The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Dozens in Myitkyina Township Protest Myitsone Dam Meeting
- Dateline Irrawaddy: ‘Students Do Not Need to be Afraid Anymore’
- The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (June 4, 2016)
- This Week in Parliament (May 30–June 3)
| Dozens in Myitkyina Township Protest Myitsone Dam Meeting Posted: 04 Jun 2016 04:00 AM PDT  Protesters against the Chinese-funded Myitsone dam in front of the Palm Spring Resort, Myitkyina Township, Kachin State. (Photo: Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy) MYITKYINA, Kachin State — Some 40 residents of Kachin State's Myitkyina Township staged a protest on Saturday against a meeting between Chinese Ambassador Hong Liang, Chinese investor China Power Investment (CPI) and president of the Kachin State Democracy Party (KSDP) Tu Ja over attempts to renegotiate the Chinese-funded Myitsone dam. The protest took place between 8 and 9am in front of the Palm Spring Resort in Myitkyina. According to Zaw Naing, a participant, ralliers based their decision to protest on information they received prior to the meeting that CPI representatives would arrive at the hotel in the morning and would afterward meet with the KSDP to discuss the dam project. Tu Ja told The Irrawaddy after the meeting: "I urged them to do what residents wish. If they want to build the dam, they should do so elsewhere. But CPI said they will stick to the contract and that if Burma wants to terminate the project, it will have to pay a large amount of money as compensation." Saturday's protest was disbanded by police. No violence was reported. The post Dozens in Myitkyina Township Protest Myitsone Dam Meeting appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Dateline Irrawaddy: ‘Students Do Not Need to be Afraid Anymore’ Posted: 03 Jun 2016 08:30 PM PDT
You two were among those who held talks with Education Minister Dr U Myo Thein Gyi about students unions last Sunday. Although student unions are still not officially recognized, I heard that the minister promised to set up offices and allow student unions to participate when charters are drafted concerning universities. This is a sign that the government has started to accept student unions. What is the attitude of the student unions toward the government now? Have student unions changed their attitude and are they now willing to cooperate with the new civilian government? Zeyar Lwin: We met the education minister at the Higher Education Department in Yangon as per his invitation on Sunday, May 25. He invited us to discuss ongoing problems in regards to students and the education system in our country. It was our first meeting with the new government. It was a crucial meeting. We used to only be able to hold four-party talks [held with representatives from the former government, Parliament, university students and the local civil society group National Network for Education Reform]. But it came at a cost—we could meet the government only after we held protest marches and demonstrations and pressed for our demands. But the new government has invited us to negotiate before we have issued demands. We met [the education minister] because we cannot disregard this government. Previously, student unions opposed the government because it was repressive. It only cared for itself, did not serve the interests of the people and indulged in power. But the current government was elected by the people and is led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Htin Kyaw. People have expectations of the new government and hope for the best. We have no reason to neglect a government that people believe in. So, we met and discussed matters related to student unions, students and the education system. That meeting was our first step in cooperating with the new government. YN: Ma Ei Swe Myat, what is your view of the outcome of that meeting? Ei Swe Myat: The new government was chosen by the people. Like student unions, the government led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Htin Kyaw faced many difficulties to achieve what it has. It is fair to say that they can understand us. We students gathered, and together with the people, opposed the unfairness of the previous government. Because student unions and the new government share a lot in terms of beliefs and goals, we have decided to cooperate on education issues. We hope that we will be able to cooperate smoothly because we share the same goal. YN: Since 1962, student unions have not been recognized by successive military-backed regimes. But the new government is not as tough on student unions as its predecessors and now you have seen prospects of the government legitimizing student unions. Is it fair to say it is high time students get united and establish a student union that can democratically represent all students? How do you envision such a union? ZL: Yes, it is time we students collectively speak up for educational reform, a switch to a democratic education system and student rights—all of which we demanded in the past. But, democracy allows people to have different views. Let's see how much we will be able to negotiate those different views and move forward. Personally, I think it is not possible, for the time being, for students across the country to unite and take collaborative action because there are different views and doubts among the students. There are people who question the representation of student unions and there are people who do not want to work under the umbrella of an organization. There is the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABSFU), and there is the NFSU. Some students joined ABSFU and others joined NSU. There are also individual student unions that want to work independently and ethnic student unions. One thing I can tell you for sure is that all so-called student unions in this country do not represent all the students. We students gathered together in our circles to form whatever was possible at the time. This is how student unions were formed. But, among all of the student unions, ABSFU and NSU have a certain degree of authority because the chairpersons, vice chairpersons and executives of university student unions under these groups were elected by popular vote. Even if they don't represent entire universities, they do represent the student unions. There are also universities under NSU whose student unions do represent entire universities. For example, the student unions of Thanlyin Technological University and West Yangon Technological University represent the entire student body. At the Yangon University of Economics, key people are elected by the student unions. YN: Previously, the country was under a military regime and the government—which was not democratically elected—oppressed student unions. Circumstances did not allow for student unions to be established democratically. Ma Ei Swe Myat, do you see prospects for student unions to be set up through elections, beginning at individual universities and later at a nationwide student conference? ESM: For the time being, it is not possible. The new government has not been in power for very long. In the past, we had to form student unions against rectors and the previous government. Yangon West Technological University and Thanlyin Technological University were able to form student unions that represented the entire university because students got along with university authorities or rectors. It was difficult to hold elections [for student unions] in instances where there were hardline rectors. In the case of Yangon University, the current executive board is an interim one. The constitution is being drafted now and only through an election based on that constitution will we be able to elect a student union that represents the entire university. Previously, we could not achieve representation, but it was not because we did not make the effort. We did all we could, but there was oppression from above. Maybe teachers and rectors were also afraid. There were active students, but they were discouraged by threats from teachers, for example, saying that they would be disqualified for a master's degree if they engaged in such issues. But we have a new government now and we hope that the views of rectors and teachers will also change. Teachers are our second parents who can fulfill our wishes. They inevitably had to oppress us under previous government because of their fear. But now the new government is in office and a new semester will start soon. We don't know yet what we are going to face until the universities open but we believe there will be changes. It is time for universities to have executive boards that represent entire universities. And we hope this happens. Teacher's views have changed following the power transfer. There must have been students who were interested in politics and who now want to participate in student unions. And they do not need to be afraid anymore. The existing student unions are ready to make sure they are represented. ZL: You have talked about forming a student union that could represent universities across the country by holding elections at different levels. This is the hope of every student union. The question is if each of over 160 universities and colleges across the country could form their own union. If the higher education law makes student unions compulsory, then all universities and colleges across the country have to form them. If the law only grants the right to form student unions, then it is not compulsory and we can choose to form student unions or not. Universities that want to form student unions have to include provisions about it in their charters. The rector, administration and students can decide if they want to form a union for their university. If they want to form one, they can include provisions in their university charter and hold elections. YN: The current situation suggests that we have good reason for high hopes. Things are developing toward a situation where there will no longer be government oppression, but instead cooperation with student unions and teachers to shape the national education system. And personally I think students can reach their goal if they try. Thank you for your contributions. The post Dateline Irrawaddy: 'Students Do Not Need to be Afraid Anymore' appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (June 4, 2016) Posted: 03 Jun 2016 08:14 PM PDT  Aung San Suu Kyi received a World Bank delegation led by regional Vice President Axel Van Trotsenburg on February 22. (Photo: NLD Chairperson / Facebook) World Bank Suggests Incentives to Boost Burma's Power Supply With residents of Burma's major cities suffering regular blackouts and brownouts during the hot season, and with two-thirds of the population not connected to the electricity grid, the World Bank has offered advice on how the new government could boost supply. In its regular Myanmar Economic Monitor report, published May 31, the Bank predicted that overall economic growth would rebound—after flooding and political uncertainty during the 2015-16 fiscal year—to a healthy 8.2 percent per year over the medium term. But the lengthy report highlighted that, among other lingering problems holding back the economy, access to electricity is a major priority if the government is to increase productivity and competitiveness. In a "policy watch" section of the report, the authors noted the positive signs from recent oil and gas explorations tenders. And alongside the billions of dollars being poured into locating new energy sources, they expect about $2 billion of investment per year in power generation. However, there could be a shortfall in investment, especially on the generation side, with a total of $30 billion needed over the next 15 years to realize the National Electrification Plan and to meet rising demand for electricity. The previous government signed deals with private companies to provide power to the national grid, including a number of agreements that see some of Burma's share of production from offshore natural gas fields supplied to private power producers, who then produce power and sell it back to the grid. In one of the biggest such deals, Singapore's Sembcorp signed an agreement with the outgoing government in March that means the state will buy power from a power plant in Myingyan, Irrawaddy Division, which will be fueled by gas from the Shwe field in the Bay of Bengal. The World Bank warned, however, that the current arrangements may not be attractive enough to draw the total amount of investment needed in power generation in the long run. Specifically, it said, gas destined for export and gas sold domestically are currently priced the same. That situation does not encourage the domestic use of gas supplies to meet the country's power shortfall, the Bank said. "When the domestic gas price is set too high, this can encourage energy and electricity suppliers/users to switch to other energy sources, including higher carbon sources such as diesel and coal," it said, suggesting the government consider revising the pricing scheme so that domestically sold gas would be cheaper than that which is exported. "An updated domestic gas pricing framework could allow the Myanmar authorities to enhance the electricity tariff structure, which is a crucial factor toward achieving universal access to electricity by 2030." The report also recommended changes to the electricity tariffs to "better reflect the cost of supply and support new investment." Moves in this direction are likely to be controversial, however, since announcements under the previous government that electricity prices would rise were met with street demonstrations. Burmese Firm Wants to Raise $100M in Singapore A Burmese company is looking to raise as much as $100 million to fund projects in the country by listing its shares on Singapore's stock exchange. According to its website, Golden Glory Group Pte is a Singapore-incorporated property developer headed by Khin Maung Aye, the owner of the Lat War Garment Factory. The company's CEO, Christopher Wu, told Bloomberg that the company will launch an initial public offering before the end of 2016. Wu reportedly said the IPO plan—which would seek to raise between $80 million and $100 million—was tied to the new optimism around Burma following the political transition, which has seen the United States further ease sanctions. "The door has opened," Wu said. "More foreign companies are setting up offices." Golden Glory Group's website lists two projects currently under development. First is the Polo Club (Asia) Residence, a flashy mixed-use development to include "residential condominiums, hotel, service apartments, commercial and retail space." The development in Rangoon's Tamwe Township was scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2015. Then there's a "future industrial park" planned for Pegu Division, to cater to light industrial production—i.e. factories making garments and other textiles. The company's website also gives some details about Khin Maung Aye, who has the same name as the head of KMA Group and CB Bank, a different person. According to the account, Golden Glory Group's Khin Maung Aye qualified as a medical doctor (graduating from Rangoon's University of Medicine 1) in 2001, after working for the family owned Union Rubber Factory from 1990 onward. The budding tycoon also acted as a real estate agent and investor in the 1990s before establishing the Lat War garment company. He took over a Ministry of Industry-run paper factory in 2013, and has also expanded his property interests in more recent years, the website says. Competition Brewing in the Instant Coffee Market Singapore's Super Group, which operates in Burma through the joint venture Super Coffeemix Limited and produces some of the country's most popular instant hot drinks, is now facing stern competition, according to analysts. An analysis of Super Group's Burmese venture by financial information service RHB Invest this week estimated that the firm's share of the instant coffee market in Burma is between 40 and 50 percent. But the company will have to work harder as competition increases, the analysis said. "Given the predominantly traditional trade channels in Myanmar, we think [Super Group's] biggest strength in this market lies in its partner's nationwide distribution network and the JV company's ability to sell—even in rural villages," it said. "However, we believe that the in modern trade channels, it is facing increasing competition from rivals [especially Nestle]." The company was already working to rebrand its products in Burma, it said, highlighting the launch of a new product named Essenso Microground Coffee. Thai Construction Firm to Produce Concrete in Burma Narawat Patanakarn, one of Thailand's largest construction companies, is reportedly planning to set up a factory in Burma to make the pre-cast concrete that is used for flooring, fencing and foundations. The company's president, Polpat Karnasuta, was quoted in the Nation newspaper saying the Bangkok-listed company had reached an agreement with an unnamed local company to open the factory before the end of the year. With imports of construction materials currently high in Burma, the factory would make pre-cast concrete products in country. Such products are used for the construction of homes, small buildings and other infrastructure like electricity poles, the Nation said. "In addition, the listed company is conducting a feasibility study on whether to invest in the hotel business in Myanmar, for which it expects to complete a joint-venture deal with a local firm there by the end of this year," the report cited Polpat saying. "Nawarat Patanakarn is also eyeing participation in infrastructure projects in the neighbouring country," it added. Former ILO Liaison Appointed Kiwi Ambassador Steve Marshall, the former International Labor Organization's (ILO) liaison officer in Rangoon, has been appointed as New Zealand's new ambassador to Burma. According to the New Zealand government's official website, Foreign Minister Murray McCullay announced the appointment on June 1. The nation upgraded its diplomatic presence in Burma to a full embassy in 2014, the minister said, reflecting the country's support for Burma's transition. "Mr Marshall brings a unique mix of skills and experience to the role and in addition to being charged with further developing the relationship between our two countries, he will also be responsible for our growing aid programme in Myanmar, which is focused on agriculture and skills development," McCully was quoted saying. Marshall, a former policeman, was the CEO of the New Zealand Employers Federation during a turbulent time for the country's industrial relations, according a profile on the New Zealand Listener website. He joined the ILO in Geneva in 2001 before moving to Rangoon in 2007, and reportedly counts State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi as a friend. During eight years on the job in Burma, he also dealt closely with the former military junta, leading efforts to convince the generals to address the massive forced labor issues in the country at the time. A 2007 U.S. Embassy cable released by WikiLeaks characterized Marshall as "a straight talker." He believed his background as "not a career diplomat" had meant that he was an acceptable interlocutor for the Burmese government at the time, the cable said. The post The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (June 4, 2016) appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| This Week in Parliament (May 30–June 3) Posted: 03 Jun 2016 08:08 PM PDT  Members of Parliament stand in respect as the speaker of the Lower House arrives at a session in Naypyidaw on March, 10, 2016. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) Although the Union Election Commission (UEC) said nothing about errors in the 2015 nationwide voter lists, in response to a question raised in the Lower House about such discrepancies, the UEC replied that it planned to conduct door-to-door voter registration to compile accurate lists for the next election. The pilot project will take place in Rangoon's Kyauktada Township. The Upper House approved the draft laws to amend the Lower House Election Law, Upper House Election Law and State Parliament Election Law, all of which the NLD previously decried for going against democratic practices. The Lower House had already approved the draft laws, after each was amended three times. May 31 (Tuesday) The Union Parliament recorded the appointment of Maung Maung Win as the deputy planning and finance minister. Zaw Win from Htantabin constituency replaced Khin Maung Win from Lanmadaw constituency as a member of the Union Parliament Joint Bill Committee. In the Lower House, the Ministry of Electric Power and Energy explained its plans to address frequent power outages and the electricity supply in Burma. Lower House Speaker Win Myint said the ministry may have noticed cartoons in the media about the outages, and urged it to give due attention to the issue. The Upper House approved the proposed amendments made to the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law by the Lower House. The draft law was sent to the Lower House for approval. The Upper House approved the appointment of Naw Mya Sae as the chair of its Education Promotion Committee. The post was previously held by Win Myat Aye, who currently serves as the Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement—a committee on which Naw Mya Sae also previously served as a member. June 1 (Wednesday) The Lower House received the draft laws to amend the Lower House Election Law, Upper House Election Law and State Parliament Election Law sent back by the Upper House. Both houses have now approved the draft laws and the Union Parliament will soon announce the official approval. The Upper House approved draft laws to annul the Rangoon City Development Law and Mandalay City Development Law. June 2 (Thursday) In the Lower House, lawmaker Pe Than representing Myebon Township asked if the new government planned to define the terms "political offense" and "political prisoner." Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Maj-Gen Aung Soe replied that the ministry has no plan to define them but he will report to the minister, seek the government's statement and deliver the reply to Parliament. June 3 (Friday) The Upper House approved the draft law to amend the Ward or Village Tract Administration Law. The law has been amended twice already. The colonial-era law requires citizens to report overnight guests to local authorities. With the draft law approved, such reporting will no longer be required. The post This Week in Parliament (May 30–June 3) appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
Ye Ni: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! This week, we'll discuss the role of student unions in the political transition. Central executive members of the Nationwide Federation of Student Unions [NFSU] Ko Zeyar Lwin and Ma Ei Swe Myat will join me for the discussion. I'm Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni.| You are subscribed to email updates from The Irrawaddy. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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