The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• State-Owned Mining Firm Threatens Lawsuit Over Unpaid Debt
• Chin CSOs Call for More Coordinated Relief in Flood-Ravaged State
• Burma to Host World Buddhist Peace Summit Amid Interfaith Woes at Home
• Architects Decry New Shwe Bank Building in Rangoon Heritage Core
• A Scorching 2015 Ratchets Up Climate Concerns
• Tipped Off by Netizens, Rangoon Police Arrest Six Alleged Miscreants
• Amnesty Calls for Immediate Release of Former Monk Gambira
• NLD Nominates Speakers, Including Minority MPs
• Sun is Setting on the Days of Horse-Drawn Transit
• Tourist Arrivals for 2015 Reached 4.68 Million, Ministry Says
• US Piles Pressure on China to Help with N. Korea Sanctions
• Vietnam’s Communist Party Meets to Pick Nation’s Leaders
• Deadly Clashes Erupt Between Police, Protesters in Kashmir
• Kachin Anti-Poppy Effort on Hold Over Safety Worries: Activist
• Anniversary of Ill-Fated Student Protest Marked in Mandalay
• Deadly Clashes Reported Between Ta’ang and SSA-S Forces
• ANP in Tense Standoff With NLD Over State Governance
• KBZ Bank Listed Among ‘World Finance 100’ Top Firms
• Barrage of Corn Cobs, Stones Greets Burmese Model at Loikaw Concert
• Arakan Govt to Resettle Villagers Displaced by Conflict

State-Owned Mining Firm Threatens Lawsuit Over Unpaid Debt Posted: 21 Jan 2016 04:55 AM PST Employees mind the display at local gold jewelry seller in Rangoon. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A state-owned mining enterprise has warned that it may sue more than two dozen gold mining firms for overdue payments, after the private companies violated profit-sharing agreements. In an announcement published in state-run newspaper The Mirror on Thursday, the No.2 Mining Enterprise, which operates under the Ministry of Mines, said the firms had one week to pay up or face a lawsuit. "According to our procedures, they [gold mining companies] must pay off their debt within one week. If they can't, we will file in court," an official from the state-owned firm was quoted as saying. The announcement said that all governmental departments will be subject to an audit before a new administration takes office in early April. Phone Myint, director of the No. 2 Mining Enterprise, said the venture is owed more than 90 pounds of gold from 25 small firms granted mining permits. Their contracts stipulated that a certain percentage of their product be handed over to the government. More than 200 private operators initially faced repayment challenges, he said, but many were able to negotiate payment plans that allowed them to handle the debt. The 25 firms with outstanding debt have worked in partnership with the enterprise since 2007-2008. The post State-Owned Mining Firm Threatens Lawsuit Over Unpaid Debt appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Chin CSOs Call for More Coordinated Relief in Flood-Ravaged State Posted: 21 Jan 2016 03:25 AM PST Villagers from Hakha Lay village in Tonzang Township, displaced by a mudslide, have sought temporary shelter in displacement camps, September 2015. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Civil society groups met with the Chin State government on Wednesday in the state capital Hakha to discuss ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts in areas affected by severe flooding last year. Fifteen representatives of Chin CSOs, who are members of a new coalition called the Chin Committee for Emergency Response and Rehabilitation (CCERR), joined with local relief committees and representatives of the state government to hash out a more coordinated response to the residual impacts of the disaster. The most recent data from the CCERR indicates that the flooding and corollary damages affected a total of 54,537 people in the state, which is considered the poorest administrative region in the country. A total of 5,116 homes were destroyed or damaged, leaving 19,921 people displaced, according to the group's December data. This week's meeting was intended to strengthen a coordinated response between civil society groups and township-level relief committees administered by the state government. Civil society actors have criticized the official response to the disaster as insensitive to the needs of affected communities and insufficient in preventative measures. "Union and State-led relief efforts have largely excluded the voices and concerns of local communities, thousands of whom face a harsh and vulnerable future as they struggle to rebuild livelihoods, land and homes that were lost during the disaster," said a spokesperson for the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), a founding member of the CCERR. The concerns of those communities range from food shortages to shoddy road repair works, which some locals fear could result in future landslides. "This year the rainy season could be very difficult," said Salai Isaac Khen, director of CCERR member Gender Development Institute (GDI). "There is no rice for this year, as there was no rice cultivation from the mountains. How will we solve this?" He cautioned that a new road being built from Kalay to Hakha is very wide and vulnerable to landslides, which could endanger villagers and delay deliveries of much-needed food assistance, as the remote state's road network is limited. After visiting a displacement camp in Hakha Township where some 1,000 villagers are temporarily being sheltered, CCERR representatives said that clean water supply was also a concern, and was likely to become more pressing as the summer nears. The CCERR made a number of recommendations to the state government, including a comprehensive rice storage scheme and the installation of GSM communication networks in remote areas prone to disaster. The group said that government-allocated funding for relief efforts was "too low" in the state. According to Salai Isaac Khen, Chin State was afforded only four percent of the Union cyclone response budget, despite being one of the hardest hit parts of the country. Federal relief spending should also be more transparent, he said. Chin Chin, a CCERR member from Falam Township, said Wednesday's meeting concluded positively, with civil society and government stakeholders agreeing to "cooperate with more transparency." Regarding the particular situation in Falam, where she also ran an unsuccessful campaign for an Upper House parliamentary seat last year, Chin Chin said the township's more than 2,000 displaced villagers were eager to return home. The land on which many of the displaced are sheltering is "cracked" and "dangerous," she said, leaving villagers concerned about landslides when the monsoon season sets in. Rains related to Cyclone Komen struck much of central Burma in late July, causing some of the worst flooding to hit Burma in decades. The disaster claimed more than 100 lives and affected an estimated 1 million people. Chin State was particularly hard-hit, as the heavy rains made the mountainous terrain highly vulnerable to landslides in the weeks after the storm. Damage to the state's few roads and bridges led to acute food shortages in many villages, and the destruction of farmland left many without a source of livelihood. The post Chin CSOs Call for More Coordinated Relief in Flood-Ravaged State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma to Host World Buddhist Peace Summit Amid Interfaith Woes at Home Posted: 21 Jan 2016 03:00 AM PST Some 10,000 monks from Burma and Thailand attended a merit making ceremony in Mandalay on Sept. 20, 2015. (Photo: Zarni Mann / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Conflict and tensions between Buddhists and Muslims in Burma could be up for discussion at the World Buddhist Peace Conference in Sagaing Township, where the Sitagu International Buddhist Academy is hosting the three-day event beginning this Friday. Ashin Kumara, who is organizing the conference, said domestic strains between the two faiths in recent years might be addressed at a gathering expected to draw hundreds of religious and spiritual leaders. "Mainly we will discuss how to maintain peace, how to build peace, and how to solve problems or how to handle a problem when there is one," he told The Irrawaddy on Thursday. "We will even do case studies from other countries where there have been religious problems, and then learn from them how they brokered peace in their communities." Relations between Burma's majority Buddhists and minority Muslims have deteriorated in recent years, with 2012 violence between members of the two faiths in Arakan State killing more than 100 people and displacing an estimated 140,000 additionally. Most of those affected by the communal conflict in western Burma were members of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority. While nothing on that scale has occurred in the years since, sporadic violence at disparate locations across the country has served to highlight extant underlying tensions between the two religions. "At the conference we may discuss religious conflict in our country, but it's not for certain because there will be many people who will talk at the conference. This conference will focus on discussions of the whole issue of problems globally," he said. Asked whether he had a prescription for Burma's interreligious woes, Ashin Kumara responded: "Whenever we have a problem, we use anger to solve it, and then we are not able to solve it. If the leadership from both sides could sit and negotiate, there would be no more problem." He added that other religious leaders in Burma, including Muslims, have been invited to attend the conference. About 700 religious scholars from different faiths and other observers are expected to attend the gathering, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Thursday, with 200 experts from 52 countries invited, in addition to 500 local scholars. U Wirathu, an influential firebrand monk accused of stoking anti-Muslim sentiment in recent years, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that he had not received an invite to the conference. The Sitagu International Buddhist Academy was established in 1994 to teach and train missionary monks. The post Burma to Host World Buddhist Peace Summit Amid Interfaith Woes at Home appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Architects Decry New Shwe Bank Building in Rangoon Heritage Core Posted: 21 Jan 2016 01:38 AM PST A photo of the new Shwe Rural and Urban Development Bank building on the corner of Merchant Street and Pansodan Street. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The architect of a newly completed building that critics say detracts from downtown Rangoon's surrounding colonial-era architecture says the current design of the structure is far from what he had envisioned in the original blueprint. Located at the corner of Merchant and Pansodan streets, the more than six-story Shwe Rural and Urban Development Bank building was redeveloped by Shwe Than Lwin company, a conglomerate founded by business tycoon Kyaw Win, who also owns SkyNet broadcasting service, among multiple other business interests. The metallic brown façade of the new bank building has been deemed an eyesore by the Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT), which is seeking to have its exterior altered. The architectural conservation group argues that the design is a poor fit for the area, considered Rangoon's heritage core and one of the last nearly unbroken streetscapes of colonial-era architecture in Asia. Aung Myint, the architect hired for the building design, insisted that the current incarnation of the building was "50 percent contrary" to the blueprint he handed over to developers. "The appearance of the building is quite different from what I had envisioned," he told The Irrawaddy last week. He explained that he had revised his design nearly 10 times, including a scaling back from 20 stories to eight. The last time he worked on what he thought would be the final version was eight years ago, he said, with that blueprint including elements of traditional and classical design with the surrounding heritage architecture in mind. "I suggested that they use the design, given the proximity of the heritage buildings around it. But they didn't follow it," Aung Myint said. The 66-year-old architect, who was trained as an urban planner, said the developer did not contact him during the construction period apart from in the early 2000s, when the project was just getting underway. "I wasn't aware that they used [metallic brown] claddings for the façade. They should have told me but they didn't. It seems that they made changes with their in-house engineers," he added. The building's jarring façade has also attracted the ire of other architects. Sun Oo, the chairman of the Association of Myanmar Architects, told The Irrawaddy that he "seriously condemned" the design of the building. "It seems like a UFO in the middle of a village road," he said. "It really causes visual pollution in a heritage core area. I request a fix." Aung Myint said he supported YHT's call for changes to the exterior of the building. "I really want to fix it, if they agreed to do so," he said. Shwe Than Lwin was not available for comment this week. The post Architects Decry New Shwe Bank Building in Rangoon Heritage Core appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

A Scorching 2015 Ratchets Up Climate Concerns Posted: 21 Jan 2016 01:08 AM PST Shan State's Inle Lake faced severe drought during the last dry season that left many of the area's waterways dried up. (Photo: Teza Hlaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The year 2015 was the warmest since 1880, according to a joint statement released on Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The press release said that the average temperature across land and ocean surfaces was 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit (0.90 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average and that this is the highest recorded temperature in the 136 years that the metric has been taken. Burmese meteorologist Tun Lwin said that the effects of this weather pattern are likely to be more severe in the years ahead. He warned that due to last year's powerful El Niño season, severe heat and drought may also strike Burma, with the first six months of 2016 potentially being the most extreme of the 12- to 18-month cycle. He added that climate irregularities in Burma may have stemmed from an uptick in the use of coal in the country and from deforestation. Tun Lwin, as well as other forecasters, are urging governments to implement environmental protection measures and to make disaster preparedness a priority. "It is a key data point that should make policy makers stand up and take notice—now is the time to act on climate," NASA official Charles Bolden said in the statement. The post A Scorching 2015 Ratchets Up Climate Concerns appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Tipped Off by Netizens, Rangoon Police Arrest Six Alleged Miscreants Posted: 21 Jan 2016 12:05 AM PST One of six suspects, pictured with and without shirt, arrested after a Facebook post accused the men of illegal gambling and involvement in the narcotics trade. (Photo: Facebook / Yangon Police) RANGOON — Police have arrested six people in Rangoon's Hlaing Tharyar Township, according to a Yangon Police Force statement on Thursday, after netizens shared photos of them on Facebook this week allegedly taking part in illegal activities, with the social media post labeling the men "drug barons" and gamblers. The Facebook post features a number of photos showing the men allegedly selling drugs and opening gambling dens in Hlaing Tharyar Township, which is notorious as the jurisdiction in the commercial capital with the highest crime rate. Acting on instructions from the Yangon Police Force chief, police on Wednesday arrested six men—Win Naing, Leik, Aung Soe and Shwe Oo Zi, who live in Hlaing Tharyar Township, and Win Naing and Sein Htay residing in Shwepyithar Township. The Yangon Police Force said it had arrested the men overs concerns that they posed a threat to "public security and community peace, and tranquility and rule of law." Following the arrests, however, law enforcement authorities came in for scrutiny, with some social media users pointing out that the men were called to the attention of police only through the work of netizens, and not through their own efforts to ensure law and order. "Do you guys arrest them only when reported on Facebook?" one user commented on the Yangon Police Facebook page. Police are interrogating the suspects at the concerned township police stations. Among those arrested, Leik also goes by Khin Sein, Aung Soe is also known as Aung Soe Lay and Shwe Oo Zi identifies also as Ye Nyunt. The post Tipped Off by Netizens, Rangoon Police Arrest Six Alleged Miscreants appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Amnesty Calls for Immediate Release of Former Monk Gambira Posted: 20 Jan 2016 10:55 PM PST U Gambira, center, talks to supporters while attending the court hearing of Pyi Nyar Thiha, the head of Shwenyawar monastery, in the state committee of Sangha Maha Nayaka in Rangoon, January 19, 2012. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) Rights group Amnesty International on Wednesday called for the immediate and unconditional release of former Buddhist monk U Gambira who was arrested in Mandalay on Tuesday evening on immigration charges. Gambira appeared at Maha Aung Myay Township Court on Wednesday and was charged with entering the country illegally under Section 13(1) of the 1947 Burma Immigration (Emergency Provisions) Act, according to the rights group. Amnesty labeled the charges against Gambira, who was a leading figure of the 2007 Saffron Revolution, "contrived, arbitrary and politically motivated" and called on authorities to ensure he is provided with the medicine he requires to manage a medical condition pending his release. Gambira, also known as Nyi Nyi Lwin, is one of Burma's most prominent political prisoners. He was arrested for his role in the Saffron Revolution and forcibly disrobed while in detention. While traveling back and forth between Thailand and Burma since his release in 2012, he has been re-arrested at least four times on various charges largely viewed as spurious. Gambira had been monitored by Special Branch officers since his arrival in Burma on Friday, Amnesty said, citing a source close to the former monk. He is now being detained in Mandalay's Oh Bo prison with a next court hearing scheduled for Feb. 3. On Wednesday, Gambira's Australia wife, Marie Siochana, expressed concern over his existing health condition. "He is mentally ill and needs to take medicine regularly," she said. "He needs to look after his health, and I wonder why they still want to arrest him." The post Amnesty Calls for Immediate Release of Former Monk Gambira appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NLD Nominates Speakers, Including Minority MPs Posted: 20 Jan 2016 10:45 PM PST Aung San Suu Kyi with Win Myint, the party's nominee for Speaker of the Lower House. (Photo: NLD / Facebook) RANGOON — The National League for Democracy (NLD) has revealed four nominees for speakers of the new Parliament that will convene on Feb 1, including three representatives of ethnic minorities. NLD spokesperson Nyan Win told AFP on Wednesday that the party has nominated Win Myint and ethnic Karen Win Khaing Than, both NLD members, for the Lower and Upper House, respectively. An ethnic Arakanese lawmaker from the Arakan National Party (ANP) and an ethnic Kachin member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) have been nominated as deputy speakers, according to AFP. NLD chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi has vowed to appoint ethnic minorities and members of other political parties among its cabinet to promote national reconciliation. "We will include ethnic representatives who are not NLD members, and others who can benefit the country," Suu Kyi told Radio Free Asia shortly after her party was elected. The post NLD Nominates Speakers, Including Minority MPs appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Sun is Setting on the Days of Horse-Drawn Transit Posted: 20 Jan 2016 10:35 PM PST Click to view slideshow. KYAUKTAN TOWNSHIP, Rangoon Division — Driving a horse-drawn cart is a business Tin Win has known most of his adult life. With the money he has earned from it over the years, he was able to feed his family and raise two sons. But now, the business he set up 35 years ago is likely coming to an end with the rising popularity of cheap, Chinese-made motorcycles that now crisscross the streets of Kyauktan Township, located more than an hour's drive outside Rangoon. Horse-drawn carts were a major mode of transportation in Kyauktan until the early 2000s, as there was no public transportation connecting the town and nearby villages. These days, however, motorcycle taxis far outnumber horse-drawn carts on the streets of Kyauktan. "There were more than 70 cart drivers here until 10 years ago, but now only five are left, including me," said the 60-year-old, a native of Kyauktan, which is made up of 80 villages and sits southeast of the commercial capital. "I think we will be out of business in the next two or three years," Tin Win added. "The motorcycles are relatively cheap. These days everyone seems to have one. They are faster than a horse-drawn cart." Even on a recent day at Kyauktan's busiest intersection, Tin Win struggled to find takers while motorcycle taxis around him were busy shuttling passengers between the nearby market and surrounding villages. "We are only hired to transport goods rather than people," he explained. Despite the business downturn, Tin Win said he has no plan to join the ranks of motorcycle taxi drivers, partly due to his age, but also because of his attachment to horses, four of which he owned at one point in his life. "I'm too old to take it, and I have a bond with my horse. At least, for now, I can make a regular income." The post Sun is Setting on the Days of Horse-Drawn Transit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Tourist Arrivals for 2015 Reached 4.68 Million, Ministry Says Posted: 20 Jan 2016 10:25 PM PST People wait to see the sunset from the top of Shwesandaw Pagoda in the ancient city of Bagan, February 13, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — Burma welcomed 4.68 million tourists in 2015, according to figures from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, another sizeable annual uptick representing a 52 percent increase on the previous year. Tourist arrivals have surged since a quasi-civilian government took power under President Thein Sein, with the number of arrivals climbing from 800,000 in 2011 to 3.08 million in 2014, according to official statistics. The ministry had previously stated a goal of between 4.5 to 5 million tourists in 2015. However, industry observers have routinely questioned the government's figures, which tally arrivals of all foreign passport holders at land and air entry points. The majority of travellers to Burma cross overland from Thailand through checkpoints in Tachileik, Shan State and Karen State's Myawaddy, many on business. According to an article in the state-run New Light of Myanmar on Monday, more than 800,000 tourists entered by air or ship in 2015. For arrivals by air, Thai travellers accounted for over 200,000 tourist arrivals, followed by Chinese and Japanese nationals, according to Myo Win Nyunt, a director in the regulation department within the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. "We think our tourism sector is successful," he told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. "We have nearly reached the expected figure of 5 million. More hotels are now opening and our government also encourages the tourism sector." Thadoe Thuzar Aung, general secretary of the Union of Myanmar Travel Association (UMTA) and the managing director of Authentic Myanmar Travel & Tours, said she hoped the incoming government and industry stakeholders could cooperate for the benefit of the sector. "The tourism industry is a business that can feed all people in the country," she told The Irrawaddy. "But it's changing every day and we need to act on it. We need active stakeholders who can actually advise government and make checks and balances work effectively." According to the tourism ministry, there are currently just under 1,300 hotels around the country. The ministry claimed that the sector generated US$1.78 billion in revenue in 2014. No data on revenue from the sector for last year has yet been released. Under new immigration regulations, 12 types of single-entry visa and three types of multiple-entry visa have been made available, as of Jan. 11. The post Tourist Arrivals for 2015 Reached 4.68 Million, Ministry Says appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Piles Pressure on China to Help with N. Korea Sanctions Posted: 20 Jan 2016 09:13 PM PST US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken (center left) talks with South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-se (center right) during their meeting at the Defense Ministry in Seoul on Jan. 20, 2016.  (Photo: Reuters) SEOUL — A senior US diplomat stepped up pressure on China on Wednesday to play a leading role in punishing North Korea for its recent nuclear test that raised worries about advancements in its bomb program. US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in South Korea on a diplomatic push for tougher sanctions and punishment that can force change in the North. Key to those efforts is whether China, the North's last major ally and a veto-wielding UN Security Council member, will join in such moves. "We believe that China has a special role to play given the special relationship that it has with North Korea," Blinken told reporters after meeting with South Korean officials. He said Beijing has "more influence and more leverage" over Pyongyang than any other country because most of its trade goes from, to or through China. "We are looking to China to show leadership on the issue," Blinken said. He flies to Beijing later Wednesday for talks on North Korea. During a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Blinken said Seoul and Washington are working closely in New York with the United Nations Security Council. Yun said it is time for the international community to stand united to make North Korea face the consequences for its bomb test. "This is North Korea versus international community," he said. China is expected to join in some UN sanctions, but won't likely go as far as to take steps that might lead to the collapse of the North's authoritarian government. China fears the onslaught of a wave of refugees and violence surging across the border, analysts say. North Korea says it conducted a hydrogen bomb test on Jan. 6. Many governments and experts remain highly skeptical about the North's claim, but whatever device North Korea detonated will likely push the country a step closer toward its goal of manufacturing a miniaturized warhead to place on a missile that can threaten the US mainland. After the bomb test, the rival Koreas resumed psychological warfare with Seoul blasting anti-Pyongyang broadcasts from border loudspeakers, while Pyongyang does the same and also floats propaganda leaflets over the border by balloon, according to South Korean officials. The post US Piles Pressure on China to Help with N. Korea Sanctions appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Vietnam’s Communist Party Meets to Pick Nation’s Leaders Posted: 20 Jan 2016 09:01 PM PST Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, right, Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, center, and President Truong Tan Sang prepare to take their seats prior to the opening ceremony of the party's12th National Congress in Hanoi on Jan. 21, 2016.  (Photo: Reuters) HANOI — Vietnam's ruling Communist Party Thursday opened an eight-day congress to name the country's new set of leaders, who will determine the pace of critical economic reforms, and relations with key trading allies, China and the United States. Held every five years, the Communist Party of Vietnam's 12th Congress has brought together 1,510 delegates representing Vietnam's 63 provinces, ministries and other party organizations. It ends Jan. 28 when the names of the general secretary, the prime minister, the president, the chairman of the National Assembly and other top functionaries will be announced. The general secretary is the de facto No. 1 leader of the country, although Vietnam professes a collective leadership through a Politburo that handles day to day affairs, and a larger Central Committee that meets twice a year to decide policy. Delegates stood up and clapped when the 16 Politburo members walked into the conference hall at the National Convention Center near the city center. The stage was set against the backdrop of a bust of the country's revolutionary leader, Ho Chi Minh, portraits of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, and the national flag and the hammer-and-sickle red flag for the party. Delegates also sang the national anthem and the L'Internationale, the official song of communism. Vietnam is one of the last remaining communist nations in the world, with a party membership of 4.5 million, but like its ideological ally China, the government believes in a quasi-free market economy alongside a strictly controlled society that places several restrictions on its 93 million people. The congress is not expected to hold any major surprises. Despite the veil of secrecy that the party pulls around its inner workings, it appeared Wednesday that an internal power struggle had ended before the congress, and the tussle was won by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, 71, who is expected to keep his job, albeit for half the five-year term in an apparent compromise with his rival, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. Also, a Dung protégé is likely to be given the post of the National Assembly chairman, while the prime minister and the president's posts will go to a neutral candidate and a Trong supporter. This configuration "would be a demonstrable loss for Dung but it should not be confused with an outright win by Trong," said Christian Lewis, a Vietnam expert at the New York-based Eurasia Group think-tank. "It is instead a composition that reflects a desire for a balance and more consensus-driven decision-making at the very top," he wrote in a commentary. Trong won after it was agreed at a preparatory meeting Wednesday to continue with a controversial 2014 rule barring all but officially nominated candidates from consideration, with no new nominations allowed from the congress floor. Trong was endorsed as the general secretary candidate earlier this month. This effectively sidelined Dung, 66, who had been vying for the general secretary's post. He is now expected to retire. Although credited with leading economic reforms, he was also accused of promoting cronyism and building a factional power base within the party through patronage politics. His apparent ouster "represents a clear vote by the top leaders in favor of balance over strong personalities in the make-up of the Politburo," Lewis wrote. The development raises questions about the direction of economic reforms he had been backing. The reforms have brought a flood of foreign investment, created a fledgling stock market and helped triple per capita GDP to US$2,100 over the past 10 years, but his rivals accuse him of economic mismanagement and failing to control massive public debt and non-performing loans of state-owned banks. But, Lewis said, the new set of leaders will support the current economic reforms and trade policy. Notably they remain committed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with the United States and other key trade deals including the free trade agreement with the European Union. "Vietnam wants to diversify its economic partners to avoid becoming excessively dependent on China," its largest trading partner, Lewis said. Vietnam has an ambivalent relationship with China. Besides the trade ties, China remains a security challenge. Beijing has been expanding its territorial assertions in the South China Sea, but Vietnam has pushed back against those claims. Dung has been seen as standing up to Beijing, not afraid to criticize it, while Trong was seen as being soft on China. Still, the new leaders will be particularly positive for US-Vietnam relations, said Lewis, pointing out that Trong's visit to the United States in July 2015 was well received. Over the next week, the congress will review and set national and party policies, and select a Central Committee. On one of the last days of the congress, the new Central Committee will meet to select a Politburo from among its ranks and pick one of them as party general secretary. The country's three other top leaders—prime minister, president and National Assembly chairman—are nominated, but their actual selection is done by the National Assembly, which itself is elected about six months after the Congress. All this is done behind closed doors. No media are allowed to cover the proceedings. The post Vietnam's Communist Party Meets to Pick Nation's Leaders appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Deadly Clashes Erupt Between Police, Protesters in Kashmir Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:55 PM PST A Kashmiri protester throws a stone towards Indian police during a protest in Srinagar, January 15, 2016.  (Photo: Danish Ismail / Reuters) SRINAGAR, India — Violent clashes between police and protesters erupted Wednesday in Indian-controlled Kashmir, leaving a man dead and two others wounded, officials said. The protesters were angry that Indian government forces killed a suspected rebel in a gun battle Wednesday after they had surrounded the village of Naina on a tip that anti-India militants were hiding there, said police officer Nitish Kumar. Chanting pro-independence slogans, scores of youths hurled rocks at government forces during protests in Naina and in neighboring Batpora village. Police tried to quell the protests by firing gunshots and tear gas into the air, but protesters torched an armored police vehicle, Kumar said. Government forces then fired on the protesters, killing one man and wounding two others, according to witnesses. Inspector-General Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani confirmed that a civilian had been killed and said the two men injured were hospitalized and in stable condition. He said the gun battle had destroyed a home in Naina, and authorities were searching the debris for the body of a second militant believed to have been killed. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir where rebels have been fighting since 1989 for the region's independence or merger with Pakistan, which controls another portion of the disputed Himalayan territory in the west. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The rebel groups have largely been suppressed by Indian troops in recent years, and resistance is now principally expressed through street protests. The post Deadly Clashes Erupt Between Police, Protesters in Kashmir appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Kachin Anti-Poppy Effort on Hold Over Safety Worries: Activist Posted: 20 Jan 2016 03:57 AM PST Anti-narcotics campaigners are said to be pictured in the town of Waingmaw, where they are awaiting government approval to destroy poppy plantations in the surrounding area. (Photo: Facebook / Jade Land Kachin) RANGOON — Hundreds of anti-drug crusaders in Kachin State's Waingmaw Township are awaiting permission from the state government before carrying out poppy eradication efforts in the surrounding area, with local authorities telling the campaigners their safety cannot yet be assured. James Zung Ding, a leader of the group in Waingmaw, said his men first sought permission to travel to Kam Pai Ti sub-township on Tuesday. "We even sent a letter again today," he told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. "They [the state government] told us today that those poppy farmers will attack us, and that it is not safe for us. This is why they did not let us go there." Armed with knives and machetes but no guns, members of the group have gathered in the town of Waingmaw and are prepared to set out when the government gives them the greenlight, Zung Ding said. "We have 1,200 people who are our members, coming from different townships in Kachin, and we expect to get permission tomorrow." Poppy farmers in the area and local militias have threatened to retaliate against local activists if the latter attempt to destroy their poppy fields without offering a sustainable alternative livelihood. "Some people phoned us and told us to provide a substitute crop. We are giving it consideration. However, our thinking is that we need to destroy those poppy farms first, then we will talk to them to ask what they need," Zung Ding said. Ethnic Chinese, Lisu and Kachin farmers are among those growing poppies, the precursor to opium, in the remote region bordering China. Northwest of Waingmaw in Tanai Township, a teenage anti-narcotics activist was killed last week, shot dead by a man believed to be the owner of the opium crop that the victim and others were attempting to destroy. The grassroots campaigns in Waingmaw and Tanai are motivated by participants' shared belief in the negative impacts that drug addiction, narco-trafficking and attendant problems have had on communities in Kachin State in recent years. Their eradication campaigns typically kick off in February, but poppy farmers planted their crops earlier this year, moving the harvesting season up on the calendar, according to the activists. The post Kachin Anti-Poppy Effort on Hold Over Safety Worries: Activist appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Anniversary of Ill-Fated Student Protest Marked in Mandalay Posted: 20 Jan 2016 02:13 AM PST Police accompany student activists on a protest march to Mandalay University on Wednesday, the one-year anniversary of the start of a protest that ended violently several weeks later. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — Student activists in Mandalay demonstrated on Wednesday to mark the one-year anniversary of the beginning of a protest march that would be violently dispersed by Burmese authorities 50 days later, with commemorators calling for the release of all political prisoners, including dozens detained following the police crackdown. About 50 university students from the Mandalay Student Union marched the streets of Mandalay in defiance of local authorities who initially sought to prohibit the demonstration, reaching the entrance of Mandalay University before dispersing peacefully. "We want to urge the government to release all of our friends from Thayawady Prison, as well as the other political prisoners," said the protesting students, referring to the penitentiary in Thayawady Township, Pegu Division, where students and their supporters arrested on March 10 in neighboring Letpadan are being held while they stand trial. Since Wednesday's protestors did not seek permission as required under Burma's Peaceful Assembly Law, local authorities and police officials attempted to stop them, but eventually reached agreement to allow the students to march to the university. "The police and the authorities said our protest is unlawful and we could face charges. We are not afraid to face it, because we believe we are doing the right thing," said one student protester. On Jan. 20 of last year, students and other education reform advocates led by the All Burma Federation of Student Unions embarked on a 400-mile march from Mandalay to Rangoon, in protest of a controversial National Education Law passed in September 2014. The column of protestors made it all the way to Letpadan in Pegu Division, about 70 miles northwest of Rangoon, where they were met with a police blockade. Days of negotiations failed to break the stalemate and on March 10, police moved in with batons in a violent show of force condemned at home and abroad. More than 100 students were initially detained for their involvement, with over 50 still on trial facing a variety of charges that human rights advocates criticize as illegitimate. The post Anniversary of Ill-Fated Student Protest Marked in Mandalay appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Deadly Clashes Reported Between Ta’ang and SSA-S Forces Posted: 20 Jan 2016 01:28 AM PST Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) troops on patrol in August 2013. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Deadly clashes have broken out between the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in northern Shan State, according to a spokesperson for the Palaung armed group. Three TNLA soldiers died and two were wounded after fighting, which first broke out on Jan. 17, according to Mai Ai Kyaw, a spokesperson for the Ta'ang group. He said conflict had occurred in Kyaukme, Hsipaw and Namhsan townships in northern Shan State. "We clashed because RCSS [Restoration Council of Shan State] troops trespassed on our territory. Clashes will end if the RCSS go back to their territory in southern Shan State," Mai Ai Kyaw said. The Ta'ang spokesperson claimed that the SSA-S, the armed wing of the RCSS, had sought to claim new territory since signing the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) in mid-October. He also alleged that Burma Army troops had supported the Shan armed group in recent fighting. In late November, the TNLA also claimed that their troops had clashed with a joint force of SSA-S and Burma Army troops on multiple occasions in Namhkam and Manton townships, near the border with China. On the recent hostilities, Lt-Col Sai Mein, a SSA-S spokesperson, said his group was not the aggressor but had defended itself against a surprise TNLA attack. "Clashes broke out as the TNLA ambushed our military columns on their way back to stations from our headquarters. We don't understand why they launched an attack on us," Sai Mein said. The spokesperson also refuted allegations the Shan armed group was being supported by Burma's military. He said the area of recent clashes was formerly controlled by the Shan State National Army and that SSA-S troops have been present there for some time. In an interview with The Irrawaddy last month, RCSS chairman Lt-Gen Yawd Serk              also rejected claims of cooperation with the Burma Army as "totally false." The SSA-S was one of eight non-state armed groups that inked the NCA last year. Several other major ethnic armed groups opted against signing, chiefly on the grounds that three armed groups, including the TNLA, were excluded from the agreement. Translated by Thet Ko Ko. The post Deadly Clashes Reported Between Ta'ang and SSA-S Forces appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

ANP in Tense Standoff With NLD Over State Governance Posted: 20 Jan 2016 01:22 AM PST A poster at an NLD rally reads, "I will only listen to my Mother," Taunggup, Oct. 14, 2015. (Photo: Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Politicians in western Burma's Arakan State are butting heads over a forthcoming chief ministerial appointment, as the date draws nearer for the transfer of power to a newly elected government. The National League for Democracy (NLD), which won a landslide victory in the Nov. 8 nationwide poll, has stated its intention to appoint members from within the party to the top executive posts in all of Burma's states and divisions. The announcement was not well received in Arakan State, the only administrative region where an ethnic political party fared better than the NLD. The Arakan National Party (ANP), which won a majority of elected state and Union-level seats representing its constituencies, now vows to stand in firm opposition to the new government if denied the right to form its own state-level administration. In a statement dated Jan. 19, the ANP announced that it "won't join any government organization, but stand as an opposition party for the interests of Arakan people," unless it is granted an exemption and allowed to form its own government. According to the Constitution, the president has the power to appoint chief ministers, who then appoint most cabinet positions in the state government. Ethnic parties have in the past made concerted efforts to amend the provision, arguing that the current procedures grant too much power to the central government. Last week, NLD central committee member Nyi Pu met with locals and civil society organizations in the state capital Sittwe, where he faced renewed calls for the party to make an exception for the ANP, as the party won about 67 percent of elected seats in the state legislature. According to ANP central committee member Khine Pyi Soe, Nyi Pu reiterated the NLD's position that the ruling party would select the state's leadership and that the decision came from party chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi. Tension is expected to mount as new lawmakers assume their seats next month, as the ANP has thus far only become more resolute in its demand. The party stated in its announcement on Tuesday that it would be open to discussions with the NLD should they wish to discuss the formation of the new state government. Editor’s note: This article was edited at 5:26pm to clarify that the ANP won a majority of elected seats in the state legislature, but does not have a majority due to the appointment of military lawmakers to 25 percent of seats.  The post ANP in Tense Standoff With NLD Over State Governance appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

KBZ Bank Listed Among ‘World Finance 100’ Top Firms Posted: 20 Jan 2016 01:12 AM PST A Kanbawza (KBZ) Bank branch is pictured in downtown Rangoon. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's largest privately owned lender, Kanbawza (KBZ) Bank, has been listed as one of the world's 100 leading companies in 2015 by World Finance, a London-based magazine. The "World Finance 100" list of companies and individuals "presents the new business elite, made up of those whose vision and enterprise shapes the conceptual landscape of finance, business and technology," according to the magazine, which announced the winners at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. Companies from the banking, energy, financial services, insurance, legal, media, technology and telecoms sectors are included. KBZ Bank, which has more than 100 branches across Burma, has been grouped alongside global business titans like Apple Inc. from the United States, China-based Alibaba and Toyota of Japan, among others. "Myanmar's leading financial services provider has been growing in stature over recent years, bringing international banking standards to the country's various banking markets," World Finance stated on its website. "Underscoring customer engagement and standards in product delivery, the company has highlighted the importance of continually raising expectations in order to fend off competition and continue to lead the industry." In December, World Finance also awarded KBZ Bank three marks of excellence: "Banker of the Year Award in Asia 2015," "Best Commercial Bank in Myanmar 2015" and "Best Retail Bank in Myanmar 2015." The international recognition is no small feat for a company in an industry, banking, that is considered one of Burma's least developed. Equally notable, the World Finance listing comes in spite of its chairman Aung Ko Win's presence for a time on the Australian and European Union's sanctions lists, targeted for his ties to Burma's former military regime. His name was removed shortly after the government of President Thein Sein assumed power in 2011. The post KBZ Bank Listed Among 'World Finance 100' Top Firms appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Barrage of Corn Cobs, Stones Greets Burmese Model at Loikaw Concert Posted: 19 Jan 2016 09:59 PM PST A photo of Zune Thinzar posted to the model's Facebook account. (Photo: Facebook / Zune Thinzar) Burmese model Zune Thinzar, a social media celebrity known for her racy photoshoots, was attacked by members of the audience while performing at a concert to commemorate Kayah State Day in Loikaw, the Karenni State capital. Zune Thinzar told The Irrawaddy that people in the crowd threw stones and eaten cobs of corn at her and fellow singer Zar Zar Htet while the duo were performing in the capital on Monday evening. "They twice threw eaten corn at me," Zune Thinzar said on Wednesday. "They also threw small stones the second time. They kept throwing them at me until singer Ko Aung Htet came to the stage. It was hard to control the audience as it was a free show in a large area. And some were drunk." Zune Thinzar has made a name for herself in socially conservative Burma for her propensity toward risqué photoshoots in which she is often scantily clad. Posts of these images garner thousands of "likes" on Facebook and numerous shares, but also elicit negative comments that question the cultural propriety of her apparently liberal stance on public exposure of the female form. "When I realized that they were throwing stones at the stage, I told them to hit me if they really wanted to do so," she told The Irrawaddy. "Then, they threw more stones. I don't want to say anything more about it. I believe that they were just judging me superficially. During election campaigning last year, Zune Thinzar also performed for the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) ahead of a contest in which the ruling party was thrashed by the National League for Democracy (NLD) in the Nov. 8 vote. The post Barrage of Corn Cobs, Stones Greets Burmese Model at Loikaw Concert appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Arakan Govt to Resettle Villagers Displaced by Conflict Posted: 19 Jan 2016 09:55 PM PST Internally displaced villagers take refuge in Kyiyar Pyin village, Arakan State. (Photo : Khaing Kaung San / Facebook) RANGOON — The Arakan State government plans to relocate 32 households displaced by recent conflict in Mrauk-U Township, according to a state official. Hla Thein, of the state government's public relations department, said on Tuesday that the state will provide materials, labor and farmland, and that the resettlement project is expected to be complete before a new government is sworn in later this year. The official said the location for the new homes has not yet been chosen, but that the process has been and will remain consultative with affected villagers. "We asked them about their wishes, and they agreed to our suggestion," Hla Thein said. The displaced villagers are currently taking shelter in a monastery in Kyiyar Pyin village. They are among an estimated 200 civilians who fled their homes after conflict broke out between the Arakan Army and the Burma Army in late December. An administrator from Kyiyar Pyin, Tin Aye Maung, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that Arakan State Chief Minister Mya Aung visited the village recently to meet with the refugees and assess their willingness to relocate. "Some people accepted their offer, but others wanted to go back to their original homes," Tin Aye Maung said. Conflict appears to have abated in the restive area, though the commander of the Arakan Army said recently that tensions remain high and clashes could erupt "at any time." Fighting between the Arakan Army and government troops broke out on Dec. 27, lasting for about three weeks. The Burma Army has since said that intends to "annihilate" the ethnic "insurgents." The Arakan Army is not recognized by the government as a legitimate non-state armed group, and has been excluded from the ongoing peace process between the government and other ethnic armed organizations. The post Arakan Govt to Resettle Villagers Displaced by Conflict appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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