| USDP Announces Surprise Constitutional Amendment Proposal Posted: 31 Dec 2013 05:37 AM PST  USPD chairman Shwe Mann talks with USPD members during a party meeting in May 2013. (Photo: Nan Thiri Lwin / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — In a surprise announcement the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) said it had decided to put forth amendments to Burma's controversial 2008 Constitution, including a change to a provision that prevents opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president. The USDP's Central Committee met in the capital Naypyidaw on Monday, where members discussed and voted in support of 51 constitutional amendments, according to Hla Swe, a committee member. Key among them is a plan to change provision 59F, a clause that currently prevents National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Suu Kyi from becoming Burma's president, as it states that a president's spouse or children cannot be citizens of a foreign country. Suu Kyi was married to British national Micheal Aris, who died in 1999, and she has two sons who are British subjects. Hla Swe said the USDP agreed to amend article 59F to allow the presidential candidate to take office if his or her children and spouse adopt Burmese citizenship. Asked if Suu Kyi could become president following the amendment, he said, "As far as I'm concerned, if the two sons of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi adopt Myanmar citizenship, everything will be alright as her husband is deceased." Other proposed constitutional amendments include changes that would allow district and township administrators to be directly voted in by local constituencies, Hla Swe said, while state and division chief ministers would be chosen by the local legislative and no longer directly appointed by the president. He said the USDP had agreed to soon submit the proposed amendments to Parliament, where the party holds a more than 52-percent majority following the flawed 2010 elections. The USDP was formed in 2010 as the political incarnation of the former military regime and the party is dominated by former junta leaders. The USDP announcement seems to have surprised the NLD and party spokesman Nyan Win said the party would soon release an official reaction to the proposed amendments. "We will let you know everything about our plans on constitutional change, including Article 59F," he said, without elaborating. According to NLD lawmaker Min Thu, Suu Kyi had registered her two sons as Burmese citizens at the Burmese embassy in London shortly after their births in the 1970s. "She revealed this since her first press conference in 1989," he said, adding, however, that the military government rescinded her sons' Burmese citizenship in the years after 1989. After seizing power in a coup in 1988, the Burmese military crushed a huge pro-democracy uprising and it ignored the results of the 1990 elections, which Suu Kyi's NLD won in a landslide victory. The military held on to power and began to slowly draft its own undemocratic Constitution, completing the process in 2008. It reserves 25 percent of all Parliament seats to the military and constitutional change can only take place if more than 75 percent of the MPs support it—a clause that gives the military a veto on constitutional change. Since becoming an MP in 2012 following by-elections, Suu Kyi has called for broad-ranging changes to the Constitution, but USDP MPs had thus far dragged their feet on such discussions. In recent weeks, Suu Kyi announced her party would consider a boycott of the 2015 elections—which are supposed to be Burma's first free and fair elections in three decades—unless significant changes were made to the Constitution. On Saturday, the NLD announced, however, that it would contest in 2015, regardless of the status of Burma's Constitution, the Associated Press reported. Political commentator Yan Myo Thein said it remains to be seen how quickly the USDP-dominated Parliament will pass the amendments and whether the military MPs will support it. "To amend the provisions, you need to have more than 75 percent agreement from MPs," he said. "That means it's very important that you take the military MPs [decision] into consideration." Brig-gen Wai Lin, the leader of the military MPs' Constitutional Amendment Review Committee, said the officers had already discussed making potential changes to the Constitution. "We will disclose it soon," he said, before declining further comment. The post USDP Announces Surprise Constitutional Amendment Proposal appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Rangoon University Looks to Keep Politics Off Campus Posted: 31 Dec 2013 05:33 AM PST  A student looks at a map of Rangoon University's campus. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Students in Rangoon University's first undergraduate intake in decades have been asked to sign pledges that critics say are aimed at restricting protest on the once troublesome campus. A new batch of more than 1,000 students began studying this month after the university, at one time one of Asia's most highly regarded centers of learning, had been largely shut down for years after it was the seedbed for uprisings against Burma's military junta. Students—and their parents or guardians—have been made to sign a pledge agreeing to abide by the universities rules. "[We] confess and promise that [we] will follow the rules and regulations set by the university, avoid all matters that will disturb peaceful learning and will learn peacefully," a copy of the pledge seen by The Irrawaddy reads. There are general rules about academic study, attendance of classes and plagiarism, as well as 16 specific rules for those living in on-campus hostels—no fighting and no coming back to hostels late at night, for example. And while the rules do not address political activity directly, the hostel rules say students "Must not announce, advertise and organize without permission in the hostel and surroundings." One of the new intake told The Irrawaddy that the pledge appeared to be intended to prevent students from engaging in campus politics. "It was written in a sense like 'Do not get involved in activities related to political organizations,'" she said. A lecturer at the University of East Yangon, one of the newer institutions founded as the former capital's main university was dismantled, says the chances of the new Rangoon University intake having political freedom were bleak. "I think they will not allow them to organize [political activities], even if they want to organize, they will need to send a letter of permission. Even then, I don't think the permission might be granted," the international relations lecturer, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, told the Irrawaddy. The lecturer said that since students were "political animals" like the rest of society, they should not have restrictions imposed on them. "For example, taking part in elections [voting] is also politics. Shall we say students should not be involved in politics then?" the lecturer asked. "Everybody above 18 has to be involved in the election, which means you are getting involved in politics…. No one can stay away from politics. It is in our daily life." Pyae Phyo Kyaw, assistant lecturer at Rangoon University's archaeology department, said teachers had not been informed about any "statement restricting students' involvement in political activities." It is unclear how restrictive the university authorities will be, but that may be tested soon. A group of female students is resisting relocation after they were told by university administrators that they must vacate the formerly male-only Shwebo and Bo Aung Kyaw hostels, which traditionalists argue should only be occupied by men. D Nyein Lin, a former political prisoner who was released recently after being jailed for four years for protesting on campus during the military regime, said it was worrying that the authorities were still restricting political activities. "Students should be allowed to take part in any activities that interest them. University is where students are prepared to develop their skills in various areas apart from learning," he said. D Nyein Lin said it was important that, especially as Burma is undergoing a transition toward democracy, students be allowed to express themselves. "If students were not allowed to take part in political movements, our country would not have got independence. Political heroes like Gen Aung San or U Nu would not have appeared," he said. The post Rangoon University Looks to Keep Politics Off Campus appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| 2013: The Year in Review Posted: 31 Dec 2013 05:22 AM PST Looking back, 2013 got off to an unpromising start, suggesting that the year would unlucky for Myanmar. The simmering conflict in Kachin State intensified late in 2012 and came to a boil early in the New Year. No sooner had that died down than communal violence that had begun in Rakhine State the previous year flared up again, this time spreading to other parts of the country. Meanwhile, opposition to a controversial mining project in Sagaing Region continued, despite Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's efforts to assuage the concerns of those affected. In the middle of the year, Myanmar's quasi-civilian government hosted its largest international gathering to date: the World Economic Forum on East Asia. A few months later, the country took another step toward national reconciliation, with the first major public commemoration of the pro-democracy uprising of 1988, held on the 25th anniversary of that turning point in modern Myanmar history. On the ethnic conflict front, progress was slower in coming, but late in the year another milestone was marked with multilateral talks held in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State. The year ended on a high note, as Myanmar played host to the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) for the first time since 1969. With a difficult year over, the country is ready to face its greatest challenge since returning as a key player on the regional and international stage: its chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2014. War in Kachin State  A bloodied K11 assault rifle leans against the wall of a trench dug by Kachin rebels defending an outpost against as Myanmar army offensive on Jan. 20, 2013. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) The year began as the previous year had ended—with conflict in Kachin State, where government forces continued an offensive against Kachin rebels that started on Christmas Day 2012. On Jan. 19, the Tatmadaw, or government armed forces, unexpectedly declared an end to air strikes against Laiza, headquarters of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), after securing control of a nearby army outpost. However, the fighting showed no signs of abating, even as the government was hosting a major meeting in Naypyitaw with international donors, including Western governments, the United Nations and the World Bank. On Jan. 29, two more civilians were killed by Tatmadaw artillery fire in the village of Mayang, adding to the three killed by an attack on Laiza on Jan. 14. By early February, the worst of the fighting had died down, but subsequent talks held through the year failed to result in a ceasefire agreement. By the end of 2013, there were estimated to be around 100,000 Kachin civilians displaced by the conflict that began in June 2011, most sheltering in KIO-controlled areas. Democracy Icon Under Fire Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, faced unprecedented criticism in 2013 for her handling of a number of contentious issues.  Daw Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to protesters angered by the advice of a commission led by the opposition leader to continue the controversial Letpadaung copper-mining project near Monywa, Sagaing Region. (Photo: Teza Hlaing / The Irrawaddy) Already losing popularity among ethnic minorities for her silence on the intensifying Kachin conflict, her reputation as a rights defender took a further beating in March after a commission led by the democracy icon recommended that the controversial Chinese-backed Letpadaung copper mine in Sagaing Region be allowed to go ahead despite local opposition. Internationally, critics faulted her for not speaking out against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State—although an interview with the BBC in October, in which she emphasized that Buddhists in the state also lived in fear of communal clashes, gave her a boost back home. Despite these controversies, however, she continued to collect accolades around the world, and in late March sat in the front row at an Armed Forces Day ceremony, signaling her greater acceptance by the generals who were once her jailers. Communal Clashes Continue, and Spread Violence between Buddhists and Muslims, with the latter bearing the brunt of attacks, continued in 2013, following the outbreak of deadly communal clashes in Rakhine State that began in June 2012.  Nationalist Buddhist monk U Wirathu is greeted at a monks' conference in Yangon in June 2013. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) Unlike the earlier violence, which involved Rohingya Muslims, a group regarded as non-citizens under Myanmar's 1982 Citizenship Law, the riots that broke out in 2013 were more broadly directed at Muslims in areas across the country. The first incident occurred in Meiktila, in central Myanmar, on March 20. An altercation between a Muslim shopkeeper and a Buddhist customer angered local Buddhists, who were further outraged after a Buddhist monk was doused in petrol and burned alive by Muslim youths. In the end, 40 people were counted among the dead, including 32 students and four teachers at an Islamic school. Anti-Muslim riots soon spread to Bago Region, and over the ensuing months, separate incidents claimed lives and left many homeless in Okkan, Yangon Division; Lashio, Shan State; Kanbalu, Sagaing Region; and Thandwe, Rakhine State. The spread of the violence coincided with the rise of the Buddhist nationalist 969 movement, whose most outspoken leader, U Wirathu, earned notoriety as the "Face of Buddhist Terror" on the cover of Time magazine. Myanmar Hosts World Economic Forum Two years into its transition to quasi-civilian rule, Myanmar had a chance in 2013 to showcase its reforms as host of the World Economic Forum on East Asia. Although the official theme of the forum was "Courageous Transformation for Inclusion and Integration" and President U Thein Sein shared the stage with the prime ministers of Laos and Vietnam at the opening ceremony on June 6, the focus was very much on the host country. The event attracted business leaders and policy makers from around the world, and the mood was generally upbeat a month after consulting group McKinsey & Company released a report predicting that Myanmar's economy could more than quadruple in size by 2030, to US$200 billion. However, other observers also noted more sobering realities: "It's a country where still 26 percent of the population live in poverty [and] 37 percent are unemployed," said Sushant Palakurthi Rao, head of Asia for the World Economic Forum, adding that much improvement was needed in education, health care and job training. Opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi echoed these sentiments, saying after the forum concluded that job creation should be the country's top economic priority. She also warned that the lack of rule of law in Myanmar might discourage investors from coming to the country. 1988 Uprising Commemorated  Students carry wreaths after marching near City Hall and Sule Pagoda in Yangon, where many people were killed or injured during pro-democracy protests in 1988. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) Twenty-five years after the people of Myanmar rose up in massive nationwide protests against military rule, the former student leaders of the nascent pro-democracy movement that took shape on Aug. 8, 1988, held their first large-scale public commemoration of the events of that tumultuous year. For three days, 88 Generation activists and others, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ethnic Shan leader Khun Htun Oo, President's Office Minister U Aung Min, and U Htay Oo of the ruling military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), gathered to remember the estimated 3,000 people killed and many others who suffered in the struggle to restore democracy in Myanmar. In his monthly radio address on Sept. 1, President U Thein Sein hailed the event as a major step toward healing the wounds of the past. "The 88 people's movement Silver Jubilee held early last month commemorates an important movement in our political history," he said. "The fact that we can celebrate this event together shows us that we are moving toward a new political culture where those who 'agree to disagree' can still work together." Later that month, he met the 88 Generation leaders for the first time. His message was marred, however, by the fact that on Aug. 9, charges were laid against the leaders of an unauthorized march through three townships in downtown Yangon. Myitkyina Talks End Inconclusively  Lt-Gen Myint Soe, the Tatmadaw's chief negotiator with Myanmar's ethnic armed groups, speaks during talks in Myitkyina on Nov. 5, 2013. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) It was an important moment in Myanmar's long history of civil conflict, but in the end, a meeting between representatives of the government and armed forces and many of the country's ethnic armed groups in the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina failed to achieve a breakthrough. In a joint statement released on Nov. 5, the two sides said they shared the goal of reaching a nationwide ceasefire and engaging in a political dialogue, but their draft proposals for continuing talks made clear that irreconcilable difference remained. While the government army, or Tatmadaw, called on the ethnic militias to end their armed struggle, the armed groups said they wanted to see the formation of a "federal army" that better reflected Myanmar's ethnic makeup. The meeting in Myitkyina came immediately after a gathering of ethnic leaders in the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) stronghold of Laiza, where they sought to work out their own common stance for negotiations with the government. Much of the debate centered on whether the priority should be to reach a nationwide ceasefire or hold a political dialogue. All parties generally agreed, however, that they favored a form of federalism—something the Tatmadaw has long opposed. Myanmar Hosts SEA Games  The opening ceremony of the 27th Southeast Asian Games in Naypyitaw on Dec. 11, 2013. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) The SEA Games, which bring together the best athletes from around Southeast Asia, were held in Myanmar for the first time in 44 years from Dec. 11-22. Although the event was hailed as another important step in the country's return to normalcy after decades of international isolation, it was not without controversy. Even before the games started, some participants complained that the host had selected sports that played to the strengths of local athletes, including some that were little known elsewhere. The opening of the games also stirred mixed emotions, with many taking genuine pride in the spectacle, while others criticized what National League for Democracy MP U Min Thu described as a "Beijing-ized ceremony" reminiscent of the Olympic opener held in the Chinese capital on Aug. 8, 2008. China's oversized involvement in the games, which included sending 700 coaches, managers, stage designers, technicians and other experts, and US$33 million in financial support, was seen by many as Beijing's way of enhancing its soft power in Myanmar, where resentment of Chinese-backed megaprojects remains strong. Despite these controversies, however, the successful completion of the games provided a much-needed boost to the country's self-image, and set the stage for the even greater challenges Myanmar is expected to face in the future, as it raises its international profile. Doubts, Hopes for Myanmar's Asean Chairmanship Questions were raised about Myanmar's readiness to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2014 after anti-Muslim violence broke out again in Rakhine State while President U Thein Sein was attending a meeting of the regional grouping in Brunei in October. Despite this incident, however, the chairmanship was officially handed over to Myanmar at the conclusion of the meeting, marking the first time that the country would lead the bloc since joining in 1997. Besides concerns about ongoing human rights issues in the country, many observers expressed doubts about Myanmar's capacity to host some 1,100 meetings during its term as chair, given its well-known lack of basic infrastructure. At the meeting in Brunei, Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin sought to dispel those doubts. "We've been preparing for this chairmanship for quite a while," he said. "It will not be a struggle for us." His regional colleagues also seemed optimistic, not only about Myanmar's ability to deal with the logistical challenges of assuming a leadership role, but also the impact this role would have on the country's transition to a more democratic form of governance. "I am convinced that the Myanmar chairmanship of Asean will provide additional momentum to lock in the reform efforts that are already underway," Indonesian Foreign Minister Natelagawa told The Irrawaddy. This story first appeared in the January 2014 print issue of The Irrawaddy magazine. The post 2013: The Year in Review appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Mind your step Posted: 31 Dec 2013 04:49 AM PST |
| Protesters Gather at Insein Prison After Presidential Pardon Posted: 31 Dec 2013 04:41 AM PST  Protesters at Insein Prison urge President Thein Sein to stick to an earlier pledge to release all remaining political prisoners by Tuesday, Dec. 31. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — After five political prisoners walked free in Burma on Tuesday and 200 people saw charges dropped for political offenses, protesters gathered at the notorious Insein Prison to demand freedom for other political prisoners who will likely remain inside a little longer. About 200 protesters, including activists and family members, gathered in front of the prison in northern Rangoon, urging President Thein Sein to stick to an earlier pledge to release all remaining political prisoners by Tuesday, Dec. 31. Dozens of political prisoners remain behind bars but are expected to be released during the first week of January. "People are shouting, calling for the release of remaining prisoners," said Myat Min Thu, whose brother Tin Htut Paing had been detained in Insein while facing trial. "My brother was just released and he joined the protest." Thein Sein has granted a pardon to prisoners convicted of various political offenses, including unlawful association, violations of the peaceful assembly law and contempt of government. In a presidential order published on Monday by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the president said all political prisoners should be released by Tuesday. "We welcome the government's release of the prisoners of conscience," said Talky, a spokesman in Rangoon for the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). "But we still need to wait one more week for the release of the remaining political prisoners, who were convicted in criminal cases." Five political prisoners were freed Tuesday, according to government-backed committee that reviews the number of political prisoners behind bars and works toward their release. The AAPP is represented on that committee. Thein Sein also said Monday that charges should be dropped against defendants on trial for allegedly committing political offenses, but that activists could still charged in the future with political offenses. AAPP says charges have been dropped for 200 defendants, five convicted political prisoners were freed Tuesday, and 46 political prisoners still remain behind bars. Among those freed from Insein Prison on Tuesday were activists Yan Naing Tun and Aung Min Naing, both jailed for violating Article18 of the Peaceful Assembly Law, which requires would-be demonstrators to receive permission from relevant government authorities before staging a protest. A member of the Shan State Army, Aik Pan, was released from Taunggyi prison in Shan State, along with Ye Min from the Pa-Oh National Liberation Organization (PNLO), another ethnic rebel group. San Htwe, a member of the Karen National Union (KNU), was released from Moulmein Prison in Mon State. Two activists who were detained while standing trial, Tin Htut Paing of the Generation Youth activist group and Ye Min Oo, were also released. "We hope Htin Kyaw and Naw Ohn Hla will also be released soon," said Talky, referring to two detained activists who are facing trial. Naw Ohn Hla, a prominent figure in Burmese activism, is facing charges for participating in a protest in Rangoon in which a Chinese flag was burned, and for allegedly disturbing religious gatherings while holding prayers for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi back in 2007. In a separate amnesty earlier this month, 44 people were freed, including 41 political prisoners. That followed the release of 69 prisoners in November, including two grandsons of the late Burmese dictator Ne Win and about two dozen activists charged for violating Article 18. Tun Kyi, a member of the Former Political Prisoners Group, said he was encouraged by the Burma government's move to release political prisoners but said others could still be put behind bars so long as restrictive laws remained on the books. He criticized Section 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Law as well as Section 505 of the Penal Code, which allows for imprisonment for causing fear or alarm to the public, or for inciting others to commit an offense against the state or public tranquility. Also according to the Penal Code, any former political prisoner who is freed in an amnesty and later convicted of another crime will be required to serve not only the new prison sentence, but also the remaining years old, canceled sentence. The post Protesters Gather at Insein Prison After Presidential Pardon appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Keep Demonstration Permit in Assembly Law: Rights Commission Chairman Posted: 31 Dec 2013 03:38 AM PST  Activists, including Generation Wave President Moe Thway, rally to mark the International Day of Peace in 2012. (Photo: Moe Thway / Facebook) RANGOON — The Myanmar Human Rights Commission (MHRC) chairman has expressed concern over the growing number of arrests under the Peaceful Assembly Law, but disagrees with civil society groups who want to repeal the need to obtain prior government permission for a demonstration. Under Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Act, activists need government permission to hold a protest. Organizing a protest without permission can result in a maximum sentence of one year imprisonment. In the past year, Article 18 has been frequently used by authorities to detain protestors who were demonstrating against land-grabbing and other human rights abuses. In recent months, civil society groups have begun a campaign calling for the removal of all criminal punishments from the Assembly Law and the need for a government permit for a demonstration. Win Mra, chairman of the MHRC, said the growing number of arrests under Article 18 is a serious human rights concern that the government should address. "I am not a political expert, but the government should not arrest them under Article 18," he said during a recent interview in Rangoon. Win Mra said the arrests of activists under the Assembly Law was at odds with the reforms and the release of political prisoners under President Thein Sein. "That’s why I asked them to reconsider this issue," he said. "We will have to find a solution that is somewhere between taking a hard line and a soft line." The MHRC chairman, however, stopped short of suggesting what amendments should be made to the Assembly Law and said he disagreed with civil society demands to scrap the need for prior government permission for demonstrations. "I do not accept this demand because there is no country that has such kind of laws. Protestors have to obtain permission," he said, "But when activists submit a letter for a demonstration permit it should be granted without delay." The MHRC was set up 2011 under executive order of President Thein Sein and has been criticized for not being sufficiently independent. The commission has not been approved by Parliament, lacks a legislative text with a clearly defined broad mandate, and is not based on universal human rights standards. Win Mra, the commission chairman, was a diplomat under the former military regime. A civil society coalition, which includes the influential 88 Generation Peace and Open Society, Paung Ku and youth activists Generation Wave, has launched a campaign to amend the Assembly Law and sent a letter urging Parliament to repeal Article 18. Moe Thway, president of Generation Wave, dismissed the MHRC chairman's assertion that prior government permission for a protest should remain a provision in the law. Moe Thway said protesting is "a fundamental right" that could not be curtailed by the government, adding that activists should only be required to inform authorities of their planned protests, while all criminal punishments should be removed from the law. "I do not accept that we need to obtain permission from the government for our protests, that's why we want Article 18 to be eliminated," he said. "The government is still arresting protestors under several laws, so we want them stop to arresting activists." Moe Thway said civil society groups were planning to stage campaign activities in 2014 in order to push their demands, adding that on Jan. 5 Generation Wave, Generation Youth, the Laiza Peace Marching Group, the Women Networks and Paung Ku would hold a protest in front of Rangoon City Hall. In February, the groups planned to hold a number of workshops with lawmakers from all parties to discuss the suggested amendments to the Assembly Law, he said. Thein Nyunt, a Lower House opposition lawmaker with the New National Democracy Party chairman, said MPs were considering amending the Assembly Law in accordance with changes suggested by the ruling Union Solidarity Development Party, which is affiliated with the Burma Army. Thein Nyunt said he expected this draft to be discussed in the Lower House early next year, but he made no mention of the civil society's demands regarding the Assembly Law. "I had the idea to abolish Article 18 before. But now, I am reconsidering after some activists burned the Chinese flag, it's horrible. I do not accept that kind of protest. So I am thinking about whether to completely eliminate Article 18 or just to amend some words, for example just fine to such people," he said. "I am now observing how other Asean countries handle this kind of protests." The post Keep Demonstration Permit in Assembly Law: Rights Commission Chairman appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| India’s EXIM Bank Agrees More Than $350M in Credit to Burma Posted: 31 Dec 2013 02:43 AM PST  Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, left, talks with Burma President U Thein Sein during a meeting in Naypyitaw in May 2012. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — The Indian government's Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank) has said it will loan Burma more than US$350 million to finance irrigation projects and improvements to the country's railways. In an announcement Dec. 26, the bank, which opened an office in Rangoon in September, said it would extend credit to the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank toward 18 irrigation projects, the procurement of rolling stock, and upgrades to three railway workshops. The irrigation and railway funding agreements, worth $198.86 million and $155 million, respectively, were signed on Dec. 11 by bank director David Rasquinha and Nyi Phyu Hla, managing director of the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank, the statement said. The new lines of credit (LOCs) come on top of nine loans worth $247.43 million already extended by EXIM Bank to Burma for railways, refineries, factories and power transmission lines. According to the statement, goods and services for the projects will be sourced from India, and EXIM Bank will reimburse the Indian companies and suppliers. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Burma in May 2012, during which Burma's giant neighbor reportedly agreed to provide a total of $500 million for railway and irrigation projects. India has also pledged another $250 million for various other projects. Jasmeet Singh Narula, EXIM Bank's resident representative in Rangoon, said the LOC agreements were part of the Indian government's foreign policy. "Government of India extends LOCs for financing India's exports to those countries and for promoting India's economic interests in those countries, projects executed by Indian exporters result in various socio-economic benefits in the LOC recipient countries by way of employment creation, progress in agriculture, revenue generation etc.," he said in an email. The post India's EXIM Bank Agrees More Than $350M in Credit to Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Govt Reaches Out to Rebel Groups on Upcoming Census Posted: 31 Dec 2013 01:39 AM PST  Burmese Immigration Minister Khin Yi speaks to reporters at a round table forum about Burma's official census, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Monday. (Photo: Kevin Mcleod / The Irrawaddy) CHAING MAI, Thailand — Speaking at a round table forum in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, Burmese Immigration Minister Khin Yi set out on Monday to explain the upcoming national census to the leadership of Burma's numerous armed rebel groups. Khin Yi said the census, which remains the subject of much skepticism in ethnic circles, was necessary in order to help Burma's future development. The discussion was well attended by representatives from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of Burma's rebel groups. Activists and exiles from a variety of Burma community-based organizations also attended the meeting, which was held at the Holiday Inn hotel. Khin Yi was joined by his cabinet colleague, Minister Aung Min, who serves as the government's chief negotiator. Aung Min and his team from the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) were already in Chiang Mai for talks this past weekend with the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT). During her remarks, Janet Jackson, the Burma-based representative for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which is assisting the government in carrying out the census, stressed that all personal data collected from individuals interviewed in the census would remain confidential. Jackson praised the level of preparation that has gone into the planning of the census, which she described as exceeding international standards and norms. "There has been a lot of cooperation, including from the non-state armed groups, which is wonderful," added Jackson, who recently traveled to Shan State to discuss the census at similar public forums. While several of Burma's armed rebel groups have signaled that they take will part in the census, it remains to be seen if the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), which has yet to sign a ceasefire with the central government, will participate. Despite losing some of its territory over the past two years of conflict, the KIO continues to control large stretches of Kachin State, meaning that the group's cooperation is necessary when surveying many of the state's rural areas. The UNFPA has so far received US$35 million dollars of the $45 million it requested from international donors to help facilitate the census. Jackson stressed that the UNFPA was assisting Burmese authorities, who are ultimately responsible for carrying it out. The last official census in Burma was conducted in 1983. Thirty years later, the country's population size remains unknown, although government estimates put it at about 61 million in 2011. Ethnic Categories Raise Concerns One of the more controversial aspects of the census relates to its measuring of ethnicity. While the census survey form will ask individuals to self-identify their ethnicity, respondents will only be allowed to put down one ethnicity. Critics say this will pose a serious problem for those of mixed heritage, including people like Women's League of Burma (WLB) chairperson Tin Tin Nyo, who told the audience during the question-and-answer session that she would rather identify as Mon and Karen, a reflection of her mixed parentage. In his closing remarks Khin Yi responded to these concerns by acknowledging that people often hold mixed ethnicity. "The father is a Mon and the mother is a Karen, so he or she must be Mon-Karen, not pure Mon or pure Karen and not Shan," he said. Despite this admission, it did not appear that he or his colleagues would alter the way the census is set to be carried out. Tin Tin Nyo also said she had concerns about whether enough was being done to inform people, particularly those in rural areas, about the census. "From my understanding, very few people are aware of the census," she told the Irrawaddy. Another stakeholder who attended the forum, Mahn Mahn, the Karen National Union (KNU) joint secretary 2, said he and his colleagues worried about the way in which the survey's data on ethnicity could be misinterpreted to suggest that there are fewer ethnic people than there really are. Currently Burma’s government identifies the 11 various Karen subgroups as separate ethnicities, a legacy of the previous regime's official declaration that there were 135 official ethnic groups in Burma, a policy that still stands today. The issue of how the subgroups will be counted is, according to Mahn Mahn, "our main concern." Mahn Mahn maintains that 11 Karen subgroups should be considered as all belonging to the same Karen ethnicity. The post Govt Reaches Out to Rebel Groups on Upcoming Census appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Last of the Old Soldiers Posted: 31 Dec 2013 01:35 AM PST  11898: David Daniels is a founding member of the Burma Star Association. (Photo: Timothy James Webster / The Irrawaddy) YANGON — Charming and in radiant good health for an 87-year-old, David Daniels is testament to the benefits of discipline and prayer. A founding member of the Burma Star Association (soldiers who fought with the British during World War II), he is now one of the last remaining members of the British Burma forces. The old soldier shares with his wife, Amy, a simple wooden bungalow in North Yangon decorated with British royal portraits, group photos of his ancestors and religious memorabilia. His secret for robust longevity? "No drink, no smoke, lots of tea. But there were lots of drinks during the army days." Born and brought up in Mandalay, Mr. Daniels joined the forces in December 1941, aged not yet 17, enlisting as a gunner in the Burma Auxiliary Force, part of the Royal British Legion in Burma, St George's Hanover Branch. His father Reginald Daniels served in Palestine for the British Turks during WWI and was against his joining up. "But I was taken by the uniform and the marching and all. In the end he allowed me."  David Daniels relaxes at home with his wife Amy. (Photo: Timothy James Webster / The Irrawaddy) Gunner David Daniels, serial number 3675, served in the 1st Coast Battery RA under Major W Jackson and in the Field Battery RA under Colonel Perrot. "During the war, I found that none could compete with the British, their discipline and their fighting. If they knew they would face certain sacrifice, they would retreat. They would not waste a life." The realities of war were a terrible experience. After 70 years, the nightmares are still with him. "With the Japanese advancing, we retreated, crossed our bridge in Upper Burma and blew it up afterwards, destroying it on April 26, 1942. It was the last bridge before we went to India along with the Chinese troops. Half the people died on the way, of malaria and starvation," he recalled. Mr. Daniels spent two months in hospital in Assam recovering from malaria and chronic dysentery. Fierce fighting was experienced on the night of March 8, 1945, as the 4th Battalion of the Prince of Wales Gurkha Rifles climbed and finally captured Mandalay Hill. "A lot of Gurkhas were killed in the clearance between the pagodas. The chaps had no cover; they couldn't reach safety. It was too high. I was below the hill firing 25-pounders. Captured men were tortured. It was better to be killed. Nowadays I wake shaking in the night. I have terrible dreams of people cutting off heads. I couldn't find the remains. I was so frightened. I don't mention all my suffering to my wife. But sometimes she hears me shouting in the night." His wife's familiar voice helps to soothe the devils in the dark. For his service, Mr. Daniels was awarded the 1939-45 Medal, the Burma Star, the Defence Medal and the War Medal. On the Sunday closest to Nov. 11, Remembrance Day, he attends the Anglican Cathedral service, then goes to the Htauk Kyant War Cemetery north of Yangon to meet some war colleagues. The British Embassy sends a car at 6:15 am to take him to the remembrance service. Afterward he enjoys a drink and the ambassador's buffet. "Good refreshments at the British embassy!" A clean liver and practicing Christian, Mr. Daniels catches the bus to worship on alternate Sundays at St. John's Armenian Church and the Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral, which has a Forces Chapel dedicated to the men and women of many races and religions who fell while fighting with British and Allied Forces during the Burma Campaign, 1942-1945. Shields on the walls represent crests of the regiments and groups who served in this country. "After the war, I worked for three years in charge of nighttime telephone calls and receiving telexes at the French embassy. Then I joined International Testing Services, a British company checking the quality of cooking oil and beans. I also did government service auditing military accounts from 1946-1986 before retiring. President U Thein Sein increased my pension from 800 kyat a month to 45,000 kyat." Proud of his service, Mr. Daniels has on his living room wall a handmade poster of his family tree covered with well-worn poppies. His maternal grandfather, a British soldier with the Daniels surname, fought in the Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885-86) under Maj-Gen Prendergast VC, when the British occupied Mandalay and sent King Thibaw and his wife Queen Supayalat into exile in India. "He married my grandmother Ma Ma Gyi who was a maid of honor attending the queen in the Mandalay Palace. Sometimes I can't get over it. How did my grandfather and grandmother speak?" A dozen more family members are honored in this humble, important document. "When the British embassy car drops me back home, the driver asks me, 'Same time next year?' I say, 'If there is no final roll call for me, I'll come.'" This story first appeared in the December 2013 print issue of The Irrawaddy magazine. The post Last of the Old Soldiers appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Burma Pardons Political Offenders Posted: 30 Dec 2013 10:29 PM PST  Former political prisoner Zaw Moe shows his prison papers, shortly after his release from Insein Prison in Rangoon in April. Since Thein Sein became president, he has freed about 1,300 political prisoners. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma freed five prisoners Tuesday and more are expected to be released next week as part of pledge by the country's president to free all political prisoners by the end of 2013. "Five political prisoners whose names we submitted were freed today and more people are expected to be freed in the next batch in the first week of January," said Bo Kyi, a member of the Political Prisoners Scrutinizing Committee. President Thein Sein granted a pardon Monday to those convicted of or charged with a variety of political offenses, such as unlawful association, high treason, contempt of government and violations of the peaceful assembly law. In addition, the decree halted all ongoing trials and investigations connected with those charges. The amnesty follows a promise by Thein Sein in July that all political prisoners will be freed by the end of the year. "We welcome the presidential pardon order. However, several steps need to be taken to maintain a level of zero political prisoners. There must be rule of law and more political freedom to maintain that level," Bo Kyi said. "So far, five political prisoners from district prisons are being freed today and activists who had been sentenced under Section 18 of the peaceful assembly law will be freed today from Yangon's Insein prison," said Ye Aung, a former political prisoner and member of the government's political prisoner scrutinizing committee. Ye Aung said about 200 activists facing trial under political charges will immediately have those charges dropped. The pardon may not cover all prisoners listed by the committee as political detainees as some were also convicted of other crimes, such as murder, he said. Since Thein Sein became president, he has freed about 1,300 political prisoners, Ye Aung said. Thein Sein, a former general who was elected president in 2011 after five decades of repressive military rule, instituted political and financial reforms to lift the country's sagging economy. It had faced sanctions from Western nations—now mostly lifted—because of its poor human rights record and undemocratic rule. The release of political detainees has been a benchmark used by Western nations to judge Thein Sein's administration, with previous releases triggering decisions by some nations to ease sanctions. Ye Aung said that during Thein Sein's administration, many activists had been charged under a section of the Peaceful Assembly Law that carries a maximum one-year prison term for those who stage protests without official permission. The post Burma Pardons Political Offenders appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Suu Kyi’s Party to Contest 2015 Elections Posted: 30 Dec 2013 10:25 PM PST  Aung San Suu Kyi walks passed military MPs as she is about to take the admission oath in Burma's Parliament in 2012. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Burma pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party said Saturday that it will contest 2015 parliamentary elections even if the country’s Constitution barring her from running for president is not amended. It was the first time the National League for Democracy party announced it would take part in the polls, which Suu Kyi had said cannot be fair unless the Constitution is changed. "I want to say that the NLD will contest the 2015 elections," National League for Democracy spokesman Nyan Win said at a news conference. Burma is a republic where the president is chosen by Parliament rather than directly elected. The NLD expects to do well enough in the 2015 polls to offer its own presidential candidate, and Suu Kyi has expressed an interest in running. The president is usually elected during the first session of Parliament following the general election. The 2008 Constitution was drawn up under Burma’s previous military regime to ensure its continuing influence in government. The NLD considers it undemocratic because of clauses giving the military a mandatory allocation of 25 percent of parliamentary seats and disqualifying Suu Kyi from running for president. The NLD boycotted 2010 elections as undemocratic, but ran in by-elections in 2012 after changes were made in election laws. It won 43 of the 45 seats it contested in both houses of Parliament, with Suu Kyi winning a seat in the lower house. Suu Kyi, a former political prisoner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has said that "there will be more problems" if the Constitution is not changed before the 2015 elections, though she has not said what would happen. In October, Suu Kyi and her party launched an awareness campaign in many parts of the country to garner public support for amending the Constitution. Burma’s Parliament formed a Constitution Review Committee in July to recommend changes to the constitution before the 2015 elections. The 109-member committee includes lawmakers from all parties, including Suu Kyi’s party and President Thein Sein’s ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party, along with the military’s allotted representatives. The committee will collect suggestions from individuals, organizations and political parties and submit them to Parliament by the end of January. The NLD decided at a meeting Saturday to send suggestions on changing 168 points from 14 chapters of the constitution, including the article that disqualifies Suu Kyi from becoming president, said Win Myint, a senior party member. Article 59 of the Constitution says anyone whose spouse or children owes allegiance to a foreign power cannot become president or vice president. Suu Kyi was married to the late British scholar Michael Aris, and her two sons are foreign citizens. Constitutional amendments require the consent of more than 75 percent of lawmakers, followed by more than 50 percent approval in a nationwide referendum. The post Suu Kyi’s Party to Contest 2015 Elections appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Some With Alzheimer’s Find Care in Far-Off Nations Posted: 30 Dec 2013 10:20 PM PST  A woman dressed in traditional Chinese wedding costume smiles during the memory training at community ambulatory care in Hong Kong in 2010. Asia's fast-aging population will make up more than half of the world’s dementia patients in 40 years. (Photo: Reuters) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Residents of this facility for people with Alzheimer's disease toss around a yellow ball and laugh under a cascade of water with their caregivers, in a swimming pool ringed by palm trees and wind chimes. Susanna Kuratli, once a painter of delicate oils, swims a lap and smiles. Watching is her husband, Ulrich, who has a heart-rending decision: to leave his wife of 41 years in this facility 9,000 kilometers (5,600 miles) from home, or to bring her back to Switzerland. Their homeland treats the elderly as well as any nation on Earth, but Ulrich Kuratli says the care here in northern Thailand is not only less expensive but more personal. In Switzerland, "You have a cold, old lady who gives you pills and tells you to go to bed," he says. Kuratli and his three grown children have given themselves six months to decide while the retired software developer lives alongside his 65-year-old wife in Baan Kamlangchay—"Home for Care from the Heart." Patients live in individual houses within a Thai community, are taken to local markets, temples and restaurants, each with three caretakers working in rotation to provide personal around-the-clock care. The monthly $3,800 cost is a third of what basic institutional care would come to in Switzerland. Kuratli is not yet sure how he'll care for Susanna, who used to produce a popular annual calendar of her paintings. But he's leaning toward keeping her in Thailand, possibly for the rest of her life. "Sometimes I am jealous. My wife won't take my hand but when her Thai carer takes it, she is calm. She seems to be happy," he says. "When she sees me she starts to cry. Maybe she remembers how we were and understands, but can no longer find the words." Spouses and relatives in Western nations are increasingly confronting Kuratli's dilemma as the number of Alzheimer's patients and costs rise, and the supply of qualified nurses and facilities struggles to keep up. Faraway countries are offering cheaper, and to some minds better, care for those suffering from the irreversible loss of memory. The nascent trend is unnerving to some experts who say uprooting people with Alzheimer's will add to their sense of displacement and anxiety, though others say quality of care is more important than location. There's also some general uneasiness over the idea of sending ailing elderly people abroad: The German press has branded it "gerontological colonialism." Germany is already sending several thousand sufferers, as well as the aged and otherwise ill, to Eastern Europe, Spain, Greece and Ukraine. Patients are even moving from Switzerland, which was ranked No. 1 in health care for the elderly this year in an index compiled by the elderly advocacy group HelpAge International and the U.N. Population Fund. The Philippines is offering Americans care for $1,500 to $3,500 a month—as compared to $6,900 the American Elder Care Research Organization says is the average monthly bill for a private room in a skilled nursing US facility. About 100 Americans are currently seeking care in the Philippines but more facilities are being built and a marketing campaign will be launched in 2014, says J.J. Reyes, who is planning a retirement community near Manila. Facilities in Thailand also are preparing to attract more Alzheimer's sufferers. In Chiang Mai, a pleasant city ringed by mountains, Baan Kamlangchay will be followed by a $10 million, holiday-like home scheduled to open before mid-2014. Also on the way is a small Alzheimer's unit within a retirement community set on the grounds of a former four-star resort. With Thailand seeking to strengthen its already leading position as a medical tourism and retirement destination, similar projects are likely. The number of people over 60 worldwide is set to more than triple between 2000 and 2050 to 2 billion, according to the World Health Organization. And more are opting for retirement in lower-cost countries. "Medical tourism" has become a booming industry, with roughly 8 million people a year seeking treatment abroad, according to the group Patients Without Borders. The UK-based Alzheimer's Disease International says there are more than 44 million Alzheimer's patients globally, and the figure is projected to triple to 135 million by 2050. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that in the United States alone, the disease will cost $203 billion this year and soar to $1.2 trillion by 2050. The pioneering Baan Kamlangchay was established by Martin Woodtli, a Swiss who spent four years in Thailand with the aid group Doctors Without Borders before returning home to care for his Alzheimer's diagnosed mother. Wanting to return to Thailand and knowing that Thais traditionally regard the elderly with great respect, he brought his mother to Chiang Mai, where she became the home's first "guest." Woodtli never uses the word "patient." Over the next 10 years, the 52-year-old psychologist and social worker purchased or rented eight two-story houses where 13 Swiss and German patients now reside. Two people normally share the modest but well-kept, fully furnished houses, each sleeping in a separate bedroom along with their caretaker. Breakfast and lunch are eaten together at another residence where Woodtli, his wife and son live. On most afternoons, the group gathers at a private, walled park to swim, snack and relax on deck chairs. Regular outside activities are organized because he believes these stimuli may help delay degeneration. "Movement is important. Tensions are also relieved if they have freedom to move. Our carers allow our guests a lot of space as long as it does not pose a danger to them," he says. "In Switzerland we don't have opportunity for such care." He says his guests "cannot explain it, but I think they feel part of a family, a community, and that is very important." Yet Woodtli says he has received criticism about "the Swiss starting to export their social problems." The German press has recently described shifting the aged and ailing abroad as "grandmother export." Sabine Jansen, head of Germany's Alzheimer Society, says that while some with Alzheimer's may adjust to an alien place, most find it difficult because they live in a world of earlier memories. "People with dementia should stay in their familiar environment as long as possible. They are better oriented in their own living places and communities," she says. "Friends, family members, neighbors can visit them. Also because of language and cultural reasons, it is best for most to stay in their home country." Angela Lunde of the US-based Mayo Clinic says that generally the afflicted do better in a familiar environment, but over time, even those with advanced stages of the disease can adjust well. "I think a positive transition has less to do with the move itself and more with the way in which the staff and new environment accommodates the person living with dementia," she says. Woodtli agrees that moving to country like Thailand is not the answer for everyone with Alzheimer's, but those who have traveled widely and are accustomed to change can probably adapt. "One of our guests sometimes wakes up in the morning and says, 'Where am I?' But she would do the same if she was in a care center in Switzerland," he says. "And they take their past with them. One guest thinks she is in a schoolhouse at Lake Lucerne." Those who end up staying at a facility being built in the outlying Chiang Mai district of Doi Saket will have amenities that would be tough for its European counterparts to match, including a clubhouse with a massage room and beauty parlor, a restaurant, Swiss bakery and pavilions with soaring ceilings and skylights. "The idea is that this is a resort, not a hospital," says Marc H. Dumur, a veteran hotelier who will manage the Swiss-owned, 3.5-hectare (8.7-acre) facility built amid orchards and groves of teak. Going up are 72 patient rooms in six spacious pavilions, plus villas for visiting family members. Around-the-clock care will be provided by a staff of 150, including a Swiss head nurse and at least one licensed Thai nurse for each pavilion. These patient-to-carer ratios reflect the costs in a developing country like Thailand and the West. A licensed Thai nurse earns less than $700 a month, compared to about $7,000 for one in Switzerland, where care centers will have one nurse responsible for 10 patients. Care at the Doi Saket home will cost $6,000 a month, roughly what a mid-level employee in Switzerland would receive as a pension, Dumur says. A number of European countries have generous national health insurance, but these generally do not cover treatment abroad. Kuratli says the Swiss government would cover two-thirds of the bill for his wife's care if she stays in Switzerland, but since high-end private clinics there can cost $15,000 or more per month, he could still end up paying more there than he would in Thailand. British businessman Peter Brown has turned a bankrupt resort into the Care Resort Chiang Mai. Residents will live in five-room units, watched over by nurses 24 hours a day, and walk out into extensive, landscaped grounds, with a thousand trees and a lake, set in a tranquil area at the foot of mountains. "In Europe they tend to follow a lock-up system. They know what should be done but they just don't have the staff to do it—to take patients to visit gardens, to give them some freedom," Brown says. "And the carers tend to come from the lower end of the nursing system. They often don't have the desire to work with Alzheimer's patients or an affinity with them." Woodtli agrees that it is crucial "for the patients to be together with their carers, to know and trust." He says Thai caregivers like those at Baan Kamlangchay are generally more emotionally and physically engaged with their charges. At the swimming pool, Madeleine Buchmeier snaps photos and laughs as she watches a caregiver take her smiling husband's hands to twirl around together in a dance out of childhood. "It's a miracle," she says. Geri used to bang his head against the walls of a care facility in Switzerland, she says, "as if he wanted to do something, get somewhere." He would sink when entering water. In the three weeks since they arrived, he has calmed down and can swim again, all while his medicine is being sharply reduced. Like Kuratli, Buchmeier is deciding whether her 64-year-old husband should stay or go back to Switzerland. Once a Ford Motor Co. employee who spoke four languages, he now mutters largely disjointed sentences but appears to recognize his wife. Nearby, Manfred Schlaupitz, a former Daimler-Benz engineer in his 70s, lies back in a deck chair, cradling a stuffed toy lamb. His caregiver, Kanokkan Tasa, sits on the grass beside him, gently massaging his legs and tickling his chin. She has been with him for six years, eight hours a day and earlier cared for Woodtli's mother. "If you think of it as a job it's very difficult," she says, "but if it comes from the heart, it is easy." She came to the home with no formal nursing training. "I felt pity for them and asked myself, 'If I was stricken with Alzheimer's, how would I want to be cared for?'" she said. The 32-year-old woman communicates in Thai, German, English and her native tribal language but most importantly, she says, through eye and physical contact and displays of emotion. Like a number of Alzheimer's victims, Schlaupitz responds well to music. Sometimes they sing one of his favorite songs: "Yesterday." The post Some With Alzheimer's Find Care in Far-Off Nations appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Thailand’s Army Moves to Allay Coup Fears Posted: 30 Dec 2013 10:16 PM PST  Anti-government protesters gather inside Thailand's Finance Ministry during a rally in central Bangkok on November 25, 2013. (Photo: Reuters / Chaiwat Subprasom) BANGKOK — Thailand's powerful but politicized army sought to ease fears on Monday it might step in to resolve a festering political crisis, while anti-government protesters entrenched positions around Bangkok as they seek to disrupt a February election. The latest round of an all-too-familiar political conflict in Thailand has dragged on for weeks. It flared last week into deadly clashes between police and protesters outside a stadium where registration for the Feb. 2 poll was under way and at other rally sites around the Thai capital. The head of the military added to the growing sense of unease on Thursday when he refused to rule out a coup after those clashes. A policeman and a protester were killed when an unidentified gunman opened fire, and scores were wounded in the clashes. The demonstrators are determined to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who they accuse of being a puppet of her self-exiled brother and former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra. Thai army chief General Prayuth Chan-Ocha said after Thursday's clashes that "the door was neither open nor closed" on a coup, and social media across Thailand has buzzed with rumors of a coup ever since. Army spokesman Winthai Suwaree sought to play down those fears, telling reporters on Monday that the rumors were causing "confusion and speculation." "The army would like to insist there's no secret meetings or any operations by the military as speculated," Winthai said. Until last week, the military had sought to remain aloof from the conflict, which represents years of rivalry between Bangkok's middle class and royalist establishment and the mostly poor, rural supporters of Yingluck and Thaksin in the populous north and northeast. The violence flared again in the early hours of Saturday when a protester was killed by an unidentified gunman who opened fire on a small group of tents set up by protesters outside Yingluck's offices at Government House. The rest of the capital remained relatively quiet. Tension flared again on Sunday when a large firecracker was thrown at another protest site, at a bridge over a canal near Government House, wounding five demonstrators. That prompted the protesters to build sandbag walls across a street leading to their rally site at the bridge. Isolated Most of the protests have been centered in Bangkok, although demonstrators have also blocked registration for the polls in seven provinces in the south. The protesters, led by fiery former lawmaker Suthep Thaugsuban, and the main opposition Democrat Party have many supporters in the south. The Democrats have declared they would boycott the election which Yingluck called, and would likely win, in a bid to end the stalemate. The pro-establishment Democrats have not won polls since 1992. Suthep and his followers want an appointed "people's council" to take over and begin a reform program before another election is held, at some point in the future. Yingluck is looking increasingly isolated. More chaos on the streets could invite intervention by the military, while the judiciary could also step in if the deadlock persists. Thailand's army has staged or attempted 18 coups in 81 years of democracy, including the removal of former telecoms tycoon Thaksin in 2006. The protesters draw strength from Bangkok's conservative middle class, royalist bureaucracy and elite, who resent the rise of what they see as the venal, billionaire Shinawatra family and their political juggernaut which has won every election since 2001. They say Thaksin has effectively manipulated a fragile democracy by buying the support of the rural poor with populist policies such as cheap healthcare, easy credit and subsidies for rice farmers. Many poor voters say Thaksin was the first leader to actually keep election promises to help them. Thaksin fled into exile in 2008 before being sentenced to jail on graft charges he said were politically motivated. Yingluck's party miscalculated badly in November when it tried to force through an amnesty that would have allowed Thaksin to return a free man, sparking the latest round of protests. Yingluck has said she is willing to consider any compromise that is in accord with the constitution. The ouster of her government would likely enrage Thaksin's passionate supporters whose aggressive protests against a Democrat-led government in 2010 ended in a bloody military crackdown. The post Thailand's Army Moves to Allay Coup Fears appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Government, Opposition Groups Clash in Bangladesh Posted: 30 Dec 2013 10:12 PM PST  Comrades help an activist, hit with the baton of a policeman, as protestors try to surround and block access to the High Commission of Pakistan in Dhaka on Dec. 18, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) DHAKA — Ruling party supporters and their opponents threw stones at each other Monday on the second day of sporadic violence in the Bangladeshi capital, after heavy police presence foiled an opposition plan for a rally to pressure the government to scrap next month’s election. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and its allies had planned a mass gathering in Dhaka on Sunday, but police barred Zia from leaving her home while cordoning off the venue in front of the party’s headquarters. Zia’s home remained blocked Monday. She had been scheduled to address Sunday’s rally to step up the pressure on her archrival, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to cancel the Jan. 5 elections and hand over power to a caretaker government to oversee the vote. Women members of the ruling Awami League party clashed with a group of lawyers tied to Zia’s party on the Supreme Court premises. They threw stones at each other but no injuries were immediately reported. No major violence was reported elsewhere in the country despite a call from the main opposition party to block roads, railways and waterways. Seeking to stave off violence, police in Dhaka banned public New Year’s Eve celebrations and asked residents to return home by 8:00 p.m. Tuesday. Benazir Ahmed, commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said any gatherings in the capital would not be allowed. Hasina said Monday she had no problem with opposition protests but that killings and violence must stop. She said earlier she would go ahead with the election despite the opposition boycott to avoid a constitutional crisis. The Election Commission is supporting the polls, citing the constitution that says elections must be held 90 days before the government’s five-year term expires, or by Jan. 24. The European Union, the U.S. and the British Commonwealth said they would not send observers for the election. The government has nevertheless pledged that the vote would be credible. An election watchdog of 29 non-governmental organizations, which works closely with donors, said it would monitor the Jan. 5 vote. At least one person, a student, was killed in clashes Sunday between security forces and opposition activists, police said. Authorities have detained more than 1,550 people in a crackdown since last week, further deepening the political crisis in the impoverished South Asian nation. More than 150 people have died in political violence since October. The conflict pits an opposition alliance led by Zia’s party against Hasina, who accuses Zia of protecting people being tried or convicted of war crimes involving the nation’s 1971 independence war against Pakistan. Jamaat-e-Islami, the main partner of Zia’s party, wants the government to halt the war crimes trials of its leaders. Zia says the trials initiated by Hasina are politically motivated to weaken the opposition, which the government denies. Jamaat-e-Islami is banned from taking part in the election. The post Government, Opposition Groups Clash in Bangladesh appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
