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Waking to War Crimes

December 14, 2021/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

Three shootings leave four people dead in Mandalay

December 13, 2021/in News

The killings come less than a week after another incident that claimed the life of a five-year-old girl Four people were shot dead in Mandalay over the weekend in three separate incidents that took place between late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, according to local sources. The first shooting was reported in Mandalay’s Chanayethazan […]

Waking to War Crimes

December 14, 2021/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

Three shootings leave four people dead in Mandalay

December 13, 2021/in News

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Waking to War Crimes

December 14, 2021/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

The Myanmar military’s war on the people has devastated the lives of thousands across decades of unrelenting internal conflict. Since the junta’s attempted coup on 1 February 2021, their systematic assaults on civilian livelihoods has worsened across all regions and States in Myanmar. As divisive as they are deceptive, the Generals see themselves as the rightful governors of the State and have blatantly manipulated their own military drafted Constitution to justify their power-grab. Nationwide crackdowns have followed in response to peaceful protesters calling for a resumption of the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government.

The junta has scaled up military operations nationwide, targeting hundreds of innocent civilians. On September 7, the National Unity Government (NUG), a government formed by activists and elected officials, officially declared a ‘defensive war’ on the junta.¹ The People’s Defense Forces (PDFs), which are groups of civilians trained in combat, are now fighting alongside various ethnic revolution organizations (EROs) against the military junta for their freedom. The onslaught of clashes has come with high casualty rates for both sides, including citizens who have been caught in the crossfire. By October, 3 million civilians were in desperate need of life-saving support with 219 000 people displaced by internal violence.

The junta has claimed that the NUG and PDFs are terrorist organizations in a failed bid to downgrade their legitimacy. These attempts have been unsuccessful as more evidence emerges which shows how the junta is violating human rights laws, norms and principles. The Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, has called on the leader of Myanmar’s armed forces and orchestrator of the coup, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, to step down. Echoing these sentiments has been the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews who has repeatedly called on the UN General Assembly to stand with and for the people of Myanmar.

From the very beginning of the Spring Revolution, it has been the individuals on the ground who have spoken truth to power despite the great risks faced in condemning the junta’s series of illegal and unjust acts. This has come at the cost of thousands of arrests as freedom fighters sacrifice their lives in the name of democracy for Myanmar. The voices of people of various ethnicities, genders, religion and socio-economic backgrounds persist and they continue to demand accountability from a regime who has sabotaged their survival.

At the time of writing, the junta has killed at least 1200 civilians since February with over 10 000 arrested amid a deeply hostile environment for peaceful protesters. With 60% of those killed by state forces around the world in 2021, Myanmar is currently the deadliest country in the world for demonstrators.⁶ Excessive lethal force by the military has seen at least 25% of those killed while protesting being shot in the head.⁷ Violence has not declined, rather it has worsened and exacerbated civilian anxieties over their well-being and security. The unyielding campaign of terror waged by the junta is gravely familiar to ethnic people who have suffered under their brutality for decades.

In Chin and Kayah (Karenni) States, everyday life has been especially challenging for civilians. The emergence of several local PDFs and armed resistance groups has led to the Myanmar junta regularly expanding their military operations. Sagaing region has also been hit particularly hard by the regime’s violence, which include the deployment of the ‘four-cuts’ tactics. The strategy has long been used to isolated rival groups by cutting off supplies to food, recruits, information and funding. Dozens have been killed as the regime loots villages, tortures civilians and engages in extrajudicial killings.

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Three shootings leave four people dead in Mandalay

December 13, 2021/in News

The killings come less than a week after another incident that claimed the life of a five-year-old girl

Four people were shot dead in Mandalay over the weekend in three separate incidents that took place between late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, according to local sources.

The first shooting was reported in Mandalay’s Chanayethazan Township, where residents told Myanmar Now that they heard multiple gunshots after around 10pm Saturday.

People living on 28th Street, where the shooting occurred, said they did not learn until the next morning that one person had been killed and three others were injured in the incident.

“We could hear gunshots all over the neighbourhood. There were two barrages of gunfire. We thought there had been clashes at the ward and township administration offices,” said a man who asked to remain anonymous.

“We only found out in the morning that it was soldiers chasing around four civilians,” he added.

The victims were reportedly four youths who were returning from a restaurant when they encountered the soldiers. No further details were available at the time of reporting.

The two other incidents were reported in Pyigyitagon and Chanmyathazi townships at around the same time Sunday morning, sources told Myanmar Now.

Soe Nyein, the 40-year-old ward administrator for an industrial zone in Pyigyitagon Township, was eating breakfast at a noodle shop when he was shot dead at around 7am, according to a woman who witnessed the incident.

“He was shot in the head while he was eating Shan noodles. He died on the spot. He had an assistant with him who survived the attack. But I don’t think he lived for long, as he was shot in the chest,” said the woman.

Soe Nyein was appointed ward administrator after the military seized power in February, the woman added.

“He worked at the administration office as an errand boy for a few years, until he became an administrator after the coup. He always bullied the people in the neighbourhood,” she said.

Soe Nyein, a ward administrator in Mandalay’s Pyigyitagon Township, was shot dead on the morning of December 12 (Facebook)

Bystanders examine the bodies of Arkar Phyo and Chan Mya Nyein shortly after their killing in Mandalay’s Chanmyathazi Township on the morning of December 12 (Facebook)

The third shooting took place in front of the 300-Bedded Teaching Hospital on 62nd Street Chanmyathazi Township, where a young couple was gunned down on their motorcycle.

The victims were identified as Chan Mya Nyein, a hospital employee, and her husband, Arkar Phyo, both in their 30s.

According to a friend of the couple, Arkar Phyo was taking his wife, who was pregnant, to work when they were both shot in the head at close range.

“His brains were totally blown out. She was still alive when they took her to the hospital, but she died soon after,” said the friend, citing witnesses.

It was unclear who was responsible for the shooting. While there has been speculation that the couple was shot for going through a checkpoint without stopping, a number of local news outlets have cited a military official as saying that they were shot by gunmen on a motorcycle.

Another friend of the couple said that it was possible that they were victims of a targeted killing.

“People were writing online that they were military informants. In truth, they didn’t support either side,” said the friend, who asked not to be identified.

According to the friend, someone sent the couple a bomb disguised as a present when they got married in May. One person was injured when the bomb exploded, he added.

He declined to say who he thought was responsible for the killing, but suggested that it could have been a personal attack carried out by someone using recent unrest as a cover.

Mandalay has seen numerous violent incidents since the coup, including some that have claimed the lives of bystanders.

Last week, a five-year-old girl was shot dead in Aung Tharyar, a ward in Chanmyathazi Township, after soldiers opened fire following a bomb attack by an urban guerrilla group.

Ei Thandar Aung was playing in the yard in front of her house when a bullet struck her in the back of the head, killing her instantly, a witness told Myanmar Now.

The junta later denied responsibility for the incident, which it blamed on local resistance forces.

Myanmar Now News

Spring Revolution

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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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