![]() This was accompanied by a characteristically hysterical report in the Chinese government tabloid Global Times, which aired the possibility that “the suspected arsonists are possibly anti-China locals who have been provoked by some Western anti-China forces, NGOs, and Hong Kong secessionists.”Īs has been pointed out in these pages before, China has little to gain from the military takeover in Myanmar, and certainly not from the chaos that has ensued. In a statement Sunday, the Chinese Embassy in Yangon condemned the damage to the factories and urges Myanmar’s government “to take further effective measures to stop all acts of violence, punish the perpetrators in accordance with the law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar.” But the statement made no mention of the dozens of people that had been gunned down that day by security forces. The targeting of Chinese factories demonstrated the extent to which the crisis in Myanmar is straining Beijing’s long-held doctrine of non-interference. During the violent crackdown in Hlaingthaya, 32 Chinese-financed factories were reportedly smashed, looted, or vandalized, presumably in retaliation for China’s perceived support for the coup government. The post-coup protests are also creating a thorny dilemma for Myanmar’s large neighbor China. ![]() Given the increasing lethality being employed by the security forces, Western nations are almost certain to impose additional targeted sanctions on junta leaders and their economic interests, even though the likely impacts are unclear. “The longer it takes for strong action to come from the international community,” Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch said in a statement Sunday, “the longer Myanmar’s generals will feel they can get away with murder.” International rights groups are seeking the same. ![]() The CRPH has called for robust targeted sanctions on military leaders and enterprises and assets connected to the military. The deteriorating situation has increased the pressure for outside intervention to curtail the violence. “This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close,” he said in a video.Įnjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. On Saturday, Mahn Win Khaing Than, the acting leader of the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), a parallel civilian government made up of parliamentarians from the ousted National League of Democracy (NLD) government, urged citizens to come together to win a “revolution” against the military. The popular resistance to the coup shows few signs of abating, raising the possibility of a protracted de facto civil war pitting the Myanmar military against a large part of the country’s population. Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. Protests have been ongoing since shortly after the military’s seizure of power on February 1, and have only grown as the police and soldiers have used increasingly deadly means to disperse protesters. Here the Yangon Region military commander will take over all governance, security, and judicial powers until further notice. ![]() The violence prompted the government to put Hlaingthaya and Shwepyitha townships under martial law, which was expanded on Monday morning to cover the townships of North Dagon, North Okkalapa, South Dagon, and Dagon Seikkan. The real death toll from the day could well be much higher, with Radio Free Asia reporting as many as 70 deaths from the day’s crackdown, including 51 in Hlaingthaya. At least 16 people were killed elsewhere in the country, including one policeman. At least 39 people were killed by police and soldiers in Myanmar on Sunday, a harrowing crescendo to the six weeks of protests that have followed the military’s seizure of power on February 1.Īccording to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a local civil society group, the death toll included at least 22 anti-coup protesters killed in the working class suburb of Hlaingthaya, in the northern suburbs of Yangon, as Chinese-owned businesses in the area were set on fire. Myanmar’s ruling junta has declared martial law in parts of the country’s largest city as crackdowns by security forces began to take the contours of an internal counterinsurgency war.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |