Monday, November 5, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Losers Question Legitimacy of Early Votes in Kachin Military Bases

Posted: 05 Nov 2018 07:29 AM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Politicians in Kachin State have raised questions about the early voting inside military bases ahead of Saturday’s by-election for an Upper House seat, which went to the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

Six candidates contested the seat for constituency No. 2. Three of them — including the candidates for the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Kachin Democratic Party (KDP) — did not sign Form 19 endorsing the declared winner, claiming the vote was not transparent.

Many local residents have also raised doubts about the results and questioned the transparency of the early voting, as the monitoring of polling stations inside military bases is heavily restricted.

Of the more than 3,000 early votes cast inside military bases for the race, the vast majority went to the USDP.

A Kachin State Electoral Commission officer, however, told local media that any doubts about the poll were unfounded.

USDP spokesman U Thein Tun Oo also rejected suggestions of vote tampering and said his party would have won even without the early votes.

"Such criticism is funny … and I would say that they are the type to find fault with others," he said.

The USDP candidate, U Hsi Hu Dwe, officially received 23,186 votes and was declared the winner by the Union Election Commission (UEC) on Sunday. The KDP candidate received 19,112 votes, and the NLD candidate received 18,999. 

KDC candidate Gumgrawng Awng Hkam, the party’s chairman, said he would be filing a complaint with the UEC objecting to the fact that military personnel have the right to vote in general and by-elections while the military also gets to appoint 25 percent of the country’s lawmakers as per the military-drafted Constitution.

"The electoral system needs to change and it won't be fair so long as military personnel have voting privileges and also the right to sit in parliament," he said.

Gumgrawng Awng Hkam said he would gather evidence of wrongdoing before lodging his complaint.

"It is not because we lost the race; it is because we want to highlight that the election must be fair for all candidates," he said.

Candidate who lost an election can file complaints with the UEC up to 45 days after result are announced.

Kachin State has more than 230,000 eligible voters, but less than a third of them — about 69,000 — cast ballots on Saturday.

The NLD candidate, Daw Yam Hkawn Hpauyam, told The Irrawaddy that she would not file a compliant because she finished third, but added that the early voting inside military bases “needs to be reviewed.”

U Kyaw Kyaw Oo, an Upper House lawmaker representing Kachin State, told The Irrawaddy that the public and the candidates should have raised their concerns well before election day, while the voter lists were still being verified.

"We did not object then, and now it has all been confirmed by the UEC," he said. 

Additional reporting by The Irrawaddy’s San Yamin Aung in Yangon.

The post Losers Question Legitimacy of Early Votes in Kachin Military Bases appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Sample the Freshest Catch at Novotel Yangon

Posted: 05 Nov 2018 06:19 AM PST

YANGON—In Yangon, hotel buffets are fiercely competitive, and all the popular hotels try to outdo one another by adding special foods, services and different styles to promote their buffet packages.

Most recently, Novotel Yangon Max relaunched its popular seafood buffet on Friday nights with a new concept, "Hooked On Seafood", on Nov. 2 at The Square restaurant on the fifth floor of the Novotel Yangon Max. The buffet is only available on Friday nights.

My partner and I were invited to attend the relaunch of the special buffet night with other in-house guests at The Square on Friday night.

Guests queue at the Cold Bar.

What makes this seafood night special are the chef's stations including the Fish Market, Sushi and Sashimi, Peking Duck and Steak Table. All the chefs are ready to prepare the dishes fresh, right in front of you. This kind of service is only to be had at the Novotel Yangon Max.

Unlike most buffets, in which pre-cooked dishes are transferred from the pot to your plate, this one is more of a fine-dining experience.

We started our long buffet tour at the Cold Bar, which was full of all kinds of the freshest seafood including Alaska king crabs, Ngapali lobsters, large oysters, mussels, clams, smoked salmon, salads and other cold foods. The popular king crabs and Ngapali lobsters were huge and amazingly fresh.

Various sauces including mint and tamarind were available at the Cold Bar.

A chef prepares a customer’s order at the Peking Duck counter.

At the next counter, a chef was busy preparing sushi, and cutting salmon, tuna and octopus sashimi. The orange color of the salmon proved how fresh it was and drew crowds of people to the counter. There were many different sushi rolls to choose from as well, and these featured top quality soy sauce and wasabi.

At the steak counter, chefs served lamb and beefsteak sliced to order and presented on the plate in fine-dining style.

Another popular chef's station was the Peking Duck. At the table, a chef rolled Peking-style duck pancakes in front of the guests, and roast duck and roast-duck salad were served as well. I fully recommend the Peking-style duck pancake. Guests can order the dish at the counter. The Peking Duck Table adjoined a Scallop Table.

Chefs serve up top-quality dishes at the 'Hooked on Seafood' buffet night.

If you are not a fan of the Cold Bar, no worries. A Fish Market counter serves various kinds of fresh fish of different sizes, along with grilled tiger prawns and other seafood.

All you need to do is choose what you want and they will grill it in front of you. If you can't wait at the counter, just give the table number to the staff and head to the other counters; it will be waiting at your table.

The fresh salmon, tuna and octopus sashimi at the Sushi counter

The dessert counter was heaven as well after all this seafood. Their homemade ice cream, cakes, bread, mousses and puddings were beautiful and made for a happy ending to the seafood tour.

"Hooked on Seafood" is not exclusively about seafood: You can partake of the free flow of beer, wine and cocktails as well.

The buffet has two options: USD37 net with unlimited soft drinks, coffee and tea; and USD45 with unlimited wine, beer and cocktails.

Overall, Novotel Yangon's seafood night is a fabulous time and it's worth spending a Friday night at the hotel buffet with your friends and family.

The post Sample the Freshest Catch at Novotel Yangon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Shan Armed Group Claims Military Warned Locals of Arrest For Association

Posted: 05 Nov 2018 04:56 AM PST

YANGON/Mon State — The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) claims that the Myanmar military last week warned ethnic Shan living in northern Shan State that they could be arrested under the Unlawful Associations Act if they interact with the armed group.

The RCSS first made the claim via its media outlet, Tai Freedom.

It reported that officers from Military Operation Command No. 1, based in Kyaukme Township, called residents from four township quarters with large Shan populations — Mong Tin, Mang Khar, Sakandar and Naung Bein — to a meeting on Wednesday to issue the warning

Colonel Sai Oo, a spokesman for the RCSS, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that he could not understand why the military would make such a threat and that the group would contact the command center to find out.

"The RCSS is a legal organization and it is not unofficial anymore. They should not threaten our local people,” he said.

Sai Tun Win, who represents Kyaukme in the state legislature, told The Irrawaddy that he had heard that the military had called a meeting with the area’s Shan residents but did not know the details.

He said residents live in constant fear of the military, RCSS and other armed groups active in the area.

"Our people have to be afraid of every armed group, including the Tatmadaw [military]. They have to provide them with food every time those armed groups ask for it because they are afraid," he said.

When the RCSS signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015, the government announced that its members would no longer be subject to the Unlawful Associations Act, meaning anyone could make contact with the ethnic armed group without fear of arrest.

But the two have periodically clashed over territory, and tensions between the RCSS and military have been on the rise lately.

Last week the RCSS said it would no longer attend every single meeting of the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee after accusing the military of serial violations and the committee of not following the rules.

The post Shan Armed Group Claims Military Warned Locals of Arrest For Association appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Analysis: By-Election Results Suggest Increased Role for Ethnic Parties in 2020

Posted: 05 Nov 2018 04:42 AM PST

In the wake of the National League for Democracy (NLD)'s modest success in the by-election on Saturday, The Irrawaddy talks to officials from some of the political parties that contested the election, as well as political commentators, to get their views on the outcome and where the NLD went wrong.

Yan Myo Thein, political commentator

If we consider the by-election to be a mock test, the NLD no doubt failed it. And the USDP's [Union and Social Development Party's] performance has improved to a certain extent. The likelihood of ethnic parties winning [elections] has also increased. In politics, underestimating your opponents is suicide.

Noticeably, the USDP won in Yangon's Seikkan and Sagaing's Tamu, constituencies previously held by the NLD. A similar outcome was seen in [Mon State's] Chaungzon by-election last year.

The NLD needs to objectively review the by-election results with farsightedness, and make sweeping reforms of the government, Parliament and within the party before the 2020 election.

Again, the NLD should review how widely and effectively its lawmakers are working with the public, especially how much NLD lawmakers keep in touch with rural people and rally their support in townships outside Yangon. Also, people are not satisfied with the NLD, as their economic burden has not been relieved, but become even heavier.

The 2020 general election will surely become more closely contested between the NLD, USDP and ethnic parties. Ethnic parties, I think, will be much stronger by 2020, unlike the 2015 elections.

In particular, MPs elected from ethnic parties will play a more important role in the election of the president beyond 2020. Therefore, the NLD should think long-term and form strategic alliances with ethnic parties before 2020, and consider not running in ethnic constituencies. It should not contest constituencies where its allied parties plan to run, and should prepare to work with them as partners in forming the cabinet after the election.

U Thein Tun Oo, USDP spokesperson

The results fell short of our expectations [of winning all 10 of the seats the party contested]. So, this shows that we have to try harder. But we are happy that the ethnic parties have achieved a certain success. We will learn lessons from our experiences in the by-election and make the necessary changes. We will try by serving the interests of the people to win every election, which is the goal of every party. We expect to achieve a respectable result in 2020, and we'll keep trying.

(The USDP won three of the 10 seats it contested in the Nov. 3 by-election. The three constituencies were previously held by the NLD.)

U Win Myo Thu, director of EcoDev Myanmar

It is undeniably the wish of everyone—including me—who wants our country to stand tall on the international stage to see the [NLD] remain the people's party and provide political leadership for the unfinished processes of democratization and nation building. [The NLD] should seriously review what lessons to take [from the by-election]. In my opinion, there are a few lessons to learn.

First and foremost is the need to build democracy within the party.

There is a need to fight the practices of patronage and nepotism. There is a need to enable a merit-based system. That fact that those who are not even in the lower level executive committees are directly appointed to the Central Executive Committee goes against the rules. Democracy is based on rules. One has to follow the rules adopted by the majority. It seems that freedom of expression and freedom of criticism within the party have withered.

One of the reasons for the decline of democracy within the party is that the government has weakened the democratic forces. Its repression and control of the media and civil society organizations are worse than under U Thein Sein's government. It has failed to systematically unite farmers and labor unions. And it has failed to keep in touch with those forces. As it refuses to listen to critical voices, it has been unable to bring about constructive changes.

Secondly, the party lacks programs to support the social wellbeing of the people.

In this nation building period, it is more important to improve the country than to rise against the dictatorship. It is important that the party collaborates with the government and Parliament, and that party members on the ground cooperate with other allied civil society organizations to fulfill the requirements of the people. The Daw Khin Kyi Foundation's activities alone are not enough. To create public support programs, there is a need to organize a youth committee and support committee within the party and adopt systematic plans. The party can win public support if it serves the public interest. Such works can be a training ground for future leaders of the party. The problem is that those who would do so are viewed with suspicion and there is an effort to control them. Over-centralization is suicide. It can only become a real people's party by serving the interests of people, and this has nothing to do with the party's particular leader.

The third most important thing is preparation.

[The NLD] entered Parliament in 2012, but the reality is that it still has not recruited enough able people to assume the necessary responsibilities. It has been criticized for lacking policies. Does it have one now? Will it call the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan [MSDP] developed by the government its party policy? Do party members and lawmakers know much about the MSDP? Does it have people to replace the ex-military officers? Has it chosen to replace the permanent secretaries [of ministries] who put spokes in [the ministers'] wheels? It should have prepared for them by now. There are many people who will support the NLD like they did in 2015. [The NLD] now knows that its assumption that it has a large talent pool [to draw from] is wrong. It is important that it doesn't make the same mistake again.

To summarize, the democratic government has not only failed to build democracy, but stamped on it. It will be able to save the situation if it can address this problem.

U Sai Leik, SNLD spokesperson

We contested two seats, and won one. So, we neither won nor lost. The voter turnout has declined a lot, indicating that public trust in political parties has declined, and that people are not very satisfied with the current government.

If the NLD is serious about democratic change and believes it is necessary to build the genuine federal Union to which everyone aspires, it needs to collaborate with democratic forces with greater transparency. Though the NLD believes itself to be a party that represents the entire Union, others think it is a Bamar-based party. So rather than arguing about whether it is really a party that represents the Union, if it can make compromises with ethnic people ahead of 2020, it can achieve a result better than it did in the by-election. But if it doesn't change, its 2020 election outlook isn't very promising.

Rather than cooperating, there must be political give and take. My assessment is that there has never been give and take since 1990. There was also no political negotiation in the 2015 general election, or in the by-elections in 2017 and 2018. But if this trend continues, and a coalition government has to be formed [in 2020], then it will become more complicated for the country.

(The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy won one of the two seats it contested in the Nov. 3 by-election.)

U Myo Nyunt, NLD spokesperson

We are a democratic party. We always trust in the people. When people judge our actions, we want them to look to the long term rather than the short term. We want the people to understand our attitude toward them.

We've never done anything to please the people [with short-term favors]. We only work to bring about healthy changes and improve the country in the long term. In so doing, people may not like some of our actions. So, I'd like to request the people judge our actions from various perspectives.

Regarding the by-election results, I think people have taken their daily lives into consideration a lot. It is important to improve their daily lives.

We never go back on our promises. We always try to realize them. But we admit that our progress has been slow because certain things can't be done by us alone. And we admit that people are frustrated with the slow progress after they pinned high hopes on us.

(The NLD won seven out of 13 contested seats in the Nov. 3 by-election.)

The post Analysis: By-Election Results Suggest Increased Role for Ethnic Parties in 2020 appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Reuters Reporters Appeal Against Conviction in State Secrets Case

Posted: 05 Nov 2018 04:16 AM PST

YANGON — Lawyers for two Reuters reporters jailed for seven years in Myanmar lodged an appeal on Monday against their conviction on charges of breaking the country’s Official Secrets Act.

The appeal cited evidence of a police setup and lack of proof of a crime.

“We filed an appeal … because the trial court’s ruling was wrong,” said Reuters President and Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler in a statement. “In condemning them as spies, it ignored compelling evidence of a police setup, serious due process violations, and the prosecution’s failure to prove any of the key elements of the crime.”

He added that the court shifted the burden of proof from the prosecution to the Reuters reporters, Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo, and called on Myanmar to “uphold its stated dedication to rule of law, freedom of the press, and democracy by ordering the release of our colleagues.”

Ko Wa Lone, 32, and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were found guilty in September after a trial at a Yangon district court in a landmark case that has raised questions about Myanmar’s progress towards democracy and sparked an outcry from diplomats and human rights advocates.

Myanmar leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in September that the jailing of the reporters had nothing to do with freedom of expression. In comments made the week after their conviction, she said they had been sentenced for handling official secrets and “were not jailed because they were journalists.”

Government spokesman U Zaw Htay declined comment on the appeal.

Defense lawyers filed the appeal on Monday morning at the Yangon-based High Court. If the court rules to allow the appeal, an appellate judge would take written and oral arguments from prosecution and defense lawyers before handing down a decision.

Before their arrest, the reporters had been working on a Reuters investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys by security forces and local Buddhists in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State during an army crackdown that began in August last year. The operation sent more than 700,000 people fleeing to Bangladesh.

During eight months of hearings, Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo testified that two policemen they had not met before handed them papers rolled up in a newspaper during a meeting at a Yangon restaurant on Dec. 12. Almost immediately afterwards, they said, they were bundled into a car by plainclothes officers.

On Feb. 1, a police witness said under cross-examination that information in the documents had already been published in newspapers. In April, a prosecution witness testified that a senior officer had ordered subordinates to plant documents on Ko Wa Lone to “trap” the reporter.

The post Reuters Reporters Appeal Against Conviction in State Secrets Case appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Military Frees Last of Baptist Group Members in Kachin, NGO Says

Posted: 05 Nov 2018 01:28 AM PST

Mon State — The Myanmar military on Sunday released the last 12 of 15 members of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) it detained last month in Kachin State, according to a local non-governmental organization.

Lamai Gum Ja, spokesman for the Peace-Talk Creation Group, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the 12 were released at 2:30 p.m. at a police station in Myitkyina, the state capital.

He said Brigade 101 handed them to the police unharmed after determining they had no links to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

"They suspected that those 12 people were linked to the KIA, so they arrested them. But they were innocent, so the Tatmadaw [military] released them," Lamai Gum Ja said.

The KBC had asked the Peace-Talk Creation Group, which mediates peace talks between the military and KIA, to help secure the release of its members.

The 12 people were detained along with three others who were released earlier. They were all detained while heading to Myitkyina by motorbike for allegedly traveling in a conflict zone without permission.

The group comprised eight women and seven men. Two of the women were senior KBC members, one a schoolteacher and the other an aid worker at a refugee camp near the border with China.

The area where they were detained is near Laiza, where the KIA has its headquarters. Travel in the surrounding area is subject to heavy restrictions by the military, according to the KBC. Lamai Gum Ja said the military had also detained some people in the area last year and put them in prison.

The KIA is an ethnic armed group based in Kachin. It signed a ceasefire with the military junta in 1994, but the agreement collapsed in 2011. Since then, fighting between the KIA and the military has forced more than 100,000 residents of the state to flee their homes and take refuge in camps across the region. The government does not allow international aid groups to supply the camps in KIA-controlled areas, which get most of their support from the KBC.

The post Military Frees Last of Baptist Group Members in Kachin, NGO Says appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Suspect’s Father Gave Slain Facebook Comedian’s Family 150 Million Kyats, Court Told

Posted: 04 Nov 2018 11:18 PM PST

YANGON—The family of one of the accused in the murder of a popular Facebook comedian gave 150 million kyats to his family in exchange for dropping the case, an official of the national anti-graft body said in court on Friday.

U Moe Naing, an inspector with the Myanmar Anti-Corruption Commission, told the court during a trial session that the father of one of the three suspects in the case gave the father of comedian Aung Yell Htwe 130 million kyats, and 10 million kyats each to his uncle and brother, to drop the case.

The three detained murder suspects were released on July 25 before any charges could be brought against them, after the Yangon Eastern District Court accepted an appeal from the victim's family asking them to settle the case.

As the case came under the spotlight, the Anti-Corruption Commission launched an investigation and in August filed a lawsuit against then Yangon Region attorney general U Han Htoo, a judge of the Yangon Eastern District Court, and five other law officers accused of taking bribes from the father of a suspect in exchange for their roles in dropping the case.

The commission said law officers intentionally built the murder case in such a way that it would be adjudged as lacking sufficient grounds to warrant further investigation, and that the since-removed regional attorney general approved a request from the victim's family to drop the case without making a full assessment.

The Yangon Eastern District Court has since reopened the murder case against the three suspects.

According to U Moe Naing, U Khin Maung Lay, the father of the accused, approached U Myint Lwin, the uncle of Aung Yell Htwe. Through U Myint Lwin, the parents of the suspects met with the parents of Aung Yell Htwe, who offered them a personal "pardon."

U Khin Maung Lay paid U Myint Oo, the father of Aung Yell Htwe, 130 million kyats by check. He also gave 10 million kyats each to U Myint Lwin and U Thant Zin Oo, the brother of Aung Yell Htwe.

The accused rejected the plaintiff's testimony, and the next trial session will be held on Nov. 9.

Aung Yell Htwe died after allegedly being kicked and beaten by the three suspects while attending a party last New Year's Eve in Yangon's Thingangyun Township.

The post Suspect's Father Gave Slain Facebook Comedian's Family 150 Million Kyats, Court Told appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Rocks With $50M, ‘Nutcracker’ Crumbles

Posted: 04 Nov 2018 09:21 PM PST

LOS ANGELES — There’s a new box office queen in town.

Fox’s Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” overperformed with a rocking $50 million when it debuted in 4,000 theaters. That was enough to dominate in North America over fellow newcomers “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” and “Nobody’s Fool.”

“Bohemian Rhapsody” ranks as the second-best start for a music biopic, following just 2015’s “Straight Outta Compton” ($60.2 million). For measure, it also topped the domestic debut of Warner Bros.’ “A Star Is Born,” which launched with a solid $42 million last month.

Rami Malek stars as iconic Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the film, which cost around $50 million to produce. It’s a bittersweet symphony for Fox as the studio prepares to merge with Disney. “Bohemian Rhapsody” has generated a mixed critical response, though audiences have embraced it with a 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and an A CinemaScore.

“I’m not surprised there’s a disconnect, but audiences didn’t miss it,” said Chris Aronson, Fox’s head of domestic distribution. “That’s the power of word of mouth — and Queen and their music.” Overseas, “Bohemian Rhapsody” bowed this weekend with $72 million for a global start of $122.5 million. Imax screens accounted for $10 million of its box office total. The biographical musical, co-produced by New Regency, opened in the United Kingdom last weekend with a huge $12.2 million, ranking as one of the best debuts in that territory. Its worldwide tally currently sits at a strong $141.7 million.

Overall, it doesn’t look like the messy turmoil behind the camera tainted anticipation for the film. Director Bryan Singer’s repeated absence from set caused Fox to temporarily halt production. Dexter Fletcher replaced Singer after he was fired toward the end of the shoot, though Singer retained sole directing credit.

Disney’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” launched at No. 2 on the lower end of expectations with a disappointing $20 million from 3,766 venues, a rare miss for the Magic Kingdom given the movie’s $125 million price tag. The disastrous opening is the lowest in over a year for the studio. Though Disney has struggled recently with movies that don’t feature a Spandexed superhero, the studio can at least afford to take a hit. Aside from the disappointment of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” this summer, the studio has fielded some of the biggest releases this year including “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Incredibles 2.”

The family-friendly “Nutcracker” amassed $38.5 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $58 million. Keira Knightley, Misty Copeland, and Mackenzie Foy star in the film, which was panned by critics, who gave it a 34 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Disney is hoping the classic Christmas tale is able to pick up steam as it heads into the holidays.

“Obviously, it’s not the start we were looking for, but it’s a great family friendly option,” said Cathleen Taff, Disney’s president of domestic distribution. “Sometimes it doesn’t connect as broadly as we want it to.”

In third, Paramount’s “Nobody’s Fool,” the first R-rated comedy from Tyler Perry, generated $13.7 million from 2,468 screens. That’s one of the lowest bows for a Perry movie,

It’s the first solo starring vehicle for breakout Tiffany Haddish, who continues to solidify her box office chops. The boisterous funnywoman also starred in this year’s “Night School” with Kevin Hart, along with Ike Barinholtz’s “The Oath.”

Rounding out the top five are holdovers “A Star Is Born” and “Halloween.” Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s “A Star Is Born” pocketed another $11.1 million in its fifth outing, marking an impressive drop of just 21 percent. That brings its domestic tally to a huge $165 million. Universal and Blumhouse’s R-rated slasher “Halloween” earned $11 million for a North American total of $150 million.

At the specialty box office, Focus Features’ “Boy Erased” opened in five theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco with the best screen average of the weekend. It generated $220,000 for an average of $44,000 per location. Lucas Hedges and Nicole Kidman star in the gay conversion drama, which will expand into 75 theaters next weekend.

“It’s a very emotional time in America, and audiences seem to be seeing and hearing the urgency in this story. It’s a film we always hoped would bring families together and get people talking, and that seems to be happening,” said Focus’ president of distribution Lisa Bunnell.

For Aviron, Rosamund Pike’s “A Private War” played in four theaters, where it made $72,000 for a per-screen-average of $18,000.

The post ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Rocks With $50M, ‘Nutcracker’ Crumbles appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Leicester City Players Attend Funeral of Late Owner in Thailand

Posted: 04 Nov 2018 08:44 PM PST

BANGKOK — Leicester City players attended the funeral for club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, killed in a helicopter crash a week ago, at a Bangkok temple on Sunday on the second day of a ceremony due to last one week.

The 60-year-old Thai billionaire died on Oct. 27 with four others when his helicopter crashed next to Leicester’s King Power Stadium. The seven-day funeral started on Saturday in Bangkok.

The team — including manager Claude Puel, striker Jamie Vardy and dozens of others — were seen arriving at the temple clad in black suits to pay their respects to the King Power founder.

They travelled to Thailand on Saturday after winning an English Premier League match against Cardiff City, where tributes were brought onto the pitch before the game in memory of Vichai.

Vichai bought Leicester in 2010. The team went on to stun the football world by winning the Premier League title against the odds in 2016.

The post Leicester City Players Attend Funeral of Late Owner in Thailand appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China’s Xi Jinping Promises Lower Tariffs, More Imports

Posted: 04 Nov 2018 08:30 PM PST

SHANGHAI — China will lower import tariffs and continue to broaden market access, President Xi Jinping said on Monday at the opening of a week-long trade expo seen as an attempt by Beijing to counter mounting criticism of its trade and business practices.

Xi also promised to accelerate opening of the education, telecommunications and cultural sectors, while protecting foreign companies’ interests and enhancing punitive enforcement for infractions of intellectual property rights.

Xi’s remarks come at a time of heightened tension between China and some of its biggest trade partners, particularly the United States, which has imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods so far. China has retaliated with $110 billion worth of tariffs on US goods.

The Nov. 5-10 China International Import Expo, or CIIE, brings thousands of foreign companies together with Chinese buyers in a bid to demonstrate the importing potential of the world’s second biggest economy.

“CIIE is a major initiative by China to pro-actively open up its market to the world,” Xi said.

US President Donald Trump has railed against China for what he sees as intellectual property theft, entry barriers to US business and a gaping US trade deficit. No senior US officials were set to attend the Shanghai event.

Xi said the import expo showed China’s desire to support global free trade, adding that countries of the world must pursue open policies and oppose protectionism.

He said “economic globalization is facing setbacks, multilateralism and the free trade system is under attack, factors of instability and uncertainty are numerous, and risks and obstacles are increasing.”

China expects to import $30 trillion worth of goods and $10 trillion worth of services in the next 15 years, Xi said.

China imported $1.84 trillion of goods in 2017, up 16 percent, or $255 billion, from a year earlier. Of that total, China imported about $500 billion of goods from the United States.

The Chinese government’s top diplomat, State Councilor Wang Yi, said in March that China would import $8 trillion of goods in the next five years.

Expectations had been low that Xi would announce bold new policies of the kind that many foreign governments and businesses have been seeking from Beijing.

Instead, people involved in planning meetings have said they were anticipating an event long on symbolism and short on substance meant to signal China’s willingness to narrow trade deficits and openness.

The European Union, which shares US concerns over China’s trade practices if not Trump’s tariff strategy to address them, on Thursday called for China to take concrete steps to further open its market to foreign firms and provide a level playing field, adding that it would not sign up to any political statement at the forum.

Trump is expected to meet Xi this month, but has said that if a deal is not made with China, he could impose tariffs on another $267 billion in Chinese imports into the United States.

For show

Presidents or prime ministers from 17 countries were set to attend the expo, ranging from Russia and Pakistan to the Cook Islands, though none from major Western nations. Government ministers from several other countries were also coming.

Swiss President Alain Berset did not make the trip to China, despite being announced as among attendees by China’s foreign ministry last week. The Swiss government said in a statement to Reuters on Sunday that his visit had never been confirmed, and that Secretary of State Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch would represent Switzerland.

Some Western diplomats and businesses have been quietly critical of the expo, arguing it is window dressing to what they see as Beijing’s long-standing trade abuses.

Exhibitors from around 140 countries and regions will be on hand, including 404 from Japan, the most of any country. From the United States, some 136 exhibitors will attend, including Google, Dell Inc, Ford and General Electric.

A handful of countries are being represented by a single exhibitor selling one product.

For Iraq, it’s crude oil. Iran, saffron. Jamaica will be marketing its famed blue mountain coffee and Chad is selling bauxite. Tiny São Tomé is selling package holidays.

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Sunday, November 4, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

NLD Says By-Election Losses Signal Need For Reform

Posted: 04 Nov 2018 01:05 AM PDT

YANGON — The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) had to settle for modest success in Saturday's by-election, suggesting the need for serious reforms, a party spokesman said.

Official results are not yet out. But NLD spokesman U Myo Nyunt told The Irrawaddy on Sunday that the party won seven of the 13 constituencies up for grabs and lost four it won in the 2015 general election, when it won nearly 80 percent of the races.

The party won the seven constituencies in Yangon, Mandalay, Bago and Magwe regions and Chin State. It lost three seats in Yangon, Kachin State and Sagaing Region to the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and another in Chin State to the local Chin National League for Democracy; the NLD won all four in 2015.

In Shan and Rakhine states, the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy and an ethnic Rakhine independent won the races as predicted, as both constituencies are strongholds for ethnic minority parties.

The NLD’s U Myo Nyunt said the party’s poor campaigning and perceptions among minorities of the NLD as a party for the majority ethnic Bamar contributed to its losses in the six constituencies in Kachin, Chin, Rakhine and Shan states and Sagaing and Yangon regions (It was the Bamar-dominated USDP, however, that won in Kachin, where a local minority party is also popular).

While Saturday’s results will not impact the structure of the current government, they do suggest that the NLD can no longer take popular support for granted.

More than two years after taking power, and half way through its term, the NLD government, led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, has come under growing criticism for a lack of progress on economic reforms, backsliding on freedom of expression and generally falling short on its election promises, though it has received praise for its stepped-up fight against corruption.

U Myo Nyunt told The Irrawaddy that voters today want to see parties taking on and solving the challenges of their daily lives. He said people were frustrated with the government's slow progress because there were some things the NLD could not do alone, such as amending the military-drafted Constitution.

When asked if the NLD would make changes to win back the public trust it has lost, the spokesman said the party’s senior leaders would have to meet to discuss any reforms.

"After the meetings we will be able to say what reforms should be done. We should think about it," he said.

Yangon-based political commentator U Yan Myo Thein said Saturday’s results should induce some soul-searching within the NLD, as they clearly signaled the need to reform the way it runs the party and the government.

He said the party should review how well its lawmakers reach out to people disappointed with the government and struggling economically.

The commentator was not alone in pointing out the party's problems.

U Zaw Myint Maung, the NLD’s second vice president and Mandalay Region’s chief minister, told local media on Saturday night that the by-election had shown him that his party needed to do better.

"It proves we have weaknesses," he said.

Additional reporting by The Irrawaddy’s San Yamin Aung in Yangon and Htet Naig Zaw in Naypyitaw.

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Saturday, November 3, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

NLD Poised to Win 8 of 13 By-Election Races

Posted: 03 Nov 2018 09:23 AM PDT

YANGON—The National League for Democracy (NLD) had won five of the 13 constituencies up for grabs in Saturday's by-election and was leading in another three as of 9 p.m. In another five seats, however, it was facing possible defeat to the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)—its main rival—and the ethnic political parties.

As of 9 p.m. Saturday, the ruling party had won five constituencies in Yangon, Mandalay, Magwe and Bago regions and was ahead in three areas in Chin and Kachin states and in Mandalay Region.

The main opposition USDP had won just two seats—in Seikkan Township in Yangon and Tamu in Sagaing Region.

The newly elected lawmaker for Seikkan Township, the USDP's U Nay Myo Aung, told The Irrawaddy upon winning that he had "now regained the people's trust." He was elected as a Yangon regional lawmaker in 2010, but lost to the NLD in the 2015 general election.

In northern Rakhine State's Rathedaung Township, a local ethnic independent candidate beat the NLD and two local parties, the Arakan League for Democracy and the Arakan National Party.

Votes were still being counted in the Upper House race in Myitkyina's constituency No. 2, which was being contested by the NLD, USDP and Kachin Democratic Party.

The NLD was ahead in the race for the Shan ethnic affairs minister's post in Mandalay Region, which was also being contested by the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), the USDP and the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party.

Of the four Lower House seats up for grabs, the NLD won two: one in Myingyan in Mandalay Region and the other in Yangon's Tamwe. Preliminary results showed that the SNLD had won in Lechar (Laihka) in Shan State, with 76 percent of the votes counted as of Saturday evening. The NLD and the Chin National Democratic Party were vying for the other Lower House seat, in Chin State's Kanpetlet constituency.

Of the seven state and regional parliament seats being contested, the USDP won two, in Tamu constituency No. 2 in Sagaing Region and Seikkan constituency No. 2 in Yangon. The Chin League for Democracy (CLD) won in Matupi constituency No. 1 and independent candidate U Tin Maung Win, the son of the detained Rakhine MP Dr. Aye Maung, won in Rathedaung constituency No. 2.

The NLD won in Thabeikkyin constituency No. 1 in Mandalay Region, Minbu constituency No. 2 in Magwe region and Oaktwin constituency No. 1 in Bago region.

According to the Union Election Commission, the official results for Saturday's polls will be announced by Sunday.

The Irrawaddy reporters Nyein Nyein in Chiang Mai, Zarni Mann in Mandalay and San Yamin Aung in Yangon contributed to this report. 

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Early Hours of By-Election See Modest Voter Turnout

Posted: 02 Nov 2018 11:00 PM PDT

YANGON — Myanmar’s second by-elections under the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) officially began when the doors to polling stations in eight of the country’s 14 regions and states opened to voters on Saturday at 6 a.m.

The results will not impact the structure of the current government, but they will serve as an important indicator of the level of support for the parties ahead of the 2020 general elections.

For the NLD, which won a landslide victory in the 2012 by-elections under the previous administration as well as the 2015 general elections, Saturday’s polls are a test of whether they remain just as popular. More than two years after taking power, and half way through its term, the government led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has come under growing criticism for a lack of progress on economic reforms, backsliding on freedom of expression and generally falling short on its election promises, though it has received praise for its stepped-up fight against corruption.

During the last by-elections in April 2017, the NLD won only nine of 19 vacant seats — only 50 percent of those it contested — and lost in three of the four ethnic minority areas it challenged, including in areas it won in 2015.

Saturday’s polls are being held to fill 13 vacant seats in Union, state and regional parliaments. There are 62 candidates from 24 parties — including those from the NLD and its main opposition, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) — and seven independents.

The NLD is contesting all 13 races, while the military-backed USDP, which ran the previous government, is contesting 10. Among the seats the ruling party is challenging are four in ethnic minority areas in Chin, Kachin, Shan and Rakhine states where the NLD has relatively little popular support. In 2015 it lost two of them — Lechar in Shan and Rathedaung in Rakhine — to ethnic minority parties.

On Saturday morning, some voters started arriving at polling stations in a steady stream, a contrast to the general elections three years ago, when throngs of people lined up before the stations were even open.

In Moegoke, Mandalay Region, only a few voters had arrived soon after polling stations opened at 6 a.m. The area has 41 stations to accommodate about 15,000 ethnic Shan eligible to vote for a new Shan ethnic affairs minister for the region.

But in Rathedaung, in northern Rakhine, where the NLD is up against an independent and two local Rakhine parties — the Arakan National Party and the Arakan League for Democracy — voter interest appeared stronger. Locals were lined up outside the public school classrooms being used as polling stations.

Arakan League for Democracy candidate U Thein Maung said he was pleased with the turnout.

"They have already decided who they will vote for. It's nice to see them show up and cast their ballots," he said.

In Yangon's Tamwe Township, where President U Win Myint will cast his ballot, some voters spent the morning queued up at the polling station. Assisted by his younger sister, Uncle Charles, 62, who suffers from hemiparesis, made his way out of the station and said he voted for the NLD. Boasting of being a longtime NLD supporter, the retired civil servant said he had also voted for the party in 1990, 2012 and 2015.

"I understand they haven't achieved big things so far due to the constraints of the Constitution. But I vote for them because I believe they are the only ones who will do good for people," he said.

Around mid-morning, US Ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel visited the polling station and said he was happy to see people voting.

“We strongly support Myanmar democracy and we are here to support the election," he said.

Additional reporting by The Irrawaddy’s San Yamin Aung in Yangon, Zarni Mann in Mandalay and Min Aung Khine.

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Friday, November 2, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Writer-Turned-Painter Turns His Attention to the Human Form

Posted: 02 Nov 2018 08:05 AM PDT

YANGON—More than 30 years after he fell in love with the nude paintings of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, Nay Myo has finally realized his dream of holding his own exhibition of nudes.

"Dirty," an ongoing exhibition at the Ahla Thit Gallery on University Avenue Road in Yangon, showcases the fruits of that dream.

"I have wanted to draw nude paintings like [Modigliani] since I was an art student in 1982," Nay Myo said.

"I knew I would draw them someday. So, I have finally realized this dream," he said.

His nude figures are largely square-shaped with a focus on lines. Yellows and blues are dominant in his paintings, which feature short, "chopping" brushstrokes. His command of texture and tone strengthens the feeling in the paintings.

In Myanmar, nude paintings were censored until 2012, and nudity is still largely taboo in Myanmar society, though more and more people are accepting it as a legitimate subject for artists.

Paintings of nude subjects by artists including Kyi Myint Saw, Sandar Khaing and Myint Naing have gained an audience among art fans of late.

The nude paintings of Nay Myo are distinct from their works in terms of composition and figurative expression, however.

The way he renders the hair and facial expressions of the nude women in his paintings is reminiscent of modernist Win Pe. "We respect him a lot. Of course he has an influence on us," Nay Myo said.

His fourth solo exhibition, which runs through Wednesday, includes 20 paintings, which can be purchased for USD300 each.

Born in Mandalay, Nay Myo graduated from the city's State School of Fine Arts in 1983. He made his name with modernist portrayals of rural scenes and Myanmar customs. He is also a renowned writer of short stories, poems and essays.

"Frankly, I just seek to reveal the dark emotions that stain our daily lives," Nay Myo said about his nude paintings.

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NLD Used RCSS Leader’s Face on Campaign Material Without Permission, Group Says

Posted: 02 Nov 2018 07:42 AM PDT

MANDALAY—Campaign pamphlets appearing to suggest that the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) endorses the National League for Democracy (NLD)'s by-election candidate in Laihka Township were distributed without the ethnic group's knowledge, it said in a statement on Thursday.

The pamphlets supporting NLD candidate Sai Htun Aung Lay's election bid in Laihka
constituency carry a picture of State Counselor (and NLD leader) Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi and RCSS Chairman General Yawd Serk posing for a photo together.

The RCSS said in a statement issued on Thursday that it has no relationship with the NLD or involvement in the by-election.

"The pamphlets with the photo of our chief could lead to a misunderstanding or could put pressures on voters. We do not want to see such a situation, so we issued this announcement to assure voters that the RCSS has nothing to do with the by-election and has no business with the NLD's by-election campaigns," Lieutenant-Colonel Sai Oo, a spokesperson for the RCSS, told The Irrawaddy on Friday.

NLD candidate Sai Htun Aung Lay is competing against representatives of ethnic Shan parties for a seat in the Lower House for Laihka constituency.

He will vie for the seat against Sai Shwe Seing of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) and Sai Okkar of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) party on Nov. 3.

"The SNLD and SNDP are also contesting the seat, but they did not distribute such propaganda. We are afraid the voters will be confused and misinterpret the campaign pamphlets of the NLD and misunderstand the [position of the] RCSS," Lt-Col. Sai Oo said.

"Moreover, the RCSS has a good relationship with all political parties, not only with the NLD. We do not want political parties to use us as a propaganda tool for the by-election, which could create misunderstandings. That's why we made this announcement," he added.

In Shan State, the SNLD and SNDP receive more support from locals than does the NLD; the same is true of ethnic parties in other ethnic areas such as Chin, Rakhine and Kachin states.

An NLD spokesperson told The Irrawaddy that the use of the photos of the RCSS chief and the state counselor had no special intention other than to show solidarity with ethnic people.

"It is just to show that our party has a strong relationship with the ethnic people, and also works for ethnic people. During the by-election campaign, some have criticized the NLD as a Burmese party which has no interest in ethnic matters," explained the spokesman, U Myo Nyunt.

"We have no intention other than to show our solidarity with the ethnic people," he said.

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Commander-in-Chief Praises Pro-Military Rallies Denouncing Int’l Pressure

Posted: 02 Nov 2018 06:14 AM PDT

YANGON — Myanmar’s commander-in-chief this week praised pro-military rallies that have denounced international calls for him and other top generals to be held accountable for the alleged human rights violations against Rohingya and said the events should be repeated.

Myanmar’s military, or Tatmadaw, has come under mounting international pressure in the wake of operations in northern Rakhine State — triggered by militant attacks on security posts — that have driven some 700,000 mostly Rohingya to neighboring Bangladesh. In September, the UN Human Rights Council voted to set up a body to prepare evidence for possible future prosecution at the International Criminal Court.

Since then, army sympathizers — including ultranationalists, war veterans and their families — have organized more rallies across the country to express support for the military’s actions in Rakhine State and for “protecting sovereignty, race and religion.”

At a rally last month led by ultranationalist monk U Wirathu, at least 1,000 people gathered in downtown Yangon to condemn what they called international interference in Myanmar and its military.

During a special conference of the Myanmar War Veterans Organization on Wednesday in Naypyitaw, military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing told the audience that “nationalistic and patriotic people in various townships have organized rallies to show their opposition to one-sided allegations and interference by some foreign countries and organizations in the internal affairs of our country, and to show support for the actions of the Tatmadaw.”

He added that those who joined the rallies understood the military’s goodwill toward the Union and its people, and that the military and the people were on the same side, according to military-run newspaper Myawaddy.

"Such good traditions should be maintained," the commander-in-chief said.

It was the first time Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has spoken publicly about the pro-military rallies.

According to Myawaddy, such rallies have been held across the country since 2016.

After October’s rally in Yangon, the paper said: “As of yesterday, 80 rallies have been carried out and joined by more than 600,000 people. There are more in the pipeline."

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Myanmar, Thailand to Jointly Upgrade Highway from Border to Dawei SEZ

Posted: 02 Nov 2018 05:33 AM PDT

YANGON—Myanmar and Thailand signed an agreement to jointly upgrade a highway linking the Thai-Myanmar border with the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a USD8 billion project that includes a deep seaport. The project in southern Myanmar's Tanintharyi Region is set to be Southeast Asia's largest industrial complex.

Under the Record of Discussion (ROD) agreement inked on Thursday, the Ministry of Construction will allow Thailand's Neighboring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency (NEDA) to conduct survey and design work in preparation for upgrading the two-lane highway. The route will connect the border crossing point at Htee Kee to the SEZ via Myittar.

Construction Minister U Han Zaw said Thailand would provide technical assistance on the survey and design of the highway. The project will take about eight months to complete.

U Han Zaw said he expects the highway project to boost economic development in Tanintharyi Region, in particular by allowing direct exports of fishery products to Thailand and by promoting travel between the two countries.

Fishing is one of the major industries on the Tanintharyi coast, with most of the seafood products being exported to Thailand.

NEDA will accelerate the survey and design period so that the highway upgrade can get going as soon as possible, said its president, Perames Vudthitornetiraks.  

In March, the Union Parliament gave the Ministry of Construction permission to take a 4.5-billion-baht (approximately USD137 million, or 220.5 billion kyats) low-interest loan from NEDA. The ministry has been working with Thailand's Department of Highways since 2015 on conducting measurements for the highway.

Vice Construction Minister U Kyaw Lynn said in Parliament in March that the highway upgrade would assist in the transportation of raw materials needed to complete the Dawei SEZ construction project.

In 2008, Myanmar granted Italian-Thai Development PCL (ITD) a 75-year concession to develop and attract investment for the SEZ. A 250-sq-km deep seaport would be a potential boon for firms relying on the transport of goods via the crowded Malacca Strait. The project includes high-tech industrial zones, information technology zones, export-processing zones, port area zones, transportation zones, service business zones and other infrastructure projects.

ITD withdrew from the agreement in 2013 due to financial constraints, but two years later Myanmar and Thailand revived the original agreement to allow ITD and related companies to begin working on the infrastructure project.

According to Dawei SEZ Management Committee chairman U Tun Naing, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is conducting a survey for the deep seaport project, including setting up an electrical grid, basic infrastructure and buildings.

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Baby Dies While Family Flees Fighting in Shan State, Father Says

Posted: 02 Nov 2018 05:12 AM PDT

Mon State — A 19-day-old baby died after falling sick on Tuesday in northern Shan State when the family was forced to flee their home to escape fighting in the area among a trio of ethnic armed groups, according to the parents.

The father, Tu Mai, told The Irrawaddy that his wife gave birth to twins on Oct. 11 in Mang Bein Village and that they took them to the town of Lashio, about 13 km away, after they fell sick to get them treated.

He said they stayed in Lashio for 10 days and that a day after they returned to their village the fighting broke out, forcing them to hide in the jungle for about two hours in the rain without food or clothes for the babies, at which time one of the girls fell ill again.

Tu Mai said they made it to the village of Aee Nang, about 3 km away, by midnight but three days later had to flee again with others to Lashio when the fighting escalated. But the baby died once they arrived and they held her funeral the same day.

The father said the other baby was in good health. However, he said the camp was short of food and that health workers have advised his wife to go to a hospital but that they did not have enough money to get her treatment.

Tu Mai said he had no words to express how sad he felt after having to flee his home and losing a baby.

Fighting in the area broke out on Oct. 26 pitting the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the armed wing of the Shan State Progress Party against the armed wing of the Restoration Council of Shan State. More than 1,000 people have been displaced from several villages and are taking shelter at churches and monasteries in Lashio.

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Shan Armed Group Reconsiders Participation in Ceasefire Monitoring Body

Posted: 02 Nov 2018 03:58 AM PDT

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) said it would stop participating in every level of Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee discussions at least until the armed group’s senior leaders meet next week, claiming the committee was not abiding by the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

The RCSS has already skipped two meetings of the committee since announcing on Oct. 7 that it was assessing the body’s alleged problems and considering ways to fix them. On Thursday it said its senior leaders would discuss whether to keep participating when they meet in the second week of November.

 RCSS spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sai Meng told The Irrawaddy that it would only be possible to continue with peace negotiations when the government and military “reconsider their agendas for the NCA.”

He cited the military’s insistence at a recent three-way peace summit that armed groups disavow secession and endorse a single national army as some of the key hurdles.

The RCSS says the military is failing to live up to not only the NCA, but to a bilateral ceasefire and code of conduct it signed with the group as well.

  "So we want to change the [committee’s] standard operating procedures and the intervention from outside experts," said Lt. Col. Sai Meng, noting that the participation of independent experts was currently very weak.

Since the NCA was signed in 2015, the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee has been charged with mediating disputes among the signatories. The RCSS and military have lodged multiple complaints against one another, the later mostly accusing the former of extortion and forced recruitment.

Lt. Col. Sai Meng said much of the NCA has yet to be implemented in part because the signatories keep accusing each other of violating the agreement.

 He said the RCSS has released the soldiers it has detained over the years while RCSS members the military has arrested — he claims they were all unarmed — have been put on trial (The RCSS’s code of conduct with the military says its members may travel unmolested so long as they are not armed).

 "We think our members who travel without weapons should not face such detention and charges," Lt. Col Sai Meng said.

The RCSS says it has asked the military to release its members many times, to no avail. It has also asked the military to release some civilians it arrested in August 2017 and charged for possessing walkie-talkies and rudimentary weapons, also without success.

The RCSS’s latest move is but the latest setback for the national peace process.

Last week the Karen National Union (KNU) said it was temporarily suspending participation in peace negotiations in order to consult with its members on whether to continue taking part.

As a result of the RCSS and KNU decisions, next week’s meeting of the armed groups’ Peace Process Steering Team — chaired and co-chaired by the KNU and RCSS, respectively — has been postponed.

 

The post Shan Armed Group Reconsiders Participation in Ceasefire Monitoring Body appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Analysis: NLD Faces Crucial Test of Support in By-Election

Posted: 02 Nov 2018 03:41 AM PDT

YANGON—On the eve of the second by-election to be held during its first term in office, the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) admitted to being concerned about Saturday's crucial test of its support nationwide.

NLD spokesperson Dr. Myo Nyunt told The Irrawaddy the party was taking Saturday's poll even more seriously than the 2017 by-elections, given the public criticism it has received since then, especially over the slow pace of economic reforms in recent years.

"We do worry that the voters will feel that the party has failed to implement the election promises [it made in the 2015 general elections]," he said.

He said the government has focused on health and education, and made some progress in those sectors. On the economic front, he said, it is implementing a long-term vision, rather than chasing short-term goals.

Aware that its public support may be sliding, the government has made an effort to highlight its works and policies on the campaign trail ahead of Saturday's vote, the spokesperson said.

A total of 69 candidates from 24 political parties are running for seats in Chin, Shan, Kachin and Rakhine states and in Yangon, Sagaing, Bago, Magwe and Mandalay regions. Seven of the candidates are running as independents.

Four Lower House seats, one Upper House seat, seven seats in state and regional parliaments and the Shan ethnic affairs minister's seat in Mandalay Region are up for grabs in the by-elections.

The vacant seats are in Lechar in Shan State, Rathedaung in Rakhine State, Myitkyina in Kachin State, Kanpetlet and Matupi in Chin State, Tamwe and Seikkan in Yangon Region, Tamu in Sagaing Region, Myingyan and Thabeikkyin in Mandalay Region, Oktwin in Bago Region and Minbu in Magwe Region.

The NLD is running in all 13 constituencies, followed by the military-backed former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which is contesting 10 seats.

While it is still the country's most popular political party, the NLD can no longer take for granted the overwhelming public support it received in the 1990 general election, 2012 by-election and 2015 general election.

The NLD swept to power in a landslide victory in 2015, taking more than 80 percent of all seats not reserved for the military in Parliament. More than two years after taking power and almost halfway through its term, however, the NLD-led government has come under growing criticism of its lack of progress on economic reforms, backsliding on freedom of expression and generally falling short on its election promises, though it has received praise for its stepped-up fight against corruption.

In the most visible sign of this decreased support, the party won just nine of 19 vacant seats—only 50 percent of those it contested—in the 2017 by-elections. The result was a sharp contrast to its general election victory just two years prior. And while it still came out on top nationwide with nine seats won, the party lost in three of the four ethnic areas it contested, including in areas it won in 2015.

The results point to the NLD's waning popularity in ethnic states, something political analysts attribute to its failure to deliver on its main election promises: to end the civil wars in ethnic regions and to amend the undemocratic military-drafted 2008 Constitution.

Supporters of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) hold signs at a by-election campaign rally in Yangon on Oct. 29, 2018. / Reuters

Political analyst Dr. Yan Myo Thein said that while the NLD is still favored to win in constituencies with Burman majorities, it faces likely defeat in the strongholds of ethnic parties—and could even have a tough fight on its hands in some other areas as well.

Of the 13 seats up for grabs in the by-election, the NLD won 11 in 2015. (The exceptions are Lechar in southern Shan State and Rathedaung in Rakhine State.)

Mandalay chief minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, who is also the NLD's vice chairman, said the party is not confident of winning in Rakhine and Shan.

On a more positive note, he said that after some initial difficulties the party had gained ground in Chin and Karen states, as its Central Executive Committee had made a point of campaigning in the local languages in order to improve communication with potential voters in those constituencies.

Party spokesperson Dr. Myo Nyunt agreed that the competition in ethnic areas will be fierce, as the ethnic parties have strong support there.

He said the party still expects to win the majority of the seats that are up for grabs, however.

While the results of the by-elections will not impact the structure of the current government, they will serve as an important indicator of political parties' popularity ahead of the 2020 general elections and a test of the NLD's support halfway through its term.

USDP spokesperson U Thein Htun Oo told The Irrawaddy that the party was confident of winning all 10 of the seats it is contesting.

He said that the political situation had changed since 2015, and the party was enjoying a groundswell of support.

"Voters now understand that the party they believed in and chose in 2015 is not reliable. They have compared its performance with what we achieved [under the previous government]," he said, adding that the USDP expects to see greater public support at the polls in this by-election and looking ahead to 2020.

The USDP campaigned on the slogan "Time to Think". It has placed national issues at the top of its agenda and vowed to prevent any "territorial loss" or "bullying from foreign countries."

U Thein Htun Oo said that after winning seats in the by-election, the party would work to advance farmers' interests and the rule of law, and to increase daily wages.

Dr. Yan Myo Thein, the political analyst, said the election results would send a signal to all parties as to  how they should prepare for 2020.

He added that the NLD would need to reconsider its policies and make corrections before 2020 if it doesn't win more than 50 percent of the seats in Saturday's by-election.

NLD spokesperson Dr. Myo Nyunt vowed that the public would see satisfactory developments in the remaining two years of the government's term, adding that there will be improvements in the implementation of its long-term policies.

The post Analysis: NLD Faces Crucial Test of Support in By-Election appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

For New Album, Punk Band No U Turn Grows Up

Posted: 02 Nov 2018 02:15 AM PDT

YANGON — Well known local punk rock band No U Turn released its new 12-track album, “Muu Yit Say,” or “Drug,” last month. Lead vocalist Ye Ngwe Soe considers it one of the group’s most mature-sounding releases to date.

"Year by year, we've grown old. So our songs are also getting old with us. Making music also depends on feeling. So we chose lyrics that suit our age and rejected the same old boring songs, like about missing someone," said Ye Ngwe Soe, who also plays guitar.

"We don’t want our ageing to go to waste," said the 32-year-old, who sports long black hair and a handlebar moustache.

“Muu Yit Say” is No U Turn's fourth album, recorded in the three years since their last release, “Luu Thar Sit Pwal,” or “Human War.”

The members of No U Turn. / Djavanshir Nico

Ye Ngwe Soe wrote two of the new tracks and guitarist Eaiddhi wrote eight. Ba Nyar, from the band General Tiger Gun, and Thet Khine, from Kultureshock, wrote one apiece.

"I like all the tracks on this album. My favorite memory from recording this album is that bassist Eaiddhi sang four of the songs that he wrote," Ye Ngwe Soe said.

The title of the album, taken from one of the tracks, is not meant to condone or promote drugs — far from it.

"That song is about the angry and sad feelings of a young man who was addicted to drugs but struggled and escaped from the drug trap," he said.

"As is the nature of youth, they want to test everything, including drugs. Older people should show them the right way by teaching or rebuilding their mindsets, not by punishment — that can destroy many young lives,” the frontman said.

He said sending young drug user to prison could do more hard than good because it may bring them under the influence of hardened criminals or turn them into social outcasts once they’re released.

The cover of No U Turn’s fourth and latest album, “Muu Yit Say.” / Supplied

"So my point of view is that reforming the young generation is the right way. That is the message of the song," Ye Ngwe Soe said.

"We don't want to see cheap alcohol ad posters with sexy girls in public. We only want to see posters with the emergency phone number to call when someone is overdosing."

"Muu Yit Say” was recorded at the Date studio, in Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay. The band wanted a place it could concentrate on the creative process and so set aside a few months.

"Each member has his own personal problems and it's not easy to coordinate schedules…. We wanted more time together as a band. We discussed, we fought, we recorded and we had a lot of new experiences," Ye Ngwe Soe said.

Around 2002, Ye Ngwe Soe started listening to rock bands like Guns N’ Roses and fell in love with the “pop punk” sound. He also learned about the scene’s style, trends and ethos from books and the internet. Thus No U Turn was born.

Along with himself, Eaiddhi and Yar Zar, their new drummer, Ye Khine Oo, rounds out the quartet.

"Punk music hit the world like a bomb in 1970, and pop punk hit audiences in 2000, including Myanmar. Before punk rock music, pop punk fashion had already reached Yangon," Ye Ngwe Soe said.

"People did not really like punk rock music in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s; they just tended to wear the clothes. And a few groups of people became interested in their lifestyle because we couldn’t easily get internet access around 2000. Nowadays there are a lot of punk music styles — such as classic punk, ska punk, pop punk, street punk and hardcore punk — based on punk rock. So the new punk stars should learn more about the punk lifestyle and thinking, not just the fashion."

No U Turn performs at a Jam It concert in Yangon. / The Irrawaddy

During their nine-year journey, No U Turn has built up a devoted following including foreigners. Most of their gigs are packed with a young crowd, especially boys.

"I have never identified the people who come to our concerts as my fans. All of us are living with the same music taste. Foreigners are interested in No U Turn because we sing a style of music from 1970 in 2018. If I saw someone [from abroad] singing our Burmese oldies, I would love it,” he said.

Ye Ngwe Soe is also the co-founder of Jam It, an underground music concert series.

"In the future No U Turn will keep making music, and the Jam It team will produce other talented musicians and help them as much as we can," he said.

No U Turn will host a release party for its new album on Saturday at the Basement Bar with opening sets by Indie rock bands The Reasonabilists, Sonn Boon and The Apple-Jack. The show will start at 5 p.m.

The post For New Album, Punk Band No U Turn Grows Up appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Buthidaung Police Seize Nearly 1 Million Ya Ba Pills from River Vessel

Posted: 02 Nov 2018 01:10 AM PDT

SITTWE—Police seized 975,000 methamphetamine (or "ya ba") tablets with an estimated value of 1 billion kyats in Rakhine State's Buthidaung Township on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, police found the "WY"-stamped tablets hidden beneath fish packed in cooler boxes on the river-going vessel Aung Kyaw Moe, which travels between Sittwe and Buthidaung.

"In response to a tip-off, we searched the vessel and found tablets hidden beneath fish [packed in boxes]. The suspects are still at large," Police Major Kyaw Thu Win, commander of Buthidaung Township police force, told The Irrawaddy.

"We are identifying the consignor and consignee," he added.

The vessel transports passengers and cargo between Sittwe and Buthidaung, and police are currently interrogating those responsible for the consignment of the cargo.

The drug haul follows the seizure of 1,400,000 "WY" tablets with an estimated value of 4.3 billion kyats on Aug. 25, and a record bust involving 2,900,000 WY tablets worth 5.7 billion kyats on Oct. 22 in Buthidaung.

Rakhine State Police reported 124 drug cases from January through the second week of August this year, in which 188 suspects were arrested and "WY" tablets and marijuana with a street value of 1.28 billion kyats were seized. Most of the busts were made in Sittwe, Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships.

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Chin Refugee Committee Urges UNHCR to Shelve Repatriation Plan

Posted: 02 Nov 2018 01:08 AM PDT

YANGON — The Chin Refugee Support Committee (CRSC) has urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to shelve its plan to repatriate Chin refugees in Malaysia to Myanmar.

The UNHCR announced in June that refugee protection for the Chin community in Malaysia would be phased out starting August 2018, stating that their homeland was safe for return.

Chin refugees applying for a renewal of their refugee status will only receive an extension until Dec. 31, 2019, said the UNHCR.

The CRSC in a statement on Oct. 31 said the UNHCR's decision shocked the Chin refugee community in Malaysia, adding that some Chin refugees including a young girl attempted to commit suicide following the UNHCR announcement.

"For their return, the [Myanmar] government should let them come back officially at the very least. It is difficult for them to come back without official repatriation," said Salai Issac Khin of the CRSC.

"Some have been living in Malaysia for about seven years and they need to apply for citizenship registration cards [to return]. Another problem is education. The children have been learning at refugee camp schools. So, the question is which grades they should attend when they come back," he added.

The Myanmar government should grant pardons for Chin refugees so that they are not charged under immigration laws. Moreover, there is a need to provide sources of livelihood for the returnees, he said.

According to the CRSC, there are some 31,000 Chin refugees in Malaysia, and 16,000 of them hold UNHCR cards, which are recognized by Malaysian law enforcement agencies. These cards prevent refugees from being arrested and deported.

The UNHCR has promised to send 6,000 of them to a third country, said Salai Issac Khin.

"So, this means that at least 25,000 will be affected by the UNHCR's plan to end refugee status," he said.

Though the UNHCR said that Chin State is now safe and stable for return, the Chin community has pointed out frequent clashes between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army (AA) in Chin State's Paletwa Township, saying that clashes and landmines have caused displacement, casualties and injuries.

Malaysian foreign minister Saifuddin said at a press conference on Oct. 24 that the Malaysian government would not force refugees to return to Myanmar if it is unsafe, despite the fact that Malaysia is not a signatory to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Prisons Are Not for Journalists, Farmers and Activists 

Posted: 01 Nov 2018 10:13 PM PDT

What is the purpose of a prison? Prisons are designed to protect society from dangerous individuals that pose a risk to the public. What a prison is not, is a shield to be used to protect those in power from criticism.

In the United States, there are many who are dissatisfied with President Donald Trump. There are many who have criticized him, who have made both offensive remarks about him and his presidency. There are even those who have desecrated his picture and distributed video clips of this on YouTube. Yet as the US is a democratic society and understands that protection of free speech and the freedom to criticize those in power is the essence of a democratic society, these people were not arrested. In the US, like every democratic society, dissent is not considered a threat to public safety, nor are protesters incarcerated in prison as if they were violent criminals.

This does not happen in the US, but it happens in Myanmar. Activists, journalists and protesters are routinely arrested and put in prison for speaking out against those in power. These arrests arise from an authoritarian mindset, not a democratic mindset. In Myanmar, people who speak freely or protest against their leaders are liable to be arrested under Articles 505 (b) or 124 (a) of the archaic and repressive penal code.

If you are a government, there are people who will support you and there are people who will oppose you. That is the nature of rule. A government should attempt to change people's negative perceptions through constructive action, not through repression. Arbitrary detention is a human rights abuse, and it will not help your cause.

Those in power in Myanmar today should take a lesson from the past. Under previous military regimes, detention, torture and repression were rife. As a result, widespread international pressure was applied. When Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and many other political prisoners were released and allowed to participate in the political process, these countries reduced their pressure and eased sanctions. The release of political prisoners was one of the measurements used to judge Myanmar's democratic transition. The same standard should apply today. Pressure was lessened upon the release of political prisoners; it should be reapplied now following the arrests of journalists, activists and human rights violations.

Indeed, international pressure is already being applied. The EU is trying to withdraw its special trade benefit with Myanmar. Australia, Canada and the US have already sanctioned generals who have perpetrated human rights violations. Those in power need to be reminded that the imprisonment of journalists and activists is wrong. Further, the arrest of activists jeopardizes the hard work that many people have put into Myanmar's national reconciliation process.

When journalists, such as Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo of Reuters, are sentenced to years in prison for reporting on military abuses, it shows the regime is not committed to a democratic transition. When those speaking out about government ministers on social media are arrested, it shows the government does not respect the civil and political rights of its citizens.

It is not just cruel that activists and journalist are imprisoned; it is a disservice to the country. Monitoring and imprisoning activists is not cheap. As schools, healthcare, and infrastructure suffer from a severe lack of resources, the government is wasting money by deploying police to limit access to information and constrain free expression. Public taxes should be spent helping the public, not detaining them.

Moreover, prisons in Myanmar are poorly managed. They are overly crowded and human rights abuses are common. Prisoners often suffer physical abuse and do not receive adequate medical care. The shortcomings of the prison system are the sole responsibility of the government, Parliament and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Prisons are built to contain violent offenders, not to bully, intimidate and detain those peacefully expressing their opinions. Prisons are supposed to keep society safe from dangerous individuals who pose a threat. What threat or risk of harm does a protester, journalist or democratic activist pose? Prisons are wrongfully used in Myanmar to detain, imprison and abuse activists and those critical of the regime, rather than containing threats to society.

Bo Kyi is the joint secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)

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Prominent Vietnamese Academic Under Fire for Criticism of One-Party Rule

Posted: 01 Nov 2018 10:09 PM PDT

HANOI — In a rare ideological denunciation of one of its members, Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party has publicly criticized a prominent and outspoken academic for publishing translations of books it said were critical of socialism and one-party rule.

Chu Hao, a former vice minister of science, is accused by party investigators of abusing his position as director of an academic publishing house to produce Vietnamese translations of the offending volumes.

“Documents and evidence collected by the party’s Central Inspection Commission revealed that Comrade Hao has deteriorated in his political ideology, morality and lifestyle,” said a statement on the commission’s website, published on Wednesday.

Despite presiding over sweeping reforms that have brought about an increasingly open market-oriented economy, the Communist Party of Vietnam tolerates little criticism.

Hao “seriously violated party discipline” by criticizing the party’s monopoly on power and describing its attempts to build a market economy alongside socialism as “unrealistic”, the statement said.

In a letter dated Oct. 26, Hao renounced his party membership and said he rejected the commission’s allegations.

“This is a groundless and venomous indictment aimed at threatening myself and others with similar goals,” said Hao, according to a copy of the letter, seen by Reuters.

As an outspoken critic of the party, Hao had largely escaped punishment because of his family’s closeness to late founding president Ho Chi Minh, and his positive contributions to Vietnam’s science and technology sector.

From 2005-2009, the statement said, Hao’s publishing house released Vietnamese translations of books that contained content that was “politically and ideologically wrong”.

According to the Central Inspection Commission, those books included translations of Friedrich Hayek’s “The Road to Serfdom”, which warns against the dangers of state control over the means of production, and an introduction to Karl Marx by Australian philosopher Peter Singer.

All of the books cited in the statement were no longer available on Hao’s publishing house website as of Thursday.

It is not clear why Hao is being targeted now – although the party investigation comes amid an intensified crackdown on political dissidents in Vietnam.

It also follows the merging of the party general secretary and presidential roles in the Southeast Asian country.

Nguyen Phu Trong, a 74-year-old party ideologue who has also presided over a crackdown on corruption, became the first leader since Ho Chi Minh, who died in 1969, to hold the two titles when he was made president last month.

“He deliberately committed his violations despite being reminded not to do so,” the statement said of Hao’s continued publishing of works viewed as wrong by the party.

“It can therefore be concluded that his violations were deliberate and systematic”.

The post Prominent Vietnamese Academic Under Fire for Criticism of One-Party Rule appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The Cambodian Textile Factory that Craves ‘Normal’

Posted: 01 Nov 2018 09:56 PM PDT

SIEM REAP, Cambodia — Boring is best when it comes to business — or so says Piet Holten, a Dutch entrepreneur who credits “normal” working conditions for helping to grow his textile factory in Cambodia.

The Southeast Asian nation is a hub for textile factories supplying global brands, but the sector is plagued by problems of exploitation and abuse.

Holten said his staff get benefits such as childcare and work in environmentally friendly buildings — utterly normal in many countries; equally rare in Cambodia.

“I don’t believe what we are doing is exceptional, just the norm,” said Holten at his factory in Siem Reap, Cambodia’s top tourist destination and home to the famed Angkor Wat temples.

He is president of Pactics Group Ltd, a Hong Kong-registered company that had a turnover of $7 million last year, making products for the eyewear giant Luxottica, which supplies brands such as Ray-Ban, Oakley and Versace.

He employs mostly women in a female-dominated sector that is known for cheap labor and lax laws.

“Some of the things we do here are just following the laws,” he said, citing maternity leave and daycare, which any factory with more than 100 employees is supposed to provide.

The strategy has succeeded so far.

He started small — in a shophouse in 2014 with a handful of employees — and put profits into expanding the business.

Pactics now employs about 400 workers in Siem Reap, producing items like pouches and wiping cloths for sunglasses.

A second factory he opened in 2016 in the capital, Phnom Penh, employs more than 100 people, with plans to hire more as it expands into the North American market.

A good model

The Phnom Penh factory makes T-shirts and — like all garment manufacturers in Cambodia — must pay a minimum wage, which will be increased from $170 a month to $182 in January.

As the Pactics facility in Siem Reap does not make clothing, it is exempt from the minimum wage. Instead, Holten said workers are paid a base rate of $146 per month, plus a piece rate.

That is where the Siem Reap factory falls short of otherwise being a “good model,” according to Khun Tharo, a workers’ rights advocate with the Phnom Penh-based Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights.

“I would argue that they should still implement the minimum wage,” he said.

Khun Tharo said wages had more than doubled since 2013, when garment workers made $80 a month — but the cost of living had risen too.

“Workers are not able to save money for their families and have decent living wages,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “Many workers are still in debt, while the suppliers of brands make so much.”

Holten said it would be difficult to increase wages at the Siem Reap factory, because the profit margins were so slim on eyewear accessories.

“Our average sales price for a product is 15 cents,” he said. “This is quite different from garments.”

Money aside, he said the factory offered a host of benefits — a subsidized and healthy lunch, free daycare for infants up to 16 months, as well as subsidized care until age five, health insurance, and free medicines for minor ailments.

Green buildings

Textile workers in Cambodia often face “discriminatory and exploitative labor conditions,” according to a 2015 report by Human Rights Watch.

The New York-based rights group uncovered cases of workers being fired if they became pregnant, lodged complaints with managers, or requested time off for medical treatment.

Some factories forced workers to perform overtime above the legal limit of 12 hours a week under threat of being fired, the researchers found.

“Women workers faced pregnancy-based discrimination, sexual harassment, and denial of maternity benefits,” according to the report, which also found some factories using child labor.

None of that is news to Chheng Sitha, who worked in a factory in Phnom Penh for four years.

“When something went wrong, the boss would yell and swear at employees,” said Chheng Sitha, who now operates a sewing machine at Pactics in Siem Reap.

“Even if I was sick, I had to work,” she recalled of her former job, adding that lighting was poor and temperatures were often uncomfortably high in the tin-roofed building.

By comparison, Holten said his factory was built to maximize natural light and airflow.

More pleasant for workers, the “green” setup also saves him money with less need to run lights and air conditioners.

“What we try to do is create an environment with a lot of daylight,” he said, pointing out trees that cool air by soaking up humidity, and a pond collecting rainwater to flush toilets.

Safety is also key, Holten said, so he has a well-stocked first aid room and a permanent nurse on staff, as well as subsidizing quality helmets for workers who ride motorcycles.

Cambodia’s roads are notorious, and Khun Tharo, the rights activist, said accidents on the way to and from work are the most common cause of injury and death for textile workers.

On the outskirts of Phnom Penh in the morning and evenings, it is common to see workers packed into the back of open-air trucks without seatbelts, many of them standing.

“They are loaded like animals,” said Khun Tharo.

The post The Cambodian Textile Factory that Craves ‘Normal’ appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Pilot Radioed Alert on Doomed Indonesian Jet’s Previous Flight

Posted: 01 Nov 2018 09:43 PM PDT

JAKARTA — The pilot of a Lion Air flight from Indonesia’s Bali Island on Sunday made a radio alert minutes after takeoff due to technical problems, but they were overcome and he pushed on to Jakarta. The same jet crashed on another flight hours later, killing all 189 people on board.

Herson, chief of the airport authority for the Bali-Nusa Tenggara area, told Reuters that after the alert the pilot updated the control tower to say that the plane was flying normally and he would not return to the airport as requested.

“The captain himself was confident enough to fly to Jakarta from Denpasar,” said Herson, who goes by one name, speaking by phone from Bali and referring to the resort island’s airport.

The pilot of another plane that was approaching Bali just after the Lion Air jet had taken off said he was ordered to circle above the airport and listened in to a radio conversation between the Lion Air pilot and air traffic controllers.

“Because of the Pan-Pan call, we were told to hold off, circling the airport in the air,” said the pilot, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

“The Lion plane requested to return back to Bali five minutes after takeoff, but then the pilot said the problem had been resolved and he was going to go ahead to Jakarta.”

Pilots use ‘Pan-Pan’ calls to flag urgent situations. They are a step down from ‘Mayday’, which signals severe distress.

The Denpasar-Jakarta flight landed at the Indonesian capital’s airport at 10:55 p.m. local time on Sunday.

The same Boeing 737 MAX jet took off at 6:20 a.m. the next morning, bound for Bangka Island, off Sumatra, and plunged into the sea 13 minutes later. Just before the crash, the pilot had made a request to return to base.

A Lion Air spokesman declined to comment when asked about the alert on the earlier flight, citing the ongoing crash investigation.

The budget airline’s CEO, Edward Sirait, said earlier this week that a technical problem had occurred on the Denpasar-Jakarta flight but it had been resolved “according to procedure”.

Amid media speculation over the airworthiness of the aircraft, the transport minister suspended Lion Air’s technical director and three other officers on Wednesday to facilitate the crash investigation.

The suspended technicians “issued the recommendations for that (final) flight”, the ministry said in a press release. It did not say how many technicians had been suspended.

The country’s second-deadliest air disaster since 1997 has renewed concern about Indonesia’s patchy aviation safety record.

It will also put a spotlight on Boeing’s 737 MAX, which was introduced into commercial service last year and until Monday had an accident-free record. The narrowbody MAX is an update of Boeing's 737 series, the world's most produced family of commercial aircraft and one widely considered to have a strong safety record.

Erratic Flight

During its earlier flight from Bali on Sunday, JT43, the aircraft flew erratically and its airspeed readings were unreliable, according to an accident investigator and a flight tracking website.

According to data from FlightRadar24, the jet displayed unusual variations in altitude and airspeed in the first several minutes of flight – including an 875-foot drop over 27 seconds when it would normally be ascending – before stabilizing and flying on to Jakarta.

However, the pilots kept the plane at a maximum altitude of 28,000 feet compared with 36,000 feet on the same route earlier in the week.

National Transport Safety Committee (NTSC) deputy chief Haryo Satmiko told reporters on Tuesday there were technical problems on the flight, including unreliable airspeed readings.

Divers on Thursday retrieved a flight data recorder from the plane that lay shattered on the muddy sea floor off the coast of Jakarta. The NTSC said it would examine the device to get a clearer picture of what happened on the flight from Bali on Sunday in addition to the flight that crashed on Monday.

Herson, the airport authority chief in Bali, said the aircraft had encountered a “speed and altimeter” problem but the captain was confident that it was airworthy and pressed on.

“He requested to return to the airport for RTB (return to base) but … they updated and flew to Jakarta. The pilot double-checked to ensure that they could fly,” he said.

Two passengers from Sunday’s flight posted on Instagram, reporting that they had been concerned about problems with the air conditioning system and cabin lighting before the plane left Bali nearly three hours late.

Another passenger on JT43 described, in a talk show broadcast by Indonesia’s TVOne, a turbulent flight during which the seatbelt signs were never turned off.

“When the plane took off, it climbed and then went down. It rose again, and then dropped again violently, shaking,” said Diah Mardani. “Everyone in the plane shouted Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest), Subhanallah (Glory to God). We recited every prayer we knew.”

The post Pilot Radioed Alert on Doomed Indonesian Jet’s Previous Flight appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bangladesh PM to Have Unprecedented Talks with Opposition Before Poll

Posted: 01 Nov 2018 09:30 PM PDT

DHAKA — Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will sit down to unprecedented talks with the opposition on Thursday to discuss installing a caretaker government ahead of December’s election, a key demand of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

The BNP, in disarray after the jailing of its chief, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, on corruption charges, stayed away from the last parliamentary election in 2014 when that demand was not met.

That election was marred by widespread violence that killed hundreds of people and disrupted the impoverished South Asian country’s economic mainstay, the $30 billion-a-year export-driven garment industry.

BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the formation of an interim government was necessary to ensure a “level playing field”.

“We will also ask for the release of our chief Khaleda Zia and demand the deployment of the army to ensure smooth voting,” Alamgir told Reuters.

Alamgir said the party still hoped Khaleda, whose jail term was doubled to 10 years on Tuesday, a day after she was jailed in another graft case for seven years, would be released and be able to lead the opposition coalition of 20 parties, the National United Front.

They had not lined up an alternative candidate for prime minister, he added.

The attorney general has ruled out her taking part in the election.

Hasina and Khaleda, who between them have ruled Bangladesh for decades, are bitter rivals and the BNP says its leader has been jailed on trumped up charges to keep her out of politics.

The government and Hasina’s Awami League deny the accusation and say the courts are independent.

Anisul Huq, minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs, declined to comment on the agenda for the talks.

Mohammad Abdur Rashid, the executive director of the Institute of Conflict, Law and Development Studies in Dhaka, said the meeting had raised hopes of a comparatively peaceful election for Bangladesh, which has attracted international attention for hosting tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees from neighboring Myanmar.

“People don’t want anarchism like in the previous election,” Rashid told Reuters.

Outgoing US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat on Tuesday called the meeting a positive development.

“All sides must avoid violence,” she said. “Violence hinders the democratic process.”

The post Bangladesh PM to Have Unprecedented Talks with Opposition Before Poll appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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