Friday, November 17, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Aung Cheimt Brokers No Compromise in His Art

Posted: 17 Nov 2017 08:07 AM PST

Aung Cheimt (b. 1948) is acknowledged as the greatest living poet in Myanmar today. Along with Thukhamein Hlaing, and several others, he was at the vanguard of modern poetry in Myanmar, moving it from its traditional fixed rhyme to something much more free. This freedom is palpable in Aung Cheimt. He is the ultimate artistic free spirit, who brokers no compromise in his art, to which everything else must be subservient. He is the Marlon Brando and James Dean of Burmese poetry – though the comparisons are inaccurate because his aesthetic rebellion is always a moral one too: his fierce poetry brokers no compromise with either dishonesty or cowardice. He is the poet that all poets in Myanmar would like to emulate. And if you'd met him, you'd immediately understand why.

How did you begin to write poetry?

I was arrested and held for fifteen months, three of which were in solitary confinement. It was during this solitary confinement that I started to compose poems just in my mind. This is what helped me survive. Writing poetry was a way of distracting the mind; a way to keep sane.

We wrote with whatever we could get our hands on, and then memorized the poem. We'd get a nail and scratch on the sleeping mat. Sometimes the etchings were so faint that you could only see when the light hit it. Or pick small pieces of lime mortar stuck between the bricks and use that to write a poem on the floor. That's how I began to write.

When I was released, I would lock myself up in a room full of books and writing materials.

Now it's a habit. I have never stopped writing since, though these days are long passed.

Your activism landed you in jail for a year and a half when you were only sixteen.

When your roof is leaking in the rain, the rain comes in from everywhere. There are so many things that I endured. There are things that you don't like to write about.

Did you continue to study after your release?

I have never been interested in formal education. To this day, I don't even have a graduation certificate. I started reading outside literature and found poetry. I also got interested in politics. Before the military government in 1962, students could form unions easily. I spent most of my times in these activities. I transferred to various schools, too. I would be absent from class twenty days out of a month. So were my friends. I wanted to taste the world even when I was young. I didn't have much money. But with the little money I had, I would take trains to the outskirts of town and see life around me. I wanted to be happy, but with the military regime everything got turned upside-down. My friends were also not happy. We found happiness in teashops, and in pubs talking poetry and politics late into the night. We had no work. Only government employees had jobs.

And writing under censorship?

Living through the dictatorship, through such a bad era itself was a poem. We illegally published our poetry back then.

You became a better poet by thinking about how to get around the censor. Many of us were good enough, clever enough, witty enough to outsmart the censor.

It was not possible to just follow the government and write what they wanted you to say. That is not a way to create anything of value.

My definition of political activism is standing by the side of the oppressed and disadvantaged, not with the government, whoever they are.

What is it like to write now that censorship has been abolished?

It is so free now. Protest is nothing. Nothing is new anymore. You can now create anything you want. It is so open that you don't know when and how to control your art. Everyone thinks he can be a poet just by scribbling three or four lines. Nowadays, in the so-called time of transition, writing has become much more free, but you also bear a greater responsibility as a result. You now have a duty to improve your poetry.

How do you write?

In my advanced age, I write everyday. You can't set a specific time to write poetry. Once something comes into my mind, I write it down immediately. I'm always in an auto-on mode: always ready to write a poem.

I re-read my poems before I send them to a publisher. You may find your technique during this process. You can't devise a poetry writing technique. You can only find it through writing.

You have made a living solely as a poet.

I can't live without poetry. Poetry is a part of me, just like breathing, drinking water, eating. I don't deliberately try hard to write. Poetic expressions just naturally come into my head for no reason at any time. I don't know if it's a gift or bad luck. I think it is my fate. I was a poet in my previous life. And I want to be a poet in my next life as well.

What do you want to tell the new generation of poets today?

Your poems must improve every day. Don't be pleased or satisfied with what you already have. You must know there is something better, something unachieved, behind what you have just created. Try to improve yourself after each and every poem.

Authors’ Note: These interviews are excerpted from Burma Storybook, a poetry and photography book inspired by the documentary film of the same name, produced by Corinne van Egeraat and directed by Petr Lom. 

The English language hardcover edition of the book is for sale at Hla Day, Innwa Bookstore, Myanmar Book Center and the Strand Hotel.

 A Burmese language-only paperback edition of the book is for sale through Yangon Book Plaza.

There will be a Free Open Air Screening of the Burma Storybook documentary film (82 min.) in Mahabandoola Park in Yangon on November 25 at 6 p.m. From Nov. 25 to Dec. 4, you can visit the interactive Burma Storybook Photo Exhibit at the Tourism Burma Building.

For more information: www.burmastorybook.com

The post Aung Cheimt Brokers No Compromise in His Art appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Maung Aung Pwint Places Empathy at the Heart of his Work

Posted: 17 Nov 2017 06:50 AM PST

Maung Aung Pwint (b. 1945) is from the city of Pathein in the Irrawaddy River Delta.  He lives on a bend in the river, where it sweeps by towards the sea, in a two-story brick house at the edge of town. He and his wife live together with their daughter's family, who run a stationary store and lending library from the ground floor. The street he lives on was paved last year, one of the visible signs of Myanmar's new economic boom.  This year, together with a business partner, his wife has been able to save up enough money to buy a taxi.

The many visitors who stop by his house address Maung Aung Pwint as Saya, or teacher. They come to pay respect, read their poetry, and ask advice, sitting at his feet. For he is widely recognized as the most distinguished living dissident poet in the country.

Maung Aung Pwint discovered poetry as a solace to family misfortune:

My mother died in the civil war when I was a child.  I always remember this. In my childhood, there was no more playing and happiness. Fortunately there was a small library in my village. I went there and read books. There were a few magazines where you could read poems. They became my closest and dearest friends. They taught me how to face all the troubles in my life. Poetry taught me how to find strength, peace of mind, how to live.  

As a young man, he gravitated into political activism, as an editor and distributor of an anti-government newspaper, and as a documentary filmmaker documenting minority injustice and forced labor.

I traveled all over the country, including to the ethnic regions. It was so beautiful. The region was not deforested yet.  I even mailed stones from there home. It felt like they were living creatures. But the government army was already on the assault.  Ethnic people were badly tortured. The army used rape as a weapon. I saw these things with my own eyes. I decided to become involved.  Writing poetry was not enough. 

Hi activism led to his arrest and imprisonment on four occasions: 1967-68; 1978-1980; 1997; and 1999-2006, sometimes for charges as absurd as "possession of a fax machine." With a smile that seems to radiate from his entire being, he quips, "I seem to go to jail every ten years", and explains:

When we were locked up together, I was the oldest of the lot. All the youth were helpful to me. We'd recite poetry every night and deliver poems to those in other wards who could not hear us. We never stopped learning, collecting poetry and sharing our experiences.  So in a strange way, my time in jail has been worthwhile.

In prison, Maung Aung Pwint wrote one of the most famous poems in the country – "Night of a hot bosom" – after one of his wife's visits, scribbling it on the whitewashed wall of his cell to calm his desperation.  The poem is about unrequited love for his wife and for the moon he was unable to see from his cell.  He turns over his drinking pot and sees at least the moon's reflection in the spilled water on his concrete cell floor.

I'd like to gather the moonlight, and pour it into ants' nests where darkness reigns.

Maung Aung Pwint's health is fragile, his years of imprisonment have left deep marks.

In 1999, I was interrogated for twenty-five days. They didn't allow me to sleep. The warden clanged the keys in my cell door-lock every half hour at night. I still can't stand the sound of keys.

He now suffers from Parkinson's, and many days he is no longer able to write, instead dictating his poetry to his ever-present wife, Daw Nan Nyunt Shwe.  She says that during his imprisonment:

We felt like invisible ghosts.  People were repulsed or scared by us because of his involvement in politics.  But I have to understand, everyone was afraid.  The key to my survival was never to show I was afraid.  When the police came to search our house, I told them to take their shoes off before they entered. And they did.                                 

To make a living, she sold soup in the market early in the morning before going to work as a schoolteacher.

Imprisonment was not easy on the family. Maung Aung Pwint says:

When I was sent to jail in 1978, it was International Children's Day. I only learnt about that day when I was already in jail. It was August 6th. We were even playing football that morning.  It was raining, and my son was only three years old.  He was so happy when I dived for the ball. They arrested me in the evening.  August 6th was also the day the Atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. It was like a bomb was dropped on our house too.  The day I was sentenced, I was at the gate of the jail, and my son came running up towards me. But he was not looking and ended up hugging a guard by mistake.

Maung Aung Pwint named both of his son and daughter "peace" – Nyein Chan.  But this has been elusive for his family.  His son became a rebel soldier in the jungle, ultimately fleeing to Thailand and then resettling as a refugee in Finland.  He only returned to see his family again for the first time in almost twenty years just this past year.

Maung Aung Pwint reflects on his country's history:

During the military dictatorship and our 66 year-old civil war – the world's longest – there was so much cruelty and suffering. We empathized with this suffering, and our feelings are reflected in our poems. Now, even religion doesn't have much place in my mind. Only poetry, empathy, and yearning for peace. That's enough to lead a life of value.  

 Empathy, above all, is at the heart of his work:

To respect feeling. Feelings are important. The nature of poetry itself is that of empathy. That is why only feelings are important in poetry, not the form or style.

There may be some who care about form first. But without feeling, what else do you have?

 Authors’ Note: These interviews are excerpted from Burma Storybook, a poetry and photography book inspired by the documentary film of the same name, produced by Corinne van Egeraat and directed by Petr Lom. 

The English language hardcover edition of the book is for sale at Hla Day, Innwa Bookstore, Myanmar Book Center and the Strand Hotel.

 A Burmese language-only paperback edition of the book is for sale through Yangon Book Plaza.

There will be a Free Open Air Screening of the Burma Storybook documentary film (82 min.) in Mahabandoola Park in Yangon on November 25 at 6 p.m.From Nov. 25 to Dec. 4, you can visit the interactive Burma Storybook Photo Exhibit at the Tourism Burma Building.

 For more information: www.burmastorybook.com

The post Maung Aung Pwint Places Empathy at the Heart of his Work appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Gen Aung San to Return to Banknotes Despite Military Disapproval

Posted: 17 Nov 2017 04:47 AM PST

YANGON — The entire bloc of military appointees in the Lower House stood up against a motion to reinstate the image of the country's late independence hero Gen Aung San on the country's currency on Friday.

Surprisingly, all 107 of the unelected military representatives and one lawmaker from the former ruling military proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) boycotted a proposal urging the Union Government to issue future notes showing the face of the late hero.

The military's disagreement immediately encountered angry reactions on a live stream of the parliamentary session on the Lower House Facebook page.

The bloc was defeated by votes from 286 lawmakers from the ruling National League for Democracy party and other lawmakers from the USDP and also a dozen ethnic parties, who supported reinstating the former general's image of the currency, which was phased out by the former military junta.

Parliament's approval of the proposal could be considered a breakthrough for the NLD and its supporters.

Pictures of Gen Aung San, the father of Myanmar's State Counselor and de facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, were first printed on currency notes in 1958, 10 years after he was assassinated along with eight of his colleagues.

But those bills were gradually removed from circulation after the rise of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as a leader of the Burmese pro-democracy movement following the 1988 student uprising.

The banknotes were later redesigned with a lion or elephant on the front and the country's famous buildings and landscapes on the other side.

Military representatives stand against a motion to reinstate Gen Aung San to the currency in the Lower House. / MRTV/ Lower House Facebook Page

Military appointee Lt-Col Kyaw Min Hlaing told lawmakers that the animals – peacocks, lions and elephants – were featured on the notes as all Myanmar ethnic groups valued and acknowledged them as national symbols, during the discussion on the proposal submitted by NLD lawmaker U Aung Khin Win.

He said the proposal shouldn't be considered while the country's economic growth is slow, citing the redesign and printing cost for new banknotes.

NLD Lower House lawmaker Daw Wint Wah Tun replied that she seconded U Aung Khin Win's proposal as it meant not to replace the current banknotes of various denominations from circulation with new banknotes, which could be between 100 billion to 300 billion kyats.

Instead it suggested using banknotes with the image of Gen Aung San rather than pictures of animals whenever the Central Bank needed to replace damaged notes or to release new sizes or new denominations in the future, she said.

NLD lawmaker U Aung Khin Win who submitted the proposal said, "It goes without saying that people would love to use banknotes with the image of Bogyoke rather than with pictures of lions or elephants," at the previous parliamentary session.

Seven other lawmakers participated in the discussion during Friday's parliamentary session, agreeing to the proposal.

U Soe Min, a deputy governor of the Central Bank, also supported the proposal.

NLD lawmaker U Aung Khin Win who submitted the proposal said, "It goes without saying that people would love to use banknotes with the image of Bogyoke rather than with pictures of a lion or elephant," at the previous parliamentary session.

The post Gen Aung San to Return to Banknotes Despite Military Disapproval appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Cambodia Faces International Action After Banning Opposition

Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:36 PM PST

PHNOM PENH — The United States promised "concrete steps" against Cambodia and the European Union raised a threat to vital trade preferences after the main opposition party was banned ahead of elections.

The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was dissolved by the Supreme Court on Thursday at the request of the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose rule of more than three decades faces a major challenge at next year's general election.

The ban on the CNRP followed the arrest of its leader, Kem Sokha, for treason. He is accused of plotting to take power with American help.

Hun Sen's critics called the CNRP dissolution an attempt to steal the election and the death knell for democracy after Western donors have spent billions of dollars since 1993 trying to build a multiparty system following decades of war.

"On current course next year's election will not be legitimate, free, or fair," a White House statement said, promising to take "concrete steps."

The first of those was to end support for the Cambodian National Election Committee ahead of the 2018 election, it said.

In Brussels, an EU spokesman said the election could not be legitimate without the opposition and noted that respect for human rights was a prerequisite for Cambodia's access to EU trade preferences under its "Everything But Arms scheme."

That scheme giving tariff free access – and similar trade preferences in the United States – have helped Cambodia build a garment industry on low cost labor. Between them, EU and U.S. markets take some 60 percent of Cambodia's exports.

There was no immediate government response to the reaction from the United States and European Union.

In a symbolic step, the US Senate passed a resolution calling on the Treasury and State Departments to consider placing Cambodian officials implicated in abuses on a watch list for asset freezes and travel bans.

War of Words

Hun Sen has been in a deepening war of words with the US embassy and State Department over a crackdown on his critics, but at the weekend posed with US President Donald Trump at a regional summit and praised his policies of non-interference.

The fact that the threat of action came from the White House gave it greater weight than previous statements from the State Department calling for the release of Kem Sokha.

So far Western countries have shown little appetite for sanctions and the opposition itself has shied away from calling for steps to restrict garment exports because of the hundreds of thousands of workers who depend on them.

But leaders of the CNRP now say they support some sanctions.

"Sanctions are the best leverage for negotiation for free, fair and inclusive elections," said Mu Sochua, a deputy to CNRP leader Kem Sokha who fled Cambodia fearing arrest.

There have been no protests over the ruling and many people in the capital, Phnom Penh, said they were afraid to speak out.

There were no party members at the CNRP headquarters, only security guards. "They are worried about their safety," said security guard Chin Savy.

The central market was full of its usual bustle and one man told Reuters he was glad to see the back of the opposition.

"Hun Sen has a lot of help from China. If he just depended on the U.S. we wouldn't be anywhere," said Khen Kong, 69, a businessman.

China is by far the biggest single donor to Cambodia and its biggest investor. It voiced support for the government after the arrest of Kem Sokha.

In a televised address on Thursday, Hun Sen told Cambodians the election would go ahead "as normal" and appealed to politicians from the CNRP who had not been banned to join his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).

US-based campaign group Human Rights Watch said the court ruling should lead Cambodia's donors and trade partners to impose targeted sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans on Hun Sen's inner circle.

The post Cambodia Faces International Action After Banning Opposition appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Angelina Jolie Condemns Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Women Refugees

Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:23 PM PST

DHAKA — Filmstar Angelina Jolie has condemned sexual violence inflicted on Rohingya women in Myanmar's Rakhine State, where a military counter-insurgency operation has sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees across the border to Bangladesh.

More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar since late August, driven out by the military's actions that a top United Nations official has described as a classic case of "ethnic cleansing."

Jolie, a special envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a Bangladesh delegation in the Canadian city of Vancouver that she planned to visit the Rohingya victims of sexual violence.

"Later she mentioned accordingly in her keynote speech about the sexual violence faced by almost each female Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh and condemned the armed conflict in Myanmar," Bangladesh's foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

It gave no details of Jolie's proposed trip.

On Thursday, New York-based Human Rights Watch accused Myanmar security forces of committing widespread rape against women and girls as part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

The allegation echoes an accusation this week by Pramila Patten, the UN special envoy on sexual violence in conflict, who said sexual violence was "being commanded, orchestrated and perpetrated by the Armed Forces of Myanmar."

Myanmar's army released a report on Monday denying all allegations of rape and killings by security forces, days after replacing the general in charge of the operation.

In parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh would overcome obstacles to resolve the Rohingya crisis, with the help of the international community.

"I strongly believe we will find a peaceful solution to the unprecedented crisis with the help of the international community, despite various obstacles," she said.

There were already about 300,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh before the most recent exodus.

The post Angelina Jolie Condemns Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Women Refugees appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UN States Call for End to Myanmar Military Operations

Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:05 PM PST

UNITED NATIONS — A United Nations General Assembly committee on Thursday called on Myanmar to end military operations that have "led to the systematic violation and abuse of human rights" of Rohingya Muslims in the country's Rakhine state.

The move revived a UN resolution that was dropped last year due to the country's progress on human rights.

The General Assembly's Third Committee, which focuses on human rights, voted 135 in favor, 10 against with 26 abstentions on the draft text that also asks UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a special envoy on Myanmar.

For 15 years the Third Committee annually adopted a resolution condemning Myanmar's human rights record, but last year the European Union did not put forward a draft text, citing progress under the leadership of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

However, in the past three months more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh after the Myanmar military began an operation against Rohingya militants, who attacked 30 security posts and an army base in Rakhine state on Aug. 25.

This prompted the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to put forward a new draft UN resolution, which will now be formally adopted by the 193-member General Assembly next month. The resolution deepens international pressure, but has no legal consequences.

Myanmar's army released a report on Monday denying all allegations of rapes and killings by security forces, days after replacing the general in charge of the military operation in Rakhine State.

Top UN officials have denounced the violence as a classic example of ethnic cleansing. The Myanmar government has denied allegations of ethnic cleansing.

Myanmar is refusing entry to a UN panel that was tasked with investigating allegations of abuses after a smaller military counteroffensive launched in October 2016.

The draft resolution approved by the Third Committee on Thursday urges Myanmar to grant access. It also calls for full and unhindered humanitarian aid access and for Myanmar to grant full citizenship rights to Rohingya.

They have been denied citizenship in Myanmar, where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

The 15-member UN Security Council last week urged the Myanmar government to "ensure no further excessive use of military force in Rakhine State." It asked Guterres to report back in 30 days.

Human Rights Watch accused Myanmar security forces on Thursday of committing widespread rape against women and girls, echoing an allegation by Pramila Patten, the UN special envoy on sexual violence in conflict, earlier this week. Patten said sexual violence was "being commanded, orchestrated and perpetrated by the Armed Forces of Myanmar."

The post UN States Call for End to Myanmar Military Operations appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Foreign Minister to Visit Myanmar Amid Rohingya Crisis

Posted: 16 Nov 2017 08:49 PM PST

BEIJING — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Myanmar and Bangladesh from this weekend, his ministry said on Thursday, amid a crisis over Myanmar's treatment of Rohingya Muslims.

More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since late August, driven out by a military counter-insurgency clearance operation in Buddhist-majority Myanmar's Rakhine State.

A top UN official has described the military's actions as a textbook case of "ethnic cleansing." Myanmar rejects accusations of rights abuses.

China has expressed support for what it calls the Myanmar government's efforts to protect stability.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters that Wang would go to Bangladesh and Myanmar this weekend where he would meet his counterparts and exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of mutual regional concern.

On Monday and Tuesday, Wang would attend a meeting of Asian and European foreign ministers in the Myanmar capital of Naypyitaw, Geng added.

He did not say whether Wang would discuss the Rohingya issue.

China and Myanmar have for years maintained close economic and diplomatic relations.

The United States and other Western countries have become more engaged with Myanmar in recent years, since it began a transition to civilian government after nearly 50 years of military rule.

International concern over the Rohingya situation has grown.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called during a visit to Myanmar on Wednesday for a credible investigation into reports of human rights abuses against the Rohingya committed by Myanmar's security forces.

The post China Foreign Minister to Visit Myanmar Amid Rohingya Crisis appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Official Peace Talks with UNFC Cancelled Amid Stalemate Fears

Posted: 16 Nov 2017 07:38 PM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — The official peace talks scheduled for Thursday between the government and the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) were cancelled. In their place, the negotiators met informally to keep the process alive.

All of the members of the UNFC's Delegation for Political Negotiations (DPN) had travelled to Yangon on Wednesday. But on Thursday, only a few of them met the government's Peace Commission (PC) members for an informal discussion.

The DPN referred to the cancelled talks as the 9th round of formal talks, following a custom of designating each official meeting as a new round (thus they referred to their talks on Nov 8-9 as the 8th round of talks).

The government insists on numbering the latest talks as an extension of the 7th round held in October and seems in a hurry to bring the talks to a conclusion so that the five armed ethnic groups who make up the UNFC – the New Mon State Party (NMSP), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Arakan National Council (ANC) and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) – will officially join the national peace process as signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

No public explanation was given for the cancellation of Thursday's formal talks. However, according to inside sources, it was to avoid a possible 'deadlock' over one of the eight demands that the UNFC has made as a pre-condition to signing the NCA, regarding the future name of the country. The UNFC wants the country to be officially described as the "Federal Democratic Union" but the government wants it to be the "Democracy and Federal Union."

The UNFC has repeatedly raised this point since the first session of the 21st Panglong peace conference, which was held in Aug-Sept 2016, under the National League for Democracy government, when all of the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) attended the conference and presented their political objectives.

Alliance chairman Nai Hong Sar said at that time that a future federal union should have a name that "demonstrates ownership by all ethnicities or regions," instead of representing one ethnicity. Myanmar – the current name – is deemed to represent the majority Burmans. 

For about 17 months, talks between the DPN and government's PC have focused on the eight-point proposal that the UNFC put forward as its terms for signing the NCA. And despite the alliance saying this week that it was close to signing the agreement, it appears there is still a long road ahead until an accord can be reached.

The government had initially expected the UNFC would sign the NCA before the third session of the 21st Panglong Union Peace Conference, which State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi plans to hold before the end of 2017. However, that looks unlikely to happen now as both the UNFC and the Northern Alliance stick to their existing positions. The UNFC is demanding that specific conditions be agreed before they will sign, while the Northern Alliance wants an alternative approach to the NCA.

According to the sources close to the negotiations, further talks with the non-signatories to the NCA may be postponed if the government does not agree to all of the UNFC's terms. The UNFC has said that unless the government relaxes its rigid approach to the talks, the hurdles would remain.

In addition to the differences over specific proposals a lack of mutual trust dogs the talks. Disputes over terms as such “federal” and “revolution” are not new in the Myanmar peace process, which began in late 2011. In 2014, negotiations reached a stalemate due to differences over terminology as well as the Tatmadaw's inclusion of its Myanmar Army's six-principles on the process.

This major hurdle led to a disagreement between the EAOs and a split between those that signed the NCA in October 2015 and those that did not. Whenever it has seemed that progress was being made during the six years of peace talks in Myanmar, an issue has arisen to derail the process.

The current NLD government’s National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC), led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is dealing with three separate stakeholder groups in the peace process; the UNFC, the Northern Alliance and the eight-signatories of the NCA.

The government's talks with the active armed ethnic groups that are based in the northeast are currently on hold. The Northern Alliance's representatives, known as the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), have demanded to hold talks as a bloc, a position the government has rejected, insisting it meet the groups separately.

The Tatmadaw has clashed militarily in northern Shan State with some of the FPNCC members – namely the Taang Nationalities Liberation Army (TNLA), Arakan Army (AA) and Kokang’s Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) – and has been reluctant to accept these groups as peace talk partners. This month the AA has also become more active in western Myanmar, in Paletwa of Chin State, which is close to the border with northern Rakhine State.

Meanwhile, the government continues its political negotiations with the signatories of the NCA, as it pushes forward with the broader peace process. Ongoing meetings regarding the political dialogue framework and reviews of the implementation of the NCA are being held.

The eight ethnic armed organizations’ Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) has expressed a shared optimism about the peace process. Its leaders said the peace talks were a channel for both sides to collaborate to reach a solution to the country’s political problems.

General Yawd Serk, a PPST leader and chairman of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), urged all sides to have “patience to reach a common agreement, which would benefit both of the peace negotiation partners,” during his speech after the PPST’s 16th meeting in Chiang Mai on Wednesday.

“Our aim is to establish a federal union, self-determination, and peace and development in the country,” he said. “Therefore, we must aim to benefit our union, rather than winning over the negotiation partner [Tatmadaw and government].”

The post Official Peace Talks with UNFC Cancelled Amid Stalemate Fears appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, November 16, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Vows to Create ‘Enabling Environment for Women’

Posted: 16 Nov 2017 05:44 AM PST

YANGON — "Where have all the men gone?" State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi joked while delivering her keynote address at the Asean Business and Investment Summit in Manila on Sunday.

The speech highlighted women's contributions to Myanmar's social and economic development.

"They [men] haven't come into the civil service; they are not going into academia. They may be going into business, but our women are very strong there too. So I often have to ask this question: Where have all the men gone?" she said, eliciting laughter from the audience.

More and more women entrepreneurs have emerged to participate in Myanmar's transformation, she said, adding that 49 percent of young entrepreneurs in the country are women.

At Yangon University, 60 percent of students are women, and an increasing number of key faculty posts are going to women, demonstrating that women are playing a growing role in the education sector, she said.

"Our women are putting a great premium on education… This is one of the reasons why we have great hopes for the future of our country, for the future of our young people, who will be encouraged to increase their abilities and their skills by their mothers, their sisters, and their wives," she said.

But while women had played a remarkable role in recent political and economic changes in many countries, she said, they continue to be denied opportunities in countless areas.

"The social norm that equates women with unskilled labor and perceives them as mere homemakers, incapable of making decisions, is one of our biggest challenges," she said.

Gender Discrimination in Myanmar

Despite the efforts of numerous women's rights groups campaigning for gender equality in Myanmar, there are many who don't believe it is a problem in the country.

Speaking at the summit, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's de-facto leader, said, "There are those who say that there is no gender discrimination in our country, but this is not true."

"It is traditional to look upon men as the superior gender. There is a Burmese saying, which I find somewhat reprehensible, that, "You must treat your son like a lord and your husband like a god." I don't think I could agree with that. And I don't think women can agree either."

Such a comment from a state leader is exceedingly rare in Myanmar, a country that has been ruled by successive military administrations and ex-generals for nearly six decades.

The military-drafted 2008 Constitution bars Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president despite her party having won the majority of votes. She currently holds the powerful position of "state counselor," designated to lead the country, and also holds two ministerial portfolios: foreign affairs and the president's office.

"There is gender discrimination. It is true we are not discriminated [against] in the sense of being debarred from doing activities such as doing business or going in for various professions. But sill, there is the underlying traditional concept that men are superior," Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said.

Prominent women's rights activist Ma May Sabe Phyu said she was surprised to see the extent to which Daw Aung San Suu Kyi addressed gender issues at the summit.

She said that while she appreciated the state counselor's comments, more commitment and a number of concrete steps were needed from her and the government if practical solutions to gender discrimination problems were to be found.

"As a key decision maker in Myanmar, she has an opportunity to support more women leaders to take roles in leadership and decision-making. And we hope she will be willing to do that," the activist said.

Under its policy to prioritize women and youth in the elections, the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) fielded the most female candidates in the 2015 general election with 150. Of those, 134 won seats.

Activists were disappointed, however, when Daw Aung San Suu Kyi herself turned out to be the only woman in the cabinet formed by the NLD to lead the Union Government.

U Sein Win, training director at the Myanmar Journalism Institute, said he has wondered whether Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has faced discrimination from inside or outside her administration for being a woman since she took power.

Certainly, he said, she had been shown disrespect and faced gender-based insults and attacks from opponents on social media.

"As she starts to speaks out about discrimination, I hope this is the first step and that policy changes will follow," the lecturer said.

Gender Challenges in Education

"There are still many mothers who favor their sons above their daughters, especially when it comes to educational opportunities," Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said at the summit.

Daw Thandar Oo, founder of the Women and Peace Action Network of Shan State, echoed the state counselor's statement. She cited a recent survey showing that Shan State has the lowest literacy rate among young women.

"There is still a traditional concept in many ethnic regions that women don't need to be educated. Also, patriarchal views ensure that even families that can afford to educate their children tend to prioritize sons over daughters," she said.

Security concerns are another important factor, she said. Many families don't feel safe sending their daughters long distances to attend school, as conflicts and lawlessness create an insecure environment.

"The more access women have to education, the more they can contribute to their families and communities, and even at the state level. Also, they will have a positive effect on the young generation," Daw Thandar Oo said.

Women and the Economy

"Traditionally, our women have always been at the forefront of business," Daw Aung San Suu Kyi told the delegates at the Asean summit.

She was raised, she said, to believe that men went into the civil service for reasons of prestige, while women engaged in business to put food on the table.

"So, we have always depended on women to make sure that the household economy is secure."

So it should not be such a surprise that 49 percent of Myanmar's young entrepreneurs are women, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said.

She was just 2 years old when her father, Myanmar's late independence hero Gen. Aung San, was assassinated by political rivals in 1947. She later moved to India with her mother Daw Khin Kyi, who was appointed Myanmar's Ambassador to India and Nepal. Daw Khin Kyi was Myanmar's first woman ambassador.

"I am also inspired by the millions of women who work each day — holding their heads high in the face of every adversity, saving and sacrificing everything so that their children can enjoy a better life," Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said.

She added that measures are needed to empower and overcome social constraints, strengthen women's potential and unleash their economic power to contribute to the nation's development.

To achieve positive changes in women's rights, it is important to increase the number of girls enrolling in primary and secondary schools, improve the participation of women in the labor force, ensure better maternal care outcomes, provide social protection measures and promote the role of women in decision-making, she said.

"Our plan is ambitious but achievable. Myanmar is committed to creating an enabling environment for women that will allow them to realize their full potential," Daw Aung San Suu Kyi pledged.

The post Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Vows to Create 'Enabling Environment for Women' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Lawyers Object to Charging Journalists Under Export, Import Law for Flying Drone Over Parliament

Posted: 16 Nov 2017 04:32 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — Lawyers of two foreign journalists and two Myanmar nationals, who have already been sentenced to two months in prison under the Aircraft Act for flying a drone near Myanmar's Parliament, have raised an objection to another charge they are facing under the 2012 Export and Import Law.

Journalists Lau Hon Meng from Singapore and Mok Choy Lin from Malaysia along with their interpreter Aung Naing Soe and driver Hla Tin were detained by police on Oct. 27 after they attempted to fly a drone near Parliament in Naypyitaw.

The four were initially charged under the 2012 Export and Import Law for illegally bringing the drone into the country. However, at the trial on Nov. 10, they were faced with an unexpected charge and sentenced to two months in jail for breaching the colonial era 1934 Myanmar Aircraft Act.

At the court hearing on Thursday, their lawyers objected to the Export/Import Law charge, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison.

"The plaintiff police officer testified that he knew the defendants had been sentenced to two months in prison for flying a drone. According to the law, no one shall be tried on similar charges. So I plead that the charge should be dropped," lawyer U Myo Win, who is representing Lau Hon Meng, told the judge.

The judge accepted his pleading of double jeopardy, but the prosecution lawyer insisted that the defense lawyers submit a written pleading, which the latter agreed to do.

The next court hearing is set for Nov. 20, where the judge will decide if the Export/Import Law charge is valid or not.

"I'm expecting the best. I feel that the trial has been quite fair. I hope mine is a wrong arrest," Ko Aung Naing Soe told The Irrawaddy. He is well respected among Myanmar's journalistic community as a fixer, photographer and cameraman.

U Khin Maung Zaw, a lawyer acting for the defendants, said that the charge for breaching the export and import law was inappropriate because the penalty of two months' imprisonment was supposed to cover not only flying the drone, but also bringing it into the country.

The plaintiff police officer told the court that they had transferred the case to the Criminal Investigation Department at the instruction of the headquarters of the Myanmar Police Force, and also sought the remarks of the Ministry of Planning and Finance and Ministry of Commerce regarding the charges.

The Customs Department replied that the four had not declared the drone at the airport on their arrival, according to the police officer.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Lawyers Object to Charging Journalists Under Export, Import Law for Flying Drone Over Parliament appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Important Takeaways from US Secretary of State Meetings in Naypyidaw

Posted: 16 Nov 2017 04:03 AM PST

YANGON — US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Myanmar's administrative capital Naypyitaw on Wednesday to meet with the State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and military chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing regarding the issues in Rakhine State.

The meetings came at a time when Myanmar has been under international criticism coupled with the reimposing of US and EU sanctions on military leadership as more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims from northern Rakhine State have fled to Bangladesh following security clearance operations that began in August. Many of the refugees said they had witnessed arbitrary killings, rape and arson carried out by the Myanmar Army.

After the meetings, Daw Aung San Suu kyi and Rex Tillerson held a joint press conference and took questions from the media, saying that the United States and friends from around the region are committed to helping the Government of Myanmar and its people work through this crisis with urgency, sensitivity, and openness while being dedicated to Myanmar's successful transition. The Secretary of State also had a separate meeting with the military chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. Here are some highlights from the media briefing and the meeting with the military chief.

The Purpose of the Secretary of State's Visit

Rex Tillerson: "I'm here today in Naypyitaw to reaffirm our commitment to a successful democratic transition in Myanmar, and that commitment remains strong … We continue to support the elected government as it strives to make progress on urgently needed reforms, to solidify the democratic gains of recent years, and to bring peace and reconciliation, prosperity, and greater respect for human rights. The crisis in Rakhine State is one of the greatest challenges Myanmar has faced since the elected government came into office last year. We're deeply concerned by credible reports of widespread atrocities committed by Myanmar's security forces and by vigilantes who are unrestrained by the security forces during the recent violence in Rakhine State."

US Condemnation of the ARSA

Rex Tillerson: "We do condemn the August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on Myanmar's security forces that initiated this violence and reiterate that there is zero tolerance for such attacks. We express our condolences at the loss of the lives among the Myanmar security forces resulting from this unprovoked attack."

US Assistance for Rakhine Issue

Rex Tillerson: "I am announcing today that the United States will provide an additional $47 million in humanitarian assistance for refugees, bringing the United States response to the Rakhine State crisis in Myanmar… The United States welcomes the government's commitments to allow refugees to voluntarily return and to implement the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State for creating lasting peace by supporting economic development and respecting the rights of all people in Rakhine State, including those displaced… We are encouraged by recent exchanges between the Government of Myanmar and Government of Bangladesh and urge both sides to continue to work together to ensure the safety and security of those who want to return to their homes."

On Civil-Military Relations

Rex Tillerson: "It is incumbent upon the military and security forces to respect these commitments of the civilian governments, to assist the government in implementing them, and to ensure the safety and security of all people in Rakhine State… We support the Government of Myanmar's goals of developing its military into a professional and respected institution. As I've told Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, the military support for Myanmar's ongoing transition to a federal, democratic state is crucial. As part of that process, the military and government must work together to address the grievances of civilians throughout Myanmar and build strong, credible institutions… We recognize the military's responsibility to respond to terrorist or other insurgent attacks. Any response, however, must be disciplined and avoid to the maximum extent possible harming innocent civilians. We will be following up with the Myanmar Government to explore opportunities to collaborate on areas of counter violent extremism and counterterrorism."

Calling for an Impartial Investigation on Human Rights Abuses

Rex Tillerson: "The recent serious allegations of abuses in Rakhine State demand a credible and impartial investigation, and those who commit human rights abuses or violations must be held accountable. This need for justice and accountability applies not only to Rakhine State but to wherever such abuses or violations occur across Myanmar.
In all of my meetings, I have called on Myanmar's civilian government to lead a full and effective, independent investigation, and for the military to facilitate full access and cooperation. The United States strongly supports such an approach…the United States will continue to work with our partners to assure there are consequences for individuals confirmed to have been responsible for atrocities using all available mechanisms, including those available under US law."

Rex Tilerson to AFP: "I think clearly, as you point out, the scenes of what occurred up there are just horrific, and the commander-in-chief shared certain parts of their own internal investigation with me. However, as I indicated in my remarks, I think there still is more that we need to understand about what happened, and that's why we believe an independent investigation would be helpful to everyone to understand what transpired and who should be held to account."

On the Rakhine Issue

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi: "We have discussed the matter in some detail, and we agree that it most important that we should bring peace and stability to this country, and that can only be done on the basis of rule of law. And everybody should understand that the rule of (inaudible) is to protect peace and stability, not to punish people. If we all understand, then I think we can cooperate on these issues, which are of great concern to the United States as well as to other members of the international community.

"I hope you recognize the existing challenges are very great indeed and multifaceted. It's not a one-dimensional Rakhine problem, it's a multidimensional problem that the applies to the whole of the country, which is why we are all involved in its resolution."

The State Counselor's Silence on the Humanitarian Crisis

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to FOX News: "I don't know why people say that I've been silent. I haven't been silent. Actually, we've been sending out a lot of statements from my office, and I've also made statements of my own. But I think what people mean is that what I say is not interesting enough. But what I say is not meant to be exciting, it's meant to be accurate. And it's aimed at creating more harmony and a better future for everybody, not for setting people against each other.

We mustn't forget that there are many different communities in the Rakhine, and if they are to live together in peace and harmony in the long-term, we can't set them against each other now. We cannot make the kind of statements that drives them further apart. This is the reason why we are very careful about what is said."

Ethnic Cleansing

Rex Tillerson to FOX News: "I think clearly what we know occurred in Rakhine State that led to so many people fleeing the area has a number of characteristics of certainly crimes against humanity. Whether it meets all of the criteria for ethnic cleansing, I think we continue to evaluate that ourselves. I think this is the reason why an independent investigation would be very useful to help us understand not just who – who to hold accountable – but also why – what were the motivations behind what occurred.

On the heels of – again, I'll remind you this started with an attack by the Arakan against Myanmar security forces, and then it was in the response that things seemed to have gotten out of control. So I think an independent investigation would help all of us understand a number of aspects of what's a very, I think, complex situation.

Military Claims

Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing: "Western countries including the US have used words alleging that the Bengalis fled to Bangladesh due to the use of force from the Myanmar Tatmadaw. The number of Bengalis fleeing to Bangladesh from August 25 to September 5 was very small, and more fled after that. The main reason is that the ARSA extremist Bengali terrorists fled to Bangladesh fearing counter-attacks of security forces after they failed to carry out successful attacks on the security outposts. As they fled, they took their families, causing an exodus….Other Bengalis were also threateningly forced to flee to Bangladesh, while some were persuaded to live in a third country.

They left steadily. The international community assumed and said Bengalis fled from Myanmar due to torture but they did not know the real situation, they need to have the real situation. Preparations are being made to re-accept the Bengalis who left Myanmar, under the law."

The post Important Takeaways from US Secretary of State Meetings in Naypyidaw appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Analysis: Tillerson Visit May Have Widened Division Between Army and Suu Kyi

Posted: 16 Nov 2017 02:46 AM PST

In his first visit to Myanmar, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met the two most important figures in the country: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi praised Tillerson for being open-minded, while the commander-in-chief said in a press release that he had explained the "real situation" in Rakhine State to America's top envoy.

The stated purpose of Tillerson's visit was to discuss the issue in Rakhine State and also to cover Myanmar's democratic transition, which faces challenges and uncertainty, as well as the ethnic conflict in Northern Myanmar. Tillerson said the United States would consider individual sanctions against security personnel found to be responsible for human rights abuses against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine State.

The visit indicated that the US is not keen to take strong measures against Myanmar over the plight of Rohingya refugees and allegations of human rights violations. The secretary of state said he would not advise "broad-based economic sanctions" against the entire country, and this indeed is welcome news to the government and military leaders.

But Tillerson also said, "If we have credible information that we believe to be very reliable that certain individuals were responsible for certain acts that we find unacceptable, then targeted sanctions on individuals very well may be appropriate." Interestingly, when addressing the Rakhine issue the US envoy avoided using the term "Rohingya" apparently so as not to offend the hosts.

It is safe to say that the US has reliable information about what has happened since August 25 in northern Rakhine State and wants to limit any diplomatic action to individuals in the armed forces. As for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, it is clear she has no control over the military and she has reportedly opposed a proposal to declare a state of emergency in Rakhine State.

Tillerson rightly condemned the initial terrorist attacks that triggered the current crisis. "We do condemn the August 25th attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on Myanmar's security forces that initiated this violence and reiterate that there is zero tolerance for such attacks. We express our condolences at the loss of the lives among the Myanmar security forces resulting from this unprovoked attack," he said.

At the same time, he called for a credible investigation into human rights abuses against Muslim villagers that were allegedly committed by Myanmar's security forces. In his meeting with Tillerson, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing carefully stated that the military would follow the government's policy on Rakhine State.

Regarding the Rakhine issue and the return of refugees from Bangladesh, the general said, "The government will carry out such issues and the Tatmadaw will help the government."

But in reality there is fear that there is a deep and growing division and mistrust between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the top army generals. Some generals believe that she is in favor of Western sanctions and the army sees her as an agent of sabotage according to a recent article in the Bangkok Post.

Yet, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has little control over the armed forces. The charges by some international activists about the government and Suu Kyi's involvement in the crackdown on the Rohingya are groundless. She is in fact opposed to martial law and putting Rakhine under military control.

However, some foreign critics see her as defending the army and covering up the atrocities in northern Rakhine State during the army operations in late August and early September in response to the terrorist attacks.

What many observers fear is that irreparable damage has been done to the relations between the top army leaders and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as the generals suspect she is scheming to have sanctions reimposed against them specifically. She will have to walk a tightrope as in the past. The army remains the most powerful force in the country and relations between Suu Kyi and the military leadership are likely to remain fragile.

The post Analysis: Tillerson Visit May Have Widened Division Between Army and Suu Kyi appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Artist U Thu Kha Remembered Fondly a Decade After His Passing

Posted: 16 Nov 2017 02:24 AM PST

Only a few of Myanmar's artists are honored with statues; and of these statues, only a few are regularly visited by people wishing to pay tribute to the artist's memory.

U Thu Kha is one of these select few. A decade after his death, his statue still draws many people paying their respects.

The artist and teacher is the subject of an ongoing memorial exhibition of 300 paintings at New Treasure Art Gallery

He started working at the State School of Fine Arts in 1964 and mentored hundreds of artists before his death in 2007.

"Sayagyi [U Thu Kha] was very kind to his students and colleagues. He mainly taught us about anatomy. His lectures were very clear and easy to understand. He explained the fundamentals very well," said Zaw Win Pe, an artist known for his colorful landscape paintings.

The artist and teacher is the subject of an ongoing memorial exhibition of 300 paintings at New Treasure Art Gallery

Born in 1918, U Thu Kha devoted his entire life to teaching art. After he passed away, former students commissioned a statue and established a foundation bearing his name, which provides assistance to artists.

"He was a very caring person. He not only took care of the health of his students but also acted as guardian for them when they got married.  I remember he once made a bed out of fence posts for me while I was studying under him," said artist Min Wai Aung.

The artist and teacher is the subject of an ongoing memorial exhibition of 300 paintings at New Treasure Art Gallery

A memorial art exhibition, the fifth in a series, is being held until Saturday at New Treasure Art Gallery on Thanlwin Street in Bahan Township.

The exhibition showcases more than 300 paintings by U Thu Kha, his contemporaries and his students. The works are for sale, priced at between $200 and $15,000. A percentage of the proceeds will go to the U Thu Kha foundation.

The artist and teacher is the subject of an ongoing memorial exhibition of 300 paintings at New Treasure Art Gallery

The post Artist U Thu Kha Remembered Fondly a Decade After His Passing appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Pope Advised Not to Use Term ‘Rohingya’ in Myanmar but Rights Groups Disagree

Posted: 15 Nov 2017 09:12 PM PST

VATICAN CITY — Leading figures in the Catholic Church and international politics have advised Pope Francis not to use the term Rohingya during a trip to Myanmar due to political sensitivities but human rights groups want him to uphold international law on self-identity.

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya have fled Myanmar following a military crackdown that the United Nations has described as ethnic cleansing. Majority Buddhist Myanmar rejects the term Rohingya and does not recognize them as citizens nor as an ethnic group in its own right.

In the run-up to the his Nov. 27 to Dec. 2 trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh, several high-profile figures including former US Secretary General Kofi Annan and Myanmar Cardinal Charles Maung Bo have indicated he should not use the term Rohingya.

The pope, a less predictable figure than his predecessor who has overruled advisors in the past, has used the term Rohingya before, and it is widely employed by international institutions such as the United Nations and governments including the United States.

The Vatican, which does not make comments on papal speeches ahead of trips, would not say if Francis might heed the advice and use a term like "Muslims in Rakhine State." Roman Catholics make up a tiny minority in Myanmar.

Francis, a strong defender of human rights and migrants, has spoken earlier this year of "the persecution of our Rohingya brothers and sisters" and has defended their right to "live their culture and Muslim faith."

This month Annan met the pope along with three other members of "The Elders" group of veteran statesmen and women and later hinted strongly that he believed the pope should not say Rohingya.

Annan, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and author of an advisory commission report on Rakhine State given to the Yangon government in August, met the pope on the evening of November 6.

The Vatican gave no details of the meeting but at a breakfast with a few reporters the next day, Annan was asked if he agreed with those who say the pope’s use of the word Rohingya while he is in Myanmar could be "incendiary."

"They are right," Annan said.

Annan gave the pope a copy of his 63-page report, which does not use Rohingya but refers only to "Muslims in Rakhine State."

"[The word] is so emotional," he said. Asked if he believed that message had been conveyed to the Vatican, Annan nodded. Lakhdar Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister and UN conflict mediator called the report "quite substantial."

"Little Left Besides Their Name"

Human rights groups hope the pope does not pull his punches in Myanmar.

"The Rohingya have little left besides their group name after years of statelessness, discriminatory restrictions on movement and access to life-sustaining services, and being targeted by a military subjecting them to ethnic cleansing and atrocities," said Phil Robertson, deputy director for Human Rights Watch in Asia.

"The Pope absolutely should stand up for the Rohingya by using the name Rohingya," he said in an email.

Myanmar has denied UN accusations of ethnic cleansing. The government says the clearance operation in Rakhine State was necessary for national security after Rohingya militants attacked 30 security posts and an army base in August.

Myanmar leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi assumed power in 2016 in a landslide election win after former military leaders initiated a political transition.

Asked if the pope should say Rohingya, Laura Haigh, London-based Myanmar expert for Amnesty International, said: "International law recognizes the right of a group to self-identify. It comes down to a principled stand."

Father Bernardo Cervelera, head of the Catholic news agency AsiaNews, said the pope should follow the local Church's advice in the country, which has some 700,000 Catholics in a population of more than 51 million that is mostly Buddhist.

"Both the Church there and Aung San Suu Kyi are in a delicate position and I think the pope knows that," he said.

In 2015, Pope Francis angered Turkey when he used the word "genocide" to describe the World War One mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

The Turkish government, which denies that the deaths constituted a genocide, recalled its ambassador to the Vatican in protest.

The post Pope Advised Not to Use Term 'Rohingya' in Myanmar but Rights Groups Disagree appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Give Displaced Rohingya Jobs to Prevent Human Trafficking, Companies Told

Posted: 15 Nov 2017 09:03 PM PST

LONDON — Businesses could cut the risk of human trafficking and exploitation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya in Bangladesh who have fled violence in Myanmar by giving them decent job opportunities, experts said on Wednesday.

Fighting in Myanmar's Rakhine State has sent more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims, a minority group denied citizenship in Myanmar, over the border into Bangladesh since late August, in what the United Nations called "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing."

John Morrison of the Institute for Human Rights and Business said the refugees, mainly women and children, would likely end up working as cheap laborers in factories across Bangladesh.

"Cox's Bazar is a very poor part of Bangladesh, what are they going to do to subsist?" Morrison said, after speaking at the Thomson Reuters Foundation's annual two-day Trust Conference, which focuses on slavery and women's rights issues.

"Many of them will be drawn into the black economy, some of them will be exploited by criminals. They will be exploited again unless proper job opportunities are created for them," the London-based think-tank's chief executive said.

Based on case studies, Morrison said Syrian refugees who have fled to Turkey ended up working for a pittance in factories supplying major Western brands.

"This could easily happen in the Bangladeshi textile sector as well," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Morrison said firms could protect the Rohingya from human trafficking by offering "meaningful work" and this task should not be left to the host country Bangladesh alone.

"Bangladesh is a very poor country," he said. "There is a lot that the big companies here today and others could do to create economic opportunities."

Asif Saleh from the Bangladesh-based development agency BRAC said the Rohingya were arriving in an area where traffickers were known to operate and cited a news report this week, which said women refugees were being sold for 5 British pounds.

He said Bangladesh's "national denial" of the problem of human trafficking makes it harder to tackle the issue, which was closely linked to poverty.

"It's … a social taboo. You can't use words like slavery – the government will react very badly," Saleh said, adding the problem was exacerbated by state corruption.

"Very powerful people at the very top are involved in this chain because it's a lucrative market."

The post Give Displaced Rohingya Jobs to Prevent Human Trafficking, Companies Told appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

US Secretary of State Voices Support for Individual Sanctions Against Security Forces

Posted: 15 Nov 2017 04:52 AM PST

YANGON — US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States would consider individual sanctions against security forces found responsible for human rights abuses against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine State.

More than 600,000 Rohingya are now in refugee camps in Bangladesh after fleeing the Myanmar military's clearance operations since August when a Rohingya militant group attacked 30 police outpost in northern Rakhine State, citing accounts of arbitrary killings, rapes and arson by the security forces.

To seek accountability from the army, the US announced sanctions against Myanmar's military leadership last month, ceasing travel waivers for current and former senior leadership of the Burmese military while assessing authorities to consider economic options available to target individuals associated with the atrocities. The restrictions also include all units and officers involved in operations in northern Rakhine State to be ineligible to receive or participate in any US assistance programs.

Rex Tillerson was in Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw on Wednesday to meet with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu kyi and military chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing.

During a joint press conference with Daw Aung San Suu kyi in the afternoon, Tillerson said all of the individual sanctions have to be evidence based.

But the Secretary of the State said he would not advise "broad-based economic sanctions" against the entire country.

"If we have credible information that we believe to be very reliable that certain individuals were responsible for certain acts that we find unacceptable, then targeted sanctions on individuals very well may be appropriate," he said.

While reaffirming the US commitment to Myanmar's transition and condemning the Rohingya militant attacks in August, Tillerson also called for a credible investigation into human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims committed by Myanmar’s security forces.

“We're deeply concerned by credible reports of widespread atrocities committed by Myanmar's security forces and by vigilantes who were unrestrained by the security forces during the recent violence in Rakhine State,” he said.

But the Myanmar Army denied the atrocities in the internal investigation released on Monday.

After the meeting, a Facebook post of Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing said he explained to Tillerson the real situation on the ground in Rakhine, the reasons behind the exodus, the military's cooperation with the government, repatriation and delivering aid.

The post US Secretary of State Voices Support for Individual Sanctions Against Security Forces appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Do Not Lose Sight of ARSA

Posted: 15 Nov 2017 04:45 AM PST

The international community is rightly focused on humanitarian issues in northern Rakhine State. If the situation is not resolved in the near future, there is a danger that the region will become destabilized, leading to further violence. There is no military solution to the crisis in Rakhine State; we must find political solutions and compromises.

Nor should we lose sight of the activities of the militant group known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), or Harakah al-Yaqin.

In fact, ARSA initiated the latest violence with attacks on innocent civilians and security forces on Aug. 25, provoking a heavy-handed military response.

ARSA's leader is Ata Ullah, believed to have been born into a Rohingya family in Pakistan and now wanted in Myanmar. He conveys his orders and instructions to the group verbally or through audio-video recordings. He and his terrorist group are believed to have sympathizers in the Middle East and beyond.

It has been reported by several news publications that most of ARSA's funding comes from Rohingya living in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, with additional support coming from other Middle Eastern countries with small Rohingya communities.

According to eyewitness accounts from refugee camps in Bangladesh, foreign donors believed to be based in the Middle East and elsewhere are distributing cash to refugees, and ARSA militants roam freely.

Ata Ullah's whereabouts are unknown. The terrorist chief is believed to be on the run but he has several deputies who manage day-to-day operations and communicate with media and donors.

Observers have noted that ARSA's propaganda machine is wide reaching; the militants and the group's propaganda wing are fluent in English and make effective use of social media platforms. They are adept at making themselves appear moderate and reasonable. They are not.

ARSA militants, according to several reports and accounts published in recent months, mingle with villagers and wear civilian clothes. ARSA's tactics more closely resemble those of the Muslim insurgents in southernmost Thailand, adjacent to Malaysia, than they do the methods used by Myanmar's other ethnic armies. Their preferred mode of operation is to mobilize hundreds of villagers armed with homemade weapons for attacks on state positions in the middle of the night.

ARSA militants are not well armed but have undergone intensive training in the hills and forests near the border with Bangladesh. The training includes use of firearms and explosives as well as physical exercises.

Video footage shows that these militants do have some AK-47, M-16, G3 and G4 assault rifles. They also recruit desperate Muslim villagers to launch attacks on army outposts. During clearance operations the police and army have faced massive numbers of villagers – in some cases they have been encircled by them – who were aided by militants, forcing security forces to return fire. The number of militants killed during the operation is believed to be high; the Bangladesh side has said over 3,000 were killed but Myanmar government estimates put the figure at hundreds killed in August and early September.

At a meeting with Bangladeshi officials in Naypyitaw this week, senior Myanmar police officers presented a list of over 1,000 terrorists believed to be taking refuge in Bangladesh and asked that they be handed over. So far Bangladesh has sent back four alleged Rohingya militants to Myanmar.

In October last year ARSA launched well-coordinated attacks on Myanmar Border Guard Police outposts, escaping with dozens of assault rifles and ammunition. It has been reported that since the attacks in August, ARSA has received a large amount of donations from groups in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, as well as international media coverage. However, the Myanmar government officially considers the group a terrorist organization, shutting the door to talks with them.

ARSA leaders claim they are fighting to secure the rights of the marginalized Rohingya people and to end decades-long oppression at the hands of the government. (In the early 1950s, Myanmar faced a mujahideen rebellion in northern Rakhine State by militant Muslim separatists. The Myanmar Army launched decisive operations against the mujahideen in northern Rakhine. The mujahideen leadership eventually surrendered to government forces.)

This week, ahead of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's visit, the army continued to deny atrocities and use of excessive force against Rohingya Muslims during clearance operations.

The report on an internal investigation led by Inspector-General of Defense Services Lt-Gen Aye Win was released on Monday. It stated that a team spent nearly a month on the ground gathering information and interviewing nearly 3,000 people, including Rakhine, Hindu and "Bengali" people (the term used for Rohingya in the report and by many others in the country to imply they are interlopers from Bangladesh).

The findings of the investigation stated that "all security members abided by the orders and directives of superior bodies, especially the rules of engagement-ROE in connection with the rights of self-defense and in discharging duties during the armed conflicts and anti-terrorist operations."

Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement saying the army's claim is contrary to a growing body of evidence to the contrary, and repeating calls for a UN fact-finding mission to be permitted entry to the region.

"The Burmese military's absurd effort to absolve itself of mass atrocities underscores why an independent international investigation is needed to establish the facts and identify those responsible," said HRW Asia Director Brad Adams. "The Burmese authorities have once again shown that they can't and won't credibly investigate themselves." HRW is right to say that the findings lack credibility.

But even as we condemn the human rights abuses and humanitarian problems in northern Rakhine State, insist on accountability from the army and government, and ask that independent organizations and media be allowed to travel to the restive region, we should not lose sight of the activities of ARSA and its network, its links to extremist groups, its financial resources, or the donors and political and strategic support groups standing behind it.

ARSA has connections with foreign extremist groups, despite its blanket denials of such accusations. For instance, Abdus Qadoos Burmi, a Pakistani of Rohingya descent, the group's mentor based in Karachi, has called for "jihad" in Myanmar and has well-documented links to Lashkar-e-Taiba (the Army of the Righteous), one of South Asia's largest Islamic terrorist organizations, whose operations are based mainly in Pakistan. Lashkar-e-Taiba was founded in Afghanistan in 1987 with funding from now deceased Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. Abdus Qadoos has even appeared at meetings with Lashkar-e-Taiba supremo Hafiz Mohammed Syed.

Myanmar's neighbors India, China and Thailand, along with several other Asean countries, have been assisting Myanmar and its security forces on this issue, as they recognize the danger of terrorist operations and networks.

To combat terrorism, Myanmar's security forces will need assistance, intelligence sharing and training from neighboring countries that have gone through their own dark times with terrorists striking innocent people.

Like any government or armed forces, the Myanmar government and military has a responsibility to defend itself and its people, but innocent civilians must not be targeted.

The post Do Not Lose Sight of ARSA appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UNFC Set to Meet Govt for 9th Round of Peace Talks in Yangon

Posted: 15 Nov 2017 04:06 AM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), representing an alliance of five armed ethnic groups, and the government will meet for a ninth round of talks to pave the way for the bloc to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), in Yangon's National Reconciliation and Peace Center on Thursday.

Following an eighth round of talks last week (Nov 8-9), the two sides said they were close to reaching an agreement on the UNFC's eight-point proposal – a list of key demands by bloc members to sign the NCA. The main sticking point is the future name of the country.

As the second point on their list, the UNFC has proposed that the country be officially described as the "Federal Democratic Union" but the government wants it to be the "Democracy and Federal Union."

The government delegation, which also includes representatives of the Tatmadaw, is opposed to starting with the designation "federal".

"It is because our generation has been indoctrinated to think of 'federal' to mean seceding from the union," said U Tun Zaw, a spokesman for the UNFC.

Whether the bloc will sign the NCA is "totally dependent on the negotiations during the ninth round of talks [tomorrow]," U Tun Zaw said. He added that the alliance was sticking to its position that it would not sign the NCA until every item in its eight-point proposal had been agreed.

"We are now close to signing the NCA, but we cannot say exactly when," said the UNFC's chairman, Naing Hong Sar, during a speech at a political dialogue framework review meeting between the UNFC's delegation for political negotiations (DPN) and the eight current signatories of the NCA on Monday in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The talks between the UNFC and the government have continued without conclusion despite the eight-point proposal having been around one and a half years.

"The main obstacle is the limitations regarding policy. If this rigidity continues," Tun Zaw said, "hurdles will persist during the negotiations."

Prior to their departure to Yangon, the senior leaders of the bloc discussed the advantages and impacts of signing the NCA at a executive committee meeting in Chiang Mai on Tuesday, where the top leadership of the five member organizations – the New Mon State Party (NMSP), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Arakan National Council (ANC) and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) – were present.

The SSPP has asked to withdraw from the UNFC, but they are still taking part in the group's activities, as their request to leave has not been formally approved.

The post UNFC Set to Meet Govt for 9th Round of Peace Talks in Yangon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Challenges Impede Development of Myanmar’s Public Health

Posted: 15 Nov 2017 02:49 AM PST

YANGON — Myanmar's de facto leader and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has repeatedly singled out the minister for health and sports as one of the few Cabinet members whose performance she has been consistently satisfied with since taking office nearly two years ago. Despite this praise, however, after decades of institutional neglect of public services by the military junta, the public health sector still regularly faces criticism for being understaffed and providing substandard care.

"The health status of the Myanmar population is poor and compares unfavorably with other countries in the region," the Health and Sports Ministry acknowledged in its recently launched 2017-2021 National Health Plan.

Human resources constitute a critical input into the health system if it is to ensure access to quality care. For that reason, the plan cites a lack of human resources, skill imbalances, inequitable distribution of services, and difficulties in rural retention of medical personnel as being among the ministry's main challenges.

Myanmar's key health care performance indicators — maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and life expectancy at birth — are among the worst in Southeast Asia, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data.

The MMR is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes). It includes deaths during pregnancy, during childbirth, and within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy. The column chart below shows the MMR ratios (2015) of ASEAN countries, with Myanmar's being the second highest in the region.

Small Budget Allocation  

Health care spending accounts for just 5.23 percent of Myanmar's total budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year, which is an improvement over past years but still extremely low by global and regional standards. The charts below show the comparison of Asean countries' health expenditure and the Myanmar government's budget allocation on health and sport, and defense. 

Uneven Distribution of Health Care Workers

According to the ministry, there were 1.33 health workers (doctors, nurses and midwives) per 1,000 people – well below the WHO's minimum recommended threshold of 2.3 – as of November 2016. In terms of distribution, health workers were largely concentrated in Yangon, Mandalay and other urban areas.

The map below shows the distribution of health care workers and health facilities throughout the country according to data from the ministry. The darker shade represents a higher population per hospital bed.

The chart below shows the uneven distribution of doctors throughout the country, both in the public and private sectors.

The main reasons most health workers don't want to work in rural areas are: a lack of incentives, including very low salaries, from the government; lack of health facilities; and the challenge posed by a low ratio of health workers to patients, according to doctors working at public hospitals who talked to The Irrawaddy on condition of anonymity.

Such a challenging work environment allows no study time, they said. Many medical personnel who wish to become specialist physicians must concurrently prepare to apply for graduate programs while completing their required public service, said a 25-year-old assistant surgeon at Yangon's Insein General Hospital.

"If the government sends me to a rural area, I won't go until I have completed the process of becoming a specialist with a graduate degree, and no longer need to spend time studying," she told The Irrawaddy.

The assistant surgeon said her only aim in working at a government hospital was to complete the service needed to qualify for a graduate course and become a specialist.

Shortage of Personnel, Despite Student Intake

Five medical universities across the country admit a total of around 1,500 students per year, while two nursing universities in Yangon and Mandalay admit around 400 students each year. The chart below shows the number of undergraduate students produced by medical schools overseen by the Ministry of Health and Sports.

Low job satisfaction related to the poor working environment and low pay at public hospitals prompts some to join the private sector, said a 28-year-old doctor who recently joined a non-governmental organization that works in public health.

"With such an unbalanced ratio of human resources to workload, doctors can't provide quality care to patients, which affects their profession's image," he told The Irrawaddy.

"As a result, the profession no longer enjoys the trust and respect that it once did from the public. This causes doctors to quit working in the public service and join the non-governmental sector," he said.

The graph below shows the percentage of physicians who don't contribute to the public health care sector after graduation for various reasons.

According to the ministry's Nursing Department, the more than 1,000 public hospitals across the country require a minimum of 35,000 nurses. But about 43 percent of these nursing positions are vacant, with only about 20,000 nurses serving in government facilities.

Public/Private Sector Wage Differential 

Medical students have to invest seven years of their lives studying, including a year of house surgeon training, to obtain an M.B., B.S. degree, while nursing students spend four years studying for their B.N.Sc degrees. A medical graduate can expect to earn a minimum of 1,000,000 kyats (approx. US$800) at non-governmental organizations or UN agencies, but only 250,000 kyats (approx. US$185) at public hospitals. The chart below shows the basic salaries of physicians and nurses working at government facilities.

The post Challenges Impede Development of Myanmar's Public Health appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

BGB Urges Myanmar Govt to Repatriate Rohingya Refugees as Soon as Possible

Posted: 15 Nov 2017 12:36 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — The Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) has urged the Myanmar government to repatriate as soon as possible more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees back into Rakhine State's Maungdaw at the fourth central level meeting on security and law enforcement of the two countries on Tuesday.

The mass exodus of Muslim refugees has caused a "burden" to Bangladesh, said director-general Abul Hossain of the BGB, urging the Myanmar government to stop the mass immigration of Muslim refugees and begin repatriation efforts quickly.

The Myanmar government has, however, voiced doubt as to the figure of 600,000 cited by UN human rights observers and international media.

The Myanmar authorities have asked the BGB to recheck the figure and compile an accurate list of refugees, said Police Brig-Gen Aung Htay Myint, the head of the cross-border crime department of the Myanmar Police Force, who participated in the meeting.

"We have our immigration data to check if refugees lived here. We have an agreement that we will accept them back if they have actually lived here," said police Brig-Gen Aung Htay Myint.

Details about the repatriation will be discussed during the upcoming Bangladeshi foreign minister's visit to Myanmar, he said.

The Myanmar government has invited Bangladeshi foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali to Myanmar from Nov. 16-18, but the visit has not yet been confirmed.

"We expect to sign a memorandum of understanding when the Bangladeshi foreign minister comes. We expect to discuss repatriation policies in detail, and we'll form joint committees to verify and repatriate according to those policies," he added.

The BGB director-general lamented that drones and helicopters from Myanmar crossed the border in October, and that Myanmar border guard police detained some Bangladeshi fishermen.

The Myanmar government has handed over a list of more than 1,000 suspects who were reportedly involved in the attacks in Maungdaw and fled to Bangladesh, and the Bangladeshi government has handed over four suspects, according to police Brig-Gen Aung Htay Myint.

The BGB director-general said that his country had never and would not accept any unlawful organization, insurgents or terrorists on its soil.

"Myanmar wishes to start the negotiation as soon as possible. The more the negotiation is deferred, the longer delay it will cause in the repatriation process," said U Zaw Htay, director-general of the President's Office.

The Tuesday meeting discussed bilateral cooperation in border security and law, illegal fishing, smuggling through the border, and establishment of a Border Liaison Office (BLO), according to a joint statement.

Present at the meeting were high-ranking officials of the Myanmar Police Force led by Police Brig-Gen Myo Swe Win, members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population, and high ranking officials of Bangladesh's Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post BGB Urges Myanmar Govt to Repatriate Rohingya Refugees as Soon as Possible appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Court Case Begins Against Naypyitaw Municipal Officials

Posted: 14 Nov 2017 11:58 PM PST

MANDALAY — The Mandalay Region Supreme Court began hearing a lawsuit against two officials from the Naypyitaw Council on Tuesday.

The municipal officials were arrested and sued under the 2013 Anti-Corruption Law for taking bribes from butchers in October.

On Monday, the court heard from plaintiff U Aung Myint Kyaw, a member of the investigation committee from Naypyitaw's anti-corruption commission. The accused, Dr. Khaing Soe Hla, a deputy director general from the veterinary and butchery department of the Naypyitaw municipal council, appeared in court.

During the court session, U Aung Myint Kyaw told the court that the deputy director general took 5,500,000 kyats from two butchers, as a bribe for permission to reopen their shops, which had been forced to close.

"We received complaints from the butchers, which they submitted with photos of Dr. Khaing Soe Hla accepting money from them," said U Aung Myint Kyaw, during the court session.

"We investigated and found out that he accepted the bribe, so, we cooperated with police to arrest him under Article 56 of the Anti-Corruption Law," he added.

In a separate case, U Min Lwin Soe, a deputy director general from the market department of the Naypyitaw municipal council, was sued under the same law for taking 3,000,000 kyats as a bribe from the same butchers.

The case against U Min Lwin Soe will be heard at the same court on Wednesday.

If found guilty, the minimum sentence for the crime is two years imprisonment.

The post Court Case Begins Against Naypyitaw Municipal Officials appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Tillerson to Press Myanmar Army Chief to Halt Violence so Rohingya Can Return

Posted: 14 Nov 2017 08:13 PM PST

YANGON — US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will stress the need to halt violence and stabilize Rakhine State when he meets the head of Myanmar's military on Wednesday in a bid to ease the Rohingya refugee crisis, a senior State Department official said.

More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since late August, driven out by a counter-insurgency clearance operation of Myanmar forces in Rakhine. A top UN official has called the operation a textbook case of "ethnic cleansing."

Attending an East Asia summit in Manila on Tuesday, Tillerson met Myanmar leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, whose less than two-year-old civilian administration shares power with the military and has no control over its generals.

He will meet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi again in the Myanmar capital of Naypyitaw on Wednesday, and hold separate talks with the head of the armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

Asked what approach Tillerson would take with Myanmar's army chief, the State Department official told journalists in a briefing by teleconference that the emphasis would be on restoring peace in Rakhine.

"We are focusing on trying to stabilize areas in northern Rakhine so that people can return there, stopping the violence, making sure that the military would protect all populations in that area equally and that they conduct a credible investigation that leads to accountability for people who have perpetrated abuses," said the official, who was with Tillerson in Manila and declined to be identified.

The official said the consequences for the country, also known as Burma, if it failed to respond to the crisis with accountability could be part of the conversation with the military leader.

"Burma made a lot of progress and we would not want to see that progress reversed," the official added.

US senators in Washington are pressing for economic sanctions and travel restrictions targeting the Myanmar military and its business interests.

"The secretary will reiterate support for Burma's democratic transition and urge the Burmese government to protect the local population and allow unhindered humanitarian and media access, [and] support for a credible investigation of abuses," the official added.

Accusations of organized mass rape and other crimes against humanity were leveled at the Myanmar military on Sunday by another senior UN official who had toured camps in Bangladesh where Rohingya refugees have taken shelter.

'Whitewash'

Pramila Patten, special representative of the UN secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict, said she would raise accusations against the Myanmar military with the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

The military, known as the Tatmadaw, has consistently protested its innocence, and on Monday it posted the findings of an internal investigation on the Facebook page of Min Aung Hlaing.

It said it had found no instances where its soldiers had shot and killed Rohingya villagers, raped women or tortured prisoners. It denied that security forces had torched Rohingya villages or used "excessive force."

The military said that, while 376 "terrorists" were killed, there were no deaths of innocent people.

Human rights groups poured scorn on the military's investigation, branding it a "whitewash" and calling for UN and independent investigators to be allowed into Myanmar.

"The Burmese military's absurd effort to absolve itself of mass atrocities underscores why an independent international investigation is needed to establish the facts and identify those responsible," Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

Amnesty International also dismissed the military's internal investigation. "There is overwhelming evidence that the military has murdered and raped Rohingya and burned their villages to the ground," the London-based rights group said.

The government in mostly Buddhist Myanmar regards the Muslim Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

And Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's failure to speak out strongly over their plight has widely damaged the Nobel Peace Prize winner's international reputation as a stateswoman.

Many diplomats, however, believe Myanmar's fragile transition to democracy after 49 years of military rule would be jeopardized if she publicly criticized the armed forces.

"Both parts of the government will have to work together in order to solve this problem…Trying to get two of them to work together, to try to solve the problem, is certainly going to be very important," the US official said.

The US official said Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had been forthcoming in her talks with Tillerson and others during the past few days about the steps that needed to be taken to improve the situation, including plans for the voluntary repatriation of Rohingya.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were among those she met in Manila to discuss the Rohingya crisis.

"This is a tremendous concern to Canada and to many, many countries around the world," Trudeau told a news conference.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged up to 117 billion yen ($1 billion) of development aid to Myanmar in his meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

While world leaders wrung their hands, thousands of Rohingya remained stranded in Myanmar, on beaches around the mouth of the Naf River, hoping to find a boat to make the short, sometimes perilous crossing to Bangladesh.

"They’re still coming, risking their lives, driven by fears of starvation and violence," Shariful Azam, a police official in Bangladesh’s Cox's Bazar, a narrow spit of land where the world's most urgent humanitarian crisis is unfolding.

The post Tillerson to Press Myanmar Army Chief to Halt Violence so Rohingya Can Return appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Japan’s Abe Offers $1 Billion in Rural Aid to Myanmar’s State Counselor

Posted: 14 Nov 2017 08:03 PM PST

TOKYO — Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday pledge up to 117 billion yen ($1.03 billion) of development aid to Myanmar in a meeting in Manila with government leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The package of low-interest loans will be used to fund projects including infrastructure and small company financing meant to help improve rural incomes, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release.

The aid pledge comes as Myanmar comes under intense criticism from human rights groups, the United Nations and other countries for a counter-insurgency operation that has sparked an exodus of more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims to Bangladesh since August.

Abe and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi are in the Philippines for an Association of South East Asian Nations conference including other regional leaders.

While there, Suu Kyi, whose administration has no control over the security forces under a constitution drafted during military rule, discussed the Rohingya crisis with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

China and the United States also compete for influence in Myanmar.

The post Japan's Abe Offers $1 Billion in Rural Aid to Myanmar's State Counselor appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Meetings With Northern Groups Make No Progress on Peace Talks

Posted: 14 Nov 2017 05:56 PM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand – A government peace delegation led by Border Affairs Minister Lt-Gen Ye Aung failed to make any progress towards establishing peace talks with Myanmar's northeastern-based ethnic armed groups over the weekend.

The government delegation, which included high-level military leaders, met separately with the leaders of the United Wa State Party/United Wa State Army (UWSP/UWSA) and Mongla's National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) in Special Region No. 2 and No. 4 respectively on Nov. 11 and 12 to discuss regional development, state-run newspapers reported on Tuesday.

The UWSP/UWSA said the meeting discussed ways to build mutual trust, as well as political issues and matters related to development.

"Regarding political discussions, the government delegation urged the UWSP/UWSA to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement [NCA]," Nyi Rang from the UWSA's Lashio Liaison Office posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday evening. The UWSA responded "to continue according to the political dialogue framework drafted by the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC)," which was shared with the government's Peace Commission in May last year.

The FPNCC continues to assert the need for an alternative process to the NCA, which was drafted with the involvement of 16 ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), excluding the Wa and Mongla, over a period of almost two years and signed by eight of 21 government recognized EAOs in October 2015. More than two years after the signing and implementation of the NCA, the National League for Democracy-led government has yet to make peace with non-signatories of the NCA.

No specific peace proposals were discussed at the meetings over the weekend, according to sources close to the northern-based groups, despite the government's repeated insistence that it is doing its best to hold talks with active ethnic armed groups in northern Shan State and Kachin State.

"Their positions are diametrically opposed, so it is hard for the two sides [the government and the ethnic armed groups] to hold face-to-face talks," said U Maung Maung Soe, a political analyst familiar with ethnic affairs.

"The door to talks will remain closed as long as the government and the Tatmadaw [Myanmar's military] do not accede to the FPNCC's request [to meet them as a bloc] and do not consider holding at least informal meetings with the group," he said.

According to sources close to the Wa and Mongla, the government delegation brought up the issue of further peace talks with the groups. However, the talk did not go further as the government maintained its condition that talks could only be held with the groups individually, rather than with the FPNCC.

The Facebook post included a demand that the government take steps to reverse the Shan State Parliament's 2016 classification of three members of the FPNCC – Kokang's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta'ang Nationalities Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA) – as "terrorist organizations."

A post on Nyi Rang's Facebook page said the government and Wa delegations discussed possible further collaboration to build mutual trust and support for the region's development.

The Wa first requested such support when they travelled to Naypyitaw to meet State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in July last year.

Among specific topics discussed at the weekend discussions were the possibility of the government supplying materials [tar] to build new roads within Wa-controlled areas; possible plans for a 60,000 MW hydropower plant in Mong Tong Township in Mongmaw District; and the issuance of national identity cards to students in Wa state to enable them to continue their higher education in Lashio, Mandalay and Yangon.

The UWSP reiterated that "its vice chairman Xiao Minliang (Tax Ngox) vows that the Wa state will never secede from the territory of the Union of Myanmar," a promise the Wa has made to the government since last year.

The Wa were granted a self-administrative zone under the 2008 military-authored Constitution along with five other minority groups: the Palaung (Ta'ang), Kokang, PaO, Danu and Naga.

The post Meetings With Northern Groups Make No Progress on Peace Talks appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)