ALP opposes military dictatorship and commits to building up the federal union

DGM

မင္းထြန္း 
Tuesday, February 16, 2021 

The Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) issued a statement on February 14th, opposing military dictatorship and pledging the continued efforts for building up the federal union.

Saw Mya Yazar Lin, Spokesperson of the ALP declared “No one will view the military coup as a good thing. We don’t want the situation of a coup. Now the unrest has erupted nationwide. It may hamper the country’s development, resulting in great losses to the citizens.”

She added “The ALP has been constantly working for the emergence of a genuine democratic federal union, national equality and autonomy, for more than three decades.”

Why did the Myanmar military overthrow the NLD government?

The Daily Star

Mohammad Abdur Razzak
February 16, 2021

File photo of Min Aung Hlaing with Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo: AP

Myanmar started its democratic journey in 2011 with a quasi-civilian government headed by the retired General U Thein Sein. Before becoming President, he worked as a member in the military junta's State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) in 1997. Later, he was made the Prime Minister in General Than Shwe's cabinet (2007 to 2011). Ahead of the general elections in 2010, General U Thein Sein, along with 22 other military officials, were sent on retirement from the Army to form and lead the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). USDP won the majority in a controversially contested election in 2010. General U Thein Sein was sworn in as the 8th President of Myanmar on March 30, 2011.

Myanmar coup: military steps up action against protesters

GENEVA SOLUTIONS

Peace & Humanitarian

15 February 2021,


Myanmar’s military deployed armoured vehicles onto the streets of several cities across the country on Sunday and warned protesters they could face up to 20 years in prison.

Anti-coup protesters calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and an end to military rule continued on Monday while the military stepped up its presence on the streets of Myanmar and threatened demonstrators with long prison sentences and fines.

Rohingya family living in UK: 'We have to hold the military accountable for its atrocities'

Asian Image
Muhammad Khan
@MUHASSANKHAN

13th February 2021

Rohingya family living in UK: 'We have to hold the military accountable for its atrocities'

A Rohingya family now living in the UK have spoken of their experiences and the atrocities carried out by the Burmese military. They also told of life in a refugee camp.

Sirazul Islam, 21, was born in a camp in Kutupalong, Bangladesh and lived there till the age of eight before coming to the UK. He currently lives with his family in Bradford.

The world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s bazaar in Bangladesh is home to one million Muslim Rohingya people. The Rohingya are commonly referred to as the most persecuted minority in the world.

Myanmar May Target Free Speech in Effort to Stifle Protests

The New York Times

By Richard C. Paddock
Feb. 12, 2021

Myanmar May Target Free Speech in Effort to Stifle Protests

Civil society groups say a proposed measure to limit online expression and privacy rights could lead to mass arrests of those who criticize the military government.

Over the last 10 days, a civil disobedience movement against the military takeover in Myanmar has seeped into nearly every aspect of society.Credit...The New York Times

The military government in Myanmar has increasingly used nighttime arrests, legal threats, a curfew and a ban on large gatherings to tame weeklong anti-coup protests that have spread from the cities to the countryside. Now, civil society groups fear that the military is preparing a new law that would further restrict online expression and limit the privacy rights of citizens.

One telecommunications company, Telenor, said Friday that it was aware of the proposal and was reviewing it. A coalition of 158 civil society organizations signed a statement raising concerns that the potential new law would lead to the widespread arrest of government critics.

EXPLAINER: Why did the military stage a coup in Myanmar?

AP

VICTORIA MILKO 

today

FILE - In this May 24, 2017, file photo, Myanmar's Vice President Myint Swe, right, smiles while sitting with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, left, and then President Htin Kyaw during a photo session after the second session of the 21st Century Panglong Union Peace Conference at the Myanmar International Convention Center in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Myanmar military television said Monday, Feb. 1, 2021 that the military was taking control of the country for one year, while reports said many of the country’s senior politicians including Suu Kyi had been detained. The military TV report said Commander-in-Chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing would be in charge of the country, while Myint Swe would be elevated to acting president. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo, File)

Myanmar coup: Aung San Suu Kyi detained as military seizes control

B B C

02 February 2021

Myanmar's military has seized power after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders.

Troops are patrolling the streets and a night-time curfew is in force, with a one-year state of emergency declared.

US President Joe Biden raised the threat of new sanctions, with the UN and UK also condemning the coup.

The army alleges the recent landslide election win by Ms Suu Kyi's party was marred by fraud. She urged supporters to "protest against the coup".

Ceasefire Raises Hopes of Elections in Myanmar’s Rakhine State

THE I DIPLOMAT 

Sebastian Strangio
December 07, 2020

The most important obstacle – a ceasefire – is now in place, but many more challenges remain.

One least heralded developments to have taken place in Myanmar since the country’s election on November 8 is the lull in fighting in Rakhine State in the west of the country. Until last month, fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA), which is fighting for greater autonomy from the central government, had raged in Rakhine since 2018. During that time, it had killed or injured hundreds and forced some 226,000 people to flee their homes.

Sasakawa Yohei, Japan’s special peace envoy to Myanmar, helped broker the ceasefire between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army.Credit: Flickr/ Palácio do Planalto

The conflict followed the army’s brutal assault on Muslim Rohingya communities in northern Rakhine, which caused thousands of civilian deaths and drove more than 700,000 people over the border into Bangladesh.

The fighting also prompted the Union Election Commission (UEC) to cancel the elections in nine townships of northern Rakhine State, in addition to other conflict-torn parts of Myanmar, claiming that these regions were “not in a situation to hold free and fair elections.” But now, an informal ceasefire between the AA and the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, has opened the door to supplementary elections in Rakhine, and beyond that, to the glimmer of a lasting solution to the civil war.

Japan’s Kirin should stop supporting Myanmar military

ASIA TIMES

Opinion

by Teppei Kasai   

July 6, 2020 

Rohingya refugees flee into Bangladesh after a military crackdown sparked a mass exodus of the Muslim minority. File Photo: AFP / Fred Dufour

 

Take a walk, watch television, or use the subway. Do any of these activities in Japan and you will likely come across a Kirin advertisement. Since its inception in 1885 as Japan Brewery, Kirin has grown into a household name in Japan, and arguably one of the world’s best-known Japanese brands.

The beverage giant offers everything from soft drinks to plum wine to yogurt. But its beer is the company’s trademark product, available in more than 40 countries. Its distinctive label depicts the legendary kirin, a magical creature “believed to be a harbinger of good luck.”

The Legacy Of Aung San Suu Kyi’s Defense Of Military At International Court Of Justice – OpEd

eurasiareview
December 19, 2019
Burma Campaign UK

In our blog on 10 December, we wrote about why Aung San Suu Kyi may have decided to personally lead the defence against charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Now that the first round of hearings is over, what has been the impact of that decision?

In the run-up to the hearings, state media went into overdrive portraying Aung San Suu Kyi as defending the nation against false accusations. The case was portrayed not as a state to state case focussed mainly on crimes by the military, but rather as one against the people of the country and an attempt at damaging the reputation of the country. Private media largely followed the same line, with some even saying it was everyone in the country being accused.

U.S. blacklists head of Myanmar military for alleged rights abuses against Rohingya

REUTERS

Daphne Psaledakis, Simon Lewis

December 10, 2019

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday blacklisted four Myanmar military leaders, including the commander-in-chief, in the toughest action taken yet by Washington for alleged human rights abuses against the Rohingya and other minorities.  

FILE PHOTO: Myanmar military commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, attends a military exercise at Ayeyarwaddy delta region in Myanmar, February 3, 2018. REUTERS/Lynn Bo Bo/Pool/File Photo

 

The sanctions targeted the commander-in-chief of the Burmese military, Min Aung Hlaing, on the same day that Myanmar’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, attended the first day of hearings in a genocide case against Myanmar at the U.N.’s highest court.

Military and Government jointly decide to send delegation led by Suu Kyi in ICJ case

Mizzima
23 November 2019

Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi (C). Photo: Nyein Chan Naing/EPA

A military spokesman said that Myanmar government and military will jointly handle the case against the country at the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) by using a team led by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

“The State Counsellor, in her capacity as Union Minister of Foreign Affairs, will lead a team to The Hague, Netherlands, to defend the national interests of Myanmar at the ICJ,” the Myanmar government said in a press release.

Military, Government 'Cooperating' Over Suu Kyi Going To ICJ

International Bussines Times
By AFP News
11/21/19

Both Myanmar's military and its civilian government are behind the decision for Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to defend her country against allegations of genocide at the UN's top court, an army spokesman said Thursday.

In a shock move, State Counsellor Suu Kyi's office announced Wednesday the one-time democracy icon would travel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to lead the defence team.

UN expert: No peace in Myanmar if no military prosecutions

AP

EDITH M. LEDERER
24 August 2019


UNITED NATIONS (AP) — There will be no long-term peace in Myanamar and no return of Rohingya refugees unless there is accountability for the “brutality” of the Asian country’s military forces, a member of the U.N. Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar said Friday.

Radhika Coomaraswamy, a Sri Lankan lawyer who is one of the mission’s three international experts, told an informal Security Council meeting on accountability in Myanmar that the commission believes a domestic judicial process is not possible at this time.

Why Are Old Myanmar-Israel Military Links Under New Scrutiny?

THE I DIPLOMAT

By Prashanth Parameswaran

June 11, 2019

A closer look at another round of scrutiny on defense collaboration between the two sides.

Last week, media reports surfaced that Myanmar military officials had attended an Israeli military expo, in spite of human rights issues that had led Israel to restrict aspects of security collaboration between the two countries. While the specifics remain unclear, the reports have nonetheless contributed to yet another round of scrutiny on the defense aspect of Israel-Myanmar cooperation.

Meet Myanmar's Blue Shirts

THE I DIPLOMAT

By Lorcan Lovett

June 12, 2019

 

A new free speech movement clashes with Myanmar’s military.

 Activists shout slogans during a movement titled "Right to Information," in hopes to free two Reuters journalists jailed in connection with their reporting about massacres against Rohingya Muslims, Sept.16, 2018, in front of city hall in Yangon, Myanmar.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Thein Zaw

 

The moment Kay Khine Tun, 22, was arrested at her nursing job in Yangon Children’s Hospital, her father readied for an exhausting battle with his former employer, the Myanmar Army.

“The military has no shame at all,” said Sein Mya, a 53-year-old taxi driver, as he spooned half a dozen sugars into his coffee. “They are showing off their power and authority. They believe that frightening people may lead to success in ruling the country.”

Myanmar Authorizes Helicopter Use by Military in Rakhine

RFA
2019-06-07

Spokesperson for Myanmar's President's Office Zaw Htay speaks to reporters on June 7, 2019. RFA

The government of Myanmar on Friday authorized the use of helicopters in combat by the country’s military in war-torn Rakhine state, at the same time cautioning the army to conduct its operations “with great care” to avoid civilian deaths.

Myanmar troops kill six in Rakhine for suspected rebel links.

Aljazeera

3rd May 2019

Soldiers opened fire as a clash erupted with the detained villagers, according to member of parliament.

More recently, civilians have been caught up in clashes between the military and the Arakan Army [File:Min Kyi Thein/AP Photo]

Myanmar security forces have shot dead at least six people in the troubled western state of Rakhine after soldiers and police detained hundreds of people at a school, a military spokesperson said.

Myanmar troops kill 6, detain scores in Rakhine over suspected rebel links-military spokesman

REUTERS
by Reuters
Thursday, 2 May 2019

Since November, the fighting has displaced nearly 33,000 people across a large part of central and northern Rakhine and part of neighbouring Chin state

(Adds comment from ICRC)

YANGON, May 2 (Reuters) - Myanmar security forces shot dead at least six people in the troubled western state of Rakhine on Thursday, after soldiers and police detained hundreds of people at a school, a military spokesman said.

Military Extends Ceasefire in Kachin, Shan for 2 Months

The Irrawaddy
By The Irrawaddy
1 May 2019

Peace Commission members (right side of the table) and representatives of the Northern Alliance comprising the KIA, TNLA, AA and MNDAA (left) hold talks in Muse, northern Shan State, on April 30, 2019. They agreed to hold further discussions on bilateral ceasefire agreements. / Hla Maung Shwe / Facebook

YANGON—The Myanmar military on Tuesday extended its unilateral ceasefire in five regional commands in Kachin and Shan states for two months on Tuesday, with restive Rakhine State remaining exempt from the truce.