Clashes Cast Doubt on Peace Process

Yangon to Start Evicting Squatters

Myanmar’s moves toward ending decades of ethnic conflict are in danger of being derailed by recent clashes in the country’s north, a senior ethnic leader warned. Khun Okkar, the jointsecretary of the United Nationalities Federal Council, an alliance of 12 ethnic armed groups, said that the fighting in Kachin and Shan states could undo gains made over the past two years. “I am worried that [Myanmar] is going to have civil war again,” he said at a press conference in Yangon at the conclusion of the twoday Civil Society Forum for Peace, held March 3-4. Ethnic Kachin, Shan and Palaung armed groups say they have all come under attack from Myanmar’s government army since late February. However, Lt.-Gen. Myint Soe, commander of the Bureau of Special Operations-1, which oversees military operations in Kachin State, denied that the army had launched new offensives.

Squatters in Dagon Seikkan Township

All squatters living in Myanmar’s largest city face eviction from the end of March, U Than Aung, the secretary for the Yangon Region government, said at a press conference in late February. “All illegal squatter houses will be demolished” because the city can’t continue to accommodate them, he said. Col. Win Tin, the division’s minister for border affairs, called the plan “inevitable,” but added that no provisions had been made to resettle the displaced squatters.

Myanmar Still Buying NKorean Weapons: US

Myanmar is still buying conventional weapons from North Korea, the US Defense Department said in a report to Congress released on March 5. The report said that Pyongyang uses a worldwide network to facilitate arms sales to a core but dwindling group of recipient countries, including Iran, Syria and Myanmar. The US has pressed the Myanmar government to stop buying from North Korea, also previously suspected of supplying Myanmar with missile technology. In December, the US blacklisted a Myanmar military officer and companies for continued weapons trading with North Korea. Myanmar denies violating UN sanctions that prohibit such weapons purchases.

Myanmar Named ‘World Best Tourist Destination’

The European Council on Tourism and Trade (ECTT), a non-governmental organization based in Bucharest, Romania, will hand Myanmar its “World Best Tourist Destination Award” for 2014, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. The award is given to “countries that are embracing tourism as a resource for cultural and social development, who respect ethics of human relations and preserve cultural and natural heritage. As the receivers, cities and countries must prove their commitment towards sustainable development, fair tourism and historical preservation,” the ECTT states on its website. Previous winners include Turkey, the UAE, Syria and Laos.

President Calls for ‘Protection of Religion’ Law

Myanmar President U Thein Sein has ordered a new commission and the country’s highest court to draft a “protection of race and religion” law, which could include measures to restrict interfaith marriage,

President Signs New Media Laws

Two new laws governing Myanmar’s media went into effect in March, officially ending the era of the draconian 1962 Printers and Publishers Registration Act. The Press Law, drafted by the Interim Press Council, a body consisting mostly of journalists formed in 2012 to regulate Myanmar’s media industry and propose reforms, was approved by the country’s Union Parliament and signed into law by President U Thein Sein in the third week of March. At the same time, however, another law submitted by the Ministry of Information, the Printers and Publishers Registration Law, also went into effect. Journalists criticized the latter law for being too restrictive, noting that it gives the ministry the power to withhold or revoke pub- lishing licenses for breaching vaguely defined bans on reporting that could “incite unrest,” “insult religion” or “violate the Constitution.” according to lawmakers. The move comes after a petition with 1.3 million signatures was submitted to the president urging him to pass into law a version of a bill drafted by lawyers on behalf of leading monks in the Buddhist nationalist 969 movement. If enacted without amendment, the bill would require Buddhist women to get permission from their parents and local government officials before marrying a man from another faith. It also includes restrictions on converting to another religion, a limit to the number of children people can have, and measures to stop polygamy.

UN Rights Envoy Presents Final Report on Myanmar

Tomás Ojea Quintana, the outgoing United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, noted “significant changes” for the better in the country’s overall rights situation in his final report to the UN Human Rights Council on March 17. Mr. Quintana made his last trip to Myanmar in mid-February, traveling to the Rakhine State capital Sittwe, the Kachin rebel stronghold of Laiza, and two sites of alleged land grabs—the Letpadaung copper mine in Sagaing Region and the Thilawa Special Economic Zone in Yangon Region. In his report, he also urged the world body to get involved in an investigation into allegations that dozens of Rohingya Muslims were killed in a mob attack in January, citing the government’s failure to conduct a credible investigation on its own.

Census Amid Controversy

Immigration officers check forms in Kyauktada immigration office in Yangon as they prepare for the Myanmar 2014 census. During April, enumerators are set to fan out over a vast swathe of the country for the first census in over 30 years. The controversial survey takes place amid wide criticism that it could revive historic ethnic divisions.