Myanmar’s UN ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun says he will not be cowed by an assassination plot against him and that he will continue resisting efforts by the military leadership back home to take his seat at UN headquarters in New York.
In an exclusive interview with The National, Kyaw Moe Tun, the UN envoy for Myanmar’s ousted civilian government, said he is “safe” thanks to round-the-clock security from US guards and that the fight for people power in Myanmar continues.
“We are resolute,” Kyaw Moe Tun said, adding he would fight until the military regime is brought down.
Since seizing power in a February 1 coup, the military has repeatedly tried to replace Kyaw Moe Tun with a loyalist. The envoy said he will not step down and urged the UN’s credentials committee to take his side when it meets next month.
“This seat is important for the people of Myanmar,” he said.
“Through this seat, I can convey the messages of the people of Myanmar and I can inform the desire of the people of Myanmar to the international community.”
Kyaw Moe Tun predicts a showdown in the coming weeks over whether he can remain as Myanmar's ambassador or whether the country's military leaders will be allowed to replace him with a hand-picked envoy.
Rival claims to UN representation are considered by a nine-member credentials committee that reports to the 193-nation General Assembly. The panel is set to meet in September before leaders travel to Manhattan for the UN’s annual high-level week.
Kyaw Moe Tun said he is “confident” that members will “listen to the voices of the people of Myanmar”.
He spoke with The National while under 24-hour US protection after investigators uncovered a plot involving at least two citizens of Myanmar to intimidate and even assassinate him if he refused to resign from his post.
Phyo Hein Htut, 28, and Ye Hein Zaw, 20, face up to five years in prison. Myanmar's military have denied any involvement in the conspiracy.
Prosecutors say Phyo Hein Htut had been in touch with an arms dealer in Thailand linked to Myanmar’s military. The plot reportedly involved hiring assailants and sabotaging the ambassador’s car to force it to crash.
Kyaw Moe Tun has cut back on his public activities, but was upbeat about his safety thanks to “very swift action” by US law enforcement. Members of his extended family back home were in a “safe place” he added, without elaborating.
Phyo Hein Htut had occasionally served as a volunteer security guard at Myanmar’s mission to the UN, he added.
The ambassador spoke with The National against a backdrop of chaos in Myanmar, which was upended when the military ousted an elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, with regular protests and fighting between the army and newly formed militias.
The US, Britain and others have slapped sanctions on Myanmar's military rulers over the coup and the repression of pro-democracy protests. More than 900 people have been killed and thousands arrested in the crackdown, a local monitoring group has reported.
The US on Tuesday said it would give Myanmar more than $50 million in aid to fight surging Covid-19 infections. After six months of turmoil, Myanmar's economy has collapsed and its health system has buckled against the fast-spreading pathogen.
For Kyaw Moe Tun, the South-East Asian nation has see-sawed between military and democratic civilian rule in recent turbulent decades, but the long-term trend is bending in favour of people power, he said.
Pro-democracy activists have thanked the West for its support to date, but want further action including the setting up no-fly zones to ground the military’s aircraft, enacting arms embargoes, as well as placing tougher sanctions on military chiefs.
“What we see is not enough,” Kyaw Moe Tun said.
“We need stronger and decisive action from the international community to stop the violence".
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Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
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Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Abubakar Daud
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
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Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham
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Winner: Son Of Normandy, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
