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☆ 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.

SummarySummary Companies Ukraine, Russia, Belarus rights campaigners won awardPrize highlight importance of civil society for peaceByalyatski in jail, wife speaks for him at ceremonyOSLO, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Russia wants to turn Ukraine into a "dependent dictatorship" like Belarus, the wife of jailed Belarusian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski said on Saturday upon receiving the prize on his behalf, speaking his words. "It highlights the dramatic situation and struggle for human rights in the country," she said, adding she was speaking her husband's words. Pinchuk has met her husband once since he was named a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, in prison, behind a glass wall, she told a news conference on Friday. "I know exactly what kind of Ukraine would suit Russia and Putin — a dependent dictatorship. Belarus and Russia are formally part of a "union state" and are closely allied economically and militarily.

Dec 8 (Reuters) - In a monastery in central Myanmar, a Buddhist monk, Wathawa, rallies his militia with a cry: "What's our spirit like?" shout a group of rifle-bearing men, loyalists of the military junta that seized power last year, now fighting to crush fledgling pro-democracy groups. Myanmar's Buddhist clergy previously sought to topple successive military dictatorships that kept citizens impoverished and isolated. Myanmar monks teach laypeople who in turn provide them with essentials such as food and clothing. State media broadcasts have shown military commanders showering Wathawa and his militia with cash and food donations.

☆ Myanmar democracy leader says 2,000 dead fighting junta, urges military aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Poppy Mcpherson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BANGKOK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - At least 2,000 pro-democracy fighters have been killed in Myanmar battling a military junta that seized power last year, the head of a parallel civilian government said in an interview aired on Thursday, urging allies to provide military aid. The military has branded him and his colleagues terrorists and banned citizens from communicating with them, but their parallel civilian government enjoys widespread support. Duwa Lashi La has been pictured visiting troops, who include former students and professionals driven to the jungles by military crackdowns, clad in a flak jacket and helmet. Duwa Lashi La said the opposition fighters had killed about 20,000 junta troops. Duwa Lashi La said the door was not closed to negotiation but the military had to stop killing civilians, vow to withdraw from politics and abolish the constitution that enshrines their power.

☆ Myanmar detention was ‘hell,’ says freed Japanese filmmaker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO — A Japanese filmmaker jailed for nearly four months in Myanmar described some of his detention there as “hell” and called on Tokyo to take a tougher stance against human rights abuses in the military-controlled country. A spokesperson for Myanmar’s junta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The economic adviser, Sean Turnell, also described filthy cells and having to eat out of a bucket while in a Myanmar jail in an interview with The Australian newspaper on Monday. Vicky Bowman, Britain’s ambassador from 2002 to 2006 who heads a group promoting ethical business in Myanmar, had been jailed for immigration violations. “I would hope the Japanese government would take a much stronger stance towards the Myanmar military,” said Kubota, adding that any funds flowing from Japan to Myanmar should be closely scrutinized.

☆ Myanmar detention was 'hell', says freed Japanese filmmaker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( John Geddie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Nov 28 (Reuters) - A Japanese filmmaker jailed for nearly four months in Myanmar described some of his detention there as "hell" and called on Tokyo to take a tougher stance against human rights abuses in the military-controlled country. A spokesperson for Myanmar's junta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The economic adviser, Sean Turnell, also described filthy cells and having to eat out of a bucket while in a Myanmar jail in an interview with The Australian newspaper on Monday. Vicky Bowman, Britain's ambassador from 2002-2006 who heads a group promoting ethical business in Myanmar, had been jailed for immigration violations. "I would hope the Japanese government would take a much stronger stance towards the Myanmar military," said Kubota, adding that any funds flowing from Japan to Myanmar should be closely scrutinised.

☆ Released Australian adviser supports sanctions against Myanmar officials
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Australia should sanction Myanmar's military government and the regime's bankers, Sean Turnell, the Australian economist and adviser to deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi said in his first interview since being released from a Myanmar jail last week. He and three other foreigners were released as part of a mass amnesty of almost 6,000 prisoners last Thursday. Saying the Myanmar people's dreams have been "completely shattered", Turnell said he supported sanctions against regime officials and Myanmar bankers, without specifying which banks or financiers. Before court appearances Turnell would reunite briefly with fellow co-defendants including Aung San Suu Kyi. The Nobel Peace laureate faced widespread criticism from rights groups for defending Myanmar's generals against charges of genocide in 2019.

☆ Myanmar releasing 4 foreign prisoners in amnesty, including American
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Britain’s embassy in Yangon said Bowman, a former British ambassador to Myanmar, had not yet been released from prison. “Sean’s heart was with the people of Myanmar to help lift them out of poverty and help Myanmar reach its economic potential. Bowman, 56, was arrested with her husband, a Myanmar national, in Yangon in August. Kyaw Htay Oo, a naturalized American, returned to Myanmar, the country of his birth, in 2017, according to media reports. Myanmar did not release many details of the other prisoners who were being freed, but almost all would have been held on charges related to the protests.

☆ Myanmar releases foreigners including Australian economist from prison - media
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military leaders have released Sean Turnell, an Australian economist and former adviser to democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, and 6,000 others from prison under an amnesty, Myanmar media reported on Thursday. Irrawaddy News and BBC Burmese reported Vicky Bowman, a former British envoy and Toru Kubota, a Japanese filmmaker, were also among those released. Myanmar has been in the political turmoil since the military staged coup last year by arresting civilian leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi in the early morning raids on Feb. 1, 2021. Myanmar Now, an independent news outlet, cited the military council as saying the pardons were granted because it was Myanmar National Day. Reporting by Reuters staff; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Southeast Asia leaders kick off ASEAN summit in Cambodia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Cambodia, this year's chair for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is hosting the weekend summit in Phnom Penh — the group's first in-person meeting since the Covid pandemic. Leaders from the U.S., China, South Korea and Japan will also be meeting ASEAN leaders in Phnom Penh. "Looking to the future, ASEAN needs to strongly promote the values that have made ASEAN successful over the past five decades. The ASEAN nations want more trading partners, the more, the better," he told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Thursday. The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia is a peace treaty among Southeast Asian countries established in 1976.watch now

☆ ASEAN summit begins with Myanmar likely to dominate agenda; 'little progress expected'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Cambodian Prime Minister and ASEAN host Hun Sen addressed Friday's opening ceremony with a call for vigilance and wisdom during times of economic and geopolitical turmoil. The junta has blamed a lack of progress on the pandemic and obstruction from armed resistance movements that it calls terrorists. James Crabtree, Executive Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies-Asia, said ASEAN was struggling to cope with internal divisions over Myanmar and other issues. One Western diplomat who will attend the meeting said that while the bloc may try to make the Myanmar peace plan more action-oriented, "little progress is expected". G20 leaders are meeting in Bali next week and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will take place in Bangkok after that.

☆ Aung San Suu Kyi’s Life in Myanmar Prison: No Visitors, Calls or News
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Feliz Solomon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

For 21 months, Aung San Suu Kyi, one of the world’s most well-known and polarizing pro-democracy figures, has been locked away by an authoritarian junta in Myanmar. No one can visit her. She can’t receive phone calls, letters or anything printed on paper, according to a person with knowledge of her situation. Increasingly, it looks like Ms. Suu Kyi is serving a life sentence.

☆ SE Asian ministers discuss Myanmar crisis, without any Myanmar representative
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JAKARTA, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers began meeting in Jakarta on Thursday to discuss how to kick-start a stalled peace process in military-ruled Myanmar, where dozens have been killed in recent weeks as violence escalated. The meeting at the secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Indonesian capital will not be attended by any representatives from Myanmar. Myanmar had been invited to send a non-political representative to the meeting in Indonesia, but the junta did not agree, according to the host government. There was also interest among some ASEAN members to seek quiet negotiations with the junta, the source said. Reporting by Poppy McPherson in Bankok and Stanley Widianto in Jakarta Writing by Ed Davies Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explainer: Why is ASEAN holding a special meeting on Myanmar?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Martin Petty | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In August it cited "notable progress" on the peace plan, without providing specifics, but said its commitment would be determined by developments on the ground. It has accused its opponents of trying to sabotage the ASEAN plan and has justified military offensives as necessary to secure the country and enable political talks. Instead of advocating for the five-point ASEAN plan, the generals have instead been pushing a five-step roadmap of their own towards a new election, with few similarities. Suspending Myanmar as an ASEAN member would be extremely unlikely, as would any trade sanctions, and the junta has demonstrated it will not respond to threats. ASEAN has so far opted to bar the generals from key summits and invited non-political representatives instead, which the junta has declined.

[1/3] Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn speaks during a meeting with Southeast Asian foreign ministers at the secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 27, 2022. Galih Pradipta/Pool via REUTERSJAKARTA, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government warned on Thursday that any pressure from its Southeast Asian neighbours to put a time frame on a peace plan would create "negative implications". No Myanmar representatives were present at the special meeting of the group's foreign ministers to discuss the stalled peace plan. Late on Thursday, Myanmar's military-appointed foreign ministry released a statement blaming armed resistance movements for violence and saying pressure to set a time frame will create more negative implications than positive ones. And Indonesia has mentioned that this request needs to be delivered to Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military) immediately," said Retno.

☆ ASEAN chair alarmed over escalating Myanmar violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 26 (Reuters) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is gravely concerned about an escalation of violence in Myanmar and is calling for restraint and an immediate cessation of fighting, the bloc's chair Cambodia said. "We are deeply saddened by the growing casualties, and the immense suffering that ordinary people in Myanmar have endured," said the statement. "We, therefore, strongly urge utmost restraint and immediate cessation to violence," said the statement, which called for all parties to pursue dialogue. ASEAN is leading diplomatic efforts to bring peace to Myanmar but the junta has done little to implement the "consensus", which committed to an immediate halt to violence and the start of dialogue towards a peace agreement. A group of 457 Myanmar civil society organisations have called in an open letter for ASEAN leaders to scrap the peace plan it agreed with the military and instead work with civilian leaders and a shadow government.

☆ As with Ukraine, a coalition should pressure Myanmar's junta, U.N. expert says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Russian weapons being used in Ukraine are also killing people in Myanmar, an independent U.N. expert said on Wednesday, urging countries to form a coalition - just as they have on Moscow over Ukraine - to target and pressure Myanmar's military junta. "The international community should be coordinating their efforts to target them, and then work together to implement these measures," Andrews told reporters in New York. And they come from the very same source - they come from Russia," Andrews said. You have been appointed the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, so deal with Myanmar instead of Ukraine," Kuzmin told the committee. "I'd frankly be surprised if they're alive right now," Andrews told reporters.

☆ Ethnic group says Myanmar air attack kills 80 at celebration
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

BANGKOK — Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military killed as many as 80 people, including singers and musicians, attending an anniversary celebration of the Kachin ethnic minority’s main political organization, members of the group and a rescue worker said Monday. He said he first heard there had been 60 deaths, but was later told by sources close to Kachin Independence Army officials that about 80 people had died. He said military aircraft dropped four bombs on the celebration at about 8 p.m., according to members of his group who were there. They also included at least 10 Kachin military and business VIPs sitting in front of the stage, and cooks working backstage, he added. He said the deaths were a loss for all Kachin people, and its group would fly the Kachin flag at half-staff.

☆ Malaysia's deportation of Myanmar refugees violates international law - UN
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The deportations, which included former navy officers seeking asylum, expose those sent away to danger and are a violation of the international law on non-refoulement, according to UNHCR, referring to a law that protects refugees or asylum seekers from being deported. "In the last two months alone, hundreds of Myanmar nationals are reported to have been sent back against their will by the authorities," UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told a Geneva press briefing. The latest incident involving an asylum seeker being sent back to conflict-torn Myanmar occurred on Oct. 21, Mantoo added, despite intervention by the UNHCR with authorities. Myanmar's embassy in Malaysia previously said in a post on Facebook that 150 Myanmar nationals were deported by plane on Oct. 6 in cooperation with Malaysian immigration authorities. So far, more than 150,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including many ethnic Rohingya Muslims, have fled to neighbouring Malaysia.

☆ Myanmar villagers say army beheaded high school teacher
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The slain teacher, Saw Tun Moe, was a longtime educator who had participated in anti-military protests before taking charge of a high school founded by the country’s pro-democracy movement in his native Thit Nyi Naung village. Saw Tun Moe also taught mathematics at his village school and another nearby alternative school and was involved in the administration of Thit Nyi Naung, where he lived with his family. She said Saw Tun Moe was taken to Taung Myint village, almost a mile north of Thit Nyi Naung, and killed there the following day. A villager from Taung Myint village said he saw Saw Tun Moe’s body at about 11 a.m. Monday after the soldiers had left. I immediately knew that it was Teacher Moe.

☆ Bombing kills at least 8 at Myanmar’s Insein Prison
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

BANGKOK — A bombing on Wednesday near the front gate of Myanmar’s main prison for political detainees killed at least eight people, including visitors and prison personnel, local media and the government said. The entrance of Insein Prison in Yangon, Myanmar, after a bombing on Wednesday. The blasts occurred inside and outside the parcel reception office near the main iron gate of Insein Prison in Yangon, the country’s biggest city. It said 13 visitors, including a 9-year-old boy, and five prison personnel were being treated for injuries at Insein township hospital. The prison has been notorious for decades for housing political prisoners under various military governments.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Malaysia deported 150 Myanmar nationals this month, including former navy officers seeking asylum, and plans to send back more despite the risk of arrest they face at home, four sources familiar with the matter said. The two were deported from Malaysia for failing to hold valid documents to reside in the country, the sources said. Myanmar's embassy in Malaysia said in a post on Facebook that 150 Myanmar nationals were deported by plane on Oct. 6 in cooperation with Malaysian immigration authorities. The agency did not comment on dangers faced by Myanmar nationals deported back home. Despite such criticism, Malaysia is planning to deport more Myanmar nationals, according to community leaders who said they were briefed by authorities on planned deportations.

☆ At least 8 dead after explosions, gunfire at Myanmar jail -media, witness
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 19 (Reuters) - At least eight people were killed and 13 others were injured on Wednesday after explosions and gunfire at Myanmar's biggest jail, according to media reports and an account from a witness. It was unclear what caused the explosions and representatives of the prison and the military government could not immediately be reached for comment. Police were at the scene and inspecting the site of the explosions shortly afterwards, media reported. Prison staff and couriers who were seriously injured were evacuated from the prison, while those not seriously injured were treated at nearby shops, according to BBC Burmese. A number of cases scheduled to be heard in the adjacent court, were cancelled after the explosions, according to media reports.

☆ Toyota opens new Myanmar plant put on hold following coup
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Wednesday it had begun assembling cars at a new plant in Myanmar that was put on hold for more than 19 months after a military coup and during the coronavirus pandemic. Japanese companies and other multinationals have faced pressure to pull out of investments in Myanmar that are perceived to benefit the military. Human Rights Watch, a leading advocacy group, called for Toyota and any other companies seeking to invest or resume operation in Myanmar to conduct human rights due diligence. "Toyota should certainly refrain from doing business with Myanmar military owned conglomerates ... as well as their subsidiaries," said Teppei Kasai, the organisation's Asia programme officer. The Toyota plant is in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, a manufacturing and logistics hub outside the business hub of Yangon built with Japanese investment.

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