Thursday, June 7, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Myanmar Times Founder Ross Dunkley Arrested in Large Meth Seizure

Posted: 07 Jun 2018 08:07 AM PDT

YANGON – Yangon police arrested Australian national Ross Dunkley, the co-founder and former chief editor of the Yangon-based Myanmar Times newspaper, in possession of a large quantity of methamphetamine pills and crystal methamphetamine at his apartment in Bahan Township early Thursday morning.

The township's police chief, Police Major Thein Win, confirmed to The Irrawaddy that Dunkley was apprehended with 797 yaba pills and 303 grams of crystal methamphetamine, or "ice", at his rented residence in San Yay Twin Street.

Maj Thein Win said police had opened a case against Dunkley under the Sections 19 (a), 20 (a) and 21 (a) of the Anti-Narcotics Law. The multiple charges are punishable by an unlimited jail term or the death penalty.

Some Burmese-language publications reported that one foreigner and six local people, including some women, appeared handcuffed at the Bahan police station. It was unclear what the other detainees are accused of.

According to police, the suspects were remanded for detention on Thursday. Further investigation will be conducted before they are sent to court.

The arrest of Dunkley caused a stir among local netizens, coming as anti-narcotics police hunt suspects linked to a record drug bust in Malaysia's Port Kelang last month and a day after they arrested one of the chief suspects, Haj Yassin, aka Maung Maung, in Mandalay Division. Netizens were speculating whether the Dunkley case was somehow linked with the Malaysian drug haul, as Haj Yassin was believed to have links with foreign drug groups.

Maj Thein Win denied there was any connection, saying: "This case has nothing to do with Maung Maung. In fact, he [Dunkley] is a drug user rather than a drug dealer."

Australian Ambassador to Myanmar Nicholas Coppel told The Irrawaddy, "I have no information on this at this stage."

Dunkley established the Myanmar Times in 2000 in a partnership with Sonny Swe, the son of a notorious senior Myanmar military intelligence (MI) officer, Brigadier-General Thein Swe, with the permission of then spy chief Khin Nyunt. At the time, investing in Myanmar was extremely difficult for foreigners.

However, the entire MI was disbanded by then junta leader Senior-General Than Shwe in 2004. Khin Nyunt and many senior MI officers were imprisoned, including Thein Swe, who was sentenced to more than 100 years while Sonny Swe — now CEO of Black Knight Media and founder of Frontier Myanmar media house — was jailed for 14 years for failing to provide the publications' reports to the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division.

The Myanmar Times is currently owned by Pepsi U Thein Tun and publishes both Burmese and English language versions.

In 2011, Dunkley was sentenced to prison for about one month for assaulting and drugging a 29-year-old woman he met at a nightclub after bringing her to his Inya Road home. He was released after sentencing as his time in detention during the trial was taken into account.

The post Myanmar Times Founder Ross Dunkley Arrested in Large Meth Seizure appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Suu Kyi’s UEHRD Adviser Offers Services for Free

Posted: 07 Jun 2018 06:13 AM PDT

YANGON — The newly appointed adviser to the chairperson of the Committee of the Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine (UEHRD) said Thursday he would donate his time to the organization for free.

U Toe Oung, a former UN-World Food Programofficer, commented under his Facebook post which he shared regarding his appointment on the State Counselor's Office: "Please be informed that I am contributing my labor free to our beloved country at no cost to the people's budget."

He confirmed the comment to The Irrawaddy on Thursday, adding that his advice would cover "all relevant issues."

Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday appointed U Toe Oung as an adviser to her in her capacity as UEHRD chairperson. Her office described the adviser's role as providing support to the committee in carrying out its activities and duties.

UEHRD was formed by presidential order in October 2017, with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as its chairperson.  A private-public Union enterprise, its three main goals are "providing humanitarian assistance, carrying out resettlement and rehabilitation, and working for development in Rakhine State."

The State Counselor's appointment of U Toe Oung, 74, has raised a few eyebrows, as he is related to her.

U Toe Oung is a son-in-law of the late U Ba Win, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's eldest uncle. Serving as the minister of trade in the interim government of Burma in 1947, U Ba Win became one of the nine Martyrs of Myanmar when he was killed during the assassination of his younger brother, General Aung San, on July 19 of that year.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy, sources close to U Toe Oung downplayed the familial relationship between him and the state counselor, insisting that U Toe Oung is a principled man known for his deal-making skills and familiarity with UN procedures.

U Toe Oung worked with the UN agency from 1983 to 2006 as a legal, financial and consulting expert. His final position at the World Food Program was as head of finance at its office in North Korea from 2003-06. He studied at the Yangon Institute of Economics.

Political analyst Dr. Yan Myo Thein said that in principle, the appointment of an adviser was a positive development, as the state counselor herself already has her hands full and "needs someone who can interact with the people on the ground on her behalf."

"I welcome the appointment of an adviser. Indeed, the president, the state counselor and the Cabinet need more experts to serve as advisers to them and who can listen to different perspectives," he told The Irrawaddy.

However, he added that it would be preferable if advisers on issues related to Rakhine State, including the work of UEHRD, were themselves ethnic Rakhine, as securing the cooperation of local residents will be crucial if UEHRD is to achieve its goal of resettling and rehabilitating Muslim communities in northern Rakhine.

In August 2017, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a militant group, staged a series of attacks on official security posts that left a number of Myanmar security personnel dead. Subsequent clearance operations by the military forced nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.

The UEHRD is preparing to provide humanitarian and resettlement assistance to those who fled Buthitaung and Maungdaw townships in northern Rakhine state.

The post Suu Kyi's UEHRD Adviser Offers Services for Free appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

USDP Proposes Suu Kyi Lead Rakhine Investigation

Posted: 07 Jun 2018 03:57 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — The opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has urged State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to head the government's independent investigation commission to investigate the issues in Rakhine State.

The President's Office announced on May 31 that it would establish an independent commission of inquiry to investigate human rights violations and related issues following attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

The commission will consist of three people including an international member, and be assisted by local and international legal and technical experts.

"I would suggest that [the commission] be headed by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who is not lower in rank than the so-called international member, and comprise local legal experts and eminent persons," USDP lawmaker U Maung Myint told the Union Parliament on Wednesday as he seconded his peer USDP lawmaker U Sai Kyaw Moe's proposal.

In his urgent proposal, U Sai Kyaw Moe urged the government to establish the commission only with local experts in order to show respect for the sovereignty of the state and integrity of its citizens.

U Maung Myint suggested that if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is busy with other state duties, she can assign it to ex-general Thura U Shwe Mann, who was a parliamentary speaker and is now the chairman of the Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission, and former Maj-Gen U Khin Aung Myint, who was also a parliamentary speaker and is now an Upper House lawmaker.

"If we accept foreign intervention in the internal affairs of our country, it will only increase and undermine the sovereignty of our country over time. So, I call for it [forming the commission with local eminent persons] in consideration of national interests," he added.

U Sai Kyaw Moe said it is not fair to only investigate what happened after the ARSA attacks, but that the investigation should start with the attacks.

Relying on foreign personalities only further complicates the problem, he said, citing the example of the Rakhine State Advisory Commission led by Kofi Annan.

A United Nations Security Council delegation visited Myanmar in early May and urged the government to launch a transparent investigation into human right violations in line with the law.

Although the government previously resisted the international community's interference in Rakhine issue, it seems to have come under considerable pressure as the issue has reached the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court, which is likely why it decided to include an eminent person acceptable to the international community, said Rakhine affairs analyst U Maung Maung Soe.

"I think the government should exercise caution as it is a sensitive issue that has reached the international stage. Rather than discussing the question of if a foreigner should be included in the commission, we have to create a situation that is acceptable to the international community," said U Maung Maung Soe.

The Lower House approved discussion of the USDP's urgent proposal, and the debate is scheduled for Friday.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post USDP Proposes Suu Kyi Lead Rakhine Investigation appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

On Nagaland, New Delhi Must Move Beyond Window Dressing

Posted: 07 Jun 2018 03:51 AM PDT

Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's visit to Lungwa in Nagaland's Mon district on the India-Myanmar border on May 30 was aimed at boosting the morale of both the Indian security forces guarding this treacherous terrain and the residents of Nagaland's Mon district, perhaps to assuage their fears that their land is in danger of being carved up by artificial boundaries. However, the defense minister's visit (which came close on the heels of a series of stories by The Irrawaddy concerning the plight of local residents along the India-Myanmar border in Nagaland) was unfortunately marred by some unpleasant incidents soon after her departure for New Delhi.

On June 5, an armed Underground Group (UG) attacked a security post in Mon district's Lampong Sheanghah village manned by soldiers from the Assam Rifles, an Indian paramilitary unit. An Assam Rifles soldier was wounded in the pre-dawn attack. So far no armed groups have claimed responsibility for the incident, but the Indian military suspects it to be the handiwork of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K). The incident comes at a very difficult time, with the peace process being negotiated by Naga armed groups and the government delicately poised. The government hopes to deliver its much-touted solution to the protracted Naga conflict before the next monsoon session of the Indian Parliament.

The Indian government signed a ceasefire with the leading Naga armed rebel group, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM), on July 25, 1997. Peace negotiations have had their share of ups and downs since then, with more than 80 rounds of talks paving the way for a "framework agreement" that was signed on Aug. 3, 2015. Six other groups under the banner of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) have joined the peace dialogue.

Outreach Strategy

 The defense minister's visit to the security post at Lungwa and her attempt to freely mix with the Konyak Naga locals generated a certain amount of goodwill among local residents and Naga groups in general. Her visit to the house of the Konyak village chief, Angh Longwa, whose kitchen straddles the India-Myanmar border, left Sitharaman amused, prompting a tweet from her as she ventured across the line.

Though her visit lasted for only a few hours, locals appreciated her willingness to listen to their concerns regarding a proposed fence by Myanmar along the border, and India's security measures in the area. Sources in the Indian Defense Ministry who accompanied the minister informed this writer that New Delhi had taken note of the recent reports published in The Irrawaddy that examined the challenges faced by residents of Dan village (in Nagaland's Noklak district) owing to harassment by security forces, and the threats posed to the natural environment of the Khiumniungan Nagas. The harmful consequences on the traditional system of livelihood — "jhum" (shifting) cultivation which feeds thousands of people in this extremely difficult and challenging topography — was also highlighted by the local elected representative and community leaders.

The Naga peace process is in its final leg and may soon be ready to deliver a peace accord. Following her visit, Sitharaman barely had time to get back to work in her South Block office in New Delhi and start discussing alternatives to the proposed fence to ensure the process is not derailed, when the June 5 attack occurred. The incident has left the Indian administration understandably anxious and there is already talk of a fresh review of the situation on the ground.

Challenges Ahead

 On the ground, however, there have been strong reactions from various Naga groups. For instance, the Eastern Nagaland People's Organization (ENPO) and the Konyak Students Union (KSU) were among the first to voice their opinions. The ENPO condemned the incident, sending out a reminder of its Dec. 18, 2007, Tuensang Resolution, which declares that "the public of Eastern Nagaland are opposed to any form of violence, threats, intimidations or bloodshed within its jurisdiction, Eastern Nagaland." The KSU demanded that those responsible for the incident "state publicly" the reason for "causing such atrocities upon the peaceful soil of the Konyaks."

Both these organizations were perhaps echoing what others have been saying, that the return of peace is paramount to Nagaland. An ENPO press release appealed for peace and tranquillity and for all parties "to honor the same in the interest of peace in the region in particular and the entire state in general." The KSU was a bit more aggressive in its reaction, saying it failed to comprehend why the assailants stormed the Village Guard (VG) camp. In fact, the VG camp is located adjacent to the Assam Rifles post. "Village guards are the protectors of the village. Their sole duty is to maintain a peaceful environment within its confined jurisdiction. Such atrocities upon the Konyak VGs are not expected," KSU President Manlip Konyak and General Secretary Honang Konyak said in a statement.

But the question to ask is, can such incidents be prevented? Besides attacks by armed groups, be it the NCSN-K or any other, there have also been sporadic clashes between villagers and security forces. Only days before, as Defense Minister Sitharaman was contemplating a visit to the Pangsha area in Noklak, an angry mob of hundreds of villagers picked up their daos (machete) and chopped down the bamboo gates of a Assam Rifles post near Dan village after personnel at the post refused a request from the local village council to allow a village vehicle to pass and collect timber from a nearby forested area. "Such small incidents can be big for locals and it can cause a major conflict as was almost the case the other day," said Hempao Lam, a church leader from the area.

"I am not surprised by the recent incident in Mon, and there is a possibility that such types of incidents will erupt again," said Rosemary Dzuvichu, an adviser to the Naga Mothers Association (NMA), the state's largest grassroots women's organization, during a conversation with this writer. Though the identity of those responsible for the recent attacks is yet to be fully ascertained, the message that goes out is for the government to rethink its peace strategy in Nagaland and reach out to all other groups that are not part of it, especially the NSCN-K.

Stating the position of the NMA peace team, Dzuvichu said, "We have been very clear that if there is going to be any peace dialogue and bringing them [NSCN-K] back into the ceasefire, we really need to consider lifting the ban on the organization. There has to be some give and take before you can request them to come back to the ceasefire." She added, "These are serious things that the government needs to understand. Just because you are talking with major groups you simply cannot wipe away this major group that's across the border."

The outfit, which predominantly operates out of Lahe, Lay Shi and Nanyun in Sagaing Region of Myanmar, was banned by New Delhi after it abrogated in 2015 a bilateral truce signed with India in 2001 and has since been involved in offensives against Indian security forces. It attended the 21st Century Panglong peace conference in Myanmar but has not signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

The NMA adviser said the Lampong Sheanghah village incident should serve as "a wake-up call" for New Delhi and warned against anything that is tantamount to window dressing only. Her sentiments echo those of many other Naga scholars and peace activists who feel that there have been too many encounters between the Indian security forces and the NSCN-K. "It's been a waste of life," she said. Dzuvichu has no qualms about voicing her skepticism over Defense Minister Sitharaman's visit, saying, "We have to wait and see what is the outcome of her visit. I am quite skeptical of what is happening."

"We have been the people who have been visiting the borders," she said. "It is very clear that the Indian government has no interest in building up relationships with whatever organizations are there. We know what has been going in the borders, the violence, the killings, the clashes between the NSCN-K and the army. A lot of it is also fake encounters. In such a situation we really cannot say how serious the government of India is."

This helps explain why many Naga intellectuals and even members of the various Naga tribes say that a visit now and then from a minister does not make any difference.

What might make a difference would be if New Delhi started to take seriously the consultations it has had with the different Naga organizations (including the NMA) regarding making the peace dialogue an inclusive process. NMA representatives have had meetings with Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh and his deputy, Kiren Rijiju, in this regard. Dzuvichu is of the opinion that "knowing full well what is happening in the border and not making gestures to really reach out to them [the NSCN-K leadership] is one of the biggest mistakes in the whole peace process."

The NMA adviser has, with other members of the association, trekked through treacherous terrain to meet the NSCN-K leaders at their headquarters in Myanmar a number of times in the recent past. Each time they came back there was hope that the Indian government would respond positively and revive the ceasefire with the outfit. However, so far that hasn't happened.

Holistic Engagement 

The Naga issue is sprinkled with various other concerns that could easily open up new fault lines and derail the already highly complex peace process. New Delhi has to understand that the various dots have to be connected or else the efforts (conflict transformation and peace) will be piecemeal. Thus, while a visit by Sitharaman assumes great significance for New Delhi, what is also important is that the delegation that traveled with her puts together a comprehensive report addressing all other issues surrounding the Naga peace process as inclusively as possible.

Putting aside the optics of the visit and assessing its actual impact, it would certainly be worthwhile to view this as a way forward to keep New Delhi engaged in the process of peace and reconciliation in Naga society and vice versa. That would certainly add value to the peace process and help to take it forward in the most inclusive manner possible.

Lastly, it must be said that there are many others, like the organizations that reacted strongly to the attack on the Assam Rifles post, who believe it is important for New Delhi to keep sending its emissaries, be it the defense minister or someone else. Perhaps for many it does not matter, even as India's right-wing ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), tries to deepen its foothold in Nagaland for obvious political gains ahead of the 2019 general election, as long as the political future of Nagaland, which will be dictated largely by the contents of the peace accord, is not compromised.

The post On Nagaland, New Delhi Must Move Beyond Window Dressing appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Trial of Suspected Chinese Sex Workers Begins in Yangon

Posted: 07 Jun 2018 03:16 AM PDT

YANGON — A Yangon court held its first hearing on Wednesday in the case of 17 Chinese women arrested at a beauty parlor allegedly operating as a brothel in South Okkalapa Township on suspicion of being sex workers.

Acting on a tip, police raided the Oriental Spa, on Waizayandar Street, on the morning of May 22.

"The plaintiff was cross-examined today," the township’s police chief, Captain Shwe Htay, said Wednesday.

Police have filed charges against the women under Article 3 (a) and (b) of the 1949 Suppression of Prostitution Law. They have also filed charges against 10 others, including staff and the Chinese owner and manager of the establishment, under Article 5 (1), which covers pimping.

The charges carry jail terms of between one and three years in jail with hard labor.

The owner remains at large, but police have identified him and seized his passport. Cpt. Shwe Htay said police are confident he has not left the country via an airport.

He said the next hearing was scheduled for June 20, and that the Chinese Embassy has not contacted police about the Chinese women who were arrested.

"All of them have passports and visas, and their visas are business visas. They officially entered the country by air," Cpt. Shwe Htay said.

The police had initially reported that the women did not have passports or visas.

U Myint Than, a lawyer for three female Myanmar nationals also on trial, said the women, from Shan State, saw Oriental Spa’s job advertisement on social media and had been working there for only a couple of days when they were arrested and accused of pimping under Article 5 (1).

Ma Nwe New San, a clerk for Oshin, a cleaning service, said three men also arrested on May 22 were employees of the company and were cleaning the beauty parlor when police showed up.

"We are a cleaning service. They were doing overtime that day. They started cleaning around midnight and were arrested as they were about to leave after doing their job," she said.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Trial of Suspected Chinese Sex Workers Begins in Yangon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

A Rich History Along the India-Myanmar Border

Posted: 07 Jun 2018 02:36 AM PDT

IMPHAL/MOREH, MANIPUR STATE, India — Meitei (Kathae), Kuki and Naga tribes are familiar names to Myanmar people, as well as being included on Myanmar's list of 135 ethnic groups. They live along the India-Myanmar border, primarily in Manipur, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh states in northeast India.

In Manipur, the Meitei are the majority among a population of more than 250,000, including Naga and Kuki tribes. Manipur is regarded as “little India,” because of its rich tribal cultures. Locals also refer to it as the gateway to Southeast Asia, due to its border with Myanmar.

As a democratic country, India hosts a rich diversity of tribes, religions and cultures, and its states have some administrative power. Despite being recognized as scheduled tribes – or historically disadvantaged groups – in India's Constitution, many groups in the northeast, especially the Naga and Meitei, have fought for sovereignty for more than 70 years.

The Naga and Meitei rebels have been in frequent conflict with Indian security forces, lending to unusually strict security in the state. The 12 Assam Rifles paramilitary force, police and the India Army have all been involved in handling security issues in Manipur State. When entering its capital of Imphal, the armed forces are noticeable everywhere, causing a feeling of unease for outsiders. However, locals have become familiar with the state of affairs and it doesn't seem to faze them.

The Irrawaddy reporters visited Imphal and Moreh, a border trading town adjacent to Myanmar's Tamu in Sagaing Region, in early June and took these photos to share with our readers.

Visitors view the Kangla Sha, a half lion and half dragon that serves as the state symbol of Manipur. / Chit Min Tun / The Irrawaddy

In Imphal, one should definitely visit the Kangla Fort, a historically and culturally significant palace that was later used as a fort by the British and then Indian Army. One can observe the proud history of the Meitei when touring the museum, even after the ancient buildings are long gone.

The fort holds polo grounds – a sport the Manipuri revere – that were built in 1814 by Meitei King Marjit.

The Pakhangba Temple. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy

Ancient Meitei practiced Sanamahism and worshipped many deities, but many were later converted to Hinduism or Christianity. Meitei visiting temples today tend to go to pay respects, obtain blessings and listen to teachings.

Another historical place of the Meitei is the Khongjom War Memorial of 1891 in Thoubal District. It was built in memory of the late Major General Paona Brajabasi, a Meitei warrior who died fighting the British colonial army. About 36 km from Imphal, the memorial is also a place where locals come to relax while taking in the history.

Entrance to the Khongjom War Memorial. / Chit Min Tun/The Irrawaddy

Inside Imphal city, the Manipuri have honored the major general by naming the market Paona Bazaar. Inside, there is the Ima Market, or Mother's Market, where women sell vegetables, fruits and handicrafts. In the evening, the sellers use small batteries to light their shops. Locals say that men and young women generally do not become vendors, and that it is typically elderly women. Goods from along the Moreh-Tamu border can be found for sale here.

Vendors at the Paona Bazaar night market. / Nyein Nyein /The Irrawaddy

A three-hour drive through the hills from Imphal there sits the border town of Moreh. It hosts the largest border trading post on the India-Myanmar border, where the Nan Phar Lone Market is bustling with trading.

Nan Phar Lone market on the India-Myanmar border. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy

Nan Phar Lone Market is at the India-Myanmar border gate no. 2. It suffered a large fire in February of this year, but the market is back to normal these days.

The Indo-Myanmar Friendship Gate seen from the India side. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy

Near border gate no. 1, Indian authorities are building an integrated checkpoint for trading and immigration, which aims to transport goods across the new Asian Highway once construction is completed.

The Indo-Myanmar Friendship Bridge seen from the integrated checkpoint, which is still under construction. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy

In Moreh town, Kuki people are the majority, but the town also hosts Meitei, Tamil and Nepalese.

Views of Moreh town. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy

Locals can travel 16km across the border without restrictions, so freedom of movement has not been an issue for locals in the area.

Naga and Meitei rebels based in Myanmar along the border often attack Indian security forces in the border town. Thus, to control the border, the India and Myanmar governments have been trying to build a 1634 km border fence.

A segment of the border fence at border post no. 79, where the continuous fencing was stopped. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy

Locals have objected to the fencing along the border. Naga people in the area have said that it the fence would block them from their relatives and communities across the border.

Although the local indigenous communities want freedom of movement, the Indian government has stated that it plans to move forward with the fencing project in order to maintain stability in the region.

The post A Rich History Along the India-Myanmar Border appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

TNLA Claims 3 Army Soldiers Killed in Clash in Namtu

Posted: 07 Jun 2018 01:36 AM PDT

Three Myanmar Army soldiers were killed yesterday in a clash with the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in Namtu Township, northern Shan State, according to a TNLA source.

TNLA spokesperson Major Tar Aike Kyaw told The Irrawaddy that the clash broke out when troops from the Myanmar Army's Infantry Division 77 launched an attack against a rebel base near Mann Aie village. The fighting lasted over four hours from 9:15 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

"They came to attack our troops. Our troops attacked them back, and they withdrew," Major Tar Aike Kyaw said.

"When our troops went to clean up the fighting area, we found three dead bodies of (Myanmar Army) soldiers, and some military equipment," he said.

The TNLA reported that none of its own forces suffered casualties in yesterday's firefight.

On June 4, fighting also broke out in the same area between the Myanmar Army and TNLA.

Clashes between the Myanmar Army and members of the Northern Alliance, which includes the TNLA and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), are a regular occurrence in northern Shan.

Separately, Kachin News Group reported that the Myanmar Army launched a surprise attack against a base belonging to KIA Brigade 10 on June 5, killing two KIA soldiers and wounding three others.

The Myanmar Army normally scales back its offensives in KIA- and TNLA-held areas during the rainy season as the conditions make it difficult for soldiers to march or climb mountains to chase and attack the ethnic armed groups.

Meanwhile, fighting in Kachin State has been quiet for over two weeks, although the Myanmar Army has been bringing in reinforcements to positions near KIA-controlled areas near the group's headquarters in Laiza, according to local sources.

The post TNLA Claims 3 Army Soldiers Killed in Clash in Namtu appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Singapore’s Foreign Minister Heads to N Korea Ahead of Trump-Kim Summit

Posted: 07 Jun 2018 12:05 AM PDT

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, is set to arrive in Pyongyang on Thursday, the Singapore government said, days before it plays host to the leaders of North Korea and the United States at a summit.

Balakrishnan, who went to Washington earlier this week, will meet his North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong Ho, and the president of the Supreme People’s Assembly and ceremonial president, Kim Yong Nam, during his two-day visit to Pyongyang, a government statement said.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are due to hold their historic meeting in Singapore on Tuesday next week.

“Obviously, what all of us are hoping for is it would lead to a de-escalation of tension, raise the prospects of peace and for the sake of the North Koreans themselves improve the prospects for economic development,” Balakrishnan told the Straits Times referring to the June 12 summit.

“I don’t think one meeting next week in Singapore can certainly unlock the entire situation on the Korean peninsula,” he said.

The United States and North Korea agreed upon Singapore last month as the venue for the first ever meeting between leaders of the two countries. The White House said then it chose Singapore because it could ensure the security of both leaders and provide a neutral meeting ground.

Balakrishnan also said that it was the United States that had asked Singapore to host the historic event.

Singapore has diplomatic ties with both the United States and North Korea.

The Southeast Asian city-state serves as a regional headquarters for many large US companies and US navy vessels use its port facilities.

Singapore suspended trade relations with the reclusive Northeast Asian state last year following tightened UN sanctions over its weapons program. However, North Korea still operates a small embassy in the city.

In 2008, Singapore sent its then-foreign minister, George Yeo, on an official visit to North Korea. During that trip, he toured the Nampo Port and Kaesong industrial zone, but visits by senior officials to the isolated state are rare.

The post Singapore’s Foreign Minister Heads to N Korea Ahead of Trump-Kim Summit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Malaysia’s Najib is Out of Power, But His Legacy Lives On in Giant Skyscraper

Posted: 07 Jun 2018 12:00 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR — As Malaysia seeks to move beyond the excesses associated with nearly a decade of rule under ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak, one of his pet projects continues to rise irreversibly skyward to become the tallest building in Southeast Asia.

Just months from completion, Exchange 106 — or Najib’s tower, as some locals call it — is one of only a few mega-projects cleared by a new government that has pledged to review deals struck by the previous administration, cut back debt, and root out high-level graft.

Yet the 492-meter skyscraper remains an irritant as they try to dismantle Najib’s legacy after the May 9 election upset that drove the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition out of power after it had run Malaysia for six decades since its independence from Britain.

They can order that his photos be removed from government offices and that posters carrying his “1Malaysia” slogan be taken down. One staff member at the library of a government agency told Reuters they had even received a directive to “hide Najib’s books” by not having them displayed on front desks.

But it doesn’t make sense to dismantle a giant skyscraper that is almost finished.

Symbolically, the building will rise above the famous Petronas Twin Towers built during the previous term of returning Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Najib’s mentor-turned-foe.

But financially it could still hurt Malaysia. The new government has said funds raised to finance the project by scandal-plagued state fund 1MDB were not used for that purpose, and that its Indonesian developer needed an “injection of funds” from the government to keep the project on track.

“The true picture was not told,” new Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said in a video posted online.

“It is better to get the building completed and owned by us than to let it be abandoned,” he said.

Lim said he could not disclose how much money the government has put into the project.

Najib could not be immediately reached for comment.

In just his first few weeks back in office, Mahathir has canceled a planned high-speed rail project between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and pledged to renegotiate a deal with Chinese partners to build a 688-km East Coast Rail Link.

He has said both projects are too expensive and have limited economic benefit.

Another big property development, Bandar Malaysia, hangs in the balance after a $1.7 billion deal to sell a majority stake to a Malaysian-Chinese consortium fell through in May 2017. A year on, the project has failed to attract any buyers.

Money Laundering Probes

Exchange 106 was conceived as the centerpiece of a financial district in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, that would rival the likes of London’s Canary Wharf.

The Tun Razak Exchange — named after Najib’s father and launched by Najib in 2012 — was expected to be a commercial, residential and leisure hub that would generate a gross development value (GDV) of more than 26 billion ringgit ($6.55 billion), create 500,000 jobs and lure more than 100 top global companies, marketing documents show. GDV is a metric used by real estate developers to determine how much a property is worth.

However, the plan initially proved a tough sell, according to one source close to the project.

Questions about the finances of project developer 1MDB, a state fund set up by Najib over a decade ago, started around 2013 and by 2015 it had become the center of money laundering investigations in multiple countries.

In a statement last month, the Finance Ministry said some $3 billion of debt raised by 1MDB to fund the development of the complex in 2013 was not used for that purpose.

Today, the 70-acre site remains largely undeveloped and is dominated by a gleaming tower of glass and steel — Exchange 106 — rising from its center.

Some big foreign firms have signed up. Banking group HSBC and insurer Prudential plan to move their country headquarters into other buildings on the site, and Australian property firm Lendlease penned a deal to develop a complex consisting of a hotel, residential blocks and a shopping center.

A number of plots remain unsold, though, and the government is yet to clarify publicly whether it will stick to the initial plans for the huge new financial district.

Prudential declined to comment. HSBC did not respond to a request for comment. Lendlease said in a statement: “We look forward to working with the new government.”

As for Exchange 106, the Finance Ministry in March confirmed it had bought back a 51 percent stake in the building, after initially selling all of it to Indonesian developer Mulia Group for 665 million ringgit ($168 million).

At the time the ministry said its participation was pre-agreed and necessary because of the building’s strategic location and iconic nature. Lim has since said that the development “needed an injection of funds.”

A spokeswoman for Mulia said around half the building has been leased since it was first marketed back in 2016. She declined further comment.

Local media reported it is mainly local firms that have signed up, with real estate agents saying some parts of the design may not appeal to multinational companies.

For example, Sarkunan Subramaniam, managing director at Knight Frank Malaysia, who visited the site recently, said unlike other modern office buildings, the floors in Exchange 106 are not raised to allow for underfloor wiring for workstations. That could be a problem for companies that need lots of bandwidth, such as investment banks with big trading floors.

The market conditions also do not augur well for the project.

Malaysia’s capital has been experiencing an oversupply of office space in recent years, especially as oil and gas companies have downsized their operations.

With new properties entering the market in the coming years, the vacancy rate for office space in Kuala Lumpur is expected to go up from the current 15 percent to about 17 percent, said CBRE-WTW Managing Director Foo Gee Jen.

The post Malaysia’s Najib is Out of Power, But His Legacy Lives On in Giant Skyscraper appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Malaysia’s Central Bank Chief Steps Down, Latest Casualty of 1MDB Scandal

Posted: 06 Jun 2018 10:44 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has accepted the

resignation of the central bank governor, the latest in a string of departures as the 92-year-old leader purges top officials seen as close to the scandal-plagued previous government.

Angered over accusations of massive corruption, Malaysians delivered a shock election result last month by voting out a coalition that had led the country for the six decades since independence.

The new government is seeking to unearth suspected graft, in particular in connection with big losses at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), during the nearly 10 years that former Premier Najib Razak spent in power, casting a cloud over several top officials.

Mahathir, Najib’s mentor-turned-foe, told a news conference after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the central bank’s governor, Muhammad Ibrahim, had offered his resignation.

“We have not decided on his successor because we need to have the approval of the Agong before we can announce,” Mahathir said, referring to the king, adding that the new government would meet him as soon as possible to discuss a successor.

Muhammad, a career central bank official, has completed less than half his five-year term, which began in May 2016.

The resignation followed comments by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng last month that funds from a sale of land by the government to the central bank had gone to pay the liabilities of the beleaguered 1MDB.

Muhammad had defended the decision to buy the land, saying the transaction met government requirements.

Mahathir has reopened investigations into the state development fund 1MBD, which was founded by Najib.

The fund is the subject of a global money-laundering investigation with authorities saying billions of dollars have gone missing.

Jayant Menon, lead economist at the Asian Development Bank, said the uncertainty might produce some negative market reaction in the short term, but overall the change at the bank should be positive.

“This type of outcome bodes well for market confidence, if a more accountable and transparent governance system emerges in the longer term,” Menon said.

Former deputy central bank governor Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus, who left at the end of her term in November 2016, is among the candidates to replace Muhammad, two sources told Reuters.

Bank’s Image

Ratings agency Moody’s said uncertainty over the smooth functioning of monetary policy could increase if a central bank governor was not appointed promptly.

“The governor's resignation would also be credit negative if it dampens foreign investor sentiment and leads to capital outflows for a protracted period of time,” Moody’s sovereign risk analyst Anushka Shah said in an email statement.

Mahathir, who has promised to reform state institutions and stamp out corruption, this week also replaced the government’s top lawyer, the attorney-general, and the chief of the anti-graft agency.

Malaysia is looking for a new national stock exchange chief, two sources told Reuters.

Media have reported that several top officials at state-linked firms are either stepping down or being asked to leave.

In a note to employees on Wednesday, Muhammad dismissed as “totally untrue” the perception that the land deal aimed to intentionally aid the misappropriation of funds through 1MDB.

“I am prepared to relinquish my post if I no longer have the strong trust and support of the public,” he said in the message that was leaked online. “I cannot in good conscience continue if it affects the Bank’s image and reputation.”

A Harvard University graduate, Muhammad joined the bank in 1984 and became the deputy governor in 2010, before taking the top spot upon the retirement of long-serving governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz.

Two months later, Muhammad cut the interest rate in a surprise move, prompted by Brexit, to boost economic growth.

The rate was restored to 3.25 percent in January, as domestic consumption and exports improved.

Successor

Nor Shamsiah, who sources say has been approached to replace Muhammad, joined Bank Negara in 1987 after graduating in Australia.

She left the central bank in November 2016 when her term ended, just months after Muhammad’s appointment. She assisted with the 1MDB investigation when Zeti was in charge.

Sukhdave Singh, another former deputy governor, is also being considered, a source said. Sukhdave stepped down in 2017 after 31 years in office.

Bank Negara said in a statement it would “ensure a smooth transition in the handing over of duties to the new governor.”

The announcement did not shake Malaysia’s stock market, which rose 1.25 percent feeding off optimism in US markets. The ringgit dipped only 0.05 percent.

Frances Cheung, head of Asia macro strategy at Westpac, said the equity reaction suggested news of the resignation has been digested.

“It is the uncertainty when the market awaits confirmation of new leadership, rather than the change itself, that affects sentiment,” she said.

The post Malaysia’s Central Bank Chief Steps Down, Latest Casualty of 1MDB Scandal appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Safety and ‘Identity’ Key for Rohingya Returnees: UN Chief in Myanmar

Posted: 06 Jun 2018 09:49 PM PDT

YANGON — Safety and “identity” need to be in place for Rohingya Muslim refugees who return to Myanmar, the head of the United Nations in the country said on Wednesday, as Myanmar and UN agencies signed an outline deal on returns.

The signing of a memorandum of understanding between the government and UN development and refugee agencies – the UNDP and the UNHCR – marks a warming of ties which hit a low point last year after the government suggested some agencies provided food to Rohingya militants.

The head of the United Nations in Myanmar, Knut Ostby, said he hoped UN staff would be able to travel to the violence-ravaged north of Rakhine State “almost immediately” to assess the situation and – over time – to help the refugees in Bangladesh make an informed decision about potential returns.

Since August, about 700,000 Rohingya have fled an army crackdown in Myanmar, many reporting killings, rape and arson on a large scale. The United Nations has called the campaign a textbook example of “ethnic cleansing” – a charge Myanmar denies.

UN officials have said for months the conditions in Myanmar were “not conducive” to returns which would be safe, voluntary and dignified and view Wednesday’s deal as a first step towards meeting those objectives.

“There are two really crucial things that need to be in place – one is to have an identity for the people who come back, so that they can live as normal members of society both in terms of an identity and in terms of being able to have the freedom of movement,” Ostby told Reuters by phone.

“And the other issue is that they need to be able to live in safety. They should not have to risk further violence,” said Ostby, who serves as the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar.

Access to basic services, livelihoods and infrastructure would also have to be addressed, he said.

Rohingya are widely called “Bengali” in Buddhist-majority Myanmar – which they see as a derogatory term implying they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. They have been denied citizenship despite many tracing their roots in the country back generations.

"Path to Citizenship"

Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s government has pressed the Rohingya to accept National Verification Cards – documents that are a part of a government effort to register Rohingya, but which falls short of offering them citizenship.

Rohingya community leaders have widely rejected the card, saying it treats life-long residents like new immigrants.

Ostby, asked how the Wednesday agreement might help to resolve the issue of citizenship, said: “We have been talking for a long time about making a clear and predictable path to citizenship for those who are eligible.”

But the granting of citizenship was the government’s prerogative, he said.

“What we can do is to facilitate and we call for commitment to international principles,” said Ostby in his first detailed remarks on the text of the agreement, which has not been made public.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete the voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years but differences between them persist, impeding implementation of the plan.

The Myanmar government said in a statement after the signing it hoped the repatriation process would “hasten” with UN involvement.

It said the UNHCR would help “in the implementation of the voluntary repatriation and the reintegration of all those who return”, while the UNDP would focus on preparing “conditions for recovery and resilience-based development."

The post Safety and 'Identity' Key for Rohingya Returnees: UN Chief in Myanmar appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Suspect in Malaysia’s Record Meth Haul Arrested in Mandalay

Posted: 06 Jun 2018 08:24 AM PDT

YANGON – Anti-narcotics police on Wednesday arrested a suspected drug dealer in Mandalay division's Pyin Oo Lwin Township in connection with a record drug haul in Malaysia last month, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.

The suspect, Haj Yassin, 44, also known as Maung Maung, is a resident of Yangon's Tarmwe Township, police said.

According to Reuters, Malaysian police on May 28 announced their largest ever seizure of crystal methamphetamine, finding nearly 1.2 tons of the drug disguised as tea in a shipment from Myanmar. A quantity of heroin was also seized. The haul had an estimated worth of about USD18 million on the regional market. Three Myanmar nationals and a number of Malaysians were arrested. Malaysian authorities said the drug syndicate responsible is based in Myanmar.

According to a statement issued yesterday, police obtained prior information that Haj Yassin was traveling to Mandalay from Pyin Oo Lwin Township in a van belonging to a private automobile association. Police searched the car at the 16-mile checkpoint on the road between the towns at around 12 a.m. on June 5. Police from Pathein Gyi Township and members of the anti-narcotics police unit brought the suspect to Yangon in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Based on information from Malaysian police, Myanmar authorities learned that the drugs were shipped in container log No. FSCU 9911521, belonging to Yangon-based trading company Nice Guy Clearance Service Agency. Customs servicing company U Kaung Trading told police that the container was listed as containing exported foodstuffs. Police said they arrested another suspect on June 2, but Haj Yassin had evaded arrest, traveling to various places in the country in a Toyota Lexus since May 30. The statement did not provide the names of all the suspects or the employees of the customs servicing company who were involved.

The container ship Pathein Star is seen on marine traffic website. (Screengrab / The Irrawaddy)

The authorities opened a case under Anti-narcotics Law Section 20 (a) (b) and Section 21 against Haj Yassin. Section 22 stipulates that whoever produces, distributes, sells, exports or imports stimulant pills shall be punished by a minimum 15-year jail term, and may also face an unlimited period of imprisonment or the death penalty.

The Home Affairs Ministry said other suspects testified that Haj Yassin stored the meth pills at the Nice Guy purified drinking water factory, located in Hlegu Township. The suspect allegedly transported the drugs by car to a store in lower Pazundaung Township and then loaded them, disguised as packaged tea goods, at the port. The statement did not elaborate on how the suspect successfully passed the items through an X-ray machine at Myanmar Industrial Port (MIP), where customs officers and government officials usually check every single cargo shipment.

Police confiscated about 25 million kyats worth of gold and jewelry, a Toyota Lexus found parked under the Tarmwe flyover, a premium book and purchasing contract as well as receipts for jewelry from the suspect's house in Tarmwe Township. Police seized 2.8 billion kyats from two private banks and have temporarily frozen bank accounts belonging to Haj Yassin. Servicing agents unrelated companies explained to The Irrawaddy that trading companies need an export declaration as well as an X-ray exam clearance for all shipments. Even after those two steps are successfully completed, each cargo shipment still needs approval from the Customs Department. It's unclear whether the authorities intend to take action against Customs officers or not. The Irrawaddy phoned Anti-Narcotics Police officer Colonel Shwe Nyan Maung for comment on Tuesday but without success. Other high-ranking officers declined to answer specific questions.

According to some marine tracking websites, container Log. No. FSCU 9911521 was leased to Sinokor, based in Mayalaysia's Penang port. The Home Affairs Ministry's statement did not elaborate on the name of the shipping line or the port of loading in Yangon. The Irrawaddy has learned that container ship Pathein Star V.017S, owned by Pathein Star PTE Ltd, was the only one that entered Myanmar Industrial Port during the Myanmar Water Festival period. It departed on April 16 and arrived at the Klang Multi-Terminal on April 19. The vessel normally operates between Yangon, Penang, Port Kelang and Singapore.

On June 2, Bangladeshi media outlet the Dhaka Tribune reported that the country was facing a huge narcotics problem in the wake of the arrival of nearly 700,000 Rohingya in Cox's Bazar district following the Myanmar military's clearance operations aimed at wiping out the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army after the latter attacked about 30 border outposts in late 2017. Army and other security forces were accused of human rights violations including extrajudicial killings and gang rapes by international rights groups, and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) urged the government to accept a credible investigation team to look into alleged right abuses right after a visit in May.

Based on information from Bangladeshi intelligence and narcotics police as well as testimony from Rohingya refugees, the report stated that 37 drug factories exist in Shan State, most of them in areas controlled by ethnic armed organizations, and some being protected by militia groups backed by the Myanmar Army. The report said the factories largely produce meth pills, which are smuggled to neighboring countries Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh and China. About 14 groups are behind the factories, it said. They reportedly smuggle the drugs to Yangon and then to northern Rakhine State, and finally into Bangladesh's Cox Bazar. It said more than 500 Rohingya drug dealers and 1,000 drug "mules" had entered Bangladesh since the Army crackdown on ARSA began last year.

Swedish journalist Bertil Lintner, an expert on issues related to Myanmar's ethnic armed organizations, recently reported on Bangladesh authorities' brutal crackdown on drugs for the Asia Times. The report compared the anti-narcotics crackdown to the Philippines' ongoing war on drugs, saying at least 110 drug suspects have been gunned down by police since the campaign began on May 14. Authorities have arrested about 9,000 suspects in the space of a few weeks.

On June 2, Thai authorities seized nearly 15 million meth pills from a truck in northern Chiang Rai province, worth an estimated Bt3 billion on the street. Thai police believe the illicit stimulants were produced by the United Wa State Army (UWSA) in a remote area of Myanmar under its control. The UWSA is the strongest armed organization among Myanmar's rebel groups.

The post Suspect in Malaysia's Record Meth Haul Arrested in Mandalay appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Myanmar Roller Skaters to Display Skills at ASEAN Championships

Posted: 06 Jun 2018 06:47 AM PDT

YANGON — Five skaters from the Myanmar Skate Association (MSA) will participate in the 5th ASEAN Inline Skating Championship in Vung Tau City, Vietnam later this month.

They will leave for Vietnam on June 20.

"This is the second time we have been involved in this championship. We also participated in the 3rd ASEAN Inline Skating Championship in Malaysia," said MSA founder Ko Lwin Latt.

This year, the Myanmar skaters will compete in the Artistic Roller Skating category. In this event, the participants dance on skates, competing for points from the judges.

Skaters compete in a roller skating competition.(Photos supplied)

"Competitors can wear anything, including traditional dress. We will have a Thu Nge Taw [Traditional Boys' Dance] theme. The kids are still practicing with a teacher at Yangon University of Art and Culture," Ko Lwin Latt said.

Including Ko Lwin Latt, the Myanmar team delegation will comprise six people. The competition runs for four days from June 21-24.

"We will do the best we can. Last time, we were the ASEAN fourth runner up and had a chance to go to the World Championship."

Despite qualifying, the squad was unable to go to the World Championships due to a lack of sponsors and other financial support.

"The MSA is not an official government association. All of the trips we have made to participate in championships and competitions were funded with our own money. Occasionally, a few third-party companies have provided some sponsorship," Ko Lwin Latt said.

A skater leaps over a small obstacle during a competitive roller skating event.(Photos supplied)

"We are still trying to get approval from the government. We have submitted all the necessary forms to the Ministry of Sport aiming to win recognition for roller skating as a sport and to win accreditation as the Myanmar Roller Sports Federation."

The group's application has been rejected four times, each time for a different reason, Ko Lwin Latt said.

"The first two times we were missing certain documents, but the last two times I prepared everything on the list but they still rejected us. I have no idea why. They said in their rejection letter that [roller] skating is not practiced in all countries and that [recognition] would require skating to be practiced in more places," he said.

They received the most recent rejection letter from the Ministry of Sport in April.

Myanmar Skate Association members and a group of kids taking part in a skating event.(Photos supplied)

The MSA was founded in May 2013 by Ko Lwin Latt and a few other skaters from various regions. Their main objectives are to build standardized skating rinks, to develop the sport in the country, to hold a national skating competition once a year, to send talented local skaters to international competitions and to improve street kids' lives through skating.

MSA teams have participated in 14 international skate competitions and even won two gold medals at the ASEAN Inline Roller Cross Series 2017 in Malaysia.

The lack of official recognition for the MSA — despite its having qualified for the ASEAN and World Cup Skating competitions — has cost Myanmar skaters the opportunity to enter Olympic skating competitions.

"Roller skates need to be adjusted depending on the rink. So we need to carry tools and screws with us. We always have to explain to airport staff that we are skaters and are there for the competition. If we were an official federation, we wouldn't need to bother with that, as international airports make allowances for accredited athletes. This would give us more time to train. We always face problems at the airport," Ko Lwin Latt said.

A friend of MSA founder Ko Lwin Latt demonstrates roller skating moves at the Nescafe Urban Movement Skate Competition.(Photos supplied)

According to Ko Lwin Latt, Myanmar has about 400 roller skaters from different cities such as Yangon; Bago; Baik and Dawei from Tanintharyi Region; Pathein and Chaung Thar from Ayeyarwaddy Region; Pyin Oo Lwin and Meiktila from Mandalay Region; Bagan, Nyaung Oo, Magway, Loikaw from Kayah State; and Taunggyi Division. Myanmar has a total of 35 skating rinks, most of them being D.I.Y skate parks.

"Most of the skaters are poor; they are street kids including former drug addicts, but they have changed their lives through skating. The truth is, skaters find happiness in their teams and don't want to go back to their old lives. That's why I can't give up trying to gain recognition from the government. If we were considered an official local sport, we could do even more activities and more street kids would become interested in it," Ko Lwin Latt said.

While he has no intention of giving up, he worries that youth in Myanmar will give up on roller skating if they don't get enough support.

"I will try again to get approval from the government; if they reject us again, I'm thinking of turning the MSA into a non-government organization. That's our plan B," he said.

For now, though, he is focused on coaching the top skaters to win medals in Vietnam and, on weekends, going to local skate parks to train more street kids.

The post Myanmar Roller Skaters to Display Skills at ASEAN Championships appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Military Orders Tycoon to Rebuild Yangon Heritage Building

Posted: 06 Jun 2018 06:39 AM PDT

YANGON — The Myanmar military has ordered a prominent businessman to rebuild a heritage building demolished to make way for his $500-million high-rise project in Yangon’s Bahan Township “in its original style.”

The Office of the Quartermaster-General sent a letter to U Khin Shwe last week to complain about his decision to tear down the Mayor's Residence, a British colonial-era building on the Yangon City Heritage List.

The letter came after The Irrawaddy broke the story in April.

The building, located inside a 13-acre compound owned by the military that includes the defunct Myayeik Nyo Hotel, was demolished in February by the Zaykabar Company. With the China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd as contractor, the company plans to fill the site with 12 buildings ranging in height from 382 to 412 feet.

Company chairman U Khin Shwe confirmed the letter to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

"They told me to rebuild the building. I have to do what they asked," he said.

As its name suggests, the Mayor's Residence was once home to Yangon's mayors. Its last resident was U Aung Thein Lin in the early 2000s.

The Mayor's Residence as it appeared in the early 2000s. / YCDC

In 1996 the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) began surveying the city’s old buildings to draw up a list of those with heritage value. As of 2001 the list included 188 structures, mostly religious and British colonial-era buildings. To make the cut they had to be architecturally significant, more than 50 years old and not under private ownership.

The demolished residence was on the list along with the Mayor's Guest House, another British colonial-era building in the same compound.

According to Yangon Heritage Trust, an NGO that promotes heritage protection, the project area was known as Mount Pleasant during British rule. Many mansions of high-ranking officials including the Mayor's Residence, the Mayor's Guest House and the residence of the manager of Chartered Bank were located there. Judging by their design, the trust estimates that the Mayor’s Residence and Guest House were built before 1920.

But U Khin Shwe has repeatedly insisted that the residence was no longer a heritage building because it had been through several major renovations.

"The roof and floor were replaced in the early 2000s. It was heavily damaged during Cyclone Nargis in 2008. So we renovated the entire building. That's why it is no longer a heritage building," he said.

Apart from the complaint about the building, the project has come under criticism from neighborhood residents who fear that construction could damages the 92-year-old water reservoir nearby. If it fails, the low-lying Kokkine Avenue area would be flooded and many townships would suffer water shortages.

To prevent damage to the reservoir, the YCDC has instructed the developer to carry out certain safety measures.

The post Military Orders Tycoon to Rebuild Yangon Heritage Building appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

National Security Adviser Named New Head of Govt Investment Body

Posted: 06 Jun 2018 05:23 AM PDT

MANDALAY — Government Office Minister and national security adviser U Thaung Tun has been appointed chairman of the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA).

Wednesday’s announcement of the appointment by DICA followed last month’s resignation of Planning and Finance Minister U Kyaw Win, who also chaired the investment body and is under investigation for bribery by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

DICA, a government agency under the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, manages company registration for both local and foreign businesses. As secretary to the Myanmar Investment Commission, it also processes investment applications.

U Thaung Tun, its new chairman, served as ambassador to the Philippines, Belgium, the Netherlands and the EU and as director-general for political affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the former military regime.

During that time, he was widely criticized by the opposition for warning Daw Aung San Suu Kyi — then under house arrest — that she “must not rock the boat” after she said she would boycott the military regime’s controversial constitution convention at a 2006 press conference in Manila.

In 2016 he worked as a government relations adviser for Shell Myanmar Energy PTE.

He was appointed national security adviser in January 2017 and government office minister that November. The appointments were criticized by former lawmaker U Soe Thane, who was president’s office minister under President U Thein Sein.

U Soe Thane reportedly said that U Thaung Tun had failed to disclose his previous work for the George Soros Foundation. He said U Thaung Tun had been a consultant for the foundation and that his appointment as national security adviser could hurt Myanmar’s relations with China.

The former lawmaker also reportedly said that George Soros approached him to secure a ministerial appointment for U Thaung Tun, but U Thein Sein rejected the idea because George Soros was American.

On Saturday, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, U Thaung Tun said Myanmar was willing to take back all the refugees who fled last year’s violence in Rakhine for Bangladesh who volunteered.

The post National Security Adviser Named New Head of Govt Investment Body appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Amendments to Expand Authority of Anti-Corruption Commission in the Works

Posted: 06 Jun 2018 05:17 AM PDT

YANGON — Myanmar's Lower House of Parliament approved a bill amending the Anti-Corruption Law on Wednesday with minor changes to the legislation passed by the Upper House.

The Upper House approved the amendments of the law on May 23 and sent them back to the Lower House.

The Lower House Bill Committee has presented a proposed 19 changes to the legislation approved by the Upper House, with most just rephrasing the wording.

It included amending Article 43(b), which allows lawmakers to report anyone who abuses power or acts corruptly, to allow the right to report only those who hold political posts as opposed to "anyone."

The amendments were approved with no opposition during the parliamentary session on Wednesday.

The Anti-Corruption Law was enacted in 2013 under the previous military-backed government. It was amended on three previous occasions—in 2014, 2016 and 2017—but the changes were not significant.

The amendments submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission in March seek more authority in combating bribery.

The most significant change under the amendments is that the commission will be allowed to investigate at its own will any civil servants who are seen to be unusually wealthy. Until now, it could only probe allegations of corruption in response to formal complaints filed with strong supporting evidence.

The bill also reduced the maximum punishment for those found to have made a false complaint in order to defame a person from five years to three years—as a move to encourage more public complaints.

The amendments also expand the country's anti-graft body, with commission branches opening in additional states and divisions, and plans to educate the public about combating corruption starting in primary schools.

"There won't be public trust in the government as long as there is deep-rooted corruption and abuse of power among civil servants," Lower House lawmaker U Tin Htwe said.

He said he hopes that under the new law, the Anti-Corruption Commission will effectively combat corruption, as it will be granted more authority.

The bill will now be sent to Union Joint Bill Committee, where Upper House and Lower House lawmakers will discuss the changes, U Tin Htwe said.

If there are no objections, it will be sent to President U Win Myint to be signed into law.

The post Amendments to Expand Authority of Anti-Corruption Commission in the Works appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thousands of Seized Logs Smuggled to China, Lawmaker Says

Posted: 06 Jun 2018 03:59 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — Up to 2,000 logs cut from champac and pine trees weighing over 1,300 tons seized by authorities in Kachin State's Chipwi and Tsawlaw townships have been smuggled to China since late May, according to a Union lawmaker.

"We don't know if all the logs have been smuggled yet. Locals have taken photos of trucks that carried logs. Those logs were last seen in Kangfang, in Chipwi Township, on the Myanmar-China border," said lawmaker U Lamalei, a member of the Lisu National Development Party who represents Tsawlaw in the Union Lower House.

The unclaimed logs were found and seized by the Tsawlaw Township Forestry Department and police in December.

On May 15, the Kachin State government issued a notice assigning the state’s Forestry Department to sell the logs to authorities of Kachin State Special Region 1 and lawmakers in Tsawlaw for use in regional development projects.

On May 21, however, smugglers started moving the logs by truck to China. The next day, Tsawlaw lawmakers sent a letter to the President's Office asking it to stop the smugglers, but there was no official reply, said U Lamalei.

The area where the alleged smuggling occurred is under the control of ethnic armed groups and beyond the reach of Myanmar’s civilian government, the lawmaker said. But the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, is deployed there along with local militias and border guard forces, and trucks in the area headed to and from China have to pass through their inspection gates.

"Locals have informed me of the whereabouts of those logs. I asked them to take photos so that I could present them to the president. I telephoned the Tatmadaw troops, the Kachin State government and Forestry Department," said U Lamalei.

He said the theft showed a complete disregard for the government, lawmakers and Tatmadaw.

U Lamalei urged the President's Office to identify and take harsh action against the smugglers as well as the people and organizations that assisted them.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Thousands of Seized Logs Smuggled to China, Lawmaker Says appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Peace Process Entirely in Military’s Hands, Karen Group Says

Posted: 06 Jun 2018 03:57 AM PDT

YANGON — The civilian government has no power over the peace process, and all decisions affecting security in the country continue to depend entirely on the Myanmar military, a situation that undermines any efforts to end conflict, according to a group of Karen community leaders affiliated with the Karen National Union (KNU).

In its latest, four-page analysis of the peace process published at the end of May, the KNU Concerned Group highlights what it sees as the military (or Tatmadaw)'s control of the peace process, and asserts that State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her government do not have the power to work with ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) to achieve peace.

The group comprises current and former Karen National Union leaders but is not considered part of the organization. Led by former KNU general secretary Naw Zipporah Sein, it analyzes the peace process in Myanmar from the perspective of the KNU and its policies.

According to the analysis, the army's tight control over the peace process has allowed it to block progress and restrict political space in order to head off any challenges to its grip on power.

At the 13th Union-level Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC-U) meeting in Naypyitaw in November 2017, the army told the EAOs to disarm and form political parties in order to participate in elections so that they could fight for their ethnic rights in Parliament.

But more than two years after many of them signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, according to the KNU Concerned Group, the army has placed restrictions on the EAOs. All of their activities require approval from their state chief minister and border security minister. As time passes, the restrictions multiply, it asserts.

The KNU often receives letters from the army prohibiting activities such as meetings, training sessions and workshops, and the EAO foresees more restrictions in the future.

According to the analysis, the KNU supports the government's promotion of the rule of law and hopes the approach can be used to create a democratic system of administration. But as applied by the government and the army, the KNU Concerned Group says, the principle is not leading the country toward justice.

Instead of recognizing the EAOs' call for dialogue and meaningful political reform, both the government and army resort to authoritarian and repressive colonial laws such as the Unlawful Association Act to block the EAOs' legitimate calls for reform and label the groups as illegal organizations, the KNU Concerned Group alleges in the report.

It adds that international donors, NGOs and state media have shown a limited understanding of the substance of the peace process and accuses them of failing to criticize the government and army.

The group further claims that the NLD government has no power to steer the peace process despite Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's promise to work for peace during her election campaign in 2015. It accuses her of keeping silent when the Myanmar Army recently launched renewed military offensives in Kachin and other parts of the country. It points out that the army's recent actions, particularly the forced clearance of more than 700,000 Rohingya from Rakhine State, have drawn accusations of war crimes amid strong international criticism.

If the army has the will to engage in political reform, the group asserts, it must genuinely commit to the peace process. The army does not recognize the struggle of EAOs for equal rights, freedom and democracy in order to establish a "Federal Democratic Union," it adds.

The army has deployed many troops in areas controlled by the Karen National Liberation Army's 5th Brigade without prior agreement from the KNU. It has also seized territory with the objective of expanding and upgrading a road deemed to be of tactical significance to the military. Based on the army's movements, the KNU Concerned Group concludes in its analysis that the army will continue expanding and upgrading bases, and has shown no signs of withdrawing its troops from the area. The group expects the army to launch more offensives, predicting that many more civilians will suffer, just as Karen villagers have for many decades.

According to the KNU Concerned Group, the army's current actions threaten to derail the NCA, further destabilize the faltering peace process, and trigger a new cycle of conflict and destruction in Karen State.

The post Peace Process Entirely in Military's Hands, Karen Group Says appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rakhine Lawmakers Criticize State Govt’s Proposed Budget

Posted: 06 Jun 2018 02:43 AM PDT

SITTWE, Rakhine State — Rakhine State lawmakers called for a review of projects proposed by the state government in the 2018-19 fiscal year budget.

Lawmakers during an emergency meeting on Monday criticized the state government for asking for a budget three years in a row for an ongoing bridge construction project.

According to Sittwe Township lawmaker U Aye Thein, the state government asked for a total of four billion kyats (US$3 million) in the previous two fiscal years and again asked for 2.8 more billion kyats in the 2018-19 fiscal year for the construction of the Sat Yoe Kya Bridge in Sittwe.

However, the government has not provided a timeframe for the completion of the bridge or explained the total projected costs, he said.

"We don't know when it will be complete or how much progress has been made in construction. [The state government] calculated the estimated costs, asked for money, spent it, and asked again, saying that it was not enough. This is a waste of public funds," Sittwe Township lawmaker U Aye Thein told The Irrawaddy.

Lawmakers also criticized the large amount asked for by the Rakhine State General Administration Department (GAD), as the department asked for more than two billion kyats for construction and repairs to its staff quarters.

"The general administration department is not working alone for the country. Other departments are as well. Only the GAD asked for such a large amount of money while other departments did not," said U Aye Thein.

He called for sharing the budget among other departments so that different projects can benefit the people. Lawmaker U Oo Than Naing of Rathedaung Township seconded his view.

"The GAD asked for a lot of money, for furniture and such. Are only GAD staff entitled to staff quarters? What about staff of other departments such as teachers?" asked the lawmaker.

He also criticized that the state government asked for one billion kyats for an economic zone in Maungdaw, saying that there has been almost no progress in building the zone.

"We inspected the zone on May 5 and found almost no preparation work although half of a billion kyats was asked for in the last (fiscal) year. If we allocate another billion kyats, that money will be wasted," said the lawmaker.

Lawmakers also criticized the proposed budget for the resumption of river-water pumping projects in Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U, as those projects proved to be unsuccessful in previous years.

They also disapproved of asking for a budget to supply water to the Ngapali Hotel Zone and some wards in Thandwe, as a water supply system funded by locals on a self-reliant basis is already in place. A construction budget was also asked for and included some roads that had already been built.

"We were criticized last week for slashing the budget. But we have to do so for the interests of Rakhine people, and to display our loyalty and gratitude to them," U Nai Aye Kyue told the state Parliament.

Rakhine State minister for planning and finance U Kyaw Aye Thein defended that the budget was drafted in coordination with concerned ministries and departments.

"It is not that I prepared the budget alone but together with other ministers and departments. Lawmakers wrongly think that the budget is prepared by the planning and finance ministry. We don't know the detailed requirements of other departments. We only handle figures. Now, there is a misunderstanding, and I received the blame," the minister told The Irrawaddy.

A budget should only be requested for the implementation of agriculture and livestock breeding projects, as well as other projects that will directly benefit the people, suggested the lawmakers.

The Rakhine State government has proposed a total of more than 110 billion kyats for the 2018-19 fiscal year budget.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Rakhine Lawmakers Criticize State Govt's Proposed Budget appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Southeast Asia’s Plastic ‘Addiction’ Blights World’s Oceans

Posted: 05 Jun 2018 11:48 PM PDT

BANGKOK — On her lunch break, Bangkok office worker Chinapa Payakha emerges from a 7-Eleven store with two plastic bags.

One holds a Big Gulp soft drink. The other carries her lunch, with a banana in its own plastic wrapper.

“For office life, plastic bags are necessary,” said Chinapa, 34, whose shopping habits illustrate the challenges facing anti-plastic campaigners in Thailand, where plastic bags are handed out in abundance on any visit to a shop or market.

Following World Environment Day on Tuesday and the United Nations’ call for the “biggest-ever worldwide cleanup” of plastic pollution, experts are focused on Southeast Asia, home to four of the world’s top marine plastic polluters.

From major cities like Bangkok and Jakarta to beach resorts in the Philippines and Vietnam, plastic bags and bottles are the ubiquitous face of pollution in the region.

Globally, some 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean every year, killing marine life and entering the human food chain, according to the UN Environment Program.

Five Asian countries — China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand — accounted for up to 60 percent of the plastic waste leaking into the ocean, according to a 2015 report by the environmental campaigner Ocean Conservancy and the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment.

The five economies have “generated exploding demand for consumer products,” the report said, but lacked the waste management infrastructure to cope with the surge in plastic garbage.

Three years on, a “trash emergency” on the Indonesian island of Bali and the Philippines’ decision to close the tourist island of Boracay showed governments are recognizing the impact of plastic waste, said Susan Ruffo, Ocean Conservancy’s managing director for international initiatives.

“But this is not just a government responsibility — corporations, civil society and citizens all have a part to play,” she said, adding that engagement was improving.

Plastic Addiction

In Thailand, where 2 million tons of plastic waste is produced a year, plastic is an “addiction,” said Geoff Baker, an anti-plastic campaigner with Grin Green International.

“Everywhere you go they just throw plastic at you,” said Baker, who caused a stir on social media in April when he covered himself in 700 plastic bags, walked into a 7-Eleven and stared disapprovingly at people buying plastic-wrapped bananas.

The recent death of a pilot whale in Thailand with 80 pieces of plastic rubbish in its stomach garnered headlines locally, but drew more attention outside the country.

Still, some Bangkok residents say companies are not doing enough to address the problem of plastic pollution.

Watcharapon Prabsangob, a 28-year-old engineer, emerged from a store with a small bag carrying a coffee drink and straw. He said he tried to refuse the bag but the clerk moved too fast.

He said that businesses should do more to stop customers from taking plastic bags.

CP All, which has over 10,000 7-Eleven stores across the country, said it would launch a campaign on Tuesday to reduce plastic bags in some outlets in the southern province of Satun as part of a green tourism campaign.

It made no mention of the other 76 provinces including Bangkok, where 10 million residents use 80 million plastic bags a day, the capital’s administration says.

The food retailer Tesco Lotus said it would offer redeemable points from Tuesday to customers who do not take a plastic bag at checkout. But the scheme runs out at the end of June.

Months after the military seized power in a 2014 coup, the junta made waste management a priority and set goals for 2021.

They included cutting the use of plastic bags and bottles in government agencies and businesses, and plastic bans in tourist destinations. A tax on plastic bags was also mentioned, along with a target to recycle up to 60 percent of plastic by 2021.

Baker said he has “yet to see any real change coming from these promises.”

But a spokesman from the government said it was committed to minimizing plastic use. “We have been trying to raise awareness. People are so used to the convenience of plastic that they don’t think about the consequences,” said the spokesman, Weerachon Sukhonpatipak.

Wake-up Call

Other governments have set ambitious goals too.

Indonesia, ranked second behind China in the 2015 study of mismanaged plastic waste from populations living near coastal areas in 192 countries, has pledged $1 billion a year to reduce marine plastic debris by 70 percent by 2025.

There have been several attempts to impose taxes on plastic packaging to help address the waste problem. Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto has opposed the tax measures, saying in January it would hurt the local food and drink industry.

In the Philippines, the threat to marine life should be a “wake-up call” for people to cut their use of plastic, said Jonas Leones, a senior official in the environmental department.

The Philippines, like its regional neighbors, has not imposed a nationwide ban on plastic bags, but some local authorities regulate their use. Some shopping malls have also replaced plastic with paper bags and encouraged reusable bags.

In Malaysia, the new housing and local government minister, Zuraida Kamaruddin, said in an interview with the local news website Malaysiakini that she wants to introduce a nationwide ban on plastic bags within a year.

Anchalee Pipattanawattanakul, an ocean campaigner with Greenpeace in Southeast Asia, said the region needs a coordinated strategy on plastic waste.

“ASEAN says the problem needs to be addressed,” she said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “But there is no action plan that will actually decrease the use of plastic.”

The post Southeast Asia’s Plastic ‘Addiction’ Blights World’s Oceans appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Singapore Launches ‘World Peace’ Medallion to Mark Trump-Kim Summit

Posted: 05 Jun 2018 09:59 PM PDT

SINGAPORE — Singapore on Tuesday unveiled a commemorative medallion ahead of next week’s summit between the US and North Korean leaders in the wealthy city-state, carrying the inscription “World Peace” in large letters on one side.

The words on the medallion, featured on the online shop of the Singapore Mint, are accompanied by the dove and olive branch motif, a biblical symbol of peace, as well as a rose and a magnolia, the national flowers of the two countries.

The other side of the souvenir, which costs more than $1,000 for the version in gold, depicts two hands clasped in a handshake in front of both nations’ flags and the June 12 event date.

The meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un will be the first ever between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. After a war of words that lasted months, it aims to start a discussion on ending the North’s nuclear weapons program in return for diplomatic and economic incentives.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the standoff.

Last month, the White House also unveiled commemorative coins for the summit, making for an awkward juxtaposition when Trump canceled the event on May 24, citing Pyongyang’s “open hostility,” although he subsequently revived the talks.

A small Southeast Asian nation with good ties to countries both East and West, Singapore tends toward neutrality, projecting itself as the region’s answer to Switzerland.

In 2015, Singapore hosted a historic meeting of the leaders of Taiwan and China, the first since victory in a civil war for the Communists in 1949 confined their Nationalist foes to the island.

The exact venue of the Trump-Kim summit has yet to be confirmed, although Singapore has declared a special event zone including its foreign ministry, the US Embassy, and several large hotels, such as the Shangri-La.

Singapore retailers are also banking on the summit, with pubs offering themed drinks to lure some of the thousands of journalists and delegates expected to visit.

The post Singapore Launches ‘World Peace’ Medallion to Mark Trump-Kim Summit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Defense Says Myanmar Police Withheld Evidence from Reuters Reporters’ Phones

Posted: 05 Jun 2018 09:41 PM PDT

YANGON — Data that could support the defense of two Reuters reporters accused of possessing secret documents in Myanmar was missing from police phone evidence submitted to a court by prosecutors, their lawyers said on Monday.

Defense lawyer Than Zaw Aung said some key files, including communications records from the reporters’ phones before their arrests on Dec. 12, were not included in a report of the data police say they found on the devices that was accepted as evidence by the court last month.

He requested the court to direct the prosecution to submit further details, arguing the additional files would help reveal “truth and justice."

Judge Ye Lwin rejected the defense request, saying further details were not necessary because a police IT expert has previously demonstrated how the files were extracted “systematically” from the reporters’ phones.

In what has become a landmark press freedom case, the court in Yangon has been holding hearings since January to decide whether Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, will be charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.

Prosecutor Kyaw Min Aung told the court the phones’ call logs were not relevant to the documents that police say they found on the devices. He did not elaborate. Those documents included allegedly confidential government letters and plans for the development of an island off Myanmar’s west coast for tourism.

A second defense lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, told Reuters after Monday’s proceedings that the defense believed “evidence which is beneficial to the defense has not been fully disclosed by the prosecution."

Kyaw Min Aung declined to comment.

Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay was not immediately available for comment. Previously, he has declined to discuss details of the proceedings or the police investigation, saying Myanmar’s courts were independent and the case would be conducted according to the law.

The next hearing in the case was scheduled for Tuesday.

Phone Records

At the time of their arrest, the reporters had been working on an investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys in a village in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State. The killings took place during a military crackdown that United Nations agencies say sent nearly 700,000 people fleeing to Bangladesh.

The reporters have told relatives they were arrested almost immediately after being handed some rolled up papers at a restaurant in northern Yangon by two policemen they had not met before, having been invited to meet the officers for dinner.

Whether Wa Lone was called by police to set up a meeting or rang them himself in the hours before the reporters were arrested has been a contested point at previous hearings.

Defense lawyers have previously said phone records show one of the police officers, Naing Lin, called Wa Lone three times on the day the pair were arrested.

Prosecutor Kyaw Min Aung told the court on Monday that Naing Lin had insisted during his testimony that he did not call Wa Lone on Dec. 12, but that the reporter had called him to initiate a meeting. “It’s the defense’s responsibility to prove otherwise,” he said.

Last month, Police Captain Moe Yan Naing testified that a senior officer had ordered Naing Lin to arrange a meeting with Wa Lone and give him secret documents on to “trap” the reporter. Naing Lin denied that when he testified last month.

After his court appearance, Moe Yan Naing was sentenced to a year in jail for violating police discipline and his family was evicted from police housing. Police have said the eviction and his sentencing were not related to his testimony.

The post Defense Says Myanmar Police Withheld Evidence from Reuters Reporters' Phones appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Facebook Confirms Data Sharing with Chinese Companies

Posted: 05 Jun 2018 09:37 PM PDT

WASHINGTON — Facebook Inc said Tuesday it has data sharing partnerships with at least four Chinese companies including Huawei, the world’s third largest smartphone maker, which has come under scrutiny from US intelligence agencies on security concerns.

The social media company said Huawei, computer maker Lenovo Group, and smartphone makers OPPO and TCL Corp were among about 60 companies worldwide that received access to some user data after they signed contracts to re-create Facebook-like experiences for their users.

Members of Congress raised concerns after The New York Times reported on the practice on Sunday, saying that data of users’ friends could have been accessed without their explicit consent. Facebook denied that and said the data access was to allow its users to access account features on mobile devices.

More than half of the partnerships have already been wound down, Facebook said. It said on Tuesday it would end the Huawei agreement later this week. It is ending the other three partnerships with Chinese firms as well.

Chinese telecommunications companies have come under scrutiny from US intelligence officials who argue they provide an opportunity for foreign espionage and threaten critical US infrastructure, something the Chinese have consistently denied.

Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, who asked Facebook if Huawei was among the companies that received user data, said in a statement that the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee had raised concerns about Huawei dating back in 2012.

“The news that Facebook provided privileged access to Facebook's API to Chinese device makers like Huawei and TCL raises legitimate concerns, and I look forward to learning more about how Facebook ensured that information about their users was not sent to Chinese servers,” Warner said.

API, or application program interface, essentially specifies how software components should interact.

A Facebook executive said the company had carefully managed the access it gave to the Chinese companies.

“Facebook along with many other US tech companies have worked with them and other Chinese manufacturers to integrate their services onto these phones,” Francisco Varela, vice president of mobile partnerships for Facebook, said in a statement. “Facebook’s integrations with Huawei, Lenovo, OPPO and TCL were controlled from the get-go — and we approved the Facebook experiences these companies built.”

Varela added that “given the interest from Congress, we wanted to make clear that all the information from these integrations with Huawei was stored on the device, not on Huawei’s servers.”

Response Demanded from Zuckerberg

Earlier on Tuesday, the Senate Commerce Committee demanded that Facebook’s chief executive officer, Mark Zuckerberg, respond to a report that user data was shared with at least 60 device manufacturers, weeks after the social media company said it would change its practices after a political firm got access to data from millions of users.

Senators John Thune, the committee’s Republican chairman, and Bill Nelson, the ranking Democrat, on Tuesday wrote to Zuckerberg after The New York Times reported that manufacturers were able to access data of users’ friends even if the friends denied permission to share the information with third parties.

In April, the Federal Communications Commission proposed new rules that would bar purchases by government programs from companies that it says pose a security threat to US telecoms networks, a move aimed at Huawei and ZTE Corp, China's No. 2 telecommunications equipment maker. The Pentagon in May ordered retail outlets on US military bases to stop selling Huawei and ZTE phones, citing potential security risks.

ZTE was not among the firms that received access to Facebook data, but it has been the subject of US national security concerns.

The letter asks if Facebook audited partnerships with the device manufacturers under a 2011 consent order with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It also asked if Zuckerberg wanted to revise his testimony before the Senate in April.

Facebook said it looks forward to addressing any questions the Commerce Committee has.

Facebook still has not answered hundreds of written questions submitted from members of Congress after Zuckerberg’s testimony in April, according to congressional staff.

The data sharing mentioned in the Times story was used over the last decade by about 60 companies, including Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc, Blackberry Ltd, HTC Corp , Microsoft Corp and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, Ime Archibong, Facebook vice president of product partnerships, wrote in a blog post on June 3.

The FTC confirmed in March that it was investigating Facebook’s privacy practices.

Facebook allowed Apple and other device makers to have “deep” access to users’ personal data without their consent, according to the Times.

The Times said Facebook allowed companies access to the data of users’ friends without their explicit consent, even after it had declared it would no longer share the information with outsiders.

Archibong said the data was only shared with device makers in order to improve Facebook users’ access to the information. “These partners signed agreements that prevented people's Facebook information from being used for any other purpose than to recreate Facebook-like experiences.”

Regulators and authorities in several countries have increased scrutiny of Facebook after it failed to protect the data of some 87 million users that was shared with now-defunct political data firm Cambridge Analytica.

Two Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee, Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal, on Monday also wrote to Zuckerberg.

Archibong said the cases were “very different” from the use of data by third-party developers in the Cambridge row.

New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said on Monday the “data-sharing partnerships with other corporations” is part of the ongoing investigation into the reported misuse of Facebook user data by Cambridge Analytica.

The post Facebook Confirms Data Sharing with Chinese Companies appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)