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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AAPP Press Release: New Report “Towards Accountability: The Urgent Need for Renewed International Attention to Sit-Tat’s Crimes Against Humanity in Burma”
/in Member statementsMarch 1, 2023, marks 759 days since the military junta attempted to take control of the country and repressed pro-democracy resistance with mass arrests, massacres, and other atrocities. Today, to call on the international community to take action against the junta, AAPP has published its report, “Towards Accountability: The Urgent Need for Renewed International Attention to Sit-Tat’s Crimes Against Humanity in Burma.” The report provides AAPP data and testimonies on killings, detentions, and property seizures perpetrated by the junta against the pro-democracy movement.
To mark the report’s publication, co-founders and current Executive Committee members of AAPP, U Tate Naing and U Bo Kyi, issued the following press statements. Also included below is an excerpt from the report’s foreword written by Elaine Pearson, Asia Director of Human Rights Watch.
U Tate Naing, AAPP Secretary, said: “During the 23-year period since the founding of the organization, AAPP has been documenting countless human rights violations with strong evidence. However, this report will show that after the 2021 coup d’état, the crimes against humanity committed by Burma’s military have set a record in terms of brutality and violence. If international justice mechanisms cannot take effective action against the crimes committed by Burma’s military, the junta will only continue its commission of blatant criminal acts. Therefore, the international community must facilitate justice for the people of Burma as immediately as possible.”
U Bo Kyi, AAPP Joint-Secretary, said: “AAPP has been monitoring human rights violations committed by the junta in Burma since long ago, and we have documented many human right violations. But it is not enough to call them human rights violations. The junta has committed and is committing crimes against humanity, which are serious international crimes. It is time to take action against this junta through the ICC and all other available mechanisms.”
Elaine Pearson, Human Rights Asia Director wrote: “It’s no longer a matter of knowing that crimes against humanity have been committed in Myanmar. The question now is how the perpetrators can be held to account…The report also calls for better coordinated targeted sanctions by foreign governments on junta officials and for ASEAN member states to adopt legislation necessary to support the exercise of universal jurisdiction to facilitate the prosecution of those responsible for these crimes.”
In Solidarity,
Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
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Beheaded bodies of PDF members found in southern Sagaing Region
/in NewsResistance forces claim the military captured and executed three of the fighters, while the other two were killed in combat
Content warning: This report contains graphic images and text depicting the effects of extreme violence, which may be upsetting to some readers. We advise discretion in viewing this content.
The mutilated remains of five resistance fighters—two of them under the age of 18—were found in Myinmu Township, Sagaing Region, on Sunday shortly after military forces left the area.
Three of the victims were members of the local People’s Defence Force (PDF) and were captured while resistance forces prepared to ambush a junta column that had been raiding villages in the township between February 25 and 27, according to fellow PDF members acquainted with them.
The deceased included La Min Sein, also known as Pho Sein, age 15, Myo Zin, 19, Zaw Myo Thant, 19, Pho Ke, 17, and another victim who is still unidentified, according to the PDF members.
When allied resistance forces found the bodies, four of them had had their heads removed and the other, unidentified body found near Pa Dat Taing village had been cut into pieces, according to eyewitnesses.
Some 70 junta soldiers had started raiding Pa Dat Taing village, on the border between Ayadaw and Myinmu townships, on February 25, according to the PDF of Myinmu Township.
Khin Thaung, the local PDF’s information officer, claims the military captured one member of the PDF while he was setting explosive devices, then proceeded to kill him and dismember his remains.
“His body was cut into pieces and put inside a cloth sack,” she added.
Two other PDF members, La Min Sein and Pho Ke, had tried to attack the junta column on February 25 as it advanced out of the village of Pa Dat Taing, located about 12 miles northwest of Myinmu, but the military captured them in Nyaung Pin Kan village, three miles to the east.
Three local defence teams claim the column used the two prisoners as hostages and human shields while advancing toward another village, Kandaw, located around 5 miles southeast of Nyaung Pin Kan.
On the morning of February 26, seven PDF groups based in Sagaing and Myinmu townships intercepted the junta column in an ambush less than a mile northwest of Kandaw.
Soldiers in the military column executed the captured PDF members at a nearby base belonging to the anti-junta “Zero” guerrilla force that they had torched and destroyed, according to the commander of Squadron 2, Battalion 2 of the Sagaing District PDF, which took part in the ambush.
“The junta column was holding the two prisoners hostage while attacking Kandaw village. We attacked the column near Kandaw but had to retreat when we ran out of ammo. The soldiers killed the prisoners as soon as we withdrew,” he said.
According to the squadron commander, who goes by the nom de guerre “Acid,” the two captive resistance fighters had been fellow members of his resistance group.
“We assume they were beheaded alive as there were various signs of struggle. The bodies were covered with dirt and there were no gunshot wounds on either of them. Their heads were removed and left in separate places,” he added.
The soldiers left one of the heads on a table and placed the other on a pole, Acid said.
The allied resistance forces returned to Kandaw around 7pm to attack the junta column, which was stationed there for the night. Myo Zin and Zaw Myo Thant were shot during the ensuing battle, said Moe Gyo, commander of the Sartaung Moe Gyo PDF based in Sagaing.
“We tried to fight back just for a chance to get their bodies back, but we eventually had to give up and leave them because we didn’t have enough weapons and had to minimise casualties among our other troops,” Moe Gyo said.
“If only we had had enough weapons, we’d have been able to get each and every one of those dogs [soldiers] who killed our fighters,” he added.
Myinmu_victims.jpg
Body parts of four victims found on February 27 (Supplied)
According to Moe Gyo, both bodies were found later, mutilated and with their heads removed. Zaw Myo Thant had also had his wrists slit.
“One of them even got one of his arms cut off and both of them were beheaded. One of the heads was hung on a wall,” he said.
The military council has not released any official statement regarding these incidents.
References to Myo Zin and Zaw Myo Thant’s deaths on pro-junta Telegram channels omitted any mention or evidence of beheading and dismemberment.
Members of Moe Gyo’s resistance group surmised that the soldiers only mutilated the victims’ bodies after taking photos suitable for pro-junta propaganda.
“They are taunting us with actions like this. This is a form of psychological warfare. They want to break our minds; that’s why they killed them in such a manner. We shall never forgive them,” said Moe Gyo.
“They do not have any humanity left in them, and it shows in the way they killed the captured victims,” said Acid, referring to the junta soldiers.
The column that killed and mutilated the resistance fighters is now reportedly carrying out assaults near Kan Pyar village, just northeast of Myinmu.
The resistance forces, vowing retribution, said they would keep fighting against the military council for their fallen comrades.
Myanmar Now News
Human Rights Situation weekly update (February 22 to 28, 2023)
/in HR Situation, NewsMilitary Junta air-strikes and bombing at Sagaing Region, Chin, and Kachin State from February 22nd to 28th. On the 22nd of February, three prefectures of Sagaing State, Shwebo, Ayadaw, and Wetlet were (additionally) announced under Martial Law. Military troops raped a CDM nurse before she was killed in Okpho township, West Bago Region. They also arrested and killed another CDM nurse from Katha township, Sagaing Region. The Female Political prisoners from O-bo prison, Mandalay, were relocated without noticing their families.
Infogram
Human Rights Situation in Mon State, Karen State & Tanintharyi Region (MONTHLY OVERVIEW)
/in ND-Burma Members' Reports, NewsMartial Law and the Devastating Toll on Civilians in Southeastern Burma as the Junta Continues to Commit Human Rights Violations With Impunity
The third anniversary of the failed coup was commemorated on 1 February, 2023. To mark the day, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), called upon the international community to use their platforms and diplomatic will to change the deeply concerning trajectory of violence in Burma. It begins with measures and concrete steps that prosecute Min Aung Hlaing and end his legacy of tyranny.
Across the country, civilians participated in nationwide Silent Strikes to show their disdain and ongoing rejection of the military. Many photographs taken by the network reporters showed empty main roads in Southeastern Burma, including deserted streets, and markets.
Myanmar military destroys more than 100 homes in Mandalay on encroachment claims
/in NewsResidents of two blocks find themselves homeless overnight amid a junta eviction campaign.
As soldiers and police looked on, bulldozers destroyed more than 100 houses on two streets in Myanmar’s second largest city, leaving residents – many of whom had been living there for decades – homeless overnight, sources in the country told Radio Free Asia.
The junta demolished the homes on Monday on Mandalay’s Ma Kha Yar street and on 49th street the following day, claiming that the structures had “encroached on land owned by the state.”
According to rights organizations, the junta has forcibly evicted people living in informal settlements as part of a bid to increase its land holdings.
The United Nations estimated in December that the junta had evicted more than 50,000 people since the February 2021 coup, and burned or destroyed 38,000 homes, leading to the displacement of over 1.1 million people.
RFA’s sources estimate that the military has destroyed more than 5,000 homes under the pretext of “encroachment” since the coup, claiming the land belongs to the railway department, the irrigation department, or has been zoned for municipal infrastructure.
Like the many who were evicted before them, the Mandalay residents were given no warning, and some were not even allowed to gather their belongings before their homes were torn down, a man who witnessed this week’s destruction told RFA.
“Houses are being destroyed and removed with encroachment accusations very frequently these days,” said the source who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on condition of anonymity citing fear of reprisal. “The residents have lived there … for over a decade. Some big buildings built of bricks and concrete were also destroyed.”
While some of the people were essentially squatting in undocumented buildings, others purchased their homes legally. But the authorities made no distinction.
RFA attempted to contact Thein Htay, the junta’s economic minister for the Mandalay region, but calls went unanswered.
The junta’s spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told RFA previously that the military has had to deal with encroachment violations to adhere to the rule of law, because previous governments ignored the issue.
Homeless overnight
A woman who lives in the area said her cousin, a mother of five whose home was destroyed, is now scrambling to find somewhere to live.
“[She] has lived there for quite a long time and they destroyed her house, so she’s no longer a homeowner,” the woman said.
The eviction came out of the blue, so her cousin had no time to save up for a move, the woman said.
“Rent is a minimum of 80,000 kyats [U.S.$38] and that’s just enough for a very tiny house,” the woman said. “For a family with five children it would be difficult to live in something like that.”
The cousin is now roaming the neighborhood with all her possessions, looking for somewhere to live, she said.
“They are in big trouble under the burning heat of the sun,” she added.
The junta is now destroying homes on a daily basis in Mandalay, according to residents, prompting a run on rent prices as the displaced desperately search for shelter.
People who have lost their homes often choose to pull their children out of school because they are struggling to make ends meet.
“I have lost all my belongings and I am having a really hard time,” a man who had his home and water storage tanks bulldozed told RFA. “Where can I go and stay? Just look at my situation. As a Buddhist, I just pray that those who destroyed our homes will not meet the same fate.”
Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Eugene Whong.
RFA News
Landmines injure several civilians, kill 15-year-old boy in Kanbalu
/in NewsPro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militias and anti-junta local defence teams both operate in the area, and neither has admitted responsibility for setting the landmines
Four separate landmine explosions killed one teenager and injured eight civilians, including children, in Sagaing Region’s Kanbalu Township on Saturday, according to local sources.
A resident of Nyaung Zin village in the Htan Kone area, 16 miles south of Kanbalu town, said five people in their village and three in the nearby village of Thin Paung Kyin had been wounded by the landmines.
Toke Paw, age 10, was with his brother Phyo Wai Aung and Paing Paing Soe, both 15, when they triggered a landmine while picking plums in the woods near Thin Paung Kyin, the villager said.
“One of them died on the spot and one has only recently regained consciousness,” said the villager, who asked to remain anonymous.
The deceased victim was Phyo Wai Aung. Toke Paw remains in critical condition, while Paing Paing Soe is now reportedly stable.
On the same day, three other landmines detonated in the vicinity of Nyaung Zin.
A married couple selling goods on their motorcycle triggered a landmine at the village entrance, and two other Nyaung Zin residents were injured when they left their house to see what was happening, stepping on a second mine. Later that afternoon, another local set off a third device outside of the village.
There are pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee militia forces stationed in Nyaung Zin village, but at the time of reporting, it was not clear who was responsible for setting the landmines or what type of explosive was used.
An officer of Kanbalu Township’s anti-regime People’s Defence Team—which are known locally as Pa Ka Pha—claimed that the landmines were set up by junta forces and their allies.
“Those landmines must have been set up so that we couldn’t get close to the village,” the officer said.
The Nyaung Zin villager who spoke with Myanmar Now, who is closely connected to a local Pyu Saw Htee group, blamed the Pa Ka Pha and other resistance forces for the placement of the explosives, noting that they had previously attacked the Pyu Saw Htee forces stationed there.
“They attacked the village with heavy weapons on January 25. They’ve become more daring recently and are now even setting up landmines near the village. The explosions were very close by,” he said.
The Pa Ka Pha officer rejected the allegation.
“They’re always looking for ways to put the blame on us,” he said, referring to the Pyu Saw Htee. “Of course they can’t let the people know that they set up landmines around the village, because they don’t trust the villagers either. That’s why so many people triggered those mines.”
Both the Pyu Saw Htee and local resistance forces have been known to set explosive devices to hinder enemy forces from entering villages under their control.
Another leader within the Pa Ka Pha explained that because so many villages in the Htan Kone region were occupied by the pro-junta militias, it would have been difficult for the resistance forces to mine the area in question.
“[We] can’t even get close to the village, never mind set landmines,” he said. “The entire village is now just an open field with trenches. Once we set foot inside, it would turn into a killing field. They’ve cleared a 1,000-metre radius around it. You could see a mouse cross the field, not to mention a person.”
Local residents claim the Pyu Saw Htee forces have now occupied more than 40 villages in Kanbalu and Kyunhla townships both in Kanbalu District, a stronghold of armed revolutionary forces. The military council declared martial law in 14 townships in Sagaing Region in February of this year, but the townships of Kanbalu District were not among them.
Myanmar Now News