Monday, December 22, 2014

National News

National News

Air Mandalay suspends services after failing to secure leased planes

Posted: 22 Dec 2014 01:40 AM PST

Domestic carrier Air Mandalay has temporarily halted flights until at least the end of January, managing director U Aung Soe Lin has confirmed, just months after it signed a leasing agreement with US manufacturer Boeing.

CCTV switched on at 10 traffic junctions

Posted: 21 Dec 2014 09:05 PM PST

Hopes of relief from Yangon's stifling traffic congestion were raised last week as 10 new high-tech traffic light systems came into use at major intersections.

More criticism for UEC boss after coup comments

Posted: 21 Dec 2014 08:55 PM PST

Political observers have raised fresh questions about the impartiality of Union Election Commission chief U Tin Aye following his comments that instability in 2015 could lead to a military coup.

Business leaders enter crowded field for municipal poll

Posted: 21 Dec 2014 08:46 PM PST

Are you insane? That's what U Htay Aung's family members asked when he told them he planned to run for a position on Yangon City Development Committee.

Election commission races to be ready by Dec 27

Posted: 21 Dec 2014 08:45 PM PST

Speeding up final preparations in the countdown toward Yangon city elections, YCDC officials have launched a "train the trainers" operation to explain voting procedures.

Millions to miss out on YCDC vote

Posted: 21 Dec 2014 08:39 PM PST

Barely 7.5 percent of residents will vote, with more than half of households failing to meet the strict eligibility requirements.

Skaters descend on Mandalay for comp

Posted: 21 Dec 2014 08:32 PM PST

Skaters from all over the country will be converging on Mandalay this week to take part in Myanmar's first skating competition.

US ploughs aid money into supporting 2015 election

Posted: 21 Dec 2014 08:09 PM PST

The United States will provide further support to both the Union Election Commission and civil society groups in an effort to ensure next year's election is "transparent and credible", a senior US Agency for International Development official said last week.

Riders staging accidents to extort money

Posted: 21 Dec 2014 08:06 PM PST

Fraudsters who prey on women drivers in the streets of Mandalay are staging fake road accidents to demand compensation.

Elephant GPS collars aim to decrease clashes with humans

Posted: 21 Dec 2014 08:00 PM PST

Elephants near Yangon are to be fitted with GPS collars to help conservationists track their movements and help avoid clashes with humans.
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Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

BURMA PEACE PROCESS: Will TAT negotiation talks thrash out NCA differences?

Posted: 22 Dec 2014 04:43 AM PST

On Monday, a two day Technical Assistance Team (TAT) from both the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) and Union Peace-making Work Committee (UPWC) will thrash out the details on Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), according to the non-Burman ethnic sources, although the government side is keen to hold the seventh official session of ceasefire negotiations. It is not clear on how the meeting will be structured, but nevertheless the two day discussion will take place in Rangoon or Yangon.

Reportedly, SHAN on 18 December wrote that 5 NCCT members will include Padoh Kwe Htoo Win, Deputy leader, Karen National Union (KNU), Hkun Okker Member, Pao National Liberation Organization (PNLO), Khu Taw Reh, Member, Karenni National Progressive Party KNPP, U Twan Zaw, Member, Arakan National Council (ANC), Dr Lian Hmung Sakhong, Member, Chin National Front (CNF).

The 4 members TAT are Col La Awng, Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), Col Sinwa (KIO), Ja Nan (Peace Foundation, also known as Shalom) and Ta Do Mo (KNU).

Prior to the meeting, the NCCT has tabled a five point proposal, which includes:
1. Constructive response to Laiza incident
2. Measures and guarantee that such incident is not repeated
3. Increased security for Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) delegations
4. Peace Donor Support Group (PDSG) involvement, in addition to UN and China to observe the peace talks
5. Response to NCCT suggestions to 4th NCA draft

The first three points are aimed to remedy the deteriorating aftermath situation of Cadet School shelling at Laiza, KIO headquarters, killing 23 resistance cadet trainees and wounding some 20 or more, apart from asking for more security for the EAOs leadership. The points also show that trust is at its lowest ebb and just continuing the talks for the sake of keeping the peace process alive.

The fourth point demand is to involve more third parties, observers to guarantee that the agreed terms would be honored and not going back on or reject the already accepted issues, as was the case of last September meeting. The UPWC has reportedly rejected the agreed terms of "federalism and federal army" issues of August, to be tackled at the political phase discussion, which were torpedoed during the September peace talks.

The fifth point explicitly underlined and documented by SHAN in its report, on 5 November, the core sticking points or issues relating to peace talks are as follows:
1. Discussion on Federal army formation
2. Signing of NCA by EAOs members as proposed by NCCT
3. Formation of Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee at different levels and Joint Union Peace Dialogue Committee
4. Interpretation of the term "Ceasefire Zones". The NCCT argues after the NCA is signed, all territories in the Union become ceasefire zones. UPWC position is not clear.
5. UPWC proposed removal of Interim Arrangements and Code of Conduct, which NCCT counter proposes that a new team be formed to negotiate them
6. The UPWC proposal that the EAOs don't expand their forces and recruit new members (The NCCT has counter proposed that the EAOs will discuss and implement reduction of recruits instead)
7. The NCCT proposal that apart from the UN Secretary General, representatives from other countries such as India, China, Japan, Asean, US and UK be witness signatories and that they are allowed to play significant roles such as being observers to the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee)
8. Further details on repositioning of troops
9. The NCA should be submitted to the Union Assembly instead of "should be ratified by the Union Assembly"
10. Implementation of the DDR (Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-integration) before political dialogue begins instead of after political settlement has been reached as agreed
11. The President and the Commander-in-Chief will be witnesses at the NCA signing ceremony instead of being signatories as agreed earlier (The MPC says the change was prompted by the growing military distrust of the NCCT following the Congress of the United Nationalities Federal Council which announced its takeover of the negotiation team on 2 September)

According to the Eleven Media Group report, on 20 December, Col Khun Okker said, "The work negotiation event is official. However, it is not a big event. We need some preparations before we hold the big event. Only when we can agree on a draft can we hold an official ceasefire negotiation meeting. Otherwise, we should hold work negotiation meetings frequently."

"Ongoing political and armed conflict conditions obstruct the ceasefire negotiations. Likewise, the cancellation of agreements, including in the draft created in the previous official session of ceasefire negotiations, also leads to delays in enacting a ceasefire," said Khun Okker.

"We want to conclude the ceasefire meetings so that we can move on to political talks," Khun Okker said.

Given such a backdrop, it is clear that the recent meeting will just be to keep the ball rolling, even if it is moving at a snail pace and not in anyway design to reach ground-breaking agreement.

In sum, the first step of reaching NCA is a formidable hurdle which cannot be overcome with the same, decades-old military mindset, projected and designed for a negotiated surrender of the EAOs. In other words, political guarantee in form of equitable power-sharing and earnest ceasefire deal that address the future, continued sustenance of the EAOs, either by absorption into an agreed, future, federal army formation, or at least, deployment as police forces in the EAOs concerned states have to be met.

Last but not least, if the ongoing armed ethnic conflict is to be defused, political, economical and social inequalities would have to be acknowledged, addressed and corrected.

The contributor is ex-General Secretary of the dormant Shan Democratic Union (SDU) — Editor

Thai-Burma Studies in Asean Community

Posted: 22 Dec 2014 04:36 AM PST

Day One. Thurday, 18 December 2014.  The town of Kham Kai Noi's blood brother

Phisanulok is only 337.5 km (210 miles) from Chiangmai where I work. But, apart from passing through on the way to and back from Bangkok, I haven't been there before until today.




It is also known as Song Khwe (Two Tributaries) where the Nan and Khwe Noi meet. Which is a name familiar to all peoples of the Tai family that includes  Thai, Lao and Shan, among others. Even in Thailand there is another town up in Phayao which bears the same name. Up in Shan State, it is a small town in Hsipaw township, some 45 miles (72 km) south of the township seat, though the pronunciation is Je, also spelt Kye, there. Further north, it becomes Khe instead.

We start out at 07:00, and it is a 4 ½ hour drive plus time spent to have breakfast on the way. Naturally, we are not in time for the opening ceremony, which is presided over by H.E. Pisanu Suwannachot, the Thai ambassador to Myanmar plus a presentation on the Asean East-West, North-South Economic Corridors. But fortunately we have been informed all the presentations will be published by the organizers next month.

The journey is downhill all the way: Lampang, Denchai and Uttaradit before reaching our destination, from 1,000 meters above sea level to 45 meters above sea level. But our driver is good and we arrive there at noon all in 5 pieces (because our party has 5 members).

The first thing we do of course is checking in at the hotel, with an interesting name: Boonmee Heritage. Then we are off to the University of Naresuan, named in honor of the King of Ayutthaya (1590-1605) who was born here.

He is known to Shans as Prince of Hsenwi Kham Kai Noi's blood brother. The two had been hostages at Pegu during the reign of Bayinnaung (1551-1581). And after Naresuan had liberated Ayutthaya from under Burma's rule, he together with Kham Kai Noi marched northward to the Shan States thereby bringing them under his suzerainty. That was until his sudden death in 1605 after which it was reverted to the Burmese king of Ava.

The seminar is held at the Ekathosarot Building, named after Naresuan's younger brother and successor (1605-1610), who, according to D.G.E Hall, was "unwarlike and so the Siamese effort in the Shan States was abandoned and Burma recovered them."

There I met old friends like Somrit Luechai of Channel 3, Chairat Thomya who is now working at Thai Rath (moving from Thai PBS) and Supatra Bhumiprapas who had just published "The King in Exile" about King Thibaw.

We then attend two panels, one on "Monks and Politics" and the other on "Control of transborder diseases".

Renowned Bhikkhuni Dhammananda talks about recent restrictions on the ordination of bhikkhunis (female monks) in the kingdom. I must admit here that I understand very little about the monastic law laid down by the Lord Buddha 2,600 years ago, and so am unable to follow much. But I'm certainly of the opinion that women do deserve a place in the sun.

Another is an interesting remark made by facilitator Somrit Luechai after listening to the panelists:
In Burma, monks are closer to the people
InThailand, to the rulers
Most likely an oversimplification but something to dig deeper into nevertheless.

The next one, on the control of transborder diseases, is spearheaded by Dr Witthaya Sawasdiwuthiphong from Maesot. He urges the government to spend more on prevention of diseases coming across the border because "It will cost us a hundred times more to remedy them." He also warns the risks are higher as the Asean Economic Community (AEC) is to be launched by the end of 2015, when transnational movements are expected to be on a massive scale.

We decide to leave for the hotel at 17:30 although there is an invitation to join the dinner party with an entertainment of multi-ethnic dances. "I need to prepare for tomorrow," I inform my hosts. "Because I rarely speak in Thai in public. I don't want to embarrass myself groping for words when the time comes."

Left alone in the room as my colleagues go out to buy their dinner (I don't eat in the evening) I start working out my presentation for tomorrow, consulting the English-Thai dictionary now and then.

Then inevitably it is time to hit the sack, after deciding I can't do any better to improve my Thai.

However, even as I'm on the verge of sleep, something is nagging me, telling me there is something amiss. That something seems to be very much out of place.
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Sunday, December 21, 2014

National News

National News

Gaya tour operators seek VOA expansion

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 04:13 AM PST

A recently introduced electronic visa on arrival for visitors to India will have only a limited impact for Myanmar travellers until the service is made available at Gaya airport, the gateway to the Bodhgaya pilgrimage site, tour operators say. 

Mandalay judiciary protest fizzles

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 03:55 AM PST

Political groups based in Mandalay staged a protest against judicial bias last week but failed to attract anywhere near the 100 demonstrators they had expected.

VGastro bar accused go on trial

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 03:37 AM PST

Bahan Township Court on December 18 began the trial of a bar manager from New Zealand accused of insulting religion by using an image of the Buddha to promote a cheap drinks night.

Low-cost homes planned for evicted river families

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 03:29 AM PST

Families evicted by municipal authorities in Mandalay for the visit of Norwegian royals could soon be offered cheap apartments in an apparent effort by Mandalay City Development Committee to make amends for the public relations disaster.
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Saturday, December 20, 2014

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Shape of Things to Come

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 04:30 PM PST

Young people from Asean gathered to hear US President Barack Obama deliver a message of encouragement at a town hall-style meeting in Rangoon on Nov. 14, 2014. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

Young people from Asean gathered to hear US President Barack Obama deliver a message of encouragement at a town hall-style meeting in Rangoon on Nov. 14, 2014. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — The legacy of 2014 will shape the year ahead. After many ups and downs—more downs than ups—this year, it appears likely that many of the high hopes we had for 2015 will not eventuate. This is not encouraging, but it's realistic. As usual, Myanmar people will hope for the best but be prepared for the worst—an outlook they have grown accustomed to over generations.

Next year will be crucial for Myanmar with the general election scheduled to be held later in the year. The result, if the election is held as scheduled, will determine whether Myanmar turns a new page or reverts to the status-quo.

We still can't say for sure whether the election will be free and fair. But judging by the current state of political affairs, the people of Myanmar are highly unlikely to see come to fruition what they have dreamt of for decades—a free, prosperous and democratic society.

Today Myanmar is recovering after almost 50 years under one of the world's most repressive regimes which lasted from 1962 until 2011. But it remains in old hands. President U Thein Sein is no longer a general but he was one of the highest ranking members of the former junta. Most of his cabinet members are current or former military officials. In Myanmar's new political order, the military retains its stranglehold over the executive and legislative arms of government.

The international community is convinced that Myanmar is marching toward democracy. But the majority of locals share a different view. For them, the country is travelling toward the "Burmese way to democracy," much like the "Burmese way to Socialism" that the late dictator Gen. Ne Win introduced in the 1960s.

Snr.-Gen Than Shwe, who is the architect of the current reform process, called it "discipline-flourishing democracy." President U Thein Sein, his successor, has evolved the rhetoric to suit international expectations, emphasizing the country's progression towards "democracy." What seems clear in all these conceptions is that the military retains its powerful political position.

The military-drafted, undemocratic 2008 Constitution helps safeguard the military's political preeminence. Any proposed amendments which would undermine their central role will not be achieved without a fight.

Faced with mighty resistance from the establishment, attempts by opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy groups to amend the Constitution over the past three years have been in vain. They are losing the political battle.

The main task of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), which won 43 of 44 seats contested in 2012 by-elections, was to amend the Constitution ahead of the 2015 election. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters had hoped to amend undemocratic clauses, including article 59(f) which bars her from being president because her two sons are foreigners.

Kyaw Zwa Moe is editor (English Edition) of
the Irrawaddy magazine. He can be reached at kyawzwa@irrawaddy.org.

These hopes now appear all but dashed. In November, lower house speaker Thura Shwe Mann, himself a former powerful military general, stated publicly that constitutional amendments would only be possible after the 2015 election.

In other words, the year 2015 won't see Daw Aung San Suu Kyi become president even if her NLD party wins by a landslide in the election. In that scenario, the opposition leader doesn't seem to have a plan B as to whom else within her party could take the lead. We haven't yet seen any qualified candidate emerge.

Opposition groups in general have never been in a position of ascendancy in this political game with the ex-junta and the current nominally-civilian government. They have all been forced to compete and cooperate within a political framework designed by successive military governments.

Quite simply, at present, the military government is as strong as ever while the opposition remains weak—having been curtailed by the government, the military and the ruling party at every turn.

That's one of the reasons for the international community's policy shifts over recent years. They are convinced that the current power holders constitute the only institutions that can change the country. Many western countries are now working to coax the three key power bases, government, military and parliaments, towards gradual change. It's not exactly an easy task.

Imagine if they can persuade the military to reform itself into a professional force, return to barracks and quit its current roles in Parliament and in the ministries. We can imagine—but clearly this is not the military's aim or intention. A basic principle of the Constitution's first chapter clearly states that the country's abiding objectives include enabling the defense services to participate in national political leadership.

Myanmar's military has never been fit to govern, but the country has had consecutive military leaders since the 1962 coup. If the military returned to the barracks, Myanmar might achieve something like normalcy. But this is unlikely to happen over the next decade.

Meanwhile, under this military-dominated leadership, attaining peace with ethnic armed groups is proving difficult. On Nov. 19, the government's troops fired on an area near the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army, killing 23 rebel cadets and injuring 20 more in northern Kachin State. Given such a hostile attack, little ameliorated by the army's subsequent apology, the peace process between the government and ethnic armed groups looks set to go nowhere in the near future. For the peace process to work, trust has to be built. At this point, many ethnic leaders do not seem to trust either the military-dominated government or the military itself which has long stifled their desires for autonomy.

President U Thein Sein, leaders of the military and house speakers recently held an unprecedented meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and a few other political leaders. But the gathering clearly wasn't the dialogue many wanted. Critics saw the meeting as a show-off exercise ahead of US President Barack Obama's second visit in November.

For people on the ground, economic reforms have delivered little so far. Former power structures remain largely intact. Military-owned companies and cronies still monopolize the most lucrative industries. Business concessions are still not transparent.

Still, we have to admit that today Myanmar has more room for all stakeholders than under the former military regime. It is something. At the same time, we know well that the reform process in 2014 no longer looks as promising as hoped. As Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in early November, "this reform process started stalling early last year.''

Myanmar people do not expect miracles from the reform process that started in 2011. They just want to see gradual, genuine progress toward a democratic and prosperous nation. Such progress was lacking during 2014.

When the people of this country suffered from oppression for decades under the former ruthless military dictatorship, hope was kept alive by the philosophy that everything is impermanent. The unfinished struggle for a just society will carry on in 2015.

 

Kyaw Zwa Moe is the editor of the English-language edition of The Irrawaddy.

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

The post The Shape of Things to Come appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (Dec. 20, 2014)

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 04:00 PM PST

Labor Rights Improve in Burma but Deteriorate in Thailand: Survey

Thailand has suffered one of the world's worst declines in human rights in 2014, especially when it comes to Burmese migrant workers.

An annual survey of 198 countries by business risk analysts Verisk Maplecroft places Thailand in the top ten most "extreme risk" economies—alongside North Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan and civil-war torn Ukraine.

Burma is also still ranked as an extreme risk but has made improvements and drops out of the worst top ten, the Human Rights Risk Atlas 2015 said.

"Human rights risk remains extreme [in Burma] due to working conditions that fall below regional and international standards," Verisk Maplecroft said. "Nevertheless, [Burma] has demonstrated progress in improving human rights protections. Reflecting a commitment to improve governance and address labor rights violations, the government has been working closely with the International Labour Organization to combat forced labour."

Verisk Maplecroft's separate Political Risk Atlas 2015 has meanwhile taken Burma out of the "extreme risk" category for the first time since 2008, but says that a continuing concern for foreign investors is the military control over the reform process.

The Human Rights Risk Atlas 2015 said it "attributes violations committed by state security forces against opposition groups following the May 2014 military coup as a key driver of Thailand's downgraded position."

An unverified number of legal and illegal economic migrants work in Thailand, estimated by various agencies to be between 2-4 million, and most of them are Burmese. Tens of thousands of Cambodian workers left the country after the coup, alleging harassment by the Army.

British human rights activist Andy Hall faces charges of criminal defamation in Thailand brought by fruit juice exporter Natural Fruit. He wrote a report alleging the firm commits violence against employees, enforces overtime, uses child labor and confiscates Burmese passports to prevent workers leaving.

Hall faces up to seven years imprisonment under Thai law if found guilty.

Surge in Tourist Numbers 'Poses Quality of Service Problems'

The sharp increase in the number of tourists visiting Burma may be undermining the quality of service visitors receive, an industry report said.

The Myanmar Tourism Federation has estimated that 2014 may have hit a record number of 3 million visitors.

But regional tourism industry newspaper TTR Weekly there was signs that the rapid growth in tourism is "having a negative impact on service delivery and causing prices to rise to a level that increased complaints."

Visitor numbers have surged from approximately 300,000 tourists in 2009, putting a strain on sector services, said TTR Weekly.

Tourism has become a major revenue stream, rising from US$534 million generated in the 2011-12 financial year to an expected US$905 million in this current financial year, said the paper.

"The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism is drafting a tourism development plan and tourism is a priority sector in the export strategy of the Ministry of Commerce," TTR Weekly said.

Natural Gas Export Revenues Increase by 22%

National income from natural gas exports has increased by US$585 million in this financial year up to the end of November, Burma's Ministry of Commerce said.

The rise is 22 percent more than for the same period of the 2013-2014 financial year.

Total income from gas exports in the April-November period was US$2.64 billion, said Myanmar Business today quoting ministry figures.

"[Burma] exports its natural gas to neighbouring Thailand and China. Gas exports to Thailand started in 1999, and have since grown to consume 70% of the total production," the report said.

Despite the higher export sales, more gas is being funnelled into domestic use, the ministry said. This includes an increase in the number of roadside stations supplying natural gas vehicles to 45, most of them in Rangoon Division.

There are more than 27,700 registered natural gas-fuelled vehicles in the country, of which 26,835 are based in greater Rangoon, ministry figures showed.

EU Gives Burma US$860 Million to Boost Farming, Health, Education

The European Union has made a grant of 700 million euros (US$860 million) for "initiatives for the benefit of all people".

The money, to be provided in tranches up to 2020, is primarily aimed at improving lives in rural Burma as well as "peace building" processes.

"The EU wants its funding to develop rural areas and support agriculture including improving food supplies, nutrition, while also providing support for education, good governance, and the rule of law," the EU Bulletin said, quoting an unnamed Brussels official.

Brussels said Burma would receive the funding from the end of 2014 to 2020 for efforts to stabilize the country's economy and promote peace agreements between ethnic armed groups and the Burmese government.

Burmese Tourism Firm Plans Thailand Exchange Listing

A Burmese tourism industry company is reportedly planning to list on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET).

The listing, to raise funds for expansion, will be possible after new rules for the SET to provide easier access for foreign firms are introduced next February, the Bangkok Post said.

The Burmese firm, which was not named, is being advised by Bangkok-based Twin Pine Consulting, the Post said. It is expected to have a "market capitalisation of 10 billion baht (US$303 million).

"As a firm focusing on capital market development among GMS [Greater Mekong Sub-region] countries, we look for opportunities on cross border fund raising, and [Burma] is in our plan," Twin Pine's Laorpan Wangitthi told The Irrawaddy.

However, the Twin Pine declined to name any Burmese firms.

Relaxation of SET rules for foreign businesses is part of the Thai finance ministry's plans to make Thailand a regional center for fund raising, the Post said.

The post The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (Dec. 20, 2014) appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.
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Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Karen refugee becomes cop in US

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 11:04 PM PST

Saw Lar Htoo has become the first Karen refugee to graduate as a police officer in the United States.

Born in Burma, he fled with his family to a refugee camp along the Thai border when he was three years of age. He spent the next 15 years there.

He and his family took resettlement to the US in 2009 when they moved to St. Paul in Minnesota.

Following high school, the young Karen graduated from Hennepin County Technical College, specialising in law enforcement.

Expressing a strong desire to become a police officer, he joined the training programme at St. Paul's Police Force.

Saw Lar Htoo was all smiles at his graduation ceremony on 18 December. He will now accompany a senior officer in the field for 16 weeks before he takes on crime in Minneapolis.

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Drug protests spread to Moenyin

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 10:36 PM PST

Local residents of Moenyin in southern Kachin State took to the streets on Saturday morning to protest against local authorities who, they say, have failed to tackle serious drug problems in the area, which is rife with heroin and methamphetamine use.

The demonstration was also targeting the local ethnic people who seem to regard drugs as a pastime rather than a social evil," said Seng Naw, the information officer of the civic group that organised the event.

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"Almost every household in this town suffers from some form of drug-related problem," she told DVB on Saturday. "People have turned out in numbers to protest. We can say that the local authorities have taken some action, but not enough."

Drug users in Moenyin are mostly young people, he said, but older people are also prone.

He said organisers had obtained official permission to stage the rally, and estimated that 250 locals would turn up. He said the protestors marched between two of the town's main churches.

Most of the local population in Moenyin are ethnic Shan, though Kachins are also represented.

In October, protestors also took to the streets of Banmauk in Sagaing Division, calling for official measures to tackle rampant drug problems in that region.

Last month, DVB published a controversial video documentary showing some of the shattered lives that have resulted from drug addiction in northern Shan State. *WARNING: graphic images of drug use.

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Burma listed in Top 10 for jailing journalists

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 09:41 PM PST

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has identified 220 journalists imprisoned around the world in 2014, a slight increase from the year before.

The Burmese government is currently ranked as the eighth most repressive regime for jailing reporters; with ten media workers listed behind bars, it is surpassed only by China, Iran, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Egypt and Syria.

“The fact that Burma is among the ten worst global jailers of journalists underscores the abrupt reversal of President Thein Sein’s earlier press freedom promises. Reporters in Burma now face the same level of threat they did under the previous military junta,” said Shawn Crispin, the senior Southeast Asia representative for CPJ, speaking to DVB on Friday.

“With ten journalists now languishing behind bars, proponents of the country’s supposed democratic progress should wake up and take notice of the authoritarian reality that still governs the country. The use of anti-state charges to jail journalists has restored the culture of fear and self-censorship that was pervasive under the previous ruling junta.

“If Western governments based their decisions to lift or suspend sanctions on previous progress on press freedom, they should now consider reimposing those punitive measures in response to the jailing of journalists,” he added.

According to the report by the international journalists’ watchdog, on the date of the CPJ census, at least 10 journalists were imprisoned in Burma, officially known as Myanmar, all on anti-state charges.

"In July, five staff members of the Unity weekly news journal were sentenced to 10 years in prison each under the 1923 Official Secrets Act. Rather than reforming draconian and outdated security laws, President Thein Sein's government is using the laws to imprison journalists," the report by CPJ news editor Shazdeh Omari said.

The five were found guilty of exposing state secrets after a January report in Unity alleged the existence of a secret chemical weapons factory in Magwe Division, central Burma.

On 2 October, the regional court reduced the sentences of the five Unity personnel to seven years following an appeal.

In July, more than 50 journalists and their supporters were charged under the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Act for participating in an unauthorised demonstration where they taped their mouths and held a vigil outside the government-backed Myanmar Peace Centre in Rangoon.

The charges were later dropped.

In October, five staff members of the now defunct Bi-Mon Te Nay weekly news journal were found guilty of sedition charges and sentenced to two years each.

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The five – two editors, one reporter and two publishers – were sentenced under Article 505(b) of the penal code for "defamation of the state" after the journal had published a report in July repeating an activist group's claims that Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi had teamed up with several ethnic politicians to form an interim government.

The conviction of the ten Unity and Bi-Mon Te Nay journalists prompted a domestic and international outcry, with warnings that the country could be backsliding on promises of press freedom.

While major media reforms, such as the disbandment of Burma's notorious pre-publication censorship board in August 2012, caused a wave of early optimism, disputes over new regulations and an apparent targeting of reporters began to cast doubt on Naypyidaw's commitment to establishing a free media.

According to the CPJ report, 44 journalists languish behind bars in China, a jump from 32 the previous year. Almost half of those jailed are either Tibetan or Uighur.

The increased imprisonment of journalists in China "reflects the pressure that President Xi Jinping has exerted on media, lawyers, dissidents and academics to toe the government line," said CPJ. "In addition to jailing journalists, Beijing has issued restrictive new rules about what can be covered and denied visas to international journalists."

Iran is second worst offender, according to CPJ, although its record continues to improve. Thirty media workers are currently recorded in Iranian prisons, down from 35 in 2013, and a record high of 45 in 2012.

According to international watchdog Reporters Without Borders, 66 journalists were killed around the world in 2014, 15 of who were in Syria. One slain reporter was recorded in Burma – Par Gyi, who was killed by the Burmese army in September under opaque circumstances.

 

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Manau festival will go on despite calls to cancel

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 07:20 PM PST

The chief minister of Kachin State has said the state government will continue to hold its traditional Manau festival despite calls for it to be cancelled from many in the local community.

The Myitkyina-based assembly said it plans to stage celebrations from 5 to 11 January, at the same time marking Kachin State Day.

However, more than 8,000 people have signed a petition asking the chief minister to call off the ceremony due to instability in the region as clashes continue between Burmese government forces and the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO).

The state Manau Festival Committee met protesters earlier this week when they explained to them the reasons for maintaining the festivities.

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According to Gum Jah Naw, a leading protestor and organiser of the petition; "The committee said they would hold the festival because they had distributed invitation letters, and invited embassy representatives and dignitaries from near and far."

The celebration of the Kachin State Day and Manau Dance Festival was not promoted by the Union Government in Naypyidaw but only by state authorities, he said.

Officials in Myitkyina were unavailable for comment.

The last time the Manau festival was held in Kachin State was in 2011. It was halted thereafter when a 17-ceasefire ended between government forces and the KIO.

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Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

တပ္မ ၇၇ မွ ႏွစ္လေက်ာ္ဖမ္းထားသည့္ နမၼတူေဒသခံ မိသားစုႏွင့္ေတြ႕ခြင့္မရေသး

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 07:57 AM PST

သၽွမ္းျပည္ေျမာက္ပိုင္း နမၼတူၿမိဳ႕နယ္ မိုင္းယင္ေက်းရြာအုပ္စု ရြာသားတဦးအား စကား ေျပာစက္ ကိုင္ေဆာင္မွုျဖင့္ႏွစ္လေက်ာ္ၾကာဖမ္းဆီးေခၚသြားရာ ယေန႔တိုင္ မိသားစုႏွင့္ ေတြ႕ခြင့္မရေသးဘူးဟု မိသားစု အသိုင္းအဝိုင္းကေျပာသည္။



ေက်ာက္မဲခရိုင္ နမၼတူၿမိဳ႕နယ္ မိုင္းယင္ေက်းရြာအုပ္စု ေကာင္းဟုန္းရြာေန စိုင္းထြမ္း အား စကားေျပာ စက္လက္ဝယ္ကိုင္ေဆာင္ထားစဥ္ ဖမ္းမိသျဖင့္  သူပုန္ဟုစြပ္စြဲေျပာဆိုကာ  တပ္မ ၇၇ က ေအာက္တိုဘာလ ၈ ရက္ သီတင္းကၽြတ္လျပည့္ေန႔၌ ဖမ္းဆီးေခၚ ေဆာင္ သြားခဲ့သည္။

စိုင္းထြမ္းအားလည္း ယေန႔တိုင္ မိသားစု ႏွင့္ေတြ႕ခြင့္မေပးေသးသည့္အျပင္ မည္သည့္ ေနရာတြင္ဖမ္းဆီးထိန္းခ်ဳပ္ထားေၾကာင္းလည္း မိသားစုက မသိရေသးေၾကာင္း ေဆြမ်ိဳးေတာ္စပ္ သူတဦးကေျပာသည္။

"က်ေနာ္တို႔လႊတ္ေတာ္အမတ္ဆီသြားတိုင္တယ္။ သူက ရြာသားအားလုံး လက္မွတ္ထိုး ေတာင္းဆိုဖို႔ ေျပာေတာ့ဘယ္သူမွ မထိုးရဲဘူး။ ဒါနဲ႔ဘဲ အခု ႏွစ္လေက်ာ္ေနၿပီ။ စကားေျပာ စက္က မွန္တယ္ သၽွမ္းတပ္က လာေပးသြားတာ။ စကားေျပာစက္ကိုင္တာမွားလား။ စက္ ကိုင္ထားျခင္းအားျဖင့္ ဘယ္စစ္ေၾကာင္းက ဘယ္မွာေနတယ္။ ဘယ္ကိုသြားတယ္ စသျဖင့္ သတင္းေပးရင္ တိုက္ပြဲ ျဖစ္ပြားမွု ထိပ္တိုက္ရင္ဆိုင္မွု ေတြေတာင္ ေလ်ာ့နည္းတယ္။ တိုက္ပြဲမျဖစ္ရင္ရြာသားေတြလဲေကာင္းေကာင္း သြားလာအလုပ္လုပ္ နိုင္ တယ္ေလ" - ဟု ရပ္ရြာအေရးတက္ႂကြလွုပ္ရွားသူလူငယ္ စိုင္းခမ္း ကေျပာ သည္။

စိုင္းထြမ္းသည္ သီတင္းကၽြတ္လျပည့္ေန႔  သစ္သီးဆြမ္းေတာ္ကပ္ရန္ လယ္ေတာမွ အျပန္ အဖမ္းခံရ ျခင္းျဖစ္သည္။

နမၼတူၿမိဳ႕နယ္ မိုင္းယင္ေက်းရြာအုပ္စု က်ားျဖဴပါတီ ဥကၠဌက "  ဒီဇင္ဘာလက ၁ ရက္ေန႔က က်ေနာ္တို႔လူ သီေပါအခ်ဳပ္ခန္းမွာ သူ႔ကိုသြားၾကည့္တယ္။ သူ႔ကို အာမခံထုတ္ဖို႔ သက္ေသေပးခ်က္က မျပည့္စုံေသးဘူးဆိုၿပီး အာဏာပိုင္ေတြဘက္က မလႊတ္ေပးေသးဘူး။ တကယ္ေတာ့ သူက အဖြဲ႕အစည္းက မဟုတ္ပါဘူး။ ဝမ့္ေကာင္းဟုန္းရြာက ေဒသခံ ပေလာင္အမ်ိဳးသားပါ။" ဟု သၽွမ္းသံေတာ္ဆင့္အားေျပာပါသည္။

စိုင္းထြမ္း အသက္ ၅၄ ႏွစ္ သည္ ဇနီး နန္းဆာလူ အသက္ ၄၀ ေက်ာ္၊ သမီးႀကီး ၁၇ ႏွစ္၊ သားႀကီး ၁၂ ႏွစ္ ၊ သားငယ္မွာမူ ၁၀ လေက်ာ္သာရွိေသးသည္ဟု ရြာခံမ်ားကေျပာသည္။

နမၼတူၿမိဳ႕နယ္သည္ သၽွမ္းျပည္တိုးတက္းေရးပါတီ သၽွမ္းျပည္တပ္မေတာ္ SSPP/SSA သြားလာ လွုပ္ရွားရာ နယ္ေျမျဖစ္သည္။ သို႔ေသာ္ထိုတပ္ဖြဲ႕သည္ ျမန္မာအစိုးရ ႏွင့္ ျပည္ေထာင္စု အဆင့္လက္မွတ္ေရးထိုးထားသည့္ တပ္ဖြဲ႕ျဖစ္သည္။
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Friday, December 19, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Burmese women’s football team prepare for 2016 Olympics

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 04:20 AM PST

The Burmese woman’s football team are gearing up for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

Expectations are high, but the team still have the momentum which carried them through last year’s SEA Games.

In order to make it to the Olympics, the team will have to get through three qualifier stages. The first stage group matches are against, Burma, India, Sri Lanka and Bahrain, and only one team will make it to the second round.

Though the SEA tournament ended with a heartbreaking loss to Thailand by sudden death penalties after a 120-minute match, the woman’s football team are looking to make up for this in the Olympic lead-up.

The first-stage qualifiers are scheduled to kick off between 9 and 15 March.

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BUSINESS WEEKLY 19 DECEMBER 2014

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 02:27 AM PST

 

Burmese kyat: 1,031/ US dollar

Gold: Buying @ 666,550 kyat per tical; Selling @ 667,550

 

Rich countries must not become 'gated communities', warns UN chief

As the world marks Human Rights Day on 10 December, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein warned that the depiction of migrants as "invasive hordes", who are "threatening our way of life" and "jumping the queue" must stop, and States must act with full respect for the human rights of all – including migrants. "Rich countries must not become gated communities, their people averting their eyes from the bloodstains in the driveway," Zeid said.

 

China completes telecoms cable across Burma

State-owned telecoms firm China Unicom has completed construction of a US$50 million optical cable connecting China with Burma and international subsea connections on the Indian Ocean coast. The 1,500km cable, built in cooperation with Myanmar Post and Telecommunications, connects Yunnan province with Ruili, Mandalay, Rangoon and Indian Ocean ports, Xinhua reported. Construction commenced in 2011.

 

Burma looks to compete as garment maker

Burma's Deputy Minister for Trade and Commerce Pwint San is currently in Dhaka trying to promote his country as an effective manufacturer of ready-made garments, Bangladesh's Daily Star reported. Pwint San wants Burma to compete with Bangladesh in the lucrative sector and is attending a conference hosted by the International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh. Burma's export value of garments rose to US$1.2 billion in 2013, representing more than 10 percent of the country's total exports.

 

Found in translation: Google adds Burmese language

Google's translation tool has added 10 new languages, including Burmese, as an application, meaning Burmese speakers can now translate foreign texts into their own language. Last year, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt stressed the importance of free speech in Burma and called on the government to refrain from regulating the Internet. Schmidt added that Google's first priority in Burma [Myanmar] is to improve access to information with its search engine and tools such as Google Translate and Maps.

 

Burmese satellite in orbit within 5 years?

Burma's government is working towards sending the country's first satellite into space within five years, according to industry magazine Via Satellite. Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology Thaung Tin reportedly said the project was a "national priority" and that "although there is no timeline for the launch of a satellite, the selection process will follow that of the international mobile licenses, with an open, fair and transparent tendering process, followed by public consultation."

 

Burma near bottom in Internet freedom ranking

Burma is one of the worst countries in the world for Internet freedom, listed alongside Yemen and Ethiopia as the most restrictive countries for Internet benefits, according to The World Wide Web Foundation, created by Tim Berners-Lee. Statistics also showed a global increase in moderate-to-extensive censorship, and less countries passing laws to prevent mass surveillance. Berners-Lee maintains that Internet freedom should be a basic human right.

 

Tenders invited for Rangoon wholesale market

Rangoon regional government is inviting tenders from local firms to design and construct a large fruit and vegetable wholesale market in Danyingone, in the city's northeastern Insein Township. The new 34-hectare market will include cold storage facilities and will be implemented under a public-private partnership, according to state media. Closing date for tender bids is 1 January. The new market is part of a broader plan to set up wholesale markets across the country, including at strategic border towns.

 

Green flag for foreign firms in medical sector

Medical production and private hospital construction in Burma is now open for 100 percent foreign investment, Eleven Media reported. The move will allow international pharmaceutical companies to manufacture medicines in Burma, some of which are currently partnered with domestic companies. The law on foreign and local investment in Burma was reformed in 2012. The country remains the second lowest of ASEAN countries for foreign investment.

 

Burma, Thailand look to jump-start Dawei SEZ

Officials from Burma and Thailand will meet next month to approve the framework of the initial phase of the delayed Dawei development project. Arkhom Termpitayapaisith, secretary-general of Thailand's National Economic and Social Development Board, said the two countries had already set up policy committees to oversee the scheme. In October, the Thai and Burmese governments agreed to revitalise the project by letting Thai firms play a bigger role in the much-delayed SEZ when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha paid an official visit to the country.

Read more: http://www.dvb.no/news/burma-thailand-look-to-jump-start-dawei-sez-myanmar/46489

 

Yoma secures US$100 million for Burmese investments

Singapore-listed company Yoma Strategic Holdings have secured a loan from the Asia Development Bank (ADB) for over US$100 million to aid investments in Burma. According to the ADB, the loan is designed to build infrastructure for enhanced connectivity, such as constructing telecommunication towers, and developing transportation links. Burma remains one of the least connected countries in the world in these sectors, according to Yoma's press release. Yoma also has stakes in property, agriculture, tourism, and the automotive and retail industries in Burma.

 

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Rights groups urge justice for Ja Seng Ing, Brang Shawng

Posted: 18 Dec 2014 11:20 PM PST

Six leading international human rights groups have called on the Burmese government to drop all charges against a Kachin man who faces prison for alleging the Burmese army caused the death of his daughter.

In an open letter to Burmese President Thein Sein, the six organisations on Thursday jointly focused on the case of Brang Shawng, whose 14-year-old daughter was killed in Kachin State during clashes between Burmese government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

"The criminal prosecution of Brang Shawng highlights a culture of disregard for human rights within Myanmar's military, judiciary, and human rights commission," said Matthew Smith, executive director of Fortify Rights. "The authorities should punish soldiers who commit crimes, not retaliate against individuals like Brang Shawng who seek truth and justice."

Fourteen-year-old Ja Seng Ing sustained a fatal gunshot wound when she was shot on 13 September 2012 in the jade-mining town of Hpakant. Her father, Brang Shawng, filed a complaint with the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC), claiming a Burmese government soldier was responsible for the shooting. However after submitting the complaint, Brang Shawng was prosecuted under Article 211 of the Burmese Penal Code, under the crime of "making false charges". If convicted, he could face "two or more years in prison".

Phil Robertson, the Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch, Asia Division, discussing Brang Shawng's criminal case and the Myanmar Human Rights Commission (MNHRC).

On December 8, Fortify Rights, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Physicians for Human Rights, the International Commission of Jurists, and the Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic sent a four-page open letter to President Thein Sein, which was published on 18 December.

The letter advised the Burmse government to "investigate Ja Seng Ing's death, hold perpetrators accountable, and take measures to ensure that Burma's courts and the MNHRC appropriately handle such cases in the future," according to the press release.

There have been several investigations into the death of Ja Seng Ing, including one detailed in a 41-page report written by ten Kachin community-based organisations.

"The nature of Ja Seng Ing's injury and her reported physical position at the time of being wounded are inconsistent with the Myanmar Army's assertions in documents filed with the court that a KIA mine killed her," according to the Fortify Rights press release.

"Moreover, eyewitnesses interviewed by Fortify Rights claim to have seen two Myanmar Army soldiers loading their weapons approximately 30 feet from where a group of six women and girls, including Ja Seng Ing, were hiding. This was followed by gunfire aimed in the direction of those in hiding. Fortify Rights believes it is likely that one of the two soldiers fired the shot that killed Ja Seng Ing."

Earlier in December, the family of Ja Seng Ing also called on the Burmese government to investigate her death.

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Suu Kyi still negotiating China visit

Posted: 18 Dec 2014 09:11 PM PST

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is still discussing an itinerary for her planned visit to China this month.

Suu Kyi's spokesperson Phyo Zayar Thaw, himself an MP for the National League for Democracy (NLD), said: "Arrangements are still being discussed with Chinese officials. She won't be leaving anytime soon."

NLD's central executive committee member Win Htein told DVB last month that the NLD leader would make a trip to China in December, when she was expected to meet senior officials.

The news of Suu Kyi's trip was initially revealed by Ai Ping, China's deputy foreign affairs minister and a member of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) powerful central committee.

Ai Ping visited NLD headquarters on 26 February for a meeting with two party leaders during which they agreed to enhance relations between the NLD and the CPC.

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China's Ambassador to Burma, Yang Houlan, also mentioned during an interview with the Sunday Morning Post in January that China would officially invite Suu Kyi for a visit.

The NLD has sent four delegations of MPs on goodwill visits to China, however Nobel laureate Suu Kyi never traveled with the group.

Suu Kyi was an outspoken critic of the Myitsone dam project, which is backed by China, and which was scheduled to transfer the majority of its electrical power to Yunnan and western China. The project was suspended by President Thein Sein in 2011 due to public opposition to the 3,600MW mega-dam project.

However, at another Chinese state-backed project in Burma, the Latpadaung copper mine in Sagaing division, Suu Kyi was appointed as head of a committee to investigate the viability of the enterprise in the wake of a brutal crackdown on protestors at the site. To the surprise of many, Suu Kyi publically put her support behind the controversial mining project, drawing the ire of local villagers and activists.

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Amnesty Int calls for release of Buddha Bar trio

Posted: 18 Dec 2014 07:24 PM PST

Amnesty International has called on Burma's authorities to immediately and unconditionally release three restaurant managers charged with insulting the Buddhist religion.

The managers of VGastro Bar in Rangoon's Bahan Township were arrested and charged last week after the newly opened bar-restaurant posted online an advert for a promotional event, using an animated image of the Buddha wearing headphones. The picture prompted an instant backlash among many Buddhists who claimed the image was offensive.

The three – New Zealander Phil Blackwood, and Burmese Tun Thurein and Htut Ko Ko Lwin – are currently detained in Insein Prison and due to face trial in Rangoon, beginning on 26 December.

"The charges should be dropped and all three men should be immediately and unconditionally released," said Rupert Abbott, Amnesty International's research director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, speaking to DVB on Friday. "While international human rights law and standards permit certain restrictions to the right to freedom of expression, these restrictions are clearly defined and limited in scope. There is no way that the charges and prosecution in this case can meet the narrow human rights criteria for restricting the right to freedom expression, and therefore Myanmar is clearly violating this right.

"Pending their release, they must be granted full and unhindered access to their families and lawyers of their choosing and, where required, an interpreter," he added.

The sentiment was backed by Phil Robertson, the deputy-director of Human Rights Watch's Asia Division, who slammed the verdict and called into question the "lynch mob mentality" that provoked the charges.

"Demanding respect for religion doesn't justify criminalising free speech or abusing other rights, and it certainly doesn't vindicate the apparent lynch mob mentality that the Ma-Ba-Tha [hardline Buddhist group] have towards these three persons," he told DVB. "The provisions of the penal code they are charged under are overly broad and essentially allow the authorities to criminalise speech about religion without effective restriction — when what is really needed here is a reasoned discussion about freedom of expression and religion.

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"All three should be immediately released on bail and allowed to defend themselves against these charges – and the fact that they immediately apologised and withdrew the offending materials should be considered sympathetically and taken into account."

Mark Farmaner, the director of Burma Campaign UK, said, "It is bizarre to be targeting men working in a small bar for insulting Buddhism, rather than targeting those responsible for shooting at monks and raiding monasteries to crush the uprising in 2007.”

The offending image was quickly taken down from the VGastro Bar Facebook page when the staff realised the negative impact it had caused. A profuse apology was offered by the management and the event that was being promoted cancelled.

Although many hardline Buddhists have called for severe punishments to be meted out to the three defendants, other monks have now stood up to call for forgiveness in view of the circumstances, saying that the offending material was clearly not meant to be insulting and the fact that the bar managers issued a full apology.

Ashin Sopaka, a highly revered monk and writer based in Monywa, called for the trio to be released in the spirit of Buddhist tolerance and forgiveness.

"I was thinking what would The Buddha say in this issue, and he would say: 'It’s no problem, I forgive you, but please do not make such a mistake again',” he wrote.

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