The government is expecting to get the final result of the census on Rohingya by November or December of this year, Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque has said.
He was briefing foreign diplomats about the census on Rohingya on Monday in Dhaka.
“We want to collect information about the undocumented Myanmar nationals residing in Bangladesh and that’s why, we conducted the census,” the foreign secretary told the Dhaka Tribune.
The census process started last year and the preliminary data collection completed last week. (Courtesy of dhakatribune.com)
June 21, 2016
Rohingya children in Malaysia, an undocumented life
Many of the approximately 150,000 (PDF) Rohingya who live in Malaysia came here hoping to be relocated to other countries through UNHCR programmes, but some of them have made Malaysia their home, despite the fact that they have no legal status and face many hardships as a result.
Many Rohingya refugee children are born in Malaysia, and remain stateless owing to the undocumented status of their parents.
According to Chia Wei, founder of The Berani Project, the main consequences of this undefined status and lack of identification documents is that the children are "cut off [from] the basic child's rights to education [and] healthcare."
The Berani Project is a social enterprise advocating and creating opportunities for the Rohingya communities and other marginalised people in Kuala Lumpur. Wei explains that "many [children] are forced to work from a young age to help their families".
"The Rohingya, as most of them are undocumented, live in fear of being detained, arrested or deported," explains Ustaz Rafik, a leader of the Rohingya community in Selayang, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. (Courtesy of aljazeera.com)
Many Rohingya refugee children are born in Malaysia, and remain stateless owing to the undocumented status of their parents.
According to Chia Wei, founder of The Berani Project, the main consequences of this undefined status and lack of identification documents is that the children are "cut off [from] the basic child's rights to education [and] healthcare."
The Berani Project is a social enterprise advocating and creating opportunities for the Rohingya communities and other marginalised people in Kuala Lumpur. Wei explains that "many [children] are forced to work from a young age to help their families".
"The Rohingya, as most of them are undocumented, live in fear of being detained, arrested or deported," explains Ustaz Rafik, a leader of the Rohingya community in Selayang, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. (Courtesy of aljazeera.com)
On World Refugee Day, will there be new hope for Rohingya?
The Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation Malaysia (Merhrom) is deeply disappointed with Myanmar’s new National League for Democracy (NLD) government. Its actions are proof that ethnic Rohingya in Myanmar are facing continuous systematic prosecutions from the Myanmar government.
We face gross human rights violations by the state, we have became victims of alleged genocide for generations and left to die in horrible makeshift camps in our own homeland without food, water and medicine supply from the government.
World Refugee Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the struggles of refugees who forced to flee their country due to war, conflict and human rights abuses. Every year the numbers of refugees and asylum seekers are increasing. (Courtesy of malaysiakini.com)
We face gross human rights violations by the state, we have became victims of alleged genocide for generations and left to die in horrible makeshift camps in our own homeland without food, water and medicine supply from the government.
World Refugee Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the struggles of refugees who forced to flee their country due to war, conflict and human rights abuses. Every year the numbers of refugees and asylum seekers are increasing. (Courtesy of malaysiakini.com)
Rights Groups Call on ASEAN to Address Rohingya Detention
Rights groups are calling on the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to make greater progress in settling about 7,000 Muslim Myanmar refugees a year after they were rescued after being abandoned at sea by traffickers.
The refugees are mostly from the Rohingya population of Myanmar's western Arakine state and were saved after a crackdown by Thai authorities.
Crackdown on traffickers a year ago
Earlier, camps used by smugglers were uncovered in southern Thailand and dozens of bodies were found in shallow graves.
Over 100 people were arrested with links to the trafficking gangs, including some Thai officials. (Courtesy of )
The refugees are mostly from the Rohingya population of Myanmar's western Arakine state and were saved after a crackdown by Thai authorities.
Crackdown on traffickers a year ago
Earlier, camps used by smugglers were uncovered in southern Thailand and dozens of bodies were found in shallow graves.
Over 100 people were arrested with links to the trafficking gangs, including some Thai officials. (Courtesy of )
Burmese library opens as population continues to grow
Many Burmese people in Fort Wayne come to Hope Community Church to learn English.
One local woman we talked to says breaking that language barrier is one way to bring the community closer.
As a young child, growing up wasn’t easy for Shar Aung.
“To be completely honest, I started from the dirt. Like how we would play in the dirt,” Aung said.
She says her mother brought her and her brother here from their Thailand refugee camp when she was 11. (Courtesy of wane.com)
One local woman we talked to says breaking that language barrier is one way to bring the community closer.
As a young child, growing up wasn’t easy for Shar Aung.
“To be completely honest, I started from the dirt. Like how we would play in the dirt,” Aung said.
She says her mother brought her and her brother here from their Thailand refugee camp when she was 11. (Courtesy of wane.com)
Local Bankers Face Competition from Mobile Service Providers
Local bankers are concerned as traditional financial services face competition from mobile financial service providers, following the approval of industry regulations by the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM).
The Central Bank announced in April that any interested party could apply for a mobile financial service license under the Financial Institution Law.
Proponents of mobile banking trumpet the move as a means to dramatically expand the financial services industry in Myanmar, by assisting mobile operators to partner with local banks in an effort to reach Burma’s millions who live in rural areas with limited access to physical bank branches. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
The Central Bank announced in April that any interested party could apply for a mobile financial service license under the Financial Institution Law.
Proponents of mobile banking trumpet the move as a means to dramatically expand the financial services industry in Myanmar, by assisting mobile operators to partner with local banks in an effort to reach Burma’s millions who live in rural areas with limited access to physical bank branches. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
As Suu Kyi Preps For Thai Trip, Migrant Workers Hope For More Rights
Burmese migrant workers living in Thailand hope to receive greater labor rights protection after State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi visits Bangkok later this week, according to advocacy groups on Monday.
It is expected that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Labor Cooperation and the Agreement on the Employment of Workers will be signed during her bilateral meetings with the Thai prime minister and foreign minister Don Pramudwinai. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
It is expected that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Labor Cooperation and the Agreement on the Employment of Workers will be signed during her bilateral meetings with the Thai prime minister and foreign minister Don Pramudwinai. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
Wa and Mongla Armed Groups to Attend ‘Pre-Panglong’ Peace Meeting
Ethnic Wa and Mongla armed groups have agreed to participate in a political dialogue framework review meeting ahead of the “21 century Panglong” peace conference, according to a member of the government’s peace delegation.
The union peace conference is scheduled for late July. Although part of the process envisaged the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signed between the previous government and a minority of Burma’s ethnic armed groups last year, the current government has been trying to persuade NCA non-signatory groups to take part in it.
The United Wa State Army (UWSA), Burma’s largest non-state armed group, and the Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), known also as the Mongla group, refused to sign the NCA. Both are based along the Chinese border in Shan State.
Khin Zaw Oo, a retired Burmese army general who is part of the government’s 21 Century Panglong Preparatory Sub-Committee 2, posted on Facebook that the UWSA and the NDAA had agreed over the weekend to join the framework review meeting. However, the armed groups themselves have yet to confirm. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
The union peace conference is scheduled for late July. Although part of the process envisaged the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signed between the previous government and a minority of Burma’s ethnic armed groups last year, the current government has been trying to persuade NCA non-signatory groups to take part in it.
The United Wa State Army (UWSA), Burma’s largest non-state armed group, and the Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), known also as the Mongla group, refused to sign the NCA. Both are based along the Chinese border in Shan State.
Khin Zaw Oo, a retired Burmese army general who is part of the government’s 21 Century Panglong Preparatory Sub-Committee 2, posted on Facebook that the UWSA and the NDAA had agreed over the weekend to join the framework review meeting. However, the armed groups themselves have yet to confirm. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
US DEVELOPMENT AGENCY LOANS $250M TO AID TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The US government’s development finance agency said last week it was making its first investment in Myanmar, with a US$250 million loan to a telecoms company, Reuters reported.
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation will lend the money to Yangon-based Apollo Towers Myanmar Ltd, that builds and maintains telecommunications towers, the report said.
“OPIC is pleased to be working with Apollo on this first, important investment in Burma,” Ms Elizabeth Littlefield, OPIC president and chief executive, said in a June 15 statement.
"Telecommunications are a critical part of ongoing development across the world, and through this project, OPIC is looking to have a significant impact on those who previously lacked access to telecommunications coverage in the country,” she said. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation will lend the money to Yangon-based Apollo Towers Myanmar Ltd, that builds and maintains telecommunications towers, the report said.
“OPIC is pleased to be working with Apollo on this first, important investment in Burma,” Ms Elizabeth Littlefield, OPIC president and chief executive, said in a June 15 statement.
"Telecommunications are a critical part of ongoing development across the world, and through this project, OPIC is looking to have a significant impact on those who previously lacked access to telecommunications coverage in the country,” she said. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
Academic analysis in the age of reform
Strangely, this perspective is quite rare in today’s universities, where almost all social science publishing effort is devoted to high-prestige, peer-reviewed products. These certainly win kudos among other academics, but nobody else seems to care.
Instead, our highly polished publications end up locked behind fortified institutional pay-walls or priced out of reach in deluxe hardcover formats.
Even when these books and papers are accessible, they rarely relate to the immediate concerns of policymakers, journalists, officials or the ordinary taxpayer. A newspaper column, by contrast, might be read very widely and can deal with up-to-the-minute concerns. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
Instead, our highly polished publications end up locked behind fortified institutional pay-walls or priced out of reach in deluxe hardcover formats.
Even when these books and papers are accessible, they rarely relate to the immediate concerns of policymakers, journalists, officials or the ordinary taxpayer. A newspaper column, by contrast, might be read very widely and can deal with up-to-the-minute concerns. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
Migrating to marry
The persecution of the Rohingyas in Myanmar has driven Rohingya men from their homes in Rakhine state and compelled Rohingya women of marriageable age to follow suit.
Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Rohingya women from Sittwe, Buthidaung and Maungdaw in Myanmar’s Rakhine state admitted to taking the perilous boat journey across the Bay of Bengal to Bangladesh for a chance to get married.
The situation is so dire that rights activists told the Dhaka Tribune that many women volunteer to be sold off by traffickers in hope of a better life.
For most, Bangladesh is a transit point, from which they sail to Malaysia to find Rohingya partners.
Between January and April this year alone, as many as 100 Rohingya women have fled Myanmar to go to Malaysia, according to local estimates. (Courtesy of dhakatribune.com)
Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Rohingya women from Sittwe, Buthidaung and Maungdaw in Myanmar’s Rakhine state admitted to taking the perilous boat journey across the Bay of Bengal to Bangladesh for a chance to get married.
The situation is so dire that rights activists told the Dhaka Tribune that many women volunteer to be sold off by traffickers in hope of a better life.
For most, Bangladesh is a transit point, from which they sail to Malaysia to find Rohingya partners.
Between January and April this year alone, as many as 100 Rohingya women have fled Myanmar to go to Malaysia, according to local estimates. (Courtesy of dhakatribune.com)
Myanmar must address ‘serious’ human rights violations against minorities – UN rights chief
Issuing a new report on the situation of minorities in Myanmar, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has urged the Government to take concrete steps to end the “systemic discrimination” and ongoing human rights violations against minority communities, particularly the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.
The report requested by the UN Human Rights Council in July 2015, documents a wide range of rights violations, including arbitrary deprivation of nationality, severe restrictions on freedom of movement, threats to life and security, denial of rights to health and education, forced labour, sexual violence, and limitations to political rights. It also notes that for those formally charged, fair trial guarantees are often not respected.
The report also raises the possibility that the pattern of violations against the Rohingya may amount to crimes against humanity. (Courtesy of un.org)
The report requested by the UN Human Rights Council in July 2015, documents a wide range of rights violations, including arbitrary deprivation of nationality, severe restrictions on freedom of movement, threats to life and security, denial of rights to health and education, forced labour, sexual violence, and limitations to political rights. It also notes that for those formally charged, fair trial guarantees are often not respected.
The report also raises the possibility that the pattern of violations against the Rohingya may amount to crimes against humanity. (Courtesy of un.org)
World Refugee Day: For Myanmar's refugees, India a bleak house, not home
Persecuted in their own country, members of the Rohingya and Chin communities have fled Myanmar over the course of many years. They came to India looking for a better life.
According to data from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), out of 28,000 refugees registered with it in India, around 16,341 registered refugees are from Myanmar (May 2016). This does not include those who have not been granted refugee status by the UNHCR.
However, it's not as though the communities have been accepted in India either. On the occasion of World Refugee Day, Catch explores their journey, their lives and their dreams. (Courtesy of catchnews.com)
According to data from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), out of 28,000 refugees registered with it in India, around 16,341 registered refugees are from Myanmar (May 2016). This does not include those who have not been granted refugee status by the UNHCR.
However, it's not as though the communities have been accepted in India either. On the occasion of World Refugee Day, Catch explores their journey, their lives and their dreams. (Courtesy of catchnews.com)
Myanmar's Suu Kyi reiterates stance on not using term 'Rohingya' - official
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi told the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights on Monday that the government will avoid using the term "Rohingya" to describe a persecuted Muslim minority in the country's northwest, an official said on Monday.
Also on Monday, the top U.N. human rights official issued a report saying the Rohingya have been deprived of nationality and undergone systematic discrimination and severe restrictions on movements. They have also suffered executions and torture that together may amount to crimes against humanity, the report said.
Members of the 1.1 million group, who identify themselves by the term Rohingya, are seen by many Myanmar Buddhists as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The term is a divisive issue. (Courtesy of reuters.com)
Also on Monday, the top U.N. human rights official issued a report saying the Rohingya have been deprived of nationality and undergone systematic discrimination and severe restrictions on movements. They have also suffered executions and torture that together may amount to crimes against humanity, the report said.
Members of the 1.1 million group, who identify themselves by the term Rohingya, are seen by many Myanmar Buddhists as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The term is a divisive issue. (Courtesy of reuters.com)
DEFYING DEATH ON THE NATIONAL GRID
Under dark clouds at the edge of a deep ravine, a team of 12 workers was grappling with a rope tied to a thick electrical cable. Their working conditions were made more hazardous by light rain and a strong wind.
Despite wearing hardly any clothes, the weather did not seem to affect them. It was only six hours since Cyclone Roanu had crossed the Rakhine coast and its effects were lingering.
Words of encouragement came over the team’s walkie-talkies from colleagues monitoring their progress. “Be careful!” “Is the cable stuck?” “Can you pull it?” The words of advice and caution came as the team heaved in unison to pull the cable forward and upward to connect it to a 50-metre-high (about 165 feet) pylon, perched on top of a small hill. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
Despite wearing hardly any clothes, the weather did not seem to affect them. It was only six hours since Cyclone Roanu had crossed the Rakhine coast and its effects were lingering.
Words of encouragement came over the team’s walkie-talkies from colleagues monitoring their progress. “Be careful!” “Is the cable stuck?” “Can you pull it?” The words of advice and caution came as the team heaved in unison to pull the cable forward and upward to connect it to a 50-metre-high (about 165 feet) pylon, perched on top of a small hill. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
Arakan Army soldiers convicted of unlawful association
The 13 soldiers confessed in court to having connections with the Arakan Army and were found guilty of contacting an illegal organisation by the Sittwe township court on June 17. The defendant’s lawyer Daw Aye Nu Sein said there was currently no plan to appeal the verdict.
Fighting between the Arakan Army and the Tatmadaw first broke out in April 2015, after the ethnic armed group launched an attack on government troops in western Rakhine State. Since then sporadic clashes have continued, displacing more than 1000 civilians. Arrests under the Unlawful Association Act occur frequently in conflict zones around the country, as civilians are detained for alleged links to ethnic armed groups. More than 60 people were arrested in Rakhine State under the Unlawful Association Act in May this year. The Tatmadaw accused most of them of being members of the Arakan Army, after the ethnic armed group again clashed with government forces in Kyauktaw township a month earlier. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
Fighting between the Arakan Army and the Tatmadaw first broke out in April 2015, after the ethnic armed group launched an attack on government troops in western Rakhine State. Since then sporadic clashes have continued, displacing more than 1000 civilians. Arrests under the Unlawful Association Act occur frequently in conflict zones around the country, as civilians are detained for alleged links to ethnic armed groups. More than 60 people were arrested in Rakhine State under the Unlawful Association Act in May this year. The Tatmadaw accused most of them of being members of the Arakan Army, after the ethnic armed group again clashed with government forces in Kyauktaw township a month earlier. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
UN rights chief urges end to discrimination in Myanmar
The U.N. human rights chief is urging Myanmar’s new government to end discrimination and human rights violations such as restrictions of movement, forced labor and sexual abuse against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities.
Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein’s office on Monday released a report sought by the U.N. Human Rights Council on Myanmar’s minorities
The 18-page report calls on the government to abolish “all discriminatory local orders” in the western Rakhine state where many Rohingya live, and immediately remove “arbitrary” requirements for travel. It urges authorities to guarantee freedom of worship. (Courtesy of washingtonpost.com)
Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein’s office on Monday released a report sought by the U.N. Human Rights Council on Myanmar’s minorities
The 18-page report calls on the government to abolish “all discriminatory local orders” in the western Rakhine state where many Rohingya live, and immediately remove “arbitrary” requirements for travel. It urges authorities to guarantee freedom of worship. (Courtesy of washingtonpost.com)
Don’t ignore Rohingya’s rights, Syed Hamid tells Asean
Former foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar said Asean countries need to be more flexible in their non-interference policy, especially in tackling refugee issues.
“Asean countries respect the sovereignty and the non-interference policy adopted by member countries. Due to that, it’s a sensitive issue.
“But the spillover of refugees is no longer a domestic issue in Myanmar. It is a violation of human rights.”
He was speaking to reporters after delivering a keynote address at the UNHCR Expert roundtable discussion, titled “Employing Refugees in Malaysia: A Win-Win for All?”. (Courtesy of freemalaysiatoday.com)
“Asean countries respect the sovereignty and the non-interference policy adopted by member countries. Due to that, it’s a sensitive issue.
“But the spillover of refugees is no longer a domestic issue in Myanmar. It is a violation of human rights.”
He was speaking to reporters after delivering a keynote address at the UNHCR Expert roundtable discussion, titled “Employing Refugees in Malaysia: A Win-Win for All?”. (Courtesy of freemalaysiatoday.com)
Myanmar: Fears raised as anti-Muslim monks open school
For hundreds of years, monks have provided a valuable service to Myanmar's poor, with the country's monastic education schools granting those from underprivileged families of all religions an education they would normally be unable to afford.
However observers are concerned that a new school opened by a firebrand group of nationalist monks may be used to encourage hatred of other religions, such as Islam, rather than a straightforward adherence to Buddhism.
Talking to a local newspaper last week, nationalist monk Wirathu -- a prominent member of the Organization for Protection of Race and Religion (Ma Ba Tha) -- underlined that all monastic schools (commonly known as Ba Ka schools) and government schools should not just emphasize the teachings of the country's majority religion, but also seek to protect them. (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)
However observers are concerned that a new school opened by a firebrand group of nationalist monks may be used to encourage hatred of other religions, such as Islam, rather than a straightforward adherence to Buddhism.
Talking to a local newspaper last week, nationalist monk Wirathu -- a prominent member of the Organization for Protection of Race and Religion (Ma Ba Tha) -- underlined that all monastic schools (commonly known as Ba Ka schools) and government schools should not just emphasize the teachings of the country's majority religion, but also seek to protect them. (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)
Poppylands: Understanding Myanmar's addiction to heroin
In Myanmar, thousands of families earn a living farming the crop that feeds the heroin habit of the world's drug users. But not all of the country's opium is smuggled abroad.
Pure, cheap heroin is flooding Myanmar's villages, leaving a trail of death and devastated families in its wake.
Dr Nang Pann Ei Kham, the coordinator of the Drug Policy Advocacy Group, talks about how the fear of corporal punishment and imprisonment prevents many drug users from seeking help, and the rehabilitation centres where "treatment" is based on religious teachings.
Her pressure group includes experts, opium farmers and drug users themselves.
"They are the ones whose lives, livelihoods and health are directly affected by repressive drug policies based on criminalisation and forced eradication. Unfortunately, their voices are too often ignored," she explains. (Courtesy of aljazeera.com)
Pure, cheap heroin is flooding Myanmar's villages, leaving a trail of death and devastated families in its wake.
Dr Nang Pann Ei Kham, the coordinator of the Drug Policy Advocacy Group, talks about how the fear of corporal punishment and imprisonment prevents many drug users from seeking help, and the rehabilitation centres where "treatment" is based on religious teachings.
Her pressure group includes experts, opium farmers and drug users themselves.
"They are the ones whose lives, livelihoods and health are directly affected by repressive drug policies based on criminalisation and forced eradication. Unfortunately, their voices are too often ignored," she explains. (Courtesy of aljazeera.com)
NLD Government must prioritize rule of law and respect for human rights - ICJ
The new Government of Myanmar, led by the National League for Democracy, must establish a clear plan for strengthening the rule of law and protection of human rights, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said today, 20 June, as it released its 14 General Recommendations to the new Government and Parliament.
“The NLD has a tremendous opportunity and obligation to reverse years of official rejection and neglect of the rights of the people of Myanmar,” said Sam Zarifi, ICJ’s Asia Director.
“Myanmar’s severe human rights problems can’t be solved immediately, or even for years to come, but it’s crucial for the new Government to announce its strategy and show its commitment to improving the lives and livelihoods of all people in Myanmar,” he added. (Courtesy of mizzima.com)
“The NLD has a tremendous opportunity and obligation to reverse years of official rejection and neglect of the rights of the people of Myanmar,” said Sam Zarifi, ICJ’s Asia Director.
“Myanmar’s severe human rights problems can’t be solved immediately, or even for years to come, but it’s crucial for the new Government to announce its strategy and show its commitment to improving the lives and livelihoods of all people in Myanmar,” he added. (Courtesy of mizzima.com)
Trump Campaign Manager’s Firm Turned Blind Eye to Burma Rapes
Since the Orlando shootings, Donald Trump has taken to maligning immigrants as misogynistic and touting his allegedly legendary abilities to protect women. He cherishes them, he loves to say; he will keep them safe.
But his newest big hire is a K Street veteran whose old firm once enthusiastically defended a military junta that used rape as a weapon of war—and tried to malign the reputations of the human rights’ groups that worked to protect women and girls from the military rapists.
Jim Murphy, who became Trump’s new national political director earlier this month, was a managing partner at JLM Consulting when Trump hired him. Previously, he was a managing partner at the DCI Group lobbying firm from June 2002 until June 2012. For his last four years there, according to his LinkedIn page, he was also president. The firm is famous for making fake “smokers’ rights groups” to defend Big Tobacco, and for creating an astroturf campaign in favor of Social Security privatization (a campaign that belly-flopped). (Courtesy of thedailybeast.com)
But his newest big hire is a K Street veteran whose old firm once enthusiastically defended a military junta that used rape as a weapon of war—and tried to malign the reputations of the human rights’ groups that worked to protect women and girls from the military rapists.
Jim Murphy, who became Trump’s new national political director earlier this month, was a managing partner at JLM Consulting when Trump hired him. Previously, he was a managing partner at the DCI Group lobbying firm from June 2002 until June 2012. For his last four years there, according to his LinkedIn page, he was also president. The firm is famous for making fake “smokers’ rights groups” to defend Big Tobacco, and for creating an astroturf campaign in favor of Social Security privatization (a campaign that belly-flopped). (Courtesy of thedailybeast.com)
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