Tag: Myanmar

Myanmar ambassador ‘locked out’ of London embassy
8Apr By Our NewsroomNo Comments
World

Myanmar ambassador ‘locked out’ of London embassy

Myanmar’s ambassador to London Kyaw Zwar Minn has been locked out of the country’s embassy – apparently by his deputy, who was reported to have taken charge on behalf of the military.Ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn said he tried to gain access to the embassy on Wednesday for several hours but was unable to enter.He also said that several of his staff were still inside the building, and were not being allowed out. Phone calls made to the embassy went unanswered and emails bounced back.Since a military coup in February, Myanmar’s army has launched a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and has been accused of hundreds of extrajudicial executions.London ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn has broken ranks with the ruling junta in recent weeks and issued a statement last month calling for the release of deta
Read More
Myanmar: People worried as 2nd NLD member dies in military detention
10Mar By Grace TsoiNo Comments
Asia, World

Myanmar: People worried as 2nd NLD member dies in military detention

People in Myanmar are worried after another leader from Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) died in military detention after being allegedly tortured in custody, according to a watchdog group.The report by watchdog group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) also mentioned the notorious night-time raids that have been picking up people without further notice.Since the military seized power in a coup on February 1, security forces quickly moved to stifle dissent and arrested government officials, protesters, journalists, civil servants and NGO workers and repressed independent media.Human Rights Watch said that people who are forcibly disappeared are more likely to be subjected to torture or ill-treatment than others arrested.Assis
Read More
Myanmar: 11 more protesters killed as military intensifies crackdown
3Mar By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Myanmar: 11 more protesters killed as military intensifies crackdown

After security forces in Myanmar heavily intensified the crackdown on protests against the military coup, reports say that at least 11 more people were killed on Wednesday.The demonstration against the Myanmar Army, which seized power on February 1 and ousted the democratically elected government of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has entered its fourth week.Security forces have begun a violent crackdown on protestors in towns and cities across the country.At least 18 people were killed and more than 30 injured in Myanmar on Sunday, as police and military forces “confronted peaceful demonstrations,” the UN Human Rights Office said. The reported casualties marked Sunday as the deadliest day since the military seized power on February 1.The UN Human Rights Office said it had received “cred
Read More
EU Council condemns military coup in Myanmar, ready to impose sanctions
22Feb By Grace TsoiNo Comments
Asia, World

EU Council condemns military coup in Myanmar, ready to impose sanctions

As incidents of brutal violence against peaceful protestors come forth in Myanmar, the European Union (EU) Council on Monday condemned the military coup and said that it is considering sanctions against the individuals responsible for ousting the country’s civilian government.“The European Union calls for de-escalation of the current crisis through an immediate end to the state of emergency, the restoration of the legitimate civilian government and the opening of the newly elected parliament,” the Council said in a statement.The council called for the results of the democratic elections held on November 9, last year to be respected and demanded that the military must renounce its action.The European Union is “deeply concerned about reports of intimidation”.The EU Council also added that it
Read More
Ambassadors to Myanmar ask military to stop violence
16Feb By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Ambassadors to Myanmar ask military to stop violence

As protests against the Myanmar military coup continue to rage across the country, the Ambassadors to Myanmar on Sunday called on the military junta to refrain from violence against demonstrators and civilians.The envoys have issued a joint statement condemning the detention and the arrests of political leaders, civil society activists, and civil servants, as well as the harassment of journalists.The official statement has been signed by Ambassadors to Myanmar from Canada; the Delegation of the European Union and EU Member States with presence in Myanmar: Denmark, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden; Norway; Switzerland; the United Kingdom; and the United States."We call on security forces to refrain from violence against demonstrators and civili...
Read More
Nepal calls for immediate release of Myanmar leaders detained after military coup
2Feb By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

Nepal calls for immediate release of Myanmar leaders detained after military coup

Hours after Myanmar’s military seized power and imposed a one-year state emergency by detaining democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Nepal said that it is “concerned about the safety and well-being of the detained civilian leaders” and called for their release."We are equally concerned about the safety and well-being of the detained civilian leaders including President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and call for their immediate release," read an official statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The Ministry further stated that it is "closely following the developments in Myanmar"."Nepal has been closely following the recent developments in Myanmar. We believe that all parties involved will respect the will of the Myanmar people and hope that the
Read More
China building border walls with Vietnam, Myanmar to keep people out
26Jan By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
Asia, China, Conflict

China building border walls with Vietnam, Myanmar to keep people out

In a move which could lead to conflicts, China has decided to reinforce border walls with its South-East Asian neighbours - Vietnam and Myanmar."It looks like a national program," South-East Asia expert and emeritus professor Carl Thayer of UNSW Canberra said.According to Chinese state media Xinhua, the project in Vietnam involves a 4.5-metre-high iron fence, topped with barbed wire, along the Beilun River. Built between 2012 and 2017, the $29 million project reportedly stretches 12 kilometres, and is there to curb the smuggling of goods, drugs and people.Meanwhile, media reports suggest that a 659-kilometre-long fence has been completed along China's 2,000-kilometre border with Myanmar in December, in between China's Yunnan province and Myanmar's northern Shan State.While Global Times has...
Read More
Is Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on the rise again?
2Sep By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Is Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on the rise again?

The rise of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which operates on the Bangladesh-Burma border is seen by its observers as a reflection of its terrorist activities as it tries to radicalize the people in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh.According to a report in German media, the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar area are experiencing an increase in drug and other criminal activities, with the influx of outside groups.There are media reports that extremist groups are trying to take over the camps.They had earlier massacred about 99 Hindu women, men, and children as well as carried out unlawful killings and abductions of Hindu villagers in August 2017, Amnesty International revealed after conducting a detailed investigation inside Myanmar’s Rakhine State.In January, there were repo
Read More
Tilak’s legacy continues to be significant for India-Myanmar cultural ties
31Aug By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Tilak’s legacy continues to be significant for India-Myanmar cultural ties

India-Myanmar ties are rooted in decades of shared ethnic, cultural and historical bonds. The ties date back to when India was struggling to gain independence from the British.In the early 20th century, Britain had charged Bal Gangadhar Tilak with sedition and intensifying racial animosity between Indians and the British, and incarcerated him for six years in Burmese prison of Mandalay from 1908 to 1914.However, this period later turned out to be a key contributor to the foundation of the India-Burma cultural ties as a prominent book Geeta Rahasya (an analysis of ‘Karma Yoga’, one of the three spiritual paths in Hinduism mentioned in Bhagavad Gita) written by Tilak during his jail tenure was looked upon by Indian side to assess and improve relations with its neighbor.The book is now availa
Read More
China weakening governments in neighborhood: US embassy in Myanmar
28Jul By Grace TsoiNo Comments
Opinion, World

China weakening governments in neighborhood: US embassy in Myanmar

For the first time, the US embassy in Myanmar has called out China saying that the latter’s actions in the South China Sea and Hong Kong part of a "larger pattern to undermine the sovereignty of its neighbors".Though the embassy did not specifically mention the recent China-India standoff in eastern Ladakh, Indo-Pacific region experts are of the opinion that the embassy’s statement also aimed at PLA’s actions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).The Trump administration recently outlined its policy on rules-based order in the South China Sea, a move that many viewed as its strongest message so far to China on its activities in in the region.In a guest column titled ‘How the Erosion of Sovereignty Elsewhere Impacts Myanmar at Home’, chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Myanmar George N
Read More