Myanmar’s military rulers attempted to move about $1 billion held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York days after seizing power on Feb. 1, prompting U.S. officials to put a freeze on the funds, according to three people familiar with the matter, including one U.S. government official. The transaction on Feb. 4 in the name of the Central Bank of Myanmar was first blocked by Fed safeguards. U.S. government officials then stalled on approving the transfer until an executive order issued by President Joe Biden gave them legal authority to block it indefinitely, the sources said.A spokesperson for the New York Fed declined to comment on specific account holders. The U.S. Treasury Department also declined to comment.The attempt, which has not been previously reported, came after Myanmar’s military installed a new central bank governor and detained reformist officials during the coup.It marked an apparent effort by Myanmar’s generals to limit exposure to international sanctions after they arrested elected officials, including de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who had won a national election in November. The army seized power alleging fraud, claims that the electoral commission has dismissed.A spokesperson for Myanmar’s military government did not answer repeated calls seeking comment. Reuters was unable to reach officials at the central bank.The United States, Canada, the European Union and Britain have all issued fresh sanctions following the coup and the army’s subsequent deadly crackdown on demonstrators. The United Nations said on Thursday that at least 54 people have been killed since the coup. More than 1,700 people had been arrested, including 29 journalists.Announcing a new executive order paving the way for sanctions on the generals and their businesses, Biden said on Feb. 10 that the United States was taking steps to prevent the generals from “improperly having access” to $1 billion in Myanmar government funds.U.S. officials did not explain the statement at the time, but an executive order issued the next day specifically names the Central Bank of Myanmar as part of Myanmar’s government. The order authorizes the seizure of assets of Myanmar’s post-coup government.Two sources told Reuters the executive order was designed to provide the New York Fed with the legal authority to hold the $1 billion of Myanmar reserves indefinitely.‘Current events’Myanmar’s reserves would be managed by part of the New York Fed known as Central Bank and International Account Services (CBIAS), where many central banks keep U.S. dollar reserves for purposes such as settling transactions.An attempt to empty the account was made on Feb. 4 but was blocked automatically by processes that had been put in place at the New York Fed before the coup, two of the sources said.One source said that was because transactions involving Myanmar require extra scrutiny as the country last year was placed on the international Financial Action Task Force’s “gray list” for money laundering concerns, in part because of the risk of proceeds from drug trafficking being washed through its banks.CBIAS’ compliance manual, made public in 2016, says New York Fed guidelines include provisions for responding to developments in account-holding nations.“When appropriate,” it says, the bank’s legal department “will be in communication with the U.S. Department of State in order to clarify current events and any changes that may affect the central bank and corresponding control of the FRBNY account.”The State Department declined to comment on this story.Myanmar’s generals appeared to be firmly in control of the Central Bank of Myanmar at the time of the attempted withdrawal.When the military took charge in Myanmar on Feb. 1, it installed a new central bank governor and detained key economic officials, including Bo Bo Nge, the reformist deputy governor and Suu Kyi ally, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. As of Thursday, he remains under detention, according to the association.   
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A senior Chinese official on Thursday confirmed Beijing’s intention to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system to ensure “patriots” are in charge, potentially the biggest blow to the city’s democracy since its handover from British rule in 1997. Zhang Yesui, a spokesman for the National People’s Congress, said that it had the constitutional power to “improve” Hong Kong’s system and that a draft decision would be discussed during the annual parliamentary session, which opens Friday. Hong Kong’s Cable TV and Now TV, citing unnamed sources, said after Zhang spoke that the changes would include increasing the size of an election committee to select Hong Kong’s leader from 1,200 to 1,500, and the city’s legislature from 70 to 90 seats. National People’s Congress spokesman Zhang Yesui is seen on screens during a news conference held via video link ahead of the annual parliament meeting in Beijing, China, March 4, 2021.Elections for Hong Kong’s legislature will likely be deferred to September 2022, the South China Morning Post reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources. Blow to democracy campAny reforms would deal the most severe blow yet to the democracy camp, just as 47 members, charged with subversion under a new national security law, were remanded in custody and mostly denied bail. The moves are widely expected to deprive Hong Kong’s democratic camp of any hope of winning a majority in the city’s Legislative Council. Democrats have traditionally fared better than pro-Beijing groups in direct elections for “geographic” seats in the chamber, but these popularly elected seats look set to be diluted in the expanded body. Beijing promised universal suffrage as an ultimate goal for Hong Kong in its mini-constitution, the Basic Law. But with no moves toward full democracy, Hong Kong was rocked by months of sometimes violent anti-China protests in 2019, infuriating the Hong Kong government and Communist Party rulers in Beijing. Hong Kong diplomats, businesspeople and political activists are watching developments closely, some fearing Beijing is keen to further thwart a democratic opposition already threatened by the parliament’s imposition of the sweeping national security law cracking down on dissent last June. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for the opening session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 5, 2021.Recent developments showed the electoral system “needs to be improved to keep up with the times” and to fully implement the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong,” NPC spokesman Zhang said. The parliament had “supreme state power,” he added, under the constitution in deciding on changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system. ‘Turning the clock back’Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule with guarantees its widespread freedoms, extensive autonomy and capitalist way of life would continue under the “one country, two systems” model. Political scientist Sonny Lo told Reuters the NPC’s planned moves would lead to “reverse democratization.” “The democrats will be condemned to be a permanent minority under this system,” he said. “It will be a bitter lesson for them. … It is turning the clock back and it will wipe out all the democratic progress” of the last years of colonial rule and the first two decades of Hong Kong under Chinese rule. Some observers are bracing for moves to reduce democratic representation in the election committee and diminish their ability to nominate candidates to run for the highest office. The grouping must convene before Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s five-year term ends in July 2022. A broader use of patriotic oaths is also expected to enforce loyalty — action that has already been used to disqualify some democratic politicians from the legislature. While critics say the security law has been used to crush dissent and curb freedoms, Beijing and Hong Kong officials say it was vital to end the 2019 violence — political action they say was partly manipulated by foreign governments. A Hong Kong government spokesman backed the prospect of NPC action, saying that only through “patriots governing Hong Kong” could the Central Government’s overall jurisdiction be implemented, securing the stability of the city. More than 10,000 people were arrested after the 2019 unrest that saw protesters target China’s liaison office in the city, state banks and local government buildings and setting fires and daubing graffiti over businesses seen as pro-China. 
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After a four-day hearing, a Hong Kong court ruled Thursday that 47 pro-democracy advocates accused of subversion under a national security law must remain in custody.The West Kowloon Magistrates Court denied bail to 31 of the activists, while another identified as law professor Benny Tai withdrew his bail petition because he was being held in another case.According to local reports, the presiding magistrate, Victor So Wa-tak, ruled there was no evidence to sufficiently prove the defendants would not endanger national security, and therefore denied their bail.The remaining 15 people were initially granted bail, prompting celebratory cheers from crowds gathered outside. A short time later, the 15 were remanded to custody after justice officials appealed the bail decision. Hong Kong’s High Court was expected to review the bail decision.A supporter of pro-democracy activists cries after 15 of 47 activists charged with subversion are granted bail at West Kowloon Magistrates Court in Hong Kong, March 4, 2021. Later, the 15 were remanded to custody after justice officials appealed.Defendants at the West Kowloon court reportedly shouted, “Political prisoners are not guilty; Hong Kongers won’t be defeated!” before they were led away. The 47 were formally charged with conspiracy to subvert state power.As the court proceedings continued into the evening, some of the supporters who had gathered outside held banners and chanted banned slogans. Police responded by raising a purple flag to indicate to the crowds they were violating the security law.The 47 defendants were part of a group of 55 pro-democracy figures who were arrested in January during pre-dawn raids in connection with Hong Kong’s unofficial “primary” elections held last July. The vote allowed residents to pick opposition candidates ahead of Legislative Council elections that were to have been held last year but were postponed. The remaining eight people have not yet been charged.Former legislators in custodyThose who were initially granted bail before it was revoked included former legislators Jeremy Tam, Helena Wong and Kwok-Ka-ki.Former legislator Claudia Mo, former journalist Gwyneth Ho and activist Owen Chow were also among those remanded to custody.Lawyer Hang Tung Chow, who represents Owen Chow, told VOA the court provided no reason as to why her client was refused bail. She said they would appeal the ruling.Of the 32 people denied bail outright, all but seven will return to court one week from Friday for a bail review. All of the defendants will return to court on May 31 for a second hearing.Self-exiled pro-democracy activist Baggio Leung, now in Washington, criticized this week’s hearing in an interview with VOA.He said, “To put all people in jail before trial, detained for five days since the bail hearing, shuttled between detention centers and the court and had little opportunity to sleep. … It is the so-called ‘rule of law’ of Hong Kong in 2021. This is a joke to the world.”’Misery’Former pro-democracy lawmaker Ted Hui, now in self-exile in Britain, told VOA he was “heartbroken” at the decision.Hui fled Hong Kong amid criminal charges against him. Of the current situation in Hong Kong, he said, “It would have been me suffering. No word to describe the misery.”Under the “one country, two systems” agreement signed by Britain and China in 1997, when Britain returned the city to Chinese rule, Beijing promised that Hong Kong would retain a “high degree of autonomy” until 2047.After pro-democracy protests in 2019, Beijing implemented the national security law that took effect in Hong Kong on June 30, 2020. The legislation prohibits secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, and its details can be widely interpreted. Street protests have stopped, slogans are banned and several high-profile activists are jailed or have fled the city.Political commentator Joseph Cheng said the lengthy hearing was set up to ensure there was no conflict in the court ruling.“Most senior barristers believe that the present arrangements are bad. The judiciary could have used three judges in three separate trials. But the authorities don’t want to see discrepancies among the judges if this is the case,” Cheng told VOA.Opposition effectively barredCheng added the current charge for the 47 activists was “loosely defined” to underscore that no effective opposition can exist under the security law.“Any serious challenges of the government and the Chinese authorities will be treated as subversion,” Cheng told VOA.Ma Ngok, a Hong Kong political scientist and professor, told VOA he expected some of the 47 charged would be granted bail based on the length of the hearings. But he acknowledged the widely interpreted perception of subversion was an issue for opposition figures.“It’s difficult for democrats because they don’t know what will cross the line,” he said.Ma acknowledged there were added concerns about the status of the democratic opposition party, as its leaders are not able to participate in future elections.The national security legislation limits pro-democracy opposition camps because of the harsh punishments for sensitive campaigns such as independence or human rights. And since November, there has been no legal pro-democracy opposition in the Hong Kong Legislative Council, as all 19 pro-democracy legislators left their seats after four lawmakers had been disqualified.”They have to find new candidates because the candidates for the 2020 election will already be banned, because all of them are arrested. But what kind of position and platform are these candidates going to put forward?” Ma said.  
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The United States on Wednesday hailed plans by NATO ally Germany to sail a warship across the contested South China Sea, calling it welcome support for a “rules-based international order” in the region, something Washington says is threatened by China.
 
German government officials said on Tuesday a German frigate would set sail for Asia in August and, on its return journey, become the first German warship to cross the South China Sea since 2002.
 
“The United States has a national interest in the maintenance of peace and stability, respect for international law, lawful unimpeded commerce, and freedom of navigation and other lawful uses of the sea,” a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department said.
 
“We welcome Germany’s support for a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific. The international community has a vital stake in the preservation of an open
maritime order.”
 
A spokesman for the foreign ministry in China, which claims most of the South China Sea, said countries enjoyed freedom of navigation and overflight in the waterway under international law, but added: “they cannot take it as an excuse to undermine the sovereignty and security of littoral countries.”German officials said the warship would not pass within the 12-nautical-mile limits China and rival states claim as territorial waters around contested features in the strategic
Waterway.
 
China has established military outposts on artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea and Washington has rejected Beijing’s disputed claims to offshore resources in most of the sea as “completely unlawful.”
 
The U.S. Navy regularly conducts “freedom of navigation” operations in which its warships pass close by to some of these islands. It has been keen for allies to follow suit.
 
Last month, France said a French nuclear-propelled attack submarine and warship patrolled in the South China Sea to underscore freedom of navigation. 
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Demonstrations against Myanmar’s military junta took place across the country again Thursday in the wake of what the United Nations described as “the bloodiest day” since the February 1 coup.  Reuters says security forces opened fire and hit protesters with tear gas to break up demonstrations in the main city of Yangon and the central town of Monywa.Protests also took place in Mandalay, where mourners also gathered for the funeral of Kyal Sin, a 19-year-old student who was shot dead Wednesday during demonstrations in that city.  Attendees held up pictures of Kyal Sin wearing a t-shirt with the phrase “Everything will be OK” written on the front.  Kyal Sin was one of at least 38 people the United Nations says were killed across Myanmar during Wednesday’s protests, with witnesses saying security forces used live ammunition as well as rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowds.   Several people were reportedly injured, among them reporter Htet Aung Khant with VOA’s Burmese Service, who was hit by rubber bullets under his arm as he covered the protests.   “Today, it was the bloodiest day since the coup happened on the first of February,” Christine Schraner Burgener, the U.N. special envoy for Myanmar, told reporters in a video call from Switzerland.  Schraner Burgener said she was very disturbed by videos circulating of police shooting a protester at close range and another of police beating an unarmed medical crew who did not resist arrest.   “From the video clips, I asked some weapons experts to verify to me, it’s not clear, but it seems that the police used weapons like 9-millimeter submachine guns — live ammunition,” she said.Myanmar has been mired in chaos and violence for one month, since the military’s overthrow of the civilian government and the detentions of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other high-ranking officials of her National League for Democracy (NLD) Party. Schraner Burgener said she is in daily contact with Suu Kyi and the committee that represents NLD legislators, known as the CRPH. The envoy last spoke with Deputy Military Chief Soe Win on February 15 but said she sent him a long letter on Sunday. She has not received a direct response but said the military sends her some information every day.People attend the funeral of Angel, 19-year-old protester also known as Kyal Sin who was shot in the head as Mynamar forces opened fire to disperse an an anti-coup demonstration in Mandalay, Myanmar, March 4, 2021.New elections The military has claimed widespread fraud in last November’s election, which the NLD won in a landslide. Myanmar’s electoral commission has denied the claims.  Military Chief Min Aung Hlaing declared a one-year state of emergency and said new elections will be held to bring about a “true and disciplined democracy.” But he has not said when the vote would be held. Schraner Burgener said Soe Win told her those elections would happen in one year.“He said that it is due to the constitution,” she said. “We talked also to constitutional experts, and they said it doesn’t have to be one year. But clearly, I think that was the real plan of the army.”Schraner Burgener expressed concern that the military would conduct sham investigations of the NLD that would lead to their being banned and then the army would illegitimately win the election and stay in power. But she said while this strategy may have worked in the past, it will not work now. “But today, we have young people who lived in freedom for 10 years. They have social media, and they are well-organized and very determined. They don’t want to go back in a dictatorship and in isolation,” she said. “So, I think the army is surprised, and maybe we have to help them come out of this situation.” However, Schraner Burgener also said the junta is unconcerned about any response from the international community.  When she warned the regime it would face “huge, strong measures” in the form of sanctions, “the answer was, ‘We are used to sanctions and we survived those sanctions in the past,” referring to the military’s previous five-decade rule.   The envoy also said the regime told her, “We have to learn to walk with only a few friends,” when she warned it would face isolation.   Demonstrators gather on a road during an anti-coup protest in Yangon, Myanmar, March 4, 2021.Escalation fears Schraner Burgener said the situation could escalate. She pointed to the declaration by 10 of the 21 armed ethnic groups in Myanmar that they would fight back if the army attacks civilians in their regions. “If both sides use violence, then we have a situation of a real war in Myanmar, which is in nobody’s interest,” the U.N. envoy said.  She will brief the U.N. Security Council Friday in a closed-door meeting. She last briefed them February 2 at the first and only discussion on the situation.She told reporters she is still pressing the military to allow her to visit Myanmar, where she has an office and has spent a great deal of time during the three years she has held her mandate.Myanmar’s UN ambassadorIn a separate development, Tin Maung Naing, who was appointed Sunday as Myanmar’s chargé d’affaires at the United Nations by the military regime, has reportedly resigned, according to a post on his Facebook page.A United Nations spokesperson said they are aware of the reports but had received no official communication.Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun was fired by the junta after denouncing the coup at a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Friday. He said he is still the ambassador because he was appointed by the democratically elected president. The matter has now gone to the nine-member U.N. credentials committee for review.
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An anti-government activist accused of burning a portrait of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn was arrested on Wednesday, police said, the latest among dozens of people charged in recent months for insulting the monarchy.Musician Chaiamorn “Ammy” Kaewwiboonpan, 32, admitted after his arrest that he had torched the king’s portrait as a gesture of defiance and to vent frustration at the detention of fellow activists awaiting trial for royal insult.Chaiamorn is charged under a strict lese majeste law that carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison if found guilty, as well as arson and computer crimes.The incident took place on Sunday in front of a Bangkok prison where four members of a youth-led protest movement are being held over remarks about the royal family made at rallies last year.”The burning of the royal portrait was done by me and I am solely responsible, the movement is not involved,” Chaiamorn wrote on his band’s Facebook page, a post his lawyer confirmed was authentic.Chaiamorn said his action was foolish and had landed him in trouble and he was frustrated at being unable to help the detained activists.Bangkok police chief Pakapong Pongpetra said there were witnesses and forensic evidence linking him to the offense and others may have been involved.Chaiamorn was receiving medical treatment for an injury unrelated to his arrest, police said. His lawyer said a bail request was rejected by the court.Months of youth-led demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha last year also broke traditional taboos by calling for reform of the powerful monarchy.At least 61 people have subsequently been charged with lese majeste, according to legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.The portrait burning took place hours before protesters marched on a military base to urge the king to give up direct control over army units transferred to him in 2019 by the government of Prayuth, a former military chief.Police used rubber bullets against the protesters for the first time on Sunday, as well as tear gas and a water cannon.
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Nearly 50 countries have either received or ordered at least one of the three Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccines, according to an Associated Press survey. More with VOA’s Mariama Diallo on the vaccine rollouts.
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The U.N. special envoy for Myanmar says at least 38 people were killed across the country Wednesday during another day of demonstrations against the military junta.“Today, it was the bloodiest day since the coup happened on the first of February,” Christine Schraner Burgener told reporters in a video call from Switzerland.Reuters news agency said at least nine people have been killed, including five people in the central town of Monywa, quoting witnesses and media reports. Both Reuters and The Associated Press say a teenage boy was killed in the central city of Myingyan.Meanwhile, Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP) said at least two people have been killed in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. AFP also reported four other deaths in the Sagaing region.Security forces used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowds, with witnesses saying live ammunition was also used against the protesters. Several people were reportedly injured, among them reporter Htet Aung Khant with VOA’s Burmese Service, who was hit by rubber bullets under his arm as he covered the protests.A soldier detains a man during a demonstration against the military coup in Mandalay, Myanmar, March 3, 2021.Schraner Burgener said she was very disturbed by videos circulating of police shooting a protester at close range and another of police beating an unarmed medical crew who did not resist arrest.“From the video clips, I asked some weapons experts to verify to me, it’s not clear, but it seems that the police used weapons like 9-millimeter submachine guns — live ammunition,” she said.Myanmar has been mired in chaos and violence for one month, since the military’s overthrow of the civilian government and the detentions of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other high-ranking officials of her National League for Democracy (NLD) Party.Schraner Burgener said she is in daily contact with Suu Kyi and the committee that represents NLD legislators, known as the CRPH. The envoy last spoke with Deputy Military Chief Soe Win on February 15 but said she sent him a long letter on Sunday. She has not received a direct response but said the military sends her some information every day.New electionsThe military has claimed widespread fraud in last November’s election, which the NLD won in a landslide. Myanmar’s electoral commission has denied the claims.Military Chief Min Aung Hlaing declared a one-year state of emergency and said new elections will be held to bring about a “true and disciplined democracy.” But he has not said when the vote would be held. Schraner Burgener said Soe Win told her those elections would happen in one year.“He said that it is due to the constitution,” she said. “We talked also to constitutional experts, and they said it doesn’t have to be one year. But clearly, I think that was the real plan of the army.”Schraner Burgener expressed concern that the military would conduct sham investigations of the NLD that would lead to their being banned and then the army would illegitimately win the election and stay in power. But she said while this strategy may have worked in the past, it will not work now.“But today, we have young people who lived in freedom for 10 years. They have social media, and they are well-organized and very determined. They don’t want to go back in a dictatorship and in isolation,” she said. “So, I think the army is surprised, and maybe we have to help them come out of this situation.”Protesters cover with makeshift shields during an anti-coup protest in Yangon, Myanmar, March 3, 2021.Escalation fearsSchraner Burgener said the situation could escalate. She pointed to the declaration by 10 of the 21 armed ethnic groups in Myanmar that they would fight back if the army attacks civilians in their regions.“If both sides use violence, then we have a situation of a real war in Myanmar, which is in nobody’s interest,” the U.N. envoy said.She will brief the U.N. Security Council Friday in a closed-door meeting. She last briefed them February 2 at the first and only discussion on the situation.She told reporters she is still pressing the military to allow her to visit Myanmar, where she has an office and has spent a great deal of time during the three years she has held her mandate.Myanmar’s UN ambassadorMyanmar’s ambassador to the U.N. Kyaw Moe Tun holds up three fingers at the end of his speech to the General Assembly at the U.N. in New York City, Feb. 26, 2021.In a separate development, Tin Maung Naing, who was appointed Sunday as Myanmar’s chargé d’affaires at the United Nations by the military regime, has reportedly resigned, according to a post on his Facebook page.A United Nations spokesperson said they are aware of the reports but had received no official communication.Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun was fired by the junta after denouncing the coup at a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Friday. He said he is still the ambassador because he was appointed by the democratically elected president. The matter has now gone to the nine-member U.N. credentials committee for review. 
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The Cambodian government has deported a Chinese journalist for publishing what authorities deemed “fake news” about a purported scheme offering COVID-19 vaccines for a “service fee.”  Shen Kaidong, 52, the editor of Angkor Today since 2015, was deported last week after posting a February 23 story about Chinese nationals in Cambodia receiving anonymous text messages offering a COVID-19 vaccine for $120. Angkor Today, previously named the Angkor Times, publishes news stories on Facebook and WeChat, the popular Chinese social media platform. Police arrested Shen Kaidong February 24 in Siem Reap province, best known for the A shipment of 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China arrives at the Phnom Penh International Airport, Feb. 15, 2021.Rights groups and press freedom advocates have been critical of the government’s alacrity to use the Criminal Code against journalists and publications, rather than the Law on the Press, which allows publications to issue corrections if they publish inaccurate information. Ith Sothoeuth, media director at the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, called for “a thorough investigation into whether the vaccine is being sold or not.” “This can provide justice to other journalists,” he said. The government announcement of Shen Kaidong’s deportation and ban did not provide any details as to why he was deported or whether claims of his story were investigated. Keo Vanthan, a spokesperson for Cambodia’s General Department of Immigration, said Shen Kaidong was put on a on plane for publishing fake news but did not provide any other details surrounding the case.    “He published fake news and it caused social chaos,” Keo Vanthan said.    The Information Ministry revoked the license for Angkor Today on February 25 and the Health Ministry denied any vaccines were for sale in the country.  “We do not charge people money for COVID-19 vaccines,” said Or Vandine, a spokesperson for the Health Ministry, according to the Phnom Penh Post. “All vaccinations are voluntary and do not cost anything.” An English translation from Angkor Today’s WeChat account found the initial article reported that several Chinese nationals received a text message promising them the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for $120. The Chinese-language news outlet provided screenshots of these messages.  Reporting on the offer, an Angkor Today reporter called a phone number listed in the texts and the person who answered said the $120 was not for the vaccine but for a shuttle service to Phnom Penh, where the vaccine was available.  The story posted on Facebook says that once a vaccine appointment is set, “a car will be sent to pick up the person. The vaccination time is around the 30th of this month.” Even though there are only 28 days in February, the phone interviewee quoted in Shen Kaidong’s story did say “the 30th of this month.” The story also includes comments from Chinese nationals questioning the scheme as a potential scam. The story ends by promising additional reports on the text messages.  The Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh on February 24 issued a statement on WeChat, according to the Angkor Today acknowledging that some Chinese nationals had received a text promising the COVID-19 vaccine for “a service fee” of $120, adding that it had seen reports of other social media posts offering the vaccine for as much as $450.  The Chinese embassy reminded its citizens that the vaccine was not for sale, cautioned them about scams, and said to follow Cambodian government procedures for getting the vaccine. Kim Santepheap, a secretary of state at the Justice Ministry who spoke at a February 19 press conference announcing the “fake news” deportation directive, said publishing or sharing of “fake news” about the pandemic could also carry a criminal charge. Cambodia has jailed dozens of people since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic for critiquing the government’s response to the outbreak. Last year, at least two dozen people linked to the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) were arrested, detained or imprisoned for posting critical comments on Facebook, talking about the pandemic. 
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A Phnom Penh court has sentenced nine senior leaders of the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party to 20-plus years in prison for allegedly plotting a coup in 2019.   The sentence, delivered Monday, means they are effectively banned from ever returning home. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court delivered its verdict in the so-called “attack” case in a hearing that was not attended by defense lawyers. Y Rin, a court spokesperson, said government lawyers were present when Judge Duch Soksarin delivered the verdict. Those sentenced are former party president Sam Rainsy, his deputies Mu Sochua and Eng Chhai Eang, and senior party members Tioulong Saumura, Nut Romduol, Ho Vann, Ou Chanrith, Long Ry and Men Sothavarin. Sam Rainsy was sentenced to 25 years in prison and the eight others received sentences of 20 to 22 years, according to Y Rin. The court added additional penalties that bar them from voting, running for election or holding any public positions. “This verdict was delivered before lawyers representing the Royal Government and it was considered to be in [the presence] of the nine accused,” Y Rin wrote in a Telegram message. Sam Rainsy, who lives in exile in France, said of the verdict that “I don’t care at all because Cambodia’s courts are a joke. We call it the puppet court serving Mr. Hun Sen.” Prime Minister Hun Sen, with his ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), has held power in Cambodia in various coalitions since 1985. Reaction to the sentencing was swift. “A prison sentence from a court which is controlled by the government cannot be taken seriously,” Rainsy said in a statement posted on his social media page.   Human Rights Watch said the verdict was an “outrageously harsh prison sentence” and intended to block the nine CNRP leaders from ever returning to Cambodia. “But even with the cases being heard by a kangaroo court, PM Hun Sen didn’t dare allow even a minimally fair proceeding, barring Mu Sochua and the other defendants from returning to the country to have their day in court,” said Phil Robertson, the group’s deputy Asia director. “Once again, Cambodia’s politically controlled judiciary make a mockery of justice rather than defending it,” Robertson said, adding that the case against Sam Rainsy was based on “bogus, politically motivated allegations manufactured by a dictatorial, single-party state.” Ministry of Justice spokesperson Chin Malin defended the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s decision, adding that the CNRP leaders could appeal the lower court’s verdict.   “The courts in a sovereign state make decisions based on the facts and the law,” he said. “And if perpetrators or their fellow [defendants] are not satisfied, then they can use their legal rights to appeal.” The case relates to Sam Rainsy’s attempt to return to Cambodia in November 2019. The former CNRP president had remained overseas after an arrest warrant was issued for him in 2015 in a defamation case. Other senior leaders fled the country after then-party president Kem Sokha was arrested in 2017 and the party dissolved months later.Cambodia High Court Dissolves Opposition Party, Cementing One-party Rule

        Cambodia's Supreme Court has dissolved the country's main opposition party in a ruling likely to cement Prime Minister Hun Sen's already expansive grip on power.Thursday's unanimous ruling by the nine-member court also bans 118 members of the now-defunct Cambodia National Rescue Party from any political activity for the next five years.  The court sided with a lawsuit filed by Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party, accusing the CNRP of being involved in a foreign-backed plot to topple the…

Dissolving the party, which had been gaining popularity in local elections, guaranteed that Hun Sen’s CPP would sweep the 2018 general election. It won all the seats in Parliament, in what international groups that spent billions of dollars funding pro-democracy civil society efforts condemned as the most unfair and unfree since the United Nations organized the first post-genocide election in 1993.  Sam Rainsy was prevented from entering Cambodia in 2019 after the government issued travel bans and warned neighboring countries and airlines from allowing him to board Phnom Penh-bound flights. During the trial, which started in November 2020, the government characterized Sam Rainsy’s efforts to return to Cambodia as an attempted coup, pointing to plans to gather party supporters and organize other repatriations. Over 130 other CNRP members and supporters are currently before the Phnom Penh court for allegedly supporting the return plan. The nine leaders are co-defendants in two of these cases. Mu Sochua, one of the nine leaders, said the ruling was a blow to Cambodian democracy and was in line with Hun Sen’s political needs.   “This conviction meets the desires of Mr. Hun Sen,” she said on Monday. “It’s not a typical court in a country where there is an impartial and independent judiciary.” Sochua said the court proceeded to try the nine leaders in absentia, despite their willingness to return to Cambodia for the trial and robbing them of their fair trial rights.   This story originated in VOA’s Khmer Service. 
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Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) pushed for the release of Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and a return to democracy after meeting Tuesday on the state of the country.  “Restoring democracy back on track must be pursued,” Retno Marsudi, Indonesia’s foreign minister, said. The comments follow Myanmar’s February 1 military coup in which de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of Myanmar’s civilian government were removed from office and detained.Foreign ministers representing each of ASEAN’s 10-member nations, which includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, spoke via videoconference with their counterpart from member nation Myanmar. The virtual meeting came as Myanmar police opened fire on civilians protesting military rule.FILE – Myanmar State Counselor Suu Kyi attends the opening session of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila, Feb. 1, 2021.The 75-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate was already charged with illegally importing and using six unregistered walkie-talkie radios found during a search of her home, and for breaking the country’s natural disaster law by holding public gatherings in violation of COVID-19 protocols.  Her next court appearance has been scheduled for March 15.   The United States and other Western nations have demanded Suu Kyi’s release, as well as that of her lieutenants, and called on the junta to restore power to the civilian government.      Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said Monday during an address on state television that protest leaders and “instigators” would be punished. He said the army is also investigating financial abuse by the civilian government.    White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday the recent killings of protesters in Myanmar “represent an escalation” of the situation there and said the Biden administration was preparing “further costs on those responsible.”      The United States’ U.N. ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, urged the international community Monday to “ramp up pressure” on Myanmar’s military. The ambassador said she hopes to use Washington’s presidency of the United Nations Security Council in March to push for more “intense discussions” on Myanmar, formerly called Burma.    “It is clear the world is watching the situation in Burma, and it’s clear that we can’t sit still and watch people continue to be brutalized and their human rights to be destroyed,” she said.  Anti-coup protesters, behind makeshift barricades stand off with Myanmar security forces in Yangon, Myanmar, March 2, 2021.The United Nations said Monday that if serious international crimes have taken place in Myanmar, it would investigate. Nicholas Koumjian, head of the U.N. Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, said if international law has been violated, “we will build case files to facilitate criminal trials to hold those responsible to account in international, regional or national courts.”   Tom Andrews, U.N. special rapporteur for Myanmar, has called on the international community to take collective action against the military junta, including  a global arms embargo, sanctions against businesses owned or controlled by the junta, and the convening of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the issue.   Andrews also urged countries that have already established some sanctions to “immediately consider more.”  As the junta ratchets up its brutal attacks against peaceful protesters in Myanmar, the world must ratchet up its response. Words of condemnation are welcome but insufficient. We must act. I’m releasing a statement today w options for UN member states & the UN Security Council. pic.twitter.com/q34vaaoYky— UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews (@RapporteurUn) February 28, 2021The junta has declared a one-year state of emergency. Min Aung Hlaing has pledged that new elections will be held to bring about a “true and disciplined democracy” but did not specify when they would take place.
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For the first time in Australia, teenage activists have launched a class action lawsuit on behalf of young people around the world to stop a large coal mining project 430 kilometers north-west of Sydney.  A trial started Tuesday in the Federal Court in Melbourne.     The campaign to take the Australian government to court over coal mining was prompted by the Black Summer bushfires that burned from mid-2019, which was Australia’s driest and hottest year on record, to March 2020.  They were the most intense fires ever documented in Australia.   The teenage plaintiffs insist Environment Minister Sussan Ley has a duty to protect them from global warming. They argue the expansion of coal mining in the state of New South Wales will worsen climate change and harm their future.One of the claimants, 14-year-old Izzy Raj-Seppings, wants to inspire other young people around the world.   “Hopefully it empowers everyone to keep fighting for climate justice,” she said. “I think our case shows people all around the world that if you fight hard enough your voice can be heard and that this struggle for climate justice isn’t over yet and there is still so much we need to accomplish.” The claimants are younger than 18 years of age and are supported by a so-called litigation guardian, Sister Brigid Arthur, who is an 86-year-old nun.   The class action lawsuit could set a precedent that stops Australia approving new fossil fuel projects.  The coal mining company involved said the teenagers’ case has no merit and should be dismissed.  It said in a statement that 450 jobs would be created by the multi-million-dollar project.  The resources firm insisted “major employment-generating investments” that would boost Australia’s recovery from COVID-19 should not be delayed “by legal claims that have no substance.”   Legal experts believe that given the complexity of the case, stopping a major mining project will not be easy.    Coal generates much of Australia’s electricity and is one of its biggest exports.  Its longer-term future, though, is uncertain because of a global shift to renewable energy.   The federal environment minister has agreed not to make a final decision on the expansion plan until the trial is over.  The hearing in the federal court is expected to last for five days, but a judgement may not be delivered for several months.  
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