MONTH IN BRIEF – SEPTEMBER 2024
MONTH IN BRIEF
Surge in Myanmar war crimes
Crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the Myanmar military have escalated at an alarming rate, UN investigators have warned, citing systematic torture, gang rape and abuses against children. The United Nations’ Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) said that in the last six months, more than three million people are estimated to have been forced to flee their homes, as conflict spirals within the country. IIMM chief Nicholas Koumjian said the body has collected substantial evidence of horrific levels of brutality and inhumanity across Myanmar, including mutilations and beheadings.
Modi’s Kyiv visit
Indian PM Narendra Modi has told Russian President Vladimir Putin that he backed an early, peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict, days after he held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv. Mr Modi’s recent visit to the Ukrainian capital, the first by an Indian prime minister in Ukraine’s modern history, came at a volatile point in the war that started when Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. Despite Western pressure to distance itself from Russia, India has maintained its ties with Moscow, which has been an important supplier of weapons to India since the days of the Soviet Union.
Taiwan eight jailed over spying for China
Taiwan’s High Court has convicted eight people, including active-duty and retired military personnel, of collecting state secrets on behalf of China, the official Central News Agency reported, in one of the largest espionage cases in years. The August 22 verdict meted out jail terms ranging from 1½ to 13 years, although the ruling is eligible for appeal. One person who was previously indicted as part of the same investigation was found innocent, with another suspect still listed as wanted, the report said.
Sri Lanka court convicts president over vote delay
Sri Lanka’s top court found President Ranil Wickremesinghe guilty of ‘unlawful conduct’ on Aug 22 for delaying by more than a year local polls seen as an unofficial referendum on his handling of the economy. Since Mr Wickremesinghe enjoys immunity while in office, the judgment carries no immediate legal consequences, but the state of the economy is expected to be a key issue for voters in the presidential election in September. Because the local polls were postponed, the Sept 21 election will now be the first vote since Mr Wickremesinghe took over in 2022 after protesters, furious at an unprecedented financial crisis, toppled strongman president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Koreas must cooperate to curb malaria
A24/7 monitoring device at the heavily fortified border dividing North and South Korea is set, not to track missiles or troop movements, but to catch malaria-carrying mosquitoes that may cross the border. Despite its advanced healthcare service and decades of efforts, achieving ‘malaria-free’ status has remained elusive for South Korea, largely due to its proximity to the isolated North, where the disease is prevalent. Seoul issued a nationwide malaria warning in 2024, and scientists say climate change, especially warmer springs and heavier rainfall, could bring more mosquito-borne diseases to the peninsula unless the two Koreas, which remain technically at war, cooperate.
Mounting monsoon death toll
Torrential storms lashing India and Nepal have killed hundreds of people since June, official data showed on Aug 13, with flooding and landslides causing widespread devastation during the treacherous monsoon season. The deaths include scores in India in August alone, and at least 171 overall in neighbouring Nepal. The rains have followed a crushing heatwave during May and June, which saw New Delhi bake in 49.2 degree Celcius temperatures. Weather-related disasters are common during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.
Beware biting dolphins
Authorities in central Japan are urging beachgoers to steer clear of dolphins after a sharp increase in biting incidents, with one expert saying the culprit may be a single overly playful individual. So far in 2024, 18 swimmers have been bitten at several beaches in the Fukui region, according to the local Tsuruga coast guard, which logged just a handful of injuries related to dolphins in each of the past two years. Most of the bites were minor but in one recent incident, an elementary school child who was bitten required 20 to 30 stitches, according to a coast guard official.
Lightning strikes more than twice
Climate change is fuelling an alarming increase in deadly lightning strikes in India, killing nearly 1,900 people a year in the world’s most populous country, scientists warn. Lightning caused a staggering 101,309 deaths between 1967 and 2020, with a sharp increase between 2010 and 2020, a team of researchers led by Fakir Mohan University in the eastern state of Odisha said. ‘The results indicate a steady increase in lightning activity in India, positioning it as a major killer among climate change-induced natural disasters,’ it said.