About 200 people were arrested at the same time in Phakant : Myanmar

Kachin State Phakant Township, Residents told RFA that around 200 local residents from Maden Yang (Mawpa Village) of Lonbeang Village, who were arrested by the Military Council on April 21, have not been released to this day.

On April 21, around 5:00 a.m., around 100 soldiers of the Military Council raided the KPDF support office at Lane 10 in Madenyang (To Pye Village) and arrested around 200 local residents in the village.

Residents said that the military council was informed that the people who remained in the village would send rice packets for the arrested residents and that they would release the arrested residents in three days, but they have not been released until today.

The arrested locals were accused of being supporters of the Kachin Liberation Army (KIA) and the People's Defense Forces PDF, but many of the arrested locals were just people who were looking for unwashed stones, a resident who did not want to be named told RFA.

"The army thinks it's magic, they think it's those who support the PDF in the sieve. It's not real. They're just looking for people who don't wash themselves. They're the people who support the KIA and the PDF, and they arrest them. They don't even feed them. They do it in a way that if your people are afraid of death, they come to feed them. They don't do anything to feed them. They have to take responsibility for their safety, in my opinion."

The military council sent the arrested residents to the Kansy village gate camp. Residents said that they were taken in three columns towards Sankha village and Mazuyan village.

He said that when the Military Council troops raided Madenyang (Mawpa Village), they also smashed and destroyed the post office and the homes of the locals.

A resident, who did not want to be named, told RFA that a 16-year-old man and two young nephews were among those arrested because they broke open the closed doors and arrested them.

"When they entered, including me, I closed the doors because I was afraid. It used to be like that when the gunshots were heard, the whole village would close the doors. It's rare that a house wouldn't be closed. When it was closed, I didn't dare to make a noise saying there was no one there. They didn't dare to make a sound. They opened the door. When the door opened, the house door opened. I was called there, including me. We let the old people go."

Among those who were arrested were 10-year-olds and youths. He said most of them were men, including some middle-aged women.

More than 700 people and more than 200 families live in Madenyang (Magic Village), and the locals say that most of the locals work in the village by searching for unwashed stone.

KIA Taking local people hostage for allegedly supporting the PDF is not consistent with military procedures, KIA news and information officer Col. Norbu told RFA.

"Calling the public in the form of human shields and then taking them to the battlefield is not compatible with the procedures of war. That is why it is a sign of insecurity for the people of Myanmar. I want to say that the military council should not do this kind of arresting the public and then going to the front. No matter how much the real enemy fights with each other, there is nothing to say. But doing this to the public is not safe for the people."

KIA in Madeyan (Magic Village) before. Arresting local residents for allegedly supporting the PDF; Residents say that houses have been burnt down and this time is the worst.

When asked about the arrest of local residents, Kachin State Government Spokesperson Social Affairs Minister U Win Ye Tun told RFA that he could not answer about the military.

"Because I'm from the social sector, it's not easy for me to know about such issues. I can't confirm it after knowing. As I said once, the people's side is suffering and right, if we come to the government, we will help them all the way. No matter what you see, we are doing it all the way. Whether it's IDP or whatever. The essence of the military war will be in him, how can we know the true situation from it?"

"Taking people hostage is a blatant crime."

U Kyaw Win, director of the Myanmar Human Rights Network, told RFA that the military council has systematically committed more war crimes across the country.

"It is a war crime as well as a crime against humanity. We see two types of evidence when crimes against humanity are committed. One is that it is systematic. They do it systematically and regularly. The other is that it does not happen in one place, it happens all over the place. By looking at both of these, it is clear that the army is committing crimes against humanity. Taking people hostage is a blatant crime."

According to the Geneva Convention, military attacks on civilian areas; It is expressly stipulated not to be abducted as human shields.

On April 25th, when the military council arrested the villagers Locals said that the fighting near the village of Magupa is intense.

In Phakant, the military council KIAs the locals. Arrests for allegedly supporting the PDF have increased, and on April 18, residents said that nearly 50 residents of Saifra village on the Kamai-Fakant road were also arrested.

The family members of the local people who were arrested from Maden Yang (Mawpa Village) are worried that their family members will not be released and will be killed.

Since the beginning of this year, the military council has attacked the city of Phakant in a cut-and-dried operation. Locals say that there are restrictions on the transportation of oil and food, and more and more people are being arrested on suspicion.

Of the 70,000 people released in two years, only 3% were political prisoners

From February 2021, when the military took power, to the first four months of 2023, amnesty was announced 11 times. Among them, 337 foreign prisoners and 69,417 national prisoners were released, according to the military council's statements.

The Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners (AAPP) said that there are 5,444 political prisoners among all amnesties, but only 2,373 can be verified.

In the latest announced amnesty, there are only three political prisoners, he said.

"Until he becomes president, political prisoners are deliberately recruited and kept. "

Therefore, out of a total of 70,000 people released on parole, it can be confirmed that only over 2300 political prisoners were released.

According to the list released by (AAPP) as of April 21, 21,474 political prisoners have been arrested since the military coup and 17,570 are still in prison. If you calculate this list, you will see that there are 3904 political prisoners who have been released. Not all of these amounts were released by the military council's amnesty orders, but some of them were released at the end of their term. Some of them were released from custody without being charged.

In fact, the United Nations and ASEAN, including the United Nations, to release all political prisoners unconditionally. Demanding from abroad. But we see that most of the people who are imprisoned for crimes are released.

An AAPP official, who did not want to be named for security reasons, said that the military council only pretends to release political prisoners when they want to avoid international and domestic pressure.

"Hold political prisoners hostage"

U Tun Kyi, a member of the steering committee of the Former Political Prisoners Association, said that the military council has taken political prisoners hostage.

“They intentionally left out number one. Number two is their attitude towards the nai/sang as an enemy. With a grudge we kidnapped. We are held hostage. We are chickens. It's water in the palm of our hands."

U Aung Nae Myo, a native of Monywa, Sagaing Province, a family member of a political prisoner, said that the military council held the political prisoners hostage.

"I was not arrested because I was guilty earlier than a political prisoner. Like the Somali pirates, they were caught in a kidnapping style. This is what they have captured to move the field for their political game.”

"Political prisoners cannot be released until the military leader becomes president"

Advocate U Gyi Myint believes that political prisoners will be kept until the chairman of the military council, General Min Aung Hlaing, becomes president.

"He seized power for political purposes. Seized because they want the power of the country. There is a sense that after he becomes president, these problems will be resolved and answered. Until he became president, he deliberately recruited and kept political prisoners. Death penalty. Many more were given death sentences. Very cruel"

Among those who were released by the military council were those who were in prison for crimes. U Gyi Myint said that it is usually only people who are nearing the end of their vacation.

Those who were freed by the early release of the military council continued to rebel against them, Supporters of the military have also strongly criticized the amnesty for continuing their activities in the liberated areas.

General Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the Military Council, said at a press conference in Nay Pyi Taw that political prisoners cannot be released due to these conditions.

Regarding political prisoners, how did they verify and release them? RFA contacted Deputy Director-General U Naing Win, who is the acting spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior under the Military Council, to find out how many have been released, but he did not pick up the phone.

"When will all political prisoners be released?"

An AAPP official, who did not want to be named for security reasons, said that if all political prisoners were to be released unconditionally, it would be only after the Spring Revolution was successful.

U Than Soe Naing, a political analyst, expressed his hope for the release of all political prisoners.

"The time has come when we are asking for something to be decided from this match. There is hope for the release of these 17,000 only when the game ends. If it's milk, then only those people who are not important and those who are close to their due date will be released. If there are individuals who can pressure them politically, they will never consider it.”

The tense politics throughout the country, According to the military situation, there have been almost no political prisoners in recent amnesties, observers said.

Among the political prisoners arrested by the military council were 590 children. According to AAPP's list, there are more than 4,300 women and 110 people who have been sentenced to death.

President Yoon arrives in Washington State visit begins

President Yoon Seok-yeol arrived in the United States on the 24th and embarked on a state visit for 7 days and 5 nights .

President Yoon and his wife Kim Kun-hee arrived at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington DC on a private plane this afternoon .

At the arrival hall, officials from the White House and the State Department came out from the US side, and officials from the embassy and the Korean Association came out from the Korean side to greet the Korean president, who is making a state visit to the US for the first time in 12 years .

After a brief welcome ceremony held with a red carpet and a US military honor guard holding the Korean flag and the American flag in line, President Yoon and his wife left the airport by car.

President Yoon moved to the Blair House, a state guesthouse, and undressed. In the evening, he had a dinner meeting with 150 Koreans in the Washington area at the Conrad Washington Hotel and embarked on a state visit for 5 nights and 7 days .

President Yoon Seok-yeol's State Visit On the 24th, Washington, DC , the capital of the United States , welcomed President Yoon, who is making a state visit to the United States for the first time in 12 years following former President Lee Myung-bak, by hanging the Korean flag and the American flag all over the city .

A large Taegeukgi and American flag were hoisted in the Eisenhower Administration Building, a business building located next to the White House, as well as the Korean flag and American flag were hung on street lamps throughout the city .

Meanwhile, on the 25th, the second day of his visit to the United States, President Yoon plans to visit the Korean War Memorial with First Lady Kim Gun-hee and Joe Biden to reflect on the meaning of the alliance.

On the 26th, the Korea-US summit between President Yoon and President Biden will be held, and on the evening of the same day , a state dinner will be held where President Biden and his wife invite President Yoon and his wife.

On the 27th, President Yoon plans to present a blueprint for the future alliance by looking back on the 70-year history of the ROK-US alliance, diagnosing the challenges facing the US, and presenting a speech in English to the joint US House of Representatives and the US House of Representatives on the 27th.

After that, I will move to Boston and give a policy speech at the Kennedy School of Harvard University before leaving the country on the 29th .

North Koreans, in response to the '10,000 page book reading campaign' instructions, "If it is a book from South Korea ”

Anchor :  The North Korean authorities have  proposed a '10,000 page reading campaign' to raise  the ideological and cultural level of the people . However, residents say they are fed up with North Korean books that are consistent with the praise of the three great  leaders . Inside North Korea ,  reporter Son Hye-min reports .

In the 1960s , the 'Manpage Book Reading Campaign' promoted by Kim Jong-il  has been used as a means of brainwashing the people by popularizing the work of the three great leaders and reading various books that propagate  it . However, due to the spread of marketplaces in North Korea, a large amount of South Korean movies have been introduced ,  and reading North Korean books has been neglected .

A source in South Pyongan Province told Radio Free Asia on the 20th, “After the Day of the Sun (4.15), a '10,000-page book reading campaign' was staged at the machine factory in Eunsan County,” adding, “It was ordered by the factory's party committee at the direction of  the central  government .  ” 

The source  emphasized, “As directed by the authorities, factory workers must prioritize the contents of  ( Kim Jong-un ’s)  speeches and party plenary meetings published this year, read 10,000 pages, including feature novels, and  write down what they read every day and dedicate it to the party organization at the end of the year . ”

It is the first time since the inauguration of the Kim Jong-un government that North Korea  has developed the '10,000 page book reading campaign' as a party project . The source said that this is the Party's propaganda and agitation strategy to re-arm the people with socialist ideology by rooting out reactionary ideology and culture at the same time as catching all the people's dissatisfaction that is appearing as the corona life hardship .

“However ,  the factory workers responded, saying that it is not interesting because all the books in Korea are advertised as being the best ( Suryong )  . 

In this regard, a source in North Pyongan Province also said,  “Early last week (17th ) ,  the Sinuiju Women’s Union ( housewives’ organization ) ordered its members to read 100 pages of theory books (Three Great Chief Works ) and literary works ( novels ) . It has been delivered,” he said .

“The purpose of the 'full-page book reading movement' is not to fill in the number of pages, but to build up mental forms to prepare oneself politically and ideologically,” he explained.

To this end, sources say that the authorities have organized residents to make personal reading diaries,  read more than  30 pages of books every day, and record key contents and personal impressions in the reading journals and dedicate them to the party organization at the end of the year .

Even before the collapse of the food rationing system in the 1990s , North Koreans had accumulated ideological awareness and cultural knowledge by reading the leader's work and  ( North Korea's ) novels . However, with the spread of marketplaces in the 2000s,  foreign films from Korea and  the United States were introduced into  CDs ( alpans ) across the border , and in the 2010s,  USB and  SD cards containing a large amount of foreign books spread nationwide, and North Korean books and movies became popular among residents. I was turned away .

In order to properly learn market economy knowledge and information, and  world affairs, it is effective to watch South Korean broadcasts and movies , and  read overseas books. In North Korea, rather than reading North Korean books, which are a means of indoctrination, people in North Korea watch Korean movies all night and even imitate the Korean accent. will be

As the foundation of the system was shaken due to the inflow of foreign information and the spread of the Korean Wave ,  North Korea  enacted the 'Act on Excluding Reactionary Ideology and Culture' (December 2020), and  ( South Korea )  those who saw, heard, stored, or distributed puppet films ,  recordings, and books were prohibited. It stipulates correctional labor for more than  5 years ,  and up to the death penalty if the crime is bad .

The source said  , “The authorities’  launch of the ‘Manpage Book Reading Campaign’ as a party-affiliated project this time is intended to eradicate reactionary ideological culture remaining in the minds of residents and young people and rearm the population with party ideology   . ” North Korea ), who would read ten thousand pages of a book? ”