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An Independent Survey of Events in Myanmar

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Notice to Readers

The main contents of the Network Myanmar website are in the process of being tranferred to the ISEAS "SeaLion PLUS" database set up in 2015. The present website will also remain live until 31 October 2016 as a research resource for general use and as a record of events relating to Myanmar's First Parliament of the 21st Century, whose term was from 30 March 2011 to 30 March 2016. 

A valedictory message is attached at this link.

On 1 July 2016, the copyright of this website was transferred to the Myanmar Book Centre Co. Ltd. in Yangon. Their contact details are:

Address: No. 55 Baho Road, Ahlone Township, Yangon, Myanmar
Telephone: + (951) 221 271 or 212 409, and 09 731 47732
Fax: + (951) 524 580

Derek Tonkin

Editor
12 August 2016

Latest UN Engagement over Rakhine State

Myanmar Times: 31 March 2016

Despite the euphoria of yesterday's historic handover, the reality is that President U Htin Kyaw's administration takes office at a time when the country is facing a range of economic, political, and social challenges. The Myanmar Times has surveyed 10 of the most significant hurdles the new government will face as it seeks to achieve its policy pledges and meet the high expectations of the voters who put it in power.

Global New Light of Myanmar - 31 March 2016 
Notifications, Orders and a translation of the inaugural speech by President U Htin Kyaw. The official list of Notifications and Orders below refers readers to the President's website.
 

Notifications

  • Notification No. 1/2016 - Formation of Union Government
  • Notification No. 2/2016 - Formation of National Defence and Security Council
  • Notification No. 3/2016 - Formation of Constitutional Tribunal of the Union
  • Notification No. 4/2016 - Formation of Union Election Commission
  • Notification No. 5/2016 - Reformation of Union Government
  • Notification No. 6/2016 - Formation of Financial Commission

Orders - Appointments

  • Order No. 1/2016 - Chairman of Constitutional Tribunal of the Union
  • Order No. 2/2016 - Chairman of Union Election Commission
  • Order No. 3/2016 - Union Ministers
  • Order No. 4/2016 - Region/State Chief Ministers
  • Order No. 5/2016 - Members of Constitutional Tribunal of the Union
  • Order No. 6/2016 - Members of the Union Election Commission
  • Order No. 7/2016 - Region/State Ethnic Affairs Ministers
  • Order No. 8/2016 - Chairman of Nay Pyi Taw Council
  • Order No. 9/2016 - Union Ministers
  • Order No. 10/2016 - Attorney-General
  • Order No. 11/2016 - Auditor-General
  • Order No. 12/2016 - Chairman of Union Civil Service Board
Robert H Taylor: ISEAS 'Trends in Southeast Asia' No.3 2016

Spokespersons for the ethnic armed groups continue to speak the language of ethnic rights and a federal army, while the government talks about reaching material and administrative agreements and the army insists that there can only be one army. These debates echo the past, going back to the formation of Myanmar in the late 1940s.

In order to break the apparently endless debate about federalism, ethnicity, states and divisions in the Union of Myanmar, perhaps a new approach might be considered - taking federalism a step further to the seventy-four district levels of administration. As the ethnically designated armed groups operate in relatively small and localized areas, a solution that squares the circle between ethnicity and territory might have appeal.

Sai Wansai: Transnational Institute - 4 April 2016
While the first move of Aung San Suu Kyi has been to form a national reconciliation government, followed by restructuring, streamlining and planning so that her administration can function, the handling of the country’s faltering peace process has now risen to become one of the most urgent and essential challenges on the NLD's must-do list. Read more.....
Andrew Selth: Lowy Interpreter - 29 March 2016

The Myanmar people themselves deserve most of the credit for the transition and, like it or not, that includes the armed forces. It may seem a harsh judgement, but examined objectively it is hard to escape the conclusion that Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD are forming a new government this week largely because the generals have allowed them to do so, as part of a long term plan formulated by the former military regime.

Despite 25 years of international action, economic sanctions and other measures designed to isolate and punish Myanmar's military government, it just kept growing stronger. In strategic, political, military and economic terms, it was more powerful in 2011 than at any time since 1988, possibly even since the 1962 military coup. Granted, it was very unpopular and faced serious domestic problems, but when it eventually handed over the reins to Thein Sein the regime was firmly entrenched in power.

There are still die-hard proponents of sanctions, but most governments now acknowledge that, in Myanecomar's case, they had only a marginal effect. They did not change the regime's thinking or policies on a single key issue. Indeed, they made it more resentful of external interference, strengthened its bunker mentality, inhibited the development of civil institutions in Myanmar, and made daily life even harder for its people. Read more.....

Derek Tonkin writes: The myths about sanctions are being slowly debunked. But as you would expect, in the debate on "Burma" in the House of Commons on 23 March 2016 no credit was given to the Tatmadaw by any participant for allowing free and fair elections to be held.

Gwen Robinson: Nikkei Asian Review - 27 March 2016

Myanmar's military chief on Sunday pledged to support the country's new civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, but emphasized security concerns that signaled determination to keep the armed forces at the heart of government. 

In a speech marking Armed Forces Day, an annual event in Napyitaw, Myanmar's capital, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said that the armed forces would work for the nation's prosperity, but also warned about challenges. "The two main hindrances to democratization are not abiding by the rule of law, and the presence of armed insurgencies. These could lead to a chaotic democracy," he said.  His remarks about the rule of law were widely seen as a pointed reference to attempts by Suu Kyi to amend the 2008 constitution.

Reuters - 21 March 2016

Around 25,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority group have left camps for displaced people in western Myanmar and returned to the communities they fled during sectarian violence in 2012, the United Nations said on Monday. The number of people still in camps has fallen to around 120,000 from 145,000 in Rakhine State, Vivian Tan, regional spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency, told Reuters.

The move will bolster optimism among ethnic communities in Myanmar that their situation may improve under the new government of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD). The majority of Rohingya who have left the camps have rebuilt houses in their place of origin, Tan said in an e-mailed statement to Reuters. The move out of the camps started in March 2015 in a process led by the Myanmar government, she added. "These movements are a positive step toward ending displacement, cutting humanitarian dependency as well as restoring a degree of normality and dignity to people's lives." The Rohingya still faced challenges due to lack of citizenship and related restrictions. The number of camps for displaced people has fallen to 40, down from 67. 

         

Lee Jones 1

RT NW 1