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
Junta troops hunt guerilla fighters in Hlaing Tharyar
/in NewsOne person has been injured in a shooting during raids across the township
Junta soldiers have been hunting guerilla forces in the industrial township of Hlaing Tharyar in recent weeks, arresting dozens and sending some members of the resistance into hiding.
The military has launched several raids on homes across the area targeting members of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) and the National League for Democracy (NLD).
Young people especially are being targeted, an NLD official who asked to remain anonymous told Myanmar Now.
“Some youths have been arrested just for being young, without even having any connection to the PDF,” said the official.
The military council said in a statement late last month that it had arrested 41 alleged PDF members and seized explosives in Yangon. They included 11 residents of Hlaing Tharyar.
The junta also arrested Myat Min Thu, an ousted MP representing Hlaing Tharyar, and Phyo Zaya Thaw, an ousted MP for Zabuthiri in Naypyitaw, accusing them of giving directions to the PDF members who were detained.
Zaw Naing Oo, from Htantapin, which neighbours Hlaung Tharyar, was arrested on August 9 on suspicion of being a PDF member. Since then numerous NLD members in Hlaing Tharyar, as well as people with connections to the party, have fled their homes.
“I think someone from Myat Min Thu’s circle betrayed the group,” said the NLD official.
Also among those arrested was the 19-year-old son of a restaurant owner, who was detained in late July and lived in Hlaing Tharyar’s ward 7.
In early August soldiers in ward 20 shot at two 20-year-old men, hitting and injuring one, before detaining them.
On August 9 there was another shooting on Myo Ma Nyein street when soldiers encountered a suspected PDF member. An elderly woman who heard the gunfire reportedly died of shock.
A witness said the woman was 80 years old. “The old lady who lived four houses from the scene where the soldiers were shooting died of shock after hearing three gunshots,” the witness said.
Thu Daw, the leader of the Civil Guerrilla Force of Hlaing Tharyar, told Myanmar Now on August 21 that the group was planning to increase anti-junta activities in the township. He advised residents of Yangon to learn first aid in preparation for fighting.
His group detonated bombs in the Hlaing Tharyar industrial zone in early August and another at a police station in the east of the township on August 30, he said.
The group planned to attack the administration office in Ward 16, as well as the Hlaing Tharyar fire station, but aborted because they feared they would hurt civilians nearby, he said, adding that he urged civilians to stay away from state buildings.
A journalist based in Hlaing Tharyar said soldiers were stationed in parts of the township. “They are in position holding guns and looking around carefully,” he said.
Hlaing Tharyar is being targeted heavily by the coup regime because it is a stronghold of resistance, said the NLD official.
“People with the spirit of revolution from all over the country are concentrated in Hlaing Tharyar,” he said. “Many of the youths here have connections with each other and most of them are dedicated to the revolution. Us seniors need to support this revolution led by the youth. That’s how we are going to win.”
Myanmar Now News
Entire Chin village flees as soldiers ransack houses, kill livestock and pets
/in NewsJunta troops also destroyed furniture and religious books at the local church in Taal
The entire population of a village in Chin State has fled after junta soldiers ransacked homes, killed animals, and destroyed valuables during two separate raids in July and August, locals told Myanmar Now.
About 90 soldiers entered Taal, which is about 12 miles from the town of Falam, on July 20. They stole or destroyed valuables in 21 of the village’s 36 houses and tossed people’s belongings, including religious books, out of windows and onto floors.
Taal’s population of around 160 people fled and hid in the surrounding forests and hills and returned later when the troops had left.
They were among around 800 in Falam Township who fled from four villages that day after fighting broke out between junta soldiers and the Chin National Defence Force.
In a second raid on August 9, about 150 junta troops entered Taal and ransacked the remaining houses. A priest from Taal told Myanmar Now that soldiers beat two villagers, destroyed more property, and killed pets and livestock during the second raid.
“When they came, all the villagers fled into the mountains and forests. They entered the village, ransacked the houses and killed all the poultry birds and pigs,” he said.
Sui Cung, 43, and Peter Van Thawng Hu, 22, were beaten by soldiers while they were on their way back to the village to retrieve some of their belongings.
“The injuries were not serious,” said the priest. “They kicked the villagers. Their eyes became red then they were released by the soldiers.”
The soldiers then spent five days in the largely Christian village, during which time they also ransacked the local church, destroying or damaging furniture and religious texts.
Taal’s residents have since stayed in hiding, with many sheltering in Falam. Some are suffering with Covid-19 symptoms.
“There are no soldiers in the village now but the houses and belongings were damaged and destroyed, so the villagers fled to Falam instead of going back,” said the priest, who is also taking shelter in Falam.
The Institute of Chin Affairs, a rights group, said soldiers had violated the Geneva Convention by destroying civilian property and stationing themselves in religious buildings and schools.
Villagers lost 380 chickens and eight pigs, as well as furniture, household appliances, and blankets, the institute said in a statement. The total losses were valued at almost 30m kyat, it added.
A junta spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
There have also been clashes recently between the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) and junta troops in Mindat, which is adjacent to Falam.
Myanmar Now News
Weekly Update on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar : Post-Coup (August 23-29) 2021
/in HR SituationIn the seven months which have passed since the junta seized power in an attempted and unlawful coup, the situation of human rights has continued to decline. Activists and journalists have been oppressed through violent tactics and arbitrary arrest. With over 1000 civilians killed by the junta’s murderous crackdowns, the military indeed has blood on their hands. Despite the harrowing number of civilian lives lost in conflict and while participating in anti-coup activities, the Myanmar junta has plans to deploy even more troops to ethnic areas including Karen, Kachin and Kayah States. The fighting will have devastating impacts on displaced communities who have already been forced to flee from their homelands routinely. According to the most recent humanitarian snapshot by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are 189,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Myanmar as of 16 August, due to armed conflict and unrest since the coup.
Amid the turmoil which continues to embody the state’s social and political space, the junta maintains their unjust rule is legal. Leaders of the National League for Democracy, including State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, remain in custody of the junta and are being denied access to their lawyers, with countless court dates postponed. Meanwhile, the same old tactics are ongoing when for example, a raid by the junta in Yangon resulted in over 30 young people being detained.
In a concerted effort by civil society to show solidarity in marking the four year anniversary of the Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day, 43 Myanmar organizations expressed their commitment to urging the full restoration of Rohingya rights. Pressure must remain on the international community to pursue legal courses of action against the junta through various international referral pathways. ND-Burma Coordinator, Ko Han Gyi, remarked: “The genocide committed against the Rohingya four years ago is consistent with the systemic and brutal violence that is a hallmark of the Myanmar military. The National Unity Government acknowledged the crimes against the Rohingya by using a statement expressing sadness at the ‘horrendous violence, gross human rights violations and massive displacement that the Rohingya people have suffered…’
Though the violence appears to be never-ending, Myanmar soldiers are defecting. At least 2000 soldiers and police have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement and related Spring Revolution activities. Police in Kayah State have also moved to strike with hundreds of officers. The Karenni State Police has over 300 who’ve defected from the junta’s Ministry of Home Affairs, with a spokesperson remarking: “As a long term vision, we aim to make it a model police force for others in the country.”
Conflict in Ethnic Areas
The Internet has been cut off in Hpakant Township, Kachin State by the Myanmar junta. The blocking of online services was met with confusion from locals who weren’t sure why it was shut off, or when it would resume. Civilians suspected that it was a sign of increasing military operations to come as an increased presence of soldiers has sparked fears in Kachin communities.
KAYAH STATE
According to the Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN), there are 120,449 internally displaced persons who have been impacted by the attacks by the Myanmar junta and the Karenni Army. Within that number, half (55,265) are in Demawso Township. Fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force specifically has displaced nearly 70% of Demawso’s 80,000 residents.
The KCSN Assistant Coordinator remarked: “As the Burma Army continues to conduct military operations in Karenni State, IDPs face many hardships. Some have to keep moving from place to place to escape the offensives.”
KAREN STATE
The Myanmar junta is increasing operations in Karen State. On 25 August, civilians became worried when the military aerially surveilled Hpapun District. A more robust set of militarized activities combined of junta troops and Border Guard Forces could displace hundreds more.
Fighting is spreading to various brigades controlled by the Karen National Liberation Army. A senior officer remarked that coup leaders are responding to a series of successful attacks by the People’s Defense Forces. The set retaliations by the junta will attempt to ‘wipeout’ PDFs in 6th and 7th Brigades. Calls for humanitarian aid in civilian areas are being amplified as military operations expect to displace more civilians.
MYANMAR CSOS CALL FOR THE FULL RESTORATION OF ROHINGYA’S RIGHTS AND AN END TO IMPUNITY OF THE MYANMAR MILITARY
/in Press Releases and Statements[25 August, 2021] 43 Myanmar civil society organizations (CSOs) have publicly pledged to seek justice for the Rohingya and to heal the wounds of long-running ethnic and religious persecution in Myanmar. The statement is being issued in remembrance of the Rohingya genocide and crimes against humanity that took place four years ago on 25 August, 2017.
“We stand in solidarity with the Rohingya and their immense struggles against oppression and discrimination, and call to fully restore their rights in Myanmar, for justice and accountability, and to end the impunity of the Myanmar military,” the groups said.
“Four years on, justice for the Rohingya remains shamefully elusive. Not a single individual who committed the heinous crimes against the Rohingya have been held to account,” said Khin Ohmar of Progressive Voice. “The same criminals who committed genocide are now carrying out a nationwide campaign of terror with total impunity. They must be stopped. We must face the grave injustices against the Rohingya head on and work to build an inclusive Myanmar that draws its strength from its diversity and solidarity for humanity rather than holding on to the status quo.”
This wave of genocidal violence in 2017 forcibly displaced over 800,000 Rohingya in Bangladesh that now host over 1.1 million refugees. The recent attempted coup has cast a dark shadow in their prospects for return. Conditions in Bangladesh continue to deteriorate as Rohingya refugees live in crowded, underfunded camps facing fires, flooding, the COVID-19 pandemic and relocation to the unsafe and unsuitable island of Bhashan Char.
“The last few months of the spring revolution have shown that women are at the forefront of ending patriarchy and the struggle for human rights and federal democracy,” said Naw Hser Hser of Women’s League of Burma. “It is vital that women of all parts of society, including Rohingya, are part of building a vibrant federal democratic union that celebrates its diversity and is free from misogynistic military rule. For this, Rohingya women must be represented in political processes.”
The joint statement calls on the NUG and the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) to use their power to repeal racist and xenophobic laws such as the 1982 Citizenship Law and the four “Race and Religion Protection Laws”. The four race and religion laws have also perpetuated gendered discrimination and violence, while subscribing to the misogynistic and patriarchal system fostered by decades of military rule.
“For decades, the most severe human rights violations and atrocity crimes committed by the Myanmar military have been documented by local and international human rights organizations,” said Ko Han Gyi of ND-Burma. “The genocide committed against the Rohingya four years ago is consistent with the systemic and brutal violence that is a hallmark of the Myanmar military. The international community must pursue all avenues possible to ensure justice and accountability for the countless victims and survivors of grave crimes and end their impunity.”
At the root of February’s attempted coup is the military’s total impunity. “The passivity, and in some cases total inaction by the international community, in particular ASEAN, to pursue justice and accountability has further emboldened the military in their continued use of atrocity crimes that they commit today. The military and the impunity they enjoy must be stopped,” said the groups.
The statement calls on the international community to immediately pursue justice and accountability for the grave crimes committed against the Rohingya, including by supporting the case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice, the case before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the court in Argentina that was filed on the basis of universal jurisdiction. It also urges the international community to pursue other avenues of accountability, including the possibility of establishing an ad-hoc tribunal or a UN Security Council referral of the situation in Myanmar to the ICC. In addition, it also urged the NUG to immediately ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC to ensure accountability for the crime of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Note to Editors:
– Ends –
For more information, please contact:
See the CSOs’ statement in English I Burmese.
Military arrests two more local journalists
/in NewsSithu Aung Myint (left) and his colleague Htet Htet Khine were arrested on 15 August, 2021. Photos: RSF/Twitter
Myanmar’s military government has arrested two more local journalists, army-owned television reported on Saturday, Reuters reported.
Sithu Aung Myint, a columnist for Frontier Myanmar and commentator with Voice of America radio, and Htet Htet Khine, a freelance producer for BBC Media Action, were arrested on Aug. 15, Myawaddy TV reported.
Sithu Aung Myint was charged with sedition and spreading false information that Myawaddy said was critical of the junta and had urged people to join strikes and back outlawed opposition groups.
Htet Htet Khine was accused of harbouring Sithu Aung Myint, a criminal suspect, and working for and supporting the National Unity Government.
Mizzima News
Weekly Update on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar Post-Coup (August 16-22)2021
/in HR SituationOver one thousand civilians have been killed by the Myanmar junta since their illegitimate seizure of power in a coup d’etat on 1 February. ND-Burma member, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners told the press: “As long as the military is in power, they will continue to kill youths, professionals like doctors and teachers, men, women and children.” Evidence of the junta’s crimes against humanity are mounting amid a pandemic which is claiming the lives of dozens every day. In an incident which put the ruthlessness of the regime on full display, drunk junta soldiers in Sagaing region indiscriminately fired at civilians, including shooting a young man at point-blank range in the head who died immediately.
Sagaing region has been targeted in a series of attacks by the Myanmar junta amid the steady rise in opposition forces seeking to undermine and dismantle the military. A joint briefer released by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, ND-Burma and Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica showed the extent of the junta’s brutal campaign against innocent civilians in late July in Kani township, Sagaing. The overview was inclusive of photographic evidence and produced in Burmese and English. The crimes documented are all in serious violation of international law. The findings, combined with those of many other civil society organizations before and after the coup, speak to the reality that despite claims which the Tatmadaw hinges their legitimacy on as the protector of the state – they are quite the contrary.
The junta is also doing everything they possibly can to target the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD). Nearly 100 NLD members have been arrested, while others have died from COVID-19 and related diseases in detention. The targeting of the opposition by the junta is literally taking lives.
Myanmar junta soldiers in the midst of the chaos and disregard for human life, are also defecting. According to reporting from Myanmar Now, approximately 1500 recruits have defected since the coup, with one captain stating: “If anyone who wanted to, could desert right now, there would only be the commander-in-chief and the flagpole left in the barracks.” Defected soldiers have expressed similar sentiments in the past as they urge soldiers to stand on the right side of history and align themselves with the people and pro-democracy movements. An additional 40 soldiers abandoned their posts with weapons in Tanintharyi and Magwe regions.
In Chin State, the Myanmar junta indiscriminately shot and fired at civilians. A woman outside her village was killed in the attack. According to the Chin National Organization, on the same day, soldiers shot a pregnant woman in her thigh. An elderly woman was also shot, and several other civilians were arbitrarily arrested.
KAYAH STATE
The Karenni Army and Karenni Nationalities Defense Force are clashing regularly with the junta forces in Hpruso Township, and Pekon Township in southern Shan. Most of those displaced are women and children – including one month old babies and pregnant women.
In the latest update by the Karenni Civil Society Network, 82 people in Kayah and Pekon Township (Shan) have been killed since the coup, 150 arrested and 106 injured. With COVID-19 cases increasing, including in IDP camps, humanitarian aid is urgently needed. According to a tally from Radio Free Asia, over 170 000 people have been displaced by fighting in Kayah State alone in the last six months.
SHAN STATE
Conflict in Shan State continues to displace civilians. Several internally displaced persons were injured after stepping on a landmine in a tea plantation where rival Shan ethnic armed organizations have been fighting. COVID-19 lockdowns limited access to hospitals as routes were closed. Civilians have made multiple requests to armed groups in the areas to stop laying landmines in civilian areas.
The fighting between the Restoration Council of Shan State, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Shan State Progress Party has been largely fuelled over territory and claims that the various groups were targeting civilians in their respective areas. Hundreds of residents have been forced from their homes in a fearful retreat.