The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Govt, Ethnic Reps Set Date for Talks in Rangoon
- Mann with a Mission? Burma’s Speaker Well Poised for Presidency
- Trial Begins for Students Protesting Military MPs
- State-Owned Telecom Slashes Landline Fees as Users Go Mobile
- Villagers Plan to Sue Police After Clash at Mandalay Gold Mine
- Mandalay Elections Chief: ‘Our Vote is Our Future’
- Rush for Shoes at India Festival Triggers Stampede, Kills 27
- Hong Kong Student Leaders Charged Over Democracy Protest
- From Remote Outpost, India Looks to Check China’s Indian Ocean Thrust
- Burma Navy Finds 102 Stranded Bangladesh Migrants on Island: State Media
| Govt, Ethnic Reps Set Date for Talks in Rangoon Posted: 15 Jul 2015 08:14 AM PDT
 Ethnic representatives (from left) La Ja and Naw Zipporah Sein with the Myanmar Peace Center's Hla Maung Shwe hold a press briefing following talks in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Wednesday. (Photo: Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — The ethnic armed groups' new negotiating bloc will meet with the government's Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) for talks in Rangoon on July 22, according to representatives who attended a preparatory dialogue in northern Thailand on Wednesday. The ethnics' Senior Delegation, led by Karen National Union (KNU) vice-chair Naw Zipporah Sein, met with Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) officials led by Hla Maung Shwe in Chiang Mai on Wednesday and agreed on the date and location of further talks. "Ethnic and government leaders will continue negotiating to finalize the draft text of the nationwide ceasefire agreement," said Hla Maung Shwe following the meeting. La Ja of the Kachin Independence Army and the new ethnic negotiating team's second in command, said ethnic delegates would uphold the principle of "all-inclusiveness" agreed upon at the Law Khee Lar summit in Karen State last month. Following the summit, ethnic leaders called on the government to allow all ethnic armed groups to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement, including the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army—none of which have inked bilateral ceasefire agreements with the government. On Wednesday, the KNU also issued a statement expressing concern over ongoing clashes between the Burma Army and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) along the recently opened Asia Highway in Karen State. The KNU urged both sides to come to the negotiating table, adding that ongoing clashes could affect the nationwide ceasefire process. "Both sides have a responsibility to halt fighting," Naw Zipporah Sein said on Wednesday. Hla Maung Shwe commented that the central government was addressing the issue, but did not elaborate further. The post Govt, Ethnic Reps Set Date for Talks in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Mann with a Mission? Burma’s Speaker Well Poised for Presidency Posted: 15 Jul 2015 05:43 AM PDT  Union Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann with Vice President Sai Mauk Kham and Upper House Speaker Khin Aung Myint at an event marking the anniversary of Martyrs' Day in Yangon last year. (Photo: Reuters) YANGON — With Myanmar's national elections less than six months away, the million dollar question is: Who will be the next leader of the country? At the fourth central committee meeting of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) held in Naypyitaw in May, it was announced that Union Parliament Speaker U Shwe Mann would remain at the helm as chairman, leading the party into the elections slated for November. It seems that U Shwe Mann, who has openly declared his interest in the presidency, has grown in confidence after visits to the United States and China in April. What strategies will the third most powerful general of the former regime employ in his bid for the presidency? We will have to wait and see. The political intentions of incumbent president U Thein Sein remain a mystery. Although he has not stated whether he would seek a second term, in his monthly radio address in May, in reference to the peace process, the president said his administration intended to leave a strong foundation for the next government to build upon. Does this imply he won't run for reelection? If so, it could signal an end to the internal tug of war between the president and the parliamentary speaker, paving the way for the latter to run for the country's top job. But the road to the presidency is far from straightforward for U Shwe Mann, with the majority of political pundits predicting that the USDP is heading for a humiliating defeat if the forthcoming elections are free and fair. Shadowy Past The forerunner of the USDP, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), was founded in 1993 on the instructions of former Snr-Gen Than Shwe. The USDA engaged in activities suppressing the pro-democracy movement of which Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was the most recognizable face since 1988. In 1997, she branded USDA members thugs. Six years later, her motorcade was attacked by a pro-junta armed group, including members of the USDA and hired heavies from Swan Arshin, at Depayin in Sagaing Region. The reputation of the USDA went from bad to worse when its members were again implicated in the regime's violent crackdown on Saffron Revolution protesters in 2007. The organization then transformed itself into a political party—the USDP—in 2010 to contest that year's general elections. After the country's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), boycotted the polls, the USDP won in a landslide—a result discredited by reports of widespread electoral irregularities. Despite some important reforms, the ruling USDP and the quasi-civilian executive have protected the common interests of the army and their cronies while students, activists, farmers and workers continue to be imprisoned simply for peacefully expressing dissent. But even with a tainted image, the USDP does retain some electoral advantages. The party is financially strong and its network stretches across the country. It is familiar with the bureaucracy and can lay claim to a degree of "experience" in governance, in contrast to the NLD. However, whether this translates to a U Shwe Mann-presidency depends greatly on opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Two to Tango U Shwe Mann maintained a healthy political relationship with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi throughout 2014 and has been smoothing the way for an unlikely coalition between the two major parties. During his recent visit to the United States, the parliamentary speaker said he was willing to cooperate with the NLD leader. Under Article 59(f) of the 2008 Constitution, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency, even if the NLD wins the elections. On this highly contentious issue, U Shwe Mann has sent mixed messages. In 2014, he said the charter should be amended to allow the NLD leader to run for the country's highest office. However, he has since spoken of the impossibility of amending the Constitution before the election. For her part, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi refused to rule out boycotting the elections in an apparent attempt to pressure the government on constitutional change. However, this would seem an unlikely move given the opposition leader would still wield significant influence in the legislative chamber if the NLD claimed an expected electoral majority. If so, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi may be willing to countenance a U Shwe Mann presidency. While detractors may view her support of a former general as disloyal to supporters of the NLD and the broader democracy movement, others could see such a compromise as paving the way for constitutional change at a later date, including Article 59(f). The Military Factor Myanmar Army chief, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, has urged for loyalty to the 2008 Constitution in its current form. This is a solid indication that the military will not easily relinquish its formidable political role. The Defense, Home Affairs and Border Affairs ministers are all army appointees and 25 percent of parliamentary seats are reserved for the military. Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who is said to be a confidante of Snr-Gen Than Shwe, is due to retire soon and rumors have swirled that he may throw his hat in the ring for the country's presidency. If so, he would likely enjoy the backing of those military representatives constitutionally enshrined in the new post-elections Parliament. However, these votes alone would not be enough. He would also need the support of other lawmakers, including from ethnic political parties. Before the election, the commander-in-chief may need to form a political alliance. It is doubtful that he could persuade the NLD or many ethnic political parties in regions subject to decades of human rights abuses at the hands of the Myanmar Army. Could he win the backing of the USDP? The once-accepted unity between the USDP and the military is on the wane. The USDP under U Shwe Mann appears to be edging away from the army and is transforming itself into a more independent political party. It no longer wishes to be identified as a party stacked with generals-turned-MPs. "We won't just field army men," said USDP General Secretary U Thein Swe at a press conference on May 31. "We'll field those who have the potential for victory in [constituencies] where we can win. It is up to us whether or not to accept [candidates], no matter how many the army sends us." President U Shwe Mann? While the USDP may profess to keep its distance from the military, its leadership, ex-generals themselves, understands the army's concerns and will be careful to manage any tensions. On a recent visit to meet wounded Myanmar Army soldiers in a military hospital in Shan State's Lashio, U Shwe Mann threw his support behind the army, describing their fight against Kokang rebels as "a fight for justice." U Shwe Mann, who was the former chief of staff of the army, navy and air force, seems convinced he can keep the military onside while pushing ahead with reforms in cooperation with the NLD, ethnic and other lawmakers through the coming elections. Critics point out that a U Shwe Mann presidency would be a victory for the status quo, where a handful of cronies and military associates enjoy government protection and rewards. However he is viewed, with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi currently ineligible for the country's presidency, U Shwe Mann may have one hand on the top job. This article originally appeared in the July 2015 issue of The Irrawaddy magazine. The post Mann with a Mission? Burma's Speaker Well Poised for Presidency appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Trial Begins for Students Protesting Military MPs Posted: 15 Jul 2015 04:59 AM PDT  Student leader Zeyar Lwin, left, and Paing Ye Thu speak to reporters outside the courthouse ahead of their preliminary hearing in Rangoon on Wednesday. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Two student leaders charged with protesting illegally and inciting public alarm attended their first hearing on Wednesday at two Rangoon township courts, where the accused declined the presiding judge's bail offer on grounds that their prosecution is unjust. Zeyar Lwin and Paing Ye Thu, who helped lead a student protest calling on military parliamentarians to relinquish their formidable political power on June 30, have been charged under Article 505(b) of Burma's Penal Code as well as the controversial Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Law. "They declined to put up bail when the justice asked," said Zaw Lin Htut, information officer for the Confederation of University Student Unions (CUSU). He told The Irrawaddy that the Kyauktada and Pebedan township courts would first prosecute the students under Article 505(b), which criminalizes anyone who "makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumor or report with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public." The students' Rangoon protest last month focused its criticism on the military's constitutionally guaranteed allotment of 25 percent of seats in Parliament. A third student leader, Nan Lin, was also charged in connection with the Rangoon protest and remains at large. Wednesday's brief hearing was adjourned in the hope that by the time the next trial date arrives on July 24, the third defendant will have been apprehended or turned himself in. "Zeyar Lwin said at the entrance of the courthouse that it is unfair to charge with Article 505[b] and that they are not guilty and wouldn't take bail at the court," said Zaw Lin Htut. Addressing what has appeared in recent months to be a disagreement over what approach Burma's two main student groups should take in their push for education reform, Zeyar Lwin appealed for unity outside the courthouse on Wednesday. The two groups, the CUSU and the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU), have been at odds over to what degree they should engage with a government that has repeatedly disappointed them in their demand for reform of the country's education system. With dozens of students from both groups now sharing cells in Rangoon and northeast in Pegu Division, Zeyar Lwin said CUSU and ABFSU students had reached common ground. Paing Ye Thu urged students who were not behind bars to continue their protest work. Paing Ye Thu was detained by police on July 3, the same day arrest warrants were also issued for Zeyar Lwin and Nan Lin. Zeyar Lwin was arrested four days later during an event held at Rangoon University commemorating a military crackdown on students at the campus more than five decades ago. On Tuesday, nine students and three supporters including Tin Win, who is recovering from a recent throat surgery, were granted bail by the Tharrawaddy Township Court in Pegu Divison, where about 70 students are facing charges for their months-long protest against Burma's National Education Law. More than 100 students and supporters staging a peaceful protest in Letpadan, Pegu Division, were victims of a brutal police crackdown on March 10. Many of the victims were subsequently charged under several Penal Code articles including 505(b) and have since been transferred to the Tharrawaddy penitentiary, where they have complained of a range of health problems attributable to poor prison conditions. Some of the charges brought against the protestors carry penalties of up to three years in prison. With Tuesday's releases on bail, 51 students and supporters remain behind bars at Tharrawaddy prison, with their next court hearing scheduled for July 21. Additional reporting by May Sitt Paing. The post Trial Begins for Students Protesting Military MPs appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| State-Owned Telecom Slashes Landline Fees as Users Go Mobile Posted: 15 Jul 2015 03:52 AM PDT  Data from the country's 2014 census indicates that as of March last year, about 4.8 percent of households currently had a landline. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's state-owned Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) on Wednesday halved the price of landline phone installation after years of wringing the country's monopolized communications market. The fixed phone rate has been pinned at a staggering 650,000 kyat (US$565) rate for more than a decade. Twenty years ago, the rate was as high as three million kyats on the flourishing informal market. The new official rate, applied today, brings initial fees down to 325,000 kyats. MPT said in a statement that it aims to target retailers and other businesses, many of which will need fixed line service for ADSL Internet connections. "By reducing rates, more people and businesses will consider installing land lines and we're happy to increase access for our customers," the statement read. Prior to political and economic reforms initiated in 2011, fixed line users greatly outnumbered mobile subscribers because of a lack of technological development, infrastructure and sanctions preventing foreign providers from entering the market. Under the former military government, SIM card prices reached heights of five million kyats on the black market, but the recent entry of two private foreign competitors—Qatar's Ooredoo and Norwegian Telenor—has steadily brought the prices down to a much more practical 1,500 kyat, just over a dollar. Mobile use is growing fast among Burma's consumers, and technological leapfrogging has left landline phone services in disrepair and nearly obsolete for personal use. Old and poorly maintained infrastructure has caused connectivity problems that have frustrated users for years. "[MPT] has disappointed its consumers, so they don't have loyal customers, I guess," said Hnin Pwint Phyu, the managing director of a tourism company. Landline service would be useful for her business, she said, but she remains skeptical about MPT's ability to provide modern and reliable service. "Sometimes I even think they duplicate my line and use it for other customers," she added, "I've always got a bad connection." Others said the move was seemed like a desperate attempt to survive as consumers go mobile, many to MPT's foreign rivals. Khin Khin Oo, a mobile user from Rangoon's North Dagon Township, said she no longer has any use for a landline, and enjoys having options among mobile plans. "So far, there are so many options to choose from for mobile SIMs, that's why it's been a long time since we've used the fixed line," she said. MPT, which operates under Burma's Ministry of Communication, Information and Technology, last year partnered with Japanese KDDI and Sumitomo corporations to implement a communications upgrade. The two firms have pledged a combined $2 billion for the project. Since that time, MPT has offered SIM cards at a drastically reduced rate and has developed more advanced Internet usage plans. According to KDDI, the company now has about 13 million active subscribers. Data from the country's 2014 census indicates that as of March last year, about 4.8 percent of households currently had a landline, whereas 32.9 percent had mobile phones. Only about 6.2 percent of households had Internet access, making Burma one of the least connected countries in the world. The post State-Owned Telecom Slashes Landline Fees as Users Go Mobile appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Villagers Plan to Sue Police After Clash at Mandalay Gold Mine Posted: 15 Jul 2015 03:27 AM PDT  Villagers involved in a clash with police last week at Yay Htwat village in Mandalay Division's Thabeikkyin Township hold a press conference on Tuesday. (Photo: Zarni Mann / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — Residents of Yay Htwat village in Mandalay Division's Thabeikkyin Township said Tuesday that they plan to file a lawsuit against police and local authorities who they claim are responsible for a violent altercation last week in which one man was shot and several others were injured. The clash on July 6 between police and angry locals was the result of a land dispute at the site of a gold mine near Yay Htwat village, where police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd. In the aftermath of the clash, which saw more than a dozen local residents and police officers injured and property damaged, a criminal complaint was filed against seven villagers at the township police station. Charges under three articles of Burma's Penal Code, including vandalism and arson, are alleged. According to local authorities, three trucks and two cars were damaged in the altercation while nearly a dozen motorbikes belonging to police and local officials, as well as an office building belonging to Myanmar Sithu Company, were reportedly set on fire. But the villagers facing charges denied any wrongdoing this week, claiming that they were in fact victims of local authorities' negligence. "Actually, the police were occupying the gold mine and shot at us first. If they did not shoot, the clash may not have occurred. We are planning to sue them for acting lawlessly," said Tun Hla, a village elder, at a press conference in Mandalay. The villagers say the gold mining project, registered under the Myanmar Sithu Company, is encroaching on village-owned land. "We've complained several times to local authorities to stop mining near our village, but we have received no response. So, some youth stood guard in the area to prevent mining and the company thought we were trying to steal their gold or trespassing in their area to search for gold," Tun Hla added. The land dispute in Yay Htwat village first emerged earlier this year, when Myanmar Sithu Company began operations in the area. Locals have complained that some of the project area lies on public land where local small-scale miners sometimes search for gold. In May, angry locals staged a protest and urged local authorities and the company to cede back project lands located in the village. Yay Htwat villagers also complain that security personnel from the company had in the past threatened locals. "Some men with swords used to wander in the village and threatened us and warned us not to go near their company site. We informed the police and the authorities but they took no action," said May Lwin, another village elder. "That's why we are planning to sue the police and the local authorities for failing to protect us, and instead harming us and shooting at us. If they had not ignored our complaints since the beginning, there would have been no clash like this," she added. The Yay Htwat village head said the clash occurred after security personnel from Myanmar Sithu Company arrested a youth named Pyar Chone without legitimate cause. "We were on our way to ask the company to free him. And we saw the police marching toward us and a company building was burning," said village chief Kan Htay. "Then, the police opened fire and Chit Khae was shot in his knee. Some villagers threw stones toward them and ran back to a safer place. But we don't know how the company building and vehicles caught fire," he said. According to local residents, the gunshot victim Chit Khae is awaiting surgery on his knee at Mandalay Hospital. The post Villagers Plan to Sue Police After Clash at Mandalay Gold Mine appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Mandalay Elections Chief: ‘Our Vote is Our Future’ Posted: 15 Jul 2015 03:00 AM PDT  Aung Htut, chairman of the Mandalay Division Election Commission. (Photo: Myat Pyae Phyo / The Irrawaddy) As Burma's political parties prepare for landmark general elections slated for Nov. 8, state and divisional election commissioners are also scrambling to educate the electorate, increase capacity and implement quality control procedures. Amid the excitement, Aung Htut, chairman of the Mandalay Division Election Commission, speaks with The Irrawaddy about how he is preparing for polls in Burma's second most populous region. Preliminary voter lists indicate that there are more than four million eligible voters in the division. Many internal migrants live and work in Mandalay Division's Thabeikkyin and Yamaethin townships. What measures has the commission taken to ensure that they will be able to vote? According to the law, Burmese citizens who have reached the age of 18 have the right to vote. As for your question, it depends on the wish of the voters. Where does he want to cast a vote? Suppose a person is registered on a household certificate in Shwebo but is working for a company in Mandalay and wants to cast a vote here, he must have lived here for 180 days and be certified as an employee. If He is neither staff nor student, he needs to be certified by relevant ward authorities, [proving] that he has lived there for 180 days. To do so he needs to be registered as a guest resident at the administration office where he is living. If not, he has to go back to the township he is from. If they have not lived here for 180 days, we cannot do anything for them. How many voters will there be from Mandalay Division's many military regiments? Have their voter lists been made public? We have started compiling the voter lists for soldiers and their families. They will be released together with the final lists before the election. What measures has the commission taken to allow political parties to campaign in military quarters? So far, we have not received any instruction [from the Union Election Commission]. Observers and the media will be able to visit the polling stations in cantonment. But we have not yet received any instructions regarding campaigning within them. The Political Parties Registration Law prohibits exploiting faith for political ends. What punitive actions will the commission take if this rule is violated? We will take punitive actions under the relevant laws. We have told the parties not to misuse religion. The candidate and his party will be held responsible if the law is broken. What measures has the commission taken to prevent manipulation of advance votes, as happened during the 2010 election? Advance votes are to be accepted under two circumstances. The commission will help voters who are outside their constituencies to be able to cast a vote. For example, the [relevant] township commission will take actions according to relevant laws to enable university students, hospitalized patients and those who are in foreign countries to cast votes. Under those circumstances, votes can be cast until 4pm, when the polling stations close. Under another circumstance, those who are ill, traveling or delivering babies can't go to polling stations on election day and can cast an advance vote with the ward election commission. Unlike in the past, political parties can accompany the ward election commission when they go to the houses of voters who will cast advance votes. The ward commissioner will go to the voters' houses with a ballot box. When will you begin educating people about how to cast a valid vote? We will do it when the election draws near. Now the election day has been set and we are working according to procedures. We will ask parties to submit a list of their agents, and we will scrutinize and present a list of constituencies. Then we will recruit polling station heads and staff, and we will train them. When we give the training, we will invite political parties, media and civil society organizations, and we will explain how to cast valid votes. How many poll workers will be recruited for Mandalay Division? We'll mostly recruit educational staff [from the Ministry of Education]. There will be approximately 5,500 polling stations in our division and the number of voters will vary between 300 and 3,000 for each polling station. So the number of polling station staff will vary depending on the number of voters. We have not yet received any particular instruction about recruitment of polling station staff, but we have instructed district election commissions to tentatively select staff. Will media be allowed to enter polling stations on election day? The [election] by-law says that those who are allowed by the Union Election Commission can enter polling stations. But so far, we can't say exactly. A related code of conduct has yet to be issued. What I am sure is that the media can enter the precinct of the polling station and can interview [voters]. When the ballots are counted after 4 pm, at least 10 members of the public can witness the counting. At that time, [the media] can take photos of ballot counting. The Union Election Commission said that it would issue separate cards for reporters who would be allowed to enter the polling stations. Then the chapters of the UEC will contact concerned divisional information and public relations departments [to ensure access for reporters]. Anyone, including reporters, can reach our commission's Deputy Director Kyaw Kyaw Soe at 02-64677 or 09-49288133. As the chairman of a divisional Election Commission, how can you guarantee that elections will be free and fair? The 2015 election is important. There is a saying "our vote is our future." If the election commission, political parties contesting election, CSOs, media and people work in collaboration, there is no reason that the election won't be free and fair. The commission will try its best. And I would like to invite all to join hands for that. The post Mandalay Elections Chief: 'Our Vote is Our Future' appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Rush for Shoes at India Festival Triggers Stampede, Kills 27 Posted: 14 Jul 2015 10:38 PM PDT  Devotees crowd to attend the Maha Pushkaralu, a Hindu festival, on the banks of river Godavari at Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, India, July 14, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) HYDERABAD, India — Tens of thousands of pilgrims taking part in a Hindu religious bathing festival surged forward and triggered a massive stampede on a riverbank in southern India, leaving at least 27 dead and dozens injured in chaotic scenes in which rescuers struggled to respond quickly. The stampede on Tuesday along the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh was triggered by some pilgrims who were trying to retrieve their shoes, which had fallen off in the rush to the riverbank, police said. Festival participants believe a bath in the river can rid them of their sins, and many believe it is more auspicious to bathe on the first day of the 12-day festival, called Pushkaralu. "It was a frightening situation, with women and children crying for help," said pilgrim V. Satyanarayana, adding the mayhem lasted nearly 20 minutes. "The policemen on duty were helpless and it took more than an hour to bring the situation under control." With the bodies of victims lying around, relatives wailed and cried for help. At least 34 people were hospitalized, said Andhra Pradesh's chief minister, Chandrababu Naidu. Some pilgrims said ambulances took time to reach the site because the roads were overcrowded with people. Officials said that a small place like Rajahmundry, the disaster scene 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of Hyderabad, could not cope with the rush of hundreds of thousands of people, and that the situation became almost unmanageable. Thousands of pilgrims, riding in buses, trains and other vehicles, started reaching the pilgrimage center two days ahead of the start of the festival. "There is a false belief that taking a holy dip in the river on the first day of the festival will be more auspicious," said Swamy Swaroopanand, a Hindu holy man. "It's the same as taking dip on any other day." Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy, tweeting that he was "deeply pained" by it. About 24 million people are expected to take part in the festival at varying points along the Godavari River, which flows through Andhra Pradesh and newly created Telangana state. Deadly stampedes are fairly common during Indian religious festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas with few safety or crowd control measures. In October 2013, a stampede in Madhya Pradesh state in central India killed more than 110 people, mostly women and children. The post Rush for Shoes at India Festival Triggers Stampede, Kills 27 appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Hong Kong Student Leaders Charged Over Democracy Protest Posted: 14 Jul 2015 10:11 PM PDT  Student leader Joshua Wong stands in front of a supporter holding a yellow umbrella, symbol of the Occupy Central movement, outside a police station in Hong Kong, China July 14, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) HONG KONG — Two Hong Kong students who rose to fame during pro-democracy demonstrations that angered Beijing last year were charged on Tuesday with obstructing police during a protest earlier in the year. The charges were related to a protest outside the office of China's top official in the city, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, on June 11 last year. Joshua Wong, the thin, bespectacled head of student activist group, Scholarism, and Nathan Law, secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, were charged at a police station in Hong Kong, then released on bail and told to report to court on Friday, according to police documents they showed reporters. Wong said the evidence against him was weak and he did not see himself obstructing police in a video shown to him at the police station. Law said he saw some pushing and shoving but needed to discuss with his lawyer what to do next. Wong said less than 30 people took part in the June 11 protest. He confirmed that they had burnt a copy of a controversial policy paper from China's State Council that reminded Hong Kong that there were limits to its freedom. A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to Chinese Communist Party rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" form of government that gave it separate laws and wide-ranging autonomy but reserved ultimate authority for Beijing. "Obviously, the police have their own political agenda, which is to crack down on activists like us," Wong told reporters. Police said in a statement they handled every case in a fair and impartial manner, irrespective of the background of the people involved, and would take appropriate action against any illegal acts. About 30 activists turned up at the police station to support Wong and Law. They carried yellow umbrellas that have come to symbolize last year's protests and chanted "Political persecution is shameful" and "Burning the White Paper is not a crime." They also called for Hong Kong's leader, Leung Chun-ying, who they see as close to Beijing, to step down. The post Hong Kong Student Leaders Charged Over Democracy Protest appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| From Remote Outpost, India Looks to Check China’s Indian Ocean Thrust Posted: 14 Jul 2015 10:02 PM PDT  A general view of the runway controlled by the Indian military is pictured at Port Blair airport in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, on July 4, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) PORT BLAIR, India — One by one, the four Indian warships cruised into a sleepy harbor in the country's remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, fresh from visiting Southeast Asian capitals and conducting exercises in the disputed South China Sea. The arrival of the warships at Port Blair earlier this month symbolizes how an island chain better known for its beaches and diving is quietly becoming a key plank in New Delhi's strategy to counter China's growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean. In interviews in New Delhi and Port Blair, the archipelago's administrative hub, Indian defense officials outlined plans to transform a modest military base into a strategic listening post with strengthened air force, navy and army capabilities. While some of the officials noted that earlier expansion plans had largely faltered, they said there was fresh energy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wants to reassert New Delhi's traditional dominance of the Indian Ocean. All agreed the chain's location was its biggest asset in watching China's navy. Scattered between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, the Andaman and Nicobar islands are closer to Burma and Indonesia than the Indian mainland. More importantly, its southern isles lie near the top of the Malacca Straits, a gateway to the Indian Ocean and through which China gets three-quarters of its oil. "The world's busiest shipping lanes are just to the south," Lieutenant Governor A. K. Singh, a former military commander who runs the Andamans, told Reuters from his hilltop office in Port Blair, a one-time British penal colony. "For too long we have had a fortress mentality about the islands, that they had to be defended. The time has come for us to start looking at these very strategically placed islands as a springboard for India." India has long had an uneasy relationship with China—a dispute over their Himalayan border led to war in 1962. More recently New Delhi has worried about Chinese submarines venturing into the Indian Ocean. China's Foreign Ministry rejected the notion that Chinese naval forays were behind any rise in Indian deployments. The Chinese Defense Ministry said Beijing cooperated with militaries around the region, including India's. "This is an added positive factor for regional peace and stability," the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Nevertheless, India is building longer airstrips at the top and bottom of the Andaman and Nicobar chain, partly for long-range surveillance planes, defense officials said. One is at Campbell Bay on Great Nicobar Island in the south, 240 km (150 miles) from the mouth of the Malacca Straits. When that air base opened in 2012 with a runway of 3,500 feet (1,060 meters), Chinese military commentators saw it as an offensive move. The military plans to extend the runway to 6,000 feet by next year and then to 10,000 feet. The air force has been flying new Boeing P8i surveillance aircraft with anti-submarine capabilities from India to Port Blair but once the runway was at 6,000 feet they would also rotate through Campbell Bay from time to time, said a navy pilot in Port Blair who has knowledge of the plans. "Of all the plans, and some are grand, upgrading Campbell is the critical one. You can watch a lot of stuff from there," he said. India also expects the number of naval vessels based in the island chain to double to 32 before a targeted timeframe of 2022, defense officials said. Those ships would initially comprise patrol boats, fast attack craft and amphibious landing ships, similar to vessels already here. Frontline warships such as those that spent two months in and around the South China Sea would be stationed in the Andamans in the final phase of the 2022 plan. The big naval gap is under water. As early as 2002 the local military command proposed building a submarine base in the sheltered harbor of Kamorta in the southern islands, but defense officials said those plans were on ice. India has only 13 ageing diesel-electric submarines compared to China's fleet of around 70 submarines, including nuclear-powered vessels. On land, India is adding a second infantry brigade of around 3,000 troops to the Andamans over the next three years. One military official in Port Blair, speaking on condition of anonymity, said force levels needed to rise more quickly. "But we are starting to make investments and we are stronger here than at any time," he said. One notable roadblock had been erecting a radar station on Narcondum Island, which was delayed for years by local environmentalists who said it would endanger a rare hornbill bird. Modi's administration approved the installation. Indeed, India was finally realizing the Andamans were a "strategic goldmine," said Jeff Smith, author of "Cold Peace: China-India Rivalry in the 21st Century." "I get the impression that growing concern over the pace of Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean increases the likelihood India will begin to take the Andamans more seriously," he said. The post From Remote Outpost, India Looks to Check China's Indian Ocean Thrust appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Burma Navy Finds 102 Stranded Bangladesh Migrants on Island: State Media Posted: 14 Jul 2015 09:25 PM PDT  Migrants found at sea on a boat line up to board a truck to be sent to a temporary refugee camp near the Bangladesh border at Kanyin Chaung jetty outside Maungdaw Township in Arakan State on June 4, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — Burma's navy has discovered more than 100 Bangladeshi migrants stranded for nearly a month on a southern island, state media said on Tuesday, following a regional migrant crisis in which people smugglers abandoned thousands at sea. It was the first major rescue reported by Burma since May, when its navy found a boat packed with more than 700 migrants in the Andaman Sea at the height of Southeast Asia's migrant boat crisis. The crisis blew up after a crackdown by Thailand on trafficking camps along its border with Malaysia made conditions too risky for people smugglers to land their human cargo, so they simply set them adrift. The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar said the most recent group of 102 migrants was found late in June, after spending nearly a month on the island in Tenasserim Division, the southernmost region of Burma bordering Thailand. The migrants, all men, were rescued between June 30 and July 12 and hailed from neighboring Bangladesh, the paper said. They had been left on the island in early June. "The navy is searching the areas and the victims will be sent back to their home country," it added, but gave no details of where the men were being held. Officials at the Bangladesh Embassy in Rangoon said the Burmese government had not contacted them about the migrants. "We have just received the news from the media," Tareque Mohammed, the deputy chief of mission, told Reuters. "We have received no confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." The military-owned Myawaddy newspaper said officials in Burma found a man on June 30 around two miles off the coast of Saung Gauk Island, prompting a search of the island early in July, which led to the discovery of the rest. It said the men had left Bangladesh after being persuaded they could earn more abroad and that those who refused were forced aboard a vessel. They were among the thousands, many Bangladeshi or Muslim Rohingya from Burma, who ended up in dangerously crowded boats run by people-traffickers, heading for other southeast Asian countries. Previously, Burma has said nearly all the migrants were Bangladeshis seeking better economic prospects, rather than Rohingya, a group who complain of severe discrimination and mistreatment at home. Most of the castaways landed in Indonesia, Malaysia and Burma, their passengers sick and thirsty. At least 1,200 remained adrift, the United Nations said in a report on June 16. The post Burma Navy Finds 102 Stranded Bangladesh Migrants on Island: State Media appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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