195-nation UN climate conference that began on Monday have urged for cross-sector cooperation to implement the mitigation proposals outlined in Burma's climate action plan. Burma is among 157 countries to submit an Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) action plan ahead of the conference, outlining commitments to help prevent average global temperatures rising above 2 degrees Celsius as the basis of a new international agreement. In Burma's INDC, the country specifies proposed actions in the forestry and energy sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The government has targeted to maintain 30 percent of total national land area as "Reserved Forest" and "Protected Public Forest," alongside 10 percent of total national land area as "Protected Area Systems." To decrease the rate of deforestation would provide a "significant mitigation contribution," according to Burma's submission. In the energy sector, the country forecast an increase in the share of hydroelectric generation to 9.4GW by 2030; pledged to provide electricity to rural areas at least 30 percent of which would utilize clean energy sources; and targeted improving energy efficiency and savings potential in line with an "Improvement of Industrial Energy Efficiency" project being pursued in cooperation with the UN Industrial Development Organization. In Paris for the conference, Thar Zin Oo, chairman ofenvironmental group Gaiha Hita, said he was supportive of Burma's INDCs as it reflected the concept of climate justice. The bigger issue, he said, was implementation. "We will have a new government soon and changes in ministries. People are very excited and happy for change. But in our youths' view, change should lead not only to development but development that is sustainable," he said. Aung Myint, general secretary of the Renewable Energy Association Myanmar, concurred that ensuring implementation of the government's proposed mitigation actions would be crucial and necessarily require collaboration across the board. "The state has beautifully drawn the laws and procedures. But in reality, there are so many difficulties to implement them practically, especially on environmental issues… It not only concernsthe environment ministry but also mining, water, electricity. Coordination between ministries is very important," he said, adding that the public must play a part in ensuring pledges were realized. Thar Zin Oowas hopeful that the space for civil society input on environmental issues would broaden under a new National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government in 2016. When asked what environment-related challenges the new government would face, the green activist highlighted issues over land, investment and new agricultural methods. "There are lots of companies who are interested in providing[new agricultural] techniques. We don't know what kind of companies will come. Are they organic or chemical or GM companies? Will companies with a bad history come?" he said. Ei Khin Khin, co-founder of Mya Chemical Free, an outlet providing organic fruit and vegetables based in Rangoon, said businesses should not view civil society organizations (CSOs) as the enemy. "Businessesshould work together with CSOs," she said, highlighting the need to collaborate on corporate social responsibility (CSR) concerns. Delegates of 195 countries that have signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are attending the conference in Paris, which is scheduled to run until Dec. 11 and herald a new global pact on combating climate change. According to the "Global Climate Risk Index 2015," issued by Germanwatch, Burma ranked as one of three countries around the world most affected by extreme weather events for the period 1994 to 2013. For Thar Zin Oo,responding to climate change is every citizen's duty. "We already have a national-level climate change strategy and action plan. Everyone just needs to be dutiful," he said. The post In Paris for Climate Talks, Burmese Activists Urge Govt to Follow Through on Action Plan appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Should the NLD Look West to Bolster Burma’s Economy? Posted: 02 Dec 2015 11:37 PM PST Laborers work on a scaffold at a construction site in downtown Rangoon on Oct. 31, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — With the National League for Democracy (NLD) set to take office in March, a critical question remains in Burma's post-election landscape: Who will be the party's key international business partners—countries in the neighborhood or further to the West? Even before her party's victory in Burma's historic Nov. 8 election, NLD chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi met with dozens of ambassadors and other Western diplomats to talk about the future for the former pariah state. But rather than providing clarity for the country's next business steps, the meeting shone a light on competing interests within Burma's business community. Maung Maung Lay, vice chairman of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers and Commerce Industry, suggested that Burma's attention should remain on its tried and true Asean partnerships. "There are more than 600 million people in this region—it's massive—and the people here have stood with us [Burma] and have contributed to good business partnerships for many years," he said. "Thailand and Singapore have always supported us. Their investment in our country is huge." Last year Singapore topped the list of foreign investors in Burma with US$4.2 billion, with Thailand following. China was not far behind. "Don't forget that we should also build relationships with China and India," Maung Maung Lay added. "The new government needs to know how to maintain its existing partnerships while also creating new ones." Yet while China and India play important investment roles in Burma, some observers say that the government should turn more toward the West. "If the next government can deal with the US and countries in the EU well, we [Burma] will see many opportunities opened to us, such as the expansion of the market and the lifting of US sanctions. If we have a good relationship with the US, then other countries will surely follow," said Soe Tun, chairman of the Automobile Dealers Association. He pointed out that economic development in Burma remains slow compared to many other countries. "My view regarding our [Burma's] major trading partners in the Asean community as well as countries such as China is that we already have good relationships with them. We don't need to worry about them. We should instead consider building new relationships," he said. Observers in both camps believe that Japan will be a key player in Burma's economic reforms by contributing to official development assistance (ODA) and building up the country's infrastructure. The NLD has released its economic policy to the public, highlighting five primary pillars: fiscal prudence, lean and efficient government, revitalizing agriculture, monetary and fiscal stability, and creating a functioning infrastructure. The NLD also maintains that its policy complies with domestic laws and is consistent with international human rights standards for the improvement of foreign direct investment (FDI). Yet some observers are wary of the extent to which economic reform will protect local businesses as it also looks to international companies to invest in Burma. "Actually, the new government only needs to look out for our [Burma's] people, not for other countries that might try to benefit from us," said Thein Tun, chairman of the Tun Foundation Bank and MGS distribution. "Do you know that at least 60 percent of companies here are owned by foreign citizens? The new government needs to know how to protect local industries here." He added that he welcomes more foreign direct investment, but that the percentage of company ownership is critical for local people to compete on a level playing field. "Nobody will benefit if they [the new government] don't look out for local industries," Thein Tun said. Amendments to Burma's investment law are still being deliberated by Parliament. The post Should the NLD Look West to Bolster Burma's Economy? appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

‘Building Bridges’ Posted: 02 Dec 2015 11:18 PM PST ‘Building Bridges’ The post ‘Building Bridges’ appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

India to Ban Old Trucks as Cities Choke on Dirty Air Posted: 02 Dec 2015 09:17 PM PST Auto rickshaws move past parked trucks along a national highway on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on Dec. 2. (Photo: Amit Dave / Reuters) NEW DELHI — India will force all commercial trucks more than 15 years old off the road from April and is reviewing how it checks vehicle emissions, a senior transport official said, as the government tries to curb soaring urban air pollution. The World Health Organization said last year that India had 13 of the 20 most polluted cities on the planet, including the worst offender, New Delhi. Fumes spewed by a multiplying fleet of commercial vehicles, many of them old and badly maintained, are one of the biggest contributors to air pollution nationally: the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) think-tank estimates their share of vehicular emissions at 60 percent. "We are to make 15 years the end of the life for all commercial vehicles," Vijay Chhibber, the top bureaucrat in the transport ministry, told Reuters, saying the order, not previously reported, would be made public within 10 days and the ban enforced next April. "It [air pollution] will get worse every year unless we do something." Hauliers complained such a move would unfairly single them out, while experts said the ban was only a part of the solution. "Taxes on cars and parking charges should be raised to curtail usage, and public transport should be expanded," said Vivek Chattopadhyay, a pollution expert at the CSE. "Emissions are not just related to age." Smog has blanketed the Indian capital this week as a global climate summit began in Paris, a reminder of how hard it will be for India to achieve economic growth and prosperity without pollution getting worse. Despite growing recognition of the problem, weak coordination and enforcement have hobbled action to clean India's cities and tackle a health crisis that causes more than 600,000 premature deaths annually. "Inhaler Around the Clock" It was not clear how enforcement of the proposed ban would work, given faltering efforts to bar smoke-belching vehicles from the streets of New Delhi. "There is dust, pollution in the air and I have grave difficulty breathing," said 48-year-old asthmatic Abdul Razik Kamal, who sells tea from a roadside stall near one of New Delhi's main entry points for commercial trucks. "There are many more cars in Delhi today than there were a few years ago and I have to use the inhaler around the clock." China has declared a "war on pollution", with Beijing pledging billions to clean up its act, close coal-fired power plants and cut new car registrations. India said last week it would bring forward the date by which vehicles must comply with tighter emissions standards by three years to 2019, although the country is still behind emission norms followed in Europe and China. New car sales are booming, hitting close to 200,000 in October, their fastest monthly rate of growth in three years, as more urban Indians can afford to drive. The transport ministry also wants to overhaul emission tests on private cars to ensure the measures are age- and vehicle-specific, as in the West. Choking Capital In New Delhi, where an expanding metro system has failed to slow the spread of private vehicles, 1,400 extra cars hit the streets every day. The US embassy's monitoring station has recorded an air quality index in excess of 400 this week, a level that is hazardous even to healthy people. Pollution typically worsens in the winter months as the cooling of temperatures combines with pollution to cover the city, home to 16 million people, in smog. Authorities have launched monthly car-free days in some areas. They have also levied a "green" tax to encourage the 52,000 commercial vehicles that enter the city daily to take alternative routes. Delhi-based haulier Jigyasu Wadhwa, whose company runs a fleet of 200 vehicles, said the government was wrong to cast all older trucks as culprits when many newer, badly maintained vehicles were far more polluting and never penalized. "Generalizing the impact 15-year-old vehicles have on the environment is stupid," he said. "The government needs to ensure people get their vehicles maintained, whatever the age." The post India to Ban Old Trucks as Cities Choke on Dirty Air appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Satellite Photos Show North Korea Digging New Nuclear Tunnel: Report Posted: 02 Dec 2015 09:09 PM PST A North (R) and a South Korean army soldier stand guard as members of the Group of Eminent Persons of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization visit the border village of Panmunjom that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, South Korea, June 26, 2015. (Photo: Ahn Young-joon / Reuters) WASHINGTON — Satellite photographs from October and early November indicate North Korea is digging a new tunnel for nuclear testing, but there are no signs that such a test is imminent, a US research institute said on Wednesday. A report on 38 North, a North Korea monitoring website run by Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, said the images showed significant construction since April at Punggye-ri, on North Korea's east coast, where three previous nuclear tests were conducted. The commercial images showed excavation of a new tunnel in addition to the three others where North Korea has either conducted nuclear tests or excavated tunnels in the past, the report said. "While there are no indications that a nuclear test is imminent, the new tunnel adds to North Korea's ability to conduct additional detonations at Punggye-ri over the coming years if it chooses to do so," the report said. On Oct. 30, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a South Korean government source as saying there was active movement of workers and vehicles working on a new tunnel at the site. The source said this indicated an intention is to conduct a nuclear test "at some point," though this did not appear to be imminent. North Korea conducted its last nuclear test in 2013, drawing international condemnation including from China, its main diplomatic ally. North Korea is under United Nations sanctions that ban trade that can fund its arms program. Pyongyang has vowed to continue to conduct nuclear tests and to launch what it says is a rocket to put a satellite into orbit, something South Korea and its main ally, the United States, say would be a disguised long-range missile test. Early this month, the United States and South Korean defense chiefs expressed "grave concern" over North Korea test plans and urged it to cease all activities related to its nuclear program immediately. The post Satellite Photos Show North Korea Digging New Nuclear Tunnel: Report appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Conflict-Hit Women Need More Reproductive, Sexual Health Aid: UN Agency Head Posted: 02 Dec 2015 09:04 PM PST A pregnant Syrian woman sits in her tent at a refugee camp in the Turkish border town of Boynuegin in Hatay province June 18, 2011. LONDON — Around a quarter of the 100 million people globally who need humanitarian aid are women or teenage girls of childbearing age, but sexual and reproductive health services are underfunded, the United Nations said on Wednesday. More than 500 women die each day from complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth in states facing conflict or disaster, the UN population fund (UNFPA) says, three fifths of maternal deaths today occurring in these "fragile" countries. "The health and rights of women and adolescents should not be treated like an afterthought in humanitarian response," said Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of UNFPA. "For the pregnant woman who is about to deliver, or the adolescent girl who survived sexual violence, life-saving services are as vital as water, food and shelter." Women in need of aid because of conflict or disaster are more vulnerable to sexual violence, sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies, he said. "Having the means to prevent a pregnancy and being safe from sexual violence—these are basic human rights. Women don't stop giving birth when a conflict breaks out or disaster strikes." Some 59.5 million people worldwide are currently displaced by conflict—around a fifth of them Syrians, the largest number since the end of World War Two, the UNFPA study said. While sprawling refugee camps like Dadaab in Kenya and Zaatari in Jordan get much of the media's attention, two in three refugees live in urban areas. For the minority who do live in camps, the average stay is 20 years, UNFPA says. Directing humanitarian aid to protect women of childbearing age is crucial, both to lessen present suffering and reduce it in the future, but current resources are insufficient, Osotimehin said. "We need to do a much better job of helping the most vulnerable, especially adolescent girls. But we must also do a much better job of investing in a more stable world, capable of withstanding the storms ahead." The post Conflict-Hit Women Need More Reproductive, Sexual Health Aid: UN Agency Head appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Malaysia’s PM Najib to Meet Anti-Graft Agency Over 1MDB Scandal Posted: 02 Dec 2015 08:58 PM PST Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak arrives for an East Asia Summit meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 22, 2015. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst / Reuters) KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak will give a statement to an anti-graft agency on Thursday over funds worth 2.6 billion ringgit ($611.48 million) that were transferred into his bank accounts, a source aware of the meeting said. Najib is facing calls to step down over a graft scandal surrounding state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) that erupted in July when the Wall Street Journal reported that investigators had found that funds had been transferred into Najib's bank accounts. The source said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) would record a statement in connection with its investigation into graft allegations at 1MDB and its subsidiary, SRC International. Najib had earlier made a commitment to give a statement to the anti-graft agency and his office is also expected to take queries on the matter in parliament later in the day. Najib has denied wrongdoing or taking any money for personal gain. The MACC has already said the money was a political donation from an unidentified Middle Eastern benefactor. The prime minister has complained that the investigation had caused "various accusations and slander." A spokesman at the Prime Minister's Office did not confirm whether Najib would be questioned by the MACC on Thursday, but said he had made a commitment to give a statement. Najib is chairman of the 1MDB advisory board. The fund is also being investigated by law enforcement agencies in Switzerland, Hong Kong and the United States, media and sources have said. Opposition leaders and some establishment figures, including former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, have called for Najib to resign over his alleged involvement in the scandal. Critics also accuse the government of dragging its feet on the investigation and even Malaysia's royal rulers have called for a quick and transparent investigation. At the end of August, tens of thousands of Malaysians rallied to call for Najib's resignation. The controversy has battered Malaysian markets with the ringgit losing about a quarter of its value to become Asia's worst-performing currency this year. The post Malaysia's PM Najib to Meet Anti-Graft Agency Over 1MDB Scandal appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UN Food Agency Faces $40 million Burma Funding Shortfall to Mid-2016 Posted: 02 Dec 2015 08:26 PM PST A man rows his boat in a flooded village outside Zalun Township, Irrawaddy Division, August 6, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) BANGKOK — More than 600,000 people in Burma need food assistance due to natural disasters, violence and conflict, the UN World Food Programme said on Wednesday, announcing a $40 million funding shortfall for food aid through June 2016. Some 13 million people, 26 percent of Burma's population, live below the poverty line, while 35 percent of children are malnourished and not growing properly, WFP said in a statement. Floods and landslides struck 12 of the country's 14 states and regions in June and July, killing 172 people and temporarily displacing more than 1.7 million. WFP said 440,000 people affected by the floods and landslides need food assistance. Communal violence in Arakan State in recent years as well as fighting between government troops and ethnic rebels in Kachin and Shan states have displaced 172,000 people who also need food aid, it said. The agency aims to provide food and cash assistance to 2.9 million food-insecure people in Burma, and help internally displaced people return home or resettle in areas with better prospects for work and life. "WFP's engagement in Myanmar must now be driven by the overarching goal of assisting the country achieve zero hunger by 2030," Dom Scalpelli, the head of WFP in Burma, said in the statement. Burma was ruled for decades by the military. Elections were held in November, and the first democratically elected government since the 1960s is preparing to take office next year. The government has fought ethnic groups in its borderlands off and on for decades, causing massive displacement within the country and forcing hundreds of thousands to seek refuge across the border in Thailand. In October the government signed a ceasefire with eight armed groups, but seven of the 15 groups invited declined to sign. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said fighting since October between government forces and ethnic rebels has displaced 6,000 people in Shan state, though Shan rights groups put the number higher, at more than 10,000. In Kachin State, fighting between the government and ethnic rebels has displaced 1,200 people, OCHA said. The post UN Food Agency Faces $40 million Burma Funding Shortfall to Mid-2016 appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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