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US Condemns Myanmar Military’s Violence in Chin State

November 1, 2021/in News

Washington has condemned the Myanmar junta’s horrific use of violence in Chin State and called for urgent international action to hold the Myanmar military accountable for its brutality. The United States (US) intervention comes after regime forces shelled the Chin State town of Thantlang again last Friday, destroying over 160 houses and buildings including two […]

Soldiers abduct 19 villagers in southern Shan ‘to use as human shields’

November 1, 2021/in News

The residents from Kathea village were blindfolded and led away on Thursday Junta soldiers abducted 19 people from a village in southern Shan State last week, blindfolding them before leading them away to be used as human shields, local resistance fighters said. The residents were taken from the village of Kathea on Thursday afternoon, a […]

US Condemns Myanmar Military’s Violence in Chin State

November 1, 2021/in News

Soldiers abduct 19 villagers in southern Shan ‘to use as human shields’

November 1, 2021/in News

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US Condemns Myanmar Military’s Violence in Chin State

November 1, 2021/in News

On Sunday, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a press statement that such brutal actions by the military regime against people, their homes and places of worship lays bare the junta’s complete disregard for the lives and welfare of civilians.

“These abhorrent attacks underscore the urgent need for the international community to hold the Burmese [Myanmar] military accountable and take action to prevent gross violations and abuses of human rights, including preventing the transfer of arms to the military,” the spokesperson said in the statement.

More than 160 houses in mountain-top town Thantlang, Chin State, burned down after junta artillery strikes. (Photo: Thantlang CDF)

At least 164 houses out of 2,000 homes in Thantlang burned down after junta artillery strikes on Friday. The fires started after the bombardment and engulfed the town until Saturday morning, as the town’s residents have largely fled and any attempt by people in surrounding villages to extinguish the fires would have been a risk to life, according to the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO).

The majority of Thantlang’s population had already evacuated the mountain-top town due to earlier artillery strikes. Around 20 buildings burned down in late September after junta shelling, while a Christian pastor who tried to help put out the fires was killed by regime troops.

Many people in Thantlang have now lost not only their homes, but all their belongings.

Junta forces also deliberately torched houses after the artillery strikes, according to local resistance groups. The shelling is said to have started after a soldier who was looting a shop was shot dead by civilian resistance fighters.

During the latest bombardment on Friday, the Church on the Rock and the Presbyterian Church caught fire, along with a building attached to the Thantlang Baptist Church, the largest congregation in the town, CHRO said in their statement.

*More than 160 houses in mountain-top town Thantlang, Chin State, burned down after junta artillery strikes. (Photo: Thantlang CDF)*

Save The Children also reported that their office was destroyed in the blaze. The London-based charity said in a statement that it is concerned for the safety of 20 children and their teachers in an orphanage located at the entrance of the town.

Junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun disputed the reports and accounts by locals of the military’s role in Thantlang’s razing as “groundless”. He accused local People’s Defense Forces of setting fire to the houses.

Salai Issac Khen, a former Chin State municipal minister under the ousted civilian National League for Democracy government, condemned the military’s shelling of Thantlang, saying that the regime will have to take responsibility for the horrific act.
“It is not easy to build a house in mountainous Chin State. Chin people have no reason to burn down their houses,” the former minister wrote.
Dr. Sa Sa, an ethnic Chin and the parallel National Unity Government’s Minister of International Cooperation, said he was shocked by the sheer level of brutality and the cruel disregard for humanity displayed by the junta forces.

Thantlang seen on October 30 after the fire. (Photo: CJN)

He said his homeland has been subjected to an extreme campaign of violence and terror for standing strong in the struggle for democracy and freedom.

“Without the support and intervention of the international community, the fires lit in Chin State by the murderous military regime will engulf the entire nation,” Dr. Sa Sa said in a urgent appeal letter.

The minister called on the international community to take immediate and decisive action to cut off the junta’s access to money, financial services, fuel, weapons and ammunition and, most all, international legitimacy.

Irrawaddy News

Soldiers abduct 19 villagers in southern Shan ‘to use as human shields’

November 1, 2021/in News

The residents from Kathea village were blindfolded and led away on Thursday

Junta soldiers abducted 19 people from a village in southern Shan State last week, blindfolding them before leading them away to be used as human shields, local resistance fighters said.

The residents were taken from the village of Kathea on Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson for the Pekhon chapter of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) told Myanmar Now.

Many of Kathea’s 450 residents fled the village two days earlier after junta shells exploded at a drug rehabilitation clinic where people were sheltering during a clash between the military and a coalition of fighters from the PDF and the Karenni National Defence Force (KNDF).

More than 300 Kathea villagers are now taking shelter to the west in Kawnghwet village and the surrounding area and are in need of aid.

Those who were taken on Thursday included elderly people who had stayed behind to take care of the village. Soldiers took eight villagers at around 3pm and then arrived a few hours later to take the other 11, the Pekhon PDF spokesperson said.

“We still do not know where they were taken,” he said. “The military is also breaking into houses in the village.” His group is trying to find out the identities of all the people who were taken, he added.

A member of the KNDF seen in Pekhon on September 30 (KNDF)

One woman from Kathea told Myanmar Now that her 48-year-old uncle and 35-year-old cousin were among those taken and that she fears for their lives.

“I think the military confiscated their phones as well,” she said. “I could call before but lost contact once they were taken to be used as human shields.”

Also on Thursday, soldiers abducted a man from the town of Pekhon, about three miles from Kathea. Most residents have fled the town but Myint Kyaw, 60, stayed behind to look after his milling business and his wife who had just given birth.

“They put a bag on his head when they took him. Locals said that they also tied his hands behind his back,” the Pekhon PDF spokesperson said. Soldiers also stole bags of rice, a car and 5m kyat from Myint Kyaw, he added.

Military convoys have been patrolling Pekhon and soldiers have been breaking into people’s houses and stealing things, a local from the town said.

Myanmar Now News

Spring Revolution

Civil Society Position Paper on ASEAN’s Goal of a Myanmar-Owned and -Led SolutionDecember 18, 2024 - 12:11 pm
Recommendations to ASEAN and Its Member States (1) Move beyond the 5PC to achieve a Myanmar people-led and people-centered solution to the crisis in Myanmar. ASEAN’s “Myanmar-owned and -led” approach must be backed by genuine political will that aligns with and supports the collective aspirations of the people of Myanmar. (2) Cease all pressure on […]
The Airstrikes after the journey to the China of the Junta Military LeaderDecember 10, 2024 - 1:28 pm
Operation 1027 was a coordinated military attack against the junta on October 27th, 2023. It was carried out by the Northern Brotherhood, which includes the Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. Several months later, the Three Brotherhood Alliance held three meetings to negotiate with China on January 11 […]
Human Rights Situation weekly update (September 15 to 21, 2024)September 27, 2024 - 8:26 am
Human Rights Violations took place in States and Regions from Sep 15 to 21, 2024 Military Junta Troop launched airstrikes and dropped bombs in Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Shan State, Chin State, Rakhine State, and Kachin State from September 15th to 21st. The Military Junta committed arresting, occupying the properties, threatening by using power, and […]

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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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