July 24-31, 2015

Ministers for Information and Health step down 

State-owned media

New Light of Myanmar – “Union ministers resign,” 30 July 2014

• State media announced that the Ministers for Information and Health had resigned from their posts.
• U Aung Kyi, Minister of Information, and Dr Pe Thet Khin, Minister of Health, stepped down on 29 July.
• The article read, ‘Under Sub-section (b) of the section 235 of the Constitution… the following Union ministers were allowed for resignation of their own volition.’

Private media

Democratic Voice of Burma – “Burma President ‘allowed’ ministers to step down,” 30 July 2014

• One day after the sudden double resignation, the President of Burma announced that he was appointing two new candidates to the posts.
• Deputy Information Minister Ye Htut and Deputy Health Minister Dr Than Aung were both promoted to the more senior role.
• The Burmese government has not been forthcoming in offering an explanation for the resignations or the new appointments.
• Aung Kyi was known to harbour moderate views on press freedoms, and is thought to have had disagreements with the president over the suppression of the Burmese media.
• Although Aung Kyi was often outspoken, his successor, Ye Htut, is far more so.
• These changes in personnel follow the cabinet reshuffle of last month, when the replacement of Arakan State Chief Minister Hla Maung Tin by a military official sparked controversy. 

Farmers face prison sentence for trespassing

State-owned media

New Light of Myanmar – “Villagers trespass Letpadaungtaung Project Area and attack security personnel,” 28 July 2014

• Around 75 villagers trespassed on the Letpadaungtaung copper mining project area and attacked security personnel with catapults and stones, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• When police told the villagers it was dangerous to feed their cattle inside the project area, the villagers pulled down the fence and drove their cattle inside.
• Five security personnel were injured and taken to Monywa and Salingyi People’s Hospitals for treatment.
• The police station has ‘taken action against the villagers in accordance with the law,’ according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Private 

Asian Human Rights Commission – “Burma/Myanmar: Over 450 Farmers Victimised by Myanmat Military Land Grabbing,” 30 July 2014

• 65 farmers in Myanmar have been imprisoned for ploughing their own land, with over 350 more headed for the same fate.
• During a so-called ‘training exercise,’ the Burmese military destroyed the fields and proceeded to claim that farmers were trespassing on military land when they tried to re-enter their land.
• The article claims that the events illustrate ‘the reality of the land grabbing culture practiced by Myanmar military officers, which has wreaked havoc on the lives and livelihoods of farming communities across Myanmar.’

UN Special Rapporteur statement

State-owned media

New Light of Myanmar –  “UN special rapporteur clarifies human rights awareness campaigns to Myanmar officials,” 25 July 2014

• Ms Yanghee Lee, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, called on Chief Justice of the Union at the Supreme Court on Thursday, and met various other ministers.
• She discussed international cooperation, human rights campaigns and nurturing of human resources. 

Private

Asian Human Rights Commission “Burma/Myanmar: Statement of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar Yangon International Airport,” 26 July 2014

• The UN Special Rapporteur reported on her recent visit to Burma and discussed her thoughts on the country’s progress.
• She noted that Myanmar should be congratulated on its imposition of radical reforms that were transforming the political, economic, social and human rights landscape in the country.
• Yet she also noted instances of possible ‘backtracking,’ which, if ignored, could damage Myanmar’s chances of developing into a democratic nation and fully integrating into the international community.
• She gave examples of media repression, prisoners of conscience, issues of economic, social, cultural and women’s rights and the conflicts in Mandalay and Kachlin State, which provided cause for concern.
• She made particular reference to the violence between Arakanese Buddhists and Rohinya Muslims in Arakan State, where many Rohingya are denied citizenship, and around 140,000 Muslims are confined in squalid camps without access to basic services and emergency medical care.
• She also called for a law prohibiting hate speech because she was concerned by the ‘incitement to violence, discrimination and hostility in the media and on the Internet, which have fuelled and triggered further violence.’

The Irrawaddy – “Government disagrees with UN Rights Envoy’s Burma Concerns,” 29 July 2014

• A senior Burmese official has released a statement protesting the opinions voiced by the UN Special Rapporteur in her report on her visit to Burma.
• The statement was posted to the Facebook account of Hmuu Zaw, widely known to be operated by President’s Office Director Zaw Htay.
• It read, ‘We do not agree the notion of the Special Rapporteur that democratic space is shrinking as we are of the view that the challenges we are facing today in the area of media and civil society space include striking a balance between rights and responsibilities together with the ethnical reporting and professionalism.’
• The statement continued to defend the sentencing of five journalists of the Unity Journal and claimed that they had received a fair trial. 

Proportional representation – a threat to ethnic minorities?

State-owned media

State-run Media: New Light of Myanmar – PR system debated at Lower House,” 26 July 2014

• A proposal calling for the adoption of a new electoral system for Lower House elections was debated in the Lower House session on Friday.
• The proposal for Proportional Representation was submitted by Representative U Aung Zin from Pazundaung Constituency and supported by Daw Dwe Bu of Ingyanyan Constituency.
• U Nyan Swe Win commented that the Proportional Representation system had been ‘adopted in over 90 countries around the world and would contribute to an inclusive process in national reconciliation and democratisation.’

Private

The Irrawaddy – “Gauging ethnic angst over proportional representation in Burma,” 30 July 2014

• Debate over a possible change to a proportionally representative electoral system in Burma is worrying many ethnic political parties.
• The population of ethnic groups in many states is less than 1 percent of the total population of the country, so under a PR system, they may not get the minimum votes required to attain a seat. They argue that under Proportional Representation, ethnic representation could be completely wiped out. They believe that their right to be represented by ‘one of their own’ is under threat.
• Ethnic parties believe that the direct elections under the current system are much more effective at representing all ethnic groups.