THE number of people displaced in the escalating clashes between government forces and ethnic armed groups in Shan and Kachin states rose to 1200, aid officials said Thursday. Some 1100 people from Kaing Tine, Kyaukphyu Lay, Ar Pyaung and Hgin Gar villages fled to Kyaukme city due to fighting between Tatmadaw and Ta’aung (Palaung) National Liberation […]
By KYAW PHYO THA 5 January 2018 Shortly before daybreak on the last day of 2017, San Zaw Htway, a Myanmar artist famous for his collages made from recycled plastic bags and also a former political prisoner, succumbed to a liver ailment in a Yangon hospital. Known for his humility and the promotion of his collage techniques […]
It was Jan. 4, 2018. As it was also the 70th anniversary of Myanmar’s independence, I could not help thinking about my days in prison. Independence Day is one of the special occasions each and every prisoner looks forward to with high hopes. That is because of a custom of granting amnesty to prisoners and […]
By LAWI WENG 29 December 2017 An ethnic Ta’ang (Palaung) lawyer has been detained by police in Muse Township in northern Shan State in connection with a shooting in Lashio in Kaung Mu Tong quarter on Dec. 22, Ta’ang Legal Aid (TLA) reported yesterday. Police accused Mai Myo Aung of involvement in a Dec. 22 confrontation in […]
A Myanmar rights organization has filed a complaint with the U.N.’s human rights office about the detention of two Reuters journalists charged with violating the country’s colonial-era Official Secrets Act. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a group dedicated to the release of political prisoners in Myanmar, lodged the complaint with the Working Group […]
National level Human Rights Defenders Forum, to December 19-20, Summit Parkview Hotel in Yangon.
Desires for acknowledgment and justice for past and ongoing human rights violations in Mon areas of southern Burma
10 December 2017, Rangoon ND-Burma statement on International Human Rights Day: “We are ready to help deliver justice for Burma’s many victims of human rights violations” With over 6,000 human rights violations recorded since 2004, ND-Burma wants to help bring about justice and national reconciliation Thirteen years ago, 9 civil society organizations based on the […]
MYANMAR Transitional Justice Issues and Initiatives Introduction Socio-historical context: conflict and repression Myanmar gained independence in January 1948, following the 1947 Panglong Conference. At this conference General Aung San along with Kachin, Shan, and Chin leaders overcame the divide-and-rule policy of the British by agreeing on ethnic equality within a Federal Union of Burma. However, […]
November 2017 Pope calls on Burma to commit to justice and respect for human rights During a 4-day visit to Burma, the Pope delivered a speech calling for a future in which there is “peace based on respect for the dignity and rights of each member of society.” He also stressed that peace can only come about […]