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Chin State Town Blames Myanmar Junta for Arson Attacks

November 26, 2021/in News

Thantlang, a mountain-top town in Chin State, has suffered from eight fires and lost around 254 houses in two months, according to residents, who blame Myanmar’s military. The latest fire broke out on Wednesday after junta troops shelled the town following clashes with the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) resistance group. The regime claimed that 30 […]

Democracy Derailed in Myanmar

November 24, 2021/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

How the military junta has curtailed attempts for democratic reform in Myanmar Myanmar has been embroiled in decades of internal warfare in which the military junta has adopted strategies in an attempt to harness control over the civilian population. The Myanmar Generals maintained power from 1962 until 2011 and frequently deployed violent actions meant to […]

Chin State Town Blames Myanmar Junta for Arson Attacks

November 26, 2021/in News

Democracy Derailed in Myanmar

November 24, 2021/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

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Chin State Town Blames Myanmar Junta for Arson Attacks

November 26, 2021/in News

Thantlang, a mountain-top town in Chin State, has suffered from eight fires and lost around 254 houses in two months, according to residents, who blame Myanmar’s military.

The latest fire broke out on Wednesday after junta troops shelled the town following clashes with the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) resistance group.

The regime claimed that 30 houses, a shop and church were destroyed by resistance attacks on Wednesday.

Around 36 houses in a ward burned down and then 10 more houses caught fire when another fire broke out in the same ward hours later after fighting had ceased. Three houses burned down in another ward.

A civilian resistance fighter from the CDF in Thantlang said junta soldiers were responsible for the fire that broke out after shooting ceased in the evening.

“The sounds of gunshots and shelling had stopped. I am sure it was arson. They have committed arson several times. It seems that they torch anywhere they think we have been firing from. They want to make their targets clear. They want to blame us for the fires,” said a CDF member.

Since Sept. 9, Thantlang has lost around 254 houses in eight fires, which have been blamed on junta shelling.

More than 160 houses out of around 2,000 homes in Thantlang burned down after junta artillery strikes on Oct. 29. The fires raged until the following day morning.

Junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun disputed the allegations as “groundless” and accused resistance groups of setting fire to the houses.

The majority of Thantlang’s population have left the town due to earlier artillery strikes. At least 70 junta troops are deployed in the town.

A house burned down during a junta artillery strike on Sept. 9 following fighting with resistance groups. Nineteen more houses burned down during shelling on Sept. 18, 164 on Oct. 29, 9 on Nov. 6, two on Nov. 9, seven on Nov. 10 and three on Nov. 11.

“The military is supposed to protect the lives and property of the people. But it is doing the opposite. It is a terrorist army being exploited by a small group,” said a Thantlang resident whose house burned down.

“The resistance fighters consider everything and try to minimize the impact on people and their property if they fight. But Min Aung Hlaing’s troops are different. When they suffer heavy casualties, they steal and destroy houses. They open fire at random without mercy. They have no regard for civilians,” added the resident.

A Chin pastor was shot dead and troops cut off his finger for his wedding ring during fighting with resistance forces in Thantlang on Sept. 18.

Chin State has been seen some of the heaviest resistance to the regime since the Feb. 1 coup. Clashes broke out between junta troops and the CDF in Thantlang on August 20.

Irrawaddy News

Democracy Derailed in Myanmar

November 24, 2021/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

How the military junta has curtailed attempts for democratic reform in Myanmar

Myanmar has been embroiled in decades of internal warfare in which the military junta has adopted strategies in an attempt to harness control over the civilian population. The Myanmar Generals maintained power from 1962 until 2011 and frequently deployed violent actions meant to weaken local resistance movements and to assert their dominance over ethnic populations. Even when the National League for Democracy (NLD) was elected in 2015, the military struggled to share power with the civilian government, and regularly committed human rights violations. Despite moments of international condemnation, the Myanmar junta has largely evaded accountability for their crimes.

The military-drafted 2008 Constitution has contributed to their merciless authority which regularly provided amnesty to soldiers who committed endless crimes against civilians. Many of those in power today are longstanding Commanders in the Myanmar military. Their reign, which has spanned seven decades, has prevented any meaningful pathways for transitional justice for the thousands who have been killed and injured in the Tatmadaw’s pursuit for power.

Following years of authoritarian rule under the Myanmar junta, in 2015 the NLD won in a resounding landslide against the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, was victorious after years of house arrest and unyielding attacks on her party’s members. The transition to democracy under a quasi-civilian government was slow but steady. It was challenging to advance and reform meaningful legislation due to the junta’s effective veto power, with 25 percent of Myanmar’s parliament seats reserved for unelected military Members of Parliament.

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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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