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Ethnic Lishaw accuses TNLA of kidnappings

March 18, 2019/in News

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) is kidnapping ethnic Lishaw people for ransom, a spokesperson for the ethnic group told a press conference. Daw Khin Theint Theint Tun said TNLA members, who are ethnic Palaung, have abducted young Lishaw children and demanded millions of kyat in ransom. The Lishaw are an ethnic group living in Shan […]

Seeking Justice in Burma (February 2019)

March 7, 2019/in Justice Newsletters

Seeking Justice in Burma February 2019 Union Parliament votes in favour of committee to draft amendments to the 2008 Constitution; Continued human rights violations in Rakhine State by Burma Army; Civic space for freedom of expression and freedom of assembly continues to shrink. The Union Parliament voted in favour of forming a committee to draft […]

Ethnic Lishaw accuses TNLA of kidnappings

March 18, 2019/in News

Seeking Justice in Burma (February 2019)

March 7, 2019/in Justice Newsletters

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Ethnic Lishaw accuses TNLA of kidnappings

March 18, 2019/in News

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) is kidnapping ethnic Lishaw people for ransom, a spokesperson for the ethnic group told a press conference.

Daw Khin Theint Theint Tun said TNLA members, who are ethnic Palaung, have abducted young Lishaw children and demanded millions of kyat in ransom.

The Lishaw are an ethnic group living in Shan State.

“They demand K20 million to K30 million. The families of the kidnap victims negotiated their release for K3 or K5 million. They had to sell everything they own to pay the ransom,” Daw Khin Theint Theint Tun said.

Only 29 out of the 44 Lishaw people seized between the end of 2008 and March 6 have been released, she said.

She noted that while there were 50,000 Lishaw people according to the latest official count, there are now only an estimated 25,000 left in the state.

“The TNLA wait on roads and stop people and detain them. We cannot differentiate between them and robbers,” she said. “When a couple riding a motorcycle refused to stop, the girl was shot dead and the boy disappeared,” he said.

Daw Maw Shwe Shan, who had to pay a ransom to get her children back, said she is fearful her children will be seized again.

News reports quoted a TNLA spokesman as saying the fighters just asked villagers to help with the cost of their food in their campaign to destroy opium poppy plantations in the area.

Lishaw people from War Nu, War Yaw and Hpaung Law Nat Thar Kwar villages in Muse and Namkham townships attended the press conference.

MMTIMES

Seeking Justice in Burma (February 2019)

March 7, 2019/in Justice Newsletters

Seeking Justice in Burma

February 2019

Union Parliament votes in favour of committee to draft amendments to the 2008 Constitution; Continued human rights violations in Rakhine State by Burma Army; Civic space for freedom of expression and freedom of assembly continues to shrink.

The Union Parliament voted in favour of forming a committee to draft amendments to the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, which guarantees the military 25% of the seats. The 2008 Constitution is often cited as an impediment to the true transition to democracy in Burma. While some such as the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee welcomed the announcement, other political figures in Burma such as former president U Thein Sein and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing offered their commentary warning against such reforms.

Two years after NLD lawyer U Ko Ni was shot and killed, gunman Kyi Lin and two others involved in his murder were sentenced in a Yangon court. However, former Lieutenant-Colonel Aung Win Khaing, believed to have orchestrated the assassination, is still at large. It is suspected that U Ko Ni’s murder was in response to his critical stance against the military-drafted 2008 constitution.

Police in Kyauktaw Township, northern Rakhine State, arrested 24 displaced villagers and their two local hosts under the Unlawful Associations Act. However, authorities have declined to confirm the reasons for why they were arrested.

Burma Army soldiers fired indiscriminately into Myin Hpu village in northern Rakhine State after a landmine exploded nearby the village. The barrage of gunfire lasted for one hour, leaving an 18-year-old girl dead and a four-year-old injured, among others.

The International Conference on Protection and Accountability in Burma was held at Columbia University, bringing speakers such as UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee to discuss the Rohingya crisis and the need for accountability for human rights violations against all ethnic communities in Burma.

Civic space for freedom of expression and freedom of assembly continued to shrink in Burma. Human Rights Watch released a report expressing concern over the large number of individuals charged over peaceful protests and the establishment of laws limiting free expression, calling on governments to press Burma to protect such rights.

Police violently cracked down on Karenni youths after a series of protests against a statue of General Aung San in Loikaw, Karenni State, and the arrests of demonstrators who had been charged with unlawful assembly.

Two journalists from the Myitkyina News Journal were detained, harassed, and physically assaulted by employees of the Tha Khin Sit Mining Company, after the two had previously published an article about the company’s plans to create an illegal banana plantation. The two journalists are currently suing six employees at the company, and the Committee to Protect Journalists recently condemned the incident and called on the government of Burma to investigate the case and hold those responsible accountable for their actions.

More than 500 refugees from Mae Lae refugee camp in Thailand were expected to return to Burma by the end of February according to the UNHCR. This is the third such group of refugees returning under the voluntary repatriation process.

ND-Burma is a 12-member organisation whose members represent a range of ethnic nationalities, women’s groups, and former political prisoners. We have been documenting human rights abuses and fighting for justice for victims since 2004.

Membership of ND-Burma includes the following organizations:

Affiliate Members:

All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress
Chin Human Rights Organization
Pa- O Youth Organization
Association Human Rights Defenders and Promoters
East Bago- Former Political Prisoners Network
Progressive Voice

Partner Organizations:

International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ)
Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR)
REDRESS
Genuine People’s Servants
Open Myanmar Initiative
The 88 Generation Peace and Open Society
Future Light Center
Lahu Women’s Organization
Wimutii Volunteer Group

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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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