Summary of News
- The NUG Minister of Human Rights discloses measures taken by the international community against the junta in December
- Norway will stop investments from Thai national energy company PTT, which is the business partner of the terrorist Myanmar military council
- Palaw Regional Defence Force apprehended two people who were dealing drugs by paying junta police bribes
1. The NUG Minister of Human Rights discloses measures taken by the international community against the junta in December
On December 19, U Aung Myo Min, the NUG Union Minister for Human Rights, disclosed measures taken by the international community against the junta in December.
“If I’m asked if it’s enough, I say no, but it is not entirely without progress.” “We will have to try harder to continue increasing.” “Everyone needs to work hard.” “I want to have a clear conscience,” the minister wrote on his social media account before listing the measures taken against the junta.
“The measures taken by the international community against the terrorist military regime from December 1 to December 15” were listed as below:
- The Switzerland Embassy announced on December 7 that the military council was not invited to the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC) that will be held in Geneva, Switzerland.
- The European Parliament announced on December 8 that the National Unity Government is the legitimate government of Myanmar, and U Aung Myo Min, Union Minister of Human Rights, was invited to the parliament.
- On December 9, the British government announced its sanctions against the junta’s Office of the Chief of Military and Security Affairs, the 33rd Light Infantry Division (33 LID), and the 99th Light Infantry Division (99 LID).
- On December 9, the Canadian government issued a list of sanctions, including 12 individuals and 3 entities involved in human rights violations in Myanmar.
- On December 10, Mr. Jean-Luc Romero-Michel, Deputy Mayor of Paris in Charge of Human Rights, said in his Human Rights Speech that Paris is by the side of the people of Myanmar and supports them, and he invited Union Minister U Aung Myo Min to give a speech on Human Rights Day.
- On December 12, Human Rights Minister U Aung Myo Min met with Ms. Delphine Borione, the French Government’s Ambassador for Human Rights, and addressed Myanmar‘s concerns such as providing humanitarian and human rights assistance to Myanmar and taking action against war criminals.
- On December 12, NUG Human Rights Minister met with Mr. Jean-Marc Pommeray, Counsellor at the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and Head of the Southeast Asian Department, to discuss the current situation in Myanmar and explore possibilities for concrete support for the democracy issue in Myanmar.
- On December 15, the U.S. Senate passed the National Defence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (2023 NDAA), which includes the Burma Act as part of it and the support of non-lethal assistance to Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs), People’s Defence Forces (PDFs), and pro-democracy movement organizations in Myanmar.
- On December 16, the U.N. General Assembly approved the continuation of the incumbent representative of Myanmar to the U.N., U Kyaw Moe Tun, for another year.
- On December 16, Foreign Minister Daw Zin Mar Aung met with Mr. Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of the European External Affairs Service, and discussed the issue of Myanmar.
2. Norway will stop investments from Thai national energy company PTT, which is the business partner of the terrorist Myanmar military council
Norway is likely to pull out of its investment in Thai national energy company PTT and its affiliated business, the PTT Oil and Retail Business (PTT OR), whose cooperation in enterprises controlled by the coup d’état had given income to the Myanmar junta, which could have been used to fund human rights violations and arbitrary killings in Myanmar.
The Norway Government Sovereign Wealth Fund announced that its executive board had decided to exclude two Thai companies, PTT Public Company Limited (PTT) and PTT Oil and Retail Public Company Limited (PTT OR), and one Israeli firm, Cognyte Software Ltd, on December 15. The Fund’s Ethics Committee said that “This is an unacceptable risk when those companies contribute to serious violations of human rights in the midst of a war or conflict situation.”
Various human rights organizations have warmed to boycott PTT Company and its products as “blood money” since it cooperates with the military group and encourages terrorist war crimes in Myanmar.
3. Palaw Regional Defence Force apprehended two people who were dealing drugs by paying junta police bribes
Palaw Regional Defence Force (PRDF) reported that two people were apprehended for dealing drugs by paying junta police bribes in Lat Kuu Village, Palaw Township, Tanintharyi Division. An official of the PRDF said that the above apprehension was made yesterday at 8:00 p.m. and that several weeks before it was made, it had been warned not to engage in drug dealing.
He said, “They were apprehended last night. We had issued a warning several weeks before the capture. We apprehended dealers and are keeping them safe. Lat Kuu Village is the most famous village when it comes to drugs. We will release them after the revolution. We’ll keep an eye on them.”
During the arrest last night, 46 packets of opium powder, 600 narcotic tablets with the WY logo, a motorcycle, 270,000 kyats in cash, and three phones were seized, along with 45-year-old U Pho Htaung and 53-year-old U Ka Lar, a member involved in the arrest said.
“Lat Kuu Village has been frowned upon by the people of Palaw as a drug-dealing village for the past thirty years. It was a village where all the locals in Palaw were terrified to befriend its villagers. Before and after the coup, the police made arrests, but they took bribes, released them and only arrest those users. We are working to end this,” a member of the PRDF continued.
According to local news reports, among the 135 villages in Palaw Township, Lat Kuu Village, which has about 700 households, is a village where drugs are transported and sold through Thailand in collaboration with the junta police and where even 10-year-old children are using WY pills.
It was learned that after the arrest of two drug dealers, there was an exchange of fire between the PRDF comrades and the junta troops that were stationed at the Kam Creek Bridge near the junta’s 285 Light Infantry Battalion at around 2:00 a.m.
#Credit : Radio NUG
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