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
CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS REJECT UN SPECIAL ENVOY’S PROPOSAL OF “POWER SHARING”
/in Member statementsCivil Society organizations reject UN Special Envoy’s proposal of “power sharing”
Raise alarm at her misinterpretation that the “military are in control”
247 civil society organizations reject UN Special Envoy, Dr Noeleen Heyzer’s, proposal that those defying the military must negotiate a power sharing as a solution to the current political, human rights and humanitarian crisis created by the terrorist military junta.
In an interview with Channel News Asia, the Special Envoy discusses finding “commonalities”, a political transformation requiring process and a “need to negotiate what this power sharing could look like”. Her comments have been met with strong reactions.
We further raise alarm at the comments she made during her interview in which she claims that “The military is in control at this particular time”.
These statements could set a dangerous precedent, that those who take control through brutal means – massacring, killing, raping, arresting, torturing, burning villages and people, targeting civilians using airstrikes and shelling – be welcomed to share power. Such suggestions send a signal to the military that the UN is willing to act as a broker for their power despite the grave crimes they have committed, and further embolden them to commit atrocities with total impunity.
The youth who are continuing to call for an end to the military’s terror are not being unrealistic in their efforts to see their human rights and fundamental freedoms protected. Their calls reflect the principles laid out in the UN Charter and deserve the full support and respect of UN mandate holders.
In addition, it is not required of revolutionary movements to end in a power sharing agreement with those that have committed genocide and continue to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity. History has shown us that coups around the world have failed, and revolutions have succeeded. Those who have committed grave international crimes must be held accountable, not offered more power, a seat at the table and legitimacy by the international community. This will only embolden them to continue to commit grave crimes with total impunity.
It has been over a decade since the military initiated their political process of power sharing. This consisted of unelected military officials holding 25% of the seats in parliament and control over key ministries that were integral to the governance of Myanmar, under a military-drafted 2008 Constitution that undemocratically ensured their place in the corridors of power.
They stole the wealth of the people of Myanmar for decades during the military dictatorship and throughout the military orchestrated political process of the past decade. They exploited natural resources, while continuing to commit war crimes against people who live in resource-rich ethnic areas.
For over 70 years the military has waged a fierce war against ethnic peoples, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. While sharing limited power with the National League for Democracy, they committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against ethnic people and genocide against the Rohingya.
The Special Envoy should advise the UN Security Council to immediately refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court so that these grave crimes committed by the Myanmar military can be investigated and prosecuted. Offering them a seat at the negotiating table is not in accordance with the “will and interests of the people of Myanmar” as adopted in resolutions at the UN General Assembly.
The Special Envoy’s misinterpretation that “the military is in control” could not be farther from the truth. Over the past year, Myanmar people’s revolutionary movement has successfully prevented the military from grabbing power over the country, despite all its brutal efforts. The military are, however, conducting fierce airstrikes in ethnic areas where they are losing territorial control; shooting and shelling people forcing them to flee across the border into neighboring countries, threatening international peace and security; burning bodies including children and staff of international organizations in an attempt to instill terror. These are not acts of a military who are in control.
International experts on Myanmar have previously stated in response to UN officials inaccurately suggesting that military has “taken over” or that it has an “iron grip on power”, that “Misinterpretation leads to misrepresentation, misrepresentation leads to misunderstanding, and misunderstanding leads to mistakes”. We could not agree more.
Such mistakes have been a persistent problem for the UN in Myanmar as outlined in the Rosenthal report, which found that systemic and structural failures rendered the UN impotent in the face of the Rohingya genocide. The UN must not make the same mistakes, and once again, fail the people of Myanmar.
If the Special Envoy is genuinely committed to a “Myanmar-led process” and engaging “directly with and listen carefully to all those affected by the ongoing crisis”, she must understand the root causes of the current crisis and genuinely listen to the calls of the people of Myanmar. Their calls have been clear. The military must never rule.
The UN Special Envoy and other mandate holders, as well as UN agencies, funds programs and entities, must support the calls of the people of Myanmar and their efforts towards a future federal democratic Myanmar. They must respect their will and work to ensure that the military is never again allowed to have power.
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Child shot dead as police open fire on Myitkyina neighbourhood following explosion
/in OthersA seven-year-old boy is killed in his home by indiscriminate shooting in the Kachin State capital following an explosion at a police battalion
A seven-year-old boy in Myitkyina, Kachin State, was killed by a stray bullet after junta troops opened fire in his neighbourhood in response to an explosion at a nearby police battalion on Tuesday, a source close to the victim’s family said.
The blast occurred outside the base of Police Battalion 30, located between Lel Kone and Kyun Pin Thar wards, at around 6am. Officers in the base responded by shooting indiscriminately on foot throughout the area, as well as from a car along Kyun Pin Thar St.
One of the shots hit Bhone Khant Htae—also known as Mohammad Saiful Alam—who was playing video games with his brother at home in Kyun Pin Thar ward next to the battalion.
“The child fell facedown but his brother thought he was ducking because he was scared [of the noise],” the family friend said. “They only found out he had been shot when blood started to come out of his chest and mouth after the gunshots stopped.”
At around 8am, members of the military came to collect the child’s body, but returned him to his family at around 11am. Junta medical records showed that the bullet went through Bhone Khant Htae’s chest and left arm and exited the body, according to the friend.
A funeral for the boy was held later that day.
Tuesday also marked one year since the military coup in Myanmar, with locals reporting that Myitkyina was largely quiet that day, in coordination with the “silent strike” organised by the resistance movement. Streets in Kyun Pin Thar remained deserted following the explosion and the subsequent gunfire
Locals in the area said that Police Battalion 30 was responsible for using flash grenades during a major crackdown on anti-junta protests in April of last year, and had opened fire indiscriminately into Kyun Pin Thar ward.
Explosions have been occurring around Myitkyina since late January, including at a traffic police outpost, a cable box for military telecoms provider MPT, and an office and telecommunications tower belonging to Mytel, which is partially owned by the military.
While resistance forces have been using explosives to target junta infrastructure and posts nationwide, no group had claimed responsibility for the bomb attacks at the time of reporting.
Myanmar Now News
Weekly Update Human Rights Situation in Myanmar: Post-Coup (24 January – 30 January )2022
/in OthersAhead of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting with a minister from Cambodia (the current Association of Southeast Asian Nations Chair) and the UN special envoy for Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer, over 280 organizations including ND-Burma and several member organizations, called for the UNSC to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation and take urgent steps to protect civilian during this time of crisis. Human Rights Watch also called on the UNSC to ‘abandon their timid approach to their Myanmar military’s mounting atrocities and replace mealy-mouthed statements with tough action.’ These are all reasonable requests with overwhelming evidence of the junta’s crimes against humanity and war crimes which warrant immediate action.
As of 31 December 2020, there were 980 000 refugees and asylum-seekers from Myanmar in neighbouring countries. Between January 2020 and December 2021, over 775 000 people were internally displaced within Myanmar. This significant growth in displacement speaks to the harrowing violence being deployed by state-backed forces. The Myanmar Army is acting with lawlessness emboldened by impunity due to the lack of consequences they have faced. However, it cannot be denied that their onslaught of grave atrocities has not forced civilians to submit to their dictatorship and authoritarianism. By the regime’s own account – they are failing in their offensives and the growing number of Tatmadaw defections speaks to fragments within the junta itself.
The families and friends of two volunteer Kachin teachers who were killed seven years ago by the military junta are still waiting for justice. Maran Lu Ra and Tangbau Hkawn Nan Tsin were volunteering with the Kachin Baptist Convention when they were raped and stabbed to death in January 2015. The Myanmar Army destroyed evidence of their crime and there has yet to be any accountability for the young women. Since their death, dozens of civilians in Kachin State have been killed by the military junta, especially since the attempted coup. The sense of solidarity across Kachin State is strong with commitments to ‘defeat the military dictatorship.’
KAREN STATE
Fighting in Karen State has forced thousands of people to flee. The Myanmar junta is planning to further increase their offensives against Karen armed opposition groups, making the situation for internally displaced people even more uncertain. Thailand’s Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, told the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Burma, Noeleen Heyzer, on January 17, 2022 that displaced villagers would not be pushed back. However, in stark contrast to these comments, there are reports that displaced people are being pressured by Thai authorities to return to Karen State. This is increasingly worrisome as fighting in Lay Kay Kaw has taken place steadily for about one month. The one peaceful town has now become a battlefield. Reassurances for safety for those who have returned have not been fulfilled. On 3 January, artillery shelling killed a woman and injured three others who returned to Palu Lay village. IDPs are in desperate need of medicine, food and adequate shelter. Karen civil society organizations have largely filled the gaps in the provision of these materials but more support is needed.
On 27 January, the Karen Human Rights Group reported that a landmine planted by LIB #285 at K’Wer Village, Lermulah Township killed a mother and her six year old son.
KAYAH (KARENNI) STATE
Civilians in Kayah (Karenni) State have been deprived of their humanity as unrelenting fighting makes the future more uncertain for civilians. The crimes perpetrated in Kayah (Karenni) State have devastated livelihoods. Details of the Christmas Eve massacre in particular in which the junta burned alive several dozen civilians attempting to flee violence continue to emerge. The victims included 26 males and five females. Family members have recounted endless calls that went unanswered to the victims because they were caught in the junta’s merciless attack.
Ethnic Revolution Organizations are among those who have called on the international community and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for a no-fly zone against the military junta, and to take greater steps to ensure civilian safety zones. This includes the Karenni National Progressive Party. Civilians have been targeted at IDP camps, as was the case when three people were killed and seven injured during an airstrike by the junta launched at a refugee camp in eastern Kayah (Karenni) State. Karenni police officers have also called for the dictatorship to be dismantled and have demanded justice for victims by ensuring the regime is put on trial at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Worse yet – the bodies of six people, including women and children, were found mutilated in a septic well. The victims include three 17 year old boys and a 16 year old boy. A 63 old woman was also found with her 23 year son with evidence of torture on their bodies including bullet and stab wounds.
Villagers Found Slain After Myanmar Junta Raids
/in NewsAt least 23 civilians were killed in junta raids since early January in Loikaw Township, Kayah State, according to a humanitarian group.
Loikaw, the state capital, is largely deserted because of junta airstrikes in early January after clashes broke out between Myanmar’s regime and resistance groups.
On Friday six civilians killed during junta raids were found in Yeyo village and one was found in Bado village.
The charred bodies of a mother and her son were found in Htungungantha village on Thursday, according to sources.
In Yeyo village, four of the six victims were teenagers dumped in a septic tank. Some of the victims’ hands were tied and they had been shot, according to villagers.
A member of the Karenni Democratic Front said: “They were trapped in the village when junta soldiers arrived. Some of them had their hands tied. We can confirm that they were unarmed civilians.”
The victim from Bado appeared to have been tortured in a bathroom, dragged to a pit and shot.
A resident said: “Junta troops on January 24-25 were talking about conducting clearance operations. We are afraid we will find many more bodies.”
Thousands have been displaced in Loikaw Township during January.
At least 23 bodies have been found in the township. “The bodies were badly disfigured. They were being eaten by dogs. They might have been killed four days ago,” said a charity worker.
The regime denied killing any civilians in Loikaw, saying its troops only shot back at “terrorists”. It said it used helicopters because resistance fighters were using civilians as human shields.
On January 16, regime aircraft attacked displacement camps in Hpruso and Demoso townships, killing three civilians including, a seven-year-old girl and three health workers.
“Junta troops are still deployed in Loikaw town. Many houses were damaged or burned by artillery strikes and air raids. They are targeting civilians,” said a KDF member.
More than 30 civilians were killed and burned in vehicles in Hpruso Township in December.
Irrawaddy News
Boy, 10, among four civilians killed by soldiers in Sagaing after resistance bomb attack
/in NewsThe boy was shot dead along with his uncle and brother
Soldiers shot and killed four civilians, including a 10-year-old boy, after their unit came under attack by explosives in Sagaing Region’s Ayadaw Township on Wednesday morning, locals have told Myanmar Now.
Resistance fighters from the Ayadaw Revolutionary Alliance detonated the bombs near Baw Kone village, damaging a military vehicle and injuring troops. Several soldiers then raided the village and shot at people.
They killed an uncle and his two nephews, one of whom was the 10-year-old, as they were working on their farm, and also shot a man in the head while he was riding his bicycle, the local said.
“They were digging a well and planting onions in the farm when the soldiers shot and killed them,” said the local of the three family members.
“Maybe they were killed because they didn’t answer to the military when they were asked about the perpetrators of the bomb attack, or maybe the military wanted to scare the other villagers,” he said.
The 10-year-old was identified as Phyo Wai Soe, a sixth grader. His brother, Wai Lin Aung, was 24, and their uncle, San Lin, was 30. The man killed on his bicycle was Pho Htwe, who was 60 and the father of the village’s head monk.
The soldiers also torched huts on farmland in Baw Kone and arrested three villagers, another local said. Two of those arrested, both women, were released later in the evening with bruises on their faces.
“They said they were beaten and were told that the village would be burned to ashes if the military was attacked with explosives again,” said the second local.
The third detainee was a 20-year-old man and had not been released as of Thursday evening.
The bodies of the uncle and his two nephews were buried at the Baw Kone village cemetery at around 5pm on Wednesday and Pho Htwe was cremated.
“They were killed because they didn’t run as they thought it had nothing to do with them. It’s really sad,” a third Ayadaw local said. “Civilians should stay away from the sites of explosive attacks and from the military and try to get up-to-date news.”
Locals say that junta troops are stationed about a mile away from Baw Kone at the Naing Gyi Aing police station and have been burning houses and robbing and killing civilians in the surrounding area, as well as using civilians as human shields.
Junta officials did not answer calls seeking comment.
Ayadaw_2.Jpg
On Tuesday the Ayadaw Revolutionary Alliance killed four family members aged between 17 and 30 who they said had helped the military to identify areas where resistance fighters had planted explosives.
An officer from the Ayadaw Revolutionary Alliance identified those killed as Gatone Lay, 30, Mar Mar Khine, 25, Zin Mar So, 19, and Kyaw Min Khant, 17, and said they were all residents of Kan Phyu village.
“The minefield was raided three times and several people saw them arriving together with the junta’s forces while the resistance forces were setting up explosive devices. They were only killed after such incidents took place three times,” the officer said.
Ayadaw Township is a stronghold of anti-junta activity and still sees regular protests in rural areas against the coup.
On January 17, resistance fighters attacked a military vehicle with explosives near a village in Mandalay Region. Soldiers responded by killing two civilians, including an eight-year-old child.
Myanmar Now News
Human Rights Situation in Myanmar : Post-Coup (January 17-23)2022
/in HR SituationThe cracks in the military junta are showing. In addition to heavy casualties, the regime is struggling to maintain recruits. The Myanmar Army has less support now than ever as an unstoppable Spring Revolution topples the regime’s incessant claims for legitimacy.
Junta casualties continue to mount as the regime sends more reinforcements while expanding their recruitment tactics, which now include the wives of mid-ranking soldiers and compulsory military training for the children of soldiers who are over the age of 15. This is in violation of laws which strictly prohibit the use of children in combat. As the junta continues to engage in unlawful practices, soldiers are continuing to defect at an unprecedented rate. To counter this, the junta has even attempted to coax some retired soldiers out of retirement to battle the resistance movement. Over 8000 soldiers and policemen have joined the civil disobedience movement, and an estimated 2000 soldiers have defected with many more considering leaving the regime. The NUG has offered protection to those who do so. According to the National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG), 160 soldiers were killed within the first month of January 2022.
The ongoing airstrikes by the Myanmar junta are also a sign of the Tatmadaw losing the fight between them and the people as experts speculate that the reliance on air attacks is a sign of weakness. Even so, it is the regime’s ruthless targeting of innocent civilians which has created a refugee crisis as people flee to various borders and neighboring townships seeking safety. During a meeting over the last week, Noeleen Heyzer, the U.N. secretary-general’s special envoy on Myanmar, called on Thailand to take a more proactive role in responding to the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. There are now over 3 million people in need inside the country, who have been vehemently deprived of their basic rights to protection and survival. The majority of those who require support continue to be women, children and the elderly.
As the international community bides its time waiting to respond, the people on the ground are suffering. The junta is still evading wide-spread accountability and as a result, they have failed to halt any of their offensives. Rather, they are committed to expanding their forces to squander the resistance at all costs. The leaders of the world must act with intention and urgency. The many victims and families of the junta’s crimes deserve justice and to be heard.
In Chin State, the resistance and opposition to the military junta remains fierce. The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) says they have documented over 180 killings and unlawful deaths, in addition to the arrests of 892 Chin people by the military junta. The junta deployed airstrikes in civilian areas in northern Chin State after local armed forces attacked a military convoy carrying over 150 soldiers near Hiangzing village.
Horrifying evidence of crimes committed against civilians continues to emerge. Of the ten civilians abducted by the junta in Matupi Township, Chin State, all were found with signs of severe torture before they were killed. Among the victims was a 13 year old boy who had his throat slashed. CHRO has said those responsible are from infantry battalion 140 based in Matupi.
The steady increase in fighting has forced opposition groups to prepare for an even worse onslaught of violence. A spokesperson for the Chin National Front said more operations are ‘likely to be carried out in the northern and southern parts of the State.’
KAREN STATE
Refugees and IDPs from Karen State are continuing to flee violence perpetrated by the military junta. Almost 50 000 IDPs who had been forced to leave their homes over the last month are seeking refuge from the onslaught of offensives that they continue to be berated with. In territory controlled by the Karen National Union, there has been an increase in IDPs who are seeking safety and shelter in nearby villages. Karen civil society organizations alongside local communities are urgently trying to respond to emergency needs including shelter, food and basic hygiene items.
Along the border, there are between 3000 and 5000 refugees. Many of those displaced include women, children and the elderly who require medicine in addition to food and clean drinking water. The junta is continuing their onslaught of violence through air and ground strikes not only against Karen armed groups but also against innocent civilians in refugee camps – as was the case on January 13 when the regime launched an airstrike on a Democratic Karen Buddhist Army base where many IDPs had fled.
KAYAH (KARENNI) STATE
No one appears to be safe from the military junta’s violence. In Kayah (Karenni) State, civilians were urged by the Karenni State Consultative Council (KSCC) to build bomb shelters for their own protection. The announcement came after two IDP camps were bombed with aerial strikes which killed six people on 17 January. Three medical volunteers were also killed in airstrikes in Nann Mal Khon village the day before on 16 January, in yet another incident where civilians have been directly targeted. The KSCC said, “the regime is clearly murdering both innocent civilians and resistance fighters without any discrimination. [They] are committing genocide and it will potentially increase in ferocity.”
According to the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, between 7 and 17 January 2022, the junta deployed at least eight airstrikes in the State.