The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- NLD Expels Township-Level Executive Committee Members in Election Controversy Aftermath
- Veteran Activists Call for August 8 to be Burma’s ‘Democracy Day’
- Union Peace Conference Set to Begin on August 31
- Govt, Rice Federation Prepare Contingency for Paddy Flooding
- Three More Children Succumb to Measles Outbreak in Naga Region
- Suu Kyi to Visit China Next Week
- Suu Kyi Happy With Workload and ‘Full of Vigor’: Win Htein
- The Day a New Burma was Born
| NLD Expels Township-Level Executive Committee Members in Election Controversy Aftermath Posted: 08 Aug 2016 08:21 AM PDT  A crowd gathers in Mandalay Division's Yamethin Township on September 19, 2015 to see NLD party leader Aung San Suu Kyi. (Photo: NLD Meiktila / Facebook) RANGOON – Burma's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), has expelled a dozen township-level central executive committee members in Mandalay Division for reportedly failing to follow rules and regulations during campaigns for the 2015 general election. The news was relayed by Htun Htun Win, who once had his eye on a Lower House seat, but like all four of the NLD parliamentary candidates contesting in Mandalay's Yamethin Township, he was defeated in the November race. He added that the township's vice-chairman for the NLD, Kyaw Than, was among those removed; the township's NLD chairman, Myo Thein, was already dismissed in November. Others, including Hla Thaung and Aung Myo Oo—who contested for regional parliamentary seats—also blamed their upset on the practices of the 12-member central executive committee. Hla Thaung, who contested for Yamethin Constituency (1), went as far as alleging that some of the now-ousted NLD central executive committee members joined rallies of the NLD's military-backed competitor, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), and spread misleading information about their own candidates. Regional parliamentary candidate Aung Myo Oo said that seven of the township's central executive committee members reportedly convinced village tract level NLD leaders to oppose their own candidates' rallies, and collaborate with members of Buddhist ultranationalist group Ma Ba Tha, who were known to support the USDP over the NLD in the country's election. In his constituency, Aung Myo Oo says he was banned from campaigning by a local NLD leader, who represented one of an estimated 50 villages that the central executive committee members instructed to give their ballot to other parties. "At that time, the situation was totally unpleasant. Some villages did not allow me to hold a rally," he said. Aung Myo Oo also said that he believed the Yamethin Township central executive committee members' dissatisfaction began as early as the process of candidate selection made at the NLD national headquarters. Han Win Naing, one of the ejected central executive committee members, confirmed as much to The Irrawaddy, adding that the discontent was a "long story" which began before the 2015 election. Before the candidate selection process, Han Win Naing explained that the Yamethin central executive committee had already formed a campaign committee with 15 senior members who they felt could accelerate support for the party in the election. They traveled to many villages to open local NLD offices. However, the senior Yamethin members were shocked when the NLD's Union-level central executive body in Rangoon did not list them in their selection of local candidates. "The problem began there. They renewed the committee and members, and then, without any explanation, they cut communication with us," Han Win Naing said, adding that NLD's losses in the township could be attributed to that internal division. However, he dismissed accusations made by losing candidates, such as Aung Myo Oo and Hla Thaung, as "attacks." Quoting a Burmese proverb, Han Win Naing said that the central executive committee members are "not the kind of men" who would set out to undermine others' efforts. In recent months, Aung Myo Oo and Htun Htun Win filed a complaint with the Union Election Commission accusing rival USDP members of exploiting issues of race and religion during the campaign period. The final verdict on the case has not come out yet, but a judge has ordered both sides to present their final arguments to the court on August 11. The post NLD Expels Township-Level Executive Committee Members in Election Controversy Aftermath appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Veteran Activists Call for August 8 to be Burma’s ‘Democracy Day’ Posted: 08 Aug 2016 06:11 AM PDT  A ceremony marking the 28th anniversary of the birth of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising was held on Monday at the Dhamma Piya Monastery in Rangoon. (Photo: Tin Htet Paing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — 88 Generation Peace and Open Society—an activist group led by former student leaders of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising—have called on the government to formally recognize August 8 as Burma's "Democracy Day." The call was made at a ceremony commemorating the 28th anniversary of the general strike that launched the uprising, held on Monday morning at the Dhamma Piya Monastery in Rangoon. The 88 Generation statement said that the movement, known as "8-8-88" to mark the date on which it was launched—when hundreds of thousands of people, led by students, hit the streets to call for an end to the 26-year military dictatorship of Ne Win—was of great historic but also symbolic importance to Burmese society. "The 'four eights' democracy movement occupies a noble place in Burma's political history," the statement said. "We urge the government to officially recognize August 8 as Burma's 'Democracy Day.'" The events of that day in 1988 culminated in a bloody military crackdown, centered outside Rangoon's City Hall, as protestors converged on Sule Pagoda in the heart of the city. Estimates of the death toll from the crackdown, as protests extended across the country, go well beyond 3,000, although the figure remains contested—the government claimed only 350. Min Ko Naing, a former student activist and leading member of 88 Generation, said the uprising should be commemorated on a far grander scale than it is now. "We want to bow our heads and honor the sacrifices of our fallen colleagues, who died holding our revolutionary peacock flag," he said. "We want to grandly commemorate the day so that the public, including the generations born since the uprising, know its value," he said. Tin Oo, patron of the now-ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), attended the commemoration, saying that the 88 Uprising was "an unimaginable revolution." He said, "Students with no weapons, and only holding pens, took to the streets in a protest demanding an end to the oppressive military dictatorship. They proved that the country needed a multi-party democratic system." He also encouraged those attending the ceremony to continue fighting for a genuine democratic government. Activists from 88 Generation and the NLD were joined at the ceremony by members of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), among others who also took part in the uprising. The SNLD chairman Khun Htun Oo spoke at the ceremony, saying that the public had proved their hunger for democracy 28 years ago, but political leaders have not fulfilled their responsibility to the country. "It was an act of the public condemning its ruler," he said. "Our goal of democracy has not been fully accomplished even after 28 years." "An annual commemoration such as this would make us reflect on how much we have fulfilled our responsibilities towards our country," he said. The post Veteran Activists Call for August 8 to be Burma's 'Democracy Day' appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Union Peace Conference Set to Begin on August 31 Posted: 08 Aug 2016 05:57 AM PDT  State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, pictured in a photo shared on social media on August 8, 2016. (Photo: Myanmar State Counsellor Office / Facebook) Burma's Union Peace Conference will begin on August 31, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi announced during a meeting of the conference's central committee in Naypyidaw on Monday. According to the Facebook page of the State Counselor's Office, during the meeting, Suu Kyi also instructed government ministries and officials to "collaborate" on the tasks of convening the peace conference. The central convening committee—formed on August 3 by an order from the President's Office—is chaired by the State Counselor, who is also the head of Burma's peace negotiation center. Kyaw Tint Swe, Minister of the State Counselor's Office, is the vice chair of the newly-formed committee, which also includes Union ministers and deputy ministers. Khin Maung Tin, Deputy Minister of the State Counselor's Office, serves as the committee's secretary, and former Lt-Gen Khin Zaw Oo is the joint secretary. Under the central committee, working committees are also formed with respective ministers and departmental heads. Since May, the new government has formed multiple committees dedicated to peacebuilding, involving a variety of stakeholders. A series of meetings on the political dialogue framework review and the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee are also scheduled to be held within three weeks of the conference's August 31st start date. Also on Monday afternoon, Suu Kyi met with Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing at the President's Office. They reportedly discussed issues ranging from a potential ceasefire in Kachin and northern Shan states, to national reconciliation and the rule of law, to preparatory issues related to the upcoming peace conference. Other meeting participants were Burma Army Vice-Snr-Gen Soe Win, Union Minister for Border Affairs Lt-Gen Ye Aung, Attorney General Tun Tun Oo, peace commission chair Dr. Tin Myo Win, Lt-Gen Mya Tun Oo from the Burma Army commander-in-chief's office, and Lt-Gen Soe Htut, the military attorney general. The post Union Peace Conference Set to Begin on August 31 appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Govt, Rice Federation Prepare Contingency for Paddy Flooding Posted: 08 Aug 2016 05:01 AM PDT  Flooding in Hinthada Township in Irrawaddy Division on Monday. (Photo: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Myanmar Rice Federation, farmers' associations and the Department of Agriculture is preparing to support farmers with seeds and fertilizers, and to monitor water levels, after flooding nationwide has begun to inundate paddy fields. Attention has been focused on the Irrawaddy Delta, whose 3 million acres of monsoon paddy accounts for a large portion of Burma's rice production. "We're now monitoring water levels in paddy fields. Paddy is resistant [to current levels] but if water keeps getting higher, paddy will be damaged. We've made preparations for this [potential] loss," said Myanmar Rice Federation spokesperson Ye Min Aung. In Burma, monsoon paddy is mostly planted between June and August, and is harvested through the cool season, starting from October. Dry season paddy—cultivated in smaller quantities due to the lack of irrigation in many areas—is planted largely between November and December and is harvested from April. "Recently, paddy fields in Upper Burma have been flooded but our particular concern is the Irrawaddy Delta. Working with the government, we are preparing to provide paddy seed, fertilizer and other necessary things for farmers," Ye Min Aung said. In flooding last year—caused by torrential rain that peaked in late July and early August—more than 1.3 million acres of paddy were swamped, out of 20 million acres being cultivated across Burma. At that time, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and farmers' associations disbursed paddy seed so that farmers could re-sow their crop before the end of the planting season. Soe Tun, chairman of the Myanmar Farmers' Association, said that the concern was less with rice production—which was not notably affected last year despite the inundations—but the welfare of individual farmers, many of whom were left with crippling debts. "Farmers lost many things in their lives," he said. "That's why we're preparing to provide paddy seed to support farmers." Soe Tun added that increases in rice prices were not a concern, because of adequate rice stores. Ye Min Aung added that less than 30,000 acres of paddy in Upper Burma had been flooded so far, concentrated in Sagaing and Magwe divisions. "If we compare this to nation-wide paddy acreage, it's not that much, but if the Irrawaddy Delta is flooded, it would have serious implications for rice production this year," he said. Htin Lin, a resident in Nyaungdon Township of Irrawaddy Division, said the Irrawaddy River had swollen this week near the town; paddy fields in villages by the river have started to flood. "Farmers can do nothing but wait and see what will happen," he said. Ye Min Aung said that the Myanmar Rice Federation and the government need to actively prevent rice traders from playing the market during times of floods. "So far, rice stores for local consumption are sufficient," he said. Last year, despite the floods, 1.3 million tons of rice were exported during the 2015-16 fiscal year, ending in March. The Myanmar Rice Federation says it expects 1.5 million tons to be exported over the current fiscal year. The consequences of last year's flooding were believed to have been more indirect. The World Bank put economic growth at 7 per cent for 2015-16, against a projected mid-term growth average of 8.2 percent. Floods were blamed for much of the shortfall. The post Govt, Rice Federation Prepare Contingency for Paddy Flooding appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Three More Children Succumb to Measles Outbreak in Naga Region Posted: 08 Aug 2016 04:43 AM PDT  A medic administers a vaccination to a child in the Naga Self-Administered Zone as members of the community look on, in a photo shared on social media on August 5, 2016. (Photo: Arr Hay / Facebook) Three more children reportedly died over the weekend in the eastern region of the Naga Self-Administered Zone after contracting measles, raising the number of victims of the recent outbreak to 41. "The total number of those who have died has reached 41," said Thein Zaw, the assistant director of the Naga Self-Administered Zone, who confirmed that the once-mysterious illness has been identified as measles. "Now, we almost have control over the situation." Thein Zaw told The Irrawaddy that approximately 100 people have been infected by the disease from two townships, Lahe and Nanyun; the vast majority are from Lahe, with 15 patients reportedly from Nanyun. On August 5—after media, including The Irrawaddy, reported on the outbreak, relaying what was locally perceived as an ineffective governmental response—authorities from the Naga Self-Administered Zone sent around 20 medics to the Lahe village of Thankholama to treat the victims and identify the illness. After locals tested positive for measles, the medics began administering vaccines to villagers on Saturday, August 6; it was in Thankholama where the disease first appeared in June. "The medics gave out vaccines in the villages where the disease broke out, and even gave vaccines to [other] villagers who stay in the nearby area," Thein Zaw said. Lahe Township's Naw Aung Sann, the general secretary of the Council of Naga Affairs, said that of the three children who passed away on August 6 and 7, one was two years old and another was a two-month-old baby. Both victims were from Thankholama village, where The Irrawaddy reported on August 5 that most of the community's 50 households had been affected by the outbreak. At the time of reporting, no information was available about the third young victim. Naw Aung Sann said that both the medics and the authorities had stopped villagers from traveling outside of their communities, lest they possibly spread the disease to other unvaccinated individuals. The rural areas of Lahe and Nanyun townships have little to no health care or transportation infrastructure, and are incredibly difficult to access. The Naga Self-Administered Zone, populated by the Naga ethnic group, is considered one of the poorest and most under-developed areas in Burma. "The government has not been able to provide enough medics, and no one wants to stay in these areas, as it is hard to live and travel there. So the local people have poor knowledge of health care," Naw Aung Sann explained. "If the government could have provided vaccines on time, measles would not have broken out," he added. Measles is caused by a virus and spreads when an infected individual coughs or sneezes, making it highly contagious. It is widely prevented by the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is delivered in infancy. According to the World Health Organization, high rates of vaccination worldwide have greatly reduced the number of outbreaks, but deaths from measles still occur throughout Africa and Asia. Treatment includes supportive care, such as rehydration and control of the patient's fever. The post Three More Children Succumb to Measles Outbreak in Naga Region appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Suu Kyi to Visit China Next Week Posted: 08 Aug 2016 02:41 AM PDT  Burma's Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi meets with with China's Minister of State Security Geng Huichang in Naypyidaw on July 8. (Photo: Global New Light of Myanmar) RANGOON — Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's state counselor and foreign minister, is scheduled to visit China for four days from next week, according to the President's Office. President's Office spokesman Zaw Htay confirmed that Suu Kyi would travel to China on Aug. 17. He declined to offer further details, saying that more would be announced soon. China's Minister of State Security Geng Huichang invited her to visit China during a meeting in the Burmese capital of Naypyidaw on July 8. It will be her first foreign visit since her name appeared on a (unverified) "hit list" sent to police in Malaysia on August 1, which purported to be from the Islamic State terrorist group. Since the National League for Democracy (NLD) formed a government at the end of March, Suu Kyi has made two foreign trips: to Laos in May and to Thailand in June. As NLD chairperson and leader of the opposition, Suu Kyi visited Beijing in June 2015 at the invitation of the Chinese Communist Party, meeting with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. Suu Kyi has accepted an invitation from President Barack Obama to visit the United States before his presidency ends. There has been speculation that the trip would coincide with the session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. Suu Kyi's decision to visit China before the United States will be framed within the broader challenge her administration faces of rebalancing relations with China, on one side, and the West, on the other. China is Burma's foremost trading partner and a key source of foreign direct investment. Large Chinese-backed energy and resource-extraction projects in Burma—most prominently the Myitsone Dam in Kachin State—have been met with sustained popular resistance in recent years. The NLD government has yet to formulate a clear policy towards them. The post Suu Kyi to Visit China Next Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Suu Kyi Happy With Workload and ‘Full of Vigor’: Win Htein Posted: 08 Aug 2016 01:04 AM PDT  Aung San Suu Kyi, a woman of many offices. (Photo: Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy) NAYPYIDAW — State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi is not overburdened with steering the cabinet and performing her various high-level executive functions, National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesperson Win Htein told The Irrawaddy. Win Htein was speaking in response to concerns flagged in a report by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group released at the end of last month: that Suu Kyi is shouldering an overwhelming array of responsibilities and must learn to delegate more authority, and consult more widely, in pursuing her reform agenda. "I don't think she feels pressured by her workload because she is merely applying now what she has learned throughout her life. She always seems to be at ease whenever I see her. Sometimes, she even cracks jokes," said Win Htein. As state counselor, foreign minister, NLD chairperson, and chair of the high-level committees overseeing the peace process with ethnic armed groups and the frozen religious conflict in Arakan State, leadership on Burma's most pressing crises and reform initiatives falls on Suu Kyi. Win Htein said Suu Kyi is not only capable of meeting all her responsibilities but she is always found to be happy while doing so; the 71-year-old is "full of vigor despite her age." "It seems that she made a resolution to stay healthy. She is even healthier than me," said Win Htein, who is known to meet Suu Kyi at least two or three times a week. Regarding the appearance of Suu Kyi's name on an (unverified) "hit list" sent to police in Malaysia on August 1, which purported to be from the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, Win Htein reiterated earlier government claims that Suu Kyi's personal security would be increased. "IS has made a threat, but the government's security apparatus has taken responsibility for her [safety]. This makes us feel relieved. But we [the NLD governing executive] still have responsibility for her security," he said. All the security agencies in Burma—including the police—and the government departments related to defense and security are under the control of the military, in accordance with the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, without civilian oversight. At a socio-economic development forum held in Naypyidaw on Saturday, Win Htein admitted that the NLD government had been unable to make significant progress in improving Burma's economy in the first four months of its administration. However, he cited key differences between the conduct of the current government and its military-backed predecessor: both the central and the state and division governments are "not corrupt," and the government "does not oppress the people at all." Those appointed by the NLD government "try not to make mistakes," Win Htein said. "We monitor them. We are not hesitant to correct or replace them if they make mistakes, even if their intentions are good. This is the policy adopted by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi," he told reporters. He added that some office-holders have "deviated" from the NLD's goals: "some become arrogant and some seek popularity. Whenever we see such things, we note them down and try to correct them." The post Suu Kyi Happy With Workload and 'Full of Vigor': Win Htein appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Posted: 07 Aug 2016 06:55 PM PDT  Protesters gather near Sule Pagoda in downtown Rangoon during the nationwide pro-democracy uprising in 1988. Exactly 28 years ago, on Aug. 8, 1988, a popular democratic uprising took off in Rangoon that would sweep the country but end with a bloody crackdown by the Burma Army. In this article, which first appeared on Aug. 8, 2012, participants in the uprising recall the heady days of revolt and its tragic ending. RANGOON — When he woke up early on a drizzling Monday morning in August 24 years ago, Sanny, then 21 years old, probably had no idea that the day would end in tragedy. He was in high spirits when he left home at 7:30 to attend a downtown demonstration. He wasn't worried about a thing—just very excited. It was August 8, 1988, or "8-8-88" as it's widely known, when hundreds of thousands of Burmese from all walks of life joined a popular protest in the former capital Rangoon to topple the dictator Ne Win's single party rule that had oppressed them for 26 years. "Even today I have no regrets about joining the demonstration at that time. I was doing something I felt I had to do," said the then third-year physics student at Rangoon University, who later received a long prison sentence for his participation. Twenty-four years later, the day still stands as an important milestone in modern Burmese history—a day that marked the emergence of a full-fledged democracy movement that managed to topple Ne Win's regime, only to see a new junta seize power and spend the ensuing decades relentlessly suppressing its leaders, including Burma's newfound democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi. It was a day of hope, bullets, blood and tears. Whenever he thinks about that day, the first thing that comes to Sanny's mind is the huge column of demonstrators shouting anti-Ne Win slogans and the people on both sides of the road who expressed their full support for the protesters. "The road was packed with people as far as the eye could see. There were countless people lining the sides of the roads, giving us food, drinking water and cigarettes. They said 'May your cause succeed,'" he recalled. "It made me cry, and what I learned on that day was that people are always ready to be with you when you stand on their side. With that much popular support, I was convinced that we would easily win," he added. But the military crackdown on thousands of protesters at Rangoon City Hall that night proved he was wrong. Pyone Cho, a leading member of the 88 Generation Students group, was among the demonstrators near the City Hall a few minutes before the army opened fire. He was 22 years old at that time, doing his masters degree in geology at Rangoon University. "Around 11 pm, someone informed us that we were surrounded. The army gave us three warnings to disperse. Then came a sudden blackout and the bullets started to fly in. I was lucky to narrowly escape," he recounted. Pandavunsa, 55, has a vivid memory of how bloody the crackdown was. "When they began shooting, I was in total shock. Then two guys near me fell down. So I grabbed them and started to run for my life," remembered the Buddhist monk, who took part in the protest as a member of the Rangoon Young Monk's Organization and was later a leading figure in the monk-led Saffron Revolution in 2007. "A few minutes later I stopped to find out that the head of the man I carried away was open. His brains were like smashed tofu. The other one, a monk, had been shot in the stomach. I could see his intestines. He was already dead, too," he said. The next morning, an eerie silence descended on the whole of Rangoon and there was no trace of the previous night's mass killing in front of the City Hall. The number of casualties still remains unknown. Dr. Tin Myo Win, now the Aung San Suu Kyi-led government's chief peace negotiator, was a surgeon at that time at Rangoon General Hospital, where he treated many wounded protesters. Although he also has vivid memories of that day and its aftermath, he said he is reluctant to recount them, lest he reignite public resentment over the crackdown and cause any obstacle to the national reconciliation process that Suu Kyi is now working on. He acknowledges, however, that the 8-8-88 uprising has had an indelible impact on the country. "Nobody can deny that it brought out leaders and players for today's Burmese politics. The uprising opened our eyes to the need for national reconciliation and unity, which are the essential forces to complete our mission that originated 24 years ago," he said. Pyone Cho said the 88 movement was the mother of all subsequent uprisings, all of which have had only one strong message that still echoes today: People want democratic changes. "After our repeated demands for change, the government is now doing some reforms. But I have to say, there's a long road to the change we want. Take the Constitution, for example. If we all take part in the reform process, as we did in 1988, we will win," said the 46-year-old ex-political prisoner who has spent nearly 20 years behind bars. For Pandavunsa, Burmese democracy begins with the 88 movement. "It was the very first time we Burmese collectively fought against the dictatorship. It was the first time we talked about democracy. Anyone in their right mind knows today's changes are the long awaited results of the 88 uprising," the monk commented. Tin Myo Win said it was the "88 spirit"—working for the people's interests and having comradeship among protesters—that toppled single party rule 24 years ago. "If we were able to work together even at that time when the doors to change were closed, why can't we reapply that spirit now, when changes are visible and our goal is in sight?" he said, adding that "the goal is a long way to go." Meanwhile, the 24th anniversary of the 8-8-88 uprising has revived Pandavunsa's memories of that fateful day. "I still remember the faces of people on that night. Even in their death, I felt hope for change was written on their faces," said the monk. "We have sacrificed a lot. I saw comrades die young. I pray for no repetition of that day." The post The Day a New Burma was Born appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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