The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- High-Rise Review Committee Submits Recent Findings to Rangoon Cabinet
- Shan, Palaung & Kachin Youth March Against Conflict in Lashio
- Premier Coffee Compensates Workers but Case Continues
- Suu Kyi Begins Talks with NCA Non-Signatories
- State Govt Blocks KNU Land Policy Workshop
- Ceremony at Secretariat Commemorates Martyrs’ Day
- Grapes, Picked by Hand
- Drugs Worth US$2.5 Million Seized in Northern Shan State
- From the Archive: Aung San Museum—Discover Burma’s Hero
| High-Rise Review Committee Submits Recent Findings to Rangoon Cabinet Posted: 18 Jul 2016 06:02 AM PDT  A view of the Rangoon skyline featuring high-rise buildings under construction, as seen on Monday, July 18, 2016. (Photo: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON—A committee reviewing high-rise construction inspected a further 20 buildings in Rangoon last week, and will submit their findings to the divisional cabinet by Thursday. "We have [looked at] nearly 20 buildings that still haven't received final approval," said Ye Min Oo, spokesperson for the committee, which was formed in June to investigate the construction of buildings nine stories or higher which may not fit with the city's urban planning standards. Currently, there are 185 high rises under review which earned early-stage approval by Rangoon's previous government; the 20 units inspected last week were among these projects. Developers are allowed begin groundwork for construction after receiving this initial approval from either the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) or the Rangoon Division government. But they are required to then seek final approval from the YCDC's building department in order to proceed with their plans—this involves submitting detailed design layouts to be reviewed. Ye Min Oo said the committee will forward their findings to the Rangoon government's cabinet in time for their next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, to seek final decisions on the fate of the 20 buildings in question. A committee member told The Irrawaddy that many of the high rises in question were found to have inadequate car parking, which was contrary to their original proposed building designs. "The 20 units we reviewed last week could still fix [the buildings] to meet the requirements, as they are just in the initial stages of construction, like laying the foundation; they haven't gotten the final approval for constructing the whole building," Ye Min Oo said. Last week, the Rangoon regional government ordered 12 high rises currently under construction to perform modifications including reduction of the height of the buildings and improvement of parking facilities, which garnered complaints from the project developers. The post High-Rise Review Committee Submits Recent Findings to Rangoon Cabinet appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Shan, Palaung & Kachin Youth March Against Conflict in Lashio Posted: 18 Jul 2016 05:57 AM PDT  Ethnic Shan, Kachin and Palaung (Ta'ang) youth protestors in Lashio, northern Shan State. (Photo: Ta'ang Students and Youth Union / Facebook) RANGOON — A day after the Shan State parliament passed a resolution to bring an end to conflict in northern Shan State, over 500 people—largely ethnic Shan, Palaung (Ta'ang) and Kachin youth—staged a demonstration on Saturday in Lashio, northern Shan State. The protestors called on the Burma Army to halt their fighting with ethnic armed groups in northern Shan State, and to end rights abuses against local civilians. Youth dressed in their traditional ethnic attire walked the streets of the northern Shan Shan administrative capital holding signboards, which also bore demands for a federal system of governance in Burma—reflecting a long-standing demand for a devolution of power and resource-sharing with Burma's ethnic minority regions. Sai Aung Myint Oo, a self-described Shan youth leader, said, "Our people feel they have no security in their lives." He mentioned the disappearance of seven ethnic Shan young men traveling from northern Shan State's Namkham Township to Lashio in early June, which reportedly remains unsolved. He accused the Burma Army of "murdering our people." "I condemn this on behalf of our youth," he said. "We ask the authorities to take action against those who have violated the law." Nang San San Aye, a female lawmaker from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) representing Hsipaw Township (1), told The Irrawaddy that the Shan State parliament on Friday agreed to her proposal to bring an end to fighting in northern Shan State. However, she cautioned that they would need to "wait and see" whether this resolution would translate into action. The proposal, accepted during a four-day session of the state parliament from 12-15 July, was not the first initiative undertaken in the state parliament to halt Shan State's longstanding, and seemingly intractable, armed conflicts. A fellow SNLD lawmaker had made a similar proposal during the first session of the state parliament under the new government—with no discernible result. Nang San San Aye cited the human rights abuses and general suffering wrought on ethnic Shan and Palaung (Ta'ang) communities across several townships of northern Shan State, including her own. Earlier this month, seven people were killed in mysterious circumstances in and around Mong Yaw Village of Lashio Township, with local villagers accusing the Burma Army—although local police have refused to pursue allegations against the military. Northern Shan State contains Burma's largest concentration of non-state ethnic armed groups—some in alliance, but several in active conflict, with the Burma Army. Those in active conflict include the Shan State Army-North, the Kachin Independence Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army. Since November last year, two ethnic armed groups—the Shan State Army-South and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army—have been fighting over territory across numerous townships of northern Shan State, displacing thousands of mostly ethnic Palaung (Ta'ang) and Shan civilians from rural areas. The post Shan, Palaung & Kachin Youth March Against Conflict in Lashio appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Premier Coffee Compensates Workers but Case Continues Posted: 18 Jul 2016 05:00 AM PDT  Sachets of Premier coffee-mix are ubiquitous across Burma's teashops and diners. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Premier Coffee has chosen to compensate 321 workers from its factory in Rangoon's Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone after being sued by the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population for breaking labor laws. However, the case is subject to future court hearings and the charges remain in place—contrary to prior practice in Burma, where voluntary "compensation" payouts by companies signal the de facto conclusion of legal cases launched against them. Nyunt Win, a ministry spokesperson and the deputy director of the Factories and General Labor Laws Inspection Department, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that, a day before the first court session on July 12, the company decided to pay 57.9 million kyats (US$48,740) to 321 workers (170 male and 151 female) to compensate them for unpaid overtime from the end of last year. The money was disbursed over the following days. The ministry had received complaints from about 300 workers from the Premier Coffee factory, claiming that they had not received full overtime payment or sufficient days off. After verifying these complaints, the Factories and General Labor Laws Inspection Department under the ministry filed a lawsuit against the company owner and the human resources manager of the factory at the Hlaing Tharyar Township Court on June 28 for breaking labor laws. Under Burma's 1951 Leave and Holiday Act, employers must allow for at least one day off each week without cutting salaries. But the company failed to provide time off or full payment for overtime, which the 1951 Factory Act states should be paid at twice the standard rate. "The workers were pleased that the company had compensated them, but the trial will continue," Nyunt Win said. "We don't know what the verdict will be." He mentioned that, in similar cases previously, if a company voluntarily compensated aggrieved workers, the court would either drop the case or order them to pay a fine. If the company chose not to do so, the ministry would give them three warnings before proceeding with legal action. The next court hearing will be held on July 26. Premier is popular local coffee-mix brand belonging to the Capital Diamond Star Group, a conglomerate owned by Burmese businessman Ko Ko Gyi. Among the firm's numerous enterprises are the Grab and Go chain of convenience shops, Capital Hypermarket, and several import and export businesses. If the company's owner and human resource manager were to be found guilty, the minimum punishment prescribed under the 1951 Factories Act is three months' imprisonment and a 2 million kyat fine ($1,680). The post Premier Coffee Compensates Workers but Case Continues appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Suu Kyi Begins Talks with NCA Non-Signatories Posted: 18 Jul 2016 04:56 AM PDT  State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi meets with ethnic alliance leaders for the first time in Rangoon on Sunday. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Building a federal union with national reconciliation in mind was the primary issue discussed during the first meeting between State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic alliance leaders from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) on Sunday. The preliminary meeting at Rangoon's National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC)—ahead of the planned Union Peace Conference in late August—had the air of a family gathering as opposed to a formal meeting, participants said. The focus was on "building mutual relationships between UNFC senior leaders and the state counselor," said Khu Oo Reh, a UNFC spokesperson who added that there would be additional talks throughout the next month. "It is a step forward, as this is the first meeting under the new government," he said. Attendees included UNFC chair Gen N'Ban La of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Naing Htaw Mon on the New Mon State Party (NMSP), Maj-Gen Say Htin of the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), Khun Abel Tweet of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), and Khu Oo Reh, the leader of Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) along with other DPN members. From the government side, lead peace negotiator Dr. Tin Myo Win and Kyaw Tint Swe—both vice chairmen of the NRPC—attended along with Suu Kyi. "We share a common goal of achieving peace and building a federal union, so we will continue negotiations," said Naing Htaw Mon, NMSP chairman. The government officially invited the UNFC—an ethnic alliance of which all are non-signatories to last year's nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the former government—on Saturday to participate in the political framework review meetings, said Hla Maung Shwe, a member of the government's peace conference preparatory sub-committee. Khu Oo Reh said ethnic leaders would decide later on whether they would join as a group or individually. The leaders discussed how UNFC member groups could participate in the Union Peace Conference. They also raised issues surrounding the Burma Army's current offensive against ethnic armed groups in the northern part of the country and its expectation that all armed groups declare a ceasefire. The participation of their allies—the armed and actively fighting Arakan Army, Ta'ang Nationalities Liberation Army and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army; and the Arakan National Council, Wa National Organization and Lahu Democratic Union—in the peace process was also raised. The previous government did not allow groups engaged in fighting to participate in the peace process, but did allow the latter three groups to join the Union Peace Conference as observers. The ethnic armed group leaders will meet in Kachin State's Mai Ja Yang in late July to find a common stance on building a future federal union. The post Suu Kyi Begins Talks with NCA Non-Signatories appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| State Govt Blocks KNU Land Policy Workshop Posted: 18 Jul 2016 04:51 AM PDT  Min Lwin Mountain, a sacred symbol for ethnic Karen, was, starting in April 2015 the site of testing for mineral extraction by the Phyu Min Tun Company, with permission from the KNU. (Photo: Saw Yan Naing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Karen State Government has denied the Karen National Union (KNU) permission to hold a workshop outlining their land policy to residents of the state capital of Hpa-an, according to local sources. Zaw Lwin Oo, director within the office of the Karen State government, told The Irrawaddy that his administration has their own land policy, so they did not grant the ethnic Karen political entity license to hold a workshop on the same topic. Declining to comment further, he referred The Irrawaddy to a statement issued by the state government on July 15. The statement affirmed that, "only the government can have a land policy and procedure…therefore our state government can not give permission to hold workshop [on the issue] when asked by the KNU." The KNU had planned to hold a workshop on July 17 in Hpa-an at a Buddhist monastery for the purpose of raising awareness on their approach to land rights. Links to descriptions of the KNU's land policy can be found on the news section of The Border Consortium's website. On behalf of the KNU, the Karen Unity and Peace Committee (KUPC) sent a letter to the Karen State Government on July 8 requresting permission to hold the workshop. KUPC reportedly pointed out that a variety of ethnic Karen civil society groups were to be in attendance. Saw Kyaw Zwa, a KUPC senior member, speculated whether the rejection was based on the way in which the government was approached for permission. "The KNU did not ask [the state government] themselves, but instead, let the KUPC do it. I think this was a mistake," he explained. "If KNU had said in the letter that the workshop will give awareness to the people about the land policy of [both] the KNU and the government, this might have helped to get permission," Saw Kyaw Zwa added. Land tenure rights have been described as a top priority of the civilian-led National League for Democracy government, which took office earlier this year. Seizures of land—by the former military regime, as well as private and military-backed business enterprises—has long been a pressing concern throughout Burma. The KNU was one of eight non-state armed organizations to sign a nationwide ceasefire agreement with representatives from the Burmese government in 2015; civil war between the Burma Army and ethnic Karen armed groups began in the region shortly after Burma's 1948 independence from Britain. In the decades of conflict that followed, tens of thousands of Karen were displaced and forced to abandon their ancestral lands, making the return of their farms a major concern in the country's ongoing peace process. The post State Govt Blocks KNU Land Policy Workshop appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Ceremony at Secretariat Commemorates Martyrs’ Day Posted: 18 Jul 2016 03:21 AM PDT  A pillar at Rangoon's Secretariat commemorates the 1947 assassination of Gen Aung San and his colleagues. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A commemorative ceremony to honor the late Gen Aung San and his cabinet members will—for the first time in several years—be held at the Secretariat, where they were gunned down in 1947, as Burma marks the anniversary of the assassination. Organized by the Rangoon divisional government, Tuesday's ceremony will be attended by Rangoon Mayor Maung Maung Soe as well as Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) members, according to U Than, YCDC joint secretary. "The ceremony will start five minutes after the event at the mausoleum, which will start at 8 a.m.," he said, referring to a state-level commemorative ceremony held annually at the burial site of the leaders near Shwedagon pagoda. Burma's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi will attend the event at the mausoleum. The day is held in recognition and honor of her father—independence leader Gen Aung San—and his former colleagues. Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing will attend the ceremony at the mausoleum, becoming the first ever Burma Army chief to join the event since after 1988. The ceremony at the Secretariat will be held in the courtyard where a pillar commemorating the assassination is erected. "After the ceremony, which includes hoisting the flag to half-staff, the Secretariat will be open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.," said U Than. But access to the room where the leaders were assassinated will be off limits because the staircase leading up to it is not strong enough to be heavily trafficked. "But the first Parliament building will be open to all," he added. Currently, the Secretariat is leased to a private company and is undergoing massive renovations in order to reopen as an art museum. The post Ceremony at Secretariat Commemorates Martyrs' Day appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Posted: 18 Jul 2016 02:02 AM PDT  Photos from Shwe Pyin Oo Lwin vineyard in Pyin Oo Lwin Township, Mandalay Division. (Photos: Kyaw Hsu Mon / The Irrawaddy) PYIN OO LWIN, Mandalay Division — Nearly three years of investing time, money and labor has paid off for Thein Win, who now earns a profit from his vineyard in Pyin Oo Lwin Township. Shwe Pyin Oo Lwin vineyard—owned by Shan State native Thein Win and situated on 5 acres of land in Shwe Thin village—opened last month to visitors. A 45-minute drive from downtown Pyin Oo Lwin over a bumpy road delivers guests from the town to rows of grape-bearing vines. "I started in 2013 and have tried various seeds and methods to achieve different tastes. The results have been positive so far," Thein Win told The Irrawaddy over the weekend.  Photos from Shwe Pyin Oo Lwin vineyard in Pyin Oo Lwin Township, Mandalay Division. (Photos: Kyaw Hsu Mon / The Irrawaddy) He cultivates four grape varietals from Japan, Taiwan, China and the United States, respectively. After three years of preparation, this was the first year the grapes were ready to pick. "Although we had a successful crop last year, we did not invite people to handpick until this year when there were more grapes to sell," he added. Thein Win has invested more than 80 million kyat (about US$70,000) over three years. He now sells at least 5000 viss (one viss is approximately 3.6 pounds) of grapes each day, at 10,000 kyats per viss for handpicked grapes. "If my workers help pick grapes for visitors, I only charge 8000 kyat per viss; but for handpicked grapes, I charge an extra 2000 kyat because I factor in some loss," he said. He added that since he has opened to visitors, he has received at least 100 people each day. He estimated that on weekends, more than 700 people show up to pick grapes and take selfies. "More people are coming, so the vineyard can make money now," Thein Win said. On the weekends, groups line up along the grape vines with bamboo baskets and pick as much as they like, selecting grapes of various colors and sizes. Thein Win said he expects to expand his vineyard even more in the coming months and years. "New grape vines should be ready to pick in October, so I will be ready for even more visitors then," he said. Maung Maung, a visitor from Pyin Oo Lwin town said picking grapes was a relaxing escape from the stress of urban living. "It's a good feeling to pick the grapes before eating them, and also a great spot to take pictures," he said. The post Grapes, Picked by Hand appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Drugs Worth US$2.5 Million Seized in Northern Shan State Posted: 18 Jul 2016 01:45 AM PDT  Seized amphetamine powder and tablets seen at the Kyaukme Township Police Station in northern Shan State. (Photo: Myawady) Police are hunting for culprits in connection with the seizure of amphetamines valued at 3 billion kyats (US$2.5 million) in a village in Kyaukme Township of northern Shan State. Acting on a report from local villagers, soldiers from the local military outpost in cooperation with police and village administrators found the drugs—totaling 682.5 kilograms of amphetamine powder and tablets—packed in sacks by a monastery compound in Chaung Kyauk Village, Kyaukme Township, on Wednesday. This is the largest drug haul ever recorded in Kyaukme Township, which has been wracked by conflict over the last year, and whose mountainous terrain shelters several non-state armed groups, as well as units of the Burma Army, who have variously been blamed for drug trafficking. According to local eyewitnesses, two men had unloaded the sacks from a car before leaving the scene, a township police officer told The Irrawaddy. "Eyewitness said the two were wearing 'military' uniforms. But we have yet to find out more. I think they were preparing to carry drugs into [neighboring] Hsipaw Township. Maybe they abandoned those drugs near the monastery because of security checks [along the route]," said the police officer. Ye Htun, a former Lower House lawmaker representing Hsipaw Township, said that drug trafficking is rampant across Hsipaw and Kyaukme townships. He said it was difficult to solve the drug problem in the area because "government authorities"—and not just ethnic armed groups—are involved in drug production and trafficking. "Some armed groups are anti-drugs while some produce and supply drugs," said Ye Htun. He stressed that local authorities and police alone would not be able to eliminate the drug problem. The situation calls for systematic action from the government, he said. The post Drugs Worth US$2.5 Million Seized in Northern Shan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| From the Archive: Aung San Museum—Discover Burma’s Hero Posted: 17 Jul 2016 10:51 PM PDT  The entrance to Rangoon's Bogyoke Aung San Museum. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's annual Martyrs' Day arrives on Tuesday, July 19. Ceremonies will be held at the Martyrs' Monument and the Secretariat building in Rangoon, to commemorate the assassination of independence hero Aung San and eight of his comrades in 1947. Rangoon's Bogyoke Aung San Museum, housed in the last residence of Aung San, will be open with free admission to the public for three days, and is expected to draw large crowds wishing to pay respect to the national icon. Below, in a May 12, 2012 article from The Irrawaddy's archives, the reopening of the museum to the public that year is described, alongside its checkered history: After parking his car outside the hilltop villa in a leafy neighborhood just a few hundred meters from the Shwedagon Pagoda, Zaw Htet Aung tells his son, "this is where General Aung San used to live." His wife nods in agreement. The couple chaperoned their boy to this two-storied colonial-style wooden house, namely the Bogyoke (General) Aung San Museum, for their only child's benefit. "He has seen Bogyoke in pictures," said eight-year-old Tet Htut Aung's father. "That's why we've brought him here to have some more ideas about Aung San." After being closed for five years for large-scale maintenance, the former home of Burma's national hero and his family has now reopened to the public—providing a unique glimpse into his private life. Thaung Win, the director of the Rangoon National Museum and administrator of the Bogyoke Aung San Museum, told The Irrawaddy that the 91-year-old building reopened to the public on March 24 after renovations to strengthen the retaining walls as well as repairs to the roof, walkways and stairs. "We want it to be one of the main information centers on Bogyoke Aung San as well as providing a window for young people to understand who he was and how he lived," he said. Aung San, the father of Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, is still highly respected as the hero of Burmese independence for his efforts in bringing about the end of British colonial rule. "Bogyoke" and his family lived in the villa on lease from a Chinese couple from 1945 until he was gunned down in a 1947 conspiracy masterminded by his political rival U Saw. Aung San was just 32 years old. After her husband's assassination, Khin Kyi kept raising their three children—Aung San Oo, Aung San Lin and Aung San Suu Kyi—in the house until 1953 when Aung San Lin drowned in the compound's pool. Following the death of her second oldest son, Khin Kyi moved her family to the same colonial-era mansion by the shores of Inya Lake on University Avenue where Suu Kyi lives to this day. The Burmese government bought the former residence for 30,000 kyats (US $37.5 at the time) in 1948 and it was converted into the Bogyoke Aung San Museum in 1962, according to an article published in The Monitor weekly journal. But the museum was temporarily closed between 1999 and 2007 for refurbishment and only reopened each year on July 19, the commemorative day of Aung San's assassination, during this period. Until last week, according to official records, the museum has seen 1,419 visitors including 140 foreigners. "A museum is not a profit-making service," said Thaung Win. "So we have fixed the entrance fee at a reasonable price [300 kyat] hoping to encourage everyone to visit." The museum boasts a host of Aung San's personal belongings ranging from a British-built black Wolseley motor vehicle to an overcoat given to him by the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru during a trip to England in the early 1940s. A collection of 240 books on a variety of subjects—from applied mechanics and air defense to political economy and selected short stories by D.H. Lawrence—may be a source of interest for literature fans. Downstairs features pictures and paintings of Aung San and his family, while the special meeting room upstairs is decorated with extracts from some of his speeches—including the explanatory guideline relating to the 1947 constitutional law which states "no constitution in the world is perfect." This hero's residence has an aura of simplicity and is devoid of any trace of ostentation—the only embellishments are basic requirements for anyone to enjoy a happy family life. Being curious about the independence icon's private quarters, Wai Zin, 23, visited the museum for the first time last week. "Now I believe the Bogyoke had a very simple lifestyle," said the business management graduate after touring the museum. The lack of luxuries demonstrates that, despite his power, Aung San never sought to use his position to feather his own nest—adding to the sense of reverence which accompanies his name all throughout Burma. "Some members of the government today should take him as a role-model," said May Moe, 24, an English major graduate from Rangoon. Even though Aung San remains highly regarded as the national hero who founded the modern Burmese Army, there was a time when his reputation was stifled by attempts to wipe him from people's memories. After the rise of his daughter's influence in the Burmese pro-democracy movement following the 1988 students' uprising, everything related to Aung San was pushed into the background by the then-military dictatorship. His portrait at government schools and offices were replaced with former junta supremo Snr-Gen Than Shwe. The Lion, the insignia of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Association, took the place of Aung San's image on Burmese banknotes from the 1990s. July 19, known as Martyrs Day in the Burmese calendar, was a muted celebration until last year. Elementary school text books only provided a brief description of Aung San and a 10-stanza poem as his biography. "Thanks to the former military government's ban, Burma's younger generation today has little or no idea who Aung San is," said Zaw Htet Aung. "Thank God there are people who are selling Bogyoke's pictures. Were it not for them, we wouldn't have anything to show our children what Aung San looks like." Zaw Htet Aung is hopeful that the museum will help promote awareness amongst the next generation regarding Aung San and his message. "We need young people with 'Aung San's spirit' who are honest, unselfish and work hard for the national interest—especially these days when our country is in a transitional period," he said. "I don't want to be a soldier like Bogyoke. I'm afraid of guns," said Tet Htut Aung after visiting the museum. "But I want to be a doctor, and I want to be an honest person like Bogyoke too." The Bogyoke Aung San Museum is situated on a 2.5-acre plot in Bahan Township, near Kandawgyi Lake in Rangoon. Starting on Martyrs' Day on Tuesday, July 19, the museum will be open with free admission to the public for three days. It is otherwise open throughout the year, Tuesday—Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. The post From the Archive: Aung San Museum—Discover Burma's Hero appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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