As #Myanmar 's generals seek revenues to prop up their #MilitaryDictatorship, there's one source of money they can count on: natural gas projects backed by foreign investors, such as #PTT, formerly the Petroleum Authority of Thailand.
Myanmar earns close to US$1 billion a year from natural gas sales. Much of this money flows through Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (#MOGE), a state-owned enterprise with deep links to the military's business empire.
"Human survivability at its absolute limit in #Asia currently: #Thailand, #Myanmar, #Cambodia, #Vietnam, and the #Philippines. All hit temperatures above 40°C, with some places experiencing an incredible life-threatening heat index of up to 52°C."#climate
Myanmars Ex-Regierungschefin Suu Kyi aus Gefängnis in Hausarrest verlegt
Friedensnobelpreisträgerin Suu Kyi ist in Myanmar aus dem Gefängnis in Hausarrest verlegt worden. Ihr und anderen Häftlingen habe in der Haftanstalt ein Hitzschlag gedroht, erklärte die Militärjunta.
Kämpfe in Grenzstadt: Thailands sorgenvoller Blick auf Myanmar
Der Bürgerkrieg in Myanmar hat sich an die Grenze zu Thailand verlagert. Bislang hatte dort das Militärregime das Sagen, nun übernehmen die Rebellen. Das lässt nicht nur Thailand aufhorchen. Von A. Henkel.
From 2010 to 2017, there was a thing called #AseanCitizen that we Aseans started as a grassroots movement. We were all bloggers from across, well, #ASEAN or South-East Asia.
Some of us joined together to produce one of the best multi-authored regional blogs. We talked about our cultures, write about what makes the region awesome. As well as, try to address the oftentimes silly and sometimes heated debates.
It's all gone now. Forgotten. The blogs dead or offline. We all grew up, got busy with our personal lives, and moved on separately. And the important reason? We lost interest in it as we started to see ASEAN was, is, and will never be for the grassroots.
That was the end of what was once a vibrant grassroot ASEAN Citizens effort. We did it all voluntarily. Without a single recognition from the top-down organisation that is ASEAN.
But today? ASEAN is still a top-down organisation. They kept trying to get the grassroots involved, but they are always failing. Why? Because it is a top-down organisation, as simple as that. They will never understand until they shift their mindset and approach to bottom-up.
(P.S I want to restart this grassroots movement, but I just no longer have the spark. Give me a very good reason why I should give it another chance. Or, at least, guide the new generation.)
In Myanmar greifen die Rebellen Ziele in der Hauptstadt an - und demonstrieren damit, wie verwundbar die Armee mittlerweile ist. Die Machthaber treiben den Aufständischen immer mehr Unterstützer zu. Von J. Johnston.
Trotz Sanktionen gegen Myanmar: Menschenrechte gegen Luxus-Holz
Nach dem Militärputsch in Myanmar hatte die EU Sanktionen beschlossen. Trotzdem gelangte seitdem Holz im Wert von 45 Millionen Euro in die EU. Nun werden Stimmen nach einem Vertragsverletzungsverfahren laut. Von P Blum, M. Engert und B. Strunz.
"In KK Park, on the Myanmar-Thai border, those who refuse to scam face torture, starvation and even murder."
As an R&D unit, we usually don't post regular political news stories, but we'll make another exception here for two reasons: Our Julia Bayer was part of the investigative team. And the story shows what a dedicated group of journalists is able to uncover with the right digital tools – and the right mindset, of course.
Jan 2020 NYT headline: "U.N.Court Orders Myanmar to Protect Rohingya Muslims"
Subhead: "The injunction was issued by the International Court of Justice at The Hague, where accusations of genocide have been brought against the Southeast Asian country."
Jan 2024 NYT headline: "U.N.Court Declines to Demand That Israel Stop Its Military Campaign"
Subhead: "The International Court of Justice ruled that Israel must take action to ensure that its military doesn't violate the Genocide Convention, and to let more aid in to Gaza."
Funny how the wording is almost the same across both orders, except one emphasized "with immediate effect" and it's not the one against Myanmar.
Podcast 11KM: Fair Fashion aus der Militärdiktatur?
"Made in Myanmar”: Ein billiges Kleid, produziert in einem Land, in dem gerade Bürgerkrieg herrscht und mit einem staatlichen Siegel für Nachhaltigkeit und faire Arbeitsbedingungen beworben. 11KM fragt, wie das zusammenpasst.
How a guerrilla war in Myanmar has created the perfect environment for cyberscam centers to thrive. Criminals easily traffic victims and force them to extort money from people abroad, using a practice called "pig butchering." Americans lost $2.6 billion to this type of scam in 2022, according to the FBI.
Bangladesch: Tausende nach Feuer in Rohingya-Camp obdachlos
Nach einem Feuer in einem überfüllten Flüchtlingslager in Bangladesch sind Tausende Rohingya obdachlos. Die Flammen zerstörten die aus Bambus und Planen errichteten Unterkünfte der aus Myanmar Geflohenen. Tote gab es offenbar nicht.
Widerstandskämpfer in Myanmar haben eine wichtige Grenzstadt erobert und der Militärjunta damit eine schwere Niederlage beigebracht. Laukkai ist wichtig für den Handel mit China - aber auch ein Zentrum der Kriminalität.
China is urging its citizens in Myanmar to leave an area in the country’s Shan state, citing growing unrest. The border state has become a hotbed for online scam centers amid Myanmar’s civil war, and more than 40,000 Chinese citizens involved in the schemes have been deported in the last several months. Read more from Semafor about how China may not be able to play both sides of the war much longer.
In Myanmar kämpfen seit einem Militärputsch 2021 verschiedene Rebellengruppen gegen das Militär. Sie sind schlecht ausgerüstet und setzen dem Regime trotzdem immer stärker zu. Was treibt sie an? Jennifer Johnston war im Grenzgebiet zu Myanmar unterwegs.
Canada, Britain and main EU countries join Myanmar genocide case
Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Britain have teamed up to join the genocide case over Myanmar's treatment of the Muslim Rohingya minority before the UN's top court in The Hague.
Myanmar: "Militärregime vor größter Prüfung seit Jahrzehnten"
In Myanmar haben Rebellengruppen weite Teile der Grenzregion zu China unter ihre Kontrolle gebracht. Es ist der schwerste Rückschlag für die Militärjunta seit ihrer Machtübernahme im Februar 2021. Von Jennifer Johnston.