Tensions have broken out between Bangladesh settlers and local Rohingyas in Buthidaung after a robbery attempt was thwarted and a woman’s hand was broken in an assault by the aggressors.
On Friday, a gang of Bangladeshi settlers from the Longchoon area raided the Rohingya neighbourhood of Naikongdong and started to forcibly take poultry belonging to Muslim households. When a woman protested, she was brutally beaten up by robbers.
On hearing her cries, locals gathered on the spot and beat up some of the robbers while the others fled. Later however the settlers launched a complaint with the authorities. More than a hundred military personal soon flooded the area creating panic among the Rohingyas who thought a crackdown was imminent. (Courtesy of Burma Times)
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December 3, 2015
Arakan (Rakhine) State groups push for ban on word ‘Rohingya’
Myanmar does not use or recognize the term ‘Rohingya’ when talking about the hundreds of thousands of displaced Muslims in Arakan (Rakhine) State.
But foreign governments, leaders, journalists and NGOs use the word frequently as its their ancestral name, which dozens of Racist Bhuddist Organizations in Arakan (Rakhine) State denies to recognize.
To end that ancestral naming, more than 60 civil society groups in Arakan (Rakhine) have banded together to demand that authorities bar usage of the offending word, the Voice Weekly reported.
Daw Saw Khin Myint, the head of the Arakan (Rakhine) Literature and Cultural Development Committee, reportedly asked the government to step in during a press conference about the terminology on Monday.
She singled out the news media, which should be stopped from using what she called the “illegal word,” the Voice Weekly reported.
U Kyaw Sein, chairman of the Rakhine Patriotic Organization, said since parliament has already decided “whether Rohingya exist or not,” the term should be officially scrapped. And especially with the National League for Democracy (NLD) coming to power early next year, Kyaw Sein is worried that Aung San Suu Kyi’s party might not hold the line, even though a spokesman has indicated he has nothing to worry about. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
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But foreign governments, leaders, journalists and NGOs use the word frequently as its their ancestral name, which dozens of Racist Bhuddist Organizations in Arakan (Rakhine) State denies to recognize.
To end that ancestral naming, more than 60 civil society groups in Arakan (Rakhine) have banded together to demand that authorities bar usage of the offending word, the Voice Weekly reported.
Daw Saw Khin Myint, the head of the Arakan (Rakhine) Literature and Cultural Development Committee, reportedly asked the government to step in during a press conference about the terminology on Monday.
She singled out the news media, which should be stopped from using what she called the “illegal word,” the Voice Weekly reported.
U Kyaw Sein, chairman of the Rakhine Patriotic Organization, said since parliament has already decided “whether Rohingya exist or not,” the term should be officially scrapped. And especially with the National League for Democracy (NLD) coming to power early next year, Kyaw Sein is worried that Aung San Suu Kyi’s party might not hold the line, even though a spokesman has indicated he has nothing to worry about. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
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Rohingya Students Tell Rohingya Sufferings in Global Ummatic Week at IIUM
Kuala Lumpur (Rohingya Vision) – The Rohingya students told the world about the extreme sufferings of Rohingyas in Myanmar as they took part in the Global Ummatic Festival Week held at International Islamic University (IIUM), Malaysia, from 22nd November 2015 to 30th November 2015.
The University is home for many international students and staffs from different parts of the world.
The event is held at the university every year with a view to promoting and helping realize the vision and mission of the university, integration, Islamization, internationalisation and comprehensive excellence; exposing and appreciating cultural diversity in IIUM Community as a catalyst towards; strengthening the spirit of brotherhood and enhancing the spirit of caring and helping among the IIUM Community; and providing a universal platform for the students and staff to exchange ideas as a way to understand and appreciate each other. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
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The University is home for many international students and staffs from different parts of the world.
The event is held at the university every year with a view to promoting and helping realize the vision and mission of the university, integration, Islamization, internationalisation and comprehensive excellence; exposing and appreciating cultural diversity in IIUM Community as a catalyst towards; strengthening the spirit of brotherhood and enhancing the spirit of caring and helping among the IIUM Community; and providing a universal platform for the students and staff to exchange ideas as a way to understand and appreciate each other. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
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969 and MaBaTha Monks Meet Rakhine Extremists in Maungdaw District
Maungdaw, Arakan State (Rohingya Vision) – The 969 and MaBaTha Extremist Monks held gatherings with Rakhine (Magh) Buddhist extremists in Maungdaw District in late November 2015, the reliable sources report.
On November 22 evening, 10 Buddhist Monks, members of 969 Group of Extremist Monks and MaBaTha Extremist Group of Monks, arrived in Buthidaung Township, one of the two townships comprising in Maungdaw District and the another township being Maungdaw Township itself.
In Buthidaung at night, they held a gathering at a Rakhine residence in ‘Nyaung Chaung’ village with the Rakhine extremists from the village and its surrounding villages. And on 23rd November, they held a meeting with the Rakhine members of 969 extremist groups in the downtown of Buthidaung.
On 23rd November evening, they arrived in Maungdaw Township. On 24th November morning, they held a gathering with the members of 969 Group in Maungdaw, the Monks and the Rakhine extremists, at ‘Alludaw Bye’ Monastery in Myoma Kayintan (Shidda Fara). In the evening, they gathered again the monastery at ‘Three-Mile-Area’ Maungdaw.
“Although we don’t know what they have discussed about, it is always an unwelcoming signs like Omen. They always hold gatherings to plot against Muslims. We are worried as well as on alert,” said an elderly Rohingya in Maungdaw.
The 969 Group is a group of extremist Monks and Buddhists in Myanmar led by Abbot U Wirathu labelled as the ‘Face of Buddhist Terror’ by TIME Magazine, whereas the MaBatha Group is another group of extremist monks under the banner of ‘Association for Protection of Race and Religion’ led by another high-profile extremist Buddhist Abbot known as ‘Sitagu Monk.’ (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
On November 22 evening, 10 Buddhist Monks, members of 969 Group of Extremist Monks and MaBaTha Extremist Group of Monks, arrived in Buthidaung Township, one of the two townships comprising in Maungdaw District and the another township being Maungdaw Township itself.
In Buthidaung at night, they held a gathering at a Rakhine residence in ‘Nyaung Chaung’ village with the Rakhine extremists from the village and its surrounding villages. And on 23rd November, they held a meeting with the Rakhine members of 969 extremist groups in the downtown of Buthidaung.
On 23rd November evening, they arrived in Maungdaw Township. On 24th November morning, they held a gathering with the members of 969 Group in Maungdaw, the Monks and the Rakhine extremists, at ‘Alludaw Bye’ Monastery in Myoma Kayintan (Shidda Fara). In the evening, they gathered again the monastery at ‘Three-Mile-Area’ Maungdaw.
“Although we don’t know what they have discussed about, it is always an unwelcoming signs like Omen. They always hold gatherings to plot against Muslims. We are worried as well as on alert,” said an elderly Rohingya in Maungdaw.
The 969 Group is a group of extremist Monks and Buddhists in Myanmar led by Abbot U Wirathu labelled as the ‘Face of Buddhist Terror’ by TIME Magazine, whereas the MaBatha Group is another group of extremist monks under the banner of ‘Association for Protection of Race and Religion’ led by another high-profile extremist Buddhist Abbot known as ‘Sitagu Monk.’ (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
Ten lessons from Myanmar's peace process
Myanmar witnessed two major events in the last quarter of 2015. First was the Nov. 8 parliamentary election when the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, won a crushing victory. Before that was the Oct. 15 signing of a ceasefire pact (known as the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement) between the government and eight ethnic armed groups.
The government and the Nationwide Ceasefire Negotiation Team, which represented 16 armed groups, started talking in late 2013. By late 2015, all these groups agreed on the content of the NCA, a 17-page document that included various military and political agreements. They could not agree, however, on whether groups outside the official process could also sign the NCA, and consequently only eight groups signed the pact. There are high hopes that the remaining groups will soon join, if they can agree on entry criteria.
Irrespective of the number of signatories, the NCA is a significant achievement, as it is Myanmar's only experience with multilateral negotiations since the country's independence from Britain in 1948. (Courtesy of Nikkei Asia Review)
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The government and the Nationwide Ceasefire Negotiation Team, which represented 16 armed groups, started talking in late 2013. By late 2015, all these groups agreed on the content of the NCA, a 17-page document that included various military and political agreements. They could not agree, however, on whether groups outside the official process could also sign the NCA, and consequently only eight groups signed the pact. There are high hopes that the remaining groups will soon join, if they can agree on entry criteria.
Irrespective of the number of signatories, the NCA is a significant achievement, as it is Myanmar's only experience with multilateral negotiations since the country's independence from Britain in 1948. (Courtesy of Nikkei Asia Review)
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Persecution of Muslims in Myanmar is misunderstood by the West
The debate on asylum seekers from Myanmar in Australia is ill-informed and skewed. The Australian government and international community must realise that refugee status is first of all not about ethnicity or identity, but about a well-founded fear of persecution.
Reports that a man who has been moved by Australia to Cambodia may have been misidentified as Rohingya misses the point. Even if the man is not Rohingya, it is still possible that he has a well-founded fear of persecution as a Muslim fleeing from Myanmar.
Since 2012, the anti-Muslim violence has affected a range of Muslim communities in towns right across Myanmar. The violence has not just affected Muslims who may identify as Rohingya.
Muslim businesses have been targeted. Mosques burnt down, damaged and closed. Homes of Muslim families destroyed. Many Muslims have been injured and some killed. Muslims face discrimination in educational and employment opportunities. This is not new, but has a long history in Myanmar. At times, monks have been clearly implicated in this anti-Muslim violence.
While the international community has seemingly confused all "Muslims" with "Rohingya" in Myanmar, this is not the reality. Most Muslims in Myanmar do not self-identify as Rohingya. The Muslim population is highly diverse, and many identify as "Burmese Muslim".
It is true that Muslims in Rakhine State, some of whom identify as Rohingya, are certainly among the worst off and these communities have faced large-scale displacement and marginalisation. The humanitarian crisis is severe. (Courtesy of WA Today)
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Reports that a man who has been moved by Australia to Cambodia may have been misidentified as Rohingya misses the point. Even if the man is not Rohingya, it is still possible that he has a well-founded fear of persecution as a Muslim fleeing from Myanmar.
Since 2012, the anti-Muslim violence has affected a range of Muslim communities in towns right across Myanmar. The violence has not just affected Muslims who may identify as Rohingya.
Muslim businesses have been targeted. Mosques burnt down, damaged and closed. Homes of Muslim families destroyed. Many Muslims have been injured and some killed. Muslims face discrimination in educational and employment opportunities. This is not new, but has a long history in Myanmar. At times, monks have been clearly implicated in this anti-Muslim violence.
While the international community has seemingly confused all "Muslims" with "Rohingya" in Myanmar, this is not the reality. Most Muslims in Myanmar do not self-identify as Rohingya. The Muslim population is highly diverse, and many identify as "Burmese Muslim".
It is true that Muslims in Rakhine State, some of whom identify as Rohingya, are certainly among the worst off and these communities have faced large-scale displacement and marginalisation. The humanitarian crisis is severe. (Courtesy of WA Today)
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Challenging Hate Speech Head-On in Burma
IWPR has begun training monitors in Burma (Myanmar) in readiness for the launch of a 12-month anti-hate speech project to promote greater tolerance of ethnic, religious and marginalised groups through information, education and public debate.
The first short training course in the former capital Yangon was attended by 19 journalists from that city and from Mandalay. It was led by IWPR’s Asia Director Alan Davis and by our new programme manager and editor, both of them former journalists with leading Burmese dailies.
Burma’s political transition in recent years has been accompanied by a rise in exclusive nationalism. Leading Buddhist monks from the Ma Ba Tha movement claim to speak for the Bamar majority and engage in anti-Muslim narratives targeting the Rohingya minority. To counter this, IWPR’s programming will encourage peaceful public engagement and seek to build a consensus that hate speech, left unchecked, is bad for the country’s future.
“The essential challenge facing Burma is how to protect and defend things without going on the offensive and attacking and inciting violence against others,” Davis said. “Consequently, our project is all about our belief that the more information and education and debate is encouraged and shared respectfully, the more we can all reduce the influence and impact of hate speech. (Courtesy of IWPR)
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The first short training course in the former capital Yangon was attended by 19 journalists from that city and from Mandalay. It was led by IWPR’s Asia Director Alan Davis and by our new programme manager and editor, both of them former journalists with leading Burmese dailies.
Burma’s political transition in recent years has been accompanied by a rise in exclusive nationalism. Leading Buddhist monks from the Ma Ba Tha movement claim to speak for the Bamar majority and engage in anti-Muslim narratives targeting the Rohingya minority. To counter this, IWPR’s programming will encourage peaceful public engagement and seek to build a consensus that hate speech, left unchecked, is bad for the country’s future.
“The essential challenge facing Burma is how to protect and defend things without going on the offensive and attacking and inciting violence against others,” Davis said. “Consequently, our project is all about our belief that the more information and education and debate is encouraged and shared respectfully, the more we can all reduce the influence and impact of hate speech. (Courtesy of IWPR)
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U.S. sanctions on Myanmar unlikely to change dramatically, says nominee to be ambassador
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama’s nominee to be ambassador to Myanmar said on Tuesday he does not anticipate major changes in U.S. sanctions in the wake of the country’s historic election last month.
“I would not anticipate nor recommend any dramatic change,” Scot Marciel, currently a deputy assistant secretary of state and former ambassador to Indonesia, said at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
However, Marciel said the sanctions system is “somewhat dynamic” and allows the measures to be eased if the targets are found to have made significant changes.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won a resounding victory in Myanmar’s Nov. 8 polls, which were seen as a significant step toward ending decades of military rule.
The Obama administration, which has continued deep concerns about human rights and other issues in the country, has remained cautious. U.S. officials have said they would watch for the democratic process to move forward before lifting more sanctions, which target more than 100 individuals and businesses and limit U.S. investment in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
Generally, however, Washington is eager to expand relations with Myanmar as part of an effort to counteract China’s rise in Asia and take advantage of a growing, emerging economy.
Obama nominated Marciel to be his next envoy to Myanmar in October. To be confirmed, he must first be approved by the foreign relations panel, and then by the full U.S. Senate.
The date for those votes has not been set. There was no sign during the confirmation hearing of significant resistance to Marciel’s appointment. (Courtesy of The Japan Times)
“I would not anticipate nor recommend any dramatic change,” Scot Marciel, currently a deputy assistant secretary of state and former ambassador to Indonesia, said at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
However, Marciel said the sanctions system is “somewhat dynamic” and allows the measures to be eased if the targets are found to have made significant changes.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won a resounding victory in Myanmar’s Nov. 8 polls, which were seen as a significant step toward ending decades of military rule.
The Obama administration, which has continued deep concerns about human rights and other issues in the country, has remained cautious. U.S. officials have said they would watch for the democratic process to move forward before lifting more sanctions, which target more than 100 individuals and businesses and limit U.S. investment in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
Generally, however, Washington is eager to expand relations with Myanmar as part of an effort to counteract China’s rise in Asia and take advantage of a growing, emerging economy.
Obama nominated Marciel to be his next envoy to Myanmar in October. To be confirmed, he must first be approved by the foreign relations panel, and then by the full U.S. Senate.
The date for those votes has not been set. There was no sign during the confirmation hearing of significant resistance to Marciel’s appointment. (Courtesy of The Japan Times)
Myanmar Election: How Key Actors Fared
The November 8 Myanmar general election was regarded by both local and international watchers as the country's first credible election. The election represents a critical milestone for this fledgling democracy; however, Myanmar's future political, social, and economic trajectory depends heavily on the transfer of power and ensuing formation of government and how the new ruling party is able to govern. The official results were finalized on November 20 with the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), emerging as the clear winner. The election not only handed the NLD a long-awaited win, but also framed questions and exposed rising or falling fortunes for everyone interested in Myanmar's future.
Winners
Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD: Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD secured a landslide victory in both houses of parliament and in the State and Regional Assemblies; the NLD's margin of victory allows it to form the new government without a coalition. The NLD will hold nearly every major office--President, one of two Vice Presidents, Speakers of both chambers of parliament, and the cabinet--with the exception of the other military-appointed Vice President and the Ministers for Defense, Home, and Border affairs. Aung San Suu Kyi remains constitutionally prohibited from becoming President. However, she has made it very clear, amidst some controversy, that she intends to take a role "above the presidency" (even though the constitution prevents anyone from being "above" the presidency) and that the yet-to-be revealed NLD President will make all decisions solely along party lines.
Foreign Direct Investment: Aung San Suu Kyi's international image and the NLD's recently stated commitment to financial sector reform to attract international businesses should provide a boost to foreign investment, particularly from those who have treated the Myanmar market cautiously. In the past two years, Asian companies have flocked to Myanmar, increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) five-fold to US$8 billion in the 2014/15 fiscal year. Meanwhile, most Western businesses sat on the sidelines and many never moved past the 'window-shopping' stage, feeling that the political and reputational risk associated was too great and the return on investment too small. The NLD win has significantly diminished those concerns. Myanmar can expect an influx of western businesses within the next fiscal year, although many are anxious to know the NLD's specific economic policies and approach to FDI. (Courtesy of Huffintonpost)
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Winners
Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD: Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD secured a landslide victory in both houses of parliament and in the State and Regional Assemblies; the NLD's margin of victory allows it to form the new government without a coalition. The NLD will hold nearly every major office--President, one of two Vice Presidents, Speakers of both chambers of parliament, and the cabinet--with the exception of the other military-appointed Vice President and the Ministers for Defense, Home, and Border affairs. Aung San Suu Kyi remains constitutionally prohibited from becoming President. However, she has made it very clear, amidst some controversy, that she intends to take a role "above the presidency" (even though the constitution prevents anyone from being "above" the presidency) and that the yet-to-be revealed NLD President will make all decisions solely along party lines.
Foreign Direct Investment: Aung San Suu Kyi's international image and the NLD's recently stated commitment to financial sector reform to attract international businesses should provide a boost to foreign investment, particularly from those who have treated the Myanmar market cautiously. In the past two years, Asian companies have flocked to Myanmar, increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) five-fold to US$8 billion in the 2014/15 fiscal year. Meanwhile, most Western businesses sat on the sidelines and many never moved past the 'window-shopping' stage, feeling that the political and reputational risk associated was too great and the return on investment too small. The NLD win has significantly diminished those concerns. Myanmar can expect an influx of western businesses within the next fiscal year, although many are anxious to know the NLD's specific economic policies and approach to FDI. (Courtesy of Huffintonpost)
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A Great Opportunity For Reconciliation And Change in Myanmar
With all the results declared for contested seats in the general elections in Myanmar held earlier this month, the National League for Democracy of Aung San Suu Kyi has won 255 out of 323 seats in the Lower House and 135 out of 168 seats in the Upper House. This gives it an almost 80 per cent win even as it translates into only 60 per cent majority in the national Parliament where the military has a quarter of seats reserved for them.
The military backed incumbent Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP),which had hoped to win at least 25 per cent of the seats, that would have kept it in contention to form the government in support with the military, could only bag around ten per cent.
In the elections for the legislative assemblies, the NLD has taken similar majority in all the seven Bamar majority regions and in five of the seven ethnic majority states. In the Shan State the USDP could score more wins than the NLD and, along with the military, it got a 51 per cent majority. In the Rakhine state, the ethnic Arakan National Party has secured 49 per cent of seats while NLD could manage only 9 out of 47.
Two aspects stand out on the electoral front. One is the peaceful manner in which the elections were held, that have been deemed as being most free and transparent even if some have withheld from terming it as also fair. Myanmar, it can still be said, is definitely on the road to democratic transition even as there is still a long way to go in terms of the constitutional framework. (Courtesy of The Wire)
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The military backed incumbent Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP),which had hoped to win at least 25 per cent of the seats, that would have kept it in contention to form the government in support with the military, could only bag around ten per cent.
In the elections for the legislative assemblies, the NLD has taken similar majority in all the seven Bamar majority regions and in five of the seven ethnic majority states. In the Shan State the USDP could score more wins than the NLD and, along with the military, it got a 51 per cent majority. In the Rakhine state, the ethnic Arakan National Party has secured 49 per cent of seats while NLD could manage only 9 out of 47.
Two aspects stand out on the electoral front. One is the peaceful manner in which the elections were held, that have been deemed as being most free and transparent even if some have withheld from terming it as also fair. Myanmar, it can still be said, is definitely on the road to democratic transition even as there is still a long way to go in terms of the constitutional framework. (Courtesy of The Wire)
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Myanmar's top general listens to Aung San Suu Kyi. Will the Army follow her?
The transition from military to democratic rule in Myanmar took a symbolic step forward Wednesday. But the pace of transition is still an open question.
Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party in Myanmar, met with army chief Min Aung Hlaing and outgoing President Thein Sein Wednesday to discuss the upcoming leadership transition after a massive NLD victory in elections last month.
Before driving away in his car, the general smiled and told reporters, “We had very nice talks.”
Ye Htut, a spokesman for President Thein Sein, told a news conference that the 45-minute meeting was focused on a strategy for the upcoming transition of power. (Courtesy CSMonitor.com)
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Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party in Myanmar, met with army chief Min Aung Hlaing and outgoing President Thein Sein Wednesday to discuss the upcoming leadership transition after a massive NLD victory in elections last month.
Before driving away in his car, the general smiled and told reporters, “We had very nice talks.”
Ye Htut, a spokesman for President Thein Sein, told a news conference that the 45-minute meeting was focused on a strategy for the upcoming transition of power. (Courtesy CSMonitor.com)
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Telenor Myanmar adds new tower supplier
Telenor Myanmar added Malaysia’s OCK Group and its local partner King Royal Technologies to its list of telecoms tower suppliers, as it ramps up its network buildout to meet its obligation to cover 90 per cent of the country within five years.
The operator said it has about 3,700 towers and will need about 9,000 sites for full nationwide coverage, the Myanmar Times reported.
It has existing agreements with Apollo Towers, Eco-Friendly Towers and Irrawaddy Green Towers to build and manage towers across the country.
A Telenor representative told the Times that the terms of the agreement, covering the number of towers and length of the contract, were still being worked out.
The country’s tower market is expanding rapidly as Telenor and rival Ooredoo Myanmar build out their networks after receiving licences in late 2013.
Axiata, which has operations in six Asian countries, announced two months ago its tower company edotco would acquire a 75 per cent stake in Digicel’s Myanmar venture for $221 million.
The Myanmar tower market is expected to be one of Southeast Asia’s largest and fastest growing telecoms infrastructure service markets, edotco said. The firm owns more than 15,000 towers in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Pakistan, and after completing the deal in Myanmar, it will have about 16,200 towers across Asia Pacific. Courtesy of Mobile World Live)
The operator said it has about 3,700 towers and will need about 9,000 sites for full nationwide coverage, the Myanmar Times reported.
It has existing agreements with Apollo Towers, Eco-Friendly Towers and Irrawaddy Green Towers to build and manage towers across the country.
A Telenor representative told the Times that the terms of the agreement, covering the number of towers and length of the contract, were still being worked out.
The country’s tower market is expanding rapidly as Telenor and rival Ooredoo Myanmar build out their networks after receiving licences in late 2013.
Axiata, which has operations in six Asian countries, announced two months ago its tower company edotco would acquire a 75 per cent stake in Digicel’s Myanmar venture for $221 million.
The Myanmar tower market is expected to be one of Southeast Asia’s largest and fastest growing telecoms infrastructure service markets, edotco said. The firm owns more than 15,000 towers in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Pakistan, and after completing the deal in Myanmar, it will have about 16,200 towers across Asia Pacific. Courtesy of Mobile World Live)
U.N. food agency faces $40 million Myanmar funding shortfall to mid-2016
BANGKOK, Dec 2 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - More than 600,000 people in Myanmar need food assistance due to natural disasters, violence and conflict, the U.N. World Food Programme said on Wednesday, announcing a $40 million funding shortfall for food aid through June 2016.
Some 13 million people, 26 percent of Myanmar's population, live below the poverty line, while 35 percent of children are malnourished and not growing properly, WFP said in a statement.
Floods and landslides struck 12 of the country's 14 states and regions in June and July, killing 172 people and temporarily displacing more than 1.7 million. WFP said 440,000 people affected by the floods and landslides need food assistance.
Communal violence in Rakhine state in recent years as well as fighting between government troops and ethnic rebels in Kachin and Shan states have displaced 172,000 people who also need food aid, it said.
The agency aims to provide food and cash assistance to 2.9 million food-insecure people in Myanmar, and help internally displaced people return home or resettle in areas with better prospects for work and life.
"WFP's engagement in Myanmar must now be driven by the overarching goal of assisting the country achieve zero hunger by 2030," Dom Scalpelli, the head of WFP in Myanmar, said in the statement.
Myanmar was ruled for decades by the military. Elections were held in November, and the first democratically elected government since the 1960s is preparing to take office next year.
The government has fought ethnic groups in its borderlands off and on for decades, causing massive displacement within the country and forcing hundreds of thousands to seek refuge across the border in Thailand.
In October the government signed a ceasefire with eight armed ethnic groups, but seven of the 15 groups invited declined to sign.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said fighting since October between government forces and ethnic rebels has displaced 6,000 people in Shan state, though Shan rights groups put the number higher, at more than 10,000.
In Kachin state, fighting between the government and ethnic rebels has displaced 1,200 people, OCHA said.
(Reporting by Alisa Tang, editing by Tim Pearce. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, corruption and climate change. Visit www.trust.org) (Courtesy of trust.org)
Some 13 million people, 26 percent of Myanmar's population, live below the poverty line, while 35 percent of children are malnourished and not growing properly, WFP said in a statement.
Floods and landslides struck 12 of the country's 14 states and regions in June and July, killing 172 people and temporarily displacing more than 1.7 million. WFP said 440,000 people affected by the floods and landslides need food assistance.
Communal violence in Rakhine state in recent years as well as fighting between government troops and ethnic rebels in Kachin and Shan states have displaced 172,000 people who also need food aid, it said.
The agency aims to provide food and cash assistance to 2.9 million food-insecure people in Myanmar, and help internally displaced people return home or resettle in areas with better prospects for work and life.
"WFP's engagement in Myanmar must now be driven by the overarching goal of assisting the country achieve zero hunger by 2030," Dom Scalpelli, the head of WFP in Myanmar, said in the statement.
Myanmar was ruled for decades by the military. Elections were held in November, and the first democratically elected government since the 1960s is preparing to take office next year.
The government has fought ethnic groups in its borderlands off and on for decades, causing massive displacement within the country and forcing hundreds of thousands to seek refuge across the border in Thailand.
In October the government signed a ceasefire with eight armed ethnic groups, but seven of the 15 groups invited declined to sign.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said fighting since October between government forces and ethnic rebels has displaced 6,000 people in Shan state, though Shan rights groups put the number higher, at more than 10,000.
In Kachin state, fighting between the government and ethnic rebels has displaced 1,200 people, OCHA said.
(Reporting by Alisa Tang, editing by Tim Pearce. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, corruption and climate change. Visit www.trust.org) (Courtesy of trust.org)
Myanmar bourse to debut on December 9
Myanmar will open its first major stock exchange next week after months of delays, authorities said today, as the long-cloistered economy slowly opens up.
Initially slated for October, the Yangon Stock Exchange (YEX) will now be launched on December 9, according to a statement by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Myanmar.
Its debut was pushed back until after the breakthrough November 8 elections, won handsomely by Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party.
Suu Kyi’s supporters hope her party’s landslide win will hasten the pace of economic liberalisation in the formerly junta-ruled country.
Approval for the bourse was given by Maung Maung Thein, the chairman of the securities and exchange commission, according to state-backed newspaper The Global New Light of Myanmar. About five firms will be listed on the YEX to start with, the official was quoted as saying.
Myanmar is one of just a handful of countries without a stock market.
In 1996, Japanese firm Daiwa Securities and a state bank set up the Myanmar Securities Exchange Centre, but this allowed over-the-counter sales of shares in just two firms, a Myanmar timber company and bank.
The workings of a bourse remain a mystery to most ordinary people, a nation where many keep their money at home and the banking system is still in its infancy after decades of state control over the economy.
A version of this article appears in print on December 02, 2015 of The Himalayan Times. (Source of The Himalayan Times)
Initially slated for October, the Yangon Stock Exchange (YEX) will now be launched on December 9, according to a statement by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Myanmar.
Its debut was pushed back until after the breakthrough November 8 elections, won handsomely by Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party.
Suu Kyi’s supporters hope her party’s landslide win will hasten the pace of economic liberalisation in the formerly junta-ruled country.
Approval for the bourse was given by Maung Maung Thein, the chairman of the securities and exchange commission, according to state-backed newspaper The Global New Light of Myanmar. About five firms will be listed on the YEX to start with, the official was quoted as saying.
Myanmar is one of just a handful of countries without a stock market.
In 1996, Japanese firm Daiwa Securities and a state bank set up the Myanmar Securities Exchange Centre, but this allowed over-the-counter sales of shares in just two firms, a Myanmar timber company and bank.
The workings of a bourse remain a mystery to most ordinary people, a nation where many keep their money at home and the banking system is still in its infancy after decades of state control over the economy.
A version of this article appears in print on December 02, 2015 of The Himalayan Times. (Source of The Himalayan Times)
Frontier Markets: Myanmar vs. Vietnam
I like a little healthy competition, and when it’s between two stock exchanges, it gets really exciting. Two of my favorite countries to invest in for the long term are Myanmar, especially now that the elections went the way I hoped, and Vietnam, who scored the highest in a global poll on capitalism.
Let’s start with Myanmar and the recent pronouncement by Deputy Finance Minister Maung Maung Thein about next Wednesday’s launch of the Yangon Stock Exchange. The deputy minister is quoted in an article for The Nation saying, “Vietnam's stock market may be bigger than ours in term of figures. But our experience is not so different. According to economists' estimations, our stock exchange may catch up with Vietnam's within three years.”
Now I don’t know if that is his sense of humor or if he was being serious, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt and take him at his word. At first glance it does seem to be somewhat of an arrogant statement, considering the stock exchange hasn’t yet accepted its first trade, and will open with six or seven companies compared to the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange with its 348 listings. But there is an underlying story here and I will sum it up in three words: Democracy versus Communism. (Courtesy of Nasdaq)
For more information - Visit here.
Let’s start with Myanmar and the recent pronouncement by Deputy Finance Minister Maung Maung Thein about next Wednesday’s launch of the Yangon Stock Exchange. The deputy minister is quoted in an article for The Nation saying, “Vietnam's stock market may be bigger than ours in term of figures. But our experience is not so different. According to economists' estimations, our stock exchange may catch up with Vietnam's within three years.”
Now I don’t know if that is his sense of humor or if he was being serious, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt and take him at his word. At first glance it does seem to be somewhat of an arrogant statement, considering the stock exchange hasn’t yet accepted its first trade, and will open with six or seven companies compared to the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange with its 348 listings. But there is an underlying story here and I will sum it up in three words: Democracy versus Communism. (Courtesy of Nasdaq)
For more information - Visit here.
Who will be Myanmar's new president?
Three weeks after leading her party to a huge win in Myanmar's general election, Aung San Suu Kyi is holding talks with the country's president and the army chief.
One topic on the table is the thorny question of who becomes Myanmar's next president.
Ms Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from becoming president, which means she is going to have to nominate someone else.
The BBC's Myanmar correspondent Jonah Fisher tries to find out who might be up for the top job. (Courtesy of BBC)
One topic on the table is the thorny question of who becomes Myanmar's next president.
Ms Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from becoming president, which means she is going to have to nominate someone else.
The BBC's Myanmar correspondent Jonah Fisher tries to find out who might be up for the top job. (Courtesy of BBC)
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