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Defending Democracy: Four Years Since the Failed Coup in Burma

February 1, 2025/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

A short report by the Network for Human Rights Documentation-Burma Despite the many challenges and changes that the people of Burma have unjustly experienced since the attempted coup on 1 February 2021, there remains a joint commitment and effort for a federal and democratic future. Four years ago, the military junta did not hesitate to […]

Myanmar junta blocks military-aged men from work abroad

January 31, 2025/in News

Ministry of Labor told employment agencies not to allow men aged 18 to 35 to sign up for foreign work contracts. Myanmar’s junta has banned employment agencies from sending military aged men abroad as it struggles with a growing civil war while promising to extend peace and stability for an election that it hopes will […]

Defending Democracy: Four Years Since the Failed Coup in Burma

February 1, 2025/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

Myanmar junta blocks military-aged men from work abroad

January 31, 2025/in News

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Defending Democracy: Four Years Since the Failed Coup in Burma

February 1, 2025/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

A short report by the Network for Human Rights Documentation-Burma

Despite the many challenges and changes that the people of Burma have ~~unjustly~~ experienced since the attempted coup on 1 February 2021, there remains a joint commitment and effort for a federal and democratic future. Four years ago, the military junta did not hesitate to fire bullets at peaceful, unarmed protesters who swiftly denounced the General’s disregard for the nationwide 2020 election results, in which the National League for Democracy (NLD) party won its second landslide victory since coming to power in 2015.

On the morning of when the new Parliament was set to resume, coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, along with his corrupt allies, immediately changed course by hijacking and dismissing the results. Despite no evidence of fraud or interference, the regime claimed that the election was stolen and that it was, therefore, the rightful ruler to govern. They arrested their political opponents, including the leader of the NLD party, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and President U Win Myint.

The junta expected to be recognized as the governing authority, believing the civilian population would promptly comply. This assumption was a significant misjudgment, as the military seriously underestimated the determination, commitment, and dedication of the millions who still oppose the regime’s oppressive actions.

Young people, notably women, were among the first to organize protests and led creative campaigns calling for immediate action by the international community to bring an end to decades of military rule in Burma. The military responded with deadly force. The first case of violent suppression of civic freedoms occurred on February 9, 2021, when police shot and killed a young woman peacefully protesting. This brutality only intensified the protesters’ resolve as they called for an end to injustices, urging the junta to restore power to democratically elected officials and to release all unjustly imprisoned individuals.

Four years later, unfortunately, all calls remain unanswered, as they have been ignored not only by the terrorist regime but also by international and regional stakeholders, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), who refuse to act with the urgency that the crisis warrants. The junta has swiftly targeted individuals attempting to undermine its agenda.

The National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG) was established less than two months after the coup. It is Burma’s only legitimate representation, founded by the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH). The NUG arose from the democratic elections in 2020 and collaborative efforts with the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC). On September 7, 2021, the NUG proclaimed a ‘defensive war’ against the junta, marking the shift from peaceful protests to armed resistance in the people’s revolution. The People’s Defense Forces (PDFs), made up of civilians trained for combat, are now allied with various ethnic revolutionary organizations (EROs) in their fight for freedom against the military junta.

In the time that has elapsed, many things have changed. However, longstanding concerns remain woefully unaddressed. The human rights situation has significantly worsened, as millions are displaced and thousands remain unjustly imprisoned. By the end of 2024 alone, the NUG Ministry of Human Rights recorded an alarming 7,394 cases of widespread and systematic attacks in various forms against civilians. Their documentation included nearly 1800 cases of extrajudicial killings and 1355 cases of property destruction. ND-Burma member the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) also released findings which found nearly 100 civilians, including fourteen under the age of 18, were killed in December 2024. The majority, approximately 45, lost their lives in airstrikes. A subsequent report, “Close the Sky” by Blood Money Campaign, reported over 4000 airstrike incidents between 1 February 2021 and November 2024.

And yet, the international community, including ASEAN, has repeatedly engaged with the military which has risked lending the regime the legitimacy it so desperately craves.

Further, the junta’s crimes have been largely ignored, encouraging it to push forward with plans for a fraudulent election scheduled for later this year. Despite this, the military is increasingly losing control of bases and territory across various states and regions. Their denial of their current reality is contested by the decision to implement forced conscription. Enacted nearly a year ago, the newly passed law highlights the junta’s desperation to restore its strategic leverage. There have been record levels of military defections and historically low morale throughout the various battalions. Furthermore, following its setbacks against EROs there has been a significant increase in aerial assaults by the junta.

Without immediate and coordinated action by international stakeholders, including consultations with civil society organizations, to end the junta’s retaliatory and indiscriminate attacks, the military will only continue to perpetrate human rights violations with the same impunity it has benefited from for more than seven decades.

briefer Four Years01-feb Download

Myanmar junta blocks military-aged men from work abroad

January 31, 2025/in News

Ministry of Labor told employment agencies not to allow men aged 18 to 35 to sign up for foreign work contracts.

Myanmar’s junta has banned employment agencies from sending military aged men abroad as it struggles with a growing civil war while promising to extend peace and stability for an election that it hopes will bolster its legitimacy.

Millions of Myanmar people have gone abroad to work, many through arrangements it has with other governments, organized by employment agencies.

While the overseas workers are an important source of income for the junta that seized power in a coup on Feb. 1, 2021, the military is also keen to fill the ranks of its armed forces as it battles ethnic minority insurgents and allied pro-democracy fighters.

Nearly a year after the junta enforced a conscription law, began recruiting women and arresting young men to serve, it has sought to block prospective soldiers from travelling abroad for work, representatives of employment agencies told Radio Free Asia on Friday.

“Starting today, people between the ages of 18 and 35 will no longer be eligible for the OWIC,” an official at a Yangon-based oversea employment agency told Radio Free Asia, referring to the Overseas Worker Identification Card, issued by the Ministry of Labor, which everyone hoping to work abroad must obtain.

“The restriction does not apply to women yet, only males between the ages of 18 and 35,” the official said, referring to a ministry order to stop issuing the cards.

RFA tried to telephone the junta’s spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Htun, to ask about the policy, but he did not answer. Minister of Labor Nyan Win also declined to comment and referred RFA to Zaw Min Htun.

The ruling military extended a state of emergency for another six months on Friday saying more needed to be done to ensure peace and stability for a successful general election.

No date has been set for an election, which anti-junta forces have dismissed as a sham. The constitution mandates that an election must be held within six months after a state of emergency is lifted.

In December, junta authorities ordered job agencies to add a clause in migrant workers’ contracts stating they could be called home for military service.

One young man hoping to get a job through an agency to work in Thailand – where about 1.8 million Myanmar workers are officially employed and many more work unofficially – was despondent about his chances.

“I already signed a contract with the agency and put a deposit down,” said the 25-year-old who declined to be identified.

Another employment agency employee said migrant workers who come home for a visit could be banned from going back to their jobs abroad.

“Some people might come back without studying the situation here … They won’t be given permission to go abroad again,” said the agency staffer, who also declined to be identified.

Under Myanmar’s Military Service Enactment Law, anyone summoned for military service, as well as anyone who manages to postpone their service, are not allowed to travel to go abroad.

RFA 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 […]

Multimedia

GenocideSeptember 2, 2025 - 9:42 am
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International Humanitarian Law Cartoon AnimatonApril 29, 2025 - 8:37 am
အတိတ်မှ ဆိုးရွားသည့် အကြီးအကျယ် လူ့အခွင့်အရေးချိုးဖောက်မှုများ ထပ်မံမဖြစ်ပွားစေရေးအ တွက် အာမခံခြင်း (Guarantees of non-recurrence)February 10, 2025 - 9:58 am

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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