The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Peace First, Education Second, Say Upper House NLD Parliamentarians
• Without Sanctions, Burmese Govt Must Hold Cronies Accountable
• Advocacy Group to Govt: Join UN Convention Against Torture
• Industry Leaders Enthused by Reinstatement of US Trade Benefits for Burma
• Govt Green Lights Hotels in Bagan Archaeological Zone
• Facebook Post Inspires Landmark Case for Migrant Workers in Thailand
• Thousands Flee, Casualties Reported in Karen State Conflict
• US Lifts Sanctions, Retains Limitations on Military
• US Senator Blasts Burma State Counselor’s “Dismissive” Reaction on Trafficking
• Washington Conference Foreshadows Lifting of Sanctions
• US Announces Lifting of Burma Sanctions
• Review: Dissident Memoirs of Ma Thida and U Kyaw Win

Peace First, Education Second, Say Upper House NLD Parliamentarians Posted: 15 Sep 2016 08:23 AM PDT Khin Aung Myint, pictured in Naypyidaw in April 2015. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — The National League for Democracy (NLD)-dominated Upper House of Parliament voted down a proposal to expand ethnic minority language education on Monday, citing a need to first "prioritize nationwide peace." U Khin Aung Myint, a Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) lawmaker and former House Speaker, put forward a plan to improve education in isolated areas of ethnic states. His proposal requested that the Union government provide continual support to ethnic education. Some ethnic minority lawmakers backed the move, pointing out how their constituencies could benefit from an investment in education and also emphasized a need for their mother tongues to be taught in government schools. Saying that the current parliamentary priority should be the attainment of nationwide peace, NLD lawmakers voted down the proposal 107 to 82. They did, however, suggest that the proposal be documented in the parliamentary record. "I decided to propose this issue as I thought that the government would not have many challenges in implementing it," said Khin Aung Myint. "My proposal was intended to help the ethnic people who stay in isolated, mountainous areas. They have a really bad situation. They do not have education, and they have poor health care. Their lives are short, and then they die. They become human beings, but they are treated as having no value as human beings." The proposal was timed, he explained, to be carried out in preparation for a future federal system. Sheila Nang Tawng, an ethnic Kachin lawmaker from the NLD, said that Khin Aung Myint's proposal could have helped to foster unity among Burma's many ethnic nationality groups. "If we have good education, then we could build permanent peace," she said. In the Upper House session, she requested a program teaching about Kachin culture in government schools. Nyi Sein from the Ta'ang National Party in Muse, Shan State, said he owed Khin Aung Myint "a thank you" for his proposal, even if it did not pass. "There is a very low percent of people who can read and write," Nyi Sein said of marginalized ethnic communities in his area. "There is not one school teaching our ethnic language in my constituency, but there are many Chinese language schools, which look like they came from paradise—that's how brilliant and luxurious they are," he added. Yet parliamentarians like U Aung Myo Latt from Mandalay Division's Constituency No. 5 and the NLD, said that now was not the time to pursue changes in education. "The main problem is our country is political conflict. Our government has to work hard to have peace and national reconciliation, and a federal union," Aung Myo Latt said. "When we have democracy and a federal union, then we can improve our education system. States could develop their education systems." From Karen State's Constituency No. 7, the NLD's Dr. Ah Khar Moe described her constituency as home to over 100,000 people but only 200 schools. "There were 15,000 students in primary schools, but only 100 graduate from high school," Ah Khar Moe said. "First, we need peace in order to improve education. But we cannot build a better country in one day. The government had better learn what is needed on the ground, and help." The proposal from U Khin Aung Myint should kept on the record, she added. The post Peace First, Education Second, Say Upper House NLD Parliamentarians appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Without Sanctions, Burmese Govt Must Hold Cronies Accountable Posted: 15 Sep 2016 05:51 AM PDT Burma's State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi meets with US President Barack Obama at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on September 14, 2016. (Photo: Carlos Barria / Reuters) In the near future, Burma will no longer be a pariah, as the Obama administration has announced its intent to lift economic sanctions to deepen business, trade, diplomatic ties, and several assistance programs with the Southeast Asian nation. Many cronies who were on the US sanctions list will soon be removed, but it is as yet unclear who will remain under restrictions. This news will bring some relief as well as some uneasiness. To put it simply, removing them from the US sanctions list doesn't necessarily mean these cronies and criminals are clean. Now, the onus is on the Burmese government and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to hold them accountable and begin a process of rehabilitation so that it matches her repeated aphorism that she will introduce rule of law in the country. Aung Zaw is the founding editor-in-chief of The Irrawaddy. Moreover, the Burmese public, independent media and civil society groups will need to remain vigilant in monitoring how these former US-sanctioned cronies gradually reintegrate into the local and international business community; they will also need to stay informed about the foreign partners that work with them. No doubt there is huge risk involved in working with some notorious tycoons and it will require enormous due diligence on the part of those who choose to do so. According to the US State Department's press release, "…several restrictions remain in place. JADE Act visa ineligibilities remain in effect, including with respect to military leaders and those who provide substantial political and economic support to the Burmese military. Remaining restrictions on foreign assistance to Burma include limitations on assistance to Burma's military." Indeed, Burma's notorious drug barons, arms dealers, and businessmen associated with the military generals have all enriched themselves. Under military rule, these cronies became wealthy, but many were simply rent-seekers and did not run genuine enterprises. It is also assumed that some generals and tycoons who were involved in arms smuggling and illicit trade will not be removed from the list. If they are in fact removed from the US sanctions list, it is the Burmese government who should launch a thorough investigation into their activities and hold them accountable in public. If they are found guilty, they should be jailed. This will show that the Burmese are taking matters into their own hands. Still, US-sanctioned tycoons have whispered that many businessmen who should be on the US sanctions list are still at large: it is time for the elected government to do its homework. It remains to be seen whether some figures such as Tay Za and Htun Myint Naing—also known as Steven Law—will be among those removed from the US sanctions list soon. Tay Za (also spelled Te Za) was placed on the US sanctions list in 2007 after the regime crushed a monk-led pro-democracy uprising that year. Officially, Tay Za runs the Htoo Trading Group, but he is also known to have served as an arms broker for the former regime when it purchased military hardware from Russia. It should be noted that there are several new arms brokers in Burma that are not on the US sanctions list. In any case, Tay Za is allegedly close to Burma's top leaders of the former junta, including Snr-Gen Than Shwe, but he now lives in Bangkok, Thailand. The irony is that in December, National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmakers held two political trainings at Shwe San Eain Hotel in Naypyidaw—the hotel is owned by Tay Za, who has been known to generously sponsor NLD trainings. In a report published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) this month, it was also revealed that Tay Za is building the NLD new headquarters. What about Htun Myint Naing? Will US remove him from the list? As the son of one of Burma's well-known drug traffickers, Lo Hsing Han, Htun Myint Naing runs Asia World, Burma's largest business conglomerate. He is known to be close to former generals and as a businessman, he has strong links to the Chinese government. Under Burma's previous quasi-civilian administration, Htun Myint Naing's company won a contract to build a new Rangoon airport terminal—the project is worth US$660 million. As the company anticipated the easing of US sanctions, Asia World restructured its business to focus on infrastructure, energy and property development, and dropped out of other pursuits, such as toll road construction, coal power plants, petrol stations and mining interests. Htay Myint, a former lawmaker and a business tycoon close to former regime, heads the company Yuzana. Over the past decade, Yuzana has been accused of confiscating 300,000 acres of land in the Hukawng Valley area of Kachin State for use as a plantation. Farmers who owned several acres of land in the area now demanding the company return it and compensate them. The question remains how Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD government will continue to investigate the many issues involving notorious tycoons. How much capacity and political will they need in order to make sure public confidence remains strong in the government? According to Global Witness, drug lord Wei Hsueh Kang controls a web of jade companies. The US has reportedly put a US$2 million bounty on his head and targeted him with narcotics sanctions and indictments. It is doubtful he lives in Burma though, and is likely in China. Indeed, there are several other criminals still at large. But no doubt they are multi-millionaires, flying private jets and enjoying expensive champagne and laughing at the news of a new era in the US-Burma relations. The State Counselor once said, "I’m not afraid of sanctions, because I believe that sanctions were imposed for a particular reason and these reasons will be removed in time." But the public will not like to see criminals, drug barons and arms smugglers walking free on the street, carrying on business as usual. The intention is to reward the Burmese who fought hard to achieve some degree of freedom and democracy so that ordinary citizens—rather than cronies—could enjoy more prosperity and opportunity. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi strongly advocated for rule of law in the country during her political campaign. She has to ensure that when it comes to some notorious tycoons and criminals in the country, not everything is back to normal. If not, the public could lose faith in the government, the system, and in the rule of law itself. The post Without Sanctions, Burmese Govt Must Hold Cronies Accountable appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Advocacy Group to Govt: Join UN Convention Against Torture Posted: 15 Sep 2016 05:38 AM PDT Photographs of former political prisoners are seen at an event honoring those who died in custody of Burma's military regime  (Photo: The Irrawaddy ) RANGOON — An advocacy group for Burmese political prisoners urged State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to join the United Nations' Convention against Torture (CAT) to help eradicate the practice in Burma. U Bo Kyi, joint-secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), told The Irrawaddy that torture is still present in Burma, including in ethnic areas. He said criminal suspects are tortured during interrogation in police custody, domestic workers are tortured by employers, and students are tortured by teachers. The rights group has long claimed that Burma's military and police—as well as some non-state armed groups—have used torture to coerce civilians into confessing. AAPP said in the statement on Thursday that ratification of the CAT would show the international community that Burma's new government is dedicated to human rights, would reduce ongoing torture of civilians, and encourage trust between ethnic factions. According to a report by the AAPP and the Former Political Prisoners Society (FPPS) published in May this year, between 7,000 and 10,000 political prisoners have been imprisoned in Burma since 1962. The report gathered data on 1,621 former political prisoners and stated that 72 percent of them had been subjected to physical torture and 75 percent were psychologically tortured. Eight of the political prisoners died during interrogation. AAPP said that Dr. Aung Moe Nyo, formerly National League for Democracy Lower House lawmaker for Pwintbyu, Magwe Division and now chief minister of the region, submitted a proposal urging the previous government to sign the UN treaty back in 2013. The previous military-backed government said they would sign the treaty but did not follow through. "Signing the treaty is important for the dignity of the new government and to protect Burmese individuals' security," U Bo Kyi of AAPP said. "By signing and ratifying the international convention, we would also get assistance from the international community to eradicate torture in the country." He added that after ratifying the convention, the government would need to prepare laws and form monitoring groups to successfully implement it. "We need to bring awareness to armed groups, the authorities, and the public to take action against torturers," Bo Kyi said. Burma's State Counselor and foreign minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is now on her official visit to the United States. She is scheduled to attend the 71st session of the UN general assembly in New York. The post Advocacy Group to Govt: Join UN Convention Against Torture appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Industry Leaders Enthused by Reinstatement of US Trade Benefits for Burma Posted: 15 Sep 2016 05:18 AM PDT Burma's State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi meets with US President Barack Obama during her visit to Washington DC on Wednesday. (Photo: Myanmar State Counsellor Office / Facebook) RANGOON — Businessmen, industry leaders and members of government have expressed enthusiasm after statements from President Barack Obama that the US would soon re-admit Burma to the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). President Obama notified the US Congress on Wednesday that it would reintroduce Burma to the preferential trade scheme in November, as part of further sanctions relief for Burma in recognition of recent democratic gains. The scheme would relieve the country's exporters of US import duties in up to 5,000 product categories. The announcement was made during the visit of Burma's State Counselor and Foreign Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to Washington DC, where she met with President Obama and requested the removal of remaining sanctions on Burma. Burma was removed from the GSP in 1989 due its failure to meet international labor rights standards, and in reaction to the military's bloody crackdown on the 1988 pro-democracy movement. Industry insiders believe the GSP could help Burma meet the government's ambitious target of tripling Burma's export volume by the end of its current term in 2020—although meeting US import standards would present a challenge to underdeveloped sectors in Burma's economy, including agriculture and fisheries. Bans on US imports of jade and gemstones from Burma, and on arm sales to Burma, would not be affected by re-admittance to the GSP, and would require congressional approval to overturn. "It's really good news for us. Exporters are happy. We've been waiting a long time to receive this benefit from the US," chairman of Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone U Myat Thin Aung told the Irrawaddy. He highlighted the garment, agriculture and fisheries sectors as major export industries that would be boosted by the GSP. "For garment factories, there will be no taxes in the US when they export. Along with marine and agricultural products, they can better compete with other countries, and wouldn't need to export through other countries such as Thailand," he said. "If US trade benefits could include timber and mineral products such as jade, it would benefit our country even more," he said. The Garment Association of Burma claimed it earned US$1.4 billion in 2014, rising to $1.65 billion in 2015. It expects 1,500 factories to be operational in Burma by 2025, with a focus on cutting, manufacturing and packaging. U Than Aung Kyaw, deputy director general at the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration, told the Irrawaddy that the garment sector was currently among the top recipients of foreign investment in Burma, and would particularly benefit from the GSP. U Than Aung Kyaw said that, despite the "green light" from the US government, it may take a while for the benefits of the GSP to be felt, due to "internal processes" in the US, but said in the meantime Burmese exporters need to address "product quality." He said exporters needed to familiarize themselves with US import standards: "I'm not worried for the garment sector, which has already met quality targets, but for agricultural and marine products, [producers] need to carefully check for quality," he said. According to U Yan Naing Tun, director general at the Ministry of Commerce, Burma's export volume has been increasing year by year, receiving a US$300 million bump from April to the end of August compared to the same period last year, with growth in the garment sector accounting for much of the increase. He also stressed the need to ramp up quality control, with the participation of concerned government ministries, to fully realize the potential gains of the GSP. In 2013, the European Union re-admitted Burma to the "Everything But Arms" preferential trade regime, as part of a general relaxation of sanctions against Burma, which has particularly benefited the garment and fisheries sectors. The post Industry Leaders Enthused by Reinstatement of US Trade Benefits for Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Govt Green Lights Hotels in Bagan Archaeological Zone Posted: 15 Sep 2016 04:29 AM PDT An ongoing hotel construction site in Bagan’s Archaeological Zone. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) NAYPYIDAW — The government has decided to green light 25 hotels in Bagan's Archaeological Zone that were built without the permission of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture, said minister Thura U Aung Ko. Existing laws prohibit commercial buildings in the archaeological zone without ministry approval. The minister announced the approval to reporters after a parliamentary session on Wednesday. Because of weak cooperation between ministries during the power transfer from the previous government to the new National League for Democracy (NLD) government—which won in a landslide 2015 election—42 hotels were granted construction permits in Bagan's Archaeological zone, of which 25 are 70-90 percent complete, while 17 have not yet begun construction. "We've allowed 25 hotels that have already been built. UNESCO thinks hotels will break even after 10 years but businessmen demand it will take 15. Our ministry reached an agreement stating that these hotels will have to move to a hotel zone, which is seven kilometers away from the archaeological zone, after 15 years of operation," Thura U Aung Ko told the media. He said the government would sign an agreement with hoteliers to ensure that they move to the hotel zone after 15 years in operation. The ministry will not allow the 17 hotels that have not yet been started, he added. "UNESCO demands that the hotels be demolished after 15 years, citing examples of world heritage sites like Borobudur Temple in Indonesia and Angkor Wat in Cambodia," Thura U Aung Ko told The Irrawaddy. According to UNESCO, there must not be any residential buildings or guesthouses within a five to seven kilometer radius of heritage buildings. The government has explained to UNESCO that it is not possible to demolish Nyaung U and more than 20 other villages in the area. "We urged them [UNESCO Myanmar] to try to inscribe the archaeological zone as a mixed ancient zone on the world heritage site list, on the condition that we won't allow any modern buildings to be built in Nyaung U or surrounding areas. We reached an agreement, in principle. If it happens, it will be inscribed as a new type of UNESCO heritage site," said Thura U Aung Ko. In Bagan, hotels were not permitted under the Burma Socialist Program Party, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) or the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Hotels emerged in the area under former President U Thein Sein's quasi-civilian government and have been officially recognized by the new government, said U Chin Po, a member of Bagan Lovers' Group, a local civil society organization engaged in preserving the archaeological zone. "It is unacceptable to allow hotels in the ancient heritage site. Does this mean the new government is permitting things that were banned for successive periods?" he asked. According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture, it is up to hoteliers whether to demolish the 25 approved hotels after 15 years or allow the ministry to use them as public spaces, recreations or schools. On August 24, a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Bagan, damaging over 400 religious structures—about 40 of which were significant in terms of historical, cultural and architectural aspects. "The stupas are easy to repair, and it will not cost a lot. But for the ancient temples, we will seek the assistance of UNESCO to repair them," Thura U Aung Ko told the media. The post Govt Green Lights Hotels in Bagan Archaeological Zone appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Facebook Post Inspires Landmark Case for Migrant Workers in Thailand Posted: 15 Sep 2016 03:36 AM PDT Burmese migrant worker, Tun Tun Win, 24, and 13 coworkers have filed a lawsuit at a Thai labor court. (Photo: Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters) BANGKOK, Thailand — Tun Tun Win and his coworkers from Burma thought life was fine at the Thammakaset chicken farm in central Thailand, where they reared hundreds of thousands of birds for export to the European Union. The migrants clocked 20 hours a day for 40 days straight, shoveling litter and culling the sick among the birds as they grew from chicks to poultry for slaughter. After that, they worked 10-hour days for three weeks cleaning the warehouse-sized coops at the Thammakaset chicken farm in Lopburi province. And finally they got three days off. All that work for what they figured was a fair wage: nearly US$7 a day, with free rent and electricity. "We thought our employer was a nice guy because he gave us rooms, and we didn’t have to pay rent," Tun Tun Win said. "We stayed for free, and we got our money." More than 3 million migrants work in Thailand, the vast majority from neighboring Burma, according to the International Organization for Migration. Many are exploited on farms and in factories across the country, facing an uphill battle for compensation and justice against multi-tiered corporate supply chains, rights groups say. That’s if they even know they’re being exploited in the first place. It was a smartphone and a Facebook post that opened Tun Tun Win’s eyes to the severity of his work conditions—and led to a landmark lawsuit pitting migrant workers against a corporation at the top of the food chain. The case highlights widespread ignorance among both workers and employers about labor rights, and workplace norms seen as violations in the closely scrutinized global supply chain. It all began last year after Tun Tun Win bought a new phone, and a "chicken doctor"—one of the farm's veterinarians—introduced him to social media. Lying in bed next to his wife one night, he saw a post about tuna plant workers from Burma who had been overworked and underpaid. They had received more than $1 million in an unprecedented settlement in March. The Facebook post by the local non-profit Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN) inspired Tun Tun Win and 13 coworkers to take action. In a lawsuit filed at a labor court earlier this month following unsuccessful negotiations with the company and local authorities, they are demanding $1.3 million in compensation and civil damages. The suit alleges forced overtime, unlawful salary deductions, passport confiscation and limited freedom of movement. Crucially, the action is against both Thammakaset and the buyer of the farm's poultry – agricultural giant Betagro, which exports food worldwide. "Test Case" Andy Hall, a prominent British human rights activist in Thailand who has consulted on several cases involving migrants, said the litigation was an important test case. "We’re trying to hold Betagro responsible for the system of contract farming," he said. "If we can, it will have huge implications for contract farming and the responsibility of corporate supply chains across Thailand." Part of the workers’ evidence includes pictures snapped on Tun Tun Win’s phone and shared on Facebook, including time-stamped cards – one showing a worker clocking in on May 24 at 6:54, out at 17:00, in again at 19:02, then out at 5:37. That’s a total of 20 hours and 41 minutes. In an interview, Thammakaset owner Chanchai Pheamphon said he had not fully understood the requirements under Thai law and agreed he had underpaid staff as well as illegally deducted rent and utilities from their daily wages. But he denied charges of forced labor or limiting employees' freedom of movement, and said he planned to file a counter defamation suit against the workers and MWRN. "I’m now facing bankruptcy," he told Thomson Reuters Foundation, adding that a decision by Betagro to halt business with Thammakaset amid the controversy had forced him to shut his 1.6 million-chicken, three-farm operation and lay off nearly 100 employees. "This NGO (MWRN) wants more money for these 14 workers, but what about the 100 others?" he said. "The world has already found me guilty, and they have stopped buying my goods. They’ve already sentenced me to death." Betagro, one of Thailand’s largest meat producers and exporters, also denied the workers' allegations. "There were no violations of human rights or anything resembling forced labor, as defined by the law on prevention and suppression of human trafficking," it said in a statement. Other than the statement, Betagro did not respond to email and phone requests for an interview. Abuse and Ignorance Supply chains for goods such as food, clothing and electronics usually begin in countries with the cheapest labor. Thailand has been at the center of scores of reports of slavery and human trafficking, with migrants from Burma suffering the worst exploitation. In the face of mounting scrutiny of supply chains, Thailand has strengthened laws to crack down on labor exploitation, while other countries have passed legislation to address abuses abroad. Britain’s 2015 Modern Slavery Bill requires businesses to disclose actions taken to ensure their supply chains are free of slave labor. In February, US President Barack Obama signed the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, banning imports of goods made with forced labor into the United States. Yet at the lowest rungs of supply chains, rights groups say many businesses such as Thammakaset fall short of global standards—even if owners like Chanchai defend working practices. He said staff voluntarily worked nights to rack up bonuses. "We paid them to work during the day, but we didn’t forbid them from working at night," he said, adding that they chose to sleep in hammocks in the room next to the chicken warehouse. "They play on the Wi-Fi, then go and look at their chickens. They don’t have to work, but they just might think that if they raise the chickens well, they will get more money." Flipping through a bound file of documents, Chanchai showed photos of the workers drinking at a restaurant and swimming, and of the low fence around his farm that he said proved they were free to come and go as they pleased. He said he deducted $2 from their $8.60 legal minimum daily wage for rent, drinking water and electricity, and made cuts such as a 14 cent fine for not picking up dead chickens. With the fines collected, he would buy a gold necklace for a raffle at the workers’ year-end party, he said. Hall, the rights activist, said the workers were told if they did not work overnight, they would face salary deductions – a charge Chanchai denies. Commenting on the 14 cent deduction for not picking up dead chickens, Hall said: "That is illegal. Any deduction from the salary is illegal. He has acknowledged that he has unlawfully deducted money from them." Hall added that it was common for employers and officials to rationalize violations, revealing a mindset in which only the most extreme conditions or acts—such as putting workers in chains— constituted crimes. "These people just don't understand that what they're doing is abuse," he said. "They don't think of it as forced labor or modern-day slavery. They don't understand how people could level such allegations against them." The post Facebook Post Inspires Landmark Case for Migrant Workers in Thailand appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thousands Flee, Casualties Reported in Karen State Conflict Posted: 15 Sep 2016 02:50 AM PDT A group of Burma Army soldiers deployed in the Myaing Gyi Ngu area. (Photo: Hsa Moo) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Thousands of civilians have fled their homes and there have been reports of casualties as fighting persists in the Myaing Gyi Ngu and Mae Tha Waw areas of Karen State. Volunteer aid workers in Myaing Gyi Ngu said that 3,800 villagers who have fled the fighting are staying at a hall in the village and in locals' houses, while others have fled across the border to Thailand. The numbers are increasing, they said. "The villagers said the fighting is still happening," said, Hay Plah, a volunteer relief worker who just returned from Myaing Gyi Ngu. "They are not sure about the number of casualties, but said many Border Guard Force (BGF) soldiers have been injured or killed." One soldier from the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), who is currently fighting the BGF and Burma Army, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that two of its soldiers had been wounded and that many soldiers from the BGF and Burma Army have been killed or wounded. "I witnessed a pile of BGF soldier corpses. I guess there might have been around 100 of them," said the soldier who is fighting with Maj Saw San Aung's group. He added that DKBA troops also seized several weapons in clashes in the villages of Yeika Kone, Wa Klu camp, and Kalu Htaw in Myaing Gyi Ngu and Mae Tha Waw areas. Sources close to NGOs in Mae Sot on the Thai-Burma border also reported that Myawaddy hospital has received many injured BGF and Burma Army soldiers from conflict areas. They said that casualties stand at around 40 and that many had been injured by land mines. The Irrawaddy was not able to confirm the number of casualties independently. Saw Thaw Thee Bwe, joint secretary of the largest ethnic Karen armed group the Karen National Union (KNU), told The Irrawaddy, "We know that so far more than 3,000 villagers from over 20 villages have fled and sought refuge in Myaing Gyi Ngu and Ka Ma Maung villages. Some also fled across the border to Thailand." Humanitarian assistance by several organizations including the DKBA, as well as private companies and individuals, was also delivered to affected villagers in Myaing Gyi Ngu. About 200 villagers have fled into Thailand’s Tha Song Yan District. On Tuesday, the KNU voiced concern over the ongoing fighting in Mae Tha Waw region in Karen State and called on all concerned parties, especially the Burma Army, to cease military activity, saying it could affect the peace process. The post Thousands Flee, Casualties Reported in Karen State Conflict appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Lifts Sanctions, Retains Limitations on Military Posted: 15 Sep 2016 02:47 AM PDT US President Obama meets with Burma's State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. (Photo: Reuters) As United States President Barack Obama announces the lifting of economic sanctions on Burma, several restrictions concerning the military and military leaders remain in effect. The US has eased sanctions on Burma since reform began in 2011 and during a visit from Burma's State Counselor and de facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi this week, has announced its commitment to further lift them following the country's transition from military regime to greater democracy. Some restrictions remain, pertaining to trade with North Korea, drug trafficking, military influence and the gems trade. A press release from the US Department of State highlighted  the country's desire to "support the democratic aspirations of the people of Burma, and work closely with the government to develop new policies to address challenges, including the disproportionate role of the military in the economy and the need for responsible and transparent investment and business practices, in particular in the jadeite and gemstones sector." It added that President Obama welcomed Burma's commitment to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, in an effort to reintegrate into the international financing system. Along these lines, JADE Act visa ineligibilities remain in place, with respect to former regime leaders and officals involved in the repression of human rights. The JADE Act focuses on stopping anti-democratic activities in addition to preventing those closely tied to the former regime from profiting from the trade of precious gems. Limitations also remain on foreign assistance to Burma's military. President Obama announced his intention to terminate the "national emergency" order in respect to Burma —which has authorized sanctions since 1997—and said it would happen "soon." This move serves as a testament to the dramatic change that Burma has recently witnessed. The country has its first democratically-elected civilian leadership for the first time in more than 50 years, and is focused on national peace and reconciliation. But significant challenges remain, in a country that has also seen decades of civil war and persecution of ethnic and religious minorities. Leading up to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's visit, human rights groups called for the US to retain sanctions and use them as leverage to promote further human rights reform within the country. The post US Lifts Sanctions, Retains Limitations on Military appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Senator Blasts Burma State Counselor’s “Dismissive” Reaction on Trafficking Posted: 15 Sep 2016 02:39 AM PDT State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is guided by US National Park Service Ranger Heath Mitchell as she visits the Lincoln Memorial on her trip to Washington DC. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst / Reuters) WASHINGTON, United States — A US senator said on Wednesday that he was "somewhat appalled" by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s reaction to her country’s record on human trafficking, underscoring concerns about human rights that are shadowing the Burma leader’s visit to Washington. "While we certainly appreciate the work Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has done to ensure a democratic transition in Burma, I am somewhat appalled by her dismissive reaction to concerns I raised this morning about the problem of human trafficking in her country," US Republican Senator Bob Corker said in a statement released to Reuters after a breakfast meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Vice President Joe Biden. "After witnessing her lack of regard for Burma’s dismal track record on this issue, I plan to pay very close attention to her government’s efforts to prevent innocent human beings from being trafficked and sold into forced labor and sex slavery," said Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, spent many years under house arrest for her opposition to the military junta that ruled Burma for decades. The United States placed Burma on its list of the worst human trafficking offenders in June for failing to do more to curb widespread abuses, hoping to prod its new government and its powerful military to address the issue. "Obviously, it’s not an issue that she displays much of a concern for, and I expressed my strong disappointment at her dismissive response," Corker told Reuters in an interview later on Wednesday. Although Corker said he supported sanctions relief for Burma as a way to support its young democracy, he said he would look for ways to convey the importance of the trafficking issue to the United States. “I am going to explore ways to cause them to care a little bit more,” he said. The post US Senator Blasts Burma State Counselor's "Dismissive" Reaction on Trafficking appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Washington Conference Foreshadows Lifting of Sanctions Posted: 14 Sep 2016 10:51 PM PDT Screen grabs of participants in a panel discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC on Tuesday; from left are Bo Bo Nge, Serge Pun, and Erin Murphy. The future of American sanctions on Burma was a recurring issue during a panel discussion convened in Washington DC on the eve of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's trip to the US capital; just one day later—despite objections from multiple civil society and rights groups—the White House pledged to lift all financial restrictions on the country. "The United States and Myanmar: Next Steps" was webcast live on Tuesday from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and explored Burma's existing economic restrictions and potential for growth. Participating in one of two panel discussions were Bo Bo Nge, of the Rangoon-based think tank the Renaissance Institute; Serge Pun, founder of both Yoma Bank and the Serge Pun & Associates conglomerate; and Erin Murphy, founder and principal of the Inle Advisory Group in Washington DC. A second panel discussing Burma's democratic transition followed. Washington-based Burma advocates who attended or watched the event spoke to The Irrawaddy about what was perceived as a lack of concern for ongoing Burma Army offensives in ethnic states, widespread practices of land confiscation, and mass displacement—issues they feel should have taken precedence over an accelerated economic agenda. Current US sanctions against Burma—which now stand to be removed—include bans on imports of rubies and jade, prohibitions on business with individuals on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list, and financial dealings with non-state armed groups, the Burmese military, or military-owned enterprises. The Kachin Alliance, an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, published an open letter on Monday to President Obama calling a relaxation of sanctions "extremely premature" in light of the Burma Army's "systematic use of rape, torture, extrajudicial killing, torching, and other acts of terror against ethnic civilians." Citing similar concerns, a New York Times editorial on Tuesday advised maintaining pressure on Burma, referring to a lifting of US sanctions at the present time as "a mistake." The US Campaign for Burma also recently recommended the continuation of targeted sanctions as long as "human rights violations by the armed forces […] continue unabated" and those with "past relationships with the military junta […] continue to profit from their relationships." On Tuesday, panelist Bo Bo Nge listed a series of domestic economic challenges that he said could not be addressed through the relaxation of sanctions, including high inflation rates, and a lack of transparency surrounding budget finances, past government deals, and land prices and ownership. "Just lifting something that is imposed from abroad will not solve all of these problems," he said. He also warned of the types of partnerships that could be formed in a sanction-free environment. "By freely lifting everything and letting everyone go in, who will you align with? You will align with someone who has more privilege than others," he said, referring to the potential building of economic relationships with businesspeople whose wealth was earned during military rule. Even fellow panelist Serge Pun, frequently lauded as a "clean" Burmese businessman—who, at the Washington forum, railed against corruption—built an economic empire in Burma while the country was under army rule. Due to his alleged ties to the military, US officials reportedly recommended in 2008 that he be sanctioned, but he was not added to the blacklist. Kachin Alliance president Gum San Nsang told The Irrawaddy that sanctions could not be blamed for limiting the growth of the Burmese economy. "Burma had been a 'least developed country' for over a decade prior to the installation of US economic sanctions," he said. In 1987, then under military rule during the Socialist era, Burma applied for and received "least developed country" status, which it still retains. It was hoped that the economic benefits granted by the designation would ease a level of underdevelopment already systemic before the US banned new investment by American nationals in Burma in 1997, citing a repressive political climate and rampant human rights violations. These violations, the US Campaign for Burma's Myra Dahgaypaw pointed out, continue to include the "displacement […] of thousands of people," due to ongoing civil war and land grabs. Over 120,000 ethnic Kachin are currently displaced in northern Burma, across more than 100 IDP camps, and a further 140,000—disproportionately from the Muslim Rohingya minority—have been displaced since 2012 by ethno-religious violence in Arakan State, amounting to what some have termed a genocide. Over 100,000 refugees from various ethnic groups across eastern Burma remain in camps along the Thai border, where some have lived for more than two decades. Uncounted others are thought to be unrecognized refugees, surviving as migrant laborers throughout Southeast Asia. And yet, a narrative depicting Burma as a "frontier market" continues to seduce potential American investors, as well as arguably influence policy toward the country. During her talk on Tuesday's panel, Inle Advisory Group founder Erin Murphy—who has lobbied in favor of eliminating sanctions—described Burma as a country with "everything you can think of […] every mineral, oil and gas," and "a great labor population." The statement stood in sharp contrast to the Kachin Alliance's illustration only one day earlier of 52 million people "struggling to extricate themselves from the bondage of the past." An end to US sanctions on Burma may embolden those who view the country in starkly economic terms, prioritizing profit over a responsibility to those currently caught in conflict, often over the same resources—gemstones, coal, jade, oil, gas, hydropower—coveted by international investors. "Being an ethnic person," Dahgaypaw told The Irrawaddy, "it hurts me to my core […] when there is no mention of how to better the lives of ethnic minorities." While the White House has consulted with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi regarding the future of sanctions, advocates for ethnic rights could have provided President Obama with a different strategy for navigating Burma's economic landscape. Gum San Nsang of the Kachin Alliance explained that the most appropriate resource the US could have provided would have been technical assistance to strengthen fiscal and monetary policy, as well as regulations to safeguard investment laws. "Economic growth is needed," Myra Dahgaypaw added, "but one has to do it responsibly, with open eyes, foreseeing the problems ahead—what will benefit the people on the ground, and what could harm them a great deal." The post Washington Conference Foreshadows Lifting of Sanctions appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Announces Lifting of Burma Sanctions Posted: 14 Sep 2016 09:25 PM PDT State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and US President Barack Obama at the White House  (Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters ) WASHINGTON DC, United States — President Barack Obama said on Wednesday the United States is lifting economic sanctions and restoring trade benefits to Burma as he met with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The US has eased broad economic sanctions since political reforms began five years ago and Obama has visited the country twice. But the US has retained more targeted restrictions on military-owned companies and officials and associates of the former ruling junta. US companies and banks have remained leery of involvement in one of Asia’s last untapped markets. Obama hailed a "remarkable" transformation in the country. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s party swept historic elections last November, and the visit by the 71-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, deeply respected in Washington, is a crowning occasion in the Obama administration’s support for Burma's shift to democracy, which the administration views as a major foreign policy achievement. "The United States is now prepared to lift sanctions that we have imposed on Burma for quite some time," Obama said as he sat alongside the State Counselor in the Oval Office. He said it was "the right thing to do" to ensure Burma benefits from its transition. Asked by a reporter when sanctions would be lifted, Obama said "soon." Daw Aung San Suu Kyi concurred it was time to remove all the sanctions that had hurt the economy. She urged Americans to come to the country and "to make profits.” Congressional aides said that Suu Kyi requested the removal of the national emergency with respect to Burma — the executive order authorizing sanctions that has been renewed annually by US presidents for two decades. The Treasury Department said that Obama’s decision will be legally effective when he issues a new executive order to terminate the emergency. A US official said that 111 individuals and companies will be dropped from a Treasury blacklist and restrictions will be lifted on new investment with military and on the imports of rubies and jade. But penalties intended to block the drug trade and to bar military trade with North Korea would still apply, as would a visa ban barring some former and current members of the military from traveling to the US. The official and aides spoke on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The US Chamber of Commerce hailed the announcement as “historic.” But human rights groups say there are powerful reasons for retaining sanctions. Military abuses continue in ethnic minority regions. Rohingya Muslims remain displaced by sectarian violence and denied citizenship. The military and its associates still have huge stakes in the economy. "Obama and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi just took important tools out of their collective tool kit for dealing with the Burmese military, and threw them into the garbage," said John Sifton, deputy Washington director for Human Rights Watch. Transparency watchdog Global Witness said Burma's jade industry—based in a northern region plagued by civil conflict—is dominated by a military elite, US-sanctioned drug lords and crony companies. It estimates the industry is worth nearly half of the nation’s economic output. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi addressed problems in western Arakan state, where more than 100,000 Rohingyas remain stuck in camps, separated from Buddhists who are the majority in Burma . She said everyone entitled to citizenship in Burma should get it. "We are sincere in trying to bring together the different communities," she said. The White House also notified Congress on Wednesday it would be reinstating in November trade benefits Burma because of its progress on workers’ rights. The benefits were suspended in 1989, a year after the bloody crackdown on democracy protesters by the military. Suu Kyi last visited Washington in 2012 when she was still opposition leader. On that occasion, she was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal, the legislature’s highest civilian honor, which she had been awarded in 2008 while under house arrest. White House spokesman Josh Earnest pushed back on the notion the US was undercutting its leverage over Burma on human rights and constitutional reforms by lifting sanctions. He said greater US engagement would promote its ability to promote change. The post US Announces Lifting of Burma Sanctions appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Review: Dissident Memoirs of Ma Thida and U Kyaw Win Posted: 14 Sep 2016 07:22 PM PDT "Prisoner of Conscience: My Steps through Insein" by Ma Thida. Silkworm Books, Chiang Mai, 2016. 248 pages. 625 baht. "My Conscience: An Exile's Memoir of Burma" by U Kyaw Win. Resource Publications, Eugene, Oregon. 254 pages. US$24. In times like these, when Burma is undergoing major changes, there is no shortage of essay collections in which Western academics and other observers try to make sense of a seemingly bewildering situation. But the quality of those writings varies and few, if any, reflect the views and sentiments of the Burmese themselves. It is therefore refreshing to read these two books, one written by a prominent Burmese author, born and raised when General Ne Win and his Burma Socialist Program Party were in power—and who spent the years 1993 to 1999 in prison for her political beliefs—and the other by an older Burmese exile who for many years was instrumental in organizing resistance abroad against the dictatorship. Ma Thida was still at medical school when, in 1988, the people had had enough of decades of repression, misrule and economic decline. She gives a vivid account of how the protests began and developed into a nationwide mass movement against the regime, and how the military opened fire not only at demonstrators but also at a crowd of doctors and nurses. "Meanwhile," Ma Thida writes, "government-owned buildings, factories, and storerooms were looted and destroyed at the instigation of the army; they wanted to downplay the intent of the demonstrators by portraying their actions as mere looting." The medical student Ma Thida, who from an early age had been interested in writing, became an accomplished columnist at this time, contributing to the free journals that sprung up during the August-September 1988 pro-democracy uprising. She also joined the National League for Democracy (NLD), traveling around the country with its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and made friends with one of the most prominent members of the party, the veteran journalist and writer Win Tin. Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest in July 1989, Win Tin was jailed shortly afterwards on trumped-up charges—and, in August 1993, Ma Thida was arrested. In October, Ma Thida, aged 28, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for "endangering public peace, having contact with illegal organizations, and distributing unlawful literature." Ma Thida's account of her years in jail serves as an important reminder of what Burma's military regime was capable of: "As was customary with newly sentenced political prisoners, I had to spend one night in the hall where over five hundred prisoners slept, head to head, feet to feet in tight rows. The room was pungent with body odors and punctuated with an assortment of noises." She could not "help overhearing the vulgar words from trustees who had been put in charge—such as the wealthier drug dealers" and she noted that privileges could be obtained by bribing the guards. She contracted tuberculosis while incarcerated in Rangoon's notorious Insein Jail. What kept her in reasonably good spirits was her belief in Buddhism, and being able to practice Vipassana meditation in her cell. In 1996, Ma Thida was also awarded the Reebok Human Rights Award and the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. Three years later, she was released because of her ill health, and due to pressure from PEN International and Amnesty International. Her prison memoir "Sanchaung, Insein, Harvard" was published in Burmese in 2012, the title alluding to the Rangoon township where she was born, then her time in prison, and the time from 2008 to 2010 when she was a fellow at Harvard University in the US. "Prisoner of Conscience" is an English translation of that book, and includes a forward by the late Win Tin, the literary icon who passed away in 2014. Today, Ma Thida is the chairperson of PEN Myanmar, and has received more awards. On September 28, the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation will honor her at a ceremony at the Bohemian National Hall in New York. In the end, it is she—rather than the generals who imprisoned her—that has emerged as a role model for the people of her country. U Kyaw Win was stripped of his Burmese citizenship by the military junta that toppled prime minister U Nu's democratically elected government in 1962. He was born in Thongwa in the Irrawaddy Delta in 1934, when Burma was still a British colony—into a family where the father "hated colonialism with a pitched passion." Kyaw Win recalls his upbringing, during which he attended a Christian school—not uncommon in Burma in those days, regardless of the religions faith of one's parents. He lived through the Japanese occupation and, in the 1950s, went to school in Mussoorie in India, and later at universities in the US. While in the US, he married Riri, an Indonesian lady who became his companion for life. But his marriage to a foreigner became an obstacle when he returned to Burma in 1959 wanting to work for the Foreign Office, perhaps as a diplomat. Unable to find a suitable job at home, he returned to the US in 1961. He and Riri were at the USA Army Language School at Monterey when General Ne Win seized power in March 1962 Kyaw Win's parents kept him up to date with events in Burma and, in 1969, he met in California the deposed prime minister U Nu and Edward Law-Yone, the exiled former editor of "The Nation" newspaper—two key figures in the resistance to Burma's new military government. In 1973, as Burma grew increasingly repressive, Kyaw Win began writing and editing an eight-page quarterly newsletter, the "Burma Bulletin," one of the first of many publications by Burmese exiles. In 1975, he took part in the first demonstration in Washington DC against the Burmese military. In 1983, he was among the founders of the Committee for the Restoration of Democracy in Burma (CRDB). Alliances were formed with ethnic rebel armies based along the Thai-Burmese border and, when the uprising broke out in 1988, the CRDB was one of the groups that linked up with the students and other pro-democracy activists who had fled to the border areas after the massacres in Rangoon and elsewhere, when the military stepped in to reassert power. Kyaw Win gives a detailed, firsthand account of what was happening on the border at that time: the intrigues, the dashed hopes, and the personal conviction that kept him going through all the setbacks. In 2001, Kyaw Win was able to able to return to Burma, his first visit in decades. Aged over 80, he now lives in a house in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. He writes: "My hope now is that, by telling my story in this memoir, I will help educate those who know little of Burma's suffering and motivate others to take up the mantle." Ma Thida probably knows more about suffering than most, but she and people of her generation and those even younger have indeed taken up the mantle. Read together, these two books give a better perspective on modern Burma than any academic thesis or essay ever could. Swedish journalist Bertil Lintner is the author of several books on Burma, including "Outrage: Burma's Struggle for Democracy" and "Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency Since 1948." The post Review: Dissident Memoirs of Ma Thida and U Kyaw Win appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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