W W W .M M T IM E S .C O M IS S U E 7 0 0 I O C T O B E R 21 - 2 7 , 2 0 1 3
W h o d u n n it ?
Gdvt reckon
ฒฒ!เ
'.•'•ะ''-^' :•• •0อฬ reckon
they know - and
it’s not the KNU
BY MYANMAR TIMES EDITORTHOMAS KEAN
td ke a n 0 g m a iL .co m
THE bombings that returned with a venge ance last week are hardly new phenomena in Myanmar. For years, small crude devices were a regular threat in major cities, oc casionally claiming lives and more often baffling observers, for the perpetrators were rarely caught.
But if those attacks were mysterious, last week’s could only be described as mystifying, taking almost everybody by surprise. Where there was an air of normalcy around previous bombings, the events of last week - the seem ingly indiscriminate nature, the wide distribu tion of the explosives, the focus on restaurants and hotels - generated understandable fear and confusion. The panic was real and of a level not seen for a number of years.
“Obviously this is not the first time there lave been unexplained bombings, but th has never before been a coordinated cam paign of this geographic breadth over such a relatively extended period of time,” said Anthony Davis, a Bangkok-based security analyst with IHS Jane’s.
Relations with most armed ethnic groups and the democratic opposition have not been better since the advent of military rule in 1962. Who would want to so publicly and dramatically express dissatisfaction with Myanmar’s much-lauded democratisation process? And, just as importantly, who would have both the motivation and capacity to pull off such a coordinated series of attacks?
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SPECIAL REPORT 6In Thandwe, Muslims
still living in fear
Afraid to leave their homes, their businesses shuttered or shunned, Thandwe’s Muslims face an uncertain future in the aftermath of recent riots.
FEATURE 18
Bagan’s horse carts face
a two-wheeled threat
The recent arrival of electronic bikes has Bagan’s horse cart drivers wondering if their days as tourists’ top transportation choice” are numbered.
BUSINESS 24
Protests over proposed
us$15m Hpa-an hotel
Plans to build a new hotel in the Kayin State capital Hpa-an on the site of a park with links to Bogyoke Aung San are at risk over public opposition.
PROPERTY 28
Signing a lease: What
you need to know
From high rent to bad landlords, it’s essential you cover your bases when it comes time to sign a new lease on an apartment or house.
THE PULSE lilt
Me N Ma Girls set
to take on the world
Bursting onto the international music scene, Myanmar’s own Me N Ma Girls have released their first single, “Girl Strong”, on iTunes and Amazon.
PHOTO: AFP
A ttacks aim to d eter investors
2 THE MYANMAR TIMES OCTOBER 21 - 27, 2013
Page 2
T H E IN S ID E R : The local lowdown & best of the web
A IN T N O TH IN ’ BUT M A M M A LS
A fte r w h a t m u s t have been a b u m p e r y e a r fo r ta x id e rm is ts in w e s te rn G erm any, an e x h ib itio n on sex in th e a n im a l k in g d o m has d ra w n to a clo se . The LW L M u se u m o f N a tu ra l H is to ry in M u n s te r's la te s t e x h ib itio n e xp lo re d th e role o f se x in th e a n im a l kin g d o m , w ith s o m e 450 ite m s goin g on d isp la y.
The e x h ib itio n sh e d lig h t on th e lo g is tic s o f a n im a l sex, a llo w in g v is ito r s to b e a r w itn e s s to sce n e s o f m y ria d ta x id e rm ie d b e a sts, in c lu d in g foxes, d e e r and he d ge h o g s, in flag ran te delicto.
The e xh ib itio n also d re w a tte n tio n to in cidences of h o m o se xu a lity in the a n im a l kingdom , and w e n t into so m e d e ta il a b o ut the g le e fu l abandon w ith
w h ich d o lp h in s approach a q uatic re c re a tio n a l lovem aking.
The m use u m said th e e xh ib it's m ain fu n ctio n w a s to exam ine e vo lu tio n a ry re p ro d u ctive p a ra lle ls betw een h u m a n s and a n im a ls, and in cluded an a rtis t's in te rp re ta tio n o f a N e a n d e rth a l couple.
S IN G U LA R ITY W ATCH: GOOGLE PATENTS PHYSICAL GESTURES
Tech s ite Engadget la s t w e e k u n e a rth e d s o m e in te re s tin g fin d in g s in G oogle p a te n t a p p lic a tio n s , w ith th e w e b g ia n t having c la im e d s e v e ra l p h y s ic a l g e s tu re s - p re s u m a b ly fo r th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f its G oogle G lass s o ftw a re .
P u n d its have s p e c u la te d th a t th e
o n lin e e d ito r Kayleigh Long I
kayleighelongragm ail.com in te n tio n is to rem o ve th e m a n u a l a sp e ct to c a te g o ris in g c o n te n t th a t c u rr e n tly e x is ts w ith th e p ro d u c t. The c o m m a n d s p a te n te d in c lu d e fo rm in g a h e a rt sh a p e w ith o n e 's hands, w h ic h co u ld in d ic a te th a t c o n te n t has been " lik e d " and w o u ld th e n se e it sh a re d on s o c ia l m ed ia p la tfo rm s s u ch as Facebook. S im ila rly , ta k in g a p h o to w ith H ead- m o u n te d D evices (HM Ds) co u ld one day be as s im p le as fra m in g and c a p tu rin g an im a g e by o u tlin in g th e c o rn e rs o f a sce n e u sin g th e th u m b s and in d e x fin g e rs . However, th e p a te n t w a s file d in 2011 and th e re is s t ill no in d ic a tio n o f w h e n o r if th e s e fu tu r is tic fu n c tio n s w ill e ve r be in te g ra te d . S E -M E -W E -3 ’S UNLUCKY STR E A K CONTINUES The b e le a g u re d in te rn e t ca b le s e rv ic in g M yanm ar, S E -M E - W E -3, has s u ffe re d a n o th e r blow , w ith M yan m a P o sts and T e le c o m m u n ic a tio n s a n n o u n c in g it w ill u n d e rg o re p a irs .
"A d is ru p tio n o c c u rre d w ith th e fib e r - o p tic lin k in g w ith in te rn a tio n a l ca b le n e tw o rk s ," The New Ligh t of M yanm ar e xp la in e d
However, MPT has o ffe re d its re a s s u ra n c e th a t it s h o u ld so o n be b u sin e ss as u su a l.
"T h e lin k w ith in te rn a tio n a l n e tw o rk can be n o rm a liz e d as o n - land c r o s s - b o rd e r fib e r - o p tic w ill be co n n e cte d to th e u n d e n w a te r ca b le ."
PO LICE-CR AFT
A p re ss co n fe re n c e w a s h e ld la te la s t w e e k by M y a n m a r's p o lice fo rce , p re s e n tin g t h e ir fin d in g s on th e sp a te o f re c e n t b o m b in g s a cro ss th e co u n try.
The s ta te m e n t fro m p o lice d e ta ile d p ro g re s s o f th e
in v e s tig a tio n , and w a s a cco m p a n ie d by an e x h ib itio n o f s o rts w h ic h p re s e n te d s t ills fro m CCTV, d ia g ra m s d e p ic tin g th e c o n n e c tio n s b e tw e e n s u s p e c ts , im a g e s o f th e b la s t s ite s , as w e ll as p h y s ic a l e vid e n ce in c lu d in g th e typ e s of d e vice s used in each a tta c k .
The p o lic e g et an A+ fo r p re s e n ta tio n , w ith th e p ic tu re b o a rd s n o t ju s t d is p la y in g th e above b ut a ls o d e c o ra te d w ith rib b o n ro s e tte s and bows.
Nang รน Yadi Soe for NOW! magazine.
www.mmtimes.com
News 3
Deputy Minister for Information บ Ye Htut (centre) comments on recent attacks during a press conference at the Yangon Region Hluttaw on October 18. Photo: AFP
Alleged bombers wanted
to deter investors, tourists
Bombers had past links to the Karen National Union but armed ethnic group was not involved, says บ Ye Htut
NYAN LYNN AUNG TOE WAI AUNG
n e w s ro o m O m y a n m a rtim e s .c o m .m m
THE alleged masterminds of last week’s bombings were seeking to deter foreign investors and tourists, particularly enterprises that would compete with economic interests in Kayin State, the chief of police says.
Government officials also ruled out the possibility of the Karen National Union being for mally involved, despite a num ber of those arrested having links to the organisation, and said the armed ethnic group is assisting the investigation.
Eight men have been arrested in connection with six bombings and four attempted attacks in Yan gon, Mandalay, Taungoo, Sagaing and Pyu between October 9 and 15 that left two dead and four injured, Police Major General Zaw Win said at a press conference in Yangon on October 18.
He said that the men had con fessed to organising and carrying out the bombings in order to deter for eign investors from entering Myan
mar and potentially competing with businesses in Kayin State. They also said they wanted to deter tourists, although the reason for this was not immediately clear.
“We understand that foreign in vestors may be concerned [about the bombings] but we will ensure their security and plan to cooperate more with the International Criminal Po lice Organization [INTERPOL],” Pol Maj Gen Zaw Win said.
He declined to comment on a series of three explosions that hit Namhkam in northern Shan State on October 16 and 17, saying the investi gation is ongoing.
In the most high-profile attack, a 43-year-old American woman was injured when a bomb exploded in her hotel room on the ninth floor of Yangon’s Traders Hotel. She was transferred to Yangon General Hos pital and has since left the country for further treatment.
The first arrest was made on Oc tober 15, when Saw Myint Lwin was detained in Bilin township in Mon State. He has been accused of orches trating the blasts at Traders Hotel and Western Park II restaurant.
“All cases are similar and all of the mines are homemade,” Pol Maj Gen Zaw Win said. “Saw Myint Lwin con fessed that he detonated two bombs in Yangon on the order of Nay Toe.”
Saw Myint Lwin had been a mem ber of the Karen National Union for five years and left in 2008, while Nay
‘We do not
believe the
KNU is involved.’
บ Ye Htut
D eputy M in is te r fo r In fo rm a tio n
Toe, who is also known as Saw Shwe Htoo, worked with a KNU “economic organisation”, he said.
Pol Maj Gen Zaw Win said police expect to make further arrests but refused to give any more details be cause the investigation is ongoing.
Despite the links to the KNU, Deputy Minister for Information บ
Ye Htut emphatically rejected any suggestion the group, which has been in peace negotiations with the government since January 2012, was formally involved.
“We do not believe that the KNU is involved, even though one of the bombers is a former member,” he said. “We are cooperating with the KNU and we have agreed to meet a member of their executive commit tee ... We firmly believe that despite these challenges we will continue to make progress on the peace process.” On October 17, the KNU’s fifth bri gade, which is considered the least supportive of the approach that the group’s leadership is adopting in re gard to the peace process, issued a statement condemning the bombings.
“We categorically condemn all acts that attempt to disrupt the peace building efforts and reject all kinds of violence aimed at harming or threatening innocent civilians,” the brigade said in a statement, accord ing to Karen News.
Pol Maj Gen Zaw Win said two men, Zaw Latt Maung and บ Mya Phu, had been arrested “thanks to the cooperation of the KNU”.
US urges
caution,
denounces
‘acts of terror’
TIM MCLAUGHLIN
tim othy.m cLaughLin3ragm aiL.com
THE United States embassy in Yangon has urged its citizens to take extra cau tion while travelling in Myanmar but said a series of bombings that left one American injured were not targeting US citizens.
In a statement released on October 15, the embassy said citizens should be particularly cautious in public areas, including parks, markets ajid bus stops.
“While there is no indication at this time that any of these [bombs] were specifically directed toward
us
citizens, the embassy asks that allus
citizens exercise an appropriate level of caution when travelling around Rangoon and/or Burma,” the state ment said.The warning was issued a day after a 43-year-old American woman was injured when a bomb exploded in her hotel room on the ninth floor of Yan gon’s Traders Hotel. The woman was transported to Yangon General Hos pital for treatment. Her two children and husband, also in the room, were uninjured.
A US embassy spokesperson said that consular officers from the embas sy had visited the woman but declined to provide further information, citing privacy concerns.
“The embassy is in close contact with the local police authorities, who have advised that they have no specific threat information related to any po tential additional targets,” the state ment added.
Police said one man was arrested on October 15 in Mon State in connec tion with the blast.
The explosion at Traders Hotel was the latest in a string of bombings that began on October 9 when an impro vised explosive device (IED) was found on a bus traveling from Nyaunglebin to Pyu in Bago Region.
On October 11, two people were killed in a bombing at a guest house in Taungoo, Bago Region. Two bombs ex ploded in Yangon on October 13, while two more went off in the early hours of October 15 in Sagaing.
The US condemned the attacks on October 17, saying in a statement that “acts of terror” had “no place in civi lised society”
The US said it believed that Myan mar would respond “with strength, de termination and a continued commit ment to national peace, development, and reconciliation ’.
Bomb Fears Bomb Fears Bomb Fears
Attacks can strengthen
Myanmar’s peace efforts
A week of attacks
CONTINUED FROM NEWS 1
A number of possibilities immediately became clear. Factions of armed eth nic groups or disaffected members ap peared the most likely possibility. Do mestic extremists, in the mould of the Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors, could also have been responsible. Other possibilities included political actors or rogue government soldiers seeking to create instability. At the more un likely end of the spectrum stood state- sponsored terrorists or religious - most likely Islamist - extremists. That no one claimed responsibility or tried to use the attacks as a platform to push forward a political agenda, message or demand discounts some of these possibilities immediately For underground groups opposed to military rule, an attack at a time when the Tatmadaw appears to be considering when to begin slowly with drawing from politics and governance seems illogical, although not impossible.
As has now become clear, a group of people acting independently but with links to armed ethnic groups were allegedly responsible for at least a sig nificant proportion of the attacks per petrated last week. The precise motiva tions of the attackers remain uncertain. At least some appear to have been paid to participate and the motive at the top appears to have been money as well.
Yet the alleged mastermind’s links to the Karen National Union should not be overplayed. It is no surprise that the KNU has come out and not only denied any direct involvement or complicity but also promised to inves tigate its ties with those who have been apprehended. For the KNU, and even those in the organisation who question
ANALYSIS
the path that the group’s current lead ership is taking, there is little to gain from attacks like those seen last week. For any Myanmar-based organisation, direct involvement in such a brazen series of attacks on the population - a bombing campaign that appears to have designed solely to generate fear and uncertainty - would likely sow the seeds for their own demise.
Some questions were immediately asked about the group’s fifth brigade and its former leader, Karen National Liberation Army deputy chief of staff General Baw Kyaw Heh, a noted critic of the peace process. However, given the lack of a clear political agenda to the attacks, a direct link to anyone in the KNU leadership appears illogical. Why orchestrate bombings for political reasons but neither claim responsibil ity nor issue demands? There is also no evidence to suggest that dissatisfaction with the peace process is anywhere near the level required to prompt such an extreme course of action.
Kim Jolliffe, an independent re search consultant who has studied ethnic conflict in Myanmar for the past five years, dismissed the possibility of segments of the KNU, including the fifth brigade, being involved in the at tacks as not very plausible”
“I know the dissatisfied elements well and they recognise that being in volved with anything of this nature would do them more harm than good,” said Mr Jolliffe, who recently published a paper on the peace process, “People’s War, People’s Peace: Fostering a Social
Contract for Myanmar’s Karen Civil War”
He said the so-called hardline ele ments within the KNU are not against the peace process.
“They are only in relatively minor disagreement about the negotiation strategy that should be taken. They are not even more hardline than other armed groups - it’s just that the KNU leadership has done a complete U-tum after 50 years of war, and some elements are concerned it’s moving too fast.”
No doubt there has been flurry of phone calls between the KNU and Nay Pyi Taw to keep one another abreast of developments. Open and clear commu nication will be essential to avoid any misunderstandings at this potentially sensitive time.
There is also reason to hope that the tragedy of the past week, which has seen three lives lost and numerous people injured, can be harnessed so that it becomes another victory for the peace process. At a press conference on October 18, Deputy Minister for Infor mation บ Ye Htut said the KNU had agreed to work with the government on its investigation but emphatically ruled out any link between the bombers and the organisation.
There is no reason why this collabo ration cannot bring both sides closer and galvanise their commitment to re solving differences at the negotiating table. Trust can be built from potenti^ disaster. The genuine complaints of fac tions on both sides who are questioning the peace process can be better under stood and possibly addressed, strength ening the peace process. For the in nocent victims of last week’s acts of terrorism, it would be a fitting tribute.
Defiant response from authorities
AUTHORITIES have responded de fiantly to the bomb blast that rocked a Yangon hotel last week, stressing the government’s resolve to continue as normal. As the search for the per petrators continued, the public were advised to keep calm and alert during the Thadingyut season.
Whatever the motive, the bombings
will not affect the peace process, said deputy information minister and presi dential spokesperson บ Ye Htut. “The peace process will take its course ... If the intention of the bombers was to de lay the process, they will fail,” he said.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who chairs the Pyithu Hluttaw Rule of Law, Sta bility and Peace Committee, called for
“cool heads” and urged people not to fall into the trap set by the bombers.
Vice chair of the Union Solidarity and Development Party บ Htay Oo said, “Whoever did this seems to be fa miliar with bombs. But whatever their motive, it will not affect the reform process.” - Soe Than Lynn, translation
by Thiri Min Htun
Thirteen bombs between October 9-17 have left three dead
Oct 15: Two b o m b s explode in Sagaing to w n sh ip : one at Shwe
PyieS one H otel at a b o u t 3 a m and a second
at Swan Oo Pon Nya Shin Pagoda a t around
5:45am Oct 11: A bom b explodes a t a gu e st house in Taungoo, Bago Region, k illin g tw o people and in ju rin g one Oct 14: A n unexploded b o m b is found u n d e r a table in W estern P a rk II re s ta u ra n t in A hlone to w n sh ip at a b o ut 10am Oct 14: A bom b explodes on the n in th flo o r of T ra d e rs Hotel, in ju rin g one A m e ric a n citizen
Vox Pop Yangon
M a รน Wai, 27, accountant, Insein “ I was scared by the bombings, and now I dare not go to crowded places. My parents are worried about me every time I go to work. Now I avoid visit ing some places altogether.”
บ Soe Min Myo, 35, ta xi driver, South O kkalapa
“ I'm so scared and worried about the recent bombings. I'm worried one of my passengers might
leave a bom b in my taxi. Now people are afraid to go to crowded places because they might be targets.”
- Tin Yadanar Htun
M a Tharaphy, 20, freelance journalist,
Latha “For the past year I’ve been earning my living as a freelance re porter. I’m afraid because for my job I have to attend press conferences at hotels and restaurants. What happened at Traders Hotel is very scaiy and now I don’t want to go to news conferences or places that are crowded with people.”
M a S u Thandar Hlaing, 20, graduate, Tarmwe
“This news frightened me so much that I’ve been avoiding going out. Be fore I would go to the cinema or game
shop with my friends but now I’ve decided not to go anywhere. My mum also doesn't allow me to go outside.”
Bomb Fears Bomb Fears Bomb Fears
and 10 injured, including a tourist
Oct 16: A bom b explodes at around 10:45pm in Shan S ta te s N a m h ka m to w n sh ip Oct 17: A b o m b le ft in a tra sh can in N a m h ka m to w n sh ip explodes, k illin g one and in ju rin g
tw o people. A n o th e r bo m b explodes in N a m h ka m , in ju rin g fo u r
people
PYI TAW Oct 14: An
unexploded bom b is found a t Golden D uck R e sta u ra n t in M andalay a t about 2pm Oct 9: A n unexploded bo m b is found on a bus tra ve llin g fro m N yaunglebin to Pyu in Bago Region Oct 13: A b o m b explodes in Thaketa to w n sh ip a b o ut 5:45pm , in ju rin g tw o teenage boys
Explosion Explosive device discovered
GRAPHIC: THE MYANMAR TIMES
‘You’re safe with us’:
Government seeks to
allay security fears
Analysts say they expect little impact on Myanmar’s foreign investment or
tourism inflows, which were the two main targets of last week’s blasts
BILL O’TOOLE
b o to o le l 2 0 g m a il.c o m
AS details emerge about the al leged culprits and motives behind recent bombings, questions are being asked about what the vio lence could mean for Myanmar’s reform process, particularly with a series of major international events due to get underway in coming months.
Officials have been quick to downplay the potential impact on tourism, while also stressing that they already have adequate securi ty plans in place to ensure visitors to the Southeast Asian Games in December and ASEAN meetings next year will not be threatened.
Asked about security for the SEA Games at a press conference on October 18, Police Major Gen eral Zaw Win, the head of My anmar’s police force, said steps would be taken to tighten security around the events. He said tighter security regulations would soon be proposed to the parliament.
We really do believe that we must keep on doing everything we can [to improve] security,” Pol Maj Gen Zaw Win said.
We have formed a National Security Committee including members of all relevant depart ments and are ensuring security at all venues. We have spent K6 billion purchasing and installing security equipment.”
Similarly, บ Aung Htoo, the deputy director general of the Department of ASEAN Affairs, said he was confident that all nec essary security measures are in place to ensure the ASEAN meet ings are concluded safely.
“We have a security plan for the summits and other ministe rial meetings,” he said. “We have already prepared for that.”
However, บ Aung Htoo stressed he could not guarantee see security measures would be
Mandalay residents watch as officials search a suspicious package found on Mandalay’s 62nd street on October 14. Photo: Si Thu Lwin
in place across the country while the ASEAN meetings take place. “We are just preparing for ASEAN summits and other meetings.”
A number of analysts con tacted last week seemed untrou bled by the attacks and said they would do little to deter either tourism or investment.
Jeremy Rathjen, vice president of Thura Swiss, a Yangon-based consultancy firm, said that while the casualties from last week’s bombings - three deaths and 10 people injured from 13 attacks - were tragic, they needed to be considered in the context of My anmar’s past.
“This has happened many times in the past - It’s not a new phenomenon,” he said. “Myanmar IS receiving more international media attention, but it’s nothing new.”
While the country will take some sort of “reputational” hit, he said, the bombings are unlikely to affect foreign investment. Simi larly tourism will remain on “an upward trend”.
Nevertheless the bombings have struck a nerve, prompting some tourists to cancel planned visits (see re la te d coverage page 22). Inside the country, many ur
ban residents say they are on high
alert and avoiding large gather ings and public places.
Anthony Davis, a Bangkok- based security analyst with IHS Jane’s, said that the attacks ap peared designed to generate fear.
“These are low-level, low-tech attacks designed to destabilise the country ... and to a degree they have succeeded,” Mr Davis said last week.
He said the main impact will be the light the bombings cast on Myanmar’s ongoing issues with domestic security. “The very num ber of possible culprits being put forward ... reflects the serious in stability that continues to plague Burma.”
Small-scale terrorist acts of the kind seen last week are “al most impossible to prevent”, he said. Any push for tighter security restrictions would be constrained by the limited resources of a po lice force that is already stretched thin across the nation.
Mr Rathjen said Myanmar has a trump card up its sleeve to al lay the security concerns of most visitors to the SEA Games and ASEAN meetings: its new capital.
“I’ve rarely seen cities as se cure as Nay Pyi Taw - there’s military eveiywhere and it’s quite spread out.”
Vox Pop MDY
บ Z aw W in, owner, W in W in restaurant I have asked my waiters and waitresses to be more careful at this time, to even check underneath the tables regularly. Just about everyone who comes here are regular custom ers but we need to watch and be careful of unknown people behaving suspiciously. I think that the issue could be connected to politics but because most people are just strug gling to make ends meet I think they are not worrying too much about the bombings. บ W in Hla- ing, p ro pe rty broker, Aung Thara Phu Estate A ge ncy People need to take care not only when they
visit crowded places but also even in their own homes, in their streets and wards and surrounding areas. I am always alert to the potential of danger these days because my house IS situated beside a main road. The bom b blasts have fright ened most of us. People are strug gling for their living anid this issue just makes things harder because it disrupts their routine. เท the past the political situation was not good but now there is progress and transpar ency and it is time to move forward together. We have no idea who did [the bombings] but it should not happen at this time.
บ Ko Ko Aung, member, National League fo r D em ocracy The govern ment is trying to get peace with armed ethnic groups but there is some way to go before the political situation is smooth. We have many questions about the bomb blasts. Are they related to politics? To religion? We still haven't got answers but one sure thing is that it w on't bring any advan tages for the country or the people. The country is changing to dem oc racy and the bomb blasts are out of step with that. - Phyo Wai Kyaw
6 News
THE MYANMAR TIMES OCTOBER 21 - 27, 2013SPECIAL REPORT
After riots, fear stalks Thandwe Muslims
Their mosques shuttered and businesses shunned, Thandwe’s Muslim community is struggling to come to grips with recent violence
BILL
O’TOOLE
b o to o le 1 2 0 g m a il.c o m
THOUSANDS of Muslim men and women around the country celebrated Eid al-Adha on October 16, gathering at mosques in their finest clothes to pay tribute to the prophet Ibrahim. The main mosque in the Thandwe sat empty, however, as the town’s Mus lim population remained confined to their homes - as they have been for the most part since deadly riots earlier this month left seven people dead.
“Muslim people are not leaving their homes for fear of danger,” said one Thandwe resident, a student and activist. “We were afraid a big group at a mosque would be a target.
The rioting, which left an estimat ed 480 people homeless, prompted a large increase in numbers of police and the special security forces known as Lon Htein, while a curfew was also put in place to help maintain order. While the violence has stopped, the security presence has not brought peace for the town’s many Muslim residents.
บ Nyi Nyi Shay, a Kaman Muslim who runs a” bus station in Thandwe, said he and most other Muslim busi ness owners have closed their busi nesses since the end of the riots. บ Nyi Nyi Shay said he does not plan to reopen his anytime soon.
He, and several other residents in terviewed for this article, said the few Muslim businesses that remain open are being “shunned” by the communi ty. “Most Muslim businesses are suf fering directly,” said a Muslim farmer from Thandwe’s Thabuchai village, which bore the brunt of the violence.
Though many schools in affected areas have reopened, บ Nyi Nyi Shay and other residents said that Muslim children are staying home because their parents are afraid of them travel ling to school through Buddhist neigh bourhoods.
In addition, Thandwe residents
Muslim residents of Thabuchai village gather in their home, a day after a Buddhist mob killed five people. Photo: Kaung Htet
have reported that, far from easing tensions, local police and security forces have been using the recently imposed 6pm curfew to harass and even arrest people in both villages and towns. A number of Muslim sources
‘Most Muslim
businesses are
suffering directly.’
Muslim farm er
T habuchai villa g e
said the curfew is only being applied to Muslim neighbourhoods.
In separate interviews, บ Nyi Nyi Shay and several other residents of Thandwe, who all spoke on condi tion of anonymity fearing reprisals, estimated that between 30 and 40 Muslims have been arrested in the last week on what they describe as “trumped-up charges”
They said the new tension is par ticularly disturbing given the Kaman Muslims of Thandwe have historically had peaceful relations with their Bud dhist neighbours.
“In the past relations were harmo nious,” said one Thandwe resident. “Before the riots it was not so bad. There was no discrimination ... Now it’s quite bad and the authorities don’t seem interested in helping.”
The resident, who is staying with family in the town, said he feels out side groups have upset Thandwe’s
former peace. “Some groups I don’t want to name are bent on worsening the situation.”
One organisation that has shot into the spotlight for its members’ alleged involvement in the unrest is the Ra- khine Nationalities Democratic Party. Twenty members of the party are be ing held for their alleged role in plan ning and leading the riots.
The fear expressed by Muslim resi dents was echoed by the United Na tions Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which complet ed a fact-finding mission in Thandwe from October 4-6. It warned of the likely economic impact for the town ship” particularly on Muslim families that rely on agriculture.
“All villagers felt afraid to move outside their villages since the vio lence occurred,” the report said. “Over 90 percent of affected families are farmers who are unable to participate
in the rice harvest which would be due in the next few weeks as they feel un safe. They have also lost their farming tools and equipment along with their houses during the violence”
It called for security to be provided so that farmers can immediately re sume work, and also recommended tools be provided to replace those lost.
“Participation of the affected fami lies on the November-December 2013 harvest and 2014 cropping season are critical to augment the income they receive and jumpstart their local economy.”
A spokesperson for the Rakh- ine State government could not be reached for comment last week.
Asked how long he believed the heightened tension may last, the stu dent activist said, “I don’t want to think about the future. I don’t think life will return to normal for quite some time.”
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FEATURE
Human
trafficking
police
to open
border
offices
CHERRYTHEIN t. c h e rry 6 0 g m a il.c o mPOLICE are to intensify their op erations on the country’s borders to crack down on human traffick ing. They will open new offices at Myawady and Mae Sot by the end of October, the police force’s Anti Trafficking in Persons Division in Nay Pyi Taw has announced.
“The aim is to strengthen co operation with the Thai police to prevent trafficking by improving communications between both our police forces so they can work together effectively on anti trafficking,” Police Captain Min Naing told The Myanmar Times.
“When the traffickers cross the border with their victims, they disguise themselves in many ways and it is hard to trace them. Now, police from both coun tries can work together to arrest them,” he said.
Trafficking cases include fraudulent adoption and mar riage, forced labour and medi cal treatment. The final destina tions are normally Thailand and China, where women can be sold for marriage and there are mar kets for internal organs from children.
The division, formerly known as the anti-human traffick ing taskforce, opened offices in Tachileik and Chinyaing in March 2012 and at Kawthaung and Ranong in August 2012. On the Chinese border, offices are lo cated at Muse, Shweli, Loikyawe, Kyanphone, Laukkai and Nahm- san.
The police work with the UN anti-trafficking agency UNIAP and local NGOs, offering aware ness-raising activities. Training, talks and other events focused on improving education about human trafficking have been or will be held in Nay Pyi Taw, Kyai- kto and Mawlamyine” this month, while police are planning anoth er event in Pathem township, Ay- eyarwady Region, in the second week of November.
Pol Cap Min Naing said edu cation was likely to prompt an increase in the number of cases being reported but this would not mean more trafficking was taking place.
“In the past five years, few cas es of trafficking have been report ed because of a lack of awareness. Now people are better informed so they tell us and we can take prompt action,” he said. “But it is still important to increase aware ness so that the public cooperate against trafficking.”
Police Colonel Aye Thein from the division’s Mawlamyine branch said government depart ments and members of the pub lic are only vaguely aware of the problem. “People called us ‘anti smuggling police’ which means they still need more awareness about trafficking,” he said. “We need to increase cooperation with civil society groups and the media to raise awareness.”
The division was established in January 2006 to prevent traf ficking, protect those vulner able, prosecute traffickers and enhance cooperation around the issue.
Worker organisations fight
resistance from employers
Some employers are refusing to negotiate with worker organisations and even firing leaders, say activists
NOE NOE
AUNG
I
K " ร 1'ร Workers from Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone protest through ' 1 the streets of Yangon on June
9 over wages and conditions in their factories. Photo: Boothee noenoeag0gmail.com
MOST worker organisations formed under new labour laws are still facing strong opposition from factory owners, a number of activists and workers have told The Myanmar Times.
They say factory owners regularly fire labour leaders and even start their own organisations to divide work ers. But the organisations are also denied other basic rights outlined in the Labour Organisation Law, which reintroduced the concept of organised labour in 2012, decades after unions were declared illegal by the military government.
“Though workers organisations were formed under the labour law, most of them do not have full rights,” said บ Htay, a labour activist and lawyer who regularly helps workers involved in dis putes. “They don’t get a chance to meet inside the factories, or make regular meetings. They also cannot meet with those on the management level.”
บ Kyaw Myint, an activist from Action Labour Right, confirmed that progress is slow and intimidation in the factories and workplace is still a problem.
“It is still happening. I won’t deny that the situation is better for many la bour organisations. But a high percent age are still struggling under the pres sure of factory owners,” he said.
บ Kyaw Myint said in some facto ries, owners have also formed their own labour organisations using the new law to divide workers.
“Some owners create problems like this,” บ Kyaw Myint said. “There are many other ways” to pressure [labour] organisation members, such as cutting salaries if they leave the factory floor for a labour organisation-related issue. Many workers can’t do anything when they are threatened with a salaiy cut.”
510
The n u m b e ro fw o rke ro rg a n isa tio n s form ed to the m iddle of August
Usflfc.
I However, there is also some evi dence that the Labour Organisation Law is slowly helping to improve con ditions in factories, particularly around Yangon.
Workers are starting to use the law to strike legally rather than embark on wildcat strikes” which have been a regu lar occurrence over the past two years.
Both Ma Lei Lei Soe from the Saku- ra garment factory in Hlaing Tharyar township and Ko Myo Min Min from the World Fashion garment factory in Shwe Pyi Thar township said that workers have benefited through the formation of labour organisations.
“The situation is better than before,” said Ma Lei Lei Soe, who is secretary of the Sakura garment factory work ers’ organisation. “พ e protested for 16 days in May and then demanded some labour rights through the organisation ... At first we also faced difficulties in negotiation with the owner. We strug gled for a couple of months but then later the management and owner un derstood us and saw that we are not
demanding more than what we are entitled to”
The workers sought not only pay rises but also for management to pro tect workers from mistreatment by su pervisors and for an end to overtime on Sundays.
“Except for salary rises, we got much of what we demanded,” Ma Lei Lei Soe said.
Ko Myo Min Min said that workers at World Fashion garment factory have more freedom than before thanks to the efforts of their worker organisation.
“It’s like we are building trust be tween owners and workers. At first factory owners disliked [the organisa tions]” They didn’t recognise [us] and put pressure on us. But later, they re duced gradually.”
After by-laws for the labour legisla tion were enacted in March, more than 350 worker organisations were formed in 2012 and another 260 until mid- August this year, according to Minis try of Labour, Employment and Social Security figures. While they span the country, most are from factories in Yangon Region.
But บ Htay said the number of or ganisations did not give an accurate in dication of whether the law is working in practice.
“Although organisations were formed easily - almost all applications were approved by the Ministry of La bour - most owners still don’t recog nise them,” he said.
Owners also frequently threaten to fire leaders of worker organisations or, if they have another premises, to relocate workers who participate in the organisations to a new workplace. Another intimidation tactic, he said, is to persuade other workers to form an other labour group.
“If you want proof [of intimidation by owners], just ask how many workers who protested and led labour organisa tions are still in their original workplace or factory. Many of them, who I know personally, are all gone because they formed an organisation,” said บ Htay.
Ko Aung Htut understands this in timidation all too well. In June 2012, when he was working at a car factory in Shwe Pyi Thar township, he was a
founding member of a worker organi sation.
After only a few months, however, Ko Aung Htut dissolved the organisa tion and quit his job because of pres sure from management.
“When the law came out, we cam paigned to form a labour organisation on our own,” Ko Aung Htut said. “At first, workers were afraid and the man agement told us not to do it. When we explained the law to them they relented but later they upset the organisation’s members by cutting their salaries and cutting their bonuses.”
Not all employers are opposed to the labour organisations. Some openly admit that conditions in their work places need to improve and believe that workers’ representatives can assist in this process.
“There should definitely be a work er organisation in every factory?’ said บ Khin Maung Myat, managing direc tor of the San Kaung factory in Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone 2.
“Factory owners don’t know about every single problem workers face ... A
worker organisation can act as a bridge between owners and workers,” he said.
Like most factories in Yangon, San Kaung has had its share of labour dis putes over the past two years. In May, employees stopped work for a whole month” - some even launched a hunger strike - calling for 49 sacked workers to be reinstated and higher salaries. The dispute was eventually resolved through negotiation with the factory’s worker organisation.
บ Khin Maung Myat said that em ployers generally want to resolve the disputes as quickly as possible to get production rolling again.
“We don’t want problems inside our factories. Usually an owner will agree to the workers’ demands as much as they can,” he said.
However, he warned that labour rep resentatives and workers should avoid being too confrontational in their nego tiations with their employers. “The aim of a workers’ union should be to create a better environment for workers. Just opposing whatever the owner says is not a good way to solve a problem.”
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News?
Ministry boosts support
to rural health centres
SHWE YEE SAW MYINT
p o e p w in tp h y u 2 0 1 1 0 g m a il.c o m
HEALTH centre staff numbers in rural areas are to be doubled and centres upgraded, the health min istry has announced. Six new staff members are to be trained and de ployed in addition to the six or so already working in the rural cen tres, said Dr Nwe Ni Ohn, a director of the ministry’s national planning department.
Within 2013-14, the ministry will spend K168.63 billion on the up grade project, she said.
The ministry plan also entails up grading facilities and building new premises, although she conceded that the department may not have the resources to implement it com pletely.
“Rural health centres are staffed by a health assistant, a nurse and five midwives. We are now adding five supervisory staff trained in dis ease control and a security guard, making a total of 13 people” in each rural health centre throughout the country,” Dr Nwe Ni Ohn told The
Myanmar Times.
Each centre serves up to 20,000 people but staffing the centres can be difficult, as some health workers are reluctant to leave the cities to work in remote locations. Figures from the ministry show that of the 1636 rural health centres, 33 have no health staff and 262 do not have a nurse.
“Doctors in particular don’t want to go to the countryside,” said Dr
A volunteer nurse examines an elderly patient In Yangon Region’s Htantabln township. Photo: staff
Nwe Ni Ohn. “So we provide ba sic medical training to some local residents.”
Daw Hla Win, 72, from Tha Pyay Gnoe village in Ayeyarwady Re gion’s Maubin township, said resi dents cannot rely on their local rural health centre because of a lack of staff. Instead, they normally travel to Maubin to see a” private clinic - if they have the money.
“Near our village we have a branch of a rural health centre which covers three villages but it only has a midwife,” she said. “If we fall sick we can go there but the midwife never comes to our house because she has her own baby to look after.”
Myanmar has traditionally been
More than 1000 meet
to discuss girls’ rights
FIONA MACGREGOR
n e w s ro o m 0 m y a n m a rtim e s .c o m .m m
MORE than 1000 girls gathered in Yangon and Mandalay last week to call on the government to protect their rights and create a more equal future for young women.
Gender equality, the right to free high school education, and protec tion from violence and exploitation were the key concerns raised by the adolescent members of the Colorful Girls organisation and discussed by young delegates at the two events.
The group said that the statement issued following the events is the first document of its kind in Myan mar, having been developed by girls with the aim of highlighting” their and their peers’ concerns and needs.
“There are specific laws on violence against women, but not against girls. Girls suffer the highest rate of violence, but they often don’t know [their rights] because of a lack of education. So this statement calls on the government to protect girls with specific laws in relation to violence and discrimination and support educational and economic equality,” said Wa Wa Sein, one of the teenagers addressing the meet ing in Yangon.
Colorful Girls is a Myanmar NGO that works alongside partner Girl Determined to support girls aged 12 to 17 in developing leadership skills to advocate for their own rights. The aim is to establish a future where girls do not face the risks their coun terparts currently face, including high school drop-out rates, labour exploitation, violence at home and in their communities, trafficking and gender discrimination.
Around 850 girls attended the Mandalay meeting on October 14
ranked among the lowest in the World Health Organization’s listing of the health systems of 190 coun tries because of poor infrastructure and low public health expenditure.
The major health challenges fac ing the country include life expec tancy rates as low as 63 years for a man and 67 years for a woman; high morbidity for children under five years (62” per 1000 live births); and
high maternal morbidity rate (200 per 100,000 live births).
There are an estimated 4-8 mil lion people living with malaria, as 75 percent of the population lives in high malaria prevalence areas. There are more than 500,000 cases of tu berculosis, as well as widespread poverty, lack of proper sanitation and water supply, malnutrition and poor health awareness.
Dr Nwe Ni Ohn said by upgrad ing the rural centre the government hopes to increase average life ex pectancy to 70 years for both men and women by” 2015, and reduce the number of women who die in childbirth.
Rain to continue
despite close of
monsoon season
AYE SAPAY PHYU
ayephyu2OO 60gmaiL.com
RAINY weather is likely to per sist even after the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon season on October 12, meteorologists warn. The meteorology department an nounced last week that the monsoon season had officially ended, two days after its earlier October 10 forecast”.
Department director บ Chit Kyaw said that most states and re gions received more than their aver age rainfall in September. “Yangon and Tanintharyi regions, Kayin and Kayah states had 10 inches (254 mil limetres) more rainfall than their average, he said.
As of October 14, records showed that rainfall in Kachin, Northern Shan, Rakhine, Kayah, Kayin and Mon states from January 1 to Octo ber 14 was greater than their average rainfall for an entire year.
Meteorologists warned that storms in the Bay of Bengal would bring post-monsoon rains to much of the country for several more
10
The num b e r of inches of rainfall above the average that Yangon Region received in Septem ber
I I
weeks. “October and November are the second storm season. We expect ed two low-pressure areas in the Bay of Bengal in October,” said บ Chit Kyaw.
A low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal from October 20 to 31 could intensify into a depression, forecast ers predicted, urging farmers to take precautions. บทtimely rain could be useful for some growers, but could also damage crops,” บ TUn Lwin, a former director general of the de partment, said in mid-October.
The department has forecast above-average rain for Shan, Kayah, Kayin and Mon states.
and about 400 others met in Yangon on October 18 for the public release of the Teenage Girl statement, which was drafted in March this year at a peace-building summer camp at tended by 68 leaders represent ing more than 1000 Colorful Girls members.
The original draft was then dis cussed by Colorful Girls groups around the country leading to the creation of the final statement.
The group now plans to meet with members of the hluttaw and other senior government and non government figures to further pro mote girl-led advocacy.
During the meeting the young delegates discussed a number of important issues affecting girls in Myanmar including: exploitation in factories; sexual abuse; verbal and physical violence; and discrimina tion in the education system, along with social attitudes that hold girls back from achieving their academic potential.
Girl Determined technical advis er Brooke Zobrist said she was “so pleased” at the open nature of the discussions that took place during the Yangon meeting.
“The girls were so active and honest in their discussions, which I think really brings out the common concerns and hurdles that they face as adolescent girls in Myanmar to day,” she said.
In bringing all these girls togeth er from some of Yangon’s very poor communities, I was also struck by the level of their motivation to im prove the quality of their own lives and the lives of others in their com munities. Since we started our work here in Yangon, the girls have really taken it in and are now clearly lead ing the conversation on girls’ rights.”
10 News
THE MYANMAR TIMES OCTOBER 21 - 27, 2013Views___________
Coops and the credibility gap
Decades of state control over cooperatives could thwart the government’s efforts to revitalise the sector
President บ Thein Sein attends the launch of the government’s US$100 million cooperative program in Nay Pyi Taw on August 19.
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yanmar
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IN conversations with people around Myanmar, you will be hard-pressed to find someone that admits to wanting to join a cooperative. Responses range from “I do not want a friendship with the government” to “Cooperatives are for poor people.” Such responses stand in contrast to recent high-profile gov ernment initiatives to spur develop ment using cooperatives as a means to alleviate poverty and promote economic development.
Ingrained scepticism in Myanmar about the cooperative business model is not surprising. Cooperatives were part of a state-planned economy un til 1988. Memories persist of standing in line for poor-quality products or services from the local cooperative, which people had often been forced to join.
In 1988, cooperatives were among the first state-led institutions to be tar geted by the people. The government at tempted to resurrect cooperatives after 1992, ostensibly with an orientation to a freer market” However, the repeated sale of cooperative assets by the govern ment to raise revenue and increasing government involvement in the opera tions of cooperatives left them a bank rupt business model, both financially and in the minds of many people.
Since 2011, cooperatives have re gained prominence in Myanmar. They are identified explicitly in the govern ment’s five-year development plan, as well as its Rural Poverty Alleviation and Development Framework. Vast numbers of cooperatives still exist, many established more than 20 years ago, regulated by government and with members that participate in the coop eratives’ business.
Cooperative societies, as they are known in Myanmar, are often touted as a bridge between government pro grams and the financial needs of Myan mar’s urban and rural poor. In August, Myanmar’s parliament approved, to both acclaim and criticism, a US$100 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of China. The money will be lent to people in thousands of towns and villages across the country through existing and new cooperatives that the government is encouraging.
Cooperatives play key roles in many countries’ transitions to developed, market economies. Groups of individu als and entrepreneurs come together to form co-ops. It is an independent, democratically run, market-responsive business that” provides needs or ser vices that are unavailable in their com munities. Rich, middle-class and poor
SOETHAN LYNN
so e th a n lyn n ra g m a il.co m
MEDIA watchdogs have complained that a draft law now before the parlia ment could weaken their power and risk lowering standards, as well as re ducing legal protections for publishers and journalists.
Their complaints concern the media bill drafted by the Interim Press Coun cil, which is now before the Pyithu Hluttaw after being approved in the Amyotha Hluttaw.
people alike benefit from their services and products.
In places where there is no electrici ty, no financial institution or no grocery store, cooperatives have been formed to fill the void. When farmers need to reduce prices paid for their inputs or to market collectively to increase the value of their product, cooperatives emerge.
TRILLION
$1
The collective assets of the w o rld 's 300 largest cooperatives
Cooperative businesses network to leam from each other, to lend each other money and to become a sector that operates differently from more traditional private sector actors. A co operative’s profit is returned to the members that use its services and the communities where it operates, and not to external shareholders.
There is no single, simple approach to help build successful cooperatives, but there are common principles. Cooperative businesses need to be autonomous and independent. They need to be open to new members. All
But the Pyithu Hluttaw committee handling the bill has removed two nec essary sections - 12 and 32 - from the draft,” Press Council secretary บ Kyaw Min Swe has told TheMyamnar Times.
“We protest against the removal of those two sections of the media bill. We included the sections after consult ing with legal advisers. These sections are really needed. Section 12 concerns [journalistic] standards and the role of our council. Removing it could weaken the role of the Press Council,” he said.
“The council is the only group that
members have an equal say in the dem ocratic elections of the cooperative’s leadership, no matter what the size of their business with the co-operative. Cooperatives need to succeed in their marketplace; they need business and marketing plans, good accounting and responsible management practices.
The global cooperative success story is remarkable. The collective assets of the world’s 300 largest cooperatives are more than $1 trillion. This would make cooperatives and their members the world ร lO01 largest economy. Co-op eratives provide more than 100 million jobs - at least 20 percent more than multinational corporations.
In developing countries, coopera tives are changing the agricultural and financial marketplace, in similar ways to what occurred in the United States, Canada and Western Europe 75 years ago. Governments have an important role to play, putting in place tax and financing mechanisms that allow coop erative members to take on more risk and grow their business.
For all the success, there are many harbingers of cooperative failure. Co operatives fail for business reasons, like any private sector actor that competes in the marketplace. They have been used in many countries for political reasons, such as to distribute political favours, and this has destroyed their credibility in the process. Government encouragement for cooperatives cannot become interference in business opera tions or undermine member control.
Given the success of cooperatives
can act on behalf of the media sector under the proposed law,” he said.
Section 32 provided legal protec tions of publishers and journalists, he said, by stipulating that any search or seizure” of media property, or any pro posed ban on a newspaper or publica tion should be conducted in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure.
“I think the hluttaw should have asked the original drafters of the bill for their opinion before they amended it,” said บ Kyaw Min Swe.
“The Amyotha Hluttaw Bill
in developed and developing coun tries, the potential of the cooperative model in Myanmar is apparent. The government’s strong political and fi nancial commitment to working with and through cooperatives to alleviate poverty has been made clear. The min ister of cooperatives has repeated that the government is willing to learn from past mistakes made in Myanmar and how the model is nurtured in other countries, and has invited advice and support in this regard.
The fact remains that cooperatives in Myanmar face a credibility gap. Us ing them as a bridge to alleviate pover ty is commendable, particularly given the striking needs that exist. For this to be done sustainably, it needs to be ac companied by capacity building for lo cal, regional, and national cooperative structures that prepare them to act as independent and autonomous coopera tive businesses.
The long-term sustainability of co operative businesses in Myanmar will depend on individual members in vesting their time and money to make cooperatives work, supported by a regulatory framework that facilitates cooperative growth. This is a long-term process and if done right will go a long way to alleviating poverty and promot ing” economic development.
Michael Wodzicki is director for market relations at the Canadian Co-operative Association, Canada’s national association of cooperatives.
Committee met with us before the draft was submitted to Amyotha Hlut taw. The Pyithu Hluttaw hasn’t had any meeting or discussion with us. We heard that they met with the Ministry of Information before amending the bill and they have had regular contact.” บ Kyaw Min Swe added, “Our soci ety had” to live under a dictatorship for 50 years. The hluttaw should not allow any room for anxiety and doubt [over protections for the media]. They should at least invite us for negotiations.”
- Translation by Thiri Min Htun
