The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Photographer Barred From Shooting Controversial Construction Site in Rangoon
• Suu Kyi Heads New Committee for Troubled Arakan State
• Rangoon Chief Minister Attempts to Defuse Electricity Concerns         
• Door-to-Door Voter Registration To Be Launched In Late June
• Bangkok Wants Wa Army Bases Withdrawn From Thai Territory
• Export, Import Licenses to Be Made Available Online
• Lacking Documents, Mandalay Squatters Struggle for Low-Cost Housing
• South Korea: Attempted North Korea Missile Launch Fails
• Big Cats Removed From Thailand’s Infamous Tiger Temple
• Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week (May 30)

Photographer Barred From Shooting Controversial Construction Site in Rangoon Posted: 31 May 2016 08:07 AM PDT Men in helmets and safety vests take pictures of Irrawaddy photographer Myo Min Soe before he was surrounded by them on Tuesday. (Photo: Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — On Tuesday, a photographer from The Irrawaddy was prevented from photographing a construction site that is set to be reviewed by the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), after questions were raised about the project in the Rangoon divisional parliament on the previous day. The planned 12-story building is located at the corner of Khayaypin Road and Ahlone Road, Dagon Township, near the compound where the Rangoon Divisional Government, Parliament and Chief Minister Residence are located. The project is set to be reviewed by YCDC due to its close proximity to the government buildings, said Rangoon Mayor Maung Maung Soe during the divisional parliament session on Monday in response to a lawmaker who questioned whether the project was in accordance with YCDC regulations. The building was approved by the previous divisional government in 2013. Myo Min Soe, an Irrawaddy photojournalist, was assigned to take pictures of the ongoing Manawhari Commercial Complex construction site, which is being developed by the Waminn Group of Companies. The photographer said he was taking pictures from the sidewalk across the street from the site, when he was accosted by people wearing helmets and safety vests who appeared to be working at the location. "I just took two or three frames and two guys arrived and asked me, 'Why did you take pictures without permission?'" he said. More men from the site joined in and soon the photographer was surrounded. Men shouted, "Don't let him go." The photographer managed to take refuge in a parliament security booth nearby while nearly 15 people from the site waited outside. They were blocked by the security guards from going inside, but they then took pictures of the photographer from outside the booth. "Were it not for the security booth there, I don't know what would have happened to me because some of the men looked really serious," he said. "Why should I need to ask permission when I am just taking photos from a public space? What are they afraid of? Are they doing something unlawful? Is the site concerned with state security? Are they trying to threaten the media?" he asked. The move came a few days after another event considered to be an attack on press freedom. A reporter from a local news agency was obstructed by nationalist monks while he was trying to cover a meeting between the monks and the management of the luxury Sedona Hotel in Rangoon on Thursday. Myint Kyaw, a Myanmar Press Council member, said taking a picture in a public space should not be considered off-limits. "If [the construction company] wants to take action, they could make an official complaint if there is something defaming them in the story," he said. "Now there is no story yet, and preventing someone from taking pictures from a sidewalk is a threat to the media." The Irrawaddy has submitted an official complaint about restrictions to the Dagon Township Police Station. The post Photographer Barred From Shooting Controversial Construction Site in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Suu Kyi Heads New Committee for Troubled Arakan State Posted: 31 May 2016 07:58 AM PDT Aung San Suu Kyi convenes a May 27 meeting in Naypyidaw with Arakan State Chief Minister Nyi Pu and various Union ministers. (Photo: Myanmar State Counselor's Office) RANGOON — Burma's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi is to chair a new high-level committee on Arakan State, according to an announcement from the President's Office on Monday. The initiative could represent a change in tack for the National League for Democracy (NLD) government and Suu Kyi, who at several points have played down the significance of the ongoing crisis in Arakan State, despite international pressure. Although the precise role of the Central Committee for Arakan State Peace, Stability and Development has yet to be spelled out, its purview includes resettling internally displaced persons (IDPs) along with "social development," and coordinating the activities of UN agencies and international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs). A sub-committee will be formed for each of these two thematic areas. Arakan State, a coastal strip along the Bay of Bengal in the west of Burma, remains one the most sensitive, conflict prone regions of the country. In 2012 and 2013, anti-Muslim violence flared across the state, leaving more than 140,000 displaced, the majority of whom were Rohingya Muslims, a stateless minority concentrated in the north of Arakan State. Only small numbers have been returned or relocated—most remain confined to IDP camps, with limited access to markets, education and health care. Outside the camps, the government has kept the Buddhist majority and Muslim minority largely segregated, purportedly for security reasons. In the last six months, Arakan State has also suffered conflict between the Burma Army and the Arakan Army, a non-state ethnic armed group, which has displaced several thousand in the northern townships of the state. Lawmakers from the Arakan National Party (ANP), which represents the state's Buddhist Arakanese majority, have called in the national Parliament for the Arakan Army to be included in peace negotiations between the government, Burma Army and various ethnic armed groups—but the Burma Army remains determined to defeat them militarily. Arakan State also suffers from severe underdevelopment after decades of neglect under former military-led governments, leaving a legacy of resentment and distrust toward central-level leaders from the Burman majority, which includes Suu Kyi. UN agencies and INGOs are perceived by many Buddhist Arakanese to be biased, in directing assistance chiefly toward displaced Muslims, despite general poverty in the state. Coordinating UN and INGO efforts, to achieve "fairness," could also prove sensitive for the new committee. Earlier this year, relations deteriorated between the ANP and the ruling NLD, led by Suu Kyi, after the latter made it clear it would be selecting someone from within its own party to be chief minister of Arakan State, despite the ANP winning the largest plurality in the state legislature. The ANP has since styled itself as an opposition party. The communal conflict in Arakan State is an area of acute vulnerability for the NLD government, especially given prior nationalist rhetoric about the NLD being sympathetic to Muslims. The new Arakan committee includes as vice chairmen the Arakan State Chief Minister Nyi Pu, an NLD appointee, and Union Border and Security Affairs Minister Lt-Gen Ye Aung, a military appointee. The other 24 committee members are drawn from various ministries and departments, paving the way for coordination across the apparatus of government. The absence of an ANP representative, however, is likely to only heighten political tensions in Arakan State and could contribute to local opposition to the initiatives of the committee. Suu Kyi convened a meeting in Naypyidaw on Friday, with the Arakan State chief minister and the Union ministers of Home Affairs, of Security and Border Affairs, of Labor, Immigration and Population, and of Information. Participants discussed stability and development in Arakan State, and the controversial citizenship verification process, which reportedly resumed for IDPs in Arakan State this month. The ANP's chairman, Aye Maung, in conversation with The Irrawaddy, criticized what he described as the NLD's intention to deliver stability and development in Arakan State without consulting the party with the biggest electoral mandate in the state—the ANP. He urged the NLD government to hold political dialogue with the ANP if the party wished to succeed in their aims, rather than only relying on their own ministries. He also stressed the crucial role played by "opposition" parties, such as his, in relation to any government, citing the veteran opposition role formerly played by the now ruling NLD. However, Aye Maung remained pessimistic, saying he "dared not expect anything" of the new Arakan committee. Upbraiding the NLD on their lack of detailed policy, he said: "What is their national strategic plan?  What is their plan for the poorest states of the country [such as Arakan State]?" Aye Maung commented on the limited powers and resources held by regional governments vis-à-vis the Union government. He stated that chief ministers of states and divisions could only request additional budgets from Naypyidaw, and that all state and divisional budgets added up to less than 10 percent of the total Union budget. These budgetary constraints, he asserted, made it "impossible" to deliver real development and stability. Aye Maung asked whether the NLD government would outline additional special economic areas in Arakan State, with "zero commercial tax for 30 years" as a means of attracting foreign direct investment. "What can we expect of the NLD without knowing their policies?" he said. Arakanese social activist Wai Hun Aung told The Irrawaddy that, as a first priority, the committee should address the "Bengali" (the word used by many Burmese for the Rohingya to imply they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh) issue "in line with the 1982 Citizenship Law"—a law which defines citizenship entitlement on the basis of ethnicity and condemns most Rohingya to statelessness, since they are not a "recognized" ethnic group. Wai Hun Aung said that, secondly, the committee should invite the Arakan Army into the formal peace process between the government, Burma Army and various ethnic armed groups, in order to prevent further conflict in Arakan State. Wai Hun Aung also stressed decentralization and resource-sharing between the state and Union government as a top priority. The announcement from the President's Office, which was circulated online, has prompted some local Arakanese to speculate that the new Arakan committee would oversee the relocation of IDPs to urban areas of Arakan State, which could heighten tensions if implemented quickly, and would require deft management. Since the 2012 and 2013 violence, urban areas of Arakan State have remained largely empty of Muslims, where formerly these comprised a sizeable contingent—with the notable exception of Thandwe in southern Arakan State, where a longstanding community of Kaman Muslims (a group recognized under the 1982 Citizenship Law, unlike the Rohingya) continue to live alongside their Buddhist neighbors. Sittwe, the state capital, contains a Muslim majority ward, Aung Mingalar, but the area functions effectively as an IDP camp, with heavy restrictions on movement in and out, and comprehensive segregation vis-à-vis Buddhist families. A headcount of Muslim communities carried out this month by local authorities in Aung Mingalar—which revealed no appreciable change in the population since 2012—was driven by claims by some local Arakanese Buddhists that the Muslim population had been swelled by interlopers from the countryside. Khaing Kaung San, director of the Wunlark Development Foundation, a Sittwe-based civil society group, said that, although conditions have been peaceful in more recent years, the time was not right for IDPs, the large majority of whom are Muslim, to be relocated within Sittwe. The "two communities," referring to Buddhists and Muslims, still need more time to build trust, he contended, though, with a strict regime of segregation still in place, practical questions remain about how such trust could be built. Khaing Kaung noted the many "Bengali and Arakanese houses" burned down during the fighting, and said more houses would have to be built if comprehensive relocation were to happen. The ANP's Aye Maung warned the NLD government to be "cautious" and "think deeply about possible negative impacts" before handling this issue. "If they throw even a small stone into the lake, there will be ripples across the surface." The Irrawaddy attempted on Tuesday to contact the Arakan State government's spokesman, Min Aung, but he did not answer his phone. Additional reporting by The Irrawaddy's Su Myat Mon. The post Suu Kyi Heads New Committee for Troubled Arakan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rangoon Chief Minister Attempts to Defuse Electricity Concerns          Posted: 31 May 2016 05:50 AM PDT Rangoon Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein at a press conference at the Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation, May 31, 2016. (Photo: Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Rangoon Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein said on Tuesday that Burma's commercial capital will continue to face blackouts in the coming months as attempts are made to address the city's weak power cables and growing electricity demands. "We need to think about the long-term, sustainable reconstruction of underground cables that were weak in the past due to the government's limited budget and lack of a master plan," Phyo Min Thein said at a press conference at the Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation. He added that blackouts throughout Rangoon in recent days have been due to a combination of scorching temperatures and heavy rain, which have damaged power cables. "We need to repair these cables, which will take some time. During this period, we could experience some additional blackouts," Phyo Min Thein explained, saying that advanced warning of power outages will be given to the public through media. "We'll make an announcement, but these blackouts will be because of maintenance and repair of underground cables and cable towers [and not due to an insufficient electricity supply]." Burma's former capital uses more than half of the country's total electricity consumption, some 1,150 megawatts, a demand the chief minister said is difficult to meet. "This demand is likely to increase in Rangoon, as over 200 high-rise buildings, some 500 hotels and many other new projects are being constructed. It will continue to be a struggle to distribute a sufficient supply of electricity in the coming months," Phyo Min Thein said. The newly sworn-in National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government has been criticized for the frequent power outages across the country. Lower House Speaker Win Myint also stressed during a parliamentary session on Tuesday that the Ministry of Electric Power and Energy solve the problem. Even local newspapers have chimed in, with cartoons mocking Rangoon's electricity situation as worse now than it was under the previous government. "The new government is attempting to find a way to begin addressing [this problem] within 60 days," Phyo Min Thein told reporters at the press conference. He said that Rangoon's regional government is discussing with companies and international organizations how to meet electricity demands, a goal they hope to achieve by next year. "Currently, we need to get an additional 400 megawatts [for Rangoon]. One challenge will be the cost. It costs at least 130 kyats (US$0.11) per unit [to purchase the gas]. At present, we're only collecting 35 kyats ($0.03) per unit for under 100 units from consumers. We'll have to further discuss this price," Phyo Min Thein said. The post Rangoon Chief Minister Attempts to Defuse Electricity Concerns          appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Door-to-Door Voter Registration To Be Launched In Late June Posted: 31 May 2016 05:25 AM PDT Rangoon residents check their names on a public display of voter lists in 2015. (Photo: J Paing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's Lower House said that they will conduct door-to-door voter registration across the country to compile accurate voter lists for the next general election. During a session of Parliament on Monday, Lower House lawmaker Nay Myo Htet, representing Rangoon's Kyauktada district for the National League for Democracy, questioned the Union Election Commission (UEC) on its plan for assembling voter lists, citing the inaccuracy of the lists made for last year's election. The 2015 lists were highly controversial, with reports of the names of deceased people included and large numbers of ethnic minorities excluded. UEC member Hla Tint said the commission will conduct a nationwide door-to-door voter registration program to guarantee the accuracy of voter lists for the next election. He said that the project will start in Rangoon's Kyauktada Township, which will rely on the collaboration of election officials, village-tract authorities, political parties, voters and international organizations and will be based on the voter lists from the 2015 election. "We will encourage the public to participate in this plan by doing radio advertisements, posters and flyers," Hla Tint told the Lower House on Monday. An official from the UEC told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the project will be launched in late June. The post Door-to-Door Voter Registration To Be Launched In Late June appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bangkok Wants Wa Army Bases Withdrawn From Thai Territory Posted: 31 May 2016 05:05 AM PDT Thai and Burmese military delegations meet in Mae Sai, Thailand, on Monday. (Photo: Network Media Group). Thai military officials have asked their Burma Army counterparts to help in convincing a powerful ethnic Wa armed group, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), to withdraw its bases on the Thai-Burma border, where some are on Thai territory. The Thai authorities made the appeal during a meeting between Thai and Burmese border security officials held in the Thai border town of Mae Sai, which sits adjacent Burma's Tachileik town, on Monday, according to sources close to both the Thai and Burmese militaries. The request comes just a few days after the Burma Army chief, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, visited the Thai capital of Bangkok on Thursday, when he met with top-ranking Thai military brass including junta leader Gen. Prayuth Chan-Ocha, who is also the country's prime minister. During a meeting with the Thai prime minister, Min Aung Hlaing said: "Illicit drug trafficking can affect all the countries in the region; cooperation is necessary to ensure that the armed groups relying on such drug trafficking do not exist." Prayuth agreed to working together on this point. Min Aung Hlaing, however, did not mention the UWSA, which reportedly relies heavily on drug trafficking and the border trade for funding. The UWSA is estimated to have up to 30,000 armed soldiers, approximately 10,000 of whom are based in southern Shan State along the border with Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand.  Formed of remnants of the defunct Communist Party of Burma (CPB), the UWSA and Burma's former junta government reached a ceasefire agreement in 1989 that has held strong since. The Burma military representatives told the delegation from the Thai military in Mae Sai that they would report the proposal to higher officials, according to Burmese media outlet Network Media Group, quoting Thai intelligence sources in Mae Sai. The UWSA bases that the Thai delegation wants removed are in Chiang Dao district in Chiang Mai province and in Pai district in Mae Hong Son province, both in northern Thailand, according to the Thai military sources. More than a dozen UWSA bases are in southern Shan State near or across the Thai border. Other UWSA bases are also reportedly on Thai soil in Mae Hong Son province as well as Mae Sai and Mae Ai districts in Chiang Mai province. However, a military source who is close to both Burmese authorities and the UWSA in Mae Sai told The Irrawaddy that he did not think the UWSA would voluntarily withdraw their bases on the Thai border, something the Burma Army has requested that they do several times in the past to no avail. "They [UWSA] were asked [by the Burma Army] to withdraw their bases in the past. But they didn't care and nothing happened to them," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons. However, he said Burma Army units in Mongton and Mongsat regions in southern Shan State had been bolstering their military installations in the days since Min Aung Hlaing returned from his recent visit to Thailand. "[The Burma Army] has been fortifying their bases as if they are preparing for war. They've built walls and fenced in their outposts with barbed wire. They have deployed more troops and ammunition. This started just after Min Aung Hlaing's visit [to Thailand]," said the source. "I think they would like to cut off communications between the UWSA's northern and southern units," he added. The Wa control two noncontiguous territories in Shan State, the other being the Wa Special Region bordering China and comprising the townships of Hopang, Mongma, Panwai, Panghsang, Narphan and Metman. The border security meeting in Mae Sai was attended by 25 members of the Burmese military, led by Lt-Col Aung Myint Oo, and 47 members of the Thai military, led by Col. Prapat Found Suwan. The post Bangkok Wants Wa Army Bases Withdrawn From Thai Territory appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Export, Import Licenses to Be Made Available Online Posted: 31 May 2016 03:27 AM PDT A truck approaches the entrance to the Muse border trade center in Shan State. (Photo: Thit Nay Moe / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Export and import license applications will be available online as of June 7, according to the Ministry of Commerce, which hopes the move will help boost exports and shrink a persistent trade deficit. Win Khaing Tun, deputy director of the Ministry of Commerce, revealed the plan at the "Fully Online Licensing System" workshop at the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) on Monday. Applications will be available online for about 50 of more than 4,000 approved export and import items allowed by the ministry. "Initially, we will offer online licenses for agricultural produce and certain types of building materials and consumer goods," Win Khaing Tun said. Applications will be available at www.myanmartradenet.com and the ministry is prepared to review and approve requests within 10 minutes, according to the deputy director. The online licensing service will be available for both shipping and border trade, but applications will only be available for the Myawaddy and Muse border trade centers initially. Myawaddy, on the Thai-Burma border, and Muse, bordering China's Yunnan province, are the country's busiest overland trade posts. The licenses will be offered in these towns first because of difficulties with customs clearances at other trade centers, said Win Khaing Tun. A trial period for the online licensing service is scheduled to last three to six months, he added. The move will help reduce corruption because it will eliminate paperwork and red tape, said Myint Soe, chairman of the Myanmar Garment Manufacturer's Association. "Companies need to hire two different people to apply for import and export licenses. They have to go to Naypyidaw, but if something is wrong with the documents, they come back to Yangon and then return to Naypyidaw again. Online licensing will get rid of all of this," said importer Myat Thin Aung. Minister of Commerce Than Myint said his ministry is hoping to triple exports over the next five years and plans to boost agricultural produce exports by encouraging the growth of small and medium industries. Burma has suffered a trade deficit for years; in the past two fiscal years, the country's international trade total has been almost US$30 billion but it has carried a deficit of about $5 billion annually, according to the Ministry of Commerce. The post Export, Import Licenses to Be Made Available Online appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Lacking Documents, Mandalay Squatters Struggle for Low-Cost Housing Posted: 31 May 2016 03:18 AM PDT A tenant of low-cost housing constructed to accommodate Mandalay's squatter communities carries a pot past the apartment complex. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — As the Mandalay City Development Committee (MCDC) has moved forward with its plan to relocate squatters in the city, complaints are being raised that many squatters were not properly accorded housing while some impostors were given more than one residence. The complaints came after MCDC on Monday held a housing lottery for squatters to relocate them to a last batch of nearly 400 units in a newly built apartment complex along the Irrawaddy River. Many squatters said they were not on the list to participate in the drawing, yet some people who did not live in the squatter camp were. "People who were awarded the apartments rarely live in squatters' huts. Some of them even received two or three apartments because they submitted the forms with the names of every family member," said Ma Myo, one of the squatters living in Mandalay's Kyaukthabeik riverbank area. The squatters complained that they were not allowed to submit the forms to apply for the permit to stay in an apartment because they lacked the required documents, such as a national registration card, an alternative ID card or a registered family member list. "They [MCDC] said the housing is for the squatters, but if we do not have an ID card or family member list, we cannot apply. However, there were many people who were not squatters who were allowed to apply, and they received apartments," claimed Thein Soe, a one-time leader of a squatter community in Mandalay. Living in small huts along the Irrawaddy River, the squatters mostly came from nearby villages in Mandalay Division. Many earn a living on Mandalay's jetties, where they mostly work as porters, carrying goods from boats to trucks. "We've lived here for many years but we only have a national registration card. They said it is not enough and we feel very sad because the water level of the river is rising and we will soon have no place to live," said Cho Cho Oo, a squatter who works at Maychan Jetty. The Black Market "When the MCDC called for applications, some people did not submit forms, saying they didn't want to live in tall buildings because they were afraid of earthquakes," said Maw Maw Oo, who lives near Mandalay's Gawwain Jetty. "But when the MCDC announced that the squatters' huts were going to be destroyed after providing the apartments, and when some people sold their apartments illegally to earn money, they rushed to apply," she added. According to former squatters living in the apartments, some units were sold illegally, without the MCDC's knowledge, and the sellers fled far from Mandalay. The price of the apartments ranged from 1.7 million to 2.5 million kyats (US$1,400 to $2,140). "Some even rented out their apartments and moved to another area of the town to live as squatters again or went back to their villages," said Than Win Naing, a one-time squatter who is now living in a government-provided apartment. "We are afraid to report this to MCDC because the people [breaking the law] may harm us. We're also afraid MCDC would not believe us," he added. Impostors Cities like Rangoon and Mandalay, where there are many businesses and job opportunities, have attracted hundreds of thousands of poor from the countryside. But since they are often only able to work as day laborers, they earn just enough to feed themselves and their families and have no extra money to rent a home, leading them to settle for small huts in the squatter areas located on the outskirts of the big cities. In Mandalay, before 2010, squatters were relocated to a newly established "new town" project area, where they were given ownership of small plots of land and houses. However, when land prices in Mandalay rose, many sold their land to earn money and again moved back to their original squatter settlements. According to squatters who are currently living in relocation apartments, the opportunists are working in groups and build their huts in squatter-dense areas when there is news of a relocation project. "Even in this riverbank area, there are many squatters who just came and built their huts after hearing we received the apartments," said Thant Zin Soe, a day laborer who so far has been unable to submit the proper forms to MCDC. "They said they were here 20 years ago and they applied for the apartment. They have the required documents and once they receive their apartments, they sell them or rent them out," he said. "And now, they flee here with their money, and we never see them again," he added. MCDC's Plans for Relocating Squatters Nearly 1,600 apartments in six-story complexes are being rented to squatters at the low rate of 30,000 kyats per month. The apartment buildings were built after a visit from the Norwegian monarch to Mandalay in December 2014. A royal tour by boat that included a stop in Mandalay prompted authorities to evict scores of squatters ahead of his arrival, a move met with criticism at the time. Applications for living in the apartments were opened in that year and the chance to live in the complex was determined by a lottery. On Monday and Tuesday, the MCDC held a drawing for the last 393 apartments. After receiving an apartment, the squatters must leave their huts along the river and are not allowed to stay in the area. "The early applicants were given priority. We heard complaints about the documents but if a person cannot present both an ID and a family members list, it would be difficult for us to register them and to handle related issues," said Saw Tun Oo, an officer from MCDC's administration department. The officer said any form of ID is important for the department as they need to register the squatters to prevent possible duplicates or impostors. "We heard some people sold their national registration cards or family member lists, while some lent their IDs to make money. In such cases, they do not have their proof of ID, and we can't help them," he explained. "We are also investigating the selling and renting of these apartments. Once we have more information, we will take legal action against them, kick them out of the area and will give those apartments to those who are really in need," he added. According to MCDC's rules, selling or renting the low-cost housing is illegal, and should result in both buyers being kicked out and the sellers forfeiting the apartments. The apartment buildings, which cost over 1 billion kyats to construct, were built in 2015 with funding from MCDC and the Mandalay divisional government under a plan by the previous mayor. Since there are more than 3,000 squatters living along the riverbank, the MCDC said there are not enough apartments to relocate all of them. Further, plans to build more housing for the squatters have yet to be unveiled by the newly installed mayor and divisional government. In early May, Zaw Myint Maung, the chief minister of Mandalay Division, told the media his government is collaborating with the MCDC to collect and register the squatters who live in Mandalay city. The chief minister said they will formulate a better plan to eliminate the culture of squatting and will try their best to create better living conditions for the homeless poor once enough data has been compiled. The post Lacking Documents, Mandalay Squatters Struggle for Low-Cost Housing appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

South Korea: Attempted North Korea Missile Launch Fails Posted: 30 May 2016 10:16 PM PDT A rocket is launched during a demonstration of a new large-caliber multiple rocket launching system attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on March 22, 2016. (Photo Korean Central News Agency / Reuters) SEOUL — North Korea attempted to fire a missile from its east coast early on Tuesday, but the launch appears to have failed, South Korean officials said, in what would be the latest in a string of unsuccessful ballistic missile tests by the isolated country. The launch attempt took place at around 5:20 am Seoul time, said the officials, who asked not to be identified, without elaborating. Tension in Northeast Asia has been high since North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and followed that with a satellite launch and test launches of various missiles. Japan put its military alert on Monday for a possible North Korean ballistic missile launch. "We have no reports of any damage in Japan. We are gathering and analyzing data. The defense ministry is prepared to respond to any situation," Japanese Minister of Defense Gen. Nakatani told a media briefing. "North Korea shows no sign of abandoning the development of nuclear missiles and so we will continue to work closely with the US and South Korea in response and maintain a close watch on North Korea," Nakatani said. South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said it appeared North Korea had attempted to launch an intermediate-range Musudan missile. North Korea attempted three test launches of the Musudan in April, all of which failed, US and South Korean officials have said. Yonhap quoted a South Korean government source as saying the missile was likely to have exploded at about the time it lifted off from a mobile launcher. The flurry of weapons technology tests this year came in the run-up to the first congress in 36 years of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party early this month, where young leader Kim Jong-un further consolidated his control. Tuesday's attempted launch appears to have been its first missile test since then, and experts have said it was unusual to test-fire a missile so soon after a previous failure. The South Korean military said Pyongyang's continuous missile launches could stem from Kim's order in March for further tests of nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles. "They must've been in a rush. Maybe Kim Jong-un was very upset about the failures," said Lee Choon-geun, senior research fellow at South Korea's state-run Science and Technology Policy Institute. Repeated Failures North Korea has never had a successful launch of the Musudan missile, which theoretically has the range to reach any part of Japan and the US territory of Guam. North Korea is believed to have roughly 20 to 30 Musudan missiles, according to South Korean media, which officials said were first deployed in around 2007. "It could have cracks and something wrong with the welding," Lee said of possible causes for the latest failure. "But deployment before test-firing these to complete development seems unusual." The attempted launch took place near the east coast city of Wonson, one of the South Korean officials said, the same area where previous Musudan tests had taken place. Separately, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday that career diplomat Ri Su-yong, one of North Korea's highest-profile officials, would visit China on Tuesday. There was no indication of any link between the latest failed missile launch and Ri's visit to China. China is reclusive North Korea's only major ally but has been angered by Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests and signed up to tough UN sanctions against the reclusive country. Ri was North Korea's foreign minister until he was named a member of the politburo during the recent Workers' Party congress. The post South Korea: Attempted North Korea Missile Launch Fails appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Big Cats Removed From Thailand’s Infamous Tiger Temple Posted: 30 May 2016 10:10 PM PDT A tiger yawns before the officials start moving them from Thailand's controversial Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok, on May 30, 2016. (Photo: Reuters) KANCHANABURI, Thailand — Wildlife authorities in Thailand on Monday raided a Buddhist temple where tigers are kept, taking away three of the animals and vowing to confiscate scores more in response to global pressure over wildlife trafficking. The Buddhist temple in Kanchanaburi province west of Bangkok has more than 100 tigers and has become a tourist destination where visitors take selfies with tigers and bottle-feed their cubs. The temple promotes itself as a wildlife sanctuary, but in recent years it has been investigated for suspected links to wildlife trafficking and animal abuse. Wildlife activists have accused the temple's monks of illegally breeding tigers, while some visitors have said the animals can appear drugged. The temple denies the accusations. Monday's raid was the latest move by authorities in a tug-of-war since 2001 to bring the tigers under state control. Adisorn Nuchdamrong, deputy director-general of the Department of National Parks, said the team had been able to confiscate the tigers thanks to a warrant obtained a few hours before the operation. "We have a court warrant this time, unlike previous times, when we only asked for the temple's cooperation, which did not work," Adisorn told Reuters. "International pressure concerning illegal wildlife trafficking is also part of why we're acting now." Officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said they planned to confiscate and remove more tigers from the temple on Tuesday and send them to a state-owned sanctuary. Previous attempts to inspect the tigers have largely been blocked by the temple's abbots but in January and February wildlife officials removed 10 of the tigers. Thailand has long been a hub for the illicit trafficking of wildlife and forest products, including ivory. Exotic birds, mammals and reptiles, some of them endangered species, can often be found on sale in markets. The government introduced new animal welfare laws in 2015 aimed at curbing animal abuse, but activists accuse authorities of not enforcing the legislation properly. The post Big Cats Removed From Thailand's Infamous Tiger Temple appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week (May 30) Posted: 30 May 2016 06:00 PM PDT The Irrawaddy picks 10 interesting events happening in Rangoon this week. Sports AYA Bank Cup 2016 Organized by Ayeyarwady Bank, Burma will host three other countries for a football tournament early next month. Participating teams are from Burma, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.  All four matches will be aired live on MRTV-4 and MRTV. Ticket prices are 1,000 kyats (US$0.84) and 3,000 kyats. On June 3, Hong Kong will play against Vietnam at 3 pm and Burma takes on Singapore at 6 pm. The third place match will be at 3 pm and the final at 6 pm on June 6. Tickets are available at Thuwunna Stadium, Aung San Stadium, Padonma Stadium and AYA Bank branches during office hours. Tickets can also be reserved online here. Where: Thuwanna Stadium, Wai Za Yan Tar Rd, Thingangyun Tsp When:  Friday, June 3 and Monday, June 6 Boxing A boxing competition, "Challenges of the Lethwei Warriors," will be held at Thein Phyu Stadium. Where: Thein Phyu Stadium, Rangoon When: Sunday, June 5 (starts at 2 pm) Commerce Shopping Spree in Thaketa The online marketplace shop.com.mm will organize pre-monsoon sales at Capital Hyper Market in Dawbon, Taketa Township. Laptops and computer accessories, handsets, cosmetics, clothes and fashion products will be sold at discounts and there will be a prize drawing. Where: Capital Hyper Market, Dawbon, Thaketa Tsp. When: Saturday and Sunday, June 4-5 (9 am to 7 pm) Myanmar Latte Championship 2016 At the Food & Hotel Myanmar 2016 Exhibition, Golden Brown Coffee Company will celebrate the Myanmar Latte Art Championship. Coffee baristas from around Burma can attend and will have a chance to enter the worldwide Barista Championship. Where: Myanmar Event Park (MEP), Shin Saw Pu Street, Sanchaung Tsp. Hotline:  09260694673, 01570017 When: Wednesday, June 1 to Friday, June 3 (9 am to 6 pm) Dance 'Dance for Yourself' "Dance for Yourself" is being organized by No Lights No Lycra, a dance community that was started in Melbourne in 2009. According to the group: "There is no light, no lycra, no teacher, no steps to learn, no technique, just free movement. NLNL is a space where you can completely let go, shake out the stresses of the week, and lose yourself in the music and the physicality of your body."  Open to all with a suggested 5,000 kyats donation. Where: Goethe Villa Yangon, No.8, Koh Min Koh Chin Road, Bahan Tsp. When:  Wednesday, June 1 (7:00 pm to 8:00 pm) Art 'Blending Colors in Urban' Zwe Yan Naing will have his fifth solo exhibition, "Blending Colors in Urban," at Gallery 65. There will be a total of 25 works, whose prices range between $800 and $1,200. Where: Gallery 65, Yaw Min Gyi Street, Dagon Tsp. When: Saturday, June 4 to Tuesday, June 7 (10:00 am to 6:00 pm) 'Dark Side' Ko Ko Naing and Letje Preel will hold an arts exhibition entitled "Dark Side." A total of 18 works will be showcased at the show and the prices range between $500 and $1,100. Where: Nawaday Tharlar Art Gallery at Room No. 304, 20/B, Yaw Min Gyi Road, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 09-43097918 When: Friday, May 27 to Thursday, June 2 'Hunting' Ohn Khine Zine (OKZ) will have his second solo exhibit at Ahla Thit Gallery. The exhibition, "Hunting," will showcase 50 paintings whose prices range between $150 and $1,000. Where: Ahla Thit Gallery, No. 17, University Avenue Road, Bahan Tsp. Tel: 09-5161173 When: Saturday, June 4 to Sunday, June 12 'Tharmaw Wai Si Ngwe Taung Pyi' An art exhibition titled "Tharmaw Wai Si Ngwe Taung Pyi" (literally, "the pleasant development of Karenni State) will be held at Hninzi Myaing Art Gallery. A total of 88 works from nine artists will be showcased, and prices range between $100 and $3,000. Where: Hninzi Myaing Art Gallery, Hninzigone Home for the Aged, Bahan Tsp. When: Sunday, May 29 to Thursday, June 2 (9:00 am to 5:00 pm) 'Kin Maung Yin's Kin Maung Yin' To commemorate the two year anniversary of the death of artist Khin Maung Yin, a memorial art exhibition titled "Kin Maung Yin's Kin Maung Yin" will be held at Peace Gallery. More than 20 works of one of three second-line leaders of modern arts in Burma will be exhibited at the show and some works will be on sale. Where: Peace Gallery, No. 352/366, Room 10, 2nd Floor, Mahabandoola Park Street, Upper Block, Kyauktada Tsp. Tel: 09-5050641  When: Saturday June 4 to Friday June 10   The post Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week (May 30) appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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