Thursday, April 19, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Four Myanmar Workers Found Guilty In 2015 Killing Of Thai Woman

Posted: 19 Apr 2018 08:13 AM PDT

CHIANG MAI, Thailand – A provincial court in Ranong, Thailand, has found four Myanmar migrant workers guilty of charges related to the killing of a Thai woman in 2015 and on Thursday sentenced two of them to eight and six years imprisonment.

The suspects – Wai Lin, Sein Kadone, Moe Zin Aung and Kyaw Soe Win – were arrested on Oct. 28, 2015 for the gruesome murder of a 17-year-old Thai woman, Orawee Sampaotong, a month earlier. They were charged with a total of five counts including murder.

Sein Kadone was sentenced to eight years in prison while Wai Lin received six years, after the judge of the Ranong provincial court handed down the guilty verdicts. In addition, they were both ordered to pay fines of 570,000 baht.

Moe Zin Aung and Kyaw Soe Win, who were both minors at the time of the crime, were sentenced to four and two years jail, respectively, by the Juvenile Court of Ranong. The court also ordered Moe Zin Aung to pay an 810,000 baht fine and Kyaw Soe Win to pay 270,000 baht.

The final verdicts came two and half years after the foursome's initial arrest, and followed 76 court hearings.

Kyaw Soe Win, 17, will be released from prison on Thursday as he has already served 2 years and five months in prison. He will be returned to Myanmar authorities and then to his home in Myeik Township, Tanintharyi Region.

Moe Zin Aung will be released in eight months when he turns 18, according to his mother, Daw Ei Ei Moe, who said his birthday was on Dec. 3

After the verdict was issued, Daw Ei Ei Moe told The Irrawaddy that the ruling was "unfair, as my son did not commit the crime."

She blamed her son's naiveté and his belief that "he would be out of trouble if he did what the police told him to do during a crime re-enactment after they were arrested."

"It took about four, five, six days to do that crime re-enactment and they were beaten for not being able to perform it the way they had been taught," she said, insisting that her son and the other three were forced to plead guilty to a crime they did not commit.

The mother said she could not believe the bad luck that had led to her son and the other migrant workers being arrested because the young men were usually on land for only 5-6 days a month as most of the time they were on fishing boats at sea. Moe Zin Aung had been working as part of a fishing crew for about a year when he was arrested, she said.

The suspects' defense lawyer will appeal the ruling, said U Min Oo, a migrant rights advocate at the Foundation for Education Development (FED), who has been helping with the case.

"I don't think the ruling was just," U Min Oo told The Irrawaddy, because most of the evidence presented by the prosecution was rejected as implausible.

He said the defense lawyers presented key pieces of evidence in support of the men's innocence but to no avail, because blurred CCTV footage was accepted over clearer footage along with DNA evidence from the woman's dead body that was incomplete. In addition, the four migrants were forced to confess under police torture during interrogation, he said.

Daw Ei Ei Moe said that continuing the legal struggle would be worthwhile if it helped other Myanmar workers better understand the possible risks they faced in Thailand.

"If this case brings some awareness to other migrants [from Myanmar] about the dangers that they could face in Thailand, it will be worth it to appeal," she said.

Myanmar migrants in Thailand have been seen as easy scapegoats for a string of crimes including the rape and murder of two tourists on Koh Tao Island in southern Thailand in 2014. Two Myanmar migrant workers were sentenced to death in December 2015 for the murder of the two British backpackers in September 2014. The verdict on their latest appeal has yet to be handed down.

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Rohingya Arrests in India Raise Fears Among Diaspora

Posted: 19 Apr 2018 05:38 AM PDT

Sitting in his dilapidated house in Assam State's Dhubri District, Asif wonders what fate has in store for him and the hundreds of other Rohingya who live on the fringes of survival across India. His worries are not unfounded, as there is the sense of increasing police surveillance of the country’s Rohingya population, especially after the arrests of eight Rohingya in the past month near the town of Moreh on the border with Myanmar.

It remains unclear whether the men are human traffickers, as accused, or were merely trying to enter India illegally to settle. Perhaps they are among the roughly 700,000 Rohingya who have fled their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine State — mostly for Bangladesh — after a military crackdown there triggered by militant Rohingya attacks on security posts in late August 2017. But the media in India are awash with stories virtually pronouncing at least two of the eight Rohingya, arrested on April 7 near Moreh, human traffickers. Many reports even claim that the two men — identified as Md Saifullah, 34, and Md Salam, 25, from Rakhine’s Maungdaw Township — were trying to sell a 20-year-old woman.

Manipur State police on Monday told The Irrawaddy that so far "nothing is clear," and that the arrested men were "only suspected" of trafficking. Tengnoupal District Police Superintendent S. Ibomcha said the 20-year-old woman, also from Maungdaw, may even be the wife of one of the suspects. She was brought before a local court earlier this week because she did not have any travel documents with her when arrested along with the two men.

Soon after the April 7 arrest, two more men were apprehended on suspicion of being part of the same group. But as with the other arrests, there is no solid evidence of trafficking. Manipur police have launched an investigation to get to the truth. But that has not stopped the rumor mill from turning, which makes Rohingya living in India that much more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, even for political ends.

Members of Manipur’s civil society, including Women's Action for Development and the United NGOs Mission Manipur (UNMM), are concerned that the Rohingya are being painted by some as a terrorist threat to justify keeping the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act on the books.

The law took effect in Manipur in 1980 because of the state’s history with militant groups, though critics say it has often been used to shield human rights abuses by the security forces. The Indian Army, the Assam Rifles and the Manipur Police all enjoy special protection under the law. Still, in July, the Supreme Court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe allegations that they had carried out extrajudicial killings. Between 2000 and 2012, 1,528 people were killed in encounters with the state’s security forces.

Nabakishore, who heads the UNMM, says the military is always looking for a reason to justify the continued need for the Special Powers Act, especially when New Delhi is under pressure to scrap it. He recalled a claim from a retired general a few months ago that the Islamic State was attempting to establish itself in northeast India and that a stateless community like the Rohingya could become easy prey for recruiters. Such claims that the country’s estimated 40,000 Rohingya pose a security threat, even if they have no connections to any terrorist organization, are being promoted by government officials and right-wing groups pushing for their deportation to Myanmar.

So it is not without reason that Asif and others like him fear for their lives or falling victim to traffickers and terrorists.

I asked Asif if he feared getting deported or detained for questioning. He replied that his greatest fear was “of being trapped between traffickers, smugglers, unknown people and cops…. It's easy, because the human traffickers are our very own people and are part of a brutal human trafficking syndicate that has its tentacles spread out all over the region.”

Far away, his fears were echoed by another young Rohingya man. Aziz, who works as a roti seller in Bangkok, said he feared “being trapped between the traffickers and the cops."

Their fears are not misplaced. Reports of the mass graves that were unearthed in a squalid jungle camp in southern Thailand in 2015, where hundreds of Rohingya migrants had been brutally exploited, are still fresh in their minds. The related arrest of a senior Thai army general was widely reported, as was the involvement of police, Rohingya traffickers and a former provincial official turned prominent businessman.

After a historic two-year trial, the 500-page verdict issued on July 19 by the Bangkok Criminal Court included convictions against the three-star general, the former official and 60 others for trafficking Rohingya from Myanmar and Bangladesh to Thailand.

Yet Rohingya men and women remain vulnerable. Asif and Aziz say they feel as though nothing has changed

"There is the danger of getting caught by traffickers and falling prey like so many of our people everywhere," Aziz said. He soon warned that I should not be seen talking to him lest it attract the attention of “boidmaish manush,” or “bad people."

Those closely tracking the spread of human trafficking networks in the Rohingya community say that a Myanmar Muslim suspected of having played a key role the previous trafficking of Rohingya and Bangladeshis into Thailand’s notorious fishing industry was still active and exploiting the latest flood of refugees.

Recent months have seen news reports of young boys going missing from the sprawling Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar District, and of international humanitarian agencies warning of expanding trafficking networks in the camps. In November, the International Organization for Migration told AFP that human trafficking in the camps was “rife.”

Rohingya are surely the most exploited stateless community today and their situation is only getting worse. Myanmar refuses to recognize them as an ethnic group, denying the vast majority of them a path to citizenship, or to provide them much protection from abuse by the military and Buddhist nationalists. Until it does, Rohingya both in Myanmar and neighboring countries will continue to struggle for recognition as a community, and those like Asif and Aziz will perhaps continue to live in fear of ending up as slave labor, terrorist tools or useful bogeymen for scaremongers with ulterior motives.

 The author is a former senior journalist who has worked for national and international news media in India and elsewhere. Currently he is a contributing editor for The Irrawaddy.

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Tatmadaw Says Kachin IDPs Cannot Stay in Tanai

Posted: 19 Apr 2018 05:29 AM PDT

The Myanmar Army (Tatmadaw) said yesterday that it would forcibly return Kachin IDPs from Awng Lawt who have fled to Tanai town. The army announced that Awng Lawt, which is near the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)'s Brigade 2, was now under the Tatmadaw's control, according to local sources.

Tatmadaw personnel drove around Tanai announcing that the army would "help" IDPs and assist their return to Awng Lawt village. In the announcement, the Tatmadaw claimed the KIA had burned down some villagers' homes.

"We will not allow an IDP camp for villagers who fled fighting in Awng Lawt village to open in the town. You must all go back and stay in your village. We announce that we will offer all necessary assistance to enable you to resettle in your village," the army announced in Tanai.

The Tatmadaw said it had not destroyed any private property in the village. It said the KIA had withdrawn from its base near Awng Lawt. All property was intact except for some homes that had been burned down by the KIA as it was withdrawing from the village, the army said in its announcement.

The KIA denied the accusation that it had burned homes.

KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu said the KIA would never destroy the homes of its own people. He accused the Tatmadaw of lying.

"What they're saying is untrue. It is the KIA's policy not to destroy public property," Col Naw Bu said.

In its announcement, the Tatmadaw said township authorities and religious and community leaders would help the IDPs get back to their village, and that the army would even escort them.

It ordered residents of Tanai who were sheltering IDPs from Awng Lawt village to inform the township authorities in order to facilitate their return.

There are two different groups of IDPs from Awng Lawt village. A group of about 200 were stranded in Tanai while attending a religious festival there after the Tatmadaw launched an offensive on April 11. Another group of about 2,000 IDPs were hiding in an area of jungle controlled by KIA Brigade 2 in the Hukawng Valley.

The KIA's Col Naw Bu said both the KIA and the Tatmadaw had deployed troops on the road from Tanai to Awng Lawt village. The situation there was still unstable, with clashes reported daily, including an intense exchange on Wednesday.

The KIA spokesman said it was not yet safe for IDPs to return to Awng Lawt village. "If they come back, the situation is not safe for them, as it is a war zone. There is no guarantee that local people will be safe. Even in Awng Lawt itself, the situation is not stable yet. Local people will face many problems if they come back," Col Naw Bu said.

KIA Brigade 2 has four battalions based in the Hukawng Valley. Awng Lawt village had been its headquarters until it was captured in a Tatmadaw offensive on April 11 involving air and ground forces, as well as long-range shelling. The KIA was forced to abandon the headquarters as it was unable to repel the attack, according to a KIA source.

The Tatmadaw also shelled the KIA's main headquarters in Laiza. At least two civilians were killed and another five wounded in its shelling of the Laiza and Tanai areas.

Earlier in the month the KIA announced it was launching a guerilla and landmine offensive against areas in Tanai that are home to illegal mining operations.

Some 1,200 IDPs still trapped in jungle areas by fighting are receiving help from some Kachin Christian groups and community leaders. There are believed to be other groups of IDPs hiding in the jungle, but the religious groups have not been able to assist them yet.

More than 100,000 Kachin remain displaced from their homes after a 17-year ceasefire between the central government and the KIA collapsed in 2011.

Peace talks have been held numerous times between the two armed groups. The Myanmar Army has repeatedly asked the KIA to withdraw from some of its bases in areas rich in amber, jade and gold mining, as well as in an area that falls along China's One Belt One Road initiative. The KIA has refused to withdraw, and cites ongoing human rights abuses carried out by the Myanmar Army.

The post Tatmadaw Says Kachin IDPs Cannot Stay in Tanai appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Bagan Renovations Nearly Complete Following 2016 Earthquake

Posted: 19 Apr 2018 03:22 AM PDT

YANGON — The extensive renovation of quake-hit pagodas in Bagan is nearly 80 percent complete, according to the Bagan branch of the Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library.

"We had to perform emergency restoration in the first stage. The second stage is the renovation, which we have completed about 80 percent. Next, we will carry out work to keep them durable," said director U Aung Aung Kyaw of the department branch.

Affected temples and pagodas are categorized into three priority levels depending on the severity of damage and the heritage value.

According to the department, 36 were on the list of top priority, 53 on the list of second priority, and 300 were third priority. Renovations have been carried out on 302 pagodas, 28 are undergoing renovations and 59 have yet to be repaired.

The department aims to complete renovation work by 2020, said chief engineer U Soe Soe Lin of the Bagan branch.

With technical assistance from UNESCO, the Association of Myanmar Architects, the Myanmar Engineering Society, seismologists, and technicians from technological universities have also joined the renovation work.

"Technicians from UNESCO have set up guidelines, and also provided technical advice," he said.

Some 389 pagodas and temples out of a total of 3,252 in Bagan were damaged by the powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake on Aug. 24, 2016.

Bagan, the country's major tourist attraction, is home to pagodas and temples dating from the 9th to the 13th centuries— a period in which some 50 Buddhist kings ruled the Pagan Dynasty.

Myanmar's initial application for UNESCO recognition of Bagan as a World Heritage Site came in 1996, but it was rejected due to poor management plans and legal frameworks under previous governments.

However, UNESCO has accepted Bagan as a mixed cultural heritage zone, which means that there is no need to relocate villages, hotels or guesthouses in the area.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Bagan Renovations Nearly Complete Following 2016 Earthquake appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UN Rights Envoy Retweets False Report of Amnesty for Soldiers Who Killed Rohingya

Posted: 19 Apr 2018 03:01 AM PDT

YANGON — The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee on Wednesday retweeted a false news report that seven Myanmar military personnel jailed for taking part in a massacre of Rohingya had been released as part of the president's New Year's amnesty.

Lee retweeted video footage from Myanmar National Television on her Twitter account on Wednesday, accompanied by the message, "Where is justice? 7 Tadmadaw guilty of Inn Dinn massacre released but the 2 #Reuters journalists remain in prison?" The name Tatmadaw refers to Myanmar's military.

A false news report retweeted by UN rights envoy Yanghee Lee on Wednesday continued to appear on her Twitter account as of Thursday.

The report later turned out to be false.

The false report was first broadcast on Myanmar National Television on Wednesday, but was pulled off the air after an hour. MNTV is a government-affiliated broadcaster run by Sky Net. It is owned by Shwe Thanlwin Company, which is chaired by tycoon U Kyaw Win.

Myanmar President's Office spokesman Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy by telephone on Wednesday that the MNTV report was totally false. He confirmed that the military prisoners are still in jail.

"The news is not true," he said. "They must apologize for it."

MNTV on Thursday apologized for the false report in a post on its Facebook page.

According to official documents, the New Year's amnesty included 55 army deserters, 29 drug smugglers (including some Rakhine and Muslim convicts), and three people convicted of violating the Unlawful Associations Act.

The MNTV report misstated that 97 prisoners from Sittwe prison has been pardoned, when in fact the total was 87.

Pyone Kathy Naing, a Lower House National League for Democracy lawmaker, said it was wrong of Lee, as a high-profile UN official involved in solving the Rakhine crisis, to retweet misinformation, as it could have a negative impact on the situation.

"She shared the information without knowing whether or not it is true. So, it is very questionable whether she wants to tackle the complexity of the Rakhine issue, or is making it more difficult. Myanmar should make [an official] response," Pyone Kathy Naing said.

Lee was not alone in spreading the fake news.

Human rights group Fortify Rights also tweeted: "#Myanmar state-run media announced that seven soldiers convicted for the massacre of #Rohingya in Inn Dinn were free yesterday in a presidential amnesty. Impunity reigns in Myanmar. The time for International Justice is Now."

Fortify Rights also republished the false story on Wednesday but later took it down.

As of Thursday afternoon, Lee had not deleted the post—which had been retweeted 60 times—from her twitter account. The human rights group's post had been taken down.

The Myanmar Army sentenced the seven men to 10 years' imprisonment for the extrajudicial killings in September of 10 Rohingya in the village of Inn Din in southern Maungdaw Township in the north of Rakhine State. Two local reporters working for Reuters who had investigated the killings have been detained since late last year and are now on trial for allegedly violating Myanmar's Official Secrets Act.

Lee has been barred from entering Myanmar since December. The government and military had complained that Lee's reporting on the situation in Myanmar had been biased for about six months leading up to the ban.

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

The post UN Rights Envoy Retweets False Report of Amnesty for Soldiers Who Killed Rohingya appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

6,000 Homebuyers Apply for 1,000 Low-Cost Housing Units in Yangon

Posted: 19 Apr 2018 02:47 AM PDT

YANGON — More than 6,000 Yangon residents have submitted applications to purchase 1,000-plus low-cost apartments put up for sale by the Yangon regional government, according to the government Public Housing Sale Committee.

"Over 20,000 people bought application forms, but only 6,000 of them have submitted applications," U Nyi Nyi, secretary of the Public Housing Sale Committee, told The Irrawaddy.

The committee is due to meet by the end of this month to determine how the apartments will be allotted. "We'll discuss to whom to sell the apartments at the meeting," he said.

The Public Housing Sale Committee received a total of 6,020 application forms—753 from retired civil servants, 1,761 from civil servants, 843 from company staff and 2,663 from the general public.

The committee, which is staffed by regional lawmakers and department heads, will choose the buyers based on a majority decision by the committee members.

"We will make sure there is no nepotism in selling those apartments," said U Nyi Nyi, who also represents South Dagon Township in the regional parliament.

The apartments up for sale are in South Dagon, Dagon Seikkan, Thingangyun, Hlaing Tharyar, Shwepyithar and North Okkalapa townships.

Application forms were sold from Feb. 5-20 for 1,000 kyats each, according to the Department of Urban and Housing Development.

"The price of an Ava Housing apartment is around five million kyats cheaper than the normal price of an apartment," U Min Min, who has applied to buy a unit in the Ava project in South Dagon Township, told The Irrawaddy.

Buyers are required to place a down payment of 30 percent of the price of the apartment, and then pay monthly installments for a period of 10 to 15 years.

"It is not easy for a middle-class family to buy an apartment today. It may take more than 15 years to save up enough money to buy one. So, the installment system provided by the government is good for us," U Min Min said.

"We don't know yet which is the most popular township. But it seems most of the applicants have applied for apartments in the Ava Housing project. We are trying to sell more apartments," U Nyi Nyi said.

The apartments on offer have selling prices of 10 million to 60 million kyats depending on their location—the cheapest are in Dagon Seikkan and the more expensive ones in other townships— according to the Public Housing Sale Committee.

In his New Year's speech, President U Win Myint highlighted the country's housing problem, and promised that his government would give priority to providing accommodation for retired civil servants.

According to the president, 4,627 apartment units have been built in regions and states for civil servants over the past two years, and 7,000 more would be built in the next three years.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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China Carries Out Live Fire Drills, Unclear if Aimed at Taiwan

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 09:39 PM PDT

BEIJING — China's military has conducted live-fire drills along the southeast coastline, state television reported, but it was unclear if these were the same exercises that had been flagged as taking place in the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

The government had said the drills would happen on Wednesday off the city of Quanzhou, in between two groups of islands close to China’s coast but that Taiwan has controlled since 1949 when defeated Nationalist forces fled to the island at the end of the Chinese civil war.

Chinese state media has said the drills were a direct response to “provocations” by Taiwan leaders related to what China fears are moves to push for the self-ruled island’s formal independence. China claims Taiwan as its sacred territory.

Late on Wednesday, Chinese state television showed footage of helicopters firing missiles during an exercise it said was happening on China’s southeast coast.

State television only showed pictures of helicopters, with no mention of ships or other military equipment such as tanks or amphibious assault vehicles.

The exercises took place from 8 a.m. until midnight, the report said, giving the same time frame for the previously announced drills in the Taiwan Strait.

The Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the exercise, and whether it was the same ones previously reported to be happening in the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan on Wednesday denounced the exercises, saying Beijing was using “cheap verbal intimidation and sabre rattling” to threaten the island.

Taiwan is one of China’s most sensitive issues and a potential military flashpoint. China has ramped up military exercises around Taiwan in the past year, including flying bombers around the island.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday afternoon two Chinese H-6K bombers had flown around the island, passing first through the Miyako Strait to Taiwan’s northeast and then back to base via the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines.

The latest Chinese military movements come during a time of heightened tension between Beijing and the island and follows strong warnings by Chinese President Xi Jinping against Taiwan separatism last month.

China claims Taiwan as its own and considers it a breakaway province.

China’s hostility towards Taiwan has grown since Tsai Ing-wen from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party won a presidential election on the island in 2016.

China fears she wants to push for the island’s formal independence. Tsai says she is committed to peace and maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, but will defend Taiwan’s security.

Setting aside the tension with China, Tsai began a visit to the southern African nation of Swaziland on Wednesday, one of only 20 countries which maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

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Aid Agencies Fear for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh’s Island Relocation Plan

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 09:25 PM PDT

PHNOM PENH — Bangladesh has failed to persuade aid agencies to sign up to its plan to move 100,000 Rohingya refugees to a remote island in June, internal documents show, amid fears they could be trapped there at the mercy of cyclones, floods and human traffickers.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring Myanmar are living in crowded camps in Cox’s Bazar district where they are threatened by flooding, disease and landslides with the monsoon season expected to start in the coming weeks.

The government of Bangladesh has for months been developing Bhasan Char Island as an alternative location. However it has not allowed aid agencies to view conditions, and officials failed during an April 4 briefing to convince them it was safe.

The Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), which oversees the camps in Cox’s Bazar under the leadership of the humanitarian agencies’ Strategic Executive Group (SEG), expressed deep caution about the plan.

“Basic questions of the island’s habitability remain unanswered,” the ISCG said in an April 10 paper, which has not previously been made public.

“Given the incompleteness of information shared by the government, the SEG should avoid the appearance of premature endorsement of the island as a viable alternative,” it said.

About 700,000 refugees have crossed into Bangladesh since Rohingya insurgents attacked state security forces on Aug. 25, sparking a military crackdown. Myanmar has repeatedly rejected evidence that its soldiers targeted civilians.

Aid agencies are struggling to accommodate the refugees, and a March assessment by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said 203,000 people at risk of floods and landslides in the largest camp should be relocated.

However, in their April 4 briefing, Bangladesh officials said that “land is very scarce” and “no suitable land is available nearby” the existing camps.

Bhasan Char, which means Floating Island, emerged over the past two decades from sediment built up at the mouth of the Meghna River. The government has budgeted $280 million to turn it into a permanent landmass and a temporary home for refugees.

Slides from the government presentation, seen by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, noted that 120 cyclone shelters would be built, along with 13 km (8 miles) of embankments to protect the island from flooding and being washed away.

A summary of the April 4 briefing by Canada’s mission to Bangladesh said work was expected to be sufficiently completed by the end of May, and 100,000 refugees brought there in June.

In an internal report after the presentation, UNHCR said it remained concerned about whether “proper cyclone and flood preparedness measures” had been put in place, among other risks.

“The concentration of a vulnerable population in a restricted environment may lure trafficking networks and extremists to prey on refugees,” said UNHCR.

Its report also expressed concern that refugees would not be given a “free and informed choice” to relocate to the island, which might then constitute "arbitrary detention."

In emailed comments, UNHCR spokesman Firas Al-Khateeb said that "there have also been no official consultations with refugees regarding their views."

“UNHCR is prepared to engage further with the government regarding the island,” he added.

The slides – which were presented to humanitarian agencies and diplomats – showed the government is also building office facilities for aid organizations, along with accommodation for refugees and security personnel.

Bangladesh has asked the United Nations to “support the relocation” to Bhasan Char, said Fiona MacGregor, a spokeswoman in Cox’s Bazar for the UN migration agency IOM.

“We are now in discussion over technical details, trying to better understand the conditions,” she said in emailed comments.

Speaking in London on Tuesday, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina confirmed the plan to move 100,000 Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char and dismissed fears that it would put them at the mercy of floods.

“We have prepared a better place for them to live, with houses and shelters where they can earn a living,” she said.

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Wednesday, April 18, 2018

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Police Officer Shot Dead in Hunt for Suspected Drug Dealer in Northern Rakhine

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 06:30 AM PDT

YANGON —Lieutenant Thein Shwe, the acting police chief of northern Rakhine State's Rathedaung Township, was shot dead on Tuesday while he and two other officers were searching for a suspected drug dealer in the area.

Police Major Soe Naing told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the lieutenant’s body was taken to the local general hospital the day he was shot. He declined to provide further information because he was busy with funeral arrangements.

According to local news reports, Lt. Thein Shwe left downtown Rathedaung with Lance Corporal Win Tin and Special Branch Lieutenant Soe Naing Tun in a private car at about 1 p.m. to arrest a suspected drug smuggler in Kyauk Tan village. When they arrived, the suspect had already left and was believed to be hiding near the villages of Kharu Chaung and Rakhaung Chaung.

According to the same news reports, citing a police statement, the two survivors said they were ambushed by an armed group moments after stepping out of their car to search a roadside hut. The officers said they managed to escape and that Lt. Thein Shwe died at the scene.

It is unknown who informed the police of the suspect’s whereabouts. A team including local military and police officials visited the scene of the shooting on Wednesday to investigate. Senior officials could not be reached for details.

A police officer in Rakhine State who recently served in Rathedaung said Lt. Thein Shwe was a native of Rathedaung and had been investigating the high-profile case of union lawmaker U Aye Maung and author Wai Han Aung, who are facing multiple charges including treason for allegedly promoting support for the outlawed Arakan Army during a public speech in the township earlier this year.

Residents of Rathedaung told The Irrawaddy that the area where the lieutenant was shot dead was predominantly ethnic Arakanese and near the foot of the Awrama mountain range, where the Arakan Army fought with the Myanmar military in 2015 and 2016.

In a separate case in January, a recently transferred government administrator for Mrauk-U, in Rakhine’s Ponnagyun Township, was stabbed to death in a car heading toward the state capital, Sittwe. A few days after the murder, the Ministry of Home Affairs arrested four suspects in Yangon and blamed the Arakan Army for the attack, an accusation the armed group denied.

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Peace, Charter Reform Take Back Seat as Myanmar President Stresses Social Issues 

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 06:19 AM PDT

YANGON—Myanmar's new president on Tuesday unveiled his reform agenda for the country, generating cautious optimism with a plan that places an emphasis on boosting living standards and addressing other popular discontents, while downplaying broader political problems such as the country's moribund peace process and the sensitive issue of amending the Constitution.

In his greetings to the country on Myanmar's traditional New Year's Day,  U Win Myint set out his government's 11-point reform plan. The points include providing affordable housing for civil servants, creating an independent and impartial judiciary, returning confiscated land to its rightful owners, boosting access to credit for small businesses, combating the illegal drug trade, tackling corruption and others.

The president's New Year's resolutions come amid criticism of the government, which is led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, over its failure to jump-start development despite having been in power for more than two years.

Yangon-based political commentator Yan Myo Thein said the president's priorities represent the realities the country is currently facing.

Notably absent from the policy plan, the commentator said, were the "how-to's" on Myanmar's two most challenging issues: striking a peace deal with the country's ethnic armed groups and amending the Constitution, which currently mandates a significant military presence in Parliament.

The NLD enshrined the search for peace with the armed groups and constitutional amendment in its electoral manifesto. Since coming to power in 2016, the NLD-led government has, at the direction of Daw Aung San Su Kyi, embarked on peace talks with the Army and the ethnic groups. Meanwhile, the Parliament has led the push for fixes to the charter. But two years on, there have been few tangible results on either front.

The lack of any mention of peace or constitutional reform in the president's speech prompted speculation that the president, the State Counselor and Parliament have decided to divide responsibilities.

Yan Myo Thein said that U Win Myint seems to be fully in charge of administration and national development, with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi likely to be handling the peace process and Parliament working on constitutional amendments.

"Given that she initiated the 21st-Century Panglong Union Peace Conference, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is likely to continue to take a leading role in the country's peace process," he said.

On the constitutional changes, the commentator said, dialogue is needed among the key stakeholders including civilians, military and ethnic groups, as the efforts made by Parliament in the past two years have come to nothing.

"Achieving a political agreement between them could overcome the constitutional crisis we now face [while the charter is amended through the parliamentary channel]," he said.

Asked about the president's focus on land rights, Dr Thaung Tun, one of Myanmar's leading advocates for farmers' rights and fair land-use policies, said he had no doubt that the president had good intentions and the political will to address the pressing issue. The country's agriculture sector provides jobs to 70 percent of the population, he pointed out.

The president said he would work for the return of farmland confiscated illegally and to ensure that compensation is paid. Regarding confiscated farmland that had not yet been earmarked for return, he vowed an expeditious review of all such land by the various review committees in consultation with state and regional governments, so that all released land could be returned to its original owners.

"But it's important that he approaches it with the correct strategy," warned the Peace and Justice Network director.

According to the now-defunct Parliamentary Land Investigation Committee, the military, government and private companies confiscated more than 500,000 acres of land between the 1980s and the early 2000s. 

In 2016, just months after taking office, the NLD-led government formed the Central Committee for Rescrutinizing Confiscated Farmlands and Other Lands, chaired by Vice President U Henry van Thio, to investigate land-grab cases.

While it has secured the return of several thousand acres, the committee's powers are limited. It is purely an investigative body and does not set policy or make decisions. Additionally, some officials accused of involvement in land grabs have served on the committee, Dr. Thaung Tun said.

"It would be more helpful if the president enacted an emergency bill on the land rights issue while granting a mandate [to take action] to lawmakers, local elders and farmers," he said, explaining that decentralization could also help solve the problem, as it can't be taken for granted that the "people upstairs" know everything that's happening on the ground.

President U Win Myint also said his government would "implement reforms without hurting stability", starting "at the base level which is closest to the people, with whom sovereignty ultimately rests."

Yan Myo Thein said that if the president is truly interested in bottom-up reform, he needs to listen to voices expressed in the media and social media, and to consult CSOs, in order to learn what is really happening and needed on the ground.

"It's important that he make an effort to hear those voices," Yan Myo Thein said. "If he is content to accept rosy information fed to him by his subordinates, he will not achieve the goals he has set."

The post Peace, Charter Reform Take Back Seat as Myanmar President Stresses Social Issues  appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

8,500 Released in Presidential Pardon, Including 36 Political Prisoners

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 04:14 AM PDT

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — "I had to be very careful not to commit even a small crime after I was released from prison, as Article 401 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure was tied to me despite my freedom," said U Issariya, a leading monk in the 2007 Saffron Revolution who was released from Hsipaw Prison six years ago in a January 2012 presidential pardon.

As of Tuesday, thousands of former political prisoners no longer need to feel this fear, as the new President U Win Myint issued a decree that nullified the "conditional release" stipulated in Article 401 (1) for those convicted on political charges.

Thousands of political prisoners were released conditionally under former President U Thein Sein, which meant they could be forced to serve the remainder of their initial sentences were they ever to be arrested again.

"This is the end of dictators' actions," said U Issariya, now an interfaith trainer at the Peaceful Myanmar Initiative.

President U Win Myint pardoned 8,541 prisoners in a New Year amnesty on Tuesday, including 36 political prisoners and 51 foreigners, also on the same condition that they would no longer face any additional consequences as they were released unconditionally from Article 401 (1).

The majority of those pardoned had been convicted on drug charges, and others had been charged with violating the Military Act or for alleged affiliation with an unlawful association.

Two ethnic Kachin pastors: Dumdaw Nawng Latt, 65, and Langjaw Gam Seng, 35, from Mong Ko, were released from Lashio Prison under the amnesty. They were sentenced to four- and two-year imprisonments respectively, under three charges including unlawful association in October 2017 for assisting journalists who were visiting the area and for allegedly helping the ethnic bloc the Northern Alliance spread wrongful information.

A Kachin farmer Laphai Gam was also released from Myitkyina Prison. He was charged in 2012 for allegedly being a member of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) under Article 17(1) of the 1908 Unlawful Association Act and with four counts under the 1908 Explosive Substances Act. He was sentenced to a total of 20 years imprisonment.

Other farmers released were seven Shan farmers from Hsipaw Prison, according to the AAPP. They were arrested and charged in April 2017 for plowing on confiscated land and sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Most of the political prisoners are members of ethnic armed organizations including the Karen National Union (KNU), Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), All Burma Students' Democratic Front, and Arakan Army (AA), as well as local farmers and residents in the conflict zones.

Other releases included some who were sentenced to death including ex-Major Win Naing Kyaw [from the Myanmar Army] and U Than Chaung also known as Sao Khun Kyaw, a member of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Arm- South (RCSS-SSA-S). Both were released from Tharyarwaddy Prison in Bago Region.

U Win Naing Kyaw was arrested in 2009 on his way back to Myanmar from Cambodia and sentenced to life imprisonment under the Emergency Provisions Act, Electronic Act's Article 33 (b), Official Secrets Act and Article 505 (b) of the Penal Code in 2010.

U Than Chaung, known as Col Sao Khun Kyaw, was arrested during combat between the Tatmadaw and the RCSS/SSA-S in January 2006 in Namkham Township in Shan State and given four death sentences and one life sentence.

He was a former leader of the All Burma Students' Democratic Front's northern camp and was allegedly responsible for the killing of 35 of its members in 1992.  The ABSDF was a student army that formed following the government's crackdown on nationwide pro-democracy protests in 1988.

Yan Naing Soe, known as Thein Zaw, was sentenced to life in prison in December 2010 for the charges including the Military Act [for joining the KNU after deserting the Myanmar Army]. He was released on Tuesday from Obo Prison in Mandalay. He said [to reporters in Mandalay], that he “did not expect to be released.”

"It is benevolent," said U Issariya, adding that the pardon on Tuesday included "the elderly, the ill and minor drug users, but did not include monsters."

Former political prisoners and the public welcomed the new president's pardons, as he was a former political prisoner as well.

"He [the president] is well aware that 401 (1) is an obstacle to former prisoners of conscience because he was one. The National League for Democracy (NLD) also has many political prisoners, so, he revoked this ruling," said U Bo Kyi, the secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

According to the AAPP, there are 18 political prisoners left in prison and 74 more facing trial for politically related charges while detained. There are 120 others facing trial who are not in detention. Among them are land rights activists, ethnic IDPs who were accused of unlawful association, and Reuters journalists Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo.

President U Win Myint's decree ensures that former political prisoners won't have to serve the remainder of their sentences if charged again, said U Bo Kyi.

The conditional release was unclear under the previous administration, according to U Bo Kyi. In 2013, former political prisoner Nay Myo Zin was rearrested on another charge and the court ruled that he needed to serve the remainder of his previous sentence before being released.

In a 2015 amnesty, former President U Thein Sein dismissed all of the charges against those facing ongoing politically related trials. U Bo Kyi says that many expect that the NLD government will use this ruling as a precedent to drop ongoing political lawsuits.

Many formal political prisoners now share their views online. Under the former military junta, they were given harsh punishments for their beliefs.

"Conditional release under 401 (1) was used to threaten political activists and we welcome the reversal," added U Ant Bwe Kyaw, the information committee coordinator for a new political party that is still in formation.

U Ant Bwe Kyaw was a former political prisoner who was sentenced to 65 years in prison in 2008 for participating in demonstrations against a fuel price hike a year earlier. He was released in 2012.

Sai Nyunt Lwin, the secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) also shared the same view that "the revocation was a great move, as 401 (1) was a black shadow for all political activists." Sai Nyunt Lwin was also freed from prison in 2012. Along with other Shan leaders, he was sentenced to 85 years imprisonment.

Zarni Mann contributed to this report from Mandalay.

The post 8,500 Released in Presidential Pardon, Including 36 Political Prisoners appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

 Crime Down but Fatalities Up During Thingyan Water Festival, Police Say

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 04:04 AM PDT

MANDALAY — A total of 109 crimes claimed 26 lives during the Thingyan water festival and Burmese New Year celebrations across the country, police said Wednesday.

Incidents including drunkenness, fights, accidents and drowning were reported to police during the period.

While crime as a whole was down from last year's New Year period, the number of fatalities rose, police said. In 2017, 208 crimes were reported, claiming 16 lives and injuring 194 people.

The number of injuries and deaths reported by police was lower than the numbers reported in local media, however.

In a separate report, Yangon Region police reported nine crimes resulting in four deaths and 17 injuries. Police said another 301 people injured in motor accidents and fights were admitted to hospitals in Yangon Region.

In Monywa, Sagaing Division, where New Year celebrations were held along the banks of the Chindwin River for the first time, three people drowned in the river and four people were killed in motorcycle accidents. More than 160 people were treated for injuries at Monywa Hospital.

More than 600 people were admitted to Mandalay General Hospital, most of them due to motorcycle accidents. According to officials at the hospital, eight unidentified bodies were received, along with six people who died due to accidents and drowning in the old moat at Mandalay Palace.

Official Mandalay police reports, however, list six fatalities during the holiday period: two drownings in the moat, two homicides and two motor accident deaths – along with 37 injuries sustained in fights and accidents.

"Every year there is a discrepancy between the numbers announced by the police and the hospital, because most people do not report incidents to the police. The police can only compile their report based on those incidents that are reported to them," said Ko One, a leader of Mandalay-based One-to-One, a charity group that cooperates with Mandalay General Hospital to assist people injured during the New Year celebration.

The post  Crime Down but Fatalities Up During Thingyan Water Festival, Police Say appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Of Health Care and Management Malpractice

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 03:36 AM PDT

A political decision at the top can have huge impact on the ground. There has been a furious response from young medical staff to comments made by Health Minister U Myint Htwe at a peace talk in Myaungmya Township, Irrawaddy Region, earlier this month. The minister said there was plenty of medicine available, even an oversupply, especially if expired stocks were taken into account. Many junior doctors struggling with shortages were among the loudest critics. U Myint Htwe soon issued an apology and clarification via social media, and the ministry acknowledged that there was indeed not enough medicine to go around.

The episode epitomizes a failed system, one that deserves scrutiny. It further exposes a health care system that has deteriorated over the decades and is struggling to rebuild. The National Health Plan (NHP) already laid bare the system’s failures and challenges, including a highly fragmented and complicated supply chain.

It is a wonder the health care system has even survived without logistics staff for many years. The central supply department takes care of all distribution of medicine. But policy and regulation dealing with procurement and distribution are weak. On top of that, the health budget is miniscule and largely dependent on external aid. This has led to limited capacity and inadequate infrastructure. A free essential medicine scheme introduced in 2013 by the previous government was popular but politically motivated.

The situation has hardly improved since the National League for Democracy took control of the government some two years ago. As part of its decentralization efforts, the procurement of medicine was shifted onto the shoulders of state and regional health officials. Although procurement guidelines are in place, little is known about how procurement takes place; the process lacks transparency. By obscuring the source of medicines, most junior staff don’t know where they come from. In addition, requested supplies usually arrive late — sometimes six months late — further exacerbating hospital shortages.

Given the woeful infrastructure and poor application of technology, the medical inventory system is naturally outdated. That makes it difficult to anticipate shortages and to be proactive. The lack of a dedicated logistics unit places the burden on medical officers not trained for such tasks. One of the main complaints from medical officers is that the medicine they receive is often nearly expired, placing pressure on them to dispense it quickly. These problems are rooted in the lack of a reliable data system or standardized management procedures. No one knows how much medicine has gone to waste as a result.

But the problems aren’t just technical.

A system born of politics can only be fixed with political will. When assessing failed states, discussions of political will and government capacity often come up. Capacity means the effectiveness of government systems. And as author Stephen Browne has said, the acid test for a government’s effectiveness is its use of resources. It has become a cliché to say that Myanmar has wasted its resources and failed to adequately fund its health care system, though the NLD has proven its commitment to change.

So the health minister’s recent comments came as a surprise. He was criticized for failing to reflect reality and for living in an echo chamber. He had probably been misinformed, which reinforces the popular perception of a bureaucratic elite standing like a wall between ministers and their frontline staff. It forced the minister to issue a clarification. His performance as a technocrat is not the issue here. But as a politician, he failed to communicate with his own staff, let alone the public. Rather, by proactively discussing the ministry’s challenges, he might attract buy-in from colleagues and at the same time make them more accountable.

Political will is needed not only at the ministerial level, but at all levels. All levels should be made aware of how the procurement system — which remains a politically sensitive topic of discussion — works. That sort of knowledge could empower medical staff to demand adherence to guidelines and further transparency, and inspire officials all along the supply chain to embrace genuine change. Everyone is responsible for making the system better simply by virtue of being a part of that system. We cannot simply expect change to come from above.

The current government talks more about big dreams than about attainable objectives. The NHP is ambitious, but the minister’s goals should be grounded. This episode is a wakeup call to talk openly and honestly about the health care system’s challenges and root problems. It is time to say “I can’t do that” and remove those who say “all is fine.”

Ye Min Zaw studies international development with a focus on peace processes, transitional issues and Rakhine affairs. He is also a medical doctor who has worked for many international organizations including UNICEF.

The post Of Health Care and Management Malpractice appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ongoing Offensives in Tanai Leave IDPs Trapped Between Warring Sides

Posted: 18 Apr 2018 01:56 AM PDT

About 2,000 Kachin internally displaced persons (IDPs) remain trapped in Tanai Township without sufficient food or water amid fighting between the Myanmar Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), according to local sources.

Kachin religious organizations and community leaders stated that IDPs were trapped in Awng Lawt village, where the Myanmar Army has engaged ground forces to target the KIA Brigade 2 headquarters.

Local organizations, churches and community leaders asked the army's Regional Operations Command 2 based in Tanai town for permission to rescue the IDPs, but were told it did not have the authority to grant the request.

The groups also sent a letter on April 12 to the Kachin State chief minister asking for access to assist the IDPs but they have not yet received a response.

Some religious and community leaders attempted to rescue the IDPs and reported that they assisted about 1,200 people who are currently taking refuge in Shagribum village, a one-hour walk from Awng Lawt.

The leaders reported that about 60 percent of the 1,200 people were women, and some 30 percent were elderly. Some of the IDPs were wounded or sick. They did not have proper shelter. Those assisting them reported enough food to last the displaced persons for two weeks.

Fighting first spread to western Kachin's Tanai Township last year after the military announced operations there to clear out gold and amber-mining sites in KIA-controlled areas.

Hundreds of villagers and thousands of itinerant miners and their families were forced flee Tanai in mid-2017 and again in February this year. Many were trapped between warring sides until they could be evacuated.

The Myanmar Army has again launched offensives targeting different KIA battalions in the area. Air forces were reportedly used beginning on April 11. Col Naw Bu, a KIA spokesperson, said that the airstrikes stopped, however, artillery strikes continue as well as ground force attacks, including near the KIA headquarters in Laiza.

Sig Npawp Yawhan, 54, was wounded in an airstrike on April 11 that killed his son, reported local organizations assisting the IDPs.

At least two civilians were killed by artillery strikes, one in Laiza and another in Awng Lawt village, according to the organizations, adding that at least four other civilians were injured in the most recent round of attacks.

While State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's government has asked ethnic armed groups to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), the Myanmar Army has continued to launch military offensives against the KIA, Ta'ang National Liberation Army, and others.

Many ethnic armed groups have lost trust in the army and the government. They have urged the Myanmar Army to stop its offensives during the country's ongoing peace process.

The military retains autonomy from civilian oversight and the attacks continue despite peace negotiations.

More than 100,000 Kachin remain displaced from their homes after a 17-year ceasefire between the central government and the KIA collapsed in 2011.

Peace talks have been held numerous times between the two armed groups. The Myanmar Army has repeatedly asked the KIA to withdraw from some of its bases in areas rich in amber, jade and gold mining, as well as in an area that will fall along China's One Belt One Road initiative. The KIA has refused to withdraw, and cites ongoing human rights abuses carried out by the Myanmar Army.

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Thailand Taps Tourists to Fight Human Trafficking — and Keep the Country Smiling

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 10:06 PM PDT

BANGKOK — At Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport, a video repeats scenes of tourists visiting Thailand’s sunny beaches and its vibrant nightlife, but at the end comes a warning.

“Human trafficking and slavery are against the law in Thailand. Perpetrators will be severely punished,” it says, followed by a hotline number for people to report cases.

From airports to shopping malls, Thailand is ramping up a campaign targeting tourists in its latest effort to keep the country free from human trafficking, as officials eye better international ratings.

The Southeast Asian nation is consistently ranked as one of the world’s best tourists destinations. Government data showed Thailand welcomed a record 35 million visitors in 2017, and forecasted it to rise to 37.6 million this year.

But it has also come under the international spotlight in recent years over what rights groups describe as widespread human trafficking, including women forced into selling sex and fishermen trapped in conditions akin to modern slavery.

The US State Department last year left Thailand on a Tier 2 Watchlist — just above the lowest ranking of Tier 3 — in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, saying it had not done enough to tackle human smuggling and trafficking.

Eyeing a better ranking, the government has vowed a cleanup. In recent months, it partnered with airlines and charities to warn visitors against involvement in trafficking, while urging them to spot and report potential cases.

“Every effort is important,” Weerachon Sukhontapatipak, a Thai government spokesman, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“We are doing our best,” he said. “Therefore we hope the situation in Thailand will be better, and it will be recognized by the international community.”

A growing number of countries around the world are turning to the tourism sector to help combat human trafficking, including training frontline hotel and airline staff to spot the signs.

There has also been a rise of “advocacy tourism,” where holidaymakers sign up for travel packages to learn about issues like modern slavery.

In-Flight Videos, Hotel Trainings

At Thai airports, banners greet visitors with warnings that human trafficking could “destroy” the country. A video flashes the message: “Keep Thailand the Land of Smiles for all.”

The government has also enlisted Thai Airways to show anti-trafficking in-flight videos on its international routes since February, said Nuttavika Tamthai, a spokeswoman for the national carrier.

In shopping malls, cinemas and train stations across the capital, Bangkok, videos show visitors how to look out for signs of human trafficking.

Some highlight sex exploitation, while another shows a child begging under a separate campaign called “Can You See Me?”

“This is a step in the right direction,” said Malina Enlund from the anti-trafficking group A21, which has partnered with Thai authorities on the campaign since mid-2017.

“The Thai government alone cannot solve the problem. We need the hotel groups. We need the tourists. We need everybody who can to join in,” Enlund said.

The Australia-based group is training hotel staff in Thailand’s seaside resort of Pattaya — a hotspot for sex tourism — on how to spot trafficking signs.

The Thai tourism body said in March that Thailand is aiming to move forward as a “quality destination” and it strongly opposed any form of sex tourism.

An estimated 425,500 people live in conditions of modern slavery in Thailand, according to the Global Slavery Index 2016 by the Walk Free Foundation, a charity group, including migrant workers from Cambodia and Laos and women exploited in the sex industry.

The post Thailand Taps Tourists to Fight Human Trafficking — and Keep the Country Smiling appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Lucky for Some: Chinese City Launches Wind Power Lottery to Ease Grid Strains

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 09:50 PM PDT

SHANGHAI — The city of Yanan, a major wind power base in northwest China’s Shaanxi province, has introduced a lottery system to decide which wind projects will go ahead this year, a sign that grid constraints are forcing local governments to restrict capacity.

China has been aggressively developing alternative power as part of its efforts to cut pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Grid-connected wind power reached 163.7 gigawatts (GW) last year, up 10.1 percent on the year and amounting to 9.2 percent of total generating capacity.

But capacity expansion has outpaced grid construction, and large numbers of wind, solar and hydropower plants are unable to deliver all their power to consumers as a result of transmission deficiencies, a problem known as curtailment.

According to a Yanan planning agency notice seen by Reuters, the city was given permission to build 900 megawatts of wind capacity this year, but 1,300 megawatts (or 1.3 GW) have already been declared eligible for construction, forcing authorities to whittle down the total number of projects.

“After study it was decided that the lottery method should be used to determine what plans will be submitted (for approval) to the provincial development and reform commission,” it said.

The authenticity of the document was confirmed by a local municipal government official. He declined to give his name or provide details.

China aims to raise the share of non-fossil fuels in its total energy mix to around 15 percent by the end of the decade, up from 12 percent in 2015.

But while renewable power has grown rapidly, around 80 GW of wind capacity was still unable to transmit electricity to consumers in 2015. Wasted wind power amounted to around 12 percent of total generation in 2017, according to the energy regulator.

An environmental group is currently suing grid companies in the northwest for failing to fulfill their legal obligation to maximize purchases of local renewable power.

To try to prevent waste, China has drawn up guidelines aimed at preventing new plant construction in regions already suffering from surplus capacity.

It also released draft guidelines last month for a new renewable energy certificate system that will force regions to meet mandatory clean electricity utilization targets. The scheme is expected to help alleviate curtailment.

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More Pressure Needed on Myanmar to Take Back Rohingya: Bangladeshi PM

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 09:26 PM PDT

LONDON — Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Tuesday more international pressure was needed on Myanmar to take back Rohingya refugees, rejecting an assertion claim by the Myanmar government that it had repatriated a family of five.

“The international community needs to put more pressure on Myanmar so that they take back their own people and ensure their security,” Hasina told an audience in London.

“Myanmar says they are ready to take back the Rohingya, but they are not taking the initiative.”

UN officials say nearly 700,000 mostly Muslim Rohingya have fled into Bangladesh from Myanmar’s Rakhine State to escape a military crackdown since August, amid reports of murder, rape and arson by Myanmar troops and Buddhist vigilantes in actions which the United Nations has likened to "ethnic cleansing."

Myanmar has denied nearly all allegations, saying it has been waging a legitimate counter-insurgency operation.

Speaking at a separate event in London, Britain’s foreign minister Boris Johnson and Canadian counterpart Chrystia Freeland called for a meaningful investigation into reported atrocities.

“The (Myanmar) authorities need to demonstrate that they are serious about the safety and security of the Rohingya,” Johnson said.

Hasina said Bangladesh had submitted the names of 8,000 Rohingya families for repatriation to Myanmar, but that Myanmar had so far refused to take them back.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete a voluntary repatriation of the refugees in two years.

She disputed an assertion by Myanmar that it had repatriated five members of a Rohingya family from Bangladesh, describing them as having been living in the no man’s land between the two countries.

“They were living in the borderlands, with some of their family members in their camps. Maybe (Myanmar) wants to show the world they are taking them back. It’s a good sign. If they want, then why only 1 family? We have already submitted the names of 8,000 (Rohingya) families, but they’ve not taken them back,” she said.

Hasina also confirmed a plan to move 100,000 Rohingya refugees to a uninhabited low-lying island in the Bay of Bengal, dismissing fears that it would put them at the mercy of floods.

“We are expecting to move those who are in a vulnerable place to the island. Bangladesh can always be flooding and it does. The camps are very unhealthy. We have prepared a better place for them to live, with houses and shelters where they can earn a living,” she said.

“Where they are living now, the monsoon season is coming up, there can be land erosions, accidents are taking place.”

Aid agencies, however, are fearful of the relocation plan and believe it would expose Rohingya refugees to cyclones, floods and human traffickers.

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Saturday, April 14, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Preserving a Musical Water Festival Tradition

Posted: 14 Apr 2018 01:20 AM PDT

Kyaw Kha: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! This week we'll discuss Thingyan Than Gyat (antiphonal chants). Ko Min Thway Thit, of the Oway Than Gyat group, and Ko Myittar, of the  Thardu-par-byar Than Gyat group, will join me to discuss this. I'm The Irrawaddy's chief reporter, Kyaw Kha.

You have been conducting rehearsals for Thingyan Than Gyat. I hope those Than Gyat will represent the people. What will your Than Gyat be about?

Min Thway Thit: The slogan of our group is Oway, representing the people's voices. As in previous years, our Than Gyat will reflect social problems facing the people and shortcomings of the executive branch, as per our slogan. We speak up for the people on their behalf and reflect social, political and economic issues.

KK: What will the Than Gyat of Thardu-par-byar be about?

Myittar: “Thardu” is the word used by Myanmar people at donation ceremonies. In Burmese it means “good.” Our Than Gyat are amusing and satirical and urge people to do good deeds, not to have evil minds, and to have good hearts.

KK: What will your group mainly point out?

Myittar: We'll highlight the law. It is important. I was banned from engaging in art for ten years for no apparent reason. And it was not a written ban, but an oral ban. But our Than Gyat for this coming Thingyan will not be about my experience, but about things which have been reported in dailies and weeklies, for example drug seizures. You have seen the reports about the seizures of containers of drugs in the newspapers. The chant will use two homonyms (in Burmese) — "the outer wheel is for driving, the inner dope is for selling." Again, the owners were never arrested, but the containers loaded with drugs were seized. So we’re asking if the steering wheel or the car keys drove the drugs.

KK: Than Gyat groups are required (by the government) to submit their Than Gyat scripts to the censorship committee. Have you submitted yours?

MTT: I didn't.

Myittar: We are not competing in the antiphonal chant contest (organized by the government). Our group only does it for entertainment. We will perform at the wards, pavilions and places that invite us. We don't mind if the place is far or near; we will perform anywhere if invited. But I have asked that they cover our fuel costs, because cars can't be driven on water.

KK: I think the censorship committee has concerns, for example, about racial and religious chants.

Myittar: Of course.

KK: Why do you think they review the Than Gyat? Do you think they should do so or not?

MTT: The announcement of the committee said it wants to make sure Than Gyat have no words that might incite racial and religious feelings or contain personal attacks. But then, most of those who write Than Gyat are artists. Most ordinary people do not know how to write Than Gyat properly.  Artists who write Than Gyat represent and serve the interests of the people, so we don't believe they would write chants about things that might harm the interests of the people. Everyone accepts that art is the birth right of people. And most artists cherish peace and understand its importance. So I believe they won't make personal attacks or provoke conflicts between races and religions. Genuine artists won't do that. This is from an artistic point of view. Again, from a political point of view, freedom of speech is the basic feature of a democracy. We can say that it is not a democracy without it. If we are a democracy, why restrict the expression of people or artists or politicians? If we want to show the international community that we are building a democracy, there is no reason for such restrictions. From a political point of view, such regulations should not be imposed. It is unnecessary when there are other regulations the government should enforce, for example to reduce road accidents and so on during the Thingyan festival. The government has not issued necessary regulations but issued regulations that are unnecessary. From a political point of view, it is unnecessary to scrutinize Than Gyat. Than Gyat were allowed without restrictions since the time of the monarchy. They are not loaded political speeches.  By nature they are satirical and constructive criticism and reflect public opinion. They are not a problem. Requiring to submit Than Gyat is destroying their nature. Because of this we didn't submit our Than Gyat scripts to the censorship committee. We don't want to submit them and we think that regulation is unnecessary.

KK: So Than Gyat are a form of art, and represent public voices. U Myittar, you have written Than Gyat since the time of the Burma Socialist Program Party (BSPP) government and you continue to compose them. How would you define Than Gyat?

Myittar: Some people think that Thingyan Than Gyat are all about politics. It is not true. It is making fun, in a constructive way, of rumors or of what is happening in the town. For example, avian flu breaks out in foreign countries, but we say Myanmar does not need to worry and we should only be worried about boiled garden pea flu and water convolvulus flu (which are the main food for many people in Myanmar because they cannot afford chicken).

KK: We can say that Than Gyat were repressed under the military regimes. They came back to life around 2012, and younger people like you, Ko Min Thway Thit, have composed Than Gyat. Why did you join the circle of Than Gyat groups?

MTT: We grew up in a period when there were no Thingyan Than Gyat. We developed an interest in them only after former Than Gyat composers tried to revive them after 2010. Previously we only knew about Than Gyat from parents, and our knowledge about them was largely limited. Later, Than Gyat groups emerged and we found that they represent the voices of the people and that what they point out in an amusing way is true. From them we can hear the truth that people from all walks of life accept. So we thought it was a lovely tradition of the country, and we felt that we should maintain it. And we also want the people of our generation to appreciate it. So from the old antiphonal chant composers we learned their experiences, their knowledge and how they created Than Gyat in their time. And from books we learned the history of Than Gyat, their rules of composition and their forms, from the Yadanabon period (of King Mindon) to the modern Than Gyat created by (director) Maung Myo Min. As we learned about Than Gyat we fell in love with them. And we want to spread them among the youth. Again, rap, which is popular among youth today, is also a form of expression. It may be recited fast or slow with different melodies. The basic concepts of the two are the same. We believe a young person will definitely like Than Gyat if he understands and appreciates their nature. So we have created Than Gyat believing that this lovely tradition should be maintained and hoping to spread it among the youth.

KK: U Myittar, you have composed Than Gyat since the time of the BSPP government. Have you seen any tangible changes resulted from Than Gyat during that time?

Myittar: In 2012 a foreign language school provided funding to revive the tradition. Thingyan antiphonal chant composers came together. I invited Maung Maung Myint from the Four Signs group established by U Kyemon, and other friends. Director Maung Thi also joined us to write Than Gyat. But when we submitted the Than Gyat scripts (to the government censorship board), we were not allowed to sing. Those Than Gyat were not critical of the government. We only spoke about the price differences between now and the past. In the past, a longyi was 30 kyats, but now it is 6,000 kyats. Our Thardu-par-byar group — including Kutho, Bay Lu Wa and me — sang Than Gyat during Thingyans in 2012 and 2013.  In 2014 we saw other antiphonal chant groups. This is a change. Previously the door was shut, and we three gradually opened it. And later all those who loved Thingyan pushed the door together, and the door finally opened. It is a change and an achievement, I believe.

KK: Are there people who are afraid of Thingyan Than Gyat?

Myittar: Those who are immoral and who do not have sympathy will fear them. We are a Buddhist-majority country, and we must have sympathy and integrity. It is taught by Buddhist monks and at schools also. It is also included in civic education. How precious sympathy and integrity are to a person in life! We sing Than Gyat to urge people to have sympathy and integrity.

KK: Ko Min Thway Thit, what measures do you think are required to restore the vitality of antiphonal chant composers?

MTT: There is a need to provide a great deal of support. Antiphonal chant groups go around in cars and sing out of their own pockets because of their interest in Than Gyat. There is a lot of room for improvement in terms of composing techniques. There is a generation gap and we can only learn what is in our reach. There have been no public workshops on Than Gyat or paper-reading sessions that people could participate in. While there is a need for technical support, there is also a need to provide Than Gyat groups with financial support so that they can perform in every Thingyan. Creating Than Gyat needs more than paper and a pen. We need to gather people and arrange cars. If Than Gyat composers can dedicate more time to writing Than Gyat, we will see better Than Gyat.

KK: What are the differences between the BSPP government and now regarding Than Gyat?

Myittar: Costs are different. When I was a student, I got a shield made of wood (as a prize in a Than Gyat contest). It was quite memorable and I miss that moment even though it was not a cash prize. And I was happy when revelers called the shield a condensed milk tin. It is the taste of Thingyan. Nobody shouts “condensed milk tin” today. Revelers don't care who wins the prize. But they do watch the decorated Thingyan cars in the evenings. As in the past, revelers now follow and watch the decorated car they like…. We sing Than Gyat because it is our hobby. As you have said, Thingyan is just for fun for many people. But Than Gyat singers spend out of their own pockets and urge people to have sympathy and integrity. In fact, they are philanthropists working for the country and the people and for peace. I have written in my Than Gyat that singing peace songs will not bring peace, but dialogue around the table will. As I said during the performance at the dinner reception for the new president: "I am not teaching grandma how to suck eggs. It is better to spell Nyein Chan Yay (the Burmese word for peace) as Nya than Nga." But I was not able to explain it during the performance. I said it because Nya means peacefulness of night and Nga can mean ego (in Burmese).

KK: Thank you for your contributions!

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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