UN urges Myanmar junta to stop violence three years after coup

A number of countries and the United Nations are urging Myanmar's military regime to end its "campaign of violence", on the third anniversary of the coup in the Southeast Asian country on Thursday.

To strengthen its power, the regime extended the state of emergency for another six months.

In a joint statement, the United States, European Union, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Britain, South Korea and Switzerland condemned violence against civilians in Myanmar.

"Under the military regime, violence against civilians increased, with thousands imprisoned, tortured and killed. Airstrikes, bombings and arson were used to destroy civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools, health facilities and places of worship." call the statement.

"Systematic discrimination against civil society and religious and ethnic groups, including the Rohingya, is widespread," the statement continued.

They called for an end to violence and the release of political prisoners held "unjustly" and allowing full humanitarian access in addition to creating space for inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders.

"Three years on from the military coup, we remain with the people of Myanmar and their desire for inclusive and true democracy in Myanmar," the statement said.

On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military junta overthrew their previous ally Aung San Suu Kyi's government after the League party Nationals for Democracy won elections in November 2020.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also voiced deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the Southeast Asian country and urged the return of civilian rule.

Guterres condemned all forms of violence and called for the protection of civilians and a cessation of hostilities.

“Inclusive solutions "This crisis requires conditions that allow the people of Myanmar to exercise their human rights freely and peacefully. The military's campaign of violence targeting civilians and political repression must end, and those responsible must be held accountable," said Guterres.

The Civil Disobedience Movement, a group that emerged after the coup, posted photos on X on Thursday showing empty streets and closed shops in several parts of the country.

“The people of Myanmar are loyal to the revolution. We never give up.

International community, please support civil activists,” the movement said in

Australia on Thursday implemented additional targeted sanctions against five entities directly involved with Myanmar's military regime.

However, a recent report by the group Justice for Myanmar, accused Australian companies, which continue to operate in Myanmar's mining sector, of "providing the junta with support and legitimacy, and helping to ensure the mining sector is open for business."

Apart from Australia, the US Treasury Department on Wednesday also imposed sanctions on two entities "closely linked" to the military regime in Myanmar, as well as four of its cronies.

At least 4,474 civilians have been killed and nearly 20,000 people detained for political reasons since the Feb. 1, 2021 coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a local monitoring group. The UN says more than 2 million people have also been displaced by the violence.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the junta commander, said it could not lift the state of emergency because it was dealing with ethnic armed groups across the country.

The extension of the state of emergency also postponed elections promised after the coup.

The military is still reeling from coordinated attacks launched in October last year by three ethnic minority rebel groups in the country's north.

The groups attacked troops of the junta, which rules the Buddhist-majority country, and captured many cities and junta outposts.

Historians: "The historical Olpan system can also be seen in the policies of the current Chinese government."

It is said that during periods of Chinese tyranny in Chinese history, Chinese emperors forced neighboring countries to pay tribute to them under the pretext of allowing them to do business with them. Historians and China-watchers argue that the "Chinese government" has abused this unfair system of tributes since ancient times. Of course, the Chinese have always believed that they are powerful, that they rule over all other nations, and that they are all dependent. Such statements can be seen in some ideological works of the Chinese Communist Party.

Speaking about the origins of the Olpan system and its implementation in China, Associate Professor of Turkey's Hajetepa University, Dr. Dr. Ekrem noted that the Olpan system is not only a concept unique to China, but also existed in the ancient Hun and Turkic empires before China. He argued that this system has existed in China for more than 2,000 years. He said, "During the rise of the Chinese empire, neighboring countries not only accepted China's political supremacy, but also had to pay tribute to the emperor financially."

It is known that China is the superior country at the center of this unfair system, and some neighboring countries are forced to bow to it and accept its supremacy in order to do business with China. William Duiker, a former professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies at Pennsylvania State University and a former official of the US State Department, said:

"China's border countries pay tribute because they don't want their country to have hostile or unpopular countries around their borders. But they were respected by the Olpan system and received differential benefits. In particular, border security has been achieved. This is how China has strategically abused the bounty system. "The unknown aspect of the tribute system is that if a small tribute-paying country fails to meet its obligations, the Chinese government will overthrow the government and appoint someone who speaks pro-China."

In the past, the countries bordering "China" had to pay tribute to the Chinese emperor in order to do business with China and "live peacefully", but even today, it is said that the Chinese government continues this tribute system in a different form.

Mr. Free Ekram is one of the researchers of that view. He argued that the Olpan system, the Khanate system, etc. are now being strategically abused by Chinese scholars to create a theoretical basis for China, namely Xi Jinping, to rule the world and expand its sphere of influence.

William Daiker spoke about this and pointed out that the Chinese government still abuses the Olpan system. He specifically mentioned that the suppression policy of China's Uighurs is closely related to China's Olpan system.

 "Obviously, many China watchers like myself believe that the Chinese government still abuses the oligarchy." China has used elements of the tribute system, particularly in its foreign policy with ethnic groups such as the Uyghurs and Tajiks in what China calls the Western Region. China was opposed by many of these nations. China appeased (suppressed) them under the pretext of restoring the Olpan system and normal operations. This is particularly prominent in East and Central Asia. Historically, the existence of countries in the north and west of China has been a sensitive issue for China. From the point of view of the current situation, what is happening now in Xinjiang is closely related to the vassalage system practiced by China in history. »

James A. Millward, professor of Qing Dynasty, Chinese and Uyghur history at Georgetown University, believes that traces of the Olpan system can be seen in some of the ideological works of the Chinese Communist Party. In projects such as "One Belt and One Road", he claims that the influence and hints of his imperialism are clear.