Tuesday, June 19, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Support for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Still Strong on Social Media

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 07:28 AM PDT

YANGON — An analysis of Myanmar’s social media users by The Irrawaddy shows that “trust” in the country’s de facto leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, remains unanimous, though “negative” posts are still relatively high in heavily ethnic minority areas.

The Irrawaddy used the social media analytics program R to analyze online comments about the state counselor on the occasion of her birthday. The democracy icon, who swept to power in the 2015 elections on a wave of popular support after years of house arrest under military dictatorship, turned 73 today.


Her international reputation may have taken a hit since August, with some slamming her for failing to speak out against a military crackdown in western Rakhine State that has driven 700,000 mostly Muslim Rohingya to Bangladesh, many with reports of arson, rape and murder by security forces. At home, however, social media sentiment for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remains wildly positive. Even global sentiment remains more positive than negative.

According to social media analytics site Hootsuite, Myanmar has some 16 million active social media users as of this year.

R, meanwhile, allows a maximum 3,200 Twitter and Facebook posts to be analyzed for any search term.

An analysis of 3,200 posts in Myanmar on Tuesday using #Aungsansuukyi and “Aung San Suu Kyi,” respectively, showed a 100 percent “trust” rate, as defined by the program. Forty-three percent expressed “sadness” over her frail health and advanced age. Fourteen percent expressed “surprise,” “disgust” or “anger,” but the numbers were too low for the programs to analyze those sentiments in detail.

The Irrawaddy also analyzed posts by region, looking at the capital of each state or region. Positive posts were highest in those cities with the largest proportions of ethnic Burmese. Magwe led the way with 87 percent, followed by Mandalay with 72 percent and Yangon with 68 percent. Positive posts in Mawlamyine, Myitkyina and Hakha were all under 20 percent.

Conversely, negative posts were highest in regions with the most ethnic minorities. Myitkyina had the highest proportion of negative posts with 45 percent, followed by Sittwe with 38 percent and Hakha with 27 percent. Bago and Pathein, which have among the highest proportion of Burmese, had the lowest proportions of negative posts, at 2 percent each.

Internationally, support for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was also far more muted.

A separate analysis of 3,200 posts about her globally on Tuesday, using the program VADER, showed that 68 percent were generally positive and 27 percent were generally negative.

 

 

 

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Ten Months After Telecom Law Amendments, Defamation Cases Remain Common

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 07:07 AM PDT

YANGON — Amending the heavily criticized Telecommunications Law has been one of the most significant legal reforms undertaken so far by the National League for Democracy-led government.

The Parliament passed changes to the law in August last year following months of outcry over the growing number of defamation cases opened under the legislation.

Yet, free-speech advocates doubt the effectiveness of the reforms in addressing their concerns, as the most controversial provision of the law, Article 66 (d), which they want repealed, remains in place.

Now, 10 months after the amendments, according to Maung Saungkha of Athan, a freedom of expression activist organization, the only change has been that no more individuals have been prosecuted under the law for defaming State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Previously, there were 10 cases in which supporters filed lawsuits on her behalf as they felt she had been defamed.

Prior to the amendments, many individuals prosecuted under the law were accused of defaming national leaders including former President U Thein Sein and Myanmar Army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, despite the fact that the leaders themselves did not personally file the cases.

The amendments passed in August last year ban a third party from filing a case unless that individual has been granted legal power to do so by the "defamed" individual — a move that was considered a way of reducing the number of cases opened under the law.

Two other significant changes under the amendments are allowing bail to be granted to defendants, and a reduction in the maximum prison sentence to two years from three.

Maung Saungkha said the amendments had been ineffective as many cases relating to authorities such as government officials, political parties and religious leaders continue to be filed.

He cited a recent case in Arakan State in which an official from the State Education Department opened a case against regional lawmaker U Than Maung Oo under Article 66 (d) over his online post criticizing the state's education system, economy and heath care system.

"The government is asking the public to be patient regarding its work, but it can't tolerate public criticism," he said.

According to Athan, even after the amendments, 27 cases had been filed under Article 66 (d) within 10 months as of June 5.

Before the amendments to the law, there were 90 cases within a year and four months of the NLD taking power, compared to 11 cases under U Thein Sein's government after the law was originally enacted in 2013.

Of the 27 cases filed since the amendments to the law, Maung Saungkha said most were filed by nationalists including supporters of Buddhist monk U Wirathu who have opened cases on his behalf.

Maung Saungkha, who was jailed under Article 66 (d) of the law in 2016 for writing a poem deemed insulting to ex-president U Thein Sein, said that as a result of the failure to terminate the provision, the law is still being used to stifle dissent and remains a threat to freedom of expression despite the amendments.

In a recent report published by Athan on June 10, the group asked the government to terminate the provision.

Maung Saungkha said the second-most important factor is that the law still treats the violation as a criminal (rather than civil) offense, which means police can arrest the accused after a complaint is filed and detain them, even though they have yet to be found guilty.

Legal adviser U Khin Maung Myint said the number of cases being filed under the law is not declining as expected, as the police and the courts are accepting cases without properly understanding the amendments.

He said that in many cases, the institutions are accepting cases filed by a third party despite the clear provision in the amendment requiring the granting of legal power to do so by the affected person.

He said the amendments were also intended to reduce punishments. But the prosecuting institutions generally still do not do this, even though they also have the option of fining those who are found guilty.

"Amending the law is not done [for the sake of] legal reforms; the government should review the amendments to see whether they have improved the situation," he added.

The post Ten Months After Telecom Law Amendments, Defamation Cases Remain Common appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The Life of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi: A Timeline

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 06:27 AM PDT

Proposal to Impose Death Sentence in Child Rape Cases Voted Down

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 04:52 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — The Lower House voted down a proposal to impose the death penalty in child rapes cases.

Lawmakers on Monday debated the proposal of Rathedaung Township lawmaker Daw Khin Saw Wai, which urged the Union government to impose the death penalty for child rape to act as a deterrent to potential perpetrators.

U Myo Tint, a judge with the Supreme Court of the Union, argued that the death penalty may only increase the risk of the victim being killed by the rapist.

"Suppose the death penalty is introduced. The sex offender will have to face the death penalty whether he rapes or kills the victim. Under such circumstances, he might be more likely to kill the victim to destroy evidence. We need to consider the safety of the victims," the judge said.

Deputy Attorney General U Win Myint of the Union Attorney General's Office also pointed to instances of false rape claims.

"We also need to take this into consideration. We have to decide if it is fair to impose the death penalty in every case," he added.

Child rape accounted for 61 percent of total rape cases in 2016, 64 percent in 2017, and 68 percent until the end of April this year, said deputy minister for home affairs Major-General Aung Thu.

Even children aged between two and five were among the rape victims from January to February this year. Most of the victims were between 14 and 16, and most of the offenders were aged between 19 and 50.

A large number of rapes in Myanmar are committed by family members, but most are committed by strangers.

"It will take time to design a law against child rape. I would suggest adding a provision on child rape under Section 376 of the Penal Code," said Kawhmu Township lawmaker U Kyaw Swe Win.

The punishment for rape ranges from 10 years to 20 years imprisonment under Section 376. The crime of raping and killing is punishable by the death sentence, said U Myo Tint.

Eighteen offenders were given 20 years' imprisonment for child rape in 2016. The number increased to 25 last year.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Proposal to Impose Death Sentence in Child Rape Cases Voted Down appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Driver Drops Assault Charges Against Ne Win’s Grandsons

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 02:43 AM PDT

YANGON — A bus driver who was allegedly beaten and fired by two grandsons of former military dictator Ne Win has dropped a lawsuit against them after the two agreed to reinstate his driving license and drop reckless driving charges.

U Aung Myat appeared at the Hlaing Tharyar Township court on June 15 to drop the charges against the two brothers.

U Aung Myat previously worked as a driver for Omni Focus YBS Co., owned by Ne Win's grandsons Kyaw Ne Win and Zwae Ne Win. He was allegedly beaten by the brothers after the bus he was driving was involved in a minor accident with another company vehicle driven by Ko Kyaw Min Tun on April 28.

Ko Kyaw Min Tu also alleged that he was beaten and unfairly dismissed. He was also charged by the two for reckless driving.

U Aung Myat filed a complaint with the police who charged the brothers with assault under Article 202 of the criminal code. The brothers also opened their own case against U Aung Myat for reckless driving.

"I agreed to drop the charge because they agreed to reinstate my driving license," said U Aung Myat.

The Hlaing Tharyar Township judge in June revised the charges and charged the brothers for swearing and assault. The former carries three months' imprisonment with labor and the latter, a maximum one-year imprisonment and/or a fine of one million kyats.

Article 279 for reckless driving prescribes a maximum two years' imprisonment or a fine of 1,000 kyats or both.

Both drivers appeared for trial, but the two brothers have only sent their representatives to the court.

U Kyaw Ne Win met with U Maung Maung Han, a labor rights activist from Irrawaddy Region who is helping the two drivers, on June 5 and said that he would return the driving licenses and drop all charges if the two drivers would withdraw their charges as well.

U Kyaw Ne Win also said that he would give the drivers the compensation they had asked for, said U Maung Maung Han.

For unfair dismissal, U Kyaw Min Tun is entitled to 740,000 kyats compensation, while U Aung Myat, who had only been on the job for four months, is entitled to 590,000 kyats, said U Maung Maung Han.

Their former employer Omni Focus General Service Co Ltd had only given 400,000 kyats to U Aung Myat and 300,000 kyats to U Kyaw Min Tun.

U Aung Myat said he did not receive any money from the two brothers to drop the charges other than the compensation for unfair dismissal.

U Kyaw Ne Win declined to comment on the case when asked by The Irrawaddy.

The two brothers are likely to drop the charges against the drivers at the upcoming trial on Wednesday.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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UK, France Should Press Thai PM on Rights, to End Military Rule: Group

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 09:41 PM PDT

BANGKOK — Britain and France should highlight deteriorating human rights in Thailand when its prime minister visits this month and they should make clear there will be no “business as usual” until he holds a fair election, a rights group said on Monday.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief who ousted an elected government in a 2014 coup, has promised to restore democracy but has pushed back the date for a vote several times, while refusing to tolerate dissent.

British Prime Minister Theresa May and President Emmanuel Macron of France should “strongly express their deep concerns about the deteriorating state of human rights," Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

“They should make clear to General Prayuth that there will be no return to business as usual until Thailand holds free and fair elections, establishes a democratic civilian government, and improves respect for human rights,” he said.

A general election is now due in February, the government says.

Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd defended Thailand’s record, saying authorities were very respectful of rights.

“Right now, Thailand respects human rights no less than any other country,” Sansern told Reuters.

Thailand’s Western allies criticized Prayuth’s 2014 coup, which followed a decade of political turmoil that has brought two coups and bloody street protests.

The military banned political gatherings and protests after it took power and has taken tough action against dissent.

The European Union put relations on hold after the coup but in December resumed political contact “at all levels."

The EU is Thailand’s third-biggest trading partner after China and Japan. Thailand is the EU’s third-largest trading partner in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Prayuth will meet May in London on June 20, before he heads to France for a trip that includes a stop at Airbus in the city of Toulouse.

Prayuth and Macron are due to preside over the signing of an agreement between Thai Airways and Airbus to open an aircraft maintenance and repair hub at the civil-military U-Tapao Airport, southeast of Bangkok, Prayuth’s office said.

Thailand will also finalize the purchase of a $215 million observation satellite from Airbus, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak told Reuters.

The satellite will have multiple uses, the government has said, including for agriculture and national security.

The post UK, France Should Press Thai PM on Rights, to End Military Rule: Group appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 09:41 PM PDT

Charity Concert

Various artists will perform at this charity event.

June 23, 6:30 p.m. National Theater. Tickets available at Myanmar Medical Association on Theinbyu Road, Mingalar Taung Nyunt Tsp.

 

Culture Show

Myanmar culture will be showcased at this event.

June 23, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Vintage Luxury Yacht Hotel. Book tickets at 09-250846974.

World Music Day

World Music Day will be celebrated at Goethe Villa.

June 23, 6:30 p.m. Goethe Villa, corner of Kabar Aye Pagoada Road and Nat Mauk Street, Bahan Tsp. Free Entry.

Pop Music Night

Aung Htet and others will perform at this event.

June 23, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. The BEAT Bar, corner of Maha Bandula Street & Bo Myat Tun Street. Free Admission. Reservation at 09-762761569

Indian Food Week

This event is for Indian food lovers.

June 20, 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Novotel Hotel, Reservations at 09-251185989, US$34 per person.

 

Rum & Reggae

7 Joint will be playing reggae all night.

June 23, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. 7 Joint Bar & Grill at corner of Maha Bandula Street and 47th Street, Botahtaung Tsp. Free Admission. 09-260600552

Yangon Job Fair

Various positions will be recruited at this event.

June 23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rose Garden Hotel, No. 171, Upper Pansodan Street.

 

Shwe Property Affordable Housing Expo

Apartments will be up for grabs from 18 million kyats to 100 million kyats.

June 22-24, Hledan Center.

 

Happy 73rd Birthday

Artist Htee Saing will showcase portraits of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to mark her 73rd birthday.

June 17-30, Sagawa Art Gallery, at the corner of Thamadi Street and Lel Ya Shwe Myay Street, near Tamwe Court.

 

Nothing Special

Artists Soe Naing and Kae Su Tha will showcase their modern works.

June 21-23, OK Art Gallery, Aung San Stadium (North Wing).

The post Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US, South Korea Agree to Suspend Joint Military Exercise

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 09:38 PM PDT

WASHINGTON/SEOUL — The United States and South Korea have agreed to suspend a joint military exercise scheduled for August, South Korean and US officials said on Monday, following President Donald Trump’s pledge to end “war games” after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week.

“South Korea and the United States have agreed to suspend all planning activities regarding the Freedom Guardian military drill scheduled for August,” according to a South Korean defense ministry statement.

A Pentagon statement confirmed the suspension and added that there would be a meeting between the secretaries of defense and state as well as Trump’s national security adviser on the issue this week.

“Consistent with President Trump’s commitment and in concert with our Republic of Korea ally, the United States military has suspended all planning for this August’s defensive ‘war game’ (Freedom Guardian),” the statement said.

“We are still coordinating additional actions. No decisions on subsequent war games have been made,” Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said separately. The Pentagon rarely uses the words ‘war game’ for joint military drills and it is a phrase more often seen in North Korean state media.

Last year, 17,500 American and more than 50,000 South Korean troops participated in the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills, although the exercise is mostly focused on computerized simulations rather than live field exercises that use weapons, tanks or aircraft.

The US-South Korean exercise calendar hits a high point every spring with the Foal Eagle and Max Thunder drills, which both wrapped up last month.

The decision to halt military exercises in South Korea has bewildered many current and former US defense officials, who only learned about it when Trump made his remarks.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday there would be no changes to joint drill plans between the United States and Japan, both of which also engage in regular deterrence exercises against North Korea.

“The United States is in a position to keep its commitment to its allied nations’ defense and our understanding is there is no change to the US commitment to the Japan-US alliance and the structure of American troops stationed in Japan,” Suga said in a regular briefing.

Cost of Drills?

The Pentagon has yet to publicly release the cost of previous and future joint military exercises with South Korea, a week after Trump cited their “tremendously expensive” cost as a reason for halting them.

Spending data for previous military exercises in Korea and elsewhere, however, suggest that the cost of a single exercise would be in the low or perhaps tens of millions of dollars in a US military budget this year of nearly $700 billion.

In response to repeated requests for cost data, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan, said: “We are currently evaluating the costs of the exercises.”

Calculating the cost of military exercises is a complicated process, often requiring data from different branches of the military and spread over several budgets over different years.

Troops who would have been involved in the exercises would still require training and certification, which would still cost money, said Abraham Denmark, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia under President Barack Obama.

“To me, the idea of this as a cost saving measure doesn’t really make much sense,” Denmark said.

The post US, South Korea Agree to Suspend Joint Military Exercise appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Across Asia’s Borders, Trafficking Survivors Dial in for Justice

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 09:26 PM PDT

JESSORE, Bangladesh — When Neha Maldar testified against the traffickers who enslaved her as a sex worker in India, she spoke from the safety of her own country, Bangladesh, via video conferencing, a technology that could revolutionize the pursuit of justice in such cases.

The men in the western city of Mumbai appeared via video link more than 2,000 km (1,243 miles) west of Maldar as she sat in a government office in Jessore, a major regional hub for sex trafficking, 50 km from Bangladesh’s border with India.

“I saw the people who had trafficked me on the screen and I wasn’t scared to identify them,” Maldar, who now runs a beauty parlor from her home near Jessore, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “I was determined to see them behind bars.”

“I told them how I was beaten for refusing to work in the brothel in the beginning and how the money I made was taken away,” she said, adding that she had lied to Indian authorities about her situation after being rescued, out of fear.

Thousands of people from Bangladesh and Nepal – mainly poor, rural women and children – are lured to India each year by traffickers who promise good jobs but sell them into prostitution or domestic servitude, anti-slavery activists say.

Activists hope the safe, convenient technology could boost convictions. A Bangladeshi sex trafficker was jailed for the first time in 2016 on the strength of a victim’s testimony to a court in Mumbai via video link from Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital.

Convictions for cross-border trafficking in the region are rare as most victims choose not to pursue cases that have traditionally required them to testify in Indian courts, which meant staying in a shelter for the duration of the trial.

“They have always wanted to go back home, to their families,” said Shiny Padiyara, a legal counsel at the Indian charity Rescue Foundation that has facilitated video conferencing cases and runs shelters for trafficking victims.

“And most never return to testify.”

But video conferencing is making it easier to pursue justice. Survivors have given statements, identified their traffickers, and been cross examined in at least 10 other ongoing international cases in Bangladesh, advocates said.

“Enabling victims to testify via video conference will lead to a possible decrease in acquittal rates for want of prime witnesses,” said Adrian Phillips of Justice and Care, a charity that supports the use of video testimony to help secure justice.

Even then, it is tough. During Maldar’s three-hour deposition, she withstood a tough cross-examination, showed identity documents to prove her age and countered allegations by the defense lawyer that she was lying about her identity.

Unpardonable

Tara Khokon Miya is preparing her 27-year-old daughter to testify against the men who trafficked her to India from Dhaka, where she had been working in a garment factory.

“I almost lost my daughter forever,” she said, sitting in her home in Magura, less than 50 km from Jessore, describing how she disappeared after work and was taken to a brothel in India, and raped and beaten for almost a year before being rescued.

“What the traffickers did to my daughter was unpardonable,” Miya said, wiping her tears.

“We seek justice. I nurtured her in my womb and can’t describe what it felt like to not know about her whereabouts.”

The trial has been ongoing since 2013 when the young woman, who declined to be named, was repatriated. The charity Rights Jessore is helping the family through the process, by providing counseling and rehearsing cross-examination.

“The best thing is her father will be by her side when she talks in court,” Miya said, finally breaking into a smile.

India signed a bilateral agreement with Bangladesh in 2015 to ensure faster trafficking investigations and prosecutions, and with Nepal in 2017, and laid down basic procedures to encourage the use of video conferencing in court proceedings.

“The procedure is very transparent,” said judge K M Mamun Uzzaman at Jessore courthouse, which often converts its conference hall into a courtroom for video conferencing cases to protect survivors’ privacy.

“I’m usually present and victims are able to testify confidently … it is easy and cost effective for us,” he said.

“But the biggest beneficiaries are the survivors.”

The Future

Video conferencing in Bangladesh has been plagued by technical glitches such as power cuts and poor connections.

“Sometimes the internet connection is weak or it gets disconnected during the testimony,” said Binoy Krishna Mallick head of Rights Jessore, a pioneer in using this technology to encourage trafficking survivors to pursue justice.

“But these are just teething troubles.”

The bigger challenge, activists say, is to ensure survivors remain committed to the trial despite delays caused by a backlog of cases and witnesses’ failure to appear to testify.

Swati Chauhan, one of the first judges to experiment with video testimony in 2010, is convinced that technology can eliminate many of these hurdles.

“Victims go through a lot of trauma so it is natural that they don’t want to confront their trafficker in a court – but that doesn’t mean they don’t want the trafficker to be punished,” she said.

“A video conference requires meticulous planning and it is not easy coordinating between departments and countries. But it is the future for many seeking justice.”

The post Across Asia’s Borders, Trafficking Survivors Dial in for Justice appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Private School’s Expulsion of Kindergarten Students with Blood Disorder Stirs Furor

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 09:26 PM PDT

MANDALAY — The dismissal of two kindergarten students with a genetic blood disorder from a private school in Mandalay became the talk of the town over the weekend after their upset parents published the expulsion letter on Facebook.

The private school, Victory Education Center (VEC), ordered the two children to be withdrawn from the school on June 11 on the grounds that it could not provide proper care for them, sparking criticism from the parents, as the 2018-19 academic year was just beginning.

The two boys suffer from G6PD deficiency, which affects red blood function and can cause a type of anemia, usually after exposure to certain foods or medications.

The parents said they had informed the class teacher and school head about their children's health conditions and asked that they be aware of the food that children with G6PD deficiency must avoid. They were then surprised by the school's decision to return their tuition fees and dismiss their sons from the school.

"We requested they not expel our sons, but the teachers said it was the decision of their head and that we could do nothing," said Daw Nan Nwe Ni Soe, the mother of one of the students.

According to the parents, the two boys had attended the classes since June 4 and their forced withdrawal had upset them greatly. The parents sent a complaint letter to the Ministry of Education's Mandalay regional office on June 13, demanding action be taken against the school for allegedly discriminating against the students.

"We sent the complaint not to hurt the reputation of the school but to make sure no discrimination takes place in the future and so that the many other schools out there learn from this case and are made aware about the health of their students," Daw Nan Nwe Ni Soe said.

According to the regional office of the Ministry of Education in Mandalay, discriminating against students on the grounds of a health condition, race or religion is not allowed at any school or university, including private sector institutions, and the private school was issued a warning on June 15 and urged to take back the children.

When contacted for comment, school officials said they had already issued a statement on their official Facebook page and that they had no further comments to make.

The statement issued on Saturday said the school did not remove the two kindergarten pupils because of their specific health condition, but because the school was afraid it could not provide proper care for them.

"(The reason for) returning the students to their parents was not because the children have a G6PD deficiency, but because we are afraid we could not provide the detailed care that the parents requested," the statement said.

In its statement, the school also said that it had contacted the parents to discuss taking back the students, however, one set of parents said their child had already been accepted to another school while the other parents did not answer their calls.

However, the parents disputed the care guidelines were overly demanding, saying they had only provided a list of foods that their children should avoid and explained some facts about G6PD deficiency.

"When we told them our son has a G6PD deficiency, the teachers said they didn't know about it and so we've explained a bit about it to them. Maybe they thought we were requesting they give too much special care to our children," Daw Nan Nwe Ni Soe said.

"Actually, we only gave health information about our sons and requested the school inform the parents if there's something wrong with the child."

Human rights and child rights activists condemned the action of the private school for kicking out the two students based on their health issues.

"Dismissing the students because of a health issue is unacceptable. This is not a disease that could infect or harm others. The dismissal will greatly affect the mental health of the two students," said U Aung Myo Min, director of Equality Myanmar, a non-governmental human rights organization. "A child at this age can easily understand why he was not allowed to go to the same school, and knows how to avoid things that could trigger his health condition. So, dismissal from school due to their health issues could traumatize them."

The activist said that the incident highlighted the lack of knowledge about health issues and poor health support provided in schools across the country, where teachers "only emphasize producing excellent students, their good teaching methods and the fame of their school."

"Education should not be focused only on the learning abilities of the student, but also needs to take care of their health. Since the students spend most of their time in the school, the teachers also have to share the responsibilities with the parents for those children who need special health care," U Aung Myo Min said.

"They already have instructions from the Ministry of Education to accept the students, even those who live with HIV. This is the practice of government schools and the private sector also needs to follow the rule," he added.

G6PD deficiency is an inherited condition in which the body doesn’t produce enough of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, or G6PD. The enzyme helps red blood cells function normally. Deficiency in G6PD enzyme can cause hemolytic anemia, which occurs when red blood cells are destroyed faster than the body can replace them, usually after exposure to certain medications, foods, or bacterial or viral infections.

People with G6PD deficiency have to avoid eating fava beans, the main food that triggers hemolytic anemia, or inhaling pollen from fava plants.

Certain medications such as some antibiotics and medications used to treat malaria, certain analgesics such as aspirin, medications which include sulpha, high doses of Vitamin C, methylene blue, naphthalene balls and menthol are potentially harmful to people with G6PD deficiency.

The condition is common in certain parts of Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, where males are affected more than females. Some are diagnosed in early childhood or as newborns, while some never have any symptoms and do not know they have the deficiency until a blood test is done.

The symptoms of this type of anemia include paleness, jaundice, dark urine, fatigue, shortness of breath, and a rapid heart rate.

If a person with G6PD deficiency carefully avoids the medicines and foods that could trigger hemolytic anemia, the person is as healthy as a normal person, with no effects on their physical or mental health.

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Monday, June 18, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

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Court to Decide on July 2 Whether to Charge Reuters Reporters

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 09:10 AM PDT

YANGON – After six months of preliminary hearings, a Yangon court will decide next month whether two Reuters journalists arrested while covering the Rakhine conflict will be charged with violating the Official Secrets Act.

Yangon's Northern District Court has heard from the plaintiff and 22 witnesses in the case against Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo.

On July 2, lawyers for both sides will make their arguments to the court regarding whether it should accept or reject charges against the journalists, judge U Ye Lwin said on Monday.

The last plaintiff witness, Police Major Tin Win Maung of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), testified Monday in the case's 27th hearing since January 2018.

Monday's cross-examination of the witness focused on the CID officer's actions during the questioning of the journalists at the time of their arrests in December.

Maj. Tin Win Maung said he was not present when the reporters were questioned at the Aung Thabyay military camp in late December, which is in contrast to the journalists' accounts, defense lawyer U Than Zaw Aung said.

Ko Wa Lone said his interrogators at the Aung Thabyay interrogation center included officials from the Bureau of Special Investigation, the military, the police special branch and the CID.

Defense lawyers pointed to numerous inconsistencies between the testimony provided by nearly two dozen witnesses and the accounts offered by the accused.

Defense lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw told The Irrawaddy he did not know whether the court would accept the charge, adding, "However, according to the information from our clients and the legal reviews, some of the testimony is hard to accept."

The advocate said, "We will try to state specifically which testimony should not be accepted when we make our arguments before the court."

In total, 22 out of an initial 25 witnesses testified; three were removed from the list of witnesses, including Police Sergeant Khin Maung Lin, who was fired by the police and whose whereabouts have been unknown since May.

U Than Zaw Aung said the court removed the sergeant from the witness list as he is still at large. He was initially believed to be hiding somewhere in Myeik, in southern Myanmar's Tannithary Region, but this turned out not to be the case.

The two Reuters reporters were arrested on Dec. 12 and accused of breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.

At the time of their arrest, the reporters were working on an investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys in Indin village in Maungdaw, Rakhine State. In April, the Myanmar military said seven soldiers had been sentenced to "10 years in prison with hard labor in a remote area" for participating in the massacre.

The killings took place during the military's crackdown following militant attacks on security outposts. The United Nations says the military crackdown sent nearly 700,000 people fleeing to Bangladesh.

During the six months of preliminary hearings, Police Captain Moe Yan Naing was fired for testifying that the two reporters had been framed. The officer was sentenced to one year in prison for violating the Police Disciplinary Act.

Ko Wa Lone on Monday told reporters covering the trial that, "We are very sorry to hear of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's comments about us." He was referring to an interview with Japanese news outlet NHK World last week in which the State Counselor said the two Reuters reporters "were not arrested for covering the Rakhine Issues," but "because they broke the Official Secret Act."

Ko Wa Lone added, "We were not able to do our work due to being detained for six months. We totally believe justice will soon be served in our case."

The other detained journalist, Ko Kyaw Soe Oo, expressed doubt as to whether the State Counselor had been given correct information.

The post Court to Decide on July 2 Whether to Charge Reuters Reporters appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Quality Beefsteak, at Street-Food Prices

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 08:07 AM PDT

YANGON — Here's some good news for Yangon's foodies: Now you can get a tasty beefsteak at very reasonable prices — and you can experience this fine dining menu in a laid-back, streetside environment.

Steak on the Street opened as a weekend street-food stall near Yangon International School in February. Eight weeks later, it has become a "bomb" among meat lovers, known for its beefsteak and pork neck.

"Actually, we all have [other] professional jobs; the idea grew out of our private gatherings and family house parties, because one of our friends is really good at cooking beefsteak. He would always bring beef to the gatherings," said Ko Bo Gyi, one of the founders of Steak on the Street.

The open-air eatery Steak on the Street is located on Waizayanar Road, Yangon. (Photo: Aung Kyaw Htet/ The Irrawaddy)

One day, this group of friends — five in all — discussed ways of setting up their own business that wouldn't get in the way of their existing full-time jobs. That was when the weekend beefsteak stall popped up.

"We choose to open on the weekends because we all have full-time jobs during the week. And, as a fun business, initially we didn't take this very seriously at all," he said.

"After eight weeks, however, things got more serious." That's because the stand quickly developed a reputation on social media. In the beginning, the partners split up all the duties and did all the work themselves. Later, they decided they needed to hire staff.

"Eight weeks means 16 days for our shop, and [as it became more popular] we had to adjust our timetables, such as for marinating our meat, and we needed to buy more meat," Ko Bo Gyi said.

The shop's popular beefsteak dish. (Photo: Aung Kyaw Htet/ The Irrawaddy)

Then, the owners decided to expand their hours, and move to a larger location beside South Okkala's City Mart. The new location, which opened in May, is open from 3pm to 10pm.

The business concept is a good quality steak served in a simple location at street-food prices. They have tried to maintain this concept after upgrading their stall to a proper shop, Ko Bo Gyi said.

"As you see, the shop is not too big and does not have air-conditioning; it's open-air. We decorated the shop with a lot of street signs, graffiti and so on," he said.

Even though the shop is not really a stall set up on the sidewalk, it is close to the street and simply decorated. The feeling is relaxed and the seating consists of wooden low tables and chairs. The shop can serve about 50 people in total, and fills many take-away orders.

The shop is busy with its own customers and many take-away orders. (Photo: Aung Kyaw Htet/ The Irrawaddy)

The shop's famous beef tenderloin steak is excellent; the beef is local but very tender. The sauce spread on the meat wasn't great, but not bad. Best of all, it only cost 6,000 kyats.

Another famous dish, pork collar, costs 4,500 kyats. This one is fine, if not as special as the steak. It's still worth it for its cheap price and good taste.

We also tried their chicken sausage (4,000 kyats), which mixes spicy and normal flavors in one dish. I thought this was so-so; maybe I'm just not a chicken lover. All the grilled items are served up with mashed potato and carrots.

The shop also has other choices on the menu, such as grilled prawn and papaya salad.

The entrance and grill at Steak on the Street(Photo: Aung Kyaw Htet/ The Irrawaddy)

I went there with a friend and the total bill was only 14,500 kyats, and we left with a full stomach.

The staff are part-time workers and most of them are students, but they were helpful and polite. The shop also pays attention to hygiene, with all of the grill operators and prep staff using masks, hats and gloves. The food was served in single-use plastic boxes.

It's easy to find the shop; it's beside South Okkala's City Mart as I mentioned before. They also accept phone orders and you can check this on their Facebook page, "STEAK on the Street".

The post Quality Beefsteak, at Street-Food Prices appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Flooding Causes Swathe of Devastation Across the Country

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 07:35 AM PDT

Mon—Flooding triggered by heavy rainfall has caused widespread damage in Chin, Magway, Rakhine, and in particular Mon State, where hundreds of local people were displaced by rising waters, according to local sources.

Incessant downpours have been recorded in different parts of Myanmar for a week. Some fishermen were reported to have disappeared in Rakhine, while landslides occurred in Chin State, where several bridges were also damaged. Over 800 people in Pwint Phyu town in Magway Division were forced to flee their homes because of the flooding.

Most of the people affected by the flooding lived near rivers or in coastal regions.

Heavy rainfall the whole night on Saturday and into Sunday triggered flooding in five townships in Mon state — Moulmein, Mudon, Thanbyuzayat, Ye, and Paung – causing people to seek refuge at religious halls and Buddhist monasteries. The first four townships suffered extensive flood damage, according to U Aung Naing Oo, the vice house speaker of the Mon State Parliament.

Local volunteer rescue teams and civil servants had worked together to rescue people in Moulmein, he said.

In Mon State, a bridge collapsed, trees were blown over, and landslides hit some areas. Local public transportation was halted yesterday including travel by car and train, although cars were able to travel again today after the rain stopped and the water subsided.

Two local women were reportedly killed in related events, according to a local source. A snake bit one woman in Moulmein during the flood, while another fell into a strong river current and drowned as she tried to cross the waterway.

A total of more than 2,000 people have been displaced in Moulmein, Ye, and Thanbyuzayat townships, according to the Than Lwin Times.

The Global New Light of Myanmar reported that U Win Myat Aye, the union minister for social welfare, relief and resettlement, visited Mon State yesterday.

U Win Myat Aye and U Aye Zan, the chief minister of Mon State, met some local IDPs in Mottama, in Moulmein, to donate money while also distributing food to people staying in temporary camps at religious halls.

An estimated 1,000 people have been displaced in Moulmein, the Than Lwin Times reported yesterday, while another 800 in Ye were forced to seek refuge from the floodwaters.

An Irrawaddy reporter visited flood-hit areas in Panga village, Thanbyuzayat, where 500 people had fled their homes, although some had returned today, according to relief workers.

As of press time, 350 people were staying in a monastery compound in Panga village where some community leaders were taking care of them.

One of the main economic activities in Panga is the production of salt, which is then distributed to other parts of Myanmar. According to local people, an estimated 50 million kyat of salt stocks were damaged by the flooding.

Nai Shein, an owner of a salt company, said that he lost only about 5 million kyat of salt. "I was lucky as I moved out a lot of my salt bags," he said.

Most of the flood victims were employees of the salt companies.

The rain stopped today, and people may able to go back home soon, depending on the weather, according to relief team members. The relief workers appealed for donations and cooked food for the flood victims.

"We do not have enough money. But, some people donated 400,000 kyat to us this morning," said Nai Chit Sein, the head of a relief team.

The salt company employees are mostly migrant workers who had travelled to Mon State for work. As such, they did not have their own homes to go to, and they did not want to go back to their homes in Pegu and Yangon as they expect the rain will stop soon.

U Aye Zan, the chief minister of Mon State, was due to visit a shelter at 2 pm, according to Nai Chit Sein.

Nai Lawi Chan, another member of the relief team from Panga village said, "We will help them the best we can. We cannot discriminate against them as they are Burmese. We need to help them as they are experiencing hardships," he said.

Some state workers were attempting to restore rail services yesterday after parts of the rail network were damaged by the flooding.

U Zaw Lin, a railway employee, said trains have not been able to run for two days.

There were also another two places where he and other state workers needed to repair the tracks, he said, adding that the trains may able to resume services after that.

The post Flooding Causes Swathe of Devastation Across the Country appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Court Revises Charges in U Ko Ni Assassination Case

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 05:40 AM PDT

YANGON — The Yangon Regional High Court on Monday revised the charges against several of the accused in last year's assassination of U Ko Ni, a constitutional lawyer and legal adviser to the ruling National League for Democracy.

"This is not a result of outside speculation. I make this ruling based on [my own] judgment," Yangon high court judge U Aung Naing said before announcing his decision.

The judge dropped charges relating to the importing/exporting and possession of firearms against accused conspirator Aung Win Zaw. He had been charged under Sections 19 (d) and 19 (f) of the 1878 Arms Act.

He will now face charges of conspiracy to commit murder under Section 302.(1) (b) of the Penal Code along with Kyi Lin, who fatally shot U Ko Ni, and taxi driver U Ne Win.

Additionally, the charge against fellow suspect Zeya Phyo was changed from conspiracy to commit murder to aiding and abetting an offender (from Section 302. (1) (b)/34 to 302. (1) (b)/109).

"Zeya Phyo will have to defend the charge of assisting in the murder, and not for conspiring to commit murder. The penalties for these two charges are much the same," said prosecuting lawyer U Khin Maung Htay.

Daw Pa Pa Win, a lawyer acting for Ko Zeya Phyo, said she would appeal to the Union Supreme Court to drop the charge against her client.

Gunman Kyi Lin is still faced with a charge of murder and a firearms charge.

Another accused conspirator, Aung Win Tun, is charged under the Penal Code's Article 212 with harboring an offender. The court granted him bail in March after he deposited 50 million kyats (about US$37,300) as a surety for his release from custody.

The post Court Revises Charges in U Ko Ni Assassination Case appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Red Cross to Pay For $300K Facelift of Insein Prison Visitors Area

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 05:33 AM PDT

YANGON — The visitors area at Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison will get a nearly $300,000 facelift aimed at reducing recidivism courtesy of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the charity announced Monday.

"The upgraded facilities will allow detainees and their family members to maintain better relationships and reduce the strain of separation," the ICRC said in a statement.

The ICRC said the upgrades would include improved lighting, ventilation and privacy, new bathrooms, a coffee shop and a playground for children.

"The funding and design are fully supported by the ICRC," said U Myo Oo, a deputy director of the Insein Central Prison Department.

The partners expect the work to be finished early next year, at an estimated cost of 400 million kyats ($295,000).

The prison, the largest in the country, currently houses some 12,000 inmates.

"The space will be twice as big as it is now, so families will have privacy. We will install glass walls between the prisoners and visitors. They can communicate through a phone line," U Myo Oo said.

The current facilities offer little privacy and separate inmates from visitors with mesh wiring.

The deputy director said he could not yet describe the upgrades in detail but insisted that the new facilities would comply with international standards. He said the prison would also inform inmates’ families of rule changes during the construction period and post them outside.

An Insein Prison inmate receives visitors at the current visitors area. (above). A rendering of the planned upgrades to the visitors area (below). / ICRC / Facebook

According to renderings of the upgrades provided by the ICRC, the new facilities will provide seating for both inmates and visitors, separate them with a combination of glass and metal bars, and include a separate waiting area for visitors.

Insein Prison data indicates that it receives about 600 visitors a day on weekdays and 2,000 on weekends, and that inmates average two visitors per visit.

The prison, which dates back to the 19th century, acquired a reputation for torturing political prisoners during the decades of military dictatorship that finally started to fade in 2011. Last year, the Home Affairs Ministry reported that the corrections department had relaxed its rules on family visits and started improving its education programs.

Also last year, however, the National Human Rights Commission reported that overcrowding was a problem at Insein Prison and recommended new dormitories.

"We still don't have a plan for upgrades inside the prison cells," U Myo Oo said.

In 2011 the ICRC helped install a water purification system in the prison to improve inmates’ health and CCTV cameras to improve security.

After a five-year gap, the ICRC resumed visits to the prison in 2013. It helps inmates stay in touch with their families, organizes prison visits, and makes recommendations to authorities on ways to improve inmates’ welfare.

The post Red Cross to Pay For $300K Facelift of Insein Prison Visitors Area appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Experts Raise Alarm Over Flood-Prone Location of ‘New Yangon City’ Project

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 05:20 AM PDT

YANGON — Urban planners have questioned the suitability of the proposed site of a massive project the Yangon government has vowed to develop on the western bank of the Yangon River, warning that the low-lying area is prone to flooding as it has a maximum elevation of just 5 meters above sea level.

The government in March launched the New Yangon Development Company (NYDC) with capital of US$7.5 million from development funds allotted by the Union government to regional and state administrations. The company was set up to oversee the resurrection of the controversial new city project, which was marred by murky dealings under the previous government. The project was and hastily approved less than a week before U Thein Sein's administration stepped down on March 30, 2016.

"This development will be known as the New Yangon City and upon its ultimate completion will cover an area twice the size of Singapore," according to a recent company press release.

The NYDC, whose chairman and CEO is property mogul Serge Pun of Yoma Strategic Holdings, plans to develop 20,000 acres of land as the first phase of the project. This will include five village townships, two bridges, power plants, water and wastewater treatment plants and a 10-square-kilometer industrial estate generating 2 million jobs. The company says the cost of initial infrastructure work in the first phase is expected to exceed US$1.5 billion.

But experts with more than 20 years of experience in town planning with the Ministry of Construction told The Irrawaddy that the area slated for the first phase of New Yangon City had never been town planners' preferred location.  They said even the previous military government ignored the area when they embarked on a series of city expansion projects on the outskirts of Yangon in the early 1990s.

The main reason? The low-lying topography of the area.

Back in the late 1980s and early '90s, the Ministry of Construction's Department of Human Settlement and Housing Development identified new areas of potential expansion for the Yangon City and Regional Development Planning Project, which was backed by the United Nations Development Program. The plan proposed new developments in the city's east and west in Dagon Myothit, Hlaing Thaya and Shwe Pyi Tha. These areas were developed by the military regime but not fully urbanized.

The site of New Yangon City, mostly farmland, was never even on the list.

"We hadn't put the area [across the Yangon River] under consideration as it is very low," said U Than Moe, one of the strategic planners for the project, explaining that the area's elevation is about 20 feet lower than neighboring Hlaing Thaya, which is around 30 feet above mean sea level.

As a town planner working for the Department of Human Settlement and Housing Development at the time, U Aung Myint studied aerial photos of the area west of the Yangon River and did a site survey in the area that is now the proposed location of phase one of New Yangon City.

"We had to exclude it [from the proposed expansion plan] as it has an elevation of around 5 meters at the highest point. The other expansion areas are at around 30-40 feet. Even there, some areas lower than that height sometimes flood," the retired urban planner explained.

More than two decades later, their findings are still relevant. The Strategic Urban Development Plan of Greater Yangon report prepared by the Japan International Cooperation Agency in 2016 recommends serious consideration be given to flooding when it comes to developing low-lying areas.

Quoting a 2016 flood-management study by the Asian Development Bank, the report warns that areas along the west bank of the Yangon River (including the slated site for New Yangon City) are vulnerable to cyclonic surges of 2 to 5 meters — a height similar to the tidal wave caused by Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

"So, land development costs should be taken into consideration for any development in the area," according to the report.

'Extremely Costly'

Both U Than Moe and U Aung Myint said that as town planners they are not against the idea of expanding the city.

They said, however, that the proposed location of the new city would best be reserved for future use, as it will require a huge amount of investment just to develop the land, given the low-lying nature of the area.

U Aung Myint prepared a conceptual plan for a new city in the same area for a private company under the previous administration a few years ago. The senior town planner said the lowest point in the area is just over 7 feet above sea level, meaning that a huge amount of earth would inevitably be required to fill the site for any development there, something he said would be "extremely costly."

"You would need landfills as high as 30 feet if you want to build a new city there," he said.

He included this recommendation in the plan for the project, prompting one minister in the then Yangon government to ask "Are you serious?" as the proposed landfill was as high as a three-story building.

"Where would you get the soil needed to fill 20,000 acres? Even if it were available, there would be transportation costs. Then you would have to wait for several years to allow the landfill to fully subside [and become hard enough to build on]," U Aung Myint said.

Map of the key elements of the NYDC project. (Photo: NYDC)

Another urban planner, Dr. Kyaw Latt, agreed that the new city area had potential for use in the future, but said now was not the right time, given the costly bridges that would be needed to connect the site to Yangon. Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein and NYDC have announced that two bridges will be built as part of the project. A key project map posted on NYDC's website shows one of the proposed bridges spanning the Yangon River from Kyimyindaing Township. The map does not show the second bridge.

The retired planner from the Department of Human Settlement and Housing Development explained that the bridge would need to be high enough for international cargo ships making port calls at terminals and wharfs \on the eastern bank of the river, right across from project area, to pass under.

"If you build that high, the bridge's approaching lanes on the Yangon side would probably be landed in Sanchaung Township. All hell would break loose, as it is already a very congested area," he said, referring to the fact that the township is among the most overpopulated areas in Yangon with a density of more than 1,000 people per hectare. That is far higher even than Dhaka, one of the most densely populated cities in the world with an average of 555 people per hectare.

"The only possible solution, according to transportation planning experts, is an underpass tunnel. But that would cost around US$1.5 billion. You shouldn't spend that much when the country's economy is not in good shape," he added.

Smart City

Chief Minister U Pyo Min Thein does not seem persuaded by the experts' warnings and concerns, however.

Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein (third from left) and the NYDC board of directors attend the company's launch in March. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

During the NYDC launch ceremony, he told the audience that the less developed western bank of the Yangon River had to be transformed.

"We will make it happen. We want to see Yangon's old town become a green business hub with heritage buildings, while the new one across the river will be a smart city with development," he said.

The chief minister said the cost of investment in the project would not be borne solely by the government, but would be supported by public-private partnerships, adding that he "hoped to attract investment."

Regarding the topography of the project site, CEO Serge Pun said the company had kick-started a flood-risk assessment (FRA) for the New Yangon City project with Royal HaskoningDHV, a Dutch company that advises on the entire flood-risk management cycle, from concept to feasibility to impact assessment.

"Since late April, Royal HaskoningDHV has started site visits and data collection, and the company will submit a final report in October 2018," he writes in a weekly blog entry on the NYDC website.

The FRA's results and recommendations will be incorporated into the town planning, building design, and policy guidance of NYDC's New Yangon City project, he said.

The post Experts Raise Alarm Over Flood-Prone Location of 'New Yangon City' Project appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bangladesh Rights Body Readies Sexual Violence Cases Against Myanmar for ICC

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 05:00 AM PDT

DHAKA — Bangladesh’s National Human Rights Commission has urged the country’s Foreign Affairs and Law ministries to assist the International Criminal Court (ICC) in prosecuting Myanmar over its alleged crimes against the Rohingya in Rakhine State last year and identified 53 alleged victims of sexual violence.

In separate letters to each ministry on June 10, commission Chairman Kazi Reazul Hoque said the rights body firmly believed that — apart from ongoing bilateral initiatives between Bangladesh and Myanmar to reach a permanent solution to the Rohingya crisis — it was “very important to approach the ICC."

The letters said the commission had conducted investigations separate from the government’s initiatives to resolve the crisis.

"A group of researchers trained by international experts secretly documented the testimonies of 53 women who experienced sexual violence in Myanmar," the letters said, adding that the commission was willing to share its evidence if and when a case against Myanmar at the ICC begins.

The letters followed the ICC’s request that Bangladesh opine on whether Myanmar could be prosecuted at the court over its alleged crimes last year in Rakhine State, where a military crackdown has driven some 700,000 mostly Rohingya to Bangladesh with reports of arson, rape and murder in what the UN has called a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

Though Bangladesh recognizes the ICC, which is based in The Hague, Myanmar does not.

Dhaka-based daily the New Age reported that Bangladesh submitted its comments to the ICC on June 11 to help the court decide whether it has jurisdiction to investigate Myanmar for forced deportation across an international border. It reported that Bangladesh tacitly stressed the need to hold the perpetrators accountable.

The court was scheduled to hold a closed-door hearing on the matter on June 13, diplomats told the New Age, as ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda was seeking an expedited decision both on its jurisdiction and for permission to launch a preliminary examination.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a repatriation deal in late November for the voluntary return of “forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals” sheltering in Bangladesh since October 2016, when hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled Rakhine State during another outbreak of violence at the time.

At a public seminar in Dhaka on June 4, former ICC Prosecutor Kate Vigneswaran stressed the need to maintain international standards while collecting and recording evidence of crimes against humanity against Rohingya and to identify the individuals involved in Rakhine State, according to the New Age.

In a June 4 activity report, Doctors Without Borders said it treated 377 survivors of sexual and gender-based violence between Aug. 27 and April 30 involving victims ranging from 9 to 50 years of age. But it said the actual number of victims of such attacks was likely higher.

"Sexual violence is often underreported due to the shame and stigma associated with sexual assault, limited knowledge about medical and psychological support available, and the fact that access to health care in Myanmar was restricted heavily," the report said.

The aid group said it was also stepping up its mother-and-child and reproductive health care services in the refugee camps in Bangladesh, where many births take place at home in unsafe and unhygienic conditions. But it said many women and girls were seeking medical care for pregnancies resulting from rape, which could lead to unsafe abortions and death without support.

Doctors Without Borders said some women carrying babies from rape feared returning to their communities and were being sent to shelters run by other organizations, though space was very limited.

"We do know that there are a number of women/girls of child-bearing age within the settlements of Cox's Bazar District. We expect deliveries to continue but it is not possible for [us] to predict or speculate about the number of expected deliveries at any one time" the report said.

Refugees Protest for Safe Repatriation

On Saturday, on the Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Fitr, several hundred Rohingya residing of the Cox's Bazar camps held peaceful protests to reiterate their conditions for returning to Myanmar and to insist they be included in the negotiations.

The Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights said it organized protests in 24 locations across the camps.

The protesters held up banners and posters in English that read "Include Rohingya in Agreements About Rohingya," "Dignified Repatriation Must Include Full Citizenship Rights as Rohingya Ethnic Group" and "UNHCR Please Talk to Us About the MoU."

The UN refugee agency signed a memorandum of understanding with Myanmar earlier this month offering its assistance with the repatriation. It said the deal creates a "framework of cooperation" to achieve the "voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable" repatriation of Rohingya refugees, but few details have been made public.

Video footage of the protests shared with The Irrawaddy by participants shows them wearing white plastic bags while marching through the camps and chanting “Yes Dignity, Dignity, Dignity,” 'Yes Security, Security, Security” and “Yes Rohingya Citizenship.”

"We wear white bags because white means that we want peace, security and safety," said Mohamed Eleyas, one of the organizers.

Many refugees say they fear returning to Myanmar — which refuses to recognize the Rohingya as an ethnic group or grant citizenship to those who identify as such — without international monitors on the ground.

Rights activist Nur Khan Liton said it was important to include Rohingya representatives in bilateral and multilateral deals on their repatriation because they were the victims.

"If it is not done, it will create many complexities in the future," he told The Irrawaddy.

A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the press, said security and intelligence agencies suspect others were involved behind the scenes in organizing the protests to coincide with the religious holiday and were searching for them.

A rights activist, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said he received phone calls from some of those agencies asking after the organizers.

The post Bangladesh Rights Body Readies Sexual Violence Cases Against Myanmar for ICC appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Uncertainty Surrounds 8888 Party Name

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 02:56 AM PDT

YANGON — U Ko Ko Gyi, chairman of the organizing committee for the formation of the Four Eights People's Party, said that he hoped the Union Election Commission (UEC) would give him a fair answer regarding the party's name following surrounding controversy.

After the UEC announced on May 5 the proposed registration of the Four Eights People's Party, more than 200 people filed objections regarding the party's name.

The commission then ordered the party organizers to change the name, logo and party flag.

"I asked if the commission would reconsider its order if tens of thousands of people support the party name, since it said it rejected the name because of the objection of some 200 people," U Ko Ko Gyi told the press on Friday about his meeting with UEC officials the previous day.

"But they said that they would not reconsider because it was a decision made by a plenary meeting of the commission," he added.

Early last year, U Ko Ko Gyi and his colleagues—who were among the leading members of the student-led, pro-democracy 8888 Uprising in August 1988—started laying the groundwork for setting up the Four Eights Party.

When the party founders tried to register the organization with the election commission in December, they drew criticism from those who see the designation 8888 as a symbol of the struggle for democracy, and as such, as the property of the entire country. These critics say 8888 should not be available for use by a particular party.

The organizers were accused of trying to appropriate the imagery and symbols of the historic movement.

Then, party organizers changed the name to the Four Eights People's Party, and the UEC gave the green light for the party's registration under the proposed name in April. But again, the name drew criticism.

U Ko Ko Gyi doubts that the UEC has verified that those who raised objections hold citizenship ID cards and live where they stated in their objection letters.

The politician earlier said the party's original name was decided upon only after yearlong consultations with multiple stakeholders. He has defended that most of the party's founding members were actively involved in the nationwide democracy movement, and therefore, the party deserves its name.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Uncertainty Surrounds 8888 Party Name appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Parliament Approves Govt Security Measures to Prevent Terrorism

Posted: 18 Jun 2018 01:14 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — Parliament approved a proposal without holding a vote for the government to take necessary security measures to prevent terrorist attacks in Myanmar, especially northern Rakhine State.

Military representatives to the Lower House of the Union Parliament expressed concern that Rakhine State's Maungdaw would become a disputed territory like Kosovo.

Military representative Col Tun Ohn Thein blamed the illegal immigration of Muslims as the root cause for Kosovo's succession from Serbia as he discussed the proposal of former Lieutenant-General U Thaung Aye of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) at the Lower House on Friday.

In the case of Kosovo, Muslim Albanians illegally immigrated into Yugoslavia, which resulted in conflict between local Christian Serbs and Muslim Albanians, said Col Tun Ohn Thein.

In the Kosovo War, some Islamic countries backed the Albanians against the Serbs in response to perceived religious repression, he said, adding that on the ground, many Serbs had to flee Kosovo.

"Similarly, whenever there is conflict in northern Rakhine State, Arakanese and ethnic people have to flee. The difference is that [Rakhine] is not a racial conflict; it was prompted by an attack by extremist Bengali terrorists," he said, referring to an attack by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on border guard posts in August of last year and using 'Bengali' as a derogatory term used largely against Rohingya Muslims implying that they are interlopers from Bangladesh.

NATO intervened in Kosovo on the pretext of human rights without the permission of the UN, said Col Tun Ohn Thein, expressing his concern that foreign agencies might attempt a similar intervention in Rakhine.

The national security of Myanmar was broken by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attack in northern Rakhine State, said military representative Lt-Col Ye Min Oo, adding that some countries and agencies are supporting the 'Bengalis' due to misinformation.

"The sovereignty of the state is being threatened by pressures from various sides," said Lt-Col Ye Min Oo.

The current government is not afraid of international pressures and has never been hesitant to respond as necessary to the international community, said Daw Pyone Cathy Naing, a lawmaker of the ruling National League for Democracy.

It is important to cooperate strategically with the international community and diplomatically control intervention from powerful countries, she said.

"The current government will be the first government [of Myanmar] to address the root causes of the issues in Rakhine. That's why it has been taking steps to ensure rule of law and transparency," said Daw Pyone Cathy Naing.

The closed-door policy and the policy of denying the existence of problems, which successive governments followed, no longer work now, said the lawmaker.

Most lawmakers from the USDP, Arakan National Party, and Tatmadaw discussed the issues in Rakhine from the perspective of national security.

The deputy minister for home affairs said that he would listen to the decision of Parliament. Parliamentary Speaker U T Khun Myat asked the opinion of the proposer and he urged its approval. The proposal was approved without a vote.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Parliament Approves Govt Security Measures to Prevent Terrorism appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thousands Protest in Vietnam Against Foreign Investment Plans

Posted: 17 Jun 2018 10:15 PM PDT

Thousands of people in central Vietnam demonstrated peacefully on Sunday against government plans to lease new economic zones to foreign investors, witnesses told Reuters, a few days after protesters in a nearby province clashed with police.

Protesters fear the leases may be snapped up by investors from powerful neighbor China, with which Vietnam has a rocky history, and were also upset about a recently-passed cybersecurity law that they worry would limit free speech.

Public protests in Vietnam are usually quickly quelled by the police. The ruling Communist Party, despite sweeping economic reform and increasing openness to social change, retains tight media censorship and tolerates little criticism.

Security on Sunday was tight in many cities and provinces in Vietnam, with a large presence of police in public areas.

But in central Ha Tinh province, thousands of people attending a Sunday mass protested peacefully against the laws, three witnesses told Reuters, confirming livestream footages on Facebook.

Protesters held signs that said “No leasing land to Chinese communists for even one day” or “Cybersecurity law kills freedom.” The protest in Ha Tinh province lasted for two hours on Sunday morning without a clash with the police, witnesses said.

Earlier this week the Vietnamese government vowed to punish “extremists” it said had instigated rare clashes with police where protesters hurled bricks and Molotov cocktails at police and damaged some government buildings in Binh Thuan province.

Vietnam’s National Assembly chairwoman on Friday said the lawmakers condemned “the acts of abusing democracy, distorting the truth, provoking, causing social disorder and greatly affecting the people’s life.”

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, in a talk with Hanoi citizens on Sunday, called for the people to be calm and trust the Communist party and the government, state-run radio news website Voice of Vietnam reported.

“[We] do this for the nation, for the people and no other purpose, and no one is that foolish to hand over land to foreigners for them to come and mess things up,” Trong was quoted as saying.

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Assets Registered to Thai Crown Property Bureau to Be Held Under King’s Name

Posted: 17 Jun 2018 09:13 PM PDT

BANGKOK — Assets previously registered to Thailand’s Crown Property Bureau will now be held “in the name of His Majesty," the bureau said on its official website on Saturday, the latest shake-up in royal affairs under King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The Crown Property Bureau said its assets will now be “subject to the same duties and taxation as would assets belonging to any other citizen." Previously, assets registered in the name of the Crown Property Bureau were exempt from tax.

“The removal of exempted status was accomplished in line with His Majesty’s wishes,” the statement said.

The exact size of the Crown Property Bureau is not made public, but Forbes magazine valued the bureau’s holdings in real estate and other investments at more than $30 billion in 2012.

King Vajiralongkorn, 65, who became monarch after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in 2016, has overseen a number of changes to the way royal affairs are managed since taking the throne.

A royal property law was amended in July last year to formally give the king full control of the Crown Property Bureau, which manages the multi-billion dollar holdings of the monarchy and controls huge swathes of land in Bangkok.

A senior official at the Crown Property Bureau declined to comment when contacted by Reuters by phone about the changes.

Palace representatives did not respond to several Reuters attempts to reach the palace for comment.

Saturday’s announcement is an extension of the July 2017 legal change and gives even greater authority to King Vajiralongkorn, who has shown himself increasingly assertive since the death of his father.

In March, stock exchange data showed the king acquired a nearly $150 million stake in the country’s biggest industrial conglomerate, Siam Cement Group Pcl. In October, shares worth over $500 million in Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) were transferred to the king.

The king is listed as SCB’s seventh-largest shareholder.

Also in March, King Vajiralongkorn appointed Air Chief Marshal Satitpong Sukvimol as director-general of the Crown Property Bureau, replacing Chirayu Israngkun Na Ayuthaya who had held the post since 1987.

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Saturday, June 16, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

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Parliament Divided Over Latest Rakhine Investigation Commission

Posted: 16 Jun 2018 02:09 AM PDT

Ye Ni: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! Last Friday, Parliament was suddenly adjourned and what could be considered a meeting of the National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) was held at the presidential residence. This was followed by a vote in the Lower House on Monday regarding the inclusion of an international member in the proposed independent investigation commission looking into issues related to Rakhine State. Ethnic and political affairs analyst U Maung Maung Soe and columnist U Thiha Thwe join me for the discussion. I'm Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni.

Last Friday, the Lower House session was suddenly adjourned and top leaders in the country met at the presidential residence in what could be dubbed an NDSC meeting. Then, on Monday, lawmakers debated in the Lower House over the inclusion of an international member in the government's independent investigation commission to investigate issues regarding northern Rakhine State. Tatmadaw representatives and lawmakers of the Union Solidarity and Development Party and the Arakan National Party strongly objected. The opposition parties questioned the government about why it favored international personalities over local eminent persons. They also asked if the country was ruled by the government or the international community. They even called the decision to include an international member a risk to the sovereignty of the country. This has led to concerns over the future of civil-military relations. What is your assessment of this, U Maung Maung Soe?

U Maung Maung Soe: Many commissions have been formed since the outbreak of the Rakhine issue—an investigation commission led by Vice President U Myint Swe, the Kofi Annan-led Commission, the Rakhine advisory panel led by former Thai foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathi, the UEHRD [Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine State], the commission to implement the recommendations of Kofi Annan Commission, and this latest one. The international community accepted the advisory commission led by Kofi Annan, who has influence on the international stage. So, the National League for Democracy (NLD) government apparently wants to take the same approach and include an international member who is respected by the international community. But we need to acknowledge that we have weak points regarding fact-finding in Rakhine.

Investigation teams were sent to Rakhine around the end of August. The Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) sent an investigation team led by its Inspector-General Lt-Gen Aye Win. But there were no results from this. After the Inn Din massacre was exposed, the Tatmadaw had to send investigation team again and take action. With widespread allegations of abuses, the international community believes that investigation commissions of Myanmar are not credible. Also, the international community believes that there is still no press freedom regarding Rakhine. Reporters have been restricted from traveling freely to the area. And the trial for two Reuters reporters is still ongoing. The key to solving this problem is how we can give an acceptable answer to the international community. The question is not about inclusion or exclusion of an international member. I want the government to think about giving acceptable information to the international community. But on the other hand, no foreigner can know as much as a Myanmar citizen about Myanmar. No matter how much he is competent, he won't know about Myanmar. I personally prefer Myanmar scholars [be included in the investigation commission].

YN: I agree with your point that the commission should be credible with or without an international member on it, from the point of view of both local and international critics. Ko Thiha Thwe, what do you want to say about the formation of the commission?

Thiha Thwe: As U Maung Maung Soe has said, the government has had to implement the recommendations of the Kofi Annan Commission. I already knew that the government would face this problem if it implemented those recommendations. Since the formation of the Kofi Annan Commission, opposition parties and the Tatmadaw have spoken against the involvement of foreigners in addressing the Rakhine issue. So, I already predicted that there would be confrontation if an international member were included in the independent commission.

When I read Kofi Annan Commission's recommendations, I didn't think it would be so difficult [to implement those recommendations]. But after the Inn Din killings were exposed, a number of foreigners I talked to were suspicious that more people were killed and buried there. There are such allegations. Recently, groundwork was carried out in Maungdaw to build repatriation centers. There was excavation of land and the international community, which watched the process by satellite, alleged that the earth was moved to destroy the bodies. Their suspicion has grown significantly. If we fail to solve this, the pressures from the international community will keep growing.

The international community is apparently preparing to put political and economic pressures on our country. Our country will get into big trouble if it keeps failing to address those suspicions. As U Maung Maung Soe has said, the question is how to allay those suspicions, and not about the inclusion or exclusion of an international member. We should find a solution to dispel those suspicions together, rather than arguing about inclusion or exclusion of an international member. Suppose we are against the idea of including an international member in the commission, the question is how to make the commission acceptable to the international community. Or [the government] may choose to allow the international media to visit Rakhine State rather than forming investigation commissions. The opposition said that the country would be fraught with problems if we failed to follow the recommendations of a commission that included an international member; and that we wouldn't be able to dismiss what it says.

But I have a different view. We should not always have a negative view of international investigations. An Amnesty International delegation came to Sittwe and investigated, and as a result, the violence against Hindu residents was revealed and tensions have significantly declined. This was an immediate benefit of allowing an international investigation. There are both advantages and disadvantages of allowing this. In the case of Amnesty International's visit to Sittwe, I've seen two significant benefits so far. Because of Amnesty International, the international community accepted that the killing of Hindus was a reality. Previously, they didn't believe what we said. But now, since the international community believes the report of an international intermediary agency, pressures on us were largely reduced. We also found that the United Nations Security Council pays heed to the Kofi Annan Commission.

There are benefits of forming a commission that includes an international member. Can't we make use of such a commission shrewdly? What are we afraid of? [The opposition] said that they are afraid of our sovereignty being compromised. I have written in my articles that we will face sanctions by the international community if we resist investigation into this problem. If we were faced with sanctions like in the past, we would have to rely more on China. If this happens, how can we avoid the problem of our sovereignty being compromised? It is inevitable. So, rather than arguing about including an international member, the opposition, the government and the Tatmadaw should work together to find a solution that is acceptable to the international community.

YN: As I've said, the parliamentary session was adjourned and a meeting was held at the presidential residence [on Friday]. The proposal [to include an international member in the commission] was approved through voting [on Monday]. U Maung Maung Soe, what do you think of the government's handling of this?

MMS: The fact that there was a meeting of NDSC members shows that there is serious disagreement between the Tatmadaw and the government. The decision was made through voting on Monday. Personally, I feel like national reconciliation gets further and further away whenever a decision is made through a vote in Parliament over issues on which the Tatmadaw and the government have different views. As the National League for Democracy makes up the majority in Parliament, it can make the final decision regarding most issues.

But regarding provisions about constitutional amendments including Article 436, and about peace and ethnic issues, nothing can be changed without the approval of the Tatmadaw. Top leaders should take the approach of serious negotiation. They live in Naypyitaw and they can meet easily. They should find a solution acceptable to both sides. Only then, can national reconciliation be realized. Only then, will we be able to initiate further reforms. Otherwise, reforms won't be carried out and national reconciliation will remain distant.

YN: What else would you like to point out, Ko Thiha Thwe?

TT: The parliamentary session was adjourned to hold the meeting of top NDSC leaders. We can conclude that important decisions regarding the Rakhine issue were made at the meeting. So far, there is no report of the results of the meeting. There was a heated debate and political confrontation when Parliament resumed on Monday, as one side opposed strongly and another side passed the proposal with its voting majority. We don't want to see political confrontation. We feel that it is not yet over. If the NLD uses the power of its voting majority, others will also follow its example. For example, in Rakhine State Parliament, the Arakan National Party has the majority. There may be fighting in the Rakhine State Parliament [to oppose the investigation commission]. There may also be opposition on the ground. There was constant opposition to the Kofi Annan Commission. We can't put out fire with fire, but with water. We need to approach this with water to extinguish the fire.

YN: Thank you for your contributions!

The post Parliament Divided Over Latest Rakhine Investigation Commission appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

This Week In Parliament

Posted: 15 Jun 2018 09:28 PM PDT

Monday (June 11)

Over objections from the Union Solidarity and Development Party and the Arakan National Party, the Lower House voted in favor of including an international member on the government-appointed independent commission to investigate allegations of human rights abuses in Rakhine State.

"Who is ruling the country?" military representative Colonel Myint Cho asked, voicing disapproval of the government's decision to include a foreign expert.

Tuesday (June 12)

Lawmakers discussed the National Education Policy Commission's report on its work from October 2017 to April 2018. They acknowledged the importance of vocational education in Myanmar and the need for cooperation with local and international private schools.

Wednesday (June 13)

In the Lower House, lawmaker Daw Khin Saw Wai of Rathedaung Township asked when the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population would be able to release population data on the Kaman people, as the 2014 national census failed to provide an estimate for the group, who live primarily in Rakhine State.

Union Minister for Labor, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe replied that his ministry is still trying to count the Kaman population in cooperation with concerned departments. He blamed the delay on the Rohingya community, which he said had disrupted the administrative mechanism in Rakhine State so that the government was not able to conduct a census there.

Thursday (June 14)

The Lower House voted to put on record the report of the Joint Coordination Committee of the Union Parliament for the year 2016-17.

Military representatives have criticized the committee, saying its creation and operations have lacked transparency. Committee vice chairman U Aung Kyi Nyunt said the panel was formed in response to administrative requirements of the Parliament, and not for legislative purposes.

Military representative Major Zin Lin remarked that if the committee was formed solely to perform administrative functions, there should be no need for a vote to approve its work.

Friday (June 15)

The Lower House approved a proposal by Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) lawmaker U Thaung Aye urging the Union government to take action in cooperation with international agencies under the Counter-Terrorism Law against the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which launched attacks in 2016 and 2017 in northern Rakhine State.

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Analysis: Where Some See Respect, Ethnic Groups See Burmanization and Loss of Rights

Posted: 15 Jun 2018 05:51 PM PDT

YANGON – During peace discussions with the public in Mon State on Thursday, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said using Burmese style honorific titles allowed the speaker to show respect to the person they were talking to and it was thus a good thing.

The country's de facto leader made her comment in response to a point raised by one of the participants in the dialogue, Mi Ngwe Lay, a Mon woman and philanthropic worker, who highlighted the issue of ethnic people who were forced to use a Burmese prefix with their names. Specifically, she cited the case of a former Mon candidate who had been required to add the prefix “Daw” to her name during the 2015 election.

As Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's comment hinted, the controversy centers on feelings of respect and the fear of being Burmanized.

The need to show respect and value each ethnic group's traditions is a refrain that is commonly voiced by the leaders of both the ethnic minority groups and the majority Burmans, with all sides stressing that it is key to the peace process. Through such respect, one can build trust and then work to achieve genuine peace. This line has been heard frequently since the democratic transition began in Myanmar in 2010.

In her role as state counselor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi repeatedly reminds the public to respect one another, to listen to others and to share their experiences, to support the peace effort. As the de facto state leader as well as long-time moral icon, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's words are a source of inspiration for many.

It is widely understood among Burmans that Burmese honorable titles as such Daw and Ma for women and U, Ko, and Maung for men are a way of showing respect to other people. The country's citizens have been taught this way for decades. But sadly most people don't sufficiently understand the sensitivities surrounding this issue and the underlying political implications. People tend to forget that such thinking is reinforcing the perception that the country is being Burmanized, particularly among the ethnic minorities.

Myanmar has 135 so-called ethnic groups as recorded by the government, however, it is unclear how many groups there actually are and how many are in danger of extinction. The 2014 census on the Myanmar Population and Housing does not provide an ethnic breakdown, due to "disputes about the names of the ethnic persons, the structures and the race."  On June 13, Minister of Immigration and Population U Thein Swe reiterated that the figures about the racial make-up of the country, the only data left to be disclosed, is still not ready to be published. U Thein Swe made the comment in a response to a question from the Rathaetuang lawmaker Daw Khin Saw Wai during a parliamentary session on Wednesday.

As a leader of a multiethnic nation with many diverse cultures, the state counselor "needs to address the meanings, the values and the feelings of ethnic groups behind these prefixes and honorifics, not just the words U and Daw (Bamar), Mi and Naing (Mon), Naw and Saw (Karen), especially in this special period of our country's history when we are building understanding and trust among ethnic groups," said Saw Bo Bo, the secretary of the Karen Literature and Culture Association in Yangon.

In addition to the prefixes, another problem is the changing of ethnic names into Burmese. The names of many minority ethnic people are either incorrectly spelt or forcibly changed to a Burmese version to make it easier for the staff recording the population and housing information data.

Saw Bo Bo noted that some ethnic Karen do not have Nan, Naw or Saw, Sa, Mahn as prefixes to their names. "They did not have a chance to use these Karen honorifics when they first made their NRICs (National Registration Identity Cards) and now it's extremely difficult to correct them since they would need to publish the change in a newspaper and go through other bureaucratic processes."

"We have people listed with Burmese nationality on their NRICs even though both sets of parents were Karens. The same has happened with their religion, as their faith is stated as Buddhist even though the person is Christian," Saw Bo Bo said.

It happens not only with the Karen, but to many ethnic minority people be they Chin, Kachin, Shan, Kayah, etc. Even this reporter had a similar experience. Regardless that my birth certificate and NRIC state that I am Karen-Bamar, on my officially renewed household registration paper, my identity was changed to Bamar only. Those careless immigration officials did not pay attention to my identity and obviously didn't think it is important, as we all are citizens of Myanmar.

"Use of the Bamar prefix hurts the public perception of the ethnic minority people," said Nai Soe Aung, chairman of the Mon Literature and Culture Association in Yangon.

Losing Identity: Losing Political Rights

Besides misspelling names or adding Burmese prefixes, changing a person's ethnic category can lead to an identity crisis or worse, the loss of political rights.

In the case of the Mon, not only those in Mon state, but also in Yangon region, many are registered as Bamar on their National Registration Cards.

Nai Soe Aung added, "Many were identified as Bamar even though they are Mon. The Mon population in Yangon is estimated at 150,000, but only around 40,000 are registered as Mon and this has led to the loss of Mon ethnic representation in the political arena."

According to the Constitution, minority ethnic populations with more than 50,000 are entitled to have their own ethnic representatives in the respective regional parliaments. Therefore, Karen and Rakhine ethnic affairs ministers are able to be elected in Yangon, while the Mon are denied this opportunity.

People, mostly Burmans, tend to think it is not important because Myanmar does not teach cultural diversity through mother-tongue language instruction in the education system. In terms of culture, they see the wearing of ethnic costumes as enough, and tend to omit the importance of the teaching of ethnic languages to schoolchildren.

"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi should have visited the Mon National Schools (run by the New Mon State Party in its controlled areas), where ethnic language, literature and history are primarily taught," said Nai Soe Aung.

The Mons' mother-tongue-based multilingual education curriculum is a success that is being followed by a few other groups. However, there is no government support for this MTB-MLE, he added.

To better understand Myanmar's diverse culture, Myanmar needs to support the teaching of ethnic children in their mother tongue, as they learn best in their own languages rather than in Burmese. As Myanmar is in a transition to democracy, it should follow the example of other democratic nations, especially neighboring India, where at least three languages — the official languages and the mother-tongue — are taught as compulsory subjects in school.

The more Myanmar leaders pay attention to mother-tongue education and value the feelings of the different ethnic groups, the closer we will be to building genuine peace in the country.

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