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NUKU'ALOFA, TONGA (BNO NEWS) -- Severe tropical cyclone Ian made landfall in the Pacific island nation of Tonga on Saturday, killing at least one person and causing widespread devastation across several islands, officials said on Sunday as they began damage and casualty assessments.

The cyclone passed east of the Vava'u island chain on Saturday morning before making landfall on the eastern islands of the Ha'apai group later in the day. It was classified as a powerful category five storm on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale with maximum sustained winds exceeding 200 kilometers (124 miles) per hour, the equivalent of a category four hurricane.

The worst affected areas appeared to be the islands of Foa, Lifuka and Uiha, three islands in the Ha'apai group where the cyclone made landfall. Sione Taumoefolau, the head of the Tonga Red Cross, said at least one person had been killed on Lifuka but added that the scale of the destruction was not yet clear.

Mobile phone company Digicel said it believed at least 70 percent of homes were destroyed on the island of Lifuka, which has a population of around 3,000 people. "[Our field officer] told us that this was the worst ever damage from a cyclone [in Tongo]. Most houses are flattened, roofs are off, trees and power lines are down," the company told the Matangi Tonga website.

The UN's humanitarian agency OCHA said damage in the Vava'u island chain, however, appeared less worse than expected, although a number of buildings did sustain significant infrastructure damage. It said a wharf in the town of Neiafu was washed away and police and the military were working to clear the roads of debris, but power had already been restored.

"In Ha'apai, only limited information is available at this point, but the Governor's office continues to monitor the situation," OCHA said in a situation report. "Patients at the island's main hospital were evacuated to a nearby school. Significant damage reported to fruit-bearing trees, such as banana and coconut. Electricity and communication remain cut."

Tongan Prime Minister Sialeʻataongo TuʻivakanŠdeclared a state of emergency for Vava'u and Ha'apai earlier on Saturday, calling the storm a "serious threat" to the kingdom. The government requested international assistance on Sunday as the devastation on the Ha'apai islands became clear.

An RNZAF P3 Orion aircraft from New Zealand already arrived in Tonga on Sunday morning to assist with aerial assessments of the storm-hit islands, and the New Zealand government made an initial NZ$50,000 (U.S. $41,500) available to respond to specific requests for assistance.

"Our thoughts are with the people of Tonga as they begin to come to terms with the damage caused by this cyclone," said New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully, adding that his government would consider further assistance as the full extent of the disaster becomes available.

Aid agencies such as Oxfam and Caritas Australia also said they were prepared to send emergency staff to Tonga. "Once the urgent needs are assessed we are expecting to help coordinate the supply of clean water and sanitation for those affected by the disaster," said Carlos Calderon, Pacific Humanitarian Manager for Oxfam New Zealand.

Tropical Cyclone Ian is the first cyclone of the annual South Pacific cyclone season, which runs from November to March.

Tonga, with a population of around 104,000 people, is made up of 169 islands sprinkled over the Pacific Ocean about one-third of the way from New Zealand to Hawaii. Only thirty-nine of the islands are inhabited.

(Copyright 2014 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

NAIROBI, KENYA (BNO NEWS) -- The al-Shabaab gunmen who attacked an upscale shopping mall in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi in September were all killed, an official with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Friday, adding that it is unlikely any of the attackers were able to escape.

FBI agents and investigators were at the scene of the attack from day one to facilitate and assist Kenyan authorities in their response to the crisis, which claimed nearly 70 lives. More than 80 FBI employees were working at the scene at the height of the investigation, including an Evidence Response Team (ERT), an FBI structural engineer and hazardous materials experts.

Much confusion has surrounded the actual sequence of events, the number of casualties and the number of attackers. But Dennis Brady, the FBI's legal attaché in Nairobi, said Friday that the agency believes all four attackers were killed and that it is "unlikely" any one of them would have been able to escape.

"We believe, as do the Kenyan authorities, that the four gunmen inside the mall were killed. Our ERT made significant finds, and there is no evidence that any of the attackers escaped from the area where they made their last stand," Brady said. "The Kenyans were on the scene that first day and set up a very secure crime scene perimeter, making an escape unlikely."

Brady also noted that, if any of the attackers had managed to escape, it would have been used by al-Shabaab for propaganda purposes. But he noted that other people who were involved in the planning of the attack remain at-large, which is why the investigation is continuing. "Nobody is under the impression that we have fully identified the entire network in this attack," he said.

Four Somali men were arrested in November and charged with the commission of acts of terrorism that resulted in death, aiding a terror group, and being in Kenya illegally. Prosecutors accuse them men - who are aged between 20 and 25 - of allowing some of the mall attackers to take shelter at their houses in Eastleigh, a suburb of Nairobi that is sometimes called "Little Mogadishu" because it is predominantly inhabited by Somali immigrants.

The attack began at around noon on September 21 when suspected al-Shabaab gunmen stormed the popular Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, opening fire with assault rifles and throwing grenades at terrified shoppers. An unknown number of people were held hostage as the gunmen engaged in gun battles with security forces, leading to a four-day-long siege.

After the siege finally came to an end, investigators faced a difficult scene. "Westgate was a large mall, four stories, with underground parking and an attached parking structure," Brady said. "In the process of fighting the attackers, there were explosions and a fire. The area where the attackers were had home furnishings that caught fire. The fire spread and continued to burn, causing that part of the structure to collapse into a pit that smoldered for weeks."

Brady added: "It was a very difficult place to work. While ERT was doing its work, every now and then a propane tank would explode or vehicles on the edge of the collapse would fall in and catch fire. But there was a lot of attention paid to the soundness of the structure and where we could reasonably collect evidence."

Al-Shabaab previously claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in retribution for Kenya's military deployment in Somalia. Of the 61 civilians who died during the siege, nineteen were foreigners, including six Britons and Ghanaian poet and diplomat Kofi Awoonor. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's nephew Mbugua Mwangi and his fiancée were also killed.

(Copyright 2014 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

BOISE, IDAHO (BNO NEWS) -- The wreckage of a small plane with five people on board that vanished in the central Idaho mountains nearly 1.5 month ago was discovered Friday by friends and relatives conducting a private search, officials and the pilot's wife said on Saturday. There were no survivors.

The aircraft, a six-seat BE-36 Beech Bonanza, had departed Baker City in eastern Oregon just after 11 a.m. local time on December 1 and was heading for the city of Butte in Montana when contact was lost after the pilot reported engine trouble. Its last-known position was on the western edge of the rugged Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho.

Janis Smith, the wife of 51-year-old pilot Dale Smith, said the wreckage was found on Friday on the last day of a 3-day private search in the region. "Dellon (Dale's brother) and his crew spent the entire day, from 3 a.m. onward, trying to find the right location. The snow was very deep and the going was very slow," she said.

Janis Smith said her husband's brother found the wreckage less than two hours before the team would have needed to wrap up their search. "I am so grateful that Dellon was the one who found his brother. The plane is in pieces and buried in snow," she said. "They have not yet found all the parts. However, we do know my family members on the plane died quickly and painlessly. They did not suffer."

The Valley County Sheriff's Office confirmed there appeared to be no survivors, but said recovery efforts would be delayed by severe weather conditions.

The official air and ground search was hampered by poor visibility, snowfall and sub-zero temperatures (below -17.7 degrees Celsius) until it was called off on December 12. The search included helicopters from the Idaho Army National Guard, Customs and Border Protection, a private helicopter, several Civil Air Patrol planes and aircraft from the state's Division of Aeronautics.

In addition to pilot Dale Smith, other victims of the crash were identified as his son Daniel and daughter Amber. Also on board were Daniel's wife Sheree and Amber's fiancé Jonathon.

(Copyright 2014 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

RAMAT GAN, ISRAEL (BNO NEWS) -- Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, considered by many as having been one of Israel's finest military commanders, died on Saturday, more than eight years after a massive stroke and brain hemorrhage left him in a permanent vegetative state. He was 85.

Sharon died at around 2 p.m. local time on Saturday at Chaim Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv after his condition sharply deteriorated in recent days, caused by the onset of a blood infection and the failure of several key organs that included his kidneys. His son Gilad confirmed the news, saying: "He's gone."

Professor Shlomo Noy, the director of the hospital's rehabilitation department, said the prominent politician had overcome "many medical complications" during his hospitalization at the facility. "Throughout this period, he was considered to be in a state of minimal consciousness, with ups and downs in his medical condition, in non-verbal minimal communication," he said.

Noy said Sharon continued his struggle with "surprising strengths and determination" despite his deteriorating condition in recent weeks.

"Today, he departed peacefully with his loving family at his side," Noy said. "This is the time and place to thank the medical staff of the respiratory rehabilitation department, which cared for Mr. Sharon with professionalism, patience and compassion, as the former prime minister surely deserved."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed "deep sorrow" at Sharon's death, crediting him for having played a central role in the country's struggle for security. "He was, first and foremost, a courageous fighter and an outstanding general, and was among the IDF's (Israel Defense Forces) greatest commanders," he said.

Netanyahu added: "He established Unit 101 and took the initiative in the war against terrorism, which became a central pillar of the State of Israel. Upon leaving the military, he continued to work on behalf of the people of Israel both in his many government roles and as the 11th prime minister of the State of Israel. His memory will be enshrined forever in the heart of the nation."

Israeli President Shimon Peres also expressed his sadness at Sharon's death, calling him a "daring leader" who loved his country. "He was one of Israel's great protectors and most important architects, who knew no fear and certainly never feared vision," the president said. "He knew how to take difficult decisions and implement them. We all loved him and he will be greatly missed."

The former prime minister's death had been expected for days, with Sheba Medical Center describing Sharon's condition as "grave" earlier this week, using a Hebrew term that means a patient is close to death. A hospital statement said Sharon's condition had rapidly deteriorated on Thursday.

Test results last week showed that Sharon was suffering from a blood infection in addition to the decline of several key organs. But hospital director Dr. Zeev Rotstein later said the former prime minister was fighting "against all odds" and that doctors had been able to stabilize his blood pressure and pulse.

Sharon is by many considered to have been one of Israel's finest military commanders and was given popular nicknames such as "The King of Israel" and "The Lion of God." He joined the Likud party after retiring from the army and went on to serve in a number of ministerial posts before becoming the party's leader in 2000, after which he became prime minister in the following year.

But Sharon's political career came to an abrupt end in January 2006 when he suffered a massive stroke and brain hemorrhage, leaving him in a permanent vegetative state. Some hopes were raised in January 2013 when doctors said the iconic leader had shown "significant brain activity" while viewing pictures of his family and listening to his son's voice, but no further developments were reported.

(Copyright 2014 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

RAMAT GAN, ISRAEL (BNO NEWS) -- Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, considered by many as having been one of Israel's finest military commanders, died on Saturday, more than eight years after a massive stroke and brain hemorrhage left him in a permanent vegetative state. He was 85.

Sharon died at around 2 p.m. local time on Saturday at Chaim Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv after his condition sharply deteriorated in recent days, caused by the onset of a blood infection and the failure of several key organs that included his kidney. His son Gilad confirmed the news saying, "He's gone."

The hospital had said earlier this week that the politician was in a "grave" condition, using a Hebrew term that means a patient is close to death. "His condition is described as grave and his family is at his side at all times," a hospital spokesperson had said on Thursday after his condition deteriorated further.

During a news briefing last week, hospital director Dr. Zeev Rotstein said Sharon's condition was deteriorating slowly. "Ariel Sharon is not suffering. He is receiving maintenance treatment by his physician," Rotstein explained on January 3, adding that he believed Sharon was in his final days.

Test results last week showed that Sharon was suffering from a blood infection in addition to the continuing decline of several key organs. But Rotstein later said the former prime minister was fighting "against all odds" and that doctors had been able to stabilize Sharon's blood pressure and pulse.

Sharon is by many considered to have been one of Israel's finest military commanders and was given popular nicknames such as "The King of Israel" and "The Lion of God." He joined the Likud party after retiring from the army and went on to serve in a number of ministerial posts before becoming the party's leader in 2000, after which he became prime minister in the following year.

But Sharon's political career came to an abrupt end in January 2006 when he suffered a massive stroke and brain hemorrhage, leaving him in a permanent vegetative state. Some hopes were raised in January 2013 when doctors said the iconic leader had shown "significant brain activity" while viewing pictures of his family and listening to his son's voice, but no further developments were reported.

During a news conference last week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised the former prime minister and said his thoughts are with Sharon's family. "We remember his contributions, sacrifices he made to ensure the survival and the well-being of Israel, and I have many personal thoughts about my meetings with him on many different occasions - always robust and strong and clear about his positions," Kerry said.

(Copyright 2014 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

RAMAT GAN, ISRAEL (BNO NEWS) -- Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, considered by many as having been one of Israel's finest military commanders, died on Saturday, more than eight years after a massive stroke and brain hemorrhage left him in a permanent vegetative state. He was 85.

Sharon died late Saturday morning at Chaim Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv after his condition sharply deteriorated in recent days, caused by the failure of several key organs that included his kidney and a blood infection. Hospital officials called a news conference for 3 p.m. local time.

(Copyright 2014 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

A series of controversial measures are on the docket as the ninth session of Parliament under the reformist government of President Thein Sein convenes.

The post Constitutional Reform Set to Overshadow Busy Parliament Schedule appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma’s Business Environment ‘Best Improved’ in 2013 Global Survey

Burma has been named the country making the “greatest improvements†in its business environment in 2013 in a global survey of 173 countries.

The accolade was made in the 2014 Legal and Regulatory Environment Risk Atlas from global risk analytics company Maplecroft of Britain.

Burma’s improvement came through “reforms to address issues such as corruption, rule of law, the regulatory framework, respect for property rights, and corporate governance,†said Maplecroft.

The country is still ranked 5th in a listing where 1st is worst, but Maplecroft said Burma’s improvements were laudable.

“In the last year the only country to significantly improve its risk profile is [burma], which moved up more than 10 percent in the [Risk Atlas] scoring system. The government’s resolve to improve the business environment means a number of important steps have been taken to enhance investor protection, including the implementation of a new foreign investment law in March 2013,†it said.

But Maplecroft does add a note of caution: “Despite this positive medium-term outlook, current levels of corruption, lack of rule of law and interference in business by a wide range of powerful and vested interests, including the military, continue to create a very uneven playing field for foreign investors.â€

India’s Infosys Wins Burma Govt IT Contract

One of India’s biggest IT businesses, Infosys, is being awarded a major contract with Burma’s government, the Business Standard newspaper of Mumbai said.

The Naypyidaw government is hiring Infosys “to devise a strategy on using IT to improve governance efficiency,†said the paper, quoting unnamed Indian sources.

The Standard noted that Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi visited the headquarters of Infosys last November while on a tour of India.

“Suu Kyi discussed on how technology could play a role in [burma’s] development. Infosys [previously] committed to undertake a six-month training program for 100 engineering students from [burma],†the newspaper said.

Infosys is working with several Indian federal government offices on IT modernization projects, including income-tax processing and postal services, the Standard said.

“Infosys is trying to take its success in India in various e-governance projects to other countries in Southeast Asia,†it quoted a company source as saying.

Thein Sein Seeks 28 Percent Economic Growth for Naypyidaw in Budget

First details of the Naypyidaw government’s 2014-2015 financial year state budget proposals have been published following a presentation by President Thein Sein to the National Planning Commission.

It targets different levels of growth in several key sectors of the economy and three regions of the country, according to the government-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

A growth rate for the new financial year 3.9 percent is the target for the agricultural sector; 10.4 percent for industry; and 12.4 percent for the services sector.

Modest increases are planned for spending in education—5.92 percent compared with 5.43 percent in the current year—and for health, up to 3.38 percent from 3.15 percent.

The plan aims for 9.3 percent growth for the Rangoon region; 12.4 percent for Mandalay and district; and a whopping 28.2 percent for Naypyidaw.

“The president has stressed the need to attract foreign investment to develop technology and human resources, and to double domestic production in seven sectors in order to reach an 8 percent increase in GDP,†a summary produced by the Network Myanmar website said this week

“The seven sectors are cited as industry, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, mining, tourism, finance and communications.â€

Bangkok Unrest May Help Burma’s Tourism, But Services ‘Must Improve’

More than 80,000 foreigners visited Burma in 2013 on business visas, figures from the immigration office at Rangoon Airport showed.

The figures showed that 82,000 businesspeople from countries were permitted to use Burma’s visa-on-arrival system. The number of countries whose citizens can use this system increased to 48 during last year, said Eleven Media quoting the department.

These figures were published as the chairman of the Myanmar Travel Association, Aung Myat Kyaw, urged the Naypyidaw government to help improve Burma’s transport and accommodation infrastructure if it wanted to achieve a target of 7.5 million tourist visits per year by 2020.

“[burma’s] image will draw more tourists, but we need better infrastructure, security services and quality to sustain the growth,†he told a Rangoon meeting.

The political unrest that has been disrupting neighboring Thailand’s capital Bangkok for weeks and is now threatening a total shutdown of the city could boost tourists to Burma in January and February, the travel trade magazine TTR Weekly said.

“Thailand’s Civil Aviation Department has now officially confirmed 56 flights [to Bangkok] have been cancelled from Singapore and Hong Kong until late February,†the magazine said on Jan. 8. It quoted tourism office officials warning that there could be 400,000 fewer visits to Thailand in January, normally a peak time for foreigners holidaying in the country.

Bangladesh Plan for Gas Import Terminal ‘Could Benefit Burma’

The under-siege Bangladesh government has promised the electorate it will authorize the construction of a terminal to handle imports of liquid natural gas (LNG) as the country struggles with a severe electricity shortage.

It’s a move which could benefit Burma’s export economy in the next few years as the Ministry of Energy prepares to award exploration contracts to explore 30 blocks of the Bay of Bengal for gas and oil.

The Bangladesh electricity crisis, which has forced many businesses to close or operate only a few hours per day, is one of the issues that fuelled street violence before and during national elections last week.

The state energy company Petrobangla has proposed a floating terminal to be built on Moheshkhali Island in the Bay of Bengal, said the Financial Express of Dhaka.

The gas shortage is worst in the main industrial port of Chittagong where hundreds of businesses have closed down because of the lack of electricity. Most power in the country is fuelled by natural gas.

“The Bangladesh government has said it wants to import in the region of 5 million tonnes of LNG. That is a lot and it would clearly be cheaper and quicker buying it from [burma] than further afield suppliers such as Indonesia or the Persian Gulf countries,†industry analyst Collin Reynolds in Bangkok told The Irrawaddy.

The post Irrawaddy Business Roundup (January 11, 2014) appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

BERLIN, GERMANY (BNO NEWS) -- Internet search giant Google apologized on Friday after a user edit on its mapping service was mistakenly approved to rename a major square in the German capital of Berlin to "Adolf Hitler Platz," the name it was given after the Nazi Party leader became chancellor.

The name of Theodor-Heuss-Platz was changed to Adolf-Hitler-Platz on late Thursday evening when a user edit on Google Map Maker was mistakenly approved. The name was visible for several hours, prompting outrage on social networking websites and in German media, before the mistake was corrected.

"To make our maps as accurate and user-friendly as possible, all user edits in Mapmaker are reviewed either by the community of mapping volunteers or Google moderators," said Lena Wagner, a spokeswoman for Google Germany. "In this particular case the change in the street name was mistakenly approved, and we fixed it as soon as we were made aware. We apologize for any offence caused."

The square is located west of Berlin's inner city and was named Reichskanzlerplatz (Chancellor's Square) after its construction began in 1904, but it was named after Hitler less than three months after he became chancellor in January 1933. The square regained its initial name in the summer of 1947 until it was named after German President Theodor Heuss in December 1963.

Adolf-Hitler-Platz was supposed to play a prominent role in Hitler's planned overhaul of Berlin into a "global capital" named "Germania."

(Copyright 2014 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- A small U.S. military plane crashed in eastern Afghanistan on early Friday morning, killing three Americans on board the aircraft, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

The accident happened early Friday morning when an MC-12W reconnaissance aircraft was conducting a nighttime mission over eastern Afghanistan, a U.S. defense official in Washington said. He said three Americans were killed, including two service members and one military civilian.

The official said there were no indications that the small fixed-wing plane crashed as the result of enemy action, but no other details were immediately available. ISAF confirmed the deaths in a brief e-mailed statement, referring to the crash as an "aircraft mishap," but spokespersons for the alliance did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

The primary mission of the MC-12W Liberty is to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support directly to ground troops. The aircraft, which typically carries two pilots and two sensor operators, is a military version of the civilian Hawker Beechcraft Super King Air 350.

Friday's crash came hours after military officials disclosed that the crash of a Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter in southern Afghanistan on December 17 was caused by enemy action, even though ISAF had previously stated the opposite. The crash in the Now Bahar district of Zabul province killed six U.S. soldiers.

There are currently more than 84,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, including some 60,000 U.S. troops and 7,900 British soldiers. The UN Security Council in October extended ISAF's authorization for a final time, as all foreign combat troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of this year.

(Copyright 2014 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

Kyaw Min, chairman of the Democracy and Human Rights Party (DHRP), speaks at a press conference on Friday in Rangoon. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Two Muslim political parties in Rangoon have asked the Burmese government to recognize their religious kin in western Burma’s Arakan State as Rohingya, a minority group that is currently denied citizenship, as the country gears up for a nationwide census later this year.

The two parties, the National Democratic Party for Development (NDPD) and the Democracy and Human Rights Party (DHRP), held a press conference on Friday in Rangoon, where leaders of the two parties told journalists that they would ask the government to recognize their Muslim constituents in Arakan State as Rohingya. They will seek the option to tick Rohingya among the list of ethnic groups that takers of the census will be asked to identify as.

The press conference came following a meeting between the two parties and Burma’s Immigration Minister Khin Ye, who asked for the political parties’ help in collecting census from Muslims in Arakan State. The party leaders agreed to provide assistance, but said on Friday that they would do so while pushing the government to recognize Muslims in Arakan as Rohingya.

“We are holding this press conference because we want the media to know that we are willing to help in taking the census among Muslim people in Arakan State. We wish to restore peace and rebuild Rakhine [Arakan] State,†said Kyaw Min, who is the chairman of the DHRP.

Government data from 2010 put Arakan State’s population at about 3,340,000 people, of which the Muslim population accounts for 29 percent.

Kyaw Min said recognizing Rohingya Muslims was a matter of basic human rights.

“Every human race has its own identity. We have our identity already,†Kyaw Min said. “This is not just now—we have had it for a long time. But we have found that there is discrimination in the country, which ignores our demand that our identity be recognized.â€

Khin Maung Myint, an executive member of the NDPD, said the two parties would assist with administering the census in Arakan State from March to April.

Muslims in Arakan State and human rights advocates among the international community have repeatedly requested that the Burmese government recognize the Rohingya, but the government has continued to adhere to a 1982 Citizenship Law that bars them from citizenship and makes reference to the minority as “Bengalis.†The term derives from the fact that the government considers them illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.

Many local Arakanse Buddhists worry that government recognition of the Rohingya population would precede an eventual shift in demographics in Arakan State, and with that a loss of political power and cultural identity.

Kyaw Min of the DHRP sought to dispel those fears on Friday.

“For many decades, the local Buddhist Arakanese and Rohingya people lived peacefully as one community in the region,†Kyaw Min said.

The help of the two parties could go some way toward ensuring that the 2014 census succeeds. In recent years the Burmese government has made several attempts to survey the Muslim population in Arakan State, but Muslims have refused to cooperate because the option to identify as Rohingya was not offered.

In its joint statement on Friday, the two parties said recognizing Rohingya Muslims—and guaranteeing the minority group equal rights—would contribute to peace and stable development in Arakan State.

“There should be no discrimination, and the government has a duty to give citizenship to its Muslims. We should have the choice to be Rohingya.â€

During two outbreaks of religious violence in 2012, nearly 200 people were killed and about 140,000 displaced, most of them Muslims. About half of the displaced were Muslim residents who were chased out of the Arakan State capital Sittwe by local Buddhist Arakanese groups. Most of the displaced continue to reside in squalid, crowded camps.

In the aftermath of the 2012 violence, Burma’s President Thein Sein said Burma would not accept Rohingyas as citizens and has asked the United Nations to help to resettle them in any other country willing to take them in.

There are an estimated 800,000 Rohingya in Burma.

The post Muslim Political Parties Seek Rohingya Census Recognition appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Ethnic Lisu women from Hsi Hseng Township in Shan State. The Lisu are one of 135 ethnic groups recognized by the Burmese government. (Photo: Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Ethnic groups in Burma have expressed concern about the way a national census to be carried out in March classifies ethnic sub-groups, saying that the categories used create confusion and unnecessary divisions.

“Some Karen sub-groups, such as the Kecho and Kebar, have been classified as Karenni, based on government data from 1983,†said Daw Naw Sah Htoo, a central executive committee member of the Kayin Peoples Party, noting one of the more egregious errors.

The issue was discussed at a workshop in Hpa-an, the capital of Karen State, on Thursday. Three Karen community-based organizations represented at the workshop said they would object to the census being conducted unless the Kecho, Kebar and Pa-O were reclassified as Karen sub-groups.

It was also noted that a new “Mon-Karen†group had been created under the label Sar Phyu. The label is supposed to designate Karen who sided with the Mon when they were at war with the ethnic Burmans in the pre-modern era. However, some who attended the workshop pointed out that it is actually the name of a belief system followed by some Karen.

“Some people were forced to change their ethnicity in the past based on their religion. But a Karen is a Karen, whether they are Buddhist or Christian,†said Daw Naw Sah Htoo.

Tu Ja, the chairman of the Kachin State Democracy Party (KSDP), told The Irrawaddy that all sub-groups should be properly classified as belonging to larger groups, rather than labeled in isolation.

“There are six or seven Kachin sub-groups, but they should all be counted as Kachin, and only then should they be identified by their sub-group,†he said, warning that treating each subgroup as completely distinct would harm national reconciliation efforts and reduce trust between ethnic groups and the government.

He added that most ethnic people in Burma, including the Kachin, Mon, Shan, Karen and Arakanese, doubted the validity of the government’s official tally of 135 recognized ethnic groups.

Sai Than Maung, a team leader with the Shan Population Collecting Committee, said that his committee ignores the government’s division of the Shan into 30 sub-groups, choosing instead to treat them all as belonging to one group, the Shan.

Mon civil society activist Mi Kon Chan Non also said that census takers should be able to speak ethnic languages in order to ensure that they get an accurate count of how many people belong to each group. However, she noted that there are also other obstacles to getting an accurate figure.

“I think the Mon in Rangoon will continue to identify themselves as Burmese because it isn’t easy for them to change their ethnic identity on their National Identification Cards,†she said.

Cherry Zahau, a Chin human rights activist, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that Chin communities generally disagree with the practice of labeling people according to their ethnic sub-groups.

“Our official objection on this will come soon,†she said, adding that both the government and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which is assisting with the census, should have collaborated more closely with ethnic communities from the beginning, instead of waiting until the middle of last month to consult with them.

“It should not be done in a rushed manner, as this is the first time in 30 years that Burma will have a census,†she said.

The post Ethnic Groups Voice Concern over Census Classification System appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Thai protesters demonstrate outside a government building in Bangkok in early December. (Photo Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — A Burmese travel and tour company has joined a number of international airlines in sending travel alerts to customers who need to catch flights in Bangkok on Monday, when anti-government protesters hope to block major roads in the Thai capital, although Bangkok Airways says it expect no major disruptions.

More than 18 flights run daily between Bangkok and Rangoon, and they are scheduled to depart as usual, but travelers have been urged to leave plenty of time to reach the airports in Bangkok on Monday, as protesters have threatened to block 20 main roads starting that day.

British Airways reportedly asked Rangoon-based Columbus Travels and Tours to alert its customers about the threat of long road delays.

“Bangkok has very heavy traffic normally, so if a strike happens travelers will have a difficult time reaching the airport on time. Most international airline offices have issued a notice to their customers,†Khine Su, a spokeswoman for the travel and tour company, told The Irrawaddy on Friday.

“Most tourists who booked flights [to Bangkok] on Jan. 13 have shifted their travel dates, taking more time in Myanmar, but official and businesspeople do not care about the strike and will go as always,†she added.

The anti-government protests began in Bangkok in November after the Thai government attempted to force through a political amnesty bill that would have allowed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to return from a self-imposed exile without serving time in prison.

Protesters plan to “shut down†the capital starting Monday, ahead of an election scheduled for Feb. 2, and are calling on the current caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra—Thaksin’s sister—to step down.

A spokesperson at Bangkok Airways said the airline had not sent out alerts to travelers with flights booked for Monday, adding that flights would continue normally despite demonstrations.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) says the two international airports in Bangkok—Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang—as well as all other international and domestic airports throughout the country are open and operating normally.

If issues arise, the TAT says airlines have made arrangements to open check-in desks up to four hours before departures to allow earlier check-ins, although travelers have been advised to inquire with airlines directly for further information.

Myanmar Airways International (MAI) says it received no instructions from the Burma Embassy in Thailand to send notifications about potential travel issues to its airline agents or customers.

“The tour bookings are visible down, but businesspeople have booked flights for that date [Monday] and will go according to their schedules without changing,†Aye Mya Thar, an official with the Burmese flag carrier, told The Irrawaddy.

The Burma Embassy of Thailand released a message earlier this week urging Burmese nationals to take precautions and avoid protests or political gatherings if they find themselves in Thailand over the coming days.

“Burmese people in Thailand are urged not to get involved in any mass protest and to keep themselves away from rally sites in order to maintain the Thailand-Myanmar good friendship status; for their security; and to avoid issues that would affect the goodwill between the two countries,†the notice said.

Agents at Columbus Travels and Tours, Myanmar Airways International and Rangoon-based Sunflower travel and tour company said they believed more tourists would choose to come to Burma rather than Thailand amid the ongoing political unrest in Bangkok.

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A poppy flower grows at an opium plantation in Shan State. (Photo: KYAW KHA / THE IRRAWADDY)

More farmers continue turning to opium poppy cultivation in Karenni State due to difficulties in growing other crops, local civil society groups say, weeks after a UN agency reported that poverty was fueling drug production in the Southeast Asian nation.

Insufficient access to water for agriculture, poor transportation and a shortage of markets for other crops have encouraged farmers in the eastern Burma state to continue growing opium poppy, according to the Union of Karenni State Youth (UKSY).

“Opium does not need much water, and can even survive with mist,†said Kyaw Tin Aung, a UKSY central committee member. “We cannot grow other crops in our area. People here also make more money from opium. That’s why they have focused on it.â€

He said the government’s plan to eradicate opium production had been unsuccessful in Karenni State, although the plan has been extended for another five years until 2019.

“More opium plantations are found in Pekon Township,†said Mu An Jalar, joint secretary of Kayan Women’s Organization (KYWO). “A police station is based there but hasn’t taken any effective action.â€

One viss of opium, or about 1.6 kilograms, is reportedly worth about 700,000 kyats (US$ 700) in Burma.

Opium eradication efforts have been under way since 2007 in major growing areas such as the Karenni State capital Loikaw, as well as Demoso and Hpruso townships, and some 215 acres of opium fields have been destroyed since 2012.

Burma is the world’s second-biggest grower of opium, after Afghanistan.

Last month, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimated in its annual Southeast Asia Opium Survey that Burma would produce 870 metric tons of opium in 2013, a 26 percent rise over 2012 production. It said official efforts to eradicate opium production were falling flat because poor farmers did not have alternative ways to make a living.

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Visitors take photographs and walk around Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon.
(Photo: Reuters)

RANGOON — Prominent activist Naw Ohn Hla is calling on Burmese authorities to drop charges filed against her for allegedly causing a disturbance when she held prayers at Shwedagon Pagoda to support opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 2007.

The rights activist says her case is political, and should have been included when President Thein Sein recently dropped charges against 200 people standing trial for politically related crimes. He also pardoned all prisoners in jail for various political offenses—including organizing protests without permission.

In that amnesty, announced at the end of last month, Naw Ohn Hla saw charges dropped against her in a separate case, related to her participation in a protest in Rangoon last year in which a Chinese flag was burned. In November she was also released from prison in a mass presidential amnesty for political prisoners; she had been jailed for protesting against the controversial Letpadaung copper mine in northwest Burma.

But the religious disturbance charge, filed this year, has not been dropped.

“This case also relates to politics, so the president should also grant her amnesty,†her lawyer Robert San Aung.

In 2007, Naw Ohn Hla went to Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon and led a prayer service for the release of Suu Kyi, who was under house arrest at the time by the former military regime.

The pagoda is a famous Buddhist monument that is frequently visited by not only religious devotees but also Burmese and foreign travelers.

“When I was praying for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners to be released, pagoda security pulled us out of the compound one by one, roughly,†she told The Irrawaddy. “I went to the Bahan [Township] police station to file a complaint and press for legal charges, but the police officers did not accept my objection.â€

Instead, charges were filed against her. The governing body of Shwedagon accused her of causing a religious disturbance, a crime under Article 296 of the Penal Code that carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.

“I thank the president for releasing political prisoners who were jailed under Section 505( and Article 18,†she said, referring to the most recent amnesty. Section 505 of the Penal Code and Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Law have been used frequently by authorities to imprison political activists.

“But I am not satisfied that the judiciary is pursuing this lawsuit against me from a case that is six years old,†she said, adding that she hoped to later press charges against the police department for ignoring her complaints about harsh treatment at Shwedagon.

“Buddhism is freedom for all. I wonder why they are trying to sue me. I did it [the prayers] for other political prisoners. It shouldn’t be like this.â€

A judge reportedly said the religious disturbance case was being brought to court now, after such a delay, because previously the authorities “couldn’t catch†the activist, according to her lawyer.

“This case is already six years old, and we have questions about that,†he said.

The activist has been freed from detention on bail and has appeared for three hearings in the Dagon Township Court for the case.

The post Naw Ohn Hla Says Religious Disturbance Case is Political appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Aung San Suu Kyi looks out on the crowd gathered at an athletic field in the Sagaing Division town of Kalaymyo on Friday. (Photo: Zarni Mann / The Irrawaddy)

KALAYMYO, Sagaing Division — Tens of thousands of people from Chin State and western Sagaing Division turned out to show their support for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday, the last day of her visit to the region on a tour to promote constitutional change.

“We strongly believe in her because she repeatedly assured us that she would do her best to change the Constitution,†said San Myint, who traveled from Maw Lite Township to hear Suu Kyi speak in Kalaymyo, a town on the Myittha River in Sagaing Division.

A sea of supporters waving National League for Democracy flags, many wearing traditional Chin attire, gathered on Friday morning at an athletic field in Kalaymyo, where Suu Kyi concluded constitutional talks during a tour of the Kalay region, which straddles Chin State and Sagaing Division in northwestern Burma.

Suu Kyi, the chairwoman of the National League for Democracy (NLD), has been attempting to drum up support for her campaign to change the country’s Constitution, a military-drafted document that bars her from presidential eligibility and contains several other provisions widely considered to be undemocratic.

Wrapping up a week that drew thousands of local residents to speeches made across three towns in the region, Friday’s turnout was the biggest yet for the opposition leader.

“Kalay is the town where the most people came to the public meeting on my Chin State trip. Thank you for showing your support for us,†she said.

On her four-day trip, the Nobel laureate repeatedly called for amending Burma’s Constitution, saying changes to the charter were important for stability, equality, unity and democracy in the country. Less than two weeks into the new year, Suu Kyi predicted on Thursday that 2014 would be a critical period for the country’s future.

“People have said 2015 is the year of importance for the country, but actually this year, 2014, is important,†she said. “Every political thing we do this year will affect 2015.

“That’s why we will try our best to amend the Constitution within this year,†she said, adding that Burma’s powerful military should not stand in the way of these changes.

Asked by supporters what her NLD would do if lawmakers failed to amend the Constitution, Suu Kyi said it was too early to speculate.

“We have to wait and see if they [Parliament] will amend it or not. We will decide depending on their work. But it is too early yet to talk about what we will do or what we will decide,†Suu Kyi said.

Those comments followed mixed messages from Suu Kyi and her party last month about whether they would participate in the 2015 national elections if the Constitution was not amended.

On Dec. 15, Suu Kyi for the first time raised the possibility of an NLD boycott of the polls under such circumstances, saying the party risked losing its “dignity†if it were to participate in elections under the current Constitution. However, two weeks later an NLD spokesperson sought to dispel talk of a boycott by the country’s largest opposition party by confirming its intent to participate in 2015.

The opposition leader on Friday urged young members in the audience to help educate the people about the need to amend the Constitution, which she said was holding back reforms in the former military dictatorship.

“The 2008 Constitution is preventing national reconciliation, which is very important for the democratic development of the country. People need to understand that, and of course, that’s one reason that amendments are needed,†she said.

Although it was Suu Kyi’s first visit to Chin State in a decade, the long-time democracy icon’s popular standing among those living in Burma’s poorest state appeared undiminished by her absence. Each stop on the tour brought people out into the streets to greet her, and a show of hands indicated that an overwhelming majority of those in the crowd at speeches in the Chin State towns of Tedim, Falam and Hakha supported constitutional reform.

“We now understand that amending the Constitution first is important to develop the region. I believe development and the other changes will come later, after amending the Constitution,†said Pu Lian Kyone Nuon from Sann Township.

“We have no doubts about her; if she says so, she will do it for sure. We wish her to be our future president. But I believe she will do everything she can for changes in the region and the country, whether she is president or not in 2015,†he added.

Despite some logistical difficulties, including bumpy roads and at times bitterly cold weather, the NLD deemed their leader’s trip a success.

“We can say this was a successful trip for Daw Suu as we witnessed all of the people in the region showing their support. More than 90 percent of the public has raised their hands and agreed to amend the Constitution. We will submit the results [in favor of amending the Constitution] that we got from the public to Parliament,†said Kyi Toe, a member of the NLD’s central information committee who accompanied Suu Kyi on the trip.

Suu Kyi departed for Naypyidaw on Friday afternoon. According to the NLD, she will travel to Hpa-An in Karen State on Jan. 18 and will proceed to Nam Sam in southern Shan state on Jan. 25, where she will continue her push for constitutional reform.

The post Suu Kyi Wraps Up Constitutional Reform Tour in Northwest Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burmese nationals hold up their passports outside the Burmese embassy in Singapore on April 27, 2008. (Photo: Reuters)

RANGOON — Burmese citizens can now apply for and directly receive passports at 15 locations around the country. Previously the country had only one passport office, in Rangoon.

The government opened new passport offices last week on Friday due to an increasing number of applicants who required the document for work or medical reasons, says Maung Maung Lin, a police officer from the Myanmar Passport Issuing Board who is based in Mon State.

Last year the government began taking steps to streamline the application process, reducing the waiting period from 21 days to 10 days to receive a passport. Application forms were condensed from 14 pages to five pages, while applicants were no longer required to submit documents proving they had fully paid their taxes.

With the new offices in states and divisions, applicants pay 20,000 kyats (US$20) in Rangoon for a passport and 25,000 kyats ($25) at other locations, due to extra processing fees. Passports are valid for five years and may be issued within three to five working days in certain cases, such as medical emergencies.

“Everyone with a National Identity Card and the original household registration card can apply for a passport,†Maung Maung Lin told The Irrawaddy. “There are already more than 50 people who have applied in Mon State.â€

But former prisoners, including political detainees, must present additional documents and may be subjected to longer waiting periods, a senior official at the Myanmar Passport Issuing Board told The Irrawaddy last year.

Thet Oo, a member of the Former Political Prisoners Society, said this week that former political prisoners in his society were still waiting to receive passports after applying more than two months ago.

One group that will likely benefit from the new passport services are Burmese citizens who plan to travel abroad as migrant workers, says migrants’ rights activist Tun Tun Lwin.

He is an education coordinator for the Migrant Worker Rights Network, based in Thailand with a branch in Rangoon, and plans to offer workshops to teach Burmese migrants about the pre-departure process, in a bid to stem workers from entering neighboring countries illegally.

“Once they have a passport in hand, the process will not be costly anymore,†he said. But he added that it might still be a good idea to visit Rangoon before departure, to make use of official employment agencies that can assist with legal job placement abroad.

“They can apply for and receive their passports in the states and divisions, but the migrants will need to come to Yangon [Rangoon] and contact agencies to work officially in Thailand,†he said.

Last year Burma’s Ministry of Labor announced plans to issue regular passports to Burmese migrants in Thailand. Since 2009, the Burma government has issued only temporary passports to them.

An estimated 3 million Burmese migrants reside in Thailand. Of these, about 1.7 million have been issued temporary passports, while1.3 million are undocumented, according to labor rights groups.

The Burma government has set up five offices in Thailand near the Burma border to issue regular passports, but the offices have not been opened due to ongoing political instability in Thailand.

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Three villages in the Irrawaddy Delta’s Nga Pu Taw Township have lost and homes to waste water produced by local pebble mining. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

NGA PU TAW TOWNSHIP — Farmer Kan Aye appears despondent as he talks about the layer of red mud that has built up under his wooden stilt house as a result of the waste produced by nearby pebble mining firm.

There was a time when he could keep cattle underneath his home in The Chaung village in the Irrawaddy Delta’s Nga Pu Taw Township, but these days he can’t even keep piglets there as the 2-meter-high space has almost completely been filled with mud.

“When the muddy water from the pebble mining fields flows into the village it deposit sludge under the houses. The mud layer has become higher and higher,†Kan Aye said. “Now it’s slowly burying our homes.â€

The villages of Chaung, Hmawbi and Gyan Kap all suffer from the heavy environmental impacts of the nearby operation of firms that are mining for pebbles, a valuable construction material. Dozens of families in the villages have seen their farmland disappear under the mud-filed waste water and now, even their homes are no longer safe.

The firms use high-pressure jets of water to blast away the sand in order to expose the pebbles below, creating a constant flow of sludge that floods the villages and deposits mud along its way.

“They buy the land first and mine for pebbles, causing sludge to flow into our areas. We have to raise our floors every year and now we are left with a very low ceiling,†said a 50-year-old resident of Hmawbi village, while looking gloomily at her small wooden-thatched roof house.

About 30 houses in The Chaung village and 15 houses in Hmawbi village are facing a similar fate.

Pointing at her house, which is close to tumbling down amidst the encroaching layer of mud, Hmawbi resident Lae Lae Ye said, “Look at my house, only one room is left. I have nowhere else to go. Can’t anybody help us?â€

Most of the residents can no longer bear the burden of constantly fixing their homes and have moved out into the open fields away from their villages.

Wet Ma, a victim of such misery, said, “About 10 households, including ours, were forced to move out although we want to remain in the village.â€

The constant sludge flow has permanently damaged surrounding paddy fields, disrupted the local ecosystem, caused landslides and filled up small waterways, which function as transport links through the Delta area.

“Hmawbi River used to be big enough for motorized boats to travel on, but now it is no longer,†said villager Htay Lwin.

A 60-year-old resident woman told The Irrawaddy that her village used to have large trees providing ample shade before mining waste water began to flood the area. “The main street of our village used to have lines of mango trees and cashew nut trees. Now, they’re all gone and we can’t grow anything there anymore,†she said.

At the site of mining area, the environmental damage is even more extensive, as nothing will grow on the land that has been blasted clear of sand and pebbles. A 200-acre area near the villages has been turned into a permanent wasteland.

“It is like a desert and during the rainy season there are mudslides,†said Pyu Lay from Gyan Kap village. “Nothing like this ever happened before during the last 30 years when we mined pebbles manually,†he said. “But when they began mining with machines and deposited the muddy water on a massive scale, we faced the overflow of sludge in the rainy season.â€

An official with the Nga Pu Taw Township department of general administration said 13 mining firms received 1-year licenses to mine an area of around 100 acres in Karinwarchaung Village Tract, adding that the Forestry Department controls the area and granted permission for the mining operations.

“The mining business was under the control of the army before and we changed the system to grant the mining license to the civilian entities,†said the official, who declined to be named.

The mining operations, he said, did not only have negative impacts, as dozens of laborers worked there, earning between US $1 to $5 per day. “The industry also brings job opportunities for the local population, so if we stop it I am afraid the livelihoods of the locals might be affected,†he said.

Myint Aung, of the Irrawaddy Division-based environmental NGO Beautiful Land, said the mining was permanently destroying farmlands and the ecosystem in the area, while leaving no long-term benefits.

“For the short term, the locals can earn a living by working at the mines, but when the resources run out the whole area will be left in a desert-like condition where nothing can be grown,†he said. “Then, the people will suffer the consequence of such a reckless action.â€

He said the mining operations should be stopped, while authorities and the firms should address the compensation demands of local villagers

“We have to raise our floors and roofs every year, we can’t afford to build a whole new house as we are living hand-to-mouth and we still have to send our children to schools,†said Thein Shwe from Hmawbi village. “So in this situation, we want the pebble mining companies to support us.â€

Another farmer named Puy Lay said, “These pebble mining industries caused environmental degradation, they have to be banned. Only then, will there still be hope for the livelihoods of our future generations.â€

The post Irrawaddy Delta Villagers Lose Land, Homes to Mining Waste appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burmese soldiers are seen on parade. Burma’s government has long prioritized defense spending while allocating small budgets to health and education. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Despite calls to increase spending on health and education, Burma’s government is facing a budget deficit and does not plan to substantially boost its allocation of funds for either sector in the next fiscal year.

The Financial Commission led by President Thein Sein has proposed to allocate 5.92 percent of the national budget for education in the 2014 fiscal year, up from 5.43 percent in the 2013 fiscal year, state media announced Wednesday. It has proposed to allocate 3.38 percent of the national budget to health, up from 3.15 percent last year.

State media did not reveal how big the total national budget would be, nor did it share the percentage that would be allocated to defense spending, which stood at just over 12 percent of the total 19 trillion kyats (US$19 billion) budget in 2013, slightly lower than in 2012.

Under nearly half a century of military rule, a major share of funds went to defense while the health and education sectors were largely neglected. Since assuming office in 2011, Thein Sein’s government has pushed through a raft of political and socio-economic reforms, but the powerful military continues to hold great political power and is still allocated the largest share of expenditure.

The proposed budget must be approved by Parliament. Last year lawmakers approved the government’s proposed $2.4 billion military budget with an overwhelming majority.

Steven Thar Bate, a lawmaker from the Chin National Party, said he earlier proposed a reduction in military spending and an increase in funds for education and health, but was unsuccessful.

“We want to increase these [education and health] to perhaps 7, 8, 9 or 10 percent,†he told The Irrawaddy, adding that with the current budget allocation for health care, hospitals struggled with low supplies of necessary equipment and medicines. “CT scans and X-rays are needed in the states. There are no skillful practitioners, either.â€

He said that at vocational colleges in his Chin State, students also faced a shortage of academic materials. “It seems there is no budget for equipment for students to practice and participate in workshops,†the lawmaker said.

Wanna Htun, a government program officer from the international NGO ActionAID, called on the government to reconsider its priorities. “If they do national planning well, they will know how much of the budget is needed in each sector. Then they will be able to handle budget proposals well,†he said.

He added that the government could allocate more funds to social services from a supplemental budget that is valid until the end of this fiscal year. International aid money is also often reserved for education and health care.

He cautioned that it was important to consider not only the percentage of funds allocated to certain sectors, but the amount of funds allocated, and to ensure that those funds were used in the most cost effective way.

Burma had revenue of more than 16 trillion kyats ($16 billion) in the 2013 fiscal year but spent 19 trillion kyats, leaving a deficit of about 3 trillion kyats. After meeting with the Financial Commission on Monday, Thein Sein is calling for a crackdown on tax evasion and recommending a system to provide incentives to taxpayers in the next fiscal year, state media reported.

In addition, the president has called for the effective use of foreign aid and loans to reduce the country’s debt burden. “Only then can more emphasis be placed on development tasks,†the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper wrote.

Despite the budget shortfall, the newspaper added that Thein Sein has announced an effort to promote free education for middle school students, following an initiative to do the same for primary school students last year.

Students are not required to pay tuition at basic education schools, but families have traditionally spent money on books as well as tables and chairs for classrooms, school building repairs and registration fees. The government is seeking to cover these additional fees to provide a free education for primary and middle school students.

The post Burma Govt Health, Education Budgets Likely to Remain Low in 2014 appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

US ambassador to Burma, Derek Mitchell, speaks to Aung San Suu Kyi at her home in Rangoon in March 2012. (Photo: Reuters)

RANGOON — As Burma’s ruling party faces growing pressure from the public and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to amend the Constitution ahead of the 2015 elections, the United States Ambassador has expressed support for changing the charter’s controversial Article 59 (f), which he called “a relic from the past.â€

The article prevents National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Suu Kyi from becoming president, as it states that a president’s spouse or children cannot be citizens of a foreign country. Suu Kyi was married to British national Micheal Aris, who died in 1999, and she has two sons who are British subjects.

Derek Mitchell said in remarks that he could not understand how a democratic Burma could have a provision in its charter that prevents Suu Kyi from running for the presidency.

“t seems curious to me that someone who is the leader of a major political party, chair of a major parliamentary committee, who has sacrificed herself for decades as a courageous patriot committed to the success and strength of the country, someone clearly very popular with the people, will be excluded from presidential contention,†he said.

“I can understand perhaps in 1947, even in 1974, there might be a constitutional provision that reflects fear of family connections to the outside world. But not in the 21st century, in a new, open democratic Burma that seeks to integrate itself to the world. This provision, this fear, seems a relic of the past,†Mitchell said.

He said the US did not want to see the Constitution changed because it favored any of Burma’s presidential candidates, adding, “We simply want to see a fair fight that reflects the will of the people.â€

The 2008 charter is widely seen as undemocratic because it was drafted by the then ruling military junta and pushed through in a referendum that has been criticized as rigged.

In addition to blocking a Suu Kyi presidency, the Constitution also concentrates great political power in the hands of the military, which has permanent control over 25 percent of Parliament seats, while ethnic regions are under tight control of the central government.

Since becoming an MP in 2012, Suu Kyi has called for broad-ranging changes to the Constitution, but the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and Burma’s powerful military have dragged their feet on such discussions.

In recent months, however, the NLD leader has been increasingly vocal about the need for constitutional reform and at one point threatened to boycott the 2015 elections if amendments are not made.

This week, during a visit to Chin State, she again focused attention on the issue and called on Burma’s powerful military to back amendments. “We need to convince them [the military]. The situation of the Constitution is dividing the military and the people,†she told a crowd of 1,500 residents of Tedim town.

Last week in Rangoon, several dozen activists, including leading activists the 88’ Generation Students Group, gathered in front of the City Hall to protest and demand that Parliament amend Article 59(f) and scrap other oppressive laws.

In his remarks, Mitchell raised questions about those who oppose constitutional reform but praised USDP Chairman Shwe Mann, who has come out publicly in favor of amending provision 59 (f).

“He has said he would like a fair fight, in which the people will have a choice between parties and leaders, and the winner wins, and the loser becomes the loyal opposition,†the ambassador said. “That is a very honorable position, and very democratic. I salute him for this principled view. Again as an observer, I just wonder why others don’t view it that way.â€

Last month, the USDP announced that the party was putting forth 57 amendments to the Constitution, including an amendment to Article 59 (f) that would allow Suu Kyi to become president as long as her two sons renounce their British citizenship and become Burmese citizens.

Suu Kyi reportedly said this amendment would make little difference and suggested that it is strange that she would have to ask her adult sons to change their nationality. “I know the proposed deletion of this requirement is not to benefit me, but I don’t know who will benefit from this,†she told Radio Free Asia.

In a televised speech to the country this month, President Thein Sein said changing the Constitution could promote national reconciliation, adding that he “would not want restrictions imposed on the right of any citizen to become the leader of the country.â€

Meanwhile, a parliamentary committee has been formed to review the Constitution and consider amendments, with political parties and members of the public submitting recommendations. Earlier last week, the committee said it had received 323,110 suggestions via 28,247 letters ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline for public feedback.

It is expected to submit its report during the next house session, which starts on Jan. 13.

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Refugees at Mae La camp trying to restore their burned-down wooden housing. (Photo: Border Consortium / Facebook)

BANGKOK — Back-to-back fires that ravaged two refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border—killing one person and affecting 900—have added to mounting pressure on the refugees to return home, amid talks on repatriating them as Burma opens up after half a century of brutal military rule.

Fires are a regular hazard in the nine camps that house some 130,000 refugees along the border. The Thai government forbids the use of materials that might suggest a more permanent stay – even though many of the camps have been around for more than two decades – so homes are built using highly flammable materials such as bamboo, thatch and eucalyptus.

Last March, a devastating fire swept through Ban Mae Surin camp, killing 37 people and leaving 65 percent of the camp homeless.

The latest fires, however, came at a time when opportunities to resettle in a third country are diminishing, and officials from both countries are talking about repatriating the refugees, many of whom fled war and persecution decades ago. Many international donors are also turning their attention to funding projects within the country, and the camps have been hit with reduced funding.

Sally Thompson, executive director of the Border Consortium (TBC), a non-government organization (NGO) that has been working in the camps since the 1980s, said refugees’ future return to Burma should be voluntary, yet lately they feel they are being nudged out.

“When you get things like the fire, the reduction in services in the camps – it’s seen as a push factor. All these incidents served to put pressure and anxiety on the refugees that they’re actually being pushed into making decisions to go back,†she said.

Mitos Urgel from WEAVE, a small NGO that works mainly with female refugees from the camps, agrees.

“Every day they face uncertainty, whether it’s about repatriation or the day-to-day struggle to earn a living. There’s no clarity on what the future will hold,†she said.

“(Fires) are not something new in the refugee camps, but because of talk of resettlement, funding going down and the reduction in the food basket, it’s making them feel really bad.â€

Urgent Needs

The first blaze occurred on Dec. 27 in Tak province’s Mae La camp, the biggest Burmese refugee camp in Thailand with some 44,000 refugees, most of them ethnic Karens. A second fire swept Ban Mai Nai Soi camp, home to Karenni refugees, in Mae Hong Son province the next day, killing one woman. Both are in northern Thailand.

Thai authorities are currently conducting investigations as to how the fires started, but it is believed no foul play was involved. Oftentimes, fires in the camps are sparked by cooking accidents and quickly spread out of control because the huts are built close together of highly flammable materials.

Around 180 homes were damaged or destroyed by the fire or pulled down to prevent the fire from spreading, and 854 people were affected. Aid agencies say shelter and ongoing trauma counselling are the most urgent needs.

“A fire is always bad because these people have so very little, yet whatever they’ve managed to put together and build as a family is gone in an instant. They’re having to rebuild from nothing,†Thompson said.

“Emergencies like this are really an acute reminder of how vulnerable the refugees are on a day-to-day basis and how they still do need ongoing support.â€

Local Thai communities, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) and other NGOs have provided support in this instance, but Thompson says it is now very difficult to hold donors’ interest in refugee camps as the focus is on the changes inside Burma.

As Burma reforms politically, donors are now looking at funding projects within the country or those that assist the refugees’ eventual return to Burma.

“That’s where the interest lies when in fact now is really time when we need to be preparing refugees here so that when the time comes for them to return, they’re in a good position in terms of skill sets, knowledge and understanding of the situation inside the country, and they will be able to go back and reintegrate with communities that never left,†she said.

Rebuilding is now under way and TBC anticipates the majority of reconstruction to be complete by the end January. The same flammable materials will be used as Thai authorities have not approved TBC’s request to use tin roofs, Thompson said.

“The Thai policy is that the refugee camps are temporary, and in the current climate of an evolving situation inside Burma there is little willingness to revisit or change that policy,†she said.

The post Fires in Camps in Thailand Raise Pressure on Burmese Refugees appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

A ‘mobile police station’ used to carry out passport and work permit checks on migrant workers is pictured near Kuala Lumpur’s Berjaya Times Square. (Photo: Kyaw Hsu Mon / The Irrawaddy)

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s government said Thursday it will issue high-tech, security-enhanced identity cards to more than 2 million foreign workers to make it easier to find people who entered the country illegally.

Home Minister Zahid Hamidi said the cards will be embedded with chips containing the worker’s employment details and biometric thumbprint, and will be color-coded according to sector of work for easy identification.

He said the “i-Kad†also will have barcodes that allow enforcement officers to scan the cards using a smartphone to assess the workers’ details.

“These security elements are important to prevent fraud and forgery of the card. It will strengthen our enforcement. We hope that by the end of this year, all foreign workers will have this card,†he said at a ceremony announcing its introduction.

Immigration Director-General Alias Ahmad said there are 2.25 million documented foreign workers in the country, and more may be registered under an extended amnesty that ends Jan. 20.

Zahid said authorities are planning to launch a nationwide crackdown on foreigners who entered illegally when the amnesty ends. No further details were available.

Malaysia is dependent on foreign labor to fill low-paying menial jobs at palm oil plantations, factories, construction sites and restaurants shunned by Malaysians.

Authorities believe hundreds of thousands of foreigners, mostly from neighboring Indonesia, are working illegally in Malaysia.

As a relatively wealthy nation in the region, Malaysia attracts people from impoverished places including Indonesia, Bangladesh and Burma who are looking for jobs or a way to enter other countries such as Australia.

The post Malaysia Plans High-Tech Card for Foreign Workers appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.