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
- Open letter: Special Envoy’s conflicts of interest signal urgent need for investigation and complete end of mandate
- Myanmar children, monks among dozens killed in heavy airstrikes
- UN chief: Discussing humanitarian aid corridor from Bangladesh to Myanmar
- Rodrigo Roa Duterte makes first appearance before the ICC: confirmation of charges hearing scheduled for 23 September 2025
- Myanmar junta troops massacre 11 villagers, most too old to flee, residents say
Open letter: Special Envoy’s conflicts of interest signal urgent need for investigation and complete end of mandate
/in Press Releases and StatementsTo:
United Nations Secretary-General
United Nations General Assembly
Open letter: Special Envoy’s conflicts of interest signal urgent need for investigation and complete end of mandate
17 March 2025
We—the undersigned 290 Myanmar, regional, and international civil society organizations—call on United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to urgently open an investigation into conflicts of interest over the business activities of UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar Julie Bishop and make the findings public. We also call on the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to immediately end the mandate of the Special Envoy, and on the Secretary-General to assume a leadership role in addressing the crisis in Myanmar directly.
We are alarmed by the Special Envoy’s business activities and connections to the mining industry and Chinese state-owned companies with possible or confirmed commercial interests in Myanmar, including Shenghe Resources and China Communications Construction Company. Her involvement with Chinese state-owned companies raises serious concerns about the impartiality and independence required to engage with China as the Special Envoy on Myanmar. Such conflicts of interest actively endanger the human rights of the Myanmar people as China remains a top source of military support and false legitimacy for the illegal military junta. The Chinese government is evidently aiding and abetting the junta’s ongoing crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Myanmar people.
The UN’s response thus far is wholly unacceptable. As the appointing authority, the UN Secretary-General bears a significant responsibility to the people of Myanmar to ensure the integrity and impartiality of the Special Envoy. That the UN would allow the Special Envoy tasked with addressing the Myanmar crisis to continue given such blatant commercial interests that jeopardize the lives of the people of Myanmar, is unconscionable.
The Special Envoy’s conflicts of interest are the latest reminder that the UN’s decades of peace-brokering attempts through special envoys and “dialogues” have produced absolutely no meaningful, positive change for the people of Myanmar. Instead, this ongoing approach continues to embolden the junta to commit atrocity crimes with complete impunity and harm the people of Myanmar. Given the outdated and ineffectual mandate, civil society organizations have previously called for the UN to abolish the position. The UN must transform its destructive approach into principled, ethical, and concerted efforts that fully respect the human rights of the Myanmar people and support their collective will to dismantle military tyranny.
This moment must finally mark the end of the UN’s relegation of responsibility on the crisis in Myanmar. We urge the UNGA to immediately revoke the mandate of the Special Envoy, particularly given the current Special Envoy’s conflicts of interest that jeopardize the lives of the Myanmar people.
We call on the Secretary-General to immediately open an investigation regarding these conflicts of interest and publish the findings. The Secretary-General must urgently take the lead to end the military junta’s terror campaign, ensure accountability for the perpetrators under international law, and robustly support the Myanmar people’s revolution to build sustainable peace and an inclusive federal democracy.
For more information, please contact:
Signed by 290 civil society organizations, including 41 organizations that have chosen not to disclose their names:
Myanmar children, monks among dozens killed in heavy airstrikes
/in NewsAttacks in Shan state and Mandalay region aimed at civilians, rebels say.
Myanmar’s military killed 40 civilians, including Buddhist monks and children, in airstrikes in northern Myanmar as it tries to pound its enemies into submission, insurgents told Radio Free Asia on Monday.
Myanmar’s rising toll of civilian casualties comes as a humanitarian crisis is looming and a major food aid agency announced it will have to cut support because of a funding shortfall.
Myanmar has been engulfed by conflict since the military overthrew an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, with thousands of civilians killed, villages razed and some 3.5 million people displaced by war and natural disasters.
Forced onto the defensive by unprecedented opposition from young people from the majority Barmar community teaming up with ethnic minority insurgents, the military has increasingly turned to its air force to unleash devastation, often on civilian areas, rights groups and insurgents say.
“We can say they are purposefully attacking civilians,” said Lway Yay Oo, spokesperson for the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, an ethnic minority insurgent force in Shan state, which is on the border with China.
Junta airstrikes on the Sein Yadanar monastery in Shan state’s Nawnghkio town on Sunday, killed 13 civilians, including six monks, four of them young novices, said Lway Yay Oo.
Seventeen people were wounded in the air attack, 13 of them monks, she said, adding that the military was trying to force the TNLA back into peace talks that China, with extensive economic interests in Myanmar, is trying to broker.
The Myanmar army has a long record of trying to overcome insurgencies by undermining their civilian support, often by attacking villagers, rights investigators say.
Lway Yay Oo said there was no question the military was targeting civilians.
“They’re deliberately attacking religious buildings in Nawnghkio and they also bombed the hospital …. We’ve also seen that they’re burning and destroying homes.”
The spokesperson did not say anything about prospects for talks with the military, which is keen to roll back insurgent gains over the past year as it prepares for an election, due by January, which it hopes will bolster its legitimacy at home and abroad.
Myanmar’s military rarely releases information about the fighting, which has erupted in almost all corners of the country, and attempts by RFA to reach the junta spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, by telephone were not successful.
Blood on road to Mandalay
On Friday, a junta air attack on Let Pan Hla village, on a main road 70 kilometers (45 miles) north of Mandalay city, killed up to 27 people, according to a spokesperson for a pro-democracy insurgent force operating in the area.
“They attacked for no reason and deliberately targeted the public. They were targeting customers and vendors in a busy street near the village market,” said Mandalay People’s Defense Force spokesperson, who goes by the one name Osman.
The People’s Defense Force, or PDF, captured the area in July and junta forces have been on the attack ever since, he said.
The PDF commander, Soe Thu Yazaw, said in a social media post that six children were among the dead and many people were wounded.
“The bombing targeted people going about their daily activities at the market, so the number of injured is also high,” he said. “Long distance buses often stop in Let Pan Hla for food and a break, so it’s busy.”
The death and destruction from the fighting is compounding a dire humanitarian outlook in a country where the U.N. says a “staggering” 15.2 million people are unable to meet their minimum daily food needs and some 2.3 million people are facing emergency levels of hunger.
The U.N. food agency has warned that more than one million people will be cut off from its food assistance from April due to critical funding shortfalls.
“The impending cuts will have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable communities across the country, many of whom depend entirely on WFP’s support to survive,” Michael Dunford, representative and country director of the World Food Programme, said in a statement.
Internally displaced people in Rakhine state, where fighting has been particularly heavy, would be hard hit, the WFP said.
Aid agencies helping in Myanmar have been under pressure since a January order by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to freeze all global aid until a review was completed.
RFA News
UN chief: Discussing humanitarian aid corridor from Bangladesh to Myanmar
/in NewsAmid fighting in Rakhine state, immediate ‘dignified return’ for refugees is difficult, he says.
DHAKA, Bangladesh — The United Nations is discussing the possibility of a humanitarian aid corridor to Myanmar from Bangladesh in an effort to create equitable conditions for Rohingya refugees to eventually return, the U.N. chief said in Dhaka on Saturday.
However, the Rohingya refugees sheltering in Bangladesh could not make and immediate, “dignified return to their homeland in Myanmar’s Rakhine state amid the continued fighting there, added U.N. Secretary General António Guterres at a media briefing.
“We need to intensify the humanitarian aid inside Myanmar to create a condition for that return to be successful,” Guterres said on the penultimate day of his four-day visit to Bangladesh.
Setting up a humanitarian aid channel “is obviously a matter that would require authorization and cooperation,” he said without further specifying.
Humanitarian corridors are designated and secure routes that allow for the safe passage of humanitarian relief, according to Southeast Asian NGO Fortify Rights.
The NGO said this week that the Bangladesh government and the rebel Arakan Army comprising ethnic Rakhine should immediately facilitate humanitarian aid and cross-border trade to reach war-affected civilians the state.
“The crisis in Myanmar demands urgent global attention and action,” said Ejaz Min Khant in a statement Wednesday.
“A humanitarian corridor between Myanmar and Bangladesh would be a lifeline for civilians impacted by the conflict.”
The statement said Bangladesh should also lift restrictions on border trade with Myanmar “to help ease access to basic commodities for civilians in Rakhine state.”
The NGO noted that Bangladesh’s interim leader, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus had said in an interview aired earlier this month on Sky News that his government was in ongoing negotiations with the Arakan Army to create a “safe zone” for Rohingya refugees to return to Rakhine.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain, who also spoke at the joint media briefing, said the establishment of a humanitarian channel was not discussed with the U.N. chief during his visit.
“This is much more of an operational matter, which we will of course deal [on] with the local offices of the U.N.,” Hossain said.
Nearly a million Rohingya, a persecuted minority Muslim community in Myanmar, live in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh.
Almost 800,000 of them crossed into neighboring Bangladesh to flee a deadly Myanmar military crackdown in 2017.
Their return to Rakhine has been prolonged after civil war broke out in Myanmar following the military coup of February 2021.
U.N. human rights experts had said on Thursday that the Myanmar junta had not been allowing in relief supplies, with the situation “particularly critical in Rakhine,” which is home to the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities.
Rakhine State was “on the brink of famine,” with two million people at risk of starvation, the statement added citing another U.N. agency.
Meanwhile, heavy fighting continues in Rakhine between the Myanmar military and the rebel Arakan Army, Guterres said on Saturday.
“There is a consensus that it would be extremely difficult in such a situation for an immediate and dignified return of the Rohingya,” he told the mrdia in Dhaka on Saturday.
Guterres further noted that in the past, the relationship between the ethnic Rakhine and the Rohingya has not been an easy one.
“So I think it is important to engage with the Arakan Army in order for ensure full respect of the rights of the Rohingya population in Rakhine,” the U.N. chief said.
The Arakan Army founded in 2009 is fighting to “liberate” Rakhine towards its goal of self-determination. It has made significant gains over the past year to root out the military and now controls a majority of Rakhine’s townships, reported radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews.
Comprising mainly Rakhine Buddhists, the Arakan Army claimed it respects the rights of Rohingya. But experts have said there was plenty of evidence that the Arakan Army carried out mass arson attacks on Rohingya villages in May and August last year.
Guterres again made an impassioned plea to donor nations for more humanitarian aid for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, whose food ration is set to be cut by more than half starting next month due to a funds shortage.
“With the announced cuts in financial assistance, we are facing the dramatic risk of having only 40% in 2025 of the resources available for humanitarian aid in 2024,” he said.
“This would have terrible consequences starting with the drastic reduction of food rations. That would be an unmitigated disaster. People will suffer and people will die.”
He said that by offering the Rohingya refuge, Bangladesh had shown its humanitarian spirit.
“By offering Rohingya refugees sanctuary, Bangladesh has demonstrated solidarity and human dignity, often at significant social, environmental and economic cost,” he said.
“The world must not take this generosity for granted.”
RFA News
Rodrigo Roa Duterte makes first appearance before the ICC: confirmation of charges hearing scheduled for 23 September 2025
/in NewsToday, 14 March 2025, Rodrigo Roa Duterte (“Mr Duterte”) appeared before Pre-Trial Chamber I (“the Chamber”) of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”). Mr Duterte is suspected of the crime against humanity of murder, allegedly committed in the Republic of the Philippines (“the Philippines”) between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019.
The Chamber verified the identity of the suspect and ensured that he was clearly informed of the crimes he is alleged to have committed and of his rights under the Rome Statute of the ICC in a language he fully understands and speaks.
Mr Duterte participated in the hearing via video link from the ICC Detention Centre, as authorised by the Chamber. The hearing was held in the presence of the ICC Prosecutor and the Defence. Mr Duterte was represented during the hearing by Mr Salvador C. Medialdea, and assisted by the Office of Public Counsel for the Defence.
The Chamber provisionally scheduled the confirmation of charges hearing to begin on 23 September 2025. The purpose of the confirmation of charges procedure is to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that the person committed the crimes he or she is suspected of. If the charges are confirmed, totally or partly, the case will be transferred to a Trial Chamber, which will conduct the subsequent phase of the proceedings: the trial.
Image
Judges of Pre-Trial Chamber I during the initial appearance of Rodrigo Roa Duterte on 14 March 2025 ©ICC-CPI
Background: On 10 February 2025, the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC applied for an arrest warrant against Mr Duterte for the crimes against humanity of murder, torture and rape. The Chamber assessed the material submitted by the Prosecution and found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Duterte is individually responsible as an indirect co-perpetrator for the crime against humanity of murder, allegedly committed in the Philippines between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019.
The warrant of arrest against Mr Duterte was issued by the Chamber as “Secret” on 7 March 2025 and reclassified as “Public” on 11 March 2025. On 12 March 2025, Mr Duterte was surrendered to the International Criminal Court after being arrested by the authorities of the Republic of the Philippines in accordance with the warrant of arrest. He is currently in ICC custody.
The Philippines, an ICC State Party since 1 November 2011, deposited a written notification of withdrawal from the Statute on 17 March 2018. Under article 127 of the Statute, that withdrawal took effect on 17 March 2019. Nevertheless, the ICC retains jurisdiction over crimes allegedly committed in the Philippines while the country was a State Party to the Statute.
Warrant of Arrest for Mr Rodrigo Roa Duterte
More information on this case
Photographs of the hearing
Audio-visual materials:
Questions and Answers on the Initial appearance: English; French
ICC
Myanmar junta troops massacre 11 villagers, most too old to flee, residents say
/in NewsThe violence inflicted for years in minority areas comes to the central heartland.
Updated on March 10, 2025 at 1:39 p.m. ET
Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese.
Myanmar soldiers on a sweep through a central village known for its support of anti-junta forces killed 11 civilians, most of them too old to flee, residents of the area who saw the bodies told Radio Free Asia on Monday.
The Myanmar military has had an appalling human rights record for decades in its wars against ethnic minority guerrillas in remote frontier regions, independent investigators have said.
But violence over the past couple of years has been particularly brutal in central areas dominated by members of the majority Barmar community who, since a popular government was overthrown in a coup in 2021, have for the first time risen up in opposition to military rule.
All of those killed in Magway region’s Myay Sun Taw village were elderly apart from two, residents said.
“My father was left behind and didn’t escape the village. He’s elderly, so he’s attached to his home and didn’t run away. We were urging and calling for him but he didn’t follow us,” said the son of one of the victims.
“As far as I know, he was shot in the head. I feel devastated. This is my village, my people and my parents,” said the son, who declined to be identified for safety reasons.
Soldiers from the 101st Infantry Division Headquarters and three other battalions were involved in the sweep through the region that began on March 2, villagers said.
There was no battle to explain the soldiers’ actions as they raided the village, though the area is known to support pro-democracy fighters in paramilitary groups called People’s Defense Forces that have sprung up across the country since the coup, especially in the central Magway and Sagaing regions, residents said.
“They were all just civilians,” said one witness of the aftermath of the raid.
RFA called the junta’s spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, to ask about the incident but he did not respond by the time of publication.
Residents identified the victims as a man in his 70s named Han Tin, a man in his 60s named Htay Myint, 88-year-old woman Than Ma Ni, 60-year old woman Than Pyae, 86-year-old woman Hla Ngwe, 67-year old man Kyi Htay, 69-year old man Aung Myaing, 35-year old man Thant Zin, 40-year-old man Aung Lin Naing, 70-year-old man Nyunt Wai, and 50-year-old man San Win.
Their bodies were discovered as villagers returned to the area on March 5 and 7, said a resident of Myay Sun Taw, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
Soldiers also burned down nearby Thar Gaung and Za Yat Ni villages, destroying about 600 homes and forcing some 10,000 people to flee.
Nway Oo, an official with the anti-junta Civil Defense and Security Organization of Myaung township, where the villages are located, told RFA that the military remains in Thar Gaung after suffering “heavy losses” when troops attempted to move into the town center.
“Now they are waiting for reinforcements,” he said, adding that “at least seven or eight soldiers were killed before the column retreated.
A representative of the anti-junta Yesagyo Township Information Committee, who also declined to be identified in fear of reprisals, noted that the military has “launched a lot of offensives in this region.
“Most villages are carrying out actions with armed groups to protect themselves,” he said. “The people killed in Myay Sun Taw were elderly and innocent. The military is malicious and extremely cruel.”
Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by RFA Staff.
RFA News
On International Women’s Day, the Network for Human RightsDocumentation – Burma Calls for the Recognition of Women’s Contributions to the Pro-Democracy Movement
/in Press Releases and StatementsOn International Women’s Day, the Network for Human Rights
Documentation – Burma Calls for the Recognition of Women’s Contributions to the Pro-Democracy Movement
8 March 2025
For Immediate Release
On International Women’s Day, the Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma (ND-Burma) calls for the international community to recognize the resilience of women in the country’s democratic movement and to honour their commitments. For decades, a culture steeped in patriarchy has discriminated against women. Yet, they have consistently sought to challenge misogyny and ensure their voices are heard. ND-Burma condemns all forms of violence against women and girls and urges their participation in these revolutionary times to be acknowledged and encouraged.
Since the attempted coup on 1 February 2021, women’s rights have been under increased attack. The junta has sought to aggressively silence the calls of women of all generations through physical and verbal threats. Women and young girls have been unjustly arrested, detained and even killed for their activism. Their consistent and unwavering courage is evidence of their refusal to stand down in the wake of the military’s brutality.
With millions forcibly displayed across Burma, women-led organizations, including several ND-Burma members, have filled critical gaps in providing life-saving humanitarian assistance and leading awareness-raising sessions. By sharing knowledge about women’s rights with conflict-affected communities, they are empowered through access to information.
With all forms of violence on the rise, women’s organizations have not only provided pathways to safety through safe houses and counselling but have also upheld the dignity of survivors. Moreover, communities across the country struggle with the lack of accessible health care and educational opportunities; nevertheless, women increasingly take on these roles as teachers, nurses, and doctors to ensure that children and those with illnesses still have access to necessary services.
Women human rights defenders have consistently demonstrated the skills, leadership, and competencies needed to be on the frontlines of Burma’s pursuit for a federal democracy. They’ve taken on various roles and transcended gender norms and expectations by joining the frontlines of the armed resistance movement as soldiers, medics, and fundraisers. Despite the immense risk to their safety, they have also used their platforms to call for accountability for the junta’s war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Further, ND-Burma calls upon all actors in the pro-democracy movement, including those involved in local governance and the National Unity Government, to recognize the pursuit for federalism and gender equality simultaneously. The international community must stand with women and advocate for protecting and promoting their rights and freedoms in Burma. In accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR), women must be involved in the future of Burma’s political landscape.
Women must be supported and fiercely encouraged as they continue to challenge the status quo.
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ND-Burma was formed in 2004 to facilitate collaboration among Burmese human rights organizations on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to use the truth about what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims.
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