Friday, December 22, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Lawyer Says Suspect’s Wealth Could Prove Key in Ko Ni Murder Trial

Posted: 22 Dec 2017 05:05 AM PST

YANGON — An attorney representing the family of slain lawyer U Ko Ni suggested on Friday that the wealth of one of the murder suspects could prove a vital clue in finding the source of the money that financed the assassination.

It has been nearly a year since the prominent Muslim lawyer and NLD legal adviser was shot dead by gunman Kyi Lin outside Yangon International Airport on the afternoon of Jan. 29. Police have detained four suspects — Kyi Lin and alleged co-conspirators Zeya Phyo, Aung Win Zaw and Aung Win Tun. They have been on trial for approximately nine months.

Police allege that suspect and former Lieutenant Colonel Aung Win Khaing, who is still at large, was the mastermind of the assassination. They told the Yangon court in June that they had no new leads on his whereabouts.

During Friday's hearing at the Yangon North District Court, businessman Tin Tun Aung testified about his relationship with the suspect Zeya Phyo. He said the two have known each other since before he formed his company in 2005.

According to the website of Tin Tun Aung's Shogun Co., Ltd., the company is partnered with the Zeya Phyo Group, owned by Zeya Phyo. He told the court that he had borrowed 120 million kyats ($88,000) from Zeya Phyo and returned it in 2016. He also testified that Zeya Phyo used to help his friends whenever they were in financial difficulty.

Citing the financial relationship between the two, one of the lawyers representing U Ko Ni's family, U Nay La, said the testimony suggested that Zeya Phyo was wealthy, a possibly vital clue in finding out how U Ko Ni's assassination was paid for.

"This trial is all about investigating why Kyi Lin was hired, why there was money involved, and what source all that money came from," U Nay La said.

Also at Friday's hearing an IT expert with the national police force's Criminal Investigation Department testified about text messages that had been sent between the suspects. The court has now finished examining 69 of the 80 scheduled witnesses.

Three of the suspects in custody are charged with murder under Article 302 of the Penal Code. Aung Win Tun is charged with harboring a criminal under Article 212.

Zeya Phyo, a former military intelligence officer, is also charged under Article 67 of the Telecommunications Law with possession of restricted telecommunications equipment and under Article 468 of the Penal Code for forgery of national identity cards.

In addition, two of the suspects, Kyi Lin and Aung Win Zaw, are charged under Article 19 (d) and (f) of the Arms Act for possession and transportation of illegal arms.

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KNPP Says 4 of Its Troops ‘Executed’ While in Army Detention

Posted: 22 Dec 2017 04:44 AM PST

Four soldiers belonging to the armed wing of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) were allegedly executed at a Myanmar Army base in Loikaw Township on Dec. 20 after being detained during an army raid on their camp, according to a leader of the ethnic party.

"They were detained first, then executed," said Khu Daniel, a central committee member of the KNPP, adding that a civilian who was seized along with the soldiers was also missing.

A local newspaper reported that the army had confirmed the deaths, although the Tatmadaw claimed the fatalities occurred during a gunfight.

Khu Daniel said the four soldiers had been manning a checkpoint in the Shadaw area on Dec. 19, when at about 5 p.m. they stopped a convoy of 10 Myanmar Army vehicles on its way back from transporting rations to their battalion. The Karenni Army soldiers found illegal timber hidden in the vehicles, but they did not make an issue of the illicit cargo and let the convoy pass.

At 9 p.m. that evening, Myanmar Army troops from the Regional Operations Command based in Loikaw raided the KNPP base, Khu Daniel said.

"When they raided our base, our troops did not fire at them. They did not do anything," he said.

The Kantarawaddy Times, a Loikaw-based newspaper, reported on its website that a KNPP delegation had visited the army base were the executions were alleged to have taken place, but did not see any signs of fighting.

Residents in the neighborhood told the newspaper that they also did not hear any gunfire on the night of Dec. 19, before the soldiers were reportedly killed at 8 a.m. on the following day.

However, according to the newspaper, the Regional Operation Command told the KNPP delegation that the four soldiers were killed during a gunfight at the Loikaw base, and that the army had cremated their remains. It said the commander handed over four small bottles containing the ashes of the dead solders.

"The Tatmadaw, the chief minister, and the KNPP are still holding negotiations over the case," Col Myint Wai from the Myanmar Army and Border Affairs Ministry in Karenni State was quoted as saying by the Kantarawaddy Times. He added that troop movements on the ground in the state were normal.

When asked how the KNPP would respond to the alleged killings, Khu Daniel said the incident would become a political issue, adding that his party's leaders needed to discuss what to do next.

The KNPP signed a ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar government and the military in March 2012, but they have not yet inked the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). The KNPP is a member of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) and is involved in negotiations to sign the NCA.

"Everyone feels sad about this. It should not happen like this. If they were killed while fighting on the battlefield, let's say that is okay. But it was not fair to arrest them and then kill them," Khu Daniel said.

Maj-Gen Aye Lwin, deputy director of the Psychological Warfare and Public Relations Department at the Ministry of Defense, told The Irrawaddy he had not received any information from senior army officers about the alleged killings and had no comment to make about them.

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Nationalist Monk Again Denied Bail for 2016 US Embassy Protest

Posted: 22 Dec 2017 02:21 AM PST

YANGON — Yangon's Kamayut Township court again denied bail for nationalist monk U Parmaukkha for the charge of Section 505 (b) of Myanmar's Penal Code on Friday.

U Parmaukkha served a one-month prison term on Nov. 21 for violating the Peaceful Assembly Act for staging an unauthorized protest in front of the US embassy last year.

The judge rejected the request for the bail, although the defendant's lawyer requested bail given that the monk was an elder and he had completed his prison term this week.

Violations of Section 505 (b), which covers offenses that are "likely to cause fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public, whereby any person may be induced to commit an offense against the State or against the public tranquility" are punishable by a maximum of two years in prison, a fine, or both.

The township court will hear the testimonies of three of six witnesses from the plaintiff's side in regards to the 505 (b) charge next Thursday, Dec. 28.

U Parmaukkha told the public before and after the court hearing "there was nothing in my words that could be charged under 505 [b]."

He said the court continued the trial based on the signature of plaintiff U Than Tun Aung, which he alleges was forged. The judge rejected a request to dismiss the case on Friday.

Daw Khin Mar Oo, the sister of the abbot, told The Irrawaddy that her brother should be released, as he is a good man. "They [the authorities] still will not release him although he is innocent."

In August last year, Yangon authorities granted permission to a nationalist group to hold a protest at the Bo Sein Hman grounds, but they rallied in front of the US Embassy instead and staged a protest over the embassy's use of the term 'Rohingya.'

U Parmaukkha was one of three Buddhist monks who were charged alongside four nationalists in August last year under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code and Section 19 of the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law.

Four nationalists – Win Ko Ko Latt, Naung Taw Lay, Thet Myo Oo and Nay Win Aung – were arrested a few weeks after the protest and sentenced to seven-month prison terms for both charges by the same court on September 28 this year.

U Parmaukkha was detained on Nov. 12 when he went to North Dagon police station to seek permission to stage a protest over the alleged confiscation and sale of a land plot by the Yangon municipality to a third party.

The monk came to prominence as a supporter of pro-democracy activists under the military regime. Since 2013, however, he has increasingly been identified with nationalist groups, including the former Ma Ba Tha.

The post Nationalist Monk Again Denied Bail for 2016 US Embassy Protest appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Government Should Allow UN Special Rapporteur to Enter Country

Posted: 21 Dec 2017 11:57 PM PST

Many Myanmar journalists are saying privately that the political situation in the country is sliding back to the way things were under military rule. Some believe the government should open the door to Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, and even allow the establishment of an international inquiry into rights abuses as a first step to solving the conflict in Rakhine.

On the other hand, social media, news outlets based in Rakhine State, the Arakan National Party and other Arakanese groups have welcomed the government's decision to ban Lee, in particular its insistence that it could not accept her entering the country without the consent of the Arakanese people.

There are those who say the UN should replace Lee with a new special rapporteur, one who is less biased, in order to help solve the problems in the country. Lee, they say, views the issue from the Rohingya point of view, and is more interested in bringing criminal proceedings at the UN than in trying to solve the country's problems.

On Thursday, the state-run media did not even report on Lee's being denied entry to Myanmar.

When human rights abuses occurred in Rakhine, Kachin, and northern Shan, Lee discussed them at the UN without causing controversy. She traveled to these areas whenever she visited Myanmar in the past. Who will monitor the rights situation if she is barred from entering the country? This will be an important question if Myanmar shuts the door on her.

"Speaking generally, it is not a good idea to bar the special envoy on human rights from coming into the country, because they can protect people from rights abuses," said U Pe Than, an ethnic Arakanese ANP lawmaker in the Lower House of Parliament from the constituency of Myabon.

"But if we look at the yearly reports she has made to the UN after visiting our country, she has presented only one side. Arakanese people and the government have many problems when it comes to the Bengali [a term used by many in the country to refer to the Rohingya as interlopers from Bangladesh], but she did not listen to them," he said.

U Pe Than believed the decision to block Lee's entry into the country was made to protect the country's sovereignty and image.

In interviews with the BBC, Lee has acknowledged that the government and the Myanmar Army are unhappy with her reports, which they say have been biased and unfair since July.

According to Yu Lwin Aung, a spokesperson for the Myanmar Human Rights Commission, the UN should consider finding a replacement for Lee who would be more appropriate to report on the situation in the country.

"We welcome anyone who acts in a positive way. It is difficult to accept someone who tries to make problems for our country," he said. "I do not see our human rights condition suffering if she is not in our country."

Lee Has Her Supporters Here

U Zay Yar Hlaing, editor of Maw Kun (Archive) magazine, said: "I do not support the idea of blocking her from trying to get information inside the country. It is not right to block someone just because we don't like what she said. The government should give her some level of access to information. If she provides faulty information at the UN, the government should be able to produce the evidence to point it out."

He said the government needs to have a better relationship with the international community, and to be more adept at public relations. The government needs a better mechanism for pointing out anything she says that is wrong, he said.

If the government slams the door in the face of the UN Human Rights Council and its mandate to dispatch special rapporteurs, it is essentially saying it doesn't care about political prisoners including journalists, or about workers' rights, the rights of farmers or the right to health care and education; it is not just an issue of the rights of religious minorities.

David Mathieson, an independent analyst working on conflict and peace issues, said Professor Lee is a respected academic who cares deeply for the people of Myanmar, and had tried hard to address a range of complex human rights issues, especially the ongoing conflicts and abuses in Kachin and northern Shan, when the rest of the world seem fixated on the Rohingya. She is not an official of the UN, she is an independent expert and the government should value her work as an independent auditor of the human rights issues facing the transition, Mathieson said. Instead they have treated her in a shabby, dismissive and insulting fashion, he said.

The post Government Should Allow UN Special Rapporteur to Enter Country appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Lawmaker to File Complaint Against Myanmar Army for Obstructing Public Consultations

Posted: 21 Dec 2017 11:24 PM PST

YANGON — Nan Kham Aye, a lawmaker representing the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) in the Lower House, said she would file a complaint with Parliament about the Myanmar Army's obstruction of public consultations organized by the Committee for Shan State Unity (CSSU) prior to the Union Peace Conference.

"I've decided to raise the issue at Parliament when it resumes," she told The Irrawaddy.

The national-level political dialogue is a mandatory step of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in which regional stakeholders express their suggestions and recommendations at large-scale public consultations, which are then shared by representatives at the Union Peace Conference, also called the 21st Century Panglong.

According to the NCA, signatories can hold national-level dialogues (NDs) based on three themes: region, theme and ethnicity.

So far, NDs have been held in areas of six of the eight NCA signatories, but not yet in Shan and Rakhine states.

A meeting of the Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting on the NCA in November between the government, Tatmadaw and armed ethnic groups agreed that the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) would take charge in holding the dialogue in Shan State.

Prior to the ND, the CSSU has been holding pre-public consultations so that the RCSS could bring the voices and concerns of locals forward to the third session of 21st Century Panglong, which is slated to be held in January.

Formed in 2013, the CSSU is a coalition of Shan political parties, civil society organizations and two armed groups—the RCSS and the Shan State Progressive Party.

The CSSU formed five separate teams last week in Taunggyi to conduct consultations across 20 townships in southern, northern and eastern Shan State and in the Shan communities outside of Shan State in Mandalay, Kachin and Karenni states. Each group started discussions on Dec. 17.

According to organizers, the Myanmar Army stopped gatherings in Panglong, Tachilek, and Lashio townships.

Lt-Co Sai Oo, who is in charge of the RCSS Taunggyi Liaison Office, expressed disappointment, saying that those discussions were held with the permission of the Shan State government.

"We talked with the state government and it offered to provide any help necessary," said Lt-Co Sai Oo, lamenting the lack of cooperation between the government and the military.

"We've instructed general administration departments [GADs] in the state to help in order to hold public consultations without disturbing stability and security," Shan State minister for planning and economy U Soe Nynt Lwin told The Irrawaddy.

"The military said that it hadn't received the letter [from the Shan State government]. But the district GAD said that it had informed the commander," said lawmaker Nan Kham Aye.

President's Office spokesman U Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy in November that NDs still could not be held in Rakhine State because of "security concerns."

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Army to Take Charge of Reopening Mandalay Park

Posted: 21 Dec 2017 11:00 PM PST

MANDALAY — Army authorities in Mandalay are planning to reopen Mann Thida Park by the northern wall of Mandalay Palace some time next year, according to the city mayor.

Mayor Ye Lwin's plans to reestablish the park had been stalled for about a year while waiting for approval and a budget from the Union government.

On Wednesday the mayor wrote on his Facebook page that the local army unit would carry out the project on its own early next year. But details of the project, including cost and how long the work will take, have not been shared.

Local army officials could not be reached for comment.

The army built Mann Thida Park, which ran approximately 200 feet along Mandalay Palace's north wall, in 1959. It featured an open field and children's playground. Visitors could take to the moat around the palace on small boats and take in the water fountains. But the army closed it down in 1996 claiming security concerns.

Locals had mixed feelings about the park's pending return. While some welcomed the news, others said the money could be better spent elsewhere.

"Since the park is being planned by the palace wall, they need to think about the impact on the heritage and about the pollution of the water in the moat," said Aung Naing, a local trader.

"There are many other things that need to be done in Mandalay instead of wasting money on building a park there, such as maintaining the city's sewers and drains," he added.

Others welcomed the prospect of having a new green space in the city to enjoy, but were wary of placing it by the palace.

"Many green spaces of the past have been wiped out because of development, so Mandalay really needs a green space like Mann Thida Park," said historian Hsu Nget.

"However, whoever runs the project needs to pay special attention to its impact on the environment, heritage and pollution. The responsible authorities also need to keep in mind that visitors should be able to visit the place for free," he added.

In its past iteration the park was free of charge. It had a small administration office and only a few vendors were allowed to set up stalls.

The post Army to Take Charge of Reopening Mandalay Park appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

KIA Objects to Use of Vacant IDP Lands

Posted: 21 Dec 2017 10:39 PM PST

YANGON — The Kachin Independence Army's Brigade No. 3 based in Mai Ja Yang stated its objection to individuals and company's applying to use some 9,000 acres of vacant land in Kachin State's Mansi Township for agriculture on Thursday.

These lands belong to internally displaced persons who fled their homes after renewed fighting broke out between the KIA, the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organization, and the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) in June 2011.

Clashes are still ongoing near Mansi, and IDPs from the area are sheltering at churches and other buildings in Mai Hkawng village and at a Baptist church in Mansi town.

In a response to the Mansi Township agricultural land management and statistics department's call for any objection to the applications, the KIA's Mai Ja Yang branch released its response letter. It warned that individuals and companies should cease these plans or face the consequences. The KIO also warned last month that lands belonging to IDPs should not be confiscated or misused.

KIO spokesman Col Naw Bu said the KIO headquarters issued its warning last month in response to reports that the government and the Tatmadaw had been leasing IDP lands to private companies.

"We could not accept that," he said.

Despite a lack of specifics about the types of crops people hoped to grow on these lands, some people have already planted rubbers trees and bananas, according to a development worker and lawmaker from Kachin State.

U Min Min, a state lawmaker representing Mansi constituency, told The Irrawaddy that continuous fighting in and near Mansi makes it impossible for IDPs to return home and for lawmakers to return to the villages to assess the situation.

"We have not been able to go to those villages yet, although it has been my plan to go and listen to local people's concerns. NLD members in the villages told me to hold off my travel plans," he said.

Lawmaker U Min Min added, "Only after we hear the villagers' concerns can we discuss this with the local agricultural land management and statistics department. The officers told me that they have to give permission if there are any applications, as the lands are not in the forest reserve and are vacant land."

He said that the villagers would not want companies or the government to use their lands.

In Mansi alone there are some 20,000 acres that people are trying to obtain licenses to use, and far more in the whole of Kachin State.

IDPs' lands are being taken by others in Myitkyina's Tah Law Gyi village, Waingmaw and Momauk towns, either by Tatmadaw soldiers or border guard forces, said the secretary of the Kachin Development Network Group.

The Kachin State government can decide whether to allow the lands requests for applicants who seek use of 50 acres or less. Permission is needed from the Union government for those who want to use more than 50 acres.

"As the state members of parliament and state government are more aware of regional affairs, the Union government should allow the state to reflect on the real situation on the ground and decide, instead of giving permission simply by looking at maps," said U Min Min.

The post KIA Objects to Use of Vacant IDP Lands appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Sanctions Myanmar General, Others for Abuses, Corruption

Posted: 21 Dec 2017 10:29 PM PST

WASHINGTON — The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on 13 "serious human rights abusers and corrupt actors" including Myanmar General Maung Maung Soe, who oversaw this year's brutal crackdown against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

The US government, applying penalties for the first time under a law passed last year, also targeted 39 other individuals and entities with sanctions that block their assets under US jurisdiction, bar most Americans from dealing with them and largely cut them off from the global financial system.

The Treasury Department said those sanctioned included Benjamin Bol Mel, who has served as an adviser to South Sudan President Salva Kiir and is suspected of getting preferential treatment in government contracts. The list also included former Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh, accused of human rights abuses and corruption, and Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler, accused of using his friendship with Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila to secure sweetheart mining deals.

Myanmar's government spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the US sanctions.

Reuters has been unable to reach Jammeh for comment since he went to exile. He has previously denied ordering the torture or death of political opponents. His lawyer until exile, Edward Gomez, said earlier this year that he was unaware of any misspending of public or charity funds by Jammeh.

Gertler has denied all allegations of impropriety and has said his investments in Congo have created thousands of jobs. A spokesman for his Amsterdam-based company the Fleurette Group was not immediately available for comment.

Myanmar's military cracked down on Muslim Rohingya from Rakhine State following Aug. 25 Rohingya militant attacks on an army base and police posts. Gen Maung Maung Soe was in charge of the operation that drove more than 650,000 Rohingya to flee mostly Buddhist Myanmar to Bangladesh.

The United States on Nov. 22 called the Myanmar military operation against the Rohingya population "ethnic cleansing" and threatened targeted sanctions against those responsible.

The United States "examined credible evidence of Maung Maung Soe's activities, including allegations against Burmese security forces of extrajudicial killings, sexual violence and arbitrary arrest as well as the widespread burning of villages," the Treasury Department said on Thursday.

Myanmar's army last month released a report denying all allegations of rape and killings by security forces, having days earlier replaced Gen Maung Maung Soe. No reason was given for his transfer from the post.

'Significant Consequences'

"We must lead by example, and today's announcement of sanctions demonstrates the United States will continue to pursue tangible and significant consequences for those who commit serious human rights abuse and engage in corruption," US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement.

The sanctions against the 13 people described by the Treasury Department as "serious human rights abusers and corrupt actors" and the 39 "affiliated individuals and entities" were the first imposed under a US law called the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

Jammeh, who ruled Gambia for 22 years before being forced into exile after refusing to accept an election defeat, created a terror and assassination squad reporting to him called the Junglers that threatened, terrorized, interrogated and killed people he saw as a threat to his rule, the Treasury Department said.

The sanctions targeted Gertler, considered by diplomats to be a member of Kabila's innermost circle, 19 of his businesses and his Congo-based associate Pieter Deboutte.

The United States imposed sanctions this year and last against top Democratic Republic of Congo security officials over alleged human rights abuses and the failure to organize an election on time to choose Kabila's successor.

For details on the US action, see the Treasury Department statement (here) and for a full list see the department’s website (here).

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Thursday, December 21, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

International Reaction to Arrest of Reuters Reporters in Myanmar

Posted: 21 Dec 2017 03:35 AM PST

Several countries, the United Nations and journalist groups are demanding the release of Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo from detention in Myanmar.

The reporters were arrested on Dec. 12 after being invited to meet police officials on the outskirts of Yangon. They had worked on stories about a military crackdown in Rakhine State, scene of around 650,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh since August.

Myanmar’s Ministry of Information has said the reporters "illegally acquired information with the intention to share it with foreign media," and released a photo of them in handcuffs.

It said the reporters and two policemen faced charges under the British colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years, though officials said they have not been charged. Their exact whereabouts are not known.

"We and their families continue to be denied access to them or to the most basic information about their well-being and whereabouts," Reuters President and Editor-In-Chief Stephen J. Adler said in a statement calling for their immediate release.

"Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are journalists who perform a crucial role in shedding light on news of global interest, and they are innocent of any wrongdoing," he said.

Here are comments on their detention from governments, politicians, human rights groups and press freedom advocates around the world:

Latest Reaction

– Germany said on Wednesday it would push Myanmar to release the journalists. "We see press freedom as a cornerstone of a democratic order," the German foreign ministry said.

– Astrid Sehl, a spokeswoman for Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday in response a question, "Norway expects the Myanmar authorities to ensure the full protection of their rights and to release the journalists as quickly as possible."

– UN special rapporteur for freedom of expression David Kaye said on Wednesday, "Journalists have the right to cover information and they shouldn't be arrested for coming into possession of information."

– Human Rights Watch said the detentions appeared to be "aimed at stopping independent reporting of the ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya." Brad Adams, the group's Asia director, said, "Their secret, incommunicado detention lays bare government efforts to silence media reporting on critical issues."

– In Washington, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee called for their immediate release. "This is outrageous," said Senator Ben Cardin. "It just brings back the memory of the horrible practices with the repressive military rule."

Governments, Multilateral Organizations

– US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said last week the United States was "demanding their immediate release or information as to the circumstances around their disappearance." On Tuesday, the State Department reiterated the US demand for the reporters' immediate release.

– Republican Thom Tillis and Democrat Chris Coons, leaders of the US Senate Human Rights Caucus, said they were "gravely concerned" about the reporters' arrests and that press freedom was critical to ensuring accountability for violence against the Rohingya. Democratic congressman Ted Lieu, a member of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, called the arrests "outrageous and a direct attack on press freedom."

– Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kano said in response to a question from a Reuters reporter on Tuesday, "Freedom of the press is extremely important, including in order to protect fundamental human rights. The Japanese government would like to watch [this matter] closely." Tokyo-based Human Rights Now called on Japan on Wednesday to take a stronger stance.

– The European Union urged Myanmar on Monday to release the reporters "as quickly as possible." A spokeswoman for EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said, "Freedom of the press and media is the foundation and a cornerstone of any democracy."

– UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said countries should do everything possible to secure the journalists' release and press freedom in Myanmar. "It is clearly a concern in relation to the erosion of press freedom in the country," he said.

– Britain, Holland, Canada and Sweden have demanded the release of the Reuters reporters. Australia has expressed concern and Bangladesh has denounced the arrests.

– Vijay Nambiar, former special adviser on Myanmar to the UN Secretary-General, said in a statement to Reuters on Monday that the detentions had caused "widespread disappointment within and outside the country that is likely to further damage the international reputation and image of Myanmar, already under stress as a result of its handling of the Rakhine crisis."

– President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani called on Myanmar to protect media freedoms and release the reporters.

Journalists, NGOs

– The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) called on Myanmar to immediately disclose the reporters' whereabouts. "All detainees must be allowed prompt access to a lawyer and to family members," Frederick Rawski, ICJ's Asia-Pacific Regional Director, said on Monday.

– The Committee to Protect Journalists said the arrests were "having a grave impact on the ability of journalists to cover a story of vital global importance."

– Reporters Without Borders said there was no justification for the arrests and the charges being considered against the journalists were "completely spurious."

– Advocacy group Fortify Rights demanded Myanmar immediately and unconditionally release the Reuters journalists.

– Myanmar's Irrawaddy online news site called on Dec. 14 for the journalists' release in an editorial headlined "The Crackdown on the Media Must Stop." It said "it is an outrage to see the Ministry of Information release a police record photo of reporters handcuffed – as police normally do to criminals – on its website soon after the detention. It is chilling to see that MOI has suddenly brought us back to the olden days of a repressive regime."

– The Southeast Asian Press Alliance said the journalists were "only doing their jobs in trying to fill the void of information on the Rohingya conflict."

– The Protection Committee for Myanmar Journalists, local reporters who have demonstrated against prosecutions of journalists, decried the "unfair arrests that affect media freedom."

– The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Myanmar said it was "appalled" by the arrests and "gravely concerned" about press freedom in Myanmar.

– The Foreign Correspondents' Club in Thailand, Foreign Correspondents' Association of the Philippines, Jakarta Foreign Correspondents' Club and Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong have issued statements supporting the journalists.

The post International Reaction to Arrest of Reuters Reporters in Myanmar appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Authorities Urged to Let Detained Reporters See Lawyers, Family

Posted: 21 Dec 2017 03:27 AM PST

YANGON — The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) on Thursday urged authorities to grant two detained Reuters journalists access to lawyers, family members and health care.

The two journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, were arrested in Yangon on Dec. 12 allegedly for possessing police reports containing detailed information about the fighting between government troops and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army in late August. Authorities have not disclosed where they are being held.

According to a police report last week, the two are accused of violating Article 3 of the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which allows for prison sentences of up to 14 years. Two border guard policemen who allegedly provided the documents to the reporters are accused of violating both the Official Secrets Act and the Myanmar Police Force Maintenance of Discipline Law.

"The MNHRC has learned according to a complaint that family members of the two reporters are unable to meet with them while the location of the place the pair is being detained is not disclosed and they have no access to lawyers to defend them against the accusations," the commission said in a statement.

The MNHRC urged authorities not to torture the reporters during their detention and ensure that they be allowed to exercise their full rights, including accessing lawyers and contacting family members.

When The Irrawaddy asked if the commission would contact the Ministry of Home Affairs to find out more about the case, commissioner U Yu Lwin Aung said that issuing statements like today's was the most "effective" tool the MNHRC had to let everyone concerned know about its position.

"The statement will reach all parties concerned — the Ministry of Home Affairs, the President's Office, the judiciary, media and the public," he said, insisting that the commission's call would not be ignored.

U Yu Lwin Aung predicted that there would be some developments in the case in a few days because of the statement. He said the arrests were made in line with the law, but stressed that the reporters should be granted the rights they deserve according to human rights norms.

The Myanmar Press Council said on Wednesday that it would like to mediate in the case, offering to provide the reporters with legal assistance and serve as an expert witness should the case go to trial and if the court allows it.

According to a Reuters reported on Wednesday, President's Office spokesman U Zaw Htay said police had nearly completed their investigation of the two journalists and that their case would head to court soon afterward.

In 2017, 11 journalists were arrested by the police or military  for defamation or under various laws including the Telecommunications Law, the Official Secrets Act and the Unlawful Associations Act.

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Military Team to Investigate Involvement in Mass Grave in Rakhine State

Posted: 21 Dec 2017 03:19 AM PST

YANGON — The Myanmar military said that its own investigation team will find out whether security forces were involved in the case of unidentifiable corpses unearthed in Inn Din village, southern Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State.

On Tuesday, the military reported on its Facebook page that security members found the mass grave at Inn Din cemetery while investigating an anonymous tip.

According to local authorities, 10 heads and skeletons were unearthed at the burial site.

The military stated in its announcement on Tuesday that deterrent action in accord with the law would be taken against any security member found to be connected with the case.

Followed that announcement, the military stated on Wednesday that its five-member investigation team led by inspector Lt-Gen Aye Win left Inn Din village cemetery where the corpses were found.

A team comprising the township judge, police inspector of Inn Din police station, township medical officer, assistant surgeon and led by deputy commissioner of Maungdaw District's General Administration Department U Ye Htut were carrying out an investigation in order to study the bodies and expose the truth, the army stated.

On Nov. 13, the military's investigation team denied atrocities and use of excessive force against Rohingya Muslims during clearance operations that sent more than 620,000 fleeing to Bangladesh, in its report on findings after about a month internal investigation regarding any misconduct by government forces in Rakhine State.

The international community has condemned the army for arbitrary killing, rape, torture and the torching of Rohingya homes during the counter operations in northern Rakhine State in response to Muslim militant attacks on 30 police outposts in the area.

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Myanma Economic Bank to Provide SME loans in 2018

Posted: 21 Dec 2017 02:38 AM PST

MANDALAY — Myanma Economic Bank will provide some 700 billion kyats (US$520 million) in loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the country next year.

Under the arrangement of the Ministry of Planning and Finance, the loans will be provided at a 9 percent interest rate with a maximum repayment period of three years, according to the Mandalay Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MRCCI).

"The interest rate is lower, and the ministry said that certain types of loans will be offered without collateral, and the procedures will be simpler. So, most of the businesspeople here are interested in it," U Win Htay, chairman of the Mandalay Region SMEs Committee under the MRCCI, told The Irrawaddy.

Currently, local SMEs in Mandalay Region only have access to credit guarantee insurance (CGI) loans provided by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and private banks, respectively at 13 and 16 percent interest rates.

Local businesspeople lamented that those loans are not very helpful, as they are short-term loans with small loan amounts that carry high interest rates.

Union Planning and Finance Minister U Kyaw Win in a meeting with the MRCCI on Monday in Mandalay said that Myanma Economic Bank would start disbursing loans in January for SMEs.

"The minister said SME loans will be increased in different sectors, and that his ministry would also review the legal procedures of private banks to provide SME loans," said MRCCI chairman U Aung Than.

Among the challenges facing many SMEs in Mandalay Region are exorbitant land prices and a wide variety of taxes such as income tax, commercial tax, profit tax and so on, said industrialist U Nay Win from the Mandalay Industrial Zone.

Other pressing challenges include financial needs and technology as local SMEs have to compete with imports that are cheaper and better quality.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Finance, there are about 40,000 registered SMEs in the country.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Foreign Correspondents Forced to Jump More Hoops to Get Visas

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 10:08 PM PST

YANGON — Some foreign journalists have left Myanmar and others are preparing to depart after the government tightened visa regulations following critical coverage of the military's handling of the unrest in Rakhine State.

Several foreign journalists told The Irrawaddy that the visa application process was now much more onerous and even required them to sign a declaration promising not to travel to restricted areas. Some foreign reporters said they had to wait as long as four weeks to get a new visa to re-enter the country after making a trip abroad.

U Win Kyaing, permanent secretary of the Ministry for Immigration and Population, told The Irrawaddy that the changes were part of a wide- ranging overhaul of visa regulations that began last year.

"For the case of the journalist visa, they are required to get a recommendation letter from the MOI [Ministry of Information]. For other visas, that is not necessary," he said.

However, there appeared to be some confusion among government officials about the new rules with a representative of the Ministry of Information saying his office was no longer providing recommendation letters to foreign journalists.

U Myo Myint Maung, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Information, told The Irrawaddy that before his agency could sign off on journalist visas, it had to secure approval from the ministries of immigration and labor, Immigration and Population.

"In fact, the visa application regulations are not our ministry's business. It is the business of the Immigration Ministry and the Labor Ministry," he said.

In the past, the MOI had provided recommendation letters to media workers applying for visas, but U Myo Myint Maung said journalists could now apply directly to an embassy in a foreign country for a 28-day visa.

"We relaxed the restriction on visa applications; they no longer require a recommendation letter," he said.

However, U Thit Sar Hla Htwe, the secretary of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Myanmar, said that as for journalists stationed in Myanmar who were seeking a long-term three- or six-month visa, they still needed the MOI to issue a recommendation letter, which also needed to be approved by both the Immigration Ministry and the MOFA.

He said that the 28-day visas were only for media representatives who did not have an office in Myanmar. "Let's say they came from Bangkok. The government used to give them a three-month visa and it was multiple entry. They could travel in and out of the country on this visa.

"But, the government is no longer giving them three-month multiple entry visas. They now get only 28 days and it is single entry. Reporters have to apply for a new visa if they want to get back in the country," he said.

"Many foreign journalists have complained a lot about it," U Thit Sar Hla Htwe said, adding that a German reporter had called him just on Tuesday and recounted the problems he was having getting a new visa. The MOI even told the reporter that a green registration card from the Myanmar Foreign Correspondents Club was needed before a visa would be issued.

While the MOI claimed that new regulations were issued in December last year, U Thit Sar Hla Htwe said that the new rules only started to be applied in October this year when two journalists from Turkish outlet TRT World were detained in Naypyitaw for trying to fly a drone over Parliament.

Myanmar had previously tightened up on journalist visas in 2014 when violence broke out in Thu Chee Yar Tan, in Maungdaw. But, the former government later relaxed the procedures.

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Wednesday, December 20, 2017

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Myanmar, Bangladesh to Begin Repatriating Refugees in January

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 08:21 AM PST

YANGON — Social Welfare Union Minister U Win Myat Aye told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that Myanmar and Bangladesh have agreed to start repatriating Rohingya refugees before the end of January.

Bangladeshi news outlets reported that the country's foreign affairs minister, M Sahidul Haque, and U Myint, permanent secretary of Myanmar's own Foreign Affairs Ministry, signed off on the terms of reference for a Joint Working Group (JWG) in Dhaka. Each country will have at least 15 members on the JWG.

In late November, the two countries inked a memorandum of understanding and agreed to form the JWG within three weeks to work on repatriating the more than 620,000 Rohingya who have fled to Bangladesh since the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attacked several police posts and an army base in northern Rakhine State in late August. The UN has called the clearance operations the Myanmar Army launched in response a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing."

According to a Dhaka Tribune report, the agreed terms of reference recognize the Rohingya refugees as displaced "Myanmar residents" and say official transfers will begin by Jan. 23.

The news reports say the Bangladeshi foreign minister will lead the JWC and that the body will include representatives from several government agencies from both Bangladesh and Myanmar, including disaster management, home affairs, immigration and national intelligence.

Minister U Win Myat Aye, who also chairs a special committee charged with overseeing implementation of recommendations by the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, said he did not know the composition of the JWC because he did not join Myanmar's delegation to Bangladesh for the signing.

The minister said Myanmar has already handed out application forms for the refugees to fill out with their background information. He said each completed form will be examined for accuracy and, once approved, sent back to Bangladesh to allow the refugee's return.

"We don't have a specific number of refugees [to repatriate] because it is voluntary repatriation. We told them to prioritize displaced Hindus but it needs official recognition by the Joint Working Group," U Win Myat Aye said.

Although Myanmar has been planning to resettle Rohingya refugees in Maungdaw Township, exactly where remains unclear. U Win Myat Aye suggested that the location of some Muslim villages might change.

"We re-drafted town plans and some things have changed. For instance, if a road expands a village will be located near where it used to be [before the clearance operations]. But some villages will be located in the same place," he said.

The international community and human rights groups have urged Myanmar to let the refugees return safely to their original home sites.

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Myanmar Ends Cooperation with UN Rights Rapporteur

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 06:46 AM PST

The government of Myanmar has informed UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee that she has been barred from returning to the country and that cooperation will be withdrawn for the duration of her tenure, the UN reported today.

Ms. Lee had been due to visit Myanmar in January to assess the state of human rights countrywide, including reports of abuses against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State.

"I am puzzled and disappointed by this decision by the Myanmar government," Ms. Lee said. "This declaration of non-cooperation with my mandate can only be viewed as a strong indication that there must be something terribly awful happening in Rakhine, as well as in the rest of the country."

The special rapporteur said she sincerely hoped Myanmar would revisit the decision.

However, U Zaw Htay, director of the Myanmar President's Office, said in a text message to the Irrawaddy that Ms. Lee was not impartial nor objective in her work.

"There is no trust on her. Therefore, we informed through Myanmar Permanent Mission in NY and Geneva UNSG Office in NY and OHCHR in Geneva," U Zaw Htay wrote in his text message.

Ms. Lee had previously been afforded cooperation and access to Myanmar, and had maintained a relationship of mutual respect with the government, according to the UN statement. But the government said it views her end-of-mission statement in July as biased and unfair.

The special rapporteur's mandate requires two visits to Myanmar a year, in order to report to the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly. Since taking up the mandate in June 2014, Ms. Lee has visited Myanmar six times.

"It is a shame that Myanmar has decided to take this route," Ms. Lee said.

The government has repeatedly denied human rights violations are occurring throughout Myanmar, particularly in Rakhine State. "They have said that they have nothing to hide, but their lack of cooperation with my mandate and the fact-finding mission suggests otherwise," Ms. Lee said in a statement.

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Press Council Offers to Mediate in Case of Arrested Reuters Reporters

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 06:16 AM PST

YANGON — The Myanmar Press Council (MPC) said today that it would like to mediate in the case of two Reuters reporters who have now spent more than a week in state custody without word of their location or contact with family or lawyers.

The MPC made the offer in a statement it released at the press conference in Yangon on Wednesday.

The council added that it would like to serve as an expert witness should the case go to trial and if the court allowed it. The MPC said it was also prepared to provide the reporters with legal assistance to ensure that justice was served.

The two Reuters journalists, Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo, have been detained at an undisclosed location since their arrest on Dec. 12 in Yangon, allegedly for possessing police reports containing detailed information about the fighting between government troops and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army in late August. Two policemen were also arrested for allegedly providing the documents to the reporters.

The police opened the case under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act's Article 3, which allows for prison sentences of up to 14 years. The policemen were charged under both the Official Secrets Act and the Myanmar Police Force Maintenance of Discipline Law.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that President's Office spokesman U Zaw Htay said the police had nearly completed their investigation of the two journalists and that their case would head to court soon afterward.

At the press conference on Wednesday, local reporters criticized the MPC for not doing more to protect the Reuters journalists or denounce their arrest.

"We couldn't take to the streets or shout as soon as we knew about the arrest because we are not activists," countered U Aung Hla Tun, a vice chairman of the MPC.

He said the council has resolved more than 300 disputes in recent years, 97 percent of them before they went to court.

"We are not a journalists network or association. We have laws, but we aren't satisfied with them. But as a council we have to act in accordance with the existing laws," said U Thiha Saw, an MPC secretary. He added that the council was working to amend the country's News Media Law and encourage passage of a draft Right to Information Law so that journalists have more protection.

The council said that its chairman was an expert witness in the Unity Journal case in 2014.

Despite its intervention, the Union Journal's chief executive and four of its reporters were sentenced to 10-year jail terms with hard labor that July under the Official Secrets Act for reporting on a military chemical weapons factory in Magwe Region. The court reduced their sentence to seven years in October 2014 and released them courtesy of a presidential pardon in April 2016.

In 2017, 11 journalists were arrested and taken to court by either the military, police or nationalists on defamation charges or under various laws including the Official Secrets Act and the Unlawful Associations Act.

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UN Agency, Ministries Launch ‘Life and Love’ App Aimed at Young People

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 04:01 AM PST

YANGON – To help young people learn about their bodies and how to adopt a healthy lifestyle, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Myanmar Ministry of Health and Sports on Wednesday launched a mobile app to provide trustworthy information about love, sex and health.

The mobile app, Love Question, Life Answer, is designed to give young people the confidence to make decisions that are safe and that they will not regret.

Taking advantage of technological advances and the proliferation of mobile phones since Myanmar's transition to democracy in 2011, the UN agency and the ministries – the Ministry of Health and Sports with support from the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Social Welfare— along with the Myanmar Medical Association are targeting the app at younger people, who account for almost one-third, or 16 million, of Myanmar's total population of 52 million.

Dr. Hlaing Htaik Htar Khin, a program analyst at the UNFPA's Reproductive Health Department, said: "It is an awareness-raising app, which will allow young people to be able to access accurate information on reproductive health, which they need to know, from a trusted source, so they will not need to ask other people. And they can use it by themselves via their mobile phones during their free time."

The information on the app is provided in the Burmese language, and features topics such as safe sex and contraception, early marriage and unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and HIV, puberty and menstruation, gender and body dilemmas, drug abuse and alcohol problems, and last but not least, love and relationships.

The app can be used while offline, and requires only wifi access or mobile data to be downloaded from the Google Play Store or App Store. The app can also be shared from one mobile phone to another via file-sharing tools such as Zapya.

Daw Hlaing Htaik Htar Khin said the app was created based on data from the 2014 census and the 2015-16 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), which revealed many young girls and women aged between 15-19 fall pregnant even though they are not ready for this life-changing event.

"The mortality rate among young girls is also high, and when we asked about the causes of these deaths, we found many were the result of illegal abortions due to unwanted pregnancies or lives being lost during the delivery of the baby," she said.

The surveys indicated the root cause was a lack of knowledge among young people about reproductive health. Thus, the educators tried to think of a better approach to disseminate information about reproductive health to young people, who have wide access to mobile technology and who typically spend a lot of time in front of their screens.

As there is a taboo in Myanmar about openly discussing sexuality and the subject is not generally included in school curriculums, mobile phones were viewed as the best approach to reach young people, Daw Hlaing Htaik Htar Khin said.

The medical officer said the UNFPA would seek to raise public awareness about the app by using social media and multimedia platforms. It would also be able monitor the number of people who access the app to get information about the campaign's effectiveness.

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Shanni Businessman Fatally Shot in Hpakant

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 02:31 AM PST

YANGON — The chairman of the Hpakant Motor Vehicles Supervisory Committee in Kachin State's Hpakant Township was shot dead by a group of unidentified gunmen on Tuesday around noon.

Police from Hpakant Township police station confirmed the death but said they were "still collecting information to identify the suspects," a police officer on duty told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.

U Khin Soe, who is also the owner of the Chan Myay Si Bus Line, was sitting at his own bus station in the ward of Mashi Kataung in Hpakant when four bikers came on two bikes and fatally shot him. He was shot one time in his head and three times in his abdomen, according to locals.

"He is an ethnic Shanni man. He was shot dead while he was at his bus station. I don't know why he was shot," said Hpakant local U Khin Maung Lwin, who was at the crime scene.

There have been frequent shootings in Hpakant, mostly targeted at ethnic Shanni (also known as Red Shan) politicians and businesspeople since 2015, according to locals. Five Shanni people were killed from the start of 2015 to Dec. 19, 2017, and the victims were either members of political parties or businesspeople.

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Myanmar to Bid to Add 88 Uprising to UNESCO Memory of the World Register

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 12:34 AM PST

YANGON — Myanmar will make a bid for the inclusion of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising in the Memory of the World Register, according to the committee for the establishment of the 8888 historical museum.

The committee has asked the Union minister for religious affairs and culture by letter in the last week of November to coordinate with UNESCO for the nomination.

"We committee members have agreed in principle to nominate it for inscription. The ministry however has not made an official reply. But the minister said that it would be better if we had made preparations. So, we are making preparations," U Ye Naing Aung, the spokesperson for the committee, told The Irrawaddy.

The committee is set to meet this week after consultation with historian Dr. Kyaw Win for the nomination, he said.

The1988 pro-democracy uprising was a series of nationwide protests that peaked on August 8, 1988 against the military dictatorship. The protests began as a student movement, but later were joined by people from all walks of life across the country.

If the uprising is inscribed in the Memory of the World Register, it will be an honor to all of the people who joined the 1988 pro-democracy movement, said U Ye Naing Aung.

"In addition, we can then get technical assistance from UNESCO to build the 8888 museum," he added.

"We want the world to recognize this movement so that no future governments can erase the history recorded in this museum," said one of the committee members U Ant Bwe Kyaw.

The nomination for the register has to be submitted to UNSECO before March, and will be put forward to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture around the last week of January or first week of February.

In November, Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein, the 88-Generation Peace and Open Society, and the organizing committee for the 8888 museum had a meeting, however, they were unable to reach an agreement regarding land acquisition for the museum.

The temporary 8888 Memorial Hall opened on Aug. 8, 2015 in Yangon's Thingangyun Township on the 27th anniversary of the uprising.

So far, Myanmar has four tangible objects inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register—the Kuthodaw Inscription Shrines in 2013, the Myazedi Quadrilingual Stone Inscription and the Golden Letter of King Alaungpaya to King George II of Great Britain in 2015, and the King Bayinnaung Bell Inscriptions in 2017.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Activist Says it’s Critical that More Women Participate in Myanmar’s Peace Process

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 06:00 PM PST

YANGON — Katherine Ronderos, director of LIMPAL Colombia, was invited by the Norwegian Embassy to participate in a Women, Peace and Security workshop in Yangon on Dec. 14-15, conducted in collaboration with Myanmar's Alliance for Gender Inclusion in the Peace Process.

LIMPAL Colombia is a branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and a member of the National Women and Peace Summit. It is also one of the leading organizations working to monitor implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which provides a framework for improving women's participation in the peace process.

She spoke with The Irrawaddy on Friday about her views on Myanmar's peace process and women's movement and about how important it is to include women in the peace process.

What do you think about the women's rights movement in Myanmar?

I am sure there are very strong movements and I am sure they are reaching a lot of women at grass-root level, and I think that's important to have. We discussed today how we reach those…women and men from other sectors that probably are not interested in the peace agreement or that are not interested in the political issues. But we need to get them interested because it's also important for them and for everybody.

How important is it for the peace process to be all-inclusive?

We need to include everybody because sometimes when people are in the cities they don't know much about what is happening in the conflict. That is related to them as well because it's [about the] future of the country. We need to get them involved, to get them interested in the political issues, to participate, to debate, because I am sure the differences here make a very rich country. But also we need to manage those differences in the different way.

What is important is to talk about reconciliation. It's about compromising, it's about tolerance, it's about respect, it's about inclusion and how we make our voices heard, how we dialogue with others who are different [from] us, how we resolve the problems in a very positive way without violence, without arms. So, understanding the other, recognizing the other.

Why is it important for women to participate in the peace process?

Women's participation is very important because we are citizens of this country. We have the right to participate. Nobody should discriminate [against] our participation just because we are women. Secondly, women are the center of the family, are the center of the society, are the ones holding families together, are the ones holding communities together, and they are the ones who know how to reconstruct the social fabric of the society.

Researches show when women participate in peace negotiations there is a better chance that peace is sustainable, that it will last longer.  So we need to make sure that every effort has women's voices and women's participation to make sure that it will be sustainable. Because they know the risk society faces when conflicts happen, and we have the right to decide what we want for our country.

What differences do you see between the peace processes in Colombia and in Myanmar?

I think there are a lot of differences. Because although we have been in conflict for sixty years, similar [to] Myanmar, but here in Myanmar it is ethnic-based conflict. It's been about exclusion [of] some groups to decide and to participate. In Columbia we don't have [a] variety of ethnic groups. But the conflict is about exclusion of the poor, of the rural people, no opportunity for them, no health, no education, and no job. That's why, for example, the armed actors and the armed groups in Colombia are requesting political participation. And I guess that could be a similar issue here. We need to start talking about political representation for those representatives of ethnic groups.

You may know that Myanmar has not yet met the target of 30 percent female participation in the peace process, as called for by women's rights groups. The share has increased slightly but it's still only 17 percent. How would you suggest raising it further?

There are many ways. One is preparing women to access political spaces. For example, we don't feel like we are ready to participate politically. You will need to get them education. We need to get prepared to get them knowledge. Two is to have other women's support. We need our constituency, we need our support groups for women to decide to do that step, to enter the political arena. Three, we need also generous support. We need to break that mindset that women are only able to be in the house, to cook, to look after the children.  We need to break that in the society and to tell the society that women are intelligent.

What advice do you have for men?

I think it is important for men to understand that it is important for the society as a whole to talk about gender equality because in the end the beneficiaries are the [societies] in general. We need men to stop thinking women are not good, women are useless, and start thinking women bring new ideas and new perspectives and new views on how to resolve the problems. Then they will have [a] better society, better family, and children with better education. So we need to start with the family as well.

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Tuesday, December 19, 2017

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88 Generation Student Activists Register ‘Four Eights Party’

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 07:30 AM PST

NAYPYITAW—Members of the 88-Generation student community on Tuesday registered a new political party, the Four Eights Party, with the Union Election Commission (UEC) in Naypyitaw.

U Ko Ko Gyi, a leading figure in the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society and a senior member of its committee tasked with establishing the party, said the new bloc's aim is to take "political responsibility", rather than power.

He said there was a mistaken notion among Myanmar's political class that the sole objective of political parties is to gain power. He emphasized that he and his colleagues were setting up the party as a mechanism for taking responsibility for their political views.

"We engage in politics with the attitude that we will shoulder the responsibility that falls on us; nobody needs to ask us or assign us [to do this or that]. We'll continue engaging in politics with a sense of responsibility," he added.

Political activists involved in the student-led 8888 Uprising have organized multiple stakeholder consultations since early 2017. The name of the party was confirmed on Sunday, after a majority of the committee's representatives from different regions of the country voted in favor of it on Sunday.

The party's policy platform and structure will be unveiled after the UEC gives the green light to its registration, U Ko Ko Gyi added.

Prominent 88 Generation Peace and Open Society members such as U Min Ko Naing, U Jimmy and recently resigned leader U Mya Aye were not involved the party's formation. Another leading figure in the group, U Min Zeyar, is a member, however.

In the meantime, some have criticized the party's choice of name, saying that the designation "8888" does not belong to a particular group of people, but to the entire country and its struggle for democracy.

He called the 8888 Uprising the backbone of Myanmar's political system, and claimed that all of the recent political and economic changes the country has seen have their origins in nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations in August 1988.

"Our party name is much more than a number. It has deep political significance and connotes serious objectives and goals," he said, highlighting the "broadness and inclusion" the name impies.

"We will be resolute on our main objective, which is to continue pushing the demands made during the public uprising, which we highly value and respect," U Ko Ko Gyi said.

The Four Eights Party, or 8888, written in Burmese digits. (Photo: Myo Min Soe/ The Irrawaddy)

The 88-Generation student leaders' relationship with the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) is not as warm as it once was.

In 2014, they worked together on a nationwide petition campaign that attracted about five million signatures in support of an amendment to Section 436 of the military-drafted 2008 Constitution. Amending the charter requires the support of more than 75 percent of the national legislature.

However, when selecting candidates for the 2015 general election, the NLD chose from within in its own ranks, and did not appoint any members of the 88 Generation student group to the government.

Translated from the Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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10 Bodies Found at Mass Grave in Rakhine village visited by detained Reuters reporters

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 07:17 AM PST

YANGON – Local authorities unearthed 10 bodies near a graveyard in Inn Din village in southern Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State on Tuesday, according to government officials.

Local authorities have formed a temporary investigation team comprising officials from several agencies, including the Health Department.

A team member told The Irrawaddy that 10 heads and skeletons had been unearthed at the burial site. The team had concluded the remains belonged to victims of homicides that could have occurred as long as a year ago. All of the victims are adults. It was unclear whether the remains were those of Rohingya or Arakanese villagers.

"The killings did not happen recently; the remains have decomposed and we do not know if the victims are Rakhine or Muslim," he said.

Security was tightened in the area as government troops started digging at the burial site. Locals were unable to say exactly how many bodies had been found or whether they were those of Rohingya Muslims.

A Maungdaw resident who had visited Inn Din village and who has close ties with military intelligence told The Irrawaddy that Arakanese villagers, local police and government security forces had killed Rohingya villagers in Inn Din in recent months, and that locals had taken photographs of the incidents leading up to the killing. Later, some residents disclosed the killings to Reuters reporters who visited the village, the source said. He said the reporters were the same pair who were later arrested on Dec. 12 under the Official Secrets Act.

He claimed that the two reporters had secretly given some of the photographs to the UN, rather than using them in their reports. He said intelligence officers followed the two reporters and arrested them in Yangon's Htauk Kyant Township. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify his claims.

He said that Myanmar authorities had arrested the pair of journalists for leaking controversial photos to the UN which could bring a strong international reaction against the government and authorities had also started arresting lower-ranking members of the security forces as suspects in the killing of Rohingya villagers, in anticipation of an international condemnation of the scenes in the photos.

In a statement released on Dec. 18, the Office of the Commander-in-Chief said a person had informed government security forces of the discovery of unidentified bodies near Inn Din graveyard. The statement did not mention the number of bodies found, citing the ongoing investigation.

In an operation to restore stability in the region after a series of attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), government troops conducted counterattacks starting on Aug. 25, the statement reads. It adds that if any security forces are found to have committed violations, or if crimes at Inn Din are linked with government troops, those responsible will be punished in line with the law.

The Army clearance operations drove out more than 620,000 Rohingya to neighboring Bangladesh. The UN's human rights council described the Army operation as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".

Independent regional lawmaker Than Maung Oo, who visited the village, said Inn Din was home to a mixed population of about 700 Muslim families and 170 Arakanese homes. He said Inn Din saw heavy clashes between ARSA and government troops in southern Maungdaw. Muslim villagers and ARSA supporters fled to neighboring Bangladesh.

The government has not released an estimate of how many Muslim militants were killed during the heavy fighting in Inn Din. Some locals speculated that dozens of people were killed in the clashes.

It's unclear whether the bodies found on Monday are linked to the clashes between the Army and ARSA militants, or if the deaths occurred more recently. The Irrawaddy phoned Rakhine State Border Affairs Minister Col. Phone Tint and Maungdaw district administrator Ye Htut to ask for further information about the bodies found in the graveyard, but no one answered the calls.

On the evening of Dec. 12, Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who had visited Inn Din village in recent months, were arrested by police in Htauk Kyant for allegedly possessing classified police reports. The pair have been charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act.

On Dec. 16, four schoolteachers and a resident of Inn Din village who had spoken to the reporters before the pair's arrest were themselves detained by military intelligence. Two of the teachers were later released and the other two were taken to Rakhine's capital, Sittwe, for further questioning.

On Monday, Maung Win Phyu, an Arakanese resident of Inn Din village, was arrested by police, according to the suspect's wife, Aye Naw. She said her husband had spoken to a reporter whose name she could not recall. She could not say for sure whether the arrest was related to her husband's conversation with the reporter.

"I have no details regarding his detention," she said.

Regional legislator Than Maung Oo said one of the currently detained teachers was Maung Thein Phyu, who is head of Inn Din Kwa Son Primary School. Maung Thein Phyu, a former government soldier, actively campaigned for the Arakan National Party (ANP) during the 2015 elections. However, ANP lawmakers had no further details on the teacher's detention.

Local publications reported that the two school teachers were being held at No. 1 Sittwe Police Station. The head of the Sittwe District Police, Win Naung, declined to comment.

The post 10 Bodies Found at Mass Grave in Rakhine village visited by detained Reuters reporters appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Shan National Dialogue to Continue Despite Myanmar Army Obstruction

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 03:42 AM PST

YANGON — The Committee for Shan State Unity (CSSU) stated that it would continue its public consultations for the ethnic Shan national-level dialogue in Shan State, despite the Myanmar Army deterring the first attempt in Panglong Township, southern Shan State on Sunday.

The public gathering in Panglong was forced to stop when some 60 Tatmadaw troops arrived and said it was not allowed.

The organizers expressed disappointment, as they had planned for the discussions in agreement with the UPDJC and in accordance with the permission of the Shan State government.

Nang Ying, a representative for the social sector discussion group representing the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), said the Tatmadaw's actions "were unacceptable" as they came in with the weapons among the public.

The public consultations prior to the national-level dialogue (ND) are necessary to be able to include public concerns and suggestions. According to the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) text, the signatories of the NCA can hold NDs based on three themes: region, theme and ethnicity. Prior to the second session of the 21st century Panglong union peace conference (UPC), the Karen, Pa-O, Chin and Burman NCA signatories were able to conduct their ethnic NDs (Shan and Rakhine were unable to), while the government conducted the regional and thematic NDs.

"We will move forward with our plan," said Sai Kyaw Nyunt, a secretary of the CSSU and of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), as the plan to hold the consultations was agreed to at the Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting (JICM) in late November.

Sai Kyaw Nyunt is also a secretary at the UPDJC, one of the highest decision-making bodies in the implementation of peace building.

He said that the case was shared with the UPDJC, which is led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and peace commission members.

The CSSU formed the five separate teams last week in Taunggyi, to conduct consultations across 20 townships in southern, northern and eastern Shan State and in the Shan communities outside of Shan State in Mandalay, Kachin and Karenni states. Each group started discussions on Dec. 17.

The CSSU teams had completed consultations in Muse, northern Shan State, and Langkho (Linkhay), southern Shan State, on Monday and Namkham on Tuesday, according to the organizers. A consultation team was then to return to Panglong after it completed its lists of towns.

The RCSS is a member of the CSSU and the ethnic-based national level dialogues led by the group were stalled early this year as the Tatmadaw did not agree on the venue; Taunggyi, for the dialogue. But in November, the RCSS agreed to hold the Shan ethnic ND in Langkho in January 2018.

In 2016, the CSSU held its pre-consultations in 45 townships in preparation for the Shan-led ND and drafted recommendations in regards to the political, economic, social, land and environment, and security sectors to be discussed at the Union Peace Conference.

Sai Kyaw Nyunt said: "We will bring all of the public suggestions and combine them into our draft recommendations. We aim to complete this national-level dialogue prior to the third session of the 21st century Panglong UPC," planned to be held in late January.

Chit Min Tun contributed to this report.

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Arrested Reuters Reporters Were ‘Set Up,’ Says NLD Spokesman

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 03:35 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — Two Reuters journalists arrested last week were deliberately "set up," according to National League for Democracy spokesperson U Win Htein, who added that he felt sorry for the pair.

Thet Oo Maung (aka Wa Lone) and Moe Aung (aka Kyaw Soe Oo) were detained by police in Yangon's Mingalardon Township on Dec. 12 after allegedly receiving reports from police officers containing detailed information about fighting between government troops and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army in late August 2017. The pair is accused of attempting to illegally acquire information for the purposes of sharing it with foreign media.

The reporters were detained by the Home Affairs Ministry under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which dates to 1923. Conviction carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

A week after their arrest, the pair's whereabouts is still unclear. The Ministry of Information issued a report the day after the arrest, saying the reporters had "illegally acquired information with the intention of sharing it with foreign media."

"They were arrested red-handed with documents. I heard they obtained the documents from police officials with whom they had dinner. They weren't arrested until after they had left the company of those officers," U Win Htein said in Naypyitaw on Monday.

"Looking at the choice of charge, it is easy to see that this was planned. The charge concerns state security, so it has become a big case," he said.

However, the leading NLD member said the reporters had been "naïve" to allow themselves to be trapped.

"How could they be so naïve? They should have been smarter. They should have gotten rid of the documents as soon as they saw them," he added.

"If you choose to be a journalist, you can't be naïve. Otherwise you'll be at a disadvantage."

Information Minister Dr. Pe Myint said it was too early to say what the ministry's response would be, as he had no information about the proceedings that were being brought against the pair.

"We try to help as much as we can when journalists have problems," he said at Karen New Year Celebrations in Naypyitaw on Monday.

Presidential spokesperson U Zaw Htay confirmed to The Irrawaddy over the weekend that the President's Office backed the charging of the reporters.

The Information Ministry's initial online and print reporting of the incident featured photos of the two journalists in handcuffs standing behind a table with their faces visible, provoking the ire of non-state media. It is customary to obscure the faces of criminal suspects in photographs.

Ministry Permanent Secretary U Myo Myint Maung said the news report came directly from the Home Affairs Ministry, and the Information Ministry did not have the authority to change it.

"Rather than arguing about whether the publication of the photo was right or wrong, I think it is best to reduce the negative impacts of it by following media ethics," U Myo Myint Maung said.

Ko Thalun Zaung Htet from the Yangon-based Protection Committee for Journalists (Myanmar) accused the Information Ministry of aiding and abetting the Home Affairs Ministry in its suppression of media freedoms by speaking up for it.

"What help can we expect from the Information Ministry since they didn't even obscure the faces of the journalists?" he asked, adding that even the faces of murder suspects are obscured in reports.

To protest the reporters' detention, the committee on Saturday announced it was launching a campaign to symbolically support the pair by having journalists wear black while performing their duties.

"Reporters will wear black when reporting and producing news to symbolically represent the suppression of press freedom and the blacking out of information," the committee said.

The Myanmar Press Council will issue its response to the arrests this week, said U Thiha Saw, a spokesperson for the council.

"Access to information is very limited here. It's because this is case relating to information gathering. We'll wait and see," said former Reuters journalist U Aung Hla Tun. The two journalists have been detained incommunicado.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week that the arrests were a sign that press freedom is being eroded in Myanmar. He urged the international community to do all it can to get them released. Their families have been denied access to the duo. Reuters president and editor-in-chief Stephen J. Adler insisted the two are "innocent of any wrongdoing."

"Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are journalists who perform a crucial role in shedding light on news of global interest, and they are innocent of any wrongdoing," he said in a statement. "We are grateful for the widespread expressions of support and we call for their immediate release."

According to sources from Rakhine State, police are investigating four teachers and a villager in Maungdaw who allegedly spoke to the Reuters reporters.

In August, Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein lodged a complaint with the Myanmar Press Council over a Reuters report questioning the cost of the minister's deals with Chinese automaker Yutong to purchase buses for Yangon Bus Service (YBS) as part of his public transport reform initiatives.

The Union government has also questioned Reuters' coverage of the Rakhine issue, accusing it of deliberately failing to include the government's views in its reports.

"Only international pressure and clever lawyers will be able to save the reporters," U Win Htein said.

Translated from the Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The Irrawaddy's Tin Htet Paing contributed reporting.

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Fighting in Kachin State Heats Up

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 02:31 AM PST

YANGON — Fighting in Kachin State between the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the Myanmar Army, or Tatmadaw, has intensified in recent days, according to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

The latest round of clashes erupted in late November.

Colonel Naw Bu, spokesman for the KIA, said he did not know how many people have been killed or injured in the latest fighting but added that there have been daily clashes with regular shelling by the Tatmadaw in the townships of Bhamo, Mansi and Tanai.

He said the Tatmadaw was shelling near Laiza, the headquarters of the KIO, on Dec. 14 and 15 and that it deployed fighter jets against KIA sites in Mansi a few days ago.

The fighting has driven many local villagers from their homes, especially in Tanai, forcing them to stay with relatives or to seek shelter in churches and monasteries, as local government officials have blocked the creation of more camps for displaced families since August.

"The continuous fighting has made travel for locals difficult," added Lamai Gum Ja, spokesman for the non-government Peace Creation Group in Myitkyina, the state capital.

Col Naw Bu said the latest fighting cast further doubt on the prospects of peace talks between the KIO and government.

"Our aims are different even though high-level officers on both sides are talking about peace, so we cannot move forward with negotiations," he said.

Before the NLD took power early last year, the Peace Creation Group helped prevent clashes by providing each side with advance notice of the other's troop movements.

"But now the path to negotiate for both sides is disappearing," said Lamai Gum Ja,

Since hostilities between the Tatmadaw and KIA resumed in 2011, he said, fighting has typically intensified every December.

Last week, police raided the offices of the KIO's Technical Assistance Team in Myitkyina in connection with the seizure of more than 1,000 bullets earlier this month at a private residence in Karen State. The couple renting the residence was arrested in Myitkyina, where they live.

Spokesmen for the Tatmadaw could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

However, in a Facebook post on Friday, the Office of the Commander-in-Chief said the army had to continue operations in the area because of recent activity it blamed on the KIA, including a landmine blast on Dec. 14 that injured one man at an amber mine and the burning of nine trucks transporting dirt near Dun Bum village on Dec. 15 for allegedly failing to pay the KIA extortion money.

The post Fighting in Kachin State Heats Up appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin Found Dead

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 02:26 AM PST

MANDALAY — An endangered Irrawaddy dolphin was found dead near Katha Township, Sagaing Region by local fishermen on Sunday.

The female dolphin had cuts on her abdomen. She was found washed up on a riverbank near Kyauk Pone village.

"Her organs spilled out from the cuts. It did not look like a propeller injury. The cuts looked intentional, whether they killed her or happened after she was already dead," said U Kyaw, one of the locals that discovered the body.

The Irrawaddy dolphin measured 7'6" and is the third one to have died this year.

In April, a male dolphin was found dead with injuries on his fins believed to have been caused by a boat's propeller. In June, a 30-year-old female was found dead with no injuries, the cause of death thought to be natural causes.

Although the cause of the latest death is unknown, local environmental activists point to electric-shock fishing, a major threat to this endangered species.

Electric-shock fishing, especially in the Irrawaddy River's protective zone, is prohibited by the Freshwater Fisheries Law enacted by the Department of Fisheries. Violators face three years in prison or a 300,000 kyats fine.

"The government and responsible authorities need a strict law, rules and regulation that can protect these endangered species effectively," said U Mg Mg Oo, a member of the local environmental activist group Green Activity.

"Fishermen who use electric-shock fishing do not care about the law and they even attack those who report or arrest them. Apart from electric-shock fishing, we also need an effective law to prevent pollution of the river," he added.

According to statistics from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), in 2012 there were only 86 Irrawaddy dolphins. By 2014, the population was just 63. In 2015, 58 were counted in the protective zone, which spans from Mandalay to Bhamo.

The population of dolphins was counted as 65 in 2016, despite three dolphins, including a pregnant female, being found dead that year.

According to the WCS's survey in February this year, 69 dolphins were found in the protective zone. That number now stands at 66 after the three deaths this year.

The post Endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin Found Dead appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week

Posted: 18 Dec 2017 11:06 PM PST

Golden Oldies | Dec. 23

Myanmar's veteran male singers including Soe Paing, J Maung Maung, Khin Maung Htoo, and Jack Mya Thaung will perform at this show.

Dec. 23, 6 pm. National Theater, Myoma Kyaung Street. Tickets 7,000 to 20,000 kyats at Mann Thiri Recording and Call Center 1876.

Wyne Su Khine Thein: Birthday Show | Dec. 24

Wyne Su Khine Thein will perform along with other singers to celebrate her birthday.

Dec. 24, 7 pm. Thuwunnabhumi Event Park, Upper Pazundaung Street, Thuwunna Tsp. Tickets between 10,000 and 100,000 kyats at City Mart and Ocean shopping centers.

Myanmar Writers Club Fundraising Concert | Dec. 24

More than a dozen of Myanmar's celebrated singers including Mar Mar Aye, Than Myat Soe, Cho Pyone, Shwe Yi Thein Tan, Soe Sandar Tun, A Yoe, and Phyo Pyae Sone will perform at this event.

Dec. 24, 6 pm. National Theater, Myoma Kyaung Street. Tickets 5,000 to 30,000 kyats at City Mart Marketplaces. 

Musical Show | Dec. 22

Myanmar traditional musicians will perform at this event.

Dec. 22, 6 pm. IBC Grand Ballroom, Pyay Road, Tickets 10,000 to 30,000 kyats at 09-965113035.

Colorful NUAC | Dec. 20-28

Students of the National University of Arts and Culture will showcase their paintings.

Dec. 20-28. Ayerwon Art Gallery, No. 903/904, U Ba Kyi Street, 58 Ward, Dagon Seikkan Tsp.

Building a Successful Career in the Retail Industry | Dec. 24

Successful businessmen will talk about trends and job opportunities in the retail industry at this event.

Dec. 24, 1 pm to 5:30 pm. UMFCCI Building, Min Ye Kyaw Swa Road, Lanmadaw Tsp.

Cosmetic Festival | Dec. 23-25

Various brands of cosmetics will be on sale with up to 70 percent discounts.

Dec. 23-25. 9 am to 6 pm. Tatmadaw Hall, U Wisara Road.

Artistic Touch II | Dec. 22-25

The group art exhibition of 14 artists features various subjects.

Dec. 22-25, 43rd Art Gallery, 43rd Street, Botahtaung Tsp.

A Tale of Family | Dec 15-24

The art exhibition features modern paintings of three artists.

Dec. 15-24, Junction City.

Pages Art Exhibition | Dec. 20-24

This is a group art exhibition of painters from South Okkalapa Township.

Dec. 20-24. Myanmar Artists and Artisans Organization (Central), Bogyoke Market.

The post Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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