Tuesday, February 12, 2019

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

President Foreshadows Peace Dividend on Union Day Anniversary

Posted: 12 Feb 2019 12:21 AM PST

President U Win Myint urged people to cooperate with the government, lawmakers and the military in building a democratic federal state and achieving national reconciliation and socio-economic development during the 72nd anniversary of Union Day.

In an anniversary message on Tuesday, he addressed the ongoing peace process, negotiations with ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference, which he said, "is a pragmatic approach to achieving the dream of building a democratic federal Union that the people have longed for for 70 years."

Prior to Myanmar's independence from Britain in 1948, national leader Gen. Aung San joined 22 Saohpas and representatives of the ethnic Chin, Kachin and Shan in signing the Panglong Agreement on Feb. 12, 1947. The agreement states that, "freedom will be more speedily achieved by the Shan, the Kachin and the Chin by their immediate co-operation with the Interim Burmese Government."

U Win Myint said the agreement helped lay the foundations for independence. But he added that, "due to that undesirable legacy and a variety of reasons, there was misunderstanding, mistrust and doubt among the ethnic people, thus leading to 70 years of armed conflicts. And it has not yet ceased."

Despite an ongoing peace process, including the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference meetings, fighting continues today in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states.

The 21st Century Panglong has convened three times since the National League for Democracy took power 2016, with 52 basic principles for the formation of a democratic federal Union agreed to date.

"In the meantime, based on the principle of all-inclusivity, the government is moving toward the goal to peace through negotiations with both the signatories and non-signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement [NCA],” the president said.

"I firmly believe that when we achieve peace throughout the country, we can see the development of our states and regions in a short time."

The government's National Reconciliation and Peace Center, which oversees the peace process and is led by the State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, invited the 10 EAOs that have signed the NCA to Naypyitaw to join a Union Day dinner and to hold informal talks on Wednesday.

The center will meet with the leaders of the Karen National Union (KNU), including Chairman Saw Mutu Say Poe, in the morning and with all 10 groups in the afternoon.

Formal peace talks have been on hold since November, after the KNU said it was withdrawing from the process indefinitely and the Restoration Council of Shan State stopped participating in the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee.

The post President Foreshadows Peace Dividend on Union Day Anniversary appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

French National Detained for Flying Drone near Union Parliament

Posted: 11 Feb 2019 11:52 PM PST

NAYPYITAW—Naypyitaw police have detained a French national for illegally flying a drone in a restricted area near Gate 2 of the Union Parliament building on Feb. 7.

Police Captain Min Tin, the head of Phayarkone Police Station in Ottara Thiri Township in Naypyitaw, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that a case was filed against French national Arthur Desclaux under the 2012 Export and Import Law for illegally bringing a drone into the country. "We are currently investigating and will proceed in accordance with the law," he said.

The 27-year-old French citizen was remanded until Feb. 22. Police said they would complete their investigation by then and Desclaux would be referred to the court.

Desclaux entered Myanmar through the Myawaddy border checkpoint from Mae Sot town in Thailand's Tak province on Jan. 30. He rode a bicycle and arrived in Naypyitaw on Feb. 7. He was arrested while flying the drone on arrival in Naypyitaw and had not even booked a hotel yet.

According to police sources, he asked the authorities to inform his family about the arrest. He said he is the eldest of three siblings and works for six months a year, spending the other six months travelling. He added that he loves traveling in Myanmar.

It is not clear what kind of images Desclaux had captured with his drone, said Police Capt. Min Tin, who had not yet seen the pictures. "That is confidential [evidence for the investigation] and we have asked for help from the relevant authorities. We are working together with the Criminal Investigation Department."

The police captain added, "[Desclaux] said he flew his drone as this road is wide and very beautiful. But we do not know his intention and he could not show us any documents. Therefore, he is charged under the Export and Import Law."

In October 2017, Malaysian Mok Choy Lin, a producer for Turkish state broadcaster TRT World, freelance camera operator Lau Hon Meng from Singapore, and their interpreter Ko Aung Naing Soe and driver U Hla Tin from Myanmar were arrested for attempting to take pictures with drones. They faced charges including violating Section 8 of the Export and Import Law, which later was dropped. They spent two months in prison under the 1934 colonial-era Myanmar Aircraft Act for filming with a drone and released in December of that year.

In Myanmar, those who fly drones should only be charged according to specific regulations and not under the Export and Import Law, said Naypyitaw-based lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw, who served as the defense lawyer for the TRT drone case in Naypyitaw. He said those who brought in such materials from foreign countries and used them here should not be charged with a crime.

He said this action "undermines the country's tourism image and it is a shame. Now drones are used to take pictures of weddings or merit-making ceremonies. It is not clear how these people obtain drones, with permits or not. And we have not heard whether there are any restrictions upon them. But this case, there was a feeling that the Parliament was being assaulted."

Police Capt. Min Tin said he could not comment on whether the arrest of the foreign tourist would damage Myanmar's tourism image, but he said there is a sign near the No. 2 Gate of Parliament that no drones are allowed to fly over the Parliament building.

He said, "He [Desclaux] could not prove that these materials were brought in with permission. If he declared what he had been carrying and filled in the form at the border entrance [in Myawaddy], there would be no problem. But if he did not declare it, he violated the Export and Import Law."

Article 8 of the Export and Import Law prohibits people from exporting and importing restricted materials. Violators face imprisonment and a fine.

The post French National Detained for Flying Drone near Union Parliament appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Many Arakanese Embrace AA’s Presence

Posted: 11 Feb 2019 07:30 PM PST

Rakhine State has been the scene of the country's worst fighting so far this year, as opposed to last year, when Kachin State was the focus. Each year the fighting moves from one area of the country to another, but it never seems to break out everywhere at once, despite the fact that most ethnic groups have their own armies. Some people have even asked why this should be. But, as we all know, the history of ethnic revolutionary armed groups shows that there is no common interest that would lead to a coordinated attack on the Myanmar Army (or Tatmadaw).

Until recently, the Arakanese had no fighting in their region for over 60 years. So, they did not have experience with IDPs being forced to flee the fighting, as is the case today. The Arakanese did not have a strong armed force based in their region. The Myanmar military had sole control of the region, though it was unpopular among ethnic Arakanese.

Ethnic Arakanese were split when the Arakan Army returned to base forces on their land. For good reason, many Arakanese were happy, as their ethnic armed group was able to return and set up bases. They feel that now they have an army that can protect their security and even fight for their political rights.  When it comes to the Myanmar Army, if you do not have a strong armed force, they ignore your requests for political talks. So, for many years, Arakanese were upset, as their political voices were ignored by the Myanmar government and Army.

When the AA came back to the region, it was the first time Arakanese had seen their own army face to face. They compare their army to the Ye Baw Ton Jade (Thirty Comrades led by General Aung San) who went to study military training in Japan, then came back secretly to Myanmar to fight against the British for independence. Unfortunately, the Arakan region, especially the northern part, has become a war zone, forcing many local people to flee the fighting. However, the fighting has continued to spread. About 7,000 IDPs have fled their homes since the Myanmar Army launched a military offensive in Arakan after the AA attacked three police bases in Maungdaw and killed 13 police officers on Jan. 4.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the State Counselor, instructed the Myanmar Army to use a military offensive to crush the AA as a threat to the country's sovereignty. The Myanmar Army declared it would eliminate those AA based in Arakan. The Myanmar Army uses the "Four Cuts" policy, an old military strategy used to fight against ethnic rebels in the past. The strategy aims to cut off food, funds, intelligence and support for the groups it is fighting. The Myanmar Army arrested 38 people and charged them under the Unlawful Association Act 17 (1) and 17 (2), according to Narinjara news agency based in Arakan State. The state government has even allowed the Army to check civilian houses whenever the Army suspected families of supporting the rebels. The Army uses different types of repression on the ground to stop local Arakan from supporting the rebels, but the fighting has gotten worse and local people continue to support them.

KIA: AA's 'big brother'

The AA describe the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) as being like a brother organization that helped it to build up a strong armed force. The KIA was the main group providing assistance to the AA when it was being set up. So, the Arakanese are thankful to the Kachin for allowing their army to be established on Kachin land. A Kachin friend who works for a foreign embassy described how he was happy when he visited Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State. He said that when he told them he was Kachin, many locals were happy to see him, and said they were good comrades. So, the Arakanese feel a close friendship with their Kachin brothers.

The KIA and the AA cannot be split when it comes to the current armed conflict in Myanmar. The Myanmar Army is not happy that the KIA allowed the AA to be set up in Laiza. Some members of the Tatmadaw have posted hate messages on Facebook saying that they cannot forgive the KIA, and blame it for what is happening in Arakan.

The AA set up its headquarters in Laiza in 2009. The AA has even been based in the area controlled by the Karen National Union. But they were forced to move those bases after the KNU signed a ceasefire in 2012 with the Myanmar Army.

The AA has also been based in northern Shan State in an area under the control of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, as well in the Kokang area, where they helped the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) fight the Tatmadaw. When the MNDAA launched a strong attack in Laukkai, some AA troops were also killed alongside their Kokang comrades. Some people criticized the AA for letting its soldiers die on other people's ground. But leaders from the AA said they needed to gain fighting experience before returning to their land.

In the 1970s, the former Arakan armed group known as the Arakan Liberation Army led by Khaing Moe Linn tried returning to their motherland after forming an armed group in the KNU-controlled area. They tried to cross into Chin after traveling through Karen, Shan and Kachin, then go to Arakan. But the Myanmar Army attacked as the group was on their way into Chin State. Many Arakan Liberation Army troops were killed, so they could not reach their region.

The AA is smart to use the area of the Kachin first, then move into Paletwa in Chin State, where the population on the border of Rakhine State is mixed Chin and Arakanese. The AA was able to survive by relying on Arakanese living in Paletwa. It took five years for the AA to up build troops in Arakan, and for them to be able to fight back against the Myanmar Army.

The Myanmar Army has ruled in Arakan for a long time, dispensing patronage to help poor people in the Arakan region. Local Arakanese now use the language of the Burmans, who provide security on the Bangladesh border and prevent the Rohingya from spreading into other townships in the region. Nonetheless, the local Arakanese view Burmans as not much different from the British who once came to colonize their region. They ask why, given the lack of fighting there in recent decades compared to other states, Rakhine remains the poorest state. They accuse the central government of taking natural resources from their region but failing to develop it. The Arakanese even feel that they need their own armed group in their region to stop religious violence. They feel the Army will only try to create problems between Arakanese and Rohingya.

Local Arakanese have struggled under a poor economy and repressive Burman rule for over 60 years. The director of the Myanmar President's Office, U Zaw Htay, warned local Arakanese people early in January not to support the rebels, saying the Arakan region was in danger of becoming a war zone. Some locals say they are prepared for the worst, but hope for best now that they have their own army in the region.

The post Many Arakanese Embrace AA's Presence appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Duo Marks 104th Birthday of Gen. Aung San With Art Show

Posted: 11 Feb 2019 06:30 PM PST

YANGON — While artists MPP Ye Myint and Han Kyaw Moe commemorate the 104th birthday of independence hero Aung San with a new show, Myemone Lwin, the founder of Yangon Book Plaza, is marking the occasion by opening the We Creation art gallery to host it.

Mingalarpar 104 will show through Sunday at We Creation, at the Yangon Book Plaza, Thazay Market, Lanmadaw Township.

MPP Ye Myint and Han Kyaw Moe have brought their own perspectives on the life of General Aung San to the show. One of the paintings by MPP Ye Myint brings the general to life with rough brushstrokes and an excerpt from one of his fiery speeches.

Portraits drawn with a CD pen on pin-ni cloth woven from fawn-colored cotton reflects the political dignity of the general and the trust and love he engendered among ethnic minorities.

"Pin-ni is a Myanmar tradition. His portrait matches perfectly with pin-ni cloth. I don't mind that it isn’t durable. The essence is about artistic freedom," said MPP Ye Myint.

Han Kyaw Moe focuses on Gen. Aung San’s family life with his daughter Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s serving state counselor and de facto leader. His paintings represent the pair’s efforts and sacrifices in the name of peace.

Gen. Aung San was a critic of the journal and periodical illustrations of his time, a patron instead of military paintings at a time when Myanmar was under colonial rule.

According to the records of author Tekkatho Ne Win, who served as an aide to Aung San, the general was fond of the painting "Shwe Taung Battle" by U Ngwe Kaing.

More than 50 paintings will be on display at Mingalarpar 104, with prices ranging from 200,000 kyats to 2 million kyats.

This is MPP Ye Myint’s and Han Kyaw Moe’s second joint exhibit. They also showed together four years ago to mark the centenary of the general’s birthday.

The gallery will serve visitors free boiled peas and Indian flat bread, and the first 100 will get postcards featuring paintings created by Gen. Aung San when he was young. Books about the general will also be on sale.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Duo Marks 104th Birthday of Gen. Aung San With Art Show appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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