The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Week-Long Blockade of Anti-Poppy Activists Lifted, Authorities Say
• Ministry Exempts 5 Temples from Ban on Bagan Temple Access
• Nationalists Plan Rally in Defense of Article 59(f)
• On the Frontline of the TNLA, SSA-S Divide
• To Court or Clamp Down? The NLD and Burma’s Cronies
• Door to NCA Still Open, Aung Min Tells UNFC Members in Chiang Mai
• Meteorologist Warns of Irrawaddy River Floods
• KNU Criticized After Signing MoU on Hydropower Dam
• Over 600,000 Hopefuls Set to Take Burma’s Matriculation Exam
• El Niño Drives Up Temperatures Across Swaths of Burma
• Conflict and Powerful Companies Stoke Land Disputes in Kachin State
• Deal Reached to End Indian Caste Protests
• North Korean Officer: Tensions Rising on DMZ
• US Wants Leadership Role for India in Asia-Pacific

Week-Long Blockade of Anti-Poppy Activists Lifted, Authorities Say Posted: 23 Feb 2016 07:19 AM PST Members of Christian anti-drugs group Pat Ja San on an opium eradication mission in Kachin State in January 2016. (Photo: Jade Land Kachin / Facebook) MANDALAY — A week-long blockade preventing anti-poppy campaigners in Kachin State's Waingmaw Township from carrying out their activities was lifted late on Tuesday, according to local authorities. Since Feb. 16, the anti-drug vigilantes had been encamped at an army checkpoint at the junction of Sadaung and Chipwi roads, prevented from reaching poppy fields further on—a measure authorities claimed was for their own safety. Although the group was briefly blocked at another military base, on Boun Taung hill on Tuesday, campaigners were reportedly assured they would receive protection from the army in the area. "The army base [at Boun Taung Hill] and the military personnel stationed in the Kambaiti area assured us that they would continue on with us in order to help ensure our safety until our mission is done," said Yin Kyang, a Christian pastor involved in the group which claims to have destroyed thousands of acres of poppy fields in recent months. The group of vigilantes are known as Pat Jasan, established by the Kachin Baptist Church, which operates according to a no-tolerance approach to eradicating drugs in their communities. While the group has been destroying poppy plantations in Kachin State, it does not provide the farmers with substitute crops or monetary compensation, a source of friction that proved deadly on Jan. 15, when a farmer fatally shot a teenager who was clearing poppies in Tanai Township, northwest of Waingmaw. According to campaigners, authorities had initially allowed only 60 people to reach the fields before all members were ultimately allowed to continue. "Some of us who were on the front lines will camp tonight in La Jaung village and start trekking to the poppy fields from there. Some will camp at Boun Taung," Yin Kyang said. The post Week-Long Blockade of Anti-Poppy Activists Lifted, Authorities Say appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ministry Exempts 5 Temples from Ban on Bagan Temple Access Posted: 23 Feb 2016 07:11 AM PST People wait to see the sunset from the top of Shwesandaw Pagoda in the ancient city of Bagan on February 13, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — Burma's Ministry of Culture has modified an announcement originally issued Monday prohibiting visitors from ascending the ancient temples of Bagan which was met with criticism by tourism professionals who instead urged the government to set limits on the ban. According to an initial announcement released by the culture ministry on its Facebook page, visitors would no longer be allowed to climb the steps of stupas and temples in the ancient city, effective March 1. However, in an additional statement released late on Tuesday, the ministry stipulated that the ban would not include five temples—Pyathatgyi, Shwesandaw, South Guni, North Guni and Thitsar Wadi. The government body had cited the practice as dangerous to tourists and suggested that the crowds of visitors were weakening the durability and strength of the ancient structures. The ministry's clarification came after several tourism professionals had spoken out, claiming that a total ban would not be an inappropriate answer to the strains placed on preserving the monuments' heritage. Thadoe Thuzar Aung, general secretary of the Union of Myanmar Travel Association (UMTA) and the managing director of Authentic Myanmar Travel and Tours, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the association encouraged the ministry to implement systematic methods to filter access and collect more positive suggestions from tourism-related associations. "Recruiting skilled staff to privilege access to the tops of the temples could be one of the options," she said. The general secretary is also concerned that the ban could have made it difficult for photographers and media representatives to get digital footage of the ancient city. The ministry's former announcement on Monday stated that many visitors wear revealing clothing to the temples and dance or sleep in their vicinity, which disrespects the cultural heritage of the ancient kingdom. An experienced English-speaking tour guide, Haymar Aung, told The Irrawaddy that there are two famous spots in Bagan from which sunsets can be viewed, and that huge crowds of tourists throng to these prime viewpoints—on the tops of temples—daily. She did, however, express concern about tourists who desecrate the ancient heritage site. "Action should be taken against such manners. But when access [to the top of pagodas] is banned, they won't have any other unique things to do in Bagan," Haymar Aung said. "The dream of every visitor who goes to Bagan is to enjoy watching the sunset or the sunrise from the top of a pagoda and to take pictures," she added. Since October of last year, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has advocated for a partnership between the Ministry of Culture and UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to build a a viewing mount around Bagan's Sulamani Temple. No green light has been given for the project to date, JICA confirmed to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday. The Ministry of Culture's original announcement was released after a video went viral on social media last week featuring a group of people from a local medical company, known as Lucky Time Trading, dancing on top of Bagan's Pyathadar Temple on February 17. The company later apologized in state-run newspapers for organizing the event. The post Ministry Exempts 5 Temples from Ban on Bagan Temple Access appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Nationalists Plan Rally in Defense of Article 59(f) Posted: 23 Feb 2016 05:17 AM PST Aung San Suu Kyi gives a speech during campaigning for the upcoming general elections in Toungup, Arakan State, October 16, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — A group of Buddhist nationalists plan to hold a rally in the coming days in support of Article 59(f) of Burma's Constitution, which bars Aung San Suu Kyi from the presidency. Win Ko Ko Latt, of the Myanmar Nationalist Network, told The Irrawaddy that the ambition of the rally, planned for Rangoon's Bo Sein Hman grounds, is in defense of 59(f), which precludes anyone with a foreign spouse or children from assuming the presidency, disqualifying Suu Kyi, whose two children are British nationals, as was her late husband. Article 59(b) of the military-drafted charter states that the president and vice president should be Burmese citizens whose parents were born in Burma. Rally organizers are aiming to keep both articles intact. "We believe these two sections should be present. We heard that the amendment or suspension of Article 59(f) would be discussed in the Parliament to allow Suu Kyi to become president. We're worried that would stop Parliament and lead to a military coup," Win Ko Ko Latt said. As negotiations between the NLD and the military continue behind closed doors, one notion first floated late last year centers on the possible suspension of the clause. Opinions are divided on whether this has currency, with several military representatives expressing their opposition to such a move. On Tuesday, Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing appeared to hose down suggestions of any moves to sidestep the charter in the near-term. "[N]ecessary provisions should be amended at an appropriate time in accordance with the chapter XII of the constitution," Min Aung Hlaing said, according to the military-run Myawaddy newspaper, as reported by Reuters. Win Ko Ko Latt said the group is currently seeking permission from authorities to hold the rally on Feb. 28 and added that they anticipate collecting a petition with some 1,000 signatures. Former Upper House lawmaker Khin Wine Kyi, lawyer Aye Paing and chairman of the Peace and Diversity Party Nay Myo Wai are scheduled to give speeches at the rally. The Myanmar Nationalist Network, as well as some rally speakers, includes supporters of the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, known by its Burmese acronym Ma Ba Tha, which pushed for contentious race and religion protection laws last year. Organizers contend however that they are not against Suu Kyi leading the country. "We aren't objecting to Suu Kyi becoming president. We heard that her two sons and their spouses can seek Burmese citizenship. If Suu Kyi were to become the president in that way, without touching the article, we could accept that," Win Ko Ko Latt said. Outgoing Minister of Information Ye Htut suggested exactly that in an interview with Voice of America last week, though the minister's comment was largely seen as disingenuous. The post Nationalists Plan Rally in Defense of Article 59(f) appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

On the Frontline of the TNLA, SSA-S Divide Posted: 23 Feb 2016 05:00 AM PST Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) soldiers in Kyaukme Township's Kyauk Hpyu in northern Shan State, February, 2016. (Photo: Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy) KYAUKME TOWNSHIP, Shan State — After a bumpy two-day drive from Rangoon, The Irrawaddy arrived in Kyauk Hpyu, Kyaukme Township, to find a village largely abandoned. It was Feb. 18. The day prior, fighting had broken out in the area between the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S). Most locals in the village of around 50 homes had fled to the town of Kyaukme, around two hours away by car, to shelter in monasteries. A detachment of TNLA soldiers had taken up residence in the village and warned us not to proceed any further. Ahead was a conflict zone. Sergeant Soe Naing, surrounded by guns, ammunition and other military equipment, welcomed us into one home with hot tea and a lunch of vegetables and fried beans. "Sorry I cannot give you good food, but this is good for us," the Ta'ang soldier said. "We just got back from the frontline last night." He claimed that six artillery shells had rained down on the village the previous day during a SSA-S attack on the Ta'ang forces. Members of the TNLA sat around the village with tired faces and dirt-streaked uniforms. Some of them slept under the raised houses, while others stayed indoors. On Feb. 19, some soldiers took us to Kyaukme Township's Ton San village where ethnic Palaung (Ta'ang) Buddhist monks were preparing for a traditional prayer ceremony for those killed during the clashes. The TNLA soldiers did not provide details on the number of troops killed during almost two weeks of fighting. "Both sides have many causalities," said a soldier known as Col. Robert. "Reports on the ground have not yet come in detail." 'They Shot Us, We Shot Back' Col. Robert described an operation by the TNLA on Feb. 7 to take a SSA-S base, known as Loi Rin, during which civilians quickly found themselves in the firing line. The base is situated in Kyaukme Township and surrounded by four villages, Nyaung Maung, Nyaung Pang Hla, Ja Dee Houng and Ja Dee Jan. "They shot us, we shot them back. It was very big fighting," Robert said. "I went to hide in a house… then I heard some women were shouting and asking for help. There were six female school teachers and they were locked in a house and were almost killed amid the fighting." The women were escorted to a monastery for their safety, he said. Fierce fighting in the area, which Robert said continued until Feb. 17 and spread to other villages in the township including Tauk San, caused hundreds of civilians to flee their homes. "We considered the villagers, therefore we ordered our troops to withdraw," he said. "We have sympathy for the villagers who have fled. The [SSA-S] came to control our areas, therefore we had to launch a military offensive against them." The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that as of Feb. 16, 3,330 people were displaced in Kyaukme Township and over 1,000 were displaced in Namkham Township. Fighting between the two armed groups first flared in November last year, one month after the signing of the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement. The SSA-S was one of eight armed groups to sign the pact, while the TNLA was excluded by the government from the negotiations. A Villager's View of the TNLA Some Palaung villagers have mixed feelings about the armed group that claims to defend them. Mai Soe Maung, a 28-year-old ethnic Palaung community leader in the isolated village of Myo Thit in Kyaukme Township, said the TNLA offers villagers protection, but in turn seeks tangible support. This not only includes extracting a tax from villagers but also demanding that one male member of each family serve in the Ta'ang force. When the TNLA are not present, the villagers feel they need their protection, said Mai Soe Maung. "But when we have it, they don't treat the locals well enough." Myo Thit is famous for its high quality tea on the back of which many locals have earned their living. But in recent months, in light of conflict and tensions, many have sought work in China. The village is now eerily quiet. The families of the young men and boys who join the TNLA still have to support them, Mai Soe Maung said. "The people here are poor. If they have to buy a phone for their children, they owe a debt for it," he says. TNLA troops used to stay inside the village, according to Mai Soe Maung, but problems arose when soldiers were inebriated. "They have guns, but our villagers have no guns. They have the power when there is a problem. Therefore we make them stay outside the village now," he said. "I do my best when they ask for help. But I feel very sad sometimes when their men on the ground treat [us] badly. "I feel sometimes that I just want to leave my village. But I need to stay tolerant as I need to do more for the development of my community." Negotiations The Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) has offered to mediate between the two ethnic armed groups and the conflict was discussed at a recent meeting of armed groups in Thailand's Chiang Mai under the United Nationalities Federal Council alliance. The TNLA is a member of the grouping but the SSA-S is not. "We will see what results will come out of the negotiations [facilitated by the] SSPP and UNFC. Then we will decide what we should do next," said Robert. President's Office Minister Aung Min also met with representatives of the Restoration Council of Shan State, the political wing of the SSA-S, on Monday evening in Chiang Mai, and reportedly urged for tensions to be scaled back. Members of the TNLA have alleged that the SSA-S was cooperating with the Burma Army during military operations, claims the Shan armed group has stridently denied. "If the government told them to go back to their place, there would be no more problems here," said Robert, who stressed that the conflict was between armed groups, not between the Palaung and Shan people.  "This is just a military issue, not an ethnic issue," he said. The post On the Frontline of the TNLA, SSA-S Divide appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

To Court or Clamp Down? The NLD and Burma’s Cronies Posted: 23 Feb 2016 02:10 AM PST Asia World port terminal seen in Rangoon, December 8, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — With the National League for Democracy (NLD) set to take power on April 1, political and economic observers will be closely watching for change, including whether the rampant cronyism that dogged the country for decades under successive military-backed administrations, will continue unchecked. While it is no secret that Burma's top brass has long had a cozy relationship with the country's so-called cronies, neither is the NLD immune from the advances of the financially powerful. Take Tay Za, a Burmese business tycoon who has for years had close ties with former military generals but who also reportedly sponsored two recent trainings for NLD lawmakers, backed by the Asia Green Development Bank, owned by the tycoon. Then there is Zaw Zaw, chairman of the Max Myanmar Group of Companies, who has allegedly helped to foot the bill for NLD party activities despite his military-friendly history. Khine Maung Yi, a former Lower House lawmaker and a central executive committee member of the National Democratic Force, said that cronies have had an outsized influence on politics for the last five years, and that the trend only seems set to persist. Government officials such as commerce minister Win Myint and sports minister Tint Hsan, as well as lawmakers including Yuzana Htay Myint and Zay Kabar Khin Shwe, "have close links to businessmen, so they can easily approve some national projects for such people—building Wunna Theikdi Stadium [one of the largest stadiums in Naypyidaw], for instance, went to Max Myanmar Group of Companies," Khine Maung Yi told The Irrawaddy. "Over the last five years, even some opposition party members were in business with cronies, some of whose donations were visible and some not. That's why I'm saying that this practice of cronyism will only continue under the new government," he said. Sein Win, former managing editor of Mizzima News and the executive director of the Myanmar Journalism Institute, echoed Khine Maung Yi's thoughts, though he also expressed some optimism ahead of what is billed as a new political era. "The NLD has announced that they will focus on anti-corruption, so it is believed they won't keep up the practice of cronyism," Sein Win said. In December, the NLD released its economic policy, stressing five pillars: fiscal prudence, lean and efficient government, revitalizing agriculture, monetary and fiscal stability and creating a functioning infrastructure. The NLD at the time also emphasized that its policy will comply with domestic laws and that it is consistent with international human rights standards for the improvement of foreign direct investment (FDI). Still, Yan Myo Thein, a political analyst, said that the NLD's economic policy fails to mention how it will address cronyism, which he believes is a glaring omission. "There should be a detailed plan for handling the issue. If there is a good economy policy and anti-corruption [measures], these cronies will [be forced to] change," he said. Cronies will continue to exert influence, he added, "If the government doesn't prepare for these issues." Yet the issue is not so clear-cut. Maung Mg Soe, an economist, has a different outlook; contending that crony businessmen might be important for Burma's development. "I don't accept that all cronies are opportunists. There might be good businessmen out there who want to change and support the new government. We shouldn't neglect or rebuke them, because we could use them to spur the country's growth," Maung Mg Soe said. "The NLD should create better policies for these types of people." According to the World Bank, Burma's GDP has increased dramatically since 2011 and is estimated to reach 8.5 percent growth by the end of the current fiscal year. The post To Court or Clamp Down? The NLD and Burma's Cronies appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Door to NCA Still Open, Aung Min Tells UNFC Members in Chiang Mai Posted: 23 Feb 2016 12:09 AM PST President's Office minister Aung Min following a meeting with the United Nationalities Federal Council in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, on Monday evening. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — President's Office minister and Burma's chief peace negotiator Aung Min held a series of meetings with ethnic leaders in northern Thailand's Chiang Mai this week, including representatives of an ethnic alliance whose members remain outside the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA). On Monday, Aung Min met representatives of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), accompanied by former lieutenant general Khin Zaw Oo and advisors from the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC). The President's Office minister also met separately with members of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) whose armed wing, the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), has recently clashed with the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), a UNFC member. Aung Min initially requested to meet with UNFC member groups separately, an approach rejected by the alliance who insisted on meeting as a body. "We came to see our friends and briefed them on updates regarding the NCA process," Aung Min told reporters after the meeting. He said the door was still open for non-signatory groups to sign the agreement concluded in October last year. "We have to try step by step," he said. Current UNFC members, which include the Kachin Independence Organization and the Shan State Army-North, rebuffed the so-called nationwide pact on the grounds that it was not inclusive of all ethnic armed groups. The alliance suspended two of its members, the Chin National Front and the Pa-O National Liberation Organization, after they signed the agreement. Another signatory, the Karen National Union (KNU), left the alliance prior to the NCA signing. "We generally talked about how we could proceed in the future to finish up our work [on the peace process]," said UNFC general secretary Khu Oo Reh following the dialogue. Hla Maung Shwe of the MPC said further meetings may be scheduled this week as the government delegation will remain in Chiang Mai for a few more days. During a brief meeting with RCSS representatives on Monday, Aung Min urged for the reduction of tensions with the TNLA, according to spokespersons for both parties. "We would also be able to help if they ask us, for a venue [for dialogue] and other issues. The minister would be able to join," said Hla Maung Shwe, while adding that the government's capacity to intervene was limited, as the opposing forces included a signatory and non-signatory armed group. The TNLA has previously accused the SSA-S of cooperating with the Burma Army during military operations, a charge the Shan armed group has repeatedly denied. Khin Zaw Oo met separately with RCSS chairman Yawd Serk on Tuesday morning. No details of the meeting were officially disclosed. The post Door to NCA Still Open, Aung Min Tells UNFC Members in Chiang Mai appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Meteorologist Warns of Irrawaddy River Floods Posted: 23 Feb 2016 12:03 AM PST Flood victims in the Irrawaddy Delta on August 6, 2015, after rivers reached dangerously high levels throughout the country. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) A prominent Burmese meteorologist warned of more flash floods throughout Burma after unseasonal rains caused rising river levels near the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina on Monday. Following a prediction from Burma's meteorology department that unseasonal downpours could occur in the coming week, meteorologist Tun Lwin wrote on his Facebook page Monday night that Kachin State had already experienced more than one inch of unexpected rainfall. The precipitation fell upstream from the N'mai River in the northwestern reaches of Burma. According to reports from Kachin news agencies, a sudden surge in water levels inundated some shops at the confluence of the N'Mai and Mali rivers, which then form the Irrawaddy River, Burma's largest waterway. He also explained how ongoing environmental degradation could increase the volume of water that ends up in the Irrawaddy. "Deforestation in northern Burma [means that the land] can't retain the rain water. Even though it was a small amount of rainfall, the rain water rushed into the N'mai, causing a rise in water level in the river," he explained. "It's a flash flood as well as a transboundary flood, too," Tun Lwin said. "Apart from droughts, we may [also] have that kind of flood this year due to El Niño," he added, in reference to a weather pattern known to cause changes in precipitation and temperature. Kachin State towns situated on higher ground suffered in 2015 when heavy rains caused violent mountain torrents, which Tun Lwin related to the presence of fewer trees and forested areas that could retain the water. During last year's monsoon season, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that over one million people had been "critically affected" by flooding throughout Burma. The post Meteorologist Warns of Irrawaddy River Floods appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

KNU Criticized After Signing MoU on Hydropower Dam Posted: 22 Feb 2016 11:07 PM PST Karen villagers hold a prayer ceremony in 2013 for the protection of the Salween River, as they oppose plans to build large-scale hydropower dams. (Photo: Karen Rivers Watch) The Karen National Union (KNU) is under criticism after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Burmese government on a hydropower project known as the Baw Ka Hta dam. Saw Tar Doh Moo, the head of Thoo Lay Company Limited, a business body owned by the KNU, signed the MoU with Aye Hsan of the Electrical Power Management Department on February 18 in Naypyidaw. When completed, the dam in Pegu Division's Kyaukkyi Township would be capable of producing 160 megawatts of electricity. This electricity would reportedly be distributed throughout Pegu Division and Karen State. Both local civilians and members of the KNU leadership spoke out on social media against the signing of the MoU, pointing out that proper assessments and consultations had not been conducted for the dam, named for its location on the Ba Ka Hta River. "We only heard [about the dam] from news on the internet. We don't know everything in detail. We [senior leaders at KNU's central committee] should know about it," Saw Thaw Thee Bwe, the first general secretary of the KNU, told The Irrawaddy. Saw Thaw Thee Bwe said that the Thoo Lay Company should formally explore the impact of the project before proceeding with an MoU. He explained that protocol required that the results of the research be presented to the KNU central committee before a decision could be made. "After these assessments, the local community, NGOs and environmentalists should get involved to advise on the consequences of the dam. Then we should inform local villagers," said Saw Thaw Thee Bwe. "Now we don't know [enough] about the MoU." Hsa Moo, media coordinator of Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN) confirmed that no social or environmental impact assessments had been carried out prior to the MoU. She also told The Irrawaddy that ethnic Karen villagers around the Baw Ka Hta project feared that the dam would cause them to lose their land. Referencing another local dam project also in Pegu Division, Hsa Moo said locals did not want to have to relocate like those in the areas affected by the Shwegyin River hydropower project. The 75-megawatt Shwegyin dam displaced thousands of people from 45 villages when construction began in 2002 and was later completed in 2011. Those who were forced to abandon their homes reportedly did not receive any compensation. "Local villagers are indigenous people, but they are lacking [a role] in decision making. The Shwegyin dam negatively impacted local people—they lost their land and villages. They became internally displaced," Hsa Moo said. "The dam project should be transparent and accountable," she added. "Local villagers should be consulted and allowed to participate in the decision making process." The Thoo Lay company engages in oil and gas extraction, mining, construction, and car imports. Tar Doh Moo, the head of the company, could not be reached by phone for comment at the time of reporting. The post KNU Criticized After Signing MoU on Hydropower Dam appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Over 600,000 Hopefuls Set to Take Burma’s Matriculation Exam Posted: 22 Feb 2016 11:02 PM PST Girls walk to school on the outskirts of Rangoon, November 4, 2015. (Photo: Jorge Silva / Reuters) RANGOON — The dates for Burma's national matriculation exam for the 2015-16 academic year have been set for March 9 to 18, and a total of 671,431students both inside and outside the country have registered at 1,470 testing centers, state media reported on Tuesday. The Ministry of Education's board of examinations department on Monday disseminated admission cards to all registered students except for those in Rangoon Division, who will receive documentation on Wednesday. According to reports, Rangoon Division tops the list of most registered test-takers, with 109,165 students set to take the matriculation exam next month, while Karenni State, with 4,874 students, has the least amount. Ninety-eight students residing in 17 foreign countries are also registered to sit the exam. The post Over 600,000 Hopefuls Set to Take Burma's Matriculation Exam appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

El Niño Drives Up Temperatures Across Swaths of Burma Posted: 22 Feb 2016 10:25 PM PST Click to view slideshow. ​As El Niño hits the most extreme of its 12- to 18-month cycle, large swaths of Burma have been beleaguered by high temperatures and water shortages. Summer typically does not begin until March, but temperatures are already relatively intense. Meteorologists have predicted that water shortages in many parts of Burma could be ratcheted up by as much as three-fold in the coming months. In Rangoon, temperatures have already soared to 35 degrees Celsius in recent days, forcing people to take shelter under any shade they can find. In Dala, a town across the river from Rangoon, water scarcity is more palpable. Irrawaddy photographers Hein Htet and Pyay Kyaw recently documented how the residents of Rangoon and Dala have been coping with the country's intense weather conditions. The post El Niño Drives Up Temperatures Across Swaths of Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Conflict and Powerful Companies Stoke Land Disputes in Kachin State Posted: 22 Feb 2016 10:15 PM PST A Kachin farmer in Wai Maw Township in Kachin State kneels on a plot of land confiscated from him by a company. (Photo: Thin Lei Win / Myanmar Now) WAI MAW TOWNSHIP, Kachin State — La Laung Daung Nan vividly remembers the last day of April 2015. Alone in front of the two-acre plot of land her family had been allocated in a United Nations-led project, she waited for fellow villagers to turn up. They had been sent by officials and were coming to take down the barbed wire that protected her rubber saplings from the trampling of cows and buffalos. "When they came, I pleaded with them not to do it, that we are from the same village," she recalled, sitting on the bamboo floor of her stilt home with three other aggrieved farmers. Her words fell on deaf ears. The next day, roaming animals seeking pasture left few traces of the 11-month-old saplings. Daung Nan, her husband and 16 others in Naung Chain, a dusty village a 40-minute motorbike ride away from the state capital Myitkyina, are in a legal tussle with village authorities over land they consider theirs, but which officials say is part of the 1,600 acres designated as grazing ground. The villagers say they were not consulted about plans to turn their land into grazing grounds and believe it was a ploy by officials who planned to profit from renting out 300 acres to a Chinese company for a banana plantation. Sa Yaw Haung Khaung, the village administrator, defended the land seizure in an interview with Myanmar Now, saying officials acted according to the law. He played down the impact on villagers, saying the Chinese concession covered only 70 acres for growing watermelons. It would have generated income for the whole village but it was abandoned following protests, he added. On the other side of Myitkyina, in Shwe Aite village, more than a dozen people braved the cold to tell their stories of loss of farmland to this correspondent. Many said the local administrators threatened them with lawsuits for refusing to move to accommodate "village expansion". Others lost their farms to a new college building. Yet some blame the military, including a 65-year-old who was evicted to make way for a telecommunications tower which never materialized. In December 2015, civil society group Land in Our Hands released a report after speaking to more than 2,500 people within 329 villages across six states and seven regions in Burma. Based on their findings, Kachin State has the second largest number of land confiscations after Shan State. These local battles are an illustration of not only of land rights disputes engulfing Kachin, Burma's northernmost state bordering China, but also of the whole country, a largely agrarian nation emerging from decades of brutal military rule where land rights are fragile and victims of injustice have little recourse. Rampant Land Seizures "Land confiscations in Kachin have been so rampant there is little vacant land left. Villagers are too scared to speak up. There are more landless people now and many are struggling to survive," Bawk Ja Lum Nyoi, a fiery political activist known for taking on powerful interests, told Myanmar Now. In Kachin, the land disputes have been fueled by the outgoing Thein Sein government's liberalization policies that have driven up land prices and attracted foreign and domestic investment, say analysts. The renewed Kachin conflict has weakened communities' rights and displaced more than 100,000 civilians, many of whom worry whether they will still be able to access their farmland when peace returns. They accuse the army of seizing swathes of land. Meanwhile, junta-era issues such as a heavy military presence across the state, oppression of ethnic minorities and the unchecked exploitation of natural resources persist. If land disputes remain unresolved they will be detrimental to the peace process and overall stability of Kachin State, activists say. Many are hoping the new government and parliament led by the National League for Democracy (NLD) will help the situation. "We hope the NLD will be fair and come up with good solutions," said Lahpai Zaw Tawng from Kachin State Farmers Network, who has been helping the Naung Chain villagers. "Many farmers do not dare to demand the return of land confiscated by the military. We will have to see if we can push for that under the new government." Land Key to Peace and Democracy Changes in land ownership and use have emerged as one of the key issues during Burma’s political and economic transition, with deep resentment and protests over land acquisitions—often dubbed “land grabs"—for infrastructure, development or large-scale agricultural projects. Up to 70 percent of Burma’s labor force is estimated to be directly or indirectly engaged in agriculture. The sector accounts for 44 percent of the GDP, according to consulting firm McKinsey & Co. All land in Burma is owned by the government but farmers are given land use or tillage rights, making land use a particularly sensitive issue for small-scale farmers who make up the majority of Burma's population of 51 million. Yet these rights are neither respected on the ground in practice, nor provide protection against land grabbing, activists said. The 2015 Land in Our Hands report found 42.9 percent of respondents said they possessed legal documents issued by the government when their land was confiscated. The issue is even more sensitive in ethnic areas. Ethnic minorities make up an estimated 30 to 40 percent of Burma's population, and ethnic states occupy some 57 percent of the total land area. Burma's current land problem is "linked to ethnic conflict," said the Netherlands-based Transnational Institute in its recent report on land issues in the country. "Important questions around access to and control of land are at the heart of the civil war, and unless they are addressed well, real peace is likely to remain out of reach," it said. Bawk Ja, chairperson of National Democratic Force (NDF) in Kachin State who took the powerful Yuzana company to court over a land grabbing case and has been jailed for her political activities, agrees. "Without resolving the land issue, there's no way you can achieve real peace," she said. Ruled By Guns Activists like Bawk Ja and Zaw Tawng are educating villagers of their rights so they are better able to stand up for themselves. It is a long process, however. Shwe Aite villagers like Arr Ti, 65, and Yaing Myaw, 45, remember shaking with fear during a meeting a few years ago when a senior military official came to their village. "He put his pistol down on the table first before telling us we have to move. Then he asked, 'Anyone want to say anything?' I was so scared," Yaing Myaw said. But they've become emboldened in the past year or two. With help from Bawk Ja, they sent letters to central authorities about their cases, and defiantly returned to their homes and farms. "I'm not giving in. It's my land," said Arr Ti, who was asked in 2006 to leave her orchard, which she has owned since 1982. The army told her it was confiscated to build a telecommunications tower, but nothing has been built so far. Land grabs have become so politically contentious that Burma's military-backed parliament set up the Farmland Investigation Commission in 2012, tasked with scrutinizing land grabs. "In just under two years, the commission has received more than 30,000 cases. Of these, only two-thirds have been heard, and in fewer than 1,000 – a mere 4 percent – has it ruled that compensation is justified," wrote Namati, an international NGO working on land rights in an editorial. Many are hoping that the new NLD-led government will keep the promises made in its election manifesto, which include fair resolution of disputes, establishing land tenure security and support for the landless. It also says the party would "strive, in accordance with the law, to ensure the return to farmers of illegally-lost land, and payment of compensation and restitution" and "defend against illegal land confiscation practices". Dr. Khun Win Thaung is an NLD lawmaker in the Upper House representing Kachin State Constituency (11). The former veterinarian lost his government job in the 1988 protests and spent five years in jail. He said his job gave him a unique understanding of the struggles farmers face. "Farmers are our benefactors and I'm aware of the suffering they have endured. We will try our best to resolve these land issues," he told Myanmar Now. Daung Nan and her husband, La Ban Khan Phan, have begun to prepare their land again, while keeping up the fight to save it from becoming a grazing ground. They plan to grow rice this time, in line with the authorities' edict that slow-growing crops were not allowed within the grazing ground. "If we haven't made such a fuss, we would've lost all this land to the Chinese company," said Khan Phan, his hands on the wooden stakes that once fenced off his land. This story first appeared on Myanmar Now. The post Conflict and Powerful Companies Stoke Land Disputes in Kachin State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Deal Reached to End Indian Caste Protests Posted: 22 Feb 2016 09:30 PM PST Demonstrators from the Jat community sit on top of a truck as they block the Delhi-Haryana national highway during a protest at Sampla village in Haryana, India, February 22, 2016.  (Photo: Reuters / Adnan Abidi) NEW DELHI — Members of a rural Indian caste reached a deal late on Monday to end their protests that paralyzed the north Indian state of Haryana and cut water supplies to Delhi's 20 million residents, a protest leader and a police source said. A Jat community leader said protesters had reached an accord with state and federal leaders and would clear road blockades and end their agitation, in which 16 people have been killed and more than 150 injured. "The government has promised to meet our demands and we have promised our full cooperation," Ramesh Dalal, convener of the Jat Arakshan Andolan (Jat Reservation Movement), told Reuters. Dalal said he had appealed to the entire Jat community, which makes up around a quarter of the population of Haryana, to return home after staging state-wide protests to demand more government jobs and college places. A senior police officer said that state leaders had persuaded the Jats to call off their protests. "Our challenge is to keep the law and order situation under control," the officer said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. Days of rioting and looting by Jats had challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise of better days for Indians who elected him in 2014 with the largest majority in three decades. The post Deal Reached to End Indian Caste Protests appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

North Korean Officer: Tensions Rising on DMZ Posted: 22 Feb 2016 09:23 PM PST A South Korean security guard stands guard on an empty road which leads to the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC), just south of the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, February 11, 2016.  (Photo: Reuters / Kim Hong-Ji) PANMUNJOM, North Korea — Tensions have increased significantly along the Demilitarized Zone since North Korea's recent nuclear test and rocket launch, a North Korean military official told The Associated Press on Monday, adding that while he could not comment on operational details, "the reality is that it is touch and go." Though parts of the world's most fortified border can seem like a tourist trap, drawing throngs of camera-happy visitors on both sides every year, to the military-trained eye the Cold War-style standoff along the 257-kilometer (160-mile) DMZ—established when the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty—is an incident waiting to happen. That's now truer than ever, the North Korean officer said, as tensions are escalating between Pyongyang, Seoul and Washington. Thousands of US troops are deployed in South Korea and units based around the DMZ have the motto "Be Ready to Fight Tonight." "People come here and they think it's like a resort. But if you know it better, you know how dangerous it is," Lt. Col. Nam Dong Ho of the North Korean People's Army said in Panmunjom, the truce village where the armistice was signed. Nam said tensions have increased significantly since the nuclear test in January and rocket launch earlier this month. "Something could happen at any time," he said. To stand on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone is almost otherworldly. After crossing through military checkpoints and passing roadside concrete structures rigged to detonate and keep any vehicles from passing—defenses that are also common in the South—the air is peaceful and fresh, and birds can be heard chirping as they fly over a carefully manicured landscape dotted with rock monuments and meticulously maintained historical buildings. But closer to the Demarcation Line that marks the actual border, soldiers stand rigidly on guard, armed and intimidating, often just a few steps away from their South Korean counterparts. On Monday, the surreal feeling at the Demarcation Line was heightened by the absence of anyone—soldiers or civilians—visible on the South's side. South Korea halted tours to its side of the DMZ the day after the Jan. 6 nuclear test, when it also announced it would resume cross-border propaganda broadcasts, which have in the past brought strong recriminations from North Korea. The tours have gradually resumed. A popular observatory where people can catch a glimpse into the North via binoculars was set to reopen Tuesday. Along with restarting the broadcasts, South Korean President Park Geun-hye responded to the North's nuclear test and launch by shutting down a joint industrial park in Kaesong, a city just north of the DMZ, and telling the South Korean National Assembly that if North Korean leader Kim Jong Un doesn't change his ways his regime will surely collapse—predictably outraging the North. North Korea reacted by putting the industrial park under military control, cutting off emergency hotlines with Seoul and—through its state-run media—accusing Park of being a traitor and a "senile granny." "I don't even want to utter her name," Nam said. "I'm just a soldier so I don't know how the situation has changed. But as the Kaesong industrial zone has been totally closed by South Korea, our people and army are getting more enraged." Nam said the broadcasts cannot be heard in Panmunjom during the day, which he suggested was because the South doesn't want them to be heard by South Korean tourists. "But when it's quiet, late at night, you can hear them here," he said. North Korea says it is developing nuclear weapons for self-defense and has the sovereign right to launch satellites as part of a peaceful space program. But both are generally seen as violating longstanding United Nations resolutions. The UN Security Council is still discussing its response, but the United States, Japan and South Korea have already announced new sanctions on the already-heavily sanctioned North. The standoff is likely to get worse before it gets better. Keeping its own military profile high, the United States flew four stealth F-22 fighter jets over South Korea and reaffirmed it maintains an "ironclad commitment" to the defense of its ally after the rocket launch. Last month, it sent a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber over South Korea following the North's nuclear test. South Korea and the United States are expected to hold large-scale war games next month. South Korea's defense minister has said about 15,000 US troops will take part in the annual exercises, double the number Washington normally sends. The two countries have also begun preparatory talks to deploy a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in South Korea. That is strongly opposed by neighboring powers China and Russia, since the radar would allow Washington to reach well into their territory as well. Nam, the North Korean officer, said he remains focused on his duties. But he added that, now that North Korea says it has an H-bomb—a claim disputed by some outside experts—the US might be better advised to focus on negotiating a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War. "On the international stage, the US talks about peace," he said. "But it should not interfere in the affairs of other countries." The post North Korean Officer: Tensions Rising on DMZ appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Wants Leadership Role for India in Asia-Pacific Posted: 22 Feb 2016 09:16 PM PST A ship (top) of the Chinese Coast Guard is seen near a ship of Vietnam Marine Guard in the South China Sea, May 14, 2014.  (Photo: Reuters / Nguyen Minh) NEW DELHI — India's leadership is sorely needed in the Asia-Pacific region, and the United States is prepared to cooperate with India "as never before" on the high seas, a top US diplomat said Monday. The US ambassador to India, Richard Verma, said the cooperation was not aimed at China, even though Washington sees the presence of Chinese missiles in the South China Sea as evidence of the militarization of the area. He also said US Defense Secretary Ash Carter will return to India in April for an unprecedented third visit in less than a year. "I hope that in the not-too-distant future the United States and Indian navy vessels steaming together will become a common and welcome sight throughout Indo-Pacific water," Verma told a group of Indian journalists. The ambassador said ties between the militaries of the United States and India were becoming increasingly close. "Our offers to provide Indian forces with Apache attack helicopters—the most advanced helicopter in the US inventory—Chinook heavy lift helicopters and M777 howitzers are akin to our defense relationships with our closest NATO allies," he said. China accuses the US of militarizing the Asia-Pacific region, saying patrols by US Navy vessels and military aircraft have escalated tensions. Other countries in the region have welcomed the US presence as China claims the South China Sea as its domain. The post US Wants Leadership Role for India in Asia-Pacific appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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National News

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• Anti-drug vigilantes turn to the NLD
• Nationalists plan rally to ‘protect’ 59(f)
• NLD leader warns Speakers to avoid corruption
• Govt, armed group negotiators meet in Chiang Mai
• Complaints committee to address backlog
• Polio program to continue after some miss out
• Palaung MP rejects military demands for TNLA surrender
• Taungtha facing water crisis as wells dry up
• Fears mount for Inle Lake as Myanmar faces drought
• USDP calls on govt to prepare for El Niño

Anti-drug vigilantes turn to the NLD Posted: 22 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST In the midst of a stand-off with local authorities, anti-drug campaign group Pat Ja San is lobbying the National League for Democracy to address the issue of opium poppy cultivation in parliament.

Nationalists plan rally to ‘protect’ 59(f) Posted: 22 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Strident Buddhist nationalists are lobbying against talk of a constitutional amendment that could allow Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to become president. A contingent of students, monks and politicians has applied for permission to demonstrate to protect the military-drafted constitution at Bo Sein Hman ground in Bahan township on February 28.

NLD leader warns Speakers to avoid corruption Posted: 22 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has warned her party's Speakers and their deputies to meet the expectations of the public – and, in particular, to avoid any hint of corruption.

Govt, armed group negotiators meet in Chiang Mai Posted: 22 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST

Complaints committee to address backlog Posted: 22 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST The new Public Complaints Committee, formed yesterday in the Amyotha Hluttaw, will first focus on finishing up the work left untouched by its predecessor before handling new complaints, according to the chair.

Polio program to continue after some miss out Posted: 22 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Health officials are to continue their polio vaccination campaign beyond the official end of the program, which was yesterday, as it emerged that even in downtown Yangon less than half the under-fives eligible had been inoculated.

Palaung MP rejects military demands for TNLA surrender Posted: 22 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST An upper-house MP representing the Ta'Arng (Palaung) National Party has hit out at the Tatmadaw for calling on only one side to cease fire in the clashes that have ravaged northern Shan State.

Taungtha facing water crisis as wells dry up Posted: 22 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST The spectre of drought is already hanging over a Mandalay township, where villagers are being forced to pay K50,000 per load of water as their wells dry up.

Fears mount for Inle Lake as Myanmar faces drought Posted: 22 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Ominous signs of drought and excessive heat are already causing concern around Inle Lake. Reports of a powerful El Niño phenomenon bringing hot weather and low rainfall in its train are disturbing farmers, residents and businesses around the lake.

USDP calls on govt to prepare for El Niño Posted: 22 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Two Union Solidarity and Development Party MPs have urged the government to act in the face of a threat posed by a powerful El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to bring great heat and drought to much of the country.

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The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• World Bank Pledges Ongoing Development Support for Burma
• Parliament in Favor of Continued Discussions on Climate Change
• Despite Road Block, Anti-Poppy Campaigners Vow to March On
• Environmental Network Demands Incoming Govt End Salween Dam Projects
• New Translation Recalls Prison and Politics under Burma’s Junta
• Burma’s Income Tax Code Clarified
• Stressing Unity, UNFC Forms New Team to Lead Peace Dialogue
• Ancient Irrawaddy Delta City Believed to be 2,300 Years Old
• US Rejected N.Korea Peace Talks Offer Before Last Nuclear Test: State Dept.
• Indian Army Deploys to Quell Protests, Water Cut to Delhi
• India Pledges US$250 Million to Help Rebuild Quake-Hit Nepal

World Bank Pledges Ongoing Development Support for Burma Posted: 22 Feb 2016 04:48 AM PST Aung San Suu Kyi received a World Bank delegation led by regional Vice President Axel Van Trotsenburg on Monday. (Photo: NLD Chairperson / Facebook) RANGOON — The World Bank's vice president for East Asia and the Pacific pledged to continue development support for Burma, according to a statement released on Monday following a meeting in Naypyidaw with Aung San Suu Kyi. In the statement, Axel van Trotsenburg reaffirmed the World Bank's strong partnership with Burma as it endeavors to cooperate toward "ending extreme poverty and promoting growth." The vice president met with National League for Democracy (NLD) representatives, including Suu Kyi on Monday, as well as senior government officials in Naypyidaw including Minister of Finance Win Shein and Lower House Speaker Win Myint to discuss the World Bank's support for the country. "[Burma's] historic transformation over the last couple of years has delivered significant economic gains," said van Trotsenburg in the statement. "Between 2011 and 2014, [Burma's] economy grew at an average rate of 7 percent per year, which is among the fastest in East Asia. The country now has the opportunity to advance reforms further so growth will benefit more people across geographical areas, ethnic communities and income groups in [Burma]." Priority issues in the meetings between Trotsenburg and Burmese officials were closing the gap in access to basic services, lessening rural poverty while raising agriculture productivity, generating a competitive business environment, expanding financial inclusion and access to energy, and strengthening public sector governance. In 2015, the World Bank Group created its first Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Burma for 2015 to 2017. The CPF details how the World Bank Group can support Burma along its path to a more prosperous democratic government, the statement said. The World Bank re-engaged with Burma in 2012 and since then has pledged to spur development of the country's economy and infrastructure. The post World Bank Pledges Ongoing Development Support for Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Parliament in Favor of Continued Discussions on Climate Change Posted: 22 Feb 2016 04:14 AM PST Civilians on a flooded street in Rangoon on September 30, 2015. MPs warn that Burma could face an increased risk of both flooding and drought in the aftermath of the El Niño weather phenomenon this year. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) Lower House parliamentarians will discuss an urgent proposal on climate change this week, with some lawmakers urging the government to take preventative measures to address socioeconomic problems potentially caused by the weather pattern El Niño. A proposal for the discussion was raised in Monday's session by Dr. Maung Thin of Mandalay Division's Meiktila constituency. He explained that Burma's public could face more natural disasters, such as forest fires, drought, flooding as well as agricultural and health problems this year, in keeping with meteorological warnings. "The collaboration between current government ministries and non-governmental organizations is needed to tackle current and future problems," he told the assembly. The proposal received the support of 391 votes—well over the two-thirds of votes needed to move forward with the discussion. Nine MPs voted against the proposal and 18 abstained from voting. MPs who supported a continued discussion on the matter warned of a water shortage during Burma's summer, March to May, after El Niño passes its peak period this month. The country's Ministry of Health also warned of the higher temperatures in a public announcement last week. Thein Tun, of Irrawaddy Division's Kyaung Kone constituency, advocated for the proposal, saying that Burma should learn from lessons of past El Niño experiences. Quoting archive figures, he cited a period from 1997-98 in which 18 towns across the country experienced unusually high temperatures while the 15 towns faced severely decreased rainfall. Burma faced severe floods across twelve of its 14 states and divisions in July and August 2015, during the first phase of El Niño. Over 100 people were killed due to floods and landslides, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and 1.6 million people affected. The post Parliament in Favor of Continued Discussions on Climate Change appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Despite Road Block, Anti-Poppy Campaigners Vow to March On Posted: 22 Feb 2016 03:16 AM PST Anti-drug campaigners wait in Waingmaw Township after being prevented by the military from carrying out a poppy eradication mission last week. (Photo: Htoi Awng / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — Anti-poppy campaigners encamped at an army checkpoint near the junction of Sadung and Chipwi roads in Kachin State's Waingmaw Township said Monday they will attempt to continue their mission this week to eradicate poppy fields in the area. "Destroying poppy fields isn't a bad thing, and it doesn't go against the government. If they don't let us go through, we'll hold a prayer meeting again on Tuesday, and then we will go through the barriers Tuesday afternoon with the help of God," said Kham Thu Dam Shung, a campaigner from a local anti-drug group. A group of about 2,000 members, led by local civil society organizations as well as local Christian mission organizations, were blocked by authorities on Feb. 16 on their way to reach poppy fields in Sadung and Kambaiti sub-townships. The vigilante anti-drug campaigners have said they have since been beleaguered by water shortages and sanitation problems. "Our mission is to contribute to the government's plan to eliminate poppy plantations and drug problems. Since we received little support from the government, we now only have God to trust in," Kham Thu Dam Shung added. "If they want to arrest us, we don't care." According to the campaigners, local authorities have said that the reason for blocking them is to avoid potential flair-ups between poppy farmers and members of the group. "The authorities said that destroying poppy fields is the responsibility of poppy farmers and that we just need to educate them without destroying their fields by force. Blocking us is a way to ensure our security," said Naw Taung, one of the campaigners. "We've educated the locals for about two years, but they are still planting poppies and still producing opium. Now is the season to collect the raw opium from the poppy pots, and we doubt that the local authorities are giving time for the poppy farmers." In support of the campaigners, locals gathered at the blocked military checkpoint on Sunday and held a prayer meeting. They also urged authorities to open the roads. Anti-poppy and drug elimination campaigns in Kachin State, driven mostly by local civil society organizations, began about two years ago. The campaigns were temporarily suspended after one campaigner was shot dead and three others injured in January. Campaigners said that about 1,500 acres of poppy fields in Tanai Township and another 2,000 acres in Waingmaw Township were destroyed in January. The post Despite Road Block, Anti-Poppy Campaigners Vow to March On appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Environmental Network Demands Incoming Govt End Salween Dam Projects Posted: 22 Feb 2016 02:09 AM PST A stretch of the Salween River in Karenni State. (Photo: Alex Ellgee / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Save the Salween Network (SSN), a group of nine river protection and ethnic civil society groups, released a statement on Monday calling on the incoming government to halt all projects on the Salween River, which extends through China, Burma and Thailand. "In accordance with the new government's promise to guarantee ethnic rights and set up a federal democratic system, the Save the Salween Network urges the new government to stop all plans to build dams on the Salween River, as they will have disastrous impacts on the lives of countless ethnic communities in Burma," the statement read. "This is not only going to create misunderstanding between ethnic peoples and the new government, but will also have impacts on ethnic armed groups and the current peace process." Saw Tha Phoe of Karen River Watch, a network member, said that the SSN is worried about news of an agreement between the Chinese and Burmese governments on Feb. 2 to build 18 new dams along Burma's rivers, though details of the agreement were not publicized. "The government did not officially release any details about the 18 dams. We just know that there are plans to build dams along the Salween River," Saw Tha Phoe told The Irrawaddy. "We want to know why this is being so hurriedly done when the government's term is ending. When the NLD [National League for Democracy] government takes power, they will have to take care of what the previous government did." According to Saw Tha Phoe, six hydropower dams are already underway on the Salween River: Kunlong, Mann Taung, Mong Ton (Tasang) and Naung Pa in Shan State, Ywathit in Karenni State, and Hatgyi in Karen State. The Burma Rivers Network has said previously that these dam projects, which have a combined capacity of 15,000 megawatts and which are funded by Chinese, Burmese and Thai investors, pose a threat to the future of locals and to the Salween basin's rich biodiversity. "The Mong Ton dam, planned on the Salween River in Shan State, will be the largest hydropower project in Southeast Asia, and will threaten the lives, homes and property of countless communities in Shan, Karenni, Karen and Mon states," the network said. "According to research along the Salween by earthquake experts, the building of dams will have seismically disruptive impacts on major fault lines, and should definitely not go ahead," the network added.  The current Salween dam projects, the network said, are also violating the human rights and indigenous rights of local people. "The Salween dam projects are fuelling tension and conflict between different ethnic armed groups," SSN said. "Government troops are also using the pretext of providing security for the dams to expand their presence in ethnic areas. This is threatening the peace process and the lives, homes and property of local ethnic peoples." The post Environmental Network Demands Incoming Govt End Salween Dam Projects appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

New Translation Recalls Prison and Politics under Burma’s Junta Posted: 22 Feb 2016 01:57 AM PST The launch of the Burmese translation of "The Lizard Cage" in Rangoon on Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. (Photo: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Under decades of repressive military dictatorship in Burma, thousands were jailed for their political activities, including student leaders, politicians, monks, artists and others. Many of the stories of their time spent behind bars have gone unheard. "The Lizard Cage," a novel newly translated into Burmese, offers a window onto the travails of the country's prisoners of conscience. The award-winning Canadian author, Karen Connelly, visited Burma in the 1990s and over the years interviewed several former political prisoners inside the country and along the Thai-Burma border. She was eventually banned from entering Burma under the military regime but "The Lizard Cage," her debut novel, was published in 2005. The book tells the story of a Burmese student leader who was jailed for more than twenty years and held in solitary confinement in the notorious Insein Prison for penning protest songs that were used in pro-democracy movements. He lost contact with his brother who fled from the country to the Thai border following the nationwide pro-democracy uprising in 1988. The book won the UK's Orange Broadband Prize for New Writers in 2007, was shortlisted for the US Kiriyama Prize for Fiction in 2006 and listed for the Impac Dublin Award the same year. It has already been translated into several languages. "My original book was banned here for a few years," Connelly writes in the preface to the new edition. "I once imagined that my book would be translated and published here one day… But I couldn't have said whether it would be published legally." Connelly attended the launch of the Burmese translation in Rangoon on Friday, alongside former political prisoners including The Irrawaddy's English edition editor Kyaw Zwa Moe, National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmaker Nay Phone Latt, and PEN Myanmar chairperson Ma Thida. During the event at Pansodan Scene gallery in downtown Rangoon, Connelly told the audience she was glad that the new Burmese translation could bring this recent history to life. "Prisons were a kind of life-learning classroom [under the previous junta]. We can't exclude the experience from Burma's politics or from history," said Kyaw Zwa Moe, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison as a 19-year-old for his role in student-led protests. "We were banned from writing and reading. But we tried to learn there. If you can come out of prison mentally healthy and physically strong despite physical and mental torture and the terrible conditions, you passed the examination." San Mon Aung of Our Literature Publishing House told The Irrawaddy the organization decided to publish the Burmese edition to let readers know the hardships political prisoners endured under the previous military regime. The book hits stores this week and is 4,000 kyat. The post New Translation Recalls Prison and Politics under Burma's Junta appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma’s Income Tax Code Clarified Posted: 22 Feb 2016 12:10 AM PST Stacks of Burmese kyats are prepared at a bank ahead of being transported in Rangoon on October 19, 2015. (Photo: Minzayar / Reuters) RANGOON — Burma's Internal Revenue Department released a notice on Friday regarding changes to the individual income taxation system for the 2016-17 fiscal year, including specific measures regarding monetary relief and exemptions. The IRD released an official notice in the state-owned newspaper The Mirror that any citizens with an annual income of less than 4.8 millions kyats (US$4,000) will be exempt from paying income tax. It stated that the effective start date will be April 1. However, basic monetary relief and other personal relief for spouses, children and dependent parents will be deducted from the annual taxable income. Income tax will then only be imposed on individuals with an annual net salary over two million kyats (US$1,625) after the deduction, the notice stated. According to the notice, the basic monetary relief for individuals will be 20 percent of their annual income and not more than 10 million kyats (US$8,120).  Personal tax relief of one million kyats (US$812) for each dependent parent or spouse and 500,000 kyats (US$406) for each child will also be granted annually. Life insurance premium fees and social security funds will also be deducted. According to a calculation system in the notice, a rate of five percent tax will be imposed on people who earn between two and five million kyats, 10 percent for those who earn five to 10 million kyats, 15 percent for those earning between 10 and 20 million, 20 percent for those earning 20-30 million, and 25 percent for citizens who earn above 30 million kyats annually. An official from the Rangoon office of the Service Department for Tax told The Irrawaddy, under the condition of anonymity, that the government's tax revenue will not fully reflect the incomes of its taxpayers. The official said that employers are responsible for employees' monthly income tax deduction; the government then generates tax based on "declared" salaries, which may differ from actual income. Burma collected about 4.3 trillion kyats from tax revenue in 2014-15 while about 3.8 trillion kyats were collected in 2013-14. The post Burma's Income Tax Code Clarified appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Stressing Unity, UNFC Forms New Team to Lead Peace Dialogue Posted: 22 Feb 2016 12:03 AM PST Members of the United Nationalities Federal Council at a meeting in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, which ended on Sunday. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — A meeting of ethnic armed groups in Thailand ended on Sunday with the forming of two separate teams tasked with resolving ongoing conflict in northern Shan State and leading peace negotiations with the incoming government. During the four-day meeting in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, nearly 50 leaders of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) discussed developments in the country's military and political affairs as well as the prospects for federalism. One of the outcomes of the meeting was the creation of a five-member "negotiation team" led by Nai Hong Sar, a senior negotiator for Burma's ethnic armed groups. The body will aim to reduce tensions between UNFC member the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), a non-member. "We will try to have both sides, who have expressed a desire to negotiate, meet. A ceasefire is necessary for public safety," said brigadier general Sao Sai Htoo of the Shan State Progress Party, the political wing of the Shan State Army-North, a member of the UNFC. The UNFC in December spoke with SSA-S members about ending the conflict, but no gains were made in cooling tensions. Over 4,000 people in Kyaukme and Namkham townships have been displaced after fighting, which first broke out late last year, intensified earlier this month. "It is not that easy [to resolve]," said Khu Oo Reh, UNFC general secretary. "We have to find out the proper approach to negotiations." The UNFC also restructured its Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN), which now includes 13 new members led by Khu Oo Reh, in preparation for political talks with the incoming government. Some ethnic leaders contend that a genuine ceasefire is hampered as the current government has only expressed a desire to meet with ethnic groups individually, rather than with the entire UNFC body. Burma's chief peace negotiator, Aung Min, asked to meet with some of the strongest armed groups—including the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the SSPP, the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), the RCSS and the Karen National Union (KNU)—in Chiang Mai this week. UNFC members, however, said that they do not want to meet as individual groups. "We will only meet under the UNFC title," said Khu Oo Reh. "And we are against the divide-and-meet policy that the [current] government is using." Current UNFC members are all non-signatories of the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), concluded in mid-October. The UNFC suspended two of its members, the Chin National Front (CNF) and the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), from the alliance after they signed the pact. The KNU left the alliance prior to the NCA signing. Membership applications have been received from other ethnic armed groups, including the active Arakan Army, whose potential for joining the council was discussed at the meeting. Khu Oo Reh said that the UNFC suggested that the Arakan Army merge with the Arakan National Council, which is already a UNFC member. "We formed an intervention committee for them [the two Arakan groups] to help a merger take place no later than May of this year," Khu Oo Reh said. The UNFC was formed in late 2010 to represent most of Burma's ethnic armed groups during peace negotiations with the government. Many UNFC members were also members of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), which led negotiations with the union government during the peace process before it was replaced by a restructured body. The post Stressing Unity, UNFC Forms New Team to Lead Peace Dialogue appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ancient Irrawaddy Delta City Believed to be 2,300 Years Old Posted: 21 Feb 2016 10:00 PM PST Click to view slideshow. Most people know little of Burma's ancient Pyu people but for the ruins of their civilization at Sri Ksetra, Halin and Beikthano in central Burma—the first sites in the country to receive UNESCO World Heritage status. Now another ancient city in Lower Burma's Irrawaddy Delta is believed to be as old as the Pyu sites, the size of which would have been greater than the old royal capital of Mandalay. The laterite stone city covers an area of eight square miles and is located near Taung Zin Village in Ingapu Township, Irrawaddy Division. About three miles into the village lies the site, believed to have been built more than 2,300 years ago during the Pyu period. "As it is a remote place, only monks went there to meditate in the past. In 2008, at the instruction of my senior monks, I started to live in a hermitage here, and conserve the ancient religious buildings and cultural heritage of the city," said Pinna Siri, a monk at the on-site Kyet Pyin Monastery. With the help of people from nearby villages, Pinna Siri cleared the area of brush and in 2009 he invited historian Phone Tint Kyaw to observe the city's ruins. Phone Tint Kyaw came with a team, and after studying alphabets, laterite structures and Buddha images there, he concluded that they might be the works of the Pyu, one of Burma's most ancient civilizations. It was the presence of Brahmi-based script that tipped him off; Phone Tint Kyaw explained that the writing system found at the site is the same as those documented in three other Pyu cities, as well as in Pegu and Danyawaddy in Arakan State. The alphabet was used from the sixth century until the third century B.C. "The Brahmi script disappeared as the empire of King Ashoka collapsed after he died," said Phone Tint Kyaw, referring to the Indian emperor who passed away in 232 B.C. His conclusion is further supported by carvings found at a stupa identical in style to those found at a religious site in Shwe Taung town in Pegu Division. In addition, bricks in the steps were laid vertically in the city, in the architectural fashion of Pyu period. "I assume that that city came to ruins before the fourth Pagan period, before King Anawrahta succeeded to the throne," said Phone Tint Kyaw. "We've found nothing about that city in the historical records of fourth Pagan period and the Mon period. If that city still existed that time, it would have been mentioned in the historical records of Pagan." Lost City by the Sea There were 22 Pyu city-states which existed between the sixth and third centuries B.C. One is described as "Pinle Pyu," which translates to "Sea Pyu." Its location was previously unknown, but Phone Tint Kyaw speculates that the ancient city in Ingapu Township might be Sea Pyu. "In Pyu historical records, there was a city called Pinle Pyu. It was called that because it is located near the sea. I think the old Ingapu city is Pinle Pyu because it is the only city that is the size of a royal city and is located near the sea," he explained. According to the administrative structure of Pyu period, only the monarchs could build large cities; feudal lords were only allowed to build cities half or one-third of the size of a royal city. The city in Ingapu Township was built on a mountain ridge over 100 feet high, to a backdrop of the Arakanese mountain range. The town was designed around pagodas, stupas and water sources. Stone walls were constructed on the left and right sides of city, while vast plains and smaller villages lay to the east. "They built the city systematically. There were sentry boxes on the ridges on the left and right sides of the city and the entrance was built in the middle. So, there was only one entrance for merchants, envoys or enemies to get into the town," said Phone Tint Kyaw. As it covers an area of eight square miles, the city in Ingapu is one of the biggest Pyu settlements after Sri Ksetra in Pegu Division. 'Government Intervention is Needed' Previously, the oldest ruins found in Irrawaddy Division could be dated back to the Ava period, which began in the 1300s. The discovery of a Pyu city which predates the Ava period would have implications for the history not only of the Irrawaddy Delta but also of Burma. Phone Tint Kyaw has called for systematic excavation of the Ingapu site and Pinna Siri, the Kyet Pyin Monastery monk, has called on the government to protect the area. He said that that some people who do not know the historical value of the ancient city have used the laterite blocks to pave roads and have removed ancient buildings to make way for cultivation. "It is important that the government immediately takes care of the old city as an ancient cultural heritage zone," said Pinna Siri. "Even now, a company is reclaiming the land at what was the site of an elephant stockade in the ancient city and it has been destroyed." "I am doing as much as I can, but government intervention is needed right now," he added. At present, there is only one city designated for conservation by the Ministry of Culture as in Irrawaddy Division—Myaungmya. The Naypyidaw Department of Archaeology, National Museums and Libraries studied the Ingapu site in 2013, but have not yet taken measures to designate the ancient city as a cultural heritage site. "Personnel from the Naypyidaw headquarters inspected the old Ingapu city. So far, we have not yet received any instructions for the ancient city," said Thida Win, assistant director of Irrawaddy Division's Department of Archaeology, National Museums and Libraries. In the meantime, Pinna Siri is collecting artifacts discovered by locals at the site. "Locals find earrings, pipes and broken pots while farming. I have asked them to donate those things to me. So far, I have kept around 20 bricks and old pipes," he said. Though there are over 350 ancient cities documented in Burma, the Department of Archaeology, National Museums and Libraries has only excavated materials from around ten of them. Only through the systematic excavation of these old cities will a standardized history of Burma be able to be compiled, said Phone Tint Kyaw. "It is important for a country to have standardized history. Even our neighbor, Thailand, has compiled a standardized history. To write [this kind of] history, we need to systematically excavate and study the old cities. I believe the old Ingapu city would have played a part in the history of our country," he said.  Translated by Thet Ko Ko. The post Ancient Irrawaddy Delta City Believed to be 2,300 Years Old appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Rejected N.Korea Peace Talks Offer Before Last Nuclear Test: State Dept. Posted: 21 Feb 2016 08:44 PM PST North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (front) attends a photo session with the scientists, technicians, workers of earth observation satellite Kwangmongsong-4 in this undated file photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 19, 2016. (Photo: KCNA / Reuters) WASHINGTON — The United States rejected a North Korean proposal to discuss a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War because it did not address denuclearization on the peninsula, the State Department said on Sunday. State Department spokesman John Kirby made the comment in response to a Wall Street Journal report that the White House secretly agreed to peace talks just before Pyongyang's latest nuclear bomb test. The newspaper, citing US officials familiar with the events, said the Obama administration dropped its condition that Pyongyang take steps to curtail its nuclear arsenal before any peace talks take place, instead calling for North Korea's atomic weapons program to be just one part of the discussion. Pyongyang declined the proposal, and its Jan. 6 nuclear test ended the diplomatic plans, the newspaper reported. "To be clear, it was the North Koreans who proposed discussing a peace treaty," Kirby said in an emailed statement. "We carefully considered their proposal, and made clear that denuclearization had to be part of any such discussion. The North rejected our response," he said. "Our response to the NK proposal was consistent with our longstanding focus on denuclearization." The isolated state has long sought a peace treaty with the United States and other parties in the 1950-53 Korean War, as well as an end to military exercises by South Korea and the United States, which has about 28,500 troops based in South Korea. North Korea said on Jan. 6 it had tested a nuclear device it claimed was a hydrogen bomb, provoking condemnation from its neighbors and the United States. Weeks later, it launched a long-range rocket carrying what it called a satellite, prompting renewed criticism. On Jan. 16, Pyongyang had demanded the conclusion of a peace treaty with the United States and a halt to US military exercises with South Korea to end its nuclear tests. But US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said then that Pyongyang needed to demonstrate by its actions that it was serious about denuclearization before any dialogues could start. The Korean War ended in 1953 in an armistice, not a peace treaty, signed by the United States, representing United Nations forces; the North Korean military and the Chinese army. Now North Korea wants those three sides and South Korea to sign a treaty. The post US Rejected N.Korea Peace Talks Offer Before Last Nuclear Test: State Dept. appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indian Army Deploys to Quell Protests, Water Cut to Delhi Posted: 21 Feb 2016 08:30 PM PST Demonstrators from the Jat community sit on top of a school bus as they block the Delhi-Haryana national highway during a protest at Sampla village in Haryana, India, February 21, 2016. (Photo: Adnan Abidi / Reuters) BAHADURGARH, India/NEW DELHI — India deployed thousands of troops in a northern state on Sunday to quell protests that have severely hit water supplies to Delhi, a metropolis of more than 20 million, forced factories to close and killed 10 people. Rioting and looting in Haryana by the Jats, a rural caste, is symptomatic of increasingly fierce competition for government jobs and educational openings in India, whose growing population is set to overtake China's within a decade. The latest unrest threatens to undermine Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise of better days to come for Indians who elected him in 2014 with the largest majority in three decades. As before, the 65-year-old leader ignored the protests—instead giving a speech on rural and urban development in the eastern state of Chattisgarh, unveiling a statue to a late Indian guru and praising a 104-year-old woman for backing his campaign for a Clean India. The federal government deployed 4,000 troops and 5,000 paramilitaries in a massive show of force, and ordered an end to the protests by Sunday night. Home Minister Rajnath Singh met Jat leaders and offered to meet their demands. In Bahadurgarh, on the road west from Delhi, around 2,000 protesters occupied a highway intersection and stopped truck traffic. Shops in the town were closed. "We are here to die," said Rajendra Ahlavat, a 59-year-old farmer and protest leader. "We will keep going until the government bows to our pressure. There is no way we will take back our demands." TV reports from Jhajjar, further west, showed troops fanning out on the streets against a backdrop of burning and damaged buildings—evidence of the fury of Jats who make up a quarter of Haryana's population and number more than 80 million in all. Haryana's police chief said the death toll had risen to 10 and 150 more had been injured. "We are trying to identify the conspirators and take action," Director General of Police Yash Pal Singal told a televised news conference. An official from Singh's nationalist party—which also rules Haryana—said after talks at his residence that it would bring a bill in the state assembly to grant "reservation," or a guaranteed quota of government jobs, to Jats. Water Station Attacked Protesters have attacked the homes of regional ministers, torched railway stations and staged sit-ins on tracks, blocking hundreds of trains. They sabotaged pumping equipment at a water treatment plant that provides most of Delhi's water. "No water available now. Still no hope to get it," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said in a tweet on Sunday. The Delhi government ordered schools to shut on Monday and rationed water supply to residents to ensure that hospitals and emergency services have enough. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, India's biggest carmaker by sales, suspended operations at its plants in the state after the protests disrupted the supply of some components. Modi wants to attract foreign investment to back his 'Make in India' drive to create 100 million manufacturing jobs by 2022. At the current rate India may only create 8 million jobs in that period, by one independent estimate. The post Indian Army Deploys to Quell Protests, Water Cut to Delhi appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

India Pledges US$250 Million to Help Rebuild Quake-Hit Nepal Posted: 21 Feb 2016 08:24 PM PST Children play near a house that was damaged during the earthquake last year, in Bhaktapur, Nepal, January 29, 2016. (Photo: Navesh Chitrakar / Reuters) NEW DELHI — India on Saturday pledged US$250 million for post-earthquake reconstruction in Nepal as the two countries try to heal strained ties following protests in Nepal over the country's new constitution. The assistance, covering housing, health, education and cultural heritage in Nepal's earthquake-hit areas, is part of an accord signed by the countries' foreign ministers during Nepalese Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli's visit to India. Nearly 9,000 people were killed in a 2015 earthquake and aftershocks in Nepal. Nearly a million houses and buildings were damaged. Oli and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated on Saturday a transmission line for the supply of Indian electricity to Nepal under an Indian credit line of $13.5 million. Nepal will use $100 million of the Indian assistance for the construction of 50,000 houses in the 14 districts most severely affected by the quake. Under the accord, $50 million each would be utilized in the health, education and cultural heritage sectors in 31 earthquake-hit districts of Nepal. Oli said the main purpose of his visit "is to clear the misunderstanding that surfaced in the last few months." Political protests in Nepal disrupted the supply of petroleum and other products from India, creating a rift in bilateral relations. Nepal blamed India and its support of ethnic Madhesi protesters for the disruption in supplies, a charge denied by India. The Madhesis called off their blockade early this month, easing severe shortages of fuel, medicine and other supplies that persisted in Nepal since the blockade and a general strike in the south started late last year. The Madhesis in southern Nepal say the new constitution carved Nepal's seven states unfairly with borders that cut through their ancestral homeland. They want a larger state, more government representation and more local autonomy. More than 50 people were killed in protest-related violence in the past six months. The post India Pledges US$250 Million to Help Rebuild Quake-Hit Nepal appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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National News

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• Guns fall silent in Kyaukme, but tension high on the front lines
• UNFC display of unity casts doubt on new ceasefire talks
• Amyotha committee takes aim at resource extraction
• US embassy raises alarm over clashes
• UNFC seeks to broker end to Shan fighting
• NLD leader calls region Speakers to Nay Pyi Taw
• Ethnic unity at the fore in Chin National Day celebrations
• High Court to hear ATM fraud allegations

Guns fall silent in Kyaukme, but tension high on the front lines Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST The fighting may have died down in northern Shan State, but the scars, physical and mental, remain. Tensions are still high.

UNFC display of unity casts doubt on new ceasefire talks Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Government plans to coax armed groups that refused to sign the nationwide ceasefire back to the negotiating table may already have hit a snag, with armed group sources saying they are already headed for a dispute over the format of the meetings.

Amyotha committee takes aim at resource extraction Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST With the country's deadly jade industry increasingly under international scrutiny after hundreds of scavengers were buried in landslides, the Amyotha Hluttaw is taking the infamously unregulated extractive industries sector to task.

US embassy raises alarm over clashes Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST The US embassy in Yangon said it was "deeply concerned" over clashes involving ethnic armed groups and the military in northern Myanmar that have displaced thousands of people, warning that the violence threatened to unravel the country's delicate peace process.

UNFC seeks to broker end to Shan fighting Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST An umbrella organisation of ethnic armed groups has formed a five-member team to help negotiate an end to fighting in northern Shan State that has forced up to 5000 people to flee their homes.

NLD leader calls region Speakers to Nay Pyi Taw Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will today meet her party's Speakers from the state and regional parliaments in Nay Pyi Taw, although they say they are in the dark as to why they have been summoned to the capital.

Ethnic unity at the fore in Chin National Day celebrations Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST As the National League for Democracy presided over Chin National Day in Nay Pyi Taw on February 20, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi called for unity of "all ethnic races".

High Court to hear ATM fraud allegations Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Five foreigners accused of multiple offences of fraud involving the use of fake bank cards or electronic equipment to withdraw cash can be tried together, Yangon Region's High Court has decided.

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