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Selasa, 09 Februari 2021

Hong Kong leader confirms no consular protection for dual nationals - CNA

HONG KONG: Hong Kong residents with dual nationality are not entitled to foreign consular assistance, the city's leader said on Tuesday (Feb 9), confirming warnings by Western diplomats that authorities have begun strictly enforcing Chinese nationality regulations in the finance hub.

Canada's foreign affairs department announced last week that a dual-national in prison in Hong Kong was required to make a declaration choosing a single nationality.

The revelation sent diplomats from Britain, Canada and the US scrambling, given the potential implications for hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents in the city with dual nationality.

On Tuesday, chief executive Carrie Lam confirmed that while residents could own multiple passports, dual nationality was not recognised in Hong Kong under China's nationality law.

"That (law) has a very specific provision that where people (who) have foreign nationality or right of abode elsewhere ... are regarded as Chinese nationals in Hong Kong," Lam told reporters.

"So likewise they will not be eligible for consular protection, including consular visits," she added, unless they have received permission to renounce their Chinese nationality.

READ: China will not recognise British passport for Hong Kong residents from Jan 31

Beijing's top lawmaking body set these rules in Hong Kong back in 1996, the year before Hong Kong's handover by Britain.

As a result, Hong Kong officials have described the move to reject consular assistance for dual nationals as nothing new.

But Western diplomats say there has been a concrete policy change because they had previously had no problem visiting dual nationals in custody.

No Hong Kong official, including Lam, has publicly addressed whether any order has been made to more strictly enforce nationality rules.

But on Monday night, Britain's consulate changed its travel advice after it said it had been informed that "Hong Kong, like other parts of China, does not recognise dual nationality".

"If you have both British and Chinese nationality you may be treated as a Chinese citizen by local authorities, even if you enter Hong Kong on your British passport," the consulate warned.

"If this is the case, the British consulate may not be able to offer you consular assistance."

The apparent change comes as Beijing clashes with Western nations over its crackdown in the finance hub following huge and often violent democracy protests in 2019.

The change is most likely to effect ethnic Chinese dual citizens in Hong Kong.

READ: Nearly 11,000 Hong Kongers moved to Taiwan in 2020

Mainland China has even stricter dual citizenship laws where people are not allowed to own another country's passport, although many, especially wealthy elites, simply keep that ownership secret.

Last month, the UK began offering extended visas to holders of British National (Overseas) passports which all Hong Kong residents born before the 1997 handover are entitled to.

Beijing responded by announcing it would no longer recognise the passports.

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2021-02-09 07:25:13Z
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Myanmar police fire rubber bullets at anti-coup protesters - CNA

NAYPYIDAW: Security forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas at anti-coup protesters in Myanmar's capital on Tuesday (Feb 9), as demonstrators around the country defied a military ban on rallies.

Protests erupted for a fourth straight day against last week's coup to oust civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, despite a warning from the new junta that they would take action against demonstrations that threatened "stability".

In Naypyidaw, the remote capital purpose built by the previous military regime, witnesses said police fired rubber bullets at protesters after earlier blasting them with water cannon.

"They fired warning shots to the sky two times, then they fired (at protesters) with rubber bullets," a resident told AFP, adding that he saw some people injured.

An AFP reporter on the ground confirmed that shots had been fired.

In Mandalay, the country's second-biggest city, police fired tear gas to disperse protesters.

READ: Dozens arrested as Myanmar protesters defy military warnings; water cannon fired for a second day

READ: Martial law declared in parts of Myanmar as rallies heap pressure on coup leaders

After watching hundreds of thousands of people rally in opposition to last week's coup, junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing made a televised speech on Monday evening to justify seizing power.

The military has banned gatherings of more than five people in Yangon, the nation's commercial hub, as well as Naypyidaw and other areas across the country where major rallies have erupted, including the second biggest city Mandalay.

A nighttime curfew has also been imposed at the protest hotspot sites.

But on Tuesday, fresh protests emerged in various parts of Yangon, including near the headquarters of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained by the military.

On Tuesday, Myanmar's authorities extended areas where gatherings are restricted to more parts of the country, the military's information unit said

The areas where public gatherings of more than five people are banned and a curfew has been imposed include the commercial hub of Yangon, the capital Naypyidaw, as well as some towns in the Magwe region, Kachin state, Kayah state, Mon state and Shan State, the Facebook page of the military's True News information unit said.

READ: COVID-19 testing collapses in Myanmar after coup

READ: Placing sanctions on Myanmar military will work because it has worked in the past: UN expert

One witness told Reuters that demonstrators ran away as guns were fired into the air, but not in the direction of the crowd.

The witness said police had initially used water cannon and tried to push a large crowd back, but demonstrators responded with projectiles.

Footage on social media showed people running, with the sound of several gunshots in the distance.

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2021-02-09 07:59:07Z
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Senin, 08 Februari 2021

Placing sanctions on Myanmar military will work because it has worked in the past: UN expert - CNA

SINGAPORE: The Myanmar military still buckles under international pressure, even if it has said in the past that it is impervious to it, said the United Nations special rapporteur on Myanmar, Tom Andrews, on Monday (Feb 8).

Such pressure include economic and diplomatic sanctions and these work, Mr Andrews pointed out, "because they have worked".

"We know in the past, the military has said that they're impervious to international pressure ... But we've learned that that's not true. They do care, they do want to engage in the international economy," Mr Andrews told CNA.

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READ: Martial law declared in parts of Myanmar as rallies heap pressure on coup leaders

"They want to make money. They want to be prosperous. They understand the consequences of a country being in deep isolation as Myanmar was for so long," he added.

Mr Andrews was speaking about a week after the Myanmar military detained the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi as well as other senior officials from the National League for Democracy party.

It swiftly seized power after the arrests, which it said were in response to "election fraud", and imposed a one-year state of emergency.

READ: Young Myanmar residents get tattoos in show of resistance against military coup

On Feb 6, Sean Turnell, an Australian economic adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi, became the first known foreign national to be arrested since the coup.

Thousands have since taken to the streets of Myanmar to denounce the military regime, prompting the authorities to use force to quell the crowds, including firing water cannon at demonstrators gathered on a highway in capital Naypyidaw.

"The people of Myanmar now understand the difference as well," said Mr Andrews. "And they have no intention of going back. So, we have seen it work in the past. I think it could work again.

"I know that leaders around the world are discussing the application of a new round of economic sanctions. I think that's all to the good."

READ: Commentary: Myanmar military never had any intention of giving up power

Mr Andrews said it is important for there to be an "unmistakable signal" to the Myanmar military, "that anything and everything that they do, they will be held accountable".

The use of water cannon is a "distressing sign", said the UN expert.

"The use of violence by the military is unacceptable ... It must be stopped and the international community will do everything they can to protect the people and their fundamental human rights," he said.

"We are on the side of the protesters who are there on the streets, demonstrating for their future for their children and for their basic rights."

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2021-02-09 00:16:45Z
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Myanmar regime edges closer to crackdown after martial law declared in several cities - The Straits Times

BANGKOK - Martial law was imposed in several parts of Myanmar, including Yangon, on Monday night (Feb 8) after widespread protests against the military seizure of power on Feb 1.

Myanmar's military chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, made his first public address, trying to project himself as more a statesman and less a dictator.

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2021-02-08 17:36:25Z
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Rescuers search for about 170 missing after India glacier disaster, many believed trapped in tunnel - CNA

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2021-02-08 16:30:00Z
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Myanmar's military leader makes first national address since coup, vows free election - CNA

YANGON: Myanmar's junta leader on Monday (Feb 8) called on the public to prioritise facts and not feelings, and said an election would be held and power handed to the winning party, as anti-coup protests took place nationwide.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, in his first address since a coup a week ago, said the junta was different to previous military governments. Suitable ministers were selected, he said, adding that foreign policy would remain unchanged and countries would be encouraged to invest in Myanmar.

He reiterated there were irregularities in last year's election that were ignored and said no organisation was above the law. He made no mention of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Aung San Suu Kyi, along with dozens of other members of her National League of Democracy party, were detained by the military last week, ending a decade of partial civilian rule and triggering international condemnation.

She faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkies and is being held in police detention for investigation until Feb 15. Her lawyer said he has not been allowed to see her.

The military has already tried to justify their takeover on the grounds of election fraud - rejected by the election committee - and had promised a new poll.

Min Aung Hlaing reiterated that position in his address on Monday, saying the junta would form a "true and disciplined democracy" different to previous eras of military rule.

The election committee must be reformed, he said. He accused it of using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to prevent fair campaigning.

"We will have a multiparty election and we will hand the power to the one who wins in that election, according to the rules of democracy," he said.

He gave no time frame but the junta has said a state of emergency will last one year.

READ: Tens of thousands protest in Myanmar against military coup

Some government workers have joined doctors and teachers in rallying to the call for civil disobedience and strikes.

"We request government staff from all departments not to attend work from Monday," said activist Min Ko Naing, a veteran of the 1988 demonstrations that brought Suu Kyi to prominence.

Martial law was declared in parts of Mandalay, the country's second largest city, on Monday after hundreds of thousands rallied across the country against the coup and the military issued a stern warning against further protests.

The orders cover seven townships in Mandalay, banning people from protesting or gathering in groups of more than five, and a curfew will run from 8pm until 4am, the general administration department said in a statement.

A similar declaration has been made in a township in Ayeyarwaddy further south and announcements concerning other localities are expected to trickle out tonight.

"This order is applied until further notice," one Mandalay township statement said.

"Some people ... are behaving in a worrying way that can harm the safety of public and law enforcement. Such behaviours can affect stability, safety of people, law enforcement, and peaceful existence of villages and could create riots, that's why this order bans gathering, speaking in public, protest by using vehicles, rallies," the statement said.

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2021-02-08 15:22:30Z
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Myanmar's military leader makes first national address since coup, vows free election - CNA

He reiterated there were irregularities in last year's election that were ignored and said no organisation was above the law. He made no mention of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

She faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkies and is being held in police detention for investigation until Feb 15. Her lawyer said he has not been allowed to see her.

READ: Tens of thousands protest in Myanmar against military coup

A similar declaration has been made in a township in Ayeyarwaddy further south and announcements concerning other localities are expected to trickle out tonight.

"This order is applied until further notice," one Mandalay township statement said.

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