In Burma
Coup More Death In Mandalay As Corrupt
Guterres Silent & SC Censored By UK
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
UN GATE, Feb 20 –
The United States, responding
to the coup in Burma, is
reviewing all of its programs
that benefit the Burmese
military.
The review should
hurry up, as should efforts to
improve the UN's performance
and end its censorship under
Antonio Guterres. Now, Myanmar
police and military used live
ammunition, rubber bullets,
tear gas, and other
projectiles against
pro-democracy protesters in
Mandalay today, killing at
least two civilians and
injuring others.
Guterres,
colluding with the killing of
civilians in Cameroon and now
here, is fixated on trying to
steal a second term while
blocking the first of what
should be many opponents.
While the
US State Department official
on February 2, on background,
described sanctions on
businesses tied to military
figures being considered,
there is no chance of UNSC
sanctions, give for example
China's veto right.
But the United Kingdom as
President of the UNSC for
February did not even push to
have the Tuesday meeting be
open, and UK Ambassador
Barbara Woodward on February 1
banned the Press - which was
given access to Tuesday's
background briefing - from her
UN "press" conference (at
which not a single question on
Africa, for example, was
taken).
Here was
and is Inner City Press'
question to the UK, as UNSC
President: ""on
deadline, for
UK's response
to current
developments
in Myanmar /
Burma. Please
confirm
receipt." This
was sent on
January 31 to
PR Barbara Woodward,
Jaclyn Licht,
Sorcha Lowry
and Isabella
Olex; no
answer from
them or
"spokesman"
Mungo
Woodifield.
Later
at the
February 2 US
State
Department
briefing,
Spokesman Ned
Price said,
"When it comes
to Burma,
look, I don’t
think the
military
takeover, the
military coup,
is in the
interest –
it’s certainly
not in our
interest.
It’s certainly
not in the
interest of
our likeminded
partners.
I think you
will also find
that it’s not
in the
interest of
the
Chinese.
So our first
concern, of
course, is the
restoration of
civilian
leadership in
Burma.
Our concern,
consistent
with that, is
ensuring that
as we
undertake this
review, now
that we have
determined
that a coup
has taken
place on
February 1st,
the
civilian-led
government has
been deposed
by the
military – our
first concern
as we do that
review will be
to ensure that
of the $135
million we
contribute
annually to
the people of
Burma, that we
don’t do
anything that
would affect
the
long-suffering
people of
Burma,
including the
Rohingya in
this case." Inner
City Press will have more on
this.
***
Your
support means a lot. As little as $5 a month
helps keep us going and grants you access to
exclusive bonus material on our Patreon
page. Click
here to become a patron.
Feedback:
Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
Mail: Box 20047, Dag
Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
Other, earlier Inner City Press are
listed here,
and some are available in the ProQuest
service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright 2006-2021 Inner City
Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com
|