myanmar
times
t H e
March 30 - April 8, 2012
Myanmar’s first international weekly Volume 32, No. 621 1200 Kyats
SUNDAY April 1 marksan important milestone inMyanmar’s transition todemocracy. Millions of voterswill select 45 representativesfor national and regionalhluttaws from a pool of more than 150 candidates.For the first time in 22years, the National Leaguefor Democracy will haverepresentatives on ballotforms.The excitement and colourof the short campaign periodmarks a welcome departurefrom the atmosphere of fearthat pervaded much of the2010 general election. Witha few exceptions, the by-election campaign has beentransparent and fair, andthe election commission andregional authorities shouldbe applauded for overseeingthis.It is important that thisnewfound political freedomcontinues not only throughto midnight on April 1 butalso in perpetuity. Thepeople of Myanmar havebeen deprived of this rightfor too long.The future of democracyin Myanmar rests onparticipation – participationfrom political parties, themedia, the public, exiledand internal activist groups,armed insurgent groups andall other stakeholders. Votingon election day is just one actof political participation,albeit a very visible act.The greater the politicalinput from all sectors of the society, the better thecountry’s chances of securingpeace and prosperity.These by-electionsrepresent an opportunity tobanish the disappointmentthat many experiencedin 2010. A free, fair andtransparent poll wouldmark another importantstep forward on the pathtowards reconciliation andthe value of this shouldnot be understated. Theresponse of the electioncommission to complaintsof errors on some voter listshas been heartening, andattempts should made torectify these and any otherweaknesses experiencedbefore, after and during thevote in future elections.What we should not forgetabout the 2010 election isthose brave candidates andvoters who refused to bow tocalls for a boycott. Withoutthe 3000 candidates and 22million people who votedon November 7, 2010,Myanmar would not bewhere it is today.
Free, fair elections can heal the wounds of the past
YANGON – The governmentannounced last week an overhaulof its antiquated currency systemas part of burgeoning reformsto modernise an economy left indisarray by decades of militaryrule. A managed floating exchange ratewill be adopted from April 1, allowingmarket forces to determine the valueof the kyat while leaving room for thecentral bank to influence its value,state media said on March 28.It described the move as the firststep towards unifying the nation’svarious exchange rates.“It’s a very positive move. Itinjects a degree of rationality intopolicymaking that was notable byits absence in the previous regimeand for much of the past 50 years,”said Mr Sean Turnell, a Myanmareconomic expert at MacquarieUniversity in Sydney.“It removes many of the difficultiesand corruption incentives that havebeen in place with this dual system,”he added.Myanmar has a highly complexexchange rate regime, with official,semi-official and unofficial rates.The official government rate –which is widely ignored – is fixedat around just K6 to the dollar,while in stark contrast the rateon the flourishing black marketstands at about K800.The official rate will now bereplaced with a market-determinedrate, according to a central bankannouncement published in thestate-run
New Light of Myanmar
.It did not say at what rate the kyatwould be floated or exactly how itwould be managed.Experts saw the multiple-ratesystem as a way for the regimeto funnel revenues from naturalgas sales into secret accounts byrecording payments at K6 a dollarand then exchanging them at themuch higher informal rate.“Burma’s public accounts havereally been starved of moneybecause state-owned enterpriseearnings have just been filtered off into various other accounts,” saidMr Turnell.
Govt to float currency April 1
On Armed Forces Day, actiists send a message of peace
Young people hold candles at a ‘Prayer for Peace’ ceremony at Judson Church in Yangon’s Kamaryut township on March 27. About 400 people attended the multi-faith
event, which was held to
raise awareness about the conict in Kachin State and was organised by
Kindness Women’s Group. Full story page 5.
Pic: Ko Taik
More page 4
Editorial
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March 30 - April 8, 2012
By Kyaw Hsu Mon
THE number of eligiblevoters in Yangon’s MingalarTaung Nyunt townshiphas risen by almost 40,000since parties were given thechance to amend voter lists,candidates said last week.The election commissiongave parties until March 24to apply to make correctionsto voter lists and whilethis has resulted in somenames being removed fromthe roles, such as deceasedpeople, it has resulted innew voters being added.U Kaung Myint Htutof the Myanmar NationalCongress said he initiallybelieved there were only95,000 eligible voters inthe township but the latestlists from the commissionshowed about 130,000.“There are two kinds of additional names – one isinternationally created bysome people, others aremigrant workers from otherareas of the country,” hesaid. “This is a weakness of the Ministry of Immigration– they don’t have proper dataon family registration.”U Kaung Myint Htutsaid he hadn’t applied toadd or remove names fromvoter lists. However, he saidprominent Union Solidarityand Development Partymembers, including U HtayOo, had complained to thecommission in early Marchthat in many constituenciesmigrant workers had beenleft off the electoral roll.U Phone Myint from theNew National DemocracyParty confirmed that thenumber of voters in MingalarTaung Nyunt had risen fromabout 95,000 when the listswere first announced to133,089 on March 28.“We have just beenencouraging residents toinform us if they are not onthe lists,” he said. “I don’tthink there will be fraudrelated to this rise in thenumber of voters.”The campaign managerfor National League forDemocracy candidate DawPhyu Phyu Thin said theparty’s members had “foundmany additional voters” bygoing door to door throughthe township.“The commission told usto submit these lists of extravoters before March 24 butwe have found even moresince then and can’t doanything,” the campaignmanager said. “There arealso some people who arenot living in this townshipbut are still on the listsso we are checking themclosely.”
By Soe Than Lynn
JOURNALISTS will beforbidden from takingphotographs or conductinginterview within 500 metresof a polling station on April1, the head of the UnionElection Commission saidlast week.“Journalists can collectnews and photos only outsidethe polling station. But nointerviews are allowedwithin a radius of 500 yards;if we receive complaints thatany photographs are beingtaken or any interviewingis disrupting a candidate orvoter, we will take legal actionagainst [those responsible],”commission chairman U Tin Aye said at a press conferenceon March 28.“Journalists will not beadmitted to polling stations.Those who will freely voteand cast a secret vote willhave to be free of disruption,”he said.The restrictions wereannounced in a documentprovided by the PressScrutiny and RegistrationDivision (PSRD) to mediaorganisations titled “Dosand don’ts for the mediacovering the by-elections of Myanmar”.However, the provisionbanning journalists fromworking within 500m of polling stations was notincluded in the English-language version of thedocument.U Tin Aye refused torespond when asked whetherit was the commission or theMinistry of Information thathad prescribed the rulesconcerning how journalistswould be able to cover theelections.He added that despitethe restrictions the electioncommission wanted themedia “to help make theelections free and fair”.He also concededthat there were “someweaknesses in the previous2010 election” and said thatlaws and by-laws had beenamended and the electionsub-commissions’ operationsmore transparent.“Political parties hadweaknesses and so didthe election commissionbecause of legalincompetence … and[organising the elections]over a short span of eightmonths,” U Tin Aye said.In response to a questionon when the results of theelection would be released,U Tin Aye replied: “It is notnecessary to be hasty butto be correct so we will doit carefully. As this timethe volume of work is notas large as the previous[election], the electionresults are expected to comeout within a week.” According to thecommission, 170 candidateshad registered to contest theby-elections, which will beheld in 48 constituencies.However, the final numberof candidates will be 157because two had beendisqualified and voting hadbeen cancelled in threeconstituencies in KachinState.The commission saidcandidates from 15 partieswould contest 129 PyithuHluttaw seats, whichhad a combined total of 4,682,040 eligible voters,along with 6083 pollingstations. Meanwhile,1,669,192 from 114 wardsand 910 villages in 18townships would be eligibleto vote for an AmyothaHluttaw representative at2103 polling stations. Anadditional 133,330 voterswould have the chance tovote for a region hluttawrepresentative, U Tin Ayesaid. –
Translated by Thit Lwin
By Win Ko Ko Latt
ELECTION commissionofficials in Zabbuthiritownship have rejectedapplications from some civilservants to cast an advancevote, sources in Nay Pyi Tawtold
The Myanmar Times
said last week.Daw Sandar Min,the National League forDemocracy’s candidate forthe Pyithu Hluttaw seatof Zabbuthiri, where anestimated 37,000 of 54,000voters are civil servants, saidabout 100 applications hadbeen rejected on the groundsthey didn’t conform withelectoral laws. In the 2010general election, there were17,094 advance votes castin Zabbuthiri from a total of 75,517 votes.“We have learnt that theapplications to cast advancevotes that do not conform tothe law by some governmentstaff were turned downby the commission,” DawSandar Min said.“I am very much gratefulto officials at the wardelection sub-commissionin Bawgathiri ward. Morethan 100 [advance] votes canhave a considerable impact,”she said.The news was alsoconfirmed U Nyi Aung Tha,the election sub-commissionchairman from Bawgathiriward in Zabbuthiri.“The applications frommore than 100 employeesfrom some departmentsto cast advance vote wereturned down after beingscrutinised,” he said.“Not every application isallowed.”He said those approved tocast an advance vote woulddo so on March 30 and 31.With 8667 civil servants,Bawgathiri ward is hometo the largest number of government staff in thetownship, said U Nyi AungTha.While it’s difficult topredict, it appears that thenumber of advance votes castin Zabbuthiri will be downon 2010, if only because thenumber of eligible votershas declined by about one-third.“Nobody has applied tocast an advance vote in ourward,” said a spokesman fromthe Mingalar Theikdi WardElection Sub-commission. Among those eligibleto cast an advance voteare Tatmadaw members,students, trainees, prisoninmates and those receivingtreatment in hospital whoare staying outside theirconstituency.Those inside theconstituency but afflictedby leprosy, elderly, in labour,under policy custody and inhospital are entitled to castan advance vote, along withcivil servants, Tatmadawmembers and police who areon duty on polling day.“This time there may notbe as many advance votesas in the previous election. Actually, there is not enoughassistance to ensure theelderly and ill are able tocast an advance vote,” said UMin Thu, the NLD candidatefor Ottarathiri.While Union ElectionCommission chairman UTin Aye, President U TheinSein and Pyithu HluttawSpeaker Thura U ShweMann have all reiteratedthat the by-elections willbe free and fair, U Min Thusaid the pledge needed tobe abided by at the district,township, and ward andvillage levels.“All the parties andorganisations will have tounderstand that cleanlinessin the elections is …necessary in our country,”Daw Aung San Suu Kyisaid in Nay Pyi Taw onMarch 6 while meeting withrepresentatives from ethnicparties. –
Translated by Thit Lwin
No media allowed near poll stations: EC
Commission turns down applicationsto cast advance votes in Nay Pyi Taw
Electoral roll grows inMingalar Taung Nyunt
National League for Democracy supporters at a rally inDekkhinathiri township in early March.
Pic: Kaung Htet
in respect of “Class 35: Provision of busniessinformation; business management; and consultingservices; accounting and auditing services.”Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of thesaid Trademark will be dealt with according to law.
Trade Mark CauTion
u nyt T asscts,
Intellectual Property Law FirmP.O. Box 592, Yangon, Myanmar.Tel: 951 375754, Fax: 951 254321Email: info@untlaw.comFor
eYGn LiMiTed
Dated: 2
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April, 2012
eYGn LiMiTed
a company incorporated under thelaws of the Bahamas, of One Montague Place, EastBay Street, Nassau, Bahamas, is the Owner and SoleProprietor of the following Trademark:-
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March 30 - April 8, 2012
By Noe Noe Aung
A MASSIVE blaze at theMyanmar InternationalTerminal Thilawa last weekcaused US$5 million damage,destroying teak and hardwoodlogs that were at the port readyfor export.The March 26 fire at the port,located about 25 kilometressouth of Yangon in Kyauktantownship, took about 16 hoursto bring under control, said anofficial from the Yangon RegionFire Services Department inKyauktada township.“The fire lasted for a numberof hours. It started about 2pm onMarch 26 and ended about 6amon March 27,” the departmenthead told
The Myanmar Times
on March 27.The fire continued tosmoulder until about 2:40pmon March 27, according to aspokesperson for Thanlyintownship Fire ServicesDepartment.The department said in astatement that the logs, whichwere owned by a Chinesecompany called CIFG, wereignited after a passerbydropped a cigarette that caughtfire on a nearby bush beforespreading to the logs and anearby supply of coal. Approximately 3000 tonnesof teak and 4000 tonnes of hardwood valued at $5 millionwere destroyed from a stockpileof about 30,000 tonnes, thedepartment said.Workers at the port terminal,which opened in 1997 andis owned by Hutchison PortHoldings, said they tried toextinguish the fire but theflames spread quickly throughthe stockpile. Altogether 370firemen and 77 reservesresponded to the fire, bringingit under control aboutmidnight. Nobody was injuredin the blaze, according to theMyanmar Red Cross Society(MRCS), which also attendedthe scene.“The fire was unstoppablebut no one was injured. Wearrived at about 5pm and theflames were not under control– they were getting biggerand bigger,” said an MRCSmember.The compound with thelogs was adjacent to a sitefilled with about 2000 recentlyimported vehicles. More than1000 of these vehicles, as wellas 30 heavy machines and25 shipping containers, weremoved away from the fire as aprecautionary measure.
Port fire causes $5m damage
YANGON – A UN convoy of urgently neededhumanitarian assistance has reached conflict-affected areas of Kachin State.“This is a major step forward and followssustained advocacy on the part of the UN withboth the government and Kachin IndependenceOrganisation (KIO),” UN resident andhumanitarian coordinator Mr Ashok Nigamsaid in Yangon.The convoy of four trucks and two other UNvehicles arrived in the KIO-controlled townshipof Sadang from Myitkyina on March 24.Food assistance for more than 1000 peoplefor one month is being provided, along with avariety of non-food items ahead of the monsoonseason, which is likely to begin in May.It was the second time the government hasallowed the UN to access KIO-controlled areassince armed conflict between government troopsand the Kachin Independence Army broke outlast June. The last convoy allowed into the areawas in December.“We now need to make these convoys aregular occurrence,” Mr Nigam said. According to UN estimates, more than 60,000people have been displaced by the conflict,including 20,000 in government-controlledareas and up to 40,000 in KIO-controlledareas.Several thousand others are believed to be inChina staying with host families.Following the government’s request forsupport, in September 2011 the UN, withthe support of international and local NGOs,undertook an inter-agency assessment of nearly6000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in fivegovernment-controlled townships in KachinState.Major needs identified included emergencysupplies, water and sanitation, food, medicalassistance and education materials. At thetime, there were about 20,000 IDPs in KachinState and the northern part of Shan State, butby December their numbers had grown to over55,000.The UN and international agencies have hadregular access to IDPs in government-controlledareas, but not in KIO-controlled areas, leavingthe latter largely dependent on charity groupsand local authorities. Aid agencies do not see a speedy solution andabout 60,000 people in Kachin and Shan statescould need sustained humanitarian assistancefor at least a year.Food insecurity is also likely to prevail untilat least the end of 2013, since many IDPs lefttheir farms and lost their harvests. Longer-term assistance will be needed to rebuild livesin their areas of origin.“We hope this access to people in need will besustainable and we will be able to continue toprovide assistance to those in need, regardlessof where they are,” said Mr Hans ten Feld,country representative of the UN Refugee Agency in Myanmar. –
IRIN
UN aid convoyreaches KachinState displaced
A man stands on a shipping container at Myanmar International Terminal Thilawa in Kyauktan township as a re rages in thebackground on March 26.
Pic: Kaung Htet
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