The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- One Thousand Villagers, Lawmakers Demand Halt to Upper Yeywa Dam in Northern Shan
- Death of a Traditional Way of Life: Central Myanmar’s Toddy Palm Tree Climbers
- Rohingya Repatriation ‘Likely’ to Start After Next Meeting with Bangladesh: Minister
- Suu Kyi Commits to Japan’s ‘Tokyo Strategy 2018’ Development Plan
- Lahu Baptist Group Says Leaders Detained by Wa Rebels in Shan State Released
- Gov’t Unwilling to Intervene as Fuel Oil Prices Rise
- USDP Criticizes NLD Success to Date
- Defying China, Malaysia Releases Uighur Detainees
- Cyclone Kills Five in Eastern India, Leaves Thousands Without Power
- Malaysia to Abolish Colonial-Era Sedition Act, Death Penalty
| One Thousand Villagers, Lawmakers Demand Halt to Upper Yeywa Dam in Northern Shan Posted: 12 Oct 2018 07:08 AM PDT CHIANG MAI, Thailand—Some 1,000 local residents of Hsipaw Township and state lawmakers gathered to show their opposition to the construction of the Upper Yeywa Dam on the Namtu River (or Myintnge River) in northern Shan State on Friday. The Hsipaw residents demanded the immediate cancellation of the dam project, a budget for which was approved by the Union Parliament last month. "The local villagers request that everyone stand together with them in opposing the dam," said Nang San San Aye, a Shan State lawmaker representing Hsipaw constituency. She was one of several lawmakers from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy who joined the protest on Friday. Locals have been calling for a halt to the Upper Yeywa Dam project since 2014, when they first learned about the project, planning for which started in 2008. Construction budgets have been approved every year since 2010. Construction of the dam is ongoing near the east and west of Talong village. If it collapsed, it would "submerge the entire village of Talong, with 653 inhabitants, 637 acres of orchards, and 140 acres of rice fields, and countless hill-farms, as well as temples, pagodas and schools," according to a statement issued by local residents and lawmakers whose are closely monitoring the project. He told The Irrawaddy on Friday that the project is not transparent, and the majority of local residents had been left out of the so-called public consultation conducted by the companies involved over the past few years. He has continuously raised the issue through parliamentary channels since 2016 but had no success trying to get more information about the project from the respective ministries. "I have learned that the EIA/SIA reports of the companies were substandard," he said. "They [the villagers] are very upset that the Union Parliament approved the construction budget," said state lawmaker Nang San San Aye, adding that the Talong villagers "do not want to relocate and they demand that it be halted." Nang Lao Kham, a resident of Talong village, said, "The central [government] control over natural resources is the root cause of the ongoing conflict in Shan State." She added that the conflict-torn states will never see peace if the government continues exploiting resources in the ethnic states against local people's wishes. The villagers together with civil society groups plan to submit a petition demanding a halt to the damming of the Namtu River to President U Win Myint and the embassies representing the foreign companies involved in the construction of the dam, added Nang San San Aye. The dam is now being built by foreign companies such as Germany's Lahmeyer, Switzerland's Stuckey SA and French joint venture IPGRB, Deputy Electricity and Energy Minster U Tun Naing said while answering questions in Parliament last month. A statement released by Hsipaw residents on Friday said, "He [deputy minister U Tun Naing] failed to mention that Lahmeyer is a subsidiary of Tracetebel ENGIE, the consulting engineer for the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Dam that collapsed in Laos last July, killing hundreds and displacing thousands." In their statement, Hsipaw residents and MPs said, "Foreign companies have so far ignored community opposition to damming the Namtu." They urged foreign countries to stop promoting and investing in dams in the war zones of Myanmar, saying it fuels conflict and undermines peace efforts. The post One Thousand Villagers, Lawmakers Demand Halt to Upper Yeywa Dam in Northern Shan appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Death of a Traditional Way of Life: Central Myanmar’s Toddy Palm Tree Climbers Posted: 12 Oct 2018 06:59 AM PDT NYAUNG U—When his son said he was going to give up his toddy palm-climbing job, U Kye Ni, who has spent the past 30 years climbing up and down toddy palm trees, was speechless. U Kye Ni felt sorry that his son was quitting the job, which has been a way of life for him and his ancestors. However, he does not have the courage to persuade his son to continue the elbow-grease job that provides little daily income with no prospects of wealth or guarantee for his livelihood. He knows many toddy palm climber families in Nyaung U Township have quit their jobs and found new jobs that are safer and earn them more income. "I decided not to get in his way when he said he wanted to quit the job. As there is now no one to climb toddy palm trees in the next toddy season, I decided to let my toddy palm fields lie idle," said U Kye Ni, a local of Chauk Kan Village in Mandalay's Nyaung U Township. More and more toddy palm climbers are giving up their job in many parts of central Myanmar, including in Nyaung U near Bagan and Mandalay, Magwe and Sagaing regions. As the number of climbers has declined, the number of idle toddy palm trees has increased in central Myanmar, also known as the Dry Zone for its low rate of rainfall. Professional toddy palm tree climbers were once a feature of society in the arid zone, but they are becoming a rare sight today.  "We have over 400 households in my village. But only around 100 work in toddy palm now. In some villages, there are only a few toddy palm climbers. Their number has significantly declined," said Chauk Kan village-tract administrator U Htwe Maung. Toddy palm climbers have given up their jobs because of the harsh physical labor and risks associated with climbing the trees. It is not uncommon for the climbers to fall from trees to their deaths or have their bones broken. The work starts early in the morning. The climber climbs the tall tree via a ladder attached to its trunk and brings down the pots that have filled with toddy palm sap overnight, replacing them with empty pots. At noon, he climbs again to repeat the job. Climbing up to 50 trees, which can be as tall as 25 feet high, carrying a bunch of pots is not an easy job. While the climber struggles with the blazing sun on the tall palm trees, his wife struggles with the searing heat as she cooks some of the toddy juice in a large pan to make jaggery. Jaggery is a sugar-like sweet traditionally served after a meal to aid digestion. The process takes a whole day.  Despite their hard work, selling jaggery doesn't earn them much money as they often have to give much of the jaggery as payment to brokers who they have borrowed money from. The toddy season lasts just six months a year from January to June. When the toddy palm trees are not producing sap, the climber families have to do other odd jobs. It is during this time that they find themselves needing to borrow money from jaggery brokers. "Poor toddy palm climbers have to ask for advance payments from jaggery brokerages when they are jobless and when they need money to buy necessities for the toddy season. When they get jaggery, they give it to the broker to repay the debt. They are trapped in this circle," said U Kye Ni. These days, a palm climber's family can produce from 32.6 to 49 kilograms of jaggery per day. Toddy palm climbers have seen good days like when last year the price of jaggery rose to 1,000 kyats per viss (1.633 kilograms). But before that, when the price was just 500 to 600 kyats per viss, they had to live a hand-to-mouth life, only earning around 10,000 kyats a day. "Previously, we only earned around 10,000 kyats per day, even when the whole family worked to make jaggery. But if we work at hotel [construction] sites in Nyaung U, we can easily earn 20,000 kyats for three people. So people don't climb toddy palm trees [anymore]. They do other jobs," said U Thaung, a resident of Natpalin Village in Nyaung U Township. "My father died falling from a toddy palm tree. He died on the spot. So I don't want my husband to work as a toddy palm tree climber. I want him to do other jobs but it is the only job he can do. I am worried whenever he climbs toddy palm trees," said Ma Kyu Kyu Naing, who is also a resident of Natpalin.  More and more youths in central Myanmar are leaving their ancestral work in search of safer and better-paid jobs in big cities like Yangon and Mandalay and neighboring countries such as Thailand and Malaysia. "None of the youths in the village work as toddy palm tree climbers now because the job is tiring and risky. I became fed up with that job and so I'm working at a hotel now," said Ko Win Min, a resident of Kyaukpadaung Township who is working at a hotel in Nyaung U. "If we can get a decent income to support our families, of course, we would prefer this family business as all the family members can live together. But as the income is not enough, we have to do other jobs. I'm very concerned that more and more toddy palm tree climbers are quitting over time, and the business will sink into obscurity," said Natpalin villager U Thaung Myint. A new business scheme has emerged following the decline in the number of toddy palm tree climbers but it is neither sustainable nor environmentally-friendly. Owners are selling their idle toddy palm trees in Mandalay's Kyaukpadaung Township and Magwe's Yanangyaung, Chauk and Yesagyo townships. Businessmen buy them to make furniture and retaining walls. Environmentalists however, have touted toddy palm trees as something extremely valuable for the arid zone. As the roots of toddy palm trees are excellent at absorbing water, they play an important part in controlling high temperatures in central Myanmar. "As well as toddy palm trees, the deforestation of other trees also contributes to flooding and rising temperatures. Deforestation can have serious impacts on the ecosystem. Cutting down toddy palm trees can result in drought," said chairperson of Evergreen Environmental Conservation Association Professor Daw Sein Sein Thein. It is sure that Myanmar traditional snacks made with jaggery and handicrafts made from the branches of toddy palm trees will follow suit if the trees and the jaggery business vanish. "Jaggery production has come down as the number of toddy palm tree climbers has declined. If the government leaders pay attention to this and provide assistance, the business perhaps may develop again. But looking at the current trend, the situation will only get worse," said ex-toddy palm tree climber U Thaung Myint of Natpalin Village. Though people are selling old toddy palm trees in other parts of central Myanmar, those in the Bagan-Nyaung U locale have decided to keep their hope of seeing the hustle and bustle in their toddy palm fields rise again. "If jaggery prices stay good for a long time, more people will come back to this business, I think. I won't sell the toddy palm trees on which my ancestors have worked. I will keep them with the hope that the business may thrive again," said U Kye Ni. The post Death of a Traditional Way of Life: Central Myanmar's Toddy Palm Tree Climbers appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Rohingya Repatriation ‘Likely’ to Start After Next Meeting with Bangladesh: Minister Posted: 12 Oct 2018 06:32 AM PDT YANGON — Myanmar will likely begin repatriating the first group of Rohingya refugee after it attends the next meeting of its Joint Working Group (JWG) with Bangladesh at the end of the month, Social Welfare Minister U Win Myat Aye said. Comprised of officials from the relevant ministries of both countries, the JWG was formed late last year to hash out the details of a November 2017 agreement between Dhaka and Naypyitaw to repatriate the 700,000 Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh to escape a military crackdown in northern Rakhine State triggered by militant attacks on security posts in the area. Despite the deal, only a handful of Rohingya have returned to Rakhine to date, outside of official channels. A UN facts-finding mission has accused the Myanmar military of “genocidal intent” against the Rohingya and urged the Security Council to refer the commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, to the International Criminal Court. The EU has already imposed targeted sanctions against some military generals and is currently considering broad trade sanctions as well. U Win Myat Aye told The Irrawaddy on Friday that he could not provide a precise number of refugees to be sent back in the first group because he was not a member of the JWG. But he said they were likely to start returning soon after its next meeting because the UN Development Program and UN refugee agency have finished assessing 23 villages being considered for potential repatriation and were in the process of evaluating more. U Ye Htoo, deputy district administrator of northern Rakhine’s Maungdaw Township, previously told The Irrawaddy that local authorities were working on two separate but related projects for the returnees, one under the social welfare minister’s supervision to build houses at 19 sites and another to prepare 12 model villages fitted with markets, schools, parks and clinics. Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is spearheading the repatriation process for Myanmar, could not be reached for comment. On Sunday, Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali told reporters in Dhaka that about 6,000 Rohingya would be sent back to Myanmar very soon but did not offer an exact timeframe, according to Bangladeshi media. He reportedly said that India had finished building 250 houses for returnees in Maungdaw and that China had promised to build another 1,000 houses there as well. During a session of the UN General Assembly in New York last week, China hosted a meeting with the envoys from Bangladesh, India and Myanmar aimed at speeding up the repatriation process. The post Rohingya Repatriation ‘Likely’ to Start After Next Meeting with Bangladesh: Minister appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Suu Kyi Commits to Japan’s ‘Tokyo Strategy 2018’ Development Plan Posted: 12 Oct 2018 06:04 AM PDT YANGON—Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has promised Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that her government will help to implement his Tokyo Strategy 2018, a three-year action plan for cooperation through which Japan hopes to challenge Chinese dominance in Asia. "We all agreed that this has been very beneficial for both Japan and the Mekong countries. Myanmar itself … [has] benefited from over 60 bilateral projects and 100 multilateral projects as part of the Mekong-Japan cooperation," she said at a joint press conference after the summit. In a statement issued Friday, the Myanmar government pledged to continue its sectoral cooperation under the new strategy. Utilizing funding from Japan's Official Development Assistance, the "Tokyo Strategy 2018 (2019-2021)" will concentrate on three areas: vibrant and effective connectivity including industry connectivity; people-centered society, including human resource development, health care, education and legal and judicial cooperation; and environment and disaster management, including water resource management and sustainable use of fishery resources, according to the statement. Led by the Japanese prime minster, the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit was attended by the leaders of Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. At the summit, Japan agreed to fund 150 projects in five countries in the Mekong region including Myanmar. According to the Tokyo Strategy 2018, the leaders decided on Tuesday to implement the Mekong-Japan Cooperation projects via three action plan initiatives—Mekong-Japan Cooperation and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; Mekong-Japan Cooperation and Free and Open Indo-Pacific; Mekong-Japan Cooperation and Ayeyarwady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).  Mekong-Japan Cooperation was established in 2009 by Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan. It aims to achieve socio-economic development and promote connectivity in the Mekong region through the Japan Development Assistance Fund. Mekong-Japan Cooperation and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will focus on narrowing the development gap; basic health care in rural communities; wastewater management; science and technology partnership; clean air; quality infrastructure; and cyber-security cooperation. The statement said the leaders agreed to upgrade their current action plan from "A Decade Toward the Green Mekong" by 2020 to "Mekong-Japan Initiative for Sustainable Development Goals toward 2030" at the 11th Mekong-Japan Summit. Free and Open Indo-Pacific A "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" is one of the major goals of Mekong-Japan cooperation. It seeks to establish rule of law, freedom of navigation, free trade, peace and stability in the Mekong region linking the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, according to the statement. Under the Free and Open Indo-Pacific agreement, Japan expects to implement eight major projects in Myanmar, mostly focusing on boosting economic prosperity. There are two projects in the planning stage in Myanmar—the development of Dawei City, which focuses on enhancing regional connectivity; and construction of Hanthawaddy International Airport to help meet rising demand for international flights. Additionally, there are five ongoing projects—infrastructure development in Thilawa area phase 1, which aims to expand the capacity of a port in the Thilawa area; technical cooperation in the training of police management, especially upgrading organizational management and investigation skills; the Mandalay port development project; and the Yangon-Mandalay Railway improvement project to upgrade the capacity of railway transportation by rehabilitating the existing railway and related facilities. Travel time from Yangon to Mandalay will be reduced from 15 hours to eight hours. Japan is also assisting capacity development via a National Single Window process and Customs modernization by introducing an automated cargo clearance system. These aim to promote trade and secure appropriate collection of duties. Finally, according to the statement, the East West Economic Corridor improvement project phase 2 is in the survey phase; it will upgrade roads to shorten travel times and enhance the economies of surrounding areas.  Ayeyarwady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Japan is prioritizing road-upgrade projects in Myanmar under the ACMECS Master Plan 2019-2020, especially through the East West Economic Corridor Improvement project. The ACMECS Master Plan includes a total of 54 projects in Myanmar—many were concluded in 2015-18 as part of the Tokyo Strategy 2015. Some of the major projects are the East West Economic Corridor improvement project, New Thaketa Construction project, Yangon-Mandalay Railway improvement project, Yangon Circular Railway Line Upgrading project, Yangon Mapping project and National Power Transmission project. There are six ongoing projects—postal services capacity improvement project, an e-money system using the postal network, joint operation of telecommunications business, study tours to Japan for Myanmar's prison officers, upgrading of the rice-breeding system and development of a comprehensive disaster resilience system. According to the statement, a power plant construction project in Kyaukse is being planned. Two projects are under preparatory survey—the Yangon Urban Mass Rapid Transit Construction project and the establishment of the Japan Myanmar Aung San Vocational Training Institute. During the summit, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi held a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He promised more than 70 billion yen (about USD618 million) in low-interest loans for development projects to improve sewage, drainage, traffic, roads and sidewalks in Yangon and also agreed to collaborate on rural area development, small and medium enterprise promotion and resettlement of Rohingya in Rakhine State. According to the joint statement, Japan has invested 750 billion yen during the past three years to enhance the quality of infrastructure in the Mekong region.  "The Mekong region has big potential for growth and prosperity. We adopted [this strategy] to realize an affluent future together," Abe said at the joint conference after the summit. Experts said the Mekong countries have a huge supply of cheap labor and occupy a strategic position between the vast market of China and the emerging mega-market of India. Mekong region countries are also drawing huge amounts of Chinese investment as part of China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, associate professor at the Institute of Security and International Studies in the Faculty of Political Science at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, told The Irrawaddy, "Japan’s role on the Mekong mainland is critical in providing balance and a hedge for the Mekong countries vis-à-vis China." Experts said the Mekong area is directly under China's shadow. The only major power in the area other than China is Japan. If Japan does not step up its geopolitical efforts, China's dominance in the Mekong region will only grow. The U.S. has a huge and perhaps decisive role in the maritime domain, namely the South China Sea, but not in mainland Southeast Asia. Other players include Australia and New Zealand, but they cannot provide a counterweight to China. "Japan's new strategy for the Mekong countries is a significant geostrategic upgrade. It signifies that Japan wants to elevate its role in mainland Southeast Asia, that Japan will not forfeit this crucial sub-region to China," Thitinan said. The post Suu Kyi Commits to Japan's 'Tokyo Strategy 2018' Development Plan appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Lahu Baptist Group Says Leaders Detained by Wa Rebels in Shan State Released Posted: 12 Oct 2018 03:51 AM PDT Mon State — The United Wa State Army (UWSA) on Wednesday released 92 Lahu religious leaders the armed group detained last month during a crackdown on Christian churches in northern Shan State, according to the Lahu Baptist Convention (LBC). LBC Secretary-General Reverend Lazarus told The Irrawaddy on Friday and the leaders were released in the evening after vowing to abandon their religious practices. "Before they were released, they had to promise that they would not read the bible or pray anymore when they returned home," he said. Rev. Lazarus said the convention’s members can no longer visit the 52 LBC churches the armed group has shut down, either. UWSA spokesman Nyi Rang could not immediately be reached for comment. In early September the UWSA detained a total of about 200 Christian religious leaders from the LBC and Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) and shuttered more than 100 churches. Last month, Nyi Rang told the media that the Lahu and Kachin Christian leaders had to be detained because “extremists” among them were putting the unity of the ethnic Wa people at risk by recruiting members not just from their own ethnic groups but from the Wa as well. A statement from the UWSA last month said only ethnic Wa may function as religious leaders, leaving the area’s Lahu and Kachin worried about the fate of their own Christian communities. "They said they were worried that unity would be destroyed. But what we found was that they didn't understand religion," said Rev. Lazarus. On Tuesday, the KBC said more than 60 of its own members had been released over the past few weeks. Its chairman, Reverend Samson, conceded that the KBC had not respected Wa culture and had forced some Wa to join. But he said the UWSA had gone too far in detaining its leaders and demanding that they renounce their faith. Northern Shan is home to several ethnic groups including Wa, Kachin, Ta'ang, Lahu, Lisu, Kokang, Shan, Chinese, and Bamar. They observe many religious beliefs including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, animism and nat worship, though Christianity dominates. Based in northern Shan, the UWSA is the largest ethnic armed group in Myanmar, with an estimated 40,000 fighters. The region borders Communist China, and most of the group’s leaders hold Marxist views. The UWSA split from the Burmese Communist Party in 1989 and later entered into a ceasefire agreement with the military government that ruled Myanmar at the time. It has not yet signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement but has been engaged in the national peace process with the Myanmar government and military. The post Lahu Baptist Group Says Leaders Detained by Wa Rebels in Shan State Released appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Gov’t Unwilling to Intervene as Fuel Oil Prices Rise Posted: 12 Oct 2018 02:43 AM PDT NAYPYITAW—The government cannot control the fuel oil price, which is determined by market forces and the law of supply and demand, Ministry of Electricity and Energy managing director U Thant Sin said. At a press conference on Thursday, the managing director said fuel oil prices were unlikely to come down any time soon due to the kyat's decline against the Singapore dollar and other currencies. "We can't bring down fuel oil prices in the international market. Similarly, we can't control domestic market prices, which fluctuate based on the [kyat-dollar] exchange rate and market prices in Singapore," U Thant Sin said. "But we are always monitoring the market to make sure that the prices of imported fuel oil are fair," he added. The kyat has slumped steeply against the dollar over the past four months, from 1,346 kyats per dollar on June 11 to 1,585 kyats per dollar on Friday. The kyat has also weakened against the Singapore dollar. The market rate was 1,148 kyats to the Singapore dollar on Friday. Earlier this month, the Myanmar Fuel Oil Importers and Distributors Association said fuel oil prices would remain high due to price increases in Singapore, a key source of Myanmar's fuel imports. "We will freeze the price if the selling price in the market is unreasonably high. We have the authority to do so. But, as we've built a free market economy, we have to be careful with price restrictions," said U Thant Sin. The ministry has intervened in the market twice before, in December 2017 and April 2018, following price spikes. Fuel oil prices have increased by around 300 kyats per liter over the past three months, with prices varying from place to place depending on transportation costs. "The government can't handle this; it can't exert influence on fuel oil importers," said U Kyaw Thura, a resident of Pyinmana Township. "The government should intervene, for example by selling reserve fuel oil or by inviting foreign investment in fuel oil distribution, so that the market is not monopolized," he added. The Myanmar Investment Commission relaxed regulations last year and allowed 100-percent-foreign-owned companies to invest in local fuel oil distribution. Since then a few foreign companies have inquired about the possibility, but none has made an official proposal. "[U.S.-based] Shell Oil Company approached us recently. We asked why they hadn't yet come [to invest in Myanmar]. They said they are still examining the feasibility [of such a move]," U Thant Sin said. The ministry is also considering establishing joint ventures with foreign companies to supply fuel oil in Myanmar, he said. In response to the fuel oil price increase in the domestic market, the Ministry of Electricity and Energy has sold domestically produced petroleum, but this is only suitable for use in motorbikes. Since April, the ministry has sold 15 million gallons of domestically produced petroleum. The post Gov't Unwilling to Intervene as Fuel Oil Prices Rise appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| USDP Criticizes NLD Success to Date Posted: 12 Oct 2018 12:20 AM PDT NAYPYITAW — The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) said the National League for Democracy (NLD) government has not achieved any notable success two and half years into its administration. Speaking to party supporters in Sagaing's Tamu Township on Thursday as part of the election campaign, USDP chairman U Than Htay said: "Two and half years after it took the office, there is still no notably successful work that the government, which won in 2015 election, has done to win the trust of people." As the NLD government is not able to accomplish its administrative duties, it is complaining about the legacy left by previous government, and using the 2008 Constitution as an excuse to defend its shortcomings, said U Than Htay. "Now the country is being managed by a party that includes democracy in its name, a party that puts democracy at the forefront. And people need to examine in which period they can make a decent living, which period is more peaceful, and which period has greater freedom of speech," said U Than Htay in a live broadcast feed on social media. NLD spokesperson Dr. Myo Nyunt defended that the NLD government could expel people's fears to some extent, referring to people's fear of the government while the country was under a repressive regime for decades. He also touted the party's efforts to fight widespread corruption in Myanmar, saying that the NLD government could greatly increase the health and education budgets unlike the previous government, and also keep the budget deficit low. "The economy of our country is not normal. It was based on nepotism. There is a need to make radical changes to recover the economy," he said. U Thiha Thwe, a Yangon-based journalist, said that the NLD government could retain power despite various challenges over the past two and a half years, and also maintain its ties with Tatmadaw. "Initially, it was not able to handle rule of law at all. But since U Win Myint took the presidency, it has started taking action. Though we are not seeing the results we desire, it is a good sign that a civilian president has started to handle corruption and the drug problem," he said. The NLD party must walk the walk to fulfill the expectations of the people rather than pointing a finger at the 2008 Constitution and the legacy of the previous government, said U Than Htay. He said that his party is formed of Myanmar nationals, apparently referring to NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's late husband Michael Aris, who was a British citizen. The NLD contested and won the 2015 general election with promises to bring about permanent peace, change the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, and promote the rule of law. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post USDP Criticizes NLD Success to Date appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Defying China, Malaysia Releases Uighur Detainees Posted: 11 Oct 2018 09:48 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia has freed from detention 11 ethnic Uighur Muslims who fled to the southeast Asian nation after a Thai jailbreak last year, and sent them to Turkey, their lawyer said on Thursday, in disregard of China’s request to hand them to Beijing. The move is likely to strain ties with China, already tested since Mahathir Mohamad became prime minister after a stunning election victory in May and cancelled more than $20 billion worth of projects awarded to Chinese companies. Prosecutors in Muslim-majority Malaysia dropped charges against the Uighurs on humanitarian grounds and they arrived in Turkey after flying out of Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, their lawyer, Fahmi Moin, said. “The charges were withdrawn because the attorney general’s chambers agreed to the [appeal] from our side,” he told Reuters. Malaysia’s Immigration Department, Home Ministry and the Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The men were detained and charged with illegally entering Malaysia after last November’s daring prison break, by punching holes in a prison wall and using blankets as ladders. In February, Reuters reported that Malaysia was under great pressure from China to deport the men there, citing sources. Some Western missions sought to dissuade it from sending them to China, which has been accused of persecuting Uighurs. Beijing accuses separatist extremists among the Uighur minority of plotting attacks on China’s Han majority in the restive far western region of Xinjiang and elsewhere. China has been accused of rights abuses in Xinjiang, torture of Uighur detainees and tight controls on their religion and culture. It denies wrongdoing. Over the years, hundreds, possibly thousands, of Uighurs have escaped the unrest by travelling clandestinely via Southeast Asia to Turkey. The Uighurs in Malaysia were part of a group of more than 200 detained in Thailand in 2014. Although they identified themselves as Turkish citizens and asked to be sent to Turkey, more than 100 were forcibly returned to China in July 2015, sparking international condemnation. In February, Malaysia said it was considering China’s request to extradite the 11 men. In the past, it has sent some detained Uighurs to China. Their detention came as Malaysia drew closer to China under former prime minister Najib Razak, but 93-year-old Mahathir, in his second stint as premier, has been vocal in backing Muslim communities against persecution. He recently criticized Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of neighboring Myanmar, over the Nobel peace laureate’s handling of the Rohingya crisis, saying, “We don’t really support her anymore.” The post Defying China, Malaysia Releases Uighur Detainees appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Cyclone Kills Five in Eastern India, Leaves Thousands Without Power Posted: 11 Oct 2018 09:35 PM PDT BHUBANESWAR, India — A cyclone slammed into India’s eastern seaboard on Thursday, killing at least five people, destroying huts, uprooting trees, snapping telephone poles and power lines and leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity. Strong gusts caused a storm surge with waters inundating low-lying areas in the eastern states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, and the winds, on par with a Category 2 hurricane, wreaked havoc on infrastructure, blocking roads and hampering emergency work. “Five people died due to falling trees and a wall collapse,” Disaster Management Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh D. Varaprasad told Reuters, adding drinking water shortages were a concern in many places due to electricity failure and generator outages. Tropical cyclone “Titli,” with gusts of up to 165 kph (100 mph), made landfall in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Thursday, the India Meteorological Department said. “We fear that 6,000 to 7,000 electricity poles may have been uprooted,” K. Dhananjaya Reddy, district administrative chief of Srikakulam, told Reuters. “Around 400,000 to 500,000 people are now without electricity.” TV footage showed massive waves, tin roofs of several houses being blown away and trees toppled over. Odisha’s Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi said so far there had been no reports of casualties in the state. “There has been preparation at all levels within the state,” Sethi told Reuters, adding that it had used social media to keep people informed. “There have been large number of WhatsApp groups working at different levels and they help,” he said, adding the state also experimented with an early warning dissemination system, warning those near the coast through sirens and voice broadcasts. “Television channels, along with radio stations, also helped to spread messages,” he said. Officials in Odisha evacuated over 300,000 people, suspended operations at the port of Paradip and cancelled many trains and flights on Wednesday. The Odisha Chief Minister’s office in a tweet on Wednesday said schools and colleges across the state would remain closed for the week. “Operations at Paradip have been suspended and all ships have been shifted to deep sea,” said the Deputy Conservator of Paradip Port, Captain A.K. Mohapatra. The Bay of Bengal often witnesses cyclones at this time of year, with some causing widespread death and destruction. Odisha was hit last month by a low-intensity storm. The post Cyclone Kills Five in Eastern India, Leaves Thousands Without Power appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Malaysia to Abolish Colonial-Era Sedition Act, Death Penalty Posted: 11 Oct 2018 09:24 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s cabinet has ordered the suspension of the colonial-era Sedition Act, widely used to rein in dissent, and is working on doing the same for the death penalty as it prepares to repeal both laws possibly by the end of the year. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s coalition romped to a shock win in a May general election on the back of promises to clamp down on rampant corruption and repeal oppressive laws, some of which date back to British rule. Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said on Thursday that cabinet had decided to suspend use of the Sedition Act as they prepare a bill to repeal it altogether. “As far as we are concerned, a decision has been made and it has to be communicated to the attorney-general. And, of course, it’s for him to decide what to do next,” he said in a recording of a press conference heard by Reuters. Before the May polls, dozens of politicians and activists were detained and charged under the Sedition Act as former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s administration worked to clamp down on dissent, especially after news broke in 2015 of a multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). On Wednesday, Liew Vui Keong, the minister in charge of law, said the cabinet had decided to repeal the death penalty. “All death penalty (sic) will be abolished. Full stop,” he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper. In a statement on Thursday, Amnesty International said the decision was a “major step forward." “We are calling on the Malaysian parliament to completely abolish the death penalty for all crimes, with no exceptions,” Amnesty secretary-general Kumi Naidoo said in the statement. Bills to repeal both the Sedition Act and the death penalty are expected to be tabled before the Parliament, which sits on Monday. The post Malaysia to Abolish Colonial-Era Sedition Act, Death Penalty appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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