Day: March 1, 2024

Months of intense battles between anti-junta groups and junta forces have ravaged the city of Mongmit in Myanmar’s Shan state, resulting in widespread displacement, lootings and arson, according to locals. 

Currently under junta control, the city was once a battleground where the Three Brotherhood Alliance clashed with junta forces. A ceasefire between the two, mediated by China, was established on Jan. 11, but battles persisted with the Kachin Independence Army, which did not partake in the ceasefire agreement.

After launching attacks on Jan. 18, the KIA, in alliance with the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front and People’s Defense Forces, temporarily took over the city, residents told Radio Free Asia on Friday. 

However, on Jan. 29, the junta forces recaptured the city through a fierce counterattack involving airstrikes and heavy artillery. This offensive led to the destruction of over 200 buildings, including key structures like the market, monasteries, and a school, as well as 100 residential homes.

In this tumultuous period, close to 10,000 inhabitants evacuated the city, abandoning their homes and businesses for extended durations. The resulting void has triggered a wave of robberies throughout the urban neighborhoods, according to locals. 

A resident, among those who have returned to the city, told RFA that he saw a group of people holding sticks and swords looting houses. 

“They took everything without leaving anything behind. It was a group of people in plain clothes and most of them were criminals in the past,” said the resident who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons.

“They did not even leave the fence door. They took it away and no one dared to say anything. Then they burned homes. It’s already like a ruined city.”

Another woman from Mongmit said that nearly all the shops in the city had been looted, including her own.

“Our shop has been looted and there is nothing left, just like every shop in the city now. It was broken into and our goods were stolen,” she said, declining to be identified for fear of reprisals. “It’s worse where there are no people now, some of them are returning to the city.”

Mongmit and its neighboring city Mabein have been under martial law since Wednesday. 

Shan state’s junta spokesperson, Khun Thein Maung, did not respond to RFA’s inquiries.

According to the Shan Human Rights Foundation’s statement on Tuesday, a total of 27 civilians were killed by heavy artillery and airstrikes from Jan. 1 to Feb. 2, including two mass killings.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Taejun Kang.

Luo Zhehan, a primary school student in China’s Jiangsu province, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia after being vaccinated with a domestically-produced COVID-19 vaccine and passed away a month afterwards. But his family rather faced significant challenges in seeking justice, recounting threats of imprisonment from the government during their pursuit. 

Luo is not alone. Victims of China’s home-made COVID-19 vaccine have issued a petition calling on the authorities to take responsibility, as representatives vowed to take their grievances to Beijing during the “two sessions” meetings that will open next Tuesday. Like Luo’s family, however, they face an uncertain and challenging path ahead.

Qian Dalong, the victims’ representative in Beijing told Radio Free Asia that the authorities have blocked the petition on the internet after it spread online rapidly, while many human rights representatives have been monitored by the police or placed under house arrest. 

The two sessions are the state’s most important annual political meetings – the concurrent meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC), top legislature, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the political advisory body to the Chinese Communist Party. 

But he said the group has mailed the petition to delegates of the two sessions, hoping to draw their attention to their plight.

“[The authorities have] set up layers of obstacles to prevent people from speaking. We have already mailed [the petition] to them. Whether the delegates have a conscience, or dare to take up the issue? We don’t know.”

Qian said he suddenly became paralyzed after taking the third dose of the Chinese vaccine, Sinovac. He revealed the side effects of the vaccine on Chinese social media last July, which led to a month of detention and the blockade of his Weibo account. Attempts to contact the authorities via the government to take responsibility failed.

“There should be more than 3,000 victims, as some don’t even realize that it’s because of the vaccine.”

Most of the nearly 3,000 victims who signed the petition have contracted leukemia (2,973 cases) and type 1 diabetes, according to a post by the Chinese blog Weiquanwang, which translates into Rights Protection Network, on Feb. 22. 

The victims and their families last called out to the Chinese government to investigate and take responsibility in February last year. 

In an open letter, they called on the National Health Commission to investigate all cases of major health problems occurring after vaccination, and to call in independent and scientific investigators to probe their claims, as well as pay the medical expenses of those left sick or disabled by vaccines, and offer them appropriate levels of care.

Systemic problem

An expert involved in handling public health incidents and did not want to be named for fear of reprisal believes that China’s public health incidents are systemic problems. 

“In the history of China’s public health, similar incidents have emerged one after another. The most terrifying thing about this country is not the technical problem,” said the expert. “The Chinese government and vaccine companies are bound by interests. There has never been transparent data and credible information. The system is shady, so what defenders are facing is not just a company, but the entire government.” 

The expert called on the health ministry to act as a coordinator for the drug company to fork out the money for a third agency to establish a fund that the victims can supervise. The fund will be used for the immediate treatment of victims and for their long-term well-being. 

“But I don’t have any hope,” the expert added.

According to China’s “Vaccine Administration Law,” the state implements a compensation system for abnormal vaccination reactions. But the government has brought forth official experts to refute victims’ claims.

One was the Chinese Academy of Sciences fellow, Wang Fusheng who slammed the victims and rights advocates’ claims as “irresponsible,” reiterating that research has shown the vaccine does not cause leukemia and diabetes.

The National Health Commission and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention did not respond to requests for comment.

Translated with additional reporting by RFA Staff. Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.

China’s latest piece of security legislation will have a further chilling effect on foreign investment and the economy by creating a new category of confidential information called ‘work secrets,’ analysts said in recent commentaries and interviews with RFA Mandarin.

President Xi Jinping on Tuesday signed an executive order that will see the Law on Safeguarding State Secrets take effect from May 1, after the law was revised and adopted by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee on Feb. 27.

The move follows a number of police raids last year on foreign consultancy firms including Mintz Group and Bain & Co, prompting concerns from foreign investors that Beijing’s widening national security focus could hurt investor confidence. 

All government departments and state-owned enterprises will be required under the law to “determine the confidentiality level” of state secrets they work with, and implement new rules about managing a “declassification” period for employees who leave their posts, including bans on overseas travel and new employment, state media reported.

“During the declassification period, personnel who have access to secrets are not allowed to work or leave the country … nor are they allowed to disclose state secrets in any way,” state broadcaster CCTV reported. 

What are ‘work secrets’?

However, the measures don’t just apply to state secrets — they will also apply to “work secrets,” according to Article 64 of the new legislation.

“Work secrets” refers to “information produced or collected by departments in the performance of their duties, the leaking of which would cause an adverse impact,” according to Chinese law expert Jeremy Daum.

In a commentary on his China Law Translate blog, Daum said an earlier draft had defined a “work secret” more narrowly “but the final version seems even broader.”

“Work secrets and internal documents aren’t a new issue, but it is unfortunate to see them further enshrined in law,” he wrote, adding that the clause could lead to “overzealous identification” of work secrets, leading to increased risk for workers and decreased transparency for the general public.

China has also recently broadened the scope of its Counterespionage Law, and detained an employee of Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma last March on suspicion of “spying,” prompting a protest from Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.

Market research

Xia Ming, professor of politics at New York’s City University, said the new law could have an impact on foreign companies wanting to carry out market research in China.

“The first thing any company that wants to invest in China does is to carry out market research on China,” Xia said. “But all kinds of data are regarded as confidential by China, because they touch on the political security [of the regime].”

“They think people could interpret specific and minor fluctuations in the data to create information that is unfavorable to their political system and regime [stability],” he said. “So everything is confidential.”

U.S.-based economist Li Hengqing said there has already been an impact from last year’s legislation and consultancy firm raids.

“Everyone is definitely feeling the chill now,” Li said. “The more [Beijing] does this, the more foreign businesses and entrepreneurs will be discouraged from investing in China.”

He said the move runs counter to recent claims from the ruling Chinese Communist Party Central Committee that it is expanding its economy to more global participation.

“Preferential policies for foreign investors would take them in the complete opposite direction,” Li said.

Stability of the regime

But for Beijing, all sensitive information must now “adhere to the overall concept of national security,” and follow the ruling party’s approach to managing secrets, state media reported.

According to the party’s Central Security Office director Li Zhaozong, the revised law provides a “strong legal guarantee for better protecting national sovereignty, security and development interests.”

Writing in party newspaper the People’s Daily on Feb. 28, Li said the same principles of secrets management would apply to any domain into which the party’s national security approach is extended, although he didn’t mention “work secrets” by name.

According to Li Hengqing, that can mean any area that affects the security of Xi Jinping’s grip on power or that of the ruling party.

“It’s all about the stability of the regime,” Li said. “Xi Jinping once said, ‘What is the point of economic development if we neglect the stability of the regime?'”

“He doesn’t really care about the people’s livelihood or the country’s economic development,” he said.

Xia Ming said the law will also have a huge impact on internet service providers, who will be required to cooperate with the authorities in investigating any cases involving the leaking of unauthorized information online.

Translated with additional reporting by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.