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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On World Refugee Day, end the ongoing armed conflict, human rights violations and humanitarian crises in Myanmar
/in Press Releases and StatementsJoint Statement, 19 June 2020
On World Refugee Day, end the ongoing armed conflict, human rights violations and humanitarian crises in Myanmar
Ahead of 20 June, 2020 World Refugee Day, we the 123 undersigned organizations call for an immediate end to the ongoing armed conflict, human rights violations and humanitarian crises in ethnic areas and for the establishment of a genuine federal democracy that protects and respects the rights of all people from Myanmar.
We are deeply concerned that despite the transition to so-called democracy since 2011, the world’s longest civil war has continued to displace hundreds of thousands of ethnic people who have sought safety within different parts of their ancestral land within Myanmar as well as in neighboring countries, including Thailand, Bangladesh, India and Malaysia. This ongoing displacement is a testament to the failed peace process, as fighting between the Myanmar military and the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) has continued, even in areas where the Myanmar government and the EAOs have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement.
Meanwhile, the main perpetrator of human rights violations, the Myanmar military, continues to enjoy impunity under the 2008 military-drafted Constitution. The same violent, systematic and widespread tactics that were used by the Myanmar military against other ethnic people who have been displaced is now being wielded with might against civilians in Rakhine and Chin States, as whole villages are burned to ashes. Civilians – including women and children – are being killed by airstrikes and arbitrarily detained and tortured by the Myanmar military. These acts are in direct contravention of the Geneva Convention, and are being carried out under the cover of an Internet blackout that persists in eight townships in Rakhine and Chin States. In other ethnic areas, such as Shan State, torture and extrajudicial killing of ethnic Shan civilians is ongoing while for Ta’ang communities they live in fear of arbitrary arrest, torture and forced portering. In Karen State, fighting between the Myanmar military and the Karen National Liberation Army – the armed wing of the Karen National Union – has been ongoing, leading to displacement of villagers, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, landmines throughout the country continue to pose a threat to villagers in conflict-affected areas.
The failing peace process and the ongoing human rights violations are deeply concerning for many of the nearly 100,000, mostly Karen and Karenni refugees who have remained in the nine refugee camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border. They are struggling to maintain their livelihoods and survive as funding for refugees has decreased drastically. If the ongoing conflict and violence had not already made clear the lack of preparedness to receive refugees, the handful of recent returnees’ lack of access to education and health, identification, and livelihood has.
Meanwhile, those displaced inside the country in Myanmar also suffer from limited humanitarian aid as we see some of the worst conditions for IDPs that we have observed in decades. For example, in places like Mon State where government’s delivery of aid to remote locations has not reached those in need amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, while there are 110,000 IDPs in Kachin and northern Shan State, international humanitarian aid to the approximately 40,000 IDPs who are residing in Kachin Independence Organization-controlled areas has been blocked by the government since 2016, and the emergence of COVID-19 has made it even more difficult for local aid groups to reach these populations. Furthermore, IDP camps such as Ei Tu Hta in Karen State and the six Shan camps along the Shan-Thailand border are also suffering from a debilitating lack of essential aid. We are concerned that these IDPs inside the country may be left to starve without any food during the rainy season.
We are also deeply concerned that the homes and land that belong to both refugees and IDPs has been and is being confiscated by the Myanmar military, businesses and other malign actors. Land laws only further legitimize and facilitate large-scale land grabbing without recognition of customary land laws. There is currently no government land policy or system that provides restitution of housing, land and property for displaced persons that complies with the Principles on Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and IDPs (The Pinheiro Principles).
Alarmingly, The Ministry of Social Welfare Relief and Resettlement-led National IDP Camp Closure Strategy in Karen, Kachin, Shan and Rakhine States is moving forward without consultation with the displaced communities themselves or civil society organizations who have not been able to receive any information or offer input into the strategy. These areas have all observed clashes in recent years, displacing thousands, while in Rakhine State, fierce fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army has led to the displacement of 160,000 people since the end of 2018.
In addition, in the world’s largest and overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, over 900,000 Rohingya refugees remain as a consequence of Myanmar military’s ‘clearance operations’ in 2017. Plans to repatriate refugees have been unsuccessful as Rohingya’s right to self-identification, citizenship and legal protection has been denied. They remain in the refugee camps, struggling for their survival and facing uncertainty to return to their places of origin in northern Rakhine State. They, like many ethnic displaced communities, continue to call for justice and accountability for the grave crimes they have endured.
Refugees and IDPs have been driven out of their homes and their rights and livelihood deprived but let us be clear that they have hopes and dreams. They yearn for security and a better future. They want to contribute to making their communities a better place. We thus recommend the following to the Myanmar Government:
• Take concrete steps towards a genuine peace process that addresses the root causes of the conflict, including ending military offensives, holding the Myanmar Military to account for human rights violations, the removal of Myanmar Military from ethnic areas, with villager settlements as priority, and amending the 2008 Constitution to establish a genuine federal democratic system of governance based on equality and self-determination;
• Ensure the full and meaningful participation of displaced populations in the decision-making level of all policy processes which affect them;
• Allow unrestricted humanitarian access to all sites of displacement, including allowing humanitarian actors to reach EAO-controlled areas without legal consequence or other types of harassment, intimidation or threat;
• Ensure that the agenda on housing, land and property rights for any returning IDPs and refugees is explicitly and formally included, discussed and agreed for implementation as an integral component in the peace process, in line with the Pinheiro Principles;
• Develop a policy and implement a system with full and meaningful participation of refugees and IDPs to provide restitution of housing, land and property for displaced persons with an appropriate timeline that complies with the Pinheiro Principles, and if restitution is not possible, provide adequate compensation for the current value of the land, crops and livestock that were destroyed due to confiscation or displacement;
• Recognize existing ethnic governance and service provision structures established, administered and maintained by EAOs to be in line with the federal democratic governance principles;
The above recommendations are to facilitate a voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of displaced ethnic communities from Myanmar. The undersigned organizations stand in solidarity with all refugees and internally displaced people across the world ahead of the World Refugee Day in recognition of their plight, as well as their strength and courage to continue to seek a better tomorrow.
For further information, please contact:
Progressive Voice, info@progressive-voice.org
Karen Women’s Organization, kwocentral@gmail.com Kachin Women’s Association Thailand, kwat.secretariat@gmail.com
Chin Human Rights Organization, info@chinhumanrights.org
Signed by:
1. Action Committee for Democracy and Development (ACDD)
2. Albany Karen Community, NY, USA
3. All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress (AASYC)
4. Alliance Kachin Youth Union (AKYU)
5. Arakan American Community, USA
6. Arakan Rivers Network (ARN)
7. Arakanese (Rakhine) Association (NSW-Inc)
8. Arakanese (Rakhine) Association(NSW-Inc), Australia
9. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
10. Association of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters (HRDP)
11. Association of United Nationalities in Japan
12. Athan – Freedom of Expression Activist Organization
13. Australian Karen Organisation Inc. (AKO Inc.)
14. Burmese Rohingya Organization UK
15. Calgary Karen Community Association (CKCA), Canada
16. California Karen Youth Forum, CA, USA
17. California Shan Society
18. Candle Lights
19. Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO)
20. Chin Refugee Committee, Delhi
21. Chin Refugee Committee, Malaysia
22. East Bago- Former Political Prisoners Network (EB-FPPN)
23. Eastern Pennsylvania Karen Community
24. Edmonton Karen Community Youth Organization, Canada
25. Equality Myanmar (EQMM)
26. Finland Karen Culture Association
27. Freedom For Burma, USA
28. Future Light Center (FLC)
29. Generation Wave (GW)
30. Genuine People’s Servants (GPS)
31. Harmony Youth Association
32. Human Rights Educators Network (HREN)
33. Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM)
34. Humanity Institute (HI)
35. International Campaign for Arakan (ICA)
36. International Karen Organization (IKO)
37. Israel Karen Organization
38. Kachin Canadian Association
39. Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG)
40. Kachin National Organization, USA
41. Kachin National Youth Network
42. Kachin Organization of Australia
43. Kachin Refugee Committee (Malaysia)
44. Kachin Women Union (KWU)
45. Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT)
46. Karen American Association of Wisconsin (KAAW), WI, USA
47. Karen Association of Huron South Dakota
48. Karen Community Association UK
49. Karen Community in Norway
50. Karen Community in Syracuse, NY, USA
51. Karen Community London, Canada
52. Karen Community of Akron, Inc, HO, USA
53. Karen Community of Canada (KCC)
54. Karen Community of Czech Republic
55. Karen Community of Denmark
56. Karen Community of Hamilton, Canada
57. Karen Community of Iowa
58. Karen Community of Ireland
59. Karen Community of Kansas City (KS & MO)
60. Karen Community of Kitcherner & Waterloo, Canada
61. Karen Community of Leamington, Canada
62. Karen Community of Lethbridge, Canada
63. Karen Community of Louisville, KY, USA
64. Karen Community of Minnesota (KCM)
65. Karen Community of New Bern, NC, USA
66. Karen Community of North Carolina, USA
67. Karen Community of Ottawa, Canada
68. Karen Community of Regina, Canada
69. Karen Community of Saskatoon, Canada
70. Karen Community of Thunderbay, Canada
71. Karen Community of Toronto, Canada
72. Karen Community of Windsor, Canada
73. Karen Community of Winnipeg, Canada
74. Karen Community Society of British Columbia (KCSBC), Canada
75. Karen Culture Organization of Minnesota, MN, USA.
76. Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)
77. Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
78. Karen National Community – The Netherlands
79. Karen Organisation for Relief and Development (KORD)
80. Karen Organization of America, USA
81. Karen Organization of Illinois
82. Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN)
83. Karen Refugee Committee (KRC)
84. Karen Students Network Group (KSNG)
85. Karen Swedish Community
86. Karen Women’s Organization (KWO)
87. Karen Youth of Norway (KYN)
88. Karen Youth of Toronto, Canada
89. Karenni American Association, USA
90. Karenni Human Rights Group (KnHRG)
91. Karenni Legal and Human Rights Center (KnLHRC)
92. Karenni National Women’s Organization (KNWO)
93. Karenni Refugee Committee (KnRC)
94. Karenni Social Welfare and Development Center (KSWDC)
95. Korea Karen Organisation (KKO)
96. Koung Jor Shan Refugee Camp
97. Loka Ahlinn (Social Development Organization)
98. Mae Tao Clinic (MTC)
99. Malaysia Karen Organisation (MKO)
100. Myanmar People Alliance – Shan State (MPA-SS)
101. Nationalities Alliance of Burma, USA
102. Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma (ND-Burma)
103. New Zealand Karen Association Inc. (NZKA)
104. Overseas Karen Organisation – Japan (OKO Japan)
105. Pa-O Women’s Union (PWU)
106. Pa-O Youth Organization (PYO)
107. Progressive Voice
108. Ramhkye (Youth Rescue)
109. Relief Action Network for IDP and Refugee (RANIR)
110. Rochester Karen Community, NY, USA
111. Rohingya American Society (RAS), USA
112. Southern Youth
113. Synergy Social Harmony Organization
114. Ta’ang Students and Youth Organization (TSYU)
115. Ta’ang Women’s Organization (TWO)
116. The Seagull:Human Rights, Peace & Development
117. US Campaign for Burma
118. Utica Karen Community
119. Women’s League of Burma (WLB)
120. Women’s Peace Network (WPN)
121. World Kachin Congress
122. Wunpawng Amyu Sha Mung Bawng Rapdaw (Kachin National Consultative Assembly)
123. Youth Circle (YC)
May Justice Newsletter (May 2020)
/in Justice NewslettersMay Justice Newsletter
Ceasefire Declared, yet Clashes Continue Amid Pandemic
On March 11 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. With 232 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Burma, response efforts have been slowed and interrupted by the Burma Army – who continue to ignore calls for a nationwide ceasefire to properly respond to the pandemic. While the Army declared a unilateral ceasefire from 10 May to 31 August, the agreement notably does not include Rakhine State, where conflict is rampant and threatening civilian security daily. In response, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) issued a joint statement expressing dissatisfaction that the ceasefire did not include Rakhine. Ethnic armed organizations and civil society have been vocal in their calls for collective efforts to combat the virus. The exclusion of armed groups, especially in areas of heavy conflict, to ceasefire agreements, fails to show any kind of genuine commitment to the prevention of further spread of COVID-19. Meanwhile, just days after announcing the ceasefire, the Burma Army attacked the TNLA in northern Shan State. The Burma Army also burnt several KNU COVID-19 screening posts and pressured the New Mon State Party (MNSP) to withdraw their COVID-19 screening point. The United Nations Security Council European member states and Britain, denounced violence continuing to escalate in Rakhine – especially over concern of the pandemic spreading in conflict areas. ND-Burma affiliate member, Progressive Voice, observed the lack of sincerity behind the Burma Army’s announcement of a unilateral ceasefire as conflict remains present despite rising concerns over the pandemic.
Meanwhile, unethical investment continues in the country. Burma Campaign UK included 31 new companies on their updated ‘Dirty List’ on businesses tied to the Burma military. These stakeholders must be held accountable for contributing to profits tied to a corrupt army committing human rights violations. Additionally, the Burma Environmental Working Group (BEWG) issued a statement demanding that the Burmese military end its ongoing offensives across the country and halt the seizure of farmland.
Calls for justice have not gone unnoticed. As the Burma Army leverages its authority to infringe further on human rights by taking advantage of the emergency decrees, activists are continuing to amplify their calls for accountability. As penned in the Bangkok Post by Nicholas Koumjian, head of International Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, he writes, “our investigations are open and the virus will not blind us to ongoing crimes.”
Rakhine State
On 23 May, the Burmese government delivered its first report to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on their efforts since the verdict in January on what steps they have taken to protect the Rohingya from further persecution. A short summary of violations by the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK detailed abuses since the provisional orders were given. An important webinar was also held by the Global Justice Center with four distinguished female panelists discussing whether or not Burma was indeed protecting the Rohingya from genocide.
As of April 30, the total number of those displaced had reached 164,211 people in Rakhine State, according to a statement issued by the Rakhine Ethnic Congress (REC). The statement noted that out of the 164,211 IDPs, 101,670 were staying outside of camps, whereas 62,541 people were staying in displacement camps.
Displaced Civilians Need Emergency Support | 2 May 2020
Members of Parliament are calling for more support for displaced villagers who are in urgent need of food, clothes and water in conflict-torn Western Burma. Over 400 people from 120 families are staying at a monastery where locals are providing what they can, but it is not enough.
Children Killed in Rakhine Following Explosion | 12 May 2020
Two children were killed, and another was injured after an explosion in Buthidaung on 12 May. Burma is a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Burma government has a responsibility to protect all children impacted by armed conflict. A second incident occurred a few days later when a shell exploded in Paik They village, injuring five civilians.
Viral Video Shows Burma Army Brutally Beating 5-Young Men | 14 May 2020
Families of loved ones who visited their sons after they were tortured in detainment by the Burma Army soldiers said all of them had cuts, black eyes and swelling from the beatings. The men were detained on allegations of having ties to the Arakan Army.
Over 190 Homes Set on Fire in Rakhine Village | 16 May 2020
According to locals, nearly 200 homes were set on fire in Lekkar village. A lack of accountability and access for the press to report has only worsened the situation in Western Burma, where conflict is rife and civilians pay the ultimate price.
Several groups condemned the attacks including the Burma Human Rights Network who noted the Burma Army’s continued disregard of international law and lives of civilians. Human Rights Watch also called for an investigation into the fire, citing satellite imagery showing the burnt homes and other structures.
Artillery Shell Destroys Civilian Home | 27 May 2020
An artillery shell hit a home in Paletwa township and injured the property, no civilians were struck. The attacks in Chin are ongoing with regular deployments as locals remain unprotected amid a pandemic and an increasingly deteriorating human rights situation.
Villager Killed by Landmine Explosion | 29 May 2020
A young villager was killed by a landmine while collecting tree logs for producing timbers near a mountain range. The young man was 25 years old and had a wife and two young daughters.
Shan State
Update from ND-Burma member, the Ta’ang Students & Youth Union
Men Injured by Landmine Blast | 10 May 2020
On 10 May, 2020, U San Shwe (40) and Mai Naing San Aung (16) were injured by a landmine explosion while they went from Namkham township to Bamaw township by motorbike. They lived in Sel Lone village, Namkham township, Muse District.
Currently, they are being treated in Namkham Hospital. U San Shwe San was wounded in his leg and Mai Naing San Aung was wounded in his leg and arm. According to the mine victims, they asked the villagers to go to Bamaw township and they showed them the old way to go there. They also met with the Tatmadaw and asked if they could travel the way they were heading and were told ‘if you are important you can go but if something happens we will not take responsibility.’ After, they walked for 30 miles before they were struck by a landmine. The victims had been traveling to find work to afford further education.
Two other villagers were traveling back one morning when they saw two more dead bodies killed from landmines.
Two Women Killed on Tea Farm | 18 May 2020
On 18 May 2020, two women (Daw Aye Yin, 60 and Daw Aye Htwe, 58) who lived in Bha Lain village, Chaung Chalk village tract, Kyaukme township, northern Shan State were brutally killed by an unknown perpetrator while working on the tea farm they were living on.
The police in Kyaukme township arrived and filed the case at the police station and are continuing with an investigation into their murder. The injuries sustained by Daw Aye Yinn included a wound in her ear right side, eye right side, and incisions to the back and sides of her head. Daw Aye Htwe also had similar wounds on the back and left side of her head.
Kyaukme is located in a ‘black zone’ as it is an active area of conflict between armed groups including the TNLA, RCSS/SSA, SSPP/SSA and Tatmadaw. Ta’ang rights groups including TSYU and ND-Burma member, the Ta’ang Women’s Organization are demanding justice for the families of two murdered women who were killed on a tea plantation last week. The authorities must ensure a transparent investigation and that the perpetrator is held accountable.
Freedom of Expression
World Press Freedom Day was recognized on 3 May. Burma ranks 139 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index. Misinformation has unfortunately fueled many of the ethnic conflicts across the country, while journalists are threatened or imprisoned for reporting the truth at the expense of government critique. Notably, on 2020 March, Internet Service Providers in Burma received instructions from the Ministry of Transport and Communications to block 230 websites. There were 67 on this list that were accused of spreading misinformation, which reported critically on the activities of the government and military. The list of the websites has not yet been publicly released.
Freedom of expression organization, Athan, released a set of graphics on key findings of declining state of freedoms in Burma after four years of the NLD government including 539 lawsuits against 1051 individuals.
The CPJ Calls for Release of Editor
In a statement released earlier this week, the Committee to Protect Journalists called for terrorism charges against editor of Narinjara, Khaing Mrat Kyaw, to be dropped immediately. The Editor has been in hiding to avoid charges in yet another example of attacks on journalists and the free press.
COVID-19 Updates
Fear of War Amid COVID-19 | 9 May 2020
The fears IDPs have across Burma over COVID-19 have been compounded by limitations to access and information. These information gaps are making it more difficult for displaced civilians to protect themselves and their families.
Burma Editor Jailed for Two Years for COVID-19 Reporting Error | 22 May 2020
Editor of the online news agency Dae Pyaw, Zaw Ye Htet, was arrested and sentenced under section 505(b) to two years in jail for incorrectly reporting a death of COVID-19.
Basic Needs Not Being Met in Kachin IDP Camp | 27 May 2020
IDPs in the Kachin town of Namti who were relocated in response to COVID-19 are in need of food, water, electricity and toilets. No organizations or aid groups have visited the camps as anxiety is heightened by insecurities over livelihoods, education and health.
Fears of COVID-19 and Clashes Put Livlihoods on Hold for Farmers | 27 May 2020
Travel restrictions in conflict torn western Burma has escalated fears of Chin farmers who say they are afraid to go to work on their farms because of COVID-19 and clashes.
COVID-19 Response Efforts & Coordination
Several EAOs, CBOs and local governments have taken significant steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their areas.
Karen State: The Karen National Union (KNU) has formed a prevention committee that has been providing awareness materials, in addition to setting up quarantine centers. The KNU has nine virus testing checkpoints.
The Karen Women’s Organization also released a short report on their response efforts in Karen State which includes visits to approximately 2000 families and has made masks distributed to 5000 people, combined with awareness raising activities.
Additionally, the RCSS, KNPP, KIO and PNLF, are also conducting similar campaigns.
Mon State: The New Mon State Party (MNSP) has also formed COVID-19 prevention committees at Central and District levels to provide awareness and provide prevention materials, as well as establishing quarantine centers.
ND-Burma member, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland is working to support communities, civil society, and social service providers in remote areas in IDP sites in Mon State through emergency relief in response to COVID19
COVID-19 Resources
International Crisis Group released a briefing on ‘Conflict, Health Cooperation and COVID-19 in Myanmar’ to discuss what is new, why it matters and what needs to be done. Read the briefer in English here.
Member Update
The video can be accessed here in both Burmese and English, and the press release can be viewed on their website.
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:
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[Press Release] New Documentary Highlights Challenges Amid COVID-19 for Civilians in South-Eastern Myanmar
/in Documentary, Member statements, MultimediaFor immediate release
1 June 2020: The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has released a new documentary on the response to COVID-19 in southeastern Myanmar. The film titled, “Reflections on Grassroots Livelihoods During COVID-19” spotlights the challenges faced by farm laborers, returning migrant workers, and those living in remote areas and IDP villages. Many of the hardships experienced are a result of the area movement restrictions and lockdown decrees imposed by local governments and the New Mon State Party (NMSP).
“IDP villages and remote communities in these areas have been some of the hardest hit,” stated HURFOM Program Director Nai Aue Mon. “Government support and humanitarian aid agencies are unable to access these areas, and with the economic turn down in neighboring countries, thousands of Mon migrants are returning to their home communities and placed under mandatory quarantine.”
Many of these IDP and remote villages do not have the resources to feed and support them during this quarantine period, let alone provide villagers with personal protective equipment. HURFOM calls on government and humanitarian agencies to include these areas in relief packages and programmes, so that no one is left behind.
Since the beginning of April 2020, all areas in southeastern Ye and Yebyu townships in Mon State and Tenasserim Region have been rigorously locked down under movement control measures by local authorities and the NMSP over concerns of the spread of COVID-19.
Prevention and protection measures enacted by governments must consider the impacts on members of grassroots society, including those living in NMSP-controlled areas. Slowing the spread of the virus is imperative, but sp is upholding the rights and dignity of those who face the highest risk of being further marginalized by the pandemic. Particularly vulnerable groups include women, children, the elderly, migrants, IDPs, and those with disabilities.
This documentary provides a brief glimpse into the lives of local villagers during this lockdown period, while advocating for the donor community to assist these communities directly or through the NMSP and/or their COVID-19 Response Committees.
The documentary can be accessed here in both Burmese and English. A follow-up briefer will be released in the next several weeks.
https://youtu.be/6oQW7Ur03vo
For media enquiries:
Nai Bnyair Ogvon
Burmese & English
+95 996 191 9757
Nai Byuhar Mon
Mon & Burmese
+95 979 859 1547
Nai Aue Mon
Mon, Burmese & English
+66 861 679 741
Email: info@rehmonnya.org, auemon@rehmonnya.org, ogvon@rehmonnya.org
Website: www.rehmonnya.org
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We’re watching you, Myanmar
/in NewsThe global coronavirus pandemic has understandably dominated the attention of Asia and the entire world in recent months. But the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar has a message to send: our investigations are open and the virus will not blind us to ongoing crimes.
Last month, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Ms Yanghee Lee, warned that “While the world is occupied with the Covid-19 pandemic, the Myanmar military continues to escalate its assault in Rakhine state, targeting the civilian population.”
Ms Lee reported that fighting in Rakhine and Chin states since December 2018 has killed hundreds, including women and children, and displaced more than 157,000 civilians. She also drew attention to reports of kidnappings of local officials and parliamentarians by the Arakan Army. In her final press release before completing her term, Ms Lee argued that these “alleged crimes must be investigated in accordance with international standards” and stressed that achieving accountability is key to ending the conflict. It was to ensure accountability for serious international crimes that the United Nations Human Rights Council established the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, an entity now up and running and which I have the privilege to lead. Any perpetrators who believe they can commit crimes undetected because attention is focused on the coronavirus crisis will be disappointed — our mechanism is watching you.
The Human Rights Council, backed by the United Nations General Assembly, has entrusted us with a challenge. We are to collect evidence of international crimes committed in Myanmar since 2011 and to prepare files to facilitate fair and independent criminal proceedings against individual perpetrators in national, regional or international courts that have or may in the future have jurisdiction over these crimes.
The mechanism became operational at the end of August 2019. We are still building our team and capacities. Many challenges lie ahead on the journey towards fulfilling the ambitious mandate, but we are fully engaged in the task. Despite the pandemic, our work continues. We are closely monitoring ongoing events in Myanmar and seeking out, collecting and organising evidence that can shed light on the truth about international crimes committed in the country.
Past experience of courts and tribunals dealing with international crimes has shown that such investigations are complex. It takes time to build strong case files ready for prosecution. Successful investigations require painstaking efforts to obtain the testimony, particularly those with evidence concerning the planning, preparation or order and to collect any documentary or forensic evidence that may corroborate witness accounts. But time and again, international justice has shown that, eventually, perpetrators are brought to account for their crimes.
The mechanism is, however, acutely aware that each day that passes without accountability for international crimes brings more suffering for the victims displaced from their homes to other locations within Myanmar, the hundreds of thousands of refugees stranded in makeshift refugee camps outside Myanmar, those, and the many others who have been victimised or who have lost family members.
The voluntary and sustainable return of internally displaced people and refugees to their home communities in Myanmar is likely to be depend on the conditions for return, including, to an important extent, on whether individuals most responsible for the crimes that led to their displacement are held accountable. Few are likely to seek to return to a place where those that perpetrated serious crimes retain the means or authority to inflict further harm.
The mechanism was created to help Myanmar and its people. Myanmar has a long history of civilians being the ones who suffer most in its internal conflicts. We believe that an international team with experience and expertise in investigating serious international crimes can help end this cycle of impunity. As former United Nations secretary general U Thant said: “Freedom, justice and world peace can only be assured through the international promotion and protection of these rights and freedoms.”
The mechanism seeks the truth. Those with nothing to hide have nothing to fear. The Human Rights Council has urged the government of Myanmar and all other states to cooperate fully with the mechanism. The General Assembly has called for a full and independent investigation of alleged human rights abuses committed, including against the Rohingya Muslims and others victims in Myanmar and called upon Myanmar authorities to ensure that those responsible for violations of international law be held accountable.
Continued impunity for such crimes is only likely to lead to further violence and suffering, and the continued displacement of people in Myanmar and more refugees seeking shelter in neighbouring countries with accompanying risks to peace and security in the region. The prospects for a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of Myanmar, where all its peoples share the benefit of development and its bountiful resources, depend on the clear demonstration that such crimes will not be tolerated.
Bangkok Post
Human Rights Watch calls for village destruction probe
/in NewsAt least 200 houses and other buildings were destroyed by fire in a conflict-ridden state in Myanmar in an incident that has “all the hallmarks” of previous military arson attacks on villages, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tuesday.
Let Kar village in Rakhine was mostly deserted when the buildings went up in flames on May 16 after the population of mainly ethnic Rakhine Buddhists fled more than a year ago, HRW said, citing satellite images and witnesses.
Myanmar’s military has been locked in an increasingly brutal war against the Arakan Army (AA), fighting for more autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, since January last year that has killed scores of people and forced 150,000 to flee their homes.
Both the military and the AA deny responsibility for the destruction.
“A credible and impartial investigation is urgently needed to find out what happened, punish those responsible, and provide compensation to villagers harmed.” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for HRW.
Robertson added that the government should request UN assistance in the probe and not leave it to the military.
The HRW analysis of the satellite images “most likely” underestimates the scale of the destruction because internal damage to buildings is not visible, the group said.
There have been no reports of any deaths.
© AFP
Mizzima News
Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar Bulletin
/in News, OthersMessage from the Head of the Mechanism
The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (hereafter, “the Mechanism”) is up and running and working to fulfil its mandate to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyse evidence of serious international crimes and violations of international law committed in Myanmar since 2011. Since I took up my mandate on 1 July 2019, the Mechanism has recruited over half of its approved positions, with more staff arriving every month. We have received the materials collected by the International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (FFM) and initiated discussions with governments, non-governmental organisations, academics, other United Nations entities, businesses and technical experts who we believe may have evidence and information that can shed light on the crimes within our mandate. The Mechanism has also been building the necessary cooperative frameworks with key actors, including information providers, establishing internal protocols necessary for conducting fair and independent investigations in a complex environment and devising investigative strategies. The Mechanism aims to use the latest expertise and technologies that will assist in carrying out complex investigations.
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