The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Tatmadaw Chief Calls on All Citizens to Show ‘Myanmar Spirit’ on Armed Forces Day
- Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week
- Exhibition Hopes to Teach Young Generation About Myanmar’s Golden Age of Film
- For India, a Myanmar Policy Minus its Northeast is Incomplete
| Tatmadaw Chief Calls on All Citizens to Show ‘Myanmar Spirit’ on Armed Forces Day Posted: 27 Mar 2018 02:20 AM PDT NAYPYITAW— Myanmar's military, the Tatmadaw, is sincerely working with hope and respect to achieve lasting peace and strengthen the country's system of multiparty democracy, Defense Services commander-in-chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing said on Tuesday to mark the 73rd Armed Forces Day. Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing also accused certain organizations of attacking the Tatmadaw by any means possible during the current period of political transition in an effort to erode the public's trust in the military, undermine its political integrity, and create disunity within its ranks. "The Tatmadaw has tried to lay the foundation needed for the formation of and transition to a multiparty democracy," the Army chief said. Dr Myo Nyunt, spokesperson for the National League for Democracy (NLD), described the relationship between the nation's de facto civilian leader, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and the military leaders as normal, adding that he expected civilian-military ties to improve. "We have hope [for a better civilian-military relationship]. I want to see more active collaboration. The current political situation calls for closer cooperation; only then can we overcome the existing challenges. But given the suspicion that exists, cooperation is about as effective as we could expect," Dr Myo Nyunt said. Unlike previous events to mark Armed Forces Day in which the Army chief has been driven around the parade ground in a vehicle to receive a salute, this year Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing stood still as saluting soldiers marched past him. No tanks or artillery were present at the parade ground. Only soldiers participated in the event. Whatever government is in power, and whatever political system is in place, the main responsibility of the Tatmadaw is to engage in national politics and defend the country, the Army chief said. Additionally, it is responsible for protecting the Three Main National Causes, and the 2008 Constitution, he said. The military chief acknowledged that freedom of expression is a part of democracy, but warned that it should be exercised in line with the law and with responsibility and accountability. Baseless and reckless expression can result in hatred, which can ruin the image of the country and pose barriers to nation-building, he said. Since independence, stooges of political parties have used various means to undermine the Tatmadaw in an attempt to gain power, said the army chief. He called on service personnel to respond with awareness and consciousness to speeches and statements that aimed to disunite the Tatmadaw and tarnish its image. He said the Tatmadaw was born out of Myanmar's national independence struggle, and had served the people ever since. General Ne Win fought insurgencies on various fronts after independence, and the Tatmadaw had been forced to take on the responsibilities of running the state in 1958, 1962 and 1988, as the country was at risk of disintegrating, he said. The Tatmadaw had laid the foundations for the establishment of democracy, he added. On the peace process, the Tatmadaw chief warned that "It would be more practical to negotiate goals that are achievable, keeping long-term benefits in view, instead of claiming impossible ones." He urged "all of the people" to work hard and show the "spirit of Myanmar"—not racial and religious bias—in order to work for the country's development in a cohesive union. "Instead of pointing to the past and finding fault, it's time to learn the lessons of the past and to work for the country's development," Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing said. The post Tatmadaw Chief Calls on All Citizens to Show 'Myanmar Spirit' on Armed Forces Day appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week Posted: 27 Mar 2018 12:25 AM PDT
Bella Music Festival Zaw Win Htut, Big Bag, Wai La, Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein, Wyne Su Khine Thein and many others will perform. April 1, 5 p.m. One Entertainment Park. Free Admission.
Summer Beach Party There will be EDM and international DJs. March 31, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Yangon Waterboom, Tickets are 20,000 kyats.
Personal Branding Image consultant Nanda Maw Naing will give talks on personal branding. April 1, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. MiMber Institute of Management Studies, No. 336/338, Mahabandoola Park Rd., Kyauktada Township. Register by calling 09-771-172148. Free admission, but space is limited.
Charity for Internally Displaced Persons There will be entertainment — music, magic, fashion shows, food and more. March 30 to April 1, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. People's Square.
Bar Bondi G Latt and Thar Deelu will perform. March 30, 8 p.m. Bar Bondi, International Commercial Center, corner of Strand Road and Botatung Pagoda Road. Tickets are 10,000 kyats.
Sarpay Nandaw Sarpay Nandaw book shop will offer discounts of up to 50 percent to welcome the arrival of the Thingyan Festival. March 27 to April 2. Sarpay Nandaw book shop, Upper Pansodan Road.
From Paris With Love Originals and prints of pencil paintings by French artist Gregory Ogouz will be up for grabs. March 31 to April 7. Maharzan Art Gallery, near Karaweik Palace, Kandawgyi Park.
One-Ten-Hundred In her solo art exhibition, Chuu Wai Nyein builds a bridge between the lives of women in Myanmar over time. March 30 to April 8. Gallery 65, No. 65, Yaw Min Gyi Road, Dagon Township.
Pencil Paintings World Design Painting School will showcase the pencil paintings of its students. Pencil portraits will be presented to early visitors. March 29 to 31, OK Art Gallery, Aung San Stadium (north wing).
He & His Friends Artist Myint Soe and his friends will showcase their creations. March 29 to April 1. Lokanat Galleries, Pansodan Street. The post Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Exhibition Hopes to Teach Young Generation About Myanmar’s Golden Age of Film Posted: 27 Mar 2018 12:05 AM PDT "The Art and Influence of Myanmar's Film Heritage", an exhibition being held as part of the "Shwe Khit" arts event, will hold special screenings of the classic Myanmar film Yadanarbon from 1953 as part of a program designed to educate Myanmar's young generation about the country's golden age of cinema and inspire them to create their own cultural legacy. The exhibition, which opened for a three-week-long run on March 24 at the historic Secretariat building in downtown Yangon, was curated via a collaborative effort between the Pyinsa Rasa arts collective and Save Myanmar Film.  The exhibition has been installed in three different rooms: the first room looks like an information lobby and will showcase classic Myanmar furniture mixed with a modern look, with Save Myanmar Film's booth displaying damaged classic films in a small mirror cupboard. The second room will house a temporary small cinema. Two film posters hang on either side of the entrance with one sporting a 'Now Showing' banner. The last room will display old film equipment, vinyl records, and film and painting posters. It also features a music booth that will play songs from the 1950s to 1980s.  The exhibition will present three different movie weeks, starting with a screening of Yadanarbon, directed by U Tin Maung and produced by the historic film company A1. "Yadanarbon is a classic, old Academy Award-winning film from 1953," explained U Thein Htut, the current director of A1 Film Company. "I'm so proud of my grandpa and so happy to be part of this event." He said some scenes were directed in a studio setting, which is rare today. "So, the young generation will be able to see the Myanmar film standards from around that era," he said.  "I'm really honored to be part of the organizing team of this event; we can see their potential, good intentions and creativity. They collected all the equipment piece by piece from different suppliers and put it on display in modern settings, so we can learn about the history of Myanmar film with a new, modern sensibility at the same time," he added. A1 Film Company contributed old film cameras, film posters and film advertisements to be displayed at the event while 'Save Myanmar Film' provided a copy of Yadanarbon. The modern Myanmar film industry is often criticized by local movie-goers for copying famous films from abroad and repeatedly focusing on the same topics and plot lines, so that the audience can predict the end of film after watching just a few minutes.  "Audiences can freely criticize and that's their right but every movement has history and it can't be destroyed and also historic landmarks like the Secretariat building can't be removed, so, I hope the younger generation can upgrade their creativity using film history as a base," U Thein Htut said. He said that everything can be done very quickly in the modern digital era, in contrast to previous ages when making a film required the use of a lot of people and equipment. "In the old days, each crew member was very focused on making the film and couldn't afford to make even a small mistake because films were expensive to produce and a mistake would require the whole scene be directed from the beginning again. There were many steps as well. So, every crewmember needed to focus on every detail. That's the big difference point from today's digital film industry," U Thein Htut said.  "So, I would like to request all young people, please be more creative and put more effort into their films and please study film history first. Hopefully they can learn from the history of the Myanmar film industry through this event," he said. Ko Okkar, founder of Save Myanmar Film, said his team's purpose was to preserve good, old Myanmar films. "So, we have a couple of old films (in our archive) including Yadanarbon. Pyinsa Rasa's founders are friends and recently we had been talking about holding an exhibition like this and now it has happened." The organizers expressed the hope that people could learn from the presentation of old Myanmar films, and that filmmakers would be able to get some inspiration after watching the films, he added.  Ko Thaiddhi, co-founder of Pyinsa Rasa and the Wathann Film Festival, echoed Ko Okkar's words, adding, "We would love to show Myanmar’s film heritage to the young generation. We hope that they can get a true taste of the golden age of Myanmar film through this event and discover the identity of Myanmar movie-making." The exhibition will screen three selected films from different Myanmar film eras —Yadanarbon, Tender are the Feet (1973) and Thingyan Moe (1985). Three related musical performances will be staged before the start of each film including music from a Myanmar traditional orchestra as well as popular music. At the opening of the exhibition, Gitameit music group performed the theme song from Yadanardon before the film played. The film will screen daily at 2pm from March 25 to 31. The second week starting on April 1 will feature Tender are the Feet. Ko Thaiddhi said he hopes the exhibit will allow audiences to share in the joy and creativity of previous generations of artists, and that a new generation can look back at their predecessors for inspiration in order to forge a cultural identity of their own. The Secretariat will charge an entrance fee of 2000 kyat for locals and 10,000 kyat for foreigners to see the exhibit. The post Exhibition Hopes to Teach Young Generation About Myanmar's Golden Age of Film appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| For India, a Myanmar Policy Minus its Northeast is Incomplete Posted: 26 Mar 2018 09:26 PM PDT The recently concluded India-Myanmar business conclave in Yangon was nothing short of old wine in a new bottle, with both sides agreeing on the need for improved connectivity, better relations, etc. Perhaps it is time for some soul searching in order to come up with a more pragmatic plan and one that translates into action. As a part of that plan, a crucial factor that would make a huge difference would be the involvement of India's northeastern states, which connect the country to Myanmar and its other eastern neighbors. Just for the record, Myanmar’s Chin State and Sagaing Region share a 1,643-km border with India’s four northeastern states, namely Arunachal (520 km), Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km) and Mizoram (510 km). It would be wrong to say that the need to engage the northeastern states has not been felt by the Indian establishment in New Delhi since the inception of its Look East Asia — now Act East Asia — policy in the 1990s. However, efforts to involve these states have been piecemeal to say the least, with occasional exchanges and visits of chief ministers and junior ministers and some India-Asean motor rallies through Myanmar. In the truest sense of the term, there has not been a concerted effort to engage even the key states of Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram or even Assam in any of the business conclaves that have been held so far. It is no wonder, then, that most of the conclaves have promised so much and delivered so little, especially when measured against how much progress China — or even Thailand for that matter — has made in trade, commerce and connectivity, even in support of different aspects of the political process in Myanmar. The problem is not hard to find, and can be best summed up in the words of a former Indian civil servant: "New Delhi is too far from the northeast and it will continue to be, and the bureaucracy does not have an inkling of how to deal with the northeast vis-à-vis Myanmar." India may not want to be measured against the policies and strategies of China or Thailand, or of Western countries that have already made significant forays into Myanmar. But surely New Delhi must start to explain why its much touted Act East Asia policy is still a non-starter of sorts. All the ongoing projects that India has with Myanmar as part of its Act East Asia agenda are either stalled awaiting bureaucratic clearance or have made extremely slow progress. For instance, the 1,400-km India-Myanmar-Thai highway project has stretches through Sagaing that have remained undriveable for a long time and bridges that are not fit for international transport. On the Indian side, there are also a number of issues — insurgency, communal unrest, social upheaval caused by arriving migrants — that need to be properly addressed with long-term strategies. The Act East Asia policy must take all of these factors into account. Even if the Indian establishment believes there has been progress in different sectors, what explanation could it possibly have for lacking any mutual planning with its northeastern states to ensure that the Act East Asia agenda actually gains more momentum than it has managed over the last five years or more? What is even more surprising is that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been unable to use the expertise of its regional governments in the northeastern states to augment its Act East Asia policy. After the recent victory of the BJP and its allies in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, the party now has direct influence over the governments of at least six of the eight states that make up India's northeast. An article in the Wire titled “India's Look East Policy and the Northeast: Bridging Spaces or Widening Schisms?” in January 2017 had this to say: "The participation of the northeastern state governments or institutions in the Look East policy is nearly non-existent. Surprisingly, in the policy documents, there is barely any mention of the tourism sector, which has a huge potential in the picturesque northeast." It goes on to claim that "Seemingly, the imposition of sovereignty on many parts of northeast India post-1947 is now followed by the imposition of India's policy agenda in the post-liberalisation era. There is no doubt that increased connectivity will increase volumes of trade, as it was in the pre-partition era. However, what's troubling is that in both the post-1947 and post-liberalisation era, the consent of and consultation with the northeastern societies have been bypassed." These will surely be testing times for New Delhi, for yearly business conclaves where promises are made and forgotten will not yield many results on the ground. One is reminded of the unfulfilled promise made by then-Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a similar event in Yangon in 2014. Soon after returning to India, she said, she would knock on the prime minister's door and urge immediate air connectivity between the two countries. The demand from most of the Indian delegates was that there be at least one direct flight daily between New Delhi and Yangon, given that there were none and that even countries like Vietnam and Nepal had direct flights, not to mention China and Thailand, which had two to three flights a day and a similar number of operators. It surely makes for very good food for the ear when both India and Myanmar reiterate their commitment — as Indian Junior Commerce Minister C R Chaudhury and Myanmar Deputy Commerce Minister Aung Htoo did at Thursday’s conclave in Yangon — to strengthen bilateral relations and improve connectivity. Or perhaps when the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) keeps reiterating its plans to collaborate with Myanmar’s business and investment communities, which it has been doing for some time. I remember attending the India-Myanmar business conclave in June 2014, where similar promises were made and it all sounded very positive. Promises to set up a CII office are not new, either. There is no reason to believe that "things would happen gradually," as a former Indian diplomat in Yangon used to say when confronted with the question "When do we get to see words translate into action?” But more than rhetorical assurances, what matters most is that India understand the call that Myanmar has repeatedly made — that, given the strategic position of Myanmar as an entry point for India into Asean and the greater Mekong subregion, a comprehensive and action-packed policy involving all the states in India and in Myanmar is extremely important. What may be encouraging to notice, and what New Delhi and even Naypyitaw must take note of, is the interest shown by the BJP-ruled states of the northeast to echo what Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been saying — that development of the northeast is an essential component to realising the dream of a developed country. There was perhaps a sense of seriousness when, at an election rally on Feb. 22 in Tuensang, Nagaland, Narendra Modi sounded out the BJP’s plans and expressed his firm resolve to see the Act East Asia agenda made a reality. He did not forget to mention that one of the key aims of the initiative is to connect the people of the northeast with Southeast Asian countries in order to foster speedy development. Leaving aside the politics of how elections are won in India, it is worth noting that the BJP, which is seen as essentially a Hindu party, has been able to gain ground in a largely Christian region. In fact, the recent electoral success of the BJP in northeast India is being partly attributed to the government’s Act East Asia policy and its broader message of development. Besides this, it is also being seen as the best possible electoral balance that could have come about, as having the same party in power in New Delhi and in the states makes it easy to make decisions in favour of a policy and having them implemented without any fuss. This view has been reflected in the Indian media. In an article titled "How BJP's northeast election victories further India's Act East policy," online media outlet Livemint quoted Prabhir De, head of the New Delhi-based Asean-India Center, as saying: "The BJP's win in these states means that there will be greater collaboration between the center and states in terms of formulating and implementing policies for development, and this includes integration with the Asean.” Thus it is time that policy practitioners in New Delhi wake up and consider the importance of the northeast not just as states that stand to benefit but also as partners in planning how to make Act East Asia a tool for greater economic engagement with countries in Southeast and East Asia and, as many scholars have articulated, for finding a solution to the vexed insurgency problem in northeast India. The author is a former senior journalist who has worked for national and international news media in India and elsewhere. Currently he is a contributing editor for The Irrawaddy. The post For India, a Myanmar Policy Minus its Northeast is Incomplete appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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