Monday, May 15, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Rangoon Survey Reveals Nearly 6,000 Heritage Buildings

Posted: 15 May 2017 06:13 AM PDT

RANGOON—An on-going survey conducted by Yangon Heritage Trust has revealed that the former capital has nearly 6,000 heritage buildings across the city.

The non-governmental organization advocating for heritage protection in the city has been carrying out the Urban Heritage Inventory since it was founded in 2012. So far it has logged nearly 6,000 heritage buildings—some dating back to British colonial times—in nine townships in the downtown area and its surroundings.

According to the trust's director and vice chairperson, Daw Moe Moe Lwin, the number will soon be higher as the survey is expanding to other townships that have old buildings.

"We documented every old building that is architecturally and historically significant—from religious buildings to government buildings to private residences," she said, explaining that the survey was done by photographic observation of the exterior of the constructions and their whereabouts.

"The survey can help you understand what kind of urban heritage Rangoon has. It can help in many ways… in city planning, mapping and tourism. Of course, it can make officials be more considerate when it comes to development, too," she added.

It is the first comprehensive survey to cover the citywide urban heritage. Yangon City Development Committee has also listed places reflecting the city's heritage, but it focuses solely on landmark religious and British colonial era buildings, and excludes private mansions built during and after the colonial era.

The survey comes at a time when Rangoon's heritage buildings are threatened by development. Some heritage buildings have been torn down in the past to make way for modern buildings.

The post Rangoon Survey Reveals Nearly 6,000 Heritage Buildings appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Five Bodies Found in Buthidaung

Posted: 15 May 2017 06:07 AM PDT

RANGOON — Border police unearthed five bodies in Tin May village tract of Buthidaung Township, Arakan State on Saturday afternoon.

The five men were allegedly killed in an accident with an improvised explosive device near Thae Ne village on May 3, police official Ko Kyaw Kyaw of nearby Kyi Kan Pyin border post told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

The bodies were discovered after police launched an investigation in the area on May 5 and found materials that could be used in manufacturing explosives, the police officer said.

One body was found on May 7 with the help of local residents and village administrators, he said.

According to the police officer, local villagers testified to border police that two of the deceased were Pakistanis providing militant training in the area.

Police did not obtain any official identification to verify the men's nationalities.

A resident of Buthidaung Township who works at a government school told The Irrawaddy over the phone on Monday that local sources had reported that the deceased were all from the village and surrounding area, and were not foreigners.

Authorities transferred the bodies to Buthidaung general hospital for medical examination on Sunday.

A State Counselor's Office statement on Monday stated that five bodies had been found and police were investigating.

The post Five Bodies Found in Buthidaung appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

More Than 200 Civilians Flee Villages Amid Rising Tensions in Northern Shan State

Posted: 15 May 2017 05:42 AM PDT

RANGOON — More than 200 internally displaced persons (IDPs) including ethnic Shan and Palaung (Ta'ang) civilians have arrived in Namtu Township, northern Shan State, since last week, pressuring the town's dwindling IDP camp food supplies, according to community leaders.

The new civilians fled Sai Kaung, Paung Ngu, Nat Myit Choung and Har Lin villages, said IDP camp leaders, after heightening tensions flared between the Burma Army, the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).

U Aung San Myint, a community leader of Namtu who helps settle and feed IDPs, said about 260 people have arrived since May 11; 30 Palaung and the rest Shan.

"There has been no fighting yet," he said from Shwe Pyi Thar, a Buddhist monastery near Namtu where the Shan IDPs are staying. "But they are worried that there will be fighting soon, so they fled their villages.

"We managed to provide them with food that was donated to us. They have enough for only a few days."

Myanmar Relief and Resettlement Department members gave each new IDP two longyis, a towel, a mosquito net, soap, and 2,500 kyats today, added U Aung San Myint.

More than 500 IDPs including Shan, Palaung, Kachin, and Lisu, stay in separate camps in Namtu, according to Sai Ba Nyan, the volunteer vice chairman of the IDP camps. He said they could only provide the town's IDPs with rice and cooking oil.

"We gave the new IDPs food that was donated. We even asked for help from authorities and civil society groups," he said.

Many of the IDPs fled their villages over the past few years, he added, and some look outside the camps for work, as they do not have enough food. Camp leaders said many IDPs rely on local donations for food.

The Burma Army, the RCSS, the TNLA, and the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) are based in Namtu. Fighting often breaks out in the surrounding areas.

The Burma Army and the RCSS have reportedly stopped fighting, as the RCSS signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement. Most of the fighting occurs between the Burma Army and the TNLA, or the RCSS and the TNLA.

The post More Than 200 Civilians Flee Villages Amid Rising Tensions in Northern Shan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

USDP Refuses to Make Recommendations to Arakan State Advisory Commission

Posted: 15 May 2017 05:24 AM PDT

RANGOON— Burma's main opposition and former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) refused to make recommendations to the Arakan State Advisory Commission in a meeting on Sunday.

Members of the Kofi Annan-led Arakan State Advisory Commission met with USDP chairman U Than Htay and the party's central executive committee members on Sunday. They previously met with the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party's central executive committee members in Rangoon on Friday to discuss their upcoming final report.

"The commission explained what they had done and asked for comments on their interim report [launched in March] and recommendations for their final report," Dr. Nanda Hla Myint, a USDP spokesperson who was in the meeting, told The Irrawaddy.

The commission will submit a final report to the government in August.

"Since its formation, we have announced that we don't recognize the commission. So, as a party, we refused to comment," Nanda Hla Myint said.

The USDP objected to the formation of the commission, stating that the government was allowing foreign interference in internal affairs.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi founded the commission in August last year as an impartial body to recommend "lasting solutions to complex and delicate issues" in Arakan State. It is composed of six locals and three international experts, and is chaired by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

"Though we didn't make any recommendations, our chairman and party's CEC members – who have served as Union foreign, border and immigration affairs ministers and handled Arakan State issues in the past – shared their personal experience on the issues," said Nanda Hla Myint.

USDP chairman U Than Htay said the party's objection to the commission still holds. He also said the citizenship verification process in Arakan State has been delayed as changing race and ethnicity classifications has been prioritized over gaining citizenship – referring to the Rohingya Muslims, who have long been stateless and kept in apartheid-like conditions in Burma, which does not recognize them as citizens but instead as interlopers from Bangladesh.

The members of the commission also met with the Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung on Monday.

The Irrawaddy was unable to reach commission members for comment at the time of publication.

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KBZ Employee Arrested for Forging Banknotes

Posted: 15 May 2017 05:15 AM PDT

RANGOON and MOULMEIN – A junior clerk from a branch of Burma's largest private bank, KBZ, in Karen State's Hpa-An Township was arrested for possession of forged bank notes in Thaton Township of Mon State on Friday, according to Thaton Township police.

Police arrested the 22-year-old junior clerk Chit Ko Ko Lin in a guesthouse in Thaton and discovered a bag with 48 forged bank notes as well as templates and printing machines. He remains in police custody.

The senior managing director of KBZ U Nyo Myint confirmed that the staff member, who very recently joined the Hpa-an branch, had been arrested.

He claimed that as the incident happened outside of office hours and in a neighboring township, KBZ had no responsibility or connection to the issue.

He acknowledged that police opened the case against Chit Ko Ko Lin under Articles 105 and 106 of the Central Bank of Myanmar Law—enacted during former president Thein Sein's administration.

The company would not file a separate lawsuit as Chit Ko Ko Lin had already been expelled for misconduct, he added.

Article 105 states that those using counterfeit currency can be imprisoned for a maximum of three years, or a fine, or both. Article 106 issues a punishment of between 10 and 20 years in prison for issuing counterfeit currency.

U Nyo Myint said it was the first such arrest of staff in decades.

He was a little concerned that the case would damage KBZ's reputation and reiterated that the crime could not have been committed at the bank as they use counterfeit currency detecting machines.

"There is certainly no reason this should damage our image," he said, adding, "I would like to encourage our customers to absolutely believe us and move forward as normal."

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Heavy Wind Kills Two and Injures Six in Sagaing

Posted: 15 May 2017 04:05 AM PDT

MANDALAY — Heavy wind killed two people, injured six, and destroyed dozens of homes in Kani Township, Sagaing Division, as strong winds hit the region for the second time this month.

A woman in her 50s and her 20-year-old son died when their home collapsed as the winds hit Quarter No. 3.

"Quarter No. 3 suffered the most damage. Almost all of the homes in the quarter were destroyed," said U Tun Tun Naing, a Sagaing divisional lawmaker from Kani Township.

Six other people were injured and are currently hospitalized at Kani General Hospital, while some 100 homes, and government and office buildings, were destroyed.

The lawmaker said the town needs aid to rebuild, as this is the second incident this month.

"Some of the homes were just renovated when the wind struck again. Without aid, reconstruction will be difficult," he said.

Heavy winds on May 6 destroyed some 600 homes in the region.

Sagaing Division Chief Minister U Myint Naing visited the area on Monday and said the divisional government was planning to give financial support to the families who suffered fatalities, injuries and loss of property.

Strong winds and heavy rains, signs of the upcoming monsoon season, hit upper Burma on Sunday, primarily in Sagaing and Mandalay.

Meteorologist U Tun Lwin forecasted that from Monday, monsoons would bring greetings of heavy wind, rain, hail and thunder to many regions of the country.

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The Entrepreneur Bringing Virtual Reality to Burma’s Classrooms

Posted: 15 May 2017 03:12 AM PDT

RANGOON — How can teachers embrace children's enthusiasm for technology, often used for entertainment and communication, to engage their students in learning and become better educators themselves in this technology-rich era?

Ma Hla Hla Win, a former educator and cofounder of non-profit education technology social enterprise 360°ed, believes that the latest virtual reality (VR) technology can help teachers in Burma learn from world-class teachers from around the globe how to connect with students and improve the country's antiquated teaching methods.

The Irrawaddy sat down with Ma Hla Hla Win to talk about how 360ed, cofounded with another educator and a Finnish tech expert late last year, aims to improve education through VR technology, and her dedication to the country's educational reform.

Could you tell us the background of 360ed and how it was initiated?

When I was at Harvard University taking a graduate course, I met a lot of graduate students from the education school and I visited a lot of schools in the Cambridge area. I wished I could bring [500,000] teachers from Myanmar [Burma] along with me to those classrooms. The classrooms were all 21st century learning classrooms preparing young learners to face 21st century challenges. I really wanted to share this experience with my Myanmar teachers. I really wanted to contribute to Myanmar's education reform.

On a visit to innovative schools in Silicon Valley, I was inspired, but also scared, by the pace of change and the way they were preparing young people. I am a mother, and I don't want my daughter to be replaced by a robot and artificial intelligence (AI). If we are training our children to just memorize what teachers teach them—without creativity or analytical skills or evaluation—our children will be replaced totally by robots and AI. We really need to change the system. But how do we do that? With the help of technology. I knew somehow that I needed to leverage technology. But I didn't know which tools to use.

I applied for a program called Global Solution Program at Singularity University—a Google think-tank on the NASA Research Campus. At the end of this program, we have to incubate an idea to impact 1 billion people in 10 years. I chose virtual reality technology and education: the intersection of education as a challenge and virtual reality as a tool.

Ma Hla Hla Win, cofounder of 360°ed photographed at her office space in Rangoon's Tamwe Plaza. (Photo: Tin Htet Paing/ The Irrawaddy)

How would classrooms change through your initiative?

Classrooms have two stakeholders; teachers and students. For the students, we have augmented reality (AR) interactive learning through textbooks. Every student has a textbook and parents have a phone. If parents can tutor their children with our app, they'll benefit students outside of the classroom. For teachers, we are helping them with professional development on a day-to-day basis. Any teacher in Myanmar will be able to teleport into any classroom around the world through VR technology to see how other teachers are teaching. It's never been possible before.

Some of the VR footage we are creating is also for students. For geography learning, we can now bring students to the locations that they are learning about. For example, to Kachin State or Hpa-an or Monywa. These places don't have to just be a spot on a map or a drawing in a book. Our apps are in two languages—both English and Myanmar.

What challenges are you facing?

Every day, we are hitting walls. First, this technology is very new so we don't have a person we can run to with all of our questions. The second barrier is the cost. This technology is expensive. The third problem is talent. There are only a few people in Myanmar who have technical knowledge about AR and VR. We really need corporate funding so that we can hire talented people to come and work with us. The more people we have, the faster we can grow. Right now we have 11 people, both part-time and fulltime.

Ma Hla Hla Win, cofounder of 360°ed photographed at her office space in Rangoon's Tamwe Plaza. (Photo: Tin Htet Paing/ The Irrawaddy)

Can Myanmar afford to equip its classrooms with this technology?

Yes, some VR headsets are expensive but one made out of cardboard is only 5,000 kyats. A lot of people already have smart phones, which are good enough to use VR and AR educational learning programs. Right now on YouTube, there is a lot of 360 degree footage and if you have a cardboard headset, it's liberation. You can visit anywhere in the world.

What content have you created so far?

Right now, we have partner schools. One of my cofounders is from Finland. He is filming the classrooms in Finland and other friends film their classrooms as well. We are filming classrooms here locally and talking with champion teachers to volunteer to film their classrooms. In 3-5 minute clips we edit the learnable moments and with narration, teachers can really understand what is going on. We ask them: What would you do in this situation? How would you respond differently? We are creating an interactive learning platform.

How many schools or teachers have worked with this technology?

The first beta test was in Mandalay with 128 private schools. The second one was the Children's Literature Festival, where we had about 10,000 attendees over a three-day period. The third one was at the Moulmein Children's Literature Festival with 3,000-4,000 attendees. The fourth test was at the InspireMe Festival at Myanmar Plaza in Rangoon.

Can you talk about your goal to impact 1 billion people?

That is the goal of the Singularity University scheme; it inspires us to impact 1 billion people in 10 years. But for me, I am starting with Myanmar. Next, I will expand next door to China and India. We already have some partners in China and are talking with some potential partners in India as well.

A virtual reality cardboard headset. (Photo: Tin Htet Paing/ The Irrawaddy)

What challenges will there be for classrooms to adopt this technology?

It needs a lot of first-time or early adopters who are willing to try it out. Not everybody will love it, I know. We need new and young teachers who are willing to learn and willing to change. I need this message to get to them that I need their help. I want them to try and learn with us and then they will help make a difference in every single child's life.

What are your targets beyond classrooms?

There is a UN channel that is using VR as an empathy machine to bridge between policymakers and people on the ground. People on the ground will be able to explain what they want to tell policymakers and we will give them the tools and training. They have stories in their head and they can capture that. Then we will create footage for policymakers to watch. We will let them feel what people on the ground are feeling. Later, we want to create a channel for policymakers with VR. But we need people who believe in the potential of this technology. We can train locals, give them skills, equip them with technology so they can be empowered and connected to the world.

We will be organizing many hack-a-thons in Myanmar free of charge. Over the period of two days, participants will pick up a new skill and create new products. I want Myanmar people to become creators again. We will be running a series of hack-a-thons, not just for VR but also for AR and all the new technologies that young people can benefit from. I want young people to join us.

This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.

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NCA Signatories’ Team Urges Govt to Allow for Dialogue

Posted: 15 May 2017 02:35 AM PDT

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — A team providing leadership in the peace talks for eight signatories of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) has urged the government to let two of its members hold national level dialogue before the second round of the 21st Century Panglong peace conference.

The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), led by the Karen National Union (KNU) chairman Saw Mutu Say Poe, met in Chiang Mai, Thailand, over the weekend to discuss the prevention of the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) and the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) from conducting ethnic-based national-level political dialogues.

The dialogue collects public opinion on issues such as political rights, land disputes, and the environment, which will be shared by representatives at the Panglong conference—also known as the Union Peace Conference (UPC)—to begin on May 24.

The dialogues—based on region, ethnicity and theme—are a mandatory step in the process laid out by the NCA. The government, however, has not allowed the ALP to hold public consultations, citing the instability due to ongoing conflict in Arakan State.

The Burma Army's reluctance to allow the RCSS to gather the public in the Shan State capital Taunggyi has delayed the group's attempt for ethnic-based dialogue.

ALP vice chairman Khaing Soe Naing Aung said the PPST would send a letter to State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma Army commander-in-chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing asking for permission to allow his group to conduct national dialogue at a suitable place.

"The ALP is ready to conduct our dialogue, and we think it would just take a day to do so," he told The Irrawaddy on Sunday.

The ALP has formed a committee comprising its members, the Arakan National Party, and civil society members for the dialogue, said Khaing Soe Naing Aung, adding that they just need the government's permission to proceed.

"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said Rakhine is a sensitive place to conduct national level dialogue at the moment," he said. "But we have other places that are not very sensitive, like Yangon, [southern Arakan townships] Thandwe or Kyaukphyu, which are not in northern Rakhine State. Our request has been repeatedly rejected."

The State Counselor turned down the ALP's request on April 24 to hold ethnic-based national level dialogue.

The situation in Arakan State has remained volatile since the Burma Army began "clearance operations" after militants attacked border police outposts there on Oct. 9; a Rohingya group calling itself Harakah al-Yaqin claimed responsibility for the attacks.

During the operations by security forces that followed, hundreds of Rohingya Muslims were reportedly killed and about 75,000 fled to Bangladesh, according to the United Nations.

U Khaing Soe Naing Aung said participants of the ethnic-based national-level dialogue would be of "Rakhine ethnicity and its sub-tribes," and there would be no representatives from the Rohingya community, a majority in northern Arakan but a minority in the state as a whole.

On Friday, the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, discussed recommendations collected at government-led events and from public consultations at national-level dialogues of the KNU, the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), the Chin National Front (CNF), and the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF).

The recommendations, categorized as political, economic, social, security, and land and environment, will be negotiated at the Union Peace Conference and, once they are agreed upon, signed as Union accords.

The RCSS has stated concerns that the views of people who live in its territory will not be heard at the Union Peace Conference.

"We do not want that to become an obstacle for the peace process, so we shared our concerns with the PPST and requested some time for us to find a way to overcome it," said Sai Laeng, a leading member of the RCSS's peace implementation committee.

Both the ALP and RCSS have stated that they will not skip the upcoming Union Peace Conference, regardless of whether they can hold national level dialogues before the conference.

Sai Laeng said the RCSS would consult with the Committee for Shan State Unity this week to find a way "to reflect the Shan State people's wishes in the peace process."

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Refugees Asked To Visit Repatriation Center For Interviews  

Posted: 15 May 2017 02:25 AM PDT

MAE LA OON, Thailand — The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has invited refugees to discuss a voluntary repatriation plan in Mae La Oon camp, one of nine refugee camps in Thailand along the Thai-Burma border.

According to sources in the camp, the UNHCR invited refugees who expressed interest in returning to Burma to visit the volunteer repatriation center (VRC) office, which would facilitate return arrangements for the refugees.

However, The Irrawaddy reporter also found some people who were invited for interviews despite not wanting to return.

A refugee housewife, Ger Tha Moe (nickname) told The Irrawaddy in Mae La Oon camp: "I don't want to return home and I didn't contact them [VRC]. I don't know why they asked me to come in for an interview."

The invitation letter read: "the following persons are kindly requested to be at the place mentioned here below in the camp for the interview. Please take your UN Households registration with you."

Ger Tha Moe was requested at the VRC office on Tuesday.

"I will go and ask them [the UNHCR] if they can ask the Burma Army to withdraw its troops from my village. I want to know why they asked us to go home," added Ger Tha Moe.

Ger Tha Moe and her family have lived in several refugee camps in Thailand for more than two decades since fleeing northern Karen State, which is a Karen National Union's Brigade 5 controlled area.

Although the Burma Army and the KNU signed a ceasefire agreement, there are still Burma Army troops near many villages and some civilians do not feel safe returning home at this point.

"We dare not go home because there are Burma Army troops and landmines near our village. If they'll withdraw their troops, we'll go home right away on our own," said Ger Tha Moe.

She had previously applied for resettlement in the United States but her application is pending as she was told her husband did not qualify for the resettlement program because he did not live in a camp. Ger Tha Moe said he does live in a camp and has a UN registration card.

Vivian Tan, the spokesperson for the UNHCR in Asia, told The Irrawaddy in an email that she was not aware of this particular case and would have to look into it further.

"Refugees who are interested in voluntary repatriation can approach us at the VRC for more information," she said, adding, "If it was a misunderstanding, we will need to check with colleagues on the ground."

Sources in Mae La Oon refugee camp also told The Irrawaddy that several woman and families had been requested to visit the VRC office in the past month, many of whom were not interested in returning and had not contacted the VRC.

There are VRC offices in all nine refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. They discuss safety and support for those who want to be repatriated.

As the peace process is underway and financial support has been declining along the border, the Thai and Burmese governments, as well as international non-governmental organizations, have been preparing for refugee repatriation in recent years.

There are more than 90,000 refugees living in the nine camps along the border.

Last month, international humanitarian agency The Border Consortium (TBC) also reduced a stipend given to about 10,000 community workers in the camps due to declining funding.

The post Refugees Asked To Visit Repatriation Center For Interviews   appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

All Ethnic Armed Groups Will Be Invited to Union Peace Conference

Posted: 15 May 2017 12:28 AM PDT

NAYPYIDAW — The Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) decided at a meeting in Naypyidaw on Friday to invite all ethnic armed groups to the second Union Peace Conference.

"We will invite all groups, including NCA [nationwide ceasefire agreement] non-signatories and blocs such as the Northern Alliance as special guests. Despite their status, if groups sign a deed of commitment with the government in the run-up, they will be allowed to participate in discussions at the conference," said U Zaw Htay, director-general of the State Counselor's Office.

Although NCA non-signatories will be allowed to attend the peace conference, decision-making power will be still be vested in the UPDJC. It remains unclear if special guest status is equivalent to observer status, with groups being left on the sidelines if they choose not to sign the deed of commitment.

The peace conference will convene on May 24 and around 700 delegates from respective stakeholder groups will attend under the framework for political dialogue, according to the UPDJC.

"We don't allow foreign observers and we limit the number of local observers," he added.

The UPDJC meeting discussed six topics related to the political sector to be negotiated during this round of the conference: sovereignty, the practice of sovereignty, equality, self-determination, federal Union principles, and a multi-party democratic system.

The meeting reached an agreement on 21 political points, 10 economic points, four social issue points, and six points regarding land, resources and the environment, according to U Zaw Htay.

"All are federal principles. We've never had such agreements in our country before. All of the participants agreed that divisions and states should have their own constitutions for self-determination. The upcoming conference will be a milestone in the history of Myanmar," said U Zaw Htay.

While the right to draft individual constitutions is a breakthrough in the right for self-determination, the groups agreed that the 2008 military-drafted Constitution would still take precedence.

It is necessary to amend the 2008 Constitution to adopt constitutions for states that ensure equality, said Kachin ethnic leader Dr. Tu Ja, who attended the UPDJC meeting.

"If the Union Peace Conference agrees to adopt federalism, the [2008] Constitution must be changed and the Union Parliament must approve a new federal Constitution," he added.

The coming Union Peace Conference will hold group-based and sector-based discussions and make decisions through voting, according to U Zaw Htay.

Agreements made at each conference will be signed and become parts of a Union Accord. After all of the discussions are over, the complete and final Union Accord will emerge, he said.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Businesses in Asia Disrupted by Cyber Attack

Posted: 14 May 2017 11:10 PM PDT

Asian governments and businesses reported some disruptions from the WannaCry ransomware worm on Monday but cybersecurity experts warned of a wider impact as more employees turned on their computers and checked e-mails.

The ransomware that has locked up hundreds of thousands of computers in more than 150 countries has been mainly spread by e-mail, hitting factories, hospitals, shops and schools worldwide.

While the effect on Asian entities appeared to be contained on Monday, industry professionals flagged potential risks as more systems came online across the region. Companies that were hit by the worm may be wary of making it public, they added.

"We're looking at our victims' profiles, we're still seeing a lot of victims in the Asia-Pacific region. But it is a global campaign, it's not targeted," said Tim Wellsmore, Director of Threat Intelligence, Asia Pacific at cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc.

"But I don't think we can say it hasn't impacted this region to the extent it has some other regions."

Michael Gazeley, managing director of Network Box, a Hong Kong-based cybersecurity firm, said there were still "many 'landmines' waiting in people's in-boxes" in the region, with most of the attacks having arrived via e-mail.

In China, the world's second-largest economy, energy giant PetroChina said payment systems at some of its petrol stations were hit, although it had been able to restore most of the systems. Several Chinese government bodies, including police and traffic authorities, reported they had been impacted by the hack, according to posts on official microblogs.

Japan's National Police Agency reported two breaches of computers in the country on Sunday – one at a hospital and the other case involving a private person – but no loss of funds.

Industrial conglomerate Hitachi Ltd. said the attack had affected its systems at some point over the weekend, leaving them unable to receive and send e-mails or open attachments in some cases. The problem is still ongoing, the company said.

Financial markets in Asia were unfazed on Monday by news of the cyberattack, with stocks mostly up across the region.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, one of the region's biggest bourses, said all systems were so far working normally. "We remain highly vigilant," he said.

A cybersecurity researcher in Asia who declined to be named said that while most banks globally had escaped damage, not all had installed patches in time.

The result was that some phishing e-mails slipped through and were activated by users, but were caught by other security systems in place.

At Indonesia's biggest cancer hospital, Dharmais Hospital in Jakarta, around 100-200 people packed waiting rooms after the institution was hit by cyber attacks affecting scores of computers. By late morning, some people were still filling out forms manually, but the hospital said 70 percent of systems were back online now.

Users Warned

Elsewhere in the region, companies warned users and staff not to click on attachments or links. One school in South Korea barred its pupils from using the internet. Taiwan's government appeared to have escaped major infection, possibly because regulations there require all departments to install software updates as soon as they are available.

South Korea's presidential Blue House office said nine cases of ransomware were found in the country, but did not provide details on where the cyber attacks were discovered.

In Australia, Dan Tehan, the government minister responsible for cybersecurity, said just three businesses had been hit by the bug, despite worries of widespread infection. There were no reported cases in New Zealand.

Cyber security experts said the spread of the ransomware had slowed since its appearance on Friday but that the respite might only be brief.

For one thing, the attackers or copycat attackers may have developed new versions of the worm, although a British-based security researcher who thwarted an earlier version of the worm told Reuters most of these reports had been proven false.

In Hong Kong, Gazeley said his team had found a new version of the worm that didn't use e-mail to lure victims.

Instead, it loaded scripts onto hacked websites where users who clicked on a malicious link would be infected directly. He said it was too early to tell how many websites had been affected.

Gazeley added that several major companies in Asia had been hit by the ransomware, but "the last thing they want to do is come out in public and admit it." He declined to elaborate.

In a blog post on Sunday, Microsoft President Brad Smith appeared to tacitly acknowledge what researchers had already widely concluded: The ransomware attack leveraged a hacking tool built by the US National Security Agency that leaked online in April.

The non-profit U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit research institute estimated that total losses would range in the hundreds of millions of dollars, but not exceed $1 billion.

Most victims were quickly able to recover infected systems with backups, said the group's chief economist, Scott Borg.

Infected computers appear to largely be out-of-date devices that organizations deemed not worth the price of upgrading or, in some cases, machines involved in manufacturing or hospital functions that proved too difficult to patch without possibly disrupting crucial operations, security experts said.

Microsoft released patches last month and on Friday to fix a vulnerability that allowed the worm to spread across networks.

 

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China Pledges $124 Billion for New Silk Road

Posted: 14 May 2017 09:53 PM PDT

BEIJING, China — Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged US$124 billion on Sunday for his new Silk Road plan to forge a path of peace, inclusiveness and free trade, and called for the abandonment of old models based on rivalry and diplomatic power games.

Xi used a summit on the initiative, attended by leaders and top officials from around the world, to bolster China's global leadership ambitions as U.S. President Donald Trump promotes "America First" and questions existing global free trade deals.

"We should build an open platform of cooperation and uphold and grow an open world economy," Xi told the opening of the two-day gathering in Beijing.

China has touted what it formally calls the Belt and Road initiative as a new way to boost global development since Xi unveiled the plan in 2013, aiming to expand links between Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond underpinned by billions of dollars in infrastructure investment.

Xi said the world must create conditions that promote open development and encourage the building of systems of "fair, reasonable and transparent global trade and investment rules".

Hours before the summit opened, North Korea launched another ballistic missile, further testing the patience of China, its chief ally. The United States had complained to China on Friday over the inclusion of a North Korean delegation at the event.

Massive Funding Boost

Xi pledged a major funding boost to the new Silk Road, including an extra 100 billion yuan ($14.50 billion) into the existing Silk Road Fund, 380 billion yuan in loans from two policy banks and 60 billion yuan in aid to developing countries and international bodies in countries along the new trade routes.

In addition, Xi said China would encourage financial institutions to expand their overseas yuan fund businesses to the tune of 300 billion yuan.

Xi did not give a time frame for the new loans, aid and funding pledged on Sunday.

Leaders from 29 countries attended the forum, as well as the heads of the United Nations, International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

Britain's finance minister told the summit his country was a "natural partner" in the new Silk Road, while the prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, a close Chinese ally, praised China's "vision and ingenuity".

"Such a broad sweep and scale of interlocking economic partnerships and investments is unprecedented in history," Sharif said.

White House adviser Matt Pottinger said the United States welcomed efforts by China to promote infrastructure connectivity as part of its Belt and Road initiative, and US companies could offer top value services.

India refused to send an official delegation to Beijing, reflecting displeasure with China for developing a $57 billion trade corridor through Pakistan that also crosses the disputed territory of Kashmir.

"No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Indian foreign ministry spokesman Gopal Baglay, adding that there were concerns about host countries taking on "unsustainable debt."

China plans to import $2 trillion of products from countries participating in its Belt and Road initiative over the next five years, Commerce Minister Zhong Shan said.

Unease Over Summit

But some Western diplomats have expressed unease about both the summit and the plan as a whole, seeing it as an attempt to promote Chinese influence globally. They are also concerned about transparency and access for foreign firms to the scheme.

Australian Trade Minister Steven Ciobo said Canberra was receptive to exploring commercial opportunities China's new Silk Road presented, but any decisions would remain incumbent on national interest.

"China is willing to share its development experience with all countries," Xi said. "We will not interfere in other countries' internal affairs. We will not export our system of society and development model, and even more will not impose our views on others."

"In advancing the Belt and Road, we will not re-tread the old path of games between foes. Instead we will create a new model of cooperation and mutual benefit," Xi said.

North Korea, which considers China its sole major diplomatic ally and economic benefactor, raised eyebrows when it decided to send a delegation to the summit.

The North Korean delegation largely kept a low profile at the summit, and there was no evidence that its presence had affected participation despite U.S. misgivings.

Financial Inclusiveness

Xi said the new Silk Road would be open to all, including Africa and the Americas, which are not situated on the traditional Silk Road.

"No matter if they are from Asia and Europe, or Africa or the Americas, they are all cooperative partners in building the Belt and Road."

The idea of cooperation and inclusiveness extends to funding projects and investments along the new trade routes, which are being developed both on land and at sea.

"We need joint effort among Belt and Road countries to boost financing cooperation," Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of China's central bank, said.

To sustain the projects, Belt and Road nations should allow companies to play a key role, as government resources are limited, Zhou said.

The active use of local currencies will also help to mobilise local savings, lower remittance and exchange costs, and safeguard financial stability, he said

At the forum, finance ministries from 27 countries, including China, approved a set of principles that will guide project financing along the new Silk Road.

Germany, which was not among the countries that approved the financing guidelines, said its firms were willing to support the Belt and Road initiative, but more transparency was needed.

Some of China's close allies and partners were at the forum, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

There were also several European leaders attending, including the prime ministers of Spain, Italy, Greece and Hungary.

Chinese state-run media has spared no effort in its coverage of the summit, including broadcasting an awkwardly-named English-language music video "The Belt and Road is How" sung by children from countries on the new Silk Road.

The post China Pledges $124 Billion for New Silk Road appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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