YANGON: Three “police officers” and a civilian were held for several hours on Saturday night by residents of Hmawbi, a small town about 40 km north of Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon.
Residents held the four “out of fear and suspicion,” tying them with ropes before taking them to the nearest police station for verification.
“Three police apprehended a drug dealer while patrolling on Saturday night, then kept on patrolling and were held by the crowd,” a police officer, who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to speak to the media, told Arab News over the phone on Sunday.
“It was a misunderstanding as residents reacted to them with panic. We understand their fear and anxiety. So, there will be no action against the residents,” he said.
Similar incidents were also reported from other areas of the city on Saturday. In some cases, volunteers in ambulances were blocked from picking up patients.
Widespread fear and panic among Yangon residents and elsewhere in Myanmar has become the norm since the military’s coup on Feb. 1.
Tens of thousands of protesters gathered across Yangon, the country’s biggest city with a population of more than 5 million, as mass demonstrations against the military junta gained momentum across the nation. A curfew was then imposed.
Several residents, however, have defied the curfew since Friday night following reports of thugs — allegedly working for the security forces — planning to commit arson, robbery and poisoning of public wells.
The anger was fueled by a spike in arrests of opposition party members, such as activists and public servants, during midnight raids by security forces.
More than 350 people, including officials, activists and monks, have been arrested since the military coup, the UN’s human rights office said on Friday.
More detentions are expected to follow.
Meanwhile, the National Administrative Council, led by coup leader and military chief Min Aung Hlaing, said on Saturday it was suspending laws legalizing the arrest without warrant and detention of a suspect beyond 24 hours.
However, it also ordered forces to hunt down “seven dissidents,” including Min Ko Naing, an activist considered the second-most influential person after detained leader and former Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Residents in Yangon and other parts of the country are responding with anger and defiance, with some blocking the streets and others patrolling in groups to “protect themselves” at night.
In most townships of Yangon, residents have declared that a few would “rule certain quarters themselves” after losing faith in the government’s administrative mechanism.
Ko Phyo, a middle-aged man in the Mingalar Taung Nyunt township of Yangon, said that some residents had started wearing white helmets for easy identification and to distinguish themselves from strangers.
“We will have a series of meetings today and in the coming days to make the patrol more systematic,” he told Arab News on Sunday.
“Otherwise, we cannot sleep at night,” he said.
Aye Kyu, a 54-year-old resident of Yangon’s Hlaing township, said that his neighbors had teamed up to guard the area at night, starting from Friday when the junta released more than 23,000 prisoners under an amnesty marking the country’s Union Day.
“It was very similar to the situation just days before the brutal military crackdown on protesters in 1988,” he said, recalling the tactics employed by the former authorities who had allegedly deployed thugs to create unrest and chaos.
“They now need a reason to crack down on us. So they are creating a chaotic situation by making people feel insecure and respond with panic,” he told Arab News on Saturday.
“We now need to keep an eye open all the time. So, we agreed to assign ten men each night to guard the neighbors. We have no one to protect us. Police and soldiers are acting like thugs to us,” Aye Kyu said.
After the military junta legalized arrests without warrants, some residents have resorted to using metal pots and pans to create a noise and wake up neighbors in case of any unusual activity.
Over the past two nights, such noises were heard across Yangon, disturbing resident’s sleep.
Myo Min Thu, a 24-year student and a resident of Yangon’s Tarmwe township, has been actively participating in protests against the military coup and the regime since the first day of the demonstrations.
He said that people in the quarter he lives in have been discussing plans to continue their anti-coup movement.
“The elderly said they could guard the neighbors, and make noise and wake people only when they found things suspicious,” he told Arab News on Sunday.
“They said young people are yet to take to streets. By sharing the duties, we will keep the resistance on,” he said.
Sleepless in Yangon: Myanmar residents share night patrol duties to avoid arrests
https://arab.news/8974u
Sleepless in Yangon: Myanmar residents share night patrol duties to avoid arrests
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- Move follows reports of gangsters, allegedly employed by security forces, planning to commit arson, robbery and poisoning of public wells
- Widespread fear and panic among residents has become the norm since the coup on Feb. 1
Kremlin says Putin and Trump could meet before end of February, agencies report
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- The talks in Riyadh were the first time US and Russian officials met to discuss ways to halt the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two
- Kyiv has said it will not accept any deal imposed without its consent
Peskov said the US-Russia talks held on Tuesday in Riyadh were a “very, very important step” toward reaching a settlement on the Ukraine war, nearing its third year.
“In order to carry out, figuratively speaking, resuscitation measures, diplomats will now begin to work in light of the agreement (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov reached yesterday with (US Secretary of State Marco) Rubio,” Peskov was quoted by state media as saying.
“But this is the first step...Naturally, it’s impossible to fix everything in one day or a week. There is a long way to go,” he added.
The talks in Riyadh were the first time US and Russian officials met to discuss ways to halt the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two. No Ukrainian or European officials were invited. Kyiv has said it will not accept any deal imposed without its consent.
Pakistan wants to expel all Afghan refugees from the country, says Afghan embassy
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- The embassy on Wednesday issued a strongly worded statement about Pakistan’s plans, saying Afghan nationals in the capital, Islamabad
- The Afghan embassy in Islamabad says Pakistan wants to remove all Afghan refugees from the country and their expulsion is imminent
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan wants to remove all Afghan refugees from the country and their expulsion is imminent, the Afghan embassy in Islamabad warned Wednesday.
The embassy issued a strongly worded statement about Pakistan’s plans, saying Afghan nationals in the capital, Islamabad, and the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi have been subjected to arrests, searches, and orders from the police to leave the twin cities and relocate to other parts of Pakistan.
“This process of detaining Afghans, which began without any formal announcement, has not been officially communicated to the Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad through any formal correspondence,” it added.
Besides hundreds of thousands of those living illegally in Pakistan, there are around 1.45 million Afghan nationals registered with UNHCR as refugees.
Trump bashes Zelensky, ‘confident’ on Ukraine deal
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- Zelensky previously criticized the US-Russia talks for excluding Kyiv, saying efforts to end the war must be “fair and involve European countries
PALM BEACH: US President Donald Trump has effectively blamed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for Russia’s invasion, as French President Emmanuel Macron prepares for another round of talks with EU and non-European partners on Wednesday.
Zelensky previously criticized the US-Russia talks for excluding Kyiv, saying efforts to end the war must be “fair and involve European countries.
The Ukrainian leader’s comments appeared to incense Trump, who launched a series of verbal attacks on Zelensky.
“I’m very disappointed, I hear that they’re upset about not having a seat,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Tuesday.
“Today I heard, ‘oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years... You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”
Trump also suggested he could meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before the end of the month in Saudi Arabia as he overhauls Washington’s stance toward Moscow — a shift that has alarmed European leaders.
Earlier Tuesday, Russia and the United States had agreed to establish teams to negotiate a path to ending the war in Ukraine after talks that drew a strong rebuke from Kyiv, with Zelensky postponing his own trip to Saudi Arabia.
France’s Macron announced another meeting in Paris on Ukraine after the US-Russia talks, adding that Trump “can restart a useful dialogue” with Putin.
Trump also increased pressure on Zelensky to hold elections — echoing one of Moscow’s key demands.
Trump wants Ukraine election
Asked whether the United States would support demands that Russia wanted to force Zelensky to hold new elections as part of any deal, Trump began by criticizing what he said were the Ukrainian’s approval ratings.
“They want a seat at the table, but you could say... wouldn’t the people of Ukraine have a say? It’s been a long time since we’ve had an election,” said Trump.
“That’s not a Russian thing, that’s something coming from me, from other countries.”
Zelensky was elected in 2019 for a five-year term, but has remained in office as Ukraine is still under martial law.
Trump’s latest remarks are unlikely to allay fears among some European leaders, already worried that Washington will make serious concessions to Moscow and re-write the continent’s security arrangement in a Cold War-style deal.
Washington noted European nations would have to have a seat at the negotiating table “at some point.”
The US-Russia talks — the first high-level official talks between the two countries since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine — drew a fiery response from Kyiv.
“This will only be feeding Putin’s appetite,” a Ukrainian senior official requesting anonymity told AFP, referring to the launch of talks without Ukraine.
Trump for his part said he was “much more confident” of a deal after the Riyadh talks, telling reporters Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago estate: “I think I have the power to end this war.”
’Heard each other’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed to “appoint respective high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible,” the State Department said.
Washington added that the sides had also agreed to “establish a consultation mechanism” to address “irritants” to the US-Russia relationship, noting the sides would lay the groundwork for future cooperation.
Riyadh marks a diplomatic coup for Moscow, which had been isolated for three years under the previous US administration of Joe Biden.
Moscow’s economic negotiator, Kirill Dmitriev, said Western attempts to isolate Russia had “obviously failed.”
“We did not just listen but heard each other, and I have reason to believe the American side has better understood our position,” Lavrov told reporters.
The veteran diplomat noted that Russia opposed any deployment of NATO-nation troops to Ukraine as part of an eventual ceasefire.
European allies publicly diverged this week over whether they would be open to sending truce peacekeepers to Ukraine.
Macron, in an interview with French regional newspapers, appeared open to the idea of sending troops to Ukraine but only in the most limited fashion and away from conflict zones.
He said new talks would take place “with several European and non-European states,” after an emergency meeting on Monday in Paris which brought together a small number of key European countries.
Moscow has long called for the withdrawal of NATO forces from eastern Europe, viewing the alliance as an existential threat on its flank.
The Kremlin on Tuesday said Ukraine had the right to join the European Union, but not the NATO military alliance.
It also said Putin was “ready” to negotiate with Zelensky “if necessary.”
Bangladesh clashes leave nearly 150 students injured
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DHAKA: More than 150 students have been injured in Bangladesh during clashes at a university campus, a sign of serious discord between groups instrumental in fomenting a national revolution last year.
Tuesday afternoon’s clashes began after the youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) sought to recruit students at the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology in the country’s southwest.
That sparked a confrontation with campus members of Students Against Discrimination, a protest group that led the uprising that ousted autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina last August.
At least 50 people were taken for treatment after the skirmish, Khulna police officer Kabir Hossain told AFP.
“The situation is now under control, and an extra contingent of police has been deployed,” he added.
Communications student Jahidur Rahman told AFP that those hospitalized had injuries from thrown bricks and “sharp weapons,” and that around 100 others had suffered minor injuries.
Footage of the violence showing rival groups wielding scythes and machetes, along with injured students being carted to hospital for treatment, was widely shared on Facebook.
Both groups blamed the other for starting the violence, with the BNP student wing chief Nasir Uddin Nasir accusing members of Islamist political party Jamaat of agitating the situation to force a confrontation.
Jamaat activists “created this unwarranted clash,” he told AFP.
Local student Obayed Ullah told AFP that the BNP had defied a decision by the campus to remain free of activities by established political parties.
He added that there was “no presence” of Jamaat on campus.
The incident provoked outrage among students elsewhere in the country, with a protest rally held late Tuesday night to condemn the BNP’s youth wing at Dhaka University.
Students Against Discrimination launched protests last year that toppled Bangladesh’s former government and chased ex-leader Hasina into exile after 15 years of iron-fisted rule.
Activists from the BNP joined with student protesters in the final days of Hasina’s tenure, defying a bloody crackdown by security forces that killed hundreds.
The BNP is widely expected to win fresh elections slated to be held by the middle of next year under the supervision of the South Asian country’s current caretaker administration.
Student leaders have meanwhile struggled to parley their success in engineering Hasina’s fall into a durable political force.
Migrant groups say racist attacks increase in German city after deadly Christmas market violence
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- Migrants who have settled in the German city of Magdeburg say they have experienced a sharp increase in racism and anti-immigration sentiments following a deadly Christmas market attack last year
- The violence has ensured that migration remains a key issue as the country heads toward an early election Sunday
MAGDEBURG: When Haben Gebregergish first immigrated to the German city of Magdeburg seven years ago, the Eritrean immigrant was walking to the supermarket with her child when an intoxicated woman approached her on the street.
At the time, Gebregergish did not speak German well enough to comprehend what the woman was saying. But Gebregergish says that when the woman threw a beer bottle at her head, she immediately understood.
It was one of her first encounters with racism, but certainly not the last. In the aftermath of a deadly attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg late last year, Gebregergish and other migrants who have settled in the city say they have experienced a sharp increase in racism and anti-immigration sentiments.
“We are the same as you,” Gebregergish said earlier this month. “We are not different. Just like you, we have feelings. Sometimes we are sad, sometimes we are happy, just like everyone else.”
The Christmas market violence was one of five high-profile attacks committed by immigrants in the past nine months that have made migration a key issue as the country heads toward an early election on Sunday. The suspect, a Saudi doctor, drove into the holiday market teeming with shoppers and left five women and a 9-year-old boy dead and 200 people injured.
The suspect arrived in Germany in 2006 and had received permanent residency, and authorities say the suspect does not fit the usual profile of perpetrators of extremist attacks. He is being held in custody as authorities investigate him.
Just one day after Dec. 20 violence, there was a large right-wing demonstration in Magdeburg, and verbal and physical attacks on people with a migrant background have increased significantly in the city since then, according to the German-Syrian Cultural Association in Magdeburg.
“The migrant community and the advice centers report that attacks have increased by more than 70 percent here in the city,” said Saeeid Saeeid, who came to Germany from Syria seven years ago and is a member of the association. “Racism already exists here and everywhere. But it has increased enormously since the attack.”
Ketevan Asatiani-Hermann, newly elected chair of the board for the Advisory Council for Integration and Migration in Magdeburg, said victims of racist attacks in the city often do not feel support from politicians or police.
“The hatred has always been there, people just didn’t dare to say it so clearly before,” said Asatiani-Hermann, who came to Magdeburg in 2011 from Georgia.
Officers sometimes target or search the victims first before the perpetrator, she alleged, and they also worry reporting an attack could have a negative impact on their residence status.
The Magdeburg Police Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Mayor Simone Borris, in a statement, said: “Cohesion and community are fundamental values of a city that are inviolable.” The mayor also referred media to online services for migrants, and said the city’s Cooperation with the Advisory Council for Integration and Migration will be expanded.
Magdeburg is located in the former communist east, an area where the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has its highest support. The party is polling in second place going into the upcoming election with about 20 percent support and is fielding its first candidate to lead the country.
Even though it’s highly unlikely to take a share of power soon, it has become a factor that other politicians can’t ignore and has helped shape Germany’s debate on migration.
The election’s outcome — and a potential gain in influence for AfD — could have a large impact on Magdeburg’s politics and everyday life, Asatiani-Hermann said.
Saeeid said the city’s migrants feel alone, and want to hear directly from their elected officials to address their concerns.
“We will not allow Magdeburg to become a playing field for racism and hatred,” he said.