The Irrawaddy Magazine

---

• Govt Scholarship Awardees Attend Farewell Ceremony in Rangoon
• Civilian Shot Dead in Clash With Soldier in Kachin State
• Central Bank Fires Warning Shot on USD Pricing
• Burma’s Military Chief Says Armed Forces Will Respect Vote
• Generals Appointed to Head Defense, Border Affairs Ministries
• NLD, 88 Generation Announce Election Partnership Despite Candidate Row
• Ethnic Leaders Sharpen Strategy Ahead of Thein Sein Meeting
• The Real Test for Peace Has Yet to Come
• Rohingya MP Shwe Maung Plans to Appeal Election Ban
• Thai Locals Incensed over Krabi Coal Power Plan
• Protests Over Draft Nepal Charter Turn Violent, Nine Dead
• Bangladesh Charges 10 for Allegedly Beating Boy to Death  
• The Angry River: A Journey Along Burma’s Pristine Salween

Govt Scholarship Awardees Attend Farewell Ceremony in Rangoon Posted: 25 Aug 2015 07:03 AM PDT Burmese youth attend a town hall style meeting with US President Barack Obama at Rangoon University in November, 2014. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A farewell ceremony for successful applicants to a government-backed study abroad program was held at the Sule Shangri-La hotel in Rangoon on Monday evening. In July 2014, the Burmese government announced it would offer scholarships for outstanding students wishing to study undergraduate and postgraduate courses abroad. Shwe Taung Group of companies, which has business interests in real estate, construction and engineering, is covering the airfare costs of the first batch of students selected for the program, called the President's Scholarship Awards. Thurein Zwe, a successful applicant who attended the gathering on Monday, said fellow awardees were drawn from across the country and were required to have at least an O-level standard of English—an internationally recognized qualification. Forty-eight students were selected by the program's board members. According to a full-page announcement in state-run media last year, students of all ages were invited to apply for the program, with those holding an honor's degree or postgraduate diploma able to apply for a master's degree scholarship, and those with a master's degree able to apply for a doctorate degree. Students who receive a scholarship are obliged to work in government jobs after their return for twice the duration of their scholarship, or repay triple the amount they received for their scholarship, according to the announcement by the Ministry of Education on July 29 last year. One originally successful candidate, Burmese model Zune Thinzar, had her invitation apparently rescinded after her inclusion sparked a storm of online criticism. "I don't know where the event took place," she told The Irrawaddy regarding Monday night's event. "I am still waiting on their consideration. [But] I think I was left off their list." Zune Thinzar also criticized the fact that successful applicants were forced to work in governmental positions upon their return to Burma. Students will study abroad from December this year in countries including Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. "After studying at international-standard schools, please come back to [Burma] to develop the country," said Aike Tun, chairman of Shwe Taung Group, in a speech on Monday evening.     The post Govt Scholarship Awardees Attend Farewell Ceremony in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Civilian Shot Dead in Clash With Soldier in Kachin State Posted: 25 Aug 2015 06:40 AM PDT The purported crime scene near Nentein village on the Mogaung-Hpakant road. (Photo: Facebook / Yoe Lay) RANGOON — A civilian was fatally shot in an altercation with a soldier near Nentein village on the road linking Mogaung and Hpakant in Kachin State over the weekend. Burma Army personnel providing security on the road were directing vehicles in an attempt to alleviate traffic congestion along the route on Saturday afternoon when the victim attempted to bypass the queuing vehicles, provoking a confrontation between the man and a soldier on duty. According to a police officer from Lone Khin police station, the driver was killed when the soldier drew his firearm, which unintentionally discharged. "We have filed a case against the soldier with the charge of negligent homicide. And now we are investigating the drivers and military men who were present at the scene," the police officer told The Irrawaddy on condition of anonymity. Lwin Maung Maung, a relative of the 22-year-old victim Yadanar Tun, said other drivers who witnessed the incident told him that the soldier was a lance corporal from No. 421 Light Infantry Battalion who first punched the victim. When the victim attempted to fight back, the lance corporal shot him, Lwin Maung Maung said witnesses told him. "I heard that police are still holding in custody a driver and a bus conductor who witnessed the crime for fear that the information might leak out," Lwin Maung Maung told The Irrawaddy. A funeral service for the victim was held on Monday. Lwin Maung Maung also claimed that police seized mobile phones from passersby who had taken photos or video of the crime scene. A truck driver who plies the Mogaung-Hpakant road questioned the soldier's conduct in firing a fatal shot at an unarmed civilian. "It was a fight between a civilian and a soldier, and [the soldier] should not have taken it that far," he told The Irrawaddy on condition of anonymity. "There are many parts of the body that can be shot—arms and thighs can be shot. They [such gunshot wounds] can be treated." The post Civilian Shot Dead in Clash With Soldier in Kachin State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Central Bank Fires Warning Shot on USD Pricing Posted: 25 Aug 2015 06:17 AM PDT A woman counts US dollars at a money changer in Rangoon. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — As the kyat continues its eight-month slide against foreign currencies, the Central Bank of Myanmar will soon set down punishments against businesses charging in US dollars, according to official sources. In May, the Central Bank halved US dollar withdrawal limits and warned local businesses to cease pricing in the greenback. The admonition appears to have been unheeded by companies catering to foreign nationals, including numerous international schools, upscale restaurants and a swathe of hotel and tourism operators. In the last week, local franchises of the US-based ice cream restaurant Swensen's and Thailand's The Pizza Company began pricing their menus in US dollars. Win Thaw, deputy director general of the Central Bank's Foreign Exchange Management Department told local media this week that measures to prohibit the use of dollar transactions for local services would be announced before the end of the year. Dr Maung Maung Lay, vice chairman of Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said the Central Bank needed to intervene urgently to prevent the progressive dollarization of Burma's economy, which he said was exacerbating the kyat's fall in value. "Other countries practice this custom and so should we: the kyat should be the only currency we accept," he said. "The Central Bank has already announced that businesses dealing in foreign currency would have to accept kyats. This should already be in practice, but we have a weak enforcement environment." Central Bank officials refused to discuss details of what actions will be taken against businesses dealing in dollars. It is believed that senior figures within the bank have canvassed the introduction of fines for offending companies and other penalties for repeated non-compliance. Recent interventions into the local currency market by the Central Bank have had limited effect on the kyat's depreciation, which has been largely driven by a ballooning trade deficit. In turn, said Ministry of Commerce senior economist Dr Maung Aung, the flight into US dollars by worried locals was intensifying the kyat's volatility. "If government wants the value of the kyat to be stable, they will still have to address dollarization and local currency speculators," he told The Irrawaddy. Dr Aung Myat Kyaw, the chairman of the Union of Myanmar Travel Association, said that Burmese businesses were only trading in dollars because of uncertainty around the trajectory of the local currency. "We can accept kyats instead of the dollar but we need a stable kyat value in the market," he said. The kyat was trading at 1310 to the dollar on the streets of Rangoon last week, before stabilizing between 1280 and 1290 in the days since. The post Central Bank Fires Warning Shot on USD Pricing appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma’s Military Chief Says Armed Forces Will Respect Vote Posted: 25 Aug 2015 04:46 AM PDT Commander-in-chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, center, watches a presentation on the Solar Impulse 2, a solar-powered plane attempting a flight around the world, at Mandalay International Airport on March 20, 2015. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) NAYPYIDAW — Burma's powerful commander-in-chief has reiterated that the military will respect the outcome of the Nov. 8 general election, seen as a crucial test of the country's reform process. Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing said that the main concern of the armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, is that the vote is carried out fairly and that the result is respected by everyone—even if Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) wins a majority. "We wouldn't mind even if the NLD won in the next general election, as long as it is free and fair," he told members of Burma's Interim Press Council, a media support group, during a meeting on Monday. "The Tatmadaw's desire is to see the upcoming elections be held free and fair. We will approve and support the results announced by the Union Election Commission." Burma's recent elections have been plagued by military interference. In 1990 the NLD won in a landslide, but the vote was not recognized by the military. The 2010 ballot was widely seen as rigged and boycotted by the NLD. Burma's military ceded power to a quasi-civilian government in 2011, ending 49 years of military rule but the military still looms large in the country's political arena. A quarter of all of the country's parliamentary seats are reserved for unelected military officers. Changes to Burma's 2008 military-drafted Constitution require at least 75 percent of support from lawmakers, giving the military an effective veto power over changes to the charter. Efforts to lower this threshold of support failed in June. Min Aung Hlaing said that the military would step back from this position "at an appropriate time." "It will change accordingly when peace, stability and tranquility prevail in the country," he said. The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which contains a large number of former military officials, saw a major shake-up earlier this month when the party chairman, Shwe Mann, was dramatically ousted by President Thein Sein. Min Aung Hlaing declined to comment on the moves, saying they were internal party affairs, but did say political party rifts could be damaging for citizens. "To view it from an armed forces angle, it is not good for the country if there is a split in any major political party," he said. "It is the people who are normally affected by the impact, as our country has experienced in the past." The post Burma's Military Chief Says Armed Forces Will Respect Vote appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Generals Appointed to Head Defense, Border Affairs Ministries Posted: 25 Aug 2015 12:35 AM PDT Aung San Suu Kyi sits with ethnic minority leaders and members of the military at the Three Kings Monument in Naypyidaw on Wednesday. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Two senior Burma Army officials have been freshly appointed as Union ministers, the President's Office announced on Monday, the latest reassignment in the wake of a major political reshuffle leading up to a general election to be held on Nov. 8. Gen. Sein Win takes the role of Minister of Defense while Gen. Kyaw Swe has become the new Minister of Border Affairs by order of President Thein Sein, according to the announcement. Eight colonels have also been appointed to posts within the Ministry of Border Affairs in Chin, Kachin, Mon and Shan states as well as in Mandalay, Pegu, Rangoon and Sagaing divisions. In tandem with a recent purge of the leadership of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a number of senior positions have been reassigned as ministers vacated their positions to contest the forthcoming election. A total of 159 military officials recently applied to the USDP as candidates, with 59 them gaining the nomination. Among those to win the party nod was Gen. Soe Win, former head of peace negotiations between the government and Burma's ethnic armed groups. The post Generals Appointed to Head Defense, Border Affairs Ministries appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NLD, 88 Generation Announce Election Partnership Despite Candidate Row Posted: 25 Aug 2015 12:25 AM PDT Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi sits beside her doctor, Tin Myo Win, at the 2014 wedding reception for activist Ko Ko Gyi (pictured behind Tin Myo Win) in Rangoon. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON—Burma's National League for Democracy (NLD) and the country's popular 88 Generation activist group have announced they will collaborate to monitor the Nov. 8 election, in order to ensure accurate voter lists and prevent electoral fraud. The joint statement, released on Monday, follows the NLD's rejection of most candidate submitted by the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society to contest the election under the opposition party's banner. The groups said that their cooperation would also extend to future constitutional amendment campaigns and the building of a democratic federal union in partnership with the country's ethnic minorities. The statementalso urged eligible voters to ensure their names were included on voter lists prepared by the Union Election Commission. The two groups collaborated last year on a petition drive urging the Union Parliament to reform several provisions in Burma's 2008 Constitution, including articles that barred NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi from the presidency and guaranteed a 25 percent allocation of parliamentary seats to the military. The petition campaign eventually attracted over five million signatures, around 10 percent of the country's population. Earlier this year, 17 members of the 88 Generation group submitted applications for candidacy with the NLD. Only one of the nominees was chosen, while the opposition became the target of heated criticism for excluding a number of other prominent candidates and ignoring the wishes of numerous township NLD offices. "We are choosing the most suitable MPs for the country. Everyone has the right to apply as candidates but the [central executive] committee needs to choose the best people," party spokesman Nyan Win told Reuters at the time. Ko Ko Gyi, one of the 88 Generation's leaders and one of the most prominent exclusions from the NLD's candidate list, told The Irrawaddy on Aug. 7 that he would set up his own political party to compete in future elections.   The post NLD, 88 Generation Announce Election Partnership Despite Candidate Row appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ethnic Leaders Sharpen Strategy Ahead of Thein Sein Meeting Posted: 25 Aug 2015 12:14 AM PDT Ethnic representatives during the 7th round of official talks on a nationwide ceasefire with government negotiators, Rangoon, March 2015. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — A meeting of ethnic armed groups concluded in northern Thailand on Monday with a pledge to work together to sign an all-inclusive nationwide ceasefire accord ahead of an upcoming meeting with President Thein Sein. At the four-day meeting of the ethnics' Senior Delegation which began on Friday in Chiang Mai, ethnic leaders agreed in principle to ensure an all-inclusive nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) and also discussed obtaining political and military guarantees from the government for those armed groups thus far excluded from the prospective pact. The leaders of five major ethnic armed groups—the Karen National Union (KNU), the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and the Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N)—together with three Senior Delegation leaders, are scheduled to meet President Thein Sein in the coming days, although no date is yet fixed. Padoh Kwe Htoo Win, secretary of the KNU, told reporters on Monday evening that the delegation would stand up for the interests of all ethnic armed groups in their meeting with the president. "We have different options in negotiating with the government and [working] to integrate all of our allies," Padoh Kwe Htoo Win said. But with no date set for the high-level meeting, Hla Maung Shwe of the government-affiliated Myanmar Peace Center said it was not certain whether Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing would be able to take part, as previously pledged. The government was still awaiting confirmation of a proposed meeting date from ethnic leaders, Hla Maung Shwe told The Irrawaddy. If the meeting, which was tentatively scheduled for a day between August 25-28, did not transpire before the end of the month, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing would be unlikely to attend due to planned foreign trips, Hla Maung Shwe said. "If they could meet the commander-in-chief, then discussions on military affairs could be covered too," he said. During the ethnic armed groups' four-day dialogue, there was heated debate over how best to integrate ethnic armed groups that the government has baulked on including as NCA signees. These include three groups engaged in conflict with government forces—the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA)—and three groups not designated armed combatants—the Lahu Democratic Union, the Wa National Organization and the Arakan National Council. Ethnic leaders canvassed various approaches to addressing the issue including insisting all groups sign the NCA simultaneously; obtaining military and political guarantees from the government regarding excluded armed groups; or facilitating the conclusion of bilateral ceasefires between excluded groups and the government, according to Tar Aik Phone of the TNLA. Tar Aik Phone said the Ta'ang armed group had requested that ethnic leaders negotiate for the three major excluded armed groups to settle bilateral ceasefire agreements with the government. The government and the military have reportedly expressed willingness to conclude a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the TNLA, but not with the MNDAA or the AA. Representatives of the Kokang MNDAA, who joined the latest ethnic summit, said the group had tried to take part in the ceasefire process and, to that end, had even announced a unilateral ceasefire with the government in June that went unheeded. Peng Win Naing, a Lt-Colonel with the MNDAA, said "we will try our best" to be included in the final peace agreement, under the leadership of the ethnics' United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC). "We believe UNFC leaders will not leave us behind," he said. "But if the government army wages further offensives against us, and if there is no other way, we will have to defend [ourselves] until the last man."   The post Ethnic Leaders Sharpen Strategy Ahead of Thein Sein Meeting appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The Real Test for Peace Has Yet to Come Posted: 25 Aug 2015 12:04 AM PDT Ethnic leaders and government negotiators commit to a draft Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement at the Myanmar Peace Center in Rangoon on March 31, 2015. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) As the prospect for Burma's Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) looms large, the question of what will happen in the aftermath of an accord has become ever more important. The ethnic negotiating bloc, known as the Senior Delegation, is set to meet with high-level government officials and the Commander-in-Chief of the Burma Army, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, this week in Naypyidaw. The meeting will mark their final effort to conclude the deal with the government on the signing of the NCA. During the last meeting between the government's Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) and the Senior Delegation from Aug. 6 to 7, both sides accepted the text of the NCA. In preparation for the upcoming meeting, members of the Senior Delegation have convened in Chiang Mai over the past few days. The government's insistence on excluding six ethnic armed groups from the pact—the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA),Wa National Organization (WNO), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU) and the Arakan National Council ( ANC)—appears to be the only remaining hurdle. A recent joint statement of four ethnic armed groups, including the powerful Karen National Union (KNU) and Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), indicate their readiness to sign the NCA. Similarly, some five ethnic armed groups—the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), Chin National Front (CNF) and the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF)—have expressed their willingness to sign the NCA upon the condition that the army would not put military pressure on other groups that are unable to sign the pact. Observers close to the process say an agreement could be reached as early as the first week of September. If this prediction is correct, Burma will have achieved an unprecedented nationwide treaty for the first time in modern history, potentially ending a conflict that has raged since the country's independence from British colonial rule in 1948. But that's only the first step, which paves the way for what will likely be a long and trying process of national reconciliation. The NCA in its current form emphasizes the importance of political dialogue, a framework for which must be established within 60 days of signing the accord. No more than 90 days after signing the pact, the dialogue must commence. This dialogue should be geared toward establishing a federal union whereby ethnic groups have some political autonomy and rights over resources. This dialogue must be acceptable to all stakeholders and ensure that discussion reflects and espouses the true desires of the people. It is crucial that a common framework for political dialogue that is acceptable to all stakeholders be in place before the dialogue begins. Since May 2015, an informal consultation process that involves discussion with a number of key stakeholders including political parties, ethnic armed groups and the government, has overviewed five frameworks for political dialogues that were developed by those key stakeholders. From these five frameworks and close consultation with stakeholders, a potential dialogue program that would require 13 sessions to tackle issues including decision making formulas, public consultation, community transmission and implementation of outcomes, such as amendments to the Constitution or existing laws has emerged. Al five proposed dialogue frameworks have a lot in common. The key to finding an acceptable framework will be determining the number of principal stakeholders and their proportion to participants at the Union decision-making level, which will ultimately accept or reject proposals from state and divisional consultants to become the provisions of the national accord. Chiang Mai-based Ethnic Nationalities Affairs Center (ENAC) has also recently organized a multi- stakeholder's discussion on establishing the appropriate framework for political dialogue. The NCA is almost in sight, but that's not the end of the road. The next big step is determining this framework, which will form the political discussion that has been at the heart of the entire peace process. If this dialogue fails, the whole process is at stake. Burma's tragic history of conflict must not be repeated. The real battle—for national reconciliation—is only about to begin. Sai Oo works with the Pyidaungsu Institute. Opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily represent the Institute. The post The Real Test for Peace Has Yet to Come appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rohingya MP Shwe Maung Plans to Appeal Election Ban Posted: 24 Aug 2015 11:27 PM PDT Shwe Maung, a Rohingya lawmaker who has been blocked from contesting the 2015 general election by the Union Election Commission. (Photo: Shwe Maung / Facebook) RANGOON — A Rohingya member of the Union Parliament barred from contesting Nov. 8 elections on the basis that his parents were not Burmese citizens at the time of his birth said on Monday he would appeal the decision and hoped to stand in the vote. The move to deny Shwe Maung, an MP from the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a chance to run despite being a serving member of government raises concerns about the disenfranchisement of the Rohingya Muslim minority. Most of Burma's 1.1 million Rohingya, an ethnic minority living in the country’s western Arakan State, are stateless and live in apartheid-like conditions. Almost 140,000 were displaced in deadly clashes in Arakan in 2012. Shwe Maung, who planned to run as an independent after not being nominated by the USDP, said that he was informed by state officials on Saturday that his application had been turned down. “It’s ridiculous for me,” Shwe Maung said. “I was elected in 2010. Now I’m working.” According to Shwe Maung, both of his parents were citizens prior to his birth in 1965 and his father served as a member of the Burma Police Force. Arakan State election officials could not be reached for comment on Monday. Shwe Maung has represented the majority-Muslim Buthidaung constituency located in northern Arakan State near the country’s border with Bangladesh since being elected as an MP in 2010. Since 2012, when violence swept across Arakan, he has been an outspoken advocate for the Rohingya and called for greater citizenship rights for the group. Even if he is able to stand in November’s election—seen as a test of the country’s reforms process—he faces an uphill battle for re-election. Many of the people who voted for Shwe Maung in 2010 held temporary citizenship documents, more commonly known as white cards. But the white cards were nullified by President Thein Sein under pressure from hardline Buddhists in February. The majority of white card holders were Rohingya. Some former white card holders have been offered new citizenship documents. But earlier this month, Yanghee Lee, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Burma, said that she was informed by the country’s election commission chair that those who received these new documents would be banned from the vote. Lee said that the decision was of “serious concern”. The post Rohingya MP Shwe Maung Plans to Appeal Election Ban appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thai Locals Incensed over Krabi Coal Power Plan Posted: 24 Aug 2015 11:16 PM PDT A community protest against the Krabi coal project in southern Thailand. (Photo: Save Andaman from Coal / Facebook) Many residents of Krabi, a popular tourism province in southern Thailand, are opposing the government’s plan to build a coal plant close to their homes. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), an electric power transmission and generation authority owned by the Thai Ministry of Energy, proposed in early 2014 to build a coal-fired power plant with a capacity of 870 megawatts in Krabi and the construction of a coal seaport in nearby Nuea Khlong. The construction is part of the government’s Power Development Plan 2010 to boost the country’s power supply. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has warned that Thai citizens might have to bear higher electricity costs if the plan is not realized. Krabi residents have expressed concern about the possible detrimental impact of the plant to the local environment. They pointed out that the shipment of a large amount of coal and the construction of a massive port could harm the coastal area of Krabi, which is a protected biodiversity site. Residents are also worried that the coal plant could also harm the health of the local population. Groups opposed to the project have claimed that the public hearing conducted by the project’s backers covered only a small number of people, and one villager said that the community was not properly consulted about the project. "We did not know that there was even a public hearing though the power plant was to be constructed behind my backyard," he said. "For the second public hearing, they just cancelled the event when more and more people came. During the third public hearing, there were as many as 500 police officers there [and] the event was postponed." According to the regulations of Thailand's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, any power plant project slated for more than 100 megawatts of capacity must first be subjected to an Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) before it is granted a government license. The EHIA has not yet been issued. Last August 5, a letter was signed by 42 organizations and 52 individuals asking the government to scrap the project. They told authorities that the region’s energy security was stable and even registered a surplus in power supply. A version of this article was originally published on Global Voices Online as 'Why Does the Thai Government Want to Destroy Krabi with Coal Power Plant?'   The post Thai Locals Incensed over Krabi Coal Power Plan appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Protests Over Draft Nepal Charter Turn Violent, Nine Dead Posted: 24 Aug 2015 11:10 PM PDT A protester chants slogans from a police vehicle while detained by Nepalese police during a protest against the draft of the new constitution, in Kathmandu, Nepal August 16, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) KATHMANDU — At least nine people were killed in Nepal on Monday when demonstrators attacked police with spears, knives, axes and scythes during a protest against proposals for administrative reform in the Himalayan country. One police officer died when protesters surrounded him and set him ablaze, Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam told parliament. A district official gave the death toll as nine, but media reports said as many as 20 people—most of them police—may have died. State television reported that the army was mobilized to quell the protests in the low-lying far west of the country close to the border with India. Thousands of people were protesting in the town of Tikapur against a government-backed plan to include their area in a hilly province, part of a regional overhaul envisaged in a new federal constitution expected to be finalized this month. The protesters, mainly from ethnic Tharu community, are demanding a separate province comprising eight districts in the southwestern plains for themselves. The government and major political parties hope that the new constitution, which divides the nation into seven federal states, will boost economic development in Nepal, which is still reeling from two devastating earthquakes that killed 8,900 people this year. But different ethnic groups have been protesting against the plan and demanding regional autonomy. Four demonstrators have died in the past two weeks in violent protests across Nepal. Raj Kumar Shrestha, chief administrator of Kailali district that includes Tikapur, said protesters had defied a curfew and had begun vandalizing government buildings. Shrestha declined to elaborate, but told state television separately that the protesters had attacked the police with an array of sharp-edged weapons. He said nine dead comprised six police and three protesters had been killed. Kailali is a district in Nepal's far western region, some 430 km (270 miles) southwest of Kathmandu. At least 53 people were killed in similar protests in Nepal eight years ago, in the worst violence that followed the end of a civil war in 2006.   The post Protests Over Draft Nepal Charter Turn Violent, Nine Dead appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bangladesh Charges 10 for Allegedly Beating Boy to Death   Posted: 24 Aug 2015 11:00 PM PDT Residents of the Bangladeshi city of Sylhet in June 2012. (Photo: Andrew Biraj / Reuters) DHAKA — A magistrate in northeastern Bangladesh accepted charges against 10 men and issued arrest warrants for three alleged fugitives Monday in the beating death of a 13-year-old boy that stunned a nation used to violent crime because a video of him being tortured was posted online. Magistrate Shahedul Karim decided to accept the police charges and fixed Aug. 31 for the next hearing, prosecution counsel Misbahuddin Siraj said. More hearings will be needed before the accused are formally indicted and the final phase of the trial can begin, Siraj said. The boy, Samiul Islam Rajon, died of internal bleeding after being attacked in the northeastern city of Sylhet. The attackers allegedly were punishing him for stealing a bicycle, an allegation his family and police say is unfounded. The alleged fugitives include the main suspect, Kamrul Islam, who has been detained in Saudi Arabia and is awaiting repatriation. Ten men are behind bars after being arrested with the help of local residents, who were said to have caught some of the attackers when they tried to dump the body. Some of the accused men said they were innocent. The charges include murder or helping the alleged attackers. Defendants convicted of murder could face the death penalty. Siraj said the magistrate at Monday’s hearing also asked the authorities to confiscate property of the fugitives. The chilling, 28-minute video went viral online, triggering protests in the South Asian country, where such incidents are not rare. His body bore at least 64 injury marks, according to an autopsy report. In the cellphone video, the boy is heard screaming in pain and pleading with his attackers: “Don’t beat me, please, will die, will die.” The attackers laughed at the boy when he asked for water. Like many poor children in Bangladesh, Rajon was forced to leave school to work to help his family, in his case selling vegetables. The post Bangladesh Charges 10 for Allegedly Beating Boy to Death   appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The Angry River: A Journey Along Burma’s Pristine Salween Posted: 24 Aug 2015 05:00 PM PDT Click to view slideshow. EASTERN BURMA — In April 2015, photographer Patrick Brown returned to the lower part of the Salween or Thanlwin River. One of Asia's great rivers, the Salween presents a placid face as it passes through Hpa-an, the capital of Kayin (Karen) State, close to the end of its 1,750-mile journey from the Tibetan Plateau to the Andaman Sea at Mon State. In China, where the river's epic travels begin, it is called the Nu River, or Angry River. As it races through narrow gorges etched from mountains as high as 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), the Nu is often turbulent and terrifying. "Our personal confrontations with the river defy description. Phrases like 'gigantic waves' and 'bottomless holes' do not do justice to the Angry River and its demonic forces," wrote a member of an  American white-water rafting team which explored 80 miles of the river's length from Gongshan town to below Fugong town in an expedition in Yunnan Province in 1996. The Nu passes through territory that is home to the Lisu, Nu, Bai and many other ethnic people. At the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, a World Heritage Site, it runs close to the upper Yangtze and the Lancang (Mekong) rivers in a region of forests, outstanding biodiversity and dramatic topography. It enters Myanmar in northeastern Shan State where it becomes the Salween-Thanlwin and cuts through regions where, for decades, wars as well as steep forested mountain terrain have made it virtually inaccessible to outsiders. Brown captured a rare image of the river moving through a deep gorge in a remote part of Shan State on an earlier trip. For about 120 miles the Salween-Thanlwin forms the border with Thailand before it re-enters Myanmar through Kayah and Kayin states, until  it eventually moves out of its deep gorge into agricultural flatlands and the final stage in Mon State of its long journey. The Nu-Salween-Thanlwin ran free until the 1990s when China built two relatively small dams near the Nu's headwaters in Tibet. Plans for a series of large dams farther down were later suspended and their future is unclear. Plans have also come and gone for hydropower dams on the Salween-Thanlwin. The latest proposed project, the massive 241-meter Mongton dam in southern Shan State, is opposed by Shan, Kayin and other civil society groups who are concerned about the project's potential impact on people, the environment and the country's fragile peace process. This article originally appeared in the July 2015 issue of The Irrawaddy magazine. The post The Angry River: A Journey Along Burma's Pristine Salween appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

You are subscribed to email updates from The Irrawaddy To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

National News

---

• ‘Barometer’ survey paints a complex political picture
• NLD, 88 Generation smooth over election rift
• House Speaker gets warm homecoming on Pyu visit
• Many big-name Bagan hotels left off encroachment list
• Chin government seeks K20 billion to repair flood damage
• Amid the flooding, a young life saved

‘Barometer’ survey paints a complex political picture Posted: 24 Aug 2015 08:44 PM PDT Politically conservative, unwilling to discuss voting plans and more interested in economic progress than democracy: That's the picture of Myanmar painted by a major political study featuring in-depth interviews with more than 1500 people across the country.

NLD, 88 Generation smooth over election rift Posted: 24 Aug 2015 08:41 PM PDT The National League for Democracy and the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society have pledged to work together through the election period and after, with the constitutional amendment still a major focus.

House Speaker gets warm homecoming on Pyu visit Posted: 24 Aug 2015 08:37 PM PDT Thura U Shwe Mann sizes up the electoral competition in the constituency he plans to contest in November.

Many big-name Bagan hotels left off encroachment list Posted: 24 Aug 2015 08:27 PM PDT The government has named 11 buildings in Bagan that are facing charges for flouting cultural laws but the list contains none of the well-known luxury hotels whose construction has violated the same regulations.

Chin government seeks K20 billion to repair flood damage Posted: 24 Aug 2015 08:25 PM PDT The Chin State government has asked Nay Pyi Taw for more than K20 billion to repair damage from recent flooding.

Amid the flooding, a young life saved Posted: 24 Aug 2015 07:52 PM PDT Not yet a year old, Ma Hnin Pa Lae is so severely malnourished she weighs less than one-third of what a healthy baby her age should weigh.

You are subscribed to email updates from National News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

The Irrawaddy Magazine

---

• Civil Society Groups to Cooperate on Flood Rehabilitation Efforts
• Arrest Warrants Issued for Alleged NLD Billboard Vandals
• Rohingya MP and Mandalay Doctor Barred From Contesting November Election
• Rangoon Property Market Goes Cold Ahead of November Poll
• Election Commission Postpones Voter List Review
• Fishing Curbs Pledged for Mandalay Lake
• Rights Activist Andy Hall Indicted for Defamation in Bangkok
• As Election Nears, Survey Offers Insight Into Voters’ Views
• Taung Pyone Readies for Annual Nat Festival
• Turmoil at the Top Prompts Business Uncertainty
• Thai Police Fear Bangkok Bombing Suspect May Have Fled
• As North, South Korea Hold Marathon Crisis Talks, Seoul Talks Tough
• Malaysia Finds 24 More Bodies of Human Trafficking Victims
• Displaced Families Face Hardship in Kachin ‘Model Village’
• Fukuyama’s Flawed Take on Burma

Civil Society Groups to Cooperate on Flood Rehabilitation Efforts Posted: 24 Aug 2015 05:50 AM PDT Flood victims wait at their home in Zalun Township, Irrawaddy Division on Aug. 6 (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON—Around 50 organizations involved in relief efforts in flood-stricken parts of Burma have agreed to coordinate their efforts toward flood rehabilitation programs in the coming months, according to attendees of a conference held in Sittwe over the weekend. Dr. Kyaw Thu, director of the Paung Ku consortium of civil society groups, told The Irrawaddy that conference attendees wanted to build on emergency response and information sharing networks developed during the crisis to help villagers in future recovery efforts. Wunlark Foundation director Khaing Kaung San said that organizations involved in flood relief saw a need for civil society to assist in rehabilitation plans, as the Burmese government did not have the resources to prepare a long-term flood response on its own. "We don't want to depend on the government's resettlement plan, and the rehabilitation period will be more difficult than emergency response, this is why we're trying to organize," he told The Irrawaddy. He added that plans to merge and coordinate civil society rehabilitation efforts were likely to be finalized by the end of August. According to government statistics, by Monday the floods had affected more than 1.6 million people across 12 states and divisions. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on Friday that nearly 1 million acres of farmland had been damaged since the floods began, with nearly 400,000 households displaced by the deluge. PanDeikTun, who attended the Sittwe conference as a member of the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society, said that the local organizations represented would work to coordinate their rehabilitation efforts with international non-government organizations. The post Civil Society Groups to Cooperate on Flood Rehabilitation Efforts appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Arrest Warrants Issued for Alleged NLD Billboard Vandals Posted: 24 Aug 2015 05:37 AM PDT A defaced National League for Democracy (NLD) party billboardis picturedin Nansang Township, Shan State. (Photo: Facebook / U Nay Zaw) RANGOON — A court in Shan State has issued arrest warrantsfor members of a local militia who allegedly destroyed party signboards and flags of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD). Five members, including a liaison officer, of the government-aligned Matkyanmilitant group were issued arrest warrants late last week, according to a senior legal officer from the NansangTownship court who spoke to The Irrawaddy on condition of anonymity,citingthe sensitivity of the case. "The court issued the arrest warrant on Friday for five members," he said. Nay ZawNaing, a central committee member of the local NLD branch, told The Irrawaddy that partybillboards and banners were destroyed last month at 28 NLD offices in Nansang and MongNai townships. He said the party had learned that the warrantswere forwarded to the Burma Army's Eastern Central Command, seekingmilitary assistance in apprehending the men,given their ties to the local armed group. "The local police station informed us that we will learn the progress [whether the suspects have been arrested] of the case on Sept. 2, as the police will have to report back to the court on the case," he added. Authorities at the Nangsang police station could not be reached for comment on Monday. Four suspects from the militia group were briefly detained on July 21, the same night of the vandalism, after police said they caught the men destroying the NLDmaterials. The men subsequently admitted their affiliation with the Matkyanmilitia during an interrogation by police, township elders and NLD members. "They were brought to court the next day. The court transferred the case to the police but they released them as it was not a police case," said Nay ZawNaing, explaining that police were reluctant to pursue prosecution because of the men's links toMatkyan. "They didn't appearatthe next court hearing on July 29 and are still at large," he added."That's why they have had warrants issued." The Matkyan militia is an offshoot of the Mong Tai Army—the former forces of the infamous warlord KhunSa, who was dubbed an "opium king" by the Western press for his involvement in the global narcotics trade. After splitting from the Shan State Army-South, the 100-strong militia now operates under the control of the military's divisional command and Shan State Border Affairs Minister Col. Aung Thu, according to Taunggyi District NLD chairman Tin Maung Toe. "We think there is political motivation behind [the destruction of party paraphernalia]. They want to scare off the NLD supporters here," Nay ZawNaing said. With NLD chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi planning to visit Shan State early next month, he said local party branchleaders would seek her advice onnext courses of action if there is no progress in the case after the Sept. 2 court hearing. News of the warrants comes as political parties nationwide gear up for the official start of the general election's campaigning period on Sept. 8. The nationwide vote is slated for Nov. 8 and could be Burma's first free and fair election in 25 years, though intimidation tactics and violence are concerns in the high-stakes election year environment.   The post Arrest Warrants Issued for Alleged NLD Billboard Vandals appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rohingya MP and Mandalay Doctor Barred From Contesting November Election Posted: 24 Aug 2015 05:16 AM PDT Shwe Maung, the former Union Solidarity and Development Party MP who will run in Burma's November general election as an independent candidate. (Photo: Shwe Maung / Facebook) MANDALAY — Two prospective lawmakers—including a Rohingya Muslim man who has served in Burma's Parliament for the past five years—have been barred from competing in an upcoming election on the grounds that their parents are not citizens. Shwe Maung, who represents Arakan State's Buthidaung Township for the Lower House, and Dr. Win Myint, who planned to run for the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Mandalay's Chan Aye Thar San Township, both plan to appeal the district-level rejections to the Union Election Commission. Elected in 2010 as a member of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), Shwe Maung recently left the party and announced his candidacy as an independent. He is one of the few voices in Burma's Parliament to speak on behalf of the Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority residing in western Burma's Arakan State. Rejection of his bid to contest in the majority-Rohingya township was just the latest blow for the beleaguered group, which recently saw many of its members stripped of their right to vote in the midst of a protracted and oft-criticized citizenship verification process. Despite Shwe Maung's current position as a lawmaker, the commission reportedly turned him down on the grounds that his parents were not Burmese citizens, a claim that he maintained was untrue. Physician Win Myint, a candidate for the NLD, was similarly rejected on the grounds that his father was a Chinese national living in Burma with a foreign registration card. The nominee's lawyer told reporters, however, that his father had attained naturalized citizenship in 1976. "His father received the nationality [card] in accordance with the law. Dr. Win Myint himself is a Burmese national and has carried out his civic duty as a doctor; rejecting Dr. Win Myint is unfair and we will submit an appeal to the Union Election Commission," the lawyer said at a press briefing in Mandalay on Monday. Win Myint was present at the briefing but was unwilling to field questions from the media due to a recent request by NLD leadership that candidates abstain from talking to the press. The order was instated to prevent prospective candidates from making any disqualifying errors while the election board scrutinized candidate lists, according to a party spokesperson. Burma's upcoming general election, which will be widely viewed as a barometer of reforms initiated in 2011, are set to be held on Aug. 8. The pre-election period has already been tarnished by concerns of mass disenfranchisement and flawed voter lists, while recent flooding—believed to be the nation's worst in decades—has compromised voter outreach and capacity of local election commissions.   The post Rohingya MP and Mandalay Doctor Barred From Contesting November Election appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rangoon Property Market Goes Cold Ahead of November Poll Posted: 24 Aug 2015 05:03 AM PDT A worker is seen at a construction site for Shangri-La Residences in Rangoon, September 20, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — The property market in Burma's commercial capital has seen little in the way of recent sales or investment as developers await the results of the country's general election later this year, real estate agents told The Irrawaddy. Skyrocketing property prices in Rangoon peaked in 2013 with speculation rife and increasing demand for rental and commercial space far outstripping supply. Previous government initiatives rejigging property and land taxes failed to arrest the upward trend which saw average prices for properties on Rangoon's main roads reach highs of between 700,000 and one million kyat per square foot in 2013. However, in 2015, market demand has fallen—although prices remain high—with little new investment. "There is no one playing the real estate market and purchasing power is decreasing this year," said Moe Moe Aung, general secretary of the Myanmar Real Estate Association. Demand for high-end property in prime locations in Burma's biggest city, such as Bahan, Kamayut, Mayangone and Sanchaung townships, has seen a significant decline and landowners are adopting a wait-and-see approach as a crucial nationwide election nears in November, Moe Moe Aung said. "[Demand] for properties priced above one or two billion kyat is significantly down this year," she said. "Although the government reduced some sales taxes, demand is still going down." In April, the government lowered the property sales tax to: three percent on deals up to 100 million kyat; five percent on deals from 100 to 500 million kyat; 10 percent on deals from 500 to 1 billion kyat; 20 percent on deals from 1 billion to 1.5 billion kyat; and 30 percent on deals above 1.5 billion kyat. All taxes are payable to the buyer, according to the vice chairman of the Myanmar Real Estate Services Association, Than Oo, who quoted the above figures to The Irrawaddy. Sales are also subject to a stamp duty, set at 5 percent of price value in Rangoon, while sellers are subject to a flat 10 percent tax rate, he said. Zaw Zaw, senior manager of Unity Real Estate, noted that land prices had not fallen despite dropping demand and that investors were more interested in the gold market. "In the past, investors came into the real estate market when they heard rumors of political change in the country. But this time, they're just eyeing gold and the US dollar rather than the real estate market," he said. "As prices are still high, people are only interested in investing in small scale land in areas like North Dagon and South Dagon. Demand for high-end properties is quite cool," he added. Sai Khun Naung, managing director of Sai Khun Naung real estate agency, told The Irrawaddy earlier this year that if the government wanted to reduce land prices, they would have to expand Rangoon as more people flock to the commercial hub to do business. "People rely on [Rangoon] for their businesses, which is why people prefer to stay here. But there is a lack of new housing projects in [Rangoon]. This is a major reason why property prices are still going up," he said. Despite the current stagnant state of affairs, Moe Moe predicted the market would see an upturn following the November election. "I'm optimistic about that," she said.   The post Rangoon Property Market Goes Cold Ahead of November Poll appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Election Commission Postpones Voter List Review Posted: 24 Aug 2015 04:48 AM PDT A prospective voter searches for his name on voter lists prepared for the Yangon City Development Committee elections in December. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON— The Union Election Commission (UEC) has postponed a planned public review of voter lists that was due to commence on Sunday, claiming logistical difficulties posed by the country's recent flooding disaster. With 11 weeks left before November's landmark general election, UEC director Thein Oo told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the fortnight-long nationwide voter list display, originally scheduled between Aug. 23 and Sept. 6, will instead be held at some point later in September. "We postponed it because of recent flood crisis. Voters in flood-affected areas wouldn't be interested in checking their names on the list at the moment, and now is the time to focus on rehabilitation there," he said. Thein Oo said on Monday that an exact time for the voter list display had yet to be confirmed by the commission, but added that there would be avenues of appeal for eligible voters still omitted from the UEC's records, and that Burmese nationals living outside their township electorates would be given until Oct. 10 to register. "The voter lists which will be displayed this time have been revised with corrections submitted during preliminary voter list display periods. The voters can check again whether their information is correct or not. If not, they can apply to enroll again." The preliminary lists, released in four phases from March,were criticized by political parties and civil society groups, who said that the voter rosters were riddled with errors and risked potentially disenfranchising millions of people if left uncorrected. The opposition National League for Democracy claimed in June that 30-80 percent of voter list data in various Rangoon and Naypyidaw townships was inaccurate, prompting UEC chairman Tin Aye to admit that the preliminary lists contained "many errors". Sai Ye Kyaw Swar Myint, executive director of the People’s Alliance for Credible Elections (PACE) monitoring group, said his organization would observe the public display of voter lists in 110 townships across Burma. "We will monitor the process of the nationwide voter lists display and keep track of other important incidents, such as the closing of the sub-commission offices, threats, and insufficient complaint forms at the sub-commission offices through two weeks," he said, referring to a raft of complaints directed at the UEC during the publication of preliminary voter lists. Earlier in August, the UEC pushed back the deadline for the submission of candidate applications in response to floods that ravaged large swathes of northern and western Burma and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. Nearly 1.6 million people have been affected by landslides and the inundation of villages, and at least 110 people have died, according to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. The UEC's candidate scrutiny process has also been extended, with the commission's vetting of applications to contest the poll now expected to conclude on Aug. 31. The post Election Commission Postpones Voter List Review appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Fishing Curbs Pledged for Mandalay Lake Posted: 24 Aug 2015 03:37 AM PDT Fishermen cast their nets on Taungthaman Lake in Mandalay Division's Amarapura Township. (Photo: Hein Htet/The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Mandalay regional government will cease issuances of new commercial fishing licenses for Taungthaman Lake in a bid to conservethe body of water, which hosts Burma's iconic U Bein Bridge. Aung Maung, development affairs minister for Mandalay Division, announced the plan during the 13th regular session of the Mandalay divisionalparliament on Friday. "According to experts, Taungthaman Lake should be conserved as a freshwater lake for its beauty. So, we won't auction licenses to fish in the lake as of the coming fiscal year. We have also taken measures to prevent wastewater from flowing into the lake," said the minister. Amarapura Township'sTaungthaman Lake, which is spanned by the famed1,200-meter U Bein Bridge, has been used for commercial fishing since 1989.The Mandalay Division Fisheries Department and Mandalay City Development Committee are responsible for the auctioningof fishing licenses. Annually, an average of about 130,000 kilograms of fish is caught from Taungthaman Lake. Currently, tycoon Chit Khaing holds the sole commercial fishing license,a three-yearconcession that he secured with a bid of 500 million kyats (US$390,000) per year. The company hasset up fish breeding farmson the lake. "I am not complaining about it," Chit Khaing said. "Our fishing license has one year left. As fish are being bred in the lake, the ending of the auction will affect the market. I think they [the government]are trying to find a short-term solution for the problems of Taungthaman Lake." The decision comesless than four months after the Mandalay City Development Committee cracked down on factories in Mandalay's industrial zones that were dumping untreated wastewater into the lake. Meanwhile, plans to restore the aging U Bein Bridge were slated for this month, but high water levels on Taungthaman Lake have delayed the project, said Myint Kyu, the Mandalay Division finance minister, who is also responsible for heritage conservation in the region. At more than 150 years old, the teak bridge is a major tourist draw and is also heavily trafficked by locals.   The post Fishing Curbs Pledged for Mandalay Lake appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rights Activist Andy Hall Indicted for Defamation in Bangkok Posted: 24 Aug 2015 03:27 AM PDT British rights activist Andy Hall speaks to the media at the Prakanong Provincial Court in Bangkok last September. (Photo: Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters) RANGOON — Migrant rights activist Andy Hall has been formally indicted on charges of criminal defamation and computer crimes in Thailand, the latest chapter in a long-running legal saga that the 35-year-old British national has characterized as "judicial harassment". Bangkok South Criminal Court ruled on Monday that the charges could proceed against Hall, who faces a maximum seven-year sentence if convicted. "I'm disappointed but I will respect the court's decision," Hall told The Irrawaddy. "I'm going to fight the case, and the case will expose many wrongdoings by many different people…I'm confident that in the end I'll be served justice and be acquitted of all charges." Natural Fruit, a pineapple processing company based in the Bangkok municipality of Thonburi and exporting to European markets, filed civil and criminal defamation complaints against Hall in February 2013. Hall had been contracted to conduct research for a report by European corporate watchdog Finnwatch that documented low wages, the employment of underage workers and other labor abuses against the company's largely Burmese migrant workforce. Finnwatch executive director Sonja Vartiala, said in a press statement on Monday that the prospects of a fair trial for Hall were "looking grim", and noted that no-one had yet been held accountable for the unlawful labor practices at the Natural Fruit plant. "The Bangkok South Criminal Court had an opportunity to put an end to a saga of intimidation, already lasting 30-months, aimed at nothing but gagging a human rights defender," she said. "Regrettably the court chose instead to press on with a trial of these unfounded charges." Hall is facing three other charges relating to the Natural Fruit report, including a criminal defamation charge for a June 2013 interview with Al Jazeera in Rangoon, and corresponding civil defamation cases seeking a total of US$14 million in damages. The Prakanong Provincial Court dismissed the criminal defamation charge arising from the Al Jazeera interview in October 2014. An appeal against the ruling, lodged by the Thai Attorney General and Natural Fruit, is expected by the beginning of 2016. Hall confirmed on Monday that he would remain in Thailand to contest the allegations. "I fight on against judicial harassment to give voice to systematic migrant rights violations [and the] dire situation of rights activists in Thailand," he wrote on Twitter after the indictment was handed down. Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia Division, told The Irrawaddy that companies sourcing products from Thailand should ask the nation's leaders why a human rights activist was being prosecuted for drawing attention to labor abuses. "By prosecuting Andy Hall for his reporting on the exploitation of migrant workers, the Thai government has thrown its support behind a rights abusing company and revealed how little Bangkok cares about ending human trafficking or addressing cruel treatments meted out against migrants from Burma," said Robertson. "What's really in the dock today is Thailand's faltering commitment to tackle human rights violations in the supply chains of companies that export their products to Europe and North America." On Wednesday, representatives of 44 international labor and human rights organizations called on Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to ensure Hall's release from all charges and an end to the use of defamation and computer crimes prosecutions to punish rights activists. For the last year, Hall has worked to organize and raise funds for the defense of Burmese migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, the pair accused of murdering two British tourists on the southern island of Koh Tao in September 2014. It is expected that Hall will either be taken into pre-trial detention or given the opportunity to post bail when he next appears before the Bangkok South Criminal Court on Oct. 19. The post Rights Activist Andy Hall Indicted for Defamation in Bangkok appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

As Election Nears, Survey Offers Insight Into Voters’ Views Posted: 24 Aug 2015 02:43 AM PDT A woman casts her ballot at a polling station in Sittwe, Arakan State, during Burma's Nov. 7, 2010, general election. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Preliminary data released on Monday by an Asian research institution offer a window into the mindset of Burma's little-understood electorate just over two weeks ahead of the start of the Nov. 8 election's official campaign season. Much of the data confirm opinions that were long-assumed to be held among Burma's population of more than 51 million: A majority support democracy, greater autonomy for ethnic minorities and strengthening federalism, while distrust in the nation's judiciary and police force runs high; most people see land-grabbing as a serious issue, while "the economy" was viewed by 45 percent of respondents as the most serious problem facing the country; and a significant majority identify deeply with religion. Researchers deployed by the Taiwan-based Asian Barometer Survey polled 1,620 respondents across all 14 of Burma's states and divisions, taking a representative sample of the country at large and asking more than 200 questions on political, economic and social views. The survey results are not without surprises. Respondents were almost evenly split on whether the military should retain a role in politics, with 39 percent in favor and 40 percent against. A majority of respondents (57 percent) declined to respond when asked whether they supported constitutional amendments to two of the charter's most contentious provisions, articles 59(f) and 436. Article 59(f) bars popular opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from presidential eligibility, while Article 436 requires a vote of more than 75 percent to change the Constitution, granting the military an effective veto power. The survey recorded notable differences on some questions between ethnic minority respondents and those from the country's majority-Bamar population, including in opinions on empowering regional legislatures to select their state or divisional chief minister. A total of 64 percent of respondents supported the change from the current system of presidential appointment, but with 77 percent of ethnic minority respondents indicating that they favored the amendment, versus 60 percent of the country's ethnic Bamar majority. An effort to change the constitutional provision on chief ministers, backed vocally by ethnic minority lawmakers, failed to clear the 75 percent hurdle when it was put to a vote in Parliament in June. As expected, Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) was viewed as the party most likely to win respondents' future vote, though the numbers would appear to indicate a less dominant standing than the results of Burma's 2012 by-election would suggest. While noting that half of all respondents declined to express a party preference, 24 percent nationwide said they would vote NLD, compared with 16 percent who said they would choose the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). The NLD secured a landslide victory in Burma's April 2012 by-election, winning 43 of the 44 seats it contested. The survey gives reason for hope among the country's ethnic minority political parties, documenting notable differences in party preference in ethnic minority regions, where only 17 percent said they would vote NLD, compared with 25 percent who chose "other party." Interestingly, the findings indicate that 62 percent of the electorate nationwide feels no party affiliation at all, upping the stakes for a fast-approaching campaign season starting Sept. 8, when parliamentary aspirants from more than 90 political parties will vie for voters' favor. The survey offered a degree of statistical verification for a long-presumed desire to see opposition leader Suu Kyi as president: Asked to state their preferred president, 26 percent nationwide said Suu Kyi, compared with 16 percent who supported incumbent Thein Sein, though again those declining to answer (54 percent) leave plenty of room for interpretation. Asked the related question on removing Article 59(f), 36 percent spoke in favor, with 7 percent against and 57 percent declining to answer. Despite their preference for Suu Kyi, 80 percent of respondents said they were "very" or "somewhat" satisfied with Thein Sein's performance. Looking ahead to the Nov. 8 vote, one-third of respondents felt the 2015 poll would be "completely free and fair," while only 4 percent thought the opposite, with one-third declining to answer the question. While the survey broadly found reason for the NLD and other opposition parties to be optimistic about their electoral prospects, the ruling USDP may take comfort in some of its findings. The military and the president, both of which are closely affiliated with the USDP, were viewed as two of the country's most trusted institutions. Parliament, also stacked with USDP members, earned "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of trust from 43 percent of respondents in total. Asked whether economic development or democracy was more important, 53 percent said the former, compared with 30 percent who preferred the latter. Unlike the NLD, the ruling USDP can take credit for economic growth and a surge in foreign investment since the lifting of Western sanctions during its term of office. Unsurprisingly, only 5 percent of respondents said Burma had achieved "full democracy," with fully 73 percent saying democracy in Burma had minor or major problems, or was not a democracy at all. The wide-ranging survey will offer analytic fodder for Burma researchers across socioeconomic fields of study, but with less than three months until the historic general election, it is the politically weighty data that are likely to attract the most attention in the near term. The survey adds to a small but growing body of research into public attitudes in a country where reliable statistics are in short supply. Indicative of the dearth of information, it was not until the release of 2014 census data that Burma's long-cited population figure of 60 million was debunked, when it was revealed that just over 51.5 million people were residing in the country. Asian Barometer Survey worked with the Yangon School of Political Science to conduct the survey from January to March 2015. Its full results are due to be released later this year.   The post As Election Nears, Survey Offers Insight Into Voters' Views appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Taung Pyone Readies for Annual Nat Festival Posted: 24 Aug 2015 02:26 AM PDT Click to view slideshow. Despite flooding in some areas of Mandalay after heavy monsoonal rains in recent months, Taung Pyone village, located around 14 km north of the city, is gearing up to celebrate its annual nat (spirit) festival, the largest in the country. Dozens of glittering shrines dedicated to two slain brothers, known locally as Min Gyi and Min Lay, have been decked out to welcome worshippers for the week-long event which begins on Tuesday. Shops, restaurants and street stalls selling local delicacies and various trinkets line the village's main road which leads to the shrines dedicated to the brothers' and other spirits. "Most of the shops are now ready to welcome visitors, since they usually come some days ahead of the festival. Our village will receive thousands of visitors from across the country," said local tea-shop proprietor Mya Mya Aye. During the nat festival, widely known as Taung Pyone Pwe, the usually quiet village is filled with the sound of drums and music and the hum of chattering crowds. Dancers and devotees flock to the shrines and the scent of flowers, candles and incense fills the air. Taung Pyone Pwe is held in honor of the two brothers, who, as legend has it, would eventually achieve nat status after their execution at the hands of King Anawrahta. The main shrine to Min Gyi and Min Lay is in the center of the village. As the story goes, the doomed pair failed to fulfill their duty of each contributing a brick and a handful of sand to a wish-fulfilling pagoda and lost favor with the king. They are the most popular of the 37 nats deified by the Burmese. Children who live along the road to Taung Pyone are also planning to join in the revelry, with some help from generous festivalgoers. "We received about 30,000 kyat during the festival last year," said Aung San Hlaing, a 12-year-old boy from Taung Pyone. "We bought some snacks and candies. We hope we will have fun this year too. Sometimes we go near the nat shrine to dance with our friends. It is so much fun." Colorful makeshift bamboo huts and small shops have been set up around the normally deserted local train station, in the center of Taung Pyone, ready to greet worshippers traveling by train from Mandalay. The train leaves from Mandalay's Thaye Zay station, a popular tourist attraction about 1 km north of the city's ancient moat and the site of a buzzing bazaar. Usually crowded in the early morning until about 10 am, local vendors at the unique bazaar sell local produce on and along the railway track. As the whistle of an incoming train sounds, the vendors draw back their wares to make way. The cost of a ticket from Thaye Zay station to Taung Pyone is only 100 kyat, with trains leaving every 15 minutes to cover increased demand on the 30-45 minute route. "We always go to the festival to perform annual rituals and to receive blessings from Min Gyi and Min Lay. If we [didn't go], we would face bad omens," San Htay, a vegetable vendor at Thaye Zay station bazaar, told The Irrawaddy. Just a few kilometers north of the station, another interesting local tradition is on view during the festival—an earthenware toys fun fair. Locally produced and colorful, the clay toys draw particular interest from children. The fair is known locally as "Oh Bote Khoe Pwe," which refers to a curious tradition of stealing the earthenware goods on a day regarded as auspicious. The tradition started decades ago when children would steal the toys from vendors on one particular day during the Burmese month of Wakhaung. "Stealing is not good, however, it is a tradition to tease the vendors, just for fun" said Htay Htay Win of Mandalay, who accompanied her children to the annual fair. "The children should steal only one or two. The vendors happily shoo them away, sometimes running after the children to make fun." Although the earthenware items, which vary from kitchen utensils to animal figurines, piggy banks and Pyit Tine Htaung (a bottom-heavy, egg-shaped toy with a painted face that always stays upright), have been eclipsed in popularity by more modern toys in recent years, parents still bring their children to the fair to keep in touch with tradition. For their part, local vendors are unfazed at seeing their wares disappear if it brings happiness to the young, playacting thieves. "The stealing does not affect our business as the children, and even some adults, steal just a few toys for fun. We are happy with the tradition as we can share happiness with the children," said toy vendor Nyunt Wai. "We receive a lot of profit as many children nowadays ask their parents to buy these colorful toys for them. Some adults from other cities also buy the toys as souvenirs. They are not durable but children love to play with them and we are happy to see that," she added.   The post Taung Pyone Readies for Annual Nat Festival appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Turmoil at the Top Prompts Business Uncertainty Posted: 23 Aug 2015 11:22 PM PDT 06-09-12 Currency – PHOTO – Jpaing Burmese currency RANGOON — In Burma's business environment, where many prominent firms have close ties to officialdom, political developments at the top can have major ramifications for the economy. It remains to be seen how significantly the political turmoil that recently engulfed Burma's ruling party will play out in Burma's business sector. When Union Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann was ousted from the leadership of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, local businesses feared the potential economic fallout as the former chairman's two sons are part of a wide business network. Speculation was rife that the government might probe the Shwe Mann family's business empire, following junta-era strategies of the past in an attempt to discredit the embattled former general. Almost immediately, the rumors began to spread. There was speculation that the Ta Za-established Asia Green Development Bank would take a serious hit since Shwe Mann's eldest son Aung Thet Mann was a majority shareholder. Other companies, including Kanbawza (KBZ) Bank and Air Bagan, were also said to be heading for financial trouble because of their links to Shwe Mann. Such speculation gained traction after the government forced the closure of Cherry FM, a radio station run by Shwe Mann's daughter-in-law, shortly after the former chairman's removal, prompting theories of a government-led gag order on his family and allies. Shwe Mann's two sons are well-known businessmen in Burma. Aung Thet Mann is still on the US Treasury Department's blacklist from which Shwe Mann himself was only removed in September, 2012. Aung Thet Mann is the CEO of Ayer Shwe Wah which received lucrative government contracts to supply fertilizers to farmers throughout the delta. His brother Toe Naing Mann owns Red Link Communications. There are always economic implications after political turmoil, said Dr Soe Tun, the chairman of the Automobile Importers Association. "We've experienced this in the past, after reshuffles or a change in politics, businesses related to affected officials usually fall down," he said. A pertinent past example is the case of Burma's former prime minister and spy chief Khin Nyunt. Following his arrest in 2004, authorities moved in on his family's business operations, including Bagan Cybertech of which his son, Ye Naing Win, was chief executive officer. Khin Nyunt was subsequently accused of corruption. The general most vocally pressing that charge was the junta's then third most powerful figure, Shwe Mann. Khin Nyunt's actions "could have led to the disintegration of the Tatmadaw [Burma's armed forces] and posed extreme danger for the country," Shwe Mann was quoted as saying at the time. Dr Soe Tun said times have now changed and businesses involved in legal dealings should not be unfairly targeted due to their links to power. "Now the political situation has changed, it should be like it was in the past. If a company is in a good line of business, even if it is related to such [high-ranking] people, the government should not mete out the same treatment as before," he said. Provided firms pay regular taxes, create jobs and have a modicum of transparency, they should not be punished, Dr Soe Tun said. "Who knows who is behind some businesses? [Shwe Man's family] might be linked with many other businessmen. Our country's businesses are actually dependent on them in a way that is not [evident] in other countries," he added. Myat Thin Aung, chairman of Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone, said economic ramifications had always followed high-level political shifts in Burma, hitting not only the business sector but also the population at large. "People who are close to government or are relatives of officials have good opportunities in business. They have many business links to each other," he said. Sean Turnell, an Associate Professor in Economics at Sydney's Macquarie University, said firms with links to Shwe Mann would be anxious in the current climate. "Financial markets hate instability of any form, and of late [Burma's] has been at the serious end of concerns," he said. "I think it is not in as good shape as the government would have wanted. The wheels have fallen off rather and the reform narrative is looking decidedly ragged. Time for a reboot." Current economic anxieties in Burma come on the back of a weak kyat that has been in steady decline against the US dollar since May. Consequently, demand for the dollar has increased and the Myanmar Central Bank has been forced to lessen reliance on black market currency trading by selling US dollars to private exchange counters. Senior researcher Tin Maung Than of the Myanmar Development Resource Institute said Burma's economy was particularly vulnerable when shifts in the political landscape occurred. Good business conduct had yet to be established, he said. "There is no rule of law if there are no established [modes of] conduct and institutions. If there is no institutional governance… the economy will be impacted whenever political turmoil arises," he added. The post Turmoil at the Top Prompts Business Uncertainty appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thai Police Fear Bangkok Bombing Suspect May Have Fled Posted: 23 Aug 2015 10:06 PM PDT A digital billboard showing a sketch of the main suspect in last Monday’s attack on Erawan shrine in Bangkok. (Photo: Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters) BANGKOK — Despite new surveillance video that may offer a possible clue to the bombing in central Bangkok that killed 20 people, Thai police said Sunday that the perpetrators may have already fled the country, and that they will “need some luck” to catch them. Surveillance video leaked to Thai media shows a man in a blue shirt placing a bag on a riverside walkway, then kicking it into the water on Monday night shortly after the explosion several kilometers away at the downtown Erawan shrine. About 18 hours later, at 1 pm Tuesday, an explosion took place at the same spot near a busy pier, causing no casualties. Col. Winthai Suvaree, a spokesman for Thailand’s ruling junta, also said that closed circuit television showing the main bombing suspect was used to trace the route he took to and from the site of Monday evening’s rush-hour attack. He said that a police sketch of the suspect had been distributed to border posts. Police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri said he believes the perpetrator would have timed an escape carefully and “wouldn’t have much time to stay around.” “I suspect that he may have left, but we will keep searching, in case we can find others who may be in the country or find clues, evidence and witnesses who may have seen him,” he told Channel 3 TV network. Police have offered a reward that on Friday was raised to 3 million baht (US$85,000). On a police arrest warrant, the suspect is described as a “foreign man,” although a military spokesman said a connection to international terrorism seemed unlikely. Thailand’s police chief Somyot Poompanmoung said investigators would need some luck to catch those behind the attack. “I have to say we need some luck. If the police have good fortune, we might be able to make an arrest, but…if the perpetrator has good fortune maybe they can get away,” he told reporters Sunday after a ceremonial show of security strength meant in part to reassure the public over safety. Meanwhile, authorities have arrested two people for allegedly spreading “false information,” apparently in connection with the shrine bombing. A student who posted a bomb threat on Facebook was arrested in Ayutthaya on Saturday and was charged with a computer crime that is punishable by up to five years in jail and a fine of 100,000 baht ($2,800), Winthai said. He did not give details of the second arrest except to say it happened in Bangkok. Ayutthaya is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Bangkok. Winthai said the two people were arrested for spreading “false information causing confusion in society,” but did not say whether their posts were directly linked to the bombing. So far the operation to find who carried out the attack appears to have made little headway, with apparently contradictory statements coming from the military-backed government and the police. Theories abound as to who was responsible for the attack. They include ethnic Uighurs angry that Thailand repatriated to China more than 100 of their countrymen who had fled from there; Islamic separatists who have been carrying out an insurgency in southern Thailand for a decade; frustrated supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra angry at the military government that opposes his return to politics; and rival factions within the army contending for power.   The post Thai Police Fear Bangkok Bombing Suspect May Have Fled appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

As North, South Korea Hold Marathon Crisis Talks, Seoul Talks Tough Posted: 23 Aug 2015 09:55 PM PDT North Korean soldier films as British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond (obscured) visits the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, South Korea, August 11, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) SEOUL — South Korean President Park Geun-hye talked tough on Monday, demanding that North Korea apologize over a recent landmine incident, even as the bitter rivals held marathon negotiations in a bid to defuse tensions that have brought the peninsula to the brink of armed conflict. Park said anti-North propaganda broadcasts would continue unless Pyongyang took responsibility for landmine explosions early this month that wounded two South Korean soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two countries. North Korea denies it laid the mines. The incident has escalated into a crisis that saw both sides exchange artillery fire on Thursday and ramp up their military readiness. The United Nations, the United States and the North's lone major ally, China, have all called for calm. "We need a clear apology and measures to prevent a recurrence of these provocations and tense situations," Park told a meeting with her top aides, according to a statement released by her office. "Otherwise, this government will take appropriate steps and continue loudspeaker broadcasts." Seoul and Washington were reviewing the possibility of bringing in "strategic" US military assets, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said, without elaborating. During a standoff two years ago when the North threatened military action in response to joint exercises by US and South Korean forces, the United States flew stealth bombers over the peninsula and sent an aircraft carrier to the area. "Our position at this point is to deter the North's provocation," Kim told a news briefing. "But if they wage provocation, our response will be merciless and they will truly feel sorry." North Korea had deployed twice the usual artillery strength at the border and had around 50 submarines away from base, the South's defense ministry said. Marathon Talks North Korea's state media has also kept up its anti-South rhetoric as the inter-Korean talks continued at the Panmunjom truce village inside the DMZ. The negotiations began on Saturday evening, shortly after North Korea's deadline passed for Seoul to halt the anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts or face military action. They broke up before dawn on Sunday and restarted that afternoon. The delegates were "continuing talks for long hours in the midst of the critical situation" on the peninsula, Min Kyung-wook, a spokesman for South Korea's presidential Blue House, told reporters, without giving details. Yoo Ho-yeol, a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University in Seoul, said the unusually long session was a good sign. "They are not talking for the sake of a breakdown but for the sake of agreement. There must be a lot of fine-tuning and convincing between the two parties," Yoo said. Park's national security adviser, Kim Kwan-jin, and Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo are representing the South in the talks. Hwang Pyong So, the top military aide to the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, and Kim Yang Gon, a veteran North Korean official in inter-Korean affairs, are representing Pyongyang. Ties have been virtually frozen since the 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship, which Seoul has blamed on a North Korean submarine. Pyongyang denies responsibility. Days after the landmine incident, Seoul began its propaganda broadcasts in random three-hour bursts from 11 banks of loudspeakers, including news reports and K-pop music from the South, resuming a tactic both sides halted in 2004. The crisis escalated on Thursday when the North fired four shells into the South, according to Seoul, which responded with a barrage of 29 artillery rounds. North Korea declared a "quasi-state of war" in front-line areas and set an ultimatum for Seoul to halt its broadcasts. That deadline passed on Saturday without any reported incident. The United States, which has 28,500 soldiers based in South Korea, is conducting annual joint military exercises with the South. North Korea regularly condemns the maneuvers as a preparation for war. The post As North, South Korea Hold Marathon Crisis Talks, Seoul Talks Tough appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Malaysia Finds 24 More Bodies of Human Trafficking Victims Posted: 23 Aug 2015 09:31 PM PDT Malaysian police carry a coffin with unidentified remains of Rohingya people found at a traffickers camp in May, on June 22, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian police said on Sunday that they have found 24 more bodies of suspected human trafficking victims in jungles bordering Thailand. Authorities said in May that they had discovered 139 suspected graves in abandoned jungle camps in the northern Malaysian state of Perlis, a remote area bordering Thailand that trafficking syndicates were using as a transit point. Most of the victims were believed to be from Burma's persecuted Rohingya minority or impoverished migrants from Bangladesh. Police said in a brief statement on Sunday that 24 bodies were discovered this past week, in addition to 106 bodies found earlier. The bodies have been sent for autopsy, the statement said. No further details were available. The discoveries in northern Malaysia followed similar revelations earlier in May in Thailand, where police unearthed 36 bodies from shallow graves in seven abandoned camps on the Thai side of the border. The discoveries have exposed hidden networks of jungle camps run by human smugglers, who have for years held countless desperate people captive while extorting ransoms from their families. Most of the victims were part of a wave of people who fled their homelands to reach countries like Malaysia, where they hoped to find work or live freely. Human rights groups and activists say the area along the Thai-Malaysia border has been used for years to smuggle migrants and refugees, including Rohingya Muslims. In many cases, they pay human smugglers thousands of dollars for passage, but are instead held for weeks or months while traffickers extort more money from their families. Rights groups say some have been beaten to death, and The Associated Press has documented other cases in which people have been enslaved on fishing boats.     The post Malaysia Finds 24 More Bodies of Human Trafficking Victims appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Displaced Families Face Hardship in Kachin ‘Model Village’ Posted: 23 Aug 2015 07:26 PM PDT   A schoolgirl and friend ride on a bicycle in the Kachin State village of Ngwe Pyawon Aug. 7. (Photo: Hkun Lat / Myanmar Now) MYITKYINA — Situated along a muddy dirt road that winds through southern Kachin State's lush green hills, Ngwe Pyaw Model Village can only be reached after a bumpy, 90-minute car ride from the state capital Myitkyina. Ngwe Pyaw, which means 'wealthy village' in Burmese, was founded by the government in May 2014 as a pilot resettlement site, but it is wealthy only in name as the 283 displaced families here struggle to get by due to its isolation, a lack of fertile farmland and livelihood opportunities. "We can get day labor jobs only three or four days per month and the wages are paid a few days later," Lei Wai Khaing, a 27-year-old ethnic Kachin, told Myanmar Now. She explained that villagers eke out a living by working irregular jobs such as motorbike taxi drivers, rubber plantation laborers and crafting jewelry from locally mined amber. Many of the family members are separated as some are forced to seek jobs in Myitkyina, or even further away in major cities like Mandalay and Rangooon, the commercial capital in lower Burma. "My daughter sometimes goes to Rangoon to sell pieces of amber, leaving my granddaughter with me at the village," said Khin Cho Kyi, 54, who earns some money from doing laundry in the village and from collecting firewood in the surrounding hills. She uses it to support a family of three. "My younger sister became disabled after a car accident so I cannot leave her to work in the town," said Lei Wai Khaing, whose family includes a sister suffering from a stroke. At the site—built in a clearing of shrub forest on red, laterite soil where few crops can grow—the families live in simple houses made of bamboo and corrugated-iron roofs on 12-by-18 meter plots. There are three ponds to supply them with water, while one dispensary provides medicine to the community. "Although villagers do not need to worry about shelter, they are still concerned about food and income," said village head Aung Swe, who added that the homes were rickety and vulnerable to heavy rains and gusts of wind. Pilot Project The government funded the model village as a pilot project that offers a temporary resettlement alternative to the camps for civilians who have been displaced by the Kachin conflict in northern Burma. Now in its fourth year, the war has caused some 120,000 people to flee their homes in hundreds of villages in Kachin State and northern Shan State. About half of them live in camps in government-controlled areas, while the remainder live in camps in Kachin Independence Army-controlled parts, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA). UN agencies and international aid groups have been supporting the displaced in government-controlled areas, but aid to those in rebel areas has been limited due to government restrictions on access. At Ngwe Pyaw, families receive around $11 per month in household income support from international aid organizations, according to UNOCHA in Burma. The residents—a mix of ethnic Kachin, Shan and some Burmese—used to live in camps, and before that they fled their villages in Waingmaw, Thargaya, Myitkyina, Nant Saram and Mai Na townships in 2011. Khin Cho Kyi recalled how she barely escaped Saram Village in Waingmaw Township, where she owned a teashop, when mortar shells landed close by in June 2011. "I ran from my village under life-threatening conditions and I could not bring any belongings," she told Myanmar Now. Government officials could not be reached for comment on the model village project and Kachin aid workers said it remains unclear whether more were being planned. Khon Jha, an activist with the Kachin Peace Network, said the model village established at Ngwe Pyaw offered some improvement in living conditions  for the displaced civilians, but she stressed it was only a temporary solution for the long-suffering families. "The establishment of this village is good for the displaced people. But it is more crucial to ensure that they can go back to their native villages, which can happen only if the fighting between ethnic armed groups and the government stops," she told Myanmar Now. This article originally appeared on Myanmar Now.   The post Displaced Families Face Hardship in Kachin 'Model Village' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Fukuyama’s Flawed Take on Burma Posted: 23 Aug 2015 07:14 PM PDT   Francis Fukuyama, academic and author of The End of History and the Last Man, at the Phandeeyar offices in Rangoon on Wednesday. (Photo: Tin Htet Paing / The Irrawaddy) Over the past year I have worked alongside indigenous ethnic communities from Burma who fled mass atrocities committed by the central government and military. Despite violence and repression, these communities have built up incredible civil society organizations, and are tirelessly advocating for peace, justice, and human rights. But the international community is not listening. When foreign experts come to Burma, they usually focus on only one thing: foreign investment. Political theorist Francis Fukuyama is only the most recent in a long line of academics, development professionals, and ambassadors to ignore the calls of ethnic activists in order to promote neoliberal economic policies as the cure for Burma's failing transition to democracy. In an interview published earlier this month by The Irrawaddy, Professor Fukuyama remarked that economic reforms should be prioritized over seeking justice for past abuses. While this approach may jive with zoomed-out political science models of democratic transition, it is utterly inconsistent with the needs of Burma's war-torn ethnic communities. Fukuyama seems to be forgetting that violent conflict in Burma is far from over. Just before Fukuyama's visit, the Myanmar Peace Monitor reported 31 armed clashes and more than 2,000 new internally displaced persons in the month of July alone, despite the government's purported commitment to pursue a Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA). These ethnic communities—who have endured torched villages, rape, forced labor, and arbitrary killings at the hands of Burma's military—deserve genuine peace and for perpetrators to be held accountable for war crimes. That is why ethnic civil society activists are so urgently calling for peace and justice in Burma—to end the suffering and begin the healing process for millions of refugees and conflict-affected people. Fukuyama seems to be telling these activists to cool it and wait quietly while economic reforms take hold. Meanwhile, Burma's military continues to undermine the peace process and launch massive military offensives, often targeting civilians, in Kachin, Shan, and Karen states. Even worse, the economic reforms Fukuyama so eagerly recommends would only serve to further enrich the generals and cronies responsible for mass atrocities and human rights violations, and entrench the centralized control of a deeply undemocratic government. But he does present a convenient way to root out the cronies: investment from a company like General Motors. According to his analysis, foreign investment, specifically competition from American companies, will magically force the cronies to fold, leading to economic growth which will then lead to democracy. However, Fukuyama has grossly misinterpreted Burma's crony-capitalist system. It's not that military cronies operate specific sectors (i.e. the auto industry)—it's that they control the entire economy. And as Coca Cola recently found out when its links to the notorious jade business were revealed, no matter how much "due diligence" is done for business in Burma, enriching a crony is inevitable. Let's imagine an American company comes to open a factory in Burma. Their executives might fly there on Air Bagan, originally owned by blacklisted crony Tay Za. They'll arrive at the new international terminal and purchase an office block at Hledan Center, both constructed and operated by Asia World, a crony company founded by one of Burma’s most notorious drug kingpins Lo Hsing Han. They might buy land that was confiscated from villagers by KMA Group, and use Max Myanmar cement to build their factory, profiting regime favorites Khin Maung Aye and Zaw Zaw. They might have no choice but to purchase electricity produced by a dam that flooded the homes of thousands of villagers without their consent, built by crony company IGE (a firm run by the sons of the late industry minister and alleged Depayin massacre mastermind Aung Thaung). Burma's cronies aren't afraid of foreign investment; they've been planning for it, knowing it will line their pockets with American cash. Perhaps most troubling is Fukuyama's recommendation that Burma needs a technocratic brains trust to design its economic reforms, inspired by the Berkeley Mafia in Indonesia and the Chicago Boys in Chile. The privatization, deregulation, and liberalization policies of the Chicago Boys and Berkeley Mafia may have spurred "economic growth", but they also propped up the brutal Pinochet and Suharto regimes. Their failed neoliberal policies led to ongoing rampant, unsustainable natural resource extraction in both Chile and Indonesia, causing devastating environmental damage and dispossessing indigenous peoples from their land and livelihoods. Is Fukuyama really suggesting that Burma should emulate this model? If so, the country stands poised to make the same mistakes, welcoming a flood of foreign investment and resource extraction, without adequate safeguards for the environment or human rights. Burma's indigenous peoples are already being forcefully displaced from their land by foreign investment in palm oil, rubber, dams, roads, mines, and industrial zones—all in the name of economic growth. And without political agreements between the government and ethnic groups for how decision-making power and the benefits of development will be shared under a decentralized, federal system, increased foreign investment is likely to derail the fragile peace process and lead to more violent conflict. Fukuyama's recommendations for Burma—holding off on justice, increasing foreign investment, and recruiting a neoliberal brains trust—are packaged as a prescription for achieving a liberal democracy, but are actually only the key ingredients for a liberal economy. Economic growth might bring some benefits for the people of Burma, but not before a full peace agreement is reached, ethnic grievances resolved through political dialogue, human rights and environmental safeguards implemented in policy and practice, and justice achieved for conflict-affected communities. If foreign investment continues without these crucial steps, it will only exacerbate poverty, displacement, environmental destruction, and conflict, further stalling Burma's tenuous path to democracy. Fukuyama himself admits he is not very knowledgeable about Burma, and he is just one of many influential figures touting foreign investment as the key to the country's transition. Those who wish to see meaningful change in Burma would do well to cut through this brand of obsolete neoliberal rhetoric, and instead listen to the voices of local people who have suffered for so long. After all, true democracy in Burma will only come from the people, not from the military-controlled government. And the people of Burma are urgently calling for peace and justice—only then can they begin to build a sustainable and inclusive economy. Jared Naimark is an International Public Service Fellow from Stanford University working for human rights and environmental justice in Burma.   The post Fukuyama's Flawed Take on Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

You are subscribed to email updates from The Irrawaddy To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States