Global Voices » Myanmar (Burma)

Myanmar: Protest Against Power Shortage

Chan Myae Khine — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:58:33 +0000

CJMyanmar uploaded photos of the protest against the electricity shortage in Mandalay, the second largest city of Myanmar. Hundreds who joined the activity lighted candles and peacefully protested in front of the government office of Electricity Supply and Chinese Embassy.

Video: Capacity Building in Rising Voices Media Training

Juliana Rincón Parra — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:31:39 +0000

In the border between Burma and Thailand, the Rising Voices grantee project Karen Border News has launched their audio podcast workshop. In this short film, the students of the radio journalism course speak about their experience.

From their Blog post:

During this first round of training, we focused on four topics: news writing, audio recording & editing, and broadcast. It’s been really exciting watching these students improve their skills, and learn entirely new ways to tell their stories. While KSNG’s media staff runs most of the trainings, we also invited two specialist, Aung Nai, who works for Internews and Jack Chance, an experienced radio producer and media trainer. In addition to the workshops, we are also distributing some media equipment to students, including notebooks, media guidebooks, and audio recorders.

On a past blog entry, the Karen Border News blog explains the importance of their efforts in the context of the Ceasefire talks between the Myanmar government and the Karen National Union:

Most Karen cautiously welcome the ceasefire agreement, but there is much concern for how reconciliation will affect the Karen population, especially with so many of our people now living outside of our traditional homeland in Karen State

Rising Voices is an outreach initiative of Global Voices, aimed to helping to bring new voices from new communities and speaking new languages to the global conversations on the web by providing resources and funding to local groups working with underrepresented communities. The Karen Border News is one of the 2012 Rising Voices Grantees.

Myanmar: Two Citizen Media Sites Launched

Chan Myae Khine — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:52:04 +0000

Two citizen media sites, Won Thar Nu and Myanmar Netizens were recently launched in Myanmar to provide global readers with news events, citizen media information, and other stories from Myanmar.

Overhyped Elections in Myanmar?

Mong Palatino — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:39:45 +0000

The world rejoiced after Myanmar election officials announced the victory of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and her party National League for Democracy in the recent by-elections in the country. NLD remains a minority in the Parliament but its landslide victory inspired many citizens who are hoping for the country’s full transition to democracy.

But according to some netizens and political observers, the euphoria over NLD’s victory must be tempered by the fact that the junta-backed party is still the dominant force in the local politics. This was echoed by Fifty Viss:

The elections didn’t change the scheme or the pace of reforms. Perhaps the most important outcome was that the NLD and Suu Kyi were specifically accommodated so they would contest the elections (laws were amended so they would participate). I also thought the speed with which the Union Election Commission announced results was surprisingly fast. Results for most constituencies were available within a day.

The author isn’t surprised why NLD was allowed to succeed in the polls:

But these numbers are just a drop in the water. The fact that by-elections went to smoothly was simply because so much rides on this particular election, especially the coveted prize of abolished sanctions from the West. If the NLD had won any less, it would have cried foul and unleashed a storm of criticism. It is obviously in the government’s best interests to ensure NLD’s victory.

Even some citizens feel that Suu Kyi is being used by the junta to legitimize its rule:

The feeling of many in the overseas Burmese community is that Suu Kyi is being used as a pawn to legitimize the authority of the current government, plain and simple.

Wagaung comments about the game plan of the junta:

Some of us see their game plan from the start. Some are simply in denial, a small victory served on a platter reinforcing their desperate optimism. There are others who never accepted the sanctions as positive in any way. The international business class of banks and corporations typically sees it as a large untapped market of vast natural resources and cheap labour. The carrot and stick approach of the West never loses sight of the former’s interests.

Shan Herald explains why the recent electoral exercise was called by some people as ‘sell-elections’:

The by-elections, which was dubbed by some as “sell elections,” meaning they were held for the purpose of selling to the international community the idea that Burma has turned over to a new leaf (better still, that the tiger has all of a sudden become vegetarian), have prompted several comments from Burma observers, both at home and abroad.

Apart from the apt choice of All Fools’ Day to hold them, which have naturally given rise to the inevitable question, “Who is Myanmar out to fool this time?,” there are some facts that I think are of major significance:

The said elections were not so much about whose policies the people support and which candidates they like. It was rather a fight between the three sacred institutions: that of the Old Guard, One Dominant Personality and Ethnicity.

The ‘old guard’ refers to the government-backed party; the ‘dominant personality’ is Aung San Suu Kyi; and ‘ethnicity’ is the Shan Party.

Street celebration after Opposition candidates were declared winners in the by-elections. Photo from dawn-1o9

dawn_1o9 shares her observations during election day:

Yesterday, I went to Mingalar Taung Nyunt with a few of my friends to watch the vote-counting. Mingalar Taung Nyunt is one of the townships in Yangon where the by-election took place.

My township wasn't included in the election process so I came and watched at another township.

There were such a crowd near the poll stations. It was just like there was a festival!

ClimbUpTreesToLookForFish is happy with the results:

So overwhelmed with hope and love for the people who have waited so long for this day to come. I am holding on hope that we are indeed out of the woods, and onto the fair and just path to democracy.

Here’s a report from an election monitoring team:

A soldier from a battalion, based in Lashio, says his freedom to exercise his right, like others in the unit, was forfeited when his superiors took the responsibility to tick his ballot paper.

One SNDP monitor commented that many Shans don’t have ID cards, because they used to be expensive and also many Shans didn’t think they need to go anywhere outside Lashio. “Now that the IDs are cheaper, about 5,000 kyat, and we need their support, the people must be encouraged to obtain ID cards from now on,” he said. “On the other hand, ethnic Chinese, both native and alien, are buying ID cards at more than 100,000 kyat each. This trend will grow, if it is not kept in check.”

The Asian Network for Free Elections suggests several electoral reforms:

Large discrepancies in the voters’ list, attempt to misuse official machineries at the village and district levels by some ruling party candidates, lack of voter education all added to the list of apprehensions, which puts a question mark on the efficiency and management of the electoral process.

Moreover, despite the presence of international observers irregularities still occurred. This indicates the importance of a full-fledged and well-prepared “independent” international observation mission in 2015 general elections.

Business Prospects in Myanmar

Mong Palatino — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:33:51 +0000

Aim Sinpeng writes about the booming business prospects in Myanmar. Foreign investments have risen especially after the government has pledged to implement some key political and economic reforms

Myanmar: Sex Tourism Industry

Mong Palatino — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 01:01:06 +0000

Fifty Viss writes about Myanmar's sex tourism industry. The author also reviews past proposals on how to regulate prostitution

Myanmar: Transparency in Development Aid

Mong Palatino — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:38:15 +0000

Community Based Organizations issued a statement urging international donors to ensure that development aid would target Myanmar's marginalized and vulnerable populations.

Myanmar: Suspended Dam Project May Reopen Again

Mong Palatino — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:53:51 +0000

The Democratic Voice of Burma reports about a leaked government document which suggests the reopening of a suspended dam project in Myanmar. The dam construction was suspended after it was actively opposed by local communities.

Myanmar: Continuing Press Freedom Violations

Mong Palatino — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:01:28 +0000

The International Freedom of Expression Exchange lists five concerns that highlight the continuing press freedom violations in Myanmar

Netizens' reactions to China Election Monitors to Myanmar

Oiwan Lam — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:26:57 +0000

Joe from ChinaSMACK translated netizens' reactions to Chinese government's election monitor tour to Myanmar. Many comments mocked at the hypocrisy of China monitoring a foreign election when China itself has no direct elections.

Myanmar: Reflections on Election Results

Chan Myae Khine — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 03:55:14 +0000

Myanmar voters celebrated in the streets while netizens on Facebook are expressing their elation over the by-election results which saw an unprecedented landslide victory for the opposition.

Results [my] showed that 43 out of 45 parliament seats went to the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), including one for its leader and global democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. Though the number of opposition seats is relatively small compared to the total 600 seats in parliament, Myanmar citizens believe that the victory of opposition candidates is part of the transition towards democracy.

Wai Soe happily ~~notes~~ [dead link] that Facebook comments were mostly about the elections and not April Fools' Day during the by-elections:

Aung San Suu Kyi

Today very happy coz all I've seen today facebook page are not april fool ………… :) :) :) ♥ ♥ ♥ ,,, smiling on every face

Su Myat Lwin simply expressed her happiness with this phrase:

We win!

“We” could refer to more than 50 million Myanmar citizens.

Voters who participated in the 1990 election which was dominated by NLD are happy that Aung San Suu Kyi's party emerged successful again this year. But for younger voters, especially first-time voters, many are proud of Zay Yar Thaw, one of the four pioneers of Hip-Hop music in Myanmar, who won a seat for NLD. Yan Yan Chan, a rapper from ACID music group, posted a photo of his friend made by Linn Yaung.

Than Thar Win who is a well-known singer posted the activities and celebrations on the street where the NLD Headquarters is located:

just got back home..People are celebrating in front of NLD's main office at Shwegone dine. Yayyyy!!!

Despite the spontaneous celebrations by huge crowds, Aung San Suu Kyi sent a reminder[my] to the representatives of her party to avoid the activites that could let other parties and their members down.

On the other hand, some emphasized the need to promote more reforms in governance by taking the success of this election as the first important step in the journey towards democracy. Cho Zin Wint ~~commented~~ [dead link] on an article shared by Nyein Chan Htwe:

Yes, we all need to understand that it may take quite sometimes to reform.. We shouldn't expect a lot..

Myint Mo Oo shared her feelings and thoughts for the future of the country as well:

The day we've been waiting for. Our dream finally coming true. Now it's our duty to be united, uphold discipline and be respectful towards each other so that we can successfully and peacefully build a better future for our country and its people.

At the same time, the key words “Aung San Suu Kyi” trended on Twitter as a result of large interest from the international community on the by-elections in Myanmar. Tracy Nang ~~posted~~ [dead link] a screen shot of worldwide Twitter trend that included Aung San Suu Kyi:

I am shaking. Can't believe still. We tried so many times to trend her name. Today was a fairytale!!!!! Aung San Suu Kyi. Top 7, WORLDWIDE TREND.

After the results are confirmed by government news agency MRTV, Myanmar netizens switched topics in their conversations from election related things to the list of TIME's Top 100 influential people in 2012. The list includes both the president of Myanmar and the country's main opposition leader.

Myanmar: Construction Resumes in Suspended Dam Project

tan — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:53:03 +0000

Weekly Eleven reported that construction of the controversial Myit Sone Dam in Kachin State in Myanmar which was suspended last year by the government has been resumed.

Myanmar: New Currency Exchange Rate

tan — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:41:24 +0000

The Central Bank of Myanmar set the new currency exchange rate of 818 Kyats per 1 US Dollar, as part of the move to implement a new floating currency exchange system. Previously, the official rate was 6.4 Ks. per 1 US Dollar.

Myanmar: Monitoring the Elections Through Facebook

Chan Myae Khine — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:45:54 +0000

Myanmar has been implementing a lot of reforms in the past years which included the release from prison of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, the suspension of a controversial dam project and the unprecedented release of hundreds of political prisoners. And now, it's time for by-elections.

Two major parties namely National League for Democracy (NLD) which is led by Aung San Suu Kyi and Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) dominated by former military generals are competing for all 45 places in parliament while some other parties such as The Democratic Party, New National Democracy Party (NDP), National Unity Party (NUP) and so on are competing for fewer places.

Myanmar Facebook users are overwhelmed with different news regarding the election which is coincidentally on April Fools' Day.

Khin Nyein Chan posted a photo of a USDP campaign in which they were using a photo of United States (US) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Myanmar last November. Many Facebook users have commented that such campaigning is inappropriate.

Lion tries to fly intimating peacock,
Couldn't fly and fall

Mg Mg Lwin Eu wrote [my] the rhyme above about a photo of a USDP election campaign posted by Demo Waiyan where some people were believed to have been forced to attend a speech event comparing to NLD's massive success in campaign activities, since the lion is the icon of USDP and the peacock is that of NLD.

Election rally in Myanmar

There are also news reports and rumours from unknown sources, whose impact could be large and may affect the result of the elections. Demo Waiyan shared [my] news he heard that the blank spaces to tick on ballot paper are wax coated in some places so that voters won't be able to vote properly.

Some rumours which are believed to have really happened, sounded like real April Fools' Day stuff. One of those claimed [my] that the USDP tried to give away a shirt and a cap to a beggar in Mandalay and he declined to accept the gifts. Some said [my] that a USDP member in Tadar Oo, Mandalay kept on insulting NLD with loud speakers for a whole night.

The most famous rumour [my] about USDP lately is that they were campaigning for election by treating Briyani to public in East Dagon, Yangon. It is also mentioned [my] that a USDP representative gave away cash during his campaign speech.

Despite the best efforts made by USDP, majority of people are eagerly supporting NLD even though not all of them are eligible to vote for this by-election. In a small survey [my] made on Facebook, 974 people said they are going to vote for NLD while only 24 people chose USDP.

We'll go and vote for NLD tomorrow 5 AM.

This was posted [my] by Myint Myint Khin Pe, wife of actor Kyaw Thu and one of the founders of Free Funeral Services Society on her Facebook.

Election campaign by USDP

Htoo Tay Zar, a blogger and citizen media journalist, wrote about his views on NLD and USDP:

Most people always said NLD Party as opposition party… For me, USDP Party is more like opposition party… Today, I just witnessed USDP Party's campaigning trip around Khawmu township.. No one pays attention to em.. they are also not very active.. party members are just like sleeping on the truck… after all, They are opposition party and they oppose people's desires… =)

Active Facebook users in Myanmar have been expressing support for NLD and Aung San Suu Kyi. Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Kawt Hmu where she hopes to represent the NLD in the parliament. DVB posted a video [my] of her arriving in Kawt Hmu where people have high expectations for the elections. There are also many comments which read “Good Luck Myanmar” on Facebook

Myanmar: Responsible Tourism

Mong Palatino — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 05:07:13 +0000

The Irrawaddy interviews Dr. Andrea Valentin who talks about responsible tourism and the prospect of pro-poor tourism in Myanmar.