The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- This Week in Parliament (September 26-30)
- The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (October 1)
- Burma Army Troops Serving as UN Peacekeepers in Liberia and South Sudan
- Singaporean and Malaysian Restaurants in Rangoon
- Dateline Irrawaddy: ‘Abuse of Human Dignity Should Not Be Accepted’
| This Week in Parliament (September 26-30) Posted: 30 Sep 2016 08:31 PM PDT  The gates to the compound of Burma's national Parliament in Naypyidaw, Nov. 2014. (Photo: Reuters) Monday, September 26 Lawmaker U Htay Aung submitted an urgent proposal to the Lower House calling on the Union government to dismiss three Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) members regarding their controversial handling of the abuse of two underage domestic workers in Rangoon. The Lower House approved the proposal. Lawmakers debated the draft law to amend the Ward or Village Tract Administration Law. Tuesday, September 27 In the Lower House, lawmakers debated a proposal submitted by U Kyaw Aung Lwin of Sidoktaya Township, which called on the Union government to take prompt action to care for abused and exploited Burmese migrant workers in foreign countries in cooperation with concerned governments. In the Upper House, U Aye Min Han of Mon State asked if the Union government regulates the tender winners regarding the construction of state-funded projects, monitors their work, and takes legal action if projects do not meet set standards. Construction Minister U Win Khine replied that tender winners are required to repair construction projects if they are damaged within two years of completion and the government imposes fines if work is not finished on schedule. Wednesday, September 28 The Lower House voted to approve the Burma Investment Bill submitted by the Ministry of National Planning and Finance. It also approved monitoring of government action regarding U Kyaw Aung Lwin's proposal to care for abused and exploited Burmese migrant workers in foreign countries. The Upper House approved the draft law to amend the 1973 Myanmar Board of Examination Law. Thursday, September 29 No parliamentary session. Friday, September 30 Burma's Parliament hosted the 37th General Assembly of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, with an opening speech by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The general assembly will be held from September 29 to October 3. The opening ceremony was held at the Myanmar International Convention Center and all the other activities will be held at the Hotel Royal Ace in Naypyidaw. The post This Week in Parliament (September 26-30) appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (October 1) Posted: 30 Sep 2016 08:25 PM PDT  A fisherman paddles his boat with one leg on Inle Lake, in Burma's Shan State on September 4, 2015. Inle is one of the country's most popular tourist sites. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) Singapore Top Investor in Tourism Sector Singapore is the largest investor in Burma's tourism and hospitality sector thus far this year, according to a report in Travel Trade Weekly. Outpacing Thailand for the first time, Singapore invested US$1.6 billion in 22 projects before the end of August, according to the report citing the state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar. Thailand invested $445 million in 11 projects and Vietnam invested $440 million in one project, the report said. Other major players included Hong Kong with investments of $187 million in five projects, South Korea with $100 million in one project, Japan with $73 million in four projects and Malaysia with $23 million in three projects. Total investments in the hotel and tourism sector by 10 countries were $2.9 billion for 52 projects, according to the Ministry for Hotels and Tourism. Total foreign direct investment in the tourism and hospitality sector last year amounted to $2.7 billion for 48 projects. The tourism sector is expected to earn over $9 billion in the coming five years under the Second Five-Year National Development Plan, said the ministry. Anthem Asia Invests in Rangoon Tea House Investment group Anthem Asia has taken a significant minority stake in the award-winning Rangoon Tea House restaurant, DealStreet Asia reports. The restaurant located on the second floor of a historic building on Pansodan Road in Rangoon is planning to move to the building's ground floor with a larger restaurant and cocktail bar. It will also extend its outside catering business and roll out new food concepts and other business lines, according to the report. Rangoon Tea House was founded by Htet Myet Oo and is co-owned by Isabella Sway-Tin and Simon Sao. The restaurant is Anthem Asia's ninth investment in Burma, with others including Thalun International School, fitness chain MOVE, Blink Agency, and a marketing communication business and serviced office firm the Hintha Business Center. India's Tata group has opened a new office in Rangoon that will act as a hub for Tata companies in Burma. The new Tata International office will also explore additional opportunities in sectors such as power, agriculture, renewable energy, tourism, and consumer products, according to a report in The Hindu Business Line. "Myanmar plays a significant role in a number of our group companies' international portfolio, and we hope to be able to further capitalize on the potential opportunities present in the region," Madhu Kannan of Tata Sons was quoted as saying. Tata companies in Burma include Tata International, Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors, Titan Company, Tata Power, and Tata Consultancy Services. KBZ Bank to Open Office in Malaysia KBZ Bank, of Burma's KBZ Group of Companies, has gained permission to open a representative office in Malaysia. "We will announce an opening date soon for the office in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur," said Nyo Myint, senior managing director of the KBZ Group, following the approval of the move this week by the Central Bank of Malaysia. KBZ Bank opened representative offices in Bangkok, Thailand in April and in Singapore in August of this year. More than 420 new branches have been opened across Burma recently. Animal Feed Investment for Rangoon A global leader in animal feed has invested in a green field production facility in Rangoon Division, DealStreet Asia reported this week. The Netherlands-based De Heus, one of the world's top fifteen animal feed companies, has invested $11.2 million in the production and distribution facility for poultry, pig and cattle feed at Myaung Dagar in Hmawbi Township. The company will cooperate closely with farmers, it said. "By providing our high technology feed, in combination with knowledge, and partnering with other independent companies, we believe that we can make the farmers very competitive," said Johan van den Ban, managing director of De Heus. De Heus has seven factories in Vietnam and its success there sparked interest in seeking opportunities in other parts of Southeast Asia, van den Ban said in the report. The Burma plant is already operating at 50 percent capacity and the company is set to ''stop importing from Vietnam and focus purely on local production," van den Ban said. Annual production at the plant will range from 200,000 to 250,000 metric tons. De Heus also has a 49 percent stake in Bel Ga Myanmar, a chicken hatchery and breeding farm, with the rest held by Belgium-based Belgabroed. In mid-September the International Finance Company proposed to provide a $6.5 million debt investment to Bel Ga. Established animal feed players in Burma include Myanmar CP Livestock, part of Thailand's CP Livestock Group, May Kha Industries of the Indonesia-based Japfa Group and New Hope. Construction Firms Warned to Uphold Standards Action will be taken against construction companies responsible for sub-standard work on state projects such as roads, schools, hospitals and bridges, Construction Minister U Win Khine warned this week. The minister was responding to a query in the Upper House of Parliament on September 27, as reported in the Global New Light of Myanmar. The government has outlined criterion and standards that must be met by contractors implementing state projects or be in breach of contract, the minister said. "Any damage associated with poor standards is punishable by the regulations," U Win Khine said. The Ministry of Construction issued guidelines for construction firms to follow earlier this month. State Bank of India Set to Open Rangoon Office India's largest bank, the State Bank of India, is set to open an office in Rangoon on Monday, October 3. The branch will be located at the Union Financial Center in the downtown area of the former capital. The formal launch of operations will be celebrated at an event at the Sule Shangri-La Hotel on the same day. The post The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (October 1) appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Burma Army Troops Serving as UN Peacekeepers in Liberia and South Sudan Posted: 30 Sep 2016 08:08 PM PDT  Soldiers parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Armed Forces Day in the Burmese capital of Naypyidaw in March 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON – The Burma Army, also known as the Tatmadaw, currently has a handful of peacekeepers serving in Africa on two peacekeeping missions. The deployments, which began last year, were the first time the Burma Army has contributed to a UN peacekeeping mission in half a century. According to figures provided by the UN, Burma has had two troops deployed since September last year as part of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), which is tasked with implementing a ceasefire agreement. The pair of Burmese troops are serving as what the UN describes as "experts on mission." UNMIL has a total of 1,240 troops and 606 police personnel. The bulk of the troops on UNMIL come from Nigeria but several other countries such a Bhutan and Zimbabwe have also contributed personnel. Burmese troops are also serving in South Sudan, as contingent troops, in a UN mission in the young country which has been plagued by conflict since it achieved independence in 2011. The Burmese deployment in South Sudan began in August of 2015. They have joined a mission of more than 12,500 troops from 61 countries. In response to a request for comment, the UN Secretary General's spokesperson's office forwarded a statement from the UN Department of Peacekeeping. "Myanmar is a new contributor to UN peacekeeping. We are grateful for their contributions and look forward to their increasing participation in our peacekeeping operations in the years to come," read the statement attributed to a UN peacekeeping official. In early 2014 it was reported that secretary-general Ban Ki Moon's special advisory on Burma, the veteran Indian diplomat, Vijay Nambiar, had, during a meeting with the head of Burma's military Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, invited Burma to resume participation in the UN peacekeeping program. A number of rights group including the New York-based Human Rights Watch quickly denounced the offer. "The Burmese military's poor record on rights and civilian protection is profoundly at odds with the standards that UN peacekeepers are expected to defend around the world," said HRW's executive director Kenneth Roth in a statement issued at the time "Any move by the UN to recruit Burmese forces risks grave damage to the UN's reputation and is at odds with recent efforts to elevate human rights concerns within the UN system." The Burma Army continues to be engaged in ongoing operations against several armed groups in the north of the country including the Kachin Independence Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, the Shan State Army-North and the Kokang-based Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army. Recent clashes between the army and a splinter group from the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army have also taken place in Karen State. Rights groups allege that despite the recent change in government, the army continues in its operations to routinely commit serious abuses against civilians including summary executions and rape. Andrew Selth, an Australian academic and author of several books and papers on Burma's military believes that Burma's armed forces would benefit from having their troops take part in UN missions. "If Burma's security forces are to learn about international norms of behavior, devise better ways of doing things and be exposed to issues beyond their narrow experience, then participation in UN operations offers a way ahead. The alternative is to deny them such opportunities and perpetuate the blinkered thinking that has contributed to Burma's current problems," he wrote in a piece that appeared in May 2014 on the Lowy Interpreter, a website operated by the Lowy Institute for International Policy, an Australian think tank. Burma's involvement in UN peacekeeping missions comes at a time when the blue helmets are themselves under increased scrutiny following a serious of high profile scandals involving UN peacekeepers around the globe. The UN mission in South Sudan, which Burma is now participating in, was heavily criticized for its failure to come to the aid of a group of international aid workers who were raped by government troops in a compound located very close to the UN base in the capital Juba on July 11. UN peacekeepers from Nepal, who were stationed in Haiti in 2010, have been identified as the source of a deadly outbreak of cholera in the country which killed more than 10,000 people. The UN only recently acknowledged that the Nepali troops, who were stationed upstream from the village where cholera first broke out, were the source of the lethal outbreak. The world body continues to fight a series of lawsuits filed in the US by lawyers representing victims of the outbreak, who argue that the UN was responsible for the substandard sanitation system at the Nepali troop base which helped trigger the massive health crisis. Information available on the history of UN peacekeeping on the UN website shows that Burma sent troops to take part in a small number of UN missions during the early days of the global body. Burma contributed troops to a mission to the Congo in the early 1960s. The last deployment of Burmese troops to UN peacekeeping operations appears to have been for a mission created in response to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Under the mission, which lasted from Sept. 1965 to March 1966, Burmese troops participated as part of an observer force supervising the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and the withdrawal of forces following the end of hostilities between the two sides. The post Burma Army Troops Serving as UN Peacekeepers in Liberia and South Sudan appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Singaporean and Malaysian Restaurants in Rangoon Posted: 30 Sep 2016 07:51 PM PDT  Nasi Lemak is one of the Malaysian dishes on offer at Fork and Spoon in Bahan Township. (Photo: Foodie Myanmar) Woker Woker This Singaporean restaurant specializes in Mala cuisine, which sees ingredients tossed in intense Sichuan spices, including the famous mouth-numbing peppercorn. Guests at Woker Woker can choose between three levels of chili heat and choices of meat include pork, chicken, seafood, beef and bacon. Guests are charged for each ingredient so a large dish of Ma La for five people may cost 2,000 kyats. Another popular dish at the restaurant is a frog broth sold for 6,000 kyats. No service charge. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Address: No. 9 (D), Wai Za Yan Tar Road, Thingangyun Tsp (near CB Bank). Tel: 09-5405537 House of Singapura This restaurant offers Singapore-style Laksa, Mee Siam, fried prawn noodles, and barbecue among others. Italian coffee brand, Illy is on the drink menu along with a selection of beer and wine. The restaurant has made a name for itself with its Hainan chicken rice, priced at 6,000 kyats. Singapore-style chili crab with black pepper is also popular. Be prepared that a 10 percent service tax, 5 percent commercial tax, and 5 percent service charge will be added to your bill. Open 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Address: Union Business Center (UBC) Annex B, Natmauk Road, Bo Cho Quarter. Tel: 09 302 58388. Fork and Spoon This restaurant brings your favorite dishes from countries across Asia including Singapore, Malaysia, China, Thailand and Indonesia. A popular dish is Bak Kut Teh—a broth of pork ribs, herbs and spices served with rice—priced at 7,000 kyats. Other specialties are beef ball noodle soup, Thai beef salad, and famous Malaysian noodle dish, Penang Char Kway Teow. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Singapore Kitchen This restaurant offers Singaporean, Malaysian and Chinese dishes. A popular choice is Singaporean style fish head curry, with prices dependent on market price and size of fish head. It is the perfect venue for both midnight feasting and early-starts with evening service finishing at 3 a.m. and breakfast and dim sum available from 6 a.m. Address: International Hotel, No. 330 Ahlone Road, Dagon Tsp. Rasa Lasa This restaurant offers Malaysian hawker food and home-style cooking in a relaxed setting. Visitors are recommended to go for Malaysia's national dish, Nasi Lemak—fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf often served with anchovies, peanuts, boiled egg, lamb curry, cucumber, and traditional chili paste. There are two branches; both open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Address: No. 462, corner of Theinbyu Street and Myae Ni Gone Street, Mingalar Taung Nyunt Tsp. and Hledan Center, Pyay Road. This article was written by Foodie Myanmar. Available for download in the Google Play Store and Apple Store, the Foodie Myanmar app will help you discover great places to eat and ways to share your foodie moments. Download iOS – https://goo.gl/IWzfL9 Download Android – https://goo.gl/syM1rw The post Singaporean and Malaysian Restaurants in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Dateline Irrawaddy: ‘Abuse of Human Dignity Should Not Be Accepted’ Posted: 30 Sep 2016 07:42 PM PDT  Dateline Irrawaddy: 'Abuse of Human Dignity Should Not Be Accepted' Ye Ni: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy. This week, we'll discuss slavery and the torture of two underage domestic workers by Ava tailoring business in Rangoon. Ko Swe Win, chief reporter at Myanmar Now, who did an investigative report on this case, joins me for the discussion. I'm Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni. Parliament has denounced the members of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) and the President's Office also said that it would take action against the commission. The police have arrested and charged the offenders with human trafficking. Why do you think your fight for justice was successful? Swe Win: It achieved success because people should be humane toward one another. Any form of injustice against any person should not be accepted. Abuse of human dignity, especially committed by the strong toward the weak, should not be accepted. In the case we are talking about, it is fair to say the victims are vulnerable in terms of intellectual ability, age, financial position, and gender—they are underage girls. It could be said that they are the most disadvantaged people in society. It is a grave injustice that such people are abused. As a citizen, a reporter and simply a human, I have the responsibility to oppose, condemn and prevent injustice and help victims no matter how small a matter. I got the chance to thoroughly study the MNHRC meeting, which contributed to my reporting. The commission held the meeting while ignoring the law and turning a blind eye to the fact that the case was a serious crime. As a journalist, I followed the journalistic code of ethics in reporting this case. I did not report based on emotion or on the accounts of the police or the victims' parents. I gathered information from different points of view. In journalism, there is a saying—"go to the ground and see for yourself"—which means journalists need to examine the situation with their own eyes and ears. There is also a Buddhist teaching that says, "you may accept when you analyze and understand by yourself." I tried to understand all aspects of the situation. Making a factual report is one of the reasons that I achieved success. I aimed for maximum coverage of my reporting. I did not ask lawmakers, authorities or the president to take my word for it, but let them examine my report through media coverage. This is beneficial not only to the readers but also for me because maximum coverage prevents the manipulation of information. I was deeply involved in this case and was reporting the truth, but I am a human and it is natural that human beings are biased—in a big or small way—as a result of their desires, ignorance or anger. That partiality needs to be controlled by others or by the law. In this case, I let other reporters check my reporting. YN: The human rights commission has come under fire, but the evidence shows that police should also be blamed because you reported it to the police before the case was brought to the human rights commission. Why did it take so long for the police to open the case when they could conclude from the girls' injuries and your report that this was a criminal case? Is it because they don't understand that this was slavery or was there bribery involved, as alleged by many people? You were directly engaged with the police. What is your view? SW: You are correct. It is clearly a serious crime. Not even the president has the right to settle it. It seemed that police handed the case to the human rights commission as a way of showing respect to a national-level body. Police in the lower echelons have to consider the influence of the commission not only as a national-level body but also a body that consists of retired high-ranking officials. For example, the person who was mainly involved in the negotiation served as the deputy chief of the Burma Police Force and the director-general of the Correctional Department. I guess that police have faced the fear of being punished for opposing the upper echelons, which is deep-seated in our society. Also, since the commission is a national level body, police might have thought that they needed to inform it first. As it was a grave violation of human rights, police might have expected that the commission would take action immediately. But the commission did not respond and just treated it as a normal case that happens every day. The commission turned a blind eye to all existing laws. It failed to carry out its responsibility, which is to investigate. It could have gone to the tailoring factory within hours. Kawhmu is less than a two-hour drive from Rangoon. The commission—despite the fact that it is funded by state funds—did not bother to look into those children who suffered grave human rights abuse. It failed to investigate, attempted to negotiate a case—which was in no way negotiable—failed to take action in accordance with existing laws, and breached its duties. YN: The commission's handling of the case could be considered a national-level abuse of power. We heard that you received a threat after you exposed the case. How were you threatened? SW: My safety was at risk once the commission summoned the offenders. I was addressed in the notice—which detailed my name, phone number and the news agency where I work. The shop owners later told me that they searched for me but could not find me. I don't know what their purpose of searching for me was—if they wanted to pay to settle the case or physically threaten me. They told me that what happened on their end was my fault and that if I had not gotten involved, they would not be in this mess. But more so than the shop owners, the commission is most responsible for the threat to my safety for distributing my personal information. I will seek legal advice to decide whether to sue. After the meeting ended, the shop owners knew that I was not satisfied with the result of the negotiation. They warned me not to report on the case or write about it on Facebook. Before the members of the human rights commission, they threateningly asked me if I knew why [Princess] Diana had died. But the commission members did not say a single word to oppose or denounce this. It is a crime to threaten someone's life and it can be punished. Setting aside the torture of children, which the commission did not witness, it also ignored a death threat happening before it. The shop owners knew that I was about to go and meet the children because I had called other reporters to go together and they had heard. Then, they attempted to bribe the concerned village administrator of Kawhmu Township to hide the children in another village. Fortunately, that administrator was against this. Because he had been the village administrator under the previous government as well, he dared not speak against the national-level personalities. I requested that he arrange a meeting with the children and he agreed to it. The shop owners left a warning message for me with the administrator. They said, "they will have their turn sometime." I reported it to the police station at once. The Home Affairs Ministry now provides full security for me under the instruction of the President. YN: Thank you for sharing your experiences with us for this program! The post Dateline Irrawaddy: 'Abuse of Human Dignity Should Not Be Accepted' appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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