Monday, February 5, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

5,000 Rally in Myitkyina to Call For Pause In Fighting

Posted: 05 Feb 2018 07:00 AM PST

YANGON – Some 5,000 people, including members of civil society organizations, religious organizations and town elders, staged a protest in the Kachin capital of Myitkyina on Monday to call for a halt to a Tatmadaw offensive in the state, to allow villagers stranded in the nearby town of Tanai to seek refuge.

The fighting between the Tatmadaw and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has intensified since Jan. 22, causing more than 750 people to flee into the jungle in Sumprabum Township, while more than 2,000 are trapped in Nam Gun, the battle zone near Tanai township amid cold winter weather. Three civilians were killed and five severely injured due to aerial bombardments and artillery barrages on Jan. 26, said a statement from the local Emergency Relief Committee for the Displaced.

The protesters on Monday gathered at Manau Park in Myitkyina and marched to the local government offices.

The aim of the demonstration was "to find a way that people from other parts of Kachin State can contribute in helping those trapped to escape the conflict areas and to provide shelter for them before they can go back to their homes," said U Zau Jat from the Emergency Relief Committee for the Displaced.

"There is no adequate support (for the trapped villagers) with only a few relief workers in Tanai," he said, referring to the assistance provided by local relief workers and the Catholic church and the Kachin Baptist Convention.

The local Emergency Relief Committee urged the NLD government to allow them to provide more help to the displaced and trapped civilians and for the Tatmadaw not to bar relief workers from providing such assistance. The Committee's statement released on Monday condemned the Tatmadaw's aerial bombing of civilians, putting civilians in hostage situations and for using them as human shields. It said the trapped civilians must be allowed safe transit back to their homes.

The Committee said that the NLD's silence on the issue was encouraging the intensification of the civil war.

Last week, the Committee requested a meeting with the Kachin State government and the head of the Northern Command to discuss assisting those caught up in the fighting, but there had been no response, U Zau Jat said.

Dr. Khet Aung, the chief minister of Kachin State, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the government response team – comprised of police, immigration officials and Tanai administrators – had rescued over 700 of the 2,000 trapped villagers since last week. The villagers, however, must pass through a military checkpoint before they can get help, he said.

"There are troops deep inside the jungle. The trapped villagers are inside the fighting zone and the civil servants cannot even enter. There are only soldiers there. We sent the Tanai township administrator, police and immigration officials to go as far as they could to rescue the civilians."

Dr. Khet Aung urged the displaced persons not to flee into the jungle, but instead to try to come to the town to take shelter.

Fighting between the KIA's Battalion 11 and Tatmadaw troops has continued near Tanai's amber mine, but the fighting has temporarily ceased in Sumprabum and Mansi townships, U Zau Jat said.

The post 5,000 Rally in Myitkyina to Call For Pause In Fighting appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Truck Carrying 21 Rohingya Intercepted in Nyaungdon

Posted: 05 Feb 2018 05:41 AM PST

Yangon – A truck carrying 21 Rohingya from camps in Rakhine State was intercepted by police at Sarmalauk in Nyaungdon Township in Ayeyawaddy Region yesterday afternoon.

According to the initial investigation, the drivers of the six-wheel truck, Tin Tun Aung and Tun Tun Naing, were taking the Rohingya to Yangon, Myanmar's commercial center, when they were stopped by police just before entering the capital.

"They were transporting 21 Rohingya hidden under a tarpaulin. We have detained the drivers as well as the Rohingya at the police station. The drivers said they picked them up in Gwa, but some of the Rohingya who can speak Burmese said they were from camps in Kyaukphyu. Investigations are still underway," a duty officer at the police station said.

The Rohingya included 12 men, six women, one boy and two girls. The police also seized the truck.

The case is still under investigation and legal action will be taken against the suspects in line with the law, the police said.

On Oct. 18 last year, police intercepted a truck leaving Minbya in Rakhine State at the Oakpon Check-point in Kyangin Township and found seven Rohingya hidden among paddy bags. The drivers and the Rohingya in that instance were also prosecuted.

The post Truck Carrying 21 Rohingya Intercepted in Nyaungdon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Military Blocks 2nd Attempt to Erect Statue of Late Karen Leader

Posted: 05 Feb 2018 05:14 AM PST

YANGON — The Myanmar army has blocked a second attempt by the Karen National Union (KNU) to erect a statue of its late founder and leader Saw Ba U Gyi at its liaison office in Kyar Inn Seik Gyi Township's Win Yaw town, in southern Karen State, according to a KNU member.

The KNU transported the statue from the town of Three Pagodas Pass, where government soldiers blocked the group's first attempt to set it up in December, to its liaison office on Saturday, only to have soldiers stop it again.

"The army blocked us from erecting it. They should not do that because they often say they want to have unity with ethnic people, to have harmony with ethnic people. But look at their bad actions." Win Yaw town chairman Saw Maung Shwe, a KNU member, told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

Many ethnic Karen followed the statue's journey to the office and performed traditional dances at a ceremony to celebrate its arrival but were left disappointed by the military's refusal to let them erect it.

In a video posted to the Karen Land Facebook page of a meeting on Saturday between KNU leaders and General Tun Tun San, tactical commander of the Myanmar army's Southeast Regional Command, the general says the KNU needs to negotiate with the government before erecting the statue, as per the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement it signed in 2015.

Saw Maung Shwe said the KNU has to store the statue in the jungle and out of sight for the time being.

"This is the history and heritage of the ethnic Karen people, but they do not let us express it. How can they build unity with the country's ethnic people by acting this way?" he said.

The Myanmar army first prevented the KNU from erecting the statue of Saw Ba U Gyi, who died in 1950, in Three Pagodas Pass as part of the group's plans to mark Karen New Year on Dec. 19.

In November the online Karen News wrote that the Myanmar army was opposed to the statue's creation out of concern that it would inspire Karen youth to oppose the government.

Mann Aung Pyi Soe, vice chairman of the Phalon-Sawow Democratic Party, disagreed.

"This status is not to stage a revolution in the country. It is just for the Karen so they can pay respect to their national leader. They should not stop the Karen from doing it," he said.

While the national government has branded Saw Ba U Gyi an enemy of the state, he added, to his people "he was a revolutionary who fought for equal rights for the ethnic Karen."

Saw Closay, an ethnic Karen, said his people remember Saw Ba U Gyi as an intelligent and honest leader who sacrificed for the Karen's ongoing struggle for self-determination. He said sidelining his statue would not extinguish his vision.

"Saw Ba U Gyi is our national hero as much as General Aung San is a national hero to Myanmar," he said. "I have known about him since I was 10 years old. Most young Karen and well-read Kayin recognize him as a visionary leader."

The post Military Blocks 2nd Attempt to Erect Statue of Late Karen Leader appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Pro-Military Rally Denounces Peace Performance, Mocks Student Leader

Posted: 05 Feb 2018 04:56 AM PST

YANGON — Former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party members, veterans and nationalists joined a rally in support of the military in Yangon on Sunday.

They denounced a former student leader who recently drew the ire of the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's military, over the depiction of the institution in a "peace-building" performance he organized.

Officially billed as the "Rally Against Those Sowing Discord Between the Military and the People," the event drew several thousand people. Among them were Buddhist nationalists, including monks who are the subject of arrest warrants for their participation in communal rioting last year as well as for staging an anti-government sit-in in Yangon. Former dictator Ne Win's grandson Aye Ne Win, former USDP lawmaker U Hla Swe and other nationalists also attended.

An organizer told the media the event was intended to show solidarity with the military after the recent peace-building performance, which critics felt damaged the military's image. He was referring to an activity late last month intended to foster support for the government-sponsored 21st-Century Panglong Peace Conference.

During the event, to call attention to the lack of peace in the country, performers

wearing fatigues pointed guns at people dressed as civilians while children begged the soldiers for mercy.

Addressing the rally on Sunday, former USDP lawmaker U Hla Swe mocked Ko Min Ko Naing's personal appearance and his reported academic failures as a youth, calling the leader of the 88 Generation Students Group "a buck-toothed illiterate."

"He once denied that it was the military that won Myanmar's independence. This buck-toothed dimwit is an illiterate. Someone told me he failed the eighth grade twice before finally getting through," he told the crowd. Ko Min Ko Naing once said in a lecture that Aung San, viewed as the father of Myanmar's independence, went to England in January 1947 as a civilian, not as a general, to sign an agreement with British Prime Minister Clement Atlee declaring that Burma would be independent within a year.

Ko Min Ko Naing was not available for comment.

The military condemned the performance and demanded an apology. The student leader has taken full responsibility for the performance. He has not apologized.

 

 

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Rakhine Govt to Sue AP over Report of Mass Graves in Buthidaung

Posted: 05 Feb 2018 04:08 AM PST

The Rakhine State Government plans to sue The Associated Press for falsely reporting the existence of mass graves near Gutar Pyin Village in Buthidaung Township, northern Rakhine State.

The state government is discussing with the attorney general of Rakhine State, U Kyaw Hla Tun, the possibility of a lawsuit against the news agency, according to Colonel Phone Tint, the state minister for security and border affairs.

"We have instructed the chief law officer to look at ways to sue the news agency," Col Phone Tint said.

He said the laws under which the agency would be sued would be made known to the public soon.

The AP did not reply to The Irrawaddy's request for a comment on Monday.

On Feb. 1, the AP reported that hundreds of bodies had been found in five mass graves near Gutar Pyin Village in Buthidaung, Rakhine State. It said the bodies had been burned with acid in an apparent attempt to destroy them.

The Union government ordered the Rakhine State government to investigate the claims.

The state government sent an investigation team led by the Buthidaung Township administrator to the site, but the team found the claims to be untrue, according to a statement released by the Union government on the evening of Feb. 2.

On Aug. 28 last year, Gutar Pyin Village was the scene of fighting between security forces and ARSA militant terrorists, one of a series of clashes in Buthidaung, Maungtaw and Yathedaung in northern Rakhine State, the statement said.

It added that during the fighting in Gutar Pyin, about 500 villagers joined a raid by ARSA militants on security forces, and that in the resulting fighting, a member of the security forces was injured and 19 militants were killed. According to the statement, the 19 bodies were properly buried and Case No. 5/2017 was filed under Section 50 (i) of the Counter-terrorism Law at Nyaung Chaung Police Station, the statement said.

The press release stated that the government was not necessarily denying the allegations and would investigate further if reliable new information comes to light. If any rights violations were found to have occurred, action would be taken against the perpetrators in line with existing laws, it said.

The Rakhine State government said it is investigating whether similar incidents took place in surrounding villages and that plans are in place to carry our further investigations when more information and evidence becomes available.

The post Rakhine Govt to Sue AP over Report of Mass Graves in Buthidaung appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Legal Groups Fear Intimidation at U Ko Ni Trial

Posted: 05 Feb 2018 03:03 AM PST

Mandalay – Lawyers organizations demanded action be taken against a group of people wearing T-shirts printed with the slogan "Eat well (before you die)" at the court hearing for slain lawyer U Ko Ni.

Before the hearing in early February, a small group of nationalists appeared at the court in the T-shirts to show their support for four men accused of involvement in the murder of U Ko Ni. The phrase in Burmese is considered a threat to show one's anger and to warn of impending revenge.

The lawyers strongly condemned the act, which, they said, undermined the rule of law, the country's judicial system and national stability.

"This happened inside the court compound, not on the road or some other part of the city. Their action is an insult to the whole judicial system and a threat not only to the reporters, but to the lawyers and the judge," said lawyer U Aung Soe, president of the Myanmar Lawyers Association for Media, during a press conference in Yangon on Sunday.

A supporter of alleged gunman Kyi Lin wears an "Eat Well (before you die)" t-shirt, at last week's court hearing. (Photo: Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy)

A statement condemning the behavior of the nationalists and urging the government take action was signed by representatives of the Myanmar Lawyers Network, the Myanmar Lawyers Association, the Yangon Lawyers Association and the Myanmar Lawyers Association for Media.

"Their action is also a threat to the court and disturbed the hearings in the murder cases of U Ko Ni and the taxi driver U Nay Win," said the statement. "We urge the authorities to take legal action against the (individuals who wore the T-shirts)."

The defendants also allegedly shouted the phrase "Eat well (before you die)" at reporters and the plaintiff's lawyers outside the court during a hearing in January.

The phrase was used by the nationalists in an apparent show of support for the defendants Kyi Lin, Zeya Phyo, Aung Win Zaw and Aung Win Tun.

"Since we are lawyers, we will continue to urge the government to act in a way that is in accordance with the law, to take legal action against those people, for they are intentionally threatening the stability of peace in the country," said lawyer U Thein Than Oo, from the Myanmar Lawyers Network.

The lawyers said they were also collecting signatures over the matter and would submit a petition demanding action be taken, to the chief minister of Yangon, the State Counsellor, the president and the commander in chief.

"We think there is someone behind this trying to create unrest. So, we will send a letter to the government to push them to investigate and take action," U Thein Than Oo said.

"If the authorities fail to bring them to court, we will have to question them and do it on our own way, according to the law," he added.

In the meantime, the activist lawyer U Robert San Aung sent a letter to the offices of the President, State Counsellor, High Court and Ministry of Home Affairs to ask that the case be transferred from the current northern district court to a safer place.

"Nobody can tell what will happen next, since these people have no respect for the court. A lawyer, a judge or a reporter may be their target one day," said U Robert San Aung.

"The authorities need to think about the safety and national stability, and to keep away these people who are threatening everyone and every institution," he said.

The post Legal Groups Fear Intimidation at U Ko Ni Trial appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Wary of China’s Foothold, Japan Urges India to Help Myanmar

Posted: 05 Feb 2018 12:57 AM PST

Japan's special envoy to Myanmar urged New Delhi to play an active role in protecting the troubled country before it falls back into China's orbit.

"India, with her old relationship, should play a more proactive role in Myanmar," Yohei Sasakawa was quoted as saying in the Times of India.

Myanmar faces mounting international pressure over the Rohingya crisis, including the threat of US sanctions. At the same time, the special envoy said, China has been taking a greater interest in the conflict.

He warned of security problems for Japan and India as China grows more assertive in regaining its foothold in Myanmar by, for instance, taking a more active role in the country's peace process.

China is establishing a foothold in Rakhine State with its promise to develop a deep-water port at Kyaukphyu at a cost of about $7.3 billion, a very big investment for Myanmar. But Yohei Sasakawa said there was little coordination between Japan and India on Myanmar, a surprise given how close the countries have become on the security front.

According to the Times, the special envoy was also critical of the administration of US President Donald Trump for, as he saw it, lacking clarity in its approach to Myanmar.

Also according to the Times, he said the Myanmar government and military were wary of moving further into China's sphere of influence despite sharing an old and deep relationship with the Asian superpower but may have no choice if the West turns its back on Myanmar.

"The Japanese government is supporting the Myanmar government. We would like India to do more. Because of the US attitude, India must step up," Yohei Sasakawa said.

In November, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited both Bangladesh and Myanmar and urged the neighbors to hold bilateral talks. China has also backed Myanmar at the UN Security Council.

In January, Taro Kono, Japan's foreign minister, went to Rakhine State, becoming the first minister of a foreign country to visit the region since the latest outbreak of violence there in late August.

"Japan is willing to help [the Myanmar government] make the country a place where communities from different faiths can live together peacefully," Kono said to a village chief.

The post Wary of China's Foothold, Japan Urges India to Help Myanmar appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Shan State Coalition Names New Chair

Posted: 04 Feb 2018 11:51 PM PST

YANGON — The Committee for Shan State Unity named the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) its new chair at its annual meeting last week in Shan State's Mong Pan Township.

It takes over the role from the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), one of the state's ethnic armed groups.

The committee — a coalition of Shan political parties, armed groups and civil society organizations — formed in 2013 to work toward achieving peace in Shan State. Its chairmanship rotates annually.

SNDP Chairman Sai Aik Pao, a former Shan State chief minister, was not able to attend the Feb.1-2 meeting for health reasons.

SNDP General Secretary Sai Boe Aung, the committee's new spokesman, said the alliance will continue to try to achieve unity among Shan State's many ethnic groups and to focus on building peace and a federal union.

He told The Irrawaddy that residents of the state have become more politically aware as a result of the committee's work.

"The people in our state are collaborating more because they are taking part in the peace process of the country more. So it is a good sign that we, the indigenous people of Shan State, will be more involved in Shan State affairs," he said.

The committee has repeatedly urged the two Shan political parties, the SNDP and Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, to merge.  Though divergent policies continue to keep them apart, Sai Boe Aung said they would try to work together on the goals they share.

The group usually meets in Yangon or Chiang Mai, Thailand, but has been obstructed by the Myanmar military in both locations over the past two years. This year's annual meeting was its first in Shan State.

"We always wanted to hold such talks in our own state, but for many reasons we could not do so," Sai Boe Aung said.

The committee had to cancel public consultations on the peace process in December, in part because the Myanmar military objected to the participation of the Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army North, a committee member. Sai Boe Aung said the committee would continue trying to hold the consultations, which are meant to inform their national-level dialogues on the peace process.

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Singapore Worries, and Prepares, for Militant Attack

Posted: 04 Feb 2018 09:06 PM PST

SINGAPORE — Armed officers patrol a train station where television screens and giant posters warn of the threat from militants. Nearby, fake gunmen storm a shopping mall in one of many recent terror attack simulations.

But this is not some war-ravaged country. It is one of the safest in the world — Singapore.

The wealthy island-state has a near-perfect record of keeping its shores free from terror, but as it prepares to host defense ministers from around Southeast Asia this week, it appears to have good reason to have prioritized stopping the spread of militancy in the region.

The cosmopolitan financial hub, which was second only to Tokyo in The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Safe Cities Index in 2017, says it has been the target of militant plots for years, some stemming from its Muslim-majority neighbors, and that it’s a matter of "when" and not "if" militants will strike.

“Singapore continues to face a serious security threat from both homegrown radicalized individuals and foreign terrorists who continue to see Singapore as a prized target,” Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in response to e-mailed questions from Reuters.

Singapore authorities say they have been a target of Islamic extremism since the 1990s, but efforts to deter terrorism have stepped up markedly in recent years with more frequent attacks on Western countries and after Islamic State (IS) militants briefly took over a town in the southern Philippines last year.

Raising further concerns about the threat to the island, a Singaporean soldier has featured on a number of Islamic State promotional videos, most recently in December when he was filmed executing men alongside other militants.

In its inaugural Terrorism Threat Assessment Report released last year, the MHA said Islamic State has demonstrated that Singapore is “very much on its radar” and that the threat to the country remains “the highest in recent years” — claims that are backed up by security experts.

“Singapore, being known as safe and secure, makes it such a risk target,” said Dan Bould, Asia director of crisis management at professional services firm Aon and a former captain in the British army.

“If there’s an attack in the Philippines, it may get half an hour in a 24-hour news cycle. An attack in Singapore with all the multicultural individuals operating here, will be within the narrative for a few days at least.”

In early 2017, Aon lifted Singapore in the terrorism and political violence category of its annual risk map from negligible to low risk.

Mobile App

The reality is that Singapore has so far escaped the attacks seen in other major world cities like New York, London and Berlin in recent years. That’s why it is at the bottom of the 2017 Global Terror Index, with no reported terror-related attacks post 9/11.

But 3 in 4 Singaporeans believe that it’s only a matter of time before the country experiences a terror attack, a poll by the local newspaper Sunday Times last year showed.

Singapore authorities certainly do not want their citizens to be complacent. Everyone, including school children, is encouraged to download a mobile app that alerts them to emergency situations and allows them to send in videos and photos of suspicious events.

The MHA said that as of the end of last year, more than 1.3 million devices were equipped with the SGSecure app, a large chunk of the population of around 5.6 million.

Simulations of terror attacks — including one just over a week ago where masked gunman stormed a children’s activity center on the resort island of Sentosa — are regular. Last month, Singapore’s military undertook its biggest mobilization exercise in more than three decades, including an inter-agency response to the simulation of a gunman at its national stadium.

Authorities said last year there was reliable information that IS militants were considering carrying out an attack in Singapore in the first half of 2016, a threat which they said was countered.

In August 2016, neighboring Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population, arrested six suspects with links to IS who were accused of plotting rocket attacks on Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel.

Indonesia and Malaysia, Singapore’s northern neighbor, which also has a Muslim majority, say thousands of their citizens sympathize with IS and hundreds are believed to have travelled to Syria to join the group. Regional security officials say many are returning home after reverses in the Middle East.

Hardline Approach

Singapore takes a hardline approach to suspected radicals and Bilveer Singh, an adjunct senior fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, says it is one of the reasons behind its success so far.

The most controversial measure at its disposal is its colonial-era Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for suspects to be held for lengthy periods without trial.

The MHA said it currently has 20 people detained under the act for “terrorism-related” activities, and since 2002 has held close to 90 for such activities.

“ISA is a fantastic deterrent, and so far it has worked,” Singh said.

Authorities have also deported scores of foreigners for suspected radicalism in recent years, and in October banned two popular Muslim preachers from Zimbabwe and Malaysia from entering the city-state, saying their views bred intolerance and were a risk to its social harmony.

The post Singapore Worries, and Prepares, for Militant Attack appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China to Make More Polluted Land Safe for Agriculture by 2020

Posted: 04 Feb 2018 08:25 PM PST

SHANGHAI — China will try to make around 90 percent of its contaminated farmland safe for crops by the end of 2020, and will also restrict development on a quarter of the country’s territory, Environment Minister Li Ganjie said.

Li said China would conduct a detailed investigation into soil pollution and launch pilot zones that would be used to test soil pollution prevention and treatment technologies, according to an account of a weekend meeting published by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on its official website (http://www.mep.gov.cn).

A 2013 survey showed about 3.33 million hectares (8 million acres) of China’s farmland -— an area the size of Belgium — was deemed too polluted to grow crops, with estimated cleanup costs amounting to 1 trillion yuan ($159 billion).

China declared war on pollution in 2014, trying to head off public discontent and reverse the damage done to its skies, rivers and soil by more than three decades of breakneck growth.

Li said China would also aim to cut the amount of “below grade V” water — water unfit even for industrial use or irrigation — to less than 5 percent by the end of 2020. The figure stood at 8.8 percent in the first half of 2017.

Improving the quality of drinking water is also one of the major priorities in coming years, and China would ensure that more than 80 percent of its water is grade III or better — and fit for human consumption — by the end of the decade.

A groundbreaking five-year action plan against smog was completed at the end of last year and Chinese environmental officials confirmed last week they were now drawing up targets for 2018-2020.

As part of the new three-year plan, China would aim to raise the proportion of “good air days” to 80 percent in 338 major cities, Minister Li said on Saturday. Other cities would also be under pressure to cut 2015 rates of PM2.5, a key smog indicator, by 18 percent by the end of the decade.

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Saturday, February 3, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

No Mass Graves Found During Official Inspection of Gutar Pyin, Government Says

Posted: 02 Feb 2018 08:39 PM PST

YANGON – No mass graves were found in Gutar Pyin village of Buthidaung Township in northern Rakhine State during an inspection of the area on Friday by officials and Muslim community leaders, the government's Information Committee said.

On Feb. 1, The Associated Press published an article stating that mass graves had been found in Gutar Pyin. The report was based on video footage provided by Rohingya refugees now living in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. The AP said it had interviewed at least two dozen refugees.

The following day, the Union government ordered the Rakhine State government to investigate the claims. It immediately established a 17-member team comprising border police officers, township administrative officials, a deputy superintendent of Buthidaung Hospital, immigration officials, township police and legal officials, fire service department members and five community leaders.

While it stopped short of issuing a blanket denial of the existence of mass graves, the Information Committee said in a statement that the team had inspected locations identified in the AP report but found nothing. The community leaders and local residents said there had been no mass killings, but reported that heavy clashes had erupted between government security forces and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militants in Gutar Pyin on Aug. 28.

Military offensives in the area have driven out at least 650,000 Rohingya since late last year in an operation the United Nations has described as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing". The Bangladesh and Myanmar governments agreed in January to start voluntary refugee repatriation but that has been delayed until Friday.

According to the government's statement, 19 ARSA militants were killed in fighting after about 500 militants attacked security officials with firearms, knives, slingshots, and darts. Officials buried the bodies of the dead militants systematically and opened a criminal case under counter-terrorism Article 50 (i) at Nyaung Chaung police station. The statement did not elaborate on whether security forces buried the ARSA casualties in the Gutar Pyin graveyard or in other locations.

The press released stated that the government was not necessarily denying the allegations and would investigate further if reliable new information comes to light. If any rights violations were found to have occurred, action would be taken against the perpetrators in line with existing laws, it said.

However, Rakhine State government secretary U Tin Maung Swe insisted that "Muslim community leaders say there was no mass killing in Gutar Pyin village as has been reported by media outlets. It's all based on groundless information."
The state secretary accused the AP of deliberately publishing a report based on hearsay and rumors in order to pressure Myanmar into allowing an international fact-finding mission in northern Rakhine's Maungdaw district.

He said seven Muslim men from Gutar Pyin village assisted government officials in Friday's inspection.

No journalists from independent media were invited to join Friday's trip, though employees of state-owned newspapers and a member of the Press Council participated.

At least one local resident said he had heard stories similar to those reported by AP, however. Muslim civil servant U Tun Thar (name changed to protect his safety), who lives in Rathaedaung Township, said Gutar Pyin village is located a 15-minute drive from the downtown area. Approximately 3,000 people lived there before government security forces launched clearance operations against ARSA after it ambushed police border outposts in Maungdaw district in late 2017.

Locals described Gutar Pyin as a tract comprising three villages — Muslim, Daingnet and Arakanese — but said the vast majority of the population had been Muslim. However, the Muslim part of the village had since been reduced to ashes while the two Arakanese villages remain intact following the security forces' operations, he said.

According to U Thun Thar, one-third of Gutar Pyin's former Muslim population has been sheltering in neighboring villages or with relatives in Buthidaung Region, while the rest fled to Bangladesh by boat. He said he had also heard about several burial sites having been found in Gutar Pyin village recently but Muslim residents had not been able to produce the actual bodies as they were not allowed to enter the area, which is restricted. Residents speculate that around 400 Muslims were butchered at Gutar Pyin.

"No one [among the Muslim population] dares to visit the burned villages; only the Rakhine residents, because only the two Rakhine villages are left," he said.

Rakhine government secretary U Tin Maung Swe acknowledged that the village was previously dominated by Muslims, adding that some are currently still living in the village. Asked about claims of arson, he said some parts of Gutar Pyin village were set alight by ARSA militants. He declined to provide specific information about the remaining Muslim homes in Gutar Pyin.

The post No Mass Graves Found During Official Inspection of Gutar Pyin, Government Says appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

This Week in Parliament (Jan. 29-Feb. 2)

Posted: 02 Feb 2018 07:26 PM PST

NAYPYITAW — Lower House Speaker U Win Myint rebuked the Construction Ministry for what he said was its poor oversight of construction companies that win tenders for state-funded road projects, claiming that "public funds are being wasted" as a result.

In the Upper House, U Kyaw Ni Naing of Shan State Constituency (11) asked the government whether it planned to designate a Kokang National Day for ethnic Kokang people in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone. Union Ethnic Affairs Minister Nai Thet Lwin replied that ethnic Kokang people in Myanmar and elsewhere can agree to designate such a day themselves, adding that this doesn't require designation by the government.

U Ye Htut of Sagaing Constituency (5) proposed that the Information Ministry grant tax-exempt status for the book publishing industry's supply chain, ranging from printing and publishing to importing and distribution of books and publications. Deputy Information Minister U Aung Hla Tun said he agreed with the idea of reducing taxes on book publishing, but added that his ministry had no authority over taxation issues. He urged lawmakers to participate when the Parliament debates tax law this year.

Tuesday (Jan. 30)

The Lower House recorded a proposal from Oktwin Township lawmaker Daw Cho Cho urging the government to do more to attract foreign investment and spur development of labor-intensive industries in Myanmar.

Wednesday (Jan. 31)

The Union Parliament discussed the government's annual debt report for fiscal 2016-17. Lower House lawmaker Daw Thet Thet Khaing of Dagon Township asked the Central Bank of Myanmar to reduce its interest rate on deposits from 8 percent to 7 percent and the rate on credit from 13 percent to 11 percent. The lawmaker argued that the current rates had caused the interest rate on government bonds to rise from 9 percent to 9.2 percent, which had in turn increased the government's debt burden.

The vice governor of the Central Bank of Myanmar agreed that reducing interest rates would be friendly to businessmen, but around 80 percent of savers at private banks are grassroots and middle-class families and pensioners, who do not own businesses.

However, the lawmaker urged the government to consider whether it is better to cater to the large pool of savers who do not engage in business activity, or encourage more people to invest their savings in enterprises.

Thursday (Feb. 1)

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi addressed the national legislature on the second anniversary of its election, urging the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government to work together with a sense of comradeship.

The Upper House expressed condolences on the passing of Daw Sheila Nang Tawng, 64, chairperson of the Upper House Ethnic Affairs Committee and National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmaker from Kachin State Constituency (2), who died on Jan. 31. Lawmakers also agreed to contribute from their daily allowances to assist families when a lawmaker dies.

In the Lower House, lawmaker U Min Thein of Taungdwingyi Township asked whether the Health Ministry would recruit more psychiatrists to district-level government hospitals. Health Minister Dr. Myint Htwe replied that his ministry is taking steps to fill the shortages, but added that the number of people suffering from psychiatric disorders remained high in Myanmar.

Friday (Feb. 2)

In the Upper House, U Aung Kyi Nyunt of Magwe Region (4) asked what actions the government planned to take against selling foods prohibited by and not registered with the Food and Drug Administration. Health Minister Dr. Myint Htwe replied that his ministry would make the issue its top priority in 2018.

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Friday, February 2, 2018

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Gunman Was Blackmailed into Killing U Ko Ni, Lawyer Says

Posted: 02 Feb 2018 06:53 AM PST

YANGON — A defense lawyer for the accused gunman in the shooting death of prominent Muslim lawyer U Ko Ni said his client was blackmailed into carrying out the murder and didn't know the mastermind behind the assassination.

U Kyaw Kyaw Htike, a defense lawyer for accused gunman Kyi Lin, told the media after a hearing at Yangon's Northern District Court on Friday that an individual named Myint Swe had threatened his client with harm if he did not kill U Ko Ni, the late legal adviser to the ruling National League for Democracy.

"If he didn't do it, who would take responsibility for his and his family's survival?" U Kyaw Kyaw Htike asked, adding that Kyi Lin had never met U Ko Ni before the incident and had no personal motive for murdering him.

U Kyaw Kyaw Htike, a defense lawyer for accused gunman Kyi Lin, talks to the media after a hearing at Yangon's Northern District Court on Friday. (Photo: Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy)

U Ko Ni was gunned down outside Yangon International Airport on Jan. 29 last year. Taxi driver U Nay Win was also fatally shot as he tried to apprehend the assassin.

Police have detained four suspects: Kyi Lin and alleged co-conspirators Zeya Phyo, Aung Win Zaw and Aung Win Tun. Police allege that former military Lieutenant-Colonel Aung Win Khaing, who remains at large, masterminded the assassination.

At Friday's hearing, prosecutors presented judges with their closing arguments, capping 10 months of witness testimony in the murder trial of the four accused.

Defense lawyer U Aung Khaing, who represents Aung Win Zaw and Aung Win Tun, told the judges that the prosecution had failed to present any evidence connecting his clients and the gunman.

While airport CCTV footage showed that Aung Win Zaw was present at the airport before the murder took place, no one had been able to show that he shared Kyi Lin's intent to kill U Ko Ni, U Aung Khaing said.

"Prosecutors said the accused took time to plan the murder, but not a single piece of evidence was put forward to prove it," U Aung Khaing said in his rebuttal of the plaintiff's case.

Daw Pa Pa Win, a defense lawyer for Zeya Phyo, also told the judges that the prosecution had not presented any witnesses to corroborate the Home Affairs Ministry's claim, made at a press conference, that her client was a conspirator who financed the assassination.

"The information [police] offered at the press conference was obtained during the interrogation process, but not at the court," she told the judges.

"There was no proof presented by the plaintiff side that he financed the murder, either," she added.

U Nay La, a lawyer representing the family of slain lawyer U Ko Ni at the trial, told the media that asking for explicit evidence of a connection between the suspects was "unacceptable", adding that the court had been furnished with all the evidence it needed.

"Why were they at the airport [before the murder]? Why were they communicating with each other via phones?" U Nay La asked, citing police testimony including records of phone calls between the accused.

"In short, they need to answer these questions once the court charges them," he added.

The court will decide next Friday which legal provisions the accused will be charged under. Defense lawyers for Aung Win Zaw, Zeya Phyo and Aung Win Tun have asked that their clients be released before the court brings charges.

Before the hearing, a group of fewer than 10 nationalists appeared at the court to show their support for the four defendants, wearing T-shirts reading: "Eat Well (Before You Are Killed)!"— a threatening phrase in Burmese used when someone is angry and warning of revenge.

At one of the hearings last month, Robert San Aung, a lawyer for slain taxi driver U Nay Win, alleged that the defendants had shouted the phrase at reporters and plaintiff lawyers outside the courtroom. Aung Win Zaw denied the allegation.

The nationalists said they had gotten to know Kyi Lin in prison after being jailed unjustly.

"It is to show that we stand with them. We came here solely out of personal respect for them," said Myint Phoe Muu, one of the nationalists. He said they were not acting on behalf of any organization.

The nationalists added that they supported Kyi Lin because, in their opinion, he did what needed to be done.

Additional reporting by Min Min.

Tin Htet Paing is a freelance journalist and photographer based in Yangon. She previously worked at The Irrawaddy as a reporter for three years.

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KNU Wants Talks with Govt Before Work on Tenasserim Road Resumes

Posted: 02 Feb 2018 05:10 AM PST

YANGON — The Karen National Union (KNU) has asked the government to hold negotiations before construction of a highway from the Dawei Special Economic Zone in Tenasserim Region to the Thai border resumes.

In a statement issued Thursday, the ethnic armed group said the government must negotiate with it on the implementation of such development projects as per the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), which it signed in 2015.

The road project is in an area controlled by the armed wing of the KNU, the Karen National Liberation Army. The road has already been partially built, but has yet to be laid with cement. The government hopes the upgrade will attract more Thai investors in the special economic zone, where construction has also halted according to some locals.

The road runs 150 km from the special economic zone to the ethnic Karen village of Htee Khee on the border with Thailand, which has offered Myanmar a 4.5 billion baht ($143 million) loan for its construction.

"We want their project to be presented to the public for free, prior and informed consent. The project they are going to do needs to have environmental and social impact assessments. If they do this, they will have good security for the project," KNU Secretary-General P'Doh Saw Tah Doh Moo told the Irrawaddy on Friday.

He said the NCA also requires that the government consult with locals, ethnic armed groups and nongovernmental organizations whenever planning a development project in a contested area.

When the project originally began the KNU let it proceed, thinking it would be a small road that would not damage the environment and have little impact on the properties of local residents.

But once heavy equipment started arriving in December in preparation for work to resume, the KNU realized the road would be bigger than it expected and now believes it is likely to encroach on many properties.

"We know their project will have benefits for our local people. But we want them to negotiate with our local people in order to have peace," said P'Doh Saw Tah Doh Moo.

Some local Karen are also upset because they have not yet been fully compensated for when the original dirt road was built.

The KNU says the government has to conduct the impact assessments and show that the project will not damage the environment or local properties before accepting Thailand's loan. However, it says the government is breaking with the rules by planning to ask the national Parliament to accept the loan first.

"If they do not do it [the assessments], there will be unnecessary problems on the ground," P'Doh Saw Tah Doh Moo said.

In its statement, the KNU made three requests of the government: that it negotiate with stakeholders; proceed only with free, prior and informed consent; and design the road to minimize environmental damage. It also asked that Japan and Thailand, which back the special economic zone, carry out impact assessments adhering to international standards, Myanmar law, and the KNU's forestry policy.

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Survey Finds High Numbers Of People Suffering From Mental Illness

Posted: 02 Feb 2018 05:04 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — A survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Sports has found that a high number of people are suffering from psychiatric disorders in Myanmar, Union Health Minister Dr. Myint Htwe told the Union Parliament on Thursday.

"We discovered a high number of depression cases. Maybe it is just a recent trend or maybe it has long existed but we only just found it out," the minister told the Lower House.

The minister made the remark in response to a question by Taungdwingyi Township lawmaker U Min Thein, who asked if the government would recruit more psychiatrists at district-level government hospitals across the country.

According to Dr. Myint Htwe, his ministry surveyed a township near Yangon in October 2016 and found that nine in every 1,000 people were suffering from depression while nine others were mentally ill.

The ministry also surveyed two other townships near Yangon last year and found that more than 90 in every 1,000 people were suffering from some form of psychiatric disorder, the minister said, without identify the townships on the grounds of medical ethics.

"Not all of them get necessary treatment because the number of psychiatrists is quite low. People don't give much attention to mental problems in Myanmar, unlike in America. Even Thailand has a Department of Mental Health overseen by a director-general," Dr. Myint Htwe noted.

U Min Thein said people suffering from depression and mental disorders often commit suicide or crimes including homicide.

"The only effective treatment for depression is consultation with mental health specialists. But people have only very limited knowledge about mental health, and there are only a few psychiatrists. So, it is quite difficult for them to seek treatment," the lawmaker said.

"People from all walks of life and in different age groups are suffering from depression," he said, citing the recent example of a sixth grader in Bago Region who hanged himself.

Lawmakers also pointed out that there are few social organizations helping people suffering from psychiatric disorders in Myanmar.

The Ministry of Health is taking steps to produce more psychiatrists to meet the requirements, Dr. Myint Htwe said.

But at present, he said, only 51 government hospitals are staffed with a psychiatrist—two mental health hospitals, nine central-level teaching hospitals, nine 500-bed hospitals, 29 200-bed hospitals, and two drug-rehabilitation hospitals.

According to organizational structure, there should be 133 professors, specialists and assistant specialist psychiatrists employed by the Medical Services Department of the Health Ministry, but there are only 59 at present. And there are only 23 teachers of psychiatry at medical universities although there are positions for be more than 110, Dr Myint Htwe said.

"We'll expand the organizational structure in the next few years. We have 24 psychiatrists who graduated in December. They will be recruited by hospitals," Dr. Myint Htwe told Parliament.

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Myanmar to Host First Tour for ASEAN Travel Bloggers, Writers

Posted: 02 Feb 2018 03:56 AM PST

YANGON — The Myanmar Travel Bloggers Club will host media and bloggers from across Southeast Asia for the first "ASEAN Media Bloggers Familiarization Trip to Myanmar" starting Feb. 12.

"The main purpose of this trip is to try to promote the beauty of Myanmar as well as our traditional products," said event organizer Ma May Zune Win, who won Myanmar Influencer of the Year 2017 in the travel category and runs the blog I Love Travelling.

She got the idea for the event after attending similar programs in other countries.

"When I went to other ASEAN countries, the host country promoted everything about themselves, bloggers could meet at the same place and share their culture, and media could write about the host country. So I decided to try to hold this kind of event in Myanmar," she said.

Being the first event of its kind in Myanmar, Ma May Zune Win said it had been a challenge to organize.

"First I asked the marketing department of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, but they said they didn't have enough of a budget. But I don't want to give up. So I contacted the Union of Myanmar Travel Association and they also said they didn't have the budget, but they helped by using their letterhead to invite all the media and bloggers from ASEAN."

Then she looked for sponsors among airlines, hotels and other Myanmar businesses.

The main sponsors of the event include Shwe Pyi Nann Myanmar Thanakha, Chatrium Hotel, Sedona, Aureum Bagan, Aureum Inle and Air KBZ.

Media and bloggers will arrive in Yangon on Feb. 12 and start their tour of Myanmar the next day, returning to the commercial capital by the 18th.

"The first day we will show them around Yangon and we will have activities like riding the trishaw, eating traditional Myanmar food and going to Shwedagon Pagoda. It might be fun. Then we will leave Yangon on Feb. 14 and head up to Bagan and Inle for one week," Ma May Zune Win said.

"We will host a thank you party on Feb. 18 and play traditional Myanmar games like Shwe Soon Nyo, Kyatpha Khoot and so on," she added.

Media guests will include the New Straits Times from Malaysia, Spring News from Thailand, GMA TV from the Philippines, the Phnom Penh Post from Cambodia and others.

Bloggers scheduled to attend include Jatiewpainai from Thailand, Rosie on the Road from Vietnam, Deegee Razon from the Philippines and more.

Local bloggers set to join the event include Travel by Naw Htike, Nu Myat Around the World, My Khayee and THIHA.

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Chief Minister Promises to Accommodate Yangon Homeless in Next Three Years

Posted: 02 Feb 2018 03:43 AM PST

YANGON — Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein has promised to accommodate the homeless in the region in the next three years before the National League for Democracy (NLD) government's term expires in 2020.

The chief minister revealed the plan at the 14th meeting between Vice President U Myint Swe and businesspeople, at the office of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Yangon on Thursday.

According to the chief minister, a housing board will be established to sell apartments "not only to squatters but also to those who come and work in Yangon."

The housing board will be opened at the former office of the Human Settlement and Housing Department on Bogyoke Road, he said.

The chief minister also promised to upgrade the industrial zones, besides implementing housing projects.

"It is very difficult to achieve immediate results in making those changes. Big projects need systematic management. But, we'll complete them within the next three years," said U Phyo Min Thein.

The housing board will be modeled after Singapore's Housing and Development Board, and will sell apartments to working people in installments.

According to U Phyo Min Thein, the apartments will be sold for monthly installments of around 80,000 kyats for a period of 20 to 25 years.

"We are negotiating with international investors to build low-cost housing projects. The government will provide land and the developers will be responsible for construction," he said.

The regional government has signed memoranda of understanding with some developers for low-cost housing projects, and will also invite more investment, he added.

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Bangladesh Tightens Security in Rohingya Camps

Posted: 02 Feb 2018 03:01 AM PST

Police in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar have imposed tight security in Rohingya refugee camps following an increase in crime, including the killing of a refugee leader.

With no clear timetable in sight for the physical repatriation of the Rohingya, police are building five permanent camps to cater to the refugees, who are considered by Muslim-majority Bangladesh to be displaced Myanmar nationals.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, an estimated 688,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar to escape a reported military offensive.

According to Cox's Bazar police headquarters, at least 106 cases were filed against 186 Rohingya people between Aug. 25 and Jan. 25. About half of those were murder and firearms cases, and half were drug related.

This week, Bangladesh's elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested three Rohingya — Nur Muhamed, Ataur Rahim, and Mohibullah — in Cox's Bazar in connection with the Jan. 20 shooting death of Rohingya community leader Muhammed Yusuf, 35, in the Thaingkhola camp in refugee-populated Ukhiya sub-district.

RAB Cox's Bazar chief Major Ruhul Amin said, "The motive for the killing is not entirely clear but during interrogation [the suspects] said they committed the crime as they were unwilling to return to Myanmar without recognition as 'Rohingya.'"

The victim, Muhammed Yusuf, had assisted local authorities in compiling the list of refugees and was motivating others to do the same, the official added. "We currently have five makeshift camps and have taken steps to upgrade them into permanent structures.  Five watchtowers will also be built to further enhance security," said Cox's Bazar deputy police chief Afruzul Haque Tutul.

In a 10-day period from Jan. 14, at least four Rohingya people were killed inside the camps set up by the government for the refugees.

A police officer who has been dealing with Rohingya for a long time told The Irrawaddy that the leaderless community is now split over three possible courses of action. "One group wants to return to their homeland [Myanmar] with due dignity; another group wants to stay in Bangladesh as they are afraid to return; and the third group wants to be to repatriated [to third countries]." The official added that "these disagreements are causing tension."

Thyangkhali Rohingya camp chairman Muhamed Ali, who is responsible for nearly 70,000 refugees, admitted that a section of the refugee population was trying to create trouble over how the repatriation process should proceed.

"The situation has improved… We will discuss [the repatriation process] with them," said Bangladesh refugee relief and repatriation commissioner Muhammad Abul Kalam.

However, Arakan Rohingya Human Rights and Peace Society organizer Mohib Ullah said, "We want protection by the UN security force. The protection is needed not only during the repatriation process, but until we are completely resettled."

Rights defender Nur Khan Liton, who has been working in the Rohingya camps since Aug. 30, 2017, shared the view that the community lacks leadership and that tension persists over the repatriation process.

Under the verification process laid out by Myanmar, each Rohingya national must voluntarily declare their intent to be repatriated. The UNHCR also maintains that any repatriation must be based on each individual refugee's informed and voluntary decision.

"We want equal rights [in Myanmar] and we believe the Bangladesh government will understand our position," said Mohib, a refugee who was briefly detained, quizzed and released by law enforcement officials after helping to mobilize a campaign in Kutupalang camp advocating for safe repatriation.

Kalam, the refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, said the UN body would be engaged in the repatriation process "on time."

Last week, however, he said that there was no set timeframe for the repatriation as it was "an open-ended process."

Joint Effort on Data Collection

Bangladesh authorities signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations refugee agency on Jan. 26 agreeing to compile family-based bio-data collected from Rohingya refugees registered by the country's Home Affairs Ministry. The move is aimed at facilitating the repatriation process agreed between Dhaka and Naypyitaw on Nov. 23.

Multiple Bangladesh officials confirmed the signing of the MoU. Authorities are currently struggling to meet Myanmar's requirements for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

The UNHCR has been working to link data from a family counting operation with individual refugee bio-data collected by Bangladesh's Home Affairs Ministry to create a stronger database to improve the delivery of assistance to refugees.

The ministry has registered over 1 million displaced Rohingya from Myanmar since it started collecting individuals' data in mid-September. However, Myanmar has provided a new verification form that requires family details instead of the individual data collected by Bangladesh.

In addition, the Bangladesh government is drafting another MoU with the UNHCR that will involve the UN body in the entire repatriation process.

Muktadir Rashidis a Dhaka-based journalist contributing to The Irrawaddy.

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Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Urges Lawmakers to Treat Each Other as ‘Comrades’

Posted: 02 Feb 2018 01:20 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi urged the country's executive, legislative and judicial branches to work together as comrades in the interests of the country during the 2nd anniversary of the NLD-led legislature on Thursday.

Speaking on the government's checks and balances, Myanmar's de facto civilian leader preached the merits of comradeship and advised against rivalry.

"When it comes to the interests of our country, there should never, ever be fighting between different groups or an unwillingness to cooperate.  Everyone should be able to cooperate with anyone for the interests of the country. All the citizens must be able to join hands," she said.

She also assured the military, or Tatmadaw, which is guaranteed 25 percent of the seats in Parliament by the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, of its role.

"When I say elected lawmakers, I am not excluding the Tatmadaw representatives. We must work together collaboratively," she said. "It is crucially important that all the lawmakers in Parliament treat each other as friends and comrades. Only then will they be able to effectively serve the interests of the country and the people."

She also expressed her dislike of the term "opposition." The opposition is not about opposing the ruling party, she said, adding instead that "opposition parties should join hands with [the ruling party], point out and criticize as necessary" for the sake of the country.

"You don't need to view parties and groups that are different from you as the enemy. The true democratic mindset is about being able to work together despite differences and different views, and about building unity based on diversity," she said.

Over the past two years, there has been an apparent lack of cooperation between civilian lawmakers and the Tatmadaw's representatives in the national legislature, and the ruling party should engage more actively with the Tatmadaw and ethnic minorities, said political analyst U Yan Myo Thein.

"The ruling party needs to heed the voices of the minority parties in Parliament, and it also needs to initiate open and intense debate with the Tatmadaw representatives in order to build an equilibrium in civil-military relations," he said.

He suggested that Parliament should form a parliamentary committee to smooth out civil-military relations.

Lawmaker U Sai Thiha Kyaw, of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, said NLD lawmakers do cooperate with their peers from other parties such as the Union Solidarity and Development Party and various ethnic parties in carrying out the work of parliamentary committees. But he said there was still a lack of cooperation when lawmakers from other parties submit proposals or ask questions in Parliament.

"If lawmakers from other parties submit a proposal, they don't usually get support. That is the case when we put forward bills. Maybe it is the policy of the ruling party. And we have not yet seen an opposition in Parliament that can objectively evaluate the policies of the government," said U Sai Thiha Kyaw.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi also stressed the importance of moral courage and unity in overcoming the challenges facing Myanmar.

"We aren't a very physically strong country. So it is critically important that we stand by our country with our mental strength in unity," she said. "If we stand united with great mental strength, we will be able to overcome any challenge."

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Reuters Reporters Accuse Police Witness of Falsely Testifying at Their Trial

Posted: 01 Feb 2018 11:14 PM PST

YANGON — Two Reuters reporters arrested for illegal possession of state secrets accused police of falsely testifying against them at their trial on Thursday.

On Thursday, the court heard testimony from prosecution witness Police Major Min Thant, the former chief of the Mingalardon Township Police Force, whom the two Reuters reporters claimed gave a false account of their arrest.

Meanwhile, the judge denied bail to Ko Wa Lone, 31, and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, saying that those charged under Article 3.1(b) of the Official Secrets Act are not eligible for bail.

The Official Secrets Act is a colonial-era law that dates back to 1923 and carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

"He said we were arrested by uniformed police. But those who arrested us were not wearing uniforms," Ko Wa Lone told reporters about the police witness's account of the moment he and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo were detained.

The pair was arrested on Dec. 12 after they had been invited to meet police officers for dinner in Yangon's Mingalardon Township. The reporters have told relatives they were seized almost immediately after being handed some documents at a restaurant by two policemen they had not met before.

"His account is different from what really happened," said Ko Kyaw Soe Oo, referring to the testimony of Pol. Major Min Thant.

Min Thant was transferred to the Dagon Township Police Force after the arrest of the two reporters, said defense lawyer U Than Zaw Aung.

A government document listing casualties, lost weapons and ammunition was submitted to the court as evidence.

The police witness acknowledged that the details in the documents found in the possession of the reporters when they were arrested had already been published in newspaper reports, said U Than Zaw Aung.

"[The government] had explained the details of the Maungdaw incident, including the casualties and lost weapons and ammunition to news media, and diplomats. The public already knew about it, so I don't think it was a secret," he said.

Police also gave a false account of the location where the reporters were arrested, and could not explain satisfactorily why they were there, said U Than Zaw Aung, adding that police must have had a pre-meditated plan to arrest the two.

The trial is scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Are You OK, Aunty May? China Warms to UK Prime Minister

Posted: 01 Feb 2018 10:13 PM PST

SHANGHAI/BEIJING — British Prime Minister Theresa May landed in China earlier this week fending off questions about her future amid mounting accusations of poor leadership, boring policies, and weakness over Brexit.

By Friday the 61-year-old leader was basking in a warm reception from the leaders of the world's second-largest economy, while concerned Chinese citizens affectionately nicknamed her "Aunty May" and worried if her legs were warm enough in the Beijing cold.

"What's past is prologue," said President Xi Jinping during his one-to-one meeting with May, quoting British playwright William Shakespeare to signal his hopes for strengthening ties.

The three-day trade visit has seen May earn assurances from China that Brexit will not affect the country's enthusiasm for the so-called "golden era" of relations and a promise to open up Chinese markets to new British business.

While words will mean little if not backed up with action, and there are scant details about the headline announcement of 9 billion pounds of trade deals signed during the trip, the mood music for May’s visit pointed to a Chinese state seeking to rally support around her.

"Her political style is known for being pragmatic and strong and deft at decision making. She’s Britain’s Iron Lady," said the Hubei Daily, an official regional newspaper, referring to the nickname of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

There was no sign of a hangover from the 2016 diplomatic spat between the two nations caused by May’s decision to delay a part Chinese-funded nuclear plant over concerns about foreign investment in key British infrastructure.

"China really respects Britain," said the influential Global Times tabloid — the same newspaper that in 2013 dismissed Britain as "just an old European country apt for travel and study" in a scathing editorial during a visit by May's predecessor David Cameron, who had infuriated China by meeting the Dalai Lama.

One Chinese official remarked dryly to Reuters: "Nobody would call him Uncle Cameron."

Asked by Chinese state television about her new moniker — a common Chinese term of endearment for respected women — May said she was honored, and her officials were privately thrilled that the name had stuck.

By contrast, the front page of this week's Spectator, a British political magazine, reads "Lead or go" above a stark, unflattering cartoon of May, hunched and bow-legged.

Rival Suitors

But Britain is not the only state looking to woo China.

Last month France's energetic young President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beijing with an attention-grabbing gift, a rare horse, although his tough words over Xi's signature plan to create a trillion-dollar modern-day Silk Road raised eyebrows.

Diplomatic sources say while China has expressed concern about Brexit, it has also been reassured by messages that Britain’s door is wide open to Chinese investment — a marked contrast to the suspicious reception Chinese companies have recently received in Germany.

May brought up awkward issues like democracy in Hong Kong, human rights and ethical concerns about Xi’s Belt and Road initiative, but was praised as "pragmatic" by the Global Times for not pressing the issue in public.

"For the prime minister, the losses outweigh the gains if she appeases the British media at the cost of the visit's friendly atmosphere," the paper wrote in an editorial on Friday.

On Chinese social media, concern about May's visit focused on less weighty issues, including whether her exposed legs were warm enough following publication of a photograph of her inside Beijing’s Forbidden City.

"Theresa, you really know how to stand up to the cold," wrote one of over 17,000 users to comment on her official Chinese-language Weibo account.

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Myanmar Tells UN Security Council: Time Not Right for Visit

Posted: 01 Feb 2018 09:06 PM PST

UNITED NATIONS — Myanmar told the United Nations Security Council not to visit during February this year because it was "not the right time," Kuwait's UN Ambassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi said on Thursday, adding that the country did not completely reject the proposed trip.

Nearly 690,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since Aug. 25 last year after the Myanmar military cracked down on insurgents in Rakhine State.

The security forces have been accused by Rohingya witnesses and rights activists of carrying out killings, rapes and arson in Rakhine in a campaign senior officials in the United Nations and United States have described as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar rejects that label and has denied nearly all the allegations.

Al-Otaibi said he tried to organize a visit to Myanmar during Kuwait’s presidency of the Security Council in February.

"This visit will not happen in February. Other members of the council might organize such a visit at a later stage, maybe in March or April," Al-Otaibi said. "They did not reject it…. They just think this is not the right time for the visit."

"They are currently organizing a visit for the diplomatic corps in Myanmar to the Rakhine State. They also said that tensions are high in the Rakhine State at the moment. These were the reasons given to us by the Myanmar authorities," he said.

In November the 15-member Security Council urged the Myanmar government to stop the excessive use of military force in Rakhine State and expressed "grave concern over reports of human rights violations and abuses."

The statement by the council also called on the Myanmar government to give media organizations full and unhindered access throughout the country to ensure the safety and security of medial personnel.

Two Reuters reporters, Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, were detained on Dec. 12 and accused of violating the country’s Official Secrets Act. They had worked on Reuters' coverage of the crisis in Rakhine State.

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Thailand Bans Smoking, Littering at Popular Tourist Beaches

Posted: 01 Feb 2018 08:59 PM PST

BANGKOK — Thailand banned smoking and littering at 24 beachside locations that are popular with tourists over environmental concerns on Thursday, the ministry of natural resources and environment said.

The Southeast Asian country has been a tourist magnet for decades, from its backpacker heyday in the early 1990s to its current popularity with tourists from mainland China. It expects to welcome a record 37.55 million tourists in 2018.

Environmental rights groups have urged successive governments to protect Thailand's palm-fringed beaches, which are frequently voted among the world's most beautiful, from unregulated development and littering, among other things.

A law that came into force on Thursday is aimed at tackling this problem, said Bannaruk Sermthong, a director at the Office of Marine and Coastal Resources Management.

"Starting today, smoking and cigarette-butt littering are prohibited on beach areas," Bannaruk told Reuters.

"Anyone who wants to smoke must do so in designated smoking areas, not on the beaches."

The law protects 24 beaches in 15 provinces located along the Andaman coast and the Gulf of Thailand.

Anyone who violates the law will be taken to a criminal court and could face up to one year in jail, or a fine of up to 100,000 baht ($3,190), or both.

Thailand has 357 beaches nationwide.

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US Says ‘Deeply Troubled’ by Reports of Myanmar Mass Graves

Posted: 01 Feb 2018 08:48 PM PST

WASHINGTON — The US State Department said on Thursday it was "deeply, deeply troubled" by new reports of mass graves in Myanmar's Rakhine State, where the military has been accused of atrocities against minority Rohingya Muslims.

The Associated Press reported earlier it had confirmed the existence of more than five previously unreported mass graves in the Myanmar village of Gu Dar Pyin, through interviews of survivors in refugee camps in Bangladesh and through time-stamped cellphone videos.

"We are deeply, deeply troubled by those reports of mass graves," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a regular news briefing. "We are watching this very carefully. We remain focused on helping to ensure the accountability for those responsible for human rights abuses and violations."

Nauert said the reports highlighted the need for authorities in Myanmar to cooperate with an independent, credible investigation into allegations of atrocities in northern Rakhine state.

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