Wednesday, January 9, 2019

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Concern Mounts for IDPs in Northern Rakhine as Army Blocks Aid Shipments

Posted: 09 Jan 2019 07:21 AM PST

YANGON—More than 5,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in four townships in northern Rakhine State are without adequate shelter, and the Army is blocking food shipments to them, according to local relief groups.

U Khaing Kaung San of the Wanlark Foundation based in the state capital Sittwe told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that displaced civilians have been living in temporary structures consisting of tarpaulin sheets in Kyauktaw Township for several weeks.

Ko Maung San Win, a displaced resident of Taung Min Mro village, said neighboring Taung Kalarmin village was currently serving as a temporary home to about 700 IDPs. Most of the villagers abandoned their homes to escape heavy artillery fire nearby.

On Tuesday, a new depression in the Bay of Bengal brought torrential downpours to delta regions and the Rakhine coastline. The Meteorology Department forecasts continued heavy rain in the coming days.

Ko Maung San Win said, "We don't have enough tarpaulins; we were wet the whole night on Monday."

U Khaing Kaung San intended to travel from the urban area in Kyauktaw urban to Thulu Chaung,  about a five-hour boat ride up the Lay Myo River, with rice shipments  and local commodities for distribution to displaced villagers in Kyauktaw Township but military officers refused to allow relief vessels to proceed. The vessels were carrying relief items intended for more than 10 villages whose residents are sheltering in Taung Kalarmin.

He said General Administration Department (GAD) officials in Kyauktaw Township had given verbal permission for rice bags to be distributed, but joint Army/police teams had strictly prohibited relief workers from operating. In fact, such restrictions have been widely reported; the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) was blocked from doing relief work in Kachin rebel-held areas last year.

U Khaing Kaung San said if military and civilian authorities want to block food shipments, they should at least evacuate displaced villagers from the upper Kyauktaw region to safer places close to urban areas. He said nearly the entire population of 20 villages had been displaced. Shipments of rice were being allowed in some areas, but not in Thalu Chaung and Nga Sarai Kai villages, where the majority of IDPs are currently sheltering.

"I would say their action is apparently violating human rights," said U Khaing Kaung San.

The UN's Acting Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Myanmar, Knut Ostby, tweeted on the morning of Jan. 9 that he was "deeply concerned" about the situation in northern Rakhine. He said skirmishes between the Arakan Army (AA) and Myanmar security forces have resulted in 4,500 people becoming IDPs so far. Ostby said he was shocked about the loss of life during the AA's coordinated attacks on police outposts on Jan. 4.

He urged both sides to find a peaceful solution to the situation and to ensure humanitarian access to all people affected by the violence. He mentioned that the UN has been in touch with Myanmar authorities in recent weeks and has offered to support ongoing efforts to assist people in need.

"The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator urges all sides to ensure the protection of all civilians and uphold their responsibilities under International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law. Mr. Ostby further appeals to all sides to intensify efforts to find a peaceful solution to the situation and to ensure humanitarian access to all people affected by the violence," the UN said in its daily briefing.

Despite the UN's claim that it has already offered humanitarian assistance to Myanmar authorities, community-based relief groups told The Irrawaddy they have not seen any international organizations on the ground, apart from the ICRC. Most of the emergency food relief was being overseen by local organizations.

Ko Zar Nee Phyu, a leading committee member of the Rakhine Ethnic Congress (REC) who recently returned from the Kyauktaw region to Sittwe, said about four or five civil society groups have been trying to help IDPs since the conflict broke out in late December. However, they are currently barred by authorities from transporting rice bags to IDPs camped upstream from the town on the Lay Myo River.

Ko Zar Nee Phyu, an ethnic Mro, one of the Arakanese sub-ethnic groups, said his community relied on bamboo from the forest in Kyauktaw for its livelihood. Since the conflict had flared up there, no one had been allowed to enter, causing financial hardship for local people. He echoed other villagers' reports that shelling had forced them to flee their homes.

"We need a long-term plan, otherwise thousands of people here will be in trouble in the rainy season," Ko Zar Nee Phyu said.

He said some foreigners had collected information on the IDP population and enquired about the humanitarian situation in active conflict zones. He urged international relief agencies to monitor the IDPs' situation and provide humanitarian assistance.

Many Rakhine youth in various townships are now collecting donations on their own initiative to help IDPs by establishing temporary reception camps, and by parking trucks near towns seeking donations. Concerns are growing that fighting between the AA and government troops will very likely escalate soon, as the government Army has sent at least one extra brigade (3,000-5,000 troops) to northern Rakhine.

The post Concern Mounts for IDPs in Northern Rakhine as Army Blocks Aid Shipments appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Analysis: Behind the Threats and Warnings of Chinese Ambassador’s Kachin Visit

Posted: 09 Jan 2019 05:43 AM PST

YANGON— When an invitation for meetings with Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Hong Liang "to discuss the current situation in Kachin State" arrived at their offices in the Kachin capital of Myitkyina in early December, the last thing both Gumgrawng Awng Hkam and Rev. Hkalam Samson expected was warnings and threats.

The president of the Kachin Democratic Party and the president of the Kachin Baptist Convention had thought they would have a proper discussion on pressing issues which their homeland is facing, including the peace process and displacement of refugees due to fighting between a Kachin ethnic armed group and the Myanmar military.

However, when the Chinese ambassador met Gumgrawng Awng Hkam and Rev. Hkalam Samson on Dec. 28 and 29 respectively at Palm Spring Hotel in Myitkyina, he warned them not to make close friendships with western diplomats, that they otherwise "would face serious consequences." Both invitees claimed the ambassador briefed them in a bossy manner, warning them not to oppose Chinese projects in Kachin State, including the controversial Myitsone hydropower project.

The meeting invitation came one week after the US and UK ambassadors visited Kachin State. During their meetings in Myitkyina with Kachin political leaders and other prominent members of the Kachin community, both ambassadors discussed the peace process, the safe return of internally displaced persons (IDPs), promotion of education and health and free and fair elections. Both Gumgrawng Awng Hkam and Rev. Hkalam Samson attended those meetings. As a result of the positive encounters, Kachin politicians invited the ambassadors to open liaison offices in Myitkyina in order to promote relations.

Chinese Ambassador, Chinese officials and Kachin party leaders at Palm Spring Hotel in Myitkyina in December 2018. / Chinese Embassy in Myanmar / Facebook

This expression of positive relations obviously annoyed the Chinese government. For their economic and geopolitical reasons, China doesn't like to see western presence in Myanmar, especially in ethnic areas near the Chinese border such as Kachin State. This is not the first time that China has taken steps to maintain the upper hand in Kachin State in terms of the peace process, investment and diplomatic relations. An October report by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) said that in early 2016, the newly appointed Chinese ambassador repeatedly urged the US ambassador not to travel to Kachin State or eastern parts of Shan State, saying the US "should respect China's interests."

"He warned if we have more frequent communication with western countries, we would face difficult consequences," Gumgrawng Awng Hkam told the Irrawaddy.

"What does it mean? We felt threatened," said Gumgrawng Awng Hkam who is taking the role of vice president of Kachin State People's Party—a party formed through the recent merging of three popular Kachin parties.

Chinese interests in Kachin State

Lying next to China's Yunnan Province, Kachin State plays an important role in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature foreign policy project.

China is always seeking advanced access to land and leverage inside Myanmar. In Kachin State, China has invested at least $6 billion in projects, including in the controversial Myitsone hydropower dam.

Located at the confluence of Myanmar's "lifeline" the Irrawaddy River, the $3.6 billion project was suspended by then-president U Thein Sein in 2011 amid widespread public outcry over the dam's serious social and environmental impacts. The dam site has some of the healthiest biodiversity in the world and environmentalists warn that the project would both destroy the natural beauty of the Irrawaddy River and disrupt water flow downstream. They say it could potentially flood an area the size of Singapore, destroying livelihoods and displacing more than 10,000 people.

In Kachin State, under BRI plans, both Myanmar and China have planned to construct a $5 million "economic cooperation zone" in Kanpiketi, a town in Kachin State's Special Region 1, which is under the control of the militia group New Democratic Army-Kachin. In Myitkyina, a China-backed industrial zone had begun construction with a total project area of 4,751 acres and an expected bill of more than $3 million.

Apart from the Myitsone hydropower dam, several Chinese companies are involved in the construction at least five large dams along the Irrawaddy tributaries, the N'Mai Hka and Mali Hka rivers, since 2007 with a combined installed capacity of more than 1,000 megawatts. However, details on costs are not still clear.

Resumption of the Myitsone Dam

In their meeting in late December, Ambassador Hong Liang strongly pressed the necessity of restarting the Myitsone project, Rev. Hkalam Samson said.

Chinese Ambassador Hong Liang and Rev. Hkalam Samson, president of Kachin Baptist Convention at the Palm Spring Hotel in Myitkyina in December 2018. / Hkalam Samson / Facebook

The influential religious leader told The Irrawaddy that the ambassador tried to persuade him that the Myitsone hydropower dam was needed for BRI projects, saying that State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, acting as a chair of Myanmar's BRI committee, is willing to carry out development projects as a country leader—even though the truth is she once spoke against the Chinese projects.

The president of the Kachin Baptist Convention recalled the Chinese ambassador questioning him about the Kachin people's perception on the resumption of the dam saying that even Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has changed her mind.

"I replied to him, '[both China and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] need to listen to public voices, because Myitsone is not only a matter for the Kachin people—the river is also important for all people in Myanmar'," he told The Irrawaddy.

The Kachin Baptist Convention has revealed its strong objection to the Myitsone dam since the outset.

Hong Liang also warned that Chinese investors are losing patience regarding the dam and are hesitating to make new investments in Kachin State.

Rev. Hkalam Samson was not the only person pushed by the ambassador on the resumption of the dam.

"He said [Kachin parties] don't oppose the Myitsone dam and asked us to convince Kachin people not to oppose it," Gumgrawng Awng Hkam said.

A 2017 poll by the Yangon School of Political Science found that 85 percent of people in Myanmar oppose the Myitsone dam. If the Kachin political and religious leaders were to accept the dam project, it would create public outcry.

Local concerns

A long legacy of extracting natural resources without public engagement or consultation while the former military junta held power has caused a loss of support for Chinese investments in Kachin, as well as across the country. When the Kachin leaders expressed their people's concerns to Hong Liang, his only suggestion was to send a complaint letter to the Chinese embassy representative office in Myitkyina if any unfair case was found regarding a Chinese project.

Gumgrawng Awng Hkam said Kachin people were also worried about the rising dominance of the Chinese community in Kachin.

"It is not the right time to give more pressure. Now [China's] action poses a new threat to China and Kachin future relations," Gumgrawng Awng Hkam said.

Peace process involvement 

Apart from business, China has stepped up its role in the peace process in Myanmar, especially where it relates to conflict areas along the China-Myanmar border.

China's official line on ethnic armed organizations and the Myanmar military is to follow a policy of noninterference while "persuading for peace and facilitating dialogues." But in reality, China intervened in the first peace talks held between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and government representatives which were held in Ruili, a town on the Chinese side of the border in February 2013. Ever since, a Chinese special envoy has been involved as an observer or participant at all the peace dialogue meetings here.

China's role in the peace process became more rigid in 2017, by acting as a peace broker between the military and members of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC) which is an organization including the KIA, the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). A special envoy for Asian affairs in China's foreign ministry, Sun Guoxiang, travelled back and forth to sit down with the FPNCC in peace negotiations.

The Chinese ambassador sees peace as one of the first priorities for the Kachin people who have been suffering the consequences of war, mentally and physically, for more than seven years. During the meeting in late December, he also said he would help negotiations between the military and the KIA to be smooth.

An estimated 120,000 people have been displaced from their homes since 2011 due to the armed conflict in Kachin State. When the Kachin leaders revealed their concerns for the internally displaced Kachin to be able to return home safely, Hong Liang promised to convince the military's commander-in-chief, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing to withdraw troops from the villages.

Hong Laing also offered to help Kachin Baptist Convention gain access to some places which have been blocked by the military in order to bring aid to the internally IDPs.

"We didn't make any deals but we will wait and see whether he carries out the commitments he mentioned," Rev. Hkalam Samson said.

Hong Liang also advised him to write a letter to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi saying that his organization is willing to accept the development projects in Kachin State, including the Myitsone dam.

According to the Beijing's official agenda, Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Myanmar early this year. Perhaps the Chinese ambassador is trying to open up possibilities for agreements on development projects to be made during the president's visit.

During his two-day visit, the ambassador also met three Kachin party leaders, one Shan committee leader and some regional government officials and he gave the same message to all the non-government leaders. Those leaders who met Hong Liang for the first time formed a negative impression of the ambassador.

"He used a bossy tone the whole time. I also feel he threatened us because [he thinks] we are weak," Rev. Hkalam Samson said.

Samson's interpretation of the discussion was that "China would do anything to accomplish BRI projects and restart the Myitsone dam in Kachin State."

The Chinese Embassy in Yangon didn’t reply to The Irrawaddy’s requests on Tuesday and Wednesday for comments on the ambassador’s trip and issues discussed during the meetings.

The post Analysis: Behind the Threats and Warnings of Chinese Ambassador's Kachin Visit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Civil Service Board Insists It Has Cut Ties With Fake Universities

Posted: 09 Jan 2019 04:18 AM PST

NAYPYITAW—The Union Civil Service Board, a government agency responsible for recruiting and training civil servants, ended partnerships with two unaccredited foreign "universities" last week, a senior board official said after pictures emerged appearing to show that the relationships, which have come in for heavy criticism online, continued.

"We ceased our partnerships on Jan. 4. And we've informed the upper echelon [authorities] about it. We've also ceased our partnerships on the ground. We've negotiated this with [the two foreign institutions]," U Myint Swe, the board's deputy permanent secretary, told The Irrawaddy.

Myanmar President's Office Director-General U Zaw Htay told reporters on Monday the board had ended its partnership with U.S.-based Akamai University and Malaysia's EDS Business School. However, EDS Business School's logo was printed on a backdrop seen in pictures taken at a welcoming ceremony for officials taking courses at the Central Institute of Civil Service on the same day.

U Myint Swe said the logo's appearance was just a mistake. "We decided to end our partnership with them on Jan. 4, and reported this to the President's Office. But due to the public holidays, we only informed [the institute] on Jan. 7. By that time they had already made the backdrop. So they didn't have time to remove it," he said.

The move came after a Myanmar scholar doing a degree at Oxford University in England pointed out on social media that the two institutions are not accredited universities and are not recognized by their governments.

He posted pictures of Akamai University in Hawaii showing a small room in a two-story building. The post was shared widely and many netizens questioned the motivation for the Union Civil Service Board chairman's decision to partner with the institutions in the first place.

At the instruction of the President's Office, the board is taking steps to partner with foreign universities that are acceptable to the general public, U Myint Swe said.

"We will do whatever it takes to partner with better universities," U Myint Swe said. "We decided to end the partnerships on our own initiative, not at the instruction of the President's Office."

The board partnered with the two universities after forming the Civil Servant Academy in 2017 with the approval of government leaders.

The post Civil Service Board Insists It Has Cut Ties With Fake Universities appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Homes Levelled by Storm in Mon State

Posted: 09 Jan 2019 02:02 AM PST

An unseasonal storm hit Kalegauk Island in Ye Township, Mon State on Tuesday causing damaged to more than 300 houses, according to local sources.

Some members of the Mon State government, including Nai Aung Naing Oo, vice house speaker of the local parliament, traveled by boat to the Island after the storm on Tuesday to inspect the damage done to the village.

Most families living on the island of about 500 households are ethnic Mon who earn a living from fishing. The storm hit at approximately 7 a.m. yesterday and locals say this is the first time their village has experienced such storm damage.

"We found houses, schools, electricity poles and monasteries destroyed. When we were there, locals were still compiling a list of the houses which were damaged," said Nai Aung Naing Oo.

"We estimate that at least 300 houses were damaged," he added.

Many trees were knocked down by the storm, with some landing on houses. Electricity poles have fallen on the street. A large number of the houses suffered damage to parts of their structures, while many of them completely collapsed.

"We estimated that 50 houses were totally destroyed, so locals have to build replacements for those," said Nai Aung Naing Oo.

Fortunately, no one was injured, he said.

Nai Taung Shein, chairman of Kalegauk Island told Mon Era News, a local Mon-language news page on Facebook, that the storm hit at 7:40 a.m.

"We first saw firstly red [in the sky] near our village.  Then it became dark and the storm hit our village," he said.

"It only lasted 15 minutes but it destroyed a lot," he added.

Members of the Mon State government will travel to the island on Wednesday to give relief funding to the storm victims. The government will provide $19,500 (30 million kyats) to the victims.

"Our government already discussed the donation. They have a budget for natural disasters," said Nai Aung Naing Oo.

Some local volunteers will also travel to the island on Wednesday to help the storm victims. Mon community leaders, including Buddhist monks, formed a committee to organize aid for the victims. The committee is collecting money from local Mon and Mon people overseas to help the islanders recover from the storm.

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Prominent Arakanese Reject Gov’t Claim that AA Has Links to ARSA

Posted: 09 Jan 2019 01:25 AM PST

NAYPYITAW—The Arakanese community has responded with anger and disbelief to an accusation by the Myanmar President's Office that the Arakan Army (AA) has ties to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Rohingya insurgent group denounced by the government as a terrorist organization.

Numerous prominent Arakanese figures told The Irrawaddy they believed the accusation was baseless, casting serious doubt on the idea that the AA would ever cooperate with ARSA.

Following the deadly attacks launched by the Arakanese armed group against four Border Guard Police outposts in Rakhine State's Buthidaung Township on Jan. 4, President's Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay said at a press conference on Jan. 7 that the attacks were the outcome of meetings between the AA and ARSA in July last year.

He said AA and ARSA officials met in Ramu, Bangladesh and were likely to have discussed the groups' respective areas of control within Myanmar.

"We learned they agreed that areas west of the Mayu mountain range [close to Bangladesh] would be controlled by ARSA, while areas to the east would be for the AA," he said.

U Zaw Htay urged the Arakanese people to think about what kind of future they wanted for Rakhine State, and urged them to take the consequences into consideration before supporting the AA.

Arakanese people do not believe the government's accusation at all, said Upper House Arakanese lawmaker U Khing Maung Latt. He described U Zaw Htay's remarks regarding the Arakanese people as provocative.

"He offered his personal views, rather than the policy of the government. He is not authorized to make such comments, and they are not official. [The Arakanese community] perceives his words as a threat. [His remarks] are not peaceful. He spoke as if [the government] would use force," said U Khin Maung Latt, who is also a member of the Arakan National Party.

The lawmaker added that he did not believe the spokesman's warning to the Arakanese people was the result of the high-level meeting between government and Tatmadaw leaders in Naypyitaw on Monday.

According to Lower House lawmaker U Pe Than of Rakhine State's Myebon Township, the Arakanese people would not accept the AA if it cooperated with ARSA. They do not believe that such ties exist, he added.

"We can't accept that [the government] is only coming out with this after the recent attacks," said U Pe Than, adding that it is unnatural that the AA would cooperate with the ARSA, a group he said was loathed in the Arakanese community.

U Tun Kyi, a prominent activist in the Rakhine community, said the Rakhine and "Bengali" communities are historical enemies, so it is impossible that the AA would have ties with ARSA. "Bengali" is a term used by the Arakanese community to refer to the Rohingya to imply that they are interlopers from Bangladesh.

The Rakhine issue has been described as "Arakanese-Bengali" crisis, and it is unacceptable that the government has only made the claim after the recent attacks, he said.

"The AA is supported by more than 99 percent of Arakanese people. Not only Rakhine State, but other states also have armed groups. Not only the Arakanese people, but all ethnic people support their own armed groups. The Kachin support the KIO [Kachin Independence Organization]," U Tun Kyi said.

Some Arakanese lawmakers believe both the AA and ARSA are being used as pawns by interest groups based in the US, China and Muslim countries.

The government's statements regarding the Rakhine issue must be based on hard evidence, said political analyst Dr. Yan Myo Thein, pointing out that even news organizations need strong evidence before publishing a report.

"The Rakhine issue concerns the national peace process. It is very delicate and sensitive. So, there is a need to take a far-sighted and restrained approach to find an answer," U Yan Myo Thein said.

In a statement released on Monday, the AA denied having ties with ARSA and called U Zaw Htay's remark an "ultimatum" and an "insult to all Arakanese people".

The post Prominent Arakanese Reject Gov't Claim that AA Has Links to ARSA appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Activists Warn of Gaps as EU Lifts Ban Threat on Thai Fishing Industry

Posted: 08 Jan 2019 09:02 PM PST

BANGKOK—Labor rights campaigners warned against complacency as the European Union on Tuesday withdrew its threat to ban Thai fishing imports into the bloc, saying that the country has made progress in tackling illegal and unregulated fishing.

The EU’s so-called “yellow card” on Thai fishing exports has been in place since April 2015 as a warning that the country was not sufficiently addressing the issues.

“Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing damages global fish stocks, but it also hurts the people living from the sea, especially those already vulnerable to poverty,” Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for environment and fisheries said.

“Today’s decision reverses the first step of a process that could have led to a complete import ban of marine fisheries products into the EU,” he said in a statement.

Thailand has amended its fisheries legal framework in line with international law, and improved its monitoring and surveillance systems, including remote monitoring of fishing activities and more robust inspections at port, the EU said.

The country’s multibillion-dollar seafood industry has also come under scrutiny for slavery, trafficking and violence on fishing boats and at onshore processing facilities.

After the EU threatened to ban fish exports, and the US State Department said it was failing to tackle human trafficking, the Southeast Asian country toughened up its laws and increased fines for violations.

Thailand has introduced modern technologies—from satellites to optical scanning and electronic payment services—to crack down on abuses.

But the International Labor Organization said in March that fishermen remained at risk of forced labor, and the wages of some continued to be withheld.

The EU on Tuesday said it recognized efforts by Thailand to tackle human trafficking and to improve labor conditions in the fishing sector.

Thailand voted in December to ratify ILO convention 188—which sets standards of decent work in the fishing industry—becoming the first Asian country to do so.

But important gaps remain, said Steve Trent, executive director at advocacy group Environmental Justice Foundation.

“We still have concerns about the workers. We need to see that the reforms are durable,” he said.

Thailand is yet to ratify two other ILO conventions on the right to organize and the right to collective bargaining, both of which are essential to protect workers, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

This is particularly important in the fishing and seafood processing industries, as most of their estimated 600,000 workers are migrant workers.

“There is a risk that with the lifting of the yellow card, complacency will set in. We need to see a culture of compliance, and more being done to protect vulnerable workers in the industry,” Trent said.

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World Bank President to Join Global Infrastructure Partners

Posted: 08 Jan 2019 08:29 PM PST

WASHINGTON—World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim will join Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a private equity fund that invests in projects in wealthy and developing countries, the firm said on Tuesday, a day after Kim’s shock resignation from the bank.

Kim, who joins New York-based GIP on Feb. 1 as a partner and vice chairman, has accepted a one-year ban from dealings with any World Bank units, including its private sector lending arm, the International Finance Corp, a person familiar with his departure arrangements said.

A major part of the lender’s work is lending to build infrastructure such as power, water and transportation projects in developing countries. Kim resigned more than three years before his term ends in 2022 amid differences with the Trump administration over climate change and the need for more development resources.

Discussions between Kim and GIP about the new job came together about six weeks ago at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, the person said. Kim has emphasized that harnessing private sector investment funds was the key to building badly needed infrastructure amid constrained public budgets.

After securing a $13 billion capital increase last year and replenishments of the World Bank’s donor fund for the poorest countries, Kim said on Monday in a note to staff that the opportunity “is the path through which I will be able to make the largest impact on major global issues like climate change and the infrastructure deficit in emerging markets.”

The World Bank’s board is expected to meet later this week to discuss the search for a successor to Kim.

While the United States has traditionally nominated the World Bank’s leader, the tradition could be challenged, as it was when Kim’s nomination by former president Barack Obama in 2012 was contested by candidates from Colombia and Nigeria, under an open nomination process that is still in place.

The United States holds an effective veto on the World Bank board, with about 16 percent of its total voting power, followed by Japan with about 6.9 percent and China with 4.5 percent.

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Asia Must Be Alert to Rise in Anti-LGBT+ Rhetoric Ahead of Polls

Posted: 08 Jan 2019 08:16 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR—Asian countries holding elections this year must be ready to protect the rights of LGBT+ communities ahead of a likely rise in anti-gay rhetoric by politicians, rights groups said on Tuesday.

A number of countries across the region are set to go to the polls in 2019, including India, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, and rights advocates fear lawmakers may try and appeal to conservative voters by targeting LGBT+ people.

“LGBTI people are always the scapegoat and an easy target to blame by politicians during elections,” said Suki Chung, an LGBT+ rights campaigner at Amnesty International in Hong Kong.

“It comes as no surprise that some politicians from time to time make homophobic remarks or speeches to impress the conservative electorate in their countries,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.

Socially conservative attitudes prevail across Asia, and deep-rooted biases have hamstrung progress on gay rights.

Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei ban sexual relationships between men, and Indonesia has seen an increase in raids targeting LGBT+ people in recent years.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has picked Islamic cleric Ma’ruf Amin as his running mate for this year’s presidential election—a move criticized by human rights groups who cited fatwas issued by Amin that condemned LGBT+ individuals.

In neighboring Malaysia, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad says same-sex marriage or gay and trans rights could not be accepted.

More recently, a lawmaker for Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party was criticized last week after he warned that “a country would collapse” if everyone became gay or trans.

“Politicians should realize that they are playing with the lives of LGBTI people when they speak out against us,” said Ging Cristobal, project coordinator at OutRight Action International.

“Citizens in countries who do not respect or tolerate LGBTIQ people may see statements from politicians as a license to harm, abuse and discriminate,” Manila-based Cristobal said.

No countries in Asia allow same-sex couples to marry or enter civil unions of any kind and opponents of same-sex marriage say such unions could destroy society and family institutions.

Despite this, more politicians across Asia are starting to support the human rights of LGBT+ people as attitudes and legislation slowly changes said Amnesty’s Chung.

She cited India scrapping a colonial-era ban on gay sex last year, and a draft bill in Thailand that could soon allow civil partnerships and make it the first Asian country to legally recognize same-sex couples.

Hong Kong also recently agreed to recognize overseas same-sex partnerships when granting dependent visas, and Taiwan could still legalize same-sex marriages despite voters rejecting the idea in a referendum, Chung said.

“While there will be some politicians saying something homophobic, we usually see that those remarks are not well received,” she said.

“Overall, we see that more and more politicians are making it clear that discrimination has no place in Asia.”

The post Asia Must Be Alert to Rise in Anti-LGBT+ Rhetoric Ahead of Polls appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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