China calls the shots in Myanmar's civil war
The next year the AA led the Rakhine, the largely Buddhist local majority, in an uprising against the Tatmadaw. Fearing this to be the first step in the disintegration of Myanmar, the army and the then civilian government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, sought to crush it. A ceasefire was negotiated in November 2020. After the coup three months later, other ethnic armies across Myanmar rose against the junta, in collaboration with pro-democracy forces. But the AA bided its time.
In late 2023, as the Tatmadaw came under pressure elsewhere, the AA broke the ceasefire. The junta, short of men, then did the unthinkable: it began arming Rohingya to fight for it against the AA. This did it little good: within a year the Tatmadaw had lost most of Rakhine state. Not since the years immediately after independence in 1948 has the military suffered such a string of defeats anywhere in Myanmar.
You might suppose this would concern China, considering its strong relationship with the Tatmadaw and its investments in the state. But no. China has long also cultivated the AA. It has been relaxed about the AA's rapid progress, and the AA has reassured China that it supports the investments. It has taken care to avoid using heavy weapons near the pipeline; and as it has captured a series of pumping stations, it has allowed oil and gas to flow unimpeded.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Rachel Reeves told petrol prices would be near record highs without current fuel duty cuts
The Keep It Down tax break for drivers is safe until next year 'VITAL CUT' Rachel Reeves told petrol prices would be near record highs without current fuel duty cuts Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PETROL prices would be near record highs without the current fuel duty cuts, Rachel Reeves was warned today. The AA cheered the lowest pump costs since July 2021 - but says it is solely due to the 5p cut to the hated driving tax won by The Sun's Keep It Down campaign. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up A drop in the price of petrol saw service stations charge 132.3p a litre on Thursday – a fall from 135.5p in early April. Without the 5p cut, the cost of fuelling a car would now be an average 138.3p a litre, according to the AA. The Keep It Down tax break for drivers is safe until next year. But Ms Reeves is under huge pressure from Labour MPs to find more money to fund benefits, and that could result in an onslaught of tax hikes at the 2026 Spring Budget. Read More on Politics POT OF GOLD Rachel Reeves' pension 'megafund' reforms to bag retirees £6,000 extra each Luke Bosdet, spokesperson for the AA said: 'The importance of the continuing 5p cut in fuel duty cannot be underestimated. 'Without the duty cut, petrol would still be uncomfortably close to the record level seen before the pandemic and Ukraine war economic shock. 'The Chancellor needs to consider this in upcoming tax deliberations.' The Sun's asks Rachel Reeves' constituents their thoughts on fuel duty rises
Economist
4 days ago
- Economist
China calls the shots in Myanmar's civil war
The next year the AA led the Rakhine, the largely Buddhist local majority, in an uprising against the Tatmadaw. Fearing this to be the first step in the disintegration of Myanmar, the army and the then civilian government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, sought to crush it. A ceasefire was negotiated in November 2020. After the coup three months later, other ethnic armies across Myanmar rose against the junta, in collaboration with pro-democracy forces. But the AA bided its time. In late 2023, as the Tatmadaw came under pressure elsewhere, the AA broke the ceasefire. The junta, short of men, then did the unthinkable: it began arming Rohingya to fight for it against the AA. This did it little good: within a year the Tatmadaw had lost most of Rakhine state. Not since the years immediately after independence in 1948 has the military suffered such a string of defeats anywhere in Myanmar. You might suppose this would concern China, considering its strong relationship with the Tatmadaw and its investments in the state. But no. China has long also cultivated the AA. It has been relaxed about the AA's rapid progress, and the AA has reassured China that it supports the investments. It has taken care to avoid using heavy weapons near the pipeline; and as it has captured a series of pumping stations, it has allowed oil and gas to flow unimpeded.
Times
4 days ago
- Times
Lord Hermer criticised over trespass charge for ousted Myanmar envoy
The attorney-general has been criticised for authorising criminal charges against Myanmar's former ambassador for refusing to leave his official London residence after being ousted in a 'coup'. Lord Hermer approved the prosecution of Kyaw Zwar Minn for allegedly 'trespassing' at the mansion in Hampstead, north London, where he has remained since being dismissed in April 2021. Kyaw Zwar Minn, 66, was sacked as ambassador after denouncing his nations' military regime and supporting Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian leader who was deposed in a coup. The attorney-general's office has approved a charge of 'trespass on a diplomatic mission' between May 2021 and November last year. Kyaw Zwar Minn, who still lives in the property, is due to appear at Westminster magistrates' court on Friday. The maximum sentence, if convicted, is six months in jail or an unlimited fine. Campaigners claim the prosecution will be used as propaganda by Myanmar's military regime as evidence of its international legitimacy and to terrorise opponents. Hermer, a human rights lawyer, will face allegations of hypocrisy. Eight months after Kyaw Zwar Minn was sacked, Hermer's barristers' chambers publicised that he was 'representing victims and survivors of the genocide perpetrated by the Myanmar regime' in a legal action against Facebook for allegedly 'facilitating' the abuse. Chris Gunness, director of the Myanmar Accountability Project, said: 'The British public will be outraged that a Labour attorney-general is allowing precious taxpayer resources to be wasted by a foreign junta using the UK courts to seize diplomatic property in London. 'It is clearly not in our national interest, given that the UK has condemned the coup, slapped sanctions on the coup leaders and supports democracy in Myanmar.' Kyaw Zwar Minn, a former colonel in the Myanmar army, was locked out of the embassy in Mayfair, central London, in April 2021. The ambassador said he had stopped obeying orders after being summoned home following his criticism after the junta seized control of his country. Dominic Rabb, the foreign secretary at the time, said: 'I pay tribute to Kyaw Zwar Minn for his courage.' Nigel Adams, then Asia minister, hailed Kyaw Zwar Minn's 'courage and patriotism'. Lisa Nandy, then shadow foreign secretary and now culture secretary, said at the time: 'By standing up to the military junta, Kyaw Zwar Minn has shown immense courage and should be offered any appropriate support and protection.' Most democratic nations, including Britain, have not formally recognised the junta. Catherine West, the current minister for the Indo-Pacific, announced fresh sanctions against the military regime in October last year as a result of 'human rights violations taking place across Myanmar, including airstrikes on civilian infrastructure'. The Foreign Office said in 2021 that it received official notification from the military regime that the ambassador's position had been terminated. 'The UK has a longstanding policy of recognising states not governments,' it said. 'We therefore must accept the decision taken by the Myanmar government regarding Kyaw Zwar Minn's position.'
