News Asia
China Turns its Back on Myanmar Junta Backing Rebels Forces
Myanmar General Myint Swe, who was appointed president following a coup in 2021, told an emergency meeting of the ruling military council that coordinated attacks by anti-military rebels that had resulted in significant losses to the armed forces.
Three ethnic insurgent armies in Shan State have stormed dozens of military checkpoints and captured border crossings and routes carrying the majority of overland trade with China, with the backing of other armed organisations opposed to the government.
It is the junta’s most major setback since seizing office in February 2021. After two and a half years of fighting the armed insurrection it sparked with its failed coup, the military appears to be frail and perhaps defeatable.
Airstrikes and artillery bombardments by the government have forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes. However, it has been unable to bring in reinforcements or regain lost ground.
Among the hundreds of troops slain is Brigadier General Aung Kyaw Lwin, the leader of government forces in northern Shan State and the most senior officer killed in combat since the coup.
This strike is noteworthy because it is the first time that the well-armed insurgents operating in Shan State have officially connected themselves and their military activities with the larger movement to destabilise the junta and restore democratic governance.
Other variables, however, are at work. These three insurgent organisations have long desired to expand their territory.
And, most importantly, China, which generally acts as a check on all groups along its border with Myanmar, has not blocked this operation from taking place. This is most likely due to its dissatisfaction with the military government’s inaction on the scam centres that have flourished in Shan State.
Myanmar a haven for Scam Operations
Thousands of Chinese citizens and other foreigners have been coerced into working in these scam operations. One of the insurgents’ stated goals is to shut them down.
When peaceful anti-coup protests were mercilessly suppressed by the military and police in 2021, opposition groups concluded they had no alternative but to call for a widespread armed rebellion against the junta.
Many fled to areas held by ethnic militants along Myanmar’s borders with Thailand, China, and India, hoping to obtain the training and weapons that the majority lacked.
Some well-established ethnic armies, like as the Karen, Kachin, Karenni, and Chin, decided to join the National Unity Government (NUG), which was founded by the elected administration toppled by the coup. Others, most notably numerous tribes in Shan State, a vast, lawless region bordering Thailand and China, did not.
Shan State is perhaps best known as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of illicit narcotics, but it has also recently began to host a thriving sector in casinos and fraud centres.
Wa Army Backed by China
Since Myanmar’s independence in 1948, it has been ravaged by warfare and poverty, split into fiefdoms of various warlords, drug lords, or ethnic insurgents fighting one other and the army. Two rival insurgent movements claim to represent the Shan, the largest ethnic group, while four minor ethnic groups have established very significant armies in recent years.
The Wa are the most powerful of them, with sophisticated modern weapons and roughly 20,000 men backed by China.
Then there are the Kokang, an ethnically Chinese community with a long history of rebellion; the Palaung, or Ta’ang, people of remote mountaintop villages whose army has risen dramatically since its inception in 2009; and the Rakhine, who are actually from Rakhine State on Myanmar’s other side. However, they have a big migrant population in the east of the country, which helped develop the Arakan Army, which is today one of Myanmar’s best-equipped troops.
The Wa and the Myanmar military agreed to a truce in 1989 and have mainly avoided armed conflicts. They claim to be unbiased in the fight between the junta and the opposition. They are, however, suspected of being the source of many of the weapons destined for anti-military opposition groups around the country.
The other three ethnic armies, the Kokang MNDAA, the Ta’ang TNLA, and the Arakan Army, have banded together to form the Brotherhood Alliance. They have all clashed with the military on numerous occasions since the coup, but always over their own territorial interests, not in support of the NUG.
China’s diplomatic backing
These three insurgent groups have secretly provided refuge, military training, and weaponry to dissidents from other parts of Myanmar.
However, because they are located on the Chinese border, they must also address China’s priorities, which are to maintain the border stable and trade moving. China has provided diplomatic backing to the junta while remaining neutral towards the NUG.
Under pressure from China, the Brotherhood Alliance decided to join peace talks with the military in June of this year, but these swiftly fell apart. However, they looked to be staying out of the larger civil war.
Operation 1027, so named since it began on October 27th, has changed that.
They have made significant progress. Whole army divisions have surrendered without a fight. According to the coalition, they have taken over more than 100 military stations as well as four towns, including the border crossing at Chinshwehaw and Hsenwi, which crosses the road to Muse, China’s primary gateway.
They have blown up bridges to prevent military reinforcements from entering, and they have besieged the town of Laukkaing, which is home to many scam centres run by junta-allied families.
Thousands of foreign nationals are believed to be imprisoned in Laukkaing, where people are queuing for the town’s limited food supply. China has advised all of its people to flee to the nearest border crossing.
The Brotherhood Alliance, like the NUG, claims that their ultimate goal is to remove the military government.
The NUG, whose volunteer fighters have been waging a desperately unequal military campaign against the entire strength of the army and air force, has praised the alliance’s success and spoken of a fresh surge in their struggle.
Chinese syndicates in Myanmar
Pro-NUG People’s Defence Forces, which are not as well-armed or experienced as the Shan rebels, have begun their own attacks in areas bordering Shan State, taking advantage of the military’s perceived weakness, and have captured a district capital from government forces for the first time.
The Brotherhood Alliance planned their strike to coincide with an incident in Laukkaing that tested China’s patience with the junta. For the past year, the Chinese government has pressed the military administration to do more to close down the fraud centres, which are primarily controlled by Chinese syndicates.
They have become an embarrassment to Beijing as a result of significant public outrage over the horrific treatment of trafficking victims confined there. Chinese pressure forced various Shan communities, including the United Wa State Army, to hand over anyone suspected of being involved in the frauds to Chinese authorities.
Thousand’s trapped in Laukkaing
Between August and October, almost 4,000 people crossed the border. But the families of Laukkaing were adamant about keeping a business that was bringing in billions of dollars for them. According to local sources, on October 20, there was an attempt to release some of the thousands of people trapped in Laukkaing that failed.
Guards working for the fraud centres are said to have killed a number of those seeking to flee. As a result, the local authority in the neighbouring Chinese province issued a strongly worded complaint letter requesting that those involved be brought to justice.
The Brotherhood Alliance sensed a chance and attacked, pledging to shut down the scam centres in order to appease China.
China has openly called for a truce, but coalition officials claim they have received no formal request to stop fighting from the Chinese government.
However, their longer-term goal is to gain as much ground as possible in anticipation of the military government’s possible collapse. This would put them in the best possible position for the negotiations on a new federal structure for Myanmar, which the NUG has promised if the junta is defeated.
The TNLA has long desired to expand its influence beyond the tiny Ta’ang self-administration zone allocated to them in the constitution.
The MNDAA wishes to reclaim control of Laukkaing and the nearby border, which it lost during a military campaign headed by none other than Myanmar’s military chief, General Min Aung Hlaing, in 2009.
And everyone is keeping an eye on the Arakan Army. So far, it has only aided the struggle in Shan State. If it chooses to fight the military in Rakhine State, where it has the majority of its soldiers and already controls numerous towns and villages, the junta will find itself severely overstretched.
According to a TNLA spokesman, his organisation no longer sees the value in engaging with the military government because it lacks legitimacy.
Any agreement they reach would be null and void by a future elected administration. The Ta’ang, Kokang, and Wa all share the goal of achieving constitutional statehood for their people within a new federal government.
By joining the struggle, these organisations may be able to assist abolish military rule in Myanmar. However, their ambitions, which are sure to clash with the interests of other groups in Shan State, foreshadow the many problems that those attempting to chart a democratic future for Myanmar will face.
Source: BBC
(CTN News) – The future of public service hiring regulations, which have provoked national conflicts between police and university students that have resulted in at least 133 fatalities so far, is set to be decided by Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday, or today.
Later in the day, the nation’s highest court will meet to declare its decision about the controversial job quotas—either in favor of or against their elimination.
This week’s protests over politically motivated admission quotas for highly sought-after government posts turned into some of the worst instability during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s watch.
Due to the ongoing turmoil, a curfew has been in place since Friday. In addition, the government has declared a two-day holiday during which all offices and institutions would be closed.
After riot police were unable to restore order, soldiers are now policing cities throughout Bangladesh, and since Thursday, there has been a statewide internet blackout that has severely limited the flow of information to the outside world.
SEE ALSO: Nearly 1,000 Indian Students Return from Bangladesh Amid Deadly Unrest Over Job Quota System
Hasina made hints to the public this week that the plan will be abandoned, which comes after her opponents accuse her government of using the judiciary to further its own agenda.
However, a positive decision is unlikely to calm the nation’s simmering rage in the wake of the intensifying crackdown and growing dead toll.
Business owner Hasibul Sheikh, 24, told AFP, “It’s not about the rights of the students anymore,” while observing a Saturday street demonstration in the capital city of Dhaka against a statewide curfew.
“Our demand is one point now, and that’s the resignation of the government,” he stated.
A system that reserves more than half of civil service positions for particular groups, like as children of veterans of the 1971 war, is the driving force behind the upheaval this month.
Hasina, 76, has ruled the nation since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January following a ballot in which there was no real competition, according to critics who claim the program helps families who support her.
Rights organizations accuse Hasina’s government of abusing state institutions, including as the extrajudicial assassination of opposition activists, in order to strengthen its grasp on power and quell dissent.
Bangladesh’s 170 million people lack access to sufficient employment possibilities, therefore the quota system is a major cause of anger for recent graduates who are struggling to find work.
“The government’s actions have made the situation worse, rather than trying to address the protesters’ grievances,” Pierre Prakash, Asia director of Crisis Group, told AFP.
After a week of increasing violence, Hasina canceled her intentions to depart the nation on Sunday for a diplomatic trip to Spain and Brazil.
Source: The Indian Express
(CTN News) – The Pakistani government has announced measures to outlaw Pakistan Terheek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar made the declaration on Monday, only days after the Supreme Court declared the PTI eligible for a share of reserved seats in national and provincial assemblies.
After reviewing all relevant information, the government has decided to ban PTI. “We will file a case to ban the party,” he said, citing claims such as inciting violent protests last year and leaking confidential information.
Tarar stated that the case would be moved to the Supreme Court.
He also stated that the government intended to file treason charges against Khan and two other senior party leaders, former President of Pakistan Arif Alvi and ex-Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Suri, as well as a review appeal against the Supreme Court’s ruling that the PTI should be allocated some assembly seats reserved for women and members of religious minorities.
According to Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, a top PTI politician and party spokesperson, the government’s action “betrays their complete panic”.
“After realizing that they could no longer threaten, compel, or blackmail judges, they decided to make this move through the cabinet. “All of their attempts to stop us have been declared illegal by the courts,” he stated.
Last week, the Supreme Court recognized the PTI as a political party and confirmed that the party’s lack of an electoral emblem did not affect its legal right to field candidates.
The verdict was in response to the PTI being barred from competing in parliamentary elections in February using its party emblem, the cricket bat, forcing it to field candidates as independents.
Despite the setback, PTI-backed candidates emerged as the largest parliamentary bloc, winning 93 seats.
After Khan declined to cooperate with his political opponents, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) formed a coalition government with other smaller parties.
Ex-Governor Sindh Zubair, who formerly served in the PMLN, stated that the government’s action was in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling last week and warned of political upheaval ahead.
“The powers that be are trying to disenfranchise the largest majority of voters of the country, who voted for PTI,” he disclosed to Al Jazeera.
Khan was appointed prime minister in August 2018 but was dismissed from power in April 2022 after a parliamentary vote of no-confidence.
The cricketer-turned-politician has since faced a slew of legal issues, including charges of misplacing and leaking the contents of a confidential cable delivered to Islamabad by Pakistan’s then-ambassador in the US in 2022.
Khan has continually disputed the charge, claiming that the dossier contained evidence that his resignation as prime minister was orchestrated by his political opponents and the country’s powerful military, with assistance from the US administration. Both Washington and Pakistan’s army deny the accusation.
Despite multiple recent court verdicts in his favor, Khan has been in prison since August of last year.
Source: Aljazeera
(CTN News) – Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were acquitted in the Iddat case by a sessions court on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the PTI in reserved seats.
However, their relief was short-lived when Imran Khan was detained by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for selling official goods. Bushra Bibi was also rearrested in this case while being released from Adiala Jail’s Gate No. 3.
According to sources, the NAB detained Bushra Bibi after the bureau’s chairman issued arrest warrants for her and Imran Khan. Both are to be investigated in Adiala Jail.
Opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan condemned Bushra Bibi’s imprisonment and criticized the Adiala Jail administration. He also cautioned the jail superintendent of the repercussions and announced that a privilege motion would be filed against him.
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were acquitted in the Iddat case after Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Mohammad Afzal Majoka reversed their previous verdict, which sentenced them to seven years in prison on February 3, five days before the general election.
Imran Khan’s lawyers, Usman Gill and Zaheer Abbas, were in court when the verdict was pronounced.
In the 28-page ruling, Judge Majoka rejected Khawar Fareed Maneka, Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband,’s arguments that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s nikah was illegally performed and that Mr. Maneka was denied Buju (reconciliation rights) under religious law.
The court also rejected the allegation of fornication under provision 496-B of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), stating that no charge was filed under this provision against both Imran Khan and his spouse “because there was no evidence of a second witness”. The trial court heard only one witness, Mr Maneka’s domestic servant.
“In these circumstances, it cannot be said that the appellants committed fornication,” the judge wrote. Regarding the charge of contracting marriage fraudulently during the Iddat period, the judge found that in a video given as evidence during the trial, Mr. Maneka lauded his ex-wife, Bushra Bibi, and “deposed that his ex-wife is a pious lady.”
The magistrate inquired about “how this witness [Mr Maneka] can claim that the appellant No. 2 [Bushra Bibi] committed fraud with him” .
The court announced its decision: “From a perusal of Section 496 PPC and the above-mentioned esteemed citations, this court is of the view that the appellants have not gone through any marriage ceremony fraudulently or with dishonest intention because none of the parties claimed that nikah was not performed and fraudulently he or she was supposed to believe that marriage ceremony was solemnised.”
The court judgment added: “In the instant instance, it is the complainant’s case that the appellants’ nikah was done on January 1, 2018, followed by the second nikah in February 2018. By no stretch of the imagination, it was a marriage with dishonest or deceptive intentions.”
Regarding Mr. Maneka’s claim that he was denied reconciliation rights and so deceived by Imran Khan and Ms. Bibi, the court noted that during cross-examination, Mr. Maneka stated that he learned of the appellants’ marriage on the second day of their nikah.
Before submitting the complaint, the judge questioned why Mr Maneka had been silent on his reconciliation rights for six years.
The judge stated, “The complainant has failed to prove his case against the appellants.” As a result, both appeals filed by appellants No. 1 [Imran Khan] and No. 2 [Bushra Bibi] are accepted, the judgment of the learned trial court of February 3, 2024, is overturned, and both appellants are acquitted of the accusation.”
The court ordered their freedom unless they needed to be imprisoned in other cases.
Source: DAWN
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