Tuesday, April 24, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Three More NLD Lawmakers to Be Reprimanded

Posted: 24 Apr 2018 08:04 AM PDT

The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) plans to reprimand three more of its lawmakers, bringing the total number it has disciplined since taking office to nearly 40, party spokesperson U Myo Nyunt told The Irrawaddy.

"[Before the latest incidents] we had reprimanded 35 representatives. Now, we are going to take action against three more. So the total is nearly 40. All of them were reprimanded during the two years of the government's term [so far]," U Myo Nyunt said.

They will either be stripped of their duties or given warnings, but they will not be expelled from the party. "If they were forced to leave, the functions of [the legislative bodies in which they serve] would be affected," said a source close to the party.

The NLD's central executive committee announced at a meeting on April 22 that action would be taken against one Union Parliament and two regional parliament lawmakers for breaches of disciplinary and financial rules. "They failed to observe party discipline. We instruct lawmakers to follow party discipline whenever they interact with the public and the executive committee. Representatives are required to report their parliamentary activities to the executive committee and coordinate with it," U Myo Nyunt said.

He also said representatives must keep proper financial accounts, form committees to manage funds, issue financial statements and behave properly. Those who fail to do so will be reprimanded.

Complaints were lodged against Upper House Representative U Pe Chit; Representative U Than Swe of Seikkyi Kanaungto constituency; and Mon State representative and Minister for Electricity, Energy and Industry U Min Htin Aung Han. U Pe Chit, who represents Hmawbi, Htantabin and Shwepyithar townships, has submitted a resignation letter to the party as he wants to be an independent representative. The retired major has been given a warning by the party.

"He is a retired major from Mudon, and took officer training in the same intake with senior NLD figure U Win Htein. The party has warned him several times. He has submitted a resignation letter but the party did not accept it. He does not follow party policy and acts like an independent representative," said a source in the party.

Spokesman U Myo Nyunt said the party has not made any decision about U Pe Chit, who is still performing his duties despite having submitted his resignation letter to the party. "U Pe Chit has stopped cooperating with us and has been carrying out his own activities as an independent representative since he submitted the resignation letter," said U Aung Win, a Lower House representative from Hmawbi Township.

U Pe Chit was not available for comment.

Representative U Than Swe of Seikki Khanaungto Township said he was accused of speaking rudely at a township executive committee meeting. He was summoned to party headquarters in January 2018 to face a party probe. He said he did not know whether he would be reprimanded. "This is a minor issue. Most complaints are concerned with corruption. I have never been involved in corruption. My problem is just over a disagreement," he added.

Mon State Minister U Min Htin Aung Han told The Irrawaddy that he had never been reprimanded by the party and claimed the report concerning him was false.

The NLD has reprimanded a number of its members including the party's Kayah State chairman, Dr Khin Sithu; Shan State chairperson Daw Moe Moe; youth leader Dr Soe Moe Thu; former Army captain and Representative U Nyan Lin of Shwepyithar Township; and Representative U Sein Win from Maubin, all of whom were forced to leave the party.

Verbal and written warnings were also issued to representatives by influential leader U Win Htein, who is now a patron of the party.

The post Three More NLD Lawmakers to Be Reprimanded appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Kachin Groups Urge UN to Refer Myanmar to ICC

Posted: 24 Apr 2018 07:55 AM PDT

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Ethnic Kachin communities at home and abroad are urging the United Nations Security Council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing a recent military campaign in Kachin State’s Tanai Township that has displaced thousands of civilians and trapped many in the conflict zone.

A letter issued Monday and endorsed by 32 Kachin associations both in Myanmar and overseas says the 15-member Security Council “must support a resolution referring Burma to the International Criminal Court," using another name for the country.

If they fail to do so, the letter adds, Security Council member “are making an active decision to allow the Burma military to keep killing ethnic civilians."

Kachin "are hoping for the UN to take action, because the situation is getting much worse and UN intervention is urgently needed," said Moon Nay Li, spokesperson for the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand.

Some 2,000 civilians from Awng Lawt, Sut Ra, and Sut Ring Yang villages have fled their homes to escape the latest fighting between the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, and the Kachin Independence Army. Many of them are trapped by the fighting in the jungle.

At least three people from Laiza town in Waingmaw Township and from Awng Lawt village in Tanai were reportedly killed during the second week of April by Tatmadaw artillery fire.

Monday’s letter says the Kachin and other ethnic minority groups in Myanmar have been subject to numerous violations of international law including execution, torture, forced displacement, forced labor, rape and other forms of sexual violence, confiscation of property, arbitrary arrest and detention, and denial of humanitarian assistance.

"The Burma military has used these tactics to instill fear and control in their attempts to destroy our ethnic identity, destroy our religion, colonize our lands, and steal our natural resources," it says.

"As the Burmese military's culture of impunity remains unchecked, [the] Burmese government is unable to exercise rule of law or capacity to protect [the] life of its citizens,” the letter adds. “We are once again appealing to the international community to hold perpetrators of war crimes and crime[s] against humanity…to account before [the] current conflict spills over to bordering regions."

U Aung Htoo, a human rights lawyer and founder of the Legal Aid Network, said the military’s definition of the rule of law meant upholding the military-drafted 2008 Constitution and existing laws. But even by that definition, he said, "the essence of it, taking action against perpetrators and seeking justice for victims, is disappearing."

"The military leaders who commit these crimes are too bold and commit them repeatedly. Therefore, we need to approach this through the ICC and other international courts to take action against them," he said.

His network launched a report, "Seeking Accountability for Ending Impunity in Burma," on Tuesday in Chiang Mai, Thailand, that analyzes three alleged war crimes in Shan, Karenni and Kachin state between November 2016 and January 2018.

The post Kachin Groups Urge UN to Refer Myanmar to ICC appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Reuters Case Timeline

Posted: 24 Apr 2018 05:53 AM PDT

For the past four months, Reuters reporters Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo have been shuffled back and forth between prison and a Yangon courtroom, accused of violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act for possessing documents they were handed over dinner by police. In explosive court testimony last week, a police captain claimed that a superior officer ordered police to entrap the two journalists. The Irrawaddy looks back at the major developments in the case since the pair was arrested on Dec. 12.

Dec. 12, 2017: Two Reuters journalists, Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo, are arrested in northern Yangon at around 9 p.m.

Dec. 12, 2017: At around 10 p.m., northern district police chief Lt-Col Yu Naing seeks permission from the President’s Office to prosecute the journalists under the Official Secrets Act.

Dec. 13, 2017: Acting President U Myint Swe grants Lt-Col Yu Naing authority to prosecute Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo under the Official Secrets Act. The same day, the two journalists are sent to the Aung Tha Pyae Interrogation Center. They are to remain there until Dec. 26.

Dec. 14, 2017: The government announces the arrest in state-run newspapers, saying the two journalists will be prosecuted for violating the Official Secrets Act for possessing important and secret government documents relating to Rakhine State and security forces. The Information Ministry says they had "illegally acquired information with the intention to share it with foreign media." The announcement says the two police officers, Capt. Moe Yan Naing and Sgt. Khin Maung Lin, will be charged with the Official Secrets Act and the Police Disciplinary Act for their interaction with the journalists.

Dec. 27, 2017: The two journalists are brought to court for the first time to have their detention for interrogation extended by another 14 days and to allow them to meet their families and a lawyer.

Jan. 8, 2018: Home Affairs Minister Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe approves an order to prosecute the journalists under Article 3 (1) ( c ) of the Official Secrets Act. The article says: "If any person for any purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the State…obtains, collects, records or publishes or communicates to any other person any secret official code or password, or any sketch, plan, model, article or note or other document or information which is calculated to be or might be or is intended to be, directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy; he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend, where the offence is committed in relation to any work of defense, arsenal, naval, military or air force establishment or station, mine, minefield, factory, dockyard, camp, ship or aircraft or otherwise in relation to the naval, military or air force affairs of [the State] or in relation to any secret official code, to fourteen years and in other cases to three years."

Jan. 10, 2018: Prosecutors ask the court that Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo be charged under the Official Secrets Act.

Jan 23, 2017: Lt-Col Yu Naing tells the court that Capt. Moe Yan Naing and Sgt. Khin Maung Lin were not detained in his district.

Feb. 6, 2018: A prosecution witness who was part of the police team that arrested the journalists, 2nd Lt. Tin Htwe Oo, tells the court that he had burned the notes he made at the time but offers no explanation as to why.

Feb. 14, 2018: Another prosecution witness who was also part of the arrest team, 2nd Lt. Myo Ko Ko, tells the court he was not familiar with police procedures for recording arrests. When asked where the arrests took place, he says it was on a street lined with factories. His answer contradicts a map, previously produced by police and submitted to the court, that shows stores and tea shops but no factories.

March 28, 2018: Defense lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw submits a request to have the case dismissed on grounds of insufficient evidence.

Apr 11, 2018: Judge Ye Lwin rejects the defense’s request to have the case dismissed, stating that there is “a proper reason” for the accusations against the two reporters and that "they should not be released."

Apr 20, 2018: As a prosecution witness, Capt. Moe Yan Naing tells the court that police Brig-Gen Tin Ko Ko ordered officers to “trap” the Reuters reporters arrested in December, instructing them to meet the journalists at a restaurant and give them “secret documents.”

Apr 23, 2018: The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission sends the Ministry of Home Affairs a letter urging it to ensure that Capt. Moe Yan Naing’s rights are not violated.

The post Reuters Case Timeline appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Regional Military Commanders Reshuffled

Posted: 24 Apr 2018 04:58 AM PDT

Nine regional military commanders were reshuffled under an order from the Office of Military Appointments under the Office of the Commander-in-Chief (Army).

Commander Maj-Gen Nyi Nyi Swe (Intake 30 of the Defense Services Academy, or DSA) of the Northern Command and Commander Maj-Gen Teza Kyaw (Intake 73 of the Officers Training School, or OTS) of the Southwest Command replaced each other's post.

Commander Brig-Gen Khin Hlaing (Intake 17 of the Officers Training Course, or OTC) of the Northeast Command was replaced by Commander Maj-Gen Aung Zaw Aye (Intake 28 of the DSA) of the Triangle Region Command while Principal of the National Defense College Maj-Gen Moe Myo Aung (Intake 32) was transferred to the Southeast Command.

Commander Maj-Gen Win Min Tun (Intake 27 of the DSA) of the Eastern Command and Commander Maj-Gen Lin Aung (Intake 27 of the DSA) of the Coastal Region Command replaced each other's post.

Commander Maj-Gen Myat Kyaw (Intake 68 of the OTS) was replaced by Commander Maj-Gen Myo Win (Intake 71 of the OTS) of the Southeast Command while the former was transferred to the National Defense College.

"Such a reshuffle of commander posts is a very rare move for the Tatmadaw and is done only when completely necessary. When a commander retires for health reasons, the post is filled. Generally, commanders of light infantry divisions are promoted to commanders of regional commands, who are then promoted to heads of the Bureau of Special Operations," said U Maung Maung Soe, a Myanmar military observer.

He also added that it is very difficult to guess the reason behind the reshuffle, but that the Myanmar military has to be prepared as it has been put on a United Nations blacklist and military tensions are mounting in Kachin State, Lashio and Karen State.

Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing has not yet retired although his retirement age has been reached. The next commander-in-chief of defense services might be chosen from the new generation, according to military sources.

Maj-Gen Moe Myint Tun (Intake 30 of the DSA) will be 55 years old in 2020 and he is tipped to be the next head of the Tatmadaw. He has risen through the ranks quickly, as the current Chief of General Staff (Army,Navy and Air) Gen Mya Tun Oo has as well.

Translated from Burmese by Myint Win Thein.

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Thai Court Orders Arrest of UK Labor Rights Activist

Posted: 24 Apr 2018 03:55 AM PDT

YANGON — British labor rights activist Andy Hall said a Thai court ordered his arrest on Tuesday so that he is present when the Appeals Court announces its verdict on his criminal conviction for defamation and computer crimes next month.

The Bangkok South Criminal Court convicted Hall in September 2016 over a report he worked on accusing Thailand’s Natural Fruit Company of human rights abuses at a factory using migrant workers from Myanmar. It sentenced him to four years in prison, though it reduced the sentence by one year and suspended two.

Hall, whose research has covered the labor conditions of migrant workers in Thailand from Myanmar and other neighboring countries, left Thailand soon after he was convicted.

In a statement to Finnish labor rights group Finnwatch, which published the 2013 report used to sue him, Hall said the warrant was more of the same court harassment he has faced from the start.

"I have faced intolerable amounts of judicial harassment, which essentially undermined my ability to do human rights work effectively inside Thailand. This is why I left the country in November 2016. I am disappointed and concerned this warrant has now being [sic] issued for my arrest and this unacceptable judicial harassment against me continues unabated," he told Finnwatch.

The labor rights group said the Appeals Court was set to announce its verdict today but in Hall’s absence rescheduled the hearing for May 31. It said Hall’s legal team was there.

Contacted by email, Hall told The Irrawaddy that he had no intention of returning to Thailand on his own accord “whilst judicial harassment against me continued” and that he was consulting legal experts on the possibility of Thai authorities seeking an international arrest warrant.

Hall said he had not been summoned to today’s court hearing through any official or legal channels and so questioned the legal grounds on which the warrant itself was ordered.

“I have asked the UK government and European Union to make representations on my behalf concerning this issue,” he said.

Even so, Hall, currently in Nepal, said he would seek legal advice before traveling anywhere in Southeast Asia.

In its statement, Finnwatch corroborated the arrest order and said it remained hopeful that the Thai courts would clear Hall of any wrongdoing.

"We remain hopeful the Appeals Court will acquit Andy of all these charges. The charges against him stem from his legitimate work as a human rights defender and migrant worker rights activist. He is not a criminal," said Sonja Vartiala, the group’s executive director.

The September 2016 conviction relates to one of four civil and criminal cases Natural Fruit has filed against Hall over the 2013 report and a subsequent interview he gave Al Jazeera.

Last month, a Thai court ordered Hall to pay 10 million baht ($318,000) in damages to Natural Fruit in a civil defamation case relating to the interview, which he gave in Yangon, and to compensate the company for legal expenses. Hall has instructed his legal team to appeal.

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Tatmadaw Using Ceasefire to Gain Upper Hand, KNLA Deputy Chief Says

Posted: 24 Apr 2018 03:33 AM PDT

Ethnic Karen need to adapt to new threats from the Myanmar Army (or Tatmadaw), according to the deputy chief of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), who accused the Tatmadaw of violating the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

In an interview with the Karen Information Center, General Baw Kyaw Heh said the Myanmar Army had exploited the ceasefire in order to infiltrate areas under the control of the KNLA's Brigade 5.

"I want to urge our ethnic Karen to look back to our past, our history, our identity, and our political experiences. We need to change our ideology. We need to prepare and bravely confront what we have to face. There are challenges we can avoid, but there are those we cannot. If we act, we will definitely secure our rights," the general said.

Under the terms of the NCA, signatories agree not to reinforce troops, create new battalions, engage in major troop movements, or transport supplies to battalions.

However, Gen Baw Kyaw Heh said, the Tatmadaw had not only done these things, but had in fact deployed and moved more troops since the agreement was signed.

"They have quite clearly taken advantage of the ceasefire as part of their effort to move into our areas of control. Some people may think their movements are normal, but it is the opposite. To me, it is easy to see the moves they have made since the ceasefire," he said.

He said the Tatmadaw had launched an operation against the KNLA's Brigade 5. This was not a conventional operation, he said, adding that the Tatmadaw had a plan to attack the KNLA and he was concerned about this.

The aim of the NCA, Gen Baw Kyaw Heh said, was to build trust between the KNLA and the Myanmar Army by avoiding clashes and confining their troops to their bases. But it now appeared that these were empty words, and that the Tatmadaw was just pursuing its own military agenda, he said.

"Whether we have a ceasefire or not, they just act according to their plan. They have a preset agenda," he said.

Military tensions remain high between the KNLA's Brigade 5 and the Tatmadaw, following repeated clashes recently. About 2,000 Karen IDP have fled villages in Brigade 5-controlled areas.

The last round of proposed peace talks between the KNLA and the Tatmadaw collapsed when the latter's condition that the commander of Brigade 5 join the talks was not met.

The Karen National Union, the political wing of the KNLA, has been an active participant in the peace process, working with the National League for Democracy-led government and the Myanmar Army. The KNU was also a leader among the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in signing the NCA and working to advance the peace process. So why did the Tatmadaw now want to make problems for the KNLA, as a signatory to the NCA, peace process observers asked.

EAOs have lost trust in the Myanmar Army, according to the observers, many of who now believe the process has stalled amid Tatmadaw offensives against the Kachin, Ta'ang National Liberation Army, Karen, and other armed groups.

"The EAOs have lost trust in the [Tatmadaw]. They have tense relations with the army. It seems the army is looking to get the upper hand in terms of military power amid the tension," said Maung Maung Soe, a Yangon-based ethnic affairs analyst.

However, neither the EAOs nor the Tatmadaw seek to abandon the peace process entirely, Maung Maung Soe said, adding that some of the EAOs still plan to attend the upcoming Panglong peace conference.

"It is important that peaceful solutions can be found at this conference. If not, the peace process will be set back," he said.

The post Tatmadaw Using Ceasefire to Gain Upper Hand, KNLA Deputy Chief Says appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rights Commission Warns Govt of Possible Rights Violations Against Reuters Whistleblower

Posted: 24 Apr 2018 03:24 AM PDT

The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) has sent a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs in an effort to safeguard the rights of Police Captain Moe Yan Naing, who told a court that Reuters journalists had been entrapped by the police led by Police Brig-Gen Tin Ko Ko, are not violated.

According to his family, Police Cpt. Moe Yan Naing of Police Battalion No. 8 has been detained for more than 120 days without family visits after being accused of passing secret documents regarding Rakhine State to two reporters, who have also been detained since Dec. 12, 2017.

"It is okay that he is not allowed to see his family if it is because the investigation might be hampered by such a meeting. There are rules and regulations. If there is no reason to deny him family visits, then it is a violation of his human rights," said U Yu Lwin Aung, a member of the MNHRC.

The police captain appeared in court for the first time on April 20 and testified that reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were framed by the police. His family was evicted from police housing in Naypyitaw following his account.

The Protection Committee for Myanmar Journalists (PCMJ) sent a complaint to the MNHRC on April 23 urging the commission to investigate possible human rights abuses against the reporters and the police officer.

However, PCMJ co-founder Ko Tharlun Zaung Htet said that he was disappointed as the letter sent to the ministry by the MNHRC only tackled possible abuses against the police officer, adding that he hoped the commission would do more to protect the public's basic rights in the future.

The police officer will be charged under the Official Secrets Act and the Police Force Maintenance of Discipline Law, according to a statement released on Dec. 14.

The MNHRC neither has immediate plans to visit the police officer nor his wife, Ma Tu Tu, according to U Yu Lwin Aung.

Translated from Burmese by Myint Win Thein.

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Indonesia Environment Minister Rebuffs Groups Who Want More Forest Preserved

Posted: 23 Apr 2018 10:28 PM PDT

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s environment minister on Monday rebuffed conservationists who want the government to add secondary forests to its moratorium on issuing new licenses to use land designated as primary forest.

Announced in May 2011, the first two-year moratorium was applauded as an important step in reducing deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, and it has been extended three times.

Environmental groups like Greenpeace and the World Resources Institute have urged the government to strengthen and extend the ban to include secondary forests — areas that were cleared, but where woody vegetation has again taken over.

Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar has told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that extending the moratorium to secondary forests could undermine the country’s economic development goals.

“We have to think about it, because Indonesia has a huge population and we’re still in the progress of developing,” she said.

Bakar said the government’s main priority is assessing which land may be licensed for development, while deciding on the designation of secondary forests may come later.

“Secondary forests are a secondary priority,” she said.

Home to the world’s third-largest tropical forests, Indonesia is also the biggest palm oil producer. Environmentalists blame much of the forest destruction on land clearance for the crop.

The 2011 moratorium was part of a $1 billion deal with the Norwegian government to help Indonesia reduce forest clearing. By November 2016, the moratorium covered an area of more than 66 million hectares.

But deforestation and forest fires continue to blight many parts of the country, while revisions to the moratorium have lacked transparency, according to environmental campaigners.

The exemption of secondary forests and patchy law enforcement have hindered the moratorium’s progress, they say.

Forest cover loss in Indonesia remains high, according to the Global Land Analysis and Discovery (GLAD) lab at the University of Maryland.

Peaking in 2012 at 928,000 hectares, forest cover loss dropped to about 500,000 hectares in 2013 before increasing in 2014 and 2015 to 796,500 hectares and 735,000 hectares, respectively, according to GLAD.

Despite this, last year Bakar called for a permanent moratorium on issuing new licenses to use land designated as primary forest and peatland.

The post Indonesia Environment Minister Rebuffs Groups Who Want More Forest Preserved appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week

Posted: 23 Apr 2018 10:15 PM PDT

3 Concerts in 1

Celebrated singers Zaw Paing, Tun Eindra Bo and Wai La will perform in separate solo concerts.

May 1, 7 p.m. Thuwunnabhumi Event Park. For tickets call 09-977009157 or 09-455573442.

Than Naing Solo Concert

Than Naing, from the band Playboys, will perform a solo show.

April 28, 8:30 p.m. Yangon Yangon Bar, Sakura Tower, Kyauktada Township. Tickets are 12,000 kyats.

Hla Myint Maung Solo Exhibit

Artist Hla Myint Maung holds his third solo exhibition featuring his abstract paintings.

Until April 24. OK Art Gallery, along the north wing of Aung San Stadium.

Childhood Memories

Contemporary paintings of traditional Myanmar toys will be displayed.

Until April 27. Nawaday Tharlar Art Gallery, on Yaw Min Gyi Street.

Footprints of Suffering

Artist Nay Chi will have her first solo show.

April 24 to 30. Eternal Art Gallery, at Yuzana Garden City.

Fab 69

DJs C-Thu and Mike will perform for same-sex lovers.

April 28, 10 p.m. Pyrite Bar, near Inya Lake Hotel. Admission is 5,000 kyats.

Clean Yangon Green Yangon

Anyone can join the 11th gathering by wearing green.

April 28, 8 a.m. Participants will meet in front of Craft Café, at the corner of Nawaday Street and Bo Yar Nyunt Street.

Yangon Book Street

About 100 stalls selling many types of books at reasonable prices, courtesy of the Information Ministry’s literary development program.

Every weekend. Theinbyu Road.

Furniture Fair

A special New Year edition of the Yangon International Lifestyle Furniture Fair, with participation from branded furniture marts.

April 26 to 30. Tatmadaw Convention Center, on U Wisara Road.

Myanmar Book Plaza

Readers can relive their childhood memories with the rare comic books on sale.

Every Day. Thanzay Plaza.

The post Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Some US Allies Caught in Crossfire of Sanctions on Russian Arms

Posted: 23 Apr 2018 09:51 PM PDT

NEW DELHI — US sanctions on Russian military exports have put the brakes on a $6 billion deal with India and may derail the arms purchases of other US allies around Asia, experts say.

Under a law that US President Donald Trump signed in August, any country trading with Russia’s defense and intelligence sectors will face sanctions.

The law is designed to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, involvement in the Syrian civil war and meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.

But American allies who buy weapons and equipment from Russia, the world’s second-largest arms exporter, could suffer as well.

The highest-profile example is India, which wants to buy five S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems that the country’s military sees as a game changer. The systems are touted as being able to counter the ballistic missiles and stealth aircraft that China is developing, while overwhelming the capabilities of Pakistan, India’s other main adversary.

The deal, which Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi struck as part of an inter-government agreement in 2016, has run headlong into the US sanctions law, two officials in Delhi said.

Indonesia and Vietnam also buy weapons from Russia while being regional partners of the United States. Jakarta closed a $1.14 billion pact for Sukhoi fighters recently, while Vietnam is seeking more jet fighter-bombers from Russia.

And with both Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defense Corporation, which makes the S-400, and Rosoboronexport, which negotiates Russian export deals, listed as under sanction, those deals have become trickier.

“The optics of a major arms purchase from Russia looks quite ‘iffy’ from the point of view of Western capitals, especially at a time when Russia-West relations are at an all-time low and India seeks strategic convergence with the West, including with the US” said Abhijnan Rej, a defense strategy expert at Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi think tank.

The US-led airstrikes this month against facilities of the Syrian government, an ally of Russia, has further aggravated tensions between the superpowers.

A Russian source close to the Indian S-400 deal said “a lot will depend on the confidence and sanity of our Indian partners.”

Wider Impact

The effects of the US sanctions law could be more sweeping than intended, said Cara Abercrombie, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Vietnam, whose air force flies Russian-made Su-30 fighters and uses the S-300 air defense system, wants to continue modernizing its inventory.

Vietnamese military scholar Carl Thayer said he believed Moscow was still pushing Hanoi to invest in state-of-the-art S-400 missile defenses as part of its long-term military plans.

“I think it is clear that Russia is still pressing Vietnam for big deals,” Thayer said, noting that the two countries already have had reciprocal visits by defense ministers this year. But with the United States working hard to promote sales of American military hardware, and sanctions against Russia’s exporting agencies, Vietnam’s plans could prove overly costly.

Indonesia, meanwhile, said the delivery of the first couple of Sukhoi Su-35 jets out of a total of 11 is on track for this year. Officials said that so far they did not anticipate any changes to the deal with the Russians.

Indonesian defense officials declined to describe what, if anything, they might do to tackle the fallout of the sanctions imposed on Russian arms sales.

A Thorny Problem

Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Defense Secretary Sanjay Mitra held discussions with US officials in Washington last month to try to find a solution, a second Indian official said.

The issue is crucial to the Indian military, because without Russian parts, supplies and maintenance help, “our ships won't sail, our planes won't fly,” the official said. “We can hardly be the regional security provider that America wants us to be at this rate.”

One way to avoid secondary sanctions would be if the US determines that India is reducing its dependence on Russian arms, said Atman Trivedi, managing director of Hills & Company, a Washington-based firm that advises on international trade and investment.

Russian hardware represented 62 percent of the country’s total weapons imports during the past five years, compared with 79 percent in 2008-2012, the Stockholm Peace Research Institute said in a report last month.

The US administration could also declare that imposing sanctions on India, a major defense partner, would hurt US national security interests. That would allow a waiver permitting India to do business with Russia.

The United States has emerged as India’s No. 2 weapons supplier, closing $15 billion worth of deals over the last decade. Now Lockheed Martin and Boeing are leading the race to provide India with a fleet of new fighter-bombers, one of the world’s largest open tenders.

“The intent of the legislation was never to disrupt US-India defense relations, which Congress has repeatedly recognized in law as a strategic priority to the US,” said Benjamin Schwartz, aerospace and defense head at United States India Business Council.

Abercrombie of Carnegie added that if Congress grants waivers to India, it may also need to do so for other countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia.

“The bottom line: India warrants an exemption from these secondary sanctions, as does any country with which the US is forging new and strategically important defense relations,” she said.

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N. Korean Leader Visits Chinese Embassy, Hospital After Fatal Bus Crash

Posted: 23 Apr 2018 09:43 PM PDT

SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang on Monday to express “deep sympathy” over a bus accident that killed 32 Chinese tourists and critically injured two, the North’s state media said on Tuesday.

“He said that the unexpected accident brought bitter sorrow to his heart and that he couldn’t control his grief at the thought of the bereaved families who lost their blood relatives,” the North’s central news agency said.

The accident occurred on Sunday when a bus crashed off a bridge in North Hwanghae Province. Four North Koreans were also killed in the accident.

China is North Korea’s most important economic and diplomatic backer, although Beijing has been angered by Pyongyang’s numerous missile and nuclear tests.

Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Li Jinjun said Chinese President Xi Jinping and the families of the crash victims would be notified of Kim’s visit, while promising close cooperation with North Korean officials regarding the accident, the central news agency reported.

Kim also visited the hospital where the injured were being treated, the report said, adding that he “personally learned about the treatment of the wounded.”

The North Korean leader was cited as saying the North’s party and government would take follow-up measures to the accident “with utmost sincerity in a mind to alleviate the pain of the bereaved families even a bit.”

Chinese tourists make up about 80 percent of all foreign visitors to North Korea, says a South Korean think-tank, the Korea Maritime Institute, which estimates that tourism generates annual revenue of about $44 million for the isolated country.

Bilateral ties between the North and China showed signs of warming after Kim Jong Un made a surprise visit to Beijing in March, where he met with Xi Jinping and pledged to work towards denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.

The post N. Korean Leader Visits Chinese Embassy, Hospital After Fatal Bus Crash appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indonesian Motorcycle Taxi Drivers Protest Low Online Tariffs

Posted: 23 Apr 2018 09:37 PM PDT

JAKARTA — Hundreds of Indonesian motorcycle taxi drivers working for start-ups Grab and Go-Jek called on Monday for an end to low online fares and demanded tighter regulation of ride-hailing companies.

Around 1,500 drivers – wearing the green jackets and helmets associated with Singapore-based Grab and Indonesia’s Go-Jek – briefly disrupted traffic outside parliament in the capital Jakarta.

“There must be legal and social protection for online ‘ojek’ drivers as part of the national workforce,” a group of drivers for both companies said in a statement that used the Indonesian word for motorcycle taxi.

Startups like Grab and Go-Jek have been locked in price wars to capture market share in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. The firms have slashed prices for car rides, motorcycle trips and a raft of other services.

The transport ministry moved last month to classify Grab and Go-Jek as transportation instead of technology companies. That means they would be subject to the same regulations as regular taxi and bus companies and could potentially face higher costs and scrutiny.

But there were no plans yet to apply the regulations to motorcycle taxis, said Budi Setyadi, director general of land transportation at the transport ministry.

“With regard to tariffs, it depends on the goodwill of the companies,” Setyadi told Reuters on Monday.

The drivers said on Monday they want a standard fare of 3,000 to 4,000 rupiah (22 cents to 29 cents) per kilometer.

Both Grab and Go-Jek have yet to make significant changes to their tariff structure.

Grab has said it preferred to maintain current rates because "Grab has other programs to improve the livelihood of its drivers."

The post Indonesian Motorcycle Taxi Drivers Protest Low Online Tariffs appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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