Thursday, January 18, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Rakhine Lawmaker Speaks to The Irrawaddy Moments Before Being Jailed

Posted: 18 Jan 2018 04:02 AM PST

The government on Thursday arrested a prominent Arakan National Party lawmaker for associating with an unlawful organization after he participated in an event in Rathedaung Township in northern Rakhine State.

At the event hosted by a local charity on Monday to mark the 233rd anniversary of the fall of the Rakhine Dynasty to the Bamar, Dr. Aye Maung said: "Bamar people consider Rakhine people slaves and don't give us equal rights," adding that Rakhine people were being organized in an armed struggle for freedom. He said the movement's goal was to reclaim Rakhine sovereignty, state media reported on Thursday.

Police arrested Dr. Aye Maung at around 1 p.m. on Thursday at his home in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State. Two hours later, at 3 p.m., he was sent to Sittwe prison.

During his police custody, The Irrawaddy's Moe Myint was able to talk to him via phone to ask about his arrest, the charges he was accused of and his comments.

Prior to the lawmaker's arrest, author Wai Hin Aung, who also spoke at the event, was arrested on Monday evening. Police charged him under Section 17 (1), which prohibits unlawful association for the purpose of urging people to participate in armed struggle.

"[Today] is the right time for us to take up armed struggle to gain our independence," Wai Hin Aung had said, adding that the Arakan Army—an ethnic Rakhine armed group outlawed by the government—is undertaking an armed struggle to reclaim sovereignty for Rakhine State from the government.

Following is a transcript of The Irrawaddy's interview with Dr. Aye Maung.

Irrawaddy: Hello, Dr. Aye Maung, this is The Irrawaddy. We have learned that you have been detained at the No.1 police station in Sittwe. Could you tell us about the charges against you?

Aye Maung: I have no idea about that at the moment. [Chuckle] I have been sitting here [in the police station] for more than half an hour.

Irrawaddy: So, you are now in police custody. What kind of questions have the police asked you?

Aye Maung: Nothing special. They have just taken the information on my ID card and address, that's it.

Irrawaddy: Some people are saying that the police are preparing to request a judge's permission to remand you in custody. Is that right?

Aye Maung: I don't know. Maybe they are doing it in line with procedures.

Irrawaddy: Do you have any comments regarding the arrest? Especially as it happened under a democratic government.

Aye Maung: Well, this is the very first time [in Myanmar] that a civilian elected legislator is being prosecuted by a civil government. This will not just have a minor impact on the future of the federal democratic union but a much bigger, negative one. But my case aside, the crackdown on the Mrauk-U riot yesterday was very brutal. It will be inked in history forever. In Rakhine, there was a rice riot in 1967 that everyone remembers well until today. Addressing this problem requires deep thought, such as predicting possible scenarios in the future and the consequences. There needs to be consideration of whether the actions will seriously hurt the feelings of future generations. As they are heading toward national reconciliation, they [the Myanmar government] should be looking to share power with others. That is the key problem and it is still unresolved today. We have to analyze how rigorously the military and ethnic [armed] groups have approached the peace dialogue.

And our literature talks were quite different from what was reported in the newspapers. You can find some of those talks [on social media] and we can share our audio files with you. They translated our speech from the Arakanese language to Burmese and so we will make accurate translations of some episodes. Think about it. For example, even a simple sentence does not have a complete meaning. At least three sentences are required to figure out the original meaning. In this case, they just took one sentence and stuck it with the other passages, and it changed the original meaning. It should not be done that way. They need to conclude each passage without manipulating the sentences. We delivered our speech with an intro, body and conclusion and we used terminology that matched the federal context. In that speech, we raised the notion that the country has been struggling to get peace for 70 years and raised the question of how will this be discussed at the 21st Century Panglong Conference and when will they offer equal rights [to the ethnic groups], and if this problem is not resolved here, will it continue to happen in the future? A painful bloodshed has happened. It's heartbreaking.

This is the very first prosecution by an elected civilian government of a parliamentarian and as far as I know the case is quite big. I have no idea what will happen in the near future. To be honest, if you have hurt someone's feelings badly, it is very difficult to heal.

Irrawaddy: As you mentioned, the charge is quite serious and various rumors have been spread on social media that you are being charged under the "State Treason Law." Is that right?

Aye Maung: I have also heard this sort of hearsay, that this will be treated as a state treason case. I am a parliamentarian. Let's talk about it in Parliament. Even Daw Aung San Suu Kyi mentioned that Parliament and the public must interact so that we can create a prosperous future for the public, especially, on issues like freedom of expression and fundamental rights of citizens. I would not have been a lawmaker if I wanted to rebel against the government.

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New Irrawaddy Chief Minister Vows to Boost Regional Economy Through Agriculture

Posted: 18 Jan 2018 03:40 AM PST

PATHEIN, Irrawaddy Region — U Hla Moe Aung, the lawmaker representing Irrawaddy's Myanaung Township, has become the new chief minister of the regional government.

The Irrawaddy Parliament, during its special meeting on Thursday, confirmed the nominee selected by President U Htin Kyaw to succeed Mahn Johnny, who stepped down for health reasons on Jan. 9.

"I will focus mainly on economic development of the Irrawaddy Region based on agriculture," U Hla Moe Aung, the new chief minister, told The Irrawaddy.

"At the same time, I'll try to improve transportation and the electricity supply in the short time I've got," he added, as he has nearly three years until his term expires in 2020.

The new chief minister also vowed to fight corruption in his government. "What I can guarantee is that I'll work hard for the people."

The 56-year-old is a graduate in agriculture, and is also the vice-chairman of the Myanaung Township chapter of the National League for Democracy (NLD). He also served as the secretary of the regional parliamentary committee on agriculture, livestock, irrigation and resources.

"It is fair to say that a change has started for the Irrawaddy Region," said Thabaung Township lawmaker U Aung Aung Oo.

"As he is an agricultural graduate, I hope he can develop the agricultural sector of the region. For a chief minister, management is the most important thing. And I believe he will be able to do his best in that regard," he added.

The regional Parliament will continue its meeting on Jan. 23 to proceed with formal procedures for the appointment of the new chief minister.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Aerial Survey to Improve Govt’s Earthquake Predictions

Posted: 18 Jan 2018 01:39 AM PST

YANGON — An aerial survey of the earthquake-prone region between Naypyitaw and Mandalay is set for March in an effort to help the government make better predictions about future strikes.

The Myanmar Earthquake Committee, Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, Land Records Department and Singapore's Nanyang Technological University have teamed up for the project with the government's approval.

The team will take aerial photos of the terrain to understand the geographical features of the Sagaing Fault.

Previously, earthquake risks were assessed using aerial photos downloaded from the internet. The Earthquake Committee hopes to make more precise predictions with the higher resolution photos the aerial survey will provide.

The Sagaing Fault is one of Myanmar's major fault lines, stretching over 1,200 km and passing through populated cities including Mandalay, Yamethin, Pyinmana, the capital Naypyitaw, Taungoo and Bago before dropping off into the Gulf of Martaban.

The fault has been largely inactive for nearly 180 years in the area the aerial survey will cover, so the risks of a powerful earthquake are high, U Myo Thant of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee told The Irrawaddy.

The committee estimates that the Sagaing Fault is moving about 18 to 20 millimeters a year, numbers the aerial survey can confirm.

The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology has installed 29 seismometers along the Sagaing Fault and has one more to go, said U Myo Nanda Aung, of the department's earthquake section in Yangon.

It has also installed 17 GPS devices from north to south, with one left to put in place.

"We've installed seismometers in townships that are easily accessible and close to the fault. We've also installed GPS devices to know the speed of seismic waves," said U Myo Nanda Aung.

An earthquake measuring a magnitude 6 on the Richter Scale rocked Pyu Township in the central region of Bago on Jan. 12, followed by dozens of aftershocks including a 3.9 magnitude tremor the next day in Htantabin Township on the outskirts of Yangon, the country's most populous city.

According to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, nearly 70 earthquakes hit Myanmar in 2017.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Aerial Survey to Improve Govt's Earthquake Predictions appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

ANP Vows State Parliamentary Probe into Mrauk-U Protest Deaths

Posted: 18 Jan 2018 01:32 AM PST

A leading Rakhine political party has vowed to launch a parliamentary investigation into a police crackdown on a crowd of protesters, including teenagers, that killed seven people on Tuesday night in Mrauk-U, a popular tourist town in northern Rakhine State.

During a meeting with residents on Wednesday evening, the leadership of the Arakan National Party questioned the police's handling of the situation.

"Why was the death toll so high when there were several options available for handling the situation? We will raise the issue in parliament," said ANP General Secretary U Tun Aung Kyaw. The party official promised local people the Rakhine State Parliament would investigate the incident to ensure justice for the victims.

U Tun Aung Kyaw criticized officials for failing to implement proper riot-control measures such as blocking roads with barbed-wire fences, and using teargas and water canons to disperse the crowd.

The government said on Wednesday that the actions of police during the riot would be investigated to determine whether they adhered to established rules of engagement. In the statement, the country's de facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi expressed sympathy for those who were killed and injured.

On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of Mrauk-U residents took to the streets to protest the government's ban on celebrating the 233rd anniversary of the fall of the Rakhine Dynasty. The government said it had banned the annual event because the venue was a former palace that has been listed as a national heritage site.

Protesters marched to the district administrative office, where some threw stones and destroyed government property. Police fired warning shots but when the protesters failed to disperse, officers fired into the crowd, survivors told The Irrawaddy.

In a brief report on the incident, the Ministry of Information (MOI) confirmed that seven people had been killed. Earlier reports from witnesses in Mrauk-U, including people who offered assistance to survivors, put the death toll at nine, with most of the fatalities caused by gunshot wounds.

The government statement released late Wednesday evening said nearly 10,000 protesters marched to the administrative office and that around 4,000 people broke into the office compound after pelting security forces with stones and broken bricks, resulting in the destruction of office property.

"The mob was getting wilder in spite of many warning shots. So the security forces had to fire nearly 10 rounds into the crowd," the release said.

In the wake the deadly shooting, police were out in force on the streets of northern Rakhine's Mrauk-U Township. Residents of Mrauk-U remained angry over the deadly crackdown, U Tun Aung Kyaw said.

Senior ANP leaders, Rakhine Parliament speaker U San Kyaw Hla and several regional lawmakers immediately traveled to Mrauk-U from Sittwe upon learning about the casualties on Tuesday night. In the morning, victims' family members and other Mrauk-U residents gathered at Mrauk-U General Hospital in order identify the casualties.

Mrauk-U resident Ko Khine, who observed bodies arriving at the hospital's morgue, said he saw three police trucks pull up at the hospital compound and dozens of riot police being deployed there. He said the names of the victims had been confirmed by their families, adding that they were aged between 18 and 36. Authorities sent the bodies to Mrauk-U cemetery in the afternoon and funerals were due to take place on Thursday.

"Mrauk-U residents are downhearted at the moment," he said.

U Tun Aung Kyaw said regional legislators met with senior township police officers and administrative officials to get detailed information about the incident. He recalled that township authorities had urged locals to protest a decision by authorities to ban celebrations of the 233rd anniversary of the fall of the Arakan Dynasty on Jan. 16.

A written order dated Jan. 15 and signed by Rakhine State Border Affairs Minister Col. Phone Tint went viral on Facebook on Wednesday morning. It stated that those wishing to celebrate the anniversary must apply for a peaceful assembly permit from the authorities in line with existing laws. Action would be taken against those who failed to do so, it said.

U Tun Aung Kyaw said, "We heard reports of that happening but could not get any testimony from survivors or rally participants. As you know, some of the wounded are in critical condition and cannot speak to us."

Prominent citizens of the township, including Buddhist monks and party officials, held an urgent meeting on Wednesday.

Generation Wave, the Ethnic People's Development Plan (EPDP) and other activist groups issued a letter condemning the indiscriminate killings in Mrauk-U and urging action against those officials responsible for mishandling the response to the riot. They demanded that authorities release details about the incident to ensure transparency.

The Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic Arakanese armed group, released a statement accusing police of deliberately killing innocent civilians by using live ammunition. It demanded the Myanmar government take full responsibility. The letter reads: "In terms of this incident, ULA/AA will take serious action against those who killed civilians."

The United Nations' office in Myanmar expressed concern over the incident, saying: "We deplore the loss of life and injuries that have been reported."

The UN urged authorities to investigate the case to determine whether disproportionate force was used or any other illegal actions occurred.

The post ANP Vows State Parliamentary Probe into Mrauk-U Protest Deaths appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Karenni Police Ready More Lawsuits Against Protesters

Posted: 18 Jan 2018 12:07 AM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Police in Karenni State say they will sue three more local men this week for allegedly violating Article 19 of the Peaceful Assembly Law by leading a protest on Jan. 5 against the prosecution of five other protesters under the same law.

The five were convicted by the Loikaw Township court on Friday and sentenced to 20 days in prison for failing to inform authorities of their plans to demonstrate on Dec. 22. They staged the demonstration to protest the Tatmadaw's alleged murder of a civilian and three soldiers of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) on December 20.

Khun Bee Du, chairman of the Kayan National Party, Khun A-Than, a central committee member of the Kayan New Generation Youth, and Khu Tu Reh, chairman of the Karenni State Farmers Union, led hundreds of people in the Jan. 5 protest in Loikaw to show their solidarity with the five men.

Loikaw Police Captain Win Htay told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that the protesters violated the Peaceful Assembly Law and that the three leaders would be sued after he sought legal advise from the public prosecutor.

Because the protesters did not inform authorities about their plans 48 hours in advance, the captain said, he would "act in accordance with the law to sue the protesters within 15 days of the protest."

Capt. Win Htay said he planned to meet with the three protest leaders on Friday as part of his investigation.

Khun Bee Du told The Irrawaddy that the police captain visited the three of them Wednesday night to inform them of the pending lawsuit.

"The authorities must also work to find justice in the killing of the civilian and three KNPP soldiers on December 20, just as they take legal actions against whoever violates the law, including us," he said.

Khun Bee Du said the protesters were well aware they could face legal action but went ahead with the event to press for justice in the case of the alleged murders by the Tatmadaw.

Nearly a month after the alleged murders, a complaint has yet to be lodged with the Loikaw police. The case remains under investigation by an internal tribunal of the Tatmadaw lead by Brigadier General Aung Khine Soe.

The KNPP claims that its soldiers and a civilian were executed during a Dec. 20 raid on the KNPP's camp in Loikaw by troops from the Tatmadaw's Regional Operations Command. It claims the military killed the four men at the camp, removed the bodies and burned them back at their own base.

The Tatmadaw claims the four were killed in a firefight during the raid.

The post Karenni Police Ready More Lawsuits Against Protesters appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Women’s Participation Will Bolster Chances for Peace: Report

Posted: 17 Jan 2018 10:45 PM PST

YANGON — A report on policies and strategies for promoting gender equality in Myanmar was released in Yangon on Jan. 15.

The joint report was produced by the Salween Institute for Public Policy (SI) and Women's League of Burma (WLB), a coalition of 13 ethnic women's organizations engaged in promoting women's rights in Myanmar.

The report provides wide-ranging recommendations for policymakers and activists to promote the role of women in Myanmar's peace process, nation-building and different levels of the legislative and executive branches.

It explains the importance of gender equality and advantages of women's participation in leadership and decision-making, said officials of SI and WLB.

The population of women is significantly higher than that of men in Myanmar, and if women are treated as the weaker sex, men will have to bear the burden of their female counterparts in the long run, argued Shine Ko Ko Lwin, a manager of SI.

"So, will we men bear their burden or give them a hand and work together as equals? Don't bear that burden. Working together as equals is beneficial to us," he said.

The four-part report elaborates on the benefits of increased participation of women in politics and decision-making, arguing that it could further cement peace agreements and bolster post-conflict rehabilitation and administration processes.

"Women and children are hit hardest by clashes. So, it is fair to say that women want peace the most. But still, they are neglected. Without the voices of those who have borne the brunt, there will be no permanent peace," said Mal Soe Soe Nwe who is on the policy-making committee of WLB.

Around half the peace agreements worldwide collapse within 10 years after the signing, but truces tend to last longer with higher women's participation in the process, said Ying Lao, a deputy director with SI.

"So, we can draw a conclusion that Myanmar's peace process is shaky now because of low women's participation," she added.

The report also identifies the legal, societal, and institutional barriers that bar women from taking important roles.

"There is a societal belief that politics and leadership aren't suitable for women. Even women have that notion. We need to change that," said Ying Lao.

Though political parties fielded women candidates in the 2015 election, voters tend to prefer men to represent and lead them, she claimed.

According to UNESCO statistics, 34.2 percent of women and 25.7 percent of men have completed a high school education in Myanmar, while 80.5 percent of those with master's degrees and 80.8 of doctorate degree holders are women.

This figure indicates that the number of educated women is much higher than that of men in Myanmar, and the notion that women's participation in politics and decision-making is low because of the low number of educated women is wrong, says the report.

The report is designed for stakeholders such as the government, Parliament, ethnic armed groups, Tatmadaw, political parties, civil society organizations, media and international agencies.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Philippine Lawmakers Worry China Telecom May be a ‘Trojan Horse’

Posted: 17 Jan 2018 08:56 PM PST

MANILA — Opposition members of the Philippine Congress raised concern on Wednesday that China Telecom Corp. Ltd., which may enter the Philippine industry, could be a “Trojan horse” aimed at giving China access to state secrets.

The Southeast Asian country aims to name a third telecom operator within the first quarter that will break the duopoly of PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. State-run China Telecom has been named as a possible investor in that third entity.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who has warned both PLDT and Globe to shape up or face competition, has welcomed Chinese entities specifically to become the third telecoms operator.

Beijing has selected China Telecom to invest in the Philippines, according to Philippine officials, but it would need to partner with a local company as it cannot operate alone under the law.

China Telecom’s presence in the Philippines, however, does not sit well with some lawmakers, given China’s telecommunications expertise and sophisticated technology.

Despite Duterte’s warm relations with China, the Philippines has a long history of mistrust of it, due largely to its maritime assertiveness and its challenges to Philippine claims of sovereignty over various islands, reefs and waters.

“While we agree that telecommunications and connectivity are serious problems in our country, it behooves us to scrutinize the China deal,” the House minority bloc said in a statement.

“Is China Telecom a Trojan horse?”

The lawmakers sought a congressional inquiry and cautioned the government against rushing into any deal.

“Giving China access to the country’s communications infrastructure is a serious threat to national security,” they said, adding that even the United States was aware of such risk.

Two US lawmakers introduced a bill this week that bars the US government from using or contracting with Chinese telecom firms Huawei or ZTE Corp.

The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the lawmakers’ security concerns.

The Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) sought to allay the lawmakers’ concern on Wednesday.

A National Cybersecurity Plan is in place to provide measures and controls against security risks, DICT Assistant Secretary Allan Cabanlong told Reuters.

“Rest assured that there is no problem. What is important is that we are focused on the development of the country,” he said.

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Trump Considers Big ‘Fine’ Over China Intellectual Property Theft

Posted: 17 Jan 2018 08:49 PM PST

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States was considering a big "fine" as part of a probe into China's alleged theft of intellectual property, the clearest indication yet that his administration will take retaliatory trade action against China.

In an interview with Reuters, Trump and his economic adviser Gary Cohn said China had forced US companies to transfer their intellectual property to China as a cost of doing business there.

The United States has started a trade investigation into the issue, and Cohn said the United States Trade Representative would be making recommendations about it soon.

"We have a very big intellectual property potential fine going, which is going to come out soon," Trump said in the interview.

While Trump did not specify what he meant by a "fine" against China, the 1974 trade law that authorized an investigation into China's alleged theft of US intellectual property allows him to impose retaliatory tariffs on Chinese goods or other trade sanctions until China changes its policies.

Trump said the damages could be high, without elaborating on how the numbers were reached or how the costs would be imposed.

"We're talking about big damages. We're talking about numbers that you haven't even thought about," Trump said.

US businesses say they lose hundreds of billions of dollars in technology and millions of jobs to Chinese firms which have stolen ideas and software or forced them to turn over intellectual property as part of the price of doing business in China.

The president said he wanted the United States to have a good relationship with China, but Beijing needed to treat the United States fairly.

Trump said he would be announcing some kind of action against China over trade and said he would discuss the issue during his State of the Union address to the US Congress on Jan. 30.

Asked about the potential for a trade war depending on US action over steel, aluminum and solar panels, Trump said he hoped a trade war would not ensue.

"I don't think so, I hope not. But if there is, there is," he said.

Jeffrey Schott, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said the penalties under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which authorized the investigation into China's intellectual property practices, would likely include a package of both tariffs and restrictions on Chinese investment in the United States.

"I suspect the US measures will involve restrictions in areas where we don't have WTO [World Trade Organization] obligations," Schott said. "Trump likes to talk about tariffs so that may be part of the package too. The Chinese would have the legal right to retaliate against tariff increases."

Throughout his 2016 election campaign, Trump routinely threatened to impose a 45 percent across-the-board tariff on Chinese goods as a way to level the playing field for American workers. At the time, he was also accusing China of manipulating its currency to gain an export advantage, a claim that his administration has since dropped.

Trump said on Wednesday that China stopped meeting the criteria for currency manipulation after his election, and he said making that designation while trying to work with Beijing to rein in North Korea would be tricky.

"How do you say, 'hey, by the way, help me with North Korea and I'm going to call you a currency manipulator?' It really doesn’t work," Trump said.

The president also said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had not discussed China's plans with regard to purchases of US Treasury bonds.

Bloomberg reported earlier this month that Chinese officials reviewing the country's foreign exchange holdings had recommended slowing or halting purchases of US Treasury bonds.

Trump said he was not concerned such a move would hurt the US economy.

"We never talked about it. They have to do what they do," he said.

The post Trump Considers Big 'Fine' Over China Intellectual Property Theft appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Still Modern After All These Years: Exhibition Surveys Careers of 5 Key Artists

Posted: 17 Jan 2018 06:05 PM PST

The group of Myanmar modernist artists collectively known as the Third Generation emerged more than 40 years ago and are all quite advanced in age now. One of them, Kyee Myint Saw, 79, recently decided it was time for a reunion.

"I was wondering what it would be like to take part in an art exhibition along with my old friends. All of us have always been and are still modernists. We're old now, but our minds are modern — still modern," Kyee Myint Saw said.

The retrospective 'A Journey through Modern Art' looks back at the careers of pioneering Myanmar modernists.

In the upcoming exhibition "A Journey through Modern Art," Kyee Myint Saw and four other modernists, Aung Myint, Aung Khaing, San Minn and Maung Theid Dhi, stop to take a look back at their journey in the genre.

Kyee Myint Saw, who made his name with the popular "Yangon Night" series, is a disciple of pre- and early modernist masters like Paul Cezanne and Henri Matisse.

Discussing the "Yangon Night" paintings, which will be featured in the show, he said, "I'd like to show some black in this exhibition. I've painted colors and figures on black [backgrounds]."

The retrospective 'A Journey through Modern Art' looks back at the careers of pioneering Myanmar modernists.

"Night is dark. But my 'Yangon Night' is extraordinarily dark," he added.

Art historians regard the five artists whose work will be displayed at the exhibition as belonging to the Third Generation group within Myanmar's modernist school. Aung Myint has been a fixture of the movement since 1970, and his Inya Art Gallery is known as a training center for young artists. He is one of the pioneers of installation art in Myanmar and his "Mother and Child" series is popular among art fans.

San Minn is a surrealist who is interested in political, social and cultural subjects. His creation "The Old Lady" depicts an aging woman in revealing dress. "No matter how much we want to stay young, the autumn years will finally come," he said by way of explaining the painting's message.

The retrospective 'A Journey through Modern Art' looks back at the careers of pioneering Myanmar modernists.

Maung Theid Dhi is one of the pioneers of minimalism in Myanmar, and Aung Khaing is known for his more "traditional modernist" style.

The exhibition will be held from Jan. 19 to 25at OK Art Gallery in the north wing of Aung San Stadium. More than 20 paintings will be on display and for sale, with prices ranging between $400 and $6,000.

The retrospective 'A Journey through Modern Art' looks back at the careers of pioneering Myanmar modernists.

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Wednesday, January 17, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Pa-O Group Picks New Chairman, Promises Continuity

Posted: 17 Jan 2018 04:16 AM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — The Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) elected a new chairman during its second conference last week in a remote area in Shan State's Mawkmai Township.

Colonel Khun Thu Rein was elected to replace Khun Myint Tu, who was elected vice chairman.

The PNLO and its armed wing, the Pa-O National Liberation Army, agreed to both a bilateral ceasefire and the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the previous government.

The PNLO conference convened for four days, from Jan. 11 to 14, at the organization's headquarters in Mawkmai and was joined by more than 220 participants. They included monks and civil society representatives from Shan, Karen and Mon states and Bago Region. The ethnic minority Pa-O live scattered across the country's east and southeast regions.

Despite the latest leadership change, a PNLO secretary said, the organization would not be changing its delegates to NCA implementation bodies including the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee and the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee. It will also keep in place its current delegate to the Peace Process Steering Team, made up of the eight ethnic armed groups that have signed the NCA.

"The PNLO will continue following the NCA path," said Khun Tun Tin, the organization's first joint general secretary.

At a meeting in Thailand last week, the steering team agreed that the third session of the 21st Century Panglong Union Peace Conference should be postponed until the signatories were able to carry out the mandated national-level political dialogues. Myanmar's military, or Tatmadaw, recently obstructed public consultations taking place prior to national-level dialogues in Shan, claiming the consultations were not allowed under the terms of the NCA.

The PNLO's representative on the steering team did not join its meeting in Thailand because he was attending the PNLO conference.

The Tatmadaw is reluctant to allow the NCA signatories to hold public consultations in other states and regions as well. It has not allowed consultations in Rakhine State citing security concerns. The Karen National Union had to postpone its consultations, too, while the All Burma Students' Democratic Front cancelled its own public consultation in Irrawaddy Region on Saturday and temporarily in Bago on Friday under military pressure.

Khun Tin Tun said the PNLO's conference also included discussion of the organization's activities and policies, amendments to its Constitution, and the national-level dialogues.

Regard to the current difficulties with the dialogues, the secretary said: "We hope the [steering team] can sort out those problems and move the peace process forward."

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The Evolution of Yangon’s New Bus Service

Posted: 17 Jan 2018 04:08 AM PST

The Yangon Bus Service (YBS) marked its first-year anniversary on Tuesday facing the same hopes and apprehensions as at its birth. But the Yangon government seems committed to making it a success, vowing during Tuesday's celebrations to "make it happen." Here are some of The Irrawaddy's previous stories on the bus service to help readers understand how the YBS became what it is today.

Yangon Transport Authority Declares YBS a 'Success' on Its 1st Birthday

Authority says plans for this year include launch of cashless payment system

 

Hopes and Troubles Mark YBS' First Anniversary

Despite optimism, unlicensed buses and illegal drivers raise fears for public safety.

 

The Yangon Bus Service in Numbers

Check a snapshot of the Yangon Bus Service’s operations based on the latest available data, from December in infographics.

 

Acer, Excel Myanmar to Bring Cashless Fares to Yangon Bus System

A joint venture between the Burmese and Taiwanese firms was selected to fit the commercial capital's public transit system with a card payment platform.

Despite High Operating Costs, CEO of Yangon's New Bus System Remains Optimistic

With bumpy start behind it, transit system chief focuses on boosting fleet size, reaching breakeven in 4-5 years

 

Commuters wait for buses near Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon on Jan. 19, 2017.

Rangoon Bus Rollout Gets Mixed Reviews

For residents of Rangoon, this week was full of excitement, dissatisfaction, and frustration as the city embraced a new bus network.

 

Rangoon Regional Minister Reveals Ambassador's Role in Bus Purchases from China

The planning and finance minister says the purchase of 1,000 new buses for US$56 million was arranged with the help of the Chinese ambassador.

 

Rangoon Launches New Bus System

Early problems including long waits and overcrowding blamed on a lack of vehicles on first day of operation.

 

Can Rangoon's Traffic Woes be Solved?

Through an improved bus network and a new computerized traffic control system, the government hopes to cut congestion by 40 percent.

 

Volunteers Jump on Board Regional Govt Launch of New Rangoon Bus System

Hundreds of volunteers are signing up to work with philanthropic groups, the student union, and lawmakers to ease the transition to a new bus service.

 

New Bus Service for Rangoon Commuters to Launch Next Week 

Eight companies to operate 59 bus lines under a new bus service to tackle badly maintained buses, dangerous driving, and unprofessional staff.

The post The Evolution of Yangon's New Bus Service appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Locals Upset Over IFC Meeting Regarding Salween Hydropower Project

Posted: 17 Jan 2018 03:03 AM PST

MANDALAY — Action for Shan State Rivers (ASSR) said on Monday that locals were saddened by the meeting of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) concerning the controversial hydropower projects on the Salween River in Shan State.

"Despite disagreements, the IFC held a stakeholder discussion in Taunggyi on Monday, without representatives of impacted locals or local civil society organizations (CSOs) present," said Sai Khur Hseng, an ASSR spokesperson.

The ASSR said the discussion was part of a series of meetings to finalize a countrywide strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for hydropower development projects on the Salween River, including Naung Pha dam, which alarms the locals.

The Naung Pha dam, located between Lashio and Hopong townships, is similar to other planned hydropower dams in the region, an armed conflict zone.

"Locals, including us, and many other local CSOs, have been against the hydropower projects and the dam building on the Salween River for many years. We were angered and saddened by the ignorance of responsible organizations like the IFC," said Sai Khur Hseng.

Six large hydropower dams are planned to be built along the river in Shan, Karenni and Karen states, which would collectively generate 10,000 megawatts of electricity. Most of the electricity produced from these hydropower dams will be exported to neighboring countries, mainly China.

"Since these projects will not benefit the local communities, we do not want them. For developing our region, there are many things to do other than building hydropower dams and selling the powers to other countries," he added.

The locals have been against hydropower development on Salween River for many years, urging for transparency, and concern for natural disasters, as well as environmental and social impacts. Since the dams and hydropower plants projects are located within armed conflict zones, another concern is stability and peace in the region.

"The IFC should have called off its assessment as soon as possible, for it is just for the benefit of the Naypyitaw government and hydropower corporations, against the wishes of local communities," said Sai Khur Hseng.

"In addition, we want full transparency on these projects. And also, we would like to tell them to think about the armed conflicts and peace in the region," he added.

Earlier this month, the Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability (MATA) issued a statement and called for transparency regarding the building of hydropower dams on the Salween River and in the Irrawaddy's Myitsone hydropower projects.

The MATA statement suggested the government develop solar and bio-fuel power instead of planning hydropower and coal power projects, which could impact the environment and social stability in the respective regions.

The post Locals Upset Over IFC Meeting Regarding Salween Hydropower Project appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Defense Ministry Asks For Budget Increase

Posted: 17 Jan 2018 01:02 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — The Defense Ministry on Tuesday asked for a budget of more than 1.3 trillion kyats (US$1 billion) for a six-month period—an amount higher than the combined total of the health and education budgets—as Parliament discussed the budget for a transitional period ahead of the 2018-19 fiscal year, which will start on Oct. 1.

The defense ministry's proposed budget includes more than 2 billion kyats for military operations.

Lawmakers of the National League for Democracy (NLD) said that the budget requested by the Ministry of Defense made up 12.56 percent of the total budget proposal, while the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Sports asked for 7.56 percent and 3.93 percent respectively, adding up to only 11.46 percent of the total budget.

"During the term of the previous government, student activists demanded that the education budget be increased to 20 percent of the national budget. It seemed as though the education budget increased under the current government, but in reality, it didn't because the budget was for two ministries – the Education Ministry and the Ministry of Science and Technology," he explained, as the NLD government had incorporated the Ministry of Science and Technology into the education ministry.

The budget proposed by the Health and Sports Ministry was only 400 billion kyats for a six months period, and that amount is not sufficient to spend both on the health and sports sectors, he added.

Deputy Minister for Defense Maj-Gen Myint Nwe told Parliament that the Defense Ministry is expected to earn 31.761 billion kyats in normal revenue; its capital expenditure is expected to be 611.087 billion kyats; its normal expenditure, 723.107 billion kyats; and total expenditure is, therefore, 1.33 trillion kyats for the six-month transitional period.

He told Parliament, "The money is used to implement plans to strengthen the structure of soldiers, weapons, equipment for perpetuity of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Union."

Lower House lawmaker U Tun Tun of Pwintbyu Township, who was on the budget scrutinizing committee, said that the defense budget is rarely cut, but when the Defense Ministry asked for an additional budgetary top-up for the 2017-18 fiscal year, the committee cut around 280 million kyats because government agencies are restricted by law from obtaining an extra budget of more than 10 percent of their main budget.

"The defense budget has never been trimmed. However, we will check whether the army asked for its budget in accordance with financial rules and regulations. If we find that the budget was increased unnecessarily, we will scrutinize and cut it," he said.

To compare the defense budgets for normal expenditures, the Defense Ministry asked for 609.627 billion kyats for the first half of 2016-17 FY, 827.149 billion kyats for the first half of 2017-18 FY, and 723.107 billion kyats for the six-month period in 2018.

And to compare the defense budgets for capital expenditures, it asked for 168.498 billion kyats for the first half of 2016-17 FY, 622.440 billion kyats for the first half of 2017-18 FY, and 618.017 billion kyats for the six-month period.

Translated from Burmese by Myint Win Thein.

The post Defense Ministry Asks For Budget Increase appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Audit Finds Unlawful Spending by States, Regions Under Prior Govt

Posted: 17 Jan 2018 12:54 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — The Auditor-General's Office says it has found unlawful expenditures of the development funds of the country's regions and states after reviewing the use of those funds under the previous U Thein Sein administration.

The office sent the results of its audit to the President's Office late last year, Auditor-General U Maw Than told reporters in Naypyitaw on Tuesday.

"We are just responsible for reporting what we have found, and it is up to the President's Office whether or not to take action," he said.

The Auditor-General's Office examined the development funds of all regions and states and of the Naypyitaw Union Territory. It found that missing funds were modest, except in Magwe and Irrawaddy regions, as well as violations of procedures and regulations.

"The way some regional governments spent the funds didn't comply with procedures and regulations. For example, there were miscalculations in spending, and some spent without drawing up budgets," said U Maw Than.

He added that the President's Office had yet to issue any instruction in response to the report.

U Maw Than declined to disclose the detailed financial accounts of the regional governments.

The Auditor-General's Office was assigned by the President's Office in June to examine the financial accounts of the previous government following revelations of embezzlement of regional development funds by the former Magwe Region chief minister U Phone Maw Shwe.

U Khin Maung Win, chairman of the Lower House Judicial and Legal Affairs Committee, suggested that the Auditor-General's Office be more open with the public about the missing funds, citing the example of U Phone Maw Shwe, who returned some of the misappropriated money after the investigation.

He also cited the example of the Mandalay Region government, which revoked permits for more than 100 plots of land that were dubiously granted or leased by the previous regional government during the transfer of power in 2016.

"Those cases show that misappropriation exists. In any case, action should be taken against those who are responsible," he said.

The President's Office has previously said it would not take action against the former Magwe chief minister in order to stick to its policy of 'no retrospection.'

The officials who ran the Irrawaddy Region government under the previous administration had to explain their spending of regional development funds in May after allegations that they embezzled up to 7 billion kyats ($5.2 million at current exchange rates). The region's former ministers claimed that they donated large portions of the fund to a regional development foundation that they were heading.

"We are not finding fault with them. We just want to ensure proper public financial management and put them on the right track," said U Maw Than.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Audit Finds Unlawful Spending by States, Regions Under Prior Govt appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Infrastructure Plan Can Help Asia’s Growing Cities: Expert

Posted: 16 Jan 2018 08:51 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR — China's landmark "Belt and Road" scheme, which is ploughing billions of dollars into global infrastructure projects, could work hand-in-hand with efforts to help Asian cities meet the needs of their exploding populations, a regional resilience expert said.

Many Asia-Pacific cities, including the 23 that are part of the 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) network backed by The Rockefeller Foundation, have been held back by a deficit in infrastructure.

But that could change with China's new drive to invest, said Lauren Sorkin, regional director for Asia Pacific at 100RC.

"The proposed investments in port and rail infrastructure are staggering – what is done in connection with those investments is terribly important," she said, highlighting the need to consider issues beyond economic growth, such as the environment.

"We have to look at what are going to be the benefits to the communities and cities around them," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which partners with The Rockefeller Foundation on resilience coverage.

A failure by many Asia-Pacific cities to plan well and invest in the infrastructure required to keep pace with rapid urbanization has had a detrimental impact on millions of people, experts say.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) forecasts that the region needs to spend $1.7 trillion per year from now until 2030 to meet its infrastructure needs.

Beijing's so-called "Belt and Road" initiative aims to recreate the old "Silk Road" with massive infrastructure projects to connect China by land and sea to Southeast, South and Central Asia, and beyond to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

Four Chinese cities are taking part in the 100RC initiative to bolster cities to deal with modern-day shocks and stresses: Deyang, Haiyan, Huangshi and Yiwu.

They have spent the past year selecting and training senior officials to fill the role of chief resilience officer.

Deyang is set to become the first 100RC member in China to publish its resilience strategy in May, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of a devastating earthquake that hit the city.

While there is still far to go to raise adequate finance for infrastructure in Asian cities, Sorkin said money was available for those in the 100RC group to "get the work done."

Sorkin, who previously worked at the ADB, said 100RC's Asia-Pacific members aimed to switch from planning to implementing their resilience strategies in 2018.

"This year is about action," she added in a telephone interview.

Since 100RC – backed by $164 million from The Rockefeller Foundation – was established in 2013, its member cities have set priorities to build their resilience in consultation with academics, urban planners, business leaders, civil society and government agencies.

Sorkin pinpointed mobility and water management as the top two issues facing Asian cities.

Bangkok and Jakarta, for example, struggle with regular flooding and traffic gridlock that can make even the shortest journeys last for hours.

"Changing the paradigm in terms of how our cities live and build with water – as they're also facing a changing climate – is the number one challenge," Sorkin said.

"Providing adequate transport in rapidly growing cities is the biggest challenge next to water," she added.

The post China Infrastructure Plan Can Help Asia's Growing Cities: Expert appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Philippine Province Declares ‘Calamity’ as Volcano Lava Spreads

Posted: 16 Jan 2018 08:41 PM PST

MANILA — A central Philippine province declared a state of calamity on Tuesday as a volcano spewed lava that reached the limits of a six-km radius no-go zone and spread ash on nearby farming villages.

Mount Mayon, a volcano in Albay province in the coconut-growing central Bicol region, has been erupting since Saturday and the number of people fleeing their homes had more than doubled on Tuesday to about 25,000, said Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council gave a smaller estimate, saying there were close to 22,000 evacuees.

Placing the province under a state of calamity will give the province access to extra funds.

"This kind of eruption, it will take about weeks, so we have to sustain the operations in the evacuation centers," Bichara told ANC news channel.
"We need to use the calamity funds."

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said it had recorded nine more tremors, four of which accompanied lava fountains, as pressure leads to lava flows and ash plumes.

It reiterated that the activity signified a possible hazardous eruption within weeks or even days from the near perfectly cone-shaped volcano.

The provincial government has also expanded its suspension of school classes to more towns around the 2,462-metre (8,077-foot) volcano, about 340 km (210 miles) southeast of Manila.

Class suspensions have allowed the government to use schools as temporary shelters.

The post Philippine Province Declares 'Calamity' as Volcano Lava Spreads appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

9 People Reported Dead After Police Crackdown on Protest in Mrauk-U

Posted: 16 Jan 2018 07:33 PM PST

YANGON — A police crackdown on a protest in northern Rakhine State's ancient city of Mrauk-U on Tuesday night left at least nine people dead and 12 severely wounded by gunfire, according to a local lawmaker.

U Tun Thar Sein, who represents Mrauk-U (1) in the state Parliament, spoke with The Irrawaddy over the phone at 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday after returning home from Mrauk-U's general hospital. He said some of the 12 patients had been transferred to the state capital, Sittwe, about 141 km away.

"I saw that the victims were shot at least twice, mostly in the abdomen and legs", he said.

He said several thousand people were protesting on Tuesday evening against a decision by authorities to ban celebration of the 233rd anniversary of the end of the Arakan dynasty. Locals commemorate the event each year on Dec. 15 and 16 with traditional wrestling matches and talks on literature by activists and influential politicians.

The protestors who gathered on the roads were few in number at first, but their ranks swelled to a few thousand within hours. The crowd then marched to the district administration office at about 9:30 p.m., approximately 2 km northeast of downtown.

A high school teacher in Mrauk-U said many 11th grade students preparing to sit their matriculation exams in the next few months also joined the rally.

"The roads in Mrauk-U were taken over by the protesters within a few hours," he said.

U Tun Thar Sein, the lawmaker, said tensions between the protestors and police quickly escalated at about 10 p.m. Many of the protestors started hurling stones and bricks at the administration office. When some of them entered the office compound and started destroying police trucks, the police opened fire to quell the attack.

Though local authorities said the protestors confronted the police, U Tun Thar Sein said he did not see any police as patients at the hospital, only dead and wounded civilians.

"This mass killing would not have happened if they had used rubber bullets to crack down on the gathering," he said. "I think the protestors only gathered bricks and stones and did not have any other weapons."

The high school teacher said he did not participate in the protest but followed the rally in order to pull out his students. He said he heard a series of gunshots while heading toward the administration office and then saw thousands of people running back toward downtown.

"Police used real bullets, not rubber rounds. I saw a boy's abdomen hollowed out," the teacher said.

The teacher said he went to the Mrauk-U general hospital and saw nine people severely wounded. He recalled the accounts of his students, who told him they saw police firing at the crowd.

"My students recounted to me that they laid down on the ground when they saw the flying burning bullets. They were very lucky," he said.

The Irrawaddy called township police chief Major Kyaw Mya Win and administration official Bo Bo Myint Thein, but they declined to comment. A junior staff member of the district administration office said that "a protest group destabilized the situation" but refused to answer further questions.

Two military truckloads of armed soldiers arrived at the scene of the violence at about 11:30 p.m.

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Myanmar Says Over 1,200 Refugees to Return from Bangladesh Next Week

Posted: 16 Jan 2018 06:20 AM PST

YANGON — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday announced that more than 1,200 refugees in Bangladesh are set to return to Myanmar next week, the first batch to be repatriated since a military crackdown in Rakhine State drove hundred of thousands of mostly Rohingya out of the country.

It announced the news in a statement at the end of a two-day meeting of a joint working group of government officials from both countries. The statement says Bangladesh will establish five transit camps along its border with Myanmar for the returnees.

The working group also signed off on "physical arrangements," referring to the transportation and shelter to be provided the refugees making the journey home.

It working group has reviewed and approved repatriation applications from 750 Rohingya and 508 Hindus. Authorities will transport the refugees across the border both by river and over land to a reception center in northern Maungdaw's Nga Khu Ya village.

The statement says Myanmar will set up its own transit camp in Hla Phoe Khaung village, also in northern Maungdaw, to receive returnees five days per week. Bangladesh has agreed to provide a list of returnees in advance to help Myanmar review their backgrounds.

Myanmar has also provided Bangladesh's border guard force with the names of more than 1,000 suspected members of the militant Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and asked for their extradition in line with the 1980 Agreement on Border Arrangements and Cooperation. The working group officials also discussed the possibility of further ARSA attacks, which could undermine the repatriation process.

More than 650,000 Rohingya fled northern Rakhine in the wake of a sweeping counteroffensive Myanmar army's launched in response to ARSA's attack on police and military outposts in the area in late August.

The UN has called the military's response "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing" and repeatedly urged Myanmar's authorities to allow a fact-finding mission to visit the area. Myanmar's military has denied the allegation, and the government has refused to accept the mission. The government has also refused to let UN human rights envoy Yanghee Lee back into the country, claiming she was not impartial.

The post Myanmar Says Over 1,200 Refugees to Return from Bangladesh Next Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Yangon Transport Authority Declares YBS a ‘Success’ on Its 1st Birthday

Posted: 16 Jan 2018 05:38 AM PST

YANGON— Yangon transport officials declared the city's revamped a bus system a "success" on its first anniversary on Tuesday, downplaying what has generally been regarded as a bumpy start.

"The Yangon Bus Service has achieved 70 percent of the goals we set," Dr. Maung Aung, secretary of the Yangon Region Transport Authority (YRTA), the body that oversees all of the city's transport, told The Irrawaddy at a ceremony marking the anniversary.

The phasing in of the Yangon Bus Service, the new bus system better known by its acronym YBS, to replace the city's decades-old bus system has encountered a few potholes along the way. Some bus owners who had been operating under the old system failed to register under the new one, while others are still not ready to operate buses for the YBS. And with 70 percent of city commuters — an estimated 2.6 million people — relying on buses, the YBS' inadequate fleet has caused overcrowding and delays, especially in rush hours and late in the evenings.

To aid consumers in the face of the bus shortage, city residents and police have even started providing free transportation to commuters during rush hours using private vehicles and police trucks. Some offices in the commercial capital temporarily delayed their morning start times to give employees time to navigate the new public transport routes.

Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein acknowledged that there were challenges during the transition, but he insisted that significant improvements had been seen over the past year.

He pointed out that the YBS has consolidated overlapping bus lines, bringing the total number down to 92 from more than 300, partly to deter bus drivers from racing each other as they compete for passengers. The system also replaced conductors with fare boxes.

"With the public's help we have reformed the bus system within a year," the chief minister told the audience at the ceremony.

YRTA officials used the occasion to lay out their plans for this year.

The city's minister for electricity, industry and transportation, Daw Nilar Kyaw, who also chairs the YRTA, said the authority's priorities for 2018 were to build bus terminals in which to park YBS buses overnight and to introduce a cashless payment system, Yangon Payment Service (YPS).

On Jan. 11, Excel KC Myanmar, a partnership between Excel Myanmar and Taiwan's Acer Inc., was named the winner of a tender to operate YPS. A total of 14 companies tendered bids.

Mini-buses carry passengers in Yangon. (Photo Thet Tun Naing/ The Irrawaddy)

YRTA secretary Dr. Maung Aung told The Irrawaddy that over 2, 000 mini buses currently running under the YBS will this year be replaced by new buses equipped the card-payment system, which is expected to be introduced within next three months.

"We have new vehicles in hand. They will replace mini-buses and old buses," he said. He said the old vehicles would be phased out this year.

The YRTA also plans to merge all bus operators into public companies this year.

Currently, there are 16 bus companies including two public-private partnership companies — YUPT and YBPC — and six individual operators. "Two thirds of all buses running now are operated by public companies," Dr. Maung Aung said.

The post Yangon Transport Authority Declares YBS a 'Success' on Its 1st Birthday appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NLD Cabinet Begins Reshuffle

Posted: 16 Jan 2018 03:39 AM PST

The first of the Union government's cabinet reshuffle this year came on Monday, following regional and state minister resignations earlier this month.

On Tuesday, President U Htin Kyaw proposed U Han Zaw as the minister of construction at the Union Parliament and lawmakers will have to accept or reject the proposal within a week.

U Han Zaw, 72, a professional engineer, was a central executive committee member of the Myanmar Engineering Council (MEC), a Union-level regulatory and statutory authority, formed in 2014.  From 2014-17, he was chairman of the committee of accreditation and scrutinizing of company quality, under the MEC.

He served as the president of the Myanmar Engineering Society from 2008-10. Prior to that, he was the managing director of the Ministry of Construction under the military regime.

U Win Naing, a chairman of the Naypyitaw chapter of the Myanmar Engineering Society, told The Irrawaddy that the presidential appointee U Han Zaw was best suited to the ministerial position, as he is "an honest and respectable man in engineering society."

"He is a good man and the position fits him," commented U Win Naing.

After 22 months in power to date, the NLD administration currently runs 23 ministries with 21 ministers and 15 deputy ministers. It now awaits the approval of the new Ministry of Construction appointee.

A Presidential Order on Monday stated that U Win Khaing, the Union minister for Construction, and for Electricity and Energy, was transferred to take responsibility solely for the Ministry of Electricity and Energy.

On the same day, the president appointed former journalist U Aung Hla Tun as a deputy minister of information.

Nine of the government's 23 ministries do not have a deputy minister, while the Ministry of Planning and Finance hosts two.

The National League for Democracy-led cabinet started with 19 ministers for 21 ministries in the beginning of its administration in order to reduce government expenditure. It had only one deputy minister, for the Ministry of Defense. There were 96 ministers and deputy ministers for a total of 36 ministries under former President Thein Sein's administration.

In May 2016, the State Counselor Office's was created and then there were 20 ministers for 22 ministerial institutions. At that time, there were eight deputy ministers: Commerce, the State Counselor's Office, Border Affairs, Finance and Planning, Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, the President's Office, and Transport and Communication.

The last extension of the cabinet happened in November 2017, when the NLD created the Ministry of the Office of the Union Government.

The post NLD Cabinet Begins Reshuffle appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Hopes and Troubles Mark YBS’ First Anniversary

Posted: 15 Jan 2018 09:38 PM PST

YANGON — One year ago today, more than two million Yangon commuters excitedly welcomed a major overhaul of the city bus system, which had become notorious for its worn-out fleets, unruly drivers, and conductors known for aggressively confronting passengers who dared complain about poor services.

Then came the Yangon Bus Service, mostly known by its acronym YBS, an attempt by Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein to replace the former capital's old bus service—the Rangoon Motor Vehicles Supervisory Committee, also known as Ma Hta Tha.

On the launch day of the new bus system, Jan. 16, commuters who had grown weary of Ma Hta Tha's poor services had high hopes for the YBS despite an insufficient number of buses traversing the routes, resulting in overcrowding at bus stops, as some buses scheduled to start on the first day of the service were not ready due to poor planning. Volunteers stationed themselves at bus stops to introduce commuters to new bus lines and their routes while car-owning well-wishers offered free rides to help tackle the shortage of buses.

The Yangon regional government seems committed to making the YBS a success. It placed the new bus system under the Yangon Region Transport Authority (YRTA) — an umbrella supervisory body for all types of transportation in the city — and invested 70 billion kyats via two public companies: Yangon Bus Public Co., Ltd (YBPC) and Yangon Urban Public Transport Co., Ltd (YUPT). YBPC used a large portion of the money to order 1,000 new city buses for US$56 million from China last year.U Zaw Zaw of Max Myanmar and Omni Focus company run by a grandson of former dictator Ne Win have bought another 1,000 new city buses.

Now, 12 months later, some of the newly imported yellow and red city buses are plying the busy roads of Yangon along with buses from other private operators.

"Commuters have more convenience than before as there are new vehicles on the roads," said Ko Tayoke Lay of Power Eleven, a private company that runs four bus lines across Yangon. "And there are more to come," he added.

The Irrawaddy randomly asked some commuters about what they thought of the new bus service. Most of them stated that the YBS was not yet perfect but was better than Ma Hta Tha. The majority said they were delighted to see an absence of rude and aggressive conductors onboard, as before. Many of the bus lines in the YBS no longer employ conductors, but some still do.

A conductor stands at the landing of a YBS bus after collecting bus fare. ( Chanson / The Irrawaddy)

"It's just been one year now. I hope the YBS will get better and better soon by fixing mistakes. I hope that they want to do so," said U Soe Win, a YBS passenger.

Despite the optimism, the YBS's operation has not been without its faults.

A bus accident in July killed 11 people and a YBS bus prompted a series of accidents involving 11 cars in front of the Yangon government offices in November. Complaints about unruly drivers and an absence of buses late in the evening still persist.

Apart from these problems, The Irrawaddy has learned of other major troubles that have arisen with the new bus system over the course of the previous 12 months. They are:

Lack of Operational Licenses

An internal YBS document viewed by The Irrawaddy reveals that as of late December fewer than half of the more than 5,400 buses operating on nearly all of the YBS's 96 lines had operational licenses, making it difficult to impose discipline on the operators, and to follow up if a driver caused an accident. In addition, the authority has lost millions of kyat in unpaid revenue.

More than 3,500 buses have yet to officially register, a problem the bus operators blame on government red tape for causing delays in issuing the required licenses for their buses, as it takes several months to get the document.

"Most of the operators don't worry about getting the license," said one of the operators who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

"Some operators imported new buses with the help of car dealers to run on their lines. They rarely register those vehicles with the government," he added.

As a result, the number of buses now operating on YBS lines exceeds the system's actual needs, contributing to traffic congestion across the city. Furthermore, the swollen number of buses affects the daily revenue of operators as more buses compete for passengers.

The buses without operational licenses also cause problems for the YRTA as well, according to a member of the YBS disciplinary committee. He said all buses registered with the YRTA have to officially pay the authority 4,000 kyats per day as a management fee.

"For the buses that don't have operational licenses [those not registered with the YRTA], they are somewhat exempt from the fee," he explained, meaning that the YRTA is losing more than 14 million kyats(over US$ 10,000) a day in earnings while being exposed to possible corruption at the management level of the bus lines.

YBS buses overtaking each other in downtown Yangon (Photo: Thet Tun Naing / The Irrawaddy)

Drivers Without Licenses

Of the more than 5,400 drivers, only a few more than 2,000 are qualified to drive commercial vehicles, including buses. The rest are 'B' license holders who are eligible to drive private vehicles with a capacity of less than 3 tons, according to a YBS disciplinary committee member. Myanmar's Motor Vehicle Law requires anyone who drives buses to have an E license.

The YRTA provides two weeks of training to those who have B licenses to upgrade their skills to ensure they are fit to drive city buses but fewer than 500 candidates joined the course last year.

"It's dangerous for passengers as driving a bus is not the same as driving a private car," the source said. Worse, if any accident happens, the insurance will not cover the bus, the victims or the passengers if the driver has only a B license even though most of the YBS buses are insured, he added.

One of the operators confirmed that 60 to 70 percent of the drivers in the service are B license holders.

"Yes, it's against the law. But you also need to take the demand for drivers into consideration," he said.

YRTA Law

Sources from the YRTA and the YBS said the lack of regulation of the Yangon Region Transport Authority put the two in disarray. Currently, the YRTA is led by Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein and the YBS is under its authority. Yangon's Electricity, Industry and Transport Minister Daw Nilar Kyaw told the Yangon Parliament in April last year that the government was drafting a new regulatory law. Since then, there have not been updates on the draft.

According to a senior official, the draft was rarely discussed at YRTA meetings.

"There should be a proper structure legally endorsed regarding who will take which responsibilities. What we are facing now is that people don't know clearly who should do what and how," said the source.

Despite JICA and Asia Development Bank's offers to help draft the law, the sources agreed that it has to be compatible with Myanmar and invite public consultations.

"The draft prepared by JICA and ADB should be debated in Parliament while open for public feedback. It should not be done as something that only the government thinks is right."

Don't Talk to the Media

For this story, The Irrawaddy talked to bus operators, YBS disciplinary committee members and others close to the YBS and YRTA. They requested anonymity as the YRTA imposed restrictions on operators in December not to talk to the media or write on their Facebook accounts about the YBS meetings they attended.

A bus operator was forced to sign a pledge because of his outspokenness and media friendliness. Despite an official from YRTA being appointed as media spokesperson for the YBS in the past, he has not been available for months. Dr. Maung Aung, the secretary of the YRTA, refused to take The Irrawaddy's questions last week. U Saw Bo Bo, the YBS CEO, was not available for comments as well.

Traffic Control Center

YRTA Secretary Dr. Maung Aung told The Irrawaddy in October 2016 that the body expected to ease traffic congestion by 40 percent through an improved bus network and a new computerized traffic control system by November 2016. But the Traffic Control Center in Yangon's People's Park did not even function until now. Drivers in Yangon still have to rely on old traffic lights instead of the new ones installed by the Traffic Control Center because they don't work properly. Sources said traffic number counts made by the center's CCTV cameras were wrong 50 percent of the time. They said a Chinese company hired by the government didn't hand over the technology, as it didn't receive a full payment. Currently, a new brick building designed for the Traffic Control Center is now deserted most of the time.

The post Hopes and Troubles Mark YBS' First Anniversary appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Myanmar Says Temporary Camp Will House 30,000 Rohingya Targeted for Repatriation

Posted: 15 Jan 2018 08:55 PM PST

YANGON — Myanmar is building a camp to temporarily house 30,000 Rohingya Muslims targeted for repatriation after fleeing violence in Rakhine State, state media reported on Monday, as Myanmar and Bangladesh met to discuss how to implement a repatriation deal.

More than 650,000 Rohingya have headed across the border to Bangladesh after a sweeping Myanmar Army counteroffensive in response to Rohingya militant attacks on Aug. 25.

The crackdown has been described by the United States and UN as ethnic cleansing, which Myanmar rejects.

Officials from Myanmar and Bangladesh met on Monday to discuss a repatriation deal signed on Nov. 23. The meeting in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyitaw, is the first for a joint working group set up to hammer out the details of the agreement.

The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said a camp in Hla Po Khaung in northern Rakhine will be a temporary transition camp for people who are to be “accepted systematically” for repatriation.

"The 124-acre Hla Po Khaung will accommodate about 30,000 people in its 625 buildings," the newspaper said, adding that some 100 buildings will be completed by the end of January.

Aung Tun Thet, chief coordinator of Myanmar's Union Enterprises for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development, told Reuters that the camp in Hla Po Khaung will be a "transition place" for Rohingya refugees before they are repatriated to their "place of origin" or the nearest settlement to their place of origin.

"We will try to accept all of those who are coming back to Myanmar," he said, adding that to verify returnees' residency, they will be sent to assessment camps in Taungpyoletwei or Ngakhuya before they are moved to the Hla Po Khaung camp.

Soe Aung, permanent secretary of Myanmar's Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, said returnees will spend "at least one or two months" in Hla Po Khaung before their new homes are built.

It is unclear, however, how many returnees would qualify for citizenship in Myanmar. The authorities have said Rohingya Muslims could apply for citizenship if they can show their forebears lived in Myanmar. But the latest deal — like the one in 1992 — does not guarantee citizenship.

Myanmar government officials have said the 1992-1993 repatriation deal, which followed a previous spasm of violence in Myanmar, would accept those who could present identity documents issued to the Rohingya by governments in the past.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has for years denied Rohingya citizenship, freedom of movement and access to basic services such as healthcare and education. They are considered illegal immigrants from mainly Muslim Bangladesh.

Bangladesh officials have said it was unclear when the first refugees could actually return as the two countries need to work out how to jointly verify the identities of returnees.

United Nations agencies and human rights watchers have voiced skepticism about the resettlement plans and demanded a more transparent process to safeguard the Rohingya's voluntary return.

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Southeast Asian Plastic Recyclers Hope to Clean up After China Ban

Posted: 15 Jan 2018 08:36 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR — When Seah Kian Hoe was just 10 years old, he would jump on the back of his parent's small truck during school holidays and help them collect scrap, going door-to-door around neighborhoods in Malaysia's southern state of Johor.

Taking their haul back to the family yard, they would spend hours separating the glass bottles, aluminum cans, discarded newspapers and metal.

Seah now employs 350 people to help him run Heng Hiap Industries, one of Malaysia's top five plastic recycling businesses, which processes about 40,000 tons of waste per year from both domestic and overseas suppliers.

"Thirty-five years ago, it was just scavenging – a very different era compared to now," Seah told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "I wanted to get into the recycling business and do it differently."

Heng Hiap Industries is just one of the Southeast Asian plastics recycling companies gearing up to benefit from China's decision to ban imports of plastic waste from the start of 2018.

Before the ban, which shocked many in the industry, China was the world's dominant importer of such waste. In 2016, it imported 7.3 million tons of waste plastics, valued at $3.7 billion, accounting for 56 percent of world imports.

Over the past two decades, China was keen to suck in as much plastic waste as possible, helping feed its manufacturing expansion. But policy makers took action after a string of scandals involving unscrupulous players in the waste market.

Misdemeanors included stuffing containers with mixed or toxic rubbish rather than the specific types labeled for recycling, and illegal smuggling of waste that was simply dumped in landfill.

"Plastic China," an award-winning documentary released in late 2016, ignited further public outrage by highlighting the human and environmental costs of the under-regulated, Wild West-style recycling industry.

As part of efforts to clean up China's environment, including promoting electric cars and cutting coal use, Beijing launched a campaign against harmful "foreign garbage" last year.

Some of the worst-hit exporters of plastic waste are based in the United States and Britain – leaving those two countries scrambling to find alternative places to take their rubbish.

"The industry was not prepared for it," said Surendra Patawari Borad, a businessman who runs a recycling company in Belgium and the United States and chairs the plastics committee at the Brussels-based Bureau of International Recycling (BIR).

"I used to say about Europe and the U.S., if China gets a cold, we get a fever, and if China gets a fever, we get pneumonia," he added.

"No Complaining"

Unable to send their plastic waste to China, Britain and the United States are now likely to increase their domestic recycling capacities in an effort to reduce exports.

But industry officials say this could take years and may still not be enough.

"If anyone has a problem selling their scrap plastic right now, they should not be complaining – they should be looking at themselves because this … has been on the cards for quite a while," said Damien van Leuven, founder of Vanden Global, an international plastics recycling company based in Hong Kong.

Faced with growing stockpiles of plastic waste, many British and US companies are either burning some plastics for energy recovery or sending the materials to landfill, several industry researchers told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Both of these methods will have a catastrophic impact on the environment, they warned.

"Do they [China] care about the global environment or only their own environment because we are land-filling perfectly good materials now because of the actions that they’re taking," said Adina Renee Adler, senior director for international relations at the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries in Washington.

The labor-intensive job of taking bales of plastic waste to be broken down, cleaned, separated into different plastic resins and finally made into pellets ready to be reshaped into new products is now expected to fall to Southeast Asian countries.

Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand are among the Southeast Asian countries that have attracted Chinese investors in the plastics recycling sector over the past year, keen to fill the void left in China, industry officials said.

Most have yet to develop their own domestic recycling collection and public awareness about the issue, but their access to cheap labor and close proximity to China's manufacturing industries work in their favor.

Time to Regulate

Preliminary data from the BIR, shared with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, showed imports of plastic waste into Southeast Asia are already rising fast.

Due partly to a ramp-up in shipments in the final quarter of last year, the BIR estimates that annual imports of plastic scrap into Malaysia jumped to 450,000-500,000 tons in 2017 from 288,000 tons in 2016.

Vietnam's imports rose by 62 percent to 500,000-550,000 tons for 2017, while Thailand and Indonesia showed increases of up to 117 percent and 65 percent respectively.

The industry fears, however, that a flood of unregulated plastic waste to these countries could lead to similar problems as those experienced in China, resulting in copy-cat bans.

To avoid this, industry officials urged Southeast Asian nations to tighten health and safety regulations, so that they can properly monitor what plastics enter their countries, and stop illegal practices.

Greenpeace East Asia plastics campaigner Liu Hua wants to see companies use less plastic packaging in the longer-term, but for now, Southeast Asian governments should strengthen environmental controls to limit the spread of hazardous chemical waste and any negative impact on human health, he said.

Steve Wong, executive president of the China Scrap Plastics Association, called for stronger controls on imports, license issuance and environmental inspections of factories.

To date, the world has produced more than 8 billion tons of plastic, said Borad at the BIR. Only 9 percent has been recycled, while just under 80 percent has been treated as waste – sent to landfill sites or dumped in the oceans.

As awareness rises over the dangers of allowing plastic waste to end up in the sea where it poisons fish and can enter the human food chain, recycling capacity will need to grow considerably worldwide.

In Malaysia, Seah remembers how his parents were once ashamed they made a living from collecting and reusing scrap, believing it to be a profession that was not respected.

But when his recycling company received an international award for environmental leadership in 2013, it helped change their minds. Southeast Asian nations now face a similar battle to shift perceptions of the recycling industry.

"I don’t believe there is a global plastics pollution problem – there is a global plastics ignorance problem," said Seah. "It is a substance with a lot of hidden values."

The post Southeast Asian Plastic Recyclers Hope to Clean up After China Ban appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week

Posted: 15 Jan 2018 06:54 PM PST

Rock and Roll Travelers | Jan. 20

Myanmar's pioneer rock star Zaw Win Htut will perform.

Jan. 20, 5:30 pm. Rose Garden Hotel, Upper Pansodan Street. Tickets 50,000 kyats (standing), 80,000 kyats (seated), and VIP tickets at 09-964255150, Emperor Fan Club and Mann Thiri Recording.

Hninzi Anyeint | Jan. 19-20

Star actors perform satirical comedy routines. Proceeds will be donated for Rakhine State.

Jan. 19-20, 7 pm. National Museum. Tickets 10,000 to 100,000 kyats at Taw Win Center, Mann Thiri Recording, Nobody Fashion (Yankin Center).

AFC Champions League 2018 Preliminary Stage | Jan. 16

Myanmar's Shan United FC will host Philippines' Cres Negros FC.

Jan. 16, 4 pm. Thuwunna Stadium, Tickets 1,000-2,000 kyats.

Artisans Handmade Craft Fair | Jan. 19-21

Fifteen artists will showcase theirs arts and crafts at this exhibition along with body painting.

Jan. 19-21, 10 am to 10 pm. Sule Square, Sule Pagoda Road.

Japanese Film Festival | Jan. 19-28

Sixteen Japanese films will be screened at this film festival.

Jan. 19-28, two shows at 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm, respectively, Naypyitaw Cinema, Free tickets an hour before each show at the cinema.

Shwe Property Affordable Housing Expo | Jan. 19-21

Affordable apartments in Hlaing, Kamayut, Sanchaung and South Okkalapa townships will be up for grabs. Prices start from 20 million kyats.

Jan. 19-21, 9 am-6 pm. Hledan Center.

Kitchen Utensil Sale | Jan. 9-22

Cooking utensil are on sale at discounted prices.

Jan. 9-22, Capital Hyper Market, Thaketa Township.  

Inner Art | Jan. 20-24

A group art exhibition of five artists will feature modernist paintings and installation art.

Jan. 20-24. Bo Aung Kyaw Street Art Gallery, Bo Aung Kyaw Street.

Stains and Me | Jan. 13-19

This is a modernist art exhibition by Aung Zaw.

Jan. 13-19. Nawaday Tharlar Art Gallery, Yaw Min Gyi Street.

A Journey through Modern Art | Jan. 19-25

A group art exhibition of five artists will showcase modernist paintings on different subjects.

Jan. 19-25. OK Art Gallery, Aung San Stadium (North Wing)

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

Myanmar’s Van Gogh Taken Too Soon, Leaves Legacy of Indomitable Beauty

Posted: 15 Jan 2018 06:00 PM PST

While San Zaw Htway was in Insein prison, serving a 36-year sentence, he would gather the inedible, raw grains that were mixed in with his daily bowl of rice and throw them a few yards in order to feed the sparrows that gathered along a prison fence. At first, he had to throw the grains down three flights of stairs, but he disliked having the little birds so far away. He threw the grains closer and closer. By the end of the third week, the sparrows learned to hop inside the area directly in front of his cell. The following day, he was forced to part with his new friends when he was transferred to another prison. "It was such a pity! I felt so sad to leave them behind," he recounted to me last August at his home in Taung Dagon, a suburb of Yangon.

In Taunggyi prison, he similarly befriended a small owl. A gecko with a missing front leg became a daily companion. "I would put down a little ball of rice, he would eat it and then looked up at me," he laughed. The gecko stayed in his cell for several months until, one day, a worker from the prison stepped on it.

"Oh, my friend died! I could not sleep that night!"

As with most of the stories he would tell me, there was almost always a lesson at the end of it. "When one has encountered loss like this…one has to keep renewing hope again and again to find happiness," he told me. San Zaw Htway's loved ones will have to renew their own sense of hope and learn to find happiness again, after losing the beloved artist, activist, teacher, poet and former political prisoner to cancer in the early morning hours of December 31st, 2017.

San Zaw Htway was born on June 30, 1974, in Ye Township, Mon State. The youngest of six siblings and partly of Mon, Dawei, and Burmese descent, his parents separated when he was an infant and his mother left her six children in the care of their grandmother while she went to work in Yangon, selling blankets. He saw Yangon for the first time as a child when he attended his eldest sister's wedding. "At that time, the way from our village was still difficult. If you travelled by highway, you got robbed," he said. "People only travelled by water. It lasted two nights and three days to ride a boat on the ocean to get to the town of Ye."

When he returned to Yangon, this time to live, San Zaw Htway was an adolescent. He eventually enrolled at the University of Yangon. His time as a university student was short-lived. Like many other creative and idealistic souls, he found kindred spirits among the network of democracy activists. In 1999 someone he thought was a fellow dissident turned out to be an informant. He was arrested and sentenced to 36 years in prison.

Pink Moonlight by San Zaw Htway, collage from recycled materials, undated.

For all the darkness that prison life brought, it never extinguished San Zaw Htway's inner light. Ironically, it delivered him to a form of sublimation that he had not yet discovered as a young boy growing up in a small village, nor at the university, which had been decimated and dismantled by the junta after they re-seized power in a violent coup in 1988. He found a mentor in an older prisoner who taught him art. Thereafter, he began exchanging food with the guards in order to obtain scissors and glue. They allowed him to rummage through the prison's garbage. He salvaged scraps of plastic and foil and transformed them into mesmerizing works of art, saturated with color, revealing landscapes he had no access to in prison but that offered a window into his mind and soul.

San Zaw Htway's inner world of color, light and passion became accessible to the outside world when he was finally released in 2012. By then he had created dozens of collages. His imaginings are distinctly Burmese — houses on stilts, pagodas dotting a fertile mountainside — yet the emotions they convey are universal. Perhaps his most moving depictions are his scenes of nature, which resemble brushstrokes from afar and channel the works of other artists whose works he had likely never seen before entering prison. The natural environment depicted in San Zaw Htway's collages transports one into a dream where Hiroshige's mountains, fields, and seas exist underneath what feels like a Chagellian sky.

While there are elements in his collages that resemble the renderings of artists from distant cultures, the intensity of his color palette and the emotions it induces is most similar to the works of Vincent van Gogh. Like van Gogh, who was committed to an asylum before he created some of his most well-known works, San Zaw Htway labored to produce his art while he had no access to the outside world. In Mountain in the Sea, an iridescent sea of turquoise, streaked by yellow rays of light that spiral outward from a partially hidden sun, engulfs a gleaming stretch of land and a magnificent green mountain, overtaken by streaks of red and gold. One imagines him conjuring the colors and light from his childhood in Dawei — perhaps his first journey into the Gulf of Martaban.

San Zaw Htway often paid homage to the democracy movement through his art. A longtime supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi, he used gold foil to render portraits of her, both in prison and after his release. He remained an admirer of her up until his death. To her critics, he had this message: "She’s doing as much as she can, as much as she can do. She tries to go over the limit too. So, I respect that. I admire it and am satisfied. We, ourselves, will have to live likewise, individually," he told me in 2017.

Mountain in the Sea by San Zaw Htway, collage from recycled materials, undated.

"[Those who criticize] are not taking into consideration the perspective of the people who need to change the whole thing here. So, people who are criticizing now, they don't keep these ideas in mind: How could what I am fixing, on my own, help others? How can we collaborate?" he said. "Everyone has that opportunity. If you do not [help] and just utter profanities without doing anything, your life will not become better. The country will not become better either."

A survivor of torture, San Zaw Htway directed compassion toward his perpetrators. He described to me how one of his first political acts after regaining his freedom was to advocate for the release of a fellow prisoner who had conspired with the wardens to harm him. He knew that forgiveness did not mean an erasure of past actions. His many artistic performances, regularly enacted in public spaces, were meant to jolt the public's consciousness and to give testimony to injustice.

Known as Nyi Htway to close friends and family, San Zaw Htway spent what little he earned and most of his free time helping others. When a friend took ill last year, he nursed him back to health, taking it upon himself to do his daily cooking and spoon-feeding him when he refused to eat. A wise, gentle soul, San Zaw Htway also had a stubborn willfulness, an inner strength that allowed him to remain idealistic in the face of unthinkable brutality and oppression. Friends also remember him as a fun mate, always happy to be a co-conspirator and accessory to a good time.

After his release from prison, San Zaw Htway used the collage methods he innovated to teach art to Kachin refugees, orphans infected with HIV, and underprivileged youth in Yangon. Before he passed away, we were collaborating on a series of children's books about the democracy movement and jointly developing educational programs for children of former political prisoners. In 2014, while I was helping him write his fellowship application to qualify for the Artraker Award, he wrote to me that he thought his art gave testimony to the fact that "torture and oppression can break a man's body but cannot take away the spirit within."

While his spirit endured, his body finally surrendered. San Zaw Htway was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer in early November. The cancer was a result of infections acquired during his time in prison. His family, beset by decades of hardship that began when he was first imprisoned, struggled to find adequate medical treatment for him. With no reparations yet for former political prisoners, few programs to help them, and little sympathy for them from the international community, his friends resorted to auctioning his art in order to fund his cancer treatment.

Untitled, by San Zaw Htway, collage from recycled materials, undated.

San Zaw Htway spent his life bridging disparate worlds. Through his art, he brought his inner world of childhood memories and unbroken idealism to an external world of suffering and injustice. He moved effortlessly between children with HIV, Kachin refugees, underprivileged urban youth and former political prisoners because he understood that the deep chasm thought to exist between the suffering of democracy activists and of other communities in Myanmar is illusory. After his death, his family and close friends, including myself, are left wondering how we can realize the ideals — and dreams — we shared with him.

In the days before he finally succumbed to cancer, I thought often about how San Zaw Htway had given me so much beauty, shared so much of his light with me, and how I had returned so little. I know one of the best ways I can repay his gifts to me is to try to bridge that illusory chasm and do what I can to place his suffering not in a bounded space, but under a broader canopy where hope can be continually renewed and true beauty can remain as it was for San Zaw Htway — indomitable.

Seinenu Thein-Lemelson, Ph.D., is a Burmese-American psychological anthropologist. She is currently a visiting scholar in the Anthropology Department at the University of California, Berkeley and the founder of the Institute for Democratic Education and Leadership (IDEAL). Her private collection of San Zaw Htway's art will be displayed this year in Yangon in order to honor his life. Please contact her at seinenu@berkeley.edu to set up appointments for viewing.  

The post Myanmar's Van Gogh Taken Too Soon, Leaves Legacy of Indomitable Beauty appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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