The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Lawmakers Propose Further Easing of Protest Law
• Fleeing From the Sex Trade
• Stock Exchange Sophomore IPO Hits Ceiling
• Haven for Mangroves, Crocodiles on Irrawaddy Delta Island
• Court Accepts Defamation Suit Against Nationalist Provocateur
• ‘21st Century Panglong Conference’ Set for Late July
• Atomic Bomb Survivors: Obama Apology Nice, But Priority Is Disarmament
• US Could Lift Arms Embargo on Vietnam Amid China Tensions
• A Fragmented Ethnic Bloc Impedes Suu Kyi’s ‘Panglong’ Vision

Lawmakers Propose Further Easing of Protest Law Posted: 20 May 2016 07:49 AM PDT Police wait for demonstrators in Rangoon on March 10, 2015. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's Upper House of Parliament has decided to review a bill to replace the controversial Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law, so as to align it more closely with international human rights standards, after criticism from rights groups that it retained several provisions used to stifle dissent in recent years. First enacted in 2012 under the previous military-backed government, the law—which ostensibly bestowed new rights of protest and assembly—was repeatedly used to arrest and imprison activists who flouted its harsh provisions. This included the need to seek "permission" from local authorities five days in advance of the protest and to supply detailed information on the content and intended route of the activities. Earlier this month, the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) recommended in the Upper House of Parliament that significant changes be made to the Peaceful Assembly law. Demonstrators would only need to "notify" local authorities 48 hours in advance, a new statute of limitations of 15 days would be introduced, and protestors would not be vulnerable to prosecution from multiple township authorities. However, the proposal to merely reduce, rather than abolish, prison sentences for violating sections of the law—and to continue to require detailed information on proposed protests be provided to local authorities—has drawn criticism from both local and international human rights groups. It also led to accusations that the amendment of the law was being rushed by the NLD. Four lawmakers brought debate of the replacement bill to Thursday's legislative session. In particular, they recommended that the requirement for protest leaders to supply the content of slogans to local police along with the names of speakers should be "deleted or amended." One lawmaker suggested further reducing the statute of limitations for filing lawsuits against protestors to seven days, but another recommended increasing the original proposal to 30 days. Members of the Upper House Bill Committee on Friday discussed the new bill with representatives from the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), or AAPP. Bo Kyi, joint secretary of the AAPP, described the changes in the bill as insufficient in addressing challenges faced by activists in Burma, since peaceful protests could still entail jail terms, and impromptu demonstrations were not accounted for. "[The law] has yet to [secure rights of] peaceful assembly and protest for anyone living legally in the country," Bo Gyi told The Irrawaddy. "If Burma wants to address its ugly record of human rights violations, it has to amend the law in accordance with international standards," he said. Zaw Min, who chairs the Upper House Bill Committee, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that the committee would look into amending the bill. "The recommendations we received from different human rights associations and legal experts are quite similar," Zaw Min said. "We will consider including their recommendations and redrafting the bill before submitting it to Parliament." Amnesty International's South East Asia and Pacific Director Rafendi Djamin sent an open letter to Burma's Parliament the previous week, urging a review of the bill through a transparent consultation with relevant stakeholders. "Failure to do so not only risks more arrests, detention, prosecution and imprisonment of peaceful protesters, it also could undermine wider efforts to reform the country's legal framework in general," the letter stated. The post Lawmakers Propose Further Easing of Protest Law appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Fleeing From the Sex Trade Posted: 20 May 2016 06:05 AM PDT A sign on the bridge linking China with Burma warns people in the Chinese and Burmese languages not to cross over, at the Wanding border close to Ruili, Yunnan province, in this January 12, 2009 file photo. (Photo: Ben Blanchard / Reuters) RANGOON — Two weeks ago, three Arakanese women from Kyaukphyu Township in northern Arakan met in an unlikely place: Shweli, a Chinese town also known as Ruili, on the border with Burma. The trio had been convinced to cross into China, lured by the promise of lucrative factory jobs in the border boomtown. They travelled by bus to Muse Township in Burma, and after crossing the border on a seven-day visa, they were ushered by smugglers to the Shwi Cott guest house where they stayed for a few days. One day, Hnin Sandar Phyo, one of the Arakanese women, eavesdropped on the smugglers' conversation. "I was horrified," said Hnin Sandar Phyo, a native of Taung Yin village, Kyaukphyu. She heard them talking about a "virgin market" where the smugglers could earn four million kyats (US$3,415) and the youngest girl, Thuzar Khin, 17, was likely to bring in five million kyats. The smugglers said that the girls would be able to support their families with the money they earned from "marrying" the Chinese clients. "I never expected this, because I trusted her," she said. "I didn't know what to do and just cried the whole night," said Thuzar Khin. "I missed my boyfriend. I didn't tell him about my journey because I was coming to work [in China], not to marry a stranger." Hnin Sandar Phyo, 20, was also distraught. "I immediately broke out in a cold sweat," she said. The three Arakanese girls decided to flee. In an unknown environment, surrounded by a foreign language, the only thing they knew to do was run. "We left the guest house around 10 pm," said Thuzar Khin. "We felt helpless because we couldn't speak Chinese. Even asking for help was hard." Fortunately, they met with a Burmese man who runs a betel nut shop near the Shwi Cott guest house. He brought them to his house to hide for the night. But they knew the traffickers were after them, and the following morning he took them to the Ruili-Muse border crossing and gave them money for bus tickets to Mandalay. When they arrived in Mandalay, they were penniless. They begged a bus operator to let them go to Sittwe for free, and the kind-hearted man acquiesced. The three girls reached Sittwe on May 15, and the bus driver called the human trafficking prevention department of the Sittwe Police. Police Col. Kyaw Nyunt met with the girls and launched an investigation into their case. According to Kyaw Nyunt, the smugglers were Kyaukphyu residents who live in different neighborhoods. They approached the girls because they have relatives working in China, and they promised them a salary of US$150 per month to work in a Chinese factory. The girls were all from poor villages, and the prospects of a good job were very appealing. After the police recorded the girls' statements, they took them back to Kyaukphyu on a high-speed boat. On May 18, local police apprehended four women—San San, Myint Myint Than, Hla Shwe and Ma Nay—and charged them with human trafficking. Thuzar Win said the traffickers should be jailed for "forty years," adding, "[The traffickers] also have children, so they should have had empathy." But even bringing the traffickers to justice is unlikely to help Thuzar Win overcome the trauma of the experience. She met her boyfriend at home on Thursday, but it was not the happy reunion she had expected. "I wanted to tell him everything, but I couldn't say anything." The post Fleeing From the Sex Trade appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Stock Exchange Sophomore IPO Hits Ceiling Posted: 20 May 2016 05:23 AM PDT Burmese and Japanese officials cut ribbons during the opening ceremony of the Thilawa Special Economic Zone at Thanlyin Township outside Rangoon on September 23, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) For the second time in as many months, the Yangon Stock Exchange (YSX) has hosted an initial public offering (IPO). Myanmar Thilawa Special Economic Zone Holdings on Friday followed First Myanmar Investment to become the second firm listed on the YSX; hungry for the new opportunity, investors drove the stock up 25 percent on its first day of trading. Thilawa SEZ's float price of 40,000 kyats (US$34.16) quickly soared to 50,000 kyats, where it hit the daily price ceiling and trading was suspended. Myanmar Thilawa SEZ is a holding group that holds a major stake in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone 20 miles south of Rangoon that is home to factories, a deep sea port and housing complexes. "Myanmar Thilawa SEZ Holdings is a very attractive company for investors," said Thet Tun Oo, senior manager at YSX. "Businesses have already started operating there, unlike at other development zones, and I believe Thilawa will develop very quickly." While the opening day may seem like a good sign for Thilawa SEZ's stock price, its predecessor on the bourse has already had a rough ride. FMI, YSX's maiden listing, fell below its IPO price a few days after the initial wave of exuberance subsided and has remained 5,000 to 10,000 kyats below its peak ever since. Thilawa SEZ offered over 3.8 million shares on Friday, which had been previously sold to investors through over-the-counter trading. The post Stock Exchange Sophomore IPO Hits Ceiling appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Haven for Mangroves, Crocodiles on Irrawaddy Delta Island Posted: 20 May 2016 05:13 AM PDT MEIN-MA-HLA ISLAND, Irrawaddy Division — Perched on the outermost tip of Bogale Township in Burma's Irrawaddy Division, where the Irrawaddy Delta's rivers meet the Andaman Sea, Mein-Ma-Hla Island is the biggest mangrove forest reserve in the country—and currently home to more than 200 endangered saltwater crocodiles. Designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1994, the 52.78-square-mile island was also declared an Asean Heritage Park in 2003 due to its diverse flora and fauna. This includes 14 land animal, 148 bird and 72 aquatic species, alongside 53 herbal and seven orchid species. Life around the island remains largely untouched by the changes that have gripped many other parts of Burma in recent years. Boats are the only means of transportation and most locals depend on fishing for their livelihood. Saltwater crocodiles can be spotted around the island during the months of May, June and July—their mating season. Wandering through the fishing villages, the crocodiles have been known to seize cattle—and sometimes humans, so people say. The post Haven for Mangroves, Crocodiles on Irrawaddy Delta Island appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Court Accepts Defamation Suit Against Nationalist Provocateur Posted: 20 May 2016 03:22 AM PDT Nay Myo Wai is brought to court to face defamation charges on Thursday. (Photo: Salai Thant Zin / The Irrawaddy) PATHEIN, Irrawaddy Division — A court in Irrawaddy Division's Kangyidaunt Township on Thursday accepted a lawsuit filed against ultra-nationalist politician Nay Myo Wai for allegedly defaming the president, army chief and state counselor on social media. Wai Yan Aung, an executive member of the Burma Teachers' Federation, filed the lawsuit against the politician two weeks ago under Article 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law and accused him of defaming President Htin Kyaw, Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Article 66(d) carries a punishment of up to three years' imprisonment for using a telecommunications network to defame. Nay Myo Wai is a supporter of the Buddhist nationalist group Ma Ba Tha and serves as chairman of the Peace and Diversity Party. In recent years he has earned a reputation as a frequent propagator of anti-Muslim sentiment online. Nay Myo Wai was arrested on May 4 and remained in custody in Pathein Prison while police sought approval from the transportation and communications minister to charge him under the Telecommunications Law. The minister approved and the case was submitted to the court on Thursday. The defendant's sister Sandar Oo will act as his lawyer, and Myint Thein will represent the plaintiff Wai Yan Aung. As Nay Myo Wai was brought to court on Thursday, dozens of relatives and supporters showed up and shouted blessings to him. The trial is scheduled for May 23. Several cases under the Telecommunications Law rose to prominence during the former government's rule. Kachin aid worker Patrick Khum Jaa Lee and Chaw Sandi Tun each received six-month sentences for Facebook posts that courts deemed defamatory to the military, and a local Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) official received a six-month sentence for sharing fake, altered images of the head of Suu Kyi transposed onto the body of a naked woman. The post Court Accepts Defamation Suit Against Nationalist Provocateur appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

‘21st Century Panglong Conference’ Set for Late July Posted: 20 May 2016 02:40 AM PDT Aung San Suu Kyi visits the office of the former Myanmar Peace Center on May 14. (Photo: Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The National League for Democracy's push for peace with ethnic armed groups is expected to begin in late July, according to sources familiar with the matter. At the office complex of the former Myanmar Peace Center in Rangoon on Thursday, the government committee making preparations for the so-called "21st Century Panglong Conference" met with the eight non-state signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), a peace pact signed with Burma's previous government in 2015. "The committee explained that they would like to hold the conference by the end of July," Khun Myint Tun, chairman of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization, told The Irrawaddy. The preparation committee, however, did not provide details about the conference, Khun Myint Tun added. The framework for the conference is expected to build upon the political dialogue established by the previous government, according to NCA signatories. But, the committee will also invite 13 NCA non-signatories to work together on creating an agenda for the conference, the signatories said. When asked if the NCA non-signatories would be allowed to participate in the conference, Khun Myint Tun said: "They can participate from the very beginning. They will be allowed to take part in the decision-making of developing the framework [for the conference]." At a meeting in April with the Joint Monitoring Committee, a ceasefire watchdog that includes the eight NCA signatories, Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's state counselor, first proposed holding a "Panglong-style" conference. The original Panglong Conference was convened in southern Shan State in 1947 by Suu Kyi's father, Gen. Aung San, and leaders from some of the country's ethnic minorities, in preparation for independence from Britain. It led to the signing of an agreement by the same name, which has been widely praised for the spirit of inclusiveness and cooperation that it fostered between the dominant Burman majority and ethnic minorities at the time. Suu Kyi is set to meet with the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) on May 27 and inviting NCA non-signatories to participate in framework drafting will be on the agenda, said Khun Myint Tun. The UPDJC was charged with drafting the framework for political dialogue under the previous government, and is a tripartite body consisting of government-military representatives, as well as those from NCA signatories and political parties. The chairman of the conference preparatory committee, Dr. Tin Myo Win, said his committee in the meantime would encourage NCA non-signatories to sign the NCA or to take part in the development of a framework for the conference. The committee has formed a sub-committee headed by Tin Myo Win to negotiate with NCA non-signatories, and another sub-committee led by Gen. Yar Pyae of the Burma Army will take care of preparations for the conference. Hla Maung Shwe, a member of the preparation committee, said that Suu Kyi had instructed them to include ethnic armed groups that are still "clashing" with the Burma Army in the conference, and they have taken steps to achieve that goal. "Whether or not [the NCA non-signatories] sign [the NCA] would depend on their discussions with the government later," said Hla Maung Shwe. "What is important now is to figure out how to bring them into the talks." Hla Maung Shwe declined to comment on whether the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army—three ethnic armed groups that are non-signatories and are actively in conflict with the Burma Army—would be invited to the conference. The previous government shut the three groups out of talks leading up to the NCA signing. The Irrawaddy's Moe Myint contributed reporting. The post '21st Century Panglong Conference' Set for Late July appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Atomic Bomb Survivors: Obama Apology Nice, But Priority Is Disarmament Posted: 19 May 2016 10:00 PM PDT Terumi Tanaka, a survivor of the atomic bombing and head of a national organization of bombing survivors called Nihon Hidankyo, at a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, on May 19, 2016.  (Photo: Reuters) TOKYO — Japanese atomic bomb survivors say an apology from President Barack Obama for the US bombing of Hiroshima would be welcome, but their priority is on ridding the world of all nuclear weapons forever. Obama, who in 2009 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize partly for making nuclear nonproliferation a centerpiece of his agenda, will on May 27 become the first incumbent US president to visit Hiroshima, site of the world's first atomic bombing on Aug. 6, 1945. The city of Nagasaki was bombed three days later. Obama's visit to Hiroshima, after he attends a meeting of G7 leaders in Tokyo, was hotly debated in the White House, with concern it would be criticized in the United States if it was seen as an apology. Most Japanese feel the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were unjustified. Many in the United States say the bombings shortened the war and saved the lives of numerous US servicemen. Terumi Tanaka, a native of Nagasaki who was 13 when the bomb hit, said on Thursday an apology for the human suffering would be welcome. Though he was unharmed, he vividly recalls searching the blackened city and piles of bodies for family members. "We would definitely like an apology to people who lost their lives, those who lost loved ones, parents who lost their children," Tanaka, who heads a national organization of bombing survivors, told a news conference. But insisting on a broad apology risked interfering with the ultimate goal of nuclear disarmament, he said. "The strongest feeling of survivors is that this should not become a barrier to getting rid of nuclear weapons," he said. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima killed thousands of people instantly and about 140,000 by the end of the year. About 27,000 people were killed instantly in Nagasaki and about 70,000 by the end of the year. Japan surrendered six days after the bombing of Nagasaki. Toshiki Fujimori, who was a baby on his mother's back when the two of them were bowled over by the blast wave from the Hiroshima bomb, said he sensed efforts were being made to dampen talk of an apology in advance of Obama's visit. "What I mean is, there has been pressure applied to create a mood in which he can visit," he said. "I won't go into details." Hiroshima governor Hidehiko Yuzaki said Obama's visit was stirring a range of emotions in survivors but they were mostly putting hope for nuclear disarmament first. "Their biggest wish is that they don't want anybody to go through this again," he told Reuters. "In order to carry this out, they'll put the issue of an apology to the side for now." The post Atomic Bomb Survivors: Obama Apology Nice, But Priority Is Disarmament appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Could Lift Arms Embargo on Vietnam Amid China Tensions Posted: 19 May 2016 09:45 PM PDT US President Barack Obama, second right, shakes hands with Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Washington on July 7, 2015.  (Photo: Reuters) WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama could lift restrictions on arms sales when he makes his first visit to Vietnam next week. That would remove a final vestige of wartime animosity but would not please China, which views growing US defense ties in its backyard with deep suspicion amid rising military tensions in the South China Sea. There's considerable support in Washington for lifting the restrictions, including from the Pentagon, but also pockets of congressional opposition, leaving uncertain whether Obama will announce it when he visits Vietnam, starting Sunday. The administration is pushing for more progress on human rights, a constant drag on the relationship. Significantly, the communist government has committed to allow independent labor unions as a condition of its participation in the US-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, but it still holds about 100 political prisoners and there have been more detentions this year. As part of Obama's effort to help Southeast Asian nations counter Beijing, the United States in 2014 partially lifted an arms embargo in place since the end of the Vietnam War, allowing Vietnam to buy lethal defense equipment for maritime security. Vietnam, which has mostly Russian-origin equipment, has not bought anything, but is still eager for Washington to remove the remaining restrictions. If nothing else, it would show relations are fully normalized and open the way to deeper security cooperation. "Real progress on protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms including through legal reform is crucial to ensuring that Vietnam and our relationship achieves its full potential," Daniel Kritenbrink, the White House senior director for Asian affairs, told reporters Wednesday. He refused to comment directly on whether the remaining arms sale restrictions would be lifted—also sensitive because of criticism of Vietnam's rights record among congressional opponents of TPP. The risk of confrontation with Beijing is already growing as the United States challenges China's island-building and assertive behavior in the South China Sea, where five other Asian governments, including Vietnam, have territorial claims. The Pentagon said that two Chinese fighter jets flew Tuesday within about 50 feet of a US Navy reconnaissance plane, forcing the pilot to descend sharply to avoid a collision. China on Thursday denied its behavior was unsafe, and demanded the United States stop spying. China would view the lifting of the restrictions as an attempt to woo Vietnam closer to the United States and away from China. "It will undoubtedly be seen as aimed at weakening China's position and influence in the region," said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS. But Beijing will be guarded in its reaction because Vietnam is a fraternal communist neighbor. Asked about the prospect of the United States lifting arms restrictions, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Thursday that China "hopes the countries concerned will play a constructive role in ensuring their cooperation be conducive to the regional stability and safety." Hanoi and Beijing have an ambivalent relationship. Despite the ties between their ruling parties, they fought a border war in 1979 in which thousands died, and clashes in 1988 over their conflicting claims in the South China Sea claimed dozens of lives. Those tensions reared again in 2014, when China parked an oil rig off Vietnam's central coast, sparking confrontations at sea and deadly anti-China riots in Vietnam. "The Vietnamese have got a very tough strategic equation to solve," said Marvin Ott, a former National War College lecturer who led the first, cautious military-to-military contacts between the United States and Vietnam in the mid-1990s. One aspect is how far Vietnam can go in deepening relations with the United States without provoking China. The other is placating US demands for progress on democracy and human rights without threatening the ruling party's grip on power, he said. Obama will be the third consecutive US president to visit Vietnam since diplomatic relations resumed in 1995. In 2013, the two sides declared a comprehensive partnership, and last July, the chief of Vietnam's Communist Party visited the White House, showing that resistance among party hardliners to deeper ties with Washington was receding. But anxiety about China and memories of the Vietnam War still limit military cooperation, said Murray Hiebert, a CSIS expert on Southeast Asia. Despite Vietnam's desire for the United States to lift restrictions and its interest in modernizing its defense equipment, buying from Russia is cheaper and easier. According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Vietnam has been the world's eighth largest importer of weapons over the past five years. Ott said that among South China Sea coastal nations, Vietnam is potentially the most significant military partner for the United States. Among the others, Indonesia says it has no territorial dispute with China although they have overlapping maritime claims; the military of the Philippines, a US ally, is weak; and Malaysia and Brunei are unwilling to confront China. "If you're sitting in the Pentagon, there's only one country that actually could be a military partner and a factor in the South China Sea, and that's Vietnam," Ott said. The post US Could Lift Arms Embargo on Vietnam Amid China Tensions appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

A Fragmented Ethnic Bloc Impedes Suu Kyi’s ‘Panglong’ Vision Posted: 19 May 2016 06:27 PM PDT Ethnic armed groups meeting in Panghsang, the capital of the Wa Special Region, in November 2015. (Photo: Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — While State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi beats the drum for a "21st Century Panglong Conference" to resolve decades-long ethnic conflict in Burma's border regions, the division between the minority of ethnic armed groups who signed last year's Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and the majority who did not appears to grow sharper by the day. The two blocs are already developing contrasting approaches to the peace process, and articulating different ideas, including over the centrality of the Burma Army versus the National League for Democracy (NLD) government in negotiating peace. The division has been exacerbated in recent months by hostilities in northern Shan State: between the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), the armed wing of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) which signed the NCA, and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the armed wing of the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) which was excluded from participating in the NCA by the previous government. The TNLA has repeatedly accused the SSA-S of receiving assistance from the Burma Army in its campaign. Recent comments from armed group leaders, who asked to remain anonymous, suggest that a group from among the non-NCA signatory ethnic armed groups could break away to form a powerful "third" bloc, based in northern Burma along the Chinese border and led by the United Wa State Army (UWSA)—the largest of Burma's ethnic armed groups and reportedly close to elements of the Chinese government. Soon after Suu Kyi proposed the "21st Century Panglong Conference" (a reference to the Panglong Agreement of 1947 reached between Suu Kyi's father Aung San and ethnic minority leaders to form a federal union guaranteeing ethnic communities equal rights), two NCA signatories, the RCSS and the Karen National Union (KNU), held a private meeting in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, to discuss proposals for federalism that they would present at such a conference. Ethnic armed group sources have said that the two ethnic blocs on either side of the NCA are likely to deliver differing messages to the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC). The NRPC is the secretariat recently formed by Suu Kyi to facilitate negotiations with ethnic armed groups—a replacement for the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) under the previous government. Both ethnic blocs have formed their own delegations for peace negotiations and political dialogue with the government: the Ethnic Armed Organizations Peace Process Steering Team (EAO-PPST) in the case of NCA signatory groups, and the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) in the case of non signatory groups. Sources familiar with the issue told The Irrawaddy that NCA signatories prefer dealing with the Burma Army to Suu Kyi’s NRPC, while the NCA non-signatories have expressed greater willingness to deal with Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD) government. KNU leaders met privately with Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the Burma Army, and former President Thein Sein on May 14 in Naypyidaw to discuss the peace process. Mahn Nyein Maung, a senior figure in the KNU, told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that although Suu Kyi has proposed holding a 21st Century Panglong Conference within two months, political dialogue should only begin once NCA non-signatories sign the NCA. "It will not be a meaningful conference if there are still ethnic armed groups who haven’t signed the NCA," Mahn Nyein Maung said. "They [NCA non-signatories] should sign the NCA before proceeding to political dialogue. The process should be based on the NCA established by the previous government," Mahn Nyein Maung said. Mahn Nyein Maung added that the purpose of the KNU's visit to Naypyidaw was to strengthen their relationship with the Burma Army chief. While the Burma Army has exercised a "carrot" policy with the KNU and the RCSS, offering benefits and cooperation, it has stepped up hostilities against NCA non-signatories in Kachin and Shan states in the north and east of Burma. NCA non-signatories including the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA) have seen active conflict with the Burma Army since the NCA signing ceremony in October last year. These hostilities have served to undermine the unity of even the NCA non-signatories. The TNLA and the MNDAA have recently moved to resign their membership of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of nine non-NCA signatory armed groups. The TNLA and the MNDAA reportedly wish to ally with the powerful UWSA, in order to focus on "military defense"—reflecting their more embattled position vis-à-vis the Burma Army, compared to some other UNFC groups. According to a senior member of an NCA signatory group, speaking on condition of anonymity, ethnic armed groups along the Burma-China border in northern Shan State may merge to form a new alliance. He hinted it would comprise of NCA non-signatories. The TNLA, the MNDAA and the UWSA are the most likely candidates for this "northern" third bloc of ethnic armed groups, with the latter assuming a leadership position on account of its superior size and strength. The Arakan Army—an ethnic Arakanese armed group founded in Kachin State but which has recently been fighting the Burma Army in Arakan State—has reportedly fostered ties with the UWSA over the past two years, and is another likely member of this new alliance, along with the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) based in eastern Shan State and popularly known as the "Mong La Group," which has historically been close to the UWSA. Additionally, the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), whose armed wing is the Shan State Army-North, has enjoyed political, military and business partnerships with the UWSA. Their participation cannot be ruled out in this new, potentially destabilizing "northern" alliance, which would significantly weaken the UNFC. TNLA spokesperson Tar Bong Kyaw was quoted by RFA as saying that they had submitted their resignation to the UNFC alongside the MNDAA because of their "political standpoint" and the current "military situation." "It is mainly because military tensions are so high in our region. Clashes have been going on for some time. But we received only weak assistance from the UNFC," Tar Bong Kyaw was quoted as saying. In March, the UWSA hosted a conference of ethnic armed groups at its headquarters of Panghsang at the Chinese border, during which it proposed that it take a leadership role on behalf of NCA non-signatories in peace talks with the new government. However, the KIO—the second largest ethnic armed group in Burma, which currently leads the UNFC—rejected the proposal at the conference. The Burma Army meanwhile has shown no signs of softening its stance on the TNLA and the Arakan Army, both of which backed the MNDAA in fierce clashes with the Burma Army in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in Shan State early last year. The Burma Army still will not countenance the formal involvement of these three armed groups in the peace process, which may have alienated them from other UNFC members eager to reach a peace deal with the new NLD government. Although Suu Kyi will likely remain determined in her project to emulate the achievements of her father with Burma's ethnic minority groups, there are very substantial obstacles to achieving a "21st Century Panglong Conference" in the current environment of distrust, disunity and polarization. With the existing bonds of unity among ethnic armed groups growing increasingly fragile, highly differing—and possibly irreconcilable—demands are likely to be addressed to Suu Kyi. For instance, multiple ethnic minorities in diverse Shan State, such as the Pa-O or the Palaung (Ta'ang), may demand their own federal states—or at least substantial autonomy—for fear that the ethnic Shan majority may dominate a federal Shan State. The ethnic Shan may view this as a splintering of their territory. Furthermore, the looming possibility of a new "northern" alliance led by the UWSA, as a substantial third bloc of ethnic armed groups in Burma, could de-stabilize the situation further. The post A Fragmented Ethnic Bloc Impedes Suu Kyi's 'Panglong' Vision appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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National News

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• NLD considers religious harmony law
• Yangon Zoo’s elephant show ‘grotesque’, animal rights groups say
• Namhsan struggles to recover after fire
• KBC prepares to sue soldiers over murders
• Anti-corruption commission may be reduced
• Judges given mandate by Mandalay chief minister
• YCDC member presses for urgent municipal election
• Rakhine braces for cyclone
• Sagaing protest column sent to prison
• Mandalay monk convicted, fined for logging

NLD considers religious harmony law Posted: 19 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT A Law to protect religious harmony is being considered by the new government following failed attempts to pass such a bill in the previous parliament, which instead enacted controversial legislation seen as undermining religious freedoms.

Yangon Zoo’s elephant show ‘grotesque’, animal rights groups say Posted: 19 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT As working animals around the region are dying from heatstroke, Yangon Zoo is forcing its elephants to perform strenuous tricks in temperatures upward of 40 degrees Celsius.

Namhsan struggles to recover after fire Posted: 19 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT As stricken Namhsan rumbles and buzzes with the efforts of hundreds of construction workers labouring to raise the town from the ashes, in a hilltop monastery those who lost everything are now working to share the donations they received with those even more in need.

KBC prepares to sue soldiers over murders Posted: 19 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Kachin representatives determined to track down the murderers of two young teachers are to go to court to demand the right to put direct questions to the commander and soldiers of a Tatmadaw unit stationed near the crime scene.

Anti-corruption commission may be reduced Posted: 19 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Proposals to amend the 2013 anti-corruption law were submitted to parliament yesterday aimed at cutting the state budget.

Judges given mandate by Mandalay chief minister Posted: 19 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Judges have a special responsibility to uphold the law in an honest and unbiased manner, Mandalay Region's chief minister told senior judiciary members in a conference on May 18.

YCDC member presses for urgent municipal election Posted: 19 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Continuing the Yangon City Development Committee saga yesterday, ousted member U Khin Hlaing called another press conference to dispute his effectively forced resignation.

Rakhine braces for cyclone Posted: 19 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Rakhine State is bracing for the expected impact this weekend of Cyclone Roanu, the first storm of the monsoon season which is likely to make landfall over Bangladesh while dumping heavy rains over Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships.

Sagaing protest column sent to prison Posted: 19 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT Dozens of protesters have been detained by police and will face charges for staging a march on the capital.

Mandalay monk convicted, fined for logging Posted: 19 May 2016 02:30 PM PDT A Popular monk who has spent months in jail and been called to court for 57 hearings in relation to his attempt to rebuild a pagoda compound is finally free.

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Only de-escalation of the war could pave way for reconciliation Posted: 19 May 2016 07:43 AM PDT Burma Army is sending a clear message of "ethnic resistance forces annihilation stance aimed at derailing the Daw Aung San Suu Kyi desired Panglong-like convention to thrash out a much needed political agreement with the ethnic nationalities, within the mould of a genuine federal union." Recently, The Irrawaddy reported that the Burma Army helicopters were said to be shooting at civilians, rather than at the KIA positions, which again confirmed its standard procedure of decades-old harassing the ethnic population, who are seen as enemies' support base and thus must be treated as enemies. "[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." These are clearly human rights violations and the international actors should treat it as such. The fact that attacks on SSPP/SSA had intensified despite it 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 is due to the military's unspoken policy to keep the war flames on and the rejection of a genuine federal union formation, which it always pays lip-service, but never really means it, to hood-wink the public and international community. At this point in time, why is it so important to gain so much areas of influence within ethnic homelands, if the Burma Army is really committed to the task of a negotiated peaceful settlement, as it time and again declared publicly, than war? The way to go is not to escalate the war, but to de-escalate it. And to do this, it should declare unilateral nationwide ceasefire, to show its good-will by cooperating with U Htin Kyaw government, so that the much publicized 21st Century Panglong Convention could be held. Otherwise, the Burma Army's heightened war in ethnic states will be viewed as going against the national reconciliation idea of NLD regime and will only be viewed as a spoiler, regardless of its make-believe, cover of upholding national unity and protecting the sovereignty of the country. Time for the Burma Army to change mindset and listen to the people's voice.

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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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