Thursday, February 23, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

President Accepts Resignation of Mon State Chief Minister

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 07:03 AM PST

U Htin Kyaw allows U Min Min Oo to resign from his positions as chief minister and state minister for municipal development and construction.

The post President Accepts Resignation of Mon State Chief Minister appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Complaints Filed Against Nearly 150 NLD Lawmakers in Parliament’s First Year

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 06:31 AM PST

Most of the current complaints are reportedly related to the management of 100 million kyat regional development funds.

The post Complaints Filed Against Nearly 150 NLD Lawmakers in Parliament's First Year appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Arakanese Politicians Threaten to Boycott Panglong Peace Conference

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 06:19 AM PST

'Arakan State is still not permitted to hold the national-level dialogue, and the government has given no concrete reason why,' says ANP official.

The post Arakanese Politicians Threaten to Boycott Panglong Peace Conference appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Pa-O Political Dialogue Calls for a Secular State

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 04:04 AM PST

The Pa-O ethnic people decide during their political dialogue to present the idea of a secular state at the upcoming 21st Century Panglong conference.

The post Pa-O Political Dialogue Calls for a Secular State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Locals Say Armed Groups ‘Disappear’ Civilians Caught in Northern Shan Conflict

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 02:52 AM PST

In November, the TNLA detained 11 ethnic Shan civilians, and the RCSS arrested 11 Palaung people, local leaders told The Irrawaddy.

The post Locals Say Armed Groups 'Disappear' Civilians Caught in Northern Shan Conflict appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

St. Joseph Cotto Legnos Leprosy Colony in Southern Shan State

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 01:17 AM PST

The shelter's residents tend to farmland and rear livestock, but their produce is shunned at local markets due to stigma around the disease.

The post St. Joseph Cotto Legnos Leprosy Colony in Southern Shan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

State Counselor to Attend U Ko Ni Memorial Service

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:59 PM PST

National League for Democracy sources say Daw Aung San Suu Kyi feels remiss over silence following renowned legal advisor's assassination.

The post State Counselor to Attend U Ko Ni Memorial Service appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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National News

National News

Fundraiser for children with leukemia

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:43 PM PST

As the number of children with leukemia increases, the Myat Parami non-profit organisation, hospital staff and private donors have joined hands to set up a fundraising committee to help the young patients.

Breweries shut down for flouting guidelines

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:37 PM PST

Two breweries in the Mandalay industrial zone were temporarily shut down after they were found to have exceeded the specified wastewater disposal rate, said U Thant Zin Tun, assistant director of the Mandalay regional environmental conservation department.

Skilled labour shortage still a problem

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:35 PM PST

As Myanmar attracts more investments, the country is struggling to provide skilled labour for the construction, tourism and manufacturing sectors.

Minimum wage committee reformed

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:31 PM PST

Myanmar has formed a national committee on minimum wage again, to improve wages in the country.

No plans to suspend Criminal Act 144 in Minbu oil refineries

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:27 PM PST

The imposition of Criminal Act 144 in Minbu district, Minbu township Mann oil refinery and oil refineries from Tauksharpin-Kanniyay, Magwe Region will not be suspended pending the enactment of other laws to safeguard the areas, said Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Major General Aung Soe.

By-election campaigns launched in Monywa

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:24 PM PST

The race for the Monywa seat in Sagaing Region is on as candidates from various parties launch their by-election campaigns.

Hluttaw to discuss proposal to reassess projects

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:20 PM PST

An MP from Paung township in Mon State has proposed a review on all long-term projects approved by the government but opposed by the public.

Rights group to check detention cells

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:14 PM PST

The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) will conduct checks on the detention cells of police stations, the courts and hospitals in the Yangon Region to determine if they comply with international human rights standards, said U Yu Lwin Aung, the organisation's commissioner.

Representation key to effective dialogue in Rakhine

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:12 PM PST

The participation of all organisations, including insurgent groups, at the Rakhine national level political dialogue will be beneficial to the welfare of Rakhine State, said Arakan National Party general secretary U Tun Aung Kyaw.

Committee to be formed to rebuild student union building

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:10 PM PST

A committee will be officially set up at the headquarters of the National League for Democracy (NLD) to oversee the rebuilding of the student union building.
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Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

Kutkai men arrested on suspicion of links to rebels

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 05:59 AM PST

Two men in northern Shan State's Kutkai Township have reportedly been arrested by the Burmese military on suspicion of association with a rebel armed group.


 According to Sai Jing Lu, an MP from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) representing Hsenwi Township Constituency No.2, the two villagers, Sai Aung Ba, 32, and Sai Kang, 22, were arrested in Karleng tract in Kutkai Township on February 3 by Burmese soldiers from Light Infantry Division 99 based in Kutkai.

"The Burmese troops arrested them because they suspected they were linked to the SSPP [Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army], he said. "The Tatmadaw [Burmese army] said that if they could prove they were not associated with the SSPP they would release them."

These two men are residents of That Fah village in Kengmon tract in Kutkai Township, Shan State Assembly lawmaker Sai Jing Lu explained. "On the day of their arrest, they were returning home from selling their buffalos in Kutkai," he said. "Their car broke down in Karleng, so they went into the town to borrow a friend's motorbike to buy the equipment to fix their car. After buying the equipment they were driving back to the car on the motorbike when they were stopped by Burmese soldiers from Division 99. They were questioned but they don't speak any Burmese. The soldiers then arrested them."

The SNLD MP said he received a report of their arrest on February 15. He then contacted the Kutkai Township's governor, Kyaw Winn.

On February 17, the parents of both men requested a meeting with their sons, he said, and were able to see them that afternoon. Meanwhile, Sai Jing Lu said, he contacted local authorities in Kutkai and asked them to process the case.  

He said the men were told they would be released if they had nothing to do with the Shan rebels. However, at the time of press the pair was still in detention.

Clashes have been reported regularly between the Tatmadaw and SSPP/SSA, which is a member of the ethnic bloc United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC). The SSPPSSA declined to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the government in October 2015. However, it did sign state-level and union-level ceasefire accords with the then Thein Sein government. On January 25, Shan Herald reported that clashes broke out between two groups in southern Shan State's Mong Hsu Township.

By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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