In recent days, East and Southeast Asia have once again attracted attention. No, two bad news from Myanmar and Japan again!
First news: The Burmese military has opened fire!
On February 15, local time, in order to thwart protests against the junta, the Burmese military deployed some tanks and soldiers to major cities such as Yangon. In Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, some gunfire was also heard. According to witnesses, military police used rubber bullets and slingshots to drive away the demonstrators, and several people have been injured.
Almost simultaneously, the United States, Britain, and the United Nations have spoken out to demand that the Burmese military not harm civilians. But now the Burmese military has actually "opened fire" on the demonstrators, which is equivalent to ignoring the warnings of the international community and will inevitably trigger a greater countermeasure.
At the moment, the United States is working with allies to exert pressure and sanctions on many key members of the Burmese military and freeze their assets in the United States, including min Aung Nhay, commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Defense Forces.
It is not excluded that as the situation becomes more tense, the United States has launched more sanctions against the Myanmar military. However, by doing so, the United States is obviously interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and violating international law. However, there is a consensus within the United States that no matter how the situation in Myanmar develops, it must show a tough side to the Burmese military as a way to unite allies and highlight the status of the United States as the world's policeman.
This is also the objective reason why the Biden administration condemned and expressed its position at the first time after the coup d'état in Myanmar. Therefore, the behavior of the United States is not based on facts, nor is it based on the overall interests of Myanmar's political parties, military and people, and it is afraid that using sanctions as a means to handle Burmese affairs simply and rudely will cause greater turmoil.
Myanmar's military issued a Statement on Feb. 1 that after the end of the national emergency, Myanmar will hold re-elections and state power will be handed over to newly elected political parties.
The obstruction of The democratic process in Myanmar directly reflects a cruel reality: for developing countries, simply copying the Western model is not necessarily successful, but should be combined with the actual situation of the country and embark on a path of its own characteristics.
In the case of Myanmar, it has a tradition of military interference in politics, and any political force that wants to take the place of the military will be repulsed by the latter. This therefore requires that the NLD and the military be able to compromise and reach an early agreement on a mutually acceptable solution without making the other side feel threatened.
However, judging from the coup d'état launched by the Burmese military, such a political compromise is difficult to achieve, and any political party must accept the control and leadership of the Burmese military, so it seems that Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD can only find another way.
Second news: Japan has another strong earthquake.
On the evening of February 13, local time, a strong earthquake of magnitude 7.3 occurred in the Fukushima area of Japan. The earthquake has injured more than 100 people in Fukushima Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture and other places. Some people said that this is the first time in more than three years that Japan has experienced such a strong earthquake, and it is still quite scary.
The Japan Meteorological Agency believes that the earthquake may be the aftershock of the 2011 "3.11" earthquake, and strong earthquakes may still occur in the near future.
This prediction came true. At about 21:26 local time on February 15, an earthquake occurred off the coast of Fukushima, with a depth of about 50 kilometers and a magnitude of 5.3. Even more bizarrely, on February 15, a large number of fish were found off the coast of Miyake Island in Tokyo. The fish were most likely swept ashore by waves, and they continued to stretch along the coastline for about 600 meters.
So whether this matter is directly related to the earthquake, this needs to be examined! However, the death of living creatures at the same time as the earthquake is not a good sign.
At the threshold where the epidemic has not been eliminated, nuclear wastewater has not been discharged, and the Olympic Games have been suspended, natural disasters such as earthquakes have occurred, which has undoubtedly brought great tests to the Japanese government.
It has to be said that crises are accelerating. The situation in Burma may become fierce because of foreign interference, and if the United States wants to make a fierce move, it must find a high-sounding reason and then unite allies to besiege the Burmese military. Myanmar is likely to be the next Syria.
Whether Japan can get rid of all kinds of natural and man-made disasters depends on Suga's ability to govern and the will of the Japanese people.