Thursday, April 26, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Bangladesh Prepares Rohingya Camps for Cyclone Season

Posted: 26 Apr 2018 06:53 AM PDT

DHAKA, Bangladesh – The Bangladesh government in cooperation with local and international humanitarian agencies is taking steps to prepare the community of Rohingya refugees camped on the outskirts of Cox's Bazar for the coming monsoon season.

Officials are also seeking to allay concerns among the refugees about a plan to move many of the Rohingya to an island in the Bay of Bengal, insisting that relocation to the site would be done on a voluntary basis.

Meanwhile, aid group Médecins Sans Frontières has warned that the refugees' current shelter provisions were insufficient for extreme weather conditions and said it was bracing for "mass-casualty scenarios."

Bangladesh disaster-management officials said they had already taken the necessary measures to cope with heavy rains and flash floods. Their main concern now is the damage that a cyclone would inflict upon the makeshift structures housing densely populated Rohingya camps in areas in Ukhiya and Tekhnaf sub-districts of Cox's Bazar.

UN agencies have also initiated a number of special safety measures ahead of the rainy season.

A government survey found that 133,000 Rohingya people are at critical risk – the highest level – in the event of floods, cyclones and landslides.

Bangladesh, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and their partners are taking urgent steps to better protect nearly 80,000 people deemed at greatest risk of flooding in the area, and 23,000 threatened by landslides.

The UNHCR and other groups currently provide 80,000 families in the camp with bamboo poles and tarpaulins to construct flimsy shelters. However, the tarpaulins covering many shanties already require repairs, said Sirajul Mostafa, the chairman of a camp management committee at Kutupalang.

Habibul Kabir Chowdhury, head of the Bangladesh Disaster Management and Relief Ministry's Rohingya unit, said he was more worried about cyclones than landslides and flash floods. "Our major concern is cyclones, although we have identified a number of facilities including schools for use as shelters in an emergency," he said.

Kabir told The Irrawaddy that the government's cyclone-warning system could provide five days' notice ahead of a cyclone making landfall.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has prepared an emergency contingency plan for the upcoming monsoon season. Some 300 volunteers have been trained in first aid, and search-and-rescue.

In June 2017, heavy monsoon rains triggered a series of landslides and floods in Rangamati, Chittagong and Bandarban, three hilly districts near Cox's Bazar, the town currently hosting hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees. The slides and floods killed over 150 people.

According to ReliefWeb, which monitors global crises and disasters, Cox's Bazar has been hit by cyclones every year for the past three years: Cyclone Mora in May 2017, Cyclone Roanu in May 2016, and Cyclone Komen in July 2015.

In Bangladesh, the pre-monsoon hot season, which brings some rain, usually lasts from March through May. The main monsoon season lasts from June through October, and often sees flooding.

Cyclones generally strike Bangladesh in March through July and September through December, with the greatest number of storms in May and October.

UNICEF, meanwhile, is providing GPS-enabled bracelets to around 250,000 Rohingya children so their families can trace them should they become separated during emergencies.

UNICEF Bangladesh spokesperson AM Sakil Faizullah told The Irrawaddy the agency aims to provide the bracelets to all children up to the age of 12.

"With the bracelet, anyone can be easily traced in any circumstances," Sakil said. He hoped they would start distribution by May.

UNICEF officials said that 5,000 Rohingya children had already been separated from parents and relatives during the violence that forced them to leave Rakhine State. Many of these children were now roaming Cox's Bazar in search of their loved ones.

From September to November 2017, the Bangladesh Social Services Department registered 36,373 Rohingya children who had been separated from at least one parent during the exodus. Some 7,771 had lost both parents.

Over 688,000 Rohingya have entered Bangladesh since Aug. 25, 2017, in what the UN describes as the world's fastest-developing refugee emergency.

The field officer for Médecins Sans Frontières' Bangladesh Mission, Mostafa Mohammad Sazzad Hossain, said, "The approaching monsoon rains and other natural hazards may lead to deaths in the camps, with hundreds of thousands of Rohingya and members of the host community at risk of disease outbreaks and aid disruptions. Current shelters and structures are unable to withstand extreme weather conditions such as heavy flooding or cyclones, and do not sufficiently meet the protection needs of the most vulnerable refugees. MSF is preparing for mass-casualty scenarios.

"MSF expects to see cases of injured people and likely fatalities resulting from heavy winds and landslides. Due to the poor infrastructure in the camp, access to our health posts and clinics will be even more difficult for patients, as well as healthcare staff. Access to safe drinking water is a priority and MSF is rehabilitating latrines and water distribution networks, as well as setting up bucket chlorination points."

'No forced relocations'

According to Agence France-Presse, authorities in Dhaka earlier said about 100,000 refugees from the persecuted Muslim minority would be shifted to an island in the Bay of Bengal where the Bangladesh Navy is building housing that can withstand cyclones.

A number of Rohingya community members told The Irrawaddy they are afraid of being shifted to the island, however.

"Yes, we know the fear of being shifted to Bhasanchar persists among the community… but, none will be taken there forcibly," said Habibul Kabir, the Rohingya unit chief.

Kabir said officials would visit Bhasanchar along with representatives of humanitarian agencies in the first half of May to get a clear picture of the proposed relocation process.

Rohingya community leader Sirajul Mostafa said he had not officially been told about the relocations to Bhasanchar, but he had heard rumors.

"We have taken shelter here from persecution in our land. And, we are here [waiting] to return to our land," he added.

The post Bangladesh Prepares Rohingya Camps for Cyclone Season appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Two Pyin Oo Lwin Officials Jailed for 10 Years in Corruption Cases

Posted: 26 Apr 2018 05:44 AM PDT

MANDALAY – Mandalay Divisional Court on Thursday jailed two Pyin Oo Lwin Township officials for 10 years for corruption.

The sentences, the harshest ever handed down by the Mandalay court for corruption, come on the heels of a promise by President U Win Myint to take strong action against corrupt officials.

Pyin Oo Lwin Township general administration officer U Tin Naing Soe and deputy administration officer U Kyaw Kyaw Naing were charged in October 2016 with two corruption counts each under Article 56 of the Anti-corruption Law for taking bribes from residents of Mageeinn village in return for registering their land.

The court found the two officials guilty of taking a total of more than 39 million kyats in two separate cases. They were each sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment in each case.

Article 56 states: "Other than the Political Post Holder, if any other Authorized  Person  is  convicted for committing  bribery; he/she shall  be  punished  with  imprisonment  for  a  term of not more than 10 years and with a fine."

In 2014, the two officials promised residents of Mageeinn that they would grant their registration requests, on the authority of the Home Affairs Ministry, in exchange for money.

The residents paid them more than 39 million kyats, but saw no action on their applications. After waiting for about two years, they reported the incident to Pyin Oo Lwin police and filed a lawsuit against the officials under the Anti-corruption Law.

President U Win Myint has vowed to crack down on bribery and corruption. He reportedly instructed members of the Anti-Corruption Commission not to be influenced by powerful figures in undertaking their duties, and to report to him if they encounter cases of powerful people protecting those accused of corruption. (https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/president-orders-anti-corruption-panel-not-influenced-powerful-figures.html)

Mandalay Divisional Court is currently preparing to hand down sentences in a separate case in which Naypyitaw municipal council members were convicted of taking bribes from vendors. (https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/court-case-begins-naypyitaw-municipal-officials.html)

In another case, the director-general of the Food and Drug Administration was recently charged under the Anti-corruption Law for allegedly demanding personal favors from a company that won a tender to build laboratories. (https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/anti-corruption-commission-files-case-fda-chief.html)

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With Yangon Trash Fire Mostly Under Control, Authorities Tackle Smoke

Posted: 26 Apr 2018 05:09 AM PDT

YANGON — A fire that has been burning at Yangon’s largest dumpsite since Saturday has been brought mostly under control, the regional government announced Wednesday, but warned that smoke from the site continued to pose a health risk.

"About 80 percent of the fire is now under control, but what we can't control is smoke," Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein said at a meeting about the fire, according to a statement the regional government released Wednesday afternoon.

The chief minister said bio-foam, a fire suppression detergent, would be used to cut down on the smoke. The statement added that the government would import 1,800 gallons of the foam from Thailand within 36 hours.

The fire at the 17-year-old Htein Pin landfill in Hlaing Thaya Township started on Saturday, sending smoke across nearby townships and raising public health concerns.

As of Wednesday, 13 patients were being treated at a local hospital after inhaling smoke from the blaze. U Phyo Min Thein said air quality had been tested at five locations near the dump and that the results would be made public.

The Yangon City Development Committee, Myanmar Fire Services Department and Yangon Military Command are collaborating to put out the fire using a combined 800 personnel, according to the regional government.

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Civil Society Groups Urge Release of Reuters Reporters

Posted: 26 Apr 2018 04:30 AM PDT

MANDALAY — More than 160 civil society groups sent an open letter to President U Win Myint on Thursday, urging for the immediate release of two Reuters journalists and calling for an investigation committee to look into the case.

The letter stated that the two reporters were set up by police, but that they still do not have their freedom.

The statement continued to say that the arrest and trial didn't make sense and that it was unjust that the reporters and police officers were still detained.

"We are urging for the immediate release of the detainees," it read.

The open letter was signed by 163 civil society groups including the Burmese Women's Union (BWU), Generation Wave, Community Response Action Group (COMREG), Association of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters (HRDP) and National Network for Educational Reform (NNER).

The groups also urged for a national-level investigation committee to be formed.

"We urge the president to form a national-level investigation committee to investigate the whole case and to review the trial. If not, trust in the judicial system could be damaged," said Ko Thatoe, a spokesperson from COMREG.

The civil society groups also urged the president to provide social security to the families of the detained, as well as to ensure their rights.

"We believe the president will address this matter because he once said that he would try his best to make the judiciary more just, fair, and free from bias," he added.

The civil society groups said they are closely watching the trial and will act accordingly.

"The detainees were arrested four months ago. We want them to be released immediately, as the reporters were framed," said Ko Thatoe. "We are closely watching whether the judiciary is just and we will increase our action if necessary."

The two Reuters reporters, Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo, were arrested on Dec. 12 last year. They were accused of possessing confidential government papers and have been charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act. They are facing a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison for the alleged crime. 

Police captain Moe Yan Naing, a prosecution witness, testified to the court on April 20 that police Brigadier-General Tin Ko Ko had ordered police officers to frame the reporters by handing the confidential documents and then arresting them.

The police captain was also detained following the arrest of the reporters. He is facing separate charges for passing the government documents that could result in imprisonment and dismissal from his position.

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Despite Govt Efforts, Divide Persists Over Rohingya Freedom of Movement

Posted: 26 Apr 2018 02:12 AM PDT

YANGON — Members of the opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) vowed to strongly object to granting freedom of movement to national verification card (NVC) holders from Rakhine State.

Last week, a delegation led by Social Welfare Minister Dr. Win Myat Aye visited Rohingya refugees camps in neighboring Bangladesh. Afterward, they held a press conference in Yangon where they stated that the Myanmar government would grant freedom of movement, access to healthcare and education, and the ability to cross international borders if returnees hold NVC cards.

The mission of the Myanmar delegation was to convince some 700,000 Rohginya Muslim refugees of this. The refugees have been displaced for months, after being driven out by army clearance operations following an attack on border guard posts in late August 2017. The Myanmar Army has been accused of extrajudicial killings, rape and arson and the UN has described the military's actions as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing."

Dr. Win Myat Aye, Muslim and Hindu religious leaders explained to the refugees the potential advantages of the NVCs, despite people's mistrust. During the press briefing, the social welfare minister also stated that cardholders could fill out an associated immigration form at the Immigration Department and then receive citizenship within five months.

In response, USDP spokesman Dr. Nanda Hla Myint told reporters at party headquarters in Yangon that the party will not accept the government plan, and that it will strongly oppose it along with other party alliances and nationalist groups.

"Regarding this issue, our party will submit an urgent proposal to Parliament during the upcoming regular session," he said.

NVCs as a Control Mechanism

National verification cards were introduced by former President U Thein Sein's administration as a replacement for white cards, or temporary registration cards.

The government has said the Rohingya, an ethnicity not officially recognized in Myanmar, must undergo a verification process in line with the 1982 Citizenship Law and accept NVCs before they can become citizens. Being granted a NVC does not guarantee citizenship, but holders of the card are able to apply for citizenship through a formal process.

A sample of Form (4), locally known as the travel permit for the Rohingya community in Rakhine State.

USDP spokesman Dr. Nanda Hla Myint told The Irrawaddy that it is clearly stated on NVCs that cardholders are not recognized as citizens. He added that the immigration form that Dr. Win Myat Aye referred to – Form 4 – was designated for non-citizens.

Previous governments used the form to issue permits for travel, health and education, but even once approved, the permits did not allow for more than 45 days of travel outside of Rakhine State and regional authorities needed to be notified of travel 24 hours in advance of every arrival and departure within that timeframe.

"We use Form (4) as a control mechanism for non-citizens, similar to how we used to use the Guest Registration Law or State Surveillance Law. If everyone is allowed to travel freely around the country, we lose that control," Dr. Nanda Hla Myint said.

The USDP spokesman said he is seriously concerned about state security if NVC holders are permitted freedom of movement.

"How can we prevent extremists from entering our country if we no longer have this mechanism?" he asked. "That is why I am strongly opposing it."

Some Arakanese social activists have voiced that they believe the USDP is taking this stance to seek public support and political advantage.

The USDP spokesman responded by saying that this would not win the party the next election. "We are just emphasizing national interests and pointing out that the NLD is slipping from procedure," he said.

Arakanese Perspectives on the NVC

Many people assume that the Arakanese often hold the opposite stance of the Rohingya Muslims. But on this issue, the Arakanese community, Arakan National Party lawmakers and civil society groups have largely remained silent or criticized the USDP stance on freedom of movement for NVC holders.

The Irrawaddy conducted a mini-survey of 40 Arakanese via messenger regarding the issue. The participants were activists, politicians, civil servants and educated workers, primarily living in Rakhine and Yangon.

Of those who responded, 27 answered in support of freedom of movement for NVC holders, 2 voted against and 2 abstained.

ANP lawmaker U Pe Than replied, "This question is very difficult to answer yes or no… Let the Myanmar people weigh in first,"

Ethnic Arakanese U Win Aung said that the NVC was similar to white cards, which at one time allowed holders to vote – one of the highest rights of a citizen. That right was later revoked.

"If the previous government allowed these cardholders voting rights, why should we object to freedom of movement for NVC holders?" he asked.

Border police check point in southern Maungdaw Township. (Photo: Moe Myint/ The Irrawaddy)

The NVC Conundrum

In Naypyitaw on Thursday, the Labor, Immigration, and Population Minister U Thein Swe said that people were misinterpreting the freedom of movement that would be granted, and that there were more steps than were being stated.

"What the media recently reported about NVC holders being able to freely travel anywhere in the country is wrong," he said.

According to him, travel would still be limited and the NVC was only an initial step in recognizing residency. After filling out Form (4), applicants would have their documents checked and need approval from township, district, state and the central government before being granted citizenship in line with the 1982 Citizenship Law.

He did not elaborate on the immigration form and it is unclear how it will be used under the National League for Democracy (NLD) government. The form was created during the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) era, under military dictator U Than Shwe, and mainly targeted Muslims in Rakhine. Most Muslims in Rakhine at that time needed a recommendation letter from the state government and the director of the immigration department to travel outside of Rakhine State.

It is also unclear if what Dr. Win Myat Aye stated will be put into practice as the new policy of the government. The NLD-dominated Parliament had proposed to get rid of Form (4) altogether, and unless it is removed, freedom of movement could remain difficult for NVC holders.

Statements from Union ministers, senior NLD and USDP members indicate that different sides and translating the situation differently.

Despite the social welfare minister repeatedly discussing the benefits of NVCs, Muslims in strife-torn towns Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Rathedaung are banned from traveling and currently need recommendation letters from village officials and local authorities to even visit neighboring Muslim villages. This indicates that even now, the NVC doesn't work on the ground and the meaning of the NVC remains a puzzle for the Rohingya.

A Rohingya man from Maungdaw said, "We are not allowed to visit a neighboring village without the recommendation of a village administrative officer even now. How can we trust the NVC?"

The post Despite Govt Efforts, Divide Persists Over Rohingya Freedom of Movement appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Youth Safety and Health at Work: Early Education Equals Early Protection

Posted: 26 Apr 2018 01:42 AM PDT

 In the Asia-Pacific region, more people than anywhere else start working from a young age. As youths, they often work in hazardous and exploitative jobs to earn income for their families. Some of this work constitutes child labor. This year, for World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the International Labor Organization (ILO) is focusing on improving the working conditions of young workers as well as bringing an end to child labor.

In Myanmar, there are more than 8 million workers aged between 15 and 24. These workers comprise 21 percent of the country's workforce. Often it is poverty that pushes young people to start working from an early age. They enter the workforce with virtually no knowledge about occupational hazards and risks, nor any awareness about their occupational safety and health (OSH) rights.

Many young workers in Myanmar and in the rest of the Asia-Pacific are in the informal economy and are engaged in agricultural, industrial and artisanal work. These workplaces tend to be out of the reach of OSH laws and are otherwise difficult to inspect. In addition, workers frequently lack an understanding of the importance of OSH.

Poor working conditions and a lack of OSH training often translate to higher rates of injury among workers who would otherwise have had a long working career ahead of them. They are also at risk of contracting occupational diseases with harmful long-term effects. For example, exposure to hazardous agents such as asbestos, pesticides and other chemicals can ultimately lead to serious diseases and potentially death.

Concerted Tripartite Efforts

Providing young workers with decent and safe employment opportunities is indispensable for future social and economic development. Governments, employers and workers need to build, implement and continuously strengthen a culture of prevention. Indeed, the Myanmar government is currently engaging in regular tripartite dialogues to set standards and a new comprehensive OSH law, currently before the Parliament, will hopefully be adopted shortly.

It is crucial that national policies are in line with international labor standards. In particular, there should be full compliance with the ILO Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187).

Encouragingly, there have been increased ratifications of the Convention in the region, and we hope Myanmar will follow suit.  Myanmar already ratified ILO Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labor in December 2013, and with the assistance of the ILO the government is in the process of finalizing its first National Action Plan on Child Labor and the list of hazardous jobs prohibited for workers under the age of 18.

Educating for a Safer Future of Work

While efforts to improve the current state of workplaces are critical, there must also be efforts to educate future generations in OSH. By one estimate, 65 percent of children in primary school today will work in jobs that currently do not exist. In order to ensure that these jobs do not jeopardize the health and safety of future generations, it is crucial that children are educated from a young age.

This system of early education should be provided consistently, thus promoting a culture of prevention.

When it comes to building a culture of prevention, clear and effective communication is essential. In Myanmar, the ILO's Youth4OSH Project is providing organizations and networks with tools and strategies to raise workplace OSH awareness among young workers and young employers.

The ILO SafeYouth@Work Project is working to mainstream OSH in technical vocational education and training curricula so that young workers in Myanmar learn how to work safely at the same time that they acquire marketable job skills.

Educating young people on the importance of OSH is necessary for a safe future of work. We must do all we can to ensure that young people are aware of, and protected by, OSH principles so that they too are given the chance to work in a safe and healthy workplace.

Tomoko Nishimoto is an assistant director-general of the International Labor Organization and regional director for Asia and the Pacific.

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Fighting Fire in a Wasteland

Posted: 26 Apr 2018 01:13 AM PDT

A giant fire raging at Yangon’s largest dumpsite, in Hlaing Thaya Township, has been defying firefighters since Saturday. Making matters worse, noxious smoke from the fire has spread to nearby areas and hit downtown, choking some residents. On Wednesday, Yangon Mayor U Maung Maung Soe said 80 percent of the fire was under control. State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has offered the union government’s help. As of Wednesday afternoon, though, firefighters and soldiers were still hard at work battling the blaze.

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EXCLUSIVE: US Team in Refugee Camps Investigating Atrocities Against Rohingya

Posted: 25 Apr 2018 10:52 PM PDT

WASHINGTON/COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh — The US government is conducting an intensive examination of alleged atrocities against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims, documenting accusations of murder, rape, beatings and other possible offenses in an investigation that could be used to prosecute Myanmar’s military for crimes against humanity, US officials told Reuters.

The undertaking, led by the State Department, has involved more than 1,000 interviews of Rohingya men and women in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh, where almost 700,000 Rohingya have fled after a military crackdown last year in Myanmar’s northwestern Rakhine State, two US officials said. The work is modeled on a US forensic investigation of mass atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region in 2004, which led to a US declaration of genocide that culminated in economic sanctions against the Sudanese government.

The interviews were conducted in March and April by about 20 investigators with backgrounds in international law and criminal justice, including some who worked on tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, the US officials said.

The information will be analyzed in Washington and documented in a report to be sent to the State Department’s leadership in May or early June, the officials said. It’s unclear whether the Trump administration will publicly release the findings, or whether they will be used to justify new sanctions on the Myanmar government or a recommendation for international prosecution.

“The purpose of this investigation is to contribute to justice processes, including community awareness raising, international advocacy efforts, and community-based reconciliation efforts, as well as possible investigations, truth-seeking efforts, or other efforts for justice and accountability,” said a document used by the investigators in the sprawling refugee camps and reviewed by Reuters.

Three US officials in Washington and several people involved in the investigation on the ground in Bangladesh disclosed details of the fact-finding operation to Reuters.

A State Department official, asked to confirm the specifics of the investigation conducted in the refugee camps as reported by Reuters, said “the program details are accurate.” The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US government was using all available information and a wide range of tools, but added: “We cannot get ahead of the deliberative, policymaking process.”

As of publication, the Myanmar government and military had not responded to questions from Reuters. Myanmar has said its operations in Rakhine were a legitimate response to attacks on security forces by Rohingya insurgents.

The interviewers in the camps asked the refugees basic demographic questions, the date the person left Myanmar, and to recount their experiences during the wave of violence unleashed against the Rohingya in Rakhine State by the Myanmar military and local Buddhist residents.

The investigators also asked refugees to describe the battalions and weaponry used by the Myanmar military in Rakhine State during operations against the Rohingya, said one person involved with the investigation in the camps, which are located in the Cox’s Bazar district in southern Bangladesh. The investigators have received names of individual perpetrators and the identities of specific battalions allegedly involved, this person said.

A second person involved in the project on the ground said 1,025 refugees have been interviewed and the assignment may include a second phase focused on military units.

Zohra Khatun, 35, a Rohingya refugee in the camps, said she told investigators that soldiers waged a campaign of violence and harassment in her village in Rakhine State starting last August. They made arrests and shot several people, driving her and others to flee, she said.

“One military officer grabbed me by the throat and tried to take me,” she told Reuters, clutching her shirt collar to demonstrate. The military, she said, burned homes in the village, including hers.

The investigation coincides with a debate inside the US government and on Capitol Hill over whether the Trump administration has done enough to hold Myanmar’s military to account for brutal violence against the largely stateless Rohingya.

The Rohingya are a small Muslim minority in majority-Buddhist Myanmar. Though they have been present in what’s now Myanmar for generations, many Burmese consider them to be interlopers. Violence against them has increased in recent years as the country has made a partial shift to democratic governance.

In November, following the lead of the United Nations and the European Union, then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declared that the Rohingya crisis constituted “ethnic cleansing,” a designation that raised the possibility of additional sanctions against Myanmar’s military commanders and increased pressure on its civilian leader, Nobel peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The Myanmar government has denied the accusations.

The United States responded in December by imposing targeted sanctions on one Myanmar general and threatening to penalize others. Washington has also scaled back already-limited military ties with Myanmar since the Rohingya crisis began. Human rights groups and Democratic lawmakers in Washington have urged the Republican White House to widen sanctions and designate the violence as “crimes against humanity,” a legal term that can set the stage for charges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

“No decisions have been made on that front, but it’s something being looked at very carefully,” a senior Trump administration official told Reuters.

A Reuters investigation published in February provided the first independent confirmation of what had taken place in the village of Inn Din, where 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys were hacked to death by Rakhine Buddhist villagers or shot by security force members. The story was based on accounts not only from Rohingya refugees but also from soldiers, police officers and Buddhist locals who admitted to participating in the bloodshed.

Pictures obtained by Reuters showed the men and boys with their hands tied behind their backs and their bodies in a shallow grave. Two Reuters journalists were jailed while reporting the story and remain in prison in Yangon, where they face up to 14 years in jail on possible charges of violating Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act.

So far, there has been resistance by lawyers in the White House and State Department to adopt the terms “crimes against humanity” or “genocide” in describing deaths of Rohingya in Myanmar, the US officials said.

The State Department itself has been divided over how to characterize or interpret the violence against the Rohingya, the officials said.

The East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau, staffed largely by career diplomats and representing the view of the embassy in Myanmar, has held at times “to a success narrative” on Myanmar since the lifting of sanctions was announced in October 2016 and the strong public role played by the US government in the historic 2012 opening of the country after decades of military rule, one official said.

Diplomats in Yangon have also been reluctant to jeopardize Washington’s relationship with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a democratic icon who has faced criticism for failing to do more to rein in the violence against the Rohingya. Some senior US officials still believe Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remains the best hope for a more democratic Myanmar, one official said. “They are reluctant to upset that relationship.”

That contrasts with the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, based in Washington, which has pushed for tougher sanctions, the officials said. Bridging that gap has been made more difficult because the State Department under President Donald Trump has yet to fill many important diplomatic positions, the officials said.

Officials described the process in the refugee camps of documenting the abuses as rigorous. Each interview was coded with key words according to the alleged crime, such as killing, rape, sexual violence and lynching. Different categories of alleged perpetrator also have codes – from civilians to insurgents, Myanmar military personnel and police.

“After the 1,000 interviews and statistical analysis, we can draw certain conclusions about the perpetrators of crime and patterns of crime,” one official said.

The official said one possible result from the documentation of abuses against the Rohingya could be a vote by the United Nations General Assembly to establish an international body to investigate the most serious crimes committed against the Rohingya, similar to what it’s done with Syria.

The State Department did not respond to questions about divisions within the administration over how to characterize the violence and criticism that the administration was too slow in acting to halt abuses.

Subiya Khatun, 29, who fled her Rakhine home in September and reported seeing three dead bodies in a canal on her way to the Bangladesh border, said she hoped for justice and a safe return to Myanmar.

“They said they have come from America. ‘This investigation will be used for your help,'” she said she was told by the people who interviewed her in the camps. “If Allah wishes, we will get justice and our demands will be fulfilled.”

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EU Readies More Sanctions Against Myanmar

Posted: 25 Apr 2018 10:07 PM PDT

BRUSSELS — The European Union will extend its arms embargo on Myanmar for another year this week and may then move to target more Yangon generals with fresh sanctions, EU diplomats and officials said.

The EU accuses Myanmar of “serious and systemic” human rights violations in a military operation in the country’s northwest last year that sent nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh.

The EU arms embargo is now in place until the end of April and the diplomats and officials said it would be extended for another year before that deadline expires.

It will also be expanded to cover already limited training for the Myanmar military, they said.

Last October, the EU decided to shun Myanmar generals over the operation in Rakhine State, which the United Nations denounces as ethnic cleansing. Yangon rejects these accusations.

The US government is now conducting an intensive examination of alleged atrocities against the Rohingya that could be used to prosecute Myanmar’s military for crimes against humanity, officials told Reuters.

EU sources said the bloc might slap visa bans and asset freezes on more Myanmar military figures in May or June, with Major General Maung Maung Soe being one name on the list.

Last December, the United States levied sanctions on the man who had been in charge of the crackdown on the Rohingya minority in Rakhine.

Canada followed suit in February when Reuters also reported on what had taken place in the village of Inn Din, where 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys were hacked to death by Rakhine Buddhist villagers or shot by security force members.

The killings were part of the larger army crackdown on the Rohingya. Two Reuters journalists were jailed while reporting the story and remain in prison in Yangon, where they face up to 14 years in jail for violating Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act.

The EU is considering six other members of the military as well, the diplomats and officials said, though that has not yet been discussed by all 28 member states who must reach a unanimous decision to introduce sanctions.

The West’s relations with Myanmar soured over the crackdown on the Rohingya despite the Southeast Asian country making a partial shift to democratic governance in recent years.

The post EU Readies More Sanctions Against Myanmar appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UN Chief Taps Swiss Ambassador to Germany as Myanmar Envoy: Sources

Posted: 25 Apr 2018 09:56 PM PDT

UNITED NATIONS — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has tapped Switzerland’s Ambassador to Germany, Christine Schraner Burgener, to be his special envoy on Myanmar, UN sources said on Wednesday.

Myanmar has faced international criticism over a military crackdown that has sent nearly 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh. The United Nations, United States, Britain and others have described the operation as ethnic cleansing, which Myanmar has denied.

In December the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution asking Guterres to appoint a UN special envoy on Myanmar, putting a special focus of the world body on trying to help resolve the crisis.

Myanmar UN Ambassador Hau Do Suan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday on Guterres’ plan to appoint Schraner Burgener, who was previously Switzerland’s ambassador to Thailand.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday that he expected an announcement of an appointment “in the coming days.”

UN Security Council envoys are due to travel to Bangladesh and Myanmar shortly to assess the situation.

Hau Do Suan told Reuters earlier this month that his country welcomed “any constructive engagement and counsel of any kind from the international community to advance human rights.”

However, he said Myanmar does not believe the appointment of a special envoy “will solve the multi-faceted and complex situation of Myanmar unless his or her mandate is carried out based on the principle of respect for the sovereignty and dignity of the country concerned, objectivity and impartiality.”

He noted that the position would need the full cooperation of the government and people of Myanmar to work.

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Kachin Relative of Slain IDPs Flees After Tatmadaw Opens Case Against Her

Posted: 25 Apr 2018 07:23 AM PDT

A Kachin woman has gone into hiding after accusing the Myanmar Army (or Tatmadaw) of killing two of her family members, apparently fearing detention by the military, according to local sources in Kachin State.

Kaw Awng, 45, is already the subject of legal action by the Tatmadaw. She has been charged by the Army with violating section 17 (1) of the law against unlawful association for allegedly concealing information that the slain IDPs were members of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). The charge was brought by Military Operation Command 21 based in Bamaw Township.

According to an IDP camp leader based in Mai Khaung, Mansi Township, who asked to be identified as "David", Myanmar Army personnel have made several trips to Kaw Awng's home intending to arrest her. It was Kachin IDP camp leaders who urged her to hide at a different location, David said. He requested the use of a pseudonym out of fear for his security, as there is a Myanmar military base near his IDP camp.

"Every time they come back to her home [in the camp] they ask us when she will be returning. The police have also come two times," David said.

The two IDPs, Hpaugan Yaw, 65, and Nhkum Naw San, 35, from Mai Khaung camp disappeared in January. After their bodies were found in March, the victims' family accused the Tatmadaw of killing the two men.

Not knowing which Army unit is responsible for the killings, the family asked police to investigate. According to David, the family claims the police investigation has been dropped now that the Army is taking action against it, however.

Police Major Myo Thant told The Irrawaddy that the police were no longer investigating the IDPs' deaths, adding that in fact the police wanted to speak with Kaw Awng to conduct their own investigation into whether she violated the unlawful association law as alleged by the Army.

According to David, the Army told the victims' family during a meeting at the township authority office in Mansi that it killed the two men, but claimed the killings were justified as they were KIA members, in the Army's view.

David Baulk, a Myanmar specialist for the rights group Fortify Rights, which has been following the case, told The Irrawaddy, "The families of Hpaugan Yaw and Nhkum Naw San are demanding justice for their killings, and the Myanmar military is targeting them as a result. … The reality is that in Myanmar today demanding accountability for crimes involving the military will likely result in a prison stretch."

David said that "Getting authorities to investigate and take action is difficult; they made up the story, but those two IDP were really civilians. They were not members of the KIA. We are still considering how to proceed."

The doctor who conducted the autopsies on the two men has refused to provide the family with a report, despite repeated requests by the family and IDP camp leaders. The doctor told the family that he could only release the information in a court proceeding.

Three other IDPs from Mansi camp were killed by the Tatmadaw in a separate case last year. In that case, however, camp leaders received cooperation from and were shown evidence by medical and police officials.

In January this year, six Army personnel were sentenced to prison terms for the killings.

"They may not want more Army personnel to go to prison. Therefore, we believe that they are playing games and preventing the family of the victims from taking action against them," David said.

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Yangon Dumpsite Blaze Continues to Fill Local Hospital, Clinics

Posted: 25 Apr 2018 05:54 AM PDT

YANGON — Sixteen people have been admitted at the Hlaing Tharyar General Hospital for smoke inhalation as of Tuesday after breathing in noxious smoke and fumes from a fire at Yangon's largest dumpsite, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports.

The fire, in Hlaing Tharyar Township, on Yangon’s western outskirts, has been burning since Saturday and affected several townships across the city. The foul-smelling smoke reached downtown Yangon on Tuesday.

A hospital superintendent on Tuesday said three of the 16 admitted patients have been released. State media meanwhile reported that more than 60 people who live near the dump have also been treated at temporary clinics.

Ko Myat Min Thu, a Yangon Region lawmaker representing Hlaing Tharyar, said Ward 20 has been the worst affected and that the regional health department began taking air pollution readings on Tuesday.

Volunteer rescue teams have reported via Facebook that firemen battling the blaze have also been treated for respiratory problems and minor injuries.

The dump was established 17 years ago and has become the largest trash disposal site in Yangon. The Myanmar Fire Services Department said 100 acres of it were now burning and that more than 100 firemen were trying to contain the flames.

A statement from the Health Ministry on Wednesday said smoke from the fire has reached at least seven townships in the east, west and north of Yangon and was causing health problems.

The ministry said the symptoms of inhaling smoke and carbon monoxide include coughing, eye irritation, headaches, confusion, breathing difficulty, vomiting and chest pain and in extreme cases could cause death. It said people with heart, respiratory and lung diseases were more vulnerable, along with children, pregnant women and the elderly.

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Court to Decide on ‘Hostile Witness’ Status in Reuters Case

Posted: 25 Apr 2018 05:24 AM PDT

MANDALAY — A Yangon court will decide next week whether to label Police Captain Moe Yan Naing a "hostile witness" in the ongoing trial of two Reuters reporters.

As a prosecution witness, Moe Yan Naing admitted to the court on April 20 that Police Brigadier-General Tin Ko Ko ordered police officers to entrap the reporters – Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo – by handing them confidential government documents and then arresting them.

Following the court hearing last week, the plaintiff's lawyer submitted a motion to label the police captain as a hostile witness.

The court will make a decision at next week's hearing on May 2.

According to the lawyers, the plaintiff lawyer's motion to the court included that Cpt. Moe Yan Naing might be fed up after more than 120 days in detention and that he might have a grudge against Brig-Gen Tin Ko Ko based on his previous testimony.

Reporter Ko Wa Lone said he believed the court would make a fair ruling for the police captain and that he felt sorry for Moe Yan Naing's family, who has been unable to visit him throughout his detention.

Moe Yan Naing was one of two police officers arrested in December last year for allegedly giving documents to reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.

The journalists were invited to meet police officers at a restaurant in Yangon and arrested shortly after when the documents were found in a "random" search.

The day after Police Cpt. Moe Yan Naing's testimony regarding the set up, his family was forced to move out of police housing.

He is facing a minimum one-year imprisonment and dismissal from his position.

Reuters reporters Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested on Dec. 12. They were accused of possessing confidential government papers and have been charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act. They are facing a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison for the alleged crime.

 The Irrawaddy reporter Tun Tun contributed to this story.

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Chief Minister Nowhere in Sight While Yangon Suffers from Smoke

Posted: 25 Apr 2018 05:16 AM PDT

Has anybody seen Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein? I repeat, has anybody seen U Phyo Min Thein?

For five days, a fire has been raging at a landfill in Yangon's Hlaing Thaya Township, one of the outermost towns to the city's west across the Hlaing River, spreading noxious smoke across the city. Since Saturday, firefighters have been trying to put out the fire but in vain. On Tuesday night, even residents in the downtown area suffered from the smoke produced by the fire smoldering in the 17-year-old garbage dump site, raising public health concerns.

Since Monday, the landfill fire attracted a wide range of media coverage. Local newspapers' front pages were splashed with pictures of firemen struggling to control the fire on the 100-acre dump site with smoldering garbage and headlines about residents being rushed to the hospital after inhaling the smoke. When the smoke hit downtown Yangon last night, the Ministry of Health and Sports, 200 miles away in Naypyitaw, announced a health warning and precautionary measures against the smoke. But the Yangon regional government was still silent. People wondered: "Where was U Phyo Min Thein, the head of the Yangon government? What was he doing?"

Well, for those questions, the answer in short was— the chief minister was busy! On Tuesday afternoon when 16 people had been admitted to Hlaing Thaya General Hospital after inhaling smoke, U Phyo Min Thein was leading a ceremony, accompanied by 4,500 monks, to bring back the sacred hair relic of Buddha from the Shwedagon Pagoda to its original place in Botahtaung Pagoda. When the panic-stricken downtown residents wondered how to cope with the smoke that night, the chief minister – who recently claimed that he would be the household leader if Yangon was considered a household – was peacefully attending Dhamma talks as a celebration of the success of the ceremony. It is noticeable that the chief minister put much of his energy and time as well as the government's resources into the relic-related event since early this month.

U Phyo Min Thein (left) during a ceremony to bring back the sacred hair relic of Buddha from the Shwedagon Pagoda to its original place in Botahtaung Pagoda on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo: Phyo Min Thein / Facebook)

In a nutshell, the chief minister is irresponsible. As the fire was getting serious earlier this week, his government failed to make any city-wide warning or alert regarding the smoke for the sake of public health, especially for the elderly and children. He didn't bother to let the people know how his government was tackling the problem or what still needed to be done. He failed to show up at the landfill to provide moral support to firefighters who have been extinguishing the fire day in and day out. In contrast, when crony Tay Za-owned Kandawgyi Palace hotel was on fire in October last year, U Phyo Min Thein personally visited the site even very early in the morning.

U Phyo Min Thein (far right) was on the scene when crony Tay Za-owned Kandawgyi Palace hotel was on fire in October last year (Photo: Phyo Min Thein / Facebook)

The Fire Services Department has earned popular praise for its hard work to extinguish the fire while the Yangon government attracted criticism for its inaction. People's hearts go out to the firemen who have been struggling to put out the fire under the intense heat for days. Well-wishers rushed in with food, electrolyte replacements and medicine for firefighters when the chief minister failed to appear. It's the latest example that in Myanmar if you care about people, they care about you too.

But on Tuesday night, U Phyo Min Thein couldn't turn a blind eye to the issue when State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi intervened, offering the assistance of the Union government. Alarmed, the chief minister called the first high-level meeting on the issue in the middle of the night, to brainstorm how to solve the problem. It showed clearly that the chief minister was not proactive. But he didn't forget to post the meeting pictures on his Facebook, letting people know 'Hey, I'm on it now!' But it was already too late.

In short, the landfill fire was a test for the chief minister's leadership in Yangon. Sadly, he failed.  Like it or not, U Phyo Min Thein, the self-acclaimed household leader of Yangon, has seriously disappointed millions of the city's residents.

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Launch of Report on Karen Crisis Blocked in Thailand under Pressure from Tatmadaw

Posted: 25 Apr 2018 05:06 AM PDT

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — At the request of the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw), Thai authorities on Wednesday shut down a launch event for a new report warning of a humanitarian crisis in Karen State and detailing ongoing human right abuses against local people there by the Tatmadaw.

The Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN) had planned to launch its report, "The Nightmare Returns: Karen Hopes for Peace and Stability Dashed by Burma Army Actions," at an event in Chiang Mai. The event was to include a documentary film screening, photo exhibition and two panel discussions in order to raise support for more than 2,400 Karen who have been displaced by the resumption last month of operations by the Myanmar military in northern Mutraw (Papun) district of Karen State.

In March, the Tatmadaw deployed large numbers of troops in Luthaw Township to rebuild an old road linking the Kay Pu and Ler Mu Plaw areas. The deployment has sparked dozens of clashes between the Tatmadaw and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), since March 4. On April 5, a local indigenous Karen community leader was shot dead by Tatmadaw troops on suspicion of being a KNLA soldier. Both the KNU and the Tatmadaw are signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), under which both sides agreed not to deploy more troops.

The KPSN originally planned to hold the launch event for the report at Chiang Mai University (CMU)'s Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD) building. However, it was informed on Tuesday that the CMU had canceled its booking at the venue. The event was moved, but had to be canceled on Wednesday morning when police showed up at the second venue.

CMU was asked to reconsider hosting the event by the commander of Thailand's 3rd Army based in Phitsanulok, who received a letter from the Myanmar military attaché, Brigadier-General Khin Zaw, earlier this week, according to RCSD director Dr. Chayan Vaddhanaput.

Dr. Chayan told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the center agreed to the request, which was passed on by the head of the CMU. The RCSD and KPSN made plans for the event to be held at another venue, but that was eventually also blocked by the Thai police.

This is the first time an RCSD-hosted event has been blocked by officials, said Dr. Chayan, who described the move as an "intervention against academic freedom." He said the discussion was to center on the refugees' future, and military-related issues were not the focus.

During periods of tension in Myanmar between signatories of the NCA, the Myanmar military tends to demand that the activities of Thailand-based Myanmar rights groups be suppressed. In July last year a Shan coalition, the Committee for Shan State Unity, was forced to call off a meeting in Chiang Mai by Thai authorities, apparently at the request of the Myanmar military.

KPSN spokesman Saw Soe Doh said the group's aim was "to raise public awareness about the IDPs' [internally displaced persons'] suffering" as a result of the Myanmar Army entering the areas in Luthaw Township without a prior agreement with the KNU.

KPSN has documented cases of 2,417 people from 12 villages who were forced to flee the latest military clashes. Another 400 or so from another four villages are preparing to flee, it said. The displacement experienced by villagers in Mutraw (Papun) is not a new phenomenon, according to the KPSN. This is the fourth time this group of people alone has faced forced relocation. (In addition to March of this year, previous exoduses occurred in 1992-93, 1995-97 and 2005-08).

In a field interview conducted by KPSN included in the report, an elderly woman named Naw Pwe says, "We don't want the Burmese soldiers to come here and build this military road… We just want them to let us live in peace."

Another IDP, Saw Pyo Say from Htee Bway Kee village, is quoted as saying in the report: "We don't want our children to face the nightmare, and the situation that we have faced. We want a better life for them, whichever life they choose, we want them to have a better life than we have. Whether they get an education or stay here on the farm, we want them to able to live in peace and not have to flee like we have."

The KPSN accuses the Myanmar Army of violating the NCA, to which both the Tatmadaw and the KNU are signatories, by crossing a boundary set by the KNU and deemed off-limits to both armed groups. According to the KPSN, the Tatmadaw has deployed eight battalions in areas controlled by the KNLA's Brigade 5.

"As the [Tatmadaw] is showing no sign of withdrawing from their offensive positions, these Karen IDPs are now facing the specter of protracted displacement, and severe food and physical insecurity," the KPSN said in a statement released Wednesday.

The post Launch of Report on Karen Crisis Blocked in Thailand under Pressure from Tatmadaw appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Analysis: China’s Shadow Over Myanmar

Posted: 25 Apr 2018 03:18 AM PDT

Only weeks after lawmakers elected Myanmar’s new president last month, China has promptly dispatched a high-level delegation to meet him.

Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China, met with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyitaw today and became the first high-ranking foreign official to meet the new president, U Win Myint.

On Sunday in Beijing, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with former President U Thein Sein, vowing to promote the development of the China-Myanmar economic corridor, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

Wang Yi said the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries had seen substantial progress, adding that China was willing to work with Myanmar to push forward construction of the China-Myanmar economic corridor and help stimulate Myanmar’s economic development. During U Thein Sein’s time in power, he suspended China’s work on the controversial Myitsone project in Myanmar. U Thein Sein's decision received both domestic support and rare praise from the West.

The decision angered China and relations between the two nations soured. But Beijing is now back on track, having rekindled warm relations with Myanmar after Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide election in the 2015 general elections. China sent several high-level delegations, including a previous visit by Song Tao to restore friendly relations.

China backed Myanmar at the UN after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled Rakhine State late last year and its military was accused of ethnic cleansing. When Myanmar recently agreed to let UN Security Council members visit the country later this month, including Rakhine, China was believed to have influenced its decision.

China's influence in Myanmar is enormous. It has invested in a deep-sea port at Kyaukpyu in southern Rakhine from which it has run oil and gas pipelines across the country to southern Yunnan Province. It had planned to build a high-speed rail line as well, but the project has stalled. Chinese companies are also behind several mining projects in central Myanmar.

In November, Minister Wang Yi visited Myanmar and proposed an economic corridor linking the neighbors as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The economic corridor will run from Yunnan to the city of Mandalay in central Myanmar. From there it will stretch south to Yangon and west to the Kyaukpyu special economic zone in Rakhine. Myanmar is in fact central to China's geopolitical strategic game plan in terms of trade links, energy security and its ambitious Silk Road project, and stability in Rakhine is critical to its success. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed the corridor proposal, though few details have been shared.

Beijing also promised to persuade ethnic armed groups in northern Myanmar to talk with the central government. As a peace broker, Sun Guoxiang, Beijing’s special envoy for Asian affairs, made several visits to Yunnan and Naypyitaw to bring armed groups to the negotiating table at the last national peace conference in 2017. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has asked China to assist in the peace process.

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Handmade Myanmar Bags with a Bohemian Style

Posted: 25 Apr 2018 03:09 AM PDT

Nowadays, people pay close attention to their fashion choices. Some choose flashy brand names, while others focus on unique handmade items.

Handmade goods are often produced in limited quantities, making them even more special.

Many local brands have popped up that produce shoes, bags and clothing, among other things. One such brand called Zoey has become a hit with youth as well as celebrities.

A handmade Zoey bag. / Supplied

Zoey is a collection of handmade bags with a bohemian influence created by local designer Ma Pont.

"Actually, 'Zoey' was my oldest daughter's idea and I began this brand as a gift for her fourteenth birthday," said Ma Pont, adding that she named the brand after her daughter.

Zoey, 14, is also interested in making her own styles and creations and is particularly interested in bags as well.

One day, she told her mom that all of her brand name bags were too heavy and difficult to carry.

The hope to create a lightweight bag was the spark that led to Zoey designs.

A girl sports a small Zoey backpack. / Supplied

Her mom started tinkering and was drawn to the bohemian style, which allowed her to experiment with color. She used traditional Burmese textile patterns but mixed them creatively.

The mother-daughter pair discussed the designs at the beginning.

"At first, this wasn't going to be a business; I was just going to give the bags to my daughter's friends," Ma Pont said.

Some of Ma Pont's friends are popular actresses and the Zoey brand received a lot of attention after they carried her bags. Then, the items got noticed on social media and grew in popularity.

Ma Pont used the feedback she received on the initial bags, which was overwhelmingly positive, and went ahead to design and produce more styles.

Zoey by designer Ma Pont in Paris. / Supplied

'Zoey' was started in October 2017 and all of the bags are still sewn by hand. The brand is a mix of quality traditional textiles and colorful bohemian themes.

Ma Pont also has her own design brand called 'My Favorite Collection,' mostly creating wedding dresses and other dresses for local celebrities.

Zoey doesn't maintain a large inventory. Only a small quantity of bags are produced to maintain quality," Ma Pont said.

Customers can make suggestions as to designs, colors and materials that they'd like, and Zoey will either create something or match them with something that fits the customers' wants.

Zoey has many types of bags available including totes, slings, backpacks and clutches. The styles are versatile and women, men, and children are seen wearing them.

The prices range from 35,000-50,000 kyats or more for custom orders.

Zoey does not yet have a brick and mortar location but designs and information can be found on the Facebook page Zoey by designermapont.

The post Handmade Myanmar Bags with a Bohemian Style appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

After Suu Kyi Intervention, Yangon Govt Works to Solve Landfill Fire

Posted: 24 Apr 2018 10:53 PM PDT

NAYPYITAW — Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein held a hasty meeting late last night after Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi offered assistance to his government as a huge landfill fire in Yangon's Hlaing Thayar Township worsened, threatening public health.

It was the first high-level meeting held by the Yangon government on the issue since the fire broke out several days ago.

The State Counselor's intervention came on Tuesday night when many townships—including the downtown area—across the city suffered from noxious smoke produced by the fire raging at the landfill since Saturday.

President's Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi informed the office about the Union government's proposed assistance to tackle the problem.

"We relayed her message to the regional government. They held a meeting last night. They are now preparing to let the people know what has been done and what will be done," he said.

The Yangon government will issue a press release, as the meeting finished late Tuesday night, he added.

Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein posted on his Facebook page at 11:45 p.m. about the meeting, saying that he discussed expanded measures to extinguish the fire quickly, as well as extended measures with relevant authorities.

Long before the chief minister's late night meeting on Tuesday, Major General That Pone of the Yangon Military Command made a visit to the landfill personally and deployed troops to help put the fire out.

As of Tuesday, Hlaing Thayar General Hospital admitted 14 patients for illnesses related to smoke inhalation.

"Four have been released. Necessary medics, including a chest specialist, have now come," said Dr. Thida Hla, the deputy director general from the Department of Medical Services under the Ministry of Health and Sports. The Ministry issue health warnings regarding the smoke last night.

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India Death Penalty For Child Rape Unlikely to Deter Traffickers, Says Campaigner

Posted: 24 Apr 2018 10:10 PM PDT

MUMBAI — People selling children into India’s sex trade are unlikely to be deterred by a new order approving the death penalty for child rape because laws are rarely applied in trafficking cases, said a leading campaigner.

India’s Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act — which allows lifetime prison sentences for people who sexually assault children — is being amended to introduce the death penalty for the rape of children below age 12.

But authorities have consistently failed to use the law to prosecute child sex trafficking, said Sunitha Krishnan, who was named today as a finalist for the prestigious Aurora Humanitarian Prize.

“The death penalty can be a deterrent only if POCSO is applied in trafficking cases, and if there is speedy trial and justice,” said Krishnan. “But POCSO is applied in very few trafficking cases.”

India’s cabinet approved the amendment on April 21 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an emergency meeting in response to nationwide outrage in the wake of a series of child rape cases.

However, an increase in the sex trafficking of children and infants has failed to spark a similar national outcry, according to campaigners.

Reports of human trafficking rose by almost 20 percent in 2016 against the previous year to more than 8,000. More than 60 percent of nearly 24,000 victims rescued were children, according to government data.

Krishnan, who petitioned the Supreme Court to take action against the circulation of rape videos on social media, said the internet has driven up demand for child sex videos while allowing traffickers to hide their identities.

“Sexual assault of children and babies is now being recorded and uploaded on porn websites or circulated on social media,” said Krishnan, who is a co-founder of the anti-trafficking charity Prajwala.

Krishnan, a gang rape survivor whose Hyderabad-based charity has rescued and rehabilitated scores of trafficking victims over the last two decades, said authorities are becoming more aware of the crime — but that has not translated into action.

“There is a big gap between the rate with which this problem is expanding and our response to it,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

While authorities do use existing laws to prosecute pimps, brothel managers and traffickers, customers who assault children trafficked into sexual slavery are rarely arrested, Krishnan said.

“By the time we get our act together and do something, so many lives will be sacrificed,” said Krishnan, who is also a recipient of one of India’s highest civilian awards, the Padma Shri.

Her fellow Aurora finalists are Kyaw Hla Aung, a lawyer and leader of Myanmar’s beleaguered Rohingya community, and Héctor Tomás González Castillo, a Franciscan friar in Mexico who provides shelter for migrants headed to the United States.

The annual Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was founded by Armenia-based 100 LIVES, a global initiative that commemorates a 1915 massacre in which up to 1.5 million Christian Armenians were killed by Ottoman Muslims.

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ASEAN Summit to focus on Myanmar, S. China Sea but Little Progress Expected

Posted: 24 Apr 2018 10:05 PM PDT

SINGAPORE — Southeast Asian leaders will focus on trade wars, the crisis in Myanmar and security tensions in the disputed South China Sea at a summit this weekend, but it’s highly unlikely there will be any headline-grabbing progress on the issues.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), formed more than half a century ago, has historically struggled with challenges facing the region because it works only by consensus and is reluctant to get involved in any matter deemed to be internal to any of its members.

The summit is being hosted by Singapore, an island state of 5.6 million people that is the smallest in the 10-member bloc, but the wealthiest and most westernized. The group also includes developing countries like Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, as well as nations like the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.

Asked why ASEAN took so long to take action on regional challenges, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said: “We can only do something if we get consensus. We need to do that because no other regional grouping has such diversity.

“But when ASEAN does decide and it does get moving, because there is consensus, I think we can do so effectively,” he said in an interview.

Singapore’s largest-selling newspaper, the Straits Times, said last year that even ASEAN’s five founding members took distinct approaches to issues facing the grouping.

The Philippines, it said, “demands ‘a legal basis’ for everything, while Singapore tends to ask ‘What is in it for us?'”

“Malaysia refers everything back to its government, Thailand prefers rule by committee, and Indonesia wants everything in step with its Pancasila (five-principle) philosophy.”

The situation in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine, where hundreds of thousands of minority Rohingya Muslims have fled for neighboring Bangladesh after a military crackdown, is one of the biggest challenges facing the group. The United Nations has said there is growing evidence that genocide has been committed.

“What you’re witnessing now is a disaster, it's a human tragedy,” Balakrishnan said.

He said ASEAN’s focus had been on stopping the violence and delivering assistance but added: “The political responsibility and accountability have to be with the Myanmar government. They have to find a political solution.”

Buddhist-majority Myanmar denies accusations of widespread abuses and has asked for "clear evidence."

Work in Progress

ASEAN hopes that a code of conduct it is negotiating with China will ease the dispute in the South China Sea, one of the world’s most volatile hotspots and one of its busiest waterways.

Balakrishnan said substantial work had been done on the code in recent months, but it was still a work in progress.

“Frankly I was pleasantly surprised that we could actually put it all down in a single document, albeit with lots of square brackets and they are not necessarily reconcilable yet,” he said.

Singapore has previously said it would be “unrealistic” to expect an agreement on the code to be reached within a year, after talks began late last year. Critics have said the code, which is expected to be non-binding, would only be an incremental step since it would not force China to back-track on its moves.

Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines all claim some or all of the South China Sea. China says it owns most of the waterway and has been aggressively building and militarizing artificial islands.

Negotiations on the code of conduct have moved as well as they could under the difficult circumstances, Balakrishnan said. “Are the territorial issues resolved? No, of course not. Those will take years, if not generations,” he said.

ASEAN foreign and finance ministers will gather ahead of the summit and were likely to voice concern on trade tensions between the United States and China.

“From an ASEAN perspective, the ideal world is one in which America, Japan, China and Europe get along and work within agreed multilateral rules adjudicated by multilateral institutions … like the WTO,” Balakrishnan said.

“We think it’s a good idea,” he said, referring to the World Trade Organization, which US President Donald Trump has called “a catastrophe” and “a disaster” for the United States.

“We do not wish to see unilateral imposition of trade measures, no matter how they argue them. Take it to the WTO, accept multilateral institutions, multilateral rules,” Balakrishnan said.

The post ASEAN Summit to focus on Myanmar, S. China Sea but Little Progress Expected appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Leeds United to Visit Myanmar for Pre-Season Tour

Posted: 24 Apr 2018 09:50 PM PDT

English Championship soccer team Leeds United will visit Myanmar for their post-season tour next month despite an army crackdown and the British government’s advice against traveling to some areas in the country.

Former English champions Leeds are scheduled to play the Myanmar national team on May 9 and will take on the National League’s all-stars in a second friendly two days later.

The second-tier side will also conduct football clinics with Myanmar Football Federation academies in Yangon and Mandalay and visit cultural sites including Shwedagon Pagoda and the Maha Myat Muni Pagoda, the Yorkshire club said in a statement.

“Myanmar is one of the fastest-growing nations in Southeast Asia and is passionate about English football,” said Leeds managing director Angus Kinnear.

“They have ambitious goals for grassroots and elite football development that we’re delighted to be able to support. This tour gives us an opportunity to meet new fans who will hopefully support our journey back to the Premier League.”

The United Nations and rights groups say a Myanmar military operation in the country’s northwest in August has sent nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh.

Rohingya refugees have reported killings, rapes and arson on a large scale.

Britain’s opposition Labour Party’s Shadow Minister for Sport, Rosena Allin-Khan, said on her official Twitter account she had written to Leeds urging the club to cancel the planned tour.

“It is morally corrupt for a football team to partake in a post-season tour to promote a country which carries out state-sponsored mass murder,” she wrote in the letter.

Myanmar denies accusations its military crackdown constitutes ethnic cleansing.

The post Leeds United to Visit Myanmar for Pre-Season Tour appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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