AP journalist Thein Zaw released from detention in Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar — Thein Zaw, a journalist for The Associated Press who was arrested more than three weeks ago while covering a protest against the coup in Myanmar, was released from detention on Wednesday.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Visibly thinner than before his arrest, Thein Zaw waved and smiled to photographers as he left Yangon’s Insein Prison, notorious for decades for holding political prisoners.

His brothers and best friend took him home, which is an area of Yangon that has been placed under martial law. He told the AP that his mother told him through tears: “We thought we'd never see you again.”

Thein Zaw had earlier said that the judge in his case announced at a court hearing that all charges against him were being dropped because he was doing his job at the time of his arrest.

He said that while in prison he was “worried every day,” and last week he marked his 33rd birthday behind bars.

Despite his relief, he said he was concerned about the many journalists who remain imprisoned.

“Thanks to all who tried so hard for my release," he said. "But one thing that upsets me is that there are some people who are still inside, and I hope that they can get out as soon as possible.”

Thein Zaw's father, Ba Win, greeted him with shampoo because it is local custom that people returning from prison must wash their hair before entering the house. His parents prepared pork curry and fish curry for his first meal at home.

His release was also emotional for lawyer Tin Zar Oo, who said she cried and jumped for joy when the judge announced the charges were being dropped.

“I was so happy. Thein Zaw looked at me, and I was even at a loss for words when they asked me if I had anything to say,” she said. “I hugged Thein Zaw, and we both cried with joy.”

Her client had been charged with violating a public order law that carries a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment.

He was one of nine media workers taken into custody during a Feb. 27 street protest in Yangon, the country’s largest city, and had been held without bail. About 40 journalists have been detained or charged since the Feb. 1 coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, roughly half of whom remain behind bars.

Authorities have also arrested thousands of protesters since the takeover as part of an increasingly brutal crackdown. On Wednesday, more than 600 demonstrators were released, a rare conciliatory gesture by the military that appeared aimed at placating the protest movement.

The AP and many press freedom organizations have called for the release of Thein Zaw and the other detained members of the press.

“The Associated Press is deeply relieved that AP journalist Thein Zaw has been freed from prison in Myanmar,” said Ian Phillips, AP vice-president for international news. “Our relief is tempered by the fact that additional journalists there remain detained. We urge Myanmar to release all journalists and allow them to report freely and safely on what is happening inside the country.”

Thein Zaw was arrested as he was photographing police, some of them armed, charging down a street at anti-coup protesters. A video shows that although he stepped to the side of the street to get out of their way, several police rushed over and surrounded him. One put him in a chokehold as he was handcuffed and then taken away.

Tin Zar Oo saw her client for the first time since his arrest at a hearing on March 12 at which his pre-trial detention was renewed — and even then it was through a video link.

The International Press Institute, headquartered in Vienna, welcomed the release, saying he "was detained for doing his job as a journalist and should never have been behind bars in the first place.”

“Myanmar must now immediately release all other journalists it is holding," said Scott Griffen, the institute' deputy director. "The military junta must stop all forms of harassment and intimidation of media covering demonstrations against the coup and end restrictions on publication and broadcasting by media outlets in the country.”

The Associated Press

FASCISM IN TURKEY

Turkish police frees politician after detention in assembly

© Provided by The Canadian Press

ISTANBUL — Turkish police on Sunday detained a prominent pro-Kurdish party politician who was staging a days-long protest in parliament. He was released after questioning several hours later.

Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, from the Peoples’ Democratic Party, or HDP, refused to leave parliament after he was stripped of his status and immunity as lawmaker on Wednesday. The party said around 100 police officers entered parliament to detain him. Video of his detention showed police officers dragging him away.

His detention came during a tumultuous weekend in which the Turkish president fired the central bank governor and annulled an international agreement on protecting women from violence. It also follows a heightened crackdown on the HDP.

The party said Gergerlioglu was detained as he was performing his ablutions for morning prayers.

“The police insisted on detaining him, and took him away in his pyjamas and slippers,” the HDP said in a statement.

A statement by the prosecutor’s office, quoted by official Anadolu news agency, said Gergerlioglu was detained for not leaving parliament despite losing his status as lawmaker and for slogans chanted by some people during a protest in parliament Wednesday praising the jailed leader of a Kurdish militant group.

Gergerlioglu, speaking on Periscope after his release, described being forced out of parliament by police detaining him and irregularities during his police statement.

“They fabricated a crime to get me out of parliament,” he said.

Gergerlioglu, the former head of an Islamist human rights association, has exposed several human rights violations in Turkey, including alleged illegal strip-searches of detainees by police. He trained and worked as a pulmonologist but was fired through an emergency decree. He advocated for the tens of thousands of other civil servants who were purged in the aftermath of the 2016 coup attempt.

Gergerlioglu was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to two years and six months in prison for “spreading terrorist propaganda” after he retweeted a 2016 news article about a call for peace by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. An appeals court confirmed the conviction, saying he was “owning” and “legitimizing” the PKK by sharing the link, which included a photograph of armed fighters.

The PKK is considered a terrorist organization in Turkey, Europe and the United States. It has led an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people. A fragile cease-fire and peace talks collapsed in the summer of 2015.

Supreme Court prosecutors have also filed an indictment at the constitutional Court for the HDP’s closure this week and are seeking a five-year ban on 687 members’ participation in politics. It is the latest crackdown on the party, which has seen its former leaders, lawmakers and thousands of activists arrested.

HDP is the second-largest opposition party in parliament, elected with more than 5.8 million votes in 2018. The United States and the European Union have criticized the moves.

The Turkish president's nationalist ally, Devlet Bahceli, had called on the assembly's speaker to remove Gergerlioglu from the building in a series of tweets Saturday, describing him as a separatist.

“The Grand Turkish National Assembly is not the dorms of separatists or the place where fugitives can take refuge. The dagger in the great Turkish nation's heart cannot be allowed to nest or tolerated ... Laying out a bed in parliament is a dark stain on democracy,” he wrote in one tweet.

Gergerlioglu called his detention “immoral," saying it was organized by the speaker of the assembly and ordered by Bahceli.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has turned to the nationalists to cement his power as president and with a combined majority in parliament.

Zeynep Bilginsoy, The Associated Press

#MILKTEAALLIANCE

Thai police use tear gas, rubber bullets to break up protest

BANGKOK — Scores of people were injured and arrested in the Thai capital after police used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets Saturday night to break up a rally by pro-democracy protesters calling for the release of detained activists, constitutional changes and reform of the nation's monarchy.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The rally outside Bangkok's Grand Palace was a continuation of student-led protests that began last year and have rattled Thailand's traditional establishment, which is fiercely opposed to change, especially with regard to the monarchy.

The rally organizers had said they planned to have demonstrators throw paper planes with messages over the palace walls.

The demonstrators, who numbered close to 1,000, managed to break through a barrier made of shipping containers outside the ceremonial palace stacked two high. Police behind the containers responded first with warnings and then by shooting water cannons and rubber bullets. Police drove the crowd back and while skirmishes continued, the crowds appeared to have dissipated by 10 p.m.

The city's emergency medical service Erawan reported 33 people, including 13 police, were injured by rubber bullets, rocks and tear gas. At least two reporters were hit by rubber bullets. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, a watchdog, reported 32 detained.

During the skirmishes, protesters tossed smoke bombs and giant firecrackers at police, and also splashed a royal portrait with paint, but failed in an attempt to set it on fire, though they did burn tires and trash at several locations.

Police Deputy Spokesman Col. Kissana Phathanacharoen said police had warned in advance that the rally was illegal. He said in addition to throwing various objects, protesters used slingshots to fire nuts and bolts at police and hit them with metal rods. He said police had used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets according to proper procedures.

The rally was called by REDEM, a faction of a broader protest movement last year that started with three core demands: the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government, for the constitution to be amended to make it more democratic and the monarchy to be reformed to make it more accountable.

REDEM, which stands for Restart Democracy, claims to have no leaders and holds online voting to decide on rally dates and activities.

The movement sharpened its campaign to focus on the monarchy, and Thailand's lese majeste law, which makes criticizing, insulting or defaming the king and some other senior royals punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The monarchy has long been treated as sacred institution in Thailand and public criticism is not only illegal, but has long been considered socially unacceptable. Many people still revere the monarchy and the military, a major power in Thai society, considers defence of the monarchy as a key priority.

As protesters last year stepped up criticism of the monarchy, the government responded by charging outspoken protesters under the lese majeste law, and over the last month, eight of them were jailed pending trial.

The movement was able to attract crowds of as many as 20,000-30,000 people in Bangkok in 2020 and had followings in major cities and universities. However, a new coronavirus outbreak late last year caused it to temporarily suspend activities, and it lost momentum.

The Associated Press

WHEN CAPITALISM DEMANDS REGULATION 

Empire, industry group propose grocery code to address "unfair practices" in market


TORONTO — Canada's second-largest grocery retailer and an industry group representing the food manufacturers have agreed to a draft grocery code of practice that takes aim at what they call unfairness in the market

.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Empire Company Ltd. and Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada say the proposed code addresses long-standing issues like arbitrary fees, cost increases imposed without notice, and late payments.

They say poor retailer-supplier relations create a negative ripple effect in the market that affects consumers through pricing, product choices and jobs.

The proposed code of conduct comes after Loblaw Companies Ltd., Walmart Canada and United Grocers Inc., a national buying group that represents Metro Inc., unilaterally imposed higher fees on suppliers in recent months.

Empire, which operates numerous grocery chains including Sobeys, Safeway and FreshCo, and the consumer products group are encouraging other grocers, suppliers and industry stakeholders to support the proposed code of practice – a first of its kind in Canada.

Empire CEO Michael Medline says retailers and suppliers made "unprecedented strides" collaborating during the pandemic to protect the food supply chain and urged industry players to "not go back to the old way of doing things."

Michael Graydon, president and CEO of the industry group, says retailers and suppliers do not always see eye to eye but that the proposed code of practice will help build a supply chain based on mutual trust that treats businesses of all sizes fairly.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:EMP.A)

The Canadian Press

LOBSTER WARS

N.S. legal expert says Canadian government likely has not met constitutional obligations to First Nations

Sun., March 21, 2021

SYDNEY — A Dalhousie law professor says the way the lobster fisheries dispute is playing out between the federal government and First Nations in Atlantic Canada is a setback in reconciliation.

“I think that’s a loss for everyone,” Wayne MacKay says.

MacKay is a professor emeritus at the Schulich School of Law, and specializes in constitutional law, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and has taught courses in Indigenous rights.

He says there are “several layers of problems with the current approach” by Bernadette Jordan, minister of fisheries and oceans, who announced on March 2 that her department will now issue licenses for Indigenous fisheries and limit their moderate livelihood fishing to the commercial season.

The precedent set by the Supreme Court of Canada in the Marshall cases recognizes the First Nations’ right to fish under the Peace and Friendship Treaties but also allows for limitations by the government for the purpose of conservation.

The Badger decision set out the parameters for applying those limitations and puts the onus on the federal government to show that the infringement of treaty rights is justified, and to consult with First Nations to find a solution that puts the minimum restrictions on Indigenous rights.

LACK OF CONSULTATION

The 13 Nova Scotia First Nations chiefs have unanimously rejected Jordan’s plan for a number of reasons, a major one being a lack of consultation.

While the federal fisheries department says there has been consistent communication with First Nations on moderate livelihood fisheries and that the question of whether fishing can occur outside of the commercial season has been a part of those conversations, MacKay says these broad discussions do not constitute meaningful consultation on the actual policy itself.

“In my view, to really meet the constitutional obligation, (the government) would have had to consult once they were formulating a policy and bring it back and say, 'What do you think of this?’ and give an opportunity for (First Nations) to really make a case,” he says.

THIRD-PARTY INFORMATION

In a March 12 statement, the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs said Jordan not only failed to consult with First Nations, but she is also making decisions based on rumours.

Last week, a DFO spokesperson said consultation with First Nations and development of the new regulations were cut short by Potlotek First Nation's plan to begin fishing on March 15, ahead of the start of the commercial fishing season on May 11.

Potlotek’s chief, Wilbert Marshall, says that information is false and it didn’t come from him.

“Our community plan outlines our authorized harvesting dates, which are for late spring — not March. No one at DFO had the opportunity to see our 2021 plan yet, so there was no way for them to be able to say when we were going to start our spring season,” Marshall said in the release.

When asked directly where the information regarding Potlotek’s fishing plan came from, the department provided a written response that did not address the question or provide any new information regarding the government’s decision to apply seasonality and licensing to the First Nation’s moderate livelihood fisheries.

DUTY TO ACCOMMODATE

Jordan cites the protection of the lobster population as the reason for the new regulations and credits her department’s fishing limits and practices for the healthy stocks.

First Nations agree that conservation is a priority but say DFO has not yet provided evidence or scientific data to support its approach to managing the lobster population.

MacKay says no one is disputing the need for a conservation plan.

“Where the disagreement comes in is there are different ways or means to do that and what seems to me is that the government has not fully demonstrated that what they’re proposing is the least treaty restrictive way to achieve conservation,” says MacKay.

He says a negotiation process that meets the true spirit of the Supreme Court’s rulings would allow for the comparison of the different plans to find the best one or create a combination of the federal plan and the First Nations’ plans based on conservation and the minimal infringement of Indigenous treaty rights.

LIKELY HEADED TO COURT

The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs maintains that First Nations have requested specific information from DFO and will not negotiate until it’s been received.

“We will continue to reject the minister’s unilateral control of our rights’ based fishery and will hold her to account to meet her legal obligations as described in (the) Marshall and Badger (decisions),” said Chief Gerald Toney, fisheries lead for the assembly.

The fisheries department doesn’t appear to be reconsidering its new plan in a recent comment: “The minister and DFO are always willing to continue discussions and address concerns, but with the Spring season approaching, the federal government has a responsibility to put in place clear regulations for the fishery as we work toward long-term agreements.”

MacKay says the constitutional issues raised in the moderate livelihood fisheries dispute make it a high-stakes case for both sides.

“A lot of what is at stake here is really the rights of the First Nations to engage in self-governance and that part of it makes it a kind of test case,” says MacKay.

He adds that these kinds of cases are often costly and time-consuming as they tend to move through the court system to the Court of Appeal and then the Supreme Court for a final ruling.

“It’s unfortunate that the courts become the ultimate arbiter on these kinds of things at the end of the day,” he says.

In the meantime, First Nations communities across the province are continuing to plan their moderate livelihood fisheries for the spring.

Jordan has said she is prepared to enforce the Fisheries Act equally to all harvesters and will have increased fisheries officers, supported by Canadian Coast Guard vessels, deployed to maintain safety on the water.

“It’s up to all of us to work together, to come together, and ensure a peaceful, productive season this spring. We owe it to everyone involved, to rights holders, to coastal communities, and to all Canadians to get this right,” she says.

Ardelle Reynolds, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post

Local Journalism Initiative

Estevan, Sask. looks to canola-based diesel for jobs transition

Evan Radford, The Leader-Post

Sun., March 21, 2021, 

Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig hopes a proposed renewable diesel refinery in the area helps his city secure long-term jobs.

Two coal-fired units at SaskPower’s boundary dam are to close down this year and in 2024. “We can’t turn the clock back on that. Of course we’re looking at how do we transition for jobs in our area to keep the economic development moving forward?” he said.

To that end, Estevan is working with Covenant Energy CEO Josh Gustafson on his company’s pitch for a large renewable diesel refinery in the area.

Thanks to a provincial funding pot of $8 million over three years, the city and nearby communities have provided Covenant with $200,000 to do a feasibility study for the refinery.

Gustafson projects the refinery would process 6,500 barrels of renewable diesel per day. He said renewable diesel is different from biodiesel.

Both use oil from crushed canola seeds, but renewable diesel refines the oil in a process resembling what’s done with fossil-based crude. It means there’s little oxygen left in renewable canola-based diesel, which allows it to be used in sub-zero temperatures.

The refining process uses hydrogen and a catalyst, Gustafson said.

By using canola oil as a starting point, there’s “no ash or metals” left in a vehicle’s engine when it burns the refined product, he said.

Based on Covenant’s initial research, the company said in a media release the facility will yield “greenhouse gas emission reductions in the range of 80 to 85 per cent when compared to fossil fuel diesel.” It’s also to use recycled hydrogen in the refining process.

The renewable diesel would be sold to fuel distributors like Husky or Shell or Co-op, who would blend it into their diesel products sold to consumers.

The projected start year is 2023, though Gustafson doesn’t yet have a firm month or specific location nailed down. He hopes it will be in southeast Saskatchewan in the Estevan area.

Covenant suggests the facility’s operation will create a maximum 60 permanent jobs.

Ludwig said Estevan’s goal is to “create well-paying jobs in our community to make up for some of the potential job losses we see coming down the pike.”

Gustafson is also predicting a boost to the province’s agricultural sector, concluding based on his research the facility will create annual demand for 35 million bushels of canola seed.

Covenant Energy is based in Macoun, about 25 kilometres northwest of Estevan.

eradford@postmedia.com

Evan Radford, 
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Regina Leader-Post, The Leader-Post

EPA to review interference in science during the Trump administration

BY RACHEL FRAZIN - 03/24/21 

© Getty Images


The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will look into any interference in science that may have occurred during the previous administration.

In an email sent to staff, EPA Administrator Michael Regan asked members of the agency to report any “items of concern” to scientific integrity officials.

“Manipulating, suppressing, or otherwise impeding science has real world consequences for human health and the environment,” Regan wrote in the email that was obtained by The Hill on Wednesday.


“When politics drives science rather than science informing policy, we are more likely to make policy choices that sacrifice the health of the most vulnerable among us,” he added.

An EPA spokesperson confirmed that the email was in reference to the executive order from President Biden that called on agency heads to review agency actions that were “promulgated, issued, or adopted between January 20, 2017, and January 20, 2021.”

The New York Times previously obtained the email and reported that staffers are expected to highlight about 90 instances where scientific integrity was compromised.

According to The Times, these include the agency’s decisions on the now-scrapped Pebble Mine proposal, as well as those dealing with toxic chemicals and discounting studies on the negative impacts of a frequently used weedkiller called dicamba.

EPA head: 'COVID-19 created a perfect storm for environmental justice..

Senators eye rollback of Trump methane rule with Congressional Review...

Across various agencies, the Trump administration has faced accusations of violating scientific integrity.

Among them are reports that the administration’s COVID-19 policies didn’t always follow science and a watchdog report that found the Trump White House pushed for a correction to a National Weather Service tweet that contradicted then-President Trump’s assertion that Hurricane Dorian in 2019 was endangering Alabama.

At the EPA, the Trump administration in 2017 took down a webpage on climate change that was reinstated last week.

GREEN CAPITALI$M

Bill Gates-backed solar startup is bringing carbon-free power to the mining industry

By Matt Egan, CNN Business  

3/24/2021

Heliogen, the Bill Gates-backed clean energy startup, is bringing its field of mirrors to the Mojave Desert.

© Heliogen 

Los Angeles-based Heliogen harnesses the power of the sun to create the extreme heat required for mining, steel, cement and other industrial processes. The solar array pictured is not from the Rio Tinto mine, which has not yet launched the Heliogen platform.

In a bid to bring carbon-free power to heavy industry, Heliogen announced Wednesday that mining behemoth Rio Tinto plans to deploy the startup's breakthrough solar technology at California's largest open pit mine, located in Boron. Heliogen says this will be the first concentrated solar technology used to power a mine in the United States, and perhaps the world. 

 

© USGS/NASA Landsat/Orbital Horizon/Gallo Images/Getty Images 

Heliogen's solar technology will be used to help power Rio Tinto's borax mine in Boron, California. Located in the Mojave Desert, the mine is the largest of its kind in the world.

Heliogen will use artificial intelligence and an array of 40,000 computer-vision-controlled mirrors to harness the power of the sun, almost like a smart magnifying glass. The first system at Rio Tinto will be the size of about 100 footfall fields, Heliogen told CNN Business.

The startup says its HelioHeat technology can create extreme heat — 1,000 degrees Celsius, or about a quarter of what's found on the surface of the sun. That's the kind of heat required to make cement, steel and in other industrial processes like mining that typically rely on fossil fuels to power their operations.

The announcement makes Rio Tinto, the world's second largest mining company, Heliogen's first announced customer. The partnership is a key test of whether Heliogen's technology can truly replace fossil fuels used to power large-scale industrial operations. And that could go a long way in fighting the climate crisis.

"It's not that this technology was not possible before -- just that it was not cost-effective," Heliogen founder and CEO Bill Gross told CNN Business in an email. "Heliogen's breakthrough is to make concentrated solar energy work after the sun goes down AND be cost effective compared to fossil fuel at the same time."

The companies say the partnership will allow Rio Tinto to cut its carbon footprint — while simultaneously slashing its energy costs.

"Our goal is to deliver completely carbon free energy to Rio Tinto for less than the cost of fossil fuels and with zero emission," Gross said.

Bringing carbon-free energy to nearly-century-old mine

Heliogen, backed by Gates and biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, emerged from stealth mode in late 2019 by announcing a solar breakthrough. For the first time, concentrated solar energy could be used to replace fossil fuels used in industrial processes. Last year, Time magazine named Heliogen's HelioHeat technology on its list of Best Inventions of 2020.

Now, Heliogen is teaming up with Rio Tinto on putting that technology to use.

Rio Tinto plans to use the Heliogen platform to help power the nearly-century-old California site, which mines borates, a mineral used in fertilizer, heat-resistant glass for smartphones and laptops, solar arrays and wind turbines. The mine, located in Boron, supplies almost half of the world's demaned for refined borates, according to Rio Tinto.

Normally, the facility relies on fossil fuels to make steam. But the partnership calls for Heliogen's AI-powered field of mirrors to generate 35,000 pounds per hour of carbon-free steam to help power the site.

The companies said the technology could cut Boron's carbon emissions by about 7% — equal to taking more than 5,000 cars off the road. And the Heliogen system will also capture and store the clean energy to power the mine's nighttime operations.

If this initial Heliogen installation is successful, Rio Tinto could scale up the use of the technology to reduce the site's carbon footprint by up to 24%.


Rio Tinto is spending $1 billion to shrink its carbon footprint

The companies said they would soon begin detailed planning and securing government permits. The aim is to launch the Heliogen platform next year — and explore rolling it out to other Rio Tinto sites around the world.

The Anglo-Australian multinational hopes Heliogen will help it chip away at its goal of slashing emissions nearly in half by 2030 relative to 2010 levels. Last year, process heat, which Heliogen is providing, accounted for 14% of Rio Tinto's direct and indirect emissions, known as Scope 1 and 2.

"This partnership with Heliogen has the potential to significantly reduce our emissions at Boron by using this groundbreaking solar technology, and we look forward to exploring opportunities across our global portfolio," Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm said in a statement.

Rio Tinto has promised to spend about $1 billion on emissions reduction programs through 2025. The Heliogen partnership represents a multi-million dollar investment by Rio Tinto, Gross said, though the exact cost has not yet been determined.

Rio Tinto is also hoping to repair its reputation after the company destroyed a sacred Indigenous site in Australia last year. The destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge caves in Western Australia led to the resignation of former CEO Jean-Sébastien Jacques, who got a huge payout for 2020 nonetheless.


Using AI to fight the climate crisis

Concentrated solar power is not brand new.

This use of mirrors to reflect the sun to a single point has been used previously to generate electricity and to create heat for industry. In Oman, it is used to create carbon-free power used to drill for oil.

But Heliogen says it takes this a step further by using AI and other sophisticated technology to align thousands of mirrors to a single point, creating far hotter temperatures than were possible in the past.

Now, Heliogen must convince industrial companies like Rio Tinto to ditch fossil fuels for the sun.

"Heliogen is being bombarded with customers from all over the world," Gross said, "from every industry ranging from metals, to cement, to utilities, to Hydrogen production."

 Rallies held in 20 cities across Myanmar despite rising death toll

An anti-coup protester throws a molotov cocktail towards police at Taketa township in Yangon, Myanmar Saturday, March 20, 2021. Protests against the coup continued Saturday in cities and town across the country, including in Mandalay and Yangon. (AP Photo)

March 21 (Reuters) -- Demonstrators in Myanmar maintained their dogged opposition to military rule on Sunday despite a rising death toll, with two more people killed as the junta appeared equally determined to resist growing pressure to compromise.

The country has been in turmoil since the military overthrew an elected government led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, bringing an end to 10 years of tentative democratic reform.

One man was shot dead and several were wounded when police opened fire on a group setting up a barricade in the central town of Monywa, a doctor there said as a community group issued a call on Facebook for blood donors.

Later, one person was killed and several were wounded when security forces fired on a crowd in the second city of Mandalay, the Myanmar Now news portal reported.

At least 249 people have now been killed since the coup, according to figures from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group.

The violence has forced many citizens to think up novel ways to express their rejection of a return to army rule.

Protesters in some 20 places across the country staged candle-lit, nighttime protests over the weekend, from the main city of Yangon to small communities in Kachin State in the north, Hakha town in the west and the southernmost town of Kawthaung, according to a tally of social media posts.

Hundreds of people in the second city of Mandalay, including many medical staff in white coats, marched in a "Dawn protest" before sunrise on Sunday, video posted by the Mizzima news portal showed.

"Failure of the military regime, our cause our cause ... federal democracy, our cause our cause," the crowd chanted as the sky was beginning to brighten and birds called from trees lining deserted streets.

Protesters in some places were joined by Buddhist monks holding candles while some people used candles to make the shape of the three-fingered protest salute.

Others came out later on Sunday, including the crowd in Monywa, where police opened fire.

"Sniper, sniper," people can be heard shouting in a video clip shortly after the man was shot in the head and more shots rang out.

The spokesman for the junta was not available for comment but has previously said security forces have used force only when necessary.

State media said on Sunday that men on motorbikes attacked a member of the security forces who later died. The military said two policemen were killed in earlier protests.

'FOREIGN INSULTS'

The junta says a Nov. 8 election won by Suu Kyi's party was fraudulent, an accusation rejected by the electoral commission. Military leaders have promised a new election but have not set a date.

Western countries have repeatedly condemned the coup and the violence. Asian neighbors, who have for years avoided criticizing each other, have also begun speaking out.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have denounced the use of lethal force and called for the violence to stop. The Philippines has expressed concern.

Indonesia and Malaysia want an urgent meeting of Southeast Asia's regional grouping, of which Myanmar is a member, on the crisis.

But the military, which sees itself as the sole guardian of national unity and ruled for nearly 50 years after a 1962 coup, has shown no sign of even considering back-tracking on its seizure of power.

Coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing visited the Coco islands, one of Myanmar's most strategically important outposts, 400 km (250 miles) south of Yangon, on Saturday and reminded members of the armed force there that their main duty was to defend the country against external threats.

The state-run Kyemon newspaper prominently featured a quote from independence hero Aung San, Suu Kyi's father, who in 1947 said: "It is everyone's duty to sacrifice their lives and defend and fight back against foreign countries' insults."

Suu Kyi, 75, faces accusations of bribery and other crimes that could see her banned from politics and jailed if convicted. Her lawyer says the charges are trumped up.

Australia's SBS News reported that two Australian business consultants were detained as they tried to leave Myanmar, but it was not clear why. The broadcaster quoted an Australian foreign ministry spokeswoman as declining to comment on the two for privacy reasons.

Burma

French Energy Giant Halts Myanmar Hydropower Project Over Human Rights Concerns

Anti-coup protesters carried a protester who was wounded during a crackdown by security forces in Yangon. / The Irrawaddy

By THE IRRAWADDY 20 March 2021

French energy giant Électricité de France has suspended a hydropower project worth more than US$1.5 billion (2.11 trillion kyats) in Myanmar’s Shan State over human rights concerns as the military regime continues to use lethal force to crack down on anti-coup protesters across the country.

As of Friday, more than 230 civilians had been killed by the junta’s security forces in their crackdowns on peaceful pro-democracy protesters in the country.

Électricité de France (EDF) notified human rights groups on Friday that it has halted development of the Shweli-3 Project, including the activities of its subcontractors. Led by EDF, the 671 MW project was being jointly developed with Japan’s Marubeni Corporation and locally owned Myanmar Ayeyar Hinthar Company.

The companies received a Notice to Proceed in 2018 under the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government. It was expected to generate 3 billion kWh of electricity annually for the national grid and supply power to more than 8.5 million residents across the country.

In February, coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said the regime would “continue to implement” existing hydropower projects. Since the Feb. 1 coup, however, human rights concerns among foreign investors have cost Myanmar the opportunity to implement billions of dollars’ worth of projects. In early February, work on a $1-billion modern industrial hub backed by Thailand’s largest industrial estate developer, Amata Corporation, was suspended due to fears that sanctions would be imposed by Western countries.

Japanese beverage giant Kirin also ended its beer business partnership with a Myanmar military-owned conglomerate, Myanma Economic Holdings Public Co. Ltd. (MEHL), following the coup. Moreover, prominent Singaporean businessman Lim Kaling pulled out of a joint venture with ties to MEHL that operated the country’s most popular cigarette business.

EDF said it adheres to fundamental human rights principles and the conventions of the International Labor Organization, as well as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, in every project in which it takes part. The company said it is following developments in Myanmar in close collaboration with French and European Union authorities.

Human right groups Justice for Myanmar and France-based Info Birmanie welcomed EDF’s decision, saying proceeding with the project would have involved doing business with the military junta, whom they described as criminals and said were deliberately killing peaceful protesters in what amounted to crimes against humanity.

Sophie Brondel, coordinator of Info Birmanie, said EDF’s decision to suspend the Shweli-3 hydropower project is a milestone and indicates the way forward for French companies in Myanmar.

“We especially call on all companies with ties to the junta to cut those ties. Businesses have a responsibility to stand on the side of democracy and to make sure they are not fueling the junta. Status quo is not an option,” Brondel said.

Human rights groups are putting pressure on international businesses to cut ties with the military regime over concerns that their investments would fund the regime’s brutal treatment of its citizens.

Recently, rights groups and the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), a committed formed by elected lawmakers from the ousted National League for Democracy government, have repeatedly urged major foreign-owned oil and gas companies including France’s Total SE, Malaysia’s Petronas, Thailand’s PTT and South Korea’s POSCO to suspend business ties with the military regime.

France's EDF says Myanmar dam project halted over coup

By AFP

PUBLISHED:  21 March 2021 

NGOs say human rights violations are 'systemic' in the region of the hydropower project

An international consortium has suspended a $1.5-billion hydropower dam project in Myanmar in response to last month's military coup, consortium member Electricite de France, a French utility, said Sunday.

Nearly 250 people are confirmed dead in protests since the February 1 military coup, according to tolls compiled by NGOs, and more than 2,300 others have been arrested.

International condemnation from Washington, Brussels and the United Nations has so far failed to halt the bloodshed.

"The project is suspended," an EDF spokesman told AFP on Sunday of the dam project.

The Shweli-3 671-megawatt project, still at an early planning stage, is run by a consortium of EDF -- which is majority-owned by the French state -- the Japanese Marubeni conglomerate and local company Ayeyar Hinthar.

NGOs welcomed the decision, with Justice for Myanmar calling Shan state, where Shweli-3 is located, a region with "ongoing conflict and systemic grave human rights violations".

In a letter to Justice for Myanmar and published on the NGO's website, EDF said "the respect of fundamental human rights" was a condition for all of its projects.

Several NGOs have also been pushing French energy giant Total to pull out of Myanmar, with Greenpeace accusing the company of being one of the military regime's main financial contributors.

Total issued a statement Friday in which it said it conducts its activities "in a responsible fashion, with respect for the law and for universal human rights".

"We are concerned by the current situation and we hope that a peaceful resolution, reached through dialogue, will allow the Myanmar people to pursue their quest for peace and prosperity," the statement said.