Human Rights Watch on Monday called for Myanmar to punish army and police commanders if they allowed troops to rape and sexually assault women and girls of the Rohingya Muslim minority.

The New York-based campaign group said it had documented rape, gang rape and other sexual violence against girls as young as 13 in interviews with some of the 69,000 Rohingya Muslims, who have fled to Bangladesh since Myanmar security forces responded to attacks on border posts four months ago.

&quot;The sexual violence did not appear to be random or opportunistic, but part of a coordinated and systematic attack against Rohingya, in part because of their ethnicity and religion,&quot; a Human Rights Watch (HRW) news release said. Reuters was unable to contact a Myanmar government spokesman to respond to the allegations.

An estimated 1.1 million Rohingya live in the western state of Rakhine&nbsp;but have their movements and access to services restricted. Rohingyas are barred from citizenship in Myanmar, where many call them &quot;Bengalis&quot; to suggest they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Independent journalists and observers have been barred from visiting the army&#39;s operation zone in northern Rakhine since the October 9 attacks that killed nine border police.

The government has so far dismissed most claims that soldiers raped, beat, killed and arbitrarily detained civilians while burning down villages, insisting instead that a lawful operation is underway against a group of armed Rohingya insurgents.

The HRW report comes just days after United Nations investigators said Myanmar&#39;s security forces had &quot;very likely&quot; committed crimes against humanity, posing a dilemma for de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner took charge of most civilian affairs in April after a historic transition from full military rule, but soldiers retain a quarter of seats in parliament and control ministries related to security.

UN&nbsp;High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein said on Friday that Suu Kyi had promised to investigate the UN&#39;s allegations.

HRW said it had gathered evidence on 28 separate sexual assaults, including interviews with nine women who said they were raped or gang raped at gunpoint by security forces during the army&#39;s so-called &quot;clearance operations&quot; in northern Rakhine.

The women and other witnesses said the perpetrators were Myanmar army troops or border police, who they identified by their uniforms, kerchiefs, armbands and patches, HRW said.

&ldquo;These horrific attacks on Rohingya women and girls by security forces add a new and brutal chapter to the Burmese military&rsquo;s long and sickening history of sexual violence against women,&rdquo; said HRW senior emergencies researcher Priyanka Motaparthy.

&ldquo;Military and police commanders should be held responsible for these crimes if they did not do everything in their power to stop them or punish those involved.&rdquo;

(Reuters)

The group said it had documented rape, gang rape and other sexual violence against girls as young as 13

Human Rights Watch on Monday called for Myanmar to punish army and police commanders if they allowed troops to rape and sexually assault women and girls of the Rohingya Muslim minority. The New York-based campaign group said it had documented rape, gang rape and other sexual violence against girls as young as 13 in interviews with some of the 69,000 Rohingya Muslims, who have fled to Bangladesh since Myanmar security forces responded to attacks on border posts four months ago. "The sexual violence did not appear to be random or opportunistic, but part of a coordinated and systematic attack against Rohingya, in part because of their ethnicity and religion," a Human Rights Watch (HRW) news release said. Reuters was unable to contact a Myanmar government spokesman to respond to the allegations. An estimated 1.1 million Rohingya live in the western state of Rakhine but have their movements and access to services restricted. Rohingyas are barred from citizenship in Myanmar, where many call them "Bengalis" to suggest they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Independent journalists and observers have been barred from visiting the army's operation zone in northern Rakhine since the October 9 attacks that killed nine border police. The government has so far dismissed most claims that soldiers raped, beat, killed and arbitrarily detained civilians while burning down villages, insisting instead that a lawful operation is underway against a group of armed Rohingya insurgents. The HRW report comes just days after United Nations investigators said Myanmar's security forces had "very likely" committed crimes against humanity, posing a dilemma for de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Nobel Peace Prize winner took charge of most civilian affairs in April after a historic transition from full military rule, but soldiers retain a quarter of seats in parliament and control ministries related to security. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said on Friday that Suu Kyi had promised to investigate the UN's allegations. HRW said it had gathered evidence on 28 separate sexual assaults, including interviews with nine women who said they were raped or gang raped at gunpoint by security forces during the army's so-called "clearance operations" in northern Rakhine. The women and other witnesses said the perpetrators were Myanmar army troops or border police, who they identified by their uniforms, kerchiefs, armbands and patches, HRW said. “These horrific attacks on Rohingya women and girls by security forces add a new and brutal chapter to the Burmese military’s long and sickening history of sexual violence against women,” said HRW senior emergencies researcher Priyanka Motaparthy. “Military and police commanders should be held responsible for these crimes if they did not do everything in their power to stop them or punish those involved.” (Reuters)

Myanmar commanders should be punished for rape of Rohingya women, girls: Human Rights Watch

Human rights group Amnesty International and the&nbsp;International Crisis Group (ICG),&nbsp;a Brussels-based think tank,&nbsp;have urged Myanmar to investigate the apparent assassination of prominent Muslim lawyer Ko Ni, whose shooting at Yangon airport shocked the Southeast Asian nation.

Sunday&#39;s slaying, amid heightened communal and religious tension in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, appears to be a rare act of political violence in the commercial capital that coincided with a tough security operation in a northwestern region populated mostly by Muslims.

Police have arrested a 53-year-old man, suspected to be the lone gunman who shot Ko Ni&nbsp;in the head while the lawyer held his young grandson. Ko Ni was&nbsp;an expert in constitutional law and adviser of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD).

A taxi driver was also killed when he attempted to apprehend the gunman, whom police named as Kyi Linn from the central city of Mandalay.

Reuters was unable to contact the suspect&#39;s family for comment and it was not clear if he had legal representation.

Ko Ni&#39;s funeral has been set for 4 pm&nbsp;on Monday at a Muslim cemetery in Yangon, according to an announcement posted at his home.

The killing had &quot;all the hallmarks of an assassination&quot;, human rights group Amnesty International said in a statement on Sunday, calling for a &quot;thorough, independent and impartial investigation&quot;.

Ko Ni, 63, had criticised the continuing role of the military in governing Myanmar despite the party, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, assuming power in April.

Family members and friends told Reuters Ko Ni had received threats to his life connected to his political work, but the motive for the killing is still unknown.

Ko Ni&#39;s death was &quot;a great loss for which there is no susbstitute,&quot; the NLD said.

&quot;We cautioned our NLD party members to continue political work with no hesitation, maintain stability and avoid serious responses,&quot; the party said in a statement late on Sunday.

The timing of the killing was a matter of particular concern, said the International Crisis Group (ICG), since it comes just months after attacks on border police blamed on insurgents from the Rohingya minority.

It was essential &quot;that no stone is left unturned in finding the truth about this incident and who may have been behind it,&quot; the ICG&nbsp;tank said in a statement.

Residents, refugees and monitors accuse soldiers of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, rape and arson in response to the border attacks on October&nbsp;9.

The government strongly denies most allegations, but 66,000 people have fled to Bangladesh and at least 21,000 have been internally displaced, the United Nations says.

Ko Ni was returning from Indonesia, where Myanmar government officials and Muslim leaders, including the mostly stateless Rohingya, were discussing issues of reconciliation with Indonesian counterparts.

&quot;In a context of strong anti-Muslim sentiment, rampant hate speech on social media, and virulent Buddhist nationalism propounded by some senior monks, this crime could embolden others and unleash further violence,&quot; the ICG added.

(Reuters)

The killing had 'all the hallmarks of an assassination', Amnesty said, calling for a 'thorough, independent and impartial investigation'

Human rights group Amnesty International and the International Crisis Group (ICG), a Brussels-based think tank, have urged Myanmar to investigate the apparent assassination of prominent Muslim lawyer Ko Ni, whose shooting at Yangon airport shocked the Southeast Asian nation. Sunday's slaying, amid heightened communal and religious tension in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, appears to be a rare act of political violence in the commercial capital that coincided with a tough security operation in a northwestern region populated mostly by Muslims. Police have arrested a 53-year-old man, suspected to be the lone gunman who shot Ko Ni in the head while the lawyer held his young grandson. Ko Ni was an expert in constitutional law and adviser of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD). A taxi driver was also killed when he attempted to apprehend the gunman, whom police named as Kyi Linn from the central city of Mandalay. Reuters was unable to contact the suspect's family for comment and it was not clear if he had legal representation. Ko Ni's funeral has been set for 4 pm on Monday at a Muslim cemetery in Yangon, according to an announcement posted at his home. The killing had "all the hallmarks of an assassination", human rights group Amnesty International said in a statement on Sunday, calling for a "thorough, independent and impartial investigation". Ko Ni, 63, had criticised the continuing role of the military in governing Myanmar despite the party, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, assuming power in April. Family members and friends told Reuters Ko Ni had received threats to his life connected to his political work, but the motive for the killing is still unknown. Ko Ni's death was "a great loss for which there is no susbstitute," the NLD said. "We cautioned our NLD party members to continue political work with no hesitation, maintain stability and avoid serious responses," the party said in a statement late on Sunday. The timing of the killing was a matter of particular concern, said the International Crisis Group (ICG), since it comes just months after attacks on border police blamed on insurgents from the Rohingya minority. It was essential "that no stone is left unturned in finding the truth about this incident and who may have been behind it," the ICG tank said in a statement. Residents, refugees and monitors accuse soldiers of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, rape and arson in response to the border attacks on October 9. The government strongly denies most allegations, but 66,000 people have fled to Bangladesh and at least 21,000 have been internally displaced, the United Nations says. Ko Ni was returning from Indonesia, where Myanmar government officials and Muslim leaders, including the mostly stateless Rohingya, were discussing issues of reconciliation with Indonesian counterparts. "In a context of strong anti-Muslim sentiment, rampant hate speech on social media, and virulent Buddhist nationalism propounded by some senior monks, this crime could embolden others and unleash further violence," the ICG added. (Reuters)

Amnesty International, Belgian think tank urge Myanmar to investigate Muslim lawyer's murder

A commission probing violence in Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine state on Wednesday denied security forces have carried out a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya, days after a video emerged showing police beating civilians from the Muslim minority.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya -- a group loathed by many among Myanmar&#39;s Buddhist majority -- have fled a military operation in the northwestern state, launched after deadly attacks on police posts in October.

Dozens have died in the crackdown, while escapees now in neighbouring Bangladesh have claimed they suffered rape, arson, murder and torture at the hands of police or soldiers.

Myanmar&#39;s government, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has said the allegations are invented and has resisted mounting international pressure to protect the minority.&nbsp;

A state-appointed commission set up to investigate the violence released its interim report on Wednesday, dismissing claims troops and police have embarked on a campaign to force the Rohingya out of the country.

Its interim findings come days after the government detained multiple police officers over a video showing policemen beating and kicking Rohingya villagers. The footage, shot by one of the officers, has sparked outrage and undermined the government&#39;s blanket denials that soldiers and police have carried out rights abuses.

The size of the &quot;Bengali&quot; population, mosques and religious buildings in the unrest-hit area &quot;are proof that there were no cases of genocide and religious persecution&quot;, it said in a statement carried in state media. Myanmar refuses to recognise the Rohingya as one of the country&#39;s ethnic minorities, instead describing them as Bengalis -- or illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh -- even though many have lived in Myanmar for generations.

The commission also found &quot;insufficient evidence&quot; of rape but added it was still looking into claims security forces committed arson, illegal arrests and torture of the Rohingya. It blamed the unrest on foreign-backed extremists, whom it said had attacked security forces in October to harm &quot;the sovereignty of the state... with the intention of igniting riots and conflicts&quot;.

Legal action has been taken against 485 people arrested during the army&#39;s subsequent clearance operation, it added, without giving further details. Chris Lewa, from the Arakan project, said the commission had failed to properly investigate the widespread allegations of rape and rights abuses.

&quot;The methodology is not credible, it&#39;s totally unprofessional,&quot; she said.&nbsp;&quot;There is no corroboration from the villagers they are meant to have talked to. Their job was to verify the allegations and the report has not verified them.&quot;&nbsp;

The commission has faced opposition from across the spectrum since it was announced last month -- the second body created by Suu Kyi to try to heal the simmering religious divide in Rakhine state.

Rights activists dismissed the 13-member commission as toothless, pointing out it is headed by the vice-president, a former army general. Rakhine nationalists and many of the state&#39;s MPs have denounced it as a tool for government propaganda.

Malaysia&#39;s prime minister has accused Suu Kyi of allowing genocide on her watch, while more than a dozen Nobel Laureates wrote to the UN Security Council urging action to stop the &quot;human tragedy amounting to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity&quot; in northern Rakhine.

State media ran a statement from the Home Affairs Ministry on Wednesday, saying eight officers have now been arrested over the incident depicted in the video. &quot;Police committed abuses as they tried to arrest some villagers who fled the village and some who were hiding in their homes,&quot; the statement said.

Myanmar has long discriminated against the stateless Rohingya. More than one million of them live in Rakhine, including 120,000 in displacement camps. Their movements are severely restricted as well as their access to basic services, like health and education.

(AFP)

A recent video showing policemen beating and kicking Rohingya villagers undermines the government's blanket denials

A commission probing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state on Wednesday denied security forces have carried out a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya, days after a video emerged showing police beating civilians from the Muslim minority. Tens of thousands of Rohingya -- a group loathed by many among Myanmar's Buddhist majority -- have fled a military operation in the northwestern state, launched after deadly attacks on police posts in October. Dozens have died in the crackdown, while escapees now in neighbouring Bangladesh have claimed they suffered rape, arson, murder and torture at the hands of police or soldiers. Myanmar's government, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has said the allegations are invented and has resisted mounting international pressure to protect the minority. A state-appointed commission set up to investigate the violence released its interim report on Wednesday, dismissing claims troops and police have embarked on a campaign to force the Rohingya out of the country. Its interim findings come days after the government detained multiple police officers over a video showing policemen beating and kicking Rohingya villagers. The footage, shot by one of the officers, has sparked outrage and undermined the government's blanket denials that soldiers and police have carried out rights abuses. The size of the "Bengali" population, mosques and religious buildings in the unrest-hit area "are proof that there were no cases of genocide and religious persecution", it said in a statement carried in state media. Myanmar refuses to recognise the Rohingya as one of the country's ethnic minorities, instead describing them as Bengalis -- or illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh -- even though many have lived in Myanmar for generations. The commission also found "insufficient evidence" of rape but added it was still looking into claims security forces committed arson, illegal arrests and torture of the Rohingya. It blamed the unrest on foreign-backed extremists, whom it said had attacked security forces in October to harm "the sovereignty of the state... with the intention of igniting riots and conflicts". Legal action has been taken against 485 people arrested during the army's subsequent clearance operation, it added, without giving further details. Chris Lewa, from the Arakan project, said the commission had failed to properly investigate the widespread allegations of rape and rights abuses. "The methodology is not credible, it's totally unprofessional," she said. "There is no corroboration from the villagers they are meant to have talked to. Their job was to verify the allegations and the report has not verified them." The commission has faced opposition from across the spectrum since it was announced last month -- the second body created by Suu Kyi to try to heal the simmering religious divide in Rakhine state. Rights activists dismissed the 13-member commission as toothless, pointing out it is headed by the vice-president, a former army general. Rakhine nationalists and many of the state's MPs have denounced it as a tool for government propaganda. Malaysia's prime minister has accused Suu Kyi of allowing genocide on her watch, while more than a dozen Nobel Laureates wrote to the UN Security Council urging action to stop the "human tragedy amounting to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity" in northern Rakhine. State media ran a statement from the Home Affairs Ministry on Wednesday, saying eight officers have now been arrested over the incident depicted in the video. "Police committed abuses as they tried to arrest some villagers who fled the village and some who were hiding in their homes," the statement said. Myanmar has long discriminated against the stateless Rohingya. More than one million of them live in Rakhine, including 120,000 in displacement camps. Their movements are severely restricted as well as their access to basic services, like health and education. (AFP)

Myanmar commission denies genocidal campaign against Rohingya Muslims

Twenty-three Nobel laureates and global leaders have jointly issued a letter on Thursday to the president of the United Nations Security Council urging the United Nations to take actions to stop persecution against Rohingya Muslim minorities in Myanmar and end the crisis there.

Signatories of the letter include Nobel peace laureates Muhammad Yunus, Jody Williams, Jos&eacute; Ramos-Horta, founder and editor of The Huffington Post Arianna Huffington and former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi among others.

The letter expressed disappointment at Myanmar&rsquo;s leader Aung San Suu Kyi, herself a Nobel peace prize laureate, for turning a blind eye to the persecution of the Muslim Rohingya minority.

It states, &ldquo;Despite repeated appeals to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi we are frustrated that she has not taken any initiative to ensure full and equal citizenship rights of the Rohingyas. Daw Suu Kyi is the leader and is the one with the primary responsibility to lead, and lead with courage, humanity and compassion.

&ldquo;We urge the United Nations to do everything possible to encourage the Government of Myanmar to lift all restrictions on humanitarian aid, so that people receive emergency assistance. Access for journalists and human rights monitors should also be permitted, and an independent, international inquiry to establish the truth about the current situation should be established.

&ldquo;Furthermore, we urge the members of UN Security Council to put this crisis on Security Council&rsquo;s agenda as a matter of urgency, and to call upon the Secretary-General to visit Myanmar in the coming weeks as a priority. If the current Secretary-General is able to do so, we would urge him to go; if not, we encourage the new Secretary-General to make it one of his first tasks after he takes office in January.

&ldquo;It is time for the international community as a whole to speak out much more strongly. After Rwanda, world leaders said &lsquo;never again&rsquo;. If we fail to take action, people may starve to death if they are not killed with bullets, and we may end up being the passive observers of crimes against humanity which will lead us once again to wring our hands belatedly and say &lsquo;never again&rsquo; all over again.&rdquo;

Some 50,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar, Bangladeshi foreign ministry in Dhaka said on Thursday. The ministry summoned Myanmar&rsquo;s ambassador to express &ldquo;deep concern at the continued influx&rdquo; of tens of thousands of members of the stateless ethnic minority into its territory.

Myanmar&rsquo;s armed security forces launched an&nbsp;offensive in the western state of Rakhine after 10 border policemen were killed in the state allegedly by members of the Rohingya community on October 9. The entire community has been made to pay the price as the security forces razed their homes, raped the women and assaulted members of the community.&nbsp;

&ldquo;When you persecute people like that and push [them] into Bangladesh by torturing them Bangladesh would definitely have a concern and I would say India should also be concerned because some of them [Rohingyas] have gone there as well,&rdquo; said Brigadier General (R) Sakhawat Hussain.

Bangladesh has been accommodating between 300,000 to 500,000 Rohingya Muslims, according to unofficial estimates for years.

(WION)

They expressed disappointment at Myanmar leader Suu Kyi for turning a blind eye to the persecution of the Rohingya minority

Twenty-three Nobel laureates and global leaders have jointly issued a letter on Thursday to the president of the United Nations Security Council urging the United Nations to take actions to stop persecution against Rohingya Muslim minorities in Myanmar and end the crisis there. Signatories of the letter include Nobel peace laureates Muhammad Yunus, Jody Williams, José Ramos-Horta, founder and editor of The Huffington Post Arianna Huffington and former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi among others. The letter expressed disappointment at Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi, herself a Nobel peace prize laureate, for turning a blind eye to the persecution of the Muslim Rohingya minority. It states, “Despite repeated appeals to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi we are frustrated that she has not taken any initiative to ensure full and equal citizenship rights of the Rohingyas. Daw Suu Kyi is the leader and is the one with the primary responsibility to lead, and lead with courage, humanity and compassion. “We urge the United Nations to do everything possible to encourage the Government of Myanmar to lift all restrictions on humanitarian aid, so that people receive emergency assistance. Access for journalists and human rights monitors should also be permitted, and an independent, international inquiry to establish the truth about the current situation should be established. “Furthermore, we urge the members of UN Security Council to put this crisis on Security Council’s agenda as a matter of urgency, and to call upon the Secretary-General to visit Myanmar in the coming weeks as a priority. If the current Secretary-General is able to do so, we would urge him to go; if not, we encourage the new Secretary-General to make it one of his first tasks after he takes office in January. “It is time for the international community as a whole to speak out much more strongly. After Rwanda, world leaders said ‘never again’. If we fail to take action, people may starve to death if they are not killed with bullets, and we may end up being the passive observers of crimes against humanity which will lead us once again to wring our hands belatedly and say ‘never again’ all over again.” Some 50,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar, Bangladeshi foreign ministry in Dhaka said on Thursday. The ministry summoned Myanmar’s ambassador to express “deep concern at the continued influx” of tens of thousands of members of the stateless ethnic minority into its territory. Myanmar’s armed security forces launched an offensive in the western state of Rakhine after 10 border policemen were killed in the state allegedly by members of the Rohingya community on October 9. The entire community has been made to pay the price as the security forces razed their homes, raped the women and assaulted members of the community. “When you persecute people like that and push [them] into Bangladesh by torturing them Bangladesh would definitely have a concern and I would say India should also be concerned because some of them [Rohingyas] have gone there as well,” said Brigadier General (R) Sakhawat Hussain. Bangladesh has been accommodating between 300,000 to 500,000 Rohingya Muslims, according to unofficial estimates for years. (WION)

Global leaders urge UN to resolve Rohingya crisis

The United Nations has urged Myanmar&#39;s leader Aung San Suu Kyi to visit the country&#39;s northern state of Rakhine and reassure the civilian population of their protection amid accusations against the army of a brutal military crackdown on Rohingya minority.

UN special adviser on Myanmar Vijay Nambiar appealed to the Nobel prize winner to intercede, in a statement released on Thursday.

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<h5>Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace prize winner, has described the situation as &#39;under control&#39; and asked the international community to stop stoking the &#39;fires of resentment&#39;</h5>
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&quot;The adoption of a generally defensive rather than proactive approach to providing security to the local population, have caused frustration locally and disappointment internationally,&quot; he said, news agency AFP reported.

&quot;I also appeal to Daw Suu to visit Maungdaw and Buthidaung and reassure the civilian population there that they will be protected,&quot; he added, referring to the locked down area in Rakhine.&nbsp;

Malaysia has accused the military of &quot;genocide&quot;. The army has reportedly pushed more than 20,000 Rohingya over the border to Bangladesh and is accused of mass rape, murder and arson. Myanmar officials have denied the charges.

Suu Kyi, who has faced growing criticism for not stopping the military&#39;s campaign, said that the situation was &quot;under control&quot;. She further asked the international community to stop aggravating the &quot;fires of resentment&quot;.

&quot;What&#39;s the use of Aung San Suu Kyi having a Nobel prize?&quot; Malaysia&#39;s Prime Minister Najib Razak asked some 5,000 protesters in Kuala Lumpur. &quot;The world cannot sit and watch genocide taking place.&quot;

The bloodshed in the country poses the biggest challenge to Suu Kyi&#39;s party. Protesters have expressed outrage against the latest crackdown on Rohingyas who have suffered years of abuse and discrimination.

Activists say Buddhist-majority Myanmar&#39;s stateless Muslim Rohingya minority are among the most persecuted in the world.&nbsp;

More than 120,000 have been trapped in squalid displacement camps since the last major outbreak of violence erupted in Rakhine in 2012, AFP said.

(With inputs from AFP)

The army is accused of carrying out a brutal crackdown on Rakhine's Muslim Rohingya minority

The United Nations has urged Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi to visit the country's northern state of Rakhine and reassure the civilian population of their protection amid accusations against the army of a brutal military crackdown on Rohingya minority. UN special adviser on Myanmar Vijay Nambiar appealed to the Nobel prize winner to intercede, in a statement released on Thursday. Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace prize winner, has described the situation as 'under control' and asked the international community to stop stoking the 'fires of resentment' × "The adoption of a generally defensive rather than proactive approach to providing security to the local population, have caused frustration locally and disappointment internationally," he said, news agency AFP reported. "I also appeal to Daw Suu to visit Maungdaw and Buthidaung and reassure the civilian population there that they will be protected," he added, referring to the locked down area in Rakhine. Malaysia has accused the military of "genocide". The army has reportedly pushed more than 20,000 Rohingya over the border to Bangladesh and is accused of mass rape, murder and arson. Myanmar officials have denied the charges. Suu Kyi, who has faced growing criticism for not stopping the military's campaign, said that the situation was "under control". She further asked the international community to stop aggravating the "fires of resentment". "What's the use of Aung San Suu Kyi having a Nobel prize?" Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak asked some 5,000 protesters in Kuala Lumpur. "The world cannot sit and watch genocide taking place." The bloodshed in the country poses the biggest challenge to Suu Kyi's party. Protesters have expressed outrage against the latest crackdown on Rohingyas who have suffered years of abuse and discrimination. Activists say Buddhist-majority Myanmar's stateless Muslim Rohingya minority are among the most persecuted in the world. More than 120,000 have been trapped in squalid displacement camps since the last major outbreak of violence erupted in Rakhine in 2012, AFP said. (With inputs from AFP)

UN calls on Myanmar's Suu Kyi to visit crisis-hit Rakhine

Aung San Suu Kyi must step in to prevent the &quot;genocide&quot; of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, Malaysia&#39;s prime minister said Sunday as he mocked the Nobel laureate for her inaction.

Addressing a 5,000-strong rally in Kuala Lumpur, Najib Razak said the Myanmar government must stop the bloody crackdown in its far west that has sent thousands of Rohingya fleeing, many with stories of rape, torture and murder.

&ldquo;What&rsquo;s the use of Aung San Suu Kyi having a Nobel prize?&quot; Najib asked a raucous crowd.

&ldquo;We want to tell Aung San Suu Kyi, enough is enough... We must and we will defend Muslims and Islam,&quot; he said as supporters chanted &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; (&quot;God is greater&quot;).

&quot;We want the OIC(Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) to act.&nbsp;

&quot;Please do something. The UN do something. The world cannot sit and watch genocide taking place,&quot; said Najib.

More than 10,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks, the United Nations said on Wednesday, escaping a bloody army crackdown in the north of Rakhine state.&nbsp;

Arrivals in Bangladesh have told AFP horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar&#39;s security forces.

Myanmar has denied allegations of abuse, but has also banned foreign journalists and independent investigators from the area.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has recently upped its criticism of Myanmar for its handling of the crisis.

Last month it summoned the Myanmar ambassador, while around 500 Malaysians and Rohingya marched to the embassy in the Malaysian capital carrying banners denouncing the &quot;genocide.&quot;&nbsp;

A senior minister has called on ASEAN, the ten-country Southeast Asia bloc, to review Myanmar&#39;s membership, while a strongly worded statement from the foreign ministry Saturday accused Myanmar of engaging in &quot;ethnic cleansing.&quot;

But analysts said Sunday the issue is a convenient smokescreen for Najib, who is fighting allegations he took part in the looting of billions of dollars of public cash through state fund 1MDB.

Both he and the fund deny any wrongdoing.

James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania, told AFP that Najib &quot;is there (at the rally) to boost his standing as an Islamic leader,&quot; with a general election looming.

&quot;Najib is looking for anything to make him look good and the Rohingya issue is simply a tool,&quot; said Bridget Welsh, a Malaysia politics expert with Turkey&#39;s Ipek University.

She added that if Najib&#39;s government really cared for the Rohingya, they would &quot;reexamine their own treatment of the community within Malaysia.&quot;&nbsp;

Malaysia might be a beacon for Rohingya fleeing Myanmar but many have said they end up in a precarious and stateless limbo and suffer a new kind of marginalisation.

(AFP)

'We want to tell Suu Kyi, enough is enough. We must and we will defend Muslims and Islam,' Razak said in an address to a 5,000-strong rally

Aung San Suu Kyi must step in to prevent the "genocide" of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, Malaysia's prime minister said Sunday as he mocked the Nobel laureate for her inaction. Addressing a 5,000-strong rally in Kuala Lumpur, Najib Razak said the Myanmar government must stop the bloody crackdown in its far west that has sent thousands of Rohingya fleeing, many with stories of rape, torture and murder. “What’s the use of Aung San Suu Kyi having a Nobel prize?" Najib asked a raucous crowd. “We want to tell Aung San Suu Kyi, enough is enough... We must and we will defend Muslims and Islam," he said as supporters chanted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greater"). "We want the OIC(Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) to act. "Please do something. The UN do something. The world cannot sit and watch genocide taking place," said Najib. More than 10,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks, the United Nations said on Wednesday, escaping a bloody army crackdown in the north of Rakhine state. Arrivals in Bangladesh have told AFP horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar's security forces. Myanmar has denied allegations of abuse, but has also banned foreign journalists and independent investigators from the area. Muslim-majority Malaysia has recently upped its criticism of Myanmar for its handling of the crisis. Last month it summoned the Myanmar ambassador, while around 500 Malaysians and Rohingya marched to the embassy in the Malaysian capital carrying banners denouncing the "genocide." A senior minister has called on ASEAN, the ten-country Southeast Asia bloc, to review Myanmar's membership, while a strongly worded statement from the foreign ministry Saturday accused Myanmar of engaging in "ethnic cleansing." But analysts said Sunday the issue is a convenient smokescreen for Najib, who is fighting allegations he took part in the looting of billions of dollars of public cash through state fund 1MDB. Both he and the fund deny any wrongdoing. James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania, told AFP that Najib "is there (at the rally) to boost his standing as an Islamic leader," with a general election looming. "Najib is looking for anything to make him look good and the Rohingya issue is simply a tool," said Bridget Welsh, a Malaysia politics expert with Turkey's Ipek University. She added that if Najib's government really cared for the Rohingya, they would "reexamine their own treatment of the community within Malaysia." Malaysia might be a beacon for Rohingya fleeing Myanmar but many have said they end up in a precarious and stateless limbo and suffer a new kind of marginalisation. (AFP)

Suu Kyi must stop Rohingya 'genocide': Malaysia PM

An Asian news network on Saturday called for the release of two Myanmar media executives jailed for alleged defamation, the latest case to highlight limits on free speech under the country&#39;s new democratic government.&nbsp;

The CEO of Eleven Media Group and a chief editor of a newspaper it publishes were detained by police Friday over a column that accused the government of having &quot;rosy relations&quot; with corrupt officials.&nbsp;

The defamation lawsuit was brought by a minister from Aung San Suu Kyi&#39;s pro-democracy party, which came to power earlier this year after sweeping historic elections that ended five decades of military rule.&nbsp;

The column also accused the minister of receiving a $100,000 watch from a businessman who later won plum contracts. Although neither were directly named in the piece, both called press conferences to deny the allegations.

On Saturday, editors from the Asian news network - a consortium of English-language outlets across the region, including Eleven Media group -&nbsp;expressed &quot;shock and dismay&quot; over the arrests of CEO Than Htut Aung and editor Wai Phyo.

The incident threatens to &quot;impede the democratic processes that Aung San Suu Kyi and her party had fought long and hard for,&quot; the network said, calling for the two men&#39;s immediate release.&nbsp;

Police said they are preparing to charge the journalists with violating a defamation clause under Myanmar&#39;s broadly worded telecommunications law - legislation that was frequently used by the former quasi-military government to punish critics.&nbsp;

Despite hopes democracy activist Suu Kyi would usher in a new era of free expression, several people have been prosecuted for defamation since her party took over in late March.&nbsp;

In September, a man was handed a nine-month jail sentence for calling President Htin Kyaw - Suu Kyi&#39;s ally - &quot;crazy&quot; in a Facebook post.&nbsp;

A researcher for the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) was also recently charged under the law for criticising the still-powerful army in a Facebook post.&nbsp;

&quot;While the new government has made some attempts to amend long-standing repressive laws that target activists and media workers, this case shows that those attempts do not go far enough,&quot; said Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International&#39;s regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

(AFP)

The network said the arrests over a column accusing govt of 'relations' with corrupt officials threatens to impede the democratic process

An Asian news network on Saturday called for the release of two Myanmar media executives jailed for alleged defamation, the latest case to highlight limits on free speech under the country's new democratic government. The CEO of Eleven Media Group and a chief editor of a newspaper it publishes were detained by police Friday over a column that accused the government of having "rosy relations" with corrupt officials. The defamation lawsuit was brought by a minister from Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party, which came to power earlier this year after sweeping historic elections that ended five decades of military rule. The column also accused the minister of receiving a $100,000 watch from a businessman who later won plum contracts. Although neither were directly named in the piece, both called press conferences to deny the allegations. On Saturday, editors from the Asian news network - a consortium of English-language outlets across the region, including Eleven Media group - expressed "shock and dismay" over the arrests of CEO Than Htut Aung and editor Wai Phyo. The incident threatens to "impede the democratic processes that Aung San Suu Kyi and her party had fought long and hard for," the network said, calling for the two men's immediate release. Police said they are preparing to charge the journalists with violating a defamation clause under Myanmar's broadly worded telecommunications law - legislation that was frequently used by the former quasi-military government to punish critics. Despite hopes democracy activist Suu Kyi would usher in a new era of free expression, several people have been prosecuted for defamation since her party took over in late March. In September, a man was handed a nine-month jail sentence for calling President Htin Kyaw - Suu Kyi's ally - "crazy" in a Facebook post. A researcher for the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) was also recently charged under the law for criticising the still-powerful army in a Facebook post. "While the new government has made some attempts to amend long-standing repressive laws that target activists and media workers, this case shows that those attempts do not go far enough," said Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International's regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. (AFP)

Myanmar's media network demands release of executives detained for alleged defamation

On 31 August 2016, the government of Myanmar inaugurated the much-awaited &#39;21st Century Panglong Peace Conference&#39; (also referred to as the Union Peace Conference) in the capital Naypyidaw. This four-day long mega event saw a wide range of stakeholders gather under a single roof to discuss issues of ethnic discord and armed conflict that have ravaged Myanmar for the last 60 years or so. But how comprehensive is this institutionalised process of reconciliation in reality, and where do Indian interests align with this plan?

&nbsp;With the decolonisation of Myanmar by the British in early 1948 and the subsequent takeover by the military in 1962, the 135 ethnic groups in the country have continuously fought for greater recognition of their respective cultural and political rights. In addition to demanding a larger say in the country&rsquo;s heavily centralised decision-making process, they have also protested against the perceived economic and social impoverishment of their respective regions. After the coming of the military government, particularly, they began to oppose the curtailment of their cultural and religious rights under the government&rsquo;s policy of &lsquo;Burmanisation&rsquo;.&nbsp;

Under severe state repression, the grievances gradually transformed into an armed struggle for greater political autonomy, giving birth to some fifty Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs). The political conflict, in due course, spiralled into a protracted civil war, marked by a profitable war economy and inter-group clashes. From purely ethnopolitical groups, some of the EAOs metamorphosed into narco-insurgent groups involved in illegal contraband trafficking across Myanmar&#39;s porous borders with China, Thailand, and Northeast India.&nbsp;

However, with the coming of the National League for Democracy (NLD) government in 2015, a legitimate opening for democratic reconciliation became visible and viable. Myanmar&#39;s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi envisaged to reboot the original &#39;Panglong Peace Conference&#39; organised by her father in 1947, and the latest edition comes as a crucial waypoint in the internal peace process of the country. Despite major hold-ups and criticisms, this convention successfully established a cohesive platform for dialogue and peaceful reconciliation between the state and the various independent ethnic organisations.&nbsp;

The high-profile conference, attended by around 1,600 representatives from various EAOs, political parties, parliamentary and military clusters as well as the United Nations secretary-general, was a follow-up to last year&#39;s Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) that was signed by eight EAOs. The key focus areas of the conference were: power sharing through federalism, local autonomy, constitutional revision, and separation of powers between the military and civilian state structures.&nbsp;

While the ethnic groups proposed a fully federal union that would proffer complete administrative autonomy to each state, the civilian-military clusters argue for a more decentralised structure of governance through constitutional amendments. Furthermore, the former wish for a complete separation of powers between the civilian government and the military, while the latter group does not deem it as a core issue. As of now, the peace process remains largely staggered owing to differences over these critical agenda points.

Nevertheless, Suu Kyi&#39;s primary motivation in organising such a conference was to bring as many political stakeholders as possible to a common deliberative forum, and in the process create a level-playing field for peaceful settlement of ethnopolitical disputes. It was aimed at expanding the NCA by establishing a platform for sustained and inclusive dialogue between the government, the army, and the various EAOs, including those who did not sign the accord in 2015. However, if one looks closely, the purported inclusiveness of the whole process comes under serious doubt. &nbsp;

First, although some of the NCA non-signatory EAOs did attend the conference, four of them remained uninvited because of their refusal to disarm before the conference, as stipulated by the army. These non-participant groups are the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta&#39;ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democracy Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland - Khaplang (NSCN-K). Their refusal to disarm is premised on their perception that the Panglong process does not align with their demands for greater autonomy, or in the case of NSCN-K, with the &lsquo;demand for Naga sovereignty&rsquo;.

Second, representatives from the United Wa State Army (UWSA) &ndash; the largest and most powerful EAO in Myanmar &ndash; staged a walkout on the second day of the conference after being identified as &#39;observers&#39; rather than participants. Although this might have been a misunderstanding of protocol, it was enough to incite the aforementioned non-attendees to express solidarity with UWSA and reassert their stance that the Panglong Conference was a &#39;discriminatory&#39; forum.

The crucial point about the above non-attendees, barring the AA and NSCN-K, is that they are based out of Shan State in the north &ndash; a perennial hotbed of violent clashes. On one hand, while TNLA and MNDAA are still engaged in skirmishes with the army, on the other, UWSA continues to survive in the region as one of the largest narco-insurgent groups in the world, and a prime dealer of drugs and illegal arms from Chinese grey markets. The organisation is known to have been the key supplier of weapons to several of the Indian insurgent outfits based in Sagaing division in Myanmar&rsquo;s <a href="http://bit.ly/2cskukd">northwest</a>. Furthermore, a recent <a href="http://bit.ly/2cWa0Hb">analysis</a> points towards the movement of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-Paresh Baruah faction) rebels from Sagaing to Shan for safe haven.

Third, the non-participation of NSCN-K, which is currently &lsquo;at war&rsquo; with India, remains a destabilising phenomenon. According to the group&rsquo;s leadership, they chose to not attend because the conference &#39;had nothing to do with the Nagas&rsquo; demand for sovereignty.&#39; Notably, it was only last year that India officially banned the outfit after a brutal assault against an army convoy in Manipur, following which Indian Special Forces pursued the rebels across the India-Myanmar border in a covert operation. NSCN-K is also the &lsquo;leader&rsquo; of the motley set of northeast Indian separatist outfits that currently operate out of Sagaing. Hence, it continues to be a serious threat to India.

Fourth, the political parties from Kayah State who failed to secure seats in November 2015 elections refused to attend the conference, complaining about the meagre five seats granted to them at the table. This reflects a core political dynamic in newly democratic Myanmar where smaller regional parties harbour the perception of political underrepresentation and marginalisation. Fifth, despite the strong statements made by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on the deplorable condition of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, no representative from the religious minority was invited, marking a continuity of the alleged institutionalised marginalisation of the Rohingyas.&nbsp;

In light of the above, Aung San Suu Kyi&rsquo;s remarks and attitudes have been fairly encouraging. In addition to meeting the non-signatory EAOs a month before the conference, she has also succinctly expressed the government&rsquo;s willingness to reach a common ground with the unwilling groups so as to achieve a comprehensive reconciliatory framework. However, the past few days have witnessed the army launch shockingly violent offensives against armed groups in Kachin and Shan <a href="http://bit.ly/2dzmwfW">states </a>- something that threatens to derail the entire peace process.

It is undeniable that the ambitious peace process in Myanmar will remain hobbled without the participation of all ethnic, religious, and political groups. Although the government has charted a specific follow-up action plan - including scheduling similar forums after every six months and widening the scope of the NCA &ndash; it remains to be seen if the recalcitrant EAOs are absorbed in the Panglong framework in the future. As rightly stated by Suu Kyi in her closing remarks, &#39;To achieve peace is very difficult.&#39;

&nbsp;

The difficult process of achieving peace with Ethnic Armed Organisations has started in Myanmar

On 31 August 2016, the government of Myanmar inaugurated the much-awaited '21st Century Panglong Peace Conference' (also referred to as the Union Peace Conference) in the capital Naypyidaw. This four-day long mega event saw a wide range of stakeholders gather under a single roof to discuss issues of ethnic discord and armed conflict that have ravaged Myanmar for the last 60 years or so. But how comprehensive is this institutionalised process of reconciliation in reality, and where do Indian interests align with this plan? With the decolonisation of Myanmar by the British in early 1948 and the subsequent takeover by the military in 1962, the 135 ethnic groups in the country have continuously fought for greater recognition of their respective cultural and political rights. In addition to demanding a larger say in the country’s heavily centralised decision-making process, they have also protested against the perceived economic and social impoverishment of their respective regions. After the coming of the military government, particularly, they began to oppose the curtailment of their cultural and religious rights under the government’s policy of ‘Burmanisation’. Under severe state repression, the grievances gradually transformed into an armed struggle for greater political autonomy, giving birth to some fifty Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs). The political conflict, in due course, spiralled into a protracted civil war, marked by a profitable war economy and inter-group clashes. From purely ethnopolitical groups, some of the EAOs metamorphosed into narco-insurgent groups involved in illegal contraband trafficking across Myanmar's porous borders with China, Thailand, and Northeast India. However, with the coming of the National League for Democracy (NLD) government in 2015, a legitimate opening for democratic reconciliation became visible and viable. Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi envisaged to reboot the original 'Panglong Peace Conference' organised by her father in 1947, and the latest edition comes as a crucial waypoint in the internal peace process of the country. Despite major hold-ups and criticisms, this convention successfully established a cohesive platform for dialogue and peaceful reconciliation between the state and the various independent ethnic organisations. The high-profile conference, attended by around 1,600 representatives from various EAOs, political parties, parliamentary and military clusters as well as the United Nations secretary-general, was a follow-up to last year's Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) that was signed by eight EAOs. The key focus areas of the conference were: power sharing through federalism, local autonomy, constitutional revision, and separation of powers between the military and civilian state structures. While the ethnic groups proposed a fully federal union that would proffer complete administrative autonomy to each state, the civilian-military clusters argue for a more decentralised structure of governance through constitutional amendments. Furthermore, the former wish for a complete separation of powers between the civilian government and the military, while the latter group does not deem it as a core issue. As of now, the peace process remains largely staggered owing to differences over these critical agenda points. Nevertheless, Suu Kyi's primary motivation in organising such a conference was to bring as many political stakeholders as possible to a common deliberative forum, and in the process create a level-playing field for peaceful settlement of ethnopolitical disputes. It was aimed at expanding the NCA by establishing a platform for sustained and inclusive dialogue between the government, the army, and the various EAOs, including those who did not sign the accord in 2015. However, if one looks closely, the purported inclusiveness of the whole process comes under serious doubt. First, although some of the NCA non-signatory EAOs did attend the conference, four of them remained uninvited because of their refusal to disarm before the conference, as stipulated by the army. These non-participant groups are the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democracy Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland - Khaplang (NSCN-K). Their refusal to disarm is premised on their perception that the Panglong process does not align with their demands for greater autonomy, or in the case of NSCN-K, with the ‘demand for Naga sovereignty’. Second, representatives from the United Wa State Army (UWSA) – the largest and most powerful EAO in Myanmar – staged a walkout on the second day of the conference after being identified as 'observers' rather than participants. Although this might have been a misunderstanding of protocol, it was enough to incite the aforementioned non-attendees to express solidarity with UWSA and reassert their stance that the Panglong Conference was a 'discriminatory' forum. The crucial point about the above non-attendees, barring the AA and NSCN-K, is that they are based out of Shan State in the north – a perennial hotbed of violent clashes. On one hand, while TNLA and MNDAA are still engaged in skirmishes with the army, on the other, UWSA continues to survive in the region as one of the largest narco-insurgent groups in the world, and a prime dealer of drugs and illegal arms from Chinese grey markets. The organisation is known to have been the key supplier of weapons to several of the Indian insurgent outfits based in Sagaing division in Myanmar’s northwest. Furthermore, a recent analysis points towards the movement of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-Paresh Baruah faction) rebels from Sagaing to Shan for safe haven. Third, the non-participation of NSCN-K, which is currently ‘at war’ with India, remains a destabilising phenomenon. According to the group’s leadership, they chose to not attend because the conference 'had nothing to do with the Nagas’ demand for sovereignty.' Notably, it was only last year that India officially banned the outfit after a brutal assault against an army convoy in Manipur, following which Indian Special Forces pursued the rebels across the India-Myanmar border in a covert operation. NSCN-K is also the ‘leader’ of the motley set of northeast Indian separatist outfits that currently operate out of Sagaing. Hence, it continues to be a serious threat to India. Fourth, the political parties from Kayah State who failed to secure seats in November 2015 elections refused to attend the conference, complaining about the meagre five seats granted to them at the table. This reflects a core political dynamic in newly democratic Myanmar where smaller regional parties harbour the perception of political underrepresentation and marginalisation. Fifth, despite the strong statements made by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on the deplorable condition of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, no representative from the religious minority was invited, marking a continuity of the alleged institutionalised marginalisation of the Rohingyas. In light of the above, Aung San Suu Kyi’s remarks and attitudes have been fairly encouraging. In addition to meeting the non-signatory EAOs a month before the conference, she has also succinctly expressed the government’s willingness to reach a common ground with the unwilling groups so as to achieve a comprehensive reconciliatory framework. However, the past few days have witnessed the army launch shockingly violent offensives against armed groups in Kachin and Shan states - something that threatens to derail the entire peace process. It is undeniable that the ambitious peace process in Myanmar will remain hobbled without the participation of all ethnic, religious, and political groups. Although the government has charted a specific follow-up action plan - including scheduling similar forums after every six months and widening the scope of the NCA – it remains to be seen if the recalcitrant EAOs are absorbed in the Panglong framework in the future. As rightly stated by Suu Kyi in her closing remarks, 'To achieve peace is very difficult.'

Myanmar Army, Rohingyas and other Ethnic Armed Organisations at Panglong peace conference

At least two policemen were killed in three attacks along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border early on Sunday&nbsp;morning, a police official said.

&quot;According to initial information, two police officers were killed, two others were injured and six police are missing,&quot; Tin Maung Swe, a senior official with the government of Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine, where the attack took place, told AFP.

A second police official, however, said that as many as eight policemen&nbsp;and some of the attackers might have been killed. 

Weapons were also recovered from the assailants from the border post, AFP reported the official as saying.

It was not immediately known which group carried out the attack.

Rakhine&#39;s sectarian tensions

Rakhine, an impoverished state in Myanmar, has been fraught with sectarian tensions between the hardliner Buddhist nationalists and Rohingya Muslims since 2012.

Buddhist nationalists consider Rohingyas, an ethnic Muslim minority group living primarily in Rakhine, as outsiders and are opposed to the government granting them citizenship.

Bouts of communal violence between the two communities and discriminatory policies of the Myanmar government have forced tens of thousands to flee and take shelter in squalid refugee camps in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.&nbsp;

But unlike in eastern and northern border states, Rohingyas don&#39;t have much of a military presence.

Observers, however, say that continued persecution might prompt the Rohingyas to develop a significant militant faction.

A surge in violence in the ravaged state of Rakhine could be a major migraine for the newly-elected Aung San Suu Kyi government.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The violence erupted in Rakhine, an impoverished state in Myanmar simmering in sectarian tension between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingyas

At least two policemen were killed in three attacks along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border early on Sunday morning, a police official said. "According to initial information, two police officers were killed, two others were injured and six police are missing," Tin Maung Swe, a senior official with the government of Myanmar's Rakhine, where the attack took place, told AFP. A second police official, however, said that as many as eight policemen and some of the attackers might have been killed. Weapons were also recovered from the assailants from the border post, AFP reported the official as saying. It was not immediately known which group carried out the attack. Rakhine's sectarian tensions Rakhine, an impoverished state in Myanmar, has been fraught with sectarian tensions between the hardliner Buddhist nationalists and Rohingya Muslims since 2012. Buddhist nationalists consider Rohingyas, an ethnic Muslim minority group living primarily in Rakhine, as outsiders and are opposed to the government granting them citizenship. Bouts of communal violence between the two communities and discriminatory policies of the Myanmar government have forced tens of thousands to flee and take shelter in squalid refugee camps in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. But unlike in eastern and northern border states, Rohingyas don't have much of a military presence. Observers, however, say that continued persecution might prompt the Rohingyas to develop a significant militant faction. A surge in violence in the ravaged state of Rakhine could be a major migraine for the newly-elected Aung San Suu Kyi government. (WION with inputs from AFP)

At least two policemen killed in attack along Myanmar-Bangladesh border

Myanmar&#39;s state counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Wednesday became country&#39;s first civilian leader in over five decades to address the UN General Assembly.&nbsp; 
 
Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi, without referring to the Rohingyas by name, spoke about the situation in Rakhine state where tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims are living in poor conditions in makeshift camps. The persecution of the minority community has drawn world&#39;s attention.&nbsp; 
 
Suu Kyi,who has been criticised for ignoring the plight of the Rohingyas, defended her government by saying that Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We are committed to a sustainable solution that will lead to peace, stability and development for all communities within the state. Our government is taking a holistic approach that makes development central to both short and long-term programmes aimed at promoting understanding and trust.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
She also pointed out that she had appointed former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan to chair a commission which will look into the issue.&nbsp; 
 
Suu Kyi also insisted, according to international news agency Reuters, that her government faced &quot;persistent opposition from some quarters&quot; to the establishment of the commission.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;By standing firm against the forces of prejudice and intolerance, we are reaffirming our faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person,&quot; she added.&nbsp; 
 
She also spoke on the issue of migration, saying lack of peace and development forced people to migrate. And terrorism is also born out of lack of social and economic security which forces youths to be enamored by ideologies which promise security.&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;&quot;We also need to consider the possibility that lack of purpose, of a sense of direction in life, could also be a force that drives many, especially the young into the snare of ideologies that appear to offer certainty.&quot; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi spoke about the situation in Rakhine state where thousands of Rohingyas are living

Myanmar's state counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Wednesday became country's first civilian leader in over five decades to address the UN General Assembly. Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi, without referring to the Rohingyas by name, spoke about the situation in Rakhine state where tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims are living in poor conditions in makeshift camps. The persecution of the minority community has drawn world's attention. Suu Kyi,who has been criticised for ignoring the plight of the Rohingyas, defended her government by saying that Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny. "We are committed to a sustainable solution that will lead to peace, stability and development for all communities within the state. Our government is taking a holistic approach that makes development central to both short and long-term programmes aimed at promoting understanding and trust." She also pointed out that she had appointed former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan to chair a commission which will look into the issue. Suu Kyi also insisted, according to international news agency Reuters, that her government faced "persistent opposition from some quarters" to the establishment of the commission. "By standing firm against the forces of prejudice and intolerance, we are reaffirming our faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person," she added. She also spoke on the issue of migration, saying lack of peace and development forced people to migrate. And terrorism is also born out of lack of social and economic security which forces youths to be enamored by ideologies which promise security. "We also need to consider the possibility that lack of purpose, of a sense of direction in life, could also be a force that drives many, especially the young into the snare of ideologies that appear to offer certainty." (WION with inputs from agencies)

Myanmar's first civilian leader addresses UN in over 50 years

Hundreds of Buddhist hardliners rallied against the former United Nations chief Kofi Annan who visited the Rakhine state of Myanmar today to find a sustainable solution to the religious conflict between the country&#39;s Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims.&nbsp; 
 
Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh, has been fraught with religious and ethnic tensions since 2012 when violence between the Rakhine Buddhists and the minority muslim community first flared up. 
 
The conflict has led to the displacement of tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, who have been denied citizenship and are not identified as ethnic Muslim minorities.&nbsp; 
 
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been leading the country as state counselor and foreign minister since March, has drawn criticism for not being able to alleviate the Rohingya plight. Questions have also been raised on her stance on human rights. &nbsp; 
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<h5>Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been leading the country as state counselor and foreign minister since March, has drawn criticism for not being able to alleviate the Rohingya plight. She had asked Kofi Annan to lead the&nbsp;advisory commission.</h5>
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Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been leading the country as state counselor and foreign minister since March, has drawn criticism for not being able to alleviate the Rohingya plight. She had asked Kofi Annan to lead an advisory commission. " target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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Suu Kyi had asked Annan to lead an advisory commission. The protesters denounced the panel and even followed the convoy into the town where Annan will deliver a speech during his two-day visit in the capital state Sittwe. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;I don&#39;t want to see foreigners involved in this commission. I want to see a commission involving people of the Rakhine nationality,&quot; Kyaw Zin Wai, a 52-year-old carpenter told Reuters, adding that the two ethnic Rakhine commission members were not &quot;representative&quot; of people in the state.&nbsp; 
 
The protest was called by some leaders in the state&#39;s powerful Arakan National Party (ANP), which has criticised the commission, insisting that foreigners cannot understand the history of the area, according to Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We want him to come,&quot; Hla Kyaw, a Rohingya man living in The Chaung IDP camp, told AFP.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;If he comes, we will raise the issue of our citizenship status and our plight of staying in IDP (internally displaced persons) camps for four years,&quot; he added. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Buddhist hardliners rallied against an advisory commission that aims to find a sustainable solution between them and Rohingya Muslims

Hundreds of Buddhist hardliners rallied against the former United Nations chief Kofi Annan who visited the Rakhine state of Myanmar today to find a sustainable solution to the religious conflict between the country's Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims. Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh, has been fraught with religious and ethnic tensions since 2012 when violence between the Rakhine Buddhists and the minority muslim community first flared up. The conflict has led to the displacement of tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, who have been denied citizenship and are not identified as ethnic Muslim minorities. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been leading the country as state counselor and foreign minister since March, has drawn criticism for not being able to alleviate the Rohingya plight. Questions have also been raised on her stance on human rights. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been leading the country as state counselor and foreign minister since March, has drawn criticism for not being able to alleviate the Rohingya plight. She had asked Kofi Annan to lead the advisory commission. Suu Kyi had asked Annan to lead an advisory commission. The protesters denounced the panel and even followed the convoy into the town where Annan will deliver a speech during his two-day visit in the capital state Sittwe. "I don't want to see foreigners involved in this commission. I want to see a commission involving people of the Rakhine nationality," Kyaw Zin Wai, a 52-year-old carpenter told Reuters, adding that the two ethnic Rakhine commission members were not "representative" of people in the state. The protest was called by some leaders in the state's powerful Arakan National Party (ANP), which has criticised the commission, insisting that foreigners cannot understand the history of the area, according to Reuters. "We want him to come," Hla Kyaw, a Rohingya man living in The Chaung IDP camp, told AFP. "If he comes, we will raise the issue of our citizenship status and our plight of staying in IDP (internally displaced persons) camps for four years," he added. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Myanmar Buddhists protest against ex-UN chief Kofi Annan's peace mission

A Myanmar actor was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for scribbling and spray-painting insults fraught with curses about the army on his car, calling them an &ldquo;army of dogs&quot;, a police officer said today.&nbsp; 
 
Thirty five years old Tun Lin Thein, who appears in Myanmar music videos, spray-painted a number of other expletives across his silver Nissan in March, according to officials. He&nbsp;was also charged with defaming the national flag and a Buddhist flag which he had put alongside the graffiti on his car. He was arrested shortly after and convicted of defamation by a Yangon court.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The court sentenced him for two years and nine months,&quot; police officer Thein Han told AFP. 
 
&quot;His behaviour was not only abusive to the Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) but also to our religion and national flag. That is why he had to receive this sentence,&quot; Thein Han said. 
 
Freedoms have flourished in Myanmar since the military junta stepped down in 2011, paving the way for November elections that swept democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi into power. 
 
But limits on expression remain, with criticism of the army especially taboo. 
 
Suu Kyi&rsquo;s first few months in power have seen several defamation prosecutions being carried out.&nbsp; 
 
Earlier, a six-month sentence was handed out to a man who wrote a poem about having a tattoo of the former ex-army president on his penis.&nbsp; 
 
A film about the&nbsp;conflict between the military and ethnic Shan groups in the mid-20th century was also pulled from a human rights film festival in June. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP) 
 
&nbsp;

Tun Lin Thein was also charged with defaming the national flag and a Buddhist flag which he had put alongside the graffiti

A Myanmar actor was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for scribbling and spray-painting insults fraught with curses about the army on his car, calling them an “army of dogs", a police officer said today. Thirty five years old Tun Lin Thein, who appears in Myanmar music videos, spray-painted a number of other expletives across his silver Nissan in March, according to officials. He was also charged with defaming the national flag and a Buddhist flag which he had put alongside the graffiti on his car. He was arrested shortly after and convicted of defamation by a Yangon court. "The court sentenced him for two years and nine months," police officer Thein Han told AFP. "His behaviour was not only abusive to the Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) but also to our religion and national flag. That is why he had to receive this sentence," Thein Han said. Freedoms have flourished in Myanmar since the military junta stepped down in 2011, paving the way for November elections that swept democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi into power. But limits on expression remain, with criticism of the army especially taboo. Suu Kyi’s first few months in power have seen several defamation prosecutions being carried out. Earlier, a six-month sentence was handed out to a man who wrote a poem about having a tattoo of the former ex-army president on his penis. A film about the conflict between the military and ethnic Shan groups in the mid-20th century was also pulled from a human rights film festival in June. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Myanmar actor jailed for cursing army with graffiti

Myanmar&#39;s Aung San Suu Kyi is standing by the country&#39;s central bank governor, despite concerns from commercial bankers, government advisors and some of his own officials at the pace of reform on his watch. 
 
Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) chief Kyaw Kyaw Maung is one of the last junta-era civilian officials to remain in a senior post since Suu Kyi&#39;s National League for Democracy (NLD) took power earlier this year facing sky-high expectations that it can transform a country impoverished by decades of military rule. 
 
Reuters interviews with about two dozen government advisors, CBM insiders, economists and banking executives found widespread criticism that reform of the stunted financial sector was not being driven from the top - vital in a heavily top-down culture. 
 
&quot;The keys to the castle sit in the central bank,&quot; said Hal Bosher, advisor to the chairman and chief executive officer of Yoma Bank, one of the country&#39;s biggest commercial lenders. 
 
Stalled reforms cited by people who spoke to Reuters included the development of a robust interbank market, building a bond market and relaxing overly stringent lending regulations. 
 
The reforms are necessary, they say, to keep Myanmar&#39;s economy growing rapidly and attract investment. 
 
Defenders of the central bank say that, by not liberalising too fast, it is promoting stability in the maturing financial system and avoiding dangerously fast credit growth. 
 
In a speech at a meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Lima late last year, Kyaw Kyaw Maung himself said the transition to a modern financial system was complex and would take time. 
 
RULE OF LAW 
 
According to a senior NLD economic advisor Suu Kyi is aware of the concerns, but, shortly after her landslide win in an election in November, a decision was made to keep Kyaw Kyaw Maung in his position. 
 
&quot;Her judgment was we can`t have a situation where our first act in a democratic government committed to the rule of law she tries to oust the central bank governor,&quot; the advisor said. &quot;That is the type of thing that happens in Venezuela and Zimbabwe.&quot; 
 
Although the law gives the government little scope to sack a central bank chief, many in the private sector had hoped the 77-year-old governor could be persuaded to retire, banking executives and officials said. 
 
Han Tha Myint, a senior NLD official who sits on the newly formed National Economic Coordination Committee (NECC), and a second senior advisor both confirmed that a decision had been taken not to seek to replace the CBM chief. 
 
Kyaw Kyaw Maung, who rarely speaks to the media or makes public appearances, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. An interview request was declined by the CBM, which also declined to answer questions submitted by Reuters by email. 
 
Suu Kyi&#39;s spokesman, Zaw Htay, said the governor`s five-year term, which ends in 2018, was laid down by law. 
 
SECOND STINT 
 
Kyaw Kyaw Maung headed the central bank for a decade from 1997 to 2007, a period of international isolation. He was reappointed for a second stint in 2013 by then President Thein Sein, who led a quasi-civilian government of former generals. 
 
&quot;His only quality was experience,&quot; said lawmaker Soe Thane, who was a minister in the president`s office at the time. 
 
Thein Sein&#39;s term in office, which began in 2011, launched a period of wide-ranging political and economic reform. A managed float was adopted for the kyat currency in 2012 and the CBM was granted independence from the finance ministry in July 2013. 
 
Defenders say the bank has become more open during Kyaw Kyaw Maung`s second spell in charge. 
 
&quot;The bank is transparent about it &ndash; the previous government didn`t tell investors anything about its movements,&quot; said Aung Thein Tun from Young Investment Group, a Myanmar conglomerate. 
 
Nine foreign banks were given licences to operate in Myanmar on a limited basis in October 2014, with another four granted licences last year. 
 
But there have been no major announcements on modernisation of the financial system since then. 
 
Vikram Nehru, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think-tank, said he was concerned that reforms at the CBM had come to a &quot;virtual standstill&quot;. 
 
TWO CRISES 
 
Last year a crisis threatened to destabilise Myanmar`s nascent financial system, as the CBM`s efforts to prop up the kyat even as the black market exchange rate fell contributed to a shortage of dollars and increased currency speculation. 
 
&quot;The Central Bank did not act, he [Kyaw Kyaw Maung] just sat still,&quot; said a second senior advisor from the government`s NECC. 
 
Another CBM official said the governor&#39;s thinking had been shaped in a closed era when the junta could hold the official exchange rate at six kyat per dollar, despite it changing hands at 800 or more on the black market. 
 
&quot;He simply doesn&#39;t get you can&#39;t do this anymore,&quot; said the official, adding that only pressure from the president`s office and IMF forced the central bank to change course in mid-2015. 
 
In 2003, during Kyaw Kyaw Maung&#39;s first stint as governor, a bank run prompted by the collapse of several small finance companies saw a large number of private lenders fail. 
 
Then, the central bank failed to provide liquidity to banks to limit the contagion, wrote Sean Turnell, an economics professor at Australia`s Macquarie University who advises Suu Kyi, in his 2009 book &quot;Fiery Dragons: Banks, Moneylenders and Microfinance in Burma&quot;. 
 
(Reuters)

Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) chief Kyaw Kyaw Maung has been criticised for the pace of economic reform in the country

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi is standing by the country's central bank governor, despite concerns from commercial bankers, government advisors and some of his own officials at the pace of reform on his watch. Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) chief Kyaw Kyaw Maung is one of the last junta-era civilian officials to remain in a senior post since Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) took power earlier this year facing sky-high expectations that it can transform a country impoverished by decades of military rule. Reuters interviews with about two dozen government advisors, CBM insiders, economists and banking executives found widespread criticism that reform of the stunted financial sector was not being driven from the top - vital in a heavily top-down culture. "The keys to the castle sit in the central bank," said Hal Bosher, advisor to the chairman and chief executive officer of Yoma Bank, one of the country's biggest commercial lenders. Stalled reforms cited by people who spoke to Reuters included the development of a robust interbank market, building a bond market and relaxing overly stringent lending regulations. The reforms are necessary, they say, to keep Myanmar's economy growing rapidly and attract investment. Defenders of the central bank say that, by not liberalising too fast, it is promoting stability in the maturing financial system and avoiding dangerously fast credit growth. In a speech at a meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Lima late last year, Kyaw Kyaw Maung himself said the transition to a modern financial system was complex and would take time. RULE OF LAW According to a senior NLD economic advisor Suu Kyi is aware of the concerns, but, shortly after her landslide win in an election in November, a decision was made to keep Kyaw Kyaw Maung in his position. "Her judgment was we can`t have a situation where our first act in a democratic government committed to the rule of law she tries to oust the central bank governor," the advisor said. "That is the type of thing that happens in Venezuela and Zimbabwe." Although the law gives the government little scope to sack a central bank chief, many in the private sector had hoped the 77-year-old governor could be persuaded to retire, banking executives and officials said. Han Tha Myint, a senior NLD official who sits on the newly formed National Economic Coordination Committee (NECC), and a second senior advisor both confirmed that a decision had been taken not to seek to replace the CBM chief. Kyaw Kyaw Maung, who rarely speaks to the media or makes public appearances, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. An interview request was declined by the CBM, which also declined to answer questions submitted by Reuters by email. Suu Kyi's spokesman, Zaw Htay, said the governor`s five-year term, which ends in 2018, was laid down by law. SECOND STINT Kyaw Kyaw Maung headed the central bank for a decade from 1997 to 2007, a period of international isolation. He was reappointed for a second stint in 2013 by then President Thein Sein, who led a quasi-civilian government of former generals. "His only quality was experience," said lawmaker Soe Thane, who was a minister in the president`s office at the time. Thein Sein's term in office, which began in 2011, launched a period of wide-ranging political and economic reform. A managed float was adopted for the kyat currency in 2012 and the CBM was granted independence from the finance ministry in July 2013. Defenders say the bank has become more open during Kyaw Kyaw Maung`s second spell in charge. "The bank is transparent about it – the previous government didn`t tell investors anything about its movements," said Aung Thein Tun from Young Investment Group, a Myanmar conglomerate. Nine foreign banks were given licences to operate in Myanmar on a limited basis in October 2014, with another four granted licences last year. But there have been no major announcements on modernisation of the financial system since then. Vikram Nehru, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think-tank, said he was concerned that reforms at the CBM had come to a "virtual standstill". TWO CRISES Last year a crisis threatened to destabilise Myanmar`s nascent financial system, as the CBM`s efforts to prop up the kyat even as the black market exchange rate fell contributed to a shortage of dollars and increased currency speculation. "The Central Bank did not act, he [Kyaw Kyaw Maung] just sat still," said a second senior advisor from the government`s NECC. Another CBM official said the governor's thinking had been shaped in a closed era when the junta could hold the official exchange rate at six kyat per dollar, despite it changing hands at 800 or more on the black market. "He simply doesn't get you can't do this anymore," said the official, adding that only pressure from the president`s office and IMF forced the central bank to change course in mid-2015. In 2003, during Kyaw Kyaw Maung's first stint as governor, a bank run prompted by the collapse of several small finance companies saw a large number of private lenders fail. Then, the central bank failed to provide liquidity to banks to limit the contagion, wrote Sean Turnell, an economics professor at Australia`s Macquarie University who advises Suu Kyi, in his 2009 book "Fiery Dragons: Banks, Moneylenders and Microfinance in Burma". (Reuters)

Myanmar leader Suu Kyi stands by country's central bank chief

Myanmar&#39;s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi expects China to support historic peace talks with armed groups near the countries&#39; troubled joint border, she said today during a landmark visit overshadowed by a stalled dam project. 
 
&quot;We do believe that as a good neighbour China will do everything possible to promote our peace process,&quot; Suu Kyi told reporters in Beijing ahead of meeting China&#39;s President Xi Jinping. 
 
&quot;China, as a neighbour which shares a very important border along which there are many ethnic armed groups, is important in its goodwill,&quot; she added. 
 
Myanmar will hold a long-planned conference with armed ethnic groups later this month, as Suu Kyi targets peace as a prelude to rebooting the economy after her party won a landslide election victory. 
 
&quot;If you ask me what my most important aim is for my country, that is to achieve peace and unity among the different peoples of our union,&quot; Suu Kyi said. &quot;Without peace, there can be no sustained development.&quot; 
 
Several complex ethnic conflicts, with some groups fighting the government for decades, simmer across Myanmar&#39;s poor and militarised borderlands, hampering efforts to build up the country&#39;s economy after the end of junta rule. 
 
Some of the groups have ethnic and cultural links to the neighbouring Chinese province of Yunnan, and the porous border is notorious for trade in drugs, arms and precious stones. 
 
Suu Kyi&#39;s first major foreign trip since her civilian administration took power in March has been dominated by the $3.6 billion Beijing-backed Myitsone dam, on hold since protests in 2011. 
 
China has been pressing for its resumption ever since. 
 
Suu Kyi confirmed that Myanmar had set up a committee to review the project, without saying whether it would be resumed. 
 
&quot;It is for the commission to find out what the best answer is,&quot; she said. &quot;I cannot say now what the best solution is.&quot; 
 
&#39;Beijing manipulating Myanmar&#39;s resources&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Beijing was instrumental in shielding Myanmar&#39;s former junta rulers from international sanctions while Suu Kyi, now state counsellor, languished for over a decade under house arrest as a democracy activist. 
 
At the time Myitsone, originally designed to supply most of its electricity to China, was seen as emblematic of Beijing&#39;s economic dominance over Myanmar. 
 
The state-run Global Times acknowledged that a &quot;real breakthrough&quot; on the dam was unlikely during the visit, but insisted: &quot;It is only a matter of time before the project will be resumed.&quot; 
 
The newspaper, which is close to the ruling Communist Party also chided people in Myanmar who claim that Beijing is exploiting the country&#39;s resources. 
 
&quot;The misguided thought is the result of people&#39;s impulse at the initial stage of democratisation and the manipulation of the Western media,&quot; it said. 
 
Myanmar has drawn closer to the United States during its transition to civilian rule. 
 
But the state-run China Daily said in an editorial that Suu Kyi&#39;s visit showed she was a &quot;political realist&quot; who realises the importance of &quot;reassuring&quot; China. 
 
Suu Kyi insisted that she would pursue the same &quot;non-aligned&quot; foreign policy as her predecessors. 
 
Domestically, job creation and agricultural development were top priorities following her administration&#39;s first 100 days in office, she said. 
 
&quot;The 100 days have not made a great difference to the economic scene in Burma. The more important projects will start taking off in the next three to four months,&quot; she said. 
 
She vowed to follow a different development strategy than the export-led model favoured by China and other East Asian countries. 
 
&quot;There are many people who still think that the way to economic development is through garment factories,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;But I sometimes wonder if that is very 20th century, and we&#39;re now in the 21st century.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

Myanmar will hold a long-planned conference with armed ethnic groups later this month as Suu Kyi targets peace as a prelude to rebooting eco

Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi expects China to support historic peace talks with armed groups near the countries' troubled joint border, she said today during a landmark visit overshadowed by a stalled dam project. "We do believe that as a good neighbour China will do everything possible to promote our peace process," Suu Kyi told reporters in Beijing ahead of meeting China's President Xi Jinping. "China, as a neighbour which shares a very important border along which there are many ethnic armed groups, is important in its goodwill," she added. Myanmar will hold a long-planned conference with armed ethnic groups later this month, as Suu Kyi targets peace as a prelude to rebooting the economy after her party won a landslide election victory. "If you ask me what my most important aim is for my country, that is to achieve peace and unity among the different peoples of our union," Suu Kyi said. "Without peace, there can be no sustained development." Several complex ethnic conflicts, with some groups fighting the government for decades, simmer across Myanmar's poor and militarised borderlands, hampering efforts to build up the country's economy after the end of junta rule. Some of the groups have ethnic and cultural links to the neighbouring Chinese province of Yunnan, and the porous border is notorious for trade in drugs, arms and precious stones. Suu Kyi's first major foreign trip since her civilian administration took power in March has been dominated by the $3.6 billion Beijing-backed Myitsone dam, on hold since protests in 2011. China has been pressing for its resumption ever since. Suu Kyi confirmed that Myanmar had set up a committee to review the project, without saying whether it would be resumed. "It is for the commission to find out what the best answer is," she said. "I cannot say now what the best solution is." 'Beijing manipulating Myanmar's resources' Beijing was instrumental in shielding Myanmar's former junta rulers from international sanctions while Suu Kyi, now state counsellor, languished for over a decade under house arrest as a democracy activist. At the time Myitsone, originally designed to supply most of its electricity to China, was seen as emblematic of Beijing's economic dominance over Myanmar. The state-run Global Times acknowledged that a "real breakthrough" on the dam was unlikely during the visit, but insisted: "It is only a matter of time before the project will be resumed." The newspaper, which is close to the ruling Communist Party also chided people in Myanmar who claim that Beijing is exploiting the country's resources. "The misguided thought is the result of people's impulse at the initial stage of democratisation and the manipulation of the Western media," it said. Myanmar has drawn closer to the United States during its transition to civilian rule. But the state-run China Daily said in an editorial that Suu Kyi's visit showed she was a "political realist" who realises the importance of "reassuring" China. Suu Kyi insisted that she would pursue the same "non-aligned" foreign policy as her predecessors. Domestically, job creation and agricultural development were top priorities following her administration's first 100 days in office, she said. "The 100 days have not made a great difference to the economic scene in Burma. The more important projects will start taking off in the next three to four months," she said. She vowed to follow a different development strategy than the export-led model favoured by China and other East Asian countries. "There are many people who still think that the way to economic development is through garment factories," she said. "But I sometimes wonder if that is very 20th century, and we're now in the 21st century." (AFP)

Myanmar's Suu Kyi expects China to support peace process

Accusations that Beijing is exploiting Myanmar&#39;s resources are manipulated by Western media, a state-run Chinese newspaper said today, with de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on a visit overshadowed by a stalled dam project. 
 
Suu Kyi&#39;s first major foreign trip since her civilian administration took power in March has been dominated by the $3.6 billion Myitsone dam, on hold since protests in 2011. 
 
Beijing has been pressing for the resumption of the Chinese-backed project ever since. 
 
Suu Kyi is due to meet with China&#39;s President Xi Jinping today, after Beijing said the democracy champion had agreed to &quot;set up an investigation committee to appropriately solve&quot; the dam issue. 
 
The state-run Global Times acknowledged that a &quot;real breakthrough&quot; on the dam was unlikely during the visit, but insisted: &quot;It is only a matter of time before the project will be resumed.&quot; 
 
It also chided people in Myanmar who claim that Beijing is exploiting the country&#39;s resources. 
 
&quot;The misguided thought is the result of people&#39;s impulse at the initial stage of democratisation and the manipulation of the Western media,&quot; it added. 
 
Beijing was instrumental in shielding Myanmar&#39;s former junta rulers from international opprobrium while Suu Kyi, now state counsellor, languished for years under house arrest as a democracy activist. 
 
At the time Myitsone was seen as emblematic of Beijing&#39;s economic dominance over Myanmar. 
 
In 2011 a quasi-civilian government halted the project, originally designed to supply most of its electricity to China, in a surprise move after local protests. 
 
Now that Suu Kyi&#39;s National League for Democracy is in power, the Global Times said, &quot;Myitsone dam does not have to be reviewed from a political perspective anymore&quot;. 
 
The United States funded some of the non-governmental groups opposing the dam, according to classified documents released by WikiLeaks. 
 
The state-run China Daily said in an editorial that Suu Kyi&#39;s visit showed she was a &quot;political realist&quot; who realises the importance of &quot;reassuring&quot; China. 
 
Myanmar has drawn closer to the United States during its transition to civilian rule. 
 
At the same time, Myanmar needs to get Beijing onside as it pursues historic peace talks with armed groups on its border. 
 
Suu Kyi on Thursday was greeted with military honours in Beijing, where she met Premier Li Keqiang, telling him: &quot;At present, there are complex changes in the world.&quot; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Local media has refuted reports saying China has been exploiting Myanmar's resources

Accusations that Beijing is exploiting Myanmar's resources are manipulated by Western media, a state-run Chinese newspaper said today, with de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on a visit overshadowed by a stalled dam project. Suu Kyi's first major foreign trip since her civilian administration took power in March has been dominated by the $3.6 billion Myitsone dam, on hold since protests in 2011. Beijing has been pressing for the resumption of the Chinese-backed project ever since. Suu Kyi is due to meet with China's President Xi Jinping today, after Beijing said the democracy champion had agreed to "set up an investigation committee to appropriately solve" the dam issue. The state-run Global Times acknowledged that a "real breakthrough" on the dam was unlikely during the visit, but insisted: "It is only a matter of time before the project will be resumed." It also chided people in Myanmar who claim that Beijing is exploiting the country's resources. "The misguided thought is the result of people's impulse at the initial stage of democratisation and the manipulation of the Western media," it added. Beijing was instrumental in shielding Myanmar's former junta rulers from international opprobrium while Suu Kyi, now state counsellor, languished for years under house arrest as a democracy activist. At the time Myitsone was seen as emblematic of Beijing's economic dominance over Myanmar. In 2011 a quasi-civilian government halted the project, originally designed to supply most of its electricity to China, in a surprise move after local protests. Now that Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy is in power, the Global Times said, "Myitsone dam does not have to be reviewed from a political perspective anymore". The United States funded some of the non-governmental groups opposing the dam, according to classified documents released by WikiLeaks. The state-run China Daily said in an editorial that Suu Kyi's visit showed she was a "political realist" who realises the importance of "reassuring" China. Myanmar has drawn closer to the United States during its transition to civilian rule. At the same time, Myanmar needs to get Beijing onside as it pursues historic peace talks with armed groups on its border. Suu Kyi on Thursday was greeted with military honours in Beijing, where she met Premier Li Keqiang, telling him: "At present, there are complex changes in the world." (AFP)

Beijing does not exploit Myanmar: state media?

China and Myanmar are set to sign deals to build a strategic bridge near their border and two hospitals in the Southeast Asian country, a Myanmar official said today, as leader Aung San Suu Kyi meets high-level officials in Beijing.&nbsp; 
 
Suu Kyi, who is barred from the presidency by a junta-drafted constitution but holds several government posts including that of foreign minister, arrived in China on Wednesday evening.&nbsp; 
 
She is scheduled to meet Premier Li Keqiang today and President Xi Jinping on Friday, with the fate of a suspended Chinese-funded hydropower project in northern Myanmar in the balance. 
 
&quot;Grant agreements will be signed on the construction of two hospitals and a bridge between the two sides during this visit,&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Aye Aye Soe, deputy director-general at Myanmar&#39;s ministry of foreign Affairs, told Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
The two hospitals will be built in Myanmar&#39;s two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay, she said.&nbsp; 
 
The bridge is aimed to improve transport and communication between the countries and will be built in Kunlong town, 32 km (20 miles) from the border in northeastern Myanmar.&nbsp; 
 
Kunlong is on the way to a border checkpoint and near the Kokang region where an ethnic Chinese rebel group fought Myanmar&#39;s military last year.&nbsp; 
 
Aye Aye Soe declined to give further details, including the terms of financing of the projects or the timeframe.&nbsp; 
 
The visit is Suu Kyi&#39;s first major diplomatic foray as de facto leader after a new government took power in April following her National League for Democracy&#39;s sweeping election victory in November. 
 
The China-funded $3.6 billion Myitsone dam project was planned for the confluence of two rivers that form the Ayeyarwady river, but has been stalled since 2011, when former President Thein Sein suspended the project amid widespread opposition on environmental grounds.&nbsp; 
 
China has been pushing for work to restart on the dam, which under the original plans would have sent 90 percent of its power to China. A Myanmar government commission reviewing the project - as well as other proposed hydropower dams, including several on the Thanlwin river - is expected to report by November 11.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

The visit is Suu Kyi's first major diplomatic foray as de facto leader after a new government took power in April

China and Myanmar are set to sign deals to build a strategic bridge near their border and two hospitals in the Southeast Asian country, a Myanmar official said today, as leader Aung San Suu Kyi meets high-level officials in Beijing. Suu Kyi, who is barred from the presidency by a junta-drafted constitution but holds several government posts including that of foreign minister, arrived in China on Wednesday evening. She is scheduled to meet Premier Li Keqiang today and President Xi Jinping on Friday, with the fate of a suspended Chinese-funded hydropower project in northern Myanmar in the balance. "Grant agreements will be signed on the construction of two hospitals and a bridge between the two sides during this visit," Aye Aye Soe, deputy director-general at Myanmar's ministry of foreign Affairs, told Reuters. The two hospitals will be built in Myanmar's two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay, she said. The bridge is aimed to improve transport and communication between the countries and will be built in Kunlong town, 32 km (20 miles) from the border in northeastern Myanmar. Kunlong is on the way to a border checkpoint and near the Kokang region where an ethnic Chinese rebel group fought Myanmar's military last year. Aye Aye Soe declined to give further details, including the terms of financing of the projects or the timeframe. The visit is Suu Kyi's first major diplomatic foray as de facto leader after a new government took power in April following her National League for Democracy's sweeping election victory in November. The China-funded $3.6 billion Myitsone dam project was planned for the confluence of two rivers that form the Ayeyarwady river, but has been stalled since 2011, when former President Thein Sein suspended the project amid widespread opposition on environmental grounds. China has been pushing for work to restart on the dam, which under the original plans would have sent 90 percent of its power to China. A Myanmar government commission reviewing the project - as well as other proposed hydropower dams, including several on the Thanlwin river - is expected to report by November 11. (Reuters)

Deals on the cards as Myanmar's Suu Kyi visits China

Muslims make up just over two per cent of Myanmar&#39;s population, government census figures showed today, undercutting claims by Buddhist hardliners that Islam poses a threat to the dominance of their faith. 
 
Full details from the 2014 count, the first of its kind in decades, was withheld for almost a year to avoid stirring tensions in the Buddhist-majority nation ahead of elections that propelled Aung San Suu Kyi&#39;s pro-democracy party to power. 
 
Islamophobia has rippled across Myanmar in recent years, with Buddhist nationalists sending alarmist messages about the growth of the Muslim population.&nbsp;But the new data affirms that Buddhists make up 90 per cent of the population of 51.48 million.&nbsp;They are followed in number by Christians (6.3 per cent) and Muslims (2.3 per cent or over 1.1 million people). 
 
However, the survey does not include the one-million strong stateless Rohingya Muslim minority, who were banned from self-identifying during the census taking.&nbsp;Added together, their number doubles the country&#39;s share of Muslims to around four per cent -- an estimate that has been in circulation since the last census in 1983. 
 
&quot;Some were worried that there could be a significant difference in the numbers of each religion,&quot; Thein Swe, minister of labour, immigration and population told reporters in the capital Naypyidaw as he released the data.&nbsp;&quot;But there is not much difference when compared with the census data in 1983.&quot; 
 
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which supported Myanmar&#39;s government in carrying out census, said the figures should extinguish incendiary rhetoric.&nbsp;&quot;It is time to replace speculation with fact,&quot; the UNFPA&#39;s Janet E. Jackson said in a statement. 
 
But the UNFPA hit out at the Rohingya&#39;s exclusion from the data as &quot;a serious shortcoming of the census and a grave human rights concern&quot;. 
 
Hardliners under pressure&nbsp; 
 
More than 100,000 Rohingya were displaced by deadly clashes with Buddhists in 2012 and now live destitute in camps in western Rakhine state.&nbsp;They are denied citizenship and face severe restrictions on their movement and access to basic services. 
 
Just days before the census was carried out in 2014, Buddhist nationalists accused the international community of bias towards Muslims and attacked humanitarian offices in Rakhine, forcing aid workers to flee. 
 
De facto premier Suu Kyi has faced criticism for not taking a stronger stance on the Rohingya or publicly condemning two recent attacks on mosques in other parts of the country.&nbsp;But her government has made moves in recent weeks to rein in the Ma Ba Tha, a monk-led movement at the fore of anti-Muslim protests in recent years. 
 
At the core of their ideology is the belief that Myanmar&#39;s Buddhist identity is under attack from Muslims and other ethnic minorities, despite the country hosting such groups for generations. 
 
Under the previous military-backed government, the nationalist group successfully lobbied for the passage of controversial race and religion laws that rights groups say discriminate against women and religious minorities.&nbsp;Earlier this month Suu Kyi&#39;s religion minister warned the group could be disbanded if it uses hate speech to stoke conflict. 
 
(AFP)

Islamophobic Buddhist nationalists sent alarmist messages about the growth of the Muslim population, but stats peg it at only 2.3%

Muslims make up just over two per cent of Myanmar's population, government census figures showed today, undercutting claims by Buddhist hardliners that Islam poses a threat to the dominance of their faith. Full details from the 2014 count, the first of its kind in decades, was withheld for almost a year to avoid stirring tensions in the Buddhist-majority nation ahead of elections that propelled Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party to power. Islamophobia has rippled across Myanmar in recent years, with Buddhist nationalists sending alarmist messages about the growth of the Muslim population. But the new data affirms that Buddhists make up 90 per cent of the population of 51.48 million. They are followed in number by Christians (6.3 per cent) and Muslims (2.3 per cent or over 1.1 million people). However, the survey does not include the one-million strong stateless Rohingya Muslim minority, who were banned from self-identifying during the census taking. Added together, their number doubles the country's share of Muslims to around four per cent -- an estimate that has been in circulation since the last census in 1983. "Some were worried that there could be a significant difference in the numbers of each religion," Thein Swe, minister of labour, immigration and population told reporters in the capital Naypyidaw as he released the data. "But there is not much difference when compared with the census data in 1983." The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which supported Myanmar's government in carrying out census, said the figures should extinguish incendiary rhetoric. "It is time to replace speculation with fact," the UNFPA's Janet E. Jackson said in a statement. But the UNFPA hit out at the Rohingya's exclusion from the data as "a serious shortcoming of the census and a grave human rights concern". Hardliners under pressure More than 100,000 Rohingya were displaced by deadly clashes with Buddhists in 2012 and now live destitute in camps in western Rakhine state. They are denied citizenship and face severe restrictions on their movement and access to basic services. Just days before the census was carried out in 2014, Buddhist nationalists accused the international community of bias towards Muslims and attacked humanitarian offices in Rakhine, forcing aid workers to flee. De facto premier Suu Kyi has faced criticism for not taking a stronger stance on the Rohingya or publicly condemning two recent attacks on mosques in other parts of the country. But her government has made moves in recent weeks to rein in the Ma Ba Tha, a monk-led movement at the fore of anti-Muslim protests in recent years. At the core of their ideology is the belief that Myanmar's Buddhist identity is under attack from Muslims and other ethnic minorities, despite the country hosting such groups for generations. Under the previous military-backed government, the nationalist group successfully lobbied for the passage of controversial race and religion laws that rights groups say discriminate against women and religious minorities. Earlier this month Suu Kyi's religion minister warned the group could be disbanded if it uses hate speech to stoke conflict. (AFP)

Myanmar population census data undercuts Buddhist hardliner claims

A Yangon court, for the second time this week, laid additional charges dating from 2012 against a former monk and leader of Myanmar&#39;s Saffron Revolution, a member of his legal team said today.&nbsp; 
 
The new charges against Nyi Nyi Lwin, better known by his ordination name&nbsp;Gambira, came just one day before he was set to be released following an arrest in January for allegedly entering Myanmar illegally from neighbouring Thailand.&nbsp; 
 
Thazin Aye, one of his lawyers, said today&nbsp;that Gambira was charged with trespassing at the Thanlyin Township Court for allegedly breaking into monasteries in 2012 that had been sealed by the government.

&quot;After his appearance at the court today, Nyi Nyi Lwin was sent back to Insein Central Prison by the government,&quot; she said. 
 
He was charged with the same offence in a separate Yangon township court on Tuesday. 
 
Aung San Suu Kyi&#39;s National League for Democracy (NLD) won Myanmar&#39;s November election, but the military&nbsp;which ruled the Southeast Asian nation until 2011, remains powerful. 
 
The general administration department, a body that oversees the country&#39;s sprawling bureaucracy and is controlled by the military, brought the new charges against Gambira. 
 
Nyan Win, a spokesman for the NLD, criticised the case. 
 
&quot;Personally&nbsp;I think there were weaknesses from the prosecutor&#39;s side in procedural and legal aspects. There wasn&#39;t enough transparency in handling it,&quot; he said. 
 
He said efforts to assist Gambira had not yet been discussed by the party. 
 
In 2007, Gambira emerged as a leading figure in a mass protest over living conditions and the oppressive rule of then-dictator Than Shwe that was dubbed the Saffron Revolution. 
 
The government cracked down harshly in response, opening fire on protesters and sweeping up those who took part. A report from the United Nations found that at least 31 were killed by security forces and thousands arrested.&nbsp; 
 
Gambira&#39;s sentence of 68 years for his role in the protest turned him into one of Myanmar&#39;s most prominent political prisoners. He was released in 2012. 
 
Amnesty International, which has repeatedly called for his release, has said that he is a prisoner of conscience and that he suffers from &quot;serious mental health issues&quot;. 
 
Following his release in 2012, Gambira said&nbsp;that he faced solitary confinement, beatings and sleep deprivation while behind bars. 
 
His captors, he said, were &quot;very rude and cruel&quot;. 
 
(Reuters)

The new charges against Nyi Nyi Lwin are for allegedly breaking into monasteries that were sealed by the government in 2012

A Yangon court, for the second time this week, laid additional charges dating from 2012 against a former monk and leader of Myanmar's Saffron Revolution, a member of his legal team said today. The new charges against Nyi Nyi Lwin, better known by his ordination name Gambira, came just one day before he was set to be released following an arrest in January for allegedly entering Myanmar illegally from neighbouring Thailand. Thazin Aye, one of his lawyers, said today that Gambira was charged with trespassing at the Thanlyin Township Court for allegedly breaking into monasteries in 2012 that had been sealed by the government. "After his appearance at the court today, Nyi Nyi Lwin was sent back to Insein Central Prison by the government," she said. He was charged with the same offence in a separate Yangon township court on Tuesday. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won Myanmar's November election, but the military which ruled the Southeast Asian nation until 2011, remains powerful. The general administration department, a body that oversees the country's sprawling bureaucracy and is controlled by the military, brought the new charges against Gambira. Nyan Win, a spokesman for the NLD, criticised the case. "Personally I think there were weaknesses from the prosecutor's side in procedural and legal aspects. There wasn't enough transparency in handling it," he said. He said efforts to assist Gambira had not yet been discussed by the party. In 2007, Gambira emerged as a leading figure in a mass protest over living conditions and the oppressive rule of then-dictator Than Shwe that was dubbed the Saffron Revolution. The government cracked down harshly in response, opening fire on protesters and sweeping up those who took part. A report from the United Nations found that at least 31 were killed by security forces and thousands arrested. Gambira's sentence of 68 years for his role in the protest turned him into one of Myanmar's most prominent political prisoners. He was released in 2012. Amnesty International, which has repeatedly called for his release, has said that he is a prisoner of conscience and that he suffers from "serious mental health issues". Following his release in 2012, Gambira said that he faced solitary confinement, beatings and sleep deprivation while behind bars. His captors, he said, were "very rude and cruel". (Reuters)

Myanmar court frames new charges against 'Saffron Revolution' leader

A group of men from a village in central Myanmar destroyed a mosque in the first serious outburst of inter-religious violence in months, coinciding with a rise in tensions over how to refer to the Rohingya, the country&#39;s persecuted Muslim minority. 
 
Villagers from Thayethamin, a remote settlement a two-hours&#39; drive northeast of Myanmar&#39;s largest city, Yangon, destroyed the mosque on Thursday after a dispute over its construction, and beat up at least one Muslim man, media and a police spokesman said. 
 
Religious tensions simmered in Myanmar for almost half a century of military rule, before boiling over in 2012, just a year after a semi-civilian government took power. 
 
Hundreds died in clashes in northwestern Rakhine State between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, leading to the organised expulsion of Rohingya by Rakhine mobs. More violence between Muslims and Buddhists in other parts of the country followed in 2013. 
 
Photographs that circulated on social media on Friday, purportedly from the village, showed a seriously damaged building, furniture scattered along the streets and a large group of men roaming around, some armed with sticks. 
 
Further details of the incident were unclear. Reuters was unable to verify the photographs. 
 
&quot;Things are well under control now and action hasn&#39;t been taken against anyone yet,&quot; said colonel Zaw Khin Aung, spokesman of the Police Headquarters based in Myanmar&#39;s capital, Naypyitaw. 
 
The violence coincides with a rise in tensions over how to refer to the Rohingya, a 1.1-million group of Muslims living in apartheid-like conditions in Rakhine since the 2012 violence. 
 
Country leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won in a landslide in historic November elections, faces a daunting task of resolving ethnic and religious tensions and ending human rights abuses in the state. 
 
On Monday, she told the UN Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, that the government would not use the term &quot;Rohingya&quot; because it viewed it as inflammatory. 
 
The Rohingya identify themselves by that name. Many have lived in Myanmar for generations, but many Myanmar Buddhists call them &quot;Bengali&quot; - a term implying they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. 
 
Suu Kyi has appealed to people not to use either term, and instead refer to the &quot;Muslim community in Rakhine State&quot;. 
 
The UN on Monday called on the Nobel peace prize winner to make putting an end to the abuses the government&#39;s &quot;top priority&quot;. It said that the violations, which include executions and torture, may amount to crimes against humanity. 
 
(Reuters)

Abuses against Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya population include executions and torture, and may amount to crimes against humanity

A group of men from a village in central Myanmar destroyed a mosque in the first serious outburst of inter-religious violence in months, coinciding with a rise in tensions over how to refer to the Rohingya, the country's persecuted Muslim minority. Villagers from Thayethamin, a remote settlement a two-hours' drive northeast of Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, destroyed the mosque on Thursday after a dispute over its construction, and beat up at least one Muslim man, media and a police spokesman said. Religious tensions simmered in Myanmar for almost half a century of military rule, before boiling over in 2012, just a year after a semi-civilian government took power. Hundreds died in clashes in northwestern Rakhine State between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, leading to the organised expulsion of Rohingya by Rakhine mobs. More violence between Muslims and Buddhists in other parts of the country followed in 2013. Photographs that circulated on social media on Friday, purportedly from the village, showed a seriously damaged building, furniture scattered along the streets and a large group of men roaming around, some armed with sticks. Further details of the incident were unclear. Reuters was unable to verify the photographs. "Things are well under control now and action hasn't been taken against anyone yet," said colonel Zaw Khin Aung, spokesman of the Police Headquarters based in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw. The violence coincides with a rise in tensions over how to refer to the Rohingya, a 1.1-million group of Muslims living in apartheid-like conditions in Rakhine since the 2012 violence. Country leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won in a landslide in historic November elections, faces a daunting task of resolving ethnic and religious tensions and ending human rights abuses in the state. On Monday, she told the UN Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, that the government would not use the term "Rohingya" because it viewed it as inflammatory. The Rohingya identify themselves by that name. Many have lived in Myanmar for generations, but many Myanmar Buddhists call them "Bengali" - a term implying they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Suu Kyi has appealed to people not to use either term, and instead refer to the "Muslim community in Rakhine State". The UN on Monday called on the Nobel peace prize winner to make putting an end to the abuses the government's "top priority". It said that the violations, which include executions and torture, may amount to crimes against humanity. (Reuters)

Mosque demolished in Myanmar as religious, ethnic tension rise

Myanmar`s Aung San Suu Kyi arrives today in Thailand where she is expected to be garlanded by her adoring compatriots, hundreds of thousands of whom have sought work and sanctuary from war across the border. 
 
It is Suu Kyi`s highest profile overseas visit since her pro-democracy party took power in April, ending nearly half a century of military domination. 
 
Her government has seeded hopes for a new era of prosperity that could eventually convince the army of low-paid Myanmar labourers in Thailand to return home. 
 
The two Southeast Asian neighbours have travelled in starkly different directions in recent years. 
 
While Myanmar`s junta has rolled back its chokehold on politics, last year allowing the freest elections in decades, Thailand remains in the grip of a military that seized power in 2014. 
 
As Myanmar`s democracy champion, Suu Kyi is expected to receive a rock star welcome during a visit to a fishing village in Samut Sakhon later Thursday. 
 
The port, just outside Bangkok, is the seat of Thailand`s huge seafood industry and home to more than 100,000 low-paid Myanmar labourers. 
 
The visit &quot;fills me with hope,&quot; Myanmar migrant Thon Barami, 50, told AFP at the scruffy port. 
 
&quot;We have problems here in Thailand. She might help us with labour rights... people all around the world will listen to her,&quot; she added. 
 
The fishing sector has been battered by revelations of the use of slave labour and the widespread exploitation of workers. 
 
The scandals have prompted threats of sanctions by the European Union -- a key market for the multi-billion-dollar Thai seafood 
industry. 
 
Seeking to escape poverty at home, some one million registered Myanmar migrant workers form the backbone of Thailand`s manual workforce. 
 
Tens of thousands of others work illegally, with some estimates putting the total number of Myanmar nationals in Thailand at three million. 
 
Rights groups say migrants -- legal and otherwise -- are vulnerable to unscrupulous officials, trafficking gangs and employment agencies who charge huge sums to get them poorly paid work. 
 
Their low status also sees them treated with scorn and mistrust by many Thais. 
 
&quot;They all want to go home, but they are just waiting for the economic situation (in Myanmar) to improve significantly,&quot; explained Andy Hall, a migrant rights activist with an office in the port town. 
 
The nemesis of Myanmar`s generals throughout a quarter-century of struggle for democracy, the Nobel laureate will meet with the leader of the Thai junta in Bangkok on Friday. 
 
But her schedule does not include a single press conference as Suu Kyi continues to fiercely control her government`s messaging. 
 
The 71-year-old is officially Myanmar`s foreign minister and state counsellor, but also the de facto leader of her country despite a military-era constitution that bars her from the presidency. 
 
It is unclear if she will make a scheduled trip to a refugee camp in Ratchaburi province on Saturday.&nbsp; 
 
It is one of nearly a dozen camps in Thailand holding more than 100,000 refugees who have fled conflict in Myanmar.&nbsp;Many are ethnic Karen displaced by war with Myanmar`s army. The violence abated following a 2012 ceasefire, but conflict with other ethnic rebel groups continues. 
 
Thailand, which does not accept refugees, wants to repatriate camp residents -- some of whom have been born on Thai soil but are barred from citizenship. 
 
Suu Kyi is also not scheduled to visit any of the Thai centres holding hundreds of Rohingya boat migrants, a Muslim group who have fled poverty and persecution in western Myanmar. 
 
Campaigners say her failure to throw her moral weight behind the stateless minority is a boon to Myanmar`s Buddhist hardliners who loathe the Rohingya and say they are illegal immigrants. 
 
In a sign of the sensitivity clouding the Rohingya question, a talk at the Foreign Correspondents` Club in Bangkok just ahead of Suu Kyi`s arrival was cancelled on military orders. 
 
(AFP)

Seeking to escape poverty at home, some one million registered Myanmar migrant workers form the backbone of Thailand's manual workforce

Myanmar`s Aung San Suu Kyi arrives today in Thailand where she is expected to be garlanded by her adoring compatriots, hundreds of thousands of whom have sought work and sanctuary from war across the border. It is Suu Kyi`s highest profile overseas visit since her pro-democracy party took power in April, ending nearly half a century of military domination. Her government has seeded hopes for a new era of prosperity that could eventually convince the army of low-paid Myanmar labourers in Thailand to return home. The two Southeast Asian neighbours have travelled in starkly different directions in recent years. While Myanmar`s junta has rolled back its chokehold on politics, last year allowing the freest elections in decades, Thailand remains in the grip of a military that seized power in 2014. As Myanmar`s democracy champion, Suu Kyi is expected to receive a rock star welcome during a visit to a fishing village in Samut Sakhon later Thursday. The port, just outside Bangkok, is the seat of Thailand`s huge seafood industry and home to more than 100,000 low-paid Myanmar labourers. The visit "fills me with hope," Myanmar migrant Thon Barami, 50, told AFP at the scruffy port. "We have problems here in Thailand. She might help us with labour rights... people all around the world will listen to her," she added. The fishing sector has been battered by revelations of the use of slave labour and the widespread exploitation of workers. The scandals have prompted threats of sanctions by the European Union -- a key market for the multi-billion-dollar Thai seafood industry. Seeking to escape poverty at home, some one million registered Myanmar migrant workers form the backbone of Thailand`s manual workforce. Tens of thousands of others work illegally, with some estimates putting the total number of Myanmar nationals in Thailand at three million. Rights groups say migrants -- legal and otherwise -- are vulnerable to unscrupulous officials, trafficking gangs and employment agencies who charge huge sums to get them poorly paid work. Their low status also sees them treated with scorn and mistrust by many Thais. "They all want to go home, but they are just waiting for the economic situation (in Myanmar) to improve significantly," explained Andy Hall, a migrant rights activist with an office in the port town. The nemesis of Myanmar`s generals throughout a quarter-century of struggle for democracy, the Nobel laureate will meet with the leader of the Thai junta in Bangkok on Friday. But her schedule does not include a single press conference as Suu Kyi continues to fiercely control her government`s messaging. The 71-year-old is officially Myanmar`s foreign minister and state counsellor, but also the de facto leader of her country despite a military-era constitution that bars her from the presidency. It is unclear if she will make a scheduled trip to a refugee camp in Ratchaburi province on Saturday. It is one of nearly a dozen camps in Thailand holding more than 100,000 refugees who have fled conflict in Myanmar. Many are ethnic Karen displaced by war with Myanmar`s army. The violence abated following a 2012 ceasefire, but conflict with other ethnic rebel groups continues. Thailand, which does not accept refugees, wants to repatriate camp residents -- some of whom have been born on Thai soil but are barred from citizenship. Suu Kyi is also not scheduled to visit any of the Thai centres holding hundreds of Rohingya boat migrants, a Muslim group who have fled poverty and persecution in western Myanmar. Campaigners say her failure to throw her moral weight behind the stateless minority is a boon to Myanmar`s Buddhist hardliners who loathe the Rohingya and say they are illegal immigrants. In a sign of the sensitivity clouding the Rohingya question, a talk at the Foreign Correspondents` Club in Bangkok just ahead of Suu Kyi`s arrival was cancelled on military orders. (AFP)

Myanmar's Suu Kyi visits troubled diaspora in Thailand

The European Union ambassador to Myanmar, Roland Kobia, urged the new government to take &#39;meaningful actions&#39; regarding the contentious Rohingya issue in a news conference in Yangon today. 
 
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has told the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights that the government will avoid using the term &quot;Rohingya&quot; to describe a persecuted Muslim minority in the country&#39;s northwest, an official said on Monday. 
 
Kobia said the EU welcomes the new government &#39;assuring commitment&#39; to address the sensitive issue, insisting the government to &#39;listen&#39; more to the community in Rakhine and to &#39;act accordingly&#39;. 
 
&quot;Terminology issues are important, we know because they refer to wider and deeper principles but we believe that the situation in Rakhine also deserves urgent and meaningful action on the ground,&quot; Kobia said. 
 
Members of the 1.1 million group, who identify themselves by the term &quot;Rohingya&quot; and live in apartheid-like conditions, are seen by many Myanmar Buddhists as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. 
 
The term is a divisive issue. 
 
The EU also announced to donate a total of Euros 688 million ($776.61 million) to Myanmar in development aid, focusing on various areas including education, rural development and good governance. 
 
(Reuters)

The European Union has also announced that it will donate Euros 688 million to Myanmar in development aid

The European Union ambassador to Myanmar, Roland Kobia, urged the new government to take 'meaningful actions' regarding the contentious Rohingya issue in a news conference in Yangon today. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has told the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights that the government will avoid using the term "Rohingya" to describe a persecuted Muslim minority in the country's northwest, an official said on Monday. Kobia said the EU welcomes the new government 'assuring commitment' to address the sensitive issue, insisting the government to 'listen' more to the community in Rakhine and to 'act accordingly'. "Terminology issues are important, we know because they refer to wider and deeper principles but we believe that the situation in Rakhine also deserves urgent and meaningful action on the ground," Kobia said. Members of the 1.1 million group, who identify themselves by the term "Rohingya" and live in apartheid-like conditions, are seen by many Myanmar Buddhists as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The term is a divisive issue. The EU also announced to donate a total of Euros 688 million ($776.61 million) to Myanmar in development aid, focusing on various areas including education, rural development and good governance. (Reuters)

EU urges Myanmar to take meaningful action on Rohingya issue

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