8th March 2021
As things progress in Myanmar with the same routine of a few deaths, a lot of beatings and pictures of violence and mayhem I will try and report on matters that the MSM miss or ignore. Of course, if there is unusual brutality or a change in the policy of crowd control, I will report it.
So, as ever, this column attempts to be fair and even-handed and I will start with a couple of items from the remarkable Global New Light of Myanmar.
With daytime temperatures increasing, the UV index level will also be rising day by day.
Remember, summer in Myanmar, which lasts from March to May, is now entering its hottest weeks.
Most parts of Myanmar usually see summertime UV readings that reach dangerous levels in March, April, and May.
March, April, and May are the hottest months in Myanmar. During this time, the country experiences a high ultraviolet (UV) index and unfavorable weather conditions for a period of three months, until the rainy season in mid-June.
UV indexes between 10 and 11 can be harmful and pose health risks. A UV Index reading between 8 to 10 means there is a very high risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure. Take extra precautions because unprotected skin and eyes will be damaged and can burn quickly.
Experts suggest liberal use of sunscreen, sunglasses and protective clothing. People should also avoid direct sunlight between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. by seeking shade and wearing headwear and long-sleeved clothing at all times.
We would like to urge the people to pay heed to the advice of experts to use sunblock and apply it every four hours.
And of course, if one follows the safety suggestions then one will not be on the streets to demonstrate.
The Trade Department under the Ministry of Commerce notified on 3 March that exporters and importers do not require to seek licences for 37 HS code lines for exports and 72 lines for imports between 8 March and 9 April 2021 to facilitate the trade.
Export items with licence exemption include onion, garlic, rice, broken rice, raw sugar, refined sugar, natural rubber and cotton, while the exemption covers the following import goods; sliced fish (salmon and tuna), flour, soybean seed, palm oil, food commodity, cement, gasoline, diesel, pharmaceuticals, fertilizer and lubricant.
Additionally, a two per cent withholding tax on exports and imports will be exempted until March-end 2021, owing to the difficulties to pay for tax amid the closure of private banks.
Source Global New Light of Myanmar 8th March 2021
If one reads between the lines one can get an idea that even the official government mouthpiece acknowledges that there are issues with the economy.
Meanwhile, back in the real world.
As the military regime’s security forces intensified their deadly crackdown on anti-coup protesters in Myanmar in late February, Beijing held an emergency meeting with Myanmar officials from the Home Affairs and Foreign ministries, according to the leaked document.
The document revealed that Bai Tian, the director-general of the department of external security affairs under the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asked the military regime to assure the security of the oil and natural gas pipelines, following the emergence of anti-Chinese sentiment across the country due to its stand on the coup.
The project spans nearly 800 kilometers, comprising twin pipelines running in parallel from the port of Kyaukphyu in Rakhine State on the Bay of Bengal through Magwe and Mandalay regions and northern Shan State before entering China.
Beijing is expecting Myanmar to impose better security measures for the pipelines project, saying it is a crucial part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Myanmar, according to the leaked document.
Any damage to the oil and gas pipeline would cause huge losses for both countries and also undermine confidence in foreign investment, Bai warned.
The agreement for the project was signed under the military regime in 2008. The company said the crude oil pipeline is designed to transport 22 million tons annually, while the natural gas pipeline is designed to carry 12 billion cubic meters of gas.
The document revealed that the permanent secretary of Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry was not able to attend the meeting, as it received a notification just four hours ahead of time. It showed how China is desperately concerned about its project security.
The pipeline and its passage through Myanmar.
The document also revealed that China hopes that the military regime will put pressure on the Myanmar media, to reduce its scepticism of China. Bai said the regime should rein in the media to only write about China in a positive way.
Additionally, the director-general said, “Criticism about the gas pipeline should not be allowed, as it is important for the socio-economic development of Myanmar. Relevant organizations should control fake news relating to project.”
China’s apparent pursuit of its own interests has strengthened Myanmar people’s opposition to Beijing’s interests in the country. In response to China’s failure to condemn the coup, more than 50,000 people on social media shared a status notice encouraging movements to boycott Chinese products in the country.
Moreover, nearly 1 million people shared on Facebook and Twitter in Burmese, Chinese and English a message saying that Beijing’s pursuit of its own interest showed that China officially consider the deaths and injuries of Myanmar people are a domestic matter, and that its own interests are paramount.
And the real kicker was the following comment: –
Social media users told China, “If you are still concerned that what’s currently happening in Myanmar is an internal affair, to blow up the natural gas pipeline that passes through Myanmar is also an internal affair. Let’s see what you say.”
Many Twitter users also wrote that if China continues to support the unofficial illegitimate junta, Myanmar-based Chinese businesses must be brought down soon, including the pipelines project. They said they would target mining projects and every business across the country for destruction.
Social media users said that if China continues to block strong UNSC action, there will be more and more anti-China activities in Myanmar, which will have serious consequences for the gas pipeline, the BRI and other Chinese projects in Myanmar.
Since the military takeover, China has repeatedly insisted that the armed forces’ seizure of power from the democratically-elected government is Myanmar’s internal affair, including at UNSC and Human Rights Council meetings. The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar has faced daily protests, demanding Beijing stop its support for the Myanmar military. Moreover, anti-Chinese sentiment has emerged among the people of Myanmar in the form of boycotts of Chinese products.
Source The Irrawaddy 8th March 2021.
People who are regular readers of these pieces may like to refer back to yesterday’s comments about the likely development of the CDM movement and the actions of EAOs in the country, which suggested that resistance may morph into more direct action.
I haven’t ignored the violence, and it is now developing into even worse acts of brutality.
Khin Maung Latt, 58, the NLD chairman in Yangon’s outlying Pabedan township, was taken away by the army and police Saturday night and the next day local police told his family he was dead.
The Irrawaddy online news outlet quoted Tun Kyi of the Former Political Prisoners Society, as saying that Khin Maung Latt was tortured to death. Tun Yi helped the family arrange his funeral Sunday evening, the report said.
The Irrawaddy also reported that two people, including the local chair of the ousted NLD in the central region of Magway, were hacked to death Friday by members of the military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party. The army-proxy USDP is at the center of the unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in last November’s polls that the military cited as the reason for the coup last month.
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