The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Inya High-Rise Owned by Militia Chief ‘Unlikely’ to Resume: YCDC
• Weighing Suu Kyi’s Role in a New Political Order
• Women’s Alliance Breaks Down Gender Disparity in Peace Process
• Buddhist Peace Conference Kicks Off With Presidential Cameo
• Local Activist Among Trio Detained in Arakan State
• Only Suu Kyi Speaks for NLD, Party Says After Speaker Slip
• Political Prisoner Release Tallies 52, With 78 Still Behind Bars: AAPP
• Tony Blair Queried, Again, Over Nature of Burma Dealings
• Kachin State Anti-Poppy Campaigners Secure Police Protection
• Kachin Aid Worker Sentenced to 6 Months in Facebook Defamation Case
• Dozens of Political Prisoners Released as Govt’s Term Nears End
• Asean MPs Call for Release of Jailed Saffron Leader
• Rattan Weaving in Mandalay: A Trade in Decline
• TED Talks Event Set for Rangoon in March
• Police Open Fire on Ethnic Protesters in Nepal, Killing 3
• Thai Military Court to Release 14 Students Ahead of Trial
• Militant Attacks in Asia Inject New Urgency into US Bomb Training

Inya High-Rise Owned by Militia Chief ‘Unlikely’ to Resume: YCDC Posted: 22 Jan 2016 04:49 AM PST The construction site at No. 74, University Avenue, in Rangoon. (Photo: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Construction of a high-rise development in Rangoon owned by the leader of a militia is unlikely to resume after it was temporarily suspended earlier this week, according to an official from the municipal government. The Yangon City Development Council (YCDC) issued an order on Monday to halt construction of No. 74 University Ave., the project commenced without approval from the municipal body. The property is owned by Kyaw Myint, chairman of the Pansay People's Militia, an armed group allied with the Burma Army. The militia was founded about 20 years ago and is based in Muse, on the Sino-Burmese border. Khin Hlaing, an elected member of the YCDC, said the design of the development violated city guidelines and probably would not meet the city's guidelines. "Though it has only been temporarily, it is very unlikely to get permission to resume because of its design," Khin Hlaing told reporters on Friday. Situated near Inya Lake, a designated noise-free zone, the proposed 12.5 storey development would exceed the neighborhood's 42 ft height cap. The decision was made after Khin Hlaing and Lower House parliamentarian May Win Myint, a member of the National League for democracy, spoke out about the development earlier this year. "Residents—including Buddhist monks—in the neighborhood had submitted their complaints about the construction since August last year," Khin Hlaing said on Friday. On Wednesday, Kyaw Myint submitted a letter, seen by The Irrawaddy, to Rangoon Division Minister Myint Swe, requesting that the project be allowed to resume. The appeal claimed that the development had already been approved by the YCDC and neighboring residents. The militia leader was not immediately available for comments on Friday. The post Inya High-Rise Owned by Militia Chief 'Unlikely' to Resume: YCDC appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Weighing Suu Kyi’s Role in a New Political Order Posted: 22 Jan 2016 04:36 AM PST Aung San Suu Kyi, chairwoman of the National League for Democracy which is set to form Burma's next government. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) It's one of several unanswered questions in what looms as a new era in Burmese politics. With Aung San Suu Kyi constitutionally barred from assuming the country's highest office, what formal political position, if any, will the ever popular pro-democracy leader seek when her party takes power in late March? Undoubtedly, the National League for Democracy (NLD) chairwoman's ultimate aim is the presidency. However, Suu Kyi remains ineligible for the position due to Article 59(f) of Burma's military-drafted 2008 Constitution which rules out individuals whose parents, children or spouse are foreign citizens. Suu Kyi's two children are British nationals, as was her late husband. There has been speculation that the offending article may be suspended to allow Suu Kyi to assume the role. However, the likelihood of the military agreeing to such a proposition ahead of the impending transition of power appears remote. With that in mind, some analysts have turned their attention to what official role Suu Kyi, 70, may take on in an NLD-government. The Lower House speaker of Burma's Parliament was one plausible suggestion. But that notion seemed off the mark after recent reports the NLD had nominated Win Myint and ethnic Karen Win Khaing Than, both NLD members, as speakers for the Lower and Upper House, respectively—notwithstanding the party's subsequent refusal to confirm the reported nominations. Other analysts contend Suu Kyi may remain as party leader, without taking any official position in the parliament or the executive. She would certainly still be "The Lady in charge" regardless of her formal political role. The NLD leader has made one point abundantly clear: whoever officially leads the country, she will rule from "above the president" in the forthcoming government. However, Suu Kyi may feel that assuming an official position is the best way to drive the government. There are also important points to consider regarding her influence over key decision-making bodies, perhaps most importantly, the National Defense and Security Council (NDSC). The 11-member body is empowered by the Constitution to devise policy on certain military and security issues, including the right to petition the president to declare a nationwide state of emergency. The council includes the president, two vice presidents, both Union Parliament speakers, the commander-in-chief and deputy commander of the Burma Armed Forces, and respective heads of the Foreign, Home, Defense and Border affairs ministries—the latter three of whom are military appointed. A position on the powerful council, of which the military commands a majority (considering one vice-president is selected by military lawmakers), will be a key concern of Suu Kyi. In light of that—and with the presidency currently off-limits—Suu Kyi may opt to assume the role of foreign minister. In that role, whenever the council is held, Suu Kyi would retain a constitutional right to be there, alongside the Burma Army chief and other powerful military figures. Of course, her "president" would be there too. The role of foreign minister would not allow the NLD chairwoman to spend as much time on the coalface in Parliament, as she has done since winning a seat in April 2012 by-elections. However, in the new legislative chamber, the NLD will command a powerful majority and both speakers. Suu Kyi may deem it wise to focus her efforts on managing the executive arm of government. Soon after the November general election, the Washington Post newspaper asked the leader of the victorious party: "When there is a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations—or another gathering of heads of state—they are going to want you there. They are not going to want someone else." Suu Kyi's answer was unequivocal: "I'll go there. I'll go along with the president, and he can sit beside me." To fulfill that vow, The Lady, despite her already distinguished standing around the world, may be aided by formally commanding a ministerial position. The position of foreign minister would seem an ideal choice. No other person within the NLD is more qualified to grace the stage of international diplomacy and, even if she wasn't foreign minister, it is Suu Kyi that world leaders will want to meet. As for the Burmese people, most will be satisfied regardless of the 70-year-old's official position—as long as she is the lady in charge. The post Weighing Suu Kyi's Role in a New Political Order appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Women’s Alliance Breaks Down Gender Disparity in Peace Process Posted: 22 Jan 2016 04:28 AM PST From left to right: Thin Lei Win, Thin Thin Aung, Thandar Oo, Naw May-Oo Mutraw, Khin Ma Ma Myo in Rangoon on Jan. 22, 2016. (Photo: Yen Snaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — An alliance of women's rights organizations called on Friday for greater inclusion of women in Burma's peace process, citing social factors and a lack of will as causes of underrepresentation throughout the negotiations to date. Only about 7 percent of participants in a recent Union Peace Conference were women, according to the Alliance for Gender Inclusion in the Peace Process (AGIPP), an eight-member group advocating for a much higher 30 percent representation in decision-making roles. Nearly 700 people took part in the conference, held from Jan. 12 to 16 in the capital Naypyidaw. The much-publicized event marked the start of a political dialogue following the signing of a multilateral ceasefire agreement reached in October between the Burmese government and eight of the country's more than 20 non-state armed groups. AGIPP presented a policy briefing on Friday assessing women, peace and security in Burma's peace process, finding that efforts to date proved insufficient and recommending a clear-cut policy for enhancing the role of women particularly in decision-making roles. At the end of the four-day Union Peace Conference, attendees agreed on a four-point path forward, including a vague commitment to "enable at least 30 percent participation by women at different levels" in accordance with the ceasefire agreement. The text of that agreement calls for a "reasonable number of women" to participate in the dialogue. Throughout the whole process to date, however, women have remained grossly underrepresented, according to AGIPP. Since negotiations began in 2011, only two women were among 16 chief ethnic negotiators; two were part of the 52-member government negotiation team, the Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC); and three are among the 48 members of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC). No women were included among 11 members of the Union Peacemaking Central Committee, 16-member Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting or the 26-member Union-level Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee, according to AGIPP. While the turnout of women participants has been low, ethnic Karen technical advisor Naw May Oo Mutraw said those who were involved spoke loudly on behalf of those left out. "We are still far from the 30 percent goal we have always talked about," she said, "but that 7 percent put in a lot of effort." Unfortunately, speaking didn't seem to be enough. Much of what women contributed to conversations throughout the Union Peace Conference was simply omitted in the daily records and meeting minutes, according to Khin Ma Ma Myo, managing director of the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security Studies. "My discussions were not noted," she said, despite taking part in three separate discussions, speaking to each issue for a full 15 minutes. Comments on freedom expression made by Ma Thida, a renowned writer and former prisoner of conscience, were also stricken from the record, she said. "When the records were out, the names of all the women in the discussions were missing," she said. As an added frustration, on the final day of talks, she said she waited patiently through a whole morning of discussions among the men before given a chance to speak. When her turn came, she said, the moderator said it was time for a lunch break. She had requested half an hour after the break to discuss judicial procedures for rape cases, but instead was afforded only 15 minutes. As if there were not enough obstacles for women who wished to be more involved in the process, Naw May Oo Mutraw—who is also the mother of a 2-year-old girl—said there is minimal support for women trying to balance work, political participation and family commitments. "The social and economic status of women is directly related to our availability and ability to lead," she said. "I assume the reason we don't see bright women in leading roles is because of these challenges." The post Women's Alliance Breaks Down Gender Disparity in Peace Process appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Buddhist Peace Conference Kicks Off With Presidential Cameo Posted: 22 Jan 2016 04:23 AM PST President Thein Sein, center, and Sitagu Sayadaw, right, attend the World Buddhist Peace Conference in Sagaing Division on Jan. 22, 2016. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — A diverse crowd of religious figures from around the world convened in central Burma on Friday for the start of the World Buddhist Peace Conference, an ambitious event with the stated aim of bridging religious differences in Burma and abroad. Burmese President Thein Sein addressed hundreds of attendees at the opening event in Sagaing Division, calling on leaders to unite against extremism in the face of growing religious polarization. "I would like to kindly urge world religious leaders, political leaders and national leaders around the world to join hands and teach their followers to practice the middle way and avoid extremism," Thein Sein said, in what will likely be one of his last major public speeches before his term ends in late March. The three-day event was organized by the Sitagu International Buddhist Academy, founded in 1994 by Sitaugu Sayadaw U Nyar Neitthara. Also speaking at the opening remarks on Friday, the well-known Burmese monk cautioned against discrimination. Some 500 people were invited to the conference, representing an array of faiths from about 50 countries worldwide. Australia, Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Norway, South Africa and the United Kingdom were all represented at the event. Messages of support were also received by the event's organizers from the United Nations refugee agency, the office of the European Union in Burma, the US Embassy, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh and religious figures who could not attend. According to the conference's organizing committee, much of the event will focus on experience sharing among experts from conflict-torn countries where religion and racial differences have exacerbated tensions. Organizers said they hoped the event would help repair the image of Burma's Buddhists, as some elements within the country's religious majority have been viewed as extremist. 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, and ushered in the rise of a powerful Buddhist nationalist movement that has only recently receded from the public sphere. Special guests opened the ceremony with a message to the world's youth that all religions share a common goal of peaceful coexistence. "We want to tell the youth here that being extreme is not being religious," said Uadim Polianskii, chairman of the Jewish Society of Aesthetics and Physical Training in Russia. "Every religion practices peace and love. If each of us understands the true meaning of our religious practice, we will live peaceful and harmonious lives." The post Buddhist Peace Conference Kicks Off With Presidential Cameo appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Local Activist Among Trio Detained in Arakan State Posted: 22 Jan 2016 04:17 AM PST Farmers march in Kyaukphyu in protest of what they describe as unfair compensation for their land, damaged by waste from the Shwe gas project, June 3, 2015. (Photo: Wong Aung / Shwe Gas Movement) RANGOON — The chair of a local civil society organization and two others were detained in Arakan State's Kyaukphyu Township on Thursday, according to eyewitnesses, who suggested the trio were accused of having links to the Arakan Army (AA). Maung Aye, the chair of the Kyaukphyu Rural Development Association, and two other unnamed men were detained in Leik Kha Maw village at around midday on Thursday by a group of eight men in plainclothes, presumed to be police or military officers, according to local monk and the brother of Maung Aye, Oo Bawdi. "Our villagers are very scared now," said the monk, adding that the plainclothes men were armed. The village is situated near the Shwe gas project, around 10 km from the town of Kyaukphyu in the coastal western state. Local villager Maung Yin Daung, who witnessed the arrests, said that when he went to Kyaukphyu police station to make enquiries, police there denied any knowledge of the detainees. "We heard that they were arrested because of an AA connection," he said. Recent conflict between government troops and the Arakan Army broke out in Kyauktaw Township on Dec. 27. Hundreds of local Arakanese people have been forced to flee their homes, with the Burma Army pledging to "remove" the ethnic armed group from Arakan State. Burma Army troops clashed several times with Arakan Army forces in a number of areas in the western state beginning in late March 2015. Following the fighting, at least 20 people were detained under Burma's Unlawful Association Law for their alleged links to the armed faction. According to villagers, Maung Aye was a respected member of the local community who helped address cases of land confiscation and led protests against unfair compensation. The Irrawaddy contacted the head of Kyaukphyu Township police office, Win Kyi, on Thursday evening, who said that the local police force was not involved and that he had no information on the detainees. Oo Bawdi claimed Maung Aye was being held by military members from infantry battalion No. 34, an assertion The Irrawaddy could not immediately verify. The post Local Activist Among Trio Detained in Arakan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Only Suu Kyi Speaks for NLD, Party Says After Speaker Slip Posted: 22 Jan 2016 04:10 AM PST National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to media about the upcoming general elections, during a news conference at her home in Rangoon on Nov. 5, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — The National League for Democracy (NLD) announced on Friday that party chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi is the only person authorized to speak publicly about the party's policy decisions. In a statement shared on social media, the NLD said it has to "handle things delicately at present," as the party prepares to assume power after unseating the military-backed government in the Nov. 8 general election. "Therefore, it is hereby announced that except for the chairperson of the NLD, no one else is authorized to talk about the policies and transition issues of the NLD," the statement read. The announcement followed a widely cited AFP report that the party had made its selections for speakers and deputy speakers of the Union Parliament, quoting senior party member Nyan Win. The central committee member said that of the party's picks for the four powerful positions, three would be ethnic minorities and two would be from a party other that the NLD. The party declined to speak further on the issue when commented by other media outlets. The NLD has come under criticism for its secrecy about policies and political appointments, though Suu Kyi has stated her intention to nominate non-party members and to prioritize ethnic minorities in the formation of her administration. The post Only Suu Kyi Speaks for NLD, Party Says After Speaker Slip appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Political Prisoner Release Tallies 52, With 78 Still Behind Bars: AAPP Posted: 22 Jan 2016 03:31 AM PST Former political prisoners and their family members carry luggage outside of Rangoon's Insein Prison following their release on Friday. (Photo: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Fifty-two political prisoners were released from penitentiaries across Burma on Friday, while 78 remain and hundreds more are still facing trial on politically motivated charges, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which called on the government to release the outstanding prisoners of conscience. The amnesty ordered by President Thein Sein involved the release of a total of 101 Burmese nationals and one New Zealander, Phil Blackwood, who was sentenced last year to 2.5 years in prison for religious defamation. "The president has granted amnesty following the successful conclusion of 2015 elections, the first Union Peace Conference and the commencement of 'The World Buddhist Peace Conference,' said President's Office director Zaw Htay on Friday morning, via his Facebook account Hmuu Zaw. Among nine penitentiaries to discharge political prisoners nationwide, Rangoon's notorious Insein Prison and the lockup in Karen State's Hpa-an released the largest totals, at 19 prisoners of conscience each. Aung Myo Kyaw from AAPP told The Irrawaddy that the number of remaining political prisoners stood at 78, since the Kachin aid worker Patrick Khum Jaa Lee was sentenced to six months in prison just hours after the presidential amnesty over a Facebook post deemed to have defamed the Burma Army. Bo Kyi, joint secretary of the AAPP, said Friday that the advocacy group would continue to demand the release of all political prisoners, without exception, citing student activists, land rights campaigners and journalists who remain behind bars as cases outstanding. "We appreciate the release. But what we, and international organizations, are demanding is to release all political prisoners, without any exception," he told The Irrawaddy. "The country would benefit more if they were released and given a chance to play suitable roles for the country, instead of keeping them in prison cells," he continued. "It can also be an obstacle to national reconciliation." Although the release of Blackwood and 13 protestors of a military land-grab in Rangoon's Michaungkan quarter dropped high-profile causes from AAPP's docket, several prominent names will remain on its list of political prisoners. In one recent case, Chaw Sandi Tun was sentenced to six months' imprisonment in late December for sharing a photo collage online that compared revamped uniforms worn by Burmese military personnel to the apparel worn by National League for Democracy (NLD) chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi. Chaw Sandi Tun was not among those released on Monday, according to her mother. Tin Lin Oo, a writer and former NLD member, was also passed over, according to AAPP. He is serving a sentence of two years in prison with hard labor after he argued, at a literary festival, that discrimination on racial and religious grounds was incompatible with the central tenets of Buddhism. For that, a court deemed him guilty of "deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings." Five members of the Unity journal were also excluded and will continue to serve their seven-year sentences in a case that saw them found guilty of revealing state secrets in an article printed by the publication. AAPP says additionally, more than 400 activists are still facing trial on politically motivated charges and were not considered in the amnesty. US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Burma this week and called on the outgoing government to free all remaining political prisoners before the NLD takes the mantle at the end of March. New York-based Human Rights Watch released a statement the same day, arguing that the Thein Sein government could leave behind a positive legacy by "immediately and unconditionally" freeing all remaining political prisoners. "Thein Sein shouldn't wait for the new government to take office in late March to free those who should never have been imprisoned in the first place," the deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, Phil Robertson, said in the statement. Thein Sein has released more than 1,000 political prisoners over the course of his five-year political term. The post Political Prisoner Release Tallies 52, With 78 Still Behind Bars: AAPP appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Tony Blair Queried, Again, Over Nature of Burma Dealings Posted: 22 Jan 2016 01:53 AM PST Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with National League for Democracy chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2015. (Photo: NLD Chairperson Office / Facebook) Former British prime minister Tony Blair was back in Burma earlier this month for at least his fifth visit since a quasi-civilian government assumed power under President Thein Sein. Blair, who has staked out a lucrative niche in various advisory and entrepreneurial roles since leaving office, met with outgoing Union Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann and National League for Democracy chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw on Jan. 7. However, as in previous years, the purpose of his visit was less than clear. A UK-based rights group, Burma Campaign UK, has consistently called on Blair to reveal the precise nature of his dealings in Burma. The group reiterated this stance in an email to The Irrawaddy on Thursday. "Tony Blair should be transparent about what who he is working for and why he keeps visiting Burma," said Mark Farmaner, Burma Campaign UK director. "In other countries Tony Blair has been known to combine work with his foundations with his business interests." Farmaner said the advocacy group had repeatedly written to Blair's office to seek details of his dealings in Burma, without receiving adequate clarification. Burma Campaign UK has previously stated that Blair was believed to be advising Thein Sein in some capacity. Blair's former chief of staff from 1997-2007, Jonathan Powell, also has interests in Burma through his charity Inter Mediate, which works in conflict resolution. According to informed sources, Powell helped broker a trip to Columbia in December for a delegation comprised of representatives from the Burma Army, three ethnic Karen armed groups including the Karen National Union, and the government-affiliated Myanmar Peace Center, to study the country's peace process. Farmaner said he wouldn't be surprised if Blair's recent visit was linked to Powell's work in Burma. "Jonathan Powell and Tony Blair are old friends from their time when Tony Blair was Prime Minister, and they have both been involved in Burma in recent years," he said. "The problem is that their involvement seems to have been more in support of President Thein Sein's government than being neutral or supporting civil society and the democracy movement." The Irrawaddy wrote to Inter Mediate for comment but was yet to receive a reply at time of publication. Bertil Lintner, a veteran Swedish journalist and the author of several books on Burma, said there were numerous foreign organizations jockeying for involvement in Burma's ongoing peace process. "It is just a waste of time and money in the 'peace-industrial complex,'" Lintner said. "There is lots of money to be made there." The post Tony Blair Queried, Again, Over Nature of Burma Dealings appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Kachin State Anti-Poppy Campaigners Secure Police Protection Posted: 22 Jan 2016 01:46 AM PST Locals and police destroy poppy plantations. (Photo: Phoe Thar / Taunggyi) RANGOON — The Kachin State government has promised to provide security for a group of anti-drug campaigners in Waingmaw Township after a teenage member was shot dead last week while clearing poppy fields in the state. Zonne Deink, a priest and leader of the Pat Ja San organization, told The Irrawaddy that authorities gave the group approval to carry out its poppy eradication campaign on Thursday, after members earlier in the week requested protection. "We have drawn up plans [to destroy poppy plantations] with more than 1,000 members," he said, adding that the group planned to begin carrying out its mission on Saturday. Zonne Deink said he had first asked for the state government's assistance after the group was confronted by members of a local Border Guard Force (BGF), militia and poppy growers, who prevented them from destroying poppy fields in the township on Tuesday. A member of Pat Ja San, who asked not to be named, told The Irrawaddy: "About 500 people carrying sticks, swords and guns were blocking our way, so we could not proceed. We have had to ask the Waingmaw police station and township administrator to provide security for us." Though the group has been destroying the small-scale plantations of local poppy growers in Kachin State, it does not provide the farmers with substitute crops nor monetary compensation, a source of friction that proved deadly on Jan. 15, when a farmer fatally shot a teenage who was clearing poppies in Tanai Township, northwest of Waingmaw. Despite the fact that Burma Army units are based in Injangyang, Chipwi, Tsawlaw, and Waingmaw, the four townships are largely under the administration of the New Democratic Army–Kachin (NDAK), a group led by Zakhung Ting Ying that officially transformed into a BGF in 2009. Zakhung Ting Ying won a seat in the Upper House constituency covering Chipwi, Tsawlaw and Ingyanyan townships in the 2015 election. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the total area under opium poppy cultivation in Burma in 2015 was estimated at 55,500 hectares, including 4,200 hectares in Kachin State. While the figure represented a 4 percent decrease from 2014, Burma remains the second-largest opium producer in the world, after only Afghanistan. The post Kachin State Anti-Poppy Campaigners Secure Police Protection appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Kachin Aid Worker Sentenced to 6 Months in Facebook Defamation Case Posted: 22 Jan 2016 12:16 AM PST Patrick Khum Jaa Lee arrives at Rangoon's Hlaing Township Courthouse on Jan. 22, 2016, for sentencing. (Photo: Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Kachin aid worker Patrick Khum Jaa Lee, who was arrested over a Facebook post deemed to defame the Burma Army, was sentenced on Friday to six months in prison minus time served, just hours after a presidential amnesty freed dozens of others viewed as prisoners of conscience. The sentence was handed down by Justice Kyi Sein at Rangoon's Hlaing Township Court on Friday afternoon. Khum Jaa Lee, 43, was arrested in October of last year and charged under Burma's Telecommunications Law for allegedly sharing a photo of a man dressed in traditional Kachin attire stomping on an image of Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. He has denied sharing the content in question and says he was coerced into signing a confession. Numerous requests for bail, premised on his deteriorating health, have been denied throughout his months-long detention. Khum Jaa Lee suffers from hypertension and asthma, according to his wife, renowned peace and women's rights activist May Sabe Phyu. His arrest sparked international outcry as one of a rash of criminal defamation charges related to social media in the lead-up to a Nov. 8 general election. Just days before Khum Jaa Lee was jailed, a young supporter of the opposition, Chaw Sandi Tun, was arrested over a Facebook post likening military uniforms to women's clothing. She was sentenced to six months in prison on Dec. 28. At least 52 political prisoners were freed from penitentiaries across the country on Friday as part of a presidential amnesty, including land rights activists and a New Zealand national convicted for insulting religion. More than 400 other political detainees remain imprisoned or awaiting trial on politically motivated charges, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). A top US diplomat on Monday urged outgoing President Thein Sein to free all remaining prisoners of conscience before his term ends in late March. His military-backed party will hand over power to the National League for Democracy (USDP), the party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, which secured a landslide win in the November polls. The post Kachin Aid Worker Sentenced to 6 Months in Facebook Defamation Case appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Dozens of Political Prisoners Released as Govt’s Term Nears End Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:58 PM PST Former political prisoners pose for a photo outside Rangoon's Insein Prison on Friday morning. (Photo: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — More than two dozen political prisoners were released from penitentiaries across Burma on Friday morning, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), as President Thein Sein's term of office enters its 11th hour. "According to our statistics, 33 political prisoners have been released since this morning," Aung Myo Kyaw, an AAPP member who is closely monitoring the releases, told The Irrawaddy before noon on Friday. According to the President's Office, the release of political prisoners is part of a larger amnesty of more than 100 convicts. "Burma's government has today released one New Zealand [national] prisoner and 101 [Burmese] national prisoners and has commuted the death sentences of 77 prisoners—75 males and two females—to life imprisonment," according to President's Office director Zaw Htay, who conveyed the information via his Facebook account, where he goes by the name Hmuu Zaw. Aung Myo Kyaw confirmed that New Zealand national in question was Phil Blackwood, who was convicted to 2.5 years in prison last year for religious defamation, along with two Burmese colleagues, in a case decried by human rights activists. "The president has granted amnesty following the successful conclusion of 2015 elections, the first Union Peace Conference and the commencement of 'The World Buddhist Peace Conference,'" Zaw Htay's post reads. Aung Myo Kyaw said the prisoners of conscience were released from Insein, Mandalay, Taungoo, Pyay, Nyaung U, Myitkyina, Putao and Hpa-an prisons. Among the released are human rights activists who fought against land-grabbing at the Chinese-backed Letpadaung copper mine project in Sagaing Division, and others protesting military seizure of land in Rangoon's Michaungkan quarter. Friday's releases come just over a month before Thein Sein leaves office at the end of March. On Monday, during his second diplomatic visit to Burma, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the outgoing government to free all remaining political prisoners before the National League for Democracy (NLD) takes power on April 1. "In response to the requests of personalities and organizations, the president has released the prisoners on social grounds, so that they can serve the interests of the country after their release," Zaw Htay wrote on Facebook. This story was updated at 12:19 pm to include comments from President's Office director Zaw Htay, and at 12:35 to include confirmation of Phil Blackwood's release.   The post Dozens of Political Prisoners Released as Govt's Term Nears End appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Asean MPs Call for Release of Jailed Saffron Leader Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:57 PM PST 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: Reuters) RANGOON — A group of parliamentarians from across Southeast Asia on Thursday raised concern over the re-arrest of former monk and pro-democracy leader Gambira, calling for his immediate release. In a statement issued on Thursday, Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) said Gambira's arrest was likely politically motivated. His detention at such a pivotal time is "extremely concerning and risks sacrificing any potential positive legacy of the government of President Thein Sein," the statement read. "Gambira has sacrificed a great deal to support the rights of the Myanmar people to fight for democracy and should be treated accordingly—not hounded and thrown in jail," Son Chhay, a Cambodian Member of Parliament and Vice Chair of APHR, said in the statement. On Friday, at least 20 political prisoners were released in a presidential amnesty following calls from the international community and human rights groups to free all prisoners of conscience before the current government's term ends in late March. More prisoners are expected to be released throughout the day, though it is still unclear whether Gambira was or will be among those freed. He is unlikely to have been screened and identified as a current prisoner of conscience, however, as he has not yet been convicted. Gambira, also known as Nyi Nyi Lwin, has long been considered one of Burma's most prominent political prisoners. A former monk and a leader of the 2007 Saffron Revolution, he was arrested and forcibly disrobed for his role in the pro-democracy uprising. His arrest on Jan. 19 was at least his fourth detention since he was freed in a 2012 amnesty. Since his initial release, he has lived alternately in Burma and Thailand, where he sought treatment for mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder related to his treatment while in prison. His latest detention, on allegations of violating an immigration law that could land him in prison for up to five years, has been roundly decried as politically motivated, prompting a chorus of calls for his release. On Wednesday, rights group Amnesty International also called for his immediate and unconditional release. Gambira is currently being detained in Mandalay's Oh Bo Prison, and his next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 3. The post Asean MPs Call for Release of Jailed Saffron Leader appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rattan Weaving in Mandalay: A Trade in Decline Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:38 PM PST Click to view slideshow. MANDALAY — Known locally as "Rattan Quarter," this residential area between 27th and 76th streets in Mandalay is arguably failing to live up to its reputation these days. In generations past, families in this neighborhood made their living weaving mats from rattan that were used as the backing and seats of wooden furniture, typically armchairs. During a recent trip to the area, however, The Irrawaddy found that only two houses were sticking with the trade, their workshops manned by people in their 50s who at the time of the visit were weaving the material for wooden armchairs. These rattan stalwarts claimed that modern furniture, made of plastic or steel and readily available at supermarkets these days, was the reason that the once steady rattan weaving trade appears, to a visitor in 2016, to be in its death throes. A centuries-old traditional material for making furniture, rattan was widely used across the country, valued for its adaptability to the weather; its surface feels cool to the touch in high temperatures and warm in cooler weather. Another factor working against the rattan trade in a 21st century filled with alternatives is its time-consuming nature. To weave the back and seat to one armchair takes an average of six hours, denting the appeal of the craft for younger generations. Asked why they are sticking with the job while others have moved on, one weaver said: "It's our traditional craft as well as it is the business that we have known for generations." The post Rattan Weaving in Mandalay: A Trade in Decline appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

TED Talks Event Set for Rangoon in March Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:25 PM PST The organizing team for a TED talks event, including Thiri Thant Mon (center), to be held in Rangoon in March. RANGOON — Known around the world for its conferences on an ever-expanding range of topics and ideas, TED talks is now coming to Burma. The independently organized event under the TED banner will take place on March 23 at Rangoon's Inya Lake Hotel, according to organizers. "TEDxInyaLake" will feature a range of speakers including poet Nay Oake, filmmaker Lin Sun Oo, lawyer Robert San Aung, environmental conservationist Yin Myo Suu, education expert Tim Aye Hardy, author Pascal Khoo Thwe, and many more. The organizing team includes eight female professionals headed by Thiri Thant Mon, managing director at Sandanila, and lead curator Thin Lei Win, chief correspondent with bilingual news agency Myanmar Now. The conference will be held under the theme "Myanmar Connects" and aims to "promote the world of ideas to Myanmar via TED and TEDx talks, and in turn contribute Myanmar's ideas to the world," according to the event's website. Thiri Thant Mon told The Irrawaddy via email on Thursday she was motivated to help organize the event due to a passion for education and empowerment and a desire to raise learning standards in her native country. "A country in isolation subjected to poor education and propaganda raises a citizenry that is ill-informed and unable to take advantage of and compete in the interconnected world with the freely available knowledge that we have today," she said. "I aim to help change this in any small or large way." The event aims to provide a window onto Burma as "a normal human society with normal human problems," the website says. Lin Sun Oo, chief executive officer of Tagu Films, who will be speaking about his personal story as a third generation filmmaker in his family, said he appreciated the variety of speakers set to take part in the event. "It's a good mix because it isn't just about politics and the same narrative about Myanmar and its military past," he told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. TED describes itself as a nonprofit, launched in 1984, and devoted to the spread of ideas on a plethora of topics, with discussions held in more than 100 languages to date. The post TED Talks Event Set for Rangoon in March appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Police Open Fire on Ethnic Protesters in Nepal, Killing 3 Posted: 21 Jan 2016 10:33 PM PST Protesters stand near a burning tire as they gather to block the highway connecting Nepal to India during a general strike called by Madhesi protesters demonstrating against the new constitution in Birgunj, Nepal November 5, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) KATHMANDU — Police fired on ethnic protesters in southern Nepal on Thursday, killing at least three and wounding eight, in fresh violence likely to trigger more trouble in the Himalayan nation facing severe shortages of fuel and other supplies because of the protests. Government administrator Devi Bahadur Bhandari said the police acted as the ethnic Madhesi protesters tried to attack a political rally organized by the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) in Rangeli, near the border with India. Police tried to stop the attackers with batons, tear gas and blank shots before firing live rounds into the crowd killing two protesters. Police said another protester was also killed by police in nearby Dainiya. Further details on the circumstances there were not available. The protesters have been demonstrating and imposing a general strike in much of southern Nepal for months and have blocked a key border crossing through which Nepal gets much of its fuel and other supplies from India. At least 50 people have been killed since August in protest-related violence, but no major violence had been reported in the last month until the deaths on Thursday. The Madhesis say the constitution carved Nepal's seven states unfairly with borders that cut through their ancestral homeland. They want a larger state, more government representation and more local autonomy. Talks between the protesting groups and the government have continued. Madhesi leaders and Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli met on Thursday in Kathmandu but reached no agreements. Upendra Yadav of the United Democratic Madhesi Front, the main group leading the protests, told reporters after the meeting that the two sides were at the same position they were four months earlier and no progress was made. The post Police Open Fire on Ethnic Protesters in Nepal, Killing 3 appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thai Military Court to Release 14 Students Ahead of Trial Posted: 21 Jan 2016 09:45 PM PST A member of an activist group holds a picture of one of the 14 students held for holding anti-coup protests at a rally outside the military court in Bangkok on July 7, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK— A military court in Thailand said Tuesday it will release 14 student activists from detention but they will still face sedition charges—and the prospect of years in prison—for defying the junta's ban on political gatherings. The university students, 13 men and one woman, have been detained since their arrest on June 26 in Bangkok after leading a series of peaceful anti-coup rallies in the capital and elsewhere. The case sparked international calls for their release and criticism of the military junta's use of military courts to try civilians and its strict controls on freedom of speech and assembly. University professors and students joined dozens of protesters to show support for the students outside the court, across from the Grand Palace in Bangkok's historic quarter. Amid mounting pressure, the court denied a request from police to extend the students' pre-trial detention for 12 more days, said defense lawyer KrisadangNutcharut. They were expected to be released Wednesday morning. Under Thai law, people can be held a maximum of 48 days without formal charges. "The court agreed with our request to release them on grounds that they have no intention to run away,"Kritsadang told reporters outside the courthouse. Journalists were not allowed to attend the hearing. "They can now go back to their studies." In a June 25 rally, the students wrapped Bangkok's Democracy Monument in black cloth and called for the junta to "get out." In May, they conducted peaceful rallies in the northeastern province of KhonKaen to mark the coup's first anniversary. They face charges of sedition and violating the junta's ban on political gatherings of more than five people, which carry penalties of up to seven and a half years in prison. No date has been set for their trial. Since overthrowing an elected government in May 2014, the nation's military rulers have jailed opponents who dared to speak out against them. They have censored the media, forbidden open political debate and ordered that security-related offenses be handled by military courts. Commenting on the court's decision, a government spokesman warned the students to behave. "Even though they will be released, it doesn't mean the case is concluded," said deputy government spokesman SansernKaewkamnerd. He urged the students not to "create chaos in society" or to "hold activities like in the past." The military has spoken of holding national elections but has not said exactly when they could take place, and its latest constitutional draft would curb the powers of elected political leaders. Human Rights Watch said in a statement that the students' arrests "demonstrate the military junta's unwillingness to ease its oppressive rule." The UN human rights office has called for the students' release and urged the government to review its use of laws that limit freedom of expression and assembly. The European Union has called the arrests "a disturbing development" and said civilians should not be tried in military courts. The students' case is the latest dilemma for the government, which has come under fire for the country's long-ignored human trafficking violations and illegal activity in the lucrative fishing industry that could lead to an EU ban on imports from Thailand. The post Thai Military Court to Release 14 Students Ahead of Trial appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Militant Attacks in Asia Inject New Urgency into US Bomb Training Posted: 21 Jan 2016 09:14 PM PST A vehicle is blown up during a course on blast scene investigation near Hua Hin, Thailand, January 17, 2016. (Photo: Jorge Silva / Reuters) CHA'AM, Thailand — A major Asian city is rocked by a car bomb as VIPs arrive for a summit. Nearby, a man on a motorbike detonates his suicide vest. People gather, emergency crews arrive—then a third explosion rips through the crowd. That's the all-too-familiar scenario recently presented to a select group of Southeast Asian police officers at a US-funded training course on investigating blast scenes. The two-week course, taught by experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), is held at least once a year in Thailand. But recent events have added new urgency to an otherwise routine training. On Jan. 14, just days after the course began, Indonesian militants launched an attack in central Jakarta with pistols and homemade bombs. Eight people died, including the four militants. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, raising fears of more violence by the group's supporters across the region. Five months before that, another improvised explosive device (IED) tore through a popular shrine in Bangkok, killing 20 people, most of them foreign tourists. "The whole world knows there is a bomb threat in Southeast Asia now," said Gunalan Muniandy, one of eight Malaysian police officers taking the course with counterparts from Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. "We better get prepared for the future." Big Bang Theories Key to that preparation are four blast-shattered vehicles parked on a firing range near the Thai seaside town of Cha'am. On Sunday, ATF personnel made three IEDs from everyday articles, including a frying pan, a toolbox, a doorbell switch and magnets from a loudspeaker. They packed the devices with an explosive mixture called ammonium nitrate fuel oil, used in what are popularly known as "fertilizer bombs," or with military-grade C4 plastic explosive. Or both. Two of the IEDs were attached to cars on the range. The third, a suicide vest made from an orthopedic back brace, is strapped to a mannequin on a motorbike and placed next to a third car. The IEDs were then detonated from a safe distance. When the suicide vest exploded, the nearby car was briefly engulfed in a fireball before reappearing as a smoldering wreck. "Everyone in that car is dead," said Michael A. Eldredge, a veteran ATF bomb technician based in Baltimore who worked the bloody aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. The students arrive the next day for what Eldredge calls "scene processing": combing the debris for evidence to show what kind of bomb caused each explosion. 'Catching the Bad Guy' The design of IEDs is similar the world over, says Eldredge, with blueprints available on websites produced by al Qaeda, Islamic State and many other groups. But the materials change depending on the country. Those used by Eldredge's team to build today's IEDs were sourced in Thai stores "to make it more realistic for the participants," he said. An IED has five main components: switch, power source, initiator (fuse), container and the explosive itself. The first three alone can tell students whether high or low explosive was used, said Eldredge. But first they've got to find them amid the debris of three separate bombs. The roof of one car now sits up a tree, Swiss-cheesed by shrapnel. Eldredge gives the students a tip. With his knife, he cuts a hole in the car's tire, shoves his hand in and pulls out a ragged pellet of aluminum: part of the frying pan that formed the IED's container. Every year, the ATF holds at least one post-blast training course in Thailand, Botswana, Hungary and El Salvador, drawing trainers from its field offices across the United States. Evidence gathered through post-blast analysis can help prosecute a bomber or build a pattern that links a suspect to multiple devices, says Eldredge. "If we protect the public by catching the bad guy after his first device [but] before he does his second device, we've done our job," he said. The post Militant Attacks in Asia Inject New Urgency into US Bomb Training appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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