The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Burma Army Reveals Concerns Over Ethnic Summit
- Aung San Suu Kyi Accepts Obama’s Invitation to Visit the US
- Govt Publishes Data on Populations of Religious Groups
- Optimism Expressed at Economic Forum, Despite Govt Policy Blackout
- Arakan National Party Criticized by Arakanese Civil Society in Rangoon
| Burma Army Reveals Concerns Over Ethnic Summit Posted: 21 Jul 2016 08:16 AM PDT  Lt-Gen Mya Tun Oo of the Burma Army speaks at a press conference in Rangoon on July 20, 2016. (Photo: Tun Tun / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON – The Tatmadaw expressed concern over the upcoming Mai Ja Yang peace summit in Kachin State during a press conference on Wednesday in Rangoon, saying that the meeting could negatively impact the Union Peace Conference, which is slated to convene in late August. Army spokesman and chief of military security affairs Lt-Gen Mya Tun Oo reiterated the Tatmadaw's—the Burmese term for the national army—intention to cooperate with the civilian-led National League for Democracy (NLD) government, but said the best results for the peace process would stem from open and honest discussion at the Union conference. Reaching a common perspective amongst the different groups is already a challenge, he said. "In a meeting, many agreements are reached. Then restraints are imposed…and making efforts to move things forward will get harder," Mya Tun Oo said, reportedly emphasizing the concerns of army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. "Thus, if possible, [the Burma Army] does not want the Mai Ja Yang meeting to happen. We don't want any more territorial claims or forming of alliances," adding that, the military would The ethnic armed groups have said that the Mai Ja Yang summit will be held next week, from July 26-29, and will serve as a plenary discussion for the upcoming Union Peace Conference, as well as a forum to identify common perspectives on federal and state constitutions, security and defense and the country's political dialogue framework. Padoh Kwe Htoo Win, secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU) and a vice chairman of the ethnic armed organizations' (EAOs) Summit Plenary Convening Committee for Mai Ja Yang, told The Irrawaddy that the summit itself "is not an action that would damage the upcoming peace conference, but, rather, it will be a supportive action for peace building." He added that he hopes there will not be any objections from the Burma Army, as the military has pledged to collaborate with the NLD government concerning the country's peace process. Padoh Kwe Htoo Win pointed out that both the State Counselor—Aung San Suu Kyi—and army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing were informed of the summit when they met in June with the leaders of eight signatory groups to 2015's nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA). The first EAO summit in Laiza, Kachin State, in 2013 moved the country toward the drafting of the NCA by the ethnic Nationwide Ceasefire Coordinating Team and the government, Padoh Kwe Htoo Win pointed out; the previous government had allowed for this gathering to take place. The second eight-day EAO summit was held in the KNU-controlled Law Khee Lar region of Karen State in June 2015. The KNU was among the eight signatories of NCA last October. NCA non-signatory groups are continuing talks with the government regarding all-inclusive participation in the peace process. The senior leaders of one bloc of non-signatory armed groups—the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC)—met with Aung San Suu Kyi on Sunday in Rangoon to discuss further collaboration toward building a federal union, as well as participation in the political dialogue framework review and the peace conference. One demand from non-signatories to the NCA is for a unilateral ceasefire to be jointly announced by the government, the Burma Army and ethnic armed groups before resuming peace talks in Naypyidaw in August. To this end, the government and UNFC delegations met again for talks in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Wednesday. "Making unilateral ceasefires is easy, but the implementation is difficult if we do not have trust in each other and can not manage to agree on the NCA pact," said Padoh Kwe Htoo Win. The post Burma Army Reveals Concerns Over Ethnic Summit appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Aung San Suu Kyi Accepts Obama’s Invitation to Visit the US Posted: 21 Jul 2016 07:49 AM PDT  Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to journalists after meeting with US President Barack Obama, right, at Suu Kyi's lakeside residence in Rangoon during the President's first trip to Burma in November 2012. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) Burma government leader Aung San Suu Kyi has accepted an invitation from President Barack Obama to visit the United States, the government said on Thursday, in what would be her first trip to America since she won an election in November. Suu Kyi planned to travel at a "mutually convenient time," a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said. Another government source said the trip was likely to coincide with the UN General Assembly session in New York in September. Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, swept to power in a historic election in November after decades of campaigning against military rule. It took over the running of the country after a transition from semi-civilian rule in April. "She accepted President Obama's invitation to visit the US before his presidency ends," said Aye Aye Soe, a spokeswoman at the foreign ministry, which is run by Suu Kyi. Visiting US Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes delivered Obama's invitation during a meeting with Suu Kyi in the capital, Naypyidaw, on Wednesday. Suu Kyi, 71, is barred from becoming president by the constitution drafted under the previous regime, because her two sons do not have Burmese citizenship. She is instead foreign minister and has also assumed the newly created post of state counselor. She is in overall charge of running the government. The US embassy in the city of Rangoon did not comment. Suu Kyi, who spent years under house arrest during military rule, visited the United States as the leader of the opposition in September 2012. The UN General Assembly session in New York is scheduled from Sept. 13 to Sept. 26. Obama will leave office in January after a November election. (Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Editing by Robert Birsel) The post Aung San Suu Kyi Accepts Obama's Invitation to Visit the US appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Govt Publishes Data on Populations of Religious Groups Posted: 21 Jul 2016 06:29 AM PDT  Residents of Rangoon's Thaketa Township participate in Burma's first nationwide census in more than three decades. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — For the first time in more than three decades, Burma released data on the populations of the country's different religious groups, based on the results of the 2014 census. The information was publicly launched by the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population, on Thursday in the capital Naypyidaw. The ministry said that the size of the non-enumerated populations—groups that were not counted in the census—in Karen and Kachin states were not large enough to change the proportion of religious groups at the Union or state levels. However, the non-enumerated population in western Burma—an estimated 1.09 million people who identify as Rohingya—is significant enough to have an impact on the proportion of religious groups at both the state and Union level. According to the figures, Buddhists constitute 87.9 percent of the country, Christians make up 6.2 percent, Muslims comprise 4.3 percent, animists are counted at 0.8 percent and Hindus are listed at 0.5 percent. People who identify with other religions constitute 0.2 percent and 0.1 percent identified as following no religion. These percentages represent the composition of Burma's total population of 51.4 million, including a non-enumerated population of approximately 1.2 million. In comparison to the 1983 and 1973 censuses carried out by ex-dictator Ne Win's military regime, the 2014 figures revealed a slight decrease in the percentage of Buddhist population and a small increase in the percentage of Christian and Muslim populations. The 1983 census reported that the Buddhist population was 89.4 percent, the Christian population was 4.9 percent, and the Muslim population was 3.9 percent—a figure believed by some to be a low estimation. "Some people would like to make a bigger problem and raise rumors, if [this information] is concealed. So we released the data and we don't have any concerns with it," Thein Swe, Minister for Labor, Immigration and Population told The Irrawaddy. Due to ongoing debates, publication of the census figures for religious and ethnic data was delayed after other results were made public in May of 2015 under the previous, Thein Sein-led government. Concerns over social unrest reportedly contributed to the postponement, but the ministry's permanent secretary denied this, telling The Irrawaddy earlier in July that the delay was due to a need for further analysis of and consultations regarding the data, adding that there was no significant change from the 1983 census. The figures published on Thursday also revealed that Burma's Muslim population had increased by only 0.4 percent; in recent years ultranationalists have stoked tension in the country by alleging that the Muslim community is growing at a much faster rate than other religious groups. The demographic information also revealed the population of each religious group at the state and division level. According to the enumerated data, Shan State has the largest number of Christians in Burma—nearly 570,000, out of its 5.8 million residents. Kachin State was a close second, with 555,000 Christians. But the states with the highest proportions of Christians are Chin State—more than 85 percent—and Karenni State, with nearly 46 percent. Mon State has the largest Muslim population in proportion to its enumerated population, at 5.8 percent of its 205,000 residents. Rangoon Division has the highest number of Muslims, according to enumerated data: 345,600, or 4.7 percent of the total divisional population of 7.4 million. If the estimated non-enumerated population were to be included—many of whom are Muslims—Arakan State would have the largest Muslim minority, but only around 28,000 were officially enumerated for the census. In the case of the enumerated population of Burma, Buddhists make up 89.8 percent of the population, Christians 6.3 percent and Muslims 2.3 percent. According to the ministry, census data on Burma's diverse composition of ethnic groups will still not be released for another "four or five months" due a stated need for further statistical analysis and consultations with leaders from ethnic minority groups. This information, and its categorization, also has the capacity to inflame tensions, given the longstanding demands of Burma's various ethnic minority groups for greater autonomy and participation in political decision-making. Additional reporting by Htet Naing Zaw from Naypyidaw. The post Govt Publishes Data on Populations of Religious Groups appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Optimism Expressed at Economic Forum, Despite Govt Policy Blackout Posted: 21 Jul 2016 06:15 AM PDT  A USAID presentation at the economic forum at Rangoon on Thursday. (Photo: USAID) RANGOON — Economists and businessmen gathered at a forum in Rangoon expressed disappointment at sluggish growth under the new government since April—in light of high expectations—but remain convinced of Burma's economic potential. However, the lack of clarity from the National League for Democracy government on matters of economic policy prevented a more detailed discussion of Burma's current economic trajectory, with many participants making somewhat abstract calls for "inclusive" and "broad-based" growth. The economic forum, jointly staged by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Renaissance Institute in Burma's commercial capital on Thursday, drew several hundred Burmese and foreign economists and businessmen interested in Burma's ongoing economic transformation from a state of isolation and impoverishment. Discussions ranged largely between the agricultural, financial, trade and investment sectors. David Roland-Holst, adjunct professor of agriculture and resource economics at the University of California, Berkeley, spoke of the "seemingly unlimited possibilities" for Burma but said "choices will have to be made." He stressed the three "most potent catalysts" for inclusive growth in Burma as: greater labor productivity, equitable domestic capital allocation, and infrastructure development. "Inclusive growth" was described as growth that extended income opportunities to the poor, ethnic and religious minority groups, women and isolated rural populations. For agricultural development—understood to be a centerpiece of the NLD's economic vision for Burma, which has yet to be spelled out in any detail—David Roland-Holst emphasized diversification of crops and produce, secure property rights for smallholder farmers, greater market access, and the streamlining of rules and regulations for farmers that are currently difficult for most to interpret. Steven Radelet, a professor of global human development at Georgetown University and a former USAID chief economist, noted that "almost all" developing countries that have gone on to achieve "sustained and inclusive growth" started with "a strong focus on agriculture." A focus on agriculture is particularly pertinent in Burma where the majority of the population still practices farming as their primary livelihood, despite rapid urbanization in recent years and the growth of cities such as Rangoon and Mandalay. Burmese economist Khin Maung Nyo, who largely concurred with the views of his international peers, said, "I accept that economic reform under the new government has been slow," because the government has been "focused more on national reconciliation" and other "political" matters, but the government needs to "accelerate economic growth." Participants at the forum stressed their eagerness to learn about the government's economic policies, which remain generally obscured after more than 100 days in office. Industry sources have predicted an unveiling for certain sectors at the end of this month. Win Aung, chairman of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers and Commerce and Industry, criticized the delay but said he remained "very optimistic." He also emphasized the need for Burma's economy to hit the "right track"—one that is "inclusive and sustainable"—above the shorter-term imperative of faster growth. The post Optimism Expressed at Economic Forum, Despite Govt Policy Blackout appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Arakan National Party Criticized by Arakanese Civil Society in Rangoon Posted: 21 Jul 2016 03:59 AM PDT  Arakan National Party chairman Aye Maung addresses Arakanese civil society groups in Rangoon on Wednesday. (Photo: Arakan Youth Organization) RANGOON — Rangoon-based Arakanese civil society groups have chastised the Arakan National Party (ANP) for ignoring them after the support they gave the party during the November general election, and for failing to preserve "unity" in the Arakanese nationalist movement. The criticism was made at a meeting on Wednesday at the Danyawaddy monastery in Rangoon's Bahan Township between senior ANP leaders and more than 40 Rangoon-based ethnic Arakanese civil society organizations—the first such meeting to have taken place. The meeting had a three-fold agenda: preparations for a public conference on the 1982 Citizenship Law to be held by the ANP on Sunday, broad-based collaboration with civil society in addressing the affairs of Arakan State, and the challenges being faced by the ethnic Arakanese community in Rangoon. ANP chairman Aye Maung told those assembled that the conference on the 1982 Citizenship Law would aim to educate the public on the "strengths and weaknesses" of the law, as well as lay out how the National League for Democracy (NLD) led government is finding "loopholes" in the law to provide "Bengalis" with preliminary citizenship documentation—a reference to the citizenship verification exercise now being undertaken in Arakan State. Arakanese legal experts will take part in the conference, he said. The 1982 law in its current form places significant barriers to citizenship for communities not listed among 135 officially recognized ethnic groups in Burma. This includes the Muslim minority in Arakan State who identify as Rohingya, most of whom remain stateless, and whom the ANP and ethnic Arakanese civil society—along with much of the Burmese public and significant sections of the government—considers illegal migrants from Bangladesh, and insists on calling "Bengali." At the Wednesday meeting, Arakanese youth activist Sitt Nyein addressed party chairman Aye Maung and the ANP directly, stating that, despite overwhelming support from the ethnic Arakanese community in Rangoon during the election, ANP candidates had not since interacted with Rangoon-based Arakanese civil society. Sitt Nyein also pointed to "infighting" within the party since the election, which had caused broader "disunity" within the Arakanese community across the country. "We need a father to rely on," Sitt Nyein said, stating the need for a strong Arakanese ethnic party. He asked rhetorically whether they could "depend" on the party. "Show me, what ANP has done for us?" he said, to loud applause across the meeting hall. He recalled how ANP candidates had convinced "all Rangoon-based Arakanese civil society" to support their election campaigns, while handing out free "canned beers." Since the election, however, they had "disappeared." He reminded the ANP leader that Arakanese youth are always "on standby" to champion the causes espoused by the ANP, for instance staging protests in opposition to the international community and to Aung San Suu Kyi when they go "against Arakanese national interests," particularly regarding the stateless Rohingya. Despite activists being detained for such protests and other personal "sacrifices," he said, "Our efforts are in vain." Other civil society representatives at the meeting cited several problems faced by the ethnic Arakanese community in Rangoon, which they said had not been addressed by the party or by the Arakanese ethnic minister in the Rangoon Division government (a post elected only by ethnic Arakanese people registered as living in Rangoon Division). The stated problems included women facing difficulties finding work in factories in the Hlaing Tharyar and Shwe Pyitha industrial zones, and being vulnerable to physical assault by "thugs;" and families facing eviction from houses when they fail to make monthly rental payments. In such cases, ethnic minister Zaw Aye Maung has offered no support, they said. Paing Myint, who represents a small youth group, mentioned the case of 300 people working at a Shwe Pyitha garment factory, who could not afford to buy houses and so spent 4 million kyats (US$3,380) in 2013 on a stretch of land near the factory where they constructed dwellings. This year, the new Rangoon Division government announced that they were "trespassing" on government land—as "squatters," they would be relocated under an audacious plan devised by the NLD government to address Rangoon's burgeoning squatter problem. Those affected appealed to the ethnic minister but received no response. The ethnic minister Zaw Aye Maung had been invited by the civil society groups to attend the Wednesday meeting, but he was not present. ANP chairman Aye Maung said that he was there on the ethnic minister's behalf. The ANP party chairman acknowledged that his party faces "many challenges" but presented this as a reason why Arakanese civil society should "accelerate their collaboration" with the party. The references to "unity" made by the civil society representatives at the meeting point to a factional tussle within the ANP that has played out over the course of 2016. Since the November general election—where the ANP won a large plurality of seats in the Arakan State parliament and in seats representing the state in the national parliament—there has been considerable friction within the ANP regarding cooperation with the ruling NLD, which has excluded the ANP from the Arakan State government and the new high-level committee charged with overseeing Arakan State. The friction runs between the former leaders of the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD), which has historically been close to the NLD, and of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP), which pushes a harder line in defending the sectarian interests of the state's Buddhist majority, since the parties merged to form the ANP in early 2014. The faction from the RNDP is now dominant within the ANP. After failing to be granted the position of Chief Minister of Arakan State, the ANP publicly vowed to work "in opposition" to the ruling NLD—a stance the former ALD members did not consent to. The post Arakan National Party Criticized by Arakanese Civil Society in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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