Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, are holding talks Tuesday to discuss the worsening political crisis in Myanmar. Foreign ministers representing each of ASEAN’s 10-member nations, which includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, will hold talks via videoconference with their counterpart from member nation Myanmar. Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told lawmakers Monday ASEAN believes the situation in Myanmar would have “serious consequences” for the region, and expressed confidence the bloc could facilitate a “return to normalcy and stability” in the country.  He called on all parties to “pursue a long-term peaceful political solution for national reconciliation” including a return to “the path of democratic transition” which can only begin with the immediate release of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other high-ranking officials of the deposed civilian government. Balakrishnan also said ASEAN is “appalled by the use of lethal force against civilians” by Myanmar security forces.   Popular protests staged daily across Myanmar against the military’s February 1 coup have grown increasingly violent and deadly.  At least 21 people have been killed since the coup, including 18 people on Sunday, according to the United Nations Human Rights Office, the deadliest day of the unrest.      Witnesses to Sunday’s protests say police used tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannon and in some cases, live ammunition in Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city. According to The Associated Press, photos of shell cases from live ammunition were posted on social media. Media videos show demonstrators dragging the injured away from the protests, leaving bloody smears on the pavement.     Police also aggressively sought to break up protests in other cities, including Mandalay and Dawei.       Hundreds of protesters wearing construction helmets returned to the streets of Yangon Tuesday chanting slogans against the military regime as they stood behind makeshift barricades.  Security forces responded by once again firing tear gas at the demonstrators to disperse them.   The military has claimed widespread fraud in last November’s election, won in a landslide by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, as justification for last month’s coup.  Myanmar’s electoral commission denied the military’s claims of election fraud.Khin Maung Zaw, center, a lawyer assigned by the National League for Democracy party to represent deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, speaks to journalists outside the Zabuthiri Township Court in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Monday, March 1.Suu Kyi appeared via videoconference at a court in the capital, Naypyitaw, her first public appearance since she was removed from office and detained by the military.   She was charged with two additional crimes during the session — attempting to incite public unrest and violating a section of the telecommunications law regarding operating equipment without a license.  The 75-year-old Suu Kyi 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 General 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 new U.S ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, urged the international community Monday to “ramp up pressure” on Myanmar’s military and 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.  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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An American father and son were handed over to Japanese officials on Monday, their lawyer said, after losing an extradition battle over accusations they helped former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn to flee Japan. Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor were arrested in May after Japan issued a warrant accusing them of helping Ghosn flee Tokyo for Lebanon in December 2019 — reportedly hidden in a large box in a private jet — as he faced financial misconduct charges. Two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Taylors’ emergency appeal and cleared the way for their extradition following similar rulings by lower courts. “This is a sad day for the family, and for all who believe that veterans deserve better treatment from their own country,” Paul Kelly, their lawyer, said in a statement confirming they had been handed over to Japanese custody. FILE – Former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn holds a press conference at the Maronite Christian Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, in Kaslik, north of Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 29, 2020.The U.S. courts rejected the contention by the Taylors’ lawyers that the two men would face torture-like conditions in Japanese prison sufficient to merit breaching the extradition treaty between Tokyo and Washington. Peter Taylor and his father, a former U.S. Special Forces member turned private security contractor, had been imprisoned pending the outcome of the extradition fight. U.S. court documents show the two, and a Lebanese national, allegedly helped smuggle Ghosn out of Japan inside a large musical equipment case. ‘Brazen escape’ Prosecutors in one court filing called it “one of the most brazen and well-orchestrated escape acts in recent history.” Ghosn, who was a global business superstar when his career came crashing to an end, fled Japan while out on bail facing financial misconduct charges. He was arrested in November 2018 and had been expected to face trial on charges including understating his pay and misusing company assets. He spent 130 days in prison before being released on bail and completing his audacious escape act. Ghosn, who has denied any wrongdoing, has said he fled because he could not get a fair trial in Japan. Three others sentencedLast week, a Turkish court sentenced three men to four years and two months in prison over the case. The court convicted two pilots and an employee of a small private airline who flew the tycoon during his escape. The judge convicted them of illegally smuggling a foreign national. The pilots told the court that they were innocent because they never suspected who was on board their plane. Interpol issued a notice last year seeking Ghosn’s extradition from Lebanon to Japan. The two countries have no extradition agreement and Lebanon has failed to comply. The Turkish indictment said the escape plot involved a stopover in Istanbul instead of a direct flight “so as not to arouse suspicions.” 
 
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The United States is expressing concern over the Cambodian government’s recent move to set up a national internet gateway that critics say will give authorities more power to surveil and censor internet users in the country. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Jalina Porter told VOA on Monday that the United States champions the freedom of expression on the internet as a matter of policy and she expressed concern over the Cambodian measures’ impact on Khmer Americans. “We have a significant amount of Khmer Americans who are here in the United States. And we want to ensure that they’re able to really speak to their family and their friends and relatives who are still back in the country,” she said.  FILE – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen waves to government civil servants in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 7, 2020.Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen signed the new sub-decree on February 16, requiring internet service providers to reroute their services through a National Internet Gateway (NIG) within the next 12 months.    Hun Sen’s government says the directive will boost Cambodian information technology infrastructure and control content that could harm “national security and social order.”    But critics said the move is giving the Cambodia government more control over the flow of information on the internet and the ability to block content and websites.    Internet Gateway Will Further Curb Free Speech in Cambodia, Rights Groups SayCambodia’s plan for national internet gateway will give authorities greater control over internet content in an already restricted country, rights groups warn  The State Department will soon unveil its 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. In its 2019 annual report, the State Department cited government entities monitoring online discussions in Cambodia.     “Three days before the 2018 national election, the government ordered local telecommunication companies to block several independent news websites,” according to the State Department.  Critics have accused the country of patterning its internet regulations on China, where authorities have locked down the domestic internet behind a massive government firewall. “Prime Minister Hun Sen struck a dangerous blow against internet freedom and e-commerce in Cambodia by expanding the government’s control over the country’s internet,” said Phil Robertson, who is the Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division.  In a statement, Cambodia’s Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications refuted the accusations that the new NIG directive would pave the way for a Chinese-style censorship, saying such allegations are “unfounded” and “politically motivated.” It added a new law would soon be drafted to protect personal data.   
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China used coronavirus prevention measures, intimidation and visa curbs to limit foreign reporting in 2020, ushering in a “rapid decline in media freedom,” the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) said on Monday. For the third year in a row, no journalists told the group that working conditions had improved, the FCCC said in an annual report based on 150 responses to a survey of correspondents and interviews with bureau chiefs. “All arms of state power — including surveillance systems introduced to curb coronavirus — were used to harass and intimidate journalists, their Chinese colleagues, and those whom the foreign press sought to interview,” it said. Authorities cited public health concerns to deny reporters access to sensitive areas and threatened them with enforced quarantine, it added. Visa restrictions were also used to put pressure on reporting. At least 13 correspondents were given press credentials valid for 6 months or less, the FCCC said. Foreign reporters based in China typically receive one-year visas and must renew them annually. Journalists were also used as “pawns” in China’s diplomatic disputes, it added. FILE – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, speaks during a routine press conference in Beijing on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday that the report’s claims were “baseless.” “We always welcome media and journalists from all countries to cover news in China according to the law … what we oppose is ideological bias against China and fake news in the name of press freedom,” he said, at a daily news briefing. China expelled more than a dozen foreign journalists at U.S. media organizations in 2020, amid a series of tit-for-tat actions between the countries. Washington also slashed the number of journalists permitted to work in the United States at four major Chinese state-owned media outlets. In September, Australia helped two of its foreign correspondents leave China after they were questioned by the country’s state security ministry. Journalists reporting from far western Xinjiang, where China has been accused of large-scale human rights abuses, encountered especially intense harassment, the report said. FILE – Cheng Lei, a Chinese-born Australian journalist for CGTN, the English-language channel of China Central Television, attends a public event in Beijing, China, Aug. 12, 2020.Last year Chinese authorities detained Cheng Lei, an Australian citizen working for Chinese state media, and later Haze Fan, a Chinese national working for Bloomberg News, both on suspicion of endangering national security. Both remain in detention. Some Reuters journalists are members of the FCCC.  
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Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in court Monday, her first public appearance since she and other members of Myanmar’s civilian government were removed from office and detained by the military on Feb. 1. A lawyer for the 75-year-old Suu Kyi said the ousted de facto leader looked well as she appeared via videoconference in the capital, Naypyitaw.  The lawyer says prosecutors charged her with two new crimes during the court session — attempting to incite public unrest and violating a section of the telecommunications law operating equipment without a license.   Suu Kyi 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. Meanwhile, security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators in Yangon Monday, a day after 18 people across Myanmar were killed and more than 30 others injured in the deadliest day of demonstrations since the coup, according to the United Nations Human Rights Office.In this image from a video, anti-coup protesters run away from tear gas launched by security forces in Yangon, Myanmar, March 1, 2021. Defiant crowds returned to the streets of Myanmar’s biggest city on Monday.Witnesses to Sunday’s bloody protests say police used tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannon and in some cases live ammunition in Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city. According to the Associated Press, photos of shell cases from live ammunition were posted on social media.  Media videos show demonstrators dragging some of those injured away from the protests, leaving bloody smears on pavement.    Police also aggressively sought to break up protests in other cities, including Mandalay and Dawei.   “Throughout the day, in several locations throughout the country, police and military forces have confronted peaceful demonstrations, using lethal force and less-than-lethal force,” said a statement from U.N. human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.  The statement called on the military to “immediately halt the use of force against peaceful protesters.”At least 18 people were killed & 30 wounded in #Myanmar today. “We strongly condemn the escalating violence against protests in Myanmar & call on the military to immediately halt the use of force against peaceful protestors,” says spox Ravina Shamdasani 👉https://t.co/nqhVYtXZfvpic.twitter.com/sAvKPwR4F7— UN Human Rights Asia (@OHCHRAsia) February 28, 2021Later Sunday, the U.N. special rapporteur, Tom Andrews, released a statement that listed options for U.N. member states and the security council to take action.    “As the military junta of Myanmar ratchets up its violence against the people, I believe it is imperative that the international community ratchet up its response,” Andrews said.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, 2021Among the options laid out in his statement are 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. On sanctions, Andrews urged countries that have already established some to “immediately consider more.”    The United States late Sunday condemned the bloody crackdown on protests and hinted at potential sanctions.  “We condemn the Burmese security forces’ abhorrent violence against the people of Burma & will continue to promote accountability for those responsible,” tweeted Secretary of State Antony Blinken, referring to Myanmar’s former name. “We stand firmly with the courageous people of Burma & encourage all countries to speak with one voice in support of their will.”We condemn the Burmese security forces’ abhorrent violence against the people of Burma & will continue to promote accountability for those responsible. We stand firmly with the courageous people of Burma & encourage all countries to speak with one voice in support of their will.— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 28, 2021“We are preparing additional actions to impose further costs on those responsible for this latest outbreak of violence and the recent coup. We will have more to share in the coming days,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.  Popular protests have been staged across Myanmar on a daily basis since the military overthrew the civilian government, claiming widespread fraud in last November’s election, which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won in a landslide.     The European Union condemned violence against protesters Sunday, calling security forces shooting unarmed citizens a “blatant disregard for international law.”  “The military authorities must immediately stop the use of force against civilians and allow the population to express their right to freedom of expression and assembly,” EU Minister of Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said in a statement.  Last week, junta commander Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said the military was using “minimal force” to deal with protests. But at least 21 protesters have been confirmed killed during demonstrations, and the army has said one policeman has been killed.    The 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.      Myanmar’s electoral commission denied the military’s claims of election fraud.         The United States and other Western nations have demanded the release of Suu Kyi and her lieutenants and called on the junta to restore power to the civilian government. 
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Cracks are emerging in the firewall that until now has protected some of the world’s powerful nations from being scrutinized and called to account for gross violations by the U.N. Human Rights Council.  The executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, called them the “untouchables.”   “By that I mean governments that have managed to avoid any real critical scrutiny in the form of a resolution by the council.  And the foremost untouchables that I have in mind are China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Russia,” he said.  FILE – Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, attends an interview with Reuters in Geneva, Switzerland, Jan. 12, 2021.Addressing the untouchables, Roth said, is not only the biggest challenge facing the council, but is critical to its credibility.  He said efforts are underway to draft critical statements on Egypt and Saudi Arabia.  He added pressure is growing on Russia because of its alleged poisoning of opposition activist Alexey Navalny.    However, of greatest interest, he says are emerging signs that China may no longer be untouchable. “It has been seen as politically impossible to address the worsening repression in Xinjiang, the ongoing repression in Tibet, the crushing of Hong Kong’s freedoms.  It was seen as just, you know, impossible to get past China’s enormous diplomatic and economic efforts to prevent that kind of critical scrutiny.  But the times are changing,” he said.  International criticism of China’s alleged internment of at least 1 million Uighur Muslims in so-called vocational education camps hit new heights during the council’s High-Level Segment last week. FILE – Britain’s Foreign Affairs Secretary Dominic Raab walks outside Downing Street in London, Britain, Feb. 3, 2021.In a hard-hitting statement, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the situation in Xinjiang beyond the pale.   “The reported abuses — which include torture, forced labor and forced sterilization of women — are extreme and they are extensive.  They are taking place on an industrial scale.  It must be our collective duty to ensure that this does not go unanswered.  U.N. mechanisms must respond.”     Raab called on the council to pass a resolution allowing urgent and unfettered access to Xinjiang by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights or another independent fact-finding expert.  Raab also condemned the systematic violation of rights in Hong Kong and restrictions in Tibet.  His denunciations of China’s repressive actions were supported by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.   “Our commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also leaves no room for the arbitrary detention of ethnic minorities, like the Uighurs in Xinjiang or China’s crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong,” he said.    China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi hit back hard on his critics.  He told them to stop meddling in his country’s affairs and to stop using human rights as a pretext to interfere in other countries’ internal matters.   “There has never been so-called genocide, forced labor or religious oppression in Xinjiang.  Such inflammatory accusations are fabricated out of ignorance and prejudice.  They are simply malicious and politically driven hypes and could not be further from the truth,” he said.  Wang Yi said the door to Xinjiang was always open and he invited the High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit.     During a regular update to the council Friday on the global human rights situation, U.N. rights chief Michele Bachelet stressed the importance of such a visit.   “In the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, information that is in the public domain indicates the need for independent and comprehensive assessment of the human rights situation,” she said.  “My office continues to assess the alleged patterns of human rights violations, including reports of arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and sexual violence in institutions; coercive labor practices, and erosion of social and cultural rights.”    Bachelet said she was confident a mutually agreeable arrangement would be worked out for her to visit China.   To date, efforts to arrange a visit to the region, which began before she took office in September 2018, have failed to materialize.  Discussions between Bachelet’s office and Chinese authorities are continuing.    
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Russia’s appetite for influence and lucrative arms sales in Southeast Asia has been whetted by the latest coup in Myanmar, where isolated generals remain distrustful of China but still require allies on the United Nations Security Council.Chinese investments had flourished in Myanmar under the now-deposed civilian government effectively led by former opposition figure Aung San Suu Kyi, and the military, also known as Tatmadaw, benefitted through state owned enterprises brought under its control before Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won historic 2015 elections.However, relations between junta leaders and Beijing have long been strained over Chinese interference across their common border – an existential threat not shared with Russia – and Beijing’s assistance to long-running ethnic insurgencies, including the sale of weapons to rebels.Bradley Murg, a senior research fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said Russia and China are both maneuvering to protect their vested interests in Myanmar.“We’ve seen Russia step up to the plate twice with its actions in the Security Council on the Myanmar question and again joining with China and others in the human rights council to potentially oppose any form of condemnation of the new regime,” he said.Russia and China used their power in the Security Council to water down the world body’s response to the coup, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.China labeled the coup a “cabinet reshuffle” while Russia called it a “purely domestic affair,” and, according to The Irrawaddy, a news site, even asked the international community for “practical assistance to the new authority of Myanmar.”That was despite the message from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said he would do everything in his power to pressure Myanmar and “make sure that this coup fails.”Guterres has also consistently slammed the repression and violence inflicted upon protesters.Numbering hundreds of thousands, resistance groups have held nonviolent protests, marching through cities, promoting boycotts and labor strikes in response to the Feb. 1 coup and the Tatmadaw’s refusal to accept the November elections results.A riot police officer fires a rubber bullet toward protesters during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, Feb. 28, 2021.The United States, Canada and New Zealand have already imposed sanctions on military leaders and pressure is mounting on the European Union, Australia and Japan to follow suit.“Faced with the threat of sanctions from the West, Myanmar sees Russia as a natural ally in thwarting Western pressure and in managing regime consolidation,” said Mohan Malik, visiting fellow at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, a U.S. Defense Department institution in Washington.“Given China’s tendency to extract maximum concessions for its backing of the junta, Russia plays an important role as a counterweight to China both as an arms supplier and as a permanent member of the UNSC,” he said, referring to the U.N. Security Council.According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Myanmar spent $2.4 billion on weapons between 2010 and 2019, including $807 million on Russian-made arms and $1.3 billion on Chinese munitions, often criticized as faulty.Moscow has faced growing criticism at home from its own Muslim community incensed over Myanmar’s alleged ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in 2017, blamed on Min Aung Hlaing.Protests have erupted in Grozny, where Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov warned he would oppose policies that support the Myanmar junta and has reportedly found support among Muslims in the neighboring Caucasus regions and elsewhere in the Russian Federation.Analysts, though, said Moscow’s appetite for access to railroads, seaports and trade routes and its liking for barter deals, which appeals to the junta, would counter any opposition at home.“The most interesting thing I think we see in the Russian case is some of the frankness on the Russian side about what this means for the future of Myanmar-Russian relations,” Murg said.“You see defense contractors, others, basically licking their lips saying this is a new day, there are a lot of new opportunities for Russians in a post-coup Myanmar,” he added.A protester uses a slingshot as demonstrators clash with riot police officers during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, Feb. 28, 2021.An initial military-technical agreement was reached between Myanmar and Russia in 2001, according to the Warsaw Institute, a nonprofit Polish think tank.Myanmar has since acquired 30 Russian-made MiG-29 jet fighters, 12 Yak-130 jet trainers, 10 Mi-24 and Mi-35P helicopters, and eight Pechora-2M anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles, anti-tank and artillery systems and six Su-30SME warplanes.In late 2019 Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin confirmed progress in fresh efforts at developing military cooperation with Myanmar, along with Cold War allies Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.Then, a week before the coup, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu went to Myanmar and signed off on a deal to supply the formidable Pantsir-S1 air defense system, Orlan-10E surveillance drones and radar equipment. He also finalized a flight safety agreement.Arun Sahgal, senior fellow for strategic and regional security at the Delhi Policy Group in India, said democracy remains an issue but, importantly for Moscow and Naypyitaw, India – a major buyer and servicer of Russian arms – would continue to do business with the junta.Sahgal said India will “need to have a dealing with the government of Myanmar whoever is there and from inside to push the generals on the path of reconciliation with the political class rather than make a big song and drum about it.“But they also look at Russia as a source of reasonably cheap weapons systems which are good, and which suits their purpose and there is also an eye that whatever they buy it can be maintained either by Russians or through contacts with India,” Sahgal added.
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Several dozen Hong Kong democrats are set to report to local police stations across the city Sunday, with some expecting to be charged with breaches of national security as a crackdown on the democratic opposition intensifies.Benny Tai, one of the organizers of an unofficial primary election last summer, said in an online post that there was a chance he would be formally charged.Tai was arrested in a dawn raid along with more than 50 other democrats on Jan. 6 in the largest national security operation since the law’s passage last June.They were accused of organizing and participating in an unofficial primary election last July aimed at selecting the strongest candidates for a legislative council election.The democrats were detained at the time, questioned, and some said their mobile phones and computers were confiscated, but released pending further investigations.”My chance of bail won’t be too great,” wrote Tai, who has been accused by Chinese authorities of being a key tactician for the pro-democracy movement in the former British colony.Those also called in by Hong Kong police include John Clancey, a U.S. citizen and human rights lawyer, as well as a group of younger democratic activists including Lester Shum, Sam Cheung, Ventus Lau and Fergus Leung.The democrats denounced the arrests as political persecution for the informal, peaceful poll that drew 600,000 votes in a city of 7.5 million.A rights advocacy group, “Power for Democracy,” that co-organized the primary elections, said in a Facebook post on Friday that it had disbanded.When contacted by Reuters, a local police spokeswoman would not immediately say whether the democracy advocates would be charged with breaching the national security law.The Hong Kong police say 99 individuals have been arrested for suspected violations of the security laws so far.Some of these have been denied bail, including media mogul and prominent China critic Jimmy Lai, despite protracted legal appeals.The sweeping national security laws — seen by critics as a threat to Hong Kong’s freedoms and autonomy — punish acts of subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism with possible life imprisonment.
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A medical doctor told VOA on Saturday that Myanmar security forces stopped her from treating wounded protesters during a violent crackdown by security forces, even preventing her from caring for a protester who later died in police custody under unknown circumstances.Dr. Aye Nyein Thu told VOA she was helping wounded protesters on the front lines in Mandalay, where security forces attacked residents during a demonstration at a shipyard last Saturday.At least two protesters died in the mayhem, including a 17-year-old who was shot in the head and a 36-year-old who was shot in the chest and died on the way to the hospital, according to VOA’s Burmese Service.It was among the worst violence Myanmar has seen since protests erupted following a military coup earlier this month. At least three protesters and one policeman have died in the nationwide protests, which show no signs of slowing down.Shipyard crackdownThe violence in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, began when about 500 riot police and other security forces descended on the Yadanabon shipyard, where dock workers had joined the national civil disobedience movement against the coup.Following a brief standoff with protesters near the dock, security forces began firing water cannons at the crowd and proceeded to use batons to beat protesters and other nearby civilians, including an elderly resident who was simply watching, according to Aye Nyein Thu.Aye Nyein Thu, a general practitioner, said she attempted to treat injured civilians who had been detained in a police van, including a 24-year-old man who was severely bleeding from an open wound that stretched from the front to the back of the thigh.She said she begged police to release the man so he could receive stitches to stop the severe hemorrhage.“They denied all my requests,” she said. “All I could do was cleanse the wound, stop the bleeding, and [apply] dressing.”Within days, the man had died while in security forces’ custody, she said.“His family found him in the military hospital,” according to Aye Nyein Thu.“The military doctor said the cause of death was due to COVID-19 and they immediately burned his body on that day,” she said.“I asked the family if they were shown any evidence of COVID-19. They said they [were] only shown a blood antigen test. And this test was not checked in front of the family.”She said she suspects the man was shot with live bullets, not rubber bullets, as security forces claim.International condemnationThe United Nations Country Team in Myanmar expressed “profound concern” Sunday over the Mandalay violence, noting the clashes wounded dozens and left some protesters in serious condition.”We call on security forces to refrain from violence. The use of excessive force against demonstrators by security forces must stop and the fundamental right to peaceful assembly must be respected along with other human rights such as the freedom of speech,” the U.N. statement read.The U.S. Embassy in Myanmar said it was “deeply troubled” by the fatal shooting of protesters. “No one should be harmed for exercising the right to dissent,” it added.Myanmar’s military overthrew the country’s elected government Feb. 1, citing irregularities in a November election. The military also jailed longtime democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others. It declared a one-year state of emergency.Public sentiment quickly coalesced against the military, which exercised brutal dominance over Myanmar for about 50 years before it eventually ceded some powers about a decade ago.The protests have continued daily, as has the police crackdown.Aye Nyein Thu, who spoke to VOA in between treating more wounded protesters following fresh clashes in Mandalay on Friday, said residents are not deterred by the violence.“Not at all,” she said. “If one person dies, two [more] will come [to protest]. If two die, then a whole group will come.”
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The Rev. Patrick Mahoney arrived in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in August 2008.Along with two other freedom-of-religion activists, they unfurled a banner proclaiming “Jesus Christ is King” in front of the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. The Americans wanted to call attention to Beijing’s record of human rights abuses by protesting the Olympic Games China was hosting that month.China is expected to host the Winter Olympics in February 2022. But few people believe China will stop violating the human rights of its citizens in the face of international condemnation and widespread calls to boycott the games. No country has officially declared a boycott. The International Olympic Committee takes the position that it is a sporting body that does not get involved in politics.Beijing is “fully confident the Beijing Winter Olympics will be a splendid event,” said China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, FILE – The Rev. Patrick Mahoney and two other activists unfurl a banner in front of the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall boycotting the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics Games in August 2008. (Courtesy Patrick Mahoney)Eventually, authorities dragged the trio to a Chinese prison for six days, before expelling them on Aug. 7, 2008 — a day before the games opened in a ceremony that was watched by 2 billion people worldwide.“When we saw the Olympics were taking place in Beijing in 2008, we thought this was a unique opportunity and platform to address these violations on a global stage and to really speak to the world what was happening in China,” he said.’Authoritarianism was on full display’Mahoney, who with his colleagues landed on Beijing’s travel blacklist, expected that the international attention the protest drew would pressure China to improve its human rights record.Yet that expectation fell through. According to the latest Human Rights Watch report released Jan. 23, the Chinese government’s “authoritarianism was on full display in 2020 as it grappled with the deadly coronavirus outbreak first reported in Wuhan province.”Beijing’s “repression — insisting on political loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party — deepened across the country,” the report states, citing abuses of Uighurs, a Turkic Muslim ethnic group in Xinjiang, the replacement of Mongolian with Mandarin Chinese in Inner Mongolia’s schools, and the imposition of a “draconian” National Security Law in Hong Kong, “its most aggressive assault on Hong Kong people’s freedoms since the transfer of sovereignty in 1997.”Multiple members of the U.S. Congress are calling for the games to be moved from China. Republican representatives Guy Reschenthaler from Pennsylvania, Michael Waltz from Florida, and John Katko of New York — the lead Republican for the House Committee on Homeland Security — recently introduced a resolution urging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to rebid hosting for the 2022 Games.“I do not see how just 11 months from now, we reward the Chinese Communist Party with the honor and with the benefit of hosting the Olympic Games and giving the party that international platform for its ongoing cover up and for its ongoing propaganda,” Congressman Waltz told VOA Mandarin.’We are seeing a massive movement’The quadrennial international games draw audiences in the billions. According to a report by market-measurement firm Nielsen, between Aug. 8 and Aug. 24, 4.7 billion viewers — or 70% of the world’s population — watched Beijing’s 2008 Summer Olympics. In comparison, 3.9 billion watched the 2004 Athens Games, while 3.6 billion followed the 2000 Sydney Games on television.In 2018, 1.92 billion people, or 28% of the world’s population, watched the Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, held Feb. 9-25, according to organizers.Earlier this month, more than a dozen Canadian lawmakers signed an open letter calling for the Olympics to be moved outside China, according to Canada’s Global News website.Mahoney told VOA his calls for a boycott are different this time.“It’s as different as night and day,” he said. “In 2008, we were a lone voice pretty much, and there wasn’t even a consensus. Right now, we are talking with members of Congress; we’re talking with world leaders.“We are seeing a massive movement, which I am greatly encouraged by,” he added, describing it as an “historic opportunity.””It’s a way forward through peaceful global commitment to kind of isolate China, to say, look, we’re not against the government of China, we’re against these abuses and we will more than welcome you in if you are willing to treat your people with dignity and respect and honor freedom, democracy and human rights,” he said.Others disagree with that stance. Canadian Dick Pound, the IOC’s longest-serving member, said a boycott would be “a gesture that we know will have no impact whatsoever.””The games are not Chinese Games, the games are the IOC Games,” he told the BBC. “The decision on hosting is not made with a view to signaling approval of a government policy.”David Lampton, a professor emeritus of China Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, wrote in a recent opinion piece for Newsweek that boycotting the 2022 Games will arouse nationalism and generate counterproductive internal and external behavior from China.China’s citizens “will not view a boycott of the Olympics as a gesture of solidarity with a beleaguered population. Instead, they will consider it to be an attack on the Chinese people and their national and civilizational dignity, as well as an attempt to humiliate, not negotiate.”The Biden administration on Thursday said it has yet to decide whether or not the U.S. will boycott the games.“There hasn’t been a final decision made on that, and of course we would look for guidance from the U.S. Olympic Committee,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a briefing.This story originated in VOA’s Mandarin Service.
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Family members and human rights officials have called on Cambodia’s government to probe the use of cellphone jamming devices in prison cells they believe are impacting the health and rights of detainees after jailed activists complained of what they say is radiation poisoning.Eap Sour, the wife of opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party activist Kong Sam An, told Radio Free Asia’s Khmer Service on Wednesday that her husband was shockingly thin, irritated, and forgetful while appearing at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court last week to face charges of “incitement.”She said Kong Sam An, like other detainees, complained that his health was deteriorating and that he had passed out in his cramped cell in Phnom Penh’s notorious Prey Sar Prison because of the jamming devices.“He looked like he was going to faint during the hearing, and I wanted to cry,” she said.“I’m disappointed that good people like him are treated badly by the authorities. He fought for the nation, worked as a teacher, and eventually ended up in prison. I feel sorry for him, but I can do nothing but pray for him to get well soon and return home.”500% over capacityPrey Sar Prison is the largest of Cambodia’s prisons and administered by the country’s Ministry of Interior. Rights groups say conditions in the facility, formerly known as S24, are atrocious.According to London-based Amnesty International, as of January last year, Prey Sar held over 10,000 prisoners, approximately 500% over capacity. Up to 40% of all prisoners are in pretrial detention, and thousands are held for minor, nonviolent offenses, such as use or possession of drugs.Kol Sat, the wife of jailed CNRP activist Kong Mas, told RFA that while the prison’s water supply was recently restored, inmates remain stacked like farm animals.She urged the government or the Ministry of Interior to investigate the cellphone jamming devices and remove them if they are found to have a detrimental effect on the health of the detainees.“I had a quick chat with [Kong Mas], but he could not hear the conversation and kept forgetting things,” she said.Several activists, including Cambodian Confederation of Trade Unions president Rong Chhun, who are being tried on charges widely seen as politically motivated, have also complained of Prey Sar’s tight quarters and said they believe the cellphone jamming devices have impacted their health and memory.Former prisoner Kong Raya said that each cell in Prey Sar has at least four or five devices. He said the devices make a noise that bothered his ears and gave him a headache.Instead of installing the devices, he added, prison guards should be fighting corruption within their ranks and stopping prisoners from having cellphones brought into the facility.“I’m no expert, but prisoners — including political activists — have the same complaints,” he said.“When they were outside, they were fine, but when they are in jail, they lose their memory.”Call for probeIn response to the complaints, Nuth Savna, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior’s General Department of Prisons, said he welcomed the idea of setting up a commission to investigate the impact of using the devices, as his officers work at Prey Sar. He claimed that the company that installed the devices had previously confirmed that they are not harmful.“Please be informed that my officers lack the skills to evaluate radio equipment, so only a telecommunications employee can do it,” he said.“This request has nothing to do with me. If civil society writes a letter to the government or the Ministry of Interior, they will decide whether to take action.”Nuth Savna said prison officials restrict the import of prohibited items, but crowded conditions prevent them from catching all contraband. As for the overcrowding, he echoed earlier statements claiming that the courts are working to speed up their caseload and authorities are building more prisons.Am Sam Ath, deputy director for human rights monitoring and protection at local rights group LICADHO, confirmed to RFA that many detainees have made similar claims about the health effects of the cellphone jamming devices, but that so far, no one has probed the issue.He called on the government to establish an expert and independent commission to investigate and address the allegations.“We are not experts, we do not dare to explain whether they have an affect or not, so we want an expert committee to study the matter,” he said.He added that even though detainees are deprived of certain rights in prison, they should still enjoy the rights to adequate food, health services, and freedom from torture.‘Inhumane’ conditionsCambodia’s opposition parties have also called on Cambodian authorities to improve conditions for the country’s detainees.The CNRP’s European Union branch earlier this month issued a statement urging Cambodia’s government to resolve overcrowding and end the use of jamming devices in prisons.The EU branch said it considers the housing of thousands of prisoners together in cramped, poorly ventilated rooms, “torture” and “a serious human rights violation.”In November 2017 the Supreme Court banned the CNRP for its supposed role in a plot to overthrow the government. The move marked the beginning of a wider crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sen on the political opposition, NGOs, and the independent media that paved the way for his ruling Cambodian People’s Party to win all 125 seats in the country’s July 2018 general election.In March last year, Amnesty International’s regional director, Nicholas Bequelin, called the conditions in Cambodia’s jails “inhumane,” adding that detainees and staff are unable to take preventable steps, including physical distancing and isolation during the coronavirus pandemic.“These conditions were never acceptable, and now they risk lighting a fuse for what could quickly become dramatic and exponential levels of community transmission of COVID-19,” he said, referring to the disease caused by the virus.
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The government of Laos issued new guidelines for managing hydropower dams aimed at minimizing water shortages and flooding, state media reported on Thursday, amid debate on how its hydropower boom has altered the vital Mekong River.The new decree, effective March 4, requires all hydropower operators to notify authorities whenever dam reservoirs reach maximum storage or when river levels downstream fall to a critical level, the Vientiane Times reported. “Effective management of water resources and rivers, especially those used by hydropower plants, is seen as crucial as Laos strives to build more dams and become an important exporter of electricity,” the article said.Laos’ ministry of energy and its foreign ministry did not reply on Thursday to requests for comment on the decree. Hydropower development is central to Laos’ plan to export around 20,000 megawatts of electricity to its neighbors by 2030.At least 50 dams have been built in the last 15 years on Laos’ hundreds of rivers and streams, with at least 14 new dams on the Mekong and its tributaries completed since 2018, according to the U.S.-funded Mekong Infrastructure Tracker.Environmentalists say the dams have damaged the Mekong River Basin’s fragile ecosystem.Sudden water releases causing floods and holding back water that causes shortages downstream has sparked complaints from fishermen and farmers in both Laos and downstream neighbors including Thailand and Cambodia, where millions of people rely on the Mekong River for their livelihoods.Environmentalists have called for better “cascade management” for dams inside Laos, as well as for 11 dams on the upper Mekong inside China, to minimize negative effects.Activists said it remains to be seen whether the new Laos decree would be enforced.”Despite the government of Laos developing and adopting multiple regulations and guidelines related to hydropower in recent years, institutional capacity, enforcement and monitoring remains weak,” said Gary Lee, International River’s Southeast Asia Program Director.
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