The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Arakan State Govt’s Attempt to Help IDPs Gets Critical Reception
- Betel Nut Sales to Be Curbed
- Efforts to Help Shan State IDPs Hampered in Parliament
- Debate Over Burma’s Household Guest Registration Law Intensifies
- Restrictions On Blacklisted Exiles To Be Lifted
- Rangoon Govt to Shake Up Manufacturing, Electricity Sectors
- Obama to Make History, Stirs Debate With Hiroshima Visit
- Influential Thai Buddhist Monk Too Ill to Face Graft Charges, Say Devotees
| Arakan State Govt’s Attempt to Help IDPs Gets Critical Reception Posted: 27 May 2016 06:39 AM PDT  Internally displaced Arakanese civilians in Yoe Chaung village, Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State. (Photo: Hla Htay) RANGOON — Despite pledges from the Arakan State government to allocate more money toward helping the state's internally displaced persons (IDPs), some see it as coming up short. According to a Facebook announcement on Thursday, the regional government said that it would spend some 870 million kyats (more than US$732,700) to build temporary schools and to aid families living in the 385 buildings housing the state's IDPs. Min Aung, spokesman for the Arakan State government, said that it has yet to be determined when the plan will go into effect, but that 100 million kyats (US$84,220) will be used to build five schools and that 200,000 kyats (US$168) will be given to each IDP household. However, some have voiced frustration with the announcement as well as skepticism about the plan's potential to actually improve the situation of IDPs. Kyaw Lwin, a lawmaker with the Arakan National Party (ANP) for Kyaukphyu Township, said that on May 11 he submitted a proposal to the state parliament aimed at helping IDPs but that details were not discussed, though lawmakers unanimously supported the proposal. "They should've let us know [about this plan], seeing as how we're lawmakers. But it seems as if they don't care about us," Kyaw Lwin told The Irrawaddy. Kyaw Tha Maung, who lives with his five children in an IDP camp in Ponnagyun Township, emphasized the urgency of the help needed, particularly regarding access to schools. "There has been no help yet with providing schooling. We need this," Kyaw Tha Maung said. Khine Kaung San, who works with the WanLark Foundation, an organization that focuses on rural education, community development and disaster emergency response, said that 200,000 kyats is a small amount of money and that the government should funnel more toward IDPs. "Giving more money to displaced persons would preserve the dignity of the government," Khine Kaung San said. The post Arakan State Govt's Attempt to Help IDPs Gets Critical Reception appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Posted: 27 May 2016 06:21 AM PDT  A seller rolls leaves containing betel nut at a stand in Rangoon. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Just under two months since the National League for Democracy (NLD) came into power, the government is taking bold aim at one of Burma's most iconic habits: chewing betel nut. The Union Government Office announced Friday that there would be a ban on selling betel nut in or near hospitals, schools and government offices. No details were provided on how far from the buildings the ban would be in effect, nor how it would be enforced. "Many people across the country chew betel nut, which is one of Burma's customs. This harms the appearance of government offices, schools, hospitals and towns, and also causes mouth, throat and tongue cancers," the government statement said. "We have therefore sought recommendations about how to reduce and get rid of betel chewing as well as providing alternative livelihoods for betel nut sellers." The government plans to educate the public on the health dangers of betel nut through TV, newspaper and online campaigns, and will take action against sellers in the proscribed areas. They will also put up educational posters at hospitals, clinics, schools and health bureaus across the country. A habit for many Burmese men and also women to a lesser extent, betel nut is chewed for its nicotine-like stimulant properties. Its detractors, in addition to citing the negative health effects, point to the characteristic—and, they argue, unsightly—rust-red stains that result from spitting out juice secreted by the nut. The habit's enduring popularity is manifest in the many red-splotched sidewalks, stairwells and buses in Rangoon and other towns across the country. The post Betel Nut Sales to Be Curbed appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Efforts to Help Shan State IDPs Hampered in Parliament Posted: 27 May 2016 05:57 AM PDT  Ethnic Shan children who fled conflict staying at a Buddhist monastery in Kyaukme Township, Shan State, February 2016. (Photo: Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A Ta'ang National Party lawmaker sought to submit a proposal to the Union Parliament to stop fighting in Shan State so that children in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps could attend school this year, but her efforts were denied. Nan Moe, a lawmaker for Mongton Township, said that Lower House Speaker Win Myint would only allow her to make her appeal in the form of a question on Wednesday. "[The government] may not be able to achieve peace for all people in conflict areas, but I want them to help children at IDP camps who haven't been able to study," she said. "[The House Speaker] didn't tell me why I couldn't make a proposal or even why I could ask a question. I went to the Parliament office to ask, but they couldn't give me an answer." According to Nan Moe, thousands of children in northern Shan State have been forced from their homes because of ongoing fighting between the Burma Army and ethnic armed groups, including the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) and Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Children in IDP camps are often prevented from studying because of these clashes. Nan Moe said that some 300 IDP children in the Hsipaw area have not had access to education. "I was sad that I couldn't submit [a proposal] to Parliament. A lot of people from my area expect me to help them," she said. "I feel guilty that I couldn't help them." Nan Moe is not the first lawmaker to face challenges from Parliament when it comes to bringing more attention to helping people in IDP camps. Khin Saw Wai, with the Arakan National Party (ANP), saw her proposal to inquire into how Parliament intends to help IDPs in Arakan State turned down. The house speaker told her that it was unclear whether she was focusing on aiding IDPs or bringing the Arakan Army (AA) to the peace negotiation table. "I made sure I had a lot of facts and witnesses included in my proposal and even sought help with collecting from state lawmakers the number of IDPs, but no success," Nan Moe said. There is much chatter about projects to be included in the government's 100-day plan. While Nan Moe said that she will wait to see if there is a project aimed at helping IDP children receive an education, she admitted that she has yet to hear about any such endeavor. The post Efforts to Help Shan State IDPs Hampered in Parliament appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Debate Over Burma’s Household Guest Registration Law Intensifies Posted: 27 May 2016 05:37 AM PDT  Riot police detain a man in Hlegu, outside Rangoon, late April 4, 2014. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — A bill to amend and repeal sections of Burma's colonial-era law requiring citizens to report overnight guests continues to face hurdles in Parliament. Drafted and submitted to the Upper House of Parliament by the Bill Committee in early May, a bill revoking all sections of the original Ward or Village Tract Administration Law referring to overnight guest registration was tabled by elected parliamentarians and military lawmakers from May 20 until May 24. It was met with divided opinions. Maintaining that there was no need for the new bill, military lawmakers said that national security would be in jeopardy if the bill were approved, while National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmakers argued that the new bill aligned with democratic norms and preserved freedom of movement for citizens. During a legislative session on Tuesday, Upper House Speaker Mahn Win Khaing Than said the Bill Committee would take the lawmakers' discussions under consideration when reviewing the draft law. Originating in 1907, modified by the military-controlled Ministry of Home Affairs in 2012 and most recently updated in January 2016, the law requires citizens to inform local government officials when guests spend the night in their homes, regardless of how long the guests stay. Homeowners who rent their houses are also required to follow the same procedure. International human rights watchdogs have criticized the law saying that it gives authorities the right to carry out warrantless household inspections. The human rights advocacy group Fortify Rights issued a report called "Midnight Intrusions" last year, calling on the government to dismantle the law. The report stated that the law represents a systematic and nationwide breach of privacy that was used to hunt down political activists under the military regime and the quasi-civilian government. The new bill proposes removing articles 13(g) and 17 from the original law, which demand that citizens report overnight guests or get penalized for disobeying. The Bill Committee invited delegations from more than 40 local civil society organizations (CSOs) and the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday in Naypyidaw to hear stakeholders' recommendations. Tin Myint, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs told The Irrawaddy that repealing these articles would be a big concern for national security because of a lack of stability in remote and border areas. "Instead of removing these sections, we suggest loosening restrictions," he said. The new bill would also amend one of the qualifications for ward and village administrators— the candidates must have resided in the ward or village where they run for election for at least five years, altering the original law's 10-year minimum. The bill would also specify that candidates must have graduated from middle school, instead of the vague "appropriate education" required under the old law. Thant Zin Aung, chairman of the Forward Institute and consultant to the Rain Maker CSO, said he supported the guest-reporting requirement, citing unstable security in some remote areas of the country. However, he argued that the new bill still lacked details. "Current modifications of the new bill are not enough," he said. "It has to be completely changed." Zaw Min, chairman of the Upper House Bill Committee, told The Irrawaddy that the committee promised CSOs it would take their recommendations into account. "The [practice of the] government is different now. We will respect suggestions from individuals and will not use veto power," he said. Many local CSOs that observed the election process for ward and village tract administrators in January 2016 joined the debate and urged the government to revamp or amend the law in order to ensure more transparency and accountability in the election process. A report issued last week by the Peace and Justice Myanmar (PJM) highlighted that the public's understanding of ward and village administrator elections was "extremely weak," based on a survey it compiled by interviewing more than 10,000 residents from over 2,000 households in different states and divisions around the country. "Only 58 percent of the interviewees were aware of the existence of the law, and a majority of them didn't understand the law," the survey stated. The post Debate Over Burma's Household Guest Registration Law Intensifies appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Restrictions On Blacklisted Exiles To Be Lifted Posted: 27 May 2016 04:46 AM PDT  Thein Swe, of the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population, speaks with media representatives on Thursday, May 26, 2016 in Naypyidaw. (Photo: Thiha / The Irrawaddy) NAYPYIDAW — The Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population, as part of its 100-day plan, will relax restrictions on all of those who were blacklisted by previous governments for their political beliefs, said Minister Thein Swe. The minister revealed the plan as he met three media agencies at his ministry on Thursday. "Today people can express their beliefs in line with the law because [Burma] has become open democratically and politically. Restrictions will be relaxed for all of those who were blacklisted for their political beliefs," said Thein Swe. He said his ministry will streamline procedures for political exiles to apply for permanent residence (PR) or citizenship, adding that the changes on entry visa procedures will come within the new government's first 100 days. "Some [types of] visas last for a short period of time. We'll extend [their duration] in line with international norms. [Exiles] today have to fill in forms when they come back and they are also asked for many documents. We are planning to simplify that procedure," said the minister. The ministry was not able to provide exact figures for the numbers of blacklisted political exiles the rule change would apply to, due to the involvement of several ministries that are still reviewing their documents. Under previous governments, ministries and universities also blacklisted those who did not return from their state-funded studies in foreign countries. They will also benefit from the rule change. Providing more details on the ministry's 100-day plan, Thein Swe said he was also going to submit laws to the Parliament concerning foreign workers, worksite safety and occupational health. "If we don't enact a foreign workers law, we will not be able regulate them," the minister said. He added that facts and figures about Burma's religions in the 2014 national census will also be issued, and the ministry was planning to issue ID cards in line with 1982 Citizenship Law, as well as household registration certificates and appropriate ID cards for internal migrants and workers. The 1982 Citizenship Law is highly controversial, particularly for setting up a tiered citizenship structure as well as its use by successive governments to prevent ethnic Rohingya and several other non-Burman groups from gaining citizenship. The ministry also said it was planning to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Thai government on the employment of Burmese workers, organize national level occupational seminars, open vocational training schools to produce skilled laborers and issue government-recognized skill-level certificates. The ministry is also planning to open a migrant workers resource center in the Irrawaddy Delta and in Arakan State. "We have already started some of the tasks in our 100-day plan, and we will be able to start more very soon," said Minister Thein Swe. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post Restrictions On Blacklisted Exiles To Be Lifted appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Rangoon Govt to Shake Up Manufacturing, Electricity Sectors Posted: 27 May 2016 04:26 AM PDT  People are pictured through electric cables and wires at a street inside Bogyoke Aung San market in Rangoon on Nov. 6, 2013. (Photo: Minzayar / Reuters) RANGOON — Rangoon's divisional government will confiscate unused land in the city's industrial zones and revoke permits from private electricity providers in breach of their contracts, said regional Electricity, Industry and Transportation Minister Nilar Kyaw, of upcoming reforms during a parliamentary session this week. The minister announced on Thursday her intent to continue with the former government's land confiscation plan in Rangoon's industrial zones. In 2014, the previous government issued an order stating that it would confiscate any inactive land in an industrial zone within six months. Later, it conducted a survey and found more than 4,000 unutilized acres on over 2,000 plots. The government then announced that it would confiscate the land in February 2015, but the warning does not appear to have resulted in land seizures in the months since. Tint Lwin, lawmaker from Pazundaung Township, said that speculators had bought land in Rangoon's 29 industrial zones intending to rent or sell it, but not to open factories or workshops. As a result, land prices have risen, deterring foreign investment and hindering the efforts of those who want to develop operations in the region, which is the heart of most of the country's manufacturing industries. Nilar Kyaw said the divisional government formed a survey team last week to assess the situation in nine of the zones and would take further action once the findings were submitted. The minister said the government was also looking into private companies that were hired by the Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation (YESC) to distribute power to local townships. In response to a question about widespread recent blackouts in the commercial capital, Nilar Kyaw said some private electricity companies had breached their contracts and provided weak service. She would not list which companies were negligent, but said the ministry would revoke their permits if they were found to be at fault. The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said Rangoon accounted for more than half of the country's total electricity consumption, and still required some 15 percent more power generation to meet demand. The post Rangoon Govt to Shake Up Manufacturing, Electricity Sectors appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Obama to Make History, Stirs Debate With Hiroshima Visit Posted: 27 May 2016 02:39 AM PDT  Japanese protesters hold placards to protest against US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 26, 2016. (Photo: Reuters) HIROSHIMA, Japan — Barack Obama on Friday becomes the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima, site of the world's first atomic bombing, a gesture Washington and Tokyo hope will showcase their alliance and breathe life into stalled efforts to abolish nuclear arms. Even before it occurs, though, the visit has stirred debate, with critics accusing both sides of having selective memories, and pointing to paradoxes in policies relying on nuclear deterrence while calling for an end to atomic arms. The two governments hope Obama's tour of Hiroshima, where an atomic bomb dropped on Aug. 6, 1945, killed thousands instantly and some 140,000 by the year's end, will highlight a new level of reconciliation and tighter ties between the former enemies. Aides say Obama's main objective in Hiroshima, where he will lay a wreath at a peace memorial, is to showcase his nuclear disarmament agenda. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 for what many said were eloquent speeches on the topic. Obama has said he will honor all who died in World War II when he visits Hiroshima, accompanied by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but will not apologize for the bombing of Hiroshima. The city of Nagasaki was hit by a second nuclear bomb on Aug. 9, 1945, and Japan surrendered six days later. A majority of Americans see the bombings as having been necessary to end the war and save lives, although some historians question that view. Most Japanese believe they were unjustified. "I'm coming, first and foremost, to remember and honor the tens of millions of lives lost during the Second World War. Hiroshima reminds us that war, no matter the cause or countries involved, results in tremendous suffering and loss, especially for innocent civilians," Obama said in written responses to questions published in the Asahi newspaper on Friday. The White House debated whether the time was right for Obama to break a decades-old taboo on presidential visits to Hiroshima, especially in an election year. But Obama's aides defused most negative reaction from military veterans groups by insisting he would not second-guess the decision to drop the bombs. "I will not revisit the decision to use atomic weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but I will point out that Prime Minister Abe and I coming to Hiroshima together shows the world the possibility of reconciliation—that even former adversaries can become the strongest of allies," Obama told the Asahi. 'Good Allies' World War II flying ace Dean "Diz" Laird, 95, who shot down Japanese fighters and dropped bombs on Tokyo, said he was pleased both that Obama was going to Hiroshima and that he would offer no apology. "It's bad that so many people got killed in Hiroshima, but it was a necessity to end the war sooner," said Laird, the only known US Navy pilot to shoot down both German and Japanese planes during the war. "I believe in at least showing the Japanese that we care because they are now our good allies." Laird suggested the time was past when Japan had to keep atoning for its wartime history: "There were a lot of atrocities but that war is over." Critics argue that by not apologizing, Obama will allow Japan to stick to the narrative that paints it as a victim. Abe's government has affirmed past official apologies over the war but said future generations should not be burdened by the sins of their forebears. China and South Korea, which suffered from Japan's wartime aggression, often complain Tokyo has not atoned sufficiently. "Given Hiroshima's sensitive identity, the Japanese government is trying to use the historic visit to highlight Japan's image of a 'war victim,' while downplaying its role as an aggressor in World War II," China's state news agency Xinhua said. "… Obama's Hiroshima visit should not be used as an occasion to whitewash Japan's atrocities in World War II." Atomic bomb survivors have said an apology from Obama would be welcome but their priority is ridding the world of nuclear arms, a goal that seems as elusive as ever. Some also worried insistence on an apology would keep Obama from visiting at all. "We're still 10 years from the possibility of a [US] president issuing an apology," said Kenji Ishida, a 68-year-old Hiroshima resident and taxi driver who was born two years after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. "Japan has to apologize for Pearl Harbor, too, if we're going to say the US must apologize," he said. Anti-nuclear activists hope Obama's visit will breathe life into a stalled process while critics argue the president has made scant progress and is spending heavily to modernize the US atomic arsenal. Japan, despite advocating disarmament, relies on the US nuclear umbrella for extended deterrence. The post Obama to Make History, Stirs Debate With Hiroshima Visit appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Influential Thai Buddhist Monk Too Ill to Face Graft Charges, Say Devotees Posted: 27 May 2016 02:35 AM PDT  Buddhist monks walk from Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple to Khlongluang provincial police station to show support for Phra Dhammachayo, the Buddhist abbot charged with graft, north of Bangkok on May 26, 2016. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — A stand-off in Thailand between investigators and a powerful Buddhist sect intensified on Thursday after its influential abbot failed to appear at a police station to answer graft charges because followers said he had fainted. Temples and monasteries in mainly Buddhist Thailand have been rocked by sex and money scandals, prompting widespread calls for reform. The country's political divisions have also created fissures within the religion. Phra Dhammachayo, abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, missed a Thursday deadline from the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) to turn himself in to face charges of money-laundering and receiving illegal donations. "If he was to come now, it would risk his life," Ongart Thammanita, a spokesman for Dhammakaya's followers, told reporters. "Doctors will need to treat him first." Earlier, hundreds of orange-robed monks and other Dhammakaya followers walked from the temple complex north of Bangkok to gather outside a nearby police station where the abbot was due to report. Citing ill health, Phra Dhammachayo has failed to show up for questioning several times, leading authorities to issue an arrest warrant last week. The wealthy Dhammakaya sect, which claims millions of adherents worldwide, has been dogged by allegations of corruption, which it has steadfastly denied. The temple said in a statement on Sunday that Phra Dhammachayo had not left the complex for eight years because of ill health and the DSI could read the charges to the abbot on his sick bed on Wednesday. The DSI offered to release the abbot on bail if he reported to the station on Thursday, where an ambulance and doctors waited to take him to a hospital. The DSI told reporters it had yet to decide its next step but would need a search warrant to enter Dhammakaya's complex, which is dominated by a giant stupa shaped like a UFO. The temple has said it would not obstruct security officers if they came to arrest the abbot but could not prevent his followers from doing so. "Any intervention by a third party would result in a less than desirable outcome," it said in the statement. The ruling junta will want to avoid a repeat of a confrontation in February, when soldiers scuffled with monks protesting against what they called state interference in religious affairs. The leading candidate for the role of the supreme patriarch, the spiritual head of Thailand's 300,000 monks, has ties to the Dhammakaya sect. The selection process has become a proxy for the color-coded politics that the junta has quashed since seizing power in 2014. The post Influential Thai Buddhist Monk Too Ill to Face Graft Charges, Say Devotees appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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