Because of the hot weather and strong winds, the war refugees are having a hard time

Nay Pyi Taw, 2023 in Leway Township. On April 21, seeing the houses and buildings damaged by the tornado.

In Nay Pyi Taw, the tornado killed eight people, injured over a hundred, and damaged 232 homes.

638 houses in Magway 360 units in Mandalay In Sagaing, around 150 homes were destroyed, and in addition to homes, schools, The monastery The pagoda and electricity poles were damaged.

"People with poor health, children and sick people are facing serious health problems."

A war-affected refugee in Kani town told RFA that sudden rains and strong winds destroyed the temporary shelters built in the forest, as well as all the belongings.

"The main thing is that the military council burned down the houses. When the houses were burned, we had to take refuge in the forest. When they take refuge in the forest, when they live like children, the sun is hot like this. The weather is getting worse. And the wind blows Because of the rains, the tents that were built like that, shelters in the wind, The roof went in, and all the things got wet from the rain. damaged"

In Kani Township on the evening of April 21, heavy rains and strong winds destroyed around 150 houses in eight villages, as well as damaged the tents of the refugee camp in the forest.

There are around 10 camps for war refugees in Kani Township, and there are also people who are sheltering in the homes of their relatives, said the aid workers.

In addition to the strong rain and wind, the hot weather is affecting the health of those who live without shelter, said a person helping war-affected refugees in Kani.

"The sun is very hot right now. When the sun is very hot, when these elderly people are not under shelter, the weather is usually 44, At around 45 degrees Celsius, people with poor health For those who are sick after children, they are facing serious health difficulties."

Mandalay Region, Aung Mun Tha San, In Matara and Patheingyi townships, on the night of April 21, rain and strong winds destroyed 360 homes and schools. The pagoda and electricity poles were damaged.

In addition, every time 638 homes were also damaged in Slin Township and Nat Mauk.

The head of a group helping war-torn refugees in Magwe province told RFA that war-torn refugees are facing severe climate change.

"For those fleeing the war in Magwe, they may face difficulties due to the weather. This year is even hotter than last year. As always, the climate of this region is harsh.

In summer, the hot earth where the leaves fall hot air Hot sand. Avoiding war in the heat of the moment is like hell. It rained because the ground was sandy and muddy, so it was difficult for them to walk. Without shelter, they dodged at random.”

Ko Davis, the deputy in charge of the People's Defense Forces in Pyhyu Township, told RFA that both sides must monitor the military situation to ensure the comfort of the war victims during the coming rains.

"It depends on the military. If you move on your side and they (Military Council) will form a column, since it is the rainy season, if you stay in the forest, it will be more of a responsibility to provide shelter. In previous seasons, we had to live under trees in the forest. I had to live in the ravines. Another thing is to provide food and shelter for them (war refugees). Diarrhea is also possible. Living in the forest, I had to drink water from the forest. It is impure water. Therefore, health issues will become more necessary."

Sagaing Division of the Military Council to find out more about the damage to the places of war victims and the homes of local residents due to the strong rain and wind. RFA reached out to Magway and Mandalay spokespersons by telephone, but received no response.

According to the military council's news on April 21, 155 houses in Aungmukone village and 77 houses in Cheda U village were damaged due to the tornado, and 37 tigers and tigers were injured. A total of 109 people have been transported to the public hospital for treatment.

According to the statement of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) on April 5, there are already more than 1.8 million people who have fled their homes due to armed conflicts in Myanmar.

UNICEF “The World’s Worst Vaccination Rate for North Korean Children During Corona”

Anchor :  A report by an international organization has come out that the vaccination rate of North Korean children has fallen to the lowest level in the world during the corona period . Reporter Cho Jin-woo reports .

During the COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea (2019-2021 ) , the proportion of children who did not receive even one essential vaccination to prevent major infectious diseases was one in two (59%), the highest in the world. It was found to be .

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF ∙ UNICEF ) announced on the 20th that the number of children who have not received essential vaccinations has increased rapidly in the report '2023 World Children ' .

About 500,000 North Korean children have not been vaccinated even once during this period .

Specifically, in the case of North Korea, the vaccination rate for DTP, which is required for vaccination , that is, diphtheria , pertussis, and tetanus vaccines, was only 42% , less than half of Korea (98%) .

Vaccination rates for hepatitis B (HepB3) , measles vaccine (MCV1), and meningitis vaccine (Hib3) were also between 41 and 42% , and less than half of all North Korean children received required vaccinations .

It is pointed out that this is the result of the North Korean authorities blocking humanitarian vaccine support from international organizations while adhering to the policy of locking the border for strict quarantine policy.

Worldwide, 67 million children did not receive required immunizations against major infectious diseases during the same period .

The country with the highest number of unvaccinated children is Nigeria, Africa, where 2.2 million children do not receive any of the required immunizations .

UNICEF says that children's lack of immunizations is linked to inequality and poverty, with 3 out of 4 children worldwide living in 20 countries who do not receive immunizations .

In addition, UNICEF cited the dispersal of medical personnel and resources following the COVID-19 pandemic as the cause of the overall decline in required vaccination rates for children.

At the same time, he added that children born during or just before the corona have reached the age to receive essential vaccinations, and that health authorities should actively manage them.

Meanwhile, according to this report, as of 2021, the death rate for children under the age of 5 in North Korea is 5 per 1,000 , which is 5 times higher than that in South Korea ( 1 per 1,000 ) .

North Korea's life expectancy is 73 as of 2021, 11 years lower than South Korea's 84 .

When North Korea closed the door of the relief center, Kkotjebis poured out

Anchor : Recently, it has been reported that an increasing number of Kkotjebi ( wanderers )  wandering around Hanji because there is nothing to eat in North Korea . The explanation is that most of the local relief centers ( relief centers ) that distributed food to Kkotjebis until last year have closed as the internal food crisis worsens day by day . Insider news from North Korea Reporter Kim Ji-eun reports .

In North Korea, Kkotjebi is a common term for children who have lost their parents or who have run out of home to beg for food in the marketplace or Korean traditional paper . There is also an adult Kkotjebi, which refers to wanderers who have no support and wander aimlessly, feeding on food on the road .

Until last year, the North Korean authorities ordered the establishment and operation of shelters in each province, so-called relief centers that guarantee lodging and lodging for wandering web users, claiming that flower  swallows disgrace the country and blur the image of socialism . However, as the internal food shortage gradually worsened, the operation of relief centers and relief centers has been suspended since this year .

A resident source in North Hamgyong Province said on the  20th ,  “ The aid center in Ranam District, Chongjin, which has been operating since the Arduous March in the 1990s, has closed  . ” It has been done ” , he told Radio Free Asia .

The source said ,  “ Nowadays, wherever you go in Chongjin, you can see that the number of kkotjebis wandering the streets has increased significantly. ” “  You can easily see naked and starving kkotjebis in the garbage dumps ( suitcases ) ,  marketplaces , and alleys set up in each village. ” pointed out .

“These days, young flower swallows can be seen even as  young as 5 years old, but they are rummaging around in the garbage, mingling with other  flower swallows who appear to be siblings, ” said the source. added.      

The source said  , “ Until last year, rescue centers ( aid stations ) were set up in each district to feed and house the kkotjebis and catch the wanderers, ” adding,  “ Then, the young kkotjebis are sent to nurseries, orphanages , or  secondary schools depending on their age, and the adult kkotjebis have no labor. They were sent to the necessary construction sites . ”

“But for some reason, the number of Kkotjebis has increased these days, ” he said.  “ The government does not guarantee food to rescue the Kkotjebis, and the residents are unable to donate food to be sent to the relief center, so the relief center cannot be operated . ”

In this regard, a resident source in North Pyongan Province told Radio Free Asia,  “ There are more flower swallows wandering around these days than last year. ” told _

The source said ,  “ In the past, if there were kkotjebi on the road, safety guards or patrols in the area would catch them, lock them up in the shelter, and feed them enough to keep  them from starving  to death . ” Adults were forced to do manual labor . ”

However, now there is no food guaranteed by the state and there is no relief rice provided by residents, so it has become difficult to operate rescue centers and relief centers. It was emphasized that the door was closed because there was no .

The source said ,  “ This month, the Party is forcibly feeding the residents of the People’s Unit at least 50g or 100g of food to run the Kkotjebi relief center and relief  center  . ” I wonder if there is any reason to be bothered by the troubles of .

Butterfly effect of sorties by Russian nuclear submarines, does South Korea also have nuclear submarines?

( Moderator ) This is a 'Encyclopedia of New Weapons on the Korean Peninsula' that seeks to find a way to peace while accurately grasping the current state of the military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula. I am with Lee Il-woo, Executive Director of Korea's Self-Defense Network.  

( Moderator ) Russia has ordered the highest level of combat readiness for the Pacific Fleet affecting the Korean Peninsula. It's an odd move in an odd situation . What is the background ?

( Lee Il-woo ) On the morning of  April 14 , Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu directly issued the highest level of combat readiness to the Pacific Fleet and deployed almost all combat ships, submarines, and aircraft in the Pacific Fleet to the East Sea, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, and the Kamchatka Peninsula . sortie with .

Inspection teams from the Russian Ministry of Defense and the General Staff were dispatched to the Russian Pacific Fleet, and they conducted high-intensity practical combat training by firing live ammunition and missiles in the East Sea, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk , and the Kamchatka Peninsula . The Russian Ministry of Defense said the exercise was to verify the ability to deter enemy landings in disputed territories and protect maritime passages in the East Sea and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk .

( Moderator ) Just before Russia issued an emergency order to the Pacific Fleet in the east, did you say that it also issued a state of emergency order to the units in the west?

( Lee Il-woo )  On April 10 , before a combat readiness was issued to the Pacific Fleet , a combat readiness was also issued to the Northern Fleet , which has jurisdiction over the Arctic Ocean and the Barents Sea . Intensive training is underway throughout the Arctic Ocean and the Barents Sea .

It is routine for the Russian naval fleet to announce combat readiness and conduct training, but the reason why this exercise is attracting attention from intelligence agencies of each country is that there is a possibility that Russia's latest strategic assets will be deployed to the Pacific Fleet before and after this exercise. This is because there is a high possibility that those strategic assets will be mobilized as a means of armed demonstration targeting the G7 summit in Japan in May .

Nuclear-armed Russian submarine dispatched near the Korean Peninsula  

( Host ) A very special submarine is at the center of Russia's large-scale military exercises?  

( Lee Il-woo ) According to data announced by Russia through state media and information from the OSINT network monitoring Vladivostok in the Far East and Severodvinsk in northern Russia, the focus of training for the Pacific Fleet and Northern Fleet is submarine training . In particular, the core of this exercise is to protect friendly submarines by blocking access to enemy submarines and anti-submarine assets , and to secure control over the operational waters until friendly submarines loaded with nuclear weapons safely move to the operational waters .

In the Pacific Fleet jurisdiction, the key assets to be protected by the Russian Pacific Fleet are the Borei-class strategic submarines, which are equipped with submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and the Oscar-II class cruise missiles, which are equipped with supersonic anti-ship missiles, a key force for striking US aircraft carriers . . According to the Vladivostok intelligence source monitoring this exercise, after the combat readiness was issued, one Oscar -II class cruise missile submarine departed from the naval base and is participating in the training in real combat mode by rapidly submerging .

In the jurisdiction of the Northern Fleet, the newest special mission submarine 'Belgorod', commissioned by Russia in 2022, participated in the exercise . It has been confirmed that they have advanced in the direction of the Lenz Sea .

( Lee Il-woo ) Some Russian OSINT sources said that the Belgorod submarine, which is scheduled to be officially deployed in the Pacific Fleet area during the first quarter of 2024 , will cross the Bering Sea through the Arctic route to the Pacific region to stage an armed demonstration in the waters near Japan for the G7 summit . It is reported that it will be temporarily placed in .

This submarine is a modification of the original Oscar-II class cruise missile submarine , but the underwater displacement is so huge that it reaches 24,000 tons , so it is recorded as the world's largest nuclear submarine . It is a special mission submarine that carries out strategic strike missions against enemy countries by mounting six .

Poseidon : The power to create watery seas in Korea and Japan with just one shot

( Moderator ) When you say ' Poseidon ', is it an offensive weapon with tremendous power that is worthy of the name of the king of the sea ?  

( Lee Il-woo ) The 'Poseidon' underwater drone is three times larger than a typical torpedo . It has a small nuclear reactor inside and has virtually unlimited range . Once launched, it is impossible to counter with any existing means .

( Lee Il-woo ) This underwater drone is equipped with a 100- megaton nuclear warhead , nearly twice the power of the Soviet Union's 'Tsar Bomba', the most powerful nuclear weapon ever exploded by mankind . This nuclear warhead is a special warhead designed for the purpose of generating a super tidal wave by detonating underwater in the coastal waters of an enemy country, rather than directly attacking an enemy's coastal city .

Depending on the simulation results, if this underwater drone explodes on the coast , a radioactive tsunami of at least 500m will occur . If such a weapon explodes in the East Sea or Japan's Pacific coast, Korea or Japan could be devastated with a single shot .

Tsunami Nuclear Torpedoes , Reasons for Targeting the Korean Peninsula : Cannot be Stopped

( Moderator ) A nuclear-powered underwater drone called Poseidon, which is launched from a submarine that Russia has declared deployment in the Pacific Ocean, is very similar in concept to the ' tsunami ' nuclear torpedoes recently introduced by North Korea. Why are they developing and deploying these weapons ?

( Lee Il-woo ) The purpose of Russia's development of Poseidon is to neutralize Russia's strategic weapons while the United States is gradually upgrading its missile defense system. Ballistic missiles flying at high altitudes are eventually detected by the enemy's radar no matter what new technology is applied, so the surprise effect is reduced, and the more developed the missile defense technology, the lower the survivability .

However, underwater nuclear-powered drones like Poseidon are weapons that move in the deep sea, an unknown territory, and are difficult to detect, let alone respond to. Russia's Poseidon and North Korea's Tidal Wave both have a cruising depth of at least 200-300m . In the water, objects are searched for by sound , and since sound eventually moves using the medium of seawater, sound waves are lost , refracted , and distorted depending on the temperature , salinity , and currents of the seawater . Although each sea is different , there is a so-called mixed layer , where the seawater is heated by sunlight or wind, and the warmed seawater mixes with the cold seawater in the deep sea . Because of this, it is very difficult to find underwater objects with the sonar of warships floating at sea .

Depth 200 ~ 300m, in the case of Russia's Poseidon, the water pressure increases tremendously when it goes down to 1,000m , and the cavitation caused by the torpedo running in the water is also offset by the water pressure at this depth, so it is difficult to find underwater objects at this depth. It's literally finding a needle in the sand .

Russia is trying to wipe out the US aircraft carrier fleet in one blow while being able to strike a fatal blow to the east and west coasts of the United States using these hard-to-find weapons . In other words, they developed these weapons to slaughter them .

Russia struggling after invasion of Ukraine , China and North Korea gain more advantage   

( Moderator ) Russia is sending love calls to China every day to strengthen military cooperation, and there is even a threat that Russia may send advanced weapons to North Korea . How will North Korea-China-Russia security cooperation affect the situation in Northeast Asia ?

( Lee Il-woo ) Now, the international situation is turning very favorably for China. There are many observations that Ukraine, which has acquired a formidable military power thanks to military support from the US and the West, will launch a counterattack against Russia after the end of the Rasputica period in May. Russia invited the Chinese defense minister to Moscow and strengthened military cooperation. What you are asking for is actually asking for weapons to counter the Ukrainian aggression .

In early April , Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu invited Chinese Defense Minister and State Councilor Li Sangfu to hold various talks to strengthen military cooperation from April 16 to 19 , which China strongly denies . At the meeting, Russia reportedly requested arms and ammunition supplies from China .

Currently, China-Russia relations are in a situation where Russia is disappointing, and China is in an absolute position of power . If China supplies arms and ammunition to Russia , China will be subject to sanctions by the international community , but Russia has incentives for China to decide to provide military assistance even at the cost of such damage .

( Moderator ) So, as Russia invaded Ukraine, the war became more difficult than originally calculated , and China's power was needed and a situation arose where they had to extend their hands to North Korea. I can do it .

( Lee Il-woo ) From the standpoint of China, a gift that can be received from Russia may be a transaction in which energy such as gas or oil is supplied at a low price . There will be no greater strategic benefit than containment . This time, Russia has appealed to China through Northern Fleet and Pacific Fleet exercises , and if Russia becomes a clear ally of China in the US-China competition for hegemony , China can supply arms to Russia under that condition .

Russia is receiving help in many ways, to the extent that information has emerged that the Wagner Group has purchased a large amount of ammunition from North Korea. In return, it is confirmed that some oil, wheat , and luxury goods were brought in, but compared to the amount of weapons supplied by North Korea , When you look at it, it's a level that is not enough . In the case of the Hwasong -18 missile launched by North Korea this time , it is very similar in shape , size , and launch method to Russia's intercontinental ballistic missile 'Topol -M ' . The possibility cannot be ruled out .

At the Central Military Commission expansion meeting in June 2021 , North Korea has already decided to become the vanguard of China in the hegemony competition between the US and China and has been preparing for the North Korean version of A2/AD . If Russia joins here, a strong anti-US military cooperation centered on China will be created in the Western Pacific region , which will pose a tremendous military threat to Korea and Japan as well as pose a great threat to the maintenance and survival of the United States. is .

What are the countermeasures for South Korea-US-Japan military cooperation with North Korea ?

( Moderator ) Recently, South Korea is also strengthening military cooperation by carrying out anti-submarine drills and missile defense drills among the three countries , and there are observations that Korea may acquire nuclear submarines through the upcoming Korea-US summit amidst the recent new Cold War structure ?

( Lee Il-woo ) Recently, China has been introducing new strategic nuclear submarines and submarine-launched ballistic missiles one after another , and the number is gradually increasing . The goal is to secure a large-scale surprise nuclear strike capability against the US mainland , but China's SLBMs have a lot of warheads but a short range, so they have to come out at least as far as the Philippine Sea to hit the eastern US .

Currently, the US is carrying out surveillance and tracking missions for 6 Chinese strategic submarines , 22 Russian strategic submarines and cruise missile submarines with about 50 attack submarines . Because of the long time required for training and peacetime maintenance , only 17 to 20 of the 50 submarines are currently deployed . However, as China and Russia increased the number of strategic submarines and even developed long-range nuclear torpedoes for special mission submarines such as Belgorod, it became impossible to respond with 50 submarines .

Shall we agree on the construction of strategic submarines in Korea at the Korea-US summit ?

( Lee Il-woo ) The reason why the United States broke the principle of nuclear non-proliferation and created an Ocus regime to give Australia nuclear submarines was to solve the problem of their own submarine shortage. However, with the establishment of a pro-China Labor Party government in Australia , and looking at the Ochus plan announced on March 13 , it is an impracticable plan that does not take into account the ability of the US and Australia to build submarines at all. The situation is bad enough to announce . According to the Australian Labor government's plan, the Okus nuclear submarine will come out in 2042 at the earliest , so it is of no help to the United States, which is urgently in need of a submarine right now .

After all, the United States desperately needs help from other allies, and among the US allies in the Indo-Pacific region, Korea and Japan are the only countries that have both nuclear power and shipbuilding infrastructure for nuclear submarine construction . Japan has a very strong anti-nuclear public opinion domestically , but Korea has even reviewed the feasibility of introducing nuclear submarines , so if the Korean government decides and promises to operate nuclear submarines in a way that conforms to the US world order at the Korea-US summit, the US will also Most likely to approve .

( Moderator ) Jaju National Defense Network Secretary General Lee Il-woo was with me.