Suu Kyi's trial ends, found guilty in all 19 counts, sentenced to 33 years in prison by urdu jahan
Suu Kyi's trial ends, found guilty in all 19 counts, sentenced to 33 years in prison
A court in Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar, which is under the influence of the military, has sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi, 77, the leader of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), to seven years in prison for violating anti-corruption laws on the 30th. handed down a guilty verdict. With this ruling, Suu Kyi was found guilty of all 19 charges, including violations of the State Secrets Act and criminal law, which were the reasons for detaining Suu Kyi. rice field.
Ms. Suu Kyi can appeal, but even if the appeal is realized, there is no prospect of a drastic revision of the sentence or sentence, and local media and others report that the trial has effectively ended. The military has announced that it will hold general elections by August 2023, and by imposing a long prison sentence, it is believed that Suu Kyi will lose her political influence and aim to establish a pro-military government.
Suu Kyi, who had pleaded not guilty to five cases, was charged with violating rules related to the procurement of helicopters during her tenure as state adviser.
Win Myint, who was president under the NLD government, was also sentenced to seven years in prison on the 30th for procurement of helicopters, bringing the total sentence to 12 years.
Suu Kyi is currently being held in a building inside Nay Pyi Taw prison, while Win Myint is believed to be under house arrest elsewhere in Nay Pyi Taw. The trial is closed to the public, and lawyers are barred from contacting the media or seeing Ms Suu Kyi outside of court dates.
Local media reported that the military could move Suu Kyi to house arrest after the verdict. The military has refused to allow ASEAN and UN special envoys to meet Suu Kyi on the grounds that she is on trial.
2nd
Former conscripted workers' plaintiff side expresses opposition to South Korean government's ``potential proposal'' and does not seek donations from Japanese companies
Regarding the former forced labor lawsuit in South Korea, where the loss of the Japanese company has been finalized, it is said that the most likely solution is to solicit donations for compensation and not force the participation of the defendant Japanese company. It turned out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had explained to the plaintiff. At a press conference held in Seoul on the 26th, lawyers and support groups for the plaintiff's side made the announcement. The plaintiffs said they "strongly object." Due to the opposition from the plaintiffs, it is expected that the domestic consensus building in South Korea will face further difficulties.
In 2018, South Korea's Supreme Court upheld a ruling ordering Japanese companies to compensate Korean former forced laborers who were forced to work in Japan during World War II. The Japanese government maintains that the issue of post-war compensation, including compensation for wartime forced labor, was "completely and finally resolved" in the 1965 Japan-Korea Claims Agreement. As the defendant's Japanese company also refused to pay compensation, procedures are underway in South Korean courts to sell assets owned by Japanese companies in South Korea and use them for compensation.
Agents protest
According to the plaintiff's explanation, the South Korean government's convincing solution would be for the "Foundation for Supporting Victims of Forced Mobilization under the Japanese Empire," which provides support to former forced laborers, to solicit donations from South Korean companies and other sources and use them for reparations. . Until now, the plaintiffs have argued that the participation of the defendant's Japanese company is indispensable even if the donations are used for compensation, and that an apology from the Japanese company is also necessary.
A lawyer for the plaintiff strongly criticized the settlement proposal, saying, "It is a diplomatic defeat that the Japanese government's demand that 'South Korea should solve' is followed as it is." He urged the South Korean government not to finalize this proposal, saying, ``If you try to unilaterally extinguish the claim for damages recognized in a civil judgment without the consent of the victim, you are effectively invalidating the judgment.'' . South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the 26th, "No final decision has been made on the proposed solution.
President Yoon Seong-yeol, who took office in May, is positive about improving relations between Japan and South Korea. Negotiations have continued. On the other hand, lawyers for the plaintiffs have refused to participate in the public-private council meeting halfway through, making it difficult to gather domestic opinions.
3rd
'A war in a distant country...' wave of layoffs hits Southeast Asian garment factories
Nike, Calvin Klein, Victoria's Secret. A wave of layoffs has hit garment factories in Indonesia and Vietnam that produce products for global fashion brands. The background is Russia's invasion of Ukraine. An employee who was laid off said, ``I never thought I would lose my job because of the war.'' What the hell is that?
"I became unemployed before the busy season leading up to Christmas." At the end of October, Sri Esni Indalti (45), a single mother living in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, was laid off from her job at a garment factory in West Java. Until then, he was working on making new samples of famous brand clothing and reporting price ranges. However, the number of brands announcing new products decreased, and the company was subject to personnel cutbacks.
This is what the company told me when I was laid off. "Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, food and energy prices have risen, and Western consumers can no longer afford clothes."
According to data released in December by Eurostat, the statistical agency of the European Union (EU), retail sales in October increased by 2.7% in the euro area and 2.4% in the EU as a whole compared to the same period last year. fell. The online edition of the Financial Times (FT), a British newspaper, introduced a comment by an expert who said, ``Consumption will drop further into the winter as households face hikes in utility costs and interest rates.
Mr. Indalti said, "I am also suffering from soaring food costs due to the effects of the war. But I never thought that a war in a faraway country would deprive me of my job. How will I care for my three children? Should I raise him?" he said anxiously.
According to the Textile Products Business Association of West Java, orders from major brands such as Nike have halved at many factories in the province since the summer. Due to unsold items, delays in shipping have also been requested. Layoffs began to increase around October, with 108 garment factories in the state laying off about 55,000 workers so far. Another 18 companies went bankrupt, leaving 9,500 people unemployed. “This situation will continue, and it is highly likely that the number of working days for the remaining factory workers will be reduced from six to three days a week,” said Yang Mei, president of the union.
The same thing is happening in Vietnam, where there are sewing factories for brands such as shoes. Some 34,000 workers in shoe, clothing and furniture factories lost their jobs between September and November, according to local media. About 570,000 people had their working hours reduced. The local media reported that the scale of the outbreak exceeded that of the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Jemmy Kartiwa Sastramaja, president of the Indonesian Textile Products Business Association, said, "We cannot predict how long the refraining from purchasing will continue, and if this continues, the textile industry in Southeast Asia as a whole will decline." He explained, "In addition to dealing with the current situation, we are being forced to make drastic reforms, such as developing new markets and switching to production for domestic consumption.
4th
ASEAN absent half of foreign ministers' meeting due to Myanmar situation
On the 22nd, some members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN, 10 countries) held an informal foreign ministers' meeting to discuss the situation in Myanmar in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Thailand, which has close ties between Myanmar and its armed forces, made the proposal to all member countries, but only four responded, highlighting the division between member countries.
The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, the deputy foreign minister of Vietnam, and Wana Maung Lwin, who was appointed as foreign minister by the military, and ministers in charge of international cooperation from Myanmar. According to Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ASEAN requested an explanation from the Myanmar side regarding the implementation of the five items agreed at the extraordinary summit in April last year, including the cessation of violence, and then exchanged views.
ASEAN has excluded the Myanmar military from major meetings since October last year. At the special Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in October this year, it was confirmed that it would be necessary to set deadlines for the implementation of the five items, but no specific measures have been taken. Next year's chair country, Indonesia, is strongly demanding the implementation of the five items, and it is expected that Myanmar will be severely dealt with at international conferences.
Thailand called for this meeting with the intention of avoiding further isolation of Myanmar, but the absent country will meet with representatives of the Myanmar military to give the military rule a "certification" and reduce the pressure. I am concerned that
Malaysia's foreign ministry, which has taken a tough stance against Myanmar's military like Indonesia, said in a statement on the 21st that it "welcomed" the United Nations Security Council's adoption of a resolution calling on the Myanmar military to release Aung San Suu Kyi and others on the same day. expressed.
5th
'Disappearance' of Social Activist Suspicion by Families in South East Asia
The families of Laotian social activist Sombath Somporn, 70, who disappeared 10 years ago in the Laotian capital Vientiane, who they believe were involved in the disappearance, continue to press for the truth. Mr. Sombath is a recipient of the Magsaysay Award, which is said to be the "Nobel Prize of Asia" and is internationally renowned. The US State Department also requested the Laotian government to take action to resolve the issue on the 15th, the 10th anniversary of his disappearance, but the Laotian side has not responded.
"Over the past 10 years, I have appealed to the Laotian government many times for an investigation, but I have only been told, 'I don't know.'" Sombath's wife, Eun Shui Meng, said at a press conference held in Bangkok, Thailand on the 13th.
Mr. Sombat was awarded the Magsaysay Award in 2005 for his long involvement in agricultural extension activities and development education in Laos. She disappeared on December 15, 2012, on her way home. CCTV footage obtained by his family showed Sombath's car being pulled over by police before someone took him away in another vehicle.
The government of Laos, which has a one-party system led by the People's Revolutionary Party, is sensitive to words and deeds that lead to criticism of the system. Mr. Sombath helped organize an international conference held two months before his disappearance. At that time, criticism of the government's land expropriation increased, and it became a topic of discussion at the conference. There is a view that the authorities viewed Sombath as an enemy because of this. But authorities denied any involvement and have not provided any information since telling his family in 2017 that they were "continuing to investigate." Unable to find a solution for her, Ms. Eun said, "I want to keep writing and talking about how her husband loved nature and lived for the country and society."
According to Angkana Neerapaijit, a Thai human rights activist who attended Ng's press conference, incidents of suspected abductions of human rights activists by authorities continue to occur in Laos and neighboring countries, known as "enforced disappearances." . Angkana's husband, a lawyer, was also taken away by car in Bangkok in March 2004. "Enforced disappearances are a daily occurrence in Southeast Asia and instill fear in society as a whole," she said.
The international community is also calling for a solution to the problem. Sixty-six human rights groups from around the world released a joint statement Monday condemning the response of the Laotian authorities and calling for an investigation into all cases of enforced disappearances.
Before she disappeared, Sombath visited Japan for an environment-related seminar. One of the organizers, Mekong Watch (Tokyo), has been releasing a Japanese version of a documentary on the background of Sombath's disappearance on its website since the 15th. "I want people to know that there are still people in Laos who are unable to speak freely," said Yuka Kiguchi, secretary-general of the group.
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