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Friday, December 5, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

DVB Bulletin: 5 December 2014
Landmine victims down, but Burma still produces: ICBL
France links aid to free and fair elections
Don’t put words in the president’s mouth, warns govt
And then there was light … Sittwe connects to the grid
Irrawaddy squats bulldozed ahead of royal visit

DVB Bulletin: 5 December 2014

Posted: 05 Dec 2014 04:24 AM PST

On tonight's bulletin:

Suu Kyi opens ASEAN women’s forum in Naypyidaw
Norway responds to squatter relocation
Burma still a listed land mine producer
French tie further aid to 2015 election
You can watch DVB Bulletin every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

The post DVB Bulletin: 5 December 2014 appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Landmine victims down, but Burma still produces: ICBL

Posted: 05 Dec 2014 03:03 AM PST

Burma was singled out this week as one of four countries that may still be manufacturing landmines.

According to the 2014 Landmine Monitor report released this week by Washington-based International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL): "Active production [of antipersonnel mines] may be ongoing in as few as four countries: India, Myanmar [Burma], Pakistan and South Korea."Landmine Ban

The United States was removed from the list of potential landmine producers following its June 2014 policy announcement foreswearing any future production or acquisition of antipersonnel mines.

Burma was also among the countries listed as places where landmine use was ongoing among non-state armed groups though at a reduced rate.

ICBL reported "a few credible allegations" of mine use by Burmese government forces in Kachin and Arakan states, and diminished reports of non-state groups using landmines. The only instances of new landmine use have emerged from Kachin and Karen states, the report said.

Though he was unable to speculate on the number of landmine victims in Burma, Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan, the research coordinator for ICBL in Burma, said, "Clearly mine use has decreased in Burma due to the lessening of armed conflict in most parts of the country since the start of dialogue on a nationwide ceasefire."

He pointed out that ICBL's Landmine Monitor does not have researchers in the field where mines are being laid. "We depend on reports by humanitarian organisations, medics, interviews with refugees and combatants and other sources," he told DVB.

David Eubank of Free Burma Rangers, an organisation that regularly sends medical teams into Burma's conflict zones, said there is a clear reduction in landmine use and casualties in eastern Burma, but a large increase in the north of the country.

"In eastern Burma—Mon, Karen, Karenni and southern Shan states—landmine use has decreased since the beginning of ceasefire negotiations and especially from 2012 to present," he told DVB on Friday. "However, in northern Burma there has been an increase as the Burma army has used more landmines in its offensives against the Kachin, Northern Shan and Ta'ang [Palaung]."

Despite the Burmese government not acceding to the 1997 Ottawa Treaty, the internationally recognised landmine ban agreement, in December 2013 it stated that its participation as an observer at the treaty's Meetings of States Parties "clearly reflects our keen interest in the present and future work of the convention."

According to ICBL's Landmine Monitor 2014, fewer people across the world were killed and injured by landmines in 2013 than in any previous year since it began monitoring in 1999.

Releasing its 2014 report on the 17^th seventeenth anniversary of the signing of the Ottawa Treaty, commonly referred to as the Mine Ban Treaty, the ICBL said, "In 2013, the recorded number of casualties caused by mines and other explosive remnants of war decreased to 3,308—the lowest level since the Monitor started recording casualties in 1999—and nearly one-quarter fewer than in 2012. In 2013, there was an average of nine victims per day, indicating that many lives are being saved when compared to the 25 each day reported in 1999."

It noted that, as in previous years, the vast majority of recorded casualties were civilians – a staggering 79 percent.

One hundred and sixty-two countries are now state parties to the Ottawa Treaty; however several major munitions producers are not signatories, including the US, Russia, China, Israel, India and Pakistan.

"While far too many people are still losing their lives and limbs to landmines, new casualties are at their lowest level ever recorded—possibly the best measure of how successful the Mine Ban Treaty has been," said Megan Burke, casualties and victim assistance editor of Landmine Monitor. "But we can't forget that there are hundreds of thousands of landmine survivors waiting for their needs to be met and their rights to be fulfilled."

What was perceived as a victory for recognition of the Mine Ban Treaty came when the US announced new policies in June and September 2014 banning use of antipersonnel mines except on the Korean Peninsula, banning production of the weapon, and accelerating destruction of its stockpile.

The US said that this is "signaling our clear aspiration to eventually accede" to the Mine Ban Treaty.

ICBL was awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for its work to eradicate landmines. It is now fully known as the International Campaign to Ban Landmines – Cluster Munition Coalition (ICBL-CMC).

The post Landmine victims down, but Burma still produces: ICBL appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

France links aid to free and fair elections

Posted: 05 Dec 2014 01:26 AM PST

France's Minister for Development and Francophony Annick Giradin, who is currently visiting Burma, said the French government plans to increase aid to the country but only after it has confirmed next year's general election as free and fair.

She said the French government aid will include low-interest loans via the French Development Centre, as well as health programmes.

To date, France has invested seven million euro (US$8.66m) in Burma's health sector but says it is looking to increase aid tenfold. French investment in development as of 2013-14 amounted to 293 million euro.

France is Burma's second largest aid donor among European Union member states, with an allocation of 700 million euro set aside for the period 2014-20.

In July 2013, French Trade Minister Nicole Bricq led a delegation of small- and medium-sized businesses to Burma as France looked to boost trade ties with the once-isolated nation.

The delegation came just two weeks after Burma's President Thein Sein visited France, where he met with President Francois Hollande and was praised for implementing economic and democratic reforms.

By far the largest French investor in Burma is oil company TOTAL, which has been in the country since 1992 and operates the offshore Yadana gas field that fuels power plants in Thailand.

In a bidding war for offshore oil concessions in March this year, TOTAL won rights to the deep-water YWB block in the Gulf of Martaban.

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Don’t put words in the president’s mouth, warns govt

Posted: 05 Dec 2014 12:45 AM PST

The Burmese government on Thursday released a press statement accusing political party officials of putting words in President Thein Sein's mouth and personally attacking others who have different opinions from themselves when referring to the proposed sexpartite dialogue.

"Expressing different opinions is to be welcomed in a democratic society," an official announcement said in state media. "However, it has been discovered that some responsible persons from some political parties expressed their opinions by quoting the words that the president had not said as if they had been said by the president or used words that personally attacked other people who have different opinions from them."

Khin Maung Swe, chairman of the National Democratic Force, said: "Political party leaders and members, when speaking to the media, may voice their disappointment with the president and the government, and sometimes we get emotional expressing our opinion.

"I assume the [press statement] was meant as a polite reminder to reflect the situation."

Thu Wei, leader of the Democratic Party-Myanmar, said, "Generally, not only political parties but every citizen should enjoy freedom of expression and the right to criticise. As the head of state, the president's activities must be analysed and discussed, so there may be an extent of personal criticism directed at him. But deliberate personal attacks should be avoided."

The government statement urged political parties to "confirm with news sources before expressing their opinions and to respect the rights and dignity of other people are organisations' in parallel with the ongoing efforts for national reconciliation.

The post Don't put words in the president's mouth, warns govt appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

And then there was light … Sittwe connects to the grid

Posted: 04 Dec 2014 10:37 PM PST

Residents in Arakan State capital Sittwe this week began enjoying the benefits of a 24-hour supply of electricity.

The western Burmese city – population estimated at around 200,000 – became connected to the national power grid on 2 December, just ahead of the 40^th anniversary of Arakan State Day, which falls on 15 December.

Aung Than Tin, the state minister for electricity and industry, said the government had been extending the power grid to towns across Arakan State since the middle of this year.

"In June 2014, Taunggup and Sandoway [Thandwe] became connected to the power grid and then in August it was linked to Ann Township," he said.

"Electricity was then distributed to Ponnagyun on 1 December and finally to Sittwe where major celebrations are being planned at the Weithali festival grounds for 15 December."

Previously, Sittwe residents had to buy electricity from private companies at a rate of 500 kyat (US$0.50) per unit; even then, it was limited to only four hours a day.

Connecting to the national grid will qualify Sittwe households for power at the fixed rate of 35 kyat per unit, while industrial or business premises pay 75 kyat per unit.

Minister Aung Than Tin said the Arakan State government is currently developing plans for industrial zones in Sittwe and Ponnagyun to support small-scale industries, and is aiming to bring electricity to all towns in the region within the 2015-16 fiscal year and to all villages in the state by 2030.

Aung Myint Kyaw, an MP in the Arakan regional parliament, praised the development in electricity.

"I think this is a victory for the local population," he said. "As a citizen and MP, I welcome this and would like to say that I am completely delighted."

He added that caution should still be exercised as power cuts may continue to be frequent.

However, he said, with a steady supply of electricity, there will be greater opportunities for developing the region's economy, education, health, transportation, home businesses and small industries, though he noted it may take time.

"I think it may take a while. It would be impossible that everything progresses immediately because we now have electricity," he said. "Technologically, we are coming from far behind."

Burma's President Thein Sein is scheduled to attend the celebrations in Sittwe on 15 December.

According to government statistics, there are 540,065 families – more than three million people – living in 3,770 villages and 133 wards in Arakan state's five districts and three sub-townships. Arakan is also commonly known as Rakhine State.

In September 2013, residents of Arakanese town Kyaukphyu and 21 surrounding villages began enjoying the benefits of 24-hour electricity when small-scale gas turbines began turning at the Shwe Gas pipeline terminal.

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Irrawaddy squats bulldozed ahead of royal visit

Posted: 04 Dec 2014 09:53 PM PST

Squatters living on the bank of the Irrawaddy river in Mandalay Division say their makeshift homes were demolished ahead of a visit to the area by the Norwegian Royals.

King Harald and Queen Sonya will sail down the stretch of river towards the ancient temple complex of Bagan on Friday.

They say they had no warning before they saw their squats bulldozed.

The post Irrawaddy squats bulldozed ahead of royal visit appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Shan Herald Agency for News

Time to adopt a new approach to the One/Single Text procedure?

Posted: 04 Dec 2014 08:20 AM PST

The one text procedure, also known as single text procedure, worked most famously at Camp David in 1978 when Israel and Egypt signed the peace agreement mediated by US President Jimmy Carter. It was the result of a 13 day retreat of the three leaders who had gone through 23 drafts before deciding to ink their signatures.

Imagine something like that taking place, say somewhere in Thailand, between top leaders of the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and President Thein Sein, with, say the UN hopping back and forth between the two sides (also running from one prima donna EAO leader to another), one might be persuaded to bet it wouldn't have taken the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) this long to sign it.

So how do other countries work out a one-text document? Does it have to be an outsider to act as a mediator, as called for by most of the EAOs and so far opposed by Naypyitaw?

First, let us find out the answer for the second question.

According to Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, "you could invite a third party in to mediate. Or, in negotiations involving more than two parties, a natural third party may be a participant whose interests on this issue lie more in effecting an agreement than in effecting the particular terms."

For instance, in South Africa, talented members of the business community were chosen as facilitators. Getting to Yes says: "While the business community was hardly neutral, everyone understood that its overriding interest was to maintain stability and prosperity and avoid a civil war, interests likely to be best served by a successful process."

Now, before getting any further, let us go back to the first question: How-and why-a one text procedure?
• It isn't about positional bargaining. In fact, it is a way out for the deadlock resulting from positional bargaining
• A mediator can separate the people from the problem and direct the discussion to interests and options
• Further, he or she can often suggest some impartial basis for resolving differences.
• He or she can also separate inventing from decision-making, reduce the number of decisions required to reach agreement, and help the parties know what they will get when they do decide.

And here is how he/she does the job.
• First, he asks about their interests, not about their positions (Why one wants something and not what/how much one wants it) He tries to learn all he can about their needs and interests
• Afterward, he develops a list of interests and needs of the two sides
• He asks each side in turn to criticize the list and suggest improvements on it
• A few days later, he returns with a rough sketch for further criticisms
• After a few more sketch-criticism routine and feeling he can improve it no further, he brings the final sketch and recommends they accept it
"The one-text procedure," it concludes, "not only shifts the game away from positional bargaining, it greatly simplifies the process both of inventing options and of deciding jointly on one."

Now, if one compares it to what we are doing in Burma/Myanmar between the EAOs' Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) and the government's Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC), the differences can be discerned quite easily, without SHAN pointing out here and there.

So the questions for the negotiators and the leaders are:
• What can we do to improve on the one-text process, both ongoing and upcoming ones? Because obviously one-text procedure is not just for the NCA. It can also be applied to Framework and Political Dialogue negotiations
• Which individuals or sector of the country will be most suitable as mediators?

The sooner we can answer them the better.
Time indeed is running out.

SNDP MPs’ resignation not likely to impact party

Posted: 04 Dec 2014 08:12 AM PST

The Chairman of the Shan National Democratic Party (SNDP), Sai Aik Pao, has commented that the resignation of SNDP MPs will have no impact on the party.

The MPs are Sai Thurein Oo, MP of Nam Zarng, and Sai Kyaw Zeya, MP of Laikha, who announced on Tuesday that they had quit SNDP, colloquially known as "White Tiger" to join the Shan National League for Democracy or Tiger Head party.

Sai Thurein Oo, the MP of Nam Zarng said: "I have decided to quit as an MP of SNDP due to the wishes of the committee team and members of the party in Nam Zarng. Therefore, I submitted a resignation letter to the party."

"Many SNDP members in Nam Zarng Township have quit the party and switched to SNLD," he said.

It has been reported that many MPs and members of SNDP in Mong Kurng and Kesi townships, along with Mong Su, Kyawkme, Lashio, Panglong, and Sisang townships, have switched to the SNLD party.

"We have over 300,000 members in SNDP which include every nationality. Therefore, the resignation of the MPs does not have any effect on the party. They made the decision to resign from the party because their names were not on the MP candidate list for the 2015 general election. We also cannot force them to stay. The election is also scheduled to be held soon," SNDP leader Sai Aik Pao said.

The SNDP party won 57 seats in the Parliament in the 2010 general elections, and one more seat in the by-elections in 2012.

Pressure has been mounting for the two Shan political parties to merge. Due to differences between the policies of each party, and negotiations have not been able to lead to an agreement, and the two parties will not be merged before the 2015 general election.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

DVB Bulletin: 4 December 2014
Anti-PR upper house MPs petition tribunal
Burma one of most corrupt countries in world: report
Rangoon govt tackles traffic congestion
Koh Tao murders: Burmese pair indicted
DVB Bulletin: 3 December 2014

DVB Bulletin: 4 December 2014

Posted: 04 Dec 2014 04:19 AM PST

On tonight's bulletin:

Burmese migrants indicted for Koh Tao murders
Squatters say they had their homes bulldozed ahead of royal visit
Burma ranked the third most corrupt in the Asia-Pacific region

You can watch DVB Bulletin every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

The post DVB Bulletin: 4 December 2014 appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Anti-PR upper house MPs petition tribunal

Posted: 04 Dec 2014 02:52 AM PST

Twenty-six MPs in Burma's upper house of parliament this week signed a petition urging the constitutional tribunal to opine on whether a Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system would be in accordance with the Constitution.

The petition, signed by 26 MPs, including several from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) and ethnic-based parties, was submitted to the constitutional tribunal via the upper house speaker on 1 December.

"The petition urges the tribunal to decide whether the two proposed designs for a proportional representation voting system are in line with the 2008 Constitution," said NLD's Aung Kyi Nyunt.

The NLD has been vocally opposed to calls for the current First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system being changed to PR.

According to official procedures under constitutional articles 14 and 15(d), MPs can submit a petition to the constitutional tribunal via the upper house speaker if they have signatures from at least 10 percent of the house.

There are 215 MPs in the upper house.

"We have found that Article 14 of the Constitution implies that a PR system would not be constitutional, so we wanted the tribunal to make a judgment on this."

The petitioners have appointed Mandalay-based lawyer Khin Maung Than as their legal representative.

The National Democratic Force party originally submitted proposals to the parliament's upper and lower houses calling for a switch from FPTP to PR. Last week, the upper house voted to adopt PR in all elections nationwide. The lower house rejected the proposal earlier in November.

"This is due to the different electoral systems in the two houses," said Aung Kyi Nyunt. "In the lower house, it would clearly be impossible to use a PR system as the house is formed with one representative from each of the 330 constituencies.

"But the upper house is formed with equal numbers of representatives from each administrative region – 12 representatives each – so the [upper house MPs] may assume that PR is suitable in elections covering many constituencies."

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Burma one of most corrupt countries in world: report

Posted: 04 Dec 2014 01:19 AM PST

Burma is the third most corrupt country in the Asia-Pacific region and the 156^th most corrupt of 175 nations surveyed, says Berlin-based watchdog Transparency International (TI).

With a score of 21 out of 100 – with 100 being the "most clean" and zero meaning "highly corrupt" – Burma ties with Cambodia and Zimbabwe in 156^th place. The most corrupt nations on earth are failed state Somalia and pariah state North Korea, according to TI.

Denmark is estimated to be the least corrupt country in the world, closely followed by New Zealand, then Finland and Sweden.

"Poorly equipped schools, counterfeit medicine, and elections decided by money are just some of the consequences of public sector corruption. Bribes and backroom deals don't just steal resources from the most vulnerable – they undermine justice and economic development, and destroy public trust in government and leaders," said TI on its website, introducing its Corruption Perceptions Index 2014.

"Corruption is a problem for all countries. A poor score is likely a sign of widespread bribery, lack of punishment for corruption, and public institutions that don't respond to citizens' needs. Countries at the top of the index also need to act. Leading financial centres in the EU and US need to join with fast-growing economies to stop the corrupt from getting away with it. The G20 needs to prove its global leadership role and prevent money laundering and stop secret companies from masking corruption."

According to TI chairman José Ugaz:"Countries at the bottom need to adopt radical anti-corruption measures in favour of their people. Countries at the top of the index should make sure they don't export corrupt practices to underdeveloped countries."

In August, Burmese President Thein Sein urged officials to eliminate the endemic corruption that plagues the country's civic sector.

According to a UN-commissioned survey, corruption is a top concern for businesses and foreign investors in Burma, with over 20 percent of 3,000 firms surveyed saying that corruption is a "very severe obstacle" to their operations. About half of the firms said that they paid $500 in extra "facilitation fees", while a dozen said extra fees exceeded $10,000.

According to a 2014 survey by London-based NGO Global Witness, corruption and corporate secrecy is also endemic in Burma's oil and gas sector.

The post Burma one of most corrupt countries in world: report appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Rangoon govt tackles traffic congestion

Posted: 04 Dec 2014 12:35 AM PST

Rangoon Division Minister of Finance San San Nwe unveiled a plan on Wednesday in the regional parliament to construct three new overpasses in the city.

While proposing a budget for fiscal year 2015-16, she said the divisional government is looking at new overpasses to relieve traffic congestion in Tamwe, Bahan and Mayangone townships.

"As special projects, the regional government is seeking 22.5 billion kyat (US$22.5 million) to construct the overpass in Tamwe; 16.45 billion kyat for an overpass at 8-mile Junction in Mayangone Township; and 15.4 billion kyat for an overpass at the Kokkine Junction in Bahan Township," the minister said.

She added that Rangoon divisional government is allocating an additional 30 billion kyat for traffic lights at 65 busy junctions in the city.

Currently, an overpass is being constructed in Mayangone on Pyay Road at a budget of 16- 18 billion kyat.

Rangoon's city centre area has suffered from severe traffic congestion since economic reforms took hold over the past few years as the population increases and more city-dwellers and commuters buy vehicles. Many roads have been neglected for decades and are peppered with potholes. Traffic is frequently gridlocked.

Motorcycles have been banned in the city centre by the government for more than 10 years, but some say they might be a better alternative for both the traffic and the pollution. Another solution could be to improve the existing public transportation. Today there are more than 300 bus lines that pass through downtown Rangoon, officially known as Yangon.

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Koh Tao murders: Burmese pair indicted

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 08:59 PM PST

Thai public prosecutors have decided to indict two Burmese workers before Koh Samui Provincial Court Thursday for the murders of two British tourists on Koh Tao in September.

The decision followed the prosecutors’ review of the 900-page police report into the murder of David Miller, 24, and the rape-murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, on the Surat Thani island on 15 September.

Thawatchai Saengjaew, chief of the Public Prosecution’s Region 8 Office, said that authorities will indict Zaw Lin, 21, on five counts – the murder of Miller, the rape and murder of Witheridge, illegal entry into Thailand and staying in the country without permission.

Win Zaw Htun, 21, faces the same charges and an additional charge of stealing a mobile phone and sunglasses from Miller.

The indictments come after three months of controversy in which domestic and foreign media questioned the police investigation every step of the way, branding it unprofessional and inconclusive.

Human rights and lawyer groups, as well as labour activists, have condemned the arrest of the two Burmese migrant workers, claiming the men are scapegoats.

Pressure from the media, rights groups and the Burmese embassy prompted the regional public prosecutors’ office to order police to look for additional evidence and re-investigate parts of the initial probe.

Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin, whom police earlier said had confessed to the murders, later retracted their confessions, saying they had been tortured by police into admitting the crimes.

They retracted their confessions after lawyers from the Lawyers Council of Thailand visited them on 21 October.

The suspects allege that a Burmese translator provided by police had kicked one of them in the chest repeatedly to force the confessions.

However, Mr Thawatchai said the authorities are confident because they have solid evidence including DNA, security camera footage and witness accounts to back the charges against the suspects.

The suspects will be asked in court if they will stand by their initial statements to police in which they confessed to the crimes, Mr Thawatchai said.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) deputy commissioner testified to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Wednesday that officers did not abuse or torture the two suspects.

Pol Maj Gen Suwat Jaengyodsuk, the case’s chief investigator, appeared for the first time at a meeting of the NHRC’s subcommittee on civil and political rights to deny the allegations.

The police had failed to show up on the four occasions they were summoned by the NHRC, which launched an investigation in early October.

The Burmese suspects have spent the intervening months in detention on Koh Samui.

Niran Pitakwatchara, chairman of the NHRC subcommittee, went before the media after the closed-door meeting with police, saying Pol Maj Gen Suwat had insisted that police had conducted the investigation, DNA tests and arrests by the book.

“Pol Maj Gen Suwat said there had been no torture at any time during the investigation process,” Dr Niran said.

The MPB deputy commissioner had said many agencies were involved in the investigation, including the provincial, regional, tourism and marine police, and all of them had worked according to professional standards, said Dr Niran.

“Pol Maj Gen Suwat also insisted the translator did not assault the suspects,” he said.

The NHRC’s subcommittee would wrap up its investigation soon and forward its findings to the Royal Thai Police, Dr Niran said.

Thai police have faced severe criticism from the first day of the investigation, when they were accused of allowing people to trample on the crime scene.

They were also accused of mishandling the probe by moving quickly from one suspect to another – including friends of the victims and the son of a local bar owner – and then abandoning their lines of inquiry soon after.

This article was originally published in the Bangkok Post on 3 December 2014.

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DVB Bulletin: 3 December 2014

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 08:08 PM PST

On tonight's bulletin:

Human Rights Commission submits Par Gyi findings
Top US military commander warns against deepening Burma ties
International day of persons with a disability celebrated across Burma

You can watch DVB Bulletin every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

The post DVB Bulletin: 3 December 2014 appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Shan Herald Agency for News

NCCT undecided on further talks with UPWC

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 06:26 PM PST

The Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) leaders say they may not hold further talks with the Union Peace-making Work Committee (UPWC) if there is no agreement on the remaining points of dissention in the ceasefire accord.

MPC and MCCT meeting in Chiang Mai

"We have made proposals about these points of dissention in the draft ceasefire agreement to UPWC. We are now waiting for their response. If we find they have positive views, the talks will be continued," NCCT leader Nai Han Thar NCCT leader said.

NCCT members held a meeting on 30 November-1 December in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai to discuss the points of disagreement in the ceasefire accord. During the two-day meeting, details of these points were not revealed, but they are likely to include the Burmese military's rejection of the term federal union, and of the proposal to form a federal union army that was already agreed upon in August.

"Until now, we haven't heard a reply from UPWC, but if the result of the meeting is good for not only a single ethnic group but for the whole country, we will hold talks with them," said a person close to NCCT.

If both sides can agree, the nationwide ceasefire agreement may be signed before the end of this year.

NCCT Vice Chairman Nai Han Thar and Gen Gun Maw Sumlat, Vice chief-of-staff of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), met Myanmar Peace Centre representatives Hla Maung Shwe and Aung Naing Oo in Chiang Mai on November 27, 2014.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

The Irrawaddy Magazine

‘The Report Was Fabricated’
6-Party Talks Impasse Creates Rift Between Parliament and President, Army
Squatters Evicted Ahead of Norwegian King’s Arrival in Mandalay
Michaungkan’s Displaced Level Ultimatum, Vow to ‘Escalate’ Protest
The Path to a Brighter Future for Burma’s Disabled
Rangoon Tax Department Announces Restaurant Crackdown
Burma Public Sector Ranked Among Most Corrupt in Asia
In Photos, a Burmese Love Story
Lawyer Raps Report on Burma Journalist’s Death, Demands New Inquiry
New Peace Talks Before Christmas: Negotiators
Movers and Shakers
Burma ‘Under Military Control’ Says US Admiral
Pope Francis Takes Center Stage in New Filipino Musical
US Defends Asian Alliances Against China Criticism
Rattled by Chinese Submarines, India Joins Other Nations in Rebuilding Fleet

‘The Report Was Fabricated’

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 07:12 AM PST

Ma Thandar's late husband, known by his penname Par Gyi, was shot dead by the Burma Army while in custody earlier this year. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

The widow of slain journalist Aung Kyaw Naing is unconvinced by a report by the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) concluding that her late husband was not tortured by the Burma Army before being shot dead in its custody.

In early October, Aung Kyaw Naing, who is also known by the name Par Gyi, was killed by the Burma Army in the country's conflict-affected Mon State. The military waited several weeks to announce his death, claiming that he was arrested for his affiliation with insurgents and was fatally shot while attempting to reach for a firearm and flee detention. The incident sparked domestic and international outrage; US President Barack Obama said recently that he believed Par Gyi had been "tragically and senselessly murdered."

In late October, President Thein Sein ordered an investigation by the MNHRC, which has just released the findings of its month-long inquiry.The Irrawaddy visited Ma Thandar at her Rangoon home, where she spoke about the integrity of the commission's report.
Question: The Myanmar Human Rights Commissionhas concluded that Par Gyi was not tortured while being held captive by the Burma Army. Having witnessed the exhumation of his body, do you believe that he was tortured?

Answer: Yes. I am not an expert, but I could see that his ribs were broken. His forearms were also broken. There are also two types of torture: physical and psychological. I have reasons to believe that he was tortured.

The report [by the MNHRC] was fabricated; there are a lot of conflicting points [between their findings and the military's statements]. The military has not been clear about where he was arrested. Their statement said that he was arrested at a riverside port, and that his clothing was wet. The report now says that he was arrested in Se Lan Wan, the downtown area of Kyaikmayaw Township, which means he was arrested within a municipal area.

If that is the case, no matter what, he must be charged under laws of the municipal administration. It must be reported to the police and he must be remanded in custody by a court. He must be released if not arraigned within 24 hours. If arraigned, he would need to be brought to trial.

The military had taken him against all of those procedures, which is a violation of human rights. That is psychological torture.

Q: Is there any evidence that you have gathered independently that is not mentioned in the commission's report?

A: I have witness testimonies and video files. Forensic specialist Dr. Aung Soe, of the University of Medicine 2, said that Ko Par Gyi's murder was unusual among the others he had seen. He said that he was shot point-blank from the chin. I asked him why, if he was shot in the head, his skull was not blown open. He said that it was because he was shot through the chin—so the bullet would not blow up the head, but would exit through the face. He said that the gun could not have been held up against his chin like that if he were in a fight.

There were two doctors conducting the forensic tests, Dr. Aung Soe and Dr. Khin Maung Oo. Dr. Aung Soe explained this verbally, not in writing, after the examination. We have a video record of this.

There were a total of five bullet wounds. A shot in the chin is fatal, so why were there five shots? If he had already been shot four times, how could he grab a gun? [The military has said that Par Gyi was shot while attempting to reach for a weapon.]

These are the questions. I have a lot of doubts. I have ample evidence and the truth is on our side.

Q: Are there other inconsistencies between the report and what you believe happened to Par Gyi?

A:Yes. The military considered him an armed insurgent, but [the commission] said that it was not sure whether Ko Par Gyi was a reporter or an insurgent at the time of his arrest. In fact, I submitted evidence long ago that he was a freelance reporter. There should have been no doubt about it.

It should be mentioned that some statements from the military are different from the findings of the commission. The military said that Ko Par Gyi grabbed and gun and ran away, but the commission's report said the gun went off as he was locked in fighting [with a soldier]. So there's a huge difference between those two accounts. The military's said that he was a member of the DKBA/KKO [the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and its political wing,Klohtoobaw Karen Organization].The commission report says that he was also a member of ABSDF [the All Burma Students' Democratic Front, another armed insurgent group].

Q: A full 10 pages of the commission's 16-page report were dedicated to fighting between rebels and government troops in the area where your husband was arrested. Why do you think the commission's inquiry concentrated so heavily on the conflict?

A: Before the report was released, Commander-in-Chief [Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing] said during an interview with VOA [Voice of America] that the military considers anyone caught in that area to be an enemy. It was like he was trying to justify this. If he was considered an enemy just because he was there, what about all of the locals? Are they all enemies of the military?

I think the report focused on that because that is what the military is focusing on. The military will probably cite the report in court.

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6-Party Talks Impasse Creates Rift Between Parliament and President, Army

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 05:24 AM PST

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, left, shakes hands with commander in chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, at 14-party talks in Naypyidaw on Oct. 31, 2014. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — The lack of a response by President Thein Sein and Burma Army chief Min Aung Hlaing following a recent Parliament-endorsed proposal to hold six-party talks with key political players in Burma indicates that the issue of constitutional reform could hit political deadlock, according to political analysts and opposition lawmakers.

They said it signals that the Thein Sein administration and the powerful Burma Army appear unified in their opposition to reforming the controversial and undemocratic charter, a position they warn that could ultimately lead to public unrest.

"It's questionable whether they really want to make amendments to the Constitution," said Min Thu, a lawmaker with the National League for Democracy (NLD). "If they cared about the people, these kinds of talks would happen."

Ko Ni, a leading member of Burma Lawyers' Network, said Parliament appeared to be at odds with the government and the army on the issue of constitutional reform.

"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Parliament foresee the deadlock so they proposed the [six-party] talks to overcome it. But the president and the commander-in-chief want to stick to what the Constitution says," he said. "It seems that they want to govern the country with 2008 Constitution forever, if possible."

He said, "The army should be under the government control and we want an army that has nothing to do with politics," adding that a lack constitutional reform "might lead to a general strike, and we don't want to see that."

On Nov. 25, Myint Tun of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) put forth a proposal urging the president, the army chief, the speakers of the Upper and Lower Houses, Suu Kyi and a representative of the ethnic parties to convene soonest to discuss charter reform.

The proposal was passed in a joint session of both Houses of Parliament, and the bloc of military lawmakers did not object.

In the days that followed, however, it became clear that the government and military were reluctant to follow through with the proposal. Minister of Information Ye Htut told Radio Free Asia that a six-party meeting would be "impractical." The army chief reportedly told members of the Karen National Union during a meeting that he would not accept six-party talks, as he would like to include more stakeholders.

Just days before President Obama's visit on Nov. 13, a meeting was called with 14 stakeholders, including Suu Kyi, Thein Sein, the army chief and parliament speakers, but it was a purely symbolic meeting without substantive discussions.

Suu Kyi has been calling for charter reform for several years now. The Constitution is widely viewed as undemocratic and reviled by most of public as a mechanism for the army to retain power after decades of direct rule.

It contains clauses that grant the army significant political powers, such as control over a quarter of Parliament, an arrangement that give the military effective veto power over charter reform. Article 59(f) blocks anyone with foreign children or spouse from the presidency, a clause that would prevent Suu Kyi assuming the position following a NLD victory in next year's general elections.

The USDP and its chairman and Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann, who has announced he plans to run for the presidency in 2015, have appeared willing to discuss some constitutional reforms.

Myint Tun, the USDP lawmaker who put forth the proposal, said, now is the time for all key players to come together and deal with the charter reform. "They seemed surprised that the Parliament approved my proposal," he said of the president and the army chief's reaction.

"The Parliament passed it, I think, as it's timely," Aung Cho Oo, a USDP lawmaker, said of the six-party talks proposal. He added that many lawmakers were discussing the issue of reform among themselves.

It is unclear what charter reforms the USDP has in mind. In October, USDP and military lawmakers voted down a NLD proposal suggesting that Article 436 be amended. The article states that changes to key parts of charter can only take place when more than 75 percent of Parliament votes in favor, a clause that gives the military bloc effective veto power over reforms.

Asked what charter reforms the USDP wants to see, Aung Cho Oo said, "Everyone in Parliament wants to change the Constitution, [but] which clauses they want to change differs."

Regardless of the USDP's intentions, the current situation raises questions about the relations between the NLD, the USDP, the speakers of the Houses of Parliament and the Thein Sein government and the army. The latter two institutions seem intent on clinging to their entrenched powers and reluctant to move reform discussions forward.

Yan Myo Thein, an independent political commentator, warned that the government and army are steering the country towards a political impasse and growing public anger over the lack of charter reforms.

"If they don't come up with a proposal, both international and local community would regard the government and army as having no interest at all in national reconciliation, constitutional amendments and the peace process," he said.

"If they keep rejecting, it would be bad for the country. Changes in the country would stall and probably lead to a political deadlock—and tensions between the army and the people will mount," Yan Myo Thein said.

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Squatters Evicted Ahead of Norwegian King’s Arrival in Mandalay

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 05:12 AM PST

Inhabitants of one of the many improvised huts around Gaw Lein Jetty, which have been demolished ahead of a visit by the Norwegian royal family. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — As Norwegian King Harald V and his wife enjoy a scenic boat voyage upstream from Bagan, scores of people have been evicted from the bank of the Irrawaddy River to avoid blighting the landscape upon his arrival in Mandalay.

Local authorities ordered squatters living and working on the riverbank near Gaw Wein Jetty to destroy their homes and vacate the area ahead of the royal couple's expected arrival tomorrow.

"Most of them are workers from the harbor," said distinguished author and Mandalay resident Nyi Pu Lay. "They work at the jetty and live around it with their families. The authorities didn't give them enough time to move. Now most of them do not have anywhere to go and are sleeping on the sand around the jetty."

Some of the squatters are also itinerant workers who have come from as far afield as the Irrawaddy delta and Shan State and who do not have enough money to return home, according to Nyi Pu Lay.

Thet Naing Tun, the secretary of the Mandalay City Development Committee (MCDC), confirmed that eviction notices were served at the end of November.

The MCDC were unable to confirm the number of huts demolished or people evicted from the area around the jetty. Authorities reportedly used bulldozers to tear down remaining huts and decorated the landscape with potted flowers to mark the Norwegian monarch's arrival.

"We just evicted the squatter huts," said MCDC spokesperson Aung Soe. "We cannot tell the exact details of the visiting trip for security reasons."

The evictions have been condemned by Hla Aung, president of the Chan Mya Thukha social welfare organization.

"The government is still fond of covering up their actions," he said. "They are too ashamed to let foreign countries see the poverty of the people of Myanmar. I condemn their action of removing people and destroying their huts because of Norway's royal visit."

King Harald and Queen Sonja arrived in Naypyidaw on Sunday for a five-day state visit to Burma, the first by a Norwegian monarch—at the invitation of President Thein Sein, who traveled to Norway in February as part of a European tour.

Norway has canceled Burmese debt to the tune of US$534 million and is prioritizing Burma in its international aid program, which includes aid to internally displaced persons camps within Burma through the Norwegian Red Cross and Norwegian People's Aid.

A Norwegian embassy was opened in Rangoon in October last year and plans are underway to establish a Burmese embassy in Oslo in early 2015, state-run dailies reported on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Convocation Hall of Rangoon University on Tuesday, the King Harald discussed the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian Constitution and reflected on the virtues of constitutional amendment—a controversial topic at a time when debate continues to rage over provisions in the Burmese Constitution which reserve a quarter of all parliamentary seats for the military and bar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from the presidency.

"Our Constitution protects the rights of the people and ensures democracy," he told the audience. "It reminds us that being a member of society entails rights and duties both. Our Constitution states that if anything laid down by law proves not to be in the best interest of the people, it can, and should, be changed."

Additional reporting by Sa Nay Lin.

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Michaungkan’s Displaced Level Ultimatum, Vow to ‘Escalate’ Protest

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 04:44 AM PST

Protesters have been camped near downtown Rangoon's Maha Bandoola Garden for more than nine months. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Protestors who have set up camp in downtown Rangoon for the better part of a year have issued an ultimatum, demanding that the government come to the negotiating table within seven days to address claims that the Burma Army forcibly displaced them from their homes in Michaungkan quarter more than two decades ago.

The protestors have been camping beside Maha Bandoola Garden for 255 days, but so far their demands for compensation or alternative land have not been met. At the peak of the movement numbering some 300 people, the ranks of those camping out at the site near City Hall had dwindled to less than 100 by Wednesday.

If the government fails to respond within a week, however, "we will escalate our movement by demonstrating in front of respective government offices. For example, police stations and courts," said Maung Maung, one of the protestors camped near the park.

The campers say they have already contacted and listed 281 families out of the 390 families who had formerly lived in Michaungkan quarter, part of Thingangyun Township, which is centered about two miles east of Rangoon's Inya Lake.

"We will wait five days for them to come and register," said Khin Maung Myint, one of the leading protesters, referring to an effort to collect the names of all those displaced by the military in the Michaungkan eviction, which took place in the early 1990s.

The campers say they have waited long enough and have run out of patience, with the health of some protestors deteriorating due to a physically taxing campaign that has involved sleeping on concrete sidewalks and weathering several months of relentless monsoon rains. Some have abandoned their jobs to stay at the camp, while others have left behind sick spouses or parents, sometimes leaving their children to step in as caregivers.

Tun Tun, 37, stopped renting a room for his tailoring shop to support the movement by joining the camping ranks. He left behind his parents, who were dependent on him and are now being cared for by his relatives.

Protestors affected by the Michaungkan land seizure have staged three camp-in protests over the issue, the first one taking place for five days in September 2012. Both previous protests were called off after a pair of local lawmakers promised to resolve the issue through parliamentary means. In January of this year, however, the Ministry of Defense announced that it would not yield the confiscated land, and instead had plans to turn it into housing for veterans. The current protest began on March 24.

Despite hardships in the more than nine months since, the protestors say they are not backing down. Asked what they will do if their demands are not negotiated, 64-year-old Tin Htwe said: "We will keep protesting."

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The Path to a Brighter Future for Burma’s Disabled

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 04:39 AM PST

Crowds gathered in Mandalay to mark the International Day for Persons with Disability in Mandalay on Dec. 3, 2014. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

MANDALAY — A diverse crowd gathered on the Manawyaman playground in Mandalay on Tuesday evening, peering expectantly down the unusually still road. An explosion of cheer and joyous tears erupted at the sight of a column of wheelchairs approaching the grounds.

A small but determined group of 10 people left Rangoon by wheelchair a little more than two weeks ago, making their way to Mandalay via Naypyidaw, the nation's capital. There they were joined by 12 others who accompanied them for the remainder of the journey, which was timed to end just before the UN-designated International Day of People with Disabilities, on Dec. 3.

Propelled by their own power, participants traversed more than 400 miles with the message that people living with disabilities are strong, capable and deserving of human rights and dignity.

"I'm so happy to see the crowd cheering us on, it's very encouraging," said Kyaw Thu Lin, a 36-year-old participant from Kachin State. With tears in his eyes, he explained that the rally has been held for the past three years, but he had never seen so much public support and appreciation.

"I think people are beginning to understand disability, more and more each year," he said.

The event was coordinated by Rangoon-based Shwe Min Thar Foundation, a non-governmental agency that aims to improve the lives of those living with disability in Burma. The foundation said the goal of the tour is to raise awareness along the way, demonstrating the courage and endurance of a group of people so often discriminated against by the general public.

Disability is sometimes seen as shameful in Burmese communities, but the Shwe Min Thar Foundation hopes greater exposure will show people that disabled persons deserve all the rights of their fellow citizens.

One of those rights, participants said, is the right to education. There are few schools for disabled children in Burma, and even fewer catering to specific impairments. Rangoon is home to the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf and the Myanmar Christian Fellowship of the Blind, but elsewhere in Burma there are very few options for specialized learning opportunities. According to a national disability survey conducted by the government in 2010, there are about 1.2 million people in Burma living with disabilities, and about 46,000 of them are school-aged children. Only about 2,250 of them were enrolled in schools, according to 2012 figures from the Ministry of Education.

While the government's Department of Social Welfare, as well as some NGOs, has established several dedicated schools and daycare centers, many parents are still reluctant to send their disabled children to school out of fear of social stigma, according to Kyaw Win, Mandalay's divisional officer for the department.

"Disability is not shameful," he declared. "People with disabilities have lives and they have rights."

Breaking social barriers, he said, is key to improving lives. Kyaw Win is confident that results are starting to show: More people are enrolling in specialized schooling year by year, while the size and scope of the department is also increasing, he said.

"The biggest obstacle is finance and infrastructure. Expanding the schools, daycare centers and capacity to create a disabled-friendly environment will require a lot of funding," he added.

By looks of the turnout at celebrations in Mandalay on Wednesday, people are becoming more sympathetic to the cause. Hundreds of friends and family members showed up to support about 400 disabled children at events marking the internationally sanctioned day of celebration. The children showcased talents such as traditional dance and music. Parents never looked prouder, some tearing up at the sight of their children onstage.

"I'm so happy to see my grandson performing the traditional dance," said the grandmother of one child on stage. She explained that the family "felt sad for him" when the child was born with Down syndrome, a developmental disorder that can cause physical and mental abnormalities and is highly stigmatized. "But now, I'm so proud of him," she told The Irrawaddy.

Wednesday's events were a step in the right direction toward a welcoming world for the disabled, but one aid worker and father of a physically disabled boy said that even as attitudes change, many practical steps still need to be taken to make life better.

"It's not enough to just teach our children to live their lives, and giving them encouragement one day every year is not enough," said J Nyi Nyi. Burma still lacks infrastructure that would make life easier, like handrails and smooth sidewalks.

"Even at the international airport, there's no toilet for the disabled," he pointed out. "We still need to do a lot to create a barrier-free world."

The post The Path to a Brighter Future for Burma's Disabled appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Rangoon Tax Department Announces Restaurant Crackdown

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 04:17 AM PST

The Internal Revenue Department's pre-purchased stamps aim to raise commercial tax compliance rates. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Rangoon Division’s Internal Revenue Department has urged restaurateurs to use official stamps on diner receipts to indicate payment of commercial tax, warning of hefty fines for noncompliant business owners.

The pre-purchase system began in Rangoon last month, requiring business owners to affix stamps bought from the department to customer receipts in order to confirm payment of the five percent levy into the divisional government's coffers.

An Internal Revenue Department source, who requested not to be named, told The Irrawaddy that the stamp system is aimed at raising compliance among the division's business owners.

"Some restaurants pay the full commercial tax, some pay half, and some don't pay anything towards the government budget, even though the customers pay the tax to the business," hesaid.

The source also urged restaurant customers to check their receipts to ensure that business owners were fulfilling their commercial tax obligations.

Internal Revenue Department inspectors will check receipts to ensure commercial tax obligations have been met, and have the authority to fine businesses between 10 and 100 percent of the total value of the bill.

Nay Lin, vice-president of the Myanmar Restaurant Association (MRA), which represents over 400 restaurants across the country, told the Irrawaddy that the new regulations are "too strict" for restaurant owners, and raised concerns about some businesses, such as large tea shops, which are presently not equipped to offer customer receipts.

The commercial tax was introduced in 1990 at a rate of 10 percent, and was lowered to 5 percent earlier this year as part of a broader review of the tax code by the Union Parliament.

Burma's Internal Revenue Department collected about US$1.9 billion in tax revenues in the first seven months of 2014, of which $900 million was from commercial tax sources.

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Burma Public Sector Ranked Among Most Corrupt in Asia

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 03:19 AM PST

Cashiers are seen behind piles of kyat banknotes as they count it in a private bank in Rangoon on July 21, 2011. (Photo: Reuters)

RANGOON — An annual global survey by watchdog Transparency International said Burma remains one of the worst countries in Southeast Asia for public sector graft and ranked it as the 19th most corrupt country in the world.

The Berlin-based organization put Burma 156 out of 174 countries surveyed for its Corruption Perceptions Index 2014, a one spot improvement compared to last year's ranking.

From 2012 to 2013, Burma moved up a significant number of places, rising from 172 to 157, as a result of the government reforms that President Thein Sein's nominally civilian administration has implemented since taking office in 2011, steps that ostensibly included improving government transparency and tackling graft.

This year's ranking, however, represented only a marginal improvement and Burma scored 21 on the index, which gives countries scores between 0 (perceived as highly corrupt) and 100 (very clean). Its score made Burma the worst performer in Southeast Asia, together with Cambodia (21).

Neighbors Bangladesh (25), Laos (25) and Thailand (38) fared better. In the rest of Asia, only Afghanistan (12) and North Korea (8) scored lower than Burma.

Transparency International rankings are based on experts' opinions of public sector corruption and take into account the level of access to information on corruption, the accountability of public bodies and the rules that a country has in place to govern the behavior of public officials.

The organization did not immediately respond to questions from The Irrawaddy about how Burma's ranking was reached.

The 2014 report only referenced Burma as one of the countries in Asia "at the crossroads… grappling with the issue of fighting endemic corruption."

Burma has long been plagued by public sector corruption on all levels, ranging from citizens paying bribes for basic services, a corrupted judicial system and massive losses of revenues generated from the exploitation of natural resources, such as timber, jade, oil and gas. To this day, crony businessmen linked to the former junta dominate the economy.

The country's northeastern region is the largest drug-producing hub in East and Southeast Asia, and local authorities are complicit in the production of huge amounts of opium, heroin and amphetamines.

A survey released in May, carried out by the United Nations, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, found that graft was the single biggest problem for firms operating in Burma, with 20 percent of more than 3,000 firms questioned saying it was a "very severe obstacle" to their business.

Anti-Corruption Measures

The Thein Sein government has taken steps to address corruption, but these have offered mixed results.

Parliament passed anti-corruption laws last year and appointed an anti-graft commission in February. In September, however, lawmakers criticized the body over the fact that it investigated only three out of 530 complaints it had received. They said the commission lacked independence from the executive and was reluctant to investigate deep-rooted graft in departmental and higher levels of administration.

Most of the complaints filed with the commission pertained to maladministration, land matters, and legal and judicial issues.

In July, Burma became a candidate country for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a global anti-corruption scheme that requires countries to follow rules on publishing oil, gas and mining project payments. The government, companies and civil society groups are currently drafting up mechanisms to implement the scheme.

Natural resource revenue watchdog Global Witness said in a blog post on Tuesday that EITI candidacy is a significant step, but noted that the government's commitment to tackling corruption would be tested when it begins to reform Burma's most valuable resource sector, jade mining, a multi-billion dollar industry that is marred by "deeply entrenched patterns of secrecy, corruption and military control."

"There is almost no public data on which companies hold mining licenses, who those companies' real owners are, what the terms of their contracts are, what they are paying the government, and what they are producing. The public disclosure of all of these data is either a requirement or a recommendation of the EITI scheme," the London-based group said.

"[S]ystemic corruption amongst military and civilian officials facilitates the elaborate smuggling networks that convey much of the jade straight over the border into China," it said, adding that control over the mines is the main driver of the ongoing war in northern Burma between the Burma Army and the Kachin rebels.

The post Burma Public Sector Ranked Among Most Corrupt in Asia appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

In Photos, a Burmese Love Story

Posted: 02 Dec 2014 11:10 PM PST

A 21-year-old woman gathers other students in her English class so they can all write down their own responses. (Photo: Maria Verli)

There are a million ways to describe love, depending on who you ask. Love is blind, according to William Shakespeare, and the greatest refreshment of life, according to Pablo Picasso. Marcel Proust defined it as "space and time measured by the heart," while Plato once referred to it as a serious mental disease. "Love is our mother," wrote the Persian poet Rumi. "It is the ultimate truth," added Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore.

But what does love mean for the people of Burma?

That's the question driving the latest photography exhibit in Rangoon, which opens at Union Bar and Grill on Wednesday.

Greek documentary photographer Maria Verli spent two months traveling around the country, taking portraits of 100 Burmese people in four cities and asking them to write down their definitions of love.

"It was very interesting to see their reactions," the Athens native told The Irrawaddy, explaining that many were caught off guard by her question and laughed, while others said they were not qualified to reply because they were single. "Younger people referred to pain, describing love as a fire they didn't want to play with. Older people referred to love as understanding, and people in the provinces equated the word 'love' with its sexual meaning, exclusively for couples."

A 10-year-old boy described his affection for his family, while a 54-year-old fortune-teller emphasized the connection between true love and peace. Others spoke in metaphors, including a young fashion designer who defined love simply as "tears," and a married mother of two children who described it as "a bird."

Verli moved to Rangoon in September and said she was inspired to begin her project after observing the warmth and kindness of strangers on the street. "They smiled at me and were so open and helpful," she said. "Kids were laughing, and at parks and lakes couples were enjoying the day. That was my motivation."

She photographed people in Rangoon, Mandalay, Bagan and Nyaung Shwe at Inle Lake.

Her exhibit, "From Myanmar, With Love," will run for two days, closing on Thursday, and the portraits will be available for sale through Sunday. Proceeds will be donated to a local charity that educates impoverished children.

"From Myanmar, With Love"
Union Bar and Grill
No. 42, Strand Road, Rangoon
Exhibit open Dec. 3-4 from 5:30 pm to 8 pm
Artwork for sale through Dec. 7

The post In Photos, a Burmese Love Story appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Lawyer Raps Report on Burma Journalist’s Death, Demands New Inquiry

Posted: 02 Dec 2014 09:02 PM PST

Authorities lift the body bag containing the remains of slain journalist Par Gyi, also known as Aung Kyaw Naing, after exhuming his corpse on Nov. 5. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — A report into the death of a Burmese journalist while in military custody is inadequate and the country's president must now order an independent investigation, his family's lawyer said on Tuesday.

Last month, Burma's President Thein Sein asked the state-run National Human Rights Commission to carry out an investigation into freelance journalist Par Gyi's death in response to calls from rights groups and the United States.

The US State Department urged a transparent investigation into the death of Par Gyi, also known as Aung Kyaw Naing, a former democracy activist who once worked as a bodyguard for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The commission posted its report on its website on Tuesday after submitting it to the president, but it did not address claims by the victim's wife and lawyer who attended the body's exhumation from a shallow grave that it bore signs of torture.

"We're not satisfied with this report. It is incomplete because the commission failed to question Ma Thandar [Par Gyi's wife]," lawyer Robert San Aung told Reuters.

"She has a lot of information to share. We will ask the president to have an independent body look into this case."

Par Gyi was arrested on Sept. 30 after completing a photo assignment documenting clashes between the military and the rebel Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) near the border with Thailand. He died on Oct. 4, but the military did not notify the family until several weeks later.

The military says Par Gyi was shot when he tried to steal a gun from a soldier and escape because he was a member of an obscure Karen rebel group—claims disputed by the Burma-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

In its report, the commission said: "Witnesses in the investigation did not report that Par Gyi was ill-treated mentally or physically while he was in custody."

The report said Par Gyi had suffered broken ribs but it did not comment on how that might have happened.

Non-governmental organizations have accused the National Human Rights Commission in the past of failing to properly investigate human rights abuses in Burma.

Thandar, a prominent women's activist, has said she suspects her husband died under torture, prompting the military to secretly bury his body. She also denies the military's claim that he worked as an information officer for the rebel group.

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New Peace Talks Before Christmas: Negotiators

Posted: 02 Dec 2014 09:23 PM PST

Aung Min (center), the Burmese government's chief peace negotiator, meeting with ethnic armed groups in Chiang Mai on Jan. 29. (Photo: Lin Thant / The Irrawaddy)

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Ethnic armed group representatives have confirmed official peace talks will take place before Christmas, the first such discussions since the Burma army attacked a Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) base near Laiza last month.

Meeting in Chiang Mai on Tuesday, representatives from the government-affiliated Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) and members of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordinating Team (NCCT), which represents 16 ethnic armed groups, have attempted to settle their disagreements ahead of planned discussions with MPC chairman Aung Min.

Kwe Htoo Win, a senior member of the NCCT and general-secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU), told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the government has softened their stance on some critical demands put forward by ethnic minority groups.

"We are negotiating some points that we are going to talk about with U Aung Min before Christmas," he said. "They [the government] constructively accepted some points for discussion that they disregarded in the past, such as federalism."

The announcement comes on the back of a meeting between the KNU and Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the Burma army, in Naypyidaw on Saturday.

Kwe Htoo Win said that the government and NCCT would discuss the government's attack on KIO base on Nov. 19, which killed 23 ethnic army cadets and injured 20 others.

"It saddens us to see the attack against the KIO," he said. "Both sides will make sure that this won’t happen again."

Hla Maung Shwe, a director at MPC, told The Irrawaddy last week that the signing of a nationwide ceasefire agreement during President Thein Sein's administration is of the highest importance, given the established relationship between ethnic armed groups and the current administration.

"The peace process will be more secure if a nationwide ceasefire agreement is signed with the current government, because we don’t know for sure what will happen with the peace program in the next government," he said.

The post New Peace Talks Before Christmas: Negotiators appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Movers and Shakers

Posted: 02 Dec 2014 05:00 PM PST

Faces of change – twelve women whose hard work, courage and achievements inspire many others.

Women have always been at the forefront of efforts to improve society and combat injustice in Myanmar.

In the early 20th century when the country was under British rule, women were an important part of the nationalist movement that culminated in the restoration of Myanmar's independence in 1948.

In recent history, women from all spheres, from students to professionals and housewives have played a huge part in the struggle for democracy, many paying a high cost for their efforts, including spending long periods in jail.

Over the past three years since the nominally civilian government has opened the country up to an extent, women's participation in public life has become ever more visible.

From the arts to sports, media, movies, education, labor, and business, to mention only a few areas, women are making a mark and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.

As lawmakers, media workers, humanitarians and rights defenders, women from every corner of the country are addressing some of the country's deepest and most difficult challenges.

Some of this work will be acknowledged and discussed at the second Women's Forum taking place in Naypyitaw and Yangon on Friday and Saturday Dec. 5-6.

Below, as women's contributions continue to achieve ever-increasing recognition, we highlight just a few outstanding individuals whose hard work, courage and vision make them powerful agents of change in the effort to achieve a democratic and prosperous Myanmar.

Ma Thandar, activist with the Democracy and Peace Women's Network and a recipient of the 2014 UNDP-sponsored N-Peace Award, which honors women peace-builders in Asia. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

Searching for Truth

After her husband was killed, Ma Thandar called for justice and the rule of law.

In October, Ma Thandar was in Bangkok to receive a United Nations-sponsored award for her work on democracy and peace when she learned that her journalist husband had been shot dead by the Myanmar Army.

From the Thai capital to the conflict-torn fields of Mon State where Ko Aung Kyaw Naing, better known as Ko Par Gyi, met an untimely death was a distance of just a few hundred miles, but many worlds away.

Ma Thandar's subsequent dignified calls for justice for her husband spoke to the aspirations of the many in Myanmar long frustrated over the lack of rule of law and the gap between the promise and the delivery of reforms.

Her earlier call for answers after Ko Par Gyi went missing while covering clashes between the Tatmadaw and Kayin fighters had impelled some in the army to make an unprecedented statement admitting the journalist had been shot in custody.

Now she hopes that out of her loss may come something better. "If justice can be done for my husband, the truth may also be revealed for others who were killed unnoticed like him, and we can prevent this from being repeated. Please help me." —Kyaw Phyo Tha

Daw Than Myint Aung, philanthropist and writer. Cofounder of the Free Funeral Services Society, the Twilight Villa and the Thukha Yeik Myone orphanage. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

Standards-Bearer

In death everyone deserves dignity, insists Daw Than Myint Aung.

The belief that a decent society should ensure everyone a proper burial inspired Daw Than Myint Aung to co-found the Free Funeral Service Society in 2001.

Since then she has helped provide the coffins and dignified burial of thousands of people, and she also began lending a shoulder to bereaved elderly people left behind in dire straits.

In 2010 she founded the Twilight Villa (See Zar Yeik) home, which provides for some 70 elderly people with no other means of support.

The prolific, award-winning writer whose works illuminate the plight of the poor and suffering also co-founded the Thukha Yeik Myone orphanage, which cares for over 100 children with HIV.

This year she was honored with a Citizen of Burma Award from the US-based organization of the same name. —Yen Snaing

Ma Win Win Tint, entrepreneur and CEO of City Mart. Runner-up, Asean Business Awards 2014. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

Business Smarts

Ma Win Win Tint helps modernize Myanmar.

If supermarkets and convenience stores are some of the most obvious emblems of 21st century living, Ma Win Win Tint has to be one of Myanmar's most visible modernizers.

The entrepreneur started the City Mart chain of supermarkets in 1996 and struggled for years to overcome innumerable challenges, including a natural disaster and a bomb blast. She now runs more than 15 large outlets including hypermarkets in Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw.

A new brand of City Express convenience stores has been expanding in Yangon since 2012. The group, which employs more than 4,000 people, also runs bakeries, pharmacies and baby stores.

This year Ma Win Win Tint was runner-up in the Women Entrepreneur Award of the 2014 Asean Business Awards.

"We were recognized at the Asean level for our hard work. Now, we're continuing to try and open new branches as well as to improve our quality and services to give customer satisfaction," she said. —Zarni Mann

Ma May Myat Mon Win, general manager of the Chatrium Hotel in Yangon. (Photo courtesy of Chatrium Hotel)

Busting the Glass Ceiling

Ma May Myat Mon Win gives a five-star performance.

As the first Myanmar female general manager in the country's high-end hotel industry, Ma May Myat Mon Win is breaking new ground.

Her appointment to the position of general manager at Yangon's five-star Chatrium Hotel this year encourages other locals, both men and women, to set their sights on leadership positions in the prestigious sector.

"If others can do it, why can't we?" asked Ma May Myat Mon Win, who has around 20 years' experience in sales, marketing and hospitality management.

"We just need the commitment. There are many talented Myanmar people out there ready to take on challenges and responsibilities." —Zarni Mann

Ma May Sabe Phyu, cofounder of the Kachin Peace Network and Kachin Women's Peace Network. Director of the Gender Equality Network. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

Peacemaker

Violence must end, says Ma May Sabe Phyu.

After the government army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) resumed fighting in 2011 and thousands of civilians were among the first to suffer, Ma May Sabe Phyu co-founded the Kachin Peace Network and the Kachin Women's Peace Network.

Her goal—to raise awareness about the troubled north and promote peace-building—ran into trouble in 2012 after she led a march calling for peace and was charged in six townships under the Peaceful Assembly Law for doing so.

In her other role as director of the Gender Equality Network, the activist has been working on the country's first legislation to tackle violence against women, due to be completed before the end of the year.

"The peace that I seek is not only about the end of civil wars, but also the end of violence against women. Without this, we can't say it's true peace," she said. —San Yamin Aung

Dr. Cynthia Maung, founder, Mae Tao Clinic, Mae Sot. Winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award and numerous other awards. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

Saving the Sick

Dr. Cynthia Maung stays the course for more than a quarter-century.

Dr. Cynthia Maung, the physician who is often described as Myanmar's Mother Teresa, continues her lifesaving work at the Mae Tao clinic she founded in 1988 in the Thai frontier town of Mae Sot.

The clinic provides free treatment to more than 100,000 people every year from the nearby migrant and refugee communities and from all around Myanmar.

Born to an ethnic Karen family in Moulmein in 1959, Dr. Cynthia studied medicine at the University of Yangon. She left Myanmar after the army conducted a bloody crackdown against democracy advocates in 1988.

Dr. Cynthia is the winner of numerous awards, including Asia's prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award in 2002. In December last year, Thailand's Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presented her with an honorary doctorate in medicine from Ubon Ratchathani University. In 2013, the Sydney Peace Prize Foundation awarded her their annual Sydney Peace Prize.

Though the demand for services is as high as ever, the Mae Tao clinic has been hit since 2012 by donors opting to re-channel monies inside Myanmar instead of to its needy border areas. —Saw Yan Naing

Mi Kun Chan Non, right, vice chair and director of the Mon Women's Organization and adviser to the Mon National Education Committee and the Mon Community Based Organizations Network. (Photo courtesy of N-Peace)

Lifting Lives

Mi Kun Chan Non promotes empowerment from the ground up.

Myanmar's borders are home to some of the country's most neglected populations and women there often experience even more exclusion than marginalized men.

Mi Kun Chan Non has worked for many years to impart Mon women living on the border with Thailand and in other areas with the skills and confidence to take the lead on issues affecting them.

This year the vice chairwoman of the Mon Women's Organization won a United Nations Development Programme-sponsored N-Peace Award for her long commitment to women's empowerment.

Mi Kun Chan Non was also one of the few female observers during ceasefire talks between the government and the New Mon State Party in 2012. She continues to call for a far greater role for women in the peace process.

A former teacher and adviser to the Mon National Education Committee, she successfully promoted the teaching of the Mon language in some schools in Mon State, where the government curricula are in the Myanmar language.

"Women's participation in decision-making is still rather unclear. We believe this is something that must move on,'' she said. —Nobel Zaw.

Daw Aye Aye Win, Associated Press journalist. Winner of four journalism awards. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

The Write Stuff

Daw Aye Aye Win's way with words.

In the early days of her journalism career, Daw Aye Aye Win was harassed on numerous occasions by the authorities.

Once labeled a "stooge of the foreign press" by Myanmar's state-run media, she was long on the government watch-list as she worked for a foreign news agency, The Associated Press.

Twenty-five years later, she is the only living woman journalist in Myanmar to win four major journalism awards. One award quoted her "life-long dedication to honest and courageous journalism, often at the risk of personal safety."

When she began her journalism career, she was the only female journalist working for an international agency in the country. Some people were scornful of her position, saying she got the job thanks to her father, a former AP correspondent.

"I vowed to myself to prove to them I could be a journalist," the 60-year-old recalled.

More than two decades later, nobody can deny she has made it. —Kyaw Phyo Tha

Daw Nyo Nyo Thin, parliamentarian, Yangon Region Parliament. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

Law-Maker

Daw Nyo Nyo Thin speaks out in Yangon's regional parliament.

The independent lawmaker representing Bahan Township in the Yangon Region parliament is fast becoming a role model for young women aspiring to leadership positions in public life.

One of just six women among the parliament's 123 MPs, Daw Nyo Nyo Thin is proving to be an outspoken member on women's empowerment and development issues. She spoke out against the controversial Yangon City Expansion Project which, in a rare victory, was shelved after a public outcry over corruption claims raised by parliamentarians and the media.

Formerly unknown in public life, Daw Nyo Nyo Thin believes "women are much more qualified than people think."

She supports a quota system of at least 30 percent female participation in the three branches of government.

In Myanmar, she added, "women are not favored by the [political] system, and their weakness is that they are not interested in taking [leadership] positions but instead are ready to serve others."

Prior to 2010 she earned a doctorate in law at the Yokohama National University in Japan and pursued postdoctoral studies at the Peace and Governance Program in Tokyo's United Nations University. —Nyein Nyein

Lahpai Seng Raw, cofounder of the Metter Development Foundation and winner of the 2013 Ramon Magsaysay Award. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

Seeing Potential

For Lahpai Seng Raw, change happens at the grassroots.

The ethnic Kachin and leading humanitarian was the winner of the 2013 Ramon Magsaysay prize, Asia's highest honor in the mold of Europe's Nobel Prize awards.

As co-founder of the Metta Development Foundation, Myanmar's largest civil society organization, Lahpai Seng Raw believes strongly in the power of civil society groups to effect social change.

The 65-year-old widow has dedicated her life to empowering marginalized communities. She has worked in the humanitarian field for almost three decades, providing community development in ethnic areas and support to displaced people in conflict-torn regions.

The former stay-at-home mother turned social worker is today a leading role model for youth and especially for women. Due to what has been described as her "inclusive and selfless" leadership, she has earned wide recognition at home and abroad. —Nyein Nyein

Daw Khin Ohmar, coordinator at Burma Partnership. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

Advocating for Rights

Daw Khin Ohmar pushes the primacy of human rights.

A leader at the human rights advocacy group Burma Partnership, Daw Khin Ohmar believes that "genuine change in Myanmar will depend on the people" rather than on political figures.

As a veteran of more than two decades working within the movement for democracy and human rights in Myanmar, Khin Ohmar is a well-known expert and critic on key justice and rights challenges facing the country today.

She also acts in an advisory role to the Women's League of Burma, an alliance of ethnic women's organizations based in Thailand.

Though permitted to travel to Myanmar since President U Thein Sein welcomed exiled activists to return, she said she still feels "uneasy'' about working in the country. "The regime is still not able to change their attitude and mindset toward criticism." —Nyein Nyein

Ma Zin Mar Aung, cofounder of the Yangon School of Political Science and founder of Rainfall, a women's empowerment organization. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy)

Freedom to Choose

Ma Zin Mar Aung calls for tolerance, receives the opposite.

Ma Zin Mar Aung was only keeping faith with her beliefs concerning tolerance and freedom of choice for women when she spoke out against a controversial proposed law restricting interfaith marriages. But in return, extreme nationalists sent her death threats and hate mail.

The law, proposed by a group of monks, would require Buddhist women to seek permission from their parents and authorities before marrying a man of another faith, who would be forced to convert to Buddhism.

"The proposal was unacceptable because it was based on extreme nationalism and religious extremism. It interfered with individual freedoms and particularly with the personal choices of women," she said.

Ma Zin Mar Aung was selected as an International Woman of Courage in 2012 and as one of the Young Global Leaders at the World Economic Forum in 2014.

The former political prisoner is a co-founder of the Yangon School of Political Science and has since founded an organization titled Rainfall to encourage greater women's participation as the country moves toward democracy. —San Yamin Aung

This story first appeared in the December 2014 issue of The Irrawaddy magazine.

The post Movers and Shakers appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma ‘Under Military Control’ Says US Admiral

Posted: 02 Dec 2014 09:19 PM PST

Burma Army soldiers on parade in Naypyidaw on Armed Forces Day on March 27, 2014. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

WASHINGTON — The nominee to become the next commander of US forces in the Pacific says the time isn't right to expand nascent military ties with Burma as the Southeast Asian nation remains "firmly under military control."

That's an unusually stark assessment from a US official of the state of reforms in Burma. Adm. Harry Harris Jr. was responding in writing to policy questions posed for his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.

Burma's shift from direct military rule toward a more democratic system was meant to be a crowning foreign policy achievement for US President Barack Obama. Restrictions have eased in the past three years, but there's been no change to a junta-era constitution. Obama acknowledged on a visit last month that reforms have slowed or even moved backward.

The administration has argued that US military engagement with Burma officers could encourage them to submit to civilian rule, but interaction has been very limited to date, going little beyond seminars on rule of law and disaster relief.

US lawmakers have been wary of authorizing deeper ties, fearing it could confer prestige upon Burma's army, which is still fighting ethnic insurgents and accused of serious human rights abuses.

Harris said there have been some steps toward reform in the country. He voiced support for the approach of Derek Mitchell, a former defense official who has served as US ambassador since Washington normalized diplomatic relations in 2012.

"His cautious and reciprocal step-for-step approach, while looking for opportunities, will help democracy take root," he said.

If his appointment is confirmed by the Senate, Harris would command US military personnel operating across a vast swath of the globe, from waters off the west coast of the US to the western border of India. He is currently commander of the US Pacific fleet.

The post Burma 'Under Military Control' Says US Admiral appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Pope Francis Takes Center Stage in New Filipino Musical

Posted: 02 Dec 2014 09:13 PM PST

Pope Francis blesses a child as he arrives for a closing Holy Mass of the 6th Asian Youth Day in Haemi Castle in Haemi, south of Seoul, on August 17, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

ANGELES CITY, Philippines — Filipino priests sing and dance in a new musical based on the life of Pope Francis that aims to draw more young people to the church in Asia's largest Roman Catholic country.

The two-hour musical traces the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio from his childhood in Argentina to his election in 2013 as the first Latin American pontiff.

The makers of "I (heart sign) Pope Francis" based the mostly English-language musical on news stories and literature about the pope, but add fictional elements to complete the narrative.

Show director Andy Alviz said the performance depicted the challenges as well as rewards of Catholic priesthood, hitting "many birds with one stone."

"You entertain, you evangelize and at the same time, it's also a vocation campaign for young audiences who want to become priests or nuns some day," Alviz said.

The 50-odd cast of amateur actors with day jobs showcases the talents of five real-life priests, including Ric Luzung in the lead role as the pope.

Luzung, a veteran of the stage in community theatre, sings and dances in a musical featuring 24 original songs.

The props used in the show were mostly sourced from Philippine churches, but a white skull cap was imported from the Vatican to match the one worn by Pope Francis.

The musical premieres in Angeles City, about 90 km (56 miles) north of the capital, Manila, on Dec. 12 and will run until January next year.

Pope Francis, the leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, is scheduled to spend five days in the Philippines when he makes his second trip to Asia in January. It was not clear whether he would be able to fit the musical in his itinerary.

The post Pope Francis Takes Center Stage in New Filipino Musical appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

US Defends Asian Alliances Against China Criticism

Posted: 02 Dec 2014 09:06 PM PST

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at a lunch banquet with US President Barack Obama in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last month. (Photo: Greg Baker / Reuters)

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration pushed back Tuesday against veiled Chinese criticism of America’s alliances in the Asia-Pacific, saying without them, the region would be more volatile.

China’s Defense Minister Chang Wanquan last month called for countries to abandon what he described as "Cold War thinking," and in a high-profile foreign policy address last weekend, President Xi Jinping spoke of a "growing trend toward a multipolar world."

Those comments have been widely seen as jabs at the role of the US as the sole global superpower.

The US has enjoyed military predominance in the Pacific since the end of World War II—a region where China wields growing clout. The US retains tens of thousands of forces based in Japan and South Korea, and treaty alliances with countries such as Australia and the Philippines.

Evan Medeiros, the top White House official on Asia policy, defended the US effort to modernize and strengthen those alliances as part of its foreign policy "pivot" toward Asia, and build new partnerships with the likes of Myanmar and Vietnam. He said the US wasn’t imposing its will but responding to strong demand for it from the region.

“What would the regional security environment in Asia look like if the US abandoned its alliances and dismantled its partnerships? I would argue that it would be far more uncertain, unstable and volatile,” Medeiros told the National Bureau of Asian Research think tank.

"And the global implications of that for a country like the United States which has alliances all over the world would be very, very serious. Could that really be in any country’s interest?" he said.

China views the Obama administration’s "pivot" policy as an attempt to contain its rise. As China looks to take a bigger role on the global stage, it is promoting an alternative vision that stresses security cooperation among Asian nations themselves—although many have been spooked by China’s own military buildup and expansive territorial claims.

While their strategies clash, Washington and Beijing are at the same time striving to deepen their relations. Xi hosted President Barack Obama in Beijing last month and they announced a significant agreement on combating climate change.

Medeiros underscored the point Tuesday, saying the US wants its allies to have cooperative relations with China, including its military.

The post US Defends Asian Alliances Against China Criticism appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Rattled by Chinese Submarines, India Joins Other Nations in Rebuilding Fleet

Posted: 02 Dec 2014 08:57 PM PST

Chinese sailors salute on top of a submarine during the fleet’s review of the China-Russia joint naval exercise in the Yellow Sea April 26, 2012.

NEW DELHI — India is speeding up a navy modernization program and leaning on its neighbors to curb Chinese submarine activity in the Indian Ocean, as nations in the region become increasingly jittery over Beijing’s growing undersea prowess.

Just months after a stand-off along the disputed border dividing India and China in the Himalayas, Chinese submarines have shown up in Sri Lanka, the island nation off India’s southern coast. China has also strengthened ties with the Maldives, the Indian Ocean archipelago.

China’s moves reflect its determination to beef up its presence in the Indian Ocean, through which four-fifths of its oil imports pass, and coincides with escalating tension in the disputed South China Sea, where Beijing’s naval superiority has rattled its neighbors.

"We should be worried the way we have run down our submarine fleet. But with China bearing down on us, the way it is on the Himalayas, the South China Sea and now the Indian Ocean, we should be even more worried," said Arun Prakash, former chief of the Indian navy.

"Fortunately, there are signs this government has woken up to the crisis," he said. "But it will take time to rebuild. We should hope that we don’t get into a face-off with the Chinese, that our diplomacy and alliances will keep things in check."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has ordered an accelerated tendering process to build six conventional diesel-electric submarines at an estimated cost of 500 billion rupees ($8.1 billion), in addition to six similar submarines that French firm DCNS is assembling in Mumbai port to replace a nearly 30-year-old fleet hit by a run of accidents.

The country’s first indigenously built nuclear submarine—loaded with nuclear-tipped missiles and headed for sea trials this month—joins the fleet in late 2016. India leased a nuclear-propelled submarine from Russia in 2012 and is in talks to lease a second one, navy officials told Reuters.

The government has already turned to industrial group Larsen & Toubro Ltd, which built the hull for the first domestic nuclear submarine, to manufacture two more, sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Elsewhere in the region, Australia is planning to buy up to 12 stealth submarines from Japan, while Vietnam plans to acquire as many as four additional Kilo-class submarines to add to its current fleet of two. Taiwan is seeking U.S. technology to build up its own submarine fleet.

Japan, locked in a dispute with China over islands claimed by both nations, is increasing its fleet of diesel-electric attack submarines to 22 from 16 over the next decade or so.

Outnumbered

In addition to the leased Russian nuclear-propelled submarine, India’s navy currently has 13 ageing diesel-electric submarines, only half of which are operational at any given time due to refits. Last year, one of its submarines sank after explosions and a fire while it was docked in Mumbai.

China is estimated to have 60 conventional submarines and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, including three armed with nuclear weapons.

Ma Jiali, an expert at the China Reform Forum’s Centre for Strategic Studies which is affiliated with the Central Party School, said Beijing’s top concern in the Indian Ocean was safeguarding the passage of its commodities, especially oil.

"There are many voices in India who believe the Indian Ocean belongs solely to India, and no other country belongs there. That line of thought is common—but of course it shouldn’t be viewed like that. Our (China’s) view is that there should be dialogue and discussion between China and India."

With India building its navy to about 150 ships, including two aircraft carriers, and China holding around 800 in its naval fleet, the two are more likely than not to run into each other, naval officials and experts say.

David Brewster, a strategic affairs visiting fellow at the Australian National University, said India will do everything it can to recover its dominant position in the Indian Ocean.

It may seek naval cooperation with Japan and Australia, and expand a military base on the Andaman Islands which lie about 140 km (87 miles) from the Malacca Straits, he said.

"India sees the presence of any Chinese naval vessel as an intrusion. There is a big ramp-up in their presence, which is clearly intended to send a message to India," said Brewster.

India has engaged in intense diplomacy with Sri Lanka about the Chinese submarine presence, reminding it that New Delhi must be informed of such port calls under a maritime pact they signed this year along with the Maldives.

India has also muscled into an $8 billion deep water port that Bangladesh wants to develop in Sonadia in the Bay of Bengal, with the Adani Group submitting a proposal in October. China Harbour Engineering Company, an early bidder, was the front-runner.

"If China continues down this path and continues with this level of presence in the Indian Ocean then the Indians will feel they need to respond," said Brewster.

The post Rattled by Chinese Submarines, India Joins Other Nations in Rebuilding Fleet appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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