1. law, govt and politics
2. politics
3. elections

EPA
PE
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NATIONAL: BRITISH, MYANMAR OBSERVERS JOIN KOH TAO MURDER PROBE ✪4
First INDEPENDENT English daily
www.elevenmyanmar.com
TUESDAY, October 14, 2014
INSIDE
Yangon’s election
NATIONAL
The first election in more than 60 years is derided as a ‘power grab’
Peace centre chairman
blames foreign funding
for civil wars
✪2
BUSINESS
New economic zone
planned for border with
Bangladesh
✪6
AFP
ASEAN+
Workers at a construction site in Yangon. The city has witnessed the economic boom and is moving towards to restore political freedom.
MYANMAR ELEVEN
MYANMAR’S largest city will
have its first election in more
than 60 years on December 27,
but the voting will be restricted
to just one person per household, while two townships –
Seikkan and Lanmadaw – will be
counted as one, the Yangon City
Commission announced.
Voters will be electing the representatives of the Yangon City
Development Committee
(YCDC), as well as district and
township development committees, though few residents of the
city of more than 5 million seem
to know much about the election,
according to interviews by Eleven
Media.
The announcement even
caught members of the YCDC off
guard. The last election to select
its members occurred in 1949.
MP U Kyaw, who represents
Thingangyun Township, is
already preparing to submit an
objection to the regional parliament over the one-vote-perhousehold electoral system, say-
ing it violates the Constitution.
“This voting system undoubtedly
can’t ensure a free and fair election and also violates constitutional rights,” he said, adding
that he will object directly to the
speaker of the regional
Parliament.
Lower House MP Thein Nyunt,
chairperson of New National
Democracy Party, also said the
voting system risked having the
election dismissed as unconstitutional by the courts. He said it
was simply undemocratic to allocate votes to households rather
than individuals.
MP Dr Nyo Nyo Thin also
plans to submit a letter of objection. She previously tabled a
motion calling for the cancellation of by-laws passed by the
YCDC on August 1, saying they
were passed illegally. She also
raised objections to the restrictive voting system, as well as
restrictions on candidacy eligibility, which she said were more
rigorous than those required to
be a Union level MP.
Following her motion voting
was extended to every household, raising the number of eligible voters from 30,000 to an
estimated 800,000. Critics of
this voting system, however, say
transparency issues are likely to
bedevil the election as voters
will be also assessed and chosen by district and township
groups formed by the Yangon
Region government.
The announcement said that
the households will be allowed
to elect four of eight members
of the YCDC, 12 representatives
for four district development
committees and 96 representatives for 32 township development committees.
Candidates will be selected
from a list submitted by 4pm on
October 19 by a commission
comprising five retired government officials. Only those
between 35 and 65 years of age
can run. Moreover, they must
have lived at the same address
for 10 years and be well versed
in urban development.
Registration fees for candidates
are Ks 300,000 (US$300) for
the YCDC, Ks 200,000 for district-level committee and Ks
100,000 for township-level committee.
All campaigning, public
speeches and publication of
pamphlets will have to be
approved by the regional government and Yangon City
Commission.
According to the Yangon City
Commission, however, the candidates will be elected in the
same way they are in any other
multi-party democratic election.
After the elections, the Yangon
Region Government will assign
tasks among the four elected
YCDC representatives and the
four appointed by the mayor.
The secretary and joint secretary will be selected from the
four appointed representatives.
One MP of the regional parliament, who asked not to be
named, said it was “improper”
for the mayor to select the two
top officials of the YCDC. It’s a
power grab, he said.
The election is funded by a
Ks 500 million budget.
US Marine tagged in
transgender slay named
✪7
ARTS&CULTURE
Myanmar generals
look to the stars
✪10
2
NATIONAL
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Peace centre chairman blames
foreign funding for civil wars
IN a startling statement to
Parliament on October 13, Aung
Min, chairman of Myanmar
Peace Centre (MPC), claimed
foreign funding of ethnic groups
had been responsible for prolonging Myanmar’s numerous
civil wars.
Aung Min, also a minister at
the President’s Office, said that
30 foreign countries had provided aid through NGOs to ethnic
groups and that this support was
the main reason armed conflicts
continue in Myanmar.
Aung Min provided a lengthy
answer.
“We need good players to
carry out the peace process,” he
began, before listing them. He
said the No 1 player was the
administration of President
Thein Sein, No 2 was the group
led by Lower House Speaker
Thura Shwe Mann, and No 3 was
the army led by Senior General
Min Aung Hlaing, armed ethnic
groups, political parties and
international organisations.
“These players should be
good,” he said before focusing
on the one on his list. “I will talk
about the last player, the international organisations.
Previously, they never provided
support to the government and
only supported other [rival]
groups. That’s why armed conflicts were never brought to an
end or peace achieved,” the
President’s Office minister said.
“All [armed ethnic groups]
declare that their areas are liberated and they get everything
they want inside them. They are
100,000 strong. And there are
350,000 of them living in camps
for internally displaced people
[across the country]. There are
also 465,000 refugees. They
total around 1 million. The international organisations support
them,” he explained, specifically
mentioning the United Nations
High Commissioner for
Refugees.
“Thirty foreign countries provide aid through NGOs. Mainly
due to this support, the armed
conflicts live on,” he added.
Times have changed, however,
the chairman of the Myanmar
Peace Centre said.
“Now [foreign governments]
have turned their attention to the
[Union] government to give us
Aung Min at a peace
talk meeting on
September 26.
EPA
MYANMAR ELEVEN
support as they trust us. They
have all turned to us, but we
don’t have authority to touch
their funds,” he said, adding that
the lack of access to these funds
was “regretful”.
“Actually, we want to spend
money from the government, but
if the government has to spend
that huge amount of money [on
the peace process], there will be
less money to build roads and
bridges,” Aung Min continued.
National League for
Democracy MP Win Htein recently made questions about trans-
parency at the centre, as well as
the allegedly high salaries
received by some staff and their
motivation for working at the
MPC.
Win Htein told Aung Min that
he found it dispiriting to read
articles in journals that ques-
tioned the quality and integrity of
MPC staff. The MP, who represents Meikhtila constituency in
Mandalay Region, referred specifically to a report in 7 Days
journal two weeks ago that raised
such questions and alleged that
the MPC had put people with
poor reputations for business
dealings and social behaviour
into senior positions.
“How much transparency is
there?” Win Htein asked. Have
MPC staff been evaluated to
determine whether they are
seeking peace or other gains
from the centre? he asked its
chairman.
Aung Min responded by saying MPC comprised many
groups. “It has ethnic armed
groups and others, such as the
ABDSDF (All Burma Students’
Democratic Front)… Some of its
members went abroad to study
for their doctorates. The group
joined the MPC pledging they
will always be loyal to the
nation. Who will join it if these
groups do not? The MPC is
working to achieve the peace.
The organisation needs to talk
with the enemies. How can we
achieve peace if we do not do
this? We have enemies. I admit
that. I will take responsibility to
make them ours. I take responsibility for their mistakes. Just
punish me,” he said.
Army urged to withdraw troops from northern Shan State
MYANMAR ELEVEN
The Union military, also
known as the Tatmadaw, must
immediately withdraw its troops
from the area near Tar Pha
Saung Bridge in northern Shan
State’s Kyaythee Township following President Thein Sein’s
order, a statement from the
Shan State Progressive Party
(SSPP) and its armed wing
Shan State Army (SSA) said.
Fierce clashes erupted
between Tatmadaw and the
SSA troops from October 2 to
4. The Union military command
called the SSPP/SSA on
October 5 to inform them that
Thein Sein instructed both
sides to withdraw from the
area. The SSPP/SSA has
already withdrawn from the
area, but the Tatmadaw has
said it will only do so gradually,
the statement said.
The clashes were planned in
advance by the Tatmadaw, the
SSPP/SSAA said.
Despite instructions from
Thein Sein, the Tatmadaw had
yet to withdraw from the area
by October 10. “If the
Tatmadaw wishes a genuine
peace, it should not delay …
the clashes can undermine a
nationwide ceasefire deal,” the
statement from the SSPP/SSA
said. “Political problems should
not be solved militarily,” it
added.
“Heavy shelling during
renewed [Myanmar] army
offensive causes civilian deaths
and further displacement of
hundreds in central Shan State,”
the Shan Human Rights
Foundation said on its Facebook
page on October 10. Tatmadaw
“operations against the Shan
State Progress Party/Shan
State Army ... since early
October have caused widespread damage, loss of civilian
lives, and further displacement
of hundreds of villagers,” it
added.
Tar Pha Saung Bridge was
built by the SSPP/SSA and
blown up by the Tatmadaw in
2011. The SSPP/SSA rebuilt it
in January 2012. The Tatmadaw
drove the SSPP/SSA out of the
area in June of this year, the
statement said. Leaders of the
Union Peacemaking Work
Committee and the SSPP/SSA
have held two rounds of talks
over the clashes but have not
reached an agreement.
President Thein Sein said in
his meeting with the SSPP/SSA
in Nay Pyi Taw on August 25
that he had ordered both sides
to retreat from the area.
An SSPP/SSA delegation led
by vice-chairman Sao Khay met
the commander of Central East
Command on August 31 to discuss troop withdrawals.
The Central East Commander
subsequently called for the SSA
troops to withdraw on
September 30 and October 1—
before launching attacks on
SSA camps on the morning of
October 2. The SSPP/SSA sent
an e-mail to the president calling for an immediate ceasefire.
It withdrew its troops from the
area on October 3, the statement said.
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, October 14, 2014
3
National
4
NEWS
DIGEST
Govt refuses to close
labour camps
The Myanmar government has
rejected a parliamentary request to
close the country’s notorious
labour camps, media reports said
Tuesday.
Deputy Home Affairs Minister
Brigadier-General Kyaw Kyaw Tun
told parliament on Monday that
there was no plan to close the
prison campsas there was nothing
inhumane about the treatment of
inmates serving hard labour
sentences, the reports said.
The labour camps, known as
Yebet camps, were first introduced
to Myanmar in 1978, and over
4,000 prisoners died at these
camps between1978 and 2004,
Kyaw Kyaw Tun said. In 2004, the
ruling junta dissolved 36 labour
camps and renamed the remaining
46 as “Agriculture and Livestock
Breeding Career Training Centres”
or “Manufacturing Centres.”
According to government
statistics, 1,100 inmates died in the
camps between May 2004 and
August 2014.
“These deaths are mainly
because of the weather, diet,
lifestyle and accidents,” Kyaw Kyaw
Tun said.
According to several reports by
Thailand-based Assistance
Association for Political Prisoners,
most of the labour camps do not
have a prison hospital or clinic, and
at least 12 do not have a prison
doctor. According to government
figures there are over 10,000
inmates serving in the 46 centres,
where convicted criminals serve
the hard labour part of their
sentences.
—DPA
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, October 14, 2014
British, Myanmar observers
to join Koh Tao murder probe
THE NATION
THAILAND has agreed to welcome British and Myanmar
observers into the investigation
on the murder of two British
tourists on the southern island of
Koh Tao, following the criticisms
that the two arrested Myanmar
nationals were likely scapegoats.
Sek Wannamethee, the
spokesperson of Thailand’s
Foreign Affairs Ministry, said that
at the meeting today with British
and Myanmar envoys, he relayed
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha’s message that the investigation is a priority.
He said that national police
chief Pol Gen Somyot
Poompanmoung agreed to open
a direct communication channel
and updates would be handed to
the UK and Myanmar embassies
in Bangkok. Thai police liaisons
would also be appointed to work
directly with the two embassies.
Representing in the meeting
were British Ambassador Mark
Kent and Myanmar Ambassador.
Thai police have charged two
migrant workers from Myanmar
with the murder of David Miller,
24, and the rape and murder of
Hannah Witheridge, 23, after the
tourists’ battered bodies were
found on the southern island of
Koh Tao on September 15.
Police have said the men confessed to the crime and their
DNA matched samples taken
from Witheridge’s body.
But unease over the case has
deepened amid reports that the
suspects - Zaw Lin and Win Zaw
Htun, both 21 - have recanted
their confessions, saying they
had been tortured into making
them. Thai police has strongly
denied the allegation.
Before the meeting an official
from the Myanmar president’s
office in Nay Pyi Taw told AFP he
hoped the talks “would help
bring a fair and genuine investigation” into the case, which
many have accused Thai authorities of mishandling.
“We hope Thai authorities will
act with balance and accuracy to
prosecute the offenders according to the law and not take action
wrongly against those who didn’t
commit the crime,” he said,
requesting anonymity.
On Monday the British government summoned Thailand’s
top diplomatic representative in
London to stress “real concern”
about the handling of the investigation.
In a statement junior foreign
minister Hugo Swire “reiterated
that the UK police stood ready to
assist with the investigation and
subsequent legal process”.
The Rakhine National Network
announced on October 10 that it
would send an open letter to
Prayut, requesting that the case
be re-examined to find the real
culprits while calling for greater
cooperation between Thailand,
Myanmar and Britain to resolve
the case.
In the letter, the group said it
wanted the case to be reconsidered, as it believed the suspects
– citizens of Rakhine State - were
wrongly accused of murders that
occurred in an area where many
gangs operated.
Some 10,000 Rohingya expected in Thailand ‘soon’
The Thai Navy stops a
boat full of Rohingyas as
they approach
Thailand’s territory.
Seventeen civic organisations
will propose draft guidelines for
monitoring the general election
expected to take place late next
year when they meet with
members of the Election
Commission in Yangon on October
20, members of the groups said.
The draft guidelines focus on
ensuring that election monitors will
be independent, and are based on
research conducted between April
and June, they added.
Zin Mar Oo, a member of the
Myanmar Network for Free and Fair
Election, said the commission had
invited them to provide input on
compiling the voters’ list as well as
a code of conduct for conducting
the election, which is seen as a
vital step in Myanmar’s transition
from military to civilian rule.
“The main point we put in the
election-monitoring draft
guidelines is that election
observers must not represent any
political party,” she said. Zin Mar
Oo added that those tasked with
raising awareness among the
public about the voting process
and the election itself must be
neutral. They must not attempt to
sway voters about which party or
candidate they should vote for, she
said.
PHUKET GAZETTE
Election monitors
must be neutral, civic
organisations say
THE NATION
Thai authorities are stepping
up measures to prevent the illegal inflow of Rohingya from
neighbouring Myanmar.
Illegal entries by members of
this ethnic group usually soar
between November and April
every year - after the monsoon
period has ended.
The Rohingya - who are
Muslim - have been fleeing for
years from Myanmar’s western
Rakhine State, where they face
severe repression in most facets
of daily life by a government that
regards them as “Bengalis” from
Bangladesh.
“Security agencies have estimated that more than 10,000
Rohingya people will arrive in
Thailand via Ranong and nearby
provinces between next month
and April next year,” Deputy
Ranong Governor Pinij Boonlert
said yesterday.
Pinij was acting for the
Ranong governor, who is the exofficio chief of Ranong’s Internal
Security Operations Command,
in instructing local authorities on
how to address the Rohingya
problem.
He said the illegal inflow of
Rohingya meant Thailand would
have to shoulder an extra burden.
“It is a big problem.”
But he said Thai law clearly
stipulates that illegal migrants
must be deported. The presence
of illegal migrants could threaten
national security and increase
other risks.
During the past few days, offi-
cials have arrested more than
200 Rohingya in southern
Thailand.
An informed source claimed
some illegal migrants ran into
the ocean when they spotted officials and were swept away by
waves and not seen again. Their
fate remained unknown as of
press time.
Pinij said the ISOC had laid
down guidelines to handle
Rohingya issues.
“We shall treat them in line
with humanitarian principles,
respect for their human rights
and international laws. But we
will have to deport them,” he
said.
And if an illegal migrant was
found to be linked to an agent
smuggling people, a probe would
be launched to find the agent.
“Such agents have flouted Thai
laws,” he said.
Pinij said the authorities
believed there were many human
smugglers because Rohingya
were often found with mobile
phones.
Relevant authorities plan to
educate the public so people
understand that the presence of
the illegal migrants could
adversely affect the country.
Pinij said a number of
Rohingya used small fishing
trawlers to travel some 1,400km
from Myanmar’s Maungdaw to
Ranong. “They will usually hide
on some nearby island, split into
very small groups, then sneak
into Thailand,” he said.
KYAT EXCHANGE
BUSINESS
Buy
US $
Euro ¤
Sell
988
996
1,250
1,268
773
785
Singapore $
Source: KBZ Bank
5
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Gas exports
up more than
20%
Min Thiha Zaw
MYANMAR ELEVEN
KFC restaurants existing in
Myanmar are fake: Ogilvy
MYANMAR ELEVEN
TODAY Ogilvy Public Relations
Myanmar has announced that
existing KFC restaurants in
Myanmar were fakes.
Hla Myat Mon, a spokesperson for the firm which is handling
public relations on the deal,
stressed this fact and added that
first “authentic outlet” will open
next year following the awarding
of a franchise contract from Yum!
Brand to Singapore-listed conglomerate Yoma Strategic
Holdings.
Today Ogilvy PR provided no
details on the number of fake
KFC’s operating in the country
and said nothing about what
action would be taken against
them for infringing on the trademark and logo of the international brand.
Announcing the franchise con-
tract, Serge Pun, executive chairman of Yoma Strategic, said that
Myanmar people recognise the
KFC brand and Colonel Sanders’
secret Original Recipe of 11 herbs
and spices.
It should be so.
There is an unofficial
Facebook page where KFC fans
are invited to come together and
celebrate their love for the
Colonel’s famous chicken. As of
today, https://www.facebook.
com/KFC.Burma/info has won
15,490 likes.
According to www.myanmaryp.com, a classified website,
there is a company registered as
“KFC”.
There is a fried chicken restaurant called Tokyo Fried
Chicken on Shwe Bontha Street,
which advertises itself as “TFC is
Yangon’s own KFC”.
There is also a restaurant
called ICFC with a logo design
that makes the first 2 letter “IC”
looked like a K.
Following the announcement
that the first official KFC restaurant would be opened in
Myanmar in 2015, DBS Vickers
analyst Tan Ai Teng said in her
note that Yum-Yoma KFC franchise should set up some of the
very first outlets in the capital
city of Nay Pyi Taw before rolling
out in stages to other populous
cities.
Of the country’s urban population, Yangon is the largest
urban area with a population of
4.6 million; Mandalay is the second largest city with 1.2 million
people and Nay Pyi Taw with 1
million.
She expected that response to
KFC in Myanmar would be much
like what was observed in
Vietnam, when the first outlet
was opened in Ho Chi Minh City
in 1997.
“This venture underscores
Yoma Strategic’s long term plan
to become a conglomerate,” she
said.
DBS Vickers’ record showed
that the company made its first
foray into Myanmar’s fast-moving
consumer goods (FMCG) sector
when it acquired a stake in Asia
Beverages Co Ltd, a company
with extensive distribution infrastructure. In 2013, Yoma
Strategic also opened the first
Parkson departmental store in
Myanmar at FMI Centre.
“Yoma did not disclose investment details or earnings expectations of this franchise at this
stage. But we are positive that
Myanmar’s close to 6 million
urban population would contribute profitably to KFC outlets rather quickly,” the analyst said.
Exports of natural gas
have surpassed US$2.1 billion in the first half of the fiscal year, up more than $440
million over the same period
last year, according to figures from the Ministry of
Commerce.
Exports of natural gas
totaled $2.183 billion in
between April 1 and the end
of September, compared to
the $1.737 billion in the yearago period, the figures show.
Most gas, about $1.5 billion, was exported by sea,
while about $609 million
worth of natural gas was
exported by pipelines.
Natural gas exports remain
the top export item, according to the ministry’s figures.
Other resources, such as
teak, agricultural and fisheries products, follow.
Exports of natural gas
totaled $3 billion last fiscal
year, according to the commerce ministry.
Natural gas exports are
likely to rise as more offshore and onshore exploration blocks have been awarded to foreign and domestic
companies, though much of
this could be used within
Myanmar, which is facing a
severe electricity shortage.
A worksite at the Zawtika
gas exploration project in
Taninthayi Region.
Committee for private rice trading to be organised
A negotiating committee for
private rice trading will be set up
in line with the inter-ministerial
contracts between Myanmar’s
Agricultural and Irrigation and
China’s Administration of Quality
Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine, according to
Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).
“We have a lot of catching-up
to do after the agreement for rice
exports to China was reached. A
committee is needed for the
negotiation process between the
two governments,” said Dr Soe
Tun, the joint secretary of the
MRF.
EMG
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Cargo trucks parked at the Muse border checkpoint.
Aung Than Oo, deputy chairperson of the MRF, will chair the
committee, and some other top
officials of the federation,
including Dr Soe Tun, will take
leading positions in the committee.
Officials of wholesale centres
and rice exporters from Yangon,
Mandalay, Ayeyawady and other
rice producing regions nationwide will also be invited to
become members of the
16-strong committee.
The working committee is
expected to run the negotiation
process with China’s relevant
organisations on behalf of the
MRF.
The advancement of local
small- and medium-sized enterprises, long-lasting economic
ties between the two countries
and general developments in the
rice producing sector will be prioritised.
Myanmar’s rice exports hit 1.4
million tonnes in fiscal year
2012-13, 1.2 million tonnes in
2013-14 and is expected to set a
new record this year.
Due to its poor quality and
the economic sanctions, homegrown rice is mainly exported to
African markets.
The Chinese market is important because of the border trading.
Business
6
A wharf in
Maungtaw
town.
EMG
State-run construction
firm PT Wijaya Karya (Wika)
has signed a US$125 million
contract for the development
of a commercial tower in
Myanmar, a move highly
needed to support its overseas expansion.
Wika and its partner,
Singapore-based high-end
developer Noble Twin
Dragons Pte Ltd, inked the
agreement recently to build
the mixed-use Pyay Tower
and Residences in Yangon.
The publicly listed company will be the sole contractor in the construction of
the tower.
“Wika is proud to take
part in [the construction of]
Pyay Tower, which will be a
landmark in Yangon,” Wika
president director Bintang
Prabowo said in a written
statement.
Pyay Tower is located in a
prime area of Yangon and is
designed to have 23 floors
and three basements. The
first five floors will be dedicated to commercial use
while the upper floors will
house offices.
Wika will commence construction in October and is
scheduled to conclude the
project in two years.
Wika corporate secretary
Suradi said the company’s
entry into Myanmar was in
line with its mission to
become a big player in the
region.
It was earlier reported
that the company was also
targeting to construct of representative offices of staterun lender Bank Negara
Indonesia (BNI) and oil company Pertamina in Myanmar.
It has also prepared
around Rp 300 billion
($25.36 million) to build a
concrete factory for its publicly listed subsidiary, Wika
Beton, next year.
“The Myanmar project
alone has allowed us to meet
our projected overseas contracts,” he told The Jakarta
Post over the phone.
Suradi said the state-run
developer had now exceeded
its overseas contract target
for this year.
To date, he said, the company had pocketed more
than Rp 1.4 trillion (US$1.22
billion) from its projects
abroad, or almost twice its
annual target.
—THE JAKARTA POST
New economic zone planned
for border with Bangladesh
Thar Shwe Oo (Kissapa)
MYANMAR ELEVEN
A new economic zone, including two ports with terminals, will
be built in a town on the border
with Bangladesh in Rakhine
State’s Maungtaw Township to
boost trade between the two
countries, according to the
Maungtaw Chamber of
Commerce.
The zone will cost Ks 1 billion
(US$1 million) will cover 50
acres of land on the riverbank
near Kanyin Chaung wharf, the
chamber said.
Maung Myint Thein, chairman
of the chamber, said the zone
would promote trade and open
new markets. The new port will
allow access to 300-400 tonne
ships, he added. “It will have two
ports and 20 wholesale centres,”
Maung Myint Thein said.
Rakhine Regional government
commerce minister Mya Aung
said the state government would
invest Ks 600 million to build the
economic zone and local investors the rest.
Shwe Kyaw, a member of the
Maungtaw Chamber and
Commerce, said the minister had
visited the town last month and
announced that the regional gov-
ernment had approved development of the economic zone and
an investment of Ks 600 million.
District officials are currently
surveying the land where the
economic zone will be built,
Shwe Kyaw added.
Local business people say
the state government will be
able to come up with its share
of the funds for the economic
zone but say that they will find
it difficult to come up with the
Ks 400 million they are expected to invest.
Trade between Myanmar and
Bangladesh occurs at Sittwe and
Maungtaw, but Shwe Zar Chaung
wharf is unreliable as large ships
cannot access it at low tide.
The new ports, however, will
allow bigger ships to access the
area. Moreover, a new road will
be built to connect the town to
the state capital, Sittwe. The
about 50-mile (80-kilometre)
road is expected to cost Ks 250
million.
Myanmar and Bangladesh
have a bilateral trade agreement
that dates back to May 1994.
Border trade zones were established the next year. Major trade
categories comprise fishery and
agricultural products, wood products and consumer goods.
Plan to boost Inle tourism sector
Nilar, Nann Hnin Wai Phu
ELEVEN MEDIA
A plan to develop tourism
around Inle Lake is currently
being discussed and will be
revealed soon, the Ministry of
Hotels and Tourism has said.
Union Minister for Tourism
Htay Aung said: “We’ve got destination management plans for
the tourism sector in Inle
Region and will reveal them
shortly. We’ll hold discussions
with international organisations
next month. The plan will kick
off perhaps after this.”
The ministry has joined hands
with the Institute for International
Development and International
Centre for Integrated Mountain
Development and major tour destinations in and around Inle Lake.
Tin Tun Aung, an executive
from the Union of Myanmar
Tourists visit a floating shrine on Inle Lake in Shan State.
Travel Association, said: “This is
part of the master plan for the
tourism sector. The plan has
been realised in Inle, Kayah
State and some other tourist
attractions.”
The tourism master plan
includes 12 regions – Yangon,
Bagan, Mandalay, Kyaikhteeyoe,
Ngapali, Ngwesaung, Putao,
Myeik, Naga, Natmauk
Mountain, Loikaw and Inle.
Htay Aung said: “There was a
strong growth in tourism sector
THE NATION
Wika to
work on
$125 million
tower
project
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, October 14, 2014
last year with more than 2 million visitors. And we have seen
1.8 million as of August and
expect to welcome some 3 million this year. The growth rate is
around 40 per cent [a year].”
Some business owners from
the tourism industry say Inle
Lake needs to be protected as it
is a significant feature for
Myanmar.
“Inle Lake is our natural heritage,” the minister said. “The
President once said not to build
hotels and inns recklessly in
Bagan region as travellers go
there to study the cultural footprints of the zone, not to take
rest in luxurious accommodation. No one will be willing to
visit Myanmar if our cultural,
natural heritages are extinct.
We should make a collective
push to maintain our landmarks.”
ASEAN+
US Marine tagged in
transgender slay named
7
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Pizza Hut
apologises for
‘Pink Fat Lady’
customer tag
Agence France-Presse
The amphibious assault ship
USS Peleliu docked at Subic
Bay Freeport zone. The US
military stopped two warships
from leaving the Philippines,
pending police investigation on
a US Marine linked to
transgender murder.
Philippines Daily Inquirer, AFP
MANILA
The US Marine tagged in the
killing of a Filipino transgender
has been identified by the
authorities and will be charged
with murder on Tuesday.
Private First Class Joseph
Scott Pemberton, a US Marine
Corps 2nd Battalion 9th Marines
assigned at West Pace Express,
was positively identified by a witness in the killing of 26-year-old
Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude in
Olongapo City on Saturday.
Reading the Olongapo City
Police director’s report, Senior
Superintendent Wilben Mayor,
Philippine National Police (PNP)
spokesperson, said the witness
identified Pemberton through a
photo line-up process provided
by the US Naval Crime
Investigation Service (NCIS).
The report said the witness
was 22-year-old Mark Clarence
Gelviro, who on Saturday night
accompanied Laude when they
met the suspect at the Ambyanz
Disco bar hours before Laude
was found dead.
The body of Jeffrey Laude was
found by hotel staff in the northern port city of Olongapo late
Sunday, less than an hour after
the victim checked into a room
with an unidentified blonde male.
The suspect was part of the
3,500-member US contingent in
the Philippines to conduct joint
military exercises, which ended
last week.
Earlier the American embassy
had confirmed: “A US Marine has
been identified as a possible suspect in the ongoing investigation.
The suspected Marine is
assigned to the 2nd Battalion,
9th Marines, out of Camp
Lejeune, North Carolina.”
It added that the soldier was
being held onboard USS Peleliu
while a joint Naval Criminal
Investigative Service and
Philippine National Police investigation is conducted.
Foreign Department spokesman Charles Jose told AFP the
Philippines would seek custody
of the US serviceman if he
proves to be involved. He said: “I
think we will and we should but
there’s no guarantee (the) US will
grant our request.”
The case is a fresh test for the
Visiting Forces Agreement, an
accord signed by the two allies in
1998 covering legal liability of US
forces in the Philippines.
The VFA gives the Philippines
jurisdiction over US troops who
commit crimes not linked to their
official duties but it also says
custody of these Americans will
remain with the US government.
The agreement does state that
in “extraordinary cases,” the
Philippines can ask for custody.
Leftist and nationalist groups
have seized on the issue to condemn the country’s alliance with
the United States. About 60 protesters staged a rally at the US
embassy on Tuesday, burning a
makeshift US flag as they condemned the murder and the
presence of American troops.
EPA
SINGAPORE
Pizza Hut Singapore has
launched an investigation and
apologised to a customer described
as a “Pink Fat Lady” in a
handwritten note on her receipt
after she ordered pizza for take
away. Aili Si on Sunday posted on
Pizza Hut Singapore’s Facebook
page a photo of the receipt, saying
she felt insulted at the description.
“I don’t think it is nice for your
staff to describe me as such on my
receipt,” she wrote in a comment
accompanying the photo which
showed the receipt for her take out
order. “As a customer I definitely
hope to be treated with basic
respect deserved by any others. I
hope to receive an apology from the
staff and Pizza Hut,” she wrote on
Facebook.
“Just feel insulted. What’s wrong
being plus size? I’m a customer n I
pay for my pizza! Not that I’m get it
for free!” she added in her post.
Pizza Hut later issued a
statement apologising
“unreservedly” and confirmed it
had launched an investigation into
the matter.
“This incident goes against our
corporate values and we do not
condone behaviour or actions that
offend people,” said the statement
signed by the management and
staff.
Luzon may see 3 mths of outages next year
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Luzon, the Philippines northern region where capital city
Manila is located, may face up to
13 weeks of power outages in the
summer of 2015, according to
estimates of the Department of
Energy (DOE).
In a report on various power
supply and demand scenarios for
the anticipated power crisis, DOE
said there may be five to 13
weeks between March and June
2015 when the Luzon grid goes
on red alert, which means rotating power outages in various
areas, especially during peak
hours.
Although Energy Secretary
Carlos Jericho Petilla has said
repeatedly that outages are not
expected to be “massive,” there
are concerns on the frequency
and length of such outages whether it would be on a daily
basis during the weeks identified,
and how long each outage will
last.
The DOE has said this will
depend on various factors, such
as the impact of drought (which
affects hydroelectric power
plants); power consumption; how
much of demand from the grid is
eased by consumers using generator sets; and any new or
restored capacity from power
plants.
In DOE’s report, the so-called
Scenario 1 estimates a shortfall
of about 600 megawatts (MW)
from the grid. Under this scenario, the Luzon grid could go on red
alert status for five weeks – the
first two weeks of April and last
three weeks of May.
Scenario 2 estimates 700 MW
of shortfall in the grid. That could
result in seven weeks of red alert
in the grid. That could be on the
fourth week of March, first two
weeks of April, and all four weeks
of May.
Scenario 3 - which assumes a
mild drought due to the El Niño
phenomenon, as well as maintenance and forced outages - estimates 800 MW of shortfall in the
grid. That is, 600 MW plus 200
MW of lost capacity from hydroelectric power plants. That could
result in seven weeks of red alert
in the grid, on the same weeks as
Scenario 2. Under the same scenario, there would be eight weeks
of yellow alert, namely, on the
first and third weeks of March;
the last two weeks of April; and
all four weeks of June.
Scenario 4 - which considers
the possibility of extreme
drought, along with maintenance
and forced outages - estimates
1,200 MW of shortfall in the grid.
That is, 600 MW plus 600 MW of
lost capacity from hydroelectric
power plants.
That could result in 13 weeks
of outages: the last three weeks
of March, first two weeks of April,
and all weeks through May and
June. Under the same scenario,
the grid could be on yellow alert
on the first week of March and
the last two weeks of April.
To cope with imminent outages, the DOE said it could contract
back-up power at the cost of
about 6 billion peso, call on participants in the Interruptible Load
Program (ILP) ease demand at
peak hours through the use of
generator sets, and manage
demand by initiating power saving measures.
The DOE endorsed President
Aquino’s call for emergency powers to be able to contract backup power for the summer.
This may be authorised by the
Senate and the House of
Representatives through a joint
resolution, which is expected to
be released this month.
DOE has issued Circular No.
2004-08-0014, called “Enjoining
all Electricity-Consuming Sectors
to Implement Demand-Side
Management Program and other
Energy Conservation Measures.”
The circular, which was signed
last August 11, 2014, urges all
sectors to voluntarily implement
energy conservation measures to
reduce the country’s demand for
supply of electricity. The conservation program excludes hospitals, military installations, and
airports, among other facilities.
ASEAN+
8
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, October 14, 2014
30% of Korean
firms break
laws on migrant
workers
The Korea Herald
Three out of every 10 businesses that hire migrant
workers have breached the
law on their employment in
each of the past few years,
Labour Ministry data showed
Monday.
Rep. Jasmine Lee of the
ruling Saenuri Party cited the
figures on breaches of the
Act on the Employment etc.
of Foreign Workers, which
affects migrant workers on
E-9 and H-2 visas, during the
parliamentary audit on the
ministry. The percentage of
firms in violation of the law
came to 31.3 per cent in
2012, 31.2 per cent in 2013
and 32.9 per cent in the first
half of 2014.
Lee said that a large portion of violations related to
unfair treatment of migrant
workers.
During the first half of
2014, 569 of 1,728 companies
that were subject to investigations failed to abide by
stipulations set by the law.
Further, the proportion of
firms who violate the Labour
Standards Act has continued
to increasez from 10.4 per
cent in 2012 to 15.4 per cent
in 2013 and 19.8 per cent in
the first half 2014.
Some companies were
found to have paid less than
the minimum wage, with 4.2
per cent doing so in 2012,
6.8 per cent in 2013 and 4.4
per cent in the first half of
2014.
“Failing to treat migrant
workers properly according
to their working performance
is a serious problem. The
Ministry of Employment and
Labour should reinforce the
supervision of rule violators,”
she said.
According to Statistics
Korea, 7 out of 10 foreign
workers in Korea were paid
less than 2 million won
($1,800) a month last year.
About 525,000 foreign
workers were paid less than 2
million won in 2013. About
159,000 non-Koreans were
paid between 2 million won
and 3 million won, while the
number of foreign workers
whose wages exceeded 3 million won came to 51,000.
Children learn gestures to pay homage to Confucius in Sishui, Shandong province.
The rebirth of Confucianism
China Daily
The first sound one hears in
the morning after waking up at a
traditional Chinese college in
Shengshuiyu township is the
loudspeaker broadcast of Di Zi
Gui. The book, written in 17th
century and based on the teachings of Confucius, emphasises
the basic requisites for being a
good person and guidelines for
living in harmony with others.
Visitors from large cities who
are used to be honked at will be
pleasantly surprised to find local
drivers smiling patiently as they
wait for pedestrians to cross the
street. This tranquil mountainous
township in Sishui county, southern Shandong province, is the
birthplace of Confucius (551-479
BC).
Today, it is a hub for the revival of his teachings.
Mid-October is the busiest
time for farming in Shandong,
but a classroom at Nishan
Shengyuan (which literally
means “origins of the sacred”)
College where Confucianism is
being taught is full.
The Confucian lecture was
first started on a trial basis in
2012. At the time, the classroom
was half empty, and cellphones
rang constantly, recalls Meng
Shaofeng, head of the township.
“Though people in big cities
have paid much more attention
to Confucianism and the preservation of traditional culture, our
villagers thought the philosophy
was too remote from their lives.
We had to use free gifts like towels or soap to get people to
come.”
But by the third day of the lecture, the atmosphere changed,
and the villagers became quiet.
Some even cried.
“Many young people used to
treat their parents badly,” says
local villager Chen Shoucai, 62.
“It’s a shame our generation had
no chance to learn Confucianism
when we were young, even
though I live beside Confucius’
birthplace.”
Since last year, when
Confucianism lectures were officially introduced into the township, “people have become aware
of how important it is to be filial
and courteous”, Chen says. “My
son, who works in a city, is away
from home for half a year, and
was detached from me. But now
he cares about me much more.
“Villagers now show more
concern about keeping the environment clean, thanks to the
teachings of Confucius.”
Six branches of the lecture
series have been established
across the township, covering its
60 villages. Confucian teachings
were heavily criticised during the
“cultural revolution” (1966-76).
But recently, the country’s top
leaders have emphasised the
importance of his teachings. In
September, President Xi Jinping
attended a ceremony in Beijing
to celebrate Confucius’ birthday.
“Many young and middle-aged
people in the countryside go to
the big cities to work, leaving
their parents and children at
home,” says Qian Yuzhen, a
retired teacher who delivers lectures on Confucianism.
“Our lectures even attract
some Christian villagers. Though
the beliefs are different, the
emphasis on love, inner peace
and courtesy is common. They
find emotional resonance in the
teachings.”
Yan Binggang, deputy head of
Advanced Institute for Confucian
Studies at Shandong University,
is behind the project to revive
Confucianism in rural China.
“The teachings must come out of
the ivory tower to reach people in
the countryside, who are often
not educated,” he says.
“Confucianism is always in
Chinese people’s blood, no matter how the social structures
change. What we want to do is to
awaken that essence hidden in
everyone’s heart.”
Yan goes to the township
twice a month to give lectures for
free. His team, which is made up
of about 10 people, includes college professors and school teachers.
“We’re starting everything
from scratch. We cannot push
too hard. We can only begin with
those parts that are close to people’s lives, like guiding them to
be filial and caring. But our goal
is far beyond that. We want a
self-sufficient system after we
leave.”
Several other cities in
Shandong have also adopted
similar programs. The province’s
cultural department allocated 13
million yuan (US$2.12 million)
this year to support the teaching
of Confucianism.
Yan says some South Korean
scholars have shown interest in
starting similar projects in their
country.
Facebook founder presses Indonesian leader on web access
Agence France-Presse
JAKARTA
Facebook founder Mark
Zuckerberg pressed Indonesia’s
incoming leader Monday to
improve Internet access in the
sprawling archipelago saying
that his social media network
and other sites can help boost
the economy.
After the meeting with president-elect Joko Widodo, known
by his nickname Jokowi, the
Facebook founder said their
conversations “focused on how
big the opportunity is just to get
everyone on the Internet, and on
to basic services that they can
use to communicate with people, like messaging and things
like Facebook”.
“If we do that then I do think
we can help grow the economy
in a big way, which is one of the
primary priorities that (Widodo)
has,” he added. Experts believe
that improved web access could
greatly help businesses struggling to operate in Indonesia,
which is spread across around
17,000 islands and three time
zones.
In 2013 only 28 per cent of
Indonesians had Internet
access, according to the country’s association of Internet providers. However a huge number
of those with access to the web
are on Facebook, which is wildly
popular in Indonesia.
Facebook launched the app
earlier this year in cooperation
with several partners and trials
are taking place in several
developing countries, including
Indonesia.
Zuckerberg also spoke enthusiastically about Indonesian culture, saying he hoped better
web access would help to
increase interest in the subject.
He was pictured at the weekend at the famous Hindu temple
of Borobodur on the main island
of Java.
“There are all this different
parts of culture and innovation
that the world can have from
Indonesia that we are currently
being robbed off because a lot
of people don’t have a way to
share that and communicate
that to the rest of the world,” he
said.
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, October 14, 2014
9
ASEAN+
Did China topple US as
world’s largest economy?
The Straits Times
It’s both yes and no to the
question. China has toppled the
US as the world’s biggest economy, according to figures released
this week by the International
Monetary Fund (IMF).
In its latest World Economic
Outlook, China’s gross domestic
product (GDP), the sum of all the
goods and services a country’s
produces, is now worth US$17.6
trillion compared with US$17.4
trillion for the US. But hold on a
minute.
Those numbers are based on
something called “purchasing
power parity”, or PPP, which
makes adjustments for the fact
that goods are cheaper in countries such as China relative to the
US.
As Business Insider explains:
“Though a typical person in
China earns a lot less than the
typical person in the US, simply
converting a Chinese salary into
dollars underestimates how
much purchasing power that
individual, and therefore that
country, might have.”
Without adjusting for the significant cost of living differences
between the two countries and
based on the raw value of their
currencies, the US economy still
leads China’s by US$6.4 trillion.
Now some commentators are
saying the toppling of America
after nearly 150 years by China even on the PPP measure - is a
“watershed” moment for the
global economy and nothing
short of remarkable.
Consider how in 1980, China’s
economic output - based on PPP
- was just a tenth of that of the
US. By 2020, the IMF says
China’s economy will be 20 per
cent bigger.
(Consider also in passing how
just days ago one of America’s
most iconic hotels - the Waldorf
Astoria - was bought by Chinese
investors.)
But while not denying China’s
achievements, financial news
agency Bloomberg pooh-poohed
“another false alarm in the
China-overtaking-the-US saga”.
“The US remains the biggest
by the more common, more
widely accepted and in our view,
more useful measure,”
David Hensley, JPMorgan
Chase & Co.’s director of global
economic coordination in New
York, was quoted by Bloomberg
as saying.
The PPP, said Hensley, “it’s
not quite the real thing”.
By looking at a PPP comparison, especially for developing
nations, “you really exaggerate
the importance of these econo-
mies,” because it misses the
command that each has over the
world’s resources and its influence over global activity, he said.
Vietnam should increase
special consumption taxes on
goods like liquor and tobacco in
“reasonable” increments over
several years so as to discourage smuggling and other forms
of illicit trade, experts have said.
At the recent 11th AsiaPacific Tax Forum, they said that
a gradual rise would also reduce
the impact on consumers.
EU, VN push for swift
free trade deal
Vietnamese Prime Minister
Nguyen Tang Dung and European
Commission President Jose Manuel
Barroso pledged their commitment
Monday to the swift conclusion of a
free trade deal aimed at boosting
economic activity between the two
sides.
“This is an important deal that
will allow all parties to resolve the
current and future economic
challenges we are facing,” Dung
said during a visit to Brussels
before he travels to Milan for an
Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)
summit at the end of the week. The
summit, taking place Thursday and
Friday, will bring together more than
50 countries for discussions on
economic and security issues.
The agreement is intended as an
“essential building block in
strengthening the relationship
between Europe and Southeast
Asia,” both officials said in a joint
statement, adding that they aim to
conclude negotiations “in the next
few months”. The European Union
is Vietnam’s second-largest trading
partner with trade amounting to 27
billion euros (US$35 billion) a year.
- DPA
S’pore-Turkey FTA
‘making progress’
People walk through the Chinatown street in Singapore.
GDP improves amid concerns
The Straits Times
The latest set of Singapore’s
economic numbers, released by
the Ministry of Trade and
Industry on Tuesday morning,
show that property cooling
measures and foreign manpower curbs have started to bite,
economists said.
The MTI said in its advance
estimates that Singapore’s
gross domestic product (GDP)
expanded 1.2 per cent in the
third quarter from the previous
three months, and 2.4 per cent
compared with a year ago.
“The growth print highlights
that the economy progressed
from the sharp sequential contraction in the second quarter in
manufacturing,” noted HSBC
economist Joseph Incalcaterra.
The MTI noted that overall
services growth was muted, as
the weakness in global commodity demand weighed on reexport and trade financing
activities.
Compared with the same
period last year, third quarter
growth came in at 2.4 per cent,
which OCBC economist Selena
Ling said was below her expectations, as growth in the manufacturing and construction sectors disappointed.
She said with poor signals
from the construction sector
coupled with the still tight foreign manpower policy for this
sector, “there may not be light
at the end of the tunnel at this
juncture”.
Experts urge gradual hike in VN consumption tax
Viet Nam News
GLOBAL
BRIEFS
Vietnam proposed increases
to the special consumption tax
on liquor, beer and tobacco. A
draft law, now under discussion,
is expected to be approved this
year and come into force on
July 1, 2015. It seeks to hike the
tax on tobacco from 65 per cent
to 70 per cent on January 1,
2016, and to 75 per cent in
2019. The tax on beer will be
increased from 50 per cent to
55 per cent on July 1, 2015, to
60 per cent in 2017 and 65 per
cent in 2018.
The special consumption tax
on liquor with alcohol content of
above 20 per cent will be raised
from 50 per cent to 65 per cent
and that on liquor with less than
20 degrees would be increased
from 25 per cent to 35 per cent.
Daniel Witt, president of the
International Tax and
Investment Centre, said
Vietnam’s government is in the
right direction, as gradual tax
adjustments with carefullyplanned roadmaps would help
avoid creating a shock and
increasing smuggling and illicit
trade.
But he said “The 10 per cent
increase is too high and should
be set at just 5 per cent annually, the same increase proposed
for beer. Again, all products
should have the same, gradual
tax increase.”
Trade negotiators from
Singapore and Turkey are making
good progress on a free trade
agreement (FTA), prime minister
Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.
He told 20 chief executives of
major Turkish companies that with
the pact, both sides could work
together in a range of areas,
including government procurement
and transportation.
Lee is expected to take stock of
that progress in Ankara today, when
he calls on Erdogan, who is now
president. Total bilateral trade
amounted to US$1.10 billion last
year - a figure Lee noted was still
very modest, but which had the
potential to grow much further.
Turkey’s economy minister Nihat
Zeybecki also encouraged
businessmen on both sides to
cooperate and invest more in their
respective countries.
Turkey is a gateway to Europe,
the Middle East, North Africa and
Central Asia, he said, as he assured
Singapore businesses that his
government was committed to
fixing obstacles they might face.
- THE STRAITS TIMES
Nepal amending
trade policy
Minister for Commerce and
Supplies Sunil Bahadur Thapa has
said the government is amending
the current trade policy to boost
exports and to make it more private
sector-friendly.
The current trade policy, which
was introduced in 2009, is
inadequate to address the
ballooning trade deficit and
encourage the private sector, he
said. The country faced a trade
deficit of 631.42 billion rupee
(US$6.42 billion) in 2013-14. The
deficit has doubled over the last five
years, with imports massively
overtaking exports.
- THE KATHMANDU POST
ARTS&CULTURE
10
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Myanmar generals
look to the stars
Wai Moe
Looking to the stars is something normal for Myanmar’s generals, who have ruled the country
for more than five decades.
Locally, the practice is called
“Yadaya” (referring to “magical
rituals done to delay, neutralise
or prevent misfortune”).
Late coup maker senior general Saw Maung thought of himself
as a famous king of Bagan in his
past life, before he was removed
for health reasons. Once a most
powerful man, former general
Khin Nyunt donated to all Bagan
temples named with raza (king).
Is there now another stargazer
looking into history to see what
lies ahead for him in Myanmar
politics as he donates to an 13th
Century Buddhist temple in
Bagan, the ancient central town
in this Southeast Asian Nation?
And is it Senior General Min
Aung Hlaing, the commander-inchief of the Myanmar armed
forces?
Since 2013, some residents
and tourist guides have been
referring to Htilo Minlo Temple,
which is historically well known
for succession of the Bagan
throne in the 11th Century, as “Ka
Gyoke” (which in other words
means “commander-in-chief’s
temple”) as the general is the key
donor there.
The inscription at the temple
gate says the general and his
wife, Kyu Kyu Hla, donated
money to build the temple path
as well as to maintain the structure.
Min Aung Hlaing is supposed
to retire from his military post as
he turns 60 in early 2015.
“Do you know this temple is
Ka Gyoke’s? We now call it that
after he became the key donor of
it,” Daw Min Min, a tourist guide
This long-exposure photograph shows a meteor trail against the backdrop of the Milky Way galaxy as a mobile phone tower
under construction is pictured in the foreground near Loikaw, Kayah state in Myanmar.
in Bagan, told a reporter, pointing at the temple. “Htilo Minlo is
not very well known compared to
other famous temples. But it
could be important since he
came here and donated money.”
It is also known as Natonmya
Temple in Bagan inscription
though the inscription does not
mention the background of the
temple. According to Myanmar
chronicles, the key background
of Htilo Minlo temple in politics
is that Bagan king Narapatisitu
had five sons but could not
decide who should be his successor. So the king decided his
successor would be the one at
whose feet a white umbrella fell.
Others say the king didn’t make
any decision himself but it was
the good karma of his son,
Natonmya, that led to Natonmya
becoming king.
“This is definitely Yadaya. And
the temple is an important one
for the succession of the throne,”
said San Zarni Bo, a well-known
astrologer in Yangon. “The general could aim for the presidency
after his retirement.” He added
that most donations from top
officials in the country are related to advice from fortune-tellers.
For historians, however, the
factual accuracy of Bagan history
is still a controversy. It is noticeable among Myanmar people that
“people argue with each other
over Bagan history with swords
and batons”. Whether this is true
or not, the stories about dynasties are influencing ruling people
mentally.
“Buddhism is still the best
and most effective way to legitimise the rulers,” said Pamaree
Surakiat, a Thai historian on
Myanmar at the Prince of
Songkla University here in
Thailand.
“According to legend, it cannot be interpreted in any way
else than promising a successor.”
Who are the other four poten-
tial candidates for the post-2015
presidency if the legacy of the
temple really influences a power
succession in Myanmar politics?
Of course, pro-democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi is the favourite
for the post - if the constitution is
amended and the elections are
free and fair. And following the
culture, the lady is “cool supernaturally” while she and her
aides are recorded confiding in
astrology - even to choose “the
best ally”.
Myanmar author Maung
Thway Thint wrote in The
Myanmar Times, a Yangon based
weekly, recently that late famous
astrologer Min Theinkha told him
in 1989 that according to astrology, Suu Kyi would become the
president in 2015.
This forecast is also endorsed
by astrologer San Zarni Bo. “In
my astrological calculation, her
fortune and stars are great after
her 69th birthday,” San Zarni Bo
said.
Apart from Suu Kyi, observers
tip Min Aung Hlaing and current
President Thein Sein as 2015
presidential possibilities. The
president previously said he
wouldn’t run for a second term,
but during his trip to the United
States last year, he said he would
run. It also breaks trust between
him and Suu Kyi as he told her
his is only a one-term job.
Other possibilities are Lower
House Speaker and chairman of
the ruling USDP Shwe Mann,
Upper House Speaker Khin Aung
Myint and Htayoo, vice chairman
of the ruling party.
During the 2010 election period, most potential candidates for
the president’s post was Shwe
Mann, then No 3 with the military junta ahead of Thein Sein.
Many still believe the top
boss, ex-Senior General Than
Shwe is still involved in picking
important positions.
“In Myanmar political culture,
this kind of announcement pops
up at the last minute and everybody are surprised. And then the
‘invisible hand’ picks the card,”
said Yan Myo Thein, a wellknown Myanmar political commentator. But he downplays
General Min Aung Hlaing becoming president in 2015.
“Even after his retirement, he
could still act as military chief that is the most important post
in Myanmar,” Yan MyoThein
added.
There is the likelihood that the
2015 general election will be
postponed, as Thein Sein said in
his monthly speech on October 1
that unless a nationwide ceasefire is signed, the election may
not go ahead in 2015.
AFP
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