Summary of News
- Union Prime Minister emphasises the need to prevent self-interested exploitation among those involved in resource management
- NLD warns the military junta that it bears sole responsibility for the health of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
- Union Minister Dr. Tu Hkawng urges learning about the Federal Democracy Charter that the NUG is holding on to
- NUG’s project plan to provide the general public with a secure network and internet includes using SIM cards
- NUG Representative to Australia tells China that the victory of the people of Myanmar will also be the victory of China
- The US Lower House holds a congressional hearing on human rights in Myanmar
1. Union Prime Minister emphasises the need to prevent self-interested exploitation among those involved in resource management
At the 4/2023 meeting of the National Administration Board for Natural Resources (NAB-NR) held on September 13, Union Prime Minister Mahn Winn Khaing Thann said, “The tax fines obtained from natural resources are also increasing, and the board is continuing to oversee their proper use for the revolution,” adding that “as there are good progresses on one side, there are also difficulties and challenges that are constantly faced on the other.”
The Union Prime Minister emphasised the need of overseeing those organisations involved in resource management not to engage in self-interested exploitation.
The Union Prime Minister continued by stating that it is a positive development that more tax fines are being collected through strict natural resource management in the governed areas, but that it is equally important to manage the environmental damage brought on by resource exploitation.
Union Ministers, Union Deputy Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, and representatives from the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration, and the Military of Planning, Finance and Investment, as well as the secretary and office team of the Acting President Office, attended the 4/2023 meeting of the NAB-NR, along with the NAB-NR secretary office representatives.
2. NLD warns the military junta that it bears sole responsibility for the health of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
The National League for Democracy (NLD) Central Work Committee released a statement on September 14 concerning the health of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been apprehended by the military junta, kidnapped as an intermediary, and detained in a secret location without being given the rights typically granted to a political prisoner, as stated in the statement.
The NLD expressed particular concern for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s health due to her lack of access to adequate health care, proper nutrition, and suitable accommodation, all of which the military junta designed to endanger her life.
The NLD indicated that the military junta is solely responsible for any health problems or life-threatening situations for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Chairperson of the NLD, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, has been detained by the terrorist military junta for more than two and a half years since the military’s attempted coup on February 1, 2021.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been illegally arrested and has not been given the right to defend herself in accordance with legal procedures. Furthermore, she wasn’t convicted in front of the public, but rather unjustly, by a judiciary that was completely closed to the general public.
The statement asserted that despite being given unjust sentences, the people of Myanmar as well as the international leaders fully believe that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did not commit any of those charges of which she has been accused.
The statement also underscored the NLD’s earnest appeal to the United Nations, leaders of the ASEAN Community and neighboring countries, international organizations, and revolutionary groups both at home and abroad, to advocate for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners who were arrested alongside Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
3. Union Minister Dr. Tu Hkawng urges learning about the Federal Democracy Charter that the NUG is holding on to
On September 14, Union Minister Dr. Tu Hkawng exhorted everyone to learn about the Federal Democracy Charter that the NUG is holding on to.
The Union Minister noted that a lot of opposition to the NUG at this time is an indication that significant changes are coming, citing the fact that such opposition used to arise during the transitional phase.
“What was found in the report of the team that conducted the field survey the other day is that many people still do not know about the Federal Charter that NUG is holding on to,” he said.
The Union Minister said that those who criticise the National Unity Government as having no principles did so because they didn’t know about the Federal Democracy Charter. Hence, the Union Minister exhorted everyone to download and read the Federal Democracy Charter.
“At this time, you might have noticed that there are certain groups of people who are not optimistic, no matter how much the NUG has explained to them. But this is encouraging because it indicates that we have been able to make transitions,” the Union Minister stated.
4. NUG’s project plan to provide the general public with a secure network and internet includes using SIM cards
During an exclusive interview with Khit Thit Media, U Htin Linn Aung, Union Minister of the NUG’s Ministry of Communications, Information and Technology, revealed that providing SIM cards is part of the NUG’s project plan to offer public access to a secure network and internet.
“According to our plan, we should be able to provide internet access to the general public within three to six months. However, it is difficult for us to say in which areas, as we do not want the enemy military junta to find out. So let me not reveal where it is. What I can tell is that many areas under the control of the NUG will be able to access the internet using our secure network.”
Currently, the military junta has cut off phone and internet service in the Saging Region, the Magway Region, and other states and regions throughout the country where they conduct offensives.
“Our plan also includes being able to use our own SIM cards. However, the issue we have is the budget problem. The budget is shared, with the majority of spending going towards defence expenditures, and that is the main reason. We are spending mainly on the defence side, which is being able to exert pressure on the military council, so we have a limited budget to use on this side. Therefore, we have drawn up another plan to expand on the existing network in order for us to acquire the required budget and for us to stand in the long term,” the Union Minister continued.
5. NUG Representative to Australia tells China that the victory of the people of Myanmar will also be the victory of China
At a town hall community meeting held in Sydney, Australia, in September, U Tun Aung Shwe, NUG Representative to Australia, spoke that the victory of the people of Myanmar would also be the victory of China.
“The message I would like to give China is that the victory of the people of Myanmar will also be the victory of China. Our victory is China’s victory. Because under the military council, no matter how much they invest, it will not succeed for them, and they cannot produce good results. I give a message to China that their success will come from the stability of Myanmar,” he said.
It is said that the Chinese government and the National Unity Government (NUG) have regular relations and exchange information.
6. The US Lower House holds a congressional hearing on human rights in Myanmar
The U.S. Congress’s Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a congressional hearing on human rights in Myanmar on September 13, 2023, at the House of Representatives Capitol Building.
At the first panel of the congressional hearing, Melissa Brown, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State; Michael Schiffer, Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia at the U.S. Agency for International Development; Erin Barclay, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the U.S. Department of State; and Beth Van Schaack, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice at the U.S. Department of State, provided testimony.
Meanwhile, Tom Andrews, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, urged the US to join with the EU in imposing sanctions on the junta’s main source of revenue, Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, to work with regional partners to prevent the junta from receiving weapons and jet fuel, and to increase funding to provide non-lethal support to the democratic opposition and humanitarian aid for the people of Myanmar who are struggling to survive.
Democracy activists and some revolutionary organisations anticipate positive outcomes from this hearing soon.
#Credit : Radio NUG
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