ND Burma
ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.
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- Myanmar junta bombs Rohingya Muslim village killing 41, rescuers say
- Myanmar’s junta cuts filmmaker’s life sentence to 15 years as part of wider amnesty
- Close The Sky
- International condemnation of the escalating humanitarian crisis and rights violations in Myanmar
- Women in Karenni State face increasing levels of violence
Civilian death toll jumps 7-fold in Myanmar in November
/in NewsThe junta turned to more airstrikes as it lost control territory on the ground.
The civilian death toll in wartorn states in Myanmar jumped seven-fold in November, largely due to airstrikes by the junta in populated areas as part of fighting with ethnic rebel groups and People’s Defense Force units, data compiled by Radio Free Asia shows.
As the junta lost control of several areas on the ground over the past month, the military turned to the skies to fight their enemies, especially in Shan, Kayah, Chin and Rakine states and in the Sagaing region.
In total, 196 civilians were killed and 228 were injured in airstrikes in these areas in November, compared with 28 killed and 105 injured in October.
The highest civilian death toll was in Shan State, in the country’s north, where 60 civilians were killed and 44 were injured as Operation 1027, named for Oct. 27, the day it started, intensified there.
“Civilian casualties will increase with escalation of conflict as long as the junta uses airstrikes and heavy weapons,” a spokesman for the Ta’ang Women’s organization, which monitors the military conflict in northern Shan state, told RFA Burmese.
The second-highest death toll occurred in the Sagaing region, where 44 civilians were killed and 21 were injured.
Among the dead was a 22-year-old woman from Ngar Yant Oh village in the region’s Myaung township, who was killed when a bomb from a fighter jet hit her house, a resident there said on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
“We do not know what kind of bomb came from the fighter jet,” the resident said. “She was killed when the bomb dropped near her house.”
The resident said the bombardment on the village occurred even though there was no nearby armed conflict.
Kayah state was third-highest in civilian casualties, with fighting around Loikaw city intensifying since “Operation 11.11”, which started Nov. 11.
The military deliberately targeted civilians there, Aung San Myint, secretary of the Karenni National Progressive Party, told RFA.
“[The junta] regularly conducted artillery attacks and air force bombardments against internally displaced people living in camps in the forests,” he said. “They put pressure on us by targeting civilians. It is their military tactic.”
RFA attempted to contact junta spokesperson Maj. General Zaw Min Tun for comment, but he could not be reached. However, the junta made a press release on Nov. 29 saying that they never targeted civilian areas.
Kyaw Zaw, the spokesperson of the office of the National Unity Government, made up of former lawmakers who were ousted by the 2021 coup and their allies, said the shadow government was collecting data about human rights violations committed by the military.
“Such attacks by the [junta] have proved that they are committing war crimes,” he said. “We have documented these incidents. These documents could be used as evidence for both local court trials and in the international court of justice.”
According to RFA data, the junta has killed 730 civilians and injured 1,292 more in aerial attacks and heavy weapon shelling from January to November 2023.
RFA News
Hundreds flee military arson attacks in Mandalay’s Madaya Township
/in NewsA junta column raids villages more than 10 miles from the site of clashes with resistance forces, causing the number of IDPs to ‘only increase’
Three hundred civilians fled their homes after junta forces carried out a series of raids in northeastern Madaya Township, Mandalay Region, on Monday evening, destroying residences in three villages.
The military column in question first raided the 50-household Hmaw Ni Kone at 4pm, torching eight houses and a building in a monastery compound that held supplies and a vehicle for a local charity group. They also stole five motorbikes from abandoned homes, according to a local man who spoke to Myanmar Now on Tuesday morning.
“I think they came into the village hoping to find anti-junta forces,” he said. “Everyone had to flee in a state of panic and the military ransacked and torched not only the houses but also the car and the garage of the village’s social welfare group.”
Hmaw Ni Kone is located around 12 miles from sites of ongoing battles between resistance forces such as the Mandalay People’s Defence Force (PDF) and the military in eastern Madaya, particularly around the village of Kin, where fighting began in mid-November.
The soldiers who attacked the village proceeded to raid neighbouring Nyaung Bingyi Taw and Kyauk Thalake, setting fire to an unconfirmed number of homes in both communities.
On Sunday morning, the military fired heavy artillery at the Madaya villages of Seik Thar and Shar Say Chet, injuring five civilians, including two children, and killing several livestock. Seik Thar was again shelled on Monday evening, damaging the school, according to locals.
A junta unit stationed in the village of Zee Phyu Kone also fired artillery shells at Wun Su village, west of the Mandalay-Mogok highway, at 10pm on Monday, destroying one house and injuring the couple that lived there, said a woman from Madaya involved in providing support to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the area.
“The IDPs from Hmaw Ni Kone cannot go back home anymore as the military torched their houses,” she explained. “Our groups, as well as locals, are helping in every way that we can, but it’s difficult as the number of IDPs is only increasing.”
A coalition of resistance forces, including the Madaya and Patheingyi PDFs and Generation Z Power, attacked two junta bases on the Ayeyarwady River in western Madaya in late November, leading to intense clashes. A two-year-old child was killed by a heavy artillery shell during the episode of fighting.
Myanmar Now News
Human Rights Situation weekly update (November 22 to 30, 2023)
/in HR Situation, NewsHuman Rights Violations took place in States and Regions from Nov 22 to 30, 2023
Military Junta Troop launched airstrikes and dropped bombs in Sagaing Region, Bago Region, Kayah State, Rakhine State, and Shan State from November 22nd to 30th. Military Junta Troop is accused of using Chemical Gas Bombs and high destructive 500-pound bombs in airstrikes. The Ministry of Transport and Communications, which works under the Military, released and announced on November 22nd that they will take action for people who use Satellite Connection. Military Junta extorted and arrested the civilians and youths in Mandalay Region and Tanintharyi Region.
Over 36 civilians died and almost 40 were injured within a week by the Military’s heavy and light attacks. 4 underaged children were injured and 5 died when the Military Junta committed violations. A child also died by the Military Junta Troop’s landmine.
Infogram
An elderly woman hit and injured from one sided firing of heavy weaponry shells by Military Council at PanHnin village, Namhsan Township
/in NewsTa’ang Women’s Organization
One sided firing of heavy weaponry shell hit a local woman from Panning village, Namsan Township in northern Shan State.
About noon time yesterday on November 20, heavy weaponry shells fired one sided from military camp based in Namsan hit and injured the left foot of a (85) years old elderly woman.
A responsible person from PanHnin village said, “Three shells dropped around the village, two dropped outside the village and one dropped and blasted in the middle of village. A sharpener from the shell hit the elderly person. She was injured at her leg. Now, they don’t dare to travel and she was treated at the village.”
Villager at Nanning village and Ohmswam village no longer dared to stay in the village after one sided heavy weaponry shelling by terror military council, they had to stay in tealeaf plantation farms, he continued.
“They never came to shoot like this before. This was the first time. When the shells dropped yesterday, it was when the children left the school. Only the children were left in the village, and the parents went to the forest to pick tea leaves. Some children were afraid and crying. Today, the people of the village are going to stay at the tealeaf farms because they don’t dare to live in the village.”
Local residents said that there is no military base in the village and there is no fighting, and the firing of heavy weaponry shells like this without specific target is not safe for the people and it is not convenient for them to work.
Together with this incident in Namsan Township due to aerial attacks and heavy weaponry shelling without specific target, three people were killed, (13) were injured and 27 houses were damaged within two days.
Three Children Injured in Explosion While Playing with Unexploded Ordnance, Undergoing Treatment in China
/in NewsThree children living in Monekoe Township, Muse Division, northern Shan State, were playing with an unexploded heavy weaponry shell when they went to herd buffalo, and it exploded, reportedly injuring all three of them, who are currently being treated at Mang Shi Hospital on the Chinese border.
A monk who is aware of the incident and uses WeChat said: “The children were out herding buffalo, and when they saw an RPG (Rocket-propelled grenade), they started playing with it, tossing it around. When they threw it, it exploded, and all three of them were injured with serious wounds. They are currently receiving treatment at the hospital, and so far, I am not sure if their injuries have improved because there is no phone signal.”
Regarding the current fighting, he further stated that on the side of Monekoe, the local residences and many residents have been affected due to the military council forces using planes and heavy weapons to open fire. However, accurate information collection is currently not possible.
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) announced that during the last week of October, the Terror Military Council conducted an aerial bombardment on Shing Kyait village in Nant Tong, Monekoe Township. This resulted in the immediate deaths of 5 local residents, including 3 children.
Photo- local Resident
Ta’ang Women’s Organization – TWO
The statement on Terror Military Council’s Attacks Targeting Civilians including Women
/in Member statements