World calls for return of democracy in Myanmar
Norway freezes bilateral aid; nearly 100 asylum-seekers among 1,200 Myanmar nationals Malaysia plans to send home next week, say refugee groups
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Thursday he had agreed with his US, Indian and Australian counterparts that democracy must be restored quickly in Myanmar.
Myanmar’s military has arrested civilian leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and announced a year-long state of emergency, alleging that November’s election was beset by fraud. The electoral commission dismissed the army’s complaints.
Motegi made his comment ater a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne -- countries in the so-called “Quad” framework.
Norway said on Thursday it was freezing its bilateral aid to Myanmar following the country’s military coup earlier this month.
The wealthy Nordic country had budgeted 66.5 million kroner (6.5 million euros, $7.84 million) for 2021 to help boost knowhow at Myanmar’s public institutions in areas including renewable energy, the environment and protection of the oceans.
“The military coup on Feb.1 changed the conditions for the Norwegian involvement in Myanmar and is the reason for Norway freezing its state-to-state programmes for professional cooperation between Norwegian and Myanmar public institutions,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Norway’s aid to the Myanmar people, distributed through UN agencies and charities, is not affected by the decision and will continue, the ministry added.
The sums frozen concern primarily the payment of Norwegian experts involved in the cooperation programmes, and only to a smaller extent payments made to Myanmar’s institutions.
Separately, nearly 100 asylum-seekers are among 1,200 Myanmar nationals Malaysia plans to send home next week, refugee groups said on Thursday, in a move activists fear could put the deportees’ lives at risk.
Last week, Reuters reported the Southeast Asian nation had agreed to return the 1,200 Myanmar citizens ater its neighbour’s military, which seized power in a Feb.1 coup, offered to send navy ships to pick up those detained.
Although Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and detains refugees with other undocumented migrants, it has vowed not to deport Rohingya Muslims and refugees identified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Concerns over deportation of asylum-seekers persist, however, as the UN agency has not been allowed to interview detainees for more than a year to verify and register them.
Leaders of groups representing refugees from the Chin and Muslim communities in Myanmar said detained asylum-seekers or their families had contacted them ater being told they would be sent back.
“They don’t want to go back to Myanmar,” said Thu Zar Moung, founder and chairwoman of the Myanmar Muslim Refugee Community, adding that 85 Myanmar Muslim detainees, women and children among them, had been confirmed among those set to be deported. Her group represents Myanmar Muslim communities other than the Rohingya.
“Even during the trip from Malaysia to Myanmar, their lives can be threatened and (it is) dangerous,” she said.
James Bawi Thang Bik of the Alliance of Chin Refugees said his group had received calls from nine asylum-seekers notified that they would be deported.
Members of both communities have traditionally come to Malaysia ater fleeing conflict or persecution at home.
Malaysia’s immigration department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The UNHCR said it has received information from refugee groups that unregistered asylumseekers could be deported, but it had not yet been able to verify that was the case.
“We have expressed our concerns to the government of Malaysia at the highest level, that individuals in need of international protection should not be deported to a situation where their lives or freedoms may be at risk,” Yante Ismail, a spokeswoman for UNHCR Malaysia, said in an emailed statement.