So that they could attend the summit in the border town of Mai Ja Yang in Kachin State, the Chinese authorities allowed ethnic armed group leaders to travel freely through Chinese territory from the Muse border in northern Shan State—a marked departure from previous practice.
In 2011, senior Karen National Union leader Mann Nyein Maung was detained by Chinese immigration officers while also transiting through China—to reach the border town, and Kachin Independence Army headquarters, of Laiza in Kachin State—and was handed over to the Burmese authorities. Sentenced to life imprisonment, he was released in a 2012 amnesty.
China had also been steadfast in its support for Burma’s military regime prior to the 2011 handover to a nominally civilian government, lending the country an economic lifeline while it remained isolated by stringent sanctions from Western countries.
As the ethnic armed group leaders crossed the border into China at Muse, they were reportedly treated courteously by Chinese immigration officials and allowed to proceed freely on the one hour drive to the border connecting Mai Ja Yang in Kachin State. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
August 4, 2016
Kachin's civilians: From violence to hopelessness
Morning arrives slowly at Pan Kha Kho refugee camp. It takes a moment for the lemon sun to creep over the horizon, pausing before rising to reveal rows of corrugated-iron roofs lining the valley ahead.
Pan Kha Kho is one of nearly 200 camps for internally displaced people in Myanmar's northernmost Kachin State. These temporary shelters are now home to more than 100,000 people, forced to flee their villages owing to violent clashes between the Myanmar Armed Forces (or Tatmadaw) and a group of fighters known as the Kachin Independence Army(KIA).
Following the collapse of a 17-year ceasefire, the two forces resumed fighting in 2011. In response, the Tatmadaw banned aid agencies from entering KIA territory, cutting off access to humanitarian support for the local population.
"We had no choice. The soldiers came and they took over my home," said Jing Qwan, 36, a midwife from Maumo township. (Courtesy of aljazeera.com)
Pan Kha Kho is one of nearly 200 camps for internally displaced people in Myanmar's northernmost Kachin State. These temporary shelters are now home to more than 100,000 people, forced to flee their villages owing to violent clashes between the Myanmar Armed Forces (or Tatmadaw) and a group of fighters known as the Kachin Independence Army(KIA).
Following the collapse of a 17-year ceasefire, the two forces resumed fighting in 2011. In response, the Tatmadaw banned aid agencies from entering KIA territory, cutting off access to humanitarian support for the local population.
"We had no choice. The soldiers came and they took over my home," said Jing Qwan, 36, a midwife from Maumo township. (Courtesy of aljazeera.com)
Myanmar migrants warned of possible raids and surprise check
The Irrawaddy online quoted the notice as saying that the moves are part of a an extensive security clampdown by police and the military.
The Myanmar nationals, living or visiting Thailand for any reason, should exercise extra caution while working and traveling as well as to carry the required immigration documents with them at all times.
They are also suggested to calmly submit the documents if asked by police, the online reported.
The notice also provided contact numbers for the embassy, and invited calls from any Burmese national in Thailand requiring assistance. (Courtesy of nationmultimedia.com)
The Myanmar nationals, living or visiting Thailand for any reason, should exercise extra caution while working and traveling as well as to carry the required immigration documents with them at all times.
They are also suggested to calmly submit the documents if asked by police, the online reported.
The notice also provided contact numbers for the embassy, and invited calls from any Burmese national in Thailand requiring assistance. (Courtesy of nationmultimedia.com)
Burmese Bank Signs Trade Financing Agreement With ADB
The United Amara Bank (UAB) signed off on a trade finance agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday at Rangoon’s Sedona Hotel that allows UAB a letter of credit (LC) insuring them for US$4 million for each international transaction the bank makes.
The LC is a bank guarantee service for those involved in import-export business ventures. When a cash payment must be made, a third party (the ADB) makes a guarantee on behalf of the service provider (the UAB). An LC process can adopt varying time frames, with some banks specifying that one transaction is allowed every two to three months, according to Kyawt Kay Khaing, UAB’s Chief Business Officer.(Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
The LC is a bank guarantee service for those involved in import-export business ventures. When a cash payment must be made, a third party (the ADB) makes a guarantee on behalf of the service provider (the UAB). An LC process can adopt varying time frames, with some banks specifying that one transaction is allowed every two to three months, according to Kyawt Kay Khaing, UAB’s Chief Business Officer.(Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
A tale of two teens, as Panglong awakens at last
And so as Bogyoke Aung San and other ethnic leaders inked the crucial agreement that promised to bring peace and federalism to Burma, U Tun Shwe was doing nothing except loitering on a Panglong street corner.
“The saopha told the head of the village, ‘We’ll have a meeting here.’ So just a few people went to watch. Most people just got on with farming. They weren’t so interested or didn’t understand.”
“I was a teenager. I knew I just wanted to walk around the streets. My big brother saw them, but he wasn’t that interested either. We never talked about it at the time,” said U Tun Shwe, now a spritely 88-year-old.
At the time, he recalls, the town was a fraction of its current size and surrounded by jungle. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
“The saopha told the head of the village, ‘We’ll have a meeting here.’ So just a few people went to watch. Most people just got on with farming. They weren’t so interested or didn’t understand.”
“I was a teenager. I knew I just wanted to walk around the streets. My big brother saw them, but he wasn’t that interested either. We never talked about it at the time,” said U Tun Shwe, now a spritely 88-year-old.
At the time, he recalls, the town was a fraction of its current size and surrounded by jungle. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
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