The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Lawmaker Urges Govt Crackdown of Insurgents on Myanmar-India Border
- Detained Journalists’ Families Allowed First Prison Visit
- EU Urges Myanmar to Protect Free Speech After Arrests of Journalists
- Paintings for Peace
- Four Ethnic Armed Groups Leave UNFC
- NLD to Move Against Corrupt, Underperforming Govt Officials
- Decolonize Myanmar? Start With the State
- Policeman Injured in Grenade Attack on Hsipaw Police Station
- Migrants Continue to Flee Thailand in Wake of New Labor Rules
- Kayah’s Disappearing Traditional Bamboo Guitars
| Lawmaker Urges Govt Crackdown of Insurgents on Myanmar-India Border Posted: 03 Jul 2017 06:24 AM PDT NAYPYITAW — Insurgents of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), a separatist group based in India and seeking to establish a sovereign territory, is threatening the security of Tamu Township in Sagaing Division, according to an Upper House lawmaker. Parliamentarian U Maung Maung Latt, from Sagaing Division, asked the Union government at the Upper House on Monday to crack down on insurgents of Meitei descent—a majority ethnic group of the northeastern Indian state of Manipur—who are active in Tamu. He blamed the Myanmar Army and security forces for "failing to protect" locals of Tamu, which shares a 78-mile land border with Manipur. "The Tatmadaw knows their existence and the deputy minister said that it would take action only when people report it. I assume this is the failure of Tatmadaw and police to protect the lives and property of people," U Maung Maung Latt told the reporters after the parliamentary session. The lawmaker said he was aware the local authorities had surveyed the population of Meitei, known as Kathe in Myanmar, in Tamu. He cited a recent confrontation between locals and insurgents who allegedly extorted money at Tamu's Nan Pha Lon Market, adding that he filed complaints with the district administrator, police, and military officials, but the authorities had not taken action. Deputy defense minister Maj-Gen Myint Nwe acknowledged the army is responsible for security and police are responsible for the rule of law but said public cooperation is necessary to protect civilians along the whole 1,016 mile-long border with India. He urged the public to inform authorities about news of insurgent acts. The deputy minister said it is difficult to differentiate civilians from rebels at the border, adding that people on both sides of the border cross daily for business and have a similar culture. "In such an area, we can do nothing except cooperate on the ground and exchange information," the deputy minister told The Irrawaddy. He told the Parliament it was the "long-held policy" of the Tatmadaw to reject any rebel organization rising against neighboring countries or any group helping rebels harbor in Myanmar. Based on collected intelligence, the Tatmadaw takes action against groups battling the Indian government that exploit the mountainous terrain, sparse population, and poor transportation in the area, said the deputy minister. U Maung Maung Latt told Parliament he had received information on Monday morning that about 70 male and female rebels were staying at 12 houses in a village just one mile from Tamu. Maj-Gen Myint Nwe responded that the home affairs ministry would take action "wherever possible" and the Tatmadaw would "always help if necessary." The lawmaker said he would collect signatures from locals and submit the petition to the president, the State Counselor and concerned ministries. He was concerned the region would become "the second Rakhine State" if the number of rebels increased. He said there were frequent killings of civilians in Tamu because of the rebels, as well as arson attacks and the seizures of arms. The armies of India and Myanmar hold border committee meetings every six months. The 10th national level border committee was held in Sagaing Division's Kale and Monywa in May, with the commanders of the Myanmar Army's North-West Command and the Indian Army's No. 57 Mountain Division in attendance. The meeting discussed matters related to cross-border crimes, counter-insurgency, border security and development. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post Lawmaker Urges Govt Crackdown of Insurgents on Myanmar-India Border appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Detained Journalists’ Families Allowed First Prison Visit Posted: 03 Jul 2017 06:20 AM PDT YANGON — Family members of journalists detained in northern Shan State said their loved ones are "in good health" after they were allowed prison visits for the first time on Monday. Lawi Weng, also known as U Thein Zaw, from The Irrawaddy, and U Aye Nai and Pyae Bone Aung from the Democratic Voice of Burma were arrested by the Myanmar Army on Monday, June 26, and and handed over to the police last Thursday. They have been charged under the Unlawful Associations Act and are being detained at Hsipaw Prison in northern Shan State. On Monday, family members of Lawi Weng and U Aye Nai were allowed a 45-minute visit and were able to deliver food. The family members of another DVB reporter, Pyae Bone Aung, are on their way to Hsipaw, according to U Khin Maung Soe, the multimedia editor at DVB. "Ko Aye Nai's family members said he is okay," he told The Irrawaddy. U Khin Maung Win, Lawi Weng's elder brother, met him on Monday afternoon at the prison with a lawyer. He told The Irrawaddy said his younger brother was "in good health," and has been "treated well." He said his younger brother had told him that he had not been subjected to abuse in the army's interrogation sessions during his initial detention by the military. "But [Lawi] said they had to sleep on the floor during the interrogation and it was cold. They were surrounded by dozens of soldiers with guns outside," said U Khin Maung Win. The three journalists were arrested near Namhsan on their way back from covering a drug-burning ceremony held by the ethnic armed group the Ta'ang National Liberation Army on Monday to mark the United Nations' International Day Against Drug Abuse. The post Detained Journalists' Families Allowed First Prison Visit appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| EU Urges Myanmar to Protect Free Speech After Arrests of Journalists Posted: 03 Jul 2017 06:15 AM PDT YANGON — The European Union on Monday urged Myanmar to protect journalists from "intimidation, arrest or prosecution" after several cases of reporters running into trouble with the law, including three detained by the army last week. The three reporters were accused of breaching the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act after covering the burning of drugs by the rebel Ta'ang National Liberation Army to mark International Day Against Drug Abuse. Journalists and rights groups say that over a year since democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy came to power, the gains made in press freedom since the end of decades of strict military rule risk being reversed. The European Union said the right to freedom of opinion and expression is a human right guaranteed to all. "It constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society," it said in a statement. "We therefore call on the government of Myanmar to provide the necessary legal protection for journalists to work in a free and enabling environment without fear of intimidation, arrest or prosecution." The three reporters arrested last week—Democratic Voice of Burma reporters Aye Nai and Pyae Phone Naing, and Lawi Weng of the Irrawaddy magazine—are in prison in the northeastern town of Hsipaw. The first hearing in their case is on July 11. Suu Kyi's spokesman, Zaw Htay, has said that everyone "should be treated according to the law." Suu Kyi herself has not commented on the three or on other cases of reporters running afoul of the law. Suu Kyi's defenders say the Nobel Peace Prize winner—who spent years under house arrest for opposing army rule—is hamstrung by a military-drafted constitution that keeps the generals in politics and free from civilian oversight. The military said the three reporters had communicated with a group The European Union said that in recent months the arrest and prosecution of journalists had reached "a worrying number." Most of the cases against journalists are for suspected violations of a broadly worded telecommunications law decried by human rights monitors as a violation of free speech. In one such case, Kyaw Min Swe, an editor at the Voice daily, was arrested last month over an article mocking the military. His trial is underway. Reporters protesting against what they see as the threat to press freedom say that military intelligence agents have taken their pictures, a reminder of the days of harsh military rule when no opposition was tolerated. The post EU Urges Myanmar to Protect Free Speech After Arrests of Journalists appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Posted: 03 Jul 2017 05:23 AM PDT Myanmar and Korea are different in many ways but they both share a longing for peace. In the 70 years since it gained independence from Britain in 1948, peace among ethnic groups has eluded Myanmar. Since the 1950s, when an uneasy truce was reached between north and south Koreas, peaceful reunification of the peninsula has as yet proved impossible. Myanmar and Korea's shared desire for peace is on display in an exhibition showcasing works of pacifism from the two countries at New Treasure Art Gallery on Thalwin Street, Golden Hill Avenue in Yangon's Bahan Township. The exhibition titled "Platform of Peace" is the second edition of the Korea-Myanmar art exhibition and features works by ten Myanmar and ten Korean artists and sculptors. Over 40 works by Korean and Myanmar artists are on display at the exhibition, which continues until Thursday. The first edition was held in 2015 to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Myanmar and South Korea. 2017 is a year of cultural exchange between Asean countries and South Korea. Park Taehong, director of co-organizer Artistic Asia, said: "Korea has north and south Koreas. They are divided and have not achieved peace. And Myanmar is also working for peace. When we look at the similarities between the two countries, we found peace. So, we gave the title 'Platform of the Peace.'" Myanmar artist Moe Nyo sugested there should be more similar exhibitions. "For many people living here it will be very beneficial," he said.  A sculpture made of stone and silicone sits at the entrance of the exhibition hall. Sculptor Chan Aye explained, "I try to combine two opposite things—soft silicone and hard stone—hoping that this would create some beauty."  Near Chan Aye's work is a simple, but attractive display titled "Stainless Steel" by modern Korean sculptor Pyo Insook. He said of his duck-shaped structure: "People kill and eat such a beautiful creature. So I felt pity and created this duck-shaped steel sculpture."  Myanmar artist Pe Nyint Wai showcases two paintings exploring unity and friendship—one shows a traditional Manaw dance of the ethnic Kachin People and another depicts people playing with Myanmar's traditional cane ball.  Another highlight is Korean artist Choi Sukun's painting titled "Old Jar" featuring a dog and a pig. He told The Irrawaddy that traditional circular jars remind him of the moon and the moon's cold light gives a sense of peace. Works on display at the exhibition are priced between US$100 and $3,000 with 50 percent of the proceeds being used to repair schools and roads in Myanmar through Artistic Asia, according to exhibition organizer of Min Wai Aung. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post Paintings for Peace appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Four Ethnic Armed Groups Leave UNFC Posted: 03 Jul 2017 01:30 AM PDT CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Four ethnic armed groups resigned from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) at the council's conference in Thailand's Chiang Mai. The UNFC accepted the resignation of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Wa National Organization (WNO), according to Khu Oo Reh, general secretary of the UNFC. Khu Oo Reh told reporters on June 29—the final day of UNFC's second conference—that the four groups would ally with the UNFC again if the circumstances called for it, and join the council's future conferences as observers. The KIO, TNLA, and MNDAA formed the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), also referred to as the northern alliance, led by the United Wa State Army (UWSA) in April. The WNO merged with the UWSA in June before the UNFC conference. KIO vice-chairman General N'Ban La said at the opening of the conference on June 20 the four groups withdrew because of the political situation. "Local conditions and the military's pressure and divisive rule are pushing armed groups in the northern area [of Myanmar] to stick together. That's why we need to resign from the UNFC," he told the conference. There are five groups left in the UNFC—the New Mon State Party (NMSP); the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP); the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU); the Arakan National Council (ANC); and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), which is also a member of the Wa-led FPNCC. Nai Hong Sar of the NMSP, who was elected as the UNFC chairman during the conference, said the council is dedicated to continuing its negotiations with the government based on the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). "It depends heavily on the government. If it gives us the room to maneuver on the NCA path, there will be a greater likelihood [of us signing it]. It is up to the government whether it would force us because the UNFC is weaker now," Nai Hong Sar told The Irrawaddy. The conference, which has been postponed in the past because of difficult military and political conditions, elected 24 council members including nine central executive members. Dr Khin Maung of the ANC was elected as the vice chair and Khu Oo Reh of the KNPP as the general secretary. The post Four Ethnic Armed Groups Leave UNFC appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| NLD to Move Against Corrupt, Underperforming Govt Officials Posted: 03 Jul 2017 01:01 AM PDT MANDALAY — The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party will take action against underperforming, corrupt, or misbehaving government officials, party spokesperson U Win Htein said on Sunday. "Officials failing to do their public service will initially receive a warning, informing them that the party will observe their work for one year," he said, adding that if requirements were not met within a year they would be removed from their position. "We have received complaints from almost every state and region in Myanmar," U Win Htein said at a meeting of government officials, parliamentarians, and NLD members in Mandalay on Sunday. "We are doing this for the sake of the country and its people," he added. In recent years, the NLD has expelled many of its own members for disloyalty to the party or over complaints of bad behavior. Political analyst Dr. Yan Myo Thein said a balance of cooperation between the government, parliament, and the party was required and the NLD should be careful of interfering in government matters. He welcomed NLD's bid to combat corruption and said action should be taken immediately but warned that "if a party attempts to control the government directly, there will be controversy." The post NLD to Move Against Corrupt, Underperforming Govt Officials appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Decolonize Myanmar? Start With the State Posted: 03 Jul 2017 12:07 AM PDT The arrest of Lawi Weng, a friend and former colleague, has emotionally and psychologically affected me deeply. It disturbs a long hidden fear inside me, and probably many others from Myanmar who have lived and struggled within regimes of oppression with fear of being unjustly persecuted for who we are and what we believe. This arrest has pushed me to think about one of the key root causes that are too often taken for granted: colonialism. Lawi Weng, Aye Nai and Pyae Bone Naing were arrested under the 1908 Unlawful Association Act enacted by the British colonial regime. This act was designed by the British colonial regime to oppress and rule the people of Burma and other colonies. The success of British colonialism depended on the use of law, courts, police, prisons, government, schools, hospitals and the economy to control subjects, to make them behave in a certain way and to submit to the new state apparatus. Sixty years after 'independence,' the state continues to rely on colonial laws and practices, and we continue to internalise and reproduce colonialist ideas. This is all the more ironic since some people continue to talk about Karen as having a "slave mentality" for collaborating with the British while assuming that others are free. As long as colonial laws and practices persist, we all have a "slave mentality." State actors celebrate Myanmar's liberation from British colonialism, while maintaining legacies of the colonial state for the control and suppression of the people of Myanmar. Can we say that we are independent? There has been a long history of resistance to colonialism, in organised action, boycotts, gossip, religious movements, rituals, song, writing, violent resistance and banditry. Liberation for anticolonial activists meant many things. It could involve social and political freedom and cultural revitalization. The colonial state used various methods to suppress resistance. Just as the postcolonial state is using some of the same methods to suppress Lawi Weng, Aye Nai, Pyae Bone Naing and others who are involved in creating a better society. Instead of creating our path towards a free society that recognises diverse views of the nation, the state is replicating acts of repression. State communication is often nationalistic, but for me, the arrest of these three journalists is not a nationalistic act. My intention is not to dehumanise and villainize the state. We have all internalised colonial practices in our own way. Agents of the state are also in need of decolonization. In our hearts, we all want to move forward and hope for a better society, however that might look. Decolonization needs to involve a deep analysis of how our politics and society should look like, the core values, the role of law and government, and address the violence of colonisation in imposing foreign and oppressive structures and ideologies. What we do today should not contradict core values of liberation and decolonization. Myanmar needs to be untangled from the apparatus of colonial control. These arrests brought me back to my memory of being arrested by Thai police while I was working as a journalist along the Thailand-Myanmar border. The level of uncertainty of my safety and security because of that arrest penetrated my mental state deeply. I am still somehow traumatised by this incident, a decade later. The context of the capture I experienced is, of course, different from the arrest of Lawi and other journalists. However, it is undeniable that they will experience deep fear and that the state is doing physical and mental harm to them. The consequences of these arrests are also doing much broader harm. It affects their families, their comrades in the media and the wider society. The application of the Unlawful Association Act and other colonial laws and practices for the control and repression of the people of Myanmar shows that we are still caught within the legacy of the colonial system. We must critique this situation to look at what we need to do to live in a liberated and decolonised Myanmar. Right now, those directly involved in the persecution of Lawi Weng, Aye Nai, and Pyae Bone Naing need to decolonise most of all. Violet Cho is a former reporter at The Irrawaddy and a PhD Candidate in Anthropology at the Australian National University. The post Decolonize Myanmar? Start With the State appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Policeman Injured in Grenade Attack on Hsipaw Police Station Posted: 02 Jul 2017 10:19 PM PDT A policeman was wounded when Hsipaw Township police station in northern Shan State was attacked with an improvised grenade early on Sunday morning. A motorcyclist threw the explosive device into the station compound in the northeast of downtown Hsipaw at 4:30 a.m. before escaping, according to a statement released by the Commander-in-Chief's Office. The policeman on guard suffered minor injuries and the blast also damaged a Toyota Land Cruiser seized last week in the arrest of seven people, including three journalists, on suspicion of association with ethnic armed group the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which is active in the area. Township Police Chief Myint Win reportedly told media on Sunday authorities have launched an investigation into the attack and suggested the armed group may be behind the attack as three of those arrested were ethnic Ta'ang, also known as Palaung. "We are still looking for the culprit," he said. "It may be related to the unlawful association cases [of the three Ta'ang]. It's possible that [the culprit] launched the attack as they are not pleased with case," he said. The post Policeman Injured in Grenade Attack on Hsipaw Police Station appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Migrants Continue to Flee Thailand in Wake of New Labor Rules Posted: 02 Jul 2017 10:10 PM PDT Tens of thousands of workers have fled Thailand, most of them for homes in neighboring Myanmar, immigration officials said on Monday, after new labor regulations adopted by the military government sparked fear and panic among the migrant community. Millions of workers from poor neighbors, such as Cambodia and Myanmar, form the backbone of Thailand's manual labor force, with industries such as the multi-billion-dollar seafood business heavily reliant on foreign workers. Since taking power in a 2014 coup, Thailand's ruling junta has attained varying degrees of success in campaigns to regulate the foreign workforce, spurred partly by media reports that unregulated workers faced exploitation by employers. About 60,000 workers left between June 23 and 28, and the number has risen since, an Immigration Bureau official said. "They were of all nationalities, but the biggest group was from Myanmar," Deputy Commissioner Pornchai Kuntee told Reuters. "They are probably very scared." Following news of the exodus, Thailand on Friday promised a 120-day delay in enforcing parts of the decree, including fines that can range up to 800,000 baht (US$23,557) for employers who hire unregistered foreign workers without permits. "They went back to Myanmar," she added. The mass movement leaves undocumented workers vulnerable, said Andy Hall, a British specialist in migrant workers' rights who has monitored such migration in Thailand for more than a decade. "It's clear to me tens of thousands of migrants only move like this after instigation," Hall, who has worked extensively with Myanmar workers, told Reuters. Despite the threat of punishment, "corrupt officials" would try to take bribes from fleeing migrants, he said. Police officers who try to extort money from employers or migrant workers will be punished, Thai police chief Chaktip Chaijinda said on Friday, in a bid to discourage exploitation of undocumented workers. Last month, the United States kept Thailand on a trafficking watch list, saying it did not meet the minimum standards to end human trafficking. Thailand defended its efforts to stop trafficking and urged US officials to visit and gauge its campaign. More than 3 million migrants work in Thailand, the International Organization for Migration has said, but rights groups put the figure higher The post Migrants Continue to Flee Thailand in Wake of New Labor Rules appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Kayah’s Disappearing Traditional Bamboo Guitars Posted: 02 Jul 2017 09:22 PM PDT The art of crafting a "kaloe"—a traditional bamboo guitar made by ethnic Kayah—is disappearing and the instrument is now mainly sold as a souvenir item at makers' homes in Kayah villages in Loikaw and Demoso townships. Khu Mee Reh, a 70-year-old ethnic Kayah, also known as Karenni, is one of the last kaloe makers. He has been crafting bamboo guitars and flutes since he was a teenager, and frequently plays them at home. Khu Mee Reh and his wife Mou Soe Myar live in Tanelale village in Demoso Township, about a 15-minute drive from Loikaw. In his village, both domestic and international tourists experience traditional food and culture still practiced by the older members of the community. Mou Soe Myar, a grandmother, always wears traditional dress: A short longyi weaved from cotton, a black top that just covers one shoulder, a long shawl, large silver earrings, bracelets, and necklaces and lacquered cotton rings on her legs. "I have been wearing these since I was young and I don’t want to change," she told The Irrawaddy. But traditional dress has been disappearing among the younger generations, except for during festivals. Younger Kayah villagers said they don't want to wear traditional dress as it involves too many accessories and is not beautiful when it's worn incomplete. Khu Mee Reh said he and his wife sold the bamboo guitars for use in peoples' homes in the past, but he has started to sell them to tourists who visit Kayah areas to experience a traditional way of life. He said he would be happy to pass on kaloe-making skills to anyone who wanted to learn, but that there was a lack of interest among the community. Tourists can purchase a kaloe from Khu Mee Reh's home for just 5,000 kyats, and enjoy a traditional music performance by him and his wife. The post Kayah's Disappearing Traditional Bamboo Guitars appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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