Selasa, 09 Maret 2021
Myanmar nun kneels before junta forces to plead for protesters' lives - CNA
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2021-03-09 13:40:54Z
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Second NLD official dies in custody as protests continue across Myanmar - CNA
YANGON: An official from deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) died in custody after he was arrested early on Tuesday (Mar 9), a former member of parliament said.
Ba Myo Thein, an MP of the dissolved upper house, told Reuters that the party official, Zaw Myat Linn, was arrested around 1.30am. He is the second official from the NLD to die in custody.
"Now, the relatives are trying to retrieve the body at the Military Hospital," he said.
Sporadic anti-junta protests on Tuesday were quickly snuffed out by Myanmar security forces, after hundreds of young activists who had been trapped overnight in a Yangon neighbourhood were able to get out.
Western powers and the United Nations had called on Myanmar's military rulers to allow the youngsters to leave after fears for their safety as troops moved in.
The army takeover and arrest of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb 1 has brought the Southeast Asian nation to a near-standstill. Daily protests are being staged across the country, and security forces are cracking down harshly.
READ: Myanmar protesters able to leave Yangon district after being trapped by security forces
More than 60 protesters have been killed and more than 1,800 detained, an advocacy group said.
Scattered protests were held in Yangon and other towns across Myanmar on Tuesday but were quickly broken up by security forces using tear gas and stun grenades.
At least two people were wounded, one by a gunshot, in the town of Mohnyin in the north, local media said.
READ: 3 protesters killed in Myanmar; shops and factories closed as workers go on strike
Thousands of people defied a night time curfew on Monday to take to the streets of Yangon in support of the youths in the Sanchaung district, where they had been holding a daily protest against the coup.
Police firing guns and using stun grenades announced on Monday they would check houses for anyone from outside the district and said they would punish anyone caught hiding them.
By nightfall, security forces had sealed off a block of streets in Yangon with around 200 protesters still inside, according to the UN rights office, prompting alarm from diplomatic missions and calls for their safe release.
Sharp loud bangs were heard coming from the area, although it was not clear if the sounds were caused by gunfire or stun grenades.
Security forces started searching apartments after a nightly Internet shutdown blanketed the country at 1am local time, residents told AFP, particularly those flying the red and gold flag of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party on their balconies.
One resident said her home - which did not have any protesters hiding inside - was searched.
"They searched every building on Kyun Taw road - they destroyed the locks of apartment buildings if they were locked downstairs," said the resident.
Youth activist Shar Ya Mone said she had been in a building with about 15 to 20 others, but had now been able to go home.
"There were many free car rides and people welcoming the protesters," Shar Ya Mone said by telephone.
She said she would keep demonstrating "until the dictatorship ends."
Another protester posted on social media that they had been able to leave the area at around 5am after security forces pulled out.
READ: Myanmar police fire on protesters in ancient former capital Bagan
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had called for "maximum restraint" and the safe release of all protesters without violence or arrests, a call echoed by the US and British embassies in Myanmar.
An advocacy rights group said around 50 people had been arrested in Sanchaung after police searched houses.
Sanchaung - a bustling township known for its cafes, bars and restaurants - has transformed since the protests began, with makeshift barricades of bamboo, sandbags, tables and barbed wire set up by protesters in an effort to slow security forces.
Tuesday morning saw brisk sales from food vendors on the streets.
"We need to finish selling our goods before 9am - there will be a crackdown again on the streets," said one.
A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment.
State television MRTV said earlier: "The government's patience has run out and while trying to minimise casualties in stopping riots, most people seek complete stability (and) are calling for more effective measures against riots."
AMBASSADOR IN LONDON BACKS PROTESTS
The United States criticised the junta after an announcement on Monday that five independent media companies had been stripped of their licences. The five - Mizzima, Myanmar Now, 7-Day, DVB and Khit Thit Media - have been active in covering protests against the coup.
"We have very strongly condemned the junta for the, in many cases, violent crackdowns on those peacefully taking to the streets and on those who are just doing their jobs, including independent journalists who have been swept up," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
READ: Drawing praise, Myanmar's ambassador to UK calls for release of Aung San Suu Kyi
READ: Unions call for total strike in Myanmar; NLD party official dies in custody
The Myanmar military has brushed off condemnation of its actions, as it has in past periods of army rule when outbreaks of protest were bloodily repressed.
This time it is also under pressure from a civil disobedience movement that has crippled government business and from strikes at banks, factories and shops that have shut much of Yangon this week.
In a diplomatic blow to the junta, Myanmar's ambassador in Britain followed its UN representative in calling on Monday for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, drawing praise from British foreign minister Dominic Raab.
Britain, the United States and some other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the junta.
The European Union is preparing to widen its sanctions to target army-run businesses, according to diplomats and two internal documents seen by Reuters.
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2021-03-09 12:11:15Z
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Sporadic protests in Myanmar after hundreds escape overnight security siege - CNA
YANGON: Myanmar security forces quickly snuffed out sporadic anti-junta protests on Tuesday (Mar 9) after hundreds of young activists who had been trapped overnight in a Yangon neighbourhood were able to get out.
Western powers and the United Nations had called on Myanmar's military rulers to allow the youngsters to leave after fears for their safety as troops moved in.
The army takeover and arrest of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb 1 has brought the Southeast Asian nation to a near-standstill. Daily protests are being staged across the country, and security forces are cracking down harshly.
READ: Myanmar protesters able to leave Yangon district after being trapped by security forces
More than 60 protesters have been killed and more than 1,800 detained, an advocacy group said.
Scattered protests were held in Yangon and other towns across Myanmar on Tuesday but were quickly broken up by security forces using tear gas and stun grenades.
At least two people were wounded, one by a gunshot, in the town of Mohnyin in the north, local media said.
READ: 3 protesters killed in Myanmar; shops and factories closed as workers go on strike
Thousands of people defied a night time curfew on Monday to take to the streets of Yangon in support of the youths in the Sanchaung district, where they had been holding a daily protest against the coup.
Police firing guns and using stun grenades announced on Monday they would check houses for anyone from outside the district and said they would punish anyone caught hiding them.
By nightfall, security forces had sealed off a block of streets in Yangon with around 200 protesters still inside, according to the UN rights office, prompting alarm from diplomatic missions and calls for their safe release.
Sharp loud bangs were heard coming from the area, although it was not clear if the sounds were caused by gunfire or stun grenades.
Security forces started searching apartments after a nightly Internet shutdown blanketed the country at 1am local time, residents told AFP, particularly those flying the red and gold flag of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party on their balconies.
One resident said her home - which did not have any protesters hiding inside - was searched.
"They searched every building on Kyun Taw road - they destroyed the locks of apartment buildings if they were locked downstairs," said the resident.
Youth activist Shar Ya Mone said she had been in a building with about 15 to 20 others, but had now been able to go home.
"There were many free car rides and people welcoming the protesters," Shar Ya Mone said by telephone.
She said she would keep demonstrating "until the dictatorship ends."
Another protester posted on social media that they had been able to leave the area at around 5am after security forces pulled out.
READ: Myanmar police fire on protesters in ancient former capital Bagan
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had called for "maximum restraint" and the safe release of all protesters without violence or arrests, a call echoed by the US and British embassies in Myanmar.
An advocacy rights group said around 50 people had been arrested in Sanchaung after police searched houses.
Sanchaung - a bustling township known for its cafes, bars and restaurants - has transformed since the protests began, with makeshift barricades of bamboo, sandbags, tables and barbed wire set up by protesters in an effort to slow security forces.
Tuesday morning saw brisk sales from food vendors on the streets.
"We need to finish selling our goods before 9am - there will be a crackdown again on the streets," said one.
A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment.
State television MRTV said earlier: "The government's patience has run out and while trying to minimise casualties in stopping riots, most people seek complete stability (and) are calling for more effective measures against riots."
AMBASSADOR IN LONDON BACKS PROTESTS
The United States criticised the junta after an announcement on Monday that five independent media companies had been stripped of their licences. The five - Mizzima, Myanmar Now, 7-Day, DVB and Khit Thit Media - have been active in covering protests against the coup.
"We have very strongly condemned the junta for the, in many cases, violent crackdowns on those peacefully taking to the streets and on those who are just doing their jobs, including independent journalists who have been swept up," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
READ: Drawing praise, Myanmar's ambassador to UK calls for release of Aung San Suu Kyi
READ: Unions call for total strike in Myanmar; NLD party official dies in custody
The Myanmar military has brushed off condemnation of its actions, as it has in past periods of army rule when outbreaks of protest were bloodily repressed.
This time it is also under pressure from a civil disobedience movement that has crippled government business and from strikes at banks, factories and shops that have shut much of Yangon this week.
In a diplomatic blow to the junta, Myanmar's ambassador in Britain followed its UN representative in calling on Monday for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, drawing praise from British foreign minister Dominic Raab.
Britain, the United States and some other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the junta.
The European Union is preparing to widen its sanctions to target army-run businesses, according to diplomats and two internal documents seen by Reuters.
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2021-03-09 10:35:24Z
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Senin, 08 Maret 2021
Myanmar security forces trap protesters as UN and US urge restraint - CNA
YANGON: Myanmar security forces cornered hundreds of young protesters overnight in a district of Yangon and threatened to hunt for them door to door as the United States and United Nations appealed for them to be allowed to leave.
Thousands of people defied a night time curfew to take to the streets of Myanmar's main city in support of the youths in the Sanchaung district, where they had been holding the latest daily protest against the Feb 1 coup.
The army takeover and arrest of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi has plunged Myanmar into chaos. Security forces have killed over 60 protesters and detained more than 1,800 since then, an advocacy group said.
In Sanchaung, police firing guns and using stun grenades announced they would check houses for anyone from outside the district and would punish anyone caught hiding them.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "calls for maximum restraint and urges for the safe release of all without violence or arrests," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
The UN office in Myanmar as well as the US and British embassies appealed to security forces to allow protesters to leave without violence or arrest.
There was no sign of them withdrawing. On Facebook, residents and the local MTK news service posted that as of the early hours of Tuesday 20 people had been arrested in Sanchaung after police searched houses.
Elsewhere in Yangon, thousands of people defied an 8pm curfew, chanting "Free the students in Sanchaung", prompting security forces to fire guns and use stun grenades to try to disperse them.
A military government spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment.
State television MRTV earlier said: "The government's patience has run out and while trying to minimise casualties in stopping riots, most people seek complete stability (and) are calling for more effective measures against riots."
Three protesters were killed in demonstrations in northern Myanmar and the Irrawaddy Delta on Monday, according to witnesses and local media.
DOORS BROKEN
In the Lanmadaw district of Yangon, residents said security forces broke down doors in overnight arrest raids after youths there said they had caught some suspected soldiers transporting weapons in a private car.
"Please help, my door is being broken," one woman posted on Facebook. Twenty minutes later she said her father and uncle had been taken away. She did not know where.
Demonstrations have been held daily for more than a month to demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and respect for the election her National League for Democracy (NLD) party won last November.
The army took power citing fraud in the ballot - an accusation rejected by the electoral commission. It has promised another election, but without giving a date.
The military has brushed off condemnation of its actions, as it has in past periods of army rule when outbreaks of protest were bloodily repressed.
READ: Australia halts defence ties with Myanmar, redirects aid
This time it is also under pressure from a civil disobedience movement that has crippled government business and from strikes at banks, factories and shops that shut much of Yangon on Monday.
In a diplomatic blow to the military government, Myanmar's ambassador in Britain followed its UN representative in calling on Monday for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi - drawing praise from British foreign minister Dominic Raab.
Britain, the United States and some other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the military government.
The European Union is preparing to widen its sanctions to target army-run businesses, according to diplomats and two internal documents seen by Reuters.
Thailand's state broadcaster PBS said areas had been set aside along the border with Myanmar to house any refugees fleeing the unrest.
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2021-03-08 21:16:21Z
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3 protesters killed in Myanmar; shops and factories closed as workers go on strike - CNA
YANGON: Three protesters were killed in Myanmar on Monday (Mar 8), witnesses said, as demonstrators across the country sought to paralyse the economy with strike action following a weekend of night raids and arrests.
Shops, factories and banks were closed in the main city of Yangon.
Photos posted on Facebook showed the bodies of two men lying on the street in the northern town of Myitkyina. Witnesses said they were taking part in a protest when police fired stun grenades and tear gas. Several people were then hit by gunfire from buildings nearby.
One witness, who said he helped move the bodies, told Reuters two people were shot in the head and died on the spot. Three people were injured.
"How inhumane to kill unarmed civilians," said the witness, a 20-year-old man. "We must have our right to protest peacefully."
It was not immediately clear who fired on the protesters although both police and the military were at the protest, the witnesses said.
At least one person was killed and two injured during a protest in the town of Phyar Pon in the Irrawaddy Delta, a political activist and local media said.
Police and military have killed more than 50 people to quell daily demonstrations and strikes against the Feb 1 coup, according to the United Nations last week.
A military spokesman did not respond to calls asking for comment on the latest incidents. Police in Myitkyina and Phyar Pon also did not respond to calls.
Crowds demonstrating against the coup gathered in Yangon as well as the second-biggest city, Mandalay and several other towns, according to videos posted on Facebook.
Protesters in Dawei, a coastal town in the south, were protected by the Karen National Union, an ethnic armed group engaged in a long-running war with the military.
Protesters waved flags fashioned from htamain (women's sarongs) in some places or hung them up on lines across the street to mark International Women's Day while denouncing the junta. Walking beneath women's sarongs is traditionally considered bad luck for men and tends to slow down police and soldiers.
State media said security forces were keeping a presence at hospitals and universities as part of efforts to enforce the law.
At least nine unions covering sectors including construction, agriculture and manufacturing have called on "all Myanmar people" to stop work to reverse the coup and restore Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government.
Allowing business and economic activity to continue would help the military "as they repress the energy of the Myanmar people", the unions said in a statement.
"The time to take action in defence of our democracy is now."
READ: Body of 'Everything will be OK' protester exhumed in Myanmar
'FIGHT THAT FEAR'
Unions are seeking to extend the impact of an ongoing "Civil Disobedience Movement" - a campaign urging civil servants to boycott working under military rule - which has already hit state machinery hard.
The impact has been felt at every level of the national infrastructure, with hospital disruptions, empty ministry offices, and banks unable to operate.
The junta has warned that civil servants "will be fired" with immediate effect Monday if they continue to strike.
Only a few small tea-shops were open in Yangon, witnesses said. Major shopping centres were closed and there was no work going on at factories.
Protest leader Maung Saungkha on Facebook urged women to come out strongly against the coup on Monday, while Nay Chi, one of the organisers of the sarong movement, described the women as "revolutionaries".
"Our people are unarmed but wise. They try to rule with fear, but we will fight that fear," she told Reuters.
In a statement on Monday, the military said it had arrested 41 people the previous day.
An official and local campaign manager from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) Khin Maung Latt died in police custody on Sunday.
Ba Myo Thein, a deposed lawmaker, said reports of bruising to Khin Maung Latt's head and body raised suspicions that he had been "tortured severely".
Police in the Pabedan district of Yangon, where Khin Maung Latt was arrested on Saturday night, declined to comment. A spokesman for the military did not answer calls seeking comment.
The army has said it is dealing with protests lawfully.
READ: Australia halts defence ties with Myanmar, redirects aid
READ: Boyfriend of Myanmar protest 'martyr' vows resistance
Figures by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group showed nearly 1,800 people have been detained under the junta as of Sunday.
An announcement by the military carried on the front page of the State-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Monday threatened unspecified "action" against anyone who directly or indirectly works for a committee of ousted lawmakers that has declared itself the country's legitimate authority.
The announcement said the committee was illegal and had committed "high treason". A separate report said the military and police were "maintaining" hospitals and universities.
The killings have drawn anger in the West and been condemned by most democracies in Asia.
The United States and some other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the junta and Australia on Sunday cut defence ties, saying it would only deal with non-government groups in Myanmar.
Myanmar's giant neighbour China said on Sunday it was prepared to engage with "all parties" to ease the crisis and was not taking sides.
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2021-03-08 13:07:30Z
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Thailand to cut COVID-19 quarantine period for vaccinated travellers - CNA
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- Thailand to cut COVID-19 quarantine period for vaccinated travellers CNA
- Thailand backs Covid-19 vaccine passport plan ahead of wider reopening The Straits Times
- Thailand: Anti-Government protesters return to streets, defying ban on public gathering The Star Online
- Thai protesters rally to demand release of detained leaders The Straits Times
- Thailand to reduce quarantine period for vaccinated travellers The Star Online
- View Full coverage on Google News
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2021-03-08 10:43:49Z
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2 protesters killed in Myanmar, shops and factories closed - CNA
Two protesters were killed by gunshot wounds to the head in Myanmar on Monday (Mar 8), witnesses said, while shops, factories and banks were closed in the main city Yangon as part of the uprising against the country's military rulers.
Photos posted on Facebook showed the bodies of two men lying on the street in the northern town of Myitkyina. Witnesses said they were taking part in a protest when police fired stun grenades and tear gas. Several people were then hit by gunfire from buildings nearby.
One witness, who said he helped move the bodies, told Reuters two people were shot in the head and died on the spot. Three people were injured.
"How inhumane to kill unarmed civilians," said the witness, a 20-year-old man. "We must have our right to protest peacefully."
It was not immediately clear who fired on the protesters although both police and the military were at the protest, the witnesses said.
Police and military have killed more than 50 people to quell daily demonstrations and strikes against the Feb 1 coup, according to the United Nations last week.
Crowds demonstrating against the coup gathered in Yangon as well as the second-biggest city, Mandalay and several other towns, according to videos posted on Facebook. Protesters in Dawei, a coastal town in the south, were protected by the Karen National Union, an ethnic armed group engaged a long-running war with the military.
Protesters waved flags fashioned from htamain (women's sarongs) in some places or hung them up on lines across the street to mark International Women's Day while denouncing the junta. Walking beneath women's sarongs is traditionally considered bad luck for men and tends to slow down police and soldiers.
State media said security forces were keeping a presence at hospitals and universities as part of efforts to enforce the law.
At least nine unions covering sectors including construction, agriculture and manufacturing have called on "all Myanmar people" to stop work to reverse the coup and restore Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government.
Allowing business and economic activity to continue would help the military "as they repress the energy of the Myanmar people", the unions said in a statement.
"The time to take action in defence of our democracy is now."
READ: Body of 'Everything will be OK' protester exhumed in Myanmar
'FIGHT THAT FEAR'
Only a few small tea-shops were open in Yangon, witnesses said. Major shopping centres were closed and there was no work going on at factories.
Protest leader Maung Saungkha on Facebook urged women to come out strongly against the coup on Monday, while Nay Chi, one of the organisers of the sarong movement, described the women as "revolutionaries".
"Our people are unarmed but wise. They try to rule with fear, but we will fight that fear," she told Reuters.
In a statement on Monday, the military said it had arrested 41 people the previous day.
An official and local campaign manager from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) Khin Maung Latt died in police custody on Sunday.
Ba Myo Thein, a deposed lawmaker, said reports of bruising to Khin Maung Latt's head and body raised suspicions that he had been "tortured severely".
Police in the Pabedan district of Yangon, where Khin Maung Latt was arrested on Saturday night, declined to comment. A spokesman for the military did not answer calls seeking comment.
The army has said it is dealing with protests lawfully.
READ: Australia halts defence ties with Myanmar, redirects aid
READ: Boyfriend of Myanmar protest 'martyr' vows resistance
Figures by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group showed nearly 1,800 people have been detained under the junta as of Sunday.
An announcement by the military carried on the front page of the State-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Monday threatened unspecified "action" against anyone who directly or indirectly works for a committee of ousted lawmakers that has declared itself the country's legitimate authority.
The announcement said the committee was illegal and had committed "high treason". A separate report said the military and police were "maintaining" hospitals and universities.
The killings have drawn anger in the West and been condemned by most democracies in Asia.
The United States and some other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the junta and Australia on Sunday cut defence ties, saying it would only deal with non-government groups in Myanmar.
Myanmar's giant neighbour China said on Sunday it was prepared to engage with "all parties" to ease the crisis and was not taking sides.
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2021-03-08 07:52:30Z
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