Free Republic

MAY/JUNE 2013 Historical Fiction: China’s South China Sea Claims Mohan Malik The Spratly Islands—not so long ago known primarily as a rich fishing ground—have turned into an international flashpoint as Chinese leaders insist with increasing truculence that the islands, rocks, and reefs have been, in the words of Premier Wen Jiabao, “China’s historical territory since ancient times.” Normally, the overlapping territorial claims to sovereignty and maritime boundaries ought to be resolved through a combination of customary international law, adjudication before the International Court of Justice or the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, or arbitration under Annex VII...

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said there is "no reason" a coup could not happen in the United States.During a right-wing conference in Dallas called the "For God & Country Patriot Roundup" over the weekend, the former White House national security adviser was asked by someone in the audience, who identified as a " simple Marine": "Why what happened in Myanmar can’t happen here?"After cheers erupted in the crowd, Flynn replied, "No reason. I mean, it should happen here."The military seized control of Myanmar in February, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and effectively putting commander in...

In the city of Naypyitaw on Saturday, Myanmar’s military junta celebrated Armed Forces Day, a holiday marking the beginning of Myanmar’s revolt against Japanese occupation during World War II. The weekend celebration came with a parade, a speech by coup leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, and a lavish dinner party. Meanwhile, across the country, soldiers and police shot largely defenseless anti-coup protesters and bystanders—including children—killing 100 people in the country’s deadliest day since the military’s Feb. 1 takeover. The day also marked a major escalation of violence in another conflict in Myanmar: the military’s ongoing fighting with local ethnic groups....

[They’ve emphasized the sensitivity of their reports so I’ve redacted this pretty significantly. But I think it’s important for people to understand what is going on. I’m getting a steady flow of reports like these from different locations describing relief work among defecting police/soldiers/government officials, refugees on the run, fighting in many areas, torture and human rights abuses by the military junta, involvement by the Chinese government and so on. Note the testimony below describing Chinese/military exploitation of tribal areas. This is done without concern or recompense to the local people, who are often enslaved or have their homes destroyed...

Ways That People Can Help in Burma Now 8 April, 2021 Dear friends and family, Thank you for praying for the people here and being with us in this. Even in the midst of killing and displacement here in Burma we feel and see God’s love, and appreciate so much your help. Although many people in the cities have been captured and tortured, and hundreds killed, they have not given up and continue to stand for freedom. The ethnic people in the mountains, although chased from their homes, also refuse to give up and continue loving and helping each other....

Food reportedly bought from Thailand and bound for Tatmadaw (Myanmar’s military) troops in Karen State was taken away on Tuesday at midnight, after ethnic armed organization the Karen National Union (KNU) blocked its delivery. Many in Myanmar believe that the food was sold by the Thai army to the Tatmadaw, prompting people to condemn the Thai military on social media after the food arrived on the banks of the Salween River on Saturday. Following fresh clashes with the Tatmadaw in Karen State’s Papun District, the KNU’s Brigade 5 blocked transportation routes to Papun, preventing the military regime from delivering food...

20,000 in Hiding in Karen State as Burma Army Airstrikes and Ground Attacks Continue to Kill Civilians Karen State, Burma The Burma military continued its airstrikes in spite of an announced ceasefire, and ground attacks have stepped up in northern Karen State, displacing now over 20,000 people in the three northern districts of Karen State alone. The Burma Army declared a ceasefire on 1 April 2021, yet conducted multiple airstrikes in Dwelo Township, Papun District, northern Karen State in the morning and afternoon of that same day, 1 April 2021. At the same time, it launched ground attacks in Luthaw...

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbOnw7ychfA&t=7s Hundreds of people have been killed and I’ve not seen any American press on the coup that is currently taking place. The country of Myanmar (Burma) has recently been taken over by the military-backed opposition party. Notice that all of these protesters are unarmed citizens, yet they are being slaughtered. And why? Because they are against the coup. So what is happening and why is it happening? Myanmar has been the center of angst for a long time now. The Myanmar military seized control of the country and has declared a year long state of emergency. This seizure...

When 73-year old Gayle Meyer was being held against her will at the Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington on January 29th the call went out for people to show up at the hospital in her support. Dozens did and then police showed up in riot gear by the dozens as well. Meyer was then released by the hospital but afterwards the Clark County Sheriff's Department claimed that they faced a heavily armed group that was threatening. Clark County Sheriff's Detective Tonya Johnson has signed probable cause arrest warrants against four people in the matter including Meyer's daughter...

Saturday has turned into the deadliest day since demonstrations against the Feb. 1 military coup began more than a month ago, and more than 400 people have been killed overall. A 13-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy were reportedly among at least 13 people killed in Myanmar's second most populous city, Mandalay, while another 13-year-old was reportedly killed in another village. Despite the violence, there was once again no sign of the movement abating. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said "the army seeks to join hands with the entire nation to safeguard democracy," but "violent acts that affect stability and...

BANGKOK -- Myanmar's military has extended martial law to broader sections of Yangon after the deaths of dozens of protesters in the city's garment production hub, where several Chinese factories have suffered arson attacks. The military announced Monday that it is expanding martial law to six districts in the country's most populous city, meaning that the armed forces and not the police will maintain public order in the designated areas. This comes after some of the worst bloodshed since the Feb. 1 coup occurred over the weekend. Signs point to continued violence ahead, with an opposition group telling citizens they...

Myanmar Regime Seizes Bank Accounts of Soros' Open Society Foundation The military regime has seized control of the bank accounts of billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundation (OSF) in Myanmar and announced that it will take legal action against the foundation, which is accused of violating restrictions on the activities of such organizations. On Monday, military-controlled MRTV announced that the military had issued arrest warrants for 11 staff members of OSF Myanmar, including its head and deputy head, on suspicion of giving financial support to the civil disobedience movement against the military junta. The regime also claimed that the world’s...

Myanmar security forces killed at least 38 people Sunday in one of the deadliest days since the military seized power in a coup, and declared martial law in six areas after Chinese-funded factories were set on fire. The heaviest casualties were in an industrial suburb of the largest city Yangon, where military and police opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing at least 22, according to the advocacy group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which said Hlaingthaya district "became like a battlefield." In one unverified image, a protester can be seen huddling under a makeshift shield as he holds...

At least two people were killed during an anti-coup protest in Myanmar in the bloodiest day since the Feb. 1 military takeover that led to the arrest of the country's de facto leader and kicked off weeks of nearly nonstop demonstrations. According to multiple reports from Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, police confronted striking ship workers and other protesters in an hours-long standoff. Some demonstrators are said to have flung projectiles at police, who attempted to disperse the hundreds-strong demonstration by firing off live rounds alongside tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets. Reuters says witnesses found cartridges for live...

Globalist billionaire George Soros held meetings in 2013 and 2017 with Myanmar’s deposed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and held great influence over her regime, records reveal. Soros’ son Alexander visited Myanmar in 2020. Suu Kyi has been a neoliberal cause celebre feted at Buckingham Palace and championed by Hollywood actors Jim Carrey and Will Ferrell. Now, the military has overthrown Suu Kyi, alleging election fraud. This is causing concern in Soros-world, and thus it is causing concern with the Biden White House. The Biden administration is strongly involving itself in Myanmar affairs. The Biden regime is threatening Myanmar’s...

President Joe Biden wants to concentrate on domestic affairs, but the world won’t stop. There’s political unrest in the former Soviet Union. A coup in Burma. More repression in Hong Kong. Vaccine chaos in Europe. Warring governments in Libya. Barriers to reinstating the nuclear agreement with Iran. Continuing war in Yemen. The specter of a rising China.

Many signs pointed to an inevitable conclusion that Myanmar's so-called transition to a democracy was a farce. Nevertheless, Obama embraced it wholeheartedly.The small South East Asian nation Myanmar became headline news last week after its military staged a coup, seizing power after detaining the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected political leaders.Only a decade ago, Myanmar’s transition from military dictatorship to democracy was celebrated as one of President Obama’s foreign policy accomplishments. Now, the small nation is President Joe Biden’s first foreign policy nightmare.A Proxy For PowerMyanmar, also known as Burma, is a country...

China has been warning since the coup that sanctions or international pressure would only make things worse in Myanmar. Beijing has long played a role of protecting the country from international scrutiny. It sees the country as economically important and is one of Myanmar's closest allies. Alongside Russia, it has repeatedly protected Myanmar from criticism at the UN over the military crackdown on the Muslim minority Rohingya population.

The State Department is warning of the potential for "civil and political unrest in Burma" following the dramatic military takeover of the country and arrest of its civilian leadership Monday. This as all international travel has been halted, and various communications including internet were cut to the capital. The Biden administration has now formally declared it as a coup d'état, which means Washington is required by law to cut off all foreign assistance to the southeast Asian country. It further announced that targeted action will be taken "against those responsible" for the arrests and continued detention of the elected civilian...

Why is the military taking control in Burma? The coup follows days of tensions between the civilian government and military Problem: The military drafted the constitution in 2008 and retains power under the charter at the expense of democratic, civilian rule. Human Rights Watch has described the clause as a "coup mechanism in waiting." The constitution also reserves key Cabinet ministries and 25% of the seats in Parliament for the military, a portion that limits the power of a civilian government and rules out amending the charter without military support.