Tuesday, March 6, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

 Activists Launch Campaigns Ahead of International Women’s Rights Day

Posted: 06 Mar 2018 07:23 AM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Prior to International Women's Day (IWD) on March 8, women's rights activists in Myanmar are taking part in #RespectHer and other social media campaigns in support of the global movement for gender equality. This year's global theme for IWD is "Press for Change", aimed at accelerating the process of achieving gender parity.

Social media users are sharing posts with the hashtags #RespectHer and #ItsnotOK to express their support for efforts to end domestic violence and all forms of harassment against women. They are posting their own experiences and those of others to bring attention to these issues.

"This [harassment] should not be happening in society, and we need to highlight the fact that seemingly minor acts can have a strong impact on women. It is not OK," said Sandi Sein Thein, a member of the #RespectHer campaign who is responsible for online activities.

"When we started brainstorming on how to raise awareness, we wanted to start with small but neglected facts; thus the #RespectHer campaign was initiated," she explained.

The campaign was started last month by the Myanmar Art Social Project with help from various individuals and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The RespectHer social media page has amassed over 3,400 followers  Women and some men are posting photos tagged #ItsnotOK and #RespectHer and sharing their experiences.

Over the weekend, the campaigners also engaged in activities to raise awareness in the community, especially in crowded parks or on public buses. They used various forms of communication, including performance, poetry recital and roleplaying with commuters.

Sandi Sein Thein added, "When we say we are not comfortable with being teased by men over the shape of our bodies or how we move, people think we are overreacting, because this is 'normal' behavior. We forget that it is wrong. Any girl or woman has the right to feel safe while walking along the street."

The campaigner added that at the very least she hoped their efforts could bring the message to society that it is not normal or acceptable for men to tease or harrass women on buses or to engage in domestic violence.

"In Myanmar, there is a high social acceptance of violence against women. This is reflected in the normalization of domestic violence. For this reason, domestic violence in particular is largely regarded as a private matter: Marital rape is not a crime. For these reasons, Myanmar needs a law that criminalizes all forms of violence against women, and a strong justice system to underpin it," said Alexandra Robinson, a UNFPA specialist on gender-based violence.

She told The Irrawaddy that the agency is supporting the campaign "to amplify" the voices of the Myanmar people, who "are taking to the streets and to social media to call for zero tolerance of sexual assault and harassment, and indeed all forms of gender-based violence."

Such campaigns are still needed, as victim-blaming is entrenched in Myanmar's culture, with the target usually being women, said Mi Kun Chan Nom, the vice chair of the Mon Women's Organization. MWO works for the advancement, empowerment and protection of women in Mon State. Mi Kun Chan Nom's MWO is also a member of the Alliance for Gender Inclusion in the Peace Process (AGIPP).

"In cases of gender-based violence, women are blamed for the way they dress, while the perpetrators escape blame. Additionally, women leaders are held to a higher standard [than male leaders]," Mi Kun Chan Non said.

Robinson said that the more women and men who join and support the campaign, the better. "The campaign is a platform for a public dialogue across Myanmar, with a view to creating a critical mass of support for social change," she said. "It is time for women and men to work together for lasting change."

Women's organizations and women's rights defenders will take part in the IWD 2018 event in Yangon's Maha Bandula Park on March 10.

The post  Activists Launch Campaigns Ahead of International Women's Rights Day appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

USDP Lawmaker Accused of Politicizing Resettlement of Displaced Kaman

Posted: 06 Mar 2018 05:38 AM PST

YANGON – Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) lawmaker U Maung Myint on Monday submitted a motion to the Lower House accusing the government of having relocated ethnic Kaman internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Rakhine State to Yangon's outskirts since 2015, in breach of the Kofi Annan commission's recommendations.

The Kaman are one of Myanmar's 135 officially recognized ethnic groups and one of seven subgroups in Arakan State. Their ancestors served the Arakan kings as archers before Rakhine was conquered by the Burmese Konbaung Dynasty in 1784. Nowadays, the total Kaman population is estimated at a mere 45,000 nationwide. The majority live in Rakhine and most practice Islam.

Unexpectedly, several thousand ethnic Kaman were targeted in 2012 when communal violence erupted between Rohingya Muslims and the Buddhist Rakhine population. Although some of their homes were spared during conflicts in Kyaukphyu and Ramree, authorities evacuated them to the outskirts of the town and established IDP camps.

U Maung Myint said the Annan Commission's report clearly states that displaced people must return to their place of origin. In violation of this, however, the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government had resettled Kaman people in Yangon.

Another USDP lawmaker, U Maung Thin, seconded U Maung Myint's proposal, which the Lower House speaker approved for debate. U Maung Thin claimed that the government, by declaring that 55 Kaman families from Ramree township had been relocated without precisely stating the total number of people, had created a loophole through which people from other groups could migrate to Yangon posing as Kaman. He was apparently referring to Rohingya Muslims, who are restricted from traveling without a permit.

U Tun Ngwe of the Kaman Social Network, who has been providing jobs and modest houses for new arrivals in Htauk Kyant in recent years, told The Irrawaddy over the phone on Tuesday that the Rakhine State Government provided evacuees from Ramree with a total of 5 lakh to cover travel expenses. He said they hadn't received any humanitarian assistance from non-government organizations or the authorities.

U Tun Ngwe said, "I see this as an attempt to inflame religious sensitivities for political purposes," adding, "They should not label us as illegal Bengali immigrants. I would like to send a message that all Myanmar citizens should oppose this action, as it aims to exploit religious attitudes toward an ethnic minority group."

He explained that 55 families comprise around 200 people at most, adding that they consistently urged the authorities to relocate them back to their place of origin when they were housed at IDP camps in Kyaukphyu, Sittwe and Ramree townships, as they were concerned about the education of their children and faced financial hardship.

In 2015, Social Welfare Minister Dr. Win Myat Aye, who was handpicked by the country's de facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and now chairs the Union Enterprise of Humanitarian, Resettlement and Development (UEHRD) in Rakhine State, submitted to Yangon a relocation plan for the Kaman. Last July, the government paid about 80 million kyats in compensation to displaced Kaman for 45 homes. Authorities did not disclose details of the agreement between Kaman community leaders and the government.

"We really thank U Maung Myint for his proposal because our people are keen to return their place of origin. But the government must assist on security and promise there will be no further restrictions upon the Kaman minority," U Tun Ngwe said.

In early 2018, Rakhine civil society groups and community leaders held a meeting regarding the government's relocation plan for Kaman displaced within Rakhine quarters in Kyaukphyu and Ramree townships. Participants opposed the plan, purportedly over concerns about what would happen if further violence erupted between Muslim and Buddhist Rakhine groups.

 

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Sri Lanka Declares State of Emergency After Buddhist-Muslim Clash

Posted: 06 Mar 2018 05:30 AM PST

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka declared a nationwide state of emergency for 10 days on Tuesday to stop the spread of communal violence, a government spokesman said, after clashes erupted between majority Buddhists and members of the minority Muslim community.

Tension has been growing between the two communities in Sri Lanka over the past year, with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam and vandalizing Buddhist archaeological sites.

Some Buddhist nationalists have also protested against the presence in Sri Lanka of Muslim Rohingya asylum-seekers from mostly Buddhist Myanmar, where Buddhist nationalism has also been on the rise.

"At a special cabinet meeting, it was decided to declare a state of emergency for 10 days to prevent the spread of communal riots," government spokesman Dayasiri Jayasekara told Reuters.

He said some people were instigating violence through Facebook and warned of tough action against them.

The unrest in the Indian Ocean island's central district of Kandy began on Sunday after the funeral of a truck driver from the majority Sinhalese Buddhist community who died days after he was involved in an altercation with four Muslims, the government has said.

It was not clear why the initial altercation occurred but after the driver's funeral on Monday, a Sinhalese mob attacked Muslim shops, police said. The body of a Muslim youth was found in a burnt-out house early on Tuesday, police said.

Muslims make up about 9 percent of Sri Lanka's 21 million people. Buddhists make up about 70 percent and ethnic Tamils, most of whom are Hindus, about 13 percent.

The government sent troops and elite police to the area on Monday and imposed a curfew. A curfew was reimposed in two districts of Kandy on Tuesday, police said.

The government ended a 26-year civil war in 2009 with the defeat of Tamil separatist rebels. Muslim communities were occasionally caught up in that violence. But on the whole, Muslims managed to stay out of the war.

The post Sri Lanka Declares State of Emergency After Buddhist-Muslim Clash appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Anti-corruption Commission Seeks to Catch Big Fish

Posted: 06 Mar 2018 04:51 AM PST

YANGON — Unlike previous amendments, the proposed bill amending the Anti-Corruption Law seeks to expand the new anti-graft commission's work in combating bribery and catching big fish.

U San Win, the secretary of the anti-corruption commission, submitted the draft bill during the parliamentary session on Monday.

He told lawmakers that the proposed amendments aimed to reduce waste and the abuse of the state budget by corrupt institutions and officials, as well as to abide by the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

The Anti-Corruption Law was originally enacted in 2013 under the previous U Thein Sein government. Since its enactment, it has been amended three times: in 2014, 2016 and 2017 but with no significant changes.

U Han Nyunt, a commission member, told The Irrawaddy that after the latest draft bill is approved, the commission will be granted more authority.

The bill carries 21 proposed changes including expanding the commission's offices in other states and divisions, he said.

"Now, we have only one office in Naypyitaw. If it is approved, it will help the commission be more effective and faster in handling complaints within branch offices," he said.

Most importantly, the draft amendments allow the commission more chances to catch big fish, he added.

He said under the proposed changes, the commission could conduct investigations against civil servants who are known among the public for unusual wealth if the commission suspects a breach of the Anti-Corruption Law, including by those who are in high official positions of power. Under previous amendments, the commission could only launch an investigation after a formal complaint was filed with strong supporting evidence.

The draft amendments also reduce the punishment against those who make false complaints to defame a person from five years in jail to six months' imprisonment, a move that is considered an encouragement for the public to collaborate in fighting corruption.

But the Upper House Bill Committee suggested on Monday that the maximum prison sentence should be three years imprisonment for that provision.

The bill will be debated during upcoming parliamentary sessions.

The post Anti-corruption Commission Seeks to Catch Big Fish appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Women’s Group Seeks Donors to Treat Acid Attack Victim

Posted: 06 Mar 2018 04:45 AM PST

MANDALAY — A government-led women’s affairs group is looking for donors to help cover the costs of medical treatment for a housemaid whose face and body were badly scarred in a 2010 acid attack but only recently escaped her abusive employers.

Ma Nan May Zin Oo, 20, was blinded in one eye from the 2010 attack and confined by her employer, Ni Ni Nu Nwe, at her house in Mandalay’s Chan Mya Thazi Township for eight years.

"She needs support because she suffered physical and mental trauma for a long time. We want to give her treatment, at least for her face. We also want to treat the scars left by the attack on half of her body," said Daw Thandar Phone Win, Mandalay Region secretary for the Women’s Affairs Committee.

Nan May Zin Oo left her village in Shan State’s Ywa Ngan Township for Mandalay in 2008 to work at a grocery shop owned by Daw Moe Moe, the mother-in-law of Ni Ni Nu Nwe, in the Mya Yi Nanda Ward of Chan Mya Thazi, earning 10,000 kyats  ($7.48) a month.

According to Mandalay’s anti-human trafficking police, Ni Ni Nu Nwe threw acid on Nan May Zin Oo while she was bathing on New Year’s Day in the Myanmar calendar, which falls in April.

"When we first met her, she was so overwhelmed that she could not speak a word. So we had to give her a warm atmosphere," said anti-human trafficking police Major Myo Zin.

The left side of her face, along with much of the left side of her body, was badly scarred by the acid.

"At the time, her father had filed a missing persons report at the Ywa Ngan police station. A restaurant owner from Tada U [in Mandalay] went to Ywa Ngan to recruit workers for his restaurant, and the Ywa Ngan police station showed him a photo of the girl. He said he knew the girl and brought her father to Mandalay," Maj. Myo Zin said.

"At the time, the girl’s injuries had not yet healed, so she lied to her father and said she was injured in an accident," he added.

Daw Moe Moe gave the girl’s father 300,000 kyats and asked him not to open a case with the police.

"Afterwards her father didn't contact her. She was confined and not given medical treatment," Maj. Myo Zin said.

Ni Ni Nu Nwe reportedly continued to hit and swear at the girl over the following years. Nan May Zin Oo finally ran away in February and made contact with the Women’s Affairs committee.

"She has had those injures for a long time, so we will seek donors to provide medical treatment to her," said Daw Thandar Phone Win.

Daw Moe Moe and Ni Ni Nu Nwe were arrested by police on March 1 and have had human trafficking charges filed against them.

According to the police, the trafficking of women and children carries a prison sentence of anywhere from 10 years to life.

"This is the first case of confinement and serious physical attack inside the country," Maj. Myo Zin claimed.

In a prior high-profile case, however, four family members who own the Ava Tailor Shop were sentenced to between nine and 13 years in prison in December for torturing two young domestic workers over several years.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Women’s Group Seeks Donors to Treat Acid Attack Victim appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Hundreds March Against Proposed Changes to Peaceful Assembly Law

Posted: 06 Mar 2018 02:46 AM PST

YANGON — Some 500 people took to the streets in Yangon on Monday to protest proposed amendments to the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law, which prescribes a three-year prison sentence for funding a protest.

Political and human rights activists and representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) joined the demonstration, marching from Thakhin Mya Park to Maha Bandoola Park along Bogyoke Aung San and Anawrahta roads.

The protesters said the proposed amendments further restrict people's freedom of expression and are so broadly defined that they could be exploited to stifle political dissent.

"The law prohibits freedom of expression and procession, which is against democratic norms. It prescribes three years' imprisonment. And it infringes on people's privacy," Land in Our Hands Network general secretary Ko Si Thu told The Irrawaddy.

A total of 230 CSOs and 25 individuals issued a joint statement opposing the bill to amend the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law.

Article 4 of the draft law states that demonstrators who want to exercise their right to peaceful assembly and procession are required to inform police at least 48 hours before the intended day of the rally and to ensure the rally is "not contrary to the existing laws, stability, rule of law, peace and tranquility of the community and public morality."

CSOs have called for abolishing this provision, saying that it is too broadly defined, and is similar to Article 354 of the 2008 Constitution.

Article 4 (d) states that "protest organizers shall present in detail to the authorities the estimated cost of the protest and source of funds." CSOs said this infringes on individual privacy rights and the protesters' confidentiality.

Section 19 of the proposed bill states that "anyone who provokes, persuades or urges anyone to join a peaceful assembly and peaceful procession by using money or assets or other ways, with intent to shatter state security, law and order, will receive a three-year prison sentence and unlimited fine."

CSOs pointed out that the punishment in the proposed bill is much harsher than the one in the original law.

Lawmakers discussed the draft law in the Upper House on Monday. Four of the five lawmakers who spoke argued against the draft law.

U Khin Maung Latt of Arakan National Party said the draft law contributes to authoritarianism rather than democracy.

Naw Susana Hla Hla Soe of the National League for Democracy (NLD) said Article 4 of the draft law is broadly defined and infringes on human rights.

"'Peace and tranquility of the community' and 'public morality' are quite broad. It largely depends on authorities to determine what action infringes on them," she said.

Though Article 4 (d) seems to target dishonest demonstrations, people can differentiate between real and fake ones, she said, adding that Parliament therefore needs to consider whether the article is necessary.

"We have vowed to get rid of authoritarian acts and suppression of the people in Myanmar. The provisions [in the draft law] go against those objectives," NLD lawmaker U Htay Oo told the media.

On Wednesday, eight more lawmakers will debate the draft law, and it will be put to a vote.

The post Hundreds March Against Proposed Changes to Peaceful Assembly Law appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Mon and Karen Ethnic Armed Groups Clash

Posted: 06 Mar 2018 12:22 AM PST

YANGON — The Mon National Liberation Army (MNLA), the armed wing of the New Mon State Party (NMSP), which recently signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the government, clashed with NCA signatory the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army (KNU/KNLA) on Sunday in Tanintharyi Region's Yebyu Township.

Nai Aung Min, a central executive committee member of the NMSP, said clashes broke out when MNLA troops asked KNLA troops about their abduction of locals. He added that an MNLA member was injured in the clash.

"They detained crop growers. We went to see what happened and there was an encounter. One of our troops was injured," he told The Irrawaddy, adding that the abductees escaped after the two sides clashed.

The NMSP signed the NCA with the National League for Democracy-led government on Feb. 13 and the KNU signed with U Thein Sein's government in 2015.

According to Nai Aung Min, the MNLA has clashed with the KNLA twice in the former group's controlled area after signing the NCA. The two sides clashed in Mon State's Ye Township on Feb. 24 after KNLA troops allegedly came and logged trees in forest reserves managed by the NMSP.

Pado Saw Tardo Hmu, the general secretary of the KNU, said he did not have ground reports regarding Sunday's incident, but that a recent clash on Feb. 24 was only an engagement between ground troops.

"I don't know what happened on the ground. I have no comment at this time," he told The Irrawaddy.

The NMSP has banned logging in its controlled areas to prevent deforestation. KNLA troops allegedly entered the area with trucks, elephants and more than 40 workers in February for logging and NMSP troops arrested them.

The NMSP then released them after a week in consideration of the relations between the two sides. But then again, KNLA troops allegedly entered the area on Feb. 24 to log trees, resulting in clashes. The NMSP seized two firearms from KNLA troops in the clash.

On Feb. 27, Mon State security and border affairs minister Col Win Naing Oo and representatives of the two sides met in Ye Township to discuss the conflict.

Among the proposals made at the discussion were returning the two firearms, the suspension of logging, and a de-escalation of tensions between the two sides. The two sides clashed again on Sunday, as an agreement had not yet been reached regarding the proposals.

There is no clear demarcation of territory between the KNU and NMSP, and renewed clashes may occur until a clear line of demarcation is established, according to ethnic affairs analysts.

Representatives of the two sides met on Monday to de-escalate the situation.

"There are many areas where both the KNU and the NMSP operate. Therefore, we are concerned that this may give rise to problems," said Nai Aung Min.

The KNLA and MNLA clashed several times in 1989 to control Three Pagodas Pass at the Myanmar-Thai border. Since then, there were rarely clashes until November 2016.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Mon and Karen Ethnic Armed Groups Clash appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week

Posted: 05 Mar 2018 08:54 PM PST

Han Htoo Lwin's Solo Exhibition | March 9-11

Celebrated singer Han Htoo Lwin (Kyar Pauk) will showcase his modernist paintings at his debut solo art exhibition.

March 9-11, Ahla Thit Art Gallery, No. 17, University Avenue Road, Bahan Tsp.

Yangon Employment Fair | March 10

Top companies will fill various positions.

March 10, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rose Garden Hotel, Upper Pansodan Street. Tel: 09-31349834.

 

Yangon Book Street | Every Weekend

Old and new books are up for grabs for bookworms in one location.

Every weekend. Theinbyu Road.

 

JobNet Career Fair | March 10

Heineken, Ooredoo, CB Bank, Yoma Bank, Hilton Hotel and many more will be at this event. Registration here.

March 10, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sedona Hotel.  

Myanmar Photography Exhibition | Until March 11

This exhibition displays the history and development of photography in Myanmar.

Until March 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Secretariat Building, Theinbyu Road. Free Admission.

 

Rainbow Night | Every Thursday

A weekly LGBT party.

Every Thursday, starting at 10 p.m. Club Pyrite at No. 37, Kabar Aye Pagoda Road, near Inya Lake Hotel. Reservation at 09-258 835 885, 09-254546932. Free Entry.

 

Open Studios | March 11

Studios of famous artists U Win Pe, Soe Naing, Zaw Win Pe, Aung Min, U Khin Zaw and Than Kyaw Htay will be open to public.

March 11, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thara Phi Street, 34 Forestry Quarter, North Dagon Tsp. Free.

 

Photo and Book Exhibition | March 7

Historic photos and books will be on display to mark the 80th birthday of well-known librarian U Thaw Kaung.

March 7, Universities' Central Library, Yangon University. Free Admission.  

Great Love Line | March 7-9

Myat Kyawt will showcase his creations in various mediums including installation, performance, videos, and more.

March 7-9, OK Art Gallery, Aung San Stadium (North Wing).

 

Group Art Exhibition | Until April 16

This art exhibition will showcase more than 300 paintings of various artists.

Until April 16, New Treasure Art Gallery, Thanlwin Road, Golden Hill Avenue, Bahan Tsp.  

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

India’s Child Marriage Numbers Drop Sharply, Driving Down Global Rate: UNICEF

Posted: 05 Mar 2018 08:17 PM PST

MUMBAI — The proportion of girls getting married in India has nearly halved in a decade, the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said on Tuesday, which has contributed significantly to a global decline in child marriage.

UNICEF said 25 million child marriages were prevented worldwide in the last decade, with the largest reduction seen in South Asia – where India was at the forefront.

“India constitutes more than 20 percent of the world’s adolescent population and accounts for the highest number of child marriages in South Asia given its size and population,” said Javier Aguilar, UNICEF’s chief of child protection.

“In the current trend, 27 percent of girls, or nearly 1.5 million girls, get married before they turn 18 in India. This is a sharp decline from 47 percent a decade ago,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Child marriage adds to health, education and abuse risks, and increases the chance of intergenerational poverty, said Anju Malhotra, UNICEF’s principal gender adviser, in a statement.

“Given the life-altering impact child marriage has on a young girl’s life, any reduction is welcome news, but we’ve got a long way to go,” Malhotra said.

Campaigners and officials attributed the drop in child marriages to better access to education for women and increased public awareness on the negative impact of child marriage.

UNICEF estimates that 12 million girls a year are married globally, and says more is needed to end the practice by 2030 – the target set under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

UNICEF’s conclusions on India came after comparing data from its 2006 and 2016 health survey that asked women in the 20-24 age group whether they had married before they turned 18. It also took into account child marriage data from the 2011 census.

The legal age of marriage in India is 18 for women and 21 for men. Last year the Supreme Court ruled that sex with an underage wife constituted rape.

India’s Prohibition of Child Marriage Act imposes a fine of 100,000 Indian rupees ($1,535) and two years in prison for parents caught trying to marry off their underage children.

Despite the law, child marriage remains deeply rooted and accepted in society, and is widespread in parts of the country.

Mahesh Bhagwat, police chief of Rachakonda district in Telangana, where child marriage is widespread and where wedding hall decorators and priests were enlisted last year to help combat it, said the law had made an impact.

“But things are still going on clandestinely,” he said.

Jayna Kothari, executive director of the Bangalore-based Centre for Law & Policy Research, who has petitioned the government to declare child marriages invalid, said more action was needed.

“Better awareness of the Supreme Court’s verdict would deter child marriages, and declaring them invalid would strengthen India’s laws against them,” she said.

The post India's Child Marriage Numbers Drop Sharply, Driving Down Global Rate: UNICEF appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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Monday, March 5, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Myanmar Artists’ Works Tackling Identity, Displacement on Show in Chiang Mai

Posted: 05 Mar 2018 08:11 AM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Works by 18 established and emerging artists from Southeast Asia offering their personal experiences of global migration, notions of identity and ongoing humanitarian crises in Myanmar are on currently on display in a group exhibition in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.

The contemporary art exhibition "Diaspora: Exit, Exile, Exodus of Southeast Asia" is open to the public at the MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Chiang Mai from March 4 until Oct. 1. It includes works in a range of media, including paintings, paper cut-outs, other visual arts and mixed-media installations.

Artists from Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Australia are participating.

At the opening of the exhibition on March 3, panel discussions were held in which the artists shared their experiences and thoughts. The discussion was led by exhibition curator Lorendana Pazzini-Paracciani, a writer and lecturer in contemporary Southeast Asian art.

Unrecorded moments of conflict

Artist Sawongwangse Yawnghwe — grandson of Myanmar's first president, Sao Shwe Thaik —portrays the conflicts in Myanmar’s ethnic areas in a section of the exhibition comprising four elements:

“War Zone in Kachin State and Northern Shan State" comprises two paintings from "Missing Archives", the artist's ongoing series dealing with what he describes as unrecorded moments of the ongoing war in northeast Burma.

The second element, the painting "Shan State Army" (2017), depicts his imagined impression of the ethnic Army as it existed in 1964.

The third and largest painting is "Peace Industrial Complex ll" (2017). Sawangwongse Yawnghwe explained that the title refers to "the network of resource and financial flows among individuals, governments, corporations, organizations and institutions engaged in peace building within Burma."

"A Spirit Vitrines (Memoirs of a Shan Exile)" is the fourth piece. According to the artist, it is "an installation of small figurines titled 'A Spirit Vitrine'. I have created hundreds of small figurines as magical amulets to be carried on the body for luck during crossings, arranged in a long procession."

He explained to The Irrawaddy that "The amulets, although used to protect [during] crossings, are arranged by myself as a representation of the crossing itself, resembling the hundreds of sights in our near history, of haggard refugees, walking in lines along the sides of highways; harassed, sometimes shot or beaten, as they walk in tired straggled lines to uncertain posts."

Sawangwongse Yawnghwe was forced into exile from his home with his father Chao Tzang Yawnghwe (or Euguen Thaik) at the age of 1, almost a decade after the 1962 military coup. He lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, before migrating to Canada at the age of 12.

His art works are rooted in personal experiences and spotlight the ongoing humanitarian crises in Myanmar. Through his work he advocates for the recognition of minority groups' identities.

During the panel discussion, he shared memories of his early childhood as a descendent of a Shan Saopha (ruler) who was ousted by the Burmese military dictatorship in 1962, and of his father. "In my case, as an immigrant, one is shamed by poverty, by the traumatized father and mother. … Our roots are ripped out… the place I left is no longer the same and I am no longer the same," he told the audience.

When Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won the election in 2015, he said, he was "happy to come back to the country." But since the military continues to stand alongside the government, "We do not trust them; we continue to be persecuted."

He added that "Aung San Suu Kyi does not represent the ethnic minorities of Burma; in her they have no voice. Aung San Suu Kyi has proved herself to be a bad leader."

During the panel's discussion, he highlighted the government's oppression of journalists and the plight of "over 600,000 Rohingya" sheltering in Bangladesh, referring to the displaced Muslim populations of northern Rakhine State who have sought refuge over the border, following the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army's attack on 30 security posts in Aug. 25 and the subsequent clearance operations by the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw.

He urged an end to the military's persecution of and human rights violations against ethnic minorities and called for the public to devote themselves to "giving witness" so that responsibility for these actions is taken. He urged the public to continue doing so "until the genocide in Myanmar stops."

Sawangwongse Yawnghwe also discussed his Yawnghwe Office in Exile, which works with young people in Myanmar and consciously addresses politically contentious historical events through visual exploration.

"The country today is fraught with contradictions," he told The Irrawaddy. "Still known by both its historical and revisionist names [Burma and Myanmar], this state's leaders are following other neo-authoritarian Asian regimes by professing a modernist perspective toward the future while repressing awareness of the past. This strategy draws on the logic that economic growth and rising living standards will absolve the leadership of responsibility for decades of repression, corruption and economic stagnation. Such progress is unlikely to be achieved without broader national engagement and cooperation, yet this seems untenable until historical injustices are addressed."

Interactive installation

The show also features works by Myanmar visual artist and filmmaker The Maw Naing, whose installation made from 25 colorful nets titled "The In and Out of Thin Layers" is displayed in the main hall of the museum.

'The In and Out of Thin Layers', an art installation comprised of colored mosquito nets by The Maw Naing, is shown at MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Chiang Mai, Thailand. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy)

The Maw Naing told The Irrawaddy he wanted viewers to be able to participate in his artwork; to touch it, to feel it and to interact with his installations of mosquito nets, which are in colors of white, pink, black, grey, and red.

"I want people to feel and interact [with the art], because we did not have such experiences while the people of Burma were always neglected under the military leadership."

He developed the original concept for a work using nets in 2006, but was not able to exhibit his art under Myanmar's then-ruling junta. But he managed to use the idea in his 2014 film "The Monk", which incorporated meditative practice in the nets and has been shown at international film festivals.

The artist said previous audiences had discussed the way the nets present a sense of spirituality and search for self. He also said he plans to expand the piece to include 50-60 nets.

The Chiang Mai exhibition follows a showing of The Maw Naing's installation in Sweden in September 2016. It has not yet been shown in Myanmar, but the artist said he "would try [to produce a] show in Myanmar in the future."

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Magwe Fire Leaves 900 Locals Homeless

Posted: 05 Mar 2018 04:53 AM PST

YANGON — A large fire that broke out in a Magwe Region village in Myanmar's dry zone on Saturday night burned more that 160 houses to the ground and left 900 people homeless, according to local sources.

The fire started at about 8:30 p.m. in Thit Gyi Taw village in Magwe's Yesagyo Township and razed167 houses before it was extinguished at 2:30 a.m. on Sunday. No casualties have been reported.

U Kyaw Thura, a village administrator, told The Irrawaddy by phone that the fire started in the kitchen of a private home and quickly spread through the village as most houses in the area are made of bamboo and thatch.

He said the blaze destroyed 167 houses and displaced 900 people, including 37 students who will sit the matriculation exams starting Wednesday.

"It was so quick because the houses are close together, and also there was a strong wind," the administrator said.

He said food and other supplies were being provided to the victims by the government and charity groups, but added that it would take some time to rebuild the destroyed houses.

Magwe is one of the most vulnerable regions to fire in Myanmar because of its hot and dry conditions.

On Feb. 26 a fire in Su Tat Gyi village, in Magwe’s Myothit Township, destroyed 31 houses and displaced 145 people, according to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. The ministry said it provided the victims with about 100,000 kyats ($75) each to help them rebuild their homes along with rice and other supplies.

U Tin Thaung, a Magwe Regional lawmaker representing Yesagyo, said the students will be supplied with books and accommodations by the regional government so they can study for their exams.

"Because it [Thit Gyi Taw] is located in the northernmost part of the township, it is far from the center, including the fire stations. Besides that, it also had a water shortage problem," U Tin Thaung said.

He said the nearest fire station was 20 minutes away and that the township’s main fire station was at least a half-hour drive.

"When the hot season comes, there is a greater risk of fire. We can't say it wouldn’t happen, but if there was a fire station nearby it would reduce the loss," the lawmaker said. "The loss was worse because there is no fire station nearby."

U Tin Thaung said there were only three fire stations in his constituency and that he had asked Parliament for more but was turned town on the grounds that the region could not afford it.

"I hope the fire now proves the need," he said.

The post Magwe Fire Leaves 900 Locals Homeless appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bagan Temple Damaged in August Earthquake Collapses

Posted: 05 Mar 2018 04:47 AM PST

MANDALAY – A temple in Bagan's archaeological zone collapsed on Sunday as a result of damage sustained in an earthquake last year.

Three sides of the main structure at Temple No. 1,066, located near the Sein Nyat Sisters pagodas, developed cracks during the earthquake on Aug. 24, 2017. The Department of Archaeology and National Museum had reinforced the temple after the quake, but the work could not prevent the collapse.

According to the department, the cracked walls were themselves replacements built in late 1996 during major restorations of the ancient ruins of pagodas and temples in Bagan.

"The new walls on three sides of the square temple were cracked during the earthquake. We braced it with temporary iron belts. However, cracks in the base [of the structure] meant that it could not sustain the weight above it, causing the collapse," explained U Aung Aung Kyaw, director of the department's Bagan office.

The department is consulting with experts on how to handle the remaining ruins of Temple No. 1,066 in order to avoid a repeat of the mistakes made in the past.

"The original wall and entrance of the temple are still standing. We are only cleaning up the area and consulting with experts on how to maintain it," U Aung Aung Kyaw added.

Authorities are currently in the process of applying for UNESCO World Heritage Site status for Bagan.

The department said the incident would not affect the ongoing submission of Bagan's initial application for UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Experts have ensured that the process meets all requirements, it said.

Starting in 1996, major restoration work was done on over 800 of Bagan's ruined ancient pagodas and temples. The renovation and rebuilding work was widely criticized, with many experts saying their suggestions that the site not be renovated had been ignored by authorities.

Local experts said technical teams were in Bagan to help maintain earthquake-hit pagodas. They believed the mistakes of the past would not be repeated.

"We don't want to dwell on the mistakes of the past. But now, the technical expert teams are in the right place and providing assistance, and government officials are listening to them. We believe this will achieve the best result and allow us to avoid repeating past mistakes," said U Sun Oo, president of the Association of Myanmar Architects.

Some 389 pagodas and temples out of a total of 3,252 in Bagan were affected by the earthquake.

Bagan, the country's major tourist attraction, is home to pagodas and temples dating from the 9th to the 13th centuries.

The post Bagan Temple Damaged in August Earthquake Collapses appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Kachin Locals Protest Draft Myanmar Gemstone Law

Posted: 05 Mar 2018 02:18 AM PST

YANGON — More than 500 locals in Kachin State's Myitkyina took to the streets on Wednesday to protest the draft Myanmar Gemstone Law 2017, stating that the draft law does not consider the interests of local residents.

The protest was led by three Kachin parties—the Kachin State Democracy Party (KSDP), Kachin Democratic Party (KDP), and Kachin National Congress (KNC).

"There was neither consultation with locals nor negotiation with Kachin parties," said Bran Awng, a spokesperson for the three Kachin parties that led the protest.

The government has announced the draft law in government-run newspapers to seek public feedback and suggestions. "So, we made suggestions. None were taken. That's why we took to the streets," said Bran Awng.

Protesters held placards reading: "Kachin State's jade belongs to Kachin people and ethnic citizens," "We don't want large-scale mines," and "We want equal rights in the mining sector for Kachin people and ethnic citizens."

The draft Myanmar Gemstone Law does not provide rights or opportunities for local residents in jade- and gem-rich Kachin State and representatives of Kachin parties, Kachin literature and culture associations, law experts, and officials of the Myitkyina Gem Merchants Association held rounds of discussion in 2017 and submitted six recommendations to the Union Parliament, said Bran Awng.

Lawmakers of the Lower House and Upper House met Kachin delegates and discussed the proposed recommendations. But when the Parliament made public the draft law for feedback, those proposed recommendations were not included.

Among the proposed recommendations were the restriction of heavy machinery in mining and the use of small- and medium-scale machinery instead, the grouping of mining zones into small, medium and prospector zones, and mining monitoring committees at states and regional levels that would include 60 percent local representatives.

Recommendations also called for 30 percent local representatives on jade and gems evaluation committees, a reduction of tax on rubies, sapphires, jade and diamonds from 20 percent to 10 percent, and the inclusion of local representatives on the mining supervisory central committee and in state and regional level committees.

According to the draft law, a 20 percent tax is levied on rubies, sapphires, jade and diamonds and 10 percent on other gemstones.

The draft law has no provision regarding the restriction of heavy machinery in mining, said Dr. Manan Tuja, chairman of the KSDP.

"Revenues from resources have barely been used to benefit locals. We want decentralization in the draft law. We intend to attract the attention of Parliament by staging a protest. I hope lawmakers will change their decision," said Dr. Manan Tuja.

The law was enacted in 1995 and was amended for the first time in 2003 under the State Peace and Development Council government and for a second time in 2016 under President U Thein Sein's government. The third amendment is being debated in the Upper House.

The post Kachin Locals Protest Draft Myanmar Gemstone Law appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Harley-Davidson Opens Showroom in Mandalay

Posted: 05 Mar 2018 12:40 AM PST

MANDALAY — The American motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson opened its first authorized showroom and service center in Myanmar on Saturday in Mandalay.

Mandalay has drawn the attention of motorcycle dealers, with numerous motorcycle clubs and riders.

"With Myanmar's recent economic development and a large community of riders in Mandalay, it was a logical place for us to start our business in the country," said Johan Kleinsteuber, managing director of Harley-Davidson Asia Emerging Markets.

At the authorized dealer in Mandalay, Harley-Davidson lovers can order their favorite bikes from the United States. Spare parts and other accessories including branded clothing are also available at the store.

A service center is also attached to the showroom, for easy access to maintenance and repairs.

"Harley-Davidson is the top choice brand for Myanmar bikers and the quality is exceptional, but it is often difficult to repair and maintain the bikes," said Ko Lin Ko Ko Tint, an authorized dealer at the Harley-Davidson in Mandalay.

"Before, when a biker wanted a Harley, it had to be purchased from Thailand, which was expensive. At the new showroom, motorcycles can be purchased at a reasonable price, including warranties, he explained.

Although the US ended sanctions, investment in Myanmar still remains low. Apart from Harley-Davidson, some major American brands such as Coca-Cola, Gap, KFC and Pizza Hut launched in the country in recent years.

"Business ties between the US and Myanmar are increasing. Harley-Davidson is a favorite among US bikers and opening this showroom will strengthen those ties. I hope Burmese bikers will enjoy their rides," said Scot Marciel, the US ambassador to Myanmar, in his remarks at the showroom opening.

The post Harley-Davidson Opens Showroom in Mandalay appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

USDP Denies Ties to Detained Ex-lawmaker Accused of Funding ARSA

Posted: 05 Mar 2018 12:34 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) said it has nothing to do with a man detained by police last week for allegedly funding the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

Aung Zaw Win, 55, the owner of Yangon-based Shine Construction Co. Ltd., was arrested at the Yangon International Airport on Wednesday on his way to Thailand.

He was a USDP lawmaker representing Rakhine State’s Maungdaw Township in the Lower House from 2010 to 2015, during the government of U Thein Sein.

According to two suspects arrested in connection to the violence in northern Rakhine State in 2016, the Nga Khu Ya police station in Rakhine had opened a case against Aung Zaw Win for murder and causing grievous harm and other offenses under the Public Property Protection Act, the Arms Act and the Unlawful Associations Act.

USDP spokesman U Nanda Hla Myint said Aung Zaw Win had resigned from the party before 2015.

"Aung Zaw Win and [Rohingya rights activist and former Lower House lawmaker for Rakhine State’s Buthidaung Township] U Shwe Maung have already resigned from the party. When I took my post [as USDP spokesman], they had already left the party," he said.

At Naypyitaw's request, Dhaka handed over two suspects receiving medical care in Bangladesh who reportedly told investigators that Aung Zaw Win had funded ARSA, said U Zaw Htay, director-general of the President's Office.

"Based on their testimony, the judge issued an arrest warrant for Aung Zaw Win. But he was at large and finally arrested on Feb. 28, when he tried to go to Bangkok," U Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy.

He said police were still investigating Aung Zaw Win and had yet to hand him over to the court. The Maungdaw District Court issued the arrest warrant in 2016 and declared him a fugitive last year.

Ethnic affairs analyst U Maung Maung Soe claimed that all the necessities for the more than 700,000 Muslims in Maungdaw were being delivered directly from Yangon, though he was not sure whether ARSA was involved.

"According to the information I've gathered, trade in all necessary goods for all the Bengalis over the past six years since 2012 was controlled by Yangon. The government should conduct an in-depth investigation to find out who was involved and to what extent they were involved," he said.

Many people in Myanmar refer to the Rohingya as Bengali, implying they are not a distinct ethnic group with legitimate ties to Myanmar but illegal immigrants from Bangladesh even though many families have lived in Rakhine State for generations.

U Tun Kyi, a Muslim and a former political prisoner, said he denounced any form of violence and any individual, organization and religion that supports violence.

"I grew up in this country and have decided to protect its independence and sovereignty at the cost of my life. So I accept no terrorist organization," he said.

Though Myanmar enacted a Counter-Terrorism Law in 2014, U Tun Kyi said it has rarely been applied. He cited the January 2017 assassination of prominent Muslim lawyer and NLD legal adviser U Ko Ni at the Yangon International Airport, in which case the alleged gunman, Kyi Lin, has been charged with murder but not under the Counter-Terrorism Law.

He also criticized the recent arrest of Arakan National Council executive committee member Ko Naing Soe over a bomb attack that injured a police officer in Rakhine State in late February.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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China Boosts Defense Spending Amid Military Modernization

Posted: 04 Mar 2018 08:36 PM PST

BEIJING — China unveiled its largest rise in defense spending in three years on Monday, setting an 8.1 percent growth target compared to 2017, fueling the country’s ambitious military modernization program amid rising Chinese security concerns.

The 2018 defense budget will be 1.11 trillion yuan ($175 billion), according to a report issued at the opening of the country’s annual meeting of Parliament.

The defense spending figure is closely watched around the world for clues to China’s strategic intentions as it develops new military capabilities, including stealth fighters, aircraft carriers and anti-satellite missiles.

China will “advance all aspects of military training and war preparedness, and firmly and resolvedly safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests”, Premier Li Keqiang said in an address at Parliament’s opening session.

“Faced with profound changes in the national security environment” the absolute leadership of the military by the ruling Communist Party must be observed, and the unity between the government and the military and the people and the military must always be “strong as stone,” he said. The 2018 defense spending increase comes as China’s economic growth expanded 6.9 percent last year, the first acceleration in annual growth since 2010. But China kept its 2018 economic growth target at around 6.5 percent, said Li, the same as in 2017 despite exceeding that year’s target.

Last year, defense spending was set to increase by just 7 percent, to 1.044 trillion yuan ($164.60 billion), about one-quarter of the proposed US defense spending for the year. In 2016, it grew by 7.6 percent.

“The pace and scale of this buildup is really dramatic. It is extremely alarming for Australia and many other countries in the region,” said Sam Roggeveen, Visiting Fellow at the Strategic and Defense Studies Center, Australian National University in Canberra.

“There is every indication that China wants to expand what it will call defense capabilities in the South China Sea. I expect eventually we will see warships and aircraft there regularly, if not based there permanently. What is unclear, however, is whether the United States will want to rise to that challenge.”

Hidden Spending

China does not provide a breakdown of how it allocates its defense budget, leading neighbors and other military powers to complain that Beijing’s lack of transparency has added to regional tensions.

Diplomats say China’s defense numbers likely underestimate true military spending for the People’s Liberation Army, the world’s largest armed forces, which are in the midst of an impressive modernization program overseen by President Xi Jinping.

One senior Asia diplomat, speaking before the announcement was made, said the real rise would likely be at least double what China revealed considering efforts to build up the industrial military complex and deepen military-civilian integration.

“Some spending will be hidden in civilian spending,” said the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

China’s military buildup has rattled the nerves of its neighbors, particularly because it has taken an increasingly assertive stance in its territorial disputes in the East and South China seas and over Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.

With worries about potential disputes with the United States in the region, China’s military had mounted what defense sources and diplomats viewed as a lobbying campaign for more spending.

US President Donald Trump has proposed a military budget that is the largest since 2011 and focused on beefing up the country’s nuclear defenses and countering the growing strength of China and Russia.

The proposal, part of Trump’s budget request for the US government, would provide the Pentagon $617 billion and an additional $69 billion to fund ongoing wars in fiscal year 2019. That is $74 billion more than in the budget for the previous fiscal year.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui on Sunday said China’s “moderate” defense spending rises in the past few years are less than other major countries and will not threaten anyone.

The post China Boosts Defense Spending Amid Military Modernization appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

India’s Ruling Party Emerges Stronger After Polls in Northeast

Posted: 04 Mar 2018 08:26 PM PST

NEW DELHI — India's ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Saturday consolidated its position in the country's northeast after a landslide election victory in Tripura, ending 25 years of communist rule in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP and its allies are also ahead in the Christian-dominated mountainous state of Nagaland, while opposition Congress-ruled Meghalaya is heading for a fractured verdict.

Elections were held only in the states of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, where about nine million Indians live, according to the 2011 census. The three states have about 5.6 million voters, according to the election commission’s website.

With Saturday's victory, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will gain control over five of the seven northeastern states reshaping the political landscape of the region bordering Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Modi, who had extensively campaigned in the three states, attributed the win to the development work by his party and its allies.

"Time and again, election after election, the people of India are reposing their faith in the positive and development oriented agenda of the NDA," Modi tweeted.

The NDA already controls Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Congress-ruled Mizoram will vote later this year.

Congress leader Kamal Nath told reporters that his party is hopeful of forming the government in Meghalaya with support from other parties.

With control of Tripura and Nagaland, the right-wing BJP and its allies rule 21 of India's 29 states, boosting its prospects for a win in the federal elections scheduled for 2019.

India's main opposition Congress party, which has ruled the country for most of the time since independence in 1947, is now reduced to ruling three states.

The southern state of Karnataka, one of the bigger states ruled by the Congress, goes to the polls later this year.

"Victory after victory is a positive sign. This has boosted our confidence even more for 2019," BJP president Amit Shah said.

The post India's Ruling Party Emerges Stronger After Polls in Northeast appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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Saturday, March 3, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Where are Myanmar’s Strongmen?

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 07:30 PM PST

Once a constant presence in Myanmar's public life, the old leaders of the former military regime are conspicuous in their absence these days. We revisit an article published in the December 2013 print issue of The Irrawaddy Magazine offering a glimpse into the generals' new lives.

Until recently, the country's khaki-clad leaders roamed the country, "inspected" state projects and offered instructions on how to build a "peaceful and modern nation." But where are they now?

Ex-Snr-Gen Than Shwe and former Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye now live in secluded compounds in Naypyitaw and Yangon. They receive regular visitors, including high-ranking military and government officials.

In November, as Myanmar marked the Kathein festival, the country's richest tycoons, as well as politicians including President U Thein Sein and Union Parliament Speaker U Shwe Mann, paid their respects to ex-Snr-Gen Than Shwe. The former head of the regime is praised within the powerful military establishment as the man who formulated the road map for the transfer of power and a "bloodless transition."

The former dictator, who is still very much regarded as Myanmar's central authority figure by the generals and ex-generals now in power, is said to be "worried" about the country's future, but passes his time at home largely by reading books.

Ex-Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, meanwhile, has suffered a stroke and is paralyzed. Informed sources say the no-nonsense general, who was once based in northern Shan State, has completely retired from politics and administering the armed forces. "He is in a wheelchair and is no longer interested in politics—he's waiting for his day to come," said a source close to the family of the former junta's No. 2.

Former Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye is confined to a wheelchair. (Illustration: Sai So Kyi / The Irrawaddy)
Former Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye is confined to a wheelchair. (Illustration: Sai So Kyi / The Irrawaddy)
Former Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye is confined to a wheelchair. (Illustration: Sai So Kyi / The Irrawaddy)

The general, who was a renowned whiskey drinker, is said to have stopped taking alcohol and to have become more religious. Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the current commander-in-chief, recently paid a visit to the retired general's residence, where he held a Kathein ceremony and offered robes to Buddhist monks.

Former spy chief U Khin Nyunt, now free from house arrest after being purged from the regime, recently opened an art gallery in Yangon. The former general, long known as Myanmar's "Prince of Evil" for his role in torturing dissidents following the crackdown on the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, showed up to his gallery's opening in a white tunic, and is also reportedly funding the building of a pagoda. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, he lamented that no one has sought his advice as a political strategist or consultant.

But what of U Tin Aung Myint Oo, the former vice president, who abruptly left his post with little explanation last year? The formidable former general, who won several titles for bravery in the 1970s and went on to control the country's powerful trade council (and who is considered to be one of the richest men in Myanmar), is no longer in the news.

Myanmar, Burma, junta, military regime, dictatorship, Than Shwe, Tin Aung Myint Oo, Thein Sein, Khin Nyunt, Maung Aye
One-time spy chief and Prime Minister U Khin Nyunt now surrounds himself with art. (Illustration: Sai So Kyi / The Irrawaddy)

U Tin Aung Myint Oo's departure was put down to health reasons, and he was said to suffer from throat cancer. However, the general once dubbed a hardliner is often spotted on the golf courses of Yangon and appears to be in good health. The former general remains tight-lipped about why he left the post, but he is said to be unhappy with—and to have questioned the "sincerity" of—President U Thein Sein.

Aside from playing golf, he is said to be building a bell in the Ayeyarwady delta, in the manner of Myanmar's former monarchs, who often made merit by building pagodas and bells and donating to religious institutions. U Tin Aung Myint Oo's bell is reportedly going to overshadow the Mingun Bell in Sagaing Region, which weighs 199,999 pounds (90,718 kg). The buying up of vast amounts of bronze to make the bell is said to have driven up local prices of the metal.

Although they are absent from public life, it seems the ex-generals' large egos remain intact.

This story first appeared in the December 2013 print issue of The Irrawaddy magazine.

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Friday, March 2, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

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Specter of Jihadi Resurgence Arises in Bangladesh, says ICG

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 04:05 AM PST

YANGON – The International Crisis Group (ICG), which focuses on preventing deadly conflicts, has warned the Bangladeshi government that domestic political polarization could fuel a resurgence of militancy by local jihadist movements, threatening the state's security and religious tolerance of minority groups.

The group released a 34-page report entitled "Countering Jihadist Militancy in Bangladesh" via its website on Feb. 28. Based on interviews with security officials, members of the legal community and political and civil society groups, representatives from Islamic parties and umbrella groups, the analysis seeks to explore the roots of Bangladeshi's jihadist groups, their ultimate goals, organizational dynamics, recruitment patterns and links to regional and transitional networks.

Resurgent militancy

The ICG report states that two groups, Jamaat-ul Mjahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Ansarul Islam (or Ansar), which both claim to represent Islamic State-Bangladesh and have sent large numbers of fighters to Iraq and Syria, dominate the jihadist landscape of Bangladesh. Both are linked with Islamic State (ISIS) and affiliated with al-Qaeda's South Asian branch.

Ansar describes itself as a defender of Islam, while JMB has a longer list of enemies, identifying anyone who does not subscribe to its interpretation of Islam as a legitimate target.

These two militant groups' attacks have targeted secular activists, foreigners, intellectuals as well as religious and sectarian minorities in Bangladesh since 2013. In the almost three years since an attack on a café in the heart of Dhaka's diplomatic district killed over 20 people, ICG reports a series of attacks have involved different Bangladesh Jihadist groups, including rural-based madrasa students and elite urban young men.

Successive governments have taken drastic and often brutal action against JMB, killing thousands of suspects, although the group has not been wiped out and has revived itself in a new form. Meanwhile, Ansar was born out of outrage over the ruling Awami League government's 2010 trials of senior leaders of the country's largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islamic (Jel), who were accused of committing war crimes in the 1971 war of independence.

Jel is a close ally of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The verdicts against Jel's senior leaders became a flashpoint within the Islamist community as the trial lacked transparency and was held against a background of intimidation and harassment of defence lawyers and witnesses. Ansar regards the trials as an insult to Islam and subsequently begun recruiting members from among both urban and rural educated youth.

The ICG says the ruling Awami League party's tactics against its political opponents, which have included accusing BNP and Jel of complicity in high-profile attacks in recent years, have opened a space for new forms of jihadist activism. The Awami League has repeatedly used the security forces to suppress rivals as it seeks a decisive victory in upcoming 2018 general elections in December.

The ICG suggested the Bangladeshi government "should adopt a counter-terrorism strategy anchored in reformed criminal justice and better intelligence gathering."

Ansar might be training ARSA militants today

Amid the silent threat growing within Bangladesh, an influx of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar's Rakhine State in late 2017 is fueling security concerns in the Bangladeshi government as jihadist groups including ISIS and Pakistani militants have shown an interest in taking advantage of the Rohingya's plight in an effort to mobilize support.

The ICG warns the Bangladesh government that jihadists might "exploit" nearly one million stateless Rohingya refugees, who are "particularly susceptible to jihadist recruitment." News reports suggest some Rohingya from refugee camps have already joined ARSA.

In April 2016, ISIS's online magazine Dabiq featured the Bangladesh ISIS commander sounding a rallying cry for Rohingya rights, while Al-Qaeda included Myanmar on a 2014 list of key targets.

Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, in one of the leading publications in that country, wrote in September 2017, "All Muslims of the world must unite for this cause" and "Myanmar's soil is earnestly waiting for the thumping sound of the footsteps of the conquerors."

In December 2017, Akayed Ullah, a Banlgadeshi immigrant to the United States detonated a homemade pipe bomb in a New York subway corridor, injuring five. US authorities apprehended the suspect and found he had an "allegiance to ISIS" and had visited Rohingya refugee camps three months before his violent attack in New York.

Although there is no concrete evidence to conclude that ARSA has ties to transnational jihadism, a previous Rohingya militant group, formally known as the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), set up small bases on the Bangladesh border in the past, and collaborated with Jamaat-ul Mujahideen on weapons and explosives training. Some counter-terrorism analysts believe that Ansar might be training and arming ARSA militants today.

Qazi Mehboob ul-Haq, left, the chief of Ansar ul-Islam, with supporters. (Photo: Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty)

The Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) also noted in its report that "Indonesians and Malaysians are seeking to assist persecuted Muslims in Myanmar through contacts with Bangladesh-based Rohingya."

At their recent meeting in Singapore in February, ASEAN defence ministers issued a joint statement in which it stated: "We note with grave concern the rise of terrorism in our region, perpetrated by individuals and groups with increasingly sophisticated and deadly tactics and weapons."

Meanwhile on Feb. 27, the US Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added ISIS-Bangladesh and the Philippines-based Maute Group, aka Islamic State of Lanao, to its sanction list for global terrorism, along with ISIS-Egypt, Somalia, Tunisia and West Africa. It's unclear whether the US is also trying to verify the link between Bangladesh ISIS and ARSA.

Third picture: Myanmar soldiers on guard duty during a diplomatic tour to northern Rakhine’s strife-torn Maungdaw district in 2017. (Photo/ Moe Myint/The Irrawaddy)

Why is ARSA so silent?

After a series of attacks by ARSA on Myanmar forces in 2017, there have been no serious security incidents in northern Rakhine's Maungdaw region, although a couple of camp leaders were murdered on the Bangladesh side, which scared Rohingya from returning to Myanmar.

Home Affairs Minister Lt. Col Kyaw Swe and 11 fellow officials from relevant departments recently visited Bangladesh to discuss border security and collaboration on counter-terrorism operations but detailed information from the talks was not released.

During the visit, Bangladesh Home Affairs officials handed a list of over 8,000 potential Rohingya returnees to Lt. Col Kyaw Swe but the list provided only one ID photo of the head of each family and no other identifying information for family members or fingerprints in the applications. As a result, Myanmar authorities said they would send back the returnee list to Bangladesh authorities.

As for ARSA's silence, Myanmar ethnic affairs analyst U Maung Maung Soe concluded that the group is waiting to see the outcome of a campaign by some members of the international and human rights communities to have Myanmar army chief Sen Gen Min Aung Hlaing referred to the International Court of Justice for the Myanmar military's brutal campaign against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine.

In recent weeks, over 100 British MP urged its government to demand the Myanmar army chief be brought before the ICJ while three Nobel Peace Laureates, Yemen's Tawakkol Karman, Iran's Shirin Ebadi and Mairead Maguire from Ireland voiced a similar appeal after visiting refugee camps in Bangladesh.

According to Bangladesh news outlets, the Nobel Prize winners also warned Myanmar State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to "wake up", otherwise, she would be listed as a "perpetrator of this crime".  Moreover, they bluntly declared that "If she can't stop all this crime, then she has to resign, now."

"If ARSA stages further attacks against Myanmar, there could be backlash in terms of the international support for them (the Rohingya), and their political agenda would suffer a great loss," U Maung Maung Soe said.

The analyst noted Rohingya promoters in Europe had focused on raising the issue of indigenous rights for stateless people rather than protecting the basic rights of a persecuted community, which suggests it will be hard to reach a repatriation deal given the offer made by Myanmar to accept those who return voluntarily. Thus, ARSA's silence is very likely connected to the pro-Rohingya campaigners' lobbying, he said.

"It's hard to believe that they (lobbyists) don't have any connections with ARSA," U Maung Maung Soe said.

However, ARSA will probably carry out renewed attacks on Myanmar if the push for Sen Gen Min Aung Hlaing to be tried before the ICC fails to gain traction. In addition, the remaining Muslim population has indicated that ARSA would not be able to call on large numbers of militants to make attacks against Myanmar government targets as in 2017, U Maung Maung Soe said.

The post Specter of Jihadi Resurgence Arises in Bangladesh, says ICG appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

How Can the NLD Salvage Myanmar’s Diplomatic Affairs?

Posted: 01 Mar 2018 11:52 PM PST

Kyaw Zwa Moe: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! This week, we'll discuss Myanmar and its international diplomacy. The diplomatic affairs of a country are critically important for its political, economic and social improvement. Myanmar has faced a lot challenges on the diplomatic front because of its rulers over the past five decades. Though it was expected that Myanmar's international diplomatic relations would recover after the elected National League for Democracy [NLD] government came to power, the conflict in Rakhine State last year and its consequences have reversed the country's political transition and diplomatic relations. Political analyst Dr. Yan Myo Thein and human rights activist Cheery Zahau will join me to discuss how the NLD government can salvage diplomatic relations.

Dateline Irrawaddy : သံေရးတမံေရး အက်ပ္အတည္းၾကားက ျမန္မာႏုုိင္ငံ

Dateline Irrawaddy : သံေရးတမံေရး အက်ပ္အတည္းၾကားက ျမန္မာႏုုိင္ငံ

Posted by The Irrawaddy – Burmese Edition on Wednesday, February 28, 2018

One of the problems facing our country is diplomacy. As I've said, it was thought that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s government would be able to foster diplomatic relations, but the Rakhine issue has taken [Myanmar’s] relations with the international community almost to the lowest level. The international community has blamed [the government] for human right violations and its handling of the issue. Ko Yan Myo Thein, what is your assessment of it?

Yan Myo Thein: As you have discussed, international diplomacy is quite weak under the government led by President U Htin Kyaw and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. We are in a transition, but there is still no sweeping institutional change in foreign relations. For example, most of the staff members at the Foreign Ministry are bureaucrats. And almost two-thirds of the ambassadors are retired military officers. Ambassadors play the role of [a football team’s] strikers in international diplomacy. They will be able to respond, discuss, represent their country on the front line. But the institution is weak. Another weak point is we are going with total defense in facing the international community. Sometimes it is really difficult to know exactly what is happening on the ground in areas of war and conflict. Under such circumstances there may be extrajudicial actions. When there are reports and allegations about those cases, the government should, rather than denying those cases, investigate and find out the truth. With such an approach, its relations with international countries would be better, I think.

KZM: So it is about its cooperation with international countries. Myanmar denied the UN human rights envoy access to the country. Again, it also rejected the investigation mission demanded by the UN and other western countries into the Rakhine issue.  Our country has been quite weak in international relations. While we call our country the Golden Land, we were called a weak state and a failed state because of continuous human rights problems associated with the Tatmadaw government. We were also called a rouge and a pariah state, and a thuggish state, and [a member of the] Axis of Evil by the US along with Iran, Iraq and North Korea. Following the outbreak of the Rakhine issue under the NLD government, they call us a country of rising nationalism. Ma Cheery, how do you assess it?

Cheery Zahau: The international relations landscape changed a lot before and after the outbreak of World War II and the emergence of the UN. The UN was established for the sake of people and democracy. Myanmar is one of the founding members. The UN has adopted norms, and there are descriptions, as Ko Kyaw Zwa Moe has mentioned, for countries that don't meet those norms. Our country has continuously ignored those norms of the international community, especially the norms for democratization and for the political and civil rights of the country. That's why the international community has given the country bad names. The international community had pinned very high hopes on the NLD government, because people expected that Myanmar would then be on the right path to democracy and that political and fundamental rights would be guaranteed. But then over the past two years there was not only the Rakhine issue, but also other issues such as the arrest of journalists, media censorship and the arrest of human rights activists. The world knows that. The international community is concerned that political and civil rights are being restricted more and more. So the perception of the international community is that Myanmar does not meet those norms. That perception is further reinforced by the Rakhine issue. Villages were reduced to ashes there. There are satellite images of them. We can't deny there was no arson. The international community is watching and we, especially those in Naypyitaw, can't turn a blind eye to it. That's why the international community is blaming us. Again, the world has seen serious problems since 2012. War is still going on in Syria, and problems still exist in Yemen. South Sudan and North Korea also have problems. Richer countries, especially in Europe, have been suffering the consequences of those crises. They are faced with a refugee crisis, and while they have a big burden to handle, the crisis in our country has sent more than 600,000 people to the neighboring country. Who will feed them? Bangladesh or our country? While those who earned their living from farming and fishing were forced to leave, the world already had crises, so the entire world got angry. To the international community it seems that our country, which has never met those norms, has worsened the crises. So the international community has a negative view of us.

KZM: Ma Cheery spoke about causes and effects. But Ko Yan Myo Thein, let's analyze the NLD's policy and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's attitude toward international relations. According to its election manifesto, the policy of the NLD is to promote friendship with the world's countries with an active, independent and non-aligned foreign policy, and to stand firmly by the cause of genuine democracy in handling issues arising from engagement with the countries of the world. This is one of the points of the NLD's policy. As Ma Cheery pointed out, the whole world has blamed this country for not adhering to democratic norms in the past. On Monday, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi spoke about this issue [at the Myanmar Development Effectiveness Roundtable]. Ko Yan Myo Thein, how can you differentiate between her foreign policy and that of her government?

YMT: I think the NLD government believes it is critically important to cooperate with the international community on the current democratization of the country. She also spoke about expanding cooperation with the international community at the roundtable. But there are restrictions, I think. There are tough restrictions on the functions of the government and the Parliament because of the 2008 Constitution. In my view, no matter how tough the restrictions are, the leaders of the country, including the state counselor, should try to negotiate with the Tatmadaw leaders to be able to stabilize the democratization of the country. The support and trust of Western countries, including the USA and EU, are very important for our democratization process to gain momentum. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has received that support and trust for many years. And the country needs support and trust now. And we need to utilize that support and trust effectively and wisely. Though the government's policy is to implement an active and independent foreign policy, that policy has restrictions, I think. It appears that our foreign policy always has to take our neighbor China into consideration. It is necessary to build broad trust and understanding between internal forces such as the government, Parliament, political parties, Tatmadaw and ethnic groups. In solving the Rakhine issue, the government has apparently neglected Arakanese lawmakers of the Arakan National Party elected by Rakhine people. Elected ANP lawmakers should participate in solving the issue. It is important to establish a practice in which all can find solutions for similar problems through negotiation.

KZM: Speaking of China's foreign policy toward Myanmar and Myanmar's foreign policy toward China, it seems that Myanmar’s government, even the NLD government, has to seek China's help when it has problems with Western countries over those norms. The entire social infrastructure of our country is deteriorating. Frankly speaking, we will need the support of Western and other countries that meet those norms in order to rebuild that infrastructure. Now, not only China, but also Russia protects us. We need to cooperate with them as they [the Chinese] are neighbors. But to build genuine democracy and a good society in the long run, Western countries can help a lot more than China and Russia. Ma Cheery Zahau, what do you think?

CZ: Our country is very weak in researching how to deal with each country. China has done very thorough research. It has researched even the small details of how to deal with our country. It has even researched the preferences of individual leaders. Our country has studied nothing about other countries. The leaders of our country apparently receive guests without preparation and pay visits without preparation.

KZM: They fail to do homework.

CZ: Yes, they don't do homework. They can't practice a foreign policy like that. I don't mean I oppose establishing ties with China; Myanmar has to maintain ties with China. But at the same time, it must be clear about the purpose of maintaining ties. For expediting democratization or what?  To promote democracy and civil rights in the society, maintaining ties with China won't work. We can't rely on it for that. But we must cooperate with it in other sectors like trade. A lot of institutional study is needed on how to deal with other countries — for example with ASEAN — and on what benefits we can get, and what they can give and what we can give. Our country has yet to do such research. As the government has no clear direction, it doesn't know what message to send the USA and what message to send the EU. It appears that our country starts to formulate a response only after those countries point out the problem. As a result, we don’t have a say in the international community. Maintaining ties with neighbors like China, Russia and ASEAN is inevitable. But from a security point of view, we buy weapons from Russia and China. They know all our military strengths as well as the technology we use. How can we be safe when our neighbors know all our possessions? And they will surely not look on us [highly]. So if we are to find other friends, we have to please them. We have to try to meet democracy and human rights norms to win those friends. We have to mend ourselves if we want to get good friends. This is the requirement we have to fulfill.

KZM: This is the weak point of Myanmar and the government. From the international community's point of view, Myanmar is an important country. Thinking about why the international community should support and have an interest in Myanmar, I found four or five factors. First, Myanmar has a strategic geopolitical position. It lies between China and India and is a member of ASEAN. The Malacca Straits are important for trade between the Middle East and East Asian countries. And Myanmar is rich in natural resources. And talking of public sentiment, people have fought for the cause of democracy for years. The country was under dictatorship for around 50 years and was in isolation for around 30 years. It was a British colony for around 100 years. To what extent should the international community have expectations of such a country?

YMT: My view is that the majority of our people are poor. The consequence of poverty is a decline in educational standards. Because of low education levels and severe poverty, people have to live a hand-to-mouth existence and do not bother to care about other issues. So both the international community and our government should educate the people, for example about fundamental rights, human rights and what the international community is about. There is a need for such education on a wide scale among the people. Another thing is that our people were ruled by various forms of dictatorship since 1962, so they have psychological trauma. As a result, I think, they will always be worried about something and have doubts. And they also have nationalism, or a nationalistic mindset, and psychological trauma has made that nationalistic mindset extreme. The international community should think about this, I think. So should the government, Parliament, the Tatmadaw and the educated. They should take these into serious consideration and think about how to heal them.

KZM: The international community has a lot of interests in Myanmar. The USA gained credit when Myanmar started democratizing. They said the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar had changed because of their engagement policy. What do you want to suggest to them? Myanmar is a fragile country. The government doesn't have absolute power. The Constitution provides a large space for the Tatmadaw. Under such circumstances, what do you want to suggest to the international community?

CZ: Before making any suggestions, the point I would like to make is that our country holds a strategic geopolitical position. We have to sell the benefits of establishing ties with us. Our country is not good at marketing. But the image we are selling to the international community now is that there are human rights violations and that the civil war has not ended. We should design a good plan to present our good points and resources. The democracy the people aspire to will go from strength to strength if we maintain ties with Western countries. The international community, especially the USA, should not ignore us, but continuously engage with us. By engagement I don't mean selling weapons to the Tatmadaw and ignoring human rights. But it should continuously engage with all the stakeholders — the NLD government, ethnic groups, political organizations and civil society. CSOs and the media are the key players in the burgeoning of democracy. The government may lose the election if it doesn't perform well. Then another government will take office. It is the media and civil society that will stay. Therefore, Western countries need to engage more with the media and civil society.

KZM: Ko Yan Myo Thein, what is your suggestion for the NLD government and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to improve their diplomatic maneuvers?

YMT: There is a need to review the existing institution and policies in practice. There is a need to review their strengths and weaknesses. If the review is carried out promptly — and the necessary reforms can be made to the institution, policies and procedures — we will be able to breathe easy on the international stage in the next two years.

KZM: But what if the old guard is not changed while old policies are changed?

YMT: In my view, institutional reform should include changes in both policy and in people.

KMZ: You mean there is no problem if old personnel have changed their mindset?

YMT: Yes. But then, around two-thirds of ambassadors are retired military officers. For example, Myanmar’s ambassador to the UK. Our relations with the UK are very important. But what if the ambassador there is a retired military officer? Again, if we want to make some changes to ties with China, the ambassador should be a civilian ambassador with a political background. Only then will our reforms have greater effect in the international community.

CZ: It is very important that the right people are in the right places.

KZM: Thank you for your contributions!

The post How Can the NLD Salvage Myanmar’s Diplomatic Affairs? appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Indonesian Police Question Luxury Yacht Crew in 1MDB Probe

Posted: 01 Mar 2018 10:30 PM PST

JAKARTA — Indonesian police on Thursday questioned the captain and crew of a luxury yacht seized in Bali at the request of US authorities, probing alleged money laundering at a Malaysian state fund, they said.

The yacht was impounded in Bali on Wednesday amid a multi-billion dollar corruption investigation launched by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and tied to Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Police seized the yacht, Equanimity, after receiving a letter on Feb. 21 from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) requesting help to enforce a court order, Indonesian National Police Spokesman Muhammad Iqbal Abduh said.

Police had questioned the captain and crew and would check their immigration papers and see if there was any evidence of a crime being committed, Abduh said in a statement.

Citing information provided by the FBI, he said the yacht’s Automated Identification System (AIS) had been switched off several times in waters around the Philippines and Singapore.

The AIS system uses satellites to pinpoint locations and switching it off would make it harder to detect the vessel.

Over the past 180 days, the Equanimity sailed from the northeast to the northwest of Malaysia and Singapore, and then from the Indonesian island of Bali to Papua and back again, according to shipping data on Thomson Reuters Eikon. There are several points where its movements are unclear.

1MDB is at the center of money-laundering probes in at least six countries, including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore.

A total of $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB by high-level officials of the fund and their associates, according to civil lawsuits filed by the DOJ in the past two years.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak set up 1MDB in 2009 and previously served as chairman of its advisory board. He and the fund have denied any wrongdoing.

In August 2017, the DOJ asked for a stay on its civil lawsuits seeking to seize more than $1.7 billion in assets allegedly bought with stolen 1MDB funds because it was conducting a related criminal probe.

Among the assets sought is Equanimity, cited as a $250 million luxury yacht bought by Malaysian financier Jho Low, named as a key figure in the US lawsuits.

The lawsuits said Low used proceeds diverted from 1MDB to buy Equanimity, which it described as a 91-meter yacht registered in the Cayman Islands.

The head of the National Police special crimes investigation unit said Indonesian authorities were not looking for Low.

“We have an obligation to search for all on the wanted list or [anyone] included on an Interpol red notice. But I have not seen the name,” Agung Setya told Reuters.

Low’s whereabouts are unknown and his Hong Kong company has not responded to requests for comment.

A spokesperson for Low was quoted by Malaysia’s New Straits Times daily on Thursday as saying it was “disappointing that, rather than reflecting on the deeply flawed and politically motivated allegations, the DOJ is continuing with its pattern of global overreach — all based on entirely unsupported claims of wrongdoing.”

The post Indonesian Police Question Luxury Yacht Crew in 1MDB Probe appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Cambodian PM Denounces ‘Dogs’ for Burning His Effigy in Australia

Posted: 01 Mar 2018 09:34 PM PST

PHNOM PENH — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, criticized by rights groups for a crackdown on the opposition and media, denounced protesters in Australia as dogs on Thursday for burning his effigy, days after threatening to beat them up.

Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than 30 years, has forced the closure of an English-language newspaper and the dissolution of the main opposition party and jailed government critics.

Rights groups and Western nations have decried the crackdown ahead of a general election set for July.

Hun Sen last week threatened to beat up protesters if they burned his image during an upcoming ASEAN-Australia Summit on March 17.

That prompted a Cambodian community in Australia to burn his effigy on Saturday and release images online.

“This is an insult,” Hun Sen said at a ceremony in Kompong Cham Province on Thursday. “It is tough to bite back when a dog bites our leg,” Hun Sen said, adding that his trip to Australia would go as planned.

Hun Sen’s threat to beat up protesters was met with condemnation in Australia.

“These are outrageous statements,” Clare O’Neil, an Australian MP, said in parliament on Thursday.

“We are living in this beautiful democratic country. Those rights need to be extended to all Australians, including those of Cambodian descent.”

Hun Sen has frequently said he wants to remain in power for at least another decade. The dissolution of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party eliminated a major obstacle to his re-election ahead of the July election.

The post Cambodian PM Denounces ‘Dogs’ for Burning His Effigy in Australia appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Spice Up Your Evening With a Taste of Rakhine Cuisine

Posted: 01 Mar 2018 08:58 PM PST

Sule Shangri-La Yangon has re-launched and revamped its famous "Mad for Seafood" buffet, this time tempting diners with the spicy charms of Rakhine cuisine.

The buffet at the hotel's Café Sule features an array of soups, salads, fried dishes and curries, and is available from 6-10 p.m. on Saturday nights.

In Myanmar, Rakhine is famous for its spicy-sour flavors, achieved through the use of ingredients such as coriander, lemongrass, chilies and lemon juice.

The curries tend to be fresher in flavor and less oily and salty than other regional varieties. Most of the dishes involve seafood including prawns, crab, octopus, jellyfish, squid, cuttlefish, clams and lobster. These are served in a variety of ways including grilled, fried, steamed and boiled; all are available at the buffet.

The buffet includes a variety of fried dishes.

What I like most about this buffet is that I can stand there and have my dish cooked exactly as I want it, as it doesn't take long to do; I also love putting together a fresh seafood salad.

And the hotel hasn't forgotten that other famous Rakhine item: Moh Ti, a rice noodle dish which can be enjoyed as either a soup or a salad. As a soup it's served with a sour and spicy broth with fish slices. As a dry salad, the same ingredients are mixed with white-rice vermicelli into a colorful combination adorned with green chili paste, which lends it a greenish hue.

The buffet includes a Rakhine Moh Ti corner.

Other worthy Rakhine-style offerings include Ngar Ni Tuu Thoke (dried small fish salad), Gone Thauk Sann (hot and sour mussel stew) and Pinlalsar Mar Lar Shan Kaw (stir-fried spicy seafood and vegetables).

A variety of Rakhine-style dishes are served.

Rakhine cuisine is generally spicy, so ask the chef to go easy on you if you don't like it too hot!

The buffet also serves up Mongolian-style seafood. These dishes are also spicy; the grilled lobster had an awesome flavor — fresh and sweet at the same time.

Local street food is also represented here in the form of Wat Thar Doke Htoe (pork sticks), and these were yummy.

Other international favorites are also available at the buffet, including sushi, grilled beef, dim-sum and many others.

 

Boiled king crab, prawns and mussels are served at the 'Mad for Seafood' buffet.

The Rakhine-style "Mad for Seafood" night is offered on Saturday nights and the traditional international version is presented on Thursday nights, both priced at US$36 net per person.
If you're a seafood lover and you want to enjoy both traditional and international dishes in one place, look no further than the "Mad for Seafood" buffet.

For reservations and further information, call (95 1) 242 828 extension 6421 or 6422 or send an email to restaurantreservations.ssyn@shangri-la.com.

The post Spice Up Your Evening With a Taste of Rakhine Cuisine appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bangladesh Protests Against Myanmar Troops at Border Where Rohingya Shelter

Posted: 01 Mar 2018 08:41 PM PST

DHAKA — Bangladesh summoned Myanmar’s ambassador on Thursday over an increased security presence near their border where thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been sheltering just inside Myanmar, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The United Nations refugee agency has expressed concern that thousands of people staying on the strip of land, dubbed “no man's land” because it is beyond Myanmar's border fence but on Myanmar's side of a creek that marks the international border, would be forcibly returned without sufficient consideration for their safety.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar for Bangladesh after insurgent attacks on Aug. 25 sparked a military crackdown that the United Nations has said amounted to ethnic cleansing, with reports of arson attacks, murder and rape.

About 5,300 people had been staying in a makeshift camp on the borderline since late August, but roughly half moved to camps inside Bangladesh after the two countries met to discuss possible repatriation on Feb. 20.

Several hundred of them have been moved back to the borderline, two border guards said.

On Thursday, Myanmar armed soldiers and police, estimated to number more than 200, came to the border fence and appeared to be moving heavy weapons including mortars to the area, said a Bangladesh army official and the two guards, all three of whom spoke on condition of anonymity.

Dil Mohammed, a community leader among the roughly 950 Rohingya families staying at the border, said Myanmar officials used loudspeakers to tell them to move from the area.

Protest Note

The movement of troops so close to the border violated international norms, an official of Bangladesh’s border guard, Brigadier General Mujibur Rahman, told Reuters.

“We are sending them a protest note. We have already asked for a flag meeting,” said Rahman, the force’s additional director general in charge of operations, referring to a meeting of border guards of both countries.

“They have removed heavy weapons, such as machineguns and mortars, from the area after our verbal protests.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka said Acting Foreign Secretary Khurshed Alam asked envoy Lwin Oo for Myanmar’s security forces to pull back from the border, warning “such military buildup will create confusion within Bangladesh and escalate tensions on the border.”

The action could also hamper the agreed repatriation of refugees, the ministry said in a statement, adding a diplomatic note was handed to the ambassador.

Myanmar military spokesman Myat Min Oo said he could not confirm there was any troop activity and declined to comment further, citing a public holiday in Myanmar.

A spokesman for the country’s Home Affairs Ministry, Myo Thu Soe, said he was unaware of the troop movements.

Myanmar’s main government spokesman, Zaw Htay, declined to comment on Thursday’s activity.

On Wednesday, he told Reuters that “terrorists” with links to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which had attacked 30 Myanmar police posts and an army base in August, were sheltering in the border area.

Zaw Htay said he believed people were staying there to put political pressure on Myanmar's government and “create a situation where Myanmar security forces and government officials will remove them.”

The post Bangladesh Protests Against Myanmar Troops at Border Where Rohingya Shelter appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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