{"id":23643,"date":"2017-04-21T11:54:49","date_gmt":"2017-04-21T06:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/?p=23643"},"modified":"2017-10-16T13:06:04","modified_gmt":"2017-10-16T07:36:04","slug":"myanmar-dispensation-justice-lost-translation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/world-news\/global-trends-news\/myanmar-dispensation-justice-lost-translation\/","title":{"rendered":"Myanmar: Dispensation of justice lost in Translation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div id=\"tdi_1\" class=\"tdc-row\"><div class=\"vc_row tdi_2  wpb_row td-pb-row\" >\n<style scoped>\n\n\/* custom css *\/\n.tdi_2,\r\n                .tdi_2 .tdc-columns{\r\n                    min-height: 0;\r\n                }.tdi_2,\r\n\t\t\t\t.tdi_2 .tdc-columns{\r\n\t\t\t\t    display: block;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_2 .tdc-columns{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: 100%;\r\n\t\t\t\t}\n<\/style><div class=\"vc_column tdi_4  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<style scoped>\n\n\/* custom css *\/\n.tdi_4{\r\n                    vertical-align: baseline;\r\n                }.tdi_4 > .wpb_wrapper,\r\n\t\t\t\t.tdi_4 > .wpb_wrapper > .tdc-elements{\r\n\t\t\t\t    display: block;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_4 > .wpb_wrapper > .tdc-elements{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: 100%;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_4 > .wpb_wrapper > .vc_row_inner{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_4 > .wpb_wrapper{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t    height: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t}\n<\/style><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper wpb_text_column td_block_wrap td_block_wrap vc_column_text tdi_5  tagdiv-type td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\"  data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_5\" ><div class=\"td-block-title-wrap\"><\/div><div class=\"td-fix-index\"><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Many ethnic tribes and foreigners in the country face an unusual problem when in legal difficulty\u2014a language barrier<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000\">~By Prakash Bhandari<\/span><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"tdi_6\" class=\"tdc-row\"><div class=\"vc_row tdi_7  wpb_row td-pb-row\" >\n<style scoped>\n\n\/* custom css *\/\n.tdi_7,\r\n                .tdi_7 .tdc-columns{\r\n                    min-height: 0;\r\n                }.tdi_7,\r\n\t\t\t\t.tdi_7 .tdc-columns{\r\n\t\t\t\t    display: block;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_7 .tdc-columns{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: 100%;\r\n\t\t\t\t}\n<\/style><div class=\"vc_column tdi_9  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<style scoped>\n\n\/* custom css *\/\n.tdi_9{\r\n                    vertical-align: baseline;\r\n                }.tdi_9 > .wpb_wrapper,\r\n\t\t\t\t.tdi_9 > .wpb_wrapper > .tdc-elements{\r\n\t\t\t\t    display: block;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_9 > .wpb_wrapper > .tdc-elements{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: 100%;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_9 > .wpb_wrapper > .vc_row_inner{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_9 > .wpb_wrapper{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t    height: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t}\n<\/style><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper wpb_text_column td_block_wrap td_block_wrap vc_column_text tdi_10  tagdiv-type td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\"  data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_10\" ><div class=\"td-block-title-wrap\"><\/div><div class=\"td-fix-index\"><p><span style=\"color: #000000\">When three Tamil speaking Indians were arrested in Yangon, accused of stealing money from ATMs, it was the start of a legal nightmare. Their problems began when they were presented before a court. The three men knew no language except Tamil. For weeks, the legal process could not begin because the courts needed to find an interpreter who knew Tamil as well as Burmese. Finally, a priest of a Hindu temple who could speak both was found, but he had no knowledge of Burmese legal terminology.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">U Yan Naing, a lawyer involved in the case, explains: \u201cIn this case of the Tamil Indians arrested for stealing ATM money, the priest who acted as an interpreter was unable to differentiate between a witness for the prosecution and a witness for the defence, leaving the defendants confused about how the proceedings were developing.\u201d The language issue in Burmese courts does not just affect ethnic Indians. In Myanmar\u2019s border areas, many villagers living in areas close to Manipur and Mizoram speak Manipuri and the ethnic Mizo language. If they are charged with a crime and have to appear in court, they face the same problem as not all members of the ethnic group speak Burmese and the language barrier is a significant handicap in a court of law.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Similarly, in Rakhine state which is on the border of Bangladesh, a large number of the population is Muslim Rohingya, who speak Bangla or Ruaingga. Ruaingga is related to the Chittagonian language spoken in the neighbouring Chittagong division of Bangladesh. Interestingly, the Ruaingga script is written in Arabic and the Rohingyas use mainly English and Urdu for written communication. Since independence in 1948, Burmese has been used in all official communications and the Rohingyas, who are stateless people, find it difficult to pursue the legal pro-cess. \u201cSince the Burmese do not understand the Ruaingga language and the Ruaingga-speaking people do not understand Burmese, getting legal redressal remains a major problem,\u201d says Rohingya leader Tayyub Hussain Moin. The bigger challenge is finding an interpreter who knows the two languages and also understands legal terminology.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"td_quote_box td_box_center\"><p>\n<span style=\"color: #d33333\">The priest of a Hindu temple who could speak both Tamil and Burmese was found, but he had no knowledge of Burmese legal terminology<\/span>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">As local lawyer Nyein Chan Kyaw, explains, in the Rakhine province the word \u201cthutdeh\u201d means \u201cbeat\u201d, but in Burmese, it means \u201ckill\u201d. A misunderstanding by a judge in an assault case, for example, could lead to serious consequences for the defendant. Another ethnic dialect is Kayin, spoken in the Tanintharyi region. Kayin has a general term for staff at a court, but no specific word for judge, lawyer or law officers. \u201cIn a region like Tanintharyi where various communities speak various ethnic languages, meaning and pronunciations have often resulted in strange sentences given to thieves. In one case, a lenient sentence was given to a man who had stolen an expensive necklace.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"tdi_11\" class=\"tdc-row\"><div class=\"vc_row vc_custom_1483774172646 tdi_12  wpb_row td-pb-row\" >\n<style scoped>\n\n\/* tdc_composer_block - inline css att *\/\n.vc_custom_1483774172646{background-color: #e0e0e0 !important;border-radius: 5px !important;}\n\/* custom css *\/\n.tdi_12,\r\n                .tdi_12 .tdc-columns{\r\n                    min-height: 0;\r\n                }.tdi_12,\r\n\t\t\t\t.tdi_12 .tdc-columns{\r\n\t\t\t\t    display: block;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_12 .tdc-columns{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: 100%;\r\n\t\t\t\t}\n<\/style><div class=\"vc_column vc_custom_1482316954820 tdi_14  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<style scoped>\n\n\/* tdc_composer_block - inline css att *\/\n.vc_custom_1482316954820{padding: 10px !important;border-radius: 10px !important;}\n\/* custom css *\/\n.tdi_14{\r\n                    vertical-align: baseline;\r\n                }.tdi_14 > .wpb_wrapper,\r\n\t\t\t\t.tdi_14 > .wpb_wrapper > .tdc-elements{\r\n\t\t\t\t    display: block;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_14 > .wpb_wrapper > .tdc-elements{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: 100%;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_14 > .wpb_wrapper > .vc_row_inner{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_14 > .wpb_wrapper{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t    height: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t}\n<\/style><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper wpb_text_column td_block_wrap td_block_wrap vc_column_text vc_custom_1492755998832 tdi_15  tagdiv-type td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\"  data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_15\" >\n<style>\n\n\/* inline css att *\/\n.vc_custom_1492755998832{border-top-width: 10px !important;border-right-width: 10px !important;border-bottom-width: 10px !important;border-left-width: 10px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;padding-left: 5px !important;background-color: #e0e0e0 !important;border-radius: 10px !important;}\n<\/style><div class=\"td-block-title-wrap\"><\/div><div class=\"td-fix-index\"><h2><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>The dilemma of dialect<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">The Republic of the union of Myanmar is a sovereign state bordered by Bangladesh, India, China, Laos, and Thailand. Myanmar, originally known as Burma, was part of British India till 1936.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Although influenced by India, it was culturally, linguistically and ethnically different. Separating Burma from India made political sense, since the Independence movement was relatively less active in Burma. In 1936, Burma was identified by the British as a separate country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Like in India, there are a hundred languages spoken in Myanmar. Burmese, spoken by two-thirds of the population, is the official language and is spoken by 32 million people as a first language. It is the primary language of instruction, and English is the second language.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">English was the primary language in higher education till 1964 when the dictator General Ne Win mandated educational reforms in an effort to \u201cBurmanise\u201d. English continues to be used by educated urbanites and the national government. And while Burmese is the official language, the nation has 135 officially recognised ethnic groups, many of whom do not speak this language.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"tdi_16\" class=\"tdc-row\"><div class=\"vc_row tdi_17  wpb_row td-pb-row\" >\n<style scoped>\n\n\/* custom css *\/\n.tdi_17,\r\n                .tdi_17 .tdc-columns{\r\n                    min-height: 0;\r\n                }.tdi_17,\r\n\t\t\t\t.tdi_17 .tdc-columns{\r\n\t\t\t\t    display: block;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_17 .tdc-columns{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: 100%;\r\n\t\t\t\t}\n<\/style><div class=\"vc_column tdi_19  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<style scoped>\n\n\/* custom css *\/\n.tdi_19{\r\n                    vertical-align: baseline;\r\n                }.tdi_19 > .wpb_wrapper,\r\n\t\t\t\t.tdi_19 > .wpb_wrapper > .tdc-elements{\r\n\t\t\t\t    display: block;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_19 > .wpb_wrapper > .tdc-elements{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: 100%;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_19 > .wpb_wrapper > .vc_row_inner{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_19 > .wpb_wrapper{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t    height: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t}\n<\/style><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper wpb_text_column td_block_wrap td_block_wrap vc_column_text tdi_20  tagdiv-type td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\"  data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_20\" ><div class=\"td-block-title-wrap\"><\/div><div class=\"td-fix-index\"><p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Although there are separate words for \u201cnecklace\u201d and \u201cbeads\u201d in the Myanmar language, in the southern Myanmar dialect, there is only one word for the latter. \u201cThe complainant spoke about the theft of \u2018beads\u2019 when in reality she meant the necklace. The court interestingly lessened the sentence because they did not deem the \u2018beads\u2019 to be of high value,\u201d said lawyer Kyaw.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u00a0As law officers are mostly Burmese-speaking, they find it difficult to tackle legal issues involving ethnic groups due to the language barrier. In 2015, the government headed by U Thein Sein enacted the Ethnic Protection Law that gave the minorities the right to teach their mother language as long as the activities did not affect national education policy. According to advocate Daw Dwe Bu, the government should instead give priority to deploying officials in remote areas who speak the local language. \u201cSuch a process would help in providing legal aid easily and would be appreciated by the local people.\u2019\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">The Indians who live in Myanmar come from an array of ethnic backgrounds. There are Tamils from Tamil Nadu, Telugus from Andhra Pradesh, Marwaris from Rajasthan as well as Bengalis from West Bengal and Bangladesh. There are also a large number of Hindi-speaking people, mostly Biharis who speak Hindi at home. Most of them can communicate in Burmese due to years of assimilation. However, those from a Tamil background can find it difficult, like the three accused of stealing from the ATMs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">In India, law books are translated from English to various official languages and each state has these books available in the official language like Bangla, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi and Gujarati among others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">This is not the case in Myanmar. The legal system has many flaws and because of translation problems, the ethnic minorities who do not speak the dominant language, Burmese, getting entangled in a court case has resulted in many a miscarriage of justice.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[105],"tags":[6507,6505,6506,6508,6503,6504],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/d2r2ijn7njrktv.cloudfront.net\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Myanmar-lead.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23643"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}