24th February 2021
Following on from yesterday’s comments on information flow and the spread of information within the ranks of the protesters, there is now evidence that it works in practice. The Military raided the house of the Medical Superintendent of Gangaw, Magway yesterday only to find that he had been spirited away. They are now concentrating on snatch squads hitting medical professionals, teachers, and civil society activists.
As I have mentioned previously, one has to be careful about sources and disinformation, but I try to be precise in my reporting. The following comment on mainstream media in New Zealand makes me wonder why I bother,
“Police in Myanmar shot dead a few anti-coup protesters and injured several others on Saturday, as security forces increased pressure on popular revolt against the military takeover.”
Stuff 24th February
I have tried to explain who was responsible for killing a person when it happened. Sometimes it has been sniper fire from the Military, sometimes fire from the Police, sometimes an injury caused by police vehicles. I do this to give as accurate a picture as I can and to also be as precise as I can as regards location. I think that to save a lot of effort and checking I will start tomorrow’s letter with “Lots of people in Myanmar upset with the Military and some were injured.”
I reported yesterday about an intercepted letter regarding a secret visit by the Indonesian foreign minister but put a caveat on it as I couldn’t verify it. My instincts told me that it was genuine, but I couldn’t confirm that to the readers. Today a meeting took place in Bangkok between the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Retno L.P. Marsudi and her Myanmar counterpart, and later a meeting was held between the Myanmar coup representatives and Prayuth Chan-ocha, the Thai Prime Minister, who oddly enough came to power in a military coup in 2014. He was elected Prime Minister in 2019.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi planned to travel to Naypyitaw to meet the coup leaders but later cancelled, perhaps fearing she would be met by crowds of protesters.
Instead, the foreign minister of Myanmar’s military regime, U Wunna Maung Lwin, flew to Bangkok to meet Retno. It was the first in-person meeting between the minister of the military regime and his counterparts from Indonesia and Thailand.
ASEAN’s reputation has for years been tarnished by its willingness to protect Myanmar’s generals as they oppress their own people. In the past, the regional grouping shielded the military regime from any criticism from the West and the UN over the generals’ political persecution and human rights violations. And as they have in the past, Western countries led by the US have once again shown strong solidarity with the Myanmar people, demanding the military regime release the country’s detained leaders, respect the election result and restore democracy For ASEAN, however, it’s a case of history repeating itself. ASEAN is unlikely to stand together with the people of Myanmar as they courageously and rightly protest against the military dictatorship. Instead, ASEAN leaders are likely to support the plans of the new military regime, which has no interest whatsoever in adhering to democratic norms.
It is, after all, their undemocratic and immoral tradition.
Source The Irrawaddy 24th February.
Unless the USA and the rest of the West and the Quad put pressure on ASEAN this does not bode well for Myanmar.
So far, there has only been one foreigner detained, Sean Turnell from Macquarie University and little has been heard of him.
The Australian Embassy in Yangon had a Zoom call with Turnell on Feb. 11.
But his family said since Feb.11, “we haven’t heard anything, his whereabouts are still a mystery”.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Canberra “continues to press the Myanmar authorities for regular consular access to Professor Sean Turnell and remains in close touch with his family [and] for his rights and welfare to be upheld”.
During a videoconference with Myanmar’s military deputy, Vice-Senior General Soe Win, on Monday the Australian Defence Force’s Vice-Admiral David Johnston repeated calls for Turnell’s release.
Johnston also “expressed Australia’s deep concern at the situation in Myanmar”, according to a Canberra representative, adding that Johnston “stated that the use of lethal force or violence against peaceful protesters is unacceptable”. He urged Myanmar’s authorities to refrain from violence against civilians, restore democracy and release all civilian leaders.
Source The Irrawaddy 24th February.
To finish on a slightly depressing note, there is a huge danger lurking round the corner. The health system is near breaking point, (it was never very good due to minimal budgets and expenditure) but with all social distancing gone out of the window, the medical staff withdrawing all but essential care and no vaccines arriving from India because of the ban on flights imposed by the regime the conditions are ripe for a major, uncontrolled outbreak of COVID-19.
There is a moral to all this: – For news you can trust, read the BFD.
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