Monday, November 19, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Foreign Visitor Numbers Up Despite Dip in Western Tourists

Posted: 19 Nov 2018 04:18 AM PST

YANGON— The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism says Myanmar received more than 2.8 million foreign visitors this year through the end of October, a slight increase compared to the same period last year.

According to the ministry’s latest figures, 2,844,508 tourists arrived during the first 10 months of the year, up 1.2 percent from 2017. This year’s number included 1.1 million visitors with visas and 1.7 million without.

Visitors from Western countries have been falling. Those from Western and Eastern Europe dropped 26.2 percent and 13.6 percent, respectively. Those from North America fell 14.6 percent.

On the other hand, tourist arrivals from Asian countries have jumped, accounting for nearly 77 percent of arrivals with visas.

With some travel guides shunning Myanmar following the violence in northern Rakhine State, and many Western travellers cancelling their bookings, local tour operators had expected foreign arrivals from the West to slump.

U Thet Lwin Toe, chairman of the Union of Myanmar Travel Associations, said within a month of the easing of visa requirements for tourists from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macau in October, visitor numbers from those destinations have soared.

But he urged the government to adopt policies that encourage those visitors to spend more of their money on local businesses.

In 2017, Myanmar received 3.44 million visitors. The Hotels and Tourism Ministry aims to hit 4 million visitors by the end of 2018.

The post Foreign Visitor Numbers Up Despite Dip in Western Tourists appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NLD Sues USDP’s By-Election Winner in Yangon over Bribery Claim

Posted: 19 Nov 2018 03:50 AM PST

YANGON—A former National League for Democracy (NLD) candidate is suing the opposition party candidate who beat him in the recent by-election in Yangon's Seikkan Township for breaching the electoral law.

In the Nov. 3 by-election, U Nay Myo Aung of the main opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) beat the NLD's U Than Htike Aung in Seikkan, a constituency the ruling party won in the 2015 general election.

On Saturday, U Than Htike Aung's campaign manager U Ye Min Hein filed a case against U Nay Myo Aung and other two USDP members under Article 58 (A) of the State and Regional Electoral Law at Seikkan Township Police Station. The plaintiff claims the USDP candidate mediated a micro-loan scheme between voters from his constituency and a finance company prior to the by-election.

Article 58 (A) of the law prohibits candidates from providing people with money, food, job opportunities or other favors in exchange for votes.

The defendants face one year in prison in found guilty. Additionally, the by-election result in the constituency would be canceled. U Nay Myo Aung's alleged accomplices are his campaign manager Daw Toe Toe Lwin and May Htut Microfinance Company director U Lin Aung, as well as the USDP's chairman in Yangon.

U Than Htike Aung told The Irrawaddy that the lawsuit was motivated not by his loss in the by-election but by his desire for a "free and fair election."

"We learned that such money-related irregularities were going on even before the by-election. We knew it was against the law. We are only able to file the case now because it took us time to gather evidence," he said.

Neither the USDP candidate nor the party's spokesperson, U Nandar Hla Myint, were available for comment on Monday afternoon.

According to the 2014 Census, Seikkan Township has a population of fewer than 3,000, mostly made up of police, dockers and their families. The valid voter list for the constituency for the by-election contained less than 1,500 names.

The USDP candidate won the Nov. 3 poll in the constituency with 515 votes to the NLD's 365.

The post NLD Sues USDP's By-Election Winner in Yangon over Bribery Claim appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Solving On-the-Ground Issues Necessary in Moving Closer to NCA: KNPP

Posted: 19 Nov 2018 02:22 AM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand—The Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), a non-signatory of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), said solving problems on the ground would help to move forward the process of signing the NCA as well as political negotiations.

The KNPP and the government have had a state-level bilateral agreement since 2012, but negotiations on signing the NCA and the KNPP's political participation are ongoing.

Informal talks on signing the NCA were held between the KNPP and representatives of the government's Peace Commission on Sunday in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The KNPP and the Peace Commission last met formally in April in Loikaw, the capital of Kayah State, followed by two other informal talks this year.

There are concerns over the Tatmadaw's (Myanmar army's) misinterpretation of the bilateral agreement between the state government and the KNPP, according to Khu Oo Reh, the KNPP's vice chairman. Khu Oo Reh was referring to the recent clash between the KNPP and Tatmadaw troops in Hpa Saung Township, Kayah State.

The KNPP, the Karenni state government and state-level Tatmadaw commanders have been holding monthly talks in order to gain mutual understanding on their bilateral agreement and to ensure both sides follow it.

One of the rules stipulated in the bilateral agreement is that the KNPP and the Tatmadaw must use designated routes for the movement of their troops and that both sides must inform the other three days before passing near battalions of the other army in order to avoid unnecessary engagement.

"But the Tatmadaw does not follow these rules. We think it may be because of different understandings of the bilateral agreement," said Khu Oo Reh.

The group focused on these situations in their discussions with the Peace Commission on Sunday. Commission advisor U Hla Maung Shwe said Sunday's talk was helpful for sharing approaches to solving these situations on the ground.

Both sides said they would have further meetings but did not elaborate when.

Whether the political negotiations can move forward "totally depends on how quickly we can solve these problems on the ground," said Khu Oo Reh.

The government's negotiators, led by Peace Commission secretary and former lieutenant general U Khin Zaw Oo, were in Chiang Mai for a series of informal talks over the weekend. They separately met two key signatories of the NCA—the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS)—and two non-signatories, the KNPP and the Kachin Independent Army (KIA).

An informal meeting between the government and a KIA representative was also held on Sunday in Chiang Mai but media were not allowed to attend, instead being told it was held only to create an open channel between the negotiators.

The post Solving On-the-Ground Issues Necessary in Moving Closer to NCA: KNPP appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Home Ministry Vetting Ex-Generals’ Application to Form Party, Election Body Says

Posted: 19 Nov 2018 02:03 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — The Union Election Commission said the military-run Home Affairs Ministry was reviewing an application by a trio of ex-generals to form a political party.

U Soe Maung, U Lun Maung and U Kyaw Thu, all former generals and ministers, applied to form the National Political Party in August.

U Soe Maung retired as the Myanmar military’s advocate-general before serving as president's office minister under then-President U Thein Sein. He was also a member of the military commission that drafted the current Constitution, but lost his race in the 2015 general elections.

U Lun Maung served as auditor-general under U Thein Sein's quasi-civilian government until he asked to leave the post in 2012. He has since run a restaurant in Mon State's Bilin Township.

U Kyaw Thu was a brigadier general in the army and served as chairman of the Union Civil Service Board, a government agency responsible for recruiting civil servants.

"We have handed their proposal to the Home Affairs Ministry. This is a normal procedure for all [potential] parties, and we will proceed according to the procedures after the ministry submits its report," said election commission spokesman U Myint Naing.

Upon receiving a proposal to establish a political party, both the Home Affairs Ministry and the Labor Ministry’s Immigration and Population Department must determine whether the applicants have links to terrorist organizations or unlawful associations.

U Soe Maung declined to comment for this story. When news about his plans to form a party broke in August, he told media that he would not comment until the election commission made a final decision.

"Normally the review takes three months. In some cases it lasts up to six months, depending on the [background of the] applicants," said U Myint Naing.

On Nov. 9 the Myanmar Herald Journal reported that the ex-generals had already formed an association called "Ra Hta Pa La" — a Pali phrase that can be translated as "protection of the country" — to mobilize support for the formation of a party to be headed by them.

The report said the association met in Pegu Region’s Letpadan Township on Nov. 2, and that State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and former military junta leader U Than Shwe agreed to make the current military chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the president of Myanmar after the 2020 general elections.

"Core party members [of the National Political Party] who held talks with retired Major General Soe Maung said they think Senior General Min Aung Hlaing will be retired and appointed president in 2020," U Than Myat Soe, former secretary of the Union Solidarity and Development Party's Letpadan chapter, was quoted as saying by the Myanmar Herald Journal.

U Zaw Myint Maung, vice-chairman of the ruling National League for Democracy, denied the report.

"It is not true that there is such an agreement. It was just intended to mislead the people," he told the media on Nov. 11.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Home Ministry Vetting Ex-Generals’ Application to Form Party, Election Body Says appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Kachin Woman, 60, Shot Dead as Rival EAOs Clash in Lashio Township

Posted: 19 Nov 2018 01:11 AM PST

An ethnic Kachin woman was killed on Nov. 17 when fighting erupted between rival ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) outside her village near Lashio Township in northern Shan State.

Mar Lut, 60, and other residents of Mann Bein village were moving harvested rice on a farm at about 4 p.m. when fighting broke out nearby between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and a joint Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA)/Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) force. The clash prompted the group of villagers to attempt to return to their homes.

One of the villagers, Myint Than, said a group of soldiers from one of the EAOs sprayed bullets at them, killing Mar Lut.

"There were four men and six women in our group. We let the women walk in front as we were worried that the armed groups would suspect us [of being soldiers] if they saw men walking in front," Myint Than said.

"They shot us even though we shouted to them that we were local people returning from the rice farm," he said.

According to Myint Than, when the shooting started, Mar Lut ran into the bushes. Her friends thought she was taking cover and were unaware at first that she had been shot.

Mar Lut was shot in the stomach, and was already dead by the time the other villagers found her the next day.

"We could see [the soldiers] in the distance, but we couldn't tell which armed group they were from. We only saw that they wore camouflage," Myint Than said.

A funeral was due to be held for Mar Lut, a mother of four, on Monday, according to Mann Bein village head Tu Mai.

Mar Lut's family wanted to inform the Myanmar police about her death, but were worried that the armed men would return and make trouble for the family, Tu Mai said.

He said the villagers lived in fear of being targeted by armed groups again; another villager was murdered on October 26.

The family of the victim in that incident, San Mon, 32 (also known as Mar Kan), blame the RCSS for his death.

Mann Bein village is 12 miles from Lashio. Numerous times, residents have been forced to flee fighting between the RCSS and joint TNLA/SSPP forces.

According to the TNLA, two separate clashes erupted between the two sides in Mann Bein village on Nov. 17.

The post Kachin Woman, 60, Shot Dead as Rival EAOs Clash in Lashio Township appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

$31M in Jade and Gems Sold at Naypyitaw Emporium

Posted: 18 Nov 2018 11:54 PM PST

NAYPYITAW — A recent jade and gems emporium held for local merchants in Myanmar's administrative capital recorded a revenue of nearly 50 billion kyats ($31.44 million).

Ninety-six gems lots and 3,339 jade lots were on sale through competitive bidding at Mani Yadanar Jade Hall from Nov. 12-17. Fifty jade lots were sold for a total of nearly 800 million kyats and 3,185 jade lots for over 4.8 billion kyats, totaling over 49 billion kyats.

Over 50 percent of gems lots up for sale and over 90 percent of jade lots were sold during the expo.

"The sale figures both in terms of amount and value have declined compared to the previous emporium, but the amount that sold was higher than we had expected," said U Than Zaw Oo, a member of the emporium's organizing committee.

"Those gems and jade are inferior to those put on display at the previous emporium. But they sold because the market is short of raw materials. The market prices change every day," said U Maung Oo of KMO Gems Trading.

Local merchants have called for the emporium to be held twice a year as it would be beneficial for less financially-strong local merchants who find it difficult to compete with foreign merchants in emporiums where jade and gems are sold in euro.

"It is good to buy jade and gems from local sellers in kyat so that smaller merchants can polish them and sell them in Mandalay and at emporiums which use euros. If possible, we want emporiums using kyat to be held twice a year so that small merchants can survive," said U Maung Oo.

The jade and gems emporium for local merchants in March last year, where 130 of 195 jade lots displayed were sold along with 4,137 out of 4,454 jade lots, recorded a sale of around 6.2 billion kyats.

A 12.35-carat ruby set at a base price of 250 million kyats and a jade lot with a base price of over 100 million kyats were not sold at the most recent emporium.

The highest bid was for a peridot which sold for 142.7 million kyats and the winning bid for a jade lot, with a base price of 1 million kyats, was 320 million kyats.

"The base price is the seller's price, but as buyers were bidding the price went up to 320 million kyats. I heard that a merchant from Mandalay paid that price," said U Min Thu, a member of the central committee of the emporium's organization team.

According to the emporium organizing committee, 1,186 jade and gem merchants registered to attend the expo.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Prison Official Arrested With Meth Tablets in Irrawaddy Region

Posted: 18 Nov 2018 11:00 PM PST

PATHEIN, Irrawaddy Region — Police in Irrawaddy Region on Friday arrested a prison official transporting methamphetamine tablets hidden inside small cartons of milk.

Acting on a tip, police stopped the motorbike of Myaungmya Prison Deputy Assistant Supervisor U Maung San as he was driving past the correction center and found more than 2,200 of the tablets packed in plastic bags hidden inside the cartons.

"We have opened a case against him. He said that he was only carrying a parcel sent by someone from Yangon to the prisoner. We are still investigating him," Captain Aung Min Zaw, commander of the Myaungmya Township police station, told The Irrawaddy.

He said the package was intended for delivery to a prison inmate named Ko Soe Naing.

This is the first time on record that narcotics have been seized from a prison official in Myaungmya.

U Thant Zaw Win, a lawmaker in the Irrawaddy Parliament representing Myaungmya, called on police and prison officials to stop drug trafficking in prisons.

"It is quite unacceptable. This case mars the image of not only the town but also the entire Corrections Department. Concerned agencies know much better than us how to stop drug smuggling into the prisons. Concerned staff and police officers know well the methods to stop this. It is important that concerned departments handle their staff urgently," he said.

Police have opened a case against both U Maung San and Ko Soe Naing under the Narcotics Drug and Psychotropic Substance Law.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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KNU and Govt Plan to Resume Formal Peace Talks

Posted: 18 Nov 2018 10:23 PM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Myanmar government peace negotiators and the Karen National Union (KNU) have vowed to resume formal peace talks as quickly as possible, after they were postponed late last month.

The KNU decided to pause formal peace talks in late October citing the need for further internal discussions in order to have meaningful participation in the peace process because of differences between their opinions and those of the government. The public and some stakeholders were worried that the halt in talks could trigger a restart of conflict in the region.

Some members of the KNU are concerned that the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) has drifted from its original purpose, which includes ensuring equality, self-determination in building a democratic federal union and effectively implementing the issues agreed in the NCA text.

The formal peace talks stalled until the KNU—within its own organization—agreed to return to the formal mechanism, but they decided last week to keep an informal channel open for negotiations.

Government spokesman U Zaw Hay, who is also director general of the State Counselor's Office, said both sides would share the topics raised in their informal discussions with their superior leaders and that he hopes that formal peace talks can resume "in two or three months, or sooner than that."

"Although we have this temporary suspension, we will try to be back on track with the normal peace talk mechanism as soon as possible," he told reporters after talks with the KNU on Saturday afternoon.

The informal discussion with the KNU helped "reduce such concerns [of the public]," U Zaw Htay said, because both the negotiators of the government and the KNU share the same views on continuing to implement peace through the NCA.

The government's negotiators, led by Peace Commission secretary and former lieutenant general U Khin Zaw Oo, were in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a series of informal talks with two key signatories of the NCA and two non-signatories at the weekend.

Padoh Saw Tadoh Moo, general secretary of the KNU told reporters that the KNU stands firm in continuing negotiations through the NCA, but that its implementation "must be right and just."

Observers and the ethnic stakeholders had said that differing interpretations of the NCA by the government, the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) and the ethnic armed organizations have made it harder for the process to keep going.

"The process of finding solutions to political problems through political means needs to be right and just. In the meantime, [both the KNU and the government] have to have basic principles in order to have a common view on the substance [of the agreement]," the KNU leader added.

U Zaw Htay added, as both sides respect the NCA, and they do not want it to drift, they agreed to try to have thorough mutual understanding for a successful NCA process.

The post KNU and Govt Plan to Resume Formal Peace Talks appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Parliament Approves Formation of New Investment Ministry

Posted: 18 Nov 2018 09:52 PM PST

YANGON — Myanmar's Union Parliament on Monday approved the formation of a new ministry to boost local and international investment and to make that investment socially and environmentally responsible.

President U Win Myint last week proposed the formation of a new Union-level Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations to Parliament for approval.

More than seven lawmakers discussed the request on Thursday, with the majority of lawmakers supporting the formation.

Myanmar Attorney General Tun Tun Oo told Parliament on Monday that the new ministry will be a merger between the Foreign Economic Relations Department and the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) – both of which are currently under the Ministry of Planning and Finance.

He assured that the formation of the new ministry would provide swifter investment-related information to local and international investors, real-time collaboration with relevant departments and dispute resolution among investors.

 "This will help increase the country's rank on the ease of doing business index," he said.

Currently, Myanmar is ranked 171 on the index, according to the World Bank.

The plan comes at a time when Myanmar's economy is slowing and many international investors are turning away because of the Rohingya crisis. Some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since a military crackdown in northern Rakhine State late last year. The government, led by Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, has come under heavy international criticism for remaining largely silent on the issue.

In a message read by the parliamentary speaker, U Win Myint said the government needed the new ministry "to make use of outside assistance from the United Nations and other international organizations in accordance with the country's policies and to effectively collaborate with the UN and others international organizations."

The message did not mention who would head the new ministry. But sources in Naypyitaw say U Thaung Tun, who chairs the government's Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA), which manages the registration of both local and foreign companies, is tipped for the post.

U Thaung Tun is the currently national security advisor and government office minister.

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Shots Fired by Police Injure Four at Sittwe Rohingya Camp

Posted: 18 Nov 2018 09:04 PM PST

YANGON — Myanmar police shot and injured four Rohingya Muslims on Sunday, after detaining two men accused of smuggling people out of a camp for displaced people in western Rakhine State.

Some police entered Ah Nauk Ye camp in Pauk Taw Township, about 15 km (9 miles) east of the state capital Sittwe on Sunday morning, apprehending the two men accused of owning a boat used in an attempt to smuggle 106 Rohingya out of the country on Friday.

Police Lieutenant U Than Htay of Pauk Taw Police Station told The Irrawaddy on Sunday that the Rohingya surrounded them with swords and threw stones at them when they attempted to detain the two men.

"Police fired some warning shots when they, with swords and sticks, attempted to grab the men. Rather than being dispersed, the crowd swelled. Some people were wounded as police fired some shots in self-defense," said U Than Htay.

The rickety vessel, which was carrying 25 children among its passengers, had been bound for Malaysia when authorities stopped it south of Yangon, detaining those on board. The incident, and similar recent boat departures, have raised fears of a fresh wave of dangerous voyages after a 2015 regional crackdown on people smugglers.

Maung Maung Aye, a 27-year-old Rohingya Muslim from the camp who witnessed the shooting, told Reuters four people were injured in the incident, with two of them in a serious condition.

"People from the camp went out to look and police shot at people,” he told Reuters by phone.

Many people in Myanmar call the Rohingya "Bengali," implying they are migrants from Bangladesh.

Maung Maung Aye disputed that version of events. He said the Rohingya did not attack the police or try to grab the arrested men. He said police fired at residents and not into the sky.

Myanmar government spokesman U Zaw Htay did not answer calls seeking comment.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya have been confined to camps outside Sittwe since violence swept Rakhine in 2012. They are denied free movement, access to decent healthcare and education.

In August last year, Solidarites International, an international aid group, warned that the conditions at Ah Nauk Ye, home to more than 4,000 Rohingya, were severe.

It said the "natural environment" at the camp was "unsuitable to human settlement" and warned of water shortages, poor access to livelihood opportunities and communal violence.

For years, the Rohingya have boarded boats organized by smugglers in the dry months between November and March, when the sea is calm. The perilous journey to Thailand or Malaysia, often undertaken in overcrowded vessels, has cost many lives.

The 106 Rohingya detained off Yangon on Friday were put on a navy ship destined for the Rakhine camps on Sunday.

More than 700,000 Rohingya in northern Rakhine State fled to nearby Bangladesh in August 2017 following the security forces' clearance operations in the area after Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked police outposts there. Those who fled accused the security forces of rape, arbitrary killings and arson.

The Myanmar government has denounced ARSA as a terrorist group while UN investigators have accused the Myanmar army of "genocidal intent" and ethnic cleansing.

The post Shots Fired by Police Injure Four at Sittwe Rohingya Camp appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Hong Kong’s ‘Occupy’ Leaders Plead Not Guilty to Public Nuisance Charges

Posted: 18 Nov 2018 08:56 PM PST

HONG KONG — Three leaders of Hong Kong’s 2014 civil disobedience “Occupy” movement pleaded not guilty to public nuisance charges at a packed court in the Chinese-ruled city on Monday where more than 100 protesters rallied in support of the activists.

Law professor Benny Tai, 54, sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 59, and retired pastor Chu Yiu-ming, 74, face three charges of conspiracy to commit public nuisance, incitement to commit public nuisance, and incitement to incite public nuisance.

Each charge carries a maximum jail term of seven years. Six others are also charged in a case that comes as the financial hub’s civil liberties are coming under increasing strain.

Supporters cheered and clapped as the democracy activists entered the packed courtroom, with Tai, Chan and Chu all wearing black jackets.

Another defendant, Raphael Wong, said while pleading not guilty to one charge: “I want universal suffrage.”

The nine stood defiantly before the court as they decried what some called “political persecution” for what was conceived as a peaceful civil disobedience campaign.

Chan announced last week that he would take early retirement from the Chinese University of Hong Kong to avoid the risk of being fired should he be jailed. Tai told Reuters he hoped the trial would be an opportunity to “reboot the spirit of the people.”

“Power to the people”

The protesters waved yellow umbrellas, a symbol of the pro-democracy movement, and pumped their fists ahead of the hearing as they chanted: “I want universal suffrage.”

Another protester held an umbrella with the words: “Power to the People.”

In 2013, Tai, Chan and Chu began promulgating and planning a non-violent civil disobedience campaign to occupy streets in the city’s central business district should China not allow a truly democratic vote for its next leader.

The “Occupy” campaign germinated in September 2014 and became part of what grew into the biggest populist challenge to China’s Communist party leaders since the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in Beijing in 1989.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong in sustained and continuous occupations of major roads for close to three months.

The six other defendants include veteran Democratic Party member Lee Wing-tat, Democratic lawmaker Tanya Chan, lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun and student leaders Tommy Cheung and Eason Chung.

The trial is expected to last about 20 days.

The case could have repercussions for hundreds of other protesters who have not yet been charged.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula, with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy and freedoms denied citizens in mainland China, including freedom of speech and the right to protest.

However, critics that include foreign governments, business groups and activists say that the guarantee is ringing increasingly hollow.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission warned in a report to Congress last week that China had “ramped up its interference” towards Hong Kong and had “closed down the political space for prodemocracy activists to express discontent.”

Authorities have banned a political party advocating Hong Kong independence, barred democracy activists from contesting local elections and disqualified six opposition lawmakers from the legislature.

A senior Financial Times journalist, Victor Mallet, was barred from the city last week after he helped host an independence activist at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, in what critics said was an attack on freedom of speech.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has repeatedly stressed Hong Kong respects media and other freedoms but has so far refused to give an explanation for Mallet’s de facto expulsion.

The post Hong Kong’s ‘Occupy’ Leaders Plead Not Guilty to Public Nuisance Charges appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US-China discord dominates APEC summit in Papua New Guinea

Posted: 18 Nov 2018 08:36 PM PST

PORT MORESBY — The United States and China swapped barbs over trade, investment and regional security at an Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit on Saturday, as growing fault lines among members suggested little prospect of consensus at the weekend meeting.

Speaking in the Papua New Guinean capital, US Vice President Mike Pence said there would be no end to American tariffs until China changed its ways, after its president, Xi Jinping, warned that the shadow of protectionism and unilateralism was hanging over global growth.

Illustrating the impasse between the world’s two largest economies, a diplomat involved in negotiating an APEC leaders’ declaration told Reuters trade was a sticking point, and the host nation was having trouble finding language acceptable to all.

Pence took direct aim at Xi’s flagship Belt and Road program, which China has been promoting to Pacific nations at APEC, saying countries should not accept debt that compromised their sovereignty.

“We do not offer constricting belt or a one-way road,” Pence told the APEC CEO summit, a precursor to the official leaders’ meeting, held on a cruise liner tethered in Port Moresby’s Fairfax Harbor.

China’s efforts to win friends in the resource-rich Pacific have been watched warily by the traditionally influential powers in the region — Australia and the United States.

US President Donald Trump is not attending the APEC meeting, nor is his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Xi, who is staying in Port Moresby, has been feted by Papua New Guinean officials and stoked Western concern on Friday when he held a meeting with Pacific island leaders, in which he pitched the Belt and Road initiative.

Speaking before Pence, Xi said there was no geopolitical agenda behind the project, which was unveiled in 2013 and aims to bolster a network of land and sea links with Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

“It does not exclude anyone. It is not an exclusive club closed to non-members, nor is it a trap as some people have labeled it.”

There have been concerns that small countries that sign up for infrastructure projects will be left with debt burdens they cannot service, something Pence highlighted.

“Do not accept foreign debt that could compromise your sovereignty. Protect your interest. Preserve your independence. And just like America, always put your country first,” he said.

Sri Lanka formally handed over commercial activities in its main southern port of Hambantota to a Chinese company last December as part of a plan to convert $6 billion of loans that Sri Lanka owed China into equity.

Soon after Pence spoke, Australia said it was joining the United States and Japan in a partnership that would help countries in the region develop infrastructure priorities, a possible alternative to China’s Belt and Road.

Regional security

Pence also said the United States would join Australia to help Papua New Guinea build a navy base on its Manus Island, which was a US base in World War Two.

The plan comes after China emerged as a possible developer of the deep-water port, which analysts say could impact the West’s ability to navigate in the Pacific while offering China a site close to US bases in Guam.

“The United States of America will continue to uphold the freedom of the seas and the skies, which are so essential to our prosperity,” Pence said.

In a meeting that could irritate Beijing, Pence had talks with Taiwan’s envoy to APEC, Morris Chang.

Beijing considers Taiwan a wayward province of “one China,” ineligible for state-to-state relations, and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.

Despite Taiwan’s lack of diplomatic recognition by the majority of countries, APEC allows it to participate as an economic, rather than political, entity.

Pence later told reporters travelling with him he would “carry back” a Taiwan proposal for a free trade agreement.

Double tariffs?

There were differences between other APEC members, with some calling for radical change to trade systems while others argued for a return to the status quo on globalization.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned globalization was leaving some people behind and fuelling inequality.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison mounted a defense of free trade, saying a billion people had been lifted out of extreme poverty since 1991 because of the jobs and cheaper goods that free trade brought.

Xi told delegates that the shadow of “protectionism and unilateralism” hung over global growth and erecting barriers and cutting ties was shortsighted and doomed to fail.

But Pence made it clear that the United States would not back down, saying it could more than double the $250 billion of Chinese goods subject to tariffs.

“The United States though will not change course until China changes its ways,” Pence said.

Trump and Xi are due to meet at a G20 meeting in Argentina late this month, raising some hope that trade tension could ease.

Trump is pressing China to reduce its huge bilateral trade surplus and make sweeping changes to its policies on trade, technology transfers and high-tech industrial subsidies.

China has denied that US companies are forced to transfer technology and sees US demands on rolling back its industrial policies as an attempt to contain China's economic rise.

Sebastián Piñera, the president of Chile, which will host next year’s APEC, called on the two powers to find a resolution.

“This is a very good opportunity to ask the US and China to find ways to end their tariff and trade war which benefits no one,” he told the forum.

“Both countries will have to change course.”

The post US-China discord dominates APEC summit in Papua New Guinea appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Two Years After Philippines’ Pivot, Duterte Still Waiting on China Dividend

Posted: 18 Nov 2018 08:18 PM PST

MANILA — Two years after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced a divorce with old ally the United States in return for bumper business ties with China, he doesn’t have much to show for it.

Duterte left Beijing in 2016 with $24 billion of Chinese loans and investment pledges for his ambitious infrastructure overhaul, a few weeks after saying the Philippines was being treated like a dog by Washington and would be better off with China.

But only a fraction of China’s pledged support has materialized, exposing Duterte to criticisms he has been complicit in allowing China to pose threats to Philippines’ sovereignty, and been left high and dry by Beijing.

When Xi Jinping visits the Philippines this week, Duterte will need the Chinese president to put his money where his mouth is and help Duterte justify his geopolitical concessions to a historic rival, according to Richard Heydarian, a Manila-based defense and security analyst.

“Otherwise, we can definitely conclude that there’s really nothing much in the rhetoric and the Philippines has been taken for a ride,” Heydarian said.

“Duterte’s naivety with China has been a slam dunk strategic coup for China, no doubt about it.”

Philippine’s Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said it would be unreasonable to expect all the Chinese pledges to come through after only two years, but officials were hopeful intervention by Xi after his visit could help.

“We’re very optimistic this will, their head of state, will pressure their bureaucracy to speed up the process,” he said last week.

Duterte’s signature “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program, the centerpiece of his economic strategy, involves 75 flagship projects of which about half are earmarked for Chinese loans, grants or investments.

But according to publicly available Philippine government documents reviewed by Reuters, only three of those – two bridges and an irrigation facility worth a combined $167 million – have so far broken ground.

The rest, including three rail projects, three highways and nine bridges, are at various levels of planning and budgeting, or are awaiting Chinese government approval for financing, or the nomination of Chinese contractors.

‘Positive Results'

China’s foreign ministry said major projects agreed by both sides “are proceeding smoothly and continue to achieve positive results." China wanted to boost trade and investment and “promote the early commencement of building of even more agreed upon projects,” the ministry said in a statement to Reuters.

Chinese committed investments in the Philippines in the first half of this year were just $33 million, about 40 percent of that of the United States and about a seventh of Japan’s, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, tracking a similar trend the previous year.

Trade between China and the Philippines has picked up significantly, but data suggests mostly in China’s favor.

Chinese exports to the Philippines grew 26 percent in the first nine months of 2017 from the same period a year earlier, outpacing its imports from Manila, which grew 9.8 percent.

Net foreign direct investment from China has, however, surged to $181 million for the first eight months of this year, from $28.8 million for all of 2017, according to the Philippine central bank.

Pressure Needed

Duterte has made a point of praising China effusively and confessing his “love” for Xi. He even jokingly offered his country to Beijing as “a province of China."

Many ordinary Filipinos as well as international lawyers and diplomats are incensed by Duterte’s refusal to even raise with China the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s (PCA) 2016 award that ruled in the Philippines’ favor, and invalidated Beijing’s claim to most of the South China Sea.

Instead, Duterte is seeking an agreement with China to jointly explore offshore gas at the disputed Reed Bank in the resource-rich and strategic waterway. Some lawmakers fear that could be tantamount to recognizing Beijing’s claim to a site that the PCA ruling said China has no sovereign rights to under international law.

Duterte has also been against Southeast Asian countries taking a united stand against China militarization and at a regional summit last week, he warned against causing friction, because the South China Sea was “now in their (China’s) hands."

Heydarian said if Duterte was unable to show an economic dividend from his China gambit, it could weaken his hand ahead of 2019 mid-term elections that might determine the success or failure of his presidency.

To stand a chance of delivering on his policy agenda, Duterte needs his allies to command a majority in Congress and the Senate to ensure key legislation is passed to enable reforms aimed at generating revenue, attracting investment and creating higher-quality jobs.

“If after Xi Jinping’s visit, there’s still no big move by China to invest in the Philippines, if China’s militarization and reclamation will just continue unabated, you’re going to have a situation where Duterte will come under extreme pressure,” he said.

“The opposition is going to use that to pin down Duterte and his allies as Chinese lackeys.”

 

The post Two Years After Philippines' Pivot, Duterte Still Waiting on China Dividend appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rohingya Repatriation, Relocation Plans Set to Be Pushed Back to 2019: Govt Official

Posted: 18 Nov 2018 07:55 PM PST

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh — Bangladesh’s plans to tackle the Rohingya refugee crisis are set to be stalled until the new year with repatriation and relocation programs only likely be revisited after year-end general elections, a top Bangladeshi official said on Sunday.

Abul Kalam, Bangladesh’s refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, told Reuters “a new course of action” needed to be adopted on repatriation that took into account refugees’ key demands. He later clarified these were his own personal views and not those of the government.

More than 720,000 Rohingya fled a sweeping army crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in 2017, according to UN agencies. The crackdown was launched in response to insurgent Rohingya attacks on security forces.

Rohingya refugees say soldiers and Buddhist civilians killed families, burned many villages and carried out gang rapes. UN-mandated investigators have accused Myanmar’s army of “genocidal intent” and ethnic cleansing. Myanmar has denied almost all the accusations, saying its forces engaged in a counter-insurgency operation against “terrorists."

In late October, Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed to begin to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled, but the plan has been opposed by the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and the UN refugee agency and aid groups, who fear for the safety of Rohingya in Myanmar.

The repatriation of the first batch of 2,200 refugees was to begin officially on Nov. 15, but it stalled amid protests at the refugee camps. None of those on the list agreed to return if their demands for justice, citizenship and the ability to go back to their original villages and lands were not met.

“I don’t think anyone’s agreeing to go back without these,” said Kalam, who last week called on the international community to pressure Myanmar to accept certain “logical and acceptable” demands in order for any repatriation to take place.

Myanmar does not consider the Rohingya a native ethnic group and calls them “Bengalis," suggesting they belong in Bangladesh. It has agreed to take the Rohingya back and said they would need to accept the National Verification Card, which it says would allow Rohingya to apply for citizenship. The Rohingya reject the card, saying it brands them foreigners.

Kalam said he believed Myanmar needed to propose a “clearer path” to citizenship for the Rohingya if any returns were to take place, adding he would raise the matter at the next bilateral meeting on repatriation, likely to take place next month.

Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay was not reachable on Sunday for comment.

With Bangladesh now set to go to the polls on Dec. 30, any decision either to repatriate people, or relocate refugees from the crowded camps to Bangladesh’s Bhasan Char Island will not proceed until 2019, Kalam said, adding later a final decision had not been taken and it would be the government’s call.

“Elections are coming up now, so the government will only finalize a future course of action after the elections,” said Kalam.

Bangladesh has vowed not to force anyone to return and has asked the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to ensure those short-listed to return really want to go back.

A UNHCR spokesman said it was not clear when repatriations could begin. “At this moment it’s unclear, perhaps we can get clarity in the next few days.”

Some Rohingya refugee leaders in Bangladesh said they were relieved Bangladesh had not forced refugees to return and called for the repatriation plan to be revised.

Kalam said construction work on alternative housing on Bhasan Char was “nearly complete.” He said he was hopeful some refugees would agree to move, given the island’s “livelihood opportunities” such as fishing and farming. Aid agencies express caution, as the island is prone to flooding.

“The possibility of refugees being relocated to the island until elections are over is slim,” Kalam later added.

The post Rohingya Repatriation, Relocation Plans Set to Be Pushed Back to 2019: Govt Official appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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