Wednesday, October 11, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

US State Dept Senior Officials meet Rohingya lobbyists and INGOs

Posted: 11 Oct 2017 05:10 AM PDT

YANGON — US Department of State officials, representatives of Rohingya organizations, and US-based international groups have discussed the need for an indiscriminate UN-administered safe zone in northern Rakhine State as well as the cessation of violence and solutions to the region's humanitarian crisis.

One of the meeting's attendees, Wakar Uddin, posted two pictures and a summary of the meeting on Facebook. Wakar Uddin is chairman and director general of the Arakan Rohingya Union (ARU), an umbrella organization representing dozens of self-identifying Rohingya groups.

International Campaign for the Rohingya (ICR), also one of the participants, posted on Facebook its representatives had met with US officials, including Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia W. Patrick Murphy, and discussed "sanctioning Burmese army leaders and business interests."

ICR stated that Murphy, who visited northern Rakhine in late September, was working with other agencies to address the Rakhine crisis and that he said in terms of sanctions "everything is under consideration."

According to Wakar Uddin's post, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Scott Busby, also attended the one and a half hour meeting at the state department in Washington, along with Simon Billenness of International Campaign for the Rohingya, John Knaus of National Endowment for Democracy, Khedidja Ouheb of Zakat Foundation, Kathryn Striffolino of Save the Children, and Ronnate Asirwatham of American Jewish World Service.

Based on Wakar Uddin's list of attendees, there was no representation from organizations in other parts of Myanmar society.

The meeting covered a range of issues, including the repatriation process of more than 500,000 Muslims and a smaller number of Hindus who fled an army crackdown in northern Rakhine State after militant group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked 30 police outposts on Aug. 25.

Ways in which the US government is encouraging its Myanmar counterpart to stop the violence from security forces and locals in Rakhine against Muslims were shared during the meeting, wrote Wakar Uddin. The implementation of former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan's recommendations in Rakhine and public security issues were also discussed.

Wakar Uddin previously met with Murphy and other US officials following militant attacks on police outposts in the region on Oct. 25.

Born in Rakhine's troubled Maungdaw Township, Wakar Uddin graduated from Ye Zin Agricultural University (YAU) based in what became Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw and left Myanmar for the United States in 1970, where he earned a PhD and currently works as a professor at Pennsylvania State University.

Wakar Uddin is also chairman and founder of the Burmese Rohingya Association of North America (BRANA). His other organization, the ARU, was established after a conference for the self-identifying Rohingya at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) headquarters in Saudi Arabia in May, 2011 in order to achieve rights for the community in Rakhine. Communal riots between Arakanese Buddhists and self-identifying Rohingya Muslims rocked the state the following year.

ARU's mission statement notes it was "formed on the agreed principles of an indivisible Arakan State within the territorial integrity of the Union of Myanmar, through seeking peaceful co-existence, democracy and human rights, and federalism."

ARU seeks a political solution to the issues faced by the "Rohingya ethnic minority," according to its statement, using a term for the community strongly opposed by most in Myanmar. It does this, the statement reads, in order to reclaim citizenships and restore political, social, economic, cultural, educational and human rights.

Wakar Uddin has been close to international organizations over the past years, as well as high-profile western bureaucrats and diplomats. He has posted photos online posing with former Secretary of State John Kerry, former US ambassador Derek Mitchell, W. Patrick Murphy, the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) leaders, UN human rights special rapporteur Yanghee Lee, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the State Department of Norway. He has posted descriptions of his activities on Twitter and Facebook, and also attended the UN General Assembly held earlier this year.

Whenever Wakar Uddin speaks to the media, he never hesitates to use controversial words such as "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing" to describe the actions of the Myanmar Army in Rakhine. He uses the terms "ethnic minority Rohingya" and even sometimes "indigenous people" in an attempt to shape the Rohingya as an ethnic minority of Myanmar on the international stage.

He urged the UN, OIC and other super-power countries to intervene when it came to the self-identifying Rohingya crisis.

During an interview with Al Jazeera on Sep 10, two weeks after militant attacks in northern Rakhine, Wakar Uddin said the Muslim world should come forward, with strength, to speak out about the self-identifying Rohingya crisis and urged the establishment of a strong coalition from the international community, including western countries.

"The Security Council should be a force to consider demilitarization in northern Rakhine State and send a UN peacekeeping force like Lebanon, like Africa. And OIC countries just like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and they should ask China and Russia not to block [the vote to intervene in Myanmar at UN security council]."

Wakar Uddin was unavailable for comment at the time of this report.

The post US State Dept Senior Officials meet Rohingya lobbyists and INGOs appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rakhine State Conflict Exasperates Faltering Peace Process

Posted: 11 Oct 2017 05:04 AM PDT

Myanmar has been attempting to bring about peace in the country for almost six years now, with the Union government convincing only eight of Myanmar's 21 ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) to sign its landmark nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA).

On Sunday, the government and NCA signatories will celebrate the two-year anniversary of the signing of the accord in the country's capital Naypyitaw.

The government's peace commissioners have said they are attempting to achieve peace with all EAOs including members of alliances—namely the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) and the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC). The government, however, does not recognize the latter as a bloc and would rather meet each of the seven FPNCC groups separately.

Earlier this year, the State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said she "hopes 2017 can be designated as a year of peace," as her party the National League for Democracy (NLD) has marked national reconciliation and peace as a priority.

Not long after she uttered the words, peace observers and advocates said her imaginations of peace were sure to fail—they described the peace process as languid, with both formal and informal negotiations stalling.

Two possible reasons for stalling progress: The Myanmar Army's reluctance to hold national-level political dialogues—a key step in NCA signing—in either Shan or Rakhine states due to unsuitable venues and lack of security respectively. And the military's reluctance to accept three EAOs—the Arakan Army (AA), Kokang's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance (MNDAA) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).

In addition to these hurdles, conflict in Rakhine State that began in August added delays to already faltering peace talks between the government and EAOs.

Violence flared when recently-established Muslim militant group the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked 30 police and military outposts in northern Rakhine State—killing 12 members of the security forces.

Ensuing military clearance operations have brought waves of international criticism over the treatment of Muslim minority the self-identifying Rohingya—of whom more than 500,000 have fled to Bangladesh bringing with them reports of rape, torture, extra-judicial killing and destruction of property by government forces.

Self-identifying Rohingya continue to leave at a rate of thousands a day despite some Muslim communities remaining intact.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi—who also leads the country's peace process—has had to focus on the Rakhine State situation, including the implementation of recommendations by the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

In line with one of the recommendations, the government has said it will register repatriated Muslim refugees from Bangladesh through the national citizenship verification process.

As this situation unfolds, ARSA appears to have positioned itself alongside Myanmar's other EAOs.

Some ethnic armed group leaders have denounced ARSA's violence while the humanitarian catastrophe of the self-identifying Rohingya has grabbed the world's attention.

ARSA announced a unilateral ceasefire for one month to allow humanitarian assistance, which ended on Monday. The group offered peace talks with the government on Sunday, which were rejected on the grounds that they did not negotiate with terrorists.

In a statement dated Oct. 7, ARSA said: "If at any stage, the Burmese Government is inclined to peace, then ARSA will welcome that inclination and reciprocate." Defense Minister Lt-Gen Sein Win reiterated the government's stance of non-negotiation in comments to The Irrawaddy.

Harn Yawnghwe, who has been involved in Myanmar's peace process since its inception and is director of the Euro-Burma Office, told The Irrawaddy this week that even if the government does not want to it should hold talks with ARSA.

"For me, I think through armed conflict it is hard to find solutions, while negotiations can help reduce tensions," he said.

As Myanmar's peace talks with EAOs stall, it is interesting to see which groups see ARSA as a potential partner in negotiating peace with the Union government.

Shan, Karen, Pa'O, Mon, and Arakanese ethnic leaders The Irrawaddy spoke to rejected ARSA as an ethnic armed group—claiming leaders were raised in Pakistan and that the group's intentions deviate from other EAO's fight for ethnic equality, autonomy, self-determination, and federalism.

Some leaders The Irrawaddy spoke to agreed with the government’s argument that the self-identifying Rohingya are not indigenous to Myanmar and therefore have no basis for claiming territory.

Self-identifying Rohingya should be given citizenship in line with the government's national verification process, all ethnic leaders The Irrawaddy spoke to agreed.

Many ethnic leaders, however, refused to comment officially on the issue—with the excuse of not knowing the full details of Rakhine State affairs.

KNU vice chairman Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win said the EAO had been sharing views on Rakhine affairs within their peace process steering team (PPST) but said "as the Rakhine state affair is a sensitive issue, we are very careful [not to publicize our stance]."

But ethnic leaders both on and off the record reasoned that as "Rohingya" are not listed as an ethnicity of Myanmar and they did not know ARSA leaders, it would be hard for them to accept the armed group's call.

Chairman of NCA-signatory the Arakan Liberation Party U Khine Soe Naing Aung said there had been many groups in history attempting to represent Rohingya, but they were rejected as the group is not a nationality of Myanmar.

He said Rakhine State affairs affect the whole of Myanmar and he believes the NLD government should work to provide citizenship, neutralized citizenship or associate citizenship to Muslims in Rakhine State.

Chairman of Pa'O Nationalities Liberation Organization Khun Myint Tun echoed the view that Rakhine State affairs must be viewed as a Union affair in which all are concerned in finding a solution.

He said the problems in Rakhine State were rooted long before independent Myanmar: "So we have to accept that there are inhabitants who have been living in the area since the [British] colonial times and who have migrated from neighboring Bangladesh over time. We need to see [the situation] fairly and work out for better solutions."

Also many [EAOs] wouldn't publicize their views on either support or denouncing the ARSA "to avoid the international pressure," Khine Soe Naing Aung said.

It's not surprising that ethnic armed leaders refused to agree with the government or military's line on Rakhine State publicly—virtually all ethnic armed groups have suffered from the Tatmadaw's oppression in one way or another over the past six or seven decades.

The post Rakhine State Conflict Exasperates Faltering Peace Process appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thousands Gather for Interfaith Rallies

Posted: 11 Oct 2017 03:29 AM PDT

YANGON — Religious leaders of Myanmar called for unity and peace as they gathered at the country's first mass interfaith rally at Aung San Stadium in Yangon on Tuesday.

It was the first major push for improved relations between followers of different faiths since an eruption of deadly violence in August inflamed communal tensions, especially between Buddhists and Muslims, and triggered an exodus of some 520,000 Muslims to Bangladesh.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) organized the gathering, which was attended by Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, and Christian leaders, along with thousands of supporters from all religions.

As the crowd lit candles and prayed for peace—particularly in Rakhine State—Dr. Bhaddanta Iddhibala, chairman of the Yangon Region Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, appealed for people to stop blaming others for conflict and help restore peace.

"If each of us only see the mistakes of others, there will be no peace among us. We need to have inner peace in each of us first and avoid the actions which could affect the peace, while praying for the peace," he said.

Religious leaders called for peace in Myanmar at the event. (Photo: Thet Tun Naing)

Muslim leader Alahaj Mofti Mohamad said the harmony in which Muslims have lived for centuries in Myanmar is being threatened by hate.

"We, the Muslims, strongly hope for the immediate end of the current conflicts and the haters. We strongly desire to live in harmony as our ancestors lived in past centuries. We want back the situation where we shared the happiness together with humanity, without haters and doubts of each other, without discrimination," he told the crowd.

"We would like to urge every citizen to work for the peace, unity and living in harmony," he added.

The patron of Quan Yin Buddhist monastery and a Hindu leader also called for followers of all religions to cooperate for the peace and stability of the country.

While urging people to practice the way of peace, Cardinal Charles Bo, the current Archbishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Yangon, also urged the international community to understand the situation of the country.

"We went to tell the world that Myanmar is living under the teaching of Lord Buddha. We have sympathy to every human being. The world has to understand [Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's] government and has to help her. It is impossible to solve every problem in just 18 months," said Cardinal Charles Bo.

The Cardinal said the country under the leadership of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has its own strategy to solve the problems. He criticized the international community for stripping awards from the State Counselor.

"She is not working for her country to win the awards. The Nobel peace prize came to her, she did not chase it. The awards can be stripped from her. For me, I would like to give back the awards with the compensation," said the cardinal.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) organized the gathering. (Photo: Thet Tun Naing)

"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the one who led this country to the democratic path and struggled for many years. We want to let the world know that we have our own strategy to solve our own problems. We believe in the leadership of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who is our hope," he added.

Yangon chief minister U Phyo Min Thein, who lit the peace candle to open the ceremony, said the event showed the world the country is living in harmony and praying.

"This event shows Myanmar is a country with the people of different faith, living in harmony and sharing the sympathy for those who are in difficultly," said the chief minister.

"We hope the world will understand the situation of our country," he added.

Interfaith ceremonies were also held in other cities such as Mandalay, Monywa, Mawlamyine and Loikaw at the same time as the Yangon event.

The post Thousands Gather for Interfaith Rallies appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NCA Non-Signatories to Attend Ceasefire Anniversary Ceremony

Posted: 11 Oct 2017 12:05 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — The Myanmar government opened the door for non-signatories of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) to attend an event to mark the two-year anniversary of the signing of the accord by some of Myanmar's ethnic armed groups.

The government accepted on Tuesday a proposal by the eight NCA signatories to allow the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC)—a group of seven ethnic armed groups based in northern Myanmar led by the United Wa State Army (UWSA)—and another ethnic bloc the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) to join the event.

This followed an urgent meeting of the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) representing the eight NCA signatories—including the Karen National Union (KNU), the Chin National Front (CNF) and the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP)—on the peace process and the NCA anniversary in Thailand's Chiang Mai on Monday and Tuesday.

After separate meeting with government representatives in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, PPST spokesperson Khun Myint Tun told reporters: "Our delegation led by patron Col Khun Okkar and the government delegation concluded discussions in Naypyitaw this morning. At the meeting we proposed inviting the Northern Alliance [FPNCC] and the UNFC [to the anniversary]. And the government accepted our proposal."

Eight ethnic armed groups and the U Thein Sein government signed the NCA on Oct. 15, 2015. The government has planned a national-level event in the administrative capital to mark the anniversary.

According to NCA-signatory sources, delegates of NCA non-signatories are likely to hold separate peace talks with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar Army Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, if they attend the NCA anniversary event.

Eight NCA signatories will each send an 11-member delegation to the event and KNU chairman Gen Mutu Sae Poe is set to address the ceremony and reaffirm the KNU's dedication to the government's NCA path to internal peace.

The eight ethnic armed groups that signed the NCA are: the KNU, the CNF, the APL, the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF), the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army (Peace Council) (KNU/KNLA PC), the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), and the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO).

The FPNCC comprises of UWSA, Kachin Independence Army (KIA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and Arakan Army (AA).

The Myanmar Army has repeatedly said it would not hold peace talks with the MNDAA, TNLA and AA because they came to existence only after emergence of a democratic government, in contrast to other long-established ethnic armed groups.

The UNFC is comprised of the New Mon State Party (NMSP), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU) and Arakan National Council (ANC).

The post NCA Non-Signatories to Attend Ceasefire Anniversary Ceremony appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thai Junta Sets Firm Date for Election After Many False Starts

Posted: 10 Oct 2017 11:00 PM PDT

BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand will hold a general election in November 2018, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday, the most precise date he has given yet for the vote since taking power in a 2014 military coup.

Prayuth, head of the ruling junta, said the exact date would be announced in June 2018. The junta has announced election dates at least two times in the past, only to push them back later, citing concerns such as changes to the constitution and security issues.

"Around June we will announce the date for the next election," Prayuth told reporters at Bangkok's Government House.

"In November we will have an election."

Former army chief Prayuth, who led the May 2014 coup widely criticized by Western nations, said it was necessary to end a decade of political turbulence and root out corruption.

In April, King Maha Vajiralongkorn signed into law a military-backed constitution that kickstarts the process for an election the junta has promised will restore democracy.

The new charter provides for a proportional voting system likely to reduce the influence of major political parties, which critics say aims to strengthen the role of the military.

Analysts expect political activities to resume slowly after the funeral of King Bhumibol Adulyadej this month ends a year of mourning for a monarch many Thais saw as a father figure.

"Prayuth wants to delay the election but he knows that after the king's cremation, there will be pressure for an election," said Kan Yuenyong of the Siam Intelligence Unit think tank.

"This announcement for the election in November next year will act to reduce that pressure, because if not, there could be chances for protests," he told Reuters.

Thailand's main stock index rose 0.7 percent after the news, having opened Tuesday down 0.3 percent.

Good For Country

The government has faced increasing pressure to lift a ban on political activities levied soon after the coup.

Prayuth will consider lifting the ban "at an appropriate time", he told reporters, without giving details.

The junta had initially promised an election in 2015, after seizing power from the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin's governments, or those backed by him, have won every election since 2001, partly because of their overwhelming popularity with politically-powerful rural voters.

But the Shinawatras made enemies, including those among the military-backed establishment who accused Thaksin and his allies of corruption.

Thaksin was ousted in 2006 and lives abroad in self-imposed exile. Yingluck followed suit in August, when she fledThailand ahead of the verdict in a criminal case.

Some politicians expressed skepticism over the election date.

"It isn't really believable, because they have changed it many times," said Chaturon Chaisang, a member of Thaksin's Puea Thai Party.

Ong-art Klampaiboon, deputy leader of the Democrat Party, Puea Thai's biggest competitor, welcomed the news.

"The election date creates clarity," Ong-art said. "This should be good for the country and the people."

The post Thai Junta Sets Firm Date for Election After Many False Starts appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Pope to Meet Top Buddhist Monks in Myanmar, Address Military

Posted: 10 Oct 2017 10:56 PM PDT

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will meet Myanmar's top Buddhist monks, its military generals and civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in November when he visits that country and Bangladesh, both caught up in a crisis over the self-identifying Rohingya Muslim minority.

According to a full programme of the Nov. 26-Dec. 2 trip released by the Vatican on Tuesday, the pope will say two Masses in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and one in Bangladesh, which is predominantly Muslim.

Francis will be the first pope to visit Myanmar and the second to visit Bangladesh, where Pope John Paul visited in 1986.

The pope arrives in Yangon, the country's largest city, on Nov. 27 after a flight of more than 10 hours and is scheduled to rest for about 24 hours before heading to the country's capital Naypyitaw for a day.

There, he will have separate private talks with President Htin Kyaw and Suu Kyi, who is both State Counsellor and Foreign Minister, making her effectively the country's civilian leader.

A senior Vatican official said military leaders are expected to attend a separate, public meeting where the pope will address politicians and diplomats. This is where he is expected to give the keynote speech of the trip.

Myanmar is facing international scrutiny over the plight of its Rohingya community. In February, Francis said they had been tortured and killed simply because they wanted to live their culture and Muslim faith.

Last August, some hard-line Buddhists were riled with the pope spoke about "the persecution of our Rohingya brothers and sisters" and asked Catholics to pray for them, adding that they should be given "their full rights".

On Nov. 29, the pope will address the Sangha Maha Nayaka, the country's highest Buddhist authority, which is a government-backed panel of senior monks responsible for regulating the Buddhist clergy.

The United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday that Bangladesh border guards reported more than 11,000 Rohingya refugees crossing into their country from Myanmar on Monday alone..

The government offensive has drawn international condemnation and U.N. accusations of ethnic cleansing, which the government denies.

There are about 700,000 Roman Catholics in Myanmar according to the country's cardinal, Charles Maung Bo, out of a population of about 51.4 million.

Catholics make up a tiny minority in Bangladesh. Francis will be the second pope to visit that country, after Pope John Paul in 1986.

The post Pope to Meet Top Buddhist Monks in Myanmar, Address Military appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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