The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Arrest over Facebook Post a Case of Mistaken Identity, Defendant Says
• Ye Htut Calls on US to ‘Unconditionally Lift’ Remaining Sanctions
• Tay Za-Owned Hotel Barred from Hosting Political Trainings
• Ethnic Leaders Draft Policy to Reflect ‘Common Vision’ in Future Peace Talks
• Jade Trade: Official Export Earnings Down for 2015
• Lower House Tables Motion Calling for an End to Shan State Clashes
• Four Civilians Killed in Car Crash While Fleeing Fighting in Shan State
• Free Funeral Services Society Announces Organic Farming Initiative
• New Sewage Treatment Plants Planned for Rangoon
• Fair Share: Toward an Equitable Resource Revenue System
• Strongmen to Predominate at Obama’s SE Asia Summit
• Indian Students Protest in Thousands as Government Cracks Down on Dissent
• SKorea Urges ‘Extraordinary’ New Sanctions on NKorea

Arrest over Facebook Post a Case of Mistaken Identity, Defendant Says Posted: 16 Feb 2016 05:11 AM PST Hla Phone at Mayangone Township Court on Monday. (Photo: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — An individual arrested last week over a Facebook post that allegedly defames the government and the military has said he is not the suspect in question—a user under the name of Kyat Pha Gyi. In the latest case of defamation involving social media, Hla Phone of Rangoon's Mayangone Township was arrested on Feb. 10 for allegedly sharing a post online deemed critical of the military and the outgoing government. He appeared before Mayangone Township Court on Monday. "I am not Kyat Pha Gyi. I was wrongly arrested," the 38-year old told the media on Monday. The defendant is reportedly a sailor and is being charged for defamation under Article 66(d) of Burma's Telecommunications Law, the same law under which several cases have been prosecuted in recent months. National League for Democracy supporter Chaw Sandi Tun was sentenced to six months' jail in December over a Facebook post that likened military uniforms to women's apparel. Last month, Kachin aid worker Patrick Khum Jaa Lee also received a six month sentence for allegedly sharing a photo of a man dressed in traditional Kachin attire stomping on an image of Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. Another Facebook user was criticized by Burmese netizens earlier this month after he posted comments threatening violence if a constitutional clause barring Aung San Suu Kyi from the presidency was amended. In Hla Phone's case, a complaint was filed by Lt-Col Soe Win Maw of Rangoon Command. The complaint states that "Kyat Pha Gyi's account has been defaming the army chief, the military and the president by posting photoshopped pictures and text," according to Rangoon Western District Police Office, where the complaint was made. Kyat Pha Gyi's Facebook account is still active and on Tuesday—nearly a week after Hla Phone's arrest—a new post appeared reading: "I was sorry for Ko Hla Phone who has been mistaken […] as Kyat Pha Gyi. Please pray for him." At the end of the post, the account user disclosed his name: "Kyaw Kyaw Min a.k.a. Kyat Pha Gyi." The defendant's lawyer Robert San Aung said if the plaintiff can provide evidence, the trial will go ahead. "If not, they have to release him," he told the media after Monday's court appearance. The post Arrest over Facebook Post a Case of Mistaken Identity, Defendant Says appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ye Htut Calls on US to ‘Unconditionally Lift’ Remaining Sanctions Posted: 16 Feb 2016 04:30 AM PST Ye Htut, Minister of Information, speaks to the media after a meeting in Union Parliament in Naypyidaw, August 18, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) Burma's Minister of Information Ye Htut on Tuesday called on the US to lift remaining sanctions on Burma following the country's successful elections. Speaking to Voice of America on the sidelines of a US-ASEAN Summit in California, Ye Htut said: "At a time when [Burma] has reached another stage in the transition process, proven by the election results, the best way that the US can help Burmese citizens is by unconditionally lifting all economic sanctions against [Burma]." Ye Htut is accompanying Vice President Nyan Tun at the Feb. 15-16 summit hosted by US President Barack Obama. President Thein Sein pulled out of the dialogue at the eleventh hour due, according to Ye Htut, to the country's delicate transition period. Asked by VOA about the Burmese delegation's agenda at the summit, Ye Htut reportedly said they would request the continued assistance of the US and ASEAN governments as a new government prepares to take over on April 1. The US lifted some sanctions against the former pariah state after Thein Sein's administration took power in 2011. However, some restrictions remain, including an arms embargo and a blacklist preventing US firms from doing business with targeted individuals. The post Ye Htut Calls on US to 'Unconditionally Lift' Remaining Sanctions appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Tay Za-Owned Hotel Barred from Hosting Political Trainings Posted: 16 Feb 2016 04:19 AM PST National League for Democracy chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi meets with her party's recently elected representatives from Upper Burma at May Hall in Pyinmana, Naypyidaw, on Dec. 5, 2015. (Photo: Facebook / NLD Chairperson) RANGOON — A hotel owned by Burmese business tycoon Tay Za in the country's capital has been warned by the Naypyidaw Council against sponsoring trainings for political parties. The notification letter, signed by Col. Min Naung of the council and addressed to Htoo Construction Development Group, stated that 10 companies had in the past been given approval to build hotels in Naypyidaw's Dekkhinathiri Township with loans provided by the state-owned Myanma Economic Bank with a 15-year repayment option. Until these loans are paid back in full to the Naypyidaw Development Committee, the capital's municipal body, the hotels remain state-owned and therefore prohibited from holding meetings for political parties, the letter said. Among the 10 hotels, the Tay Za-owned Shwe San Eain Hotel reportedly sponsored two trainings in December for incoming National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmakers, backed by the Asia Green Development Bank, also owned by Tay Za. Ma Thandar, a Lower House lawmaker with the NLD, who attended one of the party's training sessions in Rangoon, confirmed that a session was held at the Shwe San Eain Hotel ahead of the new Parliament. Myo Yan Naung Thein, secretary of the NLD central research management team, which helps to arrange the trainings, posted to his Facebook page on Tuesday that he asked Tay Za to help provide training space and that the government was trying to stop NLD trainings. Chit Khine, owner of the Hilton Myanmar Hotel, also included on the list, said that he has agreed to follow the rules stipulated by the Naypyidaw Council. "There was no punishment mentioned in the letter to us, just restrictions," he said. The NLD has accepted donations from so-called "cronies" in the past, including at a fundraiser event held to mark the second anniversary of the founding of its Rangoon education network, for which Tay Za's Htoo Group of Companies contributed funds. Tay Za remains on a US blacklist preventing American companies from doing business with him. NLD party members, including chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi, have denied there is any ethical dilemma involved in accepting money, saying that it is a matter of convenience. The post Tay Za-Owned Hotel Barred from Hosting Political Trainings appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ethnic Leaders Draft Policy to Reflect ‘Common Vision’ in Future Peace Talks Posted: 16 Feb 2016 03:03 AM PST Ethnic representatives gather to discuss security issues and Burma's peace process at a workshop in northern Thailand on February 16, 2016. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy) CHIANG MAI, THAILAND — Ethnic representatives from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) and various domestic and international advisors gathered to discuss security issues and Burma's peace process in northern Thailand's Chiang Mai this week. Titled "Security, Defense and Current Political Situation Workshop," the three-day event was organized by the Ethnic Nationalities Affairs Centre (ENAC), an organization focused on providing training and drafting policy that will support Burma's peace process. Khu Oo Reh, the general secretary of the UNFC—a coalition of 11 ethnic armed groups (EAOs)—said on Tuesday that the workshop was held in preparation to present collective policies on each sector at a future political dialogue. Khu Oo Reh is also the secretary of ENAC's board of directors. The leaders in the workshop explored different approaches to security sector reform (SSR) and disarmament, disintegration and reintegration (DDR) processes from other countries, such as Nepal and Northern Ireland. "The discussion helps us to think best [about] how to transform and integrate the armed groups during Burma's transition period, but not by copying [the others'] ways," said Khu Oo Reh. Eight armed groups signed the government's so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) in October 2015, including UNFC members the Chin National Front and the Pa-O National Liberation Organization. The two groups' membership of the alliance was subsequently suspended. "We will share our draft policies with the EAOs to get approval and recommendations from them before the political dialogue [continues], so that we will have a common vision when the time comes for the talks," said Khu Oo Reh. The alliance has said they are also ready to work with the new National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government, but an official channel for talks between the UNFC and the NLD has yet to form. Since its formation in 2013, ENAC has been providing a series of workshops and trainings for civil society and EAO leadership on issues concerning politics, economics, land rights, humanitarian aid, resource governance and security. Leaders participating in this week's workshop emphasized the need for such policy talks, noting that Burma's public has been denied the opportunity to participate in decisions regarding education, health, investment and the environment due to the lack of a federal system. Sai Nyunt Lwin, general secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and a member of ENAC's board of directors, said that future policy briefings would have to be shared with local civil society groups. Awareness of the peace process, he said, is the most significant issue after that of the government's transfer of power. "Peace building is not only talking about signing the ceasefire with the various armed groups. It also has to be creating peace, stability and rule of law in the country," he told The Irrawaddy. The post Ethnic Leaders Draft Policy to Reflect 'Common Vision' in Future Peace Talks appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Jade Trade: Official Export Earnings Down for 2015 Posted: 16 Feb 2016 02:44 AM PST A buyer checks a jade stone near a mine dump at a Hpakant jade mine in Kachin State, November 29, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — Revenue derived from Burma's official jade exports declined in the first nine months of the 2015-16 fiscal year, as the lucrative industry continues to draw fire over safety, ethical and environmental concerns. According to figures from the Ministry of Commerce, US$567 million in revenue was derived from jade exports from April to December last year, compared to $1.4 billion for the 2014-15 fiscal year. Seaborne trade accounted for $262 million, while $305 million was attributed to overland trade. On the apparent drop in official export figures—albeit with three months of the fiscal year yet to be tallied—Win Myint, director of the Ministry of Commerce's trade promotion department, said the government was "really only stimulating the jade market within Burma." The last jade emporium, held exclusively for domestic traders, took place in December in Naypyidaw, with over 6,800 lots on display. While the precious stone is sold officially at separate emporiums for domestic and international buyers, the majority of Burma's jade is smuggled illegally over the border with China. The extent of illegal earnings is not captured in official data but a report by Global Witness in October last year estimated that up to $31 billion in jade left the country in 2014. The watchdog's investigation found that much of the profit from the illicit trade was linked to government and military elites. The industry was also tarnished by a series of deadly landslides in Kachin State's Hpakant in 2015, the worst of which killed over 100 local prospectors in November. Many so-called hand-pickers are drawn to Hpakant Township from around the country to sift through huge piles of waste discarded by mining companies in search of valuable stone. Jade remains one of Burma's key export items, with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan among the leading target countries. As quoted in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar on Tuesday, an unnamed commerce ministry official said total exports were still expected to hit $1 billion by the close of the current fiscal year. Tun Hla Aung, secretary of the Myanmar Gems and Jewelry Entrepreneurs Association, said the Chinese government was more strictly monitoring large overseas bank transfers, limiting Chinese traders' ability to acquire funds to purchase jade. Min Thu, assistant director of the Myanmar Gems Enterprise, concurred that "many Chinese jade traders couldn't get loans from banks to make jade purchases." The post Jade Trade: Official Export Earnings Down for 2015 appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Lower House Tables Motion Calling for an End to Shan State Clashes Posted: 16 Feb 2016 02:07 AM PST MPs attend a parliamentary session in Naypyidaw on Feb. 4, 2016. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) Sai Tun Aung, a Lower House lawmaker for Kyaukme Township representing the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), submitted a proposal on Tuesday calling for an end to fighting in Shan State. "I urge the national government, the Shan State government and all concerned bodies to end clashes in the Palaung Self-Administered Zone and Kyaukme Township as soon as possible and to take care of suffering war victims, as the lives of citizens, teachers and students are at grave risk," Sai Tun Aung told fellow MPs. His proposal was seconded by Nan Kham Aye of Namtu Township, also from the SNLD. The motion was put to a vote and approved by the Parliament's Lower House for further discussion. Renewed clashes broke out between the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) on Feb. 7 in northern Shan State, displacing over 3,000 civilians. "There are over 600 people caught in clashes in Nyaung Maung and Nyaung Bin Hla villages [in Kyaukme Township]. They have phoned many times to plead for rescue. But we are not able to get there," Sai Maung Than, the leader of a volunteer group helping displaced villagers, told The Irrawaddy. "At a time when we should be promoting the educational standards of our citizens, teachers and students trapped in these war zones have to flee," said Nan Kham Aye. Lower House Speaker Win Myint said the proposal will be discussed at a session on Wednesday. The Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N) has offered to mediate a resolution between the two ethnic armed groups. Further clashes were reported on Monday. The post Lower House Tables Motion Calling for an End to Shan State Clashes appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Four Civilians Killed in Car Crash While Fleeing Fighting in Shan State Posted: 16 Feb 2016 12:30 AM PST Victims are carried from the scene of a car accident in Kyaukme Township after fleeing conflict in northern Shan State on February 15, 2016. (Photo: Aung Nay Myo / Facebook) KYAUKME, Shan State — Four people were reportedly killed and 11 injured in a car accident as civilians fled armed conflict in northern Shan State's Kyaukme Township on Monday. The accident occurred near Khaung Khar village, as civilians fled ongoing armed conflict between the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) near Tauk San village, where clashes broke out last week. On Monday, the fighting reached neighboring Kyauk Phyu village. A relative caring for one of the injured in a Kyaukme public hospital said the deceased included an elderly woman, a novice Buddhist monk, and two other men. "Those four died on the spot," she said. In the "Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot" for February 9-15, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that over 3,000 people have been displaced by conflict in the region. The figures included 2,500 from the Tauk San area, and 800 from nearby Namkham Township. Fighting between Shan and Ta'ang forces began in late November and has intensified since February 7. The post Four Civilians Killed in Car Crash While Fleeing Fighting in Shan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Free Funeral Services Society Announces Organic Farming Initiative Posted: 16 Feb 2016 12:25 AM PST Actor Kyaw Thu, chairman of Rangoon's Free Funeral Services Society, helps carry a coffin on March 21, 2011 during the 100,000th funeral service organised by the society. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — Famed civil society organization Free Funeral Services Society (FFSS) announced that it will expand its mandate to provide trainings in organic farming in an effort to improve food quality in Burma. Myint Myint Khin Pe, co-founder of FFSS, told The Irrawaddy that the organization will open an institute to provide trainings in agricultural practices. The workshops are expected to begin later this year. Founded in 2001, FFSS is based in Rangoon and was originally established to provide funeral services free of charge to the poor. The organization is also known for its education initiatives, waste collection and free health care services offered through its affiliate, the Thukha Charity Clinic. "Many food products in our country are harmful to our health. Even at our Thukha Clinic, the number of patients is increasing because of those unhygienic foods. We would like to do this to be able to produce chemical free and hygienic foods and thus promote public health," Myint Myint Khin Pe said. She said the organic farming institute will be established on 17 acres of land in Pegu Division, 13 acres of which were given to the organization by a donor. FFSS will also arrange accommodation for those who must travel long distances to study at the institute. FFSS announced through social media that they hope to attract many volunteers through the new institute and encourage philanthropy among youth. The post Free Funeral Services Society Announces Organic Farming Initiative appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

New Sewage Treatment Plants Planned for Rangoon Posted: 16 Feb 2016 12:15 AM PST Two men attempt to clean a roadside drain. The drains in Rangoon often get clogged with trash, contributing to flooding during monsoon season. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Rangoon's municipal body is planning to build a number of sewage treatment plants throughout the city with the assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), state-run media reported on Tuesday. The new plants are expected to cater for almost 50 percent of the commercial capital's population, according to an official from the Yangon City Development Committee, quoted by the Global New Light of Myanmar. No commencement date or deadlines were specified. The YCDC official told the state-run daily that Rangoon's current sewage system is "no longer able to treat sewage water" and that only six townships currently have septic tank systems. The post New Sewage Treatment Plants Planned for Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Fair Share: Toward an Equitable Resource Revenue System Posted: 16 Feb 2016 12:05 AM PST Trucks are seen at a jade dump at a Hpakant jade mine in Kachin State, November 26, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) Myanmar's government currently collects much of the trillions of kyat generated by oil, gas, gemstones and other minerals each year, primarily through its state-owned economic enterprises (SEEs). In the face of such centralized control over revenue, many ethnic groups have long asserted their right to make decisions over resource management in their states. In fact, combatants in areas of active conflict and leaders from several ethnic minority parties—particularly those associated with Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states—have openly called for greater resource revenue sharing. These appeals are only expected to get louder as the NLD forms a new government. In its election manifesto, the party promised to "work to ensure a fair distribution across the country of the profits from natural resource extraction, in accordance with the principles of a federal union." This statement implies at least two things: First, that the party intends to transform Myanmar into a federation, where states and regions have true sovereignty over some government responsibilities; and second, that it intends to enact a natural resource revenue sharing system. A resource revenue sharing system will undoubtedly be on the table during evolving discussions on federalism. However, as we have seen in other countries, these systems come with considerable risks. In the most extreme cases, such as Peru, they can actually exacerbate conflict, encouraging local leaders to use violence to compel greater transfers from the central government or gain control over mine sites. While these experiences are atypical, natural resource revenue sharing often leads to financial waste, local inflation, boom-bust cycles and poor public investment decisions. Myanmar is particularly susceptible to these risks as overall resource revenues officially recorded in the budget remain small—due to smuggling, underreporting, weak tax collection, and revenue retention by SEEs, among other causes. This means that there are limits to how much revenue sharing can help affected communities without the government first putting effort into capturing a bigger share of profits for the state. How much money is at stake today? According to conservative estimates from Myanmar's first Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) report, the government collected nearly 2.6 trillion kyat in oil and gas tax and non-tax revenue and another 442 billion kyat in mining revenues in fiscal year 2013/14. Together, oil, gas and mineral revenues made up 47.5 percent of government revenues (excluding the significant sums that SEEs retain for themselves) in the same year. However, official revenue figures vastly underestimate the true size of the non-renewable resource sector. EITI figures only cover a portion of jade sales. And illegal mining and smuggling of minerals, especially jade, has been well documented. Some independent estimates put the true size of the mineral sector at more than 10 times official figures. Currently, the 42 percent of resource revenues that are not retained by SEEs in their own so-called "Other Accounts" are pooled with other fiscal revenues in the Union budget. Some are then distributed directly to state and regional governments, which are responsible for financing local infrastructure, agriculture and some cultural institutions. As part of the government's effort to decentralize fiscal responsibilities, the amount of the overall budget allocated to all states and regions has increased in recent years, from 3.4 percent in 2013/14 to 7.6 percent in 2014/15 to 8.7 percent in 2015/16. The government now says that it is using population, poverty and regional GDP indicators to determine how much it gives each state or region from this pool of money. Research from the Natural Resource Governance Institute's (NRGI) new report "Sharing the Wealth: A Roadmap for Distributing Myanmar's Natural Resource Revenues," generally corroborates this claim, but with qualifications. Our research indicates that, in practice, the Union sends more money per capita to regions and states that have greater development needs, are conflict-affected, and whose politicians are more assertive. This year, for instance, Chin, Kayah, Tanintharyi and Kachin received the highest per capita allocations, while Ayeyarwady, Bago, Mandalay, and Yangon received the lowest. But just because more money is going to states and regions does not mean that there is more accountability or that social services and infrastructure are improved relative to other parts of the country. Nor does this fiscal decentralization address local demands for greater autonomy over natural resource revenues. Most state and regional officials still report to Union authorities in Naypyitaw. Furthermore, state and regional governments still have low capacity to develop and implement budgets effectively. This means that state and regional spending is not necessarily efficient or linked to a coherent economic development plan. While true federalism—partial sovereignty for states and regions—would require constitutional reform, there are three steps the new government can take now to "ensure a fair distribution across the country of the profits from natural resource extraction." First, the government can start building national consensus on a natural resource revenue sharing formula. This way, all parties would have clarity on the issues and feel a sense of ownership over natural resource governance. This is the principle means through which resource revenue sharing can help stop violent conflicts. Indonesia spent nearly two years negotiating a resource revenue sharing deal with conflict-affected Aceh before coming to an agreement. The ongoing Union Peace Dialogue could be one forum for discussion of how a revenue sharing system could be administered. This discussion would not be a substitute for formal parliamentary and public discussions, but could support government efforts to build peace. Second, the government could further decentralize by making state and regional politicians and officials accountable to local residents. It could also delegate resource management and expenditure responsibilities to these officials slowly, so they have time to learn how to perform these new roles. This can be done even without constitutional change. The Colombian and South African experiences offer some lessons for how decentralization can be achieved in unitary states (though neither case is an unmitigated success). Third, the government could improve the transparency and oversight of natural resource revenues by cracking down on smuggling and illegal mining and publishing project-level information on all extractive projects. Without this information, state and regional governments cannot verify the value of minerals being extracted on their land and therefore cannot trust that they would receive their due under any revenue sharing formula. Myanmar could look to Bolivia and Mongolia, which lead the way when it comes to extractive sector transparency. For instance, the Bolivian government publishes, in a clear and understandable format, online data on transfers to and between subnational authorities and on hydrocarbon production by province, field and company. Natural resource revenue sharing can be a key component of peace-building and decentralization in Myanmar. Mineral-rich Kachin, Mandalay, Sagaing and Shan, and onshore oil-rich Magway and Bago would undoubtedly benefit. Governments in other states and regions with pipelines that transport offshore gas may also profit. But unless done properly, resource revenue sharing can help perpetuate conflicts that have gone on for far too long. Andrew Bauer is a senior economic analyst at the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI). The post Fair Share: Toward an Equitable Resource Revenue System appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Strongmen to Predominate at Obama’s SE Asia Summit Posted: 15 Feb 2016 10:55 PM PST US President Barack Obama makes opening remarks at the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Rancho Mirage, California, February 15, 2016. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters) NEW DELHI — A coup leader with a penchant for song. A sultan with a taste for the high life. A ruthless prime minister with 31 years on the job. A former furniture salesman. A communist politburo veteran. A prime minister trying to shake off a US$700 million financial scandal. When President Barack Obama welcomes Southeast Asian leaders for a shirt-sleeves summit set to begin Monday in California, he'll have some interesting dining companions. US officials say the unprecedented gathering, running through Tuesday, is the culmination of Obama's seven-year effort to engage with the Asia-Pacific, a strategic push that China views as an attempt to contain its rise. For the first time, the American president has invited to the United States all the leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a diverse and democratically challenged 10-nation grouping. The meeting place is the sprawling Sunnylands estate where Obama hosted an ice-breaking summit with China's President Xi Jinping in 2013. During two days of discussions and a working dinner, the leaders plan to discuss economic cooperation and trade, and security issues. Hours before the summit was to get underway, Obama, an avid golfer, headed for the estate's nine-hole course, which is considered one of the finest in the country. ASEAN was founded in the 1960s as an anti-communist bloc. It now straddles all of Southeast Asia and has become a fulcrum of US outreach in Asia. That includes its push for adherence to international law in the South China Sea, where disputes between China and its neighbors have stoked tensions. But the US faces an uphill battle to forge unity among ASEAN's members, which includes poor nations such as Cambodia and Laos that are heavily influenced by China and are not party to the dispute. Others members such as Vietnam and the Philippines have been strongly critical of China after confrontations near contested islands. James Clapper, the director of US national intelligence, told Congress last week that ASEAN cohesion is challenged by "varying threat perceptions of China's regional ambitions and assertiveness in the South China Sea." Another challenge for the US lies in promoting a "rules-based order" in a region with a very mixed record on democracy and rule of law. Several of the invitees have not come to power through free and fair elections. They include Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who took power in a May 2014 coup, has cracked down on critics and dissidents and repeatedly pushed back the date for new elections. In the meantime, he has penned the lyrics to a tune called, "Returning Happiness to the People," often played on state-controlled media. Hun Sen from neighboring Cambodia is making his first official US visit as leader, although he's been prime minister since 1985. He has used a combination of guile and brute force to stay in power, including a violent coup in 1997. In recent months he has intensified pressure on the political opposition. Daniel Russel, the top US diplomat for East Asia, defended the invitations, saying the US is not going overboard by rolling out the red carpet for "problematic leaders." He said discussions at Sunnylands will be an opportunity to promote US values and respect for human rights. "Hun Sen isn't going to hear it from his subordinates. Gen. Prayuth isn't going to hear it from his colleagues, but they will and do hear from [Secretary of State] John Kerry, from Barack Obama," Russel told reporters. "It's important for there to be real communication here." Human Rights Watch, however, said inviting unelected leaders represents "an unearned diplomatic reward." In a pre-summit report surveying the record of ASEAN members, it concluded most "have an extraordinarily poor human rights record." Among the 10 nations, only Indonesia and the Philippines are widely regarded as being open democracies. Vietnam and Laos have communist governments that prohibit political dissent, while tiny oil-rich Brunei is governed by the vastly wealthy Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the world's few remaining hereditary leaders. In 2014, Bolkiah introduced Shariah criminal law that calls for punishing adultery, abortions and same-sex relationships with flogging and stoning, an action that prompted a Hollywood boycott of the Beverly Hills Hotel, which he owns. Also attending is Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has been dogged by a scandal over a state investment fund and accusations of a lavish lifestyle. From neighboring Indonesia comes President Joko Widodo, a more down-at-heels leader who rose from being a furniture seller to running the world's fourth-most populated country. Four of the invitees are "lame ducks" with little time left in office, like Obama. At least one of them, from Myanmar, is skipping the summit and sending a deputy instead. Still, Ernie Bower, a Southeast Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the summit will demonstrate the importance of Southeast Asia to the US and set a precedent the next president can follow. "It will send a resounding message to Asian capitals that the United States is committed to this," he said. The post Strongmen to Predominate at Obama's SE Asia Summit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indian Students Protest in Thousands as Government Cracks Down on Dissent Posted: 15 Feb 2016 09:32 PM PST Police stop demonstrators during a protest against the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) outside the university campus in New Delhi, India, February 15, 2016. (Photo: Anindito Mukherjee / Reuters) NEW DELHI — India's biggest nationwide student protests in a quarter of a century spread across campuses on Monday after the arrest of a student accused of sedition, in the latest battle with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government over freedom of expression. Outrage over the arrest of the left-wing student leader, who had organized a rally to mark the anniversary of the execution of a Kashmiri separatist, has led to demonstrations in at least 18 universities. In the largest protest, thousands of students and academics at New Delhi's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) boycotted classes and erected barricades for a fourth day in an escalating conflict with the authorities. "The government does not want students to have a say," said Rahila Parween, vice-president of the Delhi unit of the All India Students' Federation, a left-wing student union. "It wants to dictate what students think, understand and say." The incident marks another flare-up in an ideological confrontation between Modi's nationalist government and left-wing and liberal groups that is prompting critics to compare it with Indira Gandhi's imposition of a state of emergency in the 1970s to crush dissent. Members of Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the student leader, Kanhaiya Kumar, of "anti-India" sentiment. One BJP lawmaker said the university, which has a tradition of left-wing politics, should be shut down. "I can assure you that every action we take is to protect our country. Any anti-India activity will not be tolerated," BJP President Amit Shah, one of Modi's closest allies, said at party headquarters. Protests spread when Kumar was arrested last week for sedition, after giving a speech questioning the hanging in 2013 of Mohammad Afzal Guru over his role in the 2001 attack on parliament. Activists have long questioned Guru's conviction, and India's Supreme Court has described the evidence against him as circumstantial. Scuffles erupted outside a New Delhi courthouse between lawyers and students where Kumar, 28, was to appear before a judge on Monday. Anti-India Sentiment A leader of the student group that is aligned with the BJP said freedom of expression should not be misused to justify acts that could harm the country. "You cannot be an Indian if you celebrate the death anniversary of a terrorist," said Saurabh Sharma, joint secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (All India Student Council). Home Minister Rajnath Singh has, meanwhile, faced ridicule for citing a fake tweet to say that the JNU demonstration had been backed by Hafiz Saeed, a Pakistani militant accused by India of being behind the 2008 attack on Mumbai in which 166 people died. Delhi police circulated the fake tweet at the weekend in a warning to students "not to get carried away by such seditious and anti-national rhetoric." A spokesman did not answer calls to his mobile phone on Monday seeking comment. "The crackdown signals an utter lack of judgment in the government, where ministers manage to manufacture a national crisis out of what were always, at best, minor affectations in student politics," Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a leading political commentator, wrote in the Indian Express newspaper. Since Modi rose to power in May 2014, people in India have been attacked by Hindus enraged at reports of cows—sacred in their religion—being slaughtered, smuggled or consumed. There has been a series of attacks on churches, while writers have returned awards in protest over the government's silence over a series of murders of secular scholars. At least 18 university campuses witnessed protests on Monday. Students in the eastern city of Kolkata burnt an effigy of Modi and left-wing groups in the neighboring state of Odisha planned state-wide demonstrations. Analysts said the student protests were the most widespread in India since the self-immolation of a young Indian in 1990 after the government ruled in favor of providing affirmative action to the lower castes in higher education. "We are witnessing liberal India, particularly young people who are usually more idealistic, fighting back," said Satish Misra, a political analyst at the Observer Research Foundation. The post Indian Students Protest in Thousands as Government Cracks Down on Dissent appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

SKorea Urges ‘Extraordinary’ New Sanctions on NKorea Posted: 15 Feb 2016 08:48 PM PST North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a banquet for contributors of the recent rocket launch. (Photo: KCNA / Reuters) UNITED NATIONS — South Korea's UN ambassador urged the UN Security Council on Monday to adopt "extraordinary" measures in response to North Korea's recent nuclear test and rocket launch to avoid falling prey to its "nuclear blackmail." Ambassador Oh Joon told a council meeting that members must approve "a robust and comprehensive" sanctions resolution to make clear to the North "that it will no longer tolerate its nuclear weapons development." Pyongyang started off the new year with what it claims was its first hydrogen bomb test and followed that up with the launch of a satellite on a rocket condemned by much of the world as a test of banned missile technology. The ambassador called the test and launch "a clear threat to international peace and security and a blatant challenge to the international community." Over the past 10 years, North Korea has conducted four nuclear tests and launched six long-range missiles—all in violation of Security Council resolutions and Pyongyang's international obligations, Oh told a council meeting on respecting the principles of the UN Charter. "If we go on business-as-usual vis-a-vis the DPRK's repeated nuclear tests and advancement of missile capabilities, the entire world could fall prey to the DPRK's nuclear blackmail," he said, using the initials of the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Extraordinary threat requires an extraordinary response," Oh said. The United States and China are negotiating the text of a new resolution and the council pledged after the Feb. 7 rocket launch to "expeditiously" adopt a new resolution with "significant" new sanctions. The US and its allies want sanctions that go beyond the North's nuclear and missile programs, but China, Pyongyang's neighbor and supporter on the council, is reluctant to impose measures that could cause the country's economy to collapse. The post SKorea Urges 'Extraordinary' New Sanctions on NKorea appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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National News

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• Parliament accepts urgent proposal for Shan State ceasefire, immediate aid
• Drug-fighting vigilantes set to resume campaign
• Shan IDPs fear wider communal conflict
• MP confirms Ayeyarwady chief minister speculation
• NLD promises to review plan for two more Yangon flyovers
• Bodies of missing Ta’Ang men found in forest
• SSPP to moderate talks, aims to end northern Shan fighting
• Parliament should not be a ‘wrestling circle’: NLD leader
• Unofficial Hlaing Tharyar renters fear looming eviction
• Rice course to build up agriculture expertise

Parliament accepts urgent proposal for Shan State ceasefire, immediate aid Posted: 16 Feb 2016 08:02 AM PST Shan State politicians are urging parliament to immediately address renewed clashes in the northern end of the state which have already displaced thousands of civilians and trapped several thousand more.

Drug-fighting vigilantes set to resume campaign Posted: 15 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST An army of anti-narcotics activists encamped in the Kachin Manaw compound in Waingmaw township, Kachin State, will today re-launch their campaign against local poppy growers, despite the threat of violence and lack of government support. As many as 3000 campaigners are expected to march on fields in the Sadon-Kambaiti over the next two days.

Shan IDPs fear wider communal conflict Posted: 15 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Refugees fleeing fighting between two Shan and Ta'Ang armed groups say they fear this latest war in northern Shan State will trigger a broader communal conflict in areas where people have long lived side by side.

MP confirms Ayeyarwady chief minister speculation Posted: 15 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST A National League for Democracy representative says he expects to be nominated for the position of chief minister of Ayeyarwady Region by his party's leader.

NLD promises to review plan for two more Yangon flyovers Posted: 15 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Two more flyovers planned for Yangon city might not get off the ground, incoming National League for Democracy MPs warned yesterday.

Bodies of missing Ta’Ang men found in forest Posted: 15 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST The charred remains of two Ta'Ang men who went missing this month while guiding watermelon traders have been found in forests in northern Shan State, local activists said yesterday.

SSPP to moderate talks, aims to end northern Shan fighting Posted: 15 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Fighting continued yesterday in northern Shan State as an influential ethnic Shan armed group attempted to mediate in the conflict which is estimated to have displaced more than 5000 people in recent weeks.

Parliament should not be a ‘wrestling circle’: NLD leader Posted: 15 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST MPs have been sent to boot camp in Nay Pyi Taw this week in response to fears that the influx of novice parliamentarians has stripped the country's legislature of its institutional knowledge.

Unofficial Hlaing Tharyar renters fear looming eviction Posted: 15 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Over 200 residents of Shwelinban ward on the industrial outer ring of Yangon fear they will imminently be swept from their homes and driven from the area. They believe eviction is inevitable, after a similar neighbourhood in Mingalardon township was forcibly dismantled on January 26.

Rice course to build up agriculture expertise Posted: 15 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Myanmar is to develop a corps of rice experts, specialists who will be tasked with making the most of what may be the country's single most important product.

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The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• From the Archive: 5 Years On, KNU Leader’s Chilling Murder Still a Mystery
• Fire Destroys Hundreds of Homes in Tenasserim Division’s Palaw Township
• Closing State-Run News Outlets Will Cause Ethnic Media to ‘Suffer’: MOI Official
• Hpakant Protesters Negotiate with Authorities over Waste Soil Dumps
• As Tensions Rise Between Ta’ang and Shan, SSPP Offers Mediation
• Newly Minted MPs Kick Off Week of Parliamentary Training
• ‘Free Burma Rangers’ Provide Emergency Assistance in Iraq
• President Waived US Trip to Monitor Sensitive Transition: Ye Htut
• Clashes in Northern Shan State Uproot Thousands
• RCSS Chairman: ‘We Are Ready to Work With the NLD Govt’ 
• Ex-General Who Led Burma from Dictatorship Leaves Mixed Legacy
• New Technology Aims to Speedily Repatriate South Asia’s Trafficked Children
• Last of 116 Dead in Taiwan Quake Is Pulled from Rubble
• Beijing’s Top Official in HK Calls Rioters ‘Radical Separatists’

From the Archive: 5 Years On, KNU Leader’s Chilling Murder Still a Mystery Posted: 15 Feb 2016 05:48 AM PST General Secretary Mahn Sha (right) of the KNU pictured with Gen Bo Mya at Karen Revolution Day in 2004. (Photo: Htain Linn) The Irrawaddy revisits a story from February 14, 2013, on Karen National Union leader Mahn Sha who, eight years ago on Sunday, was gunned down at his home in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. Five years ago today, Karen National Union (KNU) leader Mahn Sha was sitting on the balcony of his home in Mae Sot, a Thai town on the border with Burma, when two gunmen entered the house and shot him several times at point blank range. They left safely and were never seen again. A Thai police investigation came to nothing and the assassination of the prominent KNU general-secretary went down in history as a mysterious, cold-blooded murder that sent a chilling message to Burma's ethnic armed groups fighting the country's government. "As neither the victim nor the gunmen were Thai citizens, I don't think the Thai authorities will take this case seriously," said David Taw, a late former KNU spokesperson at the time. His words foretold the outcome. Five years later there has been no investigation, legal action or any new piece of information about the killing. On Thursday, Mahn Sha's family said they remain deeply disappointed over this lack of action in the case. "We are very sad as there is no legal action. Even if there is no legal action, we at least want to know the truth," said Nant Zoya Phan, Mahn Sha's daughter, who works with the London-based Burma Campaign UK. Her sister Nant Bwa Bwa Phan said by phone from London that she supported any initiative that would help uncover what happened on Feb. 14, 2008. "I want to encourage the KNU or any independent group to investigate the murder of our father," she said. Sunai Phasuk, a Thai researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, said that Thai authorities had failed to thoroughly investigate the case. "No matter who the victim is, the incident happened on Thai soil, so Thai authorities have a responsibility to bring the case to justice," he said. Mahn Sha was considered an inspirational leader for the Karen living in Burma and Karen refugees in Thailand, while he was also respected by Burmese dissidents for his support for the pro-democracy struggle in the country. He held many rounds of peace negotiations with Burma's military government and was expected to assume the KNU's leadership before he was gunned down at age 64. In decades past, tens of thousands of Karen have sought refuge in Mae Sot, just over the border from southeastern Burma's Karen State, where the KNU has been involved in a long-running conflict with Burma's central government. The KNU were tolerated by Thai authorities, as it had ties to the group. But Mae Sot's murky environment of armed rebels, Burmese dissidents, Thai and Burmese businessmen, and Thai intelligence officers frequently led to unexplained incidents and killings. Mahn Sha's killing remains unresolved although theories for the murder have been offered. Some said it was related to his opposition to the construction of Hat Gyi hydropower dam on the Salween River, a project that was planned by the Burmese government and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. Sources close to the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), a Karen splinter group, have said elements within the DKBA had been involved in Mahn Sha's slaying. The group signed a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese military regime after it split away from the KNU in 1995. His children said they hoped that the truth about his killing would surface in the future. "I believe there will be a finding about the murder of my father. The truth will come out one day for sure," his daughter Bwa Baw Phan said. Mahn Sha's adopted son Saw Say Say Phan added: "As his children it was very difficult for us to lose a father, but it gave us comfort to see how so many other people also felt the loss of our father so deeply. He was a man who was widely loved and respected." In memorial of their father, his four children have set up the Phan Foundation, a charity that supports young Karen people or Karen organizations that fight poverty, promote education and development, or preserve Karen culture. The post From the Archive: 5 Years On, KNU Leader's Chilling Murder Still a Mystery appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Fire Destroys Hundreds of Homes in Tenasserim Division’s Palaw Township Posted: 15 Feb 2016 05:34 AM PST Rescuers attempt to subdue a fire in Kyauk Kar village in Tenasserim Division's Palaw Township.  (Photo: D.F.B-Myeik / Facebook) RANGOON — A fire broke out on Saturday in Kyauk Kar village in Tenasserim Division's Palaw Township, destroying 331 homes, according to a rescue official. Sources report that houses in the island village, located about two hours by boat from Palaw Township, were ablaze for approximately five hours. "The cause of the fire is still unknown. All we know is that negligence was involved," Nay Myo Htun, an officer in the rescue and resettlement department in Tenasserim Division, told The Irrawaddy. Local charities and social organizations are donating to fire victims, and the divisional rescue and resettlement department has said that it will provide 100,000 kyats (US$81) and home utensils to each affected household. More than 1,500 people were reportedly affected. "The divisional government will provide 20 lakhs [2 million kyat] to each household for rebuilding purposes, while the rescue and resettlement department will provide 50 sheets of iron to renovate roofs," said Nay Myo Htun. Houses will be rebuilt according to locals' wishes, he added, and if those affected ask the government to arrange for household repairs, arrangements will be made with contractors. KBZ's Brighter Future Myanmar Foundation released a statement on Sunday saying that it had donated 3 lakhs [300,000 kyat] to each household to be used for home repairs and to recover lost items. Officials in Tenasserim Division and indeed across Burma are working to raise awareness among citizens of important fire prevention measures. The country has already faced a series of fires since the beginning of the year, including a massive blaze in January at Rangoon Division's Mingalar Market that destroyed 1, 636 shops and another fire earlier this month that displaced over 1,200 residents in Namhsan Township in northern Shan State. In a letter sent to Rangoon's Kawhmu Township administrative office on Monday, National League for Democracy chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi warned administrators to be vigilant regarding fire safety, including checking the electrical wiring of buildings and ensuring fire extinguishers are in public spaces as well as in homes. The Irrawaddy's Nyein Nyein contributed reporting. The post Fire Destroys Hundreds of Homes in Tenasserim Division's Palaw Township appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Closing State-Run News Outlets Will Cause Ethnic Media to ‘Suffer’: MOI Official Posted: 15 Feb 2016 05:15 AM PST Arakan State Chief Minister Mya Aung (third from right) and permanent secretary Tint Swe of the Ministry of Information (far right) attend the 4th Ethnic Media Conference in Mrauk Oo, Arakan State, on February 14, 2016. (Photo: Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy) MRAUK-OO, ARAKAN STATE – Ethnic representatives rejected a claim made by a Ministry of Information (MOI) official on Sunday that the future of ethnic media is intertwined with that of state-run news services. If Myanmar TV (MRTV)—the government-owned broadcasting service—is dissolved, then ethnic media will suffer, said permanent secretary Tint Swe of the MOI at the 4th Ethnic Media Conference in Arakan State. Burma News International (BNI), an ethnic media coalition, hosted the conference in the ancient Arakan capital of Mrauk Oo. Nan Paw Gay, BNI's executive director, countered Tint Swe, pointing out that BNI's ethnic media partners had never received government funds, although she noted that the MOI had approached BNI and offered financial support to its members. "Demolishing the MOI and the continued existence of BNI partners are different issues, because all of our partners are independent," she explained. The dissolution of broadcasters like MRTV, she argued, would not have an adverse effect on them. Some journalists have criticized the MOI as attempting to associate with ethnic media to advance their own interests, including on passing a so-called public service media law that would have transformed state-owned media organizations into "public service" outlets. The bill was ultimately withdrawn from Parliament in March last year. Media insiders have spoken in support of the shuttering of the MOI, claiming that the state-run newspapers—Myanma Ahlin, The Mirror and The Global New Light of Myanmar—are unnecessary and create market challenges for independent daily papers. These three newspapers also have the highest circulations in Burma. A participant in the BNI conference from the Northern Shan State Media Network, secretary Mya Wun Yan, said that Tin Swe did not specify which type of ethnic media would be affected—print or broadcast. "His speech was totally unrelated to the independent ethnic media because we haven't received any aid from MOI. His words are related to some MOI proxy broadcasts," she said. Last year, the MOI established so-called national race channels (NRC) in some ethnic regions and provided financial and technical support for broadcasting. Some broadcasters affiliated with MOI are now producing radio programs in the ethnic Shan language for local audiences, said Mya Wun Yan. Speaking to reporters in December, Ye Htut, who leads the Ministry of Information and also serves as presidential spokesperson, said he hoped the incoming National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government would consider the careers and livelihoods of the MOI's 7,000 employees—3,000 of whom work for state-run media enterprises—when pursuing reforms. The post Closing State-Run News Outlets Will Cause Ethnic Media to 'Suffer': MOI Official appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Hpakant Protesters Negotiate with Authorities over Waste Soil Dumps Posted: 15 Feb 2016 05:05 AM PST Miners search for jade stones at a mine dump at a Hpakant jade mine in Kachin State, November 25, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) MANDALAY — Locals in Kachin State's Hpakant Township, who began protesting in three different villages on Saturday against the continued dumping of waste soil in their areas, suspended demonstrations on Monday after authorities agreed to dialogue. Protest camps had been set up in Lone Khin, Seng Taung and Sabaw villages of Hpakant Township, with residents issuing a set of demands to local authorities and mining companies operating in the jade-rich region and actively stopping dump trucks from depositing more waste. Protesters demanded that mining firms: stop dumping waste in their villages; remove existing piles of waste; abide by regulations set out by the government; and cooperate to restore tributaries of the Uru River impacted by the dumping of detritus. Protesters from Seng Taung and Sabaw villages said local authorities had visited their camps to seek a resolution. "The authorities said they will meet with us tomorrow and will negotiate with the mining companies on our requests. So we decided to halt the protests during the negotiating period," said Dashi Naw Lwin of Seng Taung on Monday. "The authorities said they will push the companies to fulfill our requests and if the companies don't follow the rules, we are allowed to protest again. We believe the local authorities will do the best for us… [but] if not, we will resume our protest." In the Lone Khin area, while negotiations are also underway, local authorities reportedly told protesters they would be dispersed if they did not halt their demonstration. "Some elders are still talking with the authorities at Lone Khin police station. The police said they will use force to crack down on the camp if we do not call off the protest by tonight," said protester La Taung on Monday. "It seems the authorities can't give assurances [on the part] of the mining companies. If they can agree with us, we will halt the protest during the negotiation period. If not, we have to continue our protest and then, let us be arrested." Protests have been held in the area since late last year, demanding an end to the dumping of dangerous mountains of refuse. A string of deadly landslides were reported in 2015, including one incident in November that claimed the lives of more than 100 local prospectors at the site of a jade mine. Many hand-pickers are drawn from around the country to sift through huge piles of discarded waste in search of precious stone. Hpakant residents staged a roadblock from Dec. 10 to halt dozens of trucks planning to dump mine waste in nearby villages. The blockade was called off after several villagers were allegedly abducted by members of the Kachin Independence Army. The post Hpakant Protesters Negotiate with Authorities over Waste Soil Dumps appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

As Tensions Rise Between Ta’ang and Shan, SSPP Offers Mediation Posted: 15 Feb 2016 02:08 AM PST People watch as Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) soldiers march past in northern Shan State's Namhsan Township on January 13, 2014. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) In an effort to reduce escalating tensions and violence between the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N) has offered to mediate between the two ethnic armed groups to reach a political solution. Maj-Gen Say Htin, of the SSPP, reportedly took on the role of mediator after meeting with chairman Lt-Gen Yawd Serk of the SSA-S on Sunday. He also leads the Shan State Joint Action Committee (SSJAC), which is comprised of Shan politicians and armed group leaders. Both the SSA-S and the TNLA recently released public statements stating that they were prepared to begin talks, but neither side could yet confirm when and where such a dialogue would be held. Conflict in northern Shan State's Kyaukme, Namhsan and Namkham townships has intensified since February 7, but dates back to November 27, as both the TNLA and the SSA-S claim control over parts of the territory. On Monday, The Irrawaddy reported that over 2,500 people have been displaced by fighting in the area. The SSA-S, also referred to by its political wing, the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), was a signatory to the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the government in October last year. The NCA was signed by eight out of 15 eligible ethnic armed groups, but others, including the TNLA, were excluded from participation. "Only if the RCSS retrieves its 1,500-plus troops from the area will the fighting subside," said Ta Parn La, a spokesperson for the TNLA. "The RCSS reinforced its troops in the region, where they had only 80 troops in both Kyaukme and Namkham before the NCA." Ta Parn La appealed to the SSPP/SSA-N—a fellow member of the armed group coalition known as the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC)—to intervene on the issue, as the TNLA claims they have not been able to communicate directly with the RCSS. As early as December, UNFC leaders committed to reducing the tension, and have scheduled a meeting this week to work toward a resolution. Col Sai La, the RCSS/SSA-S spokesperson, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that they are ready to hold talks with the TNLA leadership, adding that they have been open to such talks since December. The group alleges that the TNLA never responded to requests to meet. "We are not able to discuss details as we are now communicating with the mediator," Sai La said. "Effective results will come only when the stakeholders meet peacefully." Sai La said that Lt-Gen Yawd Serk and his organization are "ready to negotiate peacefully, as we are not enemies with other ethnic armed groups in our state." "We would not have to fight back if we were not attacked," he added. Trading Allegations The RCSS/SSA-S and the TNLA have been exchanging allegations of abuse since fighting was first documented in late 2015. On February 12, the mutilated bodies of two Ta'ang men—Aung Win, aged 27 and Tun Aung, aged 28—were found in northern Shan State's Muse Township after they had been missing for ten days. "We found the two bodies in a corn farm, in different pieces. We do not know who killed them," said Tun Aung's older brother Aike Sik, who also pointed out that there are no armed groups near the family's village. After Aung Win and Tun Aung's disappearance, the Ta'ang Literature and Culture Association of Muse released a February 6 statement suggesting that the RCSS/SSA-S had detained the men and called for their immediate release. The Shan armed group denied any connection to the victims. Last week, the RCSS said that 11 of their Namkham-based troops had been injured after a TNLA ambush in the Mai Wee area of the township in late November. They also accused the TNLA of burning houses, torturing locals, and of detaining over 20 villagers, 15 of whom are still missing. The TNLA rejects these allegations and accuses the RCSS/SSA-S of attacking them alongside government troops, a claim the Shan armed group denies. The post As Tensions Rise Between Ta'ang and Shan, SSPP Offers Mediation appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Newly Minted MPs Kick Off Week of Parliamentary Training Posted: 15 Feb 2016 01:43 AM PST MPs attend the first day of the Lower House of Parliament in Naypyidaw on Feb. 1, 2016. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — During the opening session of a week-long training for newly elected MPs, Aung San Suu Kyi warned on Monday that the Parliament should not be a perch for lawmakers' personal interests. "It's not a stepping stone for a position. It's also not a call to fight people with different opinions. It's a place where we have to try our best to collaborate for the sake of the country and people," Suu Kyi told participants, made up of civilian and military representatives of the Union Parliament. "Representatives of the people have to care about the people, not only the party or organization they represent," the National League for Democracy (NLD) chairwoman said. During the five-day training course, the themes of democracy, public leadership, ethics and the responsibilities and challenges facing lawmakers are scheduled to be discussed. Local lawmakers will be joined by parliamentary representatives from Australia, the UK, Pakistan, the Philippines and other countries who will share their expertise. On Saturday, the BBC reported that Chloe Smith, an MP for Norwich North in the UK, would help to train Suu Kyi's new MPs over the course of the week. "I will be discussing how MPs do constituency work and national work and emphasizing accountability and representation," Smith said. The post Newly Minted MPs Kick Off Week of Parliamentary Training appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

‘Free Burma Rangers’ Provide Emergency Assistance in Iraq Posted: 15 Feb 2016 01:30 AM PST Click to view slideshow. A relief team from Burma is in Iraq assisting ethnic Kurdish troops currently fighting against the jihadist group calling itself ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). Formed in 1997, the Free Burma Rangers (FBR) has provided emergency relief to those in the remote ethnic regions of Burma plagued by over 60 years of civil war. Since January, a group of one Kachin and three ethnic Karen 'rangers' from the organization have been delivering the same type of assistance in Iraqi Kurdistan. One ethnic Karen team member, who goes by the nickname "Monkey," spoke with The Irrawaddy from the northern town of Sinjar, near the Syrian border. "In accordance with the Free Burma Rangers' motto, we stand for those who are oppressed," he explained. "We were invited and encouraged to come here, so we came here to help… as much as we can." Since November, Sinjar has been under the control of ethnic Kurdish troops, after previously falling to ISIS expansionist ambitions in 2014. The region has also been the site of an ethnic cleansing campaign by ISIS against the indigenous Yazidi ethno-religious group. This is the second time the FBR has dispatched its team to Iraq to help the Kurdish forces, or peshmerga, in combating the ISIS militants. The first group was sent in June 2015. During this visit, before Kurdish militia was able to take back Sinjar, the FBR team survived an ISIS attack on a Kurdish base where they were staying. Like the organization's work in eastern and western Burma, the FBR's activities with Kurdish troops and their families also involves both healthcare and documentation. Occasionally, they said they have to engage in military defense with the peshmerga soldiers against ISIS. "We provided medical trainings, such as first aid, in order to immediately help those injured on the frontlines of a battle," said Monkey. "We are collecting information and documenting what is happening here, to let the world know." Monkey explained that the obvious difference between war in Iraq and in eastern Burma is the geography: battles in Iraq take place in the desert, and are marked by airstrikes and heavy rocket shelling, while fighting in Burma happens in jungles and on hills or mountains with the use of smaller weapons. "Here… there are no trees. They mostly fire at each other from very far away and planes drop bombs. In Burma, they fight very close [to one another]," he said. "Every conflict zone is risky. But we have to help suffering people, so we have got things to do here." David Eubank, a former US Army officer, founded the FBR and has led both the previous and current delegations to Iraq. "We have a very good team from Burma. Our mission is to give medical care and humanitarian assistance to people who are under attacks by ISIS and tell the world what happens—help the people and get the news out," he told The Irrawaddy. "They suffered like the people of Burma suffered," Eubank said of the Kurdish people. "They said, 'wow, you came a long way here, even though you have troubles in Burma. You care about us.'" "I see that Iraqi people, Kurdish people, they love these people from Burma because they came from Burma to help them," he added. The FBR's 2015 activities in Sinjar were documented in a video, titled "Evil at Our Doorstep: The Free Burma Rangers in Kurdistan." FBR is largely funded by Christian charities, Christian communities, and churches across the United States and abroad. The post 'Free Burma Rangers' Provide Emergency Assistance in Iraq appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

President Waived US Trip to Monitor Sensitive Transition: Ye Htut Posted: 15 Feb 2016 01:20 AM PST President Thein Sein waves as he arrives to give a speech at the Union Parliament in Naypyidaw, January 28, 2016. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — Burma's president cancelled a planned trip to attend the US-ASEAN summit beginning in California this week due to the delicate nature of the country's political transition, according to presidential spokesperson Ye Htut. On Thursday evening, the president's office announced that vice president Nyan Tun would attend the Feb. 15-16 summit in place of Thein Sein, giving no reason for the outgoing president's abrupt change of plans. In an interview with the BBC's Burmese service on Saturday, Ye Htut referred to speculation of instability during the current handover, with the new government's term set to begin on April 1. The spokesperson, who is also information minister, did not elaborate on the potential instability but said, "in case something bad happens, [the president] has to be here to make important decisions." "It is more important for him to be here than in California to attend the summit. That's why he decided not to join the meeting," Ye Htut said. "Something could happen in the country. I'm not saying anything will happen exactly. But as the head of state… he thought it would be better for him to be here rather than in California." Thein Sein's last minute cancelation comes as uncertainty continues to shroud reported negotiations between the military and the National League for Democracy (NLD) over the presidency. With Aung San Suu Kyi constitutionally barred from the position, speculation has centered on whether the clause could be sidestepped, with the consent of the military, to allow the NLD leader to formally lead the country. Parliament will not begin the process of considering presidential nominees until March 17, potentially buying the NLD more time to negotiate with the military, according to observers. On Friday, Reuters reported that the army was demanding the positions of chief minister in Arakan, Shan and Kachin states, as well as Rangoon Division, according to two unnamed sources. The NLD's appointment of former Union Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann to lead a legislative advisory panel earlier this month may have further fuelled mistrust in military circles, the news agency reported. Shwe Mann was ousted as ruling party chair last August in a move many chalked up to an apparent falling out with Thein Sein and the former general's ties to Suu Kyi. The post President Waived US Trip to Monitor Sensitive Transition: Ye Htut appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Clashes in Northern Shan State Uproot Thousands Posted: 15 Feb 2016 01:12 AM PST Displaced locals from Tauk San village in Kyaukme Township, northern Shan State, receive donations from locals at a monastery. (Photo: Nang Yee Hlaing Oo / Facebook) RANGOON — Recent fighting between the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in northern Shan State has displaced over 2,000 civilians in Kyaukme Township, according to a local member of the National League for Democracy. Htay Win said a local committee had been established to provide assistance for almost 2,700 residents from 24 villages who have fled their homes since renewed fighting between the two ethnic armed groups flared earlier this month. The committee has been providing accommodation and food supplies for uprooted villagers from Shan and Palaung communities, with donations from locals. "We don't know how long the conflict will last, so we don't know how long we will need to take care of them [displaced villagers]," Htay Lwin said. "The local [township] administration has also been providing a lot of support, including taking care of arranging accommodation for people." Displaced civilians, including from Tauk San, a small village around 35 miles outside Kyaukme, are reportedly sheltering in some 16 monasteries in Kyaukme Township. "Villagers from nearby Tauk San have fled their homes because they are scared of fighting nearby," said Htay Lwin. "Villages were being set on fire and news of a murder spread. Locals dare not stay in their villages. We have to take care of them until they're able to leave." Fighting between the Shan and Ta'ang armed groups has been reported on successive days since Feb. 7 across three townships in northern Shan State—Namkham, Namhsan and Kyaukme. Both sides have accused the other of being at fault. Local media reports suggest hundreds more displaced villagers are seeking shelter in Namkham Township. The SSA-S was among eight armed groups that signed the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the government in mid-October. The TNLA by contrast was not recognized by the government and excluded from the negotiations. The post Clashes in Northern Shan State Uproot Thousands appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

RCSS Chairman: ‘We Are Ready to Work With the NLD Govt’  Posted: 15 Feb 2016 01:10 AM PST Lt-Gen Yawd Serk of the RCSS/SSA-S speaks with the press from his headquarters at on the Thai-Burma border on February 7, 2016. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy) LOI TAI LENG, SHAN STATE — The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the political wing of the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), became one of eight ethnic armed groups to sign a so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) in October 2015. On the 69th annual Shan State National Day, commemorated on February 7, the group's leadership spoke publicly about a desire to build unity and a federal state system. The RCSS claims to have turned its efforts toward the development of Shan State, but the region's stability has been marred by recent clashes with the ethnic Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). The leader of the approximately 7,000-strong armed group has become more vocal with the media and the broader public since signing the NCA. During a recent visit to the RCSS/SSA-S headquarters on the Thai-Burma border, reporter Nyein Nyein of The Irrawaddy spoke with chairman Lt-Gen Yawd Serk about inclusion, lessons from abroad and future political collaboration with Burma's new leadership. How do you envision the role of RCSS in the future, since security sector reform (SSR) and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) processes are supposed to follow in accordance with the nationwide ceasefire agreement? Perspectives on SSR and DDR differ on both sides. RCSS will practice security sector reform first, and only after it is in a stable situation, will DDR follow. RCSS will continue with our political policies. We have to work together for unity amongst the diverse minorities in Shan State. We have to work to implement federalism and development in the region. How would you unify the diverse public in Shan State, which is now also experiencing fighting? Signing the NCA is a way to unity, as it is signed between the government and the armed groups of both sides who think for the public. When the public cooperates, it will be successful. Why is social media important for building unity, as you described in your address to the public [on Shan State National Day]?  Today is the media era. Everyone now has access to it and it makes it easier for us to communicate. So when we post or debate on social media, please keep your mind toward unity and peace. What is RCSS doing to reduce the Burma Army's practices of forced labor in the region? We are waiting for a response from the government so we can collaborate on this issue. So far we can only collect the information and document cases of abuse. Many women soldiers were seen in the military parade and taking responsibility for security [on Shan State National Day]. What is the RCSS/SSA’s policy on the representation of women in decision-making? We have had a place for women in our organization since we formed. They have been taking on roles in healthcare and information documentation sectors for years. It is all based on a person's ability regardless of their gender. How helpful was your federalism study tour of Switzerland last month, as Switzerland is less populated than Burma—and even Shan State—and has a different ethnic makeup? The division of power will be applicable to Shan State and Burma. The language learning is freer in their schools, even at the district level. They are more advanced in democratic practices, but we are way behind and cannot compare. In what ways do you expect to collaborate with the new NLD government? The new government has yet to announce their policies, as they have not formed them yet. We have to wait [until the end of March] and see what their policies will be and whether they will invite us to collaborate. If they do, we are ready to work with them for the benefit of the people in many ways. The post RCSS Chairman: 'We Are Ready to Work With the NLD Govt'  appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ex-General Who Led Burma from Dictatorship Leaves Mixed Legacy Posted: 14 Feb 2016 11:23 PM PST Burma's President Thein Sein waves his hand as he arrives to give a speech at Union Parliament in Naypyidaw January 28, 2016.  (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) BANGKOK / RANGOON — When US President Barack Obama hosts a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders in California this week, his Burma counterpart Thein Sein will be notably absent. Burma's outgoing president abruptly pulled out of the summit as secretive talks continued between his country's powerful military and the incoming government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. For his admirers, a smooth transition of power would seal Thein Sein's legacy as the former general who led Burma's dramatic emergence from nearly half a century of military dictatorship. He freed political prisoners, scrapped censorship, oversaw a historic election and repaired relations with the West, turning Burma from a global pariah into a buzzing destination for tourists, investors and world leaders. On March 31, he will pass the unfinished task of transforming Burma to a National League for Democracy (NLD) government led by Suu Kyi, his wildly popular political rival, who in November won the country's first credible general election in 25 years. Despite fears of fraud, the election ran smoothly and Thein Sein's Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), dominated by former military officers, accepted a crushing defeat. But critics say Thein Sein, who gave no reason for canceling his attendance at the California summit on Monday and Tuesday, did little to tackle his country's profound poverty or the religious tensions that regularly erupted into deadly violence. Nor did he challenge the military, whose abiding influence over every aspect of Burma—politics, bureaucracy, business—poses a major challenge to Suu Kyi's fledgling administration. "Thein Sein will be remembered as the president who really turned Burma around," said Richard Horsey, a Rangoon-based analyst and former United Nations official in Burma. "His administration has been far from perfect, but his legacy will be an enduring one." Former junta leader Than Shwe appointed him prime minister in 2007, the same year the military government brutally suppressed pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks. Four years later, after winning a general election marred by vote-rigging allegations and boycotted by Suu Kyi's NLD, Thein Sein became president of a nominally civilian government packed with former soldiers. Looking West He set the tone for his presidency with his abrupt suspension in Sept. 2011 of a US$3.6-billion, China-backed dam at Myitsone, in northern Burma, source of the mighty Ayeyarwady River. The dam had drawn protests on both environmental and patriotic grounds, and suspending it boosted Thein Sein's popularity among his 51 million people. It also signaled that the preferential treatment China had received during the years of junta rule was over. A bookish-looking 70-year-old, Thein Sein's leadership style is "low-key, people-centered, even humble", said analyst Horsey. Suu Kyi was less impressed. She first met Thein Sein in the capital, Naypyitaw, in August 2011, eight months after she was freed from house arrest. For an ex-general struggling for global credibility, it was a pivotal encounter. Suu Kyi pronounced Thein Sein "sincere" about reforming Burma. That endorsement paved the way for a visit by Hillary Clinton, then US Secretary of State, in November and an end to most Western sanctions the following year. Thein Sein held many more closed-door meetings with Suu Kyi, but their relationship would sour. When asked by Reuters in April 2014 whether she still thought Thein Sein was sincere, Suu Kyi replied: "No. Because if he had been sincere about reform, then we would be much further ahead than we are." Presidential spokesman Ye Htut described Thein Sein as an intensely private man whose chief concern was Burma's stability. This meant putting issues such as corruption on the backburner so as "not to rock the boat," said Ye Htut. Critics say it also meant preserving the military's powers—and ignoring its well-documented human rights abuses—in the name of national reconciliation. The military, which holds a quarter of parliamentary seats and key ministerial posts, remained outside civilian control under Thein Sein. Religious Strife Thein Sein was also widely criticized for failing to halt religious violence that killed hundreds of people, mostly Muslims, and caused lasting damage to relations with majority Buddhists. He was condemned for Burma's treatment of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority forced to live in squalid camps in western Burma, and for the passage of four so-called "race and religion protection" laws championed by radical Buddhist monks. The laws, which rights groups said discriminated against Muslims and women, made Thein Sein a "hero" to Buddhist extremists, said Wai Wai Nu, a Rohingya activist and former political prisoner. "A democratic president should not be biased towards one religion," she told Reuters. Suu Kyi was also criticized for failing to speak up for the Rohingya. Thein Sein's most ambitious plan was to bring peace to a nation fractured by decades of fighting between the military and dozens of ethnic rebel armies. But only eight of 15 armed groups signed a nationwide ceasefire in October, with many of the most powerful staying away. The fighting continues. The post Ex-General Who Led Burma from Dictatorship Leaves Mixed Legacy appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

New Technology Aims to Speedily Repatriate South Asia’s Trafficked Children Posted: 14 Feb 2016 09:38 PM PST A 16-year-old girl stands inside a protection home on the outskirts of New Delhi November 9, 2012.  (Photo: Reuters) SILIGURI, India — Charities in South Asia are piloting new software which aims to speed up the repatriation of rescued victims of human trafficking who have been smuggled from countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh and forced into slavery in India. South Asia, with India at its center, is the fastest-growing and second-largest region for human trafficking in the world, after East Asia, according to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Charities focusing on the rehabilitation of victims say repatriation is often one of their biggest challenges and can, in some cases, take years. There is a lack of effective international coordination between states to verify victims' identities and trace their places of origin—often remote, impoverished, interior regions with poor telecommunications and infrastructure, they add. Developed by aid agency Plan India and Bangladeshi social enterprise Dnet, the Missing Child Alert (MCA) is a database program—with the victim's data, including their name, photo and place of origin—which can be shared between South Asian nations. "We've had cases that have taken up to three years for the person to be repatriated back to their home countries and they are stuck in shelter homes for all that time," Mohammed Asif, Plan India's director of program implementation, said on Saturday. "After testing this technology, we have found repatriation can be done much faster as the sharing of information and tracing of a person's home will be immediate and agencies can quickly try to reunite them with their families." There are no accurate figures on the number of people being trafficked within South Asia, but activists say thousands of mostly women and children are trafficked to India annually from its poorer neighbors Nepal and Bangladesh. Most are sold into forced marriage or bonded labor working in middle class homes as domestic servants, in small shops and hotels or confined to brothels where they are repeatedly raped. The MCA, which is being piloted by ten charities in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, would allow the details of a rescued victim to be entered into the system and agencies in the country of origin immediately alerted. The one-year pilot began in January and will be assessed at the end of 2016, Asif told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on the sidelines of an anti-human trafficking conference in the east Indian town of Siliguri. "If we are successful in demonstrating this is a much more efficient system which will achieve safer and faster repatriation, we may be able to get the three governments to adopt this, and eventually the whole region," he said. "If adopted, this alert system will create pressure on the traffickers if they know that this information is being already being shared across borders and make it much more difficult for people who perpetrate these crimes against women and children." The post New Technology Aims to Speedily Repatriate South Asia's Trafficked Children appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Last of 116 Dead in Taiwan Quake Is Pulled from Rubble Posted: 14 Feb 2016 09:15 PM PST Rescuers carry a survivor out from the site where a 17-storey apartment building collapsed after an earthquake hit Tainan, southern Taiwan, February 8, 2016.  (Photo: Tyrone Siu / Reuters) TAIPEI, Taiwan — Rescuers in Taiwan pulled out the remains of the final victims of last week's earthquake and with a minute of silence ended the search with the death toll of 116, most of them in a collapsed high-rise apartment building. All but two of the dead came from the 17-story Weiguan Golden Dragon residential complex, which toppled when the magnitude-6.4 quake struck the city on Feb. 6. Tainan city Mayor Mayor Lai Ching-te on Saturday bowed deeply and thanked the rescuers for their work, and ordered a minute of silence for the victims. A total of 270 people in the building survived, including 95 who were evacuated and 175 who were pulled out from the rubble, according to the latest figures from Tainan's city authorities. Authorities believe one last person unaccounted for was homeless and not in the residential compound at the time of the quake. Police have reclassified the person's status as missing, Taiwan's Interior Ministry said. The building's developer, Lin Ming-hui, and two architects have been detained on suspicion of negligent homicide following accusations that Lin's company cut corners in the construction. Earthquakes frequently strike Taiwan, but usually cause little or no damage, particularly since more stringent building regulations were introduced following a magnitude-7.6 quake in 1999 that killed more than 2,300 people. The post Last of 116 Dead in Taiwan Quake Is Pulled from Rubble appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Beijing’s Top Official in HK Calls Rioters ‘Radical Separatists’ Posted: 14 Feb 2016 08:52 PM PST A protester throws a stone towards riot police beside a fire set by protesters at Mong Kok district in Hong Kong, China, February 9, 2016.  (Photo: Bobby Yip / Reuters) HONG KONG — Beijing's top representative in Hong Kong has blamed radical separatists for riots that erupted in the Chinese-ruled city almost a week ago, the worst violence since pro-democracy protests paralyzed parts of the Asian financial center in 2014. More than sixty people have been arrested in connection with the violence, during which protesters hurled bricks at police and set fire to rubbish bins in Mong Kok, a tough, working-class neighborhood just across the harbor from the city's financial district. Thirty-seven people were charged on Thursday. The riots erupted when authorities tried to remove illegal street stalls set up for Lunar New Year celebrations. The actions of the "radical separatists" were "leaning towards terrorism," the South China Morning Post daily quoted Zhang Xiaoming, the head of Beijing's Liaison Office in Hong Kong, as saying. "We will not allow this very small number of radical separatists to destroy the most precious rule of law in Hong Kong," he told a spring festival in Hong Kong. Police fired two warning shots into the air during the violence, almost unheard of in the former British colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 and is considered one of Asia's safest cities. More than 130 people were wounded in the clashes. At least one of those charged in connection with the trouble belongs to a group called Hong Kong Indigenous, one of a cluster of outspoken groups calling for greater Hong Kong autonomy and even independence from China, the group said. Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying, who attended the same reception as Zhang, echoed the Beijing official's comments, saying the rioters only represented a small minority in the city, the South China Morning Post reported. Many so-called localists remain deeply embittered by the lack of any concessions from Beijing or Hong Kong authorities during the 2014 protests to demand greater democracy. China's Foreign Ministry has said the riot was "plotted by a local radical separatist organization." The post Beijing's Top Official in HK Calls Rioters 'Radical Separatists' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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