The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Burmese Couple Allegedly Murdered by Thai Employee
- Burma Prepares to Host First Asean Summit in Naypyidaw
- Australian Reporter Deported From Burma
- Burma Ethnic Alliance Sets Up ‘Federal Army’ Office
- Suu Kyi to Hold Rally in Irrawaddy Division for Charter Amendments
- Bangkok Airways Increases Flights to Burmese Capital
- A Myanmar model presents dresses created by a local designer
- No Dignity: Alive or Dead
- South China Sea Tensions Rise As Vietnam Says China Rammed Ships
- China Detains Veteran Journalist for State Secrets
- US Wary of Wading into Thailand’s Fraught Politics
| Burmese Couple Allegedly Murdered by Thai Employee Posted: 08 May 2014 06:05 AM PDT  Mae La camp in Thailand is home to Burmese refugees, including many from Karen State. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — A Thai employer has been accused of murdering two Burmese refugees—a married couple—who were working on his farm in Thailand's Tak Province. The couple were owed three months of wages when they were killed on Wednesday night inside a hut in the cornfield where they worked, according to security officials at the Mae La refugee camp, where they lived. Saw Hla Htay and Naw Paw Mu, ethnic Karen refugees from Burma, were owed more than 10,000 baht (US$300) for their labor on the cornfield in Kar Klo village, Tha Song Yang District. Their bodies were buried on Thursday, as Thai police officers arrested and detained the suspect, according to Saw Shi Sho, a camp security official. "The employer attacked them at about 9 pm. But two of the couple's children were able to escape. They said their father's face and their mother's head had been badly hacked," he said. "The Thai police have arrested the murderer and detained him in Kar Klo village. The Thai police will pursue the case in accordance with Thai law. We need to let them handle it." The Mae La refugee camp houses more than 40,000 refugees and is the biggest Burmese refugee camp in Thailand. Many residents leave the camp to find employment outside in nearby towns, risking extortion or arrest by Thai authorities. Murders have been reported inside and outside camps, but in many cases Thai authorities have failed to take action against suspected criminals. Family members of victims say they have not received compensation and have been ignored because they lack legal status in Thailand. In September last year, a Karen refugee woman, Shwe Hla Aye was found dead outside Mae La camp after disappearing for two days. She was found wearing only a bra. Her body was buried without a proper investigation into the cause of her death. The post Burmese Couple Allegedly Murdered by Thai Employee appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| Burma Prepares to Host First Asean Summit in Naypyidaw Posted: 08 May 2014 05:51 AM PDT  A policeman stands on guard in front of the Myanmar International Convention Center, where the Asean Summit will be held this weekend in Naypyidaw. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) NAYPYIDAW — Preparations are wrapping up in the capital for the first major meeting of Burma's chairmanship of Asean, at which regional leaders, and more than 400 journalists, are expected. The first Asean Summit of 2014 comes 17 years after Burma first joined the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Burma has declared the theme of its chairmanship—in the penultimate year before the ambitious Asean Economic Community (AEC) is supposed to come into effect—"Moving Forward in Unity to a Peaceful and Prosperous Community." This year is seen as an important one for Burma, which is expected to play a more active role in regional and international affairs as the country opens up to foreign investment and progresses with a program of reforms initiated when President Thein Sein took office in 2011. Asean heads of state and foreign ministers will arrive in Naypyidaw on May 10, and the 24th Asean Summit will take place on May 11 at the newly constructed Myanmar international Convention Center 1. Scheduled meetings include talks on the AEC, an Asean Security Council meeting, an Asean parliamentarians meeting and the Asean People's Forum.
Regional foreign ministers did meet in Bagan in January, but this meeting will be the first Asean Summit this year and the first meeting of Asean leaders in Burma. Some of the little-used roads in Burma's capital, which was completed less than a decade ago, have been repaired and made smoother ahead of the summit. On Thursday, security guards stood expectantly outside the venue and hotels were ready and waiting for guests. Despite concerns infrastructure would not be completed in time to host the high-profile event, Naypyidaw appears ready. "Everyone is ready to host the Asean Summit this coming Saturday and Sunday. Delegates will lodge in hotels located near the Myanmar International Convention Center," Myo Myint Thaung, the director of news, at the News and Periodical Enterprise, part of the Ministry of Information that runs Burma's state media. "Enough security guards will be around that area." More than 400 foreign and local journalists have registered to cover the event. Seventy-nine foreign media organizations, represented by 145 journalists, will be present. "There will be a media center inside the MICC. We will provide 100 computers and free Wi-Fi there, and at least 300 journalists can be in there," Myo Myint Thaung said. "We have experience from the SEA Games in Naypyidaw in December, so we prepared everything to be easy to access in the media center." However, access to some events, like the Asean leaders' photo opportunity, will be limited. Official state media will be given priority access to meetings, and Burma's Foreign Correspondent Club will decide who is allowed inside meeting rooms. "We will provide photos in media center and on our website for those who can't go inside rooms," Myo Myint Thaung said. Nyunt Maung Shein, chairman of the government-affiliated Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies, said maritime disputes in the South China Sea will likely be important issues for Asean members. Member states have overlapping claims with China to parts of the sea, and have attempted to use the regional forum to counter the regions giant neighbor. Delegates will also review the Asean Charter and continue discussions on implementing plans for the AEC, which will reduce trade barriers and restrictions on the movement of labor in the region, he said. "We have a big responsibility to plan the implementation of the AEC one year from now. The South China Sea will only be one of the important issues in this Summit," Kyunt Maung Shein said. "China is the biggest trade partner for the Asean member countries, so there are also other positive relationships between both sides." The post Burma Prepares to Host First Asean Summit in Naypyidaw appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| Australian Reporter Deported From Burma Posted: 08 May 2014 05:37 AM PDT  Angus Watson is an Australian reporter who was working for DVB's Rangoon bureau before he was deported from Burma on Thursday. (Photo: Angus Watson / Facebook) MANDALAY — A foreign reporter for the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) news agency was deported from Burma on Thursday after covering a protest in support of press freedom. Immigration authorities said 24-year-old Angus Watson, an Australian reporter working for DVB's Rangoon bureau, violated the terms of his business visa by covering the protest in Magwe, central Burma. Watson was also accused of participating in the protest, which had been organized without permission from the government to show support for another DVB reporter, Zaw Pe, who was imprisoned last month. "Watson did not participate in the rally. He only went to cover the news," Toe Zaw Latt, the bureau chief in Rangoon, told The Irrawaddy. "DVB is a registered multimedia group, in accordance with Burmese law, and our reporter had a business visa to work at the Rangoon office. I wonder why he can't cover the news," the bureau chief added. Watson's deportation is believed to be the first time a journalist has been forced by the government to leave the country since President Thein Sein's administration began easing press censorship in 2012. Earlier this year, a foreign correspondent for The New York Times was sent back to Rangoon, but not forced to leave the country, after she was found reporting in restive Arakan State on a tourist visa. Ye Htut, a presidential spokesman and deputy minister of information, said Watson would not have been deported had he held a journalist visa. "He was on a business visa, but he participated in a protest that did not have government permission. So he violated the immigration act and was deported," Ye Htut said in a statement on his Facebook page. "We have many foreign correspondents on journalist visas here. They have never faced deportation. MOI [the Ministry of Information] is open to accepting and approving journalist visa applications. … We have to question DVB and why their reporter was not on journalist visa. "The deportation of the DVB journalist has nothing to do with press freedom. If he was on journalist visa, he wouldn't be deported." Earlier this year, Burma's Ministry of Immigration began denying applications for three- to six-month journalist visas to foreign passport holders working at formerly exiled media groups, including DVB. In some instances, the ministry began granting journalist visas that were valid for only a fraction of the requested time—one or two weeks—which was not practical for journalists who were based in the country and working for local news agencies. Instead, more journalists with foreign passports began applying for business visas. Some journalists had already been using business visas before the new restrictions were imposed. In early 2013, when the government was preparing to begin issuing journalist visas for the first time, Ye Htut told the Guardian newspaper that the visas would allow reporters to gain access to government ministries. "If he wants to interview a government official but doesn't have a journalist visa, he may not get access," the presidential spokesman told the London-based newspaper. At the time, Ye Htut told the newspaper that reporters who entered the country on a tourist visa and chose to report unofficially would not be penalized for doing so, although they might struggle to arrange interviews with officials. Protest for Press Freedom DVB's Watson was detained by immigration authorities after covering a rally on Wednesday of Magwe-based journalists who were demanding the release of Zaw Pe, a DVB video journalist from Magwe Township who was recently sentenced to one year in prison after attempting to interview an official at an education department. The protesting journalists had applied for government permission to conduct the rally but were denied. When they proceeded anyway, police officers initially blocked their way but later allowed them to continue. After the protest, an immigration officer escorted Watson back to Rangoon, with orders to deport the Australian reporter from the country immediately. "He did not participate in the rally. He only took some pictures and video recordings, and he interviewed some of us," said Tin Shwe, a protest leader. "We were protesting for press freedom and the release of a DVB reporter, but another DVB reporter was deported instead. Freedom of expression has been violated." Local journalists say authorities in Magwe Division have taken an especially tough stance against journalists. In addition to Zaw Pe's imprisonment, four journalists and the chief executive of Rangoon-based Unity journal were arrested earlier this year after publishing a story about an alleged chemical weapons factory in Magwe. The DVB bureau chief in Rangoon said these arrests were a bad sign for press freedom. "We wonder if authorities are trying to oppress the media now, ahead of the upcoming election in 2015. We wonder if it is Naypyidaw or the responsible divisions that are deciding to pressure the media," Toe Zaw Latt said. "But we do not need to be afraid of this harassment. We will investigate these matters and discuss with our lawyers to take action for freedom of the press." The post Australian Reporter Deported From Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| Burma Ethnic Alliance Sets Up ‘Federal Army’ Office Posted: 08 May 2014 04:25 AM PDT  Ethnic leaders are seen at talks in Laiza, Kachin State, last year. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The major alliance of ethnic armed groups in Burma, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), has opened an office for its "Federal Union Army," an organization it hopes will pave the way for the involvement of ethnic fighters in the national armed forces. The office in the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)-controlled border town of Mai Ja Yang has apparently been open for some months. But the existence of the office, named the Federal Union Army (Northern Command) War Office, has only just come to light. Khun Okkar, joint secretary 2 of the UNFC, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that a delegation had been working at the office since February, but that the alliance—which comprises 12 ethnic armed groups across Burma—did not publicly announce it so as not to disturb the peace process. Drawn-out negotiations toward a nationwide ceasefire agreement are ongoing, but new clashes in northern Burma in recent weeks have seen thousands more civilians displaced by violence. "We opened a war office in the north in February. We let [KIA Chief of Staff] General Gam Shawng lead the northern command. The federal army and our UNFC are twins. Since we formed UNFC [in 2011], we decided to form it, but we kept it low profile." said Khun Okkar. He said the UNFC would open two more offices for the organization in Karenni State and either Karen or Mon state. Khun Okkar said the purpose of the UNFC's new organization was to prepare troops to be part of an army for all of Burma that would include ethnic soldiers. The proposal for Burma to have a federal army, incorporating ethnic armed groups, has been a key part of ethnic leaders' proposals for ending decades of civil conflict. "When there is a federal system in our country, we need to have federal defense army. To do this, we need to form it. This is our preparation. This army will stay under control federal union government," said Khun Okkar. He declined to share details of the ethnic armed groups' vision for how the posited federal army would work. Some have suggested that a federal army would include ethnic units. "We are working to have nationwide peace agreement. We have to be very careful when we talk about the federal army issue in order not to disturb the peace process," said Khun Okkar. At present, nearly all of the country's major ethnic armed groups have signed bilateral ceasefire agreements with the government, with the exceptions of the KIA, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Shan State Army-North, all of whom have clashed with government troops since attacks on villages were reported over Burmese New Year last month. The nationwide ceasefire talks have faced significant hurdles, with ethnic leaders complaining that the Burmese military's demands are too large, and several meetings have failed to produce agreement on a single text for the agreement. One of army's demands is that ethnic armed groups must come under its command, and the military appears unsympathetic to calls for an armed forces reflecting a federal system. Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief, has insisted change is not necessary, since ethnic people already participate in the Burma Army. Although all ethnic groups can sign up, the leadership of the army is almost exclusively from the Burman ethnic group. The post Burma Ethnic Alliance Sets Up 'Federal Army' Office appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| Suu Kyi to Hold Rally in Irrawaddy Division for Charter Amendments Posted: 08 May 2014 03:38 AM PDT  Aung San Suu Kyi looks out on the crowd gathered for a constitutional reform rally in the Sagaing Division town of Kalaymyo in January. (Photo: Zarni Mann / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's main opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will hold a rally in the Irrawaddy delta this weekend to show public support for constitutional amendments More than 50,000 people will likely meet Suu Kyi during her first-ever tour of the delta on Saturday, a lawmaker from her National League for Democracy (NLD) party told The Irrawaddy. "People from all 26 townships in Irrawaddy Division are expected to show up," Sein Win, the MP said. He said that during the three-hour rally, Suu Kyi and legal experts from the NLD would explain why they believe the 2008 Constitution is undemocratic and needs to be changed, before taking a poll on public opinion to gauge support for their campaign. "People will have a chance to raise their questions about the Constitution," he added. The Constitution was drafted in 2008 by the former military junta and pushed through during a flawed referendum held almost exactly six years ago, just a few days after Cyclone Nargis killed about 138,000 people in Burma's worst-ever natural disaster. The charter is unpopular because it contains provisions giving the military sweeping political powers, such as control over a quarter of Parliament seats and immunity from crimes committed during junta rule, while also preventing Suu Kyi from becoming president because her sons are British nationals. It contains an article that requires more than 75 percent of Parliament to support amendments to key articles in the Constitution, giving the military an effective veto over such reforms. Last year, Suu Kyi began to publicly advocate for constitutional change and to hold talks with the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which contains mostly former junta generals. The USDP has, however, dragged its feet on moves toward reform, while the military has indicated that it is intent on keeping its political privileges. Since November, Suu Kyi has become increasingly vocal on the issue. She teamed up to advocate for reform with activists from the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society in February, and she is preparing for bigger public rallies in Rangoon and Mandalay later this month. Small rallies calling for constitutional reform have been held in a number of towns and cities in recent months. However, political analysts have doubted their impact. "Daw Aung San Suu Kyi may think popular support for amendments can influence Parliament's decision for amendments," political columnist Yan Myo Thein said. "But given the current situation in Parliament, I haven't seen any possibility of fixing the charter yet," he said. The columnist explained that because the USDP has a majority of seats in the legislature, the NLD's odds of pushing through amendments are slim. "If the majority cast a 'no vote' for constitutional amendments, Parliament will say 'no' to it. There is nothing Daw Suu can do then," he added. He said the best option for the NLD would be to submit a proposal in Parliament for a referendum to review whether the Constitution should be amended or rewritten. "But this might be impossible now, as the USDP members in Parliament wouldn't like it. It could happen after the 2015 election, when the opposition parties will hopefully have more seats than they do now in Parliament." The post Suu Kyi to Hold Rally in Irrawaddy Division for Charter Amendments appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| Bangkok Airways Increases Flights to Burmese Capital Posted: 08 May 2014 02:39 AM PDT  Burma’s Minister of Hotels and Tourism Htay Aung, center left, and senior executives and staff of Bangkok Airway pose for a promotional photo for the launch of the airline’s inaugural Bangkok-Naypyidaw flight on Sept. 30, 2013. (Photo: Bangkok Airways) Bangkok Airways, a Thai carrier, has temporarily increased the number of flights on its Bangkok-Naypyidaw route to meet demand ahead of the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), to be held in the Burmese capital later this month. An official from the airline told The Bangkok Post that the number of flights on the route had been increased from five to seven per week from May 5-30. The normal schedule of five flights a week will resume when the Asean summit ends. The post Bangkok Airways Increases Flights to Burmese Capital appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| A Myanmar model presents dresses created by a local designer Posted: 08 May 2014 12:44 AM PDT
A Myanmar model presents dresses created by a local designer during 1st Myanmar Fashion Designer Group’s Fashion Phenomenon at Myanmar Convention Center (MCC) Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, in Yangon, Myanmar The post A Myanmar model presents dresses created by a local designer appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| Posted: 07 May 2014 09:47 PM PDT  A boy looks for food on a river bank near a village hit by Cyclone Nargis, outside Rangoon, on May 19, 2008. (Photo: Reuters) Six years ago, Cyclone Nargis hit the Irrawaddy Delta, killing at least 138,000 people and displacing many more. This commentary—first published by The Irrawaddy on June 17, 2008—discusses how the former military regime initially blocked aid to the cyclone victims. Being alive or dead is not much different in Burma, as strange as that sounds. Six weeks after Cyclone Nargis, alive or dead, no one has dignity under the military government's rule. When people are alive, all their basic rights are stolen. When they die, their bodies are just ignored. Bloated bodies still lie scattered about, floating in streams or caught in trees in the worst-hit Irrawaddy delta, say aid workers. The junta officially estimated that 134,000 people are dead or missing following the cyclone. The actual death toll is believed to be much higher. Relatively few bodies were buried by villagers. Most of the dead have been ignored. The government still has not set up a systematic process to collect and cremate the bodies properly. Victims' bodies decomposed without religious rites. The United Nations estimated up to 2.4 million people in the delta and Rangoon area were severely affected and tens of thousands still need food, shelter or other aid. Yet international and local aid workers, as well as supplies, are still being shunned by the callous generals. In the latest outrage, three Burmese volunteer aid workers were arrested in Rangoon last week by the special branch police. Police told the families that Yin YinWie, Tin Tin Cho and Myat Thu were detained because of their efforts to gather donations from friends abroad to aid people who were displaced by the cyclone. The detainees had voluntarily supplied rice, medicine and clothes to displaced people since the May 2-3 cyclone struck. Two weeks ago, the well-known Burmese comedian Zarganar, a strong critic of the regime, was arrested. Zarganar and his team distributed food, blankets, mosquito nets and other aid which they collected from donors. One of his colleagues, Zaw Thet Htawe, was arrested on Friday. After the arrests, another colleague told The Irrawaddy that the Zarganar team has temporarily suspended its aid activities. Zargarnar told The Irrawaddy a few days before his arrest: "I see three types of [displaced] people suffering trauma. One type is very violent and sensitive. They are angry, and I can't say anything to them. They are aggressive all the time. "The second type is people crying and moaning all the time. They think about what happened again and again, and they repeat what happened over and over. The third type is silent—no talking, very little movement." All the people caught up in the disaster—the displaced people, the local and international aid workers and the volunteers—have been victimized by the Burmese military government, which—bizarrely— believes the country's reputation is at stake and people are out to gather damaging information to spread to the world. Last week, a small group of foreign doctors that had been allowed to work in the delta began to leave after the junta closed down most of the centers for displaced people. The Thai government was told not to dispatch a third medical team. In fact, tens of thousands of survivors are still in desperate need of both physical and mental health treatment. But the military, which has governed for the past five decades, doesn't care about people—alive or dead. It just keeps repeating to the world that everything is fine, everything is under control. The Burmese people live without dignity and now they die without it, too. The post No Dignity: Alive or Dead appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| South China Sea Tensions Rise As Vietnam Says China Rammed Ships Posted: 07 May 2014 10:05 PM PDT  Vietnam’s spokesman Le Hai Binh (C) speaks at a news conference on the deployment of a Chinese oil rig in a part of the disputed South China Sea, in Hanoi May 7, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) HANOI/BEIJING — Vietnam said on Wednesday a Chinese vessel intentionally rammed two of its ships in a part of the disputed South China Sea where Beijing has deployed a giant oil rig, sending tensions spiraling in the region. The Foreign Ministry in Hanoi said the collisions took place on Sunday and caused considerable damage to the Vietnamese ships. Six people suffered minor injuries, it said. "On May 4, Chinese ships intentionally rammed two Vietnamese Sea Guard vessels," said Tran Duy Hai, a Foreign Ministry official and deputy head of Vietnam’s national border committee. "Chinese ships, with air support, sought to intimidate Vietnamese vessels. Water cannon was used," he told a news conference in Hanoi. Six other ships were also hit, but not as badly, other officials said. Dozens of navy and coastguard vessels from both countries are in the area where China has deployed the giant rig, Vietnamese officials have said. "No shots have been fired yet," said a Vietnamese navy official, who could not be identified because he was not authorized to speak to media. "Vietnam won’t fire unless China fires first." The two Communist nations have been trying to put aside border disputes and memories of a brief border war in 1979. Vietnam is usually careful about comments against China, with which it had bilateral trade surpassing $50 billion in 2013. Still, Hanoi has strongly condemned the operation of the drilling rig in what it says are its waters in the South China Sea, and told the owners, China’s state-run oil company CNOOC, to remove it. The United States has also criticized the move. The row comes days after U.S. President Barack Obama visited Asia to underline his commitment to allies including Japan and the Philippines, both locked in territorial disputes with China. Obama, promoting a strategic "pivot" towards the Asia-Pacific, also visited South Korea and Malaysia, but not China. The United States is "strongly concerned about dangerous conduct and intimidation by vessels in the disputed area," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in Washington on Wednesday. Psaki reiterated the U.S. view that China’s deployment of an oil rig was "provocative and unhelpful" to regional security. "We call on all parties to conduct themselves in a safe and appropriate manner, exercise restraint, and address competing sovereignty claims peacefully, diplomatically, and in accordance with international law," she told a regular news briefing. China has not yet responded to the Vietnamese allegations of ramming. Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the rig’s deployment had nothing to do with the United States, or Vietnam. "The United States has no right to complain about China’s activities within the scope of its own sovereignty," she said. China claims almost the entire South China Sea and rejects rival claims from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. Tensions With Philippines Tensions are also brewing in another part of the sea, with Beijing demanding that the Philippines release a Chinese fishing boat and its crew seized on Tuesday off Half Moon Shoal in the Spratly Islands. The boat has 11 crew and police said they found about 350 turtles in the vessel, some already dead. A Philippine boat and its crew was also seized and found to have 70 turtles on board. Several species of turtle are protected under Philippine law. Police said the boats were being towed to Puerto Princesa town on the island of Palawan where charges would be filed. China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Hua China had "indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratly Islands and added: "We once again warn the Philippines not to take any provocative actions." The State Department’s Psaki said the United States had seen reports about the boat seizures was concerned that the vessels appeared to be engaged in catching endangered sea turtles. "We urge both sides to work together diplomatically," she said. In a commentary, Ernest Bower and Gregory Poling of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank called the implications of the rig row "significant." "The fact that the Chinese moved ahead in placing their rig immediately after President Barack Obama’s visit to four Asian countries in late April underlines Beijing’s commitment to test the resolve of Vietnam, its Association of Southeast Asian Nations neighbors, and Washington," they said. Beijing may be attempting "to substantially change the status quo" while perceiving Washington to be distracted by developments in Ukraine, Nigeria and Syria, they said. "If China believes Washington is distracted, in an increasingly insular and isolationist mood, and unwilling to back up relatively strong security assertions made to Japan and the Philippines and repeated during President Obama’s trip, then these developments south of the Paracel Islands could have long-term regional and global consequences," they said. Tensions are frequent in the South China Sea between China and the other claimant nations, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines, both of which say Beijing has harassed their ships. However, while there are frequent stand-offs between fishermen and claimant states in the South China Sea, the actual detention of Chinese fishermen or the seizure of a boat is rare. Not Commercially Driven An oil industry official in China said deployment of the rig appeared a political decision rather than a commercial one. "This reflected the will of the central government and is also related to the U.S. strategy on Asia," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It is not commercially driven. It is also not like CNOOC has set a big exploration blueprint for the region." However, Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, a Chinese government think tank, said China was unlikely to pay much heed to Vietnamese concerns. "If we stop our work there as soon as Vietnam shouts, China will not be able to achieve anything in the South China Sea," Wu said. "We have lost a precious opportunity to drill for oil and gas in the Spratlys. Also this time we are drilling in Xisha (Paracel Islands), not Nansha (Spratlys), there is no territorial dispute there. I think China will keep moving ahead with its plan (in Xisha), no matter what Vietnam says and does." Tran Duy Hai, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry official, raised the possibility of Hanoi taking the dispute to international arbitration. "We cannot exclude any measures, including international legal action, as long as it is peaceful. "We are a peace-loving nation that has experienced many wars," he said. "If this situation goes too far, we will use all measures in line with international law to protect our territory. We have limitations, but we will stand up to any Chinese aggression." The Philippines has already taken its dispute with China to an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague. The post South China Sea Tensions Rise As Vietnam Says China Rammed Ships appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| China Detains Veteran Journalist for State Secrets Posted: 07 May 2014 09:59 PM PDT  Paramilitary policemen patrol in formation at Tiananmen Square, Beijing, in March. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — Chinese police have detained a prominent 70-year-old journalist just weeks ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown for allegedly leaking state secrets to a website outside the mainland, state media reported Thursday. Police in Beijing placed the outspoken veteran journalist Gao Yu under "criminal detention," the official Xinhua News Agency said. Gao was the latest of several such detentions of government critics in recent days ahead of the politically sensitive June 4 anniversary. The report said the journalist was detained April 24, with authorities seizing evidence at her Beijing home. Gao was a well-known government critic who was imprisoned after the 1989 crackdown and had been reported missing since April 26. The report said Gao had confessed to the misdeeds. State broadcaster CCTV showed in a report a woman the network identified as Gao, wearing an orange vest over a grey detainee's uniform, walking along a hallway escorted by two police officers to a room where she appeared to be questioned. Gao's face was blurred out in the footage, but she was heard expressing contrition. "I think what I did touched on the law and endangered the interests of the nation. This was very wrong," Gao said. "I have sincerely learned my lesson and also wish to admit guilt." The television confession was the latest example of a new tactic used by Chinese authorities in a hard-line campaign against information it deems harmful to party interests. Legal and journalism scholars have said such airing of confessions before court trials undermines the legal process. Gao, presumably in police custody, could not be reached on her mobile phone, which was turned off. Calls to her home rang unanswered. Beijing police did not immediately respond to a faxed list of questions. State media reports did not detail the authorities' accusations against Gao but said she had provided a "secret central party document" to a website outside the mainland. The reports did not specify the website or the nature of the document in question though political observers speculated that it could have been related to a party document known as Document No. 9 that Gao had written about last summer. At the time, Gao told the Associated Press in an interview that she saw the document as detailing the party's vision of pushing economic reforms in China but preventing challenges to one-party rule. Of the document, she said: "it says we must continue economic reforms but keep a tight grip on ideological controls, which now are 'extremely important,'" she said by phone. Scholars who had seen or heard about the document at the time said it argued for aggressively curbing the spread of notions of western democracy, universal values, civil society, freedom of press, and other ideological concepts the party believed threatened its legitimacy. Human Rights Watch Asia researcher Maya Wang said Gao's detention, following several other detentions of prominent dissidents earlier this week, pointed to the great lengths to which authorities were prepared to go to deter activities that would mark the military suppression of pro-democracy protests in 1989. Gao had been arrested on June 3, 1989, just before the crackdown. "It's unclear what document led to her detention, but the case highlights the dangerously vague Chinese state secrets law, in which the designation of state secrets is broad and ill-defined, and can't be legally challenged in courts," Wang said. Gao had been convicted of leaking state secrets in 1994 in a secret trial and sentenced to six years in prison, of which she served more than five before being released on medical parole. At the time, the charge was apparently related to her writing about Communist Party politics for a Hong Kong magazine. The government never revealed the contents of the documents she supposedly leaked. On Tuesday, Chinese authorities detained well-known rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang and several other people in an apparent bid to deter activists from marking the anniversary of the military suppression of pro-democracy protesters. Pu's associate Qu Zhenhong said the lawyer was detained Tuesday morning. Two of Pu's close friends, Beijing activist Hu Jia and Shanghai lawyer Si Weijiang, said the detention was likely the authorities' retaliation against Pu for attending a seminar in Beijing on Saturday to discuss the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Several other people who attended the seminar, including Beijing-based scholars Hao Jian and Xu Youyu and blogger and free speech activist Liu Di, were similarly detained Tuesday, Hu said, citing their family members. The post China Detains Veteran Journalist for State Secrets appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. | |
| US Wary of Wading into Thailand’s Fraught Politics Posted: 07 May 2014 09:53 PM PDT  Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra greets her supporters as she leaves the Permanent Secretary of Defense office in Bangkok May 7, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) WASHINGTON — Thailand is a long-standing US ally and military partner, but Washington will be wary of wading into the nation's turbulent politics after the judicial ouster of the Thai prime minister heightened the risk of conflict. The State Department on Wednesday reacted to a decision by the Thai Constitutional Court to unseat Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra as it typically does in response to the grimly familiar episodes of upheaval in the Southeast Asian nation: by urging calm and calling for a democratic resolution. That underscored the limited leverage the United States has over events in Thailand, although it is America's oldest diplomatic partner in Asia and host of the largest annual US-led military exercises in the region. It also comes at a time when the US is swamped in foreign policy crises, including a revival of its Cold War rivalry with Russia over Ukraine. Ernie Bower, a Southeast Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said the US feels stuck over the policy options it has toward Thailand, which has been roiled by political upheaval and periodic bloodshed since Yingluck's brother, former telecommunications magnate Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted in a 2006 military coup. That's pitted Thaksin's largely rural supporters in the north and northeast of the country, against his opponents among the urban elite and Thailand's military and bureaucracy who have accused him of abuse of power and disrespect for King Bhumibol Adulyadej. They charge that Yingluck was a puppet for Thaksin, who lives in self-imposed exile to avoid prison on corruption charges. "The Constitutional Court removing Yingluck as prime minister is part of a much broader fight over who will control political and economic power in Thailand in the next generation of the leadership after the king passes," said Bower. Bhumibol, 86, the world's longest-serving monarch and revered by Thais, has spent much of the past five years in hospital. "That's why it's so hard. There's no right answer for the United States. If you support one solution or other you basically alienate a massive part of the Thai society and people," said Bower. Since November, more than 20 people have been killed and hundreds injured in sporadic gunbattles, drive-by shootings and grenade attacks as anti-government protesters have demanded Yingluck stand down to make way for an interim unelected leader. Thailand's courts, like its military, are seen as bastions of anti-Thaksin conservatism, and have a record of hostile rulings toward the Shinawatra political machine, which has swept national elections held since 2001. Yingluck was found guilty Wednesday of abusing her power by transferring the National Security Council chief in 2011. Nine other Cabinet members were also forced out. Deputy Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan was appointed the new acting leader. "We continue to urge all sides to resolve Thailand's political tensions in a peaceful and democratic manner so that the Thai people can choose the political leadership they deserve," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington. "In keeping with Thailand's democratic ideals, a resolution should include elections and an elected government. We urge all sides to exercise restraint and reaffirm that violence is not an acceptable means of resolving political differences." In the current febrile atmosphere of Thai politics, even that moderate reference to the need for elections may rile opponents of Yingluck's government. Wednesday's ruling raises doubts about whether new elections planned for July will be held, following polls in February that were disrupted by the protesters and then invalidated by the court. While it's advisable for Washington to stay out of the internal politics, it remains important to sustain the operational side of the bilateral relationship with Thailand, said Frank Jannuzi, an Asia expert at the Mansfield Foundation. Domestic instability has diminished Thailand's once-leading role in regional affairs, but the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok remains the key hub for American government engagement in Southeast Asia, including by its diplomats, military, law enforcers, aid agency, counter-narcotics agents and health officials, Jannuzi said. The post US Wary of Wading into Thailand's Fraught Politics appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
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