Swedish Embassy stresses importance of women’s rights in crisis-hit Myanmar

Mizzima

The Swedish Embassy in Myanmar has issued a statement today expressing support for women’s and girls rights in Myanmar.

Here is the text of the statement:

The Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden applaud the important work of many organisations in Myanmar working for women’s and girls’ full enjoyment of human rights, and we are proud to support and stand in solidarity with them.

NGOs call on UN to hit Myanmar with arms embargo

AFP

About 200 non-governmental organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, on Wednesday called on the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on the military junta in Myanmar.

The call comes despite opposition from China -- the junta's main backer -- and Russia, which both hold veto-wielding power on the Council, to any sanctions amid the months-long crisis in the former Burma.

"No government should sell a single bullet to the junta," which seized power on February 1 in a coup, the NGOs said in a joint statement.

Myanmar’s military junta must revoke its ban on satellite television - CPJ

Mizzima

Myanmar’s military junta must revoke its ban on satellite television and repeal all orders that aim to censor independent news reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said yesterday.

The state-run broadcaster MRTV announced the ban yesterday, saying that “satellite television is no longer legal” and alleging that foreign broadcasts encouraged people to commit treason and threatened national security, the rule of law, and public order, according to news reports.

Bomb explodes in Pyinmana

Mizzima

A junta policeman was injured by a bomb explosion at around 7:30 am on May 5 in Paunglaung 2 ward in Phyimana Township in Nay Pyi Taw, according to local news.

The bomb blast occurred near a tea shop, according to a resident, who said that a police car was slightly damaged.

Another bomb blast also occurred outside an agricultural school in Pyinmana on May 5, but no causalities were reported.

Total shared gas revenue with Myanmar military: report

AFP

Myanmar's military has received hundreds of millions of dollars from gas sales through a financial scheme linked to a pipeline exploited by French energy giant Total, a French newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Total has come under pressure from pro-democracy activists to "stop financing the junta" since a military coup in February which has been followed by a brutal crackdown on dissent.

Myanmar unrest pushes Telenor deep into Q1 loss

AFP

Norwegian telecoms group Telenor said Tuesday it was pushed deep into loss in the first quarter after it was forced to write down all of its assets in Myanmar, where it is a major operator, as a result of the unstable situation there since the military coup on February 1.

Telenor said in a statement that it booked net loss of 3.9 billion kroner ($470 million, 390 million euros) in the period from January to March, compared with bottom-line profit of 698 million kroner in the same period a year earlier.

G7 seeks common front on China in first talks since pandemic

AFP

The Group of Seven wealthy democracies on Tuesday discussed how to form a common front towards an increasingly assertive China in the foreign ministers' first in-person talks in two years.

Backing US President Joe Biden's calls for a deeper alliance of democracies, host Britain invited guests including India, South Korea and Australia for parts of the talks in central London stretched out over three days.

Five killed in suspected parcel bombing

Mizzima

Five people, including an ousted lawmaker and three police defectors, were killed in a blast from a parcel bomb while hiding in a house in the city of Bago, 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Yangon, according to local media reports on Tuesday.

Thet Win Hlaing, a regional lawmaker from the National League for Democracy (NLD) was among those killed in the blast that occurred on Monday evening, the Myanmar Now news portal reported.

Australia’s Department of Home Affairs launches investigations into relatives of Myanmar’s military

Mizzima

Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has launched investigations into relatives of Myanmar’s military government living in Australia, amid concerns they are either harbouring assets or receiving financial support in the wake of the military coup, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The article said The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald could reveal there are at least 22 relatives of senior members of Myanmar’s new government living in Australia.

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