🧵In less than 2 months, #Myanmar & #Russia met at least 3 times via high-level physical visits. #Military chief now making 2nd trip to Russia with his last one only in mid-July. Attending Eastern Economic Forum, he'll likely engage Russian defence again #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
#Russia's Vladivostok Eastern Economic Forum's aimed at attracting investments into Russia. Unclear if Russian President Putin will attend. Since #Moscow attacked #Ukraine 5 months ago, nations like #US & #EU have introduced/expanded sanctions on Russia #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
#Myanmar too is facing the same fate with new/expanded sanctions on #military after it staged Feb 1, 2021 #coup. As global community shun Myanmar & #Russia, these 2 nations have however grown closer, significantly expanding ties & cooperation. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
#Myanmar#military chief's latest Sept 4-8 visit to #Russia also comes as army lengthens jail term for #AungSanSuuKyi & sentencing ex-#UK ambassador Vicky Bowman & husband to 1 year jail each. This Russian trip also just a week before opening of 77th session #UN General Assembly.
#Myanmar#military chief may also take opportunity to ask #Russia for help at #UN platform as it's trying to replace civilian-appointed rep @KyawTun62907405 with its army-appointed rep instead. Russia has almost always spoken up for Myanmar army #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
But #Myanmar civilians have launched own public campaign, both online & through latest Sunday Sept 4 protests, to insist #UN Credentials Committee retain civilian-appointed @KyawTun62907405 according the the people's will. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
But in latest rebuttal to @ASEAN, #Myanmar#military remains obstinate & defiant as it objected to #ASEAN's accusation that military has shown "lack of progress" in implementing 5-point plan to resolve crisis. Military staged #coup on Feb 1, 2021. 2/5 #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
#Myanmar#military in turn accuses @ASEAN of making "1-sided assessment" of its 5-point consensus implementation efforts & that bloc was not appraising results in an "objective and fair manner based on the factual updates and situations on the ground" 3/5 #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
#ASEAN foreign ministers concluded #Cambodia meeting by giving #Myanmar#military another 3 more months till November @ASEAN leaders' summit to show progress in 5-point consensus & to resolve #coup crisis. Otherwise leaders forced to take additional steps #WhatsHappeningInMyamar
Since @ASEAN leaders came up with 5-point plan 16 months ago, bloc has been "deeply disappointed by the limited progress in & the lack of commitment" by #Myanmar#military to implement it. Some like #Malaysia calling for stronger action towards military #WhatsHappeningInMyamar
Aside from making little/no progress on @ASEAN 5-point consensus, #Myanmar#military has even gone on to ignore regional bloc's pleas to not execute political prisoners, to return #AungSanSuuKyi back to home detention & not jail & to stop the violence. #WhatsHappeningInMyamar
#Myanmar-based diplomat adds @ASEAN should ban #military from upcoming June 22 defence ministers' meeting as report shows "Myanmar military is not a professional military". Calls regime’s promise of investigation "a farce" as army enabled atrocities #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
#Myanmar citizens' resounding support for #AungSanSuuKyi#NLD caught all especially military by surprise. The results caused greater discomfort for #military who used that as a key basis to stage a #coup alleging electoral fraud which independent election observers refute (2/5)
9 months into #Myanmar#militarycoup, World Bank estimates an almost 20% #economic contraction this year, drive-by shootings becoming common, collapsed education & healthcare sectors. Over 220,000 displaced. @aapp records over 1,200 people have died (3/5) #WhatsHappeninglnMyanmar
THREAD: #UN#IIMM Independent Investigative Mechanism for #Myanmar@koumjian updated since Feb 1 #coup, he has received over 200,000 communications, collected over 1.5 million items of evidence. Says facts show "widespread & systematic attacks" amounting to #CrimesAgainstHumanity
#UN#IIMM@koumjian declines to specify exactly how many files he has compiled related to the atrocities committed in #Myanmar since his mechanism was formed 2018. But says those who have committed the offences "should worry that the files are on them" #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar