The National League for Democracy has formed a so-called Parliamentary Affairs Leading Committee, led by Win Myint, a central executive committee member, in an attempt to coordinate work.
The five-member committee will also include Lower House MPs Khin San Hlaing and Aung Soe and the Upper House's Mahn Win Khaing Than and Min Oo.
The committee is designed to coordinate with parliamentary leaders and officials, draft parliamentary schedules, invite guests and allow visitors and the media to sessions. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
January 28, 2016
Unease stirs as Myanmar's Suu Kyi reaches out to former foes
When leaders of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy huddled this month to discuss the transfer of power in Myanmar, they quickly reached decisions on who from the party should take the key posts in the next parliament.
But as attention turned to a candidate from the junta-linked Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a heated argument erupted over his track record and suitability for office, a senior NLD official who was present at the meeting said.
The issue of how far to go in reaching out to former foes from nearly half a century of military rule may prove one of the first faultines to emerge within the NLD, with the potential to threaten or even derail Suu Kyi's ambitious agenda.
"Some rank-and-file members are worried and not happy about the NLD working closely with the military. They never kept their promises so they don't trust the army," said Aung Myo, a mid-ranking NLD member.(Courtesy of Reuters)
But as attention turned to a candidate from the junta-linked Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a heated argument erupted over his track record and suitability for office, a senior NLD official who was present at the meeting said.
The issue of how far to go in reaching out to former foes from nearly half a century of military rule may prove one of the first faultines to emerge within the NLD, with the potential to threaten or even derail Suu Kyi's ambitious agenda.
"Some rank-and-file members are worried and not happy about the NLD working closely with the military. They never kept their promises so they don't trust the army," said Aung Myo, a mid-ranking NLD member.(Courtesy of Reuters)
Rule of law depends on reform of Union Attorney General’s Office
The attorney general is Myanmar’s most powerful legal officer: As a member of the executive, the AG provides legal advice to the President and the hluttaw, analyses international treaties, drafts and amends laws, and represents the government in judicial proceedings. The attorney general also directs the prosecutors’ office and ensures that cabinet actions are legally valid, in line with the constitution and international human rights law.
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), international donors and development partners discussed the attorney general’s powerful role on the sidelines of the launch for the Union Attorney General Office’s (UAGO) Strategic Plan 2015-19 in Nay Pyi Taw last week. All expressed hope that the incoming National League for Democracy (NLD) government will appoint an attorney general committed to reform, the rule of law and human rights, in line with their election manifesto promise to ensure that executive and judicial systems support the rule of law. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), international donors and development partners discussed the attorney general’s powerful role on the sidelines of the launch for the Union Attorney General Office’s (UAGO) Strategic Plan 2015-19 in Nay Pyi Taw last week. All expressed hope that the incoming National League for Democracy (NLD) government will appoint an attorney general committed to reform, the rule of law and human rights, in line with their election manifesto promise to ensure that executive and judicial systems support the rule of law. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
How Europe Can Help the Rohingya
When the dry season brings calmer seas to Southeast Asia, scores of Rohingya Muslims are likely to take to rickety boats to flee oppression in their homelands. As this sailing season looms again in the region, so does a refugee crisis that follows with equally seasonal regularity.
The Rohingya are a distinct, Muslim minority in Southeast Asia, whose presence in the region stretches back some 1,000 years. Since 2012, over 100,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar due to religious discrimination, typically fueled by Buddhist agitators. Many have been shut out of nearby countries where they sought shelter. Today, there are sizeable Rohingya communities in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Despite their historical roots in the region, the Rohingya are largely viewed as foreigners and denied basic rights. (Courtesy of Foreign Policy)
The Rohingya are a distinct, Muslim minority in Southeast Asia, whose presence in the region stretches back some 1,000 years. Since 2012, over 100,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar due to religious discrimination, typically fueled by Buddhist agitators. Many have been shut out of nearby countries where they sought shelter. Today, there are sizeable Rohingya communities in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Despite their historical roots in the region, the Rohingya are largely viewed as foreigners and denied basic rights. (Courtesy of Foreign Policy)
Myanmar president pushes to expand army-run ministry
Myanmar's outgoing army-backed president asked parliament Tuesday to extend the powers of the military-controlled home affairs ministry by giving it control over immigration, officials said.
The surprise move comes just days before the incumbent military-dominated parliament hands over to a legislature led by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, as the balance of power begins to tilt partially away from the army for the first time in generations.
President's Office director Zaw Htay told AFP that Thein Sein had decided "to combine the ministry of immigration and population and ministry of home affairs" and had written to parliament asking for its approval.
It is expected to be discussed in the legislature on Wednesday. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
The surprise move comes just days before the incumbent military-dominated parliament hands over to a legislature led by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, as the balance of power begins to tilt partially away from the army for the first time in generations.
President's Office director Zaw Htay told AFP that Thein Sein had decided "to combine the ministry of immigration and population and ministry of home affairs" and had written to parliament asking for its approval.
It is expected to be discussed in the legislature on Wednesday. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
Japan vows support for new Myanmar government
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida conveyed Wednesday to senior officials of Myanmar's National League for Democracy Tokyo's support for the Southeast Asian country's incoming government to be led by the party following its landslide victory in last November's general election.
TOKYO — Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida conveyed Wednesday to senior officials of Myanmar's National League for Democracy Tokyo's support for the Southeast Asian country's incoming government to be led by the party following its landslide victory in last November's general election.
"Japan will further accelerate official development assistance and private investment to support the new government," Kishida said in his meeting in Tokyo with Myo Myint, a brain of the NLD's economic policies, and other members of the party economic committee, which is preparing economic policies for the new government. The NLD is led by Aung San Suu Kyi. (Courtesy of Bangkok Post: News)
TOKYO — Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida conveyed Wednesday to senior officials of Myanmar's National League for Democracy Tokyo's support for the Southeast Asian country's incoming government to be led by the party following its landslide victory in last November's general election.
"Japan will further accelerate official development assistance and private investment to support the new government," Kishida said in his meeting in Tokyo with Myo Myint, a brain of the NLD's economic policies, and other members of the party economic committee, which is preparing economic policies for the new government. The NLD is led by Aung San Suu Kyi. (Courtesy of Bangkok Post: News)
Report on Women in Conflict and Peace launched in Myitkyina
What is women’s role in conflict, peacebuilding and democratization? What are the consequences of women’s inclusion and exclusion from the peace process? These are some of the questions explored in Women in Conflict and Peace, International IDEA’s publication was launched on 26 January in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State the organisation said in a press release.
Drawing on four case studies from Myanmar, Afghanistan, Rwanda and the Philippines, Women in Conflict and Peace analyses the impact of women on conflict and peacebuilding, concluding with recommendations that international and local actors can implement to increase the participation of marginalized women in peace- and democracy-building initiatives. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
Drawing on four case studies from Myanmar, Afghanistan, Rwanda and the Philippines, Women in Conflict and Peace analyses the impact of women on conflict and peacebuilding, concluding with recommendations that international and local actors can implement to increase the participation of marginalized women in peace- and democracy-building initiatives. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
Opinion: Why U.S. should back change in Myanmar
After holding historic elections in November, Myanmar, also known as Burma, is undergoing a remarkable transition to constitutional democratic governance. I recently led a congressional delegation to the country to evaluate this sweeping change firsthand and gauge how the United States can continue to support Myanmar's movement toward the free world.
The National League for Democracy, the opposition party led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, swept the elections, winning 77% of contested parliamentary seats. This victory was many painful decades in the making. Suu Kyi's father, Gen. Aung San, was assassinated in 1947 while he led the transitional government as Myanmar gained its independence from Great Britain. (Courtesy of WPTZ Home)
The National League for Democracy, the opposition party led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, swept the elections, winning 77% of contested parliamentary seats. This victory was many painful decades in the making. Suu Kyi's father, Gen. Aung San, was assassinated in 1947 while he led the transitional government as Myanmar gained its independence from Great Britain. (Courtesy of WPTZ Home)
Suu Kyi's novice MPs learn ropes in outgoing Myanmar parliament
Hundreds of newly-elected Myanmar MPs from Aung San Suu Kyi's party took lessons in lawmaking from the outgoing army-dominated parliament Wednesday, January 27, days before taking their seats in the most democratic legislature for decades.
A landslide victory for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) in November polls will give the politicians their first taste of power when the new parliament convenes on February 1, a historical turning point for a nation long stifled by military rule.
The new MPs include democracy activists from all walks of life and dozens of former political prisoners, but few have any background in lawmaking. The country was ruled by an oppressive military junta for nearly 50 years, from 1962-2011. (Courtesy of rappler.com)
A landslide victory for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) in November polls will give the politicians their first taste of power when the new parliament convenes on February 1, a historical turning point for a nation long stifled by military rule.
The new MPs include democracy activists from all walks of life and dozens of former political prisoners, but few have any background in lawmaking. The country was ruled by an oppressive military junta for nearly 50 years, from 1962-2011. (Courtesy of rappler.com)
At Least 6 Confirmed Dead in Landslide at Myanmar Jade Mine
A landslide of mining waste killed at least six people in the sixth deadly such accident in northern Myanmar's jade mining region since a November disaster left more than 100 dead.
Hpakant Baptist Church deacon Dut La, who is organizing funerals for the victims, said six bodies were in the morgue but more than a dozen may still lie under the waste from the slide that occurred Monday afternoon in Kachin state's Hpakant mining region.
"We are going to bury them today. Some family members showed up but some didn't and we cannot wait for them anymore," Dut La said Wednesday. "There are a dozen more possibly buried under the debris but it's quite difficult to take the bodies out because it's too dangerous."
Hpakant, 950 kilometers (600 miles) northeast of Myanmar's biggest city, Yangon, is the epicenter of the lucrative jade mining industry. Jade is mined with heavy equipment that leaves behind small pieces in the waste soil that is piled into huge mounds. At risk when landslides occur are usually people who settle near the mounds to scavenge through precariously high piles. (Courtesy of ABC News)
Hpakant Baptist Church deacon Dut La, who is organizing funerals for the victims, said six bodies were in the morgue but more than a dozen may still lie under the waste from the slide that occurred Monday afternoon in Kachin state's Hpakant mining region.
"We are going to bury them today. Some family members showed up but some didn't and we cannot wait for them anymore," Dut La said Wednesday. "There are a dozen more possibly buried under the debris but it's quite difficult to take the bodies out because it's too dangerous."
Hpakant, 950 kilometers (600 miles) northeast of Myanmar's biggest city, Yangon, is the epicenter of the lucrative jade mining industry. Jade is mined with heavy equipment that leaves behind small pieces in the waste soil that is piled into huge mounds. At risk when landslides occur are usually people who settle near the mounds to scavenge through precariously high piles. (Courtesy of ABC News)
600 unregistered homes bulldozed in Yangon
Several hundred squatter huts were bulldozed with the help of heavy machinery early yesterday morning at the Myaemyan Aung and Yezarni plantations in Santhamardi Ward in Pyinmapin Village, Mingaladon Township, Yangon Region.
Around 600 huts housing 2,500 people were built in the plantations about 15 years ago.
Among the residents were many school-age children who are now preparing to take their final exams. The authorities demolished their huts while it was raining.
While the houses were being demolished, a woman who had recently given birth collapsed in a state of shock. The state of her health is not yet known.
“After receiving warning letters [about their eviction] in recent days, three women gave birth to babies. Now, the [women] are very frightened. We heard a woman died in childbirth,” said a resident of Santhamardi Ward.
However, this account was denied by the authorities. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
Around 600 huts housing 2,500 people were built in the plantations about 15 years ago.
Among the residents were many school-age children who are now preparing to take their final exams. The authorities demolished their huts while it was raining.
While the houses were being demolished, a woman who had recently given birth collapsed in a state of shock. The state of her health is not yet known.
“After receiving warning letters [about their eviction] in recent days, three women gave birth to babies. Now, the [women] are very frightened. We heard a woman died in childbirth,” said a resident of Santhamardi Ward.
However, this account was denied by the authorities. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
Inter-religious harmony faces serious challenges in Myanmar
For decades, Myint Soe's family has been able to practice freedom of religion in Myanmar, with neighbors reveling in the family's “half-Muslim, half-Buddhist” status.
But Myint, 58 years old, admits that when he married his Buddhist wife 33 years ago, some of his family did raise objection.
“Some, especially my grandparents, strongly criticized me,” he tells Anadolu Agency from his small house in Yangon’s central rail station compound.
“It was because I didn’t ask my wife to convert to Islam,” the government worker recalls. "But why would I? Even though I'm from a poor and uneducated background, I believe someone’s faith should not be controlled.”
Myint's wife, 58-year-old Khin Shwe, tells Anadolu Agency that she had doubts about her husband at first as her parents warned her that she would be forced to convert to Islam soon after the marriage. (Courtesy of Anadolu Agency)
But Myint, 58 years old, admits that when he married his Buddhist wife 33 years ago, some of his family did raise objection.
“Some, especially my grandparents, strongly criticized me,” he tells Anadolu Agency from his small house in Yangon’s central rail station compound.
“It was because I didn’t ask my wife to convert to Islam,” the government worker recalls. "But why would I? Even though I'm from a poor and uneducated background, I believe someone’s faith should not be controlled.”
Myint's wife, 58-year-old Khin Shwe, tells Anadolu Agency that she had doubts about her husband at first as her parents warned her that she would be forced to convert to Islam soon after the marriage. (Courtesy of Anadolu Agency)
Buddhist monks hope for peace in Myanmar
After once trudging through war-torn Sri Lanka, their first outside India, Buddhist monks of the prominent Drukpa Lineage are now undertaking a similar foot journey for peace in Myanmar, which has witnessed decades of ethnic turbulence. The Drukpa monks are mainly based in India's Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir and have a long history of promoting inter-faith peace and celebrating diversity.
The country's former military government is on the cusp of a major transition to a pro-democracy setup under Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy last November won the first openly-contested elections in 25 years.
"This 'padyatra' or foot journey encompasses the message of peace and harmony. Our yatras or marches spread consciousness about the importance of harmony and reconciliation," Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche told IANS here as the journey began.
Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, who is leading the journey, is the spiritual regent to the Gyalwang Drukpa, the spiritual head of the Drukpa Order with over 1,000 monasteries across the Himalayas. (Courtesy of thehansindia.com)
The country's former military government is on the cusp of a major transition to a pro-democracy setup under Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy last November won the first openly-contested elections in 25 years.
"This 'padyatra' or foot journey encompasses the message of peace and harmony. Our yatras or marches spread consciousness about the importance of harmony and reconciliation," Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche told IANS here as the journey began.
Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, who is leading the journey, is the spiritual regent to the Gyalwang Drukpa, the spiritual head of the Drukpa Order with over 1,000 monasteries across the Himalayas. (Courtesy of thehansindia.com)
Myanmar is still the third-most malnourished country in Southeast Asia
The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) in Myanmar is facing a funding shortfall of $51 million to meet all the needs till the end of 2016. The organisation, which has a 250-strong staff in the country, says it provided food and cash assistance to 1.2 million people in 2015. This includes emergency food assistance to half a million victims of disasters and conflict.
Myanmar Now chief correspondent Thin Lei Win spoke to Dom Scalpelli, WFP country director in Myanmar, about what the shortfall means, why Myanmar is still food insecure, and what eradicating hunger and malnutrition would mean to the country.
Question: How concerned are you about the funding shortfall? Or is this part of a long-standing problem?
Answer: The funding shortfalls are a common part of our business, unfortunately. It’s like running a fire department without having the money for the trucks or the petrol in the trucks. Imagine, each time there’s a fire, you need to quickly run around the city and ask for money. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
Myanmar Now chief correspondent Thin Lei Win spoke to Dom Scalpelli, WFP country director in Myanmar, about what the shortfall means, why Myanmar is still food insecure, and what eradicating hunger and malnutrition would mean to the country.
Question: How concerned are you about the funding shortfall? Or is this part of a long-standing problem?
Answer: The funding shortfalls are a common part of our business, unfortunately. It’s like running a fire department without having the money for the trucks or the petrol in the trucks. Imagine, each time there’s a fire, you need to quickly run around the city and ask for money. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
California's Burmese Newspaper Finds a New Voice
California is home to an estimated 30,000 Burmese, the largest concentration of the Myanmar diaspora in the United States. Although many have resettled in the US to escape the political situation at home, the Californian Burmese are not known for their activism. This was evident in 2007 during a campaign outside Los Angeles City Hall to gather signatures for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who was under house arrest, and other political prisoners.
“At that time, even though there are about 10,000 Burmese in Los Angeles how many do you think came to the demonstration? Only about 20 people,” recalled Ma Swe Swe, 38, editor of Myanmar Gazette, a Burmese-language monthly newspaper published in Los Angeles.
Ma Swe Swe, a medical graduate and part-time journalist who used the pen name Nyo Khet Kyaw when she was writing for publications in Myanmar, arrived in Los Angeles in 2005 to help care for her aunt. She soon married another Myanmar journalist, U Gyi Soe, and together with a financial backer they launched the Mandalay Gazette in July 2006. It was renamed the Myanmar Gazette in October 2013, when their former backer pulled out. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
“At that time, even though there are about 10,000 Burmese in Los Angeles how many do you think came to the demonstration? Only about 20 people,” recalled Ma Swe Swe, 38, editor of Myanmar Gazette, a Burmese-language monthly newspaper published in Los Angeles.
Ma Swe Swe, a medical graduate and part-time journalist who used the pen name Nyo Khet Kyaw when she was writing for publications in Myanmar, arrived in Los Angeles in 2005 to help care for her aunt. She soon married another Myanmar journalist, U Gyi Soe, and together with a financial backer they launched the Mandalay Gazette in July 2006. It was renamed the Myanmar Gazette in October 2013, when their former backer pulled out. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
Myanmar market holds potential for Vietnamese goods
Pham Thiet Hia, the centre’s director, said that Myanmar, with its population of 55 million, has high demand for many kinds of products that Vietnamese companies manufacture at a high standard.
"Myanmar people favour Vietnamese goods," he said.
They include electric and electronic equipment, construction materials, information and technology, food, confectionary and agricultural materials and production technologies.
Le Tan Minh, deputy head of the centre’s Trade Promotion Division, said voltage regulators were in demand in Myanmar as its electricity grid was being improved. (Courtesy of The Nation)
"Myanmar people favour Vietnamese goods," he said.
They include electric and electronic equipment, construction materials, information and technology, food, confectionary and agricultural materials and production technologies.
Le Tan Minh, deputy head of the centre’s Trade Promotion Division, said voltage regulators were in demand in Myanmar as its electricity grid was being improved. (Courtesy of The Nation)
Anti-Human Trafficking Police Threaten Boat-Victims for Ransom
The Myanmar (Burmese) anti-human trafficking police has been threatening the Rohingya boat-victims in Maungdaw Township for ransom for a few months.
The victims now released by the authorities and the Maungdaw court were arrested after their boat was captured by the Myanmar Navy in Bay of Bengal off Myanmar coast in May 2015.
On 21st May 2015, the Navy captured their boat with more than 200 people on board trying to flee to Malaysia. After capturing the boat, the navy informed the Maungdaw authorities and handed the people over to them.
The authorities took the boat-people on the land via the ‘Ang Ngu Maw’ jetty in southern-most Maungdaw on May 22. Of them, the authorities took away a few people (who were also Rohingyas) along with them secretly from public eyes and left 228 people behind.
From 228 people, 20 people were again separately sent to Maungdaw Police station. Of the 20 people, 8 were boat-workers from ‘Irrawaddy’ division who were later imprisoned to 8 years each for people smuggling.
From the remaining 208 people, 8 were the local Rohingyas of Kyauktaw Township and hence sent to their native township. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
The victims now released by the authorities and the Maungdaw court were arrested after their boat was captured by the Myanmar Navy in Bay of Bengal off Myanmar coast in May 2015.
On 21st May 2015, the Navy captured their boat with more than 200 people on board trying to flee to Malaysia. After capturing the boat, the navy informed the Maungdaw authorities and handed the people over to them.
The authorities took the boat-people on the land via the ‘Ang Ngu Maw’ jetty in southern-most Maungdaw on May 22. Of them, the authorities took away a few people (who were also Rohingyas) along with them secretly from public eyes and left 228 people behind.
From 228 people, 20 people were again separately sent to Maungdaw Police station. Of the 20 people, 8 were boat-workers from ‘Irrawaddy’ division who were later imprisoned to 8 years each for people smuggling.
From the remaining 208 people, 8 were the local Rohingyas of Kyauktaw Township and hence sent to their native township. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
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