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☆ Smuggled note exposes violence against women in Myanmar jail - lawyers, activists
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The junta has previously denied holding political prisoners, saying people in jail broke the law and were sentenced after due legal process. "During that incident, more than 100 female political prisoners were seriously injured including a broken arm, eye injuries and facial bruises," the note said. The activists, lawyers and family members interviewed by Reuters asked not to be identified for fear of repercussions as they are working inside Myanmar. "As these people are women prisoners, they have to be handled by women prison guards. The anti-junta group and two Mandalay-based lawyers who work with political prisoners said those involved in the violence were also denied medical care.

☆ Nestlé to close operations in Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Nestlé has announced that it will close its sole factory and head office in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, as it switches to a more “sustainable” business model amid ongoing turmoil in the country. Myanmar has been rocked by violence and instability since 2021 when a military coup ousted democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her government. “We will do all we can to support everyone affected by this decision,” a Nestlé spokesperson told CNN Tuesday in a statement. Total (TOT) started operating the offshore Yadana gas field in Myanmar in 1992, and was the biggest shareholder in the project. “Nestlé started distributing our products in Myanmar in 1991 and expanded our presence in the country,” the spokesperson said.

☆ India, world’s largest democracy, leads global list of internet shutdowns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Of 187 internet shutdowns recorded worldwide, 84 took place in India, according to the report published Tuesday by Access Now, a New York based advocacy group that tracks internet freedom. India has the world’s second largest digital population, following China, with more than 800 million internet users. Pradeep Guar/Mint/Getty ImagesIn recent years, the government has repeatedly justified blocking internet access on the grounds of preserving public safety amid widespread fears of mob violence. Rest of the worldLast year saw more internet shutdowns worldwide than ever before, Access Now said, prompting the group to raise fears of “digital authoritarianism” as governments continue the trend. Apart from India, other countries that saw internet shutdowns last year include Ukraine, Iran and Myanmar.

☆ Chevron agrees to sell Myanmar assets and will exit country
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HOUSTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - U.S. oil major Chevron Corp (CVX.N) on Friday said it had agreed to sell its assets in Myanmar to Canadian company MTI, in a deal that allows it to leave the Asian country. The agreement comes one year after Chevron and other oil companies decided to leave Myanmar following a military coup in 2021. French oil producer TotalEnergies sold its assets and left the country in July 2022. Myanmar' state-controlled oil company MOGE was part of the joint venture. Before putting its Yadana stake for sale, Chevron temporarily increased its participation in the project from 28% to 41%, absorbing an interest TotalEnergies.

☆ Protesters mark Myanmar coup anniversary, junta due to make statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Filipino activists stage a protest in solidarity with Myanmar citizens, two years since Myanmar's military coup, outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Makati City, Philippines, February 1, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa LopezFeb 1 (Reuters) - Protesters marked the two-year anniversary of Myanmar's military coup with a "silent strike" in major cities and rallies overseas on Wednesday, as exiled civilian leaders vowed to end what they called the army's "illegal power grab". Myanmar's military took power after complaining of fraud in a November 2020 general election won by Suu Kyi's party. PROTESTS IN BANGKOKIn the main commercial cities of Yangon and Mandalay, images on social media showed deserted streets in what coup opponents said was a silent protest against the junta. State media recently announced tough requirements for parties to contest, a move that critics say could sideline the military's opponents and cement its grip on politics.

☆ UN expert warns Myanmar's military plans to seek legitimacy in 'sham' election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The independent U.N. special investigator on Myanmar warned Tuesday that the country's military rulers plan to seek legitimacy by orchestrating a "sham" election this year and urged all countries to reject the illegal and "farcical" vote. Tom Andrews also called for nations that support human rights and democracy to recognize the underground umbrella organization for opponents of military rule as the legitimate representative of Myanmar's people. "You cannot have a free and fair election when the opposition is arrested, detained, tortured, and executed," journalists are prohibited from doing their job, and it is a crime to criticize the military, Andrews said at a news conference. Andrews called for recognition and support for the National Unity Government, the main underground group coordinating resistance to the military. It was established by elected legislators who were barred from taking their seats when the military seized power.

JAKARTA, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Indonesia plans to send a top general to Myanmar to talk to its junta leaders in the hope of showing Myanmar's military rulers how Indonesia made a successful transition to democracy, President Joko Widodo said on Wednesday. We have the experience, here in Indonesia, the situation was the same," the president, who is widely known as Jokowi, told Reuters in an interview in his offices in Jakarta. The military took over in Myanmar in 1962, isolating the country and suppressing dissent for decades until a tentative opening up began in 2011. Other members have appeared increasingly frustrated with the Myanmar military and are keen to maintain a ban on its top officials taking part in ASEAN forums. Managing rifts over Myanmar, and escalating tension in the disputed South China Sea, will be among the main challenges for Indonesia in its role as ASEAN chair.

[1/2] Myanmar's military parade to mark the 72nd Armed Forces Day in the capital Naypyitaw, Myanmar March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The United States and its allies imposed further sanctions on Myanmar on Tuesday, marking the two-year anniversary of a military coup with curbs on energy officials and junta members, among others. Washington imposed sanctions on the Union Election Commission, mining enterprises and energy officials, among others, according to a Treasury Department statement. It marks the first time the United States has targeted Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) officials under the current Myanmar sanctions program, a Treasury spokesperson said. Mining Enterprise No 1 and Mining Enterprise No 2, both state-owned enterprises, as well as the Union Election Commission, were also hit with sanctions by Washington.

☆ Two years on, Myanmar coup takes a 'catastrophic toll'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

REUTERS/StaffJan 31 (Reuters) - Two years after Myanmar's military coup, a young factory worker turned resistance fighter mourns the loss of his leg in battle. The stories of four people reflect a crisis the U.N. special envoy last week warned was taking a "catastrophic toll" on the population. THE TEACHERA middle-school teacher has been living in a Thai border town since fleeing arrest in Myanmar last year. A slight woman with long black hair, she joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM) that sprang up after the coup. Her green and white uniform is safe in Myanmar, she said, neatly stored, in case of her return.

[1/2] Myanmar's military parade to mark the 72nd Armed Forces Day in the capital Naypyitaw, Myanmar March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The United States and its allies imposed further sanctions on Myanmar on Tuesday, marking the two-year anniversary of the coup with curbs on energy officials and members of the junta, among others. Washington imposed sanctions on the Union Election Commission, mining enterprises, energy officials and current and former military officials, according to a Treasury Department statement. It marks the first time the United States has targeted Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) officials under the current Myanmar sanctions program, a Treasury spokesperson said. Washington also targeted former and current Myanmar military officials, the Treasury said, accusing the Air Force of continuing to launch air strikes using Russian-made aircraft against pro-democracy forces that have killed civilians.

☆ UN says Myanmar opium cultivation has surged 33% amid violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Opium production in Myanmar has flourished since the military's takeover in 2021. The so-called Golden Triangle area, where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, has historically been a major production area for opium and hosted many of the labs that converted it to heroin. Most of the opium exported by Myanmar goes to China and Vietnam, while heroin goes to many countries across the region, Douglas said. The cultivation of opium had been trending downward in recent years before the military took control of the government in 2021. After rising slightly in 2021, that spiked in 2022 to an estimated 790 metric tons (870 tons), according to the report.

☆ Myanmar army set to cement rule with tough new election criteria
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Richard Horsey, senior adviser to the International Crisis Group, who was based in Myanmar for 15 years, said the rules aimed to restore a political system the military can control. Who would fund a political party right now?" The junta says it is committed to democracy and seized power because of unaddressed violations in a 2020 election won in a landslide by the ruling NLD. The NLD in November described the election as "phoney" and said it would not acknowledge it. The election has also been dismissed as a sham by Western governments.

☆ Myanmar activists, victims file criminal complaint in Germany over alleged atrocities
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BANGKOK, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Myanmar activists and 16 alleged victims of abuse have filed a criminal complaint in Germany, accusing top generals of instigating genocide against Rohingya Muslims and other atrocities since a military coup two years ago. A spokesman for Myanmar's military government did not answer a call seeking comment on the complaint filed in Germany. The 16 individual complainants in the Myanmar filing include ethnic Rohingya and others who survived or witnessed crimes in Myanmar since the coup, Fortify Rights said. In the case of the Rohingya, Myanmar authorities have previously said security forces were carrying out legitimate operations against militants who attacked police posts. The junta has also denied the military had carried out atrocities since the coup, disputing casualty figures given by activists and terming opponents "terrorists".

REUTERS/Nir EliasSINGAPORE, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Israel's Cognyte Software Ltd (CGNT.O) won a tender to sell intercept spyware to a Myanmar state-backed telecommunications firm a month before the Asian nation's February 2021 military coup, according to documents reviewed by Reuters. Intercept spyware can give authorities the power to listen in on calls, view text messages and web traffic including emails, and track the locations of users without the assistance of telecom and internet firms. MPT uses intercept spyware, a source with direct knowledge of the matter and three people briefed on the issue told Reuters although they did not identify the vendor. Reuters was unable to determine whether the sale of Cognyte intercept technology to MPT was finalised. While intercept spyware is typically described as "dual-use" technology for civilian and defence purposes, Israeli law states that "dual-use" technology is classified as defence equipment.

☆ Myanmar junta hits out at critics while thanking some countries for help
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Myanmar’s junta chief on Wednesday lashed out at countries for intervening in his country’s affairs while thanking others for “positively” cooperating, noting how it was working closely with neighbors such as China, India and Thailand. We will work together for border stability and development,” Min Aung Hlaing said in a televised speech from a national day parade in the capital, Naypyitaw. Suu Kyi is being held in a jail in Naypyitaw in solitary confinement, and the military insists she has received due process in an independent court. The United States, the European Union and countries such as Britain and Canada have imposed sanctions on Myanmar’s military and individuals deemed to have helped the junta come to power. Referring to international pressure, Min Aung Hlaing hit out at what he said were “disruptions from countries and organizations who want to intervene in Myanmar’s internal affairs.”Still, the junta has maintained some international support.

☆ Myanmar junta hits out at critics, thanks neighbours for help
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Jan 4 (Reuters) - Myanmar's junta chief on Wednesday lashed out at countries for intervening in his country's affairs while thanking others for "positively" cooperating, noting how it was working closely with neighbours such as China, India and Thailand. We will work together for border stability and development," Min Aung Hlaing said in a televised speech from a national day parade in the capital Naypyitaw. Suu Kyi is being held in a jail in Naypyitaw in solitary confinement and the military insist she has received due process by an independent court. The United States, the European Union and countries such as Britain and Canada, have imposed sanctions on Myanmar's military and individuals deemed to have helped the junta come to power. Referring to international pressure, Min Aung Hlaing hit out at what he said were "disruptions from countries and organizations who want to intervene in Myanmar's internal affairs."

☆ Myanmar court convicts Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption in final case
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

BANGKOK — A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption on Friday, sentencing her to seven years in prison in the last of a string of criminal cases against her, a source with direct knowledge of the proceedings confirmed to NBC News. The 77-year-old Suu Kyi has also been convicted of several other offenses, including illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions, breaching the country’s official secrets act, sedition and election fraud. Suu Kyi was the de facto head of government, holding the title of state counsellor. The U.N. said in August that Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s military-installed government, had “expressed openness to arranging a meeting at the right time” between Suu Kyi and U.N. special envoy Noeleen Heyzer. “The Myanmar junta’s farcical, totally unjust parade of charges and convictions against Aung San Suu Kyi amount to politically motivated punishment designed to hold her behind bars for the rest of her life,” he said.

☆ Myanmar court jails Suu Kyi for 7 more years as secretive trials end
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a court session held behind closed doors, Suu Kyi, who was arrested during a coup in February 2021, was found guilty of offences relating to her lease and use of a helicopter while she was Myanmar's de facto leader, the source said. A Nobel Peace Prize winner for her decades-long campaign for democracy in Myanmar, Suu Kyi has spent much of her political life in detention under military governments. Suu Kyi led Myanmar for five years from 2015 during a decade of tentative democracy that came after the military ended its 49-year rule, only for it to wrest back control early last year to stop Suu Kyi's government from starting a second term. The junta has insisted the charges are legitimate and that Suu Kyi, who has been held in the annex of a jail in the capital Naypyitaw, has been given due process by an independent court. The military removed Suu Kyi's government from power on the grounds that it failed to address alleged irregularities in a 2020 election that her party won in a landslide.

☆ Myanmar court jails Aung San Suu Kyi for 7 more years as secretive trials end
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Protesters seen holding portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration outside the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok to mark International Migrants Day and protest against the Myanmar military's government. A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Friday convicted deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi on five counts of corruption and jailed her for a combined seven years, a source familiar with her trial said, wrapping up the last remaining cases against her. The source asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. A Nobel Peace Prize winner for her decades-long campaign for democracy in Myanmar, Suu Kyi has spent much of her political life in detention under military governments. Friday's verdict adds to sentences of at least 26 years handed down since December last year.

☆ Myanmar court finds Suu Kyi guilty on 5 counts of corruption
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 30 (Reuters) - A court in army-ruled Myanmar found deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi guilty on Friday in all five counts of corruption, a source familiar with her trial said, wrapping up the last remaining cases against her. In a court session held behind closed doors, Suu Kyi, 77, was sentenced to a combined seven years in prison for the offences, said the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. A military spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has also previously been ordered to serve a total of 26 years in prison after being found guilty of a wide range of offences, all of which she has denied. Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Myanmar court to deliver final verdicts this week in Suu Kyi trials
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 27 (Reuters) - A court in military-ruled Myanmar will deliver its final verdicts in cases against deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday, said a source familiar with her trials, wrapping up marathon proceedings that have been condemned in the West as a sham. Suu Kyi, 77, was arrested when the military seized power on Feb. 1 last year in a coup that ended a decade of tentative democracy and plunged the country into chaos. Suu Kyi has called the cases "absurd". The military has said Suu Kyi is being given due process by an independent judiciary, noting the judge was appointed by her administration. Suu Kyi's marathon court proceedings have taken place behind closed doors, with only limited information reported by state media and a gag order imposed on her lawyers.

☆ Thailand hosts Myanmar junta figures in talks, key ASEAN nations skip
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Foreign ministers of Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia and Vietnam's deputy foreign minister joined the talks hosted by Thailand's foreign minister, according to Thai foreign ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke. "The consultation was a non-ASEAN meeting but intended to complement ASEAN’s ongoing collective efforts to find a peaceful political resolution," Kanchana said in a statement. Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin attended along with Kan Zaw, minister for investment and foreign economic relations, and Ko Ko Hlaing, minister for international cooperation, Myanmar's foreign ministry said in a statement. The Philippines said its foreign minister would also not join, without elaborating. "Any meeting convened under ASEAN, formal or informal, should not divert from this decision," it said, according to the source.

☆ UN council demands end to Myanmar violence in first resolution in decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council adopted its first resolution on Myanmar in 74 years on Wednesday to demand an end to violence and urge the military junta to release all political prisoners, including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The 15-member council has long been split on how to deal with the Myanmar crisis with China and Russia arguing against strong action. They both abstained from the vote on Wednesday, along with India. The remaining 12 members voted in favor. Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Kanishka SinghOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.N. shelves bid by Afghan Taliban, Myanmar junta for representation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The United Nations General Assembly on Friday approved postponing - for the second time - a decision on whether the Afghan Taliban administration and the Myanmar junta can send a United Nations ambassador to New York. The 193-member General Assembly approved without a vote the decision by the U.N. credentials committee, which also deferred a decision on rival claims to Libya's U.N. seat. But the credentials committee said it could "revert to consideration of these credentials at a future time in the seventy-seventh session" of the General Assembly, which ends in September next year. Competing claims were again made for the seats of Myanmar and Afghanistan with the Taliban administration and Myanmar's junta pitted against envoys of the governments they ousted last year. U.N. acceptance of the Taliban administration or Myanmar's junta would be a step toward the international recognition sought by both.

☆ Afghan Taliban administration, Myanmar junta not allowed into United Nations for now
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The United Nations headquarters building is pictured though a window with the UN logo in the foreground in the Manhattan borough of New York August 15, 2014. REUTERS/Carlo AllegriUNITED NATIONS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - A decision on whether the Afghan Taliban administration and the Myanmar junta can send a United Nations ambassador to New York has been postponed for a second time, but could be reconsidered in the next nine months, according to a U.N. credentials committee report. The nine-member U.N. credentials committee includes Russia, China and the United States. Competing claims were again made for the seats of Myanmar and Afghanistan with the Taliban administration and Myanmar's junta pitted against envoys of the governments they ousted last year. U.N. acceptance of the Taliban administration or Myanmar's junta would be a step toward the international recognition sought by both.

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