Myanmar&#39;s most heavily-armed ethnic group held &quot;positive&quot; talks Friday with the country&#39;s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, a spokesman for her office said, in a major boost for peace prospects. 
 
The United Wa State Army (UWSA) stopped fighting the government in 1989 in exchange for control of a remote portion of territory bordering China which is believed to be awash with drugs. 
 
But they have a 20-25,000-strong standing army and are yet to commit to a full nationwide ceasefire, undercutting Suu Kyi&#39;s aim of swiftly securing a lasting peace. Several complex ethic conflicts are rumbling across Myanmar&#39;s borderlands, hampering efforts to build the country&#39;s economy after the end of junta rule. 
 
Some groups who fought the army for decades have signed ceasefires but those are fragile, adding urgency to Suu Kyi&#39;s task. 
 
The Wa are accused of producing and trafficking huge amounts of methamphetamine and heroin from their secretive holdout, and buying weapons with the proceeds. 
 
Friday&#39;s &quot;very positive discussions&quot; between leaders of the Wa, a powerful group called the Mongla army, and Suu Kyi were an &quot;important first step&quot; in building trust, Zaw Htay, spokesman for her office, told reporters. 
 
Suu Kyi wants to convene a meeting to thrash out the precepts of greater federal autonomy for ethnic groups in exchange for peace. 
 
It is dubbed the 21st Panglong conference in a nod to a historic conference called by her independence hero father, Aung San, in 1947 that saw major ethnic groups commit to joining Myanmar.&nbsp;But that deal collapsed under the junta that took control several years after Aung San&#39;s assassination and embarked on almost 50 years of devastating rule. 
 
Suu Kyi has not set a date for the meeting but is ramping up efforts to ensure all rebel groups are at the table. Both the USWA and Mongla army &quot;support the 21st century Panglong conference and they will try to participate&quot;, Zaw Htay added. 
 
Experts say Myanmar&#39;s myriad conflicts are entwined with the illicit trade in drugs, jade and timber, which makes ending them all the more complicated. Tens of thousands of people have been killed or displaced by the decades of war. 
 
(AFP)

The nation's myriad conflicts are entwined with illicit trade in drugs, jade and timber, which makes ending them all the more complicated

Myanmar's most heavily-armed ethnic group held "positive" talks Friday with the country's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, a spokesman for her office said, in a major boost for peace prospects. The United Wa State Army (UWSA) stopped fighting the government in 1989 in exchange for control of a remote portion of territory bordering China which is believed to be awash with drugs. But they have a 20-25,000-strong standing army and are yet to commit to a full nationwide ceasefire, undercutting Suu Kyi's aim of swiftly securing a lasting peace. Several complex ethic conflicts are rumbling across Myanmar's borderlands, hampering efforts to build the country's economy after the end of junta rule. Some groups who fought the army for decades have signed ceasefires but those are fragile, adding urgency to Suu Kyi's task. The Wa are accused of producing and trafficking huge amounts of methamphetamine and heroin from their secretive holdout, and buying weapons with the proceeds. Friday's "very positive discussions" between leaders of the Wa, a powerful group called the Mongla army, and Suu Kyi were an "important first step" in building trust, Zaw Htay, spokesman for her office, told reporters. Suu Kyi wants to convene a meeting to thrash out the precepts of greater federal autonomy for ethnic groups in exchange for peace. It is dubbed the 21st Panglong conference in a nod to a historic conference called by her independence hero father, Aung San, in 1947 that saw major ethnic groups commit to joining Myanmar. But that deal collapsed under the junta that took control several years after Aung San's assassination and embarked on almost 50 years of devastating rule. Suu Kyi has not set a date for the meeting but is ramping up efforts to ensure all rebel groups are at the table. Both the USWA and Mongla army "support the 21st century Panglong conference and they will try to participate", Zaw Htay added. Experts say Myanmar's myriad conflicts are entwined with the illicit trade in drugs, jade and timber, which makes ending them all the more complicated. Tens of thousands of people have been killed or displaced by the decades of war. (AFP)

Myanmar conducts 'positive' talks with rebel group United Wa State Army

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi met with Burmese State Counselor and foreign minister Aung San Suu Kyi on the sidelines of the ongoing 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) and Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC) in Vientiane, Laos on Sunday, both promising to strengthen ties and cooperation. 
 
Wang conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping&rsquo;s greetings to Suu Kyi. 
 
He said that China and Myanmar have a deep friendship and maintain understanding, respect, and support for one another. 
 
Wang congratulated Suu Kyi&rsquo;s new government for keeping an upbeat situation in its first 100 days and wished Myanmar further progress in its development. 
 
Wang expressed China&rsquo;s goodwill to become a trusted partner of Myanmar in its development progress, saying that China is willing to increase high-level communication and push forward practical cooperation in all fields. 
 
Suu Kyi said that China is Myanmar&rsquo;s largest friendly neighbour, and the people from two countries share strong links with each other, adding that Myanmar appreciates China&rsquo;s support and aid in its economic development as well as national reconciliation. 
 
Suu Kyi said she hopes China will continue to give Myanmar support as a good friend of the country. Myanmar is willing to work with China to continue to strengthen their relationship and pass down the traditional friendship between the two nations to later generations, she added. 
 
&#39;Media focus on South China Sea very strange&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Wang during bilateral meetings with ASEAN members on Sunday said he thought the media focus on the South China Sea issue was &quot;very strange&quot;. 
 
&quot;You should focus on China-ASEAN cooperation,&quot; he said. 
 
Southeast Asian nations failed to agree on maritime disputes in the South China Sea on Sunday after Cambodia blocked any mention to an international court ruling against Beijing in their statement, diplomats said. 
 
Foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met for the first time since the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration handed an emphatic legal victory to the Philippines in the dispute this month. 
 
The ruling by the court in The Hague denied China&#39;s sweeping claims in the strategic seaway, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes each year. 
 
China claims most of the sea, but ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have rival claims. Beijing says the ruling has no bearing on its rights in the sea, and described the case as a farce. 
 
(Reuters)

Foreign ministers of 10-member ASEAN met for first time since the Hague ruling on maritime disputes in the South China Sea

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi met with Burmese State Counselor and foreign minister Aung San Suu Kyi on the sidelines of the ongoing 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) and Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC) in Vientiane, Laos on Sunday, both promising to strengthen ties and cooperation. Wang conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s greetings to Suu Kyi. He said that China and Myanmar have a deep friendship and maintain understanding, respect, and support for one another. Wang congratulated Suu Kyi’s new government for keeping an upbeat situation in its first 100 days and wished Myanmar further progress in its development. Wang expressed China’s goodwill to become a trusted partner of Myanmar in its development progress, saying that China is willing to increase high-level communication and push forward practical cooperation in all fields. Suu Kyi said that China is Myanmar’s largest friendly neighbour, and the people from two countries share strong links with each other, adding that Myanmar appreciates China’s support and aid in its economic development as well as national reconciliation. Suu Kyi said she hopes China will continue to give Myanmar support as a good friend of the country. Myanmar is willing to work with China to continue to strengthen their relationship and pass down the traditional friendship between the two nations to later generations, she added. 'Media focus on South China Sea very strange' Wang during bilateral meetings with ASEAN members on Sunday said he thought the media focus on the South China Sea issue was "very strange". "You should focus on China-ASEAN cooperation," he said. Southeast Asian nations failed to agree on maritime disputes in the South China Sea on Sunday after Cambodia blocked any mention to an international court ruling against Beijing in their statement, diplomats said. Foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met for the first time since the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration handed an emphatic legal victory to the Philippines in the dispute this month. The ruling by the court in The Hague denied China's sweeping claims in the strategic seaway, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes each year. China claims most of the sea, but ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have rival claims. Beijing says the ruling has no bearing on its rights in the sea, and described the case as a farce. (Reuters)

China promises to strengthen ties with Myanmar

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

An amateur video shot by a resident of Mong Yaw village in Northern Shan State of Myanmar, shows a bloody path above a cornfield, where several bodies were exhumed from a mass grave. 
 
Witnesses said that soldiers entered the village of Mong Yaw on June 25 and rounded up dozens of men. 
 
Five were led away, never to be seen alive again. Two other men, brothers, were shot while trying to escape on a motorbike and their bodies found in a ditch, villagers said. 
 
&quot;I think Burmese soldiers killed my husband, as they are the people who arrested him in the first place,&quot; said 18-year-old Aye Lu, wife of one of the five missing men, 23-year-old Aik Sai. 
 
&quot;We even went to their (military) office and asked about my husband. They said they already released him. But he has not arrived home yet,&quot; said Aye Lu. 
 
For another local family, a similar story. 
 
22 year-old Sai Mong Tan was weeding a cornfield with his 17-year-old brother, Sai Shwe Lu, when the soldiers arrived.&nbsp;The military later said they had come under attack from rebels in the area, although local activists said there had been no insurgent activity. 
 
The brothers were marched to a nearby road, where dozens more soldiers had detained about a hundred people, and were forced to squat with their hands behind their heads.&nbsp;The soldiers beat and interrogated the men, demanding to know if anyone had spotted insurgents in the area, said Sai Mong Tan.&nbsp;He then watched as soldiers tied up his younger brother and the four other victims and led them away. 
 
Reuters could not independently confirm this account, although it matched the version of events described by other villagers, local officials and rights activists. 
 
Sai Mong Tan believes his brother was singled out because he didn&#39;t speak Burmese and couldn&#39;t answer the soldiers&#39; questions. 
 
Myanmar&#39;s armed forces have often been accused of abuses by human rights groups and Western governments during decades of conflict with ethnic armed separatists in its wild border zones. What is unusual in this case is that the military high command has been taking the allegations seriously. 
 
Major Thein Zaw of the army&#39;s Northeast command said a court martial had begun, although he could not say how many soldiers were on trial or what charges they faced, and local government officials said several soldiers had been arrested. 
 
Villagers say a senior army officer has promised them a full investigation.&nbsp;However, multiple requests by Reuters for comment from the army in the northern city Lashio and the capital Naypyitaw were declined or went unanswered. The military said it would address the issue at a news conference on Wednesday (July 20). 
 
It is extremely rare in Myanmar for soldiers to be held accountable for alleged abuses, or for such allegations to be investigated transparently, rights groups such as Amnesty International say. 
 
The military&#39;s response this time suggests a heightened sensitivity about its image, as it tries to present itself as a responsible partner in Myanmar&#39;s democratic transition and seeks closer ties with its Western counterparts. 
 
Myanmar was a military dictatorship for nearly half a century until a quasi-civilian government of former generals replaced the junta in 2011 and launched a series of political and economic reforms. 
 
Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was swept into office in April after winning a landslide election last year, but the military still holds immense power.&nbsp;Police and local officials told villagers in Mong Yaw in the days after the late June killings that they couldn&#39;t investigate because the military was already doing so. 
 
Then, on July 3, the region&#39;s vice-commander, Major General Kyaw Kyaw Soe, visited Mong Yaw and promised a full probe, said villagers. He also gave each bereaved family 300,000 Kyat ($250) as a gesture of sympathy, local people said. 
 
General Kyaw Kyaw Soe said some soldiers had been arrested, but gave no further details.&nbsp;A spokesperson from the local Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, Sai Leik, has called for an independent investigation. 
 
&quot;This should not be done by a military investigation alone. It should be a judicial process, they should have only a judicial process which can represent all sectors. The military cannot gain people&#39;s trust if they have the trial in the military court, meaning people cannot know what is happening during the trial,&quot; said Sai Leik 
 
&quot;That&#39;s why I want the independent justice to handle this case. Its judgments are independent, it is elected by the people, and there is no intervention from the government or military,&quot; added Leik. 
 
Most people in Mong Yaw are from the Shan or Palaung ethnic minorities. Soldiers mostly hail from the majority Bamar ethnic group, and often accuse villagers of harbouring insurgents. 
 
Ringed by misty hills, Mong Yaw lies in a remote corner of northern Shan State, a region ravaged by war and poverty. Thousands of people have been displaced by decades of fighting between the military and ethnic insurgents. 
 
(Reuters)

They seem to be taking the allegations seriously, suggesting a heightened sensitivity about its image as it seeks closer ties to the West

An amateur video shot by a resident of Mong Yaw village in Northern Shan State of Myanmar, shows a bloody path above a cornfield, where several bodies were exhumed from a mass grave. Witnesses said that soldiers entered the village of Mong Yaw on June 25 and rounded up dozens of men. Five were led away, never to be seen alive again. Two other men, brothers, were shot while trying to escape on a motorbike and their bodies found in a ditch, villagers said. "I think Burmese soldiers killed my husband, as they are the people who arrested him in the first place," said 18-year-old Aye Lu, wife of one of the five missing men, 23-year-old Aik Sai. "We even went to their (military) office and asked about my husband. They said they already released him. But he has not arrived home yet," said Aye Lu. For another local family, a similar story. 22 year-old Sai Mong Tan was weeding a cornfield with his 17-year-old brother, Sai Shwe Lu, when the soldiers arrived. The military later said they had come under attack from rebels in the area, although local activists said there had been no insurgent activity. The brothers were marched to a nearby road, where dozens more soldiers had detained about a hundred people, and were forced to squat with their hands behind their heads. The soldiers beat and interrogated the men, demanding to know if anyone had spotted insurgents in the area, said Sai Mong Tan. He then watched as soldiers tied up his younger brother and the four other victims and led them away. Reuters could not independently confirm this account, although it matched the version of events described by other villagers, local officials and rights activists. Sai Mong Tan believes his brother was singled out because he didn't speak Burmese and couldn't answer the soldiers' questions. Myanmar's armed forces have often been accused of abuses by human rights groups and Western governments during decades of conflict with ethnic armed separatists in its wild border zones. What is unusual in this case is that the military high command has been taking the allegations seriously. Major Thein Zaw of the army's Northeast command said a court martial had begun, although he could not say how many soldiers were on trial or what charges they faced, and local government officials said several soldiers had been arrested. Villagers say a senior army officer has promised them a full investigation. However, multiple requests by Reuters for comment from the army in the northern city Lashio and the capital Naypyitaw were declined or went unanswered. The military said it would address the issue at a news conference on Wednesday (July 20). It is extremely rare in Myanmar for soldiers to be held accountable for alleged abuses, or for such allegations to be investigated transparently, rights groups such as Amnesty International say. The military's response this time suggests a heightened sensitivity about its image, as it tries to present itself as a responsible partner in Myanmar's democratic transition and seeks closer ties with its Western counterparts. Myanmar was a military dictatorship for nearly half a century until a quasi-civilian government of former generals replaced the junta in 2011 and launched a series of political and economic reforms. Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was swept into office in April after winning a landslide election last year, but the military still holds immense power. Police and local officials told villagers in Mong Yaw in the days after the late June killings that they couldn't investigate because the military was already doing so. Then, on July 3, the region's vice-commander, Major General Kyaw Kyaw Soe, visited Mong Yaw and promised a full probe, said villagers. He also gave each bereaved family 300,000 Kyat ($250) as a gesture of sympathy, local people said. General Kyaw Kyaw Soe said some soldiers had been arrested, but gave no further details. A spokesperson from the local Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, Sai Leik, has called for an independent investigation. "This should not be done by a military investigation alone. It should be a judicial process, they should have only a judicial process which can represent all sectors. The military cannot gain people's trust if they have the trial in the military court, meaning people cannot know what is happening during the trial," said Sai Leik "That's why I want the independent justice to handle this case. Its judgments are independent, it is elected by the people, and there is no intervention from the government or military," added Leik. Most people in Mong Yaw are from the Shan or Palaung ethnic minorities. Soldiers mostly hail from the majority Bamar ethnic group, and often accuse villagers of harbouring insurgents. Ringed by misty hills, Mong Yaw lies in a remote corner of northern Shan State, a region ravaged by war and poverty. Thousands of people have been displaced by decades of fighting between the military and ethnic insurgents. (Reuters)

Myanmar's military investigates 'war crime' in era of reform

Myanmar is cracking down on Buddhist extremism, aiming to curb ethnic and religious tension that saw two mosques destroyed and scores of Muslim residents fleeing their villages in recent weeks. 
 
Nobel Peace Prize winner and government leader Aung San Suu Kyi has come under criticism from human rights activists and lawyers for not cracking down on the perpetrators of the attacks aimed at the Muslim minority. 
 
In an apparent response to the criticism, the government has made a surprisingly decisive move against an organisation of radical nationalist monks, known as the Ma Ba Tha, threatening legal action if it spread hate speech and incites violence. 
 
Today the government launched a taskforce to prevent violent protests as part of a broader push to stop religious violence. 
 
Religious tension simmered in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for almost half a century of military rule, before boiling over in 2012 in the west of the country into clashes between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists. 
 
Violence between Muslims and Buddhists in other areas followed in 2013 and 2014. 
 
President Htin Kyaw said in a statement the taskforce will not only move against violent protesters, but also investigate and hold accountable anyone inciting violence. 
 
&quot;We do not want to disturb peaceful protests, but we do not allow violence while protesting,&quot; said Zaw Htay, spokesman of the state councillor&#39;s office occupied by Suu Kyi. 
 
A government-appointed body that oversees Myanmar&#39;s Buddhist monkhood, the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, issued a statement this week, saying it had never endorsed the nationalist and anti-Muslim Ma Ba Tha. 
 
In June, a group of 200 villagers destroyed a mosque and injured a Muslim man in central Myanmar after a dispute over the construction of a Muslim school. 
 
In a separate incident in northern Myanmar in early July, nearly 500 Buddhists burned down a Muslim prayer hall. Police arrested five in connection with the attack, media said. 
 
In both incidents, Muslim residents fled from their homes fearing more widespread violence. 
 
Some 125,000 Rohingya Muslims displaced by the 2012 violence remain in camps in the west. 
 
(Reuters)

Myanmar has threatened legal action against radical Buddhist organisation, Ma Ba Tha, if it spreads hate speech and incites violence

Myanmar is cracking down on Buddhist extremism, aiming to curb ethnic and religious tension that saw two mosques destroyed and scores of Muslim residents fleeing their villages in recent weeks. Nobel Peace Prize winner and government leader Aung San Suu Kyi has come under criticism from human rights activists and lawyers for not cracking down on the perpetrators of the attacks aimed at the Muslim minority. In an apparent response to the criticism, the government has made a surprisingly decisive move against an organisation of radical nationalist monks, known as the Ma Ba Tha, threatening legal action if it spread hate speech and incites violence. Today the government launched a taskforce to prevent violent protests as part of a broader push to stop religious violence. Religious tension simmered in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for almost half a century of military rule, before boiling over in 2012 in the west of the country into clashes between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists. Violence between Muslims and Buddhists in other areas followed in 2013 and 2014. President Htin Kyaw said in a statement the taskforce will not only move against violent protesters, but also investigate and hold accountable anyone inciting violence. "We do not want to disturb peaceful protests, but we do not allow violence while protesting," said Zaw Htay, spokesman of the state councillor's office occupied by Suu Kyi. A government-appointed body that oversees Myanmar's Buddhist monkhood, the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, issued a statement this week, saying it had never endorsed the nationalist and anti-Muslim Ma Ba Tha. In June, a group of 200 villagers destroyed a mosque and injured a Muslim man in central Myanmar after a dispute over the construction of a Muslim school. In a separate incident in northern Myanmar in early July, nearly 500 Buddhists burned down a Muslim prayer hall. Police arrested five in connection with the attack, media said. In both incidents, Muslim residents fled from their homes fearing more widespread violence. Some 125,000 Rohingya Muslims displaced by the 2012 violence remain in camps in the west. (Reuters)

After violence, Myanmar moves to curb religious extremism

The body representing Myanmar&#39;s top monks has distanced itself from Buddhist hardliners behind an incendiary anti-Muslim campaign blamed for a surge in sectarian violence across the country. &nbsp; 
 
The Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, which represents the upper echelons of the clergy in the overwhelmingly Buddhist country, issued a statement late Tuesday saying it has never endorsed the ultra-nationalist &quot;Ma Ba Tha&quot;. 
 
The Ma Ba Tha is a monk-led group that has been at the forefront of anti-Muslim protests in Myanmar in the three years since it was founded. 
 
It recently said it was established under Sangha rules, a claim refuted by the country&#39;s top monks, putting clear water between the mainstream Buddhist clergy and the hardline group for the first time. 
 
&quot;The Ma Ba Tha organisation is not included under the basic rules, procedures... and instructions of the Sangha organisation,&quot; the Sangha committee said in its statement. 
 
&quot;Starting from the first Sangha summit in 1980 until the fifth Sangha summit in 2014, no Sangha meeting has acknowledged or formed the Ma Ba Tha -- and it has never used the term Ma Ba Tha.&quot; 
 
The statement came hours ahead of a two-day gathering of around 50 of Myanmar&#39;s top monks in a meeting room inside a man-made cave on the outskirts of Yangon. 
 
The Ma Ba Tha emerged as potent political force under the former military-backed government, successfully lobbying for a series of laws that rights groups say discriminate against women and religious minorities. 
 
Scores of people have been killed in sectarian riots that have billowed out in step with their protests.&nbsp;But the organisation lost out in November elections that saw their allies in the incumbent party trounced by Aung San Suu Kyi&#39;s National League for Democracy (NLD). 
 
It has since been trying to claw back ground, in recent weeks reviving its vitriolic rhetoric that portrays Islam as a threat to Buddhism. 
 
Last month two mosques were destroyed by Buddhist mobs in the centre and north of the country. 
 
Much of the anti-Muslim invective has targeted the ethnic Rohingya -- a minority denied citizenship in Myanmar and relegated to apartheid-like conditions ever since deadly riots tore through western Rakhine state in 2012. 
 
Their very name invokes strong emotions in Myanmar, with the Ma Ba Tha leading protests for the Rohingya to be known only as &quot;Bengalis&quot; -- shorthand for illegal migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. 
 
De facto premier Aung San Suu Kyi has faced widespread censure from rights groups for failing to speak up for the Rohingya -- who the United Nations has labelled one of the world&#39;s most persecuted people. 
 
(AFP)

Ma Ba Tha, an ultra-nationalist Buddhist group, has burned mosques, lobbied for discriminatory laws and had scores die after their protests

The body representing Myanmar's top monks has distanced itself from Buddhist hardliners behind an incendiary anti-Muslim campaign blamed for a surge in sectarian violence across the country. The Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, which represents the upper echelons of the clergy in the overwhelmingly Buddhist country, issued a statement late Tuesday saying it has never endorsed the ultra-nationalist "Ma Ba Tha". The Ma Ba Tha is a monk-led group that has been at the forefront of anti-Muslim protests in Myanmar in the three years since it was founded. It recently said it was established under Sangha rules, a claim refuted by the country's top monks, putting clear water between the mainstream Buddhist clergy and the hardline group for the first time. "The Ma Ba Tha organisation is not included under the basic rules, procedures... and instructions of the Sangha organisation," the Sangha committee said in its statement. "Starting from the first Sangha summit in 1980 until the fifth Sangha summit in 2014, no Sangha meeting has acknowledged or formed the Ma Ba Tha -- and it has never used the term Ma Ba Tha." The statement came hours ahead of a two-day gathering of around 50 of Myanmar's top monks in a meeting room inside a man-made cave on the outskirts of Yangon. The Ma Ba Tha emerged as potent political force under the former military-backed government, successfully lobbying for a series of laws that rights groups say discriminate against women and religious minorities. Scores of people have been killed in sectarian riots that have billowed out in step with their protests. But the organisation lost out in November elections that saw their allies in the incumbent party trounced by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD). It has since been trying to claw back ground, in recent weeks reviving its vitriolic rhetoric that portrays Islam as a threat to Buddhism. Last month two mosques were destroyed by Buddhist mobs in the centre and north of the country. Much of the anti-Muslim invective has targeted the ethnic Rohingya -- a minority denied citizenship in Myanmar and relegated to apartheid-like conditions ever since deadly riots tore through western Rakhine state in 2012. Their very name invokes strong emotions in Myanmar, with the Ma Ba Tha leading protests for the Rohingya to be known only as "Bengalis" -- shorthand for illegal migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. De facto premier Aung San Suu Kyi has faced widespread censure from rights groups for failing to speak up for the Rohingya -- who the United Nations has labelled one of the world's most persecuted people. (AFP)

Myanmar's top monks distance themselves from anti-Muslim Buddhist hardliners

Nineteen Myanmar human trafficking victims have been rescued in Thailand, state media and an activist group said today, a rare policing success against criminal networks that dominate the region. 
 
The group were discovered by Thai police locked up on an Indonesian-flagged fishing vessel off the coast of Thailand&#39;s southern Pattani district on Sunday, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported. 
 
The raid was launched after the families of some of those on board managed to alert the Myanmar Association in Thailand, a local support group, about their plight. 
 
Kyaw Thaung, director of the association, told AFP that the victims, some of whom were as young as 13, were lured with the promise of work in Bangkok but instead found themselves locked on the fishing vessel. 
 
&quot;A police force raided the fishing boat to Indonesia and found 19 Burmese workers there,&quot; he said. &quot;They had been there about 10 days already.&quot; 
 
A Burmese broker was arrested at the scene, he added.&nbsp; 
 
Thai police did not respond to requests for comment but a source at Myanmar&#39;s human trafficking police division in Naypyidaw confirmed to AFP that the raid rescued 19 citizens.&nbsp; 
 
Drawn by the lure of comparatively higher wages, millions of Myanmar&#39;s poor work inside Thailand, often in unregulated industries where they routinely face exploitation and abuse by unscrupulous employers. 
 
The kingdom had long been a human trafficking hub, aided by officials who either turned a blind eye or were complicit in the grim but lucrative trade. 
 
Since seizing power in 2014, Thailand&#39;s junta government has tried to clean up the country&#39;s image, launching a crackdown last year against human traffickers with some success. 
 
It has also tried to reform the country&#39;s multi-billion-dollar fishing sector, which has long been accused of using widespread slave labour. 
 
But Sunday&#39;s raid suggests criminal networks are still finding ways to traffic or press-gang vulnerable migrant workers. 
 
(AFP)

This is a rare police success in this trafficking hub, where officials can turn a blind eye or are complicit in the grim, lucrative trade

Nineteen Myanmar human trafficking victims have been rescued in Thailand, state media and an activist group said today, a rare policing success against criminal networks that dominate the region. The group were discovered by Thai police locked up on an Indonesian-flagged fishing vessel off the coast of Thailand's southern Pattani district on Sunday, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported. The raid was launched after the families of some of those on board managed to alert the Myanmar Association in Thailand, a local support group, about their plight. Kyaw Thaung, director of the association, told AFP that the victims, some of whom were as young as 13, were lured with the promise of work in Bangkok but instead found themselves locked on the fishing vessel. "A police force raided the fishing boat to Indonesia and found 19 Burmese workers there," he said. "They had been there about 10 days already." A Burmese broker was arrested at the scene, he added. Thai police did not respond to requests for comment but a source at Myanmar's human trafficking police division in Naypyidaw confirmed to AFP that the raid rescued 19 citizens. Drawn by the lure of comparatively higher wages, millions of Myanmar's poor work inside Thailand, often in unregulated industries where they routinely face exploitation and abuse by unscrupulous employers. The kingdom had long been a human trafficking hub, aided by officials who either turned a blind eye or were complicit in the grim but lucrative trade. Since seizing power in 2014, Thailand's junta government has tried to clean up the country's image, launching a crackdown last year against human traffickers with some success. It has also tried to reform the country's multi-billion-dollar fishing sector, which has long been accused of using widespread slave labour. But Sunday's raid suggests criminal networks are still finding ways to traffic or press-gang vulnerable migrant workers. (AFP)

19 Myanmar human trafficking victims rescued in Thailand

A huge earthquake may be building beneath Bangladesh, which can turn urban areas in eastern India into &quot;ruins&quot;, a new study has warned. 
 
Scientists said they have new evidence of increasing strain where two tectonic plates underlie the world&#39;s largest river delta. 
 
They estimate that at least 140 million people in the region could be affected if the boundary ruptures; the destruction could come not only from the direct results of shaking, but changes in the courses of great rivers, and in the level of land already perilously close to sea level. 
 
The newly identified threat is a subduction zone, where one section of earth&#39;s crust, or a tectonic plate, is slowly thrusting under another. 
 
Strain between tectonic plates building for at least 400 years&nbsp; 
 
All of earth&#39;s biggest known earthquakes occur along such zones; these include the Indian Ocean quake and tsunami that killed some 230,000 people in 2004, and the 2011 Tohoku quake and tsunami off Japan, which swept away more than 20,000 and caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster. 
 
Up to now, all known such zones were only under the ocean; this one appears to be entirely under the land, which greatly multiplies the threat. 
 
The strain between the plates has been building for at least 400 years -- the span of reliable historical records, which lack reports of any mega-quake, said lead author Michael Steckler, a geophysicist at Columbia University. 
 
When an inevitable release comes, the shaking is likely to be larger than magnitude 8.2 on the Richter scale and could even reach a magnitude of 9, similar to the largest known modern quakes, said Steckler. 
 
 
Bangladesh, eastern India sit atop vulnerable landscape&nbsp; 
 
A giant plate comprising India and much of the Indian Ocean has been thrusting northeasterly into Asia for tens of millions of years, researchers said. 
 
This collision has caused the Himalayas to rise to the north, bringing events like the 2015 Nepal quake that killed nearly 9,000 people. 
 
Bangladesh and eastern India sit atop a landscape vulnerable even to moderate earthquakes: the vast delta of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, researchers said. 
 
This is basically a pile of mud as deep as 12 miles, washed from the Himalayas to the coast, covering the subduction zone. 
 
In a quake, this low-lying substrate would magnify the shaking like gelatin, and liquefy in many places, sucking in buildings, roads and people, said study coauthor Syed Humayun Akhter, a geologist at Dhaka University. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t have a good idea of its geometry, we don&#39;t know how far it goes down,&quot; said James Ni, a seismologist at New Mexico State University. 
 
He said that if researchers are right, and the slab is building strain, a quake would probably turn urban areas in eastern India &quot;into ruins,&quot; and effects likely would extend into Myanmar and beyond. 
 
The findings appear in the journal Nature Geoscience.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)&nbsp;

When an inevitable release comes, shaking is likely to be larger than magnitude 8.2 on Richter scale and could even reach a magnitude of 9

A huge earthquake may be building beneath Bangladesh, which can turn urban areas in eastern India into "ruins", a new study has warned. Scientists said they have new evidence of increasing strain where two tectonic plates underlie the world's largest river delta. They estimate that at least 140 million people in the region could be affected if the boundary ruptures; the destruction could come not only from the direct results of shaking, but changes in the courses of great rivers, and in the level of land already perilously close to sea level. The newly identified threat is a subduction zone, where one section of earth's crust, or a tectonic plate, is slowly thrusting under another. Strain between tectonic plates building for at least 400 years All of earth's biggest known earthquakes occur along such zones; these include the Indian Ocean quake and tsunami that killed some 230,000 people in 2004, and the 2011 Tohoku quake and tsunami off Japan, which swept away more than 20,000 and caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Up to now, all known such zones were only under the ocean; this one appears to be entirely under the land, which greatly multiplies the threat. The strain between the plates has been building for at least 400 years -- the span of reliable historical records, which lack reports of any mega-quake, said lead author Michael Steckler, a geophysicist at Columbia University. When an inevitable release comes, the shaking is likely to be larger than magnitude 8.2 on the Richter scale and could even reach a magnitude of 9, similar to the largest known modern quakes, said Steckler. Bangladesh, eastern India sit atop vulnerable landscape A giant plate comprising India and much of the Indian Ocean has been thrusting northeasterly into Asia for tens of millions of years, researchers said. This collision has caused the Himalayas to rise to the north, bringing events like the 2015 Nepal quake that killed nearly 9,000 people. Bangladesh and eastern India sit atop a landscape vulnerable even to moderate earthquakes: the vast delta of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, researchers said. This is basically a pile of mud as deep as 12 miles, washed from the Himalayas to the coast, covering the subduction zone. In a quake, this low-lying substrate would magnify the shaking like gelatin, and liquefy in many places, sucking in buildings, roads and people, said study coauthor Syed Humayun Akhter, a geologist at Dhaka University. "We don't have a good idea of its geometry, we don't know how far it goes down," said James Ni, a seismologist at New Mexico State University. He said that if researchers are right, and the slab is building strain, a quake would probably turn urban areas in eastern India "into ruins," and effects likely would extend into Myanmar and beyond. The findings appear in the journal Nature Geoscience. (PTI)

Massive earthquake threat looms over Bangladesh, India; 140 million people may be at risk: Study

A Spanish tourist faces deportation from Myanmar over a Buddha tattoo on his leg that offended monks, police said on Monday, in a country where the influence of religious hardliners is growing. 
 
The man was initially detained in Bagan, an ancient town in central Myanmar where tourists flock to visit thousands of picturesque temples and pagodas. 
 
&quot;Monks in Bagan saw a Buddha tattoo on his right leg because he was wearing shorts. They informed us as it&#39;s not appropriate,&quot; a police officer in Bagan said, requesting anonymity, adding that the Spaniard was promptly sent back to Yangon. 
 
A police official at Yangon airport, who also asked not to be named, confirmed the detention and said the man would be deported to Bangkok on Monday evening. 
 
&quot;We will send him back because he violated the rules as a tourist here,&quot; he said. 
 
Buddhist-majority Myanmar has seen a dramatic political transformation over recent years, with decades of junta rule giving way to a civilian-led government and a once isolated country opening up to lucrative foreign investment and tourists. 
 
The changes have coincided with the rise of a small but influential Buddhist nationalist movement that rails against the five per cent of the population that are Muslim and what are perceived to be corrupting Western influences. 
 
Portrayals of Buddha can land foreigners in hot water. 
 
Last year a New Zealand bar manager spent 10 months in jail for &quot;insulting religion&quot; by using a Buddha image to promote a cheap drinks night. 
 
A Canadian tourist and practising Buddhist was detained in 2014 for sporting a leg tattoo of Buddha. 
 
Although many Buddhists, particularly Western adherents, boast tattoos of the religion&#39;s founder, it can cause offence in some nations where the faith is practiced. 
 
A British nurse was thrown out of Sri Lanka in 2014 for a Buddha tattoo on her arm despite her insistence she was a devotee who got inked as a mark of respect. 
 
In Thailand, airports put up posters warning visitors not to get Buddha tattoos or buy statues. 
 
Countries like Myanmar and Thailand believe the body becomes less sacred from the head down, making Buddha leg tattoos particularly problematic. 
 
(AFP)

A small but influential Buddhist nationalist movement which is anti-Western practices and perceives it to be corrupt is gaining momentum

A Spanish tourist faces deportation from Myanmar over a Buddha tattoo on his leg that offended monks, police said on Monday, in a country where the influence of religious hardliners is growing. The man was initially detained in Bagan, an ancient town in central Myanmar where tourists flock to visit thousands of picturesque temples and pagodas. "Monks in Bagan saw a Buddha tattoo on his right leg because he was wearing shorts. They informed us as it's not appropriate," a police officer in Bagan said, requesting anonymity, adding that the Spaniard was promptly sent back to Yangon. A police official at Yangon airport, who also asked not to be named, confirmed the detention and said the man would be deported to Bangkok on Monday evening. "We will send him back because he violated the rules as a tourist here," he said. Buddhist-majority Myanmar has seen a dramatic political transformation over recent years, with decades of junta rule giving way to a civilian-led government and a once isolated country opening up to lucrative foreign investment and tourists. The changes have coincided with the rise of a small but influential Buddhist nationalist movement that rails against the five per cent of the population that are Muslim and what are perceived to be corrupting Western influences. Portrayals of Buddha can land foreigners in hot water. Last year a New Zealand bar manager spent 10 months in jail for "insulting religion" by using a Buddha image to promote a cheap drinks night. A Canadian tourist and practising Buddhist was detained in 2014 for sporting a leg tattoo of Buddha. Although many Buddhists, particularly Western adherents, boast tattoos of the religion's founder, it can cause offence in some nations where the faith is practiced. A British nurse was thrown out of Sri Lanka in 2014 for a Buddha tattoo on her arm despite her insistence she was a devotee who got inked as a mark of respect. In Thailand, airports put up posters warning visitors not to get Buddha tattoos or buy statues. Countries like Myanmar and Thailand believe the body becomes less sacred from the head down, making Buddha leg tattoos particularly problematic. (AFP)

Spanish tourist faces deportation from Myanmar over Buddha tattooed on his leg

Myanmar delegates will face some tough questions tomorrow at a key UN convention in Geneva regarding a controversial legislation which has attracted international criticism for discriminating on the basis of gender and religion. 
 
The four laws, which includes giving authorities the right to restrict the number of childbirths a women can have, may stand in violation of the convention on eradicating discrimination against women (CEDAW) which Myanmar joined in 1997, as well as for being anti-Islam. 
 
Introduced last year, this law was backed by nationalist monks and passed by the military-backed government of then-President U Thein Sein.&nbsp; 
 
However, the current government may not redress the matter. Although Daw Aung San Suu Kyi&rsquo;s NLD government has submitted a written clarification that the laws do not go breach UN&rsquo;s CEDAW policies, local newspaper The Myanmar Times quoted U Soe Kyi, the director general of the department of social welfare that the government had &ldquo;no plan&rdquo; to repeal the laws. 
 
Women&#39;s rights groups have been protesting against this law, but have found it difficult to influence the government to change it. 
 
International rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, has raised an alarm about the legislation curtailing religious and gender freedom, specially the birth control policy which is seen as a direct action against the displaced Muslim population in Rakhine State, known as Rohingya. 
 
In the past two weeks, there has been a spike in violence against Muslims in Myanmar including incidents of Buddhist mobs ransacking two mosques in separate towns. Buddhist dominated security force has been criticised for not actively pursuing the matter. 
 
(Agencies)

The four laws, which include childbirth restrictions, breach the convention against women discrimination, which Myanmar joined in 1997

Myanmar delegates will face some tough questions tomorrow at a key UN convention in Geneva regarding a controversial legislation which has attracted international criticism for discriminating on the basis of gender and religion. The four laws, which includes giving authorities the right to restrict the number of childbirths a women can have, may stand in violation of the convention on eradicating discrimination against women (CEDAW) which Myanmar joined in 1997, as well as for being anti-Islam. Introduced last year, this law was backed by nationalist monks and passed by the military-backed government of then-President U Thein Sein. However, the current government may not redress the matter. Although Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD government has submitted a written clarification that the laws do not go breach UN’s CEDAW policies, local newspaper The Myanmar Times quoted U Soe Kyi, the director general of the department of social welfare that the government had “no plan” to repeal the laws. Women's rights groups have been protesting against this law, but have found it difficult to influence the government to change it. International rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, has raised an alarm about the legislation curtailing religious and gender freedom, specially the birth control policy which is seen as a direct action against the displaced Muslim population in Rakhine State, known as Rohingya. In the past two weeks, there has been a spike in violence against Muslims in Myanmar including incidents of Buddhist mobs ransacking two mosques in separate towns. Buddhist dominated security force has been criticised for not actively pursuing the matter. (Agencies)

UN panel to question Myanmar's anti-women, anti-Islam legislation at Geneva meet

Myanmar police have arrested five villagers for burning down a mosque last week, an officer said today, as authorities look to contain religious violence in the Buddhist-majority nation. 
 
Anti-Muslim sentiment has fomented across Myanmar in recent years, sporadically erupting into bloodshed and threatening to damage democratic gains in the former junta-run country.&nbsp; 
 
In the past two weeks, Buddhist mobs have ransacked two mosques in separate towns, sending Muslim residents fleeing to other villages for safety. 
 
Myanmar`s state security forces, which are overwhelmingly Buddhist, have faced criticism for slow or incomplete investigations into previous acts of religious violence.&nbsp; 
 
But today they said they had arrested five people linked to the attack on a mosque in northern Kachin State last Friday. 
 
&quot;We have arrested four men and a woman. They (were part of the group) who destroyed the mosque,&quot; Moe Lwin, a police officer from Lone Khin, the affected village, told AFP. 
 
&#39;It is not very easy to take legal action against all people concerned&#39;&nbsp; 
 
The group allegedly joined the armed Buddhist mob that stormed the prayer hall and burned it to the ground last week.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It is not very easy to take legal action against all the people concerned with this case as there were many people there on that day,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
But no arrests have been made in the central Bago village where another mosque was ransacked last month, according to a local Muslim leader. 
 
&quot;I can see the people who destroyed the mosque walking in front of me every day in the village,&quot; Win Shwe, the mosque`s secretary, told AFP. 
 
Bouts of religious violence have left scores dead&nbsp; 
 
Bouts of religious violence in Myanmar have torn communities apart and left scores dead in recent years, with the worst bloodshed hitting western Rakhine state in 2012.&nbsp; 
 
Rakhine remains almost completely divided on religious grounds, with the one-million-strong Muslim Rohingya facing heavy restrictions on their movement and discrimination from a government that denies them citizenship.&nbsp; 
 
Carving out a solution for the stateless minority, who are reviled by increasingly strident Buddhist nationalists, has posed a steep challenge to the new administration led by Aung San Suu Kyi.&nbsp; 
 
The veteran rights activist has come under fire for failing to take up the group&#39;s plight as she seeks to avoid stoking further unrest over the sensitive issue. 
 
UN rights office spokesman Rupert Colville said the body was particularly concerned by reports that police were at the mosque on Friday but had failed to take action to prevent it being destroyed. 
 
&quot;We call on the government to investigate both these incidents, as well as the responses by local authorities, in a prompt and thorough manner,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;These acts of mob violence could fuel a further cycle of hostility in the country, and we urge immediate steps be taken to prevent further incidents of religious intolerance.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

In the past two weeks, Buddhist mobs have ransacked two mosques in separate towns

Myanmar police have arrested five villagers for burning down a mosque last week, an officer said today, as authorities look to contain religious violence in the Buddhist-majority nation. Anti-Muslim sentiment has fomented across Myanmar in recent years, sporadically erupting into bloodshed and threatening to damage democratic gains in the former junta-run country. In the past two weeks, Buddhist mobs have ransacked two mosques in separate towns, sending Muslim residents fleeing to other villages for safety. Myanmar`s state security forces, which are overwhelmingly Buddhist, have faced criticism for slow or incomplete investigations into previous acts of religious violence. But today they said they had arrested five people linked to the attack on a mosque in northern Kachin State last Friday. "We have arrested four men and a woman. They (were part of the group) who destroyed the mosque," Moe Lwin, a police officer from Lone Khin, the affected village, told AFP. 'It is not very easy to take legal action against all people concerned' The group allegedly joined the armed Buddhist mob that stormed the prayer hall and burned it to the ground last week. "It is not very easy to take legal action against all the people concerned with this case as there were many people there on that day," he added. But no arrests have been made in the central Bago village where another mosque was ransacked last month, according to a local Muslim leader. "I can see the people who destroyed the mosque walking in front of me every day in the village," Win Shwe, the mosque`s secretary, told AFP. Bouts of religious violence have left scores dead Bouts of religious violence in Myanmar have torn communities apart and left scores dead in recent years, with the worst bloodshed hitting western Rakhine state in 2012. Rakhine remains almost completely divided on religious grounds, with the one-million-strong Muslim Rohingya facing heavy restrictions on their movement and discrimination from a government that denies them citizenship. Carving out a solution for the stateless minority, who are reviled by increasingly strident Buddhist nationalists, has posed a steep challenge to the new administration led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The veteran rights activist has come under fire for failing to take up the group's plight as she seeks to avoid stoking further unrest over the sensitive issue. UN rights office spokesman Rupert Colville said the body was particularly concerned by reports that police were at the mosque on Friday but had failed to take action to prevent it being destroyed. "We call on the government to investigate both these incidents, as well as the responses by local authorities, in a prompt and thorough manner," he said. "These acts of mob violence could fuel a further cycle of hostility in the country, and we urge immediate steps be taken to prevent further incidents of religious intolerance." (AFP)

Five arrested in Myanmar for burning down mosque

A mob wielding weapons razed a Muslim prayer hall in northern Myanmar, state media reported Saturday. This is the second attack on a mosque in just over a week as anti-Muslim sentiment swells in the Buddhist-majority nation. 
 
Myanmar has struggled to contain bouts of deadly religious bloodshed in recent years, with bristling sectarian tensions and rising Buddhist nationalism posing a steep challenge to the new government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.&nbsp; 
 
On Friday villagers in Hpakant, a jade-mining town in northern Kachin state, ransacked a mosque &quot;wielding sticks, knives and other weapons&quot; before burning it down, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar. 
 
&quot;The mob was unresponsive and entirely beyond control. The building was razed by the riotous crowd,&quot; the paper reported, adding that the rampage was sparked by a dispute over the mosque`s construction. &nbsp;No arrests have been made, it said. 
 
UN investigator calls on government to take strict action 
The riot coincided with the end of a 12-day visit by a United Nations rights investigator who warned that &quot;tensions along religious lines remain pervasive across Myanmar society&quot;. 
 
In a press conference concluding her trip Friday, Yanghee Lee called on authorities to investigate the destruction of another mosque in central Bago late last month.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The government must demonstrate that instigating and committing violence against an ethnic or religious minority community has no place in Myanmar,&quot; she said. 
 
Religious intolerance has mushroomed across the country in recent years, threatening to unravel advances towards democracy since the former junta stepped down in 2011. 
 
Authorities, however, have been reluctant to launch prosecutions out of fear of stoking further unrest. 
 
Rohingya still bearing brunt of worst religious violence&nbsp; 
The worst religious violence struck western Rakhine State in 2012, leaving scores dead and pushing tens of thousands of the stateless Muslim Rohingya into destitute displacement camps.&nbsp; 
 
The state remains almost completely divided on religious grounds, with Muslim communities subject to a host of restrictions on their movements and access to basic services and employment. 
 
Lee urged the country`s new government to make ending &quot;institutionalised discrimination against Muslim communities in state... an urgent priority&quot;. 
 
Suu Kyi, the Noble peace prize winner who championed her country&#39;s struggle against a repressive military regime, has dismayed rights groups by not taking swifter moves to carve out a solution for the Rohingya.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

This is the second attack on a mosque in just over a week

A mob wielding weapons razed a Muslim prayer hall in northern Myanmar, state media reported Saturday. This is the second attack on a mosque in just over a week as anti-Muslim sentiment swells in the Buddhist-majority nation. Myanmar has struggled to contain bouts of deadly religious bloodshed in recent years, with bristling sectarian tensions and rising Buddhist nationalism posing a steep challenge to the new government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. On Friday villagers in Hpakant, a jade-mining town in northern Kachin state, ransacked a mosque "wielding sticks, knives and other weapons" before burning it down, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar. "The mob was unresponsive and entirely beyond control. The building was razed by the riotous crowd," the paper reported, adding that the rampage was sparked by a dispute over the mosque`s construction. No arrests have been made, it said. UN investigator calls on government to take strict action The riot coincided with the end of a 12-day visit by a United Nations rights investigator who warned that "tensions along religious lines remain pervasive across Myanmar society". In a press conference concluding her trip Friday, Yanghee Lee called on authorities to investigate the destruction of another mosque in central Bago late last month. "The government must demonstrate that instigating and committing violence against an ethnic or religious minority community has no place in Myanmar," she said. Religious intolerance has mushroomed across the country in recent years, threatening to unravel advances towards democracy since the former junta stepped down in 2011. Authorities, however, have been reluctant to launch prosecutions out of fear of stoking further unrest. Rohingya still bearing brunt of worst religious violence The worst religious violence struck western Rakhine State in 2012, leaving scores dead and pushing tens of thousands of the stateless Muslim Rohingya into destitute displacement camps. The state remains almost completely divided on religious grounds, with Muslim communities subject to a host of restrictions on their movements and access to basic services and employment. Lee urged the country`s new government to make ending "institutionalised discrimination against Muslim communities in state... an urgent priority". Suu Kyi, the Noble peace prize winner who championed her country's struggle against a repressive military regime, has dismayed rights groups by not taking swifter moves to carve out a solution for the Rohingya. (AFP)

Mob razes mosque in northern Myanmar

The United States has decided to place Myanmar on its global list of worst offenders in human trafficking, officials said, a move aimed at prodding the country&rsquo;s new democratically elected government and its still-powerful military to do more to curb the use of child soldiers and forced labour. 
 
The reprimand of Myanmar comes despite US efforts to court the strategically important country to help counteract China&rsquo;s rise in the region and build a Southeast Asian bulwark against Beijing&rsquo;s territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea. 
 
Myanmar&rsquo;s demotion, part of the State Department&rsquo;s closely watched annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report due to be released on Thursday, also appears intended to send a message of US concern about continued widespread persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority in the Buddhist-majority nation. 
 
The country&rsquo;s new leader, democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, has been criticised internationally for neglecting the Rohingya issue since her administration took office this year. 
 
Washington has faced a complex balancing act over Myanmar, a former military dictatorship that has emerged from decades of international isolation since launching sweeping political changes in 2011. 
 
President Barack Obama&rsquo;s diplomatic opening to Myanmar is widely seen as a key foreign policy achievement as he enters his final seven months in office, but even as he has eased some sanctions he has kept others in place to maintain leverage for further reforms. 
 
At the same time, Washington wants to keep Myanmar from slipping back into China&rsquo;s orbit at a time when US officials are trying to forge a unified regional front. 
 
The US decision to drop Myanmar to &ldquo;Tier 3,&rdquo; the lowest grade, putting it alongside countries like Iran, North Korea and Syria, was confirmed by a US official in Washington and a Bangkok-based official from an international organisation informed of the move. Another person familiar with the matter said: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to turn you away from this conclusion.&rdquo; All spoke on condition of anonymity. 
 
A Tier 3 rating can trigger sanctions limiting access to US and international aid. But US presidents frequently waive such action. 
 
The decision on Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was one of the most hotly contested in this year&rsquo;s report, and followed concerns that some assessments in last year&rsquo;s human trafficking report were watered down for political reasons. 
 
There was intense internal debate between senior US diplomats who wanted to reward Myanmar for progress on political reforms and US human rights experts who argued that not enough was being done to curb human trafficking, the US official said. 
 
A Reuters investigation published last August found that senior diplomats repeatedly overruled the State Department&rsquo;s anti-trafficking unit and inflated the grades of 14 strategically important countries. The State Department denied any political considerations but US lawmakers called for reforms in the decision-making process. 
 
This year&rsquo;s decision on Myanmar marked a win for the State Department&rsquo;s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, which was set up to independently grade countries&rsquo; efforts to prevent modern slavery, such as the illegal trade in humans for forced labour or prostitution. 
 
Because Myanmar had been on the so-called &ldquo;Tier 2 Watch List&rdquo; for the maximum four years permitted by law, the State Department either had to justify an upgrade or else automatically downgrade it. A Tier 3 ranking means that anti-trafficking efforts do not meet &ldquo;minimum standards&rdquo; and it is &ldquo;not making significant efforts to do so.&rdquo; 
 
State Department spokesman John Kirby said: &ldquo;We will not comment on the contents of this year&rsquo;s report until after the report is released.&rdquo; 
 
 
Child soldiers 
 
Deliberations on Myanmar&rsquo;s record focused heavily on efforts to halt the military&#39;s recruitment and use of child soldiers as well as forced labour, especially the coercion of local villagers to perform some work. Such practices have been documented by international human rights groups and are also outlined in last year&#39;s State Department report. 
 
A key issue that the U.S. administration considered before Myanmar&rsquo;s downgrade was alleged government complicity in human trafficking, including its failure to prosecute any civilian officials for their involvement in it, according to the person familiar with the situation. While the Myanmar military is credited with significant progress toward curbing the use of child soldiers, such as allowing international inspections of military bases, there was no indication the problem had been completely eradicated as the U.S. anti-trafficking office had urged, the source said.Human rights groups had lobbied U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry against upgrading Myanmar, saying it would be unearned. 
 
The diplomatic blow to Myanmar&rsquo;s government could be softened by the fact that the TIP report covered efforts during the year ending in March, under the previous administration of former junta general Thein Sein. 
 
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, assumed her government role in April, after her party won the country&rsquo;s first democratic elections in five decades. 
 
But with the generals still controlling three security ministries and holding a lock on 25 percent of seats in parliament, U.S. officials grappled with whether a downgrade could undermine cooperation from the military against human trafficking. 
 
For her part, Suu Kyi has recently unsettled U.S. officials by calling on them not to use the term &ldquo;Rohingya&rdquo; to refer to the Muslim minority in the country&rsquo;s north. Many in Myanmar refer to them as &quot;Bengalis,&quot; insinuating that they are stateless illegal immigrants. 
 
The United States has urged Myanmar to treat them as citizens. 
 
The 2015 TIP report highlighted that the government&#39;s denial of citizenship to an estimated 800,000 men, women and children in Burma -- the majority of them ethnic Rohingya -- &quot;significantly increased this population&#39;s vulnerability to trafficking&quot;. 
 
&ldquo;The chronic, chronic abuse of the Rohingya has not been dealt with at all,&rdquo; a U.S. congressional aide said, suggesting support on Capitol Hill for a downgrade this year. 
 
(Reuters)

The move is intended to send a message of US concern about continued widespread persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority

The United States has decided to place Myanmar on its global list of worst offenders in human trafficking, officials said, a move aimed at prodding the country’s new democratically elected government and its still-powerful military to do more to curb the use of child soldiers and forced labour. The reprimand of Myanmar comes despite US efforts to court the strategically important country to help counteract China’s rise in the region and build a Southeast Asian bulwark against Beijing’s territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea. Myanmar’s demotion, part of the State Department’s closely watched annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report due to be released on Thursday, also appears intended to send a message of US concern about continued widespread persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority in the Buddhist-majority nation. The country’s new leader, democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, has been criticised internationally for neglecting the Rohingya issue since her administration took office this year. Washington has faced a complex balancing act over Myanmar, a former military dictatorship that has emerged from decades of international isolation since launching sweeping political changes in 2011. President Barack Obama’s diplomatic opening to Myanmar is widely seen as a key foreign policy achievement as he enters his final seven months in office, but even as he has eased some sanctions he has kept others in place to maintain leverage for further reforms. At the same time, Washington wants to keep Myanmar from slipping back into China’s orbit at a time when US officials are trying to forge a unified regional front. The US decision to drop Myanmar to “Tier 3,” the lowest grade, putting it alongside countries like Iran, North Korea and Syria, was confirmed by a US official in Washington and a Bangkok-based official from an international organisation informed of the move. Another person familiar with the matter said: “I’m not going to turn you away from this conclusion.” All spoke on condition of anonymity. A Tier 3 rating can trigger sanctions limiting access to US and international aid. But US presidents frequently waive such action. The decision on Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was one of the most hotly contested in this year’s report, and followed concerns that some assessments in last year’s human trafficking report were watered down for political reasons. There was intense internal debate between senior US diplomats who wanted to reward Myanmar for progress on political reforms and US human rights experts who argued that not enough was being done to curb human trafficking, the US official said. A Reuters investigation published last August found that senior diplomats repeatedly overruled the State Department’s anti-trafficking unit and inflated the grades of 14 strategically important countries. The State Department denied any political considerations but US lawmakers called for reforms in the decision-making process. This year’s decision on Myanmar marked a win for the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, which was set up to independently grade countries’ efforts to prevent modern slavery, such as the illegal trade in humans for forced labour or prostitution. Because Myanmar had been on the so-called “Tier 2 Watch List” for the maximum four years permitted by law, the State Department either had to justify an upgrade or else automatically downgrade it. A Tier 3 ranking means that anti-trafficking efforts do not meet “minimum standards” and it is “not making significant efforts to do so.” State Department spokesman John Kirby said: “We will not comment on the contents of this year’s report until after the report is released.” Child soldiers Deliberations on Myanmar’s record focused heavily on efforts to halt the military's recruitment and use of child soldiers as well as forced labour, especially the coercion of local villagers to perform some work. Such practices have been documented by international human rights groups and are also outlined in last year's State Department report. A key issue that the U.S. administration considered before Myanmar’s downgrade was alleged government complicity in human trafficking, including its failure to prosecute any civilian officials for their involvement in it, according to the person familiar with the situation. While the Myanmar military is credited with significant progress toward curbing the use of child soldiers, such as allowing international inspections of military bases, there was no indication the problem had been completely eradicated as the U.S. anti-trafficking office had urged, the source said.Human rights groups had lobbied U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry against upgrading Myanmar, saying it would be unearned. The diplomatic blow to Myanmar’s government could be softened by the fact that the TIP report covered efforts during the year ending in March, under the previous administration of former junta general Thein Sein. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, assumed her government role in April, after her party won the country’s first democratic elections in five decades. But with the generals still controlling three security ministries and holding a lock on 25 percent of seats in parliament, U.S. officials grappled with whether a downgrade could undermine cooperation from the military against human trafficking. For her part, Suu Kyi has recently unsettled U.S. officials by calling on them not to use the term “Rohingya” to refer to the Muslim minority in the country’s north. Many in Myanmar refer to them as "Bengalis," insinuating that they are stateless illegal immigrants. The United States has urged Myanmar to treat them as citizens. The 2015 TIP report highlighted that the government's denial of citizenship to an estimated 800,000 men, women and children in Burma -- the majority of them ethnic Rohingya -- "significantly increased this population's vulnerability to trafficking". “The chronic, chronic abuse of the Rohingya has not been dealt with at all,” a U.S. congressional aide said, suggesting support on Capitol Hill for a downgrade this year. (Reuters)

US to place Myanmar on global list of worst offenders in human trafficking

Myanmar set fire to illicit drugs worth $19.7 million on Sunday to mark International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. 
 
Officials said they included more than 4 million addictive stimulant pills and 143 kg of methamphetamine in the form of &#39;ice&#39;. 
 
The 26th annual mass destruction of narcotic drugs was witnessed by foreign diplomats and United Nations Office On Drugs and Crime (UNODC) officials. 
 
&quot;There are two narcotics-related productions going on in our country. These are opium cultivation and manufacturing of narcotics. We can see both are increasing in production. We seized more amounts than the previous year as a result of our efforts in anti-drug operations,&quot; said Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Kyaw Min, a police anti-drugs officer. 
 
UNODC suggests in its annual report that the number of people classified as suffering from drug user disorders has increased for the first time in the last six years. 
 
Methamphetamines continue to dominate illicit drug markets. Areas under opium poppy cultivation in the Golden Triangle of which Myanmar has biggest border area, were estimated at nearly 62,000 hectares, accounting for 22 per cent of the global total. 
 
(Reuters)

The $19.7-million haul was destroyed to curb drug trade, but opium cultivation and narcotics production are both on the rise in the country

Myanmar set fire to illicit drugs worth $19.7 million on Sunday to mark International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Officials said they included more than 4 million addictive stimulant pills and 143 kg of methamphetamine in the form of 'ice'. The 26th annual mass destruction of narcotic drugs was witnessed by foreign diplomats and United Nations Office On Drugs and Crime (UNODC) officials. "There are two narcotics-related productions going on in our country. These are opium cultivation and manufacturing of narcotics. We can see both are increasing in production. We seized more amounts than the previous year as a result of our efforts in anti-drug operations," said Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Kyaw Min, a police anti-drugs officer. UNODC suggests in its annual report that the number of people classified as suffering from drug user disorders has increased for the first time in the last six years. Methamphetamines continue to dominate illicit drug markets. Areas under opium poppy cultivation in the Golden Triangle of which Myanmar has biggest border area, were estimated at nearly 62,000 hectares, accounting for 22 per cent of the global total. (Reuters)

Myanmar burns seized drugs on International Day against Drug Abuse

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

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