NAYPYITAW, 19 August 2021, (TON): An advocacy group said that Myanmar's security forces have killed more than 1,000 civilians since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi from power six months ago.

The country has been in turmoil since February 1, when the armed forces seized power in a lightning coup, triggering dissent as protesters demanded a return to democracy.

Security forces responded with bloody crackdowns, using live rounds against civilians. But anti-junta mobs some of whom have formed self-defence groups are still taking to the streets daily in flash marches.

Activist group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which verifies the deaths and mass arrests under the regime, said the number of people killed by security forces reached 1,001.

The actual number is likely far higher, said AAPP's joint secretary Ko Bo Gyi.

He said "as long as the military is in power, they will continue to kill youths, professionals like doctors and teachers, men, women and children."

DHAKA, 19 August 2021, (TON): Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed on Wednesday left Dhaka for Turkey on an eight-day official visit.

According to an Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) press release “the Army chief, who is leading an eight-member delegation, will make courtesy calls on the Turkish defense minister, assistant defense minister, president of the Turkish Defense Industries, chief of general staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, Land Force commander and other senior military officials during his visit.”

During the meetings, he will discuss further strengthening relations between the armies of the two countries and mutual cooperation.

He will also visit Turkey's military museums, war colleges, aerospace industries and historical sites, including Army Aviation.

The army chief is set to return home on August 26.

By Aroussa Hafeez

A nine year-old-girl belonging to the most oppressed Dalit community in India has been gang-raped, murdered an then forcibly cremated in capital New Delhi. The gruesome sexual crime has again brought into focus the widespread violence and caste prejudice in the Indian society against Dalit community.

According to Indian authorities, the girl had gone to fetch water from a crematorium, nearby her house in southwestern New Delhi. After the girl did not return for half an hour, the crematorium's priest, 55-year-old Radhey Shyam, called the mother, showed her the body and told her that her daughter had been electrocuted.

Her family said that when the girl did not return, they went looking for her. The mother said she saw her daughter's body on the floor of the crematorium with bruises all over. She said the priest and three other men at the crematorium told her not to call the police and threatened her.

According to Ingit Pratap Singh, a senior Delhi police official, citing a statement from the victim's mother said, "The girl was lying on a bench there, they told her mother that look, her lips are blue and her body is burnt from the lips down to the wrist." Shyam and three other crematorium employees convinced the mother to cremate the body, claiming it would be a hassle to involve the police, said Singh.

According to the police, the suspects then incinerated the girl's body against the family's wishes, without calling authorities. Four men including the crematorium’s priest, have been arrested on charges of rape and murder of the girl, police said. 

The gruesome incident sparked outcry in the village and hundreds of protestors gathered on the streets in the New Delhi, demanding justice. Today, gruesome crimes against Dalit women in India are on rise. What happened in New Delhi is not an isolated incident, there are a number of other such cases which mostly go unreported. According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), “widespread custodial torture and killing of Dalits, rape and sexual assault of Dalit women, and looting of Dalit property by the police are condoned, or at best ignored." The victims of Dalit communities struggle to get justice and the police more often do not register the crimes against scheduled castes under the Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989 and the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1995. The police and other officials actively allow people of dominant caste to commit violence and atrocities against Dalits with impunity.

Caste based discrimination and violence is continuously being practiced in Indian society and Dalit community, particularly Dalit women face extreme atrocities. Dalit’s former “untouchable” community are still at the lowest level in India’s complex caste hierarchy. In 1950, national constitution of India legally abolished the practice of “untouchability” even though the burden of social disabilities on Dalit community still remains a part of Indian society. This lowest level of India’s rigid Hindu caste hierarchy is vulnerable to sexual violence and other attacks. More than 160 million people in India are considered “untouchables” and this caste system reflect them as impure or less than human beings therefore this community face complete social isolation and are segregated by caste.

According to annual Crimes in India -2019 report published by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Crime against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) saw an increase of over 7% and 26% respectively in year 2019 compared to 2018. The crime rate registered per lakh women population is 62.4 in 2019 as compared with 58.8 in 2018. NCRB report says that India reported a total 32,033 rape cases in 2019, 11 percent were from Dalit community. According to NCRB statistics India recorded 88 rape cases every day in 2019 and every fourth rape victim is a child. According to the crime records bureau about 46,000 cases of crime were reported in 2019 against oppressed castes.

The Dalit communities in India are deprived of their basic economic, political. Social, and cultural rights. India has been ranked 131 out of 189 countries on the Human Development Index 2020. Although, a number of protective measures and privileges in education and employment are granted to Dalit community under constitutional provisions but none has been implemented successfully till now. The Indian government has failed in protecting Dalits, the most socially excluded community in India. The last couple of years has seen very disturbing events in the India where hatred and divisive politics of Modi government has created more threats to the security of Dalits especially Dalit women’s and other scheduled castes and tribes.

Ironically, violence and gang rape have been systematically used as a weapon by dominating castes and landlords in India to repress Dalit women and reinforce rigid caste hierarchy, which also creates hurdles in raising their voice against injustice and exploitation. Indian government needs to eliminate this communal hatred, caste system and brutal acts of violence against women of lower castes from the country. The use of sexual abuse and other forms of violence against Dalit women is a clear evidence of widespread exploitation and discrimination against these women. However, today the extreme marginalization of Dalit population requires efforts by government to ensure their security and development and there is a need to bring sexual offenders to justice.

NAIMEY, 18 August 2021, (TON): Ministry of Interior has said that more than 30 people were killed in a rebel attack in the West African country of Niger.

According to the ministry “armed assailants on motorcycles attacked the village of Darey Dey in the Tillaberi region close to the border with Mali on Monday and killed 37 people, including 14 children.”

The assailants attacked as people were working in the fields, a local official told media.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack but several armed groups linked to al-Qaeda or ISIL (ISIS) are active in the region.

Rated the world’s poorest country by the UN’s Human Development Index, Niger lies in the heart of the arid Sahel region of West Africa, which is battling a nine-year-old rebellion.

ISLAMABAD, 18 August 2021, (TON): A delegation of political leaders from Afghanistan called on Prime Minister Imran Khan to discuss the current situation in the neighbouring country after the Taliban's takeover.

During the meeting, the prime minister, as per a statement from his office, underscored "the importance of all sides working to secure an inclusive political solution".

He expressed “strong support and solidarity for the fraternal people of Afghanistan, linked to the people of Pakistan through immutable bonds of faith, history, geography, culture and kin-ship".

The premier stressed that no other country was more desirous of peace and stability in Afghanistan than Pakistan.

He said that a great responsibility now rested on the Afghan leaders in the current situation “to work constructively together to lead Afghanistan on the path of sustainable peace, stability and development.”

Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, the premier assured the delegation of Pakistan’s steadfast support for efforts in this regard.

The delegation thanked the prime minister and appreciated Pakistan’s support for the peace efforts.

KABUL, 18 August 2021, (TON): The Taliban held their first official news conference in Kabul since the shock seizure of the city, declaring they wanted peaceful relations with other countries and would respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law.

The movement's main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said “we don't want any internal or external enemies.”

Mujahid, who until now had been a shadowy figure issuing statements on behalf of theTaliban, said women would be allowed to work and study and “will be very active in society but within the framework of Islam”.

The Taliban would not seek retribution against former soldiers and members of the Western-backed government, he said, insisting that "everyone is forgiven."

He added that the movement was granting an amnesty for former Afghan government soldiers as well as contractors and translators who worked for international forces.

He said “nobody is going to harm you, nobody is going to knock on your doors.”

He added that a new government would be formalised as soon as the unstable conditions in Kabul permitted.

BERLIN, 18 August 2021, (TON): German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the way Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko treats refugees, adding that Germany would consult closely with its European partners on a coordinated response.

Merkel said at a news conference with the Estonian prime minister “President Lukashenko is using refugees, for example from Iraq, in a hybrid way to undermine security, and of course we condemn this in the strongest possible term.”

The European Union accuses Lukashenko of using the refugee crisis to pressure the bloc to reverse sanctions it imposed on Belarus over a disputed presidential election last August and its treatment of the political opposition.

She said “we are closely coordinating with European partners on everything. We will also try to take a common position because this hybrid kind of confrontation, as used by Belarus, is an attack on all of us in the European Union.”

CAIRO, 18 August 2021, (TON): Egypt sent medical staff and aid to treat those injured by a fuel tanker explosion in Lebanon.

The explosion was on Sunday in the border village of Al-Talil. It killed at least 28 people and wounded 79 in the latest tragedy to hit Lebanon.

The plane carried 1.5 million tons of medical supplies to help the country, which is experiencing severe economic and political difficulties.

The shipment was received at Beirut airport by Hussein Muhaidli, the adviser to Lebanon’s public health minister.

He thanked Egypt on behalf of the Ministry of Health for standing by Lebanon and said “it was one of the first countries to send a volunteer medical team.”

He praised the depth of the strong ties that united the two countries, while also praising the humanitarian initiatives that Egypt had always undertaken toward Lebanon.

COLOMBO, 18 August 2021, (TON): The President and Commander-in- Chief of Armed Forces of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed Rear Admiral YN Jayarathne as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy, effective from 17th August 2021.

Accordingly, Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, officially handed over the letter of appointment in this regard to Rear Admiral YN Jayarathne at the Navy Headquarters, (17th August 2021).

Born in the year 1967, Rear Admiral Jayarathne received his secondary education from the Royal College, Colombo 7.

He joined Sri Lanka Navy in the Executive branch as an Officer Cadet of the 15th Intake on 20th October 1986 and completed his Officer Cadet training at the Naval & Maritime Academy, Trincomalee.

MALE, 18 August 2021, (TON): The Pakistan High Commission in Male’ has donated a smart TV and a large quantity of computer systems to the Civil Service Commission of Maldives.

The donations by Pakistan High Commission includes a 75" smart TV, 16 computer systems, six monitors and three laptops.

The items were presented by Pakistan High Commissioner Vice Admiral (Retired) Ather Mukhtar to Civil Service Commission’s President Mohamed Nasih.

Speaking at the event held to handover the donation, Nasih highlighted on the close ties between Maldives and Pakistan.

He said that the donation by the Pakistan High Commission will support the Civil Service Commission’s efforts improve and expand its services using modern resources.