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.
The Enlistment of Women
/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's ReportsGendered Impacts of Forced Conscription
by the Military Junta
It has now been over four years since the military junta attempted a coup. During this time, there has been widespread resistance and stark opposition to the regime’s brutality. Despite the fact that the coup was unlawful, even according to the military-drafted constitution, the junta has continued to violate international norms and principles by launching violent attacks against the opposition. Ethnic communities, in particular, have been terrorized by the junta’s relentless gunfire in their villages and temporary shelters, even in the absence of armed actors.
More than 3.5 million people have been displaced since the failed coup. Children are being denied safe pathways to education, as schools are routinely bombed in aerial raids and bombardments. Families are struggling to find work to sustain their livelihoods due to the presence of military soldiers and landmines surrounding their homes and farms.
With dwindling access to food due to inflation and a lack of work opportunities, many who have been displaced have resorted to foraging and relying on local vegetation for sustenance.
The attacks by the Burmese Army are increasing as local people are being accused of harbouring soldiers from the armed resistance. Military checkpoints are also being frequently expanded and established in various parts of the country, especially along popular routes, where individuals are questioned, extorted, and often disappear.
Many of the men and women who are stopped and interrogated find themselves being forcibly enlisted as part of the junta’s unlawful conscription efforts.
The People’s Military Service Law mandates conscription but had not been enforced for over a decade. However, last year, the junta began implementing it for the first time since it was passed, requiring men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to enlist.
The timing of its enactment is indicative of the junta’s desperation amid its increasing losses on the battlefield. Reports from the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), suggest that conscripted individuals, often youths, are deployed to front-line battles and forced to fight under the threat of violence.2 Though the law has now been in effect for over a year, regulations of the People’s Military Service Law were only recently passed in January2025, with several updates made.
Myanmar junta kills 50 civilians in 3-day countrywide air raids
/in NewsThe exiled civilian government vowed to ‘punish’ the military regime for its violent crimes against the public.
Read RFA coverage of these topics in Burmese.
A three-day onslaught of junta-launched airstrikes across four major areas spanning much of Myanmar’s central plains killed 50 people and injured nearly 80, sources told Radio Free Asia.
Myanmar’s junta, which seized power in 2021, faces resistance from dozens of militias seeking autonomy. In response to insurgent attacks, the military has bombed villages suspected of sheltering rebels, often killing dozens of civilians.
In the latest assaults, the junta killed 20 people in Singu township’s Kyi Tauk Pauk village and Thabeikkyin township’s Leik Kya and Yae Htwet villages in Manadalay region between Friday and Sunday.
“A 500-pound bomb fell. Four men and two women were injured, only those who were middle-aged,” said a Kyi Tauk Pauk resident, declining to be named for security reasons, adding that three dormitories at the local school were destroyed when a junta plane attacked around 2 p.m. on Friday.
The airstrike on Leik Kya village killed 12 civilians, including one child, three women and eight men, and injured three others, said a member of a local Pyinoolwin militia under the arm of the exiled civilian National Unity Government, or NUG.
The plane came from Meiktila Air Base, on the border of Shan state and Mandalay region, dropping one 300-pound bomb and opening fire on the village, said a member of the militia, declining to be named for security reasons.
Similarly, Saturday afternoon’s attacks on Yae Htwet left 24 people dead and nearly 20 injured when two bombs struck the village, residents said, adding that the death toll is likely to rise as many people are critically injured.
Several young children were also killed in the attack, said one resident, declining to be named for security reasons.
‘Ceasefire’
The NUG announced on Monday it would take all actions necessary to punish military for its violent crimes against the public. Despite ceasefires declared by both the junta and NUG following the country’s March 28 earthquake that left thousands dead, struggles for territory, ending in junta bombings, have continued.
Other attacks also targeted villages across Rakhine state and Sagaing region. Both are considered to be hotbeds of insurgent activity under both NUG-led militias and the Arakan Army, which has captured 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships in its fight for self-determination.
Junta airstrikes on a residential ward of Rakhine’s Kyauktaw town, which remains under military control, on Saturday afternoon. killed two civilians and injured 20 others, including three children, residents said.
A junta plane attacked a monastery in Mon state’s Bilin township on Saturday morning during a religious ceremony. The airstrike killed 10-year-old monk Kaylatha, 60-year-old Ma Wai and 69-year-old Hla Myint, the rebel administration Karen National Union, which controls parts of Kayin and Mon states, announced on Sunday. Nine more civilians were injured.
In Sagaing region, two bombs dropped on a store in Thin Taw village on Sunday evening killed six family members, said one resident, who requested to remain unnamed for fear of reprisals.
“One bomb hit the store exactly and killed the whole family,” he said. “They were all just civilians, three men, three women, all dead.”
He listed the family members as 20-year-old Mi Thay; 30-year-old Min Min; Khin Ma, who was around 50 years old; and also Kyaw Min Kyi; Phone Maw; and a woman known as ‘Mrs. Saw,’ all identified without ages.
Two other men were injured in the attack, residents said.
In Myinmu township, junta forces bombed a camp for internally displaced people on Saturday morning, killing three civilians and injuring eight others, residents said, identifying them as displaced people including three-year-old Su Myat, 17-year-old May Zun Oo and 69-year-old Tin Maung.
Four others were injured including a five-year-old child, they said.
Junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun has not responded to RFA’s inquiries.
RFA News
During Myanmar’s new year celebration, 4,893 prisoners and 13 foreign prisoners granted amnesty
/in NewsMizzima
Marking the Myanmar New Year on 17 April, the Myanmar junta has announced a conditional amnesty for 4,893 prisoners across the country. Those released under this pardon will face reinstatement of their previous sentences if they reoffend. Additionally, one-sixth of the sentences of other inmates will be remitted.
The release was made under Section 401(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, which allows conditional pardons. As part of the gesture, 13 foreign nationals are also being granted clemency and will be deported.
The move is seen by some observers as a political strategy ahead of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing’s scheduled meeting with ASEAN leaders. It is speculated that the release of certain political prisoners may be intended to curry favour and legitimacy at the regional summit.
Prisoners are set to be released starting this afternoon from various prisons and detention centres nationwide.
In a related development, several high-profile businessmen who were arrested in 2022 have been released ahead of the official amnesty announcement. Among them is Chit Khaing, chairman of Eden Group of Companies, who was released from Mandalay’s Obo Prison at around on 12 April. He had been serving a sentence related to alleged tax corruption involving the Tigyit coal power project.
He was detained in April 2022 along with former Union Ministers Ohn Win and Ohn Khaing, and Deputy Minister Dr. Tun Naing, all of whom had served under the previous National League for Democracy (NLD) government.
Also released is Zay Thiha on 12 April, son of Zaykabar Group owner Khin Shwe, from Insein Prison in Yangon. Several edible oil business owners were reportedly freed as well, though full details are yet to emerge.
11 killed as Myanmar junta bombs Buddhist monasteries during new year festivities
/in NewsThe airstrikes come despite a ceasefire and as people gather at religious sites during Thingyan celebrations.
UPDATED April 15, 2025, at 2:50 p.m. ET
Myanmar junta forces have unleashed a series of Burmese New Year airstrikes on Buddhist monasteries, killing 11 people during festive days when people traditionally visit religious sites to make merit.
The latest and deadliest attack came Tuesday, when six civilians were killed and at least 25 others, including 10 monks, were wounded at Kanni village monastery in Kawkareik Township, Kayin (Karen) State, residents of the village told RFA Burmese.
The wounded are being treated at Mawlamyine General Hospital, said one resident, who like other sources in this article did not want to be named for safety reasons. Mawlamyine is the capital of neighboring Mon State.
The resident added that casualties would have been higher if the bombing had happened earlier in the day when more people were congregating at the monastery. He said there has been fighting in the vicinity since Monday evening between junta forces and the Karen National Liberation Army, which controls Kanni village.
According to reporting by RFA, airstrikes from Saturday – the eve of Thingyan, as the Burmese New Year is known – until Tuesday have killed a total of 11 people, and injured 51 others in Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Karen State and Rakhine State.
The attacks come despite a ceasefire declared by anti-junta and junta forces in the wake of a devastating March 28 earthquake in central Myanmar that killed more than 3,700 people.
During the pause, rebel forces have claimed gains in new territories, prompting retaliatory airstrikes from the military, often resulting in heavy civilian casualties. As well as being sites for religious homage, Buddhist monasteries often also serve as shelters for displaced people.
On Monday, in Sagaing region’s Kani township, a junta aerial attack around Monday 8 a.m hit a monastery where people were due to arrive for the holiday, one resident said.
“Of the novice monks in Tha Min Chan village, two died and two were critically injured,” the resident said.
“Because the bomb fell a bit early, it was only the monks in the monastery – those who came to make merit and perform duties for the monks had not arrived yet.”
Another woman was critically injured when bombs fell on a nearby village, the Kani resident added.
Separately, Indaw township, which was captured in part by the shadow National Unity Government’s militia, faced additional attacks around 11 a.m. on Monday, residents said. The attack injured two people.
On Sunday, junta attacks also hit monasteries in three townships in Sagaing region – Taze, Wuntho and Kawlin – killing one woman and injuring seven people, including a monk, according to the residents.
In a separate attack in Kyauktaw township, Rakhine state, three civilians were wounded: 10-year-old Chit Hnin Wai, 27-year-old Kyi Kyi Win and 34-year-old Oo Than May, the residents added.
In Mandalay region’s Natogyi township, airstrikes Monday targeting another monastery injured three more monks, including a child, residents told RFA.
In Thabeikkyin township, attacks on Sunday killed a man and a woman and injured eight others, said a member of the Pyinoolwin People’s Defense Force, one of the rebel groups.
“Around 10:21 p.m., they dropped four bombs on Chaung Gyi village that were around 200 or 300 pounds each,” he said.
RFA contacted Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Htun, the spokesman for the military council, about the airstrikes, but he did not answer his phone.
RFA News
Commend bravery, condemn betrayal
/in NewsLETTER | The Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma (ND-Burma) commends the extraordinary bravery of Malaysian rescue personnel, the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart), who undertook humanitarian missions in earthquake-stricken Sagaing Region, Myanmar.
Operating in areas plagued by insecurity and militarised repression, their courage and commitment to saving lives stand as a powerful act of regional solidarity and moral clarity.
Despite significant restrictions imposed by the military junta, their successful rescue efforts remind us of what true humanitarianism looks like.
However, while we applaud the selfless actions of these individuals, we are deeply alarmed and disappointed by the diplomatic trajectory taken by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is reportedly planning to meet with junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, under the pretext of humanitarian coordination.
Such an act risks legitimising a regime that continues to commit widespread atrocities – including indiscriminate aerial bombings, mass killings, and forced displacement – even during Myanmar’s traditional New Year.
Far from pursuing peace, the junta has intensified its war against the people. To meet with its chief architect, without consulting or including legitimate stakeholders from Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement, would be nothing short of a betrayal.
This approach flagrantly disregards Asean’s own Five-Point Consensus, especially the first point, which calls for an immediate cessation of violence. Not only has this condition never been met, but the military junta has also openly defied it.
Yet, instead of accountability, we see gestures of recognition and dialogue that embolden the perpetrators and further isolate the democratic forces on the ground.
More troubling still is Asean’s apparent outsourcing of its regional responsibility – mandated by the United Nations and supported by the international community – to a private individual, former Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Such actions are irresponsible and unethical. Myanmar’s crisis is not a business opportunity, nor can peace be brokered through personal relationships or economic self-interest. Thaksin’s history of close ties with Myanmar’s military elite makes his involvement all the more problematic and unacceptable.
A broad coalition of Myanmar’s legitimate democratic actors and ethnic resistance organisations – including the National Unity Government (NUG), Karen National Union (KNU), Chin National Front (CNF), and others – has strongly opposed this direction.
These groups have urged Asean and the international community to:
Malaysia’s current direction undermines decades of work for peace and justice in Myanmar. It also sends the wrong message to the people of Myanmar, other Asean nations, and those around the world who look to Malaysia as a moral and principled actor in regional affairs.
We urge Anwar and Aseam leaders to reassess this flawed and dangerous approach. Do not reward atrocity with diplomatic recognition. Do not hand over the fate of an entire nation to backroom deals and private interests.
Stand with the people of Myanmar, who continue to resist tyranny at tremendous cost. Their courage deserves more than token sympathy – it demands principled action.
Malaysiakini
MYANMAR: HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CONDEMNS THE JUNTA, RESPONDS TO THE EARTHQUAKE, AND CALLS TO END SALE AND SUPPLY OF ARMS AND JET FUEL
/in Press Releases and Statements4 April 2025
Myanmar: Human Rights Council condemns the junta, responds to the earthquake, and calls to end sale and supply of arms and jet fuel
UN Security Council must follow up urgently to address the crisis
The consensus adoption of the latest resolution on Myanmar at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council reflects the international community’s collective condemnation of the Myanmar military junta’s relentless campaign of violence and atrocities. While the resolution represents progress in international efforts to hold the Myanmar military junta accountable for its crimes, it also underscores critical gaps in the global response to Myanmar’s worsening human rights and humanitarian crisis.
Condemnation of Junta’s Atrocities
The resolution unequivocally condemns the military junta for its escalating violence against civilians, including indiscriminate airstrikes and artillery attacks. It holds the junta responsible for Myanmar’s deepening crisis and for its atrocities, which have left millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and displaced over 3.5 million people inside the country. It leaves no doubt that the military junta has absolutely no international legitimacy and is the root cause of Myanmar’s deepening human rights and humanitarian crisis.
The resolution expresses deep concern over the junta’s ongoing human rights violations—including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure—that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law. It calls for an immediate cessation of all forms of violence and urges the military to release all arbitrarily detained persons.
Furthermore, the resolution highlights the plight of marginalized groups, particularly the Rohingya community, who continue to face systematic persecution and discrimination in their homeland of Rakhine State. It stresses the importance of addressing root causes of ongoing violence against Rohingya in Rakhine State and ensuring conditions necessary for their voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return.
Obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty
In a notable development, the resolution “recalls obligations of State Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty in relation to international humanitarian law and international human rights law” under Articles 6 and 7 regarding the prohibitions of arms transfer authorization and assessment of arms export.
This key call by the Council reiterates the fact that any and all transfer, sale, and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment is not merely a matter of business transactions between states but an international obligation of UN Member States to ensure these arms do not contribute to human suffering, conflict, or violations of international law.
Impacts of Earthquake
The resolution addresses the devastating impacts, destruction, and casualties caused by the earthquake on 28 March 2025. We welcome the Council’s call for the provision of “principled humanitarian aid” to all in need, “including through organizations already operating in affected areas, in line with the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence.”
As Myanmar faces yet another catastrophe amidst the already dire humanitarian crisis caused by the junta’s campaign of terror, we call the Council’s attention to the press statement by over 265 Myanmar, regional, and international organizations. It is imperative that disaster emergency relief be channeled through local community groups and frontline responders in collaboration with legitimate Myanmar stakeholders and civil society organizations.
Given the history of aid exploitation and weaponization by the Myanmar military and its airstrikes even in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, we underscore the crucial importance of preventing manipulation of aid by the junta for political or military gain.
At this critical time, the UN Security Council must convene an emergency meeting and intervene to protect affected communities and ensure that aid reaches those with the direst need, in particular through adopting a resolution under Chapter VII.
Shortcomings in International Action
Despite these strong condemnations, the resolution falls short in several key areas.
Transfer, sale, and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment: The resolution acknowledges the serious human rights and humanitarian implications of the continuous “sale, diversion and unregulated or illicit transfers of arms and jet fuel.” However, watered-down language as a result of concessions made to achieve consensus, the resolution merely calls for the cessation of “the illicittransfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment,” failing to recognize the need to end all sale and transfer of arms and weapons to end the ongoing violence.
The failure to take action to impose a comprehensive global arms embargo or sanctions on aviation fuel for military purposes may amount to aiding and abetting the military’s continuing international crimes. As recently as yesterday, the Myanmar military launchedairstrikes on Sagaing Region and Kachin State, breaching its hours-old ceasefire declaration.
Reports by UN experts, in addition to reports by civil society, have documented transfer of arms, aviation fuel, and military equipment from and through UN Member States—namely China, Russia, India, Singapore, and Thailand—to Myanmar since 2018 including following the Rohingya genocide, and in particular since the coup attempt. Acting on the Council and General Assembly resolutions that repeatedly call for prevention of the flow of arms to Myanmar, the international community must take urgent measures to cut the supply to and access of the junta to arms and aviation fuel without delay or risk complicity in its mass atrocity crimes.
ASEAN: We are disappointed by the Council’s continued support for “the central role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations” (ASEAN) in addressing the escalating crisis in Myanmar despite its failure to make any progress in this regard over the past four years.
ASEAN’s efforts, in particular its Five-Point Consensus and insistence on the so-called “inclusive dialogue”, have been ineffective and often harmful to Myanmar people’s struggle for a human rights-centered future. To date, ASEAN has failed to recognize and address the Myanmar military as the root cause of the ongoing crisis with serious consequences for regional stability and human security. It is yet to meaningfully and officially engage with legitimate stakeholders such as the National Unity Government (NUG), ethnic revolutionary organizations, and Myanmar civil society. Furthermore, as opposed to the supposed aim of resolving the crisis, many ASEAN Member States are implicated in the transfer of arms and military equipment to the Myanmar military, contributing to the exacerbation of the crisis.
ASEAN and the UN are accountable to the people of Myanmar regarding matters of their own country. The UN’s delegation of its responsibilities to the Myanmar people to ASEAN will only prolong the Myanmar military’s mass atrocity crimes and intensify civilian casualties and suffering. This underscores the obligations of the UN and the wider international community to end its irresponsible reliance on ASEAN and to assume leadership in addressing Myanmar’s crisis.
Calls for Urgent Action
Four years since the attempted coup, Myanmar remains engulfed in violence and suffering. The will and commitment of its people to resist the military remain steadfast as they continue their struggle for federal democracy and justice. The Human Rights Council must mobilize Member States to heed their calls to implement a full ban on arms and aviation fuel sales and transfer to the junta and ensure accountability through international mechanisms such as referrals to the International Criminal Court.
The international community must move beyond rhetoric and take decisive action to end impunity for atrocity crimes in Myanmar. Only then can there be hope for peace, justice, and a future built on respect for human rights.
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