Gold shops which do not collect stamp duty for their sales would be penalised with stiffer fines starting July 3, an official of the Mandalay Region International Revenue Department (IRD) said.
The shop owners of Shwe Mingalar Market decried the regional government and the developer of the market for their failure to properly maintain the facility, which they promised to do when they sold the shops four years ago.
More than US$90,000 (K123.1 million) in fines was collected from foreign visitors who overstayed their visas in Mandalay Region in the first six months of this year, said the region's Immigration and National Registration Department.
Myanmar has lifted a six-month ban on sending workers to Malaysia, a senior labour official said, as the country struggles with influx of tens of thousands of returning migrants from neighbouring Thailand.
The Ministry of Planning and Finance drew up a draft of rules to enact the Special Goods Tax Law, but the Office of the Attorney General of Myanmar (OAG) suggested changes, so the ministry made the amendments and submitted it again to the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw.
Although the new decree on foreign labour has scared many migrant workers back to their homeland, other Myanmar people with legal documentation allowing them to live and work in Thailand have apparently welcomed the new regulations...by posting photos of themselves modelling the required documents.
As of Sunday, 1,267 people had contracted dengue fever in Rakhine State, of which 14 had died, and more than 83 percent of patients are under the age of 15, said Dr San Kyawt Khine, assistant director of the state Public Health Department.
The report by a nine-member committee, formed by Rakhine State Hluttaw on June 29 to investigate attacks in the state, will be submitted to the fifth regular state Hluttaw meeting, according to committee chair U Tun Aung Thein.
Police investigators said robbery could not have been the motive in the killing of a family of four in August last year at Shwe Nant Thar village in Mingalardon, hinting the crime could have been the perpetrated by the husband.
Five groups that support abolishing the 2008 Constitution drawn up by the Tatmadaw government will sue the State, former MP U David Hla Myint said on Tuesday.
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Talking about "trust and trust-building", we need to come to the root cause of where stimulation to achieve "trust" could be motivated.
What exactly must we do to be able to have incentive to build trust?
In Burma context, there are two conflict areas to take into account. One is ethnic conflict and the other, ideological conflict or differences.
The ethnic conflict could be resolved if the Tatmadaw, which claimed to represent the whole union, but in reality only its organization with pretense to speak for the majority Bamar, would withdraw its occupation troops from the ethnic states. This should be the theoretical out going point. It could gradually implement it by first withdrawing its troops to the respective mother units and really stop its offensive operations, as a first step to build trust. Then earnest demarcation arrangement and peace talks could follow.
In order to resolve ideological conflict, the Tatmadaw must let go or abandon its military and Bamar supremacy aspirations and let the civilian elected government take the country's administrative responsibility. In other words, to abandon its military dictatorship and Bamar-dominated unitary system ideological thinking.
If the Tatmadaw could first stimulate "trust" by withdrawing its occupation troops and really stop military offensives, it could be a start of "trust-building". If not one could repeat a million times to build trust, but nothing would ever happen. This is to do with ending the ethnic conflict.
Regarding ideological conflict or differences, the only way to build trust with all the peoples and strata embracing the whole country is to promise that it goes back to the barracks and leave political settlement and arrangement to the public and the organizations that represent them, together with the elected civilian government.
If the said two conflict areas is approached as mentioned, trust-building could succeed and trust eventually could be built. Otherwise, it would only be a wishful-thinking without commitment and political will undertaking to achieve conflict resolution, no matter how much peace conferences are held, and the vicious circle of violence will continue in the name of national unity, when, in fact, it is nation-destroying.
YANGON – The implementation of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) needs to be thoroughly reviewed, according to leaders of the NCA signatories' Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), calling the current process a deviation from the path they had envisioned.
From June 28 until July 2, the PPST, representing eight ethnic armed organizations, held a gathering in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in review of the peace process. The discussions explored the strengths and the weaknesses the current process, including the challenges faced at the second session of the 21st Century Panglong peace conference due to the fact that national-level ethnic dialogues were unable to be convened in Shan and Rakhine states at the time of the event, held in late May.
Pu Zing Cung, the chairman of the Chin National Front and a leader in the PPST, said that "the current situation had deviated from the NCA text," and that keeping the peace process on track was "the biggest challenge" that the signatories faced.
Thus PPST formed a NCA implementation review and reform team led by Karen National Union vice chairman Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win. Members said they aimed to assess the reviews in a month's time and would bring their recommendations to the next signatories' summit in early August.
The leaders told the reporters at the press conference held on July 2 that the political dialogue framework needed to be finalized, as two frameworks currently exist: the one drafted between the government and NCA signatories, and another one with between the government and both signatories and non-signatories. For inclusivity, both of the frameworks are being used.
Although a comprehensive and finalized version of the framework has not been reached, the PPST members said they tried their best to move forward with the peace process and to contribute to the Union Peace Conference sessions.
Further discussions must focus on the role of the federal states, power sharing between the Union and the states, state constitutions, and the joint implemention of the peace accord, PPST representatives said.
Despite disagreements, 37 basic principles were agreed upon at the most recent session of the peace conference. But federal principles as such equality, autonomy and the drafting of state constitutions have currently been left out of the resulting signed accord.
The Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) had said that through the peace conferences, they would combine all parts of the Union accord and submit it to the Parliament for approval; then the 2008 military-drafted Constitution could be amended, they added.
"The government, the Tatmadaw and the EAOs' [ethnic armed groups'] interpretations and understandings of the NCA text are different," said U Than Khe, the chairman of the All Burma Students' Democratic Front, despite a common aim to build a future federal state through the political negotiations.
Therefore, its different interpretations have impacted the NCA's implementation, the perspectives on the basic principles, and adherence to the promises made regarding the basic principles.
Pu Zing Cung highlighted the Tatmadaw and the EAOs' different understandings of security sector reintegration and the inclusion of the political parties.
In the security sector, the EAOs want to implement security sector reform (SSR) on the basis of the federal principles, as was agreed to under the previous government, but the Tatmadaw currently has pushed for a process of disarmament, disintegration and reintegration (DDR).
All political party representatives should be allowed to participate in the process, he said, as the current National League for Democracy government allows for the participation of 23 political parties which have secured seats in the Parliament to be in the process.
The NCA signatories have uniformly emphasized the importance of holding ethnic national level dialogues, in which recommendations are gathered for the basic principles and then brought to the Union Peace Conference, by the Restoration Council of Shan State in Shan State (RCSS) and Arakan Liberation Army/Party (ALA/P) in Rakhine State. The RCSS and ALP did not have their people's voices represented at the peace conference in May.
They said time constraints matter in further peace talks, and to follow the road map drafted in the NCA; not convening national level dialogues in Shan and Rakhine states, due to inadequate timeframes, would contribute to limitations on the meetings of each working committee in the political, economic, social, security and land and environment sectors, they added.
The government plans to conduct a session of the Union Peace Conference every six months, or twice a year.
Irrawaddy reporter Kyaw Kha contributed to this report.
YANGON — A mob killed a Rohingya man in the Rakhine State capital Sittwe on Tuesday, according to the district's Police Major Win Naung told The Irrawaddy.
The man was one of seven self-identifying Rohingya Muslims from Dapaing camp for internally displaced people on the outskirts of Sittwe taken by police to witness a trial in Sittwe Township court, according to the major, although details of the trial have not been released.
The group visited Ywar Gyi Mrauk quarter two kilometers from the court in downtown Sittwe during a break in the trial, he said, when they were attacked by a gang of men from the ward. One man was killed on the spot and another Rohingya man from the group was severely injured.
The injured man is receiving treatment at Sittwe General Hospital, said Police Major Win Naung, adding that the mob was armed, without specifying with what weapons.
The Myanmar government does not recognize Rakhine State's Muslim minority Rohingya among the country's official ethnic groups, and labels them as "Bengali" to suggest they are interlopers from Bangladesh.
Sittwe has restricted areas where Rohingya Muslims are forbidden from shopping at the town market and entering Rakhine quarters, and Rakhine residents are forbidden from visiting Muslim quarters without police permission.
Police Major Win Naung said the police were not aware the group of Rohingya had traveled to Ywar Gyi Mrauk quarter, a restricted area for Rohingya Muslims.
Sittwe residents told The Irrawaddy over the phone that the attack took place in the area on Tuesday afternoon.
U Saw Lwin, a Rohingya Muslim from Dapaing camp, said that seven or eight police officers escorted the group to the court and that the rest of the group was yet to arrive back at the camp.
"The government has the responsibility for this incident. It happened because the security was weak. We are not allowed to visit Rakhine wards without guards," he said.
YANGON — The case of three journalists detained in northern Shan State was transferred from Hsipaw to Namhsan Police Station, according to both police authorities.
Lawi Weng, also known as U Thein Zaw, from The Irrawaddy, and U Aye Nai and Pyae Bone Aung from Democratic Voice of Burma were arrested on June 26 near Namhsan Township on their way back from covering a drug-burning ceremony held by ethnic armed group the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) to mark the United Nations' International Day Against Drug Abuse.
The reporters, along with four other unidentified people, were handed over to Hsipaw police on June 28 and remanded to Hsipaw Prison, where they will remain despite the transfer of the case to Namhsan. The trio is being charged with violating Article 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act.
According to Hsipaw police official Myint Win, the case was transferred to Namhsan station on July 2 since the arrest occurred in the Namhsan region. Staff of Namhsan station confirmed to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the lawsuit would be submitted to Namhsan Township Court, about a three-hour drive from Hsipaw.
However, the district courthouse could assign it to a township court closer to Hsipaw Prison, according to Myint Win.
Family members of the three detained reporters were allowed a 45-minute prison visit on Monday—their first since the trio was arrested—and said their loved ones were in good health. The first court hearing will be on July 11, according to initial police reports.
International and local press members, civil society organizations and right groups have condemned the arrest of journalists under the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act, stressing a worrying trend against media freedom in Myanmar.
YANGON – A delegation led by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visited Rakhine State amid an uptick in recent violence.
UN officials met with border police Brig-Gen Thura San Lwin in Maungdaw on Monday and visited villages that suffered arson during Myanmar Army security clearance operations. The delegates will travel to Napyitaw on Wednesday to meet with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and several Union ministers.
Six UN delegates arrived in Rakhine State's capital Sittwe on Sunday and visited the Dapaing internally displaced persons (IDP) camp that afternoon.
Dapaing IDP U Saw Lwin, who met Grandi in the camp on Friday, told The Irrawaddy that IDPs were unaware of the UNHCR visit. Grandi told IDPs that the delegation intended to inquire about the situation of refugees on the ground.
U Saw Lwin said IDPs reported to Grandi that they were frustrated with the situation in the camp after nearly five years there and still hoped to be compensated for assets that were destroyed during inter-communal riots in 2012. The IDPs told UN representatives about their lack of freedom of movement, education and healthcare.
At the end of June, Myanmar government officials held a special meeting on Rakhine State affairs in Naypyitaw. The national security adviser provided recommendations on how to proceed regarding a UN fact-finding mission and Army Commander-in-Chief Vice Snr-Gen Soe Win reported on recent violence in the area and security preparations.
There have been international and local calls for Myanmar's government to allow a UN fact-finding mission to look into allegations of human rights abuses in the region, which it has repeatedly refused. The government has insisted that domestic investigations, along with an advisory panel led by former UN chief Kofi Annan, were sufficient.
When asked by The Irrawaddy if the UNHCR visit and meeting with the border police were a response to international pressure to allow a UN fact-finding mission, government spokesman U Zaw Htay said, "We cannot elaborate on the visit or discussion. I was not informed of the details. Ask UNHCR staff."
On July 1, the State Counselor's Office Information Committee released a statement from national security adviser U Thaung Tun that highlighted a recent increase in violence in the area, some of which stemmed from incidents between the Myanmar Army and suspected militants.
It stated that from October 2016 to June 2017, 38 civilians were killed in Maungdaw district and 22 villagers were abducted or went missing. Many of the victims were village administrative officials who had collaborated with the government, according to the statement.
"There has been a worrying increase in the number of murders and disappearances in recent weeks. In the past two weeks alone, six villagers have been killed and two have gone missing," read the statement.
On July 1, a man who worked distributing humanitarian assistance was murdered in his home. The statement did not provide further details of the incident.
The government has provided more than US$1.96 million in humanitarian assistance to Rakhine State in the past year. Three IDP camps in Kyaukphyu, Pauktaw and Ramree townships have been closed in line with the recommendations of the Kofi Annan-led advisory commission; among them, 55 households have been relocated to Yangon.
Grandi's visit is scheduled to run through July 6. He has worked in refugee and political affairs in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. This is his first visit to Myanmar since he was appointed high commissioner in January 2016.
YANGON — Relatives of a family of four found dead in Yangon's Mingaladon Township in August last year have disputed a police report suggesting the family's father, U Soe Naung, killed his wife and two sons before killing himself.
The four-member family—retired police lieutenant U Soe Naung, 37, his wife Daw Cherry Pwint, 34, their sons Han Thura, 13, and Swan Htet Myat, 8—was found dead with knife wounds at their house in Mingaladon Township on Aug. 20, 2016, shocking the Yangon public.
Photographs of three men outside their house close to the time of the deaths went viral and were distributed by police as possible suspects in the case. The family's relatives have maintained that the family was murdered.
A police statement released on June 30, however, placed the crime on U Soe Naung and said the couple was facing financial hardship and had been arguing in the three months before the killings.
U Soe Naung was mentally unstable according to neighbors, said the statement which also quoted forensic scientists as saying that the four stab wounds found on U Soe Naung were self-inflicted.
Relatives of the family held a press conference at the family's house on Monday. U Soe Naung's brother and Buddhist monk U Wisara said police should have first consulted the family before releasing a statement.
"Saying U Soe Naung killed [his family] while he was feeling unstable harms the dignity of us relatives," he added. The police statement also suggested the family's 2.7 million kyats debt played a factor in the deaths, though authorities acknowledged that they had one million kyats on hand and the wife was wearing a pair of diamond earrings.
"It is not usual for someone who cannot pay debt to wear diamond earrings," said U Wisara.
According to the police statement, only the DNA of the four family members was found at their house. U Soe Naung's DNA was found on the murder weapon.
Relatives also pointed out that the police report said U Soe Naung committed the murders with his left hand, claiming he was right-handed.
"We plan to send a complaint [to authorities] about the police statement," said Daw Yi Yi Nwe, mother of Daw Cherry Pwint. "The statement harms the dignity of the deceased, so I would ask police to salvage their reputation."
A local artist will guide guests step by step to create your very own painting. No prior artistic skill is needed. A paint set, some light snacks and a glass of wine will be provided for 25,000 kyats. All profits go to Ray of Hope Myanmar Charity for funding a primary school in Ye Township. Register here.
July 9, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. Pansodan Scene Gallery, No. 144, 2nd Floor, Pansodan St.
July 7, 2:00 – 5:30 pm. Strand Hotel, Strand Road.
Smooth Jazz By Daniel Chia | July 7
Smooth Jazz night at "The West" with Daniel Chia, Soulful, funky, and energetic, saxophonist Daniel Chia from Singapore will be performing smooth Jazz at The West Lounge.
July 7, 8:00 pm – 11:45 pm. The West Steak House, Pearl Condo, Kaba Aye Pagoda Road. 10,000 kyats.
Mom's Superstars | July 9
Organized by Nestle Cerelac, this event is for children over age two, with lots of games, a little prince and princess talent show, plus a chance for parents to share insights into raising children.
July 9, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm. Junction Mawtin.
Korean Artist's Solo | July 1 – 5
Korean artist Youngjeong Oh will showcase his solo exhibition entitled 'Another Round' at Open Space Yangon.
July 1-5. Open Space Yangon, 42nd Street, Botahtaung Tsp.
Suddenly | July 1 – 31
Artist Min Thurein's solo will feature paintings depicting natural disasters such as tsunami, and earthquakes, along with street art movement.
July 1-31. Internal Art Gallery, A Block, 15th Street, Yuzana Garden Housing.
With a swift breath the teenage boy dives into the turquoise waters of southern Myanmar, a spear clutched in his hand, but below him lies nothing but a graveyard of broken, grey coral.
Civil society groups have urged the government to sign a UN treaty aimed at banning all forms of torture, emphasising that the previous government had made a commitment to sign the convention.
People living in Nam Ma village tract in Thibaw township, northern Shan State, are worried about large cracks in the earth that opened up recently in the area where a coal mine has been operating since 2004.
The government and religious leaders need to unite in taking action against unlawful ideologies, Union Minister for Religious Affairs and Culture Thura U Aung Ko said at the meeting of the Seventh State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (Ma Ha Na) on July 2.
Action has been taken against 55 district and township judges by the Supreme Court of the Union of Myanmar for dereliction of duty, according to the 2016 Court Annual Report.
Tens of thousands of illegal migrant workers have returned to Myanmar after fleeing Thailand as the neighbouring country toughens up its regulations on foreign workers, a parliamentarian told The Myanmar Times.
Discrepancy in interpretation on the terms and provision of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) between the government and the eight signatory armed groups have affected the compliance and implementation of the terms, the groups said in a statement released Sunday.
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NAYPYITAW — Insurgents of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), a separatist group based in India and seeking to establish a sovereign territory, is threatening the security of Tamu Township in Sagaing Division, according to an Upper House lawmaker.
Parliamentarian U Maung Maung Latt, from Sagaing Division, asked the Union government at the Upper House on Monday to crack down on insurgents of Meitei descent—a majority ethnic group of the northeastern Indian state of Manipur—who are active in Tamu.
He blamed the Myanmar Army and security forces for "failing to protect" locals of Tamu, which shares a 78-mile land border with Manipur.
"The Tatmadaw knows their existence and the deputy minister said that it would take action only when people report it. I assume this is the failure of Tatmadaw and police to protect the lives and property of people," U Maung Maung Latt told the reporters after the parliamentary session.
The lawmaker said he was aware the local authorities had surveyed the population of Meitei, known as Kathe in Myanmar, in Tamu. He cited a recent confrontation between locals and insurgents who allegedly extorted money at Tamu's Nan Pha Lon Market, adding that he filed complaints with the district administrator, police, and military officials, but the authorities had not taken action.
Deputy defense minister Maj-Gen Myint Nwe acknowledged the army is responsible for security and police are responsible for the rule of law but said public cooperation is necessary to protect civilians along the whole 1,016 mile-long border with India. He urged the public to inform authorities about news of insurgent acts.
The deputy minister said it is difficult to differentiate civilians from rebels at the border, adding that people on both sides of the border cross daily for business and have a similar culture.
"In such an area, we can do nothing except cooperate on the ground and exchange information," the deputy minister told The Irrawaddy.
He told the Parliament it was the "long-held policy" of the Tatmadaw to reject any rebel organization rising against neighboring countries or any group helping rebels harbor in Myanmar.
Based on collected intelligence, the Tatmadaw takes action against groups battling the Indian government that exploit the mountainous terrain, sparse population, and poor transportation in the area, said the deputy minister.
U Maung Maung Latt told Parliament he had received information on Monday morning that about 70 male and female rebels were staying at 12 houses in a village just one mile from Tamu.
Maj-Gen Myint Nwe responded that the home affairs ministry would take action "wherever possible" and the Tatmadaw would "always help if necessary."
The lawmaker said he would collect signatures from locals and submit the petition to the president, the State Counselor and concerned ministries. He was concerned the region would become "the second Rakhine State" if the number of rebels increased.
He said there were frequent killings of civilians in Tamu because of the rebels, as well as arson attacks and the seizures of arms.
The armies of India and Myanmar hold border committee meetings every six months. The 10th national level border committee was held in Sagaing Division's Kale and Monywa in May, with the commanders of the Myanmar Army's North-West Command and the Indian Army's No. 57 Mountain Division in attendance.
The meeting discussed matters related to cross-border crimes, counter-insurgency, border security and development.
YANGON — Family members of journalists detained in northern Shan State said their loved ones are "in good health" after they were allowed prison visits for the first time on Monday.
Lawi Weng, also known as U Thein Zaw, from The Irrawaddy, and U Aye Nai and Pyae Bone Aung from the Democratic Voice of Burma were arrested by the Myanmar Army on Monday, June 26, and and handed over to the police last Thursday. They have been charged under the Unlawful Associations Act and are being detained at Hsipaw Prison in northern Shan State.
On Monday, family members of Lawi Weng and U Aye Nai were allowed a 45-minute visit and were able to deliver food. The family members of another DVB reporter, Pyae Bone Aung, are on their way to Hsipaw, according to U Khin Maung Soe, the multimedia editor at DVB.
"Ko Aye Nai's family members said he is okay," he told The Irrawaddy.
U Khin Maung Win, Lawi Weng's elder brother, met him on Monday afternoon at the prison with a lawyer. He told The Irrawaddy said his younger brother was "in good health," and has been "treated well."
He said his younger brother had told him that he had not been subjected to abuse in the army's interrogation sessions during his initial detention by the military.
"But [Lawi] said they had to sleep on the floor during the interrogation and it was cold. They were surrounded by dozens of soldiers with guns outside," said U Khin Maung Win.
The three journalists were arrested near Namhsan on their way back from covering a drug-burning ceremony held by the ethnic armed group the Ta'ang National Liberation Army on Monday to mark the United Nations' International Day Against Drug Abuse.
YANGON — The European Union on Monday urged Myanmar to protect journalists from "intimidation, arrest or prosecution" after several cases of reporters running into trouble with the law, including three detained by the army last week.
The three reporters were accused of breaching the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act after covering the burning of drugs by the rebel Ta'ang National Liberation Army to mark International Day Against Drug Abuse.
Journalists and rights groups say that over a year since democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy came to power, the gains made in press freedom since the end of decades of strict military rule risk being reversed.
The European Union said the right to freedom of opinion and expression is a human right guaranteed to all.
"It constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society," it said in a statement.
"We therefore call on the government of Myanmar to provide the necessary legal protection for journalists to work in a free and enabling environment without fear of intimidation, arrest or prosecution."
The three reporters arrested last week—Democratic Voice of Burma reporters Aye Nai and Pyae Phone Naing, and Lawi Weng of the Irrawaddy magazine—are in prison in the northeastern town of Hsipaw. The first hearing in their case is on July 11.
Suu Kyi's spokesman, Zaw Htay, has said that everyone "should be treated according to the law."
Suu Kyi herself has not commented on the three or on other cases of reporters running afoul of the law.
Suu Kyi's defenders say the Nobel Peace Prize winner—who spent years under house arrest for opposing army rule—is hamstrung by a military-drafted constitution that keeps the generals in politics and free from civilian oversight.
The military said the three reporters had communicated with a group "currently opposing the country's rule of law using arms."
The European Union said that in recent months the arrest and prosecution of journalists had reached "a worrying number."
Most of the cases against journalists are for suspected violations of a broadly worded telecommunications law decried by human rights monitors as a violation of free speech.
In one such case, Kyaw Min Swe, an editor at the Voice daily, was arrested last month over an article mocking the military. His trial is underway.
Reporters protesting against what they see as the threat to press freedom say that military intelligence agents have taken their pictures, a reminder of the days of harsh military rule when no opposition was tolerated.
Myanmar and Korea are different in many ways but they both share a longing for peace. In the 70 years since it gained independence from Britain in 1948, peace among ethnic groups has eluded Myanmar. Since the 1950s, when an uneasy truce was reached between north and south Koreas, peaceful reunification of the peninsula has as yet proved impossible.
Myanmar and Korea's shared desire for peace is on display in an exhibition showcasing works of pacifism from the two countries at New Treasure Art Gallery on Thalwin Street, Golden Hill Avenue in Yangon's Bahan Township.
The exhibition titled "Platform of Peace" is the second edition of the Korea-Myanmar art exhibition and features works by ten Myanmar and ten Korean artists and sculptors.
Over 40 works by Korean and Myanmar artists are on display at the exhibition, which continues until Thursday.
The first edition was held in 2015 to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Myanmar and South Korea.
2017 is a year of cultural exchange between Asean countries and South Korea. Park Taehong, director of co-organizer Artistic Asia, said: "Korea has north and south Koreas. They are divided and have not achieved peace. And Myanmar is also working for peace. When we look at the similarities between the two countries, we found peace. So, we gave the title 'Platform of the Peace.'"
Myanmar artist Moe Nyo sugested there should be more similar exhibitions. "For many people living here it will be very beneficial," he said.
"Marble Stone" by Chan Aye. (Photo: Myo Min Soe/The Irrawaddy)
A sculpture made of stone and silicone sits at the entrance of the exhibition hall. Sculptor Chan Aye explained, "I try to combine two opposite things—soft silicone and hard stone—hoping that this would create some beauty."
"Stainless Steel" by Pyo Insook (2009). (Photo: Myo Min Soe/The Irrawaddy)
Near Chan Aye's work is a simple, but attractive display titled "Stainless Steel" by modern Korean sculptor Pyo Insook. He said of his duck-shaped structure: "People kill and eat such a beautiful creature. So I felt pity and created this duck-shaped steel sculpture."
"Kachin Dance" by Pe Nyut Way (2017). (Photo: Myo Min Soe/The Irrawaddy)
Myanmar artist Pe Nyint Wai showcases two paintings exploring unity and friendship—one shows a traditional Manaw dance of the ethnic Kachin People and another depicts people playing with Myanmar's traditional cane ball.
"Old Jar" by Choi Sukun (2008). (Photo: Myo Min Soe/The Irrawaddy)
Another highlight is Korean artist Choi Sukun's painting titled "Old Jar" featuring a dog and a pig.
He told The Irrawaddy that traditional circular jars remind him of the moon and the moon's cold light gives a sense of peace.
Works on display at the exhibition are priced between US$100 and $3,000 with 50 percent of the proceeds being used to repair schools and roads in Myanmar through Artistic Asia, according to exhibition organizer of Min Wai Aung.
CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Four ethnic armed groups resigned from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) at the council's conference in Thailand's Chiang Mai.
The UNFC accepted the resignation of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Wa National Organization (WNO), according to Khu Oo Reh, general secretary of the UNFC.
Khu Oo Reh told reporters on June 29—the final day of UNFC's second conference—that the four groups would ally with the UNFC again if the circumstances called for it, and join the council's future conferences as observers.
The KIO, TNLA, and MNDAA formed the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), also referred to as the northern alliance, led by the United Wa State Army (UWSA) in April. The WNO merged with the UWSA in June before the UNFC conference.
KIO vice-chairman General N'Ban La said at the opening of the conference on June 20 the four groups withdrew because of the political situation.
"Local conditions and the military's pressure and divisive rule are pushing armed groups in the northern area [of Myanmar] to stick together. That's why we need to resign from the UNFC," he told the conference.
There are five groups left in the UNFC—the New Mon State Party (NMSP); the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP); the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU); the Arakan National Council (ANC); and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), which is also a member of the Wa-led FPNCC.
Nai Hong Sar of the NMSP, who was elected as the UNFC chairman during the conference, said the council is dedicated to continuing its negotiations with the government based on the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
"It depends heavily on the government. If it gives us the room to maneuver on the NCA path, there will be a greater likelihood [of us signing it]. It is up to the government whether it would force us because the UNFC is weaker now," Nai Hong Sar told The Irrawaddy.
The conference, which has been postponed in the past because of difficult military and political conditions, elected 24 council members including nine central executive members. Dr Khin Maung of the ANC was elected as the vice chair and Khu Oo Reh of the KNPP as the general secretary.
MANDALAY — The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party will take action against underperforming, corrupt, or misbehaving government officials, party spokesperson U Win Htein said on Sunday.
"Officials failing to do their public service will initially receive a warning, informing them that the party will observe their work for one year," he said, adding that if requirements were not met within a year they would be removed from their position.
"We have received complaints from almost every state and region in Myanmar," U Win Htein said at a meeting of government officials, parliamentarians, and NLD members in Mandalay on Sunday. "We are doing this for the sake of the country and its people," he added.
In recent years, the NLD has expelled many of its own members for disloyalty to the party or over complaints of bad behavior.
Political analyst Dr. Yan Myo Thein said a balance of cooperation between the government, parliament, and the party was required and the NLD should be careful of interfering in government matters.
He welcomed NLD's bid to combat corruption and said action should be taken immediately but warned that "if a party attempts to control the government directly, there will be controversy."
The arrest of Lawi Weng, a friend and former colleague, has emotionally and psychologically affected me deeply. It disturbs a long hidden fear inside me, and probably many others from Myanmar who have lived and struggled within regimes of oppression with fear of being unjustly persecuted for who we are and what we believe. This arrest has pushed me to think about one of the key root causes that are too often taken for granted: colonialism.
Lawi Weng, Aye Nai and Pyae Bone Naing were arrested under the 1908 Unlawful Association Act enacted by the British colonial regime. This act was designed by the British colonial regime to oppress and rule the people of Burma and other colonies. The success of British colonialism depended on the use of law, courts, police, prisons, government, schools, hospitals and the economy to control subjects, to make them behave in a certain way and to submit to the new state apparatus.
Sixty years after 'independence,' the state continues to rely on colonial laws and practices, and we continue to internalise and reproduce colonialist ideas. This is all the more ironic since some people continue to talk about Karen as having a "slave mentality" for collaborating with the British while assuming that others are free. As long as colonial laws and practices persist, we all have a "slave mentality."
State actors celebrate Myanmar's liberation from British colonialism, while maintaining legacies of the colonial state for the control and suppression of the people of Myanmar. Can we say that we are independent?
There has been a long history of resistance to colonialism, in organised action, boycotts, gossip, religious movements, rituals, song, writing, violent resistance and banditry. Liberation for anticolonial activists meant many things. It could involve social and political freedom and cultural revitalization. The colonial state used various methods to suppress resistance. Just as the postcolonial state is using some of the same methods to suppress Lawi Weng, Aye Nai, Pyae Bone Naing and others who are involved in creating a better society.
Instead of creating our path towards a free society that recognises diverse views of the nation, the state is replicating acts of repression. State communication is often nationalistic, but for me, the arrest of these three journalists is not a nationalistic act.
My intention is not to dehumanise and villainize the state. We have all internalised colonial practices in our own way. Agents of the state are also in need of decolonization. In our hearts, we all want to move forward and hope for a better society, however that might look.
Decolonization needs to involve a deep analysis of how our politics and society should look like, the core values, the role of law and government, and address the violence of colonisation in imposing foreign and oppressive structures and ideologies. What we do today should not contradict core values of liberation and decolonization. Myanmar needs to be untangled from the apparatus of colonial control.
These arrests brought me back to my memory of being arrested by Thai police while I was working as a journalist along the Thailand-Myanmar border. The level of uncertainty of my safety and security because of that arrest penetrated my mental state deeply.
I am still somehow traumatised by this incident, a decade later. The context of the capture I experienced is, of course, different from the arrest of Lawi and other journalists. However, it is undeniable that they will experience deep fear and that the state is doing physical and mental harm to them. The consequences of these arrests are also doing much broader harm. It affects their families, their comrades in the media and the wider society.
The application of the Unlawful Association Act and other colonial laws and practices for the control and repression of the people of Myanmar shows that we are still caught within the legacy of the colonial system. We must critique this situation to look at what we need to do to live in a liberated and decolonised Myanmar. Right now, those directly involved in the persecution of Lawi Weng, Aye Nai, and Pyae Bone Naing need to decolonise most of all.
Violet Cho is a former reporter at The Irrawaddy and a PhD Candidate in Anthropology at the Australian National University.
A policeman was wounded when Hsipaw Township police station in northern Shan State was attacked with an improvised grenade early on Sunday morning.
A motorcyclist threw the explosive device into the station compound in the northeast of downtown Hsipaw at 4:30 a.m. before escaping, according to a statement released by the Commander-in-Chief's Office.
The policeman on guard suffered minor injuries and the blast also damaged a Toyota Land Cruiser seized last week in the arrest of seven people, including three journalists, on suspicion of association with ethnic armed group the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which is active in the area.
Township Police Chief Myint Win reportedly told media on Sunday authorities have launched an investigation into the attack and suggested the armed group may be behind the attack as three of those arrested were ethnic Ta'ang, also known as Palaung.
"We are still looking for the culprit," he said. "It may be related to the unlawful association cases [of the three Ta'ang]. It's possible that [the culprit] launched the attack as they are not pleased with case," he said.
Tens of thousands of workers have fled Thailand, most of them for homes in neighboring Myanmar, immigration officials said on Monday, after new labor regulations adopted by the military government sparked fear and panic among the migrant community.
Millions of workers from poor neighbors, such as Cambodia and Myanmar, form the backbone of Thailand's manual labor force, with industries such as the multi-billion-dollar seafood business heavily reliant on foreign workers.
Since taking power in a 2014 coup, Thailand's ruling junta has attained varying degrees of success in campaigns to regulate the foreign workforce, spurred partly by media reports that unregulated workers faced exploitation by employers.
About 60,000 workers left between June 23 and 28, and the number has risen since, an Immigration Bureau official said.
"They were of all nationalities, but the biggest group was from Myanmar," Deputy Commissioner Pornchai Kuntee told Reuters. "They are probably very scared."
Following news of the exodus, Thailand on Friday promised a 120-day delay in enforcing parts of the decree, including fines that can range up to 800,000 baht (US$23,557) for employers who hire unregistered foreign workers without permits. Geta Devi, 28, a Myanmar worker based in Bangkok, the Thai capital, said some of her friends panicked after hearing about the decree.
"They went back to Myanmar," she added.
The mass movement leaves undocumented workers vulnerable, said Andy Hall, a British specialist in migrant workers' rights who has monitored such migration in Thailand for more than a decade.
"It's clear to me tens of thousands of migrants only move like this after instigation," Hall, who has worked extensively with Myanmar workers, told Reuters.
Despite the threat of punishment, "corrupt officials" would try to take bribes from fleeing migrants, he said. "Mass profit is to be made in a short time from the panic and commotion," Hall added.
Police officers who try to extort money from employers or migrant workers will be punished, Thai police chief Chaktip Chaijinda said on Friday, in a bid to discourage exploitation of undocumented workers.
Last month, the United States kept Thailand on a trafficking watch list, saying it did not meet the minimum standards to end human trafficking.
Thailand defended its efforts to stop trafficking and urged US officials to visit and gauge its campaign.
More than 3 million migrants work in Thailand, the International Organization for Migration has said, but rights groups put the figure higher
The art of crafting a "kaloe"—a traditional bamboo guitar made by ethnic Kayah—is disappearing and the instrument is now mainly sold as a souvenir item at makers' homes in Kayah villages in Loikaw and Demoso townships.
Khu Mee Reh, a 70-year-old ethnic Kayah, also known as Karenni, is one of the last kaloe makers.
He has been crafting bamboo guitars and flutes since he was a teenager, and frequently plays them at home.
Khu Mee Reh and his wife Mou Soe Myar live in Tanelale village in Demoso Township, about a 15-minute drive from Loikaw.
In his village, both domestic and international tourists experience traditional food and culture still practiced by the older members of the community.
Mou Soe Myar, a grandmother, always wears traditional dress: A short longyi weaved from cotton, a black top that just covers one shoulder, a long shawl, large silver earrings, bracelets, and necklaces and lacquered cotton rings on her legs.
"I have been wearing these since I was young and I don’t want to change," she told The Irrawaddy.
But traditional dress has been disappearing among the younger generations, except for during festivals.
Younger Kayah villagers said they don't want to wear traditional dress as it involves too many accessories and is not beautiful when it's worn incomplete.
Khu Mee Reh said he and his wife sold the bamboo guitars for use in peoples' homes in the past, but he has started to sell them to tourists who visit Kayah areas to experience a traditional way of life.
He said he would be happy to pass on kaloe-making skills to anyone who wanted to learn, but that there was a lack of interest among the community.
Tourists can purchase a kaloe from Khu Mee Reh's home for just 5,000 kyats, and enjoy a traditional music performance by him and his wife.
A joint statement issued by 61 national and international human right organisations urge the Myanmar government and parliament to repeal Section 66(d) of the 2013 Telecommunications Law and to decriminalise defamation.
In a move to combat the sales of counterfeit medicines and drugs, the Myanmar Pharmaceutical Factory (MPF), under the Ministry of Industry, has cancelled its distribution network involving sales representatives.
Inclusion issues, content of the next conference and implementation of interim programs are three key challenging issues in peace process that the government has to cope with before the next conference, said the International Crisis Group (ICG).
A multi-sectoral campaign to clean up and beautify Yangon kicked off Sunday in a downtown alley between 31st and 32nd streets, as the country registered a spike in tourist arrivals.
Civil societies and The Protection Committee for Myanmar Journalists staged a protest calling for media freedom in the country and the release of detained journalists.
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Police investigators said robbery could not have been the motive in the killing of a family of four in August last year at Shwe Nant Thar village in Mingalardon, hinting the crime could have been the perpetrated by the husband.
