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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Blue Shirt Campaign on 6thAnniversary of Journalist U Win Tin’s Death
/in NewsBlue Shirt Campaign on 6thAnniversary of Journalist U Win Tin’s Death
Dear Friends,
20 April 2020
#BlueShirt4Burma #BlueShirtDay
The coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting over one million people around the world and over 100,000 people have lost their lives. In Burma, the number of COVID-19 infections has surged to 111 in total and Burma has been making its extreme effort to curb the Pandemic. Civil Society Organizations including Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) also called for consideration of prisons and detention centers and release political prisoners in the process of containing COVID-19. And also, the State released 24869 prisoners including 18 political prisoners for the purpose of reducing the overcrowded population of prisons.
However, there are 58 convicted political prisoners and 126 detained activists facing trial inside prisons while 394 outside prison. Among those, some were arrested for claiming their rights and some criticizing the government and military leaders while others are ethnics leaders and peasants.
There is less pressure from leaders and individuals of other countries on the Burma government to release political prisoners because they would be the opinion that there are no political prisoners in Burma.
To change those opinions, we need the help of our friends to show that there are still political prisoners in Burma.
U Win Tin was one of Burma’s most well-known respectable and honorable man. He served nearly 20 years in prison and after his release he pledged to keep wearing his blue shirt until all political prisoners were released. On 21 April 2020, it has been six years long since his death. Therefore, on this very day, let’s wear a blue shirt together with us as calling for the unconditional release of all political prisoners.
Please join us and from now on, note in your diary to wear a blue shirt every 21st of April. And, please prompt your friends to wear and post a picture of yourself on Facebook and other social media using the hashtag: #blueshirt4burma.
The presence of political prisoners should not be forgetful and there should not be any political prisoners.
We would be grateful for your cooperation.
Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
#BlueShirt4Burma #BlueShirtDay
Myanmar military steps up attacks as coronavirus spreads
/in NewsTatmadaw steps up attacks in Rakhine despite epidemic, killing more than 40 people in April alone, say rights group.
Yangon, Myanmar – As deaths from the new coronavirus mounted in South Korea, Iran and Italy in early March, Myanmar’s military called off grand plans to mark the 75th anniversary of its World War II revolt against Japanese forces. Instead, the Tatmadaw, as the military is known, deployed soldiers to disinfect hospitals and announced it would set up quarantine facilities to treat infected patients.
But rights groups say the Tatmadaw is doing little where it counts – ending the long-running ethnic conflicts in Myanmar’s border states, where some armed groups have called for a ceasefire to focus on the battle against the coronavirus.
More:
Eight killed in Myanmar’s troubled western state of Rakhine
Persecution of critics ‘continues in Aung San Suu Kyi’s Myanmar’
Myanmar charges journalist under terrorism law, blocks news site
“While the country is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the military is escalating its offensives against ethnic armed groups in Rakhine, Chin, Karen and northern Shan state,” said Naw Hser Hser, general-secretary of the Women’s League of Burma.
“This needs to stop,” said the Hpa-an based activist. “We need to work together. Nobody can do it alone.”
In northern Shan state and in eastern Kayin state, where the Tatmadaw has for decades battled armed groups seeking more independence from the Burmese-dominated central government, reports of attacks and rights abuses by the military continue.
And in the impoverished western states of Rakhine and Chin, the Tatmadaw has stepped up its campaign against the Arakan Army, a rebel group seeking greater autonomy for ethnic Rakhine people.
The unrest continues even as the United Nations urges an end to conflict worldwide, and despite calls for a nationwide ceasefire from armed groups, diplomats and civil society groups, many of whom are worried the coronavirus outbreak in Myanmar could be catastrophic given the poor state of its healthcare system and lack of capacity to carry out testing. The country has recorded 74 cases so far.
On April 1, major ethnic armed groups in Shan and Rakhine states, including the Arakan Army, offered to extend a unilateral ceasefire until the end of the month because of the coronavirus outbreak, while groups in Kayin state, formerly known as Karen state, also urged the Tatmadaw to declare a nationwide ceasefire.
But the Tatmadaw, which had declared the Arakan Army a “terrorist group”, called the proposal “unrealistic”, with Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun criticising the groups for allegedly failing to heed the army’s previous calls for ceasefires.
On Monday, photos of dead bodies scattered on a road in Kyauk Seik village in Rakhine state circulated on the internet. Activists say eight villagers were killed after being struck by shells fired from a military base. The Tatmadaw called the allegation “fake news”.
But Thar Doe Aung, who lost three of his nephews in the attack, rejected the military’s claim. “It’s not fake news. Only we who suffered know what happened,” he told Al Jazeera over the telephone.
“We buried all of them in one grave,” he said of his nephews. “My sister is going crazy.”
The residents of Kyauk Seik have now fled their homes, said Thar Doe Aung.
A similar attack in Chin state on April 7 killed seven people, including a three-year-old.
‘I don’t feel safe here’
The Arakan Information Center, a Malaysia-based organisation that has been monitoring the conflict since it escalated last year, said it has documented 121 civilian deaths this year. In the first half of April alone, it registered 45 deaths.
The figures represent a sharp increase compared with last year – a total of 140 civilians were killed in 2019. Access to the area is restricted making it difficult to independently verify the information.
“The military seizes the opportunity to carry out their operations while the international community is busy combatting the coronavirus,” said Nyi Nyi Lwin who runs the Arakan Information Center.
“We’ve seen helicopters and fighter jets deliberately attack civilians in order to weaken the support for the Arakan Army,” he said, adding that he expected the fighting to get worse in the coming weeks as the Tatmadaw may have to scale down operations during the monsoon season, which begins in May.
“In Rakhine state, people feel anxiety and uncertainty because of COVID-19, but what they fear most is the fighting,” said Nyi Nyi Lwin.
One 49-year-old woman from Mrauk Oo in Rakhine state, who was injured in an attack last year, said she has sought refuge in her neighbour’s bunker – a suffocating hole in the ground – several times because of the fighting.
“I don’t feel safe living here,” she said over the telephone.
Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency said it has “observed a sharp upward trend in civilian casualties” since February.
In a statement on March 27, the agency said at least 21 civilians were killed amid clashes on the border between Rakhine and Chin states earlier in March, while an additional 10,000 people were displaced in Rakhine in that period alone. The UN humanitarian office said a total of 70,000 people have been displaced in the fighting between the military and the Arakan Army in the past 12 months, most of them since December last year.
Renewed chaos
Observers say the conflict between the Arakan Army and the military has brought new chaos to the impoverished region from where more than 730,000 Rohingya fled a bloody military crackdown in 2017.
The rising death toll and displacement has prompted concern, with 139 civil society organisations issuing a joint statement on Wednesday, calling for the immediate protection of those who have nothing to do with the fighting.
“The current targeting of innocent civilians in the conflict between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military amounts to war crimes and must immediately cease,” the statement said.
The US State Department also said it “is deeply troubled by the escalating violence in Rakhine and Chin states”.
But military spokesman Zaw Min Tun blamed the uptick in violence on the Arakan Army. Soldiers stationed in Rakhine state have been “helping, taking care of and protecting” civilians for decades, he told Al Jazeera.
“Before the AA emerged, Rakhine state was peaceful,” he said, referring to the Rakhine rebel group by its acronym. “Once the AA emerged, we have fighting … Because of the fighting, there are IDPs.”
Even outside of Myanmar’s many battlefields, there has been a rise in the harassment and prosecution of journalists and blocking of websites reporting on ethnic conflicts in recent weeks.
Nay Myo Lin, Mandalay-based editor-in-chief of Voice of Myanmar was charged with terrorism after publishing an interview with a spokesman from the Arakan Army.
Police also raided the offices of Rakhine-based Narinjara and briefly detained three of the outlet’s journalists on March 31 over interviews with the rebels. Its website was also blocked on charges of spreading “fake news”.
Meanwhile, mobile internet in several townships in Rakhine and Chin, where fighting is going on, has almost continuously been shut down since June last year, a move aid workers say makes it more difficult to fight the coronavirus.
‘Running from the military’
Elsewhere in Myanmar, civil society groups have accused the military of engaging in abuses that hamper efforts to fight the virus.
“Communities are now being threatened by both the pandemic and serious human right violations,” organisations representing the Ta’ang minority in northern Shan state said on April 8. The groups said they had documented 18 cases of arbitrary arrest, torture, and forced portering for the military in March, including an instance in which a villager died after stepping on a landmine.
In southeastern Myanmar, human rights groups said they have observed abuses, too.
“The military is burning agricultural land and threatening villagers in an area where they want to build a road,” said Naw Hser Hser from the Women’s League of Burma. “Instead of worrying about the coronavirus, villagers are on the run from the military.”
Attacks in eastern Kayin state, parts of which are under the control of the Karen National Union, include a March 31 incident in which soldiers killed a 56-year-old man returning from a shopping trip and a March 5 incident in which soldiers killed a forest ranger, according to a monitoring group.
“At a time when everyone needs to work together to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the government of Burma and the Burma Army seem to see the global focus on the pandemic as an opportunity to further crack down on ethnic people,” said Naw Htoo Htoo, a spokeswoman for the Karen Peace Support Network.
“Until the international community force the military and the government to pay a price for killing and oppressing our people, they will continue to do so,” she said.
Cape Diamond reported from Yangon, Myanmar, and Verena Hoelzl reported from Bangkok, Thailand.
Aljazeera
Joint-Statement Civil Society Organizations Calls for Immediate Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Myanmar
/in Member statementsThe Burma Army Must Immediately Halt Fighting & Adhere to A Global Ceasefire in Response to COVID-19
/in Press Releases and Statements[Statement] The Burma Army Must Immediately Halt Fighting & Adhere to A Global Ceasefire in Response to COVID-19
10 April 2020: The Network for Human Rights Documentation Burma (ND-Burma) is concerned that the Burma Army is using their response to COVID-19 to justify its authority and presence in conflict affected ethnic areas, where they are largely responsible for fuelling conflict and exacerbating tensions between ethnic armed organizations (EAOs). ND-Burma condemns any emergency relief effort that puts the needs of the military before the people of the country.
The Burma government has taken several steps including forming an emergency task force with military and civilian ministries to support measures around law enforcement and stability and to expand government efforts to respond to the pandemic. However, these efforts have been met with caution as it appears the Burma Army is only interested in preserving their power through any means possible. The military has their own budget and facilities for health and care, which are inaccessible to the majority of the population. It has been made clear that the military is well prepared to protect themselves from COVID-19, though the same cannot be said for civilians.
As the pandemic quickly spreads across Burma, ND-Burma is particularly worried about cases in conflict affected areas of northern Shan and Rakhine States, where access to treatment, information and support is compromised by active fighting. According to Ta’ang community-based organizations, including ND-Burma members, the Ta’ang Women’s Organization and the Ta’ang Students and Youths Union, in March 2020 alone, there were 18 documented cases of arbitrary arrest, torture and forced portering in northern Shan. In Rakhine State, relief efforts are compromised as the world’s longest running government-imposed Internet shutdown continues. This only makes the situation more dangerous as civilians lack access to critical information about the precautions they should be taking amid COVID-19. Last month, ND-Burma member, All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress, documented 51 cases of killing, torture/ inhuman degrading treatment, disappearance and arbitrary arrest and oppression of media in Arakan State and Paletwa township of Chin State. Despite the UN General-Secretary Antonio Guterres calling for a ‘global ceasefire,’ the Burma Army has rejected calls for ceasefires from the Brotherhood Alliance and the Chin National Front. Clashes remain active across Burma’s ethnic states indicating that COVID-19 has not changed the rules of combat.
Recently, the Burma Army soldiers and Commander in Chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing donated US $1.6 Million to be used in the prevention, control and treatment of COVID-19. While it was a move that demonstrated the financial invested needed to combat the virus, it should not have been necessary, had health infrastructure been adequately funded. The amount donated also shows the extortionate amount of money that the military receives – for salaries alone – in a country where 37% of the 51 million people live near or below the poverty line. There are many vulnerable groups in Burma who cannot access or afford basic health infrastructure. With many different ethnic languages spoken, the Burma government must make health awareness materials available that are translated and adapted for those who are not literate.
With the safety of at-risk populations has already been made evident by increases in domestic violence, food shortages, and inadequate community shelters for quarantine purposes, the government response has also been slow and ill-informed. Civil-society organizations are currently working overtime to fill the gaps and facilitate food, basins for hand washing and disinfection sprayers.
We have seen this type of behaviour from Burma’s military many times in the past. Their response to crises in the country has set an unfortunate precedent that the Burma Army has no moral compass – no sense of compassionate leadership that would otherwise see their efforts spent engaged in tactful response, rather than strategic warfare. The handling of the situation so far is subject to further critique by the military’s efforts to censor information by the media that they feel harms their reputation. In times of emergencies, the press should be allowed access to free, fair and protected spaces to do their jobs and raise the voices of local people who have been impacted.
ND-Burma members call for the Burma government and military to ensure no civilians are left behind in efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. The Internet shutdown in Rakhine and Chin States must be lifted immediately and the Burma Army must agree to a nationwide ceasefire if they are truly sincere in their attempts to protect the people during the pandemic. Support must be given to humanitarian aid groups to facilitate aid safely and without fear, and every effort should be made to provide access to information on COVID-19. ND-Burma calls for the government and military to ensure all civilians have personal protective equipment including masks, hand sanitizer and access to hand washing basins and safe spaces for group and self-quarantine.
ND-Burma believes that true peace in Burma is possible if the Burma Army, EAOs and the government work together to overcome all obstacles, including COVID-19, especially when it comes to assisting populations who are highly vulnerable. This includes women, children, the elderly, and civilians forcibly displaced by conflict and those living in rural, difficult to access areas. The circumstances of COVID-19 have called on the world to become more compassionate to the needs of the poor and marginalized. Burma’s response is no exception and history will not judge the military or government kindly if they fail to act in line with basic human rights principles.
Media Contact
Thet Thet Aung, Future Light Center
Phone No: +95 9794932344
Lway Poe Jay, Ta’ang Students and Youth Union
Phone No: +95 9264162229
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ND-Burma is a network that consists of 12-member organisations who represent a range of ethnic nationalities, women and former political prisoners. ND-Burma member organisations have been documenting human rights abuses and fighting for justice for victims since 2004. The network consists of nine Full Members and four Affiliate Members as follows:
Full Members:
Affiliate Members:
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Statement of the Ta’ang Community Based Organizations on Serious Human Right Violations by the Burmese Military
/in Member statementsDate – April, 8, 2020
1. While the coronavirus pandemic is overwhelming the world, the Burma Army is committing war crimes with impunity in Northern Shan State, Read more
March Justice Newsletter (20202)
/in Justice NewslettersMarch Justice Newsletter
Summary Overview
A Global Pandemic Hits Burma: COVID19 & Human Rights
The Corona Virus, also known as COVID19, has been the cause of global fear as the world tries to grapple with the new realities of isolating during a pandemic. From a human rights perspective, fears of access to health providers and information remain the biggest concern. Read more