The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Arakan State Govt’s Attempt to Help IDPs Gets Critical Reception
• Betel Nut Sales to Be Curbed
• Efforts to Help Shan State IDPs Hampered in Parliament
• Debate Over Burma’s Household Guest Registration Law Intensifies
• Restrictions On Blacklisted Exiles To Be Lifted
• Rangoon Govt to Shake Up Manufacturing, Electricity Sectors
• Obama to Make History, Stirs Debate With Hiroshima Visit
• Influential Thai Buddhist Monk Too Ill to Face Graft Charges, Say Devotees

Arakan State Govt’s Attempt to Help IDPs Gets Critical Reception Posted: 27 May 2016 06:39 AM PDT Internally displaced Arakanese civilians in Yoe Chaung village, Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State. (Photo: Hla Htay) RANGOON — Despite pledges from the Arakan State government to allocate more money toward helping the state's internally displaced persons (IDPs), some see it as coming up short. According to a Facebook announcement on Thursday, the regional government said that it would spend some 870 million kyats (more than US$732,700) to build temporary schools and to aid families living in the 385 buildings housing the state's IDPs. Min Aung, spokesman for the Arakan State government, said that it has yet to be determined when the plan will go into effect, but that 100 million kyats (US$84,220) will be used to build five schools and that 200,000 kyats (US$168) will be given to each IDP household. However, some have voiced frustration with the announcement as well as skepticism about the plan's potential to actually improve the situation of IDPs. Kyaw Lwin, a lawmaker with the Arakan National Party (ANP) for Kyaukphyu Township, said that on May 11 he submitted a proposal to the state parliament aimed at helping IDPs but that details were not discussed, though lawmakers unanimously supported the proposal. "They should've let us know [about this plan], seeing as how we're lawmakers. But it seems as if they don't care about us," Kyaw Lwin told The Irrawaddy. Kyaw Tha Maung, who lives with his five children in an IDP camp in Ponnagyun Township, emphasized the urgency of the help needed, particularly regarding access to schools. "There has been no help yet with providing schooling. We need this," Kyaw Tha Maung said. Khine Kaung San, who works with the WanLark Foundation, an organization that focuses on rural education, community development and disaster emergency response, said that 200,000 kyats is a small amount of money and that the government should funnel more toward IDPs. "Giving more money to displaced persons would preserve the dignity of the government," Khine Kaung San said. The post Arakan State Govt's Attempt to Help IDPs Gets Critical Reception appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Betel Nut Sales to Be Curbed Posted: 27 May 2016 06:21 AM PDT A seller rolls leaves containing betel nut at a stand in Rangoon. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Just under two months since the National League for Democracy (NLD) came into power, the government is taking bold aim at one of Burma's most iconic habits: chewing betel nut. The Union Government Office announced Friday that there would be a ban on selling betel nut in or near hospitals, schools and government offices. No details were provided on how far from the buildings the ban would be in effect, nor how it would be enforced. "Many people across the country chew betel nut, which is one of Burma's customs. This harms the appearance of government offices, schools, hospitals and towns, and also causes mouth, throat and tongue cancers," the government statement said. "We have therefore sought recommendations about how to reduce and get rid of betel chewing as well as providing alternative livelihoods for betel nut sellers." The government plans to educate the public on the health dangers of betel nut through TV, newspaper and online campaigns, and will take action against sellers in the proscribed areas. They will also put up educational posters at hospitals, clinics, schools and health bureaus across the country. A habit for many Burmese men and also women to a lesser extent, betel nut is chewed for its nicotine-like stimulant properties. Its detractors, in addition to citing the negative health effects, point to the characteristic—and, they argue, unsightly—rust-red stains that result from spitting out juice secreted by the nut. The habit's enduring popularity is manifest in the many red-splotched sidewalks, stairwells and buses in Rangoon and other towns across the country. The post Betel Nut Sales to Be Curbed appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Efforts to Help Shan State IDPs Hampered in Parliament Posted: 27 May 2016 05:57 AM PDT Ethnic Shan children who fled conflict staying at a Buddhist monastery in Kyaukme Township, Shan State, February 2016. (Photo: Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A Ta'ang National Party lawmaker sought to submit a proposal to the Union Parliament to stop fighting in Shan State so that children in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps could attend school this year, but her efforts were denied. Nan Moe, a lawmaker for Mongton Township, said that Lower House Speaker Win Myint would only allow her to make her appeal in the form of a question on Wednesday. "[The government] may not be able to achieve peace for all people in conflict areas, but I want them to help children at IDP camps who haven't been able to study," she said. "[The House Speaker] didn't tell me why I couldn't make a proposal or even why I could ask a question. I went to the Parliament office to ask, but they couldn't give me an answer." According to Nan Moe, thousands of children in northern Shan State have been forced from their homes because of ongoing fighting between the Burma Army and ethnic armed groups, including the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) and Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Children in IDP camps are often prevented from studying because of these clashes. Nan Moe said that some 300 IDP children in the Hsipaw area have not had access to education. "I was sad that I couldn't submit [a proposal] to Parliament. A lot of people from my area expect me to help them," she said. "I feel guilty that I couldn't help them." Nan Moe is not the first lawmaker to face challenges from Parliament when it comes to bringing more attention to helping people in IDP camps. Khin Saw Wai, with the Arakan National Party (ANP), saw her proposal to inquire into how Parliament intends to help IDPs in Arakan State turned down. The house speaker told her that it was unclear whether she was focusing on aiding IDPs or bringing the Arakan Army (AA) to the peace negotiation table. "I made sure I had a lot of facts and witnesses included in my proposal and even sought help with collecting from state lawmakers the number of IDPs, but no success," Nan Moe said. There is much chatter about projects to be included in the government's 100-day plan. While Nan Moe said that she will wait to see if there is a project aimed at helping IDP children receive an education, she admitted that she has yet to hear about any such endeavor. The post Efforts to Help Shan State IDPs Hampered in Parliament appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Debate Over Burma’s Household Guest Registration Law Intensifies Posted: 27 May 2016 05:37 AM PDT Riot police detain a man in Hlegu, outside Rangoon, late April 4, 2014. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — A bill to amend and repeal sections of Burma's colonial-era law requiring citizens to report overnight guests continues to face hurdles in Parliament. Drafted and submitted to the Upper House of Parliament by the Bill Committee in early May, a bill revoking all sections of the original Ward or Village Tract Administration Law referring to overnight guest registration was tabled by elected parliamentarians and military lawmakers from May 20 until May 24. It was met with divided opinions. Maintaining that there was no need for the new bill, military lawmakers said that national security would be in jeopardy if the bill were approved, while National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmakers argued that the new bill aligned with democratic norms and preserved freedom of movement for citizens. During a legislative session on Tuesday, Upper House Speaker Mahn Win Khaing Than said the Bill Committee would take the lawmakers' discussions under consideration when reviewing the draft law. Originating in 1907, modified by the military-controlled Ministry of Home Affairs in 2012 and most recently updated in January 2016, the law requires citizens to inform local government officials when guests spend the night in their homes, regardless of how long the guests stay. Homeowners who rent their houses are also required to follow the same procedure. International human rights watchdogs have criticized the law saying that it gives authorities the right to carry out warrantless household inspections. The human rights advocacy group Fortify Rights issued a report called "Midnight Intrusions" last year, calling on the government to dismantle the law. The report stated that the law represents a systematic and nationwide breach of privacy that was used to hunt down political activists under the military regime and the quasi-civilian government. The new bill proposes removing articles 13(g) and 17 from the original law, which demand that citizens report overnight guests or get penalized for disobeying. The Bill Committee invited delegations from more than 40 local civil society organizations (CSOs) and the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday in Naypyidaw to hear stakeholders' recommendations. Tin Myint, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs told The Irrawaddy that repealing these articles would be a big concern for national security because of a lack of stability in remote and border areas. "Instead of removing these sections, we suggest loosening restrictions," he said. The new bill would also amend one of the qualifications for ward and village administrators— the candidates must have resided in the ward or village where they run for election for at least five years, altering the original law's 10-year minimum. The bill would also specify that candidates must have graduated from middle school, instead of the vague "appropriate education" required under the old law. Thant Zin Aung, chairman of the Forward Institute and consultant to the Rain Maker CSO, said he supported the guest-reporting requirement, citing unstable security in some remote areas of the country. However, he argued that the new bill still lacked details. "Current modifications of the new bill are not enough," he said. "It has to be completely changed." Zaw Min, chairman of the Upper House Bill Committee, told The Irrawaddy that the committee promised CSOs it would take their recommendations into account. "The [practice of the] government is different now. We will respect suggestions from individuals and will not use veto power," he said. Many local CSOs that observed the election process for ward and village tract administrators in January 2016 joined the debate and urged the government to revamp or amend the law in order to ensure more transparency and accountability in the election process. A report issued last week by the Peace and Justice Myanmar (PJM) highlighted that the public's understanding of ward and village administrator elections was "extremely weak," based on a survey it compiled by interviewing more than 10,000 residents from over 2,000 households in different states and divisions around the country. "Only 58 percent of the interviewees were aware of the existence of the law, and a majority of them didn't understand the law," the survey stated. The post Debate Over Burma's Household Guest Registration Law Intensifies appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Restrictions On Blacklisted Exiles To Be Lifted Posted: 27 May 2016 04:46 AM PDT Thein Swe, of the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population, speaks with media representatives on Thursday, May 26, 2016 in Naypyidaw. (Photo: Thiha / The Irrawaddy) NAYPYIDAW — The Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population, as part of its 100-day plan, will relax restrictions on all of those who were blacklisted by previous governments for their political beliefs, said Minister Thein Swe. The minister revealed the plan as he met three media agencies at his ministry on Thursday. "Today people can express their beliefs in line with the law because [Burma] has become open democratically and politically. Restrictions will be relaxed for all of those who were blacklisted for their political beliefs," said Thein Swe. He said his ministry will streamline procedures for political exiles to apply for permanent residence (PR) or citizenship, adding that the changes on entry visa procedures will come within the new government's first 100 days. "Some [types of] visas last for a short period of time. We'll extend [their duration] in line with international norms. [Exiles] today have to fill in forms when they come back and they are also asked for many documents. We are planning to simplify that procedure," said the minister. The ministry was not able to provide exact figures for the numbers of blacklisted political exiles the rule change would apply to, due to the involvement of several ministries that are still reviewing their documents. Under previous governments, ministries and universities also blacklisted those who did not return from their state-funded studies in foreign countries. They will also benefit from the rule change. Providing more details on the ministry's 100-day plan, Thein Swe said he was also going to submit laws to the Parliament concerning foreign workers, worksite safety and occupational health. "If we don't enact a foreign workers law, we will not be able regulate them," the minister said. He added that facts and figures about Burma's religions in the 2014 national census will also be issued, and the ministry was planning to issue ID cards in line with 1982 Citizenship Law, as well as household registration certificates and appropriate ID cards for internal migrants and workers. The 1982 Citizenship Law is highly controversial, particularly for setting up a tiered citizenship structure as well as its use by successive governments to prevent ethnic Rohingya and several other non-Burman groups from gaining citizenship. The ministry also said it was planning to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Thai government on the employment of Burmese workers, organize national level occupational seminars, open vocational training schools to produce skilled laborers and issue government-recognized skill-level certificates. The ministry is also planning to open a migrant workers resource center in the Irrawaddy Delta and in Arakan State. "We have already started some of the tasks in our 100-day plan, and we will be able to start more very soon," said Minister Thein Swe. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post Restrictions On Blacklisted Exiles To Be Lifted appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rangoon Govt to Shake Up Manufacturing, Electricity Sectors Posted: 27 May 2016 04:26 AM PDT People are pictured through electric cables and wires at a street inside Bogyoke Aung San market in Rangoon on Nov. 6, 2013. (Photo: Minzayar / Reuters) RANGOON — Rangoon's divisional government will confiscate unused land in the city's industrial zones and revoke permits from private electricity providers in breach of their contracts, said regional Electricity, Industry and Transportation Minister Nilar Kyaw, of upcoming reforms during a parliamentary session this week. The minister announced on Thursday her intent to continue with the former government's land confiscation plan in Rangoon's industrial zones. In 2014, the previous government issued an order stating that it would confiscate any inactive land in an industrial zone within six months. Later, it conducted a survey and found more than 4,000 unutilized acres on over 2,000 plots. The government then announced that it would confiscate the land in February 2015, but the warning does not appear to have resulted in land seizures in the months since. Tint Lwin, lawmaker from Pazundaung Township, said that speculators had bought land in Rangoon's 29 industrial zones intending to rent or sell it, but not to open factories or workshops. As a result, land prices have risen, deterring foreign investment and hindering the efforts of those who want to develop operations in the region, which is the heart of most of the country's manufacturing industries. Nilar Kyaw said the divisional government formed a survey team last week to assess the situation in nine of the zones and would take further action once the findings were submitted. The minister said the government was also looking into private companies that were hired by the Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation (YESC) to distribute power to local townships. In response to a question about widespread recent blackouts in the commercial capital, Nilar Kyaw said some private electricity companies had breached their contracts and provided weak service. She would not list which companies were negligent, but said the ministry would revoke their permits if they were found to be at fault. The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said Rangoon accounted for more than half of the country's total electricity consumption, and still required some 15 percent more power generation to meet demand. The post Rangoon Govt to Shake Up Manufacturing, Electricity Sectors appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Obama to Make History, Stirs Debate With Hiroshima Visit Posted: 27 May 2016 02:39 AM PDT Japanese protesters hold placards to protest against US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 26, 2016.  (Photo: Reuters) HIROSHIMA, Japan — Barack Obama on Friday becomes the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima, site of the world's first atomic bombing, a gesture Washington and Tokyo hope will showcase their alliance and breathe life into stalled efforts to abolish nuclear arms. Even before it occurs, though, the visit has stirred debate, with critics accusing both sides of having selective memories, and pointing to paradoxes in policies relying on nuclear deterrence while calling for an end to atomic arms. The two governments hope Obama's tour of Hiroshima, where an atomic bomb dropped on Aug. 6, 1945, killed thousands instantly and some 140,000 by the year's end, will highlight a new level of reconciliation and tighter ties between the former enemies. Aides say Obama's main objective in Hiroshima, where he will lay a wreath at a peace memorial, is to showcase his nuclear disarmament agenda. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 for what many said were eloquent speeches on the topic. Obama has said he will honor all who died in World War II when he visits Hiroshima, accompanied by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but will not apologize for the bombing of Hiroshima. The city of Nagasaki was hit by a second nuclear bomb on Aug. 9, 1945, and Japan surrendered six days later. A majority of Americans see the bombings as having been necessary to end the war and save lives, although some historians question that view. Most Japanese believe they were unjustified. "I'm coming, first and foremost, to remember and honor the tens of millions of lives lost during the Second World War. Hiroshima reminds us that war, no matter the cause or countries involved, results in tremendous suffering and loss, especially for innocent civilians," Obama said in written responses to questions published in the Asahi newspaper on Friday. The White House debated whether the time was right for Obama to break a decades-old taboo on presidential visits to Hiroshima, especially in an election year. But Obama's aides defused most negative reaction from military veterans groups by insisting he would not second-guess the decision to drop the bombs. "I will not revisit the decision to use atomic weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but I will point out that Prime Minister Abe and I coming to Hiroshima together shows the world the possibility of reconciliation—that even former adversaries can become the strongest of allies," Obama told the Asahi. 'Good Allies' World War II flying ace Dean "Diz" Laird, 95, who shot down Japanese fighters and dropped bombs on Tokyo, said he was pleased both that Obama was going to Hiroshima and that he would offer no apology. "It's bad that so many people got killed in Hiroshima, but it was a necessity to end the war sooner," said Laird, the only known US Navy pilot to shoot down both German and Japanese planes during the war. "I believe in at least showing the Japanese that we care because they are now our good allies." Laird suggested the time was past when Japan had to keep atoning for its wartime history: "There were a lot of atrocities but that war is over." Critics argue that by not apologizing, Obama will allow Japan to stick to the narrative that paints it as a victim. Abe's government has affirmed past official apologies over the war but said future generations should not be burdened by the sins of their forebears. China and South Korea, which suffered from Japan's wartime aggression, often complain Tokyo has not atoned sufficiently. "Given Hiroshima's sensitive identity, the Japanese government is trying to use the historic visit to highlight Japan's image of a 'war victim,' while downplaying its role as an aggressor in World War II," China's state news agency Xinhua said. "… Obama's Hiroshima visit should not be used as an occasion to whitewash Japan's atrocities in World War II." Atomic bomb survivors have said an apology from Obama would be welcome but their priority is ridding the world of nuclear arms, a goal that seems as elusive as ever. Some also worried insistence on an apology would keep Obama from visiting at all. "We're still 10 years from the possibility of a [US] president issuing an apology," said Kenji Ishida, a 68-year-old Hiroshima resident and taxi driver who was born two years after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. "Japan has to apologize for Pearl Harbor, too, if we're going to say the US must apologize," he said. Anti-nuclear activists hope Obama's visit will breathe life into a stalled process while critics argue the president has made scant progress and is spending heavily to modernize the US atomic arsenal. Japan, despite advocating disarmament, relies on the US nuclear umbrella for extended deterrence. The post Obama to Make History, Stirs Debate With Hiroshima Visit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Influential Thai Buddhist Monk Too Ill to Face Graft Charges, Say Devotees Posted: 27 May 2016 02:35 AM PDT Buddhist monks walk from Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple to Khlongluang provincial police station to show support for Phra Dhammachayo, the Buddhist abbot charged with graft, north of Bangkok on May 26, 2016. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — A stand-off in Thailand between investigators and a powerful Buddhist sect intensified on Thursday after its influential abbot failed to appear at a police station to answer graft charges because followers said he had fainted. Temples and monasteries in mainly Buddhist Thailand have been rocked by sex and money scandals, prompting widespread calls for reform. The country's political divisions have also created fissures within the religion. Phra Dhammachayo, abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, missed a Thursday deadline from the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) to turn himself in to face charges of money-laundering and receiving illegal donations. "If he was to come now, it would risk his life," Ongart Thammanita, a spokesman for Dhammakaya's followers, told reporters. "Doctors will need to treat him first." Earlier, hundreds of orange-robed monks and other Dhammakaya followers walked from the temple complex north of Bangkok to gather outside a nearby police station where the abbot was due to report. Citing ill health, Phra Dhammachayo has failed to show up for questioning several times, leading authorities to issue an arrest warrant last week. The wealthy Dhammakaya sect, which claims millions of adherents worldwide, has been dogged by allegations of corruption, which it has steadfastly denied. The temple said in a statement on Sunday that Phra Dhammachayo had not left the complex for eight years because of ill health and the DSI could read the charges to the abbot on his sick bed on Wednesday. The DSI offered to release the abbot on bail if he reported to the station on Thursday, where an ambulance and doctors waited to take him to a hospital. The DSI told reporters it had yet to decide its next step but would need a search warrant to enter Dhammakaya's complex, which is dominated by a giant stupa shaped like a UFO. The temple has said it would not obstruct security officers if they came to arrest the abbot but could not prevent his followers from doing so. "Any intervention by a third party would result in a less than desirable outcome," it said in the statement. The ruling junta will want to avoid a repeat of a confrontation in February, when soldiers scuffled with monks protesting against what they called state interference in religious affairs. The leading candidate for the role of the supreme patriarch, the spiritual head of Thailand's 300,000 monks, has ties to the Dhammakaya sect. The selection process has become a proxy for the color-coded politics that the junta has quashed since seizing power in 2014. The post Influential Thai Buddhist Monk Too Ill to Face Graft Charges, Say Devotees appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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National News

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• Former MPs: Where are they now?
• Could water taxis solve Yangon’s traffic?
• Health ministry looks for 1000 doctors
• Isolated Kachin villages face food shortages due to rain
• With increase of patients, doctors want data on gastric disease
• Falam township runs dry
• Shakeup planned for peace joint committee
• Resource extraction data needed, MP says
• Animal lovers collect signatures to stop dog poisoning
• MPs scrape together education plan for IDP children

Former MPs: Where are they now? Posted: 26 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Hundreds of politicians – most of them from the National League for Democracy – took their seats in parliament for the first time on January 31 following their victories in the November 2015 election.

Could water taxis solve Yangon’s traffic? Posted: 26 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Introducing water taxis could relieve Yangon city congestion, a region MP told parliament yesterday in what some saw as the latest far-fetched proposal to solve the traffic issue.

Health ministry looks for 1000 doctors Posted: 26 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT The Ministry of Health is direly short on doctors, and a new plan to recruit 1000 more will barely begin to staunch the gap, according to government officials.

Isolated Kachin villages face food shortages due to rain Posted: 26 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Non-stop rain in northern Kachin State has led to food shortages as damaged infrastructure has made remote townships unreachable, MPs told parliament yesterday. Over 6000 people could be without access to food if roads and bridges are not urgently repaired.

With increase of patients, doctors want data on gastric disease Posted: 26 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Doctors fear a highly spiced country diet could be contributing to the spread of colitis, a painful gastric disease that appears to be increasing, particularly in rural areas. Health experts say they are braced for a rise in the number of cases.

Falam township runs dry Posted: 26 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT The agriculture ministry cannot supply Falam township, Chin State, with water, the deputy agriculture minister told parliament on May 26. Replying to a question from local MP Zone Hlal Htan, U Tun Win told the Amyotha Hluttaw, "There is no plan at present to supply water to Falam's urban area by piping from Laiva Dam." The deputy minister was speaking on behalf of the Chin State government.

Shakeup planned for peace joint committee Posted: 26 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Members of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee will be swapped out during a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw today that will be attended by the state counsellor.

Resource extraction data needed, MP says Posted: 26 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Data will be collected for the conservation of Myanmar's natural resources in line with the law, the Amyotha Hluttaw's natural resources and environmental conservation committee has announced.

Animal lovers collect signatures to stop dog poisoning Posted: 26 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Killing dogs violates the precepts of Buddhism, a leading monk has told the regional government as part of a sustained effort by activists to stop the city authorities poisoning strays.

MPs scrape together education plan for IDP children Posted: 26 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Barred from seeking government action in parliament, a Shan State MP is working with local communities to help ensure that the children of families displaced by the fighting receive an education.

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Shan Herald Agency for News

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Aung San Suu Kyi urged to halt Norwegian backed dam in Shan State Posted: 27 May 2016 04:30 AM PDT On Thursday, a coalition of three Shan organizations sent an open letter to Burma's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, urging her to put a stop to a series of planned dams on northern Shan State's Namtu River. The Norwegian state owned company, Statkraft Norfund Power Invest or SN Power, concluded an MOU for a project known as the Middle Yeywa dam with the previous government in July 2014. This dam is set to be built in a location that has been identified as "seismically hazardous" because it is close to the Kyaukyan fault line. The three groups behind the statement, the Shan Human Rights Foundation, the Shan Sapawa Environmental Organisation and the Shan State Farmers' Network, say they are very concerned that a study conducted by SN Power failed to take into account the on-going conflict in northern Shan State and how the dam will affect the conflict and whether the conflict would affect the dam. "Fighting was raging in northern Shan State even while the pre-feasibility study was being conducted, but no mention was made of this. Particularly given the recent escalation of fighting in Kyaukme township (directly east of Nawng Khio), where the Burma Army has launched a large scale offensive, with airstrikes, against Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army positions just north of the Upper Yeywa dam site, we regard this as an inexcusable omission," the statement noted. In a report released earlier this year by the three groups the role of the Norwegian government and the state owned firm SN Power, in the controversial project was cited a proof that Oslo was pushing ahead without giving proper consideration to the situation on the ground.   The report claimed that Norway, who is a major donor to Burma's on-going peace process, is "opportunistically partnering with Naypyidaw to profit from ethnic conflict areas before peace has been reached." SN Power dam study overlooks dam impact say activists Sai Khur Hseng, a representative from the Shan Sapawa Environmental Organisation, one of the three groups that issued yesterday's statement, said that he and his team have frequently visited the area where the dam is set to be built and are very aware of the situation on the ground. "All the villages in those areas will be under the water when the dam is built," Sai Khur Hseng warned.  Sai Khur Hseng says that SN Power has a duty to disclose this information to villagers who will be affected by the project.  "If they did a survey, they should report it to the public. But, this has never been published," he explained. According to the statement the survey conducted by SN Power overlooked many of the impacts that the Yeywa dam and the other dams slated to be built on the Namtu River will have on the environment and the community.  The statement noted that the "Initial Environmental and Social Impact Assessment only focused on the section of the river where the Middle Yeywa dam and its reservoir are planned. There is no consideration of the cumulative impacts of the cascade of five dams on the river, which is going to drastically alter the ecology of the river, and all those living along it. It is thus very misleading that the study states that a baseline for "all key environmental aspects" has been established," and that the "River and inundated not a major source of food or resource." Reached for comment Sai Kheun Mai, of the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF), told SHAN that many villages will likely be flooded by the dam.  In one village alone more than 100 homes and about 200 fields are expected to be entirely submerged when the Upper Yeywa Dam is completed. "There are 118 houses in Tarlong village and 472 residents will be affected by the dam," he said. "All of their fields will be damaged." The groups say they want the Upper Yeywa Dam and other dam projects on the Namtu River to immediately be halted. "Any future plans for hydropower development on the Namtu River must involve a transparent strategic impact assessment along the entire river," said the statement. The Middle Yeywa dam is one of four planned hydropower projects that are planned for the Namtu River. It is estimated that the Middle Yeywa dam will have the capacity to generate more than 700 megawatts of power. BY SAI AW / Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)

Bold and decisive moves needed from the NLD Posted: 27 May 2016 01:28 AM PDT The now much talk about 21st Century Panglong Convention, initiated by Aung San Suu Kyi, is literally confronted with the military's notion of national  reconciliation, which is embedded in negotiated surrender and/or total annihilation of the ethnic resistance armies, coupled with continued Bamar supremacy tendency on one hand; and the hazy federalism promises of the NLD, which no one knows what it really has in store, for failing to spell out clearly on how the party envisioned federal union should look like, on the other hand. But her treatment of the ethnic nationalities armed and unarmed as not being so important or insignificant was viewed as a betrayal to the common cause and not taken lightly. Suu Kyi has only negotiated intensively with the military regarding national reconciliation, but not with ethnic nationalities so far, even it has all along been agreed that the three most important stakeholders – the military, NLD and the ethnic groups – should interact with each other. This dissatisfaction is compounded by the 8 States versus 14 States and Divisions/Regions controversy, as the NLD's top leadership have shown, on several occasions, that they were on the same page with the USDP-Military clique. This in turn lead to the suspicion of Suu Kyi and the NLD being on the same boat with the military, where policies related to the pursuing of Bamar ethnocentrism and denial of national equality for the ethnic nationalities are concerned. As such, it is not a wonder that the ethnic nationalities rank and file are so reluctant and even pessimistic of the Suu Kyi initiated Panglong-like convention that is supposed to take place in a month or two. Given such a backdrop, only a bold initiative of Suu Kyi would be able to dispel such  distrust. Firstly, it should make a declaration of NLD position on federal union, which is in line with the 1947 Panglong Agreement, 1947 Union of Burma Constitution and Ethnic Federal Proposal of 1961. Of course with necessary innovation to be in tune with the present political reality. Secondly, a unilateral ceasefire declaration of the government should follow, as it is the only way to create a level playing field, where non-signatory ethnic armed groups could participate, in an all-inclusive manner. But whether the military will cooperate or come on board for such decisive bold action will be totally dependent on how Suu Kyi would negotiate and handle the situation, as half-measure undertakings like those of the former Thein Sein regime would bring the country nowhere, but only continued warfare and heightened ethnic tension.

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The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Police Allegedly Beat and Extort Villager in Arakan State
• Mandalay Will Appoint Court Ombudsman
• Philippine Death Squads Very Much in Business as Duterte Set for Presidency
• Cambodia PM Sets 2018 Election Date, Opposition Faces Legal Charges
• Dreams of Riches, Risk of Death: A Jade Miner’s Life

Police Allegedly Beat and Extort Villager in Arakan State Posted: 26 May 2016 07:24 AM PDT Police attend a session on ‘Service-Oriented Policing’ in Rangoon on May 21. (Photo: Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Four police officers allegedly assaulted and extorted 100,000 kyats (US$85) from a resident of Kyan Khin village on Phayonka Island, located within Pauktaw Township of Arakan State. The police officers beat and handcuffed the victim, Aye Thein Chay, 37, before demanding the bribe as a condition of his release, according to the testimony of a local resident and a state parliamentarian. Aung Kyaw Htwe, an Arakan National Party (ANP) lawmaker representing Pauktaw Constituency (2) in the Arakan State parliament, spoke with The Irrawaddy on Thursday. He claimed that Aye Thein Chay was not guilty of any crime, but that Lt-Corp Than Htun and three other police officers had punched him and knocked him down. At midnight on May 25, Aye Thein Chay was admitted to Pauktaw's hospital for medical treatment. A case was filed on his behalf at the Pauktaw Township police station. The ANP's Aung Kyaw Htwe said the township police had informed him that the four offending police officers had already been summoned to the station, and would be charged with unethical conduct. Aung Kyaw Htwe cited the words of Burma's police chief Zaw Win, who had held a meeting at the office of the Rangoon Division government on Saturday to discuss the policies included in the police's new 100-day plan. The police in Burma operate under the military-controlled Ministry of Home Affairs. In response to the recent death of a suspect in police custody in Thaton town of Mon State, police chief Zaw Win warned his junior officers against "brutally investigating" suspects—and also forbade the taking of any bribes. "Let us change and leave behind past practices," the police chief had said, acknowledging previous abuses by Burma's police force. Thein Aung Kyaw, chief of Pauktaw Township Police, confirmed that the violent incident had taken place on May 25. He said that, on May 24, the victim Aye Thein Chay had had a confrontation with his wife, Hla Khin Ye, because she had signaled her intention to divorce him. Thein Aung Kyaw said that, as the domestic quarrel intensified, four police officers arrived from neighboring Ngaratvat Chai village, where a police post is located. Aye Thein Chay was drunk and began verbally abusing the police officers in front of the assembled villagers, according to Thein Aung Kyaw. This "humiliation" suffered by the police officers may have prompted them to beat Aye Thein Chay, even though he was already handcuffed, said Thein Aung Kyaw, who played down the severity of the injuries sustained. Thein Aung Kyaw said they had recalled the policemen, but at the time of speaking they had not yet reached the Pauktaw police station—a 30 mile-distance from their sub-station in Ngaratvat Chai village. However, he would not comment on the alleged extortion of 100,000 kyats, and noted that this was not mentioned in the complaint filed on the victim's behalf with the police. Thein Aung Kyaw added that the Pauktaw Township Police had formed a committee to investigate the incident, which will begin its work soon. A local resident of Kyan Khin village, Ngwe Thein Nu, 32, spoke with The Irrawaddy over the phone on Thursday. She confirmed that the victim Aye Thein Chay is still under medical care at Pauktaw hospital. She rejected the allegation that Aye Thein Chay was drunk during the incident. Although Ngwe Thein Nu was not present, she claimed there were many eyewitnesses to the beating—which took place outside a local video hall—and the subsequent extortion of 100,000 kyats as a condition for releasing Aye Thein Chay from handcuffs. She claimed that the police officers had demanded the bribe to cover travel expenses to Kyan Khin village, although they estimated this at only 20,000 kyats (US$17). The Irrawaddy tried to contact other witnesses to confirm the various allegations, but they could not be reached at the time of publication. In October of 2015, a fisherman was allegedly killed by three police officers on Maday Island in Kyaukphyu Township, also in Arakan State. A verdict on the case subsequently filed against the police officers has not yet been reached. The post Police Allegedly Beat and Extort Villager in Arakan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Mandalay Will Appoint Court Ombudsman Posted: 26 May 2016 07:03 AM PDT Mandalay Chief Minister Zaw Myint Maung speaks in Naypyidaw. (Photo: Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — Mandalay Chief Minister Zaw Myint Maung said he would submit a proposal to appoint an ombudsman to the local courts after seeking approval from the regional parliament and central government. The move highlights just one of the reforms discussed during an event held on Thursday where he met with local political organizations, lawyers and rights activists. The idea was proposed by lawyers representing the Independent Lawyers' Association of Myanmar as part of their mission to promote an independent judiciary in the country. "The ombudsman won't pressure or influence the courts," said lawyer Thein Than Oo, adding that the individual in the role would monitor the judiciary during a transitional period and help promote access to justice. "We can monitor whether the courts issue fair charges," Thein Than Oo said. "There are cases in which the courts can drop charges but don't [do so] because of outside pressures, and other cases where defendants are let off with sentences that are too lenient." According to the lawyer, the position is not intended to monitor all court cases but only cases pertaining to political issues, press freedom, land rights, human rights, drug abuses, public tranquility and other proceedings that were handled unfairly in the past. Local activists used Thursday's meeting to voice their complaints about other local government institutions as well, which they say have remained unchanged. "In Meikthila Township, most government offices lack transparency," said a representative of Mandalay Division's Meikthila's 88 Generation Student group. He said people had hope for the new National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government, which took office in March, but that change had not yet been delivered as they had expected. He urged the chief minister to put more effort into reforming government institutions. During the meeting, local civil society representatives and activists asked the regional government to prioritize environmental preservation and the livelihoods of local farmers when considering development plans, reminding officials that many local farmers have had their land confiscated in the past and currently face severe weather and natural disasters. As part of the regional government's 100-day plan, Zaw Myint Maung has held a series of meetings with local administrators, police, civil society organizations and activists. He said he plans to collaborate with them to promote change, but asked for understanding regarding the challenges of solving deeply rooted issues. "To uproot bad behavior and undemocratic practices, we need time and patience," the chief minister said, adding that he would need the people's help, as he anticipates many problems will need to be addressed in Parliament. Zaw Myint Maung also met with a local committee to take up the issue of squatters in Mandalay, saying he would register the squatters and investigate who legitimately needed housing and who could potentially be fabricating such a need in order to take advantage of the government's new relocation plan. He said that under the former government, some squatters were given land and housing which they sold for a profit before returning to live on private or government land illegally. The chief minister added that after a complete record is made of the squatters, the government would have a better idea for a proper solution. The post Mandalay Will Appoint Court Ombudsman appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Philippine Death Squads Very Much in Business as Duterte Set for Presidency Posted: 26 May 2016 02:07 AM PDT Gil Gabrillo, 47, lies in an open coffin in his house after he was shot by motorbike-riding gunmen in Davao, Philippines, on May 16, 2016. (Photo: Reuters) DAVAO, Philippines — On May 14, five days after voters in the Philippines chose Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as their next president, two masked gunmen cruised this southern city's suburbs on a motorbike, looking for their kill. Gil Gabrillo, 47, a drug user, was returning from a cockfight when the gunmen approached. One of them pumped four bullets into Gabrillo's head and body, killing the small-time trader of goods instantly. Then the motorbike roared off. The murder made no headlines in Davao, where Duterte's loud approval for hundreds of execution-style killings of drug users and criminals over nearly two decades helped propel him to the highest office of a crime-weary land. Human rights groups have documented at least 1,400 killings in Davao that they allege had been carried out by death squads since 1998. Most of those murdered were drug users, petty criminals and street children. In a 2009 report, Human Rights Watch identified a consistent failure by police to seriously investigate targeted killings. It said acting and retired police officers worked as "handlers" for death-squad gunmen, giving them names and photos of targets—an allegation denied by Davao police. But a four-year probe into such killings by the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippines' equivalent of the FBI, hasn't led to a single prosecution, and one senior NBI agent told Reuters it will probably be shelved now that Duterte is set to become president. The nation's kustice secretary last week told reporters the probe may not be able to proceed. Such impunity, and Duterte's demands in recent weeks for more summary justice, could embolden death squads across the country, say human rights and church groups. Already there has been a spate of unsolved killings in nearby cities, with other mayors echoing Duterte's support for vigilante justice. "We've seen it happen in Davao and we've seen copycat practices," Chito Gascon, chairman of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), an independent Philippine watchdog, told Reuters. "Now can you imagine he is president and the national model for crime-fighting is Davao?" Ask Clarita Alia, 62, who still lives in the Davao slum where her four sons were murdered, and she gives a mirthless chuckle. "Blood will flow like a river," she says. Denies Directing Killings Duterte, who has been Davao's mayor or vice-mayor for most of the past 30 years, has denied any involvement in the murders. "I never did that," he said on the campaign trail in April, responding to allegations he had directed the killings. An Office of the Ombudsman investigation also found there was no evidence connecting Duterte to the murders. He has, though, repeatedly condoned them. For example, in comments to reporters in 2009, he warned: "If you are doing an illegal activity in my city, if you are a criminal or part of a syndicate that preys on the innocent people of the city, for as long as I am the mayor, you are a legitimate target of assassination." And more recently he has vowed to wipe out crime in six months across the country by killing criminals, drug pushers and "sons of bitches" after he takes office on June 30. "Do not destroy my country, because I will kill you," the 71-year-old former prosecutor told a news conference in Davao on May 15. He has also promised to restore the death penalty in the Philippines, warning he will hang the most heinous criminals twice: once to kill them, then again to "completely sever the head from the body." People here remember pre-Duterte Davao as a lawless battleground for security forces and Communist rebels. The city's Agdao district was so violent it was nicknamed "Nicaragdao" after the then war-torn Central American nation. Today, thanks to Duterte's campaigns against drugs and crime, Davao feels much safer, say the locals. But it still ranks first among 15 Philippine cities for murder and second for rape, according to national police. On Watch for Assassins Reuters interviews with the families of four Davao victims, one of whom was a 15-year-old, showed that murders continued even as Duterte campaigned for the presidency. All four killings occurred in the past nine months and bore the hallmarks of a loose-knit group that the locals call the Davao Death Squad. The victims were shot in daylight or at dusk, three of them on the same street in a riverside slum seething with people. The killers rode motorbikes with no license plates, their faces hidden by helmets and masks. Reymar Tecson, 19, was executed last August while sleeping at the roadside. A week later, Romel Bantilan, 15, was shot dead while playing a computer game less than 30 paces away. Tecson's family said Reymar was a drug user, but Bantilan's family insisted that Romel was clean. Romel had a twin brother, and their father, Jun Bantilan, said he had heard "rumors" that the other boy would be next. Most days Jun sits at the end of the street, watching out for assassins. Nearby, in her tumble-down shack, Norma Helardino still wondered why her husband Danilo, 53, was shot dead in January. He didn't use drugs, she said, although "maybe his friends did." The police filed a report but Helardino said she saw no sign of an investigation: "No witnesses came forward." When asked who her husband's killers were, she pointed to her tin roof and said: "Only God knows." The three dead males in the slum were "noted drug dealers," said Maj. Milgrace Driz, a Davao police spokeswoman. "It is their destiny to be killed because they choose to be criminals," she said. "The mayor has already said there is no place for criminals in the city." Driz described 15-year-old Bantilan as a "recidivist" with a "criminal attitude" who had been repeatedly warned to mend his ways. She said he had delivered drugs for a gang which had probably murdered him over a money dispute. Lack of witnesses meant the three murders remained unsolved despite diligent efforts to investigate, Driz added. Responding to the Human Rights Watch allegations that the police conspire with the death squads, Driz said the police get the names of local criminals through a public hotline but don't kill them. Closed and Terminated Human rights activists say official investigations of death-squad killings have been hampered by a lack of witnesses, bureaucratic apathy and political influence. The Human Rights Watch report called on the CHR to investigate whether Duterte and other officials had been involved or complicit in the deaths. A CHR report three years later confirmed the "systematic practice of extrajudicial killings" by the Davao Death Squad. It, in turn, was successful in getting the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate whether Duterte was criminally liable for inaction in the face of evidence of numerous killings. But in a January 2016 letter seen by Reuters, the Ombudsman told the CHR its investigation was "closed and terminated" because it had found no evidence that Duterte or the police were involved in the killings. The letter also dismissed the death squad as a product of "rumors and other gossips." The CHR report also triggered a probe by the NBI. Four years later, it is still ongoing, an agency spokesman said. However, Secretary of Justice Emmanuel Caparas, who oversees the NBI, told reporters on Friday that the status of the investigation was unclear because a key witness, a former gunman, had left protective custody. "It's really just a question now if the witness will surface," he said. And another NBI source, who requested anonymity because he wasn't allowed to talk to the media, said the probe was now likely to be halted. "Who will investigate the president?" he said. The post Philippine Death Squads Very Much in Business as Duterte Set for Presidency appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Cambodia PM Sets 2018 Election Date, Opposition Faces Legal Charges Posted: 25 May 2016 10:16 PM PDT Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen looks out from a car as he arrives for a Russia-Asean summit at Sochi International Airport in Russia on May 18, 2016. (Photo: Reuters) PHNOM PENH — Cambodia's next election will be in July 2018, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced on Wednesday, as leaders of the opposition face legal charges they say are politically motivated to stop them challenging the veteran premier in the vote. Long before the Southeast Asian nation goes to the ballot box, political tension has risen. The last election in 2013 marked self-styled strongman Hun Sen's toughest challenge in three decades of rule. The opposition, led by Hun Sen's longtime foe Sam Rainsy, accused the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of cheating its way to victory and boycotted parliament for a year. Hun Sen said in a televised speech on Wednesday the next election would be held on July 22, 2018. "I hope there won't be any reason to reject the election results then and make allegations that 1.2 million or 1.5 million votes are missing," said Hun Sen, referring to accusations by Sam Rainsy's Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in 2013 that millions were missing from voter lists. The CPP won the election with a greatly reduced majority and Hun Sen has since reshuffled his ageing cabinet. Critics say Hun Sen is following a two-track strategy: trying to woo back CPP voters while using the judiciary to weaken the opposition. Rainsy has been in exile since November to avoid jail on charges for which he had previously received a royal pardon. Kem Sokha, Rainsy's deputy, faces charges for defamation and procurement of prostitution after recordings of a telephone conversation purportedly between him and a woman were leaked. Legal cases have also been filed against prominent CNRP members and rights workers related to the Kem Sokha case. Last year, two CNRP lawmakers were beaten outside parliament during a pro-CPP demonstration. Hun Sen's bodyguards were tried for the attacks. After the shock of the 2013 vote, Hun Sen had reverted to the legal and physical intimidation tactics used in the 2008 and 2003 elections, said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch. Authorities have also cracked down on civil society groups. Rights group LICAHDO says there are 29 political prisoners in Cambodian jails, up from none a year ago. "This is all a variation on how Hun Sen has run Cambodia since the early 1990s," said Sebastian Strangio, author of the book, "Hun Sen's Cambodia." "A mix of populist appeal and strongman threats, sweetened with a dollop of political patronage," Strangio said. The post Cambodia PM Sets 2018 Election Date, Opposition Faces Legal Charges appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Dreams of Riches, Risk of Death: A Jade Miner’s Life Posted: 25 May 2016 08:18 PM PDT Maung Aye, a miner who has worked in Hpakant for many years, carries a piece of low-grade jade. (Photo: Htet Khaung Linn / Myanmar Now) HPAKANT, Kachin State — For much of the past two decades, Maung Aye's life has revolved around a daily routine that mixes the hope of finding sudden riches with constant danger and back-breaking work. Every morning, the 36-year-old jade laborer gets up in the bamboo shack that he shares with other workers and walks down from the heap of mining waste on which it sits. He goes down into one of the many mining pits that scar Hpakant's mountains and takes out a small hammer mounted on a stick. One by one he taps rocks in the rubble dumped by mining companies, carefully listening to see if the sound could indicate precious jade mineral inside. At the end of a recent, hot April day, he returned to his miners' camp with a rock half the size of a football, which he inspected with a special flashlight and valued it as low-grade jade worth around 30,000 kyats (around US$26). "To get good quality jade depends on luck. Sometimes it is hard to find a jade stone worth 10,000 kyats in a week," said Maung Aye, thin and muscular, wearing a traditional bamboo hat and shorts. Though the money made in treacherous jade scavenging might seem small to some, it represents a good income to the tens of thousands of men who migrated here from poor, rural communities across Burma. "Life is too hard for us in our home village, we can't earn enough income, while we can easily get 5,000 to 10,000 kyats per day here," said Maung Aye, who left his family home in Magwe Division's Gangaw Township, in central Burma, in 1996. He recalled how he decided to go to Hpakant after fighting with his father. "At the time, I told my mother: I don't want to live in this house, please give me money and I will go away. She gave me 25 kyats," he said, adding that he followed his older brother who was already working at the mines. According to a recent state-run media report, there are some 300,000 men like Maung Aye toiling in the jade mines in northern Burma's Kachin State. Local journalists and activists said the numbers of men who migrated here has probably doubled since 2010, perhaps because stories of jade mining opportunities have spread more easily to remote communities in recent years as mobile phones and internet connectivity have become more widely available. An increase in large-scale mining by companies using dynamite and heavy machinery has also increased the amount of rubble available for scavenging. Those who own the companies that dump the waste on which Maung Aye and many like him live, make enormous, unregistered profits. Burma's opaque jade mining industry has been estimated by resource corruption watchdog Global Witness to be worth up to US$31 billion per year and is controlled by hidden license holders mostly linked to the military elite. Dangers and Dreams of Fortunes The migrant miners are aware of the risks they take by working and sleeping near unstable piles of waste. These are dumped by the companies which have little regard for the largely unenforced safety regulations. The new National League for Democracy (NLD) government has pledged to improve safety in Hpakant. Maung Aye is stoic about the dangers and confident he can stay safe after many years in the mines. "I have got a lot of experience and know how to keep away from the falling waste. I was never injured," he said. Deadly accidents are a regular occurrence. A night-time landslide last November buried 114 migrant miners, according to the official death toll. Several accidents have killed groups of workers since then. Most recently, on May 23, at least 13 miners died in a pit collapse. Maung Aye said the November accident occurred near his camp and he saw the aftermath, adding that the number of deaths was probably several times higher than official figures as authorities had stopped searching for buried corpses after two days. "Scavengers and machinery drivers from mining companies died, maybe 300 in total, under waste dumped near the site of Mya Ya Mone Company," he said. The poor men are willing to face such deadly risks as many dream of finding a large, valuable jade stone that will lift them out of poverty. Maung Aye got his break in 2002, making a small fortune by Burmese standards when he and his friends found a jade boulder worth around $7,000. Maung Aye said the gem find turned his life around and he went back to his home village to enjoy his newfound riches and to kick a drug habit he had developed a few months before. Heroin and opium are easily available and used by many workers. "I was so happy at home as I could save and bring a certain amount of money for my family. I drank alcohol almost every day with my friends and forgot about the [withdrawal symptoms] I got from quitting drugs," he said. Yet, he struggled to use his savings to set up a profitable business in his impoverished village and after eight years at home, he returned to Hpakant. He now plans to stay until he feels he has enough income. "I feel life is more meaningful here than in my village; I can expect to make a lot of money. This is our dream as scavengers," Maung Aye said. "I can send money to my family and stay here with friends—but I am lonely." The post Dreams of Riches, Risk of Death: A Jade Miner's Life appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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National News

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• City’s landless to be moved to ‘rehabilitation’ camps
• Jade miners still at work in Hpakant despite landslide risk
• Speaker nixes proposals to debate recent fighting
• IDPs struggle in Kachin resettlement village
• ICRC to build orthopaedic centres in conflict zones
• Mandalay chief to launch liquor inspections
• Report on political prisoner rehabilitation released
• Hluttaws revoke oppressive state protection law
• Monks and nuns to lose wheels
• Monsoon season advances

City’s landless to be moved to ‘rehabilitation’ camps Posted: 25 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Landless , extorted and often violently evicted, Yangon's unofficial tenants will now be shipped into "rehabilitation" camps as part of the new government's plan to address the squatter issue.

Jade miners still at work in Hpakant despite landslide risk Posted: 25 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Hundreds of people were still working yesterday in the jade mines of Hpakant, Kachin State, despite continuing downpours that had triggered a lethal landslide on May 23.

Speaker nixes proposals to debate recent fighting Posted: 25 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Two MPs who tried to urge parliament to act to stop outbreaks of fighting in Rakhine and Shan states say they have been sidelined by the Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker. Last week, Daw Khin Saw Wai, an Arakan National Party MP for Rathedaung township, Rakhine State, tried to submit an urgent proposal pressing the government to support the delivery of aid to displaced people in the north of the state. Speaker U Win Myint rejected the proposal.

IDPs struggle in Kachin resettlement village Posted: 25 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Though home to nearly 1000 people, Ngwe Pyaw San Pya village at the foot of In Khaing Buam Hill in Kachin State welcomes visitors with an overwhelming silence.

ICRC to build orthopaedic centres in conflict zones Posted: 25 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT The International Committee of the Red Cross will soon establish two new orthopaedic centres in Kachin and Shan states, two regions of Myanmar heavily affected by armed conflict.

Mandalay chief to launch liquor inspections Posted: 25 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT With the morals of the youth at stake, liquor licences throughout Mandalay Region will soon be subject to scrutiny, according to the chief minister.

Report on political prisoner rehabilitation released Posted: 25 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Advocacy groups are urging the government to amend the constitution and other laws to reduce the number of political prisoners held in the country's jails.

Hluttaws revoke oppressive state protection law Posted: 25 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Parliament has axed a junta-era state protection law that MPs say was drafted with the intention of imprisoning activists and politicians.

Monks and nuns to lose wheels Posted: 25 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Monks and nuns are no longer allowed to drive motorbikes or cars in Mandalay Region after the local aangha issued an order on May 22.

Monsoon season advances Posted: 25 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT More heavy rain is expected in southern Myanmar over the next few days, after which the southwest monsoon will make its way north and envelop the entire country in rain, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

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