The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Former USDP Lawmaker Sues Woman Over Facebook Comment
• Case of Capsized Sagaing Ferry Brought to Court
• Burma Government Invites Northern Alliance to Peace Talks
• The Battle for Gideon: A Kachin Perspective
• UN: 15,000 Flee Shan State Conflict into China
• Fourth Burma Telecom Company Expected to Launch
• Ethnic Organizations Criticize Rally in Support of Burma Army
• US Says It Will Work with Duterte After Latest Outburst
• Hackers Hit Thai Sites to Protest Restrictive Internet Law
• Ten Things to do in Rangoon This Week

Former USDP Lawmaker Sues Woman Over Facebook Comment Posted: 20 Dec 2016 07:21 AM PST U Hla Swe says that a volunteer from Magwe Division's Gangaw Township defamed him while responding to his social media post. The post Former USDP Lawmaker Sues Woman Over Facebook Comment appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Case of Capsized Sagaing Ferry Brought to Court Posted: 20 Dec 2016 06:13 AM PST Three individuals are charged in the case of the overcrowded ferry that sank on the Chindwin River, killing some 70 passengers. The post Case of Capsized Sagaing Ferry Brought to Court appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Government Invites Northern Alliance to Peace Talks Posted: 20 Dec 2016 05:30 AM PST 'We want to discuss signing the nationwide ceasefire agreement, attending the 21st Century Panglong conference,' says peace commission member. The post Burma Government Invites Northern Alliance to Peace Talks appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The Battle for Gideon: A Kachin Perspective Posted: 20 Dec 2016 05:22 AM PST The resurgence of a strong ethnic Kachin cultural and political identity recent years is a direct result of intensified Burma Army repression. The post The Battle for Gideon: A Kachin Perspective appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UN: 15,000 Flee Shan State Conflict into China Posted: 20 Dec 2016 03:42 AM PST A Burma police official tells Reuters that government forces clashed with armed groups in northern Shan at least 170 times in the past month. The post UN: 15,000 Flee Shan State Conflict into China appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Fourth Burma Telecom Company Expected to Launch Posted: 20 Dec 2016 03:28 AM PST 'We will see any competition entering the market as healthy. We know that competition drives innovation and new ideas,' says Telenor CEO. The post Fourth Burma Telecom Company Expected to Launch appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ethnic Organizations Criticize Rally in Support of Burma Army Posted: 20 Dec 2016 02:58 AM PST Critics say the rally amounted to neglecting the ongoing peace process and would undermine trust in the government among ethnic minorities. The post Ethnic Organizations Criticize Rally in Support of Burma Army appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Says It Will Work with Duterte After Latest Outburst Posted: 19 Dec 2016 08:50 PM PST The United States will work with the Philippine president even after he threatened to terminate a pact allowing US troops to visit the Philippines. The post US Says It Will Work with Duterte After Latest Outburst appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Hackers Hit Thai Sites to Protest Restrictive Internet Law Posted: 19 Dec 2016 08:43 PM PST Hackers saying they are protesting the passage of a bill restricting internet freedom have been attacking Thai government computer servers. The post Hackers Hit Thai Sites to Protest Restrictive Internet Law appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to do in Rangoon This Week Posted: 19 Dec 2016 06:48 PM PST Christmas festivals and dinner, a weekly group run and art exhibitions –all in Rangoon this week, as picked by The Irrawaddy. The post Ten Things to do in Rangoon This Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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National News

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• ASEAN FMs pledge support on Rakhine
• Composition of negotiations still a sticking point for Northern Alliance
• Civilians in two Kutkai villages told to relocate
• Did Shan parliament exceed its constitutional boundaries?
• Tagaung nickel factory workers demonstrate for a payrise
• Court observation teams ‘unnecessary’: Mandalay chief justice
• Team to investigate contractors as Shwedagon to undergo repairs
• HIV stigmatisation needs to be curtailed: support group
• Officials seek UNESCO ‘geopark’ status for Mount Popa area
• Prison overcrowding addressed at human rights training

ASEAN FMs pledge support on Rakhine Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:51 PM PST Two agreements were made at an unprecedented gathering of the regional bloc yesterday: the ASEAN nations will jointly work to restore humanitarian access to northern Rakhine State, and Myanmar will regularly update its fellow member countries on the ground situation as it evolves.

Composition of negotiations still a sticking point for Northern Alliance Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:50 PM PST After a failed bid at the beginning of this month to initiate ceasefire talks between the Tatmadaw and the Northern Alliance-Burma, negotiators from the government peace commission have found their second attempt plagued by the same stalemate as the first go.

Civilians in two Kutkai villages told to relocate Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:48 PM PST Civilians in two villages of northern Shan State's Kutkai township have been given marching orders, with the Tatmadaw issuing a warning that they need to leave within two days, according to local civil society groups and residents.

Did Shan parliament exceed its constitutional boundaries? Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:43 PM PST In what some see as a blow to Myanmar's struggling peace process, the Shan State parliament decided on December 7 to designate the four ethnic armed groups fighting the Tatmadaw as "terrorist organisations". The move has garnered widespread criticism from civil society groups for countering national reconciliation efforts and casting aspersions on the same groups whose presence at the negotiating table many see as integral to the country's prospects for long-term peace.

Tagaung nickel factory workers demonstrate for a payrise Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:40 PM PST Hundreds of Myanmar workers from a nickel factory in Sagaing Region staged a demonstration this past weekend over a perceived pay discrepancy between foreign and local employees.

Court observation teams ‘unnecessary’: Mandalay chief justice Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:38 PM PST Mandalay's chief justice has dismissed suggestions that court observation teams should be formed with the intention of strengthening accountability and the rule of law in the region.

Team to investigate contractors as Shwedagon to undergo repairs Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:37 PM PST Refurbishment of Shwedagon Pagoda, normally done every four years, is to start in early 2017, at least a year before it was initially scheduled, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture has announced.

HIV stigmatisation needs to be curtailed: support group Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:36 PM PST A national network of people living with HIV has called on the government to take bolder measures to destigmatise the virus and improve services provision in collaboration with the private sector.

Officials seek UNESCO ‘geopark’ status for Mount Popa area Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:32 PM PST Steps are underway to have more than 360 square miles around Mandalay Region's famed Mount Popa designated a Global Geopark by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Prison overcrowding addressed at human rights training Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:22 PM PST Speaking at a human rights training in Mandalay, a senior correctional officer acknowledged that the widespread problem of prison overcrowding is a violation of inmates' rights.

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