Latest news with #BurmeseNewYear
Malay Mail
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
UN: Myanmar junta continuing military operations despite declared ceasefire
BANGKOK, 25 April — Myanmar's junta has continued a deadly military campaign, including airstrikes and artillery assaults, despite announcing a ceasefire after a major earthquake killed thousands in March, according to the United Nations and data from a crisis monitor. The 28 March quake, the worst natural disaster to hit the impoverished nation in decades, triggered a multinational relief effort to support hundreds of thousands already devastated by conflict and prompted repeated international calls to halt the fighting. On 2 April, following similar moves by opposition armed groups, Myanmar's military announced a 20-day ceasefire to support humanitarian relief. On Tuesday, it said the temporary cessation had been extended until 30 April after rare high-level talks led by Malaysia's prime minister. However, unpublished figures from the United Nations show that the fighting has continued unabated, and a Reuters analysis of data provided by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project found the frequency of junta aerial attacks has increased since the ceasefire announcement, compared to the six months prior. A junta spokesperson did not respond to multiple calls from Reuters seeking comment. Between 28 March and 24 April, the military launched at least 207 attacks, including 140 airstrikes and 24 artillery barrages, according to data from the UN Human Rights Office, based on reports it had received. More than 172 attacks have taken place since the ceasefire began, with 73 of them occurring in areas devastated by the earthquake. 'It's business as usual,' said James Rodehaver, head of the United Nations Office on Human Rights in Myanmar. 'The ceasefire should have involved stopping all military activity and repurposing your military to support the humanitarian response — and that has not happened.' Myanmar has been in crisis since the military seized power in February 2021, toppling the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. A brutal junta crackdown on the opposition ignited a spiralling civil war, including in the previously peaceful central heartlands where protesters took up arms. Civilian targets Two weeks into the ceasefire, junta aircraft flew over South Kan Ma Yaik village in southeastern Karen state on 16 April, during Burmese New Year celebrations, and dropped bombs that killed a pregnant woman and her unborn baby north of the settlement, an eyewitness told Reuters. 'The first bomb exploded near her house. Then she braced her children for a second bomb and shrapnel hit her body,' said the witness, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution. 'All the children were bleeding all over.' Reuters could not independently verify the witness's account, but the ACLED data includes an entry for a junta attack on the village on 16 April, including one fatality. In the six months before 2 April, the junta carried out an average of 7.6 attacks per day using aircraft or drones, killing more than five people daily, including civilians, according to ACLED data. Between 2 and 18 April, the military conducted an average of 9.7 aircraft or drone attacks per day, killing more than six people daily. In total, 105 people were killed by junta aerial attacks during this period. The data showed opposition groups only conducted three aerial attacks during the ceasefire, between 2 and 18 April. Anti-junta groups in the country lack a conventional air force and rely on drones. In contrast, Myanmar's junta air force includes Chinese and Russian-made fighter jets, ground-attack aircraft, Russian attack helicopters and heavy unmanned aerial vehicles, according to a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies last year. The junta's aerial attacks since the earthquake have targeted the Sagaing region and northern Shan state, where it is attempting to regain strategic positions, as well as Kachin and Rakhine states, said ACLED senior analyst Su Mon. 'The military is still conducting aerial strikes that target civilian populations,' she said. In its ceasefire announcements on 2 and 22 April, the junta stated it would retaliate against a range of actions by rebels, including recruitment and territorial expansion. In a few instances, the data indicated that the military was attacked by armed groups prior to launching an airstrike, the UN's Rodehaver said. Referring to the junta, he said: 'Whenever you get attacked by small arms fire, your response is to launch airstrikes on an area and you end up killing a dozen people who were not involved in the fighting at all. Is that a ceasefire?' — Reuters
Hans India
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Celebrate Thingyan Festival at Burma Burma till May 11
Burma Burma restaurants across India are celebrating Thingyan, the Burmese New Year and harvest festival, with a specially curated festive menu by Head Chef Ansab Khan. Inspired by the traditional home-style feasts enjoyed during Thingyan, the limited-time menu showcases the rich culinary diversity of Burma through a variety of authentic dishes. Thingyan, also known as the Water Festival, symbolizes purification and renewal, marked by water splashing and community feasting. Drawing from this cultural backdrop, the menu's centrepiece is the Thingyan Tiffin Meal for Two, served in an enamel tiffin, featuring a multi-course spread of festive favorites. It includes: Delete Edit Hand-tossed Broad Beans with a Fried Tofu Sandwich Mock Meatball Curry with flaky Palata Tofu and Bottle Gourd Curry Jasmine Rice with White Peas topped with stir-fried spicy soybean Pumpkin and Bok Choy Stir Fry Traditional Cashew and Tomato & Preserved Bean Dips Inspired by Burmese street food, a live Hawker's Noodle Salad is also offered, tossed table-side from a selection of fresh ingredients and dressings, replicating the vibrant food stalls of Yangon. Desserts rooted in Thingyan traditions include the Banana Sanwin Makin (semolina banana pudding), Black Rice Custard, Sago Delight, and Tropical Jelly, reflecting the celebratory sweets shared during the New Year. The beverage menu complements the meal with festive drinks such as the Plum Sour, Basil & Ginger, and Musk Lemon, each blending native ingredients and refreshing flavours inspired by Burmese drinks. Burma Burma's Thingyan menu will be available from April 14 to May 11, 2025, across its locations in Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad.
