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Minggu, 01 Agustus 2021

Myanmar junta chief names himself prime minister, says will cooperate with Asean - The Straits Times

BANGKOK - Myanmar's military junta on Sunday (Aug 1) declared itself caretaker government of the embattled country, with chief Min Aung Hlaing named as prime minister.

The announcement will likely raise the stakes as Asean foreign ministers hold a virtual meeting on Monday to find the way forward in Myanmar's six-month-old political and humanitarian crisis.

Although Asean has not officially recognised the junta, its representatives have been taking part in official Asean meetings. Similar access has not been given to leaders of the rival National Unity Government which includes elected lawmakers ousted by the Feb 1 military coup.

In a 50-minute speech broadcast over state media on Sunday, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing - dressed in a traditional jacket instead of a military uniform - promised to hold a "free and fair" election and lift the current state of emergency by August 2023. He claims the November 2020 election that re-elected the National League for Democracy (NLD) government was fraudulent.

The military chief also said: "Myanmar is ready to work on Asean cooperation within the Asean framework, including the dialogue with the special Asean envoy of Myanmar."

Earlier, he appeared to have dismissed a five-point consensus on the Myanmar crisis hammered out by Asean leaders in April. The junta said it would cooperate with Asean only if the steps proposed complemented its road map.

Since April, Asean has struggled to pick a special envoy to facilitate a dialogue among Myanmar's political stakeholders.

Gen Min Aung Hlaing said on Sunday that his administration had chosen former Thai deputy foreign minister Virasakdi Futrakul, one of the nominees for the role, "but for various reasons the new proposals were released and we could not keep moving onward".

Other nominees were reportedly former Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda, Brunei's second foreign affairs minister Erywan Yusof and veteran Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail.

Myanmar's healthcare system, already debilitated by medical workers' strikes and military reprisals on dissidents, has been overwhelmed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Officially, the country logged 4,725 new cases on Saturday. But its death toll reached 392 - triple that of neighbouring Thailand, which is logging four times as many new infections.

Given the severe constraints on the testing capacities within Myanmar, medical experts said the country's real Covid-19 caseload is far higher. Many patients are being treated at home by volunteer doctors and charity workers, who told The Straits Times they have to work discreetly to evade arrest.

Meanwhile, violent military crackdowns on people opposing the coup have spawned "people's defence forces" which are waging localised insurgencies against the junta. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, at least 940 people have been killed by the junta since the coup.

The numbers are disputed by Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who blamed "NLD extremists" on Sunday for inciting healthcare workers to turn against the state. He alleged that people were committing "bioterrorism" by spreading fake news about Covid-19.

The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, comprising a group of international experts working on human rights in the country, has called for international humanitarian intervention in Myanmar.

"The makeshift efforts to ease the plight of people crossing into Thailand and India are far from being able to roll back the epicentre of the pandemic within the country, which needs to be the primary strategic objective of massive regional and international action," said council member Marzuki Darusman in a statement released on July 22.

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2021-08-01 12:57:36Z
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Malaysia's opposition MPs to attend Parliament despite postponement - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - All eyes will be on Malaysia's Parliament on Monday (Aug 2) after opposition lawmakers insisted they would still turn up at the Lower House despite the special sitting being postponed by the Muhyiddin Yassin administration, amid an open row between the premier and the palace.

The opposition has decried the adjournment, to an unspecified date, as "ridiculous".

"Opposition MPs from Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Parti Amanah Negara will be going to Parliament tomorrow," DAP lawmaker Teo Nie Ching told The Straits Times on Sunday, referring to the component parties of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.

"Clearly, the Prime Minister is fearful of Parliament debating the King's public statement and that a majority of MPs will express full support for the King against the Prime Minister. Or he is afraid that a majority of MPs will show their loss of confidence in him, following the loss of confidence in his leadership by the King," DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng wrote in a letter to the Malaysiakini news website on Sunday.

"We shall be there tomorrow in Parliament," he added.

Monday's session was called off after 11 Covid-19 cases were discovered among Parliament attendees.

Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Sunday denied that the postponement was due to politics, insisting it was based on science and health data.

"The Health Ministry issued an advice for Parliament to be adjourned, and we follow (the advice) because this is an issue that involves lives," Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

The move comes amid an open row between Tan Sri Muhyiddin and the King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, over the government's unilateral decision to cancel emergency ordinances instead of discussing them in Parliament as directed by the King.

The postponement is seen by government critics as an attempt to scupper calls for the Prime Minister to resign.

Mr Lim said: "When factories are closed because Covid-19 positive cases are detected, the factories reopen after two days and proper sanitisation. Why was sanitisation not done last Friday so that Parliament can reopen on Monday?"

Another opposition MP, Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, who heads the Muda party, tweeted on Saturday: "I will still go to Parliament this Monday. You want to stop me, then stop me. I am not afraid."

The PH presidential council also issued a statement on Saturday indicating that its MPs, who represent 88 of the 222 parliamentary seats, would be there.

"No matter what happens, MPs cannot be stopped from attending Parliament on Monday to fulfil their duties and responsibilities to the people and the country, and fulfil our oaths to defend the Federal Constitution," said the statement, signed by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and Mr Lim.

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2021-08-01 10:02:15Z
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Chinese cities test millions as Covid-19 cases surge - The Straits Times

BEIJING (AFP) - Chinese cities rolled out mass testing of millions of people and imposed fresh travel restrictions as the health authorities battled on Sunday (Aug 1) to contain the country's most widespread coronavirus outbreak in months.

China on Sunday reported 75 new coronavirus cases with 53 local transmissions, with a cluster linked to an eastern airport now reported to have spread to over 20 cities and more than a dozen provinces.

The outbreak is geographically the largest to hit China in several months, after the country's successes in largely snuffing out the pandemic within its borders in 2020.

That record has been thrown into jeopardy after the fast-spreading Delta variant broke out at Nanjing airport in eastern Jiangsu province in July 2021.

The authorities have now conducted three rounds of testing on the city's 9.2 million residents and placed hundreds of thousands under lockdown, in an effort to curb an outbreak Beijing has blamed on the highly-contagious Delta variant and peak tourist season.

Officials are now scrambling to track people nationwide who recently travelled from Nanjing or Zhangjiajie, a tourist city in Hunan province which has locked down all 1.5 million residents and shut all tourist attractions.

Fresh cases were reported on Sunday on Hainan island - another popular tourist destination - as well as in the Ningxia region and Shandong province, the authorities said.

The country is also battling a separate rise in cases in the flood-ravaged city of Zhengzhou in Henan province, after two cleaners at a hospital treating coronavirus patients coming from abroad tested positive.

Twenty-seven locally transmitted cases have been detected, with the authorities on Sunday ordering mass testing of all 10 million residents. The head of the city's health commission has also been sacked.

And after reports that some people sickened in the latest cluster were vaccinated, health officials have said this is "normal" and stressed the importance of vaccination alongside strict measures.

"The Covid-19 vaccine's protection against the Delta variant may have somewhat declined, but the current vaccine still has a good preventative and protective effect against the Delta variant," said Dr Feng Zijian, a virologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 1.6 billion vaccine doses have so far been administered nationwide as of Friday, Beijing's National Health Commission said. It does not provide figures on how many people have been fully vaccinated.

Chinese cities test millions as COVID-19 cases surge - CNA

BEIJING: Chinese cities rolled out mass testing of millions of people and imposed fresh travel restrictions as health authorities battled Sunday (Aug 1) to contain the country's most widespread coronavirus outbreak in months.

The outbreak is geographically the largest to hit China in several months after the country's successes in largely snuffing out the pandemic within its borders last year.

That record has been thrown into jeopardy after the fast-spreading Delta variant broke out at Nanjing airport in eastern Jiangsu province in July.

Authorities have now conducted three rounds of testing on the city's 9.2 million residents and placed hundreds of thousands under lockdown, in an effort to curb an outbreak Beijing has blamed on the highly-contagious Delta variant and the peak tourist season.

Fresh cases were reported Sunday in Hainan island - another popular tourist destination - as well as Ningxia and Shandong provinces, authorities said.

The country is also battling a separate rise in cases in the flood-ravaged city of Zhengzhou in Henan province after two cleaners at a hospital treating coronavirus patients coming from abroad tested positive.

Twenty-seven locally transmitted cases have been detected, with authorities on Sunday ordering mass testing of all 10 million residents. The head of the city's health commission has also been sacked.

And after reports that some people sickened in the latest cluster were vaccinated, health officials have said this was "normal" and stressed the importance of vaccination alongside strict measures.

"The COVID-19 vaccine's protection against the Delta variant may have somewhat declined, but the current vaccine still has a good preventative and protective effect against the Delta variant," said Feng Zijian, virologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 1.6 billion vaccine doses have so far been administered nationwide as of Friday, Beijing's National Health Commission (NHC) said. It does not provide figures on how many people have been fully vaccinated.

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2021-08-01 07:40:26Z
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Myanmar military ruler promises elections, says ready to work with ASEAN - CNA

BANGKOK: Myanmar's military ruler Min Aung Hlaing on Sunday (Aug 1) again promised new multi-party elections and said his government is ready to work with any special envoy named by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

He also said a state of emergency would lifted by August 2023, extending the military's initial timeline given when it deposed Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb 1.

He spoke in a televised address six months after the army seized power from a civilian government after disputed elections won by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's ruling party, which he described as "terrorists".

"We will accomplish the provisions of the state of emergency by August 2023," he said.

"I pledge to hold multiparty elections without fail."

The general's announcement would place Myanmar in the military's grip for nearly two-and-a-half-years - instead of the initial one-year timeline the junta announced days after the coup.

"Myanmar is ready to work on ASEAN cooperation within the ASEAN framework including the dialogue with the ASEAN Special Envoy in Myanmar," Min Aung Hlaing added.

READ: What's happening in Myanmar, six months after the coup?

The army seized power from the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi after her ruling party won elections that the military argued were tainted by fraud. The country's electoral commission dismissed this allegation.

Across Myanmar small groups of demonstrators marched on Sunday.

Protesters in the northern town of Kale held banners reading "strength for the revolution" while demonstrators let off flares at a march in the commercial capital Yangon.

Tens of thousands of civil servants and other workers have either been sacked for joining rallies or are still on strike in support of a nationwide civil disobedience campaign.

ASEAN MEETING

ASEAN foreign ministers are to meet on Monday, when diplomats say they aim to finalise a special envoy tasked with ending violence and promoting dialogue between the junta and its opponents.

The United Nations, China and the United States, among others, have identified the Southeast Asian bloc, whose 10 members include Myanmar, as best placed to lead diplomatic efforts to restore stability in Myanmar.

The Southeast Asian nation has been racked by a deadly crackdown on protests, economic collapse and a refugee exodus since the coup. A surge in coronavirus infections has overwhelmed Myanmar's health system, worsening the humanitarian crisis in the past month.

READ: US top diplomat Blinken to court Southeast Asia in virtual meetings next week

READ: Commentary - Myanmar is turning into a super-spreader COVID-19 state

The search for a special envoy began in April, when ASEAN leaders produced a "five-point consensus" to tackle the turmoil in Myanmar.

The UN and US have both urged ASEAN to expedite appointment of the special envoy in recent weeks.

The second minister for foreign affairs of Brunei, Erywan Yusof, said on Friday night he hoped a final decision would be made on Monday. Brunei is chair of ASEAN this year.

"Without the envoy leading the way, it is very difficult" to address the situation in Myanmar, he said.

ASEAN has been deeply divided on the envoy, and discussed appointing more than one to break the deadlock.

READ: Myanmar democracy movement moves out of jailed Aung San Suu Kyi's shadow

ENVOY ROLE

Four regional diplomatic sources said Erywan was favoured to become envoy and be assisted by "advisers". But a meeting of senior ASEAN officials on Thursday failed to reach agreement, they said.

As well as the nine other ASEAN members, Myanmar's military regime will have to approve the appointment, they said.

A spokesman for Myanmar's National Unity Government which opposes the military junta, Sasa, said the envoy must "put the people of Myanmar front and centre".

"Anything that can help alleviate the people's suffering is welcome," he said.

Erywan publicly confirmed he was one of four candidates. Diplomats said the others were Thailand's deputy foreign minister Weerasak Footrakul, former Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda and veteran Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail.

ASEAN will also announce a proposal to provide aid to Myanmar, including support to combat the pandemic, diplomats said.

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2021-08-01 06:00:00Z
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Sabtu, 31 Juli 2021

What's happening in Myanmar, six months after the coup? - CNA

BANGKOK: Myanmar has endured six months of turmoil since the military deposed Aung San Suu Kyi's government and ended the country's decade-old experiment with democracy.

The junta has consolidated its position after a lethal crackdown on street protests, which have continued in a limited form despite the violence.

AFP takes a look at the current state of play inside Myanmar:

- What's happened since the coup?

The military has killed almost 1,000 people in a running crackdown on dissent, a local monitoring group says, with thousands more arrested.

Tens of thousands of civil servants and other workers have either been sacked for joining protests or are still on strike in support of a nationwide civil disobedience campaign.

READ: Myanmar military ruler promises elections, says ready to work with ASEAN

A coronavirus outbreak has overwhelmed the healthcare system, with many hospitals empty due to a work boycott by pro-democracy medical staff.

"The country has fallen into chaos and is close to complete collapse," Manny Maung of Human Rights Watch told AFP.

- Are people still protesting?

Yes, but in nothing like the numbers seen in February and March, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets around the country.

Police informers are always on the lookout, and protesters have been snatched by plainclothes officers AFP/STR

Young demonstrators in the commercial capital Yangon hold regular morning flash mobs, jogging through the streets to chant slogans and sometimes set off flares.

But even these are getting more and more dangerous - police informers are always on the lookout, and protesters have been snatched by plainclothes officers.

- Is anyone fighting back?

Several of Myanmar's powerful ethnic rebel groups opposed the coup and have since clashed with the military.

Fighters from the Karen National Union - which has offered shelter to fleeing dissidents - attacked and razed a military base in May.

READ: Myanmar democracy movement moves out of jailed Aung San Suu Kyi's shadow

People are still protesting against Myanmar's junta, but in nothing like the numbers seen in the early weeks after the coup AFP/STR

Another group near the Chinese border has also fought sporadic battles against the armed forces.

The junta hit back at both with air strikes.

Civilian guerilla groups have also taken on the military in urban neighbourhoods, often with rudimentary or homemade weapons and almost no training.

- What has the international community done?

The United States, European Union and United Kingdom have ramped up sanctions on the junta and business linked to the military.

But the generals are used to international isolation after weathering sanctions during a previous military regime.

UN experts have accused the junta of committing crimes against humanity but has so far only imposed a non-binding resolution to "prevent the flow of arms" into Myanmar.

- What has happened to Aung San Suu Kyi?

Suu Kyi, 76, has barely been seen since the generals ousted her government and placed her under house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw.

They later brought an eclectic mix of charges against her, including illegally importing walkie-talkies and flouting coronavirus restrictions.

She could face over a decade in jail if convicted on all counts.

- What does the future hold?

Backed by allies Russia and China, and outgunning pro-democracy protesters and rebel groups, the junta looks to have consolidated its position despite continuing resistance to military rule.

It has claimed plans to stage new elections at an unspecified point in the future.

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2021-08-01 04:36:36Z
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Myanmar military ruler promises elections, says ready to work with ASEAN - CNA

He also said a state of emergency would lifted by August 2023, extending the military's initial timeline given when it deposed Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb 1.

"We will accomplish the provisions of the state of emergency by August 2023," he said.

"I pledge to hold multiparty elections without fail."

The general's announcement would place Myanmar in the military's grip for nearly two-and-a-half-years - instead of the initial one-year timeline the junta announced days after the coup.

"Myanmar is ready to work on ASEAN cooperation within the ASEAN framework including the dialogue with the ASEAN Special Envoy in Myanmar," Min Aung Hlaing added.

READ: What's happening in Myanmar, six months after the coup?

Across Myanmar small groups of demonstrators marched on Sunday.

Protesters in the northern town of Kale held banners reading "strength for the revolution" while demonstrators let off flares at a march in the commercial capital Yangon.

Tens of thousands of civil servants and other workers have either been sacked for joining rallies or are still on strike in support of a nationwide civil disobedience campaign.

ASEAN MEETING

ASEAN foreign ministers are to meet on Monday, when diplomats say they aim to finalise a special envoy tasked with ending violence and promoting dialogue between the junta and its opponents.

READ: US top diplomat Blinken to court Southeast Asia in virtual meetings next week

READ: Commentary - Myanmar is turning into a super-spreader COVID-19 state

The search for a special envoy began in April, when ASEAN leaders produced a "five-point consensus" to tackle the turmoil in Myanmar.

The UN and US have both urged ASEAN to expedite appointment of the special envoy in recent weeks.

The second minister for foreign affairs of Brunei, Erywan Yusof, said on Friday night he hoped a final decision would be made on Monday. Brunei is chair of ASEAN this year.

"Without the envoy leading the way, it is very difficult" to address the situation in Myanmar, he said.

ASEAN has been deeply divided on the envoy, and discussed appointing more than one to break the deadlock.

READ: Myanmar democracy movement moves out of jailed Aung San Suu Kyi's shadow

ENVOY ROLE

Four regional diplomatic sources said Erywan was favoured to become envoy and be assisted by "advisers". But a meeting of senior ASEAN officials on Thursday failed to reach agreement, they said.

As well as the nine other ASEAN members, Myanmar's military regime will have to approve the appointment, they said.

A spokesman for Myanmar's National Unity Government which opposes the military junta, Sasa, said the envoy must "put the people of Myanmar front and centre".

"Anything that can help alleviate the people's suffering is welcome," he said.

ASEAN will also announce a proposal to provide aid to Myanmar, including support to combat the pandemic, diplomats said.

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Minggu, 01 Agustus 2021

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Sabtu, 31 Juli 2021