Shan Herald Agency for News

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Authorities support or block Shan State peace rallies, depending on political tone Posted: 26 Oct 2015 03:38 AM PDT Thousands attended public gatherings for peace across Shan State this weekend, both voluntarily and allegedly due to pressure from local authorities. Yesterday, a Buddhist ceremony was held in Hsenwi Township to recognize and pray for the victims of renewed military clashes in central Shan State since the October 15 signing of Burma's controversial Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). From October 23-24, rallies were held in Kengtung, Lashio, Loilem, Tachileik and Taunggyi in support of the NCA. The largest of the pro-NCA rallies was held at a public recreational facility in Taunggyi, Shan State's capital. Four thousand people attended the event.  Over 4,000 attendees at a pro-NCA peace rally in Taunggyi on Friday (S.H.A.N.) At the Taunggyi rally, Sai Aung Sa and Sai Note, the local Shan Literature and Cultural Association (SLCA) chairman and secretary, respectively, said they "welcome and support" the NCA signing. But some attendees at the pro-NCA peace events told S.H.A.N. that they came because they were summoned by their township administration. "They called us from the village," said Sai Khun Aung, 24, a local resident. "Only when we got here did we know that it was to support the NCA." One person from each household was told by the authorities to join the event, he added. "We got an order to come and attend [from the township]," said Sai Hseng, a 50-year-old shopkeeper who, with 500 others, went to a pro-NCA rally in the northern Shan State city of Lashio on Saturday. "I have no feeling about the NCA," he added. The NCA was signed by the government and eight of the country's more than 20 ethnic armed organizations, including two which are active in Shan State: the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) and the Pa-O National Liberation Party (PNLA). In the days since the signing, government military offensives have escalated against some non-signatory groups like the Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N). The clashes have resultedin over 3,000 ethnic civilians being displaced in central Shan State. "According to my understanding, [the fighting] in Shan State is due to the conflict over territory and the political situation," Sai Aung Sa added. "We feel sorry for the war victims…we understand the problems they are facing." Yesterday's prayer ceremony in Hsenwi attracted 1,200 people from 13 surrounding townships, and was organized by the Tai Youth Network (TYO) through invitations circulated on social media. At around 11 a.m. on Sunday, attendees walked to the Gong Mu Htat Pagoda, seven miles outside of Hsenwi Town, to find the gates to the site locked.  Around 1,200 people blocked from entering a Hsenwi pagoda to pray for Shan State war victims (Citizen Reporter / S.H.A.N.) The location was chosen by superstitious locals who feel that the structure has the power to strengthen opposition to the Burma Army; the site's founding abbot was known for using Dhamma—the Buddha's teachings—to criticize Sr.-Gen. Than Shwe, the leader of Burma's previous military government. A spokesperson for TYO, 35-year-old Sai Hseng Mong, said that the pagoda's management team denied access to the procession, which included monks and civilians. The ceremony attendees instead recited prayers at a local shrine. "They don't want the people to come and pray," he said. "This is a good chance for youth to [see] the real political situation today." Local government authorities in Hsenwi refused to comment when S.H.A.N. reached out to them about the incident. The committee for the management of Gong Mu Htat pagoda was also not available for comment. The prayer ceremony's focus was on those affected by the ongoing fighting in Shan State since the NCA. Youth organizations raised about 9 million kyats ($7,000 USD) for internally displaced communities in Kesi, Mong Hsu, and Mong Nong townships. Sai Hseng Mong's view of the ceasefire is pragmatic: some groups are ready to sign and some are not, he said; the government "shouldn't force them" to back the agreement. "We will go to help the war victims soon," he said. "And we will send a letter to President Thein Sein to stop the war." By SIMMA FRANCIS (Shan Herald Agency for News / S.H.A.N) Reporting by SAI YIPHONG (Shan Herald Agency for News / S.H.A.N)

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The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Burma Anti-Drug Crusaders Uncover $500k Ledger of Payoffs
• Khun Myint Htun: ‘All Political Processes Need Sincerity’
• The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (Oct. 24, 2015)

Burma Anti-Drug Crusaders Uncover $500k Ledger of Payoffs Posted: 24 Oct 2015 05:14 AM PDT A man walks near a stream in the jade-mining region of Hpakant, in northern Burma's Kachin State. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) HPAKANT, Kachin State — Residents of this town in northern Burma's opium country became their own drug investigators out of frustration with authorities' failure to keep heroin and methamphetamine addiction from consuming their villages. Now they say they have an explanation for officials' poor performance, thanks to a woman charged with drug-dealing who kept careful track of her expenses. When the community-based Kachin Anti-Drug Committee made a citizen's arrest of the suspect, it found two notebooks listing a combined US$500,000 in payoffs to authorities in Kachin State including an army commander, top police officials, anti-drug officers, township officials and others. The committee showed The Associated Press photos of the ledger but did not provide line-item details on payoffs and recipients, saying it is trying to get authorities to improve drug enforcement and is using the notebooks as leverage. The group Global Witness, which campaigns against corruption and for transparency and protection of people's rights in use of mining, logging and other resources, viewed the document and agreed with the committee's description of the contents. "For us, this book is useful for negotiating to try to get the government officials and police involved in our project," Naw Lawn, secretary of the committee, told the AP. "Our society is being destroyed by drugs. We have many young people who are addicts, and this is destroying our future." Officials with the state anti-drug police force failed to respond to repeated requests for comment. Naw Lawn and other community leaders set up their group last year to fight the surge in drug use in Kachin, an ethnically diverse, mostly Christian region where the Kachin Baptist Convention is the most influential local institution. With Burma's government attempting to end a decades-long insurgency by members of the ethnic Kachin minority, authorities have accepted the committee's assistance. Isolated by a lack of paved roads or other modern transport and by fighting between rebel insurgents and government forces, Hpakant is a frontier region marked by huge jade-mining operations that have spoiled the environment and left most local residents destitute, with scant options for jobs or other means of survival. Young people shoot up from dawn to dark near the jade mines surrounding Hpakant, some 600 miles north of Rangoon, Burma's biggest city. Addicts, their arms dotted with constellations of needle marks, squat under makeshift tarp shelters or sometimes just shoot up in open daylight. Overdoses are increasingly common, and crime is a growing problem among addicts desperate for drug money. Committee members say they were attacked by drug dealers in a raid early this year, and now conduct operations only in huge groups of 300 or more, with one or two police officers accompanying them. They say they have also been threatened and harassed by some police who view them as interfering. Committee members say the woman arrested with the ledger in June is among Hpakant's biggest drug dealers. Naw Lawn said the group also confiscated $3 million in cash and a "huge amount" of drugs during the arrest. The suspect is awaiting trial. The financial ties to local officials allegedly revealed in the notebooks tell only part of the story of the Burma drug trade's ties to the powerful. Burma trails only Afghanistan in production of opium, the main ingredient in heroin. Its opium poppies are grown mostly in Kachin and Shan states, where the government has long fought rebel groups seeking more autonomy for their respective ethnic groups. Both the military and rebel groups have used the opium trade to further their causes. The Kachin Women's Association of Thailand said in a 2014 report that Burma's military uses the drug trade as a weapon of war, authorizing border guards and local militias to grow opium and produce heroin and meth. AP reporters have seen opium farms protected by army-controlled militia groups. The government has attempted to stop opium-growing with eradication programs intended to compel farmers to switch to legal crops, but those efforts have fallen well short of expectations. According to an opium poppy survey by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, opium poppy cultivation in Burma increased from 43,600 hectares (107,700 acres) in 2010-11 to 57,600 hectares (142,800 acres) in 2013-14. At the same time, meth production in the region has soared. In Kachin State, drug use is especially common among the young and among migrants who work on the margins of the big mines, hoping for lucky finds of jade. A single shot of heroin goes for 2,000 kyats (about $1.60), or the equivalent of the lowest price of a small piece of jade, Global Witness said in a report on jade released Friday. It said itinerant miners take up to five such shots a day. Naw Lawn says that despite threats and intimidation, the Kachin community in Hpakant is determined to try to fight drug abuse. "We really want the drug addiction and dealing to end soon," he said. "We don't want our society to be broken. That's why we stood up and started doing this on our own." The post Burma Anti-Drug Crusaders Uncover $500k Ledger of Payoffs appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Khun Myint Htun: ‘All Political Processes Need Sincerity’ Posted: 23 Oct 2015 08:34 PM PDT Khun Myint Htun, chairman of Pa-O National Liberation Organization. (Photo: Myanmar Now) Khun Myint Htun is the chairman of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), which signed the recent ceasefire agreement with Burmese government and seven other non-state armed groups on Oct. 15. A former youth leader in the National League for Democracy (NLD), he was elected to parliament in the 1990 election, the results of which were ignored by the then ruling junta. He was held in prison for more than seven years, and on his release he joined the insurgent arm of the Pa-O people. Speaking to Myanmar Now this week, the 52-year-old discussed the reasons the PNLO joined the ceasefire accord, relations between the group and the military, and his views on the 2015 general election. Why did the PNLO decide to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA)? Our unwavering ideology is to solve political problems through political means. In accordance with the NCA, prior discussion will be needed before making any decision. However, both sides are required to negotiate a political roadmap. Neither side should try to take advantage. So we decided to sign the NCA. What were the fundamental reasons for the PNLO to sign the deal? Our decision was a reflection of the existing political and military situation, as well as our policy and the national interest. We can hold political dialogue during the term of the next government. We can imagine the next administration will be influenced by civilians. It is not certain that the next government will have good relations with the military. So we decided to sign peace deal during the term of present government. We fought against the military under the lead of the Karen National Union (KNU) when the junta made the 2004 roadmap. But the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and northern rebel groups, including the Kokang and SSPP/SSA accepted this roadmap. However, this time we and the KNU signed the peace deal, but the KIO and northern rebel groups are fighting. We expect all-inclusiveness in the roadmap. Those armed groups which have not signed in the deal did not say they would never sign in the deal. They will sign the peace deal at an appropriate juncture. Both the government and the ethnic armed groups need to persuade them to join the NCA. Although they want to sign the deal, political and military situations in their respective areas are blocking them from doing so. Which side has compromised in the NCA—the government or the ethnic armed groups? Both sides have made adjustments. The senior military officers of the government are the same age as us. As the ideology to wipe out all the ethnic rebels has been rooted in their minds for many years, they seemed to regard us as the rebels until now. The government defines 'disarmament, demobilization and reintegration' as abandonment of weapons. We assume the government and the military are on the same side in accordance with NCA. The government side has made these adjustments. All political processes need sincerity. If all stakeholders can implement the points in the agreement, we can reach the final goal. They must guarantee the establishment of a federal union with rights on equality, democracy and self-rule. We all will take responsibility for national security by establishing a single military under a single order. However, we will not accept the formation of militia and border guard forces. Could there be conflicts in the future, as the demarcation lines have not been drawn up for armed groups? We will have more discussions about this issue. But the armed groups outside the NCA cannot discuss it. Do you think the details in the deal could be discussed in the term of next government? President Thein Sein signed the deal as a president of Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The existing government will remain during the first parliamentary session after the elections. The government will have to submit this NCA to the parliament for approval. After it is approved, the deal must be adhered to in favor of the national interest. Has the NCA made political capital for the ruling party? The public doesn't show that much interest in the peace deal. They will vote for the party they believe in. People have the right to choose the party they like. We never considered that any political party would win in the elections on the basis that they signed the peace deal. Do you think clashes will erupt while decisions are made for the drawing of demarcation lines? Clashes will decline, but it cannot be said they will stop entirely. Both the military chief and deputy military chief signed the deal. They are accountable and responsible for their promises. The president, the speaker of parliament and the military chiefs signed the deal. What outside pressures will come up, given that international diplomats also signed as witnesses in the deal? Some diplomats signed the NCA as witnesses. The government of the United States and the United Kingdom commended the peace deal. They have pledged to support the peacemaking process. They are also responsible for their financial and political contributions. What are the building blocks for the establishment of a federal union? We will try to amend the 2008 Constitution. Our political dialogue should not deviate from mainstream politics. While the national (constitutional convention) in 1993 backed by the junta did not take into account existing situations, future dialogue should not ignore it. Is the PNLO enthusiastic about the prospect of merging with the government military?   I will not take any military rank or title in front of my name. We have a policy that the military wing of PNLO must be under the management of political wing. I have no plan to take any positions in the future military, but we might take responsibilities for national security. Some candidates have reportedly been threatened by some ethnic armed groups. What is your view on this? We expect a free and fair election. The results of election must be recognized. We never disclose our support for any political party or organization. Our members will have individual ideas. We have never disturbed any candidates as we value the upcoming elections. This interview originally appeared on Myanmar Now. The post Khun Myint Htun: 'All Political Processes Need Sincerity' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (Oct. 24, 2015) Posted: 23 Oct 2015 08:28 PM PDT Workers from Indian conglomerate Essar Group during construction work on the port in Sittwe. (Photo: Damir Sagolj / Reuters) Indian Government Agrees to Inject More Funds Into Kaladan Project The Indian government has reportedly agreed to increase its funding for an ambitious infrastructure project that will see goods transported through Burma's Arakan and Chin states on their way to India's northeast. The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport project has been in the works for more than a decade, and work on a new port in the Arakan State capital of Sittwe is already nearing completion, at a cost of an estimated US$120 million. Even before both states were ravished by flooding earlier this year, the project was already delayed. Work is still to be done to set up a river link to transport goods from Sittwe to Paletwa, in Chin State, which requires dredging large sections of the Kaladan River and constructing a new river port. The project also includes a further plan to build a 130-kilometer highway on which cargo can be transported on to the Indian border at Zorinpui. The New Delhi-based newspaper Business Standard reported this month that the Indian government's cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a revised cost estimate for the project. The new cost of the development, to be born by the Indian government, was reported as 2,904 crore rupees, equivalent to $447 million. "The project will provide an alternate access route to the North-Eastern region of India and contribute towards the region's economic development," it said. "Being a key connectivity project, it will promote economic, commercial and strategic links between India and Myanmar." The revision represents a significant increase from previously reported estimates for the cost of the project. Business Standard said the original cost estimate for the project, for which studies were completed in 2005, was just $82.3 million. More recent reports have put the cost of the project at $214 million, still less than half the new price tag reportedly approved by the Indian cabinet. Tech Firms Sign Deals to Offer Payments Through Messaging App Three tech firms are set to establish a service allowing mobile phone users in Burma to make payments through messaging applications. Mobile payments firm MyPAY will team up with Singapore-based Fastacash, which is involved in similar services in India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore and Vietnam, according to an announcement. MyPAY is connected with London-listed company MySQUAR, which owns Burmese-language messaging app MyChat!, and says it now has a total of 1.5 million subscribers in Burma. A press release this week said that Fastacash has made a "strategic investment" in MyPAY that will see the Singaporean firm's technology platform used in Burma to enable "payments through social." "fastacash [sic] will also support MyPAY's go-to-market activities, including market insights and global partnership management. Through the fastacash platform, anyone using MyPAY will be able to transfer money, and airtime with their social connections, and make payments at retail points." A controlling interest in MyPAY is held by Eric Shaer, who is also CEO of MySQUAR. "Consumers on MySQUAR will easily be able to transact with their connections on the channel and with merchants," the press release said. According to a separate announcement on MySQUAR's website, that company has simultaneously entered into a "service agreement" with MyPAY "for the integration of MyPAY's mobile payment services as a feature of MyCHAT, MySQUAR's free to use, mobile messaging and social networking application." "Under the 5-year agreement with MyPAY, MySQUAR will receive US$500,000 in software platform integration fees from MyPAY and then an ongoing 50 percent share of net fees collected from MyCHAT users who make transactions through the mobile payment features integrated in MyCHAT." Trade, Production Statistics Available on New Government Data Site The Burmese government this week launched a new website making available for the first time a raft of data sets containing some of the country's vital statistics on international trade, domestic production and finance. The Myanmar Statistical Information Service (MMSIS) database has been developed by the Central Statistics Organization in collaboration with the South Korean aid agency, KOICA. It contains a range of data drawn from various government departments: from the total number of seats in Burma's cinemas (16,999) to the number of working elephants being used in the timber trade (815 in Sagaing Division alone). At a launch event to mark International Statistics Day in Naypyidaw, Minister for National Planning and Economic Development Dr. Kan Zaw admitted that quantitative data was at present in "short supply" in Burma, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar "He added that collecting data about what Myanmar's society may look like in 2020 will prove extremely useful in planning for the future," the state-run newspaper reported. Local and international businesses will likely be most interested in the details provided about the economic conditions in the country. Detailed information on the amount of timber processed in the country is available, as are figures for the volume of specific minerals extracted in Burma. Useful trade statistics are also provided in some detail, including the quantities of imports and exports cross the country's borders. Data from Burma's Customs Department, for example, sheds some light on the recent surge in exports in the garment sector following the dropping or suspension of trade sanctions by the West. Exports of "textiles and textile articles" totaled $1.046 billion last year, according to the data, up from just $701.25 million in 2012. However, some key data on the site appears a little out of date. While a "summary of the Union Budget" is available in the database, that information is only available up to 2010. American Engineering Firm Joins Magwe Solar Project US-based engineers Black & Veatch have been hired to work on a major solar power development in central Burma, Energy Business Review reports. Work on a 220-megawatt solar power plant in Minbu, Magwe Division, is set to begin early next year, with Green Earth Power (Thailand) the lead developer of the project. Energy Business Review said that Black & Veatch, which opened an office in Yangon recently, had been contracted by Green Earth Power to "provide design and consultancy services" on the project. The company, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, has reported annual revenues of some $3.6 billion, and specializes in infrastructure development projects. The report quoted Black & Veatch's general manager in Burma, Pitak Wangvarangkoon, saying that the project would help toward the Burmese government's goal of building 30,000 megawatts of power generation capacity by 2030. "Drawing on our deep experience in renewable energy, power generation, water and oil & gas, we are well positioned to support the goal and bring in the full depth and breadth of our regional expertise," the manager was quoted saying. Korean Cable Firm Wins Power Ministry Contract South Korean manufacturer LS Cable & System has won a $13 million contract to supply transmission cables to Burma's Ministry of Electric Power, according to a Korea Times report. The outlet reported that the deal represented half of the ministry's annual cable purchases, and was the largest contract to supply cables ever awarded in Burma. The South Korean firm's Vietnamese subsidiary signed will sign a deal with the Burmese government, it said. Citing a statement from the company, the Korea Times said the company won the contract ahead of bidders from China and Indonesia, as well as Burmese competitors. "We could become the sole contractor as we have been highly rated in technology as well as in price competitiveness, which was secured through the Vietnamese subsidiary," the company reportedly said. "In the past, Myanmar’s Ministry of Electric Power used to split its orders among three or four cable makers." The post The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (Oct. 24, 2015) appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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• Local Observers Welcome Jade Industry Exposé, Call for Reform
• A Dozen Trafficked Migrants Freed From Thai Fishing Boat
• $31b Jade Trade Enriches Elite, Fuels Ethnic Conflict: Report
• China Graft-Buster Says Must Learn from Ancients to Tackle Corruption
• Papua New Guinea to Begin Resettling Refugees from Australian Camp
• Malaysia’s Mahathir Says Little Chance of Ousting PM Najib

Local Observers Welcome Jade Industry Exposé, Call for Reform Posted: 23 Oct 2015 05:54 AM PDT Traders inspect jade in a teashop in Lone Khin village, Hpakant Township. (Photo: Minzayar / Reuters) RANGOON — Locals involved in the gem trade have called for reform to the sector after an explosive new report into Burma's jade industry. Friday's report, published by Global Witness, estimates the value of the country's jade trade at US$31 billion in 2014—nearly half of the country's gross domestic product. It claimed that most of the wealth from jade production flowed directly into the coffers of military conglomerates, well-connected firms and former junta figures, including the family of Snr-Gen Than Shwe. Myanmar Gems and Jewellery Entrepreneurs Association secretary Tun Hla Aung said that the report was a stark reminder of the massive amounts of wealth that had been stripped from the country as a result of black market trade. "There has been and there is still jade smuggling, for which the country has lost a lot in tax revenue," he said. Aung Thein, chairman of the Myanmar Yadanar Aung Zabu Gems and Jade Company, said that existing legal restrictions on the jade industry were exacerbating the problem. "(The cronies and the government) have power and money and they can do anything they please," he said. "There is no regular jade market in Myanmar and we have to rely on jade and gems exhibitions which are held twice a year. If there is a market for dealing outside these exhibitions, there will no longer be smuggling." However, Aung Thein said he was pessimistic that the report's publication would lead to substantial reform of the industry. "We don't bother complaining, because we have complained again and again and nothing has happened," he said. Nyo Nyo Thin, a Rangoon Division lawmaker and independent candidate for the Lower House township of Bahan, said that the report was a timely reminder of the massive amounts of wealth and control wielded by members of the former military regime and its allies. "Such reports showcase how much the dictatorship has inflicted losses upon the country," she said. "I welcome such report and would like to ask local people to reveal similar cases so that the government can be kept under check. It is a reminder to the next government, and it makes clear how much the previous government owes to the people." Win Myo Thu, the director of Eco-Dev Myanmar, said that environmental campaigners had long sought to increase accountability in the jade industry by advocating Burma's inclusion in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) protocol, but he added that the government seemed reluctant to participate. "We must try to put all benefit sharing, ownership arrangements and contract details into the EITI report to achieve transparency," he said, adding that he felt great sadness that the environment around Kachin State's Hpakant Township, home to the vast majority of Burma's jade deposits, had been destroyed from unchecked mining. The post Local Observers Welcome Jade Industry Exposé, Call for Reform appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

A Dozen Trafficked Migrants Freed From Thai Fishing Boat Posted: 23 Oct 2015 04:29 AM PDT Trafficked migrants and members of MAT after a rescue operation in Thailand this week. (Photo: Myanmar Association in Thailand) RANGOON — A dozen migrant workers from Burma who were sold into slavery on a Thai fishing boat were rescued this week by a joint team of officials and rights advocates on the shore of Thailand's Trang Province. Following a five-month investigation, a task force comprising the Thai Department of Special Investigation and the Myanmar Association in Thailand (MAT), under the aegis of the Burmese Embassy, secured the release of the twelve men, some of whom had been confined as laborers on fishing vessels for as long as 15 years. "Some of the rescued were sold to work on the sea in slave-like conditions more than a decade ago," said Kyaw Thaung, director of MAT, who assisted the operation. "There are more such victims that still haven't been rescued, and we haven't arrested the trafficking gang." Kyaw Thu, also known as Kala, was among those freed on Tuesday. He claims he was intercepted by human traffickers about 15 years ago. "I am happy that I am free now, but there are many trafficked Burmese people still on the vessel," Kyaw Thu said, adding that there could be up to 50 others still aboard his ship, as well as at least 10 other similar boats to his knowledge. Describing cruel conditions at sea, Kyaw Thu said many Burmese members of his crew were tortures, and some died at sea. He said he had personally witnessed about 30 deaths throughout his 15-year period aboard the ill-fated ship. "Even when I was sick, I was tortured and forced to work. I was whipped, punched and kicked, and I was even stabbed six times. There were cases when those who refused to work were beaten with iron rods, thrown into the sea, or shot dead," he said. Migrant workers account for some five percent of Thailand's workforce, and most originate from Burma, Cambodia and Laos. While many enter the country through legal channels, some employ uncertified brokers and others fall prey to human traffickers. This year Thailand remained designated as a "Tier 3" country in the US State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report, for the second consecutive year. The assessment was due in part to human trafficking in the seafood industry and in the country's south, where recent years have seen a sharp rise in trafficking of people from western Burma and Bangladesh. In efforts to improve the country's ghastly record on migrant rights and human trafficking, the Department of Special Investigations and MAT have ramped up rescue efforts, successfully liberating 171 trafficking victims and apprehending 10 human smugglers since the start of this year. Translated by Thet Ko Ko. The post A Dozen Trafficked Migrants Freed From Thai Fishing Boat appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

$31b Jade Trade Enriches Elite, Fuels Ethnic Conflict: Report Posted: 23 Oct 2015 12:12 AM PDT A vast wasteland of denuded hills and mountains has been created by jade mining around the once-verdant hinterland of Hpakant. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) A lengthy and detailed 120-page report released on Friday in Rangoon by the London-based NGO Global Witness, reveals that vast revenues generated by Burma's lucrative multi-billion dollar jade trade continue to flow into the pockets of senior military officials, key figures in the ruling Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) and well connected crony firms including Asia World and Ever Winner. Based on 12 months of research, the report titled "Jade: Myanmar's 'Big State Secret,'" estimates that Burma's jade production was valued as high as US$31 billion in 2014, a figure that vastly overshadows the country's other major resource earners, including natural gas exports. Although a series of reforms have been enacted in Burma since the army officially ceded control of the country in 2011, a group of shadowy firms controlled by individuals closely connected to Burma's previous military regime, including the families of Sen-Gen Than Shwe, former northern commander Ohn Myint and other key figures from the military era, continue to dominate the jade trade—an industry that is, according to Global Witnesses research, marked by government secrecy and widespread corruption. "Myanmar's jade industry may well be the biggest natural resource heist in modern history. The sums of money involved are almost incomprehensibly high and the level of accountability is at rock bottom," the report concludes. According to Global Witness, this plundering has been made possible by the central government's hold on Hpakant in western Kachin State, where the jade is mined. Hpakant came under government control after 1994 when the then-ruling military regime reached a ceasefire with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and its armed wing the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Although there has been fighting in Hpakant since the June 2011, when the Kachin ceasefire with the central government collapsed, the army has continued to hold most of Hpakant, including its most lucrative jade deposits. Government authorities in Naypyidaw "have full control of the major jade mines in the Hpakant area. They decide who has access to valuable concessions and on what basis" says Global Witness. A position that means that decision makers can extort huge payments from jade firms, according to jade businessmen interviewed by Global Witness. The Burmese armed forces, or Tatmadaw, remain the most powerful institution in post-junta Burma. Those forces, the report suggests, bear much of the responsibility for the looting of Burma's jade. "The Tatmadaw's main priority in Hpakant is milking money from the jade business and this imperative frequently trumps its designated function of fighting the KIA." Citing government documents and well connected sources in the jade industry, the report also uncovers in unprecedented detail the jade operations of army controlled firms, a finding that calls into question claims by some analysts that the army had begun to withdrawal its dominant position in the economy under a nominally civilian government. The military controlled Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (UMEHL) also known as Myanma Economic Holding Limited, Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) and Northern Star Gems sold $283 million dollars of jade at the 2013 and 2014 annual jade fairs in Naypyidaw, according to previously unpublished figures obtained by Global Witness. But most of the jade is not sold at the annual emporium. The British NGO estimates that 50 to 80 percent of the jade mined annually is smuggled across to China, where the precious stone is highly sought after. The High Cost of Jade for Kachin State The report notes that jade mining in Kachin State's Hpakant Township has created a "dystopian wasteland in which the local population grapples with environmental and social collapse on a daily basis." Kachin State's lucrative jade deposits are more of a curse for the local population than anything else. In addition to destroying local rivers with dams and obliterating Hpakant's local geography, rampant drug use among the poorly paid mine workers has transformed what was once a sparsely populated area with only small-scale mining ventures into a desolate moonscape. "We feel that we have no security for our lives here… Hpakant will soon disappear without any benefit to the local people", says a pastor from Hpakant quoted in the report. Few—if any—of the huge revenues generated by mining in Kachin State are spent on health care or schools in the remote state, a situation that has only reinforced longstanding distrust of the central government by the local population. The KIO has, as the report points out, resumed levying their own taxes on jade mining firms once the ceasefire ended, a position supported by many Kachin who see the organization as a more legitimate government structure than the central government. Civil society groups, such as the Kachin Development Network Group (KDNG), have recommended a full stop to mining in the area until a new system can be put in place that would respect land rights. Such proposals are rapidly rounding up support among local populations throughout the state, but are hardly gaining traction in Naypyidaw, where, according to Global Witness, Burma's ex-military rulers have strong incentives to maintain the status quo. "Every cabinet minister is involved in jade—it's their best source of income, even though they have never been to Hpakant," one business insider told Global Witness. Than Shwe's Family Earning Millions From Jade The report identified two firms, Myanmar Naing Group and Kyaing International, as entities controlled by Than Shwe's sons Kyaing San Shwe and Htun Naing Shwe. Documents obtained by GW indicate that these firms hold licenses for six jade mines in Hpakant. The latter firm appears to be named after the retired military supremo's wife, Daw Kyaing Kyaing. A massive flooded mine crater located in Hpakant's Maw Sizar jade tract, where Kyaing International has its lucrative mining concession, has been named after her, a testament to the low opinion local people still hold of the former first lady, who is reportedly still very much involved in her family's business activities. A third firm, Kywe Wa Sone—registered in English as "Richest Gems"—is headed by an individual who serves as a director of both Kyaing International and Myanmar Naing Group. According to businessmen in the jade trade interviewed by Global Witness, Kywe Wa Sone is also controlled by Than Shwe's family. "The Than Shwe's family's [sic] stake in a corrupt and militarised jade business poses a serious challenge to reformers' efforts to bring real change to Myanmar's extractive industries, and to peacemakers' attempts to forge a lasting settlement in Kachin State," the report states. Moreover, firms controlled by the families of Than Shwe, retired Gen. Maung Maung Thein and current Union Minister Ohn Myint accounted for some $220 million in sales at the 2014 government-run jade emporium in Naypyidaw. Minsiter Ohn Myint's Jade Connection Union Minister for Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development Ohn Myint, who previously served as the army's Northern Regional Commander during the final years of the State Peace and Development Council (SDPC), was the highest serving general in Kachin State. According to Global Witness research, this afforded him a great deal of power to decide who mined what in Hpakant. Global Witness has concluded from their research that Ohn Myint still has connections to the jade trade by way of firm a called Myanmar Win Gate Gems and Jewellery Mining Co. Ltd. Two of the firms directors are Kyaw Thiha, a name shared by Ohn Myint's son, and Daw Nway Ei Ei Zin, Kyaw Thiha's wife's name. At the 2014 jade emporium the firm posted pre-tax sales of US$80 million of jade half of which came from one piece of jade that weighed 24 KG. The post $31b Jade Trade Enriches Elite, Fuels Ethnic Conflict: Report appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Graft-Buster Says Must Learn from Ancients to Tackle Corruption Posted: 22 Oct 2015 10:04 PM PDT Wang Qishan speaks at Beijing's Great Hall of the People in October 2013. (Photo: Jason Lee / Reuters) BEIJING — China’s ruling Communist Party must learn from the traditional virtues which have defined Chinese culture since ancient times as it tackles corruption, a problem that still hangs “acutely” in front of them, the top graft-buster wrote on Friday. President Xi Jinping has launched a sweeping campaign against graft since assuming the party leadership in 2012 and presidency in 2013, warning, like others before him, that the issue is so severe it could affect the party’s grip on power. Writing in the party’s official People’s Daily, Wang Qishan, who is in charge of battling corruption, said that the source of the party’s rules on tackling this problem were the morals and virtues passed down through history. “In a series of important speeches General Secretary Xi Jinping has cited a great number of ancient texts and words from the classics, stressing and lauding the fine traditional culture of the Chinese people which has meaning in the new era,” Wang wrote. In traditional Chinese culture, morality and law are joined at the hip, rules are observed like rituals and everyone follows them, he said. The party’s rules on fighting corruption and ancient morality can be “traced to the same origin”, he added, in comments written to explain why the party this week tightened its clean-living rules for party members. “In setting and adjusting rules, we must learn from the essence of traditional Chinese culture and move with the times in managing the party in accordance with new situations and new missions,” Wang said. The party listed golf and gluttony as violations for the first time in its newly tightened rules to stop officials from engaging in corrupt practices, while also turning an even sterner eye on sexual impropriety. Wang said the party was determined to enforce these rules to ensure they don’t just end up as “something that hangs off the walls or it merely chatter about”, repeating a vow that the party’s graft fight would never end. The party must be under no illusions about how serious the problem is, he said. “The trials the party faces in being in power, reforming and opening up, the market economy and foreign environment are long term, complex and serious,” Wang wrote. “Dangers of laziness, inability to properly act, remoteness from the people and passive corruption hang even more acutely in front of the party,” he said. “If allowed to continue then it will weaken the party’s ability to govern and shake the party’s basis for governing.” The post China Graft-Buster Says Must Learn from Ancients to Tackle Corruption appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Papua New Guinea to Begin Resettling Refugees from Australian Camp Posted: 22 Oct 2015 09:54 PM PDT Protesters outside Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s electoral office in Sydney, as they demand the end to the policy of offshore detention of asylum seekers. (Photo: David Gray / Reuters) SYDNEY — Australia welcomed on Friday a pledge by Papua New Guinea to begin resettling refugees from an Australian immigration detention center, despite questions about how their safety would be guaranteed in one of the region’s most dangerous countries. Asylum seekers are a hot political issue in Australia and successive governments have vowed to stop them reaching the mainland, sending those intercepted on unsafe boats to camps on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and Nauru in the South Pacific. However, Australia has struggled to find a permanent solution to settling those seeking refuge. A deal struck with Cambodia last year to relocate them there has struggled to get off the ground and many settled in Nauru have reported assaults. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton praised Papua New Guinea for the decision to begin moving those found to be genuine refugees into the community. PNG has not resettled anyone in the three years it has hosted the center. “The PNG Government has shown with this announcement its commitment to permit those found to be refugees to get on with their lives and have a fresh start in this dynamic nation with a growing economy,” Dutton said in a statement. Papua New Guinea struggles with endemic violence and poverty. On its travel advice website, the Australian government urges citizens to “exercise a high degree of caution” there because of “high levels of serious crime”. Car-jacking, gang rape and a “general atmosphere of lawlessness” should all be taken into consideration before choosing to travel to the South Pacific island nation, the website says. “Ethnic disputes continue to flare up around the country. Disputes can quickly escalate into violent clashes,” it says. It is unclear where in PNG the refugees would be resettled and what support they would receive after they were moved into the community. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the first group to be resettled were all single men. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is under growing pressure to address Australia’s hardline policies after reports of systemic child abuse and sexual assault on Nauru and criticism by the United Nations and human rights groups. The issue also overshadowed the launch of Canberra’s bid to join the UN Human Rights Council on Monday. On Thursday, police in Nauru raided the offices of aid group Save the Children for a second time, the latest in a series of embarrassing incidents involving the detention center there. Australia’s highest court is considering whether the policy of sending asylum seekers there is in breach of the constitution. The post Papua New Guinea to Begin Resettling Refugees from Australian Camp appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Malaysia’s Mahathir Says Little Chance of Ousting PM Najib Posted: 22 Oct 2015 09:42 PM PDT Malaysia’s former leader Mahathir Mohamad at his desk in the Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. (Photo: Olivia Harris / Reuters) KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s former premier Mahathir Mohamad conceded on Thursday that the chances of unseating Prime Minister Najib Razak before elections in 2018 are slim, despite his rallying cries for a “people’s power” movement to topple the country’s leader. The 90-year-old statesman, who led Malaysia for 22 years, has called on Najib to step down following allegations of corruption and mismanagement at state-owned fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). But Mahathir says lawmakers within Najib’s United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party are protecting their leader, and slammed them for not speaking up. “All of them are scared and they look after their own safety. They’re not looking after the party, the nation. It’s about themselves,” he told Reuters, speaking from his office at the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. “The way he’s going he might go full term. The way UMNO has accepted him because they find he’s comfortable to be with, I think he can go full term.” Mahathir was once Najib’s patron but turned against him in 2013 by criticizing the government’s economic policies and friendliness with the West. The former leader demanded Najib step down after it was reported in July that investigators looking into alleged wrongdoing at 1MDB had traced a payment of nearly $700 million going into the Prime Minister’s personal bank accounts. Najib denies taking any money for personal gain and Reuters has not verified these reports. The fallout from the allegations has scared away foreign investors though, adding to pressure on Malaysia’s economy that was already suffering from falling commodity prices. No Confidence Votes Opposition leaders have called on all lawmakers to reject the annual budget that Najib will present to Parliament on Friday as a show of no confidence against him. They have also tried to bring a formal no confidence vote against him. But Mahathir said such measures would fail, as the opposition does not have the numbers to challenge the ruling coalition. “The fact is that, the opposition is not able to gather enough people to support that. So the government with more support in parliament will push it (the budget) through.” He said UMNO lawmakers were scared of Najib taking action against them, while some others were just “comfortable”. Najib has previously cracked down on dissenters in his government, ousting his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin and other ministers critical of his governance in a cabinet reshuffle earlier this year. He also replaced the Attorney General who was leading an investigation into 1MDB. Muhyiddin, who is the current UMNO deputy president, made a rare public appearance with Mahathir earlier this month to condemn the arrest of two men who approached foreign investigators with documents about 1MDB. Mahathir said he believes Muhyiddin could lead the country, if Najib were to go. “The former deputy PM would still be able to lead the country, provided that he listens to good advice…people with experience,” he said. Mahathir said he was concerned following reports that police were investigating him for allegedly making defamatory comments during a rally to protest against Najib. “I fear, not because of anything, but because of manipulation of justice, manipulation of the law. Otherwise according to the law I have done nothing wrong.” The post Malaysia’s Mahathir Says Little Chance of Ousting PM Najib appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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National News

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• Ethnic parties take on the giants in Kayah State
• Fighting raises vote doubt in Shan State
• EXCLUSIVE: Speaker makes political comeback bid
• Maid death draws attention to flouting of domestic worker ban
• Youth group pulls election monitoring in some areas
• Agents look to Singapore to expand industry
• Ex-general puts USDP win odds at one-in-three
• Government earmarks cash to rebuild 3000 homes
• Workers demand sack for Korean boss after altercation
• More rain expected through cool season

Ethnic parties take on the giants in Kayah State Posted: 23 Oct 2015 12:42 AM PDT Ethnic politicians in Kayah State are putting up a tough challenge to the two main national parties. But just as in other ethnic-dominated borderlands of Myanmar, their failure to create an electoral alliance risks splitting the vote in the country's smallest state.

Fighting raises vote doubt in Shan State Posted: 23 Oct 2015 12:32 AM PDT Election officials in central Shan State have called for the postponement of voting in two townships because of continued fighting between government forces and an ethnic armed group that has displaced at least 3000 civilians.

EXCLUSIVE: Speaker makes political comeback bid Posted: 23 Oct 2015 12:16 AM PDT Dismissed as chair of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party in August, parliamentary Speaker Thura U Shwe Mann has come out fighting by demonstrating he still has aspirations to become Myanmar's next president.

Maid death draws attention to flouting of domestic worker ban Posted: 23 Oct 2015 12:14 AM PDT A Myanmar domestic worker in Singapore fell 18 storeys from a condominium and died on October 19, according to police reports.

Youth group pulls election monitoring in some areas Posted: 23 Oct 2015 12:12 AM PDT Armed conflict and poor transportation in remote parts of the country have forced an electoral observation group to abandon its hope of placing two observers in every township.

Agents look to Singapore to expand industry Posted: 23 Oct 2015 12:09 AM PDT Myanmar travel agents looking to give a further boost to the local tourist industry are attending Asia's biggest travel exhibition.

Ex-general puts USDP win odds at one-in-three Posted: 23 Oct 2015 12:08 AM PDT Former defence minister U Wai Lwin told voters in his Ayeyarwady Region hometown that his party, the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party, had a one-in-three chance of winning the highest number of seats in next month's election.

Government earmarks cash to rebuild 3000 homes Posted: 23 Oct 2015 12:07 AM PDT States and regions affected by natural disaster will receive government funding for rehabilitation next year. U Maung Win, director of the Department of Rural Development of the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development, said the funds would be enough to restore 3000 rural homes.

Workers demand sack for Korean boss after altercation Posted: 23 Oct 2015 12:03 AM PDT Workers at the World Jin garment factory have accused their South Korean manager of trying to beat his female staffers over a wage dispute – a charge he denies.

More rain expected through cool season Posted: 23 Oct 2015 12:02 AM PDT Rain will continue to fall even after the end of the wet season, with at least three storms expected during November, forecasters warn. U Kyaw Lwin Oo, director of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, said the culprits were typhoon remnants and rain-processing systems to the east and west.

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