Rescue teams don't expect to find survivors in Papua New Guinea landslide

Lewis Jackson and Renju Jose
Wed, May 29, 2024

Aftermath of a landslide in Enga Province

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Papua New Guinea ruled out finding survivors under the rubble of a massive landslide on Thursday, with the exact number of dead under almost two storeys of debris and mud still unknown but ranging from hundreds to thousands.

Heavy equipment and aid have been slow to arrive because of the treacherous mountain terrain, a damaged bridge on the main road, and tribal unrest in the area.

"No bodies are expected to be alive under the debris at this point, so it's a full recovery operation to recover any human remains," Enga province disaster committee chairperson Sandis Tsaka told Reuters.

Officials are still trying to pinpoint how many people are buried under parts of a mountain which collapsed onto the Yambali village in the Enga region around 3 a.m. last Friday.

Without a current census – the last credible one was done in 2000 – officials are relying on incomplete voter records and checks with local leaders to reach an estimate on total deaths.

More than 2,000 people may have been buried alive, according to the PNG government. A U.N. estimate put the death toll at around 670, while a local businessman and former official told Reuters it was closer to 160.

Tsaka said the government was still unsure about the death toll though it would be a "significant number."

"It could be anywhere from hundreds to 2,000. I wouldn't totally rule 2,000 out because of the uncertainty about how many people were (there) at the time but I can't give you a definitive answer till we complete the social mapping," he said.

Of the six bodies recovered so far, two lived outside the disaster area, Tsaka said, reinforcing officials' view that there was lots of movement between communities.

Dozens of soldiers, engineers, geology experts and public health officials have reached the site, Tsaka said. Rescue teams are planning to use heavy machinery from Thursday, after unstable ground delayed its use earlier.

Thousands of residents are on alert for potential evacuation in case the landslide shifts further downhill.

"We are not even sleeping at night. We are afraid that more of the mountain will fall down and kill us all," 20-year-old resident Frida Yeahkal told Reuters.

EPIDEMIC DANGERS

The landslide has buried nearby creeks and streams and contaminated the village's primary water sources, posing a significant risk of disease outbreaks, the United Nations migration agency said in its latest update.

Most households lack alternative sources, such as rain catchment tanks, and there were no methods to treat water, further exacerbating drinking water shortages, it said.

The agency estimates about 1,650 people have been displaced, with one in five under the age of six.

"What will happen to the ones alive? I do not know where we will go for food and shelter. Our houses and gardens have all been destroyed," community leader Yuri Yapara told Reuters.

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)

Fears rise of a second landslide and disease outbreak at site of Papua New Guinea disaster

Rod Mcguirk
Tue, May 28, 2024


MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Authorities fear a second landslide and a disease outbreak are looming at the scene of Papua New Guinea’s mass-casualty disaster because of water streams and bodies trapped beneath the tons of debris that swept over a village. Thousands are being told to prepare to evacuate, officials said Tuesday.

A mass of boulders, earth and splintered trees devastated Yambali in the South Pacific nation’s remote highlands when a limestone mountainside sheared away Friday. The blanket of debris has become more unstable with recent rain and streams trapped between the ground and rubble, said Serhan Aktoprak, chief of the International Organization for Migration’s mission in Papua New Guinea.

The U.N. agency has officials at the scene in Enga province helping shelter 1,600 displaced people. The agency estimates 670 villagers died, while Papua New Guinea’s government has told the United Nations it thinks more than 2,000 people were buried. Six bodies had been retrieved from the rubble by Tuesday.

“We are hearing suggestions that another landslide can happen and maybe 8,000 people need to be evacuated,” Aktoprak told The Associated Press.

“This is a major concern. The movement of the land, the debris, is causing a serious risk, and overall the total number of people that may be affected might be 6,000 or more,” he said. That includes villagers whose source of clean drinking water has been buried and subsistence farmers who lost their vegetable gardens.

“If this debris mass is not stopped, if it continues moving, it can gain speed and further wipe out other communities and villages further down” the mountain, Aktoprak said.

A U.N. statement later tallied the affected population at 7,849, including people who might need to be evacuated or relocated. The U.N. said 42% of those were children under 16.

Some villagers were evacuated on Tuesday, Enga provincial disaster committee chairperson and provincial administrator Sandis Tsaka told Radio New Zealand. The number was unclear.

As many people as possible would be evacuated on Wednesday, Tsaka said.

Relocating survivors to safer ground has been a priority for days and evacuation centers have been established on either side of the debris heap, which is up to 8 meters (26 feet) high and sprawling over an area the U.N. says is equivalent to three or four football fields.

Scenes of villagers digging with their bare hands through muddy debris in search of their relatives’ remains were also concerning.

“My biggest fear at the moment is corpses are decaying, ... water is flowing and this is going to pose serious health risks in relation to contagious diseases,” Aktoprak said.

Aktoprak’s agency raised those concerns at a disaster management virtual meeting of national and international responders Tuesday.

The warning comes as geotechnical experts and heavy earth-moving equipment are expected to reach the site soon.

The Papua New Guinea government on Sunday officially asked the United Nations for additional help and to coordinate contributions from individual nations.

An Australian disaster response team arrived Tuesday in Papua New Guinea, which is Australia’s nearest neighbor. The team includes a geohazard assessment team and drones to help map the site.

“Their role will be particularly helping perform geotechnical surveillance to establish the level of the landslip, the instability of the land there, obviously doing some work around identifying where bodies are,” said Murray Watt, Australia's minister for emergency management.

The Australian government has offered long-term logistical support for clearing debris, recovering bodies and supporting displaced people. The government announced an initial aid package of 2.5 million Australian dollars ($1.7 million).

Earth-moving equipment used by Papua New Guinea’s military was expected to arrive soon, after traveling from the city of Lae, 400 kilometers (250 miles) to the east, said Justine McMahon, country director of for humanitarian agency CARE International.

The landslide buried a 200-meter (650-foot) stretch of the province's main highway. But the highway had been cleared from Yambali to the provincial capital Wabag through to Lae, officials said Tuesday from Enga.

“One of the complicating factors was the destruction of parts of the road plus the instability of the ground, but they have some confidence that they can take in heavy equipment today,” McMahon said Tuesday.

An excavator donated by a local builder Sunday became the first piece of heavy earth-moving machinery brought in to help villagers who have been digging with shovels and farming tools to find bodies.

Heartbroken and frustrated Yambali resident Evit Kambu thanked those who were trying to find her missing relatives in the rubble.

“I have 18 of my family members buried under the debris and soil that I'm standing on,” she told Australian Broadcasting Corp. through an interpreter.

“But I can't retrieve the bodies, so I'm standing here helplessly,” she added.

Yambali couple John and Jacklyn Yandam spoke of being trapped in the rubble for eight hours on Friday morning before they were dug out by neighbors.

Large fallen boulders had formed a barrier that prevented the couple from being crushed in their house by tumbling rubble. But they would have remained trapped without their neighbors' help.

“We thank God for saving our lives at that moment,” the wife told Papua New Guinea's National Broadcasting Corp., referring to the mountainside collapsing at 3 a.m.

“We were certain that we were going to die, but the big rocks didn't crush us,” she added.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said an Australian air force C-17 Globemaster, a four-engine transport jet capable of carrying 77 metric tons (85 U.S. tons) of cargo, was already bringing supplies from Australia to Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby.

Two smaller Australian air force turboprop transport planes were already at Port Moresby, which is 600 kilometers (370 miles) southeast of the devastated village.

“There is more that we are seeking to do, but to be frank, part of the issue here is about not overwhelming a system which is currently under a lot of stress,” Marles told Parliament.

The smaller C-130 Hercules and C-27J Spartan transport planes are to fly supplies from the capital to Mount Hagen, the capital of Western Highlands province, from where the cargo would travel by road to neighboring Enga province.

That plan took a blow with news that a bridge between Mount Hagen and Wabag collapsed on Tuesday, officials said. The cause of the collapse was not explained, but it was unrelated to the landslide.

A detour would add two or three hours to the journey, the migrant agency said. Urgent efforts were underway to repair the bridge.

Papua New Guinea is a diverse, developing nation with 800 languages and 10 million people who are mostly subsistence farmers.

Rod Mcguirk, The Associated Press

BURMA

Myanmar's ethnic armies consolidate strongholds as junta weakens, reports say

Reuters
Wed, May 29, 2024

 Soldiers from the rebel Karen National Liberation Army patrol in the Myanmar border town of Myawaddy

(Reuters) - Myanmar's ruling junta has lost control over vast tracts of territory, including access to much of its international borders, allowing ethnic armed groups to expand and consolidate regions under their control, two reports assessing the conflict said on Thursday.

The country of 55 million people has been in turmoil since February, 2021 when the military ousted an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking widespread protests.

The street demonstrations, which were met with a brutal crackdown, morphed into an armed resistance movement that has combined with many of Myanmar's ethnic rebel armies to pose the most significant challenge to the military in decades.

The junta does not have effective control of Myanmar, having lost complete authority over townships covering 86% of the country's territory that are home to 67% of the population, according to the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M).

A junta spokesman did not respond to a call from Reuters seeking comment.

"The military junta does not control enough of the territory of Myanmar to uphold the core duties of the state," the SAC-M, an independent group of international experts set up after the coup to support the return of democracy, said in a briefing paper.

"The junta has abandoned significant territory and has been forced into a defensive posture in most parts of the country where it remains present."

Operation 1027, a coordinated offensive last October led by three ethnic armies, marked a key moment that exposed a weakened military, which ceded swathes of borderlands in Myanmar's north.

A series of offensives by ethnic armies since have pushed the junta out of peripheral areas all the way from the country's border with Thailand to coastal tracts along the Bay of Bengal.

"The ethnic armed groups that have achieved many of these military victories are consolidating control of their expanded homeland areas, with many well on the way to establishing autonomous statelets," the non-profit Crisis Group said in a report.

The military's mounting losses and growing dismay among the elite in the capital Naypyidaw has left junta chief Min Aung Hlaing's future in serious doubt, although he has packed senior ranks with officers loyal to him, according to Crisis Group.

"He might thus be able to keep his job, but given the level of discontent, he could nevertheless face a plot to remove him," it said.

With the junta losing control of almost all the country's borders and non-state administrations likely to expand, neighbouring states, regional blocs and the international community should widen their engagement with resistance groups, both reports said.

Internal displacement in Myanmar has reached a record high, with over three million people forced out of their homes because of the escalating conflict, according to UN agencies.

"The international community must understand this reality and work directly with resistance authorities and civil society to deliver urgent aid and assistance to the Myanmar people," said Yanghee Lee, one of SAC-M's founding members.

(Reporting by Reuters staff, Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Why the West needs to pay attention to Myanmar's anti-junta forces

Mizy Clifton
Wed, May 29, 2024



Insights from The Washington Post, Bloomberg, and The New Humanitarian
The News

Anti-junta forces in Myanmar have gained scores of towns and army bases from the ruling military in recent months, reigniting hopes of a turning point in a three-year-long civil war that has seen more than 3 million people internally displaced and at least 8,000 civilians killed.

The junta, which seized power from a democratically-elected government in 2021, is struggling to replenish ground troop losses amid widespread defections, casualties, and surrenders, making it “nearly impossible” to retake lost territory, according to the United States Institute of Peace.
SIGNALSSemafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.
Potential Western support for rebels will be ‘politically fraught’Sources: The Washington Post , Lowy Institute , Bloomberg

The US “should be doing a lot more to bring a decent end to the war,” The Washington Post’s Keith B. Richburg argued. President Joe Biden must bring armed rebel groups and the exiled National Unity Government together “around a common agenda of federalism and democracy” against a brutal junta, he added. Building a genuine federal democracy will “likely take years of highly complex and politically fraught negotiations,” wrote a Myanmar expert for the Lowy Institute, but some resistance groups have already begun instituting state-like structures in areas under their control. Risk-averse governments and donors may be wary of working with armed organizations rather than states but can identify groups that value inclusive, civilian-led structures and international humanitarian law, a Bloomberg columnist wrote.

Eyes on Rohingya caught in the crossfireSources: United Nations , Human Rights Watch , The New Humanitarian , Observer Research Foundation

The international community risks “failing a desperate people in their hour of peril” if it does not take action to prevent another Rohingya bloodbath like in 2017, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar said. More than 1,000 men from the mostly Muslim minority have been abducted and forcibly conscripted from across Rakhine State since February 2024, according to Human Rights Watch, but there are also allegations of extortion and targeted killings at the hands of the anti-junta Arakan Army, The New Humanitarian reported. Concrete international actions to address the persecution of the Rohingya “remain elusive” and the lack of accountability mechanisms perpetuates the cycle of violence, Sreeparna Banerjee from the Observer Research Foundation warned.

Rohingya forced to fight alongside Myanmar army tormentors

Tanbirul Miraj RIPON with Shafiqul ALAM in Dhaka
Tue, May 28, 2024

Families of those dragooned into combat say their relatives had no choice (-)


Rohingya mother Sofura Begum has spent years in a squalid refugee camp after fleeing Myanmar. Now her teenage son has been taken to fight alongside the troops that put her there.

Militant Rohingya groups in Bangladesh have forcibly recruited hundreds of young Rohingya men and boys to battle the Arakan Army, a rebel outfit in neighbouring Myanmar that has won a string of victories against the junta there.

Those sent to fight are making common cause with the military that drove 750,000 members of the persecuted Muslim minority from their homes and into Bangladesh in a 2017 crackdown now the subject of an ongoing UN genocide court case.

In their recruitment drive, militants say Rohingya need to ally with old enemies in the Myanmar army to face a new threat.

But the families of those dragooned into combat say that their relatives were not given a choice.

"They told us to hand him over," Begum, 30, told AFP after her 15-year-old son Abdul was picked up by armed men from her home.

"They threatened us... They said it's our war of faith. I didn't want my son to join the war. But we are in a dangerous situation."

AFP spoke with six families who said men from their household had been forcibly recruited by three Rohingya armed groups with an established presence in the refugee camps.

One man, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said his 20-year-old son had been taken by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and sent across the border to fight.

"I learned that he was injured in the war," the man said.

"It's shameful my son was forcibly recruited... Every day our people are being picked up."

- 'Slaughtered our people' -

Myanmar's military has lost vast swathes of territory this year to an advance by the Arakan Army, one of several rebel groups battling the junta that took power in a 2021 coup.

The Arakan Army says it is fighting for more autonomy for the ethnic Rakhine population in the state, which is also home to around 600,000 Rohingya who remained after the 2017 crackdown.

This month the rebel outfit took control of Buthidaung, a Rohingya-majority town not far from Bangladesh.

Several Rohingya diaspora groups said in a statement that fighters forced Rohingya to flee, then looted and burned their homes -- claims the Arakan Army called "propaganda".

Another armed group in the Bangladesh camps, the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), said it had recruited refugees to fight.

"The Arakan Army has tortured and slaughtered our people," Ko Ko Linn, the RSO's political chief, told AFP.

"Their only policy is the extermination of the Rohingya community," he added. "So we are recruiting Rohingyas regularly, giving them military training."

Ko Ko Linn would not say if other groups had forcibly recruited people.

But Arakan Army spokesperson Khaing Thu Kha accused three groups -- RSO, ARSA and the Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA) -- of recruiting Rohingya from Bangladesh.

He said the conscripts were taken for training in a Myanmar army base, before "fighting alongside" the junta's forces.

With mobile and internet networks down across swathes of Rakhine state it is difficult to assess how any cooperation between Rohingya groups and the junta is playing out on the battlefield.

- 'Lied from the beginning' -

A senior UN staffer and a rights group official, both speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, said Rohingya armed groups had recruited "hundreds" of refugees in Bangladesh.

Rohingya armed groups working in concert with the military have recruited hundreds more men and boys in Myanmar itself.

Myanmar officially regards the Rohingya as interlopers from Bangladesh, despite roots in the country stretching back centuries.

Successive governments there have subjected the minority to decades of persecution, including a 2015 decision to cease recognising their citizenship.

Thomas Kean of the International Crisis Group think tank told AFP that children as young as 14 had been pressed into battle against their will.

But he added that it appeared a small number of Rohingya had signed on to fight voluntarily after being promised "wages and even citizenship" by Myanmar's junta.

After significant battlefield losses against rebel groups since last year, Myanmar's junta activated a dormant conscription law in February to bolster its armed forces.

One Rohingya man in Buthidaung, who asked not to be identified, told AFP his brother had been "beaten and abducted by ARSA" and taken to serve alongside the military.

He said that the junta's representatives had said at first that the recruits were being trained as a militia to defend Rohingya villages.

"But later, they began using them on the battlefields," he added. "The junta lied from the beginning."

‘The entire town is burning.’ Fires rage as Rohingya caught up on the front lines of Myanmar’s civil war

Helen Regan and Avery Schmitz, CNN
May 23, 2024·8 min read

Families of Rohingya people trapped in Myanmar’s west are desperately trying to contact loved ones after a weekend of widespread arson attacks displaced up to 200,000 people and caused extensive destruction of homes.

The country’s Rohingya have long suffered mass atrocities and forced displacement that many – including UN experts – consider to be genocide, perpetrated by the country’s military. Now, they are caught between warring forces in a deepening conflict that has unleashed more violence against the Muslim-majority community.

Since seizing power in a coup in February 2021, the military has been fighting a widening civil war against ethnic armed groups and people’s resistance forces across Myanmar.


In the western state of Rakhine, the Arakan Army, a powerful ethnic-minority armed group battling Myanmar’s military junta, said it seized a predominantly Rohingya town close to the Bangladesh border.

Reports from activists and relatives of residents have emerged of AA soldiers torching and looting Rohingya houses in the town of Buthidaung, preventing people from returning home, confiscating phones and threatening to kill those who try to contact family abroad.

A junta-imposed internet and telecoms blackout in the state is making it almost impossible for relatives to speak with family members there and for journalists, activists and international monitoring groups to verify exactly what is unfolding.

Farooq, a Rohingya poet living as a refugee in neighboring Bangladesh, told CNN that most of his family were still in Buthidaung but he has not been able to reach them since Saturday.

“Then, my brother-in-law told me that my family were displaced, and my home was burned down by the Arakan Army,” he said.

Rohingya rights activists and former officials said about 200,000 people had been forced to flee their homes to escape the fires and that many people, including women and children, had spent multiple nights hiding out in open paddy fields with no food, medicine, or belongings. There are also reports of an unconfirmed number of casualties.

CNN cannot independently verify these reports. But satellite imagery showed huge fires engulfed downtown Buthidaung on Saturday morning and continued to burn over the weekend.

Remote sensing data curated by NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System and viewed by CNN suggests that the fires spread in the early hours, while satellite imagery collected by space technology company Maxar and obtained by CNN shows large-scale destruction across Buthidaung on that day.

“The entire town is burning,” said Nay San Lwin, a Rohingya activist originally from Buthidaung, and co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition. “Few houses remain intact, only a few.”

The violence echoes attacks on the stateless Rohingya community in 2016 and 2017, when Myanmar’s military launched a brutal campaign of killing, rape and arson that is currently subject to a genocide investigation at the International Court of Justice.

An estimated 1 million Rohingya people live now in what many consider to be the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh, after hundreds of thousands fled the military’s “clearance operations.”

Many of those who remained in Myanmar live in apartheid-like conditions and face heavy restrictions on their movement, education and healthcare. More than 100,000 Rohingya people have been kept in squalid displacement camps by the military and government in the Rakhine state capital for the past 10 years. Others have made perilous boat journeys to Indonesia, choosing to risk their lives at sea over enduring inhumane conditions at home.

Young Rohingya men also face forcible conscription from the junta, the AA and armed Rohingya insurgent groups both in Myanmar and in the sprawling Bangladesh camps where gang violence is escalating.

Experts with the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar on Sunday warned that the Rohingya are “again at risk of genocide” and urged the UN Human Rights Council to convene a special session to address the “worsening human rights emergency in Myanmar.” UN rights chief Volker Türk said in a statement on Sunday that “this is a critical period when the risk of yet further atrocity crimes is particularly acute.”
Buthidaung attacks

Fighting between the Arakan Army and Myanmar’s military erupted in November after a shaky ceasefire broke down. The AA has made significant territorial gains in Rakhine state in recent months and last week announced that it had taken control of all junta military bases around Buthidaung, as well as the town itself.

Aung Kyaw Moe, a Rohingya adviser to Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government – a continuation of the administration deposed in the coup – wrote on Saturday that the AA had ordered residents to leave the town in the days before the attack.

“Two days before AA call elders for meeting to leave the houses as soon as possible AA will confiscate the Buthidaung downtown,” he wrote on X, adding “the Rohingya said they will not leave because they have no where to go.”

In recent weeks, the population of Buthidaung had swelled as residents fled fighting in nearby villages, Rohingya activists said.

Nay San Lwin from the Free Rohingya Coalition – who managed to speak with several residents of Buthidaung – said that, at 9:30 p.m. local time on May 17, AA soldiers entered the town and shortly after began torching homes. Reports also suggested that junta airstrikes and artillery had hit Buthidaung that day but there were no military soldiers left in the town, he said.

“I asked them about who are conducting the burning – they strictly said the AA members came into town and started shooting into the air and warning people to get out of their houses or you will be burned alive,” he said.

John Quinley, director of human rights group Fortify Rights, said there is “clear destruction of civilian infrastructure including Rohingya civilian homes.”

“What we have in Buthidaung over the last few days is the junta conducting artillery shelling and airstrikes… and signs pointing to the AA conducting widespread arson over the weekend,” he said.

This satellite image shows a damaged bridge in Buthidaung, Myanmar, on May 18, 2024. - © 2024 Maxar Technologies

AA spokesperson Khaing Thu Kha wrote on Telegram Friday evening that the armed group was “evacuating the Muslim communities in Buthidaung and providing food, shelter, and medical care for them including the children, the women, and elderly persons.”

The AA has denied it torched the town, saying in a statement on May 20 that it “adheres to its principle of fighting under the military code of conduct and never targets non-military objects.”

It accused the Myanmar military, along with allied Rohingya militant groups – which it refers to as “Bengali terrorists” – of destroying Buthidaung.

The AA said that on May 17 the Myanmar military “launched a prolonged aerial attack on Buthidaung township until midnight as their last desperate attacks.”

A previous statement from the AA in late April said that homes of non-Muslim people living in Buthidaung had been burned down in attacks by “junta-backed Bengali Muslim terrorist groups” and “other Muslim militants recently armed and trained by the junta.”

CNN cannot independently verify these claims.

Farooq, whose family were forced to flee the fires, said it was the AA who set fire to villages and the homes of the Rohingya. There was no active fighting with the military at the time, he said.

“In Buthidaung, when my (family) home and when my mom was asked to leave the village, there was no fight at all. There is no military left, no base, no junta there,” he said.

He said AA soldiers had warned residents there not to contact people living abroad and anyone caught with a Bangladesh SIM card “will be executed.”

Nay San Lwin also said he had heard reports that AA soldiers were taking cash and mobile phones from fleeing Rohingya.

“They are afraid they have footage (of them) torching these houses,” he said.

In recent weeks, Buthidaung’s residents had been subject to increasing violence by junta forces, rights groups and activists have said. Satellite imagery from Planet Labs, obtained by CNN, shows that western neighborhoods were affected by fire damage in mid-April and the Pan Zinn Chaung Bridge—a crucial artery on the eastern edge of the city—was destroyed prior to Friday’s arson attacks.

Humanitarian offices of Medecins Sans Frontières in the town were burned down on April 15, the group said. “We hear reports of more than 200 homes being burned down and witness thousands of people who are displaced by the violence seeking refuge in an area directly across from where our office was located,” it said at the time.
Warnings of further atrocities

An immediate concern is a humanitarian crisis in Rakhine state, with newly displaced residents unable to access food or clean water.

“There are no NGOs at all, who will distribute food for them? The Myanmar military has blocked all access,” said Nay San Lwin. “Also they are confining people to these villages. They are not allowed to leave.”

The violence has sparked a flurry of condemnations from human rights groups and the international community, calling for a halt in the fighting, to protect civilians, and for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Rakhine.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the US is “deeply troubled by the reports of increased violence” in Rakhine state and warned there are “risks of further atrocities occurring.”

“The military’s previous acts of genocide and other crimes against humanity targeting Rohingya, in addition to its history of stoking intercommunal tensions in Rakhine State and elsewhere across the country, underscore the grave dangers to civilians.”

Myanmar’s National Unity Government said on Tuesday that it has “repeatedly acknowledged that shameful past actions and failures in Myanmar allowed horrendous atrocities to be committed against minority communities, including the Rohingya, Rakhine and others in Rakhine state.”

“We are committed to ensuring that these crimes are never repeated.”

CNN’s Lucas Lilieholm and Angus Watson contributed reporting.

Emigration to the U.S. hits a 10-year high 

as tens of thousands of WHITE PETTY BOURGEOISEI Canadians head south

CBC
Thu, May 30, 2024 

A Canadian flag flies as people walk along the boardwalk in Hollywood, Fla. The number of people moving from Canada to the U.S. hit 126,340 in 2022 — a 70 per cent increase compared to 10 years ago. (Lynne Sladky/AP Photo - image credit)


Tens of thousands of Canadians are emigrating to the United States and the number of people packing up and moving south has hit a level not seen in 10 years or more, according to data compiled by CBC News.

There's nothing new about Canadians moving south of the 49th parallel for love, work or warmer weather, but the latest figures from the American Community Survey (ACS) suggest it's now happening at a much higher rate than the historical average.

The ACS, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, says the number of people moving from Canada to the U.S. hit 126,340 in 2022. That's an increase of nearly 70 per cent over the 75,752 people who made the move in 2012.

Of the 126,340 who emigrated from Canada to the U.S. that year, 53,311 were born in Canada, 42,595 were Americans who left here for their native land, and 30,434 were foreign-born immigrants to Canada who decided to move to the U.S. instead.

That Canadian-born figure is notably higher now than it has been in the past. It's up roughly 50 per cent over the average number of Canadians born in Canada who left for the U.S. in the pre-COVID period.

United Nations data compiled by Statistics Canada and shared with CBC News shows the U.S. is by far the most common destination for Canadian emigrants.

There were about 800,000 Canadians living in the U.S. as of 2020, eight times more than the 100,000 who live in the U.K., according to the latest UN figures.

A number of Facebook groups have popped up to help Canadians make the move. Recent arrivals use them to share tips on how to secure a visa or green card, where to live and what to do about health insurance.

One group called "Canadians Moving to Florida & USA" has more than 55,000 members and is adding dozens of new members every week.

The real estate agents and immigration lawyers who help Canadians make the move say the surge is being driven partly by a desire for a more affordable life.

But there are also people who say they have lost faith in Canada under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership and want to pursue the American dream instead, these agents and lawyers said.

Marco Terminesi is a former professional soccer player who grew up in Woodbridge, Ont. and now works as a real estate agent in Florida's Palm Beach County with a busy practice that caters to Canadian expats.

'I hate the politics here'

Terminesi said his phone has been ringing off the hook for the last 18 months with calls from Canadians wanting to move to sunny Florida.

"'With Trudeau, I have to get out of here,' that's what people tell me. They say to me, 'Marco, who do I have to talk to to get out of here?'" Terminesi told CBC News.

"There's a lot of hatred, a lot of pissed-off calls. It was really shocking for me to hear all of this.

"And I'm not sure all of these people are moving for the right reason. People are saying, 'I hate the politics here, I'm uprooting my whole family and moving down,' and I say, 'Well, that problem could be solved in a year or two.'"


Marco Terminesi grew up in Woodbridge, Ont. but now lives in South Florida and sells real estate mostly to Canadians in Palm Beach County. He says a lot of prospective buyers are motivated to leave Canada because of politics.

Marco Terminesi grew up in Woodbridge, Ont. but now lives in South Florida and sells real estate — mostly to Canadians — in Palm Beach County. He says a lot of prospective buyers are motivated to leave Canada because of politics. (Submitted by Marco Terminesi)

Terminesi said he doesn't follow Canadian politics closely so he's not sure what's motivating the ill will among some prospective Florida buyers.

"This last year, I got fifty times more calls than in the past decade. And most, almost all of those callers are saying politics is why they want to leave," he said. "I don't pry, I just respond, 'Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it gets better.'"

While the U.S., like Canada, has grappled with inflation, the cost of living can be cheaper in some states.

The average U.S. home price is lower than it is here — $580,700 Cdn in the U.S., compared to $703,500 in Canada. That's 20 per cent lower after adjusting for exchange rates. The price gap is even more stark in some states.

'Canada is not what it used to be'

Monica Abramov lives in Innisfil, Ont., north of Toronto, but is moving to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. with her American husband and three sons in the next few months.

She said she will miss her family and friends and what she calls the beautiful summer weather in southern Ontario, but she's looking forward to buying a more affordable home and cheaper groceries.

Her sons, die-hard hockey fans, will cheer for the Florida Panthers.

While they've been considering a move for the last 15 years, Abramov said she wants to move now because she feels Canada, and the Greater Toronto Area in particular, are going downhill.

Abramov said the health care system is a constant disappointment, with long ER wait times and lacklustre access to family doctors. She said taxes are creeping up and crime is an ongoing concern.

"There's a reason why so many people are making the move. It's a call for Canada to wake up and try to keep its residents," Abramov told CBC News.

"I've never known so many people who are making the move or have already moved, especially to Florida.

"I definitely think we're sadly going in the wrong direction — crime rates, carjackings. The health care system has been declining rapidly, year over year. Canada is just not what it used to be."


Monica Abramov, left, and her husband are moving from Innisfil, Ont. to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in the next months. She says Canada is headed in the wrong direction.

Monica Abramov, left, and her husband are moving from Innisfil, Ont. to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in the next few months. She says Canada is headed in the wrong direction. (Submitted by Monica Abramov)

Mithra Saunders moved to Polk County in Florida with his wife and daughter in October 2021 after being laid off from his job in Toronto during the pandemic.

Saunders qualified for an E-2 treaty investor visa because his wife owns a business selling water valves.

They do most of their work remotely and split their time between Toronto and Florida. The visa gives them the flexibility to come and go as they please.

"I'm not some person trying to run away from Canada at all. People are definitely pissed off with the politics. But I'm not a political refugee who says, 'I hate Trudeau,'" Saunders said.

"We just got down there and said, 'It's really warm down here. We're going to stay.' And so we did.

"We can sit on our laptops and look at the beautiful surroundings, or go hit the beach. Why wouldn't you want that? It's hard for Canadian winters to compete."


Mithra Saunders, pictured at an outlet mall in Tampa, Fla., and his family split their time between Toronto and Florida. He was drawn to the state because of its warm weather and lower cost of living.

Mithra Saunders — pictured here at an outlet mall in Tampa, Fla. — and his family split their time between Toronto and Florida. He says he was drawn to the state because of its warm weather and lower cost of living. (Submitted by Mithra Saunders)

Wages are often a lot higher in the U.S. for in-demand professions in fields like information technology and health care.

The tax burden is less onerous in many states. There's no state income tax in Florida.

In Arizona, a popular destination for western Canadian emigrants, there's a flat state tax rate of 2.5 per cent.

Some daily staples are also a lot more affordable south of the border, with lower so-called "sin" taxes on alcohol and tobacco in some states.

"I'm a red-blooded Canadian man who loves beer," Saunders said. "And I can tell you it's a fraction of the price."

As of Jan. 1, 2020, Ontario has scrapped all out-of-country insurance for medical emergencies, with an exception for dialysis services.

Canadian snowbirds in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Marsha Halper/The Miami Herald/The Associated Press)

The recent surge in home insurance rates and higher property taxes in some U.S. jurisdictions could offset some of those savings.

And Canadians moving to the U.S. also have major health care costs to consider.

About 54.5 per cent of the U.S. population has health insurance through their workplace. Another 18.8 per cent of Americans rely on income-tested Medicaid, while 18.7 per cent depend on age-related Medicare coverage, according to U.S. federal government data.

Roughly 10 per cent of Americans buy directly from an insurer and the premiums can be quite onerous.

A 55-year old single man living in Naples, Fla. without a workplace plan can expect to pay about $10,000 a year, according to a review of available options on that state's health-care exchange.

There are also other costs with private health insurance, like co-pays and deductibles.

'I see a huge influx of Canadians moving to the U.S.'

Len Saunders (no relation to Mithra) is a Canadian-born immigration lawyer living in Blaine, Wash., just over the border from the Lower Mainland in B.C.

He said he hasn't heard as much anti-Trudeau rhetoric from his clients on the West Coast — most of them just want to move across the border to buy a cheaper house or pay less in taxes.

Saunders said there's been a surge in interest from Americans living in Canada who want to bring their Canadian spouses to live in the U.S. That accounts for about 80 per cent of his firm's business, he said.

"Oh, I get dozens of calls a week and I'm just one lawyer in little old Blaine," he said.

"People grumble about Trudeau and they're not happy with him, but it's not a driving factor for my clients. I see a huge influx of Canadians moving to the U.S. and the main thing is just the cost of housing. It's a lot of young couples."

It's a relatively straightforward process for wealthy Canadian investors and people with American spouses to get a green card.

It's much more difficult for the average middle-class person to get the necessary paperwork without a job lined up with a U.S. employer or a profession that qualifies for a NAFTA or E-2 treaty visa.

"Canadian couples — people without someone to petition for them — a lot of those people are out of luck. It's sad. They're stuck," Saunders said.

A walk towards freedom: World's longest rainbow unveiled in Toronto ahead of Pride month

Dubbed 'The Long Path to Equality', the path aims to shine a light on LGBTQ2+ rights in the city ahead of Pride Month

Corné van Hoepen
·Editor, Yahoo News Canada
Wed, May 29, 2024 

World's longest rainbow road unveiled on Toronto Island. (Credit: @WaterfrontBIA)


Toronto has made history as the world's longest rainbow road was unveiled ahead of Pride Month — a meaningful tribute to the city's vibrant LGBTQ2+ community.

The nearly-2,000 foot long installation, located near Hanlan's Point on Toronto Island, was unveiled by Mayor Olivia Chow and acclaimed queer artist Travis Myers.

"If there's ever a space Queer people should feel safe and welcome, it should be the place where Canada's first Pride happened," Myers said in an interview with Yahoo Canada.
The artist's vision

Myers says his latest creation is one close to his heart, having observed an uptick of townships across Canada banning the Pride flag and his own personal experiences growing up in small-town Ontario.

"To have this idea in my head of Toronto being this promised land of freedom and equality for all — and this takes work — but if there is anywhere we have a shot at it, it's here."

He says he's observed all the conflict across the globe, where many nations still consider flying the flag a crime, and being your authentic self can land you in prison or killed.

Toronto has laid a lot of ground work to aid people in being the best versions of themselvesTravis Myers, Artist

"While there's still a lot of work to be done, I hope this is just one more way people can feel secure in who they are," he said.

Myers explains that it's not just his personal connection to Hanlan's that inspired the location for his creation, but also a historical one.

"This was also the spot where the first Pride in all of Canada happened back in 1971," he said.

Decades prior, Myers explains that Hanlan's was a Queer gathering space that promised safety and security in a world that offered little acceptance.

Myers says that while creating 'The Long Walk to Equality,' what was top of mind was this was the same path trodden by the "architects" who fought for the rights and freedoms afforded to Torontonians today.

"I want to make sure people feel proud, safe and included, and the path can be viewed as a tool of leading this community back to itself," he said. "I hope the community can feel a little prouder, a little bolder about their sense of belonging by seeing themselves reflected in this space."

Myers hopes that even beyond a symbol of empowerment for the LGBTQ2+, his creation speaks to the hearts of those who are not a part of the community as a symbol transcending language and creating a bridge between humanity.

As for the aim of creating something on a global scale, Myers says "We can do a little more than a metre longer." He says the previous world was a rainbow bicycle path in Utrecht, the Netherlands coming in at just over 1,870 feet.

This art creation was designed in partnership with Pride Toronto and supported with donations from The Waterfront BIA, Gilead Health, Skittles, Billy Bishop Airport, and Freddie Pharmacy

Myers says since the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the impact of the art piece is creating emotional ripples.

"I've heard back from members of the community, and we've cried in a different way — we've had a lot of joy in how this is changing things and making people feel welcome in a space that matters to them," he said.

"Pride means something different to everybody, but I hope when people walk along this rainbow, they walk a little bolder and a little prouder on how they want to accomplish their goals for Pride month this year and spread a message of joy and inclusion to the community around them," he said.

'Can I bring my Mario Karts': Reactions pour in

Social media users were quick to pour into the comment section of posts sharing the news, with reactions ranging from comical to supportive and some just plain against it.

Not everyone is onboard with the rainbow pathway, with some taking to social media to decry the cost going into the installation.

Others pointed to the fact that funds for the installation of the project could have been better allocated to groups currently struggling amid the affordability crisis sweeping the nation. SAME OLD, SAME OLD; BITCH BY A CHEAPSKATE

 

Privatization? Foreign investment? Canadian airports face an overhaul of their business model

CBC
Thu, May 30, 2024 

The federal government is looking at allowing pension funds and other groups to invest in certain parts of Canadian airports. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press - image credit)


When WestJet's CEO openly criticized the federal government recently for hiking air travel fees, it wasn't that unusual. Airline and airport executives have long grumbled about all the fees charged to passengers when they buy a ticket.

It's no secret that air travel in Canada is expensive compared to the rest of the world. Airports are a big piece of that.

Beyond lamenting those costs, though, Alexis von Hoensbroech went further by calling for a broad range of changes to how Canadian airports are funded and operated. His demands, if successful, could ultimately lead to a revamp of air travel in the country and open the doors to partial or full private ownership of airports.

Still, experts caution, the eventual impact on airfares may be minimal.

The desire for cheaper tickets is what's motivating von Hoensbroech, who pointed to the recent demise of WestJet's discount brand Swoop. The executive said fees and taxes make it too difficult to offer bargain prices.

Currently, all the mandatory costs for an average one-way domestic ticket are $88, the airline said, up from $76 in 2019. The fees include taxes, security charges, airport fees and so on.

WestJet is calling for the federal government to freeze the fees, permanently stop collecting rent from airports across the country, and — most importantly — conduct a full review of how airports are funded and operate.

There are many different models for how airports operate and it's worth considering what could work in Canada, said von Hoensbroech.

"We are just asking for a study and not proposing what the actual changes should look like because there will be many different ways of fixing this," he said to journalists in Calgary last week.

There is a need to modernize the airport model in Canada, says WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech. There is a need to modernize the airport model in Canada, says WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech. (Mike Symington/CBC)

The demands come at a time when the federal government is willing to listen.

"We'll continue to work with our partners to attract more investments in Canadian airports, so that millions of passengers can continue to pass through their doors every year," said Laurent de Casanove, press secretary to Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez.

"Canadians work hard and save up to travel. They expect to leave on time, and they expect good service from airlines. This should be their top priority," she said.

New investment

In the recent federal budget, the government outlined how it wants to explore allowing private investment into Canadian airports. The investment could possibly come from pension funds or other groups, such as sovereign wealth funds.

"What has to happen, in my opinion, is a whole new governance structure for airports," said John Gradek, an industry analyst and co-ordinator of the aviation management program at McGill University.

"The airlines are pressuring the government and I think it's working," he said in an interview with CBC News. "They're rethinking the business model and we'll probably see an announcement within the next couple of months about how that model should change and whether there's another source of funding that can be put into the play."

John Gradek is an aviation expert with McGill University. The federal government is listening to airlines about making changes to airports, says John Gradek, an aviation expert at McGill University. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

This week, the Competition Bureau also announced it will study Canada's airline industry in response to increasing ticket prices, mounting customer complaints and rising market concentration.

Since the 1990s, medium- and large-sized airports across the country have operated as not-for-profit organizations and rely on a user-pay model. Those airport authorities have long-term leases and pay rent to the federal government, which owns the properties.

The airports pay up to 12 per cent of revenue to the federal government, which now totals more than $400 million in a typical year.

Financial considerations

Calgary's airport paid about $50 million last year to the federal government. If the government decided to no longer collect rent, the money could be used for other expenses, including paying down the airport authority's $3.3 billion in debt.

Calgary Airport Authority chief executive Chris Dinsdale recently ran the privately owned airport in Budapest airport and is well aware of different operating models.

At Canadian airports, the challenge is to increase the level of service, reduce the fees and still turn a profit.

"These are difficult hurdles to cross," said Dinsdale, describing the rent payments as a big drain on finances. "I don't know what the solution is."

In the U.S., nearly all airports are owned by state or local governments.

Comparing Canadian airports to the rest of the world can also be tricky, considering the country's population and geography.

"Would I be in favour of privatizing the Calgary airport? Personally, no. Based on what I see in my own airport, I don't think we need such a model. But it's a good conversation to have," Dinsdale said.

Faces of native Canadians appear on a "YYC" sign at Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alta., Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. Calgary International (YYC) is the busiest airport in Alberta and the third-busiest in Canada by passenger traffic. Most major Canadian airports, including Calgary's, are carrying billions of dollars in debt. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

The idea of privatizing airports has been previously promoted in Canada as a way to increase competition while providing a financial boost for federal coffers by selling the properties.

But there are challenges too — including the uncertainty of whether it would improve service or lower ticket costs.

While airlines grumble about mandatory fees and taxes, they also pass on charges that impact the affordability of air travel.

The federal budget highlighted how a family of four flying across the country can be charged nearly $500 extra because of airline fees that can include pre-booking a seat, checking a bag and using Wi-Fi.

For now, the federal government will start by looking at private investment in specific parts of an airport — like new gates or parking garages — but leaving the airport as a whole as a not-for-profit entity.

To build new infrastructure, airports borrow money and try to secure government grants. Partnering with a pension fund, for instance, may be useful if that organization has particular expertise to offer or if the airport already has too much debt.

Allowing outside investment would likely not reduce passenger fees, but would provide a new tool for airports looking to grow, said Monette Pasher, president of the Canadian Airports Council.

"What we do need to see is just more financial flexibility and more investment in our airports," said Pasher.

Broader changes — like more federal funding for airports and more airlines flying out of more cities —would be needed to have an impact on ticket fees and taxes, experts say.

"We need bigger airports in order to keep up with the growth and therefore add competition to our airline network across this country. I think the more we can do to bring competition, that's what lowers airfares," she said.

Quebec VFX, animation studios say province's tax credit cuts will hurt industry

CUTTING NOSE TO SPITE FACE

CBC
Thu, May 30, 2024 at 2:00 a.m. MDT·2 min read


Heads of VFX and animation studios held a news conference on Wednesday, saying tax credit cuts are hurting the industry. (CBC - image credit)


Visual effects and animation studios are sounding the alarm over impending tax credit cuts by the Quebec government which, they say, will put the province's status as an industry leader in jeopardy.

A news release, supported by more than 20 studios, was released Wednesday. It says the imposition of a 65 per cent cap on tax credits threatens thousands of jobs, the industry's global competitiveness and the province's economic growth.

"We actually have three big contracts that we lost," said Véronique Tassart, who works for Montreal-based Cinesite.


Studios argue that the tax break has been a key factor in attracting Hollywood productions.

"Some of the clients actually told us that when they did the calculations of the tax credit for a project, Quebec was the first," said Tassart. "Now it's not even on the map."

The VFX industry in Quebec had been experiencing a decade of growth. However, the strikes in Hollywood in 2023 led to mass layoffs.

Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard says the province should not have the most competitive tax credit in the world.

Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard says the province should not have the most competitive tax credit in the world. (Sylvain Roy Roussel/CBC)

Nathalie Girard lost her job at Rodeo FX earlier this year following the announcement of the new tax measures.

She said she's concerned that these changes would severely impact Quebec's competitiveness. Consequently, she is now seeking employment opportunities abroad.

"The net effect is that it's nearly a 30 per cent cut in the visual effects tax incentives," she said.

The provincial government argues that the changes are necessary to save money. While the industry generated $8 billion for the economy last year, Quebec invested $226 million into the tax credit in 2018, a figure that is projected to rise to $440 million this year.

"Quebec should not have the most competitive tax credit in the world," said Finance Minister Eric Girard.

"The cost of these tax credits was increasing significantly over time. We want to contain the cost while remaining competitive with Ontario. The decision is made."

The new tax measures are set to take effect on May 31. Studio heads are urging the provincial government to postpone until next January to allow time for discussions and to explore alternative solutions.

"We are extremely worried about the future of our studio and the industry at large in Montreal," said Chloé Grysole, with Framestore Canada, in the news release.

"If the situation is not rectified quickly, Quebec's attractiveness to international producers and studios will decrease exponentially."