01-05-2019, 12:04 AM
*** 5-Jan-19 World View -- Myanmar (Burma) Buddhist separatists in Arakan Army in Rakhine State kill 13 policemen
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Myanmar (Burma) Buddhist separatists in Arakan Army in Rakhine State kill 13 policemen
****
![[Image: g190104b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g190104b.jpg)
Ethnic Rakhine people in Myanmar (Getty)
Myanmar's army has just recently completed most of the job of genocide
and ethnic cleansing of Muslim Rohingyas in Rakhine State, forcing
hundreds of thousands to flee for their lives to neighboring
Bangladesh, where they're trapped in refugee camps. Myanmar's army
began committing atrocities, including torture, rape, beatings and
slaughter, burning down entire Rohingya villages, targeting the
Rohingyas, starting as early as 2011. But they crossed the line into
full-scale genocide and ethnic cleansing after an August 25, 2017,
attack on Burma police outposts by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army
(ARSA), killing 8 policemen. At that point, Burma's army began
full-scale "clearance operations," sending hundreds of thousands more
Rohingyas into Bangladesh.
With most Burmese Rohingyas now in Bangladesh, and with most Rohingya
villages burned to the ground, Burma's army may have thought its job
was done. But now they have a new problem, and they're launching
"clearance operations" again against a new group, ethnic Rakhines.
Ethnic Rakhine rebels, claiming to be part of the Arakan Army (AA),
which is a Buddhist ethnic Rakhine "army," as opposed to the Arakan
Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which is a Muslim ethnic Rohingya
"army," killed 14 "prisoners of war" in four police stations in
Rakhine State on Friday.
This has prompted the army to launch localized "clearance operations"
this time against the ethnic Rakhines. Clashes between AA and Burma's
army in recent months has already forced an estimated 2,500 people to
flee from their homes because of the violence. Many of them are
sheltering in local Buddhist monasteries.
Myanmar officials said that four police posts in northern Rakhine came
under attack from hundreds of Arakan Army fighters after daybreak on
Friday, killing 13 and injuring nine, and triggering the army's new
"clearance operations" in the area. Reuters and Special Broadcasting Service (Australia) and AP and Asia Times
****
**** EU considers revoking Myanmar's trade preferences because of Rohingya genocide
****
Trade unions in Myanmar are begging the European Union not to
revoke its grant of trade preferences to Myanmar
The trade preference program, known as Generalized Scheme of
Preferences (GSP), grants to Myanmar the right to export goods to the
EU without paying tariffs. The GSP "Everything But Arms" (EBA) status
allows Myanmar to sell any goods except weapons tariff-free into the
EU. The GSP privilege was granted in 2013. Exports from Myanmar to
the EU, especially in garments and foodstuffs, has risen tenfold in
the past five years.
After months of pressure from rights groups, the EU is considering
punishing Myanmar for "the blatant violation of human rights"
referring to ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas and the failure of civilian
leader Aung San Suu Kyi to resolve the crisis. EU’s trade chief
Cecilia Malmstrom said in October, "Our trade policy is
value-based. These are not just words. We have to act when there are
severe violations."
However, trade unions and workers groups in Myanmar say that over one
million workers might lose their jobs if GSP is revoked. According to
Maung Maung, chairman of the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar
(CTUM):
<QUOTE>"Over 700,000 workers from the garment industry and
over 400,000 workers in fishery industry will lose their jobs and
their families will be in trouble. We don’t want to see this
situation. So, we request the EU not to revoke GSP."<END QUOTE>
Withdrawing GSP would also have a significant impact on foreign direct
investment, since investors who invest in Myanmar to gain access to
the EU export market will no longer be attracted.
Card Charles Maung Bo, archbishop of Yangon and the country’s first
cardinal, said, "I am completely against any form of sanction or
embargo against Myanmar. Experience shows that this type of measures
only harms the poorest sections of the population. They will suffer
the consequences, certainly not the rich and powerful."
An EU review team visited Myanmar in October to assess the situation,
but has not yet issued an opinion.
The same team is also considering withdrawing GSP for Cambodia,
because of substantial and increasing human rights violations under
the Hun Sen administration. Fibre2Fashion (Myanmar) and Mizzima (Myanmar) and Reuters (5-Oct-2018) and Asia News (Italy)
Related Articles:
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Myanmar, Burma,
Rakhine State, Rohingyas, Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, ARSA,
Buddhists, Rakhines, Arakan Army, AA,
European Union, Cecilia Malmstrom,
Generalized Scheme of Preferences, GSP, Everything But Arms, EBA,
Maung Maung, Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar, CTUM,
Card Charles Maung Bo, Cambodia, Hun Sen
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Myanmar (Burma) Buddhist separatists in Arakan Army in Rakhine State kill 13 policemen
- EU considers revoking Myanmar's trade preferences because of Rohingya genocide
****
**** Myanmar (Burma) Buddhist separatists in Arakan Army in Rakhine State kill 13 policemen
****
Ethnic Rakhine people in Myanmar (Getty)
Myanmar's army has just recently completed most of the job of genocide
and ethnic cleansing of Muslim Rohingyas in Rakhine State, forcing
hundreds of thousands to flee for their lives to neighboring
Bangladesh, where they're trapped in refugee camps. Myanmar's army
began committing atrocities, including torture, rape, beatings and
slaughter, burning down entire Rohingya villages, targeting the
Rohingyas, starting as early as 2011. But they crossed the line into
full-scale genocide and ethnic cleansing after an August 25, 2017,
attack on Burma police outposts by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army
(ARSA), killing 8 policemen. At that point, Burma's army began
full-scale "clearance operations," sending hundreds of thousands more
Rohingyas into Bangladesh.
With most Burmese Rohingyas now in Bangladesh, and with most Rohingya
villages burned to the ground, Burma's army may have thought its job
was done. But now they have a new problem, and they're launching
"clearance operations" again against a new group, ethnic Rakhines.
Ethnic Rakhine rebels, claiming to be part of the Arakan Army (AA),
which is a Buddhist ethnic Rakhine "army," as opposed to the Arakan
Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which is a Muslim ethnic Rohingya
"army," killed 14 "prisoners of war" in four police stations in
Rakhine State on Friday.
This has prompted the army to launch localized "clearance operations"
this time against the ethnic Rakhines. Clashes between AA and Burma's
army in recent months has already forced an estimated 2,500 people to
flee from their homes because of the violence. Many of them are
sheltering in local Buddhist monasteries.
Myanmar officials said that four police posts in northern Rakhine came
under attack from hundreds of Arakan Army fighters after daybreak on
Friday, killing 13 and injuring nine, and triggering the army's new
"clearance operations" in the area. Reuters and Special Broadcasting Service (Australia) and AP and Asia Times
****
**** EU considers revoking Myanmar's trade preferences because of Rohingya genocide
****
Trade unions in Myanmar are begging the European Union not to
revoke its grant of trade preferences to Myanmar
The trade preference program, known as Generalized Scheme of
Preferences (GSP), grants to Myanmar the right to export goods to the
EU without paying tariffs. The GSP "Everything But Arms" (EBA) status
allows Myanmar to sell any goods except weapons tariff-free into the
EU. The GSP privilege was granted in 2013. Exports from Myanmar to
the EU, especially in garments and foodstuffs, has risen tenfold in
the past five years.
After months of pressure from rights groups, the EU is considering
punishing Myanmar for "the blatant violation of human rights"
referring to ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas and the failure of civilian
leader Aung San Suu Kyi to resolve the crisis. EU’s trade chief
Cecilia Malmstrom said in October, "Our trade policy is
value-based. These are not just words. We have to act when there are
severe violations."
However, trade unions and workers groups in Myanmar say that over one
million workers might lose their jobs if GSP is revoked. According to
Maung Maung, chairman of the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar
(CTUM):
<QUOTE>"Over 700,000 workers from the garment industry and
over 400,000 workers in fishery industry will lose their jobs and
their families will be in trouble. We don’t want to see this
situation. So, we request the EU not to revoke GSP."<END QUOTE>
Withdrawing GSP would also have a significant impact on foreign direct
investment, since investors who invest in Myanmar to gain access to
the EU export market will no longer be attracted.
Card Charles Maung Bo, archbishop of Yangon and the country’s first
cardinal, said, "I am completely against any form of sanction or
embargo against Myanmar. Experience shows that this type of measures
only harms the poorest sections of the population. They will suffer
the consequences, certainly not the rich and powerful."
An EU review team visited Myanmar in October to assess the situation,
but has not yet issued an opinion.
The same team is also considering withdrawing GSP for Cambodia,
because of substantial and increasing human rights violations under
the Hun Sen administration. Fibre2Fashion (Myanmar) and Mizzima (Myanmar) and Reuters (5-Oct-2018) and Asia News (Italy)
Related Articles:
- Genocide of Rohingyas in Burma (Myanmar) appears to be almost complete (27-Aug-2018)
- Devastating UN report on Burma shows scale of ghastly atrocities by Buddhists targeting Muslim Rohingyas (04-Feb-2017)
- Meiktila, Burma, violence has echoes of Kristallnacht (05-Apr-2013)
- Burma's (Myanmar's) leaders may be inspired by Pol Pot's Cambodian 'Killing Fields' genocide (29-Sep-2017)
- Generational history of Burma (Myanmar) (26-Sep-2007)
- Human rights protests of Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma) overshadow Australia ASEAN summit meeting (18-Mar-2018)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Myanmar, Burma,
Rakhine State, Rohingyas, Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, ARSA,
Buddhists, Rakhines, Arakan Army, AA,
European Union, Cecilia Malmstrom,
Generalized Scheme of Preferences, GSP, Everything But Arms, EBA,
Maung Maung, Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar, CTUM,
Card Charles Maung Bo, Cambodia, Hun Sen
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
