Japan has hold Myanmar’s first satellite on the International Space Station over fear it could be used for spying by the military. The decision came after the Myanmar military seized control in Myanmar on February 1.
Myanmar’s first satellite was manufacture by Japan’s Hokkaido University and Myanmar Aerospace Engineering University (MAEU). The satellite includes two microsatellites of 50 kg which are equipped with cameras. These satellites are designed to observe fisheries and agriculture. The satellite was launched on the International Space Station by NASA on 20th February. Since then, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has kept the satellite inside the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), also called Kibo.
But after the last month’s Myanmar coup, some human rights activists and Japanese officials worry that the military in Myanmar could use those cameras to crack down on people protesting against the military junta and to restore democracy in Myanmar.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international non-governmental organization, said that Myanmar’s army rulers would easily misuse the technology for military use. HRW has urged the Hokkaido universities to suspend Myanmar’s satellite project and to identify human rights risks related to its use.
A manager of the project told Reuters– “We won’t get involved in anything that has to do with the military. The satellite was not designed for that.” “We are discussing what to do, but we don’t know when it will be deployed. If it is halted, our hope is that the project could be restarted at some point.”
Japanese officials said that the contract between the Hokkaido University and the Myanmar Aerospace Engineering University didn’t state that the satellite cannot be used for military purposes. But the Myanmar officials cannot access the data collected from the satellite without permission.
The Japan’s space agency and Hokkaido University are deciding what to do with the satellite.
Japan has a long and strong relationship with Myanmar. It has been a major donor to Myanmar for decades. Japan condemned the use of Myanmar’s military forces against the protesters. But it has not taken any action against the Myanmar coup, unlike other countries which have imposed sanctions on Myanmar.
Myanmar’s military coup
The coup started after the Myanmar general election in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide victory. But the military-backed opposition party didn’t accept the election results alleging widespread fraud in the election. It demanded election re-run with the help of the military. On February 1, the military seized control of the country and detained Ms. Suu Kyi and other NLD officials.
Protest against the military coup
In response, thousands of people came on the streets to protest against the coup and demanded the release of the leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
To control the protests, police and military open fired on peaceful protesters. Since February 1, over 70 people have been killed in the protests.
World condemns the coup
Several countries including the US, India, Australia, and China have criticized the Myanmar military for killing the protestors in the crackdown and called to restore democracy.
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