International News Briefing: explosive situation in southern Asia
Featured image: protests and clashes in Jiribam, Manipur. Source: Hindustan Times.
We hereby share a resume of some international news on protests and struggles unfolding in southern Asia.
India
One of the biggest massacres in the past weeks in Manipur took place on Monday, November 11: eleven alleged militants from different organizations were murdered by the old Indian State in the district of Jiribam. After that, various organizations of the Kuki-Zo people called for a general strike in the area of the hills. The police went to provoke at the funeral itself, and those who honored their dead did not hesitate to clash with the repressive forces.
Huge protests have erupted and the masses have attacked the homes of parliamentary representatives. Even ministers in Manipur are fortifying their residences due to their fear of the anger of the people. The old Indian State is trying to control the situation by imposing a ban on internet access and sending up to 10,000 reinforcement soldiers. It also unleashed a brutal crackdown, and a youth was murdered by the police at a protest in Jiribam when they tried to disperse the crowd.
In Assam, many youths burned effigies of Narendra Modi and demonstrated against the construction of a dam on their territory, a mega-project that would plunder their territory and would mean the eviction of many indigenous peasants from their lands.
Protests have also erupted in Punjab. On Friday, hundreds of peasants clashed with repressive forces of the old Indian State. The government announced the acquisition of plots of land under the pretext of a mega-project that will be realized in the area; this was protested by the peasants. Six police officers were injured, the peasants erected barricades.
There are new protests planned for tomorrow against “the anti-peasant, anti-worker and anti-people policies by the Indian government.”
Bangladesh
Garment workers continuously protest against the relentless exploitation they are facing. After the change of government and the appointment of Muhammad Yunus as interim leader of the country, nothing has changed for the Bangladeshi proletariat. The latter has blocked the country’s main roads for days demanding their salaries to be paid. The proletarians expressed the combative character of their protests by setting up barricades.
Students have joined protests at Dhaka University, demanding justice for the murdered proletarians. Yesterday rickshaw drivers, a very mobilized sector in the country, once again blocked the streets of numerous cities in the country.
In turn, student mass protests erupted last week in which more than 3,000 students participated and clashed with the police due to the death of one of them because of medical negligence. 35 students were injured as a result of the clashes. The past few weeks have seen the biggest number of mobilizations in the country since Sheikh Hasina fled the country.
Myanmar
The struggle between the military regime (known as the ‘Junta’) and the rebels continues being fierce. 20 people were murdered recently in bombings carried out by the military regime. In one of those attacks, a 500-pound bomb, was dropped on a tent full of civilians, killing 11 of them and injuring 11 more. Meanwhile the rebels continue to deal blows and seize important military bases in various parts of the country. Recently the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) took over a crucial base. On the other hand, another rebel force, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) along with other groups has taken dozens of villages in various regions of the country. It is estimated that in the “Operation 1027” launched by various forces against the Junta a year ago, 48 villages, hundreds of military and police bases have been seized and several thousand soldiers have been eliminated. All these developments have forced the State of Myanmar to start a massive and forced recruitment.
