This is the ordeal for thousands of Rohingya Muslims who made an unsuccessful bid to reach foreign shores. Many like the Haryot’s, to make a trip, sold everything including camp food rations and house and, are left with nothing at their disposal.
Carrying the burden of debt, Mohammad still wants to go to Malaysia as there are no means of livelihood for Rohingyas in the Rakhine capital, Sittwe. Rohingya Muslims are a minority group living in the Rakhine state of Myanmar bordering Bangladesh. Myanmar has denied them citizenship under the 1982 Citizenship Act.
Military operations under the alibi of flushing out Mujahideen rebels, a separatist Muslim outfit fighting a war against the government, forced thousands of Rohingyas to move to neighbouring Bangladesh. Those living within Myanmar have been internally displaced and forced into camps run by aid agencies, due to a series of anti-Rohingya riots in 2012. Forced into living a life of dependency that hardly takes care of their basic needs, they are taking perilous journeys, both by land and sea in search of shelter and livelihood opportunities. (Courtesy of CADTM)
January 22, 2016
New Zealander jailed in Burma to be released Friday
Phil Blackwood, a New Zealand national incarcerated in Rangoon’s Insein Prison since December 2014, will be released on Friday.
A spokesperson for New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the pending release.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is pleased to confirm Mr Blackwood is on the Myanmar Presidential Amnesty list which will allow him to be released from detention. This is understandably of significant relief to his family. MFAT, through the New Zealand Embassy and consular staff, has been providing consular assistance to Mr Blackwood and his family since his first arrest and detention. The New Zealand Embassy in Myanmar is liaising with the relevant authorities over the amnesty release arrangements and will advise the family,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to DVB on Friday.
The Assistance Association for of Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP-B) confirmed that 101 prisoners were released on Friday. Around 50 political prisoners were among the group, according to AAPP-B. (Courtesy of DVB)
A spokesperson for New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the pending release.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is pleased to confirm Mr Blackwood is on the Myanmar Presidential Amnesty list which will allow him to be released from detention. This is understandably of significant relief to his family. MFAT, through the New Zealand Embassy and consular staff, has been providing consular assistance to Mr Blackwood and his family since his first arrest and detention. The New Zealand Embassy in Myanmar is liaising with the relevant authorities over the amnesty release arrangements and will advise the family,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to DVB on Friday.
The Assistance Association for of Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP-B) confirmed that 101 prisoners were released on Friday. Around 50 political prisoners were among the group, according to AAPP-B. (Courtesy of DVB)
Tourist arrivals for 2015 reached 4.68m in Myanmar
Myanmar welcomed 4.68 million tourists in 2015, according to figures from the Hotels and Tourism Ministry, another sizeable annual uptick representing a 52% increase on the previous year.
Tourist arrivals have surged since a quasi-civilian government took power under President Thein Sein, with the number of arrivals climbing from 800,000 in 2011 to 3.08 million in 2014, the Irrawaddy reported on Wednesday, citing official statistics.
The ministry had previously stated a goal of between 4.5 to 5 million tourists in 2015.
However, industry observers have routinely questioned the government’s figures, which tally arrivals of all foreign passport holders at land and air entry points. The majority of travellers to Myanmar cross overland from Thailand through checkpoints in Tachileik, Shan state and Karen state’s Myawaddy, many on business. (Courtesy of Bangkok Post: News)
Tourist arrivals have surged since a quasi-civilian government took power under President Thein Sein, with the number of arrivals climbing from 800,000 in 2011 to 3.08 million in 2014, the Irrawaddy reported on Wednesday, citing official statistics.
The ministry had previously stated a goal of between 4.5 to 5 million tourists in 2015.
However, industry observers have routinely questioned the government’s figures, which tally arrivals of all foreign passport holders at land and air entry points. The majority of travellers to Myanmar cross overland from Thailand through checkpoints in Tachileik, Shan state and Karen state’s Myawaddy, many on business. (Courtesy of Bangkok Post: News)
Myanmar garment sector gets €2.8 mn EU boost
Small and medium enterprises in Myanmar's garment sector are set to get a 2.8 million euros boost from the European Union. The cash infusion will support the second phase of a development initiative that aims to make the “Made in Myanmar” industry more competitive by building environmental awareness, sustainability and social protections for the workers.
The next phase of the EU-funded SMEs for environmental Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency (SMART) project will start next week, Project Director Simone Lehmann said at a press conference in Yangon.
She said the programme will provide “technical support and capacity building” through workshops engaging dozens of factory employers.
“We will not be focusing on labour disputes in the garment sector but we will only focus on developing the sector and providing professional support for MGMA (the Myanmar Garment Manufactures Association),” she said. (Courtesy of Apparel News Myanmar)
The next phase of the EU-funded SMEs for environmental Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency (SMART) project will start next week, Project Director Simone Lehmann said at a press conference in Yangon.
She said the programme will provide “technical support and capacity building” through workshops engaging dozens of factory employers.
“We will not be focusing on labour disputes in the garment sector but we will only focus on developing the sector and providing professional support for MGMA (the Myanmar Garment Manufactures Association),” she said. (Courtesy of Apparel News Myanmar)
Rakhine ethnic party aims to rule troubled Myanmar state
A powerful ethnic party in Myanmar’s troubled western Rakhine state has threatened to boycott the new government unless election victor Aung San Suu Kyi appoints a local politician as chief minister.
Arakan National Party (ANP) chief Oo Hla Saw told Anadolu Agency on Thursday that they had been waiting to negotiate with the National League for Democracy (NLD), the Suu Kyi-led opposition party, since the official results of the November election were announced.
“But no word from NLD yet,” he said by phone.
The ANP, which won the majority of seats in Rakhine, issued a statement Wednesday demanding that the NLD grant an exemption allowing the ethnic party to form its own government.
“Otherwise we won’t join any government organization, but will stand as an opposition party for the interests of Rakhine people,” ANP said in the statement. (Courtesy of news.videonews.us)
Arakan National Party (ANP) chief Oo Hla Saw told Anadolu Agency on Thursday that they had been waiting to negotiate with the National League for Democracy (NLD), the Suu Kyi-led opposition party, since the official results of the November election were announced.
“But no word from NLD yet,” he said by phone.
The ANP, which won the majority of seats in Rakhine, issued a statement Wednesday demanding that the NLD grant an exemption allowing the ethnic party to form its own government.
“Otherwise we won’t join any government organization, but will stand as an opposition party for the interests of Rakhine people,” ANP said in the statement. (Courtesy of news.videonews.us)
SMART Myanmar launches 2nd phase of European Union funded project
SMART Myanmar held a kick-off launch event on 19 January at the UMFCCI with approximately 200 guests from factories, embassies and other stakeholders, according to a press release on the 20 January.
More than 200 guests gathered at the UMFCCI on Tuesday to listen to speeches by the Ambassador of the European Union, Mr. Roland Kobia and Director General U Win Shein from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security’s Factory Inspections Department, as well as several of the partners of the SMART Myanmar project.
SMART Myanmar is an EU-funded SWITCH Asia project focused on making social and environmental improvements in Myanmar’s garment industry. From 2013-2015 the project engaged with dozens of local garment factories on social & environmental compliance issues, providing technical support and capacity building. As well, the project assisted in boosting the capacity of business associations, helping the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA) develop its staff capacity and draft a first-ever Code of Conduct for its members, as well as providing professional support for both the MGMA and the UMFCCI. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
More than 200 guests gathered at the UMFCCI on Tuesday to listen to speeches by the Ambassador of the European Union, Mr. Roland Kobia and Director General U Win Shein from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security’s Factory Inspections Department, as well as several of the partners of the SMART Myanmar project.
SMART Myanmar is an EU-funded SWITCH Asia project focused on making social and environmental improvements in Myanmar’s garment industry. From 2013-2015 the project engaged with dozens of local garment factories on social & environmental compliance issues, providing technical support and capacity building. As well, the project assisted in boosting the capacity of business associations, helping the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA) develop its staff capacity and draft a first-ever Code of Conduct for its members, as well as providing professional support for both the MGMA and the UMFCCI. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
Emigrants in Singapore's 'little Myanmar' eye their homeland
It was no more than a glance, but Aye Aye Win's respectful mid-sentence nod toward her 83-year-old father said as much as anything else about why she wants to remain in Singapore after three decades in the city-state, away from her family in Myanmar.
The old man, Maung Htay, had been in Singapore "for a few weeks" to get medical treatment that Aye Aye Win said was out of his reach at home -- a legacy of decades of meager health spending by Myanmar's long-ruling military junta.
She runs a small shop in Peninsula Plaza, a vibrant commercial complex that is the center of Myanmar life in Singapore. Women, their cheeks painted with cream-colored thanaka -- a Myanmar cosmetic made from tree bark -- perch on high stools behind shop counters selling cellphones. Other shops selling longyi -- a Myanmar version of the sarong -- sit alongside restaurants dishing up Myanmar staples such as tea-leaf salad and mohinga, a popular curried fish and noodle soup. (Courtesy of Nikkei Asian Review)
The old man, Maung Htay, had been in Singapore "for a few weeks" to get medical treatment that Aye Aye Win said was out of his reach at home -- a legacy of decades of meager health spending by Myanmar's long-ruling military junta.
She runs a small shop in Peninsula Plaza, a vibrant commercial complex that is the center of Myanmar life in Singapore. Women, their cheeks painted with cream-colored thanaka -- a Myanmar cosmetic made from tree bark -- perch on high stools behind shop counters selling cellphones. Other shops selling longyi -- a Myanmar version of the sarong -- sit alongside restaurants dishing up Myanmar staples such as tea-leaf salad and mohinga, a popular curried fish and noodle soup. (Courtesy of Nikkei Asian Review)
Student demonstrators mark anniversary
One year on, students demanding an independent union, a democratic education system and the release of political prisoners have returned to the fray. The All Myanmar Student Union (Upper Myanmar) organised a demonstration marching to Mandalay University yesterday to mark the protest launched 12 months ago.
The movement seemed to founder after the violent police attack on student marchers at Letpadan, 140 kilometres (87 miles) north of Yangon, when 127 students, journalists and bystanders were arrested.
“It’s a year since that demonstration march began at Eain Taw Yar Pagoda. We are now commemorating that event, under the leadership of the executive members of all universities and colleges in Upper Myanmar,” said student union chair Ko Nyan Lin Htet.
The demonstrators renewed their call on the government to respond to the 16 demands students had made previously, he said. The student march was initially launched last year against a new education bill perceived as restricting academic freedoms. Seeking to overhaul the bill, campaigners paraded from Mandalay, intending to descend on Yangon picking up more student activists along the way. A revised National Education Law was passed in June after the word “union” was removed from the text, against the wishes of students. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
The movement seemed to founder after the violent police attack on student marchers at Letpadan, 140 kilometres (87 miles) north of Yangon, when 127 students, journalists and bystanders were arrested.
“It’s a year since that demonstration march began at Eain Taw Yar Pagoda. We are now commemorating that event, under the leadership of the executive members of all universities and colleges in Upper Myanmar,” said student union chair Ko Nyan Lin Htet.
The demonstrators renewed their call on the government to respond to the 16 demands students had made previously, he said. The student march was initially launched last year against a new education bill perceived as restricting academic freedoms. Seeking to overhaul the bill, campaigners paraded from Mandalay, intending to descend on Yangon picking up more student activists along the way. A revised National Education Law was passed in June after the word “union” was removed from the text, against the wishes of students. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
NLD Nominates Speakers, Including Minority MPs
The National League for Democracy (NLD) has revealed four nominees for speakers of the new Parliament that will convene on Feb 1, including three representatives of ethnic minorities.
NLD spokesperson Nyan Win told AFP on Wednesday that the party has nominated Win Myint and ethnic Karen Win Khaing Than, both NLD members, for the Lower and Upper House, respectively.
An ethnic Arakanese lawmaker from the Arakan National Party (ANP) and an ethnic Kachin member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) have been nominated as deputy speakers, according to AFP. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
NLD spokesperson Nyan Win told AFP on Wednesday that the party has nominated Win Myint and ethnic Karen Win Khaing Than, both NLD members, for the Lower and Upper House, respectively.
An ethnic Arakanese lawmaker from the Arakan National Party (ANP) and an ethnic Kachin member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) have been nominated as deputy speakers, according to AFP. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
Seized Stimulants from Myanmar: Bangladesh Police
Authorities in Bangladesh have made a record seizure of methamphetamine tablets that they say were made in Myanmar, AFP news agency reported.
The 2.8 million tablets, worth an estimated US$10.5 million were seized in police raids at a railway station in Dhaka and in the port city of Chittagong, police said on January 18.
“This is the biggest seizure of yaba tablets in Bangladesh,” said police Rapid Action Battalion spokesperson, Major Rumman Mahmud, using the Thai word for methamphetamine.
Three suspected traffickers were arrested, he said, adding that the drugs were made in Myanmar.
Methamphetamine has become popular among young people in Bangladesh, which has a population of 160 million, AFP said. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
The 2.8 million tablets, worth an estimated US$10.5 million were seized in police raids at a railway station in Dhaka and in the port city of Chittagong, police said on January 18.
“This is the biggest seizure of yaba tablets in Bangladesh,” said police Rapid Action Battalion spokesperson, Major Rumman Mahmud, using the Thai word for methamphetamine.
Three suspected traffickers were arrested, he said, adding that the drugs were made in Myanmar.
Methamphetamine has become popular among young people in Bangladesh, which has a population of 160 million, AFP said. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
13 'illegal' Myanmar nationals arrested
In the wake of an intelligence alert about Bangladesh-based groups planning a terror strike in India, south zone (SZ) cops on Wednesday conducted searches at Asad Baba Nagar and apprehended 13 Myanmar nationals. Cops were now contemplating deporting these 13 foreigners staying illegally in the city.
The IB had issued an alert to all the states three days ago, stating that Bangla terror groups might strike at 23 places in India. As Hyderabad happens to be on the radar of these outfits, the Special Branch sleuths of Hyderabad cops along with SZ cops conducted search at Asad Baba Nagar to weed out foreigners staying illegally there. Though they could not trace any Bangladeshis, cops found 38 Myanmar nationals. They found 13 without UNHCR id cards. "One of the Myanmar nationals obtained a voter id and Aadhaar card. We have registered a case against him. The official who helped him obtain id cards will also be booked," DCP, SZ, V Satyanarayana said. (Courtesy of Times of India)
The IB had issued an alert to all the states three days ago, stating that Bangla terror groups might strike at 23 places in India. As Hyderabad happens to be on the radar of these outfits, the Special Branch sleuths of Hyderabad cops along with SZ cops conducted search at Asad Baba Nagar to weed out foreigners staying illegally there. Though they could not trace any Bangladeshis, cops found 38 Myanmar nationals. They found 13 without UNHCR id cards. "One of the Myanmar nationals obtained a voter id and Aadhaar card. We have registered a case against him. The official who helped him obtain id cards will also be booked," DCP, SZ, V Satyanarayana said. (Courtesy of Times of India)
Independent bar association aims to usher in new era
Myanmar's legal profession is aiming to come clean. Lawyers have launched the industry’s first independent, national bar association in Myanmar with the help of a London-based human rights training group and the rule of law committee.
The Independent Lawyers’ Association of Myanmar was launched in Nay Pyi Taw on January 19 with 5000 inaugural members. The association aims to promote access to justice and battle a long-entrenched culture of bribery and corruption. The judiciary has long been perceived as one of the most debauched pillars of governance in the country. The World Justice Project rated Myanmar 91st-worst out of 102 countries in its annual Rule of Law Index last year.
At the bar’s launch ceremony, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, chair of the Hluttaw’s Rule of Law and Stability Committee, called improved rule of law a “pressing need”. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
The Independent Lawyers’ Association of Myanmar was launched in Nay Pyi Taw on January 19 with 5000 inaugural members. The association aims to promote access to justice and battle a long-entrenched culture of bribery and corruption. The judiciary has long been perceived as one of the most debauched pillars of governance in the country. The World Justice Project rated Myanmar 91st-worst out of 102 countries in its annual Rule of Law Index last year.
At the bar’s launch ceremony, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, chair of the Hluttaw’s Rule of Law and Stability Committee, called improved rule of law a “pressing need”. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Transition in translation, Chilean president visits Myanmar
Ricardo Lagos, former president of Chile, yesterday recalled asking Augusto Pinochet, then still commander-in-chief after 17 years as military dictator, about the fate of some 200 missing people.
“In the ocean,” General Pinochet was said to have replied. “Bodies.”
Mr Lagos, 77, said it was a chilling moment in a tense meeting.
Visiting Myanmar to share his experiences of making the transition from military rule to civilian democracy, Mr Lagos said that, despite the horror of those years under Pinochet’s grip, it had been crucial to Chile’s success to work together with, and not against, the former dictator during the 1990s transition.
He recommended a similar partnership for Myanmar. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
“In the ocean,” General Pinochet was said to have replied. “Bodies.”
Mr Lagos, 77, said it was a chilling moment in a tense meeting.
Visiting Myanmar to share his experiences of making the transition from military rule to civilian democracy, Mr Lagos said that, despite the horror of those years under Pinochet’s grip, it had been crucial to Chile’s success to work together with, and not against, the former dictator during the 1990s transition.
He recommended a similar partnership for Myanmar. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)