Myanmar or Burma

A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced a former Myanmar Kokang leader and lawmaker of the military-proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party, Bai Suocheng, his son Bai Yingcang and three others to death for their long-term involvement in fraud operations in northern Myanmar.

[Kokang are ethnic Han Chinese who fled Manchurian invasion to Burma in 17th century. They are represented by ethnic army MNDAA, an off-shoot of Chinese-formed Communist Party of Burma.]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/54522771

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar on Wednesday urged member states to reject the junta’s planned election.

Andrews stressed that a free and fair election could not be held with political prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi still behind bars, rival parties forcibly disbanded, and free expression and media freedom restricted.

Thailand has signed an MOU with US on rare-earth minerals. While domestically this has caused an uproar on sovereignty as it gives US access to mineral rights and a say in regulations in Thailand, Thai government is positioning it as a tariff bargaining chip.

Thailand's reserves stand at a paltry 4,500 tonnes per its government while China has 44 million tonnes. Why would US be seeking an agreement with Thailand? The answer is it's not the production from Thailand, but Myanmar.

Earlier this year it was reported that Trump administration was seeking various ways of obtaining rare earth minerals from Myanmar, the third largest producer of rare earths in the world, in order to reduce its dependence on China. However it faces a devil's choice of either directly dealing with the illegal military junta or the guerilla group Kachin Independence Army or KIA which controls most of the rare earth mines and thus inserting itself directly into Myanmar's political affairs. That also would anger China in the process as China sees Myanmar as its exclusive sphere of influence.

But US found the perfect conduit into Myanmar as it had in the past: Thailand. It was through Thailand that US supplied and supported Chinese republican army as it occupied eastern Myanmar while attempting to fight the communists in China. It was CIA which began opium growing in Myanmar in the 1950s as a way to raise funds for the Chinese republican army.

Thailand has long served as the gateway for illegal exports from Myanmar be it opium, illegally exported precious gemstones such as rubies jades emeralds, or teak wood, or meth, and now rare earth minerals.

Thais now seek to position themselves as a player in this important strategic mineral industry as a key processor and exporter. With a little help from Burmese mines.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3128338/legality-of-thaius-rare-earths-deal-challenged

https://rareearthexchanges.com/news/thailand-plays-the-rare-earth-game-quietly-but-strategically/

The ethnic Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), facing intense pressure from Beijing, said Wednesday it signed a ceasefire agreement with Myanmar’s military regime at China-brokered peace talks held in Kunming, Yunnan Province on Oct. 27 and 28.

Mogoke is the center of Myanmar's precious gems mining industry that produces $1billion of exports annually thus an important source of foreign currency for the junta. Its recovery is a boon for the junta.

A unified revolutionary military alliance between ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and People’s Defence Forces (PDFs) is expected to take shape soon, according to Lieutenant General Baw Kyaw Heh, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).

At least six garment factories in Yangon’s industrial zones have shut down since August, while others have cut staff and reduced overtime, amid a drop in orders from the United States following tariff hikes.

SpaceX says it has cut service to more than 2,500 Starlink devices at Myanmar scam centres, in response to reports that their use by crime gangs for satellite internet service had soared.

Starlink has come from nowhere to become the war-torn country’s biggest internet provider in three months, recent data from the Asian regional internet registry APNIC shows.

State media The Global New Light of Myanmar said the military “conducted operations in KK Park near Myanmar-Thai border” and had “seized 30 sets of Starlink receivers and accessories”.