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ANTI-MILITARY DICTATORSHIP
President Xis relatives were implicated too, with his brother-in-law supposedly owning
a major stake in a British Virgin Islands-based firm. PHOTO: REUTERS
Scribd
514. Polaris Burmese Library Singapore Collections - Vol 514
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EDITOR THAKHIN VACAKA ( RIT )
Public Enemies
YANGON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNION BUILDING
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KIO/KIA
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DEMOCRACY CHECKLIST
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DECEMBER 5, 2013.
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The Straits Times
www.straitstimes.com
President Xis relatives were implicated too, with his brother-in-law supposedly owning a
major stake in a British Virgin Islands-based firm. PHOTO: REUTERS
HONG KONG - Relatives of top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping and
former premier Wen Jiabao, have used offshore tax havens to hide their wealth,
according to a mammoth investigation.The International Consortium of Investigative
Journalists (ICIJ), citing information culled from 2.5 million leaked documents, said
yesterday that Mr Xi's brother-in-law and Mr Wen's son and son-in-law were among
those with offshore holdings.It is the latest revelation to shine a light on the hidden
wealth of family members of China's top officials, a topic considered off limits by
Communist Party leaders.Offshore entities can be legal and there was no evidence
Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
21
that the politicians were aware of their relatives' actions.Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesman Qin Gang told reporters at a regular briefing that "the logic of the article
is unconvincing, which cannot but raise questions of ulterior motives". Asked if the
government planned to follow up on the report, Mr Qin responded: "What I want to
point out is, the clean will be proved clean and the dirty will be proved
dirty."Yesterday's release came on the same day that China put leading activist Xu
Zhiyong on trial for his part in protests calling for officials to disclose their assets.
According to the ICIJ investigation, family members of Mr Wen Chinas former premier
are among those with offshore holdings. -- PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
The report also came days after Mr Wen reportedly penned a letter to Hong Kong
columnist Ng Hong Mun, proclaiming his "innocence" over previous claims that his
family amassed huge wealth during his decade in power.
The ICIJ cited nearly 22,000 offshore clients from mainland China and Hong Kong,
including relatives of former president Hu Jintao, former premier Li Peng and late
leader Deng Xiaoping, the man credited with opening up China's economy in the
1980s.
Also included were members of China's National People's Congress, heads of stateowned enterprises and some of the country's wealthiest men and women, including
Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
22
real estate mogul Zhang Xin; Mr Pony Ma and Mr Zhang Zhidong, co-founders of
Chinese Internet giant Tencent; and China's richest woman Yang Huiyan.
The ICIJ said that it sent letters to the government officials, wealthy individuals and
others named in its report.
"Their response in most cases was to not respond, a standard practice in China," it
said.
The ICIJ said it collaborated with more than 50 partner organisations across the
globe in sifting through the data, including The Guardian, Le Monde in France, El
Pais in Spain and Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper.
The websites of all four were not accessible within China yesterday, and nor was the
ICIJ's.
Censors appear to be working hard to prevent the topic from being discussed on
Sina Weibo, China's popular Twitter-like microblogging service, which is already
subject to heavy censorship. Searches for sensitive words like "offshore" and
"princeling" - the term for the children of senior leaders - caused the page to go
blank.
The investigation said 90 per cent of the mainland Chinese clients set up offshore
entities in the British Virgin Islands, often with the help of Western firms like UBS
and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The British Virgin Islands was the destination of choice for President Xi's brother-inlaw Deng Jiagui, a wealthy real estate developer and investor who married Mr Xi's
older sister in 1996. According to the report, Mr Deng Jiagui owns a 50 per cent
stake in a British Virgin Islands-based company named Excellence Effort Property
Development.
While such offshore trusts and companies "may not be strictly illegal", they are often
linked to "conflict of interest and covert use of government power", political science
professor Minxin Pei, at Claremont McKenna College in California, told the ICIJ.
23
In 2012, The New York Times and Bloomberg news agency published investigations
into the vast wealth said to have been amassed by family members of Mr Wen and
Mr Xi.
Last November, The New York Times found that US bank JPMorgan hired a daughter
of Mr Wen as a consultant, part of a broader strategy that the newspaper said was
aimed at accumulating influence in China by employing relatives of the nation's
leaders.
According to the Times report, JPMorgan paid a total of US$1.8 million (S$2.3
million) to Fullmark Consultants, a firm set up by Mr Wen's daughter Wen Ruchun,
who also goes by the alias "Lily Chang".
The files leaked to the ICIJ purported to show that Fullmark Consultants was set up
in the British Virgin Islands in 2004 by Ms Wen's husband, Mr Liu Chunhang, who
was its sole director and shareholder until 2006.
Ming Pao headlined its story on the ICIJ revelations on Mr Wen but omitted any
reference to President Xi.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
24
politically connected figures, have set up a large number of offshore companies that
allow them to conceal billions of dollars abroad, according to a report released
the world.The reports authors say it is based on leaked documents concerning tens
of thousands of tax-haven clients. The report names more than a dozen of Chinas
wealthiest citizens, as well as relatives of top officials, including those of the
countrys president, Xi Jinping; the former prime minister Wen Jiabao; and
corruption and reining in officials displays of wealth among his top priorities since
taking charge of the Communist Party in 2012. The combination of wealth and
power illustrated in the report could become a political liability for the government at
a time when the Chinese public is showing increasing concern about official privilege.
Li Xiaolin, the daughter of a former Chinese prime minister, was named in a report.
Bobby Yip/Reuters
25
During a regular news briefing, a Foreign Ministry spokesman who was asked about
the report dismissed it as hardly convincing and suggested that those who had
leaked the documents had ulterior motives. Censors blocked access to the
consortiums online report in much of China on Wednesday, and the Chinese news
media made no mention of it.
Offshore bank accounts, trusts and shell companies are not in and of themselves
illegal. The Chinese government allows Chinese investors and executives to hold
stakes in domestic companies like the Internet giants Baidu and Tencent through
offshore investment vehicles. And foreign banks and private equity firms have often
encouraged Chinese investors to hold some assets offshore, especially stakes in
companies that plan to list their shares in Hong Kong or New York.
It was us, the foreigners, that imposed this, Rocky T. Lee, the head of Greater
China corporate practice for the law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, told the
consortium about the practice. It had to do with the foreign investors general
discomfort with Chinese rules and regulations.
But offshore companies can also be used to launder money, avoid taxes and hide an
individuals stake in a company.
Chinas widening wealth gap has thrown into stark relief the windfalls enjoyed by the
countrys well-connected elite, especially the relatives of people in powerful posts.
The potential for embarrassment is likely to grow as the consortium releases more
data and analysts tease apart the strands of previously opaque financial
arrangements. The consortium said it would publish a database of tax-haven
documents on Thursday.
The Chinese government does not require its officials to disclose their financial
assets publicly.
The thousands of names disclosed in the report include more than a dozen scions of
Chinas so-called red nobility, the hallowed revolutionary figures who played pivotal
roles in establishing the Peoples Republic. Those named include Deng Jiagui, a
wealthy businessman who is the brother-in-law of Mr. Xi, and Li Xiaolin, the
daughter of the former prime minister Li Peng. Others cited in the report include Wu
Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
26
Jianchang, the son-in-law of Deng Xiaoping, the reformist leader who ushered in
Chinas embrace of market economics.
Also included are the son, the daughter and the son-in-law of Mr. Wen, the recently
retired prime minister, whose familys immense wealth was the subject of a series of
articles in The New York Times in 2012. The Times investigation found that relatives
of Mr. Wen held at least $2.7 billion in assets, often through hidden stakes in
Chinese financial, telecommunication and jewelry companies.
The records released by the consortium on Wednesday show, for instance, that in
2004 Mr. Wens family registered Fullmark Consultants, a British Virgin Islands
In its report, the consortium said Fullmark was controlled by Liu Chunhang, Wen
Ruchuns husband. In 2006, according to the report, he became a government
official at the China Banking Regulatory Commission and transferred his stake in
Fullmark to Zhang Yuhong, a longtime Wen family friend and business partner.
The Wen family could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Other records released by the consortium revealed that Mr. Xis brother-in-law was a
expected to stand trial in the coming days in what is widely seen as an effort by the
government to shut down their grass-roots anticorruption campaign.
Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
27
The report says that PricewaterhouseCoopers, UBS and other Western banks and
accounting firms act as middlemen to help Chinese clients set up trusts and
companies in Samoa, the British Virgin Islands and other offshore centers sometimes
associated with hidden wealth; for instance, the giant Swiss financial company Credit
Suisse helped Mr. Wens son, who is also known by the name Winston Wen, create a
company in the British Virgin Islands while his father was prime minister.
The files that undergird the report, part of a cache of 2.5 million documents leaked
to the consortium, originated with two offshore firms that help clients create
offshore companies, trusts and bank accounts: Portcullis TrustNet, based in
Singapore, and Commonwealth Trust, based in the British Virgin Islands.
The consortium said that more than 50 reporting partners in Europe, North America,
Asia and elsewhere had been involved in helping it sift through the cache of
documents.
The consortium is a project of the Center for Public Integrity, which links journalists
around the world for investigative reporting projects. Working with news media
organizations including The Times, it has already published reports based on the
leaked documents that identified a range of prominent figures in other countries who
have benefited from overseas accounts. Those include a former budget minister in
France, a daughter of the former Philippine dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos and the
family of Azerbaijans leader.
Files on people from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan more than 37,000 names
formed the largest portion of the collection of tax-haven documents, the consortium
said. A reporting team spent six months looking through those files. A mainland
Chinese news organization that originally participated in the reporting was forced to
withdraw from the project after government warnings, the consortium said. It did
not name the news organization to protect journalists from government retaliation.
The Guardian, a British newspaper, said its website was partially blocked in China on
Wednesday after it published a report based on some of the leaked tax-haven
documents.
28
FILE - 100 Yuan notes are seen in this illustration picture in Beijing.
VOA News
former premier Wen Jiabao, as well as members of the countrys business elite have
been helped by Western banks to hide their wealth in tax havens according to a
team of investigative journalists.The report, by the International Consortium of
Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), is the latest probe into the wealth of some of China's
most powerful individuals, including so-called princelings, those tied by blood or
marriage to China's revolutionary leaders.
Journalists focused on leaked documents
The journalists spent months combing through some 2.5 million leaked documents
before publishing their findings Wednesday.The news comes as one of the country's
most vocal proponents of financial transparency within China's politics faces trial on
charges relating to his advocacy for government officials to disclose their assets.
Banks leaked documents
Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
29
The confidential documents were leaked by two banks based in Singapore and the
British Virgin Islands. The ICIJ has published the results of their investigations since
April, but this is the first time the group disclosed details on the nearly 22,000
offshore clients with addresses in China and Hong Kong.As the country has moved
from an insular communist system to a socialist/capitalist hybrid, China has become
a leading market for offshore havens that peddle secrecy, tax shelters and
streamlined international deal making, the report read.Incorporating companies
offshore is not illegal in China, where the tax system has loopholes that allow
companies to sell their products through subsidiaries located abroad and report
lower profits inside China.
Chinese public sensitive to corruption
But the convergence of extreme wealth and connections with political power remains
a sensitive topic in China, where people are easily incensed by the visible marks of
officials' corruption.Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a political scientist at Hong Kong Baptist
University says wealthy Chinese, especially those with blood links to China's political
elite, might choose to incorporate companies abroad for tax reasons as well as
political ones.They do not want the money in the same basket, they want to put the
money in a safe place for their old days, or if anything happens. He said, it shows
that they do not fully trust the system and the future of the current political system.
High Officials in China allegedly involved in offshore companies
Among the ICIJ's findings are details about offshore companies set up by relatives of
at least five current or former members of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's
highest decision making body.On the list is President Xi Jinping's brother-in-law,
British Virgin Island companies to the son, daughter and a family friend of former
premier Wen Jiabao.It is not the first time that Wen's family has come under
Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
30
scrutiny for its secretive wealth.In 2012, The New York Times reported that while
Wen was in power, his relatives accumulated billions of dollars in hidden assets.
Before the ICIJ published its findings, Hong Kong media reported that Grandfather
Wen, as the ex premier is affectionately called in China, defended himself in a
December letter to a Hong Kong newspaper columnist.Wen wrote that he had never
been involved in any deal abusing his power for personal gain because no such
gains whatsoever could shake his conviction.Some Hong Kong media have reported
that Wen himself might be under investigation in the mainland.
Chinese leaders aware of public discontent
Aware of the popular discontent against mounting corruption, politicians in China
have promised to deliver a clean government by cracking down on all levels of graft.
In the past year, an increasing number of high ranking officials have been put under
investigation, but authorities remain wary of media reports that disclose the finances
of senior politicians and their families.According to the ICIJ, a mainland Chinese
news outlet working in partnership with the ICIJ on the bank documents
discontinued the investigation after warning from authorities not to publish any of
the leaked material.The ICIJ website, which carried a translation of the report in
Mandarin, was blocked in the mainland shortly after the report went online and
searches for the document on China's microblog services were also censored.
News about off shore wealth always gets out
Cabestan said that even though reports on the wealth of well-connected families are
blocked in China, news always trickles in. In the long term, he says, that might
generate more popular resentment against the privileged.But whether they [people
in China] are in a position to change and put pressure on their leaders and change
the system is another story. We have to be careful there because the political
system is pretty strong, he said.The ICIJ said it will continue to publish stories in
the next few days, and it will provide a list of names connected with offshore
accounts on Thursday.
31
FILE - Li Xiaolin, the daughter of former Chinese Premier Li Peng, attends a news
conference. Li is one of the family members of former and current leaders listed in
the report.
VOA News
January 22, 2014
An investigation by a U.S.-based journalism group suggests the close relatives of
China's top leaders, including President Xi Jinping, have set up offshore companies
to hide their massive wealth.The report, released Wednesday by the International
leaked documents showing the identities of the owners of overseas businesses and
trusts.President Xi's brother-in-law and former Premier Wen Jiabao's son were
among those named. Close relatives of ex-President Hu Jintao, former Premier Li
Peng and late leader Deng Xiaoping were also mentioned as having overseas
holdings.The New York Times and Bloomberg in 2012 published reports claiming
that the families of Xi and Wen had accumulated massive fortunes. Beijing promptly
Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
32
response to the report.The ICIJ report cautioned that there was no evidence of
wrongdoing by Chinese leaders, and stressed that many may have not known about
the financial activities of their families.Nonetheless, such reports are a potential
frustration over the hidden, glamorous lives of Chinese leaders could spill over into
social unrest.Though no financial details were given in the ICIJ report, the
investigation found that 90 percent of the mainland Chinese clients named set up
offshore entities in the British Virgin Islands, some with the help of Western
companies.
33
famous for its investigative reporting and extensive coverage of China's corruption
scandals.The magazine reported that Gu's home in Puyang, a grey courtyard
compound modeled after the Forbidden City in Beijing, was raided over a year ago.
Police filled four trucks with Gu's expensive possessions, including a golden boat, a
golden basin and a golden statue of Mao.Residents of the village told Caixin that
investigators spent two days seizing property from the residence, known in the
village as the General's Mansion, but would only load trucks at night to avoid
Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
34
basement
packed
with
crates
of
expensive
Chinese
wine.
Chinese leaders have publicized their ongoing anti-graft efforts as a serious step at
stemming corruption and have said they will intensify the campaign in 2014.
But the details of Gu's wealth show that corruption in China can stretch beyond
graft body, such efforts were effective and led to the investigation and punishment
of more than 182,000 party officials in 2013 for various extents of abuse of power.
According to Caixin, Gu took advantage of his position as the manager of military
real estate deals and building projects to benefit himself and other members of his
investigation should be disclosed and clarified to the public and the media, the
editorial read, Government corruption is an illness, but corruption within the armed
forces is a danger.So far, Gu has not been officially indicted, but rumors abound.
As early as 2012, his name was removed from the website of the Ministry of
Defense. In January 2013 came the house search detailed in Caixin's report, and a
few months later a professor at the PLA National Defence University told state media
under investigation, has led some to believe that Gu's case might go beyond his
personal abuses of power.Behind Gu Junshan there might be an even bigger tiger Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
35
or corrupt official, wrote blogger Zhou Pengan. Even if they are pursuing bigger
cases, the anti-corruption body should not let a case drag on so long without
resolution.He Bing said that it is unclear why it's taking so long for authorities to
announce the investigation, but he adds that with the media attention around the
scandal it should not take long before Gu is officially indicted.The anti-graft effort
has no forbidden spots. A new year has started with Xi Jinping's pronouncements
against corruption, and this report is a symbolic sign of that resolution, He Bing
stated.
36
A non-profit organisation estimates that more than $1tn in illicit funds flowed out of
China from 2002-2011
A trove of leaked financial documents 160 times bigger than the famous Wikileaks
classified cables has now revealed the secret offshore banking dealings of thousands
of well-connected people in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Reporters from several
been able to independently verify its contents.The report's authors say they have
found evidence of the secret business dealings of some of China's richest and most
powerful people, including China's richest woman, Yang Huiyan, and the brother-inlaw of China's President, Xi Jinping.
37
The ICIJ report has not been mentioned in state media reports and has been
censored on Weibo
Peking University. "What it doesn't tell us is what these companies were actually
being used for and whether those purposes were legitimate or illegitimate." So are
the people named in the leaked documents guilty of anything? "I think the real
concern is if these entities were used to take money that was obtained in illegitimate
ways and to hide it outside of China, outside of the jurisdiction of Chinese regulators
who might get it, and in ways that evade China's foreign currency laws and its tax
laws," he said.China has long struggled with illegal overseas transfers of capital.
According to Global Financial Integrity, a Washington-based non-profit organisation,
more than $1tn (602bn) in illicit funds flowed out of China between 2002 and 2011.
Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
38
That money often comes from criminal activity, tax evasion or state corruption.
However, the ICIJ report received scant public reaction from the Chinese
government."I don't know the details, but as a reader, I think the logic in the article
is unconvincing, which raises suspicions on its intentions," foreign ministry
spokesman Qin Gang told reporters on Wednesday.'We can read it' News of the ICIJ
report has been censored from Weibo, China's version of Twitter. The story was also
not mentioned in China's state media outlets, though some in China still managed to
uncover the news. "I read it on social media like Weixin and other microblogs. A lot
of people transferred those articles and the text of the report itself. We can read it,"
explains economist Xia Yeliang. An outspoken critic of Communist Party rule, Mr Xia
was fired from his teaching position at Peking University last year on the grounds of
poor job performance evaluations.
foreign countries and foreign markets, so they're trying to take what we have
adequate laws on foreign bank accounts too, but it was unable to enforce them until
it was able to force the Swiss banks to disclose who was actually using those
39
Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
accounts," Paul Gillis said. New information on those who appear to be involved in
offshore banking will soon be released. The ICIJ will soon publish an online list of
37,000 people from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan whose names appear on the
leaked documents. "If the tax bureau does what I expect they'll do, they'll take that
list and they'll start asking questions," Paul Gillis predicts. "Why do you have a BVI
company? What's in it? Why didn't you report it when you set it up?"
40
as well as relatives of top officials, including the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and
descendants of Communist Party red nobility.
Mr. Xi has made cracking down on corruption and reining in officials displays of
wealth among his top priorities since taking charge of Chinas ruling Communist
Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
41
Party in 2012. The ICIJ report further exposes the financial success enjoyed by some
family members of Chinese leaders and argues that the combination of wealth and
power is a liability for the government at a time when the Chinese public is
increasingly concerned about official privilege.
Minxin Pei, an expert on Chinese politics at Claremont McKenna College, told the
ICIJ that while such overseas wealth is not necessarily illegal, it is often tied to
conflict of interest and covert use of government power. The report notes that
such overseas companies can have legitimate business purposes and that their
development
was
encouraged
by
foreign
investors
in
China.
The report was released hours before the start of a trial for Xu Zhiyong, a legal
scholar accused of assembling a crowd to disrupt order in a public place. He is one
of several other activists who have called for public disclosure of officials assets. At
least eight of them are going on trial this week in what is widely seen as an effort to
shut down their independent anticorruption campaign, known as the New Citizens
Movement.
Among the names listed in the leaked documents is Deng Jiagui, the husband of Mr.
Xis older sister and a wealthy businessman. Records show that Mr. Deng is a half
according to ICIJ. The other half is owned by yet another BVI company belonging
to Li Wa and Li Xiaoping, property tycoons who made news in July by winning a $2
billion bid to purchase commercial real estate in Shenzhen, ICIJ reported.
The report said:
PricewaterhouseCoopers, UBS and other Western banks and accounting firms play a
key role as middlemen in helping Chinese clients set up trusts and companies in the
British Virgin Islands, Samoa and other offshore centers usually associated with
hidden wealth, the records show. For instance, Swiss financial giant Credit Suisse
helped [former Prime Minister] Wen Jiabaos son create his BVI company while his
father was leading the country.
The files come from two offshore firms Singapore-based Portcullis TrustNet and
BVI-based Commonwealth Trust Limited that help clients create offshore
Democracy and Human Rights Without Borders
42
companies, trusts and bank accounts. They are part of a cache of 2.5 million leaked
files that ICIJ has sifted through with help from more than 50 reporting partners in
Europe, North America, Asia and other regions.
The ICIJ is a project of the Washington-based Center for Public Integrity, which links
journalists across the globe on investigative reporting projects. Working with media
organizations including The New York Times, it has published reports based on the
leaked documents that identified a range of prominent figures who have benefited
daughter of the former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and Azerbaijans ruling
family.
Files on China, Hong Kong and Taiwan formed the biggest portion of the collection
of 2.5 million leaked documents, ICIJ said, and a reporting team spent six months
looking through those files. A mainland Chinese news organization that originally
participated in the reporting was forced to withdraw from the project after
government warnings, the ICIJ said. It did not name the news organization to
protect journalists from government retaliation.
In a sign of the sensitivity with which such reporting is handled in China, the
Guardian newspaper said its website was partially blocked in China on Wednesday
after it ran a report based on leaked tax haven documents shared by the ICIJ. And
the ICIJ said on Twitter that its website is now blocked in many parts of China.
The ICIJ said that more than 37,000 names from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are
included in a database of tax haven documents and that they would be published
online Thursday.
43
THE process of amending Myanmar's military-drafted Constitution begins at the end of this
month, with all eyes on article 59f which, if changed, could pave the way for opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi to be president after the late 2015 election.But 59f is only one of
many key clauses at stake, several of which are potential land mines because they directly
affect the role of the military.They will also affect the no less critical place of ethnic
minorities, and the balance of power and sharing of resources between them and the
majority Burmans who comprise about 70 per cent of the population of a diverse country
with 135 officially recognised ethnic groups.Over 2,500 amendment proposals will be
submitted to the speaker of Parliament at the end of this month. But that is only first formal
step. The length of the process of scrutiny, prioritisation and debate, and the contentious
issues involved, means many amendments may not even be legislated by the time the 2015
election comes around.The Constitution was rammed through a national referendum by the
then military regime in 2008. Among other things it put the military in charge of three
security ministries - defence, border affairs and home affairs - and ensured 25 per cent of
Parliament seats for military personnel appointed by the military's commander in chief.As for
article 59f, the proposed amendment is to remove part, but not all of the conditions that
would prevent Ms Suu Kyi from becoming president.
Myanmar has had two previous Constitutions, in 1947 and 1974. In 1988, the army
suspended the Constitution, so the country had no Constitution for two decades until
2008.Previous Constitutions specified that the president must be a citizen who was either
born in the country, or both of whose parents were.
44
The 2008 Constitution specified that having a spouse or children and their spouses, who
were citizens of a foreign country, would disqualify a person from the presidency. Ms Suu
Kyi's late husband was a British academic, and their two sons are British citizens.The
suggested new language is to take out the part about the spouses. This would leave Ms Suu
Kyi still with the impediment that her two sons are foreign nationals - both living in the West
- who would have to change to Myanmar nationality to enable her to become president.
Whether they would change their citizenships is uncertain. Indeed, she is reportedly
estranged from her elder son. "They are adults and have the right to make their own
decision for their own good," Ms Suu Kyi has said.Says Yangon-based Richard Horsey, an
independent analyst and former top United Nations official in Myanmar: "It puts the ball
back in her court. On the one hand, she can argue that it is unfair. On the other hand, you
can imagine a lot of Myanmar nationalists saying if someone is too linked to a foreign
country and the children are foreign citizens, where does one draw the line."The issue is not
In Peru, ethnic Japanese Alberto Fujimori was president from 1990 to 2000. His strong
leadership veered into authoritarianism; accused of human rights violations and corruption,
he fled - to Japan.He was extradited in 2007 and is now in jail.In the United States, the
Constitution says the president should be a "natural born" US citizen. Former California
governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who might run for president in 2016, was born in Austria
and wants that part of the Constitution changed.Given Ms Suu Kyi's stature, especially in the
West, the issue of 59f occupies centre stage. But other amendments that address core
issues may be more critical.Says Mr Horsey: "Some of the economic and political reform
touches core interests of the army, taking away monopolies and so forth. They have been
comfortable because they have ultimate guarantees, so if it goes really wrong, they can step
in."
Another Yangon-based analyst who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of his
position close to senior government figures, told The Straits Times over the phone: "There is
at least unanimity that this Constitution needs amendment. Despite the problems, we may
emerge as a mature nation debating on these difficult issues without resorting to violence.
"But the process is full of uncertainties. The military feels they introduced the Constitution
and they have a sense of entitlement. It seems to a lot of people that the military is not
ready to give up its prerogatives; that can only happen after 2015."
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| September 28, 2011 IRRAWADDY
ABSDF ()
ABSDF ( - Facebook)
ABSDF (
ABSDF ABSDF
68
ABSDF
69
( )
(
- )
70
71
(KNU)
KNU (
)
KNU
( )
() (
) KNU
( KNU )
72
KNU
73
74
()
| September 28, 2011 IRRAWADDY
( - Facebook)
KNU
AK 47- M 79
75
76
KNU
77
78
()
| September 28, 2011 IRRAWADDY
( -
KNU
KNU
KNU
KNU
79
)
-
TV
KNU
80
AK
( )
81
KNU
( KNU
)
KNU
KNU
KNU
KNU
KNU
( )
KNU
82
KNU
() KNU
KNU
KNU
KNU
83
KNU
( KNU )
KNU
84
()
| October 13, 2011 IRRAWADDY
KNU
KNU
()
KNU KNU
() (
) (
BBC KNU
85
BBC
KNU
()
KNU
-
-
( )
86
( )
87
KNU
KNU
88
KNU
KNU
89
()
| October 13, 2011 IRRAWADDY
( - facebook )
KNU
( )
( )
90
KNDO (
) KNDO (
KNDO
ABSDF DAB
( )
( )
KNDO
91
KNU
(
)
KNU
L
92
KNU
KNU KNDO
(
)
A4
93
- -
KNU
KNU KNU
94
()
| October 21, 2011 IRRAWADDY
ABSDF
( - facebook )
KNU
95
)
KNU
KNU
KNU
96
(
)
()
97
( )
KNU
KNU
G3
98
KNU
KNU
KNU
( )
) (
KNU
99
(
) (
) ( NDD
PDC ) (
Mr. Dictionary )
100
()
| November 3, 2011 IRRAWADDY
()
( -
facebook )
()
KNU
101
KNU
102
KNDO
KNU
( )
()
103
()
KNU
KNDO
DAB
( )
DAB - (
) NDF
(ABSDF,
CRDB,
ABYMU,
KNU
KIO
CRDB
104
ABSDF
DAB
ABSDF
( VOA
)
()
( )
KNU
ABSDF
) ( BBC )
)
KNU
()
(ABSDF)
ABSDF
105
()
| November 17, 2011 IRRAWADDY
KNU
ABSDF
( - facebook )
106
DAB
DAB
(KIO) KNU
KIA
107
KIA
KNU
(ABSDF
)
DAB
ABSDF DAB
DAB
KNU
108
BBC)
ABSDF
(
)
109
ABSDF
M 16
M 16
M
16
110
(carol singing)
()
ABSDF
111
DVB
112
()
| November 24, 2011 IRRAWADDY
KNU
KNU
113
KNU
114
115
116
(
)
First ( )
FTUB) ABSDF
( )
117
()
118
()
| December 1, 2011 IRRAWADDY
( VOA
)
KNU KNU
( - facebook)
KNU
119
KNU
)
KNU
(-
DKBA
120
KNU
121
DVB
DSA ()
122
()
| December 8, 2011 IRRAWADDY
ABSDF
KNU ()
123
ABSDF
)
() ()
()
()
)
( ABSDF
)
()
KNU
124
( )
()
125
( -
)
Black Water
--
126
127
()
| December 15, 2011 IRRAWADDY
KNU
ABSDF
128
KNU ( KNU
)
---
---
Family
---
name
129
..
NCUB
KNU
KNU
KNU
( )
130
()
KNU
131
KNU -
KNU
132
()
| December 22, 2011 IRRAWADDY
KNU
(
ABSDF
133
()
ADNSC
Solidarity
Committee]
[Anti-military
KNU
Dictatorship
National
KNU
(KNDO)
KNDO
KNU
134
135
136
DAB ABSDF
(DAB)
DAB ABSDF
DAB
DAB
NCG
NLD-LA
ABSDF
(
ABSDF
137
()
| December 29, 2011 IRRAWADDY
() ABSDF
ABSDF
KNU ABSDF
ABSDF
ABSDF
(All
Burma
Students
Democratic
Front)
( )
138
ABSDF
ABSDF
KNU
KNU
KNU
ABSDF
KNU
139
KNU
ABSDF
) (
)
KNU
KNU KNU
KNU
140
KNU
141
KNU
ID
KNU
142
()
| January 5, 2012 IRRAWADDY
KNU
143
-
KNU
KNU
M 16
144
KNU
ABSDF
145
DAB
DAB
ABSDF
ABSDF -
DAB
(
) ( )
()
AK 47
AK
47
M 16
146
G3, G4
AK
47,
16
G3,
G4
G3, G4
AK
47
KNU AK 47
( KNU
DKBA KNU
ABSDF
--
147
( Oerlikon
)
) M 79
M 79 M 16 AK M 16 AK 47, M 16
148
()
| January 12, 2012 IRRAWADDY
M 16
KNU
ABSDF
149
KNU
KNU
( )
(
)
150
M16
AK
47
AK 47
KNU
151
KNU
152
AK
47,
16
153
DAB (
154
()
| February 2, 2012 IRRAWADDY
KNU
KNU
() ( )
()
( KNU
) KNU
155
KNU
( )
-KNU
(
ABSDF-KNU
)
156
) - (
( )
( ABSDF DVB
(
)
( ) ( ) ()
KNU
157
KNU - KNU
DAB
KNU
ABSDF
158
KNU
..
()
159
KNU ( )
NGO
KNU
KNU NDF
-
160
()
| February 9, 2012 IRRAWADDY
()
()
(Lat
Phrao)
161
(
)
-
- ()
KNU
KNU
162
KNU
KNU
163
( )
(
()
(MSF)
ABSDF
Image Asia
164
KNU
165
()
| February 23, 2012 IRRAWADDY
KNU
() ()
()
166
()
Thai Military
Bank
167
RPG
Ramkhamhaeng
UN
James House
168
(ONSOB)
169
SCC
ABSDF
Town
House
ONSOB
ABSDF
170
()
171
()
| March 1, 2012 IRRAWADDY
()
River Kwai VGuest
House
KNU
()
ABSDF ()
( )
172
KNU ()
ABSDF () ()
KNU
()
173
VGuest House
()
(River
Kwai
Bridge)
( )
(Sai Youk)
174
()
(BIA) BIA
( - )
--- - ---
175
-- KNU
176
()
| March 8, 2012 IRRAWADDY
(
)
ABSDF
DAB
177
)
(
()
) () -
( ) ()
)
( )
( )
KNDO
KNU
KNU
178
(Ernesto Che Guevara)
( )
179
DSA
( )
180
BCG
AK 47 AK M16
M 79 KNU
181
AK
182
()
| March 15, 2012 IRRAWADDY
KNU
()
()
()
() () -
KNU ()
ABSDF-KNU
KNU
183
()
KNU-ABSDF ( DAB )
()
()
BCG
BCG
184
()
Asiaweek
Eyewitness
Eyewitness
AK 47
185
() KNU
KNU
186
KNU
187
KNU
188
()
| March 22, 2012 |IRRAWADDY
189
KNU
( )
KNU
KNU
KNU
ABSDF
KNU
KNU
190
191
(
)
KNU
KNU
BIA
KNU
--
192
AK
193
194
195
()
| March 29, 2012 IRRAWADDY
NLD NLD
ABSDF KNU
KNU
196
ABSDF
Federal - -
KNU
(-)
(-)
()
()
KNU
197
( )
198
( )
199
--
KNU
KNU
KNU
KNU
200
201
()
| April 5, 2012 IRRAWADDY
A-B-C-D
202
(-
NGO
203
Plan
Plan
(James Mawdsley)
Dictionary
Dictionary
(Scrabble)
204
Dictionary
ABSDF
205
( )
(Mizuho)
206
ABSDF KNU
ABSDF DAB
207
208
()
| April 19, 2012 IRRAWADDY
ABSDF
( NCGUB )
209
(NLD)
NLD
NLD
NLD
NLD
NLD
ABSDF
ABSDF
NCGUB
ABSDF
NCGUB ABSDF
NCGUB
210
NLD
- (
) ( )
(
NLD
NLD
211
KNU
212
KNU (
NLD
NCUB NLD-LA
-
NLD-LA
KNU - ABSDF
DAB
KNU - (
( KNLA )
DAB
213
KNU
( ) ABSDF
NLD-LA ( )
()
()
NLD-LA
()
214
()
| April 26, 2012 IRRAWADDY
ABSDF
ABSDF
( )
215
KNU
KNU
KNU -
216
217
) ( )
218
KNU
KNU
KNU
219
ABSDF
220
()
| May 3, 2012 IRRAWADDY
()
( )
) -
) ( )
()
221
( )
( ) (
)
( )
( )
( ) ( )
Fire
pin
KNU
222
KNU
()
223
PDF
( )
KNU
()
KNU
KNU
KNU ABSDF
224
225
) KNU
226
()
| May 10, 2012 IRRAWADDY
DAB
KNU
ABSDF
DAB
( )
( ) ( )
()
( )
227
()
() ( ) ()
( )
() ()
( )
( ABSDF
)
( )
BCG (
Catholic Office for Emergency Relief
KNU
DAB
BCG
BCG
ABSDF
ABSDF
BCG BCG
228
ABSDF
KNU
DAB
KNU ( KNLA )
DAB
DAB
DAB
DAB
DAB
DAB
KNU DAB
DAB
DAB
229
-
DAB
KNU
( )
( )
230
KNU
NMSP
KNU () (
ABSDF
231
KNU
ABSDF
RFA
KUN
ABSDF (
232
()
()
KNU
ABSDF
KNU
KNU
( ) () (
) ABSDF
KNU
KNU
KNU
233
()
| May 17, 2012 IRRAWADDY
ABSDF
DAB
ABSDF
KNU, ABSDF, NDF, DAB
ABSDF
( )
234
DAB
KNU,
ABSDF,
NDF,
DAB
235
KNU DAB
( )
(
DKBA
)
236
Resort
NLD-LA,
DAB
237
ABSDF
KNU
()
238
Revolution is our
school,
our
university
KNU
239
()
| May 24, 2012 IRRAWADDY
( Mariko)
240
241
ABSDF (http://www.absdf.com)
ABSDF
ABSDF
DAB NCUB
ABSDF
NGO NGO
242
ABSDF
243
DVB
DVB
ABSDF
DVB
( )
NLD-LA
NCGUB
NCGUB
KNU
244
NCG
( )
KNU
DAB
245
()
| May 31, 2012 IRRAWADDY
ABSDF (
)
246
KNU
247
( )
ABSDF
( )
ABSDF
248
ABSDF
--
249
ABSDF
------
Mizuho
250
( )
DAB
-- DAB
KNU
251
()
| June 7, 2012 IRRAWADDY
252
( )
DAB
KNU
KNU
253
KNU ( )
DAB
( )
KNU
KNU -
KNU
254
KNU
-
( )
255
NGO
( ) (
ABSDF
KNU
( )
256
(
)
ABSDF
257
()
| June 14, 2012 IRRAWADDY
ABSDF
ABSDF
ABSDF
ABSDF
258
Archive
River Side Guest
House
259
ABSDF
260
DVB
DVB
DVB
DVB
261
262
ABSDF
ABSDF
Plan B
( )
263
264
()
| June 21, 2012 IRRAWADDY
265
KNU
KNU
KNU
KNU
266
() () (
)
()
267
ABSDF
KNU
ABSDF
-
KNU
ABSDF
- -
268
()
- ()
() ()
ABSDF ( ABSDF ) ()
KNU
269
()
( )
270
ABSDF
271
272
()
| June 28, 2012 IRRAWADDY
( )
KNU
KNU
273
() KNU
KNU
KNU
KNDO
KNU
274
ABSDF
NGO
ABSDF
275
()
( ) ( )
NGO
276
NGO
277
ABSDF
ABSDF
ABSDF
278
()
| July 5, 2012 IRRAWADDY
( )
( -
279
ABSDF
) (
KUN ABSDF
DKBA
ABSDF
ABSDF
4-wheel
280
BWU
281
DVB
(DVB)
DVB
DVB
ABSDF
ABSDF
DVB
DVB )
ABSDF DVB
DVB Bangkok
Post The Nation
Fax DVB
282
Fax
IMMF
ABSDF
( NDD
283
DAB
KIO
DVB
284
RFA
Perfect Perfect
DVB
DVB
(ABSDF
the
Mall
ABSDF
DVB
DVB
VBSW God
Army Professional
285
ethic
Activist
VBSW
(ABSDF
Exclusive
God Army Live
286
()
| July 12, 2012 IRRAWADDY
287
COERR
(
)
288
( )
ABSDF
ABSDF
KNU
(NHEC)
NHEC
ABSDF
KUN
289
290
( )
291
(Ken)
(Visakha
Kawasaki)
KNU
KNU
-
292
293
()
| July 19, 2012 IRRAWADDY
294
ABSDF
M 16- M 79 M 16
295
KNU
296
KNU
KNU
ABSDF
297
(ABSDF
VC -
ABSDF )
( )
( ) ( )
( )
M 16 AK
KNU
ABSDF, KNU
298
ABSDF
DVB
299
()
| July 26, 2012 IRRAWADDY
DAB
-
ABSDF
DAB
DAB KNU
300
(
)
301
KNU
302
Beyond Rangoon
( )
303
(
)
304
305
DVB
306
()
| August 4, 2012 IRRAWADDY
( - )
(Environmental)
Steve Thompson
KNU
ABSDF
KNU ABSDF
307
KNU
KNU
KNU
KNU
308
KNU
( )
KNU
309
NGO
ABSDF
NGO
NGO
310
NGO
NGO
NGO
NGO
311
NGO
NGO
DVB
DVB
Total Unocal (
) PTTEP
MOGE ( )
KNU
KNU
ABSDF
312
ABSDF
Bangkok Post The Nation
NGO
Sulak
Sivaraksa
PTT
DVB
313
()
| August 11, 2012 IRRAWADDY
ABSDF
DAB
314
ABSDF
KNU
DAB
KNU
315
316
( )
317
Bangkok Post
Take
me
Bangkok
Home,
Post
Country
Road
318
ABSDF
ABSDF
ABSDF
319
()
DVB (
DVB )
( )
( ) ( )
TBBC
320
()
| August 16, 2012 IRRAWADDY
KNLA
321
KNU
ABSDF
KNU
322
KNU
KNU ABSDF
NLD-LA,
ABSDF
ABSDF
( )
KNU
DVB
Asia Week
TV
TV
Asia
Week
323
(James Mawdsley)
KNU KNU
KNLA
()
ABSDF KNU
ABSDF
324
KNU
( )
ABSDF
325
()
| August 24, 2012 IRRAWADDY
( - [HREIB] )
DVB
NGO
ABSDF
326
KNU
4-Wheel
KNLA
ABSDF
KNU
KNU
DVB KNU
( ) -
327
KNU
ABSDF
KNU
328
KNU
KNU KNU
KNU
DAB
DVB
329
KNU
( ) NGO
( ) ()
330
KNU
KNU
KNU
331
()
| August 31, 2012 IRRAWADDY
KNU
KNU
KNU
332
KNU
NGO
333
Zoom
Zoom
DVB
TV
Zoom
(Tripod) Tripod
Zoom
( )
(
334
KNU
KNU
KNDO
KNU
KNU
KNU
335
The Mall
DVB Fax
( DVB )
Fax
Fax
336
God Army ()
337
()
| September 12, 2012 IRRAWADDY
( )
God Army ()
God Army ()
338
KNU ABSDF
- KNU
KNU ABSDF
( )
KNU
( )
339
KNU
Body Language
AK 47
340
KNU
KNU
Pentax
- (
KNU
God Army
341
KNU
342
343
()
| September 25, 2012 IRRAWADDY
(
)
DKBA
344
345
God Army
KNU
346
..
/ God Army
347
An alert for the coming 9999 uprising
The
Nation
-- () ABSDF
CRPP
TV
ABSDF DVB
DVB
TV
DVB ( )
TV
Passport, ID
348
()
| October 17, 2012 |IRRAWADDY
ABSDF
ID
NGO
DVB
DVB
349
Fax
Fax
By Name Fax
350
DVB
RFA
ABSDF
351
ABSDF
AB
( ) Key
AK 47
AK
352
Live
DVB
Live
RFA
KNU
God
Army
God Army
TV
DVB
353
ID
( RFA )
RFA
DVB
TV Footage
Pause
354
Live TV
ID
FRA Live
DVB
TV
VBSW
God Army
God Army
355
God Army
(Suan
Phung)
God Army
VBSW
KNU
KNU NLD-LA
VBSW
356
()
| November 8, 2012 IRRAWADDY
()
---
BIA
357
-
-
(
)
( )
358
359
KNU -
The Mall
ABSDF DVB
---
---
360
ABSDF ABSDF
UNHCR
UNHCR
ABSDF
NI
UNHCR
ABSDF
ABSDF
ABSDF
361
( )
()
()
362
()
| November 17, 2012 IRRAWADDY
363
KNU
ABSDF
ABSDF (
364
BBC,
ABSDF
()
ABSDF
365
ABSDF
ABSDF
ABSDF
(
)
366
ABSDF
NDD
DVB ABSDF
()
/)
()
(/)
() () ( )
( ) ()
( ) ( ) (
-(-)
-(
) () (
367
) () ()
( ) ()
ABSDF
ABSDF
NDD
ABSDF
ABSDF
NDD ABSDF NDD
ABSDF
368
()
| November 18, 2012 IRRAWADDY
KNU
ABSDF
369
ABSDF (
BBC,
ABSDF
370
()
ABSDF
ABSDF
371
ABSDF
ABSDF
(
)
372
ABSDF
NDD
DVB ABSDF
()
(
/)
()
(/)
() () ( )
( ) ()
( ) ( ) (
) -(-) ( ) () (
) () ()
( ) ()
ABSDF
373
ABSDF
NDD
ABSDF
ABSDF
NDD ABSDF NDD
ABSDF
374
()
| November 29, 2012 IRRAWADDY
375
(Ernesto
Che
Guevara)
376
NLD
377
-
ABSDF
378
379
380
()
| December 8, 2012 IRRAWADDY
ABSDF (absdf.com)
ABSDF
(KIA)
(ABSDF-NB)
ABSDF
381
ABSDF
ABSDF
()
( )
KUN -
()
()
()
ABSDF
382
KNU ABSDF
ABSDF
Dawn
KNU
-
()
ABSDF
KNU
383
ABSDF
(
)
ABSDF
ABSDF
ABSDF
384
ABSDF
# ( )
# ( )
*****
385
)
( /
)
( )
( )
) -
( )
(
)
( )
( )
)
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( )
( )
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(
) ()
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) (
) ()
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386
( )
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()
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) (
)
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) (
)
( ) (
)
( ) (
) ( )
( )
387
(
)
(
)
( )
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( )
(
)
( )
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( )
( )
( )
( )
(
) (
)
388
KNU (
- fb )
24.01.2014 voa
KNU
KNU
NCT
389
KIA
KNU
390
Singaporeans in Myanmar rely heavily on Channel NewsAsia for updates on news back home
and around Southeast Asia. Available across Myanmar, Channel NewsAsia is one of the few
international television news channels that are focused on regional coverage.
of the few international television news channels that are focused on regional coverage.As
the channel prepares to open its Myanmar bureau, many feel it is a timely move.Born to a
Myanmar father and a Singaporean mother, nine-year-old Seann has never been to
Singapore.But he has seen Singapore through Channel NewsAsia.The channel is equally
important to his mother, who has not returned to the republic for almost 10 years.
Veronica Aw said: "We always want to know what's going on (in) Singapore. Nine years ago,
when I went to Singapore, I know how to take the MRT. But I think nine years later, if I go
to Singapore now, I don't even know how to take an MRT but because of Channel
NewsAsia, it taught me that MRT should be taken this way, that way. It's knowledge too for
me and a connection for me. I still have relatives in Singapore and I like to see food,
391
Singaporean people, buildings, what's going on."As a Singaporean, one of the greatest
things that Channel NewsAsia has done is they always update the latest stuff on Singapore.
In terms of financial sector, properties, schools, medical and so on, it kind of makes me
feel closer to Singapore. I think this is one of the biggest reasons why I love Channel
NewsAsia."One of the latest news that captured the attention of many Singaporeans based
in Myanmar was the riot at Little India in December.
which means that at the end of the day, the analysis comes from a perspective of Asian
coverage, not only understanding the culture but also understanding what's going on in
Asia..."The coverage of ASEAN, especially the neighbouring countries for us, is very
important and it's very extensive. We'll know what's going on in Thailand, what's going on in
Myanmar is home to about 200 Singaporeans living and working in the country.Many turn to
Channel NewsAsia as their source of information for the latest policies as well as decisions
affecting Singapore and the region.They also feel that Channel NewsAsia is in a position to
bring the latest stories and developments in the country to the rest of the world, in order to
clear any misperceptions that people may have about Myanmar.
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