Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on CCP, U.S., Myanmar, Singapore
Image : Video Screenshot
News (1)
NPC deputies have their names in direct elections, the CCP's 40-year suppression of independent candidates has not changed
Reporter : Li Lan / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/10/21/a103249273.html / Images : Video Screenshots
A few days ago, 14 Chinese citizens announced that they would participate in Beijing's grassroots elections as independent candidates. 21 October 2021 was their first day of election propaganda, and the CCP once again staged a model drama of intimidation and obstruction.
On 21 October, in Jingtai Dongli, Dongcheng District, Beijing, the families of human rights lawyers Wang Qiaoling, Li Wenzu and human rights activist Ye Jinghuan in the 709 case went to the home of Yang Lingyun, a citizen of Beijing, originally to help her be elected as a representative to the Beijing District and County People’s Congress this year. However, they encountered a group of "sanitation workers" surrounded and sweeping the floor against them. There is also the "red sleeve hoop" of the community neighborhood committee to intervene on the grounds that the epidemic does not allow gatherings.
Last week, some of the families of the victims of the 709 human rights lawyers arrest and some Beijing human rights activists, a total of 14 Chinese citizens, issued a joint declaration announcing their participation in this year’s general election of deputies to the Beijing district and county people’s congresses. The 21st was the first day for these independent candidates to conduct election propaganda, and Yang Lingyun was taken to the police station for tea at 7 am by the police. Not only that, 10 of the 14 people have been placed under house arrest by the authorities or taken out for so-called restricted “tour".
Current affairs commentator Yokogawa said, "Some of them are not political activists, such as family members of 709. It is the crime of the CCP that made them move from defending the rights of their families to fighting for the rights of more people. Their election manifesto is very practical. It is to let the people find their representatives. Such a basic requirement is an impossible goal in China."
The experience of these 14 people is a re-enactment of the CCP’s model play for maintaining stability. In 2011, due to the same exercise of civil rights and participation in the election of deputies to the grassroots people’s congress, 13 joint independent candidates in Beijing were controlled by the authorities before the eleventh. In May of the same year, Liu Ping, a representative of China's grassroots activities and an independent candidate from Xinyu, Jiangxi, delivered public speeches many times as an independent candidate for the National People's Congress, explaining the rights and significance of citizens to participate in elections, which was also suppressed by the local government.
Current affairs commentator Yokogawa said, "It is very accurate for the outside world to call the National People's Congress a rubber stamp. It means to pass and stamp with a hand to legitimize the will of the CCP. Deputies to the National People's Congress, of course, cannot represent the interests of the people, but can only represent the interests of the party. , So we must not give independent candidates a chance."
The measures adopted by the authorities on the 14 candidates, such as house arrest and forced travel, are to prevent them from conducting campaign propaganda activities or even catching up with the election vote.
On the 14th, Xi Jinping, the leader of the Communist Party of China, declared at the Central People’s Congress work meeting that democracy is an important concept that the CCP has upheld, and that the people have extensive rights to participate. He also said that whether a country is democratic or not should be judged by its people. However, it has been more than 40 years since the election of deputies to the grassroots people's congress in 1980. The suppression of groups of independent candidates has not changed. The only thing that has changed is that the methods are more up-to-date with the times.
Nevertheless, Yokogawa believes that the emergence of these independent candidates represents China's hope.
Current affairs commentator Yokogawa said, "Even under such pressure and such a harsh environment, there are still so many people who are still fighting. I admire their courage and support their actions."
News (2) to (15) / Host : Li Muyang / Publisher : News Insight / Editor : Li Hao / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/10/21/n13321019.htm / Images : Video Screenshots
News (2)
Invasion of Taiwan's air defense identification zone is a dangerous act
On the 21st, British Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace asked the Chinese Communist Party to resolve the Taiwan issue by peaceful means. He warned that China’s invasion of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone is a dangerous act and may detonate a conflict.
News (3)
Power outage in Kabul
The Afghan capital of Kabul suffered a power outage at 6 pm on the 21st. Kabul, with a population of more than 4.5 million, plunged into darkness. The cause was an explosion that destroyed an electricity tower in Kabul province and cut off a 220kV power transmission line. The cause of the explosion is still unclear. If it is proved to be an attack, it will further prove that the hard-line militants are using their own way to rule their lives.
News (4)
Gas explosion in Shenyang
At around 8.20 am on 21 October, a gas explosion occurred at the Wangerniu Grilled Bone Shop at the intersection of Taiyuan South Street and Nanqima Road, Heping District, Shenyang. So far, at least 4 people have been killed, 3 people have been seriously injured, and 44 people have been slightly injured. Cause of the accident is being investigated.
News (5)
PLA conducted two hypersonic weapon tests
The British "Financial Times" reported on the 20th that the Chinese military conducted two hypersonic weapon tests this summer. One time was at the end of July and one time was August 13th. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China denied this.
News (6)
Covid data of the world as of 21 October 2021
As of 2 pm Eastern time on 21 October, the number of newly diagnosed covid cases globally reached 479,033, and the total number of confirmed cases reached 242,786,366; 9,157 deaths in a single day, The cumulative total number of deaths is 4,937,410.
News (7)
Before taking office, angered the CCP, Burns became a "hostile force"
Image : The new U.S. Ambassador to China, Burns (Video Screenshot)
On 21 October 2021, the CCP is not happy again. It sent Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin to respond to the remarks made by US Ambassador to China Burns. Wang Wenbin stated that Burns's "relevant remarks are full of Cold War zero-sum thinking and are seriously inconsistent with the facts. The Chinese side firmly opposes this."
"Zero-sum thinking" is a concept in game theory. It means that the two sides play a game, how much one side gains, how much the other side inevitably loses, the sum of the gains and losses of both sides, the total is "zero".
At the press conference, Wang Wenbin responded to a question from a reporter from the South China Morning Post and stated that the CCP follows the path of "peaceful development" and opposes "defining Sino-US relations by competition." Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet are "the internal affairs of the Chinese Communist Party" and cannot allow "foreign forces" to interfere.
Wang Wenbin claimed that "Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory" and the United States "should have faith in what it says." He also claimed that "the so-called genocide in Xinjiang is an actual lie concocted by a small number of Western anti-China scholars and American politicians" with the purpose of "suppressing and containing" the development of the CCP.
Regarding the tracing of covid, Wang Wenbin said that the CCP "always in an open, transparent, and responsible attitude" to share epidemic information with the WHO and the international community. The intentions of a small number of American politicians to "smear and stigmatize" the CCP are well known.
Wang Wenbin also "advised" Burns, hoping that Burns would "recognize the general development trend of the world and the aspirations of the people in the international community, and objectively understand the actual situation in China", and "play a constructive role" in promoting Sino-US relations, and so on.
Wang Wenbin's response on behalf of the CCP was quite tough, and his criticism of Burns was quite sharp. He said that the issues of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Tibet should not allow any "foreign forces" to interfere. Although this statement is not a direct statement, the fact is that the CCP regards Burns as a foreign hostile force.
This is a very interesting situation. Undoubtedly, on behalf of the CCP, Wang Wenbin has clearly conveyed the message: The CCP "does not welcome" Burns very much. In other words, the CCP had already choked on Burns before he took office.
However, it may not be shifted by the will of the Chinese Communist Party. The US Senate is likely to confirm his appointment, and it may pass with a high number of votes. Because the two parties and houses of the United States seem to regard being tough on the CCP as "political correct", which is also one of the few intersections between the two parties.
If Burns is officially appointed as the ambassador to China, I don't know how he will deal with Beijing. Perhaps we will often see Burns, who is deep in the hinterland of the CCP, criticize the CCP more sharply and severely, which will leave the CCP behind.
So what exactly did Burns say that angered the CCP?
News (8)
CCP has fatal flaws, the U.S. has major advantages
On 20 October, the Senate held a hearing on Burns' appointment. The prospective ambassador to China demonstrated his tough stance when dealing with Beijing.
Burns first talked about U.S.-China relations. He believed that "fundamental changes" had taken place in U.S.-China relations and it was "impossible to go back in time." We are now in a "completely new era", and US-China relations will be the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century.
He repeated the Biden-Harris administration's policy towards the CCP, "Compete when we should compete, cooperate when we can cooperate, and confront when we need to confront." However, he bluntly stated that the CCP wants to dominate the Indo-Pacific region in political, economic, and military fields and is the "most dangerous competitor" of the United States.
However, Burns believes that the CCP does not have a magical power. In fact, the CCP is facing many challenges, including demographic, economic and political aspects. Moreover, the CCP has a fatal flaw, "no real friends".
Burns pointed out that "China's aggressive and excessive claims" and these "aggressions" against Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries have angered almost all neighboring countries; the CCP has unscrupulously trampled on the "Convention of the Law of the Sea" in the South China Sea. Ignore due legal obligations; intimidate Japan, Taiwan, etc. in the East China Sea; threaten India at the border of the Himalayas; the CCP’s “aggressiveness has aroused many voices of opposition”, and all these “bullying must stop”.
Compared with the CCP, Burns believes that “the United States has many treaty allies and like-minded partners” and this “indestructible alliance” is a major advantage of the United States. He said that if the personnel case is diagnosed, he is confident that it can prove that the CCP’s claim of "rising from the east and descending from the west" is wrong.
News (9)
Can't trust the CCP, the U.S. should expand arms sales to Taiwan
At the hearing, the most mentioned by the lawmakers was about the Taiwan issue. Many legislators from both parties have expressed their deep concern over the recent intrusion of a large number of Chinese military aircraft into Taiwan’s airspace and various threats to Taiwan.
Burns agreed with the concerns of lawmakers, and he believed that Beijing's actions should be condemned. He pointed out that "you cannot believe that China (the CCP) will abide by its commitments on the Taiwan issue" and that Beijing cannot be trusted. The United States should "make Taiwan a tough opponent" and continue to provide Taiwan with armaments to strengthen its defenses. "This is crucial."
Burns immediately took Hong Kong as an example to point out that the Chinese Communist Party did not believe in its words. He recalled that in 1997 he served as the spokesperson of the State Council. He was accompanied by Secretary of State Albright at the time and attended the handover of Hong Kong's sovereignty. While witnessing the historical moment, he heard the CCP's promise at the time.
Burns said that everyone remembered that when they met with the CCP leadership that day, "They made promises to the people of Hong Kong and people all over the world. But now, China (the CCP) has violated every promise they made." He emphasized, “We obviously cannot believe that China (the CCP) will fulfill its commitments on the Taiwan issue.”
In particular, Burns stated that, in view of the CCP’s actions and remarks on Taiwan, the US Congress and the executive branch “have every right to deepen (US-Taiwan) security cooperation” and expand the supply of weapons to Taiwan. The United States should turn Taiwan into a "hard-to-open nut" and assist Taiwan in increasing its defense capabilities, making it difficult for Taiwan to conquer.
In addition, Burns also stated for Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet and other foreign affairs that Washington must not remain silent about the CCP’s extremely bad human rights record and “must speak up”. This is defending American values. (News highlights)
Burns promised, "If I am appointed, my big plan is to negotiate directly with the Beijing authorities."
What we usually call the "Beijing authorities" refers to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, and even directly refers to Xi Jinping himself. It can be expected that if Burns is appointed as the ambassador to China, after he takes office, he may raise issues such as the CCP’s threat to Taiwan and human rights violations when meeting with Xi Jinping.
From what Burns said at the hearing, it can already be seen that he is a senior diplomat who advocates being tough on the CCP. In the terms of the Chinese Communist Party, Burns holds a "hawkish" stance. So after this hearing, he won unanimous praise from members of both parties.
So what is Burns's background and how can he understand the CCP so much? Let's get to know this prospective ambassador to China who is likely to be appointed.
News (10)
Non-CCP policy expert Burns has deep diplomatic qualifications
Image : Video Screenshot
Burns, 65, is currently a professor of diplomacy and international relations at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He is also the executive director of Aspen Strategy Group, Security Forum, and a senior advisor to the Cohen Group.
Prior to this, Burns had a very rich political experience and was a well-qualified veteran diplomat. He entered the American diplomatic circle in the 1980s and has held important positions in bipartisan governments many times.
In the era of Bush Jr., Burns served as Undersecretary of State, in charge of political affairs, and later as the US ambassador to NATO. During the Clinton era, he served as the U.S. ambassador to Greece, and later changed to the spokesperson of the State Department, and was responsible for Soviet and Russian affairs in the National Security Council.
The White House stated in a related statement in August that Burns is a "respected and retired professional diplomat" who has worked with the Chinese Communist government on Afghanistan, UN sanctions against Iran and North Korea and other areas. During his work at Aspen Strategic Group, he also organized policy dialogues with the Communist Party School of China, and wrote articles on US-China relations.
But in fact, Burns "is not considered to be a Chinese (CCP) policy expert", and has not held a position specifically dealing with Chinese affairs. That being the case, why did the Biden administration appoint Burns as the ambassador to China?
There is a Chinese saying "Cold hands catch hot steamed buns". Although he is not a CCP policy expert, he has extensive professional diplomacy experience. It is possible to better utilize the experience of 27 years of work in the US foreign service in dealing with the issue of US-China relations.
According to Reuters analysis, at a time when US-China relations are becoming increasingly tense, the US government may seek to allow this role to play a "more central" role. Because U.S.-China relations have fallen to their lowest point in decades, there are serious differences between the world's first and second largest economies.
Mai Aiwen, an expert on Asian issues, a former adviser on China and Taiwan affairs, and a researcher at Georgetown University, believes that the high-level dialogue between the United States and China has encountered a bottleneck as ideological competition intensifies. Burns' appointment reflects "Biden is seeking a new mode of communication with Beijing."
Mai Aiwen said, "What we need is a horse that can work, not a horse that can only be shown."
At the hearing on 20 October, Lisch, the chief Republican congressman of the Foreign Relations Committee, praised Burns. Risch believes that Burns is "suitable" to serve as the US ambassador to China, a suitable candidate. Risch said that this position requires cross-party support from Congress because "this will be the front line of the competition in US-China relations."
News (11)
Great strides in cooperation between Europe and Taiwan, the CCP is strongly stimulated
Also today (21st), Wang Wenbin also "condemned" the European Parliament. Wang Wenbin stated that the "Taiwan-related report" adopted by the European Parliament violated the basic norms of international relations and the "One China Principle", and China "strongly condemns and firmly opposes it."
Wang Wenbin is really busy enough. The United States and Europe have been condemning endlessly. It can be seen that the CCP has been strongly stimulated.
Yesterday (20th), the European Parliament voted on the "Taiwan-EU Political Relations and Cooperation" report. As a result, the report was passed with an overwhelming number of votes. There were 580 votes in favor, 66 abstentions, and only 26 votes against. This number of votes shows the aspirations of the Europeans.
This is the first resolution of the European Parliament on the relationship between the EU and Taiwan. Although it is not legally binding, its significance is quite significant.
There are several important points in the report: including the European Parliament’s “serious concern” about the CCP’s military threat to Taiwan, calling on the CCP to immediately stop intrusions; calling on the European Commission to assess and define the “Bilateral Investment Agreement” with Taiwan as soon as possible. The European Union strongly supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation as an observer in the WHO, the UN Climate Change Network Convention, the International Civil Aviation Organization, and the International Criminal Police Organization. There is also a proposal for the European Union to change its trade office in Taipei to the European Union Office in Taiwan. Reuters pointed out that this change of name actually enhances the status of the office.
The European Parliament believes that Taiwan is an important partner and democratic ally of the EU in the Indo-Pacific region. Bilateral investment agreements are the core feature of future cooperation; the EU must be more committed to resolving cross-strait tensions and protecting Taiwan’s democracy.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its gratitude to the European Parliament for its support of Taiwan, stating that it showed "unprecedented support." Spokesperson Ou Jiang'an said that the resolution "set a new milestone" for Taiwan's relations with the European Union.
Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark and former Secretary-General of NATO, pointed out that the passage of the "Europe-Taiwan Political Cooperation" report sent a reliable and strong signal to Taiwan, a democratic country.
The adoption of this report by the European Parliament means that the cooperation between the two sides has taken a big step forward. It is conceivable that this will greatly stimulate the CCP. Even Little Pink choked.
After Bao Ruihan, chairman of the European Parliament's delegation to China relations, announced the voting results on Twitter, a little pink left a message below saying that "The European Parliament is basically redundant and has no balancing effect. This will only harm the overall interests of the EU." .
However, Bao Ruihan immediately responded to the little pink, “You and other Chinese nationalists arrogantly look down on the European Parliament. This does not hurt us, it hurts yourself. In the European political system, the European Parliament It’s a real participant. If you don’t understand it now, your experience will teach you a lesson."
Bao Ruihan's response may have hurt Little Pink again. Recently, however, Little Pink has been injured quite frequently.
News (12)
Kanter speaks for Tibet and calls Beijing "dictatorship"
Image : Video Screenshot
Today (21st), NBA Celtics center Enes Kanter (above) also injured Little Pink. Kanter directly choked on the top leader of Beijing in the video, saying that "Tibet belongs to the Tibetan people."
In the three-minute film, Kanter wears a shirt with a portrait of the Dalai Lama, and directly refers to Xi Jinping as a "barbaric dictator." He condemned the CCP’s rule of Tibet, which caused Tibetans to “lost basic human rights and freedoms” and did not allow them to read or learn the Tibetan language.
Kanter said that in the past 70 years, many Tibetan monks, nuns, intellectuals, and social activists have only practiced "natural freedom". But they were "detained, sent to re-education camps, tortured, interrogated overtime, and even executed." The CCP government should be "ashamed" of these violations of human rights.
Kanter pointed out in the film that the CCP’s ideology is only 100 years old, while the Buddhist civilization, ideology, and philosophy have a history of thousands of years. There is no doubt that only the Tibetan people have the right to determine the future of Tibet.
After Kanter's film was released, it received 15,000 likes and was reposted by more than 4,000 people. Many people thanked him for supporting democracy and Tibetans.
Wang Wenbin also responded to Kanter's film at today's press conference, claiming that Kanter was using Tibet-related issues to gain and seek attention.
The little pinks also ridicule Kanter for "endorsing the manuscript", saying that he has not been to Tibet, and even speaking for Tibetans and so on. Obviously, the little pinks were also affected, so they hurried to "depart".
But there is a sign, it seems that the people who have been "offered" by Little Pink have very high reading volume. This is the most obvious manifestation of "Glass Heart".
News (13)
"Glass Heart" Over 10 Million Weibo Chinese Song No.1
Image : Video Screenshot
As of 4pm on 21 October, the new song "Glass Heart" by singer Huang Mingzhi, known as "Malaysian Ghost Talent" and Chinese Australian singer Chen Fangyu, has surpassed 10.84 million views. Since its release on the 15th, the CCP has blocked the song on the mainland. But it has only been 6 days, and the number of viewers has exceeded 10 million. This kind of popularity is rarely seen in the YouTube world's popular rankings.
At present, "Glass Heart" has ranked 14th in the rankings, and it is the only Chinese song on the list. According to this development trend, "Glass Heart" is likely to continue to set new records. This is probably something the CCP could not think of, and it was also something that the little pinks could not think of.
Many viewers must have seen and heard this song. It is full of "Chinese elements", like "glass heart", "panda", "leeks", "cotton", "civet" and so on. Each element corresponds to one thing.
For example, "Glass Heart" is insinuating Little Pink's "vulnerability", "Leek" corresponds to ordinary Chinese people enslaved and squeezed by the CCP, "Cotton" corresponds to human rights violations in Xinjiang concentration camps, and "Civets" corresponds to SARS, etc. Wait.
And the "panda" waved a small flag everywhere, insinuating Little Pink's going around. On the flag hanging at the door of the wooden house, there are four English letters "NMSL" written. This is what Little Pink often swears, meaning "Your mother is dead" (in Mandarin). In addition, there are "Ten Miles Without Changing One's Shoulder", "Poverty Alleviation", "Money Spreading" and so on. I believe everyone understands what they are talking about.
Putting all the elements together, plus the lyrics, you can't see any dirty words, but it interprets everything just right, gently touching the little pink.
There are a few lines in the lyrics, "You never want to hear what you say, but you go out to fight back. I don't understand where you are insulted. I always feel that the world is your enemy."
"Glass Heart" was banned by the CCP after it was released. Chen Fangyu immediately recorded a cappella video and modified the lyrics. She sang, "Sorry for hurting you. It's okay to delete Weibo. I heard a voice, it's a broken heart in glass. It's okay. I still have IG and FB."
Taiwanese artist "Brother Caramel" said that in the past, many people had the Chinese dream of making money from the west and chose to ignore China's little pink behavior. This year, the Chinese (CCP) officials have even more tolerated the small pink and Wumao line to go out and make troubles everywhere. "But they forget that people all over the world are becoming more and more civilized, and they will only become more and more disgusted with such barbaric behavior."
News (14)
Japanese dislike CCP China
By the way, the Japanese non-profit organization NPO and China International Publishing Group jointly conducted the "17th China-Japan Joint Public Opinion Survey." In August and September, they surveyed 1,000 Japanese and 1,547 Chinese and asked about their impressions of the two countries.
This survey result will also impact Little Pink. 90.9% of Japanese people have a bad impression of China under the CCP. This is an increase of 1.2 percentage points over last year, second only to 91.6% in 2016. This is the second time in five years that more than 90% of Japanese people dislike the CCP. The main reason is that the CCP’s military threat and the covid epidemic have caused more and more Japanese people to dislike the CCP.
News (15)
Li Yundi was detained for prostitution, official media directly named
Let me talk about another thing that hurt Little Pink. Does 21 October have more impact on Little Pink? But there is no way, because this is very hot news.
Today, the Beijing Public Security Bureau posted two posts on Weibo, almost detonating the entire network. The first post that was pinned to the top said, "Recently, the Chaoyang Public Security Bureau received reports from the masses that someone was engaged in prostitution in a certain community in Chaoyang."
According to Weibo, after investigation, the police have seized 29-year-old prostitution offender Chen Mohui and 39-year-old prostitution offender Li Xdi. Both of them "confessed to the illegal facts" and have now been "administratively detained."
Who is Li Xdi? "Peace Beijing" seems to be meaningful in another Weibo. "This world is indeed more than black and white, but it must be distinguished and distinguished between black and white. This must not be wrong." A picture of a piano keyboard was also distributed, which seems to be suggestive.
However, the Chinese Communist Party's official media "People's Daily" is not so "implicit", directly with the topic "Li Yundi was detained for prostitution." In other words, the prostitute was Li Yundi, and it was the pianist Li Yundi who was known as the "Prince of Chinese Piano" who was detained.
Some netizens broke the news that Li Yundi's related works have been "off the shelves", and even the introduction and footage of his recent reality show "Brother Who Overcomes Troubles" have also been deleted. All the pictures of Li Yundi on Hunan Satellite TV are mosaic.
There are rumors on the Internet that Li Yundi’s accident was confessed by the artist Wu Yifan who was in prison. Wu Yifan's reason for squatting in the cell was because he was suspected of sexually assaulting minors.
However, Wu Yifan's rumors of Li Yundi's confession have not been officially confirmed. But regardless of whether the official confirmed this rumor, it is not really important. The important thing is that Li Yundi, who was once praised by the CCP, has also become a "bad artist". This is a slap in the face of the CCP.
According to the Chinese Communist Party's official media, Li Yundi won the 14th Chopin International Piano Competition at the age of 18 in 2000, becoming the youngest winner in the history of this competition. Since 2001, he has been on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala 5 times in a row.
In the propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party media, in addition to Li Yundi's achievements in music, his image has always been positively promoted. In addition, he has released many albums, has toured around the world, and the Polish government has awarded him the "Glory of Art" medal, so he is very well-known. Because of this, the CCP values him very much. He was appointed as an image ambassador for Chongqing, and as a spokesperson for the city by Guangzhou.
News (16) to (20) / Source : The Irrawaddy
News (16)
U.S., Singapore discuss ways to cut Myanmar Junta's overseas financial lifelines
Image : Web Screenshot (from Vivian Balakrishnan Facebook)
Derek Chollet, counselor of the US Department of State, who was in Southeast Asia this week to work with regional countries to help restore democracy in Myanmar, had a meeting with the Monetary Authority of Singapore on Wednesday to discuss ways to limit the Myanmar military regime’s access to overseas financial assets. The counselor tweeted on 21 October 2021 that the meeting was productive.
He said on Thursday that the city state has significant financial leverage over the regime, and this has to be a very important part of efforts to try to bring about greater pressure on the junta.
“We had very good discussions with our partners there about the way ahead and the way that we’re going to continue to work together as we seek to wield whatever leverage we can over the regime to put Burma back on the course of democracy,” he said during a telephone press briefing from Jakarta.
Chollet did not provide details when asked about the outcomes of his meeting with the Monetary Authority of Singapore on how to limit the junta’s access to overseas assets but he said, “Singapore has a very, very important role to play”, adding that they had very good discussions there on how to wield whatever leverage they could over the regime.
News (17)
Singapore a preferred destination for Myanmar Junta and their associates
Singapore is the largest foreign investor in Myanmar and has become a preferred destination for Myanmar’s military rulers and their associates, who make periodic visits for medical trips, recreation or to squirrel their money away in various accounts under different names. Furthermore, some companies there have commercial ties with the Myanmar military junta and its conglomerates.
Since the coup in February, the Myanmar regime has been under international sanctions for overthrowing the country’s democratically elected government, killing more than 1,000 people and arresting thousands for opposing military rule in the country.
The US and other Western democracies have pressured the regime by singling out certain key individuals as well as entities to make it harder for them to transact business in the international community, forcing the regime to struggle with a hard currency shortage.
News (18)
Some Singaporean companies a money lifeline for Myanmar Junta
As a result, some Singaporean companies have become a lifeline for the junta by channeling money to it.
In February, for example, Justice For Myanmar reported that Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX)-listed Emerging Towns & Cities Singapore (ETC) made payments worth millions of dollars to the regime as the developer of the Golden City complex in Yangon. The land is owned by the military and ETC has a build-operate-transfer agreement with the Myanmar Army’s Quartermaster General’s Office.
According to ETC’s 2017 annual report, the Golden City deal with the military involves a “land use premium” payment of US$6.3 million, plus annual payments of $2.8 million, with exemptions on lease payments from 2013-16.
The total in payments to the military over the maximum 70-year term amounts to US$191.1 million.
As of 31 December 2019, ETC had accrued US$32.185 million for land lease payments to the Myanmar army, the report says.
News (19)
Justice For Myanmar: Possible liability on MAS and Singapore government on doing business with Myanmar military
On Wednesday, Justice For Myanmar said a legal memorandum has found that international law and guidance places due diligence obligations on the SGX, and possible liability on the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Singapore government, in relation to companies like ETC doing business with the Myanmar military.
The legal memo also raised the possibility of reputational and sanctions risks for the SGX, its regulator the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and by extension, the Singapore government, should it not prevent continued payments from ETC to the Myanmar army.
Refs: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/us-singapore-discuss-ways-to-cut-myanmar-juntas-overseas-financial-lifelines.html, https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=416248519868832&set=a.384400469720304
News (20)
US vows to work with ASEAN partners to support people of Myanmar
The United States said it has reached a turning point in reaching its objectives to handle the crisis resulting from the Myanmar military’s Feb. 1 coup and pledged its continuous support to the Myanmar people through cooperation with regional countries.
During a trip this week to Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet, who led an interagency delegation, said Myanmar’s deteriorating situation has been the main focus of the team’s meetings with ASEAN partners at each stop.
The trip followed ASEAN’s decision last week not to invite the junta leader to its summit next week—a decision the US counselor said was “an example of how international pressure can make a difference.”
The counselor said the US and ASEAN countries agreed on the overall objectives of pushing the regime to put Myanmar back on the path to democracy, to cease the violence, and to release all those unjustly detained, and to adhere to ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus set out in April.
Weighing the potential leverage offered by an array of economic, political and diplomatic tools, the counselor said, “We are at an inflection point on how to reach these objectives in Burma,” referring to the country by its former name.
“We are committed to the Burmese people for the long haul, both because it’s the right thing to do and because it is in our strategic interest. Working with our partners in ASEAN and the region must be at the center of our strategy,” he added.
“We do need to be realistic about the limited tools we have to influence the regime, but there are tools we have at our disposal, especially diplomatic pressure, that have helped us make some progress.”
The US is also “committed to staying deeply engaged” in resolving the Myanmar crisis as best it can and as long as it persists, Chollet told The Irrawaddy during a telephone press conference on Thursday.
The US is “in lockstep with our ASEAN partners” to provide humanitarian assistance to Myanmar’s people, as the humanitarian situation in Myanmar “is deteriorating rapidly,” he said.
The US and Thailand on Tuesday discussed providing critical humanitarian aid to the Myanmar people though the Thai-Myanmar border, while the US and Singapore discussed finding ways to limit the regime’s overseas financial assets on Wednesday.
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