Dec. 18 is the 25th annual International Migrants Day. Though many believe that the term "migrant" refers only to those who move for work, in reality, the word refers to any people who leave their homeland in search of a better life. This year, the world's migrant population includes a record number of refugees — defined as people who have been forced to flee their homes for reasons such as war, extreme poverty, or environmental disaster. (For information about economic migration, check out the International Labour Organization's data on labor migrants.)
2015 has been marked by particularly dramatic coverage of the refugee crisis spilling from the Middle East into Europe. These heart-wrenching stories drew the issue of refugees into the headlines for a few weeks, but they represent just a small portion of the displaced people around the globe.
In addition to the refugees from Iraq and Syria, millions of other refugees and migrants are facing their own challenges. Each day last year, an average of 42,500 people became refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced — and today, a staggering 65,000,000 people worldwide fall into one of these categories. Roughly half of these refugees are children, and the vast majority come from lower socioeconomic strata. (Courtesy of Bustle)
December 20, 2015
Rohingyas Crossing Over into Assam
GUWAHATI: The Rohingya Muslims are often classified as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. In recent years, thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled their country fearing for their lives.
As persecuted Rohingya Muslims flee Myanmar, some of them have also found their way into Assam. Official sources said that so far 28 Rohingya Muslims have been apprehended in Assam and they are currently being lodged in detention camps.
The six detention camps – Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Tezpur – currently have 490 inmates, of which 163 are Hindus and 372 Muslims.
The ethnic Rohingyas of Myanmar’s west coast are considered one of the most persecuted groups in the world. Three years ago, religious and ethnic tensions between the Rohingya Muslims and the Rakhine Buddhists, who make up the majority of the population, escalated into widespread and deadly rioting. (Courtesy of thenortheasttoday.com)
As persecuted Rohingya Muslims flee Myanmar, some of them have also found their way into Assam. Official sources said that so far 28 Rohingya Muslims have been apprehended in Assam and they are currently being lodged in detention camps.
The six detention camps – Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Tezpur – currently have 490 inmates, of which 163 are Hindus and 372 Muslims.
The ethnic Rohingyas of Myanmar’s west coast are considered one of the most persecuted groups in the world. Three years ago, religious and ethnic tensions between the Rohingya Muslims and the Rakhine Buddhists, who make up the majority of the population, escalated into widespread and deadly rioting. (Courtesy of thenortheasttoday.com)
China may put one-third of all troops in new west border military zone
The new sprawling West zone will stretch across more than half of China's territory: covering frontiers from Myanmar in the south to India and Central Asian countries in the west, and all the way north to Russia, and including the two vast and troubled regions of Xinjiang and Tibet.
An on-going reorganisation in China's military that will unify two separate military commands currently in charge of guarding the border with India could see as many as one-third of all China's land troops stationed in this expanded new western zone, a report said on Sunday.
While China's 8.5 lakh land forces are currently spread across seven military area commands - of them two western commands, the Lanzhou and Chengdu regions, are tasked with the western and eastern sectors of the border with India respectively, besides Myanmar, Russia and a number of Central Asian countries - a major on-going overhaul of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is expected to create five new military zones directly under the command of the Central Military Commission headed by President Xi Jinping.
The move comes amid reforms to centralise and modernise the PLA to make it a smaller, nimbler and more high-tech military. (Courtesy of India Today)
An on-going reorganisation in China's military that will unify two separate military commands currently in charge of guarding the border with India could see as many as one-third of all China's land troops stationed in this expanded new western zone, a report said on Sunday.
While China's 8.5 lakh land forces are currently spread across seven military area commands - of them two western commands, the Lanzhou and Chengdu regions, are tasked with the western and eastern sectors of the border with India respectively, besides Myanmar, Russia and a number of Central Asian countries - a major on-going overhaul of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is expected to create five new military zones directly under the command of the Central Military Commission headed by President Xi Jinping.
The move comes amid reforms to centralise and modernise the PLA to make it a smaller, nimbler and more high-tech military. (Courtesy of India Today)
Myanmar to grant permission to more foreign banks
YANGON: The Central Bank of Myanmar will grant permission to more foreign banks to operate in Myanmar next July, an official media reported Friday. The foreign banks and banks which have opened representative offices in the country as well as other banks can apply for opening their branches in Myanmar, said the Global New Light of Myanmar. The Central Bank will distribute the proposal forms to foreign banks in early July. Banks from neighboring countries and close economic partners will be favored this time. In September, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) which is the first Chinese-invested commercial bank operating in Myanmar and the Bank of China, one of the five biggest state-owned commercial banks in China, opened their representative offices in Yangon, adding to dozens of foreign bank offices in the country. Of 43 foreign bank representative offices stationed in Myanmar, nine including ICBC, have been awarded service licenses in October last year, the first in more than five decades. (Courtesy of The Financial Express BD)
Five firms get investment green light
Myanmar Investment Commission has granted permits to five domestic and foreign companies this month.
They are a frozen vegetable producer, an agricultural producers, a fishmonger, a manufacturer of industrial displays and fertiliser producer.
They are based in Mandalay, Bago, Ayeyawady, Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw.
One is foreign-owned, two are joint-ventures and two are citizen-owned companies. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
They are a frozen vegetable producer, an agricultural producers, a fishmonger, a manufacturer of industrial displays and fertiliser producer.
They are based in Mandalay, Bago, Ayeyawady, Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw.
One is foreign-owned, two are joint-ventures and two are citizen-owned companies. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
Activists complain about migrants' plight in Thailand
Ten of thousands of Myanmar migrant workers living in Thailand are facing human rights violations and many live in the kingdom illegally, migrant associations say.
Htoo Chit from the Foundation for Education and Development in Thailand said: “A total of 54 migrant workers at a seafood processing factory in Ranong were arrested in an operation. All were female and their visas had expired.”
The Thai authorities demanded BT3,000 from 170,000 migrant workers to issue temporary visas. The workers claimed to not know what to do when their six-year visas expired. Tens of thousands of other migrants' visas will expire soon, according to a Thailand-based migrant rights network.
Bangkok is being urged to prepare for this. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
Htoo Chit from the Foundation for Education and Development in Thailand said: “A total of 54 migrant workers at a seafood processing factory in Ranong were arrested in an operation. All were female and their visas had expired.”
The Thai authorities demanded BT3,000 from 170,000 migrant workers to issue temporary visas. The workers claimed to not know what to do when their six-year visas expired. Tens of thousands of other migrants' visas will expire soon, according to a Thailand-based migrant rights network.
Bangkok is being urged to prepare for this. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
Union Peace Conference date set
The President’s Office announced yesterday that the Union Peace Conference has been scheduled to take place on 12 January 2016 as part of the peaceful solution to national reconciliation, ending armed conflict and solving political disputes through diplomatic means, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported on 19 December. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
Myanmar’s drone enthusiasts are rushing to catch up with the latest technology after emerging from the shadow of military rule
In a ramshackle workshop behind a bustling Yangon market, Kyi Tha fixes the plastic propeller of a home-made drone, one of a growing number of enthusiasts refusing to let poverty clip the wings of their hi-tech dreams.
A new generation of creative young inventors have turned to the internet to catch up with the rest of the world, after years of isolation under junta rule left the country with little access to engineering expertise or cutting-edge technology.
“Studying drone technology is not easy in Myanmar. So we watched videos about it on YouTube,” said Kyi Tha, admitting he watch clips for months, patiently enduring notoriously slow web connections in his search for knowledge. (Courtesy of South China Morning Post)
A new generation of creative young inventors have turned to the internet to catch up with the rest of the world, after years of isolation under junta rule left the country with little access to engineering expertise or cutting-edge technology.
“Studying drone technology is not easy in Myanmar. So we watched videos about it on YouTube,” said Kyi Tha, admitting he watch clips for months, patiently enduring notoriously slow web connections in his search for knowledge. (Courtesy of South China Morning Post)
NEW MPS MUST SUBMIT BIOGRAPHIES FOR “HLUTTAW HISTORY”
Nay Pyi Taw - Parliament Office has asked all newly elected MP’s to submit their biographies for a “personal history of Hluttaw MPs” to be published early next year, parliament officials said Saturday.
Letters have been sent to the winning political parties telling them to send curriculum vitae of all elected MP’s with a license-size photograph to the office of the speaker of Hluttaw not later than December 29, Upper House Director-General U Kyi Min told Frontier. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
Letters have been sent to the winning political parties telling them to send curriculum vitae of all elected MP’s with a license-size photograph to the office of the speaker of Hluttaw not later than December 29, Upper House Director-General U Kyi Min told Frontier. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
Myanmar's inventors playing catch-up
YANGON • In a ramshackle workshop behind a bustling Yangon market, Mr Kyi Tha fixes the plastic propeller of a home-made drone, one of a growing number of enthusiasts refusing to let poverty clip the wings of their high-tech dreams.
A new generation of creative young inventors have turned to the Internet to catch up with the rest of the world, after years of isolation under junta rule left the country with little access to engineering expertise or cutting-edge technology.
"Studying drone technology is not easy in Myanmar. So we watched video clips about it on YouTube," said Mr Kyi Tha, admitting he watched clips for months, patiently enduring notoriously slow Web connections in his search for knowledge. "After experimenting for one year, we could do many things," he said. (Courtesy of The Straits Times)
A new generation of creative young inventors have turned to the Internet to catch up with the rest of the world, after years of isolation under junta rule left the country with little access to engineering expertise or cutting-edge technology.
"Studying drone technology is not easy in Myanmar. So we watched video clips about it on YouTube," said Mr Kyi Tha, admitting he watched clips for months, patiently enduring notoriously slow Web connections in his search for knowledge. "After experimenting for one year, we could do many things," he said. (Courtesy of The Straits Times)
2015: When peace continued to elude Manipur
IMPHAL: The year just ending was another of violence and more violence in Manipur, one of the most troubled states in India's northeast.
In a place where militancy never seems to abate, there was little to cheer, with Naga insurgents massacring 20 soldiers in Chandel district in June, inviting a rare but deadly Indian Army retaliation in Myanmar.
The violence has only been compounded by the never ending strikes that have made life very tough for the mass of people all across the landlocked state.
The violence and unrest resulted in the extension of the Disturbed State status till October 2016, preventing the central government from repealing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). (Courtesy of The Economics Time)
In a place where militancy never seems to abate, there was little to cheer, with Naga insurgents massacring 20 soldiers in Chandel district in June, inviting a rare but deadly Indian Army retaliation in Myanmar.
The violence has only been compounded by the never ending strikes that have made life very tough for the mass of people all across the landlocked state.
The violence and unrest resulted in the extension of the Disturbed State status till October 2016, preventing the central government from repealing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). (Courtesy of The Economics Time)
Is the Dragon's power a threat to the Mekong region?
The role of China in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) is directly linked with the North-South Corridor, a transportation route where the improvement of regional infrastructure and road construction has instigated extensive cross-border movement of goods, people and capital.
The prominent role of China is apparent from an investment in the construction of a large dam in Myanmar, and from the influx of Chinese goods into major points in the Mekong region such as Vientiane and Thailand’s border towns of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai.
This role is even more extensive if we consider Chinese assistance and trade with Myanmar and Cambodia. Apart from providing assistance in the form of public utilities and road construction in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, China is also the largest foreign investor in Vietnam. (Courtesy of Bangkok Post: News)
The prominent role of China is apparent from an investment in the construction of a large dam in Myanmar, and from the influx of Chinese goods into major points in the Mekong region such as Vientiane and Thailand’s border towns of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai.
This role is even more extensive if we consider Chinese assistance and trade with Myanmar and Cambodia. Apart from providing assistance in the form of public utilities and road construction in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, China is also the largest foreign investor in Vietnam. (Courtesy of Bangkok Post: News)
Myanmar tightens regulations around risky jade mines in Kachin state
YANGON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities are tightening rules and regulations around risky jade mining areas in Myanmar's northernmost Kachin state, the official media reported Saturday.
Local authorities have suggested that migrant miners squatting in at risk areas be relocated to safer areas and that mining companies dump their dump soil in accordance with safety rules, said the Global New Light of Myanmar.
When miners began using heavy machinery to extract jade from mines in Myanmar in 2005, migrant workers across the country flowed into the area to scavenge small jade stones from discarded soil.
There are around 200,000 squatters in Hpakant Township. (Courtesy of Global Post)
Local authorities have suggested that migrant miners squatting in at risk areas be relocated to safer areas and that mining companies dump their dump soil in accordance with safety rules, said the Global New Light of Myanmar.
When miners began using heavy machinery to extract jade from mines in Myanmar in 2005, migrant workers across the country flowed into the area to scavenge small jade stones from discarded soil.
There are around 200,000 squatters in Hpakant Township. (Courtesy of Global Post)
Army sends in troops for slavery blitz
The military deployed troops on Friday to support government efforts to crack down on forced labour and human trafficking in the fishing industry nationwide.
National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) spokesman Col Winthai Suwaree said the NCPO Maintaining Force is working with police and local bodies to conduct nationwide inspections of factories suspected of violating the labour protection law.
The move comes after the government received information that some operators in the fishing industry continue to defy the law.
On Nov 9, the Department of Special Investigation, along with police, soldiers and local authorities raided a shrimp-peeling shed in Samut Sakhon's Muang district after a Myanmar worker who managed to escape alerted them of terrible working conditions. (Courtesy of Bangkok Post: News)
National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) spokesman Col Winthai Suwaree said the NCPO Maintaining Force is working with police and local bodies to conduct nationwide inspections of factories suspected of violating the labour protection law.
The move comes after the government received information that some operators in the fishing industry continue to defy the law.
On Nov 9, the Department of Special Investigation, along with police, soldiers and local authorities raided a shrimp-peeling shed in Samut Sakhon's Muang district after a Myanmar worker who managed to escape alerted them of terrible working conditions. (Courtesy of Bangkok Post: News)
Myanmar - As I see it
I love travelling, and when the Transport secretary informed me that I have been included as part of the delegates for the first ever Imphal-Mandalay Bus Service trial run from 9th December to 14th December 2015, my excitement knew no bound and I eagerly looked forward to it. At long last, I could visit the mainland of our neighbouring country and no longer claim of having visited Myanmar by merely setting foot inside Tamu, the border town, every time I visit Moreh.
The bulk of the delegates consisted of officials from various Deptts of the State Government and some civil reps as well as the main tour operator Seven Sisters Tour agency. There were also representatives of Ministry of Road Transport Highways (MORTH), MHA, Customs, etc. The proposed route we were to take was Tamu-Bagan via Kalemyo-Monywa-Mandalay-Neypitaw.
The journey from Imphal started right after the formal flag off ceremony on 9th Dec., 2015 at Hotel Imphal. The vehicles consist of one bus and two SUVs, and it took barely three hours to reach Moreh. But the immigration and custom clearance at Moreh took time and we finally headed for the border gate at 2.35 pm. After crossing the India-Myanmar border bridge, we found the Myanmar officials waiting for us since morning. After a brief halt at their immigration and custom check-post, the Myanmar officials informed us that as per their schedule for us, we were to arrive at 10 am at the border and we have to drive from the border straight to Monywa via Kalemyo-Yargyi route. This was unexpected, as according to our plan, we were to halt the night at Kalemyo, and we requested that we stick to our schedule.
But ultimately, we yielded to their schedule for us. So, we had to brace for a long journey ahead. At 2.45pm IST, we started off from the Tamu border gate for Monywa led by the Myanmar Transport Director U Thin Myant Thu. After two and half hours journey, just before reaching Kalemyo, we stopped by at a roadside eatery for tea and snacks. The sun had already set by then. Thereafter, the night journey commenced. It was not long when we reached the bad stretch of Yargyi road. The kuccha journey began, with our dust covered vehicles trudging the lonely road at night. (Courtesy of Clay Khongsai)
The bulk of the delegates consisted of officials from various Deptts of the State Government and some civil reps as well as the main tour operator Seven Sisters Tour agency. There were also representatives of Ministry of Road Transport Highways (MORTH), MHA, Customs, etc. The proposed route we were to take was Tamu-Bagan via Kalemyo-Monywa-Mandalay-Neypitaw.
The journey from Imphal started right after the formal flag off ceremony on 9th Dec., 2015 at Hotel Imphal. The vehicles consist of one bus and two SUVs, and it took barely three hours to reach Moreh. But the immigration and custom clearance at Moreh took time and we finally headed for the border gate at 2.35 pm. After crossing the India-Myanmar border bridge, we found the Myanmar officials waiting for us since morning. After a brief halt at their immigration and custom check-post, the Myanmar officials informed us that as per their schedule for us, we were to arrive at 10 am at the border and we have to drive from the border straight to Monywa via Kalemyo-Yargyi route. This was unexpected, as according to our plan, we were to halt the night at Kalemyo, and we requested that we stick to our schedule.
But ultimately, we yielded to their schedule for us. So, we had to brace for a long journey ahead. At 2.45pm IST, we started off from the Tamu border gate for Monywa led by the Myanmar Transport Director U Thin Myant Thu. After two and half hours journey, just before reaching Kalemyo, we stopped by at a roadside eatery for tea and snacks. The sun had already set by then. Thereafter, the night journey commenced. It was not long when we reached the bad stretch of Yargyi road. The kuccha journey began, with our dust covered vehicles trudging the lonely road at night. (Courtesy of Clay Khongsai)
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