It is no surprise to the people of Myanmar that the junta cannot be trusted. Decades of violence against civilians, perpetrated with impunity has denied many justice. Rights, freedoms and basic protections under the regime have entirely disappeared. While trying to pursue legitimacy nonetheless, the leaders of the attempted coup have failed tremendously. And yet, the international community and other stakeholders including regional actors have seemingly been complicit in their war path which has deprived civilians their right to life.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministerial meeting, which took place last week, did not include a representative from Myanmar after the junta was barred from attending. A ‘five-point consensus’ proposed to the junta last year, has failed to make even the slightest bit of progress. A peace process has not been facilitated, nor has any end of the fighting been alluded to. Thousands remain in military custody under the harshest of conditions, where in addition to falsified charges, they have been deprived of their basic human rights.

Talks at the ASEAN meeting included a discussion on how to resolve the worsening human rights crisis in Myanmar. ASEAN is divided on how to deal with the junta. Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia have been critical of the junta. Whereas, Thailand and Cambodia have failed to draw a hard line with the regime amid a series of excuses and citing the crisis as ‘an internal issue.’

ASEAN cannot be relied upon as a mediator in the crisis when the junta has so obviously proven that their lies are interwoven into excuses which are evident of a lack of accountability and regard for critics. They have no moral compass and cannot be trusted.

In Mingin Township, Sagaing region, the bodies of four civilians were found deceased with evidence of serious trauma to their bodies. One of the bodies was discovered badly burned and reduced to ashes. The discovery of the villagers came after the regime had set hundreds of homes on fire in Mote Thar and Mauk Tet. Only a few homes have been left standing as the numbers of displacement continue to rise.

According to Myanmar Now, those killed were Naing Soe Lin, a 21-year-old vegetable seller, and three volunteer village guards named Kaung Min San, 18, Than Min Soe, 24, and Naing Zaw, 28. The victims had families and were denied not only protection and their rights, but also a proper burial. The wife of Naing Soe Lin is also missing.

The increase of force and airstrikes comes as the junta is losing their offensives across the country. In January 2022, nearly forty civilians were forced to guide junta soldiers as human shields, including women and children.

SHAN STATE

The latest documentation by the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) found harrowing evidence of further crimes against humanity perpetrated against innocent civilians. A 44 year old farmer, who had been displaced, was tortured to death in Kyaukme township, northern Shan State. Military intelligence officers arrived at his home and violently forced their way into his home where they searched for drugs. When their search failed to render the results they were after, the farmer, Sai Tun Win, was beaten on his body and head. His family members were also assaulted by the soldiers and robbed of their possessions, including 30 000 Myanmar Kyat.

Sai Tun Win was forced to accompany the soldiers where he was found at a hospital with wounds to his head and mouth, and a remaining handcuff on his left hand. The regime called the whole thing a ‘misunderstanding’ and refused to pay the devastated family any compensation. Just one week before, SHRF reported on the case of a villager who was killed in a violent hit and run by the junta in Mong Hsu, southern township and no compensation was provided, nor justice for the family was granted in further incidents of human rights violations perpetrated against innocent civilians.

Villagers in northern Shan State were also forced to flee airstrikes perpetrated by the military junta. The majority of those who fled were women and children.

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In July 2021, one of Myanmar’s major telecom operators and second largest telecom businesses, Telenor Group, announced they were leaving Myanmar. The decision came approximately six months after the junta had launched their failed coup.  In addition to leaving Myanmar, Telenor sold the entire company to M1 Group, a Lebanese investment group. The military junta reportedly rejected this sale, and privately approved a partnership with M1 Group and a military linked business called Shwe Byain Phyu Group.

In the months that have passed since, mounting fears have arisen over the safety and security of Telenor’s 18 million customers. Telenor’s departure could put thousands in danger with the threat of data getting in the hands of the junta. A petition was widely circulated which called for Telenor Group  and the Norwegian Government to immediately halt the sale of the company. Additional concerns included the proceeds earned which will only support the regime and embolden them to continue their assaults on the civilian population.

The failure of Telenor Group to comply in line with basic human rights standards led to the  Norwegian Forum for Development and Environment submitting a complaint against the leadership of Telenor to the police. A top judge is among those who have suggested that Telenor board members and Norwegian authorities may be ‘aiding and abetting crimes against humanity.’ Data must be safeguarded!

The junta’s voice does not represent the people of Myanmar. And yet, the International Institute of Communications, a group with a reputation for laundering for the Myanmar junta, invited the military’s telecom regulator to speak on a panel regarding citizen protection. Journalists were barred from the event in further evidence of a lack of transparency.

After over one year, the voices of the people in Myanmar are louder and more clear than ever. They are not to be represented by any member of the unlawful, terrorist junta.

Over 170 000 people have been displaced in Karenni (Kayah) State, with the military junta controlling less than 10 percent of the State as a result of sharp resistance by opposition forces. At least 120 000 are seeking shelter in buildings and forests throughout Karenni (Kayah) State. In a joint briefing paper released by the Karenni Human Rights Group and ND-Burma, The World Must Know,  it was concluded that despite repeated calls by civil society organizations and international bodies to the military junta to immediately cease their assaults on civilian lives, the atrocities are incessant.

Yet another Karenni (Kayah) IDP camp was struck by artillery firing by the military junta in Demawso Township. The attack led to one civilian injury, and several buildings being destroyed. Now, once again, the IDPs have been forced to flee amid mounting stress over the safety of designated camps. This comes as Internet and phone blackouts have been worsening in Karenni (Kayah) State. Communication blackouts have been intentionally imposed by the military junta to make it more difficult for civilians to access information on the situation and where to seek safety.

In January 2022 alone, at least 45 people were killed by indiscriminate firing by the military junta.

SAGAING REGION

Approximately forty civilians were killed in less than two weeks by the  junta in the conflict-torn Sagaing region. Those killed include women and children in four townships. Between January 28 and February 6 alone, over 38 villagers were killed during military raids. Amid an ongoing scorched earth campaign, 5000 more residents were forced to flee on 10 February following homes raided and burned down in four villages in Mingin and Taze townships. During the raid, almost all of the homes in Moktha Village (178 out of 200) were burned down.

On 4 February, bodies of elevan civilians were found after the junta deployed an airstrike on a PDF base during a graduation ceremony. The attack killed nearly two dozen civilians. The harsh conditions of the weather and unsettling fears of attacks has left civilians traumatized and have particularly made for additional hardships for the most vulnerable, including the elderly.