MYANMAR Residents Escape to Neighboring Countries to Celebrate Thingyan

Posted by Asia Views | Apr 6, 2023 | 0 |

Irrawaddy-Apr 5

As the junta organizes forced Thingyan celebrations amid calls to boycott the event in protest at military rule, many people are planning to escape overseas for the mid-April holiday that marks Myanmar’s New Year.

Their destinations include Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, and India, with flights already fully booked for Thingyan, according to local tour operators. An official of the Myanmar Tour Operators Association said: “Holidaymakers are not only traveling to Thailand, but many are also making the pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya in India. They are also visiting Cambodia, Singapore, and Vietnam – but more are traveling to Thailand. As far as I know, all the flights are fully booked.” With COVID-19 restrictions now relaxed, the tourism industry is picking up around the world, and international tourists are returning to ASEAN countries. However, Myanmar is attracting only a trickle of foreign travelers due to the political turmoil, said the official. Meanwhile, domestic travelers are flocking to popular destinations in Myanmar, leaving some hotels fully booked for Thingyan, according to domestic tour operators. Popular destinations include Bagan, Mandalay, Pyin Oo Lwin, as well as the beach resorts of Ngapali, Chaungtha, and Ngwe Saung.

However, domestic tourism is still at an even lower level than during COVID-19 as fighting between junta troops and resistance forces affects large areas of the country.

A domestic tour operator said: “There is usually a lot of travel during Thingyan. Before COVID-19, almost the entire country went on vacation. The number declined during the pandemic and is even lower now. People can only go to a few places these days because of security reasons. So, visitors crowd into places that are safe for travel.” The security situation in Myanmar is unpredictable and liable to change without notice. Attacks, including in Yangon and Naypyitaw, primarily continue to target military or junta-affiliated locations such as government buildings and checkpoints, and military-owned businesses, added the warning. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-residents-escape-to-neighboring-countries-to-celebrate-thingyan.html

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

MYANMAR Residents Escape to Neighboring Countries to Celebrate Thingyan

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