It’s a country where children are imprisoned, tortured and sexually abused. Hundreds have been killed since the military coup two years ago. In total, more than 2,600 people have been murdered and nearly 17,000 detained by a brutal regime led by a genocidal war criminal. In case you’re wondering, this isn’t Ukraine and it isn’t Vladimir Putin. The criminal in question is Myanmar’s junta boss, Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who struts about in a uniform adorned with meaningless decorations and gaudy gold braid. As a general rule, the more medals…
Tag: Myanmar
Your Tuesday Briefing: Kenya’s Next President?
Good morning. We’re covering uncertain election results in Kenya and a possible prisoner swap between Russia and the U.S. A new Kenyan president? Kenya’s vice president, William Ruto, won the country’s presidential election, the head of the electoral commission said yesterday. The result came days after a cliffhanger vote. Ruto gained 50.5 percent of the vote, narrowly defeating Raila Odinga, a former prime minister, said a top official. That percentage is enough to avert a runoff vote, but a majority of election commissioners refused to verify the results. Here are…
China calls on Myanmar junta to hold talks with opponents
China’s foreign minister has called for Myanmar’s junta to hold talks with its opponents, during his first visit to the country since the 2021 coup that plunged it into turmoil. Beijing is one of the Myanmar military’s few international allies, supplying arms and refusing to label the power grab that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government a coup. Wang Yi, the foreign minister, said China expected all parties in Myanmar to “adhere to rational consultation” and “strive to achieve political reconciliation”. Wang also told his counterpart, Wunna Maung Lwin, that…
Biden to Host Southeast Asian Leaders as He Tries to Return Focus to China
WASHINGTON — President Biden plans to host the leaders of Southeast Asian nations at the White House on Thursday and Friday, delivering a message of solidarity — and aiming to provide a bulwark against Chinese influence in the region — even as much of his administration remains focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The two-day summit will cover an array of topics including trade, human rights and climate change, but it is also part of an effort by Mr. Biden’s foreign policy team to highlight one of the president’s primary…
Your Tuesday Briefing: Beijing’s Fight against Lockdowns
Good morning. We’re covering the reopening of a mass-isolation center in Beijing, the evacuation of Ukrainian civilians from Mariupol and the forced closure of Rohingya schools in Bangladesh. A mass isolation center reopens Beijing reopened the Xiaotangshan hospital, which has more than 1,000 beds, after recording a few hundred cases in recent weeks. On Monday, officials announced 50 new cases in the city of 22 million, down from the 59 reported on Sunday. The move appears to be aimed at avoiding the fate of Shanghai, where weeks of confinement have…
Future Fund forced to divest $5m from sanctioned Chinese weapons company
The Future Fund has been forced to divest about $5m in taxpayers’ money from a Chinese state-controlled weapons manufacturer sanctioned for selling arms to the genocidal Myanmar military. Last year, the Guardian revealed that Australia’s sovereign wealth fund had invested $4.9m in five subsidiaries of the Chinese arms conglomerate Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). AVIC had sold the Myanmar military K-8 light combat aircraft, 16 JF-17M combat aircraft, 40 short-range PL-5E missiles and 24 longer-range PL-12 missiles. The Future Fund divested from AVIC in November, a month after the…
A junta protest and a bridge collapse: Tuesday’s best photos
Krasnoyarsk, Russia The country’s longest staircase, 1,200 metres long with 1,683 steps, is illuminated on the Torgashinsky mountain ridge outside Krasnoyarsk in central Siberia Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images The Guardian
Increased repression and violence a sign of weakness, says Human Rights Watch
Increasingly repressive and violent acts against civilian protests by autocratic leaders and military regimes around the world are signs of their desperation and weakening grip on power, Human Rights Watch says in its annual assessment of human rights across the globe. In its world report 2022, the human rights organisation said autocratic leaders faced a significant backlash in 2021, with millions of people risking their lives to take to the streets to challenge regimes’ authority and demand democracy. Human Rights Watch also said the emergence of opposition parties willing to…