The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Govt to Boost Electric Car Market With 49 New Charging Stations
- Myanmar’s 1st Elephant Museum to Open Next Month
- Emerging, Professional Photographers Recognized at Yangon Photo Night
- Rebel Group Alliance Proposes Ceasefire With Myanmar Military
- Military Major’s Wife Killed in Explosion in N. Rakhine
- Military Vows to Remain in Politics as Long as EAOs Exist
- Mining Company Detains, Assaults 2 Myitkyina Journal Reporters
- USDP Accuses Ruling Party of Pushing Charter Amendments to Spur Protests
- USDP Hits Back at ‘Party of Thieves’ Accusations
- Oscar Win Seen Ending Shame About Menstruation That Puts Women at Risk
- Chinese County Stops Shale Gas Mining Amid Quake Fears – Xinhua
- N.Korea’s Kim Arrives to Warm Welcome in Vietnam; Trump On the Way
| Govt to Boost Electric Car Market With 49 New Charging Stations Posted: 26 Feb 2019 06:05 AM PST YANGON — Industry Minister U Khin Maung Cho on Friday said the government will allow private companies that partner with it to set up and operate charging stations for electric cars. "There are electric cars in Yangon, but they can't be used for long-distance travel. So to solve this problem, we will allow private companies to run charging stations on land owned by the Industry Ministry,” he said at a meeting of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Yangon. He said there was a growing market for electric cars in Yangon since Japanese automaker Nissan introduced the Leaf to Myanmar some years ago, though owners have complained of a lack of charging stations. To help, he said, 36 new stations will be built in Yangon, eight along the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway, and five in Naypyitaw, all capable of fully charging a vehicle in under 30 minutes. The Industry Ministry and Green Power Myanmar signed an agreement in November to manufacture electric vehicles at the Thagara Industrial Zone in Bago Region's Yedashae Township. The government will lease factory space for the assembly plant but will not invest. "International governments also support the idea of vehicles powered by electricity. They have less impact on the environment. The [electric car market] will develop more quickly if [the Myanmar] government introduces lower tax rates for electric car importers and manufacturers," said U Soe Tun, chairman of the Myanmar Automobile Manufacturers and Distributors Association. According to auto dealers, there are as many as 200 Nissan Leaf owned in Myanmar. "It is good that there will be charging stations. I now use a household socket and it takes me up to nine hours to charge my car," said U Zaw Aung, who has been driving a Leaf in Yangon for the past four years. "At a charging station, the charging time may be an hour maximum with a bigger socket. It will be convenient if there is a charging station every 70 kilometers," he said. According to the agreement between the Industry Ministry and Green Power Myanmar, the latter will manufacture 300 long-haul electric buses for Myanmar and 7,000 electric vehicles for export to India, Singapore and Sri Lanka. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post Govt to Boost Electric Car Market With 49 New Charging Stations appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Myanmar’s 1st Elephant Museum to Open Next Month Posted: 26 Feb 2019 05:59 AM PST YANGON—Myanmar's first Elephant Museum will open in Yangon on March 3—World Wildlife Day—to raise awareness of the nature and behavior of elephants and the threats they face today, as well as the measures being taken to protect them. The museum will be operated by the Forest Department as part of the Yangon Zoological Garden's Natural History Museum. "Elephants and the Myanmar people have lived side by side since the beginning of time. This museum is an opportunity to celebrate that relationship and to raise awareness of the threats our elephants face today due to the global poaching crisis. A Myanmar without elephants is unthinkable; we must work together to protect these noble giants," Dr. Nyi Nyi Kyaw, director general of the Forest Department, said at a press conference at the museum on Feb. 26. 
The elephant museum will educate visitors about the role of wild and working elephants in Myanmar's history; the basic conflicts between humans and elephants, and possible solutions to them; offenses and penalties concerning the treatment of wild elephants; elephant saddles and other accessories; and more. "Wild elephants have faced worsening illegal trading and killing in recent years, with at least one a week being killed. So, if we don't raise public awareness, elephants will disappear in Myanmar within the next 10 years. I think this is the perfect time to open a public museum to raise awareness of the elephants' plight," said U Thein Toe, director of the Yangon Region Forest Department. He added that, "Yangon is very proud to host Myanmar's first Elephant Museum. The exhibits are bilingual, catering to both national and international visitors, with engaging interactive educational material."  There are approximately 1,400 elephants in the wild and 3,000 to 5,000 in captivity in Myanmar, which is facing an unprecedented poaching crisis. In 2017, poachers killed 59 wild elephants. Fully funded by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Myanmar) the museum was designed by the young Myanmar architect firm WEER. It will include dynamic learning spaces to accommodate visitors of all ages and backgrounds, who will participate interactively with audiovisual displays and hands-on exhibits. "WWF is pleased to support the government in the opening of this museum and the awareness it will create. However, awareness must go hand in hand with enforcement if we are to avoid [a situation in which] museums [are] the only place to see wildlife," said Christy Williams, country director of WWF-Myanmar.  At the opening of the Elephant Museum, Myanmar's second ivory burning ceremony will be held to send a clear message that wildlife crime will no longer be tolerated in Myanmar. The first ivory burning was held last October in Naypyitaw. "Though we feel uncomfortable seeing them burn, we feel more uncomfortable about live wild animals being killed," said U Win Naing Thaw, director of the Forest Department's Nature Wildlife Conservation Division. For the first three months, admission to the museum will be free for all visitors. Later, a reasonable entrance fee will be collected. "The museum also has expenses; for example, we need to hire staff. So, the museum also needs income. That's why, we will collect reasonable entrance fees after the first three months," U Thein Toe said. The museum opens March 3 and will be open from 8 am to 5 pm daily. The post Myanmar's 1st Elephant Museum to Open Next Month appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Emerging, Professional Photographers Recognized at Yangon Photo Night Posted: 26 Feb 2019 05:45 AM PST Up-and-coming photographers as well as professionals were honored on Feb. 24 at the 11th Yangon Photo Night, an awards ceremony that forms one of the highlights of the annual Yangon Photo Festival. The event was followed by a wrap party at the French Institute attended by the award-winning photographers and other guests. The ongoing 11th Yangon Photo Festival started Feb. 18 and runs through March 4. It features a series of free exhibitions, activities, screenings and parties at Goethe Villa, Maha Bandoola Park and the French Institute. In this year's edition, the festival received about 120 photo story submissions from both beginners and professionals. At the awards night, organizers displayed the work of 16 nominees. The photo essays covered a variety of issues including peace and conflict, animal welfare, and human rights, but this year's main focus was environmental issues. The photo competition has two categories: Emerging Level and Professional Level. In the Emerging Level category, four winners were chosen from 11 nominated photo essays, while at the Professional Level, three awards were given to photo essays from among five nominees. The judging was done by a jury comprising international photographers and others in front of a large audience.  Photographer Hkun Lat won first prize in the Professional category for his story "The Peace House". Zarni Phyo won second prize for his breaking news coverage of the case of the two arrested Reuters journalists. His story was named after the reporters: "Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo". "I'm so happy to receive the first prize, but I especially appreciate that the Yangon Photo Festival teams and juries recognized the creations of [all of the photographers]," said Hkun Lat. He added that, "If the Yangon Photo Festival didn't exist, we wouldn't have a place to show our photos and documentaries. YPF is a photo platform for us, so thanks to the [YPF] team." "The Peace House" chronicles the situation of government and ethnic Kachin troops based near the Hpare IDP camp in Kachin State. Near the camp, Myanmar Military (or Tatmadaw) and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) troops are stationed so close together that sometimes they can even hear each other talking. The soldiers from both sides actually try to maintain a peaceful situation and help each other.  Between their two bases, soldiers from the Tatmadaw and KIA built a bamboo house and named it "The Peace House". The place has become a meeting point where they can drink, eat, share food and watch movies on phones together. Ko Hkun Lat went to the Hpare IDP camp twice and captured many of the peaceful moments between the soldiers. The third prize went to Ko Myo for his photo essay "Hunting the Poachers" about the illegal trade in wild elephant parts. "In the last 10 years, we have trained more than 1,000 young men and women from all backgrounds, religions and ethnicities to produce short documentaries and photo stories about social and environmental issues," said Christophe Loviny, founder and director of the Yangon Photo Festival. He added that, "The most efficient counterattacks against the propagators of hate speech and fake news are real stories strong enough to reach an audience as large as the haters." The public can view the winning photo essays, and some produced at YPF training sessions, at the Myanmar Stories Facebook page, he said.  In the Emerging Photographers category, Sandar Lin won first prize with "Flying Free", while, "The Little Women" by three young photographers Tin Aye Hlaing, Shin Thant Hmue and Wai Wai Aung won second prize. Bawk Ra, Htang San and Zau Dam won third prize with “A New Start?" Harry Phyo won fourth prize for "Will her dream come true?" The prizes for the winners included Canon professional cameras, a residency at the famous 75 photography school in Brussels and a trip to the World Press Photo Awards ceremony in Amsterdam. Ko Hkun Lat was lucky enough to win the World Press Photo Awards ceremony trip. "I'm so excited about that trip," he said. "That is an unbelievable chance for me; the World Press Photo Awards ceremony is the biggest there is. I'm so happy to get the chance to see the world's best photographers and learn from their creations." The post Emerging, Professional Photographers Recognized at Yangon Photo Night appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Rebel Group Alliance Proposes Ceasefire With Myanmar Military Posted: 26 Feb 2019 04:11 AM PST Mon State — The four ethnic armed groups of the Northern Alliance say they offered the Myanmar military a ceasefire during their first meeting with the government’s National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) in Yunnan Province, China, on Monday. The groups — the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Arakan Army (AA), and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) — proposed a bilateral ceasefire with the military, an offer the NRPC said it would relay to senior officials, said TNLA Maj. Tar Aike Kyaw, who joined the meeting. "It was an informal talk. Each side proposed its ideas for the peace process, so there was no agreement. We told them that we will have a bilateral ceasefire first, then we will sign the NCA," he said, referring to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. “We asked them to sign a bilateral deal with our four armed groups at the same time and at the same place,” he said. A source inside the Northern Alliance who asked to remain anonymous said the NRPC proposed that the four groups first make a stronger commitment to eventually singing the NCA. The Northern Alliance and NRPC did agree to meet again in Yunnan next month. Maj. Tar Aike Kyaw said the Northern Alliance would handle the talks on a bilateral ceasefire while talks on the NCA would be handled by its political wing, the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee. In late December the military announced a unilateral ceasefire to last until the end of April in the north and east of Myanmar, where the Northern Alliance is mostly active, in hopes of convincing more armed groups to sing the NCA. That ceasefire does not cover Rakhine State, where the military is engaged in heavy fighting with the AA. Ten armed groups have signed the NCA to date, but none are members of the Northern Alliance, which boasts some of the largest fighting forces in the country. The post Rebel Group Alliance Proposes Ceasefire With Myanmar Military appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Military Major’s Wife Killed in Explosion in N. Rakhine Posted: 26 Feb 2019 04:07 AM PST YANGON—The wife of a Myanmar military major, Maj. Kyaw Swar, who had recently arrived in strife-torn northern Rakhine State's Buthidaung Township, was killed in an explosion at their home on Tuesday morning. Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson for the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, confirmed the death of the major's wife to The Irrawaddy over the phone. He identified the victim as Nan Moh Moh Zaw and explained that Maj. Kyaw Swar was recently transferred from Naypyidaw to northern Rakhine's Buthidaung where he is assigned to the military's No.15 Operational Command. The couple transported their belongings in a private vehicle while they travelled in another car from Naypyidaw to Buthidaung on Monday. On the way to Buthidaung, the truck carrying their belongings was stopped by two men in Rathedaung. Another six men in plain clothes searched the vehicle. The spokesperson assumed that those people discreetly planted an explosive device in their belongings. On arriving at the major's new home, staff unloaded the items without incident. When his wife was checking their belongings, the device detonated unexpectedly and she was killed on the spot. "The bomb exploded at home while Maj. Kyaw Swar was on duty in the office," said Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun. AA spokesman U Khine Thukha said the armed group had nothing to do with the incident as it happened inside a military compound and was likely the result of a dispute among soldiers. "This is their internal problem but they accused the AA, which is a completely baseless accusation,” he said. The incident went viral on Facebook, especially among military supporters. One Facebook user Han Nyein Oo wrote a status with a photo of the couple on their wedding day alongside two stock images of letter bombs with which he claimed the attack was carried out by the Arakan Army (AA). Some countered his accusation saying it could have been the driver or a staff member who planted the bomb. So far, their accusations lack consistency and no solid proof has been found. Meanwhile, some Buthidaung locals and AA supporters also posted on Facebook claiming that both the husband and wife were shot dead due to an internal conflict in the military compound. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify their claims. According to Maj. Kyaw Swar's Facebook profile, the couple recently celebrated their wedding ceremony elsewhere in Myanmar. Both Maj. Kyaw Swar and his wife Nan Moh Moh Zaw uploaded photos of their wedding day on Feb. 9. The death comes just days after a Myanmar military major Maj. Aung Ko Nyein was killed in a battle with the Arakan Army in northern Rakhine State. This article was updated to include comment from the AA. The post Military Major's Wife Killed in Explosion in N. Rakhine appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Military Vows to Remain in Politics as Long as EAOs Exist Posted: 26 Feb 2019 03:38 AM PST CHIANG MAI, Thailand—A spokesperson for Myanmar's military, or Tatmadaw, in a press conference held on Saturday in Yangon restated the commander-in-chief's vow that the military would step back from politics "when there is no ethnic armed organization and the country is in peace." This is not a new policy; it has been mentioned repeatedly since 2012 when peace negotiations began under the previous administration. Given the fact that armed forces in Myanmar—both those of the state and the ethnic groups—have fostered a militarized culture, achieving peace and stability across the country can only be possible if they can come to an attainable agreement. Myanmar has seen seven decades of the turmoil of civil war since groups of ethnic minorities first began to line up for an armed revolution in 1949 demanding equality and self-determination. The ongoing peace talks have not been able to bring an end to the fight for political and territorial control between the military and the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs). The Feb. 23 press conference was held by the military to reaffirm its position on the current armed conflict, peace negotiations and frictions between the military and the NLD over the latter's push for charter amendments. At a time when a number of EAOs are fighting amongst themselves, namely the ongoing clashes in Shan State among armed groups from the Shan, Palaung (Ta'ang) and Pa-Oh ethnic minorities, Maj-Gen Soe Naing Oo, head of the military's True News Information Committee said "only when all of them abandon arms, they will be better off and not one group will have to worry about being attacked by another." Peace building is not an easy job: military spokesperson Maj-Gen Soe Naing Oo acknowledged that that efforts in peace building are not smooth because Myanmar has had 70 years of armed conflict between the military and various EAOs, but he urged the groups to cease their gunfire by 2020. Maj-Gen Soe Naing Oo, also a peace negotiator for the military, reiterated the commander-in-chief's promise "to achieve peace by 2020" urging for the EAOs to disarm so their people can enjoy stability, peace and development. He said the military is aware of the EAOs' concerns, adding that their aim is simple: "Our approach is to bring them all on the [national ceasefire agreement] path. At the same time, they must abandon their arms policy. It is not yet that we ask them for DDR (disarmament, demobilization and reintegration). They must keep their arms but not use them so that the gunfire will stop. In that way we are trying to bring them on the track of negotiations." He said that everyone—the state, the military, the public and also the EAOs—want peace, but what is missing is how to adress the EAOs' emotions, concerns and interests. "We have to work together to sort these out so it is not an easy job." The ethnic armed groups' efforts against government forces have been the result of a failure to grant political objectives and equality to the ethnic groups. The EAOs say they wouldn't need arms if there was equality and political guarantees for self-determination.  Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win, vice chairman of the Karen National Union (KNU) said the military's concept has long been on the table but that the most important thing to discuss is how to integrate the various forces for the future of the Union once their political aims are granted. "It's not that we are happily doing our armed revolutionary movement. [We are fighting for our] political objectives," added Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win. As well as in public, the military also pushes its 2020 peace policy during meetings with the EAOs. Kheunsai Jaiyen, director of Pyidaungsu Institute, told The Irrawaddy that the Shan groups want to uphold the 1947 Panglong Agreement. He said that at a meeting on Monday between representatives of the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) and the military, SSPP vice chairperson Maj-Gen Sao Khun Sai said "the Shans still uphold the Panglong Agreement principles and when the Panglong Agreement is abided by, there will be no need for us to keep up the armed struggle." Peace negotiators on both sides continue to struggle to come up with a political settlement that is acceptable to all. Military temperament towards EAOs Myanmar's military—the strongest institution in the country—has always considered themselves the true protectors of the country and that the insurgency and defiance of the ethnic groups demanding equality and self-determination is unacceptable. Throughout ceasefire periods in the 1990s and from 2012 onwards, various terms have been used to refer to EAOs. The current NCA signatories are referred as EAOs. But groups currently carrying out active armed combat regardless of bilateral ceasefires, are regarded as insurgents and/or terrorists, and the military vows to continue counter-insurgency operations against them. The ethnic armed forces, however, see this as a disparagement of their claims of fighting for ethnic equality and self-determination. The military has sent out contradicting messages on their stance towards the Arakan Army, who are currently in intense battles with the military in troubled northern Rakhine State. Despite referring to them as insurgents and accusing them of taking cover in civilian villages in order to ambush military troops, Saturday's press conference heard the military representatives referring to the Arakan Army (AA) as their brothers. Military spokesperson Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun said at the press event that "the reason why the Tatmadaw does not completely annihilate the AA [in Rakhine] is because the AA are our ethnic brothers." He added that though the door to peace negotiations is open, their counter-insurgency operations will continue in the meantime. The military repeated that an armed struggle is no longer appropriate in building democratic federal state. The military's differing attitudes towards the ethnic rebels and the inconsistencies between its actions and words will not help them to achieve their trust-building goals nor end the armed struggle in the country. It appears that political guarantees for equality, development and decentralization of power may be the way to reduce Myanmar's militarized culture, but how long it would take and who will be willing to come to this compromise is as of yet unknown. The post Military Vows to Remain in Politics as Long as EAOs Exist appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Mining Company Detains, Assaults 2 Myitkyina Journal Reporters Posted: 26 Feb 2019 03:31 AM PST YANGON—A mining company in Kachin State detained and assaulted two journalists for reporting local residents' concerns over a controversial Chinese tissue-culture banana plantation in Waimaw Township, the local newspaper that employs the journalists reported. Local residents accuse the banana plantation operator of land grabbing and causing environmental damage. Seng Mai, the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Myitkyina Journal, a local independent weekly, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that employees of Tha Khin Sit Mining and Import and Export Company forced two reporters from the Journal's office to go with them to the company's compound on Tuesday morning. They were detained for more than two hours and threatened with repercussions if they did not remove the story from the website. "The two reporters were detained in separate rooms in the compound. One of the company employees slapped a woman reporter's face with [a copy of] our journal," Seng Mai said. She said, "The other [male] reporter was forced to do 300 sit-ups as punishment. He can barely walk right now," the editor added. The two reporters were only released after the journal contacted Waimaw Township police station, who sent police officers to surround the company.  The Myitkyina Journal published a story on Monday about local residents' plan to stage a protest at a site being cleared to make way for a banana plantation in Mandaung village in Waimaw Township by two companies including Tha Khin Sit. According to Myanmar TradeNet, the company is a joint venture between a local Kachin business and a Chinese partner. It is active in mining, import-export and tissue-culture banana plantations. Registration data from the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration shows the company's three directors are ethnic Kachin. Seng Mai said the Myitkyina Journal plans to open a case against company at the police station for detaining and assaulting the reporters. For more than two years, China-backed banana plantations have been facing a backlash from local residents in Kachin State, where operators are accused of grabbing land rented from local authorities. As the banana plantations expand, villagers displaced by fighting and living in IDP camps are increasingly concerned their land may be occupied, and that they will not be able to farm when they return home. There are more than 27,000 acres planted with tissue-culture bananas in Waimaw Township, with most of the plantations being operated by Chinese companies, according to the state's Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Ministry. Statewide, there are more than 60,000 acres of banana plantations. Lagam Gyung Ze, a Kachin lawmaker from Waimaw Township, told The Irrawaddy that the majority of the Chinese tissue-culture banana plantations in the township are owned by Chinese companies. However, most of the companies are registered under the names of local businesspeople. According to a 2017 environmental study by the Lisu Civil Society Organization, Chinese companies have been planting tissue culture bananas since 2012 in Kachin State's Special Region 1, which is under the control of the government-allied New Democratic Army-Kachin militia. It said the plantations have been gradually expanding in three townships: Bhamo, Shwegu and Waimaw Township. According to the study, the companies are using insecticides, weed killers and fertilizers and disposing of them carelessly. This has led to the pollution of water supplies in these areas, in turn causing soil damage and killing fish and livestock. The Myitkyina Journal has been covering the social and environmental impacts of the plantations for a long time. Seng Mai said, "Our reports have mainly focused on the suffering the plantations are causing local residents. Whenever we try to expose information about the plantations, I have found there is no transparency, even in the state Parliament." She added, "Some lawmakers say the banana plantations are illegal, but others say the state government receives taxes [from them]." An officer at the Waimaw Police Station declined The Irrawaddy's requests for comment on the Myitkyina Journal case. The Irrawaddy could not reach Tha Khin Sit company, as its phone was turned off. According to Chapter 3 of the Media Law, "news media workers shall have the right to freely criticize, point out or recommend operating procedures of the legislative [branch], executive and judiciary in conformity with the Constitution, to investigate, publish and broadcast information and related opinions to which every citizen is entitled in accordance with rules and regulations, to reveal issues relating to rights and privileges lost by the citizen." Chapter 8 states that if any responsibilities or ethics are considered to be breached by a news media worker, the aggrieved department, organization or individual shall have the right to complain to the Myanmar Press Council first. The council can resolve the problem by meeting with the two parties and seeking a compromise between them. If the two parties cannot work out a compromise agreement, or the arguments cannot be settled, the complainant or aggrieved party can prosecute the other party at the relevant court under applicable laws, it states. The post Mining Company Detains, Assaults 2 Myitkyina Journal Reporters appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| USDP Accuses Ruling Party of Pushing Charter Amendments to Spur Protests Posted: 26 Feb 2019 02:23 AM PST NAYPYITAW — The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) on Monday accused the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) of bringing people onto the streets on the pretext of pushing for amendments to the military-drafted Constitution. "While there is a need to think about how we should fulfill the needs of the people, we would say that it is not an honest act to carry out political activities in the name of amending the Constitution," USDP spokesman U Nanda Hla Myint said at the press conference in Naypyitaw. "Some people irresponsibly accuse us and have been misleading the people into thinking the Tatmadaw [military] and USDP are deliberately opposing the plan to amend the Constitution. In politics there must be honesty. I would say it is a dirty political trick that a party is playing in order to achieve victory,” he said. NLD spokesman U Myo Nyunt denied the USDP's accusations and said his party wanted to amend the Constitution in line with the law. Taking the offensive, he accused the USDP of using religion and nationalism to improve its own electoral fortunes. "People will not be swayed by their accusations," he told The Irrawaddy. "We don't try to bring people onto the streets. It is our policy never to bring people onto the streets. We will only allow people to stage a demonstration in support of constitutional amendments in line with the law. It is an extreme thought that we are bringing people onto the streets," U Myo Nyunt said. U Nanda Hla Myint said that, although any amendments to the Constitution would affect all citizens, the NLD failed to consult all stakeholders before forming the committee now charged with drafting proposed changes. He also claimed that the committee, which the Union Parliament overwhelmingly approved last week, was in violation of the law. U Myo Nyunt denied that too. "A commission was formed under [former president] U Thein Sein to amend the Constitution, and we have formed a similar committee with a different name. I can't accept that they said the committee is not in line with the law and that we have bent the rules," he said. Rallies in support of amending the Constitution have been held in several cities across Myanmar since the NLD proposed forming the drafting committee earlier this month. On Sunday, about 500 people staged a demonstration in support of amendments in Sagaing Region. They said the Constitution was too undemocratic for Myanmar to achieve peace, human rights and genuine democracy. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post USDP Accuses Ruling Party of Pushing Charter Amendments to Spur Protests appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| USDP Hits Back at ‘Party of Thieves’ Accusations Posted: 26 Feb 2019 01:48 AM PST NAYPYITAW — The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) on Monday fired back at online accusations that its members were all thieves. The USDP has recently been hit with a barrage of attacks on Facebook calling it the “party of thieves” and accusing it of appropriating public property illegally. At a press conference in Naypyitaw, USDP spokesman U Thein Tun Oo retaliated by calling the party’s accusers stooges of Western interests. "We can't say that those who call us thieves or the party of thieves are members of the public. In fact they operate as a team with international support and each of them opened several [Facebook] accounts. In fact they want to shape public opinion through the media," he said. U Thein Tun Oo also questioned the records of serving government officials, noting that the targets of some recent public protests were still in office without specifying who he was referring to. The most recent protests against serving government officials for alleged corruption were in Tanintharyi Region, where some residents are accusing the regional chief minister of nepotism and bid rigging. "It was not said by the people. But I would say that a certain organization that wants to defeat us is doing all this intentionally. Those who are accusing us can point out the things each of us has stolen. We are open to an investigation and any charges," said U Thein Tun Oo, a former lawmaker in the Lower House of the Union Parliament. "[State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] once said that [her government] would not retain power if the people no longer accept it. But it is as if it had never said so. [People] think [the National League for Democracy (NLD)] will not steal because it has never been in office. Now it is in office and people know it. We have done five years, and now they are doing it. After they work for five years, people will be able to judge," he added. The USDP evolved into a political party from the Union Solidarity and Development Association, an organization established by the military regime in the 1990s. In 2010 the generals of the Myanmar military resigned and joined the USDP to contest that year’s elections, which it won. The NLD boycotted that election, deeming the contest unfair, but trounced the USDP in 2015. Reacting to the USDP’s accusations, NLD spokesman U Myo Nyunt said anyone accused of corruption should be deemed innocent until proven guilty and has the right to defend themselves. "Our party does not attack other organizations. On any issue, from constitutional amendments to elections, we act only in line with the law," he said. U Ye Tun, another former Lower House lawmaker, said the USDP will have a tough time erasing its image as a military proxy but suggested that a change of leadership would be a good start. He said most people still believe the USDP and military are one and the same. If the party wants to change their minds, he added, “it will have to try for a long time.” Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post USDP Hits Back at ‘Party of Thieves’ Accusations appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Oscar Win Seen Ending Shame About Menstruation That Puts Women at Risk Posted: 25 Feb 2019 09:09 PM PST NEW DELHI—Giving an Academy Award to a documentary about periods set in India will help shatter the monthly shame that impacts millions of women globally, with some even dying in isolation while menstruating, health campaigners said on Monday. The Netflix film “Period. End of Sentence.”, set in a village in northern India, clinched the Oscar for best short documentary on Sunday, shining a spotlight on a topic rarely discussed openly in the country. For many women in South Asia, especially adolescent girls, menstruation is shameful and uncomfortable. From being barred from religious shrines to dietary restrictions to a lack of toilets and sanitary products that prevent them from going to school and work, they face many challenges when they have their periods, health experts say. “Although this film shows a negative side of India, it will help trigger more conversation about periods, a natural bodily process that is usually talked about in hushed tones, if at all,” said Surbhi Singh, founder of Delhi-based Sachhi Saheli, a charity that raises awareness about menstrual health. “This will help people look deep within themselves and, hopefully, make them realize how they treat menstruation.” In rural areas, a lack of awareness and the high cost of pads mean many women instead use unsanitary rags, increasing the risk of infections and disease. The problem is more dire in Nepal, where an ancient Hindu tradition that banishes women to animal sheds during their periods claims lives year after year as a result of suffocation, animal bites or cold. Earlier this month, a teenager died sleeping in a hut, becoming the fourth victim in less than a month. The 26-minute documentary, directed by Rayka Zehtabchi and produced by India’s Guneet Monga, focuses on rural women in Uttar Pradesh State who start a sanitary pad business after generations of limited access to basic hygiene products. When a sanitary pad vending machine is installed in their village, they decide to make and sell their own brand. The women follow the lead of Arunachalam Muruganantham, who invented a low-cost machine for manufacturing sanitary pads. His story inspired Bollywood’s first film on menstrual hygiene, “Padman”, with the popular action hero Akshay Kumar wearing a sanitary pad and talking about periods. It triggered a nationwide conversation. “Now, the whole world will turn up and see what is happening. This will help more people to understand the perfect menstrual health hygiene,” Muruganantham, who features in the Oscar-winning film, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The post Oscar Win Seen Ending Shame About Menstruation That Puts Women at Risk appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Chinese County Stops Shale Gas Mining Amid Quake Fears – Xinhua Posted: 25 Feb 2019 08:52 PM PST SHANGHAI—A county in southwestern China has ordered a halt to shale gas mining amid fears it may have helped cause an earthquake in the area that killed two people, state news agency Xinhua reported. The magnitude 4.9 quake hit Rongxian County in Sichuan Province on Monday afternoon, damaging thousands of buildings, injuring 12 people and affecting more than 13,000 people, Xinhua said. It was the third earthquake above magnitude 4 to strike the area in two days, Xinhua said late on Monday. It cited experts as saying the earthquakes might have occurred due to natural causes, “but they could not rule out industrial mining.” “Due to safety reasons and requirements on safe production, shale gas mining companies have suspended mining work,” it quoted the county government as saying. Rongxian county is part of the region known as the Weirong block where state oil and gas firm Sinopec Corp is drilling for shale gas. Weirong is Sinopec’s second main shale discovery after its flagship Fuling project in the Chongqing municipality, which is located in the same geological basin of Sichuan. Sinopec did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. Citing experts from the Sichuan provincial earthquake bureau, local state media reported earlier on Tuesday that it could not be ascertained whether the quakes in Rongxian were related to industrial mining activity. Meanwhile, the state-run Global Times said five quakes had hit the area since January including two on Monday above magnitude 4, prompting “some residents” to gather outside the government’s offices to call for a halt to shale gas exploitation. The newspaper cited video footage on social media showing more than 1,000 people attempting to topple the gate of the government building with some 100 police trying to keep the gate upright. Reuters has not independently verified the footage. “Some residents came this afternoon after the earthquake, and now they have calmed down and left. Government officials have responded to their requests,” the newspaper quoted a Rongxian county government official as saying. China’s state-owned energy companies were set to increase spending on domestic drilling this year to the highest levels since 2016, after Chinese President Xi Jinping called last August to boost domestic energy security. Mountainous Sichuan is a hub for China’s decade-long drive to tap shale gas, which makes up about 6 percent of the country’s total gas output. The post Chinese County Stops Shale Gas Mining Amid Quake Fears – Xinhua appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| N.Korea’s Kim Arrives to Warm Welcome in Vietnam; Trump On the Way Posted: 25 Feb 2019 08:49 PM PST HANOI/ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump where they will try to reach an agreement on a North Korean pledge to give up its nuclear weapons program. Trump is due to arrive in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, on Tuesday evening. They will meet for a brief one-on-one conversation on Wednesday evening, followed by a social dinner, at which they will each be accompanied by two guests and interpreters, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters on Air Force One. The two leaders would meet again on Thursday, she said. Their talks come eight months after their historic summit in Singapore, the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader. There is likely to be pressure on both sides to move beyond the vaguely worded commitment they made in Singapore to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Domestic critics have warned Trump against cutting a deal that would do little to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, urging specific, verifiable North Korean action to abandon the nuclear weapons that threaten the United States. In return, Kim would expect significant U.S. concessions such as relief from punishing sanctions and a declaration that the 1950-53 Korean War is at last formally over. Kim, who travelled from the North Korean capital by train, arrived at the station in the Vietnamese town of Dong Dang after crossing over the border from China. Vietnamese officials were on hand to receive him at the station with a red carpet including a guard of honor and North Korean and Vietnamese flags flying. Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, who has emerged as an important aide, arrived with him. About a dozen bodyguards ran alongside his car as he departed for the two-hour journey to the capital, Hanoi. Roads were closed off with Vietnamese security forces equipped with armored personnel carriers guarding the route to the city’s Melia hotel, where he is staying. Both Kim Jong Un and Trump are also due to hold separate talks with Vietnamese leaders. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also arrived in Hanoi, on Tuesday. He has been Trump’s top envoy in his efforts to improve ties with the reclusive North and has made several trips to Pyongyang to negotiate an ending of its nuclear program. Pompeo was due to met U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun in Hanoi later. “Tremendous” Trump told reporters he and Kim would have “a very tremendous summit.” Tweeting on Monday, he stressed the benefits to North Korea if it gave up its nuclear weapons. “With complete Denuclearization, North Korea will rapidly become an Economic Powerhouse. Without it, just more of the same. Chairman Kim will make a wise decision!” Trump said. In a speech on Sunday night, Trump, however, appeared to play down any hope of a major breakthrough at the Hanoi summit, saying he would be happy as long as North Korea maintained its pause on weapons testing. “I’m not in a rush. I don’t want to rush anybody,” he said. “I just don’t want testing. As long as there’s no testing, we’re happy.” North Korea conducted its last nuclear test in September 2017 and last tested an intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2017. Analysts say the two leaders have to move beyond summit symbolism. “The most basic yet urgent task is to come to a shared understanding of what denuclearization would entail,” said Gi-Wook Shin, director of Stanford's Asia-Pacific Research Center. “The ambiguity and obscurity of the term ‘denuclearization’ only exacerbates the skepticism about both the U.S. and North Korean commitments to denuclearization." While the United States is demanding that North Korea give up all of its nuclear and missile programs, North Korea wants to see the removal of the U.S. nuclear umbrella for South Korea. A South Korean presidential spokesman told reporters in Seoul on Monday the two sides might be able to agree to a formal end of the Korean War, which was concluded with an armistice not a peace treaty, a move North Korea has long sought. While a formal peace treaty may be a long way off, the two sides have discussed the possibility of a political declaration stating that the war is over. The post N.Korea’s Kim Arrives to Warm Welcome in Vietnam; Trump On the Way appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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