Tag: Myanmar

US, China trade barbs in Myanmar as South China Sea rift deepens
28Jul By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

US, China trade barbs in Myanmar as South China Sea rift deepens

China’s embassy in Myanmar has accused the Trump administration of “outrageously smearing” the country and driving a wedge with its Southeast Asian neighbors over the South China Sea and Hong Kong.Responding to U.S. claims Beijing was undermining the sovereignty of its neighbors, the Chinese embassy said U.S. agencies abroad were doing “disgusting things” to contain China and had showed a “selfish, hypocritical, contemptible, and ugly face”.In recent weeks, the United States has hardened its stance on the South China Sea, saying it would back countries in the region that challenge Beijing’s claim to about 90% of the strategic waterway.The U.S. embassy in Yangon also called China’s actions in the South China Sea and Hong Kong part of a “larger pattern to undermine the sovereignty of its nei
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Hegemony, not territory is China’s goal
27Jul By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Opinion

Hegemony, not territory is China’s goal

China’s incessant aggressive behaviour in recent times have been raising question. It is fighting with India in the highlands of Ladakh. It has introduced a new security law for Hong Kong that eliminates basic civil rights. Chinese military jets are flying into Taiwan’s air defense space. It has raised a border conflict with Bhutan in a specific area. The sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat in the South China Sea. It is caught up in territorial disputes in the same maritime area with not only Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia but also Indonesia. China is also meddling in Australia’s domestic politics, for the first time giving rise to critical voices against China in a country which until now has been extremely reluctant to criticize its most important trading partner.Is China shootin
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Indian security agencies concerned over supply of Chinese weapons to terror groups in Myanmar
27Jul By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

Indian security agencies concerned over supply of Chinese weapons to terror groups in Myanmar

Security agencies in India have expressed concern over the Chinese weapons being provided to the militant groups in Myanmar after a huge cache of Chinese weapons was recovered near the Myanmar-Thailand border which was destined to Arakan Army (AA).In a joint operation in June, Myanmar and Thailand police caught a large consignment of Chinese weapons, which led to the arrest of a total of 6 people.All arrests revealed that the Chinese weapons were transported to the Arakan Army operating in Rakhine state adjoining Bangladesh.AK 47 assault rifles, anti-tank mines, grenades, and machine guns were among the seized items from a house in Mae Sot District on the Thai side.“They are not the weapons currently used by the Arakan Army. The weapons manufactured by the Wa (United Wa State Army) and the
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China supplying weapons to terrorist group Arakan army to weaken India, Myanmar: Report
14Jul By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

China supplying weapons to terrorist group Arakan army to weaken India, Myanmar: Report

Media reports published recently in Myanmar have alleged that China is supplying funds and sophisticated weaponry to armed groups in Myanmar and the Naypyitaw-designated terrorist group, the Arakan Army, to have leverage over Myanmar and India.According to a military source, China is providing approximately 95 per cent of Arakan Army funding. The source further revealed that the Arakan Army has approximately 50 of the MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defense Systems) surface-to-air missiles.The source said that China’s strategy of supporting the Arakan Army has enabled the Chinese to expand its area of influence towards western Myanmar that is, the India-Myanmar border.Arakan Army is the largest insurgent group in the Rakhine state of Myanmar and is the armed wing of the political party, United L
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China using covid-19 pandemic to become world’s leading superpower: Veteran journalist
14Jul By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China using covid-19 pandemic to become world’s leading superpower: Veteran journalist

Veteran Swedish journalist and Myanmar analyst Bertil Lintner has said that while the rest of the world is preoccupied with the Covid-19 outbreak, China is “taking advantage” of the chaos in the Indo-Pacific region with a new security law in Hong Kong, border clashes with India, confrontations in the South China Sea, and by using the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to become world’s leading superpower.In an interview, Lintner, also the author of several books on Myanmar shared his perspective on Beijing’s ambitions and what they mean for conflict and development in the region.He said that it is now “obvious that China is taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic”.“While the rest of the world is preoccupied with its own, internal problems, China is flexing its muscles in the Indo-Pacific reg
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Myanmar Armed forces chief allege ‘strong forces’ behind terrorism in country
12Jul By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

Myanmar Armed forces chief allege ‘strong forces’ behind terrorism in country

Myanmar Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has claimed that terrorist groups in Myanmar exists because of the “strong forces that support them”.While he did not name forces but observers indicated that he referred to Chinese support for some insurgent groups in Myanmar.His remarks came as he attended Russia’s 75th anniversary of the country’s Victory Day.During the visit Gen Min Aung Hlaing held talks with India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on how to promote ties between their countries’ armed forces, border security and counter-insurgency operations along the border.When asked by a Russian news agency about terrorism in Myanmar, the military chief said, “A country may be able to suppress terrorist organizations on its soil. But in cases when there are strong forces behi
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Malaysia can’t take any more Rohingya refugees: PM Muhyiddin
26Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

Malaysia can’t take any more Rohingya refugees: PM Muhyiddin

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Friday said that his country can no longer take in Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar, saying that Malaysia is already struggling on an economical front due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.For persecuted Rohingya seeking a better life after fleeing a military-led crackdown in Myanmar and refugee camps in Bangladesh, Muslim-majority Malaysia is a favored destination.But Malaysia, which does not recognize refugee status, has recently turned away boats and detained hundreds of Rohingya, amid rising anger towards foreigners accused of spreading the coronavirus and taking up scarce state funds."We can no longer take more as our resources and capacity are already stretched, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic," Muhyiddin said in teleconference wi...
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26Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Business

Stranded Rohingya pulled to shore by sympathetic Indonesians

Nearly 100 Rohingya asylum seekers stranded off the coast of Indonesia were pulled to shore on Thursday by locals angered at the refusal of authorities to give them shelter over coronavirus fears.Around 94 people from the persecuted Myanmar minority - including 30 children - were reportedly plucked from a wooden boat by fishermen this week before being intercepted by maritime officials from Sumatra island who pulled them closer to shore.But due to the fear of coronavirus, officials in Lhokseumawe city on Sumatra's northern coast refused to allow the group to land.Angry locals took matters into their own hands by jumping into boats which they used to pull the asylum seekers to shore."It's purely for humanitarian reasons," said fisherman Aples Kuari. "We were sad seeing kids and pregnant wom...
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Myanmar’s auditor general cautions own govt against Chinese loans
17Jun By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

Myanmar’s auditor general cautions own govt against Chinese loans

In a startling announcement, Myanmar’s auditor general has cautioned government officials about continued reliance on Chinese loans both pre-BRI and BRI loans that come with high rates of interest."The truth is the loans from China come at higher interest rates compared to loans from financial institutions like the World Bank or the IMF [International Monetary Fund]," Auditor General Maw Than said. "So, I would like to remind the government ministries to be more restrained in using Chinese loans."Myanmar's current national debt stands at about $10 billion, of which $ 4 billion is owed to China, Auditor General Maw Than told reporters in Naypyidaw on Monday. This can push Myanmar to debt trap like Sri Lanka and some African states. The country has to repay as much as $500 million annually t
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