South East Asia

The general in charge of the Kawthoolei Army (KTLA), one of the militias fighting against the military junta, recently announced the birth of the ‘Republic of Kawthoolei’ on the border with Thailand. The move divides the Karen people and has been criticised because it risks weakening the anti-junta front in the civil war, at an already very delicate moment for the resistance.

After decades of debate, Indonesia replaced the Dutch colonial-era criminal code. The government calls it “more humane, modern" for the country’s justice system, with alternatives to prison. Human rights groups and legal experts slam certain anti-democratic elements, like criminalising insulting the president and expanding police powers.

The operation appears to be a response to an encounter between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the New People's Army (NPA). However, the latter had announced a Christmas ceasefire effective 25 December. A young Filipino American activist was reportedly caught up in the attack, which lasted several hours.

China cites "international law” and “the UN Charter" to stand with Venezuela (while not respecting it in the South China Sea). Xi Jinping calls on South Korean President Lee to make the “right strategic choices”. A former Japanese defence minister is concerned about a possible domino effect involving Taiwan. India is cautious in order to keep a door open for Trump on tariffs.

Some 15,000 people gathered in Hanoi at the shrine of the Vietnamese martyrs to celebrate the conclusion of a Holy Year marked by more than a thousand pilgrimages. Celebrations were also held in dioceses in mainland China. In Japan, Cardinal Kikuchi addressed the Church of Tokyo: "May the flame of hope never be extinguished.”

Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Deng Xijun said that the vote (to guarantee Chinese interests) was a condition Xi Jinping imposed on Min Aung Hlaing. The results from the first round on 28 December released by Myanmar’s military regime confirm the expected victory by a wide margin for the military-backed party. In Myanmar, however, China is walking a tightrope, continuing to support ethnic militias that control border areas.

The report by Agenzia Fides includes the death of two Catholics engaged in pastoral work killed in Asia: Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, of the Archdiocese of Mandalay, and layman Mark Christian Malaca, a teacher in Laur. Last year, no deaths were reported. This year’s figures reflect a growing trend.

The first phase of the military elections is marked by allegations of fraud, electronic voting malfunctions and popular boycotts. The USDP party was declared the winner before the polls opened. The management highlighted the junta's limited control amid arrests, internet blackouts and the absence of credible international observers.

Almost five years after the coup that ended democracy, the military junta has called elections, despite ongoing conflict in some areas. Several international organisations and a large part of the civilian population consider the vote a sham. Meanwhile, people displaced by war and earthquake continue to try to build a future full of uncertainty.

Celebrations are held but the mood is sober to show solidarity with the soldiers at the front while help is offered to the displaced with calls for a ceasefire. Fr Franco Legnani, a PIME missionary in Battambang Prefecture, speaks about Christmas among Cambodian Christians while war with Thailand continues. “Its effects affect everyone. The elderly say: we are back to the times of the Khmer Rouge. May the Lord grant us his peace.”

In his Christmas message, the archbishop of Yangon prays for peace in a country that has been torn by civil war for almost five years. He writes: “God chose to enter human history as a fragile child – without power, without protection, without worldly attraction.” The prelate also reiterated Leo XIV's call for disarmament.

Suspended in 2011 following mass protests, the hydroelectric project in Kachin State is set to be revived by the military ahead of upcoming elections. For analysts and the local community, this is a political manoeuvre to strengthen ties with China, which would receive 90 per cent of the energy produced, despite potentially serious damages to the environment, local communities, and security.