Page 3 - Myanmar

Myanmar violence tops discussion as Southeast Asian diplomats meet in Laos

Southeast Asian foreign ministers and top diplomats from key partners including the United States and China were gathering in the Laotian capital on Thursday for the start of three days of talks expected to focus on the increasingly violent civil war in Myanmar, tensions in the South China Sea and other regional issues. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are expected to hold one-on-one talks on the sidelines of the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Vientiane, which come as both Beijing and Washington are looking to expand their influence in the region. Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith thanked ASEAN members and partners for their unwavering collective effort that has led to its past achievements and emphasized the importance of the bloc's continuous work to promote peace and stability. In light of the rapid and complex geopolitical and geoeconomic changes, we need to further enhance ASEAN centrality and unity so

Myanmar's civil war has seen rise in attacks on schools, say researchers

An intensification of fighting in Myanmar's civil war has brought a sharp increase in destructive attacks on schools, a group that monitors armed conflict in the Southeast Asian nation said in a report Saturday. Myanmar Witness said the attacks have further strained Myanmar's already fractured school system, taking away education for millions of children who have also been forced to flee their homes, miss vaccinations and suffer from inadequate nutrition. The group, a project of the United Kingdom-based Centre for Information Resilience, identified a total of 174 attacks on Myanmar schools and universities since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi three years ago. It said the count came from evidence in social media and news reports. Other groups have suggested higher numbers of attacks. The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, an advocacy group based in New York, counted over 245 reports of attacks on schools and 190 reports of ..

Biometric details of 24 Myanmar citizens collected: Manipur CM Singh

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that biometric details of 24 people from Myanmar, including 16 women, were collected in Tengnoupal district as part of an exercise to identify illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country. The state police along with Assam Rifles personnel and a team of officials collected the biometric details of these Myanmarese people residing in Govajang village on Wednesday, he said. "...a combined team of DC, Tengnoupal led by Md. Ejaj, SDO, Moreh, E-Coy 5 AR, Moreh and OC, Moreh Police Station along with joint bio-metric team of Tengnoupal conducted search of houses in Govajang Village for purpose of re-verification/re-identification of individuals residing in the village," Singh posted on Facebook. "During the exercise, 24 (Male-8, Female-16) of Myanmar origin were identified. Further, their biometric were captured by the team," he said. The state government had started the identification process earlier, but it came to a halt after violence br

Myanmar junta arrests 11 for inflating rice prices, including Japanese

In Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that a Japanese national is being questioned by police in Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon

EAM meets Myanmar dy PM, flags concerns over impact of violence on border

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday conveyed to his Myanmarese counterpart U Than Shwe India's "deep concern" over the impact of violence and instability in Myanmar on the Indian border and sought cooperation for early return of Indians trapped in Myawaddy town. Jaishankar met Shwe, also Myanmar's deputy prime minister, in Delhi, in the first publicly acknowledged engagement in India with a senior leader of the military junta since it seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021. Shwe was transiting through New Delhi while returning to Myanmar from a foreign trip. In a post on 'X' following the meeting, Jaishankar said he pressed for "credible security" to India's ongoing projects in Myanmar and called for early return to the path of democratic transition in that country. The external affairs minister particularly pointed out about the impact of continuing violence and instability in that country on the Indian border and especially raised the issue of illegal narcotic

As ethnic armed group seized town in Myanmar, Muslim Rohingyas flee again

A powerful ethnic armed group fighting Myanmar's military government in the country's western state of Rakhine claimed Saturday to have seized a town near the border with Bangladesh, marking the latest in a series of victories for foes of the country's military government. Members of the state's Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority, targets of deadly army-directed violence in 2017, appear to have been the main victims of fighting in the town of Buthidaung, where the Arakan Army claims to have chased out forces of the military government. There are contradictory accounts of who is to blame for the reported burning of the town, compelling its Rohingya residents to flee. The competing claims could not be verified independently, with access to the internet and mobile phone services in the area mostly cut off. Khaing Thukha, a spokesperson for the Arakan Army, told The Associated Press by text message from an undisclosed location that his group had seized Buthidaung after capturing all the .

Casualties rise in Myanmar's war as forces tighten noose around military

Six months into an offensive against Myanmar 's military government, opposition forces have made massive gains, but civilian casualties are rising sharply as regime troops increasingly turn toward scorched-earth tactics in the Southeast Asian country's bitter civil war. There is pressure on all fronts from powerful militias drawn from Myanmar's ethnic minority groups and newer resistance forces. Troops are retaliating with air, naval and artillery strikes on hospitals and other facilities where the opposition could be sheltered or aided. When the mass of people rise up against them, I think it terrifies them, said Dave Eubank, a former U.S. Special Forces soldier who founded the Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian aid organization that has provided assistance to both combatants and civilians in Myanmar since the 1990s. They know that hospitals, churches, schools and monasteries are important places for human care, and gathering, and symbols and they hammer them," said Eubank. "That'

1,300 people from Myanmar flee into Thailand after clashes in border town

About 1,300 people have fled from eastern Myanmar into Thailand, officials said Saturday, as fresh fighting erupted at a border town that has recently been captured by ethnic guerillas. Fighters from the Karen ethnic minority last week captured the last of the Myanmar army's outposts in and around Myawaddy, which is connected to Thailand by two bridges across the Moei River. The latest clashes were triggered in the morning when the Karen guerillas launched an attack against Myanmar troops who were hiding near the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, a major crossing point for trade with Thailand, said police chief Pittayakorn Phetcharat in Thailand's Mae Sot district. He estimated about 1,300 people fled into Thailand. Thai officials reported people had started crossing since Friday following clashes in several areas of Myawaddy. The fall of Myawaddy is a major setback for the military that seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. Myanmar's once-mighty

Best of BS Opinion: Our forgotten neighbour, healthy development & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Our forgotten neighbour

Recent trends in Myanmar civil war make a case for India to upgrade its links with anti-junta forces

Myanmar and regional security

The civil war in the country has spilled over into India and the time may have come to review our tacit support to the junta

'Precarious' situation in Myanmar: India relocates staff from consulate

India on Friday said it relocated its staff from its consulate in Myanmarese city of Sittwe to Yangon in view of the precarious security situation in that region of Myanmar. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is closely monitoring the situation in Myanmar, adding the Indian consulate in Mandalay remains functional. Asked about reports of kidnapping of three Indian youths, he said the Indian embassy is working on the matter and hoped that they would be back home soon. Several parts of Myanmar have been witnessing intense fighting between the military junta and resistance forces. The resistance forces have already captured several towns. The anti-junta forces seized control of several military bases and a command centre at Myawaddy last week. Jaiswal said the security situation in Myanmar remains "precarious" and is deteriorating. "We are closely monitoring the security situation in Myanmar, particularly in the Rakhine State. Necessary steps have been

Nation's security top priority: Jaishankar on Indo-Myanmar border fencing

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said the Centre decided to fence the Indo-Myanmar border and end the Free Movement Regime (FMR) because the government gives top priority to the country's security. He said this while speaking to reporters after releasing the BJP manifesto in Aizawl. Thousands of people from Myanmar have taken refuge in various north-eastern states, especially in Mizoram, after fleeing their country following a military coup in February 2021. "I think the security of our country, security of our states, including Mizoram, require us to take certain precautions. But the precautions that we are taking right now are in response to a certain situation. Even right now our neighbour is going through a very difficult phase. If things were normal in Myanmar, this would not have happened," Jaishankar said. He said that the Centre is very sensitive to the interests of people, traditions, customs and relationships across the border. "Right now it is importan

India secures second overseas port: Sittwe agreement approved by MEA

India Ports Global is a company 100 per cent owned by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways

Myanmar's worst violence since military takeover intensifying crisis: UN

Myanmar's escalating conflict and worst violence since the military takeover in 2021 are having a devastating impact on human rights, fundamental freedoms and basic needs of millions of people as well as alarming spillover effects in the region, UN officials have said. Assistant Secretary-General for political affairs Khaled Khiari told the UN Security Council on Thursday that the civilian toll keeps rising amid reports of indiscriminate bombing by Myanmar's armed forces and artillery shelling by various parties. The nationwide armed conflict in Myanmar began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule. Thousands of young people fled to jungles and mountains in remote border areas as a result of the military's suppression and made common cause with ethnic guerrilla forces battle-hardened by decades of combat with the army in pursuit of autonomy. Despite its .

Thailand sends aid to war-torn Myanmar, critics say it will only help junta

Thailand delivered its first batch of humanitarian aid to war-torn Myanmar on Monday, in what officials hope will be a continuing effort to ease the plight of millions of people displaced by fighting. But critics charge that the aid will benefit only people in areas under the Myanmar military's control, providing it with a propaganda boost while leaving the vast majority of displaced people in contested areas without access to assistance. Myanmar is wrecked by a nationwide armed conflict that began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule. The fighting has displaced millions of people and battered the economy. Thailand sent ten trucks over the border from the northern province of Tak, carrying some 4,000 packages of aid to three towns in Kayin State, also known as Karen State, where it will be distributed to approximately 20,000 displaced people. The parcel

Guterres decries violence in Myanmar as military strikes kill 25 Rohingyas

Military airstrikes in western Myanmar killed at least 25 members of the country's Muslim Rohingya minority, including children, local media reported, prompting the UN chief to express concerns over the escalating violence. According to the reports, the airstrikes took place early on Monday morning and targeted the village of Thada, north of Minbya township in Rakhine state. The strikes also left another 25 people wounded. The military government had no immediate comment on the reports. UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres expressed deep concern over "the deteriorating situation and escalation of conflict in Myanmar", according to a spokesperson. The UN chief "condemns all forms of violence and reiterates his call for the protection of civilians, including aid workers in accordance with international humanitarian law, for the cessation of hostilities, and humanitarian access," said Guterres' deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, in a statement on Monday. Myanmar's military is increasing

3 Myanmar nationals among 7 held for possessing unaccounted cash in Mizoram

A total of seven people, including three Myanmar nationals, were arrested in Mizoram's Lawngtlai district for possessing unaccounted cash, Assam Rifles said in a statement. Acting on a tip-off, the seven people travelling in a pickup truck were nabbed near RDS Bungtlang Junction on Sunday. A total of Rs 2.86 lakh in Indian Rupees and Myanmarese Kyat 47 million (4.7 crore) were seized from their possession, it said. The pickup truck used for transporting the currency notes was also seized, it added.

Will continue to provide relief to Myanmar, B'desh, Manipur people: Mizoram

The Mizoram government will continue to provide relief to over 42,000 people from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur who have taken shelter in the state, Home Minister K Sapdanga told the assembly on Monday. Replying to a question, he said the number of asylum seekers from Myanmar and Bangladesh, and those who have come here from Manipur keep changing, and it was difficult to maintain a record on a daily basis. According to the latest record of the Home Department, there are 9,248 people from Manipur, 32,161 people from Myanmar and 1,167 from Bangladesh in the state, he said. "We will continue to provide relief to asylum seekers from Myanmar and Bangladesh, and internally displaced people from Manipur on humanitarian grounds as much as we can," Sapdanga said, replying to the question asked by MNF MLA K Laldawngliana. He said the Centre provided Rs 3 crore to the previous Mizo National Front (MNF) government for the assistance of the people from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur. Last w

China, Myanmar likely to be on agenda at Asean-Australia Special Summit

An increasingly assertive China and a humanitarian crisis in Myanmar are likely to be high on the agenda when Southeast Asian leaders meet in Australia for a rare summit this week. The ASEAN-Australia Special Summit that starts in Melbourne on Monday marks 50 years since Australia became the first official partner of the Asian bloc. Leaders of nine of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations are expected to attend the three-day summit, with Myanmar excluded from political representation over its failure to stem violence in that country since a military junta seized control in 2021. East Timor's leader has been invited as an official ASEAN observer and Australian Prime Anthony Albanese invited his New Zealand counterpart to Melbourne to meet regional leaders. "Australia sees ASEAN at the center of a stable, peaceful and prosperous region," Albanese said in a statement on Friday. "Strengthening our relationship ensures our shared future prosperity and security," he added. Austr