Thursday, May 31, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Chinese Whispers in Yangon as Myanmar Weighs Rohingya Deal With UN

Posted: 31 May 2018 05:51 AM PDT

The Myanmar government is in a bind. In order to stave off Western sanctions for its alleged mistreatment of the Rohingya minority, it is considering signing a memorandum with UN agencies that would set terms for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh. But China does not want Myanmar to sign it.

Chinese officials held two days of closed-door meetings with their Myanmar counterparts in Yangon on May 29 and 30, where the two sides shared views on how to establish peace in Kachin and northern Shan states and how to solve the Rohingya refugees crisis in Rakhine State, according to a source who took part in the talks.

China, which has economic interests in Rakhine, wants to build its sway over Myanmar, and does not want to see Western countries have influence in the country.

The result is a power struggle between China and the West over Myanmar.

Myanmar has signed one agreement with the UN to allow for the repatriation of 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled to Bangladesh after the Myanmar Army launched a military offensive in Maungdaw in Rakhine State in reprisal for attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in August last year.

Some government advisors were opposed to the signing of the agreement on the grounds that the country would have trouble meeting international standards on the repatriation. However, it was viewed as a positive initial step by the Aung San Suu Kyi government to show it wished to cooperate with the UN and the international community to solve the Rohingya crisis.

Myanmar is also close to signing an MOU with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), following months of tripartite talks that started on February, according to the same advisors.

On signing the MOU, the UN agencies would have high expectations of being able to make visits to Maungdaw to inspect conditions on the ground. They would also want to check to see if the returning refugees would be able to rebuild their old lives. The UN agencies do not want the repatriated refugees to be sent to camps and instead want them to be able to return to their homes.

If they are forced to stay in camps, the returning refugees face a fate similar to that of other Rohingya who have been stuck in camps in Sittwe for six years. But, the Myanmar government may not agree to such conditions.

While signing an MOU with the UNHCR and UNDP would help repair the image of the Aung San Suu Kyi government in the eyes of the international community, China does not want Myanmar to sign the agreement, according to a Chinese source.

China's approach to finding a solution to the Rohingya crisis is more low-key. China wants to have stability in Rakhine as it has many investments in the region, most notably a gas pipeline project in Kyauk Phyu.

China believes that if the UN agencies and international community have their way in Rakhine, ARSA may able to return to launch new attacks in the area.

But, ARSA has influence only in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships. The Arakan Army has a presence in many areas including Kyauk Phyu. ARSA thus should not be seen as a threat to China's business interests.

China is getting close to the Myanmar government as the international community prepares to take action against Myanmar Army and government officials for human rights abuses committed against the Rohingya. China may offer some diplomatic protection to Tatmadaw generals if they are referred to the International Criminal Court when the UNSC makes a decision on the matter. The United States, Britain, and other members of the international community are prepared to impose sanctions on the Myanmar Army and the government. The Myanmar government is wondering whether to listen to China or the West.

The post Chinese Whispers in Yangon as Myanmar Weighs Rohingya Deal With UN appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Last Group of Awng Lawt Villagers Rescued from Forest

Posted: 31 May 2018 03:30 AM PDT

YANGON — The last of more than 1,100 residents of Awng Lawt village in Kachin State's Tanai Township known by aid groups to have been trapped in the forest by fighting between the Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) were rescued this week, according to the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC).

Some of the villagers reported that additional IDPs remain in the forest, according to aid groups, but The Irrawaddy has been unable to confirm the reports. Aid workers said those people may have opted to travel to relatives' homes independently.

"All those [from Awng Lawt] trapped by fighting have come out of the forest. No one is left," said Hkali, a KBC official with responsibility for social affairs.

Between April 29 and this week, a total of 1,135 people were evacuated from the forest. They are taking shelter at churches in Myitkyina, Hpakant and Tanai, said Seng Nu, program director of Karuna Mission Social Solidarity, a civil society organization helping displaced persons in Kachin State.

Residents of Awng Lawt first fled en masse into the forest after artillery shells landed near their village on April 11. Among them were pregnant women, elderly and disabled persons, and young children.

They moved around the forest on foot for about three weeks before finally being taken to safety in groups starting in late April.

"Some of the displaced persons said that some people are still trapped in the forest. Some of these might have opted to go to the houses of relatives, rather than the camps. For the time being, our list only includes those taking shelter in the camps," Seng Nu said.

Naw Tawng, vice chairman of a Tanai-based Christian committee to help displaced persons, told The Irrawaddy that he could not independently confirm the reports that some displaced persons are still trapped in the forests.

Larger groups have reached camps, but smaller groups might have gone to the houses of their relatives, he suggested.

"We don't know about the latest developments. But no one is thinking of going back to their homes. They feel it is safer to stay at temporary shelters in churches," Naw Tawng said.

The clashes continued into the last week of April. At that time, the Tatmadaw distributed leaflets to displaced persons urging them to go back to their homes, and saying that it would provide food supplies for them. However, the IDPs dared not return for fear of being trapped in the forest again.

The Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) launched attacks in Tanai in June last year, targeting illegal gold and amber mines that are an important source of funds for the KIA.

Clashes in April displaced around 6,000 people in Tanai, Mogaung, Injangyang and Hpakant townships. More than 100,000 people have been displaced since the collapse of a ceasefire between the Tatmadaw and the KIA in 2011.

Though camps for internally displaced persons have been opened in other townships in Kachin State, Tanai authorities have refused to permit such camps, saying they negatively affect the image of the town. Displaced persons have therefore been forced to seek temporary shelter in church compounds.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Last Group of Awng Lawt Villagers Rescued from Forest appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

USDP Chairman Accuses NLD of Hypocrisy, Incompetence

Posted: 31 May 2018 02:58 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has accused the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) of spending public funds as if the money were its own since taking power two years ago.

USPD chairman U Than Htay also accused the NLD of distorting his party’s image, an apparent reference to the public perception that the USDP — created from the Union Solidarity and Development Association to contest the 2010 general elections — was a proxy of the military.

He said everyone from farmers and daily wage earners to top businesspeople were facing difficulties and uncertainty because the ruling party lacks clear policies.

"The public knows that [the NLD-dominated Parliament] has rejected questions by the people's representatives and that the [NLD] has infamous officials," he said in an opening address to a USDP youth conference in Naypyitaw on Tuesday.

USDP spokesman U Nanda Hla Myint said the party chairman was referring to former Planning and Finance Minister U Kyaw Win, who resigned last week amid a corruption scandal, former Magwe Region Minister U Nay Myo Kyaw, who reportedly resigned over an extramarital affair, and former Rakhine State Minister U Min Aung, who was impeached by state lawmakers.

"A Mon State minister resigned today. He was facing complaints over financial matters," the spokesman said on Tuesday.

The President's Office has accepted the resignation of Mon State’s minister for electricity, energy and industry, U Min Htin Aung Han.

"[The NLD] made the same accusations against the USDP in the past. In fact, it is only concerned with individuals. [The NLD] said its government won't embezzle at all and that all of its lawmakers are capable. But take a look at the reality. [The NLD] distorted the image of the USDP and said we embezzled and we weren’t capable," said U Nanda Hla Myint.

Monywa Aung Shin, a member of the NLD’s Central Executive Committee, said his party did not hide its skeletons in the closet and takes action against any law-breaking members.

"U Than Htay is always saying things like that. It will only contribute to his downfall and the downfall of his party. We never speak recklessly. We only talk with facts. We never talk without facts," he said.

"Our leader [Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] allows no room for error. If somebody does something wrong to the people, she will summon and warn or punish him," he added. "Everyone knows how much public funds they [the USDP] have embezzled."

Monywa Aung Shin said the NLD government was not pursuing retroactive punishment of ministers who served during the USDP’s time in power, however, in the interest of national reconciliation.

The USDP says it is still deciding whether to contest by-elections scheduled for November because it has no trust in the Union Election Commission. The NLD says it will contest all seats up for grabs.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post USDP Chairman Accuses NLD of Hypocrisy, Incompetence appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rakhine Govt Undecided on How to Use Farmland Abandoned by Rohingya Refugees

Posted: 31 May 2018 02:56 AM PDT

SITTWE, Rakhine State — The Rakhine State government has not yet made a decision regarding some 70,000 acres of abandoned farmland in Maungdaw Township left behind by Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh last year.

"We're still waiting for the policy of the Union government. We'll do as it says. We don't have enough workers for 70,000 acres of farmland," the Rakhine State minister for agriculture, livestock, forestry and mining U Kyaw Lwin told The Irrawaddy.

Rice is grown twice a year in many parts of Myanmar, with rainwater in the monsoon season and irrigated water in the summer months. As monsoon season begins, farmers are preparing.

The Rakhine State government will allow Rohingya villagers who have not fled to continue working their original farms, said the minister.

Rakhine State lawmaker U Maung Ohn of Maungdaw Township said the abandoned farmlands should be leased out to local ethnic farmers and private rice-growing companies.

"It is not a good idea to leave those farmlands unattended. Local ethnic people and landless farmers should be allowed to farm there if they wish. It is also a good idea to lease it out to private companies that have agricultural machinery," said U Maung Ohn.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation previously planned to use some 10,000 acres of the 70,000 acres of farmland. But it aborted the plan, as it is difficult to find the labor and to watch over the paddy fields, head of the Rakhine State Agriculture Department U Toe Wai told The Irrawaddy.

Minister U Kyaw Lwin denied media reports that those farmlands have been leased to private companies.

The government previously harvested those 70,000 acres of paddy fields left behind by Rohingya Muslims who fled into Bangladesh after a terror attack on police outposts in Maungdaw in August last year.

There are a total of 11 million acres of paddy fields in Rakhine with over 74,000 acres in Maungdaw, over 77,000 in Buthidaung, and over 88,000 acres in Rathedaung Township, according to the state agriculture department.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Rakhine Govt Undecided on How to Use Farmland Abandoned by Rohingya Refugees appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

New Finance Minister Appointed After Corruption Scandal

Posted: 31 May 2018 12:18 AM PDT

YANGON — Myanmar's Parliament has approved U Soe Win as the country's new Planning and Finance Minister on Thursday after his presidential nomination earlier this week.

The bicameral assembly of the Lower and Upper houses unanimously approved the nomination of the new 80-year-old minister.

The president nominated U Soe Win to replace the outgoing minister U Kyaw Win after his resignation last week following an investigation for corruption.

The government's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) began investigating U Kyaw Win days after receiving a complaint against him on May 3. The commission announced over the weekend that the findings had been reported to the president.

Before the probe was eventually confirmed, news reports had been circulating for weeks that the minister and his son were being investigated for corruption by both the ACC and the Home Affairs Ministry's Bureau of Special Investigation.

U Soe Win is currently the country managing director of Deloitte Touche Myanmar Vigour Advisory Ltd. He has more than 30 years of professional experience in international banking with the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB) and has been an adviser to Myanmar's taxation, investment law and banking sectors.

He is also a senior member of the NLD's Central Economic Committee.  According to the independent Renaissance Institute Myanmar, U Soe Win joined the Foreign Exchange Department of the MFTB as deputy manager in 1961.

He was sent to the UK for training with the National Westminster Bank and the Bank of England in 1976. He was appointed deputy controller of foreign exchange at the MFTB in 1990 and general manager in 1993.

He left the MFTB to join Price Waterhouse Associates Ltd in 1996. In 2003, he founded Myanmar Vigour Co., Ltd, which became a member firm of Deloitte in June 2015.

U Soe Win is also a member of the Bar Council in Yangon. He was involved extensively in drafting banking laws, regulations and fiscal policies during his tenure with the state bank.

The post New Finance Minister Appointed After Corruption Scandal appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thailand is New Dumping Ground for World’s High-tech Trash, Police Say

Posted: 30 May 2018 10:21 PM PDT

BANGKOK — Thailand is a new dumping ground for scrap electronics from around the world, say police and environmentalists, the latest country to feel the impact of China’s crackdown on imports of high-tech trash.

Police at Laem Chabang port, south of Bangkok, showed on Tuesday seven shipping containers each packed with about 22 tons of discarded electronics, including crushed game consoles, computer boards and bags of scrap materials.

Electronic refuse, or e-waste, is turning up from Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, police said, some of it imported by companies without the required permits.

“This … shows that electronic waste from every corner of the world is flowing into Thailand,” Deputy Police Chief Wirachai Songmetta said as he showed the containers to the media.

While “e-waste” — defined as any device with an electric cord or battery — can be “mined” for valuable metals such as gold, silver and copper, it can include hazardous material such as lead, mercury and cadmium.

Police said they filed charges against three recycling and waste processing companies in Thailand. Anyone found guilty could be jailed for up to 10 years.

“The companies that we have filed charges against don’t have a quota to import even a single ton of electronic waste,” Wirachai said.

China imposed a ban on overseas trash last year, telling the World Trade Organization that it would stop accepting imports of 24 types of foreign waste, leading some to fear that the waste could end up in neighboring countries.

The ban has upended the world’s waste handling supply chain and caused massive pile-ups of trash from Asia to Europe, as exporters struggled to find new buyers for the garbage.

According to estimates in China’s state media last year, more than 70 percent of the world’s 500 million tons of electronic waste entered China in 2016.

Environmentalists say waste once destined for China is being rerouted to Southeast Asia, and new laws are needed or existing laws better enforced to prevent illegal imports.

“Especially after China’s ban, Thailand could become one of the biggest dumping grounds for e-waste,” said Penchom Saetang, director of Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand.

Thailand ratified in 1997 the Basel Convention, which aims to control trans-boundary movements of hazardous waste. But the convention does not completely prohibit these exports from more developed to less developed countries.

“The Basel Convention cannot prevent what is happening in Thailand because it has its limitations,” Penchon said in calling for an amendment that would ban these shipments.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha vowed this week to step up nationwide inspections as part of a plan to combat illegal electronic waste. But environmentalists say they have not seen the details of how it will work.

“It isn’t clear how he will do this,” said Penchom.

The post Thailand is New Dumping Ground for World’s High-tech Trash, Police Say appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Philippine Congress Passes Autonomy Bill for Volatile Muslim Region

Posted: 30 May 2018 09:57 PM PDT

MANILA — The Philippines moved a step closer on Wednesday to ending decades of conflict on its resource-rich island of Mindanao, after lawmakers approved a bill that will eventually allow self-rule for the country’s Muslim minority.

Lower house lawmakers voted 227 to 11, with two abstentions, to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law, seen as key to forging lasting peace with separatist rebels and thwarting the rise of Islamist extremism in the nation’s poorest and most dangerous region.

The bill is the result of a 2014 peace deal between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government to end nearly 50 years of conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people and displaced 2 million.

It outlines the process to set up a self-administered territory in an area sometimes referred to as Bangsamoro (nation of Moros), encompassing mountains, islands and jungles that are home to at least 4 million people, mostly Muslim.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who was the mayor of a city on the southern island for 22 years, has stressed the importance of getting the legislation passed and certified it as an urgent bill on Tuesday to get it approved before a house recess on June 2.

The 22-member Senate has committed to Duterte to pass its counterpart version soon, before a panel of both houses combines both drafts in a version for the president’s final approval.

The previous administration met numerous hurdles and failed to pass the bill, fuelling resentment and mistrust among many minority Muslims.

Duterte has warned that another failure could be disastrous and play into the hands of extremist groups like Islamic State, which inspired a militant alliance to seize Marawi City last year for five months.

The battle for Marawi was the biggest the Philippines has seen since World War Two and stoked wider concerns that Islamic State had ambitions to turn Mindanao into a base for its operations in Southeast Asia.

Hundreds of people were killed in Marawi, more than 350,000 were displaced and half the city was left in ruins. Martial law is still in force across Mindanao.

Though some militants who fought in Marawi were former MILF members, the group has denounced radical Islam and has a good relationship with Duterte.

Mindanao, an island the size of South Korea, is the Philippines’ most underdeveloped region, but is home to most of its nickel mines and biggest fruit farms, besides vast tracts of land the government wants to convert into palm oil plantations.

But its notorious clan wars, lawlessness and conflicts with Muslim and communist rebel groups have kept investors at bay.

Once signed into law, Bangsamoro will have its own executive, legislature and fiscal powers, but the central government will continue to oversee defense, security, foreign affairs, and monetary policy.

The post Philippine Congress Passes Autonomy Bill for Volatile Muslim Region appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indonesia, India Plan to Develop Strategic Indian Ocean Port

Posted: 30 May 2018 09:56 PM PDT

JAKARTA — Indonesia and India pledged on Wednesday to step up defense and maritime cooperation, with plans to develop a strategic Indonesian naval port in the Indian Ocean, the leaders of the two countries said after meeting in Jakarta.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss, among other issues, developing infrastructure and an economic zone at Sabang, on the tip of Sumatra Island and at the mouth of the Malacca Strait, one of the busiest shipping channels for global trade.

“India is a strategic defense partner…and we will continue to advance our cooperation in developing infrastructure, including at Sabang Island and the Andaman Islands,” Widodo told a news conference after the meeting at the presidential palace.

Analysts say the move comes amid concerns over China’s rising maritime influence in the region, and is part of Modi’s “Act East” policy of developing stronger ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“The India-ASEAN partnership can be a force to guarantee peace and progress in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,” Modi said in a statement read in Hindi.

Modi this year invited the leaders of all ten ASEAN nations to attend New Delhi’s Republic Day parade, the biggest such gathering of foreign leaders at the annual event.

There has been tension in Southeast Asia over the disputed South China Sea, a busy waterway claimed in most part by China.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have conflicting claims in the area, through which about $3 trillion worth of sea-borne goods passes every year.

While not a claimant, Indonesia has clashed with Beijing over fishing rights around the Natuna Islands and expanded its military presence there. It has also renamed the northern reaches of its exclusive economic zone, to reassert its sovereignty.

Modi, who is making his first trip to Indonesia, is also set to visit the Istiqlal mosque in the capital of the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country.

The Indian leader flies to Malaysia on Thursday to meet recently elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad before heading to neighboring Singapore to address a regional security forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue.

Last week, Indonesia’s chief maritime affairs minister, Luhut Pandjaitan, said the existing port at Sabang, which is 40 meters (131 ft.) deep, could be developed to accommodate both commercial vessels and submarines, according to media.

Indonesia’s transport minister told reporters on Wednesday that Sabang would get a transshipment port that could be developed over two years.

Asked about Indian investment in Sabang, Indian foreign ministry official Preeti Saran said New Delhi was interested in helping build infrastructure across Southeast Asia.

“There have been discussions about building infrastructure, it’s not just seaports, but airports,” she said. “There would be a lot of interest among Indian companies.”

Widodo and Modi also signed pacts on cooperation in the pharmaceuticals and technology industries.

The post Indonesia, India Plan to Develop Strategic Indian Ocean Port appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Myanmar Anti-war Protesters Call on Suu Kyi to Act Against ‘Violent’ Police

Posted: 30 May 2018 09:38 PM PDT

YANGON — Anti-war protesters in Myanmar on Wednesday urged government leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to take action against police who this month broke up a peace rally and arrested them, and raised new concern about freedom of speech.

Riot police in the main city of Yangon used batons on May 12 to break up a rally called to show support for victims of fighting in northern Myanmar, arresting 17 organizers for disturbing the public and holding a protest without permission.

The scuffles between baton-wielding police and protesters have sparked an outcry among activists and lawmakers over what they see as risks to free expression under the government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

In a letter sent to top government officials including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, eight of the rally organizers said action should be taken against the police, which come under the control of Myanmar’s powerful military.

“Police came, arrested us and beat us for no reason, and that’s why we are demanding action to be taken against police who violently handled the peaceful protest,” the eight organizers said in their letter.

“The lawless action by the authorities should be investigated for our loss of citizens’ rights,” they said.

Government spokesman U Zaw Htay was not immediately available for comment. Police spokesman U Myo Thu Soe said he was not aware of the letter and declined to comment.

A movement of mostly young anti-war activists has in recent months spread to various parts of the country, exposing frustration with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s struggle to fulfill a promise to end decades of war by autonomy-seeking ethnic minority guerrillas.

The military, which ruled the country for decades, oversees internal security even though a civilian-led government has been in power since 2016, after Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s party swept an election.

More than 6,000 people have fled their homes in recent weeks since the army launched a new offensive against the Kachin Independence Army insurgent group in Myanmar’s north.

Fighting has also intensified in other ethnic minority areas.

A freedom of speech monitoring group, Athan, has said more than 42 activists across the country have been charged in May for participating in rallies protesting against the conflict.

The 17 organizers of the May 12 rally, who were detained but later released, face a month in prison and fines.

The post Myanmar Anti-war Protesters Call on Suu Kyi to Act Against 'Violent' Police appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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