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Showing posts from October, 2015

The Great Jade Robbery

Unchecked smuggling and endemic fraud gives the lie to modest official valuations of Burma’s multi-billion dollar annual jade trade, a new report by Global Witness claims. Through information gathered over the course of a one-year investigation, the London-based resource economics watchdog has estimated 2014 trade in Burma’s most profitable natural resource to be worth US$31 billion. That would be three times higher than the official figure of $12.3 billion in jade sold to China, the destiny for almost all of Burma’s unearthed jade. To put these astronomical figures into context, natural gas generated export revenues of $4.2 billion for Burma in 2014. Unlike the gas industry, which is afforded a degree of explicitness by the international gaze affixed to multinational corporations such as Shell and Total, Burma’s jade industry is unique in its opacity. And that is just how shadowy former junta profiteers, including former army chief Than Shwe, like it, Global Witness says.

BREAKING : Election Commission May Postpone November Poll

by SAN YAMIN AUNG & KYAW PHYO THA / THE IRRAWADDY | 13 Oct 2015   The general election slated for Nov. 8 is likely to be postponed after the Union Election Commission met with political parties on Tuesday. RANGOON — The general election slated for Nov. 8 is likely to be postponed after Burma’s Union Election Commission (UEC) met with some of the nation’s largest parties on Tuesday. UEC chairman Tin Aye asked those present at the Naypyidaw meeting whether the election should be postponed due to lingering damage from August’s floods crisis. Representatives from seven of the 10 political parties invited to the meeting were present, including the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the National League for Democracy (NLD), the National Democratic Force, the National Development Party (NDP), Arakan National Party, the National Unity Party and the Myanmar Farmers Development Party (MFDP). “During the meeting, U Tin Aye asked whether we should postpone the election because

Burma to Britain by motorbike

By Zon Pann Pwint     Sixty years ago, a couple from Yangon decided to drive a motorcycle across half of the globe. Their adventures lasted 365 days and covered 30 countries – and their escapades and experiences are more real, remarkable and exciting than the exploits of Phileas Fogg in Around the World in Eighty Days. The globetrotters pose on their bike in 1955. Photo: Supplied/Kabarhle Tin Tin SeinThe globetrotters pose on their bike in 1955. Photo: Supplied/Kabarhle Tin Tin Sein In 1955, Daw Tin Tin Sein and her husband U Ba Toke, a forest conservator in the Burma Forest Service with a passion for photography, had been married for two years. He was 43; she was but 18. They had a young infant daughter. But they were also struck with wanderlust, curious about visiting remote corners in the western edge of their country, places like the Naga territory, the Chin hills and northern Kachin State. But when they started actually planning a trip to see these places, they decided to dream

Chinese Officials ‘Interfering’ in Myanmar Peace Talks With Ethnic Rebels

Chinese officials have been “interfering” in Myanmar’s nationwide cease-fire talks with armed ethnic groups by convincing some of the rebels to exclude western observers from the process, a government negotiator said Friday. Min Zaw Oo, director of cease-fire negotiations and implementation at the government-linked Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) said Chinese officials spoke with three large armed ethnic groups in areas along Myanmar’s border with China about the nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA) ahead of a signing ceremony set for Oct. 15. “But we are not sure whether these officials are from [the central government in] Beijing or [local ones across the border in] Yunnan province,” he told RFA’s Myanmar Service. “Soon afterwards, the UWSA (United Wa State Army) released a statement demanding that western countries not be invited to the NCA signing ceremony,” he said, referring to observers from several nations who have been asked to join next week’s event. The UWSA, one of th

Shan State Rebels Agree to Sign Myanmar Peace Accord

Armed ethnic insurgents in eastern Myanmar’s Shan state have agreed to sign a nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA) with the government next week, becoming the eighth group to accept the terms of the pact, a rebel spokesman and state media said Wednesday. The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) said Wednesday that its armed wing—the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S)—will lay down its weapons as part of the NCA, which is expected to be concluded during a signing ceremony with the government on Oct. 15. “We have considered our past promises to work towards peace and after discussing the situation with our central executive committee, we decided to sign the NCA,” RCSS spokesman Sai La told RFA’s Myanmar Service, following a meeting at the group’s headquarters near the border with Thailand. The RCSS will hold a press conference and release an official statement outlining its decision on Thursday, he said. The group’s decision to sign the NCA, which President Thein Sein’s government has

Press Release of Arakan Army concern at the unfounded allegation from the CHTIMES24 on October 5, 2015

Press Release October 8, 2015 Arakan Army is deeply concern at the unfounded allegation from the CHTIMES24 on October 5, 2015 that the Arakan Army committed extortion, robbery, looting, terrorism, smuggling, kidnapping, crimes in Chittagong Hill Tracts. We strongly reject such groundless accusations against Arakan Army, and we suspect that credibility of newspaper is questionable. The Arakan Army has never been involved in such activities nor will engage in any wrongdoing behaviors as the Arakan Army is well trained to uphold moral obligation and principles to protect the people of Arakan and its neighboring as well. We have also learnt some news reports earlier, accused of the Arakan Army as criminals and illegal traffickers, we believe such unreasonable accusations would neither benefit nor address to the people of Bangladesh and government’s policy as well. It only undermines credibility of the Arakan Army and appease the Burmese authoritarian military regime. We, the Arakan Army

LIVING WITH INJUSTICE

Sushmita S. Preetha Three years ago, standing amidst the ruins of Sada Chit Bihar in Ramu –amidst beheaded statues, disintegrated remains of ancient texts and charred walls of prayer halls – I had attempted to console a grieving monk. What did one say to a person whose traditions, religious sites, ancient relics and, indeed, way of life had been attacked, violated, desecrated in a coordinated attack by the majority Bangali-Muslim population, by people who, prior to then, he had considered his neighbours, friends, brothers? I didn't know; and so, feebly, almost formulaically, I had muttered (as we civil society types do every time there is an incident of outrage): Justice will be served to those who carried out this monstrosity, you'll see. He didn't look up from the scraps of a Taal Pata Puthi (religious scroll on borassus flabellifer leaves) he held in his hands. “Justice?” he said resignedly, “There's no justice in this country; not for us anyway.”  Three years later