June 6, 2016

President warns against illegal wildlife poaching

While looking at photos after the ceremony, he told officials at the conservation department, “You must take action to stop it. You really need to do it.”

“Wildlife poaching and smuggling could damage the ecosystem and fuel gang crimes,” the president said.

“Until the past decade, we knew very little about the effects of illegal trading of wildlife on the environment, business sector and social community.

“But today, due to advances in technology and knowledge, we can assess the situation. And, as it is a worrisome situation, we need to conduct preventative measure effectively,” he said. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)

Russia and Myanmar to establish working body for nuclear technology

The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in June 2015.

This was the first step to building a legal foundation for interaction between Russia and Myanmar in the area of nuclear technology including research, radioisotopes production, nuclear medicine, radioimmunotherapy, nuclear safety, radiation risk assessment, and training scientists and administrators, according to Russian state-owned Rosatom Corporation.

Nikolay Drozdov, director of international business at Rosatom, told The Myanmar Times in Moscow, “We are planning to create a working body and are making a roadmap for the realisation of our project.” (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)

UNHCR lauds Dhaka for 'best practices'

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) yesterday lauded government steps in recent years and expressed satisfaction over the state of refugees in Bangladesh, saying it was among countries having the “best practices”.

However, becoming a refugee hosting country in 1992 by accepting Rohingyas, Bangladesh still has no mechanism to process asylum applications, said UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh Stina Ljungdell, offering to provide assistance in this regard.

At a briefing in a hotel in the capital on UNHCR's activities here in the last three years, she also pointed out that though party to major human rights instruments, Bangladesh has neither ratified The 1951 Refugee Convention nor the subsequent 1967 Protocol. (Courtesy of thedailystar.net)

Suu Kyi visit raises 3 major issues for her country and ours

The upcoming visit of Daw Aung Suu Kyi to Thailand marks an important milestone in Thai-Myanmar relations - for herself and her country, the most anticipated event since Myanmar achieved a freely and fairly elected government last November.

Given her status - and that of the National League of Democracy government - the three-day trip from June 23-25 will generate great significance, both in symbolism and substance.

Firstly, after her first call - on the Asean chair, Laos - she made the right choice to visit Thailand, with which it shares a 2,401-km border. As the world's best known democratic leader, her presence here is also a big boost to the country, now under a military government led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. For the past two years, Bangkok has been busy trying to win support from abroad, near and far. (Courtesy of nationmultimedia.com)

MPs called to define 'political prisoner'

Activists hope Parliament, which hosts 124 MPs who are former political prisoners, will define the contentious term to enable reconciliation.

Tun Kyi from the Federation of Political Prisoners Society said: “Previous governments did not recognise political offences or prisoners. We want Parliament to promulgate a law defining the term ‘political prisoner’ and ‘political offence’. We will continue urging for that.”

On June 2, Pe Than, Lower House MP for Myebon In Rakhine State, asked whether the terms were going to be defined. The deputy minister from the military-controlled Home Affairs Ministry said no. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)

Deputy Speaker promises legal changes

Laws intentionally enacted to oppress the people must be amended or cancelled, said Aye Tha Aung, the Deputy Speaker of the Upper House.

At a seminar on the new political landscape and the role of civil-society organisations (CSOs), jointly organised by the Thanlyin social organisation and Triangle Women’s Support Group, he said: “The Parliament is influenced by a majority of NLD representatives who are trying to enact new laws necessary for the people.

“When looking back at existing laws, we found many that protect the government and oppress the people. These laws must be amended or cancelled,” Aye Tha Aung said. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)

Myanmar to ban betel nut chewing in public

Myanmar authorities will launch a campaign to remove betel nut stands from public areas and tourist attraction sites as an initial step to cut its consumption, officials said on Sunday.

The campaign will be launched in metropolitan cities and big towns to keep them clean, the Ministry of Health and Sports said.

The project will include arrangement to substitute the business of betel nut selling with other vocations, said an official of the ministry, adding there will be further deterrent punishment if betel nut shops are found and spitting in prohibited areas, leading news agency reported. (Courtesy of newsx.com)

THE OBSTACLES TO SUU KYI’S PEACE PUSH

State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has taken a leading role in trying to build internal peace, a task she pledged in January would be the “first priority” of her incoming National League for Democracy government.

Suu Kyi is working on convening the 21st Century Panglong Conference as soon as possible, reorganising the Myanmar Peace Center, which was established by former President U Thein Sein and has been re-christened the National Reconciliation and Peace Centre, and appointing NLD government representatives to the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee.

The UPDJC was created under the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement signed last October by the Thein Sein government and eight armed ethnic groups to draft a framework for political dialogue. It includes representatives of the government, Tatmadaw, the eight NCA signatories and political parties. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)

Myanmar anticipates inclusive political dialogue with armed groups next week

Myanmar's new government has invited non-ceasefire signatory ethnic armed groups to participate in the political dialogue framework meeting slated for next week .

Dr. Tin Myo Win, the government's peace negotiator and chairman of the 21st Century Panglong Conference Preparatory Sub-Committee-2, extended the invitation to leaders of the non-signatory groups during the first meeting on Friday with the United Nationalities Federal Council's (UNFC) Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) in Chiangmai, Thailand .

He pledged to build mutual trust and understanding for the sake of peace and to build a peaceful , affluent, democratic federal union. (Courtesy of news.xinhuanet.com)

Persecuting the persecuted in the 'land of the free'

The latest Rohingya controversy was stirred when one of them was shot dead as a group attempted to escape from where they were being detained at the Phang Nga immigration detention centre, some 60 kilometres from Phuket.

Most have probably read reports about why these persecuted migrants are fleeing the Rakhine State in Myanmar, but it is highly unlikely that anyone will ever get to read the true story of why 21 of them desperately tried to escape detention in Phang Nga on the morning of Monday, May 23.

Likely all we will be able to read is the reports that have continually been republished by the Human Rights Watch, regarding the abysmal conditions in Thai detention centres, “including severe overcrowding, putrid sanitation, and an atmosphere of violence”.

Or accounts such as that, in 2013, when journalists found 276 male Rohingyas detained in two small “cages” meant to hold no more than 15 people at the Phang Nga detention centre. (Courtesy of thephuketnews.com)