09/16/2021, 00.00
MYANMAR
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Fighting between militias and military intensifies in Chin

Telecom company Telenor pulls out of the country refusing to spy on its customers for the ruling military junta. For now, the military regime will not get a seat at the UN General Assembly.

Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Fighting is intensifying in Myanmar after the latest statement by the National Unity Government (NUG), which urged the population to turn against Myanmar’s military.

The Chin Defence Force (CDF) recently warned civilians to avoid travelling between the cities of Kanpetlet and Saw due to the violence.

After the CDF ambushed soldiers, the military responded by attacking Kanpetlet. "Their reckless shelling hit the town,” said a CDF spokesman.

After a pause Tuesday night, fighting resumed yesterday morning.

The military junta, which ousted the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup on February 1, is also trying to crush the opposition by other means.

Norwegian telecom company Telenor has announced that it is pulling out of the country because it would have to conduct surveillance on its customers, using equipment under international sanctions.

“Operating such equipment in this situation would constitute a breach of our values and standards,” the company said yesterday.

Human rights groups however criticised the company’s decision to sell its Myanmar operation to Lebanese company M1, which also has relations with other authoritarian regimes and could pass customer data to the military.

Meanwhile, following an agreement between the United States and China, the military junta has not won a seat in the United Nations General Assembly.

In exchange, Myanmar’s current ambassador to the UN, Kyaw Moe Tun, will not be allowed to speak too critically about the military regime and Myanmar’s Armed Forces (Tatmadaw).

The rules of the international organisation provide that in the event of a dispute over a seat, a special committee will propose an evaluation which will then be approved by the General Assembly.

At present, Western nations are pursuing negotiations to maintain the status quo for as long as possible.

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