Monday, May 2, 2016

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Protesters Push for Peace in Arakan, While Lawmakers Bicker in Rangoon

Posted: 02 May 2016 08:02 AM PDT

Protesters march in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, on Sunday. (Photo: Ko Khaing Mrat)

Protesters march in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, on Sunday. (Photo: Ko Khaing Mrat)

RANGOON — Thousands of people protested throughout northern Arakan State on Sunday demanding that the Burma Army halt operations against the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed organization. Fighting has flared in the restive state since April 16, forcing thousands of villagers to flee their homes.

According to local sources, thousands of Arakanese staged peaceful protests in nine townships of northern Arakan State, which borders Bangladesh.

Saw Shwe Maung, a police officer in the ancient city of Mrauk-U, said that 1,500 people participated in a protest in the township, which was led by two influential monks. They had received permission from local authorities.

The Arakan National Party (ANP) led about 1,000 protesters in the state capital of Sittwe, according to police officer Aye Khin Maung, who said that permission had been granted for the demonstration.

Local sources told The Irrawaddy that some protesters held posters that read: "Burma Army, get out of Arakan State!"

An official with the Arakan State government, Min Aung, said that the state administration had discussed how to approach resolving the conflict, but the recent intensification of hostilities had been largely ignored. The Arakan Liberation Party, another ethnic political organization, has accused the Burma Army of war crimes and violating the Geneva Conventions.

Min Aung declined to comment on the accusations, saying that it was a military matter.

A delegation of lawmakers from across the political spectrum supplied rice and oil to internally displaced people (IDPs) last week. According to the government, more than 1,000 IDPs are now living in monasteries.

The Arakan State government does not yet have a resettlement plan for the IDPs, according to Min Aung, who said that the victims "are not too far from their homes to return, but we don't have an official count of how many there are."

Khine Pyay Soe, vice chairman of the ANP, said his party has donated five million kyats (US$4,265) to those who have found shelter in monasteries.

Some villagers were killed by the Burma Army after being forced to be porters, said Ba Gyi Kyaw of Wunlark Development Foundation, which is providing relief efforts, stressing that the state's affected civilians e"need more support."

Meanwhile, ANP members are trying to generate support in Rangoon.

Wai Sein Aung, an ANP parliamentarian in the Upper House, submitted an emergency proposal to call a halt to further hostilities in Arakan. This move received immediate opposition from military appointees in the Upper House, who objected to referring to the ethnic armed organization as the "Arakan Army," rather than the "Arakan Armed Group," which the military prefers.

Upper House Speaker Mhan Win Khaing Than said that the term "Arakan Armed Group" will be used in the proposal, which is expected to generate heated debate tomorrow.

"We mainly proposed two things," the ANP's Wai Sein Aung said. "We want to stop deadly clashes and invite the AA to join peace discussions."

The post Protesters Push for Peace in Arakan, While Lawmakers Bicker in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Calls for More Women in Peace Process on European Study Tour

Posted: 02 May 2016 07:01 AM PDT

Female leaders from Burma stand in front of the Federal Palace of Switzerland in April 2016. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy)

Female leaders from Burma stand in front of the Federal Palace of Switzerland in April 2016. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy)

GENEVA, Switzerland — Bringing more women into Burma's peace process and construction of a federal state is crucial, several of the country's female leaders said during a training tour in Europe last month.

The women have played various roles in Burma's peace process and were invited to Switzerland and Norway to learn more about federalism, peace and security issues, and women's empowerment. Both European countries are staunch supporters of conflict resolution in Burma.

The participants reflected on how a political dialogue could be conducted in Burma and how federalism could enrich the country's young democracy.

Naw Zipporah Sein, the vice chair of the Karen National Union (KNU), an ethnic armed organization that signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement with the government last year, said: "A federal system is best-suited to Burma to ensure equality and democratic rights."

"Our public needs to understand how to share power, resources and tax revenue," she said. "Participation from the people in these core aspects of the federal state is essential."

Meanwhile, Burma's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi said last Wednesday that the government was planning to hold a 21st century "Panglong-style" conference within the next two months, referring to a 1947 agreement Suu Kyi's father, Gen. Aung San, forged with several major ethnic minorities.

"[This conference] would be a good venue to talk about federal principles," Zipporah Sein said, adding that she hoped the government "creates a space" to include all of the country's ethnic groups, even ones that did not participate in last year's ceasefire signing.

Zipporah Sein said that the commitment of the Burma Army, also known as the Tatmadaw, would be important to building genuine peace and a federal union. Additionally, there needed to be reforms within both the Tatmadaw and the ethnic armed organizations, she continued.

Chin Chin, an ethnic Chin peace negotiator and the director of the Nationalities Brotherhood Federation, agreed that power sharing among the states and the central government was important to creating a truly federal system like the one used in Switzerland.

"We are now able to talk about federalism, something which had been barred from discussion under the military regime," she said. "That makes me satisfied."

The delegation is the fourth group to study federalism in Switzerland and was made up of women from ethnic armed organizations, political parties, lawmakers, peace envoys, civil society groups, women's affairs organizations and journalists.

Ja Seng Hkawn Maran, a Kachin State parliamentarian from the Kachin State Democracy Party, said that in order to have more women participate in decision-making processes, "We have to change our mindset [that only men can lead], which has been deeply ingrained in us."

"Not just the men, but we women too must change our attitudes so that we can learn and lead," she said. "We must cooperate and share responsibilities so that we can achieve equality and basic human rights."

Tin Tin Latt, the vice chair of the Myanmar Women's Affairs Federation, said that the knowledge she gained about conflict resolution and federalism during the trip would help her as a participant in Burma's peace process.

"The information [about federalism] is all new to me," she said. "We can take some of these practices and apply them [to building our country]."

The Myanmar Women's Affairs Federation (MWAF) is the largest women's organization in Burma and boasts the wives of generals and high-ranking military officers as its leaders.

"I am now going to share this knowledge with other women in the MWAF, so that they know when building a federal government, collaboration and respecting minority rights are key," Tin Tin Latt said.

Switzerland, a federal state, previously hosted three delegations: the Karen National Union (KNU), the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and representatives from the Burma Army. Both the KNU and the RCSS signed a ceasefire agreement with the government in October 2015.

Last month's delegation focused on Switzerland's federalism, the role of the police and the army in state building, power sharing among the central government and regional counterparts, ceasefire processes and minority rights protection under a federal state.

Co-organized by SwissPeace and the Burmese NGO Nyein Foundation, and supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the delegation stayed in Switzerland for 10 days and attended two days of seminars in Norway with support from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.

Editor's Note: The author of this story was among the women's delegation visiting Switzerland and Norway.

The post Calls for More Women in Peace Process on European Study Tour appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Heavy Winds Hit Mandalay

Posted: 02 May 2016 06:52 AM PDT

Heavy winds topple trees in Mandalay. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)

Heavy winds topple trees in Mandalay. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)

MANDALAY — Heavy winds hit towns in Mandalay Division on Friday, leaving them littered with debris and killing at least one person in Pyawbwe Township.

Myint Myint Aye, a 32-year-old Pyawbye resident, died when a tree collapsed on top of her on her way home. The division had no other reported fatalities, but the strong winds ripped the roofs off schools and monasteries and damaged local pagodas.

The winds uprooted trees, toppled lampposts and injured three residents in Chanmyathazi and Maha Aung Myay townships, parts of Mandalay city.

"Areas near Kandawgyi Lake in Chanmyathazi were hit hard. Big trees collapsed and lampposts broke. A tent outside a restaurant blew away and at least three people suffered minor injuries," said an officer from the Mandalay Municipal Department, who was at the scene.

The debris blocked roads around Kandawgyi Lake and in Chanmyathazi and Maha Aung Myay townships. Old trees collapsed, damaging power cables and causing severe blackouts.

"We are trying our best, with the help of the fire brigade and police, to clean the debris," the officer added. "Technicians from the electrical department are rushing to repair the power cables to restore electricity to the townships."

Moreover, in Tatkon Township, near Burma's capital Naypyidaw, three men were struck by lightning and hospitalized with minor injuries, while three others were injured when their homes collapsed.

According to Tatkon locals, about 1,000 homes collapsed, while other buildings sustained damage.

The winds also destroyed homes, schools, pagodas and monasteries in Mahlaing, Singu, Madaya, Yamethin and Thazi townships.

According to a Department of Meteorology announcement, Mandalay, Sagaing and Magwe divisions, along with Kachin, Shan, and Chin states, are expected to receive more heavy winds and rain in the next two days.

Independent meteorologist Tun Lwin issued a statement on his website and on social media that the severe weather was a result of El Niño, and warned about future storms as well.

"Although the country has faced the effects of El Niño, we also need to prepare for La Niña. The weather forecasts show El Niño weather weakening, and ending in June, while there is a 70 percent chance that La Niña will arrive in September," he wrote on his Facebook.

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Proposed By-Election Changes Aim to Limit Polls’ Frequency

Posted: 02 May 2016 06:45 AM PDT

A woman holds a ballot slip and her national identity card before casting her vote at a polling station during by-elections in Rangoon on April 1, 2012. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters)

A woman holds a ballot slip and her national identity card before casting her vote at a polling station during by-elections in Rangoon on April 1, 2012. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters)

RANGOON — Burma's Union Parliament is looking to modify election laws to reduce the frequency with which by-elections are held by blocking off the first and fifth year of parliamentary terms as periods in which polls to fill empty seats cannot be called, according to a statement issued on Friday.

The amendment would be applied to all of the country's legislative bodies—the Union Parliament's Upper and Lower houses and 14 regional legislatures—which currently require by-elections within six months of a chamber seat being vacant, as per modifications made earlier this year.

The change would mark the fourth time amendments were made to a set of three election laws that were enacted in 2010.

Sai Kyaw Thu, a director from the election department of the Union Election Commission (UEC), expressed support for the modifications, while noting the important role by-elections play in ensuring voters have a voice in legislatures.

"If a constituency has vacant seats for both chambers of the Parliament or regional parliaments for too long, it will not be good for voters [in those constituencies]," he told The Irrawaddy.

Election watchdog Thant Zin Aung, who is chairperson of the Forward Institute, agreed with half of the new by-election restrictions, but highlighted the legislative term's first year as critical and suggested that a ban on by-elections in this period would be a mistake.

"During the first year of a Parliament, representation of lawmakers must be really strong, especially on a path to democracy like [Burma's] current situation," he said.

"Every seat [in Parliament] should be occupied to raise voters' voices. If not, the vacant constituencies will become really weak," he added. "The first year of a Parliament is all about proposing new bills, submitting important proposals—which every lawmaker should be actively involved in."

However, Thant Zin Aung said he supported a prohibition on by-elections in the last year of the country's five-year legislative terms.

"Holding a by-election in the last year of the Parliament is a waste of money as the legislative body should be already stable and the term will expire in the following year," Thant Zin Aung said.

Burma has held just one by-election since its transition to quasi-civilian government began more than five years ago. That by-election, in April 2012, saw the now ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) contest and win dozens of seats, though the party remained an opposition force in the legislature with little power until last year's general election, when it won nearly 80 percent of elected seats.

The 2012 by-election was called to fill 45 seats in the Union Parliament, many of which were vacated by members of the formerly ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) who took up positions in the cabinet. The NLD has selected fewer of its cabinet members from the national legislature than its USDP predecessor.

Nonetheless several other constituencies remain without representation after the UEC decided not to hold elections in some Shan State townships, citing instability caused by conflict, or in the case of the Wa Special Region, the local Wa authorities' decision not to allow polls in the semi-autonomous zone.

The post Proposed By-Election Changes Aim to Limit Polls' Frequency appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ruling Party Members Meet Powerful UWSA in Panghsang

Posted: 02 May 2016 03:39 AM PDT

Members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) pose for a photo with leaders of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) in Panghsang, Wa Special Region. (Photo: Wa State TV)

Members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) pose for a photo with leaders of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) in Panghsang, Wa Special Region. (Photo: Wa State TV)

RANGOON — Three members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) met leaders from the United Wa State Army (UWSA), Burma's largest ethnic armed group, at the latter's Panghsang headquarters last week, according to a source along the Sino-Burmese border, as the new government begins delving into the country's fractious peace process.

Kyi Myint, a spokesperson for the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the two sides "discussed how they will cooperate in the new government's work for peace and development of the country." Kyi Myint is close to UWSA leaders and his armed group has an informal alliance with the Wa.

Xiao Ming Liang, vice chairman of the UWSA, and other senior leaders from the group met the three NLD members on April 28 in Panghsang, capital of the Wa Special Region in northeastern Shan State.

According to Kyi Myint, the three NLD members—Soe Htay, Than Lwin, and Myint Kyi—were not visiting Panghsang as official envoys of the new government.

"As I understand, they did not go as a delegation from the government. They visited there in a personal capacity. … This group was not sent by Daw Suu [NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi]," said Kyi Myint.

UWSA leaders, Kyi Myint added, warmly welcomed the delegation and believed that the three NLD members would convey the meeting's takeaways to Suu Kyi and her government despite the informal nature of their visit.

Soe Htay is an elected Lower House lawmaker representing Kawkareik Township in Karen State. Than Lwin is an NLD parliamentary communications officer, while Myint Kyi is a member of the Myanmar-China Friendship Association.

Both the NLD and UWSA have appeared reluctant to discuss the meeting. Zhao Gaoan, a spokesperson for the UWSA, refused to offer comment when contacted by The Irrawaddy by phone.

Tun Tun Hein, an NLD central executive committee member, said he had not heard anything about his party sending the three men to Panghsang.

Last week Suu Kyi, the NLD chairwoman and Burma's state counselor, met delegations from the eight non-state armed groups that signed a so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement in October, along with members of the Burma Army.

The UWSA is not among the ceasefire signatories, though a 1989 truce between the group and successive central governments has held strong over the years.

Kyi Myint said his NDAA and UWSA leaders had agreed to participate in the coming NLD-led peace negotiations with the aim of furthering the country's development.

The post Ruling Party Members Meet Powerful UWSA in Panghsang appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

KNU, RCSS Meet to Ready for ‘Second Panglong’ Summit

Posted: 02 May 2016 03:29 AM PDT

KNU chairman Gen. Mutu Say Poe, right, and RCSS chairman Lt-Gen Yawd Serk chat over a cup of tea during a break in discussions in Chiang Mai, Thailand, over the weekend. (Photo: Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy)

KNU chairman Gen. Mutu Say Poe, right, and RCSS chairman Lt-Gen Yawd Serk chat over a cup of tea during a break in discussions in Chiang Mai, Thailand, over the weekend. (Photo: Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy)

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — The Karen National Union (KNU) and Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) held private talks here over the weekend about a second "Panglong-style" peace conference, an idea proposed by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi last week.

"As the state counselor focuses on federalism, we are discussing what this Panglong conference should include, as well as the country's current political landscape," KNU Maj-Gen Saw Issac Po told reporters in the northern Thai city.

Suu Kyi called for a "Panglong-style" summit to be held within two months, when she addressed the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC) in Naypyidaw on Wednesday, a meeting that included representatives from signatories to the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA). That accord was signed on Oct. 15 under Burma's previous quasi-civilian government.

The two groups meeting in Chiang Mai talked about the type of federalism that the eight NCA signatories would demand during peace talks, the new government's negotiation team, and Suu Kyi's proposed Panglong conference, said RCSS spokesman Lt-Col Sai Hseng Murng.

The first Panglong Conference was held on the eve of Burma's independence in 1947 by Suu Kyi's father, Gen. Aung San, and leaders from three of the country's ethnic minority groups. The meeting to determine how the new union of Burma would be constituted is widely praised for the spirit of cooperation that it fostered between the dominant Burman majority and ethnic minorities at the time.

"The term '21st century Panglong Conference' has been used by Suu Kyi. So far, we don't know what [the conference] will be like. We are discussing the sort of federalism that the ethnic groups envision in preparation for the talks," the lieutenant-colonel told the press.

The KNU and the RCSS are the two most powerful groups among the eight NCA signatories, as well the leaders of the Ethnic Armed Organizations Peace Process Steering Team (EAO-PPST), which was formed by the signatories to provide leadership during future peace talks.

KNU chairman Gen. Mutu Say Poe is the EAO-PPST leader, RCSS chairman Lt-Gen Yawd Serk serves as deputy leader, and other leaders of the NCA signatory groups are team members.

The post KNU, RCSS Meet to Ready for 'Second Panglong' Summit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Minister Warns Engineers Will Be Jailed for Poor Roads

Posted: 02 May 2016 02:44 AM PDT

A rainbow is seen in the background as a bus plies the Rangoon-Mandalay highway. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

A rainbow is seen in the background as a bus plies the Rangoon-Mandalay highway. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — During a press conference on Saturday about a 100-day plan to reduce road accidents on the Rangoon-Mandalay motorway, Construction Minister Win Khaing said engineers involved in building Burma's new roads will be thrown in jail if the roads do not last at least five years.

"We firmly guarantee that if the roads don't last the five years of the new government's tenure, we'll send those engineers [involved in construction] to jail," Win Khaing said.

The warning comes amid long-standing public criticism against previous government attempts to construct new roads, many of which are rendered unusable during monsoon season and are in generally poor condition throughout the rest of the year.

Win Khaing acknowledged that, on its own, his ministry lacks the budget necessary to repair the entire Rangoon-Mandalay motorway, which spans nearly 400 miles and has become notorious for fatal road accidents since it was opened in 2010. He added that his staff would do their best to repair a 20-mile stretch of the motorway and that he would seek international assistance to repair the rest.

"We don't have the budget [to repair the entire motorway]. If we divide the budget, we can only allocate about 10 billion kyats [US$8.6 million] for each township. [Therefore] we have to find international development partners [in order to fully repair the motorway]," Win Khaing said.

The minister stressed that Burma is in desperate need of general infrastructural development, describing improvement to infrastructure as key to citizens' socioeconomic development.

"It's critically important that roads linking villages and districts are fit for purpose so that people can have a better standard of living," he said.

From its opening in 2010 to the end of 2014, some 400 people have been killed and more than 1,000 more wounded in road accidents on the Rangoon-Mandalay motorway.

According to Win Khaing, the Ministry of Construction is also planning to launch an affordable housing project in the capital Naypyidaw. This new housing is expected to include about 40 apartments, each priced lower than 10 million kyats [$8,605].

The post Minister Warns Engineers Will Be Jailed for Poor Roads appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bill Rescinding Law ‘Incompatible’ With Democracy Goes to Parliament

Posted: 02 May 2016 12:57 AM PDT

Aung San Suu Kyi attends parliamentary meeting in the Lower House on Aug. 6 2012. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters)

Aung San Suu Kyi attends parliamentary meeting in the Lower House on Aug. 6 2012. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters)

RANGOON — The push to rescind a law that was used to oppress Aung San Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy advocates gained momentum on Monday, as a new bill overturning the 1975 legislation was formally submitted to Burma's Parliament.

The Bill Committee in the Lower House took the stage Monday to denounce the law, which was enacted during Burma's socialist era.

"The law violates Article 8 of the 2008 Constitution, which protects the fundamental rights of citizens," said Kyaw Soe Lin, a member of the committee. "It [the law] is not compatible with democracy."

Lawmakers of the legislative body, which is dominated by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), have pledged to revoke laws that oppress Burma's citizens and amend those that have flaws.

Legal experts have welcomed the new bill and have said the existing law is "absolutely unnecessary."

The law, which is also known as "Lower House Parliament Law No. 3, 1975" or the "Law to Safeguard the State Against the Dangers of Those Desiring to Cause Subversive Acts," was used by previous governments to circumscribe the rights of opponents of successive military regimes.

The law was enacted "to prevent the infringement of the sovereignty and security of the Union of Burma against any threat to the peace of the people, and against the threat of those desiring to commit subversive acts causing the destruction of the country, without impeding citizens' fundamental rights," according to its preamble.

Lower House Speaker Win Myint said at the legislative session that comments from lawmakers on the bill are scheduled to be heard on Thursday.

The post Bill Rescinding Law 'Incompatible' With Democracy Goes to Parliament appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Foreign Minister Reaffirms Japan’s Economic Ties to Thailand

Posted: 01 May 2016 11:01 PM PDT

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, left, meets with Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok on May 1, 2016.  (Photo: Reuters)

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, left, meets with Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok on May 1, 2016.  (Photo: Reuters)

BANGKOK — Japan's foreign minister arrived in Bangkok on Sunday aiming to reaffirm economic ties after Japanese investments in Thailand slumped last year amid political concerns as well as stiff competition emerging from more nimble neighbors.

Japan has historically been the largest investor in Thailand, Southeast Asia's second biggest economy, which it sees as an important production base.

However, Japanese investments in Thailand nosedived by 81 percent last year, according to official data, something analysts say mirrors concern about Thailand's economy which continues to struggle under prolonged military rule.

Increased competition from the region's newer economies, such as Vietnam and Burma, is posing another threat to foreign investment in Thailand.

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told a news conference after meeting his Thai counterpart at the beginning of a two-day visit that Thailand remained an important stakeholder.

"Thailand is a stakeholder that Japan cannot be without as many big and medium-sized Japanese firms from over 4,500 companies are based here," Kishida told reporters.

Japan still came top in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Thailand last year, with total investments approved valued at more than 144 billion baht (US$4.13 billion).

A senior Japanese diplomat, who wanted to remain anonymous, said Thailand's military government was keen to allay Japanese fears on potential political obstacles to investment.

Thailand has been ruled by a junta since the military took power in a May 2014 coup. The junta has promised a swift return to democracy but has pushed back a general election now expected to take place in mid-2017.

The military government, led by Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, has struggled to revive Thailand's export-dependent economy.

The country has seen a fresh wave of small, anti-junta protests over the past two weeks ahead of an Aug. 7 referendum on a draft constitution that critics say will enshrine military power.

Kishida's visit to Bangkok kicks off his tour of the region including Burma, Laos and Vietnam.

It follows his visit to Beijing where China and Japan both expressed willingness to improve strained relations over conflicting territorial claims in the East China Sea.

The post Foreign Minister Reaffirms Japan's Economic Ties to Thailand appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Trains ‘Fishing Militia’ to Sail Into Disputed Waters

Posted: 01 May 2016 10:24 PM PDT

Fishing boats with Chinese national flags are seen at a harbor in Tanmen, Hainan province, on April 5, 2016.  (Photo: Reuters)

Fishing boats with Chinese national flags are seen at a harbor in Tanmen, Hainan province, on April 5, 2016.  (Photo: Reuters)

BAIMAJING, China — The fishing fleet based in this tiny port town on Hainan island is getting everything from military training and subsidies to even fuel and ice as China creates an increasingly sophisticated fishing militia to sail into the disputed South China Sea.

The training and support includes exercises at sea and requests to fishermen to gather information on foreign vessels, provincial government officials, regional diplomats and fishing company executives said in recent interviews.

"The maritime militia is expanding because of the country's need for it, and because of the desire of the fishermen to engage in national service, protecting our country's interests," said an advisor to the Hainan government who did not want to be named.

But the fishing militia also raises the risk of conflict with foreign navies in the strategic waterway through which US$5 trillion of trade passes each year, diplomats and naval experts say.

The United States has been conducting sea and air patrols near artificial islands China is building in the disputed Spratlys archipelago, including by two B-52 strategic bombers in November. Washington said in February it would increase the "freedom of navigation" sail-bys around the disputed sea.

Basic Military Training

The city-level branches of the People's Armed Forces Department provide basic military training to fishermen, said the Hainan government advisor. The branches are overseen by both the military and local Communist Party authorities in charge of militia operations nationwide.

The training encompasses search and rescue operations, contending with disasters at sea, and "safeguarding Chinese sovereignty," said the advisor who focuses on the South China Sea.

The training, which includes exercises at sea, takes place between May and August and the government pays fishermen for participating, he said.

Government subsidies encourage fishermen to use heavier vessels with steel—as opposed to wooden—hulls.

The government has also provided Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) equipment for at least 50,000 vessels, enabling them to contact the Chinese Coast Guard in maritime emergencies, including encounters with foreign ships, industry executives said.

Several Hainan fishermen and diplomats told Reuters some vessels have small arms.

When "a particular mission in safeguarding sovereignty" comes up, government authorities will coordinate with the fishing militia, the advisor said, asking them to gather information on the activities of foreign vessels at sea.

Row With Indonesia

That coordination was evident in March, when Indonesia attempted to detain a Chinese fishing vessel for fishing near its Natuna Islands in the South China Sea. A Chinese coast guard vessel quickly intervened to prevent the Indonesian Navy from towing away the fishing boat, setting off a diplomatic row. Beijing does not claim the Natunas but said the boats were in "traditional Chinese fishing grounds."

China claims almost all of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei also have conflicting claims over the islets and atolls that constitute the Spratly Archipelago and its rich fishing grounds.

State-controlled fishing companies dominate the fleets that go regularly to the Spratlys and are recipients of much of the militia training and subsidies, industry sources said.

China has by far the world's biggest fish industry, but depleted fishery resources close to China's shores have made fishing in disputed waters an economic necessity, fishermen and industry executives say.

State-owned Hainan South China Sea Modern Fishery Group Company says on its website it is "both military and commercial, both soldiers and civilians." One of its aims, the company says, is to let the "Chinese flag fly" over the Spratlys.

"Defending sovereignty is primarily the government's concern," said Ye Ning, the company's general manager, in an interview at his office in Haikou. "But of course, regular folks being able to fish in their own countries' waters should be the norm. That goes for us too."

The company provides fishermen who sail to the Spratlys with fuel, water and ice, and then purchases fish from them when they returned, according to a written introduction to the company's work that executives provided to Reuters.

'A Lot More Risky'

"It's gotten a lot more risky to do this with all kinds of foreign boats out there," said Huang Jing, a local fisherman in the sleepy port town of Baimajing, where a line of massive steel-hulled fishing trawlers stretches as far as the eye can see.

"But China is strong now," he said. "I trust the government to protect us."

Chen Rishen, chairman of Hainan Jianghai Group Co. Ltd, says his private but state subsidized company dispatches large fleets of steel-hulled trawlers weighing hundreds of tons to fish near the Spratly Islands. They usually go for months at a time, primarily for commercial reasons, he said.

"If some foreign fishing boats infringe on our territory and try to prevent us from fishing there … Then we're put in the role of safeguarding sovereignty," he said in an interview in Haikou, the provincial capital of Hainan.

China does not use its fishing fleet to help establish sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said: "This kind of situation does not exist."

China had taken measures to ensure the fishing fleets conduct business legally, he told a ministry press briefing last month.

Rules of Engagement

Chen said his fishermen stop at Woody Island in the Paracel islands, where China recently installed surface-to-air missiles, to refuel and communicate with Chinese Coast Guard vessels.

They look forward to using similar facilities China is developing in the Spratly Islands, he said.

China has been pouring sand from the seabed onto seven reefs to create artificial islands in the Spratlys. So far, it has built one airstrip with two more under construction on them, with re-fueling and storage facilities.

"This all points to the need for establishing agreed protocols for ensuring clear and effective communications between civilian and maritime law enforcement vessels of different countries operating in the area," said Michael Vatikiotis, Asia Director of the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, which is helping claimant states design such confidence-building measures.

A regional agreement on communications and procedures when rival navies meet at sea applies only to naval ships and other military vessels, he said.

The post China Trains 'Fishing Militia' to Sail Into Disputed Waters appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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