Myanmar authorities have recently decided to prevent Rohingya Muslim minority from teaching the Holy Qur'an and principles of the Islamic religion to their children, in an escalating move described by local observers as a risk to the future of the Islamic presence in Arakan State.
Arakan News Agency reported that the authorities summoned dozens of Rohingya teachers in a number of neighborhoods, south of Maungdaw city, and forced them to sign a written pledge not to engage in the future in teaching the Qur'an or anything related to Islamic religion even inside their homes.
The agency stated that the authorities have threatened to punish the teachers with more than 10-year imprisonment in the event of violating this decision, and that they would remain under monitoring over the next period. It added that there are indications of the authorities' pursuit to circulate this decision to other neighborhoods and cities in Arakan State. (Courtesy of ummid.com)
August 18, 2016
August 17, 2016
MP David Anderson in Myanmar with International Delegation
Local MP David Anderson is in Myanmar from August 16th until the 20th.
Anderson is traveling as part of an international delegation which will address threats to the right of freedom of religion in the country.
The trip is based around a report of a Muslim minority group in Myanmar being persecuted.
The Member of Parliament says reports of witnesses calling the persecution a "Genocide" and "Ethnic Cleansing" is a very serious matter to address. (Courtesy of swiftcurrentonline.com)
Anderson is traveling as part of an international delegation which will address threats to the right of freedom of religion in the country.
The trip is based around a report of a Muslim minority group in Myanmar being persecuted.
The Member of Parliament says reports of witnesses calling the persecution a "Genocide" and "Ethnic Cleansing" is a very serious matter to address. (Courtesy of swiftcurrentonline.com)
Sittwe included in ‘ambitious’ Indian pipelines plan
India is planning to lay nearly 7,000 kilometres of gas pipelines linking West Bengal and many of its northeastern states with Bangladesh and Myanmar, media reports said last week.
The “ambitious” plan was outlined by the executive director of India’s state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Mr S.C. Soni, during a visit to the Tripura capital, Agartala, on August 13, the Hindustan Times reported.
He told reporters up to 6,900 km of pipelines would link Siliguri and Durgapur in West Bengal, most northeastern states, Sittwe in Rakhine State and the Bangladesh port of Chittagong.
The pipelines project was part of India’s Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 policy to double oil and natural gas production in the northeastern states and make more effective use of the energy.
Large quantities of gas at fields in the energy-rich northeast were being burned off because it could not be piped to consumers, Soni said. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
The “ambitious” plan was outlined by the executive director of India’s state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Mr S.C. Soni, during a visit to the Tripura capital, Agartala, on August 13, the Hindustan Times reported.
He told reporters up to 6,900 km of pipelines would link Siliguri and Durgapur in West Bengal, most northeastern states, Sittwe in Rakhine State and the Bangladesh port of Chittagong.
The pipelines project was part of India’s Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 policy to double oil and natural gas production in the northeastern states and make more effective use of the energy.
Large quantities of gas at fields in the energy-rich northeast were being burned off because it could not be piped to consumers, Soni said. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
Myanmar to complete demarcation of its borders
Diplomatic negotiations are under way to finalise demarcation and posting of Myanmar's borders with Thailand and India, vice minister for Foreign Affairs U Kyaw Tin told the lower house on Monday.
“In order to leave a good legacy for the next generation, we have been trying to start defining the border as fast as we can,” he said. An agreement had been reached to reboot border-defining efforts in the south, as a result of Aung San Suu Kyi’s recent visit to Thailand as Union minister for foreign affairs. (Courtesy of bangkokpost.com)
“In order to leave a good legacy for the next generation, we have been trying to start defining the border as fast as we can,” he said. An agreement had been reached to reboot border-defining efforts in the south, as a result of Aung San Suu Kyi’s recent visit to Thailand as Union minister for foreign affairs. (Courtesy of bangkokpost.com)
Myanmar joins global payment network
Another step in the effort to better connect Myanmar to the global financial system has been taken, with AYA Bank becoming the first lender to offer bank cards with a stamp from global payment network provider JCB.
The bank is issuing debit and credit cards with a joint stamp from Japan’s JCB and Myanmar Payment Union (MPU), meaning it can be used in Myanmar and across a JCB network spanning some 31 million merchants in 190 countries and territories.
“It’s a move that will connect Myanmar’s card system with [those in] other countries,” said U Zaw Lin Htut, CEO of MPU, at a signing ceremony between AYA Bank, MPU and JCB yesterday.
U Zaw Zaw, founder and chair of AYA Bank, noted that an earlier lack of infrastructure and resources had held Myanmar’s banking system back from being able to join worldwide payment networks like JCB’s. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
The bank is issuing debit and credit cards with a joint stamp from Japan’s JCB and Myanmar Payment Union (MPU), meaning it can be used in Myanmar and across a JCB network spanning some 31 million merchants in 190 countries and territories.
“It’s a move that will connect Myanmar’s card system with [those in] other countries,” said U Zaw Lin Htut, CEO of MPU, at a signing ceremony between AYA Bank, MPU and JCB yesterday.
U Zaw Zaw, founder and chair of AYA Bank, noted that an earlier lack of infrastructure and resources had held Myanmar’s banking system back from being able to join worldwide payment networks like JCB’s. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
Myanmar Authorities Close Hundreds of Cases Against Activists
Authorities in Myanmar have closed more than 450 cases against activists following requests from the nation’s top two leaders, Tin Myint, permanent secretary of the Home Affairs Ministry, said Tuesday.
“We have closed 457 cases against activists because of requests from [State Counselor] Aung San Suu Kyi and President Htin Kyaw,” he said at a press conference in the capital Naypyidaw, where representatives from four ministries discussed what they had accomplished during the new civilian-led government’s “100-day” reform plan.
Other permanent secretaries from the home affairs, construction, transportation and communication, and social welfare, relief and resettlement ministries were also on hand.
“These cases are different from those of the activists freed during the presidential amnesty,” he said, in a reference to the civilian-led government’s release of up to 200 political prisoners, including political activists and students facing trials for their involvement in a protest against the National Education Law. (Courtesy of rfa.org)
“We have closed 457 cases against activists because of requests from [State Counselor] Aung San Suu Kyi and President Htin Kyaw,” he said at a press conference in the capital Naypyidaw, where representatives from four ministries discussed what they had accomplished during the new civilian-led government’s “100-day” reform plan.
Other permanent secretaries from the home affairs, construction, transportation and communication, and social welfare, relief and resettlement ministries were also on hand.
“These cases are different from those of the activists freed during the presidential amnesty,” he said, in a reference to the civilian-led government’s release of up to 200 political prisoners, including political activists and students facing trials for their involvement in a protest against the National Education Law. (Courtesy of rfa.org)
No debate, decisions at Panglong conference
No decisions will be made at the 21st Century Panglong conference, negotiators said on Monday, after they conceded that there was not enough time to make the necessary changes to the political dialogue framework.
Members of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee agreed at a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw on August 15 that the meeting would be all-inclusive, with all ethnic armed groups allowed to attend. Participants will focus on presenting their respective policies, UPDJC members told Frontier.
“It will be held according to the principle of all-inclusiveness. Each party can present its own policy but there won’t be any discussion or decisions made,” said Pado Saw Kwe Htoo Win, a deputy chairman of the UPDJC representing ethnic armed groups. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
Members of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee agreed at a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw on August 15 that the meeting would be all-inclusive, with all ethnic armed groups allowed to attend. Participants will focus on presenting their respective policies, UPDJC members told Frontier.
“It will be held according to the principle of all-inclusiveness. Each party can present its own policy but there won’t be any discussion or decisions made,” said Pado Saw Kwe Htoo Win, a deputy chairman of the UPDJC representing ethnic armed groups. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
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