The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Govt to Continue Tourism Policy of Maximum Growth
- Bagan Bids for UNESCO World Heritage Status
- Communications Ministry: Users Must Register SIM Cards or Lose Service
- Human Rights Group Presses Govt to Suspend Extraction Projects in Ethnic States
- Bill Committee Moves to Abolish Controversial Emergency Provisions Act
- Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week
- Embassy Warns Burmese in Thailand About Pre-Referendum Crackdown
| Govt to Continue Tourism Policy of Maximum Growth Posted: 02 Aug 2016 06:22 AM PDT  The Myanmar Hospitality & Tourism Conference in Rangoon, August 2-3, 2016. (Photo: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The government will continue the tourism policies set by its predecessor—aiming for maximum growth—and will continue to enumerate day-visitors crossing land borders as "tourists," in contravention of international tourism standards. These intentions were laid out by Tint Thwin, director general of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, at the Myanmar Hospitality & Tourism Conference taking place in Rangoon on August 2-3. Tint Thwin also expressed confidence that Burma would meet its target of 5.5 million "tourists" for 2016, while noting that the tourism sector was "sensitive and depended on the situation in the country." He also made plain that the government would not be changing its controversial method of enumerating visitors. Burma's "Tourism Master Plan 2013-20," unveiled under the previous government in 2012, prioritizes high-growth, with a target of 7.48 million visitors in 2020—drawing criticism from advocates of sustainable tourism that the target would promote rash policies adverse long-term implications. As well as counting day-visitors, Burma counts all visitors as "tourists"—even the substantial proportion that does not arrive on tourist visas—in contrast to other countries in the region. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) only includes visitors who stay overnight in a country as "tourists," while the World Tourism Organization requires that they stay for 24 hours. The wide mismatch between official government figures and what are considered to be the "real" tourist numbers has created uncertainty in Burma's tourism industry, and may have exacerbated current problems of oversupply—notably in hotel rooms—in the major cities of Rangoon, Mandalay and Naypyidaw. At the conference, STR business development manager Fenady Uriarte noted that tourism arrivals in Burma for 2015 were enumerated at only 1.2 million by PATA—a stark contrast to the government's own figure of 4.68 million for that year (a 52 percent increase from the amount claimed by the government for the previous year). Sabei Aung, managing director of Nature Dream tourism agency, expressed concern that the government's divergent statistics may confuse, mislead or put off investors. "After 2010, international investors came to learn about the [Burmese tourism] market but they found that the data was wrong. Singaporean investors came in, but European investors backed out," she said. "Hotels have mushroomed domestically but hoteliers have built hotels with their own money and through loans. These hotels have not received enough guests and have suffered huge losses. The incorrect data misled local businessmen as well," she said. According to figures from STR, an American company that provides supply and demand data for the global hotel industry, the current supply of hotel rooms in Rangoon exceeds supply by 8.5 percent. Sabei Aung said a similar picture held for Mandalay and Naypyidaw. "Supply is good [in the industry] but demand has not been keeping up in the recent period," said Fenady Uriarte of STR. With a view to furthering "investment opportunities" in Burma, participants in the hospitality and tourism conference discussed expanding into the country's "many undeveloped areas" and developing infrastructure—including new international airports—as outlined in the Tourism Master Plan. One of the priorities outlined in the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism's initial "100 day" policy, unveiled in early May, and discussed further at the conference, was the development of "community-based tourism"—involving the establishment of village guest houses and package tour visits to rural communities—in specially designated areas. These areas are to include Indawgyi Lake in Kachin State, Loikaw in Karenni State, Thandaunggyi in Karen State, the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone in southern Shan State, Myaing in Magwe Division, and Kyauk Myaung Village in Mandalay Division. "We hope that more tourists will come since we're expanding international entry-points, including through new airports. Now, at least 24 airlines land in Rangoon International Airport and five airlines land in Mandalay International Airport," former Minister of Hotels and Tourism Htay Aung said at the Tuesday press conference. "We need better infrastructure to welcome them," he said. He also maintained that the government would "continue to count all visitors who come here, even day-return visitors." The ministry is still counting tourist arrivals for first six months of this year, he confirmed. According to the ministry's figures, Burma's tourism industry earned US$254 million in 2010, $319 million in 2011, $534 million in 2012, $926 million in 2013 and $1.8 billion in 2014. The post Govt to Continue Tourism Policy of Maximum Growth appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Bagan Bids for UNESCO World Heritage Status Posted: 02 Aug 2016 06:11 AM PDT  Hot air balloons glide over the temples in central Burma's Bagan. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY—Burma's branch of the World Heritage Site Committee announced its plans to nominate the Bagan Archaeological Zone for UNESCO's list of culturally significant sites in 2017 for reconsideration the following year. The planning follows a meeting held in Mandalay in July between officials from the divisional government, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture, Ministry of Home Affairs, engineering experts and representatives of the committee. A separate nomination committee was formed following the meeting with the aforementioned officials along with the Bagan Heritage Trust. Than Zaw Oo, director of Burma's branch of the World Heritage Site Committee, explained that if the draft report and the draft management plan needed for the nomination could be submitted by September 2017, committee representatives would visit the site in 2018. Bagan's nomination would then be brought up for deliberation at UNESCO's 2019 World Heritage Site convention. UNESCO guidelines for selection include deciding whether the site exhibits outstanding universal value, international significance and the ability to "transcend national boundaries and be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity." Economic development and a growing tourism infrastructure in Bagan's vicinity have been the biggest challenges facing the site in its bid to become a World Heritage Site, threatening preservation of the cultural areas. "We will just have to wait and see what the experts decide at the convention," said Than Zaw Oo. Burma's initial application for recognition came in 1996, but it was rejected due to poor management plans and legal frameworks. After UNESCO inscribed the ancient Pyu cities as the first Burmese World Heritage Site in June 2014, the culture ministry decided to continue campaigning for the addition of Bagan. In 2015, the committee completed a comprehensive data collection project and implemented measures to survey and maintain historical records, including the impact of future development on the area. The survey also looked at how many structures remained in their original forms and to what extent preservation efforts would have to be undertaken. Bagan houses stupas, temples and other Buddhist religious buildings constructed from the 9th to 11th centuries—a period in which some 50 Buddhist kings ruled the Bagan Dynasty. There are more than 3,000 stupas and temples in the area. Of these, 120 temples have stucco paintings and 460 have mural paintings that are found to be in need of preservation. The post Bagan Bids for UNESCO World Heritage Status appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Communications Ministry: Users Must Register SIM Cards or Lose Service Posted: 02 Aug 2016 06:01 AM PDT  A customer looks through SIM cards for sale in Botahtaung Township in Rangoon on August 2, 2016. (Photo: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON – All SIM card users in Burma must complete registration forms with their network providers or face a disruption to their mobile phone service, according to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, which published the alert in a state-run newspaper on Tuesday. If users fail to register before March 31, 2017, network operators will temporarily eliminate service to unregistered SIM cards, the ministry said. The move is reportedly to protect public safety and to allow for SIMs to used as identification devices in online shopping and mobile banking. Registration of SIM technology could also help to match lost or damaged cards to their owners. To register with their respective operators, users need to present an identification document and a local address; foreigners need to bring a passport. Tuesday's announcement suggested that the Ministry of Transport and Communications had already instructed telecom operators to follow such guidelines during previous years. But Pann Ei Phyu, an employee at Inn Gyin Phyu mobile shop in Rangoon's Botahtaung Township, said that they no longer require customers to present identification documents for any of their three mobile provider SIM cards—Ooredoo, Telenor, or MPT. Initially, staff members at the shop registered SIM cards, she said, but since 2015, service providers reportedly no longer distribute registration forms. "It is bad thing for both of us [salespeople and customers], because many buyers are not educated people—all they know is how much their SIM costs," Pann Ei Phyu said of the renewed registration requirements. When Burma began promotion of the telecommunications sector in early 2014, two foreign companies—Norway's Telenor and Qatar's Ooredoo—won the tender. Today millions of SIM cards have been sold to mobile users for 1,500 kyats (US$1.27) each. Until 2011, a SIM card on the Burmese market set consumers back around 200,000 kyats (US$169), when the service was monopolized by Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), a state-owned provider. According to service providers' figures, MPT currently has 20 million active users, Telenor has 17 million and Ooredoo has 7 million. Like Pann Ei Phyu, One One Mobile shop owner Nay Lin said network promotion teams had come to his shop asking him to sell their SIM cards, but that they did not bring registration forms. He worries that registration of SIMs will be viewed as a restriction, and could harm the profits of small businesses like his shop. Alex Nyi Nyi Aung, a senior expert in corporate communications for Telenor, told The Irrawaddy that they are collaborating with 70,000 shops throughout the country to inform all salespeople to request identification documents. Unregistered users can still fill in the required form at their nearest Telenor SIM card provider. "We will push our shops to educate our customers about registration when they buy SIM cards," he said. A senior communication officer at Ooredoo said that they have 100 official stores across the country and that it is standard procedure to request that SIM card customers bring a driver's license, a National Registration Card, or another valid identification document. She denies the assertion of staff members in shops like One One Mobile or Inn Gyin Phyu that there has been no instruction or provision for them to register SIM cards; she said that the user information form is folded up within the SIM card package, and that it is up to the buyer to fill it out, and to the shopkeeper to collect it. Awareness posters in Ooredoo franchise shops state that "SIM card buyers must register from November 2015." A Rangoon SIM card vendor, Naing Win, estimates that he has sold around 10,000 SIM cards—which he bought from wholesale traders—without filling in registration forms. "The government's instructions will make my business more difficult," said Naing Win, who earns around 10,000 kyats (US$8.44) per day selling the cards. The Irrawaddy contacted Than Htun Aung, director-general of the Posts and Telecommunications Department in Naypyidaw, by phone to learn more about the registration process, but, at the time of publication, reporters were unable to reach him. The post Communications Ministry: Users Must Register SIM Cards or Lose Service appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Human Rights Group Presses Govt to Suspend Extraction Projects in Ethnic States Posted: 02 Aug 2016 04:32 AM PDT  Villagers protest the Nam Ma coal mine in Shan State in a photo from the Shan Human Rights Foundation's "Killing for Coal" report. (Photo: Shan Human Rights Foundation) RANGOON — A Shan human rights group has pressed the Burmese government to immediately suspend all resource extraction projects in ethnic states that have been ravaged by conflict and to end Burma Army offenses against civilians. The group stated that such projects should only be considered after a federal peace settlement has been reached, granting local communities ownership and usage rights of natural resources in their regions. The Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) documented detailed accounts of Burma Army abuses against civilians during military action to secure the local coal mines in Shan State's Hsipaw Township in May. The group's recent "Killing for Coal" report highlighted arbitrary arrest, looting, torture and killing. In operation since the 1990s, the Nam Ma coal mines in Hsipaw Township have contributed to environmental destruction and the loss of crops in nearby villages, according to a SHRF representative. Sai Kheun Mai, SHRF spokesperson, said, "more than 30 acres of farmland have been destroyed because of the project and more than 100 acres are likely to be affected in Kho Lang Pha, about five kilometers south of Nam Ma.” Villagers have experienced not only environmental degradation, Sai Kheun Mai added, but also human rights abuses, due to an increase of Burma Army troops in the region this year. In May, locals were forced to flee their homes due to conflict between the Burma Army—which protects the Nam Ma project and maintains control of the surrounding area—and Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N) troops based in the area. Although the fighting has decreased in recent months since the SSPP/SSA-N troops left the area, the presence of government military troops persists. Some internally displaced persons managed to return to their respective villages in May and June to attend to their farms during the growing season. Regarding suspension of the Nam Ma project, Shan State lawmaker Nang San San Aye told The Irrawaddy that when she raised the issue in divisional parliament two weeks ago, the state minister of natural resources said the decision would come from the Union-level government. "I asked the state parliamentary speaker and my constituency's Union-level lawmakers to raise the issue in the Union Parliament. We are still waiting to hear," she said. Civilians and activists have voiced dissatisfaction with the new National League for Democracy (NLD) government's tackling of public safety issues, especially related to those concerning the military. SHRF, an outspoken voice for ethnic minority rights, continuously urges for an end to the war, military offenses, and the impunity granted to military personnel in regards to human rights violations. "We cannot depend on the government to protect civilians' safety. So, if my people want the project to stop because they've faced many losses, I will stand with them," the state lawmaker added. The post Human Rights Group Presses Govt to Suspend Extraction Projects in Ethnic States appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Bill Committee Moves to Abolish Controversial Emergency Provisions Act Posted: 02 Aug 2016 04:28 AM PDT  Lower House Speaker Win Myint pictured in the Parliament in Naypidaw on Feb. 4, 2016. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) NAYPYIDAW — A new bill that would repeal Burma's controversial 1950 Emergency Provisions Act was submitted to the Lower House of Parliament on Monday; the move was met with divergent opinions from lawmakers. The bill, which proposes the abolishment of the 66-year-old law, was drafted and submitted to the Parliament by the Lower House Bill Committee. Tun Tun Hein, committee chair, argued that the Emergency Provisions Act had been used by previous governments to stifle political dissent. "It is not safe for citizens as long as this act exists. We therefore propose annulling the act for the sake of public security," Tun Tun Hein told the reporters after the parliamentary session. "This act was [initially] applied for military purposes, but then it was also applied for political purposes," he said. "All the governments—from Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League to the Revolutionary Council to the previous government—have applied this act, allowing the government to arrest a person quite easily," he claimed, referencing independent Burma's first government, Ne Win's military regime, and the Union Solidarity and Development Party's (USDP) quasi-civilian administration. "The NLD government is now [in office] and we want to change this," Tun Tun Hein added. The Emergency Provisions Act was originally enacted in 1950 by the government of Burma's first prime minister, U Nu, in response to the civil war that erupted in the wake of the country's independence. The law grants sweeping authority to the government to prosecute individuals who disseminate "false news" or are otherwise determined to have "jeopardized the state." Successive governments have abused it to suppress dissidents and people. The act carries the death penalty and sentences of up to life in prison for treason or sabotage against the military. It also dictates up to seven years in prison for a sweeping range of other "offenses" against the state. Opposing the abolishment of the act, military lawmakers suggested instead amending some provisions that are deemed no longer suitable. Brig-Gen Maung Maung, a Lower House military representative and a member of the bill committee, and Steven, a USDP lawmaker and the committee's secretary, argued that a new law that fits the present time should be drafted and promulgated first if the Emergency Provisions Act is to be abolished. Lwin Ko Latt, a lawmaker representing Thanlyin Township and a member of the Lower House's Public Administration Committee, told The Irrawaddy that the act was misused to perpetuate arbitrary arrests and to suppress the work of human rights and pro-democracy activists. He expressed his support for its abolishment. In the Parliament, the Lower House Bill Committee described the 1950 Emergency Provisions Act as a threat to fundamental rights of citizens at a time when a new democratic nation is being built. Representatives of the committee said they had held multiple discussions with the Public Administration Committee, the Office of the Attorney General of the Union, as well as the Home Affairs Ministry regarding the abolishment of the act. Committee chair Tun Tun Hein said that the National League for Democracy (NLD) government is committed to changing laws and regulations, procedures, orders, and instructions that do not meet democratic and human rights norms. Lawmakers who want to discuss on the new bill have until Wednesday to register their names to indicate support for further exploration of the proposal in Parliament. In 2015, during ex-president Thein Sein's administration, the NLD—the then-leading opposition party—proposed scrapping the legislation at a Lower House legislative session. However, the move failed as the chamber was under the wider influence of the military-backed USDP majority at the time. Win Myint, then a Lower House lawmaker, and the current Speaker of the House, said in 2015 that the legislation was designed "to instill fear and restrict political activity." Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post Bill Committee Moves to Abolish Controversial Emergency Provisions Act appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week Posted: 02 Aug 2016 02:42 AM PDT The Irrawaddy picks 10 interesting events happening in Rangoon this week.
Rangoon rock bands Big Bag and Idiots & Reason will perform. Tickets are available in City Mart and Ocean Supercenter. The admission fee is 8,000 kyats. Where: Myanmar Convention Centre (MCC), Min Dhamma Street, Mayangone Tsp. Tel: 09-253739071 When: Sunday, August 7, 7pm
Started in California in 2007, International Beer Day is an annual worldwide celebration held on the first Friday of August. Join the festivities in Burma at Mahlzeit where they will serve Carlsberg, Tuborg and Yoma beer. Where: Mahlzeit, 84 Pann Hlaing Street. Tel: 09-784151250 When: Friday, August 5, 12pm
Rooftop bar Yangon Yangon hosts the Remix every Sunday night with DJs playing all Burmese songs after 8pm. Happy hour is from 5 to 7 pm, when all frozen cocktails are 50 percent off. Where: Yangon Yangon, Sakura Tower, 339 Bogyoke Road, Tel: 01-255131 When: Sunday, August 7, 8 pm to 10:30 pm
Anyone planning on taking the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam can complete a mock exam free of charge at the Impact Skill Development Center. Seats are limited and registration is required at 09-258577778/9 or impact.isdc@gmail.com. Where: Impact Skill Development Center, 270 Anawrahta Road, Third Floor, Pabedan Tsp. When: Sunday, August 7, 10 am
Slam Express is a slam poetry event organized by a group of young Burmese poets. Listen to poems performed in English and Burmese. Free admission. Where: Pansuriya Gallery, 100 Bogalay Zay Street, Botahtaung Tsp., Tel: 09-778 949170 When: Saturday, August 6, 6:30 to 8 pm
An exhibition showcasing more than 50 paintings from nine artists will be held at Myanmar Artists and Artisans Association. Prices for the artwork range from US$150 to $1,000. Where: Myanmar Artists and Artisans Association (Central), Bogyoke Market When: Wednesday, August 3 to Sunday, August 7
Nawady Tharlar Gallery showcases a solo exhibition by the artist Maung Theid Dhi. Nine paintings will be sold for prices ranging from US$500 to $1,200. Where: Nawady Tharlar Gallery, Building 20B, Room 304, Yaw Min Gyi Road, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 09-43097918 When: Saturday, July 30 to Sunday, August 7
Maung Di's solo show featuring more than 30 paintings will be displayed at Ahla Thit Art Gallery. Where: Ahla Thit Art Gallery, 17 University Avenue Road, Bahan Tsp. When: Sunday, August 7 to Monday, August 15
Artist Maung Maung Thein (Pathein) will hold his fourth solo show, which features more than 70 works, some of them dating back to the 1950s. Prices for the art will range from US$150 to $1,500. Where: Lokanat Gallery, 62 Pansodan Street, 1st Floor, Kyauktada Tsp., Tel. 095-1382-269 When: Tuesday, August 2 to Monday, August 8
The second annual international percussion festival will be held at the National Theater. Percussionists from Myanmar, Malaysia and Germany will perform. Where: National Theater, Myoma Kyaung Street When: Thursday, August 4, 7pm The post Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Embassy Warns Burmese in Thailand About Pre-Referendum Crackdown Posted: 02 Aug 2016 02:15 AM PDT  A Burmese migrant worker looks out from her residence in the port town of Mahachai, near the Thai capital Bangkok, in Sept. 2011. (Photo: Reuters / Soe Zeya Tun) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — The Burmese embassy in Bangkok has sent warning notices to Burmese migrants in Thailand alerting them of a surge in raids and surprise checks by Thai police and the army on migrants' workplaces and living quarters. These interventions are part of a an extensive security clampdown by the Royal Thai Police and the Royal Thai Army ahead of an August 7 referendum on the new draft constitution drafted by the ruling military junta. The notice, issued by the embassy on Monday, warned Burmese nationals living or visiting Thailand for any reason to exercise extra caution while working and traveling, to carry the required immigration documents with them at all times, and to calmly submit to inspections from the Thai police. The notice also provided contact numbers for the embassy, and invited calls from any Burmese national in Thailand requiring assistance. Thai online news outlets have reported Thai police and army raids on the workplaces and living quarters of Burmese migrant workers, alongside crackdowns on small businesses run by migrants—whom Thai authorities accuse of stealing jobs from Thai nationals. According to Burmese migrant sources, Thai police have been conducting surprise inspections in the markets of the northern city of Chiang Mai, where many Burmese migrants make their livelihood. Ko Oo, a Burmese migrant worker living in Chiang Mai, said it had been worse than previous crackdowns, with Thai police intervening not only in migrants' workplaces but also in the houses and makeshift structures where migrants live. He said small shops run by Burmese migrants in the city had been kept shut as a precaution. During workplace raids, Ko Oo said the police arrest all migrants whose papers state different employers and workplace addresses. In recent days, a crackdown by Thai police and soldiers has been taking place in Mae Sot, a town near the Burmese border with a large transient Burmese population. Reportedly many Burmese migrant workers in the town have been arrested and deported to Myawaddy, the Burmese town on the other side of the border. Royal Thai Army soldiers have also been deployed at illegal crossing points along the Burmese border. Migrant labor rights groups in Thailand estimate there to be between 3-4 million Burmese migrants in Thailand, only 1.7 million of whom are registered. On a trip to Thailand in June, Burma's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi made a series of public addresses, including to Burmese migrant workers at the Talay Thai Seafood Market in the port town of Mahachai in Samut Sakhon Province. She cited agreements for increased cooperation with the Thai government on ensuring migrants' labor rights, as well as plans to improve job opportunities in Burma in order to tempt migrants back. The post Embassy Warns Burmese in Thailand About Pre-Referendum Crackdown appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
Influence Rock 2016
International Beer Day
Myanmar Remix
IELTS Mock Exam
Slam Express
'9Power' Art Exhibition
'Minimal Art' Exhibition
'East Village Light Bird' Exhibition
Lokanat Gallery Exhibition
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