July 20th, 2021. Dominic Cummings has just been interviewed on BBC by Laura Kuenssberg, the political editor of BBC News. He is doing a first-rate hit job on Boris Johnson and disclosed the massive influence on him by Carrie Johnson, his wife. He also disclosed that the team behind his
20th July 2021 Following on from previous pieces on Covid in Myanmar, the following piece from Frontier gives a human perspective on how it is impacting people. With hospitals in Myanmar empty of pro-democracy medical staff and coronavirus cases surging nationwide, volunteers are going house-to-house to collect the fast-rising number
18th July 2021 Warning WARNING – SOME READERS MAY FIND THE FOLLOWING PICTURES DISTRESSING. Following on from yesterday’s piece on Covid in Myanmar, it is becoming clear that the junta are weaponizing Covid to further impose control and punishment on the population. This wasn’t helped by the arrest of
July 16th, 2021. In my career, I have spent many years working in a variety of countries, ranging from third world despotic regimes, dictatorships, autocracies and just plain corrupt governments. I never thought that this experience would allow me an insight into the current governance of New Zealand. In my
17th July 2021 With the near destruction of formal health services in Myanmar and the increase in infections of Covid, there is a disaster of epic proportions looming on the horizon. As with everything in Myanmar the accuracy of data and reports leaves a lot to be desired. Where possible
16th July 2021 The incarceration of journalists continues, which helps to explain some of the difficulty in getting reports from Myanmar. The military is trying to put a stranglehold on the flow of information from the country and is repressing as much of the media as it possibly can. Nearly
15th July 2021 Nothing that follows in the article below is to be taken as an endorsement of what happened to the Rohingya during their expulsion from Myanmar which was of course unforgivable and horrific. I have always thought that the West didn’t understand the situation and their reactions
10th July 2021 I mentioned yesterday about a report that I was putting together ready for today that would raise a few eyebrows. I have managed to get confirmation of the details from other sources and there are indications that there are changes blowing in the wind. There is a
9th July 2021 Things are on the move in Myanmar, and there are three major issues that are coming to the forefront that need a solution or there will be the makings of a first-rate disaster. Myanmar is facing an unprecedented threefold tragedy: deadly violence, an out-of-control COVID-19 pandemic and
8th July 2021 Last week we reported on the future of Telenor, one of the telecom companies in Myanmar. Telenor was wholly owned by Telenor of Norway and was independent of the Myanmar government. It wrote its investment down to zero and was considering selling it off. We forecast that
7th July 2021 A convoy of 21 motorcycles taking food and other supplies to a refugee camp in Saw, Magway was ambushed by the military and destroyed. Their campaign of intimidation and bullying continues. In Yangon, a major fire broke out in Pazundaung township, on the fringe of downtown. Covid
6th July 2021 The National Unity Government (NUG) has released pictures of volunteers from Peoples’ Defence Forces (PDFs) in training with Southern Command. This is the 5th batch to undergo this training. The NUG defence minister sent a message to the ceremony expressing his thanks to ethnic armed organizations (EAOs)
July 4th, 2021. In Taunton, Somerset, in a spirit of inclusivity and in acknowledgement of LGBT etc, the local council laid a multi-coloured 62-metre riverside path. A local arts movement said that “The rainbow footpath will signal to both visitors and the community that Taunton is making considerable steps towards
4th July 2021 Well, it had to happen. With already poor health systems in place and the standards of medical care declining Covid cases are increasing throughout Myanmar. Accurate figures are difficult to come by as official figures seem to be dramatically understated. A training course for promotion candidates in
Communications with and within Myanmar continue to be difficult, with the regime now looking at a policy of “whitelisting”. I know that my own communications with Myanmar have been getting more difficult recently. One of the many freedoms Myanmar people lost in the aftermath of the February 1 coup was
29th June 2021 The many deaths viewed as collateral damage often go unreported. Below is a poignant picture of a much-loved citizen who died because of a lack of access to medical care. Swe died unexpectedly last week, one of many collateral victims of the coup. Swe was unable to
