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.
Recent Posts
- On International Women’s Day, the Network for Human RightsDocumentation – Burma Calls for the Recognition of Women’s Contributions to the Pro-Democracy Movement
- INTERVIEW: Why an Argentine court filed a warrant for Aung San Suu Kyi’s arrest
- 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
Weekly Update on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar : Post-Coup (September 6-12) 2021
/in HR SituationDespite seven months of harrowing violence and state-sponsored atrocities perpetrated with impunity against innocent civilians, the people have not lost sight of their unwavering commitment to dismantle the junta. On Tuesday, 7 September the acting President of the National Unity Government (NUG), Duwa Lashi Li, declared war against the Myanmar armed forces. ‘D-Day’ has been well received by civilians who have been suffering under the military’s rule for months. Even with the anticipated increase in violence and further risks civilians face, it seems the majority agree that “there is nothing worse than life under military rule.” The NUG encouraged people to stock up on food, medicine and to only travel if necessary – in anticipation of increased check points by the military.
In response, Zaw Min Tun, the junta spokesperson accused the NUG of appealing to the international community in anticipation of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly on 14 September. Countries in attendance must decide which authority is the representative of Myanmar in the meetings to come.
The decision by the NUG is significant as it shows defiance not only against the junta, but also to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other international bodies who have failed in their obligations in relation to the human rights situation in Myanmar. Prior to D-Day, the ASEAN Special Envoy had called for a four-month ceasefire to allow for the flow of humanitarian aid – which the junta hastily agreed to. The NUG questioned the ceasefire agreement which was seemingly brokered between the junta – without any consultation of the NUG or the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH). The Myanmar Army has a history of regularly violating ceasefire agreements.
Fighting has already intensified in urban and rural areas against the junta’s military forces. In Yangon, as pharmacies and shops flooded with customers ‘panic buying’ military jets flew over the city and soldiers took defensive positions in several shopping malls.
Several ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and People’s Defence Forces (PDF) expressed their commitment to the nationwide offensive against the junta including the Chin Defense Forces, the Kachin Independence Army and the Karen National Union. The Mandalay Student Union also expressed enthusiastic support of the uprising by vowing to be at the forefront of the fight against the junta.
The Myanmar junta has killed over 100 civilians in Chin State since the coup including 14 children and seven women. The regime has also refused to return the bodies of at least seven to grieving families. The Chin National Organization has been documenting human rights and has called on the UN to take action for crimes against humanity. Religious buildings continue to be destroyed by the junta across the country. Junta troops looted and destroyed a church and a Buddhist monastery in Mindat Township.
Since the NUG declared war on the junta, Chin defense forces have warned their communities against the onslaught of increasing violence.
KAYAH STATE
Karenni State has been plagued by mounting state-wide violence. According to the Progressive Karenni People Force (PKPF), there have been sixty-clashes between the junta and Karenni resistance groups since the coup. This has resulted in 83 civilian casualties which includes members of the People’s Defense Forces, and IDPs. PKPF adds that 120 others have been abducted and over 120 000 internally displaced.
Four junta soldiers were killed in an ambush by the Karenni Army (KA) and Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) in Demawso Township on 7 September. Reports are once again circulating of an increase in violence anticipated since D-Day was declared.
SHAN STATE
In Pekon Township, southern Shan State, a couple was forced by the junta to walk in front of the regime and guide them. They were used as human shields to protect themselves in any ambush by People’s Defense Forces. This is becoming a more common occurrence as civilians are trapped in the crossfire and left without any choice but to obey the soldiers commands.
On 1 September, the Myanmar junta launched an offensive against the Pekon People’s Defence Force and the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force.
Junta Troops Killed in Civilian Attacks Across Myanmar
/in NewsBy THE IRRAWADDY 10 September 2021
More than 20 junta troops, including a high-ranking officer, were reportedly killed on Thursday and Friday during ambushes by People’s Defense Forces (PDF) across the country, with the most fatalities in Yangon and Magwe regions. Dozens of civilian casualties were also reported in junta crackdowns.
On Thursday morning, the Karen National Union seized two military camps in Karen State.
Three junta soldiers, including a deputy battalion commander, were reportedly killed in Sanchaung Township, Yangon Region, on Thursday when PDF volunteers attacked a military vehicle.
Following the attack, junta soldiers in around 10 vehicles blocked roads in the township. A video showed soldiers opening fire at random and swearing at a roadblock in Sanchaung. The area was still surrounded by the military on Friday.
Myanmar has seen growing violence between junta troops and PDFs after the declaration of a people’s war against the regime by the civilian National Unity Government (NUG).
When declaring a state of emergency on Tuesday, the NUG’s acting president Duwa Lashi La called on all people to “revolt against the rule of the military terrorists” led by coup leader Min Aung Hlaing across the country.
Since the declaration, the military regime has been escalating inspections, arrests and raids while PDFs have stepped up attacks.
At least 15 to 20 junta soldiers were reportedly killed in Kyaukhtu in Magwe Region on Thursday morning in a PDF landmine attack on four military vehicles, according to the PDF.
More than 22 civilians, including PDF members, were killed and others wounded by junta forces in Magwe Region and Chin and Kayah states on Thursday.
On Friday morning, an intense shootout between junta troops and the Gangaw PDF in Magwe Region occurred in Hnan Khar village on the Kale highway, which connects Magwe and Sagaing regions, according to the group’s leader.
On Thursday junta troops torched more than 20 houses in Myintha village in Gangaw Township after several resistance attacks on the Gangaw-Kalay highway.
During the raid, 22 teenage villagers who fought back with homemade firearms were killed by junta troops, according to a resident.
Also on Thursday, four civilians, including a nine-month-old baby, were injured in random junta shooting after being attacked by civilian Chinland Defense Force at the Chin State mountaintop town of Thantlang.
Houses were damaged by the gunfire and another was blown up by junta explosives, according to residents.
In response to PDF attacks in Demoso Township, Kayah State, troops used explosives and shot at random in the town’s residential areas on Thursday.
A woman was killed and four others injured by junta explosives in Bawlakhe Township, Kayah State, on Thursday when junta troops used explosives on farmers near Nan Hpe village, according to the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force.
A firefight between Laungon PDF and the Pyu-Saw-Htee militia, which is trained and armed by the junta, was reported at Launglon Township, Tanintharyi Region, on Friday morning.
In the shootout, junta-appointed village administrator U Zaw Myo Oo, also a Pyu-Saw-Htee commander, was killed and other members were injured, the PDF leader told The Irrawaddy.
Myanmar’s junta is also being attacked by ethnic armed groups in Kachin, Shan, Kayah, Mon and Karen states and Sagaing and Tanintharyi regions.
By Thursday, almost 1,060 people had been killed by the junta forces, according to the advocacy group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
More than 7,990 people, including elected government leaders, have been detained by the junta or face arrest warrants.
Irrawaddy News
Weekly Update on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar : Post-Coup (Aug 30 to Sep 5)2021
/in HR SituationMyanmar junta soldiers are steadily abandoning their posts with the regime and choosing to stand with the people alongside the Spring Revolution. Approximately 2000 soldiers have defected since the coup with the highest ranked defector being an army colonel. The National Unity Government (NUG) has offered to provide protection for junta defectors. Many of those who are leaving the Tatmadaw say that they are ‘ashamed’ to have been affiliated with the murderous regime. While the number is seemingly low considering the size of the Tatmadaw, it is significant because this is a new precedent in the country’s armed struggle.
Freedom of expression and subsequent attacks on the press continue to dilute the environment of free speech in Myanmar. Journalists like Danny Fenster, the managing editor at Frontier Myanmar, have been unlawfully detained without reason for over 100 days. His family has appealed for his release and the many other political prisoners who remain in junta custody. Since the coup, laws have been amended by the military to attempt to justify their attacks on the press. Among these include the Penal Code which has been used against journalists. One-hundred journalists have been arrested, with 46 in prison who are subject to harassment, torture, severe beatings and psychological warfare. In ethnic areas, the impacts of censorship are being felt as Hpakant township in Kachin State surpasses two weeks since the Internet shutdown.
South Korea voiced its support for democracy in Myanmar and openly rejected the junta and endorsed the National Unity Government. South Korean officials also called for an end to the military’s human rights violations and unlawful arrests. Meanwhile, the National League for Democracy continues to face outlandish charges by the junta. Senior officials who have been detained, including ousted State Counselor and regional state officials. If found guilty, they could face up to 15 years in prison. Families have called the situation ‘unbelievable’ as deaths, arrests and raids by the junta are ongoing.
Civilian assaults are ongoing where Sagaing region in particular is targeted with mounting violence, intimidation and threats by the junta. Thousands of residents from ten villages in Tanze, Sagaing fled following an invasion by the military. Property was destroyed and several were arrested in their clearance operations. Since the raid, four civilians have been killed, three disappeared and 12 arrested in Tanze Township. In a separate incident in Mon State, a 27 year old pregnant woman was shot and killed while returning home with her husband who was fishing. The firing was seemingly indiscriminate and indicative of the impunity deeply entrenched in the Myanmar junta.
Religious monuments and places of worship outside the Buddhist faith are being targeted in Chin State where 95% of the population is Christian. Churches continue to be violently destroyed and looted, including hymn books and scriptures. During raids in Chin State over the last week, the junta stole valuables, destroyed homes and looted valuables in Mindat and Falam townships in Chin State. According to local residents, 50 of the 55 homes in Wa Kauk village were raided.
KAREN STATE
The Myanmar junta has sent in more reinforcements to Karen State, which has put civilian livelihoods at risk as clashes fuel further uncertainty. Following the increase in troops, weapons and supplies, security forces clashed with the Karen National Union. The combined threat of fighting with Karen armed groups, the junta and Border Guard Force has forced residents to run to find safety, though the fears they face are a looming threat over their security. A villager who had escaped three times said: “What else can we do? We are afraid of being caught in the shooting.”
SHAN STATE
Military casualties and hundreds of civilians have been forced to flee Lashio in northern Shan State. Clashes have been intensifying in the region since the end of August. More than 800 civilians are sheltering in Mongko Township, with at least 17 junta troops killed in the crossfire. A local source remarked that the military fires heavy artillery, and the local civilians don’t see it coming. Four civilians were killed during the heavy exchange of gunfire, and a Ta’ang village was burnt down.
In addition seventeen Myanmar Army soldiers were found in Muse District in an abandoned area. Two women were also found, deceased and with evidence of gunshot wounds.
Junta troops hunt guerilla fighters in Hlaing Tharyar
/in NewsOne person has been injured in a shooting during raids across the township
Junta soldiers have been hunting guerilla forces in the industrial township of Hlaing Tharyar in recent weeks, arresting dozens and sending some members of the resistance into hiding.
The military has launched several raids on homes across the area targeting members of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) and the National League for Democracy (NLD).
Young people especially are being targeted, an NLD official who asked to remain anonymous told Myanmar Now.
“Some youths have been arrested just for being young, without even having any connection to the PDF,” said the official.
The military council said in a statement late last month that it had arrested 41 alleged PDF members and seized explosives in Yangon. They included 11 residents of Hlaing Tharyar.
The junta also arrested Myat Min Thu, an ousted MP representing Hlaing Tharyar, and Phyo Zaya Thaw, an ousted MP for Zabuthiri in Naypyitaw, accusing them of giving directions to the PDF members who were detained.
Zaw Naing Oo, from Htantapin, which neighbours Hlaung Tharyar, was arrested on August 9 on suspicion of being a PDF member. Since then numerous NLD members in Hlaing Tharyar, as well as people with connections to the party, have fled their homes.
“I think someone from Myat Min Thu’s circle betrayed the group,” said the NLD official.
Also among those arrested was the 19-year-old son of a restaurant owner, who was detained in late July and lived in Hlaing Tharyar’s ward 7.
In early August soldiers in ward 20 shot at two 20-year-old men, hitting and injuring one, before detaining them.
On August 9 there was another shooting on Myo Ma Nyein street when soldiers encountered a suspected PDF member. An elderly woman who heard the gunfire reportedly died of shock.
A witness said the woman was 80 years old. “The old lady who lived four houses from the scene where the soldiers were shooting died of shock after hearing three gunshots,” the witness said.
Thu Daw, the leader of the Civil Guerrilla Force of Hlaing Tharyar, told Myanmar Now on August 21 that the group was planning to increase anti-junta activities in the township. He advised residents of Yangon to learn first aid in preparation for fighting.
His group detonated bombs in the Hlaing Tharyar industrial zone in early August and another at a police station in the east of the township on August 30, he said.
The group planned to attack the administration office in Ward 16, as well as the Hlaing Tharyar fire station, but aborted because they feared they would hurt civilians nearby, he said, adding that he urged civilians to stay away from state buildings.
A journalist based in Hlaing Tharyar said soldiers were stationed in parts of the township. “They are in position holding guns and looking around carefully,” he said.
Hlaing Tharyar is being targeted heavily by the coup regime because it is a stronghold of resistance, said the NLD official.
“People with the spirit of revolution from all over the country are concentrated in Hlaing Tharyar,” he said. “Many of the youths here have connections with each other and most of them are dedicated to the revolution. Us seniors need to support this revolution led by the youth. That’s how we are going to win.”
Myanmar Now News
Entire Chin village flees as soldiers ransack houses, kill livestock and pets
/in NewsJunta troops also destroyed furniture and religious books at the local church in Taal
The entire population of a village in Chin State has fled after junta soldiers ransacked homes, killed animals, and destroyed valuables during two separate raids in July and August, locals told Myanmar Now.
About 90 soldiers entered Taal, which is about 12 miles from the town of Falam, on July 20. They stole or destroyed valuables in 21 of the village’s 36 houses and tossed people’s belongings, including religious books, out of windows and onto floors.
Taal’s population of around 160 people fled and hid in the surrounding forests and hills and returned later when the troops had left.
They were among around 800 in Falam Township who fled from four villages that day after fighting broke out between junta soldiers and the Chin National Defence Force.
In a second raid on August 9, about 150 junta troops entered Taal and ransacked the remaining houses. A priest from Taal told Myanmar Now that soldiers beat two villagers, destroyed more property, and killed pets and livestock during the second raid.
“When they came, all the villagers fled into the mountains and forests. They entered the village, ransacked the houses and killed all the poultry birds and pigs,” he said.
Sui Cung, 43, and Peter Van Thawng Hu, 22, were beaten by soldiers while they were on their way back to the village to retrieve some of their belongings.
“The injuries were not serious,” said the priest. “They kicked the villagers. Their eyes became red then they were released by the soldiers.”
The soldiers then spent five days in the largely Christian village, during which time they also ransacked the local church, destroying or damaging furniture and religious texts.
Taal’s residents have since stayed in hiding, with many sheltering in Falam. Some are suffering with Covid-19 symptoms.
“There are no soldiers in the village now but the houses and belongings were damaged and destroyed, so the villagers fled to Falam instead of going back,” said the priest, who is also taking shelter in Falam.
The Institute of Chin Affairs, a rights group, said soldiers had violated the Geneva Convention by destroying civilian property and stationing themselves in religious buildings and schools.
Villagers lost 380 chickens and eight pigs, as well as furniture, household appliances, and blankets, the institute said in a statement. The total losses were valued at almost 30m kyat, it added.
A junta spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
There have also been clashes recently between the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) and junta troops in Mindat, which is adjacent to Falam.
Myanmar Now News
Weekly Update on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar : Post-Coup (August 23-29) 2021
/in HR SituationIn the seven months which have passed since the junta seized power in an attempted and unlawful coup, the situation of human rights has continued to decline. Activists and journalists have been oppressed through violent tactics and arbitrary arrest. With over 1000 civilians killed by the junta’s murderous crackdowns, the military indeed has blood on their hands. Despite the harrowing number of civilian lives lost in conflict and while participating in anti-coup activities, the Myanmar junta has plans to deploy even more troops to ethnic areas including Karen, Kachin and Kayah States. The fighting will have devastating impacts on displaced communities who have already been forced to flee from their homelands routinely. According to the most recent humanitarian snapshot by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are 189,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Myanmar as of 16 August, due to armed conflict and unrest since the coup.
Amid the turmoil which continues to embody the state’s social and political space, the junta maintains their unjust rule is legal. Leaders of the National League for Democracy, including State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, remain in custody of the junta and are being denied access to their lawyers, with countless court dates postponed. Meanwhile, the same old tactics are ongoing when for example, a raid by the junta in Yangon resulted in over 30 young people being detained.
In a concerted effort by civil society to show solidarity in marking the four year anniversary of the Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day, 43 Myanmar organizations expressed their commitment to urging the full restoration of Rohingya rights. Pressure must remain on the international community to pursue legal courses of action against the junta through various international referral pathways. ND-Burma Coordinator, Ko Han Gyi, remarked: “The genocide committed against the Rohingya four years ago is consistent with the systemic and brutal violence that is a hallmark of the Myanmar military. The National Unity Government acknowledged the crimes against the Rohingya by using a statement expressing sadness at the ‘horrendous violence, gross human rights violations and massive displacement that the Rohingya people have suffered…’
Though the violence appears to be never-ending, Myanmar soldiers are defecting. At least 2000 soldiers and police have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement and related Spring Revolution activities. Police in Kayah State have also moved to strike with hundreds of officers. The Karenni State Police has over 300 who’ve defected from the junta’s Ministry of Home Affairs, with a spokesperson remarking: “As a long term vision, we aim to make it a model police force for others in the country.”
Conflict in Ethnic Areas
The Internet has been cut off in Hpakant Township, Kachin State by the Myanmar junta. The blocking of online services was met with confusion from locals who weren’t sure why it was shut off, or when it would resume. Civilians suspected that it was a sign of increasing military operations to come as an increased presence of soldiers has sparked fears in Kachin communities.
KAYAH STATE
According to the Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN), there are 120,449 internally displaced persons who have been impacted by the attacks by the Myanmar junta and the Karenni Army. Within that number, half (55,265) are in Demawso Township. Fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force specifically has displaced nearly 70% of Demawso’s 80,000 residents.
The KCSN Assistant Coordinator remarked: “As the Burma Army continues to conduct military operations in Karenni State, IDPs face many hardships. Some have to keep moving from place to place to escape the offensives.”
KAREN STATE
The Myanmar junta is increasing operations in Karen State. On 25 August, civilians became worried when the military aerially surveilled Hpapun District. A more robust set of militarized activities combined of junta troops and Border Guard Forces could displace hundreds more.
Fighting is spreading to various brigades controlled by the Karen National Liberation Army. A senior officer remarked that coup leaders are responding to a series of successful attacks by the People’s Defense Forces. The set retaliations by the junta will attempt to ‘wipeout’ PDFs in 6th and 7th Brigades. Calls for humanitarian aid in civilian areas are being amplified as military operations expect to displace more civilians.