The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Six Bodies With Gunshot, Machete Wounds Found in Maungdaw
- Irrawaddy Doctor Admitted to Yangon Hospital With H1N1
- World Islamic Body OIC Tells Myanmar to Protect Rights of Rohingya Minority
- Parliament Criticized on H1N1 Vote
- Three Drug Suspects Arrested After Shootout
- Govt, UNFC set for Peace Talks
- Energy, Finance Officials Shuffled Amid Slowing Growth
- The Abandoned Route Through India, Myanmar and China Should be Restored
| Six Bodies With Gunshot, Machete Wounds Found in Maungdaw Posted: 03 Aug 2017 06:08 AM PDT YANGON — The bodies of six farmers—some shot dead and others with machete wounds—were found in southern Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State on Thursday morning, according to the information committee of the State Counselor's Office. The six farmers, from 50-household Kay Gyee village near Mayu mountain range, were found by Myanmar Army troops conducting security operations in the region, according to the police major. They were ethnic Mro, a sub-ethnic group of Arakanese, he added. Arakan National Party lawmaker U Maung Ohn, who represents Maungdaw Township in the Rakhine State parliament, told The Irrawaddy that reports in the morning stated that the two men were killed when militants attacked farmers on Thursday morning. Four women also fled the scene but have not yet been found, he said, and another woman was critically injured but managed to return to the village and alert officials who called the border police, according to the lawmaker. Local online publication Narinjara named eight villagers reportedly killed by alleged Muslim militants on Thursday, citing Kai Gyee village's administrator U Sein Hla Maung. The post Six Bodies With Gunshot, Machete Wounds Found in Maungdaw appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Irrawaddy Doctor Admitted to Yangon Hospital With H1N1 Posted: 03 Aug 2017 06:00 AM PDT YANGON & PATHEIN, Irrawaddy Region — Superintendent Dr. Sein Sein of the 200-bed Pyar Pon Hospital in Irrawaddy Region was found to be infected with H1N1 influenza and admitted to Yangon's Waybargi Hospital on Thursday morning. "Dr. Sein Sein was admitted to the [Waybargi] hospital at 11:35 a.m. and her current situation is good. She was diagnosed with H1N1 in Pyar Pon Hospital and was transferred to us," the superintendent of Waybargi Hospital Dr. Aye Aye Aung told The Irrawaddy. The Irrawaddy doctor had been sick since late July and was diagnosed with the flu before being transferred, she added. Communications officer of Pyar Pon Hospital U Soe Naing said the hospital had also transferred a H1N1 infected fisherman to Yangon recently as well. "Our superintendent has been sick for three or four days and was transferred to Yangon," he said. According to Irrawaddy Region's health department, a total of 408 people are currently suspected of being infected with H1N1 but only 15 patients have been diagnosed. The virus has so far claimed seven lives in the region. As of Wednesday, a total of 13 deaths have been reported nationwide due to the recent outbreak of the disease, according to the Ministry of Health and Sport. The post Irrawaddy Doctor Admitted to Yangon Hospital With H1N1 appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| World Islamic Body OIC Tells Myanmar to Protect Rights of Rohingya Minority Posted: 03 Aug 2017 05:33 AM PDT DHAKA, Bangladesh — Myanmar must protect the rights of its Rohingya Muslim minority, the chief of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said on Thursday, urging the southeast Asian nation to join hands with Muslim-majority neighbors in tackling a refugee crisis. A group known as Harakah al-Yaqin attacked Myanmar border guard posts on Oct. 9, killing nine policemen and igniting the biggest crisis yet to face Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's fledgling administration. About 75,000 people fled to Bangladesh during the ensuing military crackdown, which was beset by allegations of rape, torture and extrajudicial killings by security forces. Suu Kyi's government has denied most of the allegations and is refusing access to a United Nations panel of experts, saying its mission will aggravate the situation on the ground in the western state of Rakhine. "Myanmar should sit with Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia to find a roadmap for the solution of the crisis," said Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen of the OIC, which represents 57 states and acts as the collective voice of the Muslim world. "We call on the Myanmar government to ensure human rights for the Rohingyas," Othaimeen told reporters during a four-day visit to the Bangladeshi capital. "Myanmar can't deny the human rights of Rohingyas. We also call on the Myanmar government to ensure citizenship for the Rohingyas." Othaimeen is also expected to visit Rakhine Muslims in the Kutupalong camp and surrounding areas in the southern resort town of Cox's Bazar on Friday, Bangladesh foreign ministry officials said. Thousands of Rohingya live in Bangladesh without being officially recognized as refugees, but police rarely file immigration charges against them. Still, their presence is a source of tension between the two countries. Many in Myanmar see the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, although about 1.1 million of them live in Rakhine state and say their roots go back generations. The post World Islamic Body OIC Tells Myanmar to Protect Rights of Rohingya Minority appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Parliament Criticized on H1N1 Vote Posted: 03 Aug 2017 05:22 AM PDT YANGON – With the recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza claiming more victims by the day, lawmakers in the National League for Democracy (NLD)-dominated Lower House have been criticized for voting down a proposal on Wednesday to raise awareness of the disease. Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) Lower House MP U Thein Tun submitted the proposal on July 28 urging the government to boost awareness of H1N1—known as swine flu—across the country in order to reduce infection rates and deaths. Many legislators welcomed the suggestion on the day, however when the Lower House resumed its regular session on Wednesday, the proposal was rejected in a secret vote. Twelve parliamentarians debated the proposal—seven supported the awareness campaign, three questioned the plan, and two insisted the vote be on record. Out of a total of 392 votes in Parliament, 146 MPs voted in support and 231 against the proposal, while four abstained, and 11 MPs did not join the ballot. The outcome did not sit well with netizens and observers, who, along with much of the public, are concerned with the death toll–standing at 13—and the number of confirmed infections rising to 99 out of 284 suspected cases in Myanmar, according to health ministry figures on Thursday. Some political watchers criticized the NLD majority, saying it consistently opposed proposals from opponent parties, regardless of the value of individual proposals. Ko Min Thway Thit, member of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU), was "really disappointed" with the decision. "Their [NLD MPs] conduct was absolutely wrong," he said. "It should not have gone that way." Since the virus began spreading, activist Ko Min Thway Thit has joined others in several townships in Yangon in donating medical face masks and distributing leaflets advising people on combating the flu. He told The Irrawaddy their movement does not represent any particular organization and accepts the help of volunteers, adding that a government-run awareness campaign would be more effective than a grassroots effort like that of his team. "They [NLD] should think separately about the issues of national interest and political interest," he said. Political analyst U Yan Myo Thein told The Irrawaddy the government must accelerate countrywide initiatives in order to combat H1N1. As publically elected lawmakers, he said, MPs should have voted in favor to show they prioritize public interest. The analyst concluded that NLD MPs rejected the proposal of the USDP lawmaker because the health ministry affirmed it could handle the outbreak. Lawmakers must monitor the actions of government, whether it deems those actions efficient or not, he added. "MPs should encourage the Union Parliament to lessen the worrying of the people," said U Yan Myo Thein. The health ministry has distributed 400,000 leaflets and 50,000 posters on the disease, held more than 1,400 awareness events and collaborated with civil society organizations across the country, according to its statement on Thursday. The statement added that a laboratory in Japan has recognized the strain as seasonal influenza A (H1N1)pdm 09 and that it could be cured by antiviral tablets. The health ministry has encouraged people to wear masks and wash their hands frequently, cover mouths when coughing and sneezing, and avoid crowded places. H1N1 flu symptoms are the same as seasonal flu, including cough, fever, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, body ache, headache, chills and fatigue. The post Parliament Criticized on H1N1 Vote appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Three Drug Suspects Arrested After Shootout Posted: 03 Aug 2017 04:00 AM PDT YANGON — Three men who shot at police from their car as officers attempted to carry out a routine search in Karen State were arrested and their haul of a weapons and drugs was confiscated on Monday, according to police. Police tried to stop the car in Kawkareik Township, but the men drove away, firing from the car, until a police car caught up and forced them to stop, said police sub-lieutenant Nay Htet Oo, who did not participate in the arrest. One M16 rifle, three loaded magazines, a grenade with a fuse, 1,000 methamphetamine pills stamped with the letters WY, and a baseball cap bearing the logo PC were seized, added the sub-lieutenant. At the time of reporting, it was not known if any injuries were sustained by any of the parties involved. The car was heading from Kyone Doe Township, though the three men—Saw Hti Kwe, Ye Min, and Saw Aung Myint—are from Noe Hti Lel village in Kawkareik Township, according to police, adding that they have been remanded in custody. "We got a cap with the 'PC' logo along with the firearms in the seizure. We are still investigating the case, and we are not yet clear if armed groups are involved in this," Nay Htet Oo told The Irrawaddy. It was not verified whether the baseball cap belongs to the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC). The splinter group was formed after the former KNLA Brigade 7 Commander Maj-Gen Saw Htay Maung was dismissed by the KNU for initiating peace talks with the Myanmar Army without the approval of the KNU central committee in 2007. Maj-Gen Saw Htay Maung signed a peace deal with the military regime the same year and transformed Brigade 7 into the KNU/KNLA-PC. Tun Nyein, a spokesperson of KNU/KNLA-PC, said government authorities have not yet contacted them about the seizure, but they were aware of it because of pictures widely shared on social media. "There are many people who take advantage of the PC. There have been such cases in the past. If it is true, we'll take actions against them," Tun Nyein told The Irrawaddy. In May, a police corporal was killed in a shooting when a group of gunmen grabbed an accused female drug dealer in Kawkareik Township as she was being returned from her trial in Hpa-an District Court. The drug dealer is still at large, although one suspect involved in the shooting and six other alleged accomplices were arrested. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post Three Drug Suspects Arrested After Shootout appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Govt, UNFC set for Peace Talks Posted: 03 Aug 2017 01:23 AM PDT YANGON — The government will hold talks with the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) in an effort to persuade the ethnic bloc to attend the next session of the Union Peace Conference. The government's Peace Commission and the UNFC's Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) are set to hold informal talks in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand on Friday. "We'll discuss with the DPN about their [possible] participation in the next session of the conference. We'll see how we can cooperate with them. We will also coordinate so that they can join the drafting of the framework for political dialogue," member of the peace commission U Hla Maung Shwe told The Irrawaddy. The Peace Commission led by U Hla Maung Shwe and the DPN delegation led by Nai Aung Ma Ngay already held informal talks on July 20. On the agenda of the Friday meeting will be eight points presented by the UNFC for signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) as well as a "deed of commitment" (DoC) to attend the conference, according to the DPN. "There is some misunderstanding between us about the DoC. And we expect the talks will be able to fix a time for official talks," said a DPN delegate. The government invited the UNFC to attend the second round of the Union Peace Conference in May in Naypyitaw, but the UNFC did not attend the conference after the two sides failed to reach an agreement over the DoC. The government and UNFC have not yet reached an agreement over the deployment of troops, the location of military outposts, and the inclusion of international observers in the joint ceasefire monitoring process. The UNFC has said it would sign the NCA if its eight proposals are fulfilled, including the demand that all of its members be included as signatories to the ceasefire agreement. The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Wa National Organization (WNO) resigned from the UNFC at the council's conference in Thailand's Chiang Mai in late June. The coalition currently has five members—the New Mon State Party (NMSP); the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP); the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU); the Arakan National Council (ANC); and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP). Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post Govt, UNFC set for Peace Talks appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Energy, Finance Officials Shuffled Amid Slowing Growth Posted: 02 Aug 2017 11:32 PM PDT YANGON—Myanmar has replaced its minister for energy, state media reported on Wednesday, as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's administration looks to address concerns that the enactment of vital reforms has been slow since she took power last year. The government also appointed a new deputy finance minister and confirmed three new central bank deputy governors this week. New foreign investment approvals have slowed since Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won a landslide election victory in late 2015, and gross domestic product growth—while still among the fastest in Asia—fell last year. Analysts say the changes this week signal that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who had prioritized sealing a peace deal with the country's myriad armed groups ahead of economic reforms, is aware of growing frustration with her government's management of the economy. Outgoing Minister of Electricity and Energy U Pe Zin Tun will be replaced by U Win Khaing, who takes the role in addition to heading the Ministry of Construction, according to an official announcement carried by state media on Wednesday. The government inherited a power crisis, with major cities experiencing regular blackouts and only a third of the country's 53 million or so people connected to the grid. U Pe Zin Tun was a civil servant who had been retained from the previous quasi-civilian government. "There has been a lack of overall direction and movement in Myanmar's energy and power sectors over the last year," said Jeremy Mullins, research director at Yangon-based consulting firm Myanmar Energy Monitor. Decisions were needed on a number of large-scale energy projects—including the sensitive Chinese-backed Myitsone dam—while hefty electricity subsidies need to be culled, he said. "Investors have been frustrated by slow processes and conflicting signals, and in the meantime the country's poor electricity situation has not improved much," he added. The new role for Win Khaing reflected Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's "focus on electricity and roads as drivers of growth and jobs", said Yangon-based analyst Richard Horsey. "Economy Stabilized" On Tuesday, state media also announced the appointment of new Deputy Minister of Planning and Finance Set Aung, a foreign-trained economist and central banker who held the same role in 2012-13. Investors and diplomats have told Reuters they privately urged Suu Kyi to make more sweeping changes to her economic team. The personnel changes this week, however, "suggest a continuation of the government's current approach", said Horsey. Planning and Finance Minister U Kyaw Win—who has not won the confidence of investors—remains in place, as does the central bank governor, another holdover from the previous military-backed government. Suu Kyi's office issued a statement on Friday to mark a year since her administration announced its economic plan—a three-page document widely criticized as lacking specifics. The statement said the new government had "stabilized" the economy and that GDP growth was "around 7 percent annually", but did not give specific growth forecast for the current fiscal year. The World Bank estimates growth slowed from 7.3 percent in 2015-16 to 6.5 percent in the fiscal year that ended in March. "The government's long-term economic plan will take time," U Kyaw Win said in the statement, "but will bring prosperity in which all can share." The post Energy, Finance Officials Shuffled Amid Slowing Growth appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| The Abandoned Route Through India, Myanmar and China Should be Restored Posted: 02 Aug 2017 07:33 PM PDT A derelict border crossing steeped in history cuts across the rolling mountain ranges from India to Myanmar. It is at the junction of three distinct geographical regions: the Eastern Himalayas; the verdant floodplains fed by the Brahmaputra river; and the Patkai hills. This route meanders towards the Chindwin river, the largest tributary of the Irrawaddy, which defines the plains of Myanmar. The Pangsau Pass stands at this border crossing between India and Myanmar, bearing witness to waves of migrations over the centuries. Across the Pangsau Pass, in the Sagaing region of present-day Myanmar, lies Pangsau village. The residents there are a mix of ethnic Bamars, mainly considered Burmese (the dominant ethnic group in Myanmar), ethnic Tangsa Nagas who also inhabit parts of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, and some other Eastern Naga tribes.  The nearest proper town inside Myanmar from the village is about 60 kilometers away. It is connected by a dirt road, the old Stilwell Road, which is now almost inaccessible during the rainy season. At Pangsau Pass, every Friday is designated as "Burma Day," when the villagers can cross to India. They visit the market in Nampong to buy essential items for the week. Some people cross on foot, others on rickety motorbikes. Indian citizens are allowed to visit Pangsau village on the 10th, 20th and 30th day of every month, on what are known as "India Days". Most Indian visitors are tourists, and there is a market held in Pangsau village on these days.  The Arunachal Pradesh state government and the local market coordination committee decide on these access days in consultation with the Indian Army, which patrols the border. Pangsau market sells a host of local Burmese products and vegetables, and there are local eateries with Burmese delicacies. These are mostly local leafy vegetables with sticky rice and rice noodle soups.  Burmese sticky rice is very popular among the border communities in India. Many Indian tourists also visit the Lake of No Return, where several Allied Forces warplanes crashed during World War II. Men roam in longyi, trying to sell their products. Women and children wear bright patches of thanaka on their faces, a yellowish-white cosmetic paste, made from ground bark. The Stilwell Road was constructed under the leadership of General Joseph Stilwell of the US Army between 1942-45. It began in Ledo, Assam, and ended in Kunming, in the southwestern province of Yunnan in China, spanning 1,736 kilometres. This provided an alternative route for Chinese soldiers fighting the invading Japanese during the concluding stages of the war. The section of the road that links India and Myanmar has been disused ever since the war ended, and is described by the Chinese as "barely useable". But the origins of the route go back long before Joseph Stilwell. This was the way Chaolung Sukapha, the first Ahom king, entered the plains of Assam in 1228 AD. He established the Ahom kingdom (1228-1826), which began a period of stability and prosperity in present-day Assam. Several waves of migration happened after that, and they included the six major Tai groups of Assam. The Singphos have also used the route for centuries. The many ethnic groups of the region have this route etched in their collective imaginations. The Tai-Phakey community, which numbers about 2,000 people in Assam, migrated from Hukawng Valley in Myanmar through the Pangsau Pass. They have managed to preserve the old form of Tai language, and medieval scriptures in their Buddhist monastery. According to several members of the community that I met during fieldwork, they have been able to preserve their cultural and linguistic heritage because the closed borders make them feel isolated from their culture. So they preserve all they have left.  As you approach Ledo, a huge billboard announces the beginning of the Stilwell Road to Kunming, installed by a former Assam minister. This is indicative of the shared aspirations of the people of this region to open up to Myanmar and southwest China. The Pangsau Pass Winter Festival, held intermittently over the past few years, has also demonstrated strong cultural links across the region. The main rationale for re-opening the road is connecting people across these shared borders, along with the exchange of ideas and goods. But there is less interest shown by the Indian government. The presence of several insurgent groups in northeast India deters New Delhi from restoring the road. Some Indian insurgent groups are based across this border in Myanmar, with active cross-border operations. The Kachin insurgency against the Myanmar government is also based there.  China has shown interest in opening up the route, but India's hesitation is also based on the fact that some part of it involves the contested territory of Arunachal Pradesh. Boundary talks between India and China about the status of Arunachal Pradesh have been going on for years now, with 19 rounds of talks completed in 2016. It may be complicated, but it is imperative for both New Delhi and Yangon to work towards opening up the road, given China's continued strategic engagement in the Kachin region of Myanmar. A joint development of these borderlands, which have historically been hubs of migration and exchange, will augur well for the region as a whole. Mirza Zulfiqur Rahman is researcher in International Relations and Politics, Development Studies and Borders, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. This article was originally published on The Conversation. The post The Abandoned Route Through India, Myanmar and China Should be Restored appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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