Tuesday, December 19, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

88 Generation Student Activists Register ‘Four Eights Party’

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 07:30 AM PST

NAYPYITAW—Members of the 88-Generation student community on Tuesday registered a new political party, the Four Eights Party, with the Union Election Commission (UEC) in Naypyitaw.

U Ko Ko Gyi, a leading figure in the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society and a senior member of its committee tasked with establishing the party, said the new bloc's aim is to take "political responsibility", rather than power.

He said there was a mistaken notion among Myanmar's political class that the sole objective of political parties is to gain power. He emphasized that he and his colleagues were setting up the party as a mechanism for taking responsibility for their political views.

"We engage in politics with the attitude that we will shoulder the responsibility that falls on us; nobody needs to ask us or assign us [to do this or that]. We'll continue engaging in politics with a sense of responsibility," he added.

Political activists involved in the student-led 8888 Uprising have organized multiple stakeholder consultations since early 2017. The name of the party was confirmed on Sunday, after a majority of the committee's representatives from different regions of the country voted in favor of it on Sunday.

The party's policy platform and structure will be unveiled after the UEC gives the green light to its registration, U Ko Ko Gyi added.

Prominent 88 Generation Peace and Open Society members such as U Min Ko Naing, U Jimmy and recently resigned leader U Mya Aye were not involved the party's formation. Another leading figure in the group, U Min Zeyar, is a member, however.

In the meantime, some have criticized the party's choice of name, saying that the designation "8888" does not belong to a particular group of people, but to the entire country and its struggle for democracy.

He called the 8888 Uprising the backbone of Myanmar's political system, and claimed that all of the recent political and economic changes the country has seen have their origins in nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations in August 1988.

"Our party name is much more than a number. It has deep political significance and connotes serious objectives and goals," he said, highlighting the "broadness and inclusion" the name impies.

"We will be resolute on our main objective, which is to continue pushing the demands made during the public uprising, which we highly value and respect," U Ko Ko Gyi said.

The Four Eights Party, or 8888, written in Burmese digits. (Photo: Myo Min Soe/ The Irrawaddy)

The 88-Generation student leaders' relationship with the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) is not as warm as it once was.

In 2014, they worked together on a nationwide petition campaign that attracted about five million signatures in support of an amendment to Section 436 of the military-drafted 2008 Constitution. Amending the charter requires the support of more than 75 percent of the national legislature.

However, when selecting candidates for the 2015 general election, the NLD chose from within in its own ranks, and did not appoint any members of the 88 Generation student group to the government.

Translated from the Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post 88 Generation Student Activists Register ‘Four Eights Party’ appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

10 Bodies Found at Mass Grave in Rakhine village visited by detained Reuters reporters

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 07:17 AM PST

YANGON – Local authorities unearthed 10 bodies near a graveyard in Inn Din village in southern Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State on Tuesday, according to government officials.

Local authorities have formed a temporary investigation team comprising officials from several agencies, including the Health Department.

A team member told The Irrawaddy that 10 heads and skeletons had been unearthed at the burial site. The team had concluded the remains belonged to victims of homicides that could have occurred as long as a year ago. All of the victims are adults. It was unclear whether the remains were those of Rohingya or Arakanese villagers.

"The killings did not happen recently; the remains have decomposed and we do not know if the victims are Rakhine or Muslim," he said.

Security was tightened in the area as government troops started digging at the burial site. Locals were unable to say exactly how many bodies had been found or whether they were those of Rohingya Muslims.

A Maungdaw resident who had visited Inn Din village and who has close ties with military intelligence told The Irrawaddy that Arakanese villagers, local police and government security forces had killed Rohingya villagers in Inn Din in recent months, and that locals had taken photographs of the incidents leading up to the killing. Later, some residents disclosed the killings to Reuters reporters who visited the village, the source said. He said the reporters were the same pair who were later arrested on Dec. 12 under the Official Secrets Act.

He claimed that the two reporters had secretly given some of the photographs to the UN, rather than using them in their reports. He said intelligence officers followed the two reporters and arrested them in Yangon's Htauk Kyant Township. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify his claims.

He said that Myanmar authorities had arrested the pair of journalists for leaking controversial photos to the UN which could bring a strong international reaction against the government and authorities had also started arresting lower-ranking members of the security forces as suspects in the killing of Rohingya villagers, in anticipation of an international condemnation of the scenes in the photos.

In a statement released on Dec. 18, the Office of the Commander-in-Chief said a person had informed government security forces of the discovery of unidentified bodies near Inn Din graveyard. The statement did not mention the number of bodies found, citing the ongoing investigation.

In an operation to restore stability in the region after a series of attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), government troops conducted counterattacks starting on Aug. 25, the statement reads. It adds that if any security forces are found to have committed violations, or if crimes at Inn Din are linked with government troops, those responsible will be punished in line with the law.

The Army clearance operations drove out more than 620,000 Rohingya to neighboring Bangladesh. The UN's human rights council described the Army operation as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".

Independent regional lawmaker Than Maung Oo, who visited the village, said Inn Din was home to a mixed population of about 700 Muslim families and 170 Arakanese homes. He said Inn Din saw heavy clashes between ARSA and government troops in southern Maungdaw. Muslim villagers and ARSA supporters fled to neighboring Bangladesh.

The government has not released an estimate of how many Muslim militants were killed during the heavy fighting in Inn Din. Some locals speculated that dozens of people were killed in the clashes.

It's unclear whether the bodies found on Monday are linked to the clashes between the Army and ARSA militants, or if the deaths occurred more recently. The Irrawaddy phoned Rakhine State Border Affairs Minister Col. Phone Tint and Maungdaw district administrator Ye Htut to ask for further information about the bodies found in the graveyard, but no one answered the calls.

On the evening of Dec. 12, Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who had visited Inn Din village in recent months, were arrested by police in Htauk Kyant for allegedly possessing classified police reports. The pair have been charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act.

On Dec. 16, four schoolteachers and a resident of Inn Din village who had spoken to the reporters before the pair's arrest were themselves detained by military intelligence. Two of the teachers were later released and the other two were taken to Rakhine's capital, Sittwe, for further questioning.

On Monday, Maung Win Phyu, an Arakanese resident of Inn Din village, was arrested by police, according to the suspect's wife, Aye Naw. She said her husband had spoken to a reporter whose name she could not recall. She could not say for sure whether the arrest was related to her husband's conversation with the reporter.

"I have no details regarding his detention," she said.

Regional legislator Than Maung Oo said one of the currently detained teachers was Maung Thein Phyu, who is head of Inn Din Kwa Son Primary School. Maung Thein Phyu, a former government soldier, actively campaigned for the Arakan National Party (ANP) during the 2015 elections. However, ANP lawmakers had no further details on the teacher's detention.

Local publications reported that the two school teachers were being held at No. 1 Sittwe Police Station. The head of the Sittwe District Police, Win Naung, declined to comment.

The post 10 Bodies Found at Mass Grave in Rakhine village visited by detained Reuters reporters appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Shan National Dialogue to Continue Despite Myanmar Army Obstruction

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 03:42 AM PST

YANGON — The Committee for Shan State Unity (CSSU) stated that it would continue its public consultations for the ethnic Shan national-level dialogue in Shan State, despite the Myanmar Army deterring the first attempt in Panglong Township, southern Shan State on Sunday.

The public gathering in Panglong was forced to stop when some 60 Tatmadaw troops arrived and said it was not allowed.

The organizers expressed disappointment, as they had planned for the discussions in agreement with the UPDJC and in accordance with the permission of the Shan State government.

Nang Ying, a representative for the social sector discussion group representing the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), said the Tatmadaw's actions "were unacceptable" as they came in with the weapons among the public.

The public consultations prior to the national-level dialogue (ND) are necessary to be able to include public concerns and suggestions. According to the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) text, the signatories of the NCA can hold NDs based on three themes: region, theme and ethnicity. Prior to the second session of the 21st century Panglong union peace conference (UPC), the Karen, Pa-O, Chin and Burman NCA signatories were able to conduct their ethnic NDs (Shan and Rakhine were unable to), while the government conducted the regional and thematic NDs.

"We will move forward with our plan," said Sai Kyaw Nyunt, a secretary of the CSSU and of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), as the plan to hold the consultations was agreed to at the Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting (JICM) in late November.

Sai Kyaw Nyunt is also a secretary at the UPDJC, one of the highest decision-making bodies in the implementation of peace building.

He said that the case was shared with the UPDJC, which is led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and peace commission members.

The CSSU formed the five separate teams last week in Taunggyi, to conduct consultations across 20 townships in southern, northern and eastern Shan State and in the Shan communities outside of Shan State in Mandalay, Kachin and Karenni states. Each group started discussions on Dec. 17.

The CSSU teams had completed consultations in Muse, northern Shan State, and Langkho (Linkhay), southern Shan State, on Monday and Namkham on Tuesday, according to the organizers. A consultation team was then to return to Panglong after it completed its lists of towns.

The RCSS is a member of the CSSU and the ethnic-based national level dialogues led by the group were stalled early this year as the Tatmadaw did not agree on the venue; Taunggyi, for the dialogue. But in November, the RCSS agreed to hold the Shan ethnic ND in Langkho in January 2018.

In 2016, the CSSU held its pre-consultations in 45 townships in preparation for the Shan-led ND and drafted recommendations in regards to the political, economic, social, land and environment, and security sectors to be discussed at the Union Peace Conference.

Sai Kyaw Nyunt said: "We will bring all of the public suggestions and combine them into our draft recommendations. We aim to complete this national-level dialogue prior to the third session of the 21st century Panglong UPC," planned to be held in late January.

Chit Min Tun contributed to this report.

The post Shan National Dialogue to Continue Despite Myanmar Army Obstruction appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Arrested Reuters Reporters Were ‘Set Up,’ Says NLD Spokesman

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 03:35 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — Two Reuters journalists arrested last week were deliberately "set up," according to National League for Democracy spokesperson U Win Htein, who added that he felt sorry for the pair.

Thet Oo Maung (aka Wa Lone) and Moe Aung (aka Kyaw Soe Oo) were detained by police in Yangon's Mingalardon Township on Dec. 12 after allegedly receiving reports from police officers containing detailed information about fighting between government troops and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army in late August 2017. The pair is accused of attempting to illegally acquire information for the purposes of sharing it with foreign media.

The reporters were detained by the Home Affairs Ministry under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which dates to 1923. Conviction carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

A week after their arrest, the pair's whereabouts is still unclear. The Ministry of Information issued a report the day after the arrest, saying the reporters had "illegally acquired information with the intention of sharing it with foreign media."

"They were arrested red-handed with documents. I heard they obtained the documents from police officials with whom they had dinner. They weren't arrested until after they had left the company of those officers," U Win Htein said in Naypyitaw on Monday.

"Looking at the choice of charge, it is easy to see that this was planned. The charge concerns state security, so it has become a big case," he said.

However, the leading NLD member said the reporters had been "naïve" to allow themselves to be trapped.

"How could they be so naïve? They should have been smarter. They should have gotten rid of the documents as soon as they saw them," he added.

"If you choose to be a journalist, you can't be naïve. Otherwise you'll be at a disadvantage."

Information Minister Dr. Pe Myint said it was too early to say what the ministry's response would be, as he had no information about the proceedings that were being brought against the pair.

"We try to help as much as we can when journalists have problems," he said at Karen New Year Celebrations in Naypyitaw on Monday.

Presidential spokesperson U Zaw Htay confirmed to The Irrawaddy over the weekend that the President's Office backed the charging of the reporters.

The Information Ministry's initial online and print reporting of the incident featured photos of the two journalists in handcuffs standing behind a table with their faces visible, provoking the ire of non-state media. It is customary to obscure the faces of criminal suspects in photographs.

Ministry Permanent Secretary U Myo Myint Maung said the news report came directly from the Home Affairs Ministry, and the Information Ministry did not have the authority to change it.

"Rather than arguing about whether the publication of the photo was right or wrong, I think it is best to reduce the negative impacts of it by following media ethics," U Myo Myint Maung said.

Ko Thalun Zaung Htet from the Yangon-based Protection Committee for Journalists (Myanmar) accused the Information Ministry of aiding and abetting the Home Affairs Ministry in its suppression of media freedoms by speaking up for it.

"What help can we expect from the Information Ministry since they didn't even obscure the faces of the journalists?" he asked, adding that even the faces of murder suspects are obscured in reports.

To protest the reporters' detention, the committee on Saturday announced it was launching a campaign to symbolically support the pair by having journalists wear black while performing their duties.

"Reporters will wear black when reporting and producing news to symbolically represent the suppression of press freedom and the blacking out of information," the committee said.

The Myanmar Press Council will issue its response to the arrests this week, said U Thiha Saw, a spokesperson for the council.

"Access to information is very limited here. It's because this is case relating to information gathering. We'll wait and see," said former Reuters journalist U Aung Hla Tun. The two journalists have been detained incommunicado.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week that the arrests were a sign that press freedom is being eroded in Myanmar. He urged the international community to do all it can to get them released. Their families have been denied access to the duo. Reuters president and editor-in-chief Stephen J. Adler insisted the two are "innocent of any wrongdoing."

"Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are journalists who perform a crucial role in shedding light on news of global interest, and they are innocent of any wrongdoing," he said in a statement. "We are grateful for the widespread expressions of support and we call for their immediate release."

According to sources from Rakhine State, police are investigating four teachers and a villager in Maungdaw who allegedly spoke to the Reuters reporters.

In August, Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein lodged a complaint with the Myanmar Press Council over a Reuters report questioning the cost of the minister's deals with Chinese automaker Yutong to purchase buses for Yangon Bus Service (YBS) as part of his public transport reform initiatives.

The Union government has also questioned Reuters' coverage of the Rakhine issue, accusing it of deliberately failing to include the government's views in its reports.

"Only international pressure and clever lawyers will be able to save the reporters," U Win Htein said.

Translated from the Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The Irrawaddy's Tin Htet Paing contributed reporting.

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Fighting in Kachin State Heats Up

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 02:31 AM PST

YANGON — Fighting in Kachin State between the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the Myanmar Army, or Tatmadaw, has intensified in recent days, according to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

The latest round of clashes erupted in late November.

Colonel Naw Bu, spokesman for the KIA, said he did not know how many people have been killed or injured in the latest fighting but added that there have been daily clashes with regular shelling by the Tatmadaw in the townships of Bhamo, Mansi and Tanai.

He said the Tatmadaw was shelling near Laiza, the headquarters of the KIO, on Dec. 14 and 15 and that it deployed fighter jets against KIA sites in Mansi a few days ago.

The fighting has driven many local villagers from their homes, especially in Tanai, forcing them to stay with relatives or to seek shelter in churches and monasteries, as local government officials have blocked the creation of more camps for displaced families since August.

"The continuous fighting has made travel for locals difficult," added Lamai Gum Ja, spokesman for the non-government Peace Creation Group in Myitkyina, the state capital.

Col Naw Bu said the latest fighting cast further doubt on the prospects of peace talks between the KIO and government.

"Our aims are different even though high-level officers on both sides are talking about peace, so we cannot move forward with negotiations," he said.

Before the NLD took power early last year, the Peace Creation Group helped prevent clashes by providing each side with advance notice of the other's troop movements.

"But now the path to negotiate for both sides is disappearing," said Lamai Gum Ja,

Since hostilities between the Tatmadaw and KIA resumed in 2011, he said, fighting has typically intensified every December.

Last week, police raided the offices of the KIO's Technical Assistance Team in Myitkyina in connection with the seizure of more than 1,000 bullets earlier this month at a private residence in Karen State. The couple renting the residence was arrested in Myitkyina, where they live.

Spokesmen for the Tatmadaw could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

However, in a Facebook post on Friday, the Office of the Commander-in-Chief said the army had to continue operations in the area because of recent activity it blamed on the KIA, including a landmine blast on Dec. 14 that injured one man at an amber mine and the burning of nine trucks transporting dirt near Dun Bum village on Dec. 15 for allegedly failing to pay the KIA extortion money.

The post Fighting in Kachin State Heats Up appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin Found Dead

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 02:26 AM PST

MANDALAY — An endangered Irrawaddy dolphin was found dead near Katha Township, Sagaing Region by local fishermen on Sunday.

The female dolphin had cuts on her abdomen. She was found washed up on a riverbank near Kyauk Pone village.

"Her organs spilled out from the cuts. It did not look like a propeller injury. The cuts looked intentional, whether they killed her or happened after she was already dead," said U Kyaw, one of the locals that discovered the body.

The Irrawaddy dolphin measured 7'6" and is the third one to have died this year.

In April, a male dolphin was found dead with injuries on his fins believed to have been caused by a boat's propeller. In June, a 30-year-old female was found dead with no injuries, the cause of death thought to be natural causes.

Although the cause of the latest death is unknown, local environmental activists point to electric-shock fishing, a major threat to this endangered species.

Electric-shock fishing, especially in the Irrawaddy River's protective zone, is prohibited by the Freshwater Fisheries Law enacted by the Department of Fisheries. Violators face three years in prison or a 300,000 kyats fine.

"The government and responsible authorities need a strict law, rules and regulation that can protect these endangered species effectively," said U Mg Mg Oo, a member of the local environmental activist group Green Activity.

"Fishermen who use electric-shock fishing do not care about the law and they even attack those who report or arrest them. Apart from electric-shock fishing, we also need an effective law to prevent pollution of the river," he added.

According to statistics from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), in 2012 there were only 86 Irrawaddy dolphins. By 2014, the population was just 63. In 2015, 58 were counted in the protective zone, which spans from Mandalay to Bhamo.

The population of dolphins was counted as 65 in 2016, despite three dolphins, including a pregnant female, being found dead that year.

According to the WCS's survey in February this year, 69 dolphins were found in the protective zone. That number now stands at 66 after the three deaths this year.

The post Endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin Found Dead appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week

Posted: 18 Dec 2017 11:06 PM PST

Golden Oldies | Dec. 23

Myanmar's veteran male singers including Soe Paing, J Maung Maung, Khin Maung Htoo, and Jack Mya Thaung will perform at this show.

Dec. 23, 6 pm. National Theater, Myoma Kyaung Street. Tickets 7,000 to 20,000 kyats at Mann Thiri Recording and Call Center 1876.

Wyne Su Khine Thein: Birthday Show | Dec. 24

Wyne Su Khine Thein will perform along with other singers to celebrate her birthday.

Dec. 24, 7 pm. Thuwunnabhumi Event Park, Upper Pazundaung Street, Thuwunna Tsp. Tickets between 10,000 and 100,000 kyats at City Mart and Ocean shopping centers.

Myanmar Writers Club Fundraising Concert | Dec. 24

More than a dozen of Myanmar's celebrated singers including Mar Mar Aye, Than Myat Soe, Cho Pyone, Shwe Yi Thein Tan, Soe Sandar Tun, A Yoe, and Phyo Pyae Sone will perform at this event.

Dec. 24, 6 pm. National Theater, Myoma Kyaung Street. Tickets 5,000 to 30,000 kyats at City Mart Marketplaces. 

Musical Show | Dec. 22

Myanmar traditional musicians will perform at this event.

Dec. 22, 6 pm. IBC Grand Ballroom, Pyay Road, Tickets 10,000 to 30,000 kyats at 09-965113035.

Colorful NUAC | Dec. 20-28

Students of the National University of Arts and Culture will showcase their paintings.

Dec. 20-28. Ayerwon Art Gallery, No. 903/904, U Ba Kyi Street, 58 Ward, Dagon Seikkan Tsp.

Building a Successful Career in the Retail Industry | Dec. 24

Successful businessmen will talk about trends and job opportunities in the retail industry at this event.

Dec. 24, 1 pm to 5:30 pm. UMFCCI Building, Min Ye Kyaw Swa Road, Lanmadaw Tsp.

Cosmetic Festival | Dec. 23-25

Various brands of cosmetics will be on sale with up to 70 percent discounts.

Dec. 23-25. 9 am to 6 pm. Tatmadaw Hall, U Wisara Road.

Artistic Touch II | Dec. 22-25

The group art exhibition of 14 artists features various subjects.

Dec. 22-25, 43rd Art Gallery, 43rd Street, Botahtaung Tsp.

A Tale of Family | Dec 15-24

The art exhibition features modern paintings of three artists.

Dec. 15-24, Junction City.

Pages Art Exhibition | Dec. 20-24

This is a group art exhibition of painters from South Okkalapa Township.

Dec. 20-24. Myanmar Artists and Artisans Organization (Central), Bogyoke Market.

The post Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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