India, Myanmar, Thailand trilateral highway may start soon

[Vikrant]

NEW DELHI: The proposed highway covering India, Myanmar and Thailand is expected to be operational soon, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said today.

The highway will help in smoother and faster movement of goods between these regions.

"We are presently working with the governments of Myanmar and Thailand to develop the trilateral highway which hopefully will be completed soon," Sharma said here at a CII function.

The idea of the highway - from Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thai ..

Read more at:
India, Myanmar, Thailand trilateral highway may start soon - The Economic Times

 

[waltky]

Muslims stirrin' up the pot in Myanmar...

US: Aid in Myanmar Must Reach Those in Need
September 08, 2017 - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is reminding Myanmar, also known as Burma, that while Washington supports the fight against violence in northwestern Rakhine state, humanitarian aid must reach those in need.

Haley released a statement Friday saying, "We welcome the Burmese government committing humanitarian assistance to all displaced by violence. However, we will continue to urge them to make sure this aid actually reaches those in need, as quickly as possible, and that it is delivered in a manner that protects their rights and dignity," she said. Earlier Friday, the State Department said it is "very focused" on restoring humanitarian assistance to Myanmar's northern Rakhine state and is "very concerned about sustained allegations of abuses" in that area.

Houses are on fire in Gawdu Zara village, northern Rakhine state, Myanmar​

Patrick Murphy, deputy assistant secretary of state for Southeast Asia, told reporters by phone Friday that the United States is urging all parties to take steps to calm tensions in the area. He said that since August, "probably well over" 200,000 refugees have crossed over the border into Bangladesh to escape the violence. The U.N. puts the number at over 270,000. He said the number of internally displaced persons — those who have left their homes but not left Myanmar — is unknown. But he said those displaced include members of the Rohingya ethnic group and non-Rohingya in the area. Discussions with the Myanmar government are "ongoing," he said, through the U.S. ambassador to the country.

Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi talks during a news conference with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Naypyitaw, Myanmar​

On Thursday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters that the United States has "deep concerns" about the situation. She said the State Department is in close contact with Myanmar's government on the situation in Rakhine state. "We are deeply concerned by the troubling situation in Burma's northern Rakhine state," she said. "There has been a significant displacement of local populations following serious allegations of human rights abuses, including mass burnings of Rohingya villages and violence conducted by security forces and also armed civilians. "We again condemn deadly attacks on Burmese security forces, but join the international community in calling on those forces to prevent further violence and protect local populations in ways that are consistent with the rule of law and with full respect for human rights," she continued. "We urge all in Burma, including in the Rakhine state, to avoid actions that exacerbate tensions there."

Shamsun Nahar, 60, a Rohingya widow who fled from Kha Maung Seik village of Myanmar to Bangladesh alone, whose 30-year-old son is missing, tells her story at Kutupalang Makeshift Camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh​

Nauert also said the U.S. welcomes acknowledgement by the Myanmar government of the need to protect all communities, and its pledge to implement recommendations of the advisory commission on the Rakhine state aimed at addressing long-standing challenges that predate the country's democratic transition. Asked if the U.S. has confidence at this point in the desire of the government of Myanmar to protect the Rohingya community, Nauert said the U.S. would certainly like to call on Myanmar to allow better access, both to reporters to enter the country and to humanitarian aid groups to reach those in need.

Fleeing violence

See also:

Rohingya Crisis Viewed as Possible Tool for Extremists
September 08, 2017 - As tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state have escaped across the border to neighboring Bangladesh, analysts warn that the situation could become a lightning rod and a recruiting tool for foreign militants if it remains unaddressed.

"There are a few militant groups active in the region, and they are based in Bangladesh. So far, no concrete evidence has been produced that al-Qaida or Islamic State has a presence in Myanmar, although we saw a sympathy statement on Rohingya by the latter," Hassan Askari, a Pakistan-based South Asia security analyst, told VOA. "But if this chaotic situation continues or gets worse, one cannot reject the possibility of militant groups and terror movements getting active and paving their way into Myanmar," Askari said.

The Rohingya fled following the destruction of their homes and villages, allegedly by extremist Buddhists and the country's security forces. An estimated 270,000 Rohingya have sought refuge in neighboring Bangladesh in the last two weeks, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said Friday. "UNHCR is gravely concerned about the continuing conflict in Myanmar and by reports that civilians have died trying to reach safety," Duniya Aslam Khan, UNHCR spokesperson for Asia and the Pacific, said at a news briefing in Geneva this week. "It is of utmost urgency to address the root causes of the recent surge in violence so that people are no longer compelled to flee and can eventually return home in safety and dignity."

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest against what the demonstrators say are killings of Rohingya people in Myanmar, in Chennai, India​

The latest violence began August 25 when Rohingya insurgents attacked police posts and an army base in what they said was an effort to protect their ethnic minority from persecution. Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's state counselor and the country's de facto leader, and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a two-day visit to Myanmar, have both blamed the Rohingya violence on extremist groups.

Suu Kyi has been under pressure for not speaking up against the violence. When she recently termed the problem as "a huge iceberg of misinformation," it was met with worldwide criticism. Suu Kyi's characterization of a situation that caused throngs of Rohingya Muslims to flee across the border "cannot be true," Imtiaz Ahmed, a professor of international relations at Dhaka University, told VOA.

Fears of extremism