| Leaders Meet to Resolve Shan State Conflict Posted: 12 Sep 2016 08:32 AM PDT  RCSS's chairman Lt-Gen Yawd Serk (front row, second from left) is pictured with members of Ta'ang and Shan delegations who attended a meeting to resolve conflict in northern Shan State. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — A half-day meeting in Chiang Mai attended by the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and the Ta'ang National Party (TNP) in a bid to resolve an almost year-long conflict over territory in northern Shan State has yielded positive results, the organizations' spokespeople said on Monday. Tar Hla Pe, a central committee member of the TNP and a Shan State parliamentarian, said the meeting was the "first step in finding solutions to help the local people" who he likened to "victims trapped between two buffalos," a phrase used to describe being forced into a situation of conflict and suffering. Tar Hla Pe told The Irrawaddy that he hopes his party will be able to act as a mediator "by bridging the gap between the two groups," referring to the RCSS and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). He is a close friend of RCSS's vice chief of staff Brig-Gen Pao Khay and said that both men want a ceasefire agreement and stability in the state. Attendees also included: Chairman Lt-Gen Yawd Serk and vice chair Gen Sai Yi—both of the RCSS—and Tar Aye Maung of the TNP's central Committee, as well as ethnic Ta'ang (Palaung) monks from the Ta'ang Sangha Central Committee. Fighting continued on Monday between the TNLA and RCSS in Shan State's Maimaw Township, according to Tar Hla Pe. Firefights between the two groups, along with TNLA clashes with Burma Army, have displaced thousands of local Ta'ang in the area. RCSS Lt-Col and spokesperson Sai Ngin said the group had experienced casualties during the conflict but did not reveal the exact number. Sai Ngin said the two groups had reached an understanding not to consider the conflict as a struggle between two ethnic groups, addressing how it was referred to on social media earlier this year. Ta'ang monks participated in the Monday meeting out of concern for local residents' education. Sixty-two schools have been closed in northern Shan State due to the conflict, as well as a number in towns in the southern part of the state including Mong Kai, Kholam, Mong Ton and Kesi. Pyinna Thiri, a monk who joined the meeting, said they would work together to ensure access to education, medical treatment and water. Participants said that building mutual understanding through negotiations would provide the best outcomes for the people of Shan State. RCSS chairman Yawd Serk added, "such negotiations need to be held often to bring an end to the conflict." The post Leaders Meet to Resolve Shan State Conflict appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Photojournalist Files Lawsuit After Abuse at Nationalist Rally Posted: 12 Sep 2016 07:44 AM PDT  Photojournalist Myat Thu Kyaw (center, standing) at press conference in Myanmar Journalist Network office on Monday. (Photo: J Paing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A Burmese photojournalist has filed a lawsuit case against nationalist protesters after he said demonstrators attacked him at a rally on Sunday. Hundreds of Buddhist nationalists gathered at the Bo Sein Mhan sports grounds in Rangoon's Bahan Township to protest against the inclusion of international members on the Arakan State Advisory Commission. Demonstrators said that foreigners—like chairperson and former UN chief Kofi Annan—do not belong on a commission looking into an internal issue: ethnoreligious violence and tension in Arakan State. The protesters also clashed with local Bahan residents who were playing football nearby. Journalists and photographers reported being harassed by the protesters as they attempted to cover the aggression they witnessed in the western corner of the grounds. Myat Thu Kyaw, a 19-year-old photojournalist from Myanmar Pressphoto Agency, said he was assaulted as he was taking pictures of the fight between the protesters and the locals. He said that the protestors punched him in the cheek, neck and chest amidst the chaos and also threatened him and cursed at him at the event. "We were also threatened at a previous nationalist event. After discussing it with other photojournalists, we decided to file a case. Because if we don't do it this time, we are afraid they will harm our lives next time," Myat Thu Kyaw told reporters at the press conference held on Monday. It is not the first report of journalists being abused at nationalist rallies. At a demonstration against the death sentence handed to two Burmese migrant workers by a Thai judge in December 2015, Ma Ba Tha—an ultranationalist Buddhist group—supporters encouraged attendees to "beat the reporters" and "skin those guys" when they began covering a quarrel at the rally. Myat Thu Kyaw said he filed his case at the Bahan Township police station on Sunday night and at the township court on Monday. The court returned the case to the police, with a recommendation to investigate the charges further. The next court hearing regarding the incident will be on Sept. 26. "Many people were pushing me from behind and also trying to take away my camera, so I didn't know who punched me. Now I have filed a complaint with the police, so the police have a duty to investigate the attackers. If not, the organizers of the rally need to take responsibility for this," he said at the press conference. Aung Naing Soe, a local correspondent from Coconuts Yangon, said that he was also threatened and abused at nationalist rallies, an experience he attributed to the fact that he is a Muslim. "I don't want this kind of thing to be repeated," he said. The photojournalists at the press conference said that they had video files of the rally as proof of what they experienced, and they want action to be taken in accordance with the law. The post Photojournalist Files Lawsuit After Abuse at Nationalist Rally appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| YCDC Performs Final Check on 55 High-Rise Buildings Posted: 12 Sep 2016 05:37 AM PDT  A Rangoon construction site as seen on August 5, 2016. (Photo: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Rangoon's high-rise review committee has performed the final check on 55 new buildings and is preparing to inspect a remaining 130 structures, U Than Htay, head of Yangon City Development Committee's (YCDC) building department, told the Irrawaddy. Of the 55 buildings inspected from Sept. 8-9, 43 were approved and the developers of 12 buildings were urged to re-submit their design plans with recommended changes. "We've told 12 developers to check drainage systems and car parking, and to carefully place the generators and transformers where they cannot harm others. These are our suggestions for them before giving them the green light," U Than Htay said. Since May, the Rangoon Division government has suspended more than 200 high rise construction projects in the city because they were not in line with urban planning standards. "These buildings have yet to get final approval, because we will check their construction step by step," U Than Htay added. U Thant Sin Hein, managing director of Nay Kabar Myanmar construction, has now re-submitted his construction design for a project in Hlaing Township. He was among those told by the review committee that changes were needed to his proposed parking area, among other things. "Especially the car parking design—they asked me to extend the space. It will cost me, but I have to set it up to get approval," he said. The review committees have checked a total of more than 200 buildings since July. Earlier in August, the divisional government ordered that the intended heights of 12 buildings under construction be reduced, that planned parking facilities be upgraded, and that safety standards be improved then approved. U Ye Min Oo, spokesperson for the high-rise review committee, said that construction had not been ordered to be halted on any of the buildings inspected from Sept 8-9. Both U Than Htay and U Ye Min Oo said that 130 building plans are awaiting inspection and approval. "The rest of the 130 buildings have yet to start construction, so it's easy to check now," U Ye Min Oo said. The YCDC's high-rise review committee will check 65 buildings which are between nine and 12.5 stories. The regional Committee for Quality Control of High Rise Buildings Projects (CQHP) will check another 65 proposed buildings which are 13 stories or above, before the review committee will also examine the plans. According to the YCDC, the previous Rangoon divisional government and municipal council had given "initial approval" for proposals to more than 200 high rise buildings from 2013 until March 31 of this year. The post YCDC Performs Final Check on 55 High-Rise Buildings appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Pro-Military Cooperation Names Dominate US-Burma Discussion Panel Posted: 12 Sep 2016 05:32 AM PDT  State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi (center) meets with Senators (left to right) John Kerry, Mitch McConnell, Harry Reid, Jim Webb, and Saxby Chambliss at the US Capitol in Washington in 2012. On her visit to the US this week sanctions sure to be high on the agenda once again. (Photo: Gary Cameron / Reuters) RANGOON — The majority of participants in a conference on the future of US-Burma relations being held in Washington on the eve of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's arrival in the United States are supporters of Burma's previous quasi-civilian government and military cooperation with the States. They are lobbying for the lifting of US sanctions on Burma. The discussion, taking place on Tuesday organized by Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), is titled "The United States and Myanmar: Next Steps" and will focus on Burma's economic growth. Of the ten participants, only one, U Bo Bo Nge, represents the current National League for Democracy (NLD) government; he is a member of the NLD's economic committee. Topics tabled to be discussed include: The impact of remaining US sanctions, the future of US-Burma economic cooperation, Burma's political and military transition, civilian and military relations, the country's peace process, and Buddhist-Muslim relations in Arakan State. The keynote speech will be delivered by Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications within President Obama's administration. Amy Searight, a Senior Adviser and Director at CSIS, will deliver the introductory speech. Neither speaker is a stranger to Burma. Ben Rhodes was working in the country in Aug. 2013 when the United States announced plans to work with the Burma Army to transform it into a professional national security force overseen by a civilian government. Amy Searight met with senior Burmese military officials when she accompanied Deputy Commander of US Pacific Command Lt-Gen Anthony G. Crutchfield and Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Malinowski as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense on a trip to Naypyidaw in 2014. A session on economic growth and development will be attended by both U Bo Bo Nge and Serge Pun (aka U Thein Wai), the chairman of Serge Pun & Associates and a well-known business tycoon who found success under Burma's military rule, as well as during President Thein Sein's military-backed administration. They will be joined by Erin Murphy, founder of the Inle Advisory Group—a Washington consultancy firm that advises on doing business in Burma, and a lobbyist for the lifting of US sanctions on the country. U Kyaw Yin Hlaing, a Burmese participant in a panel on "Myanmar's Political Transition: Looking Ahead," is the Director of Myanmar Egress, a pro-Thein Sein NGO. He used to be a senior member of the now-defunct Myanmar Peace Center, a peace negotiation team formed with Thein Sein's blessing. For the discussion, he will be joining US Ambassador to Burma under Thein Sein's government Derek Mitchell and chief editor of Nikkei Asian Review Gwen Robinson. She covered Burma as a Financial Times correspondent when Thein Sein was in power and was one of the few foreign correspondents to reportedly have unlimited access to Thein Sein, traveling with him on trips. Also joining the session is Murray Hiebert, a Senior Adviser and Deputy Director of CSIS's Southeast Asia Program, who has been known to encourage the US government to work alongside Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to find practical ways to unwind remaining US economic sanctions against Burma and military reengagement. Bertil Lintner, a Swedish journalist and longtime expert on Burma, told The Irrawaddy that a look at the names on the panel was enough to convince him of how one-sided the discussion is likely to be. "Not a single independent voice. Only old, pro-Thein Sein people which, by extension, means people who are more likely to be critical of the NLD than of the military," he said. The post Pro-Military Cooperation Names Dominate US-Burma Discussion Panel appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| More Than 3,000 Villagers Flee Escalating Conflict in Karen State Posted: 12 Sep 2016 04:03 AM PDT  Border Guard Force soldiers deployed on the Asian Highway in Karen State on Sunday.(Photo: KESAN) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — More than 3,000 villagers in Karen State have fled escalating conflict between a splinter group of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and a joint force of the Burma Army and its allied Border Guard Force (BGF). The residents of villages around the Mae Tha Waw and Myaing Gyi Ngu areas of Hlaingbwe Township fled after Burma Army and BGF reinforcements were sent to the conflict-torn Mae Tha Waw area, where the DKBA splinter group—named after its late commander Na Ma Kyar—keeps mobile bases. An official at a liaison office of the Karen National Union (KNU)—the largest ethnic Karen armed organization—in the Thai-Burma border town of Myawaddy told The Irrawaddy that "four to five" trucks carrying Burma Army and BGF soldiers have been traveling to the area "everyday" since the beginning of the month, after the DKBA splinter group announced it would mount new offensives. The KNU and DKBA both the signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with the previous government last year, and have since had better relations with the Burma Army. The liaison officer said the Burma Army and the BGF were "waiting for the Myaing Gyi Ngu Sayadaw to finish building a pagoda on the Mae Tha Waw road. After that, we expect more fighting." The Myaing Gyi Ngu Sayadaw is a Buddhist monk, known as U Thuzana, who helped found the DKBA in 1994 out of a Buddhist faction splitting from the Christian-dominated KNU. He still wields considerable influence in the DKBA, and in the BGF. He has inflamed religious tensions in Karen State this year by ordering his followers to build Buddhist pagodas in the compounds of Muslim and Christian places of worship. Sources close to the KNU on the Thai-Burma border, who asked for anonymity, said that current Burma Army and BGF reinforcements are intended not only to hunt down Maj. Saw Saw Aung, a leader of the DKBA splinter faction who is on a Burma Army wanted list, but also to mount a more comprehensive operation against the splinter faction. "They have already calculated the risks and the benefits of launching an offensive," said the KNU official. On Sunday, the Burma Army and the BGF reportedly shelled the vicinity of Waboe Taung, also known as Wa Klu Lu, a base belong to the DKBA splinter group. There are believed to have been casualties but no figures have been confirmed. Sources close to the DKBA said that the Burma Army—with troops from Light Infantry divisions 22 and 44—and the BGF were spread across several frontlines, in the areas of Myaing Gyi Ngu, Yinbaing, Mae Seik, Wa Boe Taung and Mae Tha Waw in Hlaingbwe Township. Maj. Saw San Aung told The Irrawaddy, "Light Infantry Division 44 and Artillery Battalion 207 from Kyaik Kaw joined them [the BGF]. Some are coming from Ka Ma Maung and Ohn Daung across the [KNU] Brigade 5 border." "They [the Burma Army and the BGF] have fired artillery almost everyday. Because we are outnumbered, we only respond at the right time and from the right position," he added. In a video that went viral on Facebook over the weekend, some 2,000 villagers—abandoning their homes out of fear of further fighting—are seen being carried away on trucks, with the aid of the monk U Thuzana, to be sheltered in Myaing Gyi Ngu village. Many of them were women and children and were unable to take sufficient food and belongings with them. Fighting in the areas of Mae Tha Waw and Myaing Gyi Ngu was also reported by Thai news agencies and television broadcasters. Several dozen villagers living in the border village of Mae Tha Waw crossed the Moei River into Thailand's Tha Song Yan District for sanctuary. Witnesses told The Irrawaddy that well-armed BGF troops have been deployed over the weekend along the Asian Highway connecting the border town of Myawaddy with the Karen State capital of Hpa-an. The highway remains open. Sources on the border have speculated that the Burma Army and the BGF are seeking to gain better control of the Mae Tha Waw area, which is close to the former KNU headquarters of Marnerplaw and still features KNU troops along the Moei River. Sources have also claimed that the Burma Army and the BGF is aiming to secure the site of the stalled Hatgyi Dam project on the Salween River in Hlaingbwe Township, close to the border with Papun Township. KNU Brigade 5 has opposed the dam, and has troops based nearby in the area of Mae Tha Waw along the Moei and Salween rivers. When asked, a high-ranking KNU military official said that KNU troops based along the border had not gotten involved in the fighting, with no instructions to do so coming from the leadership. KNU leaders have also yet to take any initiative in seeking to resolve the current conflict involving the DKBA splinter faction in negotiation with the Burma Army. The post More Than 3,000 Villagers Flee Escalating Conflict in Karen State appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Nationalists Clash with Locals, Reporters at Rally in Rangoon Posted: 12 Sep 2016 12:58 AM PDT  Nationalist groups protest against the Kofi Annan-led Arakan State Advisory Commission at Bosein Mhan sports ground in Rangoon's Bahan Township on Sunday (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A protest in Rangoon's Bahan Township against the Arakan State Advisory Commission saw confrontations between firebrand nationalists and frustrated locals on Sunday. Two journalists covering the protests were also assaulted by nationalist protestors. A few hundred nationalists assembled at the Bosein Mhan sports ground including leading monks from groups such as the Ma Ba Tha-affiliated Myanmar Nationalist Network. A Buddhist nationalist named Zaw Win applied for the peaceful assembly permit from local police, the head of Bahan Township police U Win Swe verified. Speeches from a makeshift stage and banners denounced—in sometimes racist language—former UN-chief Kofi Annan, who is heading the commission, as well as Rangoon Division Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein and Mandalay Division Chief Minister U Zaw Myint Maung, who have publicly criticized Ma Ba Tha and the Buddhist nationalist movement in Burma. People began heckling and cursing demonstrators after police refused locals access to play football. A quarrel broke out at the western corner of the park, away from the rally stage. Police struggled to mediate the situation and maintain peace. As reporters and photographers approached to cover the aggression, seasoned photojournalist Ko Myat Thu Kyaw was accosted by three unidentified men. Irrawaddy reporter Ko Moe Myint, witnessed the men punch the photographer twice in the face. "Many people punched my face. I don't know who they are; I did not recognize them," said Ko Myat Thu Kyaw. Ko Thura from media outlet Mizzima was among others attacked at different locations around the sports ground, according to reporters. Nationalists are unhappy about the inclusion of foreigners on the commission, which was created at the behest of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Last week a proposal to debate the removal of international members of the commission was voted down in parliament. Thu Nanda, a leading monk with the National Saving Youths Society, called Kofi Annan Ngafi Annan, "ngafi" being an insulting slang term in Burmese. He also used a racial slur, Ghana Kalar Mae—"Ghana" referring to Kofi Annan's Ghanaian nationality, "kalar" being a derogatory word used for Muslims or those of Indian descent, and "mae" meaning black. Hundreds of Arakanese migrant workers in garment factory participated in the rally. "We are dissatisfied with Kofi Annan's inclusion. That's why we are here today," said one female worker, who declined to give her name, or that of their organizer. This is not the first time journalists have been threatened and abused at nationalist rallies. At a demonstration against the death sentence handed to two Burmese migrant workers by a Thai judge in December 2015, Ma Ba Tha supporters encouraged attendees to "beat the reporters, skin those guys" when they began covering a quarrel at the rally. The post Nationalists Clash with Locals, Reporters at Rally in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| ‘There is a New Cold War in Asia’: Bertil Lintner Posted: 12 Sep 2016 12:52 AM PDT  Swedish journalist Bertil Lintner is the author of several books on Burma, including "Outrage: Burma's Struggle for Democracy" and "Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency Since 1948." (Photo: The Irrawaddy) The Irrawaddy asks Swedish journalist, author and Burma expert Bertil Lintner about the changing US-Burma relationship, as Burma's State Counselor and Foreign Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi visits the US this week. During Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's trip to the US, do you see the US easing sanctions further, or removing them entirely? Would that be wise? There are certain sanctions that I believe will not and cannot be lifted, for instance the arms embargo, as long as there is a civil war, and sanctions against certain individuals, some of the so-called cronies, who have been and still are involved in the arms trade and outright criminal activities such as drug trafficking. The Obama administration is interested in engaging the Burmese military—providing non-lethal assistance and education. Members of some ethnic groups have expressed concern and opposition to this. Under the Ne Win government (1962-88), Burma received arms from the US and some intelligence officers were even trained in the US. Do you see military-to-military engagement being expanded if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi gives the go ahead? After all, she is part of the armed forces family, because her father was the founder of the military. She always insists on having a professional army that is loved by the people. What role do you think she will play? Under the 2008 Constitution, Burma's armed forces are autonomous, in the sense that it takes orders only from the commander-in-chief, not the elected government—so Suu Kyi’s role in this regard is very limited. It is only in personal conversations with military officers that she may be able to influence the military. Will they listen to her? That remains to be seen. As for now, it seems to be the other way round. By asserting that they are behind the elected government, the military can capitalize on the legitimacy of that government, especially when it comes to stripping ethnic armed organizations of their claims to legitimacy. The media has reported that Burmese generals prefer US training and weapons to Chinese variants and are tired of being dependent on China. But we are also seeing more military engagement between China and Burma. Burma is strategically too important to China to let it go and become a US ally. It's China's outlet to the Indian Ocean, and oil- and gas-lines have been built from [Arakan] State to China's Yunnan province. It is also clear that China has not given up hope that the Myitsone [dam] project will be resumed. There are also other China-sponsored hydroelectric power projects in Burma, for instance on the Salween River. Therefore, China has unleashed a charm offensive with promises to build hospitals and to improve Burma's infrastructure. And, let's face it, Burma can't ignore China, a powerful neighbor. The US is, after all, far away. Do you think the US's engagement in Burma has more to do with countering rising Chinese influence than anything else? We have to bear in mind that human rights and democracy are not the two most important issues that determine US foreign policy. There is a new Cold War in Asia with an increasingly assertive China on one side and a loose alliance of the US, India and Japan on the other. In May this year, the US announced that it would lift its arms embargo against Vietnam, hardly a democratic nation that respects human rights, but a very useful ally against China. In 2011, Burma began to drift away from the close alliance it had had with China since crushing the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, [a move that] was welcomed by the US. In fact, Burma is the only example of the US managing to expand its influence at the expense of China's. But it is a rollback situation that the US has to handle carefully because democracy and human rights are still important issues to many congressmen, senators and civil lobby groups in Washington. What do you think of the conference organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC on Tuesday. Some Burma watchers consider it controversial because some participants were supporters of the former U Thein Sein government? I took a look at the names on the panel and was surprised to see how one-sided it was. Not a single independent voice, only old, pro-Thein Sein people which, by extension, means people who would be more critical of the NLD than of the military. The post 'There is a New Cold War in Asia': Bertil Lintner appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| US Should Mandate Change in Exchange for Sanctions Relief Posted: 11 Sep 2016 06:24 PM PDT  US President Barack Obama and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi after their meeting at her residence in Rangoon on Nov. 14, 2014. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters) It is time for the United States to stop agonizing about economic sanctions against Burma. However, the answer is not simply to remove all sanctions, but to keep targeted sanctions in place while providing a constructive pathway forward to later eliminate those remaining as Burma continues its process of democratic reform. While there has been significant progress toward such reform—particularly since the November 2015 elections that brought the National League for Democracy into power—it is not complete, and significant challenges must be overcome before a genuine, federal, democratic Union—as well as true peace—can be established. The Obama administration started to restructure sanctions against Burma in May 2012, when it relaxed a prohibition on new investment, relieved stringent visa bans and allowed exportation of most financial services. In general, three classes of sanctions remain: - Export of financial services and provision of security services to individuals and organizations related to the Ministry of Defense, state and non-state armed groups, and businesses that are more than 50 percent owned by military organizations.
- Import of jadeite and rubies or their finished products.
Investment and business dealings with individuals and organizations identified as Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, commonly referred to as the SDN list. Armed conflict between Burma's defense services and the country's ethnic armed organizations continues. Even during the recently convened 21st Century Panglong Conference, the government and the Burma Army refused to issue a temporary ceasefire, and battles raged on in Kachin and northern Shan states while stakeholders discussed peace in Naypyidaw. Exploitation of natural resources continues, with both private individuals and elements of the armed forces profiting significantly from the unrestricted exportation of jade and other natural resources. The military-drafted 2008 Constitution gives the Burma Army significant political power, regardless of the 2015 election results and its clear message from voters that the armed forces should step aside from politics. Perhaps most significantly, human rights violations by the armed forces and security services organizations continue unabated. Until these issues and challenges are resolved, the United States should keep targeted sanctions in place, as most recently reaffirmed by the US Congress in May 2016. Just last month, a Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) parliamentarian proposed that Burma's government should attempt to pressure the United States to lift sanctions. The USDP was formed in 2010 by elements of the former military junta, and it ruled the country under former President U Thein Sein from March 2011 to March 2016. While the proposal was defeated by a vote of 219 to 151, its discussion by lawmakers indicates the importance and value of lifting sanctions. The key here is not to offer blanket relief but to establish a clear pathway forward to eliminate sanctions tied to reform objectives: - As long as the Burma Army continues its attacks on ethnic armies and human rights violations, the United States should continue restricting export of defense services, including sales of defense articles and military-to-military assistance.
The armed forces receive more than 20 percent of the country's annual budget, and control two enormous business conglomerates (the Myanmar Economic Corporation and the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings), which are not accountable to the government. While these assets continue to support attacks against the people and perpetuate gross human rights abuses, the United States should not provide military equipment. The United States has already initiated limited high-level military-to-military contacts focusing on the role of the nation's military forces under a democratic government, the terms of the Geneva Convention and the military's role in protecting its citizens. This should continue, and the United States should relax funding restrictions that interfere with scheduling and executing these events. However, participation in International Military Education and Training, Joint Chiefs of Staff exercise programs, and other developmental programs must hinge on ending the country's armed conflict and developing a military force that is accountable to an elected civilian government. - The Tom Lantos Block Burma JADE Act of 2008 must stay in place until the government cleans up its jadeite and ruby mining practices. An October 2015 report by the London-based NGO Global Witness titled "Jade: Myanmar's Big State Secret" described a US$31 billion jade industry controlled by a network of military elites, drug lords and crony companies.
Entire mountains in Kachin State housing some of the world's largest jade deposits have disappeared, with only minimal tax revenue and profits reaching Burma's citizens. Only after the government reforms this massive theft of natural resources should the United States consider the recension of the JADE Act. - The United States should review and update the SDN list, as there are individuals and organizations on this list that have demonstrated that they are committed to the reform process. This may prove challenging to the Office of Foreign Assets Control, as there is no definitive and prescriptive legal guidance for removing individuals and organizations from the SDN list.
However, there are individuals and organizations that continue to profit from their past relationships with the military junta, access to confiscated property, the questionable "ownership" of natural resources, or the narcotics trade, which significantly hampers economic reform and equitable distribution of profits from the country's natural resources. It is up to the United States to clean up its own administrative system and determine who needs to remain on the SDN list. Advanced reporting on State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's visit to the United States later this month already indicates that the United States is considering further easing or lifting of sanctions. Above all, the United States should ensure that it protects all of Burma's citizens in the ongoing reform process by mandating change in exchange for sanctions relief. The United States should avoid a mere emotional gain associated with rewarding Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for incomplete reform. Kristine Gould is the CEO of PACRIM Research Associates, which conducts research in Southeast Asia. Larry Dohrs is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for US Campaign for Burma. The post US Should Mandate Change in Exchange for Sanctions Relief appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
