Unless there are fatalities or violence to report, anti-government protests, especially those on the other side of the world, rarely find a mention in mainstream media. Even as the West remains focused on saving Ukraine from President Putin’s clutches, the people of Myanmar are struggling to re-establish democracy in their country.
Myanmar, a country of 53.8 million, is located in Southeast Asia, bordering India, Bangladesh, China, Laos, and Thailand. Known as Burma until 1989, the Buddhist nation is home to many ethnic groups. In recent years, Myanmar has been in the news for major political crises and human rights violations wrought by its military.
Two years ago, on the first of February, Myanmar’s military staged a coup and ousted the democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her government. Her National League for Democracy party had come to power, for the second term, after sweeping the November 2020 general elections in a landslide victory. The reason for the coup was alleged “massive electoral fraud,” a claim that independent election observers refute.
Following her ouster, Nobel laureate Ms. Suu Kyi was charged with nineteen counts and detained by the military. The courts have since found her guilty of all charges and sentenced the popular leader to thirty-three years in prison. Ms. Suu Kyi is seventy-seven, and, likely, she will never leave her prison.
The military junta, as the government led by a committee of military leaders is known, has been fighting to quell protests since that fateful day in February 2021. The independent watchdog group that tracks killings and arrests, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, estimates that the government has killed at least 2,940 civilians since the military overthrew the elected government. More than 13,000 civilians and pro-democracy protestors remain in detention. These numbers may be much higher as verifying fatalities and arrests during a civil war is difficult. Rohingyas, an ethnic minority, have fled the country in droves. The military is accused of “ethnic cleansing” and targeting the Muslim minority group.
Despite fighting a military government with more sophisticated firepower, the pro-democracy fighters have managed to keep the resistance movement going for two years. Targeted attacks carried out by the decentralized “People’s Defense Forces,” or PDFs against the military, have found considerable success. The violence in the countryside has reached the level of a full-blown civil war, as the military uses fighter jets and helicopter gunships to root out the resistance fighters. There are reports of the burning and bombing of entire villages. Hundreds of thousands have been internally displaced, a fact unknown to many outside the country.
Though the international community did condemn the coup, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing’s regime has not come under much pressure. Despite sanctions, arms and funds flow in from Beijing and Moscow. With the backing of China and Russia, the junta has largely gone about crushing resistance without many repercussions. Even international organizations like the ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, have failed to ostracize or harshly censure the military leadership.
In a bid to establish legitimacy, the junta announced plans to conduct a general election later this year. With the country’s major political party not contesting in the proposed elections, it would have turned out to be just a farce. But on the second anniversary of the coup, which the protestors marked by holding a “silent strike” in major cities, the military junta struck another blow to the Burmese hope of democracy. The country’s state of emergency has been extended, thus extinguishing any hope of reprieve or relief from the tyrannical military rule.
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics And Geoeconomics
#1. High-Level Kyiv Visit Aims To Deepen EU-Ukraine Ties – A.P.
Senior European Union’s executive branch members traveled to Ukraine on Thursday to boost relations with the war-torn country and pave the way for it to one day join the bloc.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen led a team of 15 policy commissioners who were to spend the day discussing Ukraine’s financial, business, and energy needs and how to bring the former Soviet state’s legislation into line with E.U. standards.
#2. Russian Army Officer Admits: ‘Our Troops Tortured Ukrainians’ – BBC
A former Russian military officer has made allegations of brutal interrogations, where Ukrainian men were shot and threatened with rape.
Konstantin Yefremov, the most senior officer to speak openly, told the BBC in an exclusive interview Russia now sees him as a traitor and defector.
At one site in southern Ukraine, he said, “the interrogations, the torture, continued for about a week.” “Every day, at night, sometimes twice a day.”
Using photographs and military documents supplied by Mr. Yefremov, the BBC has verified he was in Ukraine early in the war – in the Zaporizhzhia region, including the city of Melitopol.
#3. Russia Planning February 24 Offensive, Ukrainian Defence Minister Says – BBC
Ukraine’s defense minister Oleksii Reznikov has said Russia is preparing a major new offensive and warns that it could begin as soon as February 24.
He said Moscow had amassed thousands of troops and could “try something” to mark the anniversary of the initial invasion last year. The attack would also mark Russia’s Defender of the Fatherland Day on February 23, which celebrates the army.
#4. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Says ‘Looking Into’ Sending Military Aid To Ukraine – WION
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that he is looking at providing military aid to Ukraine and is willing to work as a mediator, following calls made by the U.S. for more active involvement.
No commitments were made by Netanyahu to Ukraine, as Israel preserves its relationship with Russia, which has control of the skies in Syria and has not reacted to strikes made by Israel on targets of arch-nemesis Iran.
He added that the stockpile of artillery, which belongs to the United States and is stationed in Israel, has been shifted to Ukraine, and he looks at the operations against Iran as part of a similar effort.
#5. Moscow Warns Israel That Supplying Ukraine With Arms Will ‘Escalate’ Conflict – The Times Of Israel
Russia warned Israel against supplying weapons to Ukraine after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was considering military aid for Kyiv and was willing to mediate in the conflict.
“Any attempts — implemented or even unrealized but announced for the supply of additional, new, or some other weapons — will lead to an escalation of this crisis. And everyone should be aware of this,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
In an interview with CNN, Netanyahu said he was “looking into” providing Kyiv with “other kinds of aid” besides humanitarian help amid concerns over Israel’s “complex relationship” with Russia and its need to retain “freedom of action” in Syria in its effort to “keep Iran in check.”
#6. U.S. Investors Have Plowed Billions Into China’s A.I. Sector, Report Shows – Reuters
A report showed that U.S. investors, including investment arms of Intel Corp and Qualcomm Inc., account for nearly a fifth of investments in Chinese AI companies from 2015 to 2021.
According to the report released by CSET, a tech policy group at Georgetown University, 167 U.S. investors took part in 401 transactions or roughly 17% of the investments into Chinese A.I. companies in the period. Those transactions represented a total of $40.2 billion in investment.
The Biden administration is expected to unveil an executive order this year curbing some U.S. investments in sensitive Chinese tech industries. Hawks in Washington blame American investors for transferring capital and valuable know-how to Chinese tech companies that could help advance Beijing’s military capabilities.
#7. Taiwan Activates Defenses Vs. China Army Operations – A.P.
Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, put its Navy on alert, and activated missile systems in response to nearby operations of 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships.
The large-scale Chinese deployment comes as Beijing increases preparations for a potential blockade or outright attack on Taiwan that has stirred major concerns among military leaders in the United States, the East Asian island democracy’s key ally.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said 20 Chinese aircraft on Tuesday crossed the central line in the Taiwan Strait that has long been an unofficial buffer zone between the sides, which split amid civil war in 1949.
#8. Philippines Set To Allow Wider U.S. Access To Military Bases – Al Jazeera
The move comes amid concerns about China’s assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea and over self-ruled Taiwan.
The agreement between the two countries to expand cooperation will be announced during a visit to Manila by the U.S. defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, a senior Philippine official said.
The expansion comes as China becomes increasingly assertive in pressing its claim to almost the entire South China Sea. The Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations also claim parts of the sea, a major global trade route.
#9. U.S. Opens Embassy In Solomon Islands Amid China Threat – D.W.
The new U.S. Embassy in the Solomon Islands is now up and running as Washington aims to put a check on China’s growing influence in the Pacific.
In April, China signed a security accord with the Pacific Island nation, sparking concern in Washington. The U.S. and partners Australia and New Zealand believe the agreement will allow China to extend its military influence in the South Pacific.
The U.S. had an embassy in the Solomons for 5 years from 1988 to 1993. The embassy was shut as Washington sought to downsize its global diplomatic operations in the wake of the Cold War.
#10. U.S. And South Korea Hold Air Drills As North Korea Warns Of ‘All-Out Showdown’ – AFP
South Korea said Thursday it had staged joint air drills with the United States featuring strategic bombers and stealth fighters.
The exercises, the first by the security allies this year, showed “the U.S.’s will and capabilities to provide strong and credible extended deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” the South Korean defense ministry said.
#11. North Korea Warns Of ‘Toughest’ Response To Any U.S. Military Action – Yonhap
The North’s warning came as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Seoul for talks and said there would be more deployments of advanced military assets involving F-22 and F-35 jets to deter the North’s evolving military threats.
A North’s foreign ministry spokesman said the United States has been driving the security situation on the peninsula toward an “extreme red line” and is pushing to spur further tensions through joint military drills of larger scale and scope with South Korea.
“This is a vivid expression of the U.S. dangerous scenario which will result in turning the Korean Peninsula into a huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone,” the North said in an English-language statement.
#12. Energy Crisis Promotes Nuclear Power Resurgence – tippinsights
To reduce emissions and reach climate goals, countries worldwide are looking to keep their nuclear reactors running for far longer than expected.
Many of the world’s reactors are already scheduled to run far beyond the typical 40-year lifespan. Researchers are even considering whether the machines can keep generating electricity for 100 years.
The U.S. and the European Union have committed to cutting greenhouse gas pollution by at least 50 percent by 2030, and more than 70 nations have set net-zero targets.
That’s forcing the world to weigh the risks of nuclear power, which has no carbon emissions, against uncontrolled climate change and natural disasters.
#13. African Leaders Commit To End AIDS Among Kids By 2030 – U.N. News
United Nations agencies have welcomed the pledge of leaders from 12 African countries to end the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in children by 2030.
The vow was announced during the first ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance to end AIDS in children in the city of Dar Es Salaam, eastern Tanzania.
The gathering was a step up in efforts to ensure that all children with the AIDS-causing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can access life-saving treatment and that HIV-positive mothers can have babies free from the virus.
#14. Missing Radioactive Capsule Found In Australia – tippinsights
Australian authorities found a radioactive capsule smaller than a coin lost in the vast Outback after nearly a week-long search along a 1,400km stretch of highway.
Despite a 1400km-long search area along the Great Northern Highway, the capsule was located two meters from the road south of Newman.
The capsule lost in transit more than two weeks ago was discovered when a vehicle traveling at 70km per hour equipped with specialist detection equipment picked up the radiation.
#15. Australia To Remove Monarch From Banknotes – AFP
Australia announced it would erase the British monarch from its banknotes, replacing the late Queen Elizabeth II’s image on its $5 note with a design honoring Indigenous culture.
The central bank’s decision to leave her successor Charles III off the $5 note means no Britain-based monarch will remain on Australia’s paper currency.
Queen Elizabeth’s death on September 8 last year was marked by public mourning in Australia. Still, some Indigenous groups also protested the destructive impact of colonial Britain at the time, calling for the abolition of the monarchy.
The move was hailed by the nation’s republican movement, which noted that Indigenous people predated British settlement by 65,000 years.
#16. India Raises Defense Budget To $72.6 Billion Amid Tensions With China – Reuters
India proposed $72.6 billion in defense spending for the 2023-24 financial year, 13% up from the previous period, aiming to add more fighter jets and roads along its tense China border.
In the past few years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ramped up spending to modernize the military while underlining his government’s commitment to boosting domestic production to supply forces deployed along two contentious borders.
The total Indian defense budget, estimated at 2% of GDP, is still lower than China’s 1.45 trillion yuan ($230 billion) in allocations for 2022, which New Delhi sees as posing a threat to neighbors, including India and Japan.
#17. Brazil To Sink Its ‘Toxic’ 34,000-Ton Aircraft Carrier In International Waters As Sao Paulo Finds No Takers – The Eurasian Times
An 870-foot Brazilian aircraft carrier, Sao Paulo, embroiled in a global controversy over its toxic contents, is on the verge of becoming one of the biggest pieces of trash ever to enter the ocean.
The 60 years old Brazilian Navy ship was sold for scrap to a Turkish shipyard in 2021. However, while it was on the move, Turkey revoked its entry permit, claiming Brazil had failed to show that Sao Paulo was loaded with asbestos, a dangerous mineral utilized to construct some ships during the 20th century.
The Brazilian military is now considering abandoning the ship at sea. According to military sources, the Navy’s next action might be to sink it with explosives.
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Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
