News Digest- Myanmar

India has to find a way to deal with Afghanistan and Myanmar – Livemint
On 15 August, as India was celebrating its 75th Independence Day, the Taliban completed its de facto takeover of Afghanistan by marching into Kabul and forcing the president of the internationally recognised government, Ashraf Ghani, to flee the country. Six months ago, on the other side of India, in a not-so-different fashion, the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) drove into Naypyitaw and arrested President Win Myint and state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi before declaring a state of emergency and taking charge of the country. Both were coups by unelected entities, accomplished by the barrel of the gun.

Mizoram: Security forces recover arms and ammunition from Lawngtlai near India-Myanmar border – Northeast Now
In a major successful operation against anti-national activities, Assam Rifles on Thursday recovered huge cache of arms, ammunition and other war-like stores in Mizoram’s southernmost Lawngtlai district near the Indo-Myanmar border, an Assam Rifles officer said. The officer said that the arms, ammunition and war-like stores were recovered from a forest near Hmawngbu village about 3 km north of the Indo-Myanmar border.

Singapore Says ‘Lines of Communication’ Open With Myanmar Junta—but to Say What? – The Irrawaddy
Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, foreign minister of Singapore, acknowledged that the city state is the largest foreign investor in Myanmar, but noted that the bulk of those investments were made when the National League for Democracy (NLD) was in charge, according to Reuters. Balakrishnan also stressed that investments from Singapore came about due to economic opportunity, not political pressure. “I am making the larger point that there will be investment flows when there is political stability. Now in the current situation, investment flows, I am sure, have dried up.”

CT law dismissals disappoint – BNI Online
Family members and lawyers say that the dismissal of those charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law in Arakan State has not been significant. The Arakan State military council has said it will withdraw the remaining cases filed under the Counter-Terrorism Law, but is awaiting the approval of the Central Committee for Counter-Terrorism.

India has to find a way to deal with Afghanistan and Myanmar – Livemint
On 15 August, as India was celebrating its 75th Independence Day, the Taliban completed its de facto takeover of Afghanistan by marching into Kabul and forcing the president of the internationally recognised government, Ashraf Ghani, to flee the country. Six months ago, on the other side of India, in a not-so-different fashion, the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) drove into Naypyitaw and arrested President Win Myint and state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi before declaring a state of emergency and taking charge of the country. Both were coups by unelected entities, accomplished by the barrel of the gun.

Mizoram: Security forces recover arms and ammunition from Lawngtlai near India-Myanmar border – Northeast Now
In a major successful operation against anti-national activities, Assam Rifles on Thursday recovered huge cache of arms, ammunition and other war-like stores in Mizoram’s southernmost Lawngtlai district near the Indo-Myanmar border, an Assam Rifles officer said. The officer said that the arms, ammunition and war-like stores were recovered from a forest near Hmawngbu village about 3 km north of the Indo-Myanmar border.

Singapore Says ‘Lines of Communication’ Open With Myanmar Junta—but to Say What? – The Irrawaddy
Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, foreign minister of Singapore, acknowledged that the city state is the largest foreign investor in Myanmar, but noted that the bulk of those investments were made when the National League for Democracy (NLD) was in charge, according to Reuters. Balakrishnan also stressed that investments from Singapore came about due to economic opportunity, not political pressure. “I am making the larger point that there will be investment flows when there is political stability. Now in the current situation, investment flows, I am sure, have dried up.”

CT law dismissals disappoint – BNI Online
Family members and lawyers say that the dismissal of those charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law in Arakan State has not been significant. The Arakan State military council has said it will withdraw the remaining cases filed under the Counter-Terrorism Law, but is awaiting the approval of the Central Committee for Counter-Terrorism.

Fighting Seen Intensifying in Myanmar as Junta Deploys Troops to Ethnic Controlled Territories – RFA
Fighting between Myanmar’s military and ethnic armed groups has ticked up in August and will intensify in coming days as the junta sends reinforcements to rebel-held territories in the embattled states of Kayah, Kayin, and Kachin, ethnic leaders said Wednesday.The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement on Aug. 17 that there are 205,260 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Myanmar, most of whom are in Kayin, Kayah, Shan and Chin states. The number does not include the recent list of around 3,000 new refugees in Kayah and Kayin states.They join more than 500,000 refugees from decades of conflict between the military and ethnic armies who were already counted as IDPs at the end of 2020, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, a Norwegian NGO.

Four Years After Massacres and Purge, Sympathy for the Rohingya Grows in Myanmar – RFA
Four years after the Myanmar military attacked ethnic Rohingya communities in the country’s western Rakhine state, burning villages, killing residents, and driving hundreds of thousands as refugees across the border with Bangladesh, sympathy has grown for the Muslim minority, sources in the country say.

European allies alarmed by UK’s ‘de facto recognition’ of Myanmar junta with new envoy – Independent
Britain’s decision to appoint a new ambassador to Myanmar in July has alarmed European allies who fear the move will result in a de facto recognition of the military regime that seized power on 1 February.

Russia to deliver Pantsir missile to Myanmar – RisingBD
Russia will deliver Pantsir air defense systems to Myanmar on schedule as outlined in the relevant sales contract, the Interfax news agency cited the head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation as saying on Wednesday.Rights activists have accused Moscow of legitimizing the junta, which seized power in a Feb. 1 coup, by continuing bilateral visits and arms deals.

Myanmar coup leader considers shift to electoral system favoured by military – Myanmar Now
Myanmar’s army chief said on Monday that he is considering changing the country’s electoral system from the existing majoritarian model and toward a form of Proportional Representation (PR). Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who ousted the country’s elected civilian administration in a coup on February 1, made the remarks during a meeting in Naypyitaw with members of his military council, according to state-run media.

Myanmar Chinese Chamber of Commerce launches vaccination program – Xinhuanet
Speaking at the vaccination program, Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar Yu Bianjiang said the new wave of COVID-19 in Myanmar has become intense and this program will bring benefit to the country and the people.According to the embassy’s release, a total of 700,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines will be delivered across the country under the program.

Myanmar Chinese Chamber of Commerce launches vaccination program – Xinhuanet
Speaking at the vaccination program, Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar Yu Bianjiang said the new wave of COVID-19 in Myanmar has become intense and this program will bring benefit to the country and the people.According to the embassy’s release, a total of 700,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines will be delivered across the country under the program.

Over 400,000 Myanmar Civil Servants Still on Strike Against Military Regime – The Irrawaddy
Over 400,000 civil servants have been on strike against the military regime since February, according to Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government (NUG).The NUG’s Planning and Finance Minister, U Tin Tun Naing, said on Tuesday that almost 410,000 government staff have “steadfastly joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) so far”.

Myanmar’s Junta Lacks the Tools Needed to Stabilize the Economy – The Irrawaddy
The economic downturn has become much worse in the previous two months. In July 2021, the World Bank released its bi-annual Myanmar Economic Monitor, in which it predicted Myanmar’s economy would contract by 18 percent at the end of this fiscal year in September due to the coup staged by the Myanmar military on Feb. 1 and the third wave of COVID-19.

Singapore FM Admits ASEAN ‘Not as Effective as Hoped’ on Myanmar – The Irrawaddy
Five months after its announcement in April of a five-point consensus on resolving the crisis in Myanmar, regional grouping ASEAN finally appointed Brunei’s second minister for foreign affairs Erywan Yusof as special envoy to the country early this month. But with Yusof yet to make his first visit to Naypyitaw as envoy, some ASEAN members are expressing frustration.

Japan refuses to issue visas for military-backed Myanmar diplomats – Japan Today
Japan has effectively refused to issue visas for two Myanmar military-appointed diplomats the junta seeks to send to Tokyo in place of two it fired in March, according to Japanese government sources. Japan allowing the two replacements to be posted to the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo would be tantamount to recognizing the Feb. 1 military coup that ousted the country’s elected government under civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar’s military has requested that Japan issue diplomatic visas for the two replacements. Japan has said it “is considering” the request but has yet to start issuance procedures, the sources said.

Australian Mining Company Sells Stake in Myanmar Project – The Irrawaddy
Australian mining company Myanmar Metals Limited (MYL) has divested its entire stake in a historic mining project in Myanmar’s northeast, saying the “political situation in Myanmar has undermined confidence of markets.” MYL said on Tuesday it had entered into binding agreements to dispose of its 51-percent stake in the Bawdwin project to its local partner Win Myint Mo Industries Co. Ltd. for a total of US$30 million.

COVID-19 Hits Myanmar Refugees in Thai IDP Camps – The Irrawaddy
Eight COVID-19 cases have been reported in two internally displaced persons (IDP) camps sheltering 20,000 refugees in Mae Hong Son Province in northern Thailand, according to the chairman of the Karen Refugee Committee, Saw Robert Htwe. Mae La Oon IDP camp has reported six cases, while Mae Ra Moe IDP camp reported two. “The victims are family members. The two camps are in close proximity,” said Saw Robert Htwe.

UNHCR report: Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, facing deadlier journeys in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea – UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, revealed today that 2020 was the deadliest year on record for refugee journeys in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many States in Southeast Asia to tighten their borders, leading to the highest numbers of refugees stranded at sea since the region’s “boat crisis” in 2015. UNHCR’s new report, titled “Left Adrift at Sea: Dangerous Journeys of Refugees Across the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea”, also highlights that some two-thirds of those attempting these perilous voyages are women and children.

Religious freedom in Myanmar and international law – Financial Express
The Office of International Religious Freedom has recently issued its 2020 report on observance of religious freedom in Myanmar. This has drawn the world’s attention given recent media coverage observing that friction between the Buddhist majority population and other ethnic and religious minorities is again on the rise in Myanmar.

Chinese FM suggests dealing with all parties in Myanmar in rational and pragmatic manner, building trust gradually – Eleven Myanmar
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has suggested dealing with all parties in Myanmar in a rational and pragmatic manner and building trust gradually, Xinhua news agency reported. He made the suggestion during a phone conversation with Haji Erywan, special envoy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to Myanmar and Brunei’s second minister of foreign affairs, over ties and the situation in Myanmar on August 18.

How Myanmar coup fuelled rise in illegal drugs trade – Financial Times
In a predawn operation on August 13, Thai police seized 1,000kg of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice”, alongside a highway in Hat Yai province in the south of the country. The seizure — with a street value of 300m Thai baht ($9m) — was one of several in recent weeks in Thailand and across south-east Asia that officials and analysts who track drug trafficking and addiction in the region are watching with growing alarm.

The Kachin Insurgency Could Deal a Heavy Blow to Myanmar’s Military Junta – The Diplomat
With the February 1 coup, the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s military, sought to turn back the clock on the country’s nascent democratization. They opened Pandora’s box instead. Between the nationwide protest movement paralyzing the economy and the entrenched insurgencies, challenges mount against the military.

Myanmar Junta Tells Troops to Be Combat Ready at All Times- The Irrawaddy
The regime’s crackdown on its opponents is expected to intensify in the coming days as the military junta has issued an order to its unit commanders and other senior officers to be combat ready. The instruction comes amid an increase in daily unrest, including killings and bombings by anti-regime civilian fighters against regime troops and their associates throughout the country.

Two more journalists arrested by Myanmar’s military junta – RSF
https://rsf.org/en/news/two-more-journalists-arrested-myanmars-military-junta-0