ND Burma
ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.
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- Myanmar junta bombs rebel wedding, at least 10 killed
- Press Statement: Argentine Court’s arrest warrants are welcome progress towards justice
- OPEN LETTER: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL MUST TAKE CONCRETE ACTION TO SUPPORT THE MYANMAR PEOPLE’S EFFORTS TO BUILD A RIGHTS-PROTECTING FUTURE
- Human rights and transitional justice
Photographer dies in custody in first journalist death since Myanmar coup
/in NewsSoe Naing was arrested while shooting a silent protest in Yangon.
Photos of Soe Naing shared by his colleagues and social media show the spectrum people live in Myanmar from everyday moment to lives under the military regime.
A freelance photographer arrested by junta troops on Human Rights Day has become the first journalist to die while in detention since the military seized power in Myanmar more than 10 months ago.
Soe Naing was detained on Dec. 10 while documenting a nationwide “Silent Strike” boycott against junta rule to mark the United Nations day to honor human rights in Yangon’s Latha district.
News of Soe Naing’s death surfaced on social media Tuesday and was confirmed by family members, according to sources who were close to the photographer.
“Just this morning, Ko Soe Naing’s cousin confirmed his death to his best friend. … His friend also contacted Soe Naing’s wife. She also confirmed his death,” a family friend told RFA’s Myanmar Service on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.
“His friend is not in a position to talk to the media, so I am talking on his behalf. Soe Naing’s funeral was held in the Mingalardon area.”
One of Soe Naing’s colleagues also said he had received confirmation of his death, and suggested without elaborating that the photographer was killed during an interrogation by security forces.
“We didn’t believe at first because there is no reason for them to beat a photojournalist to death,” said the colleague, who declined to be named.
“However, around 4:00 p.m., someone from our internal network updated us that a family member had confirmed his death.”
The colleague said that an hour later, word spread that Soe Naing’s body had already been cremated by the authorities.
“No one got a chance to see the body or be present at his cremation,” he said. “Now, Ko Soe Naing is gone without a trace.”
Attempts by RFA to reach Soe Naing’s relatives went unanswered on Tuesday, as family members had turned off their phones for safety reasons, sources said.
Seasoned photographer
According to the colleague, Soe Naing was a seasoned photographer who had covered many events and protests since the military removed Myanmar’s democratically elected National League for Democracy government in a Feb. 1 coup.
In the weeks and months since the coup, security personnel have committed human rights abuses including arbitrary arrests, rape and killings. More than 8,000 civilians have been arrested and 1,339 killed by junta authorities since February, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, mostly during non-violent protests of the coup.
“Even when the military started suppressing the protesters and the protests turned into guerilla-like flash mobs, he still covered these events,” Soe Naing’s colleague told RFA.
“He was calm and focused on his work. He was never involved in these protests. He only focused on covering the events. There is no reason for him to be killed. I can’t understand why they killed him.”
‘Escalation in terror’
Soe Naing’s death was addressed in a statement by Paris-based journalist watchdog group Reporters Without Borders, which called on the international community to condemn what it called an “escalation in terror against reporters” and to implement sanctions against the junta leadership.
“With Soe Naing’s death, a new tragic threshold has been crossed this morning in the terror that Myanmar’s military are using against journalists,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of the group’s Asia-Pacific desk.
“His death must serve as an alarm signal and push the international community to impose new targeted sanctions on the military junta that has been running the country since February, starting with its chief, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. The world can no longer look on without doing something.”
Reporters Without Borders noted that at least three other journalists had been arrested by authorities in recent days, including freelance photographer Zaw Tun on Dec. 10, and Democratic Voice of Burma reporter Aung San Lin and regional reporter Min Theik Tun on Dec. 12.
Junta spokesman Gen. Zaw Min Tun did not respond to requests by RFA for comment on the arrests.
At least 57 journalists are currently imprisoned in Myanmar, according to Reporters Without Borders. The group ranked Myanmar 140th out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index, published in early 2021.
Reported by Tin Aung Khine and Khet Mar for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
RFA News
The Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma Calls for Accountability for Human Rights Violations Committed in Myanmar by the Military Junta in New Briefing Paper: “Waking to War Crimes”
/in Press Releases and StatementsThe Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma Calls for Accountability for Human Rights Violations Committed in Myanmar by the Military Junta in New Briefing Paper: “Waking to War Crimes”
14 December 2021
For Immediate Release
The Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma (ND-Burma) strongly condemns the scaled up, ongoing military operations deployed by the junta in Myanmar which has displaced thousands in the last ten months. A new briefing paper by ND-Burma “Waking to War Crimes,” acknowledges the systematic and widespread deployment of atrocities against innocent civilians since February, and further calls for an immediate cessation of violence.
ND-Burma has documented war crimes and crimes against humanity through desk research, interviews and member organization data in Chin State, Kayah (Karenni) State and Sagaing region. On average, between 35 and 43 cases of human rights violations were collected per the respective state/region between August and October. The human rights violations being perpetrated by the junta are considered to be grave breaches of the Geneva Convention and amount to war crimes.
Against the backdrop of intensified clashes, civilians in conflict-torn areas are trapped. Humanitarian aid has been blocked and the junta continues to lawlessly steal what little possessions villagers have. Every day, people are being abducted, killed and extorted amid ongoing corruption and disorder fueled by the regime. The international community must take steps to actively end the uncontrolled criminality of the Myanmar junta to protect those on the ground. An arms embargo must be initiated, alongside targeted sanctions and referral of the military junta to the International Criminal Court.
Such courses of action are long overdue but it is not too late.
For more information:
NDBoffice@protonmail.com
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ND-Burma is a network that consists of 13-member organisations who represent a range of ethnic nationalities, women and former political prisoners. ND-Burma member organisations have been documenting human rights abuses and fighting for justice for victims since 2004. The network consists of nine Full Members and four Affiliate Members as follows:
Full Members
Affiliate Members:
Waking to War Crimes
/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's ReportsThe Myanmar military’s war on the people has devastated the lives of thousands across decades of unrelenting internal conflict. Since the junta’s attempted coup on 1 February 2021, their systematic assaults on civilian livelihoods has worsened across all regions and States in Myanmar. As divisive as they are deceptive, the Generals see themselves as the rightful governors of the State and have blatantly manipulated their own military drafted Constitution to justify their power-grab. Nationwide crackdowns have followed in response to peaceful protesters calling for a resumption of the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government.
The junta has scaled up military operations nationwide, targeting hundreds of innocent civilians. On September 7, the National Unity Government (NUG), a government formed by activists and elected officials, officially declared a ‘defensive war’ on the junta.1 The People’s Defense Forces (PDFs), which are groups of civilians trained in combat, are now fighting alongside various ethnic revolution organizations (EROs) against the military junta for their freedom. The onslaught of clashes has come with high casualty rates for both sides, including citizens who have been caught in the crossfire. By October, 3 million civilians were in desperate need of life-saving support with 219 000 people displaced by internal violence.
The junta has claimed that the NUG and PDFs are terrorist organizations in a failed bid to downgrade their legitimacy. These attempts have been unsuccessful as more evidence emerges which shows how the junta is violating human rights laws, norms and principles. The Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, has called on the leader of Myanmar’s armed forces and orchestrator of the coup, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, to step down. Echoing these sentiments has been the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews who has repeatedly called on the UN General Assembly to stand with and for the people of Myanmar.
From the very beginning of the Spring Revolution, it has been the individuals on the ground who have spoken truth to power despite the great risks faced in condemning the junta’s series of illegal and unjust acts. This has come at the cost of thousands of arrests as freedom fighters sacrifice their lives in the name of democracy for Myanmar. The voices of people of various ethnicities, genders, religion and socio-economic backgrounds persist and they continue to demand accountability from a regime who has sabotaged their survival.
At the time of writing, the junta has killed at least 1200 civilians since February with over 10 000 arrested amid a deeply hostile environment for peaceful protesters. With 60% of those killed by state forces around the world in 2021, Myanmar is currently the deadliest country in the world for demonstrators.6 Excessive lethal force by the military has seen at least 25% of those killed while protesting being shot in the head.7 Violence has not declined, rather it has worsened and exacerbated civilian anxieties over their well-being and security. The unyielding campaign of terror waged by the junta is gravely familiar to ethnic people who have suffered under their brutality for decades.
In Chin and Kayah (Karenni) States, everyday life has been especially challenging for civilians. The emergence of several local PDFs and armed resistance groups has led to the Myanmar junta regularly expanding their military operations. Sagaing region has also been hit particularly hard by the regime’s violence, which include the deployment of the ‘four-cuts’ tactics. The strategy has long been used to isolated rival groups by cutting off supplies to food, recruits, information and funding. Dozens have been killed as the regime loots villages, tortures civilians and engages in extrajudicial killings.
Three shootings leave four people dead in Mandalay
/in NewsThe killings come less than a week after another incident that claimed the life of a five-year-old girl
Four people were shot dead in Mandalay over the weekend in three separate incidents that took place between late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, according to local sources.
The first shooting was reported in Mandalay’s Chanayethazan Township, where residents told Myanmar Now that they heard multiple gunshots after around 10pm Saturday.
People living on 28th Street, where the shooting occurred, said they did not learn until the next morning that one person had been killed and three others were injured in the incident.
“We could hear gunshots all over the neighbourhood. There were two barrages of gunfire. We thought there had been clashes at the ward and township administration offices,” said a man who asked to remain anonymous.
“We only found out in the morning that it was soldiers chasing around four civilians,” he added.
The victims were reportedly four youths who were returning from a restaurant when they encountered the soldiers. No further details were available at the time of reporting.
The two other incidents were reported in Pyigyitagon and Chanmyathazi townships at around the same time Sunday morning, sources told Myanmar Now.
Soe Nyein, the 40-year-old ward administrator for an industrial zone in Pyigyitagon Township, was eating breakfast at a noodle shop when he was shot dead at around 7am, according to a woman who witnessed the incident.
“He was shot in the head while he was eating Shan noodles. He died on the spot. He had an assistant with him who survived the attack. But I don’t think he lived for long, as he was shot in the chest,” said the woman.
Soe Nyein was appointed ward administrator after the military seized power in February, the woman added.
“He worked at the administration office as an errand boy for a few years, until he became an administrator after the coup. He always bullied the people in the neighbourhood,” she said.
The third shooting took place in front of the 300-Bedded Teaching Hospital on 62nd Street Chanmyathazi Township, where a young couple was gunned down on their motorcycle.
The victims were identified as Chan Mya Nyein, a hospital employee, and her husband, Arkar Phyo, both in their 30s.
According to a friend of the couple, Arkar Phyo was taking his wife, who was pregnant, to work when they were both shot in the head at close range.
“His brains were totally blown out. She was still alive when they took her to the hospital, but she died soon after,” said the friend, citing witnesses.
It was unclear who was responsible for the shooting. While there has been speculation that the couple was shot for going through a checkpoint without stopping, a number of local news outlets have cited a military official as saying that they were shot by gunmen on a motorcycle.
Another friend of the couple said that it was possible that they were victims of a targeted killing.
“People were writing online that they were military informants. In truth, they didn’t support either side,” said the friend, who asked not to be identified.
According to the friend, someone sent the couple a bomb disguised as a present when they got married in May. One person was injured when the bomb exploded, he added.
He declined to say who he thought was responsible for the killing, but suggested that it could have been a personal attack carried out by someone using recent unrest as a cover.
Mandalay has seen numerous violent incidents since the coup, including some that have claimed the lives of bystanders.
Last week, a five-year-old girl was shot dead in Aung Tharyar, a ward in Chanmyathazi Township, after soldiers opened fire following a bomb attack by an urban guerrilla group.
Ei Thandar Aung was playing in the yard in front of her house when a bullet struck her in the back of the head, killing her instantly, a witness told Myanmar Now.
The junta later denied responsibility for the incident, which it blamed on local resistance forces.
Myanmar Now News
Human Rights Situation in Myanmar: Post-Coup (December 6-12 )2021
/in HR SituationThe junta has put a target on the armed resistance movement in Sagaing region. State-wide atrocities have taken place which have put civilian lives at risk. Eleven people were most recently tied with wire, shot and burned alive. The majority of those killed were young people under the age of 30, with five being under age 18. Their scorched bodies are further evidence of the junta’s crimes against humanity, and impunity which permits them to commit these acs without accountability. In Sagaing region alone, at least 14 civilian bodies have been burned since February. More airstrikes in the region forced civilians to flee artillery firing and shelling in the following Sagaing region villages: Aung Si Myay, Aung Tharyar, Baw Kone, Lel Pyin Kwet and Mya Kan Thar. Despite the fear and anxiety these attacks provoke, a civilian who fled told local media outlet, Myanmar Now, said “We are now on the run but I don’t care if our village gets burned to ashes. Old can be replaced by new. We can start over and try again. Our first priority is to eradicate the dictatorship.”
The junta is engaging in human rights atrocities to control the population and achieve their goal of completely squandering civilian dissent. Such a goal deserves condemnation in the harshest terms. Weak resolutions by UN bodies, and exclusions from regional meetings are not enough to stop the junta from committing acts of terrorism. Over the last week, more children were killed, and a National League for Democracy (NLD) official was shot and killed in broad daylight. Testimonies of women being assaulted and sexually harassed in detention are more evidence of the junta’s impunity and disregard for civilian lives. Despite all of the horrifying human rights abuses, the people on the ground in Myanmar are standing tall and refusing to let the cruelties exhibited by the military junta break their spirits. It is unacceptable that the international community has failed to support their rallying calls for peace and democracy. Governing bodies on the global stage must use their power to protect.
CHIN STATE
The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) reported that a 45 year old mother was killed, and her two year old child seriously injured by a landmine planted by the military junta outside of their home in Mindat, Chin State. The infant has sustained serious head wounds, and lost both of her legs. The attack is yet another stark reminder of the horrors and atrocities that every day civilians have been forced to face.
KAREN STATE
The ongoing, increasing presence of the military junta in Karen State has forced civilians to put their livelihoods on hold. This has had worsening economic impacts for residents who are unable to earn an income and are fearful of being threatened or killed by the Myanmar Army.
The Karen National Liberation Army reported that armed clashes are increasing ‘on a regular basis’ as the junta expand their operations. Between October and November 2021, the junta recorded 355 clashes. All of the fighting poses serious risks to civilians who are at risk of being killed during artillery shells which are fired into villages, farms and plantations. A report recently published by the Karen Peace Support Network, “Shelling Out Punishment Across Mutraw District” estimated that there were over 80,000 civilians displaced in Mutraw District as a result of target air and ground attacks.
KAYAH (KARENNI) STATE
The worsening situation in Kayah (Karenni) State has forced thousands to flee. Those who have sought safety in IDP camps have a multitude of fears, including the possibility of food running out. A local humanitarian organization expressed concern that the violence which has displaced civilians has led to food shortages. If the situation does not see any form of stability, food could run out within one or two months. Any delay in the provision of humanitarian aid only exacerbates the suffering of IDPs on the ground. Meanwhile, youth in Hpruso and Demawso Townships continue to be targeted by the military junta.
According to the Karenni Civil Society Network, over 150,000 people—more than half the population of Karenni State. Civil society organizations are working tirelessly to provide food, shelter and survival materials to those deprived of their basic access to goods and services. These efforts must be supported by the international community.
Myanmar Resistance Claims to Kill Around 80 Junta Troops
/in NewsAround 80 junta soldiers were reportedly killed during attacks by civilian resistance forces in Magwe, Sagaing, Mandalay and Yangon regions and Chin and Kayah states on Thursday.
The Irrawaddy could not independently verify any of the reports.
On Thursday afternoon, two civilian resistance groups from Kani and Mingin townships ambushed a military convoy, which included motorbikes, on the Monywa-Kalewa highway in Mingin, Sagaing Region, using mines, according to the Kani People’s Defense Forces (PDF).
Seven motorbikes and two other military vehicles were damaged, leaving more than 30 regime troops dead, the group claimed.
On Friday morning, Mingin PDF said it attacked 11 ships, including military gunboats, carrying jade from Kachin State to Monywa on the Chindwin river.
The military casualties are unknown, the PDF said.
The Democratic Guerrilla Force in Sagaing Region claimed to have killed 10 junta troops, including an army captain, during an ambush on a military convoy in Yinmabin Township on Thursday morning.
Seven combined civilian resistance forces used 11 mines and said two military trucks were damaged.
Triple Two, a civilian resistance force, claimed to have used 30 mines on a bus carrying regime troops in Yinmabin Township, Sagaing Region, on Thursday morning in response to the junta’s alleged atrocity where 10 villagers were burned alive in Don Taw village, Salingyi Township, this week.
The group told the media that the bus was carrying troops responsible for burning the villagers alive.
It said more than 10 troops were killed in the attack.
A video from the group shows a bus amid explosions.
Pale PDF said it ambushed junta police in a civilian vehicle in Pale Township, Sagaing Region, on Thursday using two homemade, remote-controlled mines. The casualties are unknown, it said.
The resistance group said around 20 junta reinforcements arrived and opened fire at random.
The People’s Revolution Army claimed to have killed six regime troops when it attacked a foot patrol in Myaing Township, Magwe Region, using six mines on Thursday afternoon.
After the attack, villages fled their homes to avoid a possible junta raid in revenge.
On Thursday, two attacks were reported in Mandalay Region.
Two resistance groups used a grenade to attack regime forces at a ward administration office in Aungmyaythazan Township, Mandalay Region, on Thursday afternoon.
Three regime troops and a junta-appointed ward administrator were reportedly killed and two pedestrians suffered minor injuries in the blast, said Mandalay Phoenix Force, which claimed responsibility.
Three junta police were killed in an ambush by five resistance groups on three motorbikes and another vehicle in Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region, on Thursday morning, said 27 Revolution Force, one of the groups which claimed responsibility.
A junta policeman was killed and two others wounded when an unknown group bombed South Okkalapa police station in Yangon on Thursday evening, according to media reports.
The Chin Defense Force in Kanpetlet said seven junta soldiers were killed and six others wounded during three hours of fighting with regime forces in Kanpetlet Township, Chin State, on Thursday morning.
Although regime forces used artillery, the resistance fighters escaped without casualties, the group said.
The people’s administration in Kanpetlet said regime forces burned seven houses and crops and stole two motorbikes in a village after the clash.
On Thursday evening, Demoso PDF said it attacked sentries at Battalion 427 in Demoso Township, Kayah State.
During 45 minutes of fighting, seven junta soldiers were killed and 10 others wounded with the PDF claiming it suffered no casualties.
During the firefight, a house in Nyaungkon village in the township was damaged by a 120mm artillery shell fired from Loikaw, the state capital.
Junta forces are facing attacks from PDFs and many ethnic armed groups across the country.
The regime’s atrocities continue, including arbitrarily killing civilians, burning people alive, using civilian detainees as human shields, bombarding residential areas, looting and burning houses and committing acts of sexual violence, especially in Sagaing and Magwe regions and Chin, Shan, and Kayah states.
By Thursday, the regime forces had killed an estimated 1,323 civilians and detained 10,815 people, including elected government leaders, since the Feb. 1 coup, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners that records deaths and arrests.
Irrawaddy News