The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Rights Group Concerned over Arrest of Burmese Migrants in Thai Murder Case
• Philippines Says it Can’t Permanently House Aussie Refugees
• Indonesia Leader Calls for Restraint in South China Sea
• Ex-Teacher Charged With Sedition for Thai Protest Support

Rights Group Concerned over Arrest of Burmese Migrants in Thai Murder Case Posted: 27 Oct 2015 10:45 PM PDT Burmese migrant workers suspected of murder during a crime reenactment in the southern Thai border town of Ranong on Tuesday. (Photo: Foundation for Education and Development) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — A Thailand-based migrant rights group has expressed concern over the arrest of four Burmese migrant workers in the border town of Ranong last week in connection with the brutal murder of a Thai teenager. The four migrants were led through a crime reenactment by Thai police on Tuesday, accompanied by scores of Thai soldiers and police and a crowd of onlookers. The migrants, who are all fishermen, are suspects in the stabbing murder of a 19-year-old Thai woman on the evening of Sept. 28 in the southern Thai province of Ranong. Min Oo, a migrant rights advocate at the Foundation for Education and Development (FED), said one of the accused was arrested on Oct. 20 and the three others on Oct. 24. He said Thai police had been arresting and interrogating many Burmese migrant workers since the murder took place. Two migrants, who were subsequently released, reported mistreatment during their interrogation, according to Min Oo. "As this kind of abuse was reported, we are suspicious as to whether the migrants are the real criminals," said Min Oo, who witnessed the crime re-enactment in Ranong on Tuesday. On Thai commercial broadcaster Channel 3 on Tuesday night, Thai police claimed that one suspect had confessed to the murder. Min Oo said his team, along with representatives from the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, had sought to meet the detained suspects, Wai Lin, Moe Zin Aung, Kyaw Soe Win, and Sein Kadone, thus far without success. Two of the migrants are reportedly under the age of 18. "[Thai police] asked us to come and meet the suspects [on Tuesday]. But when we arrived, they wouldn't let us meet them. Our group included lawyers and officials from the Burmese Embassy. We had all the official documents from the embassy showing that we represent migrant workers, but we were not permitted," Min Oo said. In a separate case, the defense team representing two Burmese migrant workers accused of the murder of two British backpackers on southern Thailand's Koh Tao last year, issued closing statements to the court in Koh Samui on Monday. A verdict is expected on December 24. The case gained widespread attention after the two accused, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, alleged they were tortured into a confession. It also shone a light on Thailand's treatment of its vast migrant workforce, many of whom labor in dangerous industries for little pay and without access to legal recourse. The post Rights Group Concerned over Arrest of Burmese Migrants in Thai Murder Case appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Philippines Says it Can’t Permanently House Aussie Refugees Posted: 27 Oct 2015 09:14 PM PDT President Benigno Aquino gestures while answering questions during a Foreign Correspondent Association of the Philippines annual presidential forum in Manilaม October 27, 2015. (Photo: Romeo Ranoco / Reuters) MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is unable to permanently resettle refugees from Australian-run detention camps as it attempts to provide for its own people, President Benigno Aquino III said Tuesday. Aquino said his government is seriously studying an Australian proposal that it accept refugees now in Australian-run camps in Nauru and Papua New Guinea, but there are limitations to what it can do as a developing county. Australia refuses to accept refugees who attempt to reach its shores by boat. Aquino noted that the Philippines agreed to host Indochinese refugees after the Vietnam War in the mid-1970s with the understanding that it would only be a transit point. But it was swamped with hundreds of thousands who stayed for 15 years, including some who became permanent residents, he said. "I think Australia can recognize that we do have a significantly bigger population than they do," he said. "We have challenges to meeting the needs of our people right now. We would want to assist but there are limitations as to how far we can assist." "If this proposed agreement… is not one of just being a transit point but actually relocating these people here, we think we are not in a capacity at this point in time to afford a permanent residency to these people," he added. Australia has a multi-million dollar deal with Cambodia to resettle refugees from an Australia-run detention camp on the Pacific nation of Nauru. But only four refugees have so far taken up the offer of cash, free health insurance and accommodation to move from Nauru to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. That has prompted critics to dub the deal an expensive flop and has sent the government looking for another solution. Following reports of talks to relocate the refugees, Sarah Hanson-Young, a senator with the minor Greens party, has said Australia was once again passing its responsibility to care for refugees on to another poor country. Renato Reyes, secretary-general of the left-wing Philippine group Bayan, said it was "shameful" for a wealthy nation like Australia to refuse the refugees and instead relocate them in a developing country like the Philippines. The post Philippines Says it Can't Permanently House Aussie Refugees appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indonesia Leader Calls for Restraint in South China Sea Posted: 27 Oct 2015 08:18 PM PDT US President Barack Obama and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo deliver remarks to reporters after their meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, October 26, 2015. (Jonathan Ernst / Reuters) WASHINGTON — Indonesia's president called Tuesday for all parties in the disputed South China Sea to exercise restraint and for China and Southeast Asia's regional bloc to start discussions on the substance of a code of conduct to manage tensions there. President Joko Widodo was speaking in Washington, hours after a US Navy warship sailed past one of China's artificial islands in the Spratly Islands archipelago in a challenge to Chinese sovereignty claims, drawing an angry protest from Beijing. Widodo, who met President Barack Obama on Monday, did not directly refer to the US action. He said Indonesia supports freedom of navigation but also underlined his nation's neutrality. Indonesia has islands that may fall within China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, but doesn't count itself as one of the claimants to the disputed islands and reefs. "Indonesia is not a party to the dispute but we have a legitimate interest in peace and stability there. We call on all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that could undermine trust and confidence and put at risk the peace and stability of the region," he told the Brookings Institution think tank. He said Indonesia, the largest nation in Southeast Asia, is ready to play "an active role" in resolving the dispute. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, and China have made little headway in the past decade on negotiating a binding code of conduct in the South China Sea, which is a major conduit for world trade. China says virtually all of the South China Sea belongs to it, while Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam claim either parts or all of it. Since 2013, China has accelerated the creation of new outposts by piling sand atop reefs and atolls then adding buildings, ports and airstrips big enough to handle bombers and fighter jets. Tuesday's sail-past was Washington's most significant effort to date to demonstrate that China's manmade islands cannot be considered sovereign territory with the right to surrounding territorial waters. Beijing, however, said the move damaged US-China relations and regional peace. The post Indonesia Leader Calls for Restraint in South China Sea appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ex-Teacher Charged With Sedition for Thai Protest Support Posted: 27 Oct 2015 08:02 PM PDT A military policeman stands guard before Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha arrives at the Education Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, May 21, 2015. (Photo: Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters) BANGKOK — A 77-year-old retired schoolteacher in Thailand was stopped as he was leaving the country on vacation and arrested on sedition charges for giving flowers to an anti-military protester earlier this year, officials said Tuesday. A lawyer for Preecha Kaewbanpaew said his client gave flowers to, and briefly walked with, one of four demonstrators who staged a peaceful protest in March against the use of military courts to try civilians. The practice, mainly for political offenses, began last year after the army overthrew an elected civilian government. The broadly defined sedition law provides for up to seven years in prison for inciting unrest. Preecha was arrested Sunday and released on bail by a military court on Monday after spending the night at a police station, police Col. Rangsan Praditpol said. Thailand's ruling junta has clamped down on dissent, saying it is restoring order after almost a decade of sometimes-violent domestic political conflict. Preecha was also charged with violating a law established by the junta banning political gatherings of more than five people, even though he was just one of a small crowd that watched the protesters. The ban is inconsistently enforced. Winthai Chatmontri, a lawyer for Free Thai Legal Aid, said Preecha said he just gave flowers to Pansak Srithep, a pro-democracy activist and father of a man who was fatally shot during anti-government protests in 2010, and was following the crowd when a policeman convinced him to give him his phone number. Preecha only learned about the charges and an arrest warrant against him when he was stopped by immigration police before leaving the country for Laos on vacation, Winthai said. The post Ex-Teacher Charged With Sedition for Thai Protest Support appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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National News

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• NLD claims voter list massively inflated
• Pressure builds over advance voting
• SNLD claims commission misled on security
• Ministry recovers K4 billion in debts
• ‘Rotten boroughs’, packed townships leave a confusing electoral landscape
• Kayah State: Will history repeat on Nov 8?
• ‘We will vote using the Braille system’: Ma Naw Htee Ywar Mue
• First results posted two days after vote
• UEC cancels voting in two more Shan townships
• USDP tops poll for election handouts: watchdog

NLD claims voter list massively inflated Posted: 28 Oct 2015 07:35 AM PDT Nearly half the names on the voters' list of a Mandalay city township should not be there, the local National League for Democracy candidate claimed after a door-to-door survey of the constituency found 5248 voters fewer than the 13,973 names on the voters' list.

Pressure builds over advance voting Posted: 28 Oct 2015 07:30 AM PDT As advance voting kicks off tomorrow – officially at least – the Carter Center has reiterated its recommendation to the Union Election Commission to allow groups to "fully" observe the voting process, which remains one of the major points of concern among political parties.

SNLD claims commission misled on security Posted: 28 Oct 2015 07:25 AM PDT The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy has hit out at the Union Election Commission's decision to cancel voting in two townships, accusing it of being misled by a rival party.

Ministry recovers K4 billion in debts Posted: 28 Oct 2015 07:20 AM PDT Relatives and cronies of the former regime still owe the government about K27 billion (US$21.1 million) in unpaid loans, according to the latest announcement by the government.

‘Rotten boroughs’, packed townships leave a confusing electoral landscape Posted: 28 Oct 2015 03:16 AM PDT Blame it on the British colonialists: from "rotten boroughs" with populations of barely 1000 to Yangon's heaving townships with several hundred thousand, Myanmar's electoral system results in a highly uneven representation in parliament that makes predictions of the outcome on November 8 far from certain.

Kayah State: Will history repeat on Nov 8? Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:00 AM PDT In 2010. micro-constituencies, improbable 100-percent turnouts and thousands of advance votes put tiny Kayah on the electoral map

‘We will vote using the Braille system’: Ma Naw Htee Ywar Mue Posted: 28 Oct 2015 01:50 AM PDT Ma Naw Htee Ywar Mue has been with the Khawechan School for the Blind in Mayangone township for 16 years. On the sidelines of the 24th Mayor's Cup – held on October 15 to mark International White Cane Day, promoting better awareness and support of people with visual impairments – she spoke to Zayar Lin about democracy, disability, and the pros and cons of touching words

First results posted two days after vote Posted: 28 Oct 2015 12:37 AM PDT The preliminary results of the election will be posted two days after votes are cast on November 8, the Union Election Commission said at a press conference yesterday.

UEC cancels voting in two more Shan townships Posted: 28 Oct 2015 12:37 AM PDT Voting has been cancelled in two more Shan State townships because of fighting between the Tatmadaw and armed ethnic forces, bringing the total number of townships where no elections will be held on November 8 to seven.

USDP tops poll for election handouts: watchdog Posted: 28 Oct 2015 12:37 AM PDT All parties bribe voters, but the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party bribes the most, according to an election watchdog. A report released yesterday by the People's Alliance for Credible Elections said the USDP had surpassed its electoral rivals in its distribution of treats such as key chains, foods, drinks, stickers, pins and party flags – and cash.

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Shan Herald Agency for News

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Tatmadaw's offensives might derail peace process and disrupt elections Posted: 27 Oct 2015 07:30 PM PDT The quasi civilian regime of Thein Sein might have wanted it to look like isolated, accidental clashes between the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) and the Tatmadaw or Burma Army, but as the battles raged on employing hundreds of troops, commanded by Lt-General Yar Pyae from Tatmadaw's Defense Chief of Staff (Army), it becomes clear that it is a systematically planned, executed actions and more than a neglectable, isolated armed engagement. The Tatmadaw offensive that has started on the 6 October, which is still ongoing, begs the question if it would derail the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) and also disrupt the elections in parts of the Shan state. As the Tatmadaw reinforced it's troops and widened the armed confrontation with the SSPP/SSA, the latter has officially written protest letter to the regime's organ, Union Peace-making Working Committee (UPWC), questioning whether it has abandoned the peace process altogether and has opted for an all-out war instead of peaceful negotiation and political settlement. On 21 October, SSPP/SSA has written a five point letter to Sai Mauk Kham, Chairman of the Working Committee for the Building of Peace in the Union, with cc to Lt. Gen. Soe Win, Dy. Chairman, Working Committee for the Building of Peace in the Union; U Aung Min, Dy. Chairman, Working Committee for the Building of Peace in the Union; U Thein Zaw, Dy. Chairman, Working Committee for the Building of Peace in the Union; and U Khin Maung Soe, Member, Working Committee for the Building of Peace in the Union. Working Committee for the Building of Peace in the Union that the SSPP/SSA mentioned is officially known as UPWC. The letter, with the subject titled "Request for coordination on the Burma Army's Military Operations in the SSPP/SSA area near the Headquarters" stated that the SSPP/SSA has out of good will, on 15/10/2015 generously withdrew from the strategic place of Ta Sarm Poo Jetty at 17:00 hours, according to the Tatmadaw's request. An area which it had controlled for over decades. Furthermore, in an answer to the Tatmadaw's accusation that the attack with small arms on the Burma Army garrison in Vieng Kao near Mong Nawng were not ordered by the SSPP/SSA headquarters and  it was in no way involved in this incident. In addition, as the Burma Army has been holding military operations around the Ta Sarm Poo jetty and areas very close to Wan Hai, the SSPP/SSA headquarters; and the military operations near the SSPP/SSA headquarters are being directed and personally commanded by Lt. Gen. Yar Pyae of the Defense Chief of Staff (Army); and thus, the SSPP/SSA presumed that it is trying to solve political problems by military might, which instead should be resolved through peaceful negotiations. The final paragraph that begs the question, if the Tatmadaw is on war path writes: "Therefore, to enable to solve political problems by political and peaceful means we humbly request the immediate halting of the military operations near the SSPP/SSA headquarters. In the case that if you (the Tatmadaw) prefer to use military force to solve political problems you can also inform that you have chosen so." The bomb explosion in Mong Hsu, which killed one and wounded three others was  condemned by the SSPP/SSA through a statement released on 21 October. The SSPP released three point statement stated it's regret of the four wounded civilians - where an elderly woman of 72 years died later, due to the caused injury. The statement reasoned that a group of mean people might have tried to disrupt the elections, scheduled for 8 November, and condemned the group for its action against innocent civilians. The Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) has meanwhile asked the Union Election Commission (UEC) to postpone the election in Mong Hsu, Khesi and Tangyan Townships, where fighting are raging, while the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) has urged to keep on with the election schedule as it is, for fear that there won't be representatives in the parliament for the said areas and also not sure when the by-election could take place, if postponed. On 19 October, SNDP, in a letter addressed to Chairman of the UEC said as Mong Hsu, Khesi and  Tangyang Townships are fleeing to various places, due to the battles, the people are said to have requested that the elections be postponed until peace is restored at an appropriate time. The letter stressed "Because of this, SNDP according to the agreement of its committee petitioned the UEC to  tackle (the problem) as it sees appropriate." On 26 October, SNLD Chairman Hkun Htun Oo, on the 27th founding anniversary day of the party, where the party's candidates were introduced,  said: "The other party (SNDP) asked the elections in Khesi, Tangyan and Mong Hsu to be postponed, which it thought will lose, but when we practically looked at it, there is only in Khesi that battles are occurring, not at other places." He said that only if all ethnic armed groups could sign the peace treaty, a system of federal union could be established. SNLD spokesman Sai Leik also explained that if the election is postponed in the said areas, there will be no representatives in the parliament for the people in these places and won't be able to air their their opinion on peace related discussions. Besides, the postponement of said three areas could   tremendously affect the Shan state's peace process. Sai Leik stressed that it could create an opportunity for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and its alliance parties – meaning: SNDP - for postponing the elections in areas the military decided not secure, without asking the political parties. The USDP alliance parties could ask to postpone elections in places they are weak and cannot win the elections. However, the UEC, on 27 October issued an announcement signed by Chairman U Tin Aye, that in Mong Hsu, Khesi, Tangyan and Hopang Townships elections would not be held, due to the impossible situation to conduct free and fair elections. According to it, the whole Townships of Mong Hsu and Khesi; 8 village tracts in Tangyan Township; 37 village tracts and 5 quarters in Hopang Township will not be able to vote in the elections. The polling body cited Article 10(f) of the Union Election Commission Law, which grants the UEC the authority to cancel or postpone elections in constituencies where either a natural disaster or regional instability inhibits election officials' ability to hold of free and fair elections. Earlier, the UEC said it would cancel voting in villages in conflict-hit ethnic areas of the country owing to security concerns, an additional threat to an inclusive election. The UEC said elections could not be held in more than 400 village areas, mostly in Kachin, Shan and Karen state. Meanwhile, the US and UN have urged and called on the military to deescalate the tension and exercise restraint regarding the armed conflict with the non-signatory ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and that it should not pressure but look at them as partners essential to achieving a lasting peace. "We made a point that it's important the government and military show some restraint in those areas where groups did not sign the ceasefire," Ben Rhodes, the U.S. deputy national security adviser, told reporters in Yangon on 20 October. Echoing the same line of argument, Vijay Nambiar, an adviser on Myanmar to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, told Reuters "There's a danger that if that escalates, that can be interpreted as putting pressure."  Recently, the military has heightened the armed engagement in Kachin and northern Shan states, targeting the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Myanmar National Democratic Army (MNDAA), and Kachin Independence Army (KIA). In Kokang area, where it has been relatively quite for months, battles have again erupted recently at least in four places, along the China-Burma border, employing infantry forces and firing heavy artillery, according to the MNDAA spokesman Tun Myat Lin. He said: "I think they (Tatmadaw) hasn't change their grand strategy of total annihilation. It seems they are trying to solve political problems with military might, like in the past." The Tatmadaw has been conducting offensives on the SSPP/SSA, which is one of the ethnic armed groups that did not sign the deal. Reportedly, 37 times of armed engagements between October 6 and 19, have occurred, according to military-run newspaper Myawady. Seven Shan troopers were said to have been killed, while the SSPP/SSA said that some 30 government soldiers had met their death. Parallel to these development, United Wa State Army (UWSA) has invited 11 non-signatory EAOs, Karen National Defence Organization (KNDO) and Kayan Newland Party (KNLP) to Pang Kham (also known as Pang Hsang, the Wa capital ) on how to view the elections and how to handle the peace process with the incoming new regime after the elections, on 1 to 3 November. According to The Irrawaddy, Zhao Xiaofu, a UWSA spokesperson said: "The meeting will focus on the views of ethnic armed groups on the election and how we, ethnic armed groups, should engage with the new government."  Meanwhile, S.H.A.N. reported that the regime, in an attempt to save face and also to put public pressure on the SSPP/SSA and other non-signatory EAOs, held public support rallies from October 23-24, in Kengtung, Lashio, Loilem, Tachileik and Taunggyi in support of its partial-ceasefire, dubbed NCA. The largest of the pro-NCA rallies was held at a public recreational facility in Taunggyi, Shan State's capital. Four thousand people attended the event. But some attendees at the pro-NCA peace events told S.H.A.N. that they came because they were summoned by their township administration. "They called us from the village," said Sai Khun Aung, 24, a local resident. "Only when we got here did we know that it was to support the NCA." Looking at the chain of political development, it seems that the regime, in its desperation to whip the non-signatory EAOs into line, according to its desire of signing the treaty, has pushed them further aback by applying military pressure. It is not clear, if the recent announcement of no election in SSPP/SSA operational and influence areas, where the SNLD has an edge over SNDP and other parties, to undercut the former's electoral success and lessen its opportunity to gather more representative seats in the parliament, make sense in conducting a free and fair elections. Many already are accusing the USDP-Military regime to be killing two birds with one bullet. That is, pressuring the SSPP/SSA militarily to sign the NCA and at the same time, undercutting the SNLD political power base, which is well known to be backed by the SSPP/SSA. Furthermore, the escalation of war in non-signatory EAOs' areas would likely be met with stiff resistance and could even result in a wider armed conflict, if regional power and super power would get involved, one way or the other. UWSA is seen as China proxy, while the USDP-Military regime is keen to be seeking the US and West backing to free itself from the Chinese clutch. Other than that, this military adventure of the Tatmadaw could derail the regime's much touted NCA and even disrupt the election nationwide by widening the scope of no-vote areas, through armed attacks and provocation on a wider scale in ethnic areas. But whether the Tatmadaw will tighten the military screw more in ethnic areas and disrupt the elections or loosen it to let the elections run its course is a question that only time could answer.

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The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• 8 Detained Students Waive Counsel, 3 Others Join Hunger Strike
• Caterpillar Disputes Illicit Jade Ties, Says ‘Robust Screening’ Used
• Facebook Defamation Trial Deferred, No Bail
• CSOs Implore President to Stop War in Shan State
• Burma’s Human Rights Commission Courts Credibility Ahead of UN Review
• Cambodian Opposition MPs Beaten as Political Truce Falters
• Indian Utopian Sect under Scrutiny as Religious Tolerance Debate Rages
• Bangladesh Police Arrest 4 in Killing of Italian Aid Worker

8 Detained Students Waive Counsel, 3 Others Join Hunger Strike Posted: 27 Oct 2015 05:07 AM PDT Detained student protestors gesture toward supporters ahead of a hearing at the Tharrawaddy court in Pegu Division in March 2015. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — Students and supporters facing trial for peaceful demonstrations earlier this year are taking a new tack in dealing with Burma's sluggish judiciary, as eight defendants shed their lawyers in protest and several others have joined a hunger strike initiated by one of their peers. Returning to Tharrawaddy District Court for a hearing on Tuesday, eight detainees submitted a request to waive their legal counsel because they had lost faith in the courts, according to family members and a lawyer present at the trial. "They said they were boycotting the court because they don't believe in the judicial system," said a relative of one defendant, who wished to remain anonymous. "They said they would not need lawyers to defend them because the judiciary fails to protect the truth and is biased." Five students— Khant Aung, Mar Naw, Myo Htet Paing, Swe Lin Tun and Than Htike—and three supporters—Ko Thein, Myat Soe Oo and Myo Myat San—are participating in the legal boycott, which the court has accepted. "They said no matter how hard they defend themselves, the court will find them guilty. So they will not need any defense," explained lawyer Hla Myo Myint, who represents some of those on trial but not the eight in question. A number of other detainees have take up another kind of protest, as three students vowed on Tuesday to join a hunger strike that began late last week. Aung Hmone San, one of the more than 60 people being held in Tharrawaddy Prison, sent a letter to President Thein Sein in early October threatening to go on hunger strike if all political prisoners throughout the country were not released by Oct. 15. On Oct. 23, he made good on his promise. Speaking to The Irrawaddy by phone on Tuesday, his wife Le Le Nwe said Aung Hmone San's health has already begun to deteriorate and he has been moved to solitary confinement where authorities have attempted to force feed him. "He is a bit weak and he can't speak very much, but he can still walk," Le Le New said. "He said the prison authorities put him in a solitary cell, though he requested to stay with the others. He said the prison doctors check his health regularly and tried to give him a glucose drip, which he refused. Then about four men grabbed him and forcefully gave him the drip." Le Le Nwe said her husband, who she met with briefly at the courthouse on Tuesday, plans to continue his strike until all prisoners of conscience were released. At least three other detainees—Than Htike, Myo Myat San, Myo Htet Paing—have also vowed to go on hunger strike as of Wednesday. More than 100 students and their supporters were arrested on March 10 in Letpadan, Pegu Division, when police brutally cracked down on peaceful demonstrations against a new National Education Law. Scores of those arrested during the violent incident remain behind bars, a full seven months after their arrest, pending a verdict. The students and other detainees face a variety of charges including unlawful assembly, rioting and causing harm to a public servant. The post 8 Detained Students Waive Counsel, 3 Others Join Hunger Strike appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Caterpillar Disputes Illicit Jade Ties, Says ‘Robust Screening’ Used Posted: 27 Oct 2015 04:06 AM PDT Caterpillar excavators at a lot in the United States. (Photo: Jessica Rinaldi / Reuters) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — On the back of an explosive report into Burma's jade trade, global construction giant Caterpillar has told The Irrawaddy that it took measures to ensure an appropriate level of screening was in place for its local business to guarantee compliance with American laws. The world’s leading manufacturer of earthmoving equipment came under fire in a detailed report released by Global Witness on Friday, which alleged widespread corruption in Burma’s multibillion dollar jade trade at the behest of the military, senior figures from the former junta and individuals connected to the drug trade. "Caterpillar has hosted in at least five countries the front man for a group of jade companies Global Witness believes to be controlled by drug lord Wei Hsueh Kang," the report states. Global Witness claims that Zaw Bo Khant, a director and shareholder of Burmese firm Myan Shwe Pyi Mining, is a front man for Wei Hsueh Kang, alleged to be the key financier of the United Wa State Army (UWSA). The US government has a $2 million bounty for the arrest of Wei, who was indicted by a New York grand jury in 2005 along with several UWSA colleagues and two of his brothers on charges of heroin and methamphetamine trafficking. The firm's sister company, Myan Shwe Pyi Tractors, bills itself as "Myanmar's premier Caterpillar dealership". Zaw Bo Khant is also the managing director of Myanmar Takaung, a firm Global Witness alleges is controlled by Wei, who once served as the UWSA's powerful southern commander. According to Global Witness, Myanmar Takaung’s jade operations incorporated those of Hong Pang, a firm controlled by the UWSA, a move likely prompted by Hong Pang’s inclusion on the US Treasury's sanctions list. Thanks to Zaw Bo Khant’s Facebook account, Global Witness was able to determine that the controversial businessman visited Caterpillar company facilities in Australia, France, Germany, Spain and the UK. Photographs republished in the report suggest that Zaw Bo Khant—who prior to the enterprise's apparent rebranding was a Hong Pang company manager—appeared to enjoy his worldwide Caterpillar tour. During a visit to France he visited the Eiffel Tower, drank champagne and bought a Rolex. In correspondence with Global Witness, Caterpillar emphasized that neither Zaw Bo Khant nor Myanmar Takaung were on the US sanctions list. Global Witness argued in its report that the company's unwillingness to address concerns over Zaw Bo Khant reflected inadequate due diligence on Caterpillar's part. "Wei Hsueh Kang and his associates have used an array of front companies precisely in order to avoid US sanctions and indictments," the report states. "As such, there is a good reason why the 'public faces' of UWSA/UWSP-linked companies will not be on current US sanctions lists." William Oei, Caterpillar's Asia Pacific director of public affairs, told The Irrawaddy via email that the company had followed proper procedure. "We take issue with Global Witness' assertion that Caterpillar did not take the information provided with the appropriate level of seriousness," he wrote. "As we explained to Global Witness, Caterpillar implements robust screening procedures to ensure that our transactions do not violate relevant export control laws, and we conduct additional due diligence as needed". Burma Campaign UK director Mark Farmaner said the fact that Zaw Bo Hkant was permitted to visit Britain despite his alleged ties to the UWSA and the illicit jade trade was an indictment of British government policies. "British Burma policy is such a mess that frontmen for dodgy drug dealers are free to visit the UK," he told The Irrawaddy. "Unlike the USA, they have no list of people in Burma linked with crime and human rights violations who are barred from the country, or who British companies are barred from doing business with." Though Wei's exact whereabouts are unknown, it is widely believed he continues to live in UWSA territory under the group’s protection. According to Global Witness's research, companies affiliated with Wei and the UWSA saw pre-tax sales totaling US$100 million for 2013-14 at the government-run jade emporium. This is likely to be only a small fraction of total revenue, as most jade mined in the Kachin State township of Hpakant is believed to be smuggled directly to China. The UWSA, for its part, has spent the last decade downplaying its involvement in the drug trade. "We, the UWSA, are wholeheartedly engaged in the fight against drug-dealing," the group's spokesperson, Aung Myint told The Irrawaddy in a 2013 interview. "For seven years since 2005, there have been no poppy fields and no poppy plants in our region. This has finished. That's why the world should recognize us," Aung Myint said. Jade Trade's Coca-Connection Earlier this year, Global Witness reported that Coca-Cola was linked to the jade trade through the global beverage company's local partner in Burma, Pinya Manufacturing. Pinya chief Daw Shwe Cynn owns a 20 percent stake in the jade mining firm Xie, which according to Global Witness has for the last 20 years served as a contractor for the military-owned Union Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (UMEHL), a firm still subject to US sanctions. Daw Shwe Cynn has also been identified as director and majority shareholder of Gold Uni, a firm that Global Witnesses describes as one of Burma’s largest jade trading firms. Chinese state owned media reports indicate that Chinese authorities probed Gold Uni during a jade smuggling crackdown in 2010. Global Witness notes that before Coca-Cola entered into business with Daw Shwe Cynn it spent "a seven figure amount" on a team of due diligence experts, including representatives of global consulting firms Kroll and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to conduct background research on its potential partner. "Seemingly no one picked up that Daw Shwe Cynn is a 20% shareholder in Xie Family, a prominent jade mining company", the report concludes. The post Caterpillar Disputes Illicit Jade Ties, Says 'Robust Screening' Used appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Facebook Defamation Trial Deferred, No Bail Posted: 27 Oct 2015 03:56 AM PDT Patrick Khum Jaa Lee at Rangoon's Hlaing Township court on Oct. 27, 2015. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Patrick Khum Jaa Lee, who was arrested earlier this month over a Facebook post deemed to defame the Burma Army, remains in custody after his second court hearing was deferred on Tuesday. Speaking to The Irrawaddy outside Rangoon's Hlaing Township court, the defendant's wife May Sabe Phyu—herself a renowned rights activist—said her husband's appeal for bail has also been deferred until his next court appearance. His trial will continue on Nov. 6 because the plaintiff in the case, a Lt-Col for the Burma Army, failed to appear at today's hearing, May Sabe Phyu said. Patrick Khum Jaa Lee was arrested on Oct. 14 and charged under Article 66(d) of Burma's Telecommunications Law. He is accused of sharing a photo of Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing being trampled on by a man in traditional Kachin attire, which the complainant claimed was defamatory. The day after his arrest, Khum Jaa Lee was denied bail and transferred to Rangoon's notorious Insein Prison. His wife was allowed to visit him on Oct. 16, after which she told The Irrawaddy that he denied sharing the image in question and was told to sign a confession that he did not have a chance to review. May Sabe Phyu said on Tuesday that her husband's health was suffering while in custody and reiterated her plea for release on bail, claiming his asthma and stomach problems could be exacerbated by his time in prison. "We want to apply for bail as my husband is not feeling well," she said outside the courthouse. "Plus he didn’t do anything wrong." Khum Jaa Lee is one of three people facing defamation charges under the controversial provision for content shared to social media site Facebook. The law outlines penalties of up to three years in prison. One incident involves a member of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) accused of defaming opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi by sharing a digitally altered image of her face transposed on a naked body. The third case was filed against a 23-year-old activist who shared a poem suggested he had a tattoo of the president on his penis. In a similar case, a young woman named Chaw Sandi Tun was arrested on Oct. 12 after sharing an image likening new army uniforms to Suu Kyi's htamein, the female version of traditional longyi, and suggesting that soldiers should wear it on their heads—a grave insult in Burma's staunchly patriarchal society. Chaw Sandi Tun was charged under Article 34(d) of the Electronic Transactions Law, which carries penalties of up to five years in prison. The post Facebook Defamation Trial Deferred, No Bail appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

CSOs Implore President to Stop War in Shan State Posted: 27 Oct 2015 02:46 AM PDT SSA-North rebel soldiers in northern Shan State, in June 2013. (Photo: Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Fifty civil society organizations have called on President Thein Sein to immediately end conflict in eastern Burma's Shan State, where recent weeks have seen a rise in armed clashes between the government and ethnic rebels despite efforts toward peace in the country at large. "Mr. President, you must accept full responsibility for this offensive, and exercise your power to make the war stop so that innocent citizens will be able to exercise their democratic rights to vote and live peacefully," read the letter, dated Oct. 25. On Oct. 15, the Burmese government reached a landmark ceasefire agreement with eight non-state armed groups, though conflict continues in several parts of the country, including central and northern Shan State. The Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), the political arm of the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N), was not among the signatories to the peace accord, though it reached a bilateral ceasefire with the government in early 2012. At least 3,000 civilians from Mong Su, Kehsi and Tang Yan townships have reportedly been forced from their homes because of conflict since Oct. 6, despite calls from peace negotiators and the international community that the Burma Army show restraint in non-ceasefire areas. Speaking with The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, Ying Harn Fah, a spokesperson for the alliance that penned the letter to Thein Sein, said he believed the president had the power to end the conflict. "We want him to ask [Commander-in-Chief Senior] General Min Aung Hlaing to order his troops on the ground to stop fighting," Ying Harn Fah said. "As he is the president, he must have the power to help end it." The spokesperson said the conflict was likely to have a severe impact on villagers because many had to flee their land before a major harvest, warning that if "they dare not go home and reap their crops on time, they will face a major food crisis." In their letter on Sunday, the 50 signatories emphasized that continued conflict in the state undermined the government's stated commitment to the peace process, adding that, "[w]e are also dismayed that attacks are occurring so close to the [Nov. 8] general election, as citizens will lose their right to vote." Next month's election is hoped the be the country's freest and fairest in decades, though polling has been cancelled in more than 400 village tracts across Burma—56 of them in Shan State. Other severely affected areas include Kachin, Karen and Mon states, as well as Pegu Division. "As this fighting goes on amid the signing of a nationwide ceasefire," Ying Harn Fah said, "we doubt the sincerity of the government about the peace process. Questions linger among us about whether the government really wants or peace or if they just want to project a good image to the international community." Military operations in Shan State since early October, which have been referred to Shan rebels as an offensive complete with artillery attacks, have forced thousands from their homes, leaving them to shelter with relatives, in jungles and in nearby monasteries. Amid a struggle for food, medicine and other essential humanitarian aid, signatories to Sunday's letter urged the government to allow immediate access to internally displaced persons (IDPs) for local and international donors and aid workers. Last week the SSPP Peace Building Committee also expressed concern over the situation around its Wan Hai headquarters. The committee sent an open letter to Vice President Sai Mauk Kham—himself ethnically Shan—urging the government to immediately end Burma Army activities in the area. The letter pointed out that recent operations were being commanded by Lt-Gen Yar Pyi of the Defense Chief of Staff (Army). In the letter, the SSPP "humbly" requested that the vice president do all in his power to stop the use of military force around the group's headquarters in favor of finding a political solution. "In the case that if you prefer to use the military force to solve the political problems, you can also inform that you have chosen so," the letter concluded. The post CSOs Implore President to Stop War in Shan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma’s Human Rights Commission Courts Credibility Ahead of UN Review Posted: 26 Oct 2015 10:42 PM PDT Student protesters are seen gripping on to the bars of a prison vehicle as they are transported to a court in Letpadan, March 11, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) Burma's human rights record over the past four and a half years will be put under the microscope next month when the country is scheduled for review by the UN Human Rights Council, just two days before a highly anticipated general election. During the council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the country will be assessed on developments since its inaugural review in January 2011, based on information provided by the government; UN human rights experts, institutions and treaty bodies; and stakeholders, including NGOs. Among a long list of achievements cited in its report to the UN Working Group on the UPR earlier this year, the government highlighted the establishment of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) by presidential decree in September 2011 which, according to Naypyidaw, was fulfilling its mandate "independently and effectively." The original 15-member commission, which since its inception has been headed by Win Mra, a former ambassador to the UN in New York under the previous military junta, was buttressed by a legislative mandate, passed by Parliament in March 2014, and reconstituted with 11 commissioners in September of that year. However, far from viewing the MNHRC as the jewel in Burma's rights-respecting crown ahead of next month's UPR, many activists maintain it lacks autonomy and has failed to investigate egregious abuses. Commission chair Win Mra is cognizant of such critiques and, while refuting some faults, others, he maintains, are being addressed. "We are trying to be as independent as our mandate has given us. If you look at it from the criteria that are contained in the Paris Principles, I think we do comply with this principle of independence," Win Mra told The Irrawaddy, citing the set of standards internationally accepted as setting out the minimum benchmarks to which national human rights institutions (NHRIs) should abide. "When we first established the human rights commission, there were 22 seconded members from three government ministries. But with the enactment of the [enabling] law, they have all returned to their mother unit except one assistant director who is looking after the budget," he added. "Contrary to the allegations, staff are recruited independently and work independently." The Swedish Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) has been working to strengthen the MNHRC since 2012. The institute's Rangoon-based program officer Sue Anne Teo said building the capacity of any fledgling NHRI was a long-term undertaking, and particularly so given the "complex human rights challenges" facing Burma. Burma's commission started from a low base, as an evaluation report of RWI's work with the MNHRC, commissioned by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and issued late last year, makes clear. It noted that even after almost half of the original staff members had been replaced, "none of them could be said to have had any experience of either working for human rights issues or familiarity with them." Reform of the body has not yet gone far enough, according to rights groups. Among the 47 individual or joint submissions made by civil society groups to the UPR mechanism, criticism of the MNHRC was a common thread, including: that the appointment of commission members lacked transparency; that it included officials from the previous regime; that it failed to ensure the confidentiality of complainants; and that funding was tied to the executive, thus compromising its independence. Teo identified reform of the commission's complaint handling system as a key priority for RWI, including improving how the commission identifies and prioritizes human rights issues, response times and how to approach alleged violators. Moving to a computerized system, Teo said, would also ensure the work "can be sped up, properly recorded and followed through and also ensures the security and integrity of information provided by complainants." The commission had received a total of 1,300 complaints as of August 2015, according to Win Mra, with the majority concerning land issues. In 2014, a total of 1,839 complaints were received, with over half pertaining to land issues. The commission's complaints mechanism was heavily criticized after Brang Shawng, an ethnic Kachin man, was charged with defamation by the military after he sent a letter to the MNHRC alleging that government soldiers killed his 14-year-old daughter, Ja Seng Ing, in September 2012. In a December 2014 open letter to President Thein Sein, six high-profile international human rights organizations said the case called into question the commission's ability to properly receive and handle complaints and protect complainants. The groups also pointed out that the case represented a breach of the MNHRC's founding law which states that third parties should not "victimize, intimidate, threaten, harass or otherwise interfere with" persons that provide information to the commission. 'Best in the Region' The MNHRC Law enacted in March last year was broadly accepted as a step in the right direction, legally enshrining the commission's mandate—a stipulation of the Paris Principles—and removing the possibility of arbitrary annulment at the whim of the executive. Win Mra said the law was "one of the best in the region," an appraisal largely echoed by RWI. But the law, too, has its share of critics. In a September 2014 joint report, Burma Partnership and Equality Myanmar called for the legislation to be amended to ensure that funding for the MNHRC comes from the Parliament, not the President's Office; to establish an independent mechanism for staff dismissal procedures; and to allow the commission to concurrently investigate cases that are under court proceedings. At least one of those recommendations is being addressed, according to Win Mra, who said the commission had already negotiated an "in principle" agreement with the Ministry of Finance to obtain funding directly from Parliament. The issue of enabling the commission to investigate cases that are before the courts is not unique to Burma's commission, Teo told The Irrawaddy. "In fact, most NHRIs have this legal distinction so as to prevent competing jurisdictions where the same matter should not be addressed by two different fora at the same time," she said. "Having said that, if there are clear distinctions that can be made on a particular issue, for example if the matter before the court concerns illegal land acquisition and the Commission is tasked to look into possible excessive use of force involved in that land acquisition, this would not be an overlap." Burma Partnership's coordinator Khin Ohmar cautioned that "a good-looking founding law" was no guarantee of good practice, and pointed to last year's reconstitution of the MNHCR's membership "in secrecy" and without the knowledge of several subsequently removed members, as an example. "The institutional legitimacy of NHRIs is ultimately tested through their performance, and in particular, their impact or ability to render justice to victims of violations and abuses," Khin Ohmar said. "I think it is legitimate to expect that the MNHRC, amply endowed with the necessary assortment of powers and functions provided in its enabling law, [should] utilize them fully and be an 'activist in the corridors of government.'" Limited Progress Ohmar concedes that, on the surface, the MNHRC appears stronger in 2015; a possible conscious response in what is a key year, with the commission due to have its accreditation assessed by the International Coordinating Committee (ICC) for National Human Rights Institutions next month. The ICC accreditation system will determine whether the MNHRC is in compliance with the Paris Principles. By at least one measure, the MNHCR has noticeably increased its output on previous years, with 14 statements issued in English thus far in 2015, compared with just 16 statements released from 2012-14. Though often appearing perfunctory and containing only tepid recommendations, if at all, the statements offer valuable snapshots into some of the commission's activities, including its visits to several prisons and detention centers in 2015. For example, the commission documented disturbing conditions at prisons visited in Shan State, Arakan State, Mandalay Division and Rangoon Division—sites seldom held to public scrutiny. At Insein Prison in the northern outskirts of Rangoon, the MNHRC found there were 400 inpatients in the 40-bed capacity prison hospital; no doctor assigned to the women's hospital of 44 inpatients; and that the prison itself was over capacity by almost 3,000 inmates. The commission also drew a rare commendation from lawyers and activists last month after calling for action against police personnel who "failed to follow the procedures" during the violent dispersal of student protesters at Letpadan in Pegu Division on March 10. However, such calls for justice have been the exception rather than the rule. In a May statement, following the acquittal of two soldiers implicated in the killing of journalist Par Gyi in October last year, the MNHCR said only that the military court was convened in accordance with the law. Rights groups criticized a separate report by the commission into Par Gyi's death in late 2014 as inadequate and neglectful of key evidence. "Our duty is not to point fingers," Win Mra told The Irrawaddy. "We investigate and give findings to the government authority and we do give recommendations. For example, in the case of Par Gyi, we recommended that it be tried in a civil court. We are not the judge; we do not have judicial authority at all. We can only make recommendations to the authorities." Asked to relate some of the commission's work in 2015, MNHRC vice chairperson Sit Myaing pointed to several pieces of draft legislation, including on child rights, older persons and prisons, respectively, that the commission reviewed for their conformity to international human rights standards. The commission also reviewed the controversial package of four so-called "race and religion protection laws," which enforce restrictions on interfaith marriage, birth spacing, religious conversion and polygamy, and were widely condemned as discriminatory against women and religious minorities. On this score, Win Mra admits the commission's effectiveness was negligent, with the laws passing practically unchanged despite the MNHRC highlighting certain articles that were "not in agreement" with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). A key focus of the MNHRC's work in 2015 has centered on human rights promotion activities, including visits to government ministries and the defense college in Naypyidaw. But some have questioned the immediate impact of human rights workshops, while recurrent rights violations continue largely unabated. Such activities, said Khin Ohmar, "while commendable and important, are at dissonance with the reality in the country." "There needs to be public ownership and scrutiny of the MNHRC for the body to remain accountable in its work and functioning. Otherwise, the MNHRC will firmly cement its place as an alibi institution," she said. The post Burma's Human Rights Commission Courts Credibility Ahead of UN Review appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Cambodian Opposition MPs Beaten as Political Truce Falters Posted: 26 Oct 2015 10:32 PM PDT Protesters gather in front of the Phnom Penh home of Kem Sokha, vice president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, during a demonstration to demand his resignation on Monday. The sign reads, "Kem Sokha is a bad luck person who causes trouble." (Photo: Samrang Pring / Reuters) PHNOM PENH — Two opposition lawmakers were beaten outside Cambodia’s parliament on Monday during a demonstration in support of the ruling party, witnesses and the opposition said, in the first case of violence since a political truce broke down in July. The witnesses said the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) lawmakers were attacked in their vehicles as they tried to leave the national assembly, where hundreds of protesters loyal to the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) were demanding the resignation of the legislature’s deputy president. The chaos is the latest flare-up since a truce between the two big parties started to wane in July, when 11 CNRP members were jailed for insurrection, a ruling the opposition said was politically motivated. “They jumped into one of the cars and beat (the lawmaker) up until he fell to the ground and then they began to kick him,” said 34-year-old witness Em Sopheak. He said the attack involved about 50 men who wore scarves to cover their faces and fled in two pickup trucks. A journalist told Reuters he saw lawmakers Ngoy Chamroeun and Kong Sophea covered in blood as they were taken for medical treatment inside the parliament. Amateur video posted on YouTube that purported to show the incident matched the accounts of the witness. It showed one of the CNRP lawmakers pulled from his car and kicked on the ground. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the video. “This is brutal and the perpetrators must be brought to justice,” said CNRP parliamentarian Yim Sovann. “The protest this morning represented only a group of people, not the whole country.” The government spokesman, Phay Siphan, said, “We don’t support violence and we appeal to all sides to be calm.” The pro-CPP rally was held to demand the resignation of CNRP leader Kem Sokha, whom the rally participants accused of telling lies about the ruling party to stoke unrest. Kem Sokha was granted the role of deputy house president as part of a 2014 political truce with Prime Minister Hun Sen, in exchange for the CNRP ending its year-long parliamentary boycott over a disputed 2013 election. Both parties have engaged in saber-rattling of late, with Hun Sen last week warning of civil war should CNRP win the next election in 2018. The post Cambodian Opposition MPs Beaten as Political Truce Falters appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indian Utopian Sect under Scrutiny as Religious Tolerance Debate Rages Posted: 26 Oct 2015 10:21 PM PDT India's Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar (C, in blue) along with lawmakers from India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies, take part in what they say is a "Save Democracy" march outside the parliament in New Delhi, India, August 13, 2015. (Photo: Adnan Abidi / Reuters) PONDA, India — The arrest of a member of India's Sanatan Sanstha sect following the murder of a well-known atheist has prompted renewed calls from some politicians to ban the Hindu group, as concerns grow the country's tradition of religious tolerance is being eroded. Opening the doors of its Goa headquarters to foreign journalists for the first time this month, Sanatan Sanstha told Reuters it had nothing to do with the February murder of Govind Pansare, and its mission was opposed to violence in all forms. Instead, its members are preparing for the advent of a divine Hindu kingdom in India within eight years. "The aim is to prepare people for a divine kingdom, or Ram Rajya, by 2023," said Durgesh Shankar Samant, a founding member of the group that believes India's secular democracy has failed. "Right now an awakening is going on." The movement, which claims thousands of followers and produces newspapers, books, and websites, is one of a number of Hindu groups that are growing in prominence. Emboldened by the return to power of the mainstream Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the groups have taken up causes with renewed vigor, including the protection from slaughter of cows they consider to be sacred. In recent weeks, three Muslims were killed for allegedly killing cows; one of the murders sparked violent protests in the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir. And in attacks reminiscent of a spate of killings of secular bloggers in neighboring Bangladesh, Pansare was one of three prominent Indian atheists to have been slain, two this year. Pansare was known for attacking discrimination, superstition, caste politics and religious fundamentalism. President Pranab Mukherjee, an apolitical figurehead, has publicly voiced concerns that multi-faith India, dominated by Hindus but with sizeable minorities including around 180 million Muslims, is becoming less tolerant. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken against the lynching by a Hindu mob of a man near Delhi, and more generally called for peace between Hindus and Muslims. But critics said the BJP leader's response was too slow at a time when religious polarization could favor his party as it fights an important state election. Cosmic Vibrations At the Sanstha's retreat, a three-story white building that overlooks a lush valley, volunteers known as seekers work at flat screens on a suite of publications. The content produced by volunteers in Goa, mostly young women, covers everything from the length of hair and style of clothes to best capture cosmic vibrations, to black energy emitted by Western birthday cakes. It also strays into the political. After the 2013 murder of Narendra Dabholkar, an atheist who founded a group of self-styled rationalists, its daily newspaper published an article calling his death a "blessing from God." "Life and death are a matter of fate. Every person gets the result of his actions," the paper wrote. Neither Sanatan Sanstha nor any of its members have been implicated in the murder. The sect was founded in 1990 by hypnotist Jayant Balaji Athavale, who followers say is an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. Seekers have spirituality measured in percentage terms, and once they reach 70 percent they can call themselves saints. Sanatan Sanstha hopes to open a university to teach people this technique, and uses electronic instruments to photograph "auras" that Samant said were able to strengthen around people and objects in line with the group's version of Hindu practices. Athavale, reportedly in his 70s, is rarely seen in public, although the group does print his pronouncements. Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, a political organization drawn mainly from Sanatan Sanstha ranks, last year published Athavale's thoughts on slaughtering cows. "Hindus, who are indifferent towards cow-slaughter and attacks on 'Gou-rakshaks' (saviors of cows), are not fit to live," Athavale is quoted as saying. Group under Scrutiny Public scrutiny of Sanatan Sanstha increased after police arrested one of its workers in September as a suspect in the February shooting of Pansare. The worker, Sameer Gaikwad, has not been charged and Sanatan Sanstha says he is innocent. India's counter terrorism National Investigation Agency (NIA) has named another follower of the group, fugitive Rudra Patil, as chief suspect. Patil was already on the NIA's "most wanted" list in connection with bomb blasts near a religious procession in 2009. Hindu Janajagruti Samiti spokesman Ramesh Shinde said Patil should turn himself in. Sanatan Sanstha says the group has not been named by courts, it opposes violence and its members have been unfairly accused. But brushes with the law and sometimes outspoken publications have triggered calls for successive governments to ban it, including fresh demands from politicians from the southern state of Goa and neighboring Maharashtra. Junior home minister Kiren Rijiju said the last government chose not to ban the group, and that Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka had not presented him with new evidence to act on. "Any organization that is perpetrating any kind of violence … you've got to be concerned about, but to ban an organization, you have to have a basis," he said. The post Indian Utopian Sect under Scrutiny as Religious Tolerance Debate Rages appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bangladesh Police Arrest 4 in Killing of Italian Aid Worker Posted: 26 Oct 2015 10:14 PM PDT People who sustained injuries in a series of blasts targeting Shia Muslims are surrounded by their relatives at a hospital in Dhaka on Saturday. (Photo: Ashikur Rahman / Reuters) DHAKA — Police in Bangladesh have arrested four suspects in the killing of an Italian aid worker last month, and said Monday that the alleged gunmen had confessed to being hired to attack “a white man” in order to destabilize the impoverished South Asian nation. Cesare Tavella was gunned down by motorcycle-riding assailants on Sept. 28 while jogging in the diplomatic quarter of Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital. Five days later, a Japanese citizen was killed in a similar attack in northern Bangladesh. The killings spooked the country’s expatriate community and threatened its fragile economy, which is heavily reliant on foreign aid and a $25 billion garment industry supplying clothing for international brands. Responsibility for the attack on Tavella was quickly claimed by the Islamic State group, but Bangladesh’s government rejected the claim and said there was no evidence that the extremist Sunni militant group had any presence in the country. It also rejected Islamic State claims for killing the Japanese man, and for the bombing of a Shiite procession over the weekend that left a teenage boy dead and more than 100 people injured. Bangladesh has instead accused domestic Islamist militants along with Islamist political parties—specifically the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its main ally, Jamaat-e-Islami—of orchestrating the violence to destabilize the already fractious nation. On Monday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said the latest arrests supported that theory. The suspects, including known professional killers identified from closed-circuit television footage from the attack site, allegedly told investigators they’d been hired by “a big brother” to kill Tavella in order to “create chaos” in the country, Mia said. “We have identified that so-called big brother. When we are able to arrest that man, it will be clear who used them,” the police commissioner said. Mia said that the attackers targeted Tavella simply because he was Caucasian. “Tavella was not their specific target, he just became a victim being a white,” Mia said. “The killers asked whether he had any enmity with that foreigner; he replied, ‘No, you have to kill a white man.'” The killers also said they’d received half of the payment promised for the attack, according to Mia, who did not specify any figures. “We have interrogated them separately. We need to interrogate them more, with permission from court,” he said. The suspects were not involved in the assault on the Japanese man, Mia said. “That’s a separate group,” he said, without giving any details or saying whether authorities had any leads. The arrests are considered a major breakthrough for Bangladesh, which has been struggling to stem a rising tide of violence, including the murders of four atheist bloggers claimed by radical Islamist groups this year. In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the US took the Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for the attack on the aid worker seriously, but it’s difficult to say the degree to which the extremist group is operating inside Bangladesh. He said it was up to Bangladeshi law enforcement authorities to confirm who was responsible. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a moderate who pledged to stamp out militant radical groups, on Saturday reiterated her stance of “zero tolerance” for terrorists. In recent years, she has overseen the arrest of dozens of suspected militants and the banning of six groups. Experts say the crackdown has left some of the country’s more hard-line Muslims feeling alienated, and has led to a resurgence in activity by Islamic extremist groups. Last week, an email purportedly signed by the banned Ansarullah Bangla Team militant group and sent to Bangladeshi media threatened more attacks on atheist bloggers, as well as on working women and media that criticize “jihad.” The post Bangladesh Police Arrest 4 in Killing of Italian Aid Worker appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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