1. law, govt and politics
2. government

R
EPA
PE
BUSINESS: SKILL SCARCITY IN SECURITIES INDUSTRY ✪5
First INDEPENDENT English daily
www.elevenmyanmar.com
WEDNESDAY, March 18, 2015
INSIDE
Three men jailed for
insulting religion
NATIONAL
Sentences showed “freedom of expression is under greater threat than ever”: Human Rights Watch
Tension escalates after
Myanmar bomb killed five
workers in China
✪2
BUSINESS
Local SMEs told to
modernise business
practices
✪5
ASEAN+
Anwar’s daughter
prepared for sedition
charge
✪7
EPA
LIFESTYLE
Philip Blackwood is escorted by Myanmar policemen after being sentenced two and a half years in prison.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Yangon
A New Zealand bar manager
and his two Myanmar colleagues
were sentenced yesterday to two
and a half years in jail by a
Yangon court for using a Buddha
image to promote a cheap drinks
night.
The ad posted on Facebook in
December triggered outrage in
the former junta-ruled country,
where surging Buddhist nationalism and religious violence has
sparked international concern.
Philip Blackwood, who worked
at the VGastro bar in Yangon,
was found guilty of insulting religion along with the bar’s
Myanmar owner and manager,
after the New Zealander posted
the offending mocked-up photo
of the Buddha wearing DJ headphones.
The trio were sentenced to
two years in jail for insulting religion through written word or pictures and a further six months both terms carrying the punishment of hard labour - for breaching local authority regulations.
They were held responsible
for protests that erupted outside
the bar over the image.
Judge Ye Lwin said that
although Blackwood, 32, posted
an apology, he had “intentionally
plotted to insult religious belief”
when he uploaded the photo.
He added that it was “unreasonable only to blame the foreigner” when explaining the
guilty verdicts for the 40-year-old
bar owner Tun Thurein and manager Htut Ko Ko Lwin, 26.
The trio during the trial all
denied insulting religion, while
Blackwood admitted posting the
picture without intending to
offend.
The New Zealander made no
comment as he was bundled into
the back of a police truck
through a scrum of media cameras after the sentencing.
Htut Ko Ko Lwin’s mother
screamed at a group of monks
waiting outside the court and
taking photos with smartphones.
“I am very shocked and this is
very unfair,” said Myat Nandar,
wife of bar owner Tun Thurein,
adding that she would consult
her lawyer about appealing.
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia
director of Human Rights Watch,
said the sentences showed “freedom of expression is under
greater threat than ever” in
Myanmar, which is gearing up for
crucial elections later this year.
“The authorities should
accept the heartfelt public apology of the three men, vacate the
conviction, and order them to be
released immediately and unconditionally,” he said in a statement.
Blackwood’s parents told
Fairfax Media from their New
Zealand home that they were
shocked by the decision and
their son would consider an
appeal.
“We hoped common sense
would prevail and he would be
found not guilty because it was
not a malicious or intentional
act...” said father Brian
Blackwood.
VGastro, a tapas restaurant
and nightclub in an upmarket
neighbourhood, was shut shortly
after the contentious poster
came to light, even though management quickly withdrew the ad
and apologised for their “ignorance” in using the Buddha’s
image.
Renowned traditional
dancers to perform in
New York
✪10
NATIONAL
KIO delegation
meets
president,
military chief
2
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Myanmar expresses ‘sorrow’
for China border deaths
Aung Zaw Tun, Htet Shine
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Nay Pyi Taw
Myanmar and China flags are displayed inside a shop in Yangon.
AGENCIES
Yangon
MYANMAR expressed “sorrow” Monday after a bomb
dropped across the border during clashes with rebel forces
killed five farm workers on
Chinese territory in an incident
sharply condemned by Beijing.
It announced a probe into the
blast, which went off in China’s
southwestern Yunnan province
and prompted Beijing to send
fighter jets to patrol the frontier,
but stopped short of admitting
responsibility for the incident
after weeks of clashes between
the Myanmar army and ethnic
Kokang rebels.
“We would like to express our
deep sorrow for death and injuries of Chinese nationals living
in border areas,” Myanmar’s
government said in a statement
published in the state-run
Global New Light of Myanmar
newspaper.
It added that a joint investigation would be conducted into
the incident with Beijing, which
has blamed the blast on a
Myanmar warplane.
The probe will also look into
whether Kokang rebels were
involved to “create instability
along the border”, the report
said, adding that the military
had been instructed to maintain
its operations within the territory of Myanmar.
Fan Changlong, who is a dep-
EPA
A Kachin Independence
Organisation (KIO) delegation
participated in separate meetings on
peace initiatives Monday with
President Thein Sein and Defence
Services Commander-in-Chief Senior
General Min Aung Hlaing.
The meeting was the first between
Thein Sein and KIO since the president
offered to hold peace talks in August
2011.
On the government website, Thein
Sein said: “We must show our
sympathy for the bitter life and
experiences of war victims. We are
exerting peace efforts as desired by
the people. Both parties (government
and ethnic armed groups) are key
players in the country’s peace process.
All consequences will affect the
people. Peace cannot be achieved so
long as we hold weapons. Past and
ongoing events have proved how much
the country has lost.”
KIO delegation leader La Ja, who is
the group’s general secretary,
promised to cooperate with the
government until lasting peace, trust
and stable conditions are achieved.
Swan Lut Gan, a KIO Central
Committee member, said that like
other ethnic armed groups his
organisation would collaborate with
the government in achieving peace.
KIO Deputy Chief of Staff MajorGeneral Guan Maw said the ongoing
journey to peace was not a political
game, adding that mutual trust might
be lost because of interference by
some media and international
observers. He said the ceasefire
agreement should be aimed at
preventing further conflicts.
Hla Maung Shwe, from the
government-sponsored Myanmar
Peace, said both sides appear
committed to finding lasting peace.
“The president said every soldier
from the KIO or the military killed in
action is a loss to the country,” he said.
Guan Maw said his side had
already accepted the concept of a
single military and a single
commander-in-chief in principle, he
said, adding that details would be
discussed in future talks.
After Min Aung Hlaing’s meeting
with the KIO delegation, the military
issued a statement saying it does not
wish to resolve such conflicts with
arms. A ceasefire between the
government and KIO lasted for 17 years
from 1994 to 2011. However, there have
been renewed clashes since June 2011,
causing many casualties on both sides.
So far, there have been more than
100,000 war refugees in Kachin State.
uty head of the powerful Central
Military Commission, said
Myanmar air force aircraft had
crossed the border “many
times” recently, China’s defence
ministry said in a statement late
on Saturday.
“The Myanmar side must recognise the seriousness of the
issue, seriously deal with this
incident, punish those who
caused the trouble, apologise
and pay compensation to family
members, and explain themselves to China,” Fan was cited
as telling Myanmar’s military in
an emergency telephone call.
Myanmar must take strict
steps to rein in their armed forces to ensure no repeat of such
incidents, he said.
“Otherwise, China’s military
will take resolute and decisive
measures to protect the lives,
property and security of China’s
people,” Fan said, without elaborating.
On Sunday, Chinese Premier
Li Keqiang said that the government had the responsibility and
the ability to defend its border
with Myanmar.
“We have the responsibility
and the ability to firmly defend
the stability of the ChinaMyanmar border, and firmly protect the lives and the security of
the property of our people,” Li
told a news conference at the
end of China’s annual session of
parliament.
Govt tries to divide students: USU
Soe Min Htike
MYANMAR ELEVEN
The University Students’
Union (USU) is demanding that
the government stop trying to
divide the movement protesting
the National Education Law and
release all students and their
supporters who have been
arrested.
The government is showing
the USU preferential treatment
over the All Burma Federation of
Student Unions (ABFSU), Zayar
Lwin, of the Democracy
Education Initiative Committee
(DEIC), said during a meeting
on Monday.
USU members attending the
meeting wore black armbands
in protest over the continued
detention of ABFSU students.
“It can be assumed that the
government is trying to divide
the two unions because the
majority of attendees (at this
meeting) today are USU members,” Zayar Lwin said.
“The government has the
power to manipulate these two
groups.”
He added that if the govern-
ment was following the law,
members of USU would also
have been arrested.
Meanwhile, ABFSU members
are still denied their right to
return to their studies.
“The government is trying to
break the unity among students.
We want the release of all
detainees, including students
and the public (supporters).”
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, March 18, 2015
3
National
4
NEWS
DIGEST
Activists urge end to
Shan dams
Activists in Shan State have
called on the government and
foreign companies to suspend
plans for about 20 large dam
projects.
In the statement, marking the
International Day of Action for
Rivers on March 14, they refer to
the plans to construct four big
dams on the Thanlwin river and its
tributary, the Nanma river, which
account for about half of the dam
projects across the country.
They attacked the lack of
transparency.
“We suffer from the social and
environmental impacts and have
yet to enjoy the benefits of them.
About 8,000 people have been
displaced by the Upper Paunglaung
dam project.
“We fear the projects may fuel
ongoing conflicts in Shan State. The
majority of the projects are in areas
where conflict is occurring. Due to
fighting near Kwanlone dam on the
Thanlwin, about 100,000 people
have fled to the Chinese border.
China and Thailand are trying to
build the Mongtone-Tarhsan dam on
the Thanlwin River in southern
Shan State despite the ongoing
fighting there,” the statement says.
Death toll in Rakhine
ferry sinking rises to
55
The death toll has now risen to
55 after 19 more bodies were found
in the Naungtaw River where the
Aungtakun-3 ferry sank at around
7pm on March 13 in Kyaukphyu,
Rakhine State, according to the
state government.
“We are working together in
search and rescue efforts with
other officials from Kyaukphyu
District Administration and the
navy base there. I also took part in
moving the bodies,” said Police
Colonel Bo Bo Oo.
The ferry carried 216
passengers.
Hla Maung Thein, who was in
charge of the ferry, has been under
police custody.
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Monks plan to sue minister for
using chemicals to end protest
REUTERS, MYANMAR ELEVEN
Buddhist monks have prepared a lawsuit against
Myanmar’s interior minister,
accusing police of using poisonous chemicals to break up a protest in 2012, the monks and a
human rights organisation said
on Monday.
According to Justice Trust, a
rights group working in Myanmar,
the case will be a test of the government’s commitment to political reform.
The rights group says more
than 100 monks were hospitalised and 57 suffered deep burns
requiring long-term medical care
when police broke up the protest
at the country’s biggest mine, a
copper mine near the ancient
capital of Mandalay.
In a statement released in
November 2014, Amnesty
International criticised the government for its inability to hold
anyone accountable for the incident. “Two years after this brutal
attack, it is completely unacceptable that the scores of people
injured while protesting are still
waiting for justice and reparations. White phosphorus munitions should never be used by
the police, the use of such weap-
ons against peaceful protesters is
a flagrant violation of international law,” said Audrey
Gaughran, Director of Global
Issues at Amnesty International.
“No police officer or official
who was involved in the attack
has been investigated, prosecuted or sanctioned, while the government has failed to provide
victims with effective remedies
and adequate reparation.”
According to the monks and
media reports, police lobbed
teargas and phosphorus grenades to disperse the protesters.
However the government has
maintained it used only tear gas
and water canon.
Justice Trust said it was supporting monks in their casea
gainst Lt Gen Ko Ko, the Home
Affairs minister.
The monks requested police
last week to register a first information report, the first step in
seeking legal redress, but police
have not done so yet, said Aung
Thane, a lawyer with Justice
Trust. They have also sent a letter to President Thein Sein asking that the case be allowed to
go forward to a court, he said.
The Home Affairs ministry did
not respond to requests for comment.
A semi-civilian government
took power in Myanmar in 2011
after 49 years of military rule,
but has struggled to deal with
civilian unrest and has been
accused of back-sliding in its
commitment to reform.
Wanbao has run the
Lepadaung copper mine since
2010, before the quasi-civilian
government was formed. The
mining project is being developed by a subsidiary of the
Chinese mining company
Wanbao Mining Ltd and the
Union of Myanmar Economic
Holdings Ltd(UMEHL), the economic arm of the Myanmar military. According to the report
released in 2013 by a government-established investigation
committee Wanbao invested
US$997 million to produce about
100,000 tonnes of copper a year.
According to the productionsharing contract, the government
is to receive 16.8 per cent of the
profit, UMEHL 1.8 per cent and
Wanbao 13.3 per cent. However,
Wanbao is exempted from paying
8 per cent.
To make room for the mine,
four villages, made up of 441
households, were supposed to be
relocated for the Letpadaung
mining project. According to
Amnesty International, of these,
245 have been moved to resettlement sites, while the remaining
196 have refused to leave their
homes.
The police action in 2012
destroyed or damaged the holy
sites of a famous Buddhist teacher who died in 1923, monks say.
An order to clear the protest
sites came from “our superiors”
in the Ministry of Home Affairs,
which oversees the police, as
well as the Sagaing Division government, Police LtCol Thura
Thwin Ko Ko told Reuters in
2012.
“We’re trying to file this case
because we want to show the
people that we shouldn’t tolerate
such injustice,” said Tikha Nyana,
a monk who suffered burns over
60 per cent of his body and
underwent multiple surgeries
neighbouring Thailand.
Local residents have continued to protest against the
Letpadaung mine in Monywa,
about 100 km (60 miles) west of
Mandalay, saying thousands of
acres of land have been confiscated to enable the project to
proceed.
Police opened fire on protesters in December 2014 and killed
one person.
Mandalay to welcome Solar Impulse 2 on March 19
The National League for
Democracy (NLD) will try to win a
majority seats in most
constituencies in the upcoming
election, says Nyan Win,
spokesperson.
“We can do as we like only if we
win the most votes in the election.
But unless the authorities amend
the 2008 Constitution, it won’t be
fair despite free voting. We are
hoping the candidate for the vicepresidency is successful. We have
many experienced, well-qualified
candidates,” Nyan Win said.
Union Election Commission
(UEC) would hold the election at
the end of October or at the
beginning of November. The NLD
will make an election declaration
after the UEC announces the polling
date.
Speaking in December 2014,
Aung San Suu Kyi, the chairperson
of the NLD, told the media: “The
NLD will decide to take part in the
2015 elections only after they are
officially announced.”
Swiss pilots Bertrand
Piccard and Andre
Boschberg, right, pose in
front of the “Solar Impulse
2” at the airport in the
western Indian city of
Ahmedabad March 11,
2015.
MYANMAR ELEVEN
The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft
will arrive in Myanmar on March
19 and will in Mandalay for
three days, according to
Ministry of Transport.
Its arrival in Mandalay has
been delayed for several days
due to cloud cover. It was originally scheduled to reach the city
on March 10.
The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft
has been marketed as the only
airplane of perpetual endurance, able to fly day and night
on solar power without a drop
of fuel.
Myanmar was the only
Southeast Asian country chosen
for a landing during the aircraft’s around-the-globe journey. While the plane is in
Myanmar, local students will
have the opportunity to learn
about the science behind the
project and meet the pilots Swiss explorers Bertrand
Piccard and Andre Borschberg and discuss renewable energy.
On March 9, 2015, Solar
Impulse 2 left Abu Dhabi to
Muscat, Oman, before crossing
the Arabian Sea to Ahmedabad,
India on March 10.
Under the right weather conditions, Solar Impulse 2 is capable of flying over oceans for several days and nights in a row.
Solar Impulse 2 was initially
scheduled to travel 35,000 kilometres around the world in 25
days over the course of roughly
5 months. After departing
Myanmar, it will pass over China
and the Pacific Ocean.
It will also land in the
Midwest region of the United
States and either southern
Europe or Northern Africa,
depending on weather conditions.
Reuters
NLD eyes victory in
general election
KYAT EXCHANGE
Buy
Sell
BUSINESS
Scarcity of resources for
securities industry
US $
1058
1070
Euro ¤
1100
1130
760
772
Singpore $
5
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Source: KBZ Bank
BIZ
BUZZ
REUTERS
E-visa users
approach 60,000;
US tops list
Stock market building
Nwe’ Yin Aye, Than Htike Aung
MYANMAR ELEVEN
The stock exchange and enterprises to operate in the securities
industry are facing huge problem
of human resource scarcity, said
a minister.
“Since the stock exchange will
be a major entity, it will require a
large number of staff. As
Myanmar has never experienced
this before, there is no talents to
use. This human resource prob-
lem is being the most important
problem,” said Maung Maung
Thein, the deputy minister of the
Ministry of Finance who is leading for implementation of Yangon
Stock Exchange.
Right now, there are 15 people
employed for Stock Exchange
Certificate Market (SECM) and
they are under training programmes. It was expected that
students graduating with degrees
in finance would have an advantage over others in finding jobs,
due to the scarcity.
Currently, there are offers
from international schools to
open finance-related courses.
SECM is planning to scrutinise
their proposals and issue permits.
“SECM hasn’t acknowledged
any training schools that are
operating now yet. Later, it will
scrutinise and acknowledge the
training schools as it is worried
that our human resource will be
wrongly taught by people who
are not experts,” said Maung
Maung Thein. The Yangon Stock
Exchange is slated for opening in
October this year.
According to the deputy minister, Myanmar originally planned
to allow only local securities
companies to operate at the
stock exchange. However, due to
human resource scarcity, it plans
to allow joint ventures with foreign firms as this would open
door to the entry of foreign
experts.
Outdated SMEs told to expect tough times
tries from the east Asia in addition to Asean. So the private sector should prepare for it,” said
Wah Wah Maung.
There would soon be massive
inflows of capital, produce and
money when the Asean
Economic Community (AEC)
emerged and foreign products
would dominate the market if
Myanmar’s SMEs did not prepare, he said. Currently, SMEs
were facing many challenges
such as financial difficulties,
ensuring product quality and the
maintaining their market share.
Nilar
Small- and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) are still using
traditional methods and are not
in a position to meet international standards, according to business observers.
“Take a look at the country’s
economy, SMEs account for 85 to
90 per cent of trade. Most of
them are family businesses. Only
a small percentage are commercial businesses. Family businesses show no interest in exports.
Most family businesses concentrate on the survival of the family.
They pay attention only to covering living costs,” said Dr Wah
Wah Maung, deputy directorgeneral from the Foreign
Economic Relations Department
of the Ministry of National
Planning and Economic
Development.
He suggested that entrepre-
EMG
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Containers at Bo Aung Kyaw jetty
neurs should prepare for exporting to the Asean economic community and compare the competitiveness of their produce with
the international market.
“The Asean Free Trade Area is
going to emerge soon. Myanmar
will have to compete with coun-
“SMEs will not get any opportunities from the AEC if they cannot make joint ventures with foreign companies with the use of
foreign direct investment.
Imports will surpass exports,”
Set Aung, vice-governor of the
Central Bank of Myanmar, told a
forum called “SME Financing and
Financial Policy” last December.
The number of visitors who
entered Myanmar using e-visas
reached 59,917, with the greatest
portion of visitors coming from
the US as of February 2015,
according to the Immigration
Department at Yangon
International Airport.
The e-visa system was
launched on September 1, 2014,
and made available to citizens of
41 countries, most of which are in
Asia. The list of countries covered
has been extended to 97
countries.
After the US, the e-visa system
is most heavily used by tourists
from the UK, France and Germany,
according to the department.
The e-visa is only available to
tourists. Visitors entering the
country for business or other
reasons are excluded.
The e-visa is valid for three
months, starting from the
approved date. It allows 28 days in
Myanmar per arrival.
The cost of the visa is
currently set at US$50.
Foreign loans rise
sharply, says MP
MP Khin San Hlaing from the
National League for Democracy
told Parliament that foreign loans
were alarmingly high, having risen
400 times in five years under the
current government.
Parliament was discussing the
2015-16 budget.
She said the tax income was
below Asean levels despite it
rising since 2012-13, adding that
foreign aid and loans had also
increased since then.
“The foreign aid increased by
118 times to Ks25.92 billion in
2012-13 from Ks0.22 billion in
2011-12. And the foreign loans
rose by 212 times to Ks693.64
billion in 2012-13 from Ks3.27
billion in 2011-12.
The country’s foreign loans
and foreign aid have risen
dramatically for the past five
years. The loans will become a
burden for the country if they’re
not spent usefully and wisely. We
should be aware that the country’s
foreign and domestic debts will
approach Ks20,000 billion in
2015-16,” the MP said.
She urged the government to
reconsider expenditure on
construction, transport and
railway projects.
Business
6
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Developers bank on advance payments
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Myanmar property developers
are now doing business mainly
through down payments due to
lack of proper financing mechanism, pushing risks to home buyers, said a retired official at a
seminar on challenges and
opportunities in housing and
construction.
The developers put the units
on the presales market in which
buyers have to place a down payment for a unit before constructing or developing a property, say
experts at a seminar for challenges and opportunities in
housing and construction.
“In Myanmar, presales system
means “A fish is fried with its
own fat” – buyers have to pay
advance for purchasing units to
contractor to build. In some
cases, buyers want to make more
down payments but are not
allowed. For some with cash, that
wouldn’t be a good deal. So,
there are some challenges in presales system,” Myint Mo, a
retired deputy director for the
Department of Human
Settlement and Housing, said.
“The government has to focus
on the development of low-cost
housing. And it (the government)
needs to invest in those projects.
Meanwhile, commercial housing
should be developed as well.
Construction business for
commercial buildings seems
quite strong at the moment.
Currently, the Yangon City
Development Committee has
allowed at least twenty 20-storey
plus building projects and three
30-storey plus tower projects.
But there are very few low-cost
housing projects.
So there are more squatters. It
would be better if more low cost
housing and affordable housing
are implemented. Now, buildings
are being built for money
because financial mechanism is
weak,” Myint Mo, added.
Writer Than Soe (Economy)
said 80 per cent of construction
businesses are running with bank
loans and the term for the loans
is just four years.
Speculation is high in the real
estate market. The property price
in Myanmar is skyrocketing and
massive development sparks
huge import volume of construction materials.
“The housing sector is important in the way to develop the
country’s economy.
It also affects political consequences. For example, if a job is
being created in housing sector,
there will be two more opportunities in other sectors according to
the World Bank.
What Myanmar needs is a
comprehensive housing policy.
We are solving the problems with
short-term solutions,” Than
Myint Oo, the CEO of Soil Energy,
said. Aside from challenges in
horizontal and vertical expansion
of cities, the experts also discussed construction quality.
“Experienced technicians are
needed for high-rise construction. Quality should be maintained. Therefore, both contractor and inspector are vital in
making the buildings meet with
standard quality,” Than Myint Oo
added.
Real estate investors wait for election
EMG
Ah Nge Htwe and Nilar
Downtown Yangon.
Nilar
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Real estate investors are
waiting for the election results,
according to a property website
in Myanmar.
Jan Sommerfeld of house.
com.mm said further investment would depend on the economic policies followed after
election.
“The election will give a good
chance to reanalyse the market
if we look at it from a positive
viewpoint,” said Jan
Sommerfeld.
The Yangon real estate market has boomed but it currently
faces declines.
Khin Maung Than, chairperson for the Myanmar Real
Estates Services Association,
said the market was being
affected by poor investment, an
increase in the fixed price for a
square foot of land, uncertainty
about the election, government
controls to prevent illegal
money flowing into the real
estate market and overinflated
prices.
Switzerland, Germany pledge US$12m for land governance
VIENTIANE TIMES
The government of
Switzerland, represented by the
Swiss Agency for Development
(SDC), and the Lao government,
represented by the Ministry of
Planning and Investment, on
Friday launched the Mekong
Regional L and Governance
Project in Laos.
The project, which is planned
for a period of eight years, will
received financial support from
the Swiss government amounting
to US$8 million (65.2 billion kip),
and from the German government through the Federal
Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development
(BMZ), amounting to 3.5 million
euros (about US$3.7 million or
30 billion kip).
Secretary of State for the
Swiss Confederation, Manuel
Sager, and Lao Deputy Minister
of Planning and Investment, Dr
Kikeo Chanthaboury, signed a
Memorandum of Understanding
on the launch of the project.
The project is an initiative to
support land tenure security for
family farmers, especially women
and ethnic groups, by assisting
the emergence of more favourable policies and practices,
according to a press release.
The Lao government has been
granting large-scale and longterm economic land concessions
of agricultural and forest land to
international and domestic investors (mostly for industrial agriculture, logging, mining, and
hydropower).
This has resulted in a significant shrinking of the area available for family agriculture and
community forestry, and reduced
access to natural resources that
used to contribute to food security. The situation for family farmers is sometimes made even
more difficult by the loss of land
tenure and use rights, environmental degradation, resettlement, and limited prospects of
finding alternative employment.
“I believe the human relationship to land is such that people
see land not only as the basis for
their livelihoods. It is also essential for people’s social and cultural identity and even their sense
of self-worth,” said Sager, who is
also SDC Director General.
“If you take away the land
from people you also take away a
part of their dignity. So ultimately the good governance of land is
a precondition for social harmony and political stability,” he
added.
The Lao government is revising land policies and laws, and in
recent years, moratoriums on
new concessions have been
declared in order to re-evaluate
the benefits and risks of land
concession policies, comparing it
with other options of agriculture
intensification.
“The Mekong Region Land
Governance Project will assist
family farmers in Laos, especially
female farmers and those
belonging to ethnic groups, to
have secure and equitable access
to and control over agricultural
land, forest, and fisheries,” said
Dr Kikeo.
Through the project, the Swiss
government will support the Lao
government in its effort to develop appropriate land policies and
practices, responding to national
priorities in terms of reducing
poverty, improving nutrition,
increasing economic development, and supporting family
farmers, as part of its commitment to implement the Seventh
and Eighth Socio-economic
Development Plans from 20112015 and 2016-2020, respectively.
The project’s first phase of
four years will receive a total
budget of US$9.25 million (75.3
billion kip).
ASEAN+
7
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Anwar’s daughter freed on bail
THE eldest daughter of
Malaysia’s jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was freed on
police bail Tuesday after being
held overnight for alleged sedition, as supporters and the
United States condemned her
detention. Nurul Izzah, 34, a
member of parliament and popular public figure, confirmed her
release by phone to AFP.
Kuala Lumpur Criminal
Investigation Departmennt chief
Zainuddin Ahmad said Nurul was
freed on bail at 12.30pm after
being held overnight in a police
detention centre, where some
500 of her supporters held a
candlelight vigil.
“I was kept alone in the lockup
last night. Only this morning they
questioned me for 20 minutes
regarding the speech I made in
parliament. I am sure they will
charge me for sedition,” she told
AFP. Nurul was arrested for sedition after she last week read out
in parliament portions of a statement by Anwar, now in prison, in
which he questioned the independence of Malaysia’s judiciary.
The United States had said
Anwar Ibrahim’s
daugher, Nurul Izzah
Anwar, waves outside
the Dang Wangi
Police station after
being released today.
Monday that it was “deeply concerned” by the detention of
Nurul.
“The Malaysian government’s
recent investigations and charges
of sedition against critics raise
serious concerns about freedom
of expression, rule of law and the
independence of the judicial system in Malaysia,” State
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Jakarta
Viet Nam News
VIET NAM NEWS
Hanoi
Dong Bao, a 65-by-85cm woodblock painting by Pham Khac
Quang, is being sold for US$600.
erally means sharing one
cocoon.)The total costs of medical treatment, including the
operations and kidney dialysis,
has been estimated at VND500
million ($24,000), Hien said.
She said she’s hoping that
someone can organise an auction to raise the money needed
to pay rising hospital fees.
of Malaysia’s democratic system.”
She urged Malaysian authorities to ensure that they were fairly applying the rule of law and to
take steps “to promote confidence in Malaysia’s democracy,
judiciary and economy.”
Nurul, a mother of two children, became the latest nabbed
in a sedition crackdown that has
seen dozens investigated,
charged or convicted over the
past year, including several top
opposition politicians.
Anwar was convicted on
February 10 of sodomising a former male aide in 2008 and sentenced to five years in jail.
Anwar, who denies the charge,
calls it a “political conspiracy” by
the coalition in power since 1957,
designed to thwart steady opposition gains in recent elections.
Prime Minister Najib Razak
promised in 2012 to scrap the
British colonial-era Sedition Act
amid growing pressure for
reform.
But after a 2013 election setback, government critics have
increasingly been targeted by the
law. In November Najib said the
law would be retained and even
strengthened.
Indonesia bars Australians
from new visa-free list
Artist sells paintings to
save wife’s life
It may not be the ideal way
to present a painter’s work, but
Pham Khac Quang is trying to
gather every last penny he can
to save his wife, currently in a
coma at Hanoi’s Viet Duc hospital.
Quang’s wife slipped into a
coma after undergoing two
operations on March 13 to terminate a nine-week foetus and
remove gall bladder and kidney
stones.
Doctors have said that blood
infection caused by her having
to stop taking medicines for the
stones because of her pregnancy had led to her current condition.
Trang Thanh Hien, one of
Quang’s friends who has put up
an appeal on her Facebook
account, said that Quang, a
graduate from Hanoi’s most
prestigious Fine Arts School,
did not want just to receive
donations from well-wishers.
He has put up some of his
paintings for sale.
He’s asking for
VND11,000,000 (about
US$510) for an original woodblock painting.
Dong Bao (Fellow
Countrymen), tells the symbolic story of Vietnamese people
emerging from a giant egg.
(In Vietnamese, the term lit-
Department spokeswoman Jen
Psaki told reporters.
“To further restrict freedom of
expression will only lead to further erosion of important pillars
EPA
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Kuala Lumpur
Indonesia will soon allow tourists
from an additional 30 countries to
visit without a visa, a minister said,
but neighbouring Australia was left
off the list amid a row over looming
executions.
The move comes as Jakarta seeks
to boost a faltering economy, which is
growing at five-year lows, and to
attract more foreign income as the
rupiah rapidly weakens. The country
currently only allows tourists from 15
countries, mostly in Southeast Asia,
to visit without a visa.
People from a number of other
countries can buy a tourist visa on
arrival. The 30 countries added to the
list are mainly European, but also
include China and several others in
Asia, the United States, and some
nations in the Middle East and Africa,
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said.
“People who want to travel to
Indonesia won’t need to worry about
a visa any more,” Yahya said late
Monday, as he announced the
changes.
“We hope that we can attract an
additional one million foreign
tourists,” he added, saying the policy
could bring in an extra $1 billion a
year and that he hoped it would come
into effect next month.
Indonesia has long lagged behind
its neighbours in attracting foreign
visitors. In 2013, 8.8 million foreign
visitors came to Indonesia, according
to official figures, compared with
25.72 million in Malaysia and 26.55
million in Thailand.
But Yahya predicted that “in two
years, we will beat those countries”
following the introduction of the new
policy.
Australia - which accounted for
more than 10 per cent of Indonesia’s
foreign visitors in 2013 - was not
included in the list of countries whose
citizens will no longer require a visa.
Ties between Indonesia and
Australia have deteriorated in recent
months as Jakarta prepares to
execute two Australian drug
traffickers on death row who were
convicted of trying to smuggle heroin
out of Bali.
Yahya denied the row had played a
role, suggesting that Australia was
excluded from the list because its
own policy required visiting
Indonesians to have a visa.
However, most of the 30 countries
added to the list require Indonesians
to obtain a visa before visiting.
“It’s not that we do not want to
include Australia,” he said.
Though their country was not on
Indonesia’s visa-free list, Australian
nationals can nevertheless purchase
a tourist visa on arrival.
The minister also downplayed
fears that Indonesia was ill-prepared
for a huge jump in the number of
tourists.
“We have calculated that if we
have a 50 per cent increase, our
capacity is still more than enough,”
he said.
Indonesia’s economy has been
hard hit as investors withdraw funds
and redirect them back towards more
developed markets, which have
recently been showing signs of
renewed strength.
The economic woes have seen the
rupiah sink to a 17-year low against
the dollar in recent days.
ASEAN+
8
GLOBAL
BRIEFS
Lee Kuan Yew’s
condition worsens
The health of Singapore’s
founding leader and ex-prime
minister Lee Kuan Yew has
“worsened” due to an infection, the
government said Tuesday. Lee, 91,
has been hospitalised at the
Singapore General Hospital since
February 5 for severe pneumonia.
“Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s condition has
worsened due to an infection. He is
on antibiotics. The doctors are
closely monitoring his condition,”
said a statement from the office of
his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong. Lee served as prime minister
from 1959, when Singapore gained
self-rule from colonial ruler Britain,
until he stepped down in 1990 in
favour of his deputy Goh Chok Tong,
who in turn handed power to Lee
Hsien Loong in 2004.
- AFP
Lao satellite set to go
into orbit this year
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Record low ratings for Aquino
REUTERS
Manila
PHILIPPINE President
Benigno Aquino’s approval and
trust ratings have plunged to
their lowest ever as public anger
over the killing of 44 policemen
in a clash with rebels in January
hurt his popularity, a pollster
said on Tuesday.
The president’s poor ratings
could have implications for
a2016 presidential election even
though he will not be standing.
A police inquiry found Aquino
responsible for a bungled mission against a top Malaysian
bomb-maker on a southern
island that sparked the Jan. 25
clash and put at risk efforts to
forge peace with the country’s
largest Muslim rebel group.
The president’s spokesman
has rejected the police findings
saying Aquino was not part of a
civilian agency chain of command and he had no responsibility for the botched mission.
A survey by independent pollster Pulse Asia, taken during the
first week of March, showed
Aquino’s approval ratings
dropped from 59 percent to 38
percent. His trust rating fell from
56 percent to 36 percent. The
previous poll was in November
2014. His highest trust ratings
was 80 percent in October 2010.
“This was the largest decline
in both approval and trust ratings
in five years,” Professor Ronald
Holmes, president of Pulse Asia,
told Reuters.“This was the first
time the president has failed to
gain a majority rating, below the
50 percent level.”
Holmes said the president’s
ratings were affected by the
January clash in which at least
18 rebels were also killed.
There was no immediate comment from the president’s office.
Aquino is not eligible for reelection under the constitution,
which limits presidents to one
term, but prospects for the can-
didate of Liberal Party in a 2016
presidential election are likely to
be damaged if his popularity is
undermined.
Political analysts say the
January clash, known as the
Mamasapano incident after the
place it happened, has blown up
into Aquino’s biggest political crisis. “The president has squandered too much political capital
on the Mamasapano incident,”
Earl Parreno of the Institute for
Political and Electoral Reforms
told Reuters,
“These ratings will have serious implications in the 2016elections. An Aquino endorsement
may be a kiss of death.”
Michelle Obama to focus on girls’
education in Cambodia, Japan stops
Work is on track to launch a Lao
satellite into orbit by the end of this
year, to mark the 40th anniversary of
the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic on December 2.
Construction of the groundbased management system for the
state-invested project is 65 percent
complete, according to a report from
the Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications.
The first Lao satellite project
(Lao Sat-1) is being funded by a loan
of more than US$285 million from
China, according to a senior ministry
official in charge of the project,
Phouluang Kanorlath. China AsiaPacific Mobile Telecommunications
Satellite Co Ltd was contracted to
develop the management systems.
Some 50 Lao officials have been
sent for training in China in
preparation for the satellite’s
operation and management.
- VIENTIANE TIMES
The Indonesian Air Force’s
aerobatics team has cancelled its
display at an upcoming air and naval
show in Malaysia, after two of its
planes collided in practice, state
news agency reported Tuesday.
The Jupiter Aerobatic Team (JAT)
was on its way back to Halim
Perdanakusuma air base in Jakarta
while the four pilots involved in the
accident arrived home Monday
evening.
“The JAT’s withdrawal is in
accordance with our standard
operating procedure. We need to
cool down because (the incident)
will psychologically impact and blow
the concentration of other pilots
after the collision on Sunday,” air
force spokesman Air Commodore
Hadi Tjahjanto was quoted as saying
Tuesday. He said an air force team is
still investigating the cause of the
collision. The four pilots survived the
accident after they managed to
eject. The planes crashed near
Langkawi International Airport,
where they were scheduled to
perform during the Langkawi
International Maritimeand
Aerospace Exhibition to be held this
week.
- DPA
EPA
Indonesian aerobatics
teams withdraws from
air show
Cambodian protesters carry photographs of US President Barack Obama and his family during a protest outside the US Embassy in
Phnom Penh yesterday.
DEUTSCHE PRESSE-AGENTUR
Washington
US First Lady Michelle Obama
will seek to bolster efforts to
improve girls’ education when
she travels to Japan and
Cambodia this week, the White
House said Monday.
Ahead of her visit, Cambodian
protesters yesterday signed a
petition requesting her to help
release ten housing rights
defenders and a Buddhist monk
who have been jailed by authorities after peaceful protests in
capital Phnom Penh in
November last year over allegations that they obstructed public
traffic and insulted public officials.
During the trip, Obama will
announce a partnership between
the US Peace Corps and Japan’s
Overseas Cooperation Volunteers
focused on educating girls in
other Asian nations, White House
officials said.
She will be in Japan from
Wednesday to Friday and
Cambodia on Saturday and
Sunday.
She is the first sittingfirst lady
to visit the Southeast Asian
country. The trip will also highlight the importance the Obama
administration places on the Asia
Pacific region with stops in both
a donor country and a country
that is benefiting from US aid.
“It’s not just about the US
doing more in Asia, but the US
working with our partners in the
region,” said Evan Mederios, senior director for Asian affairs on
the White House’s national security staff.
She plans to visit cultural sites
in both countries, including
Buddhist and Shinto sites in
Kyoto, Japan and Angkor Wat in
Cambodia.
Laos’ video conference facilities unused
VIENTIANE TIMES
Video conference facilities are not
being used, despite the government’s
huge investment in installing a network
connecting ministries and provinces.
Large sums of money were also
spent on associated equipment for
central and local state departments,
but much of this is reportedly out of
use. The video conference system is
part of the costly e-governance project.
Minister of Posts and
Telecommunications, Hiem
Phommachanh, admitted that the
system had been installed and
equipment distributed but was not
being used.
He said he had learnt that
regulations should be formulated to
stipulate what kind of meetings could
be and must be held via video
conferencing.
Director General of the ministry’s
E-governance Centre, Phonpasit
Phissamay, admitted that some
equipment was not functional or was
broken.
The first phase of the e-governance
project began in 2007 at a cost of
US$35 million. This phase set up the
project in Vientiane, including the
purchase and distribution of
equipment to various ministries.
The second phase is ongoing at a
cost of US$58 million. The funding has
been used to finance relocation of the
fibre optic network from Lao Asia
Telecom to a military-owned telecom
network.
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, March 18, 2015
9
ASEAN+
Growing appetite for
Japanese rice in S’pore
Jessica Lim
THE STRAITS TIMES
THE short-grained, sticky
Japanese rice has become more
popular here despite its higher
cost, with consumption more
than doubling since 2011.
Last year, Singaporeans consumed 1,359 tonnes of rice from
Japan, up from 602 tonnes in
2011, figures from state trade
promotion arm International
Enterprise Singapore show.
Singapore is the second largest importer of Japanese rice in
the world after Hong Kong, going
by data from the Ministry of
Agriculture Forestry and
Fisheries Japan (MAFFJ).
People here ate eight times as
much Japanese rice as the
amount exported to China and
26 times that to Malaysia.
Industry players point to
increasing affluence, the booming number of Japanese restaurants and the growing number of
Japanese expatriates in
Singapore as reasons for the
increase.
Others said the recent surge
in the prices of Thai rice, leading
to falling demand here, led to
more consumers switching
sources. India, for instance, overtook Thailand as the biggest rice
supplier to Singapore for the first
time in 2013.
Thailand, famous for its premium grade of Jasmine rice, has
been the top source of the staple
here since at least 1998.
“When prices of Thai rice went
up, some consumers switched to
Japanese rice and did not switch
back,” said Andrew Tan, 35,
chairman of the Singapore
General Rice Importers
Association.
At Meidi-ya supermarket, a
5kg bag of Royal Umbrella Thai
rice costs S$18.95 (US$13.64);
and a 2kg bag of Niigata Uonuma
rice from Japan costs S$21.
However, he also pointed out
the fast jump in figures should
be taken with a pinch of salt
given that they started from a
low base. Singapore consumed a
total of 325,860 tonnes of rice
last year, with Japanese imports
not even making up 1 per cent.
Akira Karasawa, MAFFJ’s
director-general of crop production, said the greater consumption of Japanese rice here could
be because there are more
Japanese expatriates and restaurants here, as well as the affluence of Singaporeans.
The Japanese ministry has
launched the ‘This Is Japan
Quality’ logo, which will be
tagged onto all Japanese rice
GLOBAL
BRIEFS
New regional airline
from Malaysia
An airline was launched
Tuesday in Malaysia aimed at
domestic and regional flights, an
official said.
Flymojo will be based in Johor
Baru in the southern state of Johor
inpeninsula Malaysia and in Kota
Kinabalu in the eastern state of
Sabahin Borneo, according to
Deputy Transport Minister Abdul
Aziz Kaprawi.
“The airline’s ultra-modern
fleet of CS100 aircraft will play a
key role in improving connectivity
between the Peninsula and Sabah
and Sarawak, as well as other
parts of the region,” Kaparawi
said.
He was speaking at at the
launch of the airline at start of the
Langkawi International Maritime
and Aerospace Exhibition in
northern Malaysia.
Flymojo will start flying in
October. The airline will use 20
Bombardier CS100 aircraft for its
initial operations.
- DPA
products here. It has a QR code
that links to a website with information about the merits of
Japanese rice.
Supermarkets are also seeing
brisk sales. At Giant, demand for
Japanese rice has grown each
year since 2011, with its spokesman reporting “high single-digit
percentage growth” year on year.
FairPrice saw 50 per cent
growth in demand last year from
2013 for its housebrand FairPrice
Japonica Rice.
Consumers like Jane Wong,
36, started buying more
Japanese rice last year to make
Japanese meals for her four children to take to school because “it
is healthier”, she said.
However, replacing the
Vietnamese rice they eat for their
daily meals with Japanese rice is
not an option for now. “The price
is still too high,” she said.
China railway
companies eye
KL-S’pore project
Vietnam’s craft villages to face challenges from AEC
Two of China’s top railway
companies are reportedly keen to
bid for the construction of the
high-speed railway linking Kuala
Lumpur to Singapore.
China.org.cn website reported
on Monday the two companies
reportedly preparing to bid for the
construction of the railway project
are China Railway Construction
Corporation and China Southern
Railway.
The KL-Singapore High Speed
Railway is expected to go to tender
in June.
The rail link will shorten the
current travel time between KL
and Singapore from 5 hours to just
90 minutes.
The website said Japan
Railways, French firm Alstom and
Siemens are said to be among
some of the other bidders.
- THE STAR
Viet Nam News
ENI upgrades size of
huge Indonesia gas
find
A villager dries hand-woven baskets.
VIET NAM NEWS
Craft villages, a non-competitive and vulnerable part of
Vietnam’s economy, will face
greater challenges upon the
establishment of the Asean
Economic Community (AEC) at
the end of 2015.
The AEC will effectively eliminate the majority of tariffs across
the region, leading to significant
pressure from mass imports and
a risk that Vietnamese products
may lose out in the domestic
market.
Speaking about the difficult
outlook at a recent forum, Vu
Quoc Tuan, chairman of the advisory council at the Vietnam Craft
Villages’ Association, put forward
a number of suggested measures.
He emphasised the necessity
of enterprises operating in craft
products to have basic knowledge of the AEC.
A survey of domestic firms
conducted by the Ministry of
Planning and Investment discovered that 76 per cent of them
were completely unaware of the
AEC.
The transition is more likely to
produce positive outcomes if
affected businesses research
rival products and drastically prioritise enhancing their product
quality, he said.
Tuan also pointed to the small
scale of primarily family-run production facilities in craft villages
nationwide and underscored the
importance of connecting facilities to improve overall sector
competitiveness.
At the forum, the Vietnam
Fatherland Front Central
Committee and the Vietnam
Craft Villages’ Association called
for additional State incentives
and favourable policies that facilitate the development of traditional businesses.
A round-table talk is expected
to take place at the end of March
between the Vietnam Craft
Villages’ Association and the
Ministry of Industry and Trade,
the Ministry of Finance and others to review the implementation
of policies on craft village development and to seek related solutions.
Italian energy group Eni on
Monday raised its estimate of the
natural gas contained in a deep
water well off Indonesia by 20
billion cubic metres (bcm), a 55
per cent increase on initial
projections.
The company said the
completion of post-drilling studies
on the Merakes-1 well in the East
Sepinggan Block off East
Kalimantan in Borneo had led
them to upgrade the forecast of its
reserves from 36 bcm to 56 bcm
(1.3 trillion cubic feet to 2.0 tcf).
The well was drilled in October
2014 at a depth of 1,372 metres.
ENI said it was looking to fast
track development of the find so it
can be exploited at the same time
as the nearby Jangkrik field, which
it also owns.
The Italian company has 85
per cent of the East Sepinggan
block. It has been active in
Indonesia since 2001.
- AFP
LIFESTYLE
10
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Thingyan with traditional dance in US
K-pop idol
group 4Minute
to perform in
Myanmar
The Shwe Mann family
performs at an event to
celebrate the 80th
anniversary of the
legendary dancer Shwe
Mann Tin Maung’s career.
EMG
MYANMAR ELEVEN
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Renowned traditional dancers Chan
Thar and Tin Maung San Min Win of the
Shwe Mann Thabin dance troupe will
perform in New York next month along
with hsaing waing (traditional orchestra) musician Thiri Maung Maung during the Thingyan Water Festival.
“We have been invited by the
American Association to perform in
New York. I’ve learnt that the association has been staging performances by
VIET NAM NEWS
Hanoi’s young adults enjoy a diverse
range of music, from old-timey
Vietnamese ballads to the latest
Billboard hits. I explored a few live
music coffee shops and bars to
experience the musical culture in the
millennium-old capital first-hand.
When talking about timeless
Vietnamese musicians, the first artist
to come to mind can easily be Trinh
Cong Son. Although he passed away
almost 15 years ago, his music is still
sought-after by both old and young
listeners. Many cafes designed
specifically to play his music have
sprouted up around Hanoi in recent
years, like Trinh Ca Cafe (233 To Hieu
Street). Upon entering Trinh Ca, I
realised that this place intended to have
a Japanese teahouse theme. A modest
goldfish pond, surrounded by round
white pebbles, claimed a small corner
outside the shop. Above it, a golden
bust of Trinh Cong Son was etched into
the wall. Prior to entering the shop,
customers were requested to take off
their shoes, just like how it would be
done at a traditional teahouse.
The cafe was rather small, with a
low ceiling and wooden floors. The
small, minimalist tables and soft floor
pillows added to the Zen theme and
saved space. Paintings of Trinh Cong
Son hung on the walls, and some of his
well-recognised lyrics were carefully
hand-painted on the ceiling.
Customers exchanged
conversations in low tones while the
signature husky, raspy voice of singer
Khanh Ly sang Trinh’s songs in the
background.
pate in the Myay Wine dance performance (a traditional dance characterised by a circle of dancers).
Chan Thar will present a revived version of Shwe Mann Tin Maung’s dancing
style while Tin Maung San Min Win will
perform contemporary dance formats
as practiced by local dance troupes.
The dance troupe will also show off
several traditional dance forms including Apyodaw (Maids Honor Dance), Nat
(to honour the spirits), the Mara and the
Three Daughters opera and Thingyan.
ASEAN FOCUS
Hanoi caters to varied music tastes
Cuong, a server at the
Though some young
cafe, emphasised that Trinh
adults might turn to Trinh’s
Ca differentiated itself from
music to avoid the
other Trinh cafes with its
booming sounds of
teahouse theme. The
mainstream music, there
respectful teahouse
is another alternative.
complimented the depth of
For those seeking
Trinh’s music, which helped
some balance between
customers feel peaceful
old-timey music and
and helped them look
overplayed top hits, Binh
inward. I arrived at about
Minh’s Jazz Club (1 Trang
7.30pm on a Sunday, the
Tien Street) is the place to
night of live music. By 8pm,
go. The music is a mix
the crowd started rolling in,
between the jazzy sounds
which to my pleasant
of New Orleans and clever
Music to our ears: Saxophonist Hong Son persurprise, consisted mostly
Vietnamese themes,
forms at the Binh Minh Jazz Club.
of young faces. Customers
which in turn creates a
came mostly for live Trinh
harmonious balance
music, according to Cuong. Many
vitality to the show.
between the old and the new, the East
young guests were first timers. One of
Thanh Huong, the lead singer, noted
and the West. The club reserved a
them came because of his girlfriend’s
that the life of musicians who go from
generous space for the stage, unlike at
recommendation. He scoffed at the
bar to bar to perform could be rough,
Trinh Ca’s. The bar’s name in red neon
notion that Trinh music was only for
but admitted, “Singing at Trinh cafes
light cast a soft, red tone throughout
older adults: “Our generation likes Trinh really doesn’t have a bad side. We do it
the bar, making the guests feel as if
too. His songs are still significant.”
because we are passionate about his
they were in a smoky New Orleans jazz
The musicians also seemed to
music, and we enjoy playing it.”
club. The audience was thin at 9pm, but
agree that Trinh’s music was a rare
One listener, Anh, disclosed he
gradually got thicker as the session
instance where listeners were both
came many Sundays to Trinh Ca
proceeded. Both foreigners and locals
young and old. Unlike other old-timey
because he was a big fan of Thanh
could be seen bobbing their heads in
composers, Trinh Cong Son still has a
Huong’s voice.
tune with the music. The walls were
big following of fans in their twenties.
“The bar plays great music. I like the filled with pictures of the club’s
Van Dao, the lead guitarist, said that teahouse theme and it’s so close to my
musicians, as well as influential jazz
he had listened to and played Trinh’s
house.” One of Anh’s companions, also
artists who had performed with the
music since a young age and had played a first timer, added, “Young people
band throughout the club’s history.
at Hanoian cafes for 12 years. He was
nowadays like to go to bars with the
With the exception of seasoned
glad that despite the long time these
loud booming music. That kind of music saxophonist Hong Son, the rest of the
songs had been around, the listeners at
gives me a headache. I like the
band were young in their 20s and early
his live gigs still added a youthful
atmosphere here a lot more.”
30s. The saxophone improvisations
Photo courtesy of Binh Minh Jazz Club’s
Facebook page
Bui Nguyen To Hanh
invited traditional groups from other
countries.
They invited us because they recognise us as the generation of Alinka Kyaw
Swar Shwe Mann Tin Maung, the founder of the Shwe Mann Thabin dance
troupe, which is the oldest troupe in
Myanmar.
That’s why we are very proud to
receive this invitation,” said Chan Thar,
the son of Shwe Mann Tin Maung.
Veteran dancer Win Maung, who
resides in the United States, will partici-
Popular South Korean idol group 4Minute will stage
a concert in Myanmar next month, according to the
girl group’s Live in Yangon Facebook page.
In a video message to their Myanmar fans, the
5-member girl group said: “4Minute is holding a
concert in Myanmar for the first time. This is
groundbreaking as it is our first concert and we will be
performing our latest hits.”
Titled “2015 4Minute Fan Bash in Myanmar”, the
concert will be held at Myanmar Event Park on April 4.
Tickets come in five categories: US$600 for VVIP,
US$200 for VIP, and Ks 60,000 (US$60), Ks 45,000
(US$45), and Ks 25,000 (US$25) for the general
public. “4Minute is a one of the top groups in [South]
Korea. There are many fans who support their
performances.
There will surely be many fans coming to their
concert, but the ticket prices are a little expensive.
Still there are five types of tickets so we can buy what
we can afford. This group doesn’t have the kind of fan
base bigger than that of 2NE1, but they will have their
own fans,” said Wunna, a K-pop fan from Bahan
Township.
Formed in 2009 under Cube Entertainment, the
girl group consists of Nam Ji-hyun, Heo Ga-yoon, Jeon
Ji-yoon, Kim Hyun-a and Kwon So-hyun.
They have released two studio albums and a
number of EPs including the latest called “Crazy”.
were often exquisite. Surprised faces
and satisfied nods from knowledgeable
jazz ears were often seen at the bar
throughout the night. The band played a
variety of soulful, upbeat songs.
The band’s young pianist, Ngoc
Vuong, said he had been experimenting
with jazz since he was a teen.
“The people who come here have
very refined taste and are also well
educated. There really isn’t the bad
influence that you often see at more
popular clubs,” he said.
The club’s cashier, a woman in her
early 20s named Hang, said her love for
rock somehow led her to work at this
club: “I am actually a rock lover, but
since jazz gave birth to this genre, it’s
not a huge difference.”
While jazz still has only a modest
following in the youth community, Hang
said it was gaining recognition as the
parent of many mainstream genres that
young adults loved, such as rock and
roll, hip-hop, R&B and pop.
Young Hanoians’ music taste seems
to cover all colours of the musical
spectrum, from old-timey music to
Vietnamese jazz to the latest hits. Thus,
young people are not backward or
conservative simply because they listen
to Trinh Cong Son. More often, they
listen as a way to return to a more
Vietnamese sound that can heal souls
with its complex meaning.
Similarly, the young adults who
prefer jazz or more modern genres such
as rap or electronic should not be
grouped as “delinquents” or “rootless”.
Hanoi’s young adults belong to the
global generation, brave and
individualistic enough to find their
favourite sounds in this quickly
changing city.