Showing posts with label Myanmar. Show all posts

Monday 8 May 2017

#Myanmar (Burma) Laying treks to boost tourism in Pyin Oo Lwin

Trekking routes are to be mapped out and constructed as well as regional guide training are to be provided in Pyin Oo Lwin township, Mandalay Region, where locals and foreigners frequent.

Environmental conservation groups conduct a field inspection at Yay Pyan Mountain in Pyin Oo Lwin township, one of the initial trekking routes. Sithu Lwin / The Myanmar Times

The program – a joint effort between the Directorate of the Hotels and Tourism and entrepreneurs who run hotels in the Pyin Oo Lwin area – aims to improve the tourism industry there.

Ko Wai Lu, a hotel entrepreneur who runs Mya Nan Daw Hotel in Pyin Oo Lwin, said that the purpose of creating trekking routes in the Pyin Oo Lwin region is to open up job opportunities for locals.

“We have earmarked three routes but these have not been approved yet. We are still analysing what routes to be constructed. We will choose the routes that are for one-day trips.

“We aim for locals to get jobs as well as for the city to be developed. The routes are being chosen so that each will give travelers and trekkers a different experience and taste. One trekking route will include a waterfall scene, another would be through a jungle path, and yet another route will provide experience in the ethnic people’s lifestyle. It will be interesting because trekkers can enjoy the scenery along the trip and then they can also travel by car and rendezvous at a point where they can go trekking again,” Ko Wai Lu told The Myanmar Times.

The routes that have been chosen initially include the Yay Pyan Mountain route, which includes a seven-stepped waterfall and has become popular after The Myanmar Times ran a story about it.

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Also included in the initial planning is trekking along the Pan Oo Taung village, where there are many Shan ethnic people.

On the Pyin Oo Lwin-Hsipaw trekking route are rendezvous points for both trekkers and tourists who go by car and by foot, according to Pyin Oo Lwin’s hotel zone entrepreneurs.

Local villagers will be given priority when choosing candidates for regional guide training but they have to have a basic level in the English language.

Also, those that contribute enthusiastically to the region’s development will be given preference.

Daw Nan Mon Kham, who owns the Royal Park View hotel in Pyin Oo Lwin, told The Myanmar Times “Although we are doing all this for the township’s development and opening up jobs for local residents, we don’t want the region’s tradition and spirit to be watered down by foreign tourists. That’s why we are educating the locals who live along earmarked routes to have a deep understanding of the local tradition and how to use local products effectively before these routes are constructed.”

Daw Nan Mon Kham said that trekking routes have to be mapped out to highlight tourists spots that will boost the tourism industry in Pyin Oo Lwin.

She said that more foreign travelers are going from Mandalay to Hsipaw directly but the number of tourists who visit Pyin Oo Lwin is decreasing although it has many beautiful places to visit.

Sunday 7 May 2017

#Myanmar (Burma) - Water taxi scheme details to be announced next week

The company Tint Tint Myanmar has been chosen to run a water taxi on the Hlaing River and Nga Moe Yeik Creek.

The firm will announce the details of its implementation, said a spokesperson from Tint Tint Myanmar.

In order to upgrade Yangon’s public transport system, the regional government has planned to upgrade the circular train and water taxi services alongside bus transport, according to Yangon chief minister U Phyo Min Thein on July 2016.

The Yangon Region Transport Authority (YRTA) started accepting tender applications on November 21 until December 26 last year. The month-long application period was intended to allow sufficient time for foreign and joint-venture companies to submit their applications. The invitation to tender was issued through a state-owned newspaper on November 16 and 17.

Tint Tint Myanmar won the tender in March and they are currently working on the specifics and details to implement a water transport scheme.

“All operational details will be done with the company’s budget, including the cost of construction of a jetty.

“This will not be related to the government’s budget,” said project manager U Htun Naing Lin from Tint Tint Myanmar.
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According to U Maung Aung, secretary of the YRTA, the purpose of this water taxi system is for commuters to avoid the congested roads on their way to downtown Yangon. It is hoped that this scheme will save time and will start running in May.

The company has already bought ships from Australia, Thailand and Jordan.

“We can say all are ready to run but we are still testing – we are focusing on safety. We will announce plans within the next week on how many ships we will use, how many people the ships can carry, ticket pricing, whether we are charging cash or via a prepaid system, and other details.

“We are in discussions regarding the start date for our operations,” said U Htun Naing Lin.

The regional government has already set rules and regulations that the company must obey, he added.

Taking lessons from the YBS chaos and inconvenience, the government should be more cautious about the procedures and should test them before implementation. They should prioritise the safety of commuters, said MP U Kyaw Zay Ya from Dagon township.

The idea of introducing water taxis to relieve Yangon city congestion was floated by a regional MP last May. Some, at that time, saw the scheme as a far-fetched proposal to solve the traffic issue.

Daw Thida Maung, who made the suggestion, said the Nga Moe Yeik River that flows though many townships could help alleviate the daily gridlock.

“If water taxis would be a service that runs on time and looks nicely decorated, people will be interested in taking them. Now, 21 percent of commuters in Yangon use buses. This number will then be reduced,” she said.

Source - mmtimes

Tuesday 2 May 2017

Travel journal: a trip to Kawthaung, #Myanmar (Burma)

Yes, tour guides ware biased. Very biased. But according to them, Myanmar’s southern islands are far more beautiful than anything Thailand has to offer.

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So why are they still so empty?

There’s the most obvious reason – the region was closed-off to the outside world for many years.
But according to Ye Zaw, the southern part of Myanmar is experiencing all sorts of teething problems around catering for tourists, both local and international.
He gave an example – while a beachside bar on a Thai island is all about the natural setting, providing a lost-at-sea ambiance, Myanmar bars down south are more concerned with … air conditioning.
“Visitors have air conditioners in their home, you know. They come to the islands to feel nature,” he said.
On a recent trip to Kawthaung, I visited five islands: Thahtay Island, Zadetkyi Island, Horse Shoe Island, Dunkin Island and Cocks Comb Island.
As with any adventure, preparation is essential. But – in typical Myanmar style – we made the decision to travel in haste.
We planned to stock up on supplies once we arrived, but much to our surprise, every store in Kawthaung has items price-tagged with Thai baht. With the current exchange rate, this made the area surprisingly expensive.
First up we decided to see what was on offer around Kawthaung City. This included a monument to the storied King Bayint Naung (a monarch who assembled one of the largest empires in the history of Southeast Asia) and a five kilometre shoreline that was brimming with mud. Suffice it to say, we indulged in a bit of shopping instead.
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We took a speed boat from Kawthaung jetty to the islands the following morning. An initial warning was a valuable one – our tour guide instructed us not to pick any sea shells as souvenirs because they are an integral part of the ecosystem. Full marks for the environmental awareness.
Then came my very first experience at snorkelling at Horse Shoe Island. As a Yangon native, I’d only ever been in a swimming pool. So I was pretty nervous about the initial jump into the sea.
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But that first plunge into cold seawater was a feeling I’ll never forget.
Once in, the guides directed us around the underwater sights – a kaleidoscope of fish, plants and coral. The 30-minute session was like being in another world.
Our next stop was lunch on Dunkin Island. It was the definition of paradise. The sea was a radiant blue and the white sands were totally unspoiled – not even one piece of trash (perhaps the only such location in Myanmar!).
Then came a very important Myanmar tradition. Lots of selfies.
Nearby Cocks Comb Island is more unique than the others. From the air it looks almost heart-shaped.
The entrance to the island is through the mouth of a cave. This can only be traversed at an ideal tide. The cave walls almost consumed us as we floated through.
Once inside, we admired the geographic features and resident sea urchins while staying on board.
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But the highlight was yet to come. Zadetkyi Island provided the most beautiful underwater sightseeing so far. I could have spent a lifetime floating among the fish under the warm sun.
There were even Nemo-esque clownfish among structural marvels of reefs.
But soon enough our island adventure had come to an end. Was it worth the very hefty K160,000 price tag? In my opinion, yes it was.
As businesses become savvier to the potential down south, the region will likely become a major tourist draw card in the years ahead.
My advice? Get down there now to hang out with those clownfish all by yourself.
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Source - mmtimes

Friday 7 April 2017

Myanmar (Burma) Water festival to help boost tourism

The traditional Myanmar Thingyan Water Festival this year will be something special, says U Myo Yi, chair of Myanmar Tourism Entrepreneurs Association (Mandalay Zone).

“On display will be Myanmar’s traditional cultural dances, music and food,” he said.

Speaking on March 28, he added that this year, the water festival will be held, for the first time, in the southern part of Mandalay City’s palace moat.

“We will make it a truly traditional affair with dance performances and musicians who will capture the heart and spirit of Myanmar culture,” he said.

This year’s traditional Thingyan will be jointly organised with the cooperation of hotel and tourism entrepreneurs, who are members of Hotels and Tourism Entrepreneurs Association.

Also part of the organising team will be tourist guides and the restaurant association (Mandalay Zone) and will contain ethnic traditional pandals, as well as Sadudita (distribution of free food to anyone).

U Min Naing, chair of Hotel Entrepreneurs Association (Mandalay Zone), added that there will be entertainment provided by pandals located from 67th Street to 69th Street at the southern part of the moat.

He added that the free food distribution will be carried out throughout the four days of the festival.

“Everybody can take part in the water festivities at the pandals. But alcohol will be strictly banned. We will also provide bowls and water pipes for foreigners to splash water on those around them. We also put Thabyay (Eugenia) sprigs in the water bowls.” he said.

The reason of holding Myanmar traditional culture walking-style Thingyan festival is to improve and to develop the tourism industry and for the tourists to enjoy and see the festival, he said.

U Min Naing said, “We are trying to promote tourism and culture through the traditional Thingyan festival. We will showcase Myanmar tradition in a systematic and organised manner for the world to see and understand.”

There will also be a singing contest open to all participants with no age limits. And the winners will walk away with prize money from K1 million to K3 million, said U Myo Yi.

“Everybody can compete. The people can get the forms at the Myanmar Tourism Association at 68th Street between 27th and 26th streets. Professional singers will not be allowed to take part, though. We welcome amateurs. And there will be 10 Thingyan songs that the participants have to sing and compete,” he said.

Source - Myanmar Times

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Saturday 11 March 2017

Cambodia - BigPhone dials into local market

A man browses Facebook on his smartphone in Phnom Penh.

Mobile World Investment Corp (MWG) – one of the largest mobile phone and electronic products distribution chains in Vietnam – will open its first store in Cambodia, operating under the name BigPhone.com, according to Vietnamese state media.

Construction on the first 150- to 200-square-metre store in Phnom Penh is nearly completed and the branch is expected to open this quarter, Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The English-language news outlet quoted MWG director-general Tran Kinh Doanh as saying Cambodia was the first market for the company’s regional expansion, which will also see stores opened in Myanmar and Laos.

“Cambodia was chosen to be the first country for the group to approach in Indochina,” he said.

Established in Ho Chi Minh City in 2014, MWG is a fast-growing retail chain for mobile phones and digital devices, including mobile phones, tablets and accessories. It operates a network of stores as well as an online channel.

MWG (Cambodia) Co Ltd registered with Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce last October. The company’s Vietnamese directors could not be reached for comment yesterday.

A study on cellphone and internet use in Cambodia published last year by the Asia Foundation revealed that the Kingdom’s market was already heavily saturated. Over 94 percent of Cambodians claimed to own their own phone handset, with nearly 40 percent of those surveyed claiming to have at least one smartphone.

Bung Hor, CEO of T-Shop, a Phnom-Penh based electronics products distributor with eight branches, said yesterday that demand for mobile phones and accessories had grown significantly with deepening smartphone penetration.

He said the rising demand had driven his company’s expansion, and he was confident there was still room in the market for new retailers of mobile phones and their accessories.

“There are more and more competitors while the demand is also higher,” he said.

Source - PhnomPenhPost

Thursday 2 March 2017

Death penalty upheld in British backpacker case.

‘solid’ evidence two myanmar men killed britons on Koh Tao, rules Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal has upheld the death penalty against two Myanmar migrant workers for one of the most shocking crimes in Thailand’s history – the violent murders of two British backpackers on the resort island of Koh Tao.
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David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were fatally beaten on the beach on September 15, 2014. Witheridge was also raped.
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The gruesome crime made headlines in Thailand and across the world.
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Police arrested defendant Zaw Lin on Koh Tao – a part of Surat Thani province – about two weeks after the crime took place. Wai Phyo (Win Zaw Tun), the second defendant, was later arrested at a pier in Surat Thani town.
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The two defendants pled innocent and insisted that their initial confessions had been made under duress. Their legal team also tried to rebut evidence submitted by the plaintiff.
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The Criminal Court, however, ruled in December 2015 that there was sufficient evidence against the two migrant workers, convicting and sentencing them to death.
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After reviewing the evidence, the Court of Appeal concluded the defendants were guilty beyond doubt.
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“All items of evidence offered by the plaintiffs are reasonably linked and solid. The ruling is not made on any single piece of evidence but as a whole,” the court said.
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The court dismissed as unreasonable the defendants’ complaint that investigators had failed to record every step of the process in gathering evidence. The defendants argued that police did not have pictures of collecting samples from the female victim. “It’s not possible to take pictures of every step taken in a long process,” the court ruled.
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Nakhon Chomphuchat, a lawyer for the defendants, said they would now file a petition the Supreme Court.
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Both defendants are being held at the Bang Kwang Central Prison in Nonthaburi province.

They were informed of the Appeal Court’s ruling on February 23 at Nonthaburi Provincial Court, while the verdict was read out officially for the plaintiffs to hear at Samui Provincial Court yesterday, Nakhon said.
Source: TheNation

Friday 16 December 2016

Myanmar (Burma) - Rohingya militants `well-organized

The emergence of a "well-organized and well-funded" Muslim militancy behind attacks on security forces in western Myanmar could further de-stabilize the conflict-ridden region, an international think tank warned on Wednesday.

Harakah al-Yaqin, or Faith Movement, formed by members of the persecuted Rohingya minority, has been blamed for deadly attacks on security forces in northern Rakhine state, including an October 9 assault when hundreds of fighters, armed mostly with swords and sticks, overran three border police bases.
The violence prompted a sweeping crackdown on the Rohingya population, thousands of whom have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks amid accusations of mass killings and rapes. The government denies the allegations.
In its report, the International Crisis Group conducted interviews with members of Harakah al-Yaqin that suggest it is overseen by a committee of Rohingya emigres in Saudi Arabia.

The research also found evidence of ground operations organized by 20 men, experienced in guerilla warfare, who trained hundreds of locals to use weapons and crude explosives.
Crisis Group's Asia programme director Tim Johnston told dpa at least some of the funding is believed to come from private donors in the Middle East.
"There are real risks that if the government mishandles the situation, for instance with the further use of excessive force, it will push more of the Muslim population in that area to support al-Yaqin, entrenching the armed group and a cycle of violence," he wrote in an editorial published by Time magazine.
"It may also create conditions for radicalization that could be exploited by transnational jihadists to pursue their own agendas in Burma."
Rights groups and Rohingya activists cast doubt on some of the findings and said the majority of the hundreds of thousands of Muslims confined to internal displacement camps and villages across Rakhine state did not support the insurgency.
"Villagers are consistently telling us they want rights and want to return home," said Matthew Smith, founder of NGO Fortify Rights. "No one is telling us they want militancy or armed resistance."
Richard Potter, a researcher with the Burma Human Rights Network, said recent contact suggested the militants had run out of ammunition and scattered in recent weeks.
"If there's money that's being gathered for them I can't see where it's going," he said.

Monday 23 May 2016

Cross-border route to link India, Myanmar, Thailand

1,400 km highway and other transport ties are major part of 'act east'policy, Indian ambassador says; world war ll bridges being repaired.

INDIA, Thailand and Myanmar are negotiating a breakthrough 1,400-kilometre highway that will link India with Southeast Asia by land for the first time in decades.

In an interview with The Nation, Indian Ambassador Bhagwant Singh Bishnoi said 73 bridges in Myanmar built during World War II more than seven decades ago are being renovated with funding from the Indian government to allow vehicles to cross the highway safely.

When the repair work is completed in 18 months, the highway could be opened to traffic from all three countries.

The planned highway, which starts in the eastern region of India from Moreh city to Myanmar's Tamu city, has received a positive response from Myanmar's new government following the recent general election.

At this stage, negotiations are underway to conclude a tri-nation motor vehicle agreement for the use of the 1,400km road that will reach Thailand at Tak's Mae Sot district.

This will lead to land transport connectivity between South Asia and Southeast Asia and increased trade and investment among all partner countries with cargo transportation being the first priority.

However, there are still some security challenges for a section inside Myanmar, which will have to be resolved with the authorities.

The tri-nation highway exemplifies India's "Act East" policy, under which the Asian giant aims to boost its economic and other relations neighbouring countries in the East.

Myanmar's Dawei deep-sea port and industrial estate project near the Thai border is also expected to help further integrate eastern India with Asean.

The planned port can be linked up with India's Chennai port as well as Thailand's Laem Chabang Port on the other side of the ocean.

Under the "Act East" policy, India is also preparing to negotiate a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) which includes the 10-country Asean grouping on top of the current India-Asean free-trade agreement (FTA).

Some Asean countries such as Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia have become members of the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) FTA, so Asean is upgrading its FTAs with major trading partners such as India and China to formulate RCEP agreements, which are more advanced.

India views Asean as a central component of its "Act East" policy. Myanmar shares a border with India, while Thailand is a maritime neighbour with long-standing cultural and other ties, so both nations are India's gateway to Asean.

Thai-Indian trade amounted to US$8 billion (Bt285.5 billion) last year, while 1 million Indian tourists visited Thailand last year. There were also about 300 Indian weddings held here.

Among major Thai investors in India are CP Group, Delta Electronics, Ital-Thai and Pruksa Real Estate, while the major Indian firms operating in Thailand are Tata Group, Aditya Birla and Indorama.

India continues to rack up high economic growth of 7 per cent per year amid the global slowdown, he added.

India’s recent pact with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal to facilitate free vehicular movement coupled with the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway could potentially increase intraregional trade by almost 60% as well as extract maximum strategic mileage.

A strategic pact signed by India to facilitate free vehicular movement with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal; alongside a proposal to step-up work on operationalising a 3200-km road link from Moreh (India) to Mae Sot (Thailand), are two vital components of the NDA government’s reinforced ‘Act East’ policy.

India’s recent pact with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal to facilitate free vehicular movement coupled with the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway could potentially increase intraregional trade by almost 60% as well as extract maximum strategic mileage.
A strategic pact signed by India to facilitate free vehicular movement with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal; alongside a proposal to step-up work on operationalising a 3200-km road link from Moreh (India) to Mae Sot (Thailand), are two vital components of the NDA government’s reinforced ‘Act East’ policy.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/sub-regional-road-connectivity-pacts-from-looking-east-to-linking-east/#sthash.E0idX9lr.dpuf

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Monday 28 December 2015

Myanmar military chief weighs in on Koh Tao murder case

Buddhist monks and others congregate on the platform of Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon yesterday to advocate for the release of two Myanmar men who were recently sentenced to death in the Koh Tao murder case, in a protest against the verdict of the Thai judge.

Thai officials say death sentences are not final, as protests loom.

MYANMAR'S military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing yesterday called for a review of the Koh Tao case in which two Myanmar men were sentenced to death for the murder of two British backpackers. The verdict had angered his compatriots in the neighbouring country.

"The commander expressed his respect for Thailand's judicial process while stressing the need to avoid a situation in which the innocent rather than the convicted were wrongly punished," the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported.

Last Thursday, a Samui court found Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, both 22, guilty of killing Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, |24, on Koh Tao in September 2014. Witheridge was also sexually violated.

People have demonstrated across Myanmar since the verdict claiming that the two men were scapegoats.

Min Aung Hlaing also expressed a belief that justice would be assured because of the mutual respect and friendly relations between the two countries, the Myanmar paper reported.

The message came with New Year's best wishes from the Myanmar top commander to Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and Armed Forces Supreme Commander Sommai Kaotira.

It's very rare for leaders in Nay |Pyi Taw to express grave concern |over the plight of ordinary citizens abroad.

A spokesman of the Courts of Justice said the death sentences for the double homicide and gang rape were not yet final.

"It is still possible to appeal the verdict," Suebpong Sripongkul said.

"Even after the final ruling comes out, the defendants can seek a Royal pardon." The decision was based on evidence and the summary was now available for everyone to view in both Thai and English, he said.

Pol General Dejnarong Sutticharnbancha, National Police spokesman, said the public could have confidence in Thailand's judicial process because there were effective checks-and-balances mechanisms.

"We work based on the principles of transparency and fairness," he told a press conference held by investigators, forensic officials and doctors to boost public confidence in the police investigation and evidence-gathering process. Pol Colonel Prachum Ruangthong, superintendent of Koh Pha Ngan Police Station, said public prosecutors had asked police to improve the investigation report three times before accepting it.

"We have handled the case very carefully," he said.

He denied reports that the defendants were tortured into confessing and rumours that police had relied on the interpretation services of a |man who had conflicts with the defendants.

"Those reports are groundless. Doctors have examined the defendants' physical health and there |is no sign of torture," he said.

Despite Thai authorities' moves to ease tensions over the guilty verdict for the two Myanmar migrants, more protests against the sentences were planned.

An official at the Thai-Myanmar coordination centre in the Ranong-Kawthoung border area said Myanmar people would stage a rally tomorrow.

Thousands of people have gathered in front of the Thai embassy in Yangon and at border checkpoints since the verdict to express their disappointment and demand that Thailand review the case.

Source: The Nation.com

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Sunday 27 December 2015

Thais urged to defer travel to Myanmar

AUTHORITIES in the areas bordering Thailand and Burma yesterday warned Thai nationals not to visit Myanmar at this time, as thousands of people held protests across the border after a Thai court’s death sentence verdict against two Myanmar migrants last week.

Peaceful protests were held in the Tachilek and Taungoo border towns in Myanmar yesterday. And some 60 people continued with their protests for a third day outside the Thai Embassy in Yangon yesterday.

In Tachilek town, across Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district, some 2,000 people gathered at a local stadium about two kilometres from the border area. They protested against the Samui Provincial Court's ruling on Thursday handing down death penalties on Myanmar men Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun for the 2014 murders of British tourists David Miller and Hannah Witheridge.

Protest leaders submitted a letter to the Thai border authorities who accepted it on behalf of the Thai government. The letter called for a fair and just trial.

Thai authorities temporarily closed the border checkpoint for safety reasons. The protesters dispersed peacefully later yesterday. The border checkpoint was reopened shortly afterwards.

At Taungoo town, about 400 Myanmar people protested against the court ruling. Some of the protesters were Myanmar migrant workers from the Thai side of the border.

The protest was peaceful and they dispersed at about 4pm.

Local authorities in Kanchanaburi's Sangkhla Buri district, which is across the border from the Myanmar town, urged Thai tourists in Myanmar to return home urgently and advised those about to cross the border to delay their visit.

About 60 protesters gathered yesterday outside the Thai Embassy in Yangon, which was closed for the weekend. The demonstration was peaceful and security officials were sent to monitor the situation, according to Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee.

Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said yesterday that he did not think the protests in Myanmar would worsen and sour ties between the two countries.

He said the Thai government was aware of the protesters' demands. "But we have to let the justice process to take its course anyway. That's an international standard of practice. The Thai court system is acceptable," he said.

The two Myanmar convicts were yesterday transferred from a jail on Koh Samui to the Nakhon Si Thammarat prison. They were moved early yesterday morning to the maximum security prison, which is intended for convicts sentenced to life imprisonment or death penalty.

Meanwhile, the Thai Journalists Association yesterday issued a statement in response to an earlier statement by the Myanmar Journalists Association about the court verdict.

The TJA said it agreed with the MJA that as journalists, "our responsibility is to seek truth and justice". The statement said, "We see the utmost importance of seeking truth and justice, especially in such a controversial case like the tragedy on Koh Tao. The Thai media has already engaged in investigative reporting on this case throughout the judicial process."

Pressure from Mynamar has also come from the National League for Democracy, which won the recent general elections. The party issued a statement urging the Myanmar government to give necessary assistance in filing an appeal on behalf of the Koh Tao convicts. The NLD also welcomed the protest against the court decision outside the Thai Embassy in a way that would not tarnish the country's dignity, Eleven Myanmar reported yesterday.

Source: The Nation

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Saturday 26 December 2015

Koh Tao Murders: Myanmar Journalists Urge Thai Press to ‘Reveal the Truth’

A van carrying Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo leaves Samui prison for Nakhon Si Thammarat prison Saturday morning.

BANGKOK — The Myanmar Journalists Association is urging its Thai counterpart to work together and “reveal the truth” behind the conviction of two Myanmar men for the killings of two British backpackers in southern Thailand last year.

In its open letter addressed to the Thai Journalist Association, the Myanmar media group said justice will prevail if media from the two nations work together in the coverage of the case, which has drawn intense scrutiny from the public.

“We do believe that our close cooperation in seeking justice after revealing the truth behind this controversial case will further promote the existing friendship not only between our two journalist associations but also between the peoples of our two countries,” the statement read, without mentioning any specifics.

On Thursday Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, two Myanmar men who were bar workers on Tao island, were found guilty of killing British tourists David Miller and Hannah Witheridge on Sept. 15, 2014. They were also convicted of raping Witheridge.

For their alleged crimes, the two men were sentenced to death.

The verdict sparked outrage on Myanmar social media and prompted protests in front of the Thai Embassy in Yangon. The Embassy in turn issued a warning for all Thais in Myanmar to be alert of the ongoing development.

The following is the full open letter published by the Myanmar Journalist Association:

As journalists our responsibility is to seek truth and justice.
We, the Myanmar journalists, would never forget the warm assistance that you provided during our dark hours of flash floods all over our country during the recent months.
MJA and TJA worked together to lend a helping hand to the flood victims. We shall always be working together in the same spirit.
Now is the time that calls for similar cooperation between us.
Let’s work together for the benefits of our peoples and for our beloved countries so that justice prevails. Let’s show the world that Myanmar and Thai journalists will fight together for justice, human rights and democratic values.
We do believe that our close cooperation in seeking justice after revealing the truth behind this controversial case will further promote the existing friendship not only between our two journalist associations but also between the peoples of our two countries.
Myanmar Journalist Association

As of the time of this writing, the Thai Journalist Association has not made any public response to the letter.

Police investigation into the killings of Miller and Witheridge has been mired in controversy from the start. These shortcomings include the police’s failure to close down the ferry port to prevent potential suspects from fleeing the island, wild and contradictory speculation over the motives behind the killing, and a remark by a high-ranking police officer who said the perpetrators “could not have been Thais.”

After Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were arrested and identified as the killers, nearly every mainstream news agency in Thailand reported about the case by taking the police statement at face value. The two defendants were repeatedly called “Koh Tao murderers” by much of the Thai press.

However, many on social media accused police of “scapegoating” Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo as a cover-up effort ordered by influential families on Tao island. Police have vehemently denied the allegation.

On Thursday, the court on Samui island ruled that DNA samples collected from the crime scene and from Witheridge’s body clearly implicated Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo in the double murder, and subsequently sentenced both men to death.

Miller’s family was among the first to publicly endorse the verdict. Reading a statement outside the courthouse on Thursday, Miller’s brother, Michael Miller, said he believed the evidence against the two defendants was overwhelming.

The defense team argued that the police’s DNA test procedure was flawed, and said it will file an appeal within 30 days.

On Saturday morning, security officers moved Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo from Samui provincial prison to another prison on the mainland, in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. They are expected to remain on death row throughout the appeal.

Nakhon Chompuchat, head of the defense lawyer team, said yesterday he was not told when the two defendants would be moved.

“The officers feared that if we knew the schedule, we might try to snatch the suspects on the way,” Nakhon said, with a laugh.

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New deadly landslide hits Myanmar jade mine

YANGON - Dozens of people were feared missing Saturday in the latest landslide to hit a remote jade mining region in northern Myanmar, the second such deadly incident in just over a month.

The landslide took place on Friday afternoon in Hpakant, Kachin State, the war-torn area that is the epicentre of Myanmar’s secretive billion dollar jade industry.

"The rescue process has now started and we are searching for dead bodies but we can’t tell the numbers yet," Nilar Myint, an official from Hpakant Administrative Office, told AFP.

The same area was hit by a massive landslide last month that killed more than 100. Locals says dozens more have died throughout the year in smaller accidents.

Those killed are mainly itinerant workers who scratch a living picking through the piles of waste left by large-scale industrial mining firms in the hope of stumbling across a previously missed hunk of jade that will deliver them from poverty.

Myanmar is the source of virtually all of the world’s finest jadeite, a near-translucent green stone that is enormously prized in neighbouring China, where it is known as the "stone of heaven".

The Hpakant landscape has been turned into a moonscape of environmental destruction as firms use ever-larger diggers to claw the precious stone from the ground.

But while mining firms -- many linked to the junta-era military elite -- are thought to be raking in huge sums, local people complain they are shut out from the bounty.

Source: The Nation

Wednesday 16 September 2015

Thai visa run crackdown: Latest update from Thai/Cambo border

- No Out/In for any nationality along Thai/Cambodian border
- Phu Nam Ron, Kanchanaburi refusing to stamp anyone EVEN people with valid visas
- ‘Business as usual’ at Thai-Laos border

BANGKOK: -- Bomber Blame Game Sees Thailand Immigration Abruptly Change Visa Rules (Update #3)

#Update #3 This story was updated at 11.45pm on Sept 15, 2015: As of 8.00pm Thailand-Cambodia border crossings at Ban Laem/ Daun Lem, Ban Pakard/ Phsa Prum, and Aranyaprathet/ Poipet were refusing to allow out-in or exit-entrance (border hop) visa exempt entries. Tourists able to show... (See details below)

Foreign workers and tourists who use the country’s visa exempt entry provisions are the unwitting victims in a high-stakes blame game being played out in the wake of the Erawan shrine bombing on August 17.
On Saturday morning Thailand border crossings along the Cambodia border, along with the Phu Nam Ron/ Htee Khee border crossing at Kanchanaburi crossing into Myanmar abruptly stopped allowing people to enter Thailand using the visa exempt entry method with some reportedly also not allowing people to depart and return (out-in border hop) to activate second- or multiple-entry visas of any class.

Thailand has six land crossing with Cambodia – Ban Pakard/ Phsa Prum, Ban Laem/ Daun Lem, Chong Sa Ngam/ Anlong Veng, Chong Jom/ O Smach, Hat Lek/ Ko Kong and Aranyaprathet/ Poipet – and all are said to be affected, with local variations as to who can enter and who can not.

The instructions are said to have been issued from “someone high up in the immigration department” according to one visa service company operator who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the need to work with Thailand immigration officials on a daily basis.

According to the visa service operator the affected Thailand-Cambodia and Thailand-Myanmar border crossing received the instructions by telephone late Friday afternoon.

“At the Ban Laem/ Daun Lem border they issued visa exempt entries up until 8am, but only for people who had four or less stamps. At 8am they stopped stamping anyone in, whether they had a valid visa or not, and about one hour after that it changed again; People with valid visas were allowed to enter, but no visa exempt entries”

No mention of the abrupt change in policy was posted on the Thailand Immigration Department website, the move catching hundreds of tourists by surprise.

Equally caught by surprise were the thousands of foreign expatriate retirees and others in Thailand who are required to exit and re-enter the country every 90-days, as well as those in the country on multiple-entry tourist, or business visas.

While visa service companies that cater for the out-in border hopper and tourists travelling overland into Thailand are the most visibly affected by this sudden change in policy, the unseen victims are the tens of thousands of Laotian and Vietnamese migrant workers who use the visa exempt entry method to stay long-term in Thailand, many of them working illegally.

Also affected are thousands of Filipino domestic workers and English-language teachers who also use the visa exempt entry provisions to stay for extended periods of time in Thailand.

According to the visa service agent “the number of tourists, long-stay expats and Filipinos who cross the border each day and come back using the visa exempt entry method is minuscule compared with the number of Vietnamese and Laotians who exit and reenter.

“These companies [who transport the migrant workers] don’t have websites, they don’t advertise and you will have never heard of them, but each day they take between 400 and 800 people to the Phu Nam Ron/ Htee Khee border crossing and another 400 to 800 to the Ban Pakard / Phsa Prum border crossing.

Almost all [foreign] workers leave it until the last possible time to do their visa run so as to get the maximum stay possible. This will cause many of them to be “overstay and now illegal”, he said