| Arakan NGO to Hold Fundraising Concert for Conflict-Affected Children Posted: 22 Nov 2013 05:11 AM PST  A teacher gives physics lecture to high school students at Su Taung Pyae charity school in Rangoon. (JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — An Arakan State-based NGO is set to hold a concert in Rangoon on Sunday to raise money toward education for children in conflict affected parts of the country, organizers said. The fundraising concern, which has already received donations from telecoms firm Ooredoo and former military general Khin Nyunt, will be held at the National Theatre on Myoma School Road, Rangoon, from 7 pm on Sunday, ending at 1 am. The Rakhine National Social & Welfare Organization (RNSWO) is organizing the concert and says it will donate the money it raises primarily toward monastic education, and to education resources for displaced children, in Kachin State, Arakan State and Meiktila, Mandalay Division. Tens of thousands of mostly Christian civilians in Kachin State have been displaced by the ongoing conflict between government troops and Kachin rebels that reignited in 2011. The town of Meiktila exploded in deadly violence in March when the local Buddhist and Muslim populations clashed. An estimated 10,000 people, mostly Muslims, were displaced and are now living in temporary camps outside the town. Two bursts of inter-communal violence in Arakan State last year involving Arakanese Buddhists and stateless Rohingya Muslims displaced an estimated 140,000 people, the majority of who are Rohingya, and are still living in makeshift camps. U Kumara, an RNSWO trustee and a Buddhist monk, said many monasteries in the conflict-torn areas had an acute need for stationery and other resources. He insisted, the organization would not discriminate based on religion when giving aid. "We are fair. We intend to help the whole of Burma, not distribute only to Buddhists. But we will prioritize the first citizens [of Burma]," he said. The Burmese government refuses to recognize Rohingya as citizens of the country, despite a United Nations resolution this week calling for it to do so. Organizers say more than 40 famous singers, actors and actresses will perform at the fundraising gig, as well as the "Plus Three Band," "Gitanjali Band" and "Girl's Universal Dance Crew." Myat Khine Kyaw, spokesperson for RNSWO, told to The Irrawaddy on Friday that donations had already come in from private individuals and businesses including Burma's former intelligence chief Khin Nyunt and telecoms firm Ooredoo. The Qatari company was one of two winners of Burma's hotly-contested telecommunications tender in June. "Ooredoo donated US$ 15, 000 [15 million kyat] this month. Former military General Khin Nyunt also donated 500,000 kyat [about $500]," he said, adding other businessmen had also donated to the cause. Myat Khine Kyaw reiterated that the money raised at the concert would address need in education, which he said was the most important issue in Burma's reform process. "Most parents in conflict areas are poor after conflicts. They can't afford to support their children education," he said. "We found that children in refugee camps and in monastic education do not enough in stationery, equipments and school buildings and don't even have enough clothes." Tickets cost between 5,000 kyat and 15,000 kyat, or about $5 to $15, depending on the seat. Myat Khine Kyaw said that out of 1,465 seats of concert, more than 1,000 had been sold already, within a week of going on sale. The post Arakan NGO to Hold Fundraising Concert for Conflict-Affected Children appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Strings Collaboration Celebrates Franco-Burmese Ties Posted: 22 Nov 2013 04:54 AM PST  Members of the Myanmar National Symphony Orchestra perform at the National Theater in Rangoon. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Myanmar National Symphony Orchestra and a French string quartet joined forces at Rangoon's National Theater to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Franco-Burmese diplomatic relations in a cultural, orchestral and choreographic event called Fondamentus. The event on Thursday evening was attended by nearly 1,200 people, including locals and foreigners alike. Among the dignitaries were Burma's Vice President Dr Sai Mauk Kham and Union ministers, as well as French Ambassador to Burma Thierry Mathou. Fondamentus was produced by Le Khloros Concert and co-organized by the Cambodian APSARA Authority with the support of Unesco, and the Burmese and French governments. Led by French composer Odile Perceau, the 26-member string section of the Myanmar National Symphony Orchestra was joined by French string quartet Le Quatuor Des Equilibres, and played 13 classical masterpieces from Bach and Handel, as well as original compositions by Perceau. They will play for two days at Cambodia's sacred Angkor Wat temple complex in early December, but before that the musicians will again perform before a Burmese audience when the orchestra travels to Mandalay on Nov. 23. The French and Burmese ensembles took turns performing sets, and also jointly played several pieces in a concert that ran more than an hour in length. The crowd-pleasing finale saw the musicians play the late composer Myoma Nyein's "Man Taungyeik Kho." The popular tune prompted the audience to join in the performance, with many attendees singing along to the string rendition. The post Strings Collaboration Celebrates Franco-Burmese Ties appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Police Close Chinese Marriage-Fixing Agency on Burma-China Border Posted: 22 Nov 2013 04:40 AM PST  A photo circulated on Facebook in recent days shows a pamphlet in Muse that offers Burmese women an opportunity to marry Chinese men, in return for a $500 fee. RANGOON — Burmese and Chinese police cooperated last week to close down a bride matching agency of Chinese man, who illegally attempted to arrange marriages between Burmese women and Chinese men, a senior police official said. Khin Maung Hla, deputy police superintendent of the Special Anti-Human Trafficking Police Unit in Naypyidaw, said the Chinese suspect, named Lee Pin Yee, had been distributing advertisements in Chinese border towns of Ruili and Jiegao, and in the Burmese border town of Muse, targeting Burmese women. "Muse police found out that he came from Shweli [Ruili] and police chief Khin Maung Oo reported him to the Chinese police in Shweli. Lee Pin Yee's office was then forced to close and Chinese police deported him to Jiangsu Province, where he came from," he said. "He admitted when the police questioned him that he is a matrimony agent for Chinese and foreigners, which is prohibited by Chinese government, that's why Chinese police decided to deport him," said Khin Maung Hla. In China, agencies are allowed to arrange marriages between Chinese nationals and the practice is widespread. Khin Maung Hla said a Burmese woman from Sagaing Division named Mya Mya Aye, 42, had been working as an interpreter for Lee Pin Yee for US $100 per month, adding that police had warned her to leave the area. The Burmese- and Chinese-language advertising pamphlets with the headline "Partners Wanted", tried to lure Burmese women with promises of marriages to Chinese men, who were pictured alongside new homes and cars, and with job opportunities in Chinese factories where they could supposedly earn $400 per month. Photos of the pamphlets were circulated on Facebook and in Burmese media in recent days. "Contact me if you or your friends want to get married in China," said the advertisement, which included Lee Pin Yen's phone number. The women would have to pay his agency $500 once the marriage was arranged, it said. Burmese police said such cross-border marriage-fixing operations are illegal and could lead to human trafficking of women across the border into China. "The Chinese police said Lee Pin Yee's attempt to get Burmese brides is unacceptable and is punishable as a human trafficking act," said Khin Maung Hla. "Luckily, he didn't get any client yet for his business." There is a strong Chinese demand for foreign wives, which is believed to result from Beijing's one-child policy and the practice of aborting female fetuses in favor a male son. Chinese government figures released in 2012 showed the country of 1.3 billion people had about 117 men for every 100 women. By 2020, single Chinese men could number 30 million, according to the figures. Across the border in impoverished, conflict-torn northern Burma, the proposition of marrying a well-to-do Chinese husband is an attractive one and the match-making operations have contributed to cross-border human trafficking. The Burmese government said in a 2011 report that most human trafficking in the country is "committed solely with the intention of forcing girls and women into marriages with Chinese men." "Since Chinese brides are scarce and Chinese men are eager to marry … Our Burmese women become the main target for human traffickers and sorts of matchmakers like Lee Pin Yee," said Khin Maung Hla. "Generally, the victims are young women who are poor and living in remote areas." The Special Anti-Human Trafficking Police Unit said it has recorded and investigated 84 trafficking cases in the first 10 months of 2013 and more than 50 Burmese women were returned home. Last year, 82 out of 120 trafficking cases handled by the unit involved attempts to bring Burmese women to China. Although the trafficking issue remains a concern, police said the number of cases has been declining in recent years due to public awareness-raising programs by police and local and international NGOs that warn of the dangers of marriage-fixing. "Back in 2009 and 2010, we had more than 300 cases per year, but there are only 120 cases in 2012. So, we can say that the education programs work," said deputy superintendent Khin Maung Hla. "But I believe there are some spots where we still couldn't reach out and we need more cooperation with citizens and civil society." The post Police Close Chinese Marriage-Fixing Agency on Burma-China Border appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Peace Talks Turn to Future Federal Army Structure Posted: 22 Nov 2013 04:04 AM PST  Senior political parties' leaders and members of the United Nationalities Federal Council pose for a photo in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Friday. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — The question of how to structure a future military that incorporates Burma's ethnic rebel armies was raised during a meeting between leaders of the country's political parties and an ethnic alliance of armed groups in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Friday. Eleven senior political parties' leaders from Burma arrived in the northern Thai city on Thursday evening for a two-day meeting with an alliance of 11 ethnic rebel groups known as the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) and civil society organizations in Thailand. Despite having been invited, the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) did not attend the Chiang Mai meeting. "We were able to share about our armed struggles and our views on the federal union and they shared their views with us too," said Nai Hong Sar, secretary of the UNFC and vice chairman of the New Mon State Party (NMSP). Both sides said the meeting was a step toward further talks aimed at reaching a lasting peace in war weary Burma. The meeting marked the first formal sit-down between political parties' representatives and rebel leaders, organized by the government-affiliated Myanmar Peace Center (MPC). Myo Nyunt, secretary of the Democracy and Peace Party, said the meeting "could benefit the current efforts to end civil war." During a half-day meeting on Friday, discussion turned to the creation of a federal army. The Kachin Independent Army's Gen Sumlut Gun Maw laid out the ethnic groups' policy on a federal system of governance for Burma and the federal army that the UNFC hopes will result from ongoing negotiations. The federal army issue was widely discussed after a meeting in Myitkyina, the Kachin State capital, between ethnic rebels and the government earlier this month. In an interview with The Irrawaddy following the Myitkyina talks, the Burma Army's Lt-Gen Myint Soe expressed concern that a federal army—which would likely see ethnic armed leaders granted a degree of operational autonomy in ethnic regions—could cause the military to "collapse or become divided." "Gen Gun Maw did not say that the current Tatmadaw [Burma military] has to be abolished. He accepts that there must be one sole army for a nation," said Myo Nyunt, who was among those raising the federal army issue at Friday's meeting.  Gen Sumlut Gun Maw looks over briefing papers in Chiang Mai on Friday. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy) Gun Maw on Friday said the KIA has been discussing the integration of ethnic armed forces with the Tatmadaw since 2009. The KIA leader added that the military recruitment process should be reformed to accommodate the integration of ethnic commanders and senior soldiers into a federal union army. "He [Gun Maw] said the principles of the [current government] Army, such as the recruitment process, need to be reformed under a federal union," Myo Nyunt said. Political leaders in attendance said they looked forward to further collaboration as the peace process moves forward. Khing Maung Swe, the chairman of the National Democratic Front, invited the ethnic leaders to come to Rangoon for a future meeting. "Party leaders are willing to meet the UNFC leaders to find a way to help build trust for a political dialogue," he said. Abel Twet, the vice chairman of the UNFC and chairman of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), in an opening speech highlighted the importance of reaching a genuine peace for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and others who have been living in conflict regions for decades. Nang Khin Htwe Myint, a representative from the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), said discussions were carried out "in a warm manner." "The meeting clarified a lot of our concerns about the current political and military affairs," she said. "The federal union policy is now no longer a taboo topic, and the same will be true for the policy of a federal union army in the future," she added. Senior politicians on Friday afternoon also met with leaders of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), which is not part of the UNFC alliance, and representatives of the Thailand-based Women's League of Burma. On Saturday, the group will meet with Shan communities based in Chiang Mai. The post Peace Talks Turn to Future Federal Army Structure appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Drugs, Guns Seized in Shan State Raid Posted: 22 Nov 2013 03:13 AM PST  An anti-narcotics officer stands in front of stacks of seized drugs on June 26, 2013. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) Burmese anti-narcotics police and government army troops stationed near Kutkai in northern Shan State seized a large cache of weapons and drugs valued at nearly US $250,000 on Wednesday, according to Burma's state media. Acting on a tip-off from local sources, the joint force raided a drug factory near the village of Monesi in Kutkai Township following a clash with around 10 armed men, The New Light of Myanmar reported on Friday. Eleven people were arrested during a sweep of the area, the newspaper added. Inside the factor, the government forces found 6.3 kg of heroin, 12.7 kg of morphine, 0.8 kg of raw opium, 3.1 kg of opium paste, 4.5 kg of an unidentified brown powder and 7,200 amphetamine tablets, valued at a total of about 237 million kyat ($244,000). Also seized in the raid were 22 small arms, 897 rounds of ammunition, 13 grenades, two bombs, 19 magazines, one pair of night-vision goggles, one silencer and one sniper glass, the report said. Speaking to The Irrawaddy by phone on Friday, Aye Myint Soe, a police officer stationed near Monesi who declined to give his rank, said that a local informant had alerted the authorities to the drug-making operation. "We got the information from a local person on Nov. 19 and raided the factory the next day," he said, without adding any further details. Although it is unknown who was running the factory, observers noted that two local Shan militias are active in the area, as are members of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). In response to a question on his Facebook page, government spokesperson Ye Htut suggested that KIA Brigade 4 might be involved in the heroin trade, but provided no evidence to support this claim. Meanwhile, another raid in Muse Township, north of Kutkai, on Nov. 19 resulted in the seizure of 1.5 million methamphetamine tablets and the arrest of six suspected drug traffickers. In this case, the Burmese authorities were tipped off by Chinese police, who believed the six suspects were smuggling the drugs across the border into China's Yunnan Province. Opium and methamphetamine production continues to rise in Burma, and increasing amounts of the illicit drugs are being smuggled to East and Southeast Asia, according to a recent report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The UNDOC said seizures of opium, heroin and methamphetamine pills, as well as crystalline methamphetamine and precursor chemicals, "increased significantly in 2012" in Burma. The restive and rugged region of Shan State, perched between the borders with Thailand, Laos and China, continues to be a main source of illicit drug production, the agency said. The post Drugs, Guns Seized in Shan State Raid appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Resettle Political Refugees in Third Countries: Rights Group Posted: 22 Nov 2013 02:34 AM PST  Bamboo huts with leaf roofs, built by refugees, dot the hills of Mae La Oon camp southwest of Mae Sariang in northern Thailand. (Photo: Dieter Telemans / TBC) A human rights organization said some Burmese former political prisoners in Thailand should be resettled in third countries, as they do not want to return to Burma. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said ex-prisoners could face serious challenges or potential punishment if they are forced to return to Burma when the camps close in the future. "The AAPP is urging respective governments of third countries to help resettle former political prisoners who want to go there, as soon as possible," said Bo Kyi, joint-secretary of the Thailand-based organization, which support Burmese prisoners. The AAPP also urged Thailand and foreign governments that have supported refugees on the Thai-Burma border to not forcibly repatriate former political prisoners and consult them on their desires for the future. Burmese refugees escaping their country's long-running ethnic conflict have lived camps on the border for many years. In the past year, as the prospects for peace in Burma have grown brighter, Thailand and foreign donors have announced plans for the repatriation of the border refugees. The AAPP has stated that there are 37 former political prisoners in Umpiem Mai camp, nine in Nu Po and about 20 in other refugee camps. Last month, AAPP secretary Tate Naing met in Rangoon with a United States government official responsible for resettlement of refugees. During their meeting, the US official asked for a list of names of former political prisoners living in refugee camps in Thailand. Hla Than, a former political prisoner from Umpiem Mai camp, said his health condition had already been affected by many years in prison and therefore his life would be in danger if he was rearrested and imprisoned for any political activity. He said he does not want to go back to Burma because he is worried that his family will suffer again. "The government has yet to announce amnesty for Burmese citizens who are outside the country, for various reasons, and who want to return home legally," Hla Than said, "So I don't want to go back at all. I will resettle in a third country." Bo Kyi stressed that no one could guarantee that the political situation in Burma was irreversible and would continue towards positive changes. He said former prisoners also face other challenges when returning home, such as a lack of employment opportunities and job skills, and high living costs in cities like Rangoon. "Since the Burmese government doesn't provide any assistance to those who want to return home, they may have to decide to resettle in the third countries," said the AAPP joint secretary. "We understand and are sympathetic with them." The US, Canada and European governments annually welcome the resettlement of Burmese refugees in their countries. However, refugees have to be recognized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as persons of concern (POC) first and then wait for the permission from Thailand in order to leave for any third country. Some former political prisoners, who came to border areas and arrived in refugee camps after 2006, have yet to be granted the POC status. They are currently under care of relief agencies for food and shelter that support the refugee camps on the border. The post Resettle Political Refugees in Third Countries: Rights Group appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| With Digital TV, End Looms for Thailand’s Broadcasting Monopolies Posted: 21 Nov 2013 11:08 PM PST  Millions love it, but analog TV is set for a new era of competition in Thailand. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — Under the watchful gaze of Peerawat Chottitommo, a veteran broadcaster, a team of young Thais monitors programs unfolding on a bank of 12 television screens on the wall of a new studio. In a nearby room, a reporting team with two cameras in hand prepares to go out to cover an event. But the programs being produced within this rundown two-story building that once housed a popular disco will not go on air. Rather, the 250-strong staff under Mr. Peerawat's wing is going through the motions of a typical news reporting and production day in this northern Bangkok television studio. Such dry runs are in readiness for the launch of a new free-to-air, nationwide broadcaster. This entrant is a venture of Triple V Broadcast, a company affiliated with Thai Rath, Thailand's largest local-language daily. The latter already enjoys an impressive one million circulation and has a reputation for shaping the national agenda as a leader of Thailand's famously sensationalistic and free-wheeling newspaper industry. And now it wants to capitalize on its recognized news brand by setting its sights on the world of digital television. "Digital TV is our next most important venture," said Vachara Vacharaphol, a ponytail-sporting 32-year-old whose grandfather founded Thai Rath five decades ago. "When people hear the name Thai Rath they will link it to the news territory, and that is a strength for us going into this area now." Other media houses have similar ambitions. Over a period of three days in September, industry leaders wasted no time in applying for new licenses up for grabs in a bid to capitalize on this ground-breaking moment in local broadcasting. Among those leading the charge were Channel Three and Channel Seven, at present the most watched of the country's five free-to-air broadcasters; TrueVisions, Thailand's largest cable-television provider; and GMM Grammy, a leading satellite television operator. Thailand's two English-language newspaper houses, The Bangkok Post and The Nation, also made plays to be part of a new wave of media expansion that some industry analysts estimate will require multi-billion baht investments. Thai Rath, for instance, has earmarked the start-up costs for its digital television venture to hit 5 billion baht (US$160 million). The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) described the three-day sale of the documents to bid for the planned digital television stations as "the hottest auction in Thailand's broadcasting history." The NBTC, a Parliament-approved regulator, saw 33 companies snap up 49 application packages, each one costing 1.07 million baht ($34,000). The buzz in the media world conveys what is at stake: The age of the free-to-air television broadcast monopolized by five conservative and pro-establishment stations is over. It will be replaced, starting next year, by 24 independently-run digital television broadcasters with a national reach. The stations, which will be available in both standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD), will offer content ranging from news and documentaries to children- and family-friendly programs and variety entertainment. "This will result in dramatic change in the television industry," Supinya Klangnarong, one of the 11 commissioners of the NBTC, explained in an interview. "It will be a challenge to the status quo, since TV in Thailand has been monopolized for the past 60 years. That is not just the monopoly of the market, but a monopoly of thought and content that is directed at the Thai people." The sentiment is understandable. After all, television in Thailand has for the most part been under the sway of the Thai military. It was this powerful institution, infamous for launching 18 successful coups and ruling the country through juntas for most of its years since 1932, when Thailand became a constitutional monarchy, which introduced television as a propaganda tool in the 1950s. The military currently owns two television stations and 200 radio stations. The tone set by the generals was followed by government agencies when the television landscape broadened in the 1980s. Then semi-commercial stations emerged after getting television concessions from either the military or the state. These five free-to-air national broadcasters currently reach 22 million households in a country of 67 million people. Nearly six million of them are in urban areas. The shift toward digital television stations will see the prevailing concessions-based regime give way to a transparent, competitive environment based on buying the licenses to broadcast. "They will have to compete for audiences and for advertising to support their productions," said Ms. Supinya. "The only restrictions [the new stations will face] are those governed in the license contract about the proportion of contents, such as the percentage for news or for variety and entertainment." According to the NBTC, at least 50 percent of television users should have access to this plethora of digital content by next year. The following years will see progressive increases, with coverage expected to hit 90 percent in four years. For Thai banks, this liberalization of the television industry is a money-spinner. After all, the starting price to bid for the licenses being auctioned has been set at 140 million baht ($4.5 million) for a children's channel, 220 million baht ($7 million) for a news channel and 380 million baht ($12.2 million) for an SD variety channel. The NBTC estimates the initial licensing and airtime rental cost for the transmission networks to hit 50 billion baht ($1.6 billion). "Many banks would be interested to jump in since these are projects with opportunities that could be implemented soon," noted Vasin Vanichvoranum, executive vice president of Kasikornbank. "The change to digital TV will spur new investments in many areas." Preliminary research by Kasikornbank estimates that the economic value of this digital transformation will reach 100 billion baht ($3.2 billion). That figure is based on calculations for the production of new digital television monitors, related equipment to receive transmissions, and the costs for licenses, airtime rental and producing content. Analysts are flagging the buoyant advertising market as the barometer to gauge the impact digital television will have following its 2014 launch. Thailand's total advertising budget for 2011 was estimated at $3.2 billion, Credit Suisse revealed in a report. More than half of that figure—$1.8 billion—went into television advertising. "It remains to be seen if the advertising pie will remain the same to be fought over by many more players, or if new advertising money will pour in," said Laurent Malespine, managing director of Don't Blink, the Thailand representative for Singapore's Media Corp Studios. "The print media could take a hit." This story was first published in the November 2013 print edition of The Irrawaddy magazine. The post With Digital TV, End Looms for Thailand's Broadcasting Monopolies appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Italian-Thai Ditched as Thailand, Burma Seize Dawei SEZ Posted: 21 Nov 2013 10:30 PM PST  A motorcyclist rides past a dirt road at a site for a billion dollar industrial estate in Dawei, Burma. (Photo: Reuters / Khettiya Jittapong) BANGKOK — Thailand and Burma seized control on Thursday of the multi-billion dollar Dawei special economic zone from Italian Thai Development Pcl to rescue the floundering project and convince foreign investors to finally come on board. The takeover of the strategically located complex, billed as a gateway for trade with Southeast Asia, follows years of delays that have been blamed largely on the Thai firm's failure to secure private investment and agree on a power source for the 250 sq km (100 sq mile) deep-sea port, petrochemical and heavy industry hub. "If ITD continues, it's impossible for new investors to come in," Set Aung, a former economist and now a deputy central bank governor in Burma, said during a meeting of Thai and Burmese officials in Bangkok on Thursday. The sidelining of ITD could pave the way for the involvement of Japanese industrial and hi-tech firms long established in neighboring Thailand and who are fast taking advantage of investment opportunities in Burma since its new government introduced a raft of liberal reforms two years ago. Set Aung told Reuters that Japanese companies had expressed interest in Dawei during talks a day earlier and would most likely announce their intentions next month in Tokyo when Dawei was due to be discussed on the sidelines of a regional meeting. He said the focus was on getting the basic infrastructure in place in Dawei to attract Japanese firms. That meant stripping ITD, Thailand's largest construction group, of its 75-year concession to lead the project and hiring an international firm to carry out due diligence on work it has already started. That should be completed by May 2014 and ITD would be reimbursed for the work so far, the officials agreed at the meeting on Thursday. ITD President Premchai Karnasuta said the company, which was granted the concession in the 1990s under a deal with Burma's then ruling military, welcomed plans to overhaul and inject foreign capital into Dawei. "Our concession right has gone…but we still have the right to join auctions in several projects," Premchai said, adding that ITD has invested around 6 billion baht (US$189 million) in Dawei and it expects full reimbursement plus interest. Located along the Thai-Burma peninsular with highway links to industry hubs near Bangkok and along its eastern seaboard, Dawei is arguably Southeast Asia's most ambitious industrial zone and a potential boon for firms relying on the transport of goods around the cumbersome Malacca Strait, the world's busiest shipping lane. Initial proposals included an $8 billion deep-sea port, a refinery, gas and coal power plants and steel mills. All these plans are set to be reviewed under any new agreement. "We will bring a new project management company on board," Thai Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan said. "The next step is to find a new investor for phase one which includes roads, two small ports and light industries." Government involvement in Dawei is likely to boost Japan's confidence in a project that faces problems ranging from a lack of basic infrastructure to conflicting information on power supply, funding, costs and planned facilities. Dawei's story stands in stark contrast to that of the 2,400-hectare (5,900-acre) Thilawa economic zone near Burma's biggest city, Rangoon, which is moving ahead quickly following the establishment of a Burma-Japan joint venture involving Mitsubishi Corp Marubeni Corp and Sumitomo Corp as well as Japanese state support. Japanese companies have enjoyed smooth ties with both Thailand and Burma. Japan is Thailand's biggest foreign investor through its manufacturing bases for the likes of Honda and Toyota. Japan has also moved into Burma to work in sectors ranging from infrastructure to information technology, heavy industry and the stock market. Masaki Takahara, head of the Japan External Trade Organization in Burma, said Japanese firms were hesitant about ITD's leadership and now would be drawn to Dawei once basic infrastructure was ready. "I know a lot of Japanese companies will be interested in entering into Dawei," he told Reuters. "I really support the development of this area. It's a beneficial project for the entire Asean" area. Additional reporting by Jared Ferrie in Rangoon. The post Italian-Thai Ditched as Thailand, Burma Seize Dawei SEZ appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Father of Web Says China Will Dismantle ‘Great Firewall’ Posted: 21 Nov 2013 10:23 PM PST  In this photo illustration, a man holds an iPad with a Facebook application in an office building at the Pudong financial district in Shanghai. (Photo: Reuters / Carlos Barria) LONDON — China's rulers will ultimately take it upon themselves to dismantle the "great firewall" that limits its people's access to the Internet because doing so will boost China's economy, the inventor of the World Wide Web said. In an interview about his World Wide Web Foundation's rankings of the way 81 countries manage the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee, a London-born computer scientist who invented the Web in 1989, also scolded the United States for undermining the Internet's foundations with its surveillance programs. Revelations about the scale of that surveillance and poor rural penetration rates pushed the United States from second place into fourth in the survey, which examined Internet access, freedom and content. Sweden came out on top for the second year. But it was China, which the survey ranked at 57 out of 81, down from a ranking of 29 out of 61 last year, where Berners-Lee saw the greatest potential for improvement. "The Berlin Wall tumbled down, the great firewall of China—I don't think it will tumble down, I think it will be released," he told Reuters by telephone. "My hope is that bit-by-bit, quietly, website-by-website, it will start to be relaxed," he said. "The agility of a country which allows full access to the web is just greater; it will be a stronger country economically as well." China's state Web-censorship system blocks Facebook, Twitter and some foreign news sites as well as content that the Communist leadership considers damaging to stability and cohesion. "The citizens are not really in a position to smash the great firewall because the government controls the Internet, the Internet companies," said Berners-Lee, 58. "All that can happen is that the government realizes it is not in their interests, that it is holding up the economy, holding up the development of the country." Berners-Lee said he was encouraged that the increased use of social media had stoked political mobilization across the planet, but cautioned that growing surveillance and censorship threatened the future of democracy. Berners-Lee took particular aim at eavesdropping conducted by the United States and Britain, saying the extent of the spying laid bare by US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden showed that rights had been set back. "The rights of the individual have been severely eroded and eroded in secret," he said of the US and British surveillance programs. "It is a very serious threat to the Internet." While he admitted the state needed the power to tackle criminals using the Internet, he called for greater oversight over spy agencies such Britain's GCHQ and the NSA, and over any organizations collecting information about private individuals. "It is clear in the case of the US and the UK that there just has not been that oversight and accountability to the public," he said. "Whatever oversight you have has to be very strong, have the ability to find things out and strong rights to be told things … It has got to be very seriously independent and accountable directly to the public rather than accountable through some secret route to part of government." Britain's spy chiefs have argued that media reports about Snowden's revelations have weakened the ability of the security services to stop those plotting deadly attacks against the West. Britain came third in the rankings, the same as in 2012 but below Norway in second place. Russia, the world's biggest energy producer, was at 41 in the ranking. A map of the world produced by Berners-Lee's foundation showed Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia as countries which extensively censored political content. So was it really worth inventing the World Wide Web, and has it been a force for good or for evil? "Overall, it has been a staggering force for good because it has been so empowering for humanity," he said. "Humanity is basically good, creative and collaborative." The post Father of Web Says China Will Dismantle 'Great Firewall' appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Ex-Basketball Star Rodman Revels in Relations With North Korea Posted: 21 Nov 2013 10:17 PM PST  Retired NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman is welcomed by Son Kwang-ho, vice chairman of North Korea's Olympic Committee, in Pyongyang on Feb. 26, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) Dennis Rodman wants to belly up to the bar with some friends and order a shot of peace talks. He believed his latest proposal is just the tonic needed to ease tension between the United States and North Korea. "Everyone knows (President Barack) Obama drinks beer," Rodman said. "But you know what? I’m pretty sure he does have a cocktail here or there. I’d love to see him with a ‘Bad Ass Vodka’ shot in his hand, toasting to Kim Jong (Un) and me. "That would be awesome." A Rodman-branded vodka is set to debut this week, just the latest business venture he’s had a fling with, stretching from wrestling to authoring a children’s book to even, yes, unofficial basketball ambassador to North Korea. He can count Kim as a fan of the vodka — the duo drank from two cases Rodman brought over for his recent visit in September, where they talked hoops and planned an exhibition game in January. Dennis Rodman. NBA champion. Hall of Famer. Reality TV star. Peace broker? "Just think, it’s up to Dennis Rodman to break ground with North Korea," he said. "I’m the only one in the world who will go talk to this guy and try and find some common ground with these people. I’m hoping that gap between America and North Korea can close. Those guys love a lot about America. They love it. That’s why I go over there. "People don’t believe that." Rodman has been criticized for not talking about North Korea’s human rights record, described as one of the world’s worst by activists, the U.S. State Department and North Korean defectors. The defectors have repeatedly testified about the government’s alleged use of indiscriminate killings, rapes, beatings and prison camps holding as many as 120,000 people deemed opponents of authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un, the third generation of his family to rule. Pyongyang and Washington are also locked in a standoff over the North’s pursuit of nuclear bombs and long-range missiles. North Korea denies the existence of the camps and the abuse described in painstaking detail by many defectors. While skirting all these issues, Rodman, who once wore a wedding dress to a book signing, said all his work should have earned him a Nobel Peace Prize. "People put that label on me like it’s my responsibility to save the world," he said. "If it happens to come to that, then yes, I guess I’m all for it. Let’s just all get together and keep everything cool, man." Rodman, known as much for his piercings, tattoos and bad behavior as he was for basketball, was the highest-profile American to meet Kim since Kim inherited power from father Kim Jong Il in 2011. He traveled to the secretive state for the first time in February with the Harlem Globetrotters for an HBO series produced by New York-based VICE television. Rodman called Kim a "friend for life," and planned to visit Pyongyang again in December and January. He announced plans to stage two exhibition games in North Korea in January. The first will be Jan. 8 — Kim’s birthday — with another to follow two days later. Rodman said former professional basketball players have committed to the games, though he declined to reveal names. The former Chicago Bulls star poked fun at his controversial relationship with the North Korean leader in a pistachios commercial that saw a Kim lookalike press a red button and "blow up" Rodman. He also appears in a Foot Locker ad that imagines Mike Tyson returning Evander Holyfield’s ear, Craig Sager setting his garish suits ablaze, and Rodman ordering a one-way ticket to North Korea. It’s all just part life of The Worm. "It’s funny, with all the things I’ve been doing, people always ask me, ‘What do you do?" he said. "I don’t do anything. I keep myself relevant and alive. I just want to go out there and make people happy. What makes people happy? Drinking." Rodman stamped his name on "Dennis Rodman — The original Bad Ass Premium Vodka," that is set for a Thursday launch. It was in the works before his relations with North Korea, but has taken off since. "It’s not, ‘why vodka?’ It’s about, ‘it’s about time,’ Rodman said. So maybe it’s time to shake and stir the political world with a shot of vodka. Or a vodka-soda with lemon. Whatever. Rodman just wanted to lobby the president to reach out and talk with Kim. "I opened doors in North Korea and made people go, ‘Wow,’" Rodman said. "It don’t hurt to pick up the phone and just see what’s going on. "It’s a new era. Just give it a shot." The post Ex-Basketball Star Rodman Revels in Relations With North Korea appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Australian Gaffes Explode Into Indonesian Diplomatic Crisis Posted: 21 Nov 2013 10:09 PM PST  Protesters burn an Australian flag during a protest in front of the Australia embassy in Jakarta, Nov. 21, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) Australia's stumbling Abbott government has managed to insult two Asian nations over spying allegations, with a key advisor to the prime minister tweeting that Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa resembled a 1970s Filipino porn star. The row over the tweet is just one of an astonishing string of gaffes by a government in Canberra that appears increasingly inept on the international front and risks doing lasting damage to Australia's position in the Asian Century. The tweet, by Mark Textor, the ruling Liberal Party's pollster and chief strategist, overshadowed Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's statement to Parliament in Canberra that he would do everything he "reasonably can" to repair relations with Jakarta. Textor immediately removed the tweet, which read "Apology demanded from Australia by a bloke who looks like a 1970's Pilipino [sic] porn star and has ethics to match," He has since apologized volubly and said he wasn't referring to anyone in particular, although Natalegawa is the foreign minister and the man who demanded the apology from Australia. "Apologies to my Indonesian friends—frustrated by media-driven divisions—Twitter is indeed no place for diplomacy," he tweeted Thursday. While Textor is not a member of the government, his proximity to power is close enough to outrage the Indonesians. With protesters in the streets of Jakarta demanding war—although Indonesia's war machine is no match for Australia's—the government, led by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, has managed to alienate large swaths of not just Indonesia but much of Asia over a series of missteps, the latest when the premier ignored a call for an apology over revelations that Australian spymasters had tapped the telephones of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the president's wife, and eight cabinet ministers. Certainly it has driven down relations between the two countries by a good two decades. "Had Abbott just picked up the phone, called SBY, and said 'This is very embarrassing but I want to tell you we are really very sorry and anyway it was all [former Prime Minister] Kevin Rudd's fault,' they could have contained this," said a western political observer in Jakarta. "You can count on the Indonesians to ramp it up." The "ramping up" included violence both Wednesday and Thursday, with hundreds of demonstrators, some in military fatigues, in front of the Australian Embassy to burn flags and spray red paint on the front wall of the structure. Police had to move in to restrain the demonstrators. On Wednesday, Australia issued a travel warning for "civil unrest and political tension" due to the likelihood of violent protests in Jakarta. Members of the nationalist organization, Laskar Merah Putih, burned Australian flags in indignation, protesting the attack on Indonesia's sovereignty and the Abbot's refusal to apologize. The demonstration called for expulsion of all Australian diplomats from Indonesia and a boycott of Australian products. The allegations of Australian spying and now even Australian hacking have exploded in the Indonesian media, with every Indonesian minister in Parliament making strong statements and Indonesia backing up its ire with diplomatic scolding. Australia, however, has remained true to its current policy of media silence, refusing to comment on security and intelligence gathering activities and stubbornly evading a direct apology, which is what Indonesia wants and which could now amount to too little, too late. Yudhoyono said on Wednesday that Indonesia would freeze several bilateral projects, including operations to stem the influx of undocumented migrants from the Middle East, joint military exercises and the exchange of intelligence information, until the air had been cleared. Indonesia pulled its F-16 fighter jets from participating in a joint military exercise in Darwin and has ceased joint military exercises being run by the Australian Special Forces. Indonesia's Attorney General Basrief Arief also said he is on standby to refrain from working with the Australian Attorney General's Office, perhaps pending the response to SBY's letter. "People smuggling is a problem for Indonesia and Australia [and] we have a cooperation framework called the coordinated military operations [or] the coordinated sea patrols. I have asked for it to be suspended. We cannot continue such shared duties," Yudhoyono said in his first press conference after the snooping revelations came to light. Whether the immediate ructions can be calmed down by Abbott's statement to the Australian Parliament is one thing. The bigger question is the long-term damage the new government, which came to power in September, is doing with its actions, with such unnecessary statements as one by his foreign minister, Julie Bishop, that Japan is Australia's "best friend in Asia," a statement not looked kindly upon by the Chinese, Australia's biggest trading partner, or the South Koreans, who are embroiled in a multi-level dispute with the Japanese. Even before the September election, Abbott had already put Indonesians' backs up with campaign rhetoric that he would turn back the boats of asylum seekers, a pledge that he almost immediately put in practice once taking office. Two weeks ago that culminated in an embarrassing standoff when an Australian navy ship answered a call for help to pick up a boatload of asylum seekers in Indonesian waters. When the ship sought permission to drop off the asylum seekers at the nearest Indonesian port, the Indonesians turned them down. Finally the Australians were forced to ferry the asylum seekers to Christmas Island in Australian territory. Exchanges between the two countries ended up with growing tensions in which hackers attacked hundreds of Australian and government websites. Australia has alienated other Asian countries with Abbott's order to nullify climate change research. He angered the Chinese government with a decision to deny the Chinese telecoms company Huawei the right to bid on Australian telecoms projects and offered to lower the current Foreign Investment Board threshold on overseas purchases of agricultural land, from A$248 million (US$232 million) to A$15 million (US$14 million). Now Australia's closest Asian neighbor has been insulted unintentionally enough, but what started out as a thorny but manageable issue rather sadly bids fair to be the catalyst for a far more guarded foreign policy regarding Australia. With elections in Indonesia due in less than a year, a future leader may be exceedingly conscious of affronts and will see no point in courting public disfavor at home by genuflecting toward Australia. The post Australian Gaffes Explode Into Indonesian Diplomatic Crisis appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
