Thursday, January 5, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Back From Mong Ko

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 06:32 AM PST

The Irrawaddy's Nang Seng Nom recalls her trip to northern Shan State amid fierce clashes between the Northern Alliance and the Burma Army.

The post Back From Mong Ko appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Growing Economy Brings Rise in Fuel Oil Shipping from Singapore

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 06:21 AM PST

Twice as many Singapore vessels providing fuel to Burma as a year ago due to economic growth that could top 8 percent.

The post Growing Economy Brings Rise in Fuel Oil Shipping from Singapore appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NLD Reaffirms Electoral Pledges on Independence Day

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 06:11 AM PST

Burma's ruling National League for Democracy says the govt is 'managing, step by step, a process to adopt a Constitution with democratic norms.'

The post NLD Reaffirms Electoral Pledges on Independence Day appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Farmers Arrested in Mandalay Division

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 04:57 AM PST

Twenty-one farmers from Mandalay Division's Sintgaing Township are arrested amid an ongoing land dispute trial with local authorities.

The post Farmers Arrested in Mandalay Division appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Uprooted by War, Fearing Troops, Burma Girls Learn Karate

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 04:46 AM PST

The reason many of these girls are in karate class is sobering: They want protection from their own country's military.

The post Uprooted by War, Fearing Troops, Burma Girls Learn Karate appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Govt Releases Findings on Northern Arakan Amid Further Arrests

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 03:35 AM PST

Reports of fresh arrests in Buthidaung Township come as government report finds 'no evidence' of religious persecution or genocide.

The post Govt Releases Findings on Northern Arakan Amid Further Arrests appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Public Consultations Precede National Level Dialogue in Dawei

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 02:51 AM PST

Two days of district-level discussions are being held in Tenasserim Division.

The post Public Consultations Precede National Level Dialogue in Dawei appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Faces Danger From IS Militants, Malaysian Police Say

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:20 PM PST

Malaysia police say Islamic State follower from Indonesia detained in Malaysia was headed for Burma, amid increase in IS attacks in Southeast Asia.

The post Burma Faces Danger From IS Militants, Malaysian Police Say appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
Posted by at No comments:

National News

National News

Yangon marks Independence Day

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 12:25 AM PST

After a break of nearly three decades, veterans of the Burmese Independence Army (BIA) and the Burmese Defence Army (BDA) and their families have been welcomed to attend the ceremony marking Independence Day.

Mong Koe church leaders missing

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 12:24 AM PST

The families of a missing pastor and a church youth leader filed a report with police in Muse township yesterday. The Baptist church officials have been missing for nearly two weeks after they were last seen on the evening of December 24.

Rakhine commission releases interim report

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 12:22 AM PST

In its first report, the investigation commission on Rakhine yesterday denied "external" allegations of abuses related to the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign in the restive northern state. The interim report was released on the same day as the Ministry of Home Affairs announced eight police officers have been detained in connection to a video showing brutality against villagers, and just after the State Counsellor's Office released a notice about retributive killings in Rakhine.

KNU officer, actor fight over Kyaikto plot

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 12:21 AM PST

A Myanmar film star and a major from the Karen National Union are locked in a land ownership feud over acreage near the famed Kyaiktiyo Pagoda.

Tatmadaw, Northern Alliance continue to clash in 2017

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 12:17 AM PST

Fighting has occurred in the north of the country every day since the New Year, with clashes occurring in half a dozen locations, including an attack on an army convoy and the use of artillery and aircraft. Both the leader of the armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and the ethnic armed group concerned, the Northern Alliance-Burma took to social media to present their accounts of the fighting.

YCDC files complaint against street vendors after altercation

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:50 PM PST

The relationship between Yangon vendors and the municipal authority is getting no cosier as a street sweep campaign escalated into a legal spat this week.

CSOs prepare for peace forum

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:49 PM PST

As participants gear up for the second round of peace talks next month, civil society organisations are at odds with the government on the location, the content and the financing of the preparations.

Municipal officials threaten unauthorised leafleters with fines

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:45 PM PST

Fly-posting is set to become a lot more expensive in Yangon and Mandalay, city officials are warning, as stiff fines and removal charges are to be applied to offenders for the first time.

Former President U Thein Sein wins regional award

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:30 PM PST

Citing his legacy as a reform-minded leader who kicked off the country's transition from military rule to democracy, a Jakarta-based research institute has selected former President U Thein Sein for its top prize to be given out in an awards ceremony later this month.
Posted by at No comments:

Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

Kachins rally at Burmese consulate in Chiang Mai

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 05:54 AM PST

Dozens of expatriate Kachin people staged a protest today in front of the Burmese consulate in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, calling for a cessation to the armed conflict in Kachin State and northern Shan State.


According to a statement released by the protesters, Burmese government forces continue to oppress the ethnic people in those regions despite the election of a democratic leadership in Burma in November 2015.

"In September 2016, government forces attacked the Kachin outpost of Laipaung," read the statement. "Each time they launched an assault, they employed heavy weapons, assisted by fighting jets to conduct bombing raids. Each time they dropped more than 1,000 bombs. What's more, they bombed a refugee camp, causing a huge impact on those refugees."

Speaking to Shan Herald, Jai Ji, one of the organizers, accused the Burmese armed forces of targeting places where civilians had sought refuge or shelter.

"People are suffering due to the actions of the tatmadaw [Burmese military]," he said. "This is a very cold time of year, and people suffer when they have to abandon their homes."

Thursday's statement also claimed that, since 2011, the Burmese armed forces' offensives in Kachin State have compelled civilians to flee their homes and villages, but they have been frequently prevented from crossing the border into China. It said many had been left on the side of the road without any protection.  

Rally spokesperson Nawkham said, "We requested assistance from the Chinese government for the refugees from Kachin State, and asked that they be treated in accordance with the principles of human rights. We also asked the Chinese government to put pressure on the Burmese military to put an end to the fighting in Kachin State and northern Shan State."

The protesters also demanded justice for the families of two teachers who had disappeared in Mong Koe, northern Shan State.

The demonstrators' statement went on to allege that the Russian military was aiding and abetting the Burmese army in its conflict with Kachin rebels. It urged Moscow to investigate this claim and bring those involved to justice.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) signed a ceasefire agreement with the then-ruling Burmese military junta in 1994. However, in 2011, the ceasefire was broken, and hostilities have continued to date.

On November 20, the KIA, alongside its allies the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), coordinated assaults on Burmese military positions in areas across northern Shan State, including Muse, Namkham, Namhsan, Kutkai, Namtu, Kyaukme, Hsenwi and Mantong.

The Burmese army soon brought in reinforcements to recapture its strongholds, and the fighting has since intensified.

By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)

Namtu struggles to cope with onslaught of IDPs

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:38 PM PST

Ongoing hostilities between Burmese government forces and ethnic armed groups in northern Shan State's Mantong Township have compelled some 1,300 civilians to flee their homes since the beginning of January, according to a local aid worker.

A makeshift camp in Namtu Township.
Sai Ba Nyan, the head of humanitarian aid assistance in nearby Namtu Township, said that many of those villagers from Mantong had sought shelter in Namtu where local authorities had erected six camps for displaced persons.

"We have about 1,300 displaced villagers sheltering in the town of Namtu," he said. "We are hosting them at the temples and churches. Civil society groups have banded together to collect donations to help them. In the short term, we have enough, but if they are forced to stay here longer there will be a problem with food supplies.

He added: "We plan to relocate these families to Kyo Saw by the end of this month. There is enough space in that village and we have built makeshift shelters for them. Staying in temple compounds is inconvenient, and we are concerned about the villagers' health."

According to an updated report from the Ta'ang National Liberation Army's News and Information Department, clashes between Ta'ang rebels and the Burmese army have broken out recently in the townships of Namsan, Namtu, Mantong, Kyaukme and Kutkhai.

On December 16, 2016, Shan Herald reported that hundreds of civilians from Kyaukme Township had been displaced due to a forced recruitment drive by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).

Fighting in northern Shan State has intensified since the newly proclaimed Northern Alliance – comprising the TNLA, Arakan Army (AA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) – launched joint operations against Burmese military positions on November 20 last year.


Clashes have continued across northern Shan State, forcing thousands more civilians from their homes, many of whom have since returned to their villages, while others remain scattered across the region or in Chinese border towns.

By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)