AllSBNews: The Irrawaddy Magazine

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Fire in Century-Old Rathedaung Township Mosque Under Investigation
Magwe Chief Justice: Misuse of Public Funds Could Finish USDP
SE Asia Prioritizes Trade Pact Including China as US Rethinks Policy
Thai Police to Review Ways to Remove Online Content After Facebook Killing
Police Arrest Student Protestors in Mandalay
Donors Cut Financial Support to Refugee Camp Workers
China Ready to Mediate Between Burma and Bangladesh over Arakan Refugees
Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week

Fire in Century-Old Rathedaung Township Mosque Under Investigation

Posted: 26 Apr 2017 08:16 AM PDT

RANGOON – The 100-year-old Zay Di Pyin mosque in a rural area of northern Arakan State's Rathedaung Township escaped extensive damage by a blaze on Tuesday night, a police official said.

Zay Di Pyin village, which is around 12 kilometers from Rathedaung town, is located in an area with a strong border police force presence. Around 80 homes in the 1,000-person community belong to Muslim families, said self-identifying Muslim Rohingya resident of Zay Di Pyin Al-Haj Zawhie Thra.

A fire broke out in the village's mosque, which is located near the market and a Buddhist monastery, at around 10 p.m. on Tuesday during a prayer session. Residents phoned the village administrator to report the incident immediately, but the village head was away, leaving Muslim community members to get the blaze under control themselves—Buddhist Arakanese villagers near the mosque also helped in the efforts, Zawhie Thra said.

While rumors have circulated online about the cause of the fire, both Zawhie Thra and Buddhist Arakanese resident Ko Maung Soe Win described the situation as having been "misread" by members the community, as the fire's source remains unknown.

"No one knows who did it. So, how can we assume who was behind this?" Zawhie Thra said.

What Caused the Fire?

According to Rathedaung police—who spoke to The Irrawaddy on the condition of anonymity—a report by the border guard police stated that the building itself did not suffer damage in the fire, but that 50,000 kyats worth of books and prayer mats were destroyed.

The border police reportedly also detained an imam from the mosque, and eight Muslim residents who were involved in putting out the fire, releasing them the following morning. Rathedaung police told The Irrawaddy that the border police suspected that the fire had started when the muezzin—the individual who calls Muslims to prayer—had left candles burning, which later fell and subsequently burned nearby objects.

"Temporarily, the border police have opened the case under Article 285, [which concerns] negligence involving fire. They will conduct a further investigation into the relevant persons," said the Rathedaung official.

Article 285 of Burma's penal code states that anyone who causes a potentially life threatening fire can be punished with a maximum of three years prison and a fine.

Yet local Muslim sources told The Irrawaddy that the Zay Pyi Din mosque has been using solar power for light, rather than candles, and questioned the conclusions in the border police report.

One villager added that copies of the Holy Qu'ran and other books are normally kept on shelves and tables, but that he had witnessed the burning texts piled on the prayer rugs, on the floor. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify this eyewitness statement.

Buddhist Arakanese resident of the village Ko Maung Soe Win said that the fire he saw was small and had not damaged the structure of the mosque, to his knowledge. He criticized other eyewitnesses for taking photos of the blaze rather than gathering water to put it out.

The border police allegedly confiscated the mobile phones of those who took photos inside of the mosque.

Zawhie Thra and Ko Maung Soe Win noted that Zay Di Pyin was spared the violence of riots that spread through several of the state's townships in 2012. Yet, in November 2016, the mosque also caught fire, which reportedly started from within a wardrobe. Police have not identified a responsible party in the incident, and it remains a "puzzle," said Zawhie Thra.

Local sources told The Irrawaddy that the situation in Zay Di Pyin has returned to that which it was before the fire broke out.

The Irrawaddy phoned the President's Office on Wednesday, as well as Arakan State government officials on Tuesday, but was unable to reach any of these authorities for comment on the incident.

The post Fire in Century-Old Rathedaung Township Mosque Under Investigation appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Magwe Chief Justice: Misuse of Public Funds Could Finish USDP

Posted: 26 Apr 2017 07:23 AM PDT

RANGOON — The chief justice of Magwe Division said the former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party's (USDP) spending of a public fund was illegal and could lead to the party's cessation.

"According to the Political Party Registration Law, you can't use any public property. It openly states that any mishandling of it must put an end to a party," the division's chief justice U San Lin told the media on Tuesday.

He referred to the Union government's recent instruction to the previous divisional government led by U Phone Maw Shwe to return more than 3 billion kyats, including more than 1.7 billion kyats allegedly spent on the USDP when they were in power from 2011 to March 2015.

Chief Minister Dr. Aung Moe Nyo of Magwe Division told the reporters at the press conference that legal action against his predecessor would follow if missing regional development funds collected in taxes from small-scale oil producers under the previous government were not returned.

"We will inform anyone involved in the case [to return the funds]. If they fail to follow the instructions, action will be taken according to the existing laws," he said.

The USDP spokesperson Dr. Nandar Hla Myint was not available for comment on Wednesday.

The Bureau of Special Investigations under the Ministry of Home Affairs launched an investigation and found that the missing funds amounted to 7.5 billion kyats.

The investigation's findings were submitted to the President's Office earlier this month. The office then instructed the USDP to return more than 3 billion Kyats.

The chief minister said his regional government would order the return of the remaining 4 billion kyats and "ask the Union government for help if needed."

The USDP was founded as a mass organization (Union Solidarity and Development Association) by the then military regime in 1993 to support its activities.

It was registered as a political party (USDP) in 2010 to contest in the general election, with most of the army generals donning civilian clothes to stand as USDP candidates.

Both at home and abroad, the election was widely seen as a rigged one and the USDP won the majority of the seats.

The party has never publicly disclosed their source of income or funding. During the election campaign in 2015, the then party's vice chairman, U Htay Oo, said most of the funding came from membership fees across the country.

"We have evolved from a mass organization so that we have millions of members," he said.

The post Magwe Chief Justice: Misuse of Public Funds Could Finish USDP appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

SE Asia Prioritizes Trade Pact Including China as US Rethinks Policy

Posted: 26 Apr 2017 02:56 AM PDT

MANILA, Philippines — Southeast Asian countries will prioritize creating an Asia-focused trade pact this year that includes China, India and Japan, while trade issues with the United States will be put on the back burner, the Philippine trade minister said.

The US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and policy uncertainties cast by President Donald Trump's protectionist leanings, have spurred Asian countries to push ahead with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez told Reuters late on Tuesday.

"That to us would be more of a priority rather than other countries working on another agreement," Lopez said of RCEP during an interview ahead of a summit of the 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila.

"Everybody would of course like to have a greater economic relationship with the US, they are a big country, one of the biggest consumers as well, but it may not rank high in the ASEAN agenda."

ASEAN first pushed the idea for RCEP in 2012, but it became eclipsed by the TPP, which former US President Barack Obama had promoted as a progressive deal that would prevent China from "writing the rules of global trade".

Four ASEAN members—Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam—had signed up to TPP, but the pact has lost two-thirds of its members combined gross domestic product when the US backed out.

And with China putting its weight behind RCEP, it has emerged as best alternative to lowering tariffs in the region for Asia's export-driven economies.

RCEP would bring ASEAN—a trading community of 620 million people with a combined GDP of $2.6 trillion—together with six other countries: Japan, India, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and China.

Since the election in November of a protectionist-minded US president, China has emerged as arguably the biggest advocate of trade liberalization.

China denies it is leading RCEP, and Lopez said the deal would not be skewed in favor of larger nations.

"All the countries are looking at what's mutually beneficial for all, it won't be lopsided, let's say, in favor of China. China is one of the participants," he said.

"What we're all talking about in RCEP is to what extent can we review the products, the products that need to be liberalized for free trade."

Lopez said trade was not expected to figure prominently at the ASEAN summit starting on Saturday, but leaders would be pushing for a conclusion of RCEP by the end of this year.

The Philippine minister said Trump's rhetoric on trade was a concern for Southeast Asia's export-driven economies, but they hoped he would soften his stance, recognizing that an inward looking approach would ultimately hurt the US economy.

"What we just hope is that the US won't really come up with policies that will really be protectionist," he said

The post SE Asia Prioritizes Trade Pact Including China as US Rethinks Policy appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thai Police to Review Ways to Remove Online Content After Facebook Killing

Posted: 26 Apr 2017 02:45 AM PDT

BANGKOK, Thailand — Police in Thailand on Wednesday said they would discuss how to expedite taking down "inappropriate online content" after a man broadcast himself killing his 11-month-old daughter in a live video on Facebook.

Two videos, which were available for nearly 24 hours before they were taken down, show Wuttisan Wongtalay hanging his daughter from a building on the southern Thai island of Phuket on Monday before he turned off the camera and killed himself.

"In the future, we will discuss inappropriate online content, whether on Facebook or YouTube or Instagram, and how we can speed up taking this content down," deputy national police spokesman Kissana Phatanacharoen told reporters.

It was not immediately clear how authorities plan to speed things up.

Police had asked the Ministry of Digital Economy to contact Facebook about removing the videos. The ministry in turn contacted Facebook on Tuesday and the videos were taken down at around 5 p.m. in Bangkok that day, nearly a day after they had been uploaded.

Google said the video was also on Youtube and it was taken down within 15 minutes of being informed of it by the BBC.

The videos, which drew nearly half a million views before they were taken down, sparked outrage among netizens and prompted questions about how Facebook's reporting system works and how violent content can be flagged faster.

The case is the latest in a string of violent crimes that have plagued Facebook despite making up a small percentage of videos. On Tuesday a Swedish court jailed three men for the rape of a woman that was broadcast live on Facebook.

Last week, Facebook said it was reviewing how it monitored violent footage and other objectionable material after a posting of the fatal shooting of a man in Cleveland, Ohio was visible for two hours before being taken down.

What Took So Long?

Some are asking what took authorities in Thailand so long to act.

Kissana blamed the delay partly on the time difference between the United States, where Facebook is headquartered, and Thailand.

"We did the best we could but there's the time difference issue because Facebook is headquartered in San Francisco," Kissana said, without elaborating.

He said Thai police currently have two ways of being alerted about disturbing content: monitoring by a dedicated technology crime suppression division or a tip-off from the public using police hotlines.

A cousin of the baby's mother told Reuters the family was too traumatized to think about removing the video from Facebook.

"We didn't think about removing the video because all we wanted to do at the time was find them [the father and baby] first," said Suksan Buachanit, 29.

Thailand's digital ministry said it would review how it handles similar cases in the future.

"We will take this as a lesson and come up with a solution…but this is not something we can do immediately," ministry spokesman Somsak Khaosuwan told Reuters.

Police said the killing was the first in Thailand known to have been broadcast on Facebook. They said the crime was driven by jealousy because Wuttisan was afraid his wife would leave him for another man.

Thailand's health ministry said it records on average one to two suicide videos a month that are posted to social media, including YouTube and Facebook.

Thailand has a technology crime suppression police division, which handles inappropriate content and computer crimes that are insulting to the monarchy.

The country's strict lese majeste law makes it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen, heir to the throne or regent. Each offence is punishable with a jail term of up to 15 years.

Thailand has increased its use of the law since the royalist military seized power in 2014.

The post Thai Police to Review Ways to Remove Online Content After Facebook Killing appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Police Arrest Student Protestors in Mandalay

Posted: 26 Apr 2017 02:21 AM PDT

MANDALAY — Four students protesting draconian rules at Sagaing Teacher Training College were arrested in front of the Department of Higher Education (Upper Burma) in Mandalay on Wednesday.

Student union members Ko Zaw Ye Htut, Ko Hnin Aung, Ko Kaung Zaw Hein, and Ko Ye Myo Swe were detained at Chanayethazan Township's No. 8 police station, an officer from the police station told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.

"We are currently questioning them [the students] and it is too early to say whether we will file a lawsuit against them under the Peaceful Assembly Act or not," he said.

During the protest, the students held placards urging the college to respect students' freedom and human rights, to practice democracy, and to stop oppressing students.

"Rules like not allowing mobile phones on the campus and strict timetables are like the rules in the army, not the rules of a college," said Ko Zaw Ye Htut during the protest.

The post Police Arrest Student Protestors in Mandalay appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Donors Cut Financial Support to Refugee Camp Workers

Posted: 25 Apr 2017 10:48 PM PDT

MAE SARIANG, Thailand — Some 10,000 community workers in nine refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border will be affected by financial cuts as funding declines, according to sources from the refugee community and aid agencies.

The cuts were announced at a meeting held by the international humanitarian agency The Border Consortium (TBC) in Mae Sot last weekend.

The reduced stipend for camp community workers will begin in July, said Saw Tu Tu, a leader within the Karen Refugee Committee (KRC) who attended the meeting.

Saw Tu Tu told The Irrawaddy at his office in Mae Sariang, Thailand: "They [TBC] will reduce human resources and financial support. They explained that support will be decreased because of a declining budget."

KRC staffers in nine refugee camp are among those who will be affected by the declining funding.

"They said they will also reduce the number of KRC staffers," said Saw Tu Tu.

There are around 10,000 community workers in positions like camp committee leader, health worker, teacher, warehouse manager and security staff, all of whom receive monthly stipends from NGOs, according to TBC.

Among the 10,000 workers, TBC funds some 2,800 people who are responsible for implementing programs such as food distribution; nutrition programs; livelihood, shelter, and camp management; and overall coordination of camp committees.

Sally Thompson, executive director of TBC, said: "Some elements of camp management are covered by specific donors, but most of the camp management administration and stipend costs are supported by general funds from donors and TBC is facing a decrease in funding from some of these donors."

"As a result TBC is making cuts to some of its programs but also is in a continual process of downsizing as an organization and has reduced TBC staff in Thailand by 30 percent over the last 3 years," she added.

The TBC budget for camp management, camp administration, stipend workers and CBOs is approximately USD$1.7 million, but funding has not been secured to cover all of these needs and therefore it is necessary to make cuts, Sally Thompson added.

"They [TBC] will reduce the community worker stipend by 30 perfect. So, if a worker received 1,000 baht per month before, they will receive only 700 baht per month in the future," said Saw Tu Tu of the KRC.

International governments and donors have been cutting funding for humanitarian assistance in refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border as Burma's peace process has gotten underway.

There are also preparations for a "volunteer" repatriation program being arranged by the Thai and Burmese governments along with INGOs such as the UN refugee agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Thai foundation Mae Fah Luang.

Volunteer Repatriation Centers are in all of the camps, facilitating the repatriation process for the refugees who wish to return home to Burma.

There are more than 100,000 refugees living on the Thai-Burma who fled civil war in Burma.

The post Donors Cut Financial Support to Refugee Camp Workers appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Ready to Mediate Between Burma and Bangladesh over Arakan Refugees

Posted: 25 Apr 2017 08:53 PM PDT

DHAKA, Bangladesh — China offered on Tuesday to help tackle a diplomatic row between Bangladesh and Burma over the flight of minority Rohingyas, two Bangladesh foreign ministry officials said.

Around 69,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in northern Arakan State since October, straining relations between the two neighbors who each see the stateless Muslim minority as the other nation's problem.

Chinese special envoy Sun Guoxiang, beginning a four-day trip to Bangladesh, urged Dhaka to resolve the row with Burma bilaterally, but also said Beijing stood ready to help in the matter, a foreign ministry official in Dhaka told Reuters.

Sun made the proposal during a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, the official said. He declined to be named, saying he was not authorized to speak to the media.

"The envoy told us at the meeting that they were ready to help if necessary," the official said. Another foreign ministry official confirmed the information but also asked not to be named, citing the sensitivity of the matter.

China has strong ties with both Burma and Bangladesh, helping in infrastructure development in both countries. Relations with the former have warmed further since Burma President U Htin Kyaw struck a deal in China on an oil pipeline between the neighbors after almost a decade of talks.

Beijing has established a strong presence in Bangladesh, building roads and power stations and supplying military hardware.

During the talks on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Haque told Chinese envoy Sun that Bangladesh welcomed Chinese efforts to tackle its problems with Burma stemming from the influx of Rohingyas into Bangladesh, the officials said.

Dhaka has proposed that Sun travel to Cox's Bazar near the border with Burma to see the plight of the tens of thousands of people camped there. China's ambassador to Bangladesh, Ma Mingqiang, visited a Rohingya camp there in March.

Burma has faced growing international criticism over the latest eruption of violence against the Rohingyas. Burma's government has conceded some soldiers may have committed crimes but has rejected charges of ethnic cleansing.

The post China Ready to Mediate Between Burma and Bangladesh over Arakan Refugees appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week

Posted: 25 Apr 2017 07:40 PM PDT

Violent Memories: Trauma and Transformation | April 25-30

Ten writers and poets from Macedonia, Chile, South Africa, Germany and Burma come together for a public reading to explore the essence of trauma.

April 25-30. Ahla Thit Art Gallery, No. 17, University Avenue Road, Bahan Tsp. Tel: 09-31035920

Myanmar International Light Festival | Until April 30

Lights in various shapes and designs decorate the park throughout the month of April at this festival.

Everyday until April 30. 5:30 pm to 10 pm. People's Square. Admission is 3,000 kyats.

Book Fair | April 4-May 1

More than 100 bookshops sell discounted goods and offer sessions on translation literature.

April 4-May 1. Printing and Publishing Enterprise Building, Theinbyu Street.

Shwe Daung Circus | Thurs-Sun through April

Shwe Daung Circus has been performing in Rangoon since February and will continue until the end of April.

Every Thurs. and Fri. at 8 pm, Sat. at 3 pm and 8 pm, Sun. at 11 am, 3 pm and 6 pm. People's Park (Dhammazedi Road Entrance). Tickets start at 5,000 kyats available at City Mart or 09-960012348.

Tuesday Snippets | Every Tuesday

Every Tuesday evening Pansodan opens its gallery space for a gathering, where all sorts of people enjoy conversation and beverages until late at night. Guitars generally come out after midnight.

Every Tuesday, 7 pm. Pansodan Gallery, Pansodan St. Free admission.

Together Festival Yangon | April 29-30

This EDM event is back for the third time, featuring local and international DJs.

April 29, evening. Thuwunnabhumi Event Park, Thingangyun. Tickets sold at Fuse in Myanmar Plaza and Ice Cream Bar in Junction Square and Junction Maw Tin or Tel: 09-775007750.

International Jazz Day | April 29

Headliner Mike Cottone – a jazz trumpeter from New York and the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, joins Burma's accomplished jazz musicians including the 88 Degree Band, the Bamboo Trio and the ISY Jazz Band.
April 29, 7 pm. Institut Français de Birmanie, Pyay Road. Free Admission.