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India must initiate smart moves to address Myanmar

A demonstrator stacks bags on a street as a barricade during a demonstration against the military coup and the detention of civilian leaders in Myanmar(ians)

The South-East Asia expert says that the Tatmadaw of the Myanmar military will not give up its power without extracting certain advantages…writes Rahul Kumar

The volatile situation in Myanmar, a pivotal neighbour that shares borders with India, China and South-East Asia is testing New Delhi’s capacity to safeguard its short and long-term interests, without falling into the trap of either populism or crass opportunism.

Can India play a constructive role in resolving the acute problems that Myanmar is facing after the February 1 military coup? The elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi has been ousted. Despite the army’s iron fisted rule, the country totters on the brink of civil war. This current situation therefore bears ill of India’s core interests.

There is an argument that India should take a clear position, stand with the “democratic forces” and take on the military head-on. In a guest editorial, The Irrawaddy says that this is the right time for India to step in and help solve the Myanmar crisis. The editorial observes: “India’s ambiguous stand on the Myanmar coup has left many foreign policy analysts perplexed. Being the world’s largest democracy and a neighbour, it should stop procrastinating and initiate some smart diplomatic moves given that the military chief continues to maintain good relations with the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

A demonstrator stacks bags on a street as a barricade during a demonstration against the military coup and the detention of civilian leaders in Myanmar(ians)

Highlighting the upward trend in relations between India and the Myanmar Army, called the Tatmadaw in Myanmarese, the article says that India had given a diesel submarine�the first for Myanmar�to the Navy; the Myanmarese forces have been cooperating with India in handing over the North-East rebels and the two forces have been holding military exercises and joint surveillance.

But can India take clear sides, and would that help? Or, instead, is there a creative third way where India neither sacrifices principle nor prudence in dealing with the situation? Some analysts are of the view that it may not be wise for India to go solo in its diplomatic engagement with Myanmar. Bonding with the 10-nation ASEAN and other stakeholders such as Japan and South Korea may be a better option.

ALSO READ: India abstains from vote on UNGA’s Myanmar resolution

“Despite good relations with both sides in Myanmar, India alone may not have that much leverage with its neighbour. Myanmar is a South-East country and its identity lies with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). India can join hands with ASEAN, Japan and South Korea�all of who pull leverage in Myanmar�and persuade the army chief to give and take”, Prof. Baladas Ghoshal, former chairman of the Centre for South and Southeast Asian Studies, JNU, and former General Secretary at the Society for Indian Ocean Studies told India Narrative.

The South-East Asia expert says that the Tatmadaw of the Myanmar military will not give up its power without extracting certain advantages. “India and ASEAN will have to meet both parties. A compromise has to be worked out where the army accepts the elections and allows Suu Kyi to rule. The army itself will handle ministries like Defence, Interior and Border Affairs. After their compromise, the two sides will not touch the constitution.”

Strategically Myanmar occupies a vital position, and also the support of democracies like India, Japan, South Korea, which can help it transform its governance. Also, it has enormous resources and can learn from and replicate the experience of ASEAN nations to become “one of the tigers”.

In a candid interview, Myanmar’s highly nationalistic army has admitted that it still cannot fully control the country more than three months after the coup. The Irrawaddy reported that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing told the Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television on May 20 that he had not expected such strong and continuous resistance from the pro-democracy group. The general admitted that he had “expected an emotional reaction” but not such a sustained anti-coup campaign.

The question before all the parties is�how to get out of this impasse?

ASEAN made an effort to resolve the Myanmar crisis after the world shone an unforgiving spotlight on the grouping. After an initial tepid response to the military coup, ASEAN envoys started talks with General Hlaing�the architect of the coup and have called for the release of political prisoners. However, ASEAN came in for condemnation for speaking only with the military and not the anti-coup National Unity Government (NUG).

“The only way out of the current situation is if India, Japan, South Korea and the ASEAN countries chip in together and persuade Myanmar’s warring parties to accept a compromise where both sides show flexibility and the resolution is Myanmar-owned”, says Ghoshal. The initiative will also dock well with India’s Act East policy, which has a deeper engagement with the ASEAN at its heart.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

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India, Indonesia plan joint patrols in Malacca straits

Indian strategic planners fully understand Indonesia’s importance in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region, reports Rahul Kumar

India and Indonesia, two major democracies in Asia are moving fast to strengthen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Despite Covid-19 bringing the world to a halt, the two have been working on improving defence, maritime and security related issues since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in May 2018.

Recently, V. Muraleedharan, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs discussed cooperation on regional issues with Mahendra Siregar, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.

In an exclusive interview to India Narrative, Prof. Baladas Ghoshal, former chairman of the Centre for South and Southeast Asian Studies, JNU, and former General Secretary at the Society for Indian Ocean Studies says: “Much is happening between India and Indonesia in defence and maritime arenas. The two nations have been discussing the sale of Brahmos and India’s role in capacity building Indonesia’s maritime forces”.

Indonesia, a prominent South East Asian nation, is also discussing the possibility of joint patrolling in the strategic strait of Malacca which connects the Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea in the Pacific Ocean. This is a maritime route through which a large percentage of the global trade crosses. The two nations have also been discussing increased access for India to Indonesia ports including Sabang and Aceh.

Prof. Ghoshal says: “If we get access to Indonesia ports, we look into the Pacific. France already has a presence there. If we put ourselves there, we can put China in great difficulty”. He adds that the Aceh and Andaman link could be established for trade and financial purposes. “The Aceh port is only 80 km from Nicobar. The two countries are discussing creating a regional economic zone in this region”.

There is a convergence of interests between the two nations who share civilization links and take pride in a common cultural heritage. What also brings Delhi and Jakarta closer is the fact that both pursue an independent foreign policy doctrine. Located strategically, Indonesia as a matter of policy, does not allow foreign military bases on its territory.

ALSO READ: Indonesia urged not to push back Rohingya

Modi’s visit in 2018 led to a strategic engagement in which the nations decided to hold annual summit meetings and framed a “robust architecture of dialogue in place, including the Ministerial and Working Group Mechanisms”. They also agreed to enhance mutual trust through regular interactions between the defence forces of the two countries.

A joint statement by Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo led to the adoption of a ‘Shared Vision on Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific between India and Indonesia’, with the belief that the two nations can cooperate in the maritime sector and be a force of stability in the region. The two are engaged comprehensively on this.

Despite the restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Delhi and Jakarta have made progress on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership through regular discussions. Prof. Ghoshal says: “A lot is happening in terms of foreign policy–dialogues, visits and discussions. But India will have to up its game by walking the talk and reducing its bureaucratic tape. The ASEAN nations, including Indonesia, look for clear objectives. India will have to move faster on the discussions”.

Analysts point out China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region is also providing the subtext for spurring stronger New Delhi-Jakarta ties. China has been intruding in the direction of the Natuna islands claimed by Indonesia. India, on its part, has still not seen the restoration of status quo ante following China’s ingress in Ladakh.

Indian strategic planners fully understand Indonesia’s importance in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Indonesian archipelago hosts at least four major choke points, which can be leveraged to counter Beijing, as some of them are critical for China’s seaborne trade.

Foremost among these channels is the Malacca strait�a narrow, 890 km stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The vast majority of China’s oil imports, from the Gulf, Venezuela and Angola, passes through this route, which is also the lifeline for Japan and South Korea � the other major industrial economies of the region.

Indonesia also hosts the Sunda Strait�the channel between the islands of Sumatra and Java. It is an important waterway for ships travelling along the Cape route in Africa to East Asia. Australian vessels setting course to destinations in Southeast or East Asia, also make active use of this passage.

The third channel, the Lombok Strait, also a part of the Indonesian archipelago, is deep and wide. It is therefore ideal for transiting huge oil tankers and other monster ships with 100,000 dead weight tonnage or more. The Ombai-Wetar Straits, also in Indonesia, play a unique military role. Because they are extremely deep, they provide undetected passage for submarines traveling between the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Consequently, there is considerable interest in these straits among the strategic communities of the Indo-Pacific countries, who are wary of the transit of Chinese submarines from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

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Myanmar junta detaining protesters’ families

Myanmar refugees staged a protest against China's support to the new military rule in Myanmar at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday 03rd March, 2021. (Photo: IANS)

Global rights groups have called for unconditional release all those wrongfully held and end all collective punishment….reports Anwesha Bhaumik

Myanmar security forces are arbitrarily arresting and detaining family and friends of activists, protesters and opposition members.

The trend is increasing, says global rights groups, who demand the authorities should immediately and unconditionally release all those wrongfully held and end all collective punishment.

Since the February 1 military coup in Myanmar, security forces have detained at least 76 people, including an infant, during raids when they were unable to find the person they sought to arrest, according to documentation by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

At least 48 of those people are still in detention, with some now held for more than three months.

“Seizing family members and friends as hostages is a thuggish tactic by Myanmar’s security forces to terrorize the population and coerce activists to turn themselves in,” said Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“The authorities should end the practice of collective punishment immediately and release everyone held on this illegal basis.”

Security forces unable to find specific suspects have arrested their parents, children, other relatives, and friends who happened to be present during the search.

On March 8, security forces searching for lawyer Robert San Aung seized his daughter and brother-in-law and held them for 18 days before releasing them.

ALSO READ: 100,000 flee as violence spikes in Myanmar

On April 22, security forces searching for Pu Do Sian Pau, a member of the opposition Civil Disobedience Movement, seized his mother and his 70-year-old father, a retired pastor of the Cope Memorial Baptist Church. Both are still in detention.

On April 29, security forces searching for Salai Bawi Uk Thang, the editor-in-chief of the Chinland Post newspaper, detained his father. He is still in detention.

On May 23, security forces arrested the parents and younger brother of a striking worker from the fire department. All three relatives are still in detention.

In some cases, witnesses allege that the security forces beat the relatives before detaining them.

Tin Htut Paing, an activist who is in hiding, told the media that, on May 2, security forces searching for him and his brother beat his 90-year-old grandmother and 64-year-old mother.

Security forces detained his mother and charged her with “incitement”. On May 28, she was sentenced to three years in prison.

According to the AAPP, security forces searching for Associate Judge Kaung Myat Thu of Chaung-U Township Court beat his mother before arresting her. His mother is still in detention

Young children and even an infant have also been detained, at least temporarily. Security forces detained five relatives of strike leader Ko Jay Lah, including two girls aged two and four.

Similarly, forces searching for protest leader U Tan Win detained his wife and 20-day-old baby.

While in both cases the family members were released later the same day, the arrests send a chilling message to activists and members of the Civil Disobedience Movement that no member of their family is safe, HRW’s Robertson said.

Myanmar refugees staged a protest against China’s support to the new military rule in Myanmar at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday 03rd March, 2021. (Photo: IANS)

The detention of people based solely on their relationship to another person is a form of collective punishment, which violates the right to liberty and security of person and the right to a fair trial.

“Myanmar’s junta has taken unlawful detention to a noxious new level by detaining those close to people who themselves should not be facing arrest,” Robertson said.

“Concerned governments should urgently impose targeted sanctions and a global arms embargo or expect the junta to continue to raise the stakes on abusive actions.”

Last month, the Burmese army Tatmadaw used villagers as shields during their attempt to regain control of the Mindat town in the Chin Hills.

“Using civilians as shield is a gross violation of the rules of war,” said Amrita Dey, an author of a volume on Myanmar.

“The Tatmadaw is crossing all limits.”

ALSO READ: Beijing’s support for Myanmar junta grows

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Beijing’s support for Myanmar junta grows

Protesters holds placards and portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest. (Photo Aung Kyaw Htet_SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire_dpa_IANS)

Myanmar is on the verge of collapse, driving out many of the Western investors who had entered the country on hopes of a democratic transition, reports Asian Lite News

Even as many nations, including the United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Myanmar’s military junta following the February 1 coup, China has declared its support for Senior General Min Aung Hlaing-led government.

The Great Game proxy theatre in post-coup Myanmar has pitted China against the US in a conflict that is escalating into a regional crisis, writes Bertil Lintner for Asia Times.

Other regional actors like Japan and India and other regional actors struggle to strike a middle ground as they are not keen on seeing Chinese influence grow in a desperate Myanmar.

Neighbouring Thailand is too dependent on natural gas imports from Myanmar to condemn the takeover and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has once again demonstrated incapability of resolving regional crises, writes Linter.

Myanmar is on the verge of collapse, driving out many of the Western investors who had entered the country on hopes of a democratic transition.

Asia Times reported that China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, at a regional meeting in Chongqing on June 8 told his Myanmarese counterpart Wunna Maung Maung Lwin that bilateral tensions between Myanmar and China have not been affected by the “changes in Myanmar’s domestic and external situation.

ALSO READ: Myanmar buckles to ASEAN

On the other hand, Chinese officials have also pledged support for ASEAN’s diplomatic initiatives on Mynamar’s crisis, despite the ‘five point consensus between Myanmar’s military leader and the ASEAN representative on April 24 has been largely dead on arrival.

In essence, the “consensus agreement” put equal blame on the Myanmar military’s gunning down of hundreds of peaceful demonstrators, including children as young as five, writes Bertil Lintner for Asia Times.

Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing

Indonesia remains the only ASEAN member that has shown some willingness to address Myanmar’s problems and how they are spilling over into the wider region.

On June 2, after holding talks with EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell in Jakarta, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that her country is continuing to communicate with ASEAN’s chair and other member states to demand an immediate end to killings and the release of over 4,000 political detainees.

Meanwhile, China has big geostrategic interests to protect in Myanmar and Beijing has always sided with the political camp that appears to have the upper hand – which is now Myanmar’s military junta.

Furthermore, Myanmar is the only country that provides China with direct access to the Indian Ocean that allows Chinese shipments of fuel and other key imports to bypass the disputed waters of the South China Sea and the Malacca Strait, according to Asia Times.

Whereas the US is on the other side of the political divide in post-coup Myanmar and beginning this month, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) announced that two of its media networks will launch a 24-hour video channel on Myanmar.

USAGM said the channel will be available on two different direct-to-home TV satellites covering Myanmar and is being launched in response to the junta’s “shutdown of independent media and its intermittent blocking of mobile phone services since the military’s February 1 coup.”

Moreover, civil society organisations inside the country and in exile will also get support from the US.

An estimated 861 protesters had been shot dead by the Myanmar military since the coup until June 11, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), an independent rights group.

Security and other analysts argue that neither civil disobedience nor armed struggle in frontier areas is likely to bring down the military, reported Asia Times.

It is in Washington’s strategic interest to strengthen the forces that are opposed to Myanmar’s military to avoid the country once again becoming a dependent client of China.

Myanmar authorities have recently arrested a total of 638 suspects for committing terror acts and illegally possessing firearms, state-run media reported Friday.

The report said that the arrested suspects include 49 people for setting fire, 61 people for murder, 256 for illegally holding arms and ammunition and 272 people for terror and destructive acts, reported Xinhua. (ANI)

ALSO READ: 100,000 flee as violence spikes in Myanmar
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100,000 flee as violence spikes in Myanmar

A demonstrator stacks bags on a street as a barricade during a demonstration against the military coup and the detention of civilian leaders in Myanmar(ians)

The people fled after “indiscriminate attacks by security forces against civilian areas…reports Asian Lite News

At least 100,000 people in eastern Myanmar are on the run because of violent “attacks” by the army, the United Nations estimates.

Kayah state, on the border with Thailand, is particularly badly affected, according to a statement by the UN mission in Myanmar, dpa reported.

The people fled after “indiscriminate attacks by security forces against civilian areas,” read the statement, which was dated from Tuesday.

“This crisis could push people across international borders seeking safety, as already seen in other parts of the country,” it said.


The effort to deliver aid to these people had been hampered by “ongoing insecurity, travel restrictions imposed by security forces, and poor road conditions.”

Since the military coup in early February, Myanmar has been mired in chaos and violence.

The generals ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest ever since.

According to estimates by the prisoners’ aid organisation AAPP, more than 850 people have been killed in ongoing protests against the junta.

ALSO READ: Myanmar buckles to ASEAN

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Indonesia urged not to push back Rohingya

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) also appealed to ensure thet the refugees are not pushed back…reports Anwesha Bhaumik

Human rights groups have appealed to Indonesia not to push back the 81 Rohingya refugees who landed on the country’s Aceh coast in a ramshackle boat.

“The 81 refugees have landed on Idaman Island in Aceh. We are told they are okay,” said Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, that has researched the Rohingya issue for decades.

But speaking to IANS, Lewa said: “I am keeping my fingers crossed and just hope Indonesia will not push them back or hand them over to Myanmar, like Malaysia has often done.”

“Until we know for sure that they are not being pushed back, the Rohingya are not 100 per cent safe there.”

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) also appealed to ensure thet the refugees are not pushed back.

“ASEAN leaders, having done almost nothing for years, should dramatically rethink their approach to the Rohingya crisis,” said Brad Adams, HRW’s Asia director.

“A coordinated regional response is desperately needed to protect Rohingya in Myanmar, in refugee camps abroad, and at sea, while pressing Myanmar to take the steps necessary for them to return home safely.”

Numerous boats, each with hundreds of Rohingya asylum seekers, have been leaving overcrowded refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh for Southeast Asian destinations every year.

Malaysian and Thai authorities have been pushing the boats back to sea, leaving hundreds of refugees in precarious condition, without access to adequate food and water for months.

Refugees in the Kutupalong Rohingya Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in July, 2018. (Photo: UN/IANS)

The boat that landed in Aceh had sailed on February 11 from Cox’s Bazar carrying 90 Rohingya refugees, most of them women and children, with the hope of reaching Malaysia.

But the boat’s engine failed four days after leaving Cox’s Bazar and it ran adrift until Indian Coast Guards rescued it.

Of the 90 people who set out on the voyage, eight were found dead by the Indian Coast Guards who later helped repair the vessel.

Indian authorities provided food and essential supplies to survivors but refused to let them set foot on their shores.

Bangladesh, too, denied re-entry to 81 survivors.

Over the last three months, international aid agencies and family members of those onboard have made repeated appeals to India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Malaysia for information about the fate of the survivors on the boat.

Dwi Prafitria, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Indonesia, has said that the refugees currently don’t have a place to stay.

“We have to coordinate with the local government.”

Authorities in Indonesia, including local police and immigration, were not immediately available for comment.

More than 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are living in teeming camps in Bangladesh, including tens of thousands who fled after a deadly crackdown in 2017.

Human traffickers often lure Rohingya refugees, persuading them to travel on rickety vessels with the promise of work in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia.

ALSO READ: Myanmar junta chief in Indonesia for talks

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Myanmar buckles to ASEAN

Min Aung Hlaing, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, made the remarks on here Saturday during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar…reports Asian Lite News

Myanmar is willing to work together with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to safeguard the domestic stability of the country and implement the relevant consensus, State Administration Council (SAC) Chair Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing said.

Min Aung Hlaing, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, made the remarks on here Saturday during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar, Chen Hai, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to a statement issued by the Chinese embassy in Nay Pyi Taw, Min Aung Hlaing introduced the domestic situation in the country and said Myanmar is committed to promoting national stability, economic growth and improvement of people’s livelihoods, and safeguarding democracy and the rule of law.

ASEAN leaders meeting(Twitter)

The two sides also exchanged views on issues including China-Myanmar relations and the joint prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On Friday, Second Minister of Brunei’s Foreign Affairs Erywan bin Pehin Yusof, whose country currently holds the rotating chair of the ASEAN, and the bloc’s Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi had arrived in Myanmar to hold talks with top officials about the current political situation in the country following the February 1 military coup.

The envoys met Min Aung Hlaing and they exchanged views on matters related to the outcomes of a recent ASEAN leaders’ meeting on Myanmar; implementations of ASEAN recommendations from the Preliminary Needs Assessment; ASEAN’s efforts on access to Covid-19 vaccines; and bilateral friendship between Myanmar and Brunei.

The military leader also apprised ASEAN envoys of the progress of review on the 2020 general elections in Myanmar, situation of terrorist actions, matters related to re-holding elections when the country restores stability and future cooperation plans on humanitarian assistance.

ALSO READ: Myanmar students can stay in Japan even after visas expire

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Myanmar students can stay in Japan even after visas expire

The exemption applies to students and technical interns who could face trouble returning home…reports Asian Lite News

Japan will let Myanmar citizens remain in the country legally even after their visas expire, in response to deteriorating political conditions in the Southeast Asian nation following the military coup, reported Nikkei Asia.

The exemption applies to students and technical interns who could face trouble returning home. They can choose to study or work in Japan for another six or 12 months, according to the plans outlined by the country’s Immigration Services Agency to lawmakers on Wednesday.

If the political situation in Myanmar fails to improve, these Myanmar citizens will be able to apply for another extension.

On February 1, the Myanmar military overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency. The coup triggered mass protests and was met by deadly violence.

According to Nikkei Asia, Japan also will accelerate the screening process for refugees, and allow applicants from Myanmar to stay and work in the country without that status.

It further reported that the Myanmar junta has fired two diplomats stationed in Tokyo for speaking out against the military’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. The Japanese government is looking to grant the diplomats visas, such as those designated for highly skilled professionals.

There were 35,049 Myanmar citizens living in Japan as of the end of 2020, Nikkei Asia reported citing a preliminary data released by the Immigration Services Agency. A total of 2,944 were seeking asylum at the end of March.

At least 828 people have been confirmed to be killed since the military takeover on February 1, according to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

Meanwhile, Japan’s health ministry said that the number of Covid-19 patients nationwide designated as being in a serious condition rose to a record high of 1,413 on Wednesday.

The number of serious-ill patients who typically need intensive care treatment in hospitals and require the use of ventilators or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines jumped by 119 from a day earlier, the ministry said.

The officials said that 4,536 new cases and 116 deaths were recorded on Wednesday.

The total infections since the outbreak here have risen to 730,646 across the country, with the death toll increasing to 12,640 people, according to the latest figures.

New cases in Tokyo increased by 743, the health ministry said, while those in Osaka rose by 331. Aichi Prefecture saw daily infections up by 331 and Hokkaido Prefecture reported 551 new Covid-19 cases, according to official figures.

In a bid to accelerate its inoculation campaign, two mass vaccination centres were opened in Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture on Monday with the state-backed facilities aimed at helping to complete administering vaccinations of 36 million seniors aged 65 or older by the end of July. (ANI/IANS)

ALSO READ: Armed resistance in Mindat against Myanmar military

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828 people killed in Myanmar as military crackdown continues

“As of 26 May, 828 people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup,” said AAPP…reports Asian Lite News

As violence continues to intensify in Myanmar, 828 people have been confirmed to be killed since the military takeover on February 1, according to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

“As of 26 May, 828 people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup,” said AAPP, adding that a total of 4,330 people are currently under detention.

“A woman, living in Taw Seint Village in Salin Township, Magway Region, was shot dead in the head last night when the village administrator requested the military to come to the village and open fire in response to a “No to Military Slavery Education” sticker campaign at a local school,” said AAPP.

A demonstrator stacks bags on a street as a barricade during a demonstration against the military coup and the detention of civilian leaders in Myanmar(ians)

Earlier, Myanmar’s military government announced it will reopen public schools on June 1 but many teachers and students opposed to the coup might refuse to return.

According to Kyodo News, a number of teachers and others engaged in education have joined the so-called civil disobedience movement to boycott work, as a protest against the junta. But the junta called on them to return to work and prepare for the reopening of the schools as it announced the restart on April 30.

The public schools in the country have been closed for more than a year since the ousted government led by detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi had decided not to open the schools in June last year as the country saw a surge in the coronavirus infections, Kyodo News reported.

US journo detained

Authorities in Myanmar detained an American journalist, an employee at a local English-language publication, at the Yangon airport shortly before boarding a flight back home, according to his employer on Tuesday.

Danny Fenster, 37, has been taken to prison, dpa news agency quoted his employer, Frontier Myanmar, as saying in a statement.

The charges against Fenster are unknown.

“We do not know why Danny was detained and have not been able to contact him since this morning. We are concerned for his well-being and call for his immediate release. Our priorities right now are to make sure he is safe and to provide him with whatever assistance he needs,” the statement said.

Frontier Myanmar’s chief, Thomas Kean told dpa news agency that Fenster had worked at the newpaper since August 2020 and that he had been on his way to the US for personal reasons.

Myanmar protestors flood streets in Mandalay despite army crack down

The military leaders of Myanmar have cracked down hard on anyone they view as an opponent ever since grabbing power in February.

There have been reports of more than 5,400 detentions since the start of their rules, including of many journalists.

Many reporters have already fled the country, though foreign correspondents had been viewed as enjoying a degree of protection.

“This unlawful restriction of a foreign journalist’s freedom of movement is the latest grave threat to press freedom in Myanmar,” read a statement from the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

On February 1, the Myanmar military overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency. The coup triggered mass protests and was met by deadly violence. (ANI/IANS)

ALSO READ: EU warns Myanmar junta against NLD dissolution

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Suu Kyi appears in public after long absence

The 75-year-old Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since the coup…reports Asian Lite News

Myanmar’s ousted de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in court on Monday, her first in-person appearance since the February 1 coup, to face a charge of “incitement to sedition”.

The sedition charge is the most serious she faces, but she is also accused of violating a state secrets law and breaking coronavirus containment measures, reports dpa news agency.

Defence lawyer Thae Maung Maung said lawyers were able to meet with Suu Kyi separately before the hearing and they discussed the legal matter.

The 75-year-old has been under house arrest since the coup.

Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi (R, front) lays a wreath during a ceremony to mark the 72nd Martyrs’ Day in Yangon, Myanmar. (Xinhua/U Aung/IANS)

He told dpa news agency that Suu Kyi was in good health.

Her next court hearing is scheduled for June 7.

ALSO READ: Myanmar’s beauty queen picks up guns

While Suu Kyi has answered questions in court via video link in recent weeks, her lawyers have been unable to meet her in person.

A special courtroom had been set up for the hearing in the capital Nay Pyi Taw, not far from Suu Kyi’s home, lawyer Min Min Soe told dpa.

Death toll in Myanmar’s anti-coup protests tops 500

Nationwide protests against the coup have been met with fierce army reprisals that left hundreds of people dead.

In an interview published on May 22 by Chinese-language broadcaster Phoenix, Myanmar’s military ruler, Min Aung Hlaing claimed the media had vastly overstated the number of dead, putting it at “around 300”.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group, at least 818 people have been killed so far, while more than 5,300 have been detained.

ALSO READ: Armed resistance in Mindat against Myanmar military