Far and Away: Reporting From the Brink of Change (77 page)

427
 The impact on local residents of police attempts to expel criminal gangs from the Maré favela is described in Jonathan Watts, “Rio police tackle favelas as World Cup looms,”
Guardian
, June 10, 2013. Pacification of the Rocinha favela
also had a devastating effect on law-abiding citizens; see Paula Ramon, “Poor, middle class unite in Brazil protests,” CNN News, July 24, 2013.

427
 The quote from Atila Roque (“backfiring miserably”) comes from “You killed my son: Homicides by military police in the city of Rio de Janeiro,” op. cit.

427
 The quote from the anonymous favela resident (“They will run into each other on the way out”) appears in Rodrigo Serrano-Berthet et al., “Bringing the state back into the favelas of Rio de Janeiro: Understanding changes in community life after the UPP pacification process,” World Bank, October 2012.

In Bed with the President of Ghana?

431
 Speculation that I had figured in the death of the late president of Ghana was published in Daniel Danquah Damptey, “Investigate Mills’ death,”
GhanaWeb
, July 29, 2015.

432
 Moses Foh-Amoaning’s prophecy that I would one day join the ministry was broadcast on Ghanaian radio; see Kweku Antwi-Otoo, “Gay activist Andrew Solomon will be a pastor one day: Moses Foh-Amoaning,”
Atinka 104.7 FM
, July 13, 2015. The quote “God will meet him at a point and hit him to change” comes from another report that deals with my sexual identity at some length, “ ‘Prayer’ is the key against ‘devilish’ homosexuality worldwide: Moses Foh-Amoaning,”
Daily Guide Ghana
, July 14, 2015.

432
 For similar, albeit less hopeful, demagoguery, see Gyasiwaa Agyeman, “‘Mahama will soon mortgage Ghana to anti-Christ,’”
Adom Online
, January 8, 2016.

Gay, Jewish, Mentally Ill, and a Sponsor of Gypsies in Romania

442
 The sanction against National University of Theater Arts and Cinematography professor Andrei Rus for allegedly “ruining the University’s image” with his “gay propaganda and homosexual agenda” was reported in Dorina Calin, “Decizie UNATC: Criticul de film Andrei Rus nu va fi dat afară din instituţie, dar va fi sancţionat,”
Mediafax
, July 2, 2015.

Myanmar’s Moment

443
 All quotes in my essay on Myanmar come from personal interviews unless otherwise specified.

443
 Myanmar’s release of eleven hundred political prisoners was acknowledged in a 2014 report by Tomás Ojea Quintana, UN human rights rapporteur for Burma; see Samantha Michaels, “Quintana releases final report on Burma human rights,”
Irrawaddy
, March 14, 2014.

443
 The initial US relaxation of sanctions against Burma is reported in Karen De Young, “Ban on U.S. investment in Burma is lifted,”
Washington Post
, July 11, 2012.

444
 Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest is reported in Tracy McVeigh, “Aung San Suu Kyi ‘released from house arrest,’ ”
Guardian
, November 13, 2010; the NLD’s victory in the 2012 general elections, in Esmer Golluoglu, “Aung San Suu Kyi hails ‘new era’ for Burma after landslide victory,”
Guardian
, April 2, 2012.

445
 Paradoxically, at least one Burmese commentator regarded Ma Thida’s early release from prison as a cynical PR ploy on the part of the military junta; see Aung Zaw, “The SPDC’s diplomatic gambit,”
Irrawaddy
, February 1999.

446
 Aung San Suu Kyi, op. cit.

446
 The artist Aye Ko discusses his work in Whitney Light, “Pressing questions with Aye Ko,”
Myanmar Times
, May 18, 2014.

446
 Lu Maw and his brother, the late Par Par Lay, were imprisoned after a performance by their comedy troupe in 1996; see Philip Heijmans, “Skirting comedy limits in Myanmar,”
New York Times
, July 29, 2015.

446
 In addition to his role as mayor, Ko Min Latt is also editor of the Mon-language newspaper
Than Lwin Times
; see Banyar Kong Janoi, “Pushing for ethnic language media in a changing Burma,”
Asia Calling
, November 10, 2012.

446
 Moe Satt, too, has aroused official suspicion of his art; see Hillary Luong, “Artists detained by Myanmar police,”
Art Asia Pacific
, June 8, 2012.

447
 Nay Phone Latt’s journalistic bravery earned him a place on
Time
magazine’s 2010
Time 100
roster; see Salman Rushdie, “Heroes: Nay Phone Latt,”
Time
, April 29, 2010. For a recent interview, see “Nay Phone Latt speaks,”
Myanmar Times
, March 3, 2014.

447
 Thant Myint-U, grandson of former UN secretary-general U Thant, is a prolific author on political topics and chairman of Yangon Heritage Trust, which seeks to document the history of historical architecture, establish zoning laws, and preserve urban architecture in Yangon; the organization’s website is at
http://yangonheritagetrust.org
.

447
 For a recent article featuring Sammy Samuels, see Joe Freeman, “Myanmar’s Jewish vote,”
Tablet
, November 9, 2015. Sammy Samuels’s travel agency, Myanmar Shalom, can be found online at
http://myanmarshalom.com
.

448
 The dramatic expansion of the mobile-phone industry in Myanmar is discussed in Jason Motlagh, “When a SIM card goes from $2,000 to $1.50,”
Bloomberg Business
, September 29, 2014; Michael Tan, “One million SIM cards sold in Myanmar,”
CNET
, October 2, 2014; and Jared Ferrie, “SIM sales soar as Myanmar races to catch up in telecoms,” Reuters, May 6, 2015.

448
 Responding to safety concerns, Myanmar has recently passed legislation requiring left-hand drive on new car imports; see Kyaw Hsu Mon, “Govt to push left-hand steering wheels on future car imports,”
Irrawaddy
, November
25, 2014; and Aye Nyein Win, “Right-hand drives to remain on the roads,”
Myanmar Times
, October 23, 2015.

449
 Statistics on child nutrition in Myanmar come from UNICEF, “Country statistics: Myanmar,” UNICEF, 2015.

450
 For a detailed analysis of the contribution of tourism to Myanmar’s economy, see Rochelle Turner et al., “Travel and tourism: Economic impact 2015: Myanmar,” World Travel and Tourism Council, 2015.

450
 More background on Burmese history can be found in Michael Aung-Thwin and Maitrii Aung-Thwin,
A History of Myanmar since Ancient Times
(2012).

451
 For more detail on the 1988 student uprisings, see British Broadcasting Corporation, “Burma’s 1988 protests,” BBC News, September 25, 2007; and Rodion Ebbighausen, “Myanmar: The uprising of 1988,”
Deutsche Welle
, August 8, 2013.

452
 Full text of the “Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008)” can be found on the website of the World Intellectual Property Organization,
http://wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/mm/mm009en.pdf
. For discussion of the constitution’s problematic aspects and efforts to reform it, see Thomas Fuller, “Myanmar’s leader backs change to constitution,”
New York Times
, January 2, 2014; Jared Ferrie, “Myanmar president enacts law allowing referendum on disputed constitution,” Reuters, February 12, 2015; and Thomas Fuller, “Myanmar’s military uses political force to block constitutional changes,”
New York Times
, June 15, 2015.

453
 The homesickness of Burmese refugees is described in Julia Lyon, “Invited to escape to America, some refugees just say no,”
St. Louis Tribune
, September 14, 2009; and Ron Corben, “Burmese refugees in Thailand long to return home,”
Deutsche Welle
, December 13, 2011.

453
 Among dissidents demanding an apology from their former captors is Win Tin; see Kyaw Phyo Tha, “Ex–political prisoner Win Tin demands apology from junta leaders,”
Irrawaddy
, October 30, 2013.

453
 See Aung San Suu Kyi,
The Voice of Hope: Conversations with Alan Clements
(2008).

453
 Myanmar’s low-occupancy capital is described in Matt Kennard and Claire Provost, “The lights are on but no one’s home in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw,”
Guardian
, March 19, 2015; and Katie Amey, “Government-issued housing, super-highways that span 20 lanes but not a soul in sight: Inside Myanmar’s haunting capital city,”
Daily Mail
, April 18, 2015.

454
 See US Department of State, “U.S. economic engagement with Burma,” US Embassy in Rangoon, June 2014.

454
 Although many Burmese professionals have removed to Singapore, the tide is slowly turning; see Kyaw Zwa Moe, “Burmese professionals earn good money in Singapore but still miss home,”
Irrawaddy
, March 2007; and Joanna Seow, “More Myanmar professionals in Singapore heading home to tap booming economy,”
Straits Times
, March 24, 2014.

455
 Shwe Mann’s
pragmatic alliance with Aung San Suu Kyi engendered misgivings among his fellow USDP members, including President Thein Sein, who staged Mann’s dramatic ouster from his role as head of the party; see Thomas Fuller, “Conservatives in Myanmar force out leader of ruling party,”
New York Times
, August 13, 2015; British Broadcasting Corporation, “Aung San Suu Kyi hails Shwe Mann as an ‘ally,’ ” BBC News, August 18, 2015; and Hnin Yadana Zaw and Antoni Slodkowski, “Myanmar’s ousted ruling party head to work with Suu Kyi,” Reuters, November 5, 2015.

455
 See the highly regarded biography by Peter Popham,
The Lady and the Peacock: The Life of Aung San Suu Kyi
(2012).

456
 Aung San Suu Kyi’s Nobel Lecture can be found on the Nobel Prize website at
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1991/kyi-lecture_en.html
.

456
 See previously cited sources on the Burmese constitution: Fuller (2014 and 2015), op. cit., and Ferrie, op. cit.

457
 Robert San Pe discusses constitutional reform in the twenty-four-minute video “Legal adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi, Robert Pe,” Reliefweb Labs, May 5, 2015.

457
 Donors to Myanmar’s fledgling Parliamentary Library include Canada, the United States, and the Asia Foundation; see “Baird bears gifts,”
Mizzima
, March 9, 2012; Malaysian Myanmar Business Council, “U.S. contributes publications to parliamentary library,” October 24, 2012; and Asia Foundation, “The Asia Foundation donates books to parliamentary library in Burma,” October 24, 2012.

457
 For discussion of the impact and dynamics of Nargis, see Michael Casey, “Why the cyclone in Myanmar was so deadly,”
National Geographic News
, May 8, 2008.

458
 Consul General Ye Myint Aung’s outrageous statement appeared in a letter dated February 9, 2009 (available online at
http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/the-consul-generals-letter.pdf
), and was originally reported in Greg Torode, “Myanmese envoy says Rohingya ugly as ogres,”
South China Morning Post
, February 11, 2009.

458
 For the Myanmar government’s interpretation of the history of its Muslim population, see Republic of the Union of Myanmar, “Final report of inquiry commission on sectarian violence in Rakhine State,” July 8, 2013.

459
 Several NGOs have prepared overviews of the history of the Rohingya; see, e.g., Euro-Burma Office, “The Rohingyas: Bengali Muslims or Arakan Rohingyas?” EBO Briefing Paper No. 2, Euro-Burma Office, 2009; and Eliane Coates, “Sectarian violence involving Rohingya in Myanmar: Historical roots and modern triggers,” Middle East Institute, August 4, 2014.

460
 Speculation that the Rohingya have links with terrorist groups is disputed by security experts and Burmese parliamentarians; see Paul Vrieze, “Experts reject claims of ‘Rohingya mujahideen’ insurgency,”
Irrawaddy
, July 15, 2013.

460
 Human Rights Watch has documented the persecution of Rohingya in
Matthew Smith et al., “ ‘All you can do is pray’: Crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Burma’s Arakan State,” Human Rights Watch, April 2013.

460
 Ashin Wirathu’s sermon that is thought to have provoked the massacre of Rohingya at Meiktila can be viewed online at “Anti Muslim monk Wira thu talk about Meiktila before riot,” YouTube, March 24, 2013; a summary translation is available at Maung Zarni, “Racist leader monk Rev. Wirathu’s speech,”
M-Media
, March 24, 2013. Wirathu’s exhortation to “rise up” and “make your blood boil” was quoted in Hannah Beech, “The face of Buddhist terror,”
Time
, July 1, 2013. The quote from the pamphlet distributed at one of Ashin Wirathu’s sermons appears in Thomas Fuller, “Extremism rises among Myanmar Buddhists,”
New York Times
, June 20, 2013. Wirathu is compared to Hitler in Sarah Kaplan, “The serene-looking Buddhist monk accused of inciting Burma’s sectarian violence,”
Washington Post
, May 27, 2015.

461
 See Yassin Musharbash, “The ‘Talibanization’ of Pakistan: Islamists destroy Buddhist statue,”
Der Spiegel
, November 8, 2007.

461
 The term “savage Buddhists” is cited in Jonathan Pearlman, “Jihadist group calls on Muslims to save Burmese migrants from ‘savage Buddhists,’ ”
Telegraph
, May 20, 2015.

462
 The Rohingyas’ flight from Myanmar is documented in David Mathieson, “Perilous plight: Burma’s Rohingya take to the seas,” Human Rights Watch, 2009.

462
 Suu Kyi’s silence on the Rohingya issue has been widely noted; see, e.g., Moshahida Sultana Ritu, “Ethnic cleansing in Myanmar,”
New York Times
, July 12, 2012; and Charlie Campbell, “Arakan strife poses Suu Kyi political problem,”
Irrawaddy
, July 13, 2012.