A member of Myanmar’s cease-fire committee told an armed ethnic group to withdraw its troops from restive Shan state where it has engaged in fighting in recent weeks against another rebel army, as the government military prepares to take charge of security in the area, a committee member said Tuesday.
Retired Lieutenant General Kin Zaw Oo from the government’s Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UPWC), made the comment to leaders of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S), which has been involved in clashes with the ethnic Palaung/Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in northern Myanmar’s Shan state.
“Lieutenant General Khin Zaw Oo told them [RCSS/SSA] to withdraw their troops from conflict areas in the northern Shan state,” said Nyo Ohn Myint from the Myanmar Peace Center, who is a member of the UPWC delegation. “The RCSS would have to move out of the area at a certain time, and they said they would surely do so.”
“The Tatmadaw [Myanmar’s military] is making plans to take charge of security in the area and has asked those concerned to abide by the points in the nationwide cease-fire agreement,” he told RFA’s Myanmar Service.
The RSCC/SSA is one of the eight armed ethnic groups that signed the government’s nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA) last October. (Courtesy of RFA)
February 24, 2016
Myanmar urged to make public sector more accountable
The bank’s guidance was issued in a series of policy notes to help the country towards achieving inclusive growth as it emerges from decades of military and quasi-military rule into a period led by its first democratically elected government.
Ulrich Zachau, World Bank country director for Southeast Asia, said Myanmar was faced with a “great opportunity” to turn continued strong economic growth into better lives for its people.
Zachau said three policy directions will be key: public sector accountability; universal access to basic education, health and energy services; and further opening and diversification of the economy.
Currently, other than the budget, there is a lack of publicly available information on government spending priorities in Myanmar. Neither the budget or draft budget are submitted to parliament and audited financial statements of the government go unpublished. (Courtesy of Public Finance)
Ulrich Zachau, World Bank country director for Southeast Asia, said Myanmar was faced with a “great opportunity” to turn continued strong economic growth into better lives for its people.
Zachau said three policy directions will be key: public sector accountability; universal access to basic education, health and energy services; and further opening and diversification of the economy.
Currently, other than the budget, there is a lack of publicly available information on government spending priorities in Myanmar. Neither the budget or draft budget are submitted to parliament and audited financial statements of the government go unpublished. (Courtesy of Public Finance)
Myanmar army chief puts brakes on immediate changes to constitution, dealing blow to Aung San Suu Kyi’s presidential hopes
Less than a week after a third transition meeting between Myanmar’s commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the powerful army chief has pushed back against any quick changes to the constitution.
The 2008 document, which bars Suu Kyi from becoming president even after her National League for Democracy (NLD) swept a historic election last year, has been a bone of contention between her party and the military. Suu Kyi has vowed to disregard it and lead the country from “above the president”.
Min Aung Hlaing said that the junta-drafted constitution should be amended “at an appropriate time” in accordance with constitutional provisions. Some senior NLD members and pundits had speculated that the articles banning Suu Kyi from becoming president could be temporarily suspended as part of a power-sharing deal between the armed forces and the NLD. (Courtesy of South China Morning Post)
The 2008 document, which bars Suu Kyi from becoming president even after her National League for Democracy (NLD) swept a historic election last year, has been a bone of contention between her party and the military. Suu Kyi has vowed to disregard it and lead the country from “above the president”.
Min Aung Hlaing said that the junta-drafted constitution should be amended “at an appropriate time” in accordance with constitutional provisions. Some senior NLD members and pundits had speculated that the articles banning Suu Kyi from becoming president could be temporarily suspended as part of a power-sharing deal between the armed forces and the NLD. (Courtesy of South China Morning Post)
Bay of Bengal 'three times more deadly' than Mediterranean for migrants and refugees – UN
Refugees and migrants crossing the seas of Southeast Asia died at a rate three times higher than those in the Mediterranean last year, a new United Nations report has found, highlighting the urgency of greater life-saving cooperation among the affected States.
The report, Mixed Maritime Movements in South-East Asia, from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), states that those movements had been “three times more deadly” than in the Mediterranean last year, due largely to mistreatment by smugglers and disease on the boats.
Refugees and migrants often employ the same routes, modes of transport, and networks, and their movements are commonly referred to as “mixed movements.” (Courtesy of UN)
The report, Mixed Maritime Movements in South-East Asia, from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), states that those movements had been “three times more deadly” than in the Mediterranean last year, due largely to mistreatment by smugglers and disease on the boats.
Refugees and migrants often employ the same routes, modes of transport, and networks, and their movements are commonly referred to as “mixed movements.” (Courtesy of UN)
February 23, 2016
Military not involved in Shan State conflict
Col Wunna Aung, secretary of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) spoke at a press conference on February 22, where he said the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Defence Services) has not been participating in the battles between the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) and the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
The RCSS/SSA is a signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), while the TNLA is not.
Col Wunna Aung also commented on the RCSS’s incursion into TNLA territory, which has been cited as one of the causes of the current conflict. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
The RCSS/SSA is a signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), while the TNLA is not.
Col Wunna Aung also commented on the RCSS’s incursion into TNLA territory, which has been cited as one of the causes of the current conflict. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
Myanmar Peace Negotiator Meets Armed Ethnic Group Alliance
Myanmar’s chief peace negotiator led a government peace-making delegation on Monday in meeting with an alliance of armed ethnic groups that did not sign last year’s nationwide cease-fire agreement to try to persuade them to join the accord.
Aung Min, minister of the president’s office, and members of the Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UPWC) met with leaders of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of armed ethnic groups, at the end of the UNFC’s meeting in Chang Mai, Thailand, which began on Feb. 18.
The UPWC is trying to get UNFC members to sign the government’s nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA), which it inked last October with eight other armed ethnic groups, before a new government led by the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) takes power on April 1.
The UNFC, which now includes nine non-signatories to the peace pact, maintains that a peace agreement with the government to end decades of civil wars within the country should include all armed ethnic groups. (Courtesy of RFA)
Aung Min, minister of the president’s office, and members of the Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UPWC) met with leaders of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of armed ethnic groups, at the end of the UNFC’s meeting in Chang Mai, Thailand, which began on Feb. 18.
The UPWC is trying to get UNFC members to sign the government’s nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA), which it inked last October with eight other armed ethnic groups, before a new government led by the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) takes power on April 1.
The UNFC, which now includes nine non-signatories to the peace pact, maintains that a peace agreement with the government to end decades of civil wars within the country should include all armed ethnic groups. (Courtesy of RFA)
A Myanmar Perspective on the Rebalance
In light of the recent US-ASEAN summit in Sunnylands, California, I would like to take this opportunity to pen a rebuttal to Mr. Kurlantzick's take on Myanmar, outlined in "Pivotal Moment", which appeared in the Democracy Journal earlier this month. While the author has made a few valid points, I believe his stance on U.S-Myanmar foreign relations simply does not reflect the reality on the ground.
In this article, I argue why the United States should bet on Myanmar's economic potential, why the U.S focus on Mainland and Maritime Southeast Asia need not be viewed as a zero-sum game, that Myanmar's political progression has not stalled, and that increased U.S engagement will not alienate young Myanmar democrats. I also argue that focusing on foreign aid alone would undercut American competitiveness in Myanmar, and that the power-balance between the United States and China in the region is not America's only economic challenge. (Courtesy of huffingtonpost.com)
In this article, I argue why the United States should bet on Myanmar's economic potential, why the U.S focus on Mainland and Maritime Southeast Asia need not be viewed as a zero-sum game, that Myanmar's political progression has not stalled, and that increased U.S engagement will not alienate young Myanmar democrats. I also argue that focusing on foreign aid alone would undercut American competitiveness in Myanmar, and that the power-balance between the United States and China in the region is not America's only economic challenge. (Courtesy of huffingtonpost.com)
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