The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Women Demand Support for Burma’s Working Mothers
• ANP Lawmaker Fires Warning on Preserving Controversial Laws
• Kyat Value Looks Poised to Increase, Observers Say
• Shwe Mann to Head Powerful Legislative Commission
• Mon State’s Moulmein and America’s Fort Wayne Formalize ‘Sister City’ Relationship
• Netizens Call Out Facebook Threats over Article 59(f)
• Maha Gandayone Monastery: A Hub for Monks and Tourists
• Industry Observers Call for Investment Body Shake-Up
• Hundreds Homeless after Blaze Rips Through Namhsan Town
• Missing Chinese Journalist Under Investigation in China
• Thai Police: Slain Spanish Man ID’d from Body Parts in River
• Seoul, Tokyo Threaten to Intercept N. Korean Rocket Debris

Women Demand Support for Burma’s Working Mothers Posted: 05 Feb 2016 05:54 AM PST A boy sleeps in a hammock while his mother works at a brick kiln on the outskirts of Rangoon on February 1, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun/ Reuters) RANGOON — Three days after giving birth to her child this month, Wint War Tun, a recently elected National League for Democracy (NLD) MP from Karenni State, had to attend the first day of the Lower House session. Such scenarios have led parliamentarians and civil society activists to argue that Burma needs a more concrete social welfare policy to help mothers in the workplace, through the provision of child care services and ample maternity leave. Although the number of women in the Union Parliament has doubled from 31 to 65, the facilities for working mothers and fathers, such as family care units, are nowhere to be seen. According to figures from the Union Election Commission (UEC), 149 women were elected this month among the 791 who stood for office nationwide. This includes 42 in the Union Parliament's Lower House, 23 in the Upper House and 84 in regional legislatures, putting female representation at about 13 percent—almost a threefold rise compared with the previous count of women lawmakers, which according to UEC data, numbered 53 in 2014. 'This Country Needs to Support Qualified Women' Shwe Shwe Sein Latt, an Upper House parliamentarian and women's rights activist from the National League for Democracy (NLD), said the Parliament lacks facilities to accommodate families. "There should be a separate family unit. But for that, a gendered budget is needed," she said. "In the Parliament, mothers need to breastfeed children. As I have observed in other [countries'] parliaments, they have breastfeeding rooms and a child care center, a place where the family can hang out freely." There should be a nursery within Burma's Parliament, she suggested, pointing out that some MPs have small children whom they have to leave behind for five years in order to complete their service in the country's capital. "I have seen an MP working in the Parliament, carrying their child," she said of European governments. Most recently, Carolina Bascansa of Spain received media attention for bringing her breastfeeding infant son to a meeting of the Spanish Parliament earlier this month. Naypyidaw's municipal guesthouse for MPs lacks a kitchen or common cooking space, which Shwe Shwe Sein Latt sees as a shortcoming regarding the integration of families into government housing. It is not only the right of women to be able to access child care, but also a child's right to have the care of his or her mother, she added, advocating that child care centers need to be present in all workplaces, not only the Parliament. "We should have child care centers even in villages and quarters for [small-time] vendors, or women who have to go to market," she said. "Here, older children have to quit school to take care of siblings when their moms go to the market [to sell goods]. If we could place those children in a childcare center, it would be more convenient for working moms, whether they are civil servants or market vendors." Citing the rising participation of young and capable women in the Parliament, Shwe Shwe Sein Latt said there are probably more such women nationwide, who might be held back by current challenges facing working mothers. "If their work, qualities and abilities were fully utilized, the country would develop faster," she said. "We are not saying this for [our own] opportunities. This is for our country's future and for our children…the country needs to support qualified women." 'A Full Six Months' Leave' Wong Mrat Wai works as a media and communications coordinator at a non-governmental organization in Rangoon. A working mother who gave birth to a daughter three months ago and has now returned to work part-time, she wishes she could have had longer maternity leave to fully take care of her baby. "As breastfeeding is best for the child, it's better for mother and child to be together for at least six months," she said. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), women in Burma are legally entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave—the ILO's stated minimum—at two-thirds pay. If she were a civil servant, Wong Mrat Wai would be entitled to more time off: maternity leave was legally increased from three to six months for government employees in 2014. According to the law, fathers can also have two weeks of fully paid leave. "I wish there was a law, not only for the government sector but also for the private sector and for NGOs, that gave mothers a full six months leave," she said. Wong Mrat Wai's workplace does have one rare facility—a breastfeeding room. "Most women… can leave their child behind with grandmothers or the babies' fathers. I brought my baby [to work] as I can't leave my baby. I don't have grandmothers and fathers to [provide] care. I looked for a breastfeeding room on the first day I was back to work," Wong Mrat Wai told The Irrawaddy. But she soon discovered the breastfeeding room had been converted to a meeting room since most mothers did not utilize it. Only when she started to use it for its designated purpose was the room changed back to a facility for mothers and their babies. "Personally, I want to [stay] with my child, and I want to breastfeed for at least six months. I have more stress when I get to work, thinking I need to breastfeed," she said. With full support from her husband to continue her work, she said she was managing, but she also imagines it will be tiring to balance work and childcare when she returns to work full-time. Ideally, there would be a nursery at her workplace, Wong Mrat Wai said, "a comfortable place… with toys for my child." 'Women Could Work…Assured Their Children Are in Good Care' Khin Ma Ma Myo, managing director of the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security Studies, was recently impressed by an offer to share childcare at a professional conference she planned to attend in Chiang Mai, Thailand. "I was notified in the invitation that child care facilities were available and that I could bring a child if I wanted," she said. Such arrangements, she pointed out, ensure that women can participate in conferences and do not need to cancel due to childcare responsibilities. In Burma, she suggests that the government could start supporting parents with such responsibilities by subsidizing day care centers in every town quarter. Special training in childcare would also create job opportunities, she added, envisioning programs which license small-time caregivers from their homes, dependent on if the environment met agreed-upon standards. "Then, women who are working in factories, workshops, schools and offices could work without worries, assured that their children are in good care," Khin Ma Ma Myo said. She warned, however, that childcare is not simply about keeping youth confined from wandering outside, but to participate in their mental and emotional development. For that, she said, Burma would need a concrete social welfare policy and a commitment to promote women's affairs. The post Women Demand Support for Burma's Working Mothers appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

ANP Lawmaker Fires Warning on Preserving Controversial Laws Posted: 05 Feb 2016 04:15 AM PST Arakan National Party lawmaker Khin Saw Wai attends the first session of the Lower House of Parliament on Feb. 1, 2016. (Photo: Khin Saw Wai / Facebook) RANGOON — An Arakanese lawmaker warned the National League for Democracy (NLD) on Friday against pursuing amendments to several controversial laws that critics contend discriminate against religious and ethnic minorities in the country. Khin Saw Wai, a Lower House lawmaker with the Arakan National Party (ANP) embarking on her second term in Parliament, said the party would oppose any moves to amend either the 1982 citizenship law or the package of four so-called "race and religion protection laws" which were passed by Parliament last year. "Those laws are our life," Khin Saw Wai told The Irrawaddy. "We will oppose [amendments] as much as we can." Burma's widely criticized 1982 citizenship law states that only recognized ethnic nationalities and others that settled in the country before 1823 are automatically entitled to Burmese citizenship. The law effectively denies the Muslim Rohingya population that primarily resides in Arakan State from obtaining citizenship. Khin Saw Wai contended that in the northern Arakan State townships of Buthidaung and Maungdaw, the Arakanese proportion of the population was only 3 percent. The ANP lawmaker said she was worried of "race annihilation" in the Muslim-majority townships. The Arakan National Party was at the forefront of efforts to overturn the voting rights of temporary identification cardholders, a form of identification also knows as a "white card" that was held by hundreds of thousands of Rohingya. The government complied and revoked the cards last year. The Rohingya population are theoretically able to register in an ongoing but ill-defined citizenship verification scheme. The process has in the past been criticized for requiring participants to register under the government's preferred term for the group as "Bengali." Khin Saw Wai said most of the Muslim population had not taken part in the process. "Of course, many people entered illegally across the Bangladesh border to Burma; how can they apply for citizenship? That is the reason why they don't collaborate," she said. The ANP's vice-chairman Khin Pyi Soe said if the NLD attempted to make changes to the citizenship law, the Arakanese party would convene a central committee meeting to formulate their response. The NLD, which won almost 80 percent of contested seats in last year's general election, has been reluctant to speak out on behalf of the persecuted Rohingya minority, over 100,000 of whom languish in makeshift camps after religious violence erupted in the western state in 2012. The "race and religion" laws, also cited as inviolable by Khin Saw Wai, were sponsored by hardline Buddhist nationalist group Ma Ba Tha and fast-tracked through Parliament last year. The package of four laws place new criminal sanctions on polygamy and adultery, add restrictions to religious conversions and interfaith marriage, and give the government new powers to implement birth control measures. Rights groups and other observers claim the laws are aimed at Burma's Muslim population, estimated to comprise about 5 percent of the country's population. The ANP officials were more supportive of the NLD's purported push to suspend Article 59(f) of the Constitution which effectively bars the party's chairwoman, Aung San Suu Kyi, from assuming the presidency. Khin Pyi Soe and Khin Saw Wai said, personally, they both backed the move of which the NLD has publically said little. The post ANP Lawmaker Fires Warning on Preserving Controversial Laws appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Kyat Value Looks Poised to Increase, Observers Say Posted: 05 Feb 2016 02:47 AM PST A stack of 1,000 kyat banknotes is seen as employees count money at Yoma Bank in Rangoon. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Burma's currency has seen a turnaround in value since the new Parliament convened on Monday, a trend experts say is set to persist. Starting early last year, the kyat's value took a hit due to a trade deficit, an unstable political environment and the strong value of the US dollar in the world market—in January 2015, there was a 30 percent slide in the value of the kyat against the dollar. Now that trend seems to be changing. "Although the exchange rate has fallen since the beginning of this month, the value of the kyat has increased. We're waiting to see if the rate falls again," said a currency exchange broker in Rangoon Division's Pabedan Township, referring to the slip in the exchange rate relative to the dollar from 1,300 to 1,270 kyats, according to Central Bank data. But compared to last year, Burma's exchange rate has actually increased—early 2014 had a rate that hovered around 1,100 kyat. Key factors that influence Burma's exchange rate are the country's political transition and the fact that the Central Bank controls market prices. "This is good sign for us. I think the Central Bank is controlling the rate to reduce it gradually as it fixes its policies. The rate is still increasing, but it should go down soon," said Win Myint, chairman of the Myanmar Petroleum Distributors Association, adding that a lower exchange rate is more beneficial when it comes to ramping up imports. "As long as the government doesn't control the exchange rate, the value of daily commodities will continue to go up," he said. "The International Monetary Fund is meeting with some businesspersons as well as helping the Central Bank. That's why I think the Central Bank is working on new policies now to control the currency exchange rate." "We're concerned that some speculators might try to play the market. Regulators, and even the new government, are important for helping to control this," Win Myint added. In early October, the World Bank forecast a slowdown in economic growth for the 2015-16 fiscal year, due in part to torrential flooding last year and a lack of new investment. Myo Min Aung, vice chairman of the Myanmar Retailers Association, said that the exchange rate must be such that it works easily for both importers and exporters. "The kyat value should continue to go up, it should continue to increase and eventually stabilize for businesspersons. If we're able to get a steady currency exchange rate, as some neighboring countries have done, we'll see economic growth," Myo Min Aung said. The post Kyat Value Looks Poised to Increase, Observers Say appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Shwe Mann to Head Powerful Legislative Commission Posted: 05 Feb 2016 01:17 AM PST Shwe Mann and Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw on Feb. 2, 2016. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Shwe Mann, Burma's former Parliament Speaker who is viewed as an ally of Aung San Suu Kyi, has been appointed to lead a legislative oversight commission. As chairman of the Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission, Shwe Mann will be tasked with supporting parliamentary committees as they amend existing laws and draft new bills. The commission's 23 members were announced by his successor, Lower House Speaker Win Myint, on Friday. Ko Ko Naing, a member of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), will serve as vice chairman. Shwe Mann, a former general, was removed from his post as USDP chairman in August, but he remained a member of the party. The surprise ouster was widely interpreted as a a response to his closeness with Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). The former speaker stood in last year's election as a USDP member but lost to the NLD, which won nearly 80 percent of all contested seats in the national Parliament and is now the ruling party. The Legal Affairs Commission was formed in 2012 to support lawmakers and liaise between committees. Its new permutation comprises members of several political parties, ex-military officials, retired civil servants, diplomats and legal experts. Burma's outgoing assembly, which concluded last week, had four standing and 19 ad hoc committees comprising only lawmakers, and the commission was created to incorporate expert guidance from outside the legislature, according to Lower House Deputy Speaker T Khun Myat. Commission members do not have to be elected members of Parliament, but are granted legal protection to speak freely with lawmakers about pending legislation and make recommendations directly to Parliament. The commission was previously chaired by former Lower House Deputy Speaker Nanda Kyaw Swar. Members are appointed for one-year terms that can be extended by Parliament. Shwe Mann's appointment did not come as much of a surprise; he has long been expected to play an important role in the new government because of his close working relationship with Suu Kyi. The post Shwe Mann to Head Powerful Legislative Commission appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Mon State’s Moulmein and America’s Fort Wayne Formalize ‘Sister City’ Relationship Posted: 05 Feb 2016 01:06 AM PST Strand Road in Moulmein, the capital of Mon State, overlooking the mouth of the Salween River. (Photo: Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Mon State's Moulmein and Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the United States became sister cities in an effort to promote friendship and positive exchange between the communities, according to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on Thursday. Municipal Minister Dr. Toe Toe Aung of Burma's Mon State and Ms. Dorothy Kittaka, chairwoman of Fort Wayne Sister Cities International, signed the MOU in Moulmein. Burma has multiple sister city relationships with other countries; most recently, Rangoon formalized its friendship with South Korea's Busan when they became "sisters" in 2013. Fort Wayne already has four sister cities: Takaoka, Japan; Plock, Poland; Gera, Germany; and Taizhou, China. Burma and the United States began discussions on adding a fifth sister city to Fort Wayne in 2012; the Burmese government recently approved the agreement, according to a report in the Global New Light of Myanmar which quoted Mon State Chief Minister Ohn Myint. Ohn Myint said that there will be exchange of education, business and culture between the two cities. Moulmein and Fort Wayne will host an education exchange for students in 2017 as its first joint program. The purpose of formalizing the sister city relationship is to create and strengthen partnerships between communities in different countries, and the pairing of communities is often determined by their similarities. Fort Wayne was an early destination for those leaving Burma after the country's 1988 uprising, with Fort Wayne's first wave of resettled Burmese refugees arriving in 1991. Today around 6,000 people of Burmese descent live in the northern Indiana city of over 250,000 and it is home to the United States' only Burmese mosque. The post Mon State's Moulmein and America's Fort Wayne Formalize 'Sister City' Relationship appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Netizens Call Out Facebook Threats over Article 59(f) Posted: 04 Feb 2016 11:42 PM PST A man shows a phone with a picture of Aung San Suu Kyi as election results are revealed on the screen in front of the head office of the National League for Democracy in Rangoon, April 1, 2012. (Photo: Damir Sagolj / Reuters) RANGOON — Police in Rangoon's South Okkalapa Township said they are investigating a Facebook user who allegedly wrote a message on the social media platform threatening violence if a clause of the Constitution was suspended to accommodate the presidential ambitions of Aung San Suu Kyi. "If Article 59(f) is suspended, I'll just need an AWM [a sniper rifle] or an AS 50 gun and a month of training. I will surely kill. I am serious," read the post, attributed to a user named Ye Lwin Myint. Article 59(f) of Burma's military-drafted Constitution disqualifies anyone with a foreign spouse or children from becoming president, effectively barring Suu Kyi because her two children are British nationals, as was her late husband. Since December, debate has surfaced over whether the clause could be suspended, paving the way for Suu Kyi to assume the country's highest office. The offending Facebook message, posted on Wednesday evening, drew a storm of criticism among Burmese netizens, with many calling for action to be taken against the user, whose threats were seen as directed at the National League for Democracy (NLD) chairwoman. "We are searching for him," a police officer in South Okkalapa Township, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Irrawaddy. "But no one has yet come to press charges here." Police colonel Win Bo of the Rangoon Division Police Force said on Thursday that action would be taken under the Telecommunications Law against those who make threats or share inappropriate content. "Though we won't monitor social media users who write posts on Facebook, if those who are affected by a particular post file a complaint with us, we'll take action according to the law. We'll take action if there are complainants," Win Bo told The Irrawaddy. Two recent prosecutions under the Telecommunications Law attracted widespread criticism, with rights groups viewing the charges as politically motivated and the punishment excessive. A Kachin aid worker, Patrick Khum Jaa Lee, was sentenced to six months in prison, minus time served, on Jan. 22 over a Facebook post deemed insulting to the military. In December, a young supporter of the NLD received a six month sentence for posting an image to Facebook which compared redesigned uniforms worn by Burmese military personnel to the apparel worn by Aung San Suu Kyi.  May Sitt Paing contributed reporting. The post Netizens Call Out Facebook Threats over Article 59(f) appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Maha Gandayone Monastery: A Hub for Monks and Tourists Posted: 04 Feb 2016 11:25 PM PST Click to view slideshow. MANDALAY — Mandalay's Maha Gandayone Monastery, known in Burma for its strict emphasis on discipline and Buddhist lectures, has for years been a consistent tourist draw. Each morning, throngs of people crowd around the monastery to snap pictures of the hundreds of novices and more seasoned monks lining up for meals inside the tranquil compound. The monastery's motto is "perfect discipline," and it carries fundamental importance for some 900 monks rigorously studying Buddhist literature on the grounds. And for tour guides, Maha Gandayone Monastery is perfect for illuminating to wide-eyed visitors the daily life of Burma's monks as well as their guiding Buddhist traditions. The post Maha Gandayone Monastery: A Hub for Monks and Tourists appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Industry Observers Call for Investment Body Shake-Up Posted: 04 Feb 2016 11:00 PM PST People sit in the reception at the World Economic Forum on June 5, 2013, in Naypyidaw, where foreign investment into Burma was a main topic of discussion. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Burma's next government needs to create new policies under reshuffled leadership within the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC), industry observers say. Steered by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), the former hermit state will, on the whole, see new leadership this year. But investment experts are calling for a similar shake-up within the MIC, which plays a key role in Burma's economic development. "It [the MIC] should be formed with new policymakers, ones who know about economic trends and how to balance local and foreign investment interests," said Maung Maung Lay, vice chairman of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI). Since the outgoing quasi-civilian government came to power in 2011, the MIC, which also manages the 1988 Foreign Investment Law, was changed to a 16-member committee to examine economic proposals. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it has been run largely by former military personnel. "These leaders should have experience in investment and policymaking. Not being too extreme is essential. They must understand the current situation," Maung Maung Lay said. Run under the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, the commission has also been beleaguered by disagreements within the industry over whether it should stand alone as an independent body or work together with other important ministries. "The chairman should at least be at the vice president level, because if someone at the ministry level were to have the position, it wouldn't work, as they don't respect each other," Myat Thin Aung, chairman of Rangoon's Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone, told The Irrawaddy. "The commission must run quickly and smoothly for investors, which it wouldn't be able to do independently. As an independent body, it'd be hard to work with other ministries." In some instances, the MIC has had long decision-making periods for approving foreign investments, and various restrictions still remain for foreign and domestic investors. "If the new government is able to form a more efficient commission, we'll have more foreign investors come to Burma," Myat Thin Aung added. Khin Shwe, a former Upper House lawmaker and chairman of the Zay Kabar Group of Companies, said Suu Kyi informed him last year that she planned to reform the commission to include experts and businesspersons who would be able to help spur economic growth. "She said that if these groups work together, we'll see faster development," Khin Shwe said. "The commission hasn't been able to handle foreign investments like countries such as Vietnam have been able to do. We need a commission that can do better." The MIC played a major role in amending the Investment Law that was approved in January. The law combines the 2012 Foreign Investment Law and the 2013 Myanmar Citizens Investment Law, changes the mandate of the MIC and, at least in word, expands human rights protections for future foreign investment projects. According to MIC data, the top foreign investment sectors in Burma are power (33 percent), manufacturing (22 percent), oil and gas (20 percent), telecommunications (11 percent) and hotels and tourism (5 percent). The post Industry Observers Call for Investment Body Shake-Up appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Hundreds Homeless after Blaze Rips Through Namhsan Town Posted: 04 Feb 2016 10:56 PM PST An area of Namhsan on February 5, 2016, after a fire raged through the town. (Photo: Myanmar Fire Brigade / Facebook) MANDALAY — A massive fire lasting over 12 hours broke out in Northern Shan State's Namhsan town on Thursday, leaving hundreds homeless before the blaze was finally brought under control early Friday morning. Although the cause of the fire is unknown, it reportedly began in a storage garage containing green tea leaves in Namhsan's Mingalar quarter on Thursday afternoon. It proceeded to tear through Mingalar, and another quarter, Myolae, burning both completely. "Over two hundred homes were burned. It's about half of the town, as Namhsan has about 400 homes," said Aung Khin, chairman of the town's National League for Democracy (NLD) office. It is not yet known if there were any fatalities. Displaced persons are currently taking shelter at a Namhsan monastery, and the town's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure is still down. "The fire got under control at 1 am as it neared the town hall," Aung Khin added. Local authorities said fire engines from the neighboring townships of Namtu, Kyaukme, Hsipaw and Lashio came to help extinguish the fire, however narrow streets and difficulty accessing the town's water supply allowed the fire to spread, resulting in huge losses. "Sadly, most of the homes did not have enough water as we didn't receive water distribution from the municipality on Thursday," said Maung Kyaw, a local administration officer in Namhsan, who added that fire engines could not fit down many of Namhsan's roads. The blaze is the largest since the town suffered another fire in November 2011, which razed 47 homes and displaced about 100 people. Aung Khin said the town's residents are currently assisting one another with the rescue and relocation of the displaced. According to locals, the temporary shelters set up for the victims of the fire are in need of clothing, blankets, clean water and basic medicine. The post Hundreds Homeless after Blaze Rips Through Namhsan Town appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Missing Chinese Journalist Under Investigation in China Posted: 04 Feb 2016 10:51 PM PST Members of student group Scholarism protest for freedom of press in Hong Kong, China, January 6, 2016.  (Photo: Bobby Yip / Reuters) BEIJING — A Chinese journalist and rights activist who disappeared in Thailand last month is in police custody in China and is under investigation, his wife said on Thursday. Li Xin, a former writer for the Southern Metropolis Daily, a respected semi-independent newspaper, arrived in Thailand from India on Jan. 1 and boarded a train to the northeastern border town of Nong Khai where he tried to enter Laos, his wife, Shi Sanmei, said last month. Li had fled to India after state security authorities in China tried to recruit him to spy on activists, Radio Free Asia reported. Shi told Reuters her husband had told her by telephone that he was now in China. She declined to comment further citing pressure from law enforcement authorities. It is unclear where Li is being held. Police in the northern Chinese province of Henan, where Li's wife is, could not be reached for comment. Asked about the case, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said questions should be directed to the "relevant authorities." The ministry has previously said it knew nothing about the case. A Thailand-based friend of the couple who asked not to be identified citing fear of official repercussions, said Li told his wife he had returned to China voluntarily to cooperate with an investigation, though its nature was not clear. "It's been extremely tough for them," the friend said, adding that Li's wife was pregnant and was also caring for their 2-year-old son. "We're all very worried about the situation." Li's case comes as the leadership has widened a crackdown on rights lawyers and other activists, which has triggered international condemnation. His reappearance in China from Thailand mirrors that of Swedish national and bookseller Gui Minhai, who disappeared from the Thai resort town of Pattaya in October. Gui appeared on Chinese state television last month, stating he had turned himself in to Chinese authorities over a fatal drunken driving case more than a decade ago. China's Foreign Ministry, asked this week if Chinese authorities had abducted Gui, said its law enforcement officials would never do anything illegal, especially not overseas. The post Missing Chinese Journalist Under Investigation in China appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thai Police: Slain Spanish Man ID’d from Body Parts in River Posted: 04 Feb 2016 10:45 PM PST A policeman walks at a sunflower field in Bangkok, Thailand, January 13, 2016.  (Photo: Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters) BANGKOK — Police in Thailand's capital said Thursday they have identified a man whose body parts were found floating in the city's Chao Phraya River as a Spanish consultant, and also have identified suspects in his killing. Police Gen. Panya Mamen, who is leading the investigation, told reporters in Bangkok that police are gathering more evidence and searching for the suspects, and expect to solve the case within 48 hours. "We believe that there was more than one perpetrator and we believe that they worked as a team," he said. Panya said the victim was a Spanish man who had traveled to Thailand a number of times, but only provided his given name, David, and gave his vocation as "consultant." He said police were able to match DNA from the seven body parts that were found and with samples that identified him as a man who had been reported missing. The parts began turning up at separate points along the river on Sunday, and only the man's left arm remains missing, he said. The man apparently was forced to turn over money to the suspects, and was then killed to silence him, said Panya. He said a witness had provided crucial clues for the investigation, but the person's identity had to be concealed for now for safety's sake. "From the witnesses and from the evidence we recovered, we believe we already know what the story is about," he said. He said he would not announce further details until the suspects were captured. The post Thai Police: Slain Spanish Man ID'd from Body Parts in River appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Seoul, Tokyo Threaten to Intercept N. Korean Rocket Debris Posted: 04 Feb 2016 09:07 PM PST North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a joint meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the Korean People's Army (KPA) Committee of the WPK in Pyongyang in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), February 4, 2016.  (Photo: KCNA) SEOUL — South Korea and Japan vowed to shoot down any debris that falls on their territories from a long-range rocket that North Korea plans to fire this month, with Seoul saying Thursday that it has detected launch preparations by Pyongyang. North Korea has informed international organizations that it will launch an observation satellite aboard a rocket between Feb. 8 and 25. South Korea, the United States and others say such a move would be a cover for a banned test of a missile that could strike the US mainland. The launch announcement follows an outpouring of global condemnation over the North's fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6. If North Korea's past patterns are any clue, angry warnings by Seoul, Washington and their allies probably won't dissuade a coming launch. South Korea's Defense Ministry said Thursday that the North is pushing ahead with the launch plans at its west coast Tongchang-ri launch site. Spokesman Moon Sang Gyun said South Korea is using Aegis-equipped destroyers, aircraft, sophisticated radars and other surveillance assets to monitor the North's launch preparations but refused to provide further details. Recent commercial satellite images showed an increased number of vehicles at North Korea's Sohae launch station on Feb. 1, compared to a week earlier. This suggests that the North is preparing for a space launch in coming weeks, according to 38 North, a North Korea-focused website run by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. However, the website said it was impossible to tell from the satellite imagery whether a space launch vehicle was present. South Korean and US officials said a launch would threaten regional security and violate UN Security Council resolutions that ban the North from engaging in any nuclear and ballistic activities. Diplomats at the UN Security Council have already pledged to pursue fresh sanctions on North Korea over its recent nuclear test. South Korea's president on Thursday called for strong UN sanctions that will make North Korea realize it cannot survive if it does not abandon its weapons programs. There are questions, however, over whether any sanctions will force real change in the North because China, the North's last major ally and a veto-wielding UN Security Council member, is reluctant to join in any harsh punishment against the North. Beijing on Wednesday urged restraint over North Korea's announcement of its launch plans, and expressed skepticism over the US calls for tough new sanctions. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the North Korean announcement "will further aggravate the profound concerns that the international community already has in the wake of the recent nuclear test," a spokesman said. In South Korea and Japan, there are fears about falling debris, although nothing landed in their territories during the North's most recent launches. Seoul officials estimated the first stage of the rocket would fall off the west coast of South Korea, more debris would land near the South's Jeju Island, and the second stage would land off the Philippines' east coast. Moon, the South Korean military spokesman, said that South Korea would fire missiles to intercept the North Korean rocket or its fragments if they threaten to fall on its territories. Japan's defense minister said Wednesday he issued a missile-shoot-down order and deployed Aegis destroyers and PAC-3 missile defense units to around Tokyo and Okinawa in case debris fall on the Japanese territory. Seoul and Tokyo issued similar plans before North Korean rocket launches in recent years. North Korea has spent decades trying to develop operational nuclear weapons along with missiles capable of striking the mainland United States. North Korea's last long-range rocket launch, in December 2012, was seen as having successfully put the country's first satellite into orbit after a string of failures. Each new rocket launch improves North Korea's missile technology, which is crucial for its goal of developing a nuclear-armed missile capable of hitting the US mainland. North Korea, an autocracy run by the same family since 1948, is estimated to have a handful of crude nuclear devices and an impressive array of short- and medium-range missiles, but it closely guards details about its nuclear and missile programs. This means there is considerable debate about whether it can produce nuclear bombs small enough to place on a missile, or missiles that can reliably deliver their bombs to faraway targets. The post Seoul, Tokyo Threaten to Intercept N. Korean Rocket Debris appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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