Burma: London asks the British to leave, Moscow worries about the number of victims
The demonstrators, the three fingers raised in sign of resistance, in Rangoon, March 12, 2021. AFP - STR
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In several cities of Burma, officials, nurses, doctors and students took to the streets this Friday, March 12 to join the civil disobedience campaign, with three fingers in the air as a sign of resistance.
The UK is asking its citizens to leave Burma.
Moscow is worried about the number of victims.
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London is advising all British nationals to leave the country and warns of the violence that has swept across Burma since
the February 1 coup.
This warning follows the statements of the UN special rapporteur before the Human Rights Council: according to Tom Andrews, the junta has "murdered" at least 70 people and has committed acts of torture and persecution which can constitute crimes against humanity.
“
Burma is controlled by a murderous and illegal regime
,” said Tom Andrews in Geneva.
If we want justice to be done, that the culprits answer for their acts, that the terror ceases and that human rights are respected, the international community, all of you, the member states of the UN, you must act!
This regime must know that there is a price to pay for these illegal acts - we must exert maximum pressure.
If the UN Security Council is not ready to make a decision, the nations ready to do so must do so.
Coordinated actions between States will be the most effective means.
We need tough sanctions that target the junta's financial flows and block its access to the international arms market.
We must also put those responsible before every tribunal capable of receiving this case, from the International Criminal Court to national courts which exercise universal jurisdiction.
We must also suspend humanitarian aid and development aid which passes through the junta, to work directly with local civil society organizations.
Finally, the member states of the UN must not recognize the military regime as a government representing the Burmese people, precisely because it does not represent it!
Thomas Andrews: “You must act!
"
Russia toughens its tone
Even Russia, which has, like China, close links with the Tatmadaw the Burmese army, is distancing itself: the Kremlin says it is worried about the growing number of civilian victims and considers the situation "
alarming
".
"
We are concerned about the information coming from there indicating an increasing number of casualties among the civilian population
," said Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian presidency during his daily briefing.
He also judged "
the alarming situation
" in the country, after a day Thursday during which nine demonstrators were killed.
The junta attacks the press harshly
On Friday, five journalists, including an Associated Press photographer, arrested last month while covering a protest in Yangon, were formally charged.
The week was particularly hard for the press: search of newspapers, suspension of the licenses of 5 press organs and the arrest on Friday morning of a Polish journalist.
The Polish Foreign Ministry confirmed on Friday March 12 the arrest of a Polish journalist. He indicated that his diplomats were seeking to establish contact with him "
urgently
".
It all started on Monday March 8 with a police search of the offices of Myanmar Now, one of the most famous media outlets.
In the process, state television announced that five media were officially closed, that their licenses were revoked.
And the next day, two of these media were in turn searched.
Today, there are 11 journalists behind bars.
Five of them are being prosecuted for disseminating false information that could cause disturbances to public order ...
Daniel Bastard, head of the Asia-Pacific office of Reporters Without Borders
The junta reconnects with its demons
The junta is very clearly returning to its past practices which had lasted between 1967 and 2011: totally controlling information, leaving no room for independent information.
You should know that the practices of the junta are very archaic.
Before 2011, every article had to be sent to the censorship office and it was severely redacted so that no information compromising the government, the military came out.
Daniel Bastard, head of the Asia-Pacific office of Reporters Without Borders
“
Things had changed, before Aung San Suu Kyi who came to power in 2016, with the lifting of this prior censorship regime which allowed a real multiplication of press organs
, underlines Daniel Bastard.
Those who were exiled abroad were able to return, even if this liberalization had very serious limits with the Rohingya crisis in 2017, with the arrest of two Reuters journalists, sentenced to 7 years in prison for having only investigated on the Rohingya.
It was a very taboo question.
Aung San Suu Kyi did not change press freedom at all ”
.
Despite international pressure, the junta continues to harass former civilian government chief Aung San Suu Kyi and accuses her of having received $ 600,000 in bribes and over 11 kilos of gold.
Charges rejected en bloc by his lawyer.
► See also:
Burma: ethnic minorities involved in the anti-junta movement
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Burma
Aung San Suu Kyi