US tariff hikes, Myanmar war and sea disputes will top ASEAN summit agenda
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia — The civil war in Myanmar, maritime disputes in the South China Sea and U.S. tariff hikes will top the agenda of a two-day Southeast Asian summit next week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.
The meeting in Malaysia, the current chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on Monday will be followed by a summit on Tuesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
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Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
UN envoy to Myanmar warns that violence puts country on 'path to self-destruction'
UNITED NATIONS — Myanmar is on 'a path to self-destruction' if violence in the conflict-wracked Southeast Asian nation doesn't end, the U.N. envoy warned on Tuesday. Julie Bishop told the U.N. General Assembly that 'alarmingly' the violence didn't end after a powerful earthquake in late March devastated parts of the capital, Naypyitaw, and the country's second-largest city, Mandalay, killing more than 3,000 people and injuring thousands more.
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Associated Press
UN envoy to Myanmar warns that violence puts country on 'path to self-destruction'
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Myanmar is on 'a path to self-destruction' if violence in the conflict-wracked Southeast Asian nation doesn't end, the U.N. envoy warned on Tuesday. Julie Bishop told the U.N. General Assembly that 'alarmingly' the violence didn't end after a powerful earthquake in late March devastated parts of the capital, Naypyitaw, and the country's second-largest city, Mandalay, killing more than 3,000 people and injuring thousands more. Ceasefires announced by some parties have largely not been observed, 'embedding a crisis within a crisis,' and people in Myanmar must now deal with the raging conflict and the earthquake's devastation, said Bishop, a former foreign minister of Australia. 'A zero-sum approach persists on all sides,' she said. 'Armed clashes remain a barrier to meeting humanitarian needs. The flow of weapons into the country is fueling the expectations that a military solution is possible.' A widespread armed struggle against military rule in Myanmar began in February 2021 after generals seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. More than 6,600 civilians are estimated to have been killed by security forces, according to figures compiled by nongovernmental organizations. The military takeover triggered intensified fighting with long-established armed militias organized by Myanmar's ethnic minority groups in its border regions, which have struggled for decades for more autonomy. It also led to the formation of pro-democracy militias that support a national unity government established by elected lawmakers barred from taking their seats after the army takeover. More than 22,000 political prisoners are still in detention, Bishop said, including Suu Kyi, who turns 80 on June 19, and the ousted president, Win Myint. The U.N. envoy said she detected 'some openness to political dialogue with some regional support, but there is not yet broader agreement on how to move forward.' In meetings with the country's leaders, Bishop said she encouraged them to reconsider their strategy, which has left the country more divided. She also warned against elections, planned for December or January, saying they risk fueling greater resistance and instability unless there is an end to the violence and they can be held in an inclusive and transparent way. Bishop said she has been coordinating further action with Othman Hashim, the special envoy for Myanmar from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN, and they agreed to visit Myanmar together. The U.N. envoy said she had a meeting online on Monday with representatives of the Rohingya minority from Myanmar and Bangladesh. She said the situation for the Rohingya in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state remains dire, with up to 80% of civilians living in poverty and caught in crossfire between the government's military forces and the Arakan Army, the well-armed military wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority, and 'subject to forced recruitment and other abuses.' More than 700,000 Muslim Rohingya fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar starting in late August 2017 when Myanmar's military launched a 'clearance operation.' Members of the ethnic group face discrimination and are denied citizenship and other rights in the Buddhist-majority nation. Bishop said there's hope that a high-level conference on the Rohingya and other minorities called for by the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 30 will put a spotlight on the urgency of finding 'durable solutions' to their plight.
Bloomberg
4 hours ago
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China and Its Neighbors Are Ravaging the Mekong
The Mekong River is more than the sum of its nearly 3,000 miles. It's one of the world's most valuable waterways and has been vital to political power in Southeast Asia for centuries. As a prized strategic and financial asset, commerce and violence have marked the basin's story. The French tried — and failed — to re-engineer the river to anchor their imperial rule. American soldiers fought fiercely in its delta, and the Khmer Rouge casually meted out atrocities not far from its banks. Today, the river is again under siege. Dams may provide electric power to boost economic growth, but extract a terrible toll on the flora and fauna that villages have depended upon for millennia. Statecraft is colliding with major power tensions and national development goals, and the Mekong is coming off worse. Rarely, if ever, has the river's future been more embattled. Co-operation is in short supply, just as it's needed most.
