AllSBNews: The Irrawaddy Magazine

Monday, October 10, 2016

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Short Film ‘Smell’ Takes First Prize in Youth Contest
KIA: Govt Needs to Control Its Military
When Silence Hurts More Than a Bullet
Two Arrested After Attacks on Border Guard Posts in Arakan State
MMA Hero Calls for ‘United’ Spirit to Beat Civil War
Police Chief Admits Weak Security Measures in Arakan State
NLD to Discipline Lawmaker After Extramarital Affair
Nine Police Dead in Arakan State Border Attacks
Generals and tycoons dust off their suitcases

Short Film ‘Smell’ Takes First Prize in Youth Contest

Posted: 10 Oct 2016 08:30 AM PDT

Myanmar Motion Picture Organization president U Lu Min awarding first prize winner Ko Hnaung Eain Thit US$ 6000 at the Myanmar Youth Micro Film Contest (Photo: Myanmar Micro Film Contest / Facebook)

RANGOON – Short film "Smell", which features deprived children sniffing glue Rangoon, won first prize in the 2nd Myanmar Youth Micro Film Contest held at Rangoon's Sky Star Hotel on Sunday.

The five-minute film, directed by Ko Hnaung Eain Thit, was chosen by a judging panel of renowned film directors and producers out of 134 other entries to pick up the top award in a competition organized by Myanmar Motion Pictures Organization (MMPO) and Shwe Than Lwin Media.

Ko Hnaung Eain Thit, who received US$6,000 and an international film workshop opportunity, said he got the idea for the film after seeing children sniffing glue in deprived areas of Rangoon.

"I asked them why they were sniffing glue," he said at the event. "They said they don't need to eat or spend money on food after sniffing glue and can sleep for one and a half days."

The short film explores the lives of two slum children who dream of the thanakha, a fragrant paste traditionally used by Burmese for cosmetic and medicinal purposes, on their mother's cheek after sniffing glue to get high.

U Lu Min, president of MMPO, said it was hard to choose a winner as he was satisfied that all candidates were qualified to be future filmmakers.

"All of the candidates' films were good. They have a lot of talent and we will organize this short film contest again next year," he said.

Zarganar, a comedian, former political prisoner and guest at the event, welcomed the competition entrants but said he wanted them to pursue new methods.

"Most of the young directors think evoking tears is the only art in the film industry, I want to see more creative pieces in the future," he said.

The second prize went to a film titled "Htin Ht Say Thaw" by Thein Ko Win and third prize to "Freak-Quincy" by Zan Moe Oo. The recipients received US$5,000 and $3,000 respectively.

The post Short Film 'Smell' Takes First Prize in Youth Contest appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

KIA: Govt Needs to Control Its Military

Posted: 10 Oct 2016 08:15 AM PDT

Ethnic Kachin call for the end to Tatmadaw offensives, in front of the Burmese Consulate in Chiang Mai, Thailand on October 10, 2016. (Photo: Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy)

CHIANG MAI, Thailand – While Burma Army's air strikes continue on Kachin Independence Army (KIA) security outposts in northern Burma, the KIA, its political wing and the Kachin public are calling for a halt to the offensives, as well as a government intervention.

Lt-Col Naw Bu, a KIA spokesperson, told The Irrawaddy that as of Monday, Tatmadaw troops, including both the ground and air forces, were still attacking the KIA post known as Gidon in the Nhkram mountain range.

"The Tatmadaw's two jet fighters have been bombing the Gidon post since 8:30 a.m. and then continued shooting from the ground with artillery," he said.

In order to overcome obstacles to building peace in the country, the government needs to control its military, the lieutenant colonel added.

"The [National League for Democracy] government is keeping their mouths shut while the Tatmadaw is fiercely attacking the KIO. We, as well as our people, do not want that," Naw Bu said, referring to the Kachin Independence Organization and the Kachin public.

Tensions have increased in Kachin and northern Shan states—where the KIA is active—since the first session of the 21st Century Panglong peace conference concluded in early September.

The Tatmadaw has used its artillery and air force to target the KIA's security posts around its headquarters in Laiza, on the Kachin-China border. On Oct. 1, a two-year-old Kachin child was killed by the splinters of an artillery shell that hit near her family home in Puwang village in Shan State's Muse Township. Another two children were seriously injured and admitted to the Mangsi Hospital in China.

Since last week, thousands of Kachin State residents have been holding protests and calling for an end to the Tatmadaw's offensives against the KIA.

On Monday, ethnic Kachin community members staying in Chiang Mai, Thailand urged the NLD government to intervene to end the war in Kachin State and to order the Burma Army to stop offensives against the KIA.

Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Burmese Consulate in Chiang Mai, demanding the government and the Burma Army take responsibility and respond with immediate action. Their requests included a stop to offensives and the launching of artillery into civilian villages, the allowance of better access to humanitarian aid, and a safe return for the internally displaced people and refugees to their homes.

The protesters delivered a letter to the mailbox of the Burmese Consulate, as consulate officials were not there to receive it.

"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is a Nobel Laureate and as the head of state, she must order the military to halt the offensives," said Ah Jung, a pastor of a Kachin community church and a protester.

Hka Tawn, a Kachin woman living in Chiang Mai who participated in Monday's protest told The Irrawaddy that the protest was one of solidarity.

"We Kachin staying in Thailand do not want to see the troubles facing our fellow Kachin in Burma, that's why we came to protest to show our support," she said.

On Saturday, Oct 8, the Kachin Independence Organization and the ethnic armed alliance known as the United Nationalities Federal Council both issued separate statements calling for end to the Tatmadaw's military action in the region.

The Tatmadaw will have to take responsibility for the consequences following its attacks against the KIO, the KIO's statement said.

KIO representatives joined the 21st Century Panglong conference, in which stakeholders presented their stances on building a future federal democratic state. Meanwhile the Burma Army stayed firm on their adherence to the controversial 2008 Constitution. Conference organizers stressed that those groups that did not sign the country's nationwide ceasefire pact—such as the KIA/KIO—would not have equal negotiating status in the peace process as those who signed the pact in October 2015.

Nang Lwin Hnin Pwint contributed to this report.

The post KIA: Govt Needs to Control Its Military appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

When Silence Hurts More Than a Bullet

Posted: 10 Oct 2016 07:43 AM PDT

Aung San Suu Kyi waves at supporters while wearing traditional Kachin dress at the Kachin National Manau Park in Kachin State on February 24, 2012. The statement on the arc reads, "Warmly Welcome Public Leader Aung San Suu Kyi." (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters)

In Burma's general election in November 2015, many ethnic Kachin voted in support of the National League for Democracy (NLD) based on party leader Aung San Suu Kyi's promises of change. They believed that she would stand with them and speak on their behalf against the social and political discrimination endured during decades of military dictatorship.

Following the 21st Century Panglong peace conference at the beginning of September, fighting intensified between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), with the Tatmadaw carrying out air strikes against the KIA. Despite failing to implement political dialogue after the last ceasefire was signed with the group in 1994, it now appears that the Burma Army is using these offensives to pressure the KIA into signing the country's highly controversial nationwide ceasefire agreement.

The already dire humanitarian situation took a turn for the worse when a two-year-old Kachin girl, Zung Myaw, was killed and two other children seriously injured in the shelling of Puwang village in northern Shan State on Oct. 1. Yet despite widespread reporting of the tragedy by independent media—and the Kachin public's subsequent call for Aung San Suu Kyi to condemn the Burmese military's offensive—the public's anger and frustration has been met with silence from the country's leadership.

When Aung San Suu Kyi was asked in panel discussion in London in 2012 to explain why she was reluctant to condemn the Burma Army, she responded that she "condemns all violence," and that resolution to the conflict was "not about condemnation, but about finding the root causes."

The current State Counselor spoke of the need to pursue findings from independent commissions in order to better understand the country's war. But she has yet to take any action or issue a public statement on the human rights violations that the conflict has caused—abuses that have been widely documented by both community-based groups and international organizations including Human Rights Watch and the United Nations.

These injustices include the disappearance of Sumlut Roi Ja, a young mother who went missing on October 28, 2011, after she was arbitrarily detained by the Burma Army near Mu Bum in Kachin State. There are the two Kachin farmers, Brang Yung and Lahpai Gam, who in June 2012 were severally tortured after their arrest by the military, including reportedly being forced to engage in sexual acts with one another. Although Brang Yung has since been released from prison, Lahpai Gam remains behind bars without any evidence or witness testimony indicating his guilt in being "unlawfully associated" with the KIA, of which he is accused.

Then, in January 2015, two ethnic Kachin volunteer teachers, Hkawn Nan Tsin and Maran Lu Ra, were brutally raped and murdered in Kaung Kha, northern Shan State; the crime is believed to have been carried out by Burma Army soldiers stationed in the area. These are only some of the many documented examples of impunity granted to government forces in cases of grave abuses against members of ethnic communities.

Yet it is this same military that Aung San Suu Kyi said in 2013 that she is "fond of," affectionately calling the institution her "father's army," a reference to the late Aung San.

As an ethnic woman who has listened to survivors re-live their stories of horrific Burma Army abuse, these comments feel to me the equivalent of rubbing salt in our wounds.

Despite an election message of change, six months into the new government's term, representatives appear to many constituents to be distant and unapproachable. Representatives from local NGOs in the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina say that NLD parliamentarians are often absent from meetings on community issues. While members of other smaller political parties are regularly in attendance, NLD lawmakers often reportedly say that they need to await permission from their headquarters to participate in such events.

It is worrying, then, to think that the public's concerns and issues are not being represented in the parliament by those with the responsibility to represent them.

It was reported that during a monthly meeting held on Oct. 4 between NLD leadership and parliamentarians, executive members asked that during parliamentary sessions, party members not ask “difficult questions” that could be perceived as harming the image of the NLD leadership. If parliament members are discouraged from raising the concerns of the people they promised to represent, they have failed those who voted for them. The issues being discussed in the legislature should not be based on government convenience, but on the pursuit of solutions for the issues faced in the constituencies.

If the NLD is to live up to its promise of change and fair representation, channels of communication must become more open and accessible to the public, and their representatives must be allowed to speak freely. After more than two decades as an opposition leader, it is hoped that the State Counselor would understand the importance of such inquiry. Aung San Suu Kyi's status as a democracy icon should not stop us from having this conversation—checks and balances on power are, after all, one of the most important signposts of a functioning democracy.

The feeling of disconnection is found not only in the public's disillusionment with their parliamentary representatives in these cases, but also with those involved in the peace process. Khu Oo Reh, general secretary of the ethnic armed alliance the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) and leader of the Delegation for Political Negotiations (DPN), stated the importance of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi "consulting with all sides" in the peace process before she has her "final say." What he fears is that her mind has been made up in advance, before negotiations for each step have completed.

If the conflict is to be resolved and reach a permanent end, Aung San Suu Kyi must, for the sake of fairness, put forth significant effort to communicate with ethnic armed organizations, including those within the UNFC, as she has done with the Burma Army.

Since last week, thousands of residents across Kachin State have taken to the streets and to the Manau cultural grounds in the state capital to condemn the Burma Army's offensives and indiscriminate shelling in the region. This outpouring of frustration indicates the level of local discontentment with the government's silence over both the death of a toddler and the larger military campaign in Kachin State. People have long had high expectations that Aung San Suu Kyi would address the struggle against this state of perpetual insecurity and ethnic discrimination.

Across Burma, they are calling on Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD government to condemn the ongoing military offensives in ethnic areas. The Kachin—as well as other ethnic communities also under threat—are still hoping that she will stand with them.

After all, as American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

Stella Naw is an advocate for democratic federalism in Burma, with a special interest in reconciliation and the rights of ethnic and indigenous peoples.

The post When Silence Hurts More Than a Bullet appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Two Arrested After Attacks on Border Guard Posts in Arakan State

Posted: 10 Oct 2016 06:16 AM PDT

One of the arrested is brought to a court in the Arakan State capital Sittwe. (Photo: RPL/ Facebook)

RANGOON — Two men have been apprehended after an attack on three Burmese border guard posts in Arakan State's Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships, close to the Bangladesh border, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

According to U Tin Maung Swe, secretary of the Arakan State government, the two have reportedly confessed to having planned the attack on the border guard posts over three months, with the help of local Muslims in Maungdaw, where the majority self-identify as Rohingya.(but are labeled "Bengali" by the government).

The attacks on the Kyikanpyin headquarters and the Kotankauk and Ngakhuya outposts were launched by around 250 men, between 1:30 am and 4:30 am on Sunday morning, according to the state government. Nine policemen were killed, reportedly with machetes, and 64 firearms were looted.

On pursuing the attackers, police killed eight and apprehended two, who were taken to the state capital Sittwe for questioning. The other 240 remain "on the run," according to U Tin Maung Swe.

The state government secretary said that 30 of the attackers were equipped with firearms and—according to the confession drawn from those arrested—they had travelled by boat via a coastal route.

The Irrawaddy contacted state government spokesman U Min Aung over the phone, who read from a police report alleging that "local Muslims" involved in the attack had links to the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), a small militant group active along the Bangladeshi border in the 1980s and 1990s, which has been seemingly defunct ever since.

However, state government secretary U Tin Maung Swe would not comment on the identity and affiliations of the attackers, and nothing has yet come to light to substantiate any links with the RSO.

Since the incident, reinforcements of soldiers have been deployed on the ground in Maungdaw District of northern Arakan State—already a heavily militarized area. The municipal market in Maungdaw town has been shuttered, with new checkpoints erected across urban areas. Some from surrounding villages have come to shelter in the town.

An existing curfew from 11pm – 4am has been extended to 7pm – 6am in Maungdaw District—which comprises Maungdaw and Buthidaung Townships—as well as in Rathedaung Township further south. Gatherings of more than five people have also been outlawed.

All of Maungdaw District's approximately 400 government schools were ordered shut on Monday morning.

Government staff and teachers, most of whom come from outside the area, have expressed fear over the Sunday attacks and are awaiting permission to return to their home towns and villages.

U Thein Htun Win, head-teacher of Kin Taung village primary school in Maungdaw Township, told The Irrawaddy that teachers are worrying for their safety because police numbers were insufficient for their protection in rural areas of the township, where the large majority of residents are Muslim.

However, the Arakan State government secretary U Tin Maung Swe insisted that the situation across Maungdaw District remained stable.

He said that authorities had shut border gates with Bangladesh, and the navy had been deployed to block coastal approaches to Burma. However, he said that arresting the remaining attackers would be difficult, because of their purported ability to blend in with local villagers in the area.

He added that the case was "very sensitive" and "complicated," because it implicated "two countries": Burma and Bangladesh. This suggests a belief that the attackers originated from Bangladesh, although evidence to this effect has yet to be revealed publicly. U Tin Maung Swe said they "can't rush" the matter.

The post Two Arrested After Attacks on Border Guard Posts in Arakan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

MMA Hero Calls for ‘United’ Spirit to Beat Civil War

Posted: 10 Oct 2016 05:53 AM PDT

Aung La N Sang in action against Polish opponent Michael Pasternak on Friday in Rangoon (Photo : JPaing/ The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Kachin cage fighter Aung La N Sang—known as "the Burmese Python"—told crowds celebrating his victory on Friday night that a "united" spirit was needed to stop civil war in his native Kachin State.

The ethnic Kachin mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter defeated his Polish opponent Michael Pasternak in the One Championship State of Warriors event at Rangoon's Thuwunna Stadium on Oct. 7.

"Anything can be achieved if we, the Burmese people, are united," he said after the judges' decision was announced, urging citizens to work together to stop the country's civil war.

The event took place at the end of a week that saw thousands of Kachin locals protest in the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina, calling on the Burma Army to stop military offenses in the area.

The two MMA fighters exchanged blows in a full three-round middleweight match. Amid intense pressure from an energetic home crowd, Aung La N Sang delivered multiple neck chokes and deft body strikes against an opponent who appeared fatigued by the second round.

The three judges gave a unanimous decision that Aung La N Sang should take the prize against Pasternak, bringing the Kachin fighter's record to 19 wins and nine losses over his MMA career.

In his victory speech, Aung La N Sang told a crowd of thousands that he wants to win the world championship title for Burma.

The 31-year old received political asylum in the United States in 2003 and trained to become an MMA fighter at Maryland's Crazy 88 gym. On Friday he delivered his second hometown victory after defeating Egypt's Mohamed Ali in another One Championship event last March.

Although a US citizen, Aung La N Sang tweeted on Sunday that he felt proud to represent Burma in the MMA profession.

"It’s an honor to be able to represent my country and the Kachin people," he tweeted. "I am hungry and I will be back stronger."

The post MMA Hero Calls for 'United' Spirit to Beat Civil War appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Police Chief Admits Weak Security Measures in Arakan State

Posted: 10 Oct 2016 04:35 AM PDT

Police Chief Maj-Gen Zaw Win at the press conference in Naypyidaw on Sunday. (Photo: Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy)

NAYPYIDAW – Chief of the Burma police force Maj-Gen Zaw Win admitted weak security measures near the Bangladeshi border in northern Arakan State where border guard headquarters and outposts were hit by a series of fatal attacks early Sunday.

"We have deployed security forces in all places, but we failed to ensure the effectiveness of security forces to patrol this area," the police chief admitted at a press conference in Naypyidaw later the same day.

Additional security forces have since been brought into Arakan State, also known as Rakhine State, said the police chief. It now has the largest number of security forces of all the states and divisions of Burma.

Authorities view Arakan State as now having two pressing needs, he said. Forces will need to round up the remaining attackers and also enforce the rule of law.

"We are now deploying forces with the use of helicopters." police chief Maj-Gen Zaw Win told The Irrawaddy. "The Ministry of Defense will be on operations in the area and the Ministry of Home Affairs will enforce security and rule of law."

Nine police officers were killed and five injured during a series of assaults on Kyikanpyin headquarters and Kotankauk and Ngakhuya outposts in Maungdaw and Rathedaung Townships by nearly 200 attackers from 1:30am to 4:30am on Sunday. The assailants took 62 assorted arms and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition in the three separate attacks. Nine attackers were also killed and two arrested, said the government.

On Sunday afternoon, authorities extended the existing curfew in Maungdaw and Rathedaung Townships from 11pm – 4am to 7pm – 6am. The assembly of more than five people is prohibited.

The post Police Chief Admits Weak Security Measures in Arakan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NLD to Discipline Lawmaker After Extramarital Affair

Posted: 10 Oct 2016 02:40 AM PDT

Entrance signboard to Myaungmya. (Photo: Salai Thant Zin/The Irrawaddy)

Dr Soe Moe Thu in his constituency in Irrawaddy Division (Photo: Dr Soe Moe Thu / Facebook)

RANGOON — The National League for Democracy (NLD) will discipline its lawmaker representing Irrawaddy Division's Myaungmya Township in the Lower House after news of his extramarital affair went viral on social media.

NLD spokesperson U Win Htein said lawmaker Dr Soe Moe Thu will be punished "in line with the party's rules and regulations."

Dr Soe Moe Thu's wife filed a lawsuit at No. 9 Police Station in Mandalay on Sunday accusing her husband of adultery.

"We've already warned him once, but he denied [having an extramarital affair] at that time," U Win Htein told The Irrawaddy. "Now, he can't deny it. So, our party discipline enforcement committee will take action against him. We have already cancelled his foreign trip," he said.

"[Dr Soe Moe] will be subject to an internal investigation. Witnesses from both sides will be questioned," said NLD Rangoon Division deputy information officer U Soe Win Oo. "The maximum penalty is expulsion from the party. Or he may be suspended for a certain period."

It is the second scandal to rock Burma's most popular political party in a week. Last Thursday, A Rangoon motel filed a lawsuit against NLD lawmaker U Nyan Linn, accusing him and two friends of swearing, threatening and drunkenly fighting with motel staff.

Political commentator Dr Yan Myo Thein told The Irrawaddy that these recent scandals suggest that Burma is in need of impeachment legislation that grants citizens the "right to recall."

"People should have the right to recall if they do not like the representatives they have elected." Dr Yan Myo Thein said. "Only when the fundamental rights of voters are put first, will the parliament be able to serve the interests of the people."

U Tin Aye, former chairman of the Union Election Commission, in August last year urged U Shwe Mann, the then speaker of the Union Parliament, to enact legislation on recalling lawmakers as soon as possible. However, lawmakers voted to suspend the bill.

The post NLD to Discipline Lawmaker After Extramarital Affair appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Nine Police Dead in Arakan State Border Attacks

Posted: 10 Oct 2016 12:38 AM PDT

A tower belonging to Burma's border guard is pictured near the border fence of Bangladesh in Maungdaw June 5, 2014. (Photo: REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun)

RANGOON — Nine police officers were killed and five injured during a series of attacks on border guard headquarters and outposts near the Bangladeshi border in northern Arakan State on early Sunday, according to police statements.

The assaults were carried out by nearly 200 attackers from 1:30am to 4:30am at Kyikanpyin headquarters and Kotankauk and Ngakhuya outposts in Maungdaw and Rathedaung Townships, police said.

"Eight attackers were killed and two were captured alive, Police Force Chief Maj-Gen Zaw Win said during a press conference on the attacks on Sunday in Naypyidaw.

According to information released at the press conference, 62 assorted arms and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition were taken by attackers in the three separate attacks.

The police chief didn't confirm public speculation that the attacks were masterminded by the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), a small militant group formerly active along the Bangladeshi border in the 1980s and 1990s that has been quiet for nearly two decades.

Since 2012, communal strife between local Buddhist Arakanese and Muslim Rohingya has killed scores and displaced up to 140,000 people in Arakan State, also known as Rakhine State.

U Kyaw Tin, the deputy minister of foreign affairs, said an investigation was underway to see if the assailants had links in Bangladesh and, if necessary Bangladesh's ambassador for Burma would be summoned.

He added that "the State Counselor [Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] firmly told us to respond to this case within the law."

In August, the State Counselor announced the formation of an advisory commission led by former UN Gen-Sec Kofi Annan to advise on "lasting solutions to complex and delicate issues" in Arakan State.

On Sunday afternoon, authorities extended the existing curfew in Maungdaw and Rathedaung Townships from 11pm – 4am to 7pm – 6am. The assembly of more than five people is prohibited.

Arakan State Education Department ordered the closure of Maungdaw District schools on Monday morning. About 400 government schools are affected, according to Education Department officer U Aung Kyat Htun.

The post Nine Police Dead in Arakan State Border Attacks appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Generals and tycoons dust off their suitcases

Posted: 10 Oct 2016 12:27 AM PDT

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