Myanmar junta extends ceasefire again after quake
Myanmar's junta has extended a post-earthquake truce, after the expiry of a previous humanitarian ceasefire it was accused of flouting with a continued campaign of air strikes. The junta initially declared a truce in the many-sided civil war after a huge quake in late March killed nearly 3,800 people and left tens of thousands homeless. The truce has been extended before, although conflict monitors say fighting has continued, including regular air strikes.
A statement from the junta information team on Saturday, May 31, said there would be an extension of the armistice, which expired May 31, until June 30. This would "facilitate rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in earthquake-affected areas," it said in the statement. It added that the state was "intensively engaging in reconstruction of damaged government offices and departments, public residences and transport facilities."
The ceasefire would also allow the country to hold "a free and fair multi-party democracy general election," according to the statement.
The country's junta chief said earlier this year that a long-promised election will be held by January, the first in the war-torn nation since the military staged a coup in 2021. In the statement, the military also warned it would still strike back against any offensives by the array of ethnic armed groups and anti-coup fighters.
The announcement comes after Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan used a regional meeting last week to call for the extension and expansion of a ceasefire "beyond the currently affected zones." Malaysia currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The bloc has led so far fruitless diplomatic efforts to end Myanmar's conflict since the junta deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
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LeMonde
3 days ago
- LeMonde
Myanmar junta extends ceasefire again after quake
Myanmar's junta has extended a post-earthquake truce, after the expiry of a previous humanitarian ceasefire it was accused of flouting with a continued campaign of air strikes. The junta initially declared a truce in the many-sided civil war after a huge quake in late March killed nearly 3,800 people and left tens of thousands homeless. The truce has been extended before, although conflict monitors say fighting has continued, including regular air strikes. A statement from the junta information team on Saturday, May 31, said there would be an extension of the armistice, which expired May 31, until June 30. This would "facilitate rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in earthquake-affected areas," it said in the statement. It added that the state was "intensively engaging in reconstruction of damaged government offices and departments, public residences and transport facilities." The ceasefire would also allow the country to hold "a free and fair multi-party democracy general election," according to the statement. The country's junta chief said earlier this year that a long-promised election will be held by January, the first in the war-torn nation since the military staged a coup in 2021. In the statement, the military also warned it would still strike back against any offensives by the array of ethnic armed groups and anti-coup fighters. The announcement comes after Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan used a regional meeting last week to call for the extension and expansion of a ceasefire "beyond the currently affected zones." Malaysia currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The bloc has led so far fruitless diplomatic efforts to end Myanmar's conflict since the junta deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
France 24
6 days ago
- France 24
Thai, Cambodian army chiefs meet over border clash
Military clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted in 2008 and have led to several years of sporadic violence, resulting in at least 28 deaths. Commmander General Pana Klaewplodthuk met with his Cambodian counterpart and both sides agreed to move troops away from the area, said Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree in a statement. He added that a Joint Boundary Committee would meet in two weeks' time to "solve the problem of the border conflict". A Cambodian soldier was killed on Wednesday during an exchange of gunfire with the Thai army at the border, a Cambodian army spokesman said. His death -- a rare fatality along the long-sensitive frontier -- came after Cambodian and Thai leaders attended a Southeast Asian summit where the regional ASEAN grouping vowed greater cooperation. Thailand's military said Wednesday that its soldiers fired in response to gunshots from Cambodia's border force. The exchange lasted around 10 minutes before the Cambodians requested a ceasefire, the Thai military said. Cambodian Royal Army spokesman Mao Phalla confirmed the clash on Wednesday, but said Thai soldiers had attacked Cambodian troops who were on border patrol duty in northern Preah Vihear province. "Our soldier died in the trenches. The Thais came to attack us," Mao Phalla said. Thai Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told journalists Thursday that there had been a "misunderstanding by both sides". 'Remain calm' Cambodia and Thailand have long been at odds over their more than 800-kilometre-long (500-mile) border, which was largely drawn during the French occupation of Indochina. The 2008 military clashes erupted over a patch of land next to Preah Vihear, a 900-year-old temple near their shared border. This led to several years of sporadic violence before the International Court of Justice ruled the disputed area belonged to Cambodia. In February, Bangkok formally protested to Phnom Penh after a video of women singing a patriotic Khmer song in front of another disputed temple was posted on social media. On Thursday, influential former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen urged calm and a peaceful resolution to the ongoing border issues between the two countries. Hun Sen is the father of current Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and a close ally of ex-Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the father of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Paetongtarn travelled to Cambodia in April for a two-day visit, during which she met Hun Manet to discuss cross-border cooperation on issues such as online scams and air pollution. On Thursday she called for peaceful discussion, saying "both sides should remain calm and discuss to see what we can agree". Hun Manet wrote on Facebook that he hoped the meeting between the two army commanders would "yield positive results".
Euronews
28-05-2025
- Euronews
Macron meets with Indonesian counterpart to discuss defence and trade
France's President Emmanuel Macron has met with his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto as he continues his week-long trip to Southeast Asia focused on strengthening regional ties in an increasingly unstable global landscape. Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday evening for the second stop in his tour after Vietnam, where Macron signed a deal to sell Hanoi 20 Airbus planes. On arrival, Macron had warm words for Indonesia's leader, describing him as a brother and "a great friend of mine." Military cooperation between Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, and France has grown in recent years, starting in 2019 when Subianto became defence minister. He and Macron met last November on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil, where they discussed Indonesia's plans to buy fighter jets and submarines from France. Indonesia finalised an order for 42 French Dassault Rafele fighter jets in January 2024, with the first delivery expected in early 2026. The Asian nation also announced the purchase of two French Scorpene Evolved submarines and 13 Thales ground control interception radars. Five of the radar systems are expected to be installed in Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara. Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told reporters after welcoming Macron that the visit is aimed at strengthening "defence cooperation between Indonesia and France." On Wednesday, Subianto hosted the Macrons in a ceremony at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta before the two leaders went in for a bilateral meeting. Afterward, the two presidents oversaw the signing of more than a dozen agreements, including a letter of intent for Indonesia to purchase of strategic weapons systems, especially fighter planes and submarines. The developments "can open a new perspective with new orders for Rafales, Scorpènes, and light frigates, along with consolidated joint exercises," Macron said at a joint news conference. Subianto said that France is one of Indonesia's main partners "in the modernisation of defence equipment, including in the development of the defence industry through joint production and technology transfer." The two also discussed global issues, particularly the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Indonesia is seeking to upgrade and modernise its arsenal and strengthen its domestic defence industry. Subianto crisscrossed the globe after becoming defence minister, traveling to China, France, Russia, Turkey and the United States in a bid to acquire new military weapon systems as well as surveillance and territorial defence capabilities. The Indonesian Air Force currently operates a mix of fighter jets made in various countries, including the United States, Russia and the UK. Some of those aircraft have reached or will soon reach their end-of-life phase and need to be replaced or upgraded. The two countries also signed agreements on trade, investment, energy, critical minerals and forestry. Macron was also to meet with ASEAN's Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn and speak at Jakarta State University. On Thursday, Macron and his wife are to visit Borobudur, a 9th century Buddhist temple in the centre of Java and a military academy before heading to Singapore, where the French leader will speak at Asia's top defence conference, the annual Shangri-La Dialogue. One of the EU's most secure borders is being built in the northeast of the European continent! Because Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland border Russia. I am travelling in Latvia, on the external border of the European Union. Latvia's big neighbour Russia spreads fear: Since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, many people in the Baltic states have feared that Moscow could also plan an attack here. Together, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have therefore begun the construction of the "Baltic Defence Line". The Latvian part of the border fortifications alone will cost 303 million euros. Dozens of concrete pyramids, known as "dragon teeth", stand in front of a dilapidated stable building. Tank barriers! Latvia is thus protecting its part of the EU's external border. It is expected to be "armour-proof" by 2028. Next stop on my reporting trip is the Latvian NATO base Ādaži. Here, 3,000 NATO soldiers from 14 countries are practising for emergencies. The Polish Minister of Defence has just announced an increase in the number of troops. While defence spending in Poland and the Baltic states amounted to around two percent of economic output in 2020, it will soon reach five percent. Back in the capital Riga: Together with Afghanistan veteran Andris, Roberts and Monika teach basic military skills – in schools! There are now 112 compulsory hours of military training at all secondary schools. Riga's School of Tourism was one of the first to implement the concept. Agnija and Agnese find the military history including weapons training good: "We have learned our way around the terrain and to make ourselves unrecognisable in the forest with camouflage paint," Agnija lists, "we can also distinguish between different rifle types'. "During off-road exercises, we learned military language, 'enemy at four o'clock' and so on, including the NATO alphabet," adds school friend Agnese. 'And we learned all about our patriots who did great things in the War of Independence.' Agnese and Agnija are studying tourism and have already been to Spain and the Netherlands. Something like shooting training at school – even if only with compressed air cartridges – currently exists across the EU only in Latvia and Poland. Lithuania is also considering introducing military studies in schools. 'Our population is small,' Agnija says, 'about 1.8 million people. Every citizen should have basic military knowledge.' Agnese agrees: "We also learn this in practice. If something happens, we're ready.' Agnija takes the floor again: " I am not afraid, because we are in the European Parliament and in NATO. We are protected – and we protect ourselves." Then she takes aim, takes a quick shot – and hits the bull's eye! Afghanistan veteran Andris is pleased. I have an interview appointment with Defence Minister Andris Sprūds. "There are already several thousand allied soldiers on Latvian soil," Sprūds emphasises. The foreign troop presence will be expanded. Euronews: "Is the NATO deterrent still credible in light of developments in the US?" Sprūds: 'NATO is credible. Washington is sending clear signals that Europeans need to increase their military spending. These are the right signals. We should show unity, strength and willingness to invest. We in Latvia are already spending over three percent of our GDP on the military and are moving towards five percent." Euronews: 'According to analyses by Baltic intelligence services, there is a risk that Russia could attack EU territory. Your assessment?" Sprūds: 'Russia is an aggressive country. Expansionist imperialism is firmly rooted in its DNA. We've seen it in the past and it will probably continue to be the case in the future. The best deterrent is to do our homework.' Euronews: 'Should the EU establish a joint army?' Sprūds: "The national armed forces coordinate their activities so that they can act together. NATO is strong and vibrant. NATO must be preserved as such. NATO must become more lethal, as the new US Secretary of Defence put it. Because strength is something that Russia understands. We need to do more in the areas of arms industry, air defence, drone technology and artificial intelligence." Euronews: 'What is your key message to the EU?' Sprūds: "The EU's ambitious rearmament project is important. This also involved a joint loan and grant system. We need to invest at national and European level. EU and NATO territory are protected, every square centimetre. That's why protecting our external border is a top priority."
