Wednesday, April 18, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Police Officer Shot Dead in Hunt for Suspected Drug Dealer in Northern Rakhine

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 06:30 AM PDT

YANGON —Lieutenant Thein Shwe, the acting police chief of northern Rakhine State's Rathedaung Township, was shot dead on Tuesday while he and two other officers were searching for a suspected drug dealer in the area.

Police Major Soe Naing told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the lieutenant’s body was taken to the local general hospital the day he was shot. He declined to provide further information because he was busy with funeral arrangements.

According to local news reports, Lt. Thein Shwe left downtown Rathedaung with Lance Corporal Win Tin and Special Branch Lieutenant Soe Naing Tun in a private car at about 1 p.m. to arrest a suspected drug smuggler in Kyauk Tan village. When they arrived, the suspect had already left and was believed to be hiding near the villages of Kharu Chaung and Rakhaung Chaung.

According to the same news reports, citing a police statement, the two survivors said they were ambushed by an armed group moments after stepping out of their car to search a roadside hut. The officers said they managed to escape and that Lt. Thein Shwe died at the scene.

It is unknown who informed the police of the suspect’s whereabouts. A team including local military and police officials visited the scene of the shooting on Wednesday to investigate. Senior officials could not be reached for details.

A police officer in Rakhine State who recently served in Rathedaung said Lt. Thein Shwe was a native of Rathedaung and had been investigating the high-profile case of union lawmaker U Aye Maung and author Wai Han Aung, who are facing multiple charges including treason for allegedly promoting support for the outlawed Arakan Army during a public speech in the township earlier this year.

Residents of Rathedaung told The Irrawaddy that the area where the lieutenant was shot dead was predominantly ethnic Arakanese and near the foot of the Awrama mountain range, where the Arakan Army fought with the Myanmar military in 2015 and 2016.

In a separate case in January, a recently transferred government administrator for Mrauk-U, in Rakhine’s Ponnagyun Township, was stabbed to death in a car heading toward the state capital, Sittwe. A few days after the murder, the Ministry of Home Affairs arrested four suspects in Yangon and blamed the Arakan Army for the attack, an accusation the armed group denied.

The post Police Officer Shot Dead in Hunt for Suspected Drug Dealer in Northern Rakhine appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Peace, Charter Reform Take Back Seat as Myanmar President Stresses Social Issues 

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 06:19 AM PDT

YANGON—Myanmar's new president on Tuesday unveiled his reform agenda for the country, generating cautious optimism with a plan that places an emphasis on boosting living standards and addressing other popular discontents, while downplaying broader political problems such as the country's moribund peace process and the sensitive issue of amending the Constitution.

In his greetings to the country on Myanmar's traditional New Year's Day,  U Win Myint set out his government's 11-point reform plan. The points include providing affordable housing for civil servants, creating an independent and impartial judiciary, returning confiscated land to its rightful owners, boosting access to credit for small businesses, combating the illegal drug trade, tackling corruption and others.

The president's New Year's resolutions come amid criticism of the government, which is led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, over its failure to jump-start development despite having been in power for more than two years.

Yangon-based political commentator Yan Myo Thein said the president's priorities represent the realities the country is currently facing.

Notably absent from the policy plan, the commentator said, were the "how-to's" on Myanmar's two most challenging issues: striking a peace deal with the country's ethnic armed groups and amending the Constitution, which currently mandates a significant military presence in Parliament.

The NLD enshrined the search for peace with the armed groups and constitutional amendment in its electoral manifesto. Since coming to power in 2016, the NLD-led government has, at the direction of Daw Aung San Su Kyi, embarked on peace talks with the Army and the ethnic groups. Meanwhile, the Parliament has led the push for fixes to the charter. But two years on, there have been few tangible results on either front.

The lack of any mention of peace or constitutional reform in the president's speech prompted speculation that the president, the State Counselor and Parliament have decided to divide responsibilities.

Yan Myo Thein said that U Win Myint seems to be fully in charge of administration and national development, with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi likely to be handling the peace process and Parliament working on constitutional amendments.

"Given that she initiated the 21st-Century Panglong Union Peace Conference, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is likely to continue to take a leading role in the country's peace process," he said.

On the constitutional changes, the commentator said, dialogue is needed among the key stakeholders including civilians, military and ethnic groups, as the efforts made by Parliament in the past two years have come to nothing.

"Achieving a political agreement between them could overcome the constitutional crisis we now face [while the charter is amended through the parliamentary channel]," he said.

Asked about the president's focus on land rights, Dr Thaung Tun, one of Myanmar's leading advocates for farmers' rights and fair land-use policies, said he had no doubt that the president had good intentions and the political will to address the pressing issue. The country's agriculture sector provides jobs to 70 percent of the population, he pointed out.

The president said he would work for the return of farmland confiscated illegally and to ensure that compensation is paid. Regarding confiscated farmland that had not yet been earmarked for return, he vowed an expeditious review of all such land by the various review committees in consultation with state and regional governments, so that all released land could be returned to its original owners.

"But it's important that he approaches it with the correct strategy," warned the Peace and Justice Network director.

According to the now-defunct Parliamentary Land Investigation Committee, the military, government and private companies confiscated more than 500,000 acres of land between the 1980s and the early 2000s. 

In 2016, just months after taking office, the NLD-led government formed the Central Committee for Rescrutinizing Confiscated Farmlands and Other Lands, chaired by Vice President U Henry van Thio, to investigate land-grab cases.

While it has secured the return of several thousand acres, the committee's powers are limited. It is purely an investigative body and does not set policy or make decisions. Additionally, some officials accused of involvement in land grabs have served on the committee, Dr. Thaung Tun said.

"It would be more helpful if the president enacted an emergency bill on the land rights issue while granting a mandate [to take action] to lawmakers, local elders and farmers," he said, explaining that decentralization could also help solve the problem, as it can't be taken for granted that the "people upstairs" know everything that's happening on the ground.

President U Win Myint also said his government would "implement reforms without hurting stability", starting "at the base level which is closest to the people, with whom sovereignty ultimately rests."

Yan Myo Thein said that if the president is truly interested in bottom-up reform, he needs to listen to voices expressed in the media and social media, and to consult CSOs, in order to learn what is really happening and needed on the ground.

"It's important that he make an effort to hear those voices," Yan Myo Thein said. "If he is content to accept rosy information fed to him by his subordinates, he will not achieve the goals he has set."

The post Peace, Charter Reform Take Back Seat as Myanmar President Stresses Social Issues  appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

8,500 Released in Presidential Pardon, Including 36 Political Prisoners

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 04:14 AM PDT

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — "I had to be very careful not to commit even a small crime after I was released from prison, as Article 401 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure was tied to me despite my freedom," said U Issariya, a leading monk in the 2007 Saffron Revolution who was released from Hsipaw Prison six years ago in a January 2012 presidential pardon.

As of Tuesday, thousands of former political prisoners no longer need to feel this fear, as the new President U Win Myint issued a decree that nullified the "conditional release" stipulated in Article 401 (1) for those convicted on political charges.

Thousands of political prisoners were released conditionally under former President U Thein Sein, which meant they could be forced to serve the remainder of their initial sentences were they ever to be arrested again.

"This is the end of dictators' actions," said U Issariya, now an interfaith trainer at the Peaceful Myanmar Initiative.

President U Win Myint pardoned 8,541 prisoners in a New Year amnesty on Tuesday, including 36 political prisoners and 51 foreigners, also on the same condition that they would no longer face any additional consequences as they were released unconditionally from Article 401 (1).

The majority of those pardoned had been convicted on drug charges, and others had been charged with violating the Military Act or for alleged affiliation with an unlawful association.

Two ethnic Kachin pastors: Dumdaw Nawng Latt, 65, and Langjaw Gam Seng, 35, from Mong Ko, were released from Lashio Prison under the amnesty. They were sentenced to four- and two-year imprisonments respectively, under three charges including unlawful association in October 2017 for assisting journalists who were visiting the area and for allegedly helping the ethnic bloc the Northern Alliance spread wrongful information.

A Kachin farmer Laphai Gam was also released from Myitkyina Prison. He was charged in 2012 for allegedly being a member of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) under Article 17(1) of the 1908 Unlawful Association Act and with four counts under the 1908 Explosive Substances Act. He was sentenced to a total of 20 years imprisonment.

Other farmers released were seven Shan farmers from Hsipaw Prison, according to the AAPP. They were arrested and charged in April 2017 for plowing on confiscated land and sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Most of the political prisoners are members of ethnic armed organizations including the Karen National Union (KNU), Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), All Burma Students' Democratic Front, and Arakan Army (AA), as well as local farmers and residents in the conflict zones.

Other releases included some who were sentenced to death including ex-Major Win Naing Kyaw [from the Myanmar Army] and U Than Chaung also known as Sao Khun Kyaw, a member of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Arm- South (RCSS-SSA-S). Both were released from Tharyarwaddy Prison in Bago Region.

U Win Naing Kyaw was arrested in 2009 on his way back to Myanmar from Cambodia and sentenced to life imprisonment under the Emergency Provisions Act, Electronic Act's Article 33 (b), Official Secrets Act and Article 505 (b) of the Penal Code in 2010.

U Than Chaung, known as Col Sao Khun Kyaw, was arrested during combat between the Tatmadaw and the RCSS/SSA-S in January 2006 in Namkham Township in Shan State and given four death sentences and one life sentence.

He was a former leader of the All Burma Students' Democratic Front's northern camp and was allegedly responsible for the killing of 35 of its members in 1992.  The ABSDF was a student army that formed following the government's crackdown on nationwide pro-democracy protests in 1988.

Yan Naing Soe, known as Thein Zaw, was sentenced to life in prison in December 2010 for the charges including the Military Act [for joining the KNU after deserting the Myanmar Army]. He was released on Tuesday from Obo Prison in Mandalay. He said [to reporters in Mandalay], that he “did not expect to be released.”

"It is benevolent," said U Issariya, adding that the pardon on Tuesday included "the elderly, the ill and minor drug users, but did not include monsters."

Former political prisoners and the public welcomed the new president's pardons, as he was a former political prisoner as well.

"He [the president] is well aware that 401 (1) is an obstacle to former prisoners of conscience because he was one. The National League for Democracy (NLD) also has many political prisoners, so, he revoked this ruling," said U Bo Kyi, the secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

According to the AAPP, there are 18 political prisoners left in prison and 74 more facing trial for politically related charges while detained. There are 120 others facing trial who are not in detention. Among them are land rights activists, ethnic IDPs who were accused of unlawful association, and Reuters journalists Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo.

President U Win Myint's decree ensures that former political prisoners won't have to serve the remainder of their sentences if charged again, said U Bo Kyi.

The conditional release was unclear under the previous administration, according to U Bo Kyi. In 2013, former political prisoner Nay Myo Zin was rearrested on another charge and the court ruled that he needed to serve the remainder of his previous sentence before being released.

In a 2015 amnesty, former President U Thein Sein dismissed all of the charges against those facing ongoing politically related trials. U Bo Kyi says that many expect that the NLD government will use this ruling as a precedent to drop ongoing political lawsuits.

Many formal political prisoners now share their views online. Under the former military junta, they were given harsh punishments for their beliefs.

"Conditional release under 401 (1) was used to threaten political activists and we welcome the reversal," added U Ant Bwe Kyaw, the information committee coordinator for a new political party that is still in formation.

U Ant Bwe Kyaw was a former political prisoner who was sentenced to 65 years in prison in 2008 for participating in demonstrations against a fuel price hike a year earlier. He was released in 2012.

Sai Nyunt Lwin, the secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) also shared the same view that "the revocation was a great move, as 401 (1) was a black shadow for all political activists." Sai Nyunt Lwin was also freed from prison in 2012. Along with other Shan leaders, he was sentenced to 85 years imprisonment.

Zarni Mann contributed to this report from Mandalay.

The post 8,500 Released in Presidential Pardon, Including 36 Political Prisoners appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

 Crime Down but Fatalities Up During Thingyan Water Festival, Police Say

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 04:04 AM PDT

MANDALAY — A total of 109 crimes claimed 26 lives during the Thingyan water festival and Burmese New Year celebrations across the country, police said Wednesday.

Incidents including drunkenness, fights, accidents and drowning were reported to police during the period.

While crime as a whole was down from last year's New Year period, the number of fatalities rose, police said. In 2017, 208 crimes were reported, claiming 16 lives and injuring 194 people.

The number of injuries and deaths reported by police was lower than the numbers reported in local media, however.

In a separate report, Yangon Region police reported nine crimes resulting in four deaths and 17 injuries. Police said another 301 people injured in motor accidents and fights were admitted to hospitals in Yangon Region.

In Monywa, Sagaing Division, where New Year celebrations were held along the banks of the Chindwin River for the first time, three people drowned in the river and four people were killed in motorcycle accidents. More than 160 people were treated for injuries at Monywa Hospital.

More than 600 people were admitted to Mandalay General Hospital, most of them due to motorcycle accidents. According to officials at the hospital, eight unidentified bodies were received, along with six people who died due to accidents and drowning in the old moat at Mandalay Palace.

Official Mandalay police reports, however, list six fatalities during the holiday period: two drownings in the moat, two homicides and two motor accident deaths – along with 37 injuries sustained in fights and accidents.

"Every year there is a discrepancy between the numbers announced by the police and the hospital, because most people do not report incidents to the police. The police can only compile their report based on those incidents that are reported to them," said Ko One, a leader of Mandalay-based One-to-One, a charity group that cooperates with Mandalay General Hospital to assist people injured during the New Year celebration.

The post  Crime Down but Fatalities Up During Thingyan Water Festival, Police Say appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Of Health Care and Management Malpractice

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 03:36 AM PDT

A political decision at the top can have huge impact on the ground. There has been a furious response from young medical staff to comments made by Health Minister U Myint Htwe at a peace talk in Myaungmya Township, Irrawaddy Region, earlier this month. The minister said there was plenty of medicine available, even an oversupply, especially if expired stocks were taken into account. Many junior doctors struggling with shortages were among the loudest critics. U Myint Htwe soon issued an apology and clarification via social media, and the ministry acknowledged that there was indeed not enough medicine to go around.

The episode epitomizes a failed system, one that deserves scrutiny. It further exposes a health care system that has deteriorated over the decades and is struggling to rebuild. The National Health Plan (NHP) already laid bare the system’s failures and challenges, including a highly fragmented and complicated supply chain.

It is a wonder the health care system has even survived without logistics staff for many years. The central supply department takes care of all distribution of medicine. But policy and regulation dealing with procurement and distribution are weak. On top of that, the health budget is miniscule and largely dependent on external aid. This has led to limited capacity and inadequate infrastructure. A free essential medicine scheme introduced in 2013 by the previous government was popular but politically motivated.

The situation has hardly improved since the National League for Democracy took control of the government some two years ago. As part of its decentralization efforts, the procurement of medicine was shifted onto the shoulders of state and regional health officials. Although procurement guidelines are in place, little is known about how procurement takes place; the process lacks transparency. By obscuring the source of medicines, most junior staff don’t know where they come from. In addition, requested supplies usually arrive late — sometimes six months late — further exacerbating hospital shortages.

Given the woeful infrastructure and poor application of technology, the medical inventory system is naturally outdated. That makes it difficult to anticipate shortages and to be proactive. The lack of a dedicated logistics unit places the burden on medical officers not trained for such tasks. One of the main complaints from medical officers is that the medicine they receive is often nearly expired, placing pressure on them to dispense it quickly. These problems are rooted in the lack of a reliable data system or standardized management procedures. No one knows how much medicine has gone to waste as a result.

But the problems aren’t just technical.

A system born of politics can only be fixed with political will. When assessing failed states, discussions of political will and government capacity often come up. Capacity means the effectiveness of government systems. And as author Stephen Browne has said, the acid test for a government’s effectiveness is its use of resources. It has become a cliché to say that Myanmar has wasted its resources and failed to adequately fund its health care system, though the NLD has proven its commitment to change.

So the health minister’s recent comments came as a surprise. He was criticized for failing to reflect reality and for living in an echo chamber. He had probably been misinformed, which reinforces the popular perception of a bureaucratic elite standing like a wall between ministers and their frontline staff. It forced the minister to issue a clarification. His performance as a technocrat is not the issue here. But as a politician, he failed to communicate with his own staff, let alone the public. Rather, by proactively discussing the ministry’s challenges, he might attract buy-in from colleagues and at the same time make them more accountable.

Political will is needed not only at the ministerial level, but at all levels. All levels should be made aware of how the procurement system — which remains a politically sensitive topic of discussion — works. That sort of knowledge could empower medical staff to demand adherence to guidelines and further transparency, and inspire officials all along the supply chain to embrace genuine change. Everyone is responsible for making the system better simply by virtue of being a part of that system. We cannot simply expect change to come from above.

The current government talks more about big dreams than about attainable objectives. The NHP is ambitious, but the minister’s goals should be grounded. This episode is a wakeup call to talk openly and honestly about the health care system’s challenges and root problems. It is time to say “I can’t do that” and remove those who say “all is fine.”

Ye Min Zaw studies international development with a focus on peace processes, transitional issues and Rakhine affairs. He is also a medical doctor who has worked for many international organizations including UNICEF.

The post Of Health Care and Management Malpractice appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ongoing Offensives in Tanai Leave IDPs Trapped Between Warring Sides

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 01:56 AM PDT

About 2,000 Kachin internally displaced persons (IDPs) remain trapped in Tanai Township without sufficient food or water amid fighting between the Myanmar Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), according to local sources.

Kachin religious organizations and community leaders stated that IDPs were trapped in Awng Lawt village, where the Myanmar Army has engaged ground forces to target the KIA Brigade 2 headquarters.

Local organizations, churches and community leaders asked the army's Regional Operations Command 2 based in Tanai town for permission to rescue the IDPs, but were told it did not have the authority to grant the request.

The groups also sent a letter on April 12 to the Kachin State chief minister asking for access to assist the IDPs but they have not yet received a response.

Some religious and community leaders attempted to rescue the IDPs and reported that they assisted about 1,200 people who are currently taking refuge in Shagribum village, a one-hour walk from Awng Lawt.

The leaders reported that about 60 percent of the 1,200 people were women, and some 30 percent were elderly. Some of the IDPs were wounded or sick. They did not have proper shelter. Those assisting them reported enough food to last the displaced persons for two weeks.

Fighting first spread to western Kachin's Tanai Township last year after the military announced operations there to clear out gold and amber-mining sites in KIA-controlled areas.

Hundreds of villagers and thousands of itinerant miners and their families were forced flee Tanai in mid-2017 and again in February this year. Many were trapped between warring sides until they could be evacuated.

The Myanmar Army has again launched offensives targeting different KIA battalions in the area. Air forces were reportedly used beginning on April 11. Col Naw Bu, a KIA spokesperson, said that the airstrikes stopped, however, artillery strikes continue as well as ground force attacks, including near the KIA headquarters in Laiza.

Sig Npawp Yawhan, 54, was wounded in an airstrike on April 11 that killed his son, reported local organizations assisting the IDPs.

At least two civilians were killed by artillery strikes, one in Laiza and another in Awng Lawt village, according to the organizations, adding that at least four other civilians were injured in the most recent round of attacks.

While State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's government has asked ethnic armed groups to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), the Myanmar Army has continued to launch military offensives against the KIA, Ta'ang National Liberation Army, and others.

Many ethnic armed groups have lost trust in the army and the government. They have urged the Myanmar Army to stop its offensives during the country's ongoing peace process.

The military retains autonomy from civilian oversight and the attacks continue despite peace negotiations.

More than 100,000 Kachin remain displaced from their homes after a 17-year ceasefire between the central government and the KIA collapsed in 2011.

Peace talks have been held numerous times between the two armed groups. The Myanmar Army has repeatedly asked the KIA to withdraw from some of its bases in areas rich in amber, jade and gold mining, as well as in an area that will fall along China's One Belt One Road initiative. The KIA has refused to withdraw, and cites ongoing human rights abuses carried out by the Myanmar Army.

The post Ongoing Offensives in Tanai Leave IDPs Trapped Between Warring Sides appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thailand Taps Tourists to Fight Human Trafficking — and Keep the Country Smiling

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 10:06 PM PDT

BANGKOK — At Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport, a video repeats scenes of tourists visiting Thailand’s sunny beaches and its vibrant nightlife, but at the end comes a warning.

“Human trafficking and slavery are against the law in Thailand. Perpetrators will be severely punished,” it says, followed by a hotline number for people to report cases.

From airports to shopping malls, Thailand is ramping up a campaign targeting tourists in its latest effort to keep the country free from human trafficking, as officials eye better international ratings.

The Southeast Asian nation is consistently ranked as one of the world’s best tourists destinations. Government data showed Thailand welcomed a record 35 million visitors in 2017, and forecasted it to rise to 37.6 million this year.

But it has also come under the international spotlight in recent years over what rights groups describe as widespread human trafficking, including women forced into selling sex and fishermen trapped in conditions akin to modern slavery.

The US State Department last year left Thailand on a Tier 2 Watchlist — just above the lowest ranking of Tier 3 — in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, saying it had not done enough to tackle human smuggling and trafficking.

Eyeing a better ranking, the government has vowed a cleanup. In recent months, it partnered with airlines and charities to warn visitors against involvement in trafficking, while urging them to spot and report potential cases.

“Every effort is important,” Weerachon Sukhontapatipak, a Thai government spokesman, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“We are doing our best,” he said. “Therefore we hope the situation in Thailand will be better, and it will be recognized by the international community.”

A growing number of countries around the world are turning to the tourism sector to help combat human trafficking, including training frontline hotel and airline staff to spot the signs.

There has also been a rise of “advocacy tourism,” where holidaymakers sign up for travel packages to learn about issues like modern slavery.

In-Flight Videos, Hotel Trainings

At Thai airports, banners greet visitors with warnings that human trafficking could “destroy” the country. A video flashes the message: “Keep Thailand the Land of Smiles for all.”

The government has also enlisted Thai Airways to show anti-trafficking in-flight videos on its international routes since February, said Nuttavika Tamthai, a spokeswoman for the national carrier.

In shopping malls, cinemas and train stations across the capital, Bangkok, videos show visitors how to look out for signs of human trafficking.

Some highlight sex exploitation, while another shows a child begging under a separate campaign called “Can You See Me?”

“This is a step in the right direction,” said Malina Enlund from the anti-trafficking group A21, which has partnered with Thai authorities on the campaign since mid-2017.

“The Thai government alone cannot solve the problem. We need the hotel groups. We need the tourists. We need everybody who can to join in,” Enlund said.

The Australia-based group is training hotel staff in Thailand’s seaside resort of Pattaya — a hotspot for sex tourism — on how to spot trafficking signs.

The Thai tourism body said in March that Thailand is aiming to move forward as a “quality destination” and it strongly opposed any form of sex tourism.

An estimated 425,500 people live in conditions of modern slavery in Thailand, according to the Global Slavery Index 2016 by the Walk Free Foundation, a charity group, including migrant workers from Cambodia and Laos and women exploited in the sex industry.

The post Thailand Taps Tourists to Fight Human Trafficking — and Keep the Country Smiling appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Lucky for Some: Chinese City Launches Wind Power Lottery to Ease Grid Strains

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 09:50 PM PDT

SHANGHAI — The city of Yanan, a major wind power base in northwest China’s Shaanxi province, has introduced a lottery system to decide which wind projects will go ahead this year, a sign that grid constraints are forcing local governments to restrict capacity.

China has been aggressively developing alternative power as part of its efforts to cut pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Grid-connected wind power reached 163.7 gigawatts (GW) last year, up 10.1 percent on the year and amounting to 9.2 percent of total generating capacity.

But capacity expansion has outpaced grid construction, and large numbers of wind, solar and hydropower plants are unable to deliver all their power to consumers as a result of transmission deficiencies, a problem known as curtailment.

According to a Yanan planning agency notice seen by Reuters, the city was given permission to build 900 megawatts of wind capacity this year, but 1,300 megawatts (or 1.3 GW) have already been declared eligible for construction, forcing authorities to whittle down the total number of projects.

“After study it was decided that the lottery method should be used to determine what plans will be submitted (for approval) to the provincial development and reform commission,” it said.

The authenticity of the document was confirmed by a local municipal government official. He declined to give his name or provide details.

China aims to raise the share of non-fossil fuels in its total energy mix to around 15 percent by the end of the decade, up from 12 percent in 2015.

But while renewable power has grown rapidly, around 80 GW of wind capacity was still unable to transmit electricity to consumers in 2015. Wasted wind power amounted to around 12 percent of total generation in 2017, according to the energy regulator.

An environmental group is currently suing grid companies in the northwest for failing to fulfill their legal obligation to maximize purchases of local renewable power.

To try to prevent waste, China has drawn up guidelines aimed at preventing new plant construction in regions already suffering from surplus capacity.

It also released draft guidelines last month for a new renewable energy certificate system that will force regions to meet mandatory clean electricity utilization targets. The scheme is expected to help alleviate curtailment.

The post Lucky for Some: Chinese City Launches Wind Power Lottery to Ease Grid Strains appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

More Pressure Needed on Myanmar to Take Back Rohingya: Bangladeshi PM

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 09:26 PM PDT

LONDON — Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Tuesday more international pressure was needed on Myanmar to take back Rohingya refugees, rejecting an assertion claim by the Myanmar government that it had repatriated a family of five.

“The international community needs to put more pressure on Myanmar so that they take back their own people and ensure their security,” Hasina told an audience in London.

“Myanmar says they are ready to take back the Rohingya, but they are not taking the initiative.”

UN officials say nearly 700,000 mostly Muslim Rohingya have fled into Bangladesh from Myanmar’s Rakhine State to escape a military crackdown since August, amid reports of murder, rape and arson by Myanmar troops and Buddhist vigilantes in actions which the United Nations has likened to "ethnic cleansing."

Myanmar has denied nearly all allegations, saying it has been waging a legitimate counter-insurgency operation.

Speaking at a separate event in London, Britain’s foreign minister Boris Johnson and Canadian counterpart Chrystia Freeland called for a meaningful investigation into reported atrocities.

“The (Myanmar) authorities need to demonstrate that they are serious about the safety and security of the Rohingya,” Johnson said.

Hasina said Bangladesh had submitted the names of 8,000 Rohingya families for repatriation to Myanmar, but that Myanmar had so far refused to take them back.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete a voluntary repatriation of the refugees in two years.

She disputed an assertion by Myanmar that it had repatriated five members of a Rohingya family from Bangladesh, describing them as having been living in the no man’s land between the two countries.

“They were living in the borderlands, with some of their family members in their camps. Maybe (Myanmar) wants to show the world they are taking them back. It’s a good sign. If they want, then why only 1 family? We have already submitted the names of 8,000 (Rohingya) families, but they’ve not taken them back,” she said.

Hasina also confirmed a plan to move 100,000 Rohingya refugees to a uninhabited low-lying island in the Bay of Bengal, dismissing fears that it would put them at the mercy of floods.

“We are expecting to move those who are in a vulnerable place to the island. Bangladesh can always be flooding and it does. The camps are very unhealthy. We have prepared a better place for them to live, with houses and shelters where they can earn a living,” she said.

“Where they are living now, the monsoon season is coming up, there can be land erosions, accidents are taking place.”

Aid agencies, however, are fearful of the relocation plan and believe it would expose Rohingya refugees to cyclones, floods and human traffickers.

The post More Pressure Needed on Myanmar to Take Back Rohingya: Bangladeshi PM appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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