Wednesday, September 19, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Military’s Broadcast of Graphic Film Depicting 1988 ‘Anarchy’ Draws Fire

Posted: 19 Sep 2018 07:31 AM PDT

YANGON—The Myanmar military's broadcast of a gruesome film depicting scenes of graphic violence that occurred during the nationwide pro-democracy movement in 1988 has been criticized as an attempt to legitimize the coup it staged three decades ago—and even as a threat of another takeover.

Military-owned TV channel Myawaddy repeatedly aired the 41-minute video on Tuesday, which marked the 30th anniversary of the military takeover. The coup would be followed in the decades to come by indiscriminate bloody crackdowns by the military on pro-democracy activists.

The film focuses on incidents of violence, chaos and mass looting that occurred in August and September 1988. During this period leading up to the coup, the government was unable to effectively maintain law and order in the wake of nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations, known as the '88 Uprising, which brought the country to a standstill.

The video's most graphic sequence shows the public killings of several people accused of being government spies or counterrevolutionaries. According to a document that has gone viral online, then Military Intelligence chief Colonel Khin Nyunt ordered all spy units and informers to take any steps necessary at the time to sow confusion among the public in order to carry out acts of counter-violence. The order warns officials to take great care to keep the mission secret while carrying it out. (In his biography published 27 years after the coup, the ex-spy chief made no mention of the order.)

In one scene, a man is stabbed to death and beheaded. The perpetrator holds the victim's head aloft for enraged onlookers to see.

A narrator explains that the film is a compilation of clips taken from footage aired on international media at the time. It was first aired by the state-owned Burma Broadcasting Service (now MRTV) soon after the coup.

Referring to the military takeover, a narrator says toward the end of the film, "The military, which always takes seriously the safety and interests of the state and the people, intervened because the rule of law and governing mechanism of the country were in total ruins, while the country's independence and sovereignty were under threat."

In what was possibly intended as a justification for re-broadcasting the film 30 years later, the narrator at one point urged the people of Myanmar to adopt a national outlook so as "not to repeat the kind of terrible and bitter experience that happened 30 years ago". In the introduction to the film, the narrator describes the '88 Uprising as "the [nation's] worst and most brutal mass disturbance".

Observers at home and abroad uniformly agree that the uprising toppled the regime of dictator Ne Win and paved the way for the political reform that Myanmar is experiencing today.

Regarding the graphic content, another narrator warns that "the faint-hearted and children are advised not to keep watching when the warning of graphic images appears."

On Facebook, Myanmar netizens questioned the military's motive for re-airing the film in 2018, 30 years after the coup, and with the country now governed by a democratically elected civilian government.

Many pointed out that the military has a long history of claiming it had no choice but to seize power in 1988 as the situation had gotten out of control. They said the military had compiled the worst examples of violence to create the film in order to legitimize its takeover.

Some interpreted the broadcast as a threat from the military, which is now facing international pressure over its actions against the Rohingya in Rakhine State, while its relationship with the National League for Democracy-led government in areas like constitutional amendment and the peace process are reportedly poor. Amid other problems like rising nationalism and anti-Muslim sentiment, and skyrocketing commodity prices, some fear the military is poised to make a return if there are any signs of social or political unrest.

Documentary filmmaker Shin Daewe said to The Irrawaddy, "I just see it as a threat, playing on people's concerns while trying to persuade others that the military can do good things for the country when the government fails."

To promote better civilian-military relations, Yangon-based political commentator Yan Myo Thein told The Irrawaddy, the military leaders should view the '88 Uprising as a turning point in Myanmar's modern history, rather than portraying it as a descent into anarchy in order to legitimize its coup.

He pointed out that for the sake of national reconciliation Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had remained silent on the 2003 attack—allegedly sponsored by the then military government—by armed thugs on a convoy she was traveling in.

"But the military aired the film [on the anniversary of the coup]. It does more harm than good for the democratic transition," Yan Myo Thein said.

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Government’s Report to Parliament Lacked Substance, Lawmakers Say

Posted: 19 Sep 2018 07:17 AM PDT

CHIANG MAI, Thailand—The government failed to show how it plans to solve the country's current political and economic problems during its presentation to the Union Parliament on Wednesday, observers and lawmakers said.

U Kyaw Tint Swe, the minister for the State Counselor's Office, on Wednesday read a written report on the government's efforts to the Union Parliament. The report described its steps to tackle a range of issues including the peace process, building a democratic federal state, rule of law and development.

The government's report prioritized the peace process, national reconciliation, Rakhine state affairs and charter amendment, but was short on detail. It also emphasized its efforts and achievements in the fields of social development, social welfare, access to electricity and road infrastructure, urban planning, job creation, improving the environment for foreign investment, fighting corruption, tackling drug-related issues and solving traffic problems in the Yangon commercial region.

In the two-and-a-half years since the National League for Democracy-led government took office, party leader and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has come in for criticism at home and abroad. Rising commodity prices, a rapid weakening of the kyat, problems ensuring rule of law and stability, and a lack of progress in the peace process with the armed ethnic minorities are among its top challenges. Internationally, the government faces harsh criticism from Western countries for its failure to condemn numerous alleged human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims by the Tatmadaw.

"We had expected the government would lay out its plans for solving the current economic challenges—high prices and unstable market conditions—and the political situation, including the peace process and the international pressure over Rakhine State. However, they merely mentioned these issues," said U Pe Than, a Lower House lawmaker from Myebon constituency in Rakhine State.

He added that U Kyaw Tint Swe dwelt on the perceived progress made by the Education, Health, Construction and Transport, Electricity, Energy and other ministries.

"Therefore, many of us lawmakers believe the NLD government's presentation deviated from its announcement that it would share [details of how it is] addressing the current situation," U Pe Than said.

The minister said that when the 2008 Constitution "is negotiated and amended step by step as the government expects, it will guarantee the country's transition to democracy." But he did not offer any details on the government's negotiations to amend the charter. The government reiterated "the key role of the Tatmadaw—Myanmar's military—in the current peace process," which is one of the government's priorities. U Kyaw Tint Swe said there were still many challenges to overcome to achieve a strong and harmonious peace process.

"The government should have said how it is negotiating charter amendment and how it plans to improve civilian-military relations, and whether it holds regular negotiations or not," said Dr. Yan Myo Thein, a Yangon-based political analyst.

He said the government's report to the public via the Parliament was "very vague". He said he was expecting to hear how the government "tackled and how they would respond strategically to the current crisis, economically and politically, as well as to the international pressure over Rakhine State affairs."

Regarding the Rakhine State conflict, U Kyaw Tint Swe said it is one of the challenges the government had to solve while it focuses on creating stability, peace and a democratic federal union.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya from northern Rakhine State fled to neighboring Bangladesh following a military crackdown in the wake of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)'s attacks on government security forces in August 2017. It was the second series of coordinated attacks by ARSA following an earlier wave in October 2016.

U Kyaw Tint Swe admitted that the government faced heavy criticism from the international community as a consequence of the mass exodus of people fleeing into Bangladesh. He also discussed the government's efforts to repatriate those displaced and its preparations to rehabilitate them as agreed under a bilateral agreement signed between Myanmar and Bangladesh on Nov. 23, 2017.

The government also cited the Independent Commission of Enquiry, formed by the government but led by two foreigners, to investigate the alleged human rights violations following the violent attacks and the military's counter-insurgency operations.

"We, our country, have sovereignty and we can solve our own domestic problems, and we are willing and able to do so," said U Kyaw Tint Swe. However, he added that the country would abide by international laws and agreements to preserve good international relations.

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Fact-Finding Mission Report Calls for Removal of Military from Gov’t

Posted: 19 Sep 2018 05:46 AM PDT

MANDALAY—The UN Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Myanmar released a report on Wednesday suggesting that the government of Myanmar pursue the removal of the military from the country's political life, and to restructure the military without delay.

After performing a detailed case study of Myanmar, especially on the conflicts in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states, the FFM report states that the Tatmadaw, the Burmese military, should come under full elected civilian control and be removed from the country's political and economic life.

"Peace will not be achieved while the Tatmadaw remains above the law," Marzuki Darusman, chair of the FFM, was quoted in the OHCHR press release.

"The Tatmadaw is the greatest impediment to Myanmar's development as a modern democratic nation. The commander-in-chief of the Tatmadaw, Min Aung Hlaing, and all the current leadership must be replaced, and a complete restructuring must be undertaken to place the Tatmadaw under full civilian control. Myanmar's democratic transition depends on it," he added.

The 440-page report by the FFM, which was submitted at the 39th Human Rights Council, features a wide range of evidence and details of human rights violations committed mainly by the military against the ethnic minorities, especially in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states.

The full report by the FFM follows a preliminary report which was submitted in August calling for the investigation and prosecution of top military leaders for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

In their report, the mission urged the government to revise the 2008 Constitution and said that the country should implement security reform by placing the security sector, including the military, under full civilian control which would require the parliament's approval in the appointing of a commander-in-chief and the use of funding for the military, and to abolish the military's quota in the parliament.

"The government of Myanmar, including the civilian authorities and the Tatmadaw as relevant, should abolish the quota for military seats in the legislature, the authority of the Tatmadaw to appoint vice-presidents and ministers and the military's control over certain ministries," said the report.

While urging the government, civilian authorities and the military to cease all unlawful security operations, gender-based violence and harassment and prosecution of human rights activists, lawyers, journalists and peace activists, the mission also urged for the release of the Reuter reporters, Ko Kyaw Soe Oo and Ko Wa Lone.

On the other hand, the report also urged the government to repeal or amend laws such as Peaceful Assembly Act, Burmese penal code 505(b), the Official Secret Acts, section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Act, and section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act, which are threatening freedom of expression, opinion and association in Myanmar.

Although the mission is urging the government and the military to make the reforms without delay for the sake of the country's democracy, human rights activists are doubtful that the institutions would do so.

"The suggestions of the Fact-Finding Mission are of international standard and there is no other country in the world which puts the military first. However, we doubt the military will make the reform because there have never been signs of the military following suggestions from the UN or many other international bodies, in the past," said Lawyer U Thein Than Oo, the well-known human rights lawyer.

The lawyer said that the government is in a difficult situation in which the constitution blocks them from having full power of governance over the country and that the people are waiting to see how the government will react to the full report of the FFM.

"The suggestions of the mission are things which our country should comply with, although there are many incomplete facts in the report. However, whether it is complied with or not completely depends on the government and the military," he added.

"On the other hand, our country's governance system is very complicated and can be reformed only if [the government and military] are willing to do so. On the international stage, our country's image already has an ugly face and we hope it won't get worse."

The report also repeats calls for the United Nations Security Council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as well as an arms embargo and sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes against to the most relevant people including Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and five other senior commanders.

The report also urges ethnic armed groups and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) to comply with international humanitarian laws, to protect civilians, to respect human rights and to participate and negotiate with the government to end the conflicts.

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Myanmar Caught in Her Own Trap

Posted: 19 Sep 2018 05:18 AM PDT

The UN’s Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Myanmar recently called the country’s military, or Tatmadaw, "the main perpetrator of serious human rights violations and crimes under international law in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states."

The FFM designed its Infographic with the image of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as one of the six top Tatmadaw commanders responsible for the crimes. "Naming the highest levels of command, the Mission seeks to underscore their responsibility for crimes committed," the mission said in its report.

The infographic calls the Tatmadaw’s alleged rights violations war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as head of government, and the civilian authorities are also condemned in the report for denying the Tatmadaw's “wrongdoing."

The report highlights the specific articles of the Constitution and other domestic laws that "enshrine impunity for human rights violations" committed by the perpetrators and former military regime. The FFM covers gross human rights violations and serious breaches of international humanitarian law committed in Myanmar since 2011 and urges the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court.

Shwe Mann, a former general and speaker of Parliament, has previously confessed that the 2008 Constitution was drafted to protect military leaders who ruled the country under dictatorship.

"Because they believed that it was an essential tool to securely hand over power in the transitional period," Shwe Mann said in a televised talk with the Democratic Voice of Burma.

Going through articles in the Constitution that favor the military, the FFM report says "impunity is deeply entrenched in Myanmar's political and legal system, effectively placing the Tatmadaw above the law. The Constitution and other laws provide for immunities and place the Tatmadaw beyond civilian oversight."

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been campaigning to amend the Constitution since 2014, often urging the military to consider whether it is fair that it should have such privileges. "If the Tatmadaw obtains special authority because of its armed force, how could that be dignified? Think about it," she has said.

The state counselor has been trying to convince the military to back the amendments — which can only happen with its consent — without success to date. She again highlighted the importance of amending the Constitution to Myanmar’s democratic transition during a recent lecture in Singapore.

Though the odds remain against her, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, drawing on her personal connection to the military as an institution (her father, General Aung San, is the country’s preeminent independence hero), has always tried to reconcile with the Tatmadaw peacefully. "I do feel a kinship to the soldiers because my father is a founding father of the Tatmadaw. Not only because of my personal connection, I would like the Tatmadaw to get along with people for the sake of the nation," she said while campaigning in 2014.

"The Tatmadaw and people must trust each other, respect each other and love each other in order for the nation to be peaceful and secure. Without that relationship, the country will never be stable and secure," she said.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is fully aware that the mentality of the Tatmadaw is completely different from what it was in her father’s day. She has often criticized the military, comparing it with its former self. "The Tatmadaw was founded to serve people, but it becomes opposite nowadays,” she has said.

In the 1950s, “war fighters became state builders,” observed Cornell University scholar Mary Callahan. In her 2003 book “Making Enemies,” she wrote that "the military solution to internal crises crowded out other potential state reformers, turning officers into state builders and military-as-institution into military-as-state itself."

Changing the mentality of the Tatmadaw, which has taken root over more than half a century, is not an overnight job. Sending the military back to the barracks is Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s greatest challenge, as the Constitution gives the defense services “the right to independently administer and adjudicate all affairs of the armed forces."

The FFM recommends immediate action for "significant security sector reform" and draws attention to constitutional reform as well, including abolishing the military’s 25-percent quota of parliamentary seats and its control of key ministries and placing the sector under full civilian control.

And while fully aware that the Tatmadaw is not under civilian control, the FFM blames Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for remaining silent on the plight of the Rohingya and the military’s alleged abuses.

UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has said that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi should have resigned as Myanmar’s de facto leader over the military’s alleged mass killing of Rohingya Muslims or risked a return to house arrest rather than being a "spokesperson of the Burmese military." But he should know that the country took 30 years to reach the so-called-democratic transition it is now embarked on. His remark about the state counselor, who abandoned her family for Myanmar and spent 15 years under house arrest, is ruthless and shows no respect for Myanmar’s voters.

Remaining silent on the plight of the Rohingya has been regarded as an act of political suicide by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi among those who envisioned her as a democracy and human rights icon. She has chosen to commit political suicide as an icon to the outside world perhaps because she believes that remaining silent is crucial to seeing through her strategy of reconciliation with the military.

The FFM calls it an “omission.”

"The state counselor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, has not used her de facto position as head of government, nor her moral authority, to stem or prevent the unfolding events, or seek alternative avenues to meet the government's responsibility to protect the civilian population or even to reveal and condemn what was happening," its report says.

The UN mission also accuses Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the civilian administration of spreading false and hateful narratives, denying the Tatmadaw's wrongdoing, blocking independent investigations — including the FFM’s — and overseeing the bulldozing of burned Rohingya villages and the destruction of crime sites and evidence.

"As such, through their acts and omissions, the civilian authorities have tacitly accepted and approved the Tatmadaw's brutal, criminal and grossly disproportionate actions," it says.

The latest international tensions bring to mind the time when the West strongly condemned the Tatmadaw for brutally killing hundreds, if not thousands, of protesters in 1988. The difference now is that Myanmar is not under military rule, but under the dual leadership of the elected National League for Democracy and the military. International recommendations to take action against the military might create a nightmare for the former military generals, including former Senior General Than Shwe.

"Unless the Myanmar military and other security forces are held accountable for past, current and future crimes, violence and associated atrocity crimes will happen again," the FFM says.

The FFM has given a full list of recommendations to both the civilian government and the military. The burning question is how much space they have to maneuver, and how open the Tatmadaw is to security sector and constitutional reform. The Tatmadaw is now caught in its own constitutional trap.

Returning to the Dark Age is not always the answer. The Washington Post's slogan says "democracy dies in darkness." Authoritarianism in Myanmar may be dying, but its undemocratic Constitution lives on.

Mon Mon Myat is a freelance journalist and a graduate student in the PhD program in peace building at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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Parliament Approves $300M ADB Loan to Upgrade Power Grid

Posted: 19 Sep 2018 05:10 AM PDT

YANGON — Parliament today approved a nearly $300 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to upgrade the national power grid in seven states and regions.

Of the 505 lawmakers in attendance, 501 voted in favor, two voted against and two abstained.

Minister of Electricity and Energy U Tun Naing told lawmakers that the loan would be used to improve the national grid in Yangon, Irrawaddy, Bago and Tanintharyi regions and in Mon, Karen and Rakhine states. Work is scheduled to begin in 2019 and finish in 2025.

The project is expected to increase electricity distribution to 84,850 households in Irrawaddy Region, 151,667 households in Bago Region, 42,747 households in Mon State, 27,820 households in Karen State and 27,820 households in Rakhine State.

President U Win Myint asked Parliament to approve the loan last week.

Of the project’s total $308.9 million cost, the ADB loan will cover $298.9 million and the government will make up the rest.

The ADB component will be divided into $143.1 million for transmission, $98.9 million for distribution, $10.5 million for consultants, $38.6 million for contingencies and $7.8 million for interest payments.

While debating the proposal in Parliament, some lawmakers raised alarm over the size of the consultant fees, which amount to 3.5 percent of the loan.

U Tun Naing told lawmakers that the fees were estimated to cover the full six years of the project, as required by the ADB.

The $10 million to be covered by the government will pay for project management and compensation for expropriated land and lost crops.

U Tun Naing said the ministry and ADB held three consultations in areas to be affected by the project and that local authorities, environmentalists and other experts were invited. He said a joint team had also conducted environmental and social impact assessments.

Some lawmakers were concerned about the debt burden, but Deputy Minister for Planning and Finance U Maung Maung Win said Myanmar's foreign debt was about $10.2 billion and that the addition of the ADB loan was bearable.

The 32-year term of the loan includes a 24-year repayment period and an eight-year grace period. It will have a 1.5 percent interest rate during repayment and 1 percent during grace.

A recent survey found that Myanmar’s population has the least access to electricity in Southeast Asia.

According to the Electricity and Energy Ministry, only 41 percent of the country's population was connected to the national grid in 2017. The government aims to have 55 percent of the population connected by 2021.

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Rights Group Blasts Police Inaction over Rape of 14-Year-Old IDP

Posted: 19 Sep 2018 05:02 AM PDT

A rights group has reported that the police in Nam Hpat Kar, a town in Kutkai Township near the Chinese border, have still not taken action against two men one month after they were accused of raping a 14-year-old student.

The Ta'ang Women's Organization (TWO) released a statement on Tuesday describing the incident which occurred when two girls, aged 13 and 14 years old, went to bathe at a stream outside their village. When they were on their way home, two men attempted to kidnap them. The 13-year-old girl was able to escape, but the men captured and raped the older girl.

Both girls are of Ta'ang ethnicity and are living at an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Mai Yu Lay, a village near Nam Hpat Kar. The rapists are both from the village.

"The girl could not walk for two days after she was raped as she had pain," said Lway Che Sa Nga, a research assistant for the TWO.

Sai Lan Sai, 19, and his friend, whose name remains unknown but is said to be aged 21, have been accused of the rape.

Four women's organizations and community leaders from the village reported the case at the police station in Nam Hpat Kar on August 16, asking the police to take action against the men.

The organizations, Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Network, TWO, the Kachin Women's Organization, and the Shan Women's Organization, have gotten involved in seeking justice for the victim and her family. The rights groups have said that one month later, police still have not taken action against the men.

"We have waited for a long time to see how the police would take action against [the accused] but we haven't seen anything yet," said Lway Che Sa Nga.

This has lead, she said, the organization to release the statement.

The victim's family took the girl for a medical check in a Kutkai hospital, but the hospital authorities refused her, saying they couldn't perform the check in their hospital. When the family traveled to a hospital in Lashio, the medical examination found evidence that the girl had been raped, according to Lway Che Sa Nga.

U Zaw Than, a police offer in Nam Hpat Kar, Kutkai Township said that his officers went to the homes of the accused men several times but that they were not at home and so have not been arrested.

"Whenever we went to check at their houses, their parents just told us that they were not at home. We even asked for their photos, but their parents did not give them to us," said U Zaw Than.

He said that as the parents only spoke the Shan language, they did not understand what they said. The police report that they don't know where the men are hiding.

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Police Recapture 3 Escapees from Bogale

Posted: 19 Sep 2018 03:34 AM PDT

PATHEIN, Irrawaddy Region — Police have recaptured all three detainees within 24 hours after they escaped from Myoma Police Station in Irrawaddy Region's Bogale Township early Tuesday.

The three men escaped at about 3:30 a.m. after using hacksaws to cut through the bars of their cell. After breaking out of the police station, the trio stole a motorbike from a driver and headed in the direction of Mawlamyinegyun Township.

Two of the detainees were recaptured near Ye Lel village in Maubin Township at around 7:40 a.m. Tuesday during a joint search operation conducted by police from Pyapon District, Bogale Township and Maubin.

The third escapee, Hla Naing Oo, was recaptured around 5 p.m. the same day in Yangon's Hlaingtharyar Township, a police officer of Bogale Township police station told The Irrawaddy.

One of the three escapees, former policeman Akar Jue, 23, was originally detained for theft. The other, Poe Phyu, 19, was originally detained on a charge of assault to commit theft. Hla Naing Oo, 33, was detained on a rape charge, police said.

Eight policemen of Bogale Township police station on duty during the prison break are being detained at the police station and will be disciplined according to police disciplinary rules.

In August last year, 10 detainees escaped from a cell at the Myoma Police Station in Irrawaddy Region's Mawlamyinegyun Township, though all were later recaptured.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Democratic Transition in Myanmar ‘at Standstill’: UN Rights Panel

Posted: 18 Sep 2018 10:11 PM PDT

GENEVA — Myanmar’s democratic transition has ground to a standstill as authorities seek to silence critics while allowing hate speech, particularly against Muslim Rohingya, the head of the UN human rights mission said on Tuesday.

Marzuki Darusman, chair of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, denounced what he called “the extreme brutality of the military” known as the Tatmadaw as he presented a report that Myanmar’s envoy dismissed as one-sided.

The panel was presenting its full 440-page report to the UN Human Rights Council after a summary issued on Aug. 27. That said Myanmar’s military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya with “genocidal intent” and called for commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing and five generals to be prosecuted for the gravest crimes under international law.

Myanmar’s government dismissed that summary at the time and said the international community was making “false allegations." The military did not comment and Reuters was unable to contact the generals named in the report.

Myanmar’s ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, rejected the panel’s findings as “one-sided” and said his government did not recognize its mandate.

“Not only is this report detrimental to social cohesion in Rakhine State, it also undermines the government’s efforts to bring peace, national reconciliation and development to the entire nation,” he told the forum.

Darusman said on Tuesday that there was “no law and no institution in Myanmar that is above the Tatmadaw” and called for an end to what he called its “complete impunity."

Democracy depended on authorities that accepted scrutiny and fought against hate speech and misinformation, he said.

“In this regard, the democratic transition in Myanmar has barely begun and now it is has come to a standstill,” he added.

Darusman said that the military crackdown in Rakhine in August 2017 – following insurgent attacks – had led to a mass exodus of nearly 750,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh, the deaths of at least 10,000 people, and the destruction of more than 37,000 Rohingya homes and structures.

Restrictions curtailing the Rohingyas’ ability to work and access health care and education in Rakhine have intensified since last year. “The same system of persecution would await any Rohingya who return," he said.

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China Will Use Trade War with US to Replace Imports: State Media

Posted: 18 Sep 2018 09:22 PM PDT

SHANGHAI — China is not afraid of “extreme measures” the United States is taking in their trade war and will use it as an opportunity to replace imports, promote localization and accelerate the development of high-tech products, state media said.

The People’s Daily newspaper, which is published by the ruling Communist Party, made the comments in a front-page article in its overseas edition on Wednesday.

The world’s two largest economies dove deeper into a trade war on Tuesday after Beijing added $60 billion of US products to its import tariff list in retaliation for US President Donald Trump’s planned levies on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.

“To deal with the trade war, what China really should do is to focus on doing its own thing well,” the People’s Daily said.

“(China) is not worried that the US trade counter measures will raise domestic commodity prices by too much but will instead use it as an opportunity to replace imports, promote localization or develop export-oriented advanced manufacturing,” it said.

The Global Times tabloid, which is affiliated to the People’s Daily, said the trade war was a chance to pursue greater global recognition of its financial markets and that it could open its A-share market more to listings by Western firms.

The United States has so far imposed tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese products to pressure China to make sweeping changes to its trade, technology transfer and high-tech industrial subsidy policies.

The new tariffs will begin on Sept. 24 and will increase to 25 percent by the end of 2018.

Beijing has retaliated in kind but some analysts and American businesses are concerned it could resort to other measures, such as pressuring US companies operating in China.

Another Chinese state-owned newspaper, the China Daily, also said in an editorial on Wednesday the US tactics would prove to be ineffective.

“China has always managed to find the proper solutions to put its economy back on track,” the China Daily said.

“The trade conflict will not force China to succumb to US pressure. Instead, given its economic resilience, it will squarely face those challenges, find the right solutions, and emerge stronger,” it said.

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Leaders of Two Koreas Begin One-on-One Summit to Unlock Nuclear Talks

Posted: 18 Sep 2018 09:11 PM PDT

SEOUL — Leaders of South and North Korea held one-on-one talks on the second day of their summit on Wednesday, aiming to announce steps to rekindle stalled negotiations on the North’s nuclear program and deepen bilateral ties.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in kicked off their third meeting of the year on Tuesday in Pyongyang, where cheering crowds greeted the leaders as they travelled through the capital.

Afterwards, Kim said his “historic” summit with US President Donald Trump in June had improved regional stability and raised hopes for further progress.

Moon and Kim resumed their talks on Wednesday at around 10 a.m. (0100 GMT), this time without any other attendees. The talks are expected to be followed by a joint statement and a news conference, Moon’s office said.

“It’s difficult to say an agreement has been reached, and we are expecting further dialogue,” Moon’s press secretary Yoon Young-chan told a news briefing on Wednesday.

The joint statement will provide clues to whether negotiations between North Korea and the United States over dismantling Pyongyang’s nuclear programs could regain momentum, after Kim asked Trump for a second meeting.

Kim pledged to work toward the “complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula” during his first encounter with Moon in the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas in April, and at his summit with Trump in June.

But discussions over how to implement the vague commitments have since faltered, with Washington demanding concrete action towards denuclearization by North Korea before agreeing to a key goal of Pyongyang – declaring an end to the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea has given no indication it is willing to give up its nuclear arsenal unilaterally and is seeking relief from crippling international sanctions.

US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a news briefing on Tuesday that Washington hoped the latest inter-Korean summit would bring about “meaningful, verifiable steps towards the denuclearization of North Korea” and called it a “historic opportunity” for Kim to follow through on commitments he made with Trump.

Art Tour

Later on Wednesday, Moon’s delegation will tour the Mansudae Art Studio, the North’s largest producer of art where state artists build statues and produce propaganda at a sprawling complex in Pyongyang.

The institution was sanctioned by the UN Security Council last year as part of global efforts to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs by drying up its revenue sources.

Moon is also scheduled to watch the North’s signature “Brilliant Fatherland” Mass Game which was reintroduced this year following a five-year hiatus, with a formation of glowing drones, lasers and stadium-sized gymnastics shows designed to glorify the country.

The United States is pressing countries to strictly observe international sanctions, which will likely be a key theme when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hosts a Security Council meeting on North Korea on Sept. 27 on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly.

“New Era"

This week’s summit is intended to craft concrete steps to implement the Panmunjom Declaration, named after the border village where they first met, Seoul officials said.

The two Koreas are also working to adopt a separate military accord aimed at preventing armed clashes between the old foes, which are technically still at war because the Korean War ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.

The neighbors have already agreed to withdraw some guard posts and equipment, in a bid to transform the world’s most heavily fortified border into a no-weapons area.

Pyongyang says it has destroyed its main nuclear and missile engine test site, and has halted atomic and ballistic missile tests, but US officials and analysts believe it is continuing to work on its weapons plans clandestinely.

South Korea is pinning high hopes on Kim’s remarks to Moon’s special envoys earlier this month that he wanted to achieve denuclearization within Trump’s first term in office ending in early 2021. Kim at the same time also stressed Washington must reciprocate his initial “goodwill” gestures.

“While Moon has expressed his desire to agree on a concrete plan on denuclearization, we believe that the two nations still differ on this concept,” said Anwita Basu, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

In previous, failed talks, North Korea has said it could consider giving up its nuclear program if the United States provided security guarantees by removing troops from South Korea and withdrawing its so-called nuclear umbrella of deterrence from the South and Japan.

US officials involved in the latest negotiations have said North Korea has refused to even start discussions about defining denuclearization.

The post Leaders of Two Koreas Begin One-on-One Summit to Unlock Nuclear Talks appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UK Foreign Secretary Hunt to Meet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi During Myanmar Visit

Posted: 18 Sep 2018 09:04 PM PDT

LONDON — British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will arrive in Myanmar on Wednesday for a two-day visit during which he will have talks with the country’s leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Foreign Office said.

Ahead of the trip, Hunt said Britain would increase its support to gather evidence for Rohingya victims who have suffered sexual violence at the hands of the military in Rakhine State.

UN investigators said last month that Myanmar’s military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya with “genocidal intent” and that the commander-in-chief and five generals should be prosecuted under international law.

“The United Nations fact-finding mission exposed terrible suffering in Burma, and in the face of such serious allegations, no country that considers itself humane can stand back and do nothing. We are determined to do all we can to provide security, dignity and justice to the victims,” Hunt said in a statement, using an alternative name for Myanmar.

“Together with our international partners, we will increase our support for those who have been victim of these heinous acts.”

The support will include additional deployment of experts in preventing sexual violence by the end of the year and development of a code of conduct for gathering evidence, he said.

Hunt will visit the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners to talk to human rights defenders, and will also go to northern Rakhine, the Foreign Office said. He will hold talks with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday.

Western criticism has mounted of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s failure to speak out against military treatment of the Rohingya. She has said that in hindsight, her government could have handled the Rakhine State situation better.

Hunt said this month he would also use the visit to raise the case of two Reuters journalists jailed for their reporting of the Rohingya crisis.

The post UK Foreign Secretary Hunt to Meet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi During Myanmar Visit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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