Showing 1 - 10 of 27
Anti-coup crackdown takes fatal turn
News, Larry Jagan, Published on 01/03/2021
» Myanmar's security forces have unleashed a concerted crackdown on the country's peaceful protesters leaving 23 dead and thousands injured throughout the country in the last two days. In planned pre-emptive strikes, the police moved ruthlessly to disperse and arrest protestors preparing to join yesterday general strike. "They used teargas, stun grenades and fired live ammunition indiscriminately into the crowds," said Soe Soe, a young university student at a protest site told the Bangkok Post.
Move quickly, PM
Oped, Postbag, Published on 19/09/2020
» Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has a valid point: Covid-19 could easily spread at the mass protest planned for tomorrow, especially as the protesters may stay overnight.
Peace process at risk of disintegrating
Oped, Larry Jagan, Published on 19/08/2020
» Myanmar's civilian government has made peace and national reconciliation a central platform of its administration since taking office in early 2016. But after almost five years very little has been achieved and the peace process is yet again precariously poised. The next stage -- the fourth round of the Panglong talks as Aung San Suu Kyi dubbed it after her historic electoral victory five years ago -- is scheduled to start today in the capital Nay Pyi Taw but is in danger of disintegrating into disarray.
Iran cases surge, new Malaysia, Singapore infections: Virus update
Published on 01/03/2020
» Four new infections were reported in Malaysia and Singapore after Thailand, the United States and Australia recorded their first deaths caused by the coronavirus and cases in Iran and South Korea jumped by 376 but the number of new deaths fell in the epicentre of Hubei, China.
Suu Kyi stands up to lawsuit avalanche
News, Larry Jagan, Published on 25/11/2019
» Myanmar's top leaders -- both military and civilian -- have been shell-shocked by the avalanche of international legal cases they are now facing. In the space of days, three cases have been lodged in separate courts, all intended to make the Myanmar government and the country's military leaders accountable for the horrendous events that unfolded in strife-torn western Rakhine state during military operations over the last three years. These forced nearly a million Muslims, or Rohingya as they call themselves, to flee to safety in Bangladesh.
The Panglong peace process is precariously poised
News, Larry Jagan, Published on 28/10/2019
» Myanmar's stalled peace process is precariously poised, and may now be in danger of falling apart all together, as mistrust and hostility between some of the ethnic groups and the military worsened significantly. The fragile relationships between the three key players deteriorated further on the eve of the anniversary of the signing of a key peace pact, and the hopes of kick-starting negotiations and bringing the groups back to the table took a tumble for the worst.
Abhisit OK working with military
News, Dave Kendall, Published on 17/03/2019
» Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva says he wants "a mandate from the ballot box straight away" to become Thailand's next prime minister, that he would join a no-confidence motion against a future Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha if there were "good reasons" and categorically rules out supporting any future coups -- although he's open to working with pro-military Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) "if the government is not corrupt and will not carry on with non-democratic processes".
Ethnic parties give wake-up call to NLD
News, Larry Jagan, Published on 06/11/2018
» Analysts are poring over the results of Myanmar's by-elections which took place on Saturday, vainly trying to read the tea leaves, and perhaps reading too much into them. But it was certainly a wake-up call for both major parties -- the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) and the previous governing party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) -- but the lessons that can be drawn for the future are limited.
Myanmar inches toward repatriation
News, Larry Jagan, Published on 04/06/2018
» Myanmar is ready to receive all the Muslim refugees who have fled to Bangladesh who want to return, according to senior government officials. Preparations are in place for their immediate return, said the minister in charge of the repatriation and resettlement programme.
Bus driver battle
News, Postbag, Published on 17/05/2018
» Re: "Brawling No.8 bus drivers fined, suspended" (BP, May 16). I have a problem with the polarising and false statement of there only being two genders, male and female, because there actually are three.