Union Minister for Labour, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe told the Amyotha Hluttaw that he refused to relax the provisions of the controversial 1982 Citizenship Law when it came to identifying Kokang residents. The minister said the risk of “false representation or concealment” by those applying for citizenship was too great.
He was responding to a question from U Kyaw Ni Naing (USDP; Shan 11), who had asked about the possibility of relaxing the rules when issuing new identity cards for ethnic Kokang residents.
Kokang was ruled by the Communist Party of Burma for more than 30 years and its ethnic leaders signed a ceasefire agreement with the government in 1989, said U Kyaw Ni Naing. He said that as a Myanmar ethnic group, the people of Kokang should enjoy the same rights as those of other ethnic minorities under the constitution. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
August 5, 2016
A Legacy of Military Land Grabs in the Delta: a Test for the New Govt
By the standards of her village in Burma’s swampy Irrawaddy Delta, Than Shin was a prosperous woman. She had 20 acres of farmland on which her family grew rice.
But her fortunes changed in 2000 when the military government informed her it was taking possession of her land. Over the next year, Than Shin watched as the fields that for decades had provided her family with a living were cleared to make way for fish farms.
Today, Than Shin and her family live in a thatched shack along the main road leading to Burma’s commercial capital Yangon. Her 67-year-old husband goes door to door on his bicycle selling soybeans. “We depended on that land our whole lives. When they grabbed it, we had nothing, no income. We had to eat curry made from leaves,” she told Reuters. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
But her fortunes changed in 2000 when the military government informed her it was taking possession of her land. Over the next year, Than Shin watched as the fields that for decades had provided her family with a living were cleared to make way for fish farms.
Today, Than Shin and her family live in a thatched shack along the main road leading to Burma’s commercial capital Yangon. Her 67-year-old husband goes door to door on his bicycle selling soybeans. “We depended on that land our whole lives. When they grabbed it, we had nothing, no income. We had to eat curry made from leaves,” she told Reuters. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
KBZ Bank Opens Office in Bangkok
Kanbawza Bank (KBZ Bank) has opened a representative office in Bangkok, the first Burmese bank to establish an international presence.
Earlier this year, KBZ Bank officially received a licence from the Bank of Thailand to open the office in the capital. The bank also recently obtained a representative licence to open an office in Singapore, continuing its planned expansion within the Asean region. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
Earlier this year, KBZ Bank officially received a licence from the Bank of Thailand to open the office in the capital. The bank also recently obtained a representative licence to open an office in Singapore, continuing its planned expansion within the Asean region. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
Govt Seeks Work Permits for Undocumented Domestic Workers Abroad
Burma’s government will seek the cooperation of concerned labor ministries to issue official work permits for undocumented Burmese domestic workers in foreign countries, said Thein Swe, minister of labor, immigration and population.
“We will cooperate with concerned embassies and labor ministries to make a list of illegal Burmese domestic workers in foreign countries so we can provide legal protection and guarantee their fundamental rights,” said Thein Swe.
The decision follows labor rights defenders’ request to State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi to take care of Burmese domestic workers in Thailand, during her visit to the country in July. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
“We will cooperate with concerned embassies and labor ministries to make a list of illegal Burmese domestic workers in foreign countries so we can provide legal protection and guarantee their fundamental rights,” said Thein Swe.
The decision follows labor rights defenders’ request to State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi to take care of Burmese domestic workers in Thailand, during her visit to the country in July. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
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