U.S. and allies vow to restore democracy in Myanmar as violence mounts

[rooster59]

U.S. and allies vow to restore democracy in Myanmar as violence mounts

Demonstrators stand behind makeshift shields during an anti-coup protest in Yangon, Myanmar, March 12, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

(Reuters) - The leaders of the United States and allies India, Australia and Japan vowed on Friday to work together to restore democracy in Myanmar, where violence has escalated as coup leaders try to disrupt a sweeping movement of protests and civil disobedience.

Inside Myanmar, security forces pressed on with a crackdown on opposition to the army's Feb. 1 takeover. In at least one case, they forced patients out of a hospital.

A day after 12 people were killed in one of the bloodiest days since the coup, former colonial power Britain warned its citizens to leave, saying "political tension and unrest are widespread since the military takeover and levels of violence are rising".

The coup in Myanmar, where the military has close ties to China, is a major early test for new U.S. President Joe Biden.

His administration flagged Friday's virtual meeting with the Indian, Japanese and Australian leaders, the first official leaders' summit of a group known as the Quad, as part of a push to demonstrate a renewed U.S. commitment to regional security.

"As long-standing supporters of Myanmar and its people, we emphasise the urgent need to restore democracy and the priority of strengthening democratic resilience," the four leaders said in a statement released by the White House.

More than 70 protesters have now been killed in the Southeast Asian nation since the military seized power, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group said.

Memorials were held for some of them on Friday, including one man whose family said his body had been taken by the security forces and not returned.

A spokesman for the junta did not answer phone calls from Reuters seeking comment.

South Korea said on Friday it would suspend defence exchanges and reconsider development aid to Myanmar because of the violence. The Kremlin said Russia, which has close ties to Myanmar’s military, was concerned over the mounting violence and was “analysing” whether to suspend military-technical cooperation.

"We evaluate the situation as alarming, and we are concerned about the information about the growing number of civilian casualties coming from there,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by the TASS news agency as saying.

Protests were held in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, and several other towns on Friday, photographs posted on social media by witnesses and news organisations showed. Many were dispersed by security forces.

Poland's foreign ministry said a Polish journalist was arrested, the second foreign reporter to be detained. A Japanese journalist was briefly held while covering a protest.

Riot police and armed soldiers entered the general hospital in Hakha, in the western Chin state, forcing all 30 patients to leave and evicting staff from on-site housing, said local activist Salai Lian.

VIGIL

Soldiers have been occupying hospitals and universities across Myanmar as they try to quash a civil disobedience movement that started with government employees such as doctors and teachers but has expanded into a general strike that has paralysed many sectors of the economy.

In the evening, large crowds gathered for evening vigils. In Yangon, the commercial capital, they lit candles in the shape of a three-finger salute, the symbol of the movement, while saffron-robed monks gathered outside a pagoda in the northern Sagaing region.

The country has been in crisis since the army ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government last month, detained her and set up a ruling junta of generals.

Junta spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun said on Thursday Suu Kyi had accepted illegal payments, adding corruption charges to a series of more minor accusations against her, such as illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios.

"This accusation is the most hilarious joke," Suu Kyi's lawyer Khin Maung Zaw said on social media on Friday. "She might have other weaknesses but she doesn't have weakness in moral principle."

U.N. human rights investigator Thomas Andrews on Friday dismissed as "absurd" comments by a senior Myanmar official that authorities were exercising "utmost restraint". Addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, he called for a united approach to "strip away the junta's sense of impunity."

(Reporting by Reuters staff; Writing by Ed Davies, Raju Gopalakrishnan, and Poppy McPherson; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Clarence Fernandez, Catherine Evans and Peter Graff)

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-03-13

 

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[PatOngo]

18 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The leaders of the United States and allies India, Australia and Japan vowed on Friday to work together to restore democracy in Myanmar

When they have achieved this pipe dream will they look to the direct neighbor that has suppressed democracy since 2014 and do likewise? 

[simple1]

Reports in Australian media of torture and deaths of detainees in custody. Australia had been providing some training to Myanmar military, obviously they weren't absorbing ethics lessons.

[OneMoreFarang]

Especially the USA should stay away from this. They tried too often to bring democracy to other countries and ended up killing millions.

That doesn't mean nothing should be done about the situation in Myanmar. But we don't need war mongers for solutions.

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

U.S. and allies vow to restore democracy in Myanmar as violence mounts

Hmmm, wonder if the Thai's are wondering; where were you in 2014 ?

[douglasspade]

31 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Especially the USA should stay away from this.

Agreed but I think they will not, as it is and was of strategic importance since WW2. Loosing the "Burma Pass" now will mean there is no western shortcut to secure Southern China, as it is also landlocked by Thailand and Laos. Furthermore the Chinese is has been seriously investing into Myanmar, enough to make the US nervous of loosing another country to direct Chinese influence.

[nobodysfriend]

A little bit similar to the situation in Belarus ...

In Belarus , the regime has Putin in the background to protect them , in Myanmar , it is China .

Nobody did help the Belarussian population in their fight against a dictator ,

nobody will help the burmese demonstrators , but they will pay a bloodshed that is much higher than in Belarus .

The rise of populism , dictators , authoritarian and oppressive regimes everywhere ... Societies are going backwards ... fast .

[sungod]

3 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Hmmm, wonder if the Thai's are wondering; where were you in 2014 ?

Probably not actually, none came to the streets like in the numbers they are in Myanmar. Majority of Thais didn't seem to be too bothered.

[4MyEgo]

7 minutes ago, sungod said:

Probably not actually, none came to the streets like in the numbers they are in Myanmar. Majority of Thais didn't seem to be too bothered.

My bad, not 2014, it was 2010 when the blood was spilt, just trying to keep up with the amount of coup's this country has had and how many people have been killed in the past.

Edited March 13, 2021 by 4MyEgo

[Burma Bill]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

A day after 12 people were killed in one of the bloodiest days since the coup

Wanted for the murder of innocent and unarmed civilians peacefully protesting - this General and his military Junta cronies!

[mikeymike100]

7 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Especially the USA should stay away from this. They tried too often to bring democracy to other countries and ended up killing millions.

That doesn't mean nothing should be done about the situation in Myanmar. But we don't need war mongers for solutions.

You are indeed correct. It seems the military in Myanmar are using live rounds indiscriminately to kill innocent people and scare the population. The UN is worse than useless, it has no teeth, even if it could do something China would probably veto it. The problem is something should be done and as you say the USA hasn't a good record of success in these kind of situations. However without outside military intervention it is real problem what can be done.

[OneMoreFarang]

26 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

You are indeed correct. It seems the military in Myanmar are using live rounds indiscriminately to kill innocent people and scare the population. The UN is worse than useless, it has no teeth, even if it could do something China would probably veto it. The problem is something should be done and as you say the USA hasn't a good record of success in these kind of situations. However without outside military intervention it is real problem what can be done.

I agree there is no easy solution to this problem. But I don't think any military intervention will help the people in Myanmar. Pressure from ASEAN might work. It's difficult... 

[trainman34014]

2 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

Wanted for the murder of innocent and unarmed civilians peacefully protesting - this General and his military Junta cronies!

The Evil Midget.

[mfd101]

22 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Pressure from ASEAN might work. It's difficult... 

Yes, pressure from modern liberal democratic countries like Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia could be very effective. Philippines could put in too.

[zzzzz]

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

Yes, pressure from modern liberal democratic countries like Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia could be very effective. Philippines could put in too.

LOL:  Democratic countries???   great joke
a militarily coup run government, ( thailand), a dictator (Cambodia), a puppet of china ( Laos)

 

ASEAN is toothless

[RocketDog]

10 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Especially the USA should stay away from this. They tried too often to bring democracy to other countries and ended up killing millions.

That doesn't mean nothing should be done about the situation in Myanmar. But we don't need war mongers for solutions.

As an American I absolutely agree. 

America should avoid military operations of any kind in any country for any reason. 

Let other countries solve their own problems in their own ways with their own funding and young men. 

America has irs own issues and doesn't need to be spending any time, money, troops, or effort on behalf of countries that don't and won't ever appreciate it. Let some other power queue up to protect the downtrodden. 

Like all other countries we should sell arms to any who want them and then just sit back and watch the carnage. 

[OneMoreFarang]

52 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

As an American I absolutely agree. 

America should avoid military operations of any kind in any country for any reason. 

Let other countries solve their own problems in their own ways with their own funding and young men. 

America has irs own issues and doesn't need to be spending any time, money, troops, or effort on behalf of countries that don't and won't ever appreciate it. Let some other power queue up to protect the downtrodden. 

Like all other countries we should sell arms to any who want them and then just sit back and watch the carnage. 

I liked the beginning of your comment.

But the end... No, not all other countries sell weapons to any country. Many countries have restrictions on such sales. 

[John1012]

I this after, or before,  proper honest transparent democracy is restored in the USA. Elections that are totally within constitutional law and fully auditable, so that 'we the people' can be totally satisfied  that those that rule are legally empowered? Until this has been demonstrated internationally, the USA should keep it's opinions to itself.

[John1012]

20 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Hmmm, wonder if the Thai's are wondering; where were you in 2014 ?

Is it possible that the USA did not have any treasure left to interfere in the events of 2014, Obama having given much of it to bribe the Iranian regime? Just a thought...

 

[hotchilli]

On 3/13/2021 at 5:53 AM, rooster59 said:

The leaders of the United States and allies India, Australia and Japan vowed on Friday to work together to restore democracy in Myanmar,

How.... by asking the Junta nicely?

[connda]

On 3/13/2021 at 5:53 AM, rooster59 said:

U.S. and allies vow to restore democracy in Myanmar as violence mounts

Oh goodie.  Vietnam 2.0 right right next door.  Bombing the world back to Democracy.  In the meanwhile the US and allied countries have been looking like a page out of an Orwell novel. 

[connda]

On 3/13/2021 at 1:49 PM, mikeymike100 said:

You are indeed correct. It seems the military in Myanmar are using live rounds indiscriminately to kill innocent people and scare the population

????

 

[Olmate]

8 hours ago, hotchilli said:

How.... by asking the Junta nicely?

Aust is using the same recipe they have forrepatriating 40,000 of itsown still stranded. She.ll be right.mate!