Tuesday, February 5, 2019

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Military Chief Discusses IDPs, Peace, Myitsone Dam with Kachin Religious Leaders

Posted: 05 Feb 2019 06:02 AM PST

 

YANGON—Military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing met Kachin religious leaders on Tuesday to discuss IDPs, the peace process and the controversial China-backed Myitsone Dam project, amid discussions with the Kachin armed group on how to move forward on peace negotiations.

In the meeting with representatives of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) and the Catholic community at the military's Northern Command compound, Sen-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said he wants to hasten the return of Kachin IDPs to their homes, expressed a desire to advance the peace process with the Kachin armed group, and said a final decision on the Myitsone Dam would depend on the public's wishes and on Parliament.

The KBC discussed two main issues with the senior general—creating transparency in the peace process focusing on lasting peace, and securing the return of IDPs with the help of Kachin groups including religious and community-based organizations, particularly those working with displaced persons.

KBC Vice President Tu Mai said his group had already set up the Kachin Humanitarian Concern Committee to help IDPs on the ground. The team includes members of many religious organizations and peace advocacy groups.

Tu Mai said, "If they don't discuss [these issues] with us, if something goes wrong, people will suffer the consequences."

He said the military needed to open discussions with all organizations including the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).

"They need to cooperate with us on the return of IDPs," he added.

Recently, the Myanmar military facilitated the return of more than 100 IDPs to their homes in Waimaw Township.

Father Noel Naw Lat, who is in charge of the social-pastoral coordination office of the Catholic Diocese of Myitkyina, said Sen-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing promised that the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) would help to clear landmines and assist with other IDP-related issues in Kachin State.

During the meeting, Kachin religious leaders also conveyed to the Tatmadaw chief the public's objections to the Myitsone Dam. Local people are planning to stage a demonstration against the project this week.

The Myitsone Dam project has received nationwide pushback due to concerns over the dam's social and environmental impacts. It was suspended in 2011 under then-President U Thein Sein's administration. However, it came under the spotlight again when Chinese Ambassador Hong Liang claimed after a visit to Kachin State at the end of December that the Kachin people were not opposed to its resumption.

Father Noel Naw Lat showed strong opposition to the Myitsone Dam during the meeting. "He [Sen-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing] said it is hard to go against the public's will. He promised the Tatmadaw would do anything it can. But the final decision would be made by the Hluttaw [Parliament]," Father Noel Naw Lat said.

Last week Cardinal Charles Bo, the archbishop of Yangon, said in a statement that the controversial Myitsone Dam slated for construction at the source of the Irrawaddy River, known as Myanmar's lifeline, "must be stopped" to ensure a peaceful future for the country, adding that the construction of the dam would be a "death sentence for the people of Myanmar".

Father Noel Naw Lat said Sen-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing also mentioned that he would continue peace talks with the Kachin armed group, as he wants to see progress on peace negotiations in Kachin State.

In December, the Tatmadaw declared a unilateral four-month ceasefire effective in active conflict areas in north and northeast Myanmar. The first such truce ever initiated by the military, it covers the Northern Command in Kachin State.

China has been acting as a peace broker between the military and members of the Northern Alliance, a group comprising the KIA, the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).

In January, government peace representatives and the KIA held an informal meeting in Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan province. The KIA requested that government sit down with the other Northern Alliance members, the AA, TNLA and MNDAA.

On Monday, the Peace Talks Creation Group (PCG), a Kachin group that acts to broker peace talks between EAOs and the government, told The Irrawaddy that the government had agreed to hold a formal meeting with Northern Alliance members, but no date has yet been set.

As of Tuesday evening, the Office of the Commander in Chief had yet to make any official announcement regarding Sen-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing's trip to Kachin. The Irrawaddy attempted to contact the spokesperson for the Northern Command, but his phone was switched off.

The post Military Chief Discusses IDPs, Peace, Myitsone Dam with Kachin Religious Leaders appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Committee to Amend Constitution Gets Strong Show of Support in Parliament

Posted: 05 Feb 2019 05:54 AM PST

YANGON — A joint parliamentary committee to draft amendments to the country’s undemocratic Constitution appeared likely to take form after a strong majority of lawmakers who joined a debate on the proposal in Parliament on Tuesday endorsed the idea.

In the first move by the National League for Democracy (NLD) to amend the military-drafter charter since taking power in 2016, party lawmaker U Aung Kyi Nyunt submitted a proposal last week to form the ad hoc committee “as soon as possible.” The legislature’s military-appointed lawmakers objected strenuously, claiming the move violated constitutional rules. The military lawmakers, who are guaranteed 25 percent of the seats in Parliament by the Constitution, showed up to Tuesday’s debate on the proposal but refused to participate.

Thirty lawmakers did join the debate — 12 from the NLD, 11 from five ethnic minority parties, five from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and one from the National United Democratic Party.. All except the five from the military-backed USDP spoke in favor of the committee and offered suggestions on what form it should take.

The Constitution has been criticized for being undemocratic both at home and abroad for articles that place the military beyond the control of the civilian government and that restrict the rights of ethnic minorities including the right to self-determination.

The NLD has been pushing for constitutional amendments since 2013. In a nationwide poll at the time, 97 percent of respondents in 267 townships across the country said they wanted the Constitution changed.

During Tuesday’s debate, Daw Htu May, of the Arakan League for Democracy, said she welcomed the formation of the reform committee because “the constitutional crisis is Myanmar's crisis” and called for an inclusive body.

"The constitution of a democratic country has to guarantee human rights, equality and self-determination for the nation. If you take a hardliner approach this time, you will disappoint people who hold the sovereign power of the union," she said.

U Sai Tun Aye, of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, said constitutional reform was needed to address issues such as decentralization, which could in turn help ethnic minorities achieve greater self-determination.

"I seriously agree with the formation of the committee and will actively be involved upon its formation," he said.

The USDP’s U Maung Myint “seriously” objected, echoing the military’s complaint from last week that constitutional rules were being breached.

Citing Chapter 12 of the Constitution, the USDP and military say any proposed amendments must be submitted as a bill before being submitted to Parliament for discussion.

"The committee has to be formed after we have the bill. Now it's in reverse order," said U Maung Myint.

However, U Aung Kyi Nyunt, who proposed the committee, and Speaker U T Khun Myat said the proposal had nothing to do with drafting a bill.

"The formation of the committee is the first step to drafting a bill to amend the Constitution," said U T Khun Myat.

Parliament, where the NLD holds more than half the seats, will vote on the formation of the committee on Wednesday.

The post Committee to Amend Constitution Gets Strong Show of Support in Parliament appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Government Agrees to Meet Northern Alliance as a Group

Posted: 05 Feb 2019 05:33 AM PST

YANGON—The government has agreed to meet the Northern Alliance, a coalition of four ethnic armed groups, as a single entity for peace talks, according to U Hsan Awng of the Peace-talk Creation Group (PCG), a Kachin-based organization that helps to broker meetings between the government, Myanmar Army and Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

Previously, the government would only negotiate with the members unilaterally, and consistently rejected the four groups' request to hold talks with the government as a coalition.

The Northern Alliance consists of the Arakan Army (AA), the KIA, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).

"The date has not been set yet. But I am sure they will meet this month. I heard that the government agreed to meet them collectively," U Hsan Awng said.

The government's National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) and the Northern Alliance are currently choosing a date for the meeting and deciding which delegates to send.

However, U Hsan Awng warned that ongoing clashes in Rakhine State, where the AA is attempting to establish a stronghold, and the military's recent occupation of the headquarters of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang in the Naga Self-Administered Zone have eroded the ethnic armed groups' trust in the military and could hamper the talks.

Officials of the NRPC and a KIA delegation led by the group's leader General Gun Maw held informal talks in China's Kunming on Jan. 21. At the meeting, he requested that the government meet the Northern Alliance as a single entity.

The NRPC has not held talks with the MNDAA, TNLA or AA.

"When we met with the KIO delegation in Yunnan [in China] in January, they proposed a 1+3 negotiation format," U Hla Maung Shwe, an adviser to the government's Peace Commission, told The Irrawaddy.

"The policy of the government is, if the discussion is based on signing the NCA [Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement], a 1+3 negotiation is possible. Because all those four groups as members of the NCCT [Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team] participated in the NCA negotiation process with the UPWC [Union Peace-making Work Committee]. So, if the negotiation is based on signing the NCA, a 1+3 negotiation is likely," he added.

Colonel Kyaw Han of the AA said he had not been informed of the government's proposal for peace talks.

TNLA information officer Mai Aie Kyaw said, "They [the Myanmar Army] have declared [a ceasefire] for four months. But one month has already passed and there is still no dialogue. So, we don't know how they intend to hold talks. But it is important that many talks should be held during that [four-month] period."

He added that there had been no communication through informal channels such as by e-mail or phone between the TNLA leaders and the government.

The KIA briefed officials from the MNDAA, TNLA and AA on its talks with the NRPC at its headquarters in Kachin State's Laiza on Jan. 29.

Chinese special envoy Sun Guoxiang met the leaders of the MNDAA, TNLA and AA in Kunming two days later. However, the Chinese envoy simply repeated the statements of Myanmar Army chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing during the meeting, according to Mai Aie Kyaw.

The Myanmar Army (or Tatmadaw) has declared a unilateral ceasefire in areas overseen by five military commands effective from Dec. 21, 2018 to April 30, 2019. The ceasefire does not cover Rakhine State overseen by the Western Command. Clashes have intensified between the Myanmar Army and the AA in several townships in Rakhine and Chin State's Paletwa.

The Myanmar President's Office on Jan. 7 ordered the military to crush the AA with a counter-insurgency operation.

The post Government Agrees to Meet Northern Alliance as a Group appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Facebook Bans ‘Dangerous’ Armed Groups in Myanmar From Platform

Posted: 05 Feb 2019 05:11 AM PST

YANGON —Facebook announced on Tuesday afternoon that it has banned the four ethnic armed groups that comprise Myanmar’s Northern Alliance, calling them "dangerous organizations."

It said all related praise, support and representation of the Arakan Army, Kachin Independence Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and Ta'ang National Liberation Army would also be removed as soon as the company becomes aware of it.

“There is clear evidence that these organizations have been responsible for attacks against civilians and have engaged in violence in Myanmar, and we want to prevent them from using our services to further inflame tensions on the ground,” its statement said.

The company said it was aware that the sources of ethnic violence in the country were "incredibly complex and cannot be resolved by a social media company" but that it wanted to do whatever it could to minimize incitement and hate speech.

"We don't want anyone to use Facebook to incite or promote violence, no matter who they are," it said.

The company added that since August it has also banned some of Myanmar’s most senior military officials from the platform and taken down three networks that were "misrepresenting who they were and what they were doing."

To reduce the likelihood that Facebook can be used to facilitate hate offline, the company said it was continually identifying and removing fake accounts, finding and removing violent actors, building better tools and technologies to "proactively find bad content" and updating its policies.

Contacted Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman for the Arakan Army said he was not aware of the ban and declined to comment. On Twitter, however, the group’s deputy chief-of-staff, Nyo Tun Aung, said the alliance members were freedom fighters and questioned Facebook’s decision to label them “dangerous organizations.”

Some Facebook users criticized the company’s decision to take down the pages and accused it of selectively targeting armed groups that have not signed Myanmar’s Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. The country has dozens of active armed groups, most of which use Facebook to post updates on their clashes with the military or rival groups or on their negotiations with the military and government on a national peace accord.

Ko Maw Htun Aung, founder of Another Development, a Yangon-based social policy think-tank, said Facebook had become "frenetic” and was “overreacting to their past failure," referring to Facebook activity that accompanied the Myanmar military’s crackdown in Rakhine State in late 2017, which drove some 700,000 Rohingya refugees into neighboring Bangladesh.

"Their lack of monitoring of real hate speech led to real-world consequences. However, that should not make them overreact, because it could lead to the curtailing of the freedom of speech in Myanmar," he said.

Ko Maw Htun Aung said that when adopting new policies Facebook should distinguish between online activity that is and is not likely to cause real-world harm, and that posts by armed groups about their fighting with the military or other groups should not be considered a risk unless they explicitly call for violence.

The post Facebook Bans ‘Dangerous’ Armed Groups in Myanmar From Platform appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Informal Talks with Northern Alliance a Positive Move for Peace

Posted: 05 Feb 2019 05:07 AM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand—The government's decision to hold the first ever collective informal talks with all four members of the Northern Alliance, none of which have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), in Kunming in China's Yunnan Province is a positive step towards bringing more NCA signatories to the table for formal peace negotiations.

The decision to hold the talks came after a meeting between government peace negotiators and a Kachin Independence Organization's (KIO's) delegation led by Gen. Gun Maw in Kunming on Jan. 21, when the KIO proposed that the government delegation sit down for talks with all four members of the Northern Alliance bloc. Talks are proposed for mid-February.

The bloc, comprised of the KIO's armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Ta'ang Nationalities Liberation Army (TNLA), Kokang's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA), was formed in late 2016 and is led by the KIA.

U Thein Zaw, vice chairperson of the government's Peace Commission been leading negotiations with other ethnic armed groups in northern Shan State. The informal proposed talks are to be held with the objective of negotiating an agenda for formal talks inside the country, according to the Peace Commission, a peace negotiation body under the National Reconciliation and Peace Center.

"We will mainly discuss how to move towards signing the nationwide ceasefire agreement," said U Khin Zaw Oo, the commission's secretary and a key negotiator. However, a date is yet to be agreed on.

For the peace talks to move forward comprehensively, the government intends to hold formal meetings with these four groups in Naypyitaw, following which, the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) negotiation team would then meet the groups individually.

The four bloc members were included in a team which collectively drafted the NCA text with the Union Peace-making Work Committee in 2014 and 2015, but subsequently dropped out of the process after three of its members—the AA, TNLA and MNDAA—were denied equal inclusion in the peace process. As a consequence, there were heightened military tensions in Kachin and northern Shan State until a unilateral ceasefire was declared on Dec. 21 while sporadic clashes have continued to break out between the Tatmadaw and the AA in Rakhine State.

Although the Tatmadaw gave the green light to government negotiators to meet the four groups together as a collective bloc, the extent to which the groups can push forward in negotiating their demands remains to be seen.

The Tatmadaw has been engaged in battles with the AA in western Myanmar where it claims to be carrying out counter insurgency operations. It has also accused the Northern Alliance members of tormenting the public through forced recruitment, extortion, expanding their territories, creating interethnic armed conflicts and ambushing Tatmadaw troops. On Jan. 25 it ordered the groups to retreat from the Tatamaw’s areas of operation until next week and to enter peace talks with either the government or the Tatmadaw negotiation team.

Informal talks are also expected to take place between the government and a number of other individual armed groups including the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the United Wa State Army (UWSA), and Mongla's National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) this month. Though the RCSS is an NCA-signatory, it suspended its participation in the joint ceasefire monitoring mechanism last November and has been holding negotiations with the government in order to get the formal talks back on track. The UWSA and the NDAA have only signed bilateral ceasefires and maintain that they don't need to sign the NCA as they only want to take part in the political dialogue process and not make the commitments stipulated by the agreement.

KNU not ready for informal talks with the government

As peace negotiations with the northern groups slowly move forward, the government and the Karen National Union (KNU) have not yet been able to set a date for their next round of informal talks.

The KNU won't be able to meet the government until after the third week of this month, as the members of the 10 NCA signatories are busy, according to Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win, the vice chairman of the KNU. The group said in January that it would only advance talks with the Tatmadaw after holding a meeting with all ten signatories of the NCA. Meanwhile, it will continue with informal talks.

The RCSS' plan to meet the government and Tatmadaw leaders for formal talks this week did not happen either.

The Tatmadaw's Jan. 25 statement made the armed groups—particularly the RCSS and KNU which had meetings scheduled—reconsider meeting the negotiation team and all signatory groups have postponed peace talks momentarily.

The RCSS will informally meet peace commission members at their headquarters in Loi Tai Leng, southern Shan State on Thursday during the 72nd Shan National Day celebrations, according to RCSS spokesperson Sai Meng. He said they have invited government and Tatmadaw representatives to their ceremony.

Peace council member U Aung Soe and advisor U Hla Maung Shwe will attend Thursday's event. The government has also invited the NCA signatories to their Union Day celebration on Feb. 12 in Naypyitaw and further informal talks are expected to take place.

Because negotiations have been on and off, peace negotiators are optimistic about the upcoming talks.

"[We] hope the situation will improve," added U Khin Zaw Oo, saying that informal talks are better than no dialogue at all.

The government will meet representatives of the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) for formal talks in Naypyitaw in the third week of February, according to the Peace Commission.

The post Informal Talks with Northern Alliance a Positive Move for Peace appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Scores of Orphaned Migrant Children Granted Thai ID Cards

Posted: 05 Feb 2019 04:05 AM PST

Some 46 children born to Myanmar migrants in Thailand and now living in an orphanage and studying at a school in the country have been granted Thai ID cards, according to the Social Action for Children and Women (SAW) organization.

Thai immigration authorities issued ID cards to all 46 students in Mae Sot district of Tak province, Thailand on Feb. 4. Being granted ID cards promises to transform their lives, said Daw Aye Aye Mar, the director of SAW.

"I had long wondered how to get ID cards for the children, because it is very important for their lives. If they don't have ID cards, it's not easy for them to stay in Thailand. It's not safe for them if they don't have ID cards," she said.

The 46 children have documents showing that they were born at the Mae Tao Clinic or the Thai public hospital in Mae Sot. Daw Aye Aye Mar said her organization was careful to keep all their documents when taking the children into their care.

"I kept all their paper documents in my files. I knew it would be useful one day," she said.

In the past, migrant children who did not have Thai ID cards were not able to study at Thai schools. However, in 2008, when the Democratic Party was in power in Thailand, the Thai government removed this restriction for migrant children.

"After we learned about this, we tried to send our children to Thai schools, but we were not successful at first," she said. She added that the group also tried to send some of the children to private schools, but it was very expensive.

"We had to inform the Thai school authorities about the changes made at the top by the Thai government. The Thai school authorities gradually accepted more students over the years. Eventually, more and more children from orphanages who did not have Thai ID cards were able to study at Thai schools," she said.

"My intention was that our children would get student ID cards once they joined the Thai schools. Their student ID cards would provide them with security instead of having nothing staying in Mae Sot," she said.

She said that after the children attended the Thai schools for five years, the school authorities provided them with local Thai ID cards (known as 10-year-term ID cards). Those who receive the cards qualify for free medical treatment in Thailand when they are sick. The children can also travel freely to Chiang Mai for study trips, she said.

The 46 children are aged between 10 and 18 years old and study in the 4th to the 10th grades.

She said another six students were expected to qualify for Thai IDs soon. The minimum age to apply for the ID card is 10.

Daw Aye Aye Mar was a founding member of SAW. She said the group built the orphanage and had to struggle to find funding after international NGOs withdrew from the Thai-Myanmar border in recent years.

Most of the orphans' parents died of complications from HIV/AIDS. The Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot has to care for many abandoned newborns. Nurses at the clinic try to take care of them until they are a few months old, but limited resources and time makes it hard to take care of them permanently.

"They have no idea where to find people who can take care of them. That's why we opened the orphanage," she said.

Some migrants from Myanmar also abandon newborn babies at the Thai public hospital in Mae Sot, so the hospital has also asked SAW to help take care of such children, she said.

A Thai official presents a Thai citizenship ID card to a girl being raised in an orphanage for children of migrants in Mae Sot, Tak province, Thailand, on Feb. 4, 2019.

When they arrive at the orphanage, the children typically range in age from newborns to 3 months. SAW initially intended to adopt only girls, but they decided to adopt both genders due to the large number of abandoned boys.

All too often, girls arrive who have been raped by their stepfathers and are in need of a safe house. Children from refugee camps who have suffered violence at the hands of family members are also sent to the orphanage.

"As the number of children grew, we decided to open [our own school for kindergarteners and children in the early grades]. But we first had to get permission from the Thai authorities for that. We also wanted them to study at Thai schools [as they got older]. But our children did not have ID cards, so they could not join Thai schools [at first]," she said.

SAW has faced budgetary problems since 2015, when political reforms in Myanmar prompted many international NGOs to withdraw from the Thai-Myanmar border. Many of those international NGOs moved to work inside Myanmar.

Some promised SAW they would continue to donate to the organization if it moved its base inside the country, according to Daw Aye Aye Mar.

However, this was impossible, as all of the children were learning Thai; moving back to Myanmar would mean starting from zero for all of them, she said.

"It did not make sense, because our children were already as far along as grades 9 and 10. They grew up in the Thai community and they are happy to stay with this community. How could we move inside [Myanmar] and let them start primary school again?" she said.

Due to SAW's financial problems, it first had to close down grades 1 to 4 at its own school. This year it was forced to halt the children's studies from grades 5 to 7.

"We only have grades 8 to 10 available for the children to study this year [at SAW's own school]," she said.

Daw Aye Aye Mar said that most of the problems stemmed from conditions inside Myanmar. Many families do not have enough work to support themselves, or else their land has been confiscated by the authorities, leaving them without livelihoods. Many people have no choice but to seek work in neighboring countries, especially Thailand.

The border checkpoint between Kayin State's Myawaddy and Mae Sot is relatively easy to cross. Therefore, many people from Myanmar choose this as their entry point to Thailand, she said.

"[Myanmar] migrants will keep coming to Thailand as long as our country lacks jobs.  And as long as migrants keep coming to the border, children will continue to suffer," she said.

"They [international NGOs] think [Myanmar] has changed politically, but it's not true. If things had changed, no one would need to come looking for work in Thailand," Daw Aye Aye Mar said.

The post Scores of Orphaned Migrant Children Granted Thai ID Cards appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Close Call For Military Convoy on Explosives-Rigged Road in Rakhine

Posted: 05 Feb 2019 03:11 AM PST

SITTWE, Rakhine State — Three explosive devices went off in Rakhine State’s Ann Township only minutes after a military convoy passed the area on Monday, according to local officials and residents. No one was injured.

The three devices exploded between the villages of Me Let Maung and Chauk Chong about 15 minutes after a military convoy of five trucks passed the area at around 8 p.m., said township administrator U Ko Ko Myat, who described the devices as mines.

"Those mines were targeting the military convoys. But because they only exploded 15 minutes after the convoy passed the area, no man or truck was damaged," he told The Irrawaddy.

As the explosions happened only about 5 km from Me Let Maung, the entire village heard the blasts, said U Wai Lin, the village administrator.

"The entire village heard the mine explosions at about 8 p.m. yesterday. But we don't know the details," he said.

U Ko Ko Myat  said the Myanmar military cleared the area afterwards and was searching for the culprits.

"Some villagers said they heard artillery fire, which was in fact the mine explosions. They also said they heard small arms fire; they were fired by soldiers during their clearance operation. There was no fighting there yesterday," he said.

Contacted Tuesday, Rakhine State Minister for Security and Border Affairs Col. Phone Tint said he could not comment because he was in a meeting.

Despite Monday’s explosions, the situation in Ann Township remains stable and passenger buses and cargo trucks are running normally between Yangon and the Rakhine capital, Sittwe, through the area.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Ex-Minister’s Son Prosecuted on Drug, Weapons and Other Charges

Posted: 05 Feb 2019 02:15 AM PST

NAYPYITAW—The Dekkhinathiri District Court in Naypyitaw on Monday prosecuted the son of a former sports minister on 14 counts of illegal possession of firearms and illicit drugs, defense lawyer U Myint Aung told The Irrawaddy.

Police detained U Phyo Ko Ko Tint San, the owner of ACE Co. and the son of the sports minister during U Thein Sein's administration, along with two of his employees at Naypyitaw Airport in October 2017 after discovering 12 yaba tablets, 1.5 grams of methamphetamine, two pistols and 72 bullets in U Phyo Ko Ko Tint San's backpack.

Further investigation led to the seizure of about 30 firearms and more bullets and drugs from the ACE Hotel, property belonging to U Phyo Ko Ko Tint San's company, and his houses in Naypyitaw and Yangon.

Though the seizures were made in two places, Myanmar's Supreme Court ruled that all of the detained suspects should face trial at Dekkhinathiri District Court in the capital.

Twelve other suspects detained in Yangon and Naypyitaw were also prosecuted on Monday along with U Phyo Ko Ko Tint San, lawyer U Myint Aung said.

Along with the drugs and weapons offenses, U Phyo Ko Ko Tint San was charged under Article 67 of the Telecommunications Law for keeping walkie-talkies, Article 8 of the Export/Import Law for keeping drones, and Article 61(a) of the State Secrets Act for the unauthorized use of the National Security Council (NSC) logo on cars and possession of bullet-proof vests and camouflage jackets with SWAT badges similar to those worn by the president's bodyguards.

The trial at Dekkhinathiri District Court began in January last year, and over 400 prosecution witnesses were presented to the court. The court prosecuted the suspects despite having heard testimony from only 200 prosecution witnesses so far.

The judge has the authority to prosecute if he believes that the testimony of the initial witnesses is sufficient to proceed, lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw of Pyinmana Township told The Irrawaddy.

"This will accelerate the trial process which otherwise would take time. As the court has tried them, it is OK not to cross-examine the remaining witnesses," he said.

U Phyo Ko Ko Tint San reportedly told police during interrogation that he had been planning to establish a security company, though existing laws do not allow private companies to provide armed security services.

The next trial session is scheduled for Feb. 11.

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Ex-General U Shwe Mann Registers New ‘Union Betterment Party’

Posted: 05 Feb 2019 01:46 AM PST

YANGON—Ex-general and former Lower House Speaker U Shwe Mann applied to register a new political party called the Union Betterment Party with the Union Election Commission (UEC) in Naypyitaw on Tuesday.

Rumors that U Shwe Mann, ousted chairman of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), would establish his own political party to contest the upcoming 2020 elections have been speculated since last year.

The ex-general said that he submitted the party registration with the UEC, announcing the party name and its five main objectives, on his official Facebook page.

He said his party will work towards building a democratic federal union; for economic development as a basic necessity for the development of the country; systematic implementation of education, healthcare and culture; and to establish strong rule of law, stability, equality and peace.

He also added that the new party will work to establish a constitution which is suitable for the country.

"We will work for national and public interests in the right way and effectively, together with the people," he said in a video message which accompanied the announcement.

According to sources close to him, U Shwe Mann, who has close ties to State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, aims to support her through his party by reinforcing the civilian government.

U Shwe Mann was elected for a Lower House seat in Naypyitaw in the 2010 general election representing USDP. Later, he was elected to the position of Lower House Speaker.

He was sacked from the position of USDP party chief amid a power struggle with the then-president U Thein Sein in August 2015.

In the 2015 general election, he ran for office in his native Bago Region's Phyu Township but lost to a National League for Democracy (NLD) candidate.

U Shwe Mann, who was once considered the third most powerful man in the former military regime, currently chairs a powerful legislative body, the Union Parliament's Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission.

Ex-military officers and some members of the Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission will be members of the Union Betterment Party.

As part of the registration process, the UEC will publish the proposed party's basic information in state-run newspapers. If no one objects to the proposed name, emblem or flag, the Union Betterment Party will be officially registered.

There are currently 96 registered political parties in the country, according to the UEC.

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Leaders of Alleged Christian Cult Sentenced to Jail

Posted: 05 Feb 2019 01:25 AM PST

PATHEIN, Irrawaddy Region — A court in Irrawaddy Region's Kyonpyaw Township on Friday sentenced five leaders of an alleged Christian cult to a year in prison with hard labor for blasphemy.

In June 2016 the Kyonpyaw chapter of the Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC) filed a lawsuit against the five under Section 295 (a) of the Penal Code for preaching sermons that do not conform with the teachings of the Bible. After a trial lasting two-and-a-half years, the township court convicted and sentenced them last week.

"They taught wrong things in the name of Christianity and sowed discord between parents and their children and siblings. Their actions therefore negatively affect the Christianity that preaches love. So I filed a lawsuit on behalf of the MCC," said Mann Htaung Sein, public relations officer for the council’s Kyonpyaw chapter.

Two of the five defendants, Mann Win Myint and Daw Nilar Tun, were sentenced to three years in prison by the same court in May under Section 363 of the Penal Code for kidnapping.

All five are serving their time in Pathein Prison.

"They not only attacked other Christian sects but also Buddhism. We are not happy that they were only sentenced to one year in prison while there was strong evidence that their actions not only defamed Christianity but also disrupted regional stability," said Mann Htaung Sein.

"So we'll submit an appeal to the Pathein District Court, and we will also ask the government to abolish [the group]," he added.

Section 295 (a) is punishable with two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.

The five were the most senior leaders of the Christian group, called the Soul Family, led by Mahn Kyaw Soe, an ethnic Karen with Singapore citizenship.

The Soul Family conducted 40-day classes for "would-be" disciples, during which it persuaded students, most of them in their 20s, to shun their parents and relatives, and arranged marriages for them without their parents’ consent, according to followers who have left the group.

There were brawls whenever parents came to retrieve their children from any of the three centers the group had in Kyonepyaw and Kyaunggon townships. In November 2017, parents from Yangon, Bago, Irrawaddy regions and Karen State met Irrawaddy Region authorities in Pathein and asked them to abolish Soul Family.

According to residents of Kyonepyaw, there were clashes between the group’s followers and local villagers whenever members of the Soul Family said prayers in their villages.

According to the accounts of those who have left the group, members were asked to do unpaid work, sometimes in Singapore, on the pretext of making offerings to God, raising accusations of human trafficking and forced labor.

The group has branches in Singapore, Thailand's Mae Sot District and the townships of Thantaungyi in Karen State, Loikaw in Kayah State, Toungoo and Pauk Kaung in Bago Region, North Dagon and Sanchung in Yangon Region and Kyonpyaw, Kyaunggon, Kangyidaunt, Myaungmya and Pathein in Irrawaddy Region, according to the MCC.

The MCC estimates that Soul Family may have hundreds of followers.

Relatives say the group moves its members from branch to branch, making it difficult for them to find their kin.

"It is now almost four years since my sister joined the Soul group. We have visited her three times and asked her to come back home, but she refused. Now we cannot find out where she is, so we are constantly worried for her safety. I would like to urge the government to abolish the group that preaches extremism and that separates families," Nant Aye Aye Aung, from Yangon's Hlaingtharyar Township, told The Irrawaddy.

The MCC and Myanmar Baptist Convention have long distanced themselves from the group.

In May, the Irrawaddy Region government banned the group from gathering for prayers at its Hlel Seik Village branch in Kyonepyaw.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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US Star Angelina Jolie Visits Rohingya Camps in Bangladesh Ahead of Funding Appeal

Posted: 04 Feb 2019 09:20 PM PST

DHAKA—Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie on Monday visited the world’s largest refugee settlement, home to nearly one million Rohingya Muslims, in a bid to put their plight back in the headlines ahead of a United Nations $920 million funding appeal.

More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Buddhist-dominated Myanmar 18 months ago in the wake of an army crackdown described as “ethnic cleansing” by UN investigators and they are now living in camps in neighboring Bangladesh with no sign of moving.

A spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said Jolie, a special envoy for the organization, would spend three days visiting the camps to “assess” the needs of the Rohingya and the challenges that Bangladesh faced as a host country.

Jolie, 43, will also meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has garnered global praise for committing not to repatriate any Rohingya unwillingly, and the Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.

The UNHCR spokesman said Jolie’s talks would center around “the need for safe and sustainable solutions to the plight of one of the world’s most persecuted minorities, the Rohingya”.

The spokesman said the visit came ahead of the launch of a new appeal seeking to raise $920 million to continue meeting the basic needs of the Rohingya. Last year UN agencies launched a $950.8 million appeal for the Rohingya influx.

While this was Jolie’s first visit to Bangladesh, she met Rohingya refugees in Myanmar in 2015 and India in 2006. The Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC), a government organization created to deal with the Rohingya crisis, welcomed Jolie’s visit.

“[Jolie] will definitely have a message to take back from here. We hope that the humanitarian community understands the kind of crisis the Rohingya are in through her,” RRRC commissioner Abul Kalam.

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Thaw of Himalayas Set to Disrupt Asia’s Rivers, Crops: Study

Posted: 04 Feb 2019 08:39 PM PST

KATHMANDU — At least a third of the ice in the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush will thaw this century as temperatures rise, disrupting river flows vital for growing crops from China to India, scientists said on Monday.

Vast glaciers make the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, home to the world’s highest peaks topped by Mount Everest and K2, a “third pole” behind Antarctica and the Arctic region, they said.

“This is the climate crisis you haven’t heard of,” said Philippus Wester, who led the report.

“Global warming is on track to transform the frigid, glacier-covered mountain peaks of the HKH cutting across eight countries to bare rocks in a little less than a century,” said Wester of the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

The report, by 210 authors, said that more than a third of the ice in the region will melt by 2100 even if governments take tough action to limit global warming under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

And two-thirds of the ice could vanish if governments fail to rein in greenhouse gas emissions this century. “To me this is the biggest worrying thing," Wester told Reuters on the sidelines of an event to launch the report in Kathmandu.

Glaciers have thinned and retreated across most parts of the region since the 1970s. Ice in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region would push up sea levels by 1.5 meters if it all melted, Eklabya Sharma, deputy director general of ICIMOD, told Reuters.

Mountain climate hotspots

The region stretches 3,500 km across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.

The study said the thaw will disrupt rivers including the Yangtze, Mekong, Indus and Ganges, where farmers rely on glacier melt water in the dry season. About 250 million people live in the mountains and 1.65 billion people in river valleys below.

Changes in river flows could also harm hydropower production and cause more erosion and landslides in the mountains.

But more research is needed to gauge exactly how glaciers affect distant crops, said Wouter Buytaert, of Imperial College in London, who was not involved in the study.

“While glacier meltwater propagates downstream, it mixes with water from other sources such as direct rainfall, wetlands and groundwater, up to a point where the impact of glacier melting may become negligible,” he said.

The authors said that people living in small island states were often viewed as the most vulnerable to climate change because of rising sea levels.

“It’s not just occupants of the world’s islands that are suffering,” said Dasho Rinzin Dorji, an ICIMOD board member from Bhutan. He said in a statement that mountain regions were also extremely vulnerable as “climate hotspots.”

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Rights Campaigners Seek UN Probe on China’s Xinjiang Camps

Posted: 04 Feb 2019 08:24 PM PST

GENEVA—Rights activists urged European and Muslim nations on Monday to take the lead in establishing a UN investigation into China’s detention and what they call its “forced indoctrination” of up to one million Uighurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang province.

Beijing, which faces growing international concern over its “de-radicalization” program for Muslims in its far western province, said last month it would welcome UN officials if they avoided “interfering in domestic matters”.

Groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International appealed to the United Nations Human Rights Council, which opens its main annual session on Feb. 25, to send an international fact-finding mission to Xinjiang.

“The abuse in Xinjiang today is so severe that it cries out for international action,” Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, told a briefing at the Geneva Press Club.

“The purpose of this detention is to erase the ethnic and religious identities of Turkic Muslims and ensure their loyalty to only the Chinese government, the Communist Party and the would-be leader for life, (President) Xi Jinping,” he said.

China denies such accusations. In January, Beijing organized a visit to three facilities, which it calls vocational education training centers, for foreign reporters including Reuters. In the centers, Turkic-speaking Uighur students learned in Mandarin about the dangers of Islamist ideas.

"Open-air prison"

Campaigners say one million Uighurs, Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities—nearly 10 percent of Xinjiang’s total population—are being held in mass detention, deprived of any legal rights and subjected to mistreatment.

“Today Xinjiang has become an open-air prison—a place where Orwellian high-tech surveillance, political indoctrination, forced cultural assimilation, arbitrary arrests and disappearances have turned ethnic minorities into strangers in their own land,” Kumi Naidoo, secretary-general of Amnesty International, said by video.

“Member states must not be cowed by China’s economic and political clout,” he said.

China says it protects the religion and culture of its ethnic minorities and that security measures in Xinjiang are needed to counter groups that incite violence there.

China is currently a member of the 47-nation Geneva forum, where it often leads opposition to setting up investigations into allegations of rights abuses in specific countries.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which acts as the collective voice of the Muslim world, worked with the European Union last September to launch a UN body to prepare evidence of crimes in Myanmar against Muslim Rohingya, including possible genocide, for any future prosecution.

“In our view Xinjiang demands a similar response,” Roth said.

Michael Ineichen of the International Service for Human Rights said: “It is really a test of the credibility of the Human Rights Council… We think it is time that membership also comes with scrutiny.”

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Sample Italy’s World Famous Dishes, Wines at Italian Food Festival

Posted: 04 Feb 2019 05:47 AM PST

The Italian Embassy will hold Myanmar's first Italian Food Festival on Feb. 10. The event aims to offer a mouthwatering sample of authentic Italian dishes and wines, and the opportunity to learn more about Italy's contribution to Myanmar's culinary scene.

A wide of array of Italian foods and beverages will be offered in the embassy's garden from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

"This event aims to reach out to all Myanmar people, because I want to let them know more about Italian millenary food traditions and culture," Italian Ambassador to Myanmar Alessandra Schiavo said at a press conference.

She added, "When people are traveling, the first thing they do is try to taste the traditional foods from that country or city. So, food is the best way to learn more about another country's culture and behavior."

The event was being held in the garden of the embassy because organizers want Myanmar people to feel that they are being welcomed into Italian people's "home" in the country, she said.

She added that, "This is not just an event for selling food; you can also learn how to make authentic Italian homemade fresh mozzarella." Among other activities, the event will include wine tasting, a wine master class and interesting accounts of the origins of the main ingredients used in Italian cuisine.

"It means the chefs will be explaining the origins of each main ingredient, like olive oil—why we use olive oil every time. Why it is important. So, people can get a lot of Italian food knowledge here," she said.

L'Opera, E'Cucina, Casa Mia, Premium, Cellar Door, Il Fornaio, Illy, Plan Bee, Ciao, New Ta Pin, Fresco, Right Field, Campari, Ferrari Spumante, Golden Brown and Myanmar Deaf Chefs will participate in the event.

Food coupons will be available for sale for 3,000, 5,000 and 7,000 kyats.

So, if you are a foodie and wish to learn more about Italian food and wines, check out the Italian Food Festival in the garden of the Italian Embassy on Inya Myaing Road in Yangon's Bahan Township.

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Parliament to Debate Proposal to Form Charter-Amendment Panel

Posted: 04 Feb 2019 04:22 AM PST

YANGON—Myanmar's Union Parliament will debate a proposal to form a joint committee to work on amending the military-drafted 2008 Constitution on Tuesday. None of the military-appointed lawmakers in Parliament—all of whom boycotted last week's vote to schedule the debate—is scheduled to take part.

According to the Union Parliament, a total of 36 lawmakers from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), the military-backed, formerly ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and some ethnic parties have registered to join the debate on Tuesday. No military representatives' names appear on the list of those scheduled to participate in the discussion.

The urgent proposal calling on Parliament "to form the joint committee to facilitate attempts to amend the Constitution as soon as possible" was put forward by NLD lawmaker U Aung Kyi Nyunt on Jan. 29. The unelected military lawmakers—who are appointed by the Army chief and hold one quarter of the seats in Parliament under the Constitution—objected to the proposal. However, a majority of lawmakers voted to approve the debate, defeating the military's boycott.

Army chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing said on Jan. 31 that he had already made his view known that he is not opposed in principle to amending the Constitution. Nonetheless, the military MPs appointed by him sent a formal letter of complaint to the Union Parliament Speaker objecting to the proposal.

Amending the charter requires approval from more than 75 percent of the total lawmakers in Parliament, effectively giving the military a veto over any proposed changes.

U Aung Kyi Nyunt told The Irrawaddy that he proposed forming the committee as a first step, in order to work for constitutional reform transparently and systematically. The senior NLD member said the proposed committee would include lawmakers from all parties as well as the military representatives.

On Sunday, thousands of people marched in Yangon to show their support for the military. The ultranationalist monk U Wirathu was among those joining the demonstration.

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Protesters Angry With Aung San Statue in Kayah State Move Camp to NLD Office

Posted: 04 Feb 2019 04:14 AM PST

Mon State — Residents of Kayah State opposed to the recent arrival of a statue of Gen. Aung San in the capital city of Loikaw have set up a protest camp in front of the local office of the National League for Democracy after police broke up their camp near the statue last week, according to a local activist.

Khun Thomas said the protesters blame the ruling NLD for the statue of the late independence hero and that about 40 of them have been camping out in front of the party office since Saturday to demand that NLD officials meet with them and discuss their objections.

"They came to open their office, but no one has come to negotiate with us yet," Khun Thomas told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

"We set up a strike camp in front of their office because the NLD members, including the chief minister of the state, L Phaung Sho, led the project. Therefore, the state government and the NLD have a duty to solve this problem. Our intention in setting up a strike camp in front their office was to have negotiations," he said.

Khun Thomas said township authorities have threatened to break up the new camp as well, because it was a restricted area and they did not ask for permission. But he said it would persist until party officials agreed to meet with them.

U Taung Htay, who heads the NLD’s Loikaw office, said the office has written to NLD headquarters about the protesters’ demands and was awaiting instructions.

"I am still communicating with headquarters about it," the told The Irrawaddy, insisting that those opposed to the statue were in the minority.

"It was not a good reason to come and set up a protest camp in front of our office. Their current action isn’t against the statue. Their action seems to attack the NLD office,” he added. "I even asked them to stop the protest and go home."

Protesters said hundreds of people rallied in support of the statue during an inauguration ceremony on Saturday and that several NLD members, including the state chief minister, attended the event.

But U Taung Htay insisted the statue was not erected on orders from senior NLD officials and denied claims that local party members were involved in the project.

NLD spokesman U Myo Nyunt declined to comment on the controversy.

Twenty protesters were arrested during a demonstration against the statue in Loikaw on Friday. They were charged with violating the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law and released on bail the same day.

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Police Arrest Dozens on Suspicion of Ties with AA in Northern Rakhine

Posted: 04 Feb 2019 03:14 AM PST

YANGON—Police arrested 26 people in northern Rakhine State's Kyauktaw Township early Monday morning on suspicion of having connections with the Arakan Army (AA), state legislator U Maung Than Sein said.

He said authorities did not explain the reason for the arrests, but he inquired with Kyauktaw Township court and confirmed that Major Aung Naing Soe from Light Infantry Battalion No. 375 filed lawsuits against the villagers. Apart from one woman, the authorities transported all the detainees to Sittwe.

Social activist Ko Zaw Win from Kyauktaw Township, who witnessed the police's initial questioning of villagers in the town on Sunday afternoon, said 24 displaced villagers from Shin Let Wa village, located in an active conflict zone in the upper Paletwa region in Chin State, were temporarily staying at a home in the town.

He said the house belongs to married couple Ko Thein Soe and Daw Hla Hla Yee, who hosted the displaced villagers and had already reported to the ward administrative official about their guests. In the evening, more than a dozen fully equipped police and township administrative officials returned to question the villagers.

Lawmaker U Maung Than Sein explained that many villagers were suffering due to the armed skirmishes between AA and government troops in rural areas of upper Paletwa, as artillery shells sometime landed near their villages. He said some of the suspects were aged between 40 and 50, and some of them frequently traveled from Shin Let Wa village to Kyauktaw to sell goods in the market.

"I have no idea why they sued these people under the Unlawful Association Act's Article 17 (1)," said MP U Maung Than Sein.

The authorities did not arrest the displaced villagers in the daytime, likely to avoid attracting public attention. They discreetly detained all 26 at about 1 a.m. on Monday. He explained that several villages from the upper Kyauktaw region have been facing a lack of food, as the Army had blocked aid shipments by relief workers since January and left the village for safer locations.

Ko Zaw Win said more displaced villagers were believed to be on the way to urban areas from their villages on Monday. Despite the authorities' arrest of more than two dozens residents, they declined to confirm the reasons. The Irrawaddy contacted police officer in charge U Soe Lwin and officer U Thant Zin for additional information but the calls went unanswered on Monday.

Another Kyauktaw resident, Ko Kyaw Hla Myint, confirmed that the host family lives in Ywar Ma ward and was also detained by police. According to him, the displaced people had been staying there about three days and had officially informed the ward administrator.

In January, about 30 village administrators in northern Rakhine submitted resignation letters to their local General Administration Department (GAD) offices for fear of being hit with Unlawful Association lawsuits. As of Monday, it was unclear whether the authorities had accepted the resignations.

Local relief groups estimate that more than 6,000 people have been displaced by the recent violence between the AA and government troops in northern Rakhine. Including IDPs from Chin State, the actual number could be higher than 7,000.

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Private Equity Fund to Boost Myanmar Companies with up to $100M

Posted: 04 Feb 2019 03:13 AM PST

NAYPYITAW—Singapore-based Ascent Capital Partners Pte. Ltd. launched its first Myanmar-focused private equity fund backed by sovereign wealth fund Temasek and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in January. In December, ADB signed an agreement to provide a $10 million equity investment to the Myanmar-focused private equity fund to provide much-needed capital investment for the growth and expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The fund aims to support local companies, particularly SMEs led by women or with potential to make a significant contribution to inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Myanmar.

The Irrawaddy spoke with founder and managing partner of Ascent Capital Partners Pte. Ltd., Mr. Lim Chong Chong, a man who has deep strategic and operational knowledge of Myanmar’s investment and business landscape, about the first Myanmar-focused fund, its key goals, potential for the foreign investment sector and whether the government's Look East policy can revive the decline in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Myanmar.

Tell me about this Myanmar-focused private equity fund? 

We are Ascent Capital, a Singapore-registered fund management firm that announced a Myanmar- focused private equity fund—Ascent Myanmar Growth Fund I L.P. (AMGF). The Myanmar Growth Fund is managed by us independently. We have a few investors from Temasek in Singapore, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), JG Summit Holdings from Philippines,Myanmar’s U Aung Moe Kyaw and Singapore's Tony Chew.

But the fund is independently managed by us—our investors don't participate in the management of the fund. The fund is supported by strategic institutional, corporate and individual investors with long, successful track records of investing and building businesses across sectors globally and in Myanmar.

In terms of sectors, we will invest in any sector as long as it can help us achieve our investment target. But AMGF will mainly focus on companies in five sectors—consumer, education, financial services, healthcare and technology. We are looking to invest at least $5 million in each Myanmar home-grown company. On average, we will invest between $5 million and $20 million in each company. We have the capital to invest more than $20 million in each company if bigger opportunities arise.

Meanwhile, we are holding discussions with a few Myanmar companies. We don't set up the companies ourselves, we only invest in existing companies, so it takes time to talk to each other, to understanding each other. I have seen some quite interesting companies so far.

What are the key goals of Ascent Myanmar Growth Fund?

Not just myself, but our investors including ADB, are not just here to make money. We also focus on social goals that we call environmental, social and governance (ESG). We will help build the foundations of Myanmar companies which allow for sustainable growth, and we will work closely with the companies to advocate ESG objectives. One of our goals is to help [build] a sustainable economic environment that is in line with ADB's objectives, which includes creating opportunities and support for women entrepreneurs and women-led companies.

We hope, through our investment, we can also make a positive impact on Myanmar and its people. ESG is a big part of our focus as well. We hope to create positive change in Myanmar. We also support the new Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan which is known in the private sector as the main engine for [driving] balanced and sustainable economic growth.

Based on your experiences, which sector do you think has the most potential to attract foreign investment in Myanmar?

This also is going back to our investment thesis. Our firm's investment thesis has two factors—one is Myanmar's growth story because Myanmar is at a very early stage of development so there is a lot of growth potential. We believe that any sector or company can rise according to the growth potential and will be able to do well.

The second factor is Myanmar's consumption story because Myanmar has a relatively large and young population of 53 or 54 million people. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi mentioned that half [of Myanmar's population] is below 30 year olds and also has a rising income. So it is positive for the consumption story. Anything can have leverage in Myanmar's consumer sector—it can be retail, food and beverages, fast-moving consumer goods, healthcare or education. As income goes up, as people get older, you'd need more healthcare and more education.

Myanmar's foreign investment has declined for two consecutive years. You already know about Western sentiment towards Myanmar due to the Rakhine crisis. Why did Ascent Capital decide to investment millions of dollars in Myanmar this year?

Our intention is quite simple. Let me first talk about your point that [investment in] Myanmar is declining for two years. I don't think that way—Myanmar's average growth is 6 to 7 percent, so [overall] growth has not declined. It's just that Myanmar did not grow as fast as was expected.  

Despite all the challenges Myanmar has faced in the last two years, it still managed to achieve 6.5 percent [economic] growth. Just imagine if Myanmar's government, private sector and everybody came together and gave more effort, focus, and energy—it would be easy to achieve a lot more.

We are long-term investors. We are not here to expect short-term profits or returns. Our investment period is between 10 and 15 years. We asked ourselves where will Myanmar be by 2030. If we look at that perspective instead of thinking where Myanmar will be in 2020, I think the conclusion is quite different. If investors only think about 2020 it may not be the right time for Myanmar. If investors think about 2030, it is the right time [to invest]. It is about being early movers.

Myanmar's government has adopted a new Look East economic strategy in an effort to revive the significant FDI decline. What do you think? Does it really have potential to revive the decline in FDI?

Let's look at the facts. The fact is that if you look at the last eight or nine years since Myanmar opened up, look at where FDI was coming from, a lot of FDI—tangible concrete FDI—was from Asia. It is a fact. So if you ask me, the Look East strategy may have been there since 2011, not 2017 or 2018.

I am not a politician. My personal view is that we should not choose whether to look east or west. I think maybe we should welcome whoever does want to invest in Myanmar and how to contribute to Myanmar's long-term sustainable development. I say that because I have met a lot of European and US investors who the media says don't want to talk with Myanmar, that they want to stay away from Myanmar. It is not true—they do want to invest in Myanmar. They do want to support the long-term development of Myanmar; they do want to invest in Myanmar. As we all know, western companies and investors are more advanced in their focus on environmental and social [issues]. Their investments tend to bring higher levels of governance which can benefit Myanmar. I don't think we should think "let's not talk to western investors" or "let's talk only with Asian investors." We don't have to draw a line in the centre.

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Interim Arrangements in Conflict Zones Key to Peace in Myanmar

Posted: 04 Feb 2019 03:05 AM PST

The “interim” period in the peace process is likely to be long-lasting — until there is a realignment in state-society relations and changed attitudes among Bamar elites who have long dominated Myanmar. Therefore, interim arrangements are about long-term support for ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and civil society as precursors for a future federal state. Interim arrangements are self-determination arrangements, and preconditions for the emergence of a truly democratic state embracing Myanmar's different peoples.

In a November 2018 report by the Myanmar Interim Arrangements Research Project, interim arrangements are defined as "service delivery and governance in conflict-affected areas, including the relationship between EAOs and government systems, during the period between initial ceasefires and a comprehensive political settlement." The arrangements establish EAOs' governance and administrative functions, and services in their areas of authority and influence. As viewed from the perspective of the peace process, the interim period is from the initial ceasefire until negotiation of a comprehensive political settlement. However, reaching an accord acceptable to key ethnic stakeholders seems unlikely, at least for the foreseeable future.

The focus of interim arrangements is on supporting EAO and civil society governance and service delivery systems, as recognised in Article 25 of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). However, despite insisting on the NCA as the only vehicle for realising the peace process, the government and Myanmar military have so far proved reluctant to operationalize interim arrangements.

For ethnic stakeholders, certain circumstances, local governance and service delivery systems might be coordinated with the government, which could lead to collaboration, and even convergence. However, this is not the primary purpose of interim arrangements, which focus on maintaining ethnic systems. Furthermore, interim arrangements are broader and deeper than the NCA. Important EAOs in Myanmar that have not signed the NCA, such as the Kachin Independence Organization, have developed impressive, state-like functions and play important roles in providing services to communities in areas under their authority or influence. Furthermore, a number of ethnic-based civil society organizations (CSOs) provide elements of local governance in communities they serve, engaging in mobilisation and advocacy in support of locally relevant agendas.

There are three main arguments for supporting interim arrangements. First, they provide the best outcomes for vulnerable people in ceasefire areas by utilising locally trusted and already existing mechanisms. Second, Myanmar's principal EAOs have political legitimacy, and supporting only government systems  — thereby strengthening the state vis-a-vis EAOs — changes the balance of political power on the ground. Third, EAO and associated CSO service delivery and governance functions, ethnic language schools for example, are the building blocks of federalism.

There are three main elements to the peace process architecture, as structured by the NCA. The political dialogue mechanism is in deep crisis because the government and military refuse to address key issues of concern to ethnic communities, leading to a subsequent decision by the Karen National Union (KNU) to suspend participation. The Joint Monitoring Committee is also in crisis for similar reasons, and because the Restoration Council of Shan State has also suspended participation. The third pillar of the peace process designated by the NCA are interim arrangements, which, unlike political dialogue and ceasefire monitoring, have no implementation mechanism.

Arguably, opportunities to reach a preliminary political settlement existed between 2012-15, under the previous U Thein Sein regime. However, under the NLD-led government since 2016, progress has stalled. The peace process will likely be subsumed and either sidelined or co-opted in the run-up to the general elections in 2020. There is a risk that the government may quickly foreclose discussions and move toward forcing through a Union peace accord before the elections. The KNU was therefore wise to suspend participation until general agreement can be reached with the government on fundamental issues underlying decades of armed conflict.

For these reasons, a political settlement is very unlikely — at least until after the next elections, and probably not until there are major changes in relations between majority and minority communities in Myanmar. There is a need for fundamental shifts at the level of basic identities and interests, particularly on the part of Bamar elites that have long dominated the state of Myanmar and its armed forces. A substantial and sustainable political settlement will take a generation or more to achieve and can only be delivered once members of the Bamar community better understand the realities and aspirations of ethnic minority communities, particularly in conflict-affected areas.

The interim period is likely to be lengthy. Therefore, interim arrangements are really about long-term support to ethnic armed organization and civil society systems of service delivery and local governance. Interim arrangements can be viewed through the lens of self-determination, which ethnic political actors have been struggling for since independence. They are also an essential step for building federalism from the bottom up. These self-determination arrangements are important not just for ceasefire groups, but also for other EAOs struggling against a still-militarised state dominated by urban-based Bamar elites, and also for community-based and other civil society groups seeking to build and support local capacities and maintain indigenous cultures.

Ashley South is an independent author, researcher and consultant, and a research fellow at Chiang Mai University.

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Aid Workers Race to Batten Down Rohingya Refugee Camp with No Sign of Crisis Ending

Posted: 03 Feb 2019 08:15 PM PST

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh—In hotels and restaurants near the beach at Cox’s Bazar in southeast Bangladesh, international and local aid workers sent to help the Rohingya in the world’s largest refugee settlement talk nervously of the major challenge ahead – the weather.

Cox’s Bazar was mainly known as Bangladesh’s top local tourism spot, famed for the world’s longest natural sea beach, until the 2017 arrival of more than 730,000 Rohingya fleeing persecution in Myanmar in a human exodus of unprecedented scale.

Joining thousands of Rohingya Muslims already in Cox’s Bazar, they cleared forests and built shelters from mud and bamboo to create a sprawling mass of camps that now house more than 900,000 people, of which 80 percent are women and children.

Over 18 months the Bangladesh government, with thousands of staff from about 145 non-government organisations (NGOs) and aid agencies, have brought order to the chaos, building more stable shelters, roads, sanitation and setting up community projects.

But while life in the settlement has started to stabilize, aid workers said they were rushing to secure the camps for the longer term with no sign of the crisis ending and one factor hanging over them – the monsoon in May then cyclone season.

“This is not an easy place to work because we are constantly worrying about things over which we have no control,” said Nayana Bose, spokeswoman for the Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG) that coordinates the humanitarian agencies’ work.

“It’s challenging in terms of terrain, weather, and population,” she said, adding this made it harder than other refugee crises and Bangladesh’s biggest ever humanitarian task.

Aid workers recalled how the early months of the crisis were focused on life-saving work, such as building shelters and latrines, food supplies, and dealing with health emergencies.

They worked around the clock in the camps located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Cox’s Bazar – a 1.5-hour drive that can take much longer depending on traffic on the pot-holed roads where aid agencies’ four-wheel drives vie with auto rickshaws.

Fly in, fly out

Most international staff came for three month stints but as time went on were replaced by staff on six-month and one-year contracts, working eight-week shifts before flying out for one week of rest and recreation and to visit their families.

Leisure activities are limited in Cox’s Bazar, with alcohol in Muslim Bangladesh only available at some international hotels, so some aid staff set up yoga classes and book clubs.

Women must be dressed conservatively so swimming is not an option, although some aid workers value beach walks, and international workers are told not to leave hotels after 10 p.m.

Firas Al-Khateeb, a spokesman for the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR, said he had worked with refugees in five other countries but the Rohingya crisis was more challenging.

First there was the sheer numbers involved, then language problems as most Rohingya are illiterate, complicating awareness campaigns about risks in the camps, and also the fact the Rohingya are not recognized by Myanmar and have nowhere to go.

Chances of the crisis ending soon are remote. Bangladesh’s government has vowed not to repatriate anyone unwillingly, garnering global praise for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who just won a third term despite reports of poll irregularities.

UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, said on Jan. 25 it was clear the Rohingya cannot return “in the near future” with the situation unchanged and Myanmar still denying all accusations of persecution.

“The Rohingya are stateless and had been suffering back home. Some talk about the freedom they have here,” said Al-Khateeb, whose organization is frequently quoted saying the average length of stay in a refugee camp is around 15-20 years.

Getting ready

But he added that the weather was a major problem, with efforts now underway to make the camps as secure as possible in case of a severe monsoon or cyclone season. Last year the Cox’s Bazar area was not badly hit.

Anjum Nahed Chowdhury, a project manager with Christian Aid working on disaster risk reduction with BRAC, Bangladesh’s largest NGO, is focused on strengthening bamboo for shelters, digging ditches, landslide protection, and building brick roads.

“We must be ready for the monsoon season and we are much better prepared this year. If the cyclones had been bad last year it would have been a disaster,” she said.

While life in the camps is becoming normalized, the Rohingya are not allowed to formally work as this could impact local jobs, but they can earn about $5 a day on NGO projects in camps.

With this they can trade with each other at stalls that line the main roads winding through the camps that sell food, plastic toys and clothes as stray dogs and cows wander past.

Gemma Snowdon, a spokeswoman for the World Food Programme, said food in the camps was also changing to a longer-term plan.

At first they handed out rice, lentils and oil but now they are supplying people with cards with monthly amounts based on family size with which they can buy fresh food, dried fish and eggs from stores set up by local retailers in the camps.

Another program, run by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), International Organization for Migrants (IOM) and WFP, is supplying all households with stoves and a monthly canister of LPG to reduce pollution and deforestation.

The loss of forest has been a key source of tension with some local people, who are now outnumbered two to one by the Rohingya, and lost some traditional income from the forest.

While other locals, like Theotonius Gomes who runs the Mag Darin restaurant, have welcomed the influx of aid workers which has boosted businesses and prompted the government to start work on an international airport terminal and extended runway.

But all the aid work comes at a cost.

Last year UN agencies and NGOs launched a $950.8 million appeal to provide essential humanitarian assistance, including to nearly 400,000 Bangladeshis in nearby communities, some of whom are as poor as the Rohingya, in a bid to diffuse tensions.

A new funding plan will be launched later this month, with initial drafts of the proposal, seen by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, showing the target will be about $920 million.

Aid groups are well aware raising funds could get harder as the crisis rolls on and new emergencies hit the headlines.

“But this emergency is not over yet. Still the Rohingya need our help and support,” said Al-Khateeb.

The post Aid Workers Race to Batten Down Rohingya Refugee Camp with No Sign of Crisis Ending appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Stop Pigging Out and Save the Planet, Chinese Told Ahead of Lunar New Year

Posted: 03 Feb 2019 07:58 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR — As Chinese people celebrate the new Year of the Pig this week, environmental campaigners are urging them to eat less pork and help save the planet.

China consumes more meat than any other country and accounts for half the world’s consumption of pork, which is used in everything from dumplings and stir-fries to hotpots.

That has helped make it the world’s biggest emitter of climate-warming greenhouse gases — according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), livestock are responsible for about 14.5 percent of global emissions.

“Chinese emissions can be reduced by almost 10 percent in the next decade if Chinese people just ate half as much meat,” said Jen Leung, China climate director at the U.S.-based charity WildAid.

“So just try eating a little less pork in honor of a healthy Year of the Pig,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Twelve animals make up the traditional Chinese zodiac and this week marks the transition from year of the dog to year of the pig.

The weeklong holiday starts on Monday, the eve of the new year, and is the most important in the Chinese calendar, when millions of people travel home.

Many restaurants have special menus to mark the festival, which is celebrated by Chinese communities around the world.

In Hong Kong, famous for its dim sum and barbeque pork, one company is partnering with restaurants to promote Lunar New Year dishes cooked with its “vegan pork” made with ingredients including soybeans and peas.

“Traditional belief dictates that we should not eat the same animal during their year in order to bring good luck, so pig year don’t eat pork,” said Alvin Lee, marketing manager at Green Monday, a social enterprise that promotes sustainable living.

“But more importantly it’s to address the issue of food safety and to mitigate climate change,” he said, referring to a recent outbreak of deadly African swine fever on pig farms in China.

On Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, animal rights group PETA has launched a campaign to honor the “playful” animal with the hashtag #PigYearDontEatThem.

“Animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gases than all the world’s transportation systems combined,” PETA Asia campaigner Jason Baker said.

China issued dietary guidelines in 2016 recommending people halve their meat consumption — a move lauded by environmentalists as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions as well as boosting public health.

Experts said people were unlikely to give up on their pork dumplings any time soon in China, where meat is still associated with wealth and status.

“It’s quite challenging because culturally there are quite a lot of values attached to being able to eat meat,” Beau Damen, an expert on climate change at the FAO in Bangkok, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“But one thing consumers do have to keep in mind is that choices about what we eat do have a direct impact on the environment,” he warned.

The post Stop Pigging Out and Save the Planet, Chinese Told Ahead of Lunar New Year appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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