On International Women's Day, ICMC draws attention to the plight of Rohingya women who, without legal recognition and often persecuted, are forced to flee to third countries in search of protection. On this occasion, we share the story of Amina, as a testimony of the challenges Rohingya face and a way of encouraging women worldwide to stand up for their rights.
Amina is a 31-year-old Rohingya woman, originally from the Rakhine State of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). She arrived in Malaysia in 2011, escaping from persecution and lack of legal rights in her country. “I officially registered with UNHCR Malaysia to get refugee status, but because the process is long and complicated, I had to look for employment in order to sustain my family back in Myanmar”, she explained. “I have three sisters, aged between 18 and 30, and a brother, who is paralyzed from malaria because he could not access health services when he was a child. He is 35 years old and he can't speak, move and eat on his own. My mum is constantly looking after him. My whole family lives in Rangoon. It is very dangerous for them to be there, as Rohingya people face persecution and are under severe monitoring and control from State officials, who restrict free movement around the country.” In Myanmar, Rohingya people often get arrested by the police for no particular reason other than being part of this ethnic minority, and they are exposed to physical violence. “Once you get arrested, you have no idea what will happen to you. Life is extremely dangerous there”, Amina said. (Courtesy of ICMC)
March 8, 2016
Myanmar Military Plane Crashes At Nay Pyi Taw Airport
A Myanmar military plane, which was moving from Tounggoo air base to Nay Pyi Taw to prepare for group training flight, had crashed at Nay Pyi Taw International Airport, an official report confirmed Tuesday.
The aircraft ran out of the runway when landing due to technical failure Monday noon, the report said, according to China's Xinhua news agency. (Courtesy of Bernama)
The aircraft ran out of the runway when landing due to technical failure Monday noon, the report said, according to China's Xinhua news agency. (Courtesy of Bernama)
Benefits of protecting migrants overlooked: UN
The report suggests that countries in Southeast Asia, a region yet to establish adequate policy guidelines or protective norms for migrants, may be failing to capitalise on a major potential source of per capita growth, with rampant inequality and rights abuses holding back economic gains.
More than 95 million people from the Asia-Pacific region live outside their birth country and more than 59 million people work as temporary migrants, according to the inter-agency UN study, “Asia-Pacific Migration in 2015”. The figures represent an enormous uptick over the past two decades and the increase is anticipated to continue.
For Myanmar, the trend has resulted in the number of migrants more than doubling between 2000 and 2013 from just over 1 million to over 2.6 million.
According to the report, more than US$229 million in remittances was sent back in 2013. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
More than 95 million people from the Asia-Pacific region live outside their birth country and more than 59 million people work as temporary migrants, according to the inter-agency UN study, “Asia-Pacific Migration in 2015”. The figures represent an enormous uptick over the past two decades and the increase is anticipated to continue.
For Myanmar, the trend has resulted in the number of migrants more than doubling between 2000 and 2013 from just over 1 million to over 2.6 million.
According to the report, more than US$229 million in remittances was sent back in 2013. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Myanmar’s most promising business case: gender equality
“Women’s rights are human rights” is the prominent slogan that evolved out of the fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995.
Since then, international treaties for the advancement of women and against gender-based discrimination have been signed, national laws created and amended and action plans written all over the world.
Myanmar signed the 1979 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1997, formed the National Committee for the Advancement of Women, and assigned the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement responsible for implementing and monitoring the country’s Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women (NSPAW) – a 10-year plan aiming at advancing women’s status in 12 areas and reaching substantive gender equality in Myanmar until 2022. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Since then, international treaties for the advancement of women and against gender-based discrimination have been signed, national laws created and amended and action plans written all over the world.
Myanmar signed the 1979 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1997, formed the National Committee for the Advancement of Women, and assigned the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement responsible for implementing and monitoring the country’s Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women (NSPAW) – a 10-year plan aiming at advancing women’s status in 12 areas and reaching substantive gender equality in Myanmar until 2022. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
ANP Leadership Publically Criticizes Party’s Internal Divisions
Seven Arakan National Party (ANP) central executive committee members held a press conference on Sunday in Rangoon to highlight their dissatisfaction with recent actions of their party.
ANP Lower House lawmaker Ba Shein, who was not at the press conference but spoke out in support of it, attributed the group’s internal divisions to emotional volatility within the leadership, and urged them to instead engage in dialogue to overcome differences.
He cited the conference’s purpose as “to unveil to the public the reality of the ANP.”
After winning a majority of seats in the Arakan State parliament in the 2015 general election, in January 2016 the party declared that it would not join any coalition with the country’s overall winner, the National League for Democracy (NLD). Rather, the ANP stated that it would stand as an opposition party unless it was allowed to form its own state government. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
ANP Lower House lawmaker Ba Shein, who was not at the press conference but spoke out in support of it, attributed the group’s internal divisions to emotional volatility within the leadership, and urged them to instead engage in dialogue to overcome differences.
He cited the conference’s purpose as “to unveil to the public the reality of the ANP.”
After winning a majority of seats in the Arakan State parliament in the 2015 general election, in January 2016 the party declared that it would not join any coalition with the country’s overall winner, the National League for Democracy (NLD). Rather, the ANP stated that it would stand as an opposition party unless it was allowed to form its own state government. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
Latest fighting prompts suggestions of proxy war
Fighting between government forces and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army have been reported in Mongton, Kutkai, Namhsam, Namkham and Kyaukme townships in recent days.
Mai Aik Kyaw, a spokesperson for the TNLA, told The Myanmar Times that there had been more than 20 skirmishes since March 1, including four yesterday.
“Tatmadaw troops deployed very close to our troops – just 30 minutes’ walk from each other. That’s why fighting has occurred very often,” he said.
He said the fighting was not taking place near settlements, so few people had been displaced. But he said many populated areas remained unsafe due to the possibility of a Tatmadaw offensive. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Mai Aik Kyaw, a spokesperson for the TNLA, told The Myanmar Times that there had been more than 20 skirmishes since March 1, including four yesterday.
“Tatmadaw troops deployed very close to our troops – just 30 minutes’ walk from each other. That’s why fighting has occurred very often,” he said.
He said the fighting was not taking place near settlements, so few people had been displaced. But he said many populated areas remained unsafe due to the possibility of a Tatmadaw offensive. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Koh Tao petition reaches Thai embassy
Nearly 100,000 people have signed a petition organised by nationalist groups against the death penalty verdict given to two Rakhine State natives.
Ko Zaw Linn and Ko Wai Phyo were convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of two British backpackers in Thailand in 2014.
The sentence sparked backlash in Myanmar, including protests in front of the Thai embassy, and even Senior General Min Aung Hlaing commented against the decision.
Nationalists collected signatures to demonstrate the extent of the public furor, and delivered the list of over 97,000 names to the Thai embassy in Yangon. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Ko Zaw Linn and Ko Wai Phyo were convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of two British backpackers in Thailand in 2014.
The sentence sparked backlash in Myanmar, including protests in front of the Thai embassy, and even Senior General Min Aung Hlaing commented against the decision.
Nationalists collected signatures to demonstrate the extent of the public furor, and delivered the list of over 97,000 names to the Thai embassy in Yangon. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
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