The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• High-Level Officials Ignoring Rangoon Building Regulations: YCDC Member
• UEC Chairman, Suu Kyi Discuss Electoral Body’s Work
• Hopes High for Burma’s Burgeoning Credit Card Industry
• New Vice Chairs Appointed in KIO Reshuffle
• Thousands Homeless After Demolition in Rangoon
• NLD Creates Parliamentary Affairs Committee from Among Its Ranks
• Letpadaung Farmers’ Crop Compensation Demands Denied
• Zaw Zaw Aung, Writer Famed for Ushering in Modernism, Dies at 79
• Shan Advisor Ponders Burma’s ‘Top-Down System’ After Swiss Exposure Trip
• Parliament Mulls Proposed Military Ministerial Expansion
• 10 Student Activists Face New Charge, a Year After Protest
• Villages in Pegu Division Swallowed by the Sittaung
• Vietnam Party Retains Key Policymakers, Cabinet Posts Not Guaranteed
• Japan PM Abe Wants Economy Minister to Stay On
• Kerry Presses China on North Korea, South China Sea
• Burma Still the ‘Third-Most Malnourished Country in Southeast Asia’

High-Level Officials Ignoring Rangoon Building Regulations: YCDC Member Posted: 27 Jan 2016 06:41 AM PST Cranes are reflected in the window of a newly constructed shopping mall in Rangoon, November 11, 2015. (Photo: Olivia Harris / Reuters) RANGOON — The municipal body responsible for regulating the construction of high-rise buildings in Burma's business hub is toothless to intervene when disputes are connected to powerful officials, according to a board member. Khin Hlaing, one of nine members of the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), said despite regulations stating that prior permission must be obtained before new structures are built within 33 townships overseen by the committee, some ministries have overlooked the stipulations. "We have found that some buildings constructed on lands owned by some ministries have no YCDC permission. The authorities [connected to] those ministries really need to seek permission," he said during a press conference last week. Until 2010 under the previous military regime, YCDC was directly managed by the Rangoon mayor. But when the new administration under President Thein Sein assumed power, the municipal body was placed under the Rangoon Division government. Khin Hlaing said some ministry officials were of the apparent opinion that they need not seek permission from an inferior local body. The committee member said most of the buildings constructed on lands in Rangoon owned by the military, the port authority, the ministry of health and others departments had failed to seek prior permission from the YCDC. "Even the police department didn't seek permission. They only did so upon the completion of the buildings they managed in Pabedan, Latha and Kyauktada townships," he explained, adding that for high-rise buildings, the regional government gives approvals based on comments from the YCDC. "We have regulations to restrict building heights. Despite our restrictions and objections, there were times we had to nod [approval] when the divisional government gave the green light for high-rises to go ahead. We could do nothing," he said. Khin Hlaing's comments came after an NLD lawmaker submitted an urgent proposal in Parliament's Lower House earlier this month requesting that all high-rise constructions in Rangoon be halted. The proposal resulted in the suspensions of a high-rise in the Rangoon General Hospital compound that was operating without YCDC permission and another 12.5 story construction on University Avenue. Since 2011, Burma's commercial capital has seen a plethora of high-rise projects initiated across the city in the name of modern development. Many projects, planned or in progress, have attracted criticism from urban planners and architects who contend they would impact the city's already heaving traffic and detract from historic surrounding colonial heritage, among other concerns. Last year, the government finally canceled a controversial high-rise project near the Shwedagon pagoda after mounting local criticism. Khin Hlaing admitted that even some YCDC employees had failed to follow the body's rules and regulations regarding construction in the city. "Given the regional government's interventions on building permissions, some officials here make the most of it for their interests too," he said. Hla Su Myat, a member of the Myanmar Architects' Council and a technical consultant for YCDC's Committee for Quality Control of High Rise Buildings, agreed with Khin Hlaing's assessment. "Even in the YCDC, we don't know what department is building what," she said. "Whether it's U Thein Sein or Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, anyone who wants to build something has to follow the YCDC regulations. Anyone who fails to do so is violating the law." The architect suggested that the incoming government should review all ongoing and proposed high-rise projects. "If we can't control them the traffic and building density problems will surely deteriorate. We would all suffer," she said. The post High-Level Officials Ignoring Rangoon Building Regulations: YCDC Member appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UEC Chairman, Suu Kyi Discuss Electoral Body’s Work Posted: 27 Jan 2016 03:36 AM PST Aung San Suu Kyi met with Union Election Commission chair Tin Aye in Naypyidaw on Tuesday. (Photo: NLD Chairperson / Facebook) RANGOON — Burma's outgoing Union Election Commission (UEC) chair discussed some of the body's shortcomings over the past five years in a meeting with National League for Democracy (NLD) chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw on Tuesday. The hour-long meeting, which took place at the UEC's headquarters in Naypyidaw, was also attended by other electoral officials and NLD central committee members. "We were weak in giving voter education at ward and village level though we did well at township level," UEC chairman Tin Aye said during the dialogue, according to a press release issued by the commission. He said sub-commissions had also faced various difficulties, including securing office space, and had to seek help from government ministries. Tin Aye also relayed some of the tasks of the commission going forward. "The voter lists which are saved on the main server need to be updated each six months," the chairman said, adding that he would offer suggestions for the amendment of election laws and by-laws for the new parliament. UEC director Thein Oo, who attended Monday's meeting—the first confab between Suu Kyi and Tin Aye since the November general election—said the NLD leader thanked the commission for facilitating a peaceful vote. Prior to the poll, many questioned whether the UEC, under the stewardship of Tin Aye, a former general and Union Solidarity and Development Party lawmaker, would be an impartial arbiter. However, the poll was largely seen as credible, despite shortcomings including voter list errors and a lack of access to polling stations in military cantonments, among others. The post UEC Chairman, Suu Kyi Discuss Electoral Body's Work appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Hopes High for Burma’s Burgeoning Credit Card Industry Posted: 27 Jan 2016 03:30 AM PST Myanmar Payment Union is currently Burma's sole domestic card-based payment system. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — With credit card options proliferating in Burma, many of the country's private banks are hoping to see more buzz within the industry in the months ahead. Last year the Central Bank of Myanmar greenlighted the use of credit cards by private banks, a move that led to various types of credit cards being issued to clients. In May, the Central Bank allowed domestic banks to issue quasi-credit cards that function like debit cards. Aung Kyaw Myo, general manager of Kanbawza (KBZ) Bank, said the bank's so-called "secure credit cards" are already in distribution, but an upgrade to fully functioning credit cards is now in the works. "We're hoping to launch five new credit cards. We're waiting to receive them from abroad, so I can't give any details yet, but we'll make an announcement later," he said. Aung Kyaw Moe said that credit card use is feasible even in the absence of a credit bureau, which Burma does not yet have. Nan Saw Kham Phyu, deputy general manager of Ayeyarwady (AYA) Bank, said that AYA has begun using "unsecured" credit cards, meaning that the bank will distribute money to its clients even if they do not currently have the assets in their accounts. "We will give a credit rating for each individual user based on their profile—income, age, occupation, recommendation of the employer and years of employment," she said. She added that while users do not have to pay interest for 50 days, after this time the interest rate will become 1.08 percent per month. The credit limit is 3.5 times users' monthly income, with a maximum withdrawal limit of 5 million kyat (US$4,500) set by the Central Bank. Interested users must be at least 21 years old to be eligible for the card. "We'll also introduce cards to be used abroad this year. We're planning to offer debit and credit card services that will function at home and abroad," Nan Saw Kham Phyu said. "New users will have to be recommended by at least two other people. Credit card ratings will also depend at least in part on the number of family members, so even if two people have the same income, their credit rating may be different," she added. Burma's former military regime stopped the issuance of credit cards after an uptick in bad debts was spurred by the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Because the country's banking system still lacks a credit bureau to evaluate loan applicants' suitability for credit, bank managers and the Central Bank have elected to take a measured approach to financial reforms, including making credit available to consumers and businesses. The post Hopes High for Burma's Burgeoning Credit Card Industry appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

New Vice Chairs Appointed in KIO Reshuffle Posted: 27 Jan 2016 02:42 AM PST Members of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) in Kachin State's Myitkyina, May 2014. (Photo: Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) has reshuffled its senior ranks, with two leading figures in the group's armed wing promoted to senior posts in the political unit. During a five-day conference in Laiza, Kachin State, which began on Jan. 21, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)'s chief-of-staff Gen Gam Shawng and deputy chief-of-staff Gen Gun Maw were appointed as joint deputy chairs of the KIO. Lt-Gen N'Ban La had served in the position. According to San Awng of the Kachin Peace Creation Group, he will now serve as deputy chair of the Kachin Independence Council (KIC), another political arm of the ethnic armed group. Brig-Gen Hkawn Lum and Brig-Gen Awng Seng La will share the post of deputy chief-of-staff of the KIA, while Gen. Gam Shawng will continue to act as KIA chief-of-staff concurrent with his new position, according to San Awng. Zawng Hra remains chairman of the KIO. San Awng said the current reshuffle was the most significant since 2001 and was based on the new political realities in the country, with the National League for Democracy set to form government. "Gen N'Ban La will be the second key player in the KIO working in the political section. Then Gen Gum Maw will work as a policy maker," he said, adding that the latter official would be able to continue to focus on the peace process. According to San Awng, Zawng Hra is aging and attends few meetings of the armed group but still makes important decisions. The KIO has also reportedly formed a committee charged with soliciting advice from the Kachin community on building peace with the incoming government. The KIA commands between 7,000 to 10,000 troops, according to the Myanmar Peace Monitor, and is one of several ethnic armed groups that did not sign the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement in mid-October. The group has been locked in intermittent fighting with the Burma Army since a 17-year ceasefire broke down in June 2011. The post New Vice Chairs Appointed in KIO Reshuffle appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thousands Homeless After Demolition in Rangoon Posted: 27 Jan 2016 01:26 AM PST A bulldozer demolishes homes in Rangoon's Mingaladon Township on Jan. 26, 2016. (Photo: J Paing / The Irrawaddy) Around 1,500 police and plain-clothed individuals demolished more than 500 households in Kon Ta La Paung village in Rangoon's Pyinmabin Industrial Zone on Tuesday morning, alleging that the inhabitants were squatters. The demolition left more than 2,000 people in Mingaladon Township homeless, local residents told The Irrawaddy. Uniformed police and people wearing blue hard hats—who appeared to be civilians—destroyed houses, fences and farms with sticks, swords and bulldozers, while some residents reportedly dismantled their own homes to salvage materials. The ownership of the land was not immediately clear, but local residents say they have been living there for at least 15 years. According to a Wednesday article in the Myanmar Times, Myanmar Economic Holdings Company Ltd. claims to have a long-term lease on the area. "President U Thein Sein has said that those who have lived in a place for more than five years are not squatters," said Aye Shwe, who spoke to The Irrawaddy after her house was demolished in the raid. "But now our houses are destroyed." "Police whose motto is 'may I help you' are also the people who destroyed our homes," she added. Locals told The Irrawaddy that on Jan. 25 they met with members of the military, representatives from Myanmar Economic Holdings Company Ltd. and the township's general administration department. According to those who attended the meeting, Rangoon Division Chief Minister Myint Swe instructed police to remove Kon Ta La Paung's houses if the residents failed to move that day. "We've been living here since some 30 years ago when the land was still full of bushes," said Aung Ko Oo whose house was also demolished. "We've submitted a petition to the ministries, but despite a reply that they have received the petition, they have done nothing." The Mingaladon Township General Administration Department issued a notice dated Jan. 17, asking those living there to leave along with their belongings. The notice did not specify a deadline for moving, but stated that squats will continue to be removed even under the next government, which is set to take office in early April. On January 24, around 200 shelters met the same fate in wards 61, 73, 74 and 75 of Rangoon's Dagon Seikkan Township, leaving hundreds of people homeless. Meanwhile, the Kyauktan Township General Administration Department has issued a similar notice to that in Mingaladon, asking that squats be abandoned in several wards and on the construction site of the Japan-backed Thilawa Special Economic Zone. Translation by Thet Ko Ko. The post Thousands Homeless After Demolition in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NLD Creates Parliamentary Affairs Committee from Among Its Ranks Posted: 27 Jan 2016 01:07 AM PST National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi attends Burma's first session of Parliament after the Nov. 8 general election. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — The National League for Democracy (NLD) released a statement on Wednesday announcing the formation of a new Parliamentary Affairs Committee comprising its party leaders. According to the statement, signed by party chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi, sitting lawmaker Win Myint will lead the committee, while the newly elected Mann Win Khaing Than, Min Oo, Khin San Hlaing and Aung Soe have been selected as members. The committee will be tasked with a range of core responsibilities, including cooperating with other lawmakers to draft minutes for parliamentary meetings, supervising the invitation and attendance of guests at these meetings and reviewing foreign and local media coverage of parliamentary proceedings. Ko Ko Naing, director of the parliamentary office, told The Irrawaddy that Parliament has not yet been made aware of the particulars because all formal procedures for selecting chairs for the Upper and Lower Houses, as well as for creating parliamentary committees, will not begin until the new assembly convenes on Feb. 1. The post NLD Creates Parliamentary Affairs Committee from Among Its Ranks appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Letpadaung Farmers’ Crop Compensation Demands Denied Posted: 27 Jan 2016 12:57 AM PST Locals look out at mounds of dirt piled at the Letpadaung copper mine project in May 2014. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Chinese firm Wanbao's Burma subsidiary has reportedly told locals in the Letpadaung mine area that it has no plan to compensate them further, after hundreds of would-be farmers sought payment for crops forgone last year due to the project. On Tuesday, responsible officials from Wanbao and Sagaing Division's security and border affairs minister, Col. Kyaw Thant Naing, told the locals that compensation would not be provided in lieu of the money that a 2015 harvest might have yielded, according to Mar Mar Cho, a resident of Tonywa village. The controversial copper mine is a joint-venture between Myanmar Wanbao Mining Copper Limited and the Burma Army-owned Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. (UMEHL). Affected farmers, many of whom have not accepted compensation for their confiscated lands, were given recompense for their crops ranging from between 200,000 kyats (US$154) and 400,000 kyats per acre in December 2014, after Wanbao had fenced off their lands. Since December of last year, locals have similarly been demanding a year's compensation for crops for 2015, as well as jobs. They are seeking payment for the crops that they would otherwise have grown on their land if it had not been confiscated and fenced off. "Around 300 locals met the responsible person of Wanbao and the security and border affairs minister. They said they would not pay compensation because there was no crop grown on the farmlands," Mar Mar Cho told The Irrawaddy. "How can we grow crops while they have forcibly fenced off our farmlands since last year? Since the last rainy season, we asked them to let us grow on our lands. But we could not as they did not allow it," she added. "Now, we are arguing with them as they say they will not pay compensation because we did not grow crops." Asked by The Irrawaddy whether the company planned to offer compensation, Dong Yunfei, a manager of Myanmar Wanbao Mining Copper Limited in Rangoon, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that it would depend on the decision of the Burmese government. "We have no plan to give compensation for this. It is the responsibility of the government to handle this. I think the government has not made a decision yet. Only after the government has made a decision, we'll act on it," Dong Yunfei told The Irrawaddy. The Letpadaung copper mine is being implemented on more than 7,000 acres of land, and the former owners of two-thirds of seized farmlands in the area have refused to take compensation for the acreage confiscated. Locals from 10 villages within the copper mine area have been demanding compensation for forgone crops since last December and 65 of them, including Mar Mar Cho, have been charged with Article 18 of Burma's Peaceful Assembly Law. Long-standing local opposition to the project prompted Wanbao to rejigger its arrangement with the government in 2013, in an attempt to assuage the concerns of affected populations. Under revised terms, the company agreed to pay 51 percent of profits to the Burmese government, and contribute $2 million annually toward programs aimed at addressing environmental concerns posed by the project, as well as 2 percent of net profits toward corporate social responsibility initiatives benefitting affected communities. Those moves have not been enough to quell lingering resentment, however, a fact tragically highlighted by the death of Khin Win, a woman in her 50s who was killed in December 2014 when police opened fire on farmers who were protesting efforts by Wanbao to fence in their farmland as part of the project. The post Letpadaung Farmers' Crop Compensation Demands Denied appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Zaw Zaw Aung, Writer Famed for Ushering in Modernism, Dies at 79 Posted: 26 Jan 2016 11:50 PM PST Zaw Zaw Aung at a literary event in Rangoon, May 2015. (Photo: Tin Htet Paing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Zaw Zaw Aung, a contemporary writer credited with introducing modern and post-modern literature to Burmese audiences, passed away from natural causes on Tuesday night in Rangoon. He was 79. Born Zaw Myint in Monywa, Sagaing Division, he earned his stripes as a scholar at Mandalay University, later pursuing a Master's degree in Burmese literature at Rangoon University. He worked at the esteemed school until 1990, the beginning of a tumultuous decade for the institution, which was later subjected to shutdowns and academic interference by the then-ruling military regime. Though Zaw Zaw Aung was known mostly for introducing modern literary forms and themes among local writing circles, he also became popular among young readers for his spy novels in the 1980s, when James Bond movies captivated Burmese viewers. Aside from his genre works, Zaw Zaw Aung was also an accomplished satirist and literary critic. The post Zaw Zaw Aung, Writer Famed for Ushering in Modernism, Dies at 79 appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Shan Advisor Ponders Burma’s ‘Top-Down System’ After Swiss Exposure Trip Posted: 26 Jan 2016 11:05 PM PST Members of the RCSS delegation in Switzerland. Lt. Gen. Yawd Serk is pictured third from the left, next to Khuensai Jaiyen, who is fourth from the left. (Photo: Tai Freedom / Facebook) Burma's transition is an example of top-down reform and differs from Switzerland’s bottom-up federalism, said a senior member of a Shan delegation that recently returned from an exposure trip to Switzerland. Khuensai Jaiyen, a long-time advisor to the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the political wing of the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), told The Irrawaddy that he and his fellows were invited to study democratic systems and federalism in Switzerland by the country's Foreign Ministry. The visit lasted from January 16-25 and was arranged by the Swiss Embassy in Rangoon. "Their democratic system is not controlled by the top [central government]; it is a bottom-up system. They have a power sharing system among three main governing bodies. Individuals have authority," said Jaiyen of Switzerland's system of autonomous cantons and communes. The Swiss constitution grants a central authority but also protects the right to self-government on local issues. "What is happening in our country is a top-down system," he said of Burma. "Financial institutions are controlled by the top. The public is not allowed to participate [in politics]." Jaiyen also found it noteworthy that the Swiss government holds referendums before spending funds from the national budget and then adheres to decisions made by the people. Asked about the general perception of Burma's reforms in Switzerland, Jaiyen said that the Swiss representatives they met tended to stay neutral on the topic of Burmese politics, and encouraged the Shan delegation to engage in strategies that they deem effective for their situation. "They didn’t comment on whether they are good or bad," he said of the reforms. "But they offered for us to come and see their practices and apply them if [we think] they would work in Burma." In December of last year, a delegation from the Karen National Union (KNU), an ethnic Karen political and armed group, also went to Switzerland to study federalist systems and practices. Switzerland plans to invite ethnic Kachin and Burma Army representatives to the country in the future, according to Jaiyen. The RCSS delegation included its chairman, Lt. Gen. Yawd Serk, who also leads the SSA-S, an armed group with an estimated 7,000 troops throughout Shan State. In October of last year, the RCSS/SSA-S became one of eight ethnic armed groups to sign a so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement with Burma's government. Jaiyen is also the director of the Pyidaungsu Institute, which monitors and advocates within the peace process in Burma. He is a veteran journalist and the founder of a Shan media outlet, the Shan Herald Agency for News. The post Shan Advisor Ponders Burma's 'Top-Down System' After Swiss Exposure Trip appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Parliament Mulls Proposed Military Ministerial Expansion Posted: 26 Jan 2016 11:01 PM PST Myanmar military Commander-in-chief Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing looks to Aung San Suu Kyi during talks at the Presidential palace at Naypyidaw on April 10, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) Burma's outgoing President Thein Sein on Tuesday proposed bringing immigration under the authority of the military-controlled Home Affairs Ministry, in an eleventh-hour attempt to extend the reach of the armed forces before transferring power to the newly elected opposition party. The Union Parliament will discuss the proposal on Wednesday, but is unlikely to decide on the measure before the assembly concludes on Jan. 29, lawmakers said. A new legislature led by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party will convene on Feb. 1. The proposal by Thein Sein, himself a former general, was viewed as an attempt to expand the military's power before the political handover. The country's armed forces currently control three key ministries: Defense, Border Affairs and Home Affairs. Thein Sein's proposal recommended dissolving the Ministry of Immigration and Population to reduce costs and streamline security and naturalization processes, a lawmaker told The Irrawaddy. Immigration and border security have become hotly contested issues in recent years, as Burma has grappled with citizenship claims by Rohingya Muslims viewed as immigrants from Bangladesh. Most members of the stateless minority say they have lived in Burma for generations, though they have been stripped of documentation, ostracized by their neighbors and subjected to discrimination. Ye Tun, an ethnic Shan lawmaker of the Shan Nationalities Development Party (SNLD), said the assembly is prepared to hear the bill committee's report on the proposal but that "it is too soon to rush into it." Suu Kyi has promised a "lean and efficient" government that would reassess the roles of Burma's 36 ministries, vowing to eliminate redundancies and reduce unnecessary spending. The post Parliament Mulls Proposed Military Ministerial Expansion appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

10 Student Activists Face New Charge, a Year After Protest Posted: 26 Jan 2016 11:00 PM PST Activist Po Po during a student protest in Letpadan, Pegu Division, in March 2015. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Police in Rangoon's Thanlyin Township have opened a case against several students under Burma's controversial protest Law for organizing demonstrations against the country's National Education Law more than a year ago. Po Po, one of the student activists, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that she received a letter from police alleging that she, Min Thway Thit, Ye Min Oo, Tin Tin Khine and six others had staged a protest without permission on Aug. 28, 2014, at Rangoon Eastern University. The letter said the 10 student activists were being charged accordingly under Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Law, which requires anyone wishing to hold a public protest to acquire permission from local authorities prior to the event. "The police summoned us to the Thanlyin Central Police Station for questioning by Jan. 29," Po Po said. In addition to Article 18, Po Po was charged under articles 143, 145, 147 and 505(b) of Burma's Penal Code by a Kamayut Township court last year for participating in a protest against the excessive use of police force to disperse students during a separate demonstration. A brutal crackdown by baton-wielding police on peaceful student protesters at an education reform rally in Letpadan, Pegu Division, on March 10 led to the arrest of more than 100 demonstrators. Fifty-three students and their supporters have since been detained in Pegu Division's Thayarwaddy Prison awaiting trial, while more than a dozen others have been released on bail. The post 10 Student Activists Face New Charge, a Year After Protest appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Villages in Pegu Division Swallowed by the Sittaung Posted: 26 Jan 2016 10:25 PM PST Click to view slideshow. KA THIT KHONE VILLAGE, Pegu Division — Once a thriving farming village, Ka Thit Khone today barely resembles its former self—nearly all the agricultural lands that once surrounded its 300 households have disappeared, victim to unrelenting erosion caused by a nearby river. Situated on the banks of the Sittaung River, the village in Pegu Division has come to know land erosion as an unwelcome annual visitor. Since the rainy season last year, four nearby villages have been reclaimed by the river. The erosion is so severe that recently about two-thirds of Ka Thit Khone residents decided to leave the village out of fear that their homes would be the next casualties. Authorities have temporarily relocated nearly 200 displaced households to the middle of a field not far away from the river. When The Irrawaddy visited the area last week, the villagers were stranded in rickety makeshift huts, complaining that the land on which they are now staying is unfit for farming. "We are not asking for compensation from the government. But we want safety. Take us away from the river to someplace where we could make a proper living," one villager said. The post Villages in Pegu Division Swallowed by the Sittaung appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Vietnam Party Retains Key Policymakers, Cabinet Posts Not Guaranteed Posted: 26 Jan 2016 09:14 PM PST Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (C) is seen with Hanoi City's Party Chief Pham Quang Nghi (top left) and Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh (top right) after voting for the new Central Committee during the 12th National Congress of the ruling Vietnam Communist Party in Hanoi, Vietnam, January 26, 2016. (Photo: Kham / Reuters) HANOI — Vietnam's Communist Party re-elected to its central committee key policymakers and ministers of the current government on Tuesday, signaling wholesale changes may not ensue after Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's political exit. The party congress vote also saw re-election to the committee of several politicians considered by experts as allies of Dung, maintaining the possibility of roles in running a fast-growing country that has committed to major trade pacts and economic reforms. Their inclusion in the new 200-member central committee is no guarantee of cabinet posts, however, which would be decided later this year. Ministers have traditionally come from within the central committee and politburo. Congress allowed Dung to decline his nomination to the committee on Monday, ending speculation of him contesting a party leadership that has only one candidate, incumbent Nguyen Phu Trong. Dung was popular among businessmen and known for his decisive approach and his departure has raised questions about reform momentum. Analysts say Dung's ambition may have been his undoing and his omission from the politburo's nominations for four key leadership posts reflected concern among the party's old guard about his growing influence. His opponents, say experts, accuse his administration of graft and mismanaging state-run firms, including a massive debt default by shipbuilder Vinashin in 2010. The economy is now in better shape and grew 6.7 percent in 2015, the fastest in five years, with record figures for foreign investment inflows and mergers and acquisitions. Sixteen of the 28 incumbent ministers, including Dung, were not re-elected, and all but one were over 60, the standard retirement age. Dung's son, Nguyen Thanh Nghi, 39, retained his committee seat, moving from an alternate to a full member. Others re-elected were Finance Minister Dinh Tien Dung, Transport Minister Dinh La Thang and deputy prime ministers Vu Duc Dam and Pham Binh Minh, who is also foreign minister. Also included was Nguyen Van Binh, the governor of a central bank praised for restructuring of a banking sector that was until recently engulfed by non-performing loans. Trinh Nguyen, senior economist at investment bank Natixis, said there was still uncertainty about the economy, even though Trong looked set to remain party boss. "The air over the succession is tense and it is over whether the country will have the leadership required to help the economy reach escape velocity to avoid the middle-income trap," she said in a research note. The post Vietnam Party Retains Key Policymakers, Cabinet Posts Not Guaranteed appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Japan PM Abe Wants Economy Minister to Stay On Posted: 26 Jan 2016 09:03 PM PST Japan's Economy Minister Akira Amari (L) sits as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe walks past during an upper house committee session at the parliament in Tokyo, Japan January 21, 2016. (Photo: Toru Hanai / Reuters) TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday he wants his economy minister to continue in his post, suggesting the government is prepared to ride out pressure from opposition parties for Akira Amari to resign. Amari, a core member of Abe's economic policy team, is under fire for a media report that he and his aides had accepted money from a construction company in exchange for helping the firm receive compensation for disputes over land ownership and waste removal at a public works site. Amari said last week he had done nothing illegal and is expected to hold a news conference on Thursday to respond to the accusations in greater detail. "I want Amari to continue carrying out the important work that he has done, including work on TPP," Abe said in the upper house of parliament. "Amari is investigating the accusations and I expect him to explain the situation fully." The media report about bribes comes at a sensitive time, with policymakers grappling with a sell-off in Japanese stocks, a rising yen and questions of whether more monetary easing is needed. A spokesman also said on Wednesday the government is preparing to send Amari to a meeting next week in New Zealand on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade bloc, in another sign the government wants to keep Amari in the cabinet. Amari has played a crucial role in crafting Abe's stimulus policies, dubbed "Abenomics," and in negotiating for the TPP agreement. Some economists have expressed concern that Abe's economic policy would lose focus without Amari's leadership. Amari has spearheaded the administration's pro-growth policies and called for increased spending on items such as more childcare facilities. The accusations surrounding Amari could potentially harm the government's approval ratings before a national election expected this year. The government plans to raise the nationwide sales tax next year to pay for healthcare spending, but this unpopular plan could be derailed if Abe's approval ratings suffer. "If Amari does not resign, it's a question of how far the opposition parties are willing to go," said Kazuhiko Ogata, chief economist at Credit Agricole CIB in Japan. "This could raise the chance of an election and a delay in the sales tax increase." The post Japan PM Abe Wants Economy Minister to Stay On appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Kerry Presses China on North Korea, South China Sea Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:57 PM PST US Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ahead of their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, January 27, 2016. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — US Secretary of State John Kerry called Wednesday for China to do more to rein in North Korea's nuclear activities and decrease tensions over disputed parts of the South China Sea. Wrapping up an eight-day, around-the-world diplomatic mission in Beijing, Kerry hailed US-China cooperation on several issues, including the Iran nuclear deal and climate change, but said consensus on North Korea and the South China Sea remained a work in progress. "Clearly we have several important issues that we need to find the way forward on," Kerry told reporters as he began his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Kerry called North Korea "a major challenge to global security" and noted US "concerns and activities in the South China Sea." "We have proven… when our two countries find common ground and work together, we can make things happen," he said. "And it is my hope that today will be constructive and we will find a way forward." In his opening remarks, Wang mentioned both issues briefly and said he was eager to hear what Kerry had to say. But he offered no hint as to whether China would respond to the entreaties beyond saying he hoped the two nations would be able "to deepen our understanding and mutual trust to deepen our strategic cooperation." The US badly wants China to take a firmer stance in urging North Korea to end its nuclear testing. China is North Korea's main link to the outside world, and American officials say Beijing isn't doing enough to persuade North Korea to stop the tests and return to disarmament talks. The so-called six-party talks between North and South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan have been stalled since they were last held in December 2008. Pyongyang has since conducted three nuclear tests, including the latest on Jan. 6, sparking worries the country has made progress in its bomb program. Kerry, who after meeting with Wang was set to see State Councilor Yang Jiechi and hoped to meet later with President Xi Jinping, also called on China to halt land reclamation and construction in disputed areas of the South China Sea, which have alarmed its smaller neighbors. Kerry arrived in China from stops in Laos and Cambodia, where he called on the two members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to present a united front in dealing with increasing Chinese assertiveness over the South China Sea claims. His visits to Vientiane and Phnom Penh come ahead of a summit with the leaders of all 10 ASEAN nations that President Barack Obama will host next month in California. China, which claims sovereignty of much of the territory in the South China Sea, rejects claims from countries like the Philippines and Vietnam and has bristled at US warnings that its activities threaten the freedom of navigation in some of the world's busiest commercial shipping lanes. Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also have overlapping claims in the strategically vital sea, through which around $5 trillion in world trade passes each year. The US says it takes no position on the claims but says developments in the South China Sea are a national security interest. It has urged that the disputes be settled peacefully and that a binding code of conduct be established for the area. Tensions have been especially high since Beijing transformed seven disputed reefs into islands, where it is now constructing runways and facilities that rival claimants say can be used militarily. China has said it built the islands primarily to foster safe civilian sea travel and fishing. In response, the US sent a guided-missile destroyer close to one of the Chinese-built islands, called Subi Reef, in October in a challenge to Beijing's territorial claims, sparking warnings from China. US officials vowed to continue maneuvers to protect freedom of navigation and overflight. Recent developments, including China's movement of an oil rig into a zone disputed with Vietnam and warnings against Philippines overflight of what it claims to be its territory, have raised those levels of concern. China dismisses the warnings as unwarranted, but has harshly criticized a US-Philippines defense pact that allows American forces, warships and planes to be based temporarily in local military camps. China says that will "escalate tensions and undermine peace and stability in the region," echoing language the United States uses to criticize China's actions. The post Kerry Presses China on North Korea, South China Sea appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Still the ‘Third-Most Malnourished Country in Southeast Asia’ Posted: 26 Jan 2016 06:25 PM PST Food rations provided by the World Food Programme (WFP), pictured in the foreground, as Muslims seeking shelter at a monastery listen to a speech by Religious Affairs Minister San Sint in Lashio Township, Shan State, May 31, 2013. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) in Myanmar is facing a funding shortfall of $51 million to meet all the needs until the end of 2016. The organization, which has a 250-strong staff in the country, says it provided food and cash assistance to 1.2 million people in 2015. This includes emergency food assistance to half a million victims of disasters and conflict. Myanmar Now chief correspondent Thin Lei Win spoke to Dom Scalpelli, WFP country director in Myanmar, about what the shortfall means, why Myanmar is still food insecure, and what eradicating hunger and malnutrition would mean to the country. How concerned are you about the funding shortfall? Or is this part of a long-standing problem?  The funding shortfalls are a common part of our business, unfortunately. It's like running a fire department without having the money for the trucks or the petrol in the trucks. Imagine, each time there's a fire, you need to quickly run around the city and ask for money. This is a bit like what happens when a flood happens in Myanmar or conflicts displaced people in Shan State. If it's a new emergency we typically have to run after new money. It's a constant challenge but that's the way the system is at the moment. What would the shortfall mean in terms of humanitarian assistance? We have enough food for the internally displaced people (IDP) to support them fully until April. (After that) we start to run into some problems. We're continuously in discussion with traditional and newly emerged donors, so we're very hopeful that new contributions would materialize before April. When there is a funding shortfall, we have to prioritize life-saving activities. This means nutritional support to malnourished babies and children under 5 years old, and pregnant and nursing mothers, assistance to the internally displaced people, especially those that are confined to camps in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states, and the floods- and landslides-affected people. Things like the daily school meals programme—nutritious snacks to about 230,000 children in primary and pre-schools in very food insecure areas—to encourage parents to keep sending their children to school have to be put as a second priority. Same for other development programmes like rehabilitating community infrastructure like dams, fish ponds, roads and bridges, although it helps to prevent or mitigate future shocks and builds resilience. Myanmar is a food surplus country, and yet a lot of communities, especially in ethnic areas, are food insecure, leading to malnourished people and children. Why is that? Every country in the world, to some degree or another, has malnourished individuals. There's a huge issue of education. Even when people have access to food, they won't necessarily always be consuming it the right way. They might not even consume it, they might sell it and eat cheaper foods. It's true that Myanmar is a rice surplus country and rice is often equated with food. But rice is not in and of itself nutritious in the way it is eaten here. Not many people eat brown rice. It has to be as white as white, and that means all the nourishment is gone. Also, when you're talking about a place like Chin State, just to get from one town to another could be three hours in a good vehicle. The food may be available but it's expensive. We saw this in the floods when a bag of rice costs $100 when it normally should have been $30, which was already quite high. So access is another issue. Food insecurity is common among disadvantaged populations, like the landless, smallholders and minority ethnic groups, due to limited or inequitable access to land and resources, poor agriculture conditions and low resilience. Most farmers only have access to very small areas of land. This limits their ability to cultivate sufficient amount of staple food or vegetables for their household needs during the whole year. Agriculture conditions are not optimal. In the dry zone, soils are sandy and rainfalls are low. In mountainous areas, arable land is limited and cultivating cycles too short to allow the soil to regenerate. In ethnic areas, the issues related to access to land and livelihood sources are more important due to movement restrictions and/or insecurity. What are some of the most food-insecure places in Myanmar and why?  Essentially, border areas and the central dry zone are the most food insecure areas in Myanmar. In Chin, it's caused by remoteness and isolation, and lack of job opportunities and arable land. In Rakhine it's movement restriction and lack of access to job opportunities and land, for all communities in Rakhine. For the central dry zone, it's poor soil and agriculture techniques. How bad is malnutrition in Myanmar? Myanmar is still the third-most malnourished country in Southeast Asia after Timor-Leste and Cambodia. There's no reason for it. It's a country that's rich in resources. It's just access to these resources, education and behavioral issues, and sometimes cultural practices that need to change to promote better nutrition. The worst malnutrition in Myanmar is in the border with Bangladesh in the northern part of Rakhine State. The average stunting rate for under-5 children in Myanmar is about 34 percent, meaning one in every three children under five years is too short for his age. On the border with Bangladesh that is over 50 percent. [Editor's note: Northern Rakhine State's Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships are home to the roughly 1 million-strong stateless Rohingya Muslim minority.] There were many short people in Japan after the [second world war] but now if you go to Tokyo there are lots of tall people. It really only takes a generation to break this cycle. It's doable. Nutrition is not just about food. It's about health and sanitation. In South Asia for example, bad sanitation ultimately leads to bad nutrition. Things like encouraging exclusive breastfeeding in the first 1,000 days of a child's life accompanied by nutritious food after 6 months may not be encouraged everywhere according to various cultures. Malnutrition can have permanent impacts too, right? Yes. If a malnourished girl—someone in a food-insecure area here in Myanmar—typically gives birth at too early an age, chances are the child will be malnourished with some sort of deficiency, physical or mental. If the baby doesn't have enough nutrition for the first 1,000 days then the brain will not develop properly. Think about multiplying that across the whole population. There are studies in countries where the economic loss can be, on average, 11 percent of the GDP just because its babies are malnourished. That cycle can be broken. If, while she's pregnant, she starts to consume adequate, nutritious food and good, clean water etc, and continues to breastfeed exclusively after birth and gives nutritious food afterwards, the child can grow up healthily especially up to the age of two. But it doesn't stop there. The child has to go to school so they understand the importance of nutrition. And the longer a girl stays in school the more likely she'll give birth at a later age, meaning healthier babies, and the more likely she'll space her babies. What can be done to address the problem? What should the new government do?  We've just started with the government of Myanmar and a few other organizations to produce fortified foods. We want to try and put [that] on to the market and for us to be able to purchase it for our nutrition programmes. I understand Myanmar is the largest per capita rice consumer in the world, with more than 200 kilograms per person per year. If people are consuming that much of a certain food and it's fortified, that would go a long way to helping [malnutrition] even though it's not the perfect solution. In areas where fortified rice might not reach for now, we have to make sure the populations have access to nutritious food and there's diversification in agriculture and access to markets. For a country like Myanmar to address this is to make it a priority. You need champions at different levels of society whether politicians, educators, celebrities and sportspeople. Myanmar doesn't produce qualified nutritionists yet. The willpower and the commitment is important. Myanmar government launched the Zero Hunger Challenge in late 2014. It's a first step. It's a global initiative and there's a draft action plan on nutrition and food security, with clear responsibilities so that by 2025 there won't be any stunted children in Myanmar. This article first appeared on Myanmar Now. The post Burma Still the 'Third-Most Malnourished Country in Southeast Asia' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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