The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Young Rohingya Trader Shot Dead in Arakan State
• Tradeless Christening of YSX Sees 6 Initial Firms Listed
• Mandalay Monk Shortlisted for Global Teacher Prize
• Burma’s Judicial System Deeply Corrupt, Parliament Told
• Burma Will Depend on Richer Countries for Climate Mitigation Schemes, Says Govt
• SSA-N Agree to Limited Troop Withdrawal after Two-Day Talks
• Suu Kyi and Govt Peace Negotiator Aung Min Meet in Naypyidaw
• Beijing Schools Close as Some Residents Take ‘Smog Holiday’
• Scant Aid for Low-Caste Villagers Hit by South India Floods: Charities
• Taiwan’s Likely First Woman President Keeps Cards Close on China Game Plan
• US General Says Eager for Burma Engagement

Young Rohingya Trader Shot Dead in Arakan State Posted: 09 Dec 2015 04:13 AM PST Rohingya Muslim men ride their bicycles past a railway line near an IDP camp outside Sittwe in Arakan State, November 7, 2015. (Photo: Sai Aung Min / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Maung Maung, a 23-year-old Rohingya Muslim man traveling from Arakan State's Maungdaw to his home township of Buthidaung on Monday evening, was shot dead by a Burmese Border Guard Police officer, according to an investigating officer and the victim's father. The victim, also known as Mohamed Mussar, was in a vehicle transporting garlic and onions from the border township of Maungdaw when the alleged incident with border security forces occurred at around 9 pm on Monday. According to police, the vehicle failed to stop at a checkpoint and was pursued by two police officers on motorbikes. While precisely what transpired is unclear, police say the victim was then shot and killed "accidentally." "He was shot in the forehead. But they told me that the shooting was accidental," said Abul Kalam, Maung Maung's 60-year-old father. "But how could you accidently shoot [someone] straight in the forehead?" "I did not see the incident take place, so I can only say what I think," he added. A police officer involved in an investigation into the matter confirmed that the offending officer had claimed the shooting was unintentional. "He told us his gun went off accidently when he got off his motorbike. He did not intend to shoot the victim. He then found blood when he opened the car door," the officer said. "We detained him [the perpetrator] and opened two charges. We will take action against him. But we have an ongoing investigation." The victim's father was dubious the family's demand for justice in the case would be fulfilled. "I told them that I wanted to take action against the person who shot my son. They told me that they would. But there is no rule of law here. How they will take action against this person, we do not know," said Abul Kalam.   The post Young Rohingya Trader Shot Dead in Arakan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Tradeless Christening of YSX Sees 6 Initial Firms Listed Posted: 09 Dec 2015 04:08 AM PST Officials from government and private companies joined members of the media for the launch of the Yangon Stock Exchange in downtown Rangoon on Wednesday. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Yangon Stock Exchange was officially launched on Wednesday, though trading on Burma's first-of-its-kind bourse is not expected to begin until March of next year, the country's deputy finance minister said at a ceremony marking the occasion. Six companies will initially be listed on the exchange, being dubbed YSX and located on downtown Rangoon's Sule Pagoda Road in a building formerly occupied by Myawaddy Bank: First Myanmar Investment (FMI); Myanmar Citizens Bank; Myanmar Thilawa SEZ Holdings Public Limited; Myanmar Agribusiness Public Company Limited [Mapco]; First Private Bank; and Great Hor Kham, according to Maung Maung Thein, deputy finance minister. "We'll start with these six listed companies, but we don't want to allow them to sell their shares in a hurry. We're already late to enter the stock market, so it doesn't really matter if we are a bit later still, we want to be sure [operations run smoothly]," Maung Maung Thein said. Trading is expected to begin in March, pending settlement of outstanding issues with the bourse's underwriters, which will serve as the financial liaisons between listed companies and investors looking to purchase shares. At least 10 underwriters are expected to participate, though these firms were not announced on Wednesday, with only the KBZ Group of Companies known to have secured a YSX license so far. "These underwriters will play a major role, and as long as they are not ready, shares cannot be traded on the YSX," Maung Maung Thein said. The stock exchange—developed by the state-owned and US-blacklisted Myanmar Economic Bank with two Japanese partners—is expected to be a major advancement in Burma's financial field, offering a greater degree of stability to what has long been a poorly regulated and volatile investment landscape. "We're late in this region to open a stock market, but we can learn from others' mistakes," Maung Maung Thein said Wednesday. The Myanmar Thilawa SEZ Holdings Public Limited was formed by nine Burmese companies that own 41 percent of a special economic zone (SEZ) set up southeast of Rangoon, with the Burmese government owning 10 percent and a consortium of Japanese firms holding the remaining 49 percent stake. The project, like the stock exchange, is intended to jumpstart investment into Burma's economy, one of Southeast Asia's least developed. FMI is led by business tycoon Serge Pun, who also chairs Yoma Strategic Holdings, a company listed on Singapore's stock exchange. Pun's Burmese conglomerate has a range of interests including real estate, health care, aviation and banking. FMI listed its asking price for shares traded over the counter at a company trading center in Rangoon at 19,000 kyats on Wednesday. The Myanmar Agribusiness Public Company (Mapco) was formed in 2012 "to mobilize public savings and to foster broader investment in agriculture and agro-based industries" in Burma, according to the firm's website. The company is Burma's largest rice exporter. The two dedicated lenders to earn initial listings on the YSX, First Private Bank and Myanmar Citizens Bank, are longtime players in Burma's financial system, having both been founded in 1991. The latter was one of two companies listed on the over-the-counter trading predecessor to the YSX, the Myanmar Securities Exchange Center, which opened in 1996. Based in Muse, Shan State, Great Hor Kham is a company believed to have links to current Vice President Sai Mauk Kham. Its business activities are focused on construction projects for government agencies, state enterprises and private entities, as the primary builder or subcontractor. The company is also one of the major investors in the Muse Central Economic Zone along the China-Burma border, a major trading hub between the two countries that has been plagued by local residents' claims of land-grabbing in recent years. The post Tradeless Christening of YSX Sees 6 Initial Firms Listed appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Mandalay Monk Shortlisted for Global Teacher Prize Posted: 09 Dec 2015 02:58 AM PST Sayadaw U Nayaka, principal of the Phaung Daw Oo school. (Photo: Teza Haing / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — A leading Buddhist educator in Mandalay, known for developing a a teaching method radically different that usually encountered in Burma's moribund public education system, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Global Teacher Prize. Sayadaw U Nayaka, the cofounder and principal of Mandalay's Phaung Daw Oo Monastic School is among the 50 finalists selected for the prize, shortlisted from 8,000 nominees spread over 148 countries. U Nayaka is the first Buddhist monk and the first Burmese teacher to be shortlisted for the award. "I'm glad, although I'm just a finalist. I hope this pushes me to do more for the development of our school, and helps to change the education system in the country," he said. Unlike government schools, which are the only source of education for most of Burma's youth, monastic schools are established and regulated under the Ministry for Religious Affairs. U Nayaka has made a dramatic departure from other monastic and public schools, encouraging active learning and the development of critical thinking over the rote memorization teaching methods common in other Burmese learning institutions. Around 8,000 students are currently enrolled at the Phaung Daw Oo school, which is staffed by more than 300 volunteer teachers. U Nayaka has also developed a teacher training center in his school, guiding dozens of teachers with his teaching methods to export them to other monastic schools. The Global Teacher Prize presents a US$1 million award to the teacher who has made the most outstanding contribution to the development of education and the teaching profession for the year. The prize was launched by the London-based Varkey Foundation in 2014. The final top ten teachers under consideration for the 2015 Global Teacher Prize will be announced in February 2016. The winner of the will be announced on Mar. 16, at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai. The post Mandalay Monk Shortlisted for Global Teacher Prize appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma’s Judicial System Deeply Corrupt, Parliament Told Posted: 09 Dec 2015 02:19 AM PST The old Supreme Court building in Rangoon. (Photo: J Paing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Despite far-reaching political and economic reforms over the past five years, Burma's judiciary remains one of the country's most corrupt institutions, according to a report tabled in the Lower House on Tuesday. The Judicial and Legal Affairs Complaints and Grievances Investigation Committee, which investigated the country's legal system over the five-year term of the Thein Sein government, confirmed the existence of a "chain of bribery" in the judiciary, with judges at different levels taking instructions from their superiors and links between supervisory legal staff that often affects the outcome of criminal and civil cases. Tin Htwe, a member of the committee, said that a patronage network kept junior judges under the sway of their senior colleagues at the Supreme, state and divisional court levels. "The president, the Lower House and the media have pointed this out," he said. "The judicial system should be cleaner, but progress is very slow." Corruption and bribery are a common feature of most civil cases in Burma, the committee said, with lawyers, court staff and even messages in charge of dispatching summons notices implicated. The committee also noted the constitutional powers of the president to appoint the Chief Justice and judges of the Supreme Court of the Union, allowing the government to exert influence over the judiciary. "If you turn a blind eye to the law and are only interested in winning a lawsuit, acting as a broker [instead of an officer of the law], the judicial sector will only get worse and it will be very difficult to achieve rule of law," Tin Htwe said. The parliamentary committee of 15 lawmakers was formed in September 2011. From July 1, 2012 to Nov. 18 this year, the committee received 12,360 complaints about judicial conduct, referring 1,485 of them directly to the courts and departments named in the complaints. The committee claims to have settled 1,071 of those complaints referred on to other authorities. The post Burma's Judicial System Deeply Corrupt, Parliament Told appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Will Depend on Richer Countries for Climate Mitigation Schemes, Says Govt Posted: 09 Dec 2015 02:10 AM PST Hla Maung Thein, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Environmental Conservation, speaks at the COP21 Paris climate change conference. (Photo: Yen Snaing / The Irrawaddy) PARIS — Burmese government officials are optimistic that they will be granted technical and financial assistance from developed countries for climate change adaptation and mitigation plans once a new treaty is agreed at the COP21 conference by the end of this week. A draft agreement was provisionally approved last week by delegates to the UN climate change conference in Paris. Hla Maung Thein, an official from the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry, said that Burma and other Least Developed Countries are most at threat from climate change and need help from developed countries to implement their carbon dioxide reduction targets. "We need to do mitigation and adaptation programs at the same time," he told The Irrawaddy on the sidelines of the Paris conference. "To make it successful, we need support from developed countries." Burma has prioritized its forestry and energy sectors for mitigation programs under its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC), under which countries pledge their target for post-2020 emissions reductions. The Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry says there is currently 29 million hectares of forests in Burma, around 43 percent of total country area. The government has pledged to keep 30 percent of total national land area as reserved or protected public forest and a further 10 percent as protected ecosystems under the country's 30 year national forestry master plan, which covers the period from 2001 to 2030. In the energy sector, the government says it intends to increase the level of hydroelectric generation to 9.4 gigawatts and increase access to renewable power sources of in off-grid communities to a 30 percent share by 2030. Both areas are contentious. In September, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reported that Burma had lost more than 546,000 hectares of forest since 2010, equating to the third-worst deforestation rate of any country in the world. Hydropower projects have come under sustained community opposition, most significantly the Chinese-backed Myitsone Dam in Kachin State, which was suspended soon after President Thein Sein took office in 2011. Country delegates attending the Paris conference this week submitted their country statements, clarifying the extend of their commitments on national climate change policies. Burma said that it fully supports a new global climate compact, but echoed other developing countries in urging the world's biggest economies to take the lead. "Developed countries have money, capacity, skills and technology, whereas the developing countries lack those. We are negotiating today that developed countries should provide those," said Hla Maung Thein. Part of the Paris treaty covers financing for the Green Climate Fund, a commitment by developed nations to provide US$100 billion annually for mitigation and adaptation programs in poorer countries. Hla Maung Thein said that the Burmese government is drafting programs to compete for the funding. "For example, projects for smart agriculture compatible with climate change…Projects to produce energy from waste for [municipal governments]. Factories and workshops will be needed for technology to reduce carbon emissions," he said. "Each sector will be drafting project and we will prioritize accordingly." Hla Maung Thein acknowledged that Burma would face challenges meeting its INDC commitments. Quizzed about the government's push for new coal-fired power plants in southern Burma, he replied that the country would need to develop fossil fuel energy projects as an interim measure to promote economic development before renewable power sources could be adopted on a larger scale. "The world trend now is to reduce carbon-intensive energy sources and move toward renewable energy," he said. "America and China will reduce the use of fossil fuels and use renewable energy based on wind, water and biomass." "In our energy policy, we will also use renewable energy. But on the other hand, we also need to think about development. We need to reduce the poverty rate, which is where energy matters." According to climate NGO German Watch, Burma was the second most affected country by climate change for the period between 1995 and 2014, after the Central American nation of Honduras. The organization's study of climate risk cited events such as Cyclone Nargis, which claimed an estimated 140,000 lives and destroyed the property of a further 2.4 million people. The post Burma Will Depend on Richer Countries for Climate Mitigation Schemes, Says Govt appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

SSA-N Agree to Limited Troop Withdrawal after Two-Day Talks Posted: 09 Dec 2015 01:12 AM PST Shan State Army-North soldiers on the front line south of the group's headquarters in Wan Hai. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) agreed to withdraw troops north of a key highway on Tuesday after two days of talks with government negotiators aimed at addressing conflict which broke out in central Shan State on Oct. 6, leaving thousands of civilians displaced. A member of the SSA-N told The Irrawaddy the armed group had agreed to withdraw troops from the north side of a highway between Mong Nawng and Kyethi townships following the Dec. 7-8 dialogue in Naypyidaw. "We will withdraw our troops involved in confrontations with them [the Burma Army]. This is our first priority; to reduce tensions," said Major Sai Phone Han of the SSA-N. "After this, we hope our IDPs [internally displaced persons] will be able to go home. This is our second priority." Fighting between the two sides has recurred since early October, with the Burma Army launching multiple offensives that included aerial support and heavy artillery fire. Between 6,000 and 10,000 civilians were forced to flee their homes to escape clashes which were reported in Mong Hsu, Kyethi and Mong Nawng townships. The SSA-N rejected an order from the Burma Army late last month to withdraw from positions east of a motorway cutting through the three flashpoint townships, vowing to defend their Wan Hai headquarters in Kyethi Township. "They told us at the meeting they will not conduct any more military operations if we agree to withdraw our troops," Major Sai Phone Han said. Sai Phone Han said the Burma Army would also be required to withdraw from select positions and refrain from establishing new bases. Previous talks were held between a government delegation led by President's Office Minister Aung Min and representatives of the Shan group's political wing, the Shan State Progressive Party, on Nov. 23-24. On the ground, tensions remain as the two sides maintain positions in close proximity. Despite a lull in fighting, displaced civilians remain wary of returning to their homes and paddy fields. The post SSA-N Agree to Limited Troop Withdrawal after Two-Day Talks appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Suu Kyi and Govt Peace Negotiator Aung Min Meet in Naypyidaw Posted: 08 Dec 2015 11:14 PM PST Burma's chief peace negotiator Aung Min and NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi meet in the NLD chairperson's office in Naypyidaw on Monday. (Photo: NLD Chairperson / Facebook) National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma's chief peace negotiator Aung Min met Monday afternoon at Suu Kyi's office in Naypyidaw, likely to discuss the future of the country's peace process. Aung Min, who is vice chair of the government's Union Peacemaking Working Committee and head of the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC), was the leading government figure in the "nationwide" ceasefire agreement (NCA) signed by seven ethnic armed groups and the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) in Burma's capital on Oct.15. Despite ongoing and seemingly interminable conflicts between ethnic armed groups and the military in Kachin and northern Shan states, the text of the ceasefire accord was ratified by the Union Parliament on Tuesday. What was discussed during Monday's meeting is as yet unknown. The NLD said last month that Suu Kyi would lead the country's peacebuilding efforts when the next government took office in March. An MPC spokesperson told The Irrawaddy last month that the future of the government-backed group, created in 2012 with the support of the Norway-led Peace Support Donor Group, will hinge on whatever role, if any, that the next government allows. Suu Kyi held a series of meetings on Dec. 2 with President Thein Sein and military chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing to discuss the transfer of power to the next government, following the NLD's decisive win in the Nov. 8 general election. Two days later, she met former Burma dictator Snr-Gen Than Shwe, reportedly on the subject of "national reconciliation". Suu Kyi has also met with Union Parliament Speaker and former ruling party chairman Shwe Mann eight times since her party's resounding win in the historic Nov. 8 general election. The post Suu Kyi and Govt Peace Negotiator Aung Min Meet in Naypyidaw appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Beijing Schools Close as Some Residents Take ‘Smog Holiday’ Posted: 08 Dec 2015 09:26 PM PST A woman wearing a protective mask has her picture taken just after a flag-raising ceremony amid heavy smog at the Tiananmen Square, after the city issued its first ever "red alert" for air pollution, in Beijing, December 9, 2015. (Photo: Damir Sagolj / Reuters) BEIJING — Some residents took a "smog holiday" away from Beijing on Tuesday as the Chinese capital launched restrictions under its first red alert for pollution, closing schools, suspending factories and keeping half the vehicles off the streets. Although Beijing has in recent years seen smog at much worse levels than Tuesday's, the latest bout of pollution was the first to trigger a red alert under a 2-year-old system that requires a forecast at the outset of at least 72 hours of consecutive high pollution. The capital's hazardous smog has persisted despite the Chinese government's stated priority of cleaning up the legacy of pollution left from years of full-tilt economic growth. Most of the smog is blamed on coal-fired power plants, along with vehicle emissions, construction and factory work. "This is modern life for Beijing people. We wanted to develop, and now we pay the price," Beijing office worker Cao Yong said during a break from work. A grey soupy haze subsumed Beijing's unique landmarks, convenience stores sold air-filtering masks at brisk rates and health-food stores promoted pear juice as a traditional Chinese tonic for the lungs. "And air purifiers at home are a must," Beijing resident Sun Yuanyuan said at a downtown Beijing juice shop. Under restrictions in effect Tuesday through Thursday, schools were urged to close voluntarily unless they had good air filtration. However, Beijing's education commission later followed up with a separate order for schools to close during the three-day alert. Some residents grumbled about the inconvenience, and a few international schools sought permission to reopen Wednesday. A slew of Beijingers said via social media they planned to escape the gloom. They needed to travel relatively far, however, because nearly all of China's northeast was affected, and many cities—including nearby Shijiazhuang—were even worse than Beijing. After hearing of the school closings late Monday, Beijing mother Jiang Xia booked tickets for a 3,200 kilometer (2,000-mile) flight to the relatively clean southwestern city of Kunming, for herself and her 8-year-old daughter who she said suffers nosebleeds in the smog. She said in an interview from Kunming that they hectically packed before dawn Tuesday for their flight. "But when we arrived in Kunming and breathed in this clean, fresh air, I was very glad I made this move—a very wise decision," Jiang said. Readings of PM2.5 particles climbed above 300 micrograms per cubic meter in some parts of the city Tuesday and were expected to continue rising before improving Thursday. The World Health Organization designates the safe level for the tiny, poisonous particles at 25. Factory suspensions and several other restrictions will seek to reduce the dust and other particulate matter in the city of 22.5 million people. Use of a car is restricted to every other day depending on its license plate, and officials planned to deploy extra subway trains and buses to compensate. Some businesses closed and others said employees could work from home for the duration. A Beijing resident who gave his only his surname, Du, said he was taking advantage of a lack of crowds near the capital's ancient Forbidden City to stroll and take unique photographs. "I like this kind of haziness. It gives a blurry feeling and makes you feel like you're in a dream," Du said. While the capital's air improved in the first 10 months of the year compared with the same period last year, it has suffered two recent prolonged bouts of severe smog, which is typically worse in the winter and which last time sent PM 2.5 level as high as 976 in some locations. A red alert requires a forecast of 72 straight hours of pollution levels of 300 or higher on the city's air quality index. The index is closely linked to levels of PM2.5, although it also includes other pollutants. As an example, one Beijing monitoring site at midday showed an index reading of 308 and a PM2.5 reading of 258. Previous stretches of severe smog have lasted more than three days but without any red alert. Beijing authorities said at the time that the initial forecasts were for less time so no alert was called for, but critics maintained they were seeking to avoid the toughest restrictions for political reasons. Pressure from the central government and from the public resulted "in the Beijing city government releasing the red alert this time," Greenpeace environmental campaigner Dong Liangsai said in an interview. The WHO representative in China, Bernhard Schwartlaender, applauded Beijing's move as a sign that the city is taking air quality and health issues "very seriously." China's polluted air has had severe health effects. A study led by atmospheric chemist Jos Lelieveld of Germany's Max Planck Institute and published in the journal Nature this year estimated 1.4 million people each year die prematurely because of China's pollution. The world's biggest carbon emitter, China plans to upgrade coal power plants over the next five years to tackle the problem, and says its emissions will peak by around 2030 before starting to decline. Charcoal briquette-burning ovens that were once a major contributor to pollution are now much less common in Beijing, although they are still used widely in the countryside. While emissions standards have been tightened and heavy investments made in solar, wind and other renewable energy, China still depends on coal for more than 60 percent of its power. The post Beijing Schools Close as Some Residents Take 'Smog Holiday' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Scant Aid for Low-Caste Villagers Hit by South India Floods: Charities Posted: 08 Dec 2015 09:17 PM PST Municipal workers clear the debris in an alley after flood waters receded in Chennai, India, December 7, 2015. (Photo: Anindito Mukherjee / Reuters) CHENNAI / NEW DELHI — Hundreds of poor lower-caste families who lost their homes and jobs after devastating floods swept southern India have been neglected by government relief efforts, a survey conducted by two charities has found. About 280 people have died and more than 400,000 have been displaced across Tamil Nadu state since torrential rains began in early November, swelling rivers and reservoirs and inundating the state capital Chennai and neighboring coastal districts. A study of the first days of the floods found that although low-caste or "Dalit" families were the group worst hit by the floods, few had received any help, said National Dalit Watch and Social Awareness Society for Youth—Tamil Nadu. "No relief has reached the community properly till now. During the distribution of food relief there has been priority to the families having concrete houses, people having connections with leaders of villages," the report said. "Relief camps and medical facilities have been organized far away from the villages, or are in dominant caste areas which Dalit people cannot access due to the lack of transport and fear of discrimination and violence," it added. Government officials in Cuddalore district said the report was incorrect and helping marginalized Dalit communities was considered a priority after a disaster. "In times of inundation, Dalit colonies are usually more affected since they are in low-lying areas," Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Cuddalore's Monitoring Officer for Disaster Relief, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "The state government is very sensitive to the needs of Dalits. For them, we have built a temporary shelter in record time." The rains, the heaviest in a century, hit Chennai last week, putting some areas under eight feet (2.5 meters) of water, trapping people on rooftops with no power or communications. The rains have now stopped, water levels are dropping, and the government has set up relief camps across Tamil Nadu. Dry food and tarpaulins are being distributed, but some interior areas have been difficult to reach due to damaged roads. The survey polled 1,500 families in Cuddalore district, more than 40 percent of them Dalits, from Nov. 19 to 21. It found that 95 percent of damaged houses, 92 percent of livestock lost and 86 percent of crops lost belonged to Dalits. Caste-based discrimination was banned in India in 1955, but centuries-old attitudes persist in many parts of the country and low-caste Indians still face prejudice in every sector. Aid workers say that in times of flood or drought, many Dalits do not get the same access as higher-caste Indians to emergency aid such as clean water, dry food rations or shelter. In most Dalit villages surveyed in Cuddalore's Parangipettai and Bhuvanagiri blocks there was no clean drinking water, and in some areas dominant castes had refused to share their water sources with Dalits, the survey showed. Most Dalit villages also lack medical services, it added. But government officials said the bulk of the relief budget had been spent on helping rebuild and repair over 70,000 damaged homes of Dalits. "District and state government are aware and make conscious efforts to ensure that the poor and Dalits are given the greatest care," said Bedi. The post Scant Aid for Low-Caste Villagers Hit by South India Floods: Charities appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Taiwan’s Likely First Woman President Keeps Cards Close on China Game Plan Posted: 08 Dec 2015 09:09 PM PST Taiwan's main opposition Democratic Progressive Party chairperson Tsai Ing-wen gives a speech before her central standing committee in Taipei, Nov. 4. (Photo: Pichi Chuang / Reuters) TAIPEI — Taiwan's elections are just weeks away, with little clarity about how a likely win by a party that traditionally favors independence from China will go down with a neighbor that has threatened force to ensure the island never goes it alone. Taiwan votes in a new president and parliament in January when the ruling Nationalists (KMT) are expected to be soundly beaten by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), supported by youthful voters angered by a perceived economic dependence on the mainland. The person most likely to be Taiwan's first woman president, DPP leader Tsai Ing-wen, 59, has offered no specific China policy other than broad comments indicating she is willing to engage the Communist rulers in Beijing. In a book published in 2011, Tsai said she knew opening up to China was unavoidable. "I know even better that the pace of opening up must stay within Taiwan's grasp and control," she wrote. "Once you lose control of it, China will be like a great magnet, attracting away our capital and talent very fast." But if the relationship "is always about the problem of unification or independence and ideological argument, there will never be a solution to the cross-strait issue," she wrote, referring to the strip of water between the two sides. Liu Shyh-fang, in charge of DPP discipline, said the party had given Tsai a "lot of space" to deal with China policy. "Unless China takes provocative action, Tsai Ing-wen likely won't go in the direction of amending the constitution to change the status quo," she said. Taiwan bills itself officially as the "Republic of China." Beijing calls itself the "People's Republic of China." China and the KMT believe there is just "one China," but disagree on its interpretation. They say this is the status quo. The DPP is loathed by Beijing because the party believes the future of Taiwan is for its 23 million people to decide, which Beijing takes to mean independence. The DPP does not subscribe to "one China." Tsai has said that "a more consistent and sustainable relationship with China will be a core goal" of her government and that she will seek "to establish constructive dialogue with China," without explaining how she will achieve it. Tsai did not need to elaborate on policy until she becomes president, said people who know her. There was no need to take the risk that voters may object, they said. Polling results issued on Tuesday by Taiwan's Cross-Strait Policy Association showed the DPP presidential ticket with at least a 30 percentage point-lead against rivals, up by four percentage points from a month ago. The DPP said in a statement its position was "the maintenance of the status quo," which included "first, to maintain the Taiwanese people's democratic way of life and the Republic of China's constitutional order; secondly, peaceful and stable cross-strait relations." Contrasting Backgrounds During last month's historic summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, Xi told Ma "no force can pull us apart" and warned against any move towards going it alone. Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists retreated to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war in 1949 to the Communists, since when Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring what it considers a breakaway province under its control. Xi and Tsai couldn't have more contrasting backgrounds. As Xi tested his mettle within the authoritarian system as party chief of various Chinese provinces, Tsai, in her 30s, became the island's top negotiator for entry into the World Trade Organization, a role that pitted her brains against international experts as Taiwan, recognized as a country by only a handful of others, fought for its diplomatic life. Tsai formally joined the DPP in 2004. "She is willing to listen, willing to explain and willing to say what she thinks about things," said Bill Bryson, a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan who has known Tsai since the 1980s. "She knows how to negotiate with people. The question is whether people will negotiate with her." Since Ma came to power in 2008, economic ties between China and Taiwan have improved to the point where last month's summit appeared to symbolize a desire on both sides for continued peace and stability. "I know Xi Jinping is working very hard to make a circle before she [Tsai] takes office—to get her to stand inside the circle," said DPP grand dame and Taiwan's former vice president Annette Lu. "That is the trick you have to avoid. There is no such thing as the maintenance of a status quo." The post Taiwan's Likely First Woman President Keeps Cards Close on China Game Plan appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US General Says Eager for Burma Engagement Posted: 08 Dec 2015 08:57 PM PST General Vincent Brooks addresses a crowd during Veterans Day ceremonies in Honolulu, Hawaii, Nov. 2013. (Photo: Hugh Gentry / Reuters) WASHINGTON, DC — The US Army’s commander in Asia said on Tuesday he was eager for closer ties to the military in Burma after elections that the pro-democracy opposition won by a landslide, but this would have to wait for a policy decision by the US government. General Vincent Brooks told a defense writers’ roundtable in Washington that military leaders from Burma's partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were also eager to see such US engagement with Burma. He recalled a meeting with ASEAN defense ministers in 2014. “I literally had leaders from other militaries grabbing me by the hand and pulling me to the Burmese general who was there; the region really wants the United States to engage Burma and help them to move forward,” he said. “Now we have to move at the pace we are allowed to,” Brooks said. The United States has been working to boost military ties throughout Asia to counter an increasingly powerful and assertive China, which shares a border with Burma. Washington began lifting sanctions against Burma after a quasi-civilian government was formed in 2011 following decades of harsh military rule, but continuing human rights concerns that worry US lawmakers have kept military-to-military ties to a bare minimum. Brooks said Burma's elections last month, in which pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won a landslide victory, “have caused us to be ready to move forward.” “But we haven’t advanced very rapidly thus far. I think there is good potential and so we will await policy guidelines on that.” Brooks said one of his generals had been able to speak at Burma's war college and he would like to engage more directly himself. “It’s a relationship that I really want us to have and I am eager to be allowed to do that … just kind of spend a bit more time with them.” Brooks said the United States saw it as an opportunity to export US military professionalism in terms of governance, engagement with the media, the public and civilian government. On Monday, US officials said Washington was temporarily easing trade restrictions on Burma in an effort to boost Aung San Suu Kyi’s party after its election win. US concerns about the military’s rights record were aired again last week when the State Department called for an investigation of reports of army atrocities in Shan State. The post US General Says Eager for Burma Engagement appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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