The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Breaking: Arrest Warrants Issued for Buddhist Nationalists
- KNPP Concludes Congress, Re-Elects Chairperson
- Education Put on Hold for Children of Repatriated Refugees in Rangoon
- Despite Crackdown, People-Smuggling Across Thai-Burma Border has Risen
- Buddhist Nationalists Say They Were Attacked First in Muslim Neighborhood Raid
- Ministry Announces Electricity Price Hike
- Burma Army Reshuffles Senior Positions
- Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Fetching Friend
- Red Cross Chief Urges Govt to Allow More Access to Conflict Areas
- Uber Partners with Taxis to Expand in Burma
- KBZ Appoints New CEO
- Dr. Cynthia Maung: We Expect Challenges as Funding Is Cut
| Breaking: Arrest Warrants Issued for Buddhist Nationalists Posted: 11 May 2017 09:21 AM PDT RANGOON — Seven nationalists and Buddhist monks involved in Tuesday night's confrontation between Buddhists and Muslims in Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township have been charged with incitement to commit violence. Ko Latt, also known as Tin Htut Zaw, who was involved in the incident, and his wife were arrested near Kandawgyi Lake on Thursday, according to local lawmaker U Hla Htay. U Pyinnya Wuntha and U Thuseitta, two Buddhist monks from the Patriotic Monks Union who were behind the incident, also have warrants out for their arrest, the MP said, adding that there were seven individuals listed on the warrant, including Myat Phone Moh and Tin Lin Htike. The Buddhist monks led nationalists into the Muslim neighborhood before midnight on Tuesday, claiming ethnic Muslim Rohingya were there "illegally," according to police and residents. According to witnesses, the nationalists turned hostile toward the Muslim residents when police found no Rohingya in the area, as the nationalists had claimed. On Thursday afternoon, the monks and the laypersons held a press conference, identifying themselves as those who were involved in the incident and demanded that authorities investigate the case. The seven have been charged under Article 505(c) of Burma Penal Code. The article says any offender shall be punished up to two years imprisonment or a fine, or both.
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| KNPP Concludes Congress, Re-Elects Chairperson Posted: 11 May 2017 07:50 AM PDT The Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP)—an ethnic armed group fighting for self-determination—concluded its weeklong congress on Thursday at its headquarters in the Karenni State-Thai border area, and reelected its current chairperson Khun Abel Tweed. The KNPP had a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the previous government in 2012, but have not have signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA). The organization is currently in talks with the National League for Democracy government's peace negotiators under the ethnic armed alliance the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), of which it is a member. Around 200 KNPP representatives joined the congress from May 3-11, and voted in the new members of the central committee, including the chairperson. The KNPP hold its congress every four years, during which, its members listen to reports of the organization's progress and activities, and elects new leadership. The issues involved in this year's congress centered on the peace process, drug eradication and rehabilitation, and programs for women and youth. Regarding the signing of the NCA and joining the second round of the 21st Century Panglong peace conference later this month, Gen Bee Htoo, the KNPP's military chief, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that the issue will be discussed at the upcoming central committee meeting next week. On May 17-18, central committee members will meet to assign responsibilities to each member and to discuss their future plans and activities. They will also appoint the secretariat team, Gen Be Htoo said. The KNPP's former vice chairman Khu Oo Reh—also the head of the UNFC's peace negotiation team—was elected as a member of the permanent central committee. The KNPP has said it would follow the NCA's prescribed path, if the government agrees to the UNFC's nine-point proposal on the matter. The post KNPP Concludes Congress, Re-Elects Chairperson appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Education Put on Hold for Children of Repatriated Refugees in Rangoon Posted: 11 May 2017 07:43 AM PDT RANGOON — Refugees from Burma who were repatriated from Thailand to commercial capital Rangoon late last year have settled into their housing arrangements on the outskirts of the city and are urging the government to consider the schooling arrangements of refugees' children in planning future repatriations. The seventeen returnees in Rangoon are among the first batch of 65 who were repatriated to Burma via the Myawaddy-Mae Sot Friendship Bridge from Nu Po camp on the Thai-Burma border in late October. Six other returnees were repatriated through the Thai-Tenasserim Division border. The governments of Thailand and Burma, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), and the International Organization for Migration collaborated in the process. Those in Rangoon belong to four families, and purchased 9.8 million kyats worth of housing in the Shwe Linn Ban Industrial Zone in Hlaing Tharyar Township, by paying 1 million kyats (US$761) up front and the rest over eight years, according to an agreement with the government.  In late December, three out of the four families had moved to the housing project's 18×20-foot apartments, approximately a one-and-a-half-hour drive from downtown Rangoon. The Irrawaddy visited one of the returnees, U Aye Lwin, a 46-year-old father of six, who took refuge at Nu Po camp from 2008 to 2016, at his Hlaing Tharyar house on Wednesday. He said he now works as a construction worker, earning 9,500 kyats ($7) per day. While having been part of the country's revolutionary movement makes him proud, U Aye Lwin said he also feels guilty that his children could not get a proper education due to his political activism.  "There are many disadvantages regarding the children's education," he said, explaining how his children couldn't get an education at the camp which would be recognized by the Burmese government, and how, after arriving in Rangoon, they have been unable to attend school as they awaited provisions for long-term accommodation by the regional government. Initially, they stayed at a temporary shelter provided by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. "The government should prepare for the second batch returnees by learning lessons from our first batch's experience," he said, urging the government to repatriate the second batch during the children's summer school break—from March until June. He is also not sure whether they will be able to enrol the children in school in June, as the certificates his children received from the camp are not recognized in Burma. His 17-year-old daughter, who finished seventh grade at the camp in Thailand, said that she won't continue school in Rangoon because she doesn't want to learn with much younger students who will be around 11 years old. U Aye Lwin told The Irrawaddy that two of his children—his elder daughter and 15-year-old son—are also working at a nearby beauty salon and a rice shop, respectively, and contributing to the family's income. "I feel really sad seeing them out there working when they should be in school," he said.  The other families were not available to meet with The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, each family had received 300,000 kyats ($221) from the government, and the Thai government offered 8,300 baht ($239) per adult and 6,500 baht ($187) per child before leaving Thailand. Permanent secretary U Soe Aung of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement told The Irrawaddy that he still has no information about when a second batch of repatriated refugees would arrive.
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| Despite Crackdown, People-Smuggling Across Thai-Burma Border has Risen Posted: 11 May 2017 07:32 AM PDT MAE SOT, Thailand — People smuggling across the border from Burma to Thailand is on the rise despite a crackdown by authorities in both countries that has made it more expensive and dangerous, Thai immigration police say. Thailand said earlier this year that it hoped its efforts against smuggling would be recognized by the United States in its annual Trafficking in Persons report expected next month. But while fewer migrants appear to be braving hazardous journeys by sea, figures from immigration police on the land border show an increase in people smuggled from Burma since 2014, when Thailand's military government seized power and vowed to crack down on human smuggling and trafficking rings. "We've applied a lot of pressure so they have to find a new way to come," Sompong Saimonka, deputy superintendent of Border Immigration Police in Thailand's western Tak province, the main land gateway from Burma, told Reuters. "We can’t keep tabs on it all." While Burma's economy has been booming—the World Bank forecasts annual growth will average 7.1 percent over the next three years—wages remain among the lowest in the region. Migrants from Burma often do work Thais shun in sectors such as construction, agriculture and fishing, forming the backbone of Southeast Asia's second largest economy. The two countries signed an agreement last year to allow migrants from Burma to legally work in Thailand. But many are unwilling to wait up to six months for identity documents and take their chance with the smugglers instead. Crackdown on Smugglers Thailand's crackdown on human smuggling and trafficking syndicates reverberated around the region in 2015 and drew global attention to the abuses suffered by some of those seeking a better life. Dozens of bodies of suspected migrants were discovered in jungle camps along the Thai-Malaysian border. Thai police say the focus on sea routes to Thailand and Malaysia has prompted smugglers to resume overland trails where it is easier to avoid checkpoints. Data from immigration police at Mae Sot, the main entry point into western Thailand, shows the number of people smuggled from Burma rose from 20,323 in 2014 to 24,962 in 2016. Those were just the recorded cases, so the increase could partly be due to greater enforcement efforts. Few of those recently smuggled were Rohingya, police in Mae Sot said. "At present Thailand is very conscious about human rights when it comes to laborers and we have opened for laborers from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar to come and work in Thailand," government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd. “Thailand needs overseas labor. We just ask that it is correct." Overall figures on illegal entry into Thailand were not available. 'Anyone can be a Broker' The 2015 crackdown led to the trial of some alleged human traffickers. "Anyone can be a broker. The problem is more widespread than we think. A Burmese factor worker in Mae Sot with a mobile phone can be a broker," said a former border police officer based in Mae Sot, who declined to be named because he said he feared for his safety. Last year, in its closely watched report that ranks countries based on anti-trafficking efforts, the US State Department upgraded Thailand's status a notch to its Tier 2 "Watch List." Thailand had been downgraded to Tier 3, the lowest level that could trigger sanctions, after the 2014 coup. The report, which usually comes out in June, matters to Thailand's junta as it tries to fully normalize relations with Washington and to show it is tackling tough issues better than previous civilian administrations. Since 2015, many brokers won't risk transporting migrants in large groups, said the former border police officer. Checkpoints have become more stringent, prompting smugglers to charge more. Migrants typically pay up to 15,000 Thai baht (US$430) to be smuggled from the border area to Bangkok and other cities and towns in Thailand. "Supply has gone down but demand for workers is still there so the fee for smugglers has gone up," Yunus, a Burma Muslim broker in Thailand, told Reuters in a telephone interview. The post Despite Crackdown, People-Smuggling Across Thai-Burma Border has Risen appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Buddhist Nationalists Say They Were Attacked First in Muslim Neighborhood Raid Posted: 11 May 2017 07:24 AM PDT Members of the Buddhist nationalist group that stormed a Muslim neighborhood in Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township on Tuesday in search of Rohingya "illegally" staying in the area, have said that local Muslims allegedly "attacked [them] first." The accusation was put forward at a press conference on Thursday in Rangoon by the Patriotic Monks Union to describe the events of May 9, in which The Irrawaddy reported that Buddhist monks had led a group of nationalists into the neighborhood just at around midnight. They reportedly turned hostile when they did not discover the individuals they were looking for, and police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd after the confrontation. One man—a Muslim—was wounded in the incident in the early hours of Wednesday. "If we stay quiet and do not speak it out, it is like we are guilty," said U Parmaukkha, a senior member of the Buddhist nationalist group, at the press conference. "We have seen that what happened on the ground and what has been reported by media are different," the monk said. "There is rule of law in our country, but the police did not enforce the law. Therefore, the monks have to do the work of the police," he added, suggesting that the police had taken bribes and allowed "illegal migrants" to stay in Mingalar Taung Nyunt. U Parmaukkha alleged that the Rangoon township would "become like Maungdaw" in northern Arakan State, a conflict area in which security forces carried out clearance operations after October attacks by militants on border police outposts. Nationalists allege that the township's large population of Rohingya Muslims are "Bengalis" from neighboring Bangladesh. Representatives from the monks' union brought forward individuals at the press conference who they said were witnesses to Tuesday's events, including taxi driver U Tin Htut Zaw who supported the claims that Rohingya Muslims were being "illegally hidden" in Rangoon apartments. The driver, who is also a resident of Mingalar Taung Nyunt and a member of the Buddhist nationalist group, told reporters that he had driven the individuals in question in his taxi, and that they could not speak Burmese. For four days, he said he closely watched over the apartment at which he dropped the five people off. They were driven by the building's owner to a construction site to work each day, U Tin Htut Zaw said, so he informed the township authorities, police and Buddhist nationalists. Ko Hein, who accompanied the police in searching for the migrant workers on May 9, said that the landlord did not respond to their questions about the men. Ko Hein added that they could not find the individuals. "I went to search for them one by one, but I did not see them," he said. Those at Thursday's press conference also pointed blame at rights activists and local lawmakers for speaking to the media and "looking at the situation from only the Muslim side." U Thuseitha, a senior member of the Buddhist nationalist group, spoke to reporters and he described how he said he was attacked that night by Muslims in the neighborhood. "They threw stones and sticks at us. The police also had to run. I needed to get inside the police car to escape," he said. U Thuseitha described U Mya Aye, a leader of the 88-Generation student activists, as a "kalar," a derogatory term in Burma for someone of South Asian descent, often used toward Muslims, adding that his statements—and those of National League for Democracy lawmakers Daw Phyu Phyu Tin and U Nay Phone Latt—to the media on the incident were "groundless." "They take money from our people, but look after Muslims only," said U Thuseitha of the government representatives.
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| Ministry Announces Electricity Price Hike Posted: 11 May 2017 05:38 AM PDT NAYPYIDAW — Burma's Ministry of Electricity and Energy has announced plans to increase electricity prices, though it has not yet decided the new rates. "We will adjust and fix the new electricity prices depending on the location, the usage, and the type of user," U Htay Aung, deputy permanent secretary of the ministry, told the ministry's monthly press conference on Tuesday. The ministry divides electricity users into three categories: households, businesses, and industrial purposes. The new rates will be different for each, said U Htay Aung. State and divisional energy officials, Lower House lawmakers and technicians met for the second time on Monday to discuss new electricity rates. U Myint Oo, deputy director of the Electricity Planning Department, said the officials would consult the public before seeking approval from state authorities. The previous government attempted to increase electricity prices in November 2013, but aborted its plan in the face of strong opposition from the people. "If electricity prices and taxes increase, but salary stays the same, we will have to moonlight to get extra income," said an education ministry employee, who asked for anonymity. "Electricity bills cost me more than 10,000 kyats every month. Any rise in electricity prices should be confined to businessmen." Currently, households pay 35 kyats per unit up to 100 units and 40 kyats per unit up to 200 units. Any units used above 200 cost 50 kyats per unit. Industrial users pay 75 kyats per unit up to 500 units; 100 kyats from 501-10,000 units; 125 kyats from 10,001-50,000 units; and 150 kyats from 50,001 to 300,000 units. The unit price drops to 100 kyats for usage that rises above 300,000 units. The government subsidizes about 333 billion kyats annually and the national grid covers 37 percent of the population, according to figures from the energy and electricity ministry. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post Ministry Announces Electricity Price Hike appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Burma Army Reshuffles Senior Positions Posted: 11 May 2017 01:48 AM PDT The Burma Army has reshuffled several senior posts, according to Tatmadaw sources. Commander of Rangoon Command Maj-Gen Myo Zaw Thein was promoted to Lieutenant-General and head of the military's Bureau of Special Operations 5 (BSO-5). He was replaced by Brig-Gen Thet Pone, formerly the commander of Northwestern Command. Commander of Northeastern Command Brig-Gen Phone Myat will succeed Brig-Gen Thet Phone as Commander of Northwestern Command. Brig-Gen Khin Hlaing, commander of the 99th Light Infantry Division, was promoted to commander of the Northeastern Command. Vice Quartermaster General Maj-Gen Min Naing was also promoted to Lieutenant-General. Lt-Gen Moe Myint Tun, who was previously the commander of BSO-5 as well as the Chief of Staff (Army), will now only hold the post of Chief of Staff (Army), according to Tatmadaw sources. The post Burma Army Reshuffles Senior Positions appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Fetching Friend Posted: 10 May 2017 11:59 PM PDT NAYPYIDAW — "What bothers me about my frequent travel is leaving Tai Chi Toe behind," wrote Burma's State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in a 2016 issue of D-Wave Journal, the mouthpiece of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Tai Chi Toe is more than just a pet. He is a token of love from a son to his mother. In November 2010, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's youngest son Kim—who is also known as Ko Htein Lin in Burmese—visited his mother in Rangoon after the military regime granted him a visa. This was the first time they had seen each other in more than a decade. Kim bought Tai Chi Toe, who was only a few months old then, from a pet shop near Mingalar Market in Rangoon and gave him to his mother. Foreign journalists who visited The Lady after her release from house arrest in 2010 published photos of the pro-democracy leader and her new pet. These photos were widely shared on social media, making Tai Chi Toe a local celebrity. During this year's water festival, the State Counselor had a water-throwing pavilion built near her residence in administrative capital Naypyidaw. She named the pavilion after her dog and celebrated the holiday there. Photos of her pavilion went viral on social media and Tai Chi Toe once again became popular. Tai Chi Toe is a pedigree retriever, who enjoys two meals of rice, beef and chopped lettuce daily. No one knows exactly what his name means. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi says she will not hit or scold the animal and takes him with her whenever she can. When she cannot, she gives him a kiss before she leaves. She reportedly does not like when people refer to him as 'dog' and a warning sign reading 'Beware! Dog will bite' affixed at her Hninzi residence later removed the word 'dog' and replaced it with a photo of Tai Chi Toe. In September 2016, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi paid a 19-day visit to the United States. On her return, she wrote that Tai Chi Toe would not let her out of his sight. In a 2016 article in D-Wave Journal she wrote "[Tai Chi Toe] hugs my legs once he thinks I'm leaving him behind. When I sleep at night, he sleeps with his body touching my legs. It seems he thinks that those legs are the very thing that took me away from him, and so he can't let them go." Daw Aung San Suu Kyi spends many of her free evenings with Tai Chi Toe and says he refreshes her after tiring tasks. In the rare glimpses the public gets of her personal life, Tai Chi Toe is often by her side. The post Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Fetching Friend appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Red Cross Chief Urges Govt to Allow More Access to Conflict Areas Posted: 10 May 2017 11:51 PM PDT RANGOON — The International Committee of the Red Cross has asked Burma to let aid workers get access to people caught up in conflicts that have displaced tens of thousands despite a transition that brought Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to power. Authorities have blocked the ICRC from areas under the control of ethnic minority forces and from visiting some prisoners, the organization's president, Peter Maurer, told reporters late on Wednesday in the commercial capital, Rangoon. "We would like to have access to all the people in need in order to do proper assessments, to help ease according to needs," he said. Maurer visited the northwestern state of Arakan, where he toured camps set up almost five years ago to house those displaced by communal clashes between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Arakan Buddhists. He did not visit the north of the state, where a security operation in response to insurgent attacks in October sent an estimated 74,000 people fleeing to Bangladesh. Troops and police have been accused of killing and raping Rohingyas, who are denied citizenship in Burma and widely viewed as interlopers from Bangladesh. The government only recently allowed international aid workers to visit affected villages, under the condition that they are accompanied by government officials, the UN humanitarian agency said on May 1. A separate ICRC delegation visited detainees in the area last month. Maurer was set to visit Kachin State in the north on Thursday, but the government denied a request to visit the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) stronghold of Laiza. The ICRC is assisting a civilian hospital there, but staff have not been able to visit since fighting between the KIA and government forces broke out eight months ago. Maurer travels to the capital, Naypyidaw, on Friday to meet officials and he will meet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Beijing during an international conference there next week, he said. Former political prisoner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide in elections before becoming the de facto head of the civilian administration in April 2016 after decades of military rule. But her priority of securing peace with autonomy-seeking minority insurgents has been set back by fighting that has displaced an estimated 160,000 more people since the transition, according to UN data. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's spokesman, U Zaw Htay, could not immediately be reached for comment. The post Red Cross Chief Urges Govt to Allow More Access to Conflict Areas appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Uber Partners with Taxis to Expand in Burma Posted: 10 May 2017 11:42 PM PDT RANGOON — Uber Technologies Inc is only hiring government-accredited taxi drivers in Burma, a regional executive said, a move that allows it to avoid the legal hurdles that have dogged it across Asia in one of the region's last frontier markets. This partnership with local taxi drivers and their unions is unique to Burma, Sam Bool, Uber's expansion general manager for South East Asia, told Reuters as services began on Thursday in the small but potentially lucrative market where Southeast Asian rival Grab Taxi and local service providers are already going strong. "Having the government support from day one is pretty powerful," Bool said. "Drivers know we are fully compliant with existing regulations. That does grease the wheels." Uber, which in many parts of the world signs on any one with a car as a driver, appears to be following Grab's operating model in Burma, a country of more than 50 million people emerging from decades of military rule. During its March launch, Grab said it was working with a small group of taxi drivers in Rangoon and would increase its scale gradually. Uber has long had a reputation as an aggressive and unapologetic startup. The San Francisco-based firm is in conflict with the taxi industry all over the world, and its services have been halted in several countries over a raft of regulatory concerns. While Indonesia is Southeast Asia's biggest ride services market, the growth in Burma's mobile services market is too good to ignore. Internet penetration has exploded from next to nothing a few years ago to nearly 90 percent now, with more people turning to apps and mobile services. Competition is also strong: in addition to Grab, there are at least two ride-hailing start-ups – Hello Cabs and Oway Ride. Many people in Burma still do not have credit cards, so to get around that, Bool said Uber drivers would accept cash or local bank transfers. In many other markets, Uber users pay via a credit card linked to the app. Bool declined to say how much Uber was investing or what it hoped to make in Burma, but said the company could help the government upgrade Rangoon's 70,000 taxis, many of which are not equipped with seat belts or do not have air conditioning. "We can move millions of people in Rangoon without adding a single car," he added. Uber's expansion into Burma coincides with a push by the authorities work to revamp public transport, starting with the bus network in Rangoon. Uber was working with the Rangoon government to integrate its services to the bus network, Bool said, with plans to provide services to commuters in areas where public transport is not well-developed. The post Uber Partners with Taxis to Expand in Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Posted: 10 May 2017 11:29 PM PDT RANGOON — Burma's largest private bank, KBZ, has hired a banking expert to act as a special advisor to the bank's chairman U Aung Ko Win. The announcement from KBZ on Thursday said special advisor Mike DeNoma was also appointed chief executive officer of the bank while the KBZ heiresses executive directors Daw Nang Lang Kham and Daw Nang Kham Noung had been promoted to deputy CEOs along with senior managing director U Aung Kyaw Myo.  Prior to joining the bank, the American banking expert held senior executive roles across the globe, managing operations across North America, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East with Chinatrust Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered and Citibank. U Aung Ko Win said Mr. DeNoma's high-level and wide-ranging experience was a strong asset to the bank, combining domestic and international banking expertise with the highest levels of customer service and innovation. "We also particularly value the experience Mr. DeNoma brings from having worked with another family-owned bank, through which he has shown a track record of driving growth and success, while retaining strong family principles," he said. Founded in 1994, KBZ is a privately-owned bank and now has nearly 500 branches across the country. The post KBZ Appoints New CEO appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Dr. Cynthia Maung: We Expect Challenges as Funding Is Cut Posted: 10 May 2017 07:18 PM PDT MAE SOT, Thailand — Dr. Cynthia Maung is a Burmese physician and activist who founded the Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot, Thailand in 1989 after she fled Burma following a brutal crackdown on opposition activists in 1988. The clinic provides free treatment to Burmese migrants, refugees, internally displaced persons and others who are unable to access healthcare in Burma. The clinic treats 100 to 150 outpatients every day. As funding wanes on the Thai-Burma border, the Mae Tao clinic is also experiencing a decline in funding. The Irrawaddy's senior reporter Saw Yan Naing interviews Dr. Cynthia Maung about the current situation at the clinic and the challenges of declining funding. What changes have occurred since the clinic moved locations last May? The main difficulty is transportation because the clinic is far from downtown. Access is not as convenient for patients and staff, especially at night, for safety reasons. But the new space is larger, cleaner, and more comfortable – an overall better workspace. Do you find the number of patients increasing or decreasing? We regularly receive between 100 and 150 outpatients every day. And we routinely have about 150 inpatients filling our 160 available beds. The number of patients suffering from malaria has decreased but otherwise, there is no significant change in the numbers. Do you have any plans to move the clinic to Burma eventually? We are cooperating with the Burmese government in some areas of the country, especially rural locations. We are also seeking permission for medics who are trained at our clinic to work inside Burma. We have no plans to move to Burma for the time being. What difficulties are you experiencing with the decrease in funding on the border? There is a significant decline in funding for cross-border aid, as more funding has been moved into Burma. Global Fund cut financial support for Tuberculosis and HIV programs in Thailand, which affected our clinic. It has become challenging for us to provide treatment to HIV and mentally-ill patients, as well as carry out emergency operations. It has also become difficult to cover the costs of transferring patients to Thai government hospitals. Our funding is contingent on projects, many of which will end in October and November. After this, much of our funding will be channeled from Rangoon and we will have to discuss [with donors] how to manage the delivery of these funds to the countryside. It is challenging to receive funding from inside Burma so we expect some difficulties in the years to come. What do you think about ongoing reforms and the peace process in Burma, especially in Karen State and the areas near Mae Sot? Have the reforms benefitted people or the health sector in these areas? There are still insufficient human resources, capacities, facilities, and medicines in Burma. So, it is difficult for patients to return and receive treatment in hospitals there. In Karen State, there is a large population spread along the Thai border. Both governments should cooperate to reach this community. There is still no good system in place for the migrant community to receive legal healthcare services. They are limited as many of them do not have legal IDs or documents to travel freely. The post Dr. Cynthia Maung: We Expect Challenges as Funding Is Cut appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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