JAKARTA - There is increasing pressure and sanctions imposed by the international community, especially Western countries makes Myanmar's military regime try to find "allies and support" for what they are doing.
Instead of trying to strengthen support from China, the Myanmar military regime tries to improve relations with the United States and other western countries, while distancing themselves from China.
For this purpose, the Myanmar military regime has partnered with former Israeli military intelligence official, Ari Ben-Menashe, who has experienced representing Zimbabwean Prime Minister Robert Mugabe to the Sudanese military ruler.
As an experienced intelligence figure, Ben-Menashe tries to fulfill the wishes of Myanmar military generals who want to repatriate Rohingya Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh.
In an interview by phone call, Ben-Menashe said he and his firm Dickens & Madson Canada had been hired by Myanmar generals to help communicate with the United States and other countries, which he said "misunderstood" them.
He said Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader since 2016, had grown too close to China for the generals to like him.
"There is a real impetus to move to the West and the United States rather than trying to get closer to China", Ben-Menashe said, according to Reuters.
"They don't want to be the puppets of China", he continued.
Ben-Menashe said he was speaking from South Korea following a visit to Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, where he signed an agreement with the junta's Defense Minister, General Mya Tun Oo. He said he would be paid an undisclosed fee if sanctions against the military were lifted.
Ben-Menashe said he had been assigned to contact Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to get their support for the planned repatriation of the Rohingya, the Muslim minority.
"Basically they are trying to give them funds to return what they call Bengali", said Ben-Menashe, using a term some people in Myanmar use for Rohingya to imply they are not from the country.
There has been no response from the Myanmar military regime regarding Ben-Menashe's statement.
SEE ALSO:
It is known that hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled military attacks in 2016 and 2017 in which soldiers killed indiscriminately, raped women, and burned houses, according to a UN fact-finding mission.
In a matter of Myanmar Coup. The VOI editorial team continues to monitor the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Casualties from civilians continue to fall. Readers can follow the news surrounding the Myanmar military coup by tapping on this link.
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