Monday, February 6, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Analysis: What Role Will China Play in Burma’s Peace Process?

Posted: 06 Feb 2017 07:12 AM PST

Ethnic nationality delegates say China could put pressure on the government and army to deescalate armed conflict in Burma.

The post Analysis: What Role Will China Play in Burma's Peace Process? appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Police Still Search for Mastermind Behind Lawyer’s Assassination

Posted: 06 Feb 2017 06:51 AM PST

Despite a second arrest related to the assassination of NLD legal advisor U Ko Ni, police still hunt for Myint Swe, who allegedly hired the gunman.

The post Police Still Search for Mastermind Behind Lawyer's Assassination appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Fleeing the Shells of War, Kachin Civilians Struggle Against Freezing Cold

Posted: 06 Feb 2017 05:16 AM PST

'I have never experienced this kind of cold in my life. It seems very long when I wait for the day to break,' says Kawt Mai, one of the IDPs.

The post Fleeing the Shells of War, Kachin Civilians Struggle Against Freezing Cold appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Uncharacteristic Clashes Break Out Between Ta’ang and Shan Allied Armed Groups

Posted: 06 Feb 2017 04:06 AM PST

Two bouts of fighting occur between the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) in Kyaukme Township.

The post Uncharacteristic Clashes Break Out Between Ta'ang and Shan Allied Armed Groups appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

New Investment Law Rules to be Announced in March

Posted: 06 Feb 2017 03:55 AM PST

'We expect that more outside investors will come once these rules are approved,' says an official in the government's investment directorate.

The post New Investment Law Rules to be Announced in March appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

USDP By-Election Candidate Dies of Heart Attack

Posted: 06 Feb 2017 02:07 AM PST

Sai San Nyunt was contesting a regional seat in Mong Hsu Township, Shan State, and was preparing to begin his campaign in the constituency.

The post USDP By-Election Candidate Dies of Heart Attack appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Police Seize 4.6 Million Methamphetamine Pills From Monk

Posted: 06 Feb 2017 01:14 AM PST

The incident reportedly marks the first time in Maungdaw police records that a Buddhist monk has been apprehended for drug dealing.

The post Police Seize 4.6 Million Methamphetamine Pills From Monk appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Human Rights Watch Calls for Burma Army Commanders to be Punished

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 10:58 PM PST

'These are extremely serious allegations, and we are deeply concerned,' says presidential spokesman U Zaw Htay.

The post Human Rights Watch Calls for Burma Army Commanders to be Punished appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

MIC Recommends Constructing Garment Factories in Sittwe

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 09:40 PM PST

MIC responds to the Central Committee for Implementation of Peace and Development in Arakan State's request for how to create local job opportunities.

The post MIC Recommends Constructing Garment Factories in Sittwe appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Breaking Tradition, House Speaker’s Daughter Asks for No Wedding Gifts

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 09:19 PM PST

Lower House Speaker Win Myint's daughter and her soon-to-be husband ask guests not to bring wedding gifts to the upcoming nuptials.

The post Breaking Tradition, House Speaker's Daughter Asks for No Wedding Gifts appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Hundreds March With the Popular Movement for Peace

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 08:26 PM PST

Hundreds join a demonstration to demand an end to the fighting between the Burma Army and ethnic armed groups in the northern part of the country.

The post Hundreds March With the Popular Movement for Peace appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
Posted by at No comments:

National News

National News

State Counsellor: Celebrating Mon National Day is an opportunity for greater unity

Posted: 06 Feb 2017 12:34 AM PST

State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi sees the Mon National Day on February 12 as yet another opportunity for Myanmar nationals to unify and develop the Union.

Setback for USDP in by-elections

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 11:45 PM PST

The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has lost one seat in the upcoming Shan State regional parliament by-elections due to the sudden death of its candidate.

Thousands march as calls for peace grow louder

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 11:40 PM PST

Thousands of protesters, civil society organisations and rights advocates took to the streets over the weekend at several major cities around the country in calls for peace ahead of the Panglong  Peace  Conference due to be held later this month.

Authorities clamp down on illegal wildlife traders

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 11:37 PM PST

Wildlife authorities and anti-smuggling officers are stepping up efforts to clamp down on the illegal trade of wild animals through the Mandalay-Muse road by intensifying inspections at check points along the busy route.

More than 850 tonnes of timber seized

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 11:29 PM PST

Officials have seized some 855 tonnes of timber, valued about K3600 million, from illegal timber traders in Yangon over a period of nine days from January 24 to February 1.

Medical student arrested for staging one-man protest

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 11:11 PM PST

Police arrested a final-year medical student who staged a one-man protest outside the Magwe City Hall building on February 4.

Disabled to spread peace on wheels

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 11:07 PM PST

Wheelchair-bound inmates from the Yangon school for the blind will go on two-week drive – "Wheelchair Train Movement for Peace" – which will see the convoy visit 14 towns as a run-up to the Panglong Conference, calling for an end to war in Myanmar.
Posted by at No comments:

Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

The peace process: A tale of two wives

Posted: 06 Feb 2017 12:52 AM PST

On 23 January, the top-level delegation of the signatory EAOs met State Counselor Ms Aung San Suu Kyi and the Commander-in-Chief Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the former in the morning and the latter in the afternoon.

Both meetings discussed the detention in December of 4 leading members of the Arakan Liberation Party/Army (ALP/ALA) and All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF); the planned Union Peace Conference 21stCentury Panglong (UPC 21 CP) in February; and the continued fighting in Kachin and Shan North that has displaced more than 100,000 people. (Some of the responses by the two has been reported in my journal, To Hopeland and Back: The 26th trip, 30 January 2017)

Following the meetings, the EAO leaders met in the evening to review them. I still remember what two of them said:

·         It is quite clear the two leaders are both in a tug-of war as well as collusion
·         The feeling that arose in me while talking to them was that: We are dealing not with one government, but two governments

The second remark, I think, is one of the reasons for why the year 2016 has passed without any promising results: Prime examples:

·         In October, the Kachin Independence Organization/Army (KIO/KIA) wrote an official request to Naypyitaw for an urgent meeting to discuss de-escalation of the war in the north. It took more than three months to get a response. And by the time it came, the situation in the north had become so deteriorated there is a question whether this long awaited meeting will take place at all.

·         It was the same situation with the 8 point (later 9 point) proposal of the 7 member alliance, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), which was presented to Naypyitaw in July. Nearly 7 months have slipped by, but an agreement of substance has yet to be reached.

In comparison, under the previous government, the longest deadlock, 7 months, followed the meeting between the EAO's Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) and the government's Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) in August 2014. But the informal negotiations between the two sides had never stopped. Also, it was quite obvious the country at that time had one (or almost) single government. At least there was a friendly relation between the President and the Commander-in-Chief, as acknowledged by the latter himself.

Today things are different. However, the problem is not just about the relation between the two top leaders of the country, but also, I believe, how the EAO leaders are coping with it.

So far, the impression from the outside is that the EAOs are reacting differently to "the two governments":

·         Some appear to be for joining forces with the SC and her NLD party against the military
·         Some others, meanwhile, seem to be advocating the other way round i.e. joining with the military against the SC and her party, the NLD
·         Yet there are others who see "the two governments" as birds of a feather and, being so, are against both

All three options, at least for the time being, are dangerous, as each is eying the EAOs suspiciously whether they would end up signing up with the other camp.

Which reminds me of a tale of a man with two wives which I had first heard some 30 plus years back.

A Thai friend who was visiting Gen Gawnzerng (1926-1991), leader of the Tai Revolutionary Council (TRC) asked him:

Friend: General, you have two wives, is that right?

Gawn:   (smiles) That's right. Why are you asking?

Friend:  Do they live together under the same roof with you?

Gawn:   No, of course not. They live in different houses in two different villages.

Friend:  But, suppose they live in the same house, and share the same bed with you. Imagine you are lying between the two of them one evening. And, say, wife#2 is asking, 'Who do you love more, #1 or me?' What will be your answer?

Gawn:   (smiles widely) That's easy. I'll say, 'I love you both equally.'

Friend:  But honestly do you think that answer will satisfy them? Remember, #1 is listening to you from the other side. Just imagine you are them. Will you buy that answer?

Gawn:   Well, I give up. What in heaven then do I say to make both of them happy?

Friend:  This is how. You are facing #2, right? You lift her chin with your one hand and the other hand, reaching out behind your back, hold #1's thigh, squeeze it, and say, "I love you more, of course." Now, who isn't going to believe you?

Not surprisingly, a big hearty loud laughter followed.

No, I don't think the story's true. But suppose it is, then, it may very well be a classic example of how negotiators get out of tight spots.

The problem is that we in Burma/Myanmar are short of such skilled negotiators. What's more, those few we have, we are not using them. Believe me, if we keep on going the same way we have been doing it the past ten months, 2020 will come and go, without any hope of peace in the country.

My message, therefore, to all leaders of the country, whether they be from the government, military, parties or EAOs, is that let us lose no time in finding/training qualified negotiators so there is peace in our land for our people, the sooner the better.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)