Japan has no intention of repatriating people from Myanmar
Japan has no intention to repatriate its citizens from Myanmar, a foreign ministry official said on Monday after Myanmar’s military seized power and detained its chief, Aung San Suu Kyi, from a newly elected civilian government.
On Monday, Myanmar’s military declared a state of emergency and said it had arrested senior government officials, accusing Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) of winning a landslide victory through “election fraud” in the Nov 8 vote.
There are an estimated 3,500 Japanese in Myanmar, but Tokyo had advised people to put off travel there due to the coronavirus pandemic, said the official of the Foreign Ministry, who requested to remain anonymous, adding there are no current plans to alter that advisory.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said the government was closely monitoring the situation and would do its utmost to ensure that Japanese people are secure.
Japan and Myanmar have had close relations for a long time, with Tokyo being a major donor of aid over the years and several companies involved in business activities there.
In a message posted on the website of the Foreign Ministry, the Japanese embassy in Myanmar said that while the situation in the country at this point does not appear to be one that affects ordinary citizens, people should exercise caution.
Meanwhile, on Monday in Tokyo, hundreds of Burmese demonstrators carrying portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi gathered to protest the imprisonment of the country’s leaders.
The protesters, wearing face masks and holding flags, stood in downtown Tokyo outside the United Nations University and called on the international body to further condemn the actions of the Myanmar military.
One of the organizers of the protest said that nearly 800 people attended Monday’s demonstration.
On Monday, the National League for Democracy (NLD) Party said its leader, Suu Kyi, called on the public not to support an army coup and urged them to protest.
“The actions of the military are actions to put the country back under a dictatorship,” the NLD said in a statement bearing the name of Suu Kyi. “I urge people not to accept this, to respond and wholeheartedly to protest against the coup by the military.”
Source: Japan Today
