Axis of pariahs
ambassador to Belarus Lwin Oo. (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Belarus has echoed Russia’s President Putin in hailing Myanmar as a reliable partner.
“Belarus considers Myanmar’s military regime to be a reliable partner in the Asian region,” said Belarus ambassador to Russia Dmitry Krutoi as he held talks with junta-appointed Myanmar ambassador to Belarus Lwin Oo. The two envoys discussed deputy prime minister and foreign minister Than Shwe’s visit to Belarus last week, the state-owned Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA) reported on September 19.
Along with its neighbor Russia, Belarus is among a handful of countries that supplies arms to Myanmar’s regime, which is committing war crimes against its own civilians.
Last year, Putin called Myanmar “our long-standing and reliable partner in Southeast Asia.”
Like Russia, Belarus has provided support for the Myanmar regime at the United Nations. It also appointed a new ambassador to Myanmar last year. On September 15, the regime followed suit by opening a Consulate General in Minsk.
Holiday in hell
The junta’s tourism ministry is promoting Naypyitaw for the coming tourist season, which begins around the end of next month.
On September 21, the ministry issued a list of 24 tourist destinations in Myanmar. Topping the list is the administrative capital that’s notoriously known as Myanmar’s ghost city, built amid farmland and bisected by vast but deserted concrete boulevards.
Earlier this month, Naypyitaw Council member Than Tun Oo invited international tourists to visit the Buddha Statue built by junta boss Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw, at the inauguration of the International Tourism Alliance of Silk Road Cities in China. The alliance consists of 58 cities in China, Myanmar, Europe, Africa and America.
To create an impression of the colossal Buddha statue being thronged with pilgrims and visitors, the regime is providing free meals and cash rewards for locals who visit the landmark.
But in a stark contrast to the junta’s glossy promotion, its nerve center is now being targeted by resistance forces. At a press conference last month, the regime admitted clashes had occurred in Naypyitaw. Last week, resistance forces launched a drone attack on the junta’s airbase adjacent to Naypyitaw International Airport. On September 18, the UK issued a travel warning for Myanmar, telling its citizens not to travel to many parts of the country. So, welcome to Naypyitaw!
Guilty consciences
Staff of state-owned broadcaster Myanma Radio and Television, which serves as a platform for junta propaganda, joined a September 19 webinar on Mental Health and Wellbeing for Journalists in the age of Social Media and Disinformation, organized Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD).
Under the leadership of junta spokesman Major-General Zaw Min Tun, who also serves as deputy information minister, MRTV has been churning out downright lies about the situation in Myanmar ever since the 2021 coup.
As countless Myanmar people are being forced to queue for cooking oil, the broadcaster maintains the economy is picking up. MRTV is also tasked with discrediting the popular revolt against the regime, and covering up the junta’s deadly air strikes, arson attacks and artillery barrages against civilians. Meanwhile independent media outlets are subject to a crackdown by the regime that has forced journalists into hiding or into jail.
The webinar will do nothing to ease the guilty consciences of MRTV staff members. Those who want to make a living with a clear conscience should join the Civil Disobedience Movement instead.
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