Tag Archives: Kuki-Chin

Neighborhood News Digest – 22 February 2023

Afghanistan
Top Kashmir jihad commander who led Indian suicide bombers in Afghan IS attacks believed killed – The Print

Kashmir-born jihad commander Ejaz Ahmad Ahanger — alleged to have led an Islamic State cell responsible for a series of suicide attacks by Indian nationals in Kabul and Jalalabad — is believed to have been killed in southern Afghanistan, intelligence officials, as well as members of his family, have told ThePrint. Click here to read…

Thousands of trucks stuck as Taliban shut key Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing – Deccan Herald

A key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained closed for a third day, with thousands of goods vehicles stuck and businesses facing losses as officials from both sides try to broker a solution. Taliban authorities on Sunday closed Torkham, the main point of transit for travellers and goods between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan. Click here to read…

Massive blast hits Kabul mosque, sparks tension in Afghanistan – Firstpost

Afghanistan’s capital Kabul was shaken by yet another explosion on Tuesday. A blast took place near the Ziyarat Mazjid Abul Fazl Shrine in central Kabul. According to media reports, there has been no information about casualties or possible damages from the explosion yet. Click here to read…

Fresh batch of USD 40 mln in cash aid reaches Afghanistan – United News of India

A fresh batch of 40 million U.S. dollars in cash that came as humanitarian aid reached the cash-strapped and war-torn Afghanistan on Tuesday, a statement of Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), the country’s central bank said. This is the fourth batch of cash as humanitarian aid arrived in Afghanistan since Feb. 9 as part of the international community’s support to help the economically impoverished country to enhance its foreign exchange reserve. Click here to read…

Bangladesh
Bangladesh demands Bangla be adopted as UN’s official language – BS

A senior Bangladesh minister on Tuesday exhorted the United Nations to formally adopt Bangla as one of its official languages, on the day when the country celebrated the Language Martyrs Day to commemorate the pioneers of the Bengali language movement. The UN has six official languages — English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and Arabic.
During the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly held last year, it adopted Bangla, Hindi and Urdu as the non-official languages following an India-sponsored resolution. Click here to read…

Russia summons Bangladesh envoy over sanctioned ships dispute – Reuters

Russia summoned the ambassador of Bangladesh on Tuesday to protest over Dhaka’s decision to block the entry of Russian ships into Bangladeshi ports. Bangladesh earlier this month banned dozens of Russian ships that have fallen under Western sanctions from entering its territorial waters, citing the need to comply with the restrictions. Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement it had told Bangladesh’s ambassador in Moscow that the move was not in line with “traditionally friendly bilateral relations and may adversely affect the prospects for cooperation in various fields”.Click here to read…

Why Did Bangladesh’s Kuki Chin Flee to India’s Northeast? – The Diplomat

Since November last year, over 200 Kuki Chin people have fled their homes in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts to take shelter in the Indian state of Mizoram. The Kuki Chin have ethnic ties with the Mizos in India and were fleeing military operations by the Bangladesh security forces in the restive CHT. Click here to read…

Bhutan
India supporting Bhutan in efforts to establish digital infrastructure – ANI

The relations between India, and Bhutan are touching new heights as the India has been consistently supporting Bhutan in its efforts to establish a digital infrastructure, The Bhutan Live reported. The Indian government recently announced that it is going to help Bhutan in building its third international internet gateway. Click here to read…

Maldives
Maldives holds first strategic dialogue between the Maldives and UK – Raajje

The First Strategic Dialogue between the Maldives and the United Kingdom (UK) at the Senior Officials level has been held in Maldives. The First Strategic Dialogue between the Maldives and UK was held in a hybrid format, on 20 February. Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that the discussions of the dialogue focused on thematic areas including economic and trade cooperation, security cooperation, governance, democracy, human rights and rule of law, environment and climate change, higher education, visas and immigration and regional and international cooperation. Following the discussions, the two countries agreed to establish Maldives-UK working group on maritime security and a working group on trade. Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed to formalize the Ocean Country Partnership Program under the UK’s Blue Planet Fund. Click here to read…

Myanmar
At Least 30 Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Clashes in Yedashe – Irrawaddy

At least 30 junta military troops were killed in clashes with resistance fighters in Yedashe Township, Bago Region on Feb. 16, according to the Taungoo District Battalion of the People’s Defense Force (PDF) and residents. A combined force of Taungoo District Battalion 3501’s companies 4 and 6, under the PDF of the National Unity Government, launched an attack on a junta military column near Zayit Yoe Kone Village at around 9 a.m. on Feb. 16. Click here to read…

Myanmar Junta Delivers State Honors—Whether Recipients Want Them or Not – Irrawaddy

Junta-appointed chief ministers and military commanders have been hand-delivering honorary titles bestowed on citizens by junta boss Min Aung Hlaing after the recipients failed to show up in Naypyitaw last month to accept the awards personally.While many of the title recipients are junta loyalists, some were honored posthumously, and some, it seems, unwillingly. Click here to read…

Challenges to India–Myanmar relations and their impact on the Act East Policy – The Sangaie Express

In the early 1990s, as the global economy was expanding, India’s ‘Look East Policy’ (LEP) signalled a strategic change in its international outlook from the Cold War era. This involved a renewed foreign policy (‘Act East Policy’ (AEP) push to deepen interactions with the Southeast Asian region. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) bloc, established in 1967, has become a global economic powerhouse in the 21st century and India, for its part, views itself as a key trading and investment partner in this region. It thus places great importance on maintaining a cordial relationship with Myanmar, which serves as a key gateway to Southeast Asia. Click here to read…

Nepal
Oli’s offer has Madhav Nepal dreaming of Sheetal Niwas – The Kathmandu Post

Former prime minister and CPN (Unified Socialist) chair Madhav Kumar Nepal suddenly finds himself thrust to the spotlight following news reports that CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli has proposed Nepal as a possible presidential candidate. Nepal is also eager to run for the President in a vote scheduled for March 9, but the question remains whether the political parties will agree to make him their ‘consensus candidate’ for the top job. Click here to read…

Access tunnel of 140 MW Tanahun hydro project built – The Kathmandu Post

Tanahun hydropower project has built the access tunnel as a part of its first phase of infrastructure construction. The 140-megawatt project is being constructed in Damauli. According to the project, the tunnel is 436-metre-long with a 7-metre diameter of entrance. Rajabhai Shilpakar, project chief, said that the tunnel will facilitate transporting construction materials and equipment to the upper side of the proposed dam construction area. In the first phase, a 140-metre-tall dam will be built. Click here to read…

Pakistan
Top Hizb commander Bashir Ahmad Peer shot dead in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi – The Tribune

In a major setback to the Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen, the launching commander of the outfit Bashir Ahmad Peer alias Imtiyaz Alam was killed on Monday in Rawalpindi in Pakistan. Peer was killed on Monday evening after an assailant shot at him from point-blank range outside a shop in Rawalpindi. Click here to read…

Pakistan, ready to sell US embassy property, can cover imports only for 3 more weeks – Mint

Islamabad now intends to raise money by selling a property associated with its embassy in Washington. As of December 2022, for a building that formerly housed the defence section of the nation’s embassy in the US capital, Pakistan received three offers. Click here to read…

Pakistan Nears IMF Bailout Pact After Tax Plan Approved – Bloomberg

Pakistan is inching closer to reviving a $6.5 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund after the parliament approved on Monday the plan to roll out higher taxes. An agreement is expected to be finalized within three days after most issues were resolved, ARY News reported, citing Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh, secretary at the finance ministry. A bill that will increase the general levy to 18% from 17% and boost tax on imports of luxury items such as mobile phones to 25% from 17% was approved by the parliament. Click here to read…

Amid massive spike, Pakistan bans TV coverage of terror attacks – Firstpost

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has banned TV channels across the country from covering terror attacks as it “creates panic and unwarranted chaos among the viewers not only in the country but also Pakistanis living abroad.” The latest order by Pakistan’s electronic media regulatory body comes in continuation to the earlier ones asking TV channels to adhere to the provisions of the PEMRA Electronic Media Code of Conduct 2015, Geo News reported. Click here to read…

For Pakistan to find way out, nobody reaches difficult situation without cause: EAM Jaishankar – The Economic Times

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that Pakistan’s future will be largely determined by its own actions and choices and it is for the neighbouring country to find a way out of its economic troubles. In an exclusive interview with ANI, the minister referred to India’s assistance to Sri Lanka during the economic crisis faced by the island country and said it is a very different relationship. Click here to read…

Sri Lanka
‘No money to print ballot papers’: Bankrupt Sri Lanka to postpone local elections, Opposition cries foul – Times Now

The March 9 vote was meant to be a key test of support for President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took office in July after months of protests over a dire economic crisis. According to a court submission by the Election Commission, the treasury has refused to fund the printing of ballot papers, fuel or police protection for polling booths. Click here to read…
Courts can rule on election date, but cannot save the economy – Daily Mirror
Courts can rule on election date, but cannot save the economy, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said addressing a business and legal forum in Kandy. “Although political parties can go to courts to decide when the election should be held, the economy cannot be saved by courts,” President Wickremesinghe said, stating that the responsibility of saving the country’s economy falls on the Parliament. Click here to read…

VIF Neighbourhood News Digest – November 30, 2022

Afghanistan
Participants in Herat Security Dialogue Discuss Situation in Afghanistan: Tolo News

Participants at the 10th Herat Security Dialogue meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, emphasized the need to establish an inclusive government in Afghanistan that upholds women’s rights and prevents drug trafficking in Afghanistan. While speaking at the meeting, the special envoy of the European Union for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson, said that the EU will support women’s rights in Afghanistan. Click here to read…

India to Resume Projects in Afghanistan: MUDH: Tolo News

The Ministry of Urban Development and Housing (MUDH) said that the Indian chargés d’affaires, Bharat Kumar, expressed his country’s interest in the improvement of relations and the resumption of Delhi’s projects in Afghanistan. Click here to read…

Bangladesh
‘Country being exposed to confrontational politics’ – Daily Star

The BNP wants to hold the Dhaka rally in front of its Nayapaltan headquarters on December 10. But the government said the party must hold it at Suhrawardy Udyan, not Nayapaltan. Both the Awami League and the BNP are at loggerheads over the rally venue. The Daily Star talked with eminent political analyst Al Masud Hasanuzzaman, professor of Government and Politics at Jahangirnagar University, for an insight into the current situation. Click here to read…

India, Bangladesh establish contact as more Kuki-Chin refugees are expected to enter Mizoram – The Hindu

Ten days after the first batch of over 270 Kuki-Chin refugees crossed over to India fearing an attack from Bangladesh security forces, government officials estimate that 150 more refugees are expected to seek shelter in Mizoram in the next few days. A source said India and Bangladesh are aware of the unique seriousness of the issue and are in contact with each other. Click here to read…

From the third dimension ‘Tritio Matra’ to multiple dimensions – Dhaka Tribune

An uninitiated may be forgiven if she/he thought that the Bay of Bengal Conversation, a conference Mr Zillur Rahman, the anchor of Tritio Matra helped organize, was a grand gathering of the alumni of the Tritio Matra under the banner of Centre for Governance Studies, a think-tank. At first blush, that’s what it looked like. But what made it more than an alumni gathering was the participation of a bevy of high-quality international participantsClick here to read…

Bhutan
NRDCL to operate timber extraction based on demand in the eastern region – Kuensel Online

Of the six Forest Management Units (FMU) in the eastern region, NRDCL has temporarily suspended the operation of four – Rongmanchu in Lhuentse, Dongdechhu in Trashiyangtse, and Kharungla and Wamrong in Trashigang. Only Lingmethang in Mongar and Khengzor in Pemagatshel are operational. NRDCL officials said that hardwood extracted from those sites has market issue and the FMU committee meeting decided to temporarily stop operation. Click here to read…

Maldives
‘Dosti gehri hai’: Maldives thanks India for USD 100 million assistance – OneIndia

Maldives foreign minister Abdulla Shahid thanked India for timely and generous financial assistance of $100 million to Male to overcome ongoing economic challenges and said that ties between the countries enable mutual growth. Abdulla Shahid took to Twitter and wrote, “Thank you #India for the timely and generous financial assistance of US$100 million. It is truly the strength of our ties that enable mutual growth and cooperation reaffirming the Maldives-India Partnership.” Click here to read…

Pres. reiterates Maldives’ longstanding solidarity with the people of Palestine – Raajje

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has reiterated the longstanding solidarity of the Maldivian government and people, with the people of Palestine. He said this in a message sent to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on Tuesday. The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is marked every year on 29 November since 1978. The President issues messages on the occasion each year, reaffirming Maldives’ commitment to the plight of the Palestinian people. Click here to read…

Myanmar
Bangladesh, Myanmar agree to share prior info on use of airspace near border – Prothomalo

Director General of Border Guard Bangladehttps://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/rakhine-truce-between-myanmar-junta-and-arakan-army-hanging-by-a-thread.htmlsh (BGB) Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed on Tuesday said BGB and Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) will not accept separatists’ activities along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. “BGB and BGP will not accept separatists’ activities along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. For this reason, the border guards of the two countries have agreed to start joint patrolling,” he said. Click here to read…

2 More Former NLD Lawmakers Jailed by Myanmar Junta – The Irrawaddy

Myanmar’s junta sentenced two former MPs of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) to 26 years in prison on Monday. U Wai Lin Aung, who represented Myaungmya Township, and Dr. Pyae Phyo who represented Einme and Wakema, both in Ayeyarwady Region, were jailed by a district court in Myawaddy, Karen State, on Terrorism and Treason (Section 112) charges almost a year after being arrested. Click here to read…

World Bank-backed Yoma Bank Working With Myanmar military’s Mytel Network Operator – The Irrawaddy

Myanmar’s Yoma Bank, part-backed by the World Bank, is providing banking services to Telecom International Myanmar Company Limited, the operator of the Myanmar military’s Mytel cell phone network, according to Justice for Myanmar (JFM). The activist group revealed that as of March 2022 Yoma Bank, which is affiliated to the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), held over US$10 million in a US dollar account for Telecom International Myanmar. Telecom International is a joint venture of the military’s Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) conglomerate. Click here to read…

Myanmar junta arms convoy from Indian border attacked – Mizzima

According to the Kalay People’s Defence Force (PDF) the Myanmar junta has been getting arms from India and transporting them from the border through Sagaing Region. According to the PDF, on 25 November a junta convoy carrying weapons from India travelled from Tamu Town, on the border with India in Sagaing Region, to Kalay, also in Sagaing. The arms convoy stayed overnight at the Ra-1 Prison Camp in Kalay City before continuing the next morning. Click here to read…

Nepal
Inflation may continue into next year, central bank says – The Kathmandu Post

Inflation was recorded at 8.5 percent in October 2022 compared to 4.24 percent in the same month last year, according to Nepal Rastra Bank. The central bank stated in its first quarter review of the monetary policy that higher prices may continue into the months ahead. “Inflation may reach the highest single digit and last for around six months,” Prakash Kumar Shrestha, chief of the economic research department at the central bank, told the Post. Click here to read…

New House of Representatives to be less inclusive – The Kathmandu Post

With most Dalit, Janajati and women candiates across parties failing to win the first-past-the-post (FPTP) elections for the House of Representatives, the upcoming parliament is set to become less inclusive than the last one. As many as 35 Janajatis, eight women and only one Dalit have won parliament seats under the FPTP system of elections with almost all results from the November 20 elections already in. Click here to read…

Two new forces enter federal parliament as national parties – The Kathmandu Post

Rabi Lamichhane’s Rastriya Swatantra Party and CK Raut’s Janamat Party make the cut after the election results pour in. Four months ago, media personality Rabi Lamichhane-led Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) made a foray in Nepali politics. Registered on July 1, the party didn’t just win seven seats under the first-past-the-post elections to the House of Representatives, but also has safely crossed the threshold to qualify as a national party. Click here to read…

Economy facing strong headwinds, warns key private sector body- The Kathmandu Post

The private sector, on Tuesday, warned that the ongoing “economic crisis” could deepen if the government failed to manage it properly. They alleged that even the first quarterly review of monetary policy had failed to cheer the economy as many of the concerns raised by the business community remained unaddressed. The hotel industry, issuing a separate press statement, alleged that the government was being indifferent towards the investors. Click here to read…

Pakistan
New COAS Gen Asim takes reins: The Express Tribune

General Sayed Asim Munir on Tuesday took charge as the 17th Army chief of Pakistan at a ceremony held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
The change of command ceremony took place after a gap of six years, as General Qamar Javed Bajwa, now retired, was given a three-year extension in 2019. Click here to read…

Washington pledges support for Islamabad’s anti-TTP efforts: Dawn

The United States and Pakistan have a shared interest in combating threats to regional security, such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Washington will support the Pakistan government’s efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms, a State Department spokesperson told Dawn on Tuesday. Click here to read…

At least two killed, 22 injured including police in Quetta blast:The Express Tribune

At least two people, including a minor, were killed and 23 were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) targetted a passing police truck in Quetta’s Belili area. Click here to read…

Sri Lanka
‘Chinese debt trap’ China welcomes SL foreign minister’s remarks – Daily Mirror

China welcomes Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Sabry’s rebuttal of the narrative of the so-called Chinese “debt trap” in Sri Lanka, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Monday. The spokesperson reiterated that China’s assistance to Sri Lanka never comes with any political strings attached, and China never seeks any selfish political gains from its investment and financing in Sri Lanka.
“China fully relates to the difficulties and challenges faced by Sri Lanka and supports relevant financial institutions in discussing with Sri Lanka and properly resolving them. We have all along provided support to Sri Lanka’s socioeconomic development as long as our ability permits,” he saidClick here to read…

New Army Chief of Staff – Daily News

Major General C. D. Weerasuriya RWP RSP ndu, the present Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army has been appointed as the new Chief of Staff of the Army. Major General C.D Weerasuriya RWP RSP ndu yesterday afternoon (29) received the letter of appointment as 61st Chief of Staff of the Army from Army Commander Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage, at the Commander’s office. He, who has served as the Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force before he took office as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army on June 16, 2022, has also held many key appointments in the Army. He is also the Colonel of the Regiment, Sri Lanka Light Infantry and Mechanized Infantry Regiment. Click here to read…