Shortly thereafter, I found myself to be one of the few foreigners in constant contact with Myanmar’s current
de facto leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, as international censure mounted on his consequential action. My enduring engagement with him underscores Japan’s near century-long special relationship with Myanmar, an oft-forgotten geopolitical factor crucial to resolving the present crisis as China’s clout increasingly overshadows the future of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The Myanmar so territorially defined on today’s map is an impossible geopolitical proposition perennially constrained by its inhospitable terrain and internal contradictions. The horseshoe-shaped Irrawaddy river basin is home to the thriving agricultural base led by the Bamar ethnic majority and a gateway to the burgeoning Indo-Pacific. Meanwhile, while the highlands surrounding the basin insulate the Burmese core from continental powers, such as China and India, they harbor 10 armed insurgent
미얀마 민주진영, 인터폴에 아세안회의 참석 흘라잉 체포 요청
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Curtis HS and Columbia University alumna to pursue Master s at Cornell: I have an obligation as a Burmese-American to fight for their basic human rights
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At least 8 dead as Myanmar military continues crackdown 2 minutes read
Bangkok, Apr 7 (EFE).- Myanmar security forces fired live ammunition Wednesday during demonstrations in opposition to the military junta in the central province of Sagaing, killing at least eight civilians, local media reported.
Among the dead are seven protesters and a passerby who was not participating in the protest in the town of Kale, Myanmar Now news portal reported.
Despite the repression by the junta, which has claimed the lives of at least 580 people since Feb. 1, according to figures from the Myanmar Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners, protests continue to defy the military throughout the country.
Program Officer, Asia Division
Since the Myanmar military seized power on February 1, the Japanese government has expressed its “grave concerns” over the coup. It has called on the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, to “swiftly restore Myanmar’s democratic political system,” and demanded the release of National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and all others arbitrarily detained.
Japan also expressed condolences for protesters killed by security forces, while “strongly” condemning the “violence against civilians.”
Such statements are important, but when compared with the concrete actions taken by other Group of Seven democracies, it’s clear that Japan is not yet using its full weight to pressure the Myanmar military. It has in effect taken a “wait and see” approach.