Myanmar’s Suu Kyi to face court after deadly crackdown
OUSTED Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has not been seen since last month’s military coup, was due to face court on
March 1 after a deadly weekend crackdown against relentless democracy protests.
Security forces opened fire on unarmed demonstrators in four cities on February 28, with the UN saying it had credible information at least 18 people had died.
One person among a group of protesters crouching behind rubbish bins and other makeshift shields in Yangon, the commercial capital, was shot and had to be dragged away by others, according to video footage filmed by AFP.
UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said: “We strongly condemn the escalating violence against protests in Myanmar and call on the military to immediately halt the use of force against peaceful protesters.”
AFP independently confirmed eight deaths in February 28’s violence, although there were fears the toll could be much higher.
Monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners estimated that about 30 people have been killed by security forces since the coup on February 1.
Suu Kyi, 75, was detained before dawn on that day, and has not been since in public since.
The military has justified its takeover, ending a decade-long democratic experiment, by making allegations of widespread fraud in last November’s national elections that are widely believed to be unfounded.
Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won the election in a landslide.
The generals have hit Suu Kyi with two charges the international community widely regards as frivolous – relating to importing walkie talkies and staging a campaign rally during the pandemic.
Secret detention
Western powers have repeatedly condemned the generals and imposed sanctions, but the military has responded to the growing pressure at home and abroad by escalating its use of force.
Suu Kyi is reported to be being held in Nyapyidaw, the isolated capital city that the military built during a previous dictatorship.
Suu Kyi’s lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, said he had not been able to speak to her ahead of March 1’s scheduled court hearing, which is for preliminary matters and where she may appear only via video link.
He said he hoped the court would formally approve his status as her defence lawyer.
“It will be very unfair for her . . . not to grant a lawyer immediately,” he said.
The veteran human rights lawyer said the hearing would focus on case management and the timeline for the trial.
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to streets regularly over the past month to oppose the coup.
While the military has steadily increased the type of force used to try to contain the uprising, beginning with tear gas and water cannons, the weekend’s violence was the biggest escalation.
IT WILL be difficult to achieve the government’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 unless every possible measure is taken.
As one promising measure, carbon recycling – a method of recovering and recycling carbon dioxide – has already been introduced in industrial circles. Japan is seen as a strong player in this field, so it is hoped that the method will be put into practical use and become common at an early stage.
Taisei Corp has developed a new technology to seal CO2 in concrete. Instead of cement, it produces calcium carbonate from CO2 recovered mainly from exhaust gas from factories and mixes it with water and sand. The company aims to put it to commercial use in around 2030.
Asahi Kasei Corp became the first company in the world to commercialise CO2-based plastic material, which is already used in vehicles and personal computers, among other items.
The drawback is that both these measures are expensive. It is hoped that the companies will explore ways to realise mass production and reduce costs.
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero, the contribution of electric power utilities and other energy companies is essential.
It is necessary to increase the use of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, but the power output by renewable sources tends to be unstable depending on weather conditions, and this type of power generation is costly. Renewable energy alone may not be enough to support domestic industrial activities.
If carbon recycling becomes widespread, it will pave the way for the continued operation, to a certain extent, of thermal power generation that uses fossil fuels, such as petroleum and liquefied natural gas. Carbon recycling can be called a technology that will contribute to the stable supply of energy.
It will also help reduce the burden on steelmakers and other companies that have difficulty in eliminating CO2 emissions in their production processes.
The government established carbon recycling as a priority area in its Green Growth Strategy compiled at the end of last year.
In the third supplementary budget for fiscal 2020, the government decided to allocate ¥2 trillion ($18.8 billion) to support the development of decarbonisation technology. It should strive to provide maximum support while utilising the fund and other resources.
Expectations are also high for technology to store CO2 underground. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is conducting an experiment in Hokkaido in which exhaust gas from a refinery is piped into the seabed to separate CO2 and inject it in geological layers.
The government is conducting joint research with the US, which has an oil industry that also produces shale oil. It is hoped that strengthening cooperation with other countries will accelerate and realise practical use of the technology.
At the same time, however, international rules have yet to be established regarding how to reflect the results of carbon recycling in greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The government also needs to focus on setting global standards.