AllSBNews: The Irrawaddy Magazine

Monday, March 14, 2016

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Parliamentary Body Green-Lights Presidential Nominees
Faction ‘Annihilated’ in ANP Leadership Purge
Wa Authorities Say Two Men Executed in Self-Ruling Region
Burma Army Releases 46 Child Soldiers
Thai Actress: ‘The Cause of Refugees Deserves Wider Attention’
Presidential Vote Due Tuesday
Charismatic DKBA Leader Dies at 54
Burma’s New Stock Exchange Prepares for First Listing
Fake Love Story Reflects Real Divide Between Rural, Urban Chinese
Australia ‘Deeply Concerned’ Over Arrest of Journalists in Malaysia
‘Like’ It or Not, a Proxy Is Coming

Parliamentary Body Green-Lights Presidential Nominees

Posted: 14 Mar 2016 06:08 AM PDT

The three presidential nominees, from left: Htin Kyaw, Myint Swe and Henry Van Thio. (Photos: The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Burma's Union Parliament announced on Monday that the two National League for Democracy (NLD) presidential nominees as well as one selected by military representatives passed a parliamentary scrutinizing body's vetting process, qualifying all three to vie for Burma's highest civilian post.

Htin Kyaw, an executive committee member of an Aung San Suu Kyi-led foundation, and ethnic Chin lawmaker Henry Van Thio were selected on March 10 as the NLD's nominees. Military representatives from the Upper and Lower houses announced their nomination of Myint Swe, a former lieutenant-general and outgoing Rangoon chief minister, a day later.

Union Parliament Speaker Mahn Win Khaing presented the seven-member presidential scrutinizing body's findings during a parliamentary session on Monday. The body is led by the Lower House and Upper House speakers and their deputies, two NLD lawmakers—Myo Aung from the Lower House and Ba Myo Thein from the Upper House—and a military representative.

Maj-Gen Than Soe, the military lawmaker on the parliamentary body, objected to the nomination of Henry Van Thio, saying that he and his family had stayed in a foreign country for six years and suggesting that the body ask a constitutional tribunal whether he was in violation of the presidential criteria.

Since the other six members of the body approved Henry Van Thio, however, it was decided that he met the presidential qualifications.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Than Soe also suggested additional scrutiny of Htin Kyaw because he is not an elected lawmaker. Again, however, the body decided that Htin Kyaw met the necessary qualifications.

While there were some disagreements over Myint Swe's ability to stand for the presidency, the body ultimately approved him. Myint Swe was tipped to be selected as vice president in 2012 but was passed over because one of his sons was an Australian national. Since then, however, his son would appear to have become a Burmese citizen, removing an obstacle to his father's nomination.

The Union Parliament will put the three nominees to a vote on Tuesday, with the one who receives the most votes becoming president and the other two vice presidents. Htin Kyaw, a close confidante to NLD chairwoman Suu Kyi, is expected to win the vote.

The post Parliamentary Body Green-Lights Presidential Nominees appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Faction ‘Annihilated’ in ANP Leadership Purge

Posted: 14 Mar 2016 05:45 AM PDT

Myo Kyaw, pictured, was one of six members of an Arakan National Party faction to be dismissed from their leadership posts on Sunday. (Photo: Facebook / Myo Kyaw)

RANGOON — Six prominent members of the former Arakan League for Democracy (ALD), which merged with the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) two years ago to form the Arakan National Party (ANP), were removed from their ANP leadership posts on Sunday, following a two-day meeting in Ponnagyun Township's Pannila village, in northern Arakan State.

Internal frictions intensified earlier this month when the six central executive committee (CEC) members of the ANP held a press conference to voice dissatisfaction with the party's direction. These six members were subsequently deemed to have intentionally undermined ANP rules and regulations.

Myo Kyaw, one of the dissenters, confirmed on Monday that the RNDP faction of the party had dismissed the six CEC members, who were not invited to the meeting, describing the decision as an "injustice."

Phoe Minn, the ANP's vice chairperson and member of a team formed to investigate the CEC members, told The Irrawaddy that the party has already sent an official letter to the Union Election Commission (UEC) to explain the situation.

He acknowledged that no former ALD members were present at the meeting, but said a majority of the more than 40 central committee members in attendance agreed to the dismissal.

The ANP secured 44 out of the 77 seats it contested in the November election and demanded that the National League for Democracy (NLD) appoint as state chief minister an ANP member, threatening to otherwise rule out collaboration with the NLD.

Myo Kyaw said that "without ALD members in the party [ANP], only RNDP members would be left in the ANP."

An Upper House lawmaker for the ANP, Htoot May, echoed these sentiments, saying the "[ANP authorities] shouldn't fire [members] recklessly. Removing all [ALD faction] party members is inappropriate and could very well harm Arakanese interests."

Except for Aye Tha Aung, who currently serves as the deputy speaker of Parliament's Upper House, all CEC members from the ANP who were formerly affiliated with the ALD have been dismissed.

On the internal crisis, Myo Kyaw said: "I've heard they completely annihilated [the ALD]."

He added that six ANP cofounders are discussing whether, going forward, the party's existence will be in accordance with existing laws. A UEC official, however, has supposedly stated that the commission would not interfere in the party's internal affairs.

Neither the UEC nor Aye Tha Aung could be reached for comment on Monday.

The merging of the RNDP and ALD in 2014 into the ANP was to stave off vote-splitting as the two parties looked ahead to the 2015 election. Though the move paid off at the polls, recently, the ANP has been beleaguered by internal disputes.

The post Faction 'Annihilated' in ANP Leadership Purge appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Wa Authorities Say Two Men Executed in Self-Ruling Region

Posted: 14 Mar 2016 05:01 AM PDT

According to the signs hung around their necks in this photo from Wa State TV, Li Jian Guo, left, and Yan Lu are made to kneel before authorities in the Wa Special Region. (Photo: Wa State TV)

RANGOON — A court in Panghsang handed down death sentences to two people found guilty of murder in the autonomous Wa Special Region, where on Sunday the duo were executed, according to local sources.

Zhao Guoan, who is a spokesperson from the United Wa State Army (UWSA), confirmed the court ruling and the men's execution.

"They killed other people. The court gave the death sentence to them yesterday," he told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

He said the crime and severe sentence were rare in the Wa Special Region, an autonomous zone in Shan State that is ruled by the UWSA and administers a judicial system independent of the Burmese government.

"Our court only gives the death penalty when someone killed another. It happens only sometimes here," Zhao said.

The UWSA, Burma's largest ethnic armed group, administers the Wa Special Region essentially beyond the reach of the central government in Naypyidaw.

At the national level, Burma is considered a de facto abolitionist state and has not openly carried out an execution in decades.

The UWSA-run Wa State TV aired a broadcast on Sunday that showed photos of the two men made to kneel before police officers, presumably before being shot dead in accordance with the Panghsang court's ruling.

A separate report, also from UWSA-affiliated media, identified the men, one being Yan Lu, a 50-year-old ethnic Wa man who was found to have killed his two wives while under the influence of illicit narcotics.

Li Jian Guo, a 33-year-old Chinese citizen, was found guilty in the slaying of his 18-month-old son, also reportedly under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

The weekend executions recall a similar case that played out in January in the Mong La Special Region, where a Chinese national was reportedly executed by officials apparently acting under instruction from the semiautonomous authority there. That man, too, was found guilty of murder, as well as arson. The Mong La Special region is administered by the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), a non-state armed group like the UWSA.

The post Wa Authorities Say Two Men Executed in Self-Ruling Region appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Army Releases 46 Child Soldiers

Posted: 14 Mar 2016 03:31 AM PDT

A billboard promoting a "No Child Soldiers" campaign in Rangoon. (Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — The Burma Army discharged another 46 child soldiers on Saturday, the first such release of 2016, the UN children's agency Unicef announced over the weekend.

Unicef said in its press release on Saturday that it welcomed the latest discharge as one more positive step toward ending the involvement of children in Burma's armed conflicts.

"The children and young people discharged will benefit from reintegration programs to help them re-start their lives and seize new opportunities for their own development and participation in the life of the country," the statement reads.

The children and young people had all been under age 18 in 2012, when the Burmese government signed a joint action plan with the United Nations to address the issue of child recruitment. Those released over the weekend were handed over to their families at a ceremony in Rangoon, according to a report released in the state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Sunday.

"The Tatmadaw is committed to rid its ranks of underage soldiers," the report quoted Maj-Gen Tauk Tun of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief (Army), who was present at Saturday's ceremony.

While the number of underage soldiers still serving in the Burma Army remains unknown, Unicef reported in its statement that 745 child soldiers have been released by the military in a total of 12 batches since 2012.

"Whilst the peace process moves forward, commitment to stop recruitment and use of children should be immediate," Unicef urged in the statement.

In addition to the Burma Army, the UN secretary-general has named seven of the country's ethnic armed groups as "persistent perpetrators" of underage conscription—the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), Karen National Liberation Army Peace Council, Karenni Army (KA), Shan State Army South (SSA-S) and United Wa State Army (UWSA).

The Burma Army has long faced accusations by both international and local human rights groups concerning rights abuses against civilians in conflict areas and recruitment of child soldiers. Activists have previously urged the government to establish a more expedient mechanism to rid the military's ranks of underage recruits.

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Thai Actress: ‘The Cause of Refugees Deserves Wider Attention’

Posted: 14 Mar 2016 01:09 AM PDT

Thai actress and model Priya "Pu" Suandokmai talks with refugees from Burma on the Thai border. (Photo: UNHCR)

Well-known Thai actress and model Priya "Pu" Suandokmai has joined a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) fundraising project that highlights the plight of Burma's displaced in Thailand. The campaign, called "Namjai (Generosity) for Refugees," aims to assist over 100,000 Burmese refugees currently living in nine camps on the Thai-Burma border. The Irrawaddy's Saw Yan Naing interviewed Pu about her interest in refugee issues and how she became involved in the UNHCR's project in Thailand.

What made you want to join the UNHCR's 'Namjai for Refugees' campaign?

I have known the UNHCR for two years now. It started when I read the news about refugees' situation globally. I felt a lot of compassion for them—I only wish to help them better their lives. The traumatic experiences they have faced are incredibly sad, and as humans we need to help one another. That's why I Googled organizations that were taking care of refugees and the UNHCR came up, so I decided to email them.

Since then, I have joined UNHCR activities like charity fashion shows and a campaign promoting [awareness of] refugee children with disabilities. So when they proposed a new initiative to raise funds for refugees from Myanmar living in Thailand, I had no hesitation about joining the campaign.

Thai actress and model Priya "Pu" Suandokmai visits a refugee family from Burma in the Mae La camp on the Thai-Burma border. (Photo: UNHCR)

What is your role in the 'Namjai for Refugees' campaign?

Eight celebrities team up into four groups to use their talent to create artwork that will raise funds for refugees in Thailand. I asked my friend Sanshai—a designer extraordinaire—to be on my team and to design a special T-shirt that would [bring attention to] the voices of refugee women. Sanshai and I help promote the campaign through our networks and fans so that the UNHCR can receive enough funding to support refugees. When the campaign ends, we will showcase our design work and hopefully give out this special T-shirt as a token of appreciation to donors who supported our team.

How did you become interested in the plight of refugees?

Last year, I was following the news of refugees and that's when I decided to personally contact the UNHCR. I was deeply saddened—I could no longer not take action. I feel that [because of] my position, I have the ability to make changes in the world and that is an incredible thing. I have lived a very privileged life and I have more than enough time and effort to share toward bettering [others'] lives.

What motivates you to visit Burmese refugees on the Thai border and learn about their lives?

I have always read about the refugee camps in the north of Thailand and it was an honor to have the opportunity to visit Mae La camp and meet the families there. I met the kindest people who have been through the most traumatic experiences, but have pushed through and shown bravery, strength and gratitude. After my visit, I had a better understanding of what they need and how we can help them. This was an unforgettable experience that keeps me motivated to advocate for their rights.

How did you feel after learning specifically about the challenges facing refugee women and children?

Despite the persecution and trauma that some of these people went through, they have shown me nothing but kindness and gratitude. I have been helping the UNHCR raise funds to help a boy called Johnity. Meeting him personally and seeing him improve through rehabilitation has been so heart-warming. I feel that everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion, should be entitled to human rights. Learning about the lives of the refugees has motivated me to continue my work with them.

How do you believe that your popularity can improve understanding of refugee issues among Thai audiences?

As public figures, we have the ability to make our voices and opinions heard in order to make the changes we wish to see in society. I feel if I can use my voice to make the voices of refugees heard, then together we can raise awareness. I believe people are compassionate, but sometimes what they need is more understanding.

There are still ongoing wars in northern and eastern Burma that have recently displaced thousands more refugees. What would you like to say to the parties that wage war in Burma and cause people to flee their homes?

I'd like to talk about conflict in general. I have learned from the UNHCR that the number of refugees and people forced to flee from their homes has reached 60 million [globally], which is the highest since World War II. This is alarming and shows how urgently we need to find peace and the political will to end conflict and war. The recent development in Myanmar is promising. I hope that peaceful solutions can be found in the near future.

What are your plans for future advocacy projects?

My plan is to continue advocating for refugees' rights both in Thailand and around the world. By engaging with the UNHCR, I realize the tremendous task this organization has to undertake. I am committed to using my reputation to make a difference in the lives of refugees through fundraising, advocacy and public relations. The cause of refugees deserves wider attention from global citizens.

The post Thai Actress: 'The Cause of Refugees Deserves Wider Attention' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Presidential Vote Due Tuesday

Posted: 14 Mar 2016 12:42 AM PDT

Htin Kyaw, the National League for Democracy (NLD) nominated presidential candidate for the Lower House of Parliament, leaves the legislative complex in Naypyidaw on March 11, 2016. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters)

RANGOON — The new president of Burma's incoming National League for Democracy (NLD) government will go to a vote on Tuesday, after a body scrutinizing presidential qualifications has worked out whether three men selected last week are fit for the post, according to the deputy speaker of Parliament's Upper House.

"On Monday, the presidential qualification scrutinizing [body] will check whether the three vice presidents are qualified [to be president]. The selection for the president will be on the next day," Aye Tha Aung told media on Friday.

Htin Kyaw and Henry Van Thio, both of the NLD, were nominated by the Lower and Upper chambers of Parliament, respectively, on Thursday, while military representatives of the legislature picked Myint Swe, a former lieutenant-general and current Rangoon Division chief minister, as their nominee on Friday.

Constitutionally, the three nominees will be put to a ballot in a joint session of the country's Union Parliament. The winner of the most votes becomes Burma's next president, and the runners-up will serve as vice presidents.

Parliament's tentative agenda for Monday states that the scrutinizing body will submit its findings to the Union Parliament on the same day, sometime after it convenes in the afternoon.

Htin Kyaw, a trusted confidante of NLD chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi, is widely tipped to win Tuesday's vote. Suu Kyi herself is constitutionally barred from the presidency, and has said the party's presidential pick will effectively serve as a proxy in a government that she will lead from behind the scenes.

The post Presidential Vote Due Tuesday appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Charismatic DKBA Leader Dies at 54

Posted: 14 Mar 2016 12:33 AM PDT

Saw Lah Pwe speaks to Burmese and Thai journalists at a press conference. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

Gen. Saw Lah Pwe, the charismatic leader of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), died from throat cancer on Sunday afternoon in a Pegu town hospital, according to sources close to the ethnic armed group.

Saw Lah Pwe, better known by his nickname Nam Kham Mwe, had been battling cancer since last year and received numerous medical treatments in Rangoon and Singapore.

The 54-year-old received media attention after refusing to transform DKBA troops into a government-controlled Border Guard Force (BGF). He launched attacks against the Burma Army in 2010 during the general election in Myawaddy, a town in southeast Burma along the country's border with Thailand.

Although a minority of DKBA troops accepted the government's BGF order in 2009, Saw Lah Pwe and approximately 1,500 troops from DKBA Brigade 5 rejected Naypyidaw's demands.

Saw Lah Pwe also received media attention when the former Thai government accused him of drug trafficking, an allegation he officially denied.

On April 20, 2012, the Thai government listed him as one of the most notorious drug lords in Southeast Asia and placed a 1 million baht (about US$29,000) bounty on his head.

He immediately responded to the Thai government, inviting them, and anti-narcotics agencies including the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), to his stronghold in Karen State to investigate the accusations.

In 2012, Saw Lah Pwe signed a ceasefire agreement with the government, reducing tensions in the area. The DKBA is one of eight non-state armed organizations that signed a so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement with the government in October last year.

More than a dozen other groups have refused to sign the accord or been denied the chance to do so by the outgoing government of President Thein Sein.

Correction: A previous version of this story erroneously stated that Saw Lah Pwe was 53 years old.

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Burma’s New Stock Exchange Prepares for First Listing

Posted: 13 Mar 2016 11:13 PM PDT

Government officials gather during the opening ceremony of the Yangon Stock Exchange in Rangoon on Dec. 9, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters)

RANGOON — Burma's new stock exchange plans its first listing on March 25, the deputy finance minister told Reuters on Sunday, more than three months after it launched.

The Southeast Asian country's economy was devastated by nearly 50 years of military rule and rapid reforms since the junta handed over power in 2011 have included the development of capital markets to help finance growth, such as the new stock market.

But with challenges ranging from governance standards to inexperience and lack of capacity, progress has been slow. Since the exchange's official opening in December, there have been no transactions because there is nothing to trade.

Deputy Finance Minister Maung Maung Thein said three companies would list and start trading on the Yangon Stock Exchange (YSX) on March 25. He declined to name the companies, but said the three initial listings would be those companies "most ready."

Trading would be limited to one company at a time for several days because the market was still in its infancy, he said.

A Rangoon-based banker said none of the companies that have been discussed by officials as potential candidates for listing have issued a prospectus.

The exchange had tentatively planned to launch trading on March 11 but problems found in test trading delayed it, the banker said. That was the latest in a string of delays to the start of trading.

The first company to list would have been First Myanmar Investment (FMI), the banker said. FMI is a conglomerate of tycoon Surge Pun and one of Burma's biggest public companies.

A spokesperson for FMI declined to comment and directed enquiries to the YSX.

The FMI listing will not involve an initial public offering or the raising of fresh capital, the banker said. The listing is a recycling of a previous share issue as FMI would list shares it has previously sold to the public through direct subscription, he said.

Pun's firm has a head start on other companies in Burma in terms of meeting the governance and transparency standards required for a listing. FMI sister company Yoma Strategic Holdings is listed in Singapore, and is the only Burmese company listed abroad.

Aside from FMI, the government wants five other companies to prepare to list. Among them are Myanmar Citizens Bank, First Private Bank and Thilawa SEZ Holdings, which controls a new industrial zone jointly run by the government and a Japanese consortium.

Myanma Economic Bank owns 51 percent of the exchange, presenting another potential problem if foreign investors should be allowed to invest in the future. The bank is among several lenders on the US Department of Treasury's list of sanctioned entities due to its ties to the former junta.

Japan's Daiwa Securities and the Japan Exchange Group, which operates the Tokyo Stock Exchange, own the rest of the YSX.

The post Burma's New Stock Exchange Prepares for First Listing appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Fake Love Story Reflects Real Divide Between Rural, Urban Chinese

Posted: 13 Mar 2016 11:06 PM PDT

A woman rides past a residential compound in Beijing's Tongzhou district, China, on Feb. 25, 2016. (Photo: Reuters)

BEIJING — A woman from a big Chinese city visits her boyfriend's rural hometown and is so appalled by the squalor she sees that she dumps him. The story was fake, but it swept through Chinese media because it highlighted a deep societal gap that the ruling Communist Party has vowed to close.

Rural Chinese not only make less than city-dwellers but also receive significantly fewer social-welfare benefits, worsening a divide that was brought into focus by the fictional breakup, initially posted online as a real-life account.

The Chinese leadership, currently presiding over the country's largely ceremonial legislature through March 16, has pledged to introduce policies to bring prosperity to the countryside. In a key policy address over the weekend, Premier Li Keqiang pledged to improve countryside infrastructure and access in rural areas to social benefits.

"The core of our job is to bring a society of common prosperity," said Zhu Liangyu, a delegate to the National People's Congress from Beijing, "and we can only accomplish the task when the rural peasants are economically prospering."

Urban dwellers have only recently begun to outnumber rural ones in China, becoming more than half of the population in 2011. But the split between them has been entrenched by the decades-long practice of differentiating them and their rights based on residence registration. The Herculean task of addressing that split was highlighted by the uproar nationwide over the breakup story, which emerged earlier this year.

"The fake love dispute and the ensuing heated discussions are only symptoms of a torn-up society," observed Tang Yinghong, a psychologist and a popular national columnist.

The female protagonist was from Shanghai, which represents "metropolitan China" and is comparable to any city in a developed country. Her lover hailed from a poor village in the hinterland province of Jiangxi, which could "be worse than Third World countries," Tang said. They matched two popular stereotypes—the sheltered, well-heeled "peacock" girl of the city, and the self-made "phoenix" man from the hinterland who makes good in the big city.

"The two Chinas have vastly different lifestyles, cultures and ideological thoughts, and the split between the two has reached an astonishing level," Tang said.

The story as posted on a web forum was from the point of view of the woman, explaining why she immediately fled from her boyfriend's hometown and from the relationship. Accompanying it was a dimly lit photo of a squalid dinner table with dubious-looking dishes.

The story hit the screens of millions of smartphones across China during the weeklong Chinese New Year holiday. Hardly anyone bothered to check its authenticity, but much of the country jumped to vent their thoughts. Prominent columnists opined, and even the cardinal party-run newspaper People's Daily and official Xinhua News Agency chimed in.

Some observers bemoaned the woman's lack of etiquette, while others argued that rural realities would be a shock to any city woman.

Many real-life testimonials of such relationships soon followed, with some rural men wondering aloud whether they should even try for city women—a touchy subject in a country where men outnumber women because of the traditional preference for male children, especially in rural areas.

Relationship gurus snatched the chance to sell their theories on what makes a good match, while state media called for more tolerance and respect.

"The fates of the protagonists are the foam created by the currents of our times," the People's Daily wrote. "The media should not feast on their pains but reflect on deeper issues reflected by the foam."

Public discussions were so vehement that some Chinese journalists sought to find the protagonists and raised red flags when they could not. Eventually, China's online regulators stepped in, investigated and declared the story was fabricated and the photo pirated. Authorities did not reveal who was the creator.

Wu Qiang, a political scientist at Tsinghua University, said the furor over the break-up has showed the failure of Beijing to deliver the benefits of the past three decades of industrialization to ordinary people, especially those in China's vast countryside.

"A single photo of a rural dinner table has condensed so many social meanings of our time," Wu wrote. "What kind of social relationships and social realities have made everyone uncomfortable? Is it the widening gap between the cities and the countryside? Is it the class discrimination against the rural man? Or is it simply the differences in living habits between the rural and the cities?"

Wu argued that China's rural-urban differences must be addressed. "Only when everyone has equal rights can we make up the feudal gap between the cities and the countryside," he said.

In 2014, the average yearly income for a Shanghai resident was 47,710 yuan (US$7,300), more than four times the 10,117 yuan ($1,547) a year for an average rural resident in the province of Jiangxi, though costs of living are significantly higher in cities.

Zheng Fengtian, a professor of agriculture and rural development at Beijing-based Renmin University, said the income disparity is not as alarming as inequality in social benefits.

For decades, China's national policies have favored city residents, who are granted better social benefits, such as health, education, employment and pensions, while rural dwellers are left with reduced benefits on the grounds that they have access to land.

Nearly 55 percent of China's 1.37 billion people live in cities, and Beijing has shifted its focus from urbanization to rebuilding the countryside, where national policies are aimed at extending more benefits to rural residents, Zheng said.

Plans in the annual work report Premier Li presented to the National People's Congress include building 200,000 kilometers (124,000 miles) of new roads in rural areas, upgrading power grids and improving drinking water safety. The report also aims to promote farming and to increase investment in rural areas.

"The dual system has been around for decades, and changes will take a long time," Zheng said. "The key is to narrow the gaps between the cities and countryside. Now we are building the villages, where residents there can one day enjoy the same benefits as everyone else."

The post Fake Love Story Reflects Real Divide Between Rural, Urban Chinese appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Australia ‘Deeply Concerned’ Over Arrest of Journalists in Malaysia

Posted: 13 Mar 2016 11:00 PM PDT

Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, right, speaks with her Malaysian counterpart Anifah Aman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Putrajaya outside Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 17, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia is deeply concerned over the arrest of two Australian journalists in Malaysia after they attempted to question Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak over corruption allegations, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Monday.

The journalists from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) flagship investigative journalism program, Four Corners, were arrested in the Borneo state of Sarawak on Saturday night after approaching Najib outside a mosque.

Malaysian police said in a statement the pair had been arrested for failing to comply with police instructions not to cross a security line. They were released on bail on Sunday and charged with "obstructing a public servant in the discharge of his public functions."

Bishop told ABC radio Australia was "deeply concerned."

"We are providing consular support to the ABC crew and certainly raising this issue at the appropriate level with the Malaysian government," she said.

Najib has faced sustained pressure to resign since the middle of last year over allegations of corruption linked to the debt-laden state fund 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), and deposits into his private accounts worth around US$680 million.

He has denied any wrongdoing and maintains he did not use the funds for personal gain. He was cleared earlier this year of any criminal offense or corruption.

Sally Neighbour, the program's executive producer, wrote on Twitter that the journalists had been in Malaysia reporting on the corruption scandal and denied any allegations of wrongdoing on their behalf.

"Our journalists were doing what journalists do in countries with a free press," she wrote.

Reporter Linton Besser and camera operator Louie Eroglu have had their passports returned, Neighbour said, but have been barred from leaving the country.

Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad cranked up pressure on Najib to quit earlier this month, marking a seismic political shift by joining hands with long-standing foes, including the party of the jailed Anwar Ibrahim.

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‘Like’ It or Not, a Proxy Is Coming

Posted: 13 Mar 2016 10:23 PM PDT