Thursday, January 5, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Back From Mong Ko

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 06:32 AM PST

The Irrawaddy's Nang Seng Nom recalls her trip to northern Shan State amid fierce clashes between the Northern Alliance and the Burma Army.

The post Back From Mong Ko appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Growing Economy Brings Rise in Fuel Oil Shipping from Singapore

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 06:21 AM PST

Twice as many Singapore vessels providing fuel to Burma as a year ago due to economic growth that could top 8 percent.

The post Growing Economy Brings Rise in Fuel Oil Shipping from Singapore appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NLD Reaffirms Electoral Pledges on Independence Day

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 06:11 AM PST

Burma's ruling National League for Democracy says the govt is 'managing, step by step, a process to adopt a Constitution with democratic norms.'

The post NLD Reaffirms Electoral Pledges on Independence Day appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Farmers Arrested in Mandalay Division

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 04:57 AM PST

Twenty-one farmers from Mandalay Division's Sintgaing Township are arrested amid an ongoing land dispute trial with local authorities.

The post Farmers Arrested in Mandalay Division appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Uprooted by War, Fearing Troops, Burma Girls Learn Karate

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 04:46 AM PST

The reason many of these girls are in karate class is sobering: They want protection from their own country's military.

The post Uprooted by War, Fearing Troops, Burma Girls Learn Karate appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Govt Releases Findings on Northern Arakan Amid Further Arrests

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 03:35 AM PST

Reports of fresh arrests in Buthidaung Township come as government report finds 'no evidence' of religious persecution or genocide.

The post Govt Releases Findings on Northern Arakan Amid Further Arrests appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Public Consultations Precede National Level Dialogue in Dawei

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 02:51 AM PST

Two days of district-level discussions are being held in Tenasserim Division.

The post Public Consultations Precede National Level Dialogue in Dawei appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Faces Danger From IS Militants, Malaysian Police Say

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:20 PM PST

Malaysia police say Islamic State follower from Indonesia detained in Malaysia was headed for Burma, amid increase in IS attacks in Southeast Asia.

The post Burma Faces Danger From IS Militants, Malaysian Police Say appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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National News

National News

Yangon marks Independence Day

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 12:25 AM PST

After a break of nearly three decades, veterans of the Burmese Independence Army (BIA) and the Burmese Defence Army (BDA) and their families have been welcomed to attend the ceremony marking Independence Day.

Mong Koe church leaders missing

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 12:24 AM PST

The families of a missing pastor and a church youth leader filed a report with police in Muse township yesterday. The Baptist church officials have been missing for nearly two weeks after they were last seen on the evening of December 24.

Rakhine commission releases interim report

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 12:22 AM PST

In its first report, the investigation commission on Rakhine yesterday denied "external" allegations of abuses related to the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign in the restive northern state. The interim report was released on the same day as the Ministry of Home Affairs announced eight police officers have been detained in connection to a video showing brutality against villagers, and just after the State Counsellor's Office released a notice about retributive killings in Rakhine.

KNU officer, actor fight over Kyaikto plot

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 12:21 AM PST

A Myanmar film star and a major from the Karen National Union are locked in a land ownership feud over acreage near the famed Kyaiktiyo Pagoda.

Tatmadaw, Northern Alliance continue to clash in 2017

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 12:17 AM PST

Fighting has occurred in the north of the country every day since the New Year, with clashes occurring in half a dozen locations, including an attack on an army convoy and the use of artillery and aircraft. Both the leader of the armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and the ethnic armed group concerned, the Northern Alliance-Burma took to social media to present their accounts of the fighting.

YCDC files complaint against street vendors after altercation

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:50 PM PST

The relationship between Yangon vendors and the municipal authority is getting no cosier as a street sweep campaign escalated into a legal spat this week.

CSOs prepare for peace forum

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:49 PM PST

As participants gear up for the second round of peace talks next month, civil society organisations are at odds with the government on the location, the content and the financing of the preparations.

Municipal officials threaten unauthorised leafleters with fines

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:45 PM PST

Fly-posting is set to become a lot more expensive in Yangon and Mandalay, city officials are warning, as stiff fines and removal charges are to be applied to offenders for the first time.

Former President U Thein Sein wins regional award

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:30 PM PST

Citing his legacy as a reform-minded leader who kicked off the country's transition from military rule to democracy, a Jakarta-based research institute has selected former President U Thein Sein for its top prize to be given out in an awards ceremony later this month.
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Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

Kachins rally at Burmese consulate in Chiang Mai

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 05:54 AM PST

Dozens of expatriate Kachin people staged a protest today in front of the Burmese consulate in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, calling for a cessation to the armed conflict in Kachin State and northern Shan State.


According to a statement released by the protesters, Burmese government forces continue to oppress the ethnic people in those regions despite the election of a democratic leadership in Burma in November 2015.

"In September 2016, government forces attacked the Kachin outpost of Laipaung," read the statement. "Each time they launched an assault, they employed heavy weapons, assisted by fighting jets to conduct bombing raids. Each time they dropped more than 1,000 bombs. What's more, they bombed a refugee camp, causing a huge impact on those refugees."

Speaking to Shan Herald, Jai Ji, one of the organizers, accused the Burmese armed forces of targeting places where civilians had sought refuge or shelter.

"People are suffering due to the actions of the tatmadaw [Burmese military]," he said. "This is a very cold time of year, and people suffer when they have to abandon their homes."

Thursday's statement also claimed that, since 2011, the Burmese armed forces' offensives in Kachin State have compelled civilians to flee their homes and villages, but they have been frequently prevented from crossing the border into China. It said many had been left on the side of the road without any protection.  

Rally spokesperson Nawkham said, "We requested assistance from the Chinese government for the refugees from Kachin State, and asked that they be treated in accordance with the principles of human rights. We also asked the Chinese government to put pressure on the Burmese military to put an end to the fighting in Kachin State and northern Shan State."

The protesters also demanded justice for the families of two teachers who had disappeared in Mong Koe, northern Shan State.

The demonstrators' statement went on to allege that the Russian military was aiding and abetting the Burmese army in its conflict with Kachin rebels. It urged Moscow to investigate this claim and bring those involved to justice.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) signed a ceasefire agreement with the then-ruling Burmese military junta in 1994. However, in 2011, the ceasefire was broken, and hostilities have continued to date.

On November 20, the KIA, alongside its allies the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), coordinated assaults on Burmese military positions in areas across northern Shan State, including Muse, Namkham, Namhsan, Kutkai, Namtu, Kyaukme, Hsenwi and Mantong.

The Burmese army soon brought in reinforcements to recapture its strongholds, and the fighting has since intensified.

By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)

Namtu struggles to cope with onslaught of IDPs

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:38 PM PST

Ongoing hostilities between Burmese government forces and ethnic armed groups in northern Shan State's Mantong Township have compelled some 1,300 civilians to flee their homes since the beginning of January, according to a local aid worker.

A makeshift camp in Namtu Township.
Sai Ba Nyan, the head of humanitarian aid assistance in nearby Namtu Township, said that many of those villagers from Mantong had sought shelter in Namtu where local authorities had erected six camps for displaced persons.

"We have about 1,300 displaced villagers sheltering in the town of Namtu," he said. "We are hosting them at the temples and churches. Civil society groups have banded together to collect donations to help them. In the short term, we have enough, but if they are forced to stay here longer there will be a problem with food supplies.

He added: "We plan to relocate these families to Kyo Saw by the end of this month. There is enough space in that village and we have built makeshift shelters for them. Staying in temple compounds is inconvenient, and we are concerned about the villagers' health."

According to an updated report from the Ta'ang National Liberation Army's News and Information Department, clashes between Ta'ang rebels and the Burmese army have broken out recently in the townships of Namsan, Namtu, Mantong, Kyaukme and Kutkhai.

On December 16, 2016, Shan Herald reported that hundreds of civilians from Kyaukme Township had been displaced due to a forced recruitment drive by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).

Fighting in northern Shan State has intensified since the newly proclaimed Northern Alliance – comprising the TNLA, Arakan Army (AA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) – launched joint operations against Burmese military positions on November 20 last year.


Clashes have continued across northern Shan State, forcing thousands more civilians from their homes, many of whom have since returned to their villages, while others remain scattered across the region or in Chinese border towns.

By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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Wednesday, January 4, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

YCDC, Street Vendors Locked in a Lawsuit

Posted: 03 Jan 2017 10:46 PM PST

Rangoon's municipality officers and street vendors are suing one another after a scuffle between them broke out Tuesday morning.

The post YCDC, Street Vendors Locked in a Lawsuit appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

‘The Most Impossible Job on this Earth’

Posted: 03 Jan 2017 05:30 PM PST

As the ninth leader of the United Nations takes the helm, Myint Zan recalls how U Thant of Burma came to feel about the burdens of the office.

The post 'The Most Impossible Job on this Earth' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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National News

National News

Third suspect arrested in murdered Eleven Media journalist’s case

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:40 AM PST

A third suspect has been arrested in connection with the grisly murder of a Monywa-based reporter for Eleven Media.

UEC discusses by-election groundwork

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:39 AM PST

Preparations for the April by-elections are now in full swing, the Union Election Commission told political parties assembled in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday. Advanced voter applications are being accepted, candidates have been scrutinised and 95 have been approved, and sub-committees are being assembled to proceed over the vote.

Shan conflict takes toll on displaced civilians

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:38 AM PST

In one northern Shan State township fresh waves of displacement are being driven by a looming threat of heavy artillery, while nearby, thousands of IDPs have returned home to find structures razed and property destroyed.

Heavy landmine contamination in eastern Myanmar: report

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:37 AM PST

Myanmar continues to produce, stockpile and use landmines, with more new casualties reported every year, according to newly published data from the Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor. Both state and non-state armed groups employ landmines, with the eastern edge of the country particularly affected.

Advocacy group drafts law seeking reparations for and recognition of political prisoners

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:36 AM PST

Former political prisoners, many of whom suffered torture, are drafting a bill that would grant legal recognition to their status, and provide them with reparations such as free healthcare.

Storm builds over Bay of Bengal

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:35 AM PST

With an unseasonable low pressure area brewing over the Andaman Sea and heading toward Myanmar, sudden downpours are expected in the lower half of the country through January 7, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

MCDC members to be sworn in January 6

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:35 AM PST

Four months and one disputed seat after the vote, Mandalay City Development Committee members will finally be sworn in on January 6, according to members of the municipal body.

Female primary school teachers to be replaced in northern Rakhine

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:34 AM PST

More than 500 men will take on the traditional role of female primary school teachers in war-torn northern Rakhine State, the local education authority has announced. The Rakhine State Education Office has confirmed that the preference for male teachers is not related to gender discrimination, but reflects the difficulties of transportation and the security situation. 
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Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

Youth leaders ‘dissatisfied’ with Suu Kyi meeting

Posted: 03 Jan 2017 11:51 PM PST

A New Year's Day meeting with Burma's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi fell flat when several ethnic representatives chose not to attend, while others expressed dissatisfaction at the substance of the talks.


Ma Thin Ja Sun Le Yi, one of 18 youths who attended, said talks had been "rather broad" and that she felt "dissatisfied."

"What I understood from the meeting was that in order to achieve peace or unity, we have to build it by ourselves; we cannot rely on others," she said.

The New Year's Day conference was convened in Naypyidaw to bring together youth leaders from across Burma to discuss prospects for peace in the country with the State Counselor. Invited representatives from Karenni and Kachin states did not attend the meeting.

"We received an invitation but did not go because we wanted to voice a protest," said Ko Kyaw Tin Aung, a youth leader from Karenni State. "Also, we feel that power is held exclusively in the capital [Naypyidaw]."

He added: "Kachin youth representatives could not attend because they live quite far away, and fighting is continuing in that area.

"There is no peace in this country because of the Burmese military. But they did not plan to discuss that [at the January 1 meeting]. That's why we decided not to attend."
Ma Thin Ja Sun Le Yi added: "The Kachin and Karenni representatives chose not to attend the meeting because they had been through this kind of lecture many times before. It is all talk and no action. They simply did not want to listen to it all over again."

By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)

To Hopeland and Back, the 24th trip

Posted: 03 Jan 2017 10:55 PM PST

Day Two. Saturday, 10 December 2016

Call me a coward because I am all for peace
Tell me that I am evil because I am all for peace.
No matter how I am labeled, I will not shy away from making peace.

(Photo:KNU HQ)
Gen Mutu Saypoe, quoted by Aung Naing Oo's Pathway to Peace, published December 2016

The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), made up of top leaders of the NCA signatory EAOs, can be compared to the government's National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC). Both are decision-making bodies.

Whereas the Coordination Team (CT), now to be known as Peace Process Working Team (PPWT), can be compared to the government's Peace Commission (PC). Each of them implements its decision-making body's policies.

Today's meeting is about the reports from PPST, CT, JICM (EAO component) JMC (EAO component) and UPDJC (EAO component).

Here are the highlights:
·         Following the signing of the NCA, 3 principles were laid out by the signatories:
1.      Cooperation among signatories
2.      Implementation of the NCA to its completion
3.      Strong relationship with the non-signatories
·         The PPST is given preferential treatment by the State Counselor, who has so far never turned down any of its request for a meeting. The only complaint is that the government component in the JICM is not made up of top leaders as in the EAOS component. But the government may have a good reason for it: Many EAO top leaders usually send their deputies to the JICM.
·         The CT meanwhile is very efficient and usually takes the lead in most meetings, either with the government's PC or its own PPST. One evident complaint is that the PPST is having a hard time trying to keep up with its supersonic subordinate.
·         As for the JMC, it has already had its ToR for liaison offices approved. What it needs is to have it authorized by the JICM.
·         The UPDJC, in the meantime, is busy setting up work committees and supervisory committees for the National Level Political Dialogues (NDs) in states and regions. The UPC#3, otherwise the UPC 21 CP#2 as the NRPC prefers, is due to start in February and it has only a little over one month to complete them.
One problem in the UPDJC is the war on words:
a)      One side still maintains the use of "21st Century Panglong" (21 CP) is illegal, as the NCA only recognizes "Union Peace Conference" (UPC). The Lady then proposed before August that it be UPC 21 CP, which the opposition had  grudgingly accepted. At least for the time being, as the Framework for Political Dialogues (FPD) could be amended every six months.
b)      Another is the use of the "7 Step Roadmap" of the 7 point policy put forward by the government on 15 October 2016, the anniversary of the NCA signing which may be dangerously running neck to neck with the NCA's roadmap:
The Political Roadmap (NCA)
The National Reconciliation and Peace Roadmap (Government)
1.      Signing of the NCA
2.      Drafting and adopting the Framework for Political Dialogue
3.      Holding National political dialogue and negotiations on SSR/DDR (Security Sector Reform/Dis-armament, Demobilization and Reintegration)
4.      Holding Union Peace Conference
5.      Signing the Union Accord
6.      Submitting the Union Accord to the Union Assembly for ratification
7.      Implementation of the Union Accord
1.      Review of Framework for Political Dialogue (FPD)
2.      Amendment of Framework for Political Dialogue (FPD)
3.      Holding the UPC 21 CP in accordance with the amended FPD
4.      Signing the Union Accord based on the results of the UPC
5.      Amending and ratifying the constitution in accordance with the Union Accord
6.      Holding multiparty democratic elections in accordance with the amended and ratified constitution
7.      Establishing a democratic federal union in accordance with the results of the multiparty democratic general elections

Due to objections, the government agreed to change the wording to "policy" replacing "roadmap." "But it hasn't soothed the generals much," a participant at the meeting which took place after the ceremony marking the NCA anniversary reports. "And when one of the government officials spoke against the CinC's reiteration of his Six Peace Principles, it only served to change the atmosphere from bad to worse."

(The Six Peace Principles, first promulgated in Myitkyina in November 2013, are:
1.      Genuine desire to make lasting peace
2.      Commitment to peace agreements
3.      Abstaining from taking unfair advantages from the peace agreements
4.      Not to put burden on local population
5.      Strict adherence to existing laws
6.      Cooperation in democratic reform processes based on the 2008 constitution, our Three Main National Causes, and the essence of Democracy.)

The meeting also discusses the following:
·         Provision of rice and medical supplies has stopped since the new government took office
·         Need to request for a new UN special envoy to succeed the outgoing Vijay Nambiar
·         U Aung Min, the government's chief negotiator, was also a President's Office minister, and had direct link to all union ministers. Which made it convenient for the signatories to get access to them through him. This link needs to be re-established.
·         China, according to a Chinese expert, thinks Burma's peace process will be "a long and winding road." It also is deeply suspicious of Burma's growing normalization with the West. It will therefore be for maintaining the status quo, at least, in the forescable future.
·         The designation of the Northern Alliance Burma (NAB) as terrorists is deemed to be premature. The signatories should steer the middle course and try to mediate both sides. However, staying in the middle also means it might get crushed by them, if one's not smart enough.
·         Getting a new constitution doesn't always mean getting a new government. Cambodia has had a new constitution since 1993. But Hun Sen, who's been prime minister since 1885, is still there.
·         The EAOs should push for the acceptance of the 8 constitutional principles adopted in 2005 and presented at UPC#3. Even one government negotiator has agreed that reaching an agreement on them would make a most significant milestone in the peace process.

(The 8 constitutional principles are:
1.      Sovereignty of the people
2.      Equality
3.      Self Determination
4.      Federal Union
5.      Minority rights
6.      Democracy, Human Rights and Gender Equality
7.      Secular State
8.      Multiparty democratic system)

The meeting adjourns at 17:05

Peace or War Lies totally in the Hearts of the Bamar Tatmadaw.

Posted: 03 Jan 2017 07:50 PM PST

Peace or War lies entirely in the hearts of the Tatmadaw Generals. Peace must come from within themselves because unless they are at peace with themselves they cannot make peace with others.  Individually, they are good Buddhists, but as members of the Institution they follow different principles and allow anger,  suspicion, resentment and violence to implement their actions.

  
 The Bamar Military Instititue was founded by a group of Bamar Politicians  (Doe Bamar) with very strong feelings against the colonisation of the Bamar Heartland by Britain, as seen by their frequent remarks, "colonization is evil, and that the British colonization of Burma was a shock to their system, damaged their psyche and shattered their pride." The fear of being colonised by Foreign Power has left a scar in the minds of Bamar Nationalists:  phobia, suspicion, anger, hate and resentment. These negative feelings have also been directed against other ethnic nationalities because they felt being let down by the latter due to being manipulated by the British to oppose them. 

Although Bogyoke Aungsan was one of the members of the Institution, by the time he came to Panglong in 1947, he had altered his view and attitude towards other ethnic nationalities. He came with a purpose, to win and influence the  Shan, Kachin and Chin to  join the Bamar people as equal partners in the formation of the Federal Union of Burma before becoming independent from Britain. But other Bamar Politicians,  were again Phobic, suspicious and began to regarded the signatories of the  Panglong  Agreement as their enemies. Bogyoke  Aung San was  assassinated  by one of his own  colleagues,  and U Nu and his supporters altered the  Panglong Agreement.  Ten years later, in the form of the Tatmadaw, the Bamar   Military declared war on the Shan and other ethnic nationalities because they suspected that the Shan and  Karenni would secede and break up the union according to the secession clause that  gives them  the right to secede after ten years. The Shan and other Ethnic Leaders did not at any time, not then and not now attempt to secede, other than try and make the Union more democratic: more equal, just and fair.  Bogyoke Aung San and the Shan Leaders brought all the ethnic States including the Bamar Heartland together, why should they want to break it up again?  It does not make sense. The Bamar Military Dictators used violence, terrorism and human rights violations  against other ethnic nationalities to prevent something that is non- existent from happening for the last 5 or six decades, and is still continuing . Is it surprising that there are so many resistant armed forces in Burma?  The greater force used, the greater the resistance.

With regard to the right of secession by the Shan and Karenni States, a Bamar politician asked Bogyoke Aung San  in 1947, " What if they( other Ethnic nationalities) should use their rights to secede?" To this Bogyoke Aungsan replied, "the Bamar people will have to try very hard, so that they will not want to secede and continue to stay in the Union".  The Tatmadw did try hard, but by using a wrong method.

 By using force and threats and holding other ethnic nationalities to ransom with the following:

1. Not to secede
2. Not to disintegrate
3. Agree to co-operate in a joint economic and narcotic programs
4.Formation of political parties and to contest election
5. Accept 2008 Constitution and legally amend it as necessary
6. One National Armed Forces
the Bamar Military/ Politicians have driven them further away. 

 Instead,why not exchange Peace with loving kindness, friendship and compassion like true Buddhists. This way the Tatmadaw and the other ethnic nationalities can begin to build a better relationship, followed by mutual understanding, trust and respect.

 It is up to the Generals of the Tatmadaw whether it is  to be Peace or everlasting War in Burma.  For the sake of the whole  country they should end the ongoing rights abuses, and change the way they interact with civilians particularly in the ethnic borderlands which belongs to the original indigenous people. The Tatmadaw Institution should be reformed and transformed into a professional army, accountable to the elected Government. This way it can prove to itself and the world that it is a genuine protector and defender of the country and its peoples and thus restore its damaged reputation.

A Country is stable, secure and great only when all sections of society, Government,  Army and civilians work harmoniously together, and each group without mis-using its power. In a modern,  supposedly civilized world using absolute power like the ancient kings, killing all opposition is completely out of date, and create disharmony, instability and insecurity which makes weak against outside aggression or pressure. 

Please give citizens of Burma, especially the ethnic Bamar the chance to enjoy peace, which according to history they never had the privilege to know what 'peace' is like other than during the

British regime.  
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