The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Government Denies Suu Kyi’s Comments Influenced Court’s Decision in Reuters Case
- Exploring Inwa, a Royal Capital in Ruins
- Four Dead in Magwe Coal Mine Explosion
- Parliament Rejects Lawmaker’s Pleas for Action to De-Escalate Fighting
- Request for Legal Proceedings in ‘Ghost’ Container Ship Case
- Combining Mon Parties Select Name for New Political Party
- President Urges Parliament to Back Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty
- Rescuers with Dogs Search for Survivors after Deadly Hokkaido Quake
- Facebook Removes Burmese Translation Feature After Reuters Report
- International Criminal Court says it Has Jurisdiction Over Alleged Crimes Against Rohingya
| Government Denies Suu Kyi’s Comments Influenced Court’s Decision in Reuters Case Posted: 07 Sep 2018 06:44 AM PDT YANGON — State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's comments in a June interview on the then-ongoing case of two reporters who have subsequently been jailed on charges relating to their coverage of the conflict in Rakhine State did not influence the outcome of their trial, a government spokesman said on Friday. Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were on Monday convicted of violating the Official Secrets Act and jailed for seven years after the court ruled they had been in possession of state secrets. Myanmar President's Office spokesman U Zaw Htay admitted that with the United Nations General Assembly scheduled to be held this month, the conviction of the Reuters journalists was likely to bring more international pressure on Myanmar. "On the other hand, the sentencing highlights that the judicial system in Myanmar is independent and free from government intervention," he added. U Zaw Htay was giving a press briefing in Nyapyitaw on Friday afternoon on the current international affairs facing Myanmar and the state of the peace process, when some reporters asked him about comments made by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during an exclusive interview with Japanese broadcaster NHK on June 28. In the interview, she said the "two reporters were not arrested for covering the Rakhine issue" and that "they were arrested because they broke the Official Secrets Act." U Zaw Htay was asked whether her remarks had put pressure on the court to deliver a guilty verdict, and strongly denied the claim. Last December, the Reuters reporters investigated the massacre of 10 Rohingya men in Rakhine State's Inn Din village by a group of local villagers, police and Army troops. When the reporters returned to Yangon from northern Rakhine, they contacted Police Captain Moe Yan Naing, who had recently been transferred from Maungdaw Township, to confirm some facts about a mass grave in Inn Din. At that time, the Myanmar authorities were bluntly denying that security forces had committed any mass killings during their clearance operations in the area following a series of attacks against security officials by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army in August 2017. The United Nations says the military crackdown has sent nearly 700,000 people fleeing to Bangladesh. In January, the Army announced that seven soldiers involved in the killings had been sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labor in a remote area of Myanmar. The two reporters were brought before the court in a series of hearings over a period of nine months in a trial that resulted in both of them being handed long prison terms. Observers were critical of the fact that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had made her comment on their guilt prior to the court's verdict and sentencing in the case. Furthermore, it seemed at odds with her own warning during previous interviews that commenting on an ongoing trial could be considered contempt of court. Responding to the query over whether her comment influenced the trial, U Zaw Htay said, "In terms of the NHK interview, to be frank, I can decisively say: Definitely not. We did not pressure the judiciary and this [comment] should not be seen as pressure either. Other than journalists, ordinary people—and even the court—were unaware of that interview." The spokesman insisted that the State Counselor had clearly stated that she wouldn't comment on judicial affairs, and that those were matters for the courts. However, the record shows that she made the comment that the two reporters were "not arrested for covering Rakhine", and were arrested because "they broke the Official Secrets Act" on two occasions. Comments from her in which she specifically declines to comment on the reporters' guilt have in fact been rare. In a press conference the day after the reporters were jailed, their wives, Pan Ei Mon and Chit Su Win, said they were "extremely upset" by the comments from a person they had admired as much as State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. They said they had not expected the two men to be given such long prison terms. Family members, defense lawyers and journalists are pinning their hopes on presidential pardons for the two reporters. The 2008 Constitution clearly states that the power to pardon ultimately lies with the Union president; Section 204 of the charter stipulates that "the president has the power to grant a pardon." When asked by journalists whether the government had considered presidential pardons for the jailed Reuters reporters, U Zaw Htay said, "Not so far." On Tuesday, the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) urged the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government to "seriously consider all aspects of the larger interest of the country" as international and local criticism of the government mounted over the case. The post Government Denies Suu Kyi's Comments Influenced Court's Decision in Reuters Case appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Exploring Inwa, a Royal Capital in Ruins Posted: 07 Sep 2018 05:45 AM PDT YANGON—Inwa, formerly known as Ava, was once the royal capital of the mighty Burmese kingdom. The city was founded by King Thado Min Phaya in 1364 at the confluence of the Myint Nge and Ayeyarwaddy rivers. Since the earthquake of 1838 destroyed the city, it has become a place of hidden secrets and many features of the ancient capital remain in various states of dilapidation resulting in a mysterious collection of historic pagodas, temples, stupas and other buildings.  Nowadays, a visit to Inwa can bring you back to the rich historical past through palace ruins, a massive damaged wall and moat. The farms, village and horse carts that continue to exist there today will give a strong sense of Burmese village life that feels a world away from cities like Yangon or Mandalay. For these reasons, I did a day trip to Inwa while visiting Mandalay a few weeks ago. The distance from Mandalay to Inwa—only 21 kilometers south of the city—makes it easy to visit.  We rented a car for the day for 35,000 kyats and it only took about 45 minutes to get there from Mandalay. Starting from the city's entrance, the roads were clear and lined with a small brick wall next to another massive palace wall, and a moat which all gave me a sense of being in an ancient Burmese village and I was so excited to see more. Many horse carts were being driven around by the local women and some of them were explaining the city's history as paid guides. Our first stop was at the Mahar Aung Mye Bonzan Monastery which is also known as Me Nu Oak Kyaung. The monastery is located at the entrance of Inwa Palace and it is one of the few remaining historic buildings from the Inwa dynasty. It's famous for its brick building which was donated by Queen Nanmadaw Me Nu.  The monastery was built in 1822 and badly damaged in the 1838 earthquake but later restored by Queen Sinphyu Mashin, a daughter of Queen Me Nu and a queen of King Mindon, in 1873. Most old Burmese monasteries were built of teak or wood but this one was built of brick with the floors and interior walls made of teak. The monastery is a yellowish color and is really impressive from the outside. Inside the monastery, you can see mural paintings from the Inwa dynasty and there are also Buddha statues. The landscape scene the monastery is set in is really beautiful and it is a good opportunity to take a photo.  Then we moved to the next place, a teak building called Bargaya Monastery first built in 1595. During the reign of King Bagidaw (1819-1837), the monastery was burnt during a huge fire outbreak. Many parts of the monastery were damaged and abandoned. The Myanmar Government resurrected the monastery based on designs of the old one in 1992. Now you can see the amazing architecture of the building and the brilliant teak craft skills used. The whole black monastery wall is decorated with engravings mostly of birds, flowers, and people. Inside the monastery, there are high wooden pillars and it's really mind-blowing.  There are a few Buddha statues which were sculpted during the Inwa dynasty. Many parts of the building such as the floor and tiered roof are damaged and need restoration. The monastery is still in use by monks with some living there, but you can still go inside. Bargaya Monastery has an entrance fee for foreigners of 10,000 kyats. In Myanmar, visitors have to take off their shoes at those kinds of religious monasteries, temples and pagodas but I saw some foreigners there wearing shoes inside. I thought maybe they didn't know or they forgot. I would like to request that foreigners follow these rules when they visit there.  We then traveled down a narrow earthen road flanked by fields of banana trees. After 10 minutes' drive we saw some beautiful shrines. One shrine was called Wingabar and though the building was damaged on the outside, we could still enter it. The inside of the building is like a maze and you might get lost along the way so please ask the vendors nearby and they will show you the right way to go upstairs and get to the top of the building. The stairway was really narrow and dark so we had to use phone flashlights but the view from the top of the building was green and beautiful. At the top of the building, there were a lot of human-made brick stacks and I built my own one too.  Near this shrine is another called Myint Moh Taung and you can also climb up to the top of the building of that one. The place really reminded me of some pagodas in Bagan. Another example of the old Myanmar architectural style is a watch tower called Nan Myint which is 90 feet (30 meters) high and was built in 1822 but it was also destroyed by the earthquake of 1838 and now leans perilously to one side. Visitors can only view it from the outside because the wooden stairs are damaged and can't be climbed.  I thought the trip had ended as we were leaving the ancient city through the palace entrance, but then we observed some other temples like Yadanar Hsimee and Lay Htet Gyi pagodas which are located on the boundary roads of Inwa Palace. Yadanar Hsimee Pagoda is already an Instagram-friendly ancient attraction of Inwa and there are some souvenirs to buy there. Though the pagodas don't have much background information and most people don't know their exact history, they are famous for their building structure, ancient engravings and mural paintings. Then the trip really was over. On reflection, I have a few travel tips for a visit here. Inwa is really hot so wear comfortable clothes and bring sunglasses and a hat as well. I strongly recommend wearing slip-on shoes because there are a lot of pagodas, temples and monasteries and you will have to take off your shoes repeatedly. Follow these tips and I am sure you will enjoy your day at Myanmar's ancient royal capital. The post Exploring Inwa, a Royal Capital in Ruins appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Four Dead in Magwe Coal Mine Explosion Posted: 07 Sep 2018 04:21 AM PDT MANDALAY–At least four people are dead, one seriously injured and four are still trapped after an explosion in a coal mine in Saw Township, Magwe Region, on Thursday. According to police, a methane gas explosion trapped 12 coal mine workers on Thursday morning at Htun Yarzaw coal mining company in Kyauke Myaung, a village in Saw Township about 130 kilometers north of the city of Magwe. "Rescuers rushed to the area and were able to rescue seven miners right after the incident. However, three of those rescued have died since and one remains in a serious condition," said the duty officer from Saw Township Police Station. Police said the bodies of Ko Kyaw Naing Tun (25) and the other man who died inside the mine were carried out on Thursday and Ko Tin Kyaw Win (25), who received serious injuries during the explosion, was sent to the general hospital in Saw Township for medical treatment. Police said the body of another miner, Ko Aung Zin Htun (17) was recovered from the mine on Thursday afternoon, followed by a fourth on Friday morning. However, the condition of the four remaining trapped miners is still unknown. "Another body was brought out this morning and rescue work is still ongoing. We hope the remaining four miners will be found safe," said the police officer. According to the police, the incident is under investigation and a lawsuit has been opened against U Min Min Oo, the manager of the coal mining company, for the negligence of safety at the mine and for the death of the miners. Meanwhile, rescuers are struggling in their efforts to bring out the trapped miners as the mine contains dangerously low levels of oxygen. "It is very risky for the rescuers to go down into the 700-feet deep mine as there isn't sufficient oxygen due to the gas explosion. The chance of survival for the trapped miners is also getting lower. We will do our best and work as fast as we can to bring out them," said U San Lin, the chief of Saw Township Red Cross Association, which is leading the rescue efforts in coordination with firefighters, police, army, the health department and locals. In Magwe Region, about 40 coal mines are in operation mainly in Saw, Minbu, Minhla, Pauk and Gantgaw regions. The Magwe regional government ordered the closure of a coal mine in Minbu after a deadly explosion there which claimed eight lives in November 2017. In August this year, an explosion in Thit Chauk coal mine in Sagaing Region killed five miners, including one Chinese technician. The post Four Dead in Magwe Coal Mine Explosion appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Parliament Rejects Lawmaker’s Pleas for Action to De-Escalate Fighting Posted: 07 Sep 2018 02:22 AM PDT YANGON—Proposals that the Union Parliament and Lower House take urgent steps to de-escalate fighting in ethnic regions in order to protect civilians were rejected for debate, said Nan Kham Aye, a Lower House lawmaker representing Shan State's Namtu Township who submitted the motions. The lawmaker on Wednesday put forward a proposal to the Lower House urging the Union government to de-escalate armed conflict, drawing attention to the plight of civilians caught up in ongoing clashes in Namtu Township. "[The office of the Lower House] said that the proposal is against parliamentary rules because [de-escalation of armed conflicts] is not something that Parliament can do," Nan Kham Aye said. A similar urgent proposal she submitted to the Union Parliament on Tuesday was also rejected. In that motion Nan Kham Aye urged the Union government to hold negotiations with all armed ethnic groups, including both signatories and non-signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), to end armed conflicts. Fresh clashes broke out in the township on Aug. 30 between the Shan State Army-South (the armed wing of the Restoration Council of Shan State) and troops of the Northern Alliance. The clashes have displaced over 2,000 villagers since then, according to local residents. The Northern Alliance bloc of four armed ethnic groups comprises the Kachin Independence Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army. The latest clashes followed earlier fighting between Myanmar's military (also known as the Tatmadaw) and Northern Alliance troops in Namtu Township, she said. "Clashes have been going on for a long time, and have become fierce now. Who will come and take care of local people when clashes break out? No one," Nan Kham Aye said. "People have to flee by themselves and take shelter at monasteries or rely on their relatives. Local residents are very vulnerable right now," she added. The government is working on the peace process, but its representatives have not been able to see conditions on the ground, so it does not understand the basic needs of the people, she said, referring to the fact that public consultations have yet to be held in the areas controlled by some of the ethnic NCA signatories. The consultations are a required step before national-level political dialogues can be held. "I submitted the proposals in response to the demands of the people, and I am sad that they were rejected," the lawmaker said. Cultivation season has arrived, but locals have not been able to grow any crops, as they have had to flee the fighting, said Sai Yan Pyae, a resident of Man San village in Namtu Township. "If they can't grow in the rainy season, they will not have sufficient food until next year. They might have to find other jobs and may fall into debt," he said. "We were not injured, but our houses were damaged," said a resident of Nam Pon village who fled to Man San following renewed clashes on Aug. 30. "As we are taking shelter at a monastery now, so we don't have to worry about food. We don't want to see any more clashes. We just want to go back to our village and live a normal life," he said. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are currently receiving food from donors, but could face a shortage in the long term, local residents said. The post Parliament Rejects Lawmaker's Pleas for Action to De-Escalate Fighting appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Request for Legal Proceedings in ‘Ghost’ Container Ship Case Posted: 07 Sep 2018 02:03 AM PDT YANGON—The Department of Marine Administration will seek legal advice from the Union Attorney-General's Office to file a lawsuit regarding a 'ghost' container ship which ran aground near the mouth of the Gulf of Martaban, 7 nautical miles (13 kilometers) from Thongwa Township in Yangon Region in late August. At a press conference held by the department in Yangon on Thursday, department director-general U Thaung Kyaing said "legal proceedings will be initiated according to the remark of the Attorney-General's Office." The rusty container ship Sam Ratulangi registered in Palau, an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean, was first discovered by fishermen off Yangon on Aug. 29. Two days later, the Myanmar Navy found a tugboat, called Independence, which had towed the freighter, about 80 kilometers off Myanmar’s coast.  The Navy found 13 Indonesian crew members on board the tugboat who said they had been towing the vessel since Aug. 11 and intended to take it to a ship-breaking factory in Bangladesh where the ship would be dismantled. The Indonesian crew members said that they released the freighter after some of the cables attaching it to the tugboat broke in bad weather on Aug. 27. They confessed that they failed to inform the authorities of Myanmar in whose territorial waters their ship went adrift, according to the Department of Marine Administration. The 13 Indonesian crew members are being held in detention in Kawthoung for investigation, said U Thaung Kyaing. Since the incident, the Navy has come under criticism regarding the marine security of the country. It is difficult for a poor country like Myanmar, said U Thaung Kyaing, to constantly keep an eye on the country's territorial waters that stretch from the Naf River in Rakhine to Kawthoung in Taninthayi Region. Following the case, some interest has been shown by the government in establishing a coastguard force for the security of Myanmar's coast, he said.  The owners of the Independence tugboat have appointed Daw May Thant Zin as their Myanmar representative to work for the release of the 13 Indonesian cabin members. Daw May Thant Zin claimed that the crew members did not abandon the container ship, but they were arrested while attempting to recover it. The Singapore-based First Capital Insurance Co, which the owners of the Sam Ratulangi have an insurance policy with, has also appointed a Myanmar representative to handle the case. The Department of Marine Administration is also arranging for officials from the Indonesian Embassy to Myanmar to be able to visit the detained crew members. The post Request for Legal Proceedings in 'Ghost' Container Ship Case appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Combining Mon Parties Select Name for New Political Party Posted: 07 Sep 2018 01:28 AM PDT MON STATE—Ethnic Mon politicians have selected a name under which they will establish a new political party, with Sept. 21 to be the date they will make the official announcement on the agreement to join as one political force, according to local sources. Members of the Mon National Party (MNP), the All Mon Region Democracy Party (AMRDP), another group focused on representing all ethnic Mon, and some CSOs have agreed on the title 'Mon Party' for their future participation in elections as one political force representing the people of Mon ethnicity who live in southern Myanmar. Nai San Tin, the spokesperson for the Mon Party, told The Irrawaddy that his party firstly asked the people for suggestions for the name to give their new political party and received a total of 49 suggestions. A joint force of a number of Mon political leaders selected a final 10 names from these and from them the name 'Mon Party' was selected. "We selected 10 names out of the 49 and then sent them back again to our ethnic people to select one final name," he said. Many ethnic Mon agreed to use 'Mon Party', which he said was a "decision not from us, it was from our people." Mon leaders will celebrate their joining as one force at Royal Hinthar Hotel in Moulmein on Sept. 21 when they plan to officially announce the new party's name. The leaders of the new Mon Party are required to write a constitution for the party, and they must then go to register it officially in Naypyidaw. Before the merging of the parties, each had their own draft party constitution, which the party leaders will combine to create a new one-party constitution which will be appropriate for the current political Mon situation, said Nai San Tin. In the 2015 elections, the MNP and AMRDP won a total of only four seats in the state legislature, where the National League for Democracy holds the majority. Some ethnic Mon citizens protested against the two parties after the election for not heeding their calls to merge and asked them again to do so as soon as possible. Their critics added to the pressure by suggesting the possibility of forming a third, alternative Mon party. The new Mon Party has formed a central committee of 100 members and a central executive committee of 44 members, with members of the MNP and AMRDP each filling a 50-50 share of the seats. The new party will run in the 2020 election. "We were able to form one political force according to the wish of our ethnicity today. We have had this wish for a long time. It is time for our Mon ethnicity to be glad," he said. The post Combining Mon Parties Select Name for New Political Party appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| President Urges Parliament to Back Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty Posted: 07 Sep 2018 01:27 AM PDT YANGON—Myanmar President U Win Myint is seeking lawmakers' approval to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, with a final decision to be made next week in the Union Parliament. Union Minister for International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin explained Myanmar's stand on the abolition of nuclear weapons and the details of the president's proposal to sign the prohibition treaty to lawmakers on Thursday in the Union Parliament. "The government supports nuclear disarmament," U Kyaw Tin said. He said the Myanmar government believed nuclear disarmament is the only way to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, and the use of such weapons, whether intentional or accidental. According to the Signature and Ratification terms of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, members need to follow a comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any nuclear weapon activities such as undertakings not to develop, test, produce, acquire, possess, stockpile, use or threaten to use nuclear weapons. The treaty also prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on national territory and the provision of assistance to any state in the conduct of prohibited activities. Myanmar became a non-nuclear weapon state party to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1992, and signed the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Treaty in 1995, committing not to develop nuclear weapons. The country also signed the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and a Small Quantities Protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1995. However, Myanmar attracted global concern in the 2000s when the country's then military rulers maintained close relations with North Korea on arms sales, nuclear missiles development and nuclear warhead technology. The Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative said Myanmar had developed relations with North Korea in the hope of receiving missile and nuclear weapon technologies. In November 2008, the then chief of staff of the Myanmar Army, Navy and Air Force, and the coordinator of Special Operations, Shwe Mann, who now heads the Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission formed by the National League for Democracy-led government in 2016, led a 17-member, high-level delegation on a seven-day visit to Pyongyang. Among the sites they visited were secret tunnel complexes built into the sides of mountains to store and shield jet aircraft, missiles, tanks and, possibly, nuclear and chemical weapons. The visit prompted then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to express concern, saying that Myanmar's ties with North Korea would destabilize the region and posed a direct threat to its neighbors. "We know that there are also growing concerns about military cooperation between North Korea and Burma, which we take very seriously," she said in Bangkok in 2009. But Myanmar explicitly denied any cooperation with North Korea during Clinton's first visit to the country in 2011. After U.S. President Barack Obama's visit in November 2012, Myanmar announced that it would sign the Additional Protocol. In 2013, Myanmar signed the agreement, but it has yet to ratify the instrument. Myanmar also signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 2016, but has not yet ratified it. However, according to the Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative, Myanmar expressed an interest in nuclear energy for peaceful uses as early as 1955. NTI said Myanmar has consistently looked to Russia to obtain assistance on nuclear technology. In 2001, Russia and Myanmar signed a contract to design radioisotope production. Although a few hundred Myanmar specialists have trained in nuclear research in Russia, NTI could not confirm whether the government is continuing to send scientists abroad after its decision to sign the Additional Protocol — an agreement created in the 1990s to strengthen existing rules — in 2012 and increase its transparency regarding its nuclear program. In March 2015, Rosatom, Russia's State Atomic Energy Commission, announced that Myanmar and Russia had agreed to cooperate further on nuclear energy development, according to NTI. Myanmar was pushed to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by ASEAN in 2014 when the previous U Thein Sein government held the ASEAN chair. But the country failed to do so, missing a chance to gain political capital among ASEAN countries, experts said. On Thursday, U Kyaw Tin told the Union Parliament: "The treaty aims to abolish nuclear weapons from the world. That suits our ambitions. We have already received decisions from related ministries." A total of 60 countries have signed the treaty and 14 have agreed to sign, including ASEAN members Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam. Union Parliament Speaker U T Khun Myat said a final decision would be made on Sept. 14. He said if lawmakers want to discuss the issue in Parliament, they have until Monday evening to propose their names. The post President Urges Parliament to Back Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Rescuers with Dogs Search for Survivors after Deadly Hokkaido Quake Posted: 06 Sep 2018 10:33 PM PDT TOKYO—Rescue workers with dogs searched for survivors on Friday in debris-strewn landslides caused by an earthquake in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido that killed at least 16 people, officials said, with 26 still missing. Electricity was restored to nearly half the island’s 5.3 million residents after a blackout triggered by Thursday morning’s 6.7-magnitude quake. There were also widespread transport cuts after the pre-dawn quake, the latest natural disaster in a deadly summer in Japan. Nearly 5,000 people spent the night in evacuation centers where food was distributed in the morning. “It was an anxious night with several aftershocks, but we took encouragement from being together and now we’re grateful for some food,” one woman told public broadcaster NHK. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told an emergency meeting early on Friday that 22,000 rescue workers had worked through the night to search for survivors. With rain forecast for Friday afternoon and Saturday, he urged people to be careful about loose soil that could cause unstable houses to collapse or further landslides. “We will devote all our energy to saving lives,” Abe said. Hokkaido Electric Power Co. aimed to bring more than 80 percent of the 2.95 million households back online by the end of Friday, industry minister Hiroshige Seko said. Flights resumed from midday at Hokkaido’s main airport, New Chitose, with more flights planned for the afternoon, airline officials said. The island, about the size of Austria, is a popular tourist destination known for its mountains, lakes and seafood. Landslides wreck homes Soldiers in fatigues and orange-clad rescue workers searched for survivors, picking through debris on huge mounds of earth near the epicenter in Atsuma in southern Hokkaido. Aerial footage showed rescuers with dogs walking through the destruction. All 26 missing people are from the Atsuma area, where dozens of landslides wrecked homes and other structures and left starkly barren hillsides. “I just hope they can find him quickly,” one unidentified man told NHK as he watched the search for his missing neighbor. The quake damaged the big Tomato-Atsuma plant, which normally supplies half of Hokkaido's power and is located near the epicenter, forcing it to automatically shut down. That caused such instability in the grid that it tripped all other power stations on the island, causing a full blackout. Hokkaido Electric was bringing other smaller plants back on line and also receiving some power transferred through undersea cables from the main island of Honshu. The quake was the second disaster to hit Japan this week alone after a summer during which the country has been battered by deadly typhoons, flooding and a record heat wave. Kansai International Airport has been shut since Typhoon Jebi ripped through Osaka on Tuesday, although some domestic flights operated by Japan Airlines (JAL) and ANA’s low-cost carrier Peach Aviation resumed on Friday, the carriers said. JR Hokkaido planned to resume bullet train operations from midday. It was also trying to resume other train services on Friday afternoon, a spokesman said. Manufacturers were still affected by power outages. Toyota Motor Corp’s Tomakomai factory, which makes transmissions and other parts, said operations remained suspended indefinitely until power was restored, a spokesman said. Toppan Printing’s operations at a plant in Chitose, which makes food packages, would remain suspended until it regained power, a spokesman said. The quake prompted Japan’s Self Defense Forces to cancel two joint military exercises in Hokkaido, including the first-ever drill with Australian fighter jets, and a training exercise with the US Marine Corps. A soccer friendly between Japan and Chile scheduled for Friday in Sapporo was also called off The post Rescuers with Dogs Search for Survivors after Deadly Hokkaido Quake appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Facebook Removes Burmese Translation Feature After Reuters Report Posted: 06 Sep 2018 09:59 PM PDT LONDON—Facebook has removed a feature that allowed users to translate Burmese posts and comments after a Reuters report showed the tool was producing bizarre results. A Reuters investigation published on Aug. 15, documented how Facebook was failing in its efforts to combat vitriolic Burmese language posts about Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims. Some 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar over the past year amid a military crackdown and ethnic violence. In late Aug., United Nations investigators said Facebook had been “a useful instrument for those seeking to spread hate” against the Muslim minority group. The Reuters article also showed that the translation feature was flawed. It cited an anti-Rohingya post that said in Burmese, “Kill all the kalars that you see in Myanmar; none of them should be left alive.” Kalar is a pejorative for the Rohingya. Facebook had translated the post into English as “I shouldn't have a rainbow in Myanmar.” A spokeswoman for Facebook said the Burmese translation feature was “switched off” on Aug. 28. She said the Reuters article and feedback from users “prompted us to do this.” “We are working on ways to improve the quality of the translations and until then, we have switched off this feature in Myanmar,” the spokeswoman wrote in an email. Facebook has had other problems interpreting Burmese, Myanmar’s main local language. In April, the California-based social-media company posted a Burmese translation of its internal “Community Standards” enforcement guidelines. Many of the passages were botched. A sentence that in English stated “we take our role in keeping abuse off our service seriously” was translated into Burmese as “we take our role seriously by abusing our services.” The Reuters investigation found more than 1,000 examples of hate speech on Facebook, including calling the Rohingya and other Muslims dogs, maggots and rapists, suggesting they be fed to pigs, and urging they be shot or exterminated. Facebook’s rules specifically prohibit attacking ethnic groups with “violent or dehumanizing speech” or comparing them to animals. Shortly after the article was published, Facebook issued a statement saying it had been “too slow to prevent misinformation and hate” in Myanmar and that it was taking action, including investing in artificial intelligence that can police posts that violate its rules. The post Facebook Removes Burmese Translation Feature After Reuters Report appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| International Criminal Court says it Has Jurisdiction Over Alleged Crimes Against Rohingya Posted: 06 Sep 2018 09:21 PM PDT AMSTERDAM—The International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled on Thursday that it has jurisdiction over alleged deportations of Rohingya people from Myanmar to Bangladesh as a possible crime against humanity. The decision at the Hague-based court paves the way for prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to further examine whether there is sufficient evidence to file charges in the case, although she has not done so yet. Bensouda’s representatives were not immediately available for comment. Although Myanmar is not a member of the Hague-based court, Bangladesh is, and the cross-border nature of deportation was sufficient for jurisdiction, the court said. “The Court has jurisdiction over the crime against humanity of deportation allegedly committed against members of the Rohingya people,” a three-judge panel said in a written summary of their decision. “The reason is that an element of this crime – the crossing of a border – took place on the territory of a State party [Bangladesh].” Myanmar’s government spokesman Zaw Htay did not respond to calls seeking comment on the ICC decision, instead sending a text response: “I can’t talk right now.” The office of government leader Aung San Suu Kyi last month said Myanmar was “under no obligation to enter into litigation with the prosecutor”, and setting the jurisdiction over the case would “set a dangerous precedent whereby future populistic causes and complaints against non-State Parties … may be litigated.” Bensouda had asked the ICC’s judges for a formal opinion on whether the fact that alleged crimes had at least in part happened on the territory of a member state brought them under the court’s purview. However, Thursday’s ruling was potentially more expansive than some experts had foreseen. The judges said: “The court may also exercise its jurisdiction with regard to any other crime set out in article 5 of the statute, such as the crimes against humanity of persecution and/or other inhumane acts.” With this decision, the prosecutor “has no choice but to submit a request” to open a preliminary examination, University of Amsterdam international law expert Kevin Jon Heller said. An independent UN fact-finding mission in August concluded that Myanmar's military last year carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Muslim Rohingya with “genocidal intent” and the commander-in-chief and five generals should be prosecuted for orchestrating the gravest crimes under law. About 700,000 Rohingya fled the crackdown and most are now living in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Myanmar has denied committing atrocities against the Rohingya, saying its military carried out justifiable actions against militants. It has so far signaled it does not intend to cooperate with the international court. The post International Criminal Court says it Has Jurisdiction Over Alleged Crimes Against Rohingya appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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