He is the President of Myanmar Egress, the Vice President of the Myanmar Fisheries Federation, and a former member of the National Economic Advisor Council, that advises the Government on economic policy. But U Tin Maung Thann is probably best known for being one of the driving forces behind the Myanmar Peace Center, an organization setup to facilitate and mediate in the peace process. As a member of the Union Political Dialogue Joint Committee U Tin Maung Thann will sit at the negotiation table when the peace process enters the political dialogue phase next month. Frontier discussed issues ranging from inclusiveness to the NLD government and the soon to be operational joint peace fund.
Let’s start with the nationwide ceasefire, that has been signed two months ago. Some say 8 signatories out of 16 participating ethnic armed organizations in the peace talks is not a resounding success.
Well, eight groups doesn’t mean it’s half. We silenced the guns in two thirds of the conflict areas. By strength of forces of the 8 signatories, it’s like 80 per cent of the ethnic armed forces.
What motivates the non-signatories? Is it because the States bordering on China are rich on resources and they have more to gain economically from the current status quo?
The groups down south also have resources, but they border with Thailand. The Thai are neutral and very supportive. That decomplicates the political decisions along the Thai border. It’s a different story in the States that border with China. Political Chinese influence is not that significant, but vested personal business interests on both sides of the border are. That is the non political part of the factors affecting decision making.
Psychological factors play a role as well. At the very leadership level of for example the KNPP or the NMSP the leaders are old, their worldviews are very limited, and it’s a struggle to get them to come forward and sign. Psychologically they’re not secure. So we have to give them time. Or the changing political situation could influence the dynamic. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
December 28, 2015
French NGO worker arrested in Bangladesh while working with Rohingya
A French national working with an Islamic NGO has been arrested in Bangladesh, reportedly accused of "suspicious activities" that could mean up to 10 years in jail. He was working with the Rohingya minority, Muslims who have fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
Puemo Tchantchuing, who prefers to be known as Moussa Ibn Yacoub since his conversion to Islam, was arrested on Tuesday 22 December and has been detained since then.
As well as being accused of "suspicious activities", punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, he may be charged with using a false identity, because the name he uses is not the one on his passport and identity card, according to lawyer Samim Bolaky.
He was working for the French-based NGO Baraka City, which says he was stopped at a checkpoint while going to schools and orphanages in the south of the country where the Rohingya camps are situated.
"He is being kept in catastrophic conditions in cells that contain more than 40 prisoners," Bolaky said. (Courtesy of english.rfi.fr)
Puemo Tchantchuing, who prefers to be known as Moussa Ibn Yacoub since his conversion to Islam, was arrested on Tuesday 22 December and has been detained since then.
As well as being accused of "suspicious activities", punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, he may be charged with using a false identity, because the name he uses is not the one on his passport and identity card, according to lawyer Samim Bolaky.
He was working for the French-based NGO Baraka City, which says he was stopped at a checkpoint while going to schools and orphanages in the south of the country where the Rohingya camps are situated.
"He is being kept in catastrophic conditions in cells that contain more than 40 prisoners," Bolaky said. (Courtesy of english.rfi.fr)
Death sentence for Myanmar men will not affect Thai-Myanmar ties: ambassador
Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were sentenced to death for the rape and murder of 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge from Norfolk, and the murder of 24-year-old David Miller from Jersey.
They attended the opening of the trial in July when they said they ‘simply want to see justice done fairly and openly‘. The two migrants denied the accusations. The police said Witheridge had been raped, and that DNA evidence from semen retrieved from her body was at the heart of the prosecution’s case. “We believe the correct verdict has been reached”.
Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, also known as Win Zaw Htun, initially confessed to the killings but later retracted their statements – claiming they had been tortured by police.
Results from the investigation would appear to show that semen of both men was found inside the British Witheridge, the court said in its ruling the evidence from the crime scene and the witnesses “confirmed without any doubt” what Htun and Lin had done. (Courtesy of tvnewsroom.org)
They attended the opening of the trial in July when they said they ‘simply want to see justice done fairly and openly‘. The two migrants denied the accusations. The police said Witheridge had been raped, and that DNA evidence from semen retrieved from her body was at the heart of the prosecution’s case. “We believe the correct verdict has been reached”.
Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, also known as Win Zaw Htun, initially confessed to the killings but later retracted their statements – claiming they had been tortured by police.
Results from the investigation would appear to show that semen of both men was found inside the British Witheridge, the court said in its ruling the evidence from the crime scene and the witnesses “confirmed without any doubt” what Htun and Lin had done. (Courtesy of tvnewsroom.org)
South Korea Welcomes First 22 Refugees From Myanmar For The Country’s Three-Year Pilot Resettlement Programme Led By UNHCR
A group of 22 refugees from Myanmar arrived at the Incheon International Airport on Wednesday for the kick-off of South Korea's three-year pilot resettlement programme led by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
43-year-old Ku Htoo, along with his family, landed in the country after decades of living in a refugee camp, as reported by Korea Joongang Daily Thursday.
"I feel alive. I deeply thank Korea for inviting us, and for embracing us," Ku Htoo said.
He added, "It was too dangerous to live in Myanmar. There was too much war. I had no other choice but to leave and reach the refugee camp. Life at the camp was difficult. I couldn't freely leave the grounds."
Ku Htoo and the rest of the refugees will be under the care of Korea Immigration Service within six to 12 months. The first batch of refugees will be given job training and will take up Korean-language courses.
"I haven't put much thought into my future yet. I'm first planning to fit in here, and then I'll gradually ponder how I'll make a living," Ku Htoo said.
Through the initiative of UNHCR, South Korea becomes the 29th country in the world and second in Asia to allow refugees for resettlement through the Refugee Act. (Courtesy of en.koreaportal.com)
43-year-old Ku Htoo, along with his family, landed in the country after decades of living in a refugee camp, as reported by Korea Joongang Daily Thursday.
"I feel alive. I deeply thank Korea for inviting us, and for embracing us," Ku Htoo said.
He added, "It was too dangerous to live in Myanmar. There was too much war. I had no other choice but to leave and reach the refugee camp. Life at the camp was difficult. I couldn't freely leave the grounds."
Ku Htoo and the rest of the refugees will be under the care of Korea Immigration Service within six to 12 months. The first batch of refugees will be given job training and will take up Korean-language courses.
"I haven't put much thought into my future yet. I'm first planning to fit in here, and then I'll gradually ponder how I'll make a living," Ku Htoo said.
Through the initiative of UNHCR, South Korea becomes the 29th country in the world and second in Asia to allow refugees for resettlement through the Refugee Act. (Courtesy of en.koreaportal.com)
Myanmar jails activist for satirizing military on social media
Yangon - A court in Myanmar has sentenced an opposition activist to six months in jail for posting a satire of the powerful military on Facebook, the defendant's lawyer said Monday.
The court in Maubin township of the Ayeyawdayy delta region, imprisoned Chaw Sandi Tun, 25, who was arrested and charged in October under the Telecommunications Law.
She is a member of opposition National League for Democracy (NLD),which won recent elections but which has not yet taken power. The defendant was accused of posting a picture of two senior military officers and NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, comparing the new mint-green uniforms with her traditional sarong wrap of the same colour, defence lawyer Robert San Aung told dpa.The caption read: "If you love Mother Suu so much, why don’t you wrap her sarong around your head?"
The court decided was insulting to the military and army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. In Myanmar’s conservative society, the idea of a man wearing women’s clothing on his head or upper parts of the body is deemed by some people to be offensive."Although we complained the photo was not posted by the accused, the court made the decision based on the evidence provided by the police and telecommunication ministry," the lawyer said. (Courtesy of The Nation)
The court in Maubin township of the Ayeyawdayy delta region, imprisoned Chaw Sandi Tun, 25, who was arrested and charged in October under the Telecommunications Law.
She is a member of opposition National League for Democracy (NLD),which won recent elections but which has not yet taken power. The defendant was accused of posting a picture of two senior military officers and NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, comparing the new mint-green uniforms with her traditional sarong wrap of the same colour, defence lawyer Robert San Aung told dpa.The caption read: "If you love Mother Suu so much, why don’t you wrap her sarong around your head?"
The court decided was insulting to the military and army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. In Myanmar’s conservative society, the idea of a man wearing women’s clothing on his head or upper parts of the body is deemed by some people to be offensive."Although we complained the photo was not posted by the accused, the court made the decision based on the evidence provided by the police and telecommunication ministry," the lawyer said. (Courtesy of The Nation)
Myanmar army chief asks Thailand for death sentence review
YANGON - Myanmar's army chief has called on Thailand to review the sentencing of two countrymen to death for murdering a pair of British backpackers after a controversial trial that sparked protests.
General Min Aung Hlaing, head of the country’s influential military, has asked Thailand for a "review of the evidence" against the two men, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Sunday.
Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were found guilty on Thursday of killing David Miller, 24, and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, whose battered bodies were found on a beach in the southern Thai diving resort of Koh Tao in September last year.
The grim killings have sullied Thailand’s reputation as a tourist haven and raised questions over its justice system after the defence accused the police of bungling their investigation and using the men as scapegoats -- a charge authorities deny.
The verdicts have sparked anger in Myanmar with daily protests held outside the Thai embassy in Yangon and at border crossings with the country’s eastern neighbour.
The Global New Light of Myanmar said General Hlaing expressed his concerns about the verdict in a New Year message to senior Thai junta leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan. (Courtesy of The Nation)
General Min Aung Hlaing, head of the country’s influential military, has asked Thailand for a "review of the evidence" against the two men, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Sunday.
Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were found guilty on Thursday of killing David Miller, 24, and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, whose battered bodies were found on a beach in the southern Thai diving resort of Koh Tao in September last year.
The grim killings have sullied Thailand’s reputation as a tourist haven and raised questions over its justice system after the defence accused the police of bungling their investigation and using the men as scapegoats -- a charge authorities deny.
The verdicts have sparked anger in Myanmar with daily protests held outside the Thai embassy in Yangon and at border crossings with the country’s eastern neighbour.
The Global New Light of Myanmar said General Hlaing expressed his concerns about the verdict in a New Year message to senior Thai junta leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan. (Courtesy of The Nation)
Three missing in Myanmar jade mine landslide: officials
Rescuers in northern Myanmar on Sunday said they were confident only a handful of people are missing in a jade mine landslide, refuting local reports that as many as 50 might have been buried.
A wall of rocks, mud and debris careered down a hillside on Friday afternoon in Hpakant, Kachin State, the war-torn area that is the epicentre of Myanmar's secretive billion dollar jade industry.
More than 100 people were killed in the same area in a landslide last month and locals feared dozens of workers might be buried in the latest accident.
But officials involved in the rescue said they had only been notified of a handful of missing people and have yet to recover any bodies.
"Three men have been reported to us as missing," a duty police officer in Hpakant told AFP, asking not to be named.
"We are not sure whether they were buried in the dump because we haven't found any dead bodies yet."
The state run Global New Light of Myanmar Sunday reported the same figures.
"Relatives of the three people informed us that three people have not yet returned home since the accident happened," the paper quoted Tin Swe Myint, head of the Hpakant Township Administration Office, as saying.
He added that the landslide took place after most workers had finished work and unlike last month's tragedy had not engulfed a row of shanty houses. (Courtesy of Thanh Nien News Daily)
A wall of rocks, mud and debris careered down a hillside on Friday afternoon in Hpakant, Kachin State, the war-torn area that is the epicentre of Myanmar's secretive billion dollar jade industry.
More than 100 people were killed in the same area in a landslide last month and locals feared dozens of workers might be buried in the latest accident.
But officials involved in the rescue said they had only been notified of a handful of missing people and have yet to recover any bodies.
"Three men have been reported to us as missing," a duty police officer in Hpakant told AFP, asking not to be named.
"We are not sure whether they were buried in the dump because we haven't found any dead bodies yet."
The state run Global New Light of Myanmar Sunday reported the same figures.
"Relatives of the three people informed us that three people have not yet returned home since the accident happened," the paper quoted Tin Swe Myint, head of the Hpakant Township Administration Office, as saying.
He added that the landslide took place after most workers had finished work and unlike last month's tragedy had not engulfed a row of shanty houses. (Courtesy of Thanh Nien News Daily)
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