The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Amnesty for Political Prisoners Eagerly Anticipated as Myanmar Ushers in New Year
- Two ABSDF Members Jailed for 2 Years for Unlawful Association
- Naga Rebels Say Peace Talks May Suffer if Military Does Not Free Leaders
- Filmmaker Accused of Insulting Army Is Denied Bail, Sent to Prison
- At The Pansodan, Sublime Flavors in an Architectural Gem
- A Lotus Fabric Business Takes Root on Inle Lake
- Is Bangladesh Really Interested in Justice on Rakhine Issue?
- Myanmar’s First Christian Missionary Dies at Sea
| Amnesty for Political Prisoners Eagerly Anticipated as Myanmar Ushers in New Year Posted: 12 Apr 2019 05:49 AM PDT YANGON—To mark the traditional New Year, which falls in mid-April, Myanmar people free birds and fish to make merit. For the government, releasing prisoners in the New Year period is customary. Last year, President U Win Myint pardoned 8,541 prisoners in the New Year amnesty, including 36 political prisoners and 51 foreigners. His predecessor as president, U Htin Kyaw, acquitted student protesters facing political charges and pardoned 83 prisoners in the 2016 New Year amnesty. Dozens of political prisoners were among those released. How about this year? Will President U Win Myint pardon all political prisoners? According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), there are currently 45 political prisoners behind bars, while more than 300 individuals are facing trial inside and outside prison. Myanmar will celebrate the New Year festival starting Saturday, and usher in the New Year on April 17. As the festival draws near, the families of detainees and political activists are hoping for good news. Ma Pan Ei Mon, the wife of the jailed Reuters journalist Ko Wa Lone, said on Thursday that she is hoping her husband and his colleague Ko Kyaw Soe Oo will be released. The two journalists have spent more than 15 months in detention since they were arrested in December 2017 while investigating a massacre of Rohingya Muslim civilians involving Myanmar soldiers in Inn Din village in Rakhine State's Maungdaw Township. The pair were sentenced to seven years' imprisonment in September under the Official State Secrets Act. The verdict drew an international outcry and strong condemnation. Aside from Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo, there are many other political prisoners who were arrested and jailed because of a miscarriage of justice and they should all be released, Ko Aung Myo Kyaw of the AAPP said. "We hope for the release of all political prisoners. And that's what we have been demanding," he said. Among the political prisoners are former child soldier Aung Ko Htwe, who was jailed in connection with a media interview he gave; Arakanese politician Dr. Aye Maung and author Wai Hin Aung, who were sentenced to 20 years in prison in March over speeches they made at a literary discussion; and two peaceful protesters, Lum Zawng and Zau Jat. Nang Pu, Lum Zawng and Zau Jat of the Kachin National Social Development Association were sentenced to six months in December and fined 500,000 kyats ($333) for defaming the Myanmar military. They participated in protests demanding the government help trapped villagers amid fighting between the Kachin Independence Army and the military. Nang Pu was released from prison on April 5 because of her deteriorating health, but the other two remain behind bars. Many of the other political prisoners were sentenced under the Unlawful Associations Act and the Telecommunications Law—two controversial laws that rights activists have demanded be repealed. Ruling party lawmaker Ma Zin Mar Aung, who is also a former political prisoner, said that in prison the Myanmar New Year is one of those special occasions that every prisoner looks forward to with high hopes. "Daw Aung San Suu Kyi once said that even one political prisoner is too many. We don't want to see political prisoners in this transition anymore," she said. Under the previous military regime, thousands of political activists and politicians were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their anti-government activities. Thousands of political prisoners were released conditionally under former President U Thein Sein, meaning they faced having to serve the remainder of their initial sentences were they ever to be arrested again. In the 2018 amnesty, however, President U Win Myint issued a decree nullifying the "conditional" status of their release for those convicted on political charges by the previous governments. Ko Aung Myo Kyaw of the AAPP said he hopes the political prisoners will be pardoned, as he had heard there could be a presidential amnesty on April 17. He added that those who are facing political charges should also be acquitted. Last year, almost all political prisoners on the AAPP's list were released under the presidential amnesty. Ma Pan Ei Mon said, "For me, if he is released, I will be as happy as if I had won the lottery." The post Amnesty for Political Prisoners Eagerly Anticipated as Myanmar Ushers in New Year appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Two ABSDF Members Jailed for 2 Years for Unlawful Association Posted: 12 Apr 2019 03:37 AM PDT A court in Mohnyin Township, Kachin State sentenced two members of the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) to two years in prison yesterday, the leader of the group said. ABSDF chairman U Than Khe told The Irrawaddy on Friday, "The verdict was unfair. We strongly condemn it." U Aung Swe Oo and U Maung Oo were arrested in December last year and charged under the Unlawful Association Act's Article 17(1) after traveling to a conflict zone in Mohnyin Township to attend the funeral of a member of their organization. It is customary for senior members of the group to attend the funeral of a member who dies, in order to show support for the family. At the time of their arrest, both men were carrying documents showing they were legally allowed to travel, U Than Khe said. The ABSDF is an armed group. It signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the Myanmar government in 2015. U Than Khe said his organization's members were free to travel under the terms of the agreement. The organization also signed a state government-level ceasefire in 2013. This agreement also entitles all members of the group to travel freely in the country, he said. The ABSDF formed in 1988 after the nationwide uprising that year. Its members are based in different ethnic areas, U Than Khe said, adding that the government had violated its agreement to allow them freedom of travel. "The agreement made it very clear that all members of our organization could travel freely," he said. "We have found that there is no responsibility or accountability for [enforcing the] agreement; it is very weak. They [the government) should show accountability for our two colleagues based on our agreement. They should release them," he said. He said the actions of the government and the Myanmar Army in this case would raise many questions for other ethnic armed organizations that are negotiating peace deals with the government. This is the second time members of the ABSDF have been sentenced in prison. U Min Htay was jailed in 2017, also after being arrested in Kachin State. U Than Khe said many members of the ABSDF were disappointed in the actions of the Myanmar Army, believing it demonstrated that the Army did not respect the peace agreement. Some of the members said it would be hard for them to trust the military in future peace negotiations. "We are an organization who worked for peace with them. But still they treat us badly. So I'm really worried their actions will reduce people's trust in peace negotiations," he said. The post Two ABSDF Members Jailed for 2 Years for Unlawful Association appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Naga Rebels Say Peace Talks May Suffer if Military Does Not Free Leaders Posted: 12 Apr 2019 03:28 AM PDT YANGON — The National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) says it will struggle to keep up peace talks with the Myanmar military if it does not release all members of the armed rebel group it has detained, including those on its negotiating team. In early March, more than a month after taking control of the NSCN-K’s headquarters in Sagaing Region, the military arrested 10 of the group’s political leaders and six fighters, including captains. Five of the detainees were released on April 5, leaving the fighters and the five leaders charged under the Unlawful Associations Act in custody, NSCN-K liaison officer Jüvlengthong (or Cue Hlaing Thong) told the Irrawaddy. He said the six fighters were being held by the military and the leaders by the Khamti district police. The five released were Eno Ngaitum, Eno Manglwan, Eno Athrom and Eno Longsa — the NSCN-K’s ministers for health, education and legal affair and deputy minister for agriculture, respectively — and Eno Tomthong, a member of the group’s central committee. Jüvlengthong said "further peace negotiations would be difficult as both Chairman U An Kam and Vice Chairman U Kyaw Wan Sein, who lead the NSCN-K peace committee, as well as our home affair minister are among the detainees." Colonel Than Naing, spokesman for the military's Northwestern Command, confirmed that the military released five of the detainees "because, according to our initial investigation, they were not directly involved in the matter even though they are with the NSCN-K." In late March, President’s Office spokesman U Zaw Htay said the office was reviewing whether the charges against the five NSCN-K leaders still in custody were appropriate. The military accuses the NSCN-K of supporting ethnic Assam and Manipur — also known as Kathae — rebel groups in eastern India. Though the NSCN-K denies the claim, the military says it took control of the group’s training schools and arrested 36 people in ethnic Naga areas between January and March. Jüvlengthong said the group has written to the government’s National Reconciliation and Peace Center, led by the State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and the Office of the Commander-in-Chief asking them to intervene but have yet to hear back. He said the NSCN-K entered into a bilateral ceasefire with the government and military in 2012 because it trusted them and withdrew from its headquarters peacefully when the military came to seize it in January, and so where “very upset” by the military’s latest moves. A Naga affairs analyst who asked to speak anonymously said the military had invited the Manipur into Sagaing in the first place. "The Tatmadaw [military] tends to change its positions depending on the political landscape,” the analyst told The Irrawaddy. “If they want to blame, they can do so any time. So now they accuse the Naga armed group for political reasons." Whether the NSCN-K leaders can legitimately be charged for supporting a group that is not officially designated an insurgent organization also remains an open question. “It is unclear how the government considers the Assam and Kathae rebels unlawful groups under Myanmar law," the analyst said. U Aung Htut, chairman of Naga Tradition, Literate and Culture (Central), a non-government group, said the five NSCN-K leaders are due to appear in court on April 19. He said his group has sent letters requesting their release to the President's Office, state counselor, military chief and ethnic affair minister but received to replies. "The five NSCN-K leaders can only be freed when the Tatmadaw drops the charges against them for the sake of peace and stability in the region," he said. "We raised the issues to respective authorities because we want stability in the Naga region and we hope for the best solution," he added. "We just don't want any further instability because of this incident." U Aung Htut said the fighters should not have been detained either because they only stayed behind at the group’s headquarters when it was abandoned to the military in case the military needed their help. Local sources say the military has imposed restrictions on movement in the area since taking over the base. "People do not dare to go to their farms, and roads between their villages and markets are closed, which makes it hard for them to buy basic food items such as rice, oil and salt. They cannot enjoy freedom to movement. It is a violation of their basic rights," the Naga affairs analyst said. The Naga were granted a self-administered region under the military-drafted 2008 Constitution and run it out of Lahe Township. And while the NSCN-K signed a bilateral ceasefire deal in 2012, it has no interest in joining the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. The armed group wants to bring the Naga on either side of the Myanmar-India border under one rule and has asked for tri-partite negotiations between it and both governments. The Irrawaddy’s Chit Min Tun contributed reporting to this story. The post Naga Rebels Say Peace Talks May Suffer if Military Does Not Free Leaders appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Filmmaker Accused of Insulting Army Is Denied Bail, Sent to Prison Posted: 12 Apr 2019 12:48 AM PDT YANGON—Prominent filmmaker and human rights activist Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, who was sued by a military officer for insulting and defaming the Army, was denied bail and sent to Insein Prison on Friday morning. His lawyer U Robert San Aung told The Irrawaddy that U Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi had requested bail for health reasons. The filmmaker had part of his liver removed just three months ago to treat liver cancer. The judge rejected the request, however, and U Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi was sent directly to Insein Prison from Insein Township Court. Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, who founded the Human Rights, Human Dignity International Film Festival, has been a strong critic of the Myanmar military. He posted series of Facebook posts criticizing the undemocratic military-drafted 2008 Constitution and the political role that it grants to the Army. Lieutenant-Colonel Lin Htun of Yangon Region Command opened a defamation case against the filmmaker at the end of March under Article 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law. Just days later, the officer opened a second case against Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi under non-bailable Article 505(a) of the Myanmar Penal code. Both charges carry a maximum two-year prison sentence. The lawyer said that while Article 505(a) is a non-bailable offence, the judge could use his discretion in this case. "His health condition is really worrisome," he said. The next court hearing will be on April 25. The post Filmmaker Accused of Insulting Army Is Denied Bail, Sent to Prison appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| At The Pansodan, Sublime Flavors in an Architectural Gem Posted: 11 Apr 2019 10:30 PM PDT YANGON—Passersby had been watching a chrysalis of a handsome colonial-era two-story red brick building with tall arched windows, decorative columns and wrought iron awning on Pansodan Street for months. When The Pansodan opened on March 18 it was subject to a flurry of online hype. When I found the restaurant didn't have an official Facebook page yet I was even more intrigued and knew I had to go there to experience it for myself.  When I stepped into the self-described Burmese brasserie from the blazing April heat for a midweek lunch recently the place was buzzing. With few free tables downstairs, I went through the wood-panel stairwell to a table on the quiet mezzanine and lounged in a soft, oversized chair to watch the comings and goings of Yangon's hottest new restaurant. A group of trendy millennials were catching up over lunch, a business lunch meeting with video chat was ongoing and a table of colleagues in matching shirts chatted and laughed. With one of The Pansodan's four investors being a famous local interior designer, and another the director of Pun + Projects, which operates a number of modern dining and drinking outlets around Yangon, it's no wonder the design chosen for this space is classy and comfortable. There's a wonderfully smart art deco theme running throughout. The double-height main floor is bright and airy with a mirrored bar, marble tabletops, wood-panel walls and stand-out symmetric floor tiles.  I was handed the menu, which features all the key dishes at the soul of Myanmar culture. Mohinga, coconut noodles and Shan noodles were listed alongside favorites adopted from our neighbors—pork bao, samosa, keema paratha and biryani. The sirloin beefsteak comes with a pickled tea leaf chimichurri sauce. (To save you googling it, that's an uncooked, garlicky sauce of South American origin.) The prices, on the other hand, are decidedly un-local, at 12,000 kyats for a prawn curry and a whopping 5,000 kyats for a tea leaf salad. I asked the very attentive member of staff which dishes have been the most popular so far and ordered an appetizer of Burmese pâté, the grilled chili chicken for the entrée and a lime soda to wash it down. Having read rave reviews of the dish on the Instagram accounts of Yangon's most famous foodies who were first in the door during the restaurant's soft opening, I couldn't resist ordering the beef bone marrow too.  I enjoyed the lime soda, which was refreshingly tart and served with a bamboo straw. Then came the Burmese pâté, which is chicken liver pâté on a dash of balsamic vinegar reduction, topped with fried shallots and served with pickles and black pepper "crisps". The pâté was moist and flavorful and the pickles were an excellent pairing. The black pepper crisps were more like crackers and, unfortunately, too brittle to scoop up the pâté, instead falling apart in my fingers. The grilled chili chicken was an aromatic and generously sized portion of "Myanmar chicken", which means it's not from a battery farm and, similar to free-range poultry, there's less meat on the bone but much, much more flavor. The meat was wonderfully seasoned and moist and chili-lovers will be glad to hear it is hot, hot, hot!  Then came the beef bone marrow. I was a little intimidated when confronted with a halved chunk of beef bone on my plate but digging in, I found the jelly-like marrow to be packed with deep, rich flavors and the gloopy texture was counteracted nicely by the topping of crispy dried shrimp and toasted breadcrumbs.  Later, I was glad to have another occasion to meet a friend for after-work cocktails at the small but glamorous-looking bar in The Pansodan. The cocktail menu was not exhaustive but exciting, with innovative concoctions like the very refreshing Irrawaddy Fizz (Blanco vermouth, fresh watermelon juice, tonic, lime and yathabo) as well as some great twists on classic cocktails, like the Daiquiri Vert, which has absinthe and lime leaf. The signature drink, The Pansodan, was the most delicious by far: the vodka, lemongrass, lime and pineapple with a hint of fresh basil combined to make a light, multi-level flavor experience that I would come back for again and again. Apart from cocktails, the drinks menu has a good selection of favorite whiskey blends and bottles of wine priced upwards of 38,000 kyats.  Overall, I was glad to find The Pansodan lived up to the hype surrounding it—especially on the design and fantastic renovation work. With so much beautiful old architecture in downtown Yangon crumbling for a lack of funding for renovations, I'm glad this gem on Pansodan Street will be preserved and loved by diners and snap-happy Instagrammers alike, all the while serving unfailingly delicious local cuisine and fantastic cocktails. The post At The Pansodan, Sublime Flavors in an Architectural Gem appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| A Lotus Fabric Business Takes Root on Inle Lake Posted: 11 Apr 2019 08:47 PM PDT When Ko Myint Thein Htun went into the family cotton weaving and clothing retail business from the shores of Shan State’s Inle Lake, he did not think he would be doing the same thing some two decades on and helping his village develop along the way. By using some of the same cotton and silk weaving practices, Ko Myint Thein Htun, known locally as Ko Nge, believed he could also make a successful business of weaving scarves out of lotus fiber threads. The lotus flower is a powerful symbol in Buddhism; its threads have traditionally been used to weave only monks’ robes or cloth for draping Buddha images. The practice was started some 150 years ago by Daw Sa Oo in Kyaingkhan Village. She would strip the lotus fibers to make the threads and spend the next year weaving them into a robe for an abbot she revered. The threads came from a sacred lotus — Nelumbium speciosum, or Padonma Kyar in Burmese — that grows on Inle Lake.  It is believed that lotus fabrics help keep the wearer warm in the winter and cool in the summer. They are also said to bring good luck, absorb negative energy and dissipate body odor.  The whole process — from picking the lotus plants to stripping the fiber from the stems to the weaving — is all done by hand and is environmentally friendly. Because of their delicacy and uniqueness and the time it takes to make them, lotus fabrics are expensive. It takes 8,000 stems and 20 days to make a single square meter, said Ko Myint Thein Htun. Even so, his lotus and lotus-silk scarves have attracted ever more buyers among the growing number of tourists visiting Inle Lake since Myanmar opened its doors to vacationers in the 1990s. "They want something small, a souvenir that they can use or give as a gift," Ko Myint Thein Htun said, recalling how the idea of making scarves instead of the much larger monks’ robes came to him. Becoming an entrepreneur Many of the traditions of Inle Lake’s Intha, from their floating markets to their unique way of rowing their boats with their legs, have been fading away over recent decades, a trend only amplified by the new jobs on offer in the area’s ever-expanding tourism industry. Their weaving goes back a century. Ko Myint Thein Htun’s great grandfather, U Han, started weaving in 1910. He was one of two men who learned how to weave the ikat design in Thailand in the 1930s and taught it to his neighbors back home. The Inle ikat, or Inle Zinmae, longyi has since become popular across Myanmar. Ko Myint Thein Htun is proud to carry on the family’s weaving tradition.  When Myanmar’s universities were shut down in 1996 because of a wave of student protests, the fledgling tourism sector helped Ko Myint Thein Htun, a student at the Mandalay Arts and Sciences University, set a new course. At first, back home in Inpawkhon Village, he believed the universities would reopen soon and that he could continue to pursue his studies. But the universities stayed close for the next three years and eight months, during which time he entered the family business, making cotton bags and clothes and selling them in Yangon, Mandalay and elsewhere. He soon ventured into lotus fiber and in 2000 opened a souvenir shop, Khit Sunn Yin, with a loom to show tourists how the fabrics were made. As one of the few shops still weaving by hand, its fabrics have also become popular with local actors and singers and other well-to-do domestic customers. Myanmar’s lotus fabrics have also been used by international clothing brands Loro Piano and Muller and Sohn.  But Ko Myint Thein Htun’s business has seen both ups and downs, all in tune with Myanmar’s political and environmental fortunes. Business dipped along with tourist arrivals after 2007’s so-called saffron revolution and Cyclone Nargis the next year but bounced back in 2010 and has remained stable since. Community jobs When demand for his products eventually outstripped his ability to meet it, Ko Myint Thein Htun encouraged his fellow villagers to start weaving as well and offered to help them sell what they made. "But many of my fellow villagers said they couldn’t because they no longer had their looms or other capital," he said, "I felt sorry, so I thought, what if I provided them with loans so that they can buy looms and raw materials and start weaving." And so he did, handing out loans of 740,000 kyats (about $491 at today’s rate) per family in 2016 to set up and repay him with finished textiles, creating about 200 jobs in the process, mostly for women.  He also runs dozens of looms of his own now in a workshop next to his clothing store and employs more than 120 people directly. In the workshop, the older women mostly turn the lotus threads into yarn or weave while the younger women prefer to fashion the woven fabrics into clothes. "Many people, including the older ones in their 70s and 80s, can still earn their living because they can work either as lotus-plant pickers and gatherers, strip lotus stems for thread, weft the silk yarn and weave at home," said U Aung Kyi Win, an ethnic Intha elder and former state lawmaker for Nyaung Shwe Township.  And as the product has become more popular, the supply chain has grown longer, he added, with lotus stems now also coming from as far as Bago and Mandalay regions and Kayah State. Empowering the youth Through his community development and social support, Ko Myint Thein Htun urges young people to learn traditional handicrafts. He has started offering 1,000-kyat bonuses on top of the daily wages at his shop to encourage the next generation of weavers, including young women and mothers with babies. More than 20 young men and women showed up last year, but the number has fluctuated with time. While the numbers may be low, the effort is helping to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining traditions and spreading his believe that the handicraft industry is good for the community. "Inle has many handicrafts jobs,” he said. “The young people should follow our traditions, and not only learn about the weaving industry but also about others handicrafts so that we can contribute to our community and maintain our traditions." He is currently promoting another local custom to outsiders — the floating Thingyan. Most people in Myanmar celebrate the annual water festival on land. But given the large lake at and under their feet, the residents of Inle celebrate on the water itself. When the festival kicks off this weekend, the Inlay Cultural Heritage Trust Complex in Nam Pan Village will host a floating Thingyan for the first time thanks to Ko Myint Thein Htun’s efforts. Anyone visiting the village by boat will get to splash fellow visitors on other boats. His Miss Inlay Organization will also be running a beauty pageant to draw in yet more crowds and raising awareness about the importance of saving Inle Lake from rising pollution levels. Ko Myint Thein Htun believes his weaving business is beneficial not only to him but to the whole community around the lake and to the country for helping preserve traditional handicrafts. "It offers people jobs. It earns foreign currency for the country. It keeps our traditions alive. That's why I stick to it even if there is something better for me,” he said. The post A Lotus Fabric Business Takes Root on Inle Lake appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Is Bangladesh Really Interested in Justice on Rakhine Issue? Posted: 11 Apr 2019 07:13 PM PDT Bangladesh has finally allowed the Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE) to visit the country. According to a press release on the ICOE's website, the Bangladeshi foreign minister has agreed in principle to meet with the commission next month. What is unclear—and frankly, this must be the crux of the issue—is whether Bangladeshi authorities will allow the ICOE to conduct evidence gathering in Cox's Bazar. No information on this is available on the ICOE's website. However, informed diplomatic sources say that Bangladesh has not yet given the ICOE's Evidence Collection and Verification Team (ECVT) the green light to visit Cox's Bazar to collect evidence and data. This is a great disappointment to those seeking information on what really prompted the massive displacement of people from Myanmar to Bangladesh in the wake of clearance operations by the Myanmar military in northern Rakhine starting in late 2017 following a series of attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on security outposts. It also reflects poorly on Bangladesh, which has in the past given access to the UN Fact Finding Mission, U.S. State Department Documentation Team and international NGOs to tour Cox's Bazar collecting evidence, statements, interviews and pictures, etc. If Bangladesh does not allow the ICOE to conduct its own investigation in Cox's Bazar, it could be seen as acting in "bad faith". The natural question would be: Does Bangladesh have something to hide? The ICOE was established just under a year ago by the Union President's Office. In a press release dated July 30, 2018, it stated that the ICOE was established as part of its national initiative to address reconciliation, peace, stability and development in Rakhine. The ICOE is made up of international and national members. "The ICOE will investigate allegations of human rights violations and related issues, following the terrorist attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)," the statement reads. According to the terms published on its website, the ICOE is supposed to submit reports with recommendations to the Union President. The use of the plural "reports" indicates that ICOE may be preparing more than one submission to the President. The world has only read reports documenting alleged atrocities that have purportedly taken place in Myanmar, by such organizations as Amnesty International, Fortify Rights, the UN Fact Finding Mission and others. It is resoundingly clear that those reports are based on narratives of people living in Cox's Bazar. The ICOE provides an opportunity to inform the world of the facts based on evidence. They should be allowed into Bangladesh to take evidence and do the necessary cross-verification and seek corroboration of the facts back in Myanmar. The ICOE's report should differ from other international organizations' reports, which are based on people's narratives in one country. It should be evidence-based, and that evidence should be verified. A one-sided, narrative-based report will do nothing to achieve the accountability and justice the world seeks. Nyein Maung is a freelance researcher on Rakhine issues. The views and opinions expressed here are the author's alone. The post Is Bangladesh Really Interested in Justice on Rakhine Issue? appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Myanmar’s First Christian Missionary Dies at Sea Posted: 11 Apr 2019 06:53 PM PDT Adoniram Judson, the American missionary who first promoted Christianity in Myanmar, died 169 years ago today. Affectionately known as Saya Judson, he is remembered as Myanmar's most significant missionary. He arrived in Myanmar in 1813 at the age of 25 and spent years learning Burmese before beginning his preaching on Baptism. He baptized his first Burmese convert, Maung Naw in 1819. Two years later, he baptized his first female Burmese convert, Ma Min Hla. Judson is also remembered for compiling the first Burmese-English dictionary, English-Burmese dictionary, and the first Burmese grammar book. He translated the Bible into Burmese and also established a number of Baptist churches in Myanmar.
He faced many challenges in Myanmar and came under pressure from the authorities who were unhappy with his work in converting people to Christianity. He was regarded as a spy during the First Anglo-Burmese War, and was imprisoned at Inwa, then called Ava, for over a year. Judson translated the Treaty of Yandabo, the peace treaty credited with ending the First Anglo-Burmese War. He dedicated his life to his missionary work and eventually developed eyesight problems and headaches. He was advised by doctors to take a sea voyage, and on April 12, 1850, at the age of 61, he died onboard a ship bound for America. He was buried at sea in the Bay of Bengal. The Judson College, the forerunner of the Yangon University, was named after him and the university campus is still home to Judson Church. Judson was regarded as a Burmese man of letter by the local literati. A church which is still in use in Lanmadaw Township, Yangon, was named in honor of Maung Naw, his first convert. The post Myanmar's First Christian Missionary Dies at Sea appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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