Author: Web Desk

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council condemned last week’s massacre in Myanmar of more than 30 people, including two Save the Children staff, that was blamed on junta troops.

 

The killings took place on Christmas Eve in eastern Kayah state, where pro-democracy rebels have been fighting the military, which took over the government from the democratically elected administration in February.

 

In a statement released Wednesday evening, Security Council members “stressed the need to ensure accountability for this act”.

 

They also called “for the immediate cessation of all violence and emphasised the importance of respect for human rights and of ensuring safety of civilians”.

 

The statement said “at least 35 people”, including four children and two staff of Save the Children charity, were killed in the attack.

 

The Security Council also “stressed the need for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all people in need, and for the full protection, safety and security of humanitarian and medical personnel”.

 

Anti-junta fighters say they have found more than 30 burnt bodies, including women and children, on a highway in Kayah state following the attack.

 

Two Save the Children employees have been missing and the rights group confirmed Tuesday that they were among the dead.

 

Myanmar has been in chaos since a February coup, with more than 1,300 people killed in a crackdown by security forces, according to a local monitoring group.

 

Self-proclaimed “People’s Defense Forces” have sprung up across the country to fight the junta, and drawn the military into a bloody stalemate of clashes and reprisals.

 

In the aftermath of the attack, Washington renewed calls for an arms embargo on the junta.

 

Western nations have long restricted weapons to Myanmar’s military, which even during the pre-coup democratic transition faced allegations of crimes against humanity for a bloody campaign against the Rohingya minority.

 

The UN General Assembly voted in June to prevent arms shipments into Myanmar, but the measure was symbolic as it was not taken up by the more powerful Security Council.

 

China and Russia, which hold veto power on the Security Council – as well as neighboring India – are the major arms providers to Myanmar.

 

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

HANOI– Vietnam welcomed some 157,300 international arrivals in 2021, plunging 95.9 percent on year, mainly due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s General Statistics Office said yesterday.

Foreign visitors entering the country by air accounted for 70.6 percent of the total, followed by road with 29 percent and sea routes with 0.4 percent. Most of the arrivals were from Asia (84.5 percent), according to the office.

In Dec alone, the country received some 17,200 international arrivals, up 14.2 percent against Nov, following efforts to revive its tourism sector and resume commercial international flights.

Vietnam closed its borders and grounded all international flights in Mar last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only allowing entry for Vietnamese repatriates, foreign experts and highly-skilled workers, with certain quarantine requirements. In mid-Nov, it welcomed the first wave of quarantine-free international travellers in 20 months, under a pilot tourism programme.

The South-east Asian country hosted just over 3.8 million international arrivals in 2020, plunging 78.7 percent from a record number of over 18 million in 2019, the last full year before the COVID-19 broke out, according to its General Statistics Office.

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

BANGKOK— Malaysian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (MTCC) is to raise funds for the Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC), to help support the post-flood rebuilding efforts.

 

MTCC Chairwoman Dr Hwee Khim Boo said the initiative involved almost 800 households impacted by severe flooding, mainly in the states of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia.

 

“The flood is devastating and we are just doing our part to help what we can. MTCC is one organisation which leads this effort in Thailand. We hope to get support here,” she told Bernama Thursday.

 

COAC was established in 1989 to advance the cause of the Orang Asli (indigenous people) whether via the greater dissemination of Orang Asli news and views, assisting in court cases involving Orang Asli rights or in developing arguments for lobbying and advocacy work.

 

The fundraising has been initiated by Yap Lu Ying of MTCC’s Publications and CSR Committee.

 

Yap said being overseas and seeing the (flood) situation suffered by the victims back home prompted her to do something to help.

 

“I contacted a friend who is on site with COAC helping the flood victims. COAC mentioned that while food donation is sufficient, post-flood recovery is important for the villagers.

 

“Therefore, I suggested to MTCC Chairwoman (Dr Hwee) to help raise fund for COAC,” said Yap, who is a volunteer of Raleigh International, a youth-driven organisation supporting a global movement of young people to take action, since 2008.

 

She added that funds raised among others would be used to purchase mattress, blanket and pillows.

 

“If we can raise more fund, we will provide aid and assistance including electronic appliances such as rice cookers and stoves,” she said.

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK