Tuesday, June 19, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Support for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Still Strong on Social Media

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 07:28 AM PDT

YANGON — An analysis of Myanmar’s social media users by The Irrawaddy shows that “trust” in the country’s de facto leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, remains unanimous, though “negative” posts are still relatively high in heavily ethnic minority areas.

The Irrawaddy used the social media analytics program R to analyze online comments about the state counselor on the occasion of her birthday. The democracy icon, who swept to power in the 2015 elections on a wave of popular support after years of house arrest under military dictatorship, turned 73 today.


Her international reputation may have taken a hit since August, with some slamming her for failing to speak out against a military crackdown in western Rakhine State that has driven 700,000 mostly Muslim Rohingya to Bangladesh, many with reports of arson, rape and murder by security forces. At home, however, social media sentiment for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remains wildly positive. Even global sentiment remains more positive than negative.

According to social media analytics site Hootsuite, Myanmar has some 16 million active social media users as of this year.

R, meanwhile, allows a maximum 3,200 Twitter and Facebook posts to be analyzed for any search term.

An analysis of 3,200 posts in Myanmar on Tuesday using #Aungsansuukyi and “Aung San Suu Kyi,” respectively, showed a 100 percent “trust” rate, as defined by the program. Forty-three percent expressed “sadness” over her frail health and advanced age. Fourteen percent expressed “surprise,” “disgust” or “anger,” but the numbers were too low for the programs to analyze those sentiments in detail.

The Irrawaddy also analyzed posts by region, looking at the capital of each state or region. Positive posts were highest in those cities with the largest proportions of ethnic Burmese. Magwe led the way with 87 percent, followed by Mandalay with 72 percent and Yangon with 68 percent. Positive posts in Mawlamyine, Myitkyina and Hakha were all under 20 percent.

Conversely, negative posts were highest in regions with the most ethnic minorities. Myitkyina had the highest proportion of negative posts with 45 percent, followed by Sittwe with 38 percent and Hakha with 27 percent. Bago and Pathein, which have among the highest proportion of Burmese, had the lowest proportions of negative posts, at 2 percent each.

Internationally, support for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was also far more muted.

A separate analysis of 3,200 posts about her globally on Tuesday, using the program VADER, showed that 68 percent were generally positive and 27 percent were generally negative.

 

 

 

The post Support for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Still Strong on Social Media appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Months After Telecom Law Amendments, Defamation Cases Remain Common

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 07:07 AM PDT

YANGON — Amending the heavily criticized Telecommunications Law has been one of the most significant legal reforms undertaken so far by the National League for Democracy-led government.

The Parliament passed changes to the law in August last year following months of outcry over the growing number of defamation cases opened under the legislation.

Yet, free-speech advocates doubt the effectiveness of the reforms in addressing their concerns, as the most controversial provision of the law, Article 66 (d), which they want repealed, remains in place.

Now, 10 months after the amendments, according to Maung Saungkha of Athan, a freedom of expression activist organization, the only change has been that no more individuals have been prosecuted under the law for defaming State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Previously, there were 10 cases in which supporters filed lawsuits on her behalf as they felt she had been defamed.

Prior to the amendments, many individuals prosecuted under the law were accused of defaming national leaders including former President U Thein Sein and Myanmar Army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, despite the fact that the leaders themselves did not personally file the cases.

The amendments passed in August last year ban a third party from filing a case unless that individual has been granted legal power to do so by the "defamed" individual — a move that was considered a way of reducing the number of cases opened under the law.

Two other significant changes under the amendments are allowing bail to be granted to defendants, and a reduction in the maximum prison sentence to two years from three.

Maung Saungkha said the amendments had been ineffective as many cases relating to authorities such as government officials, political parties and religious leaders continue to be filed.

He cited a recent case in Arakan State in which an official from the State Education Department opened a case against regional lawmaker U Than Maung Oo under Article 66 (d) over his online post criticizing the state's education system, economy and heath care system.

"The government is asking the public to be patient regarding its work, but it can't tolerate public criticism," he said.

According to Athan, even after the amendments, 27 cases had been filed under Article 66 (d) within 10 months as of June 5.

Before the amendments to the law, there were 90 cases within a year and four months of the NLD taking power, compared to 11 cases under U Thein Sein's government after the law was originally enacted in 2013.

Of the 27 cases filed since the amendments to the law, Maung Saungkha said most were filed by nationalists including supporters of Buddhist monk U Wirathu who have opened cases on his behalf.

Maung Saungkha, who was jailed under Article 66 (d) of the law in 2016 for writing a poem deemed insulting to ex-president U Thein Sein, said that as a result of the failure to terminate the provision, the law is still being used to stifle dissent and remains a threat to freedom of expression despite the amendments.

In a recent report published by Athan on June 10, the group asked the government to terminate the provision.

Maung Saungkha said the second-most important factor is that the law still treats the violation as a criminal (rather than civil) offense, which means police can arrest the accused after a complaint is filed and detain them, even though they have yet to be found guilty.

Legal adviser U Khin Maung Myint said the number of cases being filed under the law is not declining as expected, as the police and the courts are accepting cases without properly understanding the amendments.

He said that in many cases, the institutions are accepting cases filed by a third party despite the clear provision in the amendment requiring the granting of legal power to do so by the affected person.

He said the amendments were also intended to reduce punishments. But the prosecuting institutions generally still do not do this, even though they also have the option of fining those who are found guilty.

"Amending the law is not done [for the sake of] legal reforms; the government should review the amendments to see whether they have improved the situation," he added.

The post Ten Months After Telecom Law Amendments, Defamation Cases Remain Common appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The Life of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi: A Timeline

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 06:27 AM PDT

Proposal to Impose Death Sentence in Child Rape Cases Voted Down

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 04:52 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — The Lower House voted down a proposal to impose the death penalty in child rapes cases.

Lawmakers on Monday debated the proposal of Rathedaung Township lawmaker Daw Khin Saw Wai, which urged the Union government to impose the death penalty for child rape to act as a deterrent to potential perpetrators.

U Myo Tint, a judge with the Supreme Court of the Union, argued that the death penalty may only increase the risk of the victim being killed by the rapist.

"Suppose the death penalty is introduced. The sex offender will have to face the death penalty whether he rapes or kills the victim. Under such circumstances, he might be more likely to kill the victim to destroy evidence. We need to consider the safety of the victims," the judge said.

Deputy Attorney General U Win Myint of the Union Attorney General's Office also pointed to instances of false rape claims.

"We also need to take this into consideration. We have to decide if it is fair to impose the death penalty in every case," he added.

Child rape accounted for 61 percent of total rape cases in 2016, 64 percent in 2017, and 68 percent until the end of April this year, said deputy minister for home affairs Major-General Aung Thu.

Even children aged between two and five were among the rape victims from January to February this year. Most of the victims were between 14 and 16, and most of the offenders were aged between 19 and 50.

A large number of rapes in Myanmar are committed by family members, but most are committed by strangers.

"It will take time to design a law against child rape. I would suggest adding a provision on child rape under Section 376 of the Penal Code," said Kawhmu Township lawmaker U Kyaw Swe Win.

The punishment for rape ranges from 10 years to 20 years imprisonment under Section 376. The crime of raping and killing is punishable by the death sentence, said U Myo Tint.

Eighteen offenders were given 20 years' imprisonment for child rape in 2016. The number increased to 25 last year.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Proposal to Impose Death Sentence in Child Rape Cases Voted Down appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Driver Drops Assault Charges Against Ne Win’s Grandsons

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 02:43 AM PDT

YANGON — A bus driver who was allegedly beaten and fired by two grandsons of former military dictator Ne Win has dropped a lawsuit against them after the two agreed to reinstate his driving license and drop reckless driving charges.

U Aung Myat appeared at the Hlaing Tharyar Township court on June 15 to drop the charges against the two brothers.

U Aung Myat previously worked as a driver for Omni Focus YBS Co., owned by Ne Win's grandsons Kyaw Ne Win and Zwae Ne Win. He was allegedly beaten by the brothers after the bus he was driving was involved in a minor accident with another company vehicle driven by Ko Kyaw Min Tun on April 28.

Ko Kyaw Min Tu also alleged that he was beaten and unfairly dismissed. He was also charged by the two for reckless driving.

U Aung Myat filed a complaint with the police who charged the brothers with assault under Article 202 of the criminal code. The brothers also opened their own case against U Aung Myat for reckless driving.

"I agreed to drop the charge because they agreed to reinstate my driving license," said U Aung Myat.

The Hlaing Tharyar Township judge in June revised the charges and charged the brothers for swearing and assault. The former carries three months' imprisonment with labor and the latter, a maximum one-year imprisonment and/or a fine of one million kyats.

Article 279 for reckless driving prescribes a maximum two years' imprisonment or a fine of 1,000 kyats or both.

Both drivers appeared for trial, but the two brothers have only sent their representatives to the court.

U Kyaw Ne Win met with U Maung Maung Han, a labor rights activist from Irrawaddy Region who is helping the two drivers, on June 5 and said that he would return the driving licenses and drop all charges if the two drivers would withdraw their charges as well.

U Kyaw Ne Win also said that he would give the drivers the compensation they had asked for, said U Maung Maung Han.

For unfair dismissal, U Kyaw Min Tun is entitled to 740,000 kyats compensation, while U Aung Myat, who had only been on the job for four months, is entitled to 590,000 kyats, said U Maung Maung Han.

Their former employer Omni Focus General Service Co Ltd had only given 400,000 kyats to U Aung Myat and 300,000 kyats to U Kyaw Min Tun.

U Aung Myat said he did not receive any money from the two brothers to drop the charges other than the compensation for unfair dismissal.

U Kyaw Ne Win declined to comment on the case when asked by The Irrawaddy.

The two brothers are likely to drop the charges against the drivers at the upcoming trial on Wednesday.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Driver Drops Assault Charges Against Ne Win's Grandsons appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UK, France Should Press Thai PM on Rights, to End Military Rule: Group

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 09:41 PM PDT

BANGKOK — Britain and France should highlight deteriorating human rights in Thailand when its prime minister visits this month and they should make clear there will be no “business as usual” until he holds a fair election, a rights group said on Monday.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief who ousted an elected government in a 2014 coup, has promised to restore democracy but has pushed back the date for a vote several times, while refusing to tolerate dissent.

British Prime Minister Theresa May and President Emmanuel Macron of France should “strongly express their deep concerns about the deteriorating state of human rights," Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

“They should make clear to General Prayuth that there will be no return to business as usual until Thailand holds free and fair elections, establishes a democratic civilian government, and improves respect for human rights,” he said.

A general election is now due in February, the government says.

Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd defended Thailand’s record, saying authorities were very respectful of rights.

“Right now, Thailand respects human rights no less than any other country,” Sansern told Reuters.

Thailand’s Western allies criticized Prayuth’s 2014 coup, which followed a decade of political turmoil that has brought two coups and bloody street protests.

The military banned political gatherings and protests after it took power and has taken tough action against dissent.

The European Union put relations on hold after the coup but in December resumed political contact “at all levels."

The EU is Thailand’s third-biggest trading partner after China and Japan. Thailand is the EU’s third-largest trading partner in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Prayuth will meet May in London on June 20, before he heads to France for a trip that includes a stop at Airbus in the city of Toulouse.

Prayuth and Macron are due to preside over the signing of an agreement between Thai Airways and Airbus to open an aircraft maintenance and repair hub at the civil-military U-Tapao Airport, southeast of Bangkok, Prayuth’s office said.

Thailand will also finalize the purchase of a $215 million observation satellite from Airbus, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak told Reuters.

The satellite will have multiple uses, the government has said, including for agriculture and national security.

The post UK, France Should Press Thai PM on Rights, to End Military Rule: Group appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 09:41 PM PDT

Charity Concert

Various artists will perform at this charity event.

June 23, 6:30 p.m. National Theater. Tickets available at Myanmar Medical Association on Theinbyu Road, Mingalar Taung Nyunt Tsp.

 

Culture Show

Myanmar culture will be showcased at this event.

June 23, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Vintage Luxury Yacht Hotel. Book tickets at 09-250846974.

World Music Day

World Music Day will be celebrated at Goethe Villa.

June 23, 6:30 p.m. Goethe Villa, corner of Kabar Aye Pagoada Road and Nat Mauk Street, Bahan Tsp. Free Entry.

Pop Music Night

Aung Htet and others will perform at this event.

June 23, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. The BEAT Bar, corner of Maha Bandula Street & Bo Myat Tun Street. Free Admission. Reservation at 09-762761569

Indian Food Week

This event is for Indian food lovers.

June 20, 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Novotel Hotel, Reservations at 09-251185989, US$34 per person.

 

Rum & Reggae

7 Joint will be playing reggae all night.

June 23, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. 7 Joint Bar & Grill at corner of Maha Bandula Street and 47th Street, Botahtaung Tsp. Free Admission. 09-260600552

Yangon Job Fair

Various positions will be recruited at this event.

June 23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rose Garden Hotel, No. 171, Upper Pansodan Street.

 

Shwe Property Affordable Housing Expo

Apartments will be up for grabs from 18 million kyats to 100 million kyats.

June 22-24, Hledan Center.

 

Happy 73rd Birthday

Artist Htee Saing will showcase portraits of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to mark her 73rd birthday.

June 17-30, Sagawa Art Gallery, at the corner of Thamadi Street and Lel Ya Shwe Myay Street, near Tamwe Court.

 

Nothing Special

Artists Soe Naing and Kae Su Tha will showcase their modern works.

June 21-23, OK Art Gallery, Aung San Stadium (North Wing).

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

US, South Korea Agree to Suspend Joint Military Exercise

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 09:38 PM PDT

WASHINGTON/SEOUL — The United States and South Korea have agreed to suspend a joint military exercise scheduled for August, South Korean and US officials said on Monday, following President Donald Trump’s pledge to end “war games” after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week.

“South Korea and the United States have agreed to suspend all planning activities regarding the Freedom Guardian military drill scheduled for August,” according to a South Korean defense ministry statement.

A Pentagon statement confirmed the suspension and added that there would be a meeting between the secretaries of defense and state as well as Trump’s national security adviser on the issue this week.

“Consistent with President Trump’s commitment and in concert with our Republic of Korea ally, the United States military has suspended all planning for this August’s defensive ‘war game’ (Freedom Guardian),” the statement said.

“We are still coordinating additional actions. No decisions on subsequent war games have been made,” Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said separately. The Pentagon rarely uses the words ‘war game’ for joint military drills and it is a phrase more often seen in North Korean state media.

Last year, 17,500 American and more than 50,000 South Korean troops participated in the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills, although the exercise is mostly focused on computerized simulations rather than live field exercises that use weapons, tanks or aircraft.

The US-South Korean exercise calendar hits a high point every spring with the Foal Eagle and Max Thunder drills, which both wrapped up last month.

The decision to halt military exercises in South Korea has bewildered many current and former US defense officials, who only learned about it when Trump made his remarks.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday there would be no changes to joint drill plans between the United States and Japan, both of which also engage in regular deterrence exercises against North Korea.

“The United States is in a position to keep its commitment to its allied nations’ defense and our understanding is there is no change to the US commitment to the Japan-US alliance and the structure of American troops stationed in Japan,” Suga said in a regular briefing.

Cost of Drills?

The Pentagon has yet to publicly release the cost of previous and future joint military exercises with South Korea, a week after Trump cited their “tremendously expensive” cost as a reason for halting them.

Spending data for previous military exercises in Korea and elsewhere, however, suggest that the cost of a single exercise would be in the low or perhaps tens of millions of dollars in a US military budget this year of nearly $700 billion.

In response to repeated requests for cost data, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan, said: “We are currently evaluating the costs of the exercises.”

Calculating the cost of military exercises is a complicated process, often requiring data from different branches of the military and spread over several budgets over different years.

Troops who would have been involved in the exercises would still require training and certification, which would still cost money, said Abraham Denmark, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia under President Barack Obama.

“To me, the idea of this as a cost saving measure doesn’t really make much sense,” Denmark said.

The post US, South Korea Agree to Suspend Joint Military Exercise appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Across Asia’s Borders, Trafficking Survivors Dial in for Justice

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 09:26 PM PDT

JESSORE, Bangladesh — When Neha Maldar testified against the traffickers who enslaved her as a sex worker in India, she spoke from the safety of her own country, Bangladesh, via video conferencing, a technology that could revolutionize the pursuit of justice in such cases.

The men in the western city of Mumbai appeared via video link more than 2,000 km (1,243 miles) west of Maldar as she sat in a government office in Jessore, a major regional hub for sex trafficking, 50 km from Bangladesh’s border with India.

“I saw the people who had trafficked me on the screen and I wasn’t scared to identify them,” Maldar, who now runs a beauty parlor from her home near Jessore, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “I was determined to see them behind bars.”

“I told them how I was beaten for refusing to work in the brothel in the beginning and how the money I made was taken away,” she said, adding that she had lied to Indian authorities about her situation after being rescued, out of fear.

Thousands of people from Bangladesh and Nepal – mainly poor, rural women and children – are lured to India each year by traffickers who promise good jobs but sell them into prostitution or domestic servitude, anti-slavery activists say.

Activists hope the safe, convenient technology could boost convictions. A Bangladeshi sex trafficker was jailed for the first time in 2016 on the strength of a victim’s testimony to a court in Mumbai via video link from Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital.

Convictions for cross-border trafficking in the region are rare as most victims choose not to pursue cases that have traditionally required them to testify in Indian courts, which meant staying in a shelter for the duration of the trial.

“They have always wanted to go back home, to their families,” said Shiny Padiyara, a legal counsel at the Indian charity Rescue Foundation that has facilitated video conferencing cases and runs shelters for trafficking victims.

“And most never return to testify.”

But video conferencing is making it easier to pursue justice. Survivors have given statements, identified their traffickers, and been cross examined in at least 10 other ongoing international cases in Bangladesh, advocates said.

“Enabling victims to testify via video conference will lead to a possible decrease in acquittal rates for want of prime witnesses,” said Adrian Phillips of Justice and Care, a charity that supports the use of video testimony to help secure justice.

Even then, it is tough. During Maldar’s three-hour deposition, she withstood a tough cross-examination, showed identity documents to prove her age and countered allegations by the defense lawyer that she was lying about her identity.

Unpardonable

Tara Khokon Miya is preparing her 27-year-old daughter to testify against the men who trafficked her to India from Dhaka, where she had been working in a garment factory.

“I almost lost my daughter forever,” she said, sitting in her home in Magura, less than 50 km from Jessore, describing how she disappeared after work and was taken to a brothel in India, and raped and beaten for almost a year before being rescued.

“What the traffickers did to my daughter was unpardonable,” Miya said, wiping her tears.

“We seek justice. I nurtured her in my womb and can’t describe what it felt like to not know about her whereabouts.”

The trial has been ongoing since 2013 when the young woman, who declined to be named, was repatriated. The charity Rights Jessore is helping the family through the process, by providing counseling and rehearsing cross-examination.

“The best thing is her father will be by her side when she talks in court,” Miya said, finally breaking into a smile.

India signed a bilateral agreement with Bangladesh in 2015 to ensure faster trafficking investigations and prosecutions, and with Nepal in 2017, and laid down basic procedures to encourage the use of video conferencing in court proceedings.

“The procedure is very transparent,” said judge K M Mamun Uzzaman at Jessore courthouse, which often converts its conference hall into a courtroom for video conferencing cases to protect survivors’ privacy.

“I’m usually present and victims are able to testify confidently … it is easy and cost effective for us,” he said.

“But the biggest beneficiaries are the survivors.”

The Future

Video conferencing in Bangladesh has been plagued by technical glitches such as power cuts and poor connections.

“Sometimes the internet connection is weak or it gets disconnected during the testimony,” said Binoy Krishna Mallick head of Rights Jessore, a pioneer in using this technology to encourage trafficking survivors to pursue justice.

“But these are just teething troubles.”

The bigger challenge, activists say, is to ensure survivors remain committed to the trial despite delays caused by a backlog of cases and witnesses’ failure to appear to testify.

Swati Chauhan, one of the first judges to experiment with video testimony in 2010, is convinced that technology can eliminate many of these hurdles.

“Victims go through a lot of trauma so it is natural that they don’t want to confront their trafficker in a court – but that doesn’t mean they don’t want the trafficker to be punished,” she said.

“A video conference requires meticulous planning and it is not easy coordinating between departments and countries. But it is the future for many seeking justice.”

The post Across Asia’s Borders, Trafficking Survivors Dial in for Justice appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Private School’s Expulsion of Kindergarten Students with Blood Disorder Stirs Furor

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 09:26 PM PDT

MANDALAY — The dismissal of two kindergarten students with a genetic blood disorder from a private school in Mandalay became the talk of the town over the weekend after their upset parents published the expulsion letter on Facebook.

The private school, Victory Education Center (VEC), ordered the two children to be withdrawn from the school on June 11 on the grounds that it could not provide proper care for them, sparking criticism from the parents, as the 2018-19 academic year was just beginning.

The two boys suffer from G6PD deficiency, which affects red blood function and can cause a type of anemia, usually after exposure to certain foods or medications.

The parents said they had informed the class teacher and school head about their children's health conditions and asked that they be aware of the food that children with G6PD deficiency must avoid. They were then surprised by the school's decision to return their tuition fees and dismiss their sons from the school.

"We requested they not expel our sons, but the teachers said it was the decision of their head and that we could do nothing," said Daw Nan Nwe Ni Soe, the mother of one of the students.

According to the parents, the two boys had attended the classes since June 4 and their forced withdrawal had upset them greatly. The parents sent a complaint letter to the Ministry of Education's Mandalay regional office on June 13, demanding action be taken against the school for allegedly discriminating against the students.

"We sent the complaint not to hurt the reputation of the school but to make sure no discrimination takes place in the future and so that the many other schools out there learn from this case and are made aware about the health of their students," Daw Nan Nwe Ni Soe said.

According to the regional office of the Ministry of Education in Mandalay, discriminating against students on the grounds of a health condition, race or religion is not allowed at any school or university, including private sector institutions, and the private school was issued a warning on June 15 and urged to take back the children.

When contacted for comment, school officials said they had already issued a statement on their official Facebook page and that they had no further comments to make.

The statement issued on Saturday said the school did not remove the two kindergarten pupils because of their specific health condition, but because the school was afraid it could not provide proper care for them.

"(The reason for) returning the students to their parents was not because the children have a G6PD deficiency, but because we are afraid we could not provide the detailed care that the parents requested," the statement said.

In its statement, the school also said that it had contacted the parents to discuss taking back the students, however, one set of parents said their child had already been accepted to another school while the other parents did not answer their calls.

However, the parents disputed the care guidelines were overly demanding, saying they had only provided a list of foods that their children should avoid and explained some facts about G6PD deficiency.

"When we told them our son has a G6PD deficiency, the teachers said they didn't know about it and so we've explained a bit about it to them. Maybe they thought we were requesting they give too much special care to our children," Daw Nan Nwe Ni Soe said.

"Actually, we only gave health information about our sons and requested the school inform the parents if there's something wrong with the child."

Human rights and child rights activists condemned the action of the private school for kicking out the two students based on their health issues.

"Dismissing the students because of a health issue is unacceptable. This is not a disease that could infect or harm others. The dismissal will greatly affect the mental health of the two students," said U Aung Myo Min, director of Equality Myanmar, a non-governmental human rights organization. "A child at this age can easily understand why he was not allowed to go to the same school, and knows how to avoid things that could trigger his health condition. So, dismissal from school due to their health issues could traumatize them."

The activist said that the incident highlighted the lack of knowledge about health issues and poor health support provided in schools across the country, where teachers "only emphasize producing excellent students, their good teaching methods and the fame of their school."

"Education should not be focused only on the learning abilities of the student, but also needs to take care of their health. Since the students spend most of their time in the school, the teachers also have to share the responsibilities with the parents for those children who need special health care," U Aung Myo Min said.

"They already have instructions from the Ministry of Education to accept the students, even those who live with HIV. This is the practice of government schools and the private sector also needs to follow the rule," he added.

G6PD deficiency is an inherited condition in which the body doesn’t produce enough of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, or G6PD. The enzyme helps red blood cells function normally. Deficiency in G6PD enzyme can cause hemolytic anemia, which occurs when red blood cells are destroyed faster than the body can replace them, usually after exposure to certain medications, foods, or bacterial or viral infections.

People with G6PD deficiency have to avoid eating fava beans, the main food that triggers hemolytic anemia, or inhaling pollen from fava plants.

Certain medications such as some antibiotics and medications used to treat malaria, certain analgesics such as aspirin, medications which include sulpha, high doses of Vitamin C, methylene blue, naphthalene balls and menthol are potentially harmful to people with G6PD deficiency.

The condition is common in certain parts of Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, where males are affected more than females. Some are diagnosed in early childhood or as newborns, while some never have any symptoms and do not know they have the deficiency until a blood test is done.

The symptoms of this type of anemia include paleness, jaundice, dark urine, fatigue, shortness of breath, and a rapid heart rate.

If a person with G6PD deficiency carefully avoids the medicines and foods that could trigger hemolytic anemia, the person is as healthy as a normal person, with no effects on their physical or mental health.

The post Private School's Expulsion of Kindergarten Students with Blood Disorder Stirs Furor appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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