Wednesday, May 3, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Media Experts Say Access to Information ‘More Difficult’ Under Current Govt

Posted: 03 May 2017 07:44 AM PDT

RANGOON — Members of the Burmese media on Wednesday urged the government to avoid complacency in trying to advance press freedom in the country after it climbed 12 places on a recently released Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) index, but dropped 3.66 points in comparison to 2016.

Myanmar Press Council member U Thiha Saw told army and government officials, media groups, and international organizations during a conference at the Chatrium Hotel in Rangoon on World Press Freedom Day that Burma had "a long way to go" before reaching a level of press freedom that could be respected globally.

"Although Burma is 131 in the world press freedom rankings, there have been many prosecutions, like those under Article 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law, in the new government's tenure," he said, referring to the National League for Democracy (NLD) administration that was elected at the end of 2015. Press freedom in the country, he added, has "improved little."

Out of the other Asean countries, Burma ranked third behind Indonesia and the Philippines.

At the conference, reporters asked information minister U Pe Myint about media restrictions implemented in the past year, including a ban on international organizations attending certain government conferences.

The minister said poor logistical arrangements had been interpreted as media restrictions, and argued that freedom of expression has improved since the era of the previous military-backed administration.

Myanmar Journalist Network (MJN) member U Than Htay encouraged the NLD government to strive for a higher standard in giving the public access to information.

"The Myanmar Journalist Network demands the government protect the journalists who were threatened on the ground while obtaining news with the framework of the law, and to investigate the unresolved murder case of Monywa-based journalist Ko Soe Moe Tun."

Myanmar Press Council member U Thiha Saw said that access to information has proven more difficult under the NLD government than under the previous U Thein Sein administration.

Using Article 66(d), 56 cases of defamation have been filed since the NLD came to power just over a year ago. Among those charged are 12 journalists. Under former President Thein Sein's government, there were only seven such cases put forward.

MJN representative U Than Htay claimed that some journalists have been declined bail and kept in prison. The MJN is also concerned the Burma Army has been closely watching the media and filing lawsuits against journalists who are critical of the military.

U Than Htay said that the MJN suggested the new government bring three crucial changes to the public and media: full access to information, freedom of expression, and protect the right to information.

"This will not be a good democratic country without press freedom," he said.

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Deputy Defense Minister: Perks Over for Military Businesses

Posted: 03 May 2017 05:56 AM PDT

NAYPYIDAW — The military's two major conglomerates, bolstered by past monopolies over industries ranging from cigarettes to cement, are no longer being treated preferentially, said Deputy Defense Minister Maj-Gen Myint Nwe.

The Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (MEHL), established in 1990, and its sister company, Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC), founded seven years later, have a sprawling business empire encompassing trade, services, and military supplies.

These vast trade interests are sustained through lawfully competing with other private companies, and the conglomerates pay taxes, the major general told a press conference in Naypyidaw on Tuesday.

From the fiscal years of 1990-91 to 2015-16, he said the firms paid 8.9 billion kyats (US$70.191 million) in tax and an advance tax of $1,000 plus 3.082 million euros (4.559 billion kyats) for the 2016-17 fiscal year.

Established under the 1950 Special Company Act with a capital of 56.098 million kyats, MEHL had shares worth 161 billion kyats ($119.4 billion) altogether on March 24, 2017, according to Maj-Gen Myint Nwe. The shares are owned by serving and former soldiers, and war veterans' organizations.

"MEHL was formed officially in line with the rules and regulations, and it pays taxes," said the deputy defense minister.

The Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development under the former President U Thein Sein administration allowed MEHL to turn itself into a public company in March 2016—just before the National League for Democracy (NLD) assumed office.

"We have transferred the shares to war veterans' organizations to transform MEHL into a public company," said Maj-Gen Myint Nwe, adding that the shares will not be sold to the public.

Chairman U Khin Aye of the Lower House Economic and Financial Development Committee said MEHL's businesses were "barely transparent" and did not pay taxes in the past.

Accepting that MEHL now paid taxes, he emphasized the need for greater transparency in the conglomerate, including the disclosure of its share ownerships and business activities.

"MEHL used to evade tax. It is not a bad thing that it is paying it now, but I don't like that the establishment runs businesses. I'm concerned that other government institutions will also want to follow suit," said U Khin Aye, who is also the lawmaker representing Nattalin Township in Pegu Division.

"Our committee is also interested to find out how those businesses are doing."

MEHL was founded with the aim of helping soldiers, war veterans and their families, as well as the people, and the economic development of the country, said the deputy defense minister.

It is made up of 48 companies that mainly produce automobiles, corrugated iron sheets, cement, electricity, LED bulbs, textiles, rubber, plastic household goods, consumer goods, cigarettes, beer, sugar, and processes fish and prawns, he added.

MEC produces basic supplies for the Burma Army, he said, adding that it was established with a view to reducing military costs, and helping the families of military personnel.

"MEC competes with other private businesses in line with the law," said the major general. "It also pays taxes. It doesn't [enjoy] advantages over other businesses."

The Irrawaddy asked the deputy defense minister if the Burma Army was investigating allegations of human rights violations in northern Arakan State.

"Regarding the Arakan issue, an investigation led by Lt-Gen Aye Win has been formed. If there are human rights violations, our commander-in-chief of defense services will take harsh actions. The Tatmadaw [Burma Army] does not accept human rights violations," he said.

He dismissed rumors that the army suffered more than 400 casualties in clashes with the Kokang rebels and said the Tatmadaw True News Information Team was releasing the news "people should know" through the army-run Myawaddy newspaper, the defense ministry and the Facebook page of Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko

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NLD Govt Must Live up to Its Manifesto on Press Freedom

Posted: 03 May 2017 05:31 AM PDT

To truly honor the principles of press freedom, Burma must be free from restrictive laws like Article 66(d), state- and military-owned media, and joint-ventured media between the state and cronies. The government is responsible for creating an atmosphere where independent media can thrive professionally, ethically and commercially with laws guaranteeing the right to information.

With these aspirations yet to be realized, neither journalists nor citizens can freely honor World Press Freedom Day, which falls on May 3.

We journalists wake up every morning fearing that bad "luck" will strike us—if influential players in the government or military or other powerful institutions have assumed that our stories published the day before "defamed" them.

During the current National League for Democracy (NLD) government's first year of leadership, Article 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law has been used to initiate 56 defamation cases for "inappropriate" posts on social media.

Of these 56 incidents, 12 journalists were charged and many of them are still awaiting trial.

The article, enacted in 2013 under the previous government, bans the use of a telecommunications network to "extort, threaten, obstruct, defame, disturb, inappropriately influence or intimidate." The 56 cases filed since NLD government took power greatly outnumber those filed under the previous quasi-civilian government—just seven.

That is not what we expected to see under the country's first civilian-led administration headed by de-facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The act has become an instrument misused by those in power, who turn to 66(d) rather than more standard defamation charges described in penal codes.

The chief minister of Rangoon Division and NLD member U Phyo Min Thein filed charges against Eleven Media CEO and its editor, Dr. Than Htut Aung and Wai Phyo, as having violated Article 66(d) after the CEO wrote a story describing an unconfirmed bribery case concerning the chief minister.

A military official charged NLD member U Myo Yan Naung Thein under the same statute after he shared Facebook posts deemed defamatory to the military commander-in-chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. He was sentenced to six months in jail.

We are likely to see more charges against individuals or journalists under Article 66(d) unless the NLD government or the NLD-dominated Parliaments repeal or amend this law for the sake of protecting freedom of expression.

State Media Continues

In December, just one month after the 2015 election, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi told Radio Free Asia (RFA), "State-owned newspapers are not working in accordance with democratic practices. But we will not change them overnight. We will discuss it, but we don't want [it] to take too long. It will improve the country."

Over the past year, however, we haven't heard any further discussion on this issue within the NLD government.

Today, three state-owned newspapers—two in Burmese and one in English—continue to be published without much variation from the editorial stances taken adopted under the military regime. The objective of such outlets is to cover the activities of the government and to reflect its policies.

"Radio and television stations in the US and UK, like the VOA and BBC, are state funded. But they are independent. They can work freely within their charters. It is important to work independently with freedom," Daw Aung San Suu Kyi also said in the same RFA interview.

But in Burma, all broadcast media—including TV channels and radio stations—are still controlled by the ruling government, the military, and cronies. We haven't seen any clear plan detailing how to transform them into a public service.

This situation concerning the media is likely related to the country's complicated political landscape, particularly concerning the role of the powerful army.

Perhaps the government's decision to keep state-run media was an attempt to counter the presence of military-run media like Myawaddy TV and Myawaddy Daily newspaper in Burmese.

But no matter the reason, state-owned newspapers cannot co-exist with democratic principles—Daw Aung San Suu Kyi clearly said that these publications are not helping the country's democratization process.

When it comes to advancing our right to information, it does not feel like much has changed under this government. Some high-ranking officials in the government and key members of the NLD are patronizing and rude when they talk to journalists. Such attitudes need to be changed. Those in power should realize that independent media contributes to good governance, anti-corruption and development.

The NLD manifesto released in 2015 clearly states: "The news media is the eyes and ears of the people. We will ensure that the media has the right to stand independently in accordance with self-regulation of matters relating to ethics and dignity, and the right to gather and disseminate news."

What the NLD government must do is implement necessary measures to achieve what the party stated in this manifesto. We journalists, as well as all citizens, are anxiously waiting for that time to come, which will further our progress in the path toward democratization.

Kyaw Zwa Moe is the editor of The Irrawaddy's English edition.

 

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28 Burmese Expats to Regain Citizenship

Posted: 03 May 2017 05:23 AM PDT

NAYPYIDAW — Twenty-eight Burmese expatriates will be granted Burmese citizenship soon, said permanent secretary of the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population U Myint Kyaing.

The former administration under ex-President U Thein Sein invited Burmese expatriates back to join state-building efforts after he assumed office in 2011.

Dual citizenship is prohibited in Burma, according to the 1982 Citizenship Law. Tens of thousands of Burmese exiles, who fled the country for various reasons under the military regime, effectively lost their Burmese citizenship while living abroad after being granted residency or citizenship in foreign countries.

Under the former government, Burmese expats had to apply for visas to return to Burma. Later, U Thein Sein formed a committee to review and approve citizenship applications from Burmese expatriates.

Burma's de facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has formed a similar committee, which she chairs as foreign minister.

"We have received 55 applications since the new government took office and approved 22 of them. We have also approved six applications submitted to the previous government, which it had not finished reviewing. So, a total of 28 Burmese expats will be granted Burmese citizenship at this time," said U Myint Kyaing, at a press conference in Naypyidaw on Tuesday.

A total of 188 Burmese expats applied for the citizenship under U Thein Sein's government, which granted citizenship to 143 of the applicants.

Of the remaining 45, 16 were not eligible, 12 did not submit complete documents, 11 committed "unpardonable" offenses, and six applied during the power transfer and the previous government could not review them.

Of the 55 people who submitted applications under the new government to date, 33 have yet to be reviewed.

"We mainly check if the applicants are blacklisted or if they have committed significant crimes. If not, they are eligible for citizenship," said U Myint Kyaing.

The NLD government will relax restrictions on those who were blacklisted by previous governments for their political beliefs, said Labor, Immigration and Population Minister U Thein Swe when he announced the ministry's 100-day plan in May, 2016.

Under previous governments, ministries and universities also blacklisted those who did not return from their state-funded studies in foreign countries. They will also benefit from the rule change, the minister said.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko

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One Civilian Killed, Several injured in Shan State’s Namkham Township

Posted: 03 May 2017 04:45 AM PDT

An artillery shell killed an elderly woman on Tuesday morning in Nang Hom village of northern Shan State's Namkham Township after clashes between the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Burma Army, according to local community leaders.

"One 80-year-old woman was killed on the spot when a 120-millimeter artillery shell fell onto her house at 11:30 a.m.," Nyi Kyaw Sein, an ethnic Palaung (Ta'ang) community leader from Pha Lan village, told The Irrawaddy.

Locals suspect the shell came from a Burma Army base in nearby Sakhan Tit village.

TNLA spokesperson Tar Aike Kyaw confirmed that one person had been hit by shelling in the region.

Seven local people were also allegedly shot by Burma Army soldiers as they walked back to Man Lon village from nearby tea plantations at around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, according to Nyi Kyaw Sein.

He said three women were seriously wounded and admitted to a public hospital in Namkham town yesterday.

Burma Army soldiers allegedly accosted the villagers and told them not to move. Out of fear, they ran, and were subsequently gunned down.

Clashes have been ongoing between the Burma Army and TNLA troops in Namhkham Township since April 29, according to local villagers.

Tuesday saw fighting in Kaung Kay and Pan San villages with the Burma Army using three helicopters to support troops and damage buildings, according to Tar Aike Kyaw. Two members of the TNLA were wounded, he said.

According to the TNLA spokesperson, the Burma Army's Infantry Division 88 suffered heavy casualties on Tuesday, though he was not confident of exact numbers.

Fighting broke out in Kaung Wine village on Wednesday, he added.

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Burma Army Seizes More Than 400 Tons of Sawn Logs

Posted: 03 May 2017 01:12 AM PDT

RANGOON — The Burma Army seized 15 trucks and 402 tons of unattended teak and kino (gum) sawn logs in Nansang Township, southern Shan State, on April 29.

The military has transported the seized wood and vehicles to a "safe place," according to U Zaw Min, deputy director general of the forestry department, which falls under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.

"The sawn logs were seized in a place where ethnic armed groups are active," he told The Irrawaddy.

Eleven 12-wheeled and three 10-wheeled trucks, a heavy-duty truck, and a crane were seized along with the logs, he said.

The Border Guard Force (BGF)—pro-government militias comprising soldiers who formerly fought for armed rebel groups—and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) are active in the area.

U Zaw Min, however, could not specify which group held the territory where the logs were seized.

"All the vehicles are unlicensed, and there is no mark of ownership on the sawn logs," he said. "We can only say they are ownerless. If the vehicles had licenses, we would be able to hunt for further clues and find the owner."

He added that the Burma Army would transfer the logs to the forest department, which would then transfer them to the Myanmar Timber Enterprise. The enterprise will sell the logs at an auction and the proceeds will go into the government's funds, he explained.

The government's standard procedure for seized vehicles is also to auction them off and use the funds.

A military column on patrol found the logs and vehicles on the evening of April 29 and arrested a man who was near the trucks before handing him over to the township police station, according to a statement from the commander-in-chief's office on May 1.

"The forest department will manage the teak according to the law. We can't give any more details at the moment," said a police officer of the station.

Teak is smuggled mainly into China from Nansang, said U Zaw Min, and a ton of teak goes for between 5 million and 8 million kyats.

"Chainsaws have been brought into our country in large quantities from China," he said. "It takes hours to cut a tree with a crosscut saw, but with a chainsaw, you can cut the entire tree into pieces within half an hour."

The forest department, he added, is too short on staff and weapons to take a hard line on smugglers.

The department charges smugglers according to the 1992 Forest Law, but some courts fine the smugglers instead of jailing them, said U Zaw Min, adding the maximum fine is just 30,000 kyats.

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Burma Army Reveals Ambition to Own Submarine

Posted: 03 May 2017 12:58 AM PDT

NAYPYIDAW — Deputy Defense Minister Maj-Gen Myint Nwe has announced the Burma Army's ambition to own a submarine.

"Our neighbors have submarines and we want them as well but it will depend on the state budget. The military leadership is considering it," said the major general at a press conference.

During a visit to Russia in 2013, Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing expressed interest in purchasing two Kilo-class submarines, relics of the last years of the Soviet era. The same year, reports surfaced that some 20 Burmese naval officers received submarine training in Pakistan.

Burma Navy officials also studied onboard Indian submarines in 2006, said the major general.

Burma's Navy is presently equipped only to deal with coastal engagements, and is incapable of more sophisticated territorial defense. As fleet expansion continues, Burma may take more concrete steps towards subsurface capability.

"Submarines are necessary armed units for a navy," said the major general.

The major general cannot say definitively whether the Burma Navy will acquire a submarine. The proposal will first undergo a parliamentary review committee.

The committee reviews military proposals regarding the procurement of weapons and equipment as well as budgetary measures, but the military does not go into complete detail for the committee for reasons pertaining to information security, he added.

Since 2011, the Burma Air Force has put 49 fighter jets and helicopters into commission. Between fiscal years 2011-16, the Navy put 22 ships into service.

The major general said the country's defense budget usually amounts to between 13 and 15 percent of the Union budget.

In the 1990s, the Burma Army established military academies and turned out many junior officers, but focused primarily on quantity. But since 2011, the army has placed a greater emphasis on quality and set higher matriculation examination grade standards for joining military academies, the major general said.

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Burma, EU at Odds Over UN Fact-finding Mission

Posted: 02 May 2017 10:36 PM PDT

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union clashed on Tuesday with visiting Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, by publicly supporting an international mission to look into alleged human rights abuses by the country's security forces against Rohingya Muslims.

The EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini, speaking at a news conference with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, said an agreed resolution of the UN Human Rights Council would help clear up uncertainty about allegations of killings, torture and rape against Rohingya.

On the basis of that resolution, the top UN human rights body will send an international fact-finding mission to Burma despite Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's reservations.

"The fact-finding mission is focusing on establishing the truth about the past," Mogherini said, noting a rare area of disagreement between the 28-nation EU and Burma. "We believe that this can contribute to establishing the facts."

The UN Human Rights Council adopted the resolution, which was brought by the European Union and supported by countries including the United States, without a vote in March. China and India distanced themselves from the UN resolution.

Asked about the move, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, said: "We are disassociating ourselves from the resolution because we don't think the resolution is in keeping with what is actually happening on the ground."

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Burma's civilian government and also its foreign minister, said she would only accept recommendations from a separate advisory commission led by former UN chief Kofi Annan. Any other input would "divide" communities, she added, without giving further details.

The violent persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Burma and their efforts to flee the Southeast Asian country, often falling victim to predatory human-trafficking networks, has become an international concern, documented by Reuters in Pulitzer Prize-winning reports.

A UN report issued last month, based on interviews with 220 Rohingya among 75,000 who have fled to Bangladesh since October, said Burma's security forces have committed mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya in a campaign that "very likely" amounts to crimes against humanity and possibly ethnic cleansing.

Activists have welcomed what they called a "landmark decision" by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council, and have called on the Burma government to cooperate.

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China’s Silk Road Push in Thailand may Founder on Mekong River Row

Posted: 02 May 2017 10:22 PM PDT

KHON PI LONG, Thailand — China’s plan to blast open more of the Mekong River for bigger cargo ships could founder on a remote outcrop of half-submerged rocks that Thai protesters have vowed to protect against Beijing’s economic expansion in Southeast Asia.

Dynamiting the Pi Long rapids and other sections of the Mekong between Thailand and Laos will harm the environment and bring trade advantages only to China, the protesters say.

"This will be the death of the Mekong," said Niwat Roykaew, chairman of the Rak Chiang Khong Conservation Group, which is campaigning against the project. "You’ll never be able to revive it."

Niwat said blasting the Mekong will destroy fish breeding grounds, disrupt migrating birds and cause increased water flow that will erode riverside farmland.

Such opposition reflects a wider challenge to China's ambitious "One Belt, One Road" project to build a modern-day Silk Road through Asia to Europe.

Second Harbour Consultants, a subsidiary of state-owned behemoth China Communications Construction Corp (CCCC) said it was surveying the Mekong for a report that China, Laos, Burma and Thailand would use to decide whether blasting should go ahead.

It added that it was not tasked with the blasting work, which would need to be tendered.

The company said in an e-mail it had held meetings with local people "to communicate, build confidence and clear doubts."

China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Clearing the Mekong for bigger ships is not officially a part of One Belt, One Road, a project announced in 2013; China blasted sections of the river in Laos several years earlier.

But some Chinese engineers involved in the survey speak of it as a part of the broader plan, and it is consistent with Beijing’s Silk Road objectives.

Even in its Southeast Asian backyard, where it has sympathetic governments and ancient historical ties, China sometimes struggles to convince ordinary people that One Belt One Road will benefit them.

Thailand, Laos and Burma have approved the survey work, which is funded by China, but further studies and approvals are needed before blasting.

Keeping a Low Profile

The Mekong River originates in the Tibetan plateau and cascades through China and five Southeast Asian countries.

China has built a series of dams along its stretch of the river that Thai campaigners say has impacted the water flow and made the regional giant hard to trust.

Chinese flags now flutter from company speedboats, while CCCC Second Harbour has met with Thai protesters three times since December in a bid to avert opposition to their work.

A unit of the conglomerate faced violent protests in January in Sri Lanka, where people objected to plans for an industrial zone in the south.

Chinese engineers on the Mekong said they were worried that Thai protesters would board the rickety cargo ship where they slept, prompting them to moor it on the Laotian side of the Mekong each night.

"We are afraid for our team’s safety," one engineer told Reuters, declining to be named because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

"We keep a low profile here," he added. "We want to do this project well and benefit Thailand, Burma, Laos, China, these four countries. This is not just for China."

China wants to remove rocks and sandbanks to allow ships of up to 500 tons to sail from its landlocked province of Yunnan to the sleepy Laotian town of Luang Prabang.

That would expedite the shipping of Chinese freight deep into northern Laos, said Paul Chambers, an expert in international relations at Thailand’s Naresuan University.

"Luang Prabang may seem sleepy, but northern Laos … represents a hub of Chinese influence," he said.

Locals Remain Wary

Despite reassurances from CCCC Second Harbour, some locals still believed the engineers were marking out areas for blasting, said Niwat, who represented campaigners in meetings with the Chinese company.

His group draped a large white banner reading "Mekong Not For Sale" on the bank overlooking the Pi Long rapids, whose name in Thai means "lost ghosts."

"At the moment we’re only thinking about the economy and the earning figures without considering the unimaginable value of the eco-system to humanity," he said.

The military seized power in Thailand in 2014 and banned gatherings of five or more people.

But Narongsak Osotthanakorn, governor of Chiang Rai – the Thai province where the Mekong is currently being surveyed – said people could "protest freely" against the Chinese plan.

Narongsak said the survey was the first stage in a process that would include an environmental study, public hearings and negotiations between China, Thailand, Burma and Laos.

While he wouldn't say whether or not he supported blasting, Narongsak said local people had much to gain from increased river trade. "I think no country would be happy to lose the benefits," he said.

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Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week (May 3)

Posted: 02 May 2017 08:10 PM PDT

Peace & Love: East & West 2017 Art Exchange

This art exhibition will feature the works of artists from several countries around the world.

May 7-11. New Treasure Art Gallery. No.84/A, Thanlwin Street, Golden Hill Avenue, Golden Valley, Bahan Tsp.

K-Pop Festival in Myanmar

This festival features the famous Korean bands EXO, TRAX, NCT 127, and MATILDA.

May 6, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thuwunnabhumi Event Park, Thingangyun Tsp. Tickets between 50,000 and 300,000 kyats at 1876, shop.com.mm, and flymya.com.

Embassy of Musical Mastery

Young Russian soloists, laureates of international competition will perform: Alexey Morozov (flute) and Alexey Melnikov (piano).

May 8, 6:30 pm. National Theater. Ywama Kyaung Street. Free Admission.

BKK Night Market

Clothing, accessories and food will be sold at this beach themed market held next to Botahtaung Harbor.

May 5-7, 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Vintage Luxury Yacht Hotel, Botahtung Jetty.

 

Book Launch and Exhibition: Catching the Light by Birgit Neiser

The photographs in this exhibition are a selection of images from the newly published book Catching the Light, featuring documentary photos and text by the German photographer Birgit Neiser.

May 4-14. Myanmar Deitta, 3rd floor, No. 49, 44th Street.

French (Love) Friday: Chasing the Monsoon

The final French (Love) Friday before the rainy season. Burmese band The Vision plays blues, rock and indie songs in Burmese, English and French.

May 5, 8 p.m. Institut Français de Birmanie, Pyay Road. Entry fee is 8,000 kyats and includes two beers.

Black Out Party

DJs will perform all night.

May 6, 10 p.m. DJ's Bar, Inya Lake Hotel, Kabar Aye Pagoda Road.

Bollywood Party

Club Rizzoli presents the Bollywood Party the first Saturday of every month, offering Bollywood beats and drink specials.

May 6, 6:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Happy hour from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Club Rizzoli, No. 40 Natmauk Road, Tamwe Tsp.

Solo Exhibition

Kauknwe Kanaung's solo exhibition features 15 oil paintings.

May 1-28. Eternal Art Gallery, Yuzana Garden Housing.

Travelers

Nyein Chan Su's solo exhibition features some 50 paintings on the theme of people in political transition.

May 6-10. Studio Square. Pearl Condo. Kabar Aye Pagoda Road.

 

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The Booming Town of Mae Sot

Posted: 02 May 2017 05:30 PM PDT

MAE SOT, Thailand — Over the past decade, Mae Sot, a border town in western Thailand, has undergone a dramatic transformation.

Supermarkets, shopping malls, hotels, and a new airport have sprung up, as construction projects widen its roads, all with the aim of turning this once quiet town into a special economic zone.

The developments began emerging five years ago, said U Moe Joe, a long-time Burmese migrant rights activist who has been supporting the Burmese workers in Mae Sot for 14 years.

The Irrawaddy visited the town to find newly opened shopping malls, including one from the Thai department store chain Robinson, as well as supermarket Tesco Lotus, a new airport, and numerous other hotels and buildings either under construction or just opened.

Burmese migrant workers constructed these buildings, said U Moe Joe. Mae Sot connects to Burma's Myawaddy town, a major trading hub for Thai and Burmese goods. The Thai border town is also host to Burmese and ethnic organizations in opposition to the Burmese government, as well as migrant workers.

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National News

National News

Weather index-based insurance project to cover crop damage

Posted: 03 May 2017 12:57 AM PDT

A weather index-based crop insurance is going to be introduced as pilot projects in Pyay township, Bago Region and Shwebo township, Sagaing Region, starting from May 8.

Rare Ayeyarwady dolphin death cause for concern

Posted: 03 May 2017 12:54 AM PDT

A rare Ayeyarwady dolphin has died after sustaining serious injuries, including losing its tail, during the last week of April.

Learning access through digital education project implemented

Posted: 03 May 2017 12:50 AM PDT

A digital education project will be implemented in 120 monastic education schools nationwide aimed at underprivileged children from remote areas. 

Free private high school for under-privileged

Posted: 03 May 2017 12:49 AM PDT

A free private high school will be opened in Taunggok township, Rakhine State during this academic year to cater to students who are poor and cannot afford the fees.

Myanmar press freedom ranking jumps

Posted: 03 May 2017 12:44 AM PDT

Myanmar press freedom has hit an all time high, ranking No. 3 in ASEAN just behind Indonesia and the Philippines, according to the latest survey by Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF).

Score card on freedom of expression: fail in all subjects

Posted: 03 May 2017 12:40 AM PDT

Freedom of the press in Myanmar remains a myth, according to PEN Myanmar, a grouping of writers, poets, novelists and 14 NGOs fighting for freedom of expression to foster a vibrant literary culture.

National climate change policy finalised

Posted: 03 May 2017 12:36 AM PDT

The final draft of the Myanmar national climate change policy has been finalised and a detailed analysis of all relevant facts is done, the director of Environmental Conservation Department told The Myanmar Times.

Fighting between Tatmadaw and TNLA forces reported in Namkham

Posted: 03 May 2017 12:34 AM PDT

Skirmishes occurred in a hilly area in Namkham township in Shan State yesterday between the Tatmadaw forces and armed members of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army.

Ward crime prevention team – a model for others

Posted: 03 May 2017 12:31 AM PDT

Crime prevention teams will be set up throughout the Chan Mya Tharsi township in the Mandalay Region.

Fine for medical student protesting for peace

Posted: 03 May 2017 12:26 AM PDT

The Magwe township court has fined a medical student K30,000 for protesting and calling for an end to internal conflicts in the country.
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Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

Civilian casualties reported from Burmese army, TNLA clash

Posted: 02 May 2017 11:07 PM PDT

 A villager was reportedly killed and three others injured as fighting broke out between Burmese government forces and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in northern Shan State's Namkham Township.
Photo by local source- Villagers were injured during clashes between Burmese government forces and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in northern Shan State's Namkham Township.
According to a member of a Ta'ang youth group who wished to remain anonymous, heavy weapons were launched around three villages in Namkham Township yesterday. He said that a 75-year-old woman was caught in the crossfire and later pronounced dead at the local hospital.
The clash broke out at about 10am on May 2 between Burmese army Infantry Division No. 88 and TNLA's Battalion No. 571 in the area between Nampakkha tract and Namkham Township, according to a report from the TNLA News and Information Department published on its website on Tuesday. It claimed that the Burmese military launched artillery and deployed three fighter jets over the villages of Namhom, Kongkhur and Pangzarm.
Photo by local source- Villagers were injured during clashes between Burmese government forces and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in northern Shan State's Namkham Township.
"Three villagers from Kongkhur were injured," a local source told Shan Herald. "They have been identified as Aiang Tha, aged 48, wounded at the waist; Aiang Than Tey, 13, hit on her hip; and Ei Shwe Oo, 17, hit at the knee. They are being treated at Namkham hospital."
Hostilities have been frequent between Burmese armed forces and TNLA troops since 2012, according to Myanmar Peace Monitor, a non-government project under Burma News International's banner. In 2016 alone, there were 309 clashes reported in northern Shan State – in Naung Cho, Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Kutkai and Namhsan townships.
On November 20 last year, the TNLA group and its allies – the Arakan Army (AA), the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) – launched coordinated offensives against Burmese military positions in the areas of Muse, Namkham and Kutkai townships, compelling thousands of local residents to flee their homes.
The TNLA, also known as the Palaung Army, was among six armed groups excluded by the government from signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015, during the era of the previous military-backed regime.
The Palaung have also been sidelined from negotiations between Naypyidaw and ethnic armed groups hosted by the incumbent government, and headed by Aung San Suu Kyi. The next round of the talks, dubbed the "21st Century Panglong Conference," is scheduled to take place on May 24, when representatives of the government, military, political parties, ethnic armed groups and civil society are due to discuss the ongoing peace process in the country.

 By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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Tuesday, May 2, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Prospectors Sued After Finding Massive Jade Boulder on Company Land

Posted: 02 May 2017 09:16 AM PDT

MANDALAY – Five prospectors who found a jade boulder weighing 8.7 tons have been charged with theft in Kachin State's Lone Kin jade mining region.

According to police, U Nay Tun—the Deputy Director of Myamar Gems Enterprise office of Lone Kin—filed a lawsuit against prospectors Htoo Zaw, Mon Khaung, Naing Win, Wa Lone and Myo Khin, accusing them of forcibly interfering with the security who stopped them from taking the jade boulder from the mine site.

"We are still trying to arrest them… however, it is difficult to find them," said a police officer from Lone Kin police station.

The lawsuit was filed on Sunday under Article 382 of the Burmese Penal Code, which outlines punishment for theft specifically involving injury or death of others in order for the crime to be carried out.

The prospectors reportedly found the jade boulder on the premises of Tauk Pa Kyae jade mining company on April 26. After a brief confrontation with security, the prospectors took the boulder and stored it in a primary school compound.

After negotiations at a later date, the company gave the prospectors 130 million kyats (US$95,191), and the jade boulder was handed over to the Myanmar Gems Enterprise Office in Myitkyina.

The boulder is currently in an office of the gems and jewelry department in Myitkyina. Myanmar Gems Enterprise affiliated with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.

According to local jade miners, the prospectors were sued in vain, because the negotiation with the company had already been completed and a settlement had been reached.

"It is the custom here that prospectors go into the areas of the mining companies in the evening, after the mines have closed, and look for jade. They used to find precious stones sometimes, and no one was there to stop them," said jade miner U Zaw Moe Htet.

"Bringing a lawsuit against them despite negotiations with the company is the act of a tyrant. It is targeted at oppressing the prospectors for finding such a big and precious jade boulder, and this should be stopped," he added.

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Advocates: NLD Govt Has Failed to Advance Press Freedom

Posted: 02 May 2017 09:08 AM PDT

RANGOON — The National League for Democracy (NLD) government failed to make progress in increasing press freedom during its first year in office, local lobbyists and rights groups claimed on Tuesday, stressing that there is "no clear path forward" developed by the new government concerning the issue.

One day before the World Press Freedom Day 2017, advocates from 14 local organizations—including the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), Myanmar IT for Development Organization, PEN Myanmar, Myanmar Journalists Association, Yangon Journalism School, Burma News International and Article 19—issued an eight-page assessment report on the country's landscape concerning freedom of expression under one year of NLD government leadership.

The group evaluated situations in six particular areas—laws and regulations, media independence and freedom, digital freedom, freedom of assembly, speech and opinion, right to information, and safety and security—with a scale of 10 points for outstanding achievement and 0 for regression in each area.

According to the indicators, the NLD government only achieved 8 out of 60 points in all six areas—1.3 points on average for each sector—which reflects a situation between "no progress" and "very little progress" regarding freedom of expression.

"Acknowledging that the challenges for reversing decades of repression are significant, [assessment] participants pointed to multiple areas in which no clear path forward has been explicated by the new government, let alone embarked upon," the assessment stated.

Initial findings from the first six-month assessment from April-September of 2016 were used as a comparative baseline for this one-year assessment, according to the report. It also provides a total of 26 recommendations for all six sectors, including the abolishment of Article 66(d) of the 2013 Telecommunications Law to foster greater digital freedom, and to do away with government mouthpieces for media independence and freedom.

U Myo Myint Nyein, chair of PEN Myanmar, said at the Tuesday assessment report launch event that the NLD government maintains the old policies of the former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party concerning the press, noting how state-owned newspapers and broadcast media still serve as government propaganda rather than as public service media.

He also emphasized an urgent need to enact the Right to Information Law that guarantees access to information across public sectors and establishes mechanisms for implementation in order to ease the challenges facing journalists when trying to collect official documents, given the history of media blackouts by Burma's previous governments.

"Some [government officials] are afraid to reply to [journalists' inquiries] while some think there is no need to do so or don't know how to," U Myo Myint Nyein said.

U Zin Linn, a consultant from Burma News International, said the report is "not to pressure or blame the government, but to give constructive suggestions," since the NLD must reform respective sectors according to principles of transparency and accountability.

A recently released index by Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) ranked Burma 131 out of 180 assessed countries around the world in 2017 concerning press freedom. It went up 12 places, but dropped 3.66 points in comparison to the 2016 index, with the report stating that self-censorship in Burma continues in connection with government officials and the military.

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Lawyers’ Network Demands Justice for Land Grab Protester Killed by Police 

Posted: 02 May 2017 08:11 AM PDT

RANGOON — The Myanmar Lawyers' Network will appeal to the attorney general to reopen the case of a woman who was killed by police after it discovered the case was closed in 2015.

Daw Khin Win was killed by a stray bullet on Dec. 22, 2014 during clashes between police and locals, who were protesting against land seizures near the Letpadaung copper mining project.

Chinese mining firm Wanbao had fenced in the land of farmers who refused to take compensation from the government and the company for their confiscated land.

U Maung Maung Soe, a leading member of the Myanmar Lawyers' Network, told a press conference at Tawwin Hninzi Hall in Rangoon on Saturday they would seek a court order from the Union attorney general's office to investigate the case.

"We learned not long ago from the [Monywa] district police officer and the district judicial officer that the case had been closed," he said. "We asked when and they said since August 12, 2015. It was a long time ago."

He explained the network would ask for a writ of mandamus—a court order to a lower authority to properly fulfill their official duties or correct an abuse of discretion.

"We will apply for the writ in the first week of May," he added.

Fellow network member U Aung Thein said that he could not accept the township police station had closed the case.

"Rather than find out who shot dead [Daw Khin Win], we want to know who ordered the shooting," he said. "There was the shooting only because someone had given the order. I can't accept Myanmar Police Force has closed the case irresponsibly."

Daw Khin Mar Aye, a relative of Daw Khin Win, hopes that the new government would do justice to the case.

"We voted for the National League for Democracy (NLD) in the hope that it would stand by farmers like us against what had happened to us in the time of [President] U Thein Sein," she said. "We have asked the lawyer's network for help because we want to see that justice is done."

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Murky Waters: Burma’s Law on Pornography

Posted: 02 May 2017 07:54 AM PDT

Taking advantage of Internet freedom in Burma can run huge risks—especially if you have aspirations to be a porn star or a producer in the porn industry.

Last week, police began investigating those who allegedly produced and intended to sell via social media a HD porn movie. But it is unclear what laws would be used to jail the filmmakers and actors.

A conviction would also leave customers disappointed.

The actress in the movie—entitled 'The Violet of Myanmar'—wears a surgical mask throughout the film, concealing her identity.

"Who was she?" Some audience members eagerly asked. They may never find out, now that she is believed to be on the run.

Reportedly the first HD Burmese adult film released for worldwide audiences, 'The Violet of Myanmar' caused one social media user to remark: "Our country is taking to the international stage!"

The nationalist Buddhist association Ma Ba Tha, known for its turgid conservative views, did not release a statement on this occasion.

Police told local media they were launching a criminal investigation to take action against those behind the film and said the production is "concerned with technology."

Perhaps the most relevant legislation is Burma's Electronic Transactions Law, which bans "receiving or sending and distributing any information" detrimental to state security, law and order, community peace and tranquility, national solidarity, the national economy, or national culture. Violators can face fines and jail for seven to 15 years.

No matter what police say, one cannot deny there is a market for such material, and since there are no web restrictions on adult movie sites, Burmese people can still turn to the Internet.

In this case, the law is obscure because Burma doesn't have any regulations on adult movies, unlike the US, Japan, the UK, and other European countries. In many Southeast Asia nations, the creation, distribution, sale, and rental of explicit adult movies and pornography is prohibited.

Yet in Burma, much needed laws and restrictions on the industry are absent.

Adult or pornography movies are called Nyit Nyan Yoke Shin, or A Pya'car, both meaning "dirty movies" in Buddhist-majority Burma.

But one could find and buy foreign adult films on the streets of Rangoon, Mandalay, or somewhere near the China border where porn DVDs are sold openly on the streets.

During the regime of dictator Ne Win, police would crack down on the sale and possession of porn tapes because they said it was against Burmese culture and laws.

They would also arrest sex workers and people in possession of condoms, which illegal to buy and sell during the so-called socialist period.

Those who wanted to watch foreign-made adult films had to count on having friends in the elite. Nobody would bother them in the safety and protection of rich and influential people's houses.

Like in North Korea, reports say that possession of pornography or erotic movies became widespread among political and army elites during the late 1990s. Unsurprisingly, most adult and pornography movies watched in North Korea are currently made abroad, as they are in Burma.

Ne Win and his police were tough on condoms and prostitution, but it slowly loosened up in the late 90s. Condoms became available to buy in big shops and now you can buy them in convenience stores.

Prostitution is still illegal in poverty-stricken Burma, though sex workers wait in the lounges and bars of various establishments, from guesthouses to five-star hotels.

Some young girls can also be seen waiting on the roadside for customers.

Faced with economic hardship, many young women seek steady income selling sex, but there are no clear laws and regulations for the sex trade.

When the regime was in power, police were known to solicit money from sex workers and brothel owners. Now there are some sex workers associations in Burma, but they remain low key.

Burma's political opening received praise at home and abroad, but its society remains relatively conservative. As in the past, sex is still a taboo subject. Sex education is not provided at schools and parents generally avoid talking about it.

Now brothels masquerading as KTVs and guesthouses are mushrooming all over Rangoon and Mandalay, as obtaining licenses has become easier.

In its initial 100-day campaign, the new government targeted unlicensed massage parlours and KTVs. In May 2016, authorities closed down nine massage parlours in Naypyidaw to ensure the rule of law.

Art of Myanmar, the production group behind 'The Violet of Myanmar,' stated it aimed to produce more genre-specific and hardcore porn films in the future.

First they would have to find their porn stars, who might be in hiding, and then deal with the country's obscure laws.

 

The post Murky Waters: Burma's Law on Pornography appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Army Officer, Businessmen Arrested for Drug Possession in Arakan State

Posted: 02 May 2017 05:57 AM PDT

RANGOON – A Burma Army officer, a soldier, and two businessmen were arrested in possession of stimulants with a street value of 880 million kyats in northern Arakan State on Monday morning, border police Major Zaw Zaw Nay Hein told The Irrawaddy.

Maungdaw businessmen Thein Tun Naing and Zaw Oo drove a luxury Pajero vehicle 24 kilometers from Buthidaung—where Maj Ye Zeyar and Private Thein Naing, also in the car, were based—to Maungdaw Township on Monday morning. A combined task force stopped the vehicle at the three-mile gate in Maungdaw and found 400,000 methamphetamine pills, said the police major. Each "yaba" pill is worth 2,000 kyats in the local market, he added.

"We just checked the vehicle and discovered drugs," Maj Zaw Zaw Nay Hein said, adding that they had no tip-off prior to the routine search.

The joint operation team transferred the four suspects to Pyin Phyu police station in northern Maungdaw.

The officer responsible for continuing the investigation in Pyin Phyu could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

The State Counselor’s Office Information Committee, tasked with providing updates on issues in Arakan State, released a statement on Tuesday evening saying that ”the army would carry out a further investigation [in order] to take action” against the officer and soldier implicated in the arrest.

The Irrawaddy phoned President's Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay several times on Tuesday to inquire about the incident, but at the time of reporting, there had been no answer.

Three months ago, an anti-narcotics task force uncovered 4.6 million methamphetamine tablets and a handgun and ammunition from Buddhist monk Arsara of Shwe Baho village monastery in southern Maungdaw Township.

In June 2016, the police seized nearly 800,000 stimulant pills, worth about 2.3 billion kyats, from a suspected drug trafficker in Arakan State's capital Sittwe. The police report stated that the suspect was only a transporter and had planned to deliver the drug shipment to a monk who lived near the Bangladeshi border.

According to reports, in late September 2016, Maungdaw police confiscated two massive hauls of drugs, totaling over 15 million amphetamine tablets, in the compound of a construction company, hidden under brick piles and in a truck that was covered with sand.

The police have not yet apprehended the suspects yet.

Col Shwe Nyar Maung of the anti-narcotics police force in Naypyidaw told The Irrawaddy that drugs flow to Burma from neighboring countries' borders such as China, Thailand and India and some are smuggle via waterways.

He said, "Drug dealers target Yangon as a transit [destination] and experienced smugglers distribute the stimulants abroad."

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Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to Skip Washington Summit of SE Asia Foreign Ministers

Posted: 02 May 2017 05:47 AM PDT

RANGOON — Burma leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has declined an invitation to meet US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington this week alongside top diplomats from Southeast Asia, citing other commitments, Burma officials said on Tuesday.

Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi—who serves as Burma's foreign minister while also being de facto head of its civilian government—would send a senior official in her place, said Zaw Htay, director general of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's office.

The Washington talks come amid signs members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Burma, are tilting diplomatically towards China as the Trump administration's policy on the region remains unclear.

ASEAN foreign ministers are due to meet Tillerson on Thursday for talks covering trade, territorial claims in the South China Sea and crime, among other issues.

ASEAN stepped back from highlighting the maritime disputes between its members and China at a summit that concluded at the weekend, while Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has sought closer ties with Beijing.

Burma's President Htin Kyaw spent six days in China last month, signing an agreement that will see oil pumped through a pipeline across Burma to southwestern China, and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is due to visit Beijing for a summit on President Xi Jinping's signature “One Belt, One Road” infrastructure program in mid-May.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency under Burma's army-drafted constitution, but effectively leads the government through the specially created post of "State Counselor."

"The State Counsellor won't go to the US because she has another meeting with the EU on that day," Zaw Htay said.

The US Embassy in Rangoon had no immediate comment, and referred inquiries to the State Department in Washington.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Brussels on Monday for the first stop of an official tour of Europe, where she will also visit Britain and Italy.

National Security Adviser Thaung Tun would go to Washington in her place, Zaw Htay said.

Diplomats in Rangoon say President Donald Trump's policy towards Burma— considered a success story of former President Barack Obama's “pivot” to Asia—is so far uncertain.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi assumed power in 2016 following a landslide election win after Burma's former military leaders initiated a political transition.

She travelled to the United States in September, when Obama agreed to drop all remaining sanctions against Burma, an international pariah for decades under junta rule.

Since then, Burma has been sharply criticized in the West over violence against minority Rohingya Muslims.

Kyaw Zeya, permanent secretary at the ministry of foreign affairs, said Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was not planning to visit the United States in the near future.

But he dismissed the notion her absence from Washington was an indicator that ties were cooling in favor of China, saying Burma sought good relations with all major powers.

"We don't promote relations with any country at the expense of another," Kyaw Zeya said.

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Govt Asks UNFC to Sign ‘Deed of Commitment’ to Attend Union Peace Conference

Posted: 02 May 2017 05:30 AM PDT

RANGON—Government peace negotiators have asked ethnic bloc the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) to sign a "deed of commitment" to attend the upcoming Union Peace Conference on May 24.

A delegation from the government's National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) led by Dr. Tin Myo Win met with the UNFC's Department for Political Negotiation (DPN) in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand last Friday for the fifth round of formal peace talks between the two sides.

"They asked us to attend the 21st Panglong peace conference at the meeting, but we replied that if we were invited as observers, we could not attend," New Mon State Party (NMSP) central committee member Dr. Nai Shwe Thein, who attended the meeting, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

"They even asked us to sign a 'deed of commitment' to attend," he said, adding that government negotiators were keen to have all UNFC members sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA).

Dr. Nai Shwe Thein said ethnic armed group leaders would discuss whether or not to sign the deed, but added that the NMSP had already agreed to follow the NCA principles that would have them attend the Union Peace Conference.

In his opening speech on Friday, Dr. Tin Myo Win emphasized the need to reach a solution through negotiation, in order to fulfill the public's expectations in building peace and federalism.

"Politically, we made a lot of progress," Dr. Tin Myo Win told The Irrawaddy on Friday, adding that they had discussed details concerning the DPN's nine-point proposal.

DPN leaders asked the NRPC negotiators whether the government could fulfill any of the UNFC's nine points in its proposal for signing the NCA, according to Dr. Nai Shwe Thein.

"We asked them at the meeting how many of the points they could accept. We even told them if they agreed to all nine points from our request, then, we would sign the NCA," said Dr. Nai Shwe Thein.

In addition to attending the peace talks under the UNFC bloc, two of its members—the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and Shan State Progress Party (SSPP)—also took part in meetings led by the United Wa State Army (UWSA) in which armed groups based in northeastern Burma rejected the NCA and called for it to be replaced.

It was not clear from the meeting whether some of the active ethnic armed groups based in the region have abandoned the UNFC's NCA position.

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U Zaw Htay: Govt Will Not ‘Dig Up Past’ Over Magwe Embezzlement

Posted: 02 May 2017 04:21 AM PDT

NAYPYIDAW — Director-general of Burma's State Counselor's Office U Zaw Htay said that the government's policy of "no retrospection" meant it would not take punitive action against Magwe Division's ex-chief minister U Phone Maw Shwe currently embroiled in an embezzlement case.

U Zaw Htay admitted U Phone Maw Shwe's actions were punishable, but told reporters at a press conference at the Ministry of Information in Naypyidaw on Saturday that the National League for Democracy (NLD) government would not take retroactive action against him for fear of risking the country's process of democratization.

"The policy of the new government is not to dig up the past," said U Zaw Htay. "If we do so, there is a likelihood that [the country's progress] might reverse."

He said that this policy was not uncommon among countries undergoing democratic transition and that the State Counselor's approach is to do as well as she can in line with the policies of the new government, no matter what the previous government had done in the past.

"If we dig into the past, it will never end—from the time of the military government to the time of the Burma Socialist Program Party. That's why we have only instructed [U Phone Maw Shwe] to pay back an appropriate amount," said the director-general.

The embezzlement was revealed after a lawmaker asked a question about the missing regional development funds of the former Magwe Division government in parliament last year.

According to an investigation by the Bureau of Special Investigation under the Ministry of Home Affairs, missing funds collected as tax from small-scale oil producers in the time of U Phone Maw Shwe amounted to 7.5 billion kyats.

The government in early April instructed U Phone Maw Shwe to return 1.7 billion kyats, four cars, a digger, and two boats which he donated in his capacity as the chief minister to the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), as well as over 1.57 billion kyats which he transferred to Shwe Thuka Microcredit Association.

According to the Magwe Division government, U Phone Maw Shwe informed it by letter that he would return over 3 billion kyats—over 1.7 billion kyats donated to USDP and over 1.57 billion kyats transferred to the lending firm—by the last week of July.

In the letter dated April 27 and addressed to Magwe Division chief minister Dr. Aung Moe Nyo, U Phone Maw Shwe said that chairman of Shwe Thukha Microcredit Association U Kyi Tun would act as his representative in returning the funds.

"I still don't have direct contact [with U Phone Maw Shwe], and I have to consult with my ministers how those funds will be used [when I get them back]," said Dr. Aung Moe Nyo.

The letter stated that 500 million kyats out of 1.57 billion kyats transferred to the microcredit association would be returned in the first week of May. The remaining money would be returned by the last week of July, as it would take time for the lending firm to collect money from borrowers.

It also said that the vehicles donated to the USDP would be returned by April 30, but it is still unclear if they have been returned or not.

It is against election laws for a political party to accept and use public funds, and is punishable by abolishment of that party. USDP spokesperson Dr. Nandar Hla Myint has, however, denied receiving any donation from U Phone Maw Shwe.

Political commentator Dr. Yan Myo Thein said the new democratic government should not forgive corrupt officials at all, even if they are members of the former government.

"This is public funds, and the government, the parliament, and the military are responsible to prevent them [from being misused]" Dr. Yan Myo Thein told The Irrawaddy, adding that the misappropriated funds must be returned and those responsible investigated and charged in line with existing laws.

"If the government fails to take decisive legal action against the misappropriation of public funds for fear that it might reverse [the country's progress], and harm national reconciliation efforts, the trust of the international community and our citizens in the democratization process will decline," he added.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko

The post U Zaw Htay: Govt Will Not 'Dig Up Past' Over Magwe Embezzlement appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

KRC Shares Kachin Research with Wider Audience

Posted: 02 May 2017 03:57 AM PDT

CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Experts on Burma's Kachin State conflict shared their research from the area with an international audience at a seminar titled "War in Northern Myanmar," held at Chiang Mai University in northern Thailand on Monday.

The Kachinland Research Center (KRC) looked at a range of issues, from the civil war and causes behind Kachin Independence Organization's (KIO) rebellion, to the voices of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to Kachin customary law, art, literature and history.

The seminar was intended to share KRC research with a wider audience, said Maran Ja Htoi Pan, anthropologist and associate director of the KRC.

Last week, the Kachin scholars also held the Kachinland Study Symposium to share their research with locals in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State.

Seven speakers, both Kachin and foreign, highlighted the effects of almost six years of renewed conflict between the Burma Army and the KIO on the lives of locals.

The KIO had a 17-year ceasefire with the previous military government from 1994-2011, but the recent conflict has displaced more than 100,000 people.

The KRC was started last year to conduct research and draw wider attention to the political and democratic transition, the peace process, security, drug issues, and development during the ceasefire period, said Dan Seng Lawn, a political analyst and the KRC director.

He said this research fills a gap, documenting the effects of a war that greatly shaped the lives of ethnic Kachin, whether they stayed at home or fled.

The KRC will launch its first academic, peer-reviewed journal in October.

Research presentations also focused on traditional Kachin understanding of gender identity and the sexual violence endured throughout the civil war, with the recent high-profile case of two Kachin schoolteachers who were raped and murdered in Shan State in 2015.

Maran Nang Htoi Rawng, a joint general secretary from the Kachin Women's Association Thailand, said some of the sexual violence against women is considered private due to customary laws.

"These laws need to be widely understood in order to understand sexual violence in our state due to civil war," she said, highlighting that women are most often the victims of sexual violence but due to customary laws they have limited power as decision makers.

Gender activists added that women are not in decision-making roles, and that they are needed there in order to safeguard their security and represent themselves in talks related to the peace process with the government and armed groups.

The post KRC Shares Kachin Research with Wider Audience appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Protesters Submit Petition Against Naming of Gen Aung San Bridge in Mon State

Posted: 02 May 2017 02:12 AM PDT

MOULMEIN, Mon State — A petition of over 90,000 signatures protesting the naming of a bridge linking Chaungzon and Moulmein townships in Mon State after Burma's independence hero Gen Aung San will be submitted to the President's Office on Tuesday, as the divisional chief minister confirmed the bridge will officially open on May 9.

"We thought the government would open the bridge on May 1, so we planned to submit the petition last Thursday, but when they put up the bridge's signboard up on Wednesday, we decided to submit the petition by May 2," Min Aung Mon, spokesperson of the committee demanding the name change of the bridge, told The Irrawaddy.

Mon State Chief Minister Dr. Aye Zan told media on Tuesday an official opening ceremony for the bridge will be held next Tuesday and that Lower House Speaker U Win Myint and other speakers from Mon, Karen, Tennaserim and Bago Divisions will attend.

A committee was formed of local community elders, women's groups, monks, youth leaders, human rights and political activists to protest the bridge's name, which was approved by the Union Parliament's Lower House in March.

The group launched the petition campaign in Mon and Karen states and Bago and Rangoon divisions on April 13, and originally garnered over 120,000 signatures before April 26.

"Most of them [signatories] believed we could get the name changed if we submitted the petition," Min Aung Mon told The Irrawaddy.

"But as the signboard was put up on the evening of April 26, some got angry and burned their signed papers, saying that their signatures were useless. So, we have only just over 90,000 signatures left now," he said.

When the Irrawaddy called the Union Ethnic Affairs Minister U Nai Thet Lwin to ask him about the petition, his personal officer quoted him as answering "sad, but no comment."

The bridge cost 59 billion kyats (US$4.4 million) and is open to the public between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. from April 27 to March 6 ahead of its official inauguration.

Ashin Waravumsa, the abbot of the village of Boenat on Belu Island who is also a member of the committee demanding the name change, told The Irrawaddy "the bridge saves us [Mon people] physical discomfort, but not mental disturbance."

"Whenever we cross the bridge, we feel upset in our minds and hearts. We prefer the name Salween Bridge, Chaungzon which is an appropriate name for the region or Yamanya Bridge, which reflects Mon identity," said the abbot.

The 5,203-foot bridge was built in Feb. 2015 and was originally given the name Salween Bridge, Chaungzon.

Mon State Chief Minister Dr. Aye Zan said the NLD government has already set a policy on naming bridges across the country. He explained that the policy has four categories depending on the length of bridges.

"The first category says the biggest and longest bridges will take Gen Aung San's name while the medium bridges will be named in relation to the region they are located," he said.

Campaigners at a meeting on Saturday accused the National League for Democracy (NLD) government of ignoring the voices of local ethnic people, saying the naming was contrary to the government's federal Union rhetoric.

Dr. Aye Zan told reporters in early April that he did not want to "argue about the choice of words."

This article was translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Protesters Submit Petition Against Naming of Gen Aung San Bridge in Mon State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

More Signs of Refugee Repatriation on the Thai-Burma Border 

Posted: 02 May 2017 01:05 AM PDT

BAN MAE SALIT, Thailand — Community workers are busy with meetings, travel, and workshops as Burma prepares for the repatriation of some 98,000 refugees living on the Thai-Burma border.

New houses for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) are currently under construction in several locations controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU), Burma's longest-running ethnic armed organization, which signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the Burmese government.

About 50 new houses sit in a model village called Mae Salit, a project funded by foreign donors including the Nippon Foundation, a Japanese non-profit that closely follows Burma's peace process.

Some IDPs and refugees have already returned to these model villages. Sources say about 1,000 homes will be built by the Nippon Foundation upon completion.

According to Karen News, an ethnic Karen media outlet, there are some 3,200 KNU refugees and family members that have so far returned to the Lay Kay Kaw model village in 2017.

With the cooperation of the Thai government and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), some KNU leaders and the Burmese government began preparations for repatriation after the signing of the NCA in 2015.

One source in Mae Sot who is familiar with the matter told The Irrawaddy that INGO representatives briefed KNU leaders at the group's recent congress and said funding for refugees on the border would end in about four years.

"They [INGOs] asked KNU leaders to be prepared to take responsibility for the refugees once the funding ends," said the source, who asked for anonymity.

Other preparations are underway, with UN representatives from Rangoon visiting refugee communities to discuss repatriation plans and NGOs launching pilot projects to support IDPs and refugees who want to undertake agriculture and livestock projects.

"We are busy with meetings and visitors these days," said Saw Honest, chairman of the Mae La refuge camp, referencing frequent visits from donors, NGOs, and others.

Saw Tu Tu, a leader of the Karen Refugee Committee (KRC), told The Irrawaddy that food assistance would soon be cut for refugees who live in Ei Htu Hta camp, an IDP camp in Karen State. Camps along the border are seeing reductions in donor money and aid since Burma's shift toward democracy.

Quoting NGO sources, Saw Tu Tu said some 200 refugees households in Ei Htu Hta camp are preparing to return home when their assistance ends in August. Other households are still undecided, as many who were displaced by conflict still report feeling unsafe returning home while Burma Army troops are stationed in and near civilian areas.

The post More Signs of Refugee Repatriation on the Thai-Burma Border  appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Trump would be ‘Honored’ to Meet N. Korea Leader

Posted: 02 May 2017 12:55 AM PDT

SEOUL, South Korea — US President Donald Trump on Monday opened the door to meeting North Korea's Kim Jong Un, saying he would be honored to meet the young leader under the right circumstances, even as Pyongyang suggested it would continue its nuclear weapons tests.

"If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honored to do it," Trump told Bloomberg News, comments that drew criticism in Washington.
"Under the right circumstances I would meet with him," Trump said.

Trump did not say what conditions would need to be met for any such meeting to occur or when it could happen, but the White House later said North Korea would need to meet many conditions before a meeting could be contemplated.
"Clearly conditions are not there right now," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.

"I don't see this happening anytime soon," Spicer added.

Trump, who took office in January, had said during his presidential campaign he would be willing to meet with Kim.

His administration has since said North Korea must agree to abandon its nuclear and missile programs and has sought to pressure Pyongyang economically and diplomatically while insisting that military options remain "on the table."

On Friday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the United Nations Security Council that Washington would not negotiate with North Korea.

US Vice President Mike Pence, earlier on Monday, said Trump had made clear "that the era of strategic patience is over."

Later on Monday, a US State Department spokeswoman said in a statement: "The United States remains open to credible talks on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula; however conditions must change before there is any scope for talks to resume," adding that North Korea must abandon its nuclear weapons program.

Despite that, Trump's statement that he would be "honored" to meet Kim—as well as his description of the young North Korean leader over the weekend as "a pretty smart cookie"—sparked fresh concern over his approach to North Korea.

"I don't see much coherence in the Trump administration's statements," said Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "If there is to be any hope of getting Kim Jong Un back to the negotiating table to discuss denuclearization, the US has to articulate a clear position."

John Sifton, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said Trump had established a troubling pattern of paying compliments to foreign leaders with shaky human rights or autocratic reputations. "You don't have to be a psychologist to see that he admires leaders who ignore the rule of law," he said.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been high for weeks, driven by fears the North might conduct a long-range missile test, or its sixth nuclear test, around the time of the April 15 anniversary of its state founder's birth.

Early on Monday, North Korea said it would bolster its nuclear force "to the maximum" in a "consecutive and successive way at any moment" in the face of what it calls US aggression and hysteria.

North Korea, technically still at war with the South after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty, regularly threatens to destroy the United States, Japan and South Korea and has said it will pursue its nuclear and missile programs to counter perceived US aggression.

Trump warned in an interview with Reuters on Thursday that a "major, major conflict" with North Korea was possible, while China said last week the situation on the Korean peninsula could escalate or slip out of control.

In a show of force, the United States has sent the nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group to waters off the Korean peninsula to join drills with South Korea to counter a series of threats of destruction from North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"Now that the US is kicking up the overall racket for sanctions and pressure against the DPRK, pursuant to its new DPRK policy called ‘maximum pressure and engagement’, the DPRK will speed up at the maximum pace the measure for bolstering its nuclear deterrence," a spokesman for North Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement carried by its official KCNA news agency.

North Korea's "measures for bolstering the nuclear force to the maximum will be taken in a consecutive and successive way at any moment and any place decided by its supreme leadership," the spokesman said.

Reclusive North Korea has carried out five nuclear tests and a series of missile tests in defiance of UN Security Council and unilateral resolutions. It has been conducting tests at an unprecedented rate and is believed to have made progress in developing intermediate-range and submarine-launched missiles.

It test-launched a missile on Saturday which Washington and Seoul said was unsuccessful but which nevertheless drew widespread international condemnation.

 

The post Trump would be 'Honored' to Meet N. Korea Leader appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Sri Lanka Intercepts Boat Carrying 30 Rohingya Refugees

Posted: 01 May 2017 09:56 PM PDT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s navy intercepted a boat carrying 30 Rohingya refugees who had been living in India and two suspected Indian traffickers after they tried to enter the country illegally, police said on Monday.

The island nation’s navy and coastguard stopped the boat and its human cargo, which included 16 children, off Sri Lanka’s northern shores on Sunday, police spokesman Priyantha Jayakody said.

"The 32 people were produced before the magistrate on Monday, who remanded them until May 2," he told Reuters. "They have lived in India for more than five years."

A local human rights official who met the Burmese refugees said their planned final destination had been Australia, which lies more than 4,200 miles from Sri Lanka.

"They said they got refugee status in New Delhi after coming to India five years back, via Bangladesh. They are from six families," the official said, asking not to be named.

Tens of thousands of Muslim Rohingya have fled predominantly Buddhist Burma since 2012. Refugees, residents and human rights groups say Burma forces have committed summary executions, raped women and burned homes.

More than 1 million Rohingya live in apartheid-like conditions in Burma’s Rakhine State, where many in the Buddhist majority consider them interlopers from Bangladesh.

About 69,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since October, straining relations between the two neighbors who each see the stateless Muslim minority as the other nation’s problem.

The post Sri Lanka Intercepts Boat Carrying 30 Rohingya Refugees appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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Myanmar nationals return after serving prison terms

Posted: 02 May 2017 12:15 AM PDT

Myanmar nationals, who arrived back after serving prison terms in China, have been sent to their homes via Mandalay at about 5pm on April 29.

Government puts in effort to boost tourism

Posted: 02 May 2017 12:08 AM PDT

The government has approved 144 new hotels since the National League for Democracy Party took over, giving the country's hospitality sector a major boost.

CTUM demands meeting with the vice president

Posted: 02 May 2017 12:00 AM PDT

In a Workers' Day message to the authorities, the Confederation of the Trade Unions of Myanmar (CTUM), a workers' union organisation, has demanded the government officials that they want to meet and discuss matters pertaining to workers' welfare with the vice president of the Union regularly as he does with the business community.

Oil field workers, others celebrate Workers’ Day in Chauk

Posted: 01 May 2017 11:54 PM PDT

The 127th Workers' Day celebration that was held in Chauk township, Magwe Region, on May 1, was attended by officials and oil field workers from across the nation as well as from other sectors.

Peace Commission, DPN to meet again before May 24

Posted: 01 May 2017 11:47 PM PDT

The Peace Commission and the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN), representing seven ethnic armed groups, will meet in the second week of May, before the second round of the 21st-Century Panglong Conference, scheduled for May 24.

Trouble brewing after giant jade rock seized and deemed state property

Posted: 01 May 2017 11:43 PM PDT

Tensions are rising between gem scavengers and the Taut Pa Kye Company in Hpakant township, Kachin State, after a huge jadeite found by scavengers was confiscated as it was said to be state-owned property.

Action to be taken against fake news reports

Posted: 01 May 2017 11:19 PM PDT

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture has announced on April 30 that it is monitoring the situation and will take appropriate action after 'fake news' that Arabic schools in Thaketa township in Yangon Region were closed went viral on social media networks.
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