Monday, October 22, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Anti-Corruption Commission Rejects Request to Probe Yangon Govt Losses

Posted: 22 Oct 2018 08:39 AM PDT

YANGON — The Anti-Corruption Commission said it will not take up a complaint about the billions of kyats worth of revenue the Yangon Region government lost out on over several years according to a recent report by the local Auditor General’s Office.

Former Yangon Region lawmaker Daw Nyo Nyo Thin, founder of Yangon Watch, an independent monitor of the government’s performance, filed the complaint with the commission on Oct. 12 calling for an investigation into the losses revealed by the audit of the region’s 2016-17 fiscal year budget.

Responding to the complaint, the commission said on Saturday that there was no need for it to investigate the losses yet because the government and auditor general will still working through the procedures that must follow the release of any audit report. It also pointed out that the incidents listed in the complaint predate Article 3 a (2) of the Anti-Corruption Law, which the complaint cites but only took effect in July when the law was amended.

According to the rules of the Union Auditor General's Office, the Yangon government is required to respond to the audit findings within a “reasonable” period of time — to be set by the auditor general — and take immediate steps to stop any fraud, misappropriation, waste or losses brought to light by an audit, including any appropriate legal action.

The commission also said that it had learned that the Yangon auditor general would monitor the government’s adherence to the procedures closely.

But the commission's decision has drawn mixed reactions.

Daw Nyo Nyo Thin, who filed the complaint, welcomed the commission's quick response and said she was encouraged to hear that the government was obliged to act on the auditor general’s findings.

But she said she disagreed with the commission's interpretation of the law — that it won't take action because the incidents occurred before Article 3 a (2) took effect. She had picked out five of the many findings in the auditor general’s report, under both the previous and current administrations, that she believed made the strongest cases for investigation.

Lawyer U Kyee Myint, a member of the Myanmar Lawyer's Network, said that if the incidents occurred before Article 3 a (2) took effect the commission could still take action using the law as it was before it was amended.

"Indeed, they should proceed with an investigation into the complaint," he said.

The report, submitted to the Yangon Parliament in September, has sparked heated discussion among local lawmakers. More than two dozen of them went through the findings in Parliament, raising questions about the irregularities and billions of kyats in public funds it said the government had lost out on.

But not a single government minister agreed to attend Parliament to discuss the findings.

"We thought the government would respond to the lawmakers' discussions and explain how it would take action on the findings. But it didn't," said Ko Nay Phone Latt, a regional lawmaker with the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD).

He said that in light of the commission's announcement on Saturday the lawmakers would continue to push the government for accountability.

Regional lawmaker U Kyaw Zeya, also with the NLD, said legislators would monitor the government’s response to the report carefully.

He said if the government fails to take the necessary action, the Union Attorney General's Office could order the Yangon Auditor General’s Office to investigate further or conduct its own probe. Lawmakers could ask the local auditor general to investigate further as well.

"If we submit that proposal, I am sure it would be passed with a majority of votes in Parliament," he said.

U Kyee Myint said the government should inform the public of any action it was taking to address the report’s findings over the course of no more than six months. If it fails, he said the lawyers would join with civil society groups in filing another complaint against the government with the Anti-Corruption Commission.

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Yangon Gov’t Demands Apology from Eleven Media

Posted: 22 Oct 2018 07:33 AM PDT

YANGON—The Yangon regional government has demanded that Eleven Media Group publish an apology in state-run newspapers for an "incorrect" story about the city's budget that prompted authorities to file a lawsuit. The move fails to fully comply with instructions issued by the President's Office last week that the city government should submit the dispute to the Press Council for mediation.

The Yangon government filed a suit against two editors and a reporter from Eleven Media Group earlier this month accusing them of incitement under Article 5050 (b) of the Penal Code for allegedly publishing false information relating to the use of public funds. The three were arrested on Oct. 10 and detained at Yangon's Insein Prison.

City authorities' harsh treatment of the media organization attracted public criticism, as the story was primarily based on lawmakers' discussion in the regional parliament of the auditor general's report on the government budget. The lawmakers themselves insisted the story was accurate.

Responding to the public outcry, President U Win Myint last week ordered the Yangon government to follow the Media Law, which says the Myanmar Press Council should attempt to settle complaints against the press before they reach the courts. Following the order, the Yangon government submitted a complaint letter to the Press Council last week.

The Council on Friday urged the Yangon government to withdraw its lawsuit against the three journalists so that it could begin mediation. The council cannot legally intervene in cases that have already been brought before the court.

But on the evening of the same day, rather than drop the case, the city government asked the Press Council to require that Eleven Media publish an apology in government newspapers.

"Prior to publication, the contents of the apology must be approved by the Yangon government," the city government demanded in a letter signed by U Aung Kyaw Khiang, the director of the Yangon Government Office.

It was not immediately clear whether the Yangon government would agree to withdraw the case if the apology was forthcoming. U Aung Kyaw Khaing wasn't available for comment on Monday.

Press Council member U Myint Kyaw told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the council cannot begin any mediation—even at the government's request—until the court case is dropped.

"I think they are playing an unfair game. Trying to settle the case while keeping the journalists behind bars is sort of taking the upper hand," he said.

At noon on Monday, Eleven Media managing director U Thein Myint told The Irrawaddy he had yet to hear anything more about either the withdrawal of the case or the demand for an apology.

Speaking to the media after a meeting with the Press Council on Friday, he said the journalists would have the final say in the apology.

"It's up to them whether to apologize or not," he said.

Lawmaker U Nay Phone Latt said the government's demand contradicted the president's order to attempt to settle the case with the help of the Press Council.

"To do so, the case has to be dropped first. Now they are demanding an apology rather than withdrawing the case. It's not in line with the presidential directive," he said.

The lawsuit is not the first that the Yangon government has filed against Eleven Media.

In 2016, the company's CEO U Than Htut Aung and editor-in-Chief U Wai Phyo were sued for libel by Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein over an editorial accusing him of corruption. Eleven Media Group later issued an official apology and retracted the editorial that prompted the libel case.

The apology was printed in state-run newspapers in both Burmese and English.

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MoMo, the Hardest-Working Elephant in Show Biz, Turns 65

Posted: 22 Oct 2018 06:01 AM PDT

YANGON—Yangon Zoo threw a birthday party for its oldest elephant, MoMo, on Oct. 21. Thousands of her human admirers gathered at the Yangon Zoological Garden to wish the beloved pachyderm a happy 65th.

MoMo was dressed in a bright, sparkly red outfit for the occasion, which reached its climax as she blew out the candles on her jumbo-sized birthday cake. She and five of her junior elephants from the zoo were also treated to a fruit buffet, musical performances by local idols, animal dances, games and even a comedy show.

Yangon Zoo has celebrated MoMo's birthday every year since 2010; the party has become something of an event and always draws a crowd.

MoMo has long been Yangon's favorite elephant; for nearly 55 years she charmed the city's residents with her special talents such as dancing with a football, playing the harmonica and shaking her hips to the beat. She finally retired as a performer at age 60, said Ko Aung Win Thaung, the elephant keeper at Yangon Zoo.

Kids have fun at MoMo's 65th birthday bash.

Every Sunday for decades, Yangon Zoo was packed with families flocking in to see MoMo's show. She is now an institution among city-dwellers.

"I've been working with MoMo for nearly 10 years. She's a clever one. Currently, she is the matriarch of a group of six elephants at Yangon Zoo," Ko Aung Win Thaung said.

"She's getting on a bit now and would like to enjoy a quiet life, but the younger elephants are playful and she gets cross with them. At the same time, she's teaching them life lessons, and not to make trouble," he said.

MoMo was born in 1953 in Loikaw, Kayah State. Her owner, U Khoon Sandah, donated her to the zoo in 1961.

"The average life span for an elephant [in captivity] is about 70 to 75. Mostly, elephants live to about 60 in the wild, though many die before that age. MoMo has had a long life because she's been cared for by the Yangon Zoo," Ko Aung Win Thaung said.

MoMo has occasional age-related health issues like dental problems and seasonal flu. Basically, though, she's amazingly healthy for her age, he said, adding that the zoo monitors her health regularly.

According to Ko Aung Win Thaung, MoMo is quite fastidious about keeping clean. She won't touch the water from the elephants' pond, and only drinks from a water pipe.

MoMo poses for a snapshot with a well-wisher at her 65th birthday party.

Something else that sets MoMo apart is that she's never been married, and will likely remain a spinster for the rest of her life. "She is very shy. Normally, Yangon Zoo has mainly female elephants and a few males. She doesn't seem to like any of them, though, so she'll probably stay single," Ko Aung Win Thaung said.

MoMo has lived almost her entire life at the zoo and has seen many of her old friends pass away in recent years. Nowadays, MoMo is the zoo's oldest elephant, serving as a mother figure to Myo Myo, Ma Chaw Lay, Ma Hla Chaw, May Thae Phyu and Mo Thaw Pyae.

"MoMo is known around the country, and to generations of Myanmar people. People will long remember her, even after she passes away. They may name other elephants after her, but we will always remember the original MoMo," he said.

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Villagers in Shan State Petition Govt to Cancel Coal Mine Plans

Posted: 22 Oct 2018 05:56 AM PDT

YANGON — Villagers in Shan State afraid of the potential environmental fallout from a planned coal mine say they have submitted petitions to local authorities urging them to cancel the project.

Sai Aung Tun, a community leader, said some 600 people from six villages in Kyethi Township signed letters submitted Monday to the township, district and state offices of the General Administration Department to stop the 2,209-hectare (5,459 acre) mine, which would feed an iron mine and steel factory on Mount Pinpet in the nearby township of Hopong.

He said the letters explain that the site contains not only farms, pastures and streams but also a cemetery, monastery, clinic and school.

Township authorities notified the community on Oct. 11 of the government’s plans to lease the land to the steel factory and gave it 15 days to object.

The area was confiscated by the military in 1996 during a large-scale forced relocation campaign in central and southern Shan State that displaced more than 300,000 people. Three battalions eventually established bases on the site; one of them, Light Infantry Battalion 131, was granted a coal mining license there in 2009 by the military junta.

In March of this year, as part of a policy initiated by a quasi-civilian government in 2012 to return confiscated land, the military handed back 12 of the 2,428 hectares (6,000 acres) it had confiscated in Kyethi but kept the rest.

Monday’s letters add that 55 villagers were forced to accept 24,000 kyats ($15.18) per acre as compensation in 2010.

Sai San Mai, a Shan State lawmaker representing Kyethi, said the iron mine and steel factory were nearly finished but villagers in Kyethi were uniformly opposed to seeing their land dug up for coal.

"Our elected civilian government should have informed the villagers if we wanted to use it for agricultural purposes, but it did not do that and it wants to transfer it to the Ministry of Industry," Sai Aung Tun told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

"We don't want this land to be excavated. Its impacts could be very bad because it could affect our health and environment. If the Nam Hen stream becomes affected from the mining, we would not be able to farm," he added.

The villagers said the stream was the only water source for thousands of hectares of farmland and more than 18,000 people in some 50 villages.

In their letter on Monday, they said that in 2015 a military-owned company, Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (UMEHL), sold licenses for mining blocks within the Mong Gao concession area in Kyethi for 100 million kyat ($63,000) each. They said UMEHL took 17 percent of the profits from the mines when they started operating.

Sai Aung Tun said five companies — Kanbawza Development Co. Ltd., Soe Lwin Aung Co. Ltd., Sein Naga Co. Ltd., Yu Wai Yan Co. Ltd and Ngwe Yi Pale Co. Ltd — were set to started mining but were stopped in 2016 after hundreds of locals opposed their plans.

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Investment Commission Racks Up Hong Kong Investment Interest in Myanmar

Posted: 22 Oct 2018 05:05 AM PDT

YANGON— One week after the government announced their 20-year foreign investment promotion plan, Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) has held an event seeking more investment from Hong Kong, which already stands as one of the largest investors in the country.

MIC held their second Myanmar Investment Promotion seminar on Tuesday in Hong Kong. The first seminar was held there in June.

More than 150 Hong Kong companies and an official of Hong Kong SAR's government, Secretary of Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau, attended the seminar, according to a press release issued by the event organizers.

Chairman of MIC, U Thaung Tun said the investment body is ready to create an investor-friendly environment and is already making investment regulations more efficient and effective for investors.

"I am confident that many of you will consider investing in Myanmar," said U Thaung Tun to the audience.

 

Chairman of Myanmar Investment Commission, U Thaung Tun at the Myanmar Investment Promotion seminar on Oct. 16 in Hong Kong. / SUPPLIED

According to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA), Hong Kong is the fourth largest investor in Myanmar after China, Singapore and Thailand. As of Sept. 30, Myanmar permitted $7. 87 billion in investment from Hong Kong so far this year which makes up 10 percent of total permitted foreign investment in Myanmar.

On Oct. 1, Myanmar granted tourist visa exemptions to Hong Kong and Macau SAR passport holders.

"Given the close and friendly relations between Myanmar and Hong Kong, I am confident that the majority of the participants of this event will bring with them a deep understanding of Myanmar. I am equally certain that business executives and investors here in Hong Kong have been following, with keen interest, the positive changes in Myanmar" said U Thaung Tun.

The chairman also stressed that Myanmar youth, who make up a large part of the population, are highly literate and highly motivated and so offer great a human resources potential for companies that are willing to harness it.

"We welcome all investors to invest in our priority sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture and the livestock sector, the power sector, production of fishery products, export promotion and import substitution industries, logistics industries, education services, the healthcare industry, construction of affordable housing and the establishment of industrial estates," he added

A group photo taken at the Myanmar Investment Promotion seminar on Tuesday in Hong Kong. / SUPPLIED

U Thaung Tun met with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam during the visit and discussed building closer economic ties.

According to the press release, the Myanmar delegation, led by Chairman U Thaung Tun and Yangon's minister for electricity, industry, roads and communications, Daw Nilar Kyaw, and director-general of DICA, U Aung Naing Oo attended the seminar.

Myanmar needs $320 billion in investments for infrastructure by 2030, according to the press release. Foreign-direct investment in Myanmar declined by roughly $3 billion in the 2016-2017 fiscal year compared to 2015-2016. The Myanmar Investment Promotion seminar was held as part of Myanmar's efforts to increase investment from East Asia countries.

Myanmar's government expects foreign-direct investment to be a key driver of economic development according to the Myanmar Investment Promotion Plan 2018which was drawn up by MIC earlier this month. It aims to attract more than $200 billion over the next 20 years in responsible and quality investments.

According to DICA, MIC has engaged numerous East Asian countries through its investment promotion activities, including Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Director-General of DICA, U Aung Naing Oo speaking to the audience at the 23rd Macao International Trade and Investment Fair. / DICA website

Hong Kong is positioned to play a prominent role in facilitating the flow of trade and investment and closer links for economic integration between Hong Kong and ASEAN members including Myanmar. Hong Kong has also shown keen interest in potential investment opportunities brought about by China's Belt and Road regional development project.

In 2017, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam met State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar to discuss trade promotion between both countries and Myanmar's important role in China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). She is the first Hong Kong chief executive to visit since the 1997 Handover.

During the visit, she said, "attaching great importance to co-operation with Myanmar as well as other ASEAN members, Hong Kong expects that the Belt and Road Initiative and the development plan of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area of our country will lead us to a new economic era. With both Hong Kong and ASEAN along the Belt and Road, we hope to co-operate with Myanmar as well as other ASEAN countries to seize the opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative."

In September, the Greater Bay Area Myanmar General Chamber of Commerce (GMGCC) was formed to promote cross-border investments and collaborations between the Greater Bay Area and Myanmar. The "Greater Bay Area" is made up of Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing and had a total of $1.58 trillion in GDP last year making it the fifth biggest economy in Asia

According the GMGCC, the chamber of commerce seeks to shape and facilitate sustainable and responsible investments along the Belt and Road routes, and connect the Greater Bay Area and Myanmar by creating a forum for meaningful exchanges of cutting-edge information, data and resources among stakeholders to drive multilateral policies, innovations and investments, serving as a platform for government bodies, business associations and local communities to better match resources, capital and professional services between Greater Bay Area and Myanmar.

A Myanmar delegation also recently attended the 23rd Macao International Trade and Investment Fair which creates trade promotion activities between Asian countries and Portuguese-speaking countries (PSCs) through forums, discussions and exhibitions. This year's exhibition theme was based on the BRI and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.

In June, a Myanmar delegation including the chairman of MIC and officials from a number of relevant ministries attended the third annual Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong. The meeting focused on exploring new opportunities under the BRI.

Last month the Myanmar government signed an MOU on the China- Myanmar Economic Corridor, a part of the Chinese president's ambitious foreign policy to build trade networks between at least 70 countries, connecting Asia, Europe and Africa. The estimated 1,700-kilometer-long corridor will connect Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan Province, to Myanmar's major economic checkpoints—first to Mandalay in central Myanmar, and then east to Yangon and west to the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

During the visit to Hong Kong, U Thaung Tun said, "I believe Myanmar will be a regional transportation hub in connecting the Middle East and the Mekong Region."

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Durga Puja Brings Brief Burst of Joy to Hindu Refugees in Bangladesh

Posted: 22 Oct 2018 04:26 AM PDT

DHAKA — Despite the heightened security, Hindus sheltering in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar say this year’s Durga Puja was a much happier affair than last year’s celebration of the religious holiday, thanks to a helping hand from Bangladeshi authorities.

Local authorities also helped the roughly 100 families erect a pavilion for the festival and even supplied the small community with a week’s supply of electricity for the first time since they arrived late last year.

"This time the Bangladeshi authorities have arranged everything for us," said Sumanta Rudra, a Hindu commune leader in the camps. "Our Muslim neighbors in Myanmar who also came to Bangladesh have visited us during the celebration,” he added.

Last year, having fled the latest outbreak of violence in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State only weeks earlier, the newly arrived refugees marked Durga Puja in a far more modest fashion while taking shelter in an abandoned poultry shed.

Local Bangladeshi authorities later moved the Hindu families to comparatively improved accommodations.

Accompanied by traditional drum music, this year’s festivities kicked off on Oct. 14 and carried on into Friday afternoon.

"We could not enjoy the Puja with such festivities in Myanmar. But it’s different here in Bangladesh and we are celebrating it here," Sumanta Rudra said, escorting the Hindu idols on their way for immersion.

Shishu Shil, another Hindu, said that in Myanmar they did not have experienced and skilled craftsmen to make the idols.

"We used to celebrate in front of our temple and build idols with some hard paper," he said. "But here we can enjoy a real festival…. It’s the first time in my life to see the festival like this.”

Swarasati Das, however, was feeling nostalgic and said she would still prefer to be celebrating back home in Myanmar.

"However, we have enjoyed the festival here,” she added.

Cox's Bazar police chief ABM Masud Hossain, who visited the festivalgoers on Wednesday, said security had been stepped up for the holiday as a precaution.

"We have covered all the costs for their festival and we even arranged two trucks so that the immersion of the idols could take place without any trouble," said Ukhia Sub-District Executive Officer Nikaruzzaman Chowdhury.

"We also distributed family relief hampers that contain clothes and food items so that they can bring some joy on these days," he said.

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EU’s Revoking of Preferential Trade Status Won’t Affect Investment: DICA

Posted: 22 Oct 2018 03:45 AM PDT

YANGON—The EU's probable revoking of the Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) will not have an impact on pending foreign investments in Myanmar, said a representative of Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA), a government body under the Ministry of Planning and Finance.

"The EU granted the GSP in 2013. It has been just five years. But before that, CMP [meaning 'cutting, making and processing,' which refers to the garment industry] had already been exporting. I mean EU countries have never been the leading investors in Myanmar, Asian countries are," U Than Aung Kyaw, DICA's deputy director-general, told reporters at the Myanmar Investment Commission on Thursday.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström announced on Oct. 5 that the bloc was considering withdrawing Myanmar's preferential trade status due to human rights violations committed against the Rohingya in Rakhine State last year.

"It may take months to do this; perhaps six months. Anyway, western countries are not major investors in Myanmar. We do have some investment from Britain and France but those are limited to oil and gas exploration. They don't invest in manufacturing, so their investments are not that significant," said U Than Aung Kyaw.

Myanmar's manufacturing industry is mainly dominated by Asian investors, he added.

According to DICA, the transitional budget from April 1 to Sept. 30 this year showed Myanmar received $2 billion in foreign investment. Singapore was the largest investor with $700 million, followed by China with $300 million, Britain with $174 million and Japan with $134 million.

Garment exports, however, account for some 70 percent of Myanmar's shipments to the EU, according to figures collected by the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association.

"Though the EU has not made direct investments in the garment industry, most garment exports are shipped to the EU. No matter who makes the investment—Japan or Korea or China or Myanmar citizens—in the garment industry, the majority of garment products are shipped to the EU. Therefore, it can be assumed that their orders might decline," U Khin Maung Aye, chairman of Hlaingtharyar Industrial Zone Garment Manufacturers Association told The Irrawaddy.

Foreign investment in Myanmar mainly goes into the manufacturing, property development, communications and energy industries, according to DICA.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Alleged Elephant Poachers Arrested in Irrawaddy Forest Reserve

Posted: 22 Oct 2018 02:28 AM PDT

PATHEIN, Irrawaddy Region — Police arrested three alleged elephant poachers and seized their small arms in a forest reserve in Pathein, Irrawaddy Region, on Thursday.

A joint force of forestry police, local police, Forest Department personnel and staff from the Emergency Elephant Rescue Unit (EERU) arrested the alleged poachers while on patrol in the Thalek Kwar forest reserve. One poacher got away.

"We had to drive about 20 wild elephants off from some villages in Pathein Township recently. We assumed that there might be some elephant poachers around and carried out a patrol, and we arrested three elephant poachers," U Lin Lin Tun, who heads the EERU, told The Irrawaddy.

The joint force spotted two suspicious-looking men on Thursday at about noon along Chaungtha-Ngwe Hsaung Road. One of the men got away but the other was arrested and identified as Saw Htoo Nyaw, 32. He was found with two daggers and three bottles of poison.

After interrogating him, police also arrested Naing Htet Kyaw, 18, and U Kyaw Ta Thein, 56, in the Thalek Kwar forest reserve and seized poison, a percussion rifle, ball bearings for bullets and other items often used for hunting elephants.

Saw Htoo Nyaw and U Kyaw Tha Thein are from Pathein Township’s Kyay Htauk Kwin village and were helping the poachers, Naing Htet Kyaw and Maung Aye, the man who escaped. Police said the two alleged poachers are from Mindon Township, in Magwe Region.

Three alleged elephant poachers stand in front of a display of the items seized from them by police in Pathein Township, Irrawaddy Region, on Thursday. / Thalek Kwar Police Station

Police have accused the three men they caught of illegal weapons possession and of violating the Protection of Biodiversity and Conservation Areas Law. They are searching for Maung Aye.

"Poachers can hunt elephants here because of the assistance of locals. While poachers get 6 to 10 million kyats [$3,796 to $6,326] for an elephant, locals who assist in the poaching only get at most 500,000 kyats ($316). It is not worth it to be arrested and have their lives ruined for that amount of money. So I'd like to urge locals to stay away from poachers," said U Kyaw Myint Tun.

U Kyaw Myint Tun is the administrator of the Tin Chaung village tract and has won an elephant conservation award presented by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Elephant poaching has been rampant in parts of Irrawaddy Region’s Pathein, Ngapudaw and Thabaung townships adjacent to the Rakhine mountain range since 2011.

According to Irrawaddy police records, 59 wild elephants were poached in the region between January 2011 and May 2018.

The Forest Department says 115 wild elephants were killed in the last four years across the country.

In response to a rise in elephant poaching, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation said in August that it was planning to establish elephant conservation areas in Yangon, Bago and Irrawaddy regions.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Tatmadaw, KNPP Troops Clash in Hpa Saung Township

Posted: 22 Oct 2018 02:22 AM PDT

The Myanmar Army and the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) traded accusations of violating their six-year-old bilateral ceasefire agreement after the two sides' troops clashed in Karenni State over the weekend.

The clash, which broke out at around 8 a.m. on Oct. 20, was the first since the two sides signed a ceasefire in 2012. No one was injured in the fighting.

According to a statement issued on Oct. 20 by the state government, seven KNPP members attacked a Myanmar Army (or Tatmadaw) unit earlier that day between Nan Kit and Ba Han Lot villages in Hpa Saung Township.

However, in a statement issued on Oct. 21, the KNPP said Tatmadaw troops had arrested two local men and forced them to serve as guides for a clearance operation. It said the Tatmadaw's Light Infantry Brigade (LIB) 428, based in Mawchi Township, traveled to a KNPP-controlled area to conduct the operation, but did not use a regular, designated route agreed to in 2013. This use of a non-designated route triggered the clash, according to the KNPP.

Khu Daniel, a member of the KNPP's central committee, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the party would discuss the clash at its monthly meeting at the end of October.

He added that the tension in the area had eased since the Oct. 20 clash as the Tatmadaw had ended its clearance operation.

The state government said in its Oct. 20 statement that the alleged KNPP attack violated the ceasefire agreement between the Myanmar government and the KNPP and frightened the local population. The statement was signed by Colonel Myint Wai, the Karenni State security and border affairs minister, on behalf of the state chief minister.

Col. Myint Wai said his government condemned the action by the KNPP and demanded that the organization take steps to control its ground forces in order to prevent further fighting.

Under a bilateral agreement, the KNPP and Myanmar Army use designated routes for troop movements, and are supposed to give three days' notice of any such movements. However, the KNPP said the Tatmadaw failed to comply with the bilateral agreement, as it failed to notify the KNPP liaison office ahead of time. "The action caused grave concern that a similar incident to one in which four [KNPP] troops were killed by the Myanmar Army last year would occur," the KNPP statement said.

After learning from local residents that the Tatmadaw was moving into its area, the KNPP contacted the deputy commander of LIB 428, but the officer responded that the Tatmadaw had the right to operate anywhere within the Union and that the unit did not need to give prior notice.

"Such a response not only violates the bilateral agreement but also undermine peace and stability in the region," the KNPP said.

Responding to the statement from the state government, the KNPP denied violating any agreements reached at either the state or the Union level since the beginning of the peace process. To the contrary, it was the Tatmadaw that failed to follow the terms of the bilateral agreement, the KNPP said.

"The accusation by the state government is totally false," the KNPP said.

The KNPP signed a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar government in 2012. Despite coming under pressure by the Myanmar Army and government to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement during ongoing peace negotiations, the KNPP has yet to do so.

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‘I Would Not Exchange My Life For That Amount of Money’: Nang Mo Hom

Posted: 22 Oct 2018 01:11 AM PDT

Nang Mo Hom was arrested at gunpoint by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army at her home in Namkham Township, Muse, northern Shan State on Aug. 17 and released on Oct. 15. 

The TNLA accused her of allegedly informing on its soldiers for extorting money from local businesses in northern Shan State. One of the fighters was later shot dead by the Tatmadaw and the other was arrested.

The TNLA sentenced Nang Mo Home to three years imprisonment in its own court on Oct. 5. During her arrest and detention, thousands of locals, civil society organizations and Shan political parties demanded her release and urged the government to intervene in the case.

In a statement on Monday signed by the TNLA chairman, the group said it agreed to release Nang Mo Hom at the request of the Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) for the sake of maintaining good relations between the Shan and Ta'ang communities. It said negotiations were mediated by the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee, an alliance of seven ethnic armed groups that both are members of.

Nang Mo Hom is now home. Shortly after her return from detention last week, The Irrawaddy's senior reporter Chit Min Tun spoke with her.

First of all, can you tell us about the day that the TNLA arrested you?

They came to arrest me at my home and said their leader wanted to talk to me. They pointed a gun at me and took me away. I was taken in a vehicle into the jungle but I don't know where we went exactly.

How did they treat you? 

There was no torture or abuse. They treated me well and told me to take care of my health and that they wouldn't do anything to me. I tried to stay healthy because I believed that I would be let go one day. They didn't keep me in a cell; it was more like house arrest.

The TNLA accused you of informing on two of its officers who were collecting money. Did you inform on them?

They asked me that question and I told them that it was not true. I would not exchange that amount of money for my life. And I did not do it. I don't know about the fighting between the Tatmadaw and the TNLA troops. I gave the TNLA officers 1.1 million kyats upon their request and they gave me a receipt. That's all.

How did you feel while you were detained? Did you think that you would be released?

I completely believed that I would be released because I gave them the money that they asked for. I thought when they discovered the truth, that I did not inform on them, that I would be released. I had faith in that.

What do you want to say to those who pushed for or negotiated your release?

I deeply thank the public, town elders and leaders who helped to win my release. They showed sympathy for me, as I am a mother.

What were you worried about and how did you manage while you were detained?

I never experienced anything like this, so I was scared. But they never harmed me and I was not too worried because they told me that I would only be detained for a short time.

What would your advice be to others in conflict zones to avoid similar arrests?

I had given them money and had not expected this to happen. I don't want others to have to go through this. The incident happened after they left my home. So it was a misunderstanding that led to this situation but it is not good.

How did you feel about your children, as your youngest one is just six years old? 

I am never apart from my youngest son and my concerns for them all were unspeakable. The youngest is just a grade one student. My eldest son is in grade ten, which is a very important time in his life, so I was incredibly worried about them all.

Would you like to add anything? 

I would like to thank each and every person who demanded my release and helped me to be able to return home.

The post 'I Would Not Exchange My Life For That Amount of Money': Nang Mo Hom appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Aging Japan: Unclaimed Burial Urns Pile Up in Japan Amid Fraying Social Ties

Posted: 21 Oct 2018 09:30 PM PDT

YOKOSUKA, Japan — Unclaimed urns containing ashes of the dead are piling up by the thousands across Japan, creating storage headaches and reflecting fraying family ties and economic pressures in a rapidly aging nation.

The identities of the dead, cremated at public expense, are usually known. But in most cases, relatives either refuse or don’t respond to requests to collect their remains. Burials can be costly and time-consuming, a burden on family members who may hardly know the deceased relative.

"When I die, though I have only 150,000 yen ($1,340), will you cremate me and put me in a pauper’s grave? I have no one to collect my remains," said a note left by a man in his 70s in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, who died in 2015 and whose urn was later buried at a local temple.

The abandoned remains highlight social, economic and demographic changes in Japan, where more elderly live on welfare and families are more scattered, weakening traditional family bonds and obligations.

It is a problem that is likely to grow, experts say; deaths in Japan are projected to rise from 1.33 million a year to 1.67 million by 2040, even as the overall population drops.

Yokosuka was so overwhelmed with unclaimed urns that it ran out of space in a 300-year-old charnel house that was about to collapse. It combined ashes of different people into a much smaller number of urns that it now stores in a hillside cave, with about 50 newer urns accumulating at the city office.

"Space to store them is running out," said Hitomi Nakamura, an official in Saitama city, north of Tokyo, where the number of unclaimed urns has grown sharply in the last few years to more than 1,700.

"Many elderly people are living on welfare," he added, "and many of them may be estranged from their families."

With Japanese wages barely growing, and many children of the elderly living on pensions themselves, managing death costs, including arranging for their burial, can be a burden.

A traditional funeral, including food, drinks and gifts for guests, and hiring a Buddhist monk to chant sutras, can cost 2 million yen ($17,800) or more, industry sources say.

New businesses have sprung up offering no-frills funerals for $2,000 to $4,000, but other costs can add up, including the hundreds of dollars it may cost to bury the urn at a temple or cemetery.

Poor Elderly

There are more elderly poor than in years past, some of who cannot afford their own funerals. Nearly 3 percent of elderly were on welfare in 2015, almost double the rate two decades earlier, government statistics show. Just over half of all Japanese on welfare are 65 or older.

"There are more people who die alone, with no one to look after cremated remains because of weaker family relationships," said Hisako Makimura, a visiting professor of sociology at Kansai University.

In decades past, it was not uncommon for three generations of family to live together. But experts say that as Japan’s economy has changed, couples have fewer children, and people tend to move farther from home for work, among other factors.

Nearly 6,000 urns have accumulated in the southern city of Fukuoka, while Osaka, in western Japan, buried the remains of 2,366 people in a communal grave this year after no one claimed them after one or two years.

The number of Japanese age 65 and older will swell from 28 percent of the population to 36 percent by 2040, according to the government-backed National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.

"Families and communities used to play roles of taking care of deceased people," Makimura said. "But the burden on local governments will likely grow as their involvement in dealing with the dead increases."

"So Relieved"

In Yokosuka, more elderly are dying without leaving funeral instructions or information about relatives.

City officials comb through their homes and census registries, and try to contact family members through the mail, often to no avail.

"The dead are ordinary citizens. It could happen to anyone," said Kazuyuki Kitami, a city official. "These bones are warning those of us who are alive that we are poorly prepared."

Noticing that many unclaimed remains were from poor elderly people, Yokosuka in 2015 started an "ending plan support" service for low-income residents with no immediate family members.

Individuals pay at least a fifth of the 250,000 yen ($2,200) cremation and burial costs, with the government covering the rest. Dozens have signed up, and in May the city made similar services available to anyone.

"I feel so relieved," said Sumitaka Haraguchi, 80, after signing up for the service and ensuring he will be buried at a local temple.

Haraguchi never married and hasn’t seen his three stepsiblings in many years, so he worried what would happen to his remains when he died.

"My days have changed," he said from his nursing home. "I feel calm."

The post Aging Japan: Unclaimed Burial Urns Pile Up in Japan Amid Fraying Social Ties appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Cambodia Talks Fail to End Trade Sanction Threat, EU Says

Posted: 21 Oct 2018 09:25 PM PDT

BRUSSELS — Cambodia failed on Friday to allay criticisms of authoritarianism and rights abuses that threaten the country’s duty-free trading access to the European Union, the EU’s top diplomat said after talks with its premier.

Brussels began a formal procedure this month to strip Cambodia of its special trade status, worth billions of euros a year, following July elections that returned strongman Hun Sen to power after 30 years in office and gave his party all parliamentary seats.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini held talks with the prime minister in Brussels during a summit of 51 European and Asian leaders. She said later she had not heard anything that would avert trade sanctions.

“We discussed this, I cannot say that we found solutions to any of these issues,” Mogherini told a news conference.

“There is a lot of concern in Europe … about the dissolution of the opposition and the narrowed democratic space for political opposition and civil society.”

The bloc’s review of Cambodia’s duty-free access to the EU means Cambodian sugar, garments and other exports could face tariffs within 12 months under EU rules and make the country less attractive for retailers exporting to Europe.

EU countries accounted for around 40 percent of Cambodia’s foreign sales in 2016. Clothing factories employ around 700,000 workers.

Its exports to the European Union were worth 5 billion euros ($5.8 billion) last year, according to EU data, up from negligible levels less than a decade ago, before the trade status.

Myanmar Also Accused

Dozens of Cambodians gathered outside the summit venue in Brussels to protest against Hun Sen’s policies.

He declined to answer questions from reporters, waving his hand and walking away when asked if he was concerned about the impending sanctions.

Mogherini also met Myanmar’s Minister for International Cooperation Kyaw Tin in Brussels and raised the prospect of similar trade sanctions to punish the country for what the West says is its ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.

A recent UN report accused Myanmar’s military of gang rapes and mass killings with “genocidal intent” in Rakhine State and called for its commander-in-chief and five generals to be prosecuted under international law.

Myanmar has denied most of the allegations in the report, blaming Rohingya “terrorists” for most accounts of atrocities.

“We won’t close our eyes to violations that the international community sees as worrying,” Mogherini said. “Our trade preferences have the respect for human rights at their core.”

The post Cambodia Talks Fail to End Trade Sanction Threat, EU Says appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Angry Mob Pelts Stones at Police at Site of Indian Rail Accident

Posted: 21 Oct 2018 09:09 PM PDT

AMRITSAR, India — An angry mob threw stones at police on Sunday near the site of a deadly railway accident in north India, demanding immediate financial compensation for the families of the victims and government jobs for those who lost wage earners.

A group of about 100 people staged the protest in the northern city of Amritsar where a train plowed through a crowd gathered to watch the burning of effigies and a fireworks display on Friday as part of a Hindu festival, killing 59.

Many of the victims were either on the railway tracks or near them and did not hear the commuter train coming in the noise of the crackers and giant effigies burning in the darkness, witnesses and officials said.

Relatives of the victims have turned on the railways for allowing the train to go through when there were scores of people near the tracks. The railways said they were not informed about the plans and that people should not have been standing near the tracks.

On Sunday, relatives and locals gathered at the accident site and began throwing stones at police, saying there was no help coming for the grief-stricken families.

“Down with the government,” a youth shouted, while others lunged towards police constables guarding the site, where an inquiry has been ordered.

“They should give the close relatives of the dead and the injured government jobs. They should also make sure they get the compensation quickly. Nobody has received anything till now,” said Ravinder, one of the protesters who only gave his first name.

Police charged at the stone pelting mob with sticks to disperse them.

Amarinder Singh, the chief minister of Punjab, the state where the accident took place, announced compensation of 500,000 Indian rupees ($6,815) for those who lost family members and free treatment for those injured in the accident.

But such compensation often takes months or even longer in reaching the families.

Shops Shut

Shops were shut across Amritsar, to mourn the victims of the latest disaster to hit the railways, one of the most deadly in years.

Data from Parliament in July showed that 49,790 people were killed by trains in India between 2015 and 2017.

A railway official said the driver of the train told authorities he had applied brakes and honked on sighting the crowd near the tracks, but was not able to stop the train on time.

Amrit Singh, the director of the railway station at Amritsar, said a commuter train traveling at 90 km per hour (56 miles per hour) would travel for 700 meters (765 yards) after the brakes are applied before stopping.

“In this case, the driver had just 200 meters, or less. There is no way he could have stopped the train,” Singh said.

The post Angry Mob Pelts Stones at Police at Site of Indian Rail Accident appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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