Page 11 - Myanmar

Indian envoy to UN highlights ongoing situation in Myanmar at HRC session

Pandey on Tuesday highlighted the ongoing situation in Myanmar and said that the displacement of people has led to an influx of Myanmar nationals into India

India play out 1-1 draw with Myanmar, enter round of 16 in men''s football

Riding on a Sunil Chhetri strike, the Indian men's football team held Myanmar to a 1-1 draw and progressed to the round of 16 in the Asian Games here on Sunday. They will play Saudi Arabia in the pre-quarters. Chhetri scored from the spot in the 23rd minute but it was Rahim Ali who earned the penalty when he was brought down inside the box by Hein Zeyar Lin. While Lin was shown a yellow card for his sliding tackle, the peerless Chhetri made no mistake in finding the back of the net, in what was a repeat of the act he performed against Bangladesh in the second group game two days ago. Coming off the bench, Kyaw Htwe found the equaliser for Myanmar when he headed the ball past Dheeraj Singh in the 74th minute at the Xiaoshan Sports Center Stadium. However, despite the two teams having same points, India progressed as the runner-up from Group A, as the Chhetri-led side has scored more goals than Myanmar in the tournament. All in all, it was a creditable performance from the Indians

Unified strategy, funding urgently needed to end Myanmar crisis: UN chief

The United Nations chief renewed an urgent call to the international community Thursday to seek a unified strategy to end the worsening crisis in Myanmar. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said declining financial aid should be boosted to previous levels to enable the world body to respond to an enormous tragedy. He said the situation in Myanmar has further deteriorated since he met with ASEAN leaders in a 2022 summit, and again called on the crisis-wracked country's military-installed government to immediately free all political prisoners and open the door to a return to democratic rule. Myanmar's army seized power on February 1, 2021, from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, arresting her and top members of her governing National League for Democracy party, which had won a landslide victory for a new term in a November 2020 general election. Security forces suppressed widespread opposition to the military takeover with lethal force, killing thousands of civilians and ...

Small traders of Arunachal seek haats back on Indo-Myanmar border

The Covid-19 pandemic came as a bolt from the blue for Khingwom Mossang and many of her peers as their source of income from trading activities at Pangsau Pass in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, along the India-Myanmar border, came to a grinding halt in 2020. Not only Mossang but over 100 small traders have been facing difficulties after the border trade with Myanmar stopped with the outbreak of the pandemic. Two years on, they are still running from pillar to post to sustain their families and pleading with the government for early resumption of border trade, which began in 2000. For 46-year-old Mossang, the sudden halt in trading activities at Pangsau Pass came as a "shock" as she and her husband are now facing a tough time running their family. We are passing through a hard phase of life. We are finding difficulties in meeting our day-to-day necessities, including electricity bills and others. Our income from other activities is not sufficient, Mossang said. She and he

Over 200 Meiteis who crossed over to Myanmar return to Manipur: CM

More than 200 Meiteis who crossed over to neighbouring Myanmar to escape the ethnic violence in Manipur have safely returned to the state after more than three months, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said on Friday and lauded the role of the Army in bringing them back. More than 160 people have been killed and several hundreds injured in clashes between Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur since May 3. "Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur are now safely back on Indian soil, the chief minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. The chief minister hailed the efforts of the Army in facilitating their safe return to their hometown. "A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Sincere gratitude to GOC (General Officer Commanding) Eastern Command, Lt Gen R P Kalita, GOC 3 Corps, Lt Gen HS Sahi and CO (Commanding Officer) of 5 AR, Col Rahul

H&M probes Myanmar garment factory abuses after Zara's walkout talk

Other brands continuing to source from Myanmar have also ramped up monitoring of suppliers through field offices enabling them to conduct their own inspections instead of relying on external audits

Myanmar's military-led government reduces Suu Kyi's prison sentence

Myanmar's military-led government has reduced the prison sentences of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a clemency connected to a religious ceremony, state media said Tuesday. Former President Win Myint also had his sentence reduced as part of the clemency granted to more than 7,000 prisoners. Suu Kyi, 78, is serving 33 years' imprisonment after being convicted of 19 charges her supporters and rights group say were attempts to discredit her and legitimize the 2021 army takeover while preventing her return to politics. Several of her cases are awaiting final appeals.

Missteps in Manipur may introduce dangerous dynamics in NE politics

Any demand for a separate ethnic state for the Zo people carved out of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh could rapidly worsen the security situation in India's northeast

Mizoram begins collection of biometric details of Myanmar nationals

The Mizoram government has started the process of collecting biometric details of Myanmar nationals following an instruction from the Union ministry of home affairs, an official said on Sunday. More than 30,000 Myanmar nationals have taken shelter in Mizoram since February 2021 after the Myanmar military junta staged a coup in the neighbouring country. A pilot project of recording biometric data of Myanmar nationals was launched in all the 11 districts last week, state home department officer on special duty-cum-joint secretary David H. Lalthangliana told PTI. He said the exercise was being conducted in relief camps. In April, the MHA had instructed Mizoram and Manipur to collect biometric details of illegal immigrants. In June, the ministry reminded both the states to complete the exercise by September 30. David said the exercise could not be undertaken immediately as the original format needed to be altered to collect data from Myanmar nationals. The Mizoram government had ...

Former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi transferred to state-owned residence

An NLD official who declined to be named due to security concerns told RFA Burmese: "It has been confirmed that Aung San Suu Kyi has been placed in a house in a residential area of Naypyidaw."

718 Myanmarese including 301 children entered Manipur illegally: Home Dept

Manipur government has said that at least 718 Myanmar nationals, including 301 children, have illegally entered the northeastern state last week. A statement issued by Home Department said that the illegal influx was reported on July 22 and 23 in Chandel district by Assam Rifles, the India-Myanmar border guarding force. Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi sought to know from the Assam Rifles how the Myanmarese were allowed to enter India without proper travel documents and asked the force to push them back immediately. "Report has been received from the Headquarters 28 Sector Assam Rifles that 718 fresh refugees have crossed India-Myanmar border and entered into the general area of New Lajang," Joshi said in the statement. Of the 718 Myanmarese, 209 are men, 208 are women and 301 are children. Thirteen Myanmar nationals entered Lajang area on July 22. On July 23, a total of 230 Myanmarese arrived in New Lajang, 89 in New Samtal, 143 in Yangnomphai village, 175 in Yangnomphai Saw Mill, 3

Myanmar to issue highest denomination banknote amid as economy suffers

The Central Bank of army-ruled Myanmar will issue a new banknote worth twice as much as the current highest denomination, state-run media reported Sunday, in a possible reaction to the economy becoming more unstable since the generals seized power in 2021. The reason for issuing a higher denomination note of 20,000 kyats (about $9.50) was not explained. Since the military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, economic boycotts and sanctions imposed by Western nations have hurt both big businesses and ordinary people, many of whose lives have already been disrupted by civil war and the coronavirus pandemic. The issuance of new, higher denomination currency is associated in popular belief with a risk of inflation, though there isn't necessarily a link. Older Myanmar residents are especially sensitive to changes affecting the currency, recalling the sudden demonetization of banknotes in 1987 during an earlier dictatorship, which reportedly affected around 80% of the money

Myanmar burns seized drugs worth $446 mn amid rise in illicit trade

The authorities in Myanmar destroyed more than USD 446 million worth of illegal drugs seized from around the country to mark an annual international anti-drug trafficking day on Monday, police said. The drug burn came as U.N. experts warned of increases in the production of opium, heroin and methamphetamine in Myanmar, with exports threatening to expand markets in South and Southeast Asia. Myanmar has a long history of drug production linked to political and economic insecurity caused by decades of armed conflict. The country is a major producer and exporter of methamphetamine and the world's second-largest opium and heroin producer after Afghanistan, despite repeated attempts to promote alternative legal crops among poor farmers. In the country's largest city, Yangon, a pile of seized drugs and precursor chemicals worth USD 207 million was incinerated. The destroyed drugs included opium, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, kratom, ketamine and crystal meth, also known as ice. The

India's position is clear on Myanmar, says External Affairs Ministry

The External Affairs Ministry on Monday refused to comment on whether the ongoing situation in Myanmar will come up for discussion during PM Narendra Modi's forthcoming visit to the US this week

Earthquake recorded off Myanmar's coast, shakes buildings in Thailand

An earthquake was recorded off the southern coast of Myanmar on Monday with tremors also felt in Thailand, but there were no immediate reports of major damage. The 5.1 magnitude quake was recorded about 152 kilometers (95 miles) south of Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, at 10 kilometers (6 miles) below the surface at 8:10 a.m., according to Myanmar's meteorology department. Thailand's meteorological department reported the earthquake as 6.0 magnitude at 8:40 a.m. and said tremors were felt in the capital Bangkok and nearby Nonthaburi province, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) from the epicenter. The United States Geological Survey measured the earthquake at 5.6 magnitude. Different agencies often have different preliminary measurements for earthquakes. Many people in high-rise buildings in Bangkok reported feeling the tremors for 15 to 30 seconds, according to the public report section of the Thai government's Earthquake Observation Division website. There were no immediate report

Fierce fighting in Myanmar between army, resistance groups kills nearly 26

Recent fierce fighting between Myanmar's army and local militant groups has killed at least 26 civilians, including six children, in area east of the capital, according to reports on Wednesday by a resident, a rights group and a medical assistance group. The fighting took place in Shan State's Pekon township, a hotly contested area in the armed struggle that arose after February 2021 when the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The takeover prompted widespread public protests, whose violent suppression by the security forces triggered an armed resistance that now spans much of the country. The recent fighting has focused on Mobye, a conglomeration of villages covering about 175 square kilometers (about 70 square miles) located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the capital, Naypyitaw. The area is between the capital and an area dominated by the Karenni ethnic minority group, which also has been fighting against the military-installed ...

Rupee-kyat trade arrangement negotiations may conclude by Jun-end: Myanmar

Early May, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) had said that it had concluded the Myanmar Port sale for a consideration $30 million

Myanmar suspended int'l aid deliveries to cyclone-hit areas: UN agency

Myanmar's military government has rescinded its approval for international organizations to distribute food, shelter and medicines to thousands of residents of cyclone-hit areas in the country's west, a U.N. agency said Friday. Cyclone Mocha hit the coastline of Bangladesh and Myanmar in mid-May with winds of up to 209 kilometers (130 miles) per hour. The damage was worst around the coastal city of Sittwe, the capital of Myanmar's Rakhine state, but was also severe as the storm moved inland into Chin state. The military authorities also suspended travel authorizations for international humanitarian organizations, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a situation report. It said the suspension of aid activities could not have come at a worse time because of the arrival of the annual monsoon season. The report did not say why the military government's Disaster Management Committee suspended the travel authorizations. Myanmar's military has long kept acc

Chinese foreign min's visit reignites anti-China demonstrations in Myanmar

According to GSCB, as long as the Chinese government publicly supports the dictatorship, people would continue to stage anti-China protests not just in Myanmar but also overseas

Myanmar's SC to hear appeal of Suu's bribery conviction: Legal officials

Myanmar's Supreme Court has agreed to hear a special appeal of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's bribery conviction for allegedly receiving gold and thousands of dollars from a former political ally, legal officials said Tuesday. Suu Kyi, 77, was arrested when the army toppled her elected government in February 2021, and was tried on a range of charges for which she was sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison. Her supporters and independent legal experts say the cases were politically motivated in an attempt to discredit her and legitimise the military's takeover while preventing her from returning to politics. Two legal officials familiar with Suu Kyi's cases said the Supreme Court decided last Friday to hear the special appeal of the corruption case, in which she was convicted of receiving USD 600,000 and seven gold bars in 2017-18 from Phyo Min Thein, the former chief minister of Yangon, the country's biggest city. She was sentenced to five years in prison in April last year .