Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday raised fears over crucial November elections as the government tried to calm political tensions after the surprise ousting of the ruling party leader.
Last week’s dramatic removal of Shwe Mann as head of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) was seen as a decisive swoop by Burmese President Thein Sein and his military allies to tighten their political grip before the polls.
Speaking as members of parliament (MPs) gathered in the capital, Naypyidaw, for a final round of parliamentary meetings before the Nov. 8 vote, Aung San Suu Kyi said the ruling party move had stoked concerns for the elections, which are seen as a key test of democratic reforms.
“People are worried. We all have a responsibility for that,” she told a scrum of reporters.
The Nobel laureate also added her voice to concerns raised by the US and Britain in recent days over how Shwe Mann was removed.
Security personnel entered the USDP headquarters late on Wednesday last week.
“This is not what you expect in a working democracy,” she said, adding that conflict within the USDP would likely boost support for her National League for Democracy, which is expected to make significant gains in the elections.
The opposition leader’s cordial political relationship with Shwe Mann, who retains his influential role as parliament speaker, had led to speculation they were planning an alliance that would have challenged the still-powerful military.
Shwe Mann had been widely tipped as a potential compromise presidential candidate. Aung San Suu Kyi herself cannot run under the junta-drafted constitution.
Observers say his public support for her attempts to change the charter had antagonized the army, which is determined to safeguard its political influence.
November’s elections are for parliamentary seats — although 25 percent of the legislature is reserved for unelected soldiers — and the powerful role of president will later be selected by MPs.
Thein Sein has not ruled out a second term.
The government yesterday tried to play down the political uncertainty.
It described Shwe Mann’s ousting as “part of a normal course of business” for a political party, in a statement published in the state-backed New Light of Myanmar.
It reaffirmed its commitment to the vote, which many hope will be the freest in modern history for a nation that withered under military rule for nearly half a century.
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
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese