Monday, December 12, 2016

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Religious Affairs Ministry to Take Legal Action Against Buddhist Sect

Posted: 12 Dec 2016 07:07 AM PST

The ministry will sue the Moe Pya sect over its 'present karma' Buddhist doctrine, which it says violates the religion's teachings.

The post Religious Affairs Ministry to Take Legal Action Against Buddhist Sect appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Drug Bust Nabs 14 Million Amphetamine Tablets

Posted: 12 Dec 2016 06:20 AM PST

Tablets are stashed inside an empty fuel tank in a truck in Padaung Township. 'There is an ongoing investigation,' says Pegu Division Chief Minister.

The post Drug Bust Nabs 14 Million Amphetamine Tablets appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Private Donors Invited to Contribute to Bagan Temple Restoration

Posted: 12 Dec 2016 05:57 AM PST

Burma's govt will allow individual donors and private organizations to directly contribute to the renovation of more than 200 ancient Bagan temples.

The post Private Donors Invited to Contribute to Bagan Temple Restoration appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Trade Resumes in Muse

Posted: 12 Dec 2016 05:21 AM PST

Commerce re-commences at Burma's largest border trading point, after recent clashes between govt forces and ethnic armed groups come to a halt. 

The post Trade Resumes in Muse appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Authorities Seize Cache of Weapons and Ammunition in Hpa-an Bust

Posted: 12 Dec 2016 04:55 AM PST

'They were our people. They have been detained at a police station,' says Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) official Khaing Aung Soe Than.

The post Authorities Seize Cache of Weapons and Ammunition in Hpa-an Bust appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

President’s Office Criticizes UN Statement on Arakan State

Posted: 12 Dec 2016 04:51 AM PST

The President's Office spokesperson says a statement made by the UN Secretary-General's Special Advisor on Burma does not reflect reality.

The post President's Office Criticizes UN Statement on Arakan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NLD Investigates High Profile Nepotism Cases

Posted: 12 Dec 2016 02:44 AM PST

The National League for Democracy investigates complaints against the Mon State chief minister and Tenasserim Division's speaker and deputy speaker.

The post NLD Investigates High Profile Nepotism Cases appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NCA Signatories Against Using the Term “Terrorist Organizations”

Posted: 12 Dec 2016 01:05 AM PST

'We are trying to bring those ethnic armed groups who are not ready to sign the NCA into the peace process,' says KNU leader Saw Kwe Htoo Win.

The post NCA Signatories Against Using the Term "Terrorist Organizations" appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indonesia Nabs Woman, Others in Thwarted Jakarta Bomb Plot 

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 11:37 PM PST

'This marks a new chapter of terrorism in Indonesia, where the suicide bombing was to be carried out by a woman,' says terrorism analyst.

The post Indonesia Nabs Woman, Others in Thwarted Jakarta Bomb Plot  appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Town Wants the Secret Out: George Orwell Slept Here 

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 11:29 PM PST

'It is not easy to get attention from the world,' says preservationist Nyo Ko Naing. 'So it's like Katha won the lottery.'

The post Burma Town Wants the Secret Out: George Orwell Slept Here  appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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National News

National News

Myanmar government prepares to take legal action against Daily Mail, The Independent for false stories

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 11:32 PM PST

Furious over misreported stories that cast a bad light on Myanmar, the government is considering bringing legal action against two international news organisations, the president's spokesperson said yesterday. The articles have been used by the government to substantiate claims that international media is deliberately propagating distorted and inaccurate coverage of the Tatmadaw's crackdown against a Muslim minority in Rakhine State.

Court to question Insein Prison doctor over denied bail request

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 11:08 PM PST

Facing ongoing medical problems in prison, the Eleven Media CEO on trial for defamation is appealing the court's denial of bail, with his defence lawyer urging the judge to reconsider health records underpinning the request.

99-million-year-old dinosaur tail fragment found in Myanmar

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 10:59 PM PST

Preserved in amber and sporting feathers, a 99-million-year-old dinosaur tail was discovered in Myanmar's north by a researcher from the China University of Geosciences. The major find contributes to how paleontologists understand the evolution of plumage.

Hluttaw records Shan conflict proposal

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 10:56 PM PST

An urgent proposal calling for an end to fighting between the Northern Alliance-Burma and the Tatmadaw was put on the record in the Shan State Hluttaw last week, about three weeks after the renewed conflict first flared.

Complaints against Tanintharyi officials tied to suspect hluttaw building tender

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 10:48 PM PST

The ruling party's team to scrutinise complaints against Tanintharyi Region's parliamentary Speaker and his deputy has confirmed that a suspect tendering process for the construction of a new regional hluttaw building was among the issues raised by the complainants in a letter.

‘Enslaved’ brick workers rescued from 19-hour shifts

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 10:46 PM PST

Workers who claim they were starved and abused while working at a brickyard are now recuperating after local township officials secured their release. The 27 workers, many of them young women and children, said they had been forced to work from 3am to 10pm with no time off for food or rest, and were paid less than they were promised.

Mobile roadside stores now legal and taxable in Mandalay

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 10:42 PM PST

Mandalay vendors selling their wares out of trucks, cars and motorcycles will be permitted to operate mobile shops so long as they pay a newly announced tax to the city, the Mandalay City Development Committee has said.

Dengue fever incidence declines

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 10:39 PM PST

Dengue fever cases have dropped significantly over last year's regional outbreak, new figures released by the Department of Health show.

National environmental policy gets an update

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 10:38 PM PST

Myanmar will get a new national environmental policy in early 2017, say officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation. The retooled version will update the 22-year-old policy currently in place.

Campaign to boost literacy in southern Shan State

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 10:35 PM PST

A literacy project that hopes to engage more than 20,000 participants is rolling through Shan State, the Department of Alternative Education has announced.
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Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

Commentary on "Fighting for peace in Muse, the KIA shoots itself in the foot"

Posted: 11 Dec 2016 08:02 AM PST

Sithu Aung Myint usually produce unbiased commentary if not always. But lately he seems to be betting more on Aung San Suu Kyi's wisdom and political outlook, plus heaping blame on the Kachin Independence Organization/Army (KIO/KIA) for not signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and now for trying to safe it's skin, by trying to fight back.


While siding with Suu Kyi is relatively a safe undertaking, as her popularity is still very high, even though she seems to be abandoning her liberal democratic principles, accusing the KIA of a failed decision and mismanaging it's political credential need to be looked at from a different point of view.

What is KIA supposed to do when it has to endure the military heavy onslaught three months in a row?

Is it a sin to employ the time tested strategy of "offensive is the best defensive"?

Is collateral damage of human causality and economic disruption solely the responsibility of the KIA and northern alliance?

What about the Tatmadaw's decades-long occupation and oppression of the ethnic homelands, resulting in gross human rights violations and other abuses?

This latest northern alliance offensive came about as it's members are repeatedly denied the rights of participation in the peace process and conducting military pressures so that the KIA will sign the NCA and the other alliance members - Kokang or MNDAA, Palaung or TNLA and Arakan or AA - could be excluded.

It is not a wonder that the alliance choose to take such actions to safe their own skin. They couldn't care less, if they are going to be annihilated like sitting ducks, by countering with such drastic actions,

Survival is the name of the game. Political opinion poll is important but not as important to stay alive.

The northern alliance and the KIA have simply no choice left but to fend for their own survival.

Link to the story : Fighting for peace in Muse, the KIA shoots itself in the foot
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