From hasty decisions to putting Nawaz’s children Maryam and Shahbaz behind bars without any solid evidence, Imran Khan and his backers have also sought to settle political scores with the PML-N, writes Imad Zafar
The ‘accountability’ witch-hunt initiated by Prime Minister Imran Khan was always a farce with a clear motive to remove former premier Nawaz Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
From hasty decisions to putting Nawaz’s children Maryam and Shahbaz behind bars without any solid evidence, Imran Khan and his backers have also sought to settle political scores with the PML-N, writes Imad Zafar for Asia Times.
According to retired director-general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Bashir Memon, Prime Minister Imran Khan tried to pressure him to charge Maryam, Khawaja Asif, and Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
Memon had enjoyed a good reputation while serving in the police and FIA and took early retirement as a protest against the “accountability” drive and cited the reason as undue pressure from Khan and his aides to arrest opposition members.
The serious allegations have led to mere protestations in the media and sending a defamation notice to Memon, Asia Times reported.
Memon has retracted his statement regarding Khan asking him to file a case against Isa but remained firm that he was asked to book PML-N members.
It has been seen in Pakistan’s history that those with political views dissenting from the establishment or its puppet political parties are held accountable or declared traitors. This was notable in the case since the rule of General Ayub Khan, writes Zafar.
The question remains as to who will restore the credibility of the accountability courts, and who will be held responsible for sending politicians to jail for no reason but to rig the political discourse.
Though the propaganda supported by the establishment and controlled media resulted in character assassination of Nawaz and his aides, it sent Pakistan into self-inflicted political and economic turmoil.
Ishaq Dar, who played a major role in economic reforms and raised the annualized growth of the country’s economy to 5.28 per cent, was booked for not filing proper income-tax returns, writes Asia Times.
Meanwhile, Memon also alleged that Imran Khan asked him to book Khawaja Asif in a treason case and to book Maryam Nawaz in a terrorism case, which tells a lot about the intolerant mindset of the current PM and his backers.
The “accountability” farce has only installed the inept government of Imran Khan’s government at the helm of affairs, a regime that knows only to bash political opponents and dissenting journalists and judges, wrote Zafar.
The Pakistani journalist further said that had the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) not been created to play the religious card against the PML-N and to reduce its vote bank, the recent violent protests against the French ambassador would not have taken place that put Pakistan in another awkward situation in Europe.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court had disqualified Nawaz as Prime Minister after an inquiry into the 2016 Panama Papers linked his family to offshore companies. (ANI)
According to a recent report, the poverty rate in Pakistan has reached an alarming 31.3 per cent….reports Asian Lite News
Child marriage is the most horrifying among the many serious poverty-related issues plaguing Pakistan, experts said.
According to a recent report, the poverty rate in Pakistan has reached an alarming 31.3 per cent. One of the major concerns of the people is the marriage of their children, mainly because the underprivileged families seldom send their children to schools, reported The Nation.
The boys in these families start working from a very small age, while girls are trained for household work and married quickly, which inevitably lead to underage marriages.
Citing an organisation named Sahil, The Nation reported that a total of 119 cases of child marriages were reported, out of which 95 per cent were of girls and five per cent were of boys.
Other reasons of child marriages in Pakistan are culture, tribal traditions and exchange marriage. However, experts say that poverty is the gravest reason.
“In newly merged tribal districts and Malakund district, people take Rs 500,000 to Rs 2,000,000 from men wanting to marry their underage girls. Most of these men are wealthy and already married,” said Qaiser Khan, a political activist from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
As per a UNICEF report in 2020, 21 per cent girls in Pakistan get married before age of 18, while three per cent get married before turning 15, reported The Nation.
“The country has the sixth-highest number of child brides in the world (1,909,000). The median age of marriage is the lowest in rural areas and in Gilgit-Baltistan,” the report said.
Meanwhile, experts are now concerned that in near future, the situation might aggravate in the country, as the government has announced a complete lockdown in 20 cities of Punjab.
Many observers have said that the rising cases of child marriages are because they are done in the name of culture or even religion. The issues, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan, have deep roots of ‘culture’, ‘norm’ and ‘tradition’.
“Early marriage affects the psychological well-being and intellectual, personal and social growth of the child… Robbed of happy childhood experiences, given an incomplete education that mars career prospects later, overburdened with responsibilities and subjected to domestic violence, there is an increased risk of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in such children,” said Kishwar Enam, a paediatrician.
Activists have urged the government to take major steps to tackle the issue, including harsh punishments, according to The Nation. (ANI)
It comes at a time when the United States military forces are preparing to completely withdraw from the country….reports Asian Lite News
Taliban have captured a key district in northern Afghanistan while thousands of civilians have fled their homes in the southern part of the country to escape the violent attacks, according to Arab News report.
It comes at a time when the United States military forces are preparing to completely withdraw from the country.
The rugged Burka district in Baghlan, one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, fell to the Taliban overnight after the militant group staged an attack on government forces, Javid Basharat, a spokesman for Baghlan’s governor, told Arab News.
The ongoing conflict in Afghanistan has further intensified since the start of the withdrawal of the US-led forces from the country on May 1 as the Taliban militants have stepped up activities, officials said.
Taliban
According to the security officials, the Taliban has intensified activities in Helmand, Zabul, Baghlan, Herat, Farah, Faryab, Takhar and Badakhshan provinces, and scores of militants and security personnel have been killed, reports Xinhua news agency.
Confirming impetus in fighting, a spokesman for the Defence Ministry Fawad Aman told local media on Wednesday that violent incidents have increased over the past three days, adding the Taliban militants have suffered huge casualties.
A total of 20 security personnel and 180 Taliban militants have been killed and 87 more insurgents injured, according to the official.
Fighting has increased since May 1, the day the US administration formally started pulling out its forces from Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has welcomed the foreign forces’ withdrawal but blamed the US for violation of the Doha agreement under which Washington was bound to complete the withdrawal on May 1.
Taliban militants attacked security checkpoints and killed nine soldiers in Baghlan-e-Markazi district of northern Baghlan province on Monday night, stormed security checkpoints in the neighboring Burka district on Tuesday, and overran district headquarters early Wednesday.
Police described the district collapse as “tactical retreat” while the Taliban outfit claimed victory and said the district headquarters, police head office and all administrative offices in Burka have been captured.
Taliban militants have been attempting to overrun the key city of Lashkar Gah in the south and neighboring Ghazni and Farah provinces, but failed after suffering huge casualties and leaving 39 bodies behind outside Lashkar Gah, said an army statement on Wednesday.
Mujahid has rejected the claim as groundless, insisting that the armed group has inflicted casualties on government forces, saying 10 government soldiers were killed and 15 others captured in Baghlan province on Monday.
Ghani mentioned that the parties would have to discuss and decide on a transitional administration, which would have a short tenure…reports Asian Lite News
Stressing that every international stakeholder and Afghan people demands a “sovereign, Islamic, democratic, united, neutral” and unified Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani warned that “if the Taliban refuse to negotiate, they will be choosing the peace of the grave”.
Citing an article shared by Foreign Policy, Khaama Press News Agency reported Ghani saying that an Islamic system demanded by the Taliban already exists in Afghanistan and that they should demonstrate their desired end state with “clarity and detail”.
He further said that peace negotiations require a credible and neutral mediator, which the Doha talks lack and the best option for this role would be United Nations.
“The first topics of negotiation must be reaching the desired end state and putting in place a comprehensive cease-fire to bring peace and respite to the daily lives of the Afghan people and to restore credibility and faith in the peacemaking process. Because cease-fires established during peace negotiations often fall apart, however, it is critical that we have international monitoring,” he said.
Ghani mentioned that the parties would have to discuss and decide on a transitional administration, which would have a short tenure. He announced that in such an election, he would not run for office and expressed willingness to resign if his successor had a mandate for peace.
Intra-Afghan Talks would face difficult challenges on whether and how the Taliban would sever ties with Pakistan, the Khaama Press reported.
“It is crucial that the Afghan government and the Taliban also agree on an approach against the Islamic State (or ISIS), al Qaeda, and other terrorist groups and that our agreement include a framework for counterterrorism that secures guarantees of support from other countries in the region and from international organizations”, Ghani said in his article in Foreign Policy.
U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad during the talks in Doha
According to the Afghan President, a disrupted and disorderly” transition of power could menace command and control of security sectors in the country. He also noted that “uncertainty” may persuade Afghans to migrate, which could lead to another refugee crisis.
He further predicted that the Taliban will show no further ensuing interest in making a political deal and “will instead opt for continued military aggression”, Khaama Press reported.
Speaking on Pakistan, he said that the neighbouring country had miscalculated to threaten the Afghan peace process.
He remarked that Islamabad would be looking for an enmity with Afghanistan and would be deprived of enormous economical benefits that peace and regional connectivity offers if they choose to continue facilitating Taliban and other terrorist organisations.
“Pakistan would become an international pariah, as it would be left with no leverage in the aftermath of the U.S. troop withdrawal. The Pakistani government miscalculated in its response to the United States’ plan of action for Afghanistan and the region, but it is not too late for Islamabad to emerge as a partner and stakeholder in an orderly peace process,” he said in his article.
“The withdrawal of U.S. troops is an opportunity to get us closer to that end state, but only if all Afghans and their international partners commit to a clear path forward and stay the course,” Ghani concluded his remarks.
This statement comes as Washington formally started their drawdown from the war-torn country on May 1.
Biden announced earlier this month the decision to withdraw troops from the country starting on that May 1 deadline, with the aim of completely withdrawing from Afghanistan by September 11, which would mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that sparked the war in Afghanistan, the longest conflict in American history.
Earlier this year, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry said that despite the Taliban’s claim that it seeks to maintain peace in the country, the terror outfit still maintains close ties to the terrorist outfit Pakistani Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. (ANI)
China itself has referred to various trump card weapons of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as “Assassin’s Maces”…reports Asian Lite News
Methods of waging war developed rapidly in the last century, as machine guns dominated World War I, and aircraft and tanks rose to the fore in World War II. The technology of war continues to evolve, and China is among those at the forefront of seeking new ways to disable, neutralize or kill its perceived enemies.
For a couple of decades the Chinese concept of “Assassin’s Mace” weapons was frequently referred to. This comes from the Chinese term shashoujian, a hero from ancient Chinese folklore who overcame more powerful enemies by wielding a club and attacking the enemy suddenly outside the rules.
China itself has referred to various trump card weapons of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as “Assassin’s Maces”. Examples include the PHL-03 truck-mounted multiple rocket launcher, or the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile. Indeed, China is the only country in the world to field a weapon of this latter category.
While the term is still used by Chinese and Western commentators alike, it is perhaps time to more widely utilize the term “New Concept Weapons” (xin gainian wuqi). This terminology dates back to the 1960s, when China once used it as a synonym for directed-energy weapon programs. It has evolved over time, however – especially in the past decade – and it now equates to “new mechanism weapon systems”, these being technologies that disrupt an adversary and create asymmetric advantages for the PLA.
China-ship
We are not yet referring to fanciful science fiction notions such as light sabers and dueling spaceships. Rather, the topic is heavily based on the digital and cyber domains.
That means that many of these “weapons” belong to the PLA Strategic Support Force (PLASSF), a special-purpose force formally established in December 2015 to handle the space, electronic warfare and cyber aspects of modern warfare.
Marcus Clay, an analyst with the US Air Force’s China Aerospace Studies Institute, explicated on the terminology of New Concept Weapons (NCW) for The Jamestown Foundation, a think-tank based in the USA. He described it as follows: “In the mid- to late 2000s, PLA writers approached NCW more holistically, broadly defining them as weapons that embodied technological innovation and breakthroughs. NCW were said to have the potential to deliver ‘surprise effects’, and could fundamentally change the patterns and efficacies of military activities.”
Clay explained that, in the 2010s, Chinese academic and military interest grew even greater in such technologies. “Disruptive technologies, through which NCWs deliver effects, were placed front and center. More recent discussions on NCW focus on ‘new energy sources, new principles of action and new destruction mechanisms’.”
Indeed, such weapon systems are being developed on fundamentally new principles, adopt new mechanisms for destruction and often employ different combat methods. Having gained an appreciation of what a New Concept Weapon is designed to do, it is probably now useful to think of some concrete examples.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of these weapons, one cannot easily point to a gun, ship or aircraft and say here one is! As previously stated, because New Concept Weapons work primarily in the information domain, their realm of effectiveness is often digital and cannot be readily seen let alone named.
What Clay did offer was examples of broad categories of New Concept Weapons as discussed within China in the past decade. Previously, China would divide them into the broad categories of energy weapons as a “new sword”, information weapons as a “force multiplier” and biological/chemical weapons as an “invisible card”. Such divisions are largely giving way to a weapon’s effects rather than its source.
Nonetheless, Clay listed energy New Concept Weapons such as kinetic-energy weapons; directed-energy weapons (e.g. lasers, microwaves, electromagnetic pulses or particle beams); new atomic weapons (e.g. neutron bombs, antimatter); and sonic weapons (e.g. noise, infrasound).
Moving on, information New Concept Weapons include: intelligent networks, electromagnetic spectrum attack and defense weapons (e.g. computer chip viruses); new- type psychological intervention/warfare weapons (e.g. noise intervention, holographic displays); nanosatellites to collect intelligence; decision-making support systems based on big data; military cloud computing platforms; logistic support based on the Internet of Things; and weather warfare/modification.
Examples in the third category of biological/chemical New Concept Weapons are genetics (e.g. gene editing or genetic virus weapons) or non-lethal/disabling chemical weapons. This broad category is interesting given the accusations some have made that COVID-19 was originally developed by the PLA in a Wuhan laboratory close to the epicenter of the global outbreak.
The PLASSF will obviously be instrumental in using many of these technologies, and it is singled out as a growth point for their combat capabilities. It presumably gets involved in both developing and testing such new weapons.
As China develops such weapons, it is critical that such technologies be forward leaning (e.g. mature within the next 20 years), be feasible and supportable by established industry, can themselves facilitate industrial scientific and industrial development, and reflect some degree of urgency.
In 2014, China listed some weapons that matched these four criteria. They included network attack and defense weapons, anti-satellite weapons, lasers, microwave weapons, new energy artillery systems, stealth weapons, new atomic weapons, hypersonic kinetic weapons, particle beams and non-lethal chemicals.
There are in fact overlaps with weapons that China has employed. For example, it is alleged during the ongoing border dispute with India, that PLA troops used a microwave weapon at Lake Pangong to drive Indian troops from two hilltops. Microwave weapons focus high-frequency electromagnetic pulses that cause irritation and pain in human tissue. A Chinese academic claimed, “In 15 minutes, those occupying the hilltops all began to vomit. They couldn’t stand up, so they fled. This was how we retook the ground.”
However, the Indian government refuted claims that the PLA employed microwave weapons. Regardless, China has certainly been developing such weapons. At the Zhuhai Air Show in 2014, for instance, Poly Technologies exhibited a truck-mounted microwave active denial system called the WB-1, with a claimed range of 80m. With microwave weapons, China can suppress an enemy in order to seize territory without firing a shot.
There are reports that the PLA Navy has fitted microwave weapons on naval vessels for use against “intruders” in the South China Sea. Furthermore, in 2017 a national technology award was given for developing a high-power microwave weapon able to defend warships against anti-ship missiles. Astonishingly, it is alleged that China used microwave weapons against American diplomats and family members in Guangzhou in 2018.
China has been using lasers against pilots too, including American military aviators flying over Djibouti and the East China Sea. Lasers are often wielded by Chinese People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia vessels to harass others in this way. Electromagnetic weapons are a fruitful area of research. China installed an electromagnetic launch railgun onto a Type 072III-class landing ship, Haiyang Shan, as an experiment, with photos of it emerging in January 2018. A railgun launches a shell at seven times the speed of sound. The USA has also been exploring railguns, but technical challenges exist, including the problem of hitting a moving target at long range, since the projectile is unguided and non-explosive. Barrel metallurgy problems have dogged American efforts, as gun barrels have to be changed after firing just a dozen or so rounds.
If the technology can be mastered, a railgun would be much cheaper than missiles. China has obtained some technologies illegally, including theft from the USA, as well as buying data from susceptible foreign academics and the like. Ukraine and Russia have been fertile grounds for Chinese espionage, for example.
At China’s 1 October 2019 military parade in Beijing, the PLASSF enjoyed an elevated profile. Numerous vehicles sporting all manners of electronic warfare equipment were featured.
Additionally, the PLA Rocket Force also rolled through Tiananmen Square examples of its DF-17 missile with hypersonic glide vehicle attached. The DF-17 is the first hypersonic glide vehicle system to be publicly displayed by any major military in the world.
Unmanned systems, whether drones that operate in the air, on land, on the sea surface or under water, are also proliferating in the PLA. Indeed, China is one of the larger exporters of armed unmanned combat air vehicles, for example.
Clay commented, “All NCW, particularly those that operate in the information domain, are discreet, non-attributable and cost-effective – traits which appear to be highly valued by Chinese writers … Similarly, Chinese researchers clearly favor anti-satellite and advanced cyber weapons because such weapons cause ‘destructive and irreversible damage’ to expensive enemy systems without incurring huge cost for the offensive party.” A high-energy laser employed in space, for instance, is non-attributable and is used for just a short duration.
Of course, China will be aware, as it develops its own information and cyber capabilities, that it will become more vulnerable to attack itself. One can expect that the PLA is simultaneously fortifying its own systems to prevent intrusion.
One other aspect that should be considered is the cognitive impact of all these New Concept Weapons. Not just the weapons themselves, but their psychological impact and effect on an adversary’s morale are just as important. China is thus attempting to “disorient enemy minds, weaken their willpower and deprive their fighting spirit,” in the words of a PLA Daily article.
Clay described China’s strategy for research, development (R&D) and acquisition of New Concept Weapons as “slow yet steady”. He added, “Chinese analysts are keenly aware of the high cost, uncertainties and high risk associated with NCW development, and have urged the PLA to ‘correctly understand the return on investment’. Evidence also suggests that the PLA is dedicating significant effort to the development of a credible and sustainable standards validation system to ensure that NCW R&D and acquisition will be properly executed.”
Clay concluded: “The Chinese defense community’s interest in exploring NCW is consistent with the PLA’s emphasis on pursuing asymmetric strategies to create and sustain advantages in warfighting. As the perceived weaker party in future conflicts, both in terms of technological and military capabilities, Chinese authors see the value of developing a ‘savvy NCW strategy’ for China.”
Unable to take on the USA in a conventional war, China sees such weapons as critical in developing asymmetric advantages. For sure, the information domain will remain the priority for the PLA in this new kind of guerrilla warfare.
China is inducting all sorts of new weapons, but it is another thing altogether to be able to use them effectively in a combat environment. Furthermore, the PLA remains an intensely hierarchal organization where loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party and Chairman Xi Jinping are paramount. One would be a rash PLA officer to take risks or to show individual initiative in such an environment. Then again, this is an advantage of some of these new weapons for they offer plausible deniability to China.
Clay, the American analyst, added, “The PLASSF’s possible mission pertaining to NCW and military applications for disruptive technologies remains largely unknown. But the seriousness, depth and scope of PLA efforts into the exploration of ‘new mechanisms’ to win future wars warrants further research. Indeed, it may be useful for Western PLA watchers to view Chinese thinking about NCW as an integral component of the PLA’s evolving deterrence strategy.” (ANI)
Motegi stressed on China’s attempts to change the status quo in the East China and South China seas, the situation around Taiwan and Hong Kong…reports Asian Lite News
On the second day of Group of Seven (G7) ministerial meetings in London, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi expressed growing concerns over a number of issues related to China.
Motegi stressed on China’s attempts to change the status quo in the East China and South China seas, the situation around Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday.
Tokyo also raked up Beijing’s handling of human rights of the Muslim Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang province, which it said has caused “grave concerns”. Motegi also discussed regional issues at the meeting.
The meeting lays the groundwork for the summit among world leaders in June.
The Ninth Japan-UK Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue(Twitter)
On Monday, Motegi had agreed with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to step up cooperation to deal with China and promised to further strengthen their alliance to realise a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
“Motegi and Blinken also discussed China. They agreed to oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China and South China seas. They also shared concerns about the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. They also agreed on the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” said the NHK World in its report, citing the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
The talks between the two leaders took place in London before the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting. (ANI)\
Since the Korean War in 1950, the Korean Peninsula has remained divided at the 38th parallel, and no peace treaty has been signed. 83 prominent figures from the US, Canada, and Central and South America spoke at the virtual International Leadership Conference (ILC) on the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula, reports Anwesha Bhaumik
New pathways rooted in interdependence, mutual prosperity and universal values have been discussed by global leaders in an ambitious effort to bring peace and unity to Northeast Asia, according to the speakers who addressed a recent three-day virtual conference on the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
The news agency IANS was provided a detailed briefing by the organisers on the virtual conference, in which 83 prominent figures from the US, Canada, and Central and South America spoke at the virtual International Leadership Conference (ILC) from April 28-30.
“These experts from all disciplines, from heads of state, to diplomacy, media, business, faith, academia, and the arts, combined their expertise to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and address other areas of conflict in the world,” said Michael Jenkins, President of the Universal Peace Federation International (UPF), which sponsors the conference.
The ILC in the Americas was one of four similar programs happening concurrently in Asia, Europe and Africa, each with their own regional experts.
The conference’s 10 sessions highlighted key areas involving the government; media; the business and economic sector; religion; and arts and culture.
Former US Congressman Dan Burton, co-chair of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), was one of the speakers.
The IAPP, comprising current and former MPs from more than 172 countries, “is one of the most effective bodies of influence for peace that I have ever seen”, said Burton, who served 30 years on congressional foreign affairs committees.
In the geopolitical sphere of Northeast Asia, “what happens to one nation affects all the others”, he said.
North Korea’s isolation poses a danger, but “as long as there is talking, there is no fighting”.
“Patience must persist,” said former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
“An outreach between regular Korean people and civil society on both sides of the border must take place whenever it is possible.”
Panelists noted that the world’s free media should promote justice, peace, and harmonious alliances while looking for and creating “openings” to closed nations like North Korea and China.
“One of the primary pillars is to promote and maintain awareness that free market democratic societies should tolerate and not be intimidated by the presence of free media spaces that are full of political opposition and critical debate or criticism of government leadership,” said Guy Taylor, national security team leader at The Washington Times.
Taylor, who has reported extensively on Northeast Asia, said newsmakers can and should play a major role in informing the world about the Korean Peninsula and that media can build bridges toward its peaceful reunification.
The session on the International Association of First Ladies for Peace (IAFLP) includedMignon Bowen-Phillips, Second Lady of Guyana (2020-present); Maria Fernanda Flores de Aleman, First Lady of Nicaragua (1997-2002); and Emilia Alfaro de Franco, First Lady of Paraguay (2012-2013).
They, and other speakers, noted that since the Korean conflict affects the whole world, all nations must be involved in its peaceful resolution.
Julia Moon, president of the Women’s Federation for World Peace International (WFWPI) and the daughter of UPF co-founders Hak Ja Han Moon and the late Sun Myung Moon, said women greatly influence efforts toward peace due to their “nurturing qualities,” and that world peace can be achieved when society centers on a higher power “as one human family”.
Born in the modern-day North Korea, the Moons had fled the war-torn area to the south.
“(My parents) devoted their entire lives to the cause of world peace,” said Julia Moon.
“Their message is simple and unchanging… We must not repeat our mistakes, but go beyond the self-centeredness of the past and learn to live for the sake of others. Our world needs peacemakers, and women are naturally suited for this effort.”
Speaker James W. Jackson, founder of Project C.U.R.E., one of the largest NGO suppliers of medical equipment in the world, talked about his visit to Pyongyang in 1993 and his views on the late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung’s principles for reunification.
Governing bodies must desire change for unity to come about as “economic philosophy determines politics”, he said.
It is important to build strong relationships on the Korean Peninsula and create “examples of working together successfully” and “a working model that could be multiplied”, he added.
Since the Korean War in 1950, the Peninsula has remained divided at the 38th parallel, and no peace treaty has been signed.
George Augustus Stallings, Jr., founder of the Imani Temple in Washington, D.C., said “reconciliation and justice” are instrumental to peace, and, “there can be no peace without the supremacy of love that would bind us together in oneness”.
The elimination of all terrorism and weapons of mass destruction from the world is another important element for peace, said Muzammil Siddiqi, a Harvard Ph.D. in Comparative Religion and president emeritus of the International Islamic Association of America.
“Religious dialogue is very essential to creating solutions and long-term developments,” he said.
Launched in 2007, the ILC series is a call to action largely carried out by the global network of UPF chapters in 150 nations.
Through the four regional ILC 2021 programs, “expert working groups” and a new Alliance for a Unified Korea has been initiated.
ILC 2021 concluded with a global resolution of signatories committed to advancing efforts of reuniting the Korean Peninsula.
The ruling Council announced that anyone using satellite dishes to watch television could face up severe actions…reports Asian Lite News
The Myanmar junta has banned satellite television after imposing severe restrictions on the Internet and media, provoking global rights groups to protest the military’s tightening grip over information flow in the country.
The ruling State Administration Council announced this week that anyone using satellite dishes to watch television will face up to one year in prison or a fine of 500,000 kyat ($320).
The military junta claimed that “illegal organisations and news agencies” were broadcasting programs via satellite that threaten state security.
The ban appears targeted at independent Burmese language broadcasters such as the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) and Mizzima, which have continued broadcasting via satellite since the junta revoked their operating licenses in March.
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 ban will also affect foreign news channels broadcast via satellite into Myanmar.
“The satellite TV ban is a blatant attempt to deny access to independent news broadcasts and further isolate Myanmar’s people,” said Linda Lakhdhir, Asia legal advisor at Human Rights Watch.
“The junta should immediately withdraw its outrageous blanket censorship and end its relentless assault on news reporting.”
The ban on satellite television is part of the military’s full-scale attack on the country’s media, alleged Mizzima chief editor Soe Myint.
He told IANS the military crackdown now extends from ground to air in an unprecedented way and Myanmarese people can only look forward to the global community to redress their plight.
A Myanmar police officer
On May 4, the junta also announced that it was banning two more media outlets, Kachin-based 74 Media and Shan-based Tachileik News Agency, increasing the number to eight.
Many of those outlets, including 74 Media and Tachileik News, have responded with defiance to the junta’s bans, vowing to continue their reporting.
In addition to banning media outlets, the security forces have aggressively targeted journalists for arrest.
At least 71 journalists have been arrested since the February 1 coup, of whom at least 48 remain in detention.
The authorities have charged many of those detained, including Japanese freelance reporter Yuki Kitazumi, with violating a new provision in the penal code adopted by the junta that makes it a crime to publish or circulate comments that “cause fear” or spread “false news”.
Those convicted face up to three years in prison.
The authorities have imposed severe restrictions on the internet, making it very difficult for people to access or to share information.
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)
Mobile internet data and wireless broadband have been turned off for more than six weeks, and Facebook and other social media platforms popular in Myanmar have been blocked since the coup.
“The Myanmar junta’s increasingly desperate efforts to block those inside the country from accessing independent news and information won’t hide the truth about its ongoing violations of rights,” HRW’s Lakhdhir said.
“Concerned governments should use their wide array of tools, including arms embargos and targeted sanctions, to pressure the junta to end its rights abuses and bring those responsible to account.”
Workers disinfect a piece of luggage at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, Sri Lanka
The curbs were applied until further notice following the guidelines received by the Health Ministry until the next evaluation,said official…reports Asian Lite News
The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) on Thursday announced its decision to suspend all Indian travellers from entering the country with immediate effect in an effort to curb the spread of the Indian Covid-19 variant.
In a statement, CAASL Additional Director General P. A. Jayakantha said the restrictions were applied until further notice following the guidelines received by the Health Ministry until the next evaluation, reports the Daily Mirror newspaper.
He said the CAASL have directed all airlines to preventing disembarking Indian passengers.
Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka
The announcement comes as India is struggling to battle a second deadlier wave of the pandemic.
As of Thursday, India’s overall Covid-19 caseload and death toll stood at 2,10,77,410 and 2,30,168, respectively.
It has been 15 straight days that India has recorded more than three lakh cases daily, while the casualties have been over 3,000 deaths for nine consecutive days.
Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said that Beijing is carrying out electronic warfare and reconnaissance but Taiwan has countermeasures in place…reports Asian Lite News
As China escalates its gray zone tactics against Taiwan, Taipei has announced that it will dispatch military aircraft and ships to counter Chinese military activities near its borders.
Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said that Beijing is carrying out electronic warfare and reconnaissance but Taiwan has countermeasures in place, Taiwan News reported.
He added the country’s contingency planning takes into consideration the effect on future surveillance and counter-reconnaissance missions, Liberty Times reported. The military is able to handle any threat that arises, Chiu stressed.
Since mid-September of last year, Beijing has stepped up its gray-zone tactics by regularly sending planes into Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), with most instances occurring in the southwest corner of the zone and usually consisting of one to three slow-flying turboprop planes.
Over the past few months, Taiwan has reported incursion by Chinese warplanes into ADIZ almost daily.
Meanwhile, China has said its military activities in the Taiwan Strait were targeted at “separatists” in Taiwan and “external forces”.
“[We] have made full preparation in addressing the separatist activities of Taiwan independence and the interference of external forces,” South China Morning Post quoted Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian, as saying.
Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.
Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that “Taiwan’s independence” means war.
China has recently has commissioned three warships, including a large amphibious assault ship, adding them to the fleet covering the South China Sea.
The Global Times newspaper, which is affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, reported that the ships were the country’s first Type 075 amphibious assault ship, a large destroyer, and a nuclear-powered strategic ballistic missile submarine.
Countries like Japan and the US have spoken about the need for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Early this month, in their first in-person meeting at the White House, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden said in their joint statement that they “underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” and “encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. (ANI)
