Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested thirty-two Rohingya and one Bangladeshi human trafficker while trying to enter Bangladesh through the entry point of Shapuridip on January 27 early morning, Sayed Hossain, a local from Teknaf said.
They crossed Bangladesh-Burma border by an engine boat to visit their relatives, Syed Hussain added.
On being tipped off, a team of BGB led by Company Commander Gulam Rabbani of Shappuridip BGB-outpost under the Teknaf Battalion No. 2, arrested the Burmese National (Rohingya) after conducting operation at border areas, according to BGB officials.
There were twelve children, six females, eight males and six crews in the boat, the officials more added.
Among the arrestees, six crews and Bangladeshi trafficker were handed over to Teknaf police station for further investigation, according to Lt. Col. Md. Abuzar Al Jahid from Teknaf Battalion No. 2. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
January 29, 2016
Reduced Rakhine State budget under fire
The incoming Rakhine State parliament will have only half the funds it needs to develop the state, a local MP has complained. The state parliament adopted the 2016-17 budget on January 25, days before it rose to give way to the new parliament elected last November.
But independent MP U Aung Mra Kyaw said the K145 billion budget the outgoing members passed would cripple the state’s attempts at development. MPs had voted down proposals for a K300 billion budget.
At the same time, he said, members had voted nearly K10 million for improvements to the residences of the chief minister and chair of the state parliament and other ministers.
MPs supporting the budget said the cuts were justified because of inflation and the need to balance expenditure and income. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
But independent MP U Aung Mra Kyaw said the K145 billion budget the outgoing members passed would cripple the state’s attempts at development. MPs had voted down proposals for a K300 billion budget.
At the same time, he said, members had voted nearly K10 million for improvements to the residences of the chief minister and chair of the state parliament and other ministers.
MPs supporting the budget said the cuts were justified because of inflation and the need to balance expenditure and income. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
High level officers threaten Rohingya villagers in Maungdaw
High level officers led by Maungdaw deputy township administration officer – U Myint Thein and other five department officers threaten Rohingya villagers in a meeting held in Maungnama village tract on January 23 at 11:00 AM, said Mer Ali from the village said.
The officers invited all the villagers under the Maungnama village tract to join the meeting held in the affiliated middle school of village, Mer Ali more said.
In the meeting, U Myint Thein, the deputy Maungdaw township administration officer, Naing Win Thein, officer of fishery department, Hla Htun Pryu, Township land survey officer, U Shwe Zan, township planning officer, U Tin Oo, Municipal officer and fire bridge officer, said an officer from Maungdaw who denied to be named.
The deputy township administration officer said at the meeting, anyone who built their home without permission from township administration office, planning office and Municipal office, must report to the concerned offices. Otherwise, they will be find and send to jail, the officer more added. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
The officers invited all the villagers under the Maungnama village tract to join the meeting held in the affiliated middle school of village, Mer Ali more said.
In the meeting, U Myint Thein, the deputy Maungdaw township administration officer, Naing Win Thein, officer of fishery department, Hla Htun Pryu, Township land survey officer, U Shwe Zan, township planning officer, U Tin Oo, Municipal officer and fire bridge officer, said an officer from Maungdaw who denied to be named.
The deputy township administration officer said at the meeting, anyone who built their home without permission from township administration office, planning office and Municipal office, must report to the concerned offices. Otherwise, they will be find and send to jail, the officer more added. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
Myanmar urged to focus on human resources
Myanmar’s public and private sectors have been urged to put greater focus on the quality of university and vocational education to address the acute shortage of qualified workers faced by both local and foreign companies.
At a seminar on human resources last week, Oliver Massmann, general director of law firm Duane Morris Vietnam, said Myanmar's new government should focus on both university and vocational training.
He added that the implementation of vocational training projects was a priority.
He also urged the government to undertake awareness-raising activities as soon as possible, a process he said took about 10 years in Vietnam. The lawyer underscored the importance of women's empowerment in the nation's growth. (Courtesy of The Nation)
At a seminar on human resources last week, Oliver Massmann, general director of law firm Duane Morris Vietnam, said Myanmar's new government should focus on both university and vocational training.
He added that the implementation of vocational training projects was a priority.
He also urged the government to undertake awareness-raising activities as soon as possible, a process he said took about 10 years in Vietnam. The lawyer underscored the importance of women's empowerment in the nation's growth. (Courtesy of The Nation)
Senate panel approves Myanmar nominee
A U.S. Senate committee approved President Barack Obama's nominee to be ambassador to Myanmar on Thursday, after the administration assured panel members it would not quickly change sanctions policy as the country moves from decades of military rule.
Republican Senator Cory Gardner said he had been concerned that the Obama administration would move too quickly to ease sanctions on Myanmar before it had made the transition to democratic government.
But Gardner said during Thursday's Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting he had been assured that the sanctions policy had not changed, and that Congress would be "fully consulted" about any shift. (Courtesy of wifc.com)
Republican Senator Cory Gardner said he had been concerned that the Obama administration would move too quickly to ease sanctions on Myanmar before it had made the transition to democratic government.
But Gardner said during Thursday's Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting he had been assured that the sanctions policy had not changed, and that Congress would be "fully consulted" about any shift. (Courtesy of wifc.com)
Malnutrition spikes in Myanmar’s Rakhine
The number of severely malnourished children has spiked in northern Rakhine state in Myanmar, a European Union agency said, after floods six months ago dealt a new blow to an area home to a persecuted population with little access to basic services.
About 90 percent of the people in northern Rakhine state are Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority that faces discrimination and violence in mostly Buddhist Myanmar. The government does not recognize them as citizens, and many Rohingya are excluded from health care, education and employment.
Widespread floods across Myanmar six months ago — caused by torrential rains and Cyclone Komen — destroyed crops, damaged rice paddies and contaminated water sources, worsening food insecurity.
The number of severely malnourished children under the age of five newly admitted to a European Commission-backed feeding program in Maungdaw district shot up after the floods to more than 1,500 in October, from 1,200 new admittances in August and 500 in July, a regional official of an EU agency said. (Courtesy of Arab News)
About 90 percent of the people in northern Rakhine state are Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority that faces discrimination and violence in mostly Buddhist Myanmar. The government does not recognize them as citizens, and many Rohingya are excluded from health care, education and employment.
Widespread floods across Myanmar six months ago — caused by torrential rains and Cyclone Komen — destroyed crops, damaged rice paddies and contaminated water sources, worsening food insecurity.
The number of severely malnourished children under the age of five newly admitted to a European Commission-backed feeding program in Maungdaw district shot up after the floods to more than 1,500 in October, from 1,200 new admittances in August and 500 in July, a regional official of an EU agency said. (Courtesy of Arab News)
Myanmar’s Rohingya Genocide Is Aided By Friends In High Places
In 2012, after centuries of tension, Myanmar’s Buddhist majority began oppressing the nation’s Muslim minority, forcing them into concentration camps and carrying out widespread murder and genocidal acts.
But more than racism and bigotry have inflamed tensions in this South Asian country, as the United States and its allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel enable the atrocities through their foreign aid and military power.
In June, The Economist called the Rohingya “the most persecuted people on earth,” noting that their suffering has intensified since 2012. That year, “140,000 Rohingyas were forced into squalid refugee camps after the local Buddhists turned on them,” and since then, “their situation has been especially dire.” (Courtesy of mintpressnews.com)
But more than racism and bigotry have inflamed tensions in this South Asian country, as the United States and its allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel enable the atrocities through their foreign aid and military power.
In June, The Economist called the Rohingya “the most persecuted people on earth,” noting that their suffering has intensified since 2012. That year, “140,000 Rohingyas were forced into squalid refugee camps after the local Buddhists turned on them,” and since then, “their situation has been especially dire.” (Courtesy of mintpressnews.com)
Q&A: Myanmar’s New Parliament with Suu Kyi Party Majority
Myanmar’s transition to representative democracy reaches another milestone on Feb. 1: A new parliament begins work with a majority of its members for the first time belonging to the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Priscilla Clapp, a former American diplomat in Myanmar and U.S. Institute of Peace specialist on the country, discusses the next steps and the likely effect of the change on Myanmar’s political, economic and societal transformation.
The NLD won its majority in largely peaceful elections on Nov. 8, replacing a legislative body that has been dominated by the military-inspired Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). Aung San Suu Kyi, released from detention in 2010, first joined the parliament in 2012, when her NLD party took 43 seats. Despite the overwhelming NLD majority now, the constitution requires that uniformed military officers retain 25 percent of the seats.
The new parliament will have to select a new president and two vice presidents by March 31 when the current chief executive, Thein Sein, steps down. Under what Suu Kyi believes is a constitutional provision drafted specifically to target her, she’s ineligible for the presidency because no one with children owing allegiance to a foreign government can hold the highest office, and her sons are British citizens. (Courtesy of usip.org)
The NLD won its majority in largely peaceful elections on Nov. 8, replacing a legislative body that has been dominated by the military-inspired Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). Aung San Suu Kyi, released from detention in 2010, first joined the parliament in 2012, when her NLD party took 43 seats. Despite the overwhelming NLD majority now, the constitution requires that uniformed military officers retain 25 percent of the seats.
The new parliament will have to select a new president and two vice presidents by March 31 when the current chief executive, Thein Sein, steps down. Under what Suu Kyi believes is a constitutional provision drafted specifically to target her, she’s ineligible for the presidency because no one with children owing allegiance to a foreign government can hold the highest office, and her sons are British citizens. (Courtesy of usip.org)
Suu Kyi's Party Names Choices to Lead Myanmar Parliament
The pro-democracy party in Myanmar led by Aung San Suu Kyi announced ethnically diverse choices Thursday for leadership of the legislature as it prepares to take over the government from a military-backed party after parliament convenes Monday.
National League for Democracy executive Win Thein told reporters that it will nominate a member of the Burman ethnic majority, Win Myint, for lower house speaker and an ethnic Kachin, Ti Khun Myat, for his deputy. It will propose a Karen, Win Khaing Than, for speaker of the upper house, and an Arakanese, Aye Thar Aung, for his deputy.
In what is seen as another gesture toward unity and reconciliation, the proposed deputies come from other parties. Ti Khun Myat is a member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, the outgoing ruling party, and Aye Thar Aung is from the Arakan National Party, one of the better-performing ethnic parties in the election representing a politically volatile area.
Ethnic conflict has bedeviled Myanmar for decades, with minority groups fielding guerrilla armies in a bid for greater autonomy. (Courtesy of ABC News)
National League for Democracy executive Win Thein told reporters that it will nominate a member of the Burman ethnic majority, Win Myint, for lower house speaker and an ethnic Kachin, Ti Khun Myat, for his deputy. It will propose a Karen, Win Khaing Than, for speaker of the upper house, and an Arakanese, Aye Thar Aung, for his deputy.
In what is seen as another gesture toward unity and reconciliation, the proposed deputies come from other parties. Ti Khun Myat is a member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, the outgoing ruling party, and Aye Thar Aung is from the Arakan National Party, one of the better-performing ethnic parties in the election representing a politically volatile area.
Ethnic conflict has bedeviled Myanmar for decades, with minority groups fielding guerrilla armies in a bid for greater autonomy. (Courtesy of ABC News)
Ranong: Two Myanmar migrant workers arrested with explosives in possession
A sea patrol unit today arrested two Myanmar migrant workers aboard a fishing boat off Ranong coast after they were found to have power gel explosives and igniting fuses in possession.
Identified only as Ao and Sumya, they were later today handed over to the special action force of the 25th infantry regiment based in Ranong province for questioning. (Courtesy of news.thaivisa.com)
Identified only as Ao and Sumya, they were later today handed over to the special action force of the 25th infantry regiment based in Ranong province for questioning. (Courtesy of news.thaivisa.com)
Peace and Ethnic Disunity
The inaugural Union Peace Conference wrapped up in Nay Pyi Taw on January 16 with all the usual fanfare. President U Thein Sein launched the peace process in August 2011 and has never resiled from making it a central plank of his administration: Even the modest achievements of the ceasefire negotiations have been feted and trumpeted with vigour by the government and the state-run media. Analyst Bertil Lintner derisively dubbed the process as the “peace-industrial complex”.
A case in point was the official revelry that accompanied the signing last March of a draft text for a national ceasefire agreement. Ethnic armed groups withheld their final assent until after convening two summits, first in the Wa stronghold of Panghsang and then at the Karen National Union headquarters at Law Khee Lar. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
A case in point was the official revelry that accompanied the signing last March of a draft text for a national ceasefire agreement. Ethnic armed groups withheld their final assent until after convening two summits, first in the Wa stronghold of Panghsang and then at the Karen National Union headquarters at Law Khee Lar. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
Myanmar president reiterate promise for systematic power transfer
Myanmar President U Thein Sein on Thursday reiterated the promise he made before the country's general election to carry out systematic power transfer in accordance with the existing laws and by-laws.
Addressing the final session of the current Union Parliament, U Thein Sein said no matter which party takes office, it is to continue to implement systematic power transfer to ensure national development.
The outgoing government will cooperate with the incoming government for the implementation, he added.
According to the president the outgoing parliament will also cooperate with the freshers for political stability and national development. (Courtesy of Xinhua)
Addressing the final session of the current Union Parliament, U Thein Sein said no matter which party takes office, it is to continue to implement systematic power transfer to ensure national development.
The outgoing government will cooperate with the incoming government for the implementation, he added.
According to the president the outgoing parliament will also cooperate with the freshers for political stability and national development. (Courtesy of Xinhua)
Alleged Militia Leader Among NLD Speaker Picks
The National League for Democracy on Thursday morning announced its nominations for the speakers of the next term of Union Parliament, including a returned Union Solidarity and Development Party lawmaker alleged to have led a private militia force in northern Shan State.
U T. Khun Myat, the USDP MP for Shan State’s Kutkai Township and currently the chairman of the Lower House Bill Committee, will be put forward as deputy speaker, according to Thursday’s announcement by NLD spokesman U Win Htein.
In 2011, the Shan Herald Agency for News published an investigative series into members of the Union Parliament with alleged ties to the drug trade, which claimed the ethnic Kachin U T. Khun Myat was a key leader of the 600-strong Kutkai militia, based around 25 kilometres north of Lashio. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
U T. Khun Myat, the USDP MP for Shan State’s Kutkai Township and currently the chairman of the Lower House Bill Committee, will be put forward as deputy speaker, according to Thursday’s announcement by NLD spokesman U Win Htein.
In 2011, the Shan Herald Agency for News published an investigative series into members of the Union Parliament with alleged ties to the drug trade, which claimed the ethnic Kachin U T. Khun Myat was a key leader of the 600-strong Kutkai militia, based around 25 kilometres north of Lashio. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
Myanmar ranked 147 on Corruption Perceptions Index
Myanmar has been ranked 147 out of 168 countries in the 2015 edition of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. The country shares joint position with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chad.
Overall, two-thirds of the 168 countries on the 2015 index scored below 50, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean). Myanmar had a score of 22 a slight increase from 21 the previous year.
“The 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index clearly shows that corruption remains a blight around the world. But 2015 was also a year when people again took to the streets to protest corruption. People across the globe sent a strong signal to those in power: it is time to tackle grand corruption,” said José Ugaz, Chair of Transparency International. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
Overall, two-thirds of the 168 countries on the 2015 index scored below 50, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean). Myanmar had a score of 22 a slight increase from 21 the previous year.
“The 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index clearly shows that corruption remains a blight around the world. But 2015 was also a year when people again took to the streets to protest corruption. People across the globe sent a strong signal to those in power: it is time to tackle grand corruption,” said José Ugaz, Chair of Transparency International. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
Myanmar president hails 'triumph' of democratic transition
President Thein Sein hailed the "triumph" of Myanmar's transition of power Thursday, addressing a military-dominated parliament for the final time before a handover to Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy movement.
The Southeast Asian nation, choked for decades under junta rule, is on the cusp of a remarkable political transition after Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) thundered to victory in November elections.
Myanmar's people are hoping her government can reboot a country eviscerated by half a century of army rule that battered the economy and repressed dissent.
"Even though there were difficulties and challenges, we were able to bring a democratic transformation eventually," Thein Sein said addressing the military-stacked legislature for the last time. (Courtesy of Channel NewsAsia)
The Southeast Asian nation, choked for decades under junta rule, is on the cusp of a remarkable political transition after Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) thundered to victory in November elections.
Myanmar's people are hoping her government can reboot a country eviscerated by half a century of army rule that battered the economy and repressed dissent.
"Even though there were difficulties and challenges, we were able to bring a democratic transformation eventually," Thein Sein said addressing the military-stacked legislature for the last time. (Courtesy of Channel NewsAsia)
India-Myanmar border trade slumps
On December 1, India ended long-standing rules allowing border trade to be settled by an exchange of goods up to the value of US$20,000, including beans and pulses, spices, bamboo, forest products excluding teak, tobacco, and other commodities.
The move has had the effect of choking off trade, said an official of the Tamu Border Trade Chamber of Commerce yesterday.
Though November trade exceeded the target by 120 percent, December trade reached only 70pc of the target and so far in January the figure is only 35pc. One dealer said, “Since the change, official trades have become rare.” (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
The move has had the effect of choking off trade, said an official of the Tamu Border Trade Chamber of Commerce yesterday.
Though November trade exceeded the target by 120 percent, December trade reached only 70pc of the target and so far in January the figure is only 35pc. One dealer said, “Since the change, official trades have become rare.” (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)