Tuesday, November 6, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

KNU Leadership Gathers to Firm Up Position on Peace Process

Posted: 06 Nov 2018 06:41 AM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand—The Karen National Union (KNU) convened an emergency meeting of its Central Standing Committee to review the state of the peace process at its headquarters in Lay Wah in Karen State's Paan district on Tuesday.

The KNU leadership will consult with members to find ways to overcome deadlocks in negotiations with the government on the implementation of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). The ethnic armed organization (EAO) temporarily suspended its participation in all peace negotiations late last month.

It said it would hold internal discussions to reach a "consensus" on its implementation mechanisms, framework and decision-making process regarding the peace process.

KNU leaders attended a high-level summit between EAO, government and military leaders in mid-October in Naypyitaw held to commemorate the third anniversary of the NCA signing. They decided that the group should hold internal discussions before proceeding with further peace talks, however.

In a brief press advisory posted on a KNU social media page on Tuesday, senior leaders said the Nov. 6-10 Central Standing Committee meeting will focus on finding ways to overcome the deadlocks, as well as ways to improve trust building. It added that the negotiating parties needed to find a means to bridge the gap of understanding between the EAOs and the government over setting basic principles for the establishment of a democratic federal union.

The majority of the 55 Central Standing Committee members are attending this week's discussions, together with the EAO's top military officers led by commander-in-chief General Saw Johnny and his deputy, Lieutenant-General Baw Kyaw Heh.

According to KNU sources, Tuesday's discussion went well.

Naw Zipporah Sein, a former vice chairwoman of the KNU, said the meeting was important, as it would review the peace process and path to implementation of the NCA.

Though she is not currently a member of the committee, Naw Zipporah Sein said the leaders were working to find "ways to build a federal union through political dialogue."

She said many KNU members were concerned that the NCA had drifted from its original purpose, as Myanmar's military (or Tatmadaw) was increasingly asserting that the route to ending armed conflict was via disarmament, and not through meaningful political dialogue.

"Our concern is whether the parties, especially the Tatmadaw, to the peace process are willing to achieve peace," she told The Irrawaddy.

Observers of the peace process follow the KNU leadership's views closely, as the group has been a key player in moving the process forward.

The KNU's decision to momentarily suspend participation in peace negotiations has resulted in a postponement of the EAOs' peace discussions.

The post KNU Leadership Gathers to Firm Up Position on Peace Process appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Lawmaker Complains of ‘Shoddy’ Bridge Construction in Kachin

Posted: 06 Nov 2018 05:03 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — Two bridges and an embankment in Kachin State's Hsawlaw Township built at a cost of several hundred thousand US dollars have fallen into disrepair only seven months after going into service due to substandard construction, a Lower House lawmaker told The Irrawaddy.

Lan Se bridge and Htan Tan bridge were built with money from the 2017-18 fiscal year budget at an expense of 500 million kyats ($315,000) and 300 million kyats ($189,000), respectively.

Seven months after they opened to the public, they are tilting and can no longer cope with heavy traffic.

"Construction [of Lan Se bridge] started in December last year, and [the bridge] was damaged seven months after it was built. Now only small vehicles can cross it; trucks, 12-wheel vehicles and backhoes can't," said lawmaker U Lar Mar Lay, who represents Hsawlaw Township.

He said Htan Tan bridge was so poorly built that it can no longer handle even motorbikes and can only be crossed on foot.

The lawmaker said an embankment built for 40 million kyats ($25,000) was exhibiting poor workmanship as well.

"It is because of the negligence of the companies that built them. They did shoddy work and used inferior materials," U Lar Mar Lay said.

"I will ask a question about it when Parliament resumes," he said. "If [the contractors] didn't comply with the standards, the quality control teams have to take responsibility. [The contractors] have already handed over the structures. I want action to be taken against the quality control teams as well."

The Irrawaddy could not reach the spokesperson of the Construction Ministry’s bridge department for comment.

U Myint Zaw, deputy director general of the ministry’s building department, said contractors are responsible for damage that occurs to their projects within a set period of time.

"If the contracts were given through bidding, the companies have to make repairs if the structures are damaged before the period — for example, two years — agreed in the contracts. They have to take responsibility," he told The Irrawaddy.

The Lower House Transportation, Communications and Construction Committee said it had not yet received a formal complaint from U Lar Mar Lay but would take action if and when it did.

"It is not easy for ethnic [minority] regions to get a budget [for roads and bridges]. Even if we get it, it seems that it is useless," U Lar Mar Lay said.

In August, the Construction Ministry came under fire in Parliament from lawmakers who accused it of poor oversight of build-operate-transfer road projects.

Lawmakers called on the ministry to stick closely to the tender procedures laid out by the President's Office, inspect construction sites, prepare contracts properly and take harsh action against corrupt officials and companies that break their contracts.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Lawmaker Complains of ‘Shoddy’ Bridge Construction in Kachin appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Officials Still Using Telecom Law to Silence Critics Despite Amendments

Posted: 06 Nov 2018 04:40 AM PST

YANGON—Changes to the Telecommunications Law have done little to halt its use by politicians and officials to silence their critics, with 62 legal cases having been filed under Article 66 (d) of the controversial legislation since it was amended in 2017.

Of those cases, 20 were filed against perceived critics by lawmakers from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) and government officials, and one similar case was filed by the military, according to Athan, an organization that advocates for freedom of expression.

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

Dozens of civil society organizations and free-speech advocates called on the government to repeal Article 66 (d), the most controversial provision of the law, but it remains in place despite the amendments.

Article 66 (d) has been used in recent years to prosecute individuals for "online defamation", including members of the media, some of whom have been detained and jailed. According to Athan, 29 reporters are currently on trial for Article 66 (d)-related offenses.

In the year and four months between the time the NLD came to power and the passage of the amendments, 90 cases were filed under the legislation. This compares to 11 cases under former President U Thein Sein's government from the time the law was enacted in 2013 until early 2016.

Maung Saungkha, founder and executive director at Athan, said the government chose to ignore civil society groups' recommendations to scrap Article 66 (d). As a result, he said, the number of cases filed under the provision had grown despite the amendments, with lawmakers and authorities abusing the article to stifle dissent.

A perceived backsliding on freedom of expression has been one of the major criticisms leveled at the NLD-led government since it came to power in 2016 amid high public expectations that it would take significant steps to advance such freedoms.

In a recent case, the Yangon Regional Government led by Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein filed a controversial lawsuit against three journalists from Eleven Media under Article 505 (b) of the Penal Code for publishing a story it claimed included incorrect information about the government. The article accused the Yangon government of wasting public money through mismanagement.

Given that the Eleven Media story was based on lawmakers' discussions of the city budget in the Yangon Parliament, the lawsuit attracted serious criticism as an inappropriately harsh reaction for a democratic government, and was interpreted as a threat to all those seeking to scrutinize the government's activities, and to freedom of expression in general.

Maung Saungkha said the fact that the NLD lost seats in Saturday's by-election was evidence of the public's dissatisfaction with the party, adding that the government needed to implement further legislative reforms.

"The NLD government should learn the lesson of the by-election results and amend repressive laws during the remainder of its tenure," he said.

The post Officials Still Using Telecom Law to Silence Critics Despite Amendments appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

3 Arakanese Accused of Involvement in Army Officer Shooting Released

Posted: 05 Nov 2018 11:14 PM PST

SITTWE, Rakhine State — Three Arakanese men detained in connection with the fatal shooting of a Myanmar Army corporal were released on Monday.

The three were released when no concrete evidence was found linking them to the crime while they were in custody for 30 days at Sittwe Township police station.

"Police have submitted our testimony to the Advocate General's Office [of Rakhine State]. But the office has not yet commented. So, police granted us bail according to police procedure and released us," Khine Bo Bo, one of the three Arakanese men, told the media.

The other two men are Ko Aung Che from Buthidaung Township and Ko May Yu Tun of the Arakan National Party (ANP). The ANP put up bail of 10 million kyats for each.

"The remand period ends today (Monday) and they would have had to be put on trial. But there is not enough evidence so they were released," said Daw Aye Nu Sein, the lawyer acting for the three men.

When asked by The Irrawaddy, police lieutenant Aye Kyaw of the Sittwe Township police station said, "The case was transferred to the CID [Criminal Investigation Department] on Oct. 11."

Win Htike (aka) Poe Lone, a corporal with the Military Security Affairs Office of the Myanmar Army, was fatally shot while he visited a fair with his family at Wingabar Grounds in the state capital Sittwe on Sept. 25.

Ko Aung Che, a university student, was arrested on Oct. 9, and two others, the following day.

ANP member Ko May Yu Tun was with Lower House lawmaker Daw Khin Saw Wai and other ANP members on an election campaign in Rathedaung Township the day the corporal was killed.

Ko Khaing Bo Bo told the media that he also had an alibi for the time of the fatal shooting.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post 3 Arakanese Accused of Involvement in Army Officer Shooting Released appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to do in Yangon This Week

Posted: 05 Nov 2018 10:04 PM PST

 

Si Thu Lwin: A Part of Me

Celebrated singer Si Thu Lwin will perform.

Nov. 10, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Hexagon Complex, East Horse Race Course. Tickets 30,000 kyats to 100,000 kyats at 09-445 151 010

G Fatt: One Man Show

Chart-topping singer G Fatt will sing for his fans.

Nov. 11, 7 p.m. Kandawgyi Hmawsinkyun. Tickets 10,000 kyats at 09-445 151 010

Waterzonic Myanmar

One of the biggest music festivals in Southeast Asia.

Nov. 10, 6 p.m. till late. The ONE Entertainment Park, Paw San Hmwe Street. Tickets 25,000 kyats to 60,000 kyats at 09-258-835-886.

Memory Film Festival

The Cameraman (1928) directed by Buster Keaton and Edward Sedgwick will be screened with a live accompaniment performed under the supervision of U Kyi Soe Tun.

Nov. 9, 6 p.m. Waziya Cinema. Free entry

FAB #77

A party of pop, dance and all-time gay favorites by DJ Mike; two drag performances and loads of fun.

Nov. 9, 10 p.m. till late. Club Pyrite, near Inya Lake Hotel. 5,000 kyats.

Open-Air Percussion Concert

Myanmar, Asian and European percussionists will perform together.

Nov. 8, 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. Maha Bandula Park. Free entry

 

&PROUD Photo and Art

This exhibition showcases a photography project on Yangon's transgender community by photographer Grace Baey as well as the winners of the &Proud Photo competition.

Nov. 8-18, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Myanm/art, No. 98, 3rd floor, Bogalay Zay St.  

 

There Are No Homosexuals in Iran

Laurence Rasti's photos feature the life of gay Iranians in Denizli, a city in Turkey.

Nov. 8-18, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Myanm/art, No. 98, 3rd floor, Bogalay Zay St.

Seik Soup Yar II By KK(BK)

Artist Kyaw Kyaw showcases his works.

Nov. 9-12. 43 Art Gallery, No. 101, 2nd floor, 43rd Street, between Mahabandula & Merchant streets.

U Thu Kha Centenary

Paintings will be showcased to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of late painter U Thu Kha.

Nov. 13-15, The Strand Hotel.

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

Indonesia Jet Had Damaged Airspeed Indicator on Last Four Flights: Official

Posted: 05 Nov 2018 08:52 PM PST

JAKARTA/WASHINGTON — Indonesian accident investigators said an airspeed indicator of a Boeing Co 737 MAX plane that crashed last week was damaged for its last four flights, but US authorities responded cautiously to suggestions of fleet-wide checks.

The damage on a Lion Air jet that crashed into the sea, killing all 189 aboard, was revealed after data had been downloaded from the plane’s flight data recorder, Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) chief Soerjanto Tjahjono told reporters on Monday.

His agency was asking Boeing and US authorities what action to take to prevent similar problems on this type of plane around the world, he added.

“We are formulating, with NTSB and Boeing, detailed inspections regarding the airspeed indicator,” he said, referring to the US National Transportation Safety Board.

The acting administrator of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Dan Elwell, said the FAA and NTSB had teams of experts in Indonesia at the government’s request.

“Any action the FAA would take regarding that incident would have to wait until we have findings, until we have information,” Elwell said in Washington.

Indonesia has not formally requested fleet-wide checks on 737 MAX jets and none are planned pending more data, a person familiar with matter said, on condition of anonymity.

Investigators have not disclosed any reports of other airspeed failures on the aircraft.

The FAA, which regulates the US aviation industry, has not received any reports of airspeed issues with the model in the United States, said a person familiar with its reviews, who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to speak.

It was not immediately clear whether the problem with the crashed jet stemmed from a mechanical or maintenance issue.

“We don’t know yet where the problem lies, what repair has been done, what their reference books are, what components have been removed,” said Nurcahyo Utomo, the KNKT sub-committee head for air accidents.

“These are the things we are trying to find out: what was the damage and how it was fixed.”

Safety experts say it is too early to determine the cause of the crash on Monday last week of the flight from Jakarta to the tin-mining town of Pangkal Pinang.

Authorities have yet to recover the jet’s cockpit voice recorder from the sea floor, just northeast of Jakarta, where the plane crashed 13 minutes into its flight.

Boeing declined to comment. The US manufacturer has delivered 219 737 MAX jets to customers globally, its website shows, with 4,564 orders for jets yet to be delivered.

The Boeing 737 MAX is a more fuel-efficient version of the manufacturer’s popular single-aisle jet.

The Lion Air crash was the first involving the type of plane, which airlines introduced into service last year.

The post Indonesia Jet Had Damaged Airspeed Indicator on Last Four Flights: Official appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Says Ready for US Talks, Sees No Winners in Trade War

Posted: 05 Nov 2018 08:30 PM PST

SINGAPORE — China is ready to hold discussions and work with the United States to resolve trade disputes because the world’s two largest economies stand to lose from confrontation, Vice President Wang Qishan said on Tuesday.

Beijing and Washington have imposed tit-for-tat duties on each other’s goods over recent months, with neither side backing down from an increasingly bitter trade dispute that has jolted financial markets and cast a pall over the global economy.

The focus is now on US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of the month. Trump has threatened to impose further tariffs on $267 billion of Chinese imports into the United States if the two countries cannot reach a deal on trade.

“Both China and the US would love to see greater trade and economic cooperation,” Wang told the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore.

“The Chinese side is ready to have discussions with the US on issues of mutual concern and work for a solution on trade acceptable to both sides,” he said.

“The world today faces many major problems that require close cooperation between China and the United States,” he said. “It is our firm belief that China and the US will both gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.”

Wang echoed comments by President Xi on Monday at a major trade expo that Beijing will embrace greater openness, amid mounting frictions with the United States.

Trump has railed against China for what he sees as intellectual property theft, entry barriers to US business and a gaping trade deficit.

“Negativity and anger are not the way to address the problems that have emerged in economic globalization, nor will barriers or disputes help solve one’s own problems,” Wang said. “Instead they would only exacerbate global market turbulence.”

Beijing supports the settlement of international disputes via rules and consensus and stands against unilateralism and protectionism, he added.

“Trade and economic cooperation remain the anchor and propeller of a steady and healthy China-US relationship which is in essence mutually beneficial. China will stay calm and sober-minded, embrace greater openness and work for mutual benefit.”

The United States and China will hold the top-level diplomatic and security dialogue in Washington on Friday, the US State Department said.

Trump, who is expected to meet Xi at the G20 summit in Argentina later this month, said on Monday China wants to make a deal.

“If we can make the right deal, a deal that’s fair, we’ll do that. Otherwise we won't do it.”

The post China Says Ready for US Talks, Sees No Winners in Trade War appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

For Trump Supporters, Elections a Battle to Protect a Leader Under Siege

Posted: 05 Nov 2018 08:26 PM PST

CLEVELAND — For many Americans, Tuesday’s congressional midterm elections are a referendum on Republican President Donald Trump's divisive persona, hardline policies and pugnacious politics.

But on the eve of the election, in a packed airport hangar in Cleveland and at other Trump rallies across the nation, the stakes are different: a vote to protect a leader they see as under siege, whose inflammatory rhetoric is a necessary price for a norm-shattering era of change.

“You think we’re letting that caravan come into this country?” Trump asked the crowd on Monday, referring to a group of Central American migrants moving through Mexico toward the US border.

“No!” his supporters shouted.

At rallies overflowing with red-hatted, mostly white supporters in conservative pockets of the country, those backing Trump say they hope to make his ideas the dominant force in American political life for decades to come.

They face strong headwinds. Nationally, about 52 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s performance. More people say they would vote for a Democratic candidate than a Republican in Tuesday’s congressional elections, Reuters/Ipsos polling shows.

But pro-Trump Republicans are eager to defy expectations, just as the president did with his 2016 victory.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, pro-Trump activist Ben Hirschmann, 23, sees Tuesday’s elections as decisive for Trump's vision of America.

"Trump's not on the ballot, but he is on the ballot,” he said at a phone-bank event to get out the vote at the local Republican headquarters. “Everything we voted for in 2016 is on the line in 2018."

‘Now We're Living Good'

Trump embarked on a three-state tour in the Midwest on Monday, holding rallies in Ohio, Indiana and Missouri.

He has a clear strategy: drive Republican turnout by painting a dark, apocalyptic vision of life in America under Democrats, while fanning fears over illegal immigration. He casts his rivals as an angry, liberal and dangerous “mob” and plays up gains in the economy.

“Democrats produce mobs. Republicans produce jobs,” Trump said in Cleveland, repeating a familiar line from his rallies.

But as the frequency of his speeches and rallies increases, so too have his distortions and falsehoods, according to the Washington Post’s “Fact Checker” database. In the seven weeks before Tuesday’s elections, Trump averaged 30 false or misleading claims a day, up from an average of five a day during his first nine months in office.

Trump frequently denies that he misleads the public and instead blames the media for what he describes as distortions of his words.

It is unclear whether Trump’s campaign strategy will work.

Republicans are expected to keep control of the Senate. But Democrats are widely favored to win the 23 seats they need to assume control of the House of Representatives. The Republican Party is defending dozens of seats in largely suburban districts where Trump's popularity has languished and Democrats have performed well in presidential races.

Trump’s rallies have focused mostly on Senate and gubernatorial battles in states he won in the 2016 White House race – from Florida and Missouri to West Virginia and Ohio. A Trump adviser, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters: "These are places where data and polling information tells us that the president is of best use."

At a rally in Johnson City, Tennessee, in early October, Jessica Lotz, 33, and her fiancé, Chad Lavery, 49, said Trump's immigration policies resonated with them. During the 2008 economic downturn, Lotz and Lavery said they saw construction, landscaping and house-painting jobs go to illegal immigrants while they struggled financially.

As the economy rebounded, so, too, did their fortunes.

"Now we’re living good," Lavery said, crediting their ability to find work and better wages to Trump, who inherited an economy that was already in one of its longest recoveries and gave it an additional boost with tax cuts.

‘Frustrated'

After a Trump rally in September in Springfield, Missouri, pro-Trump activist Brenda Webb, 64, sat for a late dinner at a restaurant with five friends who had driven to the rally from the St. Louis suburbs.

Webb and her friends had joined protests against Democratic then-President Barack Obama in St. Louis in 2009 that were part of a broader conservative "Tea Party" movement centered on calls for smaller government, lower taxes and fewer regulations.

But the energy fizzled, she said. The group became animated talking about how Trump had given new focus to those early Tea Party goals of reclaiming government for ordinary citizens, not just the “elites” in Washington.

"We feel like he’s working to resolve all the problems that we are so frustrated by," Webb said.

At the Springfield rally, Brian Whorton, who drove a few hours to see the president, said he voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012 before becoming a Republican. “I was not politically aware and awake. I thought, ‘Oh he’s cool and he’s a good speaker and an African-American guy,'” said Whorton, who is white.

Trump's policies, he said, were making a difference for him: He said his manager at an aluminum electrical wire factory had credited Trump tariffs with raising their profits.

“He is putting people back to work,” said retired postal worker Barbara Peacock, 58, as she leafed through Trump 2020 re-election merchandise at his rally in Macon, Georgia, on Sunday. “He is telling it like it is.”

In Ohio, Republican National Committee spokeswoman Mandi Merritt referred to pro-Trump enthusiasts as a "grassroots army" that could be harnessed and dispatched to boost Republican voter turnout.

On a sunny day in October, Trump supporter Kimmy Kolkovich, 46, joined a friend on the sidewalk at a busy intersection near the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus to urge people to register and vote.

"Even if I'm registering people who are going to vote for the other party, they're seeing us out here in our hats, and that's what's important, all the little interactions and conversations we're having," Kolkovich said.

The post For Trump Supporters, Elections a Battle to Protect a Leader Under Siege appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Facebook Says Human Rights Report Shows It Should Do More in Myanmar

Posted: 05 Nov 2018 08:24 PM PST

SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook Inc on Monday said a human rights report it commissioned on its presence in Myanmar showed it had not done enough to prevent its social network from being used to incite violence.

The report by San Francisco-based nonprofit Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) recommended that Facebook more strictly enforce its content policies, increase engagement with both Myanmar officials and civil society groups and regularly release additional data about its progress in the country.

“The report concludes that, prior to this year, we weren’t doing enough to help prevent our platform from being used to foment division and incite offline violence. We agree that we can and should do more,” Alex Warofka, a Facebook product policy manager, said in a blog post.

BSR also warned that Facebook must be prepared to handle a likely onslaught of misinformation during Myanmar’s 2020 elections, and new problems as use of its WhatsApp grows in Myanmar, according to the report, which Facebook released.

A Reuters special report in August found that Facebook failed to promptly heed numerous warnings from organizations in Myanmar about social media posts fueling attacks on minority groups such as the Rohingya.

In August 2017 the military led a crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine State in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents, pushing more than 700,000 Muslims to neighboring Bangladesh, according to UN agencies.

The social media website in August removed several Myanmar military officials from the platform to prevent the spread of “hate and misinformation,” for the first time banning a country’s military or political leaders.

It also removed dozens of accounts for engaging in a campaign that “used seemingly independent news and opinion pages to covertly push the messages of the Myanmar military.”

The move came hours after United Nations investigators said the army carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Muslim Rohingya with "genocidal intent."

Facebook said it has begun correcting shortcomings.

Facebook said that it now has 99 Myanmar language specialists reviewing potentially questionable content. In addition, it has expanded use of automated tools to reduce distribution of violent and dehumanizing posts while they undergo review.

In the third quarter, the company said it “took action” on about 64,000 pieces of content that violated its hate speech policies. About 63 percent were identified by automated software, up from 52 percent in the prior quarter.

Facebook has roughly 20 million users in Myanmar, according to BSR, which warned Facebook faces several unresolved challenges in Myanmar.

BSR said locating staff there, for example, could aid in Facebook’s understanding of how its services are used locally but said its workers could be targeted by the country’s military, which has been accused by the UN of ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya.

The post Facebook Says Human Rights Report Shows It Should Do More in Myanmar appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
Posted by at No comments:

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.

The post China’s Xi Jinping Promises Lower Tariffs, More Imports appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
Posted by at No comments:

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.

The post NLD Says By-Election Losses Signal Need For Reform appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
Posted by at No comments:

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. 

The post NLD Poised to Win 8 of 13 By-Election Races appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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.

The post Early Hours of By-Election See Modest Voter Turnout appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)