The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Forum Calls for Stronger Support of Women in Media, Peace Process
• Parliament Receives Thousands of New Complaints of Confiscated Farmland
• Ma Ba Tha Supporters Protest Against Rangoon Chief Minister
• Analysis: Burma’s Military Remains Intolerant of Press Freedom
• US Investment Proposals Absent Under New Govt
• Border Checkpoint Dispute Settled Between Burma Army, KNLA
• Sunye Lake, Haven for Migratory Birds, Blossoming Lotuses

Forum Calls for Stronger Support of Women in Media, Peace Process Posted: 06 Jul 2016 08:08 AM PDT Civil society activists and media practitioners sit on a panel at the Women, Peace and Media Forum on July 6 in Rangoon. From left: Nay Tun Naing, Thu Zar Tin, Nang Shan, Htike Htike Aung, and moderator Myint Kyaw. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — While media coverage of women in peacebuilding has become comparatively more comprehensive than in past years, it remains a challenge to secure an interested audience on such themes, said participants of a media and civil society forum in Rangoon on Wednesday. The forum, entitled "Women, Media and Peace," highlighted the role of women in Burma's peace process as well as their presence in the media. The discussion panel included representatives from the Nyein (Shalom) Foundation, the Women's Federation for Peace, Myanmar ICT Development Organization and the Eleven Media Group. Activists at the event urged media to support women's roles in peacebuilding, pointing to a lack of stories which highlight female voices and concerns. Rather than simply reporting on events, media trainer Myint Kyaw told The Irrawaddy that he recommends journalists strive to cover issues—like those concerning women and peace—from "more interesting" and innovative angles. Yet Nay Tun Naing, executive editor of the Eleven Media Group, said that part of the problem lies with media consumers, who continue to be more "attracted" to stories about women as victims, rather than as leaders. Despite this perception, Nang Shan, coordinator of the Nyein Foundation's Social Integration for Peace program, said she believes that media content focused on women's inclusion in politics has improved in recent years—in both quantity and quality—and she hopes to this coverage continue to expand. "Women's involvement in peace would create a more sustainable peace," she said, but added that challenges remain despite women's ongoing efforts to be part of the country's political future. Women's groups have been demanding greater participation in the peace process since it began under the government of ex-President Thein Sein in 2012, an effort acknowledged in the country's nationwide ceasefire pact of 2015. But a 30 percent quota of women in political leadership, which has also been floated, has yet to gain the traction that some activists had hoped for. In Burma's upcoming Union Peace Conference, scheduled for August in Naypyidaw, a framework envisioned by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has placed social, economic, land and women's issues outside of the main agenda. The conference will focus mainly on political and military themes, with other topics reserved for a parallel forum for civil society organizations (CSOs). Nang Shan said she will persist in fighting for greater inclusion at the historic event. "The CSOs' voices in the peace conference need to be heard, and we are trying to find a way for it." In a consultation to prepare for the upcoming peace conference, five women, from both the Alliance for Gender Inclusion in the Peace Process (AGIPP) and the Civil Society Forum for Peace (CSFoP), have been invited to give input on the issues raised by ethnic armed group leaders, but are not invited to be physically present at the peace talks. Since Burma elected its first civilian-led government in a 2015 general election, female parliamentarians represent just 13 percent of the legislature. State Counselor Suu Kyi serves as the only woman in the Union's executive branch leadership, and women serve as just two of the chief ministers of Burma's states. At the village level, women make up only 0.2 percent of the administration. The post Forum Calls for Stronger Support of Women in Media, Peace Process appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Parliament Receives Thousands of New Complaints of Confiscated Farmland Posted: 06 Jul 2016 06:17 AM PDT Farmers protest in front of the Agricultural Land Management and Statistics Department in Twante Township, Rangoon, on June 8, 2016, demanding that the vice president's central land dispute committee resolve their claim regarding 900 acres of confiscated farmland.(Photo: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — During its most recent session, Parliament received more than 2,000 new complaints of farmland seizure in less than five months, according to parliamentary committee chairs. The Upper House's farmer affairs committee received more than 500 complaint letters, adding to some 6,000 outstanding cases from the previous parliamentary body, committee chair Ba Myo Thein told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday. "We can only start working on these cases systematically after policies and guidelines to handle land disputes are established by the central review committee," Ba Myo Thein said. He also highlighted some noticeable improvements from the previous administration's management of land disputes, including a plan to form sub-committees on the state, divisional, ward and tract levels by the Central Review Committee on Confiscated Farm Lands and Other Lands, which will include lawmakers and farmers' representatives. "The central committee is even considering returning lands that were confiscated before 1988, but no decision has been made," he added. In late April, Ba Myo Thein talked to The Irrawaddy about the same land confiscation cases and said that according to the letters of complaint, the land was allegedly seized for the development of infrastructure and industrial zones, with most of the reported incidents occurring in Mandalay Division and Karen State. Lawmaker Sein Win, chair of the Lower House's farmers and laborers committee told The Irrawaddy that his committee had also received nearly 1,500 complaints before Parliament took a recess in early June. Most of the complaints came from Mandalay and Irrawaddy Divisions, he added. In addition to the complaints received by the two committees that handle land disputes, the citizens' fundamental rights, democracy and human rights committee of the Upper House also received some 75 letters complaining about land seizures, committee chair Htay Kywe told The Irrawaddy. The committee even found some confiscations that happened during the socialist era, he said, referring to the years from 1962 until 1988. According to a report by the state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar in April, the Upper House's farmers affairs committee revealed that some 200,000 acres of farmland had been confiscated nationwide during past decades, but Ba Myo Thein was unable to confirm the figure for The Irrawaddy. While the committee's main responsibility is to put pressure on relevant government ministries—through the speakers of Parliament—to return confiscated land or compensate the rightful owners, Ba Myo Thein said that the process of resolving disputes between related parties could take significant time. Last week, vice-president Henry Van Thio's national-level land dispute committee returned more than 6,000 acres of land confiscated over the past decades to the rightful owners in Irrawaddy Division's Maubin Township. Land seized by Yuzana Company and the Ministry of Industry was returned to more than 300 owners. The post Parliament Receives Thousands of New Complaints of Confiscated Farmland appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ma Ba Tha Supporters Protest Against Rangoon Chief Minister Posted: 06 Jul 2016 06:04 AM PDT Ma Ba Tha supporters protesting at the Rangoon International Airport on Wednesday against recent comments from the Rangoon Chief Minister. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Nearly a dozen Buddhist nationalists loyal to Ma Ba Tha gathered outside Rangoon International Airport to await the arrival of the Rangoon Division Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein from Singapore on Wednesday evening. The group was there to protest the chief minister's recent criticism of the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, popularly known by the Burmese language acronym Ma Ba Tha. At a meeting with the Burmese community in Singapore on Sunday, the chief minister had said the Buddhist ultra-nationalist group was "not necessary, because we've already got the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee"—the clerical council that oversees monastic discipline in Burma, whose members are appointed by the government. The video file of the meeting went viral on Facebook, attracting diverse reactions. The protesters at the airport held placards condemning the chief minister's comments. "We believe Ma Ba Tha should exist because they are the guardians of Buddhism," said one of the protesters. "We are not Ma Ba Tha members but we believe in Ma Ba Tha," she added. Phyo Min Thein's convoy was welcomed at the airport by members of the ruling National League for Democracy. As he rolled down the car window to greet them, journalists on the scene asked him to comment on the nationalists' protest. His response echoed the sentiments he shared in Singapore: "We don't need need Ma Ba Tha." Ma Ba Tha, which is led by conservative monks, has an extensive network of branches across the country. Since it was founded in 2014, the group has garnered international notoriety for its hardline anti-Muslim stance, which frequently spills into hate speech. Last year, the group successfully lobbied for the passing of a set of four "Protection of Race and Religion" laws—imposing restrictions on religious conversion, polygamy, interfaith marriage and childbirth—which rights groups have slammed for discriminating against women and religious minorities. The post Ma Ba Tha Supporters Protest Against Rangoon Chief Minister appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Analysis: Burma’s Military Remains Intolerant of Press Freedom Posted: 06 Jul 2016 05:56 AM PDT People buy and sell newspapers in central Rangoon, April 3, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Burma's powerful military remains intolerant of press freedom, fearing a negative portrayal of its institution. Take three incidents as examples. The army sued the local private newspaper 7 Day Daily on June 25 for publishing a story in April which reprinted former general Shwe Mann's message to graduates of the Defense Services Academy. The statement urged his former colleagues to work for the country's newly-elected democratic government. The military claimed the article could lead to disunity in the army and encourage treason, and filed a lawsuit under Section 131 of Burma's Penal Code against the newspaper's editor-in-chief and the journalist who reported the story. The violation carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment. The lawsuit was later dropped following negotiations, but the newspaper printed an apology to the military in state media last week as part of the settlement. Does the military pose a threat to the media under the new government? The 7 Day Daily case has been considered a threat to press freedom because it showed that the media could be sued if it upset the military, even if the reporting was accurate. "The military's attitude is the same as in the past; they don't like if we touch them," said Ko Thiha, an editor from the local newspaper. Myanmar Journalists Network (MJN), a press advocacy group, denounced the case. MJN said journalists would undergo self-censorship because of the incident and it would harm the public's right to know. "The government needs to persuade the military to change its attitude in order to smooth over relations with the media," Ko Thiha said. "We had to resolve it on our own. There was no mediation from the Ministry of Information [MOI]. The MOI shared [7 Day Daily's] apology on their website even though they have not shared similar content in the past. It is clear which side MOI is on and whom they are afraid of," he added. Although Burma is now ruled by its first civilian government after more than half a century of junta rule, the military still has a strong influence in politics. The 2008 military-drafted Constitution is still in place and remains difficult to amend, as 25 percent of parliamentary seats are reserved for military appointees, giving them veto power over constitutional amendments. The armed forces also maintain control of three important ministries: home affairs, defense and border affairs. Former information minister Ye Htut told The Irrawaddy that although 7 Day Daily didn't breach journalistic ethics when reporting, the military had cause to worry. "The media needs to know that the army has concerns related to unity and they need to be careful in their reporting when it could lead to the disintegration of the military," he said. "The media has a duty to report what the public needs to know, but at the same time, they need to be careful not to be manipulated by politicians," the former information minister added. Prior to the 7 Day Daily incident, the movie "Twilight over Burma" was banned from being screened publicly and removed from a film festival by the censorship board, which alleged that the film could damage the image of the army and harm ethnic unity. The film tells the story of ethnic Shan leader Sao Kya Seng—who was arrested by the Burma Army during Gen Ne Win's coup and later disappeared under mysterious circumstances—and his Austrian wife. Human rights activist Moe Thway said "the ban on the movie was ugly," adding that the military's violation of press freedom was a negative sign during the government transition. "Whether the army, ethnic groups or anyone else did wrong, it should be exposed. The public has the right to know. Only if we expose wrongdoings from the past will we not repeat them in the future," he said. Besides the film and media industries, civil society organizations have also been targeted. Last week, the Ta'ang Women's Organization (TWO) was forced to cancel a press conference for the launch of its report on human rights abuses by the Burma Army in northern Shan State. The Rangoon divisional government forced the cancellation of the press conference for the second time; the first time was in late June. TWO's recent report, entitled "Trained to Torture," compiled accounts of ethnic Palaung (Ta'ang) victims of torture from 2012-16. Ye Naing Moe, director of the Yangon Journalism School, said that freedom of the press and freedom of expression must be recognized on the path toward democracy. "The army chief said the military would cooperate and support the transition to democracy, and that is impossible without press freedom," he added. The recent incidents raise the question of whether the military has confidence in their actual image, as opposed to the one that they project, said Ma Thida, prominent writer and president of the literacy organization PEN Myanmar. "These truths are easily discovered in other ways. As for 7 Day's story, the public could easily find Shwe Mann's comments on his Facebook; for "Twilight over Burma," translated versions of the book are available. [The military] may think it is protecting the image of the institution but in reality, it is only harming itself," she added. San Yamin Aung is a reporter for The Irrawaddy English Edition. Additional reporting contributed by Kyaw Hsu Mon. The post Analysis: Burma's Military Remains Intolerant of Press Freedom appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Investment Proposals Absent Under New Govt Posted: 06 Jul 2016 05:07 AM PDT Window cleaners scale one of several newly constructed shopping malls in Rangoon, enabled by unprecedented inflows of foreign investment. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — American companies have been conspicuously absent from the 106 local and foreign direct investment proposals made during the first quarter of the 2016-17 fiscal year, which started in April. Burma's Investment Commission, reconstituted in early June after a period of dormancy brought about by the installation of a new government in April, has so far processed only eight of the 106 proposals. Minister of National Planning and Finance Kyaw Win chairs the commission, with Minister of Commerce Than Myint appointed as vice chairman. Than Aung Kyaw, deputy director general of the Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration (DICA), told The Irrawaddy that the commission was now making "dramatic" progress through the backlog. According to Investment Commission data, more than US$2 billion worth of investments have been pledged during the first quarter of this fiscal year from April to June. In the first quarter of the 2015-16 fiscal year, 71 projects were approved at a valuation of $2.65 billion. The first quarter of the 2014-2015 fiscal year saw 39 projects approved valued collectively at US$810 million. Out of the 98 proposals that currently await scrutiny, 47 are for foreign direct investment, according to DICA director Min Zaw Oo, who is a member of the proposal assessment team in the Investment Commission. "Most of the proposals are from manufacturing businesses from various different countries," he said. However, US businesses are not among the foreign investment proposals Burma has received under the new government, according to the DICA. The top foreign investors for this opening period are Singapore, followed by China, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and India. Maung Maung Lay, vice-chairman of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said that Burma's rudimentary infrastructure and lack of skilled labor may be a factor deterring investment from the US, since their businesses are based on "cutting-edge technologies." "Most of the foreign investment proposals we have received are for labor-intensive businesses. But the US does not engage much in labor-intensive business now," he said. "Their businesses are somewhat hi-tech, and can't operate in the absence of well-developed infrastructure, for example, a stable electricity supply. And skilled labor is needed to operate hi-tech businesses," he said. In May, the US government reduced sanctions targeting Burma's financial sector and certain state-owned enterprises involved in mining and timber extraction. The aim was to boost trade between the two countries and enable American investment—even though key economic players with close links to Burma's military remained blacklisted. It appears, however, that American companies and investors continue to approach Burma with trepidation—although this could change after the National League for Democracy (NLD) government's economic policy, currently vague, is properly clarified. "Many US and EU companies investors come here via Singapore, where they are already established," explained Than Aung Kyaw, deputy director general of the DICA. "Singapore is positioned close to [Burma] and has a reliable banking system. That's why US investors are not coming here directly." In 2015, US exports to Burma were valued at $227 million and imports at $144 million, according to DICA figures. Since 1988, total approved US investment in Burma has been $248 million. The post US Investment Proposals Absent Under New Govt appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Border Checkpoint Dispute Settled Between Burma Army, KNLA Posted: 06 Jul 2016 12:40 AM PDT Tenasserim Division Ceasefire Joint Monitoring Committee meet in the southern town of Myeik on Sunday. (Photo: Myeik Township Information and Public Relations Department) RANGOON — The dispute between the Burma Army and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) over the Htee Khee checkpoint on the Burma-Thailand border—used by the KNLA for tax collection—has ben resolved through bilateral negotiations on Saturday, Tenasserim Division Chief Minister Lei Lei Maw told The Irrawaddy. KNLA Brigade-4, based in Tenasserim Division, had opened the checkpoint at Htee Khee and was imposing a tax of around 100 Bhat (US$2.80) on everyone who crossed the border. On June 21, a tactical commander from the Burma Army's military operations command ordered the KNLA to shut the checkpoint down within three days, but they refused. Col Saw Mu Ker, the tactical commander of KNLA Brigade 4, resigned from his post as vice-chairman of the Tenasserim Division Ceasefire Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) on June 30 following the dispute. His resignation letter cited the failure of the JMC—set up after the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signed last year by the KNLA—to take action. After the agreement between the KNLA and Burma army was reached, the Tenasserim chief minister told the Irrawaddy, "As a group that has signed the [NCA], the KNLA is not supposed to run a separate checkpoint. There is already a Burma Army checkpoint there. We discussed the future livelihoods of [the KNLA soldiers] and the dispute has now been settled." The Burma Army's Coastal Region Commander Brig-Gen Maung Maung Soe, who acts as chairman of the Tenasserim Division JMC, headed the negotiations on Sunday in the town of Myeik in the south of Tenasserim Division. Naw Mildred, a member of the JMC who participated at the meeting, claimed that the area around Htee Khee had returned to normalcy, although locals and traders remained concerned at the prospect of clashes. "The military extended apologies in order to avoid conflict. There is no problem at the checkpoint now. Brig-Gen Maung Maung Soe called on the both sides to avoid any misunderstandings," she said. "I asked KNLA generals and they said there would be no fighting. The Burma Army said so too. Local villagers can now be at ease," she added. However, Win Khaing, who heads the liaison office of the Karen National Union (KNU)—the political wing of the KNLA—in Dawei, capital of Tenasserim Division, said the two sides are still "watching each other's steps," suggesting that mutual trust is not assured. "There is no real cooperation. We mind our own business and they mind theirs. We will have to wait and see how the chief minister will handle it. It depends on her," Win Khaing told The Irrawaddy. Although the dispute has been formally "settled," further meetings will be held between the two sides soon, according to the Chief Minister Lei Lei Maw. The KNU/KNLA is one of eight non-state ethnic armed groups that signed last year's NCA with the former government of President Thein Sein and is believed to have the closest relationship with the Burma Army among the NCA signatory groups. Before and after signing the NCA, the KNU/KNLA met with Burma's Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing at least five times. The post Border Checkpoint Dispute Settled Between Burma Army, KNLA appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Sunye Lake, Haven for Migratory Birds, Blossoming Lotuses Posted: 06 Jul 2016 12:07 AM PDT MANDALAY— Sunye natural lake in Sintgaing Township, Mandalay Division, is famous for its blossoming lotus flowers in the rainy season and migratory birds in the cool season. Local residents say that visitors to the lake are on the rise this year. Located between the city of Mandalay and the town of Kyaukse, the large inland body of standing water is known as "little Inle," in reference to Inle Lake in southern Shan State. Most local residents derive their livelihoods from lotus weaving. As visitors increasingly flock for days out on the lake, fresh business opportunities have popped up in the form of boat rides and snack stalls. However, the authorities now prohibit the common visitor habit of picking lotus flowers, because it endangered the visits of migratory birds and impaired the lake's natural beauty. The post Sunye Lake, Haven for Migratory Birds, Blossoming Lotuses appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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