Monday, January 28, 2019

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

U Thant House, Unicef to Bring Late Diplomat’s Message of Tolerance to Young People

Posted: 28 Jan 2019 05:54 AM PST

The U Thant House museum on Sunday announced that it would work with Unicef on educational activities aimed at promoting peace in Myanmar as part of this year’s commemoration of the 110th anniversary of the birth of the late diplomat and UN secretary general.

Unicef executive director Henrietta Fore and U Thant House chairman Dr. Thant Myint-U announced that they will focus on educating youth and developing a program to help visiting children and young people learn about the issues most important to U Thant, including peace and tolerance, sustainable development and environmental protection.

"U Thant believed strongly in peace, education, tolerance, and an end to all forms of discrimination. He believed strongly in what he called 'individual human dignity'. I hope his ideas might help us in thinking about Myanmar's future in fresh and creative ways," said Dr. Thant Myint-U, who is a grandson of U Thant.

He added, "We're very excited about working together with Unicef. Our education program is already attracting lots of students and teachers and I'm sure we'll be able to do much more with Unicef's support."

Funded by the government of Sweden, the education program at U Thant House already serves more than 1,300 students.

Dr. Thant Myint-U said he wanted youth to learn more about U Thant's projects; specifically, what kind of projects he was involved in, as well as the history behind them and their purpose.

"I think U Thant would be happy about this education program too," he said.

Discussing the vision of U Thant House, Sofia Busch, the museum's executive director, said, "Work is underway to improve U Thant House as a place for learning—not only about U Thant, but also about the issues he worked for that are still relevant today. New elements will be added to the exhibition, inviting more active engagement by visitors."

Currently, many of the students who visit the museum are from international schools, but administrators plan to bring in more students from government schools.

"When we educate the students, we will [include] educational games, an activity booklet, 'Passport to One World', and some quizzes…to attract them and to create a fun learning [atmosphere]," Busch added.

As part of the celebration, Fore delivered the fourth annual U Thant Memorial Lecture at U Thant House in Yangon.

In her lecture, “Building a Peaceful Future by Investing in Children and Young People”, she emphasized that, "We must work with governments and those who can influence them, and call on them to replace the arsenals of conflict with U Thant's defenses of peace."

She encouraged the government and businesses alike to invest in education for all children in all states and regions.

"There is no better pathway to peace than … supporting young people to shape better futures for themselves, no matter who they are or what they've endured," she said.

U Thant House also plans to collaborate with local artists to make installations that can help visualize global challenges in a concrete and engaging way.

On Jan. 27, the museum began exhibiting for visitors some of its collection of U Thant's personal belongings, such as his hat, notebook, passport and so on.

"That was all collected by my mother, and we have more items but left them in New York. We would like to bring more things, but U Thant House doesn't have a lot of space," Dr. Thant Myint-U said.

Busch added that, "To honor U Thant's work for the environment, we also plan to transform the garden into an experiential learning landscape about Myanmar's biodiversity and environmental challenges.

"People admire U Thant as peacemaker, environmentalist, intellectual, thinker. The message that we want to send is everyone can be like U Thant," she said.

U Thant was born on Jan. 22, 1909. His former residence at 31 Panwa Lane in Yangon is today a museum and discussion center. Run by the U Thant House Trust since 2014, it was established as a non-government organization to continue to work in U Thant's spirit. It is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The post U Thant House, Unicef to Bring Late Diplomat's Message of Tolerance to Young People appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Military Column Detains Villagers, Loot Valuables in N. Rakhine

Posted: 28 Jan 2019 05:23 AM PST

YANGON – A military column raided an entire village and looted gold, jewelry, cash and dozens of mobile phones from the villagers of Tha Mee Hla Village in Rathedaung Township in northern Rakhine State on Saturday, according to Arakanese lawmakers.

Rathedaung Township representative, Lower House lawmaker Daw Khin Saw Wai said that she was initially informed by a villager over the phone on Saturday. Considering how serious the allegations were, she asked regional lawmaker U Than Naing to get firsthand accounts from the victims on Sunday morning. U Than Naing then went to the village to confirm the incident.

"Firstly, I thought it's hard to believe because we never expect such kind of treatment from the army," said Daw Khin Saw Wai.

U Than Naing posted on social media on Sunday stating that he found only 10 homes in the village spared of bullets out of a total 84 homes. Some homes were struck by artillery fire and had bullet holes. He wrote that a seven-year-old child had been wounded by an artillery explosion near his home and had to be immediately transported to Sittwe General Hospital for medical treatment. Another two women from Tha Mee Hla were also wounded by artillery shells.

As of Monday evening the wounded child was being transported to Yangon for treatment at Yangon General Hospital.

U Than Naing reiterated the ordeals of the villagers, explaining that military troops had looted their gold, jewelry and other belongings. Tha Mee Hla villager Daw Aung Win told him that army soldiers looted about 0.22 pounds of jewelry while the entire population of the village were held at the local school building without food or water from Saturday morning until the evening.

As soon as he heard the villagers' reports, he made a number of attempts to call Rakhine State Border Affairs Minister Col. Htein Lin and the National League for Democracy (NLD)-appointed Chief Minister of Rakhine State U Nyi Pu on Sunday but his attempts were ignored.

U Than Naing said that he could understand the battles between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar Military in northern Rakhine but that "they should not have cruelly looted the savings of 64 homes."

When The Irrawaddy attempted to contact Rakhine State's Border Affairs Minister Col. Phone Tint on Monday the calls went unanswered.

Both Daw Khin Saw Wai and U Than Naing told The Irrawaddy that they will officially lodge complaints with evidence to the relevant authorities, including the commander-in-chief's office. Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief office's spokesperson Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun has denied the allegations, saying there was no raid by the military on the ground.

In an interview with The Irrawaddy's Sittwe correspondent, U Than Naing criticized the official military response, saying "their responses are incorrect. They should not deny on this. Denial is their normal reaction. It truly happened there and I even posted some pictures of the incident."

He said that he was currently traveling from Rathedaung to Sittwe in order to relate the incident to his party headquarters and will officially complain through the party to the higher authorities. He claims there hadn't even been any serious fighting between government troops and the AA rebels near Tha Mee Hla village.

The soldiers raided and shot into the village after the column was attacked with a series of remotely detonated mines. He was told that some army soldiers could have been wounded but he was unable to independently identify the casualties.

U Than Naing explained that the army column confiscated about 60 mobile phones from the villagers and returned only 16 devices as of Sunday. Daw Khin Saw Wai said the villagers later identified the army column as the 99th Light Infantry Division.

On its official Facebook page, pro-military organization Thayninga Institute for Strategic Studies, headed by Naing Swe Oo, a former military medical doctor, accused the villagers of detonating five remotely controlled mines on a military column while soldiers were conducting clearance operations near the village. He said there were no casualties in the army column.

He claimed that as the incident occurred close to the village, the army did not make counter attacks and a border police unit entered the village and arrested some suspicious villagers there. He acknowledged that border police confiscated some mobile phones without elaborating on the number and went on to accuse villagers of leaking information to the AA rebels. He bluntly denied that soldiers looted any of the villagers' belongings.

He said, "Acting as informants of the insurgents is violating existing laws and action could be taken."

Some Arakanese have been using Facebook to criticize the actions of the military soldiers: "Are they fighting or robbing there?" one person has commented.

The AA issued battle updates in their website on Sunday which confirmed the clash near Tha Mee Hla Village in Rathedaung Township and it accused government troops of committing rights violations against civilians. It says soldiers detained the villagers at the school and beat up some of the men. Two villagers were arrested but set free on later Saturday evening.

The AA says they have already documented rights abuses committed by military troops in northern Rakhine State and will officially lodge complaints to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in April.

The post Military Column Detains Villagers, Loot Valuables in N. Rakhine appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Thousands of IDPs Sign Petition Urging Shan Groups to Stop Fighting

Posted: 28 Jan 2019 03:49 AM PST

Over 3,000 ethnic Shan IDPs in Hsipaw, northern Shan State have signed a petition calling on two rival Shan armed groups to stop fighting and enter peace negotiations, according to local sources. The IDPs sent the petition to the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD)'s office in Hsipaw town on Jan. 22. It is the second such petition sent to the groups this month.

Sai Lao Hseng, secretary of the SNLD office in Hsipaw, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that "Local people often have to run away from fighting. In their villages, they cannot work to earn enough money to eat. They want to go back to their villages as soon as they can. Therefore, they signed a petition asking the two armed groups to stop fighting, and to enter peace negotiations."

Fighting between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), the two Shan armed groups, escalated recently in Hsipaw Township over a territorial dispute. Previously, the RCSS had fought only against the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in northern Shan State, but fighting broke out between the RCSS and SSPP last year over disputed territory.

Some local Shan were killed and some wounded, included children, in fighting in the township in December. At least two clashes have broken out this month in Hsipaw Township between the two armed groups, leaving local people feeling unsafe in their homes.

"We want them to sit down together at the negotiating table, because our people have been suffering a lot," Sai Lao Hseng said.

There are five IDPs camps in Hsipaw catering to over 1,000 people. Some IDPs are sheltering at Buddhist monasteries. Sai Lao Hseng went to some IDP centers on Monday to distribute supplies along with a group of local donors from Kyaukme Township.

Sai Lao Hseng said it saddened him to see the conditions in the camps. "I only visit the camps occasionally. I cannot bear to see the condition of the IDPs in the camps," he said. "When you look at their faces, you feel bad for them."

The Committee for Shan State Unity (CSSU) is the main group working to broker peace between the two armed Shan groups. Other Shan organizations including the SNLD are working with the CSSU to help find a political solution to the conflict in Shan State.

On Jan. 11, more than 4,000 IDPs signed the first petition calling for peace between the groups, according to the SNLD. The signatures were first sent the SNLD's headquarters in Yangon, and from there to the two Shan armed groups.

Sai Leik, a senior leader of the SNLD who has worked to try to bring the two Shan groups to the negotiating table, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that his party had sent the signatures to the two armed groups but had yet to receive a reply.

"We sent them to the two armed groups. The first time we sent over 4,000 signatures. We sent over 3,000 the second time," Sai Leik said.

According to the SNLD, neither armed group has responded with even so much as a phone call. Nor have they offered proposed dates for a meeting. The CSSU wants the two groups to meet in early February.

"We want them to stop fighting each other. Mainly, we are worried about the children and elderly people who are IDPs," Sai Leik said.

The children need to study, but they cannot go to school, as they have to stay at the IDP camps, he said.

The SNLD leader added that the group wants the EAOs to resolve their territorial dispute in order to stop fighting.

For a long time the RCSS's base has been in southern Shan State. After signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in 2015, the group tried to move its troops to northern Shan State. To do this, it needed to take territory around Namtu Township, but this territory is claimed by the SSPP, leading the groups to attack each other.

The post Thousands of IDPs Sign Petition Urging Shan Groups to Stop Fighting appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

2018 Tourist Numbers Rise Slightly, Chinese Up 38%

Posted: 28 Jan 2019 03:48 AM PST

YANGON—Chinese arrivals in Myanmar increased by 38 percent last year compared to 2017, and topped the list of travelers to Myanmar, deputy director-general of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, Daw Khin Than Win, told The Irrawaddy.

The increase is attributable to the issuing of a visa-on-arrival for Chinese passport holders, she said.

On Oct. 1 last year, the Myanmar government launched a one-year pilot project that grants visa exemptions to travelers from Japan, South Korea, Macao and Hong Kong, and issues on-arrival visas for Chinese travelers at a cost of $50.

The number of travelers from other Asian countries also increased as a result, said Daw Khin Than Win.

Myanmar received a total of 3.55 million foreign travelers in 2018, a sharp increase from 3.44 million in 2017, she said.

In 2018, Myanmar received 297,400 Chinese travelers through airports and sea ports. It was followed by Thailand with 291,231, and Japan with just 104,376 visitors. These figures do not include travelers who came into Myanmar through the land borders with border passes.

Meanwhile, the Union of Myanmar Travel Association reported a 50 percent decline in the number of travelers from western countries in 2018 compared to previous years primarily due to the Rakhine crisis.

Some local tour companies have been struggling due to the decline, said joint secretary of the association U Thet Khaing.

Chinese travelers at Kuthodaw Pagoda in Mandalay. / Ministry of Information

The government should take measures to attract more western travelers, he said. We have asked [the government] to relax regulations on western travelers," he told The Irrawaddy.

"The Asian market is growing. Many Chinese people go on foreign trips today. Some European countries are even carrying out promotions targeting Chinese travelers. We should also try," he said.

Some companies can only cater for English-speaking travelers, and find it hard to serve Chinese customers. "It is not a problem for big tour companies, but it is difficult for smaller ones to hire Chinese-speaking guides," he added.

Despite the increase in the number of Asian tourists, tour companies have reported a decline in revenues.

"Travelers from Europe tend to stay two to three weeks in Myanmar, while Asian travelers only stay a maximum of one week. Their spending power is different. That's why there is a sharp decline in revenues," he said.

"Asian travelers visit fewer places and spend less than those from western countries, so those engaged in tourism businesses do not earn as much as they did," said Daw Thandar Oo, a tour guide of 20 years.

However, she is optimistic that Myanmar will be able to win western travelers back if tour operators can develop more diverse packages which include activities like hiking, camping, homestays and so on in addition to the existing cultural tours to pagodas and temples, which Myanmar has marketed over the past 25 years.

The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism expects to receive 4.5 million foreign travelers in 2019. There are around 2,500 tour operators, big and small, in operation in Myanmar, and around 10 percent of them did not renew their licenses in 2018.

The post 2018 Tourist Numbers Rise Slightly, Chinese Up 38% appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Myanmar Opens Major Investment Summit in Naypyitaw

Posted: 28 Jan 2019 03:33 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — The Myanmar government opened a two-day investment summit in Naypyitaw on Monday aimed at drumming up interest in the country, showcasing some 120 projects worth more than $3 billion combined.

The Invest Myanmar Summit 2019, the country’s first, is part of the government's efforts to counteract a significant decline in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Myanmar over the last two fiscal years.

A collaboration between the government and business community, the event aims to provide an opportunity for businesses to meet and for local and international investors to discuss the country’s investment potential.

More than 1,600 local and foreign delegates are expected to attend and 40 companies are exhibiting.

In her opening address, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said she was confident the summit would highlight the opportunities available to both local and foreign investors.

"The summit will provide you with the opportunity to explain Myanmar's exciting and ever evolving investment market," she told those in the audience with projects to sell.

The summit is an important part of the Myanmar Investment Promotion Plan (MIPP), which aims to attract more than $200 billion in investment from responsible and quality businesses over the next 20 years.

The MIPP was launched in October by the Myanmar Investment Commission and outlines four strategic periods for attracting FDI. It aims to attract an average of $8.5 billion a year by 2026, $12.3 billion by 2031 and $17.6 billion by 2036.

The government believes FDI is a key driver of economic development and is committed to developing an open, fair and clear investment policy, according to the MIPP. It wants to foster long-term growth by focusing investment in four areas: export-oriented industries; domestic market-oriented industries, resource-based industries and knowledge-based industries.

The countries and territories being targeted during this week’s summit include China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, India, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Given Myanmar’s strategic location between India and China and its access to the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said, the country can help connect regional markets to international trade routes.

"With our advantageous geographical location, relatively low labor costs, and the enormous potential of our people, it's the best time for grasping the opportunity that will arise as the global pendulum swings from West to East," she said.

Ten of Myanmar’s states and regions are participating in the event: Karen, Chin, Mon, Rakhine, Shan, Yangon, Sagaing, Mandalay, Irrawaddy and Tanintharyi. The industries being targeted include manufacturing, garments, electricity and energy, tourism, education, food processing and fisheries, health care, infrastructure and property.

Following the opening ceremony on Monday, Myanmar’s Great Wall Foodstuff and Hong Kong International Sugar Engineering inked a memorandum of understanding for a $200 million investment in a sugar mill and biomass plant in Katha Township, Sagaing Region. The plans call for the mill to produce 10,000 tons of sugar a day and for the plant to churn out 60 MW of electricity.

The Myanmar Investment Commission said the slowdown in investment in Myanmar was due to ongoing concern about the country’s political stability, weak macroeconomics, residual investment restrictions and uncertain investment approval procedures. It said there was a lack of skilled labor and investment promotion and that infrastructure, the financial sector and the business regulatory systems were underdeveloped.

The government projects Myanmar’s gross domestic product to reach 106 trillion kyats by 2021, 152.17 trillion kyats by 2026, 218.47 trillion kyats by 2013 and 313.64 trillion kyats by 2036.

The MIPP also hopes to make improvements to the business environment that will raise Myanmar's rank in the World Bank's ease-of-doing-business index into the top 100 by 2020 and the top 40 by 2035. Myanmar's 2018 ranking was 171 while Laos ranked 141, Cambodia 135 and the Philippines 113.

The post Myanmar Opens Major Investment Summit in Naypyitaw appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

KNU Rejects Military’s Claims It Extorts Civilians, Denies Launching Attacks

Posted: 28 Jan 2019 02:57 AM PST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand—The Karen National Union (KNU) has denied allegations by the Myanmar military that it is extorting money from civilians, and rejected the Army's characterization of clashes between it and government troops as an effort to expand its area of control. Separately, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) issued its own rebuttal of the military's recent claims against EAOs, saying it did not accept the terms of the military's four-month truce.

The Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) included its complaints against the KNU in a statement released Friday in which it accused ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) of burdening the public by continuing to recruit and extort civilians and expand their territories. In addition to the KNU, it mentioned all of the EAOs based in northeast Myanmar, including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Ta'ang Nationalities Liberation Army, Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army North, Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army South and Pa-Oh National Liberation Organization. It accused them of destabilizing the region and violating the terms of the truce.

It said these activities were occurring not only within the five military commands covered by the military's four-month truce in the north and northeast, but also in three commands close to KNU-controlled areas in the south.

Specifically, the Tatmadaw said the KNU was extorting money from civilians in areas under the military's Southeast and Coastal Commands, and had launched mine attacks against vehicles carrying government troops under the Southern Command, near an area controlled by the KNU's Brigade No. 5 last week. The Tatmadaw urged the KNU to strictly follow the principles of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

Separately, KIO leader General Gun Maw responded to the Tatmadaw's claims in an open letter to all EAOs published on Sunday. He urged any EAOs that agreed to the terms of the Tatmadaw's truce to abide by it, but added, "For the KIO, we agree with nothing [proposed by the government or Tatmadaw], even after our last informal talks with the NRPC on Jan. 21. We [only] agreed to hold further talks."

The KNU released a statement on Saturday saying that the organization was fighting for equality and self-determination, and had long enjoyed the support of its people. It said the group obtains financial "support from the public in the areas [it] controls in accordance with set regulations to manage the security and development of the people in their areas."

Thus, the KNU said, "The Tatmadaw's accusation of extortion against the KNU is a violation of Article 5 (b) and (f) under Chapter 3" of the NCA. Article 5 (b) prohibits signatories from assaulting or insulting each other either directly or indirectly. Article 5 (f) requires signatories to refrain from aggressive propaganda and false or defamatory statements or speech that could undermine the dignity of the organizations.

The group suggested that more thorough discussions were needed to reach a common understanding of the NCA's principles, in order to avoid further allegations and finger pointing. It said Article 25 (a) of the NCA clearly allows the EAOs to implement security and development arrangements in their respective ceasefire areas, and says these will have to be implemented through further negotiations between the signatories. The KNU has pushed for those negotiations to be held, but the Tatmadaw and the government have declined to do so, citing the need to discuss demarcation issues.

The KNU said the anti-vehicle mine attacks were the result of a failure to hold negotiations to avoid further military engagements, despite the fact that the KNU has proposed negotiations on troop deployments in the area since September 2012.

KNU general secretary Padoh Saw Tadoh Moo said in remarks posted on the group's Facebook page that the current clashes were due to troops on both sides engaging in movements without providing prior notification.

He said, "We think troops in these areas are concerned whenever the other side crosses a set boundary, and it leads to clashes. We must resolve this issue. It arises because we have different interpretations of the NCA and are not yet able to hold talks on avoiding troop engagements."

The KNU general secretary said the group welcomed the Tatmadaw's formation of a Negotiation Team and said it would meet the team soon, following the commemoration on Jan. 31 of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Karen revolutionary movement.

The KNU announced a temporary withdrawal from the formal peace process in October last year, but has held informal talks with the government's Peace Commission twice since then, in November 2018 and mid-January. At the most recent talks, it agreed to hold further meetings with government and military leaders.

The post KNU Rejects Military's Claims It Extorts Civilians, Denies Launching Attacks appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

U Wirathu Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for Unauthorized School

Posted: 28 Jan 2019 02:27 AM PST

MANDALAY—Firebrand nationalist monk U Wirathu held a groundbreaking ceremony for a school building on Saturday morning in Patheingyi Township, Mandalay Region, despite the regional government's refusal to give permission for the project.

The monk who is infamous for his racial and religious hate speeches said he applied to the regional government for permission to build a permanent school in June 2017, but the regional government has yet to reply.

There are over 150 students attending tenth and eleventh grades at the school, and the monk wishes to build a four-story school building to replace the current makeshift classrooms.

U Wirathu talks to the audience at the groundbreaking ceremony. / De Hlaing Winn / The Irrawaddy

"It is time [Mandalay Region Chief Minister] U Zaw Myint Maung makes a black-and-white decision. If [the planned school] is against the law, he should make an official announcement by stating clearly which law it violates," said U Wirathu, who is a staunch opponent of the ruling National League for Democracy.

"If it is in line with the law, he should announce officially when exactly it would be allowed, and how long we have to wait," said the monk, calling the ban an "authoritarian act and abuse of power."

U Wirathu, Buddhist monks, and members of the committee to establish the school named "Mahawthada National Private High School" attended the groundbreaking ceremony. The school will be built on an 8-acre plot of land in the village of Kyauk Chaw in Patheingyi Township.

The district general administration department sent a warning notice on Friday afternoon, and officials came in person on Friday evening and asked the monk not to continue with his school project.

Monks put stakes into the ground at the groundbreaking ceremony. / De Hlaing Winn / The Irrawaddy

The site for the planned school, according to the general administration department, is under the management of the government.

"We requested the monk not to do unlawful things. We sent a letter and also met him in person and asked him not to continue. He can do nothing before the [regional] government grants permission. We have barred him on behalf of the government," said district administrator U Aung Mon Latt.

The school compound has been walled, the gate has been built, and an artesian has been dug, according to the monk.

The school will only teach the official curriculum designed by the government, and will not teach politics or religion, said U Wirathu.

"The school is totally free from politics and nationalism. It is purely a philanthropic school. We absolutely guarantee that," U Wirathu told The Irrawaddy.

The gate of the Mahawthada National Private High School. / De Hlaing Winn / The Irrawaddy

However, he admitted that those on the school organizing committee are members of various political parties and agencies.

The monk believes that the government has banned the school because of the involvement of political parties in the school organizing committee and also because the school will be built under his backing.

"I am very happy to go to prison if I am arrested under 505 (b) [of the Penal Code which is a law against defamation of the State] for building a school," said U Wirathu.

The post U Wirathu Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for Unauthorized School appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Missing Myanmar Border Guard Officer Found in Bangladesh Still Waiting Return

Posted: 28 Jan 2019 01:09 AM PST

DHAKA — Bangladesh had yet to return as of Saturday a Myanmar Border Guard Police officer who went missing last week and was found two days later wandering around intoxicated in Bangladesh.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) says Constable Aung Bo Bo Thein, 28, with Myanmar’s No. 5 Border Guard Police branch, was “rescued” in the Banhatirachhara region of Bandarban District on Thursday morning. It says the constable had gone missing while on duty on Tuesday and was found “drunk” and wandering “aimlessly” about 3.5 km from the border.

“We are ready to hand him over as soon as we finish the formalities,” BGB Ramu Region commander Brigadier General Ainul Morshed Khan Pathan said Saturday, adding that he was already in contact with his counterparts in Myanmar about the officer.

Brig. Gen. Ainul did not elaborate on what those formalities were. A BGB official in Dhaka, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media, said the handover was still waiting for approval from the Foreign Ministry.

A Foreign Ministry official told Dhaka-based daily the New Age on Friday that the agency was waiting for a formal request for the constable’s return from Myanmar.

The neighbors have handed over border guard officers before.

In June 2015 Myanmar handed over a BGB officer it had abducted a few days earlier during a firefight between border guard patrols from each country along the Naf River, which marks part of the border between the two countries. In July of the same year the BGB said it had rescued a Myanmar soldier who was believed to have been abducted by the Arakan Army, a separatist rebel group in Myanmar.

Since August 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya have fled western Myanmar for Bangladesh, following a military crackdown in Rakhine State triggered by militant attacks on police posts in the area.

According to rights activist Nur Khan Liton, who has helped record the Rohingya refugees’ testimonies, some of the refugees claim that the rescued constable had participated in some of the Myanmar security forces’ alleged rights abuses.

“At least two Rohingya victims told us that this private was posted in the Taugbazar area of Buthidaung [Township] with the [Border Guard Police] and that his team members were involved in the massive attacks, killings, torture and arson against Rohingya in the past,' said Nur Khan.

He urged the Bangladeshi government to interrogate the constable about Myanmar’s alleged ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya and arrange to have his testimony recorded at the International Criminal Court for use in any future prosecution of the country’s leaders.

Bangladesh shares a 271-km border with Myanmar, more than half of which is unprotected, according to the BGB.

The post Missing Myanmar Border Guard Officer Found in Bangladesh Still Waiting Return appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Where are the Assassins?

Posted: 28 Jan 2019 12:37 AM PST

Tuesday marks two years since National League for Democracy legal adviser U Ko Ni was gunned down at Yangon International Airport. While four suspects have been brought to trial, suspected mastermind Aung Win Khaing remains at large, and several key witnesses have yet to testify despite the court having held more than 100 hearings so far. Observers were already expressing frustration at the lack of progress in the case in March 17, 2017, when The Irrawaddy first published the article below.

Assassins and schemers behind the killing of prominent lawyer U Ko Ni are still at large one-and-a-half months after the crime was committed.

Will they be apprehended soon? That's what we are all waiting for.

On Friday, four suspects appeared in court in Rangoon for the first time: ex-lieutenant Aung Win Zaw—brother of Aung Win Khaing—ex-captain Zeya Phyo, gunman Kyi Lin, and a new suspect in the case: Aung Win Tun.

Ex-lieutenant colonel Aung Win Khaing, an alleged key perpetrator in the plot to kill the National League for Democracy legal adviser, is still at large after he curiously disappeared in Burma's capital Naypyidaw.

The public suspects that in this high-profile murder, there are bigger fish at large than Aung Win Khaing. There is considerable disquiet that the Home Affairs Ministry, which is responsible for the case, has yet to bring a key culprit to court and disclose the true picture of the case.

At a ceremony in Rangoon on Saturday to mark 40 days since U Ko Ni was shot dead at Yangon International Airport on Jan. 29, patron of the ruling NLD party U Tin Oo said he was surprised that important suspects were yet to be arrested. He urged the authorities to apprehend them as soon as possible.

Like him, the public is impatiently waiting for the truth, while the victim's family is waiting for justice. There are almost endless unanswered questions surrounding the case:

Why did Aung Win Khaing flee to Naypyidaw, the city with the most surveillance in Burma, instead of a distant hideout like other criminals?
What is behind the fact that all key suspects are ex-military officials?

Are any other high-profile individuals or organizations involved in the case?

How could the alleged assassins afford to spend nearly US$100,000 on the assassination?

Why is it taking so long for the police to apprehend Aung Win Khaing?

All are valid questions and people are trying hard to connect the dots.

Many people are convinced that U Ko Ni was targeted because of his strong criticism of the military-drafted 2008 Constitution and had consistently advocated for the amendment of the undemocratic charter.

Among the many questions, the biggest for a lot of people is why all key plotters in the case are ex-military officials.

A former military colonel named Lin Zaw Htun, currently a lawmaker for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), was questioned by police over his friendship with two of the suspects, ex-army men Aung Win Khaing and Zeya Phyo.

Some members of the general public worry that current influential elements in the institution, or associates linked to it, are involved in the case.

This theory is only set to keep growing as long as the police and the Ministry of Home Affairs fail to thoroughly explain the case and bring the culprits to justice.

No one has dared to publicly give voice to this suspicion yet. Meanwhile, the military has denied the theory before it came to light in public.

The armed forces' chief of general staff Gen Mya Tun Oo said in a press conference on Feb. 28 that the military, known as the Tatmadaw, was not responsible when asked if he knew of any organizations behind the assassination.

His answer indicated that top military officials have the impression that people suspect that the Tatmadaw—or high-ranking officials in the establishment—might be involved in the murder, perhaps due to the involvement of ex-military persons.

Gen Mya Tun Oo rejected accusations around Lin Zaw Htun that implicated the Tatmadaw: "Even if he [Lin Zaw Htun] is involved, it has nothing to do with the Tatmadaw. He has resigned from the army. The Tatmadaw is not involved, even if he is found of guilty."

But suspicion remains over Lin Zaw Htun's close friendship with the two key suspects Aung Win Khaing and Zeya Phyo.

Significantly, it has been reported that Lin Zaw Htun served as personal security officer for the commander-in-chief of the military, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. Lin Zaw Htun retired from the army in 2015 to run for office under the USDP.

The positions on the case of the military-controlled Home Affairs Ministry and the military itself differ from the ruling NLD party and its leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's State Counselor.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attended the ceremony in Rangoon last month to mark one month since the incident and described U Ko Ni and driver U Nay Win, who died trying to apprehend the gunman Kyi Lin, as martyrs.

At the Feb. 28 press conference a day before, Minister of Home Affairs Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe downplayed the significance of the suspects as ex-military officials and said that the assassins were motivated by "extreme nationalism" and "personal grudges."

His responses became the subject of ridicule in day-to-day conversations and on social media—which the military leaders must have noticed.

The ex-military officials' involvement in the murder has definitely done nothing to improve the image of a military already accused of human rights abuses in Kachin, Shan, and Arakan states.

There is only one way for the military and home affairs ministry to control this damage—to seriously try to bring all key suspects into court as soon as possible. Otherwise, conspiracy theories will continue to spread and grow.

This important murder case should not simply disappear in the same way Aung Win Khaing slipped away in Naypyidaw.

The post Where are the Assassins? appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Gov’t Plans To Set Up Coast Guard under Civilian Control

Posted: 27 Jan 2019 11:20 PM PST

NAYPYITAW—The Myanmar government is planning to establish a coast guard under the control of the civilian government, not the military, according to Union Minister for Transport and Communications U Thant Sin Maung.

The ministry held a meeting in December on establishing a coast guard to protect national security and fight drug and arms smuggling, as well as human trafficking, the minister told reporters in Naypyitaw on Saturday.

"The coast guard is necessary for our country. Most countries have one. So, we will hold extensive discussions on how to structure it, what training to provide and how to fund it, and present [our recommendations] to the President's Office," the minister said.

"The President's Office wishes to establish it as a civilian department," he said.

The Navy has the manpower and equipment required to form a coast guard right away, but it would be hard for it to handle certain tasks, such as inspecting commercial ships. The coast guard will therefore be formed with personnel from various departments including Immigration, Customs, Fire Services and Marine Administration, he said.

The Defense Ministry will cooperate on establishing the force, said the minister, adding that officials from the ministry attended the meeting in December.

When contacted by The Irrawaddy, Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) spokesperson Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun suggested that the Defense Ministry's participation in the meeting could be taken as a sign that the Tatmadaw approves of the plan. He declined to comment further, however.

"We need a coast guard. There are problems with smuggling and immigration. We need it. But I don't know much about the structure and scope of duties," said U Aung Thu Nyein, a director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy.

He suggested the coast guard be established as part of the police force, with participation from the Army and various civilian departments.

According to Article 338 of the 2008 Constitution, all armed forces in the Union shall be under the command of the Defense Services chief.

Asked by The Irrawaddy about the Tatmadaw chief's constitutional mandate, U Thant Sin Maung said: "This shouldn't be a problem. We just need [the Tatmadaw's] approval. For example, the Forest Department and the Immigration Department are equipped with arms. There are civilian agencies that need to use arms," he said.

"[Establishing a coast guard] is a formidable task that calls for collaboration among various departments. Besides vessels, we also need technicians," he added.

Responsibility for maritime security is currently shared by the Myanmar Navy and the Maritime Police Force.

The post Gov't Plans To Set Up Coast Guard under Civilian Control appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Philippines Vows to Crush ‘Terrorists’ After Church Bombs Kill 20

Posted: 27 Jan 2019 08:27 PM PST

MANILA — The Philippines vowed to destroy those behind twin bombings that killed 20 people during a Sunday church service in the country’s restive south, six days after a referendum on autonomy for the mainly Muslim region returned an overwhelming “yes” vote.

The attack wounded more than 100 people and was one of the deadliest in recent years in a region long plagued by instability. It came amid hope and excitement about the ratification of a devolution plan that aims to bring development, jobs and peace to one of Asia’s poorest and most volatile places.

The first explosion went off inside the cathedral on Jolo Island, in Sulu Province, and was followed by a second blast outside, which was detonated as security forces raced to the scene, officials said.

“The enemies of the state have boldly challenged the capability of the government to secure the safety of the citizenry in that region,” said Salvador Panelo, spokesman of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

“The armed forces of the Philippines will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals.”

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack via the militant group’s Amaq news agency, describing it as twin suicide bombings that it said killed 120 people.

Police are investigating but suspect it was the work of Abu Sayyaf, a domestic militant group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and is notorious for its bombings and brutality.

“They want to show force and sow chaos,” national police chief Oscar Albayalde told DZMM radio, suggesting Abu Sayyaf was the prime suspect.

Civilians bore the brunt of the attack, which also killed five soldiers. Police lowered the death toll from 27 to 20 after discovering duplications in initial records.

Jolo is a stronghold of the group, which runs a lucrative piracy and kidnapping operation that successive governments have failed to break up. The group, which operates in the waters and islands of western Mindanao, has beheaded numerous foreign captives when ransom demands were not met.

Images of the inside of the Jolo church showed several rows of wooden pews destroyed, with debris strewn across a blackened floor.

Speaking in Panama, Pope Francis condemned what he called a “terrorist attack” and during a prayer for the dead and wounded said: “May the Lord, prince of peace, convert the hearts of the violent ones.”

‘Dastardly act’

The attack followed Friday’s announcement that the region, a mainly Muslim part of the predominantly Catholic Philippines, had ratified the creation of an autonomous area called Bangsamoro, with 85 percent of voters behind it.

Although Sulu was among only a few areas that rejected autonomy, it will still be part of the new entity when it is fully formed in 2022.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana called the attack a “dastardly act” and urged the local population to cooperate and “deny terrorism any victory.”

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon called those responsible “mass murderers” and “extremist criminals.”

“We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,” he added.

The referendum came amid concerns about the presence of extremists in the Philippines and the possibility that foreign radicals will join those of Indonesia and Malaysia in gravitating to Mindanao to capitalize on porous borders, jungles and mountains, and an abundance of arms.

The Philippine military in mid-2017 encountered its biggest and longest battle since World War Two when an alliance of extremists loyal to Islamic State, among them foreigners and children, overran Marawi City and tried to establish a caliphate.

Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf faction leader anointed as Islamic State’s Southeast Asian “emir” and wanted by the United States, was killed during that battle.

The post Philippines Vows to Crush ‘Terrorists’ After Church Bombs Kill 20 appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Australia Says No Proof Writer’s Detention in China Related to Canadian Arrests

Posted: 27 Jan 2019 08:09 PM PST

SINGAPORE—There is no proof that Beijing’s detention of a Chinese-born Australian writer is related to the arrest of Canadians in China, Australian Defense Minister Christopher Pyne said on Monday.

Yang Hengjun was detained in southern China earlier this month and taken to Beijing where China has said he was held under “coercive measures,” a euphemism for detention, as he is being investigated on suspicion of “endangering state security.”

“In terms of the detention of Mr. Yang, I don't see any evidence that the detention of Mr. Yang is linked to decisions made by the Australian government in recent times. Nor do I see it being linked to the detention of the two Canadians, Pyne told a security forum in Singapore.

Pyne held talks in Beijing last week aimed at repairing ties with Australia’s largest trading partner that have been strained since 2017, when it accused China of meddling in its affairs.

Pyne said he had spoken to Chinese authorities during his trip to “ensure that he (Yang) has been well cared for, treated fairly and transparently.”

Tensions have risen in recent weeks between China and some Western countries after two Canadians, a diplomat on unpaid leave and a consultant, were arrested in China on suspicion of endangering state security.

Australia joined international condemnation of the arrest of the Canadians, but Yang has long been in the sights of Chinese authorities. He has criticized what he described as Chinese interference in Australia.

Yang’s lawyer, Mo Shaoping, told Reuters that his client was suspected of “espionage,” and was being held under “residential surveillance at a designated location.”

The post Australia Says No Proof Writer’s Detention in China Related to Canadian Arrests appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Stiletto Races and Hula Hoops at Pride Festival in Myanmar

Posted: 27 Jan 2019 08:08 PM PST

YANGON — Contestants ran a stiletto race and swirled hula hoops at a park in Myanmar’s biggest city on Sunday in the Drag Olympics as a highlight of the Yangon Pride festival.

The attendance of an estimated 2,000 people at Thakin Mya Park was a sign of change in a predominantly Buddhist country where traditionalism is strong and homosexuality is a crime under a law inherited from British colonialists, organizers said.

It was the fifth time that the festival has been held, but only the second year it has happened in a public place.

“When we started this, people did not really dare to come to this kind of festival,” said Hla Mat Tun, a co-director of the festival from the &Proud group. “Now you see a lot of young people. Young people are more proud and out and encouraged and empowered.”

But he said lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people continued to face harassment and that social change was needed as well as changes to Myanmar’s laws.

Activists complain that progress has not been as swift as they would have hoped under Myanmar’s transition to democracy. The government has also faced heavy international criticism after a 2017 army crackdown led hundreds of thousands of minority Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.

Cheered on by the crowd, nine contestants took part in the Drag Olympics, which also involved a handbag flinging contest before the judges picked a winner.

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Saturday, January 26, 2019

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Myanmar Failing to Create Conditions Needed for Rohingya Return: UN

Posted: 26 Jan 2019 01:18 AM PST

DHAKA—The United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, on Friday said Myanmar security forces have been engaged in an intimidation campaign against Rohingya people living in border areas and camps in Bangladesh to ensure they do not return to Myanmar.

"It is evident that Myanmar is not working to create conditions for return for the Rohingya but is engaging in a sustained campaign of violence, intimidation and harassment," she told a press conference at a hotel in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Friday evening. The press conference marked the conclusion of her 11-day visit to Bangladesh and Thailand.

To the contrary, she said, Myanmar security forces have continued to force Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.

The UN special envoy said she had found during her visit that Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will not be able to return to Myanmar in the near future. She encouraged the Bangladeshi government to begin to engage in longer-term planning and prepare the local population for this reality.

She also suggested UN member countries consider setting up an ad-hoc court on Myanmar for ensuring accountability for crimes against humanity in Rakhine State.

Obtaining such a decision from the UN Security Council is unlikely as permanent members have veto power and they are not all likely to agree. Therefore, she said, UN member countries could also take the step of establishing an ad-hoc court on Myanmar, among several other options.

She expressed her annoyance over the deportation of Rohingya people from India and Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh, adding that Delhi and Riyadh must ensure that the Rohingya people can live in safety and dignity within their territories until the refugees can return home.

Lee on Thursday visited Bhashan Char, an island in Noakhali District, to check the progress of facilities there. The Bangladesh government has a plan to transfer a portion of the Rohingya refugees to the island.

"If any plans are made about refugee relocation in the future, refugees must be fully engaged and participate in the process," she said. "Without a protection framework agreed with the humanitarian community, the plans cannot move forward."

She said third-country resettlement was not a realistic possibility, given the huge number of people involved.

In a separate statement issued by the UN in Geneva on the same day, Lee said, "Communities are divided based on religion and ethnicity, and members of minorities face marginalization and discrimination. Ethnic nationalities continue to be subject to domination by [Myanmar's] central government and the military, despite the official stance that they are working for peace to be brought to the country."

Regarding the situation in Rakhine State, Lee said the escalation in fighting between the military and the Arakan Army is very worrisome, especially because the government and military have blocked humanitarian access. The special rapporteur also noted that there was continued fighting in Kayin State, and that new military bases have been built in Kayah State.

The post Myanmar Failing to Create Conditions Needed for Rohingya Return: UN appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The Myanmar Military’s Loose Lips: Gaffe or Gambit?

Posted: 25 Jan 2019 09:10 PM PST

Kyaw Zwa Moe: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! Recently, spokespeople for the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) said during a press conference that State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi instructed it to crush the Arakan Army (AA). The following day, a spokesperson of the President's Office, U Zaw Htay, released a statement in response and said it was privileged information. We'll discuss whether the military spokesperson disclosed something he shouldn’t have or did so with political or other motives, and what impact the claim will have on relations between the government and the military. U Kyi Myint, a lawyer and chairman of the Union Lawyers and Paralegals Association, and Dr. Min Zaw Oo, executive director of the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security, join me to discuss this. I'm Kyaw Zwa Moe.

Spokespeople for the Tatmadaw at their press conference revealed what was discussed at the top-level meeting between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the president, the military chief and some Union-level ministers. U Zaw Htay said it was privileged information, which is defined as secret information that is barred from being disclosed to the public. Ko Min Zaw Oo, what is your assessment of this? Why did the Tatmadaw spokespeople disclose it? Do you think they have political motives, or other motives?

Min Zaw Oo: I wouldn't like to speculate about their intentions. According to procedure, the records of the meetings of state leaders are top secret. Privileged information is a formal term. Normally it is called classified information.  Any piece of information that can negatively impact national security if it is exposed is treated as classified information. Once a piece of information is designated as classified information, it can't be told to the public until it is declassified. Some of the issues discussed at the national-level meeting relate to policies. Then there must be discussion about whether or not to make those policies public. If something is to be made public, for example, (spokespeople) can say the Tatmadaw and the government share the same position on internal insurgency. But according to procedure, disclosing exactly who said what at the meeting is not allowed. It is difficult to say why [the military spokespeople] said it. But we can say that it is not in line with the procedures for handling and publishing classified information.

KZM: Tatmadaw spokespeople named Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as the one who instructed it to annihilate the AA. It provoked widespread criticism on social media as well as from the Arakanese community, and criticism of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.  What is your assessment of this from a legal perspective?

Kyi Myint: I was quite taken aback by the statement of the Tatmadaw True News Information Team. I wouldn't have believed it if it were not said by the Tatmadaw True News Information Team. It is in fact a violation of the Official Secrets Act. There is no higher-level meeting than the recent one. If somebody speaks about it the same day as the meeting, it might be because he was instructed (by the leaders) to do so. But if it is said at a different place at a different time, it is a violation of the Official Secrets Act. The term "privileged information" is used to cover up the violation of the Official Secrets Act. How justifiable is that? Union Parliament Law No. 11, Lower House Law Section 12 and Upper House Law Section 12 grant exemptions, but only for lawmakers and not for other people. Filing a complaint against someone under the Official Secrets Act needs the approval of the president. You can't just file a complaint directly. Penalties vary depending on the degree of the secret — a maximum of 14 years and a minimum of two years in prison. Even if a piece of information is leaked, it depends on the opinion of the president and the state counselor. A lawsuit can't be filed if they don't approve it. It is, without doubt, a disclosure of official secrets to have revealed who said what at a top-level meeting. Though U Zaw Htay said it was privileged information, that is not enough justification. Only the state counselor and the president have the authority to decide whether or not to take action.

KZM: We don't know what political motives the military has. It seems the Tatmadaw spokespeople made the disclosure under instructions from their bosses. Some doubted Daw Aung San Suu Kyi really said it. Whether she said it or not, Arakanese political parties and the Arakanese community expressed their negative feelings towards Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her government on social media. So how bad was the impact? Didn't the Tatmadaw leaders expect it, or did they just want to show that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is on their side on that issue?

MZO: To make a fair assessment, what U Zaw Htay told the media made an impact even before the press conference of the Tatmadaw True News Information Team. And the impact intensified when the Tatmadaw spokesperson named Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in particular. The gulf between the National League for Democracy (NLD) and Arakanese parties widened. The Arakanese community's view of the government and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has become more negative. There is more criticism from the Arakanese community on social media. The Official Secrets Act of Myanmar mainly lists the conditions under which the law can be violated and doesn't clearly define official secrets. And there is no procedure regarding declassification. So there are related problems.

KZM: Before the most recent one, there were top-level meetings in the past. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, while she was under house arrest, had meetings with former military chief Senior General Than Shwe, Vice Senior General Maung Aye and General Khin Nyunt during the military regime. And since the 2015 elections, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing have met four, five times including their private meetings. Their last meeting took place in January 2019 and focused on the Rakhine issue. Before this, there were no information leaks. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has never leaked information even though she might have discussed important issues. There were reports that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Than Shwe met two times in the past few years. But no information leaked about their meetings. There are no regulations about what information should and should not be disclosed. They are mainly concerned with the motives behind it. Today, our country is focusing on national reconciliation, mainly between the civilian government, Tatmadaw and ethnic armed groups. So I don't think [the government] will take harsh action for saying so. But what can [the government] do in response in a moderate way?

KM: The Official Secrets Act was enacted in 1923 as Act No. 19. Sections 3 and 4 of the law define the conditions deemed to constitute the disclosure of official secrets. And the law classifies actions that are punishable by 14 years [in prison] and punishable by 2 years. [And the Tatmadaw spokesperson's disclosure of information] infringes on the Official Secrets Act. But then, the law doesn't necessitate taking action for violations. (The recent meeting) is the highest-level meeting in the country. Everybody knows that such a disclosure negatively affects the image of a people's leader both inside and outside the country. So I would like to suggest that responsible people should exercise caution with such information in the future.

KZM: The Tatmadaw spokespeople quoted Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as saying there would be finger-pointing if the Tatmadaw did not attack the AA, (whose members are from a recognized) ethnic group, but crushed ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army), (whose members) practice a different religion. Do you think the Tatmadaw spokespeople need to reveal such details? The disclosure has caused great division between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her government and Arakanese political parties and the Arakanese community. How bad was the impact of the disclosure?

MZO: It seems to have caused some friction between the government and the Tatmadaw. And it caused some friction between the NLD and Arakanese political parties and the Arakanese community. What can be done to prevent this? Suppose the top leaders hold a meeting and adopt a policy. The top leaders should discuss whether or not that policy should be made public. If they agree to make it public, they can do so. The nature of a meeting is that a decision reached at the meeting can be made public, but normally the details about who said what and why are not made public. If such things are disclosed, the classified information will no longer be secret. It would be good if everyone could work together to prevent this from happening again.

KZM: Some scholars suggest that the disclosure of such information could undermine trust.

MZO: In the peace process, there is a need to hold many talks with many ethnic armed groups. They are not lawful groups; they are outlawed. Even in talks with such groups, there are lines that can't be crossed. Both sides know the other's misdeeds, which they can use to criticize the other side. But they should not disclose them. Though there is no law [that prohibits the disclosure of information], certain things must be observed according to protocol.

KZM: Thank you for your contributions!

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Imagining a Better World in a Kayan Mountain Village

Posted: 25 Jan 2019 06:02 PM PST

Just before our Toyota pick-up set off, a local middle-aged man told my friend who had organized our trip, "Sorry, I can't join you, but our platoon commander will accompany you up there. Nothing to worry about." Then, a cheerful, stout man in his 20s wearing camouflage pants and a blue jacket with a pistol jammed in his belt jumped onto our four-wheel-drive truck and we were off.

We were in Cebu, a village about three hours' drive from Loikaw, the capital of Kayah (Karenni) State in eastern Myanmar. Though it is located in Shan State, almost the entire population of the village is Kayan, a Karenni subgroup. Encountering such a village is not unusual in Myanmar—it simply demonstrates how diverse the country is, with its different regions that are home to various tribes and religious groups. The Kayan are legendary for the bronze rings worn by some of their "long-necked" women.

Our pickup truck was now gearing up to climb a narrow road into a village, with rocky mountains on our right and a steep abyss to our left. The cool mountain breeze coming through the windows kept the air inside the vehicle crisp, and the green hills made for a refreshing sight.

Without the presence of the platoon commander from the Kayan National Liberation Army (KNLA), however, we wouldn't have been able to drive up to the village, as it is located in the ethnic armed group's territory. The KNLA signed a ceasefire with the previous military regime in the mid-1990s.

On the way to our mountainous destination, any worries we may have had began to seem unfounded. The view was scenic, the road rough and steep, the weather pleasantly chilly, the situation peaceful. On the way, our car had to stop twice at makeshift bamboo gates; the platoon commander briskly jumped off to open and reclose the gates—there were no guards or other signs of military presence.

Another mountainside view from the Rankhu Center near Rankhu, a Kayan village in Shan State. / Kyaw Zwa Moe

It did not feel to us inside the car that we were in rebel-held territory. The area is no longer an active military zone—unlike two decades ago. Our trip had a single purpose—to explore "virgin territory" as domestic tourists.

Before driving up into the mountains, we enjoyed a lunch of authentic Kayan dishes of boa meat with local spices. As we ate, our host in Cebu Village pointed to the mountains behind the village and told me, "Many years ago, we used to go and hide up in those mountains occasionally, as there was fighting between the government army and Kayan rebels." Our host continued, "We had to stay up there for days or weeks. One time, I was taken by the [government] army as a porter, like other villagers. Luckily I survived."

"No more fighting these days," he continued. In his 50s now, he is clearly a happy family man living with his wife and daughters. My friend told me he is the best chef in the village. That certainly seemed true but his wife's dishes of boa meat were also amazingly tasty. All Kayan dishes have a unique flavor, thanks to the use of locally grown Matkhar pepper, which makes your tongue slightly numb; their heat is reminiscent of Szechuan peppercorns.

The view from the mountaintop Rankhu Center looking down on the Kayan village of Rankhu in Shan State. / Kyaw Zwa Moe

Today, Cebu is still a stronghold of the KNLA and its political wing, the Kayan New Land Party, whose headquarters are located in this village. In a grand Kayan mausoleum near the headquarters, their late leader U Shwe Aye is buried. He founded the KNLP in 1964, two years after the dictator General Ne Win staged a coup and began his iron-fisted rule of the county, which included repressing ethnic peoples' rights in remote areas like Kayah State.

After driving up and down several mountains for an hour-and-a-half on a dirt road, our lunch host pointed out that our car had reached its destination, Rankhu Village, which sits around 4,000 feet above sea level on a peak surrounded by other mountains.

"Rankhu" means "rocky"; residents said the village was built 300 years ago on the mountain as a refuge from tribal fighting and natural disasters.

Our jaws dropped to see the way the houses literally perch atop rocks and large boulders. The entire village was built up among and upon rocks and boulders. There are about 60 households in the village, whose population is just over 300. All are Kayan, but they belong to various sub-tribes. Almost all are Catholic.

The children and other villagers seemed to be expecting us, and flocked to the center of the village when our vehicle pulled up. Smiles beamed from every face. It was almost sunset, so our group climbed to the central point of the village, which is elevated above most of the homes.

At night, some of the senior villagers, including bishops, mostly middle-aged, came to converse with us. They said many of the other villagers had wanted to come up and talk, but they had told them not to disturb the guests. Much of the conversation was focused on what they can do to develop their village, whose livelihood is based entirely on agriculture, especially rice, chilies and a few other crops. They said they were interested in developing community-based tourism, which they believe has potential as another income stream for the village. They are eager to embark on the kind of development they see occurring in other, better-connected villages. The conversation barely touched on politics.

The crowing of roosters woke me up next morning. They seemed to be engaged in a crowing competition. I climbed out of my sleeping bag to find that thin clouds had gathered around central Rankhu and above the roofs of the houses in the village. Before long, our group was amazed to see an "invasion" of thick clouds into the village. The entire village and the nearby peaks were soon enveloped in a sea of cloud. I felt as if I were being borne aloft in the air by this sea of clouds. The atmosphere brought to mind some lyrics from John Lennon's "Imagine":

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today (ah ah ah)

They were the perfect lyrics for this moment, encapsulating my feeling of floating serenely among a sea of cloud in a space with no heaven above and no hell below.

Looking down on the village from this point was so tranquil. The message of "Imagine" was enhanced by something I had noticed since arriving in the village the previous day: the total lack of any political party offices—no flags or offices of the ruling and popular National League for Democracy, no presence of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, led by ex-generals: nothing. It seemed to set this place apart from any other in the country.

That doesn't mean that the villagers are not interested in politics. In the Rankhu Center, there are several photos hanging on the wall, just as you find in other Kayan villages. Among them, the main three are: independence hero Bogyoke Aung San; his daughter and the country's current de facto leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; and the late Kayan leader U Shwe Aye, in that order. My friend told me that those three photos are seen in most Kayan villages and other official places. In Cebu and Rankhu, I saw no pictures of previous and current military leaders like ex-president U Thein Sein or Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing, the current commander-in-chief.

On the way back down the mountain, I asked whether there were still poppy farms in these mountains. Our Kayan driver answered, "We have far fewer poppy plantations these days."

He cracked a local joke while steering the car along the dirt road: "We used to say here, 'We grow mustard seeds, but poppy plants come out!'" We all laughed at this together.

Reflecting on how nice and peaceful this trip was, I felt like the "dreamer" Lennon refers to in "Imagine", thinking about my country and the many problems it still faces, while silently singing to myself:

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too.

Imagine all the people
Living life in peace.

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you’ll join us

 


A Kayan woman plays a traditional instrument.

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Friday, January 25, 2019

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Military Gives EAOs until Feb. 12 to Cease Operating Outside Their Areas

Posted: 25 Jan 2019 06:34 AM PST

The Myanmar Military (or Tatmadaw), on Friday warned ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) operating in regions overseen by five of its military commands to cease trying to expand their areas of operation no later than Feb. 12, and to urgently begin peace talks with either the government or the Tatmadaw negotiation team.

It claimed the EAOs are destabilizing the regions by fighting each other, as well as ambushing Tatmadaw troops.

The Myanmar military declared a four-month truce in the areas from Dec. 21, 2018 to April 30 this year, citing the need to negotiate ceasefire-related issues. The military stated that during the unilateral ceasefire period, the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) would engage in peace negotiations with the EAOs in their respective areas: the Northern Command in Kachin State; the Northeastern, Eastern and Central Eastern commands; and the Triangle Command in Shan State. If necessary, it said, the negotiations would be made with the Tatmadaw's negotiation team led by Lieutenant-General Yar Pyae.

The Tatmadaw's warning statement on Friday said, "while the EAOs should be putting their efforts into peace negotiations during the truce, they have focused on building up strength, recruitment and boundary expansions." These actions, the Tatmadaw said, "put a burden on the livelihoods of the local residents, increase the number of war-displaced, impact on road transportation security and finally affect the peace process which the people long for."

In a roughly one-month period from Dec. 21, 2018 to Jan. 24, 2019, there have been 13 instances of interethnic fighting between the EAOs in the regions, namely between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS)/Shan State Army South (RCSS/SSAS) and the combined forces of the Ta'ang Nationalities Liberation Army (TNLA) and Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army North (SSPP/SSAN); and between the RCSS/SSAS and Pa-Oh National Liberation Organization (PNLO).

The Tatmadaw accused the EAOs of operating outside of their own boundaries 168 times; extorting money from civilians 10 times; recruiting people 20 times; ambushing Tatmadaw troops 10 times; and conducting anti-vehicle mine attacks twice.

It specifically warned the RCSS to follow the boundary set under the Union-level ceasefire agreement signed on May 19, 2012 in Keng Tong, Shan State, and the SSPP to follow the boundary set during the meeting on Dec. 15, 2015 in Naypyitaw.

The Tatmadaw urged three groups—the TNLA, AA and MNDAA—in northern Shan State to specifically follow their statement made on Dec. 12 to give up armed struggle, and two NCA signatories—the KNU and KNLA (PC) in Karen State—to follow their agreements.

This month, KNU troops and the Tatmadaw engaged in clashes again over the Tatmadaw's attempt to upgrade roads in the KNU-Brigade 5 area.

In addition, the Tatmadaw said KNU forces extorted money from locals in the Southeast Command and Coastal Command areas and ambushed and conducted anti-vehicle mine attacks against Tatmadaw troops in the Southern Command, which is close to the KNU Brigade 5 area.

When the Tatmadaw held a press conference on Jan. 18, it did not mention the KNU's activities, which are outside of the five Commands under the truce.

Despite these warnings, ethnic and political affairs analyst U Maung Maung Soe expected that "The four-month truce will last until it ends, but a few clashes might occur during that time."

He suggested that the northeast region would see stability when the groups stopped trying to expand their boundaries.

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Int’l Crisis Group Urges China to Push for Army Ceasefire in Rakhine

Posted: 25 Jan 2019 04:46 AM PST

YANGON—In its latest report issued on Thursday, the International Crisis Group (ICG) urged China to put pressure on the Myanmar Army to extend its unilateral ceasefire to Rakhine State in order to address ongoing armed clashes there between government troops and the Arakan Army (AA).

The report, entitled "A New Dimension of Violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State", contains five sections detailing the insurgency waged by the AA, arbitrary arrests of prominent Rakhine politicians, the indiscriminate killings of protesters in Mrauk-U last year and the political grievances between Arakanese political parties and the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), as well as encouraging both sides to restrain from further offensives in the region.

Regarding the ICG's advice, Yangon-based ethnic affairs analyst U Maung Maung Soe said China has been playing a major role in facilitating the peace dialogue for the Northern Alliance group for several years, adding that a Chinese envoy even recently disused the ongoing violence in Rakhine with AA leaders in Kachin State's Laiza, where the Kachin Independence Army and the AA headquarters are located.

But any encouragement to the military to extend the ceasefire to cover Rakhine State should firstly involve negotiations between the actors, U Maung Maung Soe said.

"Without having any negotiations between them, it's really tough to discuss possibilities," he said.

As part of the solution, the ICG suggested the Myanmar government initiate dialogue with ethnic Rakhine representatives over key political, economic and social issues. It also recommended the authorities consider releasing Aye Maung and other ethnic Rakhine political prisoners.

The report mentioned that political dialogue between the Union government and Arakanese stakeholders should cover the repatriation process for Rohingya refugees who have been sheltering for more than one year in Bangladeshi camps, the rebuilding of Rohingya communities, economic development and power sharing between the central and state governments.

It also said the NLD government's labeling of the AA as "terrorists" had only "exacerbated the tensions" between the Arakanese and Burman political actors at both the state and national levels.

The government convened a rare high-level meeting of senior military and civilian officials in Naypyitaw on Jan. 7 in response to the AA's coordinated attacks on four border outposts in northern Rakhine on Jan. 4, which killed 13 policemen and injured more than a dozen.

The day after the meeting, Myanmar President's Office spokesman U Zaw Htay held a press briefing in which he used harsh rhetoric against ethnic Arakanese, and told reporters that the president had given the military a green light to "crush the terrorists". His comments are seen as having increased support for the AA among the Arakanese public.

The Irrawaddy phoned U Zaw Htay on Friday evening to get his comments on the ICG's criticism of the government, but he declined to answer questions over the phone. Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief did not answer phone calls on Friday.

AA chief Tun Myat Naing previously told The Irrawaddy that the group felt it was necessary to raid the four Border Guard Police outposts in northern Rakhine, as the police were helping the military implement its "four cuts" strategy, which includes cutting off food, information and travel in the conflict zone, as well as conducting arbitrary arrests of AA supporters and Arakanese youth activists.

The ICG report says, "The 4 January attacks and government response have changed the dynamic of armed conflict in Rakhine State by activating previously latent support for the AA and bringing such support more into the open."

In an apparent attempt to discredit the AA among ethnic Rakhine, U Zaw Htay made inflammatory remarks accusing the group of having ties with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, and of operating two bases inside Bangladesh. The ICG predicted the Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military) may instead focus its attention on civilians, seeking to undermine support for the AA by making large-scale arrests.

Despite the ICG's wide range of suggestions on how to find a peaceful solution in Rakhine, armed conflict is seen as likely to emerge in other contested areas across Myanmar in the near future. On Friday, the Office of the Commander-in-Chief issued warning messages to all ethnic armed groups, including both signatories and non-signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, to cease all military movements by Feb. 12.

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Myanmar Army Man ‘Rescued’ in Bangladesh

Posted: 25 Jan 2019 03:37 AM PST

DHAKA—Members of Bangladesh's Border Guard Force “rescued” a private of the Myanmar Army in the Banhatirchhara area of Naikkhongchhari sub-district in Bangladeshi hill district Bandarban on Thursday morning after acting on information from the Myanmar side of the border, officials said on Friday.

The 28-year-old man is identified as army constable Aung Bo Bo Thein, a member of Myanmar's No. 5 Border Guard Police Branch. He was found unarmed, 3.5 kilometers from the international border after reportedly having crossed into Bangladesh at around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

He is originally from a Yangon garrison of the Myanmar Army.

“We were informed by our counterparts in the BGP that one of their soldiers was lost while on duty. We rescued him,” said Bangladesh Border Guard's Ramu region commander Brig-Gen Ainul Morshed Khan Pathan.

He said they are following international laws as prescribed in the Geneva Convention in order to get him back to his home country.

The Bangladesh border guard officials said the soldier was “drunk” and roaming “aimlessly” when the team at the Bhallokkhia border outpost found him in uniform.

A local Bangla-language daily Nayadiganta quoted Bangladesh border guard officials saying that in primary interrogations of the soldier, he expressed that he was unhappy with his army job in Myanmar.

When asked when he would be returned to Myanmar, the Ramu border guard force chief said they would send him back “as soon as possible,” in compliance with their commitment to good relations with their Myanmar border guard counterparts.

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Infographic: 30 Years of Chinese Investment in Myanmar

Posted: 25 Jan 2019 02:45 AM PST

YANGON—Amid increasing global pushback against Chinese investment, Myanmar's government has grown more agreeable to involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Looking back at the last three decades, Chinese investment in Myanmar reached its peak during the 2010-2011 fiscal year after President Thein Sein's government took office. In the 2011-2012 fiscal year, Chinese investment began a rapid decline after the controversial $3 billion China-backed Myitsone hydropower project was suspended amid public outcry. The years between 2014 and 2016 then saw a steady rise in investment figures from China.

Despite public wariness surrounding Chinese investments, the Rohingya crisis and condemnations from the West over what has happened in Rakhine State have pushed Myanmar back into the hands of the Chinese.

Last year, Myanmar began to adopt a "look east" economic policy and has the Greater China region in its new line of vision. Experts have been surmising that BRI infrastructure projects are set to become the country's most significant source of investment and support for the country's economic growth this year.

It is certain that China will remain to be a decisive economic influence for Myanmar which is also a potentially crucial partner in its BRI and other economic plans. In terms of foreign investment figures, China is now Myanmar's largest investor as well as biggest trade partner.

Here, The Irrawaddy compiles clear visualizations of all Chinese investment projects in Myanmar, including the proposed, those about to be implemented, currently being implemented, completed projects and those suspended due to public pressure and contract agreement issues.

Ref: China Overseas Investment Data, Ministry of Electric and Energy, DICA, Global Environmental Institute: Investment Trade and the Environment Program report and rivers network.

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‘I Don’t Need to Explain Myself’: Scandal-Hit Tenasserim Chief Minister

Posted: 25 Jan 2019 01:39 AM PST

YANGON—Tenasserim Region Chief Minister Daw Lei Lei Maw said she would not respond to a nepotism scandal surrounding her.

"I don't need to explain myself. Time will tell. They [the government] can come and make an inspection, and if I have done something wrong, it will be revealed," she told The Irrawaddy.

According to unconfirmed reports, the chief minister will be forced to resign for allegedly awarding business contracts to Global Grand Service (GGS) Company, which is reportedly owned by her relatives, and allegedly appointing a relative as her personal secretary, a paid government position.

The chief minister has denied that any of her relatives work for GGS Co.

"If I am asked to resign, I will. I would have to; that is standard procedure," Daw Lei Lei Maw said. She was confident she would be able to clear her name, however.

Daw Lei Lei Maw said the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD)'s Central Executive Committee had not communicated with her regarding the allegations.

"My personal secretary is [an official] from the General Administration Department," she said.

According to lawmakers in the regional parliament, Daw Lei Lei Maw appointed a daughter of U Aung Soe, a member of the NLD's Central Executive Committee and the chairman of the NLD's Tenasserim Region chapter, as her personal secretary when she took office. Daw Lei Lei Maw is U Aung Soe's sister-in-law.

Daw Lei Lei Maw denied making any such official appointment. "I have not appointed her [to a position]. But sometimes, she helps me with some computer work in my office. She is just helping," she told The Irrawaddy.

The President's Office issued an order on April 1, 2016, barring Union ministers from appointing family members as their personal secretaries. According to the order, Union ministers must select from among departmental officials when appointing personal secretaries, in line with the rules and regulations for civil servants.

Though the rule could be strictly interpreted as not applying to local governments, Tenasserim regional parliament speaker U Khin Maung Aye said it applies to all government officials.

"Those who hold important positions should not appoint their relatives. Others might have a bad opinion of this. My understanding is that [the order] applies to all members of the government," he said.

He confirmed that U Nay Myo Aung, the son-in-law of U Aung Soe, holds a senior position in GGS Co., which supplies electricity in Dawei District.

GGS Co. produces electricity from gas purchased from the government. The company owes over 8 billion kyats for gas supplied between July 2017, when it launched its power supply service, and late 2018.

He said the regional parliament has received complaints from locals about the chief minister and GGS Co. The parliament will take action in line with the relevant laws and regulations, he said.

NLD spokesperson Dr. Myo Nyunt told local media the party had also received complaints against the chief minister.

The scandal follows a separate controversy involving the Kachin chief minister. On Friday and Monday, Chief Minister U Khet Aung ordered three ministers to resign from their positions. The only explanation given for the move was that the instruction had come from State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

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Loans from China Must Be Repaid ‘As Early As Possible’

Posted: 24 Jan 2019 10:33 PM PST

NAYPYITAW—During a session of the Union Parliament on Wednesday, lawmakers urged the Union government to pay off loans from China as quickly as possible, pointing out that China's interest rates are the highest among all foreign countries that have lent to Myanmar.

Lawmakers discussed the Joint Public Accounts Committee's assessment of the government's debt report for a six-month transitional period in 2018 before the new fiscal year began in October.

"As we are allowed to pay back any amount any time we wish, we should pay back loans from China—whose interest rate is high and whose loan amount accounts for 40 percent of the total national debt—as early as possible," Lower House lawmaker Daw Cho Cho told the Union Parliament.

According to the latest government debt report, Myanmar had racked up some $4 billion in loans by 1988 and a further $2.7 billion up to 2011—97 percent of which is owed to China. It says the government amassed another $3.1 billion in loans between 2011 and 2016 and $91 million more since then.

Myanmar currently owes a total of $10 billion to international lenders, more than $4 billion of it to China. According to lawmakers, China's interest rates are also the highest at 4.5 percent.

The previous Parliament approved $300 million in loans from the Export-Import Bank of China at 4.5 percent interest to fund a number of cooperatives.

Upper House lawmaker U Than Soe called for the urgent adoption of a debt management strategy to arrange loan repayments to China.

Citing international examples, he suggested that Myanmar can repay China's loans in the form of rice exports, as the majority of Myanmar's rice is exported to China through border trade.

"The majority of Chinese loans were borrowed under previous successive governments. Now it is time we pay them back," said U Than Soe.

The Union ministers are set to discuss the national debt in response to the Joint Public Accounts Committee's assessment at the Union Parliament on Jan. 29.

The post Loans from China Must Be Repaid 'As Early As Possible' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

President Honors Top Taxpayers

Posted: 24 Jan 2019 08:44 PM PST

NAYPYITAW—Myanmar President U Win Myint presented certificates of honor to the country’s top payers of income tax, commercial tax and special commodity tax for the 2017-18 fiscal year, at the presidential residence in Naypyitaw on Thursday.

A certificate of special honor was awarded to U Aung Ko Win, chairperson of Kanbawza (KBZ) Bank which has topped the list of taxpayers for seven consecutive years.

U Zaw Zaw of Max Myanmar Group (left) receives a top taxpayer certificate from President U Win Myint. / Htet Naing Zaw

Among the top income taxpayers of the 2017-18 fiscal year are leading businesspersons U Zaw Zaw, U Ai Tun, U Aung Moe Kyaw, U Khin Maung Aye and U Tha Toe Hein as well as Myawady Bank and Myawady Trading, both of which are owned by the Myanmar military.

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Big Brands Revisit the Milkman Model to Cut Plastic Pollution

Posted: 24 Jan 2019 08:40 PM PST

Major packaged goods sellers and retailers, under pressure to cut the flow of single-use plastic bottles and containers clogging the world’s waterways, have teamed with recycling and shipping firms on an e-commerce service that puts a twist on the old-fashioned milkman.

Called Loop and announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, it delivers products such as orange juice, shampoo and laundry detergent in reusable glass and metal bottles to shopper doorsteps and retrieves the empties for cleaning and reuse.

Launch partners include recycling firm and Loop parent TerraCycle; shipper United Parcel Service Inc.; consumer packaged goods sellers Procter & Gamble Co., Unilever Plc., PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola European Partners Plc.; and retailers Carrefour and Tesco Plc. Loop’s unveiling comes just months after China’s decision to stop collecting and processing plastic waste escalated alarm over environmental damage to the world’s oceans.

The service launches in May with projects in Paris and the New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania area. A UK program is slated for later in 2019, with Toronto, Tokyo and California to follow next year.

Users order products online and put down fully refundable deposits for the reusable packaging. They can wipe out shipping fees of $15-$20 by including about seven items in their order, said Tom Szaky, chief executive of recycling firm and Loop parent company TerraCycle.

Plastic production has surged over the last 50 years, leading to widespread use of inexpensive, disposable bottles, cups, takeaway containers and other products.

Government bans on products like single-use plastic water bottles, shopping bags and polystyrene cups have sent retailers and consumer goods companies searching for solutions.

Loop’s Paris retail partner Carrefour will test and tweak the program ahead of the official launch.

“It will surprise me if it works on day one,” said Carrefour Secretary General Laurent Vallee, who added that Loop challenges industry and consumers “to act, to think and to buy differently.”

PepsiCo will start a 5,000-household Paris project with Tropicana orange juice in glass bottles and Quaker Chocolate Cruesli cereal in steel containers, said Simon Lowden, president and chief marketing officer of global snacks and insights.

Lowden and other executives vowed to use their companies’ scale and marketing muscle to support the project, but declined to quantify financial investments.

P&G’s Loop contributions include Tide Purclean laundry detergent in stainless steel bottles and Pampers diaper recycling.

Loop’s refundable deposits in Europe range from 0.25 euros for a Coca-Cola 200 milliliter bottle to 47 euros ($53.50) for Pampers recycling, TerraCycle said.

Virginie Helias, P&G’s chief sustainability officer, said the company will monitor Loop demand before investing in comprehensive package redesign projects.

Likewise at Nestle, which designed a stainless-steel Haagen-Dazs ice cream container designed for Loop’s New York-area project, Kim Peddle Rguem, Nestle USA’s ice cream president.

The post Big Brands Revisit the Milkman Model to Cut Plastic Pollution appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Canada’s Envoy to China says ‘Misspoke’ on Huawei CFO Case

Posted: 24 Jan 2019 08:35 PM PST

TORONTO—Canada’s ambassador to China said he “misspoke” when he said Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou had a strong case against extradition to the United States, John McCallum said in a statement on Thursday.

Speaking to Chinese-language media in a Toronto suburb on Tuesday, McCallum said Meng had “good arguments on her side” in her case.

“I regret that my comments with respect to the legal proceedings of Ms. Meng have created confusion. I misspoke. These comments do not accurately represent my position on this issue,” McCallum’s statement said.

Meng’s arrest in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the behest of the United States enraged China, which has called for the extradition case to be dropped. The United States has until Jan. 30 to formally request her extradition over alleged violations of US sanctions on Iran.

Canada’s government has emphasized that it follows the “rule of law” and cautioned against politicizing the case after US President Donald Trump told Reuters last month he would intervene if it served US trade or national security interests.

In his Tuesday remarks, McCallum said Trump’s comments and the fact that Canada had not applied the same sanctions against Iran as the United States made for “strong arguments” Meng could make before a judge. She next appears in court on Feb. 6.

Meng has been released on bail and is living in one of her two multi-million Vancouver homes, wearing a GPS ankle bracelet and watched by security guards when she leaves the house.

The case has made for tense Canada-China relations. Two Canadians were detained in China following Meng’s arrest, and a third was sentenced to death on drug charges.

Neither Canada nor China has explicitly tied these actions to Meng’s arrest but some former diplomats have suggested this is a “tit-for-tat” issue.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Wednesday that he is focused on getting detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor out of China and recalling McCallum would not help their case.

The post Canada’s Envoy to China says ‘Misspoke’ on Huawei CFO Case appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Aid Curbs in Myanmar’s Rakhine Impact ‘At Least 50,000 People’—UN

Posted: 24 Jan 2019 08:27 PM PST

YANGON—New government curbs on aid activities in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State “are affecting at least 50,000 people,” the United Nations has said in an internal note, highlighting the growing impact of recent fighting on the civilian population.

The Rakhine State government this month blocked non-governmental organizations and UN agencies from travelling to rural areas in five townships in northern and central parts of the state affected by conflict.

The International Committee of the Red Cross and UN World Food Programme were exempted from the ban on aid activity in the region, where fighting between government troops and autonomy-seeking ethnic Rakhine rebels has displaced thousands.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) summarized recent information gathered from aid organizations on the impact of the restrictions in the two central Rakhine townships of Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun.

UNOCHA circulated a note on the findings late on Wednesday to some UN officials and non-governmental organisations seeking comments and updates on the situation. Reuters obtained the note independently and reviewed it on Thursday.

It said that the restrictions forced aid organizations to reduce or stop pre-existing programs, including the provision of healthcare, clean water, school construction and teacher training, among other activities.

For example, the agency said that in Kyauktaw “mobile health services were to be provided in 15 villages, totaling around 17,000 people, involving around 1,600 people to be treated on average each month… the provision of these services has now been put on hold.”

The affected activities included primary health care and malnutrition screening and treatment, it said.

“In Ponnagyun, around 220 health consultations in rural areas of the township have been stopped, including emergency referral services,” the agency said in the note.

Fighting has forced about 5,000 people to flee from their homes and to take shelter in monasteries and communal areas across the region since early January, according to UNOCHA.

Myanmar’s president, speaking in a rare meeting with the commander-in-chief this month, urged the military to “crush” the rebels of the Arakan Army. The president, Win Myint, is a loyalist of the de facto government leader, Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Last week, the United Nations called on the government to allow “rapid and unimpeded” humanitarian access to the area.

“We are currently working to assess the impact that recent access restrictions could have on the delivery of pre-existing and ongoing humanitarian programs in the affected townships,” said Pierre Peron, UNOCHA’s spokesman in Myanmar in response to an email seeking comment on the internal note.

“This is an evolving assessment.”

He said the United Nations was “liaising closely with the authorities in Rakhine State, who have now invited humanitarian organizations to individually apply for travel authorizations for specific activities”, adding he hoped authorities would respond “quickly and positively” to such applications.

Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay did not respond to calls seeking comment.

'Ready to respond'

The Rakhine municipal affairs minister, Win Myint, could not be reached for comment. He told Reuters earlier the restrictions had been put in place for “security reasons” and he did not know when they would be lifted.

Reuters contacted several affected NGOs seeking comment on the situation. One of them, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), said: “Along with most other organizations we do not currently have access to respond to the needs of the conflict-affected and displaced populations.”

“We have emergency supplies prepositioned and remain ready to respond if this situation changes,” said Laura Marshall, the NRC’s acting country director.

The affected aid groups published a statement on Tuesday expressing “deep concern” about the restrictions.

Rakhine State has been roiled by successive rounds of violence in recent years.

In 2017, an extensive military crackdown, following attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents, prompted about 730,000 Rohingya to flee westwards into neighboring Bangladesh.

The Arakan Army, the group behind the recent fighting, is demanding greater autonomy from the central government for the state, where the mostly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine people form the majority of the population.

Arakan Army fighters killed 13 policemen and wounded nine in attacks on four police posts in early January, state media reported.

An Arakan Army spokesman outside Myanmar told Reuters the group attacked the security forces in response to a broad military offensive in the north of Rakhine that also targeted civilians.

The post Aid Curbs in Myanmar’s Rakhine Impact ‘At Least 50,000 People’—UN appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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