Friday, June 1, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Man Shot Dead When Group Confronts Police With Swords

Posted: 01 Jun 2018 07:31 AM PDT

MANDALAY — Police in Mandalay opened fire on a group of young men who allegedly attacked them with swords on Thursday night, killing one and injuring another.

Colonel Myo Aung, the Mandalay District police chief, said the officers were set upon after arresting two suspected robbers at the Swedaw truck station in Amarapura Township.

"A group of young men with swords came and said they were angry with the police who arrested their friends and challenged the police," the chief said.

"They attacked the police when they were told to drop their weapons. Then the police had to open fire to disperse them. However, one of them died and one was injured in his cheek," he added.

Police said Ko San Htoo Aung, the injured man, was admitted to Mandalay General Hospital for treatment and that he was being sued for illegal weapons possession and attacking police.

Police also said they were searching for the other 20 men who attacked the officers but escaped.

Although the crime rate in Mandalay has not risen significantly of late, police say the area’s thieves, robbers and other criminals were growing increasingly fond of wielding knives and swords to scare their victims.

In the past week alone in Mandalay a gold shop was robbed, a group of sword-wielding men broke through the gate of a home and stole a motorcycle, and a group of men were fighting with swords in the street.

Police records say a group of men in their 20s with swords who stole at least 10 motorcycles was arrested in recent days and is being sued for theft, robbery and illegal weapons possession.

"We care about the concerns people have raised, so we've increased security, especially at night, and are cooperating with division police,” Col. Myo Aung said. “Most of the arrested people are in their twenties, and we found out that they are unemployed, have little education and have a strong desire to make easy money because they want to spend like a boss. They've admitted to the crimes."

The post Man Shot Dead When Group Confronts Police With Swords appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Yangon Government’s 2018-19 Budget Proposals Come Under Fire

Posted: 01 Jun 2018 07:01 AM PDT

YANGON — The Yangon regional government came under intense criticism in Parliament this week for its proposed 2018-19 budget, with MPs expressing concerns about the planned spending of billions of kyats.

U Yan Aung, an NLD regional lawmaker from Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township, said during a Friday parliamentary session the draft budget included expenses that are "unacceptable and unnecessary".

He pointed to proposed spending on office supplies, such as 800, 000 kyats for a swivel chair and 4 million kyats for woodcarved furniture, while the MPs' suggestions for funds for township development were largely ignored.

"Furniture is bought every year. Is that furniture only for one year's use? And after being used for one year, is it being thrown away?" U Yan Aung said.

The MP wondered aloud whether the furniture was actually being bought, and urged Parliament to consider whether it was necessary.

"I suggest the budget be examined carefully. If not, public funds will be squandered," he said.

The planned spending on furniture was among a number of items in the budget that MPs expressed vigorous opposition to during the debates this week.

Another hot topic was that the proposed purchase of 10 Ford cars to be used as official vehicles for the Yangon regional government at a cost one billion kyats.

The cars are intended to be used to ferry guests to regional government functions. MPs strongly criticized the proposal and stressed priority be given to the needs of the general public.

The draft budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which will start on October 1 and end on September 31, 2019, was submitted by the Yangon Regional Minister for Planning and Finance U Myint Thaung on May 25. Nearly 20 lawmakers debated the budget proposals starting on Wednesday.

On Friday, the Yangon Parliament Finance, Planning and Economic Committee proposed a set of budget cuts.

NLD regional lawmaker Daw Sandar Min, who chairs the committee, said a total of 3.6 billion kyats had been requested for the purchase of vehicles including the 1 billion for the 10 Ford sedans and for the office of the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC).

She said the General Administration Department (GAD) had also asked for 1 billion kyats to buy 21 double-cab cars in the 2018-19 fiscal budget.

Daw Sandar Min said a total of 57 vehicles had previously been bought for the GAD.

"Given that the budget for those vehicles shouldn't be approved, to ensure necessary development of the townships is properly funded, we [the committee] would like to ask that the allotted funds be cut," she said.

The committee also proposed cutting 107.65 million kyats for various planned expenditures at Yangon City Golf Club, which come on top of 1.5 billion kyats allocated for its six-month operating budget from April to September.

The committee also asked to cut a proposal from a YCDC request for 6.8 billion kyats to invest in Yangon City Bank to allow it to provide foreign banking services, and suggested the money be used instead for township development projects.

In addition to the government's contentious expenditure proposals for the upcoming fiscal year, the lawmakers also condemned the regional government's lack of transparency.

Last month, an urban development proposal from the Yangon government regarding infrastructure, transportation, housing and economic development projects was rejected after lawmakers called for more transparency.

Lawmakers complained that the report the government had submitted to Parliament included only titles of projects and general information, making it difficult for them to approve it.

Last week, the MPs also asked the regional auditor general to examine the Yangon government's spending of 64 billion kyats on City Bank, 70 billion on Yangon Bus Service and 7.8 billion kyats for farmland repairs—which were allocated in a supplementary 2016-17 budget.

The lawmakers' heated debates over the government's proposed budget expenditures and lack of transparency were welcomed as a sign the check-and-balance mechanism between parliament and the government was working.

The Yangon Parliamentary speaker announced on Friday that the regional government would provide clarifications about its budget proposals during the Monday session.

The post Yangon Government's 2018-19 Budget Proposals Come Under Fire appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Three-Person Commission to Investigate Rakhine Abuses

Posted: 01 Jun 2018 06:26 AM PDT

YANGON – The Myanmar President's Office announced on Thursday a plan to establish a three-member independent commission of enquiry to investigate alleged rights violations in northern Rakhine State's strife-torn Maungdaw region, both by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and "related abuses".

The commission is to include one international member and two local experts. The names of the appointees and a specific timeframe for the commission's mandate have not been announced. The President's Office merely stated that international and national experts would assist the team. The brief statement says the move is in accordance with the interim recommendations of the Advisory Board for the Committee for the Implementation of the Recommendations on Rakhine State, which was created in December by Myanmar's de facto leader, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

That implementation committee contained five high-profile international figures and five local experts and was led by former Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai. One of the foreign members, veteran US diplomat Bill Richardson, quit the panel after accusing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of a creating the panel to "whitewash" and act as a "cheerleading squad" for the government's policy. He refused to take part in the commission's first visit to strife-torn northern Rakhine after his efforts to intervene on behalf of two Reuters reporters detained for their coverage of the Rakhine issue were neglected by the State Counselor.

Also Thursday, the Myanmar government signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Rohingya refugee repatriation process with two UN agencies, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The government has been discussing the agreement with the relevant parties since February 2018.

The surprise signing of a tri-party MoU with two UN agencies comes a few weeks after a visit by a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) delegation in early May to northern Rakhine, where ARSA's serial attacks on 30 security outposts in late August 2017 triggered a devastating military clearance operation by the Myanmar military that has driven some 700,000 mostly Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh amid allegations of arbitrary killings and rapes by the security forces. The UNSC delegation described the mass devastation of Rohingya villages as "ethnic cleansing". At a briefing in New York in May, the UNSC called on the Myanmar government to collaborate in a credible investigation. In response, Myanmar's permanent ambassador to the UN urged the council to investigate "atrocities" committed by the ARSA against civilians.

The government's latest move triggered a public debate on Facebook. Some Arakanese lawmakers expressed concerns, and former information minister U Ye Htut criticized what he labeled the government's "commission cycle". Since taking office in 2016, the ruling NLD government has already set up several commissions to address the deep-seated issues fueling the Rakhine crisis.

Yangon-based political and ethnic affairs analyst U Maung Maung Soe said establishing an independent commission and signing an MoU with UN agencies was likely timed to ease international pressure, especially from international rights groups who have urged that Myanmar's military leaders be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The government is also being pressed by the UN to allow a fact-finding mission to Maungdaw.

U Maung Maung Soe suggested the government strive for internal unity on the Rohingya issue as a first step. Myanmar's various ethnic groups have different stances and tend to remain silent when it comes to the Army's crackdown on the Rohingya, as they have experienced similar rights violations in Kachin, Shan and other conflict zones. Without winning the collective support of the country's ethnic groups, the government's successes on the international stage will only be temporary, U Maung Maung Soe said.

"Ethnic groups should have a united position on supporting the government in solving the Rakhine issue; this is the most important thing. If the government fails to solve it, international pressure on Myanmar will harden," U Maung Maung Soe added.

Lower House lawmaker U Pe Than of the Arakan National Party (ANP) questioned why the government was offering only limited information, and had not revealed who the commission members are. And the description in the statement of the commission as "independent" is also questionable, the lawmaker said, as true independence would require the members to be able to move freely and observe the locations of alleged abuses.

"At the moment, we have very limited information about the commission. So we will wait until they reveal specific information such as the names of the members of the commission, its timeframe and who it will report to," U Pe Than said.

He speculated that if the commission dug deeply into the details of rights abuses in northern Rakhine, such as finding the perpetrators of arson attacks on villages during the clashes, it could lead to further violence in the region as both sides—the Army and Muslim villagers—accuse each other of burning houses. Moreover, consistently demanding the resettlement of Muslim villagers on southern Maungdaw's coastline for human rights reasons could prompt clashes with Buddhist Arakanese, as the Rakhine community sees this area as essential for security matters.

"The more independent the inquiry body, the more problems we are likely to face on the ground," U Pe Than said.

The post Three-Person Commission to Investigate Rakhine Abuses appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Is the President Truly Above the Commander-in-Chief?

Posted: 01 Jun 2018 05:59 AM PDT

Executive power in Myanmar is divided between the civilian government and armed forces. As many political observers put it, there are two lions sharing a cave.

But then how can the president exercise his executive power to order the military to stop fighting in an ethnic minority region, particularly in the north?

Indeed, this is an ongoing debate among political observers and ethnic leaders.

U Win Myint is now president and believed to be focusing on fixing several critical problems. But he will also — many hope — be given more executive power from his boss, and Myanmar’s de facto leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

This debate resumed when UN Security Council members visited Myanmar (after Bangladesh) to learn about the crisis in northern Rakhine State in early May.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing told the council delegates: "Our Tatmadaw [military] represents Myanmar, and though I am the head of the Tatmadaw, our country has the president. And we Tatmadaw act under the leadership of the president."

He was responding to a question about clearance operations in Rakhine State that have driven some 700,000 mostly Muslim Rohingya to neighboring Bangladesh.

The Tatmadaw, the army chief added, “is under the guidance of the Myanmar government. We only take action according to the mandate given by law and we are not authorized to do anything beyond the limits of the law."

We still don't know if U Win Myint has had any quality conversations about this sensitive subject with Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing since he took office in March.

But it is clear who ordered the 2,000 to 4,000 troops to Rakhine State when Muslim terrorists began attacking civilians.

The deployment was ordered not by then-President Htin Kyaw, but by Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.

In August, a delegation comprising seven members of the Arakan National Party visited the army chief to discuss local concerns and called for heightened security measures in Rakhine State. They asked the military to send more troops because ARSA and other radical Muslims had slaughtered local civilians.

Who, then, ordered the clearance operations? Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing or U Htin Kyaw? The answer is obvious. Interestingly, though, there was no counter-statement from the civilian administration.

This week The Irrawaddy asked a Defense Ministry official whether the military was prepared to obey if President U Win Myint were to order it to stop fighting in Kachin State.

Brigadier General Aung Kyaw Hoe, the ministry’s permanent secretary, replied: "The Tatmadaw is under the leadership of the state. The president is the head of the country. If he gives an executive order, we are ready to obey. There is no reason we won't obey it."

It is understood that his answer caused some in Naypyitaw to hit the roof. Regardless, will U Win Myint test his powers and order the military to stop fighting in Kachin?

Former President U Thein Sein, an ex-general who was lauded as a reformer, ordered the military to halt attacks on the Kachin in 2011. As a result, the fighting gradually ceased and the leaders of the Kachin Independence Army came to the negotiating table. But the generals complained that the Kachin had expanded their bases during the peace talks and the attacks resumed.

Since the National League for Democracy took control of the civilian government in early 2016, the National Defense Security Council has not met. Though the army and government have had joint security briefings, the fighting in Kachin should be discussed at a proper meeting of the council.

Ethnic leaders are frustrated with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s long silence on the fighting in Kachin and Shan states. She has been to Kachin and visited camps housing displaced families. But it seems she has little influence over the army chief, even after gushing that she was fond of the military as her father, General Aung San, had founded the armed forces.

But the real issue here is the 2008 Constitution, which forces two lions to share a cave and limits the civilian government’s executive powers.

As the Constitution clearly states: "The Defense Services have the right to independently administer and adjudicate all affairs of the armed forces and the commander-in-chief of the Defense Services is the supreme commander of all armed forces."

It goes on: "The Defense Services have the right to administer military affairs independently; the Defense Services are mainly responsible for safeguarding the non-disintegration of the Union, the non-disintegration of national solidarity and the perpetuation of sovereignty; the Defense Services are mainly responsible for safeguarding the Constitution."

Myanmar's fundamental power structure won't change if the military continues to play a leading role in national politics as stipulated by the Constitution. It will only serve to set the two lions on a collision course.

But wishful thinking among some political observers has it that the generals may be hinting that they are ready to compromise with the current civilian government now that they say they are under the president’s orders. Or they may simply be trying to shift the blame for the Rakhine crisis onto the civilian government with international rebuke focused mainly on them.

Some are asking why the civilian leadership is so silent and displaying a siege mentality.

At a press conference in May 2016, Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said: "The commander-in-chief is ranked below the president. Contrary to what many assume, we are working together [with the civilian government]."

So should U Win Myint order the military to stop fighting in Kachin State and see how the army responds?

Isn't it time for the president and army chief to sit down and be frank about who is telling the truth?

The post Is the President Truly Above the Commander-in-Chief? appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

North Korean Restaurant in Yangon Ordered to Close its Doors

Posted: 01 Jun 2018 04:18 AM PDT

The government ordered a restaurant belonging to the North Korean Embassy in Yangon be shut down recently following a request from the US for Myanmar to respect a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution on sanctions against North Korea.

Aryani Manring, who is assistant public affairs spokesperson for the US Embassy, told The Irrawaddy that the US had urged the government of Myanmar to comply with UNSC resolutions.

"The expulsion of DPRK laborers working at the DPRK restaurant in Yangon is part of Myanmar's compliance with DPRK-related UNSC resolutions," Manring said, referring to the country's official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Manring referred further questions about the closure of the restaurant to the Myanmar government.

The Pyongyang Koryo Restaurant opened on Saya San Road in Bahan Township in 2011 when Myanmar had better ties with North Korea.

A dozen young North Korean women who were all attired in similar dresses served tables at the restaurant. They could speak some Burmese and even sang Burmese language songs.

U Tin Soe, general secretary of the Bahan Township authority, told BBC Burmese language radio yesterday that the Myanmar Immigration Department had ordered the restaurant to close two months ago.

The restaurant has a new owner and is currently undergoing renovations, he said.

U Zaw Htay, chief spokesperson of the President's Office, refused to comment on the government's decision to order the restaurant shut when asked by The Irrawaddy. He suggested reporters contact the Yangon regional government for information.

Observers have speculated that the Myanmar government agreed to the US request because it wanted to show it was a good friend of the United States and respects UNSC resolutions.

In the past, the Myanmar Army bought weapons from North Korea when the two countries enjoyed better relations. When the deal was revealed, it attracted condemnation from the United States and other countries. But, today Myanmar appears to want to show that it does not have a close relationship with North Korea anymore.

The post North Korean Restaurant in Yangon Ordered to Close its Doors appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Defense Council, Not President, to Decide Military Chief’s Retirement Age

Posted: 01 Jun 2018 03:35 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — While the president has the authority to appoint the commander-in-chief of the Defense Services, determining his retirement age is the task of the 11-member National Defense and Security Council (NDSC), a senior civil servant said on Thursday.

In response to The Irrawaddy's questions about the age at which Myanmar Army chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing, 61, will retire, Union Civil Service Board (UCSB) spokesperson U Saw Valentines said his agency had no authority to set the retirement age of the army chief, adding that the NDSC is ultimately responsible for this according to the 2008 Constitution.

U Saw Valentines made the comments at a UCSB press conference in Naypyitaw.

Under the law, the retirement age for most civil servants is 60, but this provision does not apply to Defense Services personnel, he said. Constitutionally, the president shall appoint the military chief based on the proposal and approval of the NDSC, he said.

"We don't have authority to decide the retirement age for the commander-in-chief of Defense Services. But as far as I know, according to the 2008 Constitution, the president can appoint him with the proposal and approval of the NDSC," said U Saw Valentines.

The 11-member NDSC consists of the president, the two vice presidents, the speakers of the two houses of Parliament, the army chief, the deputy army chief, the foreign affairs minister, the border affairs minister, the home affairs minister, and the defense minister.

Chief of General Staff (Army, Navy and Air) General Mya Tun Oo said in July 2016 that the retirement age for both the army chief and deputy army chief is set at 65.

Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing was born on July 19, 1956. He was appointed commander-in-chief when president U Thein Sein's government was sworn into office in 2011 and was promoted to the rank of senior-general in March 2013.

Article 291 of the 2008 Constitution stipulates that relevant military laws shall be applied to military personnel because the nature of military service differs from that of the civil services.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Muslim Teacher Falls Victim to Travel Restrictions in Rakhine

Posted: 01 Jun 2018 03:11 AM PDT

YANGON — Ma Hla Hla Phyu was shocked to learn of her big sister’s arrest on May 23 at a government checkpoint in the Taungup Mountains of Rakhine State on the road to Yangon.

Ma Hla Hla Phyu, 19, and her sister Ma Hla Phyu, 26, also known as Ma Raw Mie, are victims of the communal riots that pitted some of Rakhine State’s Buddhist and Muslim communities against one another in 2012. It its wake, authorities evicted at least 2,000 Muslims from several quarters of southern Rakhine’s Kyaukphyu town on the grounds of preventing further violence.

Ma Raw Mie had passed the government’s high school matriculation exam in Kyaukphyu the year before, but the riots put her hopes and dreams of a brighter future on pause as the family of five was shipped off to a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) on Kyaukphyu’s outskirts along with hundreds of others.

She started teaching at a school inside the Kyauktalone IDP camp that serves some 300 students. She also held a National Verification Card (NVC) for non-citizens, introduced by the previous government to replace the so-called white cards. So, having never been to Yangon, she decided to visit the country’s bustling commercial capital on May 23 without telling the rest of her family.

Taungup Township police officer Major Ko Ko Oo confirmed that Ma Raw Mie was arrested the same day and soon sentenced by the local court to a year in prison with hard labor for violating Article 6 (c) of the 1949 Immigration Act for possessing someone else’s National Registration Card (NRC), also known as a pink card. He declined to provide details and referred additional questions to the police station, where officers refused to comment.

The court proceedings took only two days and Ma Raw Mie was given no chance to find a lawyer. According to the police report, she tried to cross into Bago Region with the NRC of an Arakanese woman from Ramree Township, Ma Khin Moe Moe Win.

Ma Hla Hla Phyu told The Irrawaddy that authorities transferred her sister to Thandwe prison on Friday. She questioned the severity of the sentence. In 2016 a Chinese national was arrested in Mandalay for possessing a fake identity card and only fined 100,000 kyats ($73.80).

"I don't know what's going on there because we had no idea about her trip. We want to visit her and hear her explanation," she said.

A government checkpoint near Taungup Township, Rakhine State. / Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy

Form (4)

But the chances that the sisters will get to meet are low, considering how difficult it is for Muslims in Rakhine to travel, even with an NVC. Displaced Muslims in the state must secure a travel permit from the Immigration Department for any trip either in or outside of Rakhine. Securing a permit can take a week or more.

"We can't go anywhere without Form (4), even in Rakhine," said U Maung Ni, a resident of the Kyauktalone IDP camp.

Most Rohingya Muslims reject the NVC even though the government regularly promotes its supposed advantages.

Some 700,000 mostly Rohingya have fled Rakhine for neighboring Bangladesh since attacks on security posts there in late August by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) triggered a military crackdown mired by widespread reports of arson, rape and arbitrary killings by Myanmar’s security forces. The UN has accused the military of ethnic cleansing and called on the government to accept a "credible independent investigation."

In April, following a trip to the refugee camps in Bangladesh, Social Welfare Minister U Win Myat Aye said NVC holders could fill out Form (4) and secure citizenship within five months, depending on approval from the relevant government departments. The NVC does not guarantee citizenship on its own.

Immigration rules stipulate that NVC holders must use Form (4) to apply for travel permits and to access health or education services. Those who secure the travel permits cannot stay outside of Rakhine State for more than 45 days and must inform authorities of when they leave and return 24 hours in advance.

The form was created during the rule of the State Peace and Development Council under military dictator U Than Shwe and deliberately targets Muslims travelling from Rakhine to Yangon. Even former lawmaker U Shwe Maung, who ran in the 2010 elections as a candidate for the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party and now lives in asylum in the US, had to use the form to travel.

Broken Promises

Ma Raw Mie had applied for a travel permit several times in 2017 and 2018 but was always refused.

U Phyu Chay, who heads the Kyauktalone IDP camp’s management committee, said at least 50 NVC holders applied for travel permits in 2017 and that not one has heard back from the Immigration Department.

"Whenever we asked immigration officers, they always said they were waiting for approval from above. Then it always disappears into the air. We don't exactly understand the meaning of ‘from above,’" he said.

U Maung Ni said some of the rejected applicants had even included recommendation letters from doctors. He said immigration officials in Kyaukphyu had forwarded the applications for travel to Yangon to the state capital, Sittwe, from where they were sent on to Naypyitaw and Yangon.

Despite the social welfare minister’s claim that NVC holders who fill out Form (4) were eligible for citizenship within five months, more than 600 Muslims in the Kyauktalone IDP camp with NVCs since 2015 have yet to secure citizenship.

The Kyauktalone IDP camp on the outskirts of Kyaukphyu town, Rakhine State. / Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy

U Phyu Chay said he has had many private meetings about the displaced Muslims in Rakhine with Union ministers from both the previous and current government.

"They gave me words behind closed doors about the NVC. You know, even Union ministers are cheating us,” the camp manager said. “U Win Myat Aye also made verbal promises in several private meetings with us. But we were dreaming their words. Both the previous immigration minister, U Khin Ye, and U Win Myat Aye are the same; they never kept their word. It's all lies."

He said authorities had granted travel permits to some recent applicants but revoked them after learning that the population of the IDP camp had shrunk significantly because many residents who had already traveled to Yangon never returned. The camp was home to some 2,000 people in early 2013 but now houses only half that. Some Muslims say the government should go after those who have violated the terms of their travel permits rather than punish new applicants in their stead.

The NVCs, U Phyu Chay said, are “just for show. What a dirty game! I am totally disappointed in their behavior."

Presidential Pardon

Ma Raw Mie is not the only Muslim to be jailed for traveling without the requisite documentation. On Sunday, President U Win Myint pardoned 58 Rohingya refugees who had crossed into Myanmar illegally while returning from Bangladesh. Cases against four other arrested Rohingya were dropped.

According to a statement from the State Counselor’s office, the 58 had already served some prison time. It added that authorities would not prosecute any returnees unless they were suspected of having participated in the ARSA attacks in August, during which nearly a dozen security personnel were killed.

U Phyu Chay said that if the government can pardon people who enter the country illegally it ought to pardon Ma Raw Mie, and take into consideration her volunteer work at the government-recognized school in the Kyauktalone IDP camp. Some Buddhist activists have even joined a "Free Ma Hla Phyu" campaign on Facebook.

"I would like to ask our president to please pardon my sister," said Ma Hla Hla Phyu.

The post Muslim Teacher Falls Victim to Travel Restrictions in Rakhine appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

President Calls for Nationwide Anti-drug Groups to Include Civilians, Civil Society

Posted: 01 Jun 2018 02:25 AM PDT

YANGON — Myanmar's President U Win Myint has instructed that interested civilians and civil society groups be included in forming anti-drug groups across the country.

In meeting with Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe, home affairs minister and chairman of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control, President U Win Myint on Thursday urged the formation of anti-drug committees at the township, district, regional and state levels comprised of regional authorities, civil society and civilians.

"Meth tablets are readily available across the country. The Home Affairs Ministry alone can't control this. It calls for effective cooperation from civil society organizations and locals," deputy minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement U Soe Aung, who was present at the meeting, told The Irrawaddy.

The president also called for the formation of an anti-drug task force that works under the direct command of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control, along with suitable penalties for drug production, distribution and dealing.

He also spoke of the need to raise awareness of the dangers of drugs, the availability of medical treatment and the rehabilitation of drug users.

In February, the Myanmar government and the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) launched a new national drug control policy, which aims to contribute to safe, secure and healthy communities through a policy that addresses all aspects of the drug problem.

In his address at the launch of the new drug control policy, Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe acknowledged that "our past approach was very focused on supply reduction and less on other issues, and as a result, it did not achieve everything we had planned. By working with the UNODC and adopting UN best practices, we believe we will have much better results for the people and the country.”

In the third week of May, the UNODC said that illicit drug production rages on in conflict-torn regions in Myanmar, with supplies being smuggled into nearby countries but also reaching as far as Australia.

Malaysian authorities reported their largest ever seizure of crystal methamphetamine, nearly 1.2 tons of the drug, disguised as tea in a shipment from Myanmar on May 22.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Yangon Govt Criticized for Proposed Car Purchases

Posted: 01 Jun 2018 01:26 AM PDT

YANGON — The Yangon regional government has come under fire from regional lawmakers regarding its proposal to buy 10 Ford cars, which cost 100 million kyats each ($74,000), in its proposed budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year.

Lawmakers on Wednesday and Thursday discussed the proposed budget of the Yangon regional government for the 2018-19 fiscal year.

"Though some budget requests are necessary, I want to question if they should be prioritized. For example, is it necessary to spend 1 billion kyats to buy 10 cars to be used as office vehicles for the Yangon regional government?" questioned Hlaing Township lawmaker Daw Khaing Mar Htay.

Lawmakers U Wai Phyo Han of Insein Township, U Thein Naing of South Dagon Township, U Zaw Moe Lwin and Daw Thet Thet Mu of Kyauktan Township, U Zin Min Htwe of Dagon Seikkan Township and U Zaw Win Naing of Latha Township criticized the proposed budget.

U Wai Phyo Han of Insein Township said: "The government is an elected government, and it therefore, needs to fulfill the requirements of the people of first."

"We've found that not enough money is spent on the requirements of the people, but excessive money is spent on the requirements of departments," he added.

Besides the regional government's proposal to buy Ford cars, lawmakers also criticized the proposed expenditure of 5.1 billion kyats by the regional municipality's engineering department to build six, six-story staff quarters, and a proposed expenditure of more than 2 billion kyats by the Cooperatives Department, which hardly makes any money.

"I would say it is a spendthrift use of public funds. I am very disappointed that we have to fight with the government whenever we discuss the budget. The government can spend as necessary, but it should also give and work [for the people] as necessary," said U Wai Phyo Han.

U Zaw Moe Lwin of Kyauktan Township also criticized the proposed budget of the Cooperatives Department.

"While it has proposed more than 2 billion kyats of expenditure, its proposed projects for the 2018-19 fiscal year are unlikely to yield any profit."

The expenditure proposed for the 2018-19 fiscal year, 648 billion kyats, is almost the combined total of the budgets of the previous two fiscal years. We'd expect significant results from such increased spending," said Latha Township lawmaker U Zaw Win Naing.

"We can assume that the proposed spending increase is due to taxation. If we spend such a large amount of money, we have to make sure we have progress."

The Yangon regional government spent 336 billion kyats in the 2016-17 fiscal year, and the proposed budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year was 400 billion kyats, according to the records of the Yangon regional Parliament.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Shan State Parliament Refuses to Let Lawmaker Raise ‘Human Shield’ Allegations

Posted: 01 Jun 2018 12:50 AM PDT

Shan State Parliament refused to discuss allegations that different armed forces had used local civilians as human shields to clear landmines in northern Shan State, according to a local lawmaker who tried to raise the issue.

Sai Htun Nyan, from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) from Kyaukme Township in northern Shan, told The Irrawaddy that many people in his constituency had provided accounts of how they were forced to act as "guides," walking in front of military units through minefields. While many of the armed groups active in the area employ the practice, the Myanmar Army does it the most, he said.

Shan State Parliament was in session from May 24 to 31 when Sai Htun Nyan proposed discussing the issue with the intention to condemn the armed groups that employed the practice, but Parliament officials turned him down.

"They did not accept my proposal. They did not inform me with an official notice. Parliament officials just told me that I could not talk about it in Parliament and that the government office would not give me permission," Sai Htun Nyan said.

The lawmaker said his brief did not mention any armed groups by name although the Parliament and government probably understood whom he was going to identify, and therefore rejected his motion.

"It seemed to me that if I condemned other ethnic armed groups and mentioned particular names, they would let my proposal pass and I would be able to raise the issue in Parliament. But as it was likely to mention their army, they blocked it," he said.

Lawmakers are required to propose the issues the want to table in Parliament 10 days before they intend to talk. The parliamentary office then examines the proposal, and if they agree to it, they let the lawmaker raise the issue in Parliament for discussion.

Normally, it is the parliamentary office that is responsible for screening the suggested topics and making a decision on whether to allow them to be raised. However, in this instance the Shan State government asked local authorities to check the lawmakers' proposals, in violation of parliamentary procedure, Sai Htun Nyan said.

"I wanted to highlight the incident of a mine explosion that injured a local villager in Taw Sang," he said.

Taw Sang is a village in Kyaukme where there have been frequent clashes between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) but it has also been the site of fighting between the Myanmar Army and the TNLA.

According to Sai Htun Nyan, a local ethnic Shan man was forced to walk ahead of a Myanmar Army infantry column in a conflict area where he stepped on a land mine on May 3. The man was wounded in his leg while some nearby soldiers were killed on the spot by the explosion. The army was in the area to investigate the scene after a clash between the RCSS and TNLA.

"It is quite usual for our Shan armed groups to use civilians as guides. If they are lucky and there is no fighting, the local person is allowed to return home. This practice has been widely used by many of the armed groups in Shan State. But, the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) uses it the most," Sai Htun Nyan added.

"I feel sad as I cannot talk on behalf of my constituents. I feel like I did not do my duty," he said.

The post Shan State Parliament Refuses to Let Lawmaker Raise 'Human Shield' Allegations appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

After 40 Years, Artist Returns to His Darkest Days as a Prisoner

Posted: 01 Jun 2018 12:17 AM PDT

YANGON — More than four decades have passed, but artist San Minn still can't forget the darkest days of his life, spent behind bars after he was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the U Thant funeral crisis.

When U Thant, who served as the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, died in November 1974, the government refused to hold a state funeral for the highly respected diplomat. The decision triggered a series of protests and riots in Yangon, then the country's capital.

Monks in Prison (U Thant Strike)

"I could never forget those experiences," San Minn told The Irrawaddy recently. Now, he has drawn on them to create a series of paintings and installations that will be displayed June 4-9 at Lokanat Gallery.

The event, his 15th solo show, is billed simply as "Prison Series." The modernist painter is known for choosing themes that reflect the political and social affairs of the day. His work is sought after by individual collectors from the US, the Netherlands, Italy, China and Singapore, and has been purchased by museums in Japan and Singapore.

The Walls Have Ears

San Minn's creations are not for those looking for pleasant, decorative scenes. His latest paintings depict the bitterness, grievances, frustration, hardship and fear experienced by prisoners.

In one of his paintings, an inmate sits smoking on a shabby mat inside a dilapidated cell while a fellow inmate relieves himself nearby. In neighboring cells, inmates eat, drink or gaze outside. Some appear to be in despair, others crying after having been tortured.

Discussing one painting depicting human ears sprouting from the walls of a prison cell, San Minn said, "Prison authorities sometimes put informants inside the prison. They would report back to the prison officials. We had to be careful about what we said."

It is Not a "Dream"

The exhibition includes an installation featuring a fighting cock's cage. Inside it are punching bags, chicken feathers and bloodstains. The work is titled "Conflict," which he said was a reference to cells housing political prisoners with differing political views. "Since they have different ideologies, they fight."

The exhibition comprises 33 paintings and five installations. "I have long wanted to put together a prison-themed exhibition. It is about the daily life of a prisoner. So I'm happy that I've been able to organize it," San Minn said.

Political Prisoners from Three Eras

The post After 40 Years, Artist Returns to His Darkest Days as a Prisoner appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China’s Free Trade Talks with Sri Lanka Hit Major Hurdles

Posted: 31 May 2018 10:36 PM PDT

COLOMBO — Talks between China and Sri Lanka for a free trade agreement have hit major hurdles, mainly because Beijing will not agree to Colombo’s demand for a review of the deal after 10 years, Sri Lanka’s top negotiator said.

China has invested billions of dollars building ports and roads and power stations in the Indian Ocean island nation just off the southern toe of India as part of its Belt and Road Initiative to increase its trade and other connections across Asia and beyond.

But concerns have grown in recent months that such investments can drive the country of 21 million people deeper into debt and undermine its sovereignty, prompting greater scrutiny of deals with China.

China’s exports to Sri Lanka dwarf the trade that goes in the other direction, leaving Colombo with a big deficit with Beijing.

Sri Lanka’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghe said this week that Colombo was insisting on a right to review the free trade pact after 10 years, but China was not ready to agree that.

Ministerial level discussions about an agreement have not been held since March last year. Lower-level discussions between officials have made little progress, according to Weerasinghe.

“The talks have come to a standstill. China wants to remove the review clause,” Weerasinghe told Reuters. Beijing was opposed to such an option because it wanted longer-term stability, he said.

China's commerce ministry did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

The review clause that Sri Lanka wants would allow it to change some of the deal terms if they were hurting the island nation's local businesses.

Another Contentious Issue

Weerasinghe said another point of contention was that China wanted zero tariffs on 90 percent of goods the two countries sold to each other as soon as an agreement is signed while Colombo would rather it started with zero tariffs on only half of the products concerned and expanded gradually over 20 years.

China has been pushing for free trade pacts with countries in the region and last year sealed an agreement with the Maldives that drew criticism from opposition political groups in the tropical islands’ nation. They said it had been rushed through parliament with less than an hour of debate.

Sri Lanka has previously said it wanted more time to negotiate the free trade deal with China as it is concerned about the economic impact of a rushed deal on its economy.

Sri Lanka imported $4.2 billion worth of Chinese goods in 2016, mostly raw materials for garments, machines and electronics, metals, transport equipment and chemicals. Its exports to the world’s second largest economy were just $211 million the same year, which included textiles, tea and vegetables, footwear and rubber.

The 2017 figures for China trade have still not been released by the Sri Lankan authorities.

The trade deficit with China accounted for nearly half of the nation’s total deficit in 2016, adding pressure on the country's current account deficit, central bank data showed.

Sri Lanka's foreign debt rose nearly 17 percent to 4.72 trillion rupees ($30 billion) last year, a fifth of that coming from loans from China to finance the massive construction program across the island.

Colombo is separately negotiating a trade pact with India, but that is also moving slowly because Sri Lankan businesses fear they will face competition from a flood of cheap goods made by Indian firms.

The post China's Free Trade Talks with Sri Lanka Hit Major Hurdles appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rohingyas at ICC Demand Justice Over Myanmar Deportations

Posted: 31 May 2018 10:20 PM PDT

THE HAGUE — Hundreds of Rohingya victims have appealed to judges at the International Criminal Court to grant prosecutors jurisdiction to investigate deportations from Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh, an ICC official said on Thursday.

The world’s first permanent war crimes court does not have automatic jurisdiction in Myanmar because it is not a member state, but the prosecutor in April asked the court to look into the Rohingya crisis and a possible prosecution through Bangladesh, which is a member.

Since August, nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled a military crackdown in mainly Buddhist Myanmar, the United Nations and aid agencies have said.

Refugees have reported killings, rape and arson on a large scale; some countries compared the situation to the widespread ethnic cleansing seen during the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

"We are of Rohingya identity and we want justice,” the group said in a letter, demanding that the court take action. “We have been raped, tortured and killed.”

It was signed with fingerprints of the victims, mostly illiterate women from rural communities.

A submission on behalf of 400 victims was handed to the court on Wednesday, backing the earlier request from the ICC prosecutor for jurisdiction, spokesman Fadi El Abdallah said.

The families asked the court to examine allegations not only of deportation but persecution and what they called genocide by the Myanmar military against the Muslim Rohingya minority.

Myanmar has rejected the efforts to establish international jurisdiction over the matter.

Lawyers representing a group called Shanti Molhila, or Peace Women, said the court should hear the case because some of the crimes were committed across the border in Bangladesh.

In her request to judges, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda argued that the ICC had jurisdiction over the deportations because of the cross-border nature of the offense

The post Rohingyas at ICC Demand Justice Over Myanmar Deportations appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UN and Myanmar Agree Outline of Rohingya Return Deal, No Details

Posted: 31 May 2018 10:14 PM PDT

GENEVA/YANGON — The United Nations said on Thursday it had struck an outline deal with Myanmar aimed at eventually allowing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims sheltering in Bangladesh to return safely and by choice.

Since August 2017, about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled a military crackdown in mainly Buddhist Myanmar, many reporting killings, rape and arson on a large scale, the UN and other aid organizations have said.

“Since the conditions are not conducive for voluntary return yet, the MoU (memorandum of understanding) is the first and necessary step to support the government’s efforts to change that situation,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.

Myanmar’s government said in a brief statement late on Thursday the MoU would be signed “soon” and UN agencies would “support access to livelihoods through the design and implementation of community-based interventions."

Myanmar civilian government spokesman Zaw Htay said he had nothing to add to the statement.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete the voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years but differences between the two sides persist, impeding implementation of the plan.

In a separate statement on Thursday, Myanmar’s government said it would set up an independent commission to investigate “the violation of human rights and related issues” in Rakhine State following the army operation there in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents on security posts.

The commission will be assisted by international experts, the statement said without elaborating.

In the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, senior UNHCR official George William Okoth-Obbo told reporters after a five-day visit to Rohingya refugee camps along the border that conditions in Myanmar did not yet allow a “safe and sustainable return."

Okoth-Obbo said an immediate challenge for humanitarian agencies was to relocate 200,000 Rohingya refugees threatened by seasonal monsoon flooding and landslides to a safer place.

The United Nations and aid agencies have described the crackdown on the Rohingya as “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing," an accusation Myanmar rejects.

The Security Council asked Myanmar in November to ensure no “further excessive use of military force” and to allow “freedom of movement, equal access to basic services, and equal access to full citizenship for all."

Myanmar has for years denied Rohingya citizenship, freedom of movement and access to basic services such as healthcare. Many in Myanmar regard the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from mostly Muslim Bangladesh.

The post UN and Myanmar Agree Outline of Rohingya Return Deal, No Details appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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