The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• MPs Make Historic Visit to Arakanese Displaced by Conflict with Burma Army
• Bomb Blast Wounds German Tourists and Guide in Northern Burma’s Shan State
• Upper House Bill Committee Reviews Controversial Laws
• The Target Is Now Shwe Mann
• Ex-Monk U Gambira Gets Six Months in Prison on Immigration Charge
• Thousands of Sagaing Division’s Weather Victims in Need of Aid
• Three Armed Groups Opt Out of Talks With Former Govt Peace Delegation
• Rangoon Firms Seek Fixes to Familiar Woes in Chief Minister Meet-Up
• Activists Out in Force for Kachin Anti-Drugs Day
• Govt Ministers Prohibited From Appointing Relatives as Personal Assistants
• Japan Eyes More Foreign Workers, Stealthily Challenging Immigration Taboo
• Drones to Help Farmers in Philippines to Prepare for Disasters
• US Presses Vietnam on Detentions Ahead of Obama Visit

MPs Make Historic Visit to Arakanese Displaced by Conflict with Burma Army Posted: 26 Apr 2016 08:05 AM PDT RANGOON —Five lawmakers, representing the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Arakan National Party (ANP), on Monday led an historic delegation to groups of Arakanese, an ethnic minority in western Burma, who were displaced by recent fighting. This marks the first time sitting parliamentarians have visited areas of internally displaced Arakanese. Fighting has been ongoing between Arakanese armed groups and government forces since Burma's independence from Britain, and, after government forces threatened their villages in the last two weeks, over 800 Arakanese were displaced, leaving many homeless or living in monasteries. The ANP and NLD lawmakers provided the displaced people with rice, oil, medicine and noodles. Some NGOs and other civil society organizations are supplying water and necessities like mosquito nets. "This is the first time the government has visited displaced Arakanese," Khin Saw Wai, ANP member of Burma's Parliament, told The Irrawaddy. "But there are still people who are displaced in other townships, and they also need help. The government needs to make sure that all displaced people receive the same amount of support." "[This area] is my home constituency," Khin Saw Wai said. "They elected me to parliament, so I have a responsibility to them." UN officials also traveled with the joint ANP-NLD group, and discussed plans for providing the internally displaced Arakanese with drinking water and other supplies. "With the rainy season approaching, things will get more difficult for the displaced Arakanese, and the future of the conflict between the Arakan Army and the Burma Army remains unclear," Khin Saw Wai said, adding that since April 16, the Burma Army had kidnapped dozens of people and forced them to serve as porters. "To handle displaced populations, all of the government agencies and civil society groups have to cooperate," Khin Saw Wai said. "We hope that the government will start paying more attention." Khin Saw Wai's NLD colleague agreed. "The government is responsible for helping citizens who are in difficult situations," Min Aung, an NLD member of the Arakan state parliament who is traveling with the group, told The Irrawaddy. The post MPs Make Historic Visit to Arakanese Displaced by Conflict with Burma Army appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bomb Blast Wounds German Tourists and Guide in Northern Burma’s Shan State Posted: 26 Apr 2016 06:22 AM PDT Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) soldiers patrol in Kyaukme Township in February 2016. Many clashes with the Burma Army have reportedly occurred in the area in recent months. (Photo: Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy) A bomb blast wounded two tourists and a Burmese guide near the northern town of Kyaukme in Shan State at around 2:00 pm today, according to a local police officer. Win Khaing, a police officer in Kyaukme Township, told The Irrawaddy that two men and one woman were wounded in the blast and as of press time were en route to a hospital, taken by a local community volunteer organization. The tourists are a man and woman from Germany, according to Win Khaing. The blast hit the tourists and their guide 20 miles north of Kyaukme, said Col. San Lwin, head of the Taunggyi Police Station. "We heard about the blast and the wounded, but we are still investigating how the tourists got into the area and what they were doing there," Col. San Lwin said, noting that the area is known for having armed rebels and is considered unsafe for traveling. The area has frequently been the site of conflicts between the Burma Army and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an ethnic armed group. The visitors had been staying in Hsipaw, a tourist town in Shan State 30 miles from Kyaukme, according to La Wun Aung, a local tour guide. Skirmishes have become frequent in recent weeks, as forces from the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S), an ethnic armed group, and the Burma Army have been accused of launching strikes against the TNLA. Hundreds of ethnic Shan and Palaung (Ta'ang) locals have been displaced by the fighting. The post Bomb Blast Wounds German Tourists and Guide in Northern Burma's Shan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Upper House Bill Committee Reviews Controversial Laws Posted: 26 Apr 2016 05:40 AM PDT Lawmakers arrive at the Union Parliament complex in Naypyidaw on March 15, 2016. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — Burma's Upper House Bill Committee on Tuesday began reviewing the Peaceful Assembly Law and the Emergency Provisions Act, both of which have been used in the past to arrest political activists, with the intention of eventually submitting the bills to Parliament for amendment or even abolishment once the legislature reconvenes. Aung Kyi Nyunt, who is on the committee, told The Irrawaddy that members will review 15 of the 142 laws recommended by the Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission to be scrapped, amended or rewritten, while other parliamentary committees will review the remaining laws. "We are now starting to review the Peaceful Assembly Law and Emergency Provisions Act. After reviewing these laws, we will decide whether to amend or abolish them, and then later we will submit these recommendations to the Parliament," Aung Kyi Nyunt said, adding that the two bills would be prioritized throughout the review process. Parliament is scheduled to reconvene on May 2, following a lengthy parliamentary recess for the annual Thingyan water festival. Human rights activists have long called for these two laws to be abolished or at least amended since they were widely used under the military junta, and later former President Thein Sein's quasi-civilian government, to repress political activists. Peaceful protesters were often detained under Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Law, which requires organizers to seek government permission prior to protesting. If the committee submits amended bills to Parliament, and if Burma's new National League for Democracy (NLD)-controlled Parliament votes in favor of the committee recommendations, the changes would likely be hailed as another human rights achievement for the new government, which released more than 100 political prisoners, activists and students earlier this month. The post Upper House Bill Committee Reviews Controversial Laws appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The Target Is Now Shwe Mann Posted: 26 Apr 2016 04:53 AM PDT Shwe Mann talks to reporters during a news conference after the last day of the Union Parliament session in Naypyidaw on January 29, 2016. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) The political temperature is rising again. This time the target is Shwe Mann, a close ally of Aung San Suu Kyi and head of the Commission for the Assessment of Legal Affairs and Special Issues within the Union Parliament. On April 22, 17 key members including Shwe Mann were reportedly expelled from the military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP). The move may not have been lawful, Shwe Mann said. "I think people, including USDP members and relevant authorities, need to look over whether the action by some USDP top members towards me and the commission members is in accordance with the existing laws and rules," he explained. USDP officials insisted that Shwe Mann and the other members who were sacked—many of whom also serve on the Commission—had violated the party's charter. But Shwe Mann's faction will not go quietly: the showdown is now unfolding in the open. Shwe Mann once served as the third highest-ranking general in Burma's former military regime and as the joint chief of staff of the army, navy and air force. He had supporters within the armed forces, and several former regional commanders and generals are now thought to be in his camp. Recently, Shwe Mann—a graduate of the Defence Services Academy's 11th intake—commemorated the 47th anniversary of his graduation and met with his former colleagues, along with Suu Kyi. On this occasion, the former general issued a statement widely circulated on social media, urging his colleagues to work for the country's new elected government. Two days later, the army's information department responded by calling the statement an attempt to divide the armed forces. Shwe Mann, they suggested, was implying that the Tatmadaw—the state military—had not worked in the interest of the people or the country since Burma's independence. This reaction illustrates the depth of the fissure between him and the current leadership of the armed forces. Shwe Mann's expulsion from the USDP came after news of former president Thein Sein's return to the party, who served in the monkhood for only five days before re-entering politics as the USDP chairman. A photo of the ex-leader, head shaved, holding what appeared to be glasses of wine, was shared widely on social media last week. One of Shwe Mann's key allies, Zaw Myint Pe, was also reportedly among those who were dismissed from the party. He described the USDP as "dictatorial" and said that he believed the mass expulsion was, in fact, ordered by Thein Sein. The rivalry between Thein Sein and Shwe Mann became public in 2012 while Shwe Mann was serving as house speaker within Parliament. Increasingly, he was perceived by other USDP members as sympathetic to the struggle of Aung San Suu Kyi and as an advocate for constitutional reform—stances which contrast sharply with military interests. The conflict between the two men escalated as they formed powerful alliances: Thein Sein with armed forces commander-in-chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, and Shwe Mann with Suu Kyi. The soft-spoken military general remained popular despite attempts to remove him from leadership. But the internal rift within the USDP intensified in 2015: Shwe Mann faced impeachment from within the Parliament, government scrutiny of his family business and surveillance over two of his sons. In August 2015, about 400 police raided the USDP headquarters and removed Shwe Mann from party chairmanship. It appeared that the armed forces had ordered the raid—no doubt a palace coup. Before the incident, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing was known to have sent a three-page letter to Shwe Mann expressing his dissatisfaction with the chairman's political positions. Political observers also noted that the commander-in-chief's speeches frequently mentioned "those who betrayed the country," a slur believed to have been directed at Shwe Mann. Under the former regime, such a removal—and subsequent purge—would have had a lasting impact on Shwe Mann's family and his allies, and likely would have resulted in a lengthy prison sentence for Shwe Mann himself. Yet within two weeks, he was back in action, suggesting that though the Parliament and existing institutions are fragile, they had protected Shwe Mann and his supporters from the wrath of the USDP and the armed forces. After learning of Shwe Mann’s dismissal, Suu Kyi said that the move had made it clear "who was the enemy and who was the ally," adding that her party—the National League for Democracy (NLD)—would work with the "ally." Thein Sein's faction within the USDP could not remove Shwe Mann as they had wished. Since the ousting nearly one year ago, Shwe Mann's association with and support for Suu Kyi has grown visibly. Until the recent dismissal, his official standing within the USDP had remained unknown. Shwe Mann's enemies are now regrouping in an attempt to target his political support base, but it appears that he is now in an even stronger position, allied not only with the leading NLD but also with its widely supported figurehead, Suu Kyi. Shwe Mann's key allies are now sitting in the Parliament and the Cabinet. It will be interesting to witness how, and with what strategies, he will fight back against the odds. The post The Target Is Now Shwe Mann appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ex-Monk U Gambira Gets Six Months in Prison on Immigration Charge Posted: 26 Apr 2016 04:33 AM PDT The former monk U Gambira speaks to reporters outside the courthouse in Mandalay Division's Maha Aung Myay Township on Tuesday, when a judge ruled against him in a controversial immigration case. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — A court in Mandalay Division's Maha Aung Myay Township on Tuesday sentenced Nyi Nyi Lwin, a leader of Burma's 2007 Saffron Revolution who is better known as U Gambira, to six months in prison with labor on a controversial immigration charge. Speaking following the ruling of his pre-verdict high hopes for a withdrawal of the case—as scores of student activists benefitted from earlier this month—Gambira expressed disappointment at the trial's outcome on Tuesday. "The authorities might think my case is unrelated to any political issue. What I believe is the authorities fabricated the case to put me behind bars again," said the 36-year-old. Arrested on Jan. 19 for allegedly crossing the Thai-Burma border without an official visa, Gambira had for months petitioned unsuccessfully for bail, citing mental health issues that resulted from severe torture while imprisoned by the former military regime for his involvement in the 2007 pro-democracy uprising led by Buddhist clergy. With time served, the former monk will spend just under three more months behind bars, and on Tuesday said he did not intend to appeal the verdict. "I am very disappointed. But I am not going to submit an appeal as I don't believe in this judicial system, even after there were changes to a new government," he said. The jury of the court said during Tuesday's hearing that the six-month prison term was the minimal sentence allowable for those found guilty under Section 13.1 of the Immigration Act. That, however, did not assuage the concerns of the convicted man's family, who pointed to the regular medical treatment that his mental illness requires. "I don't want my son to be in prison six months, or even just a day. I believe Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Htin Kyaw will not neglect him and many other remaining prisoners who were jailed with unjust laws," said Daw Yay, his mother. New York-based Human Rights Watch earlier on Tuesday called for authorities to dismiss the "politically motivated" charges. The London-based human rights group Amnesty International made a similar demand shortly after he was arrested in January. Following the verdict, David Mathieson, Human Rights Watch's senior Burma researcher, chalked up the contentious outcome to "some vengeful cabal in the security forces, [and] the corrupt legal process that facilitates them," adding that the burden would now fall to President Htin Kyaw to pardon Gambira "immediately." "Failing to do this as a priority will fatally undermine the government's commitment to end the cycle of political prisoners and politically motivated charges," he told The Irrawaddy. "On purely humanitarian grounds, let alone genuine rule of law, Gambira should have been released today." State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) government on April 7 said release of the country's scores of remaining political prisoners was a top priority, laying out a strategy to do so "as soon as possible." The student activists who had their charges withdrawn and scores of other prisoners of conscience have since been released. But in Mandalay's Obo Prison, Myo Win, a farmers' rights activists, and Yay Pu Sayadaw, an abbot from Mogok, remain detained and on trial, among the many still hoping for the NLD leadership's intervention. "We were told that the case we are facing is nothing related to political issues. But what I want to say here is the authorities and the government's lawyers are misusing the laws just to keep activists and journalists behind bars," said Myo Win, after a hearing in Mandalay's Patheingyi Township on Tuesday. Myo Win was arrested six months ago while assisting farmers turned victims of land confiscation in Patheingyi Township. He is facing trial for allegedly destroying public property. "If the authorities don't recognize those who are facing unjust trials and who are behind bars unlawfully, we have to question the judicial system under the new government, which is always talking about change," he added. Asked about the dozens of political prisoners still behind bars, Mathieson noted the progress seen in recent weeks, but urged swift resolution for the many cases still pending. "The new government has done the right thing in starting to pardon people facing charges and release political prisoners, but it's not over yet by a long shot. … The government's approach to activists undergoing trial this week will be an important litmus test of their sincerity," he said, noting Maung Saungkha as among those going through the court system this week. According to figures from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), there are 60 political prisoners—plus now Gambira—who remain behind bars at prisons across the country, while more than 200 farmers and assorted activists are still facing trials. Andrew D. Kaspar contributed reporting from Rangoon. The post Ex-Monk U Gambira Gets Six Months in Prison on Immigration Charge appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thousands of Sagaing Division’s Weather Victims in Need of Aid Posted: 26 Apr 2016 03:03 AM PDT Villages hit by strong winds in Mandalay Division. (Photo: Myat Pyae Phyo / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — Most of the 11,000 locals affected by recent gale-force winds and hailstorms in Sagaing Division are in need of roofing materials, said Willie Frank, director of the divisional government's Relief and Resettlement Department. "All eight districts in Sagaing Division have suffered from strong winds. For the time being, we are providing compensation to the families of deceased victims and to homes that have experienced damage or have collapsed from the wind," Frank said. The department plans to provide 100,000 kyats (US$86) in compensation to each household that lost a family member and 50,000 kyats to each damaged or collapsed home. It also intends to provide corrugated iron sheets for roofing under an arrangement with the national government. "What we mainly need are corrugated iron sheets. The wind has destroyed my farm and I have no money to repair my house," said a villager in Wetlet Township, Shwebo District. Villages in Sagaing Division saw strong winds and hailstorms on April 22 and 23, which damaged houses and farms in the division. The extreme weather resulted in nine deaths in Sagaing Division alone and a total of 14 across Burma, as parts of Mandalay and Magwe divisions and Shan and Arakan states were also affected by the powerful weather pattern. "Township authorities have come to our village several times, but we have not yet received any help. We are now [repairing our houses] on our own," said farmer Maung Tu from Myinkya village in Khin-U Township. More than 150 households in Pinlebu, Wuntho, Indaw and Katha townships in Sagaing Division's Katha District were also struck by strong winds. As elsewhere, there have been delays in providing relief to these areas since parts of the Monywa-Katha motorway have been blocked by debris, according to the Katha District Relief and Resettlement Department. The post Thousands of Sagaing Division's Weather Victims in Need of Aid appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Three Armed Groups Opt Out of Talks With Former Govt Peace Delegation Posted: 26 Apr 2016 01:50 AM PDT Soldiers from the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) are pictured in Shan State in 2014 in an exercise commemorating the anniversary of the Palaung (Ta'ang) revolution. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) Three ethnic armed organizations actively fighting the Burma Army have decided against meeting a former government peace delegation in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai next month, according to a leader from one of the groups. Tar Bong Kyaw, the general secretary of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that his group, as well as two allies—the Arakan Army (AA) and the ethnic Kokang Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA)—would not meet with the representatives led by former Lt-Gen Khin Zaw Oo. The TNLA general explained that they were opting out of the talks because they would not be considered "official." "We didn't believe that they could help with anything for peace in this meeting," Tar Bong Kyaw said. The alliance of Arakanese, Kokang and Ta'ang armed groups "want to meet those who can really work for peace," he added, referring to representatives from the new Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD) government, which took office earlier this month. There is tension between the three ethnic armed groups and the military due to recent clashes in western Burma's Arakan State with the AA and in northern Shan State, where the TNLA and MNDAA operate. The groups released a joint statement on Tuesday confirming that fighting with the Burma Army is ongoing in their respective areas, where they allege that government forces are engaging in offensives and increasing troop numbers. On state-run TV, Burma Army members were quoted as saying that they hoped to "eliminate" groups like the AA. "[The Burma Army] employed strong military offensives in Rakhine [State]," Tar Bong Kyaw said of ongoing conflict between government forces and the Arakan Army. "They did the same to us. They should stop fighting if they want to have peace." In mid-April, Aung Min, the former chief peace broker for the Burmese government, reportedly contacted the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), a coalition of nine ethnic armed groups who did not sign the country's so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) in 2015. It was said that Aung Min had reached out to UNFC vice chairman Nai Hong Sar about meeting the AA, MNDAA and TNLA for peace talks; the three groups had been excluded by the government from signing the NCA. Once a representative of the government-backed Myanmar Peace Center, Aung Min has since taken steps to form a new foundation intending to work for peace, but it is not clear what role the organization will undertake in Burma's future. The post Three Armed Groups Opt Out of Talks With Former Govt Peace Delegation appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rangoon Firms Seek Fixes to Familiar Woes in Chief Minister Meet-Up Posted: 26 Apr 2016 01:43 AM PDT Rangoon Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein, center, addresses business leaders in the commercial capital on Monday. (Photo: UMFCCI / Facebook) RANGOON — Reliable supplies of running water and electricity, as well as thousands of squatters, are urgent issues to be prioritized, the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), an organization of influential businesses in Rangoon, told the division's new chief minister at its meeting with him on Monday. The new Rangoon chief minister, Phyo Min Thein, has inherited a host of problems from his predecessor Myint Swe, who critics say failed to see to it that the sprawling commercial capital developed sustainably. The Hlaing Tharyar Industry Association was forthright about its grievances: The company paid 600 million kyats (US$5.1 million) to the Rangoon Electricity Supply Board, but it still experiences power outages; the government water utility does not supply the company's factories; and more than 8,000 residents it claims are squatters are living along the fences of their factories, disrupting the company's business operations and its workers' lives. More than five associations operating under the banner of the UMFCCI echoed the Hlaing Tharyar Industry Association's concerns, and several companies reported that they had forcibly removed squatters. One of the UMFCCI members, the chairman of the Shwepyitha Industry Association, admitted that his company had hired thugs to force squatters out. Phyo Min Thein said he was understanding of their concerns but that, "We don't want to be a bulldozer government," a not-so-veiled jab at the previous administration, which had in the past used bulldozers to clear squatters' settlements. Internally displaced people arrived in Rangoon in large numbers in 2008 following Cyclone Nargis's destruction of thousands of villages and farms in the Irrawaddy Delta, and many became squatters. The new minister promised no quick fixes, saying he would solve all the problems that could be handled at the Rangoon Division level, but pointing out that some of the issues required action at the Union level. As for the squatters, Phyo Min Thein said the government could create lists of the alleged trespassers and begin working with businesses to resolve the problem. Further, he pledged more urgent action on water and electricity supply issues, saying he would bring the appropriate regional ministers with him to the industrial zones on his next visit and work out solutions with them. Traffic congestion and logistics were also on the agenda. Ko Ko Naing, a representative for the logistics committee at the Bayinnaung Terminal, a trucking hub, said the terminal should be moved farther outside of the Rangoon city center because the area is too crowded and the roads cannot handle the increased shipping capacity. Severe traffic jams and other logistical problems have been the result. At the conclusion of the meeting, Phyo Min Thein said he was glad to have had an opportunity to hear the challenges local companies are facing, and he added that "no bribes" would be accepted in his government. Rangoon Division is Burma's largest, with more than 7 million people, a majority of whom live in the densely populated municipality of the same name. The post Rangoon Firms Seek Fixes to Familiar Woes in Chief Minister Meet-Up appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Activists Out in Force for Kachin Anti-Drugs Day Posted: 25 Apr 2016 11:49 PM PDT Locals stage a protest march in Shan State's Muse Township on Monday to mark Kachin National Anti-Narcotics Day. (Photo: Naw Di Aung) RANGOON — More than 3,000 people took part in protest marches in Lashio, Kutkai and Muse townships on Monday, marked as the Kachin Christian minority's National Anti-Narcotics Day, in an effort to raise government awareness of a growing drug problem in northern Shan State. Among the demonstrators were vicars and ministers of churches, anti-drug activist groups and local residents of the three townships. The demonstrators called on the government to view drug elimination as a "national duty" and speed up its antinarcotics efforts, including by providing proper security for participants of drug eradication campaigns like that of the vigilante group Pat Jasan. About 1,200 locals took part in the protest march in Muse, around 600 people amassed in Kutkai and some 1,500 protestors took to the streets of Lashio, according to local anti-narcotics groups. "There are various ethnicities as well as various ethnic armed groups in northern Shan State. I'm afraid that drug production and trade in Shan State has reached a global scale," Zaw Naung, chairman of Kachin Literature and Language Association in Lashio Township, told The Irrawaddy. "Drugs have [negatively] impacted Shan, Kachin and Palaung ethnicities." Non-state armed organizations are behind drug production and trade, claimed Zaw Naung, adding that while they benefited from the illicit activity, local communities were being ravaged by addiction. The Kachin community-based Anti-Drug Group in Muse told The Irrawaddy that, for its part, members hoped to take a grassroots approach to tackling the problem. "Our group conducts public awareness campaigns and over the past three years, poppy cultivation has decreased as a result. To achieve better results, the government alone will not be able to do it. People's participation is important," Naw Di Aung, a member of the group, told The Irrawaddy. Kachin National Anti-Narcotics Day has been celebrated annually since 2014, and Naw Di Aung claimed drug abuse among communities in Muse Township had fallen as a result. The day was also observed in Kachin State's capital Myitkyina, where about 3,000 locals participated on Monday. Burma is the world's second largest producer of opium poppies, after only Afghanistan, with most of that cultivation occurring in Shan State. The post Activists Out in Force for Kachin Anti-Drugs Day appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Govt Ministers Prohibited From Appointing Relatives as Personal Assistants Posted: 25 Apr 2016 11:36 PM PDT Aung San Suu Kyi (right) and President Htin Kyaw (left) enter Parliament in March 2016. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The President's Office published a statement on Monday restricting union level government ministers from appointing close relatives as personal assistants. The guidelines for government officials also applicable to all regional governments and have been distributed to the relevant offices, the statement said. The document was signed by Aung San Suu Kyi, who is the minister of the President's Office, on April 1. "Members of the union government are restricted from appointing their wife, husband or close relatives as personal assistants in government offices and organizations," the guidelines read. According to the statement, close relatives include one's siblings, children, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Only public servants can undertake the position in accordance with existing regulations. The post Govt Ministers Prohibited From Appointing Relatives as Personal Assistants appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Japan Eyes More Foreign Workers, Stealthily Challenging Immigration Taboo Posted: 25 Apr 2016 11:33 PM PDT Dang Nguyen Thuc Vien, second right, a 32-year-old daughter of refugees from Vietnam, helps a local Vietnamese resident in Japan as an interpreter at a hospital south of Tokyo in November 2015. (Photo: Reuters) TOKYO — Desperately seeking an antidote to a rapidly aging population, Japanese policymakers are exploring ways to bring in more foreign workers without calling it an "immigration policy." Immigration is a touchy subject in a land where conservatives prize cultural homogeneity and politicians fear losing votes from workers worried about losing jobs. But a tight labor market and ever-shrinking workforce are making Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policy team and lawmakers consider the politically controversial option. Signaling the shift, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) panel is likely to propose this week expanding the types of jobs open to foreign workers, who are expected to top 1 million this year. "Domestically, there is a big allergy. As a politician, one must be aware of that," Takeshi Noda, an adviser to the LDP panel, told Reuters in an interview. Unlike the United States, where Donald Trump has made immigration an election issue, Japan has little history of immigration. But, that makes ethnic and cultural diversity seem more of a threat in Japan than it may seem elsewhere. And while Japan is not caught up in the mass migration crisis afflicting Europe, the controversies in other regions do color the way Japanese think about immigration. LDP lawmakers floated immigration proposals almost a decade ago, but those came to naught. But, since then, labor shortages have worsened and demographic forecasts have become more dire. By Any Other Name An economic uptick since Abe took office in December 2012, rebuilding after the 2011 tsunami and a construction boom ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have pushed labor demand to its highest in 24 years. That has helped boost foreign worker numbers by 40 percent since 2013, with Chinese accounting for more than one-third followed by Vietnamese, Filipinos and Brazilians. But visa conditions largely barring unskilled workers mean foreigners still make up only about 1.4 percent of the workforce, compared with the 5 percent or more found—according to IMF estimates—in most advanced economies. So far, measures to attract more foreign workers have focused on easing entry for highly skilled professionals and expanding a "trainee" system that was designed to share technology with developing countries, but which critics say has become a backdoor source of cheap labor. Now, however, the LDP panel looks set to go further by proposing foreigners be accepted in other sectors that face shortages, such as nursing and farming, while leaving open the possibility such workers can later seek permanent residence. "We will tackle accepting foreigners as a labor force head-on," an LDP source close to the panel told Reuters. Acknowledging the sensitivities—especially ahead of an upper house election in July—the source said the panel will specify it is not recommending an "immigration policy," defining immigrants as people who enter Japan with no fixed limit on length of stay. "There is worry about the impact on public safety," Masahiko Shibayama, a panel member and special adviser to Abe, told Reuters. "There is concern domestic jobs will be eaten away. So I think there is still an allergy to the word 'immigration.'" Experts, however, say semantics cannot disguise the change underway. "The government insists it is not adopting an immigration policy, but whatever the word, faced with a shrinking population, it is changing its former stance and has begun to move toward a real immigration policy," said Hidenori Sakanaka, a former Tokyo Immigration Bureau chief. Two cabinet members have already advocated adopting an immigration policy, as have some LDP panel members. "The fundamental problem of the Japanese economy is that the potential growth rate is low," LDP panel adviser Seiichiro Murakami told Reuters. "To raise that, big structural reforms including … immigration policy are necessary." The influential Nikkei Business weekly has dubbed a foreign worker-driven growth strategy "imin-omics," a pun on the premier's "Abenomics" revival plan and "imin," the Japanese word for "immigrants." Abe, however, has made drawing more women and elderly into the work force while boosting the birth rate priorities, and publicly the government rules out any "immigration policy." Still, Abe's right-hand man, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, said debate on more foreign workers lay ahead. "We are seeking to mobilize the power of women and the elderly as much as possible, but at the same time we recognize that the acceptance of foreigners is a major issue," Suga told Reuters, adding caution was needed. He said the future debate would also consider the longer term issue of permanent residence for less skilled foreigners. Conservatives are likely to resist major change. For example, an ex-labor minister commenting at the LDP panel on a proposal to let in foreign beauticians said the idea was fine, as long as their customers were foreign, too. Hairdresser Mitsuo Igarashi has four barber chairs in his downtown Tokyo salon, but only himself to clip and shave. He wants to hire other barbers, and doesn't care where they come from. "We've got to let in more foreigners," said Igarashi. The post Japan Eyes More Foreign Workers, Stealthily Challenging Immigration Taboo appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Drones to Help Farmers in Philippines to Prepare for Disasters Posted: 25 Apr 2016 11:24 PM PDT Residents walk over the cracked soil of a 1.5-hectare dried up fishery at the Novaleta town in Cavite province, south of Manila, on May 26, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) LONDON — The Philippines has started to deploy drones to find out where farmland is most at risk from natural disasters and quickly assess damage after they strike, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Monday. Assessment of vulnerable farmland can minimize the negative impacts of climate change, floods and typhoons and avoid the need to build the agriculture sector back from scratch after a disaster, FAO said. The Philippines is one of the countries most at risk from natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, droughts and floods, which have a heavy impact on farming and access to food. Under the pilot project funded by the Philippines government and FAO, two unmanned drones have already been sent to provinces affected by the El Niño weather pattern, the FAO said. The drones are capable of covering up to 600 hectares (1,500 acres) of land per day and can generate data and detailed maps from aerial photographs, including an indicator that can be used to analyze vegetation and plant health. Imagery generated from drone flights can also reveal where irrigation or storage facilities can be best sited to serve local farmers, FAO said. "It is efficient, it saves time and we will be using a reliable source of data so that we can plan and provide appropriate interventions and responses for our farmers in times of disasters," Christopher Morales, director of field operations for the Department of Agriculture, said in a statement. Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in 2013, killed more than 6,000 people and destroyed 600,000 hectares of farmland, inflicting more than US$700 million damage to the agriculture sector, FAO said. The post Drones to Help Farmers in Philippines to Prepare for Disasters appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Presses Vietnam on Detentions Ahead of Obama Visit Posted: 25 Apr 2016 10:31 PM PDT A woman cries as she hugs a relative released from Hoang Tien prison, about 60 miles outside Hanoi, during a mass amnesty by the Vietnamese government in 2013. (Photo: Reuters) WASHINGTON — The United States pressed Vietnam Monday over a recent spate of detentions of government critics and pushed for other progress on human rights ahead of a visit next month by President Barack Obama. Senior officials of the two governments held an annual dialogue on human rights in Washington. It's an issue which remains a drag on improving relations between the former enemies. Tom Malinowski, US assistant secretary for democracy, human rights and labor, said last year saw a sharp decline in arrests and prosecutions for peaceful dissent in Vietnam. But he told The Associated Press there has been an increase in detentions of activists and bloggers this year, which was raised during Monday's "open and candid" discussions. He said the United States side "expressed our hope that this would be addressed and that some of the longstanding cases of concern would be resolved." Vietnam's delegation was led by Vu Anh Quang, director general of the Department of International Organizations at the Foreign Ministry. The Vietnamese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Obama will visit Vietnam in May, becoming the third consecutive US president to do so, four decades after the end of the Vietnam War. The United States and Vietnam have deepened ties in recent years as Washington looks to widen its circle of friends in Southeast Asia and finds common cause with Hanoi in countering a rising China. Vietnam is also a member of the US-backed regional trade pact, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which was signed in February. Vietnam recently adopted some laws to improve legal protections for citizens and has agreed to allow independent labor unions, currently forbidden, under a labor agreement that takes effect once TPP is ratified by both nations. But the ruling Communist Party still brooks no dissent. According to a recent State Department report, Vietnam held about 95 political prisoners at the end of 2015. Human Rights Watch says that during the last week of March, Vietnam convicted seven bloggers and rights activists and sentenced them to prison. Among the individual cases of detainees raised by the United States on Monday was Nguyen Van Dai, a prominent human rights lawyer who was arrested in December on charges of spreading anti-state propaganda. In 2007, Dai was sentenced to four years on a similar charge. Malinowski said the United States was also closely watching Vietnam's progress on legal reforms. Laws on demonstrations, non-government groups and religion that Vietnam's National Assembly is due to take up this year could have an important impact on respect for human rights, he said. The post US Presses Vietnam on Detentions Ahead of Obama Visit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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National News

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• Yangon chief minister pledges to rid the city of corrupt governance
• Shwe Mann contests USDP expulsions
• Ten Myanmar workers detained in Thai shelter as MoU woes continue
• Ceasefire monitoring committee meets without new govt
• New agreement brings no end to war on drugs in ASEAN
• Ralliers march against drugs
• Heat sends eight patients to hospital
• Kayin govt announces edict on stupa building
• Villagers fearful after hailstorm
• Landmines: Myanmar’s hidden menace

Yangon chief minister pledges to rid the city of corrupt governance Posted: 26 Apr 2016 12:56 AM PDT Yangon's new chief minister U Phyo Min Thein has vowed to scrub the city of corruption and install a graft-free administration. U Phyo Min Thein spoke with The Myanmar Times from his home in Hlegu township about how he plans on tackling his reform agenda.

Shwe Mann contests USDP expulsions Posted: 25 Apr 2016 02:30 PM PDT Thura U Shwe Mann yesterday challenged the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party to justify his expulsion among 17 prominent members from the former ruling party.

Ten Myanmar workers detained in Thai shelter as MoU woes continue Posted: 25 Apr 2016 02:30 PM PDT Ten Myanmar migrant workers are currently being detained against their will in a human-trafficking centre near Bangkok, according to a rights group. The men were identified as human-trafficking victims by Thai authorities.

Ceasefire monitoring committee meets without new govt Posted: 25 Apr 2016 02:30 PM PDT The main committee monitoring last year's nationwide ceasefire accord is set to resume its work in Nay Pyi Taw today but without any representatives of Myanmar's new government.

New agreement brings no end to war on drugs in ASEAN Posted: 25 Apr 2016 02:30 PM PDT A global meeting on drugs failed to deliver a highly anticipated shift from a punitive approach to narcotics, disappointing Myanmar advocacy groups.

Ralliers march against drugs Posted: 25 Apr 2016 02:30 PM PDT Over 600 people joined a rally marking Kachin Anti-Drug Day in Kutkai in northern Shan State yesterday.

Heat sends eight patients to hospital Posted: 25 Apr 2016 02:30 PM PDT As the mercury soars, heat-related illnesses are driving patients to the hospital in Mandalay. Eight patients seeking reprieve from the sun were admitted to Mandalay General Hospital around Thingyan, according to medical social officer U Min Lwin.

Kayin govt announces edict on stupa building Posted: 25 Apr 2016 02:30 PM PDT The Kayin State government has pledged that it will not allow any stupas to be built inside church or mission compounds and will work to prevent religious conflicts after a dispute last week pitched a Buddhist monk against Christian communities.

Villagers fearful after hailstorm Posted: 25 Apr 2016 02:30 PM PDT Ma Wai feels anxious and has been unable to sleep for three days while the sky clouds over at night. She is not the only one. Most residents of Yay Tha Yauk village speak of a similar experience since the area was barraged by an unusual storm of massive hailstones, some as big as golf balls, on April 22.

Landmines: Myanmar’s hidden menace Posted: 25 Apr 2016 02:30 PM PDT Across Myanmar landmines post a daily threat of death and disability, but five years after the transition to democracy began, an official program has yet to get underway.

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Shan Herald Agency for News

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NCA not “so called”, counters signatory leader Posted: 25 Apr 2016 10:37 PM PDT Plainly fed up with the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), which was signed 6 months ago in Naypyitaw, as a "so called" by some media agencies and CSOs, a prominent leader of one of the 8 signatory ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) has come up with an explanation why using "Nationwide" in the NCA is justified. "When they say it's not 'nationwide' because it wasn't signed by the majority of EAOs," said Col Hkun Okker, Phrabwa Okker to his followers in the Pao National Liberation Organization (PNLO), "they are overlooking several salient facts." "It is true that only 8 out of 21 known EAOs had signed," he continues. "But 3 of them (Arakan National Council, Wa National Organization and Lahu Democratic Front), having no fighting forces, were invited to participate in the Political Dialogue. Another, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), being also active on the other side of the border, couldn't join. Out of the remaining 9, 3 of them (Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and Ta-ang National Liberation Army)are not yet recognized by the government. "Summing up, 15 EAOs were invited, and 8 had come forward, which was more than half." Other reasons given by him are as follows: The name NCA was given by the government – EAO negotiations, which were participated by 17 EAOs All the international witnesses, some by signing and others by presence, were at the signing ceremony (on 15 October 2015) to lend the legitimacy to the NCA On 8 December, it was ratified in the parliament, thereby becoming a legal document with a legal name The word "nationwide" means "national level". All the 15 EAOs invited had already signed "state level "and/or "union level", otherwise bilateral agreements. What makes the NCA different from others is that it is multi-lateral No peace treaty in any country, according to my knowledge, has been signed by all stakeholders. Always some fail to do it. That doesn't made these treaties "so called" Moreover, the new government has accepted the treaty, which makes it all the more problematic to keep on calling it "so called" He drew attention to one "often conveniently ignored" point. "The six EAOs that did not sign the NCA did not feel it urgent enough to do so," he said. "The reason is they have already signed bilateral agreements which allow them to be on continued speaking terms with the government. They are also free to visit government controlled territories when they want to." The six are: United Wa State Army (UWSA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and New Mon State Party (NMSP). However, he agrees that failure to sign the NCA has posed one big problem for the EAOs: lack of full participation in the Political Dialogue which has started since 12 January, when the Union Peace Conference#1 was held in Naypyitaw. "We therefore hope we'll be together again when the UPC#2 starts in the coming months," he says. The NLD so far has not spelled out the details of its peace plan although both President U Htin Kyaw and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had promised resumption of the peace process launched by the outgoing President Thein Sein in 2011. According to sources, the State Counselor is to assume the leadership role for the new peace mission, amend the Framework for Political Dialogue (FPD), expand the composition of the Union Peace Conference (UPC) and deal with the non-signatory EAOs "that we deem appropriate in order to achieve a complete ceasefire."

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The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Pagoda Near Church Inflames Religious Tensions in Karen State
• Shwe Mann Questions Legality of USDP Ousting
• ‘All USDP Members Are Responsible for Our Loss in 2015’
• How the NLD Can Fulfill Its Promise of Peace
• Extreme Weather Kills 13, Destroys Hundreds of Pagodas
• China’s Xi Warns of Foreign Infiltration Through Religion
• Grief and Frustration as Nepal Marks Earthquake Anniversary
• N.Korea Claims Successful Test of Submarine-Fired Missile

Pagoda Near Church Inflames Religious Tensions in Karen State Posted: 25 Apr 2016 05:59 AM PDT Supporters of the monk U Thuzana pay respects at a pagoda he ordered constructed near a church in Karen State. (Photo: Saw William Kyaw / Facebook) RANGOON — A Buddhist monk and spiritual leader of an ethnic armed group stoked religious tensions last week when he and his followers built a pagoda on the property of an Anglican Church in Hlaingbwe Township, at Kondawgyi village in Karen State. The monk, U Thuzana, is also an influential figure within the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), a splinter group of the predominantly Christian-led Karen National Union, a fellow ethnic armed organization. Hundreds of his supporters this month brought bricks, cement and other building materials to construct the pagoda. Some among the group were members of the DKBA and wore military uniforms while building the shrine. This was not the first time U Thuzana, 73, has used provocative measures to "proselytize." The monk believes that these types of actions will generate good karma, according to a Karen Buddhist leader in Hpa-an, the state capital. "[U Thuzana] follows his heart, which tells him where to build the pagodas," said Saw Kyaw Zwa, a Buddhist leader from the Karen Affairs Committee. "Of course there are critics who condemn him for building a pagoda near land controlled by another religion. But our monk is just trying to realize his dreams." The Karen leader added that U Thuzana previously built a pagoda in front of a police station. Some religious leaders from the church asked U Thuzana not to build the pagoda, but when they realized he would not stop, they simply erected a fence between the church and the pagoda, said Saw Kyaw Zwa. Community leaders from Karen State have formed a committee to address religious problems, particularly in the case of U Thuzana. But the septuagenarian monk continues to build pagodas near Christian areas. "Our committee and some senior Buddhist monks asked [U Thuzana] to stop building pagodas at Christian churches, but he will not waver from following his dream," said Saw Kyaw Zwa. The Christians have been understanding, said Saw Kyaw Zwa, while adding that it would be better to stop U Thuzana now so he doesn't create more religious tensions in the future. Many critics condemned the actions on social media, but Bishop Saw Stylo in Hpa-an posted a message on his Facebook page addressing his followers: "I would like to urge you, Christians of Karen State, not to harbor grudges or hatred, and not to attack, but to practice benevolence, compassion and detachment." "Christ said that those who have a heart of gold receive his blessing and shall see God. I would like to urge all of you to have a heart of gold so that you can see God," the post continued. "Avoid fighting but rather practice love and benevolence." "We believe that this sort of thing should not happen," Saw Ahtoe, a religious affairs leader from the KNU told the Karen Information Center. "Karen has a long history of religious problems. We may write the government to take action, or we may write directly to the DKBA. We will join with other religious leaders to solve this problem." U Thuzana helped found the DKBA in 1994, splitting from the KNU amid claims that Christians in the organization discriminated against its Buddhist member. The group was originally named the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. The DKBA in its early years aligned itself with the Burma government, and U Thuzana formed close ties with former Burma Army generals, who helped strengthen his forces. The post Pagoda Near Church Inflames Religious Tensions in Karen State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Shwe Mann Questions Legality of USDP Ousting Posted: 25 Apr 2016 04:41 AM PDT Shwe Mann at a Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission meeting on Monday. (Photo: Shwe Mann / Facebook) RANGOON — Three days after he was sacked along with others from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), former chairman Shwe Mann has requested that party members review whether the dismissal was in accordance with the law. He posted a statement on his Facebook page on Monday confirming that he had received a letter outlining his official expulsion from the military-backed party on Friday. Shwe Mann also admitted that he had learned 16 other party members had reportedly met the same fate; many of those dismissed are serving on the Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission, over which he presides. Founded in early February after the Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD) took up a majority seats in Parliament, the 23-member legislative oversight commission is tasked with supporting parliamentary committees as they amend existing laws and draft new bills. In the statement, Shwe Mann said that regardless of his party membership, he would keep working for people's security, prosperity and the country's development. "Though this is an intra-party issue, I assume it may somehow be concerned with the interests of the country and the citizens," he said. "I think people, including USDP members and relevant authorities, need to look over whether the action by some USDP top members towards me and the commission members is in accordance with the existing laws and rules." At the time of reporting, it was not yet clear who in the commission had been sacked as the USDP had not released a statement on the issue. Speaking to The Irrawaddy over the weekend, Tint Zaw, a USDP executive committee member said that in addition to Shwe Mann, the NLD government's Religious Affairs Minister Aung Ko was among the 17 who were sacked. "We have allowed those persons to resign from the party as they have violated the party's charter. It was the decision of the central executive committee," said Tint Zaw, before adding that since the dismissal concerned "internal affairs of the party," they "wanted to handle it quietly." The ousting was carried out almost immediately after Burma's ex-president Thein Sein resumed his duty as the chairman of the USDP, following a short stint within the Buddhist monkhood. He stepped down from the presidency on March 31. Shwe Mann, Aung Ko and other senior USDP members were purged from the party leadership by Thein Sein last year during a midnight raid at the organization's headquarters in Naypyidaw. Since then, both Shwe Mann and Aung Ko had remained regular USDP members. The Irrawaddy reporter Htet Naing Zaw contributed to this article from Naypyidaw. The post Shwe Mann Questions Legality of USDP Ousting appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

‘All USDP Members Are Responsible for Our Loss in 2015’ Posted: 25 Apr 2016 04:03 AM PDT Tint Zaw, a USDP central executive committee member, in Naypyidaw on Sunday. (Photo: Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy) The formerly ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is in the news again this week with former President Thein Sein making a dramatic return to the party leadership by purging more than a dozen senior members including Shwe Mann, who once served as party chairman before relations between the two men soured. Following the ouster of 17 members of the party's upper echelon on Friday, The Irrawaddy spoke with Tint Zaw, a USDP central executive committee member, in Naypyidaw to discuss the purge, his party's plans and Thein Sein's role in its future.  What has the USDP been doing in the aftermath of the 2015 election? What activities has the party been engaged in since then? Our party has been in existence since 2003; we were an association then. We transformed the association into a party in 2010. As a party, we have functional branches at division, district and township levels, and we have the largest membership in Myanmar at present. We have concrete objectives, policies and principles and we are working according to them. What is significant is that we are now transforming ourselves into a people's party. And we are planning to make sure leaders of the party at the different levels, from village to central levels, are those who have good names with local people. We are now actively engaged in [public support] mobilization activities to reorganize the party with qualified and capable people who can lead the party and who people want. According to the party's charter, a conference is to be held once every five years. As we are a political party, one of our objectives is, of course, to contest and win the multi-party democracy general election. Only when we win the election will we be able to serve the interests of people more effectively and engage in nation-building endeavors. We are planning to hold the party conference to reorganize the party according to the reviews and recommendations we have made following the 2015 general election. We are now holding meetings at the village/ward level. Then, we'll hold meetings at township level, and then district and division levels. So, we expect to hold the central-level conference in August. The former President [Thein Sein] has taken back the USDP reins. What will his future role in the party be? Yes, he is back at the party. He comes to the party office now. He has even held a meeting with the central executive committee of the party. He is also devising policies. He is now giving close leadership. He is the incumbent chairman of the party. The USDP has purged U Shwe Mann and 16 other senior members. Can you explain the reasoning behind their dismissals? For a political party to exist, the party's rules are of importance. A party's rules are enforced in line with its charter and we reward and punish party members in line with the party's charter. The party headquarters has systematically formed relevant 'affairs' committees [such as on youth or international relations], and we have also formed a party rules enforcement committee, party functions assessment committee and so on. Those committees monitor party members and check whether they violate the party's charter. We have allowed those persons to resign from the party as they have violated the party's charter. It was the decision of the central executive committee. But then, it came under the spotlight as they are popular among the people. It is the internal affairs of the party and we therefore wanted to handle it quietly. The USDP won the 2010 election but suffered humiliating losses in the 2012 by-election and 2015 general election? What do you think is the reason for that? In fact, people want change. We won the 2010 multi-party election [boycotted by the National League for Democracy] and the USDP was able to form the government, and we made up the majority in Parliament. As the leading and ruling party, our party engaged with the people. As the party gets along with the military and is backed the military, it took the lead role in all the four estates of the country and served the interests of the people. But, I'm afraid it did not meet the aspirations and wishes of people. So, people wondered whether another organization would be able to do more for them, particularly regarding human rights, public health, education and social welfare. I'm afraid [the USDP track record] did not meet their expectations in those sectors. Our [former] military government and [successor] USDP government have engaged in works in the interests of the people. We have built highways, factories and airports. Everyone has borne witness. [There are] infrastructural developments almost everywhere. But for individual citizens, there are people who are not satisfied with the condition of schools their children are attending and who do not have access to potable water and electricity in their villages. Though we were able to bring development to our country, we could not meet the wishes of individual citizens. So people wanted change. We saw the warning sign in the 2012 by-election—that we did not meet the wishes of people. But then, we failed to make proper preparations and we lost the 2015 election as a result. Taking a lesson from this, we have to think about what we are going to do for 2020 [the year of Burma's next general election]. Here, I would like to stress that we want the country to develop. We uphold our three main national causes. It is not that we will try to achieve our goals alone and do not want somebody else to do it. If our goals can be reached and if the interests of the people can be served, we can accept anyone who does it and we are willing to cooperate. So, does the party plan to undertake reforms in light of the 2015 election outcome? In fact, all [party members] are responsible for the party's loss in 2015. From central executive committee to ward/village level, all are responsible for it as they failed to satisfy the wishes of people. Everyone takes that responsibility. As I have said, we are in the process of reorganizing the party with qualified, capable and respected people who can lead the party and who are backed by the people. And we are also strengthening the party's policies. What business interests does the party hold? How is the party's financial situation? We had the idea of transforming the USDA into a political party since we formed it as a social organization. We had laid down the objectives of serving the interests of people and turning ourselves into a political force together with the military, which is the defense force of the country. Our leaders predicted that other political parties would find fault with the party's possessions, so we have made sure most of our businesses are in line with financial laws and regulations of the State, and we also make sure we do not take concessions because other political parties use our financial position and businesses as a reason to attack us. But after we transformed into a political party, we ceased doing business except farming and livestock breeding, the business of the country's majority, because we were afraid that people would have negative opinions of us if we continued to do these businesses. Final question: How much do you think the USDP, as an opposition party, will be able to serve as a check on the NLD government? Our goal is to bring about development for the country and the people, at least the same level of development with neighboring counties, especially in the sectors of education, health, human rights and infrastructure. We need to build peace, create job opportunities and address the unemployment. We tried to address those problems while we were the government and in Parliament. And we are willing to cooperate with any party if it serves the interests of the country and the people. And we will point out, as a political party, if they make mistakes. Even the people who have fought for various reasons [in the past] are now talking around the table. We'll respond constructively to the big [NLD] party, which people have voted for clearly. Our goal is that which is in the interests of the country and the people. The post 'All USDP Members Are Responsible for Our Loss in 2015' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

How the NLD Can Fulfill Its Promise of Peace Posted: 25 Apr 2016 03:00 AM PDT Buddhist monks and activists in Rangoon stand near lighted candles as they protest against a Burma Army artillery attack on a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) training center, on Nov. 24, 2014. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) Burma's new government has declared that finding a solution to the country's decades-long civil war is one of its top priorities. That is clearly in line with the policies of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), which stated when the party was formed in September 1988, "[t]he forty-year history of [ethnic] relations has been a chapter of misfortune verging on the tragic … the development of the country has suffered greatly since 40 percent of the national budget has to be devoted to defence requirements … for these reasons we must seek a lasting solution to the problems of the ethnic minorities … it is the aim of the League to secure the highest degree of autonomy consonant with the inherent rights of the minorities and the well-being of the Union as a whole." But in order to achieve peace, it is also obvious that the new government must find a novel approach to this issue. In late 2012, Thein Sein, the previous president, set up an organization called the Myanmar Peace Center and, with massive financial support from the international community, embarked on an ambitious program of talks with Burma's many ethnic armed organizations (EAO). But the problem was that the Myanmar Peace Center put the cart before the horse by asking the EAOs to sign a "nationwide ceasefire agreement" first and hold political talks later. In practice, that meant that groups which agreed to a ceasefire with the government army would be rewarded with lucrative business opportunities. And then, perhaps, some political talks would be held. Not surprisingly, that policy turned out to be a complete failure. There were few takers, and, as a face-saving gesture in the 11th hour before the end of its term, the Thein Sein government invited some EAOs to Naypyidaw where a "Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement" was signed on Oct. 15 last year—hardly by coincidence less than a month before the election. It was said that eight EAOs had signed the agreement, but five of the signatories had no armed forces, and one—the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army—had been a government-allied militia since it broke away from the Karen National Union (KNU) in December 1994. That means only two of the signatories were actually engaged in armed struggle against the government: the KNU and the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS). None of the other main EAOs in the country signed the October agreement: the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the National Democratic Alliance Army (eastern Shan State), and the Shan State Army (whose name the RCSS has taken, causing confusion among the Shans as well as outsiders). Those groups together account for more than four-fifths of all ethnic combatants in the country. Since then, the agreement has caused divisions between the groups that signed it and those that didn't. The RCSS, evidently with the approval of the Tatmadaw, Burma's military, moved at least 2,000 soldiers from its bases along the Thai border to northern Shan State, where they are engaged in battles with the ethnic Palaung TNLA. The TNLA's allies, the UWSA, the KIA, the Shan State Army and the MNDAA, have vowed to fight the RCSS unless it ceases attacks on the Palaungs. The KNU has not split officially, but divisions run deep within the organization over the controversial accord with the government. On Nov. 5, less than three weeks after the conference in Naypyidaw, two prominent Karen leaders made a surprise appearance at a meeting of EAOs at Panghsang, the UWSA headquarters. However, they came as representatives of the Karen National Defense Organization, the KNU's village militia forces, so as not to prompt an open rift within the Karen movement. This divide-and-rule policy, coupled with bribes to leaders of the EAOs to sign a "ceasefire agreement," can hardly be the way forward. The best that could be done with the Oct. 15 agreement would be to file it away and let it die the death it deserves. On the other hand, the EAOs that did not sign it have failed to come up with a viable alternative to the now stalled "peace process." They have also been reactive rather than proactive, and are now doing little more than waiting for the new government to invite them to talks. Cynics would argue that some of the EAO leaders may also be waiting to hear what lucrative deals the new government may offer them, and if those would be even better than the business deals awarded the KNU, the RSCC and others. But it should not be too difficult to come up with a comprehensive roadmap for peace, even though the situation in Burma today has been made even muddier by the presence of a host of foreign carpetbaggers. Styling themselves as "peacemakers," they have shown that they have little or no understanding of Burma's ethnic problems—and that their main interest is to cash in on the peace bonanza that the flow of foreign funds has resulted in, not to alleviate the sufferings of the people in the frontier areas. A simple way forward could look like this: As a first step, the government should announce a nationwide ceasefire. Nothing has to be signed at this stage, but some on-the-ground monitoring would be required. Then the government should invite leaders of the EAOs, representatives of civil society groups and religious organizations for talks about the way forward. Step three would be to study federal models that would provide lasting solutions to the ethnic conflicts and thereby strengthen the Union. A continuation of the civil war will only be detrimental to national unity, as has been the case been for decades. Then, a federal model should be agreed upon in line with the aspirations of the non-Bamar peoples—and the promises of the NLD's 1988 manifesto of "the highest degree of autonomy consonant with the inherent rights of the minorities and the well-being of the Union as a whole." As a fifth and final step, a political agreement should be signed, the EAOs could be dissolved and turned into local police forces or whatever they, civil society and the government think would be the best solution. Such an accord could be considered a successor to the historic 1947 Panglong Agreement, at which Aung San Suu Kyi's father, Gen. Aung San, worked with leaders from ethnic groups to decide how the Union of Burma would be constituted. But as was with the first Panglong Agreement, these new terms should be signed only after a consensus has been reached on what kind of political structure Burma should have. This may not be easy, but solving decades-long conflicts never is. At the very least, it would be more constructive than the policies of the previous government and its supporters in the international donor community. The main task has to be to bring one of the world's longest-lasting ethnic wars to an end, not to benefit from it financially in terms of funding for various, largely meaningless "peace projects." After decades of "misfortune verging on the tragic," as the NLD stated in 1988, the people of Burma, regardless of nationality, deserve nothing less than to live in peace and harmony with each other. Bertil Lintner is a former correspondent with the Far Eastern Economic Review and author of several books on Burma. The post How the NLD Can Fulfill Its Promise of Peace appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Extreme Weather Kills 13, Destroys Hundreds of Pagodas Posted: 24 Apr 2016 10:49 PM PDT Kakku pagodas in southern Shan State damaged after strong winds on Friday night. (Photo: Burma Army Commander-in-Chief Office / Facebook) RANGOON — Gale-force winds and hailstorms have killed more than 10 people and destroyed homes, religious buildings and livestock in northern Burma since Friday. The affected areas were in Mandalay, Sagaing and Magwe divisions, as well as Shan and Arakan states, claiming the lives of 13 people and injuring dozens. Storms damaged more than 15,000 homes and killed hundreds of cattle, local media reported on Monday. According to a report on Saturday from the office of Burma's military commander-in-chief, a 30-minute-long gale-force wind toppled more than 800 pagodas in the Kakku Pagoda compound about 30 miles outside of Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State. The pagoda complex boasts a cluster of more than 2,400 religious structures, believed to be many centuries old. Kakku has been closed to visitors as the damage is assessed. According to reports in the Global New Light of Myanmar on Monday, heavy rains, thunderstorms and strong winds are expected to continue throughout the week in northern Burma. The weather patterns, the state-run media outlet explained, are caused by the cumulus clouds created by "atmospheric instability" of cool winds originating in India and Bangladesh meeting high temperatures in Burma. The post Extreme Weather Kills 13, Destroys Hundreds of Pagodas appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China’s Xi Warns of Foreign Infiltration Through Religion Posted: 24 Apr 2016 10:43 PM PDT Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, looks on as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, receives a Buddha statue from an abbot of Dacien Buddhist Temple in Shaanxi province, China, May 14, 2015. (Photo: Reuters / China Daily) BEIJING — China must be on guard against foreign infiltration through religion and stop "extremists" spreading their ideology, President Xi Jinping told a top-level meeting on managing religion, state media reported on Sunday. China must also manage the Internet to promote the Communist Party's religious theories and policies, the official Xinhua news agency cited Xi as saying. "We must resolutely resist overseas infiltration through religious means and guard against ideological infringement by extremists," Xi was quoted as saying at a two-day national working conference on religion that ended on Saturday. The ruling Communist Party says it protects freedom of religion, but it keeps a tight rein on religious activities and allows only officially recognized religious institutions to operate. The government is concerned about what it sees as the growing influence by Islamists in the Xinjiang region in the far west, where hundreds of people have been killed over the past few years in violence between members of the Muslim Uighur community and majority Han Chinese. Officials there have stepped up regulations banning overt signs of religious observance, like veils or beards. Separately, some Chinese Christians say authorities are limiting their activities and taking down crosses on churches in coastal Zhejiang province. Authorities have said crosses are removed because they violate regulations against illegal structures. Protests broke out in 2014 in the heavily Christian city of Wenzhou, also in Zhejiang, over the government's cross demolition campaign. In January, authorities also said a Christian pastor was being investigated for suspicion of embezzling funds. The investigation came after the pastor opposed the campaign to remove crosses. Communist party members must adhere to Marxist principles and remain "staunchly atheist," Xi said in his remarks. The post China's Xi Warns of Foreign Infiltration Through Religion appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Grief and Frustration as Nepal Marks Earthquake Anniversary Posted: 24 Apr 2016 10:43 PM PDT People lit candles creating the shape of the historic nine-story Dharara tower and Kasthamandap temple to mark the first anniversary of the 2015 earthquakes at Bashantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 24, 2016. (Photo: Reuters) KATHMANDU, Nepal — Grieving relatives mourned on Sunday the thousands killed in a huge earthquake in Nepal last year, as aid agencies warned about the health risks for the millions still living in sub-standard temporary shelter following the country's worst-ever disaster. The 7.8-magnitude quake struck high in the Himalayas minutes before noon on a sunny Saturday, toppling one million houses, upending roads and turning hundreds of mountain villages into ruins that left about 9,000 people dead and 22,000 injured. In Kathmandu, the capital, Prime Minister K. P. Oli led a day of mourning, placing a wreath at the remains of the Dharahara tower that collapsed during the quake, killing 132 people. At the nearby Durbar Square, a Unesco-listed world heritage site, a dozen crimson-robed monks chanted from Buddhist scriptures at a memorial as the victims' relatives sat cross-legged, praying, in front of framed portraits of their loved ones. Among them was grief-stricken Surya Bahadur Shrestha, praying for his late father who was crushed to death by a building in the city. "I came to mourn my father who died here last year. I prayed for eternal peace for the soul," the 49-year-old said. One year on from the quake, reconstruction has been slow and uneven in the poor Himalayan country, and most of the US$4.1 billion that donors pledged for reconstruction in June last year remains unspent because of political squabbling. As around 100 people protested near the prime minister's office, demanding the government begin rebuilding, the Red Cross said four million people were still living in poor-quality temporary shelters, posing a threat to their health and wellbeing. "We are hoping that the government's priorities and perspectives on reconstruction will soon be clear so that we can help people to rebuild and get their lives back on track as quickly as possible," said Max Santner, head of the Nepal mission of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Gopal Khanal, an aide to Prime Minister Oli, said the government would make arrangements for proper shelter before the start of the annual rainy season in June, but many are skeptical about the state's ability to deliver. Kanchhi Tamang, who lost her home in the tremor, said she feared that her three young children would be forced to endure a second monsoon living in a shack on the outskirts of Kathmandu. A government authority set up in January to oversee rebuilding has so far only distributed $500 to 800 people, against a promise of handing $2,000 to every household who lost their home, National Reconstruction Authority spokesman Ram Prasad Thapaliya said. Unrest over a new constitution adopted in September, which triggered a months-long blockade of Nepal's border with India by an ethnic group in the south of the country, has added to the upheaval and delays in rebuilding. The post Grief and Frustration as Nepal Marks Earthquake Anniversary appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

N.Korea Claims Successful Test of Submarine-Fired Missile Posted: 24 Apr 2016 10:02 PM PDT A strategic submarine ballistic missile is fired in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on April 24, 2016. (Photo: Reuters / KCNA) SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Sunday that it successfully test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine and warned of its growing ability to cut down its enemies with a "dagger of destruction." South Korea couldn't immediately confirm the claim of success in what marks Pyongyang's latest effort to expand its military might in face of pressure by its neighbors and Washington. Hours before the announcement, South Korean military officials said the North fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile from a submarine off its eastern coast. The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectile traveled about 30 kilometers (19 miles) Saturday evening. That's much shorter than the typical distance of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, which can fly at least 300 kilometers (186 miles). A successful test from a submarine would be a worrying development because mastering the ability to fire missiles from submerged vessels would make it harder for outsiders to detect what North Korea is doing before it launches, giving it the potential to surprise its enemies. While South Korean experts say it's unlikely that North Korea currently possesses an operational submarine that can fire multiple missiles, they acknowledge that the North is making progress on such technology. In a typical example of overblown rhetoric, the North's Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong-un observed from a test facility as the ballistic missile surged from a submarine and spewed out a "massive stream of flames" as it soared into the sky. It said the missile met all technical thresholds. The KCNA report said that after the test Kim declared that the North now has another strong nuclear strike method and also the ability to stick a "dagger of destruction" into the heads of its enemies, South Korea and the United States, at any time. The KCNA report didn't say when or where the recent test-firing took place. South Korean officials said the launch on Saturday took place near the North Korean coastal town of Sinpo, where analysts have previously detected efforts by the North to develop submarine-launched ballistic missile systems. The North last test-launched a submarine-launched ballistic missile on Dec. 25, but that test was seen as failure, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The North first claimed of a successful submarine-launched missile test in May last year. US Strategic Command, headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, said its "systems detected and tracked what we assess was a North Korean submarine missile launch from the Sea of Japan." A statement from Strategic Command added that the missile launch "did not pose a threat to North America." US military forces "remain vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and are fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security," it said. The US State Department said that in response to Saturday's launch, it was limiting the travel of North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong and his delegation to UN functions in New York, where they are attending a UN meeting on sustainable development. The United States noted "launches using ballistic missile technology are a clear violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions." "We call on North Korea to refrain from actions that further destabilize the region and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its commitments and international obligations," said State Department spokesman John Kirby. The UN Security Council issued a press statement that "strongly condemned" the firing of the submarine-launched ballistic missile, saying it constitutes "yet another serious violation" of council resolutions. The Security Council members reiterated that North Korea should "refrain from further actions in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and comply fully with its obligations under these resolutions, including to suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile program." North Korea has recently sent a barrage of missiles and artillery shells into the sea amid ongoing annual military drills between the United States and South Korea. Pyongyang says the drills are a preparation for an invasion of the North. The firings also come as the North expresses anger about toughened international sanctions over its recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. North Korea's belligerence may also be linked to a major ruling party congress next month meant to further cement leader Kim Jong-un's grip on power. Promoting military accomplishments could be an attempt to overshadow a lack of economic achievements ahead of the Workers' Party congress, the first since 1980. The post N.Korea Claims Successful Test of Submarine-Fired Missile appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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