AllSBNews

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Locals Condemn Letpadaung Committee Claims on Compensation, Police Conduct
Burma’s new Catholic cardinal warns against religious extremism
Govt Targets Kachin Rebels in Timber Takedown
A Visit to Chin State’s Heart-Shaped Lake
Wa Rebels Defy Govt Order, Reopen Drug-Linked Trade Hub in Shan State
Low Turnout, Local Opposition Marks First Manau Festival Since Renewed Fighting
India, Pakistan Step Up Border Fighting Ahead of Kerry Visit
Cambodia’s Political Prince Makes Comeback, Claims PM’s Support
4 Shot Dead on Bangladesh Election Anniversary

Locals Condemn Letpadaung Committee Claims on Compensation, Police Conduct

Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:31 AM PST

A local walks along the fence line at the Letpadaung copper mining project last month. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Activists have criticized the Letpadaung report implementation committee for failing to provide a workable land compensation scheme for villagers affected by the copper mine and for justifying the actions of police forces during a recent skirmish at the project site.

The committee, established by the Union Parliament to address problems facing the troubled project after riots in 2012, said in a statement on Monday that all land confiscated for the project was done in accordance with the Farmlands Law, with compensation paid at 20 times the land tax valuation of the affected properties. The statement also said that joint venture operator Wanbao's recent fencing of farmland was necessary because of government restrictions on unlawful assembly.

Khin San Hlaing, a National League for Democracy lawmaker from Sagaing Division and a member of the 15-person parliamentary investigation team which recommended compensation for villagers, said the committee is reiterating claims from previous statements, which do not address the desire of some villagers around the Letpadaung site to remain on their land.

"What they are doing is unacceptable to the public," she said. "As far as we know, there are residents who own over 1,000 acres of land that haven't taken compensation. That's why they should clearly state how much land has been compensated and how much hasn't, and why people did and didn't accept compensation."

Khin San Hlaing's comments were echoed by Han Shin Win, a law advisor from the Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability who is assisting Letpadaung locals with the land compensation process, who said he questioned whether the compensation is adequate for those landowners to be displaced from the area and whether it would guarantee their livelihood into the future.

The statement did not confirm how many acres and how many villagers had agreed to compensation, but said

Villagers clashed with police and Wanbao employees on Dec. 22, as the company attempted to fence off disputed lands. Locals who claimed they had not agreed to a compensation scheme with the company tried to block the workers.

The implementation committee's statement yesterday repeated claims made earlier in Wanbao press releases, saying that locals had been incited by outside organizations to protest the mining project and were using sticks, knives and slingshots. The statement said that security forces acted in accordance with existing laws and procedures to subdue the protests, which ultimately resulted in the shooting death of 56-year-old protester Khin Win and nine other injuries.

Khin San Hlaing told The Irrawaddy that there should be a transparent investigation into the death.

"The police forces have been trained by the European Union in how to handle conflict at an international standard," he said. "Shooting defenseless members of the public, knowing that weapon could injure or kill a person, and then issuing a statement of apology—the public would not be satisfied with that. It's important to know who is taking responsibility, and it is important that the exact truth is investigated."

The statement claimed that the implementation committee had notified locals in advance that the area under dispute would be fenced, ostensibly to protect local residents and animals from heavy machinery, and that villagers raising crops in the cordoned off area would be compensated with current market prices.

But Thwe Thwe Win, a farmer and activist from Letpadaung, said that neither advance notice nor compensation for lost crops was forthcoming, and that police attacked farmers trying to halt the fencing without warning.

"They are fencing an area where people have not accepted compensation," he said. "We are losing our land. The police shoot at us and I even called Sagaing Police Col. Nay Htun to ask him to control the police force there. He told me he couldn't."

The post Locals Condemn Letpadaung Committee Claims on Compensation, Police Conduct appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma’s new Catholic cardinal warns against religious extremism

Posted: 06 Jan 2015 04:18 AM PST

Archbishop Charles Maung Bo was one of 20 new cardinals whose appointments were announced on Jan. 4, 2015. (Photo: Archdiocese of Yangon)

RANGOON — Religious extremism could derail Burma's much-vaunted reform process, the Buddhist-majority country's first Catholic cardinal, Charles Maung Bo, said on Tuesday.

Bo, who was named a cardinal by Pope Francis on Jan. 4, warned that Buddhist nationalism directed against minority Muslims could drive the latter to connect with international extremist groups that would "retaliate."

"So far they have been more on the quiet side, but if they come with the force of an international community of Muslims, then violence, terrorism, suicide bombers and all these things could happen," Bo told Reuters in an interview at the red-brick cathedral in downtown Rangoon, Burma's largest city.

Bo called for mutual understanding and urged the government to do more to curb hate speech by radical monks.

Burma emerged in 2011 from half a century of military rule, and the semi-civilian government has lifted curbs on freedoms of speech, association and media.

But the reforms have been accompanied by a rise in Buddhist nationalism, with monks forming groups aimed at promoting the country's Buddhist character.

The main target of the Buddhist nationalist movement has been the country's Muslims, who account for about 5 percent of a population of 51 million.

Sectarian violence since June 2012 has killed at least 240 people, mostly Muslims, while almost 140,000 Muslims remain in displacement camps after their homes were destroyed.

Burma is also racked by conflicts with ethnic insurgents, who have been battling the government for autonomy, some for six decades. The government is pushing for a nationwide ceasefire pact this year, but the peace process has faltered with sporadic clashes.

Bo said he was optimistic about Burma's reform process, but warned that the military could again seize control if the peace process failed and sectarian violence continued.

"We hope that chaos won't happen," he said, calling on the military to make greater efforts to build trust with ethnic armed groups, and for more monks to speak out against extremism.

"For peace in the country the Buddhist monks also have quite a major role to play, too," said Bo, leader of Burma's Catholics, who make up just about 1.6 percent of the population.

Francis appointed 20 new cardinals, 15 of whom will be eligible to vote for the next pope. It was the first time cardinals from Burma, Tonga and Cape Verde were appointed and the appointees from all three nations are electors.

The post Burma's new Catholic cardinal warns against religious extremism appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Govt Targets Kachin Rebels in Timber Takedown

Posted: 06 Jan 2015 04:13 AM PST

Three trucks loaded with Burmese timber wait to cross a river on the Burma-China border. (Photo: EIA)

RANGOON — The Burmese government took a hard line on the timber trade in Kachin State on Tuesday, as state-run media publicly denounced rebels for facilitating illicit cross-border transfers.

The military-owned Myawaddy daily newspaper reported that 122 people—102 of them foreigners believed to be Chinese—were arrested in Kachin State's Wai Maw Township from Jan. 2-4, carrying documents indicating that the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) had authorized timber transport.

A nationwide ban on raw timber exports went into effect on April 1, 2014, though logging has long been a major source of revenue for the KIA and its political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), which has been at odds with the government for decades over political autonomy and the right to resources.

A liaison officer for the KIO, Dau Kha, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the authenticity of the document—which the government said identified a high-ranking KIA officer as complicit in illegal trade—could not be confirmed.

"I have not seen that letter, so I couldn't tell because there are many letters issued by the KIO business department regarding permissions for timber trucks to cross our territories," said Dau Kha, explaining that the logging industry is complicated and involves approval from several authorities including the government, government-backed militias and KIA officers.

Logs extracted in Sagaing, he said, are often cut under the authority of the government but are ultimately shipped through KIO-controlled areas, where they are taxed. Dau Kha said that there is no active logging in the Wai Maw area because most of the woods were felled by the government during a ceasefire period that lasted until June-2011, but trees cut in central Burma often pass the route en route to China. All of those exports are now illegal, as the ban limits trade to government-approved shipments of processed woods out of Rangoon ports.

While not denying that illicit trade continues, the KIA perceived both the ban and the recent crackdown as a tactic used by the government to cut off revenues and supplies to ethnic armed groups. Rapid enforcement of new national policies in ethnic areas has often served as pretense for clashes between rebel and government troops.

No conflict has yet been reported in Kachin State since the year began, but tensions remain high after the Burma Army launched multiple rounds of artillery onto a KIA academy near the rebel headquarters in Laiza in late November, 2014. The attack, which the government said was "unintentional," left 23 cadets from various ethnic armed groups dead.

The incident brought an ongoing peace process to a near standstill as government and ethnic negotiators tried in vain to reach a nationwide peace accord by the end of the year. The goal has since been pushed back to Union Day, on Feb. 12. The KIA is one of only two major ethnic armed groups yet to reach a bilateral peace agreement with the government.

On Sunday, the KIA turned down an invitation to attend a military parade in Burma's capital city of Naypyidaw honoring the country's independence from Britain. Dau Kha said that aggression from the Burma Army in Kachin and Shan states is damaging to the peace process.

"Peace cannot be built by force and military strategy," he said.

The post Govt Targets Kachin Rebels in Timber Takedown appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

A Visit to Chin State’s Heart-Shaped Lake

Posted: 06 Jan 2015 03:36 AM PST

The heart-shaped Rih Lake lies nestled amid the Chin Hills of northwestern Burma, not far from the border with India. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

FALAM TOWNSHIP, Chin State — Were it not for its famous heart-shaped lake, Reh Khaw Da, a small town that lies near Burma's northwestern border with India, would have been just another frontier town ensconced in southern part of the Chin Hills.

Reh Khaw Da and its beautiful surrounding hillside can be reached after a 24-hours bus ride from Rangoon, which takes one past Mandalay, through Sagaing State and into the Chin Hills.

After a short motorbike ride into the hills around Reh Khaw Da, the majestic view of the one-mile-long Rih Lake and its heart-shaped outline comes into sight.

The gentle rolling hills around it are sparsely populated and the area is one of the most remote and least developed parts of Burma.

According to local people, Rih Lake is a source of myths. Some said a girl turned into the lake after she was rescued by a spirit when her father tried to kill her on her stepmother's request. Another legend has it that all souls destined to heaven must pass through the lake, and that the trees surrounding the lake have souls.

On a recent chilly but sunny December morning, the lake seemed a perfect holiday spot. Some local tourists walked around its shores, taking snap shots while a lone fisherman cast his net in the middle of the lake.

"I wish more people come here," said one of the restaurant owners near the lake. He said the location of the lake and the bad infrastructure in the area makes it somewhat off-limits to visitors.

"We only have international tourists occasionally, like once in a month," he said.

The post A Visit to Chin State's Heart-Shaped Lake appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Wa Rebels Defy Govt Order, Reopen Drug-Linked Trade Hub in Shan State

Posted: 06 Jan 2015 02:42 AM PST

Soldiers from the United Wa State Army ride in a vehicle in a street in city of Namteuk near the Chinese border. (Photo: Reuters)

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — The United Wa State Army (UWSA), Burma’s biggest ethnic rebel group, has recently reopened Popakyen trading hub in Mong Hsat Township, located in southeastern Shan State close to the Burma-Thai border, local sources have said.

Burmese authorities ordered the shutdown of the trade station in October after a large drug haul was seized nearby, but the heavily-armed rebels now appear to be defying the order and have deployed troops in the area since late December to assert control, according to residents.

"They [the UWSA] sort of challenged the Burmese authorities. They ignored the order and reopened the base. They deployed their troops for security. They want to show that no one can influence the businesses that belong to them," said a Shan businessman based in Tachilek, a border town located across from Mae Sai, a border crossing in northern Thailand.

"They [Wa soldiers] seem they are ready to fight if the Burmese army start it. It is like they want to test the Burmese army," said the man, who requested anonymity due to sensitivity of discussing the UWSA's dealings.

Popakyen is a trade station located some 73 km (44 miles) northwest of Tachilek and functions as a hub for cross-border trade controlled by the UWSA. Goods going to and coming from Thailand are traded in the small town, which has road links to Tachilek and Mae Sai.

Tachilek is one of Burma's largest border trade crossings. Illicit trade coming from Shan State is rampant and murders, arrests and drug seizures are a common occurrence. In July last year, Burmese police seized more than US$2.3 million worth of opium and several automatic weapons in Tachileik.

The businessman said the Wa rebels were aggressively asserting their control over the area in Mong Hsat Township, adding that they also grabbed land for the trade area from local residents and killed a man in December who claimed to own land that the rebels had seized.

"They shot dead the man in a restaurant in the center of Tachilek in public, but nobody dared to say a word," he said. "All incidents such as the death … and land confiscation by the UWSA troops were reported to respective local authorities. But no actions are taken. We can’t rely on them [authorities]."

Local residents confirmed they reported the incidents to the police and local lawmakers, including those belonging to the opposition parties of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Shan Nationalities Development Party (SNDP).

Thar Gyi, a SNDP lawmaker in the Shan State legislature who is based in Tachilek, declined to confirm the incidents had been reported to lawmakers when contacted by The Irrawaddy.

Another lawmaker, who declined to be named or have his party identified, said he recently visited the Popakyen trading post area and saw the UWSA preparing for a resumption of trade.

"There are no big trading activities there yet, but I saw some Wa soldiers repairing and rebuilding their shops and buildings," he said.

For many years, the UWSA has been linked to rampant opium, heroin and methamphetamine trade that flourishes in Shan State. The illicit drugs are trafficked into China and northern Thailand, from where they are distributed to the rest of the region.

The UWSA were allowed to operate the Popakyen trading area after renewing a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government in December 2011. Much of Mong Hsat Township is controlled by the Burma Army and the UWSA opened a liaison office in Mong Hsat town following the ceasefire.

Following the seizure in Mong Hsat of a large drug haul hidden in a 10-wheel trick in October, authorities and the Burma Army enforced a crackdown on the rebels' activities and Popakyen was shut down.

The UWSA is the largest ethnic rebel army in Burma with an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 fighters. The group has acquired heavy Chinese weaponry and is believed to be in the possession of surface-to-air missiles, armed personnel carriers and possibly helicopters.

The group controls a large zone called Special Region 2 along the border with China and gains funding from operating casinos, rubber plantations, cross-border trade and, most importantly, large-scale illicit drug trafficking.

The post Wa Rebels Defy Govt Order, Reopen Drug-Linked Trade Hub in Shan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Low Turnout, Local Opposition Marks First Manau Festival Since Renewed Fighting

Posted: 06 Jan 2015 02:22 AM PST

A small crowd assembles on Monday for the opening prayer ceremony of the Manau festival in Myitkyina. (Photo: Jade Land Kachin / Facebook)

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Despite the objections of thousands of members of the local population, a prayer ceremony held to launch the first Manau festival staged inside Burma in four years has gone ahead in the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina.

About 500 people joined the ceremony on Monday, according to ethnic Kachin lawmaker Toi Bu—a subdued turnout for what had traditionally been the marquee event of the Kachin social calendar, until the festival was cancelled in late 2011 after renewed local violence.

A petition calling on the Kachin State government to cancel the festival because of ongoing hostilities between the Burma Army and local ethnic armed groups gathered more than 8,000 signatures in November. Residents of Myitkyina have also alleged that the businesspeople and politicians responsible for organizing the festival have close relationships with the Union government.

Tu Raw, an executive committee member of the Kachin Traditional Literature and Cultural Committee, said that many locals had concluded the return of the festival was premature.

"Many Kachin did not join the opening ceremony," he told The Irrawaddy. "After we went the petition, the state government met us. They told us they would hold it. They asked us to join it. They even told us it was not possible to cancel their plans."

“It is not the right time to hold the Manau festival. Our region does not have peace yet. There are still Kachin refugees living in camps," he added.

Toi Bu told The Irrawaddy that while she understood local opposition to the event, she believed an official recognition of Kachin State Day on Jan. 10 was overdue and the festival would be an avenue towards constructive dialogue with the Union government.

"I support holding the Manau festival to honor Kachin State Day. By celebrating, we respect an important anniversary and we can have constructive engagement with the government," she said. "We should think about how to cooperate and work together and good things will come."

Speaking of a recent visit to Bahmo Township, where there have been clashes between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Army in recent times, Toi Bu said there was a universal yearning for peace and development in Kachin State—a sentiment which had intensified after the November shelling of a Kachin Independence Organization base near Laiza, which claimed the lives of 23 cadets.

"I found that [Bahmo] is very quiet. I spoke to the army and they said they wanted to have peace. I am sure our Kachin also want peace," she said. "Many tourists have not dared to come to our region as they understand there is ongoing fighting. This fighting is disrupting our region's ability to have progress. We need to have development."

The Manau festival, held this year in conjunction with the 67th anniversary of Kachin State Day, has been staged in a variety of contexts in years gone by. Occasionally it has been held to commemorate battle victories or Kachin ethnic army procession, while a biennial festival is held among the Kachin diaspora in Thailand to mark the birthday of King Bhumibol and to thank the monarch for allowing exiles to reside in the country.

This is the first time the Kachin State government has organized the Manau festival to coincide with Kachin State Day of its own accord, said local community leaders. Previously, Manau organizers had to seek permission to hold the festival on the anniversary.

Events for the first Manau festival will continue through to Sunday, including a traditional Manau dance on Kachin State Day.

The post Low Turnout, Local Opposition Marks First Manau Festival Since Renewed Fighting appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

India, Pakistan Step Up Border Fighting Ahead of Kerry Visit

Posted: 05 Jan 2015 09:43 PM PST

India’s Border Security Force officers carry a coffin containing the body of a colleague during a wreath-laying ceremony in a camp in Jammu January 1, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

SRINAGAR, India — Indian and Pakistani troops intensified cross-border firing on Monday, killing an Indian border guard and forcing hundreds of villagers to flee, escalating tensions before visits by top U.S. officials.

India said four Pakistanis planning an attack on Indian soil were killed, although Indian media and opposition parties disputed the official account. The Pakistani army confirmed two civilian deaths from Indian shelling.

Monday’s incident, in the Samba district south of Jammu along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir, followed the killing of four Pakistani soldiers by their Indian counterparts on New Year’s Eve.

A senior Indian official with the border security force said they had retaliated against machine gun and mortar attacks on about 60 positions along a more than 200-km (125-mile) stretch of the border on Monday.

"Pakistani rangers fired rocket propelled grenades in villages near the border and our men have responded," the officer told Reuters.

Amid the growing hostility, India’s security agencies last week declared a nationwide alert to avoid militant strikes in the lead-up to visits by top U.S. diplomat John Kerry and President Barack Obama later in January.

Kerry is due to speak at the weekend before an investment summit in Gujarat, at the furthest end of the Pakistani border from Kashmir, the organizers said. Obama will attend India’s Republic Day military parade on Jan 26.

Indian media say Kerry will also visit Pakistan, but officials in Islamabad have not confirmed that.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors have ratcheted up since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called off peace talks in August, with sporadic rounds of heavy shelling pounding civilian villages along a previously peaceful stretch of border.

The South Asian rivals, who have fought two wars over Muslim-majority Kashmir, have traded blame for an upsurge in firing and shelling that started in October last year.

Last week, the clashes stretched beyond the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir and touched international waters when Indian Coast Guards said a Pakistani fishing boat laden with explosives blew up in the Arabian Sea.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday accused India of pursuing a low-intensity war by starting unprovoked firing on the international borders.

At least 4,000 Indian villagers have fled their homes since New Year’s Eve, officials said, and similar numbers are believed to have fled border areas on the Pakistan side. India closed schools near the border and postponed exams on Monday.

The post India, Pakistan Step Up Border Fighting Ahead of Kerry Visit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Cambodia’s Political Prince Makes Comeback, Claims PM’s Support

Posted: 05 Jan 2015 08:27 PM PST

Prince Norodom Ranariddh arrives during news conference at his residence in Phnom Penh January 5, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia's Prince Norodom Ranariddh returned on Monday to lead a party that ditched him eight years ago, in a comeback aimed at reviving royalist support to sway a 2018 election expected to be the country's closest yet.

The son of the influential late monarch Norodom Sihanouk and half-brother of the current King Norodom Sihamoni has had a turbulent political career.

He was overthrown as co-prime minister in a bloody 1997 coup, and nine years later forced out of Funcinpec, the party his father founded.

"My return to Funcinpec is a good event, not just for me but for all real royalists and Sihanoukists to reconcile," Ranariddh, 71, told a news conference.

"I was ousted… and now I'm back. There is no one in history like this."

Ranariddh's move has drawn skepticism, with some experts calling it a political maneuver by long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen to form an alliance and extend the rule of his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) beyond 2018, as challenges to its power grow.

The party was stunned in the 2013 election by the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which carved a chunk out of the CPP's parliamentary majority but refused take its seats for a year, arguing it had won, but that the CPP had fixed the results.

The CPP and CNRP in July agreed a truce to end a year of at times violent turmoil.

The CNRP returned to the legislature in return for unprecedented concessions by Hun Sen, the self-styled "strongman" with whom Ranariddh once shared power, and who, he said, fully supported his comeback.

"I and Prime Minister Hun Sen have shaken hands and agreed that we, Funcinpec and the CPP, should bring back political policies that the Cambodian people need," he said, during a speech in which he criticized the CNRP.

Carlyle Thayer, an expert on Southeast Asia at the Australian Defense Force Academy, said Hun Sen was "stirring the pot" by opening a potential third party challenge to the CNRP.

"Hun Sen may have calculated that a rejuvenated Funcinpec will draw support away from the CNRP," he said.

"There is always the possibility of a CPP-Funcinpec electoral alliance," he said, adding, however, that the royalists' power had waned and such a pact could ultimately hurt Funcinpec.

The post Cambodia's Political Prince Makes Comeback, Claims PM's Support appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

4 Shot Dead on Bangladesh Election Anniversary

Posted: 05 Jan 2015 08:22 PM PST

An activist of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) shouts during a rally in Dhaka on Jan. 20 last year, protesting the outcome of elections held two weeks prior. (Photo: Andrew Biraj / Reuters)

DHAKA — Clashes between police and opposition activists and a separate attack by unidentified gunmen left at least four people dead in Bangladesh on Monday amid heightened tensions on the anniversary of elections boycotted by a major opposition alliance last year.

Two men on a motorbike opened fire on a group of anti-government activists in northwestern Bangladesh, killing two, while two others died in separate clashes elsewhere.

The shooting took place in Natore district, 160 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of the capital, Dhaka, which has remained largely cut off from the rest of the country since Sunday, said Aminul Haque, a leader of the local unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Police would not immediately confirm the identities of the dead, but Haque said they were activists from the party’s student wing. The identities of the two men on the motorbike were not immediately known.

Separately, police and ruling party activists clashed with opposition activists in the northwestern districts of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj, leaving two others dead and dozens injured, including police, police said.

In both cases police opened fire and used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse stone-throwing activists who attempted to march, ignoring a police ban.

Similar violence was reported in the northeastern district of Chittagong, where the opposition said at least 300 party activists were arrested.

The Jan. 5 elections last year were boycotted by a major opposition alliance led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Tensions heated up recently after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party said it would hold rallies to celebrate the anniversary, while Zia—her archrival—announced that anti-government protests would take place.

The violence, which follows a year of relative calm since last year’s elections, demonstrates that the country’s politics remain deeply divided.

Zia denounced Monday’s police actions and asked her supporters to continue road, rail and waterway blockades across the country for an indefinite period.

Hasina, meanwhile, urged the opposition in a televised address to shun violence.

Speaking to activists from her party’s student wing on Sunday, Hasina criticized Zia, saying it was a mistake to boycott last year’s elections and accusing her of destabilizing the country. Zia’s party boycotted the elections because it said they would be rigged.

Police on Sunday banned all rallies in Dhaka and prevented Zia from leaving her office, while dozens of opposition activists were detained across the country. Police said they cordoned off Zia’s Dhaka office as part of enhanced security steps.

Police erected barbed wire fences and parked sand-filled trucks at entry points leading to Zia’s house, and a large number of security personnel surrounded the area on Monday.

Zia on Monday got in her car and attempted to leave her office but security officials did not allow her, prompting her to announce the indefinite blockade.

On Sunday, police clashed with opposition supporters in several parts of the country, leaving dozens of people injured, ATN Bangla and Channel 24 television stations reported.

On Monday, Dhaka remained cut off from the rest of the country, with capital-bound buses and ferries shut down because of fears of violence.

Zia has renewed her call for Hasina to step down and declare a new election, but ruling party leaders have rejected the demand, saying the next election will not be held before 2019, when the government’s five-year term expires.

The Election Commission went ahead with last year’s election after two major political alliances led by Hasina and Zia failed to agree on a formula for appointing a caretaker government to oversee the poll.

Chaos had reigned in the country for a year, with opposition activists staging a series of attacks, strikes and transportation blockades that left nearly 300 people dead in 2013.

Zia was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, but failed to hand over power peacefully. A military-backed caretaker government then ruled the country for two years before Hasina came to power with a landslide election win in 2008.

The post 4 Shot Dead on Bangladesh Election Anniversary appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Democratic Voice of Burma

DVB Bulletin: 6 January 2015
Villagers, activists condemn Latpadaung committee report
Farmers decry fishpond-flooding trial as ‘unfair’
Karen border guards make largest drug bust of 2014
UN rapporteur to examine human rights in Arakan, Shan states
300 protestors march from Monywa to Latpadaung mine

DVB Bulletin: 6 January 2015

Posted: 06 Jan 2015 04:14 AM PST

On tonight's bulletin:

Minchaungkan protesters at court for initial hearing
YCDC representatives sworn in
Activists condemn Latpadaung report
Mass arrests on Kachin-China Border

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

The post DVB Bulletin: 6 January 2015 appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Villagers, activists condemn Latpadaung committee report

Posted: 06 Jan 2015 03:46 AM PST

Latpadaung villagers, activists and academics have rejected a report by the committee charged with implementing the recommendations of the copper mine investigation commission. The report blames "a handful of people who are on an utterly destructive course with the project".

The committee's report, dated 5 January, claims that all locals in Latpadaung received compensation for confiscated land – amounting to 20-times the tax they paid for it – in accordance with the Land Confiscation Law in 2011.

Win Myo Thu of the environmental conservation group Green Motherland said the villagers had been paid only a few hundred kyat, since 20-times the land tax did not amount to much.

"The land tax is only a few hundred kyat. Suppose it was 100 kyat [US$0.10]. Twenty times 100 amounts to only 2,000 kyat," Win Myo Thu said. "Anyone who says – just because they were paid this amount – that the farmers were compensated in accordance with the land must have absolutely no shame."

The implementation committee's report on Monday stressed that the mining project operators – Myanmar Wanbao, a joint venture between Burma's military-backed Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings and Chinese state-run mining firm Wanbao – were moving ahead with recommendations. It also claimed that 10.7 billion kyat worth of compensation and welfare stipends had been paid to villagers.

However, Khin San Hlaing, a member of the investigation commission and a lower house MP from the National League for Democracy in Sagaing's Pale Township, criticised the implementing committee's report for repeating the same rhetoric that it has been delivering to MPs and local villagers. He said it does not reflect the situation on the ground.

"We see that neither the committee nor Myanmar Wanbao has been able to resolve the issues on the ground, mainly because they do not seriously address or respect the feelings of the local population and their general disappointment," Khin San Hlaing said.

Latpadaung villager Thwe Thwe Win slammed the report's claim that there were "instigators" behind the protests.

"If the [committee] is so sure that there were instigators behind us, then they should come and arrest those people," he said. "Just mouthing about 'instigations' while taking no action whatsoever will not make any difference."

Hundreds of local villagers and their supporters have been protesting the Latpadaung copper mine since its inception more than 10 years ago. Many have been displaced to make way for the project, which was originally contracted to a Canadian firm, Ivanhoe Mines.

The controversial mine was temporarily suspended when activists and monks staged a mass sit-in protest in 2012. The protest was broken up brutally by riot police on 29 November that year when some 80 protestors were injured, including several Buddhist monks, many with horrific burns that experts have attributed to white phosphorous.

A subsequent investigation headed by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi failed to pronounce anyone guilty for the violent crackdown, and to many villagers' dismay, recommended to the government that the project be resumed.

The post Villagers, activists condemn Latpadaung committee report appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Farmers decry fishpond-flooding trial as ‘unfair’

Posted: 06 Jan 2015 02:23 AM PST

A fishery owner is pressing charges against nine farmers in Nyaunglebin Township, Pegu Division, for flooding his fish pond.

One of the accused farmers, who requested anonymity, said he and his fellow villagers were being sued under penal code article 427 ("Mischief causing damage") because in November they had punched holes in the embankment between their farmland and the fishery in an effort to drain rainwater from their fields. As a result, the pond was inundated.

"In November there was heavy raining, and some 60 acres of farmland belonging to 40 locals was flooded," he told DVB. "Our paddy and bean crops were destroyed, so we spoke to local authorities about it and then punched holes in the embankment to drain the floodwater."

He said it was "unfair" that the farmers were being sued, since they had modified the embankment with official permission. Nonetheless, a trial began at the Nyaunglebin Township court on Monday.

The farmers were released on bail set at 160,000 kyat (US$160) each. They reached out to the township's administrator and irrigation department chief but have been told they must face the charges on the grounds that it is what the local administrator called "a personal dispute".

The Nyaunglebin township administrator and fishery operator were unavailable for comment.

The farmers face a maximum of two years in prison, a fine or both if found guilty.

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Karen border guards make largest drug bust of 2014

Posted: 05 Jan 2015 09:48 PM PST

The paramilitary Border Guard Force (BGF) in Karen State seized over 130,000 amphetamine pills at the end of December.

Maj. Naing Maung Zaw, information officer of the BGF, said troops from the 1019^th battalion raided a lumber mill in Myawaddy district's Thingan Nyinaung Township following a tipoff.

"[BGF troops] under instruction from battalion commander Saw Chit Thu raided a house in the lumber mill and seized over 130,000 ya-ba tablets in a plastic bag," he said, adding that it was the largest drug bust in the area in 2014.

A man identified as 29-year-old Saw Tee Khaung was detained in connection with the pills and handed over to Myawaddy district police on 2 January. He has denied that the drugs belong to him.

The Myawaddy district police were unavailable for comment.

The BGF is one of six armed groups who formed an anti-narcotics joint-committee in Karen State, DVB reported in July. The groups said they aim to respond to civilian concern that drugs use is rising among young people and leading to increased crime. The Karen Human Rights Group, however, has pointed the finger at the ethnic armed groups themselves as major players in the production and sale of narcotics.

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UN rapporteur to examine human rights in Arakan, Shan states

Posted: 05 Jan 2015 08:25 PM PST

The United Nations Special Rapporteur to Burma, Yanghee Lee, will arrive on Wednesday for her second official trip to the country.

According to a statement on Monday by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Lee will be in Burma from 7-16 January, during which time she will "gather first-hand information on the current human rights situation in the Rakhine [Arakan] and northern Shan states, among other issues."

"I will review the situation in the camps for internally displaced persons and in isolated locations in the Rakhine State, to assess if there has been improvement in the critical conditions I came across on my first visit to Myanmar in July 2014," Lee said.

The UN rapporteur is scheduled to meet the Chief Minister of Arakan State to discuss current developments toward peace, stability and the rule of law, including the controversial Rakhine Action Plan, which could have severe impacts on the Rohingya Muslim population in the region.

In July, Lee paid visits to internal displacement camps where over 100,000 mostly Rohingya IDPs shelter. She called conditions "deplorable" and warned Naypyidaw of "backtracking" on its pledge of reforms.

Lee previously visited Kachin State; this time she is due in northern Shan State where a similar situation prevails – an ongoing civil conflict between government forces and Kachin rebels that has left tens of thousands homeless and many facing a humanitarian aid crisis.

"In northern Shan State, I will look at the human rights situation of religious and ethnic minorities," Ms. Lee noted. "I will also speak with various parties about the situation of sexual and gender-based violence in the context of the ongoing conflict in this region."

During her ten-day visit, Lee is scheduled to meet government officials, members of parliament and the judiciary, the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission and civil society representatives in Naypyidaw and Rangoon.

According to the UN statement, she also intends to visit political prisoners that remain in detention.

"The Special Rapporteur, who visits the country at the invitation of the government, expressed her appreciation of the open engagement and cooperation that has been offered in the preparation of this mission. Ms Lee will submit a report to the Human Rights Council in April 2015," the UN OHCHR statement added.

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300 protestors march from Monywa to Latpadaung mine

Posted: 05 Jan 2015 07:14 PM PST

Around 300 people staged a rally in Sagaing Division's capital Monywa on Monday, protesting land confiscations at the Latpadaung copper project and the use of violence against local residents who oppose the mine.

Later in the afternoon, the protestors marched from Monywa across the Chindwin River to the area of the copper mine where they met with the local villagers who are staging a series of sit-ins and rallies at the site.

Tun Myint Aung of the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society said Monday's march was led by a civil society group called Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability.

"The problems at Latpadaung today are in a whole different direction from EITI standards," he told DVB. "The project, while not only not serving the interests of the local population, is leading to loss of their farmland and even human life.

"This project is only profitable for a handful of people," he added.

Public demonstrations have been held across Burma in recent weeks in solidarity with the villagers in the Latpadaung area who oppose the copper mine venture. Sentiments heightened after a local woman, Khin Win, was shot dead on 22 December when protestors confronted riot police at the site. Official investigations have been launched into the death.

The contractors of the project, Myanmar Wanbao, which is a joint venture between Burma's military-backed Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings and Chinese state-run mining firm Wanbao, issued a statement last week, lamenting the villager's death but reiterating its right to continue the project, stating that it has followed all the recommendations issued by the Latpadaung investigation commission.

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National News

Rohingya held in Thailand bust

Posted: 05 Jan 2015 08:04 PM PST

More than 50 migrants, mostly Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar, have been held in southern Thailand after authorities acting on a tip-off stopped trucks smuggling them through the country, say local officials.

Monday, January 5, 2015

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Mandalay Farmers Protest Myotha Industrial Zone
Prisoner Groups Highlight Continued Political Detentions, Trials
President Meets With Ethnic Armed Groups, Hopes for Quick Ceasefire Accord
Police Asked to Probe Letpadaung Death
Burma’s Catholics Pleased to Have First Cardinal
Prospects and Problems for Burma’s Economic Growth
Tensions in Bangladesh Ahead of Election Anniversary
Safety Overhaul Puts Strain on Bangladesh Garment Industry
Friend Turned Foe: The Challenger for Sri Lanka’s Presidency

Mandalay Farmers Protest Myotha Industrial Zone

Posted: 05 Jan 2015 05:28 AM PST

A sign board in Nga Zun Township reads "Do not trespass the religious land." About 60 acres of land owned by a monastery is at risk from the massive Myotha Industrial Park Project. (Photo: Zarni Mann / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Farmers in Mandalay protested on Monday to demand fair land compensation and the release of 10 detained activists, in the second large-scale demonstration against the Myotha Industrial Zone since construction began in 2012.

Farmers said that while they support the development and would accept fair payment, they have been pressured by village administrators to accept compensation schemes far below market value.

Villagers said that the Burmese government seized the land several years ago to make way for the 10,000-acre industrial development, which will be built by Royal Hi-Tech Group and its subsidiary Myanmar Myotha Industrial Zone Private Co. Company representatives were unavailable for comment and little data about the development is publicly available.

Demonstrators said that 10 villagers have been detained since staging the first public demonstration against the development in November, 2014. All ten are awaiting trial on charges of incitement under several articles of Burma's Penal Code, including the notorious Article 505(b), which has been repeatedly used in cases against activists.

Shwe Wyne, who owned about 45 acres of farmland, told The Irrawaddy that while the company has reimbursed some farmers for lost or damaged crops, they have yet to make payment for land. Many farmers, she said, "cannot buy one acre with the compensation fees" that they have received.

Others complained that the company deliberately tried to confuse farmers while deals were being struck, dividing land into two types—pasture and farm—which have different values. Those who didn't understand the distinction claimed to have been swindled into accepting an undervalued compensation package, while those who were closely associated with village administrators got a better deal.

One farmer, Than Lwin, said he was "forced" to accept an undervalued estimate under threat of losing his property and facing a prison sentence. He and other demonstrators said they will continue protesting against the development until their claims are fairly dealt with and their peers released from custody, vowing to establish a protest camp at the Mandalay Division Government offices.

Mandalay Myotha Industrial Zone is located about 50km (31 miles) from downtown Mandalay, and is expected to connect to a port on the Irrawaddy River operated by the same ownership. Project developers told The Irrawaddy in October 2013 that the plan could create about 200,000 local jobs.

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Prisoner Groups Highlight Continued Political Detentions, Trials

Posted: 05 Jan 2015 04:34 AM PST

Human rights activist and former political prisoner Moe Thway displays the name of Wai Lu, who was detained for protesting the Letpadaung copper mining project. (Photo: Moe Thway / Facebook)

RANGOON — Former political prisoners have revived a photographic campaign calling for the release of all prisoners incarcerated for political reasons and an end to ongoing politically motivated arrests in Burma.

The campaign, orchestrated by the Former Political Prisoners Society (FPPS) and the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), features photographs of former convicts with the names of current political prisoners written on their outstretched palms. A joint statement from the organizations released on Sunday said that there are 164 political prisoners in jails across Burma, with a further 203 activists waiting trial.

"The government is denying that there are any political prisoners who remain behind bars. So through this campaign, we would like to show the international community and locals that there are still political prisoners incarcerated in Burma and we continue to work for their release," said Thet Oo, a spokesman for FPPS.

Around 80 former political prisoners—including luminaries such as 88 Generation Peace and Open Society cofounder Min Ko Naing and National League for Democracy lawmaker Sandar Min—have joined the campaign, which will be targeted at online media and international rights organizations.

"We members of parliament know there are still political prisoners," said Sandar Min in a video uploaded by the prisoner associations. "The president announced that he will release all political prisoners by the end of 2013 […] but 2014 is over now and the remaining political prisoners are still not released."

A similar photo campaign was initiated in 2010 by British photographer James Mackay, aimed at highlighting the thousands of political prisoners languishing in Burmese jails at the time.

Thein Sein has granted amnesties to more than 1,000 political prisoners since he took office in 2011, as part of a broader reform program that has won the president international praise, while others served their sentences to conclusion over the same period.

At the same time the government and political prisoner advocates have been at loggerheads over definitions, with the government previously asserting that all political prisoners had been released at the end of 2013, in accordance with a pledge made by the president in August of that year.

Last November, the government said that the continued incarceration of some 27 political prisoners—a figure well below contemporary estimates by prisoner advocacy organizations—was the result of the inmates committing other criminal acts, and any component of their custodial sentence arising from political crimes had already been annulled by presidential decree.

The government's figures also belie the number of people awaiting trial for political crimes, in many instances for violating the Peaceful Assembly Law's controversial Article 18, which has been used to circumscribe protests and prosecute demonstrators.

In a sign that authorities may be willing to pursue more draconian measures against demonstrations, the government last week used assault and incitement provisions under the Burmese Penal Code to charge three people protesting against the Letpadaung copper mining project in Yangon. If found guilty, the protesters could face four years' imprisonment, three years more than the maximum penalty under the Peaceful Assembly Law.

Prisoner advocacy associations are continuing their efforts to clarify the definition of political crimes in order to hold the government to account over incarcerations and court cases it says are for political ends.

"We are working to get the recognition from the government for the definition of political prisoners. So that, the remaining political prisoners which they are saying committed other crimes will be released too," Thet Oo said.

The post Prisoner Groups Highlight Continued Political Detentions, Trials appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

President Meets With Ethnic Armed Groups, Hopes for Quick Ceasefire Accord

Posted: 05 Jan 2015 04:29 AM PST

President Thein Sein poses for a photo with representatives of 12 ethnic armed groups in Naypyidaw on Monday. (Photo: Nyo Ohn Myint / Facebook)

RANGOON — President Thein Sein and Burma Army chief Min Aung Hlaing held separate meetings with ethnic armed group representatives in Naypyidaw on Monday, and the president said he hoped that a nationwide ceasefire accord could be reached in Burma next month.

Leaders of several groups embroiled in current fighting with the Burma Army were absent from the meeting, however, and it remains to be seen whether the stalled ceasefire process can be revived in such a short period time.

Minister of Information Ye Htut told The Irrawaddy that the representatives were invited to the meetings after they had observed an army parade to mark Burma's 67th Independence Day on Sunday.

Thein Sein told the representatives that he wanted to sign a nationwide ceasefire accord (NCA) on Union Day, Feb. 12. The day marks the signing of the Panglong Agreement by Gen. Aung San and ethnic representatives in 1947, a power-sharing agreement that failed to prevent Burma from sliding into civil war.

"The president urged the NCA to be signed on the upcoming Union Day to be able to move forward to the political dialogue," said the minister, who attended the meeting. He added that Minister Aung Min, who leads the government ceasefire negotiations team, would meet with ethnic representatives soon to resume the negotiations.

Ye Htut said the president had also urged the ethnic armed groups to collaborate with authorities in order to provide security during the general elections that are tentatively scheduled for early October.

It was the first joint meeting between the president and a number of ethnic representatives; previously he had held bilateral meetings with leaders of the various groups. In a separate meeting on Monday, the representatives met with Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing.

Representatives of twelve of the 16 groups represented in the National Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), an alliance of ethnic armed organizations, were present during the meetings. The Karen National Union, the New Mon State Party, the United Wa State Army, the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) and the Shan State Army-North and Shan State Army-South were among the groups that met with Thein Sein and Min Aung Hlaing.

ABSDF Vice Chairman Myo Win said, "During each of the two-hour meetings with the president and the commander-in-chief we shared our opinions. Such meetings could build up mutual trust. We didn't reach concrete agreements but we exchanged views."

Myo Win said the president had appeared eager to complete the nationwide ceasefire process before his term ends and establish the conditions for starting a dialogue that is supposed to bring a political solution to Burma's long-running internal conflict.

Representatives of leaders of Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Karen National Progressive Party and Chin National Front did not join the meetings.

The ceasefire process has stalled since September and there have been regular clashes between the Burma Army and the KIA, TNLA and Kokang ethnic rebels in northern Burma, groups that do not yet have a bilateral ceasefire with the government.

KIA leaders, who have been angered by a deadly surprise attack by the army on a cadet training school on Nov. 19, said they declined to join the meeting as it had been announced only shortly before the parade and lacked a clear agenda.

"We were not informed about the aims of these meetings at the military parade," said Gen. Gun Maw, the KIA deputy chief of staff and an important leader within the NCCT. "It is not an appropriate time to have such a ceremony due to the recent clashes," he said, referring to ongoing tensions and fighting in northern Burma.

"Whether the NCA could be signed or not next month depends on how much progress we could negotiate on [drafting] the single [ceasefire] text," added Gun Maw.

Nyan Win, a spokesperson of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, said the party did not expect a quick breakthrough in the ceasefire process due to the ongoing tensions. "But if it comes, we would welcome the news," he added.

The post President Meets With Ethnic Armed Groups, Hopes for Quick Ceasefire Accord appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Police Asked to Probe Letpadaung Death

Posted: 05 Jan 2015 04:01 AM PST

The family of Khin Win, a 56-year-old villager fatally shot by police, files a death report in Salingyi Township, Sagaing Division, on December 23, 2014. (Photo: J Paing / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Police in Sagaing Division have been asked to launch a criminal investigation into the death of a 56-year-old villager shot dead by police while protesting against alleged land rights violations near the Letpadaung copper mine.

The immediate family of Khin Win, who was killed by a bullet in the forehead on Dec. 22, 2014, submitted a first information report (FIR) to the Salingyi Myoma Police Station and demanded that they investigate seven people who are believed responsible for the death.

Police have accepted the report but have not indicated whether they will investigate the individuals named within the document pending approval from higher authorities, according to the family's legal counsel.

"FIR can be complete or incomplete. What we have filed is a list of who shot from which place and which officers were present at the scene," said Aung Thein of the Burma Lawyers' Network (BLN), which has been helping the victim's family to seek legal recourse.

Khin Mar Aye, the victim's sister-in-law, had already filed a death report with local police. The new report specifies that the death was believed to be unlawful and seeks criminal punishment.

Villagers clashed with police and employees of the Letpadaung mine operator, Myanmar Wanbao, on Dec. 22 when contractors attempted to fence off disputed lands. Locals who claimed they had not agreed to a compensation scheme with the company tried to block the workers.

Police eventually fired into the crowd of villagers, leaving Khin Win dead on the spot and several others injured.

Khin Win's death was the latest in a string of controversies related to the project, which is a joint venture between Wanbao, a subsidiary of Chinese weapons manufacturer Norinco, and Burma's state-owned Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (UMEH).

Ongoing protests against alleged land-grabs related to the project peaked in late 2012, and were ultimately dismantled in a brutal early morning crackdown during which police were accused of using incendiary weapons containing white phosphorous against hundreds of demonstrators including Buddhist monks.

Civil society stakeholders playing a crucial role in the implementation of the Myanmar Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)—an internationally recognized fiscal reporting protocol for which Burma has recently become a candidate state—have warned of a fallout if the latest incident is not adequately addressed by authorities.

On Monday, EITI stakeholders upped the ante by leading a 150-strong unpermitted demonstration in Monywa—near the site of the mining project—demanding more responsible resource governance and a full investigation into the events that left Khin Win dead. EITI civil society stakeholders argued that Burma does not yet offer a safe environment for civilians to fully and meaningfully participate in shaping resource governance.

"We want to highlight the reality that, in Burma, locals are being bullied and this violence contradicts [President] Thein Sein's promise to implement the EITI and improve resource transparency," said Wong Aung, director of Shwe Gas Movement and a member of Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability (MATA), which organized the protest.

Wong Aung said that MATA is calling for the immediate suspension of the Letpadaung copper mining project, adding that the unexamined killing of an activist will make CSO participation in the EITI "more challenging in the future."

The post Police Asked to Probe Letpadaung Death appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma’s Catholics Pleased to Have First Cardinal

Posted: 05 Jan 2015 12:52 AM PST

Archbishop Charles Bo was one of 20 new cardinals whose appointments were announced on Jan. 4, 2015. (Photo: Archdiocese of Yangon)

RANGOON — Church colleagues have praised the appointment by Pope Francis of Rangoon's archbishop as Burma's first Roman Catholic cardinal.

Archbishop Charles Bo was one of 20 new cardinals whose appointments were announced on Sunday. The appointments are from 18 countries, including two others that never before had a cardinal: Cape Verde and Tonga.

Bishop Felix Lian Khen Thang said on Monday the appointment was the crowning achievement of the church's mission activities in Burma. The bishop from Kalaymyo town is president of the country's Catholic Bishop Conference.

About 1 percent of predominantly Buddhist Burma's 51 million people are Catholics. Thailand has about half that number and also had a new cardinal appointed on Sunday.

Francis told faithful in St. Peter's Square that the new batch of cardinals "shows the inseparable tie with the church of Rome to churches in the world."

Five new cardinals come from Europe, three from Asia, three from Latin America, including Mexico, and two each come from Africa and Oceania.

With his picks, the Argentine-born Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America, made ever clearer that he is laying out a new vision of the church's identity, including of its hierarchy. He looked beyond traditional metropolitan area for the "princes of the church" who will help advise him as he goes forward with church reforms. Cardinals also elect his successor.

He has said repeatedly that the church must reach out to those on the margins.

The Vatican's chief spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the selection "confirms that the pope doesn't feel tied to the traditional 'cardinal sees,' which reflected historic reasons in various countries."

"Instead we have various nominations of archbishops or bishops of sees in the past that wouldn't have had a cardinal," Lombardi said.

Among Pope Francis' picks are churchmen whose advocacy styles seem to particularly capture matters dear to his heart.

The only native English-language speaker chosen by Francis is Archbishop John Atcherley Dew of Wellington, New Zealand. Summing up his own intervention at last year's Vatican conference on controversial family issues, including gay marriage and divorced Catholics, Dew has said the church must change its language to give "hope and encouragement."

Speaking from a Vatican window to a crowd in St. Peter's Square, Francis made another surprise announcement. He said that on Feb. 12-13, he will lead of meeting of all cardinals to "reflect on the orientations and proposals for the reform of the Roman Curia," the Vatican's administrative bureaucracy.

Francis is using his papacy, which began in March 2013, to root out corruption, inefficiency, careerism, and other problems in the curia.

An Italian group, Noi Siamo Chiesa, which advocates reforms for the church, hailed the choice of the two Italian bishops. Group spokesman Vittorio Bellavite said Francis had gone "outside the traditional logic" of the hierarchy.

Francis said he will "have the joy" on Feb. 14 of presiding over the ceremony in which the 20 churchmen will receive the red hat cardinals wear.

The post Burma's Catholics Pleased to Have First Cardinal appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Prospects and Problems for Burma’s Economic Growth

Posted: 04 Jan 2015 11:19 PM PST

Rangoon's lack of a deep-water port is one of the issues likely to inhibit future economic growth in Burma. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

Burma's business development prospects in 2015 are forecast to be mixed as the country grapples with a variety of problems ranging from domestic political uncertainty to outside economic influences beyond its control.

National elections this year will make some foreign investors hesitant to enter Burma until a clear outcome emerges, say analysts, and the unexpected collapse of oil prices in 2014 is likely to put plans to develop 20 offshore oil and gas blocks into slow gear.

Some major infrastructure investment decisions, notably the special economic zone at Dawei on the southeast coast, are anticipated, but analysts are not holding their breath for a very positive outcome in the near term.

However, some foreign observers believe that continuing economic growth is certain, unless there is a sudden lurch back to full military government control.

Economic reform must be a continuing key issue for Burma's leadership if the country is to follow its neighbors and integrate further with the international community, said an assessment by Treasury Today a financial affairs magazine based in Britain.

"The next 12 months may well be critical in how [Burma] progresses, with elections and further reform scheduled to take place, and corporates need to be mindful of this," the magazine said in its latest issue.

However, it also quotes one senior manager in regional finance forecasting the next few years for Burma as a time of "furious change with companies rushing to take advantage of the numerous opportunities the market presents".

"The key difference between [Burma] and other countries in the region is the compressed time scale that all these changes are happening in and this is unique," Grant Knuckey, the chief executive of ANZ Banking Group for Cambodia, Laos and Burma told Treasury Today. "It therefore remains very difficult to plot a linear path for the country but it seems that the direction is already set and this has the potential to bring huge benefits to the country, its people, and corporates who enter into it."

But both Knuckey and Ryan Aherin, senior Asia analyst for Verisk-Maplecroft, believe that major obstacles to economic expansion in Burma in 2015 are the country's inadequate banking and finance facilities plus rampant corruption at all levels.

"The country's financial sector remains in an infant state," Aherin told Treasury Today. "So, while the effects of the foreign bank licences will be beneficial in the long run, in the immediate future challenges will remain."

This first quarter of 2015 should see the announcement of more final agreements in production sharing contracts (PSCs) between the state-owned Myanma Oil & Gas Enterprise and the foreign oil companies who won licenses to explore 20 sites in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea for oil and gas.

Although the licenses were awarded last March, only one of the 13 foreign firms has so far agreed on a PSC.

Terms for investment and potential profit sharing have been complicated by the collapse of international crude oil prices over the last six months which make new investment less financially viable. Ten of the 20 licensed new Burma blocks are in deep sea areas which make drilling for oil and gas much more expensive.

"Only about one-fifth of the projected production from the 400 largest new and planned oil and gas fields around the world will be profitable if oil prices remain at US$60 or below," the New York Times said at the end of December, quoting international financial advisers Goldman Sachs.

"If prices stabilize and then bounce back quickly the recent drop might soon be forgotten. But a sizable group of analysts say that rather than experiencing a passing blip, the market is undergoing a lasting adjustment to greater abundance of oil and muted economic demand," the Times said.

Major oil companies that won offshore licenses for Burma in March include Shell, Chevron, Total and ConocoPhillips.

The national oil companies (NOCs) of neighbors Malaysia and Thailand, which have projects in Burma, have already announced expenditure cuts.

"Following Malaysian NOC Petronas’ announcement that it will cut its capital expenditure by 15% to 20% in 2015, Thai NOC PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) has also stated a lower budget for the next five years [which will] see a 10.9% decrease in investment," Business Monitor International said.

The continued lack of a deep-water port for Rangoon threatens to undermine manufacturing growth in Burma's biggest city which is also the main commercial sea gateway into the country, another observer said.

"One of the bottlenecks of manufacturing development [in Burma] is the lack of a deep sea port. Unfortunately, [Rangoon] has no deep sea port and the quick development and integration of the country will benefit greatly from such an investment," said Masato Abe, an economist from the UN's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Abe is critical of plans by the governments of Burma and Thailand to develop a new port at Dawei on the southeast coast as part of a special economic zone (SEZ).

"The Dawei port is located approximately 700 kilometers from [Rangoon]," he said in a study published by the Hong Kong based think tank Fung Global Institute. "Although the Dawei port has a geographic advantage with regard to market access to Thailand, [Burma's] main trade partner, it is far from the traditional industrial clusters of [Burma]."

Critics of the Dawei SEZ have said it would primarily benefit Thailand by giving it access to the Indian Ocean as an oil transhipment terminal, and to expand its petrochemical industries, which are stymied in the greater Bangkok region by environmental laws.

A Naypyidaw-Bangkok government-level meeting is due to be held in January at which the Thai authorities have indicated that Japan will become a key financial partner in the Dawei SEZ. However, this has been mooted before and to date there have been no firm commitments from any major Japanese companies.

The post Prospects and Problems for Burma's Economic Growth appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Tensions in Bangladesh Ahead of Election Anniversary

Posted: 04 Jan 2015 09:42 PM PST

People attend a rally organised by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Dhaka on Jan. 20, 2014 to protest the results of that month's election, which the BNP had boycotted. (Photo: Andrew Biraj / Reuters)

DHAKA — Police in Bangladesh’s capital have banned all rallies and prevented a top opposition leader from leaving her office, while dozens of opposition activists have been detained across the country, officials and local media said Sunday. The moves come ahead of the anniversary of a general election boycotted by a major opposition alliance last year.

Police have cordoned off the office of former Prime Minister and current chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Khaleda Zia, since late Saturday night in Dhaka’s Gulshan area, with authorities saying the measure was part of enhanced security steps. Zia is the archrival of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who came to power last year for a second term.

On Sunday, police clashed with opposition supporters in several parts of the country, including the eastern district of Brahmanbaria, leaving dozens of people injured, ATN Bangla and Channel 24 television stations reported.

Police would not immediately comment on the clashes.

In Dhaka, suspected opposition activists torched a bus and smashed several vehicles, local media reported.

Authorities deployed paramilitary border guards to patrol Dhaka and some other major cities, said Mohsin Reza, spokesman for Border Guards Bangladesh.
Junior Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said Sunday that security for Zia had been upgraded and that she was not confined as claimed by opposition leaders.

Hasina returned to power in an election last January that was boycotted by Zia’s party, which said the poll would be rigged.

Police have locked down the headquarters of Zia’s party in Dhaka’s Naya Paltan area, which remained under tight security.

In a statement Sunday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police said a ban on holding rallies in the capital would remain in effect until further notice because "clashes and untoward incidents" could take place on Monday, when Zia’s party had been planning to hold an anti-government rally.

By Sunday evening, Dhaka was cut off from the rest of the country, with the capital-bound buses and ferries shut down due to fears of violence.

The Election Commission had staged the Jan. 5 election last year after two major political alliances led by Hasina and Zia failed to agree on a formula for appointing a caretaker government to oversee the election. Hasina had refused to heed opposition demands to step down and appoint a neutral administration to hold the election and vowed to uphold the constitution by holding the poll.

Chaos had reigned in the country for a year, with opposition activists staging a series of attacks, strikes and transportation blockades that left nearly 300 people dead in 2013.

The post Tensions in Bangladesh Ahead of Election Anniversary appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Safety Overhaul Puts Strain on Bangladesh Garment Industry

Posted: 04 Jan 2015 09:20 PM PST

Employees work in a factory of Babylon Garments in Dhaka January 3, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

DHAKA — Undaunted by a run of horrific factory accidents that have hit Bangladesh's garments industry, two entrepreneurs bought Adorn Knitwear Ltd earlier this year.

It is a small business not far from the rubble of Rana Plaza, a Dhaka suburb building that collapsed in April 2013 killing more than 1,100 people, most low-paid seamstresses, and prompting a costly safety overhaul at plants large and small.

Whether people like Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, one of Adorn's new owners, can afford those improvements will be critical for the future of a sector that accounts for over 80 percent of this South Asian nation's export earnings, industry leaders say.

Last month, Adorn's production lines were silent and its sewing machines gathering dust as the lengthy process of checking the building for structural weakness was underway.

"We're losing money every minute," said Chowdhury, 35, as he looked around his factory, which has a list of potentially expensive fixes to be completed before reopening.

Many high-volume factories depend on smaller firms, contracting out work to meet orders from big Western retailers under tight deadlines.

Today, up to 20 percent of the 3,500 exporting garment factories subcontract, says the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

If that support system crumbles, some factory owners worry Bangladesh's $24 billion industry could lose the agility that took it to number two in the global league of garment exporters.

Since Rana Plaza, nearly two-thirds of the country's exporting garment factories have been inspected.

Many have been handed lists of structural, electrical and fire safety fixes and upgrades that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Larger factories can generally pay for those changes independently, or have access to a growing number of affordable financing arrangements backed by wealthy customers.

Hundreds of smaller factories do not, leaving them exposed at a time when owners say they are grappling with a slide in orders and an increase in minimum wages for the industry's workforce of more than 4 million.

Already about 450 factories have gone to the wall since last year's disaster, the BGMEA says.

"If all the factories are becoming big, who will do the smaller things?" said Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury, chairman of Evince Group and a former BGMEA president. "Then who will come to Bangladesh?"

A Stitch in Time

At Adorn, laborers ripped up flooring to expose steel rods that needed testing. Above them, the word "crack" was spray-painted in red in three spots, all to be analyzed by engineers in a weeks-long assessment.

Getting factories up to speed after inspections may cost owners from $100,000 to $1 million apiece, according to the World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, brand-backed initiatives that have inspected some 1,700 factories, offer mechanisms through which members are helping suppliers compensate workers for lost wages due to closures and finance factory revamps.

Several major apparel firms belonging to the Alliance or the Accord said they had made significant investments to help suppliers improve safety. Not all factories have needed outside funding.

The U.S.-based VF Corporation, an Alliance member whose brands include The North Face and Wrangler, announced it would guarantee up to $10 million for the IFC and Bangladesh's BRAC bank to lend its suppliers. So far, three VF supplier factories have received $1.3 million in loans.

The IFC is in talks to do the same with several more Accord and Alliance brands.

'Natural Connection'

Even with more help coming, there are fewer options for the exporting factories that do not sell to Accord or Alliance companies. According to the International Labour Organization, they number roughly 1,800.

The BGMEA says it has asked the government to help these factories get up to speed by setting up a fund offering them low-cost loans, but the government says it is up to owners to find a way to meet safety standards after inspections.

"It will be the responsibility of the owner to pay, or he'll have to close it," said Mikail Shipar, secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Employment.

Some suppliers may be too unhealthy to secure another bank loan to stay afloat, said Ian Spaulding, senior adviser to the Alliance.

"It's going to happen throughout the market, and that's a natural correction that needs to happen."

Saving smaller factories is crucial for the local industry to keep its edge, but also for the economy, said Mohammad A. Rumi Ali, a director at BRAC Bank.

"If 75,000 people lose their jobs, and the majority are women, it's a big cost," he said.

Down a dirt road clogged with bicycle rickshaws in Badda, a congested area on the edge of Dhaka, a small garment factory is squeezed into a row of buildings.

The owner, who requested anonymity, said he could not meet all the inspectors' requirements, primarily because his business is in a rented building and the landlord refuses to help.

"I can't do all of it," he said. "Lower-class factories aren't getting any help."

The post Safety Overhaul Puts Strain on Bangladesh Garment Industry appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Friend Turned Foe: The Challenger for Sri Lanka’s Presidency

Posted: 04 Jan 2015 09:14 PM PST

Sri Lanka’s common presidential candidate Mithripala Sirisena speaks during a meeting with the Diplomatic Community in Colombo January 1, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

COLOMBO — Over a dinner of rice-flour pancakes with his trusted health minister one evening in November, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa observed with a grin that there would be no serious candidate to challenge him in the coming presidential election.

Little did Rajapaksa know then that the man who would stand in his way of winning an unprecedented third term as president of this Indian Ocean island nation was right beside him.

"When he said that nobody was going to challenge him, I was next to him and felt sorry for him," Mithripala Sirisena later told a campaign meeting on his decision to turn on the president and run as the opposition's common candidate in Thursday's poll.

"I came out because I could not stay anymore with a leader who had plundered the country, government and national wealth."

Branded a "traitor" by Rajapaksa's close allies, Sirisena has forged many political alliances and now appears to be within striking distance of unseating a president who, just weeks ago, had looked unassailable.

Since Sirisena's defection, 25 Rajapaksa loyalists in the 225-seat parliament have followed, unleashing a wave of popular disgust with a leader whose once-extraordinary popularity has withered amid complaints of autocracy, corruption and nepotism.

Victory for Sirisena would put a full stop on a reign that brought brisk economic growth following the end of a 26-year conflict with Tamil Tiger separatists in 2009, deepening ties with China and souring relations with Western nations over allegations of war crimes and rights abuses.

Sirisena has vowed to scrap a US$1.5 billion deal with China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. to build a port city and a casino license that was given to Australian gambling tycoon James Packer's Crown Resorts Ltd.

The 63-year-old leader from the rural heartlands projects himself as a champion of the farming masses, a clean-living figure who has campaigned against smoking and abjures alcohol.

There is no credible and unbiased opinion poll on the election outcome.

A New Broom

Sirisena still represents the country's Sinhalese Buddhist majority, who account for 70 percent of its 21 million population, and he was acting defense minister when the war against the Tamil Tigers reached its bloody climax in 2009.

However, he also has promised a new broom that has appealed to ethnic Tamils, Muslims and Christians in a country where minorities have felt increasingly marginalized.

He has pledged to deal with war-crimes allegations through an independent mechanism, establish independent commissions to secure the impartiality of the judiciary, police and other public services, and crack down on corruption.

Sirisena was just 16 when he first took on the establishment, joining an anti-government rally organized by a communist party that ended within minutes as police waded in. He ran for safety through the unknown streets of the capital, Colombo, before taking an overnight train to his village.

He was jailed for 15 months in 1971 for alleged involvement in an insurrection led by Marxists, and was arrested eight years later for organizing a public protest.

After joining mainstream politics, he was offered the post of prime minister by Rajapaksa's predecessor but he declined it.

Few would have believed that Sirisena would now be so close to toppling a president who had basked in popularity after winning the war and skillfully kept his opponents at bay.

Sarath Fonseka, the general who led the military to victory, was sentenced to prison after challenging Rajapaksa in a 2010 election, while a chief justice was impeached after she ruled against a Rajapaksa government poverty alleviation bill.

Rajapaksa had also benefited from the disunity of opposition parties, which have now united behind his rival.

"Today 48 political parties and organizations have united as a common coalition regardless of party policies, ethnicity and religion to defeat Rajapaksa's corrupt regime," Sirisena said.

The post Friend Turned Foe: The Challenger for Sri Lanka's Presidency appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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