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world news Diaranson 24 Maart 2021

Myanmar junta defends crackdown, accuses Suu Kyi of graft

(AP) — Myanmar’s mili- oners has verified 261 pro- military to frame Suu Kyi so
tary junta on Tuesday testers' deaths nationwide but she can be discredited and
took the offensive to try to says the actual total, includ- tried on a serious criminal
justify last month's coup ing cases where verification charge. She is already being
and subsequent actions has been difficult, is probably held on several more minor
against those opposed much higher. It said 2,682 charges.
to it, even as street dem- people have also been arrest-
onstrations continued ed or charged since the coup, A report in the state-con-
against the takeover. with 2,302 still detained or trolled Global New Light
sought for arrest. of Myanmar newspaper on
At a news conference in the Tuesday said the junta has ex-
capital Naypyitaw, the mili- In its news conference, the pressed fresh concern about
tary presented a video of a military presented displays of civil servants, teachers and
former political colleague of seized homemade weapons medical workers joining the
ousted national leader Aung and videos of street battles to Civil Disobedience Move-
San Suu Kyi claiming he had argue that the demonstrators ment that is the vanguard
handed over large amounts of are violent and that its efforts group opposing last month’s The junta repeated its claims
cash and gold to her person- to stop them are justified. military takeover. Previously, government em- that civil servants, teachers
ally, in what the military has However, in the weeks since ployees have been detained and doctors joined the CDM
characterized as corruption. the Feb. 1 coup, protesters The report referred to the for joining the CDM, and under threat.
Such allegations were previ- only began using organized opposition group as CDM, striking state railway workers
ously denied by her lawyer. violence after more than 100 the initials by which it is have been kicked out of their “They should make a com-
demonstrators had been shot popularly known. The group government-supplied hous- plaint to the respective au-
Many of the protests Tues- dead by police and soldiers. encourages employees of key ing if they don’t agree to go thorities about the matter,”
day were staged in a way that enterprises, such as govern- back to work. said the newspaper’s account
avoided confrontations with The allegations against Suu ment offices, to stay away of the junta meeting. “Some
authorities, who have not Kyi made by former Yangon from work. Myanmar labor unions on teachers and doctors are still
hesitated to use lethal force Chief Minister Phyo Min March 7 issued a joint call for absent from work as they are
to break up demonstrations. Thein were first mentioned In what was a relatively con- an extended nationwide work worried that they may face
Some marches were held by the military several weeks ciliatory tone compared with stoppage, with the goal of a punishment if they return to
before dawn in Yangon, the ago. Last week the military- earlier threats, the junta at its “full, extended shutdown of the unit," junta chief Senior
country’s biggest city, and controlled Myawaddy TV Monday meeting was report- the Myanmar economy.” In a Gen. Min Aung Hlaing was
elsewhere and went unmo- station aired a similar video ed to have described failing statement, they called for the cited saying.
lested. Other protests adopt- with a construction magnate to show up at work as “not strike to continue “until we
ed the tactic of having sign- who also claimed to have a crime but a violation of receive our democracy back.” Although the CDM does not
boards or other inanimate made large payoffs to Suu the civil service disciplines.” advocate violence, the move-
objects lined up in the street Kyi. That video was replayed It said that for first offenses, Tuesday’s report of the jun- ment has painted those who
to serve as proxies for human at Tuesday's news conference. civil servants would have to ta’s meeting also highlighted don’t give it support as col-
demonstrators. No supporting evidence for sign confessions, but fur- teachers' absences from work, laborators with the junta with
the allegations has been of- ther offenses would be dealt saying some have joined the blood on their hands, who
The independent Assistance fered, and they are generally with according to civil service CDM, as have health work- may be ostracized.
Association for Political Pris- dismissed as an effort by the rules. ers.

Japan asks IAEA support for Fukushima tank water release

(AP) — Japan on Tuesday asked release, and to provide quality control also agreed to cooperate in the plant’s damaged primary containment ves-
the International Atomic Ener- and environmental monitoring once decommissioning. sels into the basements of the reactor
gy Agency for support carrying it begins. Japan's Economy, Trade and buildings. To make up for the loss,
out the future release of massive Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama The release is expected to start in additional cooling water has been
amounts of treated but still-ra- held an online talk with IAEA Direc- about two years, part of the plant’s al- pumped into the reactors to cool the
dioactive water from the wrecked tor General Rafael Grossi. ready difficult decommissioning pro- melted fuel remaining inside them.
Fukushima nuclear power plant, cess, which will likely take decades. A Water is also pumped out and treated,
most likely into the sea. Grossi said the IAEA will give full government panel’s recommendation part of which is recycled as cooling
backing to Kajiyama’s request for a that the radioactive water be gradually water, and the remainder stored in
Japan wants international atomic ex- safety review of the release of radio- released into the sea has faced fierce around 1,000 tanks.
perts to help evaluate the methods, active water into the sea, once Japan opposition from local residents, and a
handling and facilities ahead of the makes a final decision. The two sides decision is still pending. Both Tokyo Electric Power Co.,
which operates the plant, and the
Kajiyama told Grossi that his govern- government are currently stuck with
ment is now in the final stage before some 1.24 million tons of radioactive
announcing what to do with the wa- water, while also facing the public's
ter. Japanese officials have said the concerns about radiation and distrust
country will ensure the highest levels regarding TEPCO's safety culture.
of safety and transparency, in order to
gain understanding from the interna- The operator says the tanks’ 1.37-mil-
tional community about the planned lion-ton storage capacity will be full
water release. in 2022, and that tanks will need to
be removed to make room to build
In 2011, a powerful magnitude 9.0 decommissioning facilities.
earthquake and tsunami damaged the
Fukushima plant’s cooling systems, As officials struggle to finalize the
causing three reactor cores to melt water removal plan, they say coopera-
and nuclear fuel to fall to the bottom tion with outside experts is crucial,
of their primary containment vessels. and Japan hopes IAEA involvement
in safety reviews and monitoring will
In the decade since, cooling water has help increase transparency and public
been escaping constantly from the trust.