Myanmar's military government leveled fresh criticism yesterday at foreign diplomats for their role in trying to win freedom for pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The attacks, disseminated through a commentary in the state-run Myanma Ahlin newspaper, came as Myanmar's Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win arrived in Tokyo with his government's response to Japanese demands for Suu Kyi's immediate release.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi has been detained and held incommunicado since May 30, following a clash between members of her pro-democracy party and government supporters in northern Myanmar. At least 30 of her supporters are also in jail.
The detentions have provoked international outrage, and sanctions by the EU and the US. Japan, Myanmar's largest aid donor, halted all new aid to Myanmar on June 25. The government says Suu Kyi will be freed when the situation normalizes.
In the commentary, the Myanma Ahlin said some diplomats visited the site of the May 30 clash and looked for evidence with the aim of "discrediting the government."
"Some diplomats in Myanmar are blatantly supporting and provoking those who rely on foreign nations and holding negative views," said the commentary, in an apparent reference to government critics including the foreign media.
"One should ask if such behavior is in conformity with the diplomatic code of conduct," it said.
The commentary said every country has to impose restrictions for security reasons and diplomats should not misuse their diplomatic immunity by forcing their way into restricted areas.
It did not elaborate, but the newspaper had said last week that some diplomats pushed security officials and forced their way into the houses of opposition leaders.
Yesterday's commentary did not name the diplomats, but it is known that US Embassy officials have visited the clash site and found signs of violence including bloody clothing and numerous homemade weapons. The US government says the clash was a "planned ambush" aimed at intimidating Suu Kyi.
Since being freed from house arrest in May last year, Suu Kyi has extensively toured the countryside, gaining popularity among the rural folk, which apparently is worrying the junta.
The current group of generals came to power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy movement. They called elections in 1990 but refused to step down when Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won.
Although the two sides started reconciliation talks in October 2000, no progress has been made and critics believe that the talks were just a hollow gesture by the government to deflect foreign criticism.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was