EPA PE R NATIONAL: SUU KYI TO VISIT CHINA ✪3 First INDEPENDENT English daily www.elevenmyanmar.com TUESDAY, November 4, 2014 Media intimidation INSIDE NATIONAL Myanmar govt to sue newspaper over ‘insane’ president slur AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Yangon Wife to exhume body of killed journalist ✪2 BUSINESS Govt to give SMEs a big boost ✪5 ASEAN+ Indonesia’s first family blaze a modest trail ✪7 LIFESTYLE AFP MYANMAR authorities on Tuesday said they will take legal action against a newspaper for an interview describing the words of the president as “absurd and insane”, amid mounting international concern over backtracking on press freedoms. The Myanmar Herald Journal, renowned for its criticism of the government and ministers in the former junta-run country, was accused of having “tarnished the image and rights” of President Thein Sein, according to a statement from the information ministry published in state-backed media. The decision to sue the paper, which authorities said followed a process of mediation by the country’s interim press council, comes as media freedoms fall under the microscope ahead of a visit by United States President Barack Obama next week. His visit is likely to highlight concerns over journalist arrests and the death in army custody of a freelance reporter late last month. According to the information ministry, the Myanmar Herald Journal ran an interview in which the subject described the president’s words as “gibberish, irrational, cheap and inconsistent... completely nonsensical, absurd and insane.” Thein Sein’s quasi-civilian government, which came to power in 2011 at the end of outright military rule, has ushered in sweeping press reforms, including the release of jailed journalists and scrapping draconian pre-publication censorship, which once applied to everything from fairytales to the lottery. But relations between the government and the often rambunctious press have slumped in recent months, with a slew of prosecutions against the media that have seen several journalists handed prison terms. Last month, the army issued a rare public statement admitting soldiers had shot dead Aung Naing - a freelance reporter who it claimed was working for a rebel group - in an insurgencyprone eastern border region. The United States last week called on Myanmar to conduct a “credible and transparent investigation” into the killing. Authorities said they had sought an apology from the Myanmar Herald Journal under a complaints resolution process, which has been set up to try to avoid court proceedings against Myanmar Shiite Muslim men flagellate themselves during a procession ahead of the Ashura festival at a mosque in Yangon on November 4, 2014. Ashura marks the peak of 10 days of mourning for the death of Imam Hussein, one of the most revered figures in Shiite Islam. reporters. Justifying the legal action the ministry said the publication had submitted a letter of explanation but it had not gone far enough to undo the reputational damage done to the president. Myanmar’s press council said the ministry was likely to pursue a defamation suit against the paper. ✪ More on A2 Reel time for foreign flicks ✪10 NATIONAL 2 MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, November 4, 2014 Wife to exhume body of killed journalist University teaching centres to practice effective management systems Thandar holds a family photograph showing herself, her husband and daughter posing with Aung San Suu Kyi at their home in Yangon. REUTERS Aye Pa Pa MYANMAR ELEVEN AGENCIES, MYANMAR ELEVEN THE wife of a journalist shot dead by Myanmar’s army said yesterday she had been granted permission by police to exhume his body, after the government announced an inquiry into the killing in the face of international concern. Freelance journalist and democracy activist Aung Kyaw Naing, or Par Gyi, was gunned down by soldiers while in military custody in the volatile eastern border region, where fighting between the army and rebels has flared in recent weeks. The reporter’s wife, Thandar, was informed by the authorities from Kyaikmaraw Myoma Police Station in Mon State that they would exhume his body on Wednesday. Thandar is now in Yangon, joining public calls for investigation into his death. According to the army’s report, Aung Naing was buried about 800 metres from the southern part of Shwewarchaung village. “I will go to the place where Ko Par Gyi’s body was buried accompanied by lawyers, other witnesses and those who will help me,” said Thandar. The United States last week called on Myanmar to conduct a “credible and transparent investigation” into the killing, as the fast-changing former pariah nation faces increased scrutiny ahead of a visit by US president Barack Obama and other world leaders for a regional summit in mid-November. “I do not know what I am going to face,” Thundar told AFP, adding that police had not given her further details of whether an autopsy, or the removal of the body to Yangon would be permitted. But she said she was determined to discover what had happened to her husband. “Everyone with family can understand my pain - truth is the only strength I have,” she said. In one of its few public statements since relinquishing outright power to a quasi-civilian government in 2011, the Myanmar military admitted to the October 4 shooting of Aung Naing. But it accused him of being a member of an armed rebel group - a claim his wife denies. President Thein Sein last week announced that the country’s human rights commission would investigate the shooting, although there were few details about the scope of the probe in a country where the military was long accustomed to impunity. Aung Naing was a former member of the democracy movement and acted as a security guard for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during mass protests in 1988. His wife said that she had received a message of support from Suu Kyi, who is now an MP, expressing hope that the “truth be revealed”. The police have said military representatives, the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, and legal and medical personnel would witness the exhumation, along with police officials. President Thein Sein last week ordered Myanmar’s National Human Rights Commission to investigate the death, the government said in a statement published in state media. The Myanmar-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has disputed a statement by the military that Par Gyi was shot when he tried to steal a gun from a sol- dier and escape after being detained because he was a member of an ethnic Karen rebel organisation. Thandar, a prominent women’s activist, denies her husband was a member of any military organisation. She says she suspects he died while being tortured, leading the military to bury his body in secret. She urged the government to return the body to the family. “I sent a request letter to bring my husband’s body back to Yangon for a proper cremation,” she said. “But I don’t know yet when or if they’ll allow me to do this,” she said yesterday. Reporters were regularly detained under the former junta, which handed out long jail sentences to journalists while choking off information with some of the world’s most draconian censorship rules. Reforms implemented by the current regime, including lifting pre-publication press scrutiny, have been praised by the international community as the nation opens up. However, the jailing of several journalists this year has raised fears that Myanmar could be backsliding on press freedom. The Ministry of Education plans to open teaching centres at universities to make learning management more effective, sources from the ministry say. “We are changing the universities. We will organise teaching centres to uphold the qualities of the universities,” said a senior official from Yangon University who asked not to be named. The ministry will make each university set up a system of selfgovernance and is discussing with the universities how they will go about organising the teaching centres. “We had only Yangon University in the higher education sector after we gained independence from Britain. We had departments under Yangon University such as arts and science, law, medical and engineering. At that time, the university was drawing up a syllabus, with a curriculum related to education and teaching sectors. It had autonomy and academic freedom. In the revolutionary council’s era, the government kept all universities under the respective ministries. Now there are discussions about autonomy and academic freedom for all universities like before. We are attempting, with a systemic approach, to revolutionise the education system,” said education adviser Than Oo. The government transformed and transferred departments of education, economic, technology, medical, forestry and livestock which are under the Ministry of Education into respective universities. Art subjects such as history, geography, oriental studies, psychology, philosophy and law and science subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, botany, mathematics, geology and zoology are transferred under arts and science colleges and universities and had been controlled by 12 ministries since 1964. MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, November 4, 2014 3 National 4 MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, November 4, 2014 UEC launches nationwide voter-list compilation process The Union Election Commission (UEC) has begun the process of compiling nationwide voter lists in preparation for the 2015 elections on November 3. The UEC held a short course for 20 staffers from 10 township sub-commissions in Yangon Region in cooperation with the International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES). The two-day course was aimed at teaching the UEC staffers how to use computers for voter registration. After the training, the UEC staff will inform people about the compilation process and get down to task later this month, said Ko Ko, chairman of Yangon Region election subcommission. The 10 townships for the compilation of the voter lists are: Seikkan, Dagon, Latha, Seikgyikhanaungto, Kyauktada, Lanmadaw, Botahtaung, Pazundaung, Dawbon and Kamayut. “The fundamental issue for the 2015 elections is the accuracy of voter lists. It means the lists should include all eligible voters. Half the electoral process can be said to be com- plete if we get accurate and the right voter lists. We will launch it in November,” Ko Ko added. The current voter-list compilation process will not involve door-to-door visits. Voters will be registered on computers based on household lists. The voter lists will be put up at sub-commission offices in 10 townships. Voters will have to look at notice boards to check whether their names have been correctly mentioned in the lists. The same process will continue in other regions and states across the country. It is expected that compiling voter lists may take one to four months based on the number of voters in the townships. The IFES will provide 330 laptops for 330 townships. As a first step, the UEC has launched this process in Yangon, as it has received only 30 laptops from the IFES. The UEC will carry out the nationwide compilation of voter lists in three stages – from November 2014 to January 2015; from December 2014 to March 2015; and from February to May 2015. The UEC will keep all voter lists in its computer data bank and announce it on its official website for public access. AFP Kyaw Zin Win MYANMAR ELEVEN Myanmar ethnic Rohingya Muslims living in Japan stage a rally outside of the Myanmar embassy in Tokyo today against reported plans to relocate Rohingya to settlement sites. Suu Kyi to visit China REUTERS, MYANMAR ELEVEN EMG Survey on dolphin-watching to boost tourism A boat carrying tourists watching dolphins cruises on Ayeyawady River. Aung Thu, Lae Lae Aung MYANMAR ELEVEN The Fisheries Department is conducting a survey on traditional handicrafts and popular destinations in Ayeyawady dolphin conservation areas, in cooperation with the wildlife conservation organisation, with the aim of boosting tourism by developing dolphin-watching as a major attraction. A boom in dolphin-watching may also contribute towards dolphin conservation. The organisation is undertaking the survey after meeting with fishermen, officials from tour companies and tour guides. “The wildlife conservation organisation is making efforts to develop eco-tourism along with dolphin-watching. A group is conducting a survey in dolphin conservation areas with the help of foreign experts. The survey also includes the pottery industry in Shein Makar village and bamboo-hat industry on Elephant Island. These would help support tourism boom, as electric-shock fishing may decline and local residents themselves would cooperate with dolphin conservation because it would provide them income, said Han Win, assistant head from the Environment and Extinct Species Conservation Division. Other environmentalists have expressed concern that the massive influx of tourists into the area may have hampered the nature of dolphins. The Fisheries Department is regulating dolphin-watching by tourists. Visitors can watch fishing along with dolphins when the river is teeming with fish, from November to January. Dolphins can be seen in Myayson, Sandy Island and Sein Pangone village. In October, there were five dolphin-watching tours in Mayanchan jetty. MYANMAR opposition leader and Nobel Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi will pay an official visit to China next month, an official from her party said Tuesday. The “goodwill” visit will last about a week, Win Htein, a senior member of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, told Reuters. No further details were available. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing in Beijing that she had no “definite” information about a Suu Kyi visit. “We have close contacts and communication with all parties and sides in Myanmar, including the National League for Democracy. The aim of this is to promote the all round development of bilateral ties,” she added. There was a rumour late 2013 that she would visit the country. Though, China was not among the long list of countries she visited in the year. Since taking power in March 2011, Myanmar’s reformist government has sought to decrease its dependence on China, which was cemented during years of Western sanctions put in place in response to human rights abuses carried out by the ruling junta. China is now the biggest foreign investor in the country. From aggregate foreign investment worth nearly US$50 billion at the end of September, the value of $14 billion belonged to Chinese enterprises. Amid some conflicts, Myanmar and China have shown positive gestures towards cooperation in some areas, which now range from the fight against human trafficking to environment conservation. During July 1618, Myanmar police are attending a summit in China to discuss how to stop the increase in human trafficking of women and children, with most cases involving Myanmar women being sold as brides in China. Suu Kyi’s NLD is expected to do well in next year’s general elections, although Suu Kyi is excluded from the presidency. The military-drafted constitution bars the position to anyone with a spouse or children holding foreign citizenship. Her late husband was British, as are her two sons. Suu Kyi led the NLD to a sweeping victory in general elections in 1990, but the military government refused to recognize the results. She became an international icon after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her prodemocracy efforts and spent most of the next two decades under house arrest where she continued to resist Myanmar’s military rulers. She was freed five months before the current semi-civilian government took power after 49 years of military rule. Her release heralded the launch of widespread reforms by the government led by Thein Sein, a former general, including the release of hundreds more political prisoners and the lifting of restrictions on media and political parties. Charter discussions must end on Nov 21 MYANMAR ELEVEN House Speaker Thura Shwe Mann recently instructed parliament to conclude the discussions about constitutional amendment not later than November 21. The constitutional amendment report was slated for MPs’ discussion on November 13. The report stated that Section 59 (f) under the proposed title should be amended. The opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) suggested the Section 59 (f) should be amended. The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party pointed out that this section should be considered for amendment in accordance with the time and circumstance of a situation. Rakhine National Party suggested the phrase “If a foreign marriage partner is still alive”. All Mons Region Democracy Party suggested to cancel the phrase “Any own child of a particular person or, wife or husband of this own child. Thura Aung Ko suggested considering this section. The National Development Democratic Party also suggested amending the phrase. Moreover, the committee suggested that Section 436 (a) and 436 (b) should be considered for the amendment. In the respective suggestions from political parties, Section 436 (a) should be amended through the approval of two thirds of Union parlia- mentarians or more than half of all Union parliamentarians along with a referendum in which more than half of eligible votes are needed. The ruling party suggested that the important role of MPs should be to enhance the time and circumstances of a situation in an effort to push constitutional amendment. But the military representatives expressed no desire to amend the section, the report said. The amendment bill for Constitution will be written depending on the report of constitutional amendment after discussing it at the Union parliament. 5 BUSINESS MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, November 4, 2014 Govt to give SMEs a big boost MYANMAR ELEVEN Yangon Myanmarsmelink.com is launched to strengthen local SMEs. loans over three years. The bank aims to reduce poverty, create more job opportunities and improve SMEs. At the end of September, the bank had given loans to 12 entrepreneurs from SMEs. It will also provide loans of Ks 10 billion to 62 businesses and will extend bank loans up to Ks 20 billion. ■ SME website launched In addition to service centres in border areas, the UMFCCI recently launched a new website - myanmarsmelink.com - in a bid to pro- vide local SMEs access to regional and international corporations. “The SME owners can express their needs on the website, for example: capital, technology or investors. By this way they can seek for partnership. The website service is free of charges of course,” said an official of UMFCCI. As the definition of SME is yet to be termed, anyone who is the member of any association may access the website, the official added. The users will have their own page on the website to describe EMG WITH the aim of developing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the government has stepped up its efforts to assist SME operators to conduct business in the regions as well as in border areas. “The government is planning to open SME service centres across the nation. We have mainly targeted opening SME service centres in border areas,” said Win Aung, chairman of Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI). He was speaking at a ceremony marking the launch of a free website for SME entrepreneurs held at the UMFCCI’s headquarter on Monday. The SME service centres aim to provide technical aids, investment and market. “We have already laid down the plans to open SME service centres across the country. It is very important to cooperate with other associations. The SMEs have three requirements: technology, marketing and investment. Regarding the investment sector, the government’s support is much needed. And then, we need the institutes that will distribute the technology across the nation. We must try by ourselves to penetrate the market. We urge other associations and business organisations to provide for the SMEs so as to create opportunities,” said Win Aung. The Small and Medium Industrial Development Bank (SMIDB) will give loans, about Ks 100 million, to SMEs with an interest rate of 8.5 per cent per year. The SMEs must repay the their profile, details and merits of the business to form partnerships, information and tap opportunities locally and abroad. They can extend their reach by presenting their organisations on the webpage with many visitors. Training course for use of the website will be provided shortly. There are more than 120,000 registered SMEs in Myanmar, which makes up about 99 per cent of the local business sector, according to data of the Industry Ministry. Economists have said that the SME operators have been severely constrained by a lack of access to credit. Expanding loans to SMEs will hasten and diversify economic growth, economists say. The Small and Medium Industrial Development Bank is planning to borrow US$20 million from private financial institutions in Singapore and $30 million from the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam to increase lending to Myanmar SMEs. The bank has earmarked Ks 20 billion (US$20 million) for lending to SMEs under a new programme that began in August that covers all states and regions. MYANMAR ELEVEN Spokesperson of United Amara Bank (UAB) has denied the rumours about its customers withdrawing their savings from the bank account are not true. Nay Aung, son of MP Aung Thaung, former minister of industry No.1 and central consultant of ruling union solidarity and development party, is owned the shares of UAB. Aung Thaung is recently blacklisted by United States on October 31 for his involvement in former government’s era hindering democracy transition plan. Nay Aung is not included in US sanction list. However there is no report that whether Aung Thaung is in the list of shareholders of UAB or not. A Facebook account, Ah Tu Ma Shi Journal, wrote a status that the rumours about some Buddhist Monks from Township Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee or Official Buddhist Monastic Committee withdraw- ing their savings from UAB which is owned by Aung Taung. “We are busy with saving and withdrawing at the end of the month. His son is a shareholder of our bank. We have many shareholders and we have no single influence from them. The bank is running regularly. We are explaining everyone in concerned with those rumours. Some are telephoning us to ask about it. Today we have around Ks 44 billion from the saving accounts and our customers withdrew Ks 41 billion from their accounts. It is normal for our bank,” said CEO Than Win Swe from UAB to the Daily Eleven yesterday. “We, the Buddhist Monks, didn’t save offering [money] in the bank. We don’t do any insincere act,” said U Paungmakha to the Daily Eleven yesterday. UAB was first established in August, 2010 and they have opened branches in Myanmar. The UAB is working in money transition and transferring in local and overseas. EMG UAB denies massive withdrawal rumours A May edition of Weekly Eleven shows UAB executives accompanying President Thein Sein ‘s visit to Japan in 2012. Business 6 MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, November 4, 2014 Telenor and Opera join for faster, cheaper Net services MYANMAR ELEVEN Peter Panait Lojmand, senior vice president for Commercial Operations at Opera Software, left, and Petter Furberg, CEO of Telenor Myanmar at the press event. MYANMAR ELEVEN TELENOR and Norwegian software company Opera has announced their partnership to bring more cost-effective mobile Internet experiences to their customers in Myanmar. Telenor Myanmar customers can now access faster and more affordable Internet service on their mobile devices via the Opera Mini browser, where they can access the local relevant content, free Wikipedia and Facebook Zero with just one click. Opera Mini makes the mobile Internet affordable by shrinking webpages by as much as 90 per cent, helping people browse more content for the same cost. All Telenor subscribers can now download the browser free from both m.opera.com and Telenor’s mobile portal, http://m.telenor. com.mm “Opera works with Telenor around the world to provide faster and better Internet access for all and to simplify the way people access the web”, said Lars Boilesen, CEO of Opera Software. “Together, we provide a high-quality mobile Internet experience, which the people in this country can now afford on their own terms.” Telenor launched its network in Myanmar on September 27 this year and its mobile services are now available in the three main cities - Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw through more than 13,000 outlets. “It is important for us to provide a high quality and affordable mobile Internet experience to our customers in Myanmar,” said Petter Furberg, CEO of Telenor Myanmar. ”Partnering with Opera and ensuring that our customers get more from their mobile Internet experience is just another example of how Telenor works to ensure that the Internet is for all and not just the few.” Launched in 2006, Opera Mini is today used by over 250 million people worldwide. Opera Mini’s advanced technology compresses webpages before sending them to the users’ mobile devices. Users need less data to load webpages on their phones or tablets. They can get the most out of their data plans. People who download Telenor’s version of the Opera Mini browser on their phones will be able to access relevant local content and offers via Opera Mini’s shortcut screen, called Speed Dial. Telenor’s cus- tomers will get one-click access to free Wikipedia and Facebook Zero from Speed Dial. Also, they will be able to make the best use of Opera Mini’s Smart Page, which suggests relevant content, based on the sites users visit most frequently. Opera Mini is available on almost any mobile phone platforms, including Android, Blackberry, Java ME, iOS, Symbian OS, Windows Mobile and more. The browser can be used on more than 3,000 different models across the world, ranging from basic feature sets to the latest smartphones. Opera Mini has already enabled over 130 mobile operators worldwide to break down mobile Internet barriers such as slow connections or congested networks and bring the Internet to all the customers via the phones they are using. F&N bids to maintain presence in Myanmar THE NATION Fraser & Neave is studying ways to maintain its presence in Myanmar, after losing the brewery row involving Myanmar Brewery Ltd (MBL). In a statement to the Singapore Exchange on October 31, the company said it and Thai Beverage, a major shareholder, would ensure that it remains in the Myanmar market, which still has great growth potential and remains a keen interest to the group. The company said that it is currently reviewing options and will make further announcements, which will include the financial impact from the case as soon as possible to update shareholders. MBL makes the country’s best-selling Myanmar Beer. Owned by Myanma Economic Holdings Ltd (MEHL), a military company which has a vast range of businesses. The company welcomed F&N as a major shareholder. “F&N ventured into Myanmar in 1995, at a time when many investors shied away. We backed our belief in Myanmar and our partner with major investments, not only in assets but also in its people. Today, MBL is one of the largest, most profitable and highest tax-paying companies in Myanmar, with senior management, consisting of Myanmar nationals ,whom F&N groomed over the years. In addition, the group has also taken an active role in the support of the local community through projects such as Operation Smile, various vaccination and blood donation porgrammes and scholarships,” said Huang Hong Peng, chief executive officer for beer business. MEHL last year launched an arbitration seeking to compel F&N to sell its 55 per cent stake in MBL to the company at a price of US$246 million. The row centred on MEHL’s claim that F&N had breached a condition of their joint-venture agreement when the ownership structure was changed after Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi had taken the Singapore-based group last year. On Friday, the arbitral tribunal ruled that MEHL had the right to buy the stake. Yet, the price must be redefined by an independent valuer. The dispute emerged in August 2013. Huang said that the tribunal’s decision to set aside MEHL’s valuation and to order that a fresh valuation be done is a vindication of F&N’s position. The company insisted that the cost of $246 million was too low, only approximately 7.5 times the earnings of MBL. “F&N believed and continues to believe that MEHL’s price did not take into account, among other things, MBL’s leadership position in the Myanmar beer market, and at a time when MBL’s profit is growing at a phenomenal rate of nearly 50 per cent over the last year,” he said. F&N said that it was disappointed that this dispute has arisen, at a time when Myanmar is opening its market, and is on the cusp of the introduction of international beer competitors. It also noted that under a roadmap drawn up in the last 18 months, F&N is positioned to strengthen its food and beverage business in Asean. While market positions in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand will be strengthened, the plan also highlighted the expansion into other countries, in particular Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia in the next three years. “The goals of both F&N and ThaiBev are aligned, with great enhancement to F&N’s position as one of Asean countries’ leading food & beverage companies,” said Huang. MEHL, dubbed a military company, issued a statement on the same day, ensuring foreign investors of transparency in the case. “It is very important for Myanmar that foreign investors have confidence in the way we do business,” MEHL deputy managing director Myint Aung said in the statement issued last Friday. “The conduct of this arbitration shows our commitment to the rule of law and that we will always adhere to due process,” he added, stressing that the legal process had been held in Singapore in agreement with F&N. ASEAN+ Indonesia’s first family blaze a modest trail 7 MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, November 4, 2014 JAKARTA With a wife who eschews designer outfits and a daughter happy to queue at public health clinics, Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s family are setting a modest example in a region where leaders’ relatives are better known for greed and corruption. Southeast Asia’s ruling families have not generally espoused austerity - from the controversial children of late Indonesian dictator Suharto to the wife of Malaysia’s premier, who is criticised as a spendthrift, and the excesses of Brunei’s royals. In contrast, the wife, daughter and two sons of Widodo, known as Jokowi, appear humble and down to earth, more representative of the country’s rapidly emerging middle class than an aloof elite. “Even now Jokowi has been elected president, they still want to live like other ordinary people,” Anggit Noegroho, a friend of Widodo’s who helped him during numerous political campaigns and has known the family for a decade, told AFP. They present the same image as 53-year-old Widodo himself, Indonesia’s first president from outside the political and military elites, who rose from a modest background and has pledged clean governance in one of the world’s most corrupt countries. However observers caution that it could be tough going for a family unused to intense public scrutiny - and point out it is not hard for them to look good, given what went before. The children of Widodo’s predecessor, ex-general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, sometimes courted controversy, with one of his sons having to fend off accusations of corruption, but it was the offspring of Suharto who provoke the most anger in Indonesia. His six children allegedly amassed fortunes by enjoying privileged access to lucrative business deals during his threedecade rule, which was marked by massive corruption. He was toppled in 1998 by the Asian financial crisis. The most controversial is youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra, popularly known as Tommy. A playboy with a taste for flashy cars, he served four years of a 15-year prison term for hiring hitmen to murder a judge who had sentenced him to jail for corruption. He was released in 2006. Rejects fancy handbags When it comes to Widodo’s family, his wife Iriana, 51, has forgone the designer clothes and fancy handbags beloved of many first ladies, normally opting for plain shirts and trousers. His eldest son has set up a catering business in the family’s hometown of Solo, on Java, and drives a Mazda hatchback. While his family spent several days in Jakarta before Widodo’s October 20 inauguration, the 27-year-old did not leave until the day before due to his heavy workload. “I will be able to leave the city only once my catering jobs are done,” he told the Jakarta Post newspaper. When Widodo’s daughter, Kahiyang Ayu, injured her hand, the 23-year-old reportedly insisted on being taken to a community health centre instead of an AFP Agence France-Presse Indonesia’s First Lady Iriana Widodo at the presidential palace. Eschewing designer outfits, she is setting a modest example in a region where leaders’ relatives are better known for greed and corruption. expensive private clinic and waited to be seen by a doctor. A blog by Widodo’s youngest son, 17-year-old Kaesang Pangarep, has shone a light on the first family’s private life, with tales of his father playing practical jokes and worries about what to wear to school adding to the sense they are just normal, middle-class folk. The family is not poor Widodo used to be a successful businessman - and one area where they have splashed out is the children’s education. The two sons both attended high school in Singapore, while the eldest did business courses in the city-state and Australia. Even in wealthy Singapore however, the youngest son said that his parents did not spoil him. “I very rarely take the MRT (subway) because it is more expensive than a bus ride,” he wrote on his blog during his time in the city-state, adding that his mother had refused to increase his meagre pocket money allowance. He said that his mother told him: “Your pocket money shouldn’t be a lot, so that you know the misery of living in another country.” While they have mostly been praised by the public and media, it is still early days for the family and there are already signs that everything might not run smoothly. The eldest son faced criticism recently for responding angrily to reporters’ questions about why he did not appear with his father during the presidential campaign. “This man is too sensitive. He is not like his father,” one Twitter user commented. UN chief criticises travel restrictions Deutsche Presse-Agentur SINGAPORE/VIENNA UN chief Ban Ki-moon spoke out against travel restrictions as a way to fight Ebola as Singapore became the latest country to impose stricter policies. “The best ways to stop this virus is to stop the virus at its source, rather than limiting and restricting the movement of people and trade,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in Vienna yesterday. World Health Organisation (WHO) officials have been pointing out that the negative economic consequences that such policies have for the most affected countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone far outweigh any small and unproven protective effects that travel restrictions might have. Singapore’s Minister of State for Health Lam Pin Min said his country would impose visa requirements on citizens from these three countries from Wednesday, local media reported. Canada announced on Saturday that it has suspended the processing of visa applications from people who have been to the West African countries affected by the Ebola outbreak. Ban also criticised countries that have quarantined health workers returning from West Africa, regardless of whether they show any Ebola symptoms. “There are some unnecessary extra restrictions and discrimination against health workers,” Ban told reporters. He urged authorities to treat such workers like everyone else as long as they do not show any symptoms. “They are extraordinary people who are giving of themselves, they are risking their own lives,” Ban said. A policy debate has erupted in the United States after nurse Kaci Hickox was quarantined without symptoms in New York after returning from Sierra Leone. People who are infected with Ebola can only pass on the virus once they start showing first signs of the disease, such as fever. In the three hardest-hit countries in West Africa, about 13,500people have been infected and 4,900 have died, according to the latest WHO update on Friday. The outbreak has apparently slowed down in Liberia, but the country’s Assistant Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah warned the public against a false sense of complacency. “It is not yet over until we stop transmitting the virus completely, it will not be over until all counties report zero cases for over 21days and in the next 42 days in our country,” Nyenswah said in Monrovia. ASEAN+ 8 MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, November 4, 2014 GLOBAL BRIEFS The prosecution’s case hit a snag when the Federal Court reprimanded Muhammad Shafee Abdullah for submitting a Thai scientific report. The lawyer had submitted the article to illustrate the point that DNA samples can last for up to 65 hours in the rectum. However, Shafee was reprimanded by Justice Suriyadi Halim Omar who noted that he did not understand the content of the article. Because it was in Thai, it could not be determined whether the article related to a person or a chicken, Justice Suriyadi said. The article was also objected to by Anwar Ibrahim’s lawyer Ramkarpal Singh. Earlier Tuesday, the prosecution had submitted that Anwar should have done his own DNA tests if he intended to disprove the prosecution’s findings. Anwar is appealing to set aside a five-year jail sentence for sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan. - THE STAR Both slain women in HK may be Indonesian The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that one of the two dead women allegedly murdered by a British banker in Hong Kong was an Indonesian citizen, while indicating that the second could also be from Indonesia. Ministry spokesperson Michael Tene said on Monday that the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong had been working with local authorities to confirm the second victim’s identity and nationality. He refused, however, to disclose further details of either victim. “I am not in a position to disclose the victims’ personal information,” he said. The murdered Indonesian woman has been named as 25-yearold Sumarti Ningsih, from Cilacap, Central Java. - THE JAKARTA POST US Navy cancels port calls The US Navy has cancelled visits to the Philippine port of Subic amid public anger over accusations that a US Marine killed a Filipino on the city’s outskirts, officials said Monday. Foreign Department spokesman Charles Jose said the visits of three US ships to Subic this month had been cancelled, while the head of the Subic freeport said nine such visits scheduled for this year had been called off. “The DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) was informed through normal diplomatic channels of the cancellation of the visits to Subic of three ships for operational reasons,” he said. Jose told reporters he did not believe the cancellations were linked to anger stirred by the investigation of a US Marine for the killing of a Filipina in Olongapo City last month. - AFP Central Tokyo, seen from an area to be covered by an envisaged flight route at an altitude of about 915 metres. Haneda flights over Tokyo nearer reality The Yomiuri Shimbun Progress is being made in plans that would allow flights of large aircraft to and from Haneda Airport to fly over the centre of Tokyo. The aim of the plans, which would end an unwritten rule banning flights of large aircraft over the capital, is to increase the number of arrivals and departures at the airport ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Attention is focused on certain envisaged flight paths over such areas as Shibuya and Shinagawa wards that would be used for landings, although these routes would be only used during the afternoon in southerly winds, mainly in the summer. The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry is cautiously preparing to establish the flight paths over the heart of Tokyo, which would end the ministry’s seemingly selfimposed ban on such flights. Haneda Airport has two pairs of parallel runways. Most flights to and from Haneda currently use routes that include an area over Tokyo Bay, an arrangement made to bypass airspace over the heart of Tokyo. Consequently, the airport can only accommodate up to 80 arrivals and departures per hour at the present time. By the opening of the 2020 Olympic Games, the government hopes to double the number of foreign tourists visiting the nation to 20 million annually. This will call for a further increase in the number of flights to and departures from Haneda. A related task is how to accommodate arrivals and departures in southerly winds, a weather condition that is frequently observed from early spring to summer. Because takeoffs and landings must be carried out against the wind, the current routes using airspace over Tokyo Bay require planes to approach Haneda from the direction of Chiba Prefecture and then take a sharp left turn immediately before landing. Allowing aircraft to descend over the center of Tokyo would enable more efficient use of Haneda’s runways. According to a ministry estimate, utilising the central Tokyo routes would make it possible to accommodate 90 arrivals and departures per hour at Haneda. Under the envisaged flight paths, planes would be able to make a beeline from an area over Saitama to Haneda, gradually descending toward the airport. They would fly at an altitude of less than 1,000 metres near the Tokyo metropolitan government office, and descend to less than 500 metres in the vicinity of Shinagawa Station after passing through airspace over areas around Shibuya Station. Noise pollution concerns This has raised concerns about noise pollution, because using the envisaged routes means large passenger aircraft would fly at an altitude lower than the 634-metre-high Tokyo Skytree. Noise levels register an average of about 77 decibels when a Boeing 777-200, one of the world’s largest passenger planes, flies at a height of about 400 metres above residential areas before landing at Osaka Airport in Itami, Hyogo Prefecture. The noise inside a subway train carriage reaches about 80 decibels, according to the ministry. “Engine noise from a state-ofthe-art plane would be lower,” an official of the ministry’s Civil Aviation Bureau said. The local governments are cautiously looking at any new developments in the ministry’s project to change flight routes. “We’re currently seeking detailed information from the national government about possible noise pollution and the safety [of using new routes],” a metropolitan government official said. “We will carefully examine the details of planned flight routes.” Beijing stamps out funeral fashion fires for Apec Agence France-Presse BEIJING Beijing authorities have banned people from burning the clothes of dead relatives - a traditional funerary rite to ensure they can dress in the afterlife as an anti-pollution measure for an international summit, staterun media said Tuesday. The move comes days ahead of the opening of the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, when Chinese President Xi Jinping will host leaders from the United States, Russia and Japan among others. Authorities in the notoriously smog-ridden capital have imposed tight limits on car use, ordered factories to close, and are giving public sector employees a six-day holiday, with some neighbouring areas also following suit with restrictions. A notice at Beijing’s sprawl- ing Babaoshan cemetrey states that “the incineration of the clothing of the deceased will be suspended” from November 1 to 15 due to APEC, according to the Beijing News. “We kindly ask your understanding for any inconvenience this may cause,” the notice reads. The burning of clothing to make it available to the deceased - along with paper representations of other goods - is part of the rituals of death in much of China. It is not the first time that small-scale smoke sources have been targeted in the country’s battles against pollution, with streetside barbecue stands sometimes blamed. China’s heavy air pollution is primarily caused by the enormous use of coal to generate electricity to power a booming economy, and by more vehicles on the roads. The Yomiuri Shimbun Prosecution in Anwar’s case reprimanded over Thai article MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, November 4, 2014 9 ASEAN+ Indonesian electricity firm unveils big spending plan The Jakarta Post State-owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) has announced plans to spend around US$22.5 billion to participate in the construction of 35,000-megawatt (MW) power plants, a project initiated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to provide sufficient electricity to the whole nation. PLN president director Nur Pamudji said on Monday that his firm would help to finance the construction of 15,000-MW plants . “We estimate that construction will cost around $1.5 million for every megawatt,” he said after a closed-door meeting at the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry. The construction of the remaining 20,000 MW would be undergone by independent power producers (IPP), he explained. Nur refused to elaborate on where the funds would come from, but he revealed that the groundbreaking mega-project would begin next year. Coordinating Economic Minister Sofyan Djalil said last Friday that the government aimed to build a number of 35,000-MW power plants over the next five years. “Jokowi’s administration wants to safeguard the country’s electricity supply. Currently, power plants in operation have a capac- ity of only 40,000 MW in total,” he said, adding that the figure was still far below the total capacity of Chinese power plants, which stands at 1.2 million MW. According to PLN data, the country’s total electricity generation capacity reached 47,128 MW as of the end of last year. Electricity consumption in Indonesia is expected to hit 386 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2020, more than double the 189 TWh consumed last year. Average growth per year between 2013 and 2022 is forecast to reach 8.4 per cent. Electricity demand in Java and Bali is expected to reach 275 TWh of power by 2022 from 144 TWh last year, with an annual average growth of around 7.6 per cent. PLN, meanwhile, will generate 31.5 gigawatts (GW) of additional power for Java and Bali during the 2013-2022 period, or around 3.2 GW per year, according to the company’s electricity procurement plan for the nineyear period. An additional power plant capacity of 59.5 GW over the period is needed across Indonesia to avoid power crises, an additional capacity of around six GW per year nationwide. Nur explained that for the 35,000-MW project alone, PLN and the selected IPP would mostly construct steam-fueled power plants (PLTU) as well as a Groom service is standard at Singapore pet hotel number of hydro power plants (PLTA). The construction of PLTU usually takes five years, while the time needed for the construction of PLTA depends on the site, with construction on the most difficult sites taking seven years on average. However, building a power plant may be a daunting task for PLN, which has run into difficulties with the Batang PLTU project in Central Java. The development of the two 1,000-MW Batang power plants has seen no progress in the last three years, with the state electricity firm facing firm opposition from local residents unwilling to sell their land to the government. NokScoot cleared for take-off The Straits Times Singapore Airlines’s new joint venture carrier NokScoot announced on Tuesday that it officially received an approval from the Department of Civil Aviation of Thailand for the Air Operator’s Certificate on October 30. NokScoot is a joint venture set up by Nok Air, Thailand’s low cost carrier, and SIA’s wholly-owned subsidiary Scoot. Based at Don Mueang International Airport, NokScoot will operate medium to long haul flights to international destinations with a fleet of B777-200 aircraft. NokScoot said in a statement the approval means it meets all statutory require- ments since the company had also been granted an Air Transport Service License from the Ministry of Transport of Thailand. The Air Operator’s Certificate will pave the way for its application for operating permits and slots to its intended international routes. The commencement date of commercial operations will be announced when these are obtained, said NokScoot. Piya Yodmani, NokScoot’s chief executive officer, said in the statement: “Promptly, we will submit an application for Japan’s Foreign Air Carrier Permit to the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. Traffic flow between Japan and Thailand is growing continuously year by year.” AFP Stock plan ‘delayed’ by HK protests A staff member takes a dog for a swim in a bone-shaped pool at the Wagington luxury pet hotel in Singapore. Agence France-Presse A luxury pet hotel featuring air-conditioned suites, spa services and gourmet meals was unveiled Tuesday in Singapore, further raising the level of pet pampering in the wealthy citystate. The 4,317 square-foot (401 square-metre) Wagington hotel is located in a converted British colonial-era bungalow in the diplomatic quarter. Lodgings cost up to Sg490 ($271) a night for three dogs sharing the “royal suite”, which boasts a chandelier, a television and faux leather orthopaedic beds. Designed largely for dogs, the hotel can also accept cats. “If we deserve the best in life, shouldn’t your most loyal companion deserve it equally?” founder Estelle Taylor said in a press statement. “Being animal lovers, we feel strongly that there should be a place where pets can be left that makes them feel at home.” It is not all lazing around at the hotel. The furry guests can exercise at its bone-shaped swimming pool and artificial turf garden, and indoor treadmills can be used on rainy days. Owners can also order spa services, including grooming and trimming, a “pawdicure”, mud masks, micro-bubble baths, fur dyeing and aromatherapy massages. The hotel also provides limousine services to shuttle pooches to and from their homes without hassle. Singapore is a densely populated island of 5.5 million people, most of them living in high-rise apartment blocks but with a high per capita income. There are more than 250 licensed pet shops, many of them operating in shopping malls. One businessman offers weekend boat cruises for pets and their owners. China Daily The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect programme is “unlikely” to be shelved, but could be further delayed if protesters in Hong Kong “continue making trouble”, said an official of a top think tank on Monday. Zhang Chenghui, director of the Finance Institute under the Development Research Centre of the State Council, told a news conference that she believed Hong Kong’s Occupy Central movement was a cause for the delay of the pilot share trading programme. “I personally feel that if the demonstrators keep on putting up a show, it will be a negative factor for the establishment of the stock investment linkage between the two financial markets, and it can be harmful for the development of stronger economic ties,” she said. It was the first time that a Chinese mainland scholar with an official background has made the connection between the delay in the launch of the programme to the illegal Occupy Central movement. The centre is a high-level think tank directly affiliated with the State Council, China’s cabinet. It is known to provide regular consultations to the cabinet and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. LIFESTYLE 10 MYANMAR ELEVEN, Tuesday, November 4, 2014 Reel time for foreign flicks MYANMAR ELEVEN Foreign films are growing in popularity with Myanmar moviegoers, with 83 out of 90 movies released this year being foreign films, according to a survey by the Department for Enhancing Film Standards (DEFS). Since January, over 60 foreign films have been screened by Mingalar Cinema Group, the largest cinema operator in Myanmar, 20 by Junction Cineplex Group and four by other cinemas. “There is a huge gap between the number of local and foreign films screened and released, which has to do with the bureaucratic red tape that causes long delays for cinema releases,” said DEFS director Thein Tun Aung. “Only the largest cinema grabs the new releases first while other cinemas have to wait before they can screen them. We need to fix this in the near future. The aim of the movie theatres’ switch to digital projection is to make sure that all new releases hit the cinemas nationwide at the same time,” he added. Over 30 cinemas in Myanmar have switched to digital projection with about 20 more set to upgrade to digital screens. Among them, 12 state-owned cinemas on a long-term lease and nine privately owned cinemas have made the transition to digital projection. Seven stateowned cinemas on a long-term lease and 11 privately owned cinemas are being outfitted with digital projectors. “There will be more digital cinemas by the end of this year. We are also negotiating with some cinema operators to upgrade to digital projection,” he EMG YANGON Nay Pyi Taw Cinema is one of the downtown theatres that’s devoted to foreign films. said, adding that the local film industry plans to stop using conventional film projectors by the end of this year. Limited local releases also have to do with the scourge of film censorship. The censorship board vows to take a tougher stand from December 1 following the relaxation of regulations since 2011. First ever LGTB filmfest in Yangon The film censorship board has been in talks with local film-makers in an attempt to reach a compromise over the inappropriate content in films and direct-tohome videos, according to a senior official from the Department for Enhancing Film Standards. Critics have called for the censorship board to review certain films and direct-to-home videos with inappropriate fashion, dialogues, jokes and the numerous releases of horror films and direct-to-home videos. Films with vulgar content were usually cut, or banned in the past. “What we mean by strictly controlling the censorship regulations is not to cut scenes or The timeless beauty of Mother Nature in pastel MYANMAR ELEVEN The first film festival that mounts screenings relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues will be held in Yangon this month to raise awareness of the LGBT community and equal rights. Organised by Colors Rainbow, YG, Abadi Art and other non-profit organisations, the “&Proud LGTB Film Festival” – to be held from November 14 to 16 at the Institut Français in Yangon – features 30 films from Myanmar and Asia, discussions, parties and an exhibition. “[Local actors and comedians] have been mocking gay and bisexual people by exaggerating their antics and fashion in local films. So this encourages prejudice and discriminations against LGTB people among the public. The reason for organising this film festival is to educate the public on the LGBT community and their experiences through films,” said Hla Myat Tun who organises the film festival. ban films like in the past,” said Thein Tun Aung, director of the Department for Enhancing Film Standards, adding: “We will notify [respective film production companies] and negotiate with them to fix harmful scenes. The most important thing is not to have harmful scenes for the audience.” ‘The Sunrise of Minbuu’ by Win Pe Myint MYANMAR ELEVEN YANGON In Win Pe Myint’s latest exhibition titled “Pastel & Me”, the renowned artist indicates a strong desire for the quiet beauty of simple living and a return to nature. “I love nature. I have great consideration for the real value of nature. I value the things given by nature rather than those created by man. Lately people have neglected Mother Nature by eating ready-made food and wearing ready-made clothes. So I created these paintings to reflect themes in nature,” said Win Pe Myint. Born in Minbu in 1948, Win Pe Myint took an interest in art at a very young age, studying under four great artists Lun Gywe, Shwe Oung Thame, Paw Oo Thet and Thein Han. It was not until 2002 when he started creating landscapes in pastel. He staged his first solo art exhibition in 1977 and ‘Pastel & Me’ is his 15th. On display are 72 landscapes in pastel created during the monsoon season. “I didn’t draw any painting series during the monsoon when oil paintings go moldy quickly. So I went for watercolors and pastels. Drawing with pastel is more fun and it gives me more freedom. I created a lot of paintings with pastel during the wet season just for this exhibition,” he added. “Pastel & Me” runs until November 7 at the Lawkanat Art Gallery.
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