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
- Junta targeting rebel-held areas in northern Myanmar with airstrikes and artillery
- Human Rights Situation weekly update (September 8 to 14, 2024)
- Myanmar National Organizing Committee for ACSC/APF ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People’s Forum 2024
- Human Rights Situation weekly update (September 1 to 7, 2024)
- Red Cross chief calls for greater aid access after visit to Myanmar
Myanmar Anti-Coup Protestors Get Creative with Thanakha in Fresh Protests
/in NewsBy THE IRRAWADDY 25 February 2021
Myanmar’s anti-coup protesters on Thursday are getting creative with thanakha — the country’s traditional facial cosmetic paste — to accelerate the civil disobedience movement (CDM), in which civil servants are encouraged to strike.
The latest campaign, popularly known as “the battle of thanakha” kicked off the day before Myanmar’s designated Thanakha Day. Protesters have put the yellow paste on their faces in Yangon, Mandalay and several other cities.
Myanmar has designated the Tabodwe full moon, the 11th of Myanmar’s lunar calendar, as Thanakha Day to promote the cosmetic paste.
Protesters on Thursday painted “CDM” or three-finger salutes in thanakha, which is made from ground bark, on their foreheads.
Young protesters are helping to paint other demonstrators and to restore messages washed away by sweat during the day.
A young protester in Myaynigone, Yangon, said the use of thanakha was part of the process of holding fresh protests against the regime and to give moral support to protesters. The paste is recognized as a symbol of a mother’s affection and protection. Many children go to school with thanakha smeared on their faces by their mothers.
“Wearing thanakha equals a mother’s love, affection and protection. We will continue to fight until we achieve our goal,” he said.
Anti-coup protests have sparked a violent crackdown from the security forces with several fatalities. Protesters are demanding the military regime step down, free the elected leaders and hand over power to the party, the National League for Democracy, they voted for in the November general election.
According to the Assistance of Association of Political Prisoners, more than 720 individuals have been detained by the military since Feb. 1.
A teenager with “CDM” on his forehead in Yangon told The Irrawaddy he wanted to encourage more public servants to join the strike.
“We have lost lives. I urge every civil servant to take part in the CDM,” he said.
Launched on Feb. 3, the CDM has gained momentum across the country and the regime has increased arrests of protesters and civil servants taking part in the movement.
Residents have prevented some arrests of striking civil servants in their neighborhoods by people in plainclothes claiming to be police officers. But more than 40 protesters have been detained across the country. Civilians have formed groups to assist striking civil servants in need.
Irrawaddy News
JOINT CALL FOR A GLOBAL ARMS EMBARGO ON MYANMAR: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL AND INDIVIDUAL UN MEMBER STATES
/in Member statementsWe, the undersigned organizations, call on the United Nations Security Council and UN member states to urgently institute a coordinated, global arms embargo on Myanmar in response to the February 1, 2021 military coup that has deprived the people of Myanmar of the right to democratically elect their government. Our concerns are heightened by ongoing violations of human rights and the security forces’ history of grave abuses against peaceful critics of military rule, as well as against the Rohingya and other ethnic minority groups.
Under the commander-in-chief, Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the Myanmar military has detained the elected civilian leaders of the country, nullified the results of the November 2020 democratic elections, and installed a junta, the State Administration Council, under a manufactured “state of emergency.” Since February 1, the junta has increasingly used excessive and at times lethal force at demonstrations; threatened and arbitrarily detained activists, journalists, students, and civil servants; and imposed rolling internet shutdowns that put lives at risk.
Days after the coup, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated, “We will do everything we can to mobilize all the key actors and international community to put enough pressure on Myanmar to make sure that this coup fails.” The UN special rapporteur on Myanmar has called for targeted UN sanctions on the military and an arms embargo, while the deputy high commissioner for human rights has voiced support for targeted UN sanctions on the coup leaders.
In that spirit, we urge the Security Council to immediately impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Myanmar. Such a resolution should bar the direct and indirect supply, sale, or transfer of all weapons, munitions, and other military-related equipment, including dual-use goods such as vehicles and communications and surveillance equipment, as well as the provision of training, intelligence, and other military assistance. The embargo should be accompanied by robust monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
Any sale or transfer of military-related equipment to Myanmar could provide the means to further repress the people of Myanmar in violation of international humanitarian and human rights law.
Until the Council acts, individual UN member states should adopt measures at the national and regional levels to block sales and other transfers of weapons and materiel to Myanmar, with the goal of extending an arms embargo to as close to a global scale as possible.
For decades, the Security Council’s response to crimes by the Myanmar security forces has been inadequate, emboldening the military to continue committing abuses without fear of serious consequences. The current crisis demands a change in course.
On February 4, the Security Council spoke with a single voice to demand the release of all those arbitrarily detained and the protection of the country’s democratic institutions. Council members should use that newfound consensus to take swift and substantive action. An arms embargo would be the centerpiece of a global effort to shield the people of Myanmar from a return to abusive and autocratic rule.
The time to act is now.
Signatories
Download PDF in English.
Download PDF in Burmese.
Two dead as Myanmar police open fire on protesters in deadliest day since military coup
/in NewsMANDALAY: Myanmar’s security forces fired live rounds and rubber bullets at protesters in the country’s second-largest city of Mandalay on Saturday (Feb 20), leaving at least two dead and about 30 injured.
Much of the country has been in an uproar since the military deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup on Feb 1, with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets to protest against the junta.
On Saturday, hundreds of police and soldiers gathered at Yadanarbon shipyard in Mandalay, by the Irrawaddy river.
Their presence sparked fears among nearby residents that authorities would try to arrest workers for taking part in the anti-coup movement.
Banging pots and pans in what has become a signature gesture of defiance, protesters started yelling at the police to leave and throwing rocks at them.
But officers opened fire with live rounds, rubber bullets and slingshot balls, dispersing the alarmed protesters.
“Two people were killed,” said Hlaing Min Oo, the head of a Mandalay-based volunteer emergency rescue team, adding that one of the victims, who was shot in the head, was a teenager.
“About 30 others were injured – half of the injured people were shot with live rounds.”
The rest were wounded from rubber bullets and slingshots, he said.
The death toll was confirmed by another emergency worker on the scene, who declined to be named for fear of repercussions.
“One under-18 boy got shot in his head,” he told AFP.
A volunteer doctor said of the two deaths: “One shot in the head died at the spot. Another one died later with a bullet wound to the chest.”
READ: Singapore says use of lethal force in Myanmar against unarmed protesters ‘inexcusable’ after deaths reported
The man shot in the chest was identified by relatives as Thet Naing Win, a 36-year-old carpenter.
“They took away the body to the morgue. I cannot bring him back home. Although my husband died, I still have my son,” his wife, Thidar Hnin, told Reuters by phone. “I haven’t been involved in this movement yet but now I am going to … I am not scared now.”
State television MRTV’s evening news broadcast made no mention of the protests or casualties.
Police were not available for comment.
The protests against the coup that overthrew the government of veteran democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi have shown no sign of dying down. Demonstrators are sceptical of the army’s promise to hold a new election and hand power to the winner.
Authorities have arrested hundreds of people since the putsch, many of them civil servants who had been boycotting work as part of a civil disobedience campaign.
READ: Rallies mourn anti-coup protester’s death as US urges Myanmar junta to yield power
“SHOOTING CRUELLY”
Around the Mandalay shipyard and its surrounding neighbourhood, empty bullet cartridges were found on the ground, as well as slingshot ammunition including metal balls.
One woman received a head wound from a rubber bullet and emergency workers quickly administered first aid to her.
A Facebook video streamed live by a resident on the scene appeared to carry non-stop sounds of gunshots.
“They are shooting cruelly,” said the resident, who appeared to be taking shelter on a nearby construction site.
“We have to find a safer place.”
READ: Diverse Myanmar protesters united in opposition to coup
Since the nationwide protests started two weeks ago, authorities in some cities have deployed tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets against demonstrators.
There have been isolated incidents of live rounds in the capital Naypyidaw.
An anti-coup protester who was shot in the head during a Feb 9 demonstration in Naypyidaw died on Friday.
Source: Reuters/AFP/dv
Channel News Asia
Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
/in NewsUpdated 19 February 2021
Ma Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, a 19-year-old and eleventh grade student, who was shot in the head with a bullet while protesting against the coup, passed away today. We honour Ma Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing as the first fallen martyr struggling for democracy and fighting against the military dictatorship in 2021.
As the anti-coup protests across states and regions continued to engulf the country on February 19, so have violent crackdowns and arrests by the junta.
teacher Daw Aye Aye Kyi Sein’s arm was broken
This morning, the police forces beat and forcibly arrested two female teachers who were gathering in front of Myitkyina Education College, Kachin State to take part in the civil disobedience movement. Protestors were blocked by the police nearby Myitkyina Myoma market and 11 civilians were detained. In addition, the police directed slingshots towards the public who took photographs as record. The detained two female teachers and 11 civilians were reportedly released this evening. Upon their release, those two teachers who were arrested in Myitkyina were beaten and one teacher Daw Aye Aye Kyi Sein’s arm was broken.
Another incident in Myitkyina was when anti-coup protestors were intimidated and threatened at gunpoint and sling-shot by the police and the military yesterday. As a result, two protesting youths and a monk from Mandalay Monastery were arrested. The student strike leaders living in Kyat Sar Pyin quarter, Dawei town, Tanintharyi Region, were abducted by the police at around 10:30pm last night, therefore, the residents stood with the students by banging pots and pans. But the police then shot some six gunshots at the crowd; causing three male residents to be injured. Also, this evening, Ko Aung Thet Paing from Pathein Student Union was arrested.
In Yangon Region 11 people who protected staff participating in CDM from the fertilizer factory in Myaung Taka Industrial Zone, Hmawbi were charged, they are currently evading arrest.
Sa Aung Moe Hein who lives in 8th Quarter, Hlaingbwe town, Kayin State was sentenced to seven days in prison for banging the pots and pans at his home in opposition to the military dictatorship.
Yesterday, Dr.Zaw Myint Maung who is the Chief Minister of Mandalay, had his court hearing at the Aung Myay Tharzan Township Court, Mandalay via video conferencing, charged under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code. Zaw Myint Maung was arrested at the outset of the coup in the early hours of 1 February and is currently detained at Obo Prison. His lawyer said they have not been given visitation rights. Lack of trial rights for lawyers has become a signature of this military coup’s attempts to prosecute government officials. It is a clear violation of the international standards of the rule of law and exemplifies the judiciary’s compliance to the military coup.
As of February 19, a total of (546) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the military coup on February 1. Of them, (4) were convicted; (2) to two years imprisonment, (1) to three months and (1) to seven days. (32) have been charged with a warrant but are evading arrest, (3) others have been charged but not detained, and (46) were released. A total of (500) are still under detention or have outstanding charges/evading arrest, including the (4) sentenced.
AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges and sentences in relation to coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences.
If you receive any information about arrests/detentions of CSO leaders, teachers, activists, journalists, civilians, in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses:
Email : info@aappb.org
Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/
Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma
In Solidarity,
AAPP
Download link for Recent Arrests List (Last Updated on 19 Feb 21)
A Day Under Military Dictatorship in Myanmar
/in NewsBy KYAW ZWA MOE 19 February 2021
Every morning, the whole of Myanmar wakes with a sickening feeling, consumed by worry and uncertainty over the possibility of arrests and crackdowns, full of rage and struggling to hold on to hope. We’ve been living this nightmare since the military staged a coup and seized power on Feb. 1.
It has now been 19 days, but every citizen here feels they have been in hell for ages. When I say “every citizen”, the phrase obviously excludes the coup leaders, their associates and supporters. But they are just a handful among the country’s 54 million people.
I repeat: Everyone wakes with a feeling of dread, not knowing what will happen to them in the next 24 hours, let alone for their foreseeable future—much less their children’s future.
This is a moment of tremendous loss for our country. It’s not the first time the military has seized power—it did so on two previous occasions, in 1962 and 1988—but the blow feels harsher this time, as our short-lived democratic era of 2011 to early 2021, and the exhilaration it brought us, has been suddenly, deliberately and brutally snatched away by the coup leaders.
Before long, however, those negative feelings tend to turn into a positive energy that sustains us for the rest of the day.
Soon after the sun rises, hundreds of thousands of protesters leave their homes and take to the streets in every part of the country. They are young, middle-aged and older; they are students, workers, professionals and retirees. Despite their diversity, they share the same will to fight to restore justice, and their rights.
It’s an eternal energy that appears, along with courage and determination, whenever Myanmar is oppressed. But the protesters know the risks they are facing.
Soon after they hit the streets, launching various types of anti-coup protests, the reports of crackdowns and arrests begin to emerge.
This morning it was in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, where riot police and military personnel violently cracked down on anti-coup protesters, including civil servants and young students. Of course, the protesters fled when the police beat them with batons. At least 12 protesters were arrested during the crackdown. Earlier, two teachers from the Myitkyina Education Degree College were arrested by police while they were preparing to join the protest. Fourteen people were released on Friday evening after being forced to sign a paper saying they would not participate in future protests against the military regime.
In Yangon, the biggest city in the country, police barricaded the Sule intersection, where tens of thousands of protesters have gathered for the past two weeks. But thousands of protesters started to gather outside the barricades, full of energy, as they did in previous days. Other groups of protesters took up positions in front of various embassies, as in previous days. One group, the Peaceful Musicians, performed on a variety of instruments outside those embassies. Some ambassadors came out to talk to the young protesters about their anti-coup demonstrations and listen to the music.
At the Myaynigone intersection, just a few miles from Sule, protesters helped pick up onions and gains of rice from the asphalt road, where someone had “dropped” them. Dozens of protesters picked up each onion and grain of rice, one at a time, while police watched over them. The purpose was to stop the traffic—as they had during the “car breakdown protest” and the “slow-motion drive protest” to create traffic jams in support of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), which is aimed at preventing government staff from going to work. These creative and responsive protests have given the public something to smile and even laugh about, as well as the protesters themselves, even as they risk violent crackdowns.
Just before noon, however, tragic news came from Naypyitaw, the capital. Ma Mya Thwet Thwet Khine, a 20-year-old student who was shot by police more than a week ago, died in hospital. Among the peaceful protesters, she was the first to be fatally shot since the coup. CCTV footage showed her collapsing abruptly after a police officer’s bullet struck her in the head.
Meanwhile, protests continued across the country on Friday afternoon.
Our reporters have been gathering information and writing up the news, working overtime. I was just told that at least 45 civil servants who joined the CDM have been arrested to date in Mandalay, Naypyitaw and some other cities. They include doctors, teachers, aviation officers, railway workers and more from other departments. These numbers will definitely increase as time passes. And the number of arrested political activists and members of the National League for Democracy reached more than 521 today, up from about 500 yesterday.
It’s been only 19 days since the coup. All these things are likely to worsen daily as long as this mass movement against the military regime goes on. The nation is under the military’s boot; the entire country is in revolt and citizens are under attack.
I am sure everyone is afraid of being killed, like Ma Mya Thwet Thwet Khine, amid violent crackdowns and arbitrary arrests by the regime’s troops. But this time, all anti-coup protesters, political activists and members of the NLD seem determined to permanently rid our soil of military dictatorship. That’s what we’ve been hearing whenever we journalists interview them or read their statements.
They believe the truth will prevail in the end, through the strength of people power. As I wrote in my last column, combining the mighty power of the gun with evil spirits, the dictators always seem to have the upper hand. It’s a miserable but bitter truth of our country’s history. But with all of these anti-coup protesters and other Myanmar people refusing to give up, there is always hope as long as there is struggle.
Every day under the military regime is a long one, filled with different, difficult and heartbreaking experiences. Before calling it a day, however, the people have one more task to complete—to bang on pots and pans at 8:00 p.m., in order to drive “the military regime” out of the country, in keeping with this particular tradition’s customary aim: to drive evil out of the village or house.
It is the last activity of the day for Myanmar people before going to bed. (For most people, at least; some able men have to spend their nights patrolling their neighborhoods to protect against thugs.) After the 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew descends, it’s difficult to sleep soundly, as police and troops tend to start their arrests at this time. As the people go to bed, their fear, concern and uncertainty return; they know that tomorrow they will wake once again with a heavy heart.
You may also like these stories:
Myanmar Medics in Hiding as Regime Targets Hospital-Led Disobedience Movement
Myanmar Military Targets Striking Civil Servants
UK and Canada Sanction Myanmar’s Coup Leader and His Subordinates
Topics: Coup, Democracy, History, Military, Protest, Rights
Irrawaddy
ND-Burma’s latest weekly graphic covers
/in NewsND-Burma’s latest weekly graphic covers key updates from 11 to 16 February including increased violence against protesters and a reinstatement of draconian laws, and 1988 era fear mongering tactics by the military.