Rep. Chris Smith, a 21-term Republican congressman from New Jersey and co-chair of the Congressional Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, is a long-time critic of the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights record. He spoke to Tashi Wangchuk of RFA’s Tibetan Service Friday about increasingly repressive Chinese policies toward Tibet, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong. He endorsed the determination made by the U.S. State Department in January that China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region constitute genocide, and said the term also applies to repressive policies in next-door Tibet. The situation in these long-troubled regions, along with the sharp decline in freedom in Hong Kong in the year since China imposed a harsh National Security Law on Hong Kong, make Beijing unfit to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, said Smith. He argued for pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reconsider the decision, and called for a boycott in the event the games go on in the Chinese capital. This interview has been edited for length.
2022 Winter Olympics
To march into Beijing, into an Olympic stadium, with big smiles, patting Xi Jinping on the back — you know the genocide is his genocide. And you know, he’s the one who said ‘show no mercy’ to the Muslim Uyghurs…and they haven’t. (We must) very aggressively say to the IOC: “You cannot host an Olympic Games in the same country that is also committing a horrific genocide against Muslim Uyghurs and Kazakhs and other minorities.’ It’s reminiscent of the 1936 Nazi Olympic Games, but in that case we didn’t know as much then…We now know what’s going on against the people in Xinjiang, and it is a genocide. It has been determined to be that by both Secretary (Mike) Pompeo and by Anthony Blinken, the secretary of state, and other countries…are now stepping up and saying it is indeed a genocide, and that is the complete elimination of the people in whole or in part. The five criteria described in the genocide convention, all of them are being realized horribly by the people of Xinjiang. If that doesn’t work, frankly, if the Olympic Committee remains resolute, we should boycott it.
Rep. Chris Smith (C) and Tiananmen protest veteran Fang Zheng (2nd L) are observed by sculptor Chen Weiming (L) at a ceremony on the 32nd anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, at Liberty Sculpture Park in Yermo, California, June 4, 2021. Credit: AFP
‘Decades-long genocide’ in Tibet
Genocide against the Tibetans has been a long, decades-long genocide: The Han population transfer that has occurred, the use of forced abortion and forced sterilization to reduce the population — very similar to what they’re doing against the Uyghurs — the inability of people to practice their chosen faith as they would like. The fact that the Dalai Lama’s successor the Panchen Lama, has disappeared and the Chinese Communist government reserves unto itself the right to pick the next Dalai Lama. I mean that is absurd. So there’s been a long, very, very painful genocide against Tibetans. The Chinese Communist Party is directly responsible for several genocides of which Tibet is one of them.
A ‘rapidly deteriorating situation’ in Hong Kong
And again just look at Hong Kong. They broke their word on the basic law, they broke their word on the U.K.-Sino agreement, which is an international treaty. And now some of the best and the bravest and the brightest in Hong Kong are in prison, or they’ve had to leave the country, while others are waiting for that knock on the door of the Chinese secret police. So it’s a rapidly deteriorating situation.
Transaction expands Canadian pension plan’s direct investment holdings in India, while increasing its global exposure to renewables sector
SINGAPORE, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — OMERS Infrastructure today announced that it has signed a Stock Purchase Agreement to acquire from International Finance Corporation and IFC GIF Investment Company I an approximately 19.4% stake in Azure Power Global Limited (NYSE: AZRE), for a total consideration of approximately US$219m. Founded in 2008, Azure Power is a leading independent renewable power producer located in India, with an asset base of ~2 GW of operational capacity and ~5 GW of capacity under construction or awarded.
“This agreement to invest in Azure Power demonstrates OMERS strong global interest in high-quality renewable power and energy transition assets, as well as our interest in India as an investment destination and Asia-Pacific more broadly,” said Annesley Wallace, Executive Vice President and Global Head of OMERS Infrastructure. “This transaction directly supports our mission of building a strong portfolio of well-run assets that will help pay pensions to our members over the long term,” she added.
“Azure Power’s vision is to provide affordable, clean energy in an efficient, sustainable and socially-responsible manner. OMERS is proud to be working with the management and our fellow investors to help Azure Power achieve its goals,” said Prateek Maheshwari, Managing Director, Asia, OMERS Infrastructure. “The closing of this transaction would mark our second direct infrastructure investment in India, following our 2019 investment in the IndInfravit toll road platform. In support of our goal of prudently diversifying OMERS investments across global markets, we will continue to explore additional promising opportunities in India and throughout Asia-Pacific,” he added.
OMERS Infrastructure’s global renewable energy holdings include Leeward Renewable Energy, a growth-oriented renewable energy company that owns and operates a portfolio of 22 renewable energy facilities across nine U.S. states, totaling more than 2 GW of installed capacity. Leeward is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
The transaction is expected to close in early August. Ambit Private Limited acted as financial advisor to OMERS Infrastructure.
Contact:
Neil Hrab
Manager, Media Relations
416-369-2418 nhrab@omers.com
About OMERS and OMERS Infrastructure:
OMERS Infrastructure manages investments globally in infrastructure on behalf of OMERS, the defined benefit pension plan for municipal employees in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Investments are aimed at steady returns to help deliver sustainable, affordable and meaningful pensions to OMERS members.
OMERS diversified portfolio of large-scale infrastructure assets exhibits stability and strong cash flows, in sectors including energy, digital services, transportation and government-regulated services. OMERS teams work in Toronto, London, New York, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Singapore, Sydney and other major cities across North America and Europe – serving members and employers, and originating and managing a diversified portfolio of high-quality investments in public markets, private equity, infrastructure and real estate. OMERS is one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension funds, with net assets of C$105 billion.
Six months after Myanmar’s military staged a coup to remove the country’s democratically elected government, life in the Southeast Asian nation is worse by nearly every metric, according to analysts, who said the junta’s prospect for maintaining power in the long term appears unlikely.
On Feb. 1, the military seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), alleging that the party’s landslide victory in the country’s November 2020 election was the result of extensive voter fraud.
The junta detained the NLD leadership on what are widely seen as politically motivated charges and has violently suppressed mass protests, arresting at least 5,442 people and killing 939, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
Earlier this week, the junta’s Union Election Commission (UEC) announced that the 2020 election results had been annulled, claiming that more than 11.3 million ballots—representing nearly one-third of the country’s registered voters—had been discounted due to fraud and other irregularities orchestrated by the NLD. The junta has yet to produce evidence of its claims, and the NLD and several of the country’s other political parties have rejected the move as unlawful.
Aung Kyi Myunt, a member of the NLD’s central executive committee, told RFA that the military had been working to remove the party from power for months in the lead up to the coup and that the country’s political situation is now in shambles.
“They came in with weapons, destroying branch office signage, and in some places removed NLD flags or entered NLD offices and unlawfully confiscated documents, equipment, and computers as they wished,” he said.
“Some NLD officials were arrested and imprisoned under various charges, while others have been tortured or killed, or are now in hiding. Some elected [lawmakers] have taken shelter in ‘liberated areas’ [under the control of anti-junta militias] or moved to safer places.”
The remnants of the NLD responded to the coup by forming the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) in May and backing the formation of the People’s Defense Force (PDF) militia, which has proved to be a formidable adversary in protecting the public from junta forces throughout the country.
People queue as they wait to use ATMs in Yangon, April 7, 2021. AFP
Economy on the ropes
Myanmar’s economy has also suffered in the aftermath of the military takeover, with hundreds of thousands of jobs lost amid the widespread closure of factories and other businesses.
While some of the downturn can be attributed to the disastrous impact of the coronavirus, the Asian Development Bank estimates that Myanmar’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is currently shrinking by nearly 10 percent, compared to a growth of 3.3 percent in 2020, suggesting that the previous government had managed to steer the economy in the right direction after the pandemic reached the country in March last year.
A statement issued by the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association last month said that 52 factories have been shut down on either a temporary or permanent basis since the coup, as orders from international buyers fell from tens of thousands to thousands.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) said last week that labor market conditions in Myanmar have also worsened since the military took over. As many as 1.2 million jobs were lost in the second quarter of 2021, predominantly in the construction, tourism, and hospitality sectors.
A World Bank report released this week said that the twin impacts of the military takeover and coronavirus pandemic could double the poverty rate in Myanmar, and suggested the economy is headed for a recession. The Bank pointed to domestic protests, labor shortages, telecommunications shutdowns, and a failing health sector as having the greatest impact.
Dr. Soe Tun, a businessman in Myanmar’s largest city Yangon, said the coup had left Myanmar’s economy in a state of “turmoil.”
“Foreign investors are shutting down businesses and leaving the country, while local businesses are struggling hard to survive,” he said. “Everything is slowing down.”
Meanwhile, the kyat has depreciated significantly in the past six months, increasing from 1,330 to the U.S. dollar on the day of the coup to 1,630 on Friday.
The daughter of Zwee Htet Soe, a protester who died during a demonstration against the military coup, cries during her father’s funeral in Yangon, March 5, 2021. AFP
‘Worst’ ever rights situation
Watchdog groups say the coup has had a devastating impact on the human rights situation in Myanmar, citing widespread reports of torture, as well as the number of deaths and arrests documented by the AAPP.
Min Lwin Oo, a lawyer with the Asian Human Rights Commission, said the people of Myanmar have been living in a state of anxiety and fear for the past six months.
“Our children have been subjected to abuses of the rights of minors, women have been subjected to sexual abuse and harassment, men have been brutally beaten during arrests and cruelly tortured at interrogation centers,” he said.
“The people have been living in fear. They have no guarantees protecting their property. They cannot move about freely or even breathe freely. The situation has gone from bad to worse.”
The AAPP recently said that people between the ages of 18 and 35 accounted for the highest number of deaths attributed to the junta, and that 61 minors were among those killed.
A spokesman for the group told RFA that the last six months have been worse for human rights in Myanmar than during any other time in history.
“Many were killed during the protests on the streets and there were a lot of young people among those shot dead,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Some were arrested at home or killed because of false information provided to the military by informants. We have endured a succession of military dictators, but this present dictatorship is the worst.”
RFA has also documented a significant downturn in media freedom since February, with some 90 arrests of journalists. Following the coup, the junta shut down eight media outlets, including DVB News, Mizzima News Agency, Myitkyina Journal, Tachileik News Agency, Seven Days, Myanmar Now, Modern, and The 74 Media.
Volunteers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) pray in front of bodies of people who died from COVID-19 during their funeral at a cemetery in Mandalay, July 14, 2021. AFP
Ailing healthcare system
Efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 in Myanmar were dealt a serious blow when the military seized power on Feb. 1 and the country’s healthcare system is now at the brink of collapse due to a poorly managed third wave of the coronavirus.
The number of COVID-19 infections rose Friday to a total of 289,333 since Myanmar’s first recorded case in March last year. The official monthly infection rate has jumped from around two percent of those tested in April 2020 during the first wave to 23 percent earlier this month, and at least 8,552 have died.
The country’s public hospitals are operating at maximum capacity and had been turning away all but the most seriously ill, while others were forced to settle for treatment at home amid shortages of basic medical necessities, including oxygen supplies critical to mitigating hypoxia.
Tens of thousands of people, including many healthcare professionals, have left their jobs to join a nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in opposition to junta rule. Many have faced arrest for voicing criticism of the regime.
More than 4,600 people have died from COVID-19 over the past two months, according to the junta’s Ministry of Health and Sports, although the actual number is believed to be substantially higher, based on reports by charity groups that provide free burial services.
A doctor in Mandalay, who declined to be named, said CDM doctors and health workers have had to carry out their work in secret as the junta continues to make arrests.
“There is absolutely no freedom at all. Right now, providing medical treatment is like smuggling,” he said. “We have never seen anything like this before in this country.”
Doctors estimate that between 80 and 100 doctors and health workers have been detained since February.
Police fire water cannons at protesters as they demonstrate against the military coup in the capital Naypyidaw, Feb. 9, 2021. AFP
Grasp on power tenuous
Aung Htoo, a Sweden-based Burmese lawyer, said that while the military has so far been able to use the threat of violence to maintain a grip on the nation, its inability to govern effectively suggests that a power struggle is likely to ensue.
“In order to lay the groundwork for the country’s long-term stability, an administrative machinery based on a strong and balanced constitution will be needed,” he told RFA’s Myanmar Service, adding that the people no longer accept Myanmar’s 2008 charter, drafted under the then-ruling military regime.
“It is impossible to achieve stability under the 2008 Constitution, as the [current] junta has hoped for. Looking back at the past six-month period, I don’t think there is a possibility for peace and stability in the country even though the junta has now taken control in the urban areas.”
Reported by RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
All pivoted nightlife establishments must remain closed until written approval has been given to resume operations
1. Following the mandatory two-week suspension announced by the Multi-Ministry Task Force on 16 July 2021, nightlife establishments which were previously allowed to temporarily pivot to food and beverage (F&B) operations must pass inspections and receive a conditional permit from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) before they can resume operations.
2. The suspension of operations for pivoted nightlife establishments from 16 July was done to break community transmission from the cluster of COVID-19 cases at former KTVs and nightclubs. The operators of the pivoted establishments will be required to put in place additional Safe Management Measures (SMMs), on top of existing ones, to further reduce public health risks and facilitate enforcement checks. Establishments must remain closed, including for takeaway operations, until they pass the checks and receive written approval to reopen. Around 50 pivoted nightlife establishments which have committed SMM breaches since October 2020 will not be allowed to reopen.
Requirements for resumption of operations
3. The requirements to be met by establishments before they can resume operations include:
All employees have undergone a one-time PCR test for COVID-19; and
Agencies have conducted checks and are satisfied that SMM protocols are in place. This includes prevailing SMMs for F&B operators, as well as additional SMMs we will introduce for pivoted nightlife operators to further reduce public health risks and facilitate enforcement checks.
4. The additional SMMs which pivoted nightlife establishments must adhere to are as follows:
Only the main hall can be used for F&B operations; all private rooms to be locked and not to be used for any purpose;
CCTVs to cover all areas of operation, including entrances of the locked private rooms. Lighting levels in outlets must be sufficient for activities to be observed on the CCTVs;
The interior of the outlet must be clearly visible to people outside; no blackout windows or opaque doors along the perimeter of the outlet;
Equipment that facilitate public entertainment (e.g. pool tables, dart boards, and karaoke machines) must be removed out of sight of patrons;
All employees to undergo 7-day Fast and Easy Testing (FET) at a HPB Quick Test Centre, upon resumption of operations. This is a more stringent measure than the 14-day employer-supervised FET for typical F&B outlets;
SafeEntry Gateway to be implemented at the entry/exit point to facilitate contact tracing;
Prevailing licensing conditions must be complied with, such as on food preparation facilities and menu; an
Employees deployed at the entrance of the outlet must not delay entry of enforcement officers, nor prevent members of the public from looking in.
5. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and relevant agencies will reach out to operators on the requirements and follow-ups. Operators with queries may email covid_gobusiness@mti.gov.sg.
Strict enforcement of requirements
6. All pivoted nightlife establishments must comply strictly with the requirements in order to reopen. Any outlet found to resume operations (including takeaway) without obtaining a conditional permit from MTI will face firm enforcement action, including prosecution and the cancellation of licences for food, public entertainment and liquor. Establishments that breach SMMs are liable to have their conditional permits to operate withdrawn and must close immediately.
7. Since October 2020, agencies had stepped up enforcement checks on F&B establishments, including pivoted nightlife operators. In May 2021, agencies tightened the penalty framework for pivoted nightlife operators found in breach of SMMs. Seven operators have had their licences permanently revoked thus far, and have been ordered to cease operations with immediate effect (see Annex A for the list of operators).
8. In the period between October 2020 and 10 July 2021, the Police conducted 202 operations against licensed public entertainment outlets, including those which had pivoted to F&B operations, as well as against unlicensed public entertainment outlets which were operating in locations such as industrial estates, office units, and shophouses. This resulted in the detection of 58 Public Entertainment Act and Liquor Control Act infringements, 595 SMM breaches, and 142 arrests for offences under various laws, including the Public Entertainments Act, Liquor Control Act, Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, and Immigration Act.
9. Agencies, including the Police, will keep up with our enforcement efforts on pivoted nightlife establishments, to ensure that SMMs are strictly adhered to. Firm enforcement action will be taken against operators and individuals who flout SMMs, which include prosecution and revocation of licences including food, public entertainment and liquor.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet virtually with Southeast Asian officials every day next week, a senior state department official said Saturday, as Washington seeks to show the region it’s a U.S. priority while also addressing the crisis in Myanmar.
The top U.S. diplomat will attend virtual meetings for five consecutive days, including annual meetings of the 10 foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other nations and separate meetings of the Lower Mekong subregion countries Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.
“I think it’s a clear demonstration of our commitment to the region,” said the official, who briefed Reuters on condition of anonymity.
In recent years top U.S. officials have not always attended ASEAN meetings and have sometimes sent more junior officials to the region’s summits.
The virtual meetings come after the Biden administration in its early days was seen as paying little attention to the region of more than 600 million people, which is often overshadowed by neighboring economic giant China, seen by the administration as its major foreign policy challenge.
But that has been partly addressed by recent visits to the region. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand in May and June, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Vietnam and the Philippines this week, and Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit Singapore and Vietnam.
“That steady flow of high-level engagement is going to pay dividends. It’s noticed,” the official said, adding that countries in the region “notice when we don’t show up and that’s when you start hearing some complaining maybe about not taking them seriously or taking them for granted.”
‘Game-changer’
The official said that donations of COVID-19 vaccines to the region had been a “game-changer in terms of how our image is perceived.”
On Sunday, the United States shipped 3 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam, and it has sent doses to other Southeast Asian countries too, but an agreement it reached in March with Japan and Australia and India to provide a billion doses to the region stalled because of an Indian export ban.
By midweek the United States will have donated 23 million doses to countries in the region, which is experiencing a surge of the coronavirus with vaccination rates well below countries in the West, the official said.
But none of those doses have gone to Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, where military generals staged a coup on February 1 and detained elected leaders including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking sanctions from Washington and other Western capitals.
The meetings next week will see Blinken in the same virtual meetings as representatives of Myanmar’s military government, but the official said rather than bestowing legitimacy on those officials, this was an opportunity to get messages to the military government.
“We’re not prepared to walk away from ASEAN because of the bad behavior of a group of generals in Burma,” the official said, adding that U.S. officials were also engaging with the National Unity Government that opposes the military government there.
H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, will attend the 54th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and Related Meetings on 2-7 August 2021 via videoconference. Twenty-seven Foreign Ministers from ASEAN Member States and external partners are expected to participate.
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers will discuss ways to promote ASEAN Community building that is people-centred and people-oriented, prepared for future challenges and opportunities, and prospering together, under the theme “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper” and priorities under Brunei Darussalam’s ASEAN Chairmanship this year. In engaging with external partners, ASEAN Foreign Ministers will reiterate the importance of ASEAN centrality in the evolving regional architecture amidst the uncertainties of regional security dynamics and other emerging challenges, especially those arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers will discuss ASEAN’s collective efforts to address regional and global challenges, including the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus agreed by ASEAN Leaders on 24 April 2021, and make preparations for the upcoming 38th and 39th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in October 2021. They will also discuss and exchange views with external partners on the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and other important regional and international issues of common concern. This year, Thailand will handover ASEAN-India Country Coordinatorship to Singapore, and will take over ASEAN-Japan Coordinatorship from Viet Nam.
The Deputy Prime Minister will take this opportunity to promote cooperation on the Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model (BCG) as well as the comprehensive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and to support multilateralism and regional cooperation to address the regional and global challenges.
Source:Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand.
