Monday, October 2, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Diplomats, UN Witness Northern Rakhine Devastation

Posted: 02 Oct 2017 08:57 AM PDT

MAUNGDAW, Rakhine State— Twenty diplomats who visited conflict-torn areas of northern Rakhine on a government-sponsored tour on Monday called on Myanmar authorities to fully investigate allegations of human rights violations, allow unimpeded humanitarian access and urged the government to allow the UN fact-finding mission to visit.

Diplomats and UN officials visited conflict-torn areas of northern Rakhine for the first time since more than 500,000 self-identifying Rohingya Muslims, hundreds of ethnic Rakhine and others fled the area since Aug 25.

The tour on Monday was joined by 66 people from foreign embassies, European Union organizations, UN agencies, the cabinet and local news outlets, including from The Irrawaddy.

They were divided into three groups and flown to Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships to meet with local people—Rakhine, Muslims, Mro and Hindu—from six villages in the areas.

The collective statement by embassies including the US, UK, Australia, Indonesia, Turkey, and Germany, released after the trip on Monday afternoon said as friends of Myanmar they remained ready to work with the Myanmar government to help Rakhine reach its potential and supported the full implementation of the recommendations made by the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.

Myanmar government has refused entry to members of UN fact-finding mission to investigate previous allegations of killings, rape and torture by security forces against self-identifying Rohingya Muslims during operations late last year.

The foreign embassies encouraged the government to enable the "voluntary, dignified and safe" return of more than a half a million refugees in Bangladesh to their places of origin.

"We call once more for unimpeded humanitarian access to northern Rakhine and resumption of life-saving services without discrimination throughout the state," it added.

The Turkish Ambassador to Myanmar Kerem Divanlioglu welcomed the Myanmar government's invitation to diplomats and journalists inspect the scene on the ground and said that Muslim, Hindu, and Arakanese Buddhist communities were all deeply affected by the conflict.

The Turkish government will continue to provide humanitarian assistance in the region, he said.

Switzerland's Ambassador to Myanmar Paul Seger said the situation was different to what he had expected as whole villages had been burnt down. He described the situation as a "human tragedy" and that he had spoken to some Hindu, Muslim, and Arakanese who had wanted to live together peacefully.

The trip was arranged after Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's diplomatic briefing last month on the Rakhine State situation in which she said despite a large number of people fleeing the area, there were people who stayed behind.

"We can arrange for you to visit these areas, and to ask [remaining villagers] for yourself, why they have not fled, why they have chosen to remain in their villages, even at a time when everything around them seems to be in a state of turmoil," she said on Sept. 19.

The UN said "it looks forward to strengthening trust and cooperation with all communities and Myanmar government" in a statement released after the trip on Monday afternoon.

Three UN representatives—the UN Resident Coordinator, a WFP representative and a senior UN High Commission for Refugees official—joined the trip.

The statement said the UN stands ready to provide its full support to the authorities in responding to the humanitarian and human rights crisis in northern Rakhine as well as the implementation of the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.

Border affairs minister Lt-Gen said: "We have carried out what the diplomats requested of us and we have not hidden anything or set anything up. The State Counselor instructed me to show places in the community regardless of race or religion."

The Union government is working on a "roadmap" on Rakhine State after meeting with all concerned agencies and government ministries.

The post Diplomats, UN Witness Northern Rakhine Devastation appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Magwe Govt Sues Individual over Mob Recruitment

Posted: 02 Oct 2017 05:08 AM PDT

YANGON —Magwe regional government filed a lawsuit at the Magwe District Court last week against the alleged recruiter of mobs to instigate unrest in Rakhine State's Ann Township, according to the regional General Administration Department (GAD).

Regional GAD director and plaintiff U Than Swe told The Irrawaddy on Monday he filed the lawsuit against a man named U Aung Kyaw Myint on Friday and that the court accepted the case, but is yet to charge the man.

Magwe Region's Chief Minister Dr. Aung Moe Nyo told press members last week there had been an attempt to recruit people in his region to form anti-government mobs in Ann Township.

According to the chief minister, the recruiter offered people an incentive of 500,000 kyats (approximately US$370) for completing the job in Ann Township.

He did not mention why perpetrators wanted to create instability in Ann Township, why they tried to recruit people in Magwe Region or how many people had been recruited.

Since his allegations, there have been rumors on social media that U Han Maung, a member of the main opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)'s Magwe regional office, was behind the recruitment and was the one who hired U Aung Kyaw Myint.

Secretary of the party's regional office U Sann Nyunt Maung has denied any association with the alleged recruitment.

"Our party has no history of [creating] such unrest. We won't do it in the future and we won't accept [attempts to create unrest]," U Sann Nyunt Maung told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

Regarding the rumors specifically naming U Han Maung, U Sann Nyunt Maung said there was no need to respond to rumors since the party sees no evidence, adding he was aware of the lawsuit but didn't know of the accused person.

The Irrawaddy was unable to independently verify the association between U Han Maung and the accused U Aung Kyaw Myint.

Earlier this month, a group of 400 people—some armed with swords and bamboo rods—attacked a mosque and property owned by Muslims in Magwe Region's Taungdwingyi Township. The mob was later dispersed by riot police with rubber bullets and 30-year-old Ko Hnin Ko Ko Lin was arrested for taking part in the attack.

According to the government's Information Committee, he was acting because of the "disappointing situation in Rakhine State."

The post Magwe Govt Sues Individual over Mob Recruitment appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Yangon Water Buses Launch on Friday

Posted: 02 Oct 2017 02:50 AM PDT

YANGON — Yangon's commuters will now have the option to take water buses on the city's rivers starting Friday.

After some delay, Tint Tint Myanmar company, which won a tender to provide water bus services in February, announced that the company would begin operating its fleet on Friday at 7 a.m. at Botahtaung jetty.

The service was previously planned to launch in late June.

The company's chairwoman Daw Tint Tint Lwin told the media at a press conference in June that she was confident the initiative to ferry passengers along the city's waterways would succeed.

About 16 boats will connect Hlaing Tharyar and Botahtaung townships with eight stops under the first phase of the project which targets about 20,000 commuters. Two routes along Nga Moe Yeik Creek and Thanlyin Township will follow, she said at the press conference.

The water taxis will run every 20 minutes from 6 a.m. to about 6.30 p.m., with tickets from 300-500 kyats, according to the chairwoman.

Some 56 to 67 boats are expected to service the full operation, which aims to serve an annual 12 million commuters this year and a projected 24 million by 2020, she added.

Last week, Yangon chief minister U Phyo Min Thein and officials from Yangon Region Transport Authority tested the water bus before its launch.

The initiative falls under the regional government's plans to upgrade public transport services to relieve worsening traffic jams in the former capital and commercial hub, following the new bus system that launched in January.

The post Yangon Water Buses Launch on Friday appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UNFC Peace Talks With Govt Postponed

Posted: 02 Oct 2017 02:16 AM PDT

CHIANG MAI, Thailand – The seventh round of formal talks between the ethnic alliance the United Nationalities Federal Council and the government peace commission has been postponed until after the second anniversary of the signing of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) on Oct. 15, leaving the bloc unable to sign the NCA on the anniversary as expected.

The upcoming talk is planned to reach an agreement between the government and the UNFC bloc on its eight-point proposal, according to peace negotiators on both sides.

Only after the UNFC's proposal is negotiated and agreed to, will the ethnic alliance sign the NCA.

Nai Ong Ma-Nge, the UNFC spokesman, said the government would be unable to meet on the bloc's proposed date of Oct. 7 due to the Thadingyut holiday, postponing the date until later this month.

He added that the proposal needed to be thoroughly discussed and agreed to before signing the ceasefire agreement.

The government wants to see the bloc – which now includes the New Mon State Party (NMSP), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Arakan National Council (ANC) and Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) – become signatories, in addition to the current eight ethnic armed groups, in order to further its peace process.

The SSPP, which is also a member of a northeastern alliance led by the United Wa State Army, requested to leave the bloc last month. But the resignation can only be accepted at the UNFC congress, held every two years. SSPP representatives have been present at ongoing talks with the government.

The first four points of the UNFC proposal were agreed to in principle at the sixth round of formal talks on August 11, according to U Aung Soe, a member of the peace commission.

"But the rest need to be reviewed and decided on by not only us, as it is related to the Joint-ceasefire Implementation Committee Meeting (JICM) and Joint-ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC)," he said.

Due to instability and Myanmar Army pressure on ethnic armed groups, including frequent engagements between the Tatmadaw and the northern alliance in northeast Burma; the Tatmadaw's interference in restricting a military parade on Mon Revolution Day in August; and its reluctance to allow NCA-signatory the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) to hold national-level political dialogue in the Shan State capital Taunggyi – observers have noted that the peace process is in a predicament.

The bloc will not deviate from its stance in signing the NCA, said the UNFC spokesman, despite peace expert and stakeholder views during UNFC stakeholder consultations at the end of September that the peace process was deadlocked and the bloc should rethink its approach.

The northern alliance, whose members are actively engaged with the Myanmar Army has said it prefers an alternate approach in which the NCA is replaced.

The government said it is trying to negotiate with all ethnic armed groups in the country to build peace and prosperity, yet talks with other groups have not been held since June.

"We are trying to meet with other ethnic armed organizations, of which that are 21 recognized by the government," U Aung Soe said last week.

But the government does not recognize the new northern alliance or its Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), and will only meet with the groups individually and not as a bloc, hindering a meeting.

Among the 21 ethnic armed groups, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) has said it is willing to sign the NCA only if it covers all Naga people including those living across the border in India.

The post UNFC Peace Talks With Govt Postponed appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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