The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Ethnic Parties Join Forces Following Criticism of NLD
• Remaining Charges Against Abbot of Yay Pu Monastery Dropped
• Charges Filed Against Labor Rights Protestors
• Burma Army Airstrikes Bombard Kachin, Shan States
• Burmese Climbers Summit Everest
• Over 200 Families Feared Buried by Landslides in Sri Lanka
• Targeted Burmese Tycoon May Profit From US Sanctions Changes
• China Stages War Games Days Ahead of Taiwan Inauguration
• Burma’s Right to Information Movement Can Learn From India

Ethnic Parties Join Forces Following Criticism of NLD Posted: 19 May 2016 05:42 AM PDT An ethnic Shan member of Parliament arrives to attend the last day of the Union Parliament session in Naypyidaw on January 29, 2016. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — Representatives from the two largest ethnic political parties in the Union Parliament—the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and the Arakan National Party (ANP)—held an impromptu meeting during lunch in Naypyidaw on Wednesday, agreeing to form a united front when submitting proposals on ethnic affairs or amending important laws. SNLD Lower House lawmaker Sai One Leng Kham said that during the meeting, they discussed parliamentary procedures and the role of the ethnic bloc in the legislature. According to Sai One Leng Kham, 12 SNLD and 22 ANP parliamentarians participated in the discussion. This marked the first meeting between ANP and SNLD lawmakers since the new government was formed in April. The two groups are members of the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), a group of 13 ethnic parties, led by the SNLD. "We don't have any official agreement between us," said Sai One Leng Kham. The ANP had previously been allied with the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), which in 2010 won more than half the seats in the Shan State parliament. The SNDP, however, was tainted by its association with the previous government, and only secured one seat in the state legislature in the 2015 election, leading the ANP to draw closer to the more powerful SNLD. ANP Lower House parliamentarian Khin Saw Wai said the two parties planned to reach out to other ethnic political parties, such as the Ta'ang National Party and the Zomi Congress for Democracy. Two weeks ago, Lower House Speaker Win Myint of the National League for Democracy (NLD) rejected Khin Saw Wai's proposal regarding support for displaced Arakanese who fled their homes after fighting broke out between the Arakan Army and the Burma Army. This led ethnic political commentators to criticize the NLD for minimizing ethnic issues. SNLD chairman Khun Htun Oo told reporters on May 7 on the sidelines of a UNA meeting that the ethnic groups could not rely on the NLD to take care of their affairs. However, the ANP's Khin Saw Wai told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that the meeting between the ANP and SNLD was not a result of the UNA conference or the house speaker's rejection of her proposal, and emphasized the common ground between the ethnic parties and the NLD. "We ethnic politicians worked with the NLD to block the implementation of Proportional Representation," she said, referring to a plan by the previous government to change the electoral process to the disadvantage the NLD. The post Ethnic Parties Join Forces Following Criticism of NLD appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Remaining Charges Against Abbot of Yay Pu Monastery Dropped Posted: 19 May 2016 05:26 AM PDT U Eindaka's supporters celebrate outside the courthouse after charges against the venerated abbot of Yay Pu Monastery were dropped in Pyin Oo Lwin District, Mandalay Division, on May 19, 2016. (Photo: Zarni Mann / The Irrawaddy). PYIN OO LWIN, Mandalay Division — A court in Pyin Oo Lwin District on Thursday dropped the remaining charges against U Eindaka, the abbot of the Yay Pu Monastery in Mandalay Division's Mogok Township, after the lawsuit against him was withdrawn. U Eindaka, widely known as "Yay Pu Sayardaw," was facing possible legal repercussions under Burma's Mining Law for digging up earth around the area inside his monastery's compound where he had intended to rebuild an old pagoda. "Because the plaintiff has submitted a letter saying that he wishes to withdraw the charges, the court has reviewed the case and, accordingly, decided to drop the charges," said the Pyin Oo Lwin district court judge during Thursday's hearing. "Sayadaw and the other four men charged with him under the [Mining Law] are free leave, and the machines and tools that had been presented to the court as evidence will be returned to their owners," the judge added. U Eindaka was arrested in June of last year and had also been charged with illegally possessing timber under the Forestry Law. He was faced with either three months in prison or paying a 20,000 kyats (US$17) fine. His supporters opted to pay the fine on Wednesday. "I was arrested without having committed any unlawful acts and have had to spend more than 10 months in prison. I welcome the court's decision as well as the plaintiff's withdrawal of charges," U Eindaka said after the court session. "But even though I'm a free man, there are still many others who await trial in prison who were also charged under unjust laws in an unjust judicial system. If the country's judicial system is really to change, it's important to review these people's cases and to act fairly in order to prevent them from having to suffer as I did." Outside the courthouse, under heavy rain, dozens of U Eindaka's supporters, many of whom had traveled all the way from Mogok, played traditional Shan gongs and drums, danced and wept with joy as they welcomed U Eindaka and his newfound freedom. U Eindaka, who had been defrocked while he was in prison, was able to undergo the proper Buddhist rituals and receive blessings and honors from Pyin Oo Lwin's senior monks, allowing him once again to don his robes and re-enter the monkhood. The post Remaining Charges Against Abbot of Yay Pu Monastery Dropped appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Charges Filed Against Labor Rights Protestors Posted: 19 May 2016 05:10 AM PDT Police forcibly detain labor rights protestors in Tatkon Township on Wednesday. (Photo: Thiha / The Irrawaddy) NAYPYIDAW — Police charged 51 labor rights protestors on Thursday under four separate charges, including Article 505(b) of the Burmese Penal Code, which can carry a two-year sentence for disturbing the public order. The article prohibits circulating statements that could cause fear or alarm to the public or upset public tranquility; under the former government, it was criticized as being a catchall punishment for anything deemed as dissent. The 100 workers were marching from a plywood factory in the Sagaing Industrial Zone, following an unresolved labor dispute and failed negotiations with Myanmar Veneer Plywood Private Ltd. (MVPPL). Protestors began marching from Sagaing Division to Naypyidaw in late April, in an effort to meet with Burma's President Htin Kyaw, whom they believed would find a favorable resolution. The workers were also charged under articles 143, 145 and 157 of the penal code, which include participating in an unlawful assembly, refusing to obey police and causing disorder. There was not enough space to detain all the protestors at the police station in Tatkon Township, so they were sent to a jail in Yamaethin Township for security reasons, said Naypyidaw Police Col Ko Ko Aung. Authorities released 23 of the detainees and handed them over to the Sagaing Township administrator and district police force, according to Tatkon Township administrator Yi Mon. Yi Mon said they asked each of the detainees how they wanted to proceed. "Some said they wanted to go home, others wanted to stay and face their charges," he said. "We have fulfilled their wishes, and sent back the people who wanted to return home." Protestors were arrested on Wednesday in Tatkon Township as they marched to Naypyidaw. The post Charges Filed Against Labor Rights Protestors appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Army Airstrikes Bombard Kachin, Shan States Posted: 19 May 2016 12:47 AM PDT The Mai Hkawn IDP camp in Mansi Township, Kachin State. (Photo: Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma Army airstrikes were reported in Kachin and Shan states on Wednesday, forcing villagers to flee their homes as the government forces' fighting with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) heats up. No casualties have been reported yet in Kachin State, but the residents of Maji Gung Kaba, Bum Ja and Jay Seng villages have fled their homes. The affected villages are located between the Mai Hkawn and Man Wing Gyi camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) who fled fighting between the KIA and the Burma Army in 2015. "The helicopters came around 3:15 pm [on Wednesday] and started bombing," said Nann Zein Laja, a spokesman for the Zinlum Foundation, a local organization supporting IDPs in Mansi Township's Mai Hkawn camp, an area in Kachin State under the control of KIA Brigade No. 3. "[The Burma Army helicopters] were shooting everywhere," said Rein Mao of the Kachin Baptist Convention, who is living in Bum Ja village. "This wasn't a normal military engagement between the KIA and the Burma Army." Fighting between the Burma Army and the KIA reignited May 14 in the KIA-controlled area, with a Chinese logger reportedly killed in a Burma Army airstrike. "[The Burma Army] didn't shoot at KIA outposts," said Lt-Col Naw Bu, a spokesperson for the KIA. "They only attacked civilians." "If the fighting breaks out again, civilians could be in danger of being tortured," said Aung Myo San, the coordinator of a local civilian protection committee, "And there are Burma Army troops in the middle of the village, so it would be dangerous for the villagers if [both armies] start shooting at each other." The fighting in Shan State this week, however, was a direct military-on-military conflict. Two Burma Army battalions and two militia groups joined forces to attack an SSA-N outpost outside Pein Hsai village, near Hsipaw Township, Shan State, on Wednesday, according to Maj. Sai Hsu, spokesperson for the SSA-N. He said he did not understand why the attacks had intensified despite the fact that the SSA-N had held talks with a tactical commander from the Burma Army on the de-escalation of military tensions between the two sides on May 12. "[The Burma Army] attacked our temporary military outpost with four choppers [Wednesday]," the SSA-N major said. "They wouldn't use helicopters if they weren't fighting a large-scale war. They were bullying us." He alleged that the Burma Army has been sending reinforcements to a village near the SSA-N outpost, meaning the fighting might escalate. In Shan State, too, civilians have been caught in the crossfire. "Yes, clashes did happen close to our village. We saw two helicopters flying. The villagers are in a panic, and all the shops are closed," Sai Hla Htwe, a resident of a Shan village near the SSA-N outpost, told The Irrawaddy. Two days prior to Wednesday's fighting, the Burma Army had told farmers who were working fields outside the village to move back home, he said. The most recent clash has forced locals to seek refuge in the larger towns of Hsipaw and Lashio. On May 12, fighting between the Burma military and the SSA-N forced approximately 500 locals from their homes. Neither the Burma Army nor the Union Joint Monitoring Committee, a ceasefire watchdog, responded to requests for comment. Neither the KIA nor the SSA-N were among signatories to the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement signed by the government and eight non-state armed groups last year. The post Burma Army Airstrikes Bombard Kachin, Shan States appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burmese Climbers Summit Everest Posted: 19 May 2016 12:41 AM PDT Burmese climbers Nyi Nyi Aung, Win Ko Ko and Pyae Phyo Aung at the base of Mount Everest. (Myanmar Flag on Everest / Facebook) Burmese mountaineers Pyae Phyo Aung and Win Ko Ko summited Mount Everest on Thursday morning, becoming the first Burmese nationals to accomplish the feat. The two climbers, from the Technical Climbing Club of Myanmar group, left the nearest base camp on Sunday and ascended toward the 29,000-foot summit. More than 3,000 people are believed to have successfully climbed the world's tallest mountain, but none has been Burmese. Pyae Phyo Aung confirmed the successful attempt during a call with tycoon Tay Za, chairman of the Htoo Foundation, which financed the climb. "We reached the summit at 7:07 a.m., planted the Myanmar flag and the Htoo Foundation flag and will climb back down today," he told Tay Za. A trio of Burmese climbers began the expedition in late March and was joined by three Brazilian climbers in Nepal. The third Burmese climber, Nyi Nyi Aung, was unable to summit and stayed at base camp for support. In 2014, five mountaineers from the Htoo Group attempted the climb but were forced to abandon their ascent at base camp due to an avalanche. Tay Za expressed pride in the climbers on his Facebook page and wished them a safe return. The Burmese climbers are among 289 mountaineers that the Nepalese government granted permits to this season. The post Burmese Climbers Summit Everest appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Over 200 Families Feared Buried by Landslides in Sri Lanka Posted: 18 May 2016 09:41 PM PDT People walk through a flooded road after they moved out from their houses in Biyagama, Sri Lanka, on May 17, 2016. (Photo: Reuters) ELANGAPITIYA VILLAGE, Sri Lanka — Soldiers and police used sticks and bare hands Wednesday to dig through enormous piles of mud covering houses in three villages hit by massive landslides in central Sri Lanka, with hundreds of families reported missing. By evening, rescuers had pulled 17 bodies from the mud and debris unleashed by several days of heavy rain across the island nation. Officials said the extent of the tragedy was still unclear, but the Sri Lankan Red Cross said at least 220 families were unaccounted for. "The task is to figure out what happened to them," the Red Cross said in a statement, noting that some people may have left after local officials warned earlier this week of possible landslides. Heavy fog, rain, electrical outages and the loose ground were complicating efforts to search for survivors. As night fell, the rescue operation was suspended until dawn. Officials warned that, with rain still falling, more landslides could occur in the area. Villagers said torrents of muddy water, tree branches and debris came crashing down around their homes Tuesday in the three villages, located at different heights on the same hill in Kegalle District, about 45 miles north of Colombo. "I heard a huge sound like a plane crashing into the Earth," said 52-year-old A.G. Kamala, who had just returned to her house in one of the villages, Siripura, when the landslides hit. "I opened my door. I could not believe my eyes, as I saw something like a huge fireball rolling down the mountain." Near the village of Elangapitiya—farthest down the hill—soldiers carried bodies to a school, where families waited for news of missing loved ones. Farmer Hewapelige Lal said he had identified the body of his nephew, but that 18 other family members were possibly buried under the mud. He and his wife had left their home to take fruit to a daughter who lived elsewhere, but at some point his wife turned back. "That was the last time I saw her," Lal said, sobbing. When he heard of the landslide, he rushed home but found the area covered with thick, heavy mud. "All I could do was scream." Officials could not give the populations of the villages of Siripura, Elangapitiya or Pallebage, but such villages typically include 1,000-1,500 residents. In Elangapitiya alone, where 14 bodies were recovered Wednesday, about 130 people were still missing, according to Maj-Gen Sudantha Ranasinghe, who was coordinating rescue efforts. Hundreds of stunned villagers took shelter in four temporary camps set up in schools and a Buddhist temple, where they were being given food, blankets and basic medical treatment. At the Viyaneliya Temple, about 300 villagers shared a meal of brown bread and curried lentils. Local officials interviewed each one to learn about missing family members and possessions buried under the mud. Local media said President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe visited the disaster sites earlier Wednesday. In Siripura, 70-year-old A.G. Alice said all nine of her children were unaccounted for. "I don't know what happened to me" after the landslides swept down, she said. A man said his wife, mother-in-law, son and daughter-in-law were all in his house in Siripura when the landslides hit. "I still can't locate my family," M.W. Dharmadasa said. "I still don't know what happened to them." The same rains that unleashed the mudslides also caused severe flooding in cities including Colombo, the capital, where tens of thousands of homes were at least partially inundated. Schools were closed due to the bad weather. Sri Lanka's disaster management center reported 11 deaths from lightning strikes and smaller landslides elsewhere in the country on Monday and Tuesday. Nearly 135,000 people have been displaced and are being housed in temporary shelters. Mudslides are common during the monsoon season, with heavy deforestation to clear land for agriculture leaving the countryside exposed. During heavy rains in December 2014, authorities evacuated more than 60,000 people from thousands of homes damaged or destroyed by floods or landslides. Two months before that, dozens of tea plantation workers were killed when mudslides buried their hillside homes. The post Over 200 Families Feared Buried by Landslides in Sri Lanka appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Targeted Burmese Tycoon May Profit From US Sanctions Changes Posted: 18 May 2016 09:37 PM PDT Steven Law, right, with National League for Democracy party patron Tin Oo, at Asia World Port Management's 20-year anniversary celebration last month. (Photo: Asia World Company Limited) RANGOON — Standing among the party seeing off Burma's new president as he left for Russia on Wednesday was leading businessman Htun Myint Naing, better known as Steven Law. Only the day before, the United States had added six of his companies to the Treasury's blacklist, a move that is unlikely to hamper the tycoon's business empire significantly. President Barack Obama's sanctions policy on Burma, updated on Tuesday, aims to strike a balance between targeting individuals without undermining development or deterring US businesses eyeing the country as it opens up to global trade. Underlining how tricky that balance is, Law may actually gain commercially from the latest changes, even if they do make it harder for him to portray himself as an internationally accepted businessman close to the new democratic government. "Though [sanctions] are not meant to have a blanket effect on the country, their intended targets often play outsize roles … controlling critical infrastructure impacting trade and business for ordinary citizens," said Nyantha Maw Lin, managing director at consultancy Vriens & Partners in Rangoon. On Tuesday, Washington eased some restrictions on Burma but also strengthened measures against Law by adding six firms connected to him and his conglomerate, Asia World, to the Treasury blacklist. Yet the blacklisting, which attracted considerable attention in Burma, looks like a formality given that the companies were already covered by sanctions, because they were owned 50 percent or more by Law or Asia World. Law was sanctioned in 2008 for alleged ties to Burma's military. More important for Law was the US decision to further ease restrictions on trading through his shipping port and airports, extending a temporary six-month allowance set in December to an indefinite one. Law is one of the most powerful and well-connected businessmen in Burma, with close ties to China. He is not, however, universally popular at home or abroad because of alleged ties to the military, which ruled Burma with an iron fist until 2011. The photo opportunity with President Htin Kyaw on Wednesday was part of his campaign to build bridges with the National League for Democracy (NLD), whose leaders were persecuted by the military but swept to power in a landslide election last year. It also reflects the outsize impact of his business empire on the Burmese economy, making him hard to ignore or punish too harshly with sanctions, experts said. The temporary easing of US sanctions on Law's port last year angered rights groups and temporarily held up confirmation of Obama's pick for the new US ambassador to Burma. But it was not enough to encourage shipping lines to return to the port in numbers, because they were concerned about what would happen after the six-month allowance came to an end. Trade through the port slumped last year and some shipping companies abandoned it for unsanctioned rival operations. With the six-month limit lifted, companies are likely to consider using Law's port facilities, which are better equipped than the competition and located closer to Rangoon, the country's commercial capital. "Our customers are sensitive about sanctions so we can't deal with people like Steven Law or the Asia World terminal," said Tatsuya "Ricky" Ueki, managing director at shipping company MOL Myanmar, which uses the port terminal next to Law's. "But if the sanctions on the Asia World terminal were eased indefinitely, that would make our lives much easier and we could consider moving there."s Asia World said prior to Tuesday's announcement that an extension of the port license would benefit the group. "The Port of Yangon remains a crucial transportation infrastructure which needs further development and investment to meet the greater demand," a company official said by email. "A longer license or without a time limit will certainly allow port operators to plan ahead." Wooing the NLD Asked about the US decision to keep sanctions broadly in place during a news conference on Wednesday, NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi said she was confident they would ease over time. "I'm not afraid of sanctions, because I believe that sanctions were imposed for a particular reason and these reasons will be removed in time," she said. Suu Kyi added that sanctions "will not hurt us in any way." Law, whose late father was heroin kingpin and power broker Lo Hsing Han, built and operates the airport in Naypyidaw, the country's capital, as well Rangoon, where he recently unveiled a new US$660 million terminal that Asia World built and financed. At a lavish gala last month to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Asia World port terminal, guests dined on abalone and watched a video on the history of Rangoon port complete with quotes from Rudyard Kipling. Seated at the head table near Law was NLD party patron Tin Oo. The two greeted guests together in a private room before the dinner began. Sandar Min, chairwoman of the Finance, Planning and Economic Affairs Committee in the Rangoon divisional parliament and also an NLD member, spoke at the dinner. But she distanced herself and the party from Law, and said their presence at the gala was a formality. "We don't have a relationship, nothing," she said. The post Targeted Burmese Tycoon May Profit From US Sanctions Changes appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Stages War Games Days Ahead of Taiwan Inauguration Posted: 18 May 2016 09:30 PM PDT A member of the China Unification Promotion Party carries a Chinese national flag as he takes part in a rally calling for closer ties with China, in Taipei, Taiwan, on May 18, 2016. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — China is staging large-scale joint war games featuring mock beach landings, helicopter assaults and tank battles along its east coast facing Taiwan, just days before the inauguration of the self-governing island's new independence-leaning president. The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that the air, land and sea drills were aimed at "testing and upgrading the ability to respond to security threats and complete military missions." The drills were "not aimed at any specific target and relevant persons shouldn't read too much into it," the ministry said. The statement, written in question-and-answer format, did not mention Taiwan. China maintains a standing threat to use force to achieve its goal of absorbing Taiwan and the timing of the drills was noticed widely both in Taiwan and in China's entirely state-controlled media. The military drills are a sign of the sort of disruptions and threats that will descend upon the relationship if Taiwanese President-elect Tsai Ing-wen defies Beijing's demands over the "one-China principle," said Li Fei, Deputy Director of the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University. "The exercises are a message sent to the Taiwan independence forces and can be regarded as a warning that any indications of a movement toward independence will meet with repression," Li said. Without detailing the consequences, Beijing has warned that delicate relations between the sides would be destabilized unless Tsai, whose inauguration is Friday, explicitly endorses Beijing's view that Taiwan and the mainland are both part of a single Chinese nation, which it calls the "'92 Consensus." The outgoing Nationalist Party government of President Ma Ying-jeou had endorsed the framework and signed a series of agreements on trade and other nonpolitical topics during its eight years in power. Tsai has said she wants such contacts to continue uninterrupted, but declined to voice her support for the "'92 Consensus" that was agreed to by negotiators from the two sides that year. While military action is considered extremely risky, Beijing could choose to retaliate against Tsai by further limiting its participation in international organizations, luring away its remaining diplomatic allies, cutting off high-level contacts and curtailing trade and tourist exchanges. China launched large-scale military exercises aimed at intimidating Taiwanese voters and politicians in 1995-96, an effort that had the opposite effect and resulted in the election of Lee Teng-hui as the island's first directly elected president. Chinese state media said the latest drills involved mock landing operations and the use of attack helicopters and tanks. The largest drills were carried out by the People's Liberation Army's 31st Group Army based in the city of Xiamen, which looks directly out onto the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait, the China Daily newspaper said. Armaments used included WZ-10 attack helicopters—China's most powerful—along with ZTD-05A amphibious assault vehicles, Type-96 main battle tanks and HJ-9 anti-tank missile launchers. In recent weeks, China's navy has also staged a number of live-firing drills in the disputed South China Sea and deployed its massive Ukrainian Zubr military hovercraft. The 31st Group Army is considered a front-line unit for any action regarding Taiwan and also held live-firing exercises in January, days after Tsai's election. Those drills brought no perceptible response from Taiwan. The post China Stages War Games Days Ahead of Taiwan Inauguration appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma’s Right to Information Movement Can Learn From India Posted: 18 May 2016 07:00 PM PDT The news media are just one actor in the "right to information" campaign. (Photo: Reuters) One of the many buzzwords hovering around Burma's transition to democracy is "access to information." Indeed, the call for crafting legislation on the right to information could not have come at a better time. Some initial steps have likely been taken to put together a draft. The initiative is no doubt laudable as it creates the much-needed environment to kick-start a discussion on this very vital subject matter. However, a lot more needs to be done, and civil society, the people, farmers and the marginalized have to play a role, rather than only depend on the media or any one group to show the way. When I hear all the talk surrounding "access to information," I am reminded of how the Right To Information (RTI) Act unfolded in Burma's next-door neighbor, India. The movement in India started in 1987 with farmers demanding their right to information about land use and government policies in a small village called Devdungri, in the western state of Rajasthan. It began with three friends from different backgrounds coming together and settling down in Devdungri to work for social justice. The three were Aruna Roy, who resigned from the civil service and began working on issues related to the poor and marginalized, Shanker Singh, a leading figure in "people's theater," and Nikhil Dey, a US-educated scholar. Together, they formed the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS). During the next 10 years, they patched together an alliance with farmers and workers to form one of India's most successful social justice movements. Thus, the RTI effort was a movement that touched every segment of society and did not solely rely on media, which served as more of a partner in the information dissemination process. The grassroots community contributed a lot to the movement. As a journalist, I was a small part of the movement stationed in a hill station called Shillong, where I witnessed activists, musicians, journalists, artists and students take to the streets to advocate for the implementation of the RTI Act. Visuals of police crackdowns on demonstrations, arrests of demonstrators and their release followed by a long period of open dialogue between the government and the people are all still vivid to this day. To see a movement started by poor people succeed surprised many. That is exactly what many in Burma are perhaps yet to fathom. RTI activists in India are of the opinion that "information is an effective tool to force open the doors of citizen participation in governance." RTI activist Vivek Kumer recounts in his study, "The Right to Know Movement in India," "It was against this background that an organization emerged in the late 1980s with a rather unusual demand—the right of citizens to obtain government information and official records. The MKSS saw the right to information as critical to enable citizens to question officials about public resources and to demand accountability." According to scholar Prashant Sharma, the RTI Act was "a radical departure from the access to information regime that existed prior to the enactment of this law." Previously, under the Official Secrets Act of 1923, all information held by public authorities was considered secret by default, unless the government itself deemed it otherwise. Sharma goes on to add that the specific nature of the RTI Act makes it "a very strong one within the context of access to information laws throughout the world and is seen as a transformatory piece of legislation that is fundamentally altering the citizen-state relationship in the country." Today the Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions are tasked with facilitating the passage of information from the government to the people. It is estimated that more than 2 million applications for information from all over India were submitted under the RTI Act from 2005, the year the legislation was passed, to 2008. The RTI Act has been used by NGOs and citizens to unearth all forms of information from the government, including conversations and exchange of notes between the prime minister and members of parliament, ministers and the bureaucracy. Burma could perhaps take a leaf out of the annals of the RTI chapter in India and use it to prepare a robust law that cannot be disregarded or misused by any government in power. The issues surrounding the Burma polity are not too different from how things were in India, so there would be several lessons that could be drawn from India's RTI story. The culture of the struggle for justice is nothing new to the people of Burma. They have been engaged in it for more than five decades under military rule. However, this is not to suggest that every RTI story requires a hard-fought battle. If there exists political will to develop an all-inclusive law that caters to the needs of all, especially the marginalized—farmers whose lands have been confiscated, forests that have been taken from the people, the poor and working class who lack proper wages, migrant workers (documented and undocumented) that are stuck in the bordering areas of Thailand and in Malaysia—then things are already moving in the right direction. With a new government in place that has been elected through a largely free and fair election, the expectations are high for passage of just laws that will improve the lives of farmers, reduce unemployment, provide minimum wages to workers and protect people's land and livelihoods. The author is a former journalist currently working on elections, communications outreach and governance issues. The opinions expressed in this article are his own and do not reflect that of any organization. His email address is bidhayak.d@gmail.com. The post Burma's Right to Information Movement Can Learn From India appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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National News

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• Alert level yellow as cyclonic system forms
• Myanmar Flag flies atop Everest for first time
• Forced portering breeds fear and mistrust in Rakhine
• YCDC members accept termination
• Police arrest protesters marching to Nay Pyi Taw
• State counsellor defends US sanctions
• Anti-Rohingya protesters hit Ayeyarwady Region
• Old conflict flares again in northern Shan
• Ministry to prosecute farmers living in a protected forest
• ‘Friendly’ Russian warship docks in Yangon

Alert level yellow as cyclonic system forms Posted: 19 May 2016 05:41 AM PDT The depression brewing in the Bay of Bengal has been upgraded to a cyclonic system in the early hours of this morning, and is expected to intensify before tracking northeast over Southern Bangladesh and upper Rakhine State on May 21.

Myanmar Flag flies atop Everest for first time Posted: 19 May 2016 03:38 AM PDT Ko Pyae Phyo Aung and Ko Win Ko have become the first Myanmar climbers to summit the world's highest mountain.

Forced portering breeds fear and mistrust in Rakhine Posted: 18 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT "We had never heard the word 'porter' before. Now every time anyone says it we are frightened," one of the four villagers said.

YCDC members accept termination Posted: 18 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT In a sudden reversal less than 24 hours after staging a power grab, Yangon City Development Committee members have agreed to step down.

Police arrest protesters marching to Nay Pyi Taw Posted: 18 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Police yesterday arrested 86 factory workers who marched over 185 miles (300 kilometres) from Sagaing Region to Nay Pyi Taw.

State counsellor defends US sanctions Posted: 18 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday defended the renewal of US sanctions on Myanmar, saying they would not hurt the country as a whole and that the reasons behind them would be dealt with over time.

Anti-Rohingya protesters hit Ayeyarwady Region Posted: 18 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Nationalist protesters campaigned through Ayeyarwady Region's capital yesterday demanding the government declare Rohingya are not an official ethnic minority.

Old conflict flares again in northern Shan Posted: 18 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Tatmadaw aircraft were said to have bombed positions of the SSPP/SSA on March 17 as the new government stepped up preparations to hold a national peace conference.

Ministry to prosecute farmers living in a protected forest Posted: 18 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Three farmers living on protected forest land in Sagaing Region will face legal action and their land will not be returned, a minister told parliament.

‘Friendly’ Russian warship docks in Yangon Posted: 18 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT "Friendly stopover or geopolitical chess move? It's a question some in Yangon are asking as the flagship Admiral Vinogradov of the Russian Pacific Fleet approached the port of Thilawa yesterday.

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Shan Herald Agency for News

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Villagers demand an end to coal mining in Hsipaw Township Posted: 19 May 2016 02:52 AM PDT Residents living near large scale coal mining operations in northern Shan State have called on the firm, Ngwe Yi Pale Mining Co. Ltd, to stop coal mining in Hsipaw Township due to the serious environmental consequences the mining has inflicted on the area. The firm is part of the Ngwe Yi Pale group, one of the largest sugar, cement and coal producers in Burma.  Ngwe Yi Pale Miningstarted their operation in Hsipaw Township in 2004, with mining sites at Peng Zai, Parng Ngar and Nar Goon villages. On April 1, 2016, over 250 villagers gathered at the Nam Ma temple to discuss problems caused by coal mining in their area. Long Sai, an elder from Nam Ma village, told the Shan Herald that before the company operated in Peng Zai village, there was a small rice mill that provided electricity for the temple.  Tea and rice grew well in the area, he explained. "If the company continued digging the coal in the Ho Nar Fa area, over 100 acres of rice fields will be destroyed," Long Sai explained. "The villagers will then have to move out from their homes." "We will not allow them to dig for coal in the Ho Nar Fa area," he added. "We totally disagree with their operation. We want them to stop immediately and get out of the area." In 2010, residents in Nam Ma staged a protest against the coal mining, calling for the operation to permanently stop. However, this did not happen and the company continued to dig for coal. "They do not care about local people who belong to the area," said Sai Kyaw Jing, one of Nam Ma village leaders. Over a 10 year period from 2005 to 2015 the company dug many holes throughout the Township.  The holes appear to be part of an exploration study conducted by the firm.  Villagers tell SHAN that they worry that people or livestock will fall into the numerous holes which the company has left in many places. "We requested them to fill up the holes but they refused to this", said Sai Kyaw Jing. Earlier this year, residents of Nong Khio Township which is also in northern Shan State, reported serious problems with contamination in their area due to the company's sugar production operations. "Even though we met with their representatives to find a solution, they never did anything," said a frustrated villager, Sai Zaw Moe.  He reports that the firm continues to dump sugar production related waste into a nearby river (link http://english.panglong.org/residents-complain-of-contaminated-water-in-nong-khio-township/ ). The recently released, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) report for Burma shows that 43.55% of Ngwe Yi Pale Mining, is owned U Thein Myint, also known as Chaung Hpin.  Another individual listed as U Myint Shein, owns 29.20% of the firm. BY SAI AW / Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)

Burma Army detains civilians after clash with SSPP/SSA Posted: 18 May 2016 07:57 AM PDT A unit of the Burma Army that has been involved in a series of clashes with the Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA), stands accused of arbitrarily arresting civilians in northern Shan State's Hsipaw Township on the morning of Wednesday May 18th, according to reports from the area. Sai Kham, a resident of Nam Ma Village in Hsipaw Township where the clashes took place, said that three villagers were arrested while they were returning home from work Wednesday morning. "The villagers were going back home at about 8.00 AM when they heard the gun fire," he said. "The Burma troops then ordered the women to go back to their farm and arrested three men who were with them," he explained. The three detained individuals have been identified as Sai Au Aung, 35; Sai Sue, 21; and Sai La, 32. The army unit involved is said to be under the North Eastern Command in Lashio Township. According to an official from the SSPP/SSA stationed in Hsipaw Township, the Burma Army launched their offensive, which involved the use of jets, on SSPP/SSA positions in the area beginning at about 8.00 AM. "They attacked our bases near Wan Long, Peng Sai and Pa Teb village," he said. "The fighting is still on-going," he added. Because of the recent wave of heavy fighting between the two groups over 300 villagers from Wan Long village have fled to Hsipaw and Lashio Townships. An SSPP/SSA official from the group's Wan Hai headquarters, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that no notice had been given by the Burma Army prior to the attack. "They did not inform about their movement into our controlled area," he said. "We saw their troops yesterday and today they attacked us." The SSPP/SSA is a member of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC). The SSPP/SSA did not sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the Thein Sein government on October 15 last year. BY SAI AW / Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)

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Computing Tips Dot Net

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How to change the size of your paging file in Windows 10 Posted: 18 May 2016 09:51 AM PDT Open File Explorer (click on the start menu and type "File Explorer") Locate the "This PC" icon. Right click on it and select Properties This will show the Windows 10 View basic information about your computer window. Click on Advanced system settings in the left hand panel This will open the System Properties window Click [&hellip

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The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Rangoon Mayor Dismisses YCDC Members, Prepares for City Election
• Thilawa SEZ Claimants Look to New Land-Grab Body
• Cronies Disappointed As US Sanctions Extended
• Testimony in Double Rape-Murder of Kachin Teachers Faces Obstacles
• Labor Rights Protestors Forcibly Detained Near Naypyidaw
• Abbot of Yay Pu Monastery Found Guilty of Forestry Offense
• President Htin Kyaw Opts for the Bear Hug
• Militant Attacks Force Bangladesh’s Gay Community Into Hiding
• China’s State Media Make Rare Remarks on Cultural Revolution
• US Eases Sanctions on Burma in Bid to Promote Reforms

Rangoon Mayor Dismisses YCDC Members, Prepares for City Election Posted: 18 May 2016 07:42 AM PDT Ballots being cast in the 2014 election for Rangoon’s city council, a vote restricted to heads-of-households. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The mayor of Rangoon informed reporters on Wednesday that by-laws have been amended to allow the terms of serving members of the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) to be terminated after less than 18 months in office. The changes will also allow members of political parties to stand as candidates in upcoming city elections. A new committee will be soon formed to expedite the elections, Mayor Maung Maung Soe told reporters at his Rangoon office. The Rangoon Division Chief Minister and other high-ranking bureaucrats are to appoint four new executive committee members to the YCDC, who will work "closely" with the mayor to hold the municipal election in a manner that is "neutral" and cost-effective. The mayor declined to comment on the specifics of the municipal election, and dismissed the more probing questions from reporters. Earlier this month, the impending YCDC election had faced postponement due to the expressed intention of the Rangoon Division Chief Minister, U Phyo Min Thein, to amend the relevant electoral law to expand voting rights beyond heads-of-households. This has yet to be carried out, and the mayor did not mention the initiative, leaving it unclear whether the YCDC election will meet the critical international standard of universal adult franchise. The mayor's announcement comes after disaffection among the YCDC's membership spilled over into public statements this week. Elected members rejected an order from Rangoon's mayor to alter the YCDC electoral by-law as a means of removing them from their positions before their terms had formally concluded. However, the unelected mayor has overruled their objections. Rangoon Mayor Maung Maung Soe, who was appointed to his post last month by President Htin Kyaw, chairs the YCDC, the city's municipal authority since 1990, which is nominally independent of the divisional government and other levels of Burma's administration. The YCDC currently has 115 elected committee members, including four individuals representing four districts of the commercial capital who serve within the YCDC's executive committee. All were voted in during 2014's citywide election—the first in more than 60 years but which, similar to village tract and ward elections staged earlier this year, only permitted heads-of-households to vote. The executive committee of the YCDC is made up of nine members, including and led by the mayor. Until Monday, the group included four members appointed by the previous government—all with military backgrounds—and four elected in the 2014 poll. Three of the appointed members resigned on Tuesday; their terms had been over since March 31 when the previous government had stepped down. A statement was issued on Tuesday with the signature of the Rangoon Division Chief Minister, declaring that the terms of both elected and appointed YCDC members had been completed—in accordance with the amendment of Article 64 of the YCDC electoral by-law. The article formerly allowed serving members to work until the day prior to newly elected members taking their oaths. "The by-law has been changed. Therefore, all committee members are automatically dismissed. It's not just about him," said the mayor, referring to Khin Hlaing—an executive member who publicly complained of his looming dismissal this week with other YCDC members. "I was really upset when they posted on Facebook that the 'three elected members' [Khin Hlaing and his associates on the executive committee] should now control the municipality. It's like a coup,'' said the mayor. In response to the amendment of the YCDC electoral by-law, Khin Hlaing and two other elected YCDC members held a press conference at Rangoon's City Hall on Tuesday. A small confrontation with security guards took place beforehand, belying how tense the dispute within the YCDC has become. Khin Hlaing and his associates claimed that the mayor and chief ministers had attempted to remove all members without informing them. The mayor told reporters that Article 64 of the YCDC electoral by-law contravened the principal law governing the YCDC. This prompted him to submit a proposal to amend the by-law to the Rangoon chief minister. "[The provisions of] the by-law should not supersede the main law,'' said the mayor. Article 83, barring political party members from contesting in municipal elections, has also been changed to allow for their participation. The mayor claimed that the earlier prohibition was "inappropriate for the current situation," because now "many people are not non-partisan." Soe Tun, chairman of the Myanmar Farmers' Association and a serving member of the YCDC, wrote a Facebook post on Wednesday morning claiming that YCDC members had expected their terms in office to extend to five years from their 2014 election date, and were now unexpectedly being made to quit. This has caused considerable dissatisfaction, the Facebook post continued, because the elected members have worked in their posts for barely one and a half years, although the government's term is five years. Soe Tun urged to the government to "summon all elected members to explain" the situation, and to set a date for the upcoming YCDC election. Khin Maung Tint, an elected YCDC member, told The Irrawaddy that he received the letter ordering his dismissal today, and was busy clearing his documents from the office. He claimed that he and his colleagues had done their best to serve the public during the course of their short term, working honestly and attempting to root out bribery within the institution. "I don’t want to say who was right or wrong," Khin Maung Tint said in reference to the recent actions of the mayor and chief minister. "Decide it for yourself. We respect the law. We are leaving now." The post Rangoon Mayor Dismisses YCDC Members, Prepares for City Election appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thilawa SEZ Claimants Look to New Land-Grab Body Posted: 18 May 2016 06:15 AM PDT A man looks at his watermelon field near the Thilawa SEZ outside Rangoon on Oct. 2, 2012. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — Locals living on land designated for the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) southeast of Rangoon are hoping a new government committee on land confiscation will help freeze the project's implementation until lingering disputes over compensation are resolved. In a statement this week, three villagers expecting to be impacted by phase two of the SEZ's development urged the recently created Central Review Committee on Confiscated Farmlands and Other Lands to see to it that the affected populace—numbering 300 people—is justly compensated in accordance with the law before expansion of the SEZ moves forward. The statement was prompted by the National League for Democracy (NLD) government's formation of the committee earlier this month, according to Mya Hlaing, a farmer from the Thilawa area and one of the three co-signatories. "We have discussed an agreement [on compensation] but we haven't reached it with the Thilawa SEZ Management Committee. And we are afraid that we will have a clash between us if they force works in the project area before we get compromise," Mya Hlaing said. Mya Hlaing said he was not opposed to the plan in principle, but wanted to see it implemented lawfully. The first phase of the project, covering some 400 hectares, was beset by complaints from locals over compensation and resettlement arrangements of displaced villagers. "The project is for development and so, due to that development's impact on people, it needs to be developed with a plan including [issues related to] confiscation, resettlement, and life-insurance for those people," Mya Hlaing told The Irrawaddy. Mya Hlaing expressed concern that the new government might not be adequately apprised of the villagers' grievances, first aired under the previous government, which initiated the SEZ. He added that this week's statement was intended to keep the issue on people's radar—not merely the government's, but also to remind the media and average citizens of affected landholders' outstanding concerns. Aung Than, secretary of the Thilawa SEZ Management Committee, said phase two of the project was underway. He said the 700-hectare plans for phase two could be subject to change depending on conditions on the ground, and expected about 100 hectares to be developed by the end of 2016. He said outstanding claims were being handled according to "international law," citing the involvement of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the project. The post Thilawa SEZ Claimants Look to New Land-Grab Body appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Cronies Disappointed As US Sanctions Extended Posted: 18 May 2016 06:00 AM PDT The US Department of the Treasury, pictured in September 2015. (Photo: Saw Yan Naing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — In wake of the extension of most of the US sanctions on Burma on Tuesday, several cronies have remained on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, despite the expectation that they would be removed. Sanctioned businessman Khin Shwe, chairman of the Zay Kabar Group of companies, told The Irrawaddy, "Some people have suggested that I hire a lawyer, but this is an American policy matter, so I have decided not to pursue the issue." He said nine of the individuals on the SDN list believed they had a good chance of being removed, and, therefore, eight of them had hired lawyers to negotiate with the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Ultimately, their pleas fell on deaf ears—all nine of the businessmen remained on the list. "I didn't participate in the arms trade or any other illegal businesses, so I don't care what they do," said Khin Shwe. "After [the sanctions], many Burmese businesses went to China because they couldn't do business with the US." The statement from OFAC said, "To incentivize further democratic reforms and maintain pressure on targeted individuals and entities and the military, certain sanctions remain in place." "As such, OFAC identified as blocked and added to the SDN List six companies that are owned 50 percent or more by Steven Law or Asia World Co. Ltd.," read the statement. In December 2015, the US temporarily eased sanctions on Asia World Company, by extending a six-month waiver for use of Rangoon's Asia World Port by American companies. The owner of Asia World, Steven Law (also known as Htun Myint Naing), is linked to the illicit drug trade through his father, Lo Hsing Han, a notorious drug kingpin who died in 2013. Another businessman, "Pepsi" Thein Tun, chairman of Tun Foundation Bank and MGS Distribution, told The Irrawaddy that it is significant that the US lifted the ban on seven state-owned business enterprises, but it seemed the US had not changed its policy toward certain individuals. "People in Burma were expecting US assistance when the country became democratic," Thein Tun said. "The economy can develop more quickly if they lift sanctions, but now the US has shown that it doesn't support us." He also said that there remain some private firms that tried hard to be removed from the US sanctions list, but failed. "They were deliberately trying to get the [sanctions] lifted," said Thein Tun. "But now, the US is still sanctioning them." "The US sanctions prevent Burma from developing our businesses," he added. Khin Shwe remarked that the American government's behavior in this regard has been very different from that of some of its allies. "[The US] is not like Japan," Khin Shwe said. "They don’t help us like Japan. They just pay lip service to the notion of helping Burma." He also said that the US should support Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in order to drive economic growth. "If Daw Aung San Suu Kyi fails to deliver economic growth due to the US sanctions, she will face serious problems and the Burma Army might be back," he said. "The US should take a broader view and consider long-term issues." Another blacklisted businessman, Zaw Zaw, CEO of Max Myanmar Holding Co. Ltd., also voiced disappointment at remaining on the SDN list. "Burmese companies that run accountable businesses and are not involved in land confiscation issues should be removed from the sanction list," he said. "These companies help serve the people of Burma." "I will keep working to follow [the US] rules and serve the people of Myanmar," said Zaw Zaw. Kristine Gould, the head of PACRIM Research Associates, an American research firm that studies Burma, told The Irrawaddy that individuals on the SDN list must do more to show the OFAC they are not involved in improper business deals and that they have taken steps to correct the behavior that initially led to their inclusion on the list. "In Zaw Zaw’s case, he has to prove that he is no longer receiving preferential treatment from the Myanmar Army and that he isn’t involved in improper business deals, land grabbing, and other human rights abuses," said Gould. Adam Szubin, Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in the statement that Burma had reached an historic milestone over the last year by holding competitive elections and peacefully transitioning to a democratically elected government. "Our actions today demonstrate our strong support for this political and economic progress while continuing to pressure designated persons in Burma to change their behavior," wrote Szubin. Seven state-owned enterprises and three state-owned banks were removed from the SDN, giving the institutions the right to engage in commercial activities with US businesspeople and banking institutions. The seven state-owned enterprises are: Myanmar Timber Enterprise, Myanmar Pearl Enterprise, Myanmar Gem Enterprise, No. 1 Mining Enterprise, No. 2 Mining Enterprise, No. 3 Mining Enterprise, and the Cooperative Export-Import Enterprise. The three state-owned banks are Myanma Economic Bank, Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank, and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank. The post Cronies Disappointed As US Sanctions Extended appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Testimony in Double Rape-Murder of Kachin Teachers Faces Obstacles Posted: 18 May 2016 04:57 AM PDT Mourners attend the funeral of two murdered Kachin teachers in Myitkyina. (Photo: 88 Generation Peace and Open Society / Facebook) RANGOON — The testimony of several senior army officers implicated in the double rape-murder of two Kachin teachers did not proceed as planned on Wednesday, sources say. Three officers, including Capt. Min Twin and Maj Aung Phyo Myint, arrived at a police station in Shan State's Lashio Township at around 10 a.m. to testify. But Kachin community leaders were surprised to discover that only police officers could directly question the soldiers. "The army officers had told us that we could start our questioning. But once we tried to do this, they told us that we couldn't. Only police officers could. They would only let us write our questions down on paper for the police officers to ask," said Zau Raw, a leader from the Kachin Baptist Convention, an organization investigating the case. "We [Kachin community leaders] wanted to ask our questions directly—one-by-one and to each of the three officers testifying. But the police wouldn't allow it. So we told them that we wouldn't proceed if this was how the questioning was going to be done," Zau Raw added. The police reportedly told the community leaders that they had to apply for permission from the Ministry of Defense and from the President in order to question military officers directly. Some 40 army officers were asked by the Kachin Baptist Convention to provide testimony in the case, but the Burma Army—which usually prefers to seek justice through military tribunals—only allowed three of its officers to be questioned. The bodies of the two ethnic Kachin teachers—Maran Lu Ra and Tangbau Hkawn Nan Tsin, both 20 years old—were found dead on Jan. 20 last year in northern Shan State's Kaung Kha village. According to villagers, the area had recently been occupied by government forces, leading Kachin community leaders to suspect that members of Burma Army were involved in the murders. The post Testimony in Double Rape-Murder of Kachin Teachers Faces Obstacles appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Labor Rights Protestors Forcibly Detained Near Naypyidaw Posted: 18 May 2016 04:16 AM PDT Police forcibly detain labor rights protestors in Tatkon Township on Wednesday. (Photo: Thiha / The Irrawaddy) NAYPYIDAW — Police in Tatkon Township forcibly detained labor rights protestors marching from Sagaing Division to Naypyidaw, three weeks into the march and just miles outside the capital. About 100 workers from a plywood factory in the Sagaing Industrial Zone joined the march to the capital in late April, following a failure to negotiate with the company after the dismissal of over 100 employees in February. Police put up barriers outside Tatkon Township, which is part of the greater Naypyidaw Union Territory, where workers agreed to talk to Myo Aung, chairman of the Naypyidaw Council. Protestors waited for an hour and a half but the chairman never showed up. The chairman later sent a message saying he would meet with five representatives, but protestors insisted they would all meet with him, a demand township administrators denied. Around 1 p.m., police removed the barriers and protestors continued their march. Police encircled the group and proceeded to forcibly detain protestors using police shields. One protestor responded, "It is totally unacceptable for the government we voted for to arrest us now," adding, "I wish I had cut [off] my pinky," in reference to the ink that was put on people's fingers after they voted in the landmark 2015 election. Tatkon Township administrator Yi Mon said that legal action would be taken against protest leaders but it is likely that women, as well as elderly or sick protestors, would be released. "The higher level authorities will release them and arrange to send some of them back home," he said, adding, "We will take action against the rest in line with the law. We are discussing whether or not to sue them." A total of 76 protestors were detained and three detainees have been hospitalized, according to Yi Mon. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post Labor Rights Protestors Forcibly Detained Near Naypyidaw appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Abbot of Yay Pu Monastery Found Guilty of Forestry Offense Posted: 18 May 2016 02:23 AM PDT U Eindaka, the abbot of the Yay Pu monastery in Mogok, speaks to supporters outside the courthouse in Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Division, on Wednesday. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy) PYIN OO LWIN, Mandalay Division — A court here has ordered U Eindaka from Mandalay Division's Mogok Township to pay a 20,000 kyats fine (US$17) or spend three months in prison under Burma's Forestry Law, with the fine paid by his supporters following the verdict on Wednesday. U Eindaka, the abbot of the Yay Pu Monastery in Mogok widely known as "Yay Pu Sayadaw," was arrested in June of last year, charged with multiple counts in connection with his attempt to restore the monastery and rebuild an old pagoda inside the building's compound. The court ruled Wednesday that he had run afoul of the Forestry Law by illegally possessing timber for the monastery renovation. "Although the court found Sayadaw guilty of illegally possessing the timber piled at his monastery, the court decided to give him the lightest sentence," said the judge of the Pyin Oo Lwin Township Court, at the abbot's hearing on Wednesday. Faced with the choice, U Eindaka had intended to take the prison sentence. "I will not pay a fine because I'm not guilty," he told supporters outside the courthouse. "I have to say, the judicial system of our country is still not reforming." However, supporters of the abbot collected enough money to pay the fine. "We don't want our Sayadaw to be in prison anymore. Although he didn't want to pay the fine, we will provide it because we want his freedom," said Soe Htay, one such supporter. U Eindaka was initially also charged with religious defamation and of an offense under Burma's Mining Law, the latter for digging up earth around the area where he intended to rebuild the pagoda. He was defrocked as a result of the charges. In April, the court dropped the religious defamation charge as part of a broader presidential amnesty. His trial for the remaining Mining Law offense will continue on Thursday at the Pyin Oo Lwin District Court. The post Abbot of Yay Pu Monastery Found Guilty of Forestry Offense appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

President Htin Kyaw Opts for the Bear Hug Posted: 18 May 2016 01:05 AM PDT President Htin Kyaw Opts for the Bear Hug The post President Htin Kyaw Opts for the Bear Hug appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Militant Attacks Force Bangladesh’s Gay Community Into Hiding Posted: 17 May 2016 11:35 PM PDT Xulhaz Mannan, left, was the founder of Bangladesh's first and only LGBTQ magazine. (Photo: Samantha Power / Facebook) DHAKA — Weeks after suspected Islamist militants hacked Bangladesh's most prominent gay rights activist to death in his apartment along with an associate, another friend received a chilling message that he was next in line. "Say your prayers, confess to God for your sins. Eat or drink whatever you wish to, nobody can save you," read the handwritten letter, delivered to his home in Dhaka. Bangladesh's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community was already marginalized in a country where same-sex sexual activity is illegal and many people strongly disapprove. Now it has been pushed further into the shadows after Xulhaz Mannan, editor of the country's first LGBT-themed magazine, and Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy were murdered in the capital on April 25. The attack, claimed by the regional arm of al Qaeda, was the first of its kind to target the community, although it followed similar killings in the last 16 months of university professors, bloggers and atheists who published views critical of Islam. Reuters interviewed eight members of Bangladesh's LGBT community, some of them activists. All but one spoke on condition they not be named, because of the threat to their safety. Based on their own and others' experiences, they said some people had scrubbed Facebook pictures that hinted at same-sex relationships or de-activated profiles altogether. Several had gone into hiding in safe houses in Dhaka arranged by local and foreign friends, while others fled to the countryside, considering it safer than the teeming capital. "There is this constant, creepy feeling of being followed by someone, even if in reality we are not," said a young gay professional, who froze in fear last week when he mistakenly thought a man carrying a bag was approaching him with a machete. "This is what is crippling our everyday life. Any bag can have a machete, which can crack my skull open for being a free thinker." Some have moved to more secure apartment blocks with close circuit television, while others are taking self-defense classes. Islamic State Versus Al Qaeda? The slaying of the two gay men is part of a broader pattern of killings claimed by Islamist militants, who have stepped up a violent campaign in the mainly Muslim nation of 160 million people. At least 23 people have been hacked to death with machetes since February 2015. Most attacks occurred in homes, but some happened in broad daylight. The main groups claiming these murders have been al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Islamic State, lending the impression of an intensifying rivalry between two movements engaged in global jihad and trying to lure recruits. That prospect has raised alarm in India and the United States, diplomats in the region said, particularly with US forces engaged in battling Islamist insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan facing its own militant threat. On the quiet street where Mannan, 35, lived in a small apartment block, neither neighbors nor the security guard who let the killers in, believing them to be couriers delivering a package, were prepared to speak. Friends said Mannan's home was like a "shrine" for members of the gay community, where they could celebrate birthdays and once staged a mock same-sex marriage. They added that they were too scared even to visit his grave, lest someone see them. The size of Bangladesh's LGBT community is impossible to estimate, activists said, given that only a small proportion of its members openly admit it. 'Criminals, Sinners or Perverts' A few days after Mannan's death, hate messages appeared online saying his mother should also be executed for producing a "bastard son," said Shahanur Islam, a gay rights campaigner who left Dhaka for an undisclosed location after the attack. "There is so much hatred against us that we fear they will go after our parents and brothers and sisters." None of the members of the gay and lesbian community who Reuters spoke to said they had approached police for protection, because they feared further harassment. Some worried that the police investigation into the double murder could "out" them as gays when they had spent a lifetime trying to hide that identity. "In the eyes of the law we are criminals, in the eyes of our religion we are sinners and from the viewpoint of society we are perverts," said the young professional. Bangladesh police said on Sunday they had arrested a home-grown Islamist militant in connection with the murder of the gay campaigner and his friend. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said no one involved in the killings would be spared, whether the victims were bloggers or homosexuals. But he urged people to respect religious sensitivities. "I request everyone to express views moderately. We have learned that Xulhaz was an editor of an LGBT magazine and used to work to protect the rights of gay people. It is not in line with our society," he told reporters. A lesbian woman said her plight was even more difficult than that of homosexual men; women were simply forced into marriages, or worse. "My family is not aware of my case," the 20-year-old college student from the north of the country said by telephone. "I suspect they would kill me if they come to know about it." The post Militant Attacks Force Bangladesh's Gay Community Into Hiding appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China’s State Media Make Rare Remarks on Cultural Revolution Posted: 17 May 2016 10:33 PM PDT Paramilitary soldiers stand guard at Tiananmen Square, where the portrait of late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong is seen, on the 50th anniversary of the start of the Cultural Revolution in Beijing on May 16, 2016. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — China's official media reaffirmed on Tuesday the Communist Party's longstanding judgment that the Cultural Revolution was a catastrophic mistake after staying silent on Monday's 50th anniversary of the start of the decade-long upheaval. The official party mouthpiece People's Daily published an opinion piece on its website precisely at midnight on Tuesday unequivocally praising the 1981 party resolution that condemned the bloody political movement launched by Mao Zedong to enforce a radical egalitarianism. "Our party has long taken a solemn attitude toward bravely admitting, correctly analyzing and firmly correcting the mistakes of our leadership figures," the piece read. The party has long suppressed open discussion of the tumultuous period, fearing that could undermine its legitimacy to rule and lead to direct criticism of Mao, the founder of the communist state who remains a revered figure. So political observers have been closely observing the party leadership's attitude toward the milestone as a bellwether of the country's ideological direction. No official commemorations have been held, although some Mao loyalists have staged private events. Since taking power in 2013, President Xi Jinping has made frequent references to Mao, centralized control and deployed political stagecraft carrying echoes of Mao's rule, drawing criticism from Chinese liberals and political opponents. The official commentary on Tuesday sought to thoroughly lay to rest any further debate of the Cultural Revolution and urged the country keep moving ahead under Xi. The 1981 resolution "on the Cultural Revolution [as a catastrophe] has withstood the test of time and it remains unshakably scientific and authoritative," it said. "We summarize and absorb history's lessons with the goal of using history as a mirror to better move forward." In a separate commentary, the Global Times newspaper published by People's Daily said the events of 50 years ago had inculcated an abhorrence of disorder and craving for stability among the Chinese public. "Completely denying the values of the Cultural Revolution is not only an understanding throughout the party, but also a stable consensus of the whole of Chinese society," the paper said. The post China's State Media Make Rare Remarks on Cultural Revolution appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Eases Sanctions on Burma in Bid to Promote Reforms Posted: 17 May 2016 09:58 PM PDT A view of the Asia World port at the Hlaing River in Rangoon on May 14, 2016. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) WASHINGTON — The United States eased some sanctions on Burma on Tuesday to support ongoing political reforms, but maintained most of its economic restrictions in an effort to punish those Washington sees as hampering the country's newly elected government. US officials said they were easing sanctions to encourage the "historic" progress in Burma, including the formation of the country's first democratically elected government in more than 50 years. The moves included removing Burmese state-owned banks from a US blacklist and the lifting of sanctions against seven key state-owned timber and mining companies. Officials said they hope the actions will eliminate key obstacles to trade in Burma. Potential investors in Burma have long complained that the blacklisting of some of the country's biggest banks made business in the country too risky. Major firms including General Electric, Western Union Co., Gap Inc., and Coca-Cola have made business forays into Burma, and the moves announced on Tuesday will ease their and other companies' ability to operate there. The US Treasury Department also extended indefinitely a sanctions exemption that allows banks to finance shipments coming in through Burmese ports, even though key terminals are controlled by blacklisted businessman Steven Law. The issue had forced Western banks to cut financing of trade into the country until the US Treasury granted a six-month exemption in December. But the United States also strengthened measures targeting Law, who was blacklisted for alleged ties to Burma's military. Six companies owned 50 percent or more by Law or the company he controls, Asia World, were added to Treasury's blacklist. The announcement highlighted a key challenge for Washington, as it seeks to both encourage political reform while maintaining pressure on those it sees as spoilers. More than 100 individuals and groups remain on Washington's sanctions blacklist for Burma, making them radioactive to the international community and barring US banks or companies from making deals with them. "There can be a tension here," a senior administration official said on condition of anonymity. "Some of these actors are key economic players." Tuesday's announcement reflects what will be a stilted process of bringing back trade into Burma, said Peter Harrell, a former senior State Department official who was part of the first efforts to lift sanctions on Burma in 2012. "I think this is a significant step. I don't think it's a massive step," said Harrell, now a senior adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security. "The practical reality is if you can't do business with military-owned companies, chunks of the economy are going to remain off limits." The US moves followed a landmark November election in which the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, won a landslide victory. A Constitution drafted by the country's former military rulers bars her from becoming president. US officials began lifting trade and financial sanctions against the country after military leaders launched reforms that led to a civilian government being formed in 2011, beginning its transformation from a half-century as an international pariah. The sanctions decision, reported by Reuters on Friday, came before a visit to the Southeast Asian nation by Secretary of State John Kerry on May 22. President Barack Obama, in a letter to Congress, said he was extending for one year the legal underpinnings for those sanctions that remain and provided his justification for doing so. He said Burma had made significant progress on reforms since 2011, but that "concerns persist regarding continued obstacles to full civilian control of the government, the ongoing conflict and human rights abuses in the country, particularly in ethnic minority areas, and military trade with North Korea." Despite the sanctions lifting, Washington has deep concerns about alleged human rights violations in predominantly Buddhist Burma, particularly violence against the minority Rohingya Muslims, the officials said. Reluctant to Re-Engage The US actions on Tuesday removed three state-owned banks from the US blacklist, and authorized transactions with two other banks that are still blacklisted. The changes mean that most transactions with all Burmese financial institutions will be allowed as of May 18. "The adjustments we are making today are to try and facilitate a broadening of the aperture so that the investment that's intended can take place," a senior US official said. Though the United States began unwinding sanctions on Burma years ago, US banks have been reluctant to re-engage with the country because of concerns that key sectors of the economy are still controlled by businessmen linked to the military. No US bank has yet opened a correspondent banking relationship with a Burmese bank, considered an important step in accessing the global financial system. While the moves on Tuesday help pave the way for basic transactions necessary for investment, US citizens are still barred from striking deals with individuals and companies on the blacklist. "Businesses are going to look for more," said Erin Murphy, a former State Department official who worked on Burma sanctions issues. "They still have to conduct extensive due diligence, not just on reputational concerns but also whether or not who they're dealing with is blocked." The United States is also easing restrictions on Americans living in Burma, allowing them to conduct everyday transactions like renting apartments. The State Department also loosened its requirement that US companies investing in Burma disclose their dealings. Previously, companies had to make those disclosures if their total investment reached $500,000 or more. That cap has now been raised to $5 million. The requirement was intended to promote greater transparency in Burma. But it had a chilling effect on companies wanting to avoid criticism from human rights and other groups for dealing with the country, said Murphy, now a principal at Inle Advisory Group, which advises businesses investing in Burma. The $5 million cap will likely mean major corporations will still have to disclose their business there, but will allow for modest investments without the disclosures. The post US Eases Sanctions on Burma in Bid to Promote Reforms appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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