FARMERS' STIR: AHEAD OF 'BLACK DAY' PROTEST, DELHI POLICE WARNS AGAINST GATHERINGS DURING LOCKDOWN

PTI / Updated: May 25, 2021,


NEW DELHI: With farmer unions observing 'black day' on Wednesday on completion of six months of their stir against the Centre's agri laws, the Delhi Police has urged people not to hold gatherings due to the Covid situation and the ongoing lockdown and said it is keeping a tight vigil to deal with any situation at the protest sites on the city's borders.
Action will be taken against those who try to take the law into their hands, Delhi Police PRO Chinmoy Biswal said, adding that the force is already present at all borders points, including the protest sites of Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur, and will not allow any illegal activity or entry.

Samkyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of protesting unions, had announced that farmers will observe May 26 as 'Black Day' to mark the completion of six months.
Last week, twelve major opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Left parties, SP, NCP and DMK had extended their support to the protest.

In the wake of the SKM's announcement, the Delhi Police on Tuesday urged the people to follow Covid guidelines and not to come out of their houses and gather unnecessarily due to the ongoing coronavirus situation in the national capital.

"In last over one month, we have witnessed a severe situation in the national capital due to the coronavirus in which several people lost their lives. Police and administration took several steps to control the situation.

"With the help of people, the lockdown was successfully followed in Delhi due to which the situation is gradually getting better in the national capital," he said.

Biswal said, "We urge people not to gather as the virus could spread and the cases escalate. We appeal to the citizens to observe Covid- appropriate behaviour and lockdown which is still imposed in the city. There is no permission of gathering and demonstration due to the ongoing situation".

According to a statement released by the Samkyukt Kissan Morch on Tuesday, this farmer's movement "is running on truth and non-violence and will be completing six months of its historical struggle on Wednesday".

"SKM requests all Indians to celebrate and mark Buddha Poornima tomorrow, so that truth and non-violence find a strong place back in our community, at a time when attempts are being made to erode these basic values in our society," the statement said.
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments over allegations of flouting of Covid safety norms by farmers protesting at the borders against the farm laws.

It has asked them to file within four weeks action taken reports regarding the steps taken to control the spread of Covid-19 infection at the protest sites.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the NHRC said that India is reeling under a "scary" second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and these protesters are not only putting their lives in danger but also posing a risk to the others in rural areas as "potential carriers" of the virus.
"The complainant has also stated that more than 300 farmers have died during this ongoing protests due to several reasons, including Covid infection. The cases of black fungus, etc, are also rising.

"He has sought the intervention of the Commission apprehending that situation may become more worrisome as the farmers, in large numbers, are planning for observing May 26, 2021 as 'Black Day,'" the rights panel said.

On Tuesday, SKM also appealed to all citizens to mark the 'black day' by hoisting black flags from their homes, vehicles and other places.

Farmer leaders said that farmers should wear black turbans and black chunni on this day.
Kulwant Singh, a farmer leader, said that they will fix black flags at every border.

"On Wednesday, there will be black flags fixed at the three borders of the city where farmers are protesting. The protesting farmers will observe the black day at the borders and no one will try to enter the national capital. It will be very peaceful and we are urging the citizens across the nation to support the farmers by putting black flags at their homes and other possible places," Singh said.

Thousands of protesting farmers reached Delhi borders on November 26 last year to protest against the Centre's three new farm laws.

On Republic Day, a tractor parade that was to highlight the demands of the farmer unions to repeal three new agri laws dissolved into anarchy on the streets of the city as tens of thousands of protesters broke through barriers, fought with police, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort.

More than 300 policemen were injured in the incident.

Renault, Nissan and Hyundai face shutdowns in India over workers' COVID fears

Workers have protested and some are planning strikes until safety and healthcare demands are met

REUTERS
May 25th 2021 


CHENNAI, India — Automakers Renault, its alliance partner Nissan and Hyundai face temporary factory closures in India due to growing unrest among workers concerned about rising COVID-19 infections.

Workers at Renault-Nissan's car plant in the southern state of Tamil Nadu will go on strike on Wednesday because their COVID-related safety demands have not been met, a union representing the workers told the company in a letter on Monday.

Hyundai said it would suspend operations at its plant, also in Tamil Nadu, for five days starting Tuesday, after several workers staged a brief, sit-in protest on Monday amid rising cases in the state.

"The management agreed to close the plant after workers expressed concerns over safety after two employees succumbed to COVID," E. Muthukumar, president of the Hyundai Motor India Employees Union, told Reuters.

The unrest highlights the challenges companies face in India amid a huge wave of COVID-19 infections, an overwhelmed health system and a shortage of vaccines which is making employees more fearful.

Tamil Nadu is one of the worst hit states with more than 30,000 cases a day last week. The state, an auto hub known as India's Detroit, has imposed a lockdown until May 31 but allowed some factories, including auto plants, to continue operating.

The strike threat at the Renault-Nissan plant came ahead of a court hearing on Monday over allegations from workers that social distancing norms were being flouted and factory health policies did not sufficiently address the risk to lives.

Renault-Nissan has said it is following COVID-19 safety protocols.

At the hearing, a lawyer for the workers argued that while the company had reduced the number of shifts, production numbers had not been cut and the headcount remained the same leading to crowding on the factory floor.

The company told the court it had reduced the workforce to around 5,000 from 8,000. It also said it had vaccinated employees over 45 and was willing to inoculate those under 45 if vaccines were made available.

The two-judge bench presiding over the case said that while the health of workers is paramount, if industries go down there will be no place for them to work. They also said the company must not take advantage of the exemption granted by the state and should reduce production to meet only necessary export orders.

"The production should have fallen ... You also have to assuage the feeling of the workers," said the court, which will next hear the case on May 31.

The union, which represents about 3,500 workers at the plant, said in its May 24 letter to Renault-Nissan that workers would not return until they felt safe.

The workers' demands include lower production so there is better social distancing, vaccinations and higher insurance cover to include medical expenses for their families.

Nissan, which owns a majority stake in the plant, declined to comment.

 BMJ OPINION

It is more urgent than ever that we end the criminalisation of poverty

May 21, 2021

The story of inequalities in health has been a long one, beginning, in the NHS era, with the Black report and progressing through the Health Divide, the Acheson report, to the Marmot report in 2010. Since the Acheson report, governments have embedded reducing inequality in health policy. The duty to reduce inequality was enshrined in the Health and Social Care Act of 2012. The aspiration has not been turned into concrete policy and service change. In many cases, government austerity policies have worked to increase inequalities. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, in their Destitution in the UK report, local and national government are the biggest creditors on poor people.  

Organisations like the Revolving Doors Agency have brought a growing awareness of inequalities in health in the criminal justice system and how NHS and Directors of Public Health should respond. However, there has been little acknowledgment that it is how poorer people are being managed, judged, and sentenced that is unequal. The system suggests, it is a crime to be poor. 

Poorer socio-economic groups are over-represented in the criminal justice system. This situation becomes even more obvious when poverty is combined with other factors, such as coming from a minority ethnic background or suffering from mental ill health. There seem to be several reasons behind this disproportionality. There are clear examples of the impact of laws falling disproportionally on the poor. 

In England, but not in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland, magistrates have the power to commit someone to prison for up to three months for owing council tax. This is despite the fact that owing tax is a civil debt, it is not a crime.

The Vagrancy Act 1824, passed to deal with soldiers returning destitute from the Napoleonic Wars, made it a criminal act to sleep outdoors. Charities have long campaigned to repeal the Act. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has hinted that the 19th-century law which criminalises rough sleeping could finally be scrapped. Responding to a question by Nickie Aiken MP during a debate on the latest rough sleeping figures, Jenrick said he believed the Vagrancy Act should be “consigned to history” and the Government would provide an update soon. We are still waiting for this to happen.

The Vagrancy Act 1824 (section 3) makes begging a criminal offence; it enables the arrest of anybody who is begging. It is a recordable offence and carries a level 3 fine (currently £1,000). Furthermore, local councils can apply to have an Anti-Social Behaviour Injunction imposed on someone whose behaviour is regarded as anti-social. Breaching such an injunction may lead to a hearing in a county court under civil, not criminal, law. The penalty can be imprisonment, suspended or immediate, of up to two years. 

School exclusion is a well-travelled road to exploitation by criminal gangs, leading to involvement in the criminal justice system. Recent reports reveal that exclusion rates for Black Caribbean students in English schools are up to six times higher than those of their white peers in some local authorities, highlighting what experts have called an “incredible injustice” for schoolchildren from minority ethnic backgrounds. Traveller children were also excluded at much higher rates. And exclusion rates for mixed-race students were more than four times higher than their white peers in several local authorities.

In England and Wales parents whose children miss school are deemed to have committed the offence of truancy, even if they didn’t know their child had skipped school. Lack of support for children with special educational needs in some schools may lead to children feeling unable to go to school, and refusing to go. Parents with fewer financial resources to find and employ tutors and other support will be disproportionately affected by the law which makes missing school a criminal offence for the parent. In Scotland truancy is a child welfare not a criminal law issue.

Additionally, the poor also get criminalised from law enforcement targeting certain crimes, from having inadequate resources to defend themselves in court and from a lack of support through the different stages of the criminal justice process. Some of these predicaments have long-term effects, causing intergenerational cycles of poverty and criminality. 

Much of the unfairness of judging the poor will be obvious to prison health services and mental health colleagues. Large proportions of the prison population are there because of their inability to cope, with low level mental ill health, addictions and poverty. They are in prison largely because of inadequate support and inappropriate care in the community, and through the criminal justice system. Only one in 10 calls to South Wales police are crime related; the rest are complex welfare, vulnerability, and safeguarding matters. The police receive one call every four minutes relating to mental health problems. Resources such as court diversion of vulnerable defendants are still unevenly available and applied. 

It is necessary for us to address these grotesque inequalities in health and justice, as we seek to Build Back Fairer after the covid pandemic. 

The covid-19 pandemic in the UK has had a dramatic impact on household debt and financial security. The Department for Work and Pensions has seen applications for Universal Credit soar since lockdown was imposed in March 2020. As of the start of May 2020, 1.8 million claims had been received since 16 March—six times the usual claimant rate. Local news reports have also shown that more people than ever are applying for council tax reductions and are struggling to keep up with payments. There appear to have been temporary respites for some of the most vulnerable—through suspension of benefit sanctions, debt-deduction payments and evictions for non-payment of rent. However,  many are extending their debt through credit card usage and built up rent debt; many expect to be homeless when evictions are again permitted. As the precariousness of household finances worsens through the economic hit of the coronavirus pandemic, it is essential that we protect those most financially vulnerable. In these circumstances it is more important and more urgent than ever that we end the criminalisation of poverty.

Rona Epstein, Honorary Research Fellow, Coventry Law School, Coventry University   

John Middleton, Honorary Professor of Public Health, Wolverhampton University; President, Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region  

BURMA

Karenni resistance fighters open new front against junta


The Karenni People’s Defence Force went on the offensive over the weekend, but now faces an overwhelming show of force

Myanmar Now
Published on May 26, 2021

Members of the Karenni People’s Defence Force in Demoso, Kayah State (Demoso People Defence Force/Facebook)
As armed resistance to the Myanmar military’s February 1 coup continues to grow around the country, a new front has opened in the struggle between regime forces and civilians fighting back with homemade weapons.

Since late last week, major clashes have been reported in an area of southern Shan State and northern Kayah (Karenni) State about 200km east of the capital Naypyitaw and about the same distance north of Kayin State’s Hpapun (Mutraw) District, which has also seen a dramatic escalation of hostilities.

Unlike the situation in Kayin State, where the conflict is between the military and the Karen National Liberation Army, an established ethnic armed group, the fighting in Shan State’s Pekhon Township and Demoso, Bawlakhe and Loikaw in Kayah State mainly involves regime forces and the Karenni People’s Defence Force (KPDF), part of the nationwide anti-coup resistance movement.

The KPDF goes on the offensive

The KPDF went into action last Friday after soldiers entered Demoso, a town less than 20km south of the Kayah State capital Loikaw, the day before and opened fire in residential areas. According to the KPDF, the regime’s troops also used explosives during their assault on the town, which resulted in the arrest of 13 people, including four civil servants who had defected from the regime.

The KPDF’s first response was to seize and burn down three outposts in Demoso and Bawlakhe townships with the help of a local ethnic armed group. Three police officers were killed during those initial clashes

The group made it clear that it had prepared carefully ahead of the attacks, which it saw as part of the nationwide resistance movement called for by the National Unity Government.

“When the People’s Defence Force was formed, we started setting up township communication offices. We built our own strongholds to protect people. We warned [the junta’s authorities] from the beginning not to cross the line,” said a KPDF member who was involved in the fighting in Demoso, speaking on condition of anonymity.



A member of the KPDF smashes the sign of the Moebye police outpost after the group seized it on May 23. (Supplied)

After the regime faced casualties in Demoso, it approached the KPDF for negotiations the next day, he added.

However, the KPDF members did not respond to this overture because they didn’t trust the military council, which they knew was sending reinforcements to Demoso.

Rather than back off, the civilian-led resistance force overran another local police outpost on Sunday morning, this time in Moebye, a town in southern Shan State’s Pekhon Township, on the border with Kayah State.

Regime troops suffered heavy casualties in the attack on the Moebye police outpost, where at least 20 of the junta’s forces were killed and four police officers were taken into custody by the KPDF.

“They call it a police station, but there were only three or four police there and all the others were soldiers. We ambushed the station because it had become a military outpost,” said the KPDF member.


Local Karenni resistance fighters set the Moebye police station on fire after capturing it on May 23. (Kantarawaddy Times)

The Karenni youth-led resistance force spent two days preparing to overrun the police station, he added. On Sunday morning, they surrounded it and warned the soldiers and police inside to drop their weapons and surrender, he said.

“If they had just surrendered their weapons, it would have been better for both sides. There wouldn’t have been so many casualties, and we wouldn’t have had to waste our time or bullets,” he said.

At around 9:30am, the KPDF opened fire from outside the entrance to the station and a shootout began.

“Some of them ran, and some of them took cover to fight back. But most fled, and there weren’t enough holding us back, so there were a lot of casualties,” said the KPDF member, who estimated that there were around 30 soldiers and police at the station.

Three hours later, between 15 and 20 members of the regime’s forces were killed, and four more were captured alive, he added.

One KPDF member was killed, and four others were injured.

KPDF members carry handmade guns used in the fight against the regime forces. (Demoso People Defence Force/Facebook)

Fending off reinforcements

Later the same day, the KPDF launched two more attacks to prevent military reinforcements from entering the area.

The reinforcements were coming in three trucks from Pekhon in the north and six from Loikaw in the south. The first group was attacked in Hkwang Mai, a village on the way from Pekhon to Moebye.

“Some trees were cut down and put across the road in Hkwang Mai, so they had to start walking from there. There was a short fight and the PDF members there had to retreat a bit. But the reinforcements didn’t get to the police station in Moebye until after we overran it,” the KPDF member said.

The six trucks from Loikaw were ambushed at Kone Thar, a village about halfway between Loikaw and Moebye.

“The PDF youths in Kone Thar also held them off for a while. After a brief shootout, they retreated. These reinforcements also arrived only after we’d captured the station. They had to walk the whole way,” said the KPDF member.

The KPDF burned down any structure in the police station compound that the soldiers could use for shelter and dispersed before the reinforcements reached the scene.

“After we scattered, the reinforcements went into the station to observe the situation of their fellow soldiers. Then they started firing their guns. They kept it up late into the night, threatening residents,” the KPDF member said.

Although Light Infantry Battalion 422 is stationed only a mile away, near the Moebye dam—the main dam of the Lawpita hydropower project—it didn’t send any troops to the police station to defend it. Instead, it simply fired at the KPDF fighters from a distance, according to a member of the group who took part in the attack.

Likewise, troops based at an outpost in Waryikawkhu, a village about five miles from the Moebye police station, fired heavy artillery but did not provide any other support, he added.

The Global New Light of Myanmar, a junta-run newspaper, said on Monday that “some of the security members were killed in the attack” in Moebye and some were still “missing”.

The report described the local resistance force as “terrorists” and said the police outpost was attacked by a combined force of about 100 armed fighters.

Resistance fighters in Demoso also attempted to capture a police station in the town during a three-hour battle on Sunday afternoon, local media reported. However, the KPDF members were forced to retreat when army reinforcements, including some in armoured vehicles, arrived.


KPDF members carry handmade guns used in the fight against the regime forces. (Demoso People Defence Force/Facebook)

Civilians fall victim to reprisals

Following the attacks, regime forces started raiding local villages and terrorising civilians by opening fire with guns and heavy artillery.

One victim was a 50-year-old woman who was injured after being shot by soldiers while riding from Moebye to Loikaw on her motorbike.

At around 8pm on Sunday, a man on a motorbike was also shot on the Moebye-Loikaw road. He sustained a stomach wound and later died.

The next day, the military imposed day-time curfews in Moebye and Loikaw.

The junta’s armed forces are now stationed at the burned-out police station and a football field near Moebye, according to a local resident. He said the soldiers fired shots randomly on their way to Loikaw and Pekhon.

Around 50 youths were arrested on Monday but were later released after questioning. Those still in Moebye are currently taking shelter in the town’s churches, the local added.

More than 10,000 villagers from the surrounding area have fled their homes, while many inside the town are unable to leave due to the regime’s campaign to crush the armed uprising with lethal force.

“Some people don’t want to leave, but those who do can’t anyway, because there’s no way out. They’re afraid they’ll be shot at if they try to leave,” said a Moebye resident who spoke to Myanmar Now on Tuesday.

At least nine civilians have been killed since Monday, including a young man who was shot in the head by regime troops who had tied his hands behind his back.

Lt-Gen Soe Htut, the junta’s minister for home affairs, arrived in Kayah on Tuesday. The junta-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Wednesday that Lt-Gen Soe Htut had “inspected” Moebye and Pekhon police stations and provided "cash assistance" to the police, soldiers, and their family members from coup council chairman Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing.

The report, however, did not mention the casualties at and damage to the Moebye police outpost after it was attacked by Karenni resistance fighters.

It said Lt-Gen Soe Htut also visited Loikaw prison to inspect “prison healthcare services, accommodation and meals.”



Church_3.Jpeg

Four people were killed when the military fired shells at a church in Kayan Tharyar village in Loikaw

Meanwhile, there were also reports that the military was using drones as part of its offensive against resistance forces.

“There were drones. Every time one passed, shells fell immediately. They were so fast we couldn’t keep up with them. They’re very advanced,” said a KPDF fighter from Demoso.

On Monday, multiple military planes were seen landing at Loikaw’s airport, carrying soldiers and equipment.

Armed only with handmade weapons, the KPDF fighters are up against a military that is far better equipped. There are even concerns that the regime could start carrying out airstrikes, as it has been doing in Kayin State since late March.

Despite the prospect of an overwhelming show of force, however, many resistance fighters remain convinced that it is still possible to defeat the junta.

“I’d like to call on the entire nation to rise up. Then this dictatorship could end in a short time,” said one KPDF member.

Editor's Note: This article was updated on May 26 to include details of Lt-Gen Soe Htet's visit.

UN envoy warns of possible civil war in Myanmar
By The Associated Press • Updated: 24/05/2021

Anti-coup protesters flash the three-finger salute during a demonstration against the military takeover, in Yangon, Myanmar, Monday, May 24, 2021. - Copyright AP Photo

The United Nations special envoy for Myanmar warned Monday of possible civil war in the country, saying people are arming themselves against the military junta and protesters have started shifting from defensive to offensive actions, using homemade weapons and training from some ethnic armed groups.

Chrisrine Schraner Burgener told a virtual UN news conference that people are starting self-defence actions because they are frustrated and fear attacks by the military, which carried out a coup on February 1 against the democratically elected government, and is using “a huge scale of violence.”

A civil war “could happen,” she said, and that’s why for the past three weeks from her base now in Thailand she has discussed with many key parties the idea of starting an inclusive dialogue that would include ethnic armed groups, political parties, civil society, strike committees and the army, known as the Tatmadaw, as well as a small group of witnesses from the international community.




“Clearly it will not be easy to convince especially both sides to come to a table, but I offer my good offices ... to avoid more bloodshed and civil war which would last a long time,” Schraner Burgener said. “We are worried about the situation and clearly we want that people on the ground ... decide how they want to see the country going back to normal.”

Calling the situation in Myanmar “very bad,” she pointed to more than 800 people killed, over 5,300 arrested, and more than 1,800 arrest warrants issued by the military.


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Myanmar's Aung Suu Kyi makes first in-person court appearance

The U.N. envoy also cited reports of unconfirmed deaths, injuries, and damage to houses and civilian property in the town of Mindat in western Chin state, where the junta declared martial law because of armed resistance to military rule. She also pointed to new reports of increased violence in Kayah state — also known as Karenni state — in eastern Myanmar and in southern Shan state.

Myanmar for five decades had languished under strict military rule that led to international isolation and sanctions. As the generals loosened their grip, culminating in Aung San Suu Kyi’s rise to leadership in 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the country. The coup took place following November elections, which Suu Kyi’s party won overwhelmingly and the military contests as fraudulent.


Suu Kyi appeared in court in person for the first time since the coup on Monday on a variety of charges, amid threats by the military to disband her National League for Democracy party which won 82% of the vote in November’s election. Her lawyer, Min Min Soe, said Suu Kyi wanted to tell Myanmar’s people that the party was founded for them, and “the NLD will exist as long as the people exist.”

Schraner Burgener called the military’s attempt to ban the NLD “unacceptable” and said, “I also hope the NLD will survive because this is the will of the people.”

The UN envoy had an hour-long meeting with the junta’s military commander, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, on the sidelines of a meeting last month of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN, which includes Myanmar. ASEAN issued a five-point action plan that calls for stopping violence, constructive dialogue, appointment of an ASEAN special envoy as mediator, humanitarian aid and the mediator’s visit to Myanmar.

But Schraner Burgener said a day later general Hlaing said he would consider the five points when the situation in Myanmar is stable. And on Sunday he reportedly said in an interview with Chinese television “that he doesn’t see those five points can be implemented.”

“So clearly it’s up to ASEAN how to react,” she said. “Clearly, we should be aware that time is ticking and we have not a lot of time to see action on the ground, because time will just play in the hands of the military junta.”

Schraner Burgener said the Tatmadaw declared on Sunday that it had changed the rules for the retirement age of the commander-in-chief which means Hlaing “could stay for life in this position.”

After her meeting with general Hlaing, which they agreed to keep private, the U.N. envoy asked to go to Myanmar to continue the discussion, but she said he replied “still it’s not the right time.” She said she isn’t giving up her efforts because she believes people would probably be encouraged by her presence. She still has an office in the capital, Naypyitaw, and said she receives daily reports from many people in the country.

Schraner Burgener stressed that the UN is trying to stop the violence, which started with the military coup.

“Clearly it’s sad to see that people have to use arms,” she said.

Local citizens have formed a so-called People’s Defence Force with the National Unity Government, which “must try and bring them under a single command structure,” Schraner Burgener said, and protesters are shifting to offencive actions. Every day, she added, “explosions” happen anywhere, which is scaring the people.

Schraner Burgener said ethnic armed groups told her in meetings that they support the people and now have “a common enemy,” but she said it’s difficult to see how their mainly home-made weapons can go up against “a very strong army who have a lot of lethal weapons.”

Myanmar civil war looms as civilian fighters strike back, UN says

Handmade weapons and minimal training may be no match for the military, which staged a coup in February

The attacks are part of a wider upsurge in violence that has occurred since the military overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. AFP

A UN envoy said on Monday that a recent spate of attacks by increasingly organised civilian fighters on Myanmar's security forces is pushing the country closer towards civil war.

UN negotiator Christine Schraner Burgener said so-called People’s Defence Force (PDF) units have staged a series of strikes against police and security forces in recent days.

The attacks are part of a wider upsurge in violence that has occurred since the military overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1 and then launched a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

Myanmar junta threatens to dissolve opposition party as violence escalates

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“Protesters have started to shift from defensive to the offensive, with sometimes home-made weapons or receiving military training from certain ethnic armed organisations,” Ms Schraner Burgener told reporters via video link from Thailand.

“The people are really frustrated and fearing attacks. And they just told me that they need to have self-defence. And if this leads to a civil war – [it] could happen.”


PDF fighters seized a police station in the town of Mobye on Sunday, killing at least 13 soldiers, torching the building and detaining four men, likely police officers, according to local media.

Ms Schraner Burgener said PDF units were setting off “explosions” at military targets across the country and that there is a “huge long list” of reports she has collected about attacks staged by the increasingly organised armed civilians.

An anti-coup shadow government is stitching together PDF units from across the country “under a single command structure”, added the UN envoy, though she questioned whether it could effectively threaten the military, known as the Tatmadaw.

“The weapons, they are mostly handmade,” Ms Schraner Burgener said in answer to a question from The National.

“It's difficult to combat with a very strong army [that] still has a lot of lethal weapons.”

Some ethnic militias that have fought the central government for greater autonomy for decades have rallied behind the protesters, bringing fighting to the peripheries of the country.

At the weekend, shooting broke out near the Chinese border and an armed ethnic group opposed to the junta launched an attack on a jade mining town near the Indian border.

Myanmar has been in chaos and its economy paralysed since the putsch. More than 800 people have died and more than 5,000 have been arrested since the military moved to crack down on dissent.

The country’s deposed leader Ms Suu Kyi appeared in person at a court hearing on Monday for the first time since her government was ousted by the military, her lawyer told Reuters.

The 75-year-old appeared to be in good health and held a face-to-face meeting with her legal team for about 30 minutes before the hearing, said her lawyer Thae Maung Maung.

Ms Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who struggled for decades to build up democracy in the country, is among the thousands of people detained since the coup. She faces charges that include illegally possessing walkie-talkie radios to violating a state secrets law.

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has justified his power grab by citing alleged electoral fraud in the November elections, which Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won in a landslide.

Couple charged with murder of kids in strange doomsday case

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The mother of two kids who were found dead last year in Idaho and her new husband have been charged with murder in a grim case involving bizarre doomsday religious beliefs and two other suspicious deaths. 

THIS PARAGRAPH WAS CLOSE TO THE END OF THE ARTICLE

Shortly after Charles Vallow’s death, Lori Daybell — then still Lori Vallow — and her children moved to Idaho, where Chad Daybell lived. He ran a small publishing company, releasing doomsday-focused fiction books loosely based on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also recorded podcasts about preparing for the apocalypse, and friends said he claimed to be able to receive visions from “beyond the veil.”

I WOULD HAVE PUT IT THIRD FROM THE INTRO

ALTERNATE HEADLINES;

CHRISTIAN DOOMSDAY CULT RITUAL SACRIFICE OR MURDER

MORMON SECT PRACTICING END TIMES RITUALS

CHRISTIAN/MORMON DEATH CULT

SEE

Couple charged with murder of kids in strange doomsday case (msn.com)

QAnon slogans disappearing from mainstream sites, say researchers

By Elizabeth Culliford 

Reuters/Elijah Nouvelage FILE PHOTO: A sticker that references the QAnon slogan is seen on a truck that participated in a caravan convoy in Adairsville

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Many phrases associated with QAnon have largely disappeared from mainstream social media, mostly because of the platforms' "belated efforts" to crack down on the conspiracy theory, researchers at a U.S. think tank said on Wednesday.


QAnon is a baseless, sprawling set of beliefs that first arose from anonymous Web postings by "Q", who claimed to have insider knowledge of former President Donald Trump's administration, and later took on a life of their own.

The conspiracy exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, amplified through multiple social media platforms where the use of QAnon catchphrases like "we are the storm", "great awakening" and "trust the plan" was widespread.

But the volume of those terms seen on Alphabet's Google, Facebook and Twitter has nosedived since the sites began cracking down on QAnon, particularly after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, said researchers at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensics Lab.

The researchers analyzed more than 40 million online instances of QAnon catchphrases and terms from January 2020 to April 2021.

Their report said the recent trend showed "the QAnon movement may be moving on from Q as it once defined itself and morphing during Biden's presidency".

A mix of factors appear to have contributed to the decline, including a months-long pause in posts from "Q" and followers' disillusionment over Trump leaving office without realising their hopes of a crackdown on a supposed cabal of powerful Satanist pedophiles. Trump remains blocked on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

But the researchers said the reduction in typical QAnon discussions correlated most strongly with major social media platforms' moves to counter the conspiracy by removing accounts connected to it. See the report: (https://bit.ly/3wAXlAx)

The findings do not mean that the conspiracy theory is vanishing altogether. QAnon accounts have been seen to evade sites' restrictions by avoiding certain terms and using new coded language.

"Our search was limited to what has been traditionally thought of as the hallmarks of QAnon," said researcher Jared Holt in a phone interview.

The report also said alternative social media sites like Parler and Gab had seen swells in QAnon language but that in terms of volume those those peaks still paled in comparison to mainstream platforms' slowest days.

Parler attracted more QAnon-related than the other alternative social platforms analyzed. The app, popular with U.S. conservatives, has recently been restored to Apple's App Store after major tech platforms cut ties with it following Jan. 6.

The analysis did not include data from private social media groups, messaging apps like Telegram or alternative video site Rumble due to difficulties in obtaining data.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford, editing by Estelle Shirbon)

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Wirecard 'wake-up call' prompts EU company reporting reform

© Reuters/MICHELE TANTUSSI FILE PHOTO: Wirecard acts and books about the company are pictured, in Berlin

LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union will apply lessons from the Wirecard scandal by proposing stricter rules next year for company financial reporting and auditors, its financial services chief said.


The payments company collapsed in 2020 in Germany's biggest post-war fraud scandal after auditor EY could not confirm the existence of 1.9 billion euros ($2.32 billion) in cash balances.

"Wirecard is a wake-up call. Wirecard told and sold a great story that wasn't true," Mairead McGuinness said in a speech to the European Policy Centre on Thursday.

McGuinness will launch a public consultation after the summer looking at company audit committees, the outside auditors who sign off on financial figures companies publish and the regulators who supervise them.

It will examine whether responsibilities of company board members to provide accurate financial reports are defined clearly enough.

The consultation will reflect on how to improve the role of company audit committees and whether they should be mandatory.

McGuinness said supervisors for auditors across the EU had found problems with internal quality control systems.

"They also found a lack of or inappropriate monitoring of high-risk audited entities and insufficient audit evidence and documentation," she added.

"And it is for these reasons that I aim to have a proposal ready by the end of 2022 to tackle the problems and to strengthen the quality of public reporting and its enforcement."

McGuinness said "more and stronger action" may also be needed to ensure competition in an audit market where EY, KPMG, Deloitte and PwC, dubbed the Big Four, have 92% of market share.

Other reasons for the "lack of quality" in auditing might also be a focus on more attractive non-audit services, she said.

EU securities watchdog ESMA criticised German regulator BaFin last year for deficiencies in its handling of Wirecard, and suggested stronger cooperation between national and EU-level audit regulators.

This provides a "very good starting point", McGuinness said.

The EU brought in rules for the audit market in 2016 that require companies to change auditors every few years and imposed a cap on non-audit services, but there are national variations.

($1 = 0.8199 euros)

(Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Alexander Smith)

#PRIVATEERS

Review: How a mini-navy was pivotal to Revolutionary success

© Provided by The Canadian Press

“The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners who Shaped the County, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware,” by Patrick K. O’Donnell (Atlantic Monthly Press)

Little has been written about the Marblehead mariners and their pivotal role in the American revolution – until now.

Author Patrick K. O’Donnell has turned five years of research into an engrossing tale of the Marbleheaders — a group of soldier-sailors from the port of Marblehead, Massachusetts who were forged by a tough life fishing from boats sometimes no match for the unruly north Atlantic ocean.

In his book — “The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners who Shaped the County, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware” — America’s pre-navy emerges as a diverse force. They were men of many ethnicities drawn together by the lure of the sea, tested by extreme adversity and dependent on each other’s skills, stamina and heart. “Marblehead was progressive for the time, with a mix of people from different races and socioeconomic backgrounds,” writes O’Donnell.

Most Americans can perhaps claim a nodding familiarity with the story of Gen. George Washington crossing the Delaware River and surprising the British – and himself. As the author notes, Washington recently had written to his brother saying “I think the game is pretty near up.” Many of the troops were barefoot and starving.

On the night of Aug. 29, 1776, Washington’s army was trapped against the East River after losing the Battle of Brooklyn. But the Marbleheaders’ “motley collection of sailed and rowed vessels” ferried Washington’s army to safety. Among the Marbleheaders’ skills: They knew to put cloth over their oars so the British could not hear their paddles.

Then on Christmas night, 1776, the Marbleheaders tamed the swirling currents and ice in the Delaware River to carry 2,400 of Washington’s troops to the other side without the British knowing.

O’Donnell concludes that were it not for the Marbleheaders’ skill and daring, the American revolution might well have ended on the cold, snowy banks of the Delaware river. And he notes that would have been alright with the Loyalists in the American colonies, because we were “a divided country.”

So here we are in America’s third century, divided still and often having great difficulty working through racial differences.

What would the Marbleheaders say to us?

Jeff Rowe, The Associated Press

• 

  Patrick O’Donnell is a bestselling, critically acclaimed military historian and an expert on elite units. He is the author of eleven books, including Washington’s Immortals, We Were One, and Dog Company, and he is the recipient of several national awards. He served as a combat historian in a Marine rifle platoon during the Battle of Fallujah and speaks often on espionage, special operations, and counterinsurgency. He has provided historical consulting for DreamWorks’ award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers and for scores of documentaries produced by the BBC, the History Channel, Fox News, and Discovery. He is also a regular contributor to several national publications and shows.

  Read More About Patrick K. O’Donnell

  Related Websites

  • Patrick K. O’Donnell’s Website

The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware


By THE THINKING CONSERVATIVE (AN OXYMORON)
-May 18, 2021


On the stormy night of August 29, 1776, the Continental Army faced capture or annihilation after losing the Battle of Brooklyn. The British had trapped George Washington’s forces against the East River, and the fate of the Revolution rested upon the shoulders of the soldier-mariners from Marblehead, Massachusetts. Serving side by side in one of the country’s first diverse units, they pulled off an “American Dunkirk” and saved the army by transporting it across the treacherous waters of the river to Manhattan.

In the annals of the American Revolution, no group played a more consequential role than the Marbleheaders. At the right time in the right place, they repeatedly altered the course of events, and their story shines new light on our understanding of the Revolution. As acclaimed historian Patrick K. O’Donnell dramatically recounts, beginning nearly a decade before the war started, and in the midst of a raging virus that divided the town politically, Marbleheaders such as Elbridge Gerry and Azor Orne spearheaded the break with Britain and shaped the nascent United States by playing a crucial role governing, building alliances, seizing British ships, forging critical supply lines, and establishing the origins of the US Navy.

The Marblehead Regiment, led by John Glover, became truly indispensable. Marbleheaders battled at Lexington and on Bunker Hill and formed the elite Guard that protected George Washington. Then, at the most crucial time in the war, the special operations–like regiment, against all odds, conveyed 2,400 of Washington’s men across the ice-filled Delaware River on Christmas night 1776, delivering a momentum-shifting surprise attack on Trenton. Later, Marblehead doctor Nathaniel Bond inoculated the Continental Army against a deadly virus, which changed the course of history.

White, Black, Hispanic, and Native American, this uniquely diverse group of soldiers set an inclusive standard of unity the US Army would not reach again for more than 170 years. The Marbleheaders’ chronicle, never fully told before now, makes The Indispensables a vital addition to the literature of the American Revolution.

Editorial Reviews
Review

Praise for The Indispensables:

“A vivid account of an impressive Revolutionary War unit and a can’t-miss choice for fans of O’Donnell’s previous books.”―Kirkus Reviews

“Comprehensive . . . Revolutionary War buffs will delight in the copious details and vivid battle scenes.”―Publishers Weekly

“Having saved the fledgling American army from complete destruction at the Battle of Long Island and made Washington’s Christmas Day counterstroke at Trenton possible, the Marblehead Regiment truly was Washington’s indispensable force. Patrick K. O’Donnell’s gift for storytelling brings the once famous regiment back to life, as he takes readers from the highest war councils to the grime and grit of battle, as it was keenly felt by the hard-bitten Marbleheaders. In this vivid and brilliant narrative, O’Donnell demonstrates that he is at the top of his game, as he has now written the one indispensable book on the early and most trying days of the American Revolution.”―Dr. James Lacey, author of The Washington War

“Once again Patrick K. O’Donnell has succeeded in shedding new light on a previously overlooked or unappreciated aspect of American military history. The Indispensables is absolutely fascinating, a beautifully written account of men at war, with great issues in the balance. I know of no finer or more insightful historian of the American soldier’s experience than O’Donnell. Highest recommendation!”―John C. McManus, author of Fire and Fortitude: The U.S. Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943

“Perfectly paced and powerfully wrought, this is the story of common men who gave everything for an ideal―America. The product of meticulous research, The Indispensables is the perfect reminder of who we are, when we need it most.”―Adam Makos, author of the New York Times bestseller A Higher Call

“This is an amazing book about not just a regiment but a community. People from Marblehead contributed to every aspect of the American Revolution’s drama, politically and militarily, in the legislature and on the battlefield, on land and at sea. Patrick O’Donnell gives us a fast-paced, exciting look at Marblehead’s people, men and women, Black, white and Native American, soldier, politician and townsperson, Patriot and Loyalist, a community as diverse as the Revolution itself.”―Don N. Hagist, author of The Revolution’s Last Men and editor of the Journal of the Revolution

“As the American colonies started down the road to American states, localities would often unite under their community leaders for the great struggle they sensed they were a part of. Such was the case of John Glover and his band of Marblehead sailor-soldiers. Historian Patrick K. O’Donnell sets forth in a gripping narrative the transformation of this New England town as it moves from protest to armed revolution. It is a fascinating, unique journey of a band of Massachusetts rebels who play a critical role in George Washington’s, and America’s, success and independence. Mr. O’Donnell’s work is a valuable contribution to furthering our understanding of the role of common soldiers and sailors in America’s founding.”―Todd W. Braisted, author of Grand Forage 1777

“Broadly conceived and beautifully written, The Indispensables is an absolutely gripping book. Authored by the highly respected historian Patrick K. O’Donnell, it explores the story of the community of Marblehead, MA, and its famous Mariners Regiment, led by the determined John Glover, whose sailors and soldiers made a host of valuable military contributions through the critical battles of Trenton and Princeton. Highly recommended reading for anyone wanting to learn more about the real realities of the Revolutionary War.”―James Kirby Martin, co-author of A Respectable Army: The Military Origins of the Republic, 1763-1789

Praise for Patrick K. O’Donnell:

“One of our finest military historians who has few equals as a great storyteller.”―Carlo D’Este, author of Patton, A Genius for War and Eisenhower, A Soldier’s Life

“Few authors have the same kind of enthusiasm and gusto that O’Donnell brings to his topic. His gift is taking the reader from the map room to the battlefield. It’s an exciting, often harrowing, trip worth taking.”―USA Today

“O’Donnell admirably blends a story of ardent farmers, merchants and mariners with a combat story of sharp, bloody engagements . . . An example of combat writing at its best.”―Wall Street Journal, on Washington’s Immortals

“Patrick O’Donnell is blessed with a rare gift for storytelling and a keen empathy for the realities of soldiers in combat. He walks in the footsteps of his subjects like few other historians are able―or willing―to do.”―John C. McManus, Ph.D., author of The Dead and Those About to Die and Deadly Sky
About the Author

Patrick K. O’Donnell is a bestselling, critically acclaimed military historian and an expert on elite units. The author of twelve books, including The Unknowns and Washington’s Immortals, and a Fellow at Mount Vernon, he is the recipient of numerous national awards. O’Donnell served as a combat historian in a Marine rifle platoon during the Battle of Fallujah and is a professional speaker on America’s conflicts, espionage, special operations, and counterinsurgency. He has provided historical consulting for DreamWorks’ award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers and for documentaries produced by the BBC, the History Channel, and Discovery.

Hong Kong bans Tiananmen crackdown vigil for 2nd year

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities for the second year have banned the June 4 candlelight vigil to commemorate the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, organizers said Thursday.

THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF MASS DEMOCRACY IN THE STREETS

WHERE IT BELONGS

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organizes the candlelight vigil annually, said in a statement that the police had objected to the event in light of social distancing restrictions, which prohibit large gatherings.

For years, Hong Kong and Macao were the only cities in China where people were allowed to mark the 1989 anniversary of Beijing’s crushing of the Chinese democracy movement.

The ban on the vigil comes as Beijing has tightened control over the semi-autonomous Chinese city, after months of anti-government protests in 2019.

Beijing and local authorities have cracked down on dissenting voices, launching mass arrests of pro-democracy activists and imposing a sweeping national security law to penalize crimes like secession and subversion.

On Thursday, the legislature passed a bill amending electoral laws that drastically reduces the public’s ability to vote, while increasing the number of pro-Beijing lawmakers making decisions for the city.

Last year, the June 4 vigil was banned for the first time, with police citing public health risks from the coronavirus pandemic. Still, thousands turned up at Victoria Park — where the vigil is held each year — singing songs and lighting candles. No arrests were made at the time.

More than 20 people, including activist Joshua Wong, media tycoon Jimmy Lai and Lee Cheuk-yan, a leader of the alliance, were arrested later and charged for taking part in an unauthorized assembly. Wong and three district councilors were sentenced on May 6 to between four and 10 months in jail after pleading guilty.

Organizers this year have urged people to light a candle no matter where they are on June 4.

Zen Soo, The Associated Press