Page 8 - Myanmar

Indo-Myanmar border fence will sever ethnic ties, say Kuki-Zo people

The Centre's decision to fence the Indo-Myanmar border has evoked mixed reactions with the Kuki-Zo people claiming that the move will sever ethnic ties and Meitei organisations hailing the step saying it will check movement of unscrupulous elements from across the border. The reactions came a day after the announcement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on X that the Centre had decided to fence the Indo-Myanmar border. "It has been decided to construct a fence along the entire 1643-kilometre-long Indo-Myanmar border. To facilitate better surveillance, a patrol track along the border will also be paved," Shah had said. Reacting to the move, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), the apex students' body of Mizoram, said fencing the border will divide the Zo ethnic people between the two countries and bring an end to the Free Movement Regime (FMR). The FMR allows people living on either side of the border enter up to 16 km of each other's country without needing a visa and stay up to two weeks. Th

Arunachal Pradesh CM hails Centre's move to fence India, Myanmar border

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu hailed the decision of the Centre to fence the entire 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, saying that the move will check the movement of unscrupulous elements from across the border. Home Minister Amit Shah had on Tuesday announced the decision to fence the India-Myanmar border, which could virtually put an end to the Free Movement Regime (FMR) prevalent along the porous border. The FMR allows people residing close to the India-Myanmar border to venture 16 km into each other's territory without any document. The 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, which passes through Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, currently has FMR. It was introduced in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy. Arunachal Pradesh shares a 520-km border with Myanmar. "A great move in the right direction to make our borders foolproof. Gratitude to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and Hon'ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji to fence our borde

India asks its citizens in Myanmar's Rakhine state to leave immediately

India on Tuesday asked its citizens in Myanmar's Rakhine state to leave the troubled-region immediately in view of deteriorating security situation. In its first advisory following the spike in violence, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asked Indians not to travel to the Rakhine state because of the prevailing situation, including disruption in telecommunication network and scarcity of essential commodities. "In view of the deteriorating security situation, disruption of means of telecommunications, including landlines, and severe scarcity of essential commodities, all Indian citizens are advised not to travel to the Rakhine State of Myanmar," it said. "Those Indian citizens who are already in the Rakhine State are advised to leave the State immediately," the MEA said. Myanmar has been witnessing wide-spread violent protests demanding restoration of democracy since the military seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021. The Rakhine state and many other regions have witnesse

Govt to fence entire 1,643-km-long border with Myanmar: Amit Shah

India has decided to fence the entire 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Tuesday. The move could virtually put an end to the Free Movement Regime (FMR) prevalent along the porous border. The FMR allows people residing close to the India-Myanmar border to venture 16 km into each other's territory without any document. The 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, which passes through Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, currently has FMR. It was implemented in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy. Fencing along the border has been a persistent demand of the Imphal Valley-based Meitei groups which have been alleging that tribal militants often enter into India through the porous border. The Meitei groups also allege that narcotics are being smuggled into India taking advantage of the unfenced international border. In a post on X, Shah said the Narendra Modi government is committed to building impenetrable borders. "It has decid

9 UN Security Council members urge halt to airstrikes by Myanmar's military

Nine members of the United Nations Security Council condemned indiscriminate airstrikes by Myanmar's military against civilians before an envoy briefed the council Monday as part of regional efforts to implement a peace plan that has so far been largely ineffective. The plan, adopted in April 2021 shortly after the military seized power in a takeover that sparked a civil war, calls for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by a special envoy from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties. Veteran diplomat Alounkeo Kittikhoun the special envoy to Myanmar from this year's ASEAN chair, Laos, and a former U.N. ambassador addressed a closed council meeting on behalf of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Kittikhoun committed to implementing ASEAN's five-point consensus for peace in

European Union condemns human rights violations under military in Myanmar

Meanwhile, the US imposed sanctions on Myanmar's military regime and four individuals and two entities linked to Myanmar's military regime have been designated

US imposes sanctions on Myanmar's military regime three years after coup

The US reiterated its call for the Myanmar military to change course and create space for meaningful and inclusive dialogue towards a future democratic Myanmar

Tensions in S China Sea, violence in Myanmar as Laos takes over Asean chair

Simmering tensions in the South China Sea between China and several Southeast Asian nations now regularly spark direct confrontation. Fighting in Myanmar against the military government that seized power three years ago has grown to the point that most say the country is now in a civil war. Hopes were high that Indonesia might be able to make significant inroads on both issues during its 2023 chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, using its clout as the bloc's largest country, but little progress was made. Now Laos, the bloc's poorest and one of its smallest countries, has taken over the rotating chair. As foreign ministers gather in Luang Prabang for this year's first top-level meetings over the weekend, many are pessimistic that ASEAN can keep its biggest challenges from festering and growing. There were so many expectations when Indonesia started its presidency and some of those expectations fell short, said Shafiah Muhibat, an expert with the Centre for ...

Burmese army plane crashes at Mizoram's Lengpui airport; six people injured

Of the 14 people, six sustained injuries, while eight are safe, said the DGP

Will stop free movement at Myanmar border, protect it like Bangladesh: Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the government will end the free movement of people at the India-Myanmar border, and fence it completely so that it can be protected like the country's boundary with Bangladesh. Shah made the announcement while addressing the passing out parade of the first batch of the five newly constituted Assam Police Commando battalions in Guwahati. "The Narendra Modi government has decided that the India-Myanmar border, which is open, will be protected by barbed fencing. The entire border will have barbed fencing like what we have at the India-Bangladesh border," he said. "The Indian government is rethinking the free movement agreement with Myanmar. Now, the Government of India is going to stop this facility," he added. The Free Movement Regime allows people living on both sides of the border to travel 16 km into each other's territory without a visa. Four Indian states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram, share a 1,643-km-long border w

Ethnic guerrilla groups agreed to an immediate cease-fire: Myanmar army

Myanmar's military has reached a cease-fire agreement with an alliance of ethnic minority guerrilla groups it has been battling in the country's northeast, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Myanmar's military government confirmed the development, as did the ethnic alliance. The agreement was brokered at talks mediated by China on Wednesday and Thursday in Kunming, a Chinese provincial capital about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the border with Myanmar, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. China hopes the relevant parties in Myanmar can conscientiously implement the agreement, exercise maximum restraint toward each other and solve the issues through dialogue and consultations, she said at a daily briefing in Beijing. Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson of Myanmar's ruling military council, said in an audio note to journalists that the two sides had met in Kunming and after talks, agreed on a temporary cease-fire agreement. "We will continue discussions We w

Myanmar military, ethnic groups agreed to immediate cease-fire: China

Myanmar's military has reached a cease-fire agreement with an alliance of ethnic minority guerrilla groups it has been battling in the north, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday. The agreement was brokered at talks mediated by China on Wednesday and Thursday in Kunming, a Chinese provincial capital about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the border with Myanmar, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. China hopes the relevant parties in Myanmar can conscientiously implement the agreement, exercise maximum restraint toward each other and solve the issues through dialogue and consultations, she said at a daily briefing in Beijing. Myanmar has been wracked by violence that began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. An alliance of three armed groups launched an offensive against the military in October and took control of Laukkaing, a key city on the border with China, last week. China is concerned about the rising violence and

Singapore looking to recruit APOs from India, China, Philippines & Myanmar

Singapore is considering hiring auxiliary police officers (APOs) from India, China, the Philippines and Myanmar, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam told parliament on Wednesday. The city-State is looking to expand the jurisdictions from which it recruits APOs as the number from Taiwan has fallen in recent few years, As a result, the home affairs ministry has been considering expanding the jurisdictions where auxiliary police officers (APOs) can be recruited from. These potentially include Asian ones such as China, India, the Philippines and Myanmar, according to a Channel News Asia report. "We need to allow the Auxiliary Police Forces to recruit foreign APOs, to meet the increasing demand for security services," the Today newspaper also quoted the minister as saying. "(The Auxiliary Police Forces) face challenges in sustaining an adequate pool of APOs, given the shrinking local workforce, requirements such as physical fitness, and the job options Singaporeans have." He was

Air attack in northwestern Myanmar kills 17, military denies responsibility

Airstrikes by Myanmar's military on a village under the control of the pro-democracy resistance in the country's northwest have killed at least 17 civilians, including nine children, local residents and a human rights group said Sunday. The morning aerial attacks on Kanan village in Sagaing region's Khampat town, just south of the Indian border, also wounded about 20 people, they said. Myanmar is wracked by violence that began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict. The country's independent online media and the BBC's Myanmar-language service reported the air attack Sunday, but the military government denied responsibility, claiming that it was false news spread by Khit Thit Media, an independent online news service sympathetic to the anti-military resistance. The report

Mizoram will continue to provide assistance to refugees from Myanmar: CM

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Saturday said his government would continue providing assistance to refugees from Myanmar and internally displaced people from Manipur, with support from the Centre. Lalduhoma made the comments at a press conference here upon his return from Delhi. "Even though the Centre can't accord refugee status to the Myanmar nationals, it is ready to collaborate with us in providing relief to them. People from Manipur, who fled their homes due to ethnic violence, will also be looked after with help of the central government," he said. According to officials, more than 31,000 individuals belonging to the Chin community from Myanmar have sought shelter in Mizoram since February 2021, following a military coup in their home country. Over 9,000 internally displaced people from Manipur have also taken refuge in the state. The Chin community from Myanmar and ethnic Kuki-Zo community from Manipur share ethnic ties with the Mizos. Union Home Minister Amit Shah ha

Beijing lodges protest to Myanmar as its artillery fire injures five

China has lodged protests to Myanmar after five people were injured by artillery shells fired during battles between its ruling junta and rebel groups that landed in its small town near their border

Myanmar's military govt pardons 10,000 prisoners to mark Independence Day

Myanmar's military government on Thursday pardoned nearly 10,000 prisoners to mark the 76th anniversary of gaining independence from Britain, but it wasn't immediately clear if any of those released included the thousands of political detainees jailed for opposing army rule. The head of Myanmar 's military council, Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, pardoned 9,652 prisoners to mark the holiday, state-run MRTV television reported. Min Aung Hlaing also granted amnesty to 114 jailed foreigners who will be deported, MRTV said in a separate report. The prisoner releases were expected to begin Thursday and take several days to be completed. At Insein Prison in Yangon notorious for decades for housing political detainees relatives of prisoners gathered at the gates from early morning. The identities of those granted pardons were not immediately available. There was no sign that among the prisoners being released would be Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been held virtually incommunicado by the milita

Govt plans to terminate FMR with Myanmar to curb migrant influx: Officials

The plan is part of consideration to end a point of contention as local residents complain that the FMR policy has become a major subject of contention as it is often misused

Myanmar ethnic group seizes another crossing point along Chinese border

An ethnic armed group in northeastern Myanmar has seized a major crossing point for trade along the Chinese border, residents and media reports said. The border gate in Laukkaing township, the capital of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in the northern part of Shan state, became the fifth crossing seized by the group since it launched a coordinated offensive on October 27 with two other ethnic armed groups. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, which took control of the crossing, joined with the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army for the offensive that began in October and call themselves the Three Brotherhood Alliance. Laukkaing is known for hosting major organized criminal enterprises including cyberscam operations controlled by Chinese investors in cooperation with local Myanmar warlords. The Chinese government in recent weeks has initiated a crackdown on these operations, and thousands of people involved have been repatriated to China. Many of those w

15 suspected drug smugglers killed in clash with Thai soldiers near Myanmar

Fifteen suspected drug smugglers were killed and about 2 million methamphetamine tablets seized in northern Thailand near the Myanmar border after a shootout with Thai soldiers, Thai officials said. The clash, which occurred Saturday night, came after the local army received a tip that there would be smuggling activity near the border in Chiang Rai province, said Phanurat Lukboon, acting secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board. Officers found a group of about 20 people carrying backpacks in the area, Phanurat said on Sunday. After the officers identified themselves and asked to inspect the bags, the group began shooting at them, he added. The clash lasted around 15 minutes and the Thai officers were all safe, Phanurat said while on a visit to the site where the incident occurred. He thanked the officers for their help in preventing these awful things from entering our country and destroying our youth. Seventeen backpacks made from fertilizer sacks were found