The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Mon State Govt to Replace Brahminy Duck Statue, Removed by Former Junta
- As Suu Kyi Preps For Thai Trip, Migrant Workers Hope For More Rights
- Local Bankers Face Competition from Mobile Service Providers
- Rangoon To Review Suspensions on High-Rises
- Burmese Jade Mining Film Scoops Awards at Rangoon Festival
- Wa and Mongla Armed Groups to Attend ‘Pre-Panglong’ Peace Meeting
- Hoping For Riches, Jade Miners Instead Find Addiction
| Mon State Govt to Replace Brahminy Duck Statue, Removed by Former Junta Posted: 20 Jun 2016 05:56 AM PDT  The chief minister from Mon State checks the damage done to a Brahminy Duck statue, a cultural symbol for the ethnic Mon people. (Photo: Bayar Chamdar / Facebook) RANGOON — The Mon State government will replace the Brahminy Duck (hintha) statue, a cultural symbol at the entrance of the Mon State capital Moulmein that was removed under ex-junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe. The Brahminy Duck is a national symbol for millions of ethnic Mon people living in southern Burma. The military junta removed the figure in January 2008, without approval from the local ethnic people. According to Mon community leaders, the junta removed it at night when no one was around. The statue has been abandoned in a municipal office for the past nine years. The former military regime replaced the duck with a large alms bowl at Moulmein's entrance, which Mon leaders say Than Shwe did to bring himself good luck. Min Kyi Win, Mon State's natural resources and environmental conservation minister, told The Irrawaddy that the local government was trying to replace the statue as soon as possible. "The chief minister went to see where it had been abandoned and how much damage it had suffered. He also visited the entrance to Moulmein to see if the statue's foundation needed repair," said Min Kyi Win. The Mon State government tasked Min Kyi Win with arranging the statue's return. He said that after meeting with involved parties, including Mon Buddhist leaders and an engineer to settle problems with the original foundation, it would be returned as soon as possible. Min Htin Aung Han, Mon State's minister of energy and electric power, told Viva Video, "It is the symbol of the Mon. It is better to bring it back. This will even help ethnic unity with the Mon." The post Mon State Govt to Replace Brahminy Duck Statue, Removed by Former Junta appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| As Suu Kyi Preps For Thai Trip, Migrant Workers Hope For More Rights Posted: 20 Jun 2016 05:48 AM PDT  A migrant worker from Burma looks out from inside a building where she lives in the port town of Mahachai, near Bangkok, on Sept. 24, 2011. (Photo: Reuters / Soe Zeya Tun) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Burmese migrant workers living in Thailand hope to receive greater labor rights protection after State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi visits Bangkok later this week, according to advocacy groups on Monday. It is expected that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Labor Cooperation and the Agreement on the Employment of Workers will be signed during her bilateral meetings with the Thai prime minister and foreign minister Don Pramudwinai. The state counselor, upon the invitation of the Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, will also visit migrant worker communities in Samut Sakhon as well as the isolated Tham Hin refugee camp in Ratchaburi, during her three-day trip running Thursday to Saturday. Migrants hope the new agreement and MOU on the employment of workers will ensure their labor rights by addressing issues around the minimum wage, workplace discrimination and legal support. Min Oo, the coordinator of the Migrant Labor Program at the Foundation for Education Development, said, "There are common demands about a minimum wage, legal protection and discriminatory working environments that are being advocated for by the migrant rights groups, and we hope these will be brought up in a new agreement between Thailand and Burma." The labor rights activist said the State Counselor will meet migrant workers before she has bilateral meetings on labor cooperation, in which she will be joined by Burma's ministers of Labor, Immigration and Population and of Planning and Finance, along with her deputy minister of Foreign Affairs. Sai Sai, a migrant worker and member of the Migrant Worker Rights Network, said he hopes Suu Kyi's trip "yields a lot of benefits for migrant workers." "I have heard that the migrants' rights groups are advocating for changes in the MOU and are asking for the minimum wage to be equalized for the Burmese migrant workers across Thailand," he said. In spite of Thailand's minimum wage of 300 baht (US$9) per day, migrant workers in different sectors still earn different amounts, and those working as domestic helpers or in sweatshops receive significantly less. Burmese migrant workers are often vulnerable to employment agents who take advantage of Thailand's 2009 "National Verification" program and the 2012 memorandum, which are considered to be unfavorable to the workers. Beginning last year, migrants with expired passports were given pink working permits, lasting for two years. Min Oo said the new MOU seems to endorse this scheme, which would save the cost of obtaining new official documents. In order to obtain official documents, migrant workers have to use employment agents, who charge at least three times the official rate. Migrants usually have to spend more than 10,000 to 12,000 baht for the visa, a health check-up and a work permit. Officially these procedures cost around 3,000-6,000 baht. After going through unethical agents, some Burmese migrants end up with a fake stamp on their passports, which could result in jail time. Kyaw Thaung, the director of the Migrant Association of Thailand said the current MOU between the governments of Burma and Thailand, which was introduced in 2012, should be revised because it benefits agents more than the workers. "I would like to request Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to talk openly about stopping the government-to-government MOU which encourages corruption," he told The Irrawaddy. The post As Suu Kyi Preps For Thai Trip, Migrant Workers Hope For More Rights appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Local Bankers Face Competition from Mobile Service Providers Posted: 20 Jun 2016 05:41 AM PDT  Petter Furburg, Burma Chief Executive Officer-Designate for Telenor (R), speaks during the launch of Telenor's services at the company's Rangoon headquarters in September 2014. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) Rangoon — Local bankers are concerned as traditional financial services face competition from mobile financial service providers, following the approval of industry regulations by the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM). The Central Bank announced in April that any interested party could apply for a mobile financial service license under the Financial Institution Law. Proponents of mobile banking trumpet the move as a means to dramatically expand the financial services industry in Myanmar, by assisting mobile operators to partner with local banks in an effort to reach Burma's millions who live in rural areas with limited access to physical bank branches. One such license was given to a joint venture between Norway-based telecom company Telenor and Yoma Bank for a mobile money transfer service app called Wave Money. Mobile financial service providers allow customers to open mobile accounts and deposit, transfer and withdraw money directly between people without having to go through a traditional bank. People-to-people, people-to-government, people-to-business and business-to-business money transfers will be permitted under CMB regulations, which critics say undermines the traditional banking sector. "It is a threat for us. If we can't compete with them [mobile financial service providers] we will lose in the market," said Thein Tun, chairman of the Tun Foundation. He added that while banks cannot reach the majority of Burma's rural population, about 75 percent of the country's people use mobile phones, allowing mobile financial services a greater reach than traditional bank branches. "They have massive investment, which we can't compete with. The government should make sure that local investors don't lose in the game," he said. Soe Thein, executive director of Asian Green Development Bank, said the competition from mobile banking services will only continue to grow and banks have been forced to find new strategies to compete. "Some banks can't open branches in small cities where mobile financial services can reach, but they can offer other banking service products to attract customers," Soe Thein said. Zaw Lin Htut, chief executive officer of the Myanmar Payment Union, said that while the number of mobile phone users in Burma continues to increase, local banks have a chance to survive if fair regulations are implemented. "Telecoms companies have a bigger network here than banks. I think that the government should standardize it so that there is a level playing field. We are in the early stages of the banking sector here, and there should be fair competition," he said. Recently, 22 private lenders were awarded banking licenses. Norway's Telenor, Qatar's Ooredoo, Vietnam's Viettel and state-owned Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) currently hold the country's four telecom licenses. The post Local Bankers Face Competition from Mobile Service Providers appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Rangoon To Review Suspensions on High-Rises Posted: 20 Jun 2016 05:36 AM PDT  Aerial view of Rangoon (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Rangoon divisional government formed a review committee for building construction in the former capital after it suspended in May construction on more than 80 high-rise buildings in Rangoon that had not received the proper approvals. The 13-member committee was formed last week, according to the divisional government. The committee is led by Rangoon division's Electric, Industry, Transportation Minister Nilar Kyaw while other members include the chairmen of the Association for Myanmar Architects (AMA) and the Myanmar Engineering Society (MES), a civil engineering expert from the Committee for Quality Control of High-Rise Building Construction Projects, a director from the Yangon Heritage Trust, the general secretary from Myanmar Seismological Association and an electrical expert. In addition to the experts, the board also includes a director from the Rangoon divisional government and a secretary from Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). The committee will form review teams, each made up of 14 people, including members of parliament from townships where buildings are under review, township administrators, representatives from AMA and MES, and officials from YCDC, all of whom will jointly conduct on-the-ground inspections. The post Rangoon To Review Suspensions on High-Rises appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Burmese Jade Mining Film Scoops Awards at Rangoon Festival Posted: 20 Jun 2016 05:20 AM PDT  Gender Equality Award presented at the Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival in Rangoon. (Photo: Susanna Soe / Facebook) RANGOON — A documentary about the deadly jade mining industry in Hpakant, Kachin State—where landslides have killed scores of small-scale miners over the last year—won two out of ten awards at the Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival held last week in Rangoon. The 30-minute film, "Vein," by Ko Jet, Htet Aung San and Phyo Zayar Kyaw, won the Aung San Suu Kyi Award (National) and the Hantharwady U Win Tin award at the ceremony held on June 19 to coincide with the birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, to whom the festival is dedicated. Filmmaker Ko Jet told The Irrawaddy that "Vein" highlighted the human tragedy behind the jade industry in Hpakant: the death of small-scale miners, the families deprived of a father and a source of income, and the harm wrought on the environment in the absence of safeguards. "[Mining] should not be done to excess. The unruly pursuit of money is damaging the environment," Ko Jet said. This year, prizes were awarded to eight Burmese and two foreign documentaries. Included were two new prizes, the VOA Award, referring to the US public broadcaster Voice of America, and the Gender Equality Award. The VOA Award went to the "Lovely Bone" by director Nwaye Zar Che Soe, about the struggles faced by a disabled breadwinner in a rural area of Burma. Four documentaries competed for the "Gender Equality Award," which was won by "A Woman with a Gun" by Mary and Yu Par Mo Mo. It tells a story of an ethnic Rawang woman from Putao in Kachin State who has a talent for shooting firearms. "I wanted to show that although a woman can perform just as well as a man, she is given lower positions than men because she is a woman. She is not valued," Mary said. "I was really happy to receive awards for my two first documentaries, and also for 'A Woman with a Gun,'" Mary added. Staged for the fourth year running, the festival featured free screenings of 42 Burmese and 25 foreign documentaries between June 14-19 across three Rangoon cinemas: Naypyitaw, Junction Square and Junction Mawtin. "Twilight Over Burma," a film about the marriage of an Austrian women to the last Shan prince of Hsipaw—before he was arrested during Ne Win's 1962 coup and never seen again—was scheduled for the opening night. However, Burma’s film censorship board refused permission for the film to be shown during the festival, because it "could damage the ethnic unity of the state." On the festival's Facebook page, the organizers apologized for being unable to screen the film: "Our mission is 'A Society of Dignity.' But it is failed [sic]." The post Burmese Jade Mining Film Scoops Awards at Rangoon Festival appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Wa and Mongla Armed Groups to Attend ‘Pre-Panglong’ Peace Meeting Posted: 20 Jun 2016 01:59 AM PDT  Representatives of ethnic Wa and Mongla armed groups pose with the government's peace delegation on June 17 in Mongla, an autonomous area of eastern Shan State. (Photo: Khin Zaw Oo / Facebook) RANGOON — Ethnic Wa and Mongla armed groups have agreed to participate in a political dialogue framework review meeting ahead of the "21 century Panglong" peace conference, according to a member of the government's peace delegation. The union peace conference is scheduled for late July. Although part of the process envisaged the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signed between the previous government and a minority of Burma's ethnic armed groups last year, the current government has been trying to persuade NCA non-signatory groups to take part in it. The United Wa State Army (UWSA), Burma's largest non-state armed group, and the Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), known also as the Mongla group, refused to sign the NCA. Both are based along the Chinese border in Shan State. Khin Zaw Oo, a retired Burmese army general who is part of the government's 21 Century Panglong Preparatory Sub-Committee 2, posted on Facebook that the UWSA and the NDAA had agreed over the weekend to join the framework review meeting. However, the armed groups themselves have yet to confirm. Khin Zaw Oo said that the UWSA and NDAA leaders had also signaled willingness to attend the "Panglong" peace conference, and will meet with the government in Naypyidaw to follow up at an unspecified time. The government’s peace delegation, led by Tin Myo Win—the personal physician and long-time confidant of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi—traveled to Kengtung in eastern Shan State on Friday last week before meeting with the two armed groups in Mongla, the NDAA's base in Special Region 4, a 1.5 hour drive from Kengtung. The post Wa and Mongla Armed Groups to Attend 'Pre-Panglong' Peace Meeting appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Hoping For Riches, Jade Miners Instead Find Addiction Posted: 19 Jun 2016 11:33 PM PDT  Jade miners gather to use drugs at a trash- and syringe-littered camp near Sai Taung village in Hpakant Township. (Photo: Htet Khaung Linn / Myanmar Now) HPAKANT, Kachin State — On a hill overlooking the scarred landscape of the Hpakant jade mines, five men huddled together in a dirty makeshift hut made from tarpaulins. In hushed tones they help each other tie their forearms and inject heroin. Then they wait for the drug's high to kick in and slip into oblivion. In another ten huts at the site, which is located Sai Taung village and littered with trash and used syringes, dozens more miners are gathered to spend their hard-earned cash on opium, cheap methamphetamine and low-quality heroin. One of them is a 23-year-old, frail-looking man nicknamed Ko Shan Shei—or Brother Long Hair—for his long unkempt locks. He left his poor village in Sagaing Division's Ye U Township for the mines in northern Burma's Kachin State five years ago and worked here until drugs took over his life. "Now I am addicted to drugs and I also sell them to others," said Ko Shan Shei. "I buy two small tubes of opium the size of a fingertip and then I take a small amount to sell to other users so I can buy food." He is one the estimated 300,000 migrant workers who have come from across Burma to scavenge through mining waste in the hope of finding jade stones. Daily income levels are good in Hpakant, but living conditions are harsh and deadly landslides are common. Yet, the biggest threat to the men's health is drug addiction. Though there are no official estimates on narcotics use in Hpakant, local community leaders, such as Rev. Sai Naw, think that up to half of the miners use drugs. Tint Soe, a National League for Democracy (NLD) parliamentarian from Hpakant Township, said there could be as many as 60 drug user camps spread out among the mines. Across all of Burma there are about 83,000 injecting drug users, according to estimates from the UN Office of Drugs and Crime. There is, however, a dearth of data and the organization is currently conducting the first nationwide survey on the issue. Drugs Are An Easy Choice Opium, heroin and meth are easily available in Hpakant and produced by ethnic rebel groups, pro-government militias and criminal gangs in lawless parts of Kachin and Shan states. Like many of the men doing hard work at the mines, Ko Shan Shei said he began using drugs to relax and relieve physical pain—in his case he smoked opium to ease a persistent cough. But soon he found himself spending much of his daily income—around US$ 7—on heroin, which is far more addictive due to the strong high induced when injected. "The hard work makes laborers want to relax with alcohol, drugs and sex workers. Drugs are an easy choice for the men here." he said. "Illegal drugs can be purchased easily and money can be earned without much difficulty, so there is a high risk for developing a drug addiction." One of the greatest risks for injecting drug users is HIV infection, which can occur when users share needles. A government service and several NGOs, such as the Asia Harm Reduction Network, provide methadone, clean syringes, as well as counselling and HIV testing for thousands of users in Hpakant. Médecins Sans Frontières said it runs a clinic that provides antiretroviral drugs and other medicine to nearly 2,000 HIV/Aids patients in Hpakant, while it helps another 8,000 patients in four clinics in Kachin State. Some NGOs that formed the Drug Advocacy Group have called on the new NLD government to scale up such services and shift to a rights- and healthcare-based approach to drug abuse problem. Corrupt Authorities While there are harm reduction services for the miners, law enforcement by authorities is largely absent and users at the site near Sai Taung village made no effort to hide drug abuse. Some walked around with needles still hanging from their veins so they could easily shoot up again later. Tint Soe, the parliamentarian, said drug dealers operate freely because they pay off local officials, police and military officers, while local authorities also lack capacity to control the vast mining area. "Law enforcement cannot reach remote areas where there are [jade] scavengers, who are the regular customers for illegal drug dealers," he said. Pat Ja San, the vigilante anti-drug movement set up by the Kachin Baptist Convention, is also active in Hpakant and has deployed its hardline tactics of sending groups of volunteers to apprehend dealers and users. "We normally arrest drug dealers. When we find drug abusers, we seize the drugs and release them," said Khu Lwam, a local Pat Ja San member. He said last October the group nabbed a female member of a local drug-dealing ring who carried a ledger that recorded nearly half a million dollars in bribes paid to top officials, police and army commanders in Hpakant over the course of 58 days. Pat Ja San has held on to the ledger out of distrust of local authorities and Tint Soe raised the allegations in the Lower House in February. "I Deeply Regret My Situation" The Baptist Church-led movement also operates a rehabilitation center near Hpakant called Uru Htwe San, a spartan camp with simple sleeping quarters that are surrounded by barbed-wire fences to prevent addicts from running away. Rev. Sai Naw leads the camp where he tries to help about 50 men and women end their addiction solely through bible teaching—a method that has been criticized by groups promoting alternative treatments. "We have a difficult task to provide for all of them. We need land, food and accommodation. We cannot afford anything. There are so many [users] in need in the Hpakant area and we can help a small number of them," he said. A 29-year-old Kachin woman named Gar Lew said her husband, who earns about $8 per day from jade trading, sent her to the center to end her opium addiction after she failed to care for their two children. "I was willing to do so but could not control myself. I was angry when they brought me to the rehabilitation centre, but I am okay now," she said. Ko Shan Shei said he had returned to his native village twice to end his addiction, but relapsed every time he came back to Hpakant. He said he felt ashamed of his life as a homeless addict. "During the Water Festival, I saw some people happily celebrating but I was in dirty clothes," Ko Shan Shei said. "I deeply regretted my situation when I compared myself with other people." He added, "As I am still young I think I have enough strength to quit drugs. Hopefully, I will succeed this time." The post Hoping For Riches, Jade Miners Instead Find Addiction appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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