In 2023, they died while leaving Myanmar and Bangladesh. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported on January 23 that there are at least 569 Rohingya missing.
Rohingyas die while traveling across the sea. He said that this number is the highest after the number of deaths in 2014. Died in 2014 There were 730 missing people.
Among those who ventured out on the sea trip, the majority were women and children, and 66 percent were from Bangladesh, according to the statement.
In November 2023 alone, more than 200 Rohingya died after their boat sank at sea.
Rohingyas who need help are not rescued in time; The statement also states that because they are not allowed to dock, they are facing near-death situations in front of the eyes of the coastal countries.
UNHCR has also requested that local authorities in coastal countries take appropriate action as soon as possible to prevent such tragedies from happening again.
He said that rescuing people in distress at sea is an important humanitarian action and a long-standing obligation under international maritime law.
The Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh due to the violence of the Burmese army are facing food shortages in the refugee camps. Fearing for their lives amid the evils, they ventured out to sea to find a new life.
There are analyzes that China's interests are connected with the victory of the three northern groups
There are analyzes that China's interests are connected with the victory of the three northern groups
The Burmese National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) announced on January 6 that it had recaptured all of Kokang, including Lauk Kai, the capital of Kokang, which is Northern Special Region 1 of Shan State. The 1027 operation of the three northern brothers, which began in October last year, was halted on January 11 due to China's intervention.
Experts on Chinese affairs contacted by RFA concluded that the success of the offensive attacks of the three northern groups and the capture of Laokkai City in the Kokang region was due to the encouragement and support of the Chinese government.
The military leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, said last November that the ethnic armed groups fighting with the military council troops are receiving foreign support.
Ethnic armed groups are using drones and advanced technology. Although the military leader said that foreign countries are getting help from drone experts, I did not say which country.
MNDAA spokesperson Lee Tiger Win denied that China is supporting the Kokang forces.
"The current offensive attacks are only due to 70 years of unjust and oppressive rule by the Burmese army," he said.
Yun San, director of the Washington, DC-based Stimson Center's China Studies Program, said that China's tacit approval of the North's twin offensives in Operation 1027 is an important factor.
"As money and goods from the Chinese side enter the northern part of Shan State unhindered, the armed groups can continue to operate. Ethnic groups often retreat and flee across the border to China to avoid the Burmese army's heavy weaponry. The Chinese government's failure to prevent such actions is the biggest aid to the armed groups fighting the Burmese military."
The Chinese government has officially stated that it is prioritizing Myanmar's stability.
"The position of the Chinese government is clear. China will not support any organization that causes trouble. Negotiations for a ceasefire are also being conducted for the benefit of all stakeholders in Myanmar. "We will provide assistance to ensure stability and peace in the China-Myanmar border region," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a press conference last December.
Journalist and Chinese political analyst Dan Yuwan said The Chinese government has killed two birds with one stone as it has strengthened China's influence in the region and controlled the money laundering gangs that are causing harm to the Chinese people.
"The Kokang forces have controlled money laundering gangs. The Chinese government controls the source of income for the armed forces in the region. Now, we believe that the new leaders of the Kokang region will be more representative of China's interests, so we are giving them back control."
was under the influence of China, As the Kokant leaders changed one by one, they also had unstable relations with the military leaders ruling Myanmar.
After the Burmese Communist Party collapsed in 1989, the Kokang region, which had been the base of the Burmese communists since Myanmar's independence, was given autonomy by the then-ruling military junta, U Phoondushin, and allowed the Kokang armed forces to operate.
In 2009, after the MNDAA refused to transform into a border guard force, it suffered an offensive by the Burmese army and lost the city of Lauk Kai. When the Deputy Chief of Staff, who supported the Burmese army, Pa Sotcham, replaced U Phoon and continued to govern the Kokang region, the Burmese army forces were allowed to camp in the Kokang region, and the Chinese side also accepted the criminal gangs to earn income. This acceptance has benefited both the Burmese military and the Kokang group, and illegal activities in the Kokang region have grown, analysts said.
In 2022, after the death of U Phon Dung Shin, his son Phon Dan Ran succeeded to the leadership position, and the MNDAA forces launched several offensives to return to Lauk Kai.
In recent years, the Chinese government has begun cracking down on money laundering gangs in the China-Myanmar border region. According to the lists compiled by RFA, the Chinese government has arrested over 40,000 Chinese nationals involved in money laundering operations in Shan State after launching joint operations in Myanmar and Thailand last August, and issued arrest warrants for people associated with money laundering gangs, including Kokang regional leaders.
Operation 1027, which began in October this year, was also launched by the three Northern Alliances under the slogan of fighting online money laundering and saving Chinese citizens as per China's wishes.
On January 4 this year, with the surrender of the military council soldiers, the MNDAA forces were able to retake the city.
Now, MNDAA is trying to restore law and order in the Lauk Kai area, and the former Kokang leader and family members have fled to Nay Pyi Taw, MNDAA spokesperson Lee Tiger Win told RFA.
Li Tiger Win also said that he is very grateful to China for getting Laok Kai back.
Li Tiger Win said that the Chinese government, as the MNDAA, will continue to intervene in the peace talks with the Burmese army and hope that the Chinese government's negotiations will produce a beneficial outcome for the Kokang region.
Snow storm hits Japan
Today, Wednesday, Japan is witnessing heavy snowfall, with its height increasing in some areas by 10 cm every hour.
The snow storm caused long congestions on highways.
Japanese media said that about 80 cm of snow is expected to fall in various parts of the country within one day, adding that the snowfall will continue until January 25.