Immediate action needed from ASEAN against Myanmar Junta
Commentator : Naing Khit / Source : The Irrawaddy
History tells us that ASEAN has no integrity, no credibility and, therefore, no authority when it comes to exerting influence on military dictators in Myanmar.
But the past is the past. The upcoming ASEAN summit on Myanmar gives the regional bloc’s leaders an opportunity to display some humanity and political courage in dealing with the country’s new military ruler, who bears primary responsibility for the slaughter of hundreds of innocent citizens, demolishing a fledgling democracy, upending the country’s stability and devastating its once promising economy.
ASEAN leaders are due to meet in Jakarta on Saturday to discuss the crisis stemming from the Myanmar military’s Feb. 1 coup led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The coup leader himself will attend, according to Nikkei Asia, which received confirmation from the junta’s spokesperson.
The regional grouping has never been able to shed the poor record on human rights and democracy that has bedeviled it since its formation in 1967. That history offers little hope of a meaningful outcome from the upcoming summit.
Western countries including the US and world organizations like the UN have put on a show of enthusiastically looking forward to seeing meaningful results from the summit. But their high expectations are at odds with the history of bloc (of which they are well aware) and the political attitudes of its individual member states, most of which are non-democratic.
No one should entertain false hopes, but if the summit is deemed a necessary prelude to further action, we must accept it. The important question then becomes what ASEAN should and should NOT do at the summit.
By now, ASEAN’s leaders are well aware of the actions undertaken by coup leader Min Aung Hlaing since he seized power from Myanmar’s elected government. It’s time for them to stand up for what is right. ASEAN must not repeat its past mistakes by seeking to appease the coup leader and his regime in Myanmar.
Here is a list of “Dos and Don’ts” to help ASEAN leaders avoid falling into the trap of becoming an accomplice of the senior general and getting blood on their hands.
Let’s start with the “Don’ts” (beginning with the very moment they meet the Myanmar military leader.)
- DON’T shake hands with coup leader Min Aung Hlaing. His hands are still soaked with the fresh blood of more than 730 innocent people—including dozens of children—slain by his troops in less than three months. Those pro-democracy fighters’ souls are still restless, because his soldiers and police didn’t allow family members to bury the victims properly, and even destroyed some of their graves, forcing family members to conduct urgent burials in secret. In some cases his troops snatched the bodies from the grieving families and never returned them. Don’t let your hands be stained with the blood that coats Min Aung Hlaing’s hands. (Luckily, COVID protocols may give you the perfect excuse to avoid touching him.)
- DON’T treat Min Aung Hlaing as your counterpart. He is not a legitimate head of government, or even a professional military chief. He is merely a power-hungry coup plotter whose priority is his family’s business interests. He is the chief architect of the overthrow of Myanmar’s democratically elected government, an act that has plunged the country into social and economic chaos, and resulted in the slaughter of many hundreds. To many in Myanmar he is now known as the “murderer-in-chief”, rather than the “commander-in-chief”. To treat him as an equal would be to bring disgrace upon yourself. Even as you sit with him in the conference room in Indonesia, his troops back in Myanmar will be dutifully killing innocent civilians on the streets. He is a criminal who has shown a repeated willingness to engage in mass killings.
- DON’T recognize the military regime. Myanmar’s 54 million people have been almost completely united in rejecting its coup and rule since Feb. 1. On a daily basis, Myanmar people have been sacrificing their lives to oppose the brutal regime, which has been unable to run the country. The regime is indisputably illegitimate; unsurprisingly, not one if the members appointed to the junta’s governing body were elected.
- DON’T listen to Min Aung Haling with your ears; rather, use your instincts. Because the coup leader will lie to you, as he keeps lying to Myanmar and the international community about all of the reasons his regime staged the coup, how the National League for Democracy’s landslide victory in the 2020 election was fraudulent, how his troops have shown restraint against the protesters, and on and on. All that he tells you will be lies. If you trust your instincts, you will be open to the reality of his regime’s brutal oppression and murder of Myanmar’s people.
- DON’T be naïve and cowardly. Press him to return to democracy, release all political detainees right away and respect the results of the 2020 election—the demands the people of Myanmar have been making through their ongoing anti-military dictatorship protests since Feb. 1. You will be the heroes of the Myanmar people, their friends in a time of need, and demonstrate political integrity as leaders of ASEAN.
- DON’T let Min Aung Hlaing use each of you individually or your ASEAN grouping collectively as a shield to protect his regime from accountability for the killings, brutal oppression, looting and other immoral acts it has inflicted against the entire population. Nearly the whole world has turned against him; don’t let yourselves be his savior. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
- DON’T accept the regime’s roadmap, including its promise of an election in two years. That is no solution at all. Myanmar people reject it utterly; they cast their votes from the bottom of their hearts in last year’s election. No elections will be necessary under the military regime. To accept their roadmap is to insult the people of Myanmar and to join the coup leaders in annulling their votes.
- DON’T place your investments—or planned investments—in Myanmar above the aspirations of Myanmar’s people. If you won’t help, DON’T block Myanmar people’s efforts to shape their own destiny and secure a future for themselves.
- DON’T do anything that will discourage the Myanmar people in their life-and-death struggle to uproot the military dictatorship. They are sacrificing their own lives (not yours); they have a right to fight for their freedom and take control of their destiny.
Here are some “Dos”:
- DO see, feel and understand the feelings, determination and sacrifice of the Myanmar people, who no longer want to live under the military dictatorship, which has oppressed them for five of the past seven decades since independence in 1948. Standing up to the coup leader might create a few awkward minutes in the meeting room in Jakarta; put yourself in Myanmar people’s shoes for a few minutes and imagine what they are enduring every day.
- DO recognize the National Unity Government (NUG), formed on April 16 by the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw. The NUG was formed by a committee of lawmakers who were elected in the 2020 election. It has 100 percent legitimacy as the government of Myanmar. Most people in Myanmar support the NUG. The international community led by the US needs to work with this legitimate government to restore democracy, secure the release of all political detainees, reinstate the results of the 2020 election and oversee the military’s return to the barracks.
- DO realize that coup leader Min Aung Hlaing will ignore any suggestions you have that are not in line with his regime’s stated roadmap, including an election to be held in two years. If you wish to spare ASEAN’s already tarnished record on human rights from being compromised further, insist that he change course immediately, relinquish power right away and restore democracy—even though he won’t.
- DO the right thing and take the steps that are necessary to save Myanmar’s people together with the Western powers and global organizations, including the UN and its Security Council. It’s not a sin to save innocent people from being slain by a murderous general who has been killing his own people in order to maintain his grip on power.
- DO understand that the people of Myanmar will not give up in their determination to uproot the military dictatorship this time, whatever the cost. And by extension, do know that they won’t forgive any accomplices of the junta.
ASEAN leaders,
If you allow yourself to “do” any of the DON’Ts listed above, you’ll be helping Min Aung Hlaing and his regime kill more innocent people in Myanmar. If you refrain from the DOs, you are morally corrupt, not only as leaders of ASEAN, but as human beings too.
This is not about the “internal affairs” of one country; it’s about preventing the crime of killing innocent people, destroying a democracy and stealing power in defiance of the will of Myanmar’s people. If these things are allowed to happen in the 21st century, it would disgrace not only ASEAN but the world.
The coup, mass killings and brutal oppression committed by Min Aung Hlaing and his regime since Feb. 1 are a crime against humanity.
You must NOT be accessories to this crime and accomplices of Min Aung Hlaing’s regime. You should help to stop it immediately.
News (2)
ASEAN will hold a summit in Jakarta this weekend to seek a solution to the deteriorating situation in Myanmar following the military coup in February.
Since the takeover, the country, which is a member of ASEAN, has witnessed a bloodbath with more than 700 civilians killed by the regime for protesting against military rule. The regime’s brutality has prompted widespread international condemnation, forcing the 10-member bloc to get involved. Following initiatives by some member states including Indonesia, the summit is scheduled for Saturday.
Junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing will personally attend the meeting, while the members of the country’s shadow National Unity Government (NUG) formed by deposed elected lawmakers and others have not been invited.
Debbie Stothard, the founder of the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Altsean-Burma), an NGO that promotes human rights and democracy in Myanmar, said if the ASEAN governments stand on the side of the Myanmar junta, “They are not just standing against the people of Myanmar, they are standing against all the people of ASEAN.”
Here is an edited version of The Irrawaddy’s interview with her on the eve of the Saturday summit.
Q: How would you describe ASEAN’s stand on the coup?
STOTHARD: ASEAN is trying to avoid taking a stand. They are sitting on their hands. And they are delayed in responding to this crisis. It’s actually made… the situation worse in Myanmar. The situation has escalated from an illegal coup to a nationwide civil war within two and a half months because ASEAN fails to act. So the problem is ASEAN has not taken a stand.
Now, finally they’ve started to move. They want to have an emergency summit, but their slowness to act really undermines their standing, their position, really undermines their position with the junta.
Now they’re only starting to realize … how serious the situation is. They should have had this summit in February.
ASEAN has invited the coup leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, but is not saying anything about the National Unity Government, which has requested an invitation. Did it do the right thing?
This is the worst form of interference in the internal affairs of Myanmar. The ASEAN governments have broken their own ASEAN Charter. They are inviting an illegal military regime instead of the legal government [the NUG].
It’s as though ASEAN invited the separatist movement of southern Thailand to a summit and did not invite the national government of Thailand. It is as though ASEAN invited Donald Trump to a summit instead of President Biden. And they have broken the very principle of ASEAN.
But ASEAN would likely say it is acting as a mediator, as others have urged it to.
If they are going to be mediating, then all sides have to be at the table, not just the criminals.
So what should ASEAN do?
It is still not too late for ASEAN to redeem itself. ASEAN will get more respect from the junta, if they have the guts to invite the NUG to the meeting, and invite observers from the UN Security Council—if ASEAN really wants to make a difference, instead of [just] showing they are trying to do something.
When we talk about what ASEAN did, ASEAN claimed that it helped open up Myanmar because of the Cyclone Nargis humanitarian effort [in 2008]. But ASEAN was able to do that because they threatened the Burmese military junta at that time, [saying] they will not oppose the Western navies from entering the waters of Myanmar to deliver aid.
If you remember in those days [during] Cyclone Nargis, we had the US aircraft carriers stuck off the coast of Myanmar for two weeks. And there was also the Security Council’s attention; Myanmar had been put on the Security Council agenda. So ASEAN said, “You should do something, or else if the US Navy goes into your territory, we will not say anything.” [It was] only then that Senior General Than Shwe got off his ass and did something, and said, “OK, OK, we’ll allow some aid to come inside the country.”
So ASEAN claims credit for that; actually ASEAN would not be effective if we did not have the Western navies on standby. So in this case, ASEAN needs to invite the UN Security Council as a partner in resolving the crisis created by this illegal junta.
Now we see a lot of support in the UN—except from China and Russia—and the Western countries are rejecting the coup and the junta. Does it seem like a repeat of the situation in 2008, though the circumstances are different? Do we have that kind of support from the West at the moment to force ASEAN to intervene in this current crisis?
It is pretty clear that even the European Union, which has been one of the more conservative blocs in the international community, in the West, they also initiated [this week] … sanctions on MEC and MEHL [Myanmar Economic Corporation and Myanma Economic Holdings Limited, two military controlled companies], so we can see very clearly all the other stakeholders and players understand the urgency of acting now before Myanmar becomes another Syria.
It is absolutely important for ASEAN to take the situation seriously because if Myanmar does become another Syria, then the countries which suffer the most are the ASEAN countries as well as India, Bangladesh and China. So China fully understands this. That’s why China is trying to say “ASEAN do something”, because China will not take a strong stand one way or another. They are protecting their interests.
The bigger problem we think is Russia, because Russia does not have to feel any impact if the situation deteriorated into another Syria. Russia has been supplying more weapons. In fact they did a big deal on weapons, just before the coup. So the reality is this; no single country in this world is indestructible. They are not invincible. Even Russia and China can be persuaded.
But the voice that is needed is the ASEAN voice. When we talk to the UN Security Council, they say, “Oh, it is important for the region and the country, to do something, to say something.” Well, the country has now broken; now it is important for the region to invite the UN Security Council to partner with them, to do some actions, to halt the violence. This is most urgent.
Within ASEAN, it looks like they are divided. For instance, Malaysia and Indonesia support the Myanmar people but the others do not. Thailand is sitting on the fence. Some observers are saying that ASEAN is divided, and that it would be unprecedented for the bloc to intervene in Myanmar’s affairs. What’s your view on that?
Well, the brutality of the illegal junta has united the country of Myanmar. Hopefully, it inspires ASEAN to unite and do something. The reality is this: If ASEAN does not have any consensus for unity… they are basically telling every potential dictator, every armed group and army in this region to go ahead and have a coup; we are not going to do anything. They are basically encouraging all those forces that will use violence to grab power. They are simply sending a strong encouragement to those [forces]. We already see Myanmar is on fire and the fire is spreading. We do not want to see the whole region engulfed in flames, because no matter how rich some ASEAN countries are, all the economic wealth can just disappear, just like that. Look at what happened to Myanmar’s economy.
News (3)
Myanmar doctors urge UN action against Myanmar Junta
Source : The Irrawaddy
After witnessing the military regime’s continuous targeted raids on doctors and healthcare facilities treating the wounded, Myanmar Doctors for Human Rights has asked the United Nation (UN) and international organizations to take meaningful measures against the junta.
In an open letter to Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the UN, Myanmar Doctors for Human Rights demanded that the UN stop the junta’s forces from intentionally targeting medical professionals providing care to the wounded and help the injured seek treatment without fear for their own safety. The group includes volunteer doctors and 15 medical students’ unions.
Since the Feb. 1 coup, the military regime has been conducting the deadly crackdowns on anti-regime demonstrations across Myanmar. Numerous atrocities have been committed against protesters and civilians by the junta’s forces during raids, arrests, and interrogations.
During the crackdowns, many wounded protesters have been arrested without being provided medical treatment. Meanwhile, in several instances the bodies of the dead have been taken away and not returned to the families.
Also, charity organizations and ambulances trying to pick up the bodies of those killed or provide medical assistance to the wounded have been fired upon or arrested by the regime’s forces.
In a shooting in Mandalay in late February, Ko Yarzar Aung, a 26-year-old protester, who was shot in the leg, died at a military hospital without being provided the proper treatment, a witness told The Irrawaddy.
A doctor from a charity group in the city, who tried to treat Ko Yarzar Aung, said that except for some minor treatment, the regime’s forces would not allow her to attend to wounded detainees before they were taken away.
The doctor said that Ko Yarzar Aung would not have died from his leg injuries if he had been treated properly.
In late March, the junta’s forces raided an office of a charity group comprised of several organizations in Mandalay giving treatment to the wounded, according to a social worker. The troops seized three ambulances and destroyed two others. They also seized clinic materials and arrested 26 social workers, including several medics.
During an attack on anti-regime strongholds in Bago on April 9, when about 82 died in a massacre, the regime’s forces closed every entrance to four wards for days.
No ambulances and social organizations giving medical assistance and free funeral services were able to go into the wards to pick up the dead or give medical treatment to the wounded.
Myanmar Doctors for Human Rights said in its open letter to the UN that the military regime’s polices and soldiers are intentionally targeting medical treatment sites, charity clinics and hospitals providing critical care to the injured.
On April 5, the regime’s troop stormed the house of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kyaw Min Soe in Mayangone Township of Yangon and arrested the physician. They tied the doctor’s hands behind his back, and a black bag was put over his head.
The doctor, a professor at University of Medicine, Yangon, has been involved in the civil disobedience movement (CDM) and was also providing medical treatment to those injured in anti-regime protests.
On April 12, the regime’s forces arrested Dr. Maw Maw Oo, head of the Emergency Department of Yangon General Hospital, who had been providing medical care to the wounded even though he has joined the CDM.
Myanmar Doctors for Human Rights said that in some places, doctors have been forced to keep the lights off in order to prevent the junta’s forces from finding and arresting them. Working with just torchlight, they have performed life saving operations.
Since last week, the military regime has been issuing arrest warrants for doctors in the CDM each night. As of Wednesday, 179 medics in the CDM have been charged.
“It is truly agonizing for us to see our fellow countrymen taking their last breaths in front of our very eyes,” said Myanmar Doctors for Human Rights.
It also said in its letter that by many lives which could otherwise have been saved have been unnecessarily lost because doctors have been forcibly prevented from providing essential medical care to the wounded.
After receiving the open letter, Dr. Simon Adams, Executive Director of Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, tweeted on its Twitter account on Wednesday that the time for statements of concern has long passed.
“I was very moved by the letter I received from Myanmar Doctors for Human Rights,” he said.
He added now is the time for the UN to place human rights at the forefront and use every practical diplomatic tool available.
As of Wednesday, nearly 740 people have been killed by the junta’s forces during their crackdowns, raids, arrests and interrogations, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
Those killed include anti-regime protesters, bystanders, pedestrians and residents.
In spite of killing and arrests, tens of thousands of people across Myanmar continue to take to the streets to show their defiance of the military rule.
UN Envoy: Nearly 250,000 Burmese displaced by Myanmar military
Sources : AFP via The Phnom Penh Post
The Myanmar military's crackdown on anti-coup protesters has displaced close to a quarter of a million people, a UN rights envoy said on 21 April 2021.
The junta has stepped up its use of lethal force to quash mass demonstrations against a February 1 coup which ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
At least 738 people have been killed and 3,300 are languishing in jails as political prisoners, according to a local monitoring group.
"Horrified to learn that … the junta's attacks have already left nearly a quarter [of a] million Myanmar people displaced, according to sources," UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews tweeted on April 21.
"The world must act immediately to address this humanitarian catastrophe."
More than 2,000 Karen people have now crossed Myanmar's border into Thailand and thousands more have been internally displaced, said Padoh Mann Mann, a spokesperson for brigade five of the Karen National Union (KNU), a rebel group active in Myanmar's mountainous eastern border regions.
"They all hide in the jungle nearby their villages," he said.
Free Burma Rangers, a Christian aid group, estimated at least 24,000 people were displaced in Karen state amid mortar ground attacks and airstrikes earlier in the month.
He said many of the thousands displaced were subsistence rice farmers and would experience future food shortages if they are unable to safely return home to tend to their paddies.
"You're looking at a six-month problem of no food," he said, adding that some people were sleeping in caves or under banana trees.
Locals looking after the displaced people in some parts of Kachin state are worried about an upcoming shortage of food supplies.
News (5)
Traitor's home in Yangon bombed
Source : The Irrawaddy
The Yangon house of U Thein Nyunt, a member of the military regime’s governing body the State Administrative Council (SAC), was attacked with three bombs around 7.15 pm on Wednesday.
“Three homemade bombs were thrown at the house. Only one bomb exploded. One of them was made with PVC pipe and the others were made with iron pipes. No one was injured and there was no serious damage,” said a source close to U Thein Nyunt.
Junta forces arrived at the house in Yangon’s Thingangyun Township following the incident and carried out patrols in the neighborhood.
U Thein Nyunt, a former National League for Democracy (NLD) member, drew ire from his fellow politicians after he accepted a seat on the SAC formed by the military regime after it seized power from the civilian government in a Feb. 1 coup.
Before 1988, he served in the youth affairs department of the Burma Socialist Programme Party led by the late military dictator U Ne Win. After the pro-democracy uprising in 1988, he joined the NLD.
He was on the central executive committee of the NLD when he left the party following its decision to boycott the 2010 general elections. Together with Dr. Than Nyein and U Khin Maung Swe, he co-founded the National Democratic Force (NDF) party.
However, after cracks emerged in the NDF, he founded a new political party, the New National Democracy Party. The house which was attacked on Wednesday is also the headquarters of his party.
U Thein Nyunt was elected to the Lower House representing Yangon’s Thingangyun Township in the 2010 general elections. He was one of the most vocal opponents of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) government, the proxy of Myanmar’s military.
But he lost his seat in the 2015 general election and failed to win it back in the 2020 election. U Thein Nyunt has been critical of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD government since 2015, after apparently siding with the USDP.
The turncoat was also one of the people who incited Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to stage his coup, after the USDP and its allies suffered a resounding defeat in the 2020 general election.
News (6)
Issues faced by Laos during the pandemic over the next five years
Source : The Laotian Times / Editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Countries in Southeast Asia have their own domestic challenges. Whereas everyone is concerned about the Myanmar coup, the missing submarine off Bali and the 27 re-infection cases in Singapore, somehow people have forgotten the member countries that are silent in the pandemic. Below is the focus on the challenges faced by Laos.
Recently, Laos has witnessed changes in country leadership and challenging issues. The new Prime Minister of Laos Phankham Viphavanh recently mentioned seven urgent issues that must be tackled over the next five years.
Public Debt and Financial Leaks
The most urgent of seven issues that the Lao government will address over the next five years is financial affairs, especially public debt and financial leaks.
Prime Minister Phankham promised to boost economic growth by increasing revenue and addressing the chronic public debt, as well as including an austerity policy in the national agenda.
Corruption, Road Safety, and Drug Trafficking
The government is to take strong action against corruption, drug traffic, and road accidents, which are holding the country back. The Prime Minister hopes to curb corruption and make Laos more attractive for foreign investment, with stricter enforcement of traffic regulations and anti-drug enforcement.
Economic Recovery
The government will make economic recovery its top priority in the wake of the pandemic, creating more job opportunities and addressing economic vulnerability by reducing reliance on natural resources.
Production and Services
The government will move toward the implementation of priority projects in the production and the services sectors, helping boost the economy and making local goods and services more accessible domestically.
Closing the Gap Between Urban and Rural Areas
The wide gap between urban and rural areas will be addressed, reducing disparities between urban and rural areas and allowing more of the population access to basic public services, health, and education.
Human Resource Development
Human resource development is a key area for the government over the next five years, as it will focus on expertise and competence in the 4.0 digital age as well as the “new normal” after the pandemic.
Currency Depreciation
The weakened LAK currency is a concern for the government amid depreciation and exchange rate fluctuations. This will be addressed by the government through the boosting of production of goods and less reliance on imports.
The government hopes to achieve economic growth at a rate of no less than 4% per year under the 9th Socio-Economic Development Plan and help the country graduate from Least Developed Country status in the future.
Mr. Phankham Viphavanh was elected Prime Minister of Laos at the inaugural session of the 9th National Assembly while Party Secretary-General Thongloun Sisoulith is current President.
News (9)
Vientiane enters state of lockdown for two weeks
Source : The Laotian Times / Editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
The Prime Minister of Laos has ordered a 14-day lockdown for Vientiane in the wake of a surge of covid cases while other provinces are urged to consider intensifying prevention measures.
The nation’s capital announced over twenty new cases of covid on 22 April 2021 following an outbreak believed to have begun during the Lao New Year holiday period.
Health Minister Dr. Bounfeng Phoummalaysith read from a notice issued by the Prime Minister during a live announcement this evening.
The notice stipulates 18 measures for covid prevention and control come into force from 6 am of 22 April and remain in force until midnight, 5 May.
The notice calls on ministries, central organizations, and local authorities at every level to continue educating the public about the dangers posed by Covid-19, as well as ways to protect themselves and their families.
Testing centers are to be set up, while contact tracing should continue, and vaccination programs for at-risk groups are to continue despite the lockdown.
Civil servants working at government offices in Vientiane Capital are to reduce the number of workers to ensure social distancing, except for essential personnel such as soldiers, police officers, firefighters, etc. The same applies to private sector businesses.
Travel from Vientiane to other provinces and from other provinces into Vientiane is prohibited, except for permanent residents of Vientiane who are returning home from the provinces, commercial trucks and goods and other authorized individuals.
Residents of Vientiane are prohibited from leaving their residences except for essential tasks, including grocery shopping, visiting hospitals, and undertaking essential work authorized by the government. Those who must undertake agricultural work for their livelihoods are allowed to do so but must first seek advice and authorization from their village office.
Merchants and shopkeepers are prohibited from stockpiling goods or price gouging, particularly in regard to the sale of face masks, hand gel, petrol, drinking water, and foods.
Gatherings, especially cultural and religious ones, may not exceed more than 20 people, while ceremonies such as funerals must be held with extreme care and in line with measures previously announced by the Taskforce, such as wearing face masks, using hand gel and practicing safe distancing.
All international and traditional border checkpoints and crossings will remain strictly closed for the next 14 days, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will coordinate with relevant authorities should a foreign citizen wish to return home.
Entertainment and drinking venues, karaoke bars, internet cafes, massage and spa parlors, and gyms are closed.
Large-scale construction projects, factories, banks, financial institutions, the stock market, stock brokerages, hospitals, medical clinics, pharmacies, rescue teams (emergency accidents), post offices, telecommunications providers, utilities (electricity and water companies), waste disposal services, agricultural markets, convenience stores, supermarkets, fuel stations, restaurants, and cafés may remain open.
Hotels and resorts may operate but must provide only accommodation and food services. The abovementioned businesses must adhere strictly to Taskforce guidelines, including limiting and rotating personnel so as to lower the chance of infection between workers.
Other provinces are advised to increase their covid prevention measures as necessary and in accordance with the rate of spread in their provinces.
The Prime Minister urges all organizations to collectively and strictly abide by the Order’s stipulations.
Laos has the lowest number of confirmed covid cases in the ASEAN region, 94 as of 22 April 2021 and no fatalities.
News (8)
Zero to 100 in 35 days - Quarantine centres potential source of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Reporter : Younten Tshedup / Source : Kuensel
Thirty-five days after Bhutan managed to bring its active Covid-19 cases to zero, the country crossed the 100th mark as of yesterday, just 14 cases short of 1,000 cases since 5 March 2020.
Twenty new cases were detected in the last 24 hours including six among contacts of earlier cases in Phuentsholing. Although the cases, for now, are among those who are in the quarantine centres, the daily case detection in the country is on the rise.
Much to the relief of thousands in the capital, the health ministry announced yesterday that all 26 contacts of the positive cases detected in Thimphu on 20 April tested negative. Besides Thimphu, the contacts have also been traced to Paro.
Suspecting an early infection, the health ministry decided to quarantine all the contacts for a few more days until health experts certified them as ‘safe’. This according to many was a good move given that some of the cases in the past, who tested negative earlier have turned positive a few days later.
However, a concern now is that quarantine facilities did not guarantee a full-proof defence against the virus. The quarantine centres built to stop the transmission of the virus have now, in a way, become a potential source of the infection.
Despite protocols, regulations are being breached. The cook who tested positive on 20 April had left the quarantine facility on multiple occasions and no one knew about his actions.
A senior government official said that the pandemic has been stretching over one year and the so-called pandemic fatigue was getting the best of the people. “But this is not the time to let our guards down. In fact, we have to be more cautious at this time given the worsening condition in India.”
He said that when a country like India was struggling with the second wave of the pandemic if a fraction of India’s caseload was introduced in Bhutan, all systems would come crashing down.
A doctor at the national referral hospital said that the second outbreak of Covid-19 in December last year was ‘bad’ enough to exploit the health care system of the country.
“If we happen to record 50 to 100 cases daily, our health system cannot handle the situation and within a week we’ll fail and people will die,” he said. “Now that there is evidence of a new strain of the virus being more infectious and lethal, this is no more just a hypothesis. We will suffer if we are not careful.”
Following the lockdown scare on 20 April 2021, things returned to normal after the contacts tested negative. People were once again seen strolling the streets in groups, many without face masks. Restaurants and eateries in the capital city were cramped as usual.
“It’s time the government starts imposing curfews. Anyone seen in a group should be interrogated. We have been complacent enough. Let us be responsible now,” said a corporate employee.
He said that besides monitoring the public, the government should also revisit its strategies and protocols and implement them strictly. “People should be held accountable, only then things would work. Otherwise, there is no just fixing the innocent public.
News (9)
More than a dozen Bhutanese test positive in Delhi
Meanwhile, more than a dozen Bhutanese employees at the Bhutan Embassy in Delhi have also tested positive for covid on 20 April 2021.
Sources said that the possible source of infection could be from one of the sweepers at the embassy who had also tested positive a few days ago.
It was learnt that all the positive cases were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms. They are currently self-isolating at their respective homes.
The foreign ministry is awaiting a formal report on the situation.
News (10)
India sees an increase of 315,000 confirmed covid cases a day, setting a new global record
Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/22/n12897550.htm / Direct translation
India has announced the world's highest single-day increase, with nearly 315,000 new infections, which also put the country's hospitals on the brink of collapse.
Currently, India is the country with the second highest cumulative number of confirmed cases in the world. India said on Thursday that in the past 24 hours, the country has notified a total of 314,835 newly confirmed cases, bringing the total number of cases to nearly 16 million.
According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University, the previous highest single-day increase was set in the United States on 2 January 2021, when a total of 300,310 new cases were notified that day.
The reason the epidemic has gone out of control may be attributed to the more infectious dual-variety virus strains and relatively loose epidemic prevention measures. At present, the surge in cases has overwhelmed hospitals, causing severe shortages of beds, oxygen and medicines in major cities, and crematoriums are also overwhelmed.
News (11)
Spreading faster, India discovers "triple mutation" virus strain B.1.618
Reporter : Zhu Ying / Editor : Mei Lan / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/04/22/a103101942.html / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Image : On 22 April 2021, medical staff in Mumbai are transferring a covid patient to the intensive care unit of a rehabilitation centre. (Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Images)
According to a New Delhi TV report on Wednesday (21st), a combination of three different virus strains has recently been detected in New Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra and other regions. As for the new strain formed, scientists named this triple-mutated strain B.1.618, which is more transmissible than other variant strains. This may be one of the reasons for the recent outbreak of the epidemic in India.
Vinod Scaria, an expert from the Institute of Genetics and Integrated Biology (IGIB) of the Scientific and Industrial Research Council of India, pointed out that the B.1.618 mutant virus not only has mutations in E484K and D614G in the spike protein, but also has 6 nucleotides. The chromosomes of (H146del and Y145del) are rearranged and are strains with triple mutations.
Indian epidemiologist Madhukar Pai told New Delhi TV, “This mutated virus spreads faster and it spreads among people very quickly.”
India discovered a mutant virus B.1.617 with double mutations in the spike protein in 2020, and this strain spreads very quickly in India. According to information officially released by India, more than 60% of patients in the country's most severely affected province are infected with this double-mutated strain.
On Wednesday, the Medical Research Council of India just announced that the Covishield vaccine developed in India has successfully neutralized the double mutant strain B.1.617. This is good news for Indians who are in the midst of an epidemic crisis, but the emergence of the new triple mutant strain B.1.618 makes people still unable to be optimistic about the development of the epidemic in India.
In fact, the second wave of covid in India is very fierce. According to official data released by India, in one day on 22 April, there were 315,909 new confirmed cases, which not only set a record in India, but also broke the record of new cases notified in a single day by all countries in the world. In addition, India reported 2102 deaths from CCP pneumonia in a single day on the 21st, which is also the highest record of deaths in a single day in India so far. So far, the cumulative number of people infected with the disease in India has reached 15.93 million, of which more than 184,000 have died.
According to a report by The Hindustan Times, India has only 10 days since the number of newly diagnosed covid cases in a single day exceeded 100,000 on 6 April, and the number of newly confirmed cases in a single day was on the 15th. It broke through 200,000 cases, and it took only 6 days to break through the 300,000 cases mark. This shows that the number of new diagnoses in India every day is rapidly increasing in an accelerating manner.
The Hindustan Times believes that this means that this covid wave in India is not only the most serious epidemic in the world, but also the largest epidemic in the history of the world.
News (12)
Mongolia reports a total of more than 20000 confirmed covid cases
Source : Montsame / Editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
On 22 April 2021, the Mongolian Ministry of Health reported that 1,328 novel coronavirus cases were detected in the past 24 hours after more than 10,000 tests were carried out at PCR laboratories across the country.
In specific, 1,245 new cases were confirmed in Ulaanbaatar, three cases are imported cases from abroad, and 80 cases were detected in rural regions, including Zavkhan, Darkhan-Uul, Orkhon, Erdenet, Uvs, Khovd, Selenge, Tuv and Khentii aimags.
As a result, the nationwide infection tally is now 26,692, with the cases registered in the capital city reached 23,141.
In the last 24 hours, 426 covids patients were recovered and discharged from hospital, making the number of patient recoveries 13,722. As of 22 April, a total of 3,789 covid patients are being treated at hospitals in Ulaanbaatar and the rural aimags. Another 5,140 covid patients who are experiencing a mild disease are being treated at home while taking home isolation precautions.
The National Center for Communicable Diseases, the primary healthcare organization in the country responding to the pandemic, also reported five new covid related deaths, raising the country's death toll to 61. The casualties, whose ages are between 48 and 90 years old, are staying at hospitals in Ulaanbaatar.
On 23 April, the Mongolian cabinet convened for an irregular meeting and decided to extend the current state of 'all-out-preparedness' and associated strict lockdown measures until 6 am, 8 May, Saturday.
The decision was made on the basis of suggestions from the Ministry of Health and State Emergency Commission with a view to contain the increasing covid community transmission.
On April 8, the government had resolved to impose the strict lockdown measures and enter into the Red Level – Level 4 of covid emergency preparedness regime for a total of 16 days from April 10 to 25 and granted a one-time cash payment of MNT 300 thousand as part of a lockdown relief initiative.
During the period now extended to May 8, only essential businesses are allowed to operate and residents are urged to access essential services, grocery stores, medical care, and pharmacies near their homes.
Mongolia’s daily new covid cases have exceeded 1,000. As of 23 April, the total confirmed covid cases in the country have reached 27,956, including 24,242 cases recorded in Ulaanbaatar and 69 covid-related deaths.
The public vaccination program, which was paused since 10 April, has resumed today, to cover all groups of the vaccination target – around 2 million adult populations of the country. Between April 23 and 26, people who received the first dose of vaccines and could not get the second shot on schedule due to the vaccine rollout suspension, as well as people aged over 55 will be vaccinated at a total of 160 vaccination sites.
As of 23 April, 649,236 people have received the first dose of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and 64,469 have been fully vaccinated.
Currently, Mongolia has received a total of 1,460,540 doses of vaccines, including 214,800 doses of AstraZeneca via India’s assistance and COVAX Facility, 1,200,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine from China through donation and procurement, and 20,000 doses of Sputnik-V vaccine purchased from Russia and 25,740 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine via COVAX Facility.
News (13)
Three days after being vaccinated, a Korean national died in Shanghai
Editor : Xiao Lvsheng / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/22/n12897938.htm / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
As the quality of the Chinese Communist Party’s domestic vaccine is being questioned, South Korean media said that a Korean national who was vaccinated with the Sinopharm CCP virus vaccine in Shanghai on 21 April 2021 suddenly died at home.
In the evening of 22 April, Yonhap News Agency reported that, according to news from the Shanghai Overseas Chinese Community and the South Korean Consulate General in Shanghai, a South Korean woman in her forties was found dead at home in the morning of 22 April.
According to the report, the woman was vaccinated at Shanghai Tongren Hospital on 19 April with a vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group for covid. She later developed nausea and other symptoms, and the woman had no underlying disease before her death.
According to the report, the South Korean Consulate in Shanghai stated that the Shanghai police said that no homicide was found, and the family of the female expatriate believed that the cause of death might be related to the CCP virus vaccine of Sinopharm.
The report also stated that the news disturbed South Korean expats in Shanghai, and many people cancelled the vaccination plan.
News (14)
A Shanghai entry person diagnosed with covid 11 days after being lifted from isolation
Editor : Sun Jingbo / Source: China News Network / http://www.chinanews.com/sh/2021/04-23/9461671.shtml / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
According to the official WeChat news of the Shanghai Health Commission, from 0-24 on 22 April 2021, through the joint prevention and control mechanism at the port, 5 confirmed cases of imported new coronary pneumonia from abroad were reported. 4 new cases were cured and discharged, including 2 cases from Germany, 1 case from the United States, and 1 case from Brazil.
Cases 1-2 are of Chinese nationality. Case 1 worked in Nigeria and departed from Nigeria. Case 2 worked in Ethiopia and departed from Ethiopia. Case 1 and Case 2 transited through Germany and took the same flight. They arrived in Pudong, Shanghai on 20 April. International airport. Case 1 was quarantined and observed after entering the country, during which symptoms appeared. Case 2 was sent to a designated medical institution for isolation after entering the country because of symptoms. Comprehensive epidemiological history, clinical symptoms, laboratory test and imaging examination results, etc., are diagnosed as a confirmed case.
Case 3 is of Chinese nationality, working in Mali, departing from Mali, transiting through France, and arriving at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on 20 April. After entering the country, he was placed under quarantine for observation, during which symptoms developed. Comprehensive epidemiological history, clinical symptoms, laboratory test and imaging examination results, etc., are diagnosed as a confirmed case.
Case 4 is of Chinese nationality, studying in New Zealand, departing from New Zealand, and arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on 28 March. After entering the country, he was quarantined and observed. Two nucleic acid tests were negative and there were no abnormal symptoms during the quarantine on April 11. The quarantine was lifted at the end of the term, and symptoms such as fever and cough appeared afterwards. After consultation with city-level experts, comprehensive epidemiological history, clinical symptoms, laboratory tests and imaging examination results, etc., are diagnosed as confirmed cases.
Case 5 is of Chinese nationality, traveling in Slovenia, departing from Slovenia, transiting through Germany, and arriving at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on 21 April. After entering the country, he was placed under quarantine for observation, during which symptoms appeared. Comprehensive epidemiological history, clinical symptoms, laboratory test and imaging examination results, etc., are diagnosed as a confirmed case.
Five imported confirmed cases abroad have been transferred to designated medical institutions for treatment, 165 close contacts have been traced, and centralized isolation and observation have been implemented.
As of 23 April 2021, there are no new confirmed local covid cases.
As of 23 April 2021, a total of 1,584 confirmed cases are inbound, 1,525 were discharged from hospital, and 59 are being treated in hospitals. There are 2 suspected cases to be investigated.
As of 23 April 20211, a total of 371 local confirmed cases have been confirmed in Shanghai, 364 have been cured and discharged, 0 have been treated in the hospital, and 7 have died. There are currently 0 suspected cases to be investigated. There are no asymptomatic infections under medical observation.
News (15)
The Story of the Hainan April Covid Epidemic
News (16) to (17) / Reporter : Wang Weijun / Editor : Li Wei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/22/n12896562.htm / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News (16)
One more imported case in Hong Kong with N501Y, second generation of mutant virus transmission
After half a month, Hong Kong once again recorded zero local confirmed cases. As of 20 April, there was 1 new confirmed covid case with a total of 11,705 cases. He Bai, Director of the Infection and Infectious Diseases Center of the University of Hong Kong, said that the girlfriend of the patient in the first community variant case was diagnosed, and it is believed that the variant virus has spread in the second generation.
The new case is a 31-year-old woman who arrived in Hong Kong from the Philippines on 8 April. She has no symptoms. She was diagnosed during the compulsory quarantine at Silka Seaview Hotel in Yau Ma Tei. She was diagnosed with the N501Y variant virus. A total of 231 cases in Hong Kong carried the variant virus.
The Director of the Infection and Infectious Diseases Center of the University of Hong Kong, Ho Pak Leung, stated on a commercial TV program yesterday that another quarantine guest of the Ramada Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui was diagnosed, which is an alarm. When the first Indian patient with a community variant virus was quarantined in a hotel, two other people on the same floor were diagnosed. The genetic sequence of the three people was highly similar, indicating that one person passed the virus to the other two. The patient’s girlfriend was diagnosed, and it is believed that the mutant virus has spread in the second generation.
He Boliang believes that the source of the first community variant virus infection is more likely to be a domestic helper who stayed in the same quarantine hotel earlier. Regarding the previous day’s statement by the Center for Health Protection, after inspection by the center and related departments, it was concluded that the S-shaped hook placed on the handle of the hotel door may have caused cross-infection. He believes that it is a reasonable inference, but in the absence of positive evidence, it is assumed that the link is a means of transmission, or the problem cannot be really solved.
He explained that airborne transmission is another possible way because the hotel corridors may not be ventilated. When the quarantine person opens the door or does not wear a mask, the air can be infected with viruses and cause airborne transmission. He suggested that the hotel install air purifiers in the corridors and strengthen the training of staff responsible for distributing meals and picking up garbage. It is also recommended that the government review the confirmed cases in the past month, review the transmission risk of the quarantine hotel, and also add two more tests in the first 12 days of the quarantine period to identify and remove the confirmed cases as soon as possible.
The government announced last night that seven people were sent to hospital after being vaccinated against the CCP virus at a community vaccination center on the 21st. Among them, a 52-year-old woman suffered from chest discomfort after receiving the first dose of BioNTech vaccine at the Tsuen King Circuit Sports Centre and was sent to Yan Chai Hospital. Another 63-year-old woman developed high blood pressure and heart palpitations after receiving the second dose of Kexing vaccine at Yuanhe Road Stadium and was sent to the Prince of Wales Hospital. The two need to stay in the hospital for observation. The rest have been discharged after treatment.
News (17)
At least two candidates apply to take the exam at the Penny's Bay Quarantine Center
In addition, the DSE exam will start on Friday (21st). The Yuen Long Chong Tak English College will be closed until April 3 due to a student's diagnosis. The school was originally scheduled to be used as a diploma testing venue from Friday. The Appraisal Bureau arranged for 280 candidates who came to the school to take the visual arts, chemistry or general education exams on the 21st, 22nd and 26th to change the examination room.
On 21 April, about 50 candidates from the visual arts department were transferred to Tuen Mun Ke Yi Middle School to take the exam, while candidates from the chemistry and general education courses had to cross the districts to take the exam at the reserve examination room and the Lijing Assessment Center of the Hong Kong Examinations and Appraisal Bureau. The HKEAA has notified the affected candidates via email and SMS. The faculty of the school cannot serve as invigilators.
As of noon of 22 April, the HKEAA has received at least two candidates who need to be quarantined to apply for the exam at the Penny's Bay Quarantine Center. The Appraisal Bureau announced the details yesterday. The dormitory of the quarantine center will be converted into an independent examination room with tables and chairs for examinees. The examination process will be recorded. Examinees are not allowed to leave their seats without authorization. Invigilators will monitor the examination process outside the examination room. There is a separate toilet in the room. If candidates want to go to the toilet, they must first notify the invigilator with a notice card. After the invigilator agrees, they can leave their seats and use the toilet. After the test taker has finished answering, he should put the test paper and barcode in the plastic bag for the invigilator to collect. The HKEAA will scan the answer sheets as soon as possible after disinfection for online assessment.
The Appraisal Bureau reminds that if candidates want to be quarantined compulsory, they should try their best to apply to the Appraisal Bureau to take the test at the quarantine center 3 working days before the exam.
The Secretary for Education, Yeung Run-Hsiung, said that as candidates will often use public transportation to go to the test site between 7 am and 8 am, it is hoped that employers in Hong Kong will allow employees to work at flexible hours and try to disperse the flow of public transportation during peak hours so that candidates are able to arrive at the test site smoothly before the start of the test, especially on the examination days for the 4 core subjects of the HKDSE, namely 26 to 30 April and 3 May.
Yeung Run-Hsiung also said that if candidates are required to undergo compulsory testing, there is no need to worry too much. The authorities have arranged with relevant departments to give candidates priority in testing. Candidates who are required to undergo a 14-day compulsory quarantine can also choose to take the exam at the Penny's Bay Quarantine Center.
News (18)
Pfizer: Fake vaccines found in Mexico and Poland
Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/22/n12897550.htm / Direct translation
A Pfizer spokesperson confirmed to the media that counterfeit Pfizer vaccines have been found in Mexico and Poland.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the incident. The report said that a clinic in Mexico injected about 80 people with fake Pfizer vaccines, defrauding each dose of up to 1,000 US dollars. Fortunately, after the vaccination, the case showed no symptoms.
According to reports, Polish authorities have also detected a fake Pfizer vaccine case. A man made a fake vaccine in his apartment. The actual medicine in the medicine bottle is a kind of cosmetics. According to current research, the fake vaccine has not yet entered the market.
However, this is not the first time that a fake vaccine has occurred. In February of this year, Mexican health authorities warned against fake Covid vaccines. In March, WHO also detected a fake Pfizer vaccine in Mexico.
U.S. federal authorities have blocked at least eight websites, posing as biotech companies that can provide Covid-19 treatment and vaccines to defraud consumers of personal information.
Experts warn that if vaccine passports are promoted in the future, related fraud cases may also increase.
Pfizer once again warned the public on Wednesday not to trust suppliers that sell the vaccine online.
Pfizer said, "Patients must not try to buy vaccines online. There are no legal vaccines available online. They can only be vaccinated at official vaccination centers or certified institutions."
News (19)
Cathay Pacific plans to close pilot bases in Canada, Australia and New Zealand
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
According to the South China Morning Post, Cathay Pacific will close its Canadian pilot base and also consider closing its pilot bases in Australia and New Zealand.
According to a memorandum issued by Cathay Pacific to its employees, Cathay Pacific will also evaluate its pilot bases in Europe and the United States at the end of this year.
The memorandum stated that Cathay Pacific will transfer pilots to Hong Kong on a voluntary basis. But this move may not be approved by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government's regulatory authorities.
Cathay Pacific’s vacation pilots at European and American bases receive about half of their salaries, and Canadian pilots receive about two-thirds. However, since 1 April 2021, Cathay Pacific will not pay Australian crew salaries. Cathay Pacific said that since 1 May 2020, all overseas airliner pilots have been on vacation.
News (20)
Russia and Ukraine tense confrontation, Russia suddenly withdraws troops from Ukraine border
Reporter : Qiao An / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/04/22/a103102092.html / Direct translation
On Thursday (22 April), Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu suddenly announced the withdrawal of the Russian army assembled on the Ukrainian border.
While Western countries are paying close attention to the tension on the Ukrainian-Russian border, Russia suddenly announced its withdrawal from the Ukrainian border and called the frequent recent moves of the Russian military a "quick military parade."
Defense Minister Shoigu stated that the goal of the "quick parade" has been fully achieved, and the Russian army has proven its ability to defend the country. The troops participating in the exercise will return to the base before May 1.
Ukrainian President Zelensky then tweeted that he welcomed any reduction in military operations (Russia) and thanked international partners for their support.
After the news of Russia’s announcement of its troop withdrawal, the currencies of Russia and Ukraine were both substantially bullish.
News (21)
Canada suspends flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days
Reporter : Chu Fangming / Editor : Wenfang / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/22/n12898946.htm / Extract translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA / Image : Shutterstock
Due to the surge in covid cases in India and Pakistan, the Canadian Federal Government decided to suspend all commercial and private passenger flights from these two countries to Canada for 30 days from midnight of 22 April.
Cargo flights will still be allowed, especially to ensure that the shipment of vaccines and personal protective equipment can continue.
More than 300,000 people were diagnosed in India on Thursday, the highest day so far. Due to the surge in the epidemic, India may suspend shipments of vaccines to Canada at least until June.
Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu said that half of the passengers who have tested positive for covid come from India, and Indian flights account for only one-fifth of Canadian airfreight.
She said that the positive rate of passengers from Pakistan is also higher than average.
Algabra stated that there are currently no flights from Brazil, but if there is data to support it, Canada will not hesitate to ban more commercial flights.
In the past two weeks, at least 32 flights from Delhi and 2 flights from Pakistan arrived in Canada, and dozens of passengers on board were later tested for the disease.
News (22)
Cambodia locks down wet markets and villages in Phnom Penh and the provinces
Source : The Phnom Penh Post
In Kampong Chhnang province the Santhea Satha Pagoda, Prey Khmer Market and Phsar Chhnang Clinic in Kampong Chhnang town and Rolea B'ier district have been shut down.
He said that the district had found five people there who were positive for Covid-19 and that because the situation had worsened and they needed to break the chain of transmission, the provincial administration had banned people from exiting and entering that location temporarily.
Battambang provincial governor Nguon Ratanak said that the lockdown would last for at least 14 days from 22 April to 5 May in order to get Covid-19 under control in that area.
Image : President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga
The Mongolian Government has disbanded the Mongolian People's Party. Reasons include the ruling party's undesirable plans for fraudulent election campaigns, ballot interference and vote rigging through its military units. Below is the Mongolian President's detailed speech dated 22 April 2021 on why the Party was disbanded and the importance of ensuring the prevalence of democracy in Mongolia.
"Mongolians, dear citizens,
As the President and head of state of Mongolia, the symbol of the people’s unity, the head of the National Security Council and the Commander-in-Chief of the Mongolian Armed Forces, I have responsibly delivered the statement expressing that the ruling Mongolian People’s Party has provided the conditions of its disruption on the motives that the party is violating the constitutional requirement that “the ruling party shall maintain the security of the government and rule of law”, changed the state-oriented system into a one-party dominance system, subverting the government bodies that are required to abide by the law and to operate in an independent manner, for they are united under the responsibility to protect the national fundamental interests, and by turning the public service into a structure that illegally and obediently fulfills the tasks assigned by the leaders of the Mongolian People’s Party, taking illegal actions that are against the will of its ordinary members and supporters, weaken the country’s sovereignty and independence, and attempting to take power by unconstitutional means and possible militarization of the party’s structure.
The illicit oppression of the Mongolian People’s Party facilitates concernable grounds for derailing the responsibilities of public offices and government organizations, possibly into complete loss of their independent operations, and turning them into a mechanism for fraudulent election campaigns, ballot interference and vote rigging through its militarized bodies. All of these actions are banned for any political party.
Therefore, the Presidential ordinance stating the conjuncture of conditions to disband the Mongolian People’s Party with reference to Sections 1 and 2 of Article 3, Paragraph 10 of Article 16, Section 1 of Article 19, Section 1 of Article 30, Section 2 of Article 32, Paragraph 10, Section 1 of Article 33, Section 2 of Article 33, and Section 1 of Article 70 of the Constitution, Section 4.2 of Article 4 of the Law on Political Parties, Articles 3,4 and 6, and Section 8 of Article 8 of the Law on National Security, Section 3.3 titled “Internal Security” of the National Security Concept, which stipulates that “the foundation of internal security shall rest on ensuring human rights and freedoms, adherence to the Constitution, respect for the rule of law, continuity of the Mongolian state governance and national unity, support for political parties, civil society, free press and media, individual liberties as well as safeguarding public order and social stability,” and Paragraphs 3.3.1, 3.3.1.1, 3.3.1.3, 3.3.1.6, 3.3.3.3, 3.3.3.4, 3.3.4.4 of the National Security Concept, has been forwarded, in accordance with Section 23.2, Article 23 of the Law on Political Parties, to the State Supreme Court.
This decision is completely unrelated to the trivial actions by the Mongolian People’s Party in an attempt to deprive me of my rights of candidacy and participation in the presidential election. I hereby underline that these petty actions cannot hinder my current and future commitments to the flourishing of my country, Mongolia. The matters of candidacy and re-election are microscopic in comparison with the matters concerning the nation’s common interests.
During my service, I have never forgotten my oath as the head of state, and have been loyally fulfilling my duties as I view my Presidency as a honorable opportunity to work for the benefit of my nation, the state, for building a fair and just society under rule of law, and for the prosperity of our country. I am committed, as I swore with my hand on the Constitution of Mongolia, to strengthening the independence and national security, overcoming challenges facing the country’s growth, eliminating any threat and danger, building capable and professional governance, and strengthening the democracy, as well as maintaining healthy competitive economy and ensuring fair distribution of natural resources. I promise I will not stop.
Dear citizens,
In consequence of the tendency to misinterpret the concepts and fundamental principles of the Constitution and to distort them using follow-up bills, the people’s right to governance has been overlooked by unfair distribution of benefits from natural resources, the political parties which are the social institutions responsible for fulfilling the right of assembly and association have turned into criminal groups that buy, and even steal, the citizens’ votes in order to get ahead. Even the exploitation of their public offices in their own favor has become something tolerable, as a result. The deterioration has come to such a degrading level.
Prioritizing the purpose of correcting these distortions, I had chaired the working group of consultations on the draft amendments to the Constitution of Mongolia, and
- contributed to consolidation of the legal framework for fairer and direct distribution of mineral resources; and
- helped strengthen the legal framework to assemble the General Judicial Council with 10 members in an inclusive manner, while avoiding to remain influential over the government by being able to appoint the head of the anti-graft agency and threatening wrongful politicians for their indecencies, a mistake repeatedly made by the previous Presidents, and re-opening the door to judicial renovation. Moreover, I even denounced some of the full rights of the President of Mongolia, in order to fulfill the broader mission to bring major change to the people’s lives. Thus, the amendments were approved and reached tangible outcomes.
Unfortunately, the Mongolian People’s party, the ruling power, is choosing to continue to legislate in accordance with instructions provided by the party chair, instead of substantiating and perfecting the said constitutional amendments with more viable bills. This action denies the members of parliament of their full rights to be the emissary of the people, and to maintain and prioritize the interests of the citizens.
Furthermore, the party attempted at taking the jurisdiction under its control by influencing appointment and dismissal of members of the Constitutional Court, whose main responsibility is protecting the Constitution, in addition to giving them tasks and requiring the court to execute the given tasks, not considering that their actions are weakening the independence of the Court. They are doing it explicitly and shamelessly.
The Mongolian People’s Party has been conducting immoral and illegal actions towards tarnishing the self-administration of localities, and made attempts to take over the authority of appointing the head of the anti-graft agency. It has become known to the public that the party is openly discriminating against the people who do not support or do not have membership to their party when providing public services, and granting government scholarships and education aid. I once again announce that these are the rationale for disbanding the Mongolian People’s Party.
Ordinary members and supporters of the Mongolian People’s Party,
I deeply respect and support your fundamental rights and freedom to assembly and association, and your dedication to serving your home country. Unfortunately a number of people who attained power after winning your trust and faith are making attempts to break the constitutional system and establish a one-party dominant system by way of abusing the trust given by you and exploiting the state power as power of a political party with serious violations of law, leaving me no choice but to intercept. This is the responsibility I was entrusted with by law from the people of Mongolia.
The time has come for you, the ordinary members of the Mongolian People’s Party, to join your efforts to bring uninterrupted growth to the country and safeguard the constitutional legitimacy as well as to reorganize and rebuild a modern political party that is committed to its core values and principles and guarantees full participation of its membership.
It is a historic responsibility and duty bestowed upon the ordinary members of the Mongolian People’s Party who are in their right mind. I call for you to stay assured that you are creators of history, to set the country on the right path to achieve development and mend the flaws in democracy.
I earnestly ask you to get rid of the networks of sole and unceasing dominance of a handful of immoral leaders, known as “devil’s circle” and “spider’s web”, by dissolving the Mongolian People’s Party and to exert yourself for your state, motherland, children and future generations. You have ample opportunities and future possibilities unlocked in front of you to rebuild a new, fair and democratic party committed to the interests of its members and the people.
Please reflect upon it well and spare no effort.
Esteemed Chairman and members of the State Great Khural of Mongolia, who are exercising state power on behalf of the people,
Prime Minister and cabinet members of Mongolia,
Chair and members of the Constitutional Court of Mongolia,
Chief Justice and justices of the Supreme Court of Mongolia,
All public servants of Mongolia,
As the head of state of Mongolia, I seek to release you all, who are doing their utmost for the state of Mongolia, from the dictatorship of the heads of the Mongolian People’s Party, who are presiding above the law and above the state.
I seek to enable the total ability to respect and uphold the Constitution and to obey the law only.
I seek to open the door for you to actions to fulfill your duties of securing and protecting the genuine national interests of Mongolia before the entire population with dignity.
I am calling for you to exercise your rights and freedom to fight against unlawful pressure from the ruling political party, refuse to carry out illegal orders and tasks, have protection under the law, and function in compliance with the law.
The law will protect you from threats, control and pressure from a party. Put the interest of the Mongolian people who vested their trust in you over the interests of the Mongolian People’s Party.
Strive for and remember your right to remain with confidence and dignity before the young and future generations and abide by your duty and oath to serve the people.
Esteemed rulers, and those in power of the Mongolian People’s Party,
I, as the President and head of state of Mongolia, the symbol of the people’s unity, the head of the National Security Council and the Commander-in-Chief of the Mongolian Armed Forces, and under my duties before my people, once again affirm the conjuncture of conditions to disband the Mongolian People’s Party.
I once again remind You that Section 23.2, Article 23 of the Law on Political Parties provides specific conditions where a political party should be disbanded by the State Supreme Court.
Several requests have previously been submitted by individuals and political parties to the State Supreme Court on disbanding the Mongolian People’s Party on the motive that the past and current actions of the party had been violating the constitutional requirement to maintain government security and rule of law. The previous requests have been rejected due to so-called “lack of evidence”.
Who has the capacity to prove the party’s illegal and immoral actions that violate both the Constitution and the Law on Political Parties, today?
Who will protect the people, the Constitution?
Who will ensure stability and control over authority?
As a civil servant, mandated and trusted by the people to ensure national security of Mongolia, I view this as the historic and sacred mission and inevitable responsibility that fall upon me. I have taken an oath to serve my people. Disbanding the Mongolian People’s Party is the manifestation of my dedication to rule of law and fulfillment of my oath.
Dear citizens,
I have not forgotten the mission I have received to strengthen democracy and ensure justice.
If the civil service has not come under the complete oppression of the Mongolian People’s Party, the law enforcement, intelligence agencies and other special services should prosecute and uncover these illegal actions, as they serve the fundamental interest of the nation. It is only right to mention that, in recent years, some undisguisable wrongdoings committed by the party had been uncovered, yet left unresolved and unpunished.
In this light, I, as the head of state and the President mandated and trusted by the people, avail the State Supreme Court of this opportunity to exercise its lawful duties by announcing the conjuncture of conditions to disband the Mongolian People’s Party.
The authority to register, unregister and/or disband political parties, a matter of state registration process, belongs with the State Supreme Court. I am confident in the ability of the Supreme Court to responsibly accept and resolve these facts and evidence, collected in the scope of my activities as the head of state, in the manner and timeframe provided by law. .
I would like to strictly remind everyone that the Supreme Court’s judicial deliberation process is a subject of interference by none other.
Dear citizens,
Today, there are no apparent threats to or denial against Mongolia’s independence and sovereignty in the world.
Instead, the internal shortcomings such as bamboozling of natural resources, which are the property of the people by law, committed by criminalized groups conspired by their connections with the political parties in favor of their own personal interests, white-collar crimes, bamboozling of taxpayers’ money, stealing ordinary citizens’ opportunities, hiding their assets in offshore accounts, are the main cause of deterioration of the country and the system, as a whole.
I call upon all of you to start expediting the democratic growth that cherishes human rights and freedom, while strengthening the rule of law, reaffirming the multi-party system by disbanding the Mongolian People’s Party.
The Mongolian People’s Party is to blame for the intense political, economic and intellectual crisis that Mongolia is suffering from today.
In the 29 years since the adoption of the democratic Constitution, the Mongolian People’s Party possessed the ruling power for 21 years. The outcomes of those years, you see in your living standards and your health. The Mongolian People’s Party has no right to share these wrongdoings or blame them on others.
According to the Law on the Political Parties, there 8 reasons to disband a party. I will enumerate each one of them:
- In case the party has undertook activities that would violate the sovereignty and independence of Mongolia;
- In case the party has undertook activities that would break up the national integrity;
- In case the party has undertook activities that would unconstitutionally usurp the state authority;
- In case the party has transitioned to violent approaches or undertook violent actions;
- In case the party has undertook activities to discriminate by ethnicity, nationality, or race;
- In case the party has undertook activities against the independence, territorial integrity of other countries and transitioned to a form of religious party;
- In case the party has transitioned to a form of militarized party;
- In case the party has transitioned to a form of fascist party.
If the political party has undertaken activities that pertain to any one of these conditions, and if those activities have been corroborated by evidence, the political party should be disbanded. the Mongolian People’s Party directly and indirectly qualifies many of these conditions, and it became fully certain that the Mongolian People’s Party has undertaken and is undertaking alarming activities. Specifically:
- Violating the independence of the Constitutional Court of Mongolia and forcing a decision by the Constitutional Court that violates the Constitution of Mongolia is an act that would forcefully intrude on Mongolia’s sovereignty and independence and unconstitutionally usurp state authority. We shall not forget that a nation’s independence, citizens’ rights and freedom is only protected by the Constitution.
- The National Security Council of Mongolia has lost its ability to convene without the approval of the Chairman of the Mongolian People’s Party. The National Security Council meetings have been repeatedly called on to discuss and monitor the pandemic situation, but we have reached the level of not even being able to reach a quorum. Following the decision of the Mongolian People’s Party, the Cabinet of Mongolia has resigned on January 21, 2021 without any specific reason. Upon the decision and order of the the Mongolian People’s Party Governing Committee, the General Authority for State Registration, a government implementing agency, making an unjust decision to split the Democratic Party is an action that violates the national unity by undermining the opposition party that has been elected by the people of Mongolia in whom the state power is vested.
- The fact that the “Mongolian Military Union,” which is headed by the Mongolian People’s Party’s chairman U.Khurelsukh, has been founded parallel to the the Mongolian People’s Party organizing structure, and has arranged for the organization to have a branch at each Military Staff of local administrations, fully proves that the the Mongolian People’s Party is undertaking militarized activities. An additional proof that the “Mongolian Military Union” only supports the activities of the Mongolian People’s Party and provides its militarized structure by becoming its inseparable part is that in the provinces where the Democratic Party has won, no governor has been invited to join this organization. There is now a risk of the Mongolian People’s Party undertaking political and military activities through this structure.
- The leadership of the Mongolian People’s Party has been proven and sentenced by the court for their crime of implementing a 60 billion tugrik scheme that offered public service positions for a price and financing their election costs.
- We, Mongolians, should not forget the act of killing of our compatriots, in consequence of the Mongolian People’s Party’s repeated tinkering of our parliamentary election results, on July 1, 2008 by the order of the the leadership of the Mongolian People’s Party, in particular the Minister of Justice, who was in charge of handling the state of emergency.
- Funds earmarked for the development of small and medium enterprises have been allocated as “payments” for ousting the Cabinet of Mongolia and replacing the chairman of the Mongolian People’s Party. Numerous members of the Mongolian People’s Party have been proven and sentenced by court for illegal misappropriation of the SME funds. It has become an open secret that without the Mongolian People’s Party affiliation, ordinary citizens have been barred from winning tenders and taking loans and support from funds that are financed from the state budget.
- An indication of what kind of regime the Mongolian People’s Party is trying to establish and what kind of discipline the Mongolian People’s Party employs to operate has become obvious from the way they are risking Mongolian people’s lives and health by exploiting the pandemic for their frivolous political aims and election ambition. Despite repeated warning, the ruling the Mongolian People’s Party purposefully has not earmarked any funds for vaccine procurement, and misappropriated, squandered, and how not reported back on many millions of dollars that have been donated from donor countries and international organizations for fighting the pandemic. The current worsening pandemic situation proves that my words are true.
- I will openly present the evidence of the Mongolian People’s Party’s actions to the Mongolian people, and deliver them to the Supreme Court.
Mongolians shall not place a political party on top of our eternal statehood. To prevent this, time has come for us to unite and consolidate, and protect the Mongolian statehood. We need each of your efforts to free Mongolian statehood from the oppression of one political party.
May our statehood not perish under the blessing of the Eternal Sky!
May Mongolia and the Mongolian nation forever endure, and the Mongolian democracy, eternally prevail.
Thank you for your attention.
Source: The Office of the President of Mongolia
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