AllSBNews: The Irrawaddy Magazine

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Dig Into a Turkish Feast at Sule Shangri-La
First Group of Rohingya to Be Repatriated Next Month
Govt Says Karen Armed Group Not to Blame For Stalled Peace Process
Stoking the Embers of Fear in Rakhine State
President’s Office Presses Yangon Govt to Drop Incitement Suit
US Restricts Exports to Chinese Semiconductor Firm Fujian Jinhua
Indonesia Hunts For Victims, Wreckage of Air Crash; Survivors Seen Unlikely
Myanmar Garment Workers Demand Sacked Colleagues Get Jobs Back
Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week

Dig Into a Turkish Feast at Sule Shangri-La

Posted: 30 Oct 2018 07:59 AM PDT

YANGON — Turkish food is today considered among the main cuisines of the world, and also one of the most appetizing and rich. Sule Shangri-La is celebrating that achievement with a special buffet week called “Flavors of Turkey” featuring the culinary creations of guest chefs Harun Imre and Erhan Ustun from the Shangri-La Bosporus, Istanbul.

While Turkey traces its roots back to the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century, it has fused and refined the cuisines of Central Asian, the Middle Eastern, Eastern Europe and the Balkans. But the guest chefs will also be preparing the most well-known and popular Turkish dishes for this buffet, from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 at Café Sule.

Like the people of Myanmar, the people of Turkey love to eat rice, and most dishes include the starchy staple.

Chefs prepared dishes for the buffet. / Supplied

Our private tasting group started its food tour with some popular appetizers including stuffed meatballs. Inside a shell of fine bulgur, potato and spices, the balls are filled with ground beef, nuts and more spices, and fried until red. The shell was a bit hard, but not too hard, and the meat filling was perfect.

The next appetizer was pachanga borek, and one of my favorites. It may look like a spring roll, but the taste and ingredients are different. The yufka, or Turkish flat bread, is filled with meat, cheese and vegetables such as tomato and spices. It’s cheesy, but not too rich, and a bit chewy.

Lamb shank with eggplant puree. / Supplied

There are plenty more Turkish appetizers to explore at the buffet.

The main dishes on offer make clear that Turkish people also love their lamb and beef. One of the best main courses is lamb shank with eggplant puree; it’s so tender it almost melts in the mouth.

The chef said the kitchen needs to prepare this lamb dish for about five hours. That's why the meat is so tender and sweet. But the smell of the lamb isn’t too strong.

The next main dish was pilic topkapi, backed chicken with spinach and mushrooms. The chicken was tender and the combined flavors with the spinach and mushrooms was perfection.

Most of the dishes were rich and savory and not very spicy. Restaurants serving Turkish food are rare in Myanmar, so this is your best chance to experience it for yourself.

The buffet is available during dinner only and costs $36 per person. Customers can also enter a lucky draw for the chance to win a round-trip flight to Istanbul and other prizes.

The post Dig Into a Turkish Feast at Sule Shangri-La appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

First Group of Rohingya to Be Repatriated Next Month

Posted: 30 Oct 2018 06:18 AM PDT

DHAKA—Dhaka and Naypyitaw have agreed to repatriate the first group of Rohingya to Myanmar by mid-November, Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary M. Shahidul Haque announced on Tuesday.

"We're looking forward to starting the repatriation by mid-November. It's the first batch," Shahidul Haque told reporters without saying precisely how many Rohingyas would be repatriated in the first group.

The senior Bangladeshi diplomat made the announcement after the third meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) to discuss the repatriation of verified Rohingya in Dhaka.

The third meeting of the JWG, a foreign secretary-level forum, was held at the Meghna State Guesthouse in the capital. It was co-chaired by Shahidul Haque and Myint Thu, permanent secretary of Myanmar's Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Myint Thu said they had a very friendly and candid meeting and came up with "very concrete results" on the commencement of repatriation.

"We have shown political will, flexibility, and accommodation in order to commence the repatriation at the earliest possible date," he told reporters.

The Myanmar diplomat said the two sides had streamlined local directives to promote awareness of repatriation among potential returnees.

They discussed the Rohingya issue in detail amid "intensive efforts" to begin repatriation, he said.

JWG members from both sides will visit Rohingya camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar on Wednesday to meet with refugees.

The officials said Bangladesh on Tuesday sought updates on what steps would be taken to facilitate the "safe" and "sustainable return" of Rohingya to their homes in Myanmar.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on Oct. 15 told reporters in Dhaka that, "We've completed the village-based verification of 8,000 Rohingyas to determine who came from which village. We want to make sure they can start living in houses in their own villages."

The foreign minister said India had built 250 houses for returnees in Myanmar, while China is building 1,000 more.

"The returnees will first stay at reception centers in Myanmar and then will go to their villages."

Chinese Minister and Party Committee Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security Zhao Kezhi and his Bangladeshi counterpart discussed the Rohingya issue on Friday.

Bangladesh sought China’s assistance in repatriating the Rohingyas.

Speaking at the 73rd UN General Assembly recently, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made three recommendations for solving the Rohingya crisis at its root.

The first was that Myanmar should abolish discriminatory laws, policies and practices against the minority group.

The second was that Myanmar should create an acceptable environment by building trust and guaranteeing protection, rights and a pathway to citizenship for all Rohingyas. If needed, it should create a "safe zone" inside the country to protect all civilians.

The third was that further atrocities against Rohingyas in Myanmar should be prevented by ensuring accountability and justice, particularly in the light of the recommendations of the Fact-Finding Mission of the UN Human Rights Council.

To facilitate repatriation, Foreign Minister Ali has emphasized the need to accelerate efforts to create a "conducive environment" in northern Rakhine State by, among other things, building houses and villages for returnees.

In August this year, Ali and JWG members visited northern Rakhine State and saw the "trail of widespread devastation" suffered by people there, Bangladesh Foreign Ministry officials said.

The foreign minister also visited Shwe Zar village, where around 148 prefabricated houses for returnees are being built with assistance from the government of India.

Bangladesh and Myanmar formed the JWG in December 2017 with an initial goal to start repatriating Rohingya refugees by Jan. 23, 2018.

In May, Myanmar urged Bangladesh to commence the repatriation of 778 Muslims and 444 Hindus whose identities had been verified earlier.

The post First Group of Rohingya to Be Repatriated Next Month appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Govt Says Karen Armed Group Not to Blame For Stalled Peace Process

Posted: 30 Oct 2018 04:11 AM PDT

BANGKOK — The Myanmar government said it did not blame the Karen Nation Union (KNU) for setbacks in the national peace process following the ethnic armed group’s recent decision to temporarily suspend participation in negotiations.

"We don't blame anyone in regards to the current peace [process]; it is normal," government spokesman U Zaw Htay said of the KNU’s move.

"We can meet such challenges because we are nearer to overcoming the deep problems regarding peace," he said at a press conference in Naypyitaw on Monday.

The spokesman urged ethnic armed groups (EAOs) to speak openly with the government and military so that they can help each other.

In a letter on Saturday to State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who also chairs the National Reconciliation and Peace Center, the KNU said it would temporarily stop taking part in negotiations with the government and military to give itself time to consult with its members on the current state of the peace process.

U Zaw Htay said he hoped thorough discussions within the KNU would ultimately help move the national peace process forward and noted that the group managed to overcome internal divisions before signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in 2015.

"Therefore we fully believe the KNU will overcome this challenge regarding the political talks,” he said.

KNU Vice Chairman Padoh Kwe Htoo Win told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the group remained committed to achieving a sustainable peace through negotiations based on the NCA.

But he confirmed that the EAOs, government and military made no progress in addressing the military’s demands that armed groups forsake secession and agree to a single military when they met for a peace summit in Naypyitaw earlier this month, though they did agree to a rough schedule for further negotiations.

Padoh Kwe Htoo Win said KNU members needed to "reach a common understanding." And while the group operated on democratic principles and harbored diverse opinions, he added, "that does not mean we are divided."

He said the KNU would hold consultations with its members on the NCA — in light of recent changes to the implementation process — and the current structure of the negotiation process. But he did not expect the consultations to take long.

U Zaw Htay said the government also wanted to stick to the process laid out in the NCA, especially since they were already about halfway through the implementation process.

The government, military and EAOs have already agreed to review the current structure of the negotiation process in order to make it more inclusive.

EAOs are also planning to meet with the government and political parties represented in the Union, region and state parliaments to discuss the negotiation process later this week in Yangon.

The post Govt Says Karen Armed Group Not to Blame For Stalled Peace Process appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Stoking the Embers of Fear in Rakhine State

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 11:51 PM PDT

The recent arrest of three Arakanese youth activists has come to the fore of Rakhine State’s political scene, a typically unpredictable affair complicated by regional strife.

Theirs was among a series of arrests linked to the death of a military intelligence officer, Phoe Lone, who was shot at point-blank range in the state capital, Sittwe, last month. After mostly silence from authorities, the three have since appeared in court and been charged with murder.

It is but the latest episode to spread fear and anxiety among the local Arakanese community. Two main factors are contributing to their increasing sense of insecurity — a rise in crime, and the growing perception that they are being pushed out of the public debate on anything the powers that be deem politically sensitive. Together, they are hardening the sense of marginalization within a community that already feels squeezed.

Violence in a chaotic state

In Rakhine State, 2018 opened with a deadly riot in the ancient city of Mrauk-U when authorities revoked permission on short notice for the flagship event at an anniversary for the fall of the Arakanese Empire. Seven civilians were killed in the ensuing clash between the crowds and security forces. Another eight people hospitalized with gunshot wounds were arrested and convicted of destroying public property. After serving their eight-month sentences, they were re-arrested and sued in connection with the riot again, drawing widespread public rebuke.

Shortly thereafter, U Aye Maung, a prominent Arakanese politician, was prosecuted for unlawful association and treason for a speech at the same anniversary during which, according to the government, he encouraged the use of armed struggle to achieve sovereignty for Rakhine State. Many locals believe the arrests of the activists and politician are both part of the ethnic Bamar-dominated state’s attempts to oppress minorities.

In the same month of U Aye Maung’s arrest, the Mrauk-U administrator who oversaw the government’s handling of the riot was killed on his way to Sittwe. Though there is no evidence that the riot and murder are linked, much speculation has drifted in that direction.

In February, three bombs went off in Sittwe near government buildings and a local official’s house, injuring a policeman. Authorities soon arrested seven suspects, including a senior leader of the Arakan National Council, the political wing of the Arakan State Army.

Crime on the rise

Beyond politics, the general public is feeling ever more insecure. One reason is the dramatic increased in crime and theft, especially in Sittwe. People suspect the work of an organized criminal gang and say they see little effort from authorities to stop it.

Illicit drugs are also a growing concern. Millions of amphetamine pills have been seized across Rakhine State. Street crime, from assault to daylight robbery, is rising. The trends are eroding the public’s trust in the government and the rule of law.

Growing sense of oppression

According to a report by Athan, a free speech advocacy group, freedom of expression in Myanmar has been declining since the National League for Democracy took power in early 2016. There is increasing use of the Communications Act to sue reporters and anyone else who criticizes the government.

Rakhine State is no exception. The local government deserves credit for tolerating its critics during the first two years of the current administration, though it has lately begun to backslide.

The jailing of two Reuter reporters in Yangon sent a mixed message to the Rakhine community. Some groups, mainly nationalist and the military’s votary, hailed the prosecution of the journalists, who they condemn as traitors. But what these groups have overlooked is the parallel silencing of Rakhine voices. There was the yet-unsolved knife attack on a local Rakhine reporter for the Democratic Voice of Burma and the prosecution of an Arakanese writer arrested together with U Aye Maung.

A lawmaker representing Ramree Township is being prosecuted for a Facebook post addressing the education of ethnic Arakanese. A town elder from Sittwe is also on trial for blaming the Rakhine State secretary for the violence in Mrauk-U.

More recently, an activist from Ann Township has been put on trial for sharing news on Facebook about the sudden death of large numbers of sea mussels; authorities accused him of causing public disorder by spreading false information and sued him under the Communications Act. And in the latest case, a group of youth activists was arrested for murder.

A final verdict in most of these cases has yet to be rendered. But they all involve activists or prominent local figures.

Feeling insecure

Muslims stuck in displacement camps see few prospects for a brighter future. At the same time, the Buddhist Arakanese see a rising crime rate and are feeling increasingly oppressed. The trouble in Rakhine can be seen as a three-way struggle in which Muslims, Arakanese and the government are each acting in their own interests.

All have their particular concerns and fears. The government postures itself as the eternal protector of national unity and solidarity; perceived threats to that unity are aggressively quashed. To make it that much easier, the former military regime fostered a fear that Myanmar was ever at risk from outsiders — sometimes from the West, other times from its neighbors — and silenced those who tried to say otherwise.

The practice of state-driven fear appeared to have started dissipating with the start of Myanmar’s democratic transition in 2010. The people’s voices are being heard more than ever. But opportunistic nationalists have since emerged to polarize communities based on race and religion, helping stoke bouts of inter-communal violence across the country, though even their influence has been on the wane since a government crackdown in 2016.

The local Muslim community has faced two big blows, driving about 1 million of them to neighboring Bangladesh in recent years seeking refuge. The Arakanese are discontent and also afraid because they see little hope that conditions in Rakhine State will improve in the foreseeable future. Fear now permeates the social fabric of the state, brining latent prejudices to the fore.

The state needs to realize that it is an actor in the conflict — not a neutral observer — and help solve the communal tensions. Its actions in recent months, however, intended or not, are promoting fear, and that fear may turn to anger at any time.

Although the discontent of the Arakan community is nothing new, the fear lately engendered by the state has renewed a sense of insecurity. The rising violence and mistrust means taking a step away from a prosperous and peaceful Rakhine State.

Ye Min Zaw is a scholar of international development studies focusing on peace processes, transitional issues and Rakhine State affairs.

The post Stoking the Embers of Fear in Rakhine State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

President’s Office Presses Yangon Govt to Drop Incitement Suit

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 11:39 PM PDT

YANGON — The Yangon Region government must follow a presidential directive telling it to adhere to the Media Law in its dispute with three journalists from the Eleven Media Group, a spokesman for the President’s Office said.

The Yangon government filed a lawsuit against the trio earlier this month accusing them of incitement under Article 505 (b) of the Penal Code for allegedly publishing false information relating to the use of public funds. They were arrested on Oct. 10 and detained at Yangon's Insein Prison but released on bail last week.

The lawsuit and arrests drew strong public rebuke from critics who pointed out that the offending article was based primarily on remarks by lawmakers in a Yangon Parliament session about a recent report by the local auditor general. The lawmakers themselves insisted the story was accurate.

The lawsuit prompted President U Win Myint to tell 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. The Yangon government submitted a complaint letter to the Press Council following the president's directive on Oct. 18.

The Press Council then urged the Yangon government to withdraw the lawsuit because its rules forbid it from mediating a dispute that is with the courts.

But the government has yet to drop the suit.

"We have sent it the [president’s] directive. The [Yangon] chief ministers shall be responsible to the president, according to the Constitution, so it has to follow the order; I hope it will. As far as I'm concerned, it is now negotiating with Eleven Media Group," U Zaw Htay, spokesman for the President Office, said Monday at a press conference in Naypyitaw.

On Oct. 19 the Yangon government demanded that Eleven Media apologize for the article without saying whether it would drop the suit if the news outlet complied.

It is not clear if the two sides are negotiating on an apology. Eleven Media Managing Director U Thein Myint was not available for comments on Tuesday.

Upon his release on Friday, U Phyo Wai Win, the journalist who wrote the offending article, told reporters outside the court that he stood by everything he wrote.

On the day of their release, Press Council Vice Chairman U Myo Thant Tin told The Irrawaddy that, despite the bail, the suit still had to be dropped before it could start mediating. The journalists' lawyer, U Kyee Myint, urged the government to follow the president’s instructions and drop the suit without delay.

The post President’s Office Presses Yangon Govt to Drop Incitement Suit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Restricts Exports to Chinese Semiconductor Firm Fujian Jinhua

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 09:58 PM PDT

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration took action on Monday to cut off a Chinese state-backed chipmaker from US suppliers amid allegations the firm stole intellectual property from US semiconductor company Micron Technology Inc.

The Commerce Department said it had put Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co Ltd on a list of entities that cannot purchase components, software and technology goods from US firms.

The administration is concerned the Chinese firm could flood the market with cheap chips that are also made by US companies that supply the US military. If the US chipmakers go out of business, the military would lose a supplier for an item that must come from the United States.

Trade experts said the Trump administration’s move may be an unprecedented effort to use a legal tool known for punishing foreign companies that send US-origin goods to sanctioned countries such as Iran to instead protect the economic viability of a US firm.

The move escalated what until now had been a business dispute into the realm of an international trade conflict between the United States and China. The Commerce Department spokesman said the move was “based on the regulatory standard.”

The action against Fujian Jinhua is likely to ignite new tensions between Beijing and Washington since the company is at the heart of the “Made in China 2025” program to develop new high-technology industries.

The world’s top two economies are already waging a tariff war over their trade disputes, with US duties in place on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods and Chinese duties on $110 billion of US goods.

Fujian Jinhua makes so-called DRAM, the memory chips that make computers, phones and other devices run more quickly and smoothly.

Micron, a maker of memory chips with factories in Virginia and Utah, has accused Fujian Jinhua and Taiwanese partner United Microelectronics Corp of stealing its chip designs in a lawsuit in California. In turn, the companies countersued Micron in China, where courts sided with them and banned some of Micron’s chips in China.

“When a foreign company engages in activity contrary to our national security interests, we will take strong action to protect our national security,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

A Commerce Department spokesman said the agency would review any appeal by Fujian Jinhua.

‘Entity List'

The action is similar to a Commerce Department move that nearly put Chinese telecommunications equipment company ZTE Corp out of business earlier this year by cutting it off from US suppliers.

Linley Gwennap, a chip expert and president of the Linley Group, said Fujian Jinhua was a relatively new company building DRAM as part of China’s larger plan to become self-sufficient at making such chips.

He said suppliers such as Applied Materials Inc, Lam Research Corp and KLA-Tencor Corp were likely supplying equipment to Fujian Jinhua.

“It’s pretty much impossible to build a leading-edge fab (semiconductor plant) without buying equipment from these American companies,” Gwennap said.

On an earnings call on Monday, KLA-Tencor Chief Executive Rick Wallace said the company expected no financial impact in 2018 or 2019 from the move.

Neither of the other companies that Gwennap named immediately returned a request for comment.

The use of the “entity list” – which governs what companies US firms can do business with – to protect the economic viability of a US industry appears to be unprecedented, said Washington trade lawyer Douglas Jacobson.

"This appears to be a dramatic expansion of the use of the entity list for economic purposes," he said, explaining that the entity list had traditionally been used to prevent imminent violations of US export control laws.

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Indonesia Hunts For Victims, Wreckage of Air Crash; Survivors Seen Unlikely

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 09:44 PM PDT

JAKARTA — Indonesia on Tuesday stepped up a search for an airliner that plunged into the sea with all 189 aboard feared dead, deploying underwater beacons to trace its black box recorders and uncover why an almost-new plane crashed minutes after takeoff.

Indonesia, one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, has a patchy safety record. With the now almost certain prospect of all on board having died, the crash is set to rank as the country’s second-worst air disaster.

Ground staff lost contact with flight JT610 of budget airline Lion Air 13 minutes after the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft took off early on Monday from the airport in Jakarta, the capital, on its way to Indonesia’s tin-mining region.

“Hopefully this morning we can find the wreckage or fuselage,” Soerjanto Tjahjono, the head of a national transport safety panel, told Reuters, adding that an underwater acoustic beacon was deployed to locate the main body of the plane.

The search and rescue agency added that four sonar detectors were also being used in areas where aircraft debris was found a day earlier off the shore of Karawang, West Java, and 15 vessels were scouring the sea surface.

A helicopter circled over five rubber boats carrying about 36 rescuers, as some donned rubber suits, readying to dive.

Earlier, however, Yusuf Latif, the spokesman of the national search and rescue agency, had said finding survivors “would be a miracle”, judging by the condition of the recovered debris and body parts.

In a statement, Lion Air said human remains were collected in 24 body bags after sweeps of the site of the crash, in waters about 30 to 35 meters deep roughly 15 km off the coast to the northeast of Jakarta.

The bags were taken to a hospital for identification, with more expected overnight, authorities told broadcaster Metro TV.

On tarpaulins at Jakarta’s port, officers laid out items retrieved from the sea, ranging from oxygen bottles to personal effects such as wallets, a mobile telephone, cash and backpacks.

Although searchers halted efforts overnight, sonar vessels and an underwater drone kept up the hunt for the wreckage, where many victims were feared trapped, officials said.

A witness in Karawang said he had heard an explosion from the beach around the time the aircraft went down.

“I thought it was thunder, but it was different from thunder — ‘Boom!’ — It was loud,” said Dadang Hambali.

On Monday, the US National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing Co said they were providing assistance in the crash investigation.

The accident is the first to be reported involving the widely sold Boeing 737 MAX, an updated, more fuel-efficient version of the manufacturer’s workhorse single-aisle jet.

Privately owned Lion Air, founded in 1999, said the aircraft, which had been in operation since August, was airworthy, with its pilot and co-pilot together having amassed 11,000 hours of flying time.

The pilot of flight JT610, which was bound for Pangkal Pinang in the Bangka-Belitung tin-mining region, had asked to return to base (RTB) shortly after takeoff at about 6:20 a.m., with landing set for 7:20 a.m. in the city of Pangkal Pinang.

“An RTB was requested and had been approved but we’re still trying to figure out the reason,” Tjahjono told reporters on Monday.

No distress signal was received from the aircraft’s emergency transmitter, search and rescue agency head Muhmmad Syaugi told a news conference.

The aircraft suffered a technical problem on a flight from the resort island of Bali to Jakarta on Sunday night but it was “resolved according to procedure”, Edward Sirait, chief executive of Lion Air Group, told reporters.

Sirait declined to specify the nature of the issue but said none of the airline’s other aircraft of that model had the same problem. Lion had operated 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and it had no plan to ground the rest of them, he said.

Indonesia’s worst air disaster was in 1997, when a Garuda Indonesia A300 crashed in the city of Medan, killing 234 people.

The post Indonesia Hunts For Victims, Wreckage of Air Crash; Survivors Seen Unlikely appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Myanmar Garment Workers Demand Sacked Colleagues Get Jobs Back

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 09:30 PM PDT

YANGON — Dozens of striking workers from a Chinese-owned garment factory in Myanmar marched to a government compound in Yangon on Monday, securing a late-night meeting with the city's chief minister, as part of efforts to get sacked colleagues reinstated.

Staff from Fu Yuen Ltd factory, on the outskirts of the commercial capital of Yangon, have been demonstrating alongside other labor activists since August, after 30 members of a trade union were fired.

Shouting slogans outside the Yangon regional government compound, about 100 protesters demanded to meet Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein, a protégé of Myanmar's civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

After nightfall, the minister invited a group of workers inside for talks, which ended with protesters agreeing to disperse in return for a second meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

"We are thinking a lot how we can help you," Phyo Min Thein told them in the meeting, live-streamed on Facebook. "We have responsibilities not only to protect workers who are protesting but also to protect workers who are working."

This month, dozens of Fu Yuen workers were injured when iron-wielding assailants attacked a crowd gathered outside the factory. Police said a fight had broken out after protesters urged employees still working to join them.

Myanmar's textile industry is its top export earner after oil and gas, employing more than 450,000 people and generating more than $2 billion in exports last year.

Fu Yuen says it fired the workers for their “poor attitude” rather than because they belonged to a union.

"As the cost has been rising rapidly in the past few years, the factory had no choice but to lay off those workers with poor attitude at work while hoping to increase the productivity again," Fu Yuen representative Janice Chan said on Monday.

Hundreds of thousands of jobs in the sector could soon be at risk as the European Union considers whether to reinstate economic sanctions over the treatment of members of the Rohingya minority, potentially stripping the country of tariff-free access to the trading bloc.

Thet Hter Swe, a worker from the factory, said on Monday the protesters would accept only the reinstatement of the sacked colleagues and could not be bought off with compensation.

"We want to work with dignity, so we only ask to go back to work and to work with full workers' rights."

The post Myanmar Garment Workers Demand Sacked Colleagues Get Jobs Back appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 07:00 PM PDT