Summary of News
- NUG collected over 3 billion MMK in tax revenue from the areas under its control
- NUG’s Interim Local Administration Central Committee (ILACC) held a meeting with the local people’s administrative bodies of Tanintharyi and Ayeyarwady Divisions
- NUG’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, U Moe Zaw Oo, says that the survival of the Spring Revolution is thanks to the support and assistance of the people, which is the lifeblood of the revolution
- The junta members who were collecting ground population data in Myo-U ward, Pale, for the sham election, were attacked by the local defence forces
- Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) issued a purchase order to buy a fixed-data lawful interception gateway from Cogynte (NASDAQ: CGNT)
- A rally will be held in New York City while banging pots and pans to mark the second anniversary of people’s fight against the terrorist military’s continuously failed attempt to rule Myanmar and its citizens
1. NUG collected over 3 billion MMK in tax revenue from the areas under its control
U Tin Tun Naing, Union Minister of Planning, Finance and Investment, said at the press conference on January 15 that over 3 billion MMK in taxes were collected from the areas where the National Unity Government controls, as follows:
“In areas where we are able to govern, we are collecting taxes according to the tax policy. Up to today, we have collected over 3 billion MMK from all the portfolios under the tax heading.”
Deputy Minister U Min Zaw Oo said that the collection of taxes from these areas has been going on since last year, and the areas where taxes are being collected will be kept confidential for security reasons.
In addition, Union Minister U Tin Tun Naing said that the NUG was able to raise over 100 million USD for the Spring Revolution fund, as follows:
“Treasury Bonds, which began to be sold in November 2021, have so far sold up to 45 million USD. Next, Min Aung Hlaing’s mansion in Yangon, the Spring Inya housing project, was sold for the original goal of 10 million USD, thanks to the unanimous support of the people. And then, 4000 shares, worth 4 million USD, out of 7000 shares of Min Aung Hlaing’s second mansion at 6.5 miles in Yangon had been sold so far. Until today, the Ministry of Planning, Finance and Investment of the National Unity Government managed to raise more than 100 million USD to fund the revolution.”
2. NUG’s Interim Local Administration Central Committee (ILACC) held a meeting with the local people’s administrative bodies of Tanintharyi and Ayeyarwady Divisions
The meeting (2/2023) between the Interim Local Administration Central Committee (ILACC) of the National Unity Government and the local people’s administrative bodies of Tanintharyi and Ayeyarwady Divisions was held on January 15.
At the meeting, Dr. Win Myat Aye, the Union Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management and a member of the ILACC, gave a speech. Then, the Ministry of Planning, Finance and Investment clarified the duties, policies, and guidelines related to the ministry, and the local administrative bodies explained and discussed the difficulties and challenges they have encountered on the ground.
Union Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Secretaries, relevant departmental officials, and members of local people’s administrative bodies from Tanintharyi and Ayeyarwady Divisions attended the meeting.
3. NUG’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, U Moe Zaw Oo, says that the survival of the Spring Revolution is thanks to the support and assistance of the people, which is the lifeblood of the revolution
U Moe Zaw Oo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (NUG), said this during his meeting with Myanmar citizens in Boston on January 14:
“This revolution, frankly, cannot do anything without the support of the people. It is the support and assistance of the people, which can be said to be the lifeblood of the revolution, that keeps our revolution alive. Please continue to support it. Our revolution is, as I often say, a self-reliance revolution.”
Furthermore, the Deputy Minister also said that foreign affairs and international relations are important in responding to the military council, and at present, it has been found that the military council has been downgraded by international diplomatic affairs while the NUG government has increased its diplomatic recognition.
4. The junta members who were collecting ground population data in Myo-U ward, Pale, for the sham election, were attacked by the local defence forces
It was reported that a group of junta soldiers, police and staff from the junta-controlled departments and administration office who came to collect ground population data in Myo-U ward, Pale, to compile the updated voter list for the sham election, were attacked by the local people’s defence forces.
The Black Peacock – Guerrillas Without Borders, a revolutionary force based in Sagaing Division, claimed that it and its allies conducted the attack on January 15 as follows:
“On January 15, when a group of military council soldiers and police stationed in Pale, Sagaing Division, as well as about six staff, who were collecting voter data for the fraudulent election that do not include the will of the people, near Myo-U ward, Pale, the Black Peacock, Yin Mar Bin District 10th Battalion, attacked them with small arms.”
The Black Peacock group said that there was an exchange of fire for about ten minutes, and its members were able to retreat safely when the number of junta soldiers increased, and the damage on the junta side was still under investigation.
5. Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) issued a purchase order to buy a fixed-data lawful interception gateway from Cogynte (NASDAQ: CGNT
On January 15, the Justice For Myanmar published a press release exposing that Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), the state-owned telecommunications operator, issued a purchase order to buy a fixed-data lawful interception gateway from Cogynte (NASDAQ: CGNT).
Cogynte Software Limited is a NASDAQ-listed Israeli surveillance-for-hire corporation, and it won a tender to sell intercepted spyware to Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) in 2020, a possible breach of international and Israeli law.
“Documents leaked to Justice For Myanmar, which form the basis of a legal complaint filed in Israel on January 2, 2023, show that MPT issued Cognyte with a purchase order for a fixed data lawful interception gateway in December 2020, with work scheduled for completion by early June 2021,” the Justice For Myanmar stated. The interception system would allow the Myanmar military to track down without the help of telecom and internet companies, break into their devices, pull encrypted data, and eavesdrop, aiding and abetting its atrocity crimes.
Cognyte, formerly Verint Systems, has a history of selling lawful interception equipment to regimes notorious for the abuse of human rights, notably South Sudan.
In December 2021, Cognyte was banned from Facebook and 100 accounts linked to it were taken down. Facebook found that Cognyte had targeted individuals in Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Mexico, Thailand and other countries. Targets included journalists and politicians.
Last month, Cognyte was excluded from the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global, with the fund’s Council on Ethics finding that Cognyte’s “products and services may have enabled serious norm violations” and that “the information the company has shared does not adequately address the serious allegations that have been made.
A criminal investigation into the deal is called for in the complaint, which is led by prominent Israeli human rights lawyer Eitay Mack, who also led the campaign for the Supreme Court’s ruling. Cognyte and unidentified officials from the defense and foreign ministries who oversee such transactions are accused of “aiding and abetting crimes against humanity in Myanmar,” according to the complaint. More than 60 Israelis, including a prominent activist, academic, and writer, as well as a former speaker of the house Avrum Burg, filed the complaint on their behalf.
Justice For Myanmar (JFM) also released a statement calling on Israel’s Attorney General to take urgent action following an application for criminal investigation into Cognyte’s business in Myanmar on January 15.
6. A rally will be held in New York City while banging pots and pans to mark the second anniversary of people’s fight against the terrorist military’s continuously failed attempt to rule Myanmar and its citizens
According to the New York City Burmese Community (NYCBC), a rally will be held at 11:00 a.m. on January 28 at Times Square, New York City, to mark the 2nd anniversary of people’s fight against the terrorist military’s continuously failed attempt to rule Myanmar and its citizens.
February 1, 2023, will mark the 2nd anniversary of the terrorist military’s failed attempt to seize power.
Up until now, the public movement’s strikes against the military dictatorship have been fought all over the country and abroad.
#Credit : Radio NUG
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