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Jumat, 26 Februari 2021

Myanmar protesters injured as police escalate use of force - CNA

YANGON: Myanmar security forces cracked down on anti-coup protesters in the country's second-largest city on Friday (Feb 26), injuring at least three people, two of whom were shot in the chest by rubber bullets and another who suffered a wound on his leg.

Protesters had gathered on a wide road outside a park in Mandalay in the early afternoon when security forces arrived and began firing what sounded like gunshots and using flash bang grenades to disperse the crowd.

Bullets, shell casings and other projectiles were later found by local residents on one of the main streets and shown to journalists.

The victims were all taken to a private clinic for treatment. One of the men who was shot in the chest with a rubber bullet also had a white bandage wrapped around his head. The man with an injured leg was later photographed in a cast that stretched from his foot to his knee.

An injured protester receives medical treatment during a demonstration against the military coup in Mandalay, Myanmar, Feb 26, 2021. (Photo: AP)

The confrontations underscore the rising tensions between a growing popular revolt and the generals who toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a Feb 1 takeover that shocked the international community and reversed years of slow progress toward democracy.

READ: To be president? What Myanmar military leader's endgame may be, a commentary

Also on Friday, a Japanese journalist covering a separate protest in Yangon, the country's largest city, was detained by police and later released, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency.

Yuki Kitazumi could be seen in a video circulating among media as police seized him, with one of the officers briefly putting a truncheon around the journalist's neck.

READ: Myanmar's civil servant strikes start to bite

Earlier in the day, security forces in Yangon fired warning shots and beat truncheons against their shields while moving to disperse more than 1,000 anti-coup protesters.

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The demonstrators had gathered in front of a popular shopping mall, holding placards and chanting slogans denouncing the Feb 1 coup even as the security presence increased and a water-cannon truck was brought to the area.

When around 50 riot police moved against the protesters, warning shots could be heard, and at least one demonstrator was held by officers. Security forces chased the protesters off the main road and continued to pursue them in the nearby lanes, as some ducked into houses to hide.

Protesters take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on Feb 26, 2021. (Photo: AFP/Ye Aung Thu)

Myanmar Yangon protest Feb 26 (2) — Security forces blocking a main road in Myaynigone, Yangon in Myanmar on Feb 26, 2021. (Photo: Naung Kham)

On Thursday, supporters of Myanmar's junta attacked people protesting the military government, using slingshots, iron rods and knives to injure several of them. Photos and videos posted on social media showed groups attacking people in downtown Yangon as police stood by without intervening.

The violence erupted as hundreds marched in support of the coup. They carried banners in English with the slogans "We Stand With Our Defence Services" and “We Stand With State Administration Council", which is the official name of the junta.

A military supporter points a sharp object as he confronts pro-democracy protesters during a military support rally in Yangon, Myanmar, Feb 25, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)

READ: Myanmar police raid protest district as World Bank halts some payments

Late Thursday, police turned out in force in Yangon's Tarmwe neighborhood where they tried to clear the streets of residents protesting the military’s appointment of a new administrator for one ward. Several arrests were made as people scattered in front of riot police who used flash bang grenades to disperse the crowd.

No pro-military rally appeared to be scheduled for Friday.

Aung San Suu Kyi has not been seen since the coup. Around 50 of her supporters held a prayer on Friday opposite her home in Yangon. The mansion is where she spent many years under house arrest during previous military governments, and the residence has long had iconic status among her supporters.

"Because of the situation, on this day of the full moon we are sending love to, and reciting Buddha's teachings for Mother Suu, President U Win Myint and all those unlawfully detained," said Hmuu Sitt yan Naing, who joined the prayer group.

READ: Myanmar police file charges against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi under import-export law

READ: Aung San Suu Kyi hit with second charge as Myanmar junta tightens grip

It is believed Aung San Suu Kyi is currently being detained in the capital Naypyidaw. She is due to face a court on Monday on charges brought against her by the military junta. The charges are widely seen as politically motivated.

Myanmar Yangon protest Feb 26 (3) — Security forces blocking a main road in Myaynigone, Yangon in Myanmar on Feb 26, 2021. (Photo: Naung Kham)

Myanmar Yangon protest Feb 26 — Protesters near the Singapore embassy in Yangon, Myanmar on Feb 26, 2021. (Photo: Naung Kham)

Protesters hold up the three finger salute during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on Feb 26, 2021. (Photo: AFP/Sai Aung Main)

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2021-02-26 12:56:15Z
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Myanmar police free Japanese journalist after brief detention: Media - CNA

TOKYO: Myanmar police released a Japanese freelance journalist on Friday (Feb 26) after briefly detaining him during a protest in the commercial capital of Yangon, Radio Free Asia showed in a livestream on Facebook.

The arrest of Yuki Kitazumi, who runs a media production company in the city and used to be a journalist with the Nikkei business daily, was the first detention of a foreign reporter since the Feb 1 military coup.

"Thanks very much to all my friends. I'm OK. I'm safe," said Kitazumi after leaving the police station in the city's Sanchaung district.

Earlier, Japan said one of its nationals in his 40s had been detained by Myanmar security police in Yangon, without giving details.

Police in Myanmar did not immediately return calls to seek comment.

Myanmar has been roiled by protests for weeks since the army seized power from elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and detained her and most of her government.

READ: Myanmar security forces disperse anti-coup protesters

Kitazumi briefly became the second foreigner known to have been detained since the coup, after Australian academic Sean Turnell, an adviser to Suu Kyi on economic reforms, was arrested on Feb 6. Turnell remains under arrest.

In 2007, another Japanese journalist covering protests in Myanmar, Kenji Nagai, was shot dead at point-blank range, when the army fired on protesters during Saffron Revolution protests led by Buddhist monks.

RAISING VOICES

Kitazumi's company produces video content, from news to movie trailers, and trains journalists with emphasis on free speech, his company says on its website.

His Myanmar colleague Linn Nyan Htun told Reuters Kitazumi writes political and business news for major Japanese media.

"When I listen to the young people taking part in the demonstrations, they say 'Yes, I'm scared, but if we don't raise our voices to say that we're scared, we'll have to live in fear our entire lives,'" Kitazumi said in a recent post on Facebook.

READ: Myanmar's civil servant strikes start to bite

Kitazumi is a member of the Kaigai Kakibito Club of Japanese journalists and interpreters working overseas.

In July, the club's blog carried an interview with Kitazumi in which he said he had also directed a short comedy film titled One Bowl of Mohinga, a traditional breakfast dish in Myanmar.

Kitazumi has also had parts in movies in Myanmar, the blog said, posting a picture of him acting.

He told the blog he moved to Myanmar to cover the 2015 general elections, the country's first free polls in decades, won by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party in a landslide.

Kitazumi left the Nikkei in 2012 after having worked as a reporter from 2001, a representative of the paper said.

"Amidst the fear that this kind of thing is happening and this kind of thing could happen to them, people are raising their voices," said Kitazumi, posting a video of the arrest of a woman on Facebook.

"They're fighting today so that this kind of thing won't happen again, so they can live a future of peace."

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2021-02-26 11:15:00Z
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Japan hopes to end state of emergency for six prefectures this month - CNA

TOKYO: The Japanese government is looking to end a state of emergency in all but Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures at the end of this month, a week earlier than scheduled, the minister in charge of coronavirus countermeasures said on Friday.

Emergency coronavirus measures will be removed in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Aichi, Gifu and Fukuoka prefectures if an advisory panel approves the government's proposal.

Japan placed 11 of its 47 prefectures under a state of emergency in January as a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation. One of those prefectures, Tochigi, has already emerged early from the emergency restrictions.

READ: Japan toughens COVID-19 measures with new law

READ: Japan finds more than 90 cases of new COVID-19 virus variant

Coronavirus infections have fallen significantly since peaking in early January, including in the capital, Tokyo, which is due to host the Summer Olympic Games from late July. The government is hoping to lift the state of emergency in the remaining four prefectures as planned on Mar 7.

"We are at a stage where we cannot let the state of emergency drag on in the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area," Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who oversees the government's coronavirus response, said at the start of the meeting with the advisory panel.

Japan has recorded about 426,000 coronavirus cases and 7,645 deaths as of Feb 24, according to the health ministry.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2021-02-26 04:30:00Z
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Kamis, 25 Februari 2021

Facebook signs deals with three Australian media firms - CNA

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Facebook signs deals with three Australian media firms CNA
Australia passes landmark law requiring tech firms to pay for news The Straits Times
Facebook's Small Sacrifice to Australia Helps Keep Empire Intact Yahoo Finance
Why government must make Google, Facebook pay for content The Times of India Blog
Australia’s battle with Facebook, Google has wider implications The Indian Express
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2021-02-25 22:52:48Z
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Thai PM says meeting with Myanmar's military envoy not 'endorsement' - CNA

BANGKOK: Thailand's prime minister said on Thursday (Feb 25) his meeting with Myanmar's military-appointed foreign minister this week following a coup in the neighbouring country did not mean "endorsement".

The meeting on Wednesday mainly saw him listening to Wunna Maung Lwin, appointed by the Myanmar military who seized power earlier this month, about "political developments" and the situation in Myanmar, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told reporters.

He also denied that Thailand has joined Indonesia in becoming a mediator to solve the situation in Myanmar.

READ: Indonesia says it held intensive talks with both sides of Myanmar crisis

"The political issue is their country's matter. I want to encourage them to move the country towards democracy as quickly as possible," said Prayut, a former army general who himself seized power in a 2014 coup and became a civilian prime minister in a disputed 2019 election that he said was free and fair.

"It didn't mean that I was endorsing anything. He didn't ask me to. I was only listening to what he was telling me, that's all."

The foreign ministers of Thailand and Indonesia also met with Wunna Maung Lwin in the Thai capital on Wednesday.

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2021-02-25 13:45:57Z
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Coup chaos in Myanmar leaves employers fretting over paying staff - CNA

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Coup chaos in Myanmar leaves employers fretting over paying staff CNA
Supporting new Myanmar elections is not the solution The Straits Times
Facebook bans Myanmar military accounts citing the coup Yahoo Singapore News
Supporters of Myanmar coup attack rivals in Yangon CNA
Containers pile up at Myanmar ports as coup protests snarl trade The Straits Times
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2021-02-25 13:30:00Z
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Coup chaos in Myanmar leaves employers fretting over paying staff - CNA

The day the military seized power in Myanmar three weeks ago, Phyu delved into her company's emergency funds and gave her staff a one-month advance on their salaries.

Phyu, who runs a market research firm, saw trouble ahead then, but is not sure how she will pay her three staff next month.

Ahead of payday on Friday, the first since the Feb 1 coup, a cloud is hanging over Myanmar's fragile economy.

Its kyat currency is depreciating, businesses are paralysed and banks are in disarray, and for all the support for street protests and strikes against the junta, the disruption is nudging the economy closer to a breakdown.

READ: Back to 'basket case'? Myanmar economy at risk after coup

"I predicted things could get worse so I paid them their salary in advance on that day," said Phyu, who declined to provide her full name.

"I'm now thinking how to do March salaries if things continue to go this way or get worse. In the worst scenario, I can still pay them in cash."

Hundreds of thousands of people have rallied for weeks across Myanmar, in a groundswell of anger at the military's overthrow of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, its curbs on the Internet and the arrest of hundreds of activists.

READ: Opponents, supporters of Myanmar coup scuffle as more protests planned

The anti-coup movement's calls for people not to go to work has caused big disruption, holding up crucial processes like import and export permits, salary payments and bank transfers.

Myanmar relies overwhelmingly on imports for its fuel, but supplies are running low, industry sources say, with some oil import terminals no longer operating.

READ: Myanmar protests stall fuel imports, drive up costs

Its nascent garment manufacturing sector, a key source of income for rural families, faces disruption in raw materials imports and the export of clothing, including orders from major Western brands.

Some businesses have already been forced to slash wages.

"I didn't receive any business this month so I can only pay them two thirds of their salary," said a 33-year-old owner of a Yangon beauty salon, who asked not to be named.

"If they cannot get cash at ATMs, then I will pay them in cash. For March if things continue this way, I will have to reduce their salary to 50 per cent."

Factory workers rally against the military coup in Yangon — Factory workers shout slogans as they rally against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, Feb 25, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)

INTERMITTENT SERVICES

Many businesses have been closing to show support for the movement, or avoid being seen as backing the junta. Many have allowed employees to attend protests during work hours.

Bank services are irregular, with some branches closed, others reducing operations and limiting withdrawals.

READ: Myanmar's military coup creates banking woes

"This is the movement organised by the staff alone," said one striking employee of a private bank.

"We don't like the dictatorship. We can't accept it."

Jared Bissinger, an economist who has specialised on Myanmar, said the crisis would likely lead to payroll problems, reduced wages and overtime and an increase in people borrowing money or selling assets.

A big worry, he said, was the textiles sector and the potential impact on hundreds of factories.

"I'm deeply concerned about where the economy goes and the vulnerability of a lot of people in Myanmar," said Bissinger.

"This economic story and these economic challenges are going to become more front-and-centre in the coming months."

READ: What does military rule mean for foreign investments in Myanmar?

Win Thein, 56, who runs an electrical store, said the economy was already struggling and would stay that way until the military hands back power in an election, as it has promised.

"This coup makes it worse. The economy has plummeted to zero. Nothing is turning out to be good," he said.

Some in Myanmar no longer have work and are focusing only on protests.

"I'm just trying to survive," said engineer Phyo Kyaw, 27, who said he quit his job.

"We want to repel the dictatorship as soon as possible and we are putting all of our efforts into it."

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