Myanmar takes further progressive steps

[Tommy Tainant]

In a gloomy world this story is a small sign that things are moving along ok.

‘First public gay wedding’ takes place in Burma

 

[The Great Goose]

Not that gayness offers anything but pain

 

[waltky]

Presidency is not where the real power is in Myanmar

Aung San Suu Kyi will not become Myanmar's next president
10 Mar.`16 — It's now official, Myanmar's most famous politician and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will not become the country's next president.

The National League for Democracy party, which won November general elections by a landslide, nominated two Suu Kyi loyalists to contest the president's post Thursday. They are 70-year-old Oxford graduate Htin Kyaw and Henry Van Hti Yu, an ethnic Chin minority and upper house NLD lawmaker. One of them is certain to become the next president and the other will become a vice president. And a military-backed candidate who has not yet been announced will likely become the country's other vice president. The outgoing ruling party, the USDP, also nominated two candidates but the Suu Kyi loyalists are assured of a victory when the joint chambers vote later this month. The new government takes power April 1. It will be the first freely elected government after more than 50 years of military rule followed by a quasi-civilian government for the past five years.

National League for Democracy party (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark Myanmar's 68th anniversary of Independence in Yangon, Myanmar. Nobel laureate Suu Kyi’s decades-long battle to bring democracy to Myanmar is likely to come to fruition on Thursday, March 10 with a whimper, not a bang. Despite leading her National League for Democracy party to a smashing election victory, Suu Kyi seems certain not to become her country's leader. Suu Kyi, 70, cannot be president because the constitution bars anyone with a foreign spouse or children from holding the executive office. Suu Kyi's two sons are British, as was her late husband.​

Despite massive popular support, the 70-year-old Suu Kyi is blocked from the presidency because the constitution bars anyone with a foreign spouse or children from holding the executive office. Suu Kyi's two sons are British, as was her late husband. The clause is widely seen as having been written by the military with her in mind. But Suu Kyi has said she will be the real center of power and run the government from behind the scenes. Kyaw Thiha, an upper house NLD lawmaker, said Thursday that the new president will take orders from Suu Kyi. "She cannot become the president, but it doesn't really matter because she will be controlling everything. She will be the one to control us," Kyaw Thiha said. "It doesn't really matter that she is not becoming the president."

Aung San Suu Kyi will not become Myanmar's next president

See also:

Aung San Suu Kyi: Power not presidency in Myanmar
Wed, 09 Mar 2016 - Aung San Suu Kyi won't become president of Myanmar, but she she has tightened her grip on political power nonetheless, says Jonah Fisher.

But as parliament puts forward its nominations for the top job, the situation is clear: there will be no last-minute deal, no President Suu Kyi. Those expecting a Nelson Mandela ending to this incredible story will be disappointed. But for Suu Kyi and her many supporters little has actually been lost. This anticlimactic outcome strengthens her politically and diminishes the military in the eyes of the Burmese people. The generals' inflexibility, in the face of a huge popular mandate, has set the tone for what looks likely to be a period of confrontation between them and the newly elected democrats.

It was in November last year that Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), swept the board in the long-awaited general election. The NLD won nearly 80% of the contested seats and everyone, even the army, agreed that the Burmese people had not just voted for change, they had voted for Suu Kyi to lead. Emboldened by the result, the former political prisoner reached out to her long-time adversaries. In the past four months she has held three meetings with Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing. Suu Kyi was exploring the possibility of a grand deal.

What the NLD leader needed was the army's approval for a legally dubious move. She wanted parliament to temporarily suspend the part of the constitution that bars her from becoming president. Clause 59F famously disqualifies anyone whose spouse, children, and even spouses of children, have foreign passports. Suu Kyi's two children by Oxford academic Michael Aris are British. Supporters of the clause say it protects the country's sovereignty, but many believe it was drafted by the military to close the door on Suu Kyi. To open that door, the Burmese army would have demanded concessions.

That could have meant giving the military the right to choose the chief ministers of several states, and securing promises that the army's many business interests would be left alone. Most importantly, the military is almost certain to have insisted that attempts to chip away at its political power be put on the back burner. So beneath the feel-good headline of "President Suu Kyi", the army would have consolidated its political role. It's not clear why the grand deal didn't happen. Perhaps the army just couldn't stomach the idea, or maybe Suu Kyi refused to concede enough. For whatever reason, the talks broke down.

New landscape

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Myanmar's NLD names Suu Kyi confidant as presidential candidate
Thu Mar 10, 2016 - Myanmar's National League for Democracy (NLD) has proposed a close friend of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as its presidential candidate, ending a four-month wait for the identity of a president expected to rule in her name.

The NLD put forward Htin Kyaw, who joined the party just two months ago, as its lower house candidate. He runs a charity founded by Suu Kyi and has been close to her since the mid-1990s. The wildly popular Suu Kyi and the NLD won a crushing electoral victory in November, but she is barred from holding the presidency under a junta-drafted 2008 constitution because her children are not Myanmar citizens. Suu Kyi has said that she would run the country regardless through a proxy. Until Thursday, she and the NLD leadership had kept the identity of their nominee a closely guarded secret even from rank-and-file MPs.

Central executive committee member of the National League for Democracy U Htin Kyaw arrives for the opening of the new parliament in Naypyitaw​

In a statement on Thursday, before the nomination was revealed, Suu Kyi urged patience from her supporters. "I would like to appeal for people to support and stand by the NLD with wisdom and far-sightedness," she said. "The NLD is determined to meet people's expectations and will do its best." The NLD's huge parliamentary majority means the candidate it backs as president is almost certain to take the top job.

The NLD also nominated Henry Vantriu, a member of the Chin ethnic group who hail from Chin state in the country's northwest bordering India and Bangladesh, as its presidential candidate for the upper house. The NLD had been widely expected to name a candidate from an ethnic minority from the upper house who would become a vice president, in line with Suu Kyi's goal of forming a government for national reconciliation.

INDIRECT ELECTION

 

[waltky]

Democratically elected Myanmar President sworn in...

Myanmar takes big step toward democracy
March 30, 2016 - New civilian president sworn in, military rule ends

Myanmar’s slow transition to democracy took a momentous step Wednesday as a trusted aide to ruling-party leader Aung San Suu Kyi took over as the country’s president, officially ending more than 50 years of the military’s control over government. In a day full of ceremony and symbolism, Htin Kyaw was sworn in along with his two vice presidents and 18 Cabinet ministers. Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace laureate and face of Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement, takes on a prominent role as the country’s new foreign minister and the head of three other ministries — education, energy and the presidential office. “The Union Parliament has elected me as president, which is a historic moment for this country,” Htin Kyaw, 70, said in a speech after being sworn in. He pledged to work toward national reconciliation, strive for peace with warring ethnic rebels and improve the lives of Myanmar’s 54 million people.

While it was a historic day for the impoverished Southeast Asian country, democracy remains incomplete. The military retains considerable power in the government and parliament, and the president himself will play second fiddle to Suu Kyi. She cannot be president because of a constitutional manipulation engineered by the military, and has repeatedly said she will run the country from behind the scenes. “I am very happy that we have a president who represents people,” said Mar Thin, a 50-year-old street cleaner. She said she used to own 70 acres of land that she and her sister inherited from their father before the military kicked them out and appropriated the land for the defense ministry. “I hope that the new government can solve the land-confiscation problem and let us own our land as farmers. All we want is enough food, and to live without fear. I hope that President Htin Kyaw will do that for us because Daw Suu promised us a lot of things, and we love her, too,” Mar Thin said, using an affectionate term for Suu Kyi.

National League for Democracy party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in blue, second right, takes oaths with other lawmakers as a cabinet minister Wednesday at parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanma. Htin Kyaw, a trusted friend of Suu Kyi, took over as Myanmar's president.​

U.S. President Barack Obama noted the continuing challenges for Myanmar, also known as Burma, in a statement in which he called Htin Kyaw’s election “a historic milestone in the country’s transition to a democratically elected, civilian-led government.” “Burma will face significant challenges going forward, including achieving broad-based economic development, advancing national reconciliation, and promoting the rights and freedoms of all its people,” Obama said. “The United States looks forward to being a friend and partner of the new government and the people of Burma as they make progress toward building a more inclusive, peaceful and prosperous future.”

Htin Kyaw’s swearing-in was held in an austere hall of parliament, with lawmakers dressed in traditional costume. A few hours later, outgoing President Thein Sein shook hands with his successor and handed him a letter and a golden sash, officially transferring power. It was Suu Kyi who led her National League for Democracy party to a landslide win in November elections, ushering in Myanmar’s first civilian government after 54 years of direct and indirect military rule. Suu Kyi endured decades of house arrest and harassment by military rulers without ever giving up on her nonviolent campaign to unseat them. The constitutional clause that denied her the presidency excludes anyone from the position who has a foreign spouse or child. Suu Kyi’s two sons are British, as was her late husband. The clause is widely seen as having been written by the military with Suu Kyi in mind.

MORE

See also:

Myanmar swears in first president with no army ties in 54 years
Mar. 30, 2016 - Members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s victorious National League for Democracy (NLD) were in tears on Wednesday as Myanmar swore in its first president with no military ties in more than half a century.

Htin Kyaw, a close friend and confidant of the Nobel peace prize laureate, was hand-picked by her to run Myanmar’s government because a constitution drafted by the former junta bars the democracy champion from the top office. In a short address to the chamber, Htin Kyaw reiterated Suu Kyi’s stance on the importance of changing the 2008 charter, which entrenches the military’s powerful position in politics, and called for national reconciliation.

NLD lawmakers were emotional at the scale of the achievement after decades of struggle, including years when many of them were jailed or, like Suu Kyi herself, put under house arrest. “I couldn’t sleep last night. Our president U Htin Kyaw’s speech is something we have never heard before in the country,” NLD lawmaker Thiri Yadana, 28, said. “He promised that he will work for the country with the respect to our leader Aung San Suu Kyi. It’s such a big step and this has happened because everybody pushed together forward.”

Relations between the armed forces and Suu Kyi will define the success of Myanmar’s most significant break from military rule since the army seized power in 1962. “Our new government will implement national reconciliation, peace in the country, emergence of a constitution that will pave the way to a democratic union, and enhance the living standard of the people,” said Htin Kyaw, sporting the NLD’s traditional burnt orange jacket. “We have the duty to work for the emergence of a constitution that is appropriate for our country and also in accordance with democratic standards.”

Tension had simmered in the run-up to the November election and as the NLD prepared to take power. Suu Kyi wants to demilitarize Myanmar’s politics but effectively needs the support of the military to do so. The armed forces are guaranteed three ministries and control a quarter of parliamentary seats – enough to give them a veto over constitutional amendments and potentially limit the scope of Suu Kyi’s reforms. Suu Kyi is poised to steer the government from within, acting as a super-minister overseeing education, foreign affairs, electric power and energy – and the president’s office.

MORE

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Its a pity she has come out as a racist bitch.

 

[waltky]

Myanmar political prisoners freed...

Big win for human rights in Myanmar, political prisoners, activists freed
Sunday 10th April, 2016 - Authorities in Myanmar have released 69 student activists along with several other political prisoners who were jailed for more than a year without any trial.

Announcing the release, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said that 113 political detainees were freed across the country. The student activists were reportedly imprisoned after protesting against the education policy and demanding new reforms in the academic department on March 2015. Tharrawaddy Township Judge Chit Myat made the announcement of release a day after an amnesty request by the nation’s de facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. “In this time of the Burmese New Year, we will release political prisoners and activists and students who are facing charges as soon as possible,” said the nation’s leader a day before the release.

The previous government led by military power or junta in 2011 put Suu Kyi under house arrest and hundreds of her supporters and other critics were jailed. Suu Kyi holds the post of state counselor, a specially created position. She is the de facto head of government as Myanmar’s army drafted constitution does not allow her to be the president as her sons acquires British citizenship. She then declared to run the government by being “above the president” after her party’s approval.

Free at last, free at last - thank God Almighty we's free at last!​

The release comes ahead of the Burmese traditional New Year and a step towards human rights in Myanmar and also Suu Kyi’s first official act as the government. The human activists applauded the move pronouncing it as a delightful moment and a giant step towards the human rights in Myanmar. “Today’s release of most of the student protesters is a huge step forward for human rights in Myanmar, and we are delighted that these men and women will walk free. It sends a strong message about the new government’s intention to end the cycle of political arrest and detention in Myanmar,” said Myanmar researcher for human rights group Amnesty International, Laura Haigh.

Amnesty International (AI) had said in March 2015 that Myanmar’s new government has been presented with a historic opportunity to change course on human rights. The same month, the country released 46 underage child recruits from the military as part of a UN joint action plan.

Big win for human rights in Myanmar political prisoners activists freed

 

[waltky]

Some Myanmar Sanctions Lifted...

US Eases Some Myanmar Sanctions
May 17, 2016 — The Obama administration is further easing financial sanctions on Myanmar to support the nation's political reforms and economic growth, and to facilitate U.S. trade with the country also known as Burma. The United States is continuing other measures, however, in an effort to thwart human rights abuses and military trade with North Korea.

Senior officials made the announcement Tuesday, ahead of Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit Sunday to Naypyidaw. Seven state-owned Myanmar enterprises and three state-owned banks are being removed from the blacklist, according to the amendments by the Treasury Department in consultation with the State Department. Other regulatory amendments include a general license to authorize trade-related transactions and personal transactions related to Americans residing in Myanmar. Those changes are intended to facilitate trade and the movement of goods within Myanmar.

Military sanctions retained

The United States left in place sanctions on Myanmar's powerful military, because of its major economic interests. It updated the so-called Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list, adding six companies to be barred from U.S. business dealings. The businesses are owned 50 percent or more by Steven Law, a tycoon accused of ties to the military, and the heroin trade through a corporation called Asia World. "Our actions today demonstrate our strong support for this political and economic progress while continuing to pressure designated persons in Burma to change their behavior," Adam Szubin, acting undersecretary of treasure for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.

The remaining sanctions on individuals and entities primarily are targeted against those who obstruct political reforms, commit human rights abuses in Myanmar or propagate military trade with North Korea. Former U.S. Chief of Mission in Myanmar Priscilla Clapp told VOA that while Washington is restructuring the remaining financial sanctions, individuals and entities should be targeted to promote better behavior. "There is still a need for some form of sanctions against the military, and military elements in the economy because the military has too much control over the economy in the country," she said.

Kerry to visit

Kerry is scheduled to visit Myanmar on Sunday to meet with key leaders to signal U.S. support for the new democratically elected civilian-led government, according to the State Department. Among seven state-owned enterprises removed from the blacklist are Myanmar Pearl Enterprise and Myanmar Gem Enterprise. But senior U.S. officials said a ban on the import of jadeite and rubies, one of Myanmar's most profitable industries, remains in place. The U.S. actions announced Tuesday follow a landmark November election in which the party of long-time democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, won a one-sided victory, ending decades of military rule.

Asia World operates from the Hlaing river port in Yangon, Myanmar, May 14, 2016. The U.S. Treasury Department has barred the company from American business deals.​

In a message to the U.S. Congress, President Barack Obama said Myanmar has made significant reforms since 2011, when it first formed a civilian government. He also said "concerns persist regarding continued obstacles to full civilian control of the government, the ongoing conflict and human rights abuses in the country, particularly in ethnic minority areas, and military trade with North Korea."

US Eases Some Myanmar Sanctions​

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[waltky]

Report failed to mention progress and development made...

Myanmar ‘sad’ over its demotion on US trafficking blacklist
Sat, Jul 02, 2016 - Myanmar called sad and regrettable a move by the US to place the country on a list of the world’s worst human-trafficking offenders.

The demotion came on Thursday when the US Department of State released its annual Trafficking in Persons report, which examines 188 governments’ efforts in combating modern-day slavery. It placed Myanmar alongside countries like Iran, North Korea and Syria, and says the Southeast Asian country has failed to meet “the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.” It also removed Thailand from the blacklist, despite what the State Department described as widespread forced labor in the country’s seafood industry. The downgrade for Myanmar appeared aimed at sending a message to the country’s government, headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, and its still-powerful military to curb use of forced labor, sex trafficking and the recruitment of children as soldiers into the armed forces.

Aung Sun Suu Kyi has been criticized for failing to address widespread persecution of the nation’s Rohingya Muslim minority. Her government criticized the demotion as failing to recognize the country’s progress. “We are very sad that we have not been recognized for making positive changes,” Burmese presidential spokesman Zaw Htay said. “In their report, they didn’t mention the progress and development we have made for our country.” The Burmese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the downgrade “regrettable” and urged the US not to impose restrictions that would hamper US-Myanmar relations.

It also promised to step up efforts to combat trafficking measures. “The issue of human smuggling and trafficking will be addressed vigorously in close cooperation with international partners,” it said. US President Barack Obama now has 90 days to determine whether to apply sanctions on so-called Tier 3 nations, including Myanmar. The US often chooses not to, based on its national security interests.

Myanmar ‘sad’ over its demotion on US trafficking blacklist - Taipei Times

See also:

Myanmar frees Buddhist monk who led Saffron Revolution, drops charges
July 1, 2016 -- A former Buddhist monk and activist who led the 2007 Saffron Revolution was released from prison Friday after last-minute criminal charges against him were dropped.

Nyi Nyi Lwin, better known by his ordination name U Gambira, was serving a six-month sentence after being convicted in January for crossing from Thailand into Myanmar without the proper documentation. Just before his scheduled release of July 1, the courts levied additional charges against him stemming from a 2012 alleged trespassing incident. If convicted on the new charges, his prison sentence would have been extended.

Amnesty International decried the new charges as a bid to keep Gambira behind bars, saying he "is a prisoner of conscience who should be immediately and unconditionally released." Following his release, Gambira said he was "very, very, very, happy now." It is not clear why the charges were dropped.

Gambira came into the public eye in August 2007 as a key leader of the All-Burma Monks Alliance. He was instrumental in organizing economic and political protests in what became known as the Saffron Revolution. After the Burmese military crushed the protests, Gambira went into hiding, was eventually caught and sentenced to 68 years in prison. He was released in January 2012 as part of a prisoner amnesty program and left the monkhood.

Myanmar frees Buddhist monk who led Saffron Revolution, drops charges

 

[waltky]

Myanmar sanctions lifted...

Obama formally lifts US’ Myanmar sanctions
Sun, Oct 09, 2016 - US President Barack Obama on Friday formally announced the lifting of US sanctions on Myanmar by terminating an emergency order that deemed the policies of the former military government a threat to US national security.

“I have determined that the situation that gave rise to the national emergency ... has been significantly altered by Burma’s [Myanmar’s] substantial advances to promote democracy, including historic elections in November 2015,” Obama said in a letter to the US House and Senate speakers. A US Department of the Treasury statement said that as a result of the termination of the emergency order the economic and financial sanctions administered by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control were no longer in effect. The move followed a meeting between Burmese State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and Obama in Washington last month, when she called for the lifting of economic sanctions against her country, and he said he was willing to do this.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won a sweeping victory in the November elections last year. Obama’s letter pointed to the formation of a democratically elected, civilian-led government as a result of the election, the release of many political prisoners and improved human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression and freedom of association and peaceful assembly. “While Burma [Myanmar] faces significant challenges, including the consolidation of its democracy, the United States can, and intends to, use other means to support the government and people of Burma in their efforts to address these challenges,” Obama’s letter said.

Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and democracy icon, helped persuade the West to impose sanctions on Myanmar during her years as a jailed opposition leader. She is now trying to strike a balance between showing her people the economic rewards of a democratic transition while keeping pressure on the country’s generals for further reforms. Some members of the US Congress have expressed concerns about the extent and durability of change in Myanmar and introduced legislation seeking to give lawmakers some influence on the process of easing sanctions.

Rights groups condemned last month’s announcement, saying it forfeited leverage on Myanmar’s military. Officials of the US administration have said the removal of sanctions would not apply to military-to-military assistance, given the extent of the military’s involvement in politics and rights abuses. Aung San Suu Kyi herself has been criticized for doing too little to address the plight of Myanmar’s stateless Rohingya Muslim minority. The US Department of State last month said that several restrictions would remain in place, including barring US visas for Myanmar’s military leaders.

Obama formally lifts US’ Myanmar sanctions - Taipei Times

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White House ends 19 years of U.S. sanctions against Myanmar
Oct. 7, 2016 | WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- For almost two decades, the United States has maintained a state of emergency against Myanmar, but that designation was finally removed Friday by President Barack Obama.

The president formally dissolved the sanctions due to the Pacific nation's transition from a militant regime to more of an American ally. Obama, in his order ending the 19-year state of emergency against the nation also known as Burma, said last year's democratic elections played a major part in the decision.

The emergency was imposed in 1997 by former President Bill Clinton and strengthened a decade later by the subsequent Bush administration. Clinton's act came eight years after martial law was declared in the country and Washington imposed strict trade restrictions. The thawing of the declaration began about four years ago when Obama visited the country and met with democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now Myanmar's state counselor.

A return visit to Washington last month cemented the nations' improved relationship. During the visit, Obama lifted the decades-old trade tariffs against the country. Removing a state of emergency against a foreign nation is a rare occurrence. The White House still maintains 31 declarations pending in the United States.

White House ends 19 years of U.S. sanctions against Myanmar

 

[waltky]

Freedom of the press 'under threat' in new Myanmar...

Press freedom 'under threat' in new Myanmar
Mon, 03 Jul 2017: Three reporters charged under colonial-era law in latest case to spark outcry in media community.

Under the military junta that ruled Myanmar for nearly 50 years, the media were tightly controlled. But after a quasi-civilian government took over in 2011, many curbs were lifted and a rigid censorship regime abolished. Journalists were among masses of political prisoners released, and media outlets mushroomed to serve a highly literate population that had been starved of independent news. When the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Laureate kept under house arrest for years because of her democratic activism, won historic elections in 2015, many expected more media freedom would follow.

"Using the archaic Unlawful Associations Act to incarcerate journalists is an affront to democracy in Myanmar," says the Committee to Protect Journalists​

But journalists and press freedom advocates are alarmed by what they say is an increasingly heavy-handed approach, especially on matters of sensitivity to the military, which retains significant power. The latest case involves three journalists arrested by the military on 26 June after watching the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), a rebel group, burn drugs in north-eastern Shan State. Aye Nai, 53, and Pyae Phone Naing, 24, report for the Democratic Voice of Burma broadcaster, while Lawi Weng, 38, works for The Irrawaddy news magazine and website. Both outlets were run by exiles who fled during the junta era to report on abuses in the then pariah state, and who returned home after reforms in 2012.

Kyaw Min Swe, editor of The Voice, has had several bail requests rejected​

The trio were handed to police and charged under the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act for having alleged contact with the TNLA, which the army has recently been clashing with and describes as a "terrorist" group. They could face up to three years in prison, and a close aide of Ms Suu Kyi has defended the charges. "It's true that they broke the law by going to meet ethnic groups," Win Htein, a former political prisoner, said.[ Yet the case has caused uproar because many journalists have met TNLA rebels without facing prosecution, and the group came into direct contact with reporters and officials when it attended peace talks in May in the capital, Naypyitaw.

'Climate of fear'