With the rise of OFAC Sanctions enforcement and compliance issues, companies have to devote significant resources to following changes in OFAC Sanctions.
Over the last few years, the US government has significantly altered the sanctions landscape with the Iran Nuclear Treaty, and major changes in its relationship with Cuba and Myanmar (Burma). Since the major changes have been announced or implemented, there have been continuing tweaks and changes to the separate sanctions programs. Here is a summary of some of the more significant changes in recent months.
Iran Sanctions: On June 8, 2016, OFAC updated its list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide additional guidance on foreign entities that are owned or controlled by US persons and the modification of financial and banking sanctions. (Courtesy of lexology.com)
July 8, 2016
KNU creating jobs for Kayin refugee women
“Job opportunities were created in five administrative units after the ceasefire agreement was signed,” he said on July 3, referring to an October 2015 peace pact inked with the government and several ethnic armed groups. “Women suffered very much during the clashes. Now, they can support themselves without having to rely on support from others during the restoration period.”
The new jobs – so far more than 1000 households have benefited, the KNU says – are mainly in the agriculture and livestock-rearing sectors.
Activist Ma Sinthiyar Win from Hpa-an township said the initiative may help women recover from trauma due to the fighting. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
The new jobs – so far more than 1000 households have benefited, the KNU says – are mainly in the agriculture and livestock-rearing sectors.
Activist Ma Sinthiyar Win from Hpa-an township said the initiative may help women recover from trauma due to the fighting. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
Border disputes causes closure of Myanmar-Lao friendship bridge
The newly built Myanmar-Lao Friendship Bridge remains closed as authorities on both sides struggle to agree on the issue of border demarcation.
Once opened, the bridge will boost commerce between the two nations and will also allow direct trade with Thailand, Vietnam and China, the Myanmar Times reported on Thursday. (Courtesy of indianexpress.com)
Once opened, the bridge will boost commerce between the two nations and will also allow direct trade with Thailand, Vietnam and China, the Myanmar Times reported on Thursday. (Courtesy of indianexpress.com)
Human rights: albinos in Malawi, activists in Bahrain and Rohingya in Myanmar
Parliament condemns recent crimes and widespread discrimination against albinos in Malawi, ongoing restrictions of fundamental democratic rights in Bahrain and practices that discriminate against Myanmar’s Muslim minority, in particular the Rohingya, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.
Crimes against people with albinism in Africa, notably in Malawi
MEPs express deep concern at the continuous and widespread discrimination and persecution faced by persons with albinism in Africa. In Malawi, where an estimated 10,000 people have albinism, the police have reported 69 attacks on them since November 2014, including 18 murders, four of which took place as recently as April 2016. One victim was a two-year-old baby. (Courtesy of europarl.europa.eu)
Crimes against people with albinism in Africa, notably in Malawi
MEPs express deep concern at the continuous and widespread discrimination and persecution faced by persons with albinism in Africa. In Malawi, where an estimated 10,000 people have albinism, the police have reported 69 attacks on them since November 2014, including 18 murders, four of which took place as recently as April 2016. One victim was a two-year-old baby. (Courtesy of europarl.europa.eu)
Myanmar´s state jade sale rakes in 530 million Euros
Myanmar´s annual jade and gems sale netted more than 530 million euros ($587 million), an official tally showed Thursday, as Chinese buyers continue to drive a shadowy industry linked with rebel conflicts and notorious for perilous working conditions.
Lusted after by wealthy Chinese, Myanmar´s jade mines were in the hands of the military and their ´crony´ elites during the junta years and are still believed to raise tens of billions of dollars in undeclared sales. (Courtesy of thenews.com.pk)
Lusted after by wealthy Chinese, Myanmar´s jade mines were in the hands of the military and their ´crony´ elites during the junta years and are still believed to raise tens of billions of dollars in undeclared sales. (Courtesy of thenews.com.pk)
EU Parliament slams Myanmar's anti-Rohingya practices
The European Parliament condemned Myanmar on Thursday for practices that discriminate against its minority Muslim community in western Rakhine State, home to around a million stateless Rohingya.
In a statement, the EU body expressed “deep concern about the plight of Rohingya in south-east Asia.”
The parliamentarians urged authorities through a non-legislative resolution to “ensure free and unimpeded access to Rakhine State, where some 120,000 Rohingya remain in more than 80 internal displacement camps, for humanitarian actors, the United Nations, international human rights organizations, journalists and other international observers.” (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)
In a statement, the EU body expressed “deep concern about the plight of Rohingya in south-east Asia.”
The parliamentarians urged authorities through a non-legislative resolution to “ensure free and unimpeded access to Rakhine State, where some 120,000 Rohingya remain in more than 80 internal displacement camps, for humanitarian actors, the United Nations, international human rights organizations, journalists and other international observers.” (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)
US Ambassador Meets ANP and Muslim Community in Sittwe
United States Ambassador Scot Marciel made his first trip to Arakan State on Wednesday. Talks were held in the state capital Sittwe with the Arakan National Party (ANP) and with stateless residents of a segregated Muslim ward, Aung Mingalar.
Tun Aung Kyaw, secretary of the ANP—which represents the interests of the Buddhist majority in Arakan State—told The Irrawaddy that they received the ambassador at their head office in Sittwe.
Scot Marciel, who started his post as US Ambassador to Burma in April, reportedly asked ANP leaders about their relationship with the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) and the ANP’s plans for developing Arakan State. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
GE’s advanced tech to extend electricity access in Myanmar
GE technology will shortly be helping Myanmar expand its electricity outreach in Myanmar.
In 2014, 70 percent of Myanmar’s households lacked access to electricity. The Myanmar National Electrification Plan aims to electrify 100% of Myanmar’s households by 2030. In support of this, Sembcorp Utilities has ordered two high-efficiency 6F.03 gas turbines from the company GE as well as the associated steam turbines and Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs) for its 225-megawatt Myingyan power project being built in Mandalay.
The new power plant is expected to go online in early 2018, supplying power to the national grid. “This is an important project to deliver additional power to drive our growing economy,” said Minister of Electricity and Energy U Pe Zin Tun. “We are confident the stakeholders in this project, the IPP – Sembcorp Utilities – and their partners, Jurong Engineering and GE, will deliver a modern, high technology and efficient combined cycle power plant in Myanmar.” (Courtesy of mizzima.com)
In 2014, 70 percent of Myanmar’s households lacked access to electricity. The Myanmar National Electrification Plan aims to electrify 100% of Myanmar’s households by 2030. In support of this, Sembcorp Utilities has ordered two high-efficiency 6F.03 gas turbines from the company GE as well as the associated steam turbines and Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs) for its 225-megawatt Myingyan power project being built in Mandalay.
The new power plant is expected to go online in early 2018, supplying power to the national grid. “This is an important project to deliver additional power to drive our growing economy,” said Minister of Electricity and Energy U Pe Zin Tun. “We are confident the stakeholders in this project, the IPP – Sembcorp Utilities – and their partners, Jurong Engineering and GE, will deliver a modern, high technology and efficient combined cycle power plant in Myanmar.” (Courtesy of mizzima.com)
Nationalists condemn chief minister's comments
Phyo Min Thein, Yangon chief minister, was greeted at Yangon International Airport by 10 protesters on his return from Singapore on July 6.
“The chief minister said in Singapore that the country does not need the ‘Ma Ba Tha’ [Patriotic Association of Myanmar]. There are other religious organisations in the country. We object to the remarks on Buddhism made by the chief minister,” a protester said.
The chief minister paid a four-day study visit to the city-state and met Myanmar migrants. He told them that the country did not need the Ma Ba Tha as there was the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)
“The chief minister said in Singapore that the country does not need the ‘Ma Ba Tha’ [Patriotic Association of Myanmar]. There are other religious organisations in the country. We object to the remarks on Buddhism made by the chief minister,” a protester said.
The chief minister paid a four-day study visit to the city-state and met Myanmar migrants. He told them that the country did not need the Ma Ba Tha as there was the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)
Floods and landslides block Rakhine roads
Passengers are being blocked on the Yangon-Sittwe road by flooding and landslides in Rakhine State.
“We left Ann for Kyauktaw Township on July 5. Floodwater rose and it now reaches our waist. It is not going down and it is still raining. We went to Ohntechaung Bridge by boat for a meal. More than 100 passengers are blocked in Ann Township,” said Kyaw Swe.
Rain caused landslides in Yoe and Kazukai and is flooding Minbya, Mrauk U, Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)
“We left Ann for Kyauktaw Township on July 5. Floodwater rose and it now reaches our waist. It is not going down and it is still raining. We went to Ohntechaung Bridge by boat for a meal. More than 100 passengers are blocked in Ann Township,” said Kyaw Swe.
Rain caused landslides in Yoe and Kazukai and is flooding Minbya, Mrauk U, Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)
Army and KIA clash in Hpakant
A skirmish between the army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has been reported near a bridge on the Hpakant-Mogaung road on July 6.
The clash lasted a few minutes and no casualties were reported, said Lamai Khun Jar from the Peace Creation Group (PCG).
“The KIA said the army opened fire on its soldiers who were crossing the road. There were no casualties. It was not reported to the union peace groups because it was not deemed important enough,” he said. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)
The clash lasted a few minutes and no casualties were reported, said Lamai Khun Jar from the Peace Creation Group (PCG).
“The KIA said the army opened fire on its soldiers who were crossing the road. There were no casualties. It was not reported to the union peace groups because it was not deemed important enough,” he said. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)
Shan group demands release of detained civilians in letter to Myanmar President
The Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), an ethnic armed group, has sent a letter to Myanmar President Htin Kyaw and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi demanding the immediate release of eight civilians and 23 troop members detained by the Tatmadaw.
The eight arrested villagers from Theinni township in northern Shan State were accused of aiding the SSPP and a case was filed against them under the Unlawful Association Act on June 2.
Tatmadaw soldiers had alleged that the villagers were seen carrying out an order given by the SSPP to collect data about the number of households, villagers and businesses in Pan Son village. A police officer from Theinni township, report the Myanmar Times.
The villagers had been sent to Lashio Prison. (Courtesy of business-standard.com)
The eight arrested villagers from Theinni township in northern Shan State were accused of aiding the SSPP and a case was filed against them under the Unlawful Association Act on June 2.
Tatmadaw soldiers had alleged that the villagers were seen carrying out an order given by the SSPP to collect data about the number of households, villagers and businesses in Pan Son village. A police officer from Theinni township, report the Myanmar Times.
The villagers had been sent to Lashio Prison. (Courtesy of business-standard.com)
Heartbreaking Photos From the Frontline of Myanmar’s Rohingya Genocide
When I meet Anjuma she is sitting on a cot in the corner of her bamboo hut with a cloth held up to her face. She whimpers as her eyes look to the group of children peering in. A curtain is drawn and the children strain to overhear, but it becomes quickly apparent they needn't bother. Anjuma can no longer speak, a result of the cancer that has engulfed her face over the years spent in the Dar Paing unregistered camp. She is 22 years old.
Anjuma is a member of Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic group. The community practise a Sufi-inflected variation of Sunni Islam, which sees them systematically persecuted by the Buddhist majority. When she was 18 violence broke out in the state of Rakhine State and Rohingya villages were burned down by Buddhist locals. The violence left 192 dead, and 140,000 Rohingya children, women, and men were forced into the camp complex where they've been detained for the last four years. (Courtesy of vice.com)
Anjuma is a member of Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic group. The community practise a Sufi-inflected variation of Sunni Islam, which sees them systematically persecuted by the Buddhist majority. When she was 18 violence broke out in the state of Rakhine State and Rohingya villages were burned down by Buddhist locals. The violence left 192 dead, and 140,000 Rohingya children, women, and men were forced into the camp complex where they've been detained for the last four years. (Courtesy of vice.com)
Remembering students who bled for liberty
Today (July 7) marks the 54th anniversary of the 1962 Yangon University student massacre. Students protested as General Ne Win took control after the March 2 coup. The dictator abolished the university supervisory council, saying students were politicised and lecturers corrupt. Those living in dorms were put under heavy restrictions and they peacefully protested from July 3 at the student union.
Riot police arrested the leaders and the security forces blocked off the campus and killed many students. The next day, they flattened the student union.
Thakin Kotaw Mhine spoke at the opening ceremony of the Yarkyaw student protest monument for the more than 100 students who were killed. “They can only destroy the building. They cannot stop the union spirit which exists in your mind,” Thakin Kotaw Mhine said. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)
Riot police arrested the leaders and the security forces blocked off the campus and killed many students. The next day, they flattened the student union.
Thakin Kotaw Mhine spoke at the opening ceremony of the Yarkyaw student protest monument for the more than 100 students who were killed. “They can only destroy the building. They cannot stop the union spirit which exists in your mind,” Thakin Kotaw Mhine said. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)
Buddhist Group Wants Myanmar Government to Reprimand Official For Remark
Myanmar’s ultranationalist Buddhist organization Ma Ba Tha issued a statement Thursday asking the chief minister of Yangon region to apologize for criticizing the group and demanding that the national government take action against him within a week.
Yangon chief Phyo Min Thein said the Committee for the Protection of Nationality and Religion, known as Ma Ba Tha, is “not necessary” because the country has the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (Mahana), a government-appointed council that oversees and regulates the Buddhist clergy.
He made the comment on July 2 during a meeting with Myanmar nationals living in Singapore and again on Wednesday when a small group of Ma Ba Tha supporters confronted him upon his arrival at the airport in Yangon. (Courtesy of rfa.org)
Yangon chief Phyo Min Thein said the Committee for the Protection of Nationality and Religion, known as Ma Ba Tha, is “not necessary” because the country has the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (Mahana), a government-appointed council that oversees and regulates the Buddhist clergy.
He made the comment on July 2 during a meeting with Myanmar nationals living in Singapore and again on Wednesday when a small group of Ma Ba Tha supporters confronted him upon his arrival at the airport in Yangon. (Courtesy of rfa.org)
Nationalist monks angered by Myanmar official’s comment
Nationalist monks have demanded an apology from Myanmar’s government and ruling party over a senior official’s comment against an ultra-nationalist organization that rights group have accused of inciting anti-Muslim violence in past years.
The Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, better known as Ma Ba Tha in its Burmese acronym, held a contingency meeting Thursday in its headquarters in Yangon after the commercial capital’s chief minister Phyo Min Thein criticized its existence.
Ma Ba Tha’s firebrand monk Wirathu told reporters after the gathering, “we demand an apology from the government and the National League for Democracy [NLD] party within one week… Otherwise they would face a series of activities against them.” (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)
The Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, better known as Ma Ba Tha in its Burmese acronym, held a contingency meeting Thursday in its headquarters in Yangon after the commercial capital’s chief minister Phyo Min Thein criticized its existence.
Ma Ba Tha’s firebrand monk Wirathu told reporters after the gathering, “we demand an apology from the government and the National League for Democracy [NLD] party within one week… Otherwise they would face a series of activities against them.” (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)
Yangon chief minister defiant after homecoming protest
U Phyo Min Thein returned to Yangon on Wednesday evening to a controversy over comments made during an official visit to Singapore interpreted as an attack on the hyper-nationalist Ma Ba Tha group.
The former political prisoner, who was sworn in as Yangon Region chief minister at the end of March, had told a Sunday meeting of Myanmar nationals living in Singapore that there was no need for the existence of Ma Ba Tha, also known as the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, as the government-sanctioned State Sangha Mahayanaka Committee already administered the country’s Buddhist orders.
Phyo Min Thein’s comments caused a minor storm on social media in the days following. Around 10 protesters arrived to meet his flight, holding handwritten signs to condemn the comments and shouting slogans to complain that the chief minister had never condemned non-Buddhist religious associations. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
The former political prisoner, who was sworn in as Yangon Region chief minister at the end of March, had told a Sunday meeting of Myanmar nationals living in Singapore that there was no need for the existence of Ma Ba Tha, also known as the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, as the government-sanctioned State Sangha Mahayanaka Committee already administered the country’s Buddhist orders.
Phyo Min Thein’s comments caused a minor storm on social media in the days following. Around 10 protesters arrived to meet his flight, holding handwritten signs to condemn the comments and shouting slogans to complain that the chief minister had never condemned non-Buddhist religious associations. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
Border Affairs Ministry and UNHCR to ensure safe return of refugees from Thailand
The Ministry of Border Affairs and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) jointly hosted a consultation workshop on a strategic operation plan for the voluntary repatriation of Myanmar refugees in Thailand in Nay Pyi Taw on 6 July, state media reported. (Courtesy of mizzima.com)
Will Myanmar’s Rohingya finally become citizens in their own country?
Although statelessness is at the root of many of the Rohingya’s problems, many of them are refusing to participate in the programme. This is likely due to decades of distrust of successive governments, which extends even to the latest one led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party.
About 120,000 ethnic Rohingya Muslims still live in squalid camps where they were moved four years ago after being driven from their homes by mobs of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists. The rest of the approximately 800,000 Rohingya who remain in their villages are subject to stringent movement restrictions and have little access to employment, healthcare or education.
In desperation, more than 140,000 Rohingya have fled by boat since 2012 according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. Many of those have ended up in the hands of human traffickers. That often-deadly exodus is one main reason the US downgraded Myanmar to tier three on its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, putting the fledgling democracy in the worst category. (Courtesy of irinnews.org)
About 120,000 ethnic Rohingya Muslims still live in squalid camps where they were moved four years ago after being driven from their homes by mobs of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists. The rest of the approximately 800,000 Rohingya who remain in their villages are subject to stringent movement restrictions and have little access to employment, healthcare or education.
In desperation, more than 140,000 Rohingya have fled by boat since 2012 according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. Many of those have ended up in the hands of human traffickers. That often-deadly exodus is one main reason the US downgraded Myanmar to tier three on its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, putting the fledgling democracy in the worst category. (Courtesy of irinnews.org)
Keeping democracy in check
As Myanmar's new democratically elected government finds its footing in the early days of its term, some voices from the capital say the administration hasn’t yet found a way to ensure a healthy separation of powers. The fundamental principle of checks and balances, shared by many democracies the world over, is arguably undermined by the singular power of the new government’s leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and the entrenched political interests of the armed forces.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate and the daughter of Myanmar’s independence hero, led her National League for Democracy party to a resounding victory in last year’s general election. After dominating the previous administration, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party has been almost entirely flushed out of parliament; the NLD now controls more than 60 percent of the Hluttaw, or Union legislature, with a majority in both houses.
In 1990, the party won a general election with almost identical results, but the then-ruling military junta annulled the outcome and sentenced Suu Kyi, and countless NLD members and supporters, to arrest – Suu Kyi herself was famously detained in her home on the southern edge of Yangon’s Inya Lake. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate and the daughter of Myanmar’s independence hero, led her National League for Democracy party to a resounding victory in last year’s general election. After dominating the previous administration, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party has been almost entirely flushed out of parliament; the NLD now controls more than 60 percent of the Hluttaw, or Union legislature, with a majority in both houses.
In 1990, the party won a general election with almost identical results, but the then-ruling military junta annulled the outcome and sentenced Suu Kyi, and countless NLD members and supporters, to arrest – Suu Kyi herself was famously detained in her home on the southern edge of Yangon’s Inya Lake. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
Parliament must hold the government to account
One of the defining features of Myanmar’s transition to democracy has been the strength and independence of its national legislature, the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw.
For the first few months of its existence back in early 2011, the hluttaw was billed as the “15-minute parliament” by opposition activists. With the Union Solidarity and Development Party enjoying a massive majority, it was expected to serve as a rubber stamp for the government, paying only lip service to the separation of powers in the 2008 constitution.
But under the leadership of the speakers – Thura U Shwe Mann in particular – it emerged as an important institution. Almost from day one, a significant number of lawmakers showed they were intent on holding the government to account, while also listening and responding to the needs of their constituents.
The arrival of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy cohort, following the party’s resounding victory in the 2012 by-election, brought additional knowledge, experience and credibility. The non-partisanship between USDP, NLD and ethnic lawmakers on a broad range of issues, such as the constitution, was a notable feature of the 2011-16 legislature. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
For the first few months of its existence back in early 2011, the hluttaw was billed as the “15-minute parliament” by opposition activists. With the Union Solidarity and Development Party enjoying a massive majority, it was expected to serve as a rubber stamp for the government, paying only lip service to the separation of powers in the 2008 constitution.
But under the leadership of the speakers – Thura U Shwe Mann in particular – it emerged as an important institution. Almost from day one, a significant number of lawmakers showed they were intent on holding the government to account, while also listening and responding to the needs of their constituents.
The arrival of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy cohort, following the party’s resounding victory in the 2012 by-election, brought additional knowledge, experience and credibility. The non-partisanship between USDP, NLD and ethnic lawmakers on a broad range of issues, such as the constitution, was a notable feature of the 2011-16 legislature. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
Break fast gesture to promote interfaith trust within Myanmar community
The Myanmar Ambassador to Malaysia last week broke fast with Muslims from the country, a “historic” occasion for some as relations between Buddhist and Muslims in the country have been tense over the past few years.
On Friday last week, U Zaw Myint attended a “buka puasa” dinner session with about 80 Myanmar Muslims at a restaurant in Ampang. The dinner was organised by the Myanmar Muslim Association of Malaysia.
Activist and writer Hatee Abdul Razak hailed the occasion as a milestone, saying this was the first time that an officer of that level had broken fast with them. (Courtesy of thestar.com.my)
On Friday last week, U Zaw Myint attended a “buka puasa” dinner session with about 80 Myanmar Muslims at a restaurant in Ampang. The dinner was organised by the Myanmar Muslim Association of Malaysia.
Activist and writer Hatee Abdul Razak hailed the occasion as a milestone, saying this was the first time that an officer of that level had broken fast with them. (Courtesy of thestar.com.my)
Nationalists protest against Yangon chief minister
While abroad, the chief minister reportedly said there is no need for the hardline Committee for the Protection of Race and Religion, better known by its Myanmar language acronym Ma Ba Tha.
During a July 3 meeting with Myanmar citizens living and working in Singapore, the chief minister said that he views the nationalist monk association as redundant, given that there is already a State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (Ma Ha Na) to handle Buddhist issues.
“In fact, since Ma Ha Na already exists in Myanmar, the country does not need Ma Ba Tha,” he said. He repeated the sentiment to reporters outside the airport yesterday. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
During a July 3 meeting with Myanmar citizens living and working in Singapore, the chief minister said that he views the nationalist monk association as redundant, given that there is already a State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (Ma Ha Na) to handle Buddhist issues.
“In fact, since Ma Ha Na already exists in Myanmar, the country does not need Ma Ba Tha,” he said. He repeated the sentiment to reporters outside the airport yesterday. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
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