A new traffic system for private vehicles goes into effect tomorrow in Myanmar to address cuts in fuel imports due to the Mideast war. Electric vehicles are exempt. The EV sector is dominated by companies linked to General Min Aung Hlaing's family, while blackouts continue across the country.
General Min Aung Hlaing announced the gesture for National Farmers' Day, but Aung San Suu Kyi is not among them and thousands of people remain in prison. The army also continued to carry out bombings against civilians. The initiative comes at a time of internal tensions within the junta and while ASEAN remains divided on how to handle the Burmese crisis.
From Myitkyina, a testimonial comes from Father Kurt Pala, a Philippine priest of the Missionaries of St. Columban, who has been ministering in a country disfigured by war for more than five years, where ”the poor and the earth [. . .] have taught me to pray while waiting for peace, to trust in God every moment of life, to share the last cup of rice with a neighbor, and to find joy in the small things”.
The junta’s leader is getting ready to formally step down from his military command to assume the presidency in the new government that will take office in April. The creation of a powerful consultative council could allow him to maintain control over the regime. Meanwhile, his deputy, General Soe Win, is emerging as a key figure in relations with China.
Naypyidaw's measure against the chargé d'affaires in Dili follows the opening of legal proceedings for alleged war crimes committed by the Burmese army. It is the first time that a court in a country belonging to the regional bloc has taken legal action against another member state. The affair highlights the deep divisions within the organization, split between those calling for greater pressure and those who want a rapprochement after the controversial elections.
In the past weeks, Myanmar’s junta continued its campaign against villages, markets, and monasteries, through digital surveillance as well. While the military claims that it is using “precision” weapons, medical staff and eyewitnesses report an increase in lethality. General Min Aung Hlaing visited the conflict zones in Sagaing, a sign that things might escalate soon.
