2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état

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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 17 April, (730) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (2) fallen heroes today. These (2) heroes from Mogok in Mandalay Region were killed today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 17, a total of (3152) people are currently under detention; of them (75) are sentenced. 871 have been issued arrest warrants; of them 20 were sentenced to death and 14 to three years imprisonment with hard labour, who are evading arrest. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. On the Burmese New Year, the junta released 23407 released prisoners. This however, did not include any of the political prisoners detained since the attempted coup. 9 political prisoners sentenced before the 1 February were released. They were released from Insein and Obo Prison, including 3 students from the Peacock Generation, and 6 from the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU). However, the ABSFU students were due to be released this year anyway. The junta has released mass general prisoners only at New Years, normally they only include political prisoners who have nearly finished their sentences. There are two concerns from this amnesty. One is that the junta is doing this to clear prisons for more democracy supporters, striking workers and anyone else they arbitrarily want. The other worry is that they are trying to create instability. Also, on February 12, the junta released a similar number of prisoners, soon after there was instability on the streets, fire rings thrown into neighborhoods, fear quickly spread. The junta is trying to show the international community they are not a terrorist group. The fact the junta is releasing such large numbers demonstrates serious concern for the near-future. On Burmese New Year, across the country, protests endured. At a motorbike protest today in Inn Zauk Village, Launglon Township in Tanintharyi Region, plainclothes junta troops’ in a private vehicle crashed into the protestor at the back of the procession and detained him. Today, in Mandalay Region, Mogok City, the junta attacked and destroyed the barricades, 2 civilians were killed, 4 wounded. The junta commander shouted at the soldiers, caught on video saying “I only want the dead bodies”. Further demonstrating crimes against innocents, all civilians are in danger anywhere, anytime. Everyday the junta’s violence deteriorates, it is a systematic pattern of crimes against humanity. All people under this junta are being terrorized with heavy weapons and physical assaults, threats. No-one is safe, there is no security, we are living under a climate of fear again. In ethnic areas civilians are continually targeted, including children. On April 12 early morning, a 3-year old and 14-year old were killed in Wah Thoe Kho village, Hpapun District, Karen State. The decades long civil war always has impacted locals most severely, they are made into victims in this conflict by the junta, once again enduring abuse. ASEAN and the international community must take an impactful stand against these crimes against humanity. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-17
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 16 April, (728) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (2) fallen heroes today. These (2) heroes were killed yesterday and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 16, a total of (3141) people are currently under detention; of them (75) are sentenced. 58 people including UEC members were released today, and so removed from the under detention list. 832 have been issued arrest warrants; of them 20 were sentenced to death and 14 to three years imprisonment with hard labour, who are evading arrest. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. Today, pictures on social media showed protest leader Ko Wai Moe Naing evidently beaten in detention. His human rights are being violated, he has been tortured, his face beaten and swollen – evidently since arrest. Peaceful protests are attacked, rammed by unmarked cars and detained. There is no rule of law in Burma. Executive Member of Chin National League for Democracy (CNLD), Salai Duh Hu Thang, is being tortured at a military barrack detention center in Haka, Chin State. AAPP utterly condemns the junta’s actions. International human rights organization, democratic parties, and global governments must take action and condem these human rights violations On 16 April, around midday in Bago City, the junta crashed into motorbike protesters using private vehicles, going on to steal the motorbikes. Among this protest group, one man and one woman are missing and cannot be contacted. In Tanintharyi Region, Kan Pauk in Yebyu Township, as a protest march came to an end, the military fired weapons at the fading demonstrations on three occasions. Yesterday in the evening and at night, the junta brutally cracked down in Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region, and Kani Township, Sagaing Region. In Myingyan, last night around 10.30pm until 2am, at a barricade by Ward 6, the junta fired their conflict zone weapons, two died, some injured and detained, AAPP is confirming and verifying the number. At milestone 12 close by to Kani Township, the junta entered and crushed the village community security, 6 locals were killed, at least 20 locals are also missing, AAPP is confirming and verifying the number. In Kachin State, Shwegu Township, junta battalion #602 arbitrarily shot at 2 youths passing-by driving one motorbike. In Mandalay Region, the junta is also targeting religious areas. Storming two well-known monasteries, one called Masoeyein Monastery, at least 20 youths living there were detained in the crackdowns The junta is targeting NLD members, as well as taking family members as hostage. Yesterday, late evening, Salin Township, Magway Region, the junta went into the homes of NLD township executive committee member and treasurer, stealing two motorbikes and money and gasoline canisters. The junta is looting anything of value. The junta is committing these acts all the time and it is deteriorating day by day. Yesterday at around midday, a woman was stopped on a public road and robbed of 1 million kyat in North Okkalapa Township, Yangon. Around noon yesterday in Theelone village, Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region, the junta attacked the homes of villagers involved in strikes, detaining 5 people. On April 14, Magway Region, Taungdwingyi Township, Pyin Chaung Village, the junta raided and destroyed homes of alleged demonstrators, stealing snacks from shops, anything they saw, trying to find protestors from the day’s demonstrations. These acts, raiding religious property, committing violence – systematically taking family members hostage, destroying, looting homes and stealing from shops. These actions are serious crimes. We should be rightly concerned about the junta’s continued use of human shields in conflict. In Putao Township, Kachin State, the junta is using local villagers as human shields on the front-line, telling them to bring the dead bodies of junta soldiers, around 50 soldiers forced local villagers to travel with them from Myitkyina to Putao. This is forced labor, the junta in Burma is using innocent civilians to attempt to get an advantage in conflict. This is a severe violation of international law, and yet another war crime. If action is not taken, these violations will most certainly continue. Human rights are continuously disrespected by this junta, if these criminal acts are not punished it will only foster impunity for yet even further more violations. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-16
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 15 April, (726) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (11) fallen heroes today. (1) from Mandalay died on 15 April. (10) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 15, a total of (3151) people are currently under detention; of them (75) are sentenced. 813 have been issued arrest warrants; of them 20 were sentenced to death and 14 to three years imprisonment with hard labour, who are evading arrest. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. A new technique of the regime of the junta is now using unregistered vehicles with fake licence plates to smash into and arrest peaceful demonstrators. Today in Saigaing Region, Monywa, Wai Moe Naing was crashed into, beaten and detained, AAPP is concerned for his access to adequate medical treatment from the crash. Across Monywa youth demonstrators were detained today. In all dictatorships in Burma, this junta has tortured and mistreated. The junta has form for using torture in interrogation centers, we are also therefore worried the lives and dignity of detainees will be violated. In Mandalay City, in a demonstration march led by healthcare workers and families, 6 were detained. At least 20 other local civilians were also detained. Junta forces also fired guns at Sule Mosque in Maha Aung Myay Township, Mandalay City and killed one person, 2 were critically injured, 1 of those critically injured was disabled. According to Myanmar Now 5 people sleeping inside the mosque were arrested, including children aged between 11 and 16. These religious compounds and places of worship are supposed to be protected, but this junta targets these areas, looting and openly destroying property. The junta continued with its brutal arbitrary repression in complete disrespect of the Ramadan religious festival. In conflicts across the globe killing may stop, but the terrorists in Burma continue murdering and torturing no matter any holy days. Yesterday afternoon in other cities and towns in Mandalay Region there were also shootings and killings. In Mandalay City, three civilians were injured. Yesterday in Myitnge, Mandalay, one person was shot dead, and another was shot and reportedly tortured to death, drowned in a puddle of mud by the junta. Yesterday in Myingyan whilst riding a motorbike, one person was shot and injured, he was tied up dragged along to death, his body has not been seen since. One other woman was shot in the arm and died. The junta is also attacking ambulances. Last night in Mandalay, a team of medics transporting injured protestors was stopped, and a woman grabbed by the hair and dragged out, three others of the medical team were detained. The junta is publicly terrorizing and violating anyone and everyone’s human rights. This evening in Yangon. The junta crashed into a taxi, and detained and assaulted the taxi driver and 3 passengers and threatened the neighbourhood with similar action. The previous night in Thamine ward, Insein Township, Yangon one civilian beating pots and pans was assaulted and arrested by junta troops, who then threatened the rest of the neighborhood with similar action. The junta wants to create a climate of fear. Everyday celebrities are issued arrest warrants on the TV propaganda mouthpiece. Today, famous Zin Wine and Singer Po Po (who had warrant issued for arrest) were detained In Kachin State, Momauk Township the terrorist military and KIA are engaged in heavy fighting. The junta is using artillery against civilians, who hide in bunkers, increasingly displaced and killed since the military use of airstrikes. The international community must implement a no-fly zone to stop these war crimes. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-15
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Japan’s response to the coup in Myanmar
Description: "On 1 February 2021, military television channel Myawaddy told the people of Myanmar that a state of emergency had been declared. President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, both senior members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), had been arrested. Former vice president Myint Swe — now serving as President — used his constitutional authority to declare the state of emergency, then transferred state power to the Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw), Min Aung Hlaing. The Tatmadaw claimed that widespread election fraud in the November 2020 elections resulted in the NLD landslide victory. On 2 February 2021, they announced that a new State Administrative Council had been formed to take over all state legislative, judicial and executive functions. This has been called a coup by most Western media. After 10 years of varying levels of cooperation between the Tatmadaw and the NLD, the democratic transition has taken a serious U-turn. But given the strained relations between the Tatmadaw and the NLD — and given the fragility of all democratic transitions — the potential for such a reversal was always there, lingering in the shadows. Most Western governments and media outlets were quick to denounce and condemn the Tatmadaw and tried to draw attention to what they saw as a slow and weak response from the Japanese government. Certainly, Japan was not included in the 15 February statement by ambassadors to Myanmar that called for the military to show restraint and condemned the detention of political leaders. But Japan was a signatory to the G7 Foreign Minister’s statement on 3 February, ‘condemning the military coup’. On 21 February and again on 28 February, the Japanese government said it ‘strongly condemned’ the situation in Myanmar. In the same statement it said, ‘the government of Japan once again strongly urges the Myanmar military to release those who are detained … and swiftly restore Myanmar’s democratic political system’. Leaving aside Western governments’ failures to facilitate positive change in Myanmar — and ignoring the high probability that they are merely appealing to domestic activist stakeholders at a relatively low political cost — Japan’s different approach to the coup in Myanmar does raise questions. The day after the Tatmadaw took power, Japan’s State Minister of Defence Yasuhide Nakayama told Reuters, ‘If we do not approach this well, Myanmar could grow further away from politically free democratic nations and join the league of China’. This reveals the Japanese government’s understanding of the geostrategic significance of Myanmar in the region. China’s increasing influence in Myanmar has long been a concern for Japanese leaders. Fear over increasing dependence on China was one of the factors that led to the Tatmadaw deciding to initiate political reforms and open up Myanmar in 2011. The government of Japan was instrumental in this process, facilitating re-engagement between the international community and the government of Myanmar. On the condition that democratisation proceeded, Japan cancelled much of Myanmar’s outstanding debt in 2012. But more importantly perhaps, Japan provided a bridge loan to Myanmar to enable it to clear its arrears with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank in the same year. This allowed these financial institutions to begin development aid and support the democratic transition of then-president Thein Sein. Japan’s diplomacy should also be viewed within the framework of relations with ASEAN, a key strategic partner for Japan. Tokyo has spent decades investing in the stability and prosperity of Southeast Asian countries and Japan’s economy is heavily dependent on them. On 10 February there was a phone call between the foreign ministers of Japan and Indonesia, with the main issues discussed being the situation in Myanmar and issues related to the South China Sea and the East China Sea. For Japan — and for ASEAN alike — these issues are all linked. The Japanese government’s approach to the coup in Myanmar is in some ways a middle road between the ‘distant’ Western states that prioritise human rights and democracy and the ‘local’ Asian states that prioritise stability and development. In this way, Japan is treading a fine line between its position as a liberal democracy and its dependence on stability and development in Southeast Asia. The overriding international concern for all states in Southeast Asia is China’s rise and responses to the coup in Myanmar are best understood within that framework..."
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Source/publisher: "East Asia Forum" (Australia)
Date of publication: 2021-04-17
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Junta troops kill two protesters in Mogok at National Unity Government rally
Sub-title: A video filmed at the scene depicts a member of the armed forces saying, ‘I want them dead. Do you hear me? Five of them’
Description: "Two protesters were shot and killed by regime troops during a demonstration on Saturday to welcome the anti-junta National Unity Government (NUG) in the Mandalay Region town of Mogok, according to local sources. Around 100 soldiers and police arrived at the scene in Aung Chanthar ward and opened fire on the civilians present, eyewitnesses said. “One [of the protesters] was shot in the head. Another was shot in the abdomen,” a local who was also at the demonstration told Myanmar Now. The two casualties were believed to be in their 20s, locals said. Police officers transported the bodies in a cart to an area near Chanthargyi pagoda, where the troops had set up a base. They then put the bodies in an ambulance which eyewitnesses said was headed toward the Mogok Public Hospital. “They shot at people who attempted to pick up the bodies,” the protester at the scene said of the armed forces. “We weren’t able to get them,” he added. Two other protesters were injured after being shot in the leg and thigh, and were also apprehended and put in the ambulance by the troops, another local said. Around 1,000 Mogok residents showed up to the rally at 11am to welcome the NUG government– the cabinet of which was announced by the Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on Friday. The violent crackdown began 45 minutes later. In a video seen by Myanmar Now filmed by a local resident, a member of the armed forces is heard saying, ‘I want them dead. Do you hear me? Five of them.’ Another voice responded, ‘yes.’ The military’s information center had not released any information regarding the shootings in Mogok at the time of reporting, and had not responded to media inquiries. At least 10 protesters have been killed in Mogok by the regime’s armed forces for participating in anti-dictatorship protests since the February 1 coup, yet demonstrations have continued daily. Fighting between the military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has also recently broken out in Mogok, with the KIA launching an offensive against the junta’s troops. After news of the KIA attack, local youth expressed support for the Kachin army on social media..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-04-17
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Military and civilians clash in Kani, Sagaing Region, leaving six locals dead
Sub-title: A security team comprised of locals armed with hunting rifles was attempting to intercept trucks transporting detained protesters when the armed forces opened fire on them on April 15
Description: "Six locals were killed during a shootout between the military and a civilian-led security team in Kani Township, Sagaing Region, on Thursday evening. The security team– made up of locals armed with hunting rifles– was standing watch after hearing news that detained protesters were being relocated from their area, and wanted to intercept the trucks in which they were being transported. A member of the security team told Myanmar Now that they had set up checkpoints on the Monywa-Kani road and were planning to stop the prisoner transport vehicles. “We heard news that they were relocating about 70 protesters including protest leaders who were captured here,” he said. One military truck drove through the checkpoint without stopping. Soon after, some 12 trucks arrived at the scene and opened fire on the locals at around 4pm. The shootout continued until around 8pm. The six men killed were Kyaw Hlaing Win, Zin Ko, Ko Naing, Aung Naing Moe, Tin Ohn and Win Ko. They were from Thaminset, Lal Shae and Bant Bwe Myauk villages. A monk from Thaminset village was also arrested, and around 20 people went missing during the shootout. The military may have suffered casualties in the clash, as locals used hunting rifles to fight back against the junta’s troops, but Myanmar Now was unable to confirm further details at the time of reporting. Since Friday, soldiers have been stopping and interrogating passerbys in areas along the Kani-Monywa road, claiming they are doing so for security purposes. Anti-regime protests in Kani stopped after two protesters were killed in a military crackdown in early April. However, locals in the area have said that they are ready to defend themselves against the junta’s armed forces with any weapons available to them, including hunting rifles commonly used in the area. In Tamu and Kalay, in western Sagaing, locals have been using the same weaponry to oppose the coup regime’s suppression of their movement. According to monitoring group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, some 728 people have been killed by the junta’s armed forces since the February 1 military coup in Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-04-17
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar junta chief to attend ASEAN summit in first foreign trip since coup
Description: "Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia on April 24, Thailand said on Saturday, for his first known foreign trip since he seized power on Feb. 1. Myanmar has been in upheaval since Min Aung Hlaing ousted an elected government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi. Security forces have killed 728 people, according to an activist group, in an attempt to crush protests. In the latest violence, security forces shot and killed two protesters in the ruby-mining town of Mogok, a resident told Reuters, while several small bombs went off in the main city of Yangon, wounding several people, media outlets reported. Myanmar's neighbours have been trying to encourage talks between the junta and the ousted government, but the military has shown little willingness to engage. Several of the 10 ASEAN leaders, among them Min Aung Hlaing, confirmed they would attend the meeting in Jakarta, Thai foreign ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said. A spokesman for the junta did not answer calls seeking comment. Pro-democracy politicians including ousted members of parliament on Friday announced the formation of a National Unity Government (NUG) including Suu Kyi and leaders of the anti-coup protests and ethnic minorities. The NUG has called for international recognition as the legitimate authority, and requested an invitation to the ASEAN meeting in Min Aung Hlaing's place. It could not immediately be reached for comment...NEW YEAR AMNESTY... The junta released 23,184 prisoners from jails across the country on Saturday under a New Year amnesty, the Prisons Department said, though few if any democracy activists arrested since the coup were thought to be among them. Saturday is the first day of Myanmar's New Year and the last day of a five-day holiday that is usually marked with visits to Buddhist temples and raucous water throwing and partying in the streets. Suu Kyi is among 3,141 people arrested in connection with the coup, according to a tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). "These (freed) detainees are mostly from before Feb. 1 but there are also some who were imprisoned afterwards," Prisons Department spokesman Kyaw Tun Oo said by telephone. He said he had no details of the offences for which they had been jailed. Among those released were 137 foreigners, who would be deported, state television said. It gave no details. The AAPP said the military continued to seek 832 people in connection with the protests. Among them are more than 200 people, including several actors, singers and internet celebrities, who have spoken out against the coup and are wanted on a charge of encouraging dissent in the armed forces, which can carry a three-year jail term. State media announced the names of another 40 wanted people, 20 of them doctors, on Saturday..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-17
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar releases prisoners for New Year, though likely not dissidents
Description: "Authorities in Myanmar will release 23,184 prisoners from jails across the country on Saturday under a New Year amnesty, a Prisons Department spokesman said. But few, if any, democracy activists arrested since the February 1 coup are expected to be among them. Saturday is the first day of the traditional New Year in Myanmar and the last day of a five-day holiday usually celebrated with visits to Buddhist temples and rowdy water throwing and partying in the streets. Pro-democracy activists called for the cancellation of the festivities this year and instead for people to focus on a campaign to restore democracy after the military ousted the elected civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi is among 3,141 people arrested in connection with the coup, according to a tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group. "These detainees are mostly from before February 1 but there are also some who were imprisoned after," Prisons Department spokesman Kyaw Tun Oo told Reuters by telephone. Asked if any of those being freed might have been detained in connection with the protests against military rule, he said he did not have details of the amnesties. While the military was freeing the thousands of prisoners, it was also seeking 832 people on warrants in connection with the protests, the AAPP said. Among them are 200 people -- including several internet celebrities, actors and singers who have spoken out against the coup -- wanted on a charge of encouraging dissent in the armed forces. Two of them, the married couple of film director Christina Kyi and actor Zenn Kyi, were detained at the airport in the main city of Yangon on Saturday as they tried to leave the country, several media outlets reported. A spokesman for the junta did not answer calls seeking comment. Myanmar has been in crisis since the coup, which the military defended with accusations of fraud in a November election won by Suu Kyi's party, though the election commission dismissed the objections. The ousted government had held power for the first five years of civilian rule since nearly half a century of army rule ended. Political leaders, including ousted members of parliament, announced the formation of a National Unity Government (NUG) on Friday including Suu Kyi and leaders of the anti-coup protests and ethnic minorities. Special Envoy to the United Nations, Dr. Sasa, who represents Myanmar's now ousted and disbanded parliament, told a press conference Friday that the NUG will attempt to amalgamate Myanmar's ethnic armed organizations to form a "federal army." Dr. Sasa referred to coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Defense Services, as "the murderer in chief." More than 700 anti-coup protesters have been killed by security forces since Min Aung Hlaing seized power on February 1.The new army will embrace defectors from Myanmar's security forces and encourage them to bring their own weapons, Dr. Sasa said. The NUG says it is the legitimate political authority and has called for international recognition. The junta has yet to comment on the unity government but has said it will hold a new election within two years and hand power to the winner. Two senior diplomats from the U.S. State Department have agreed with Myanmar's newly-formed shadow civilian government on "the importance of restoring Burma's path to democracy," according to a tweet posted by US Asia Pacific Media Hub Friday.n the post, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Atul Keshap and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Scott Busby are tagged and photographed as being in agreement with the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), which announced the formation of the NUG Friday. The hugely popular Suu Kyi faces various changes, including violating an official secrets act that could see her jailed for 14 years. Her lawyers dismiss the charges. Her supporters suspect the military will use the charges to exclude Suu Kyi and perhaps her political party from any future election..."
Source/publisher: Reuters via Bex Wright via Jaide Garcia via CNN
Date of publication: 2021-04-17
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Burma charges doctors over civil disobedience protests
Description: "Burma's ruling junta has charged at least 19 medical doctors for participating in civil disobedience protests against the military's Feb. 1 coup, a state-run newspaper reported Wednesday. Doctors, nurses and medical students have marched and joined strikes to show their opposition to the military takeover that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government and put a halt to the progress Burma had made toward greater democratization after five decades of military rule. The doctors charged are accused of supporting and participating in the civil disobedience movement "with the aim of deteriorating the state administrative machinery," the Global New Light of Burma newspaper wrote. THOUSANDS FLEE BURMA AIRSTRIKES, COMPLICATING CRISIS The military government has already issued arrest warrants for 100 people active in the fields of literature, film, theater arts, music and journalism on charges of spreading information that undermines the stability of the country and the rule of law. This isn't the first time doctors have been targeted. Earlier this month in Mandalay, the country’s second-biggest city, security forces used stun grenades and fired guns to break up a march by medical workers protesting the army’s takeover. The online news site The Irrawaddy reported that four doctors were arrested. Protests continued Wednesday across Burma even as people boycotted the official celebration of Thingyan, the country's traditional New Year, usually a time for family reunions and merry-making. In leaflets and social media posts last week, people were asked not to hold any Thingyan celebrations, saying it would be disrespectful to "fallen martyrs" to enjoy the festival. The government's violent response to anti-coup demonstrations has seen 714 people killed by security officials, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners..."
Source/publisher: "Associated Press" (New York) via "Fox News" (New York)
Date of publication: 2021-04-15
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Funerals become scenes of Myanmar resistance, more violence
Description: " Myanmar security forces opened fire Sunday on a crowd attending the funeral of student who was killed on the bloodiest day yet of a crackdown on protests against last month’s coup, local media reported. The escalating violence — which took the lives of at least 114 people Saturday, including several children — has prompted a U.N. human rights expert to accuse the junta of committing “mass murder” and to criticize the international community for not doing enough to stop it. The Security Council is likely to hold closed consultations on the escalating situation in Myanmar, U.N. diplomats said Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of an official announcement. The council has condemned the violence and called for a restoration of democracy, but has not yet considered possible sanctions against the military, which would require support or an abstention by Myanmar’s neighbor and friend China. The mounting death tolls have not stopped the demonstrations against the Feb. 1 takeover — or the violent response of the military and police to them. Myanmar Now reported that the junta’s troops shot at mourners at the funeral in the city of Bago for Thae Maung Maung, a 20-year-old killed on Saturday. He was reportedly a member of the All Burma Federation of Student Union, which has a long history of supporting pro-democracy movements in the country. According to the report, several people attending the funeral were arrested. It did not say if anyone was hurt or killed. But at least nine people were killed elsewhere Sunday as the crackdown continued, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has been documenting deaths during demonstrations against the coup. Some of the funerals held Sunday became themselves opportunities to demonstrate resistance to the junta. At one in Bhamo in the northern state of Kachin, a large crowd chanted democracy slogans and raised the three-finger salute that has come to symbolize defiance of the takeover. Family and friends were paying their respects to Shwe Myint, a 36-year-old who was shot dead by security forces on Saturday. The military had initially seized her body and refused to return it until her family signed a statement that her death was not caused by them, according to the Democratic Voice of Burma, a broadcast and online news service. In Yangon, the country’s largest city, meanwhile, mourners flashed the three-finger salute as they wheeled the coffin of a 13-year-old boy. Sai Wai Yan was shot dead by security forces as he played outside his home. The Feb. 1 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government reversed years of progress toward democracy after five decades of military rule. It has again made Myanmar the focus of international scrutiny as security forces have repeatedly fired into crowds of protesters. At least 459 people have been killed since the takeover, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. The crackdown extends beyond the demonstrations: Humanitarian workers reported that the military had carried out airstrikes Sunday against guerilla fighters in the eastern part of the country. Henrietta Fore, head of the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF, said in Saturday’s bloodiest day since the coup “an 11-year-old boy, an 11-year-old girl, two 13-year-old boys, a 13-year-old girl, three 16-year-old boys and two 17-year-old boys, (were) all reportedly shot and killed.” She said “a 1-year-old baby girl gravely injured after being struck in the eye with a rubber bullet.” “In less than two months, at least 35 children have allegedly been killed, countless others seriously injured and almost 1,000 children and young people reported arbitrarily detained by security forces across the country” she said, condemning the indiscriminate killings and demanding that those responsible be held accountable..."
Source/publisher: "Associated Press" (New York)
Date of publication: 2021-03-29
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
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Title: Myanmar heading towards a ‘full-blown conflict’, UN human rights chief warns
Sub-title: The ongoing repression of protests in Myanmar could spark a “full-blown conflict” on a par with Syria, the United Nations’ top human rights official warned on Tuesday, urging States with influence to take immediate and impactful action to halt the “slaughter” of civilians.
Description: "“Statements of condemnation, and limited targeted sanctions, are clearly not enough. States with influence need to urgently apply concerted pressure on the military in Myanmar to halt the commission of grave human rights violations and possible crimes against humanity”, Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said. Her appeal came in the wake of yet another weekend of “coordinated bloodshed” in Myanmar, including the reported killing of at least 82 people in Bago, where, according to credible reports, the country’s military, Tatmadaw, opened fire with rocket-propelled grenades, fragmentation grenades and mortars. “The military seems intent on intensifying its pitiless policy of violence against the people of Myanmar, using military-grade and indiscriminate weaponry”, she said. Security forces also reportedly prevented medical personnel from helping the wounded, as well as charging relatives a “fine” of roughly $90 to claim the bodies of those who were killed, according to the High Commissioner’s Office (OHCHR), which added that some individuals are now resorting to the use of makeshift or primitive weapons in self-defence. Ms. Bachelet also highlighted the need to cut off the supply of arms and finances to the military leadership that aid its commission of serious human rights violations, noting the report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, which contains clear recommendations for impactful action in relation to the military. ‘Clear echoes of Syria’ The High Commissioner cautioned that the situation in Myanmar clearly echoes that of Syria in 2011, as it descended into conflict, with the past ten years showing the horrific consequences for millions of civilians. “There too, we saw peaceful protests met with unnecessary and clearly disproportionate force. The State’s brutal, persistent repression of its own people led to some individuals taking up arms, followed by a downward and rapidly expanding spiral of violence all across the country”, she said. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the time warned that the failure of the international community to respond with united resolve could be disastrous for Syria and beyond, Ms. Bachelet added. “I fear the situation in Myanmar is heading towards a full-blown conflict. States must not allow the deadly mistakes of the past in Syria and elsewhere to be repeated.” People forced into hiding, Internet cut Over 700 people are reported to have been killed in the crackdown by the security forces since the military overthrew the Government on 1 February. Thousands more have been injured, many of them seriously. At least 3,080 people are currently in detention and there are reports that 23 people have been sentenced to death following secret trials – including four protesters and 19 others who were accused of political and criminal offences – according to OHCHR. The mass arrests have forced hundreds of people to go into hiding, and reports suggest that many journalists, civil society activists, celebrities and other public figures are being sought, many simply because of the dissent they have been expressing on-line, it added. Wireless broadband and mobile data services were also cut indefinitely on 2 April, leaving the vast majority of people without access to vital sources of information and communication..."
Source/publisher: UN News
Date of publication: 2021-04-13
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar Regime Arrests About 36 Protest Leaders, Celebrities, and Activists in a Single Day
Topic: abducted, Activist, actor, arrest, arrests, beaten, charges, Detentions, Human Rights, leader, Police, Protests, regime, singer, troops, warrants
Topic: abducted, Activist, actor, arrest, arrests, beaten, charges, Detentions, Human Rights, leader, Police, Protests, regime, singer, troops, warrants
Description: "About three dozen people, including a prominent protest leader, protesters, celebrities, activists and ordinary citizens, were arrested by the military regime on Thursday in four states and regions. Regime forces arrested six medics during a crackdown on a protest column led by members of the medical community in Mandalay about 10 a.m. Thursday. A least 20 other people in the neighborhood were arrested during the crackdown. The junta’s forces opened fire and destroyed motorbikes and vehicles. About 10:30 a.m. the regime’s troops broke into a house in Shan State’s capital, Taunggyi, and arrested four people, according to state-based media. About 11:30 a.m., workers’ rights activist Daw Myo Aye, director of Solidarity Trade Union of Myanmar (STUM), was abducted from her office in Shwepyithar Township. Four military vehicles with around 40 soldiers surrounded the office during the arrest. Her daughter wrote on her Facebook page that the troops also confiscated the phones of the staff in the office. Veteran academy-award winning actor Zin Wyne was arrested in afternoon in Yangon. He was charged with allegedly inciting civil servants to join the civil disobedience movement and support the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH). A group formed by elected parliamentarians ousted in the coup, the CRPH has been acting as a shadow government in opposition to the military regime. Po Po, a famous singer who was also on junta’s wanted list for the same charge, was arrested about 3 p.m. She was taken from her house in Yangon by regime forces, her manager wrote on social media. Both celebrities participated in anti-regime protests. Ko Wai Moe Naing, a prominent leader of the anti-regime protest movement in Monywa, Sagaing region, was beaten and dragged away by regime’s forces after having his motor scooter rammed Thursday afternoon. He had been leading daily motorbike protests against the military dictatorship. A female protester was also arrested along with him. The Monywa People Strike Leading Committee announced after the arrest that they will continue to fight until the fall of the military dictatorship. They also called upon the military regime to respect detainees’ human rights and allow proper medical treatment. On Tuesday, Ko Zaw Thurein Tun, president of Myanmar Computer Professionals Association in Monywa, and his pregnant wife were abducted together by plainclothes officers in Shwebo Township, Sagaing region. A former journalist from Myitkyina, a news outlet based in Kachin State, was also arrested by plainclothes officers at her home. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which tracks detentions, the regime had detained more than 3,000 people and issued arrest warrants for 756 more..."
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2021-04-15
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar violence ‘must cease immediately’: UN agencies
Sub-title: The UN Country Team in Myanmar on Monday, reiterated its call for an end to violence against civilians, amid reports of dozens of deaths in the latest crackdown on protests against the military takeover.
Description: "More than 80 people lost their lives on Friday as security forces reportedly used heavy weapons against protesters in the town of Bago, located about 90 kilometres (56 miles) northeast of the commercial capital Yangon, according to media reports. “[We are] following events in Bago with reports of heavy artillery being used against civilians and medical treatment being denied to those injured”, the Country Team (UNCT) said in a post on Twitter. “The violence must cease immediately”, it stressed. Hundreds killed Hundreds of civilians, including at least 44 children, have been killed in the crackdown across Myanmar since the military coup on 1 February. Countless more have been seriously injured and more than 2,600 are in detention, including many held incommunicado or forcibly disappeared. There are also reports that several hundred people have fled areas hit hard by violence, including many who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. UN agencies have also reported sharp increases in food and fuel prices in many parts of the country, on the back of supply chain and market disruptions. Humanitarians worry that if the price trends continue, they will “severely undermine” the ability of the poorest and most vulnerable to put enough food on the family table. UN Special Envoy visiting region The UN Special Envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, on a regional visit to press for efforts to resolve the crisis in Myanmar. Ms. Schraner Burgener, however, will not visit Myanmar, she said in a tweet. “I regret that Tatmadaw [Myanmar’s military] answered me yesterday that they are not ready to receive me”, the Special Envoy said. “I am ready for dialogue. Violence never leads to peaceful sustainable solution”, she added. In the Thai capital, the Special Envoy is scheduled to meet with UN regional officials as well as ambassadors accredited to Myanmar who are in Bangkok. In addition to Thailand, the Special Envoy is consulting on visits to other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries, as well as other neighbouring countries. “As she has highlighted repeatedly, a robust international response to the ongoing crisis in Myanmar requires a unified regional effort involving neighbouring countries who can leverage influence towards stability in Myanmar”, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said..."
Source/publisher: UN News
Date of publication: 2021-04-12
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Opponents of Myanmar military rule hold ‘silent strike’
Description: "Opponents of military rule in Myanmar observed a “silent strike” on Friday, with many people staying home to mourn the more than 700 people killed in protests against a Feb. 1 coup and others wearing black held small marches in several cities and towns. Many Myanmar citizens, infuriated by the return of military rule after five years of civilian government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, have been taking to the streets day after day with activists thinking up new ways to show opposition as the security forces step up their suppression. "Let's make the roads silent," protest leader Ei Thinzar Maung posted on her Facebook page. "We have to stage a Silent Strike to show our sorrow for the martyrs who have scarified their lives. The most silent voice is the loudest." Friday is the fourth day of the five-day traditional Buddhist New Year holiday, known as Thingyan. Most people this year are shunning the usual festivities to focus on their campaign against the generals who overthrew Suu Kyi's government and locked up her and many others. Streets in the main city of Yangon were largely deserted, residents said, while black-clad protesters held small rallies in half a dozen cities and towns, media reported. There were no immediate reports of violence but overnight, two people were shot and killed in the central town of Myingyan, Radio Free Asia reported. A spokesman for the junta could not be reached for comment. The military has also been rounding up its critics and has published the names of more than 200 people wanted under a law that makes it illegal to encourage mutiny or dereliction of duty in the armed forces. Two prominent protest organisers were arrested on Thursday along with an actor and singer, both known for speaking out against the coup. Late on Thursday, soldiers raided a famous Buddhist monastery in the second city of Mandalay and arrested two people, the Myanmar Now media group reported..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-16
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Time for a coordinated ASEAN–UN response to Myanmar’s coup
Description: "The international community needs new ways of working together to respond to the violence deployed against protesters in Myanmar. Since the military seized power on 1 February 2021, over 600 people have been killed. As of 10 April, over 2800 are in detention, have outstanding charges or are evading arrest. Communities across the country continue to protest, despite increasingly lethal violence. The international community continues to make statements denouncing the use of violence against protestors. They encourage regional efforts to support peaceful resolution and a return to the democratic transition. But protesters don’t want a return to the previous situation — they are calling for fundamental political change. The Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) has entrenched its position. More lethal force and violence is expected. It is time for ASEAN and the UN to collaborate on developing a joint mechanism to coordinate regional and international diplomatic efforts, and provide humanitarian assistance to respond to the deteriorating situation. ASEAN is constrained by its consensus-based approach to decision-making and limited investment in regional institutional architecture. The divergence of opinion over the situation in Myanmar between member states is well documented. This limits ASEAN from acting collectively. But treating ASEAN as an enforcement mechanism in the ways that some in the international community have suggested misses the point. ASEAN has evolved as a forum for dialogue at the regional level. Its successes have been in initiating and contributing to the sustainable development of its member states, while engaging extra-regional players. The UN has several constraints working in Southeast Asia, the most prominent being that many countries in the region prefer a localised approach to peace and security. The UN has strengthened its position in the region by partnering with ASEAN in several key areas, notably in disaster management and emergency response. A greater focus on these successes is needed to develop an ASEAN–UN partnership. A joint mechanism would build on past successes. There have been notable developments since the signing of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response in 2008, suggesting that a more coordinated approach is possible between global and regional organisations. In October 2016, the UN Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and the ASEAN Secretary-General met alongside the UN General Assembly and the annual ASEAN–UN Secretariat-to-Secretariat Dialogue. They agreed to capture and institutionalise practical, experience-based arrangements. This notably took shape in the response to the 2018 Sulawesi Earthquake in Indonesia. The Indonesian government mandated that the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) be the platform through which international partners and the private sector coordinate their humanitarian efforts. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs worked in the AHA Emergency Operations Centre to facilitate coordination between ASEAN and the UN. The experience was commended and pointed to as a new way of working between the two entities. There remains a lack of significant investment in regional institutions, limiting both their mandate and their capacity. The ASEAN Charter remains the lynchpin for upholding the ASEAN community and provides the foundation for action. But it lacks triggers to initiate substantive responses and relies on the convening of an ASEAN Leaders Summit to address member states that fall foul of their commitments. And the ASEAN Secretariat only has a few hundred employees — limiting its ability to implement its broad-based mandate effectively. Forging an ASEAN–UN partnership could help coordinate diplomatic efforts and deliver humanitarian assistance to people in Myanmar. It could draw on the expertise of the 6600 ASEAN citizens currently staffing the United Nations system to create a joint mechanism anchored in the ‘ASEAN way’ that combines the trust of ASEAN with the capacity of the United Nations. In response to the devastating impact of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, ASEAN established the ASEAN Humanitarian Taskforce. The taskforce was made up of the ASEAN member states chaired by the ASEAN Secretary-General and an advisory group made up of Myanmar’s neighbouring countries, the UN, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. It facilitated engagement between parties and provided a model for an ASEAN–UN mechanism. A partnership between ASEAN and the United Nations will provide a more coordinated international response to the increasingly fraught situation in Myanmar. If ASEAN leadership fails, it will fall upon the wider international community and individual ASEAN members — undermining the organisation’s regional centrality. A path that does not engage ASEAN faces numerous hurdles and diverging interests. It is time to move beyond broad commitments to region-led approaches. Actors must find innovative ways of collaborating if regional and international efforts are to support people in Myanmar..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "East Asia Forum" (Australia)
Date of publication: 2021-04-14
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 164.52 KB
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Title: Australia should target Myanmar ‘gang leader’ for sanctions, UN expert says
Sub-title: Exclusive: special rapporteur Tom Andrews says crimes against humanity are happening ‘before our very eyes’ and calls for urgent action against military junta
Description: "A top United Nations expert is in direct talks with the Australian government about how to expand sanctions against Myanmar’s military regime, and warned that crimes against humanity are being “committed before our very eyes”. Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, told Guardian Australia the government should target the commander-in-chief, whom he described as “the gang leader” responsible for mass atrocities, and should link additional sanctions with those imposed by other countries. On Wednesday the Australian government attempted to reassure more than 3,300 Myanmar nationals in Australia that it was not planning to send them home when their visas expired, amid concerns about the dangers they might face in the wake of the 1 February coup. The Australian government has condemned the coup and the killing of more than 700 civilians, but has not announced any sanctions beyond those applying to five military figures who have been on the list since 2018. Human rights groups have criticised Australia for appearing to act slower than some of its key allies and partners..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-14
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 169.4 KB
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Title: Can Myanmar’s civil disobedience movement restore democracy?
Description: "Since Myanmar’s coup on 1 February, Commander-in-Chief of the Tatmadaw General Min Aung Hlaing has been working to remake the country’s political landscape by removing the National League for Democracy (NLD), detaining its leadership and installing a military junta. But the success of the coup is not guaranteed, given the junta’s lack of control over parts of the state apparatus, population and spiralling economy. The civil disobedience movement is spreading across key ministries. Staff from the Central Bank of Myanmar and commercial banks are striking and limitations placed on withdrawals indicate a looming liquidity crisis. Foreign trade is frozen with exports down by 90 percent. Medical professionals are striking and two-thirds of the country’s hospitals are not properly functioning during a pandemic. Some police have joined protests, refusing to do the dirty work of the military. A groundswell of protests have swept across the country, with Myanmar’s tech-savvy youth proving to be a creative mobilising force the old guard has not faced before. As Min Aung Hlaing sports bulletproof vests in rare outings and uses state media to blast the civil disobedience movement and protesters, the junta’s own propaganda machine suggests the resistance is having an impact. Can the military maintain internal cohesion facing off against a nation and multiple crises? Based on 2020 election results, there may even be hints of support for the NLD within the military. A number of possible scenarios are emerging with different enabling factors, not least of which is the Myanmar people’s sheer determination for democracy. One scenario is a return to absolute military rule. The junta would use the crises, violence and coercion to remove any semblance of social order, and then present a false dichotomy to the population: anarchy or dictatorship. A delay in holding elections for several years would be justified under the guise of restoring stability. A second scenario follows the path set by Min Aung Hlaing: hold elections within a year and reinstall a semi-elected parliament. The military has likely realised by now that the political system they designed under the Constitution does not guarantee its political victory. The military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) has been unable to secure enough seats to outnumber the NLD, even with the advantage of a quarter of parliamentary seats being assigned to the military. The junta may attempt to redesign the electoral system from first-past-the-post to proportional representation, framing this as an opportunity for ethnic and other political parties to gain more seats in a new election. A sham election could then take place with the NLD removed from the electoral map. While ASEAN countries initially seemed tempted by this track, it does not provide a pathway to de-escalate resistance. A rigged military-run election would fail to transfer the electoral legitimacy voters bestowed on 2020-elected officials, some of whom have formed the Committee Representing the Union Parliament in opposition to the junta. In another, third, scenario, the coup does not either clearly fail or succeed, creating a protracted crisis. For over 70 years, the Myanmar military has failed to win a number of asymmetric internal armed conflicts. The battle for state control would become another front line of drawn-out crises where the use of state-based violence breeds further resistance and new support for the civil disobedience movement. A protracted crisis could also materialise if there is significant reorganising of power within the military leading to unforeseen contests. Potential stalemates due to the military and civilian blocs not recognising each other for negotiations, as called for by several ASEAN countries, could also prolong events. In scenario four, the coup fails and there is a return to the hybrid government under the 2008 constitution, with NLD members released and the 2020 election results honoured, as called for by the United Nations and much of the international community. For the coup to fail, the civil disobedience movement would need to sustain popular and financial support and continue to impact the junta’s control over the economy and administration. This scenario hinges on support for Min Aung Hlaing’s leadership waning as multiple crises hit regular military families and businesses..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "East Asia Forum" (Australia)
Date of publication: 2021-03-17
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 98.83 KB
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Title: Is Civil Disobedience Myanmar’s New Normal?
Topic: civil disobedience movement, Coup, Democracy, Human Rights, military in politics, Min Aung Hlaing, National League for Democracy, November 8 general election, Rule of Law, State Administrative Council, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Tatmadaw, Yangon
Topic: civil disobedience movement, Coup, Democracy, Human Rights, military in politics, Min Aung Hlaing, National League for Democracy, November 8 general election, Rule of Law, State Administrative Council, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Tatmadaw, Yangon
Description: "What is the new normal for Myanmar today? As people have been trying different forms of civil disobedience to fight the military coup it has become a new normal in Myanmar. The words “civil disobedience” comes from State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal before she was detained. She urged people to “oppose the military coup together in any way possible”. For her, as she often said, “the people are the most important force”. A veteran journalist asked another National League for Democracy (NLD) leader, U Win Htein, about the message and what Daw Aung San Suu Kyi wants people to do. U Win Htein said she wanted a civil disobedience movement rather than mass street protests because of COVID-19 and the potential for bloodshed. As her message was not clear enough, people were puzzled about what to do. NLD members have waited for instructions from the party’s central executive committee who are being held in Naypyidaw. The strict hierarchy of the NLD left people feeling bereft on the first day of the coup. My 78-year-old mother kept asking me, “Is there any luck?” She cried the whole day because her beloved leader, “Mother Suu”, was detained. It is heartbreaking for her because she did not expect to return to military rule. One day after the coup, people started banging pots and pans and honking car horns to oppose military rule. Banging pans is a traditional way of driving out ghosts. That initiative reached the international media and was dubbed the “drum revolution”. Thais have followed suit in an attempt to drive out Thailand’s military regime. But pots and pans are not enough for young citizens who have been hit the hardest by the forced internet shutdown ordered by the authorities. My son and his student friends have lost their online jobs, they cannot play virtual games and their online shopping businesses have folded. Food Panda delivers lost their jobs as online ordering has broken down and most bank cards have stopped working because of connection failures. Shops only want cash as the banking system is unstable and the Grab taxi app just says, “no connection found”. The internet shut down is causing a long list of problems. Facebook was blocked after the authorities forced telecoms operators to ban the most popular social media network. People immediately searched for virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass Myanmar’s networks. Anti-coup posts and protest photos returned to Facebook..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2021-02-15
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 287.29 KB
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Title: Myanmar activists remember dead with red paint protests
Description: "Opponents of Myanmar’s coup splashed red paint and dye on roads and signs outside government offices on Wednesday to represent the blood of people killed protesting against the junta, on the second day of the traditional new year holiday. The display aimed at shaming the military took place in various towns and cities, according to pictures posted by media outlets, as people answered a call by activists to join what they termed a bloody paint strike. Some people marched with signs calling for the release of the leader of the ousted government, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. She has been detained since the Feb. 1 coup on various charges including violating an official secrets act that could see her imprisoned for 14 years. Her lawyers have denied the charges against her. “Please save our leader - future - hope,” read a sign with a picture of Suu Kyi held by a young woman among several thousand people marching in the second city of Mandalay, according to a picture published by the Mizzima news service. There were no immediate reports of violence at any of the protests on Wednesday, but information has become scarce because of junta curbs on the internet. The coup has plunged Myanmar into crisis after 10 years of tentative steps toward democracy with daily protests and various campaigns of defiance including strikes by workers in many sectors that have brought the economy to a standstill. The five-day New Year holiday, known as Thingyan, began on Tuesday but pro-democracy activists cancelled the usual festivities to focus on their opposition to the generals who seized power.
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-14
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 219.99 KB
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Title: Myanmar coup: civil disobedience campaign begins amid calls for Aung San Suu Kyi's release
Sub-title: National League for Democracy urges military to acknowledge 2020 election result
Description: "The party of Aung San Suu Kyi has called for her immediate release and for Myanmar’s 2020 election results to be acknowledged by the military, which took power in a coup on Monday. The country’s elected leader, who was among dozens of political figures picked up by the army, reportedly remains under house arrest. The coup has provoked widespread outrage around the world, but China and Russia blocked British-led efforts at the UN security council to deliver a consensus statement condemning the military takeover. The streets of Myanmar’s main city, Yangon, were calm on Tuesday, but online many people turned their social media pictures red to signal their support for Aung San Suu Kyi, who won a landslide victory in November’s elections. In the evening, residents banged metal pots, a symbolic protest against the military, which previously ran Myanmar for some five decades. Some lit candles on their balconies. A growing civil disobedience campaign has also emerged among doctors, with health workers from dozens of hospitals across Myanmar stating they will not work under the military, starting from Wednesday. A statement on the Facebook page of May Win Myint, an official with her National League for Democracy, said the party’s executive committee urged the military to acknowledge the results of November’s election and called for the parliamentary session due to start this week to go ahead. It also called for Aung San Suu Kyi’s immediate release. Later on Tuesday, an official from the National League for Democracy said in a message on Facebook that Aung San Suu Kyi was in good health and that there was no plan to move her. It is not possible to verify such posts. The UN special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, briefed the UN security council in closed session on Tuesday. “She didn’t hold back at all,” a diplomat who was in the chamber said. “She really called for a clear signal of council support for democracy in Myanmar.” China and Russia however blocked a British-drafted statement condemning the coup and calling for its reversal, while India and Vietnam also voiced reservations. “China, weren’t actively supportive of the military vocally, but they talked about stability and internal affairs and tried not to say anything at all,” a diplomat said. “Russia supported China, and then India and Vietnam were just a bit more nuanced […] and said it was important to consider regional efforts.” Louis Charbonneau, UN director for Human Rights Watch, condemned the security council’s silence. Advertisement “The abject failure of the security council, thanks to the likes of China and Russia, to hold Myanmar’s military leaders accountable for their crimes helps them feel they can engage in horrific abuses and pay little or no cost,” Charbonneau said. A spokesperson for the Chinese UN mission said: “It’s also our hope that any move of the council would be conducive to the stability of Myanmar rather than making the situation more complicated.” Beijing has invested billions of dollars in projects in Myanmar. The state-backed Xinhua news agency described the military take over with the euphemism: “major cabinet reshuffle”. The US president, Joe Biden, threatened sanctions and called for governments to press for the military to release detainees. The UN security council will meet on Tuesday to discuss the matter..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-02-02
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 194.98 KB
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Title: Myanmar coup: What is happening and why?
Sub-title: Mass protests have been taking place across Myanmar since the military seized control on 1 February.
Description: "Elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party are among those detained. Hundreds of people, including children, have been killed. Where is Myanmar? Myanmar, also known as Burma, is in South East Asia. It neighbours Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh, China and India. It has a population of about 54 million, most of whom are Burmese speakers, although other languages are also spoken. The biggest city is Yangon (Rangoon), but the capital is Nay Pyi Taw. The main religion is Buddhism. There are many ethnic groups in the country, including Rohingya Muslims. The country gained independence from Britain in 1948. It was ruled by the armed forces from 1962 until 2011, when a new government began ushering in a return to civilian rule. Why is Myanmar also known as Burma? The ruling military changed the country's name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989. The two words mean the same thing but Myanmar is the more formal version. Some countries, including the UK, initially refused to use the name as a way of denying the regime's legitimacy. But use of "Myanmar" has become increasingly common, and in 2016 Ms Suu Kyi said it did not matter which name was used. What has happened now, and why? The military is now back in charge and has declared a year-long state of emergency. It seized control on 1 February following a general election which Ms Suu Kyi's NLD party won by a landslide. The armed forces had backed the opposition, who were demanding a rerun of the vote, claiming widespread fraud. The election commission said there was no evidence to support these claims. The coup took place as a new session of parliament was set to open. Ms Suu Kyi has been held at an unknown location since the coup. She is facing various charges, including violating the country's official secrets act, possessing illegal walkie-talkies and publishing information that may "cause fear or alarm". NLD MPs who managed to escape arrest formed a new group in hiding. Their leader has urged protesters to defend themselves against the crackdown. Who is in charge now? Military commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing has taken power. He has long wielded significant political influence, successfully maintaining the power of the Tatmadaw - Myanmar's military - even as the country moved towards democracy..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of publication: 2021-04-01
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 347.15 KB
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Title: Regime’s forces kill two, loot donations from mosque from during attack on small town in Mandalay Region
Sub-title: ‘The situation is not good at all here,’ a rescue worker from Myitnge said
Description: "The coup regime’s forces shot dead two civilians and injured six others in the town of Myitnge, Mandalay Region, on Tuesday, according to residents. The two men who died were from the town’s Yankin ward and their bodies were cremated at the Myitnge Myoma Cemetery at 9am on Wednesday. The shooting began when regime forces tried to detain a civil servant who had gone on strike and joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), a local said. “They came to arrest a civil servant doing CDM,” she said. “The residents came out to protest and they started shooting at them.” “They have been shooting all day today too. So we cannot go outside,” she told Myanmar Now on Wednesday. At around 2pm on Wednesday, soldiers destroyed barricades set up by locals and shot at houses in Thazin ward, she added. A donation box at a local mosque was also destroyed and the money inside was taken by the soldiers, a resident said. “We still don’t know how much money they took. They’re still blocking the area so we cannot go outside,” they added. The military’s spokesperson could not be reached for comment regarding the killing of the two men and the looting. Soldiers also began shooting in the nearby village of Hpa Paung on Wednesday evening, according to locals, though they were unable to give further details at the time of reporting. A relief worker from Myitnge said volunteers to help treat injured people and collect dead bodies have become scarce because of the dangers of doing such work. He added that a man was shot dead on Tuesday in the town of Sintgaing, about 16km from Myitnge. “We cremated his body immediately on the same day. I can’t tell you the details. The situation is not good at all here,” he said. More than 100 people have been protesting daily in Myitnge, residents there said. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a group that has been monitoring violence and arrests since the February 1 coup, the new regime has now killed at least 715 people, including more than 40 children..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-04-15
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 194.72 KB
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Title: As civil disobedience movement grows, so do efforts to shore up resistance
Sub-title: As civil servants stage walkouts in protest against military rule, new groups are forming to help them meet basic needs
Description: "In the two weeks since Myanmar’s military seized power, resistance has taken many forms, from people banging pots and pans to massive street protests. But none have shown more commitment to the cause of restoring civilian rule than the tens of thousands of civil servants who have put their lives and livelihoods on the line by joining the growing civil disobedience movement. Some in this movement have been targeted for arrest, as the regime carries out late-night arrests around the country as part of its effort to crush popular opposition to its rule. But many others are struggling with a more basic problem: meeting their material needs as they forego an income in their bid to bring down the junta. It is in recognition of this sacrifice that new groups have begun to crop up to assist public employees in need. These groups—with names like “We Support Heroes” and “2/21 Sturdy Hands”—are trying to ensure that the regime doesn’t win by attrition what it can’t achieve through fear and intimidation. “Whenever we urge civil servants to stay away from work, there are always some who ask us how they can feed themselves. That’s why we formed this group, so that we could answer that question and show our unity,” said a member of a group that calls itself “Get Well Soon”. Already, hundreds have sought help. So far, however, support has come mainly in the form of food and shelter provided by private donors, as financial aid is still not available due to the fact that none of the groups have begun fundraising yet. One group, We Support Heroes, says that it has assisted at least 100 public employees and their families since the civil disobedience movement, or CDM, started in the days after the February 1 coup. Most are nurses, but others include customs officials, parliamentary office staff, and the households of six police officers forced to leave government-sponsored housing. One of the members of the group told Myanmar Now that even without much cash at its disposal, it has been able to amply provide for those in need of assistance thanks to the generosity of the public. “There are people who have welcomed others into their homes, in some cases giving them the whole house to live in. In Mandalay, a whole hotel was provided. And some are giving not just accommodation, but also daily meals,” he said. Engineering resistance Many of those walking off the job to join the CDM are technical staff working in a variety of ministries, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and the Irrigation and the Small-Scale Industries Department. Scattered around the country, from remote parts of Kachin State to the urban centers of Yangon and Mandalay, they have been among those in greatest need. Civil Disobedience Campaign—Myanmar Engineers, a group formed to assist workers in technical professions who have lost their jobs or housing due to their participation in the CDM, says that it has received 600 requests for help, but has so far only been able to assist in about 200 cases..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-02-16
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 464.61 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 14 April, (715) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (1) fallen heroes today. This (1) hero was killed on a previous day but documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 14, a total of (3070) people are currently under detention; of them (66) are sentenced. 756 have been issued arrest warrants; of them 17 were sentenced to death and currently evading arrest. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. Today was the second day of Thingyan in Burma but instead people protested and strike across the country. Including a “blood strike” across the county symbolizing streets where the junta killed innocents as still stained. The inhumanity of the dictatorship is revealed because the blood has not gone away. Protestors wroten slogans on roads, like “stop killing people” and “Save Myanmar” using this red paint. Since this afternoon, Myitnge Town, in Mandalay Region was reportedly under siege by the junta, yesterday evening in Myitnge Town, at least five people were injured and many others arrested in shootings by the junta forces. In Bahan Township, Yangon, a man was shot dead in the chest while he was waiting for the bus near Min Street Bus Stop. Last night, in Kale Town in Sagaing Region, a man was shot in the stomach and injured when he was returning home from giving an oxygen tank to someone in an emergency. Last night, Myanmar Radio and Television (MRT) broadcasted that 26 civilians were sentenced – to death, 7 years imprisonment with labour, or 3 years imprisonment with labour. Some of these civilians are currently evading arrest. The junta’s own actions of death sentences and long sentences are criminally arbitrary. The junta is abusing the right of everyone to peace and security, people are facing threats to their lives on a daily basis. The junta robs the people like bandits. Yesterday, in Chin State, Hakha City, a military vehicle collided with a civilian car, destroying the man’s car. The man was detained for one night, 1.3 million Kyat in the vehicle was also stolen. A house in South Okkalapa Township, Yangon Region which stored rations and distributed donations was raided and 300 pounds of oil were stolen. The junta commits these crimes without regard for the law like terrorists. At the Yangon Education Center for the Blind in Mayangon Township, Khawe Chan. At around 7.30pm 12 April, approximately 70 junta Battalion No.77 jumped over the compound gate and set up base in two of the buildings. Inside were around 50 blind students (age between 5 and 30) and 30 family and blind staff in the wider compound, reportedly all still there. Staff movements are restricted. The junta troops initially said they would keep the base for 5-7 days, but on 13 April, they instead said it would be 1-2 weeks. Occupying a school of disabled students is not only morally abhorrent, but also violates universal international law. The UNSC must uphold its commitment to give these vulnerable students their protection and dignity which has been directly threatened by this junta terrorism and coup attempt. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-14
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 827.23 KB 2.92 MB 812.55 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 13 April, (714) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (4) fallen heroes today. (2) from Tamu Town in Sagaing Region died on 13 April. (2) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 13, a total of (3054) people are currently under detention; of them (66) are sentenced. As 79 people including UEC members were released, we removed them from today’s detainee list. 717 have been issued arrest warrants; of them 17 were sentenced to death and currently evading arrest. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. Today on the eve of the Thingyan, people from all over Burma protested against the military dictatorship by chanting “Ye Ye Ni Sway Atar Oh Revolution” (The Red Welcome Flowerpot to Spirit Revolution), without having fun in water. Today, junta troops stormed Tamu, Sagaing Region. Since this morning, some wards in Tamu have been being raided, barricades and people’s homes nearby were shot at unprovoked. Today, a man and a woman were shot dead while delivering milk in Tamu. Five youths were reportedly beaten, hooded, and taken away. Persecution is practiced as routine for decades by dictatorships, now targeting civilians. Yesterday, in Insein Township, Yangon Region, a night watchman went missing on his way home after his duty. His family inquired of his whereabouts and found his dead body with wounds consistent with torture in another township, Hlaing Tharyar Hospital. The military attempts to create religious conflict as its policy. At a mosque in Tamwe Township, Yangon Region, a man, who called Muslims to prayer was found dead by hanging, his entire body and hands on back tied. Police and mosque officials have issued a statement condemning the alleged suicide, even though experts say suicide was not possible. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. It is a fundamental human right. In Burma it is a tragedy everyone is threatened and are concerned for their safety every day. This morning, arrests were made in Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region. Nine people were arrested in a raid on Lel Thit village in the eastern part of Myingyan. Last night, Mayangone Township, Yangon, a raid on Mudita’s Housing led to the arrest of at least 10 people. Yesterday in Taungdwingyi Township, Magway Region, thousands of locals were forced to flee their homes due to a military terrorist group opening fire on three villages of Pat Lal Gyi Village Tract, destroying homes and property. In order to retain power, the terrorist regime commits crimes against humanity on a daily basis. Yesterday’s news that the kyat has dropped 14% against the US dollar provides further warnings of Burma’s likely descent into a failed state. Burma already hosts fragile industries, which now face complete collapse. The economic effects will be felt internationally, particularly damaging its top investor Singapore and thereafter the entire ASEAN. Soaring food and gas prices come alongside yesterday’s scenes of long queues at ATMs in Yangon, as people panic to withdraw cash from crumbling bank systems. With junta terror prevailing in Tamu in particular today, economic chaos will engulf the entire country. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-13
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 817.7 KB 2.91 MB 811.17 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 12 April, (710) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (4) fallen heroes today. These (4) heroes were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 12, a total of (3080) people are currently under detention; of them (64) are sentenced. 697 have been issued arrest warrants; of them 17 were sentenced to death and currently evading arrest. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. Last night, across the country civilians held a “flashlight strike”, lighting the sky in a powerful symbol of unity against unlawful military rule. Aerial images captured the extent of the people’s resistance. Junta forces responded to even these peaceful acts of solidarity with brutal violence. In one case in Aungmyethazan, Mandalay, CCTV footage shows the junta abducting civilians who simply turned on flashlights in their own homes. Nationally civilians also took part in a watermelon strike encouraging a boycott of Chinese products and fruits. This was in solidarity with farmers and in opposition to a China refusing to directly criticize the terrorists in Burma. Today people across Burma again continued in their protests against dictatorship, a coalition strike in Mandalay City was suppressed with gunfire. In Kyaukme, Shan State, the terrorists used tear gas and sound grenades in the afternoon. However, no one was injured or arrested. Junta forces removed barricades made by people in Narnattaw Ward, Loikaw Township, Kayah State and arrested seven individuals. Four of the seven were released soon afterwards. Although crackdowns appeas apear to be on the decline there are in fact ongoing shooting, killing, torture and arrests. Beginning early this morning, so-called police and military terrorists used excessive force to attack Tamu Township, Sagaing Region. Junta troops advanced through Tamu and destroyed people-made barricades, all civilians found were tied up. The terrorists opened fire and raided houses, suspects were arrested and taken away. The junta group raided and looted Grace Hospital in Tamu and beat the nurses. They also stormed the Methodist church compound and stole mobile phones, gold and jewelry and money which belonged to the abbot and civilians in the compound. The ward administrator house was also raided and property destroyed. During the raid, a seven-year-old boy was shot and wounded. Some people were forced to flee their homes. The terrorist group stormed the entire city with their weapons, and launched a fierce offensive in order to finally destroy a city united in defense regardless of the bombardment from heavy artillery. If they do not find people to arrest, the junta takes relatives and friends as hostage, it is a routine tactic of this terrorist regime. It is an attempt to threaten through kidnaping anyone close to them. In Tedim Township, Chin State; parents were taken hostage because the son of the Cooperative Department involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) was not found and arrested. According to AAPP documentation 32 hostages have been taken so far. Deaths by torture during detention and inhumane beatings are being perpetrated to create public fear. In Monywa, Sagaing Region, a villager was arrested and beaten last night for banging pots and pans. Today, a delivery man in Yangon was beaten for wearing a black mask and suffered bruises all over his face. Only by overthrowing the dictatorship can the persecution end, in addition to looting and robbing carried out openly by the terrorists. On April 10, in North Okkalapa Township, Yangon, the military terrorists broke into a man’s house on No. 13 Nwe Ni Road, took 180,000,00 Kyats and other valuables, beat him without reason and took him away. On April 10, in North Dagon Township, Yangon, a car driven by a dentist was allegedly stopped and searched and the dentist fined 120,000 Kyats and his wallet stolen for just giving free medical treatment. In the ethnic states, in Moe Mauk Township, Kachin State, fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the terrorist group intensified. A woman and a man were killed when artillery shells fired by the junta exploded in villages last night, another villager was injured in the leg. In Alaw Bum, the headquarter of Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) area has been blasted with a series of fighter jets since this morning. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-12
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 2.98 MB 749.17 KB 802.29 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 11 April, (706) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (5) fallen heroes today. (1) died on 11 April. (4) were killed yesterday and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 11, a total of (3059) people are currently under detention; of them (64) are sentenced. 657 have been issued arrest warrants; of them 17 were sentenced to death and currently evading arrest. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. People are protesting against the junta on a daily basis, today participating in the “Green Day Strike”. On 11 April even though unprovoked shootings and arrests continued, the supposed calm is a serious cause for concern. Today, in Tamu, Sagaing Region, two people on a motorcycle were shot in front of the district police station, the man was shot dead and woman injured and close to death but no one dared rescue them. On 10 April in Wa Roung Village, Ahyartaw Township, Sagaing Region, a young man was shot dead and another injured in a crackdown on protesters. Last night, in Pathein Township, Ayeyarwady Region, two youths on a motorcycle were shot at in an effort to detain, but no one was injured or arrested. Since the military coup in Burma, the terrorist group has mainly targeted political parties, organizations and parliamentarians. One NLD MP from Pantanaw Township, Ayeyarwady Region was arrested yesterday, the military terrorist group uses torture as its weapon in detention, it is a serious cause for concern that detainees will survive with human dignity. In the ethnic states, conflict by the junta in particular against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) continued. From last night to this afternoon, fighting between the KIA and the junta intensified in Momauk Township, many locals have been forced to flee. On April 9 and April 10, five artillery shells were fired at KNU-controlled civilian areas in Papun District and gunfire at two working people. In Nyaung Lay Pin District, Bago Region, people in Kyaukgyi Township are continually worried about airstrikes from fighter jets. Today was the 70th day since the coup, but the attempt to control the state through oppression has failed. The coup in 1988 took a matter of days, the 2021 attempted coup has lasted over two months. People are demanding the military step back and return power to the elected government, the people realize the essence of democracy, they lost their freedom in an attempt to return back to dictatorship. The population are enduring atrocities and fighting for the overthrow of the dictatorship and for true democracy. The military terrorist group is carrying out daily shootings and killings. AAPP urges the international community, including ASEAN, to take immediate action to prevent further injuries and deaths in Burma. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-11
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf pdf pdf
Size: 780.05 KB 93.73 KB 2.96 MB 731.71 KB
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Title: How the CDM can win
Sub-title: The Civil Disobedience Movement must define clear goals, set sustainable strategies and ditch any illusions of foreign intervention if it’s to win its tug-of-war with the Tatmadaw.
Description: "The people of Myanmar awoke to fear and confusion on February 1 as the Tatmadaw detained national leaders and lawmakers in Nay Pyi Taw ahead of the convening of the new parliament. Despite intermittent internet outages and a lack of information from state-run media, it soon became clear that the Tatmadaw had staged a coup. Within 48 hours, coordinated action against the seizure of power had begun. As the days wore on, the anti-coup campaign gained a name and a strategy: the Civil Disobedience Movement. Although this non-violent resistance movement was launched by government healthcare workers refusing to show up to work, it is largely an ad hoc campaign organised on the internet with no apparent leader. The CDM has galvanised millions to reject the military takeover of the government through sustained street protests, encouraged a boycott of military-owned or affiliated businesses, and, most vitally, inspired public servants to refuse to comply with directives from the military regime. A month from the coup, the devastating effect of millions of people working together to sabotage administration and the economy is being keenly felt. The strikes by public servants have slowed international trade to a crawl, government hospitals are having to turn away patients, and the banking system is unable to function, creating a cash crunch. What happens next will determine whether Myanmar is able to rid itself of the military junta or if millions will suffer pointlessly. There are five key challenges the CDM needs to address in order to win. The first challenge is to clarify and build consensus about what “success” means. Although there is universal agreement that the CDM rejects the military takeover of government, there is so far no consensus over what the campaign hopes to accomplish should the movement force the military to the negotiating table. At the moment, people on the streets are demanding paradoxical things. Many are calling for the regime to “respect our votes”, but activists from ethnic and religious minorities are not protesting in support of returning the National League for Democracy to power. Instead, they want to form a federal democracy based on a new or amended constitution. A lack of consensus is understandable given that the CDM is more than just street protests, a strike by government employees and a boycott of anything associated with the military. It is also a cultural sea change in which a new generation of activists is speaking up and taking the lead without looking to a source of authority for permission or approval. But without an agreement to pursue inclusive, justice-focused goals, it is easy to envision a future in which the concerns of minorities are again sacrificed for a settlement that the majority can accept, or one in which the movement suffers from infighting and then fails. The second challenge is the lack of clear leadership to both guide the CDM in its middle phase and be “in the room where it happens” at the end. Currently it seems that everyone in the CDM is involved with everything, without a clear sense of where each individual and group fits. This is extremely dangerous when confronting an organisation as highly organised and as well-resourced as the military..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-03-04
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 406.82 KB
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Title: In Face of Deadly Crackdown by Myanmar’s Junta, Civil Disobedience Movement Carries On
Description: "Anti-coup protests broke out again across Myanmar early Monday as popular acts of defiance against the military junta despite the regime’s violent and increasingly deadly pushback. Hundreds of demonstrators marched along a main road in Mandalay before dawn, many of them doctors, nurses, students and other medical personnel wearing white coats, repeating a similar demonstration carried out the night before. Scores of motorists in the commercial capital of Yangon honked their car horns in response to a call on social media, according to Reuters. Myanmar has been in turmoil ever since military jailed de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of the democratically elected civilian government on February 1. At least three people were killed Sunday in violent clashes between police and civilians, including two in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city and a major hub of opposition. An activist group, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, said nearly 250 people have been killed since the coup, with more than 2,000 people detained. Australian authorities confirmed Sunday that two of its citizens, businesspeople, were detained in Myanmar. Australia’s government declined to further details, citing the privacy of the concerned parties. Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will visit Brunei Darussalam on Monday before going to Malaysia and Indonesia as part of a regional diplomatic push to bring an end to the crisis in Myanmar, Reuters reported..."
Source/publisher: "VOA" (Washington, D.C)
Date of publication: 2021-03-22
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 322.61 KB
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Title: Junta uses control over military families to prevent defections, say army insiders
Sub-title: Soldiers disgusted by the regime’s murder of civilians fear their families will pay the price if they join the CDM
Description: "Soldiers appalled by the Myanmar junta’s brutal treatment of civilians are reluctant to leave the military because they fear for their families’ safety, according to people familiar with the situation. Despite these fears, however, a number of military officers have already defected to avoid serving under a regime that has so far killed more than 700 protesters and bystanders since seizing power on February 1. In the past month, four soldiers, including a captain from Light Infantry Division 77, which has carried out crackdowns in Yangon, have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). Others have also deserted and are now on the run. Many more would be willing to disobey the dictatorship if their families weren’t effectively held hostage by the junta—or “kidnapped by a gang”, as one of the recent defectors put it. “That is the situation right now. Those living in military compounds have basically been kidnapped. They use soldiers’ family members to control them so they can’t act freely. If a soldier wants to run, he has to take his family with him,” explained Capt. Lin Htet Aung, who joined the CDM this week. The captain, who served with Light Infantry Battalion 528 under the Triangle Region Command in eastern Shan state’s Mong Ping township, told Myanmar Now that many soldiers are uneasy about the crimes they have been ordered to commit. They know the regime is arresting, torturing and murdering innocent civilians, he said, but they are too worried about the safety of their own families to risk doing anything about it. “They know it isn’t fair, but they have to look out for their families. They’re aware of the injustice and I’m sure they feel uncomfortable about it. And yet they have to close their eyes,” he said. Now in hiding in territory controlled by an ethnic armed organization, he estimated that around 75% of troops would leave the military if their families were to receive protection. Not free to speak Even before the coup, the movements of soldiers’ family members were restricted, especially if they lived on military bases, according to the wife of an officer stationed in Mandalay. Since the coup, however, the situation has gotten much worse, both for the soldiers themselves and for their families, she said. “It’s been two weeks since I last had contact with him,” said the woman, who does not live with her husband. “They can’t go out except for security purposes. They line up every day and night to give their names, since some are defecting.” Because she doesn’t live on the base, where she can be more easily controlled, she has been denied access to her Facebook account and has also been forced to give up two phone numbers she previously used, she told Myanmar Now. “I never lived in a military compound, so he never really tells me anything in detail, because he doesn’t want to get in trouble. But he says they threaten him, asking if he wants a promotion or one or two years in prison. They’ve been saying I’m in the way of his prospects,” the woman said. Her husband, who is a graduate of the Defence Services Technological Academy, has wanted to leave the army since before the coup, she added. But not everyone in the military is disillusioned with the regime, she noted. There are still many who believe anything the generals say, due to their lack of access to news from outlets that are not controlled by the military. “There’s no internet access and they believe that everything they see on Myawaddy is real,” she said, referring to the military-owned TV station that the regime uses to spread disinformation about the coup. “They genuinely believe this coup was staged due to electoral fraud and that there will be another election in a year to transfer power,” she said of families living on bases. When Myanmar Now contacted the wife of another officer to ask about her current situation in a military housing compound, she simply responded that she did not feel safe speaking on the phone. She added, however, that she did not mind not being able to speak freely..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-04-13
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: The Long History of Myanmar’s Civil Disobedience Movement
Topic: CDM, civil disobedience movement, colonial rule, Coup, junta, military regime, U Ottama
Topic: CDM, civil disobedience movement, colonial rule, Coup, junta, military regime, U Ottama
Description: "It was just two days after the junta’s Feb.1 coup that the civil disobedience movement (CDM) started in Myanmar. Refusing to work under military rule, doctors left their hospitals, railways staff stayed home and tellers avoided their counters. People from all walks of life have since joined civil servants in a wider CDM by saying ‘no’ to products and services from military-owned businesses. They have boycotted products and services from military-owned businesses. They have boycotted the state lottery. They stopped putting advertisements and death notices in state-run newspapers. And they are withdrawing their savings from government and military-owned banks. All of this is being done to starve the military regime of income. But the current CDM is not the first in Myanmar’s history. Myanmar people also rose in revolt against oppressive British colonial rule in the 1920s by saying ‘no’. They did not pay tax to the colonial government. They refused to obey its orders. They didn’t bid for fishing, slaughterhouse and liquor licenses. They did not appear in court when they were prosecuted. And when they were forcibly taken to court they refused to answer the judge. Buu (the Burmese word for ‘No’) associations mushroomed in towns across the country. The English phrase ‘non-cooperation’ became popular even among illiterate farmers in rural parts of the country. Just as people today are boycotting the beer, cigarettes and telecom services owned by the military, people in the 1920s boycotted imported products or burned them in protest at colonial rule. They also stopped having western hairstyles. Buu associations first emerged in Hinthada in Ayeyarwady Region, before spreading to Shwebo and Monywa in central Myanmar and Dawei in southern Myanmar. The nationalist Buddhist monk U Ottama, the first person to be imprisoned in colonial Myanmar for political activities against British rule, travelled through southern Myanmar urging the people not to pay the colonists taxes..."
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2021-03-29
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 81.23 KB
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Title: Myanmar’s civil disobedience movement is built on decades of struggle
Description: "Two months after Myanmar’s coup, the country’s civil disobedience movement is awe-inspiring in its resilience against vicious military crackdowns. According to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, as of 28 March, 459 people have been killed and 2559 arrested, charged or sentenced. Despite this heavy price, the civil disobedience movement’s effectiveness is unprecedented. But its unity is not solely due to the current crisis, widespread hatred for the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) or the advent of digital technologies. The success of today’s civil disobedience movement comes from decades of behind-the-scenes activism to build a multi-ethnic civil society and an independent media under military dictatorship — well before the democratisation process began just over a decade ago. The expertise and infrastructure built by media veterans covering earlier crackdowns, including ethnic nationality media and the forging of international alliances, is the base upon which the current flow of accurate information and analysis depends. This work is rarely acknowledged in international media accounts of the current situation, which often focus on the newest technologies. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter are instrumental in allowing the people of Myanmar to coordinate and communicate with each other and the outside world. Digital technologies and social media provide foreign journalists immediate access to accurate information and more nuanced updates from Myanmar analysts than they themselves would be able to make. Social media sites are key ‘weapons’ in Myanmar’s current struggle, facilitating strategies such as the Social Punishment campaign that shames and ostracises family members and supporters of the Tatmadaw. Facebook responded to the crisis with a ban on all military-linked accounts. But even Facebook’s reaction is the result of years of work by local civil society organisations to push the company to address the dangerous spread of misinformation. This was especially acute during the attacks on the country’s Muslim Rohingyas. Massive protests in 1988 and the crackdown that followed caused thousands of dissident students to flee to the country’s border areas, where exile media were first established. While the movement was never solely ethnic majority Burman in its make-up, this was the first time many Burman students met ethnic ‘insurgents’. Many ethnic minority peoples in the border areas had also never before met Burmans who were not soldiers they needed to fear. Key alliances were forged and strengthened over the ensuing decades. Echoes of this same realisation have emerged in the 2021 post-coup period. Rohingya and other ethnic nationality groups quickly joined protests against the coup, despite a long struggle for recognition by the National League for Democracy (NLD) for their own suffering at the hands of the Tatmadaw. On social media, young protestors began to recognise and publicly apologise for their previous lack of empathy for the suffering of these minority groups. These sentiments have gone viral. The divide-and-rule strategy used in 1988 is today being challenged on a much broader scale. When Myanmar’s much-celebrated political opening began in 2011, its exiled media moved cautiously to return. But these media and independent media inside the country had already been pushing for decades for greater freedom of expression. That historical knowledge is playing a vital role in the current conflict, as older generations share their experiences of previous crackdowns, repressive rule and imprisonment. The tactics used by today’s protestors and dissident hackers are direct descendants of the post-1988 underground communication system. Media and civil society groups led by 1988 generation leaders of all ethnicities were among the first to publicly raise concerns about the NLD’s governing strategies. Many were bitterly disappointed and angered that crackdowns on media and other groups were worse under the NLD than under its predecessor, the military-backed Thein Sein government. A few expressed outrage at the NLD’s silence over the military’s inhumane treatment of the Rohingya, and over-simplified coverage of the issue by international journalists. While the coup does provide a clear common enemy in the Tatmadaw, the insights gained prior to this tumultuous period will undoubtedly have an impact beyond the current crisis. Groups such as Progressive Voice, Athan, the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, Action Committee for Democracy Development and Generation Wave will continue this anti-authoritarian, anti-militarisation critique regardless of the outcome of the current crisis..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "East Asia Forum" (Australia)
Date of publication: 2021-03-29
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 290.72 KB
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Title: Avoiding Pitfalls in Engaging with Digital Myanmar: A Post-coup Analysis of Risk Mitigation (Part 1)
Description: "The coup took many by surprise. So too did the first internet shutdown in the coup’s early hours, the subsequent blocking of Facebook and later of Twitter and Instagram by the Ministry of Transport and Communication. On February 6, both landline and mobile internet access were almost completely shut down. They started working again on Sunday, February 7, 2 pm Myanmar Time when internet service providers (ISPs) received an order to turn internet access back on. Since February 15, shutdowns have occurred daily between 1-9 am.[1] As of February 10, a new draft ‘Cyber Security Law’ is circulating on social media. It has since been condemned in a statement by over 250 civil society organizations. In parallel to the protests, laws including the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens, the Electronic Transactions Law[2], the Ward or Village-Tract Administration Law, and sections of the Penal Code have been amended by the military. One of the first people to be shot at, Ma Mya Thwet Thwet Khine, on February 19, succumbed to wounds sustained ten days prior. The violence used by the armed forces has escalated, particularly since the last weekend in February. These many changes within a short timespan illustrate the situation’s volatility. Staying connected, something digital networks promise, is crucial for those inside and outside Myanmar for coordination, news, and support. Yet, some means of engagement bear risks. This post first elaborates the risks associated with digital communications laid out in a Myanmar language resource. The post then applies this resource to the communications strategies of those outside Myanmar. Learning from those most experienced in avoiding digital pitfalls—those local to Myanmar—seems reasonable. Digital rights activists[3] and others have been adapting since at least 1994 (Houtman 1999: 2; see further Brooten, McElhone, and Venkiteswaran 2019b). Internet shutdowns and surveillance are nothing new, despite the current shutdowns’ unprecedented scale, with shutdowns in several townships in Rakhine and Chin State lasting from June 2019 to August 2020.[4] To illustrate the experience gained by local activists and other digital media users, the post relies on a Google Doc named “Risk Mitigation and Management Guide.pdf” (RMMG; in Myanmar) posted on Twitter by @myanmarido, Myanmar ICT for Development’s (MIDO) account, on the first day of the coup. MIDO is a civil society organisation founded in 2012 that aims to make information and communication technology (ICT) a force for social and political change. The file itself, however, names no author. It is much broader than this blog post and is aimed at people currently in Myanmar. In this post, the RMMG will be a) analysed to tease out its underlying concerns in Part 1 and b) consulted for practical advice insofar as it is relevant for those outside of—but engaging with—Myanmar in Part 2. The latter will be supplemented, where needed, by resources on issues the RMMG does not cover. Taking the author of the RMMG as a primary holder of digital security skills and knowledge regarding Myanmar, this post argues that their concerns should also matter for those engaged with Myanmar from the outside..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Tea Circle (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-03-15
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 395.72 KB
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Title: Equality or Animosity: Where will the Democratic Uprising Take the Rohingya?
Description: "In the aftermath of Myanmar’s military coup on 1 February 2021, hundreds of thousands of people from almost every ethnic group, including people from the Rohingya community, have marched in the streets nationwide in opposition to the military’s power grab. Some activists hope that the protests present a turning point for the persecuted Rohingya minority, given that some Burmese seem to be changing their views of their Muslim countrymen, who they considered to be illegal migrants before. But reinstating a democratic system will not automatically turn the situation in favor of the Rohingya. The reason for this? Buddhist Nationalism. For decades, Myanmar ethnic minorities, who speak their own languages and have distinct cultures, have faced persecution at the hands of the military. The state has also continuously waged military campaigns against some groups, most notably the Rohingya, a mostly Muslim minority group indigenous to Rakhine State. More than 750,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee to neighboring Bangladesh since 2017, when the military’s brutal campaign against the group led to the burning of villages, mass-murder, and rampant sexual violence. A United Nations human rights report concluded that the campaign was conducted with “genocidal intent.” Following the military’s campaign, Aung San Suu Kyi boosted her own image as the protector of the Bamar—the dominant majority ethnic group—before the domestic audience by defending the Tatmadaw against charges of genocide at the ICJ. Ultimately, neither the military nor the NLD defended the Muslim Rohingya minority in this Buddhist-majority country. On February 8, the third day of the general strikes, I entered into a group of protesters with a placard that read “Rohingya stand for Democracy.” I walked together with them around Tamwe and Mingalar Taung Nyunt townships, singing slogans for almost one hour. The reaction I got was neutral. When, the next day, we—myself and a group of Rohingya youth—went on to protest next to Sule Pagoda with vinyl placards bearing demands such as “reject the military coup” and “abolish the 2008 constitution,” we received a similar reaction. We received no particular attention from the crowd, although we used the term “Rohingya,” which has, in the past, been incredibly controversial in Myanmar. We were not met with criticism or threats because of the unity that the military coup had inspired. It now binds together the many different factions that oppose military rule. The day became a significant turning point for the Rohingya community in Yangon. Before, we had been too concerned to openly identify as Rohingya. But, in the aftermath of the coup, there was a need for solidarity and a show of unity amongst all people in Myanmar. This is what led us to overcome our fear of harassment. The initiative of a few protesters openly identifying as Rohingya encouraged others to join too. On the ground, our feelings of tension were palpable—this was a rare moment of equality, but one mixed with nervousness. The forthcoming support those first few protesters received online, however, helped inspire even more members of our community to come forward and step out of the shadow of persecution. Once more, we showed the degree of our commitment to the land of Myanmar, and that we stand together in the struggle for our country’s future..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Tea Circle (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-03-25
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 316.55 KB
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Title: Hopes for a New Democracy in Myanmar: Multiethnic Unity against Military Power
Description: "After its coup d’état on February 1, 2021, the military is doing everything to cling to power, and every day, the violence against civilians is growing and becoming more brutal. The situation is horrendous, and no one knows when and how it will end. Yet, the massive popular resistance to military rule, across ethnic, religious, and generational divides, gives hope for a new democracy in Myanmar with ethnic equality and inclusion. What at first appeared as a power struggle between the military top brass and Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), has become a broad-based popular resistance on social media, on streets of cities, and in rural and ethnic border areas. The hundreds of thousands of protesters and civil servants on strike across Myanmar agree on one thing: they reject the military takeover. So far, this has not resulted in one single movement or a single source of clear leadership, but multiple enactments of resistance. The challenge now is to persist against the brutal crackdowns by the security forces and unite around a common message and strategy that is broadly inclusive. Here, multiethnic unity is crucial and presents a challenge to overcome in a country that has been ethnically and religiously divided for so long. However, important signs of unity are emerging through a shared rejection of the military and calls for a federal democracy. Diversity in resistance efforts – towards a united call for federal democracy The nationwide scale and diversity of anti-coup protests have been growing ever since the first action on February 2 when, at 8 pm, people in Yangon—and later in many other places—started to bang pots and pans to “drive out the evil spirits” (in this case, the military). On the same day, a leaderless civil disobedience movement (CDM) launched a Facebook campaign, inspiring first doctors and nurses and then many other public and private sector workers to refuse to work for the military regime. Most recently, on March 16, the powerful government-appointed State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (Mahana), which oversees the country’s Buddhist monkhood, also decided to stop its activities in support of the CDM. The strikes have now paralyzed almost all civil services, banks, and ports, making it difficult for the military to run the country and the economy..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Tea Circle (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-03-19
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 486.03 KB
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Title: The Military Coup Destroyed Independent Media in Myanmar, but in Rakhine State, It Wasn’t There to Begin With
Description: "Since the February 1 military coup, independent media has faced a crisis in Myanmar. Yet, even before the coup, journalists and rights advocates had decried a diminishing space for independent media, especially media reporting on armed conflict and humanitarian crises in Rakhine State. In early January, we interviewed seven journalists and editors about the risks and challenges they faced when reporting on conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Tatmadaw. Some quotes have been anonymized due to the repressive and unstable situation under the military regime. Those interviewed shared numerous barriers the government created with regard to the media’s coverage of the conflict, which began escalating in late 2018. Some of these barriers were an extension of those already in place since October 2016, when the Tatmadaw began committing “clearance operations” against Rohingya people in the state’s northern townships. At that time, the government refused independent media access to the area. By April 2017, journalists needed permission to visit anywhere in the state. The Ministry of Information organized reporting tours beginning that July but required that participants were accompanied by government “minders” and followed fixed itineraries. One journalist we interviewed in January reflected on a time when they traveled to northern Rakhine without authorization, shortly after the Tatmadaw conducted its second and more sweeping wave of atrocities in August 2017, for which it is now facing genocide charges at the International Court of Justice. The journalist was detained by soldiers and forced to sign an agreement not to post or publish anything from their trip. Radio Free Asia also reported that journalists visiting northern Rakhine without authorization during the 2017 crisis faced threats, harassment, and confiscation of their cameras and laptops. In January 2018, the Committee to Protect Journalists named Aung San Suu Kyi the world’s biggest backslider in press freedoms, but the situation only worsened. That September, Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo received seven-year sentences for the possession of classified documents during their investigation of the massacre of ten Rohingya. Despite a police officer’s confession that he was ordered to entrap the journalists, they spent more than 500 days in prison before being released by presidential pardon. The AA began escalating its fight for autonomy in late 2018, and the Tatmadaw cracked down with a brutal counterinsurgency campaign. Violence—including indiscriminate airstrikes, gunfire, arson, and enforced disappearances—claimed around 300 lives, while the Rakhine Ethnics Congress, a local civil society group, estimated approximately 230,000 people were displaced. In April 2020, U.N. human rights expert Yanghee Lee documented the Tatmadaw’s targeting of civilians and called for an investigation into allegations of ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Rakhine and neighboring Chin State. As the conflict worsened, journalists faced increasing obstacles to reporting safely, accurately, and freely on human rights abuses that occurred. The journalists we interviewed described numerous ways authorities limited access to information and sources and left them vulnerable to arrest. In June 2019, the government ordered telecoms operators to shut down the internet in nine townships, impacting more than one million people. Although the restrictions were at times partially lifted, the internet remained effectively inaccessible across eight townships until, a day after the coup, the new military regime restored full access as it scrambled to earn the favor of marginalized ethnic groups. “For media workers to access facts and information has been difficult since the internet was blocked,” Myint Kyaw, former Secretary of the Myanmar Press Council, told us during a phone interview in early January, when the internet restrictions were still in place. Before the coup, the Myanmar Press Council had served as a semi-independent media adjudication body whose members were appointed by the National League for Democracy government, media associations, and civil society; now, most of its members have resigned due to military directives since the coup. “Media are just using photos of signboards with village names for news coming from Rakhine; the photo quality really decreased. Also, villagers cannot post things on social media, so they cannot share what is happening,” said Myint Kyaw in early January. Internet restrictions impacted the ability to cross-check information as well. “When someone from an internet-restricted area tells me something, it’s very difficult to verify,” said a reporter with the Rakhine State-based Development Media Group (DMG) in a phone interview in early January. “I try to verify it by calling four or five people, but sometimes updates happen in the meantime. I also have to consider each person’s background and whether what they say is likely to be accurate.” Without internet access, journalists were also unable to use encrypted messaging applications or send or receive emails from internet-restricted areas, leading them to transport files by car and use phone calls and text messages to communicate with each other and with sources. “These challenges lead not only to delayed communication but also a massive risk for journalists, as they can be under surveillance,” said a local media expert in an email on January 9. We have withheld their name due to security concerns since the coup,. On March 23 of 2020, the government ordered telecoms operators to block 230 websites, including 67 websites it categorized as “fake news.” Among the “fake news” sites were DMG and Narinjara, the only two Rakhine State-based media reporting in English. The local media expert said the block had both affected advertising revenue and hindered information access. “Blocking the websites of these media takes away the rights of people to know the situation of conflicts and human rights violations in conflict regions,” she said. Also on March 23, the government designated the AA a terrorist organization. In the ensuing weeks, authorities raided three media outlets and their journalists’ homes and charged their Editors-in-Chief under the Counter-Terrorism Law for publishing interviews with the AA’s spokesperson. Charges against Nay Myo Lin of the Mandalay-based Voice of Myanmar were later withdrawn, while cases against the Editors-in-Chief of Narinjara and Yangon-based Khit Thit Media remained ongoing as of the coup. They are among 67 legal cases filed against the media during the first four years of the National League for Democracy’s term, of which the government filed 31, the military filed 11, and the rest were filed by religious institutions, political parties, armed groups, private claimants and others, according to a May 2020 report by the Yangon-based freedom of expression organization Athan. “If we write true news, we can get arrested anytime,” said Thar Loon Zaung Htet, Khit Thit’s founder and Editor-in-Chief, in a phone interview in early January. “We can’t make balanced news about the conflict because we can’t interview the AA according to the law … It’s also difficult to follow media ethics if we don’t know the ground situation and can only get news from phone calls. It’s like the situation in Rakhine is in the dark. “ Two female journalists we interviewed in early January said they never went alone to conduct interviews in the field. “When I report on politics or human rights issues, I feel unsafe physically and psychologically,” said one local reporter in a phone interview. “I don’t feel safe being a woman journalist,” said another. “I try to encourage myself not to fear because I’m working for the truth.” DMG, which has seventeen journalists focusing on each of the state’s townships and was often among the first to break the news on the conflict between the AA and Tatmadaw, was a particular target of harassment. In April 2019, DMG received an email from an unknown sender that threatened its journalists’ lives if they did not support the Tatmadaw in their reporting. DMG applied to renew its media license in March 2019, but the Ministry of Information never responded to the application. Nonetheless, DMG pushed forward in its reporting: a search for “IDP” [internally displaced person] on its website revealed 152 articles published from May 2019 to February 2021, while a search for “human rights” revealed 109 results. As DMG continued to cover the conflict, however, it also came under increasing scrutiny. In May 2019, police charged Editor-in-Chief Aung Marm Oo with unspecified violations under the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act, for which he faced up to five years in prison; the case was ongoing as of the coup. During the NLD’s administration, the Unlawful Associations Act had been repeatedly used to charge people who allegedly had contact with ethnic armed organizations, including for journalistic purposes. In the days following the charges, police raided Aung Marm Oo’s office and house, questioning his family and two DMG staff. He went into hiding and, as of an interview in early January, had since been unable to see his wife or three-year-old son or receive medical care for a liver condition. He said that, fearing for his safety, he wouldn’t return home until police withdrew the case. On January 22 of this year, the Tatmadaw charged one DMG editor and one reporter with defamation under the Telecommunications Law, which outlaws defamation over a telecommunications network, in relation to an article that alleged Tatmadaw personnel had looted rice and forced locals to mill it. Neither the Tatmadaw nor the government had responded to DMG’s requests for comment. A local media expert emphasized to us the importance of local ethnic media in documenting armed conflict and promoting accountability for human rights violations.. “Local ethnic media can be a bridge that conveys the news from isolated conflict regions to the whole country and the world. It can eventually lead to a demand to end human rights violations in those areas,” she said. DMG’s deputy editor told us three weeks before the coup that Rakhine State-based media were facing increasing difficulties to survive and that some of DMG’s editors and reporters had resigned due to low salary and security concerns. “Local media are gradually becoming weaker in technology, funding, and human resources,” he said. The people we interviewed were disappointed in the NLD government’s stance toward media freedoms. While the party pledged to support independent media in its 2015 election manifesto, this pledge was absent in 2020. “Related to the law, things really got worse during the NLD administration…The NLD weakened independent media,” said Myint Kyaw, former Myanmar Press Council Secretary. When we called him on February 2, the day after the coup, he told us that the space for media freedoms would “narrow drastically” under the new junta. His prediction was accurate. On April 11, the junta submitted a letter to the Myanmar Press Council warning journalists and media organizations not to refer to it as a “coup government,” saying it violated media ethics. The junta has also ordered telecommunications operators to block all mobile data as of March 15 and wifi broadband networks as of April 1. A nightly internet blackout has been imposed since February 15. On March 9, the junta revoked the press licenses of five local media outlets, including Khit Thit, which had been covering breaking news in the coup’s aftermath, including livestream videos of protests. Editor-in-Chief Thar Loon Zaung Htet told Radio Free Asia on the day its license was revoked that all of Khit Thit’s journalists had already resigned, but he would continue alone to produce news via social media channels. The deputy editor of DMG told us that security concerns had dramatically increased for DMG staff since the coup. The entire team has gone into hiding, making it difficult for the media to collect information for its reports. According to an April 1 article in the New York Times, at least 56 journalists had been arrested with half remaining in detention. Fifteen face charges under Penal Code Article 505(a), which criminalizes disseminating information that might cause members of the military to mutiny, disregard, or fail in their duties with up to two years in prison. Junta forces have beaten journalists on multiple occasions, and a least three have been shot and wounded. When we started our reporting in January, the government’s restrictions on journalists covering Rakhine State significantly hindered reporting on the human rights situation there. The military coup caused a further downfall, while similar restrictions — including internet and website blocks, denial of licenses, and threats of arrest — now affect media coverage across the entire country, and physical insecurity has become pervasive as well. These changes are among many ways the junta has expanded oppressive tactics once practiced predominantly in ethnic states to encompass all of Myanmar, to the detriment of all..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Tea Circle (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-04-13
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 232.79 KB
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Title: Myanmar coup: The people shot dead since the protests began
Sub-title: More than 700 people have been killed by security forces since Myanmar's military grabbed power in a coup on 1 February, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma). The BBC has spoken to loved ones of three people who have died.
Description: "As Myanmar's coup violence continues to spiral, so has the number of its victims as a crackdown on protesters intensifies. Some of those who died had taken part in anti-coup protests, while others - including children - were simply sitting in their homes when they were killed. Here, three families share their stories. The teen who sang pro-democracy songs on TikTok Fourteen-year-old Pan Ei Phyu was an ardent supporter of the pro-democracy movement, and had made several TikTok videos of herself singing pro-democracy songs. Fearing for her safety, her mother Thida San didn't let her join the street protests. But that wasn't enough to save her. Pan Ei Phyu was shot inside her house as she wanted to open the door to protesters fleeing a military crackdown on 27 March. It was also the deadliest day since the coup began - at least 114 people, including 11 children, were killed. "She suddenly fell down and I thought she had slipped. But then I saw the blood on her back and realised she had been shot," Thida San told the BBC, breaking into tears. In Burmese, "pan" means flower, "ei" means soft, and "phyu" means white. "My daughter was a beautiful girl when she was born, just like a soft little flower. That's why I gave her the name." She recounted how helpful her daughter was around the house, and how she dreamed about opening an orphanage when she got older. "I feel like my life is not worth living without my child. I want to die instead of her." Pan Ei Phyu's death has also deeply affected her younger brother, 10-year-old Mg Sai Sai. He did not sleep at all on the night his sister died, and kept watching her TikTok videos instead, Thida San said. The family have since moved house because Thida San is worried something bad will happen to them again..."
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of publication: 2021-04-13
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar's military is charging families $85 to retrieve bodies of relatives killed in crackdown
Description: "Myanmar's military is charging families $85 to retrieve the bodies of relatives killed by security forces in a bloody crackdown on Friday, according to activists. At least 82 people were killed Friday in Bago, 90 kilometers (56 miles) northeast of Yangon, after the city was "raided" by the military's security forces, said advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). More than 700 people have died since the military overthrew Myanmar's elected government in a February 1 coup, according to AAPP. Since then, junta security forces made up of police, soldiers and elite counter-insurgency troops have embarked on a systematic crackdown against unarmed and peaceful protesters, detaining around 3,000 people and forcing activists into hiding. Myanmar's military fired on anti-coup protesters in Bago city Friday, using assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and hand grenades, AAPP said. An eyewitness who lives in Bago city, who cannot be named for security purposes, told CNN Sunday that many residents have fled to nearby villages since Friday's raid. The internet has been cut off in the area since Friday, the eyewitness said, and security forces are searching the neighborhoods. "I was living on the main road. The security forces come and station often," the eyewitness told CNN, adding that bodies have piled up at the mortuary following the shootings. "Due to the threat, we had to move into the house in the lane nearby," The military is now charging families 120,000 Myanmar kyat ($85) to retrieve the bodies of relatives who died Friday, according to a Facebook post from the Bago University Students' Union. Radio Free Asia's Burmese service matched the reporting from the Bago University Students' Union. CNN has not independently verified the report and has reached out to the military for comment. A police vehicle is parked at a road in South Okkalapa township to block anti-coup protesters' gathering in Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, April 9, 2021..."
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Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-04-12
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-13
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Title: UN sees Syria echoes in Myanmar conflict
Sub-title: Activists call for a week of protests against military coup over Myanmar’s traditional New Year holiday.
Description: "The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday it fears the military clampdown on protests in Myanmar risks escalating a civil conflict into that seen in Syria and appealed for a halt to the “slaughter”. UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said in a statement 3,080 had been detained and there are reports that 23 people have been sentenced to death following secret trials. “I fear the situation in Myanmar is heading towards a full-blown conflict. States must not allow the deadly mistakes of the past in Syria and elsewhere to be repeated,” Bachelet said. The statement came as pro-democracy activists in Myanmar called for a week of anti-coup protests during the traditional New Year holidays, as the death toll from the military’s crackdown on protesters surged past 700 and security forces raided a hospital in the Sagaing region. The five-day New Year holidays, known as Thingyan, began on Tuesday and activists urged people to stage symbolic protests through the week, including by painting the three-finger salute used by demonstrators on traditional pots filled with flowers, which are typically displayed during the festive period. “The military council doesn’t own Thingyan,” Ei Thinzar Maung, a leader of the General Strike Collaboration Committee protest group, wrote on Facebook. “The power of people is in the hands of people.” Ei Thinzar Maung said other planned holiday protests against the military government included the splattering of red paint on pavements and the blasting of car horns. Thingyan is the country’s most important holiday and is usually celebrated with prayers, ritual cleaning of Buddha images in temples, and high-spirited water fights on the streets. But many social media users in Myanmar said they would not celebrate this year. One Twitter user identified as Shwe Ei said, “We do not celebrate Myanmar Thingyan this year since over 700 of our innocent brave souls are killed by inhumane junta forces unlawfully. We believe we will win this revolution.” In the central town of Taungoo, protesters placed Thingyan pots bearing flowers and anti-coup messages on the roads early on Tuesday, the Irrawaddy website reported..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2021-04-13
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-13
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Title: More Bloodshed in Myanmar as Crackdown on Coup Protests Continues
Sub-title: The death toll has passed 700, with more than 80 killed on Friday in one city alone, a rights group said.
Description: "The Myanmar military’s bloody crackdown on the nationwide resistance to its rule showed no sign of easing on Sunday, with a human rights group reporting that the death toll across the country had passed 700. The security forces killed 82 people in a single city on Friday, according to the group, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has been documenting the bloodshed since the military’s Feb. 1 coup. Soldiers used machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to attack an organized group of protesters who had set up barricades to defend part of that city, Bago. The military appears to be targeting centers of resistance around the country, using overwhelming power against largely untrained, poorly armed protesters. In Tamu, a town near the border with India, members of a local defense group similar to the one in Bago claimed to have killed some members of the security forces on Saturday after coming under attack. The security forces’ assault in Bago, about 40 miles northeast of Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, was one of their most lethal yet. A reputable news outlet, Myanmar Now, also put the death toll in Bago at 82. On Friday, a spokesman for the junta, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, suggested that the military had been exercising restraint since the coup, telling reporters that it could be killing many more people if it wished. “If we were to actually shoot the protesters with an automatic rifle, the 500 people you are talking about would have died within hours,” he said after being asked about the nationwide toll..."
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Source/publisher: "The New York Times" (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-04-11
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-12
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Title: Paint, Easter eggs and watermelons – Myanmar’s creative protests in pictures
Sub-title: Protesters in Myanmar have become creative in their opposition to military takeover in February
Description: " A ‘flash strike’ campaign of demonstrations took place across Myanmar on Sunday, when people used mobile phone lights to protest against the junta. Photograph: Courtesy Myanmar Now...Protesters from across Myanmar take part in the ‘flash strike’ on Sunday Photograph: Courtesy Myanmar Now...Demonstrators raise camera flashes and three-finger salutes, which have been used to protest against the military coup Photograph: Courtesy Myanmar Now...The ‘flash strike’ protests occurred across Myanmar, in cities including Hakha in Chin state, Monywa in Sagaing region, Mawlamyine in Mon, in Yangon, and in towns in Ayeyarwady and Mandalay regions Photograph: Courtesy Myanmar Now...Protesters holding a candlelit demonstration in Mogok in the Mandalay division Photograph: AFP/Getty Images...Anti-coup protester raises a decorated Easter egg along with the three-fingered symbol of resistance Photograph: Mg_Ny@n/AP...Eggs decorated with designs in support of protesters on Easter Sunday Photograph: Facebook/AFP/Getty Images...A tray of decorated eggs in Taunggyi in Shan state in what became known as the Easter egg strike Photograph: Anonymous/AFP/Getty Images...‘Easter egg strike’ in Yangon on 4 April Photograph: Mg Ny@n/AP...Demonstrators hold flowers in memory of the victims of the violent crackdown on protests against themilitary takeover during a ‘flower strike’ Photograph: Theint Mon Soe/Sopa/Rex/Shutterstock...People in Myanmar lay flowers in public places in remembrance of ‘heroes who can’t come back home’ Photograph: Facebook/AFP/Getty Images...Shoes and flowers in Mandalay, as part of the ‘marching shoes strike’ called on social media Photograph: Anonymous/AFP/Getty Images...A woman looks at the display for the ‘marching shoes strike’ in Myaynigone township Photograph: AFP/Getty Images...Anti-coup protesters throw red paint on a street during a demonstration in Yangon Photograph: AP...Threats of lethal violence and arrests have failed to suppress daily demonstrations across Myanmar demanding the junta step down and reinstate the democratically elected government Photograph: Mg_Ny@n/AP...Slogans and pictures on plant leaves as part of a ‘green day strike’ in Ye in Mon state Photograph: Facebook/AFP/Getty Images...A ‘watermelon strike’ in Thingangyun township in Yangon, on Sunday 11 April, protesting against low prices offered to Myanmar watermelons – a key export to China – and calling for boycott of Chinese fruit Photograph: Courtesy Myanmar Now...."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-12
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 10 April, (701) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (83) fallen heroes today. (1) from Tamu Town, Sagaing Region died on 10 April. (82) from Bago were killed yesterday and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 10, a total of (3012) people are currently under detention; of them (63) are sentenced. 656 have been issued arrest warrants; of them 17 were sentenced to death and currently evading arrest. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. Yesterday Bago City was brutally raided by terrorist troops from dawn to dusk, trying to create a combat zone, but it was a killing field. As many as 82 people have been confirmed dead in the shootings, but more are expected. Some were injured and requesting medical treatment, but the military terrorists did not allow any help. Some were therefore killed from excessive bleeding. Dead and injured bodies piled up together. People in urban areas are now fleeing to nearby villages. Today so-called police and military terrorists searched and shot into homes in places. The violent massacre of at least 82 people in a single day in Bago was a crime against humanity. The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw’s (CRPH) presented the current situation in Burma to the UN Security Council’s Arria Formula Meeting last night. The military junta perpetrated this violence, shooting was designed to keep the public from protesting and induce a climate of fear leading up to the UN meeting. Despite the mass killings and torture in public and in private, despite threats and intimidation, people across Burma continue through such hardships. The people protest the military dictatorship in various ways on a daily basis. Demonstrations continued into today, including a “Red Movement Campaign” entitled “Absolutely No Rule”. Plainclothes junta forces suppressed the Mya Taung protest march today in Mandalay, arresting 15 people. A Karen youth was reportedly shot dead in Ka Than village, Dawei City in Tanintharyi Region this morning, but is not yet confirmed. Terrorist troops were deployed in Sagaing Region from 12 noon today. They opened fire on some wards in Tamu Township to repress protesters and destroy roadblocks. It was initially reported that a motorbike driver was killed in an unprovoked shooting. 19 people in North Okkalapa Township were sentenced to death and six others sentenced to prison by the military terrorist-run Burmese radio and television broadcasting (MRTV) last night. In one of the Martial law areas of North Okkalapa Township, a military tribunal began to hear cases and sentenced to death 19 civilians on April 8 in connection with the deaths of two members of the junta on March 27. Two civilians have been arrested so far and 17 are on the run. Six people were also sentenced to 7 years in prison on charges of public property vandalism. The terrorist regime refuses to abide by the law, they use it illegitimately and commit illegal acts, they impose the death penalty and long prison sentences to silence the people. In the Arria-formula UN Security Council meeting yesterday, the international community was warned Burma was on the brink of “state collapse” by security analyst Richard Horsey. The CRPH foreign minister, Daw Zin Mar Aung, continued to urge all states to give rightful legitimacy to the CRPH. If a solution is not found, governance, the economy, and health service could resemble a failed state. Armed conflict is reigniting, mass displacement will follow. Continued international condemnation of junta violence is essential, as is the imposition of arms embargoes. These measures would vitally signal a lack of legitimacy and condemnation of this terrorist junta, and into pressuring them to reverse the attempted coup. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-10
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Doctors under fire as Myanmar military targets efforts to aid injured protesters
Sub-title: Medics tell of attacks on staff and ambulances to stop treatment of patients and punish those who took part in national strike
Description: "Htet Htet Win and her husband were late returning home on Sunday night. It was past the junta-imposed 8pm curfew when their motorbike passed through the streets of eastern Mandalay. The security forces reportedly shouted for them to stop, and then opened fire when they did not do so. Her husband was hit but managed to get away. She was knocked to the ground. A grainy photograph, taken by an onlooker, shows her lying face down on the concrete, her arms reaching above her head, her purple top and bottoms marked with dark patches. Doctors believed she was still alive, but were warned by residents that soldiers were waiting nearby. They feared it was a trap. “I felt like they were ambushing us,” said one of the rescuers. “I think she would have survived if we were able to pick her up as soon as it happened,” he said. They waited for more than an hour before the soldiers eventually retreated. It was too late. For medics in Myanmar, it is a grimly familiar story. Doctors told the Observer they were routinely targeted with violence by the military, and prevented from treating the victims of its bloody attacks. They recounted incidents in which security forces – trying to suppress defiant opposition to the February coup – had raided their facilities, searched and fired at their ambulances, detained, beaten and even killed their colleagues. Raha Wala, of the advocacy group Physicians for Human Rights, said the military was “systematically persecuting medics”, both for treating anti-coup protesters and, in the case of many government doctors, for participating in a national strike. Every few days, news spreads of more detentions of medical staff, taken at clinics, protests or from their homes during night raids. Some are released after questioning, others are less fortunate. “If you are detained today, your body will be returned tomorrow with torture marks or something like that,” said a Yangon-based doctor in hiding. Last Saturday, the orthopaedic surgeon and university professor Dr Kyaw Min Soe was taken from his home in Yangon. A photograph apparently taken at the scene shows him being led into a van, a bag placed over his head and his hands tied behind his back. Since then, two paediatricians have been taken in Mandalay; a clinic has been raided in Yangon, with soldiers detaining four volunteers according to local reports; a facility has been raided in Monywa, where two staff were taken to a police station for questioning’ according to a local source, and another facility in Kale was reportedly raided, though no staff were present at the time. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has tracked hundreds of deaths, at least five medics have been killed in the violence. Among them was nursing student Thinzar Hein, 20, who was shot dead while caring for injured protesters in Monywa on 28 March. She had protested against the coup and shared her medical expertise with others. “It’s like we are facing barbarians,” said a doctor in Mandalay, who described being fired at while trying to attend to a patient, despite being dressed as a medic. “We were wearing scrubs, a medic sign and wearing a stethoscope,” he said. On a separate occasion, on 27 March, his ambulance was shot at as he attempted to pick up an injured patient. His colleagues, he said, were detained and beaten when they attempted to collect a dead body on 1 April. “They [the military] want to take away all the evidence,” he said. In some areas, medics no longer wear uniforms, fearing this puts them at even greater risk. Government doctors who are refusing to work in state hospitals – but are finding ways to treat patients elsewhere – are especially vulnerable. They were among the first groups to announce a strike after the coup, prompting huge numbers of workers, in services ranging from customs to transport, to down tools, bringing the country to a virtual standstill. While many governments have condemned the violence against peaceful protesters, and the UN security council has expressed concern at restrictions on medical staff, the brutality has continued. On Friday, military spokesman Zaw Min Tun accused government doctors of murder, claiming their strike had contributed to Covid deaths. “They are killing people in cold blood,” he said. At least 618 people have been killed by the military since it seized power, while thousands have been detained, mostly in unknown locations. “Seeing dying patients is not a strange thing for a doctor, but these days it is heartbreaking because the patients are just teenagers,” said a second doctor in Mandalay. If medical teams were able to treat the injured safely, the death toll would not be so high, she added, describing how she has previously had to flee her clinic, along with patients, when the military approached. At least 43 children have been killed by security forces, the youngest just six years old. “We even cry when we do the CPR. But we encourage each other, we need to move on because we can’t be like that,” the doctor said..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-10
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw - Announcement No (1/2021)
Description: "1. Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hlutaw formed by the elected parliamentarians (National League for Democracy) [ref: Announcement (2/2021)] at the emergency parliamentary session held on February 05, 2021 has released a statement on the unlawful seizure (coup d'etat). 2. Myanmar military leaders led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing seized power unconstitutionally , and unlawfully detained government officials, on February 1, 2021, based on the alleged election fraud claims, without ev idence, of the general elections held on November 8, 2020. 3. In response to the unlawful seizure and detention of incumbent government leaders, political activists, dissidents and the civilians, people of Myanmar protested the military coup by banging pots and pans, followed by government workers and youth groups who began a visible and increasingly growing Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and protests on social media This is followed by a widespread peaceful anti-coup protests starting from February 6, 2021. 4. The massive non-violence movement of the people is in testament to the protest against the unlawful seizure of power by the military, and the baseless claims of voter fraud driven by personal interests of the military leaders 5. The armed takeover and dismantling of the duly elected government of the Republic of the Union of My anmar is an act of offence against the state under Penal Code Section (6). The sovereignty of the state remains with the NLD government insofar as only the President can convene the National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) and the Vice President cannot represent the President as long as the President is alive and well Therefore, only the NLD government under international law is the sole representative of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar 6. The Committee gives due recognition and acknowledgement to the people partaking in the nonviolent action of Civil Disobedience Movement for fulfilling the obligations of their civic duty and for their courageous action 7. The Committee expresses its gratitude and appreciation to ethnic organizations and parties including those bearing arms in protest against the takeover of power, and urged for their continued support for the opposition movement to the unlawful seizure of power CRPH-Statemenl English Version 8 The road to build a genuine federal democratic union, longed for by people of Myanmar requires harmonious unity across creed and religion, strength and understanding of political parties, and the will of the people to remove all obstacles to achieve true democracy 9 Mindful of the obstacles on the path to democracy, the Committee gives assurance to overcome such obstacles and pledges its deepest and unwavering commitment to work towards achieving this common goal Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw 2021..."
Source/publisher: Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH)
Date of publication: 2021-02-08
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-10
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Title: Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw - Announcement No (2/2021)
Description: "1. Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw has released a statement on the ongoing peaceful protests against unlawful seizure of power (coup d’état). 2. The Committee firmly believes the non-violence Civil Disobedience Movement by citizens in response to unconstitutional power seizure is in accordance with the basic principle of the Union “The Sovereign power of the Union is derived from the citizens and is in force in the entire country” and thus an act to protect their rights. 3. The Committee urges the civil servants serving under various ministries to actively partake in Civil Disobedience Movement by refusing to work under the Military regime. The Committee is in touch with various organizations to support the expenses of the professionals participating in CDM. 4. The Committee demands the terrorist Council to not to use any violent measures against the citizens joining in the nationwide non-violence protests. The committee also urges the Myanmar Police Force and parties involved to protect the rights and privileges of citizens. Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw(2021)..."
Source/publisher: Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH)
Date of publication: 2021-02-09
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 141.67 KB 42.43 KB
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Title: Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw - Announcement No (7/2021)
Description: "February 20, 2021 1. On February 20th 2021, the special meeting of the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) convened by Ethnic Armed Organizations, signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, has issued a common positions statement on the ongoing political crisis. 2.The Committee sincerely welcomes the statements of the PPST special meeting including the statement to “Suspend all political dialogue with the military for the moment”. Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw..."
Source/publisher: Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH)
Date of publication: 2021-02-20
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw - Announcement No (8/2021)
Description: "1. The Committee strongly condemns the actions of the army and security forces opening fires to kill peaceful protesters against the terrorist Council in Mandalay on February 20th 2021. 2. The acts of army and security forces using rubber bullets and live ammunition to kill peaceful protesters have been recorded in pictures and videos as proof. Furthermore, troops opened fire and used sniper fire against the defenseless citizens as if they were the enemies on the battleground. The ambulances and medical attendants also got shot in the process. 3.The army and the security forces’ actions are considered crimes against humanity. The Committee commits to work with the United Nations, international governments, and international organizations to severely punish the terrorist Council that commands the army and security forces, and the offenders. Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw..."
Source/publisher: Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH)
Date of publication: 2021-02-20
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 175.28 KB 153.36 KB
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Title: Aspiring engineer maimed in sadistic attack becomes an emblem of his generation
Sub-title: The fate of 22-year-old Hlyan Phyo Aung speaks to the worst fears of those who came of age during Myanmar’s brief era of relative freedom
Description: "Two weeks ago, 22-year-old Hlyan Phyo Aung was an active young man with a promising future as a civil engineer. That was despite the fact that, like others of his generation, his prospects had taken a dramatic turn for the worse when the military seized power less than two months earlier. As someone with a great deal to lose if the regime held onto power, he was determined to make sure that didn’t happen. That’s why, on the morning of March 27, he was one of hundreds of thousands of young people around the country who had turned out to demand an end to military rule. In his case, he had joined a protest in his hometown of Magway, where a brutal crackdown that day that would change Hlyan Phyo Aung’s life forever. The military assault started early. At around 6am, regime forces started throwing tear gas canisters and stun grenades at protesters gathered near the city’s Aung Myittar roundabout, hemming them in from all sides. Like all the others, Hlyan Phyo Aung tried to escape this onslaught by running in any direction that didn’t seem to be under fire. That’s when an explosion went off nearby and he fell to the ground. Seconds later, he was surrounded by heavily armed soldiers, one of whom ordered him to put up his hands. When he did, Hlyan Phyo Aung noticed that blood was running down his right arm. It was at that moment that he realized the explosion had torn away a piece of his hand. “So where is your ‘mother’ now?” the soldier taunted, referring to Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar’s ousted civilian government. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, the soldier shot directly at Hlyan Phyo Aung’s hand, blowing it off entirely, according to another protester who witnessed this horrific scene from a short distance away. “While he was kneeling, they shot at his hand at close range. Then it just came right off and dropped onto the ground,” said the protester, speaking to Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity. But Hlyan Phyo Aung’s ordeal wasn’t over yet. Another soldier approached him and fired several rubber bullets at his remaining hand. When Hlyan Phyo Aung could no longer hold himself up and fell forward, a few other soldiers proceeded to kick him repeatedly in the face, the witness said. An unlikely rescue There is little doubt that this would have ended in Hlyan Phyo Aung’s death if a group of about 15 other protesters hadn’t rushed to his defense. They did this despite the certainty that they would face arrest or worse for their actions. As the soldiers continued pummeling their helpless victim, some of the protesters threw themselves on top of Hlyan Phyo Aung’s now unconscious body to stop the blows. “They were kicking and punching him in the face and legs when these people came over to cover his body with theirs. They even shot at his leg when it stuck out from under them! One man who pleaded with them to stop was hit in the head with the butt of a gun,” said the witness. This unlikely rescue, which resulted in the arrest of all those who came to Hlyan Phyo Aung’s aid, came after a woman who was nearby when the frenzied attack began held up a three-finger salute and started chanting anti-coup slogans, the witness recalled. Like other heavily injured protesters who were arrested that day, Hlyan Phyo Aung was transported to a military hospital. Thanks to his rescuers, none of his injuries were life-threatening. However, his once-bright future now seems far from assured. According to a close friend, what was left of Hlyan Phyo Aung’s right hand was amputated at the wrist, and he has also lost the use of his left hand, perhaps permanently. His left leg, which was shot eight times, may also have to be amputated. He also has two bullet wounds in his right thigh and sustained serious injuries to his face. Speaking to Myanmar Now on April 4, the friend said that doctors at the military hospital were not able to repair damage to Hlyan Phyo Aung’s eyes caused by the discharge of weapons close to his face. He added that permission to receive treatment at a private hospital had been denied..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-04-09
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 9 April, (618) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (4) fallen heroes today. (1) died on 9 April. (3) were killed on previous days and documented today. Today there were many reported casualties in Bago, AAPP is still awaiting confirmation to identify all these. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 9, a total of (2931) people are currently under detention; of them (54) are sentenced. 520 have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. Earlier this morning before dawn, the military terrorist troop destroyed main roadblocks on both sides of Maggatic Road built by anti-military activists to prevent a violent crackdown in Bago. The terrorist junta used assault rifles, heavy weaponry like RPG, and hand grenades from both sides of the road to suppress the protesters’ bases and residences. Four identified civilians were killed and several injured. At least 20 people were killed this evening but are being confirmed. Protests in Katha, Sagaing Region were suppressed, but no one was injured or arrested. In Tamwe Township, Yangon Region, at least eight youths have been beaten and arrested by 12 military terrorists and so-called police vehicles during a protest march in Kyauk Myaung. In Sanchaung Township, Yangon Region, two people were arrested and two were hit by the rubber bullets. Night demonstrations have also been cracked down on, last night in Yangon Region, so-called police and military assaulted a march in Lanmadaw Township. They arrested nine civilians, beating and tying them with ropes. The protesters burned the flag of China and were searched and arrested by military terrorists. Last night, they went looking into some wards in Insein Township, shooting, and arresting four civilians. Torture during detention and the shooting of people found in searches is a grave human rights violation. In Burma these are openly committed by the so-called regime in order to maintain power. In Kyaukpadaung, Mandalay Region, a man active in anti-military protests was searched for, when he tried to escape he was shot in the leg and shot dead in the back. After the coup, the military terrorists enacted a law which can impose a fine of up to 10,000 Kyats or up to seven days in prison if no guest list is filed, threats of these are now increasingly used. Junta-appointed ward administrators threatened wards with loudspeakers of up to three years imprisonment or maximum fines if people do not comply with the order for overnight registration. This is not only a violation of the law by the military junta, but also a way for them to scatter and arrest suspects at any time. Despite the severe repression of the media sector in Burma and the restriction of the flow of information in various ways, the junta continues to escalate oppression of journalists. Today, Hpakant-based journalist Naung Yoe was arrested while covering a protest rally in the city. A women’s rights activist and co-founder of Mizzima media, and a colleague were arrested. 29 media were detained by yesterday, only two on bail, and this is rising. Journalists in Burma are coming under escalating oppression. The military terrorist group has been raiding religious sites and in arrest searches. Panpyo Lat Monastic Charity School in Kyauktan Village, Bago Region was stormed yesterday. Guests were made to kneel as they rode through the Panpyo Lat Monastic Charity School. Five residents of the Panpyo Lat Monastic Charity School were taken away. The junta raided churches and mosques in Pathein, Irrawaddy Region. In the ethnic states the junta continues its offensives against Karen National Union (KNU) controlled areas. A man was killed when 12 artillery shells were fired into three villages in Hpapun District. Ye Township, Mon State, the villagers from the entire village fled as the army occupied and set up base in Man Aung village yesterday evening. The military seized power in 1962 and 1988, and the people suffered decades of brutal human rights abuses under dictatorship. Once again, the 2021 coup undermines the very essence of democracy, people losing their freedom. A peaceful federal union will be established once the dictatorship is overthrown, hence we must all fight together to overcome it. Burma’s economy is approaching that of a failed state, continued economic devastation brought about by the junta coup, terror and governance policies will impede investment and growth in ASEAN as well. The junta does not want stability, instead the junta kills civilians and creates terror. Today firing mortars at people to destroy barricades in Bago causing civilian casualties. As ASEAN members announce a proposal to hold an Emergency Summit, AAPP urges them to adhere to their Charter, taking the necessary measures to create a region which is “stable, prosperous, highly competitive and economically integrated”, and which necessitates an end to the military coup. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-09
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 2.95 MB 801.56 KB 724.24 KB
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Title: Myanmar junta says protests are dwindling as at least 10 reported killed by troops
Description: "Myanmar’s junta said on Friday that a protest campaign against its rule was dwindling since people wanted peace, and that it would hold elections within two years, the first timeframe it has given for a return to democracy since its Feb. 1 coup. Troops fired rifle grenades at anti-coup protesters on Friday in the town of Bago, near the main city Yangon, witnesses and news reports said. At least 10 people were killed and their bodies piled up in the corner of a pagoda, they said. Myanmar Now news and Mawkun, an online news magazine, said at least 20 people were killed and many wounded. It was not possible to get a precise toll because troops had cordoned off the area near the pagoda, they said. Junta spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told a news conference in the capital, Naypyitaw, that the country was returning to normal and government ministries and banks would resume full operations soon. More than 600 people have been killed by security forces cracking down on protests against the coup, according to an activist group. The country has ground to a standstill because of the protest campaign and widespread strikes against military rule. “The reason of reducing protests is due to cooperation of people who want peace, which we value,” Zaw Min Tun said. “We request people to cooperate with security forces and help them.” He said the military had recorded 248 deaths and he denied that automatic weapons had been used. Sixteen policemen had also been killed, he said. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group has said 614 people, including 48 children, had been killed by security forces since the coup, as of Thursday evening. More than 2,800 were in detention, it said. “We are humbled by their courage and dignity,” a group of 18 ambassadors in the country said of the protesters in a joint statement. “We stand together to support the hopes and aspirations of all those who believe in a free, just, peaceful and democratic Myanmar. Violence has to stop, all political detainees must be released and democracy must be restored.” The statement was signed by the ambassadors of the United States, Britain, the EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland and several other European nations. “The suggestions from neighbouring countries and big countries and powerful people in politics, we respect them,” Zaw Min Tun said. He also accused members of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy of arson and said the protest campaign was being financed by foreign money, but gave no details. Suu Kyi and many of her party colleagues have been in custody since the coup. Zaw Min Tun said reports that some members of the international community did not recognise the military government were “fake news”. “We are cooperating with foreign countries and working together with neighbouring countries,” the spokesman said. The United Nations special envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, had wanted to visit the country but said she has been rebuffed by the generals. She said on Friday she had arrived in Bangkok, the capital of neighbouring Thailand. “I regret that Tatmadaw answered me yesterday that they are not ready to receive me,” Schraner Burgener said on her official Twitter account, referring to the Myanmar military. “I am ready for dialogue. Violence never leads to peaceful sustainable solutions.”..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-09
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar military denies responsibility for child deaths and says elections could be pushed back
Description: ""This is not a coup," said Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun from a gilded hall in Myanmar's purpose-built capital Naypyidaw, the city where his comrades recently ousted an elected government, detained the country's leadership, and installed a military junta. During an hour-long conversation with CNN, the military spokesperson was steadfast in upholding the junta's official narrative: that the generals are merely "safeguarding" the country while they investigate a "fraudulent" election. The bloodshed on the streets that has killed at least 600 people is the fault of "riotous" protesters, he said. At one point, Zaw Min Tun said if civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi's father -- the assassinated independence hero Aung San, who founded the country's modern military -- could see the situation now, he would say: "You are such a fool, my daughter." The interview took place during a week-long press tour of Myanmar's biggest city, Yangon, and Naypyidaw from March 31 to April 6. Prior to the trip, the military assured CNN it would be able to report independently and be given freedom of movement, but the journalists' request to stay in a Yangon hotel was denied and the team instead were housed in a walled military compound, given only intermittent and heavily controlled access to the public. Major General Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson for the Myanmar military, at the Defense Services Museum in Naypyidaw, Myanmar on April 4, 2021. The following interview with Zaw Min Tun offers an insight into how Myanmar's military junta are trying to justify their bloody takeover to the world, while at the same time cocooning themselves in government buildings far from a populace fiercely resistant to their rule, as they order deadly crackdowns on their own citizens in villages, towns and cities across the country. CNN was provided with military interpreters, but conducted its own translations afterward. The back story Hours after commander-in-chief of Myanmar's armed forces Gen. Min Aung Hlaing ordered his troops to seize the capital before dawn on February 1, he announced on television that a state of emergency would be in place for one year, after which elections would be held. His takeover came as newly-elected lawmakers were due to take their places on the opening day of parliament. The state of emergency caused all legislative, executive, and judicial power to be transferred to Min Aung Hlaing. Zaw Min Tun said the state of emergency could be extended for an additional "six months or more" over "two terms" and "if the duties are not done yet." He did not give a firm date for when elections would be held, but said that according to the 2008 military-drafted constitution, "we have to finish everything within two years. We have to hold a free and fair election within these two years." "We promise that we will make it happen," he said. Many observers have questioned whether the military, which ruled Myanmar for half a century between 1962 and 2011, would be willing to relinquish power again, whether elections would indeed be "free and fair" -- and whether ousted leader Suu Kyi and her popular party the National League for Democracy (NLD) would be allowed to contest. Zaw Min Tun pointed to a string of reforms the quasi-civilian government embarked upon in 2011 after the military gave up direct rule, which paved the way for the 2015 elections, in which Suu Kyi won a resounding victory. "If we didn't want her from the beginning there would be no process like this," he said. However, the 2008 constitution was designed so the military would retain power despite a civilian government. It allocated the military a quarter of seats in parliament, giving it effective veto power over constitutional amendments, and the generals kept control of three powerful ministries -- defense, border and home affairs..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-04-08
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Why Britain Should Champion UN Action on Myanmar
Topic: United Nations
Topic: United Nations
Description: "Update: Shortly after this was published, the UN Security Council issued its third statement on Myanmar. Myanmar police enforcing the military junta’s crackdown on protesters stopped an ambulance in March, dragged four paramedics out of the vehicle, and beat at least three of them bloody, then hauled them off to jail. The shocking attack on paramedics is just one example we have seen of the junta’s brutality as it struggles to crush protests against the military’s February 1 coup and subsequent jailing of the country’s democratically elected leaders. Everyday Myanmar security forces arbitrarily arrest, beat, and kill more protesters and political opponents; and violence by the authorities is on the rise. On March 27 alone, security forces killed at least 114 people, among them children. What has the United Nations Security Council done? As the UN’s most powerful body, it has the authority to sanction Myanmar’s military leaders and impose a global arms embargo on the country. Instead, it has issued two statements calling for the release of political prisoners and an end to the violence. Council diplomats emphasise that the 15-nation body has spoken twice “with one voice.” But these baby steps do little more than highlight the failure of the Security Council to even try to do anything that would have a meaningful impact on the generals. If post-Brexit Britain wants to demonstrate global leadership at the UN, it should start by pushing the rest of the Security Council towards substantive action on Myanmar. The United Kingdom is the Security Council’s “penholder” on Myanmar, which means it takes the lead on any council statements or resolutions. Britain, the United States, France and most other council members have shown that they stand with the people of Myanmar, not with the military. The best way to do that is to urgently draft and negotiate a strong resolution that would target the military’s leadership and its funding. Of course, as permanent members of the Security Council, China or Russia – or both – might veto such a resolution. But that’s no reason not to try. Even the ever-diplomatic UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres declared that governments around the world need to “put enough pressure on Myanmar to make sure that this coup fails.” Beijing hasn’t explicitly threatened to use its veto, though the expectation among council members that it wouldn’t hesitate to do so looms over all Myanmar negotiations. It’s the explanation diplomats typically offered for the council’s pathetic response to the Myanmar military’s 2017 campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya Muslims, which drove 750,000 survivors to Bangladesh. The military’s threat to the Rohingya remaining in the country is so serious that the International Court of Justice ordered Myanmar to take all necessary measures to protect the Rohingya from genocide. The council’s inaction stands in sharp contrast to national responses. Britain, the US, and the European Union have all taken important, though insufficient, unilateral steps to impose sanctions on Myanmar’s military leaders and military enterprises. Yet they have avoided pushing such steps at the Security Council. Britain did try including language calling for “further measures” against Myanmar’s military in a recent Security Council presidential statement, but it dropped that and other language after China, Russia, India and Vietnam objected. The strategy by Britain, the US and other council members has been to prioritise speaking “with one voice” in the form of anodyne statements instead of pushing for a resolution that includes substantive measures and might elicit abstentions and “no” votes. Unity is great when achievable, but it shouldn’t be an end in itself. A Security Council resolution needs nine votes and no vetoes from the five permanent members to pass. Resolutions often pass without consensus, such as two recent ones by Britain on Somalia and Libya. A Myanmar sanctions resolution doesn’t need to be an exception. If China decides to stand with Myanmar’s military instead of with the people whose democratically elected government was overthrown, then they risk paying an enduring price in Myanmar and around the world. So far, Beijing has demonstrated a willingness to condemn Myanmar’s long-reviled military. The Chinese government’s willingness to join to council statements demonstrates that it is also unhappy with the coup. Could Beijing allow UN sanctions to pass with a mere abstention? The only way to identify China’s limits is to circulate a draft resolution calling for targeted sanctions on junta leaders and an arms embargo; and start negotiating..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-04-06
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 7 April, (598) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (17) fallen heroes today. (12) died on 7 April. (5) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 7, a total of (2847) people are currently under detention; of them (38) are sentenced. 481 have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. Peaceful protests continued across Burma today, some witnessed crackdowns, the illegitimate military is focusing its terror on rural areas. In the early morning, the junta forces excessively used live rounds, grenades, and machine guns trying to create a conflict zone in Tahan Ward, Kalay Township, Sagaing Region. At least 8 civilians were killed and 20 others injured, including one civilian who lost his hand. Over 10 civilians were violently arrested. During the crackdown, junta forces opened fire into houses and searched and raided community clinics. Moreover, in Taze Township, Sagaing Region, a civilian was killed and more than 20 people injured, three of them are in critical condition. A villager from Paline village was reportedly dead this evening in Ngar Hsuu Kone village strike in ShweBo Township, Sagaing Region. In Kyaukyisu Ward, Bago City, 2 men were killed and at least 3 civilians injured in an unprovoked shooting by junta troops. Some people were also killed and others injured when the military and so-called police opened fire last night. In the Nyaung Shwe Township, Shan State, one youth was shot dead in the head. In Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region, it is reported that some civilians were injured in unprovoked shootings by the junta. During detention, torture to death continuely occurs, on the night of April 4 in Taunggyi Township, Shan State, whilst the Nyaung Phyu Ward Administration Office was on fire a youth who came out to stop the fire was arrested by the military and so-called police. Two days later, his dead body was returned to his family with many wounds including skull fracture, one ear nearly amputated, genitalia mutilated, stab wounds in the back. The young man died from severe torture, but the junta claims he died when hit by a fire truck. On April 5, the junta informed a family to take the dead body of a young man arrested in Kawthaung Township, Tanintharyi Region. The terrorist junta not only vandalizes and destroys property in towns, villages and streets but also on houses and restaurants. There were raids in Khin Oo township, Sagaing Region, and junta forces stormed a house and searched the cupboards and boxes of a fallen hero in Kan Thit village yesterday. Moreover, they raided a restaurant at Inn Pat greengrocery and stole over 11 hundred thousands kyats in cash and arrested a chef, and an orphan. Conflict perpetrated by the terrorist junta continued against the ethnic areas. This morning, junta Infantry Battalion No.299 opened fire from the edge of the stream in Mhan Aung village in Win Ray township, Duu Palayar District, Karen State with heavy artillery. A villager was killed, and another villager wounded with local residents displaced in the clashes between the military and Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) near Mhan Aung village last night. As known reportedly, the junta forces opened fire onto villagers and made the villagers be protection shields during their military operations . Burma has fallen into chronic instability, there is no peace. The livelihoods of anyone and everyone are under threat. Left alone, the junta’s terrorism will escalate and threaten peace in the whole region. The ASEAN Charter pledges to a “shared commitment and collective responsibility in enhancing regional peace, security and prosperity”. The effects of airstrikes and military offensives against civilians in Karen State have already gone into other ASEAN states. A lack of coherent action challenges the relevance of its Charter. Current non-interference will directly challenge the peace, sovereignty and security of ASEAN members. The most severe violence today was in Kalay, Sagaing, a nearby town to another neighbor, India. This junta terrorism cannot be seen as a domestic issue, it poses a risk to the peace and security of of all ASEAN’s people, and to the stability of the entire region. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-07
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 759.33 KB 2.88 MB 684.45 KB
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Title: Democratic shadow government taking form in Myanmar
Sub-title: Broad-based legitimate government is taking charge of the anti-coup movement and fast establishing a shadow administration
Description: "Observers of Myanmar’s coup like to draw parallels to the 1988 student uprising that catapulted the current generation of Myanmar’s democratic political leaders onto the political stage. “In 1988, Myanmar was a poor and isolated country in the middle of a political and economic crisis,” former student leader Myo Thant told the writers. “Our student uprising was much better prepared, unlike today when people were surprised by the coup. But still we failed.” The military government could then portray itself as defending law and order, and it still had a constituency to rely on beyond its ranks. The February 1 coup, by contrast, was a naked power grab by the top military leadership – toppling a popular government. The regime’s brutal campaign of psychological warfare on its citizens put the lie to their claims that it was just stepping in as caretakers to facilitate fairer elections in a year’s time. Today, the junta’s constituency is its crack military units and a narrow economic elite of crony capitalists. They have nothing to win in a repeat election, however rigged. The Civil Disobedience Movement’s resistance has been spontaneous, decentralized and diverse. It has mobilized hundreds of thousands of protesters, the labor movement and ethnic minorities to shut down parts of the country quite effectively. Myanmar’s banking system, always feeble, looks close to collapse. With banking havens for the junta’s finances, namely the US and Singapore, restricting capital flows, the Biden administration’s freeze on $1 billion of Myanmar’s US-held assets and an ongoing national boycott of military-affiliated businesses, the junta’s finances are being squeezed. All this definitely means the junta’s strategy of carrying on with business as usual has gone out the window and makes large-scale violent escalation likely..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of publication: 2021-03-11
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Eleven killed as Myanmar protesters fight troops with handmade guns, firebombs: media
Description: " Anti-coup demonstrators in Myanmar fought back with handmade guns and firebombs against a crackdown by security forces in a town in the northwest but at least 11 of the protesters were killed, domestic media reported on Thursday. Initially, six truckloads of troops were deployed to quell protesters in the town of Taze, the Myanmar Now and Irrawaddy news outlets said. When the protesters fought back with handmade guns, knives and firebombs, five more truckloads of troops were brought in. Fighting continued into Thursday morning and at least 11 protesters were killed and about 20 wounded, the media said. There was no word of any casualties among the soldiers. That would take the toll of civilians killed by security forces to over 600 since the junta seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). It had a toll of 598 dead as of Wednesday evening. Taze is near the town of Kale, where at least 12 people were killed in a similar clash between troops and protesters on Wednesday, according to news media and witnesses. Security forces fired live rounds, grenades, and machine-guns on protesters who were demanding the restoration of Suu Kyi’s government, AAPP said. “Taze, Kale have many hunters in the jungle,” said Hein Min Hteik, a resident of the region and a youth activist. “They have handmade firearms. And now they came out with their weapons in order to protect the locals, while the people were under attack by the junta.” A spokesman for the junta could not be reached for comment. “People will try to defend their own lives and their rights,” said a former government minister who is part of the CRPH, a group of lawmakers representing the ousted civilian government. “People will not wait for CRPH to act,” the minister said in a video call with Reuters. “The CRPH cannot stop the possible armed resistance by the people, from the people.”The junta on Thursday arrested Paing Takhon, a model and actor who had spoken out against the coup, his sister told Reuters. In Yangon, the country’s biggest city, activists placed shoes filled with flowers to commemorate dead protesters..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-08
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar ambassador says he's locked out of London embassy in 'coup'
Description: "Myanmar's ambassador to the UK said he has been locked out of the London embassy in what he described as another "coup," blaming the country's military. Ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn -- who last month broke ranks with his country's military junta -- told CNN he tried to gain access to the embassy on Wednesday for several hours but was unable to enter. Several of his staff were still inside the building, and were not being allowed out, he said. Another source said that Myanmar's military attaché in London had taken control of the building. They added that a group of at least seven people are inside, of which one is a child. CNN has reached out to the Myanmar military for comment. Phone calls made to the embassy went unanswered and emails bounced back. Kyaw Zwar Minn listens to a statement being read on his behalf as he stands outside the Myanmar embassy in London on Thursday. Myanmar's military seized power in the country on February 1, deposing civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government. Non-violent protests against the coup have since broken out across the country, and several Myanmar diplomats posted abroad have also made statements of resistance. Kyaw Zwar Minn, the UK ambassador, issued a statement last month calling for Suu Kyi's release from detention and pledged to keep the embassy open, following a call with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. At the time, Raab said in a tweet that he spoke to the ambassador and "praised his courage and patriotism in standing up for what is right." The military responded by recalling him. "Since he did not conduct himself in accordance with given responsibilities, an order [is issued] to summon and transfer him back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," MRTV reported. The source said embassy staffers were all caught by surprise, but that they had anticipated something could happen after the military coup in Myanmar and the ambassador's statement of defiance toward the junta. A Facebook live stream on Wednesday showed several people showing their support for Myanmar's UK ambassador and expressing confusion with the events of the day. Around 50 people also gathered outside the embassy building in Mayfair, an exclusive part of central London. Officers from London's Metropolitan Police were also on the ground, warning people to disperse as they were in violation of coronavirus restrictions. Most those gathered since dispersed as the evening wore on, but CNN has seen at least four police vans filled with officers park near Myanmar's embassy. London's Metropolitan Police told CNN in a statement: "We are aware of a protest outside the Myanmar embassy in Mayfair, London. Public order officers are in attendance. There have been no arrests." In a statement to CNN, UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was "seeking further information following an incident at Myanmar's embassy in London." Myanmar's military leaders tried in vain in remove another diplomat in March, after UN Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun called on the international community members to use "any means necessary" to help restore the country's civilian leadership. He refused to step down however, a decision that has been supported by the UN. Myanmar military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun has said the junta plans to hold new elections after a one-year state of emergency..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-04-08
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar celebrity model arrested as military targets public figures
Sub-title: Social media accounts of Paing Takhon, who has a huge online following, are taken down following anti-coup comments
Description: "One of Myanmar’s most popular celebrities, the model and actor Paing Takhon, has been arrested by a military that is increasingly targeting celebrities who have criticised the coup. Paing Takhon, who has a huge online following, was detained at 5am on Thursday, and is the latest of thousands of people to be held since the February coup. The 24-year-old was taken away after eight trucks carrying police and soldiers arrived at his mother’s home in Yangon, according to local media reports. He had been in poor health at the time. The military has been publishing the names and photographs of popular figures in daily wanted lists on TV and in the state-run newspaper. More than 100 are being sought by the military, and many have gone into hiding. On Wednesday, the popular beauty blogger Win Min Than was reportedly taken by security forces who arrived at a hotel where she had been staying with her mother, according to the Irrawaddy news site. Paing Takhon, who had participated in anti-coup protests, faces charges under section 505a of the penal code, which criminalises comments that “cause fear” or spread “false news” and can lead to up to three years in prison. His social media profiles have been taken down, though it is not clear who removed them. According to the advocacy group, the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners in Burma, 2,750 people – from politicians to doctors, actors and social media influencers – are in detention. Most are held in unknown locations. On Thursday, Jose Ramos Horta, a Nobel peace prize winner and former Timor-Leste president, urged the UN security council to ignore China and Russia and make a resolute statement on the military coup that included arms embargos and sanctions, even if it was vetoed. Ramos Horta said it was better for China and Russia to “be exposed” than for the council to have unanimous support on an “empty and useless press release”. The leading human rights figure made the comments during a conference of hundreds of south-east Asian civil society groups to decide a regional response to the crisis. Dr Dino Patti Djalal, chair of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, and co-organiser of the meeting dismissed claims that non government groups and civil society in south east Asia had little power to take action. “We have a voice, we are the voice of the conscience of the people, of the region. That’s a powerful thing. Let’s begin with that.” On Thursday, protesters began what they called a “marching shoe strike”, placing flowers in pairs of shoes at protest locations, or in their homes. Organisers said the symbolic protest would honour the more than 580 people killed by the military, writing: “for every step, a flower blooms”. Protesters, who have faced brutal violence by the security forces, have found new ways to show their defiance to the junta. On Monday, Easter eggs were decorated with anti-coup slogans, part of an “Easter egg strike”, while on Tuesday, the streets of Yangon were splashed with red paint in a “Blood strike” to highlight the killing of peaceful protesters. Protesters have also made creative use of social media, using it to share footage of abuses by the military, as well as anti-coup art work and memes. Many have joined in solidarity with other pro-democracy movements in the region, adopting the #MilkTeaAlliance hashtag, which was first used by young people in Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong to voice opposition to authoritarianism. According to Twitter, which has now created an accompanying milk tea emoji, the hashtag has been featured in more than 11m tweets in the past year, with its use surging in February when the coup first occurred..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-08
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Not content to kill, rampaging regime forces have turned to burning the living and the dead
Sub-title: The junta has made gratuitous cruelty towards its victims and their families a hallmark of its efforts to terrorize a nation into submission
Description: "Ye Yint Naing was just 15 years old when he died. A bullet hit him in the back, and he fell to the ground. Everyone else around him also dropped, as the bullets continued to fly. No one dared try to help him. “They kept shooting,” his brother recalled. “They shot at anybody who tried to get up. So he just lay there for about two hours.” Ye Yint Naing died on March 27, the day that saw the highest number of casualties from crackdowns on anti-coup protests since Myanmar’s military seized power on February 1. Like countless others around the country, Ye Yint Naing had joined a protest to mark Anti-Fascist Resistance Day, in defiance of the junta that called the same occasion Armed Forces Day. “He said that if he didn’t take part in the protest, he couldn’t call himself a true native of Muse,” his mother, Moe Moe, told Myanmar Now, referring to Ye Yint Naing’s hometown in northern Shan state. “I couldn’t stop him. So he left home and went to the protest,” she said, recalling the last time she saw her son alive. The following morning, Ye Yint Naing’s family received what was left of him—not his lifeless body, but a pile of charred bones. The authorities assured them they were his. The soldiers who dragged his body away after the protest deposited it at a local municipal cemetery, where it was cremated despite the fact that the practice is forbidden by Islam, the family’s religion. According to a social welfare group familiar with the case, no attempt was made to locate the family of the deceased boy before the cremation. The military simply labelled his body an “ownerless corpse” and disposed of it without further ceremony. “The army wanted to annihilate my brother. He was only 15 years old. They brutally murdered him. They should at least have returned his body to us,” his brother said..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-04-07
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 6 April, (581) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (11) fallen heroes today. (1) died on 6 April. (10) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 6, a total of (2750) people are currently under detention; of them (38) are sentenced. 463 have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. Burma is being terrorized by a junta with no legitimacy. At its founding ASEAN enshrined a purpose “to maintain the centrality and proactive role of ASEAN as the primary driving force in its relations and cooperation with its external partners”. Non-interference and a lack of international cooperation amidst these ongoing crimes against humanity will question the very purpose of ASEAN. The non-interference policy does not mean allowing the junta to torture detained persons, or mutilate civilians with tattoos of their democratically elected leaders. The ASEAN Charter compels it to respond, non-interference against these crimes risks jeopardizing ASEAN’s global reputation and credibility and will crucially impact their global trading capacities and international diplomacy. Today in Mandalay, the junta forces violently cracked down on a gathering health worker strike, one person was injured and four doctors violently arrested. Motorcycles and mobile phones were also confiscated. In Kyaukme Township, Shan State, the junta forces assaulted with over 20 smoke grenades into a crowd of protestors doing a sit-down strike. In Mogaung Township, Kachin State, the junta forces used live ammunition on a protest. In Pinlebu Township, Sagaing Region, the junta forces opened fire until the night, resulting in two civilians killed. Last night in Mogaung also, Kachin state, a man was shot and injured and a woman inside the house was seriously injured in the arm due to unprovoked shooting by junta troops. The military junta is kidnapping family members as hostages if they don’t find the people who they want. Today in Natlu Hti Pon Ward, Monywa Township, Sagaing Region, the younger brother was taken and arrested as a hostage instead of his elder brother. Yesterday, the military forces arrested six family members including 2 years and 13 years old children of the in-charge of the information of the Tharrawaddy NLD who was warranted for pro-democracy movements in the Tharrawaddy Bago region..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-06
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 741.21 KB 2.76 MB 679.37 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 5 April, (570) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (6) fallen heroes today. (1) died on 5 April. (5) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 5, a total of (2728) people are currently under detention; of them (38) are sentenced. 443 have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to update the lists. Today, people across Burma defy the dictatorship’s brutal represion, there were violent crackdowns on protests in PinLeBu town in Katha District, Sagaing Region. In the junta assaults, two students were arrested, one man killed, and two wounded civilians also arrested. Gunfire was used against crowds of people demanding the release of the two detained students. Last night in Mandalay City, a woman was shot dead on the spot and a man injured in his stomach while riding a motorbike, in arbitrary fire by junta forces. Moreover last night in Kyaukme town, Shan State, two passersby were threatened with gunfire and injured by bullets. In Tamu town, Sagaing Region, the terrorist forces opened fire unprovoked towards the people. When trying to counter, people were injured and some houses and walls hit by gunfire by the junta group. Today, protestors were searched for in homes and arrested on the roads, as happens consistently these days. This morning, youths in Tamwe and Kyauk Myaung were searched for in their homes and some reportedly arrested. Moreover, passing motorbikes and cars on the roads were being investigated and if the passengers’ mobile phones were caught with anti-military dictatorship stickers and photos, they were detained. The terrorist soldiers and so-called police commit torture in public daily to install a climate of fear into the community and people. Last night, soldiers and so-called police abducted, and forced one man to take off his clothes, finding “Spring Revolution” and “Daw Aung Sann Suu Kyi” portrait and the word “22222” tattooed on his arm. The soldiers then lit a piece of tire to burn and mutilate his arm tattoo. In addition to burning his tattoo, he was kicked and beaten with gunstock. Such inhumanity is casually and worryingly committed by this junta against the people. Since March, the junta has excessively oppressed free media and the journalists leading to the termination of many news outlets. The junta is also threatening ethnic news departments. On April 3, the Hakha Post news department based in Hakha town in Chin State was raided and two desktops and office documents stolen. News staff were evading arrest at the time. It is apparent that daily arson is perpetrated by the junta because it happens during the night and time of martial law. This morning, Yoma water purifying factory in Hlaing township, Yangon Region, was burnt on fire and also last night, the administer office of 32th Quarter, North Dagon township, Yangon was arsoned in Taunggyi, Shan State, the administer office of Nyaung Phyu Kan was torched..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-05
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 2.68 MB 726.98 KB 675.22 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 4 April, (564) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (7) fallen heroes today. (2) died on 4 April. (5) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 4, a total of (2667) people are currently under detention; of them (38) are sentenced. 425 have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to update the lists. Today anti-coup protests by people in Burma took the form of an “Easter Egg Strike” in support of democracy. In Pyinmana town, a man was reportedly killed. In Bhamaw town, Kachin State, battalion 77 raided the residential ward and opened fire, hitting a community guard in his chest and leg, who later died of wounds. His body was taken away by the military and so-called police. More than six people were injured and ten community guards were beaten and arrested. In Kayah State, the MineLone strike was violently cracked-down onto the streets, thus more than five people were arrested and many injured by rubber bullets. The terrorist junta vandalizes every day. This morning, the office of the junta-appointed administer of North Kyun Taw Quarter in Sanchaung township, Yangon Region, was arsoned during a night of martial law. Whenever these incidents happen, the junta group declares falsely that it was the people who committed these crimes, to spread propaganda. As for arbitrary violent raids, a house with a grocery store in Tamu town, Sagaing Region, was raided and opened fire on, and threw a hand grenade yesterday afternoon. The terrorist junta threatens the people with torture every day, their brutality is evidenced by: In Mandalay City, the military and so-called police destroyed people’s barricades and beat and arrested the passerby and grocery stores nearby. In Kyauk Myaung, Tamwe Township, Yangon Region, the protestors were searched for in homes and around 20 youths were arrested. Some evaders were captured and beaten. Last night, the police forced a youth to sit on his knee and slapped and kicked him. Yesterday evening, three passersby were violently beaten and interrogated in Thanlyin township. In Thapyay Aye village, Yinmabin township in Sagaing Region, the two dead bodies of six villagers abducted on April 2 were reportedly returned today. In Myitchay town, Pakokku district in Magwe Region, two of four detainees at the end of March were killed and two others disappeared. The family members of the latter two are now having to evade arrest. The terrorist junta has applied torture as their normal routine for about seven decades, dictatorships do this to install fear and and stop dissent to their rule. Also in ethnic areas, the terrorist regime threatens demonstrations. Yesterday, it was reported that the commanding officer of the South Eastern Command of the terrorist group threatened to shoot if the people protested on the streets in Phaya Thone Sone town in Karen State. In Monywa, Sagaing Region, it was reported that people in some neighborhoods were evacuating their homes since the last weekend of March because of so-called police and military entering neighborhoods, shooting, and robbing. On 4 April, the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) of the signatories of Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) announced a statement that urges immediate cessation of violent crackdowns and killings of unarmed people, to immediate release of all detainees and three other points. AAPP welcomes this statement and will cooperate as much as we can for peace and national reconciliation..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-04
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 703.64 KB 643.92 KB 2.83 MB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 1 April, (543) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (7) fallen heroes today. (5) died on 1 April. (2) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 1, a total of (2741) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (38) are sentenced. A further (126) people have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and are continuing to update the list of names who were released. It has been two months since the military coup on April 1 when people began to endure all kinds of atrocities committed by this terrorist SAC group, yet people are still fighting to end dictatorship and achieve democracy, though casualties and arrests are rising day after day. The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Representative Committee (CRPH) is the official new government and yesterday announced the Federal Democracy Charter to form a collaborative National Unity Government in the first week of April in order to achieve a federal democratic union. It also repealed the 2008 constitution, which not only intended to prolong military dictatorship, but hinder the emergence of a federal democratic union. AAPP welcomes the release of these statements, which are crucial to the establishment of a future federal union and will continue to work together for democracy and human rights. Action is begining by the international community towards Burma, however China rejected an imposition of sanctions at a crucial closed-door session of the UN Security Council on March 31. We could expected China to reject such a proposal. But this encourages continued crimes against humanity in Burma, democratic development in Burma has been ruthlessly obstructed in the interests of China. On 1 April people across Burma continued to protest against the military dictatorship. Monywa Township, Sagaing Region, the main strike in Monywa was violently cracked down, one civilian was shot dead in the head and six others were injured. In addition, some houses were raided. In Mandalay City, a man was shot dead in the head and his body taken away by the junta forces. Moreover, one man was also shot in the abdomen and died. The military and so-called police also destroyed barricades and opened gunfire, resulting in at least five civilians getting injured. In Yankin Township, Yangon Region, a strike was cracked down, but no one was arrested and injured..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-04-01
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 500.96 KB 2.67 MB 682.59 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 31 March, (536) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (15) fallen heroes today. (2) died on 31 March. (13) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 31, a total of (2729) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (38) are sentenced. A further (120) people have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Protests across Burma endure. In a crackdown near Nat Chaung village in Kalay township, Sagaing Region, a man was killed by headshot and eight injured. In Kyaukme Town, Shan State, there were no deaths although the strike was dispersed with rubber bullets and tear gas. In Thaketa township, Yangon Region, the junta shot guns prior to the strike and occupied the streets. This morning and afternoon, Yangon seemed calm but by the evening there was brutal violence. The pause in repression coincided with Clarissa Ward, international chief journalist of CNN, arriving in Burma to report on the unfolding situation. However, Clarissa Ward would find it difficult to receive accurate facts because she was followed by many military vehicles and armed soldiers. She would not get permission to report on a violent crackdown, at a concurrent time to the CNN reporters visit, the electricity was cut off in some townships in Yangon. As a result, information flow was also difficult. There was gunfire last night and two men were reportedly shot dead by the junta forces’ when military vehicles were blocked on the road leading to Kalay town from Gantgaw township, Magwe Region. Moreover, the terrorist forces shot unstoppably into Phawt Kan Ward in Insein township, Yangon Region at midnight today. Not only does the junta torture detainees day after day, but also they commit atrocities onto streets and into houses. Yesterday, junta forces threatened the face of a trishaw driver with a knife, his face was slashed more than an inch and wounds were visible. In Zabu Thiri township in Naypyitaw, a man was arrested on March 15. Yesterday it was reported his body was buried by the military and not returned to the family, who could visit the cremation but which was heavily controlled by the military. Intending to hide the injuries from torture is yet another serious violation of international law. Although it is a fundamental right to go on strike against a government and authorities should prevent torture, in Burma there is no such protections from torture since the illegitimate coup attempted by this terrorist junta. The junta raids safe zones, at about 2am today, Tat Lan Hospital in South Okkalapa township, Yangon Region, was raided and the staff beaten with police batons, kicked by military boots, slammed and punched. The junta perpetrators destroyed CCTV records in order to delete their criminal activity. Some Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) have now made statements against the coup. Consequently, clashes in ethnic regions have reignited, particularly so in Kachin and Kayin States. Residents there have been forced to flee from their homes and some were injured and even killed. During these times, the coup junta is taking the offensive with air strike bombings in KNU controlled areas. Six villagers from Htee Fado village in Saw Hti township, Nyaunglebin District, Bago Region were killed and a house in Khat Pe Khee village in Hpapun District, Karen State, burnt down. Moreover, Me Wine village was reportedly scattered with air strike bombings. In the current situation, the local residents including elderly people, those in ill health and children are forced to flee from their homes and villages and hide in the forest. They then face starvation and lack of medical treatment, villagers fleeing across borders face many further difficulties also. Amid a decades-long civil war, local ethnic people struggle to survive extreme human rights violations, peace is consumed by coup after coup, many lose their lives and livelihoods due to these conflicts. The fruits of peace can only be achieved if the military dictatorship ends..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-03-31
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 2.91 MB 510.25 KB 668.62 KB
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Title: Five killed in Myanmar as troops open fire on protesters
Description: "Myanmar troops fired at anti-coup protesters on Wednesday, killing at least five people and wounding several, media said, as activists defied a bloody crackdown and internet blockade by the ruling junta. More than 580 people have been killed, according to an activist group, in the turmoil in Myanmar since a Feb. 1 coup that ended a brief period of civilian-led democracy. Nationwide protests and strikes have persisted since then despite the ruling military’s use of lethal force to quell the opposition. Security forces opened fire on Wednesday on protesters in the northwestern town of Kale as they demanded the restoration of Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, a resident told Reuters. News outlets cited witnesses saying there were casualties and repeated gunfire. The Mizzima and Irrawaddy news outlets said five people were killed and several wounded. The Kale resident said the information was provided to him by witnesses, who took pictures of five bodies. Reuters could not independently verify the toll. The mostly youth-led anti-coup movement’s ability to organise campaigns and share information via social media and instant messaging has been severely hamstrung by curbs on broadband wireless internet and mobile data services. Fixed-line services, which few in Myanmar have access to, are available. “Myanmar has been subject to a stepwise collapse into the information abyss since February,” Alp Toker, founder of internet blockage observatory NetBlocks told Reuters. “Communications are now severely limited and available only to the few.” With print media also halted, protesters have sought workarounds to get their message across, producing their own A4-sized daily news pamphlets that are shared digitally and printed for distribution among the public. On Tuesday, Dr Sasa, who leads a parallel government of the remnants of Suu Kyi’s administration, said in a statement that its legal counsel would be submitting evidence of military atrocities to different U.N. human rights bodies. Sasa, a medical doctor who uses one name, said lawyers for his Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) had received 180,000 items of evidence and would meet on Wednesday with representatives of an independent investigative mechanism for Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-07
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Indonesia says UK backs ASEAN push for Myanmar crisis resolution
Description: "The United Kingdom will support Southeast Asian countries in efforts to resolve the crisis in Myanmar, Indonesia’s foreign minister said Wednesday, after talks with her visiting British counterpart. Indonesia is among several countries leading a push for high-level talks between leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Myanmar, where nearly 600 people have been killed in a crackdown on demonstrators opposing a Feb. 1 coup. “We discussed... how the international community, including the UK could support the ASEAN effort to help Myanmar in resolving this situation,” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a news briefing after talks with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. In Raab’s speech, he reinstated Britain’s commitment to upholding international maritime law, echoing comments by the United States, Australia and European Union, which are concerned about China’s military activities in the South China Sea, a vital conduit for global trade. Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and China have competing claims in the strategic waterway, where China has been widely criticised for building defence facilities on artificial islands and deploying coastguard and hundreds of fishing boats in disputed waters. Raab said that Britain was committed to ensuring a rules based system be upheld, “because they’re an important pillar of regional and global security”. The two countries also signed a economic and trade and a counter-terrorism memorandums of understanding. The details of those were not immediately clear. Myanmar’s former colonial ruler Britain has been among the most vocal critics of the military’s overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government. It is among several Western countries that have imposed or tightened sanctions on the Myanmar generals and the military’s network of business monopolies in response to the coup. Indonesia is seeking a way to end the crisis through ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, but the bloc’s policy of non-interference and making decisions by consensus have hindered its ability to act decisively..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-07
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar security forces kill 13 protesters; small blasts hit Yangon
Description: "Myanmar troops fired at anti-coup protesters on Wednesday, killing at least 13 people and wounding several, media said, as a series of small blasts hit the commercial capital Yangon and a Chinese-owned factory was set on fire. The country’s military ruler said the civil disobedience movement was “destroying” Myanmar. More than 580 people have been killed, according to an activist group, in the turmoil in Myanmar since a Feb. 1 coup that ended a brief period of civilian-led democracy. Nationwide protests and strikes have persisted since then despite the military’s use of lethal force to quell the opposition. Security forces opened fire on Wednesday on protesters in the northwestern town of Kale as they demanded the restoration of Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, domestic media said. (GRAPHIC: Myanmar’s internet suppression - here) A resident of the area and the Myanmar Now news outlet said 11 people were killed and several wounded. Reuters could not independently verify the toll. Two protesters were killed in the town of Bago near Yangon, Myanmar Now said. At least seven small explosions were heard in Yangon, including at government buildings, a military hospital and a shopping mall, residents said. There were no casualties and no claims of responsibility. The U.S. Embassy in Yangon said it had received reports of “handmade ‘sound bombs,’ or fireworks meant to create noise and cause minimal damage”. A fire broke out in the Chinese-owned JOC Garment Factory in Yangon on Wednesday, the Fire Department said. There were no reports of casualties and no details on the extent of damage. In another Yangon neighbourhood, activists set fire to the Chinese flag, according to pictures posted on Facebook. China is viewed as being supportive of the military junta and last month arson attacks were made on 32 Chinese-invested factories in Yangon. Details of the blasts and the fire were difficult to obtain because of the junta’s curbs on broadband internet and mobile data services. A spokesman for the junta could not be reached for comment. ‘DESTROY THE COUNTRY’ Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the junta, said in a statement on Wednesday the civil disobedience movement, or CDM, had halted the working of hospitals, schools, roads, offices and factories. “Although protests are staged in neighbouring countries and the international community, they do not destroy businesses,” he said. “CDM is an activity to destroy the country.” According to the Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group, 581 people, including dozens of children, have been shot dead by troops and police in almost daily unrest since the coup, and security forces have arrested close to 3,500 people, with 2,750 still detained..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-07
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar: Hundreds Forcibly Disappeared
Topic: Crisis and Conflict , Free Speech , Disasters and Displaced Populations
Sub-title: Account for Missing Politicians, Activists, Others at Risk of Torture, Death
Topic: Crisis and Conflict , Free Speech , Disasters and Displaced Populations
Description: "Myanmar’s military junta has forcibly disappeared hundreds of people since the February 1, 2021 coup, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have taken into custody politicians, election officials, journalists, activists, and protesters and refused to confirm their location or allow access to lawyers or family members in violation of international law. The security forces have arrested many people suspected of participation in anti-coup demonstrations or in the opposition Civil Disobedience Movement during nighttime raids on homes throughout the country. The nongovernmental organization, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, told Human Rights Watch they could confirm the location of only a small fraction of the more than 2,500 recent detainees they have identified. “The military junta’s widespread use of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances appears designed to strike fear in the hearts of anti-coup protesters,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “Concerned governments should demand the release of everyone disappeared and impose targeted economic sanctions against junta leaders to finally hold this abusive military to account.” Human Rights Watch spoke to family members, witnesses, and lawyers of 16 people feared to have been forcibly disappeared since the coup. On February 1 at about 5:30 a.m., four uniformed soldiers and a man in civilian attire arrived at the home of Mya Aye, 55, an outspoken activist and member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), in Mingalar Taung Nyunt township, Yangon. The men showed no arrest warrant and offered no basis for his arrest to family members, which was caught on a neighbor’s CCTV camera and later was posted on Twitter. Later that day, two plainclothes officers came to the residence to collect his medications but refused to provide additional information. In late March, Mya Aye’s family said that the authorities still had not told them where Mya Aye was being held and had not provided him access to a lawyer. On March 6, police arrived at the funeral in Mandalay of a protester shot dead by police, causing those attending to flee in panic. A prominent activist, Nyi Nyi Kyaw, fell and the police arrested him. A friend of Nyi Nyi Kyaw said that the authorities did not tell his family where he was, and that they went into hiding out of fear that they may be targeted as family members. The family received one communication from Nyi Nyi Kyaw – a short but chilling phone call to his eldest son from a blocked number – four days after his disappearance in which he sounded agitated and distressed, the friend said. The call was ended before the family could ascertain his whereabouts. On March 9, military trucks arrived around 1:30 p.m. and parked outside the office of Karmayut Media in Yangon, neighbors said. At about 3 p.m., they saw soldiers take away the media outlet’s co-founder, Han Thar Nyein, 40, and the editor-in-chief, Nathan Maung, 45. Their families still have not been informed of their whereabouts, a family member said. “We’re so anxious about where they are, and we’re worried for their well-being,” the family member of Han Thar Nyein said. “We want to see them with our own eyes, to accept that they are okay, that they are alive. And we want this to happen quickly, not to wait in this agonizing way.” Many friends and family members of anti-coup protesters who have been arrested told Human Rights Watch they do not know exactly where the person was being held, heightening concerns about their safety and well-being. In many cases, families have only received information informally about the location of their family member, such as when newly released detainees notify family members or lawyers that they had seen a person who had been detained. Some families believe that because a prison accepts a package for their family member, it is most likely the place where their relative is being held. However, this is conjecture and does not relieve the authorities of their obligation to provide information on a detainee’s whereabouts, produce a detainee in court within 48 hours, and allow access to counsel and family members. Under international human rights law, a state commits an enforced disappearance when government authorities or their agents arrest or detain an individual followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealing the fate or whereabouts of the person, placing them outside the protection of the law. Forcibly disappeared people are commonly subjected to torture or extrajudicial execution. Families must live with the uncertainty of not knowing if their loved ones are dead or alive, and worrying about their treatment in captivity. Enforced disappearances are grave violations of international law, and when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population, are crimes against humanity..."
Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-04-02
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: ‘She Just Fell Down. And She Died.’ - ‘သမီးက ရုတ်တရက် လဲကျသွားတာ။ ပြီးတော့ အသက်မရှိတော့ဘူး။’
Sub-title: Myanmar’s security forces have killed more than 40 children since February. Here is the story of one, Aye Myat Thu. She was 10.
Description: "In the swelter of the hot season, U Soe Oo cracked open the coconut with practiced blows of his machete. Small hands reached out for the first slice, cool and slippery. His daughter — 10 years old, with dreams of being a makeup artist or a nurse or maybe even a princess with long golden hair like the one in “Maleficent,” which she had watched a zillion times, no joke — ran down a path with her sweet prize. Just as she reached the trees that marked the perimeter of their property, the girl seemed to stumble, landing flat on her stomach, her father recalled. The piece of coconut slipped from her grasp, falling onto the reddish earth of Mawlamyine, a port town perched on a slender archipelago in southeastern Myanmar. Mr. Soe Oo put his machete down and ran to tell her it was OK, that she could have another chunk of coconut. He scooped her up, limp in his arms, but it still didn’t register where all the blood was coming from, why she wasn’t saying anything at all. The bullet had hit the left temple of his daughter, Aye Myat Thu, at about 5:30 in the soft glow of the afternoon of March 27. By the time darkness fell less than an hour later, she was dead. Since staging a Feb. 1 coup and jailing the nation’s civilian leaders, the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, has murdered, assaulted and arrested with impunity. More than 550 people have been killed on the streets and in their homes by soldiers or police officers, according to a monitoring group. At least 40 of the dead were children under 18, according to a tally compiled by The New York Times that relies on medical testimony, funeral details and family accounts. A few of the minors were killed for participating in the protests. Many others were bystanders who were seemingly executed, with a single gunshot to the head. Often the children were killed as they went about their lives, playing or huddling with their families, in cities and towns that have descended into terror. Some had done nothing more threatening in their final moments than seek the comfort of a father’s lap, serve tea, fetch water or run down a lane with a piece of coconut.....နွေရာသီ၏ ပူစပ်ပူလောင်နိုင်လှသော ရာသီဥတုကို အံတုလျက်က ဦးစိုးဦးသည် ကျင့်သားကောင်းပြီးသား ဓားချက်ဖြင့် အုန်းသီးတစ်လုံးကို ခွပ်ခနဲ ခွဲလိုက်သည်။ ကလေးလက်ကလေး နှစ်ဖက်က အုန်းသီးစိတ်အေးအေးလေးကို ဦးဦးဖျားဖျား စွပ်ခနဲဝင်နှိုက်ယူသွားလေသည်။ ဦးစိုးဦး၏ သမီးလေးဖြစ်သည်။ ၁၀ နှစ်သမီးလေးက မိတ်ကပ်ပညာရှင်ဖြစ်စေ၊ သူနာပြုဆရာမဖြစ်စေ ဖြစ်လိုသော အိပ်မက်များ ရှိသည်။ ဖြစ်နိုင်လျှင် သူအခါရာထောင်မက ကြည့်ဖူးသော ‘Maleficent’ ဇာတ်ကားထဲက ရွှေရောင်ဆံပင်ရှည်များနှင့် မင်းသမီးလေးပါ ဖြစ်လိုသည်တဲ့။ သမီးလေးက အုန်းသီးစိတ်ကလေးကိုင်၍ လူသွားလမ်းကျဉ်းလေးတစ်လျှောက် ပြေးထွက်သွားပြန်သည်။ သူတို့အပိုင်ခြံကွက်အနားသတ်အဖြစ် အမှတ်အသားပြုထားသော သစ်ပင်များနားအရောက် ချော်လဲသွားသလိုတွေ့သည်ဟု ဦးစိုးဦး ခပ်ရေးရေးမှတ်မိသည်။ ကလေးက မြေကြီးပေါ် ပြားပြားမှောက် ဝပ်လဲလျက်သားဖြစ်နေပြီ။ သူ့လက်မှ အုန်းသီးစိတ်လည်း ချော်ထွက်သွားပြီး မော်လမြိုင်မြို့၏ နီစွေးစွေးမြေအပေါ် အတိုင်းသားကျနေလေသည်။ မော်လမြိုင်မှာ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ အရှေ့တောင်ဘက်ပိုင်း ရှည်မျောမျော ကျွန်းစုတစ်ခုအပေါ် မေးတင်တည်ရှိသော ဆိပ်ကမ်းမြို့တစ်မြို့ဖြစ်သည်။ ဦးစိုးဦးက ဓားမကို အသာချပြီး သမီးကိုထူပေးရန် ခပ်သုတ်သုတ် ပြေးလိုက်သည်။ ဘာမှ မဖြစ်ဘူးမလား၊ အုန်းသီးနောက်တစ်စိတ်ယူလေ သမီးရဲ့ဟု ချော့ဖို့အဆင်သင့်။ သမီးကို ကောက်ပွေ့လိုက်သည်။ ပျော့ခွေလျက်ပါလာသည်။ သွေးအများကြီး ဘယ်ကထွက်နေမှန်း၊ သမီး အသံ ဘာကြောင့် မထွက်တော့မှန်း နားမလည်နိုင်သေးပေ။ မတ်လ ၂၇ ရက်နေ့ နေညိုချိန် ညနေ ငါးနာရီခွဲခန့်တွင် သမီး မအေးမြတ်သူ၏ ဘယ်ဘက် နားထင်ကို သေနတ်ကျည်ဆံထိမှန်ခဲ့ခြင်းပင်ဖြစ်သည်။ တစ်နာရီခန့်အကြာ နေဝင်ချိန်တွင် သူမဆုံးပါးသွားလေသည်။ ဖေဖော်ဝါရီ (၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် မြန်မာ့ အရပ်သား ခေါင်းဆောင်များကို ဖမ်းဆီးချုပ်နှောင်ကာ အာဏာသိမ်းအပြီးတွင် မြန်မာ့စစ်တပ်(တပ်မတော်)သည် ဒဏ်ခတ်ခံရခြင်းမှ ကင်းလွတ်ခွင့်အပြည့်ဖြင့် သတ်ဖြတ်ခြင်း၊ လက်ရောက်နှိပ်စက်ခြင်းနှင့် ဖမ်းဆီးချုပ်နှောင်ခြင်းတို့ကို ဆက်တိုက် လုပ်ဆောင်လာခဲ့သည်။ လေ့လာစောင့်ကြည့်ရေးအဖွဲ့များ၏ စာရင်းအရ စစ်သားနှင့် ရဲတို့၏ တိုက်ခိုက်မှုကြောင့် လမ်းပေါ်တွင်သေဆုံးရသူနှင့် အိမ်ထဲနေရင်း သေဆုံးရသူပေါင်း ၅၅၀ ကျော်လာပြီဖြစ်သည်။..."
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Source/publisher: "The New York Times" (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-04-04
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: CNN reports from inside Myanmar. Here’s what we’re seeing
Description: "CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward is in Myanmar reporting on the protests that are taking place in the country. CNN is in Myanmar with the permission of the military and the team is being escorted throughout. #ClarissaWard​ #Myanmar​ #CNNinternational..."
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Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-04-05
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Title: Comedian Zarganar arrested by junta
Description: "Maung Thura– widely known by his performance name, Zarganar– was arrested by the junta on Tuesday morning, according to a source close to his family. The 60-year-old comedian, actor and film director is a former political prisoner and a well-known critic of Myanmar’s past military governments. He was jailed multiple times after the 1988 popular uprising for his political activism, which he carried out through comedy and other performance platforms. Details of Zarganar’s arrest were still unknown at the time of reporting and the military’s spokesperson could not be reached for comment. After his initial release from prison in 1994, Zarganar was barred from engaging in any public performances, and banned from disseminating his writing. He was arrested and detained again in 2007 for supporting striking monks during Myanmar’s Saffron Revolution, and again in 2008 for aiding those affected by Cyclone Nargis. That same year, he was handed a 59-year prison sentence after being convicted of multiple charges for his work, according to PEN America, which classified him as a “Writer at Risk.” Zarganar was finally released in 2011 under an amnesty with several other political prisoners after Thein Sein’s government took office. Also a film director, Zarganar was once involved in the making of the biographical film about Myanmar independence icon General Aung San. Since his release in 2011, he has made filmmaking a primary focus. Zarganar co-organized the Art of Freedom Festival in 2012 with film director Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, who has been detained by the junta since the early morning of the military coup on February 1. Zarganar criticized the coup on his Facebook page after the military seized power from the elected civilian government led by the National League for Democracy’s Aung San Suu Kyi. The military regime has also issued arrest warrants for several filmmakers, actors, celebrities, influencers and journalists for speaking out against the coup and supporting the Civil Disobedience Movement. The movement aims to topple the junta headed by military chief Min Aung Hlaing..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-04-06
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 30 March, (521) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (11) fallen heroes today: (8) died on 30 March, (3) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 30, a total of (2608) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (37) are sentenced. A further (120) people have been issued arrest warrants. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 6 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. The junta is committing atrocities every day in many townships, South Dagon township in Yangon Region was the scene of particularly severe violence, with many killed and injured by so-called police and military. People made barricades to defend themselves from arbitrary gunfire into streets, wards and houses. The town had been raided and shot at by large numbers of junta troops since the barricades were broken down by grenades, launchers and heavy weapons last night (March). People’s cars and houses are being destroyed. They force detained youths onto both hands and kneel down, they set the detainees as targets for snipers from high apartments, then threaten the strikers “if you don’t come and save their detainees, they will be shot and killed”. In South Dagon last night dead bodies and injured people were taken away so it is difficult to collect accurate data. The number of the victims will increase. The junta raided Sanpya Hospital but also private and public hospitals, many lost the right to treatment because of this, the junta prepared to arrest the patients in advance. Pinnya Alin Library which provides treatment to injured people was violently destroyed by them this morning. Patients were insufficiently treated, and died from lack of adequate medicines. In South Dagon’s violent crackdown last night, a civilian was burnt to death. This brutal act followed the burning to death of a community guard in Mandalay. Today, two civilians were killed by gunshots in initial reports and the terrorist junta forces took away the body. In defiance to brute violence by the junta group, the strikers protest peacefully across Burma. Today, civilians were reportedly murdered and some wounded and arrested because of arbitrary shooting, raids and crack-downs in Bago and Pyay in Bago Region, Mandalay City, Kawthaung in Tanintharyi Region, Muse in Shan State and Myitkyina in Kachin State in addition to South Dagon in Yangon Region..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-03-30
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 29 March, (510) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (51) fallen heroes today: (14) shot to death on 29 March and (37) were killed the previous days. Children, students, youths and civilians have all been killed since the coup.. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 29, a total of (2574) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (37) are sentenced. A further (120) people have been issued arrest warrants. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 5 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. As people continue to oppose the dictatorship 57 day and nights now, junta repression against peaceful protests deteriorates in their attempt to govern the economy and over society. On March 29, there were unprovoked shootings into houses and wards, the death and injury toll is rising. Today, in Thaketa, South Dagon and Thanlyin Townships, Yangon Region; Taungoo Township, Bago Region; Myingyan City, Mandalay Region, Monywa City, Sagaing Region; Pathein City, Ayeyarwady Region; Myitkyina, Kachin State and Taunggyi and Muse, Shan State, there have were crackdowns and shooting in many wards, people were killed and many injured. More than 20 people have been arrested..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-03-29
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 27 March, (423) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. At least (90) were killed today, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented killings of children, students, youths and civilians. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when into our newly separately published lists. In addition, (5) others were confirmed killed on previous days. As of March 27, a total of (2428) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (24) are sentenced. A further (119) people have been issued arrest warrants. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 3 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Last night, the junta propaganda MRTV television station threatened the people they could be shot dead in the head and to the back if they strike. Today was known as a “Nationwide March Revolution”, people across Burma bravely protested against the military dictatorship knowing they risked their lives. The junta shot at peaceful protesters since the early morning, the most deadly day in the 55 days since the coup. Many civilians, including children, were shot dead and injured. Today, over 40 townships in Yangon Region, Bago Region, Magway Region, Sagaing Region, Tanintharyi Region, Ayeyarwady Region, Mon State, Kachin State, and Shan State were violently cracked down using live ammunition. Junta forces shot machine-guns into residential areas, resulting in many civilians, including six children between ten and sixteen years old, killed. In Meikhtila Township, Mandalay Region, a 13-year-old girl was shot dead while she was inside her house. This is the second child to be shot dead in the house after a 7-year-old girl from Mandalay Town. In Dawei Township, Tanintahryi Region, while a 16-year-old boy was driving a motorcycle, he was shot at from an unmarked car driven by junta forces, and his body dragged away. The boy died due from not receiving medical treatment in detention. The fact the illegitimate military regime is targeting children is a grave act of inhumanity. Children’s dignity and right to life are being threatened on a daily basis by this junta’s violence. Moreover, reporters who are broadcasting live also are targeted. Today in Kyeikhto Township, Mon State, while a reporter was reporting live on the crackdown, he was shot and injured, including a real bullet wound to the leg. Today, the junta violated diplomatic ethics by opening gunfire at the American Center in Yangon. Some shot dead bodies were dragged away and not returned to their families to erase all evidence of military crimes today. Injured people were taken away and given no medical treatment, later dying while in detention. Including girls, those arrested are beaten on the streets. The illegitimate military regime uses many tactics of intimidation, they destroy and loot public and private property. In Dagon Seikkan Township, Yangon Region, a young man who was bleeding was dragged away. In Mandalay Town, a civilian who was shot in the head was dragged away. Today, many towns in Burma were created into a combat zone, but were in fact killing fields of unarmed civilians, shot without mercy. The illegitimate military regime must take responsible and accountable for each and every crime it commits. As long as the international community fails to decisively protect Burma’s people, the junta’s inhumanity will deteriorate..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-03-28
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 28 March, (459) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (36) fallen heroes today, 13 died on 28 March. Children, students, youths and civilians have all been killed since the coup.. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 28, a total of (2559) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (37) are sentenced. A further (119) people have been issued arrest warrants. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 4 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Yesterday, the illegitimate military regime viciously killed unarmed civilians, including children. Over 100 civilians, some were shot and killed in night-raids in towns without reason. Last night, at least five civilians were killed and thirteen civilians injured in Tharkayta Township, Yangon Region, Taunggyi Township, Shan State, Mogok Township, Mandalay Town, Mandalay Region, Pathein Township, Ayeyarwady Region, and Tatkon Township in Nay Pyi Taw, from unprovoked shootings by junta troops. One of those killed last night in Mandalay City was serving as a security guard in the ward. He was shot and dragged onto a fire of car tyres and burnt him alive. This inhumanity is a tactic of the junta to create a climate of fear among the people. Around 60 houses in Pyi Gyi Dagun Township were destroyed by fire yesterday and people in nearby neighborhoods were prevented from helping when the junta shot at them. Today, a large number of junta forces used live ammunition and grenades in Hlaing Township, Tharkayta Township, Kyauk Myaung Ward in Tamwe Township, Dagon Myothit (South) Township in Yangon Region, Monywa Township, Kalay Township in Sagaing Region, Myingyan Township in Mandalay Region, Taunggyi Township in Shan State, Myitkyina Township, and Hpakant Township in Kachin State. Nine civilians, including four women, were killed and many arrested and injured. The junta is using grenades, not just live rounds but machine-guns in urban areas, to create a combat zone of peaceful residential homes. Yesterday, in Kyauk Myaung Ward, Tamwe Township, Yangon Region, the junta forces used a grenade on a young man who died on the spot. Last night, the junta propaganda MRTV television station claimed this was done by an artist who was violently arrested during the crackdown in Kyauk Myaung Ward. Today (March 28), the junta forces used a grenade in Hlaing Township, resulting in one man’s hand being cut off from the wrist and another person injured. According to the international laws, hospitals, religious buildings, schools, women, and children are given special protection, however since the coup, the illegitimate military regime completely disregards this. Today, one hospital staff was injured and patients terrorized as gunfire was opened inside the Asia Royal Hospital, where youth protestors had fled to. Yesterday, the junta forces inhumanly looted dead bodies and forced their families not to celebrate public funerals but with family members and 5 monks. Some families therefore quickly buried their loved heroes to prevent the junta from looting their bodies. The illegitimate military regime uses many tactics of intimidation, they destroy and loot public and private property on a daily basis. In Dagon Seikkan Township and Tharkayta Township, Yangon Region, over 20 private cars were destroyed. The junta raided a store and stole food in Thingangyun Township, Yangon..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-03-28
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of March 26, a total of (3070) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. (328) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. AAPP documented (8) fallen heroes today. (24) coup detainees have been convicted. (117) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 2 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Of the fallen heroes, (4) were shot dead today in Myeik, Tanintharyi Region, (2) fallen heroes died today from serious injury sustained in Mohnyin Town in Kachin State and Kyauktaga Township in Bago Region yesterday, (2) others were confirmed killed on previous days. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. A group of six professors in social science at the University of Oslo in Norway nominated the Civil Disobedience Movement of Myanmar for the Nobel Peace Prize. CDM workers are facing repression, arrests, lawsuits, dismissals, and forced eviction from staff housing on a daily basis. However, the movement has not given up and continues to fight. We, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) warmly welcome this submission for the Nobel Peace Prize. US Ambassador Thomas Vajda and his wife Ms. Amy Sebes laid a wreath today in front of a school where 23-year-old network engineer Nyi Nyi Aung Htet Naing died on February 28, 2021. Although it has been 54 days since the coup, civilians are still subject to various forms of brutal repression by the junta, but demonstrations continue. Deaths, injuries, arrests, even against children and torture, as does destruction, arson, looting and raids also are deteriorating day after day across Burma. In the early morning of 26 March, the National League for Democracy (NLD) party headquarters in Shwegondaing, Bahan Township, Yangon region was set on fire. Home in a village in Laung Lone Township, Dawei District, was set on fire on March 21, leaving seven family members severely injured. Among them, was a 14-year-old boy who died. Today, civilians were killed across Burma in violent crackdowns of protests by the junta, in Kyauk Myaung, Tamwe Township, and Kyauktada Township, Yangon Region, Dawei Township, and Myeik Township in Tanintharyi Region. In Myeik Township, a large number of junta forces, including the Air force and Navy, used live ammunition to suppress people. Moreover, an ambulance vehicle was used to storm into protestors, four civilians, including one woman, were shot dead, and at least ten civilians were injured. Some civilians were violently arrested. During arrest, two youths were tied up with a piece of rope on their back and treated like dogs. In Kyat Sar Pyin Ward, Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region, one civilian was injured with live ammunition and two civilians were arrested. In Kyauktada Township, Yangon Region, 5 people were arrested for marching on strike. During the arrest of a student in Dawei Township, the junta raided the house and looted gold, a motorcycle, money, and other valuables. Yesterday (March 25), 11 civilians were killed during violent crackdowns by the military and so-called police in the day. Civilians were also shot and killed in raids in some towns during the night time without reason. Last night in Dagon Myothit (South) Township, the military and so-called police raided the area and fired at least 300 live rounds, one civilian was killed and ten civilians were injured, and at least 20 civilians violently arrested. In addition to this, they destroyed Wifi and phone line cables. In Tamu Township, Sagaing Region, one civilian was killed and nine civilians injured, three were put in critical condition. On the evening of March 25, Kyauktaga Township, Bago Region, when the police and military vehicles entered a village, the villagers fled into the fields. The junta followed and shot them, resulting in one man seriously injured who died today, and three others were arrested. During the crackdown in Mohnyin Township yesterday, one man who was seriously injured died today. The illegitimate military regime’s terror, even against children, is intensifying. Last night in North Okkalapa Township, Yangon Region, the military and so-called police raided a nursery school and destroyed equipment, and stole two computers. On the night of March 21 in Kalay Township, Sagaing Region, while a 14-year-old boy was driving a motorcycle, he was hit from behind by a military vehicle and then shot and taken away. Per available information, the child is suffering from a broken arm, and leg. He is in critical condition. Arrests and detentions of the injured currently being treated in hospital, demonstrate their brutality. Yesterday, the military and so called police came to Sanpya Hospital and arrested four people who were receiving medical treatment from gunshots in a crackdown in Thingangyun Township. They arbitrarily arrested these four people and threatened the health workers who asked the junta to not detain the four. The junta forces threatened the health workers that they have permission to shoot those who try to stop them making arrests. Article 14 of the Geneva Convention enshrines the protection of children, injured people, and hospitals and nursery schools as safe zones. However, as this military junta is using force and violence to break any laws..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-03-26
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has documented and identified (275) heroes killed yesterday (March 23), and (12) heroes killed today. However, one person previously included in the list of casualties was removed today, details further below. Therefore, (286) heroes have been killed so far. That number is documented and verified by AAPP, and the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 24, a total of (2906) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. Of them, (24) were convicted. (109) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest, and (394) were released as of yesterday. (628) people, including students and civilians, were released across Burma today. The names of today’s released detainees have not been immediately available to compile. Therefore, we will provide the list of names who were released and remain in prison. The silent strike, so-called “the silence is the loudest cry” was held across Burma today to protest this military dictatorship. Nobody left their homes, shops and shopping centers closed and no cars or people were seen on the roads. Demonstrating the general public’s solidarity against dictatorship. Only some sit-down strikes were held because they did not know about the silent strike campaign from lack of internet connection. Ko Man Swin Khaing (a.k.a Wai Yan Maung Maung) was removed from the fatality list. He was shot in the thigh and disappeared during the North Okkalapa strike. His family members went to hospitals, police stations, and Insein Prison to investigate, but no further information was found, his family therefore assumed he died and held a funeral for him on 7 March. This is why his name was added to the AAPP fatality list, he is since included in the release list today. AAPP sincerely apologizes to all people, including the victim, and those citing our data with trust. While people adhered to the silent strike, the military junta last night went around communities and announced with loudspeakers the country was in a stable condition with no danger, and that people should carry on their daily lives as usual. At the same time, more than 600 students and civilians were released. The released raised the three finger salute on their way home to show solidarity with the people and opposition to the military dictatorship. However, according to AAPPs confirmed data, over 2000 detainees are still detained, sentenced, or face outstanding warrants. The junta coup continuously arrests, and today the military and so-called police raided Kyauk Myaung in Tamwe township, Yangon and captured the people there. Furthermore, they yelled and threw sound grenades, opening fire with live bullets onto Myanandar 13th Street, Yankin township and raided two houses, attacking and detaining 17 people including a 14-year old 8th Grade student. The coup junta commits these crimes against humanity, brutally arresting children, taking away dead bodies. Last night, they attempted to loot the body of a 7-year-old child who was shot and killed by the junta in Mandalay. Family members of the killed child were able to escape with the body of the child, in response the junta destroyed the house in rage. Moreover, the junta beat the head of the child’s brother with a gun, tortured and dragged him away. There has been no further news and he is assumed dead by his family. Such incidents are extreme human rights violations, children and their lives are given no dignity, constant threats to their security and education. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers and other civilians in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-03-24
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "Today, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has compiled and documented (14) heroes. Of these, (3) were shot dead in Mandalay and (1) were struck by a military vehicle travelling at high speed in Dawei in Tanintharyi Region. (10) were killed on a previous day but added on 23 March. (275) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 23, a total of (2812) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. Of them, (24) were convicted. (109) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest, (394) were released. A total of (2418) are still under detention or have outstanding charges/evading arrest, including the (24) sentenced. In today’s detainee list, we received and documented the names of (130) people. However, more were arrested today, AAPP will continue investigating these and make appropriate announcements when. Today, March 23 is the 21st anniversary of the establishment of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). During these 21 years, AAPP tirelessly advocated for civil and political rights. However, since the coup on 1 February, democracy, civil and political rights have ceased. AAPP will continue to fight to attain these rights. Today, despite the illegitimate military regime continuing crackdowns, anti-coup protests have taken place across Burma. The crackdowns in Mandalay were severe and three civilians, including a 7-year-old girl, were killed. The girl was shot dead at home. Putting children in harm’s way is a clear violation of the terms of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It has been three days since the protests in Mandalay, and according to AAPP at least 21 civilians were killed here between March 21 and 23. A man was killed while he was standing to cross the road by a military vehicle in Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region. In Kyanginn Township, Ayeyarwady Region, when a man who was serving as a night watchman, the so-called police attacked and arrested him, thereafter , the local residents went on the road and demanded his release. The military and so-called police fired more than 50 rounds of live ammunition, resulting in 2 civilians getting seriously injured and 7 civilians were violently arrested. The junta has been raiding, arresting and shooting all day and nights as well as looting, destroying and vandalizing. Last night (March 22), they raided Nwel Aye Quarter, Dawpone Township, Yangon Region. They verbally abused the residents and shot aimlessly at the houses resulting in many injured people. Moreover, the junta destroyed public properties, cars, shops, and houses. This morning, they came back to Nwel Aye Ward and arrested people. Furthermore, in Mandalay, the military raided and destroyed a house with a bulldozer and stole two phones and money in the afternoon yesterday. At night, they arsoned the people’s barricades and threw fire rings into Aung San Quarter, Insein township at around 1:30am today, leading to two houses burning down. The terrorist junta also shot at and stormed Hana Microfinance, the South Korean loaning department, which provides loans to farmers, and ordered them to hand over money. The junta does not leave the disabled alone, they harassed them too, in one incident a disabled man living in Hinthada town, Ayeyarwady Region, was detained under section 505 (b) of Penal Code yesterday. A video of the junta destroying the trishaws of drivers who depend on daily income went viral on social media. They repressed railway staff participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement, evicting them from staff housing in Yangon and Mandalay, and today the same suppression happened to staff in Kaw Lin town, Sagaing Region. The junta, SAC, has also threatened the CDM staff in various sectors by postponing, dismissing, arresting and charging them and their job assignments. Crimes against humanity are committed daily by the regime, the SAC attempts in every possible way to inject fear in the general people, particularly by threatening the livelihood of the people. In the midst of this, people face physical and mental insecurities on a daily basis, yet the PEOPLE have defied for 51 days the orders of the dictatorship. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers and other civilians in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-03-23
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 2.75 MB 434.06 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "Today, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has compiled and documented (11) heroes. Of these, (3) were shot dead on the spot in Mandalay today. (8) were killed on a previous day but added on 22 March. (261) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 22, a total of (2682) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. Of them, (15) were convicted; (2) to two years imprisonment, (1) to three months, (2) to one year imprisonment, (2) to one month imprisonment, (8) to three months imprisonment. (109) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest, (380) were released. A total of (2302) are still under detention or have outstanding charges/evading arrest, including the (15) sentenced. In today’s detainee list, we received and documented the names of (17) people. However, more were arrested today, AAPP will continue investigating these and make appropriate announcements when. The junta crackdown using live ammunition, assaults and arrests, kidnapping, using repressive legislation, and forcibly evicts CDM participants from staff housing. They do this to spread fear, but people continue to protest. This evening, a man died in Mandalay, the crackdown had been severe yesterday afternoon yesterday, last night, protests against the military based in a Chan Mya Thar Si Township school were dispersed using live ammunition and random fire, 5 men died and 30 injured. Since this morning, the military and so-called police have continuously fired weapons towards Myayi Nandar housing, Aung Pinle, Aung Thar Yar quarters in Chan Mya Thar Si township. 3 people were killed including a young boy, Grade-8 student and more than 6 people got injured initially reportedly. The fallen child was shot when he strayed out of the house to fill the up water in front of the house. Furthermore, the junta forces arsoned barricades, and destroyed people’s cars. A grandma aged over 60 years was killed in an unprovoked shooting by the junta forces in No.(2) quarter, Kyaw town, Yaw province, Magway Region (formerly known as Pe Ma Sar village) last night. One of the tactics the junta practices is vicious assaults when detaining and in detention. In Taunggyi, Shan State, the military and s0-called police raided houses, arrested people, arsoned roads, and unprovoked shootings across yesterday and this morning. Yesterday, the Taunggyi so-called police beat people on the road in a public display of violence, during which a 14 year old youth and a civilian were detained and 20 civilians injured by rubber bullets. On March 22, in a crackdown in Natmatu, Kachin State, the junta beat the detainees including education civil servants with hard sticks and tied their hands on their backs. In addition, last night in Hakha, Chin State, military and so called police waited for the returnees from sit-in protests to be beaten. Five civilians were reportedly beaten and the fingers of two of them broken. This was not an isolated incident, similar happened elsewhere today. Since the military coup in Burma, instability of society is everywhere and the rule of law has been completely destroyed. If the coup group stays in power, the people will be enslaved to the military for decades more. Liberty, human rights, and freedom from persecution will not exist if dictatorship remains. No dignity for people or democracy, we will only have peace and stability if revolution succeeds. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers and other civilians in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585 “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-03-22
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 394.14 KB 2.59 MB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "On February 8, the eighth day of the military coup and the third day of the people’s protests, tens of thousands of people across Burma rallied against the military coup. Civil service workers, teachers, doctors, and more were involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and stood and demonstrated together with the people. 88 generation student Leader Nilar Thein from 88 Peace and Open Society arrived and stood with the protesters as they called for a “People to People Plan” to assist civil servants who face personal and financial difficulties with their participation in CDM. At the Naypyidaw protest, police fired water cannons without warning leaving some with serious injuries. Pro-military groups incited some to perform a counter-protest in anticipation of a violent crackdown. Cars in support of the coup lined up in front of the Rangoon Thuwanna Stadium, with songs, STOP campaign posters, and the five-fingered salute. After seeing such a response, we are concerned peaceful protestors will suffer violent action in the future. The Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) announced “action must be taken in accordance with the law if there are violations of state stability and peace, safety of people, and the rule of law”. This is seen as a warning to the peaceful protests, that they could get violently crackdown, hence the concern for protesters safety. Township general administrators signed and released a statement on February 8 to ban people from protesting or gathering in groups of five or more, with a curfew to run from 8pm to 4am, under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Section 144 refers “whoever, being armed with any deadly weapon, or with anything which used as a weapon of offence, is likely to cause death, is a member of an unlawful assembly, shall be punished with imprisonment of their description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both”. The Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw has released an announcement on the unlawful seizure coup including the current political condition on February 8. It stated “the illegal coup was driven by the personal interests of the military leaders. The armed takeover and dismantling of the duly elected government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar is an act of offence against the state.” As for the arrests and charges, Dr Myint Naing, Chief Minister of Sagaing Region was arrested because he gave a speech to anti-military demonstrators through a mobile phone and brought it to Na Ma Kha (West-Northern Command). In addition, Nan Khin Htwe Myint, Chief Minister of Karen State, was brought again from house arrest by the military. On February 7, Kyaw Swar Moe, Tun Lwin Soe, Kay Thi, Thin Thin Khaing and Ma Moe, helped transport 88 generation student Leader Min Ko Naing, of the 88 Peace and Open Society to the Rangoon protest. They were arrested after, before being released on February 8. Thus, as of February 8, a total of (170) people have been arrested and detained in relation to the military coup on February 1. Of them, (2) were sentenced to two years imprisonment and (18) were released. A total of (152) are still under detention, including the (2) sentenced. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges and sentences in relation to coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-02-09
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 234.08 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "Updated 7 February 2021 On February 7, demonstrations against the military coup intensified. This morning thousands of activists, students and civilians took part in protests in Rangoon and across the country, and Min Ko Naing, 88 Generation Student Leader, arrived and stood among the protesters. Demonstrations were held at Rangoon, Bago, Mandalay, Sagaing, Ayeyarwady, Tanintharyi and Magway Regions, Naypyidaw, Mon, Shan, Karen and Kachin States. Protests were peaceful and non-violent, and police blocked the roads for protestors and watched the situation, though there were no violent crackdowns. When police fired in the air at protestors in Myawaddy Town in Karen State, rioting broke out and a total of 14 civilians (5 women and 9 men) including former female political prisoner Khin Htar were arrested. By 6:30pm, they all were released. A woman was also shot during the protest in Myawaddy. The 8pm symbolic peaceful “Drumming out of Evil” continued across the country in opposition to the military junta. It has also been verified that Than Lwin, NLD Chairman of Payathonzu Town of Karen State, was arrested on the night of February 6. It has also been confirmed that Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, Chief Minister of Mandalay Division, was in the morning of February 7 moved from house-arrest with a group of MPs. He was then re-arrested and placed in another location. He is reportedly not in good health. Phyo Min Thein, Chief Minister of Rangoon Region, was re-arrested when under house arrest last night. Tun Tun Hein, Deputy Speaker of the lower house of the Myanmar parliament was released today. He returned to his hometown Nawnghkio, Shan State as he was not allowed to return where his family lives in Rangoon. U Htun Htun Hein, Vice Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House of the Parliament) and member of the Central Executive Committee of the NLD, was released from detention at around 10am, a family member confirmed. However, he was not allowed to return to his home in Rangoon. He and his wife are now going to Naung Cho, his birthplace in a small town, Shan State, Therefore, as of February 7, a total of (165) people have been arrested and detained in relation to the military coup on February 1. Of them, (2) were sentenced to two years imprisonment and (13) were released. A total of (152) are still under detention, including the (2) sentenced. In addition to all this, according to the Pyay Former Political Prisoner Group, Kyaw Nyan Tun, Myo Thant Htut and Phyu Phway will be charged under the Natural Disaster Management Law for staging a protest against the military coup in Pyay Township, Bago Division. They have not yet been detained. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges and sentences in relation to coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. When police fired in the air at protestors in Myawaddy Town in Karen State, rioting broke out and a total of 14 civilians (5 women and 9 men) including former female political prisoner Khin Htar were arrested. By 6:30pm, they all were released. A woman was also shot during the protest in Myawaddy. The 8pm symbolic peaceful “Drumming out of Evil” continued across the country in opposition to the military junta. It has also been verified that Than Lwin, NLD Chairman of Payathonzu Town of Karen State, was arrested on the night of February 6. It has also been confirmed that Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, Chief Minister of Mandalay Division, was in the morning of February 7 moved from house-arrest with a group of MPs. He was then re-arrested and placed in another location. He is reportedly not in good health. Phyo Min Thein, Chief Minister of Rangoon Region, was re-arrested when under house arrest last night. Tun Tun Hein, Deputy Speaker of the lower house of the Myanmar parliament was released today. He returned to his hometown Nawnghkio, Shan State as he was not allowed to return where his family lives in Rangoon. U Htun Htun Hein, Vice Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House of the Parliament) and member of the Central Executive Committee of the NLD, was released from detention at around 10am, a family member confirmed. However, he was not allowed to return to his home in Rangoon. He and his wife are now going to Naung Cho, his birthplace in a small town, Shan State, Therefore, as of February 7, a total of (165) people have been arrested and detained in relation to the military coup on February 1. Of them, (2) were sentenced to two years imprisonment and (13) were released. A total of (152) are still under detention, including the (2) sentenced. In addition to all this, according to the Pyay Former Political Prisoner Group, Kyaw Nyan Tun, Myo Thant Htut and Phyu Phway will be charged under the Natural Disaster Management Law for staging a protest against the military coup in Pyay Township, Bago Division. They have not yet been detained. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges and sentences in relation to coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. Today people have expressed their desire and great concern for the future of Burma. We urge the respect of people’s will and to protect peaceful protesters in ways that were not done during the past military regime in Burma. In addition, we urge foreign governments and the international community to monitor and take actions against the military coup. In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-02-07
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 193.65 KB 110.87 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup 53 Days ago
Description: "As of March 25, a total of (2981) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. (320) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. AAPP documented (34) fallen heroes today, 11 who were killed on March 25. (24) of the recent detainees have been convicted. (109) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 2 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Fallen heroes were shot dead today in Thingangyun Township in Yangon, Khin-U Town in Sagaing Region, Mohnyin Town in Kachin State, Pyu Township in Bago Region and Taunggyi City in Shan State. (23) were killed on a previous day but added on 25 March. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. Since yesterday’s silent strike, night protests were held in a number towns, some of which were violently cracked down. People were shot to death, injured, and arrested. In Kyaukpadaung Township, Mandalay Region, a youth was killed. In Mandalay City, a 16-year-old child was killed and some others injured. In addition to this, ambulance vehicles also were shot at unprovoked. As the illegitimate military regime attempts to halt protests before Armed Forces Day on March 27, many soldiers and so-called police commit brutal acts. Today, protests in Mohnyin and Myitkyina, Kachin State, Hpa-an Township in Karen State, Mawlamyine Township in Mon State, Taunggyi Township in Shan State, Khin-U Township in Sagaing Region, Mandalay City, and Thingangyun and Tamwe Township in Yangon Region were violently crackdown..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-03-25
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 2.92 MB 487.21 KB
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Title: Statement on Recent Detainees in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "4th February 2021 On 1 February 2021, Burma’s elected politicians intended to take their seats in Parliament per democratic norms and Burma’s 2008 constitutional provisions. Instead, as of 4th February evening, AAPP knows of 133 officials and lawmakers who have been detained by the military in the attempted coup. These arbitrary detentions are an effort to subdue the democratic election of November 8, 2020. The detentions are also causing great distress to families, who are deeply concerned about the detainee’s health and want to see their loved ones again. There are also 14 civil society activists such as filmmaker Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, 88 generation activist Mya Aye, and Shwe Nya War Sayadaw, who are being detained by the military to stifle dissent against this illegitimate undermining of the election. So far, some officials have been released by the military, either under house arrest or unconditionally. Though on 3 February, U Thawbita was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment under Telecommunications Law Section 66(d), he was charged before the coup by the military for defamation. State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint were also charged under Import Export Law and Natural Disaster Management Law and both are to be remanded until 15 February. On 4 February, 3 arrests were made against peaceful demonstrators. These are some of the first prosecutions under the military coup. AAPPs recent list is for detainees with identified names, even though the NLD Secretary in Hpakhant Township and two commission members of Naung Mon Township and some commission members of Machanbaw Township of Kachin State were detained on 1 February, we have not confirmed their names. We will continue to diligently update our lists. AAPP calls for the immediate release of the remaining detained 147 recently detained political prisoners, in addition to the 42 sentenced and 663 (inside and outside prison) awaiting trial political prisoners already persecuted in Burma. In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2021-02-04
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 106.02 KB 209.2 KB 104.2 KB
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Title: The Myanmar beauty queen standing up to the military
Description: "Speeches by beauty pageant contestants rarely make headlines. But when Han Lay, Miss Grand Myanmar, spoke out last week against alleged atrocities committed by her country's military, her speech turned heads. "Today in my country Myanmar ... there are so many people dying," she said at the Miss Grand International 2020 event in Thailand. "Please help Myanmar. We need your urgent international help right now." A little over a month ago, Han Lay, who is 22, was on the streets of Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, protesting against the military. The unrest in Myanmar began two months ago when the military seized control of the country, undoing a democratic election in which Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide. When tens of thousands of people took to the streets nationwide to protest the coup, the military used water cannon to disperse them. After a week, the response escalated to rubber bullets and then live ammunition. The deadliest day of the conflict came last Saturday, when more than 100 people were killed. A local monitoring group puts the overall death toll at more than 500. According to Save the Children, 43 of those killed were children. Han Lay, a psychology student at the University of Yangon, decided to use the pageant as a platform to speak out about her homeland on an international stage. "In Myanmar, journalists are detained ... so I decided to speak out," she told the BBC in a phone interview from Bangkok. She is concerned now that her two-minute speech could have put her on the radar of the military. She said she had decided to stay put in Thailand for at least the next three months..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of publication: 2021-04-05
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 562.09 KB
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Title: Global Witness calls for tough international response as Myanmar’s military opens fire on civilians - Global Witness သည် မြန်မာတပ်မတော်သည် ပြည်သူများအား ပစ်ခတ်ခြင်းကြောင့် နိုင်ငံတကာအသိုင်းအဝိုင်းအား ပြင်းထန်စွာ တုံ့ပြန်ရန် လှုံ့ဆော်ပါသည်
Description: "At least 18 people were killed across Myanmar yesterday as soldiers opened fire on peaceful protesters in the deadliest day since the military seized power in a February 1 coup. More than 30 demonstrators were wounded, according to a United Nations tally, as security forces used live rounds together with rubber bullets and tear gas against crowds who were protesting against the illegitimate takeover. “The violence used by Myanmar’s security forces against civilians who were expressing their right to assemble and demonstrate is abhorrent,” said Clare Hammond, Senior Myanmar Campaigner at Global Witness. “The international community must take immediate action to support the people of Myanmar in their effort to restore civilian rule, and to hold the military accountable for its actions,” she added. More than 1,100 people have been arbitrarily arrested, charged or sentenced over the past month according to reports, although the real figure may be higher. Journalists are increasingly being targeted, with at least eight arrested over the weekend and some still in custody, while a photojournalist was beaten by police in Yangon. Meanwhile, the country’s elected civilian leaders remain under house arrest, with the sham trial of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi proceeding via video conference this morning, and the military filing two more spurious charges against her, including for incitement. “The military’s continued violations of basic human rights and its refusal to release civilian leaders is unacceptable,” said Hammond. “While we welcome the flurry of concerned statements by foreign governments, these need to be followed by stronger actions. This includes the imposition of targeted sanctions against the military and the expansion of sanctions to help prevent foreign currencies from flowing to the regime that enable it to loot state coffers and kill, maim and violate the rights of innocent civilians with impunity,” concluded Hammond.....မနေ့က မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတပြည်လုံးတွင် စစ်သားများသည် ငြိမ်းချမ်းစွာ ဆန္ဒပြနေသော ပြည်သူများအား သေနတ်နှင့်ပစ်ခတ်မှုကြောင့် အနည်းဆုံး ၁၈ ဦး အသက်ဆုံးရှုံးခဲ့ရပါသည်။ ဖေဖော်ဝါရီလ ၁ရက်နေ့ စစ်အာဏာသိမ်းပြီးချိန်ကတည်းက အသေအပျောက်အများဆုံးနေ့ ဖြစ်ပါသည်။ လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့များသည် ဤတရားမဝင် အာဏာသိမ်းမှုနှင့် ပတ်သက်ပြီး ဆန္ဒပြနေသူများအား ကျည်ဆံအစစ်နှင့်ပစ်ခတ်ခြင်း၊ ရာဘာကျည်ဆံများနှင့်ပစ်ခတ်ခြင်း နှင့် မျက်ရည်ယိုဗုံး အသုံးပြုခြင်းများကြောင့် ကမ္ဘာ့ကုလသမဂ္ဂ ၏ ကောက်ချက်အရ ဆန္ဒပြသူ အဦး ၃၀ နှင့်အထက် ဒဏ်ရာရရှိခဲ့ပါသည်။ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့များသည် မိမိတို့၏ ဆန္ဒများကို အခွင့်အရေးရှိသည့်အရ ထုတ်ဖေါ် နေသော ပြည်သူများအား အကြမ်းဖက်ခြင်းသည် စက်ဆုပ်ရွံရှာဘွယ် ကောင်းပါသည် ဟု Global Witness ၏ Senior Myanmar Campaigner ဖြစ်သူ Clare Hammond ကပြောဆိုပါသည်။ မြန်မာပြည်သူများအား အရပ်သားအုပ်ချုပ်မှု ပြန်လည်ရရှိရန် နှင့် စစ်တပ်အား ၎င်းတို့၏ လုပ်ရပ်များကြောင့် အရေးယူနိုင်ရန် နိုင်ငံတကာအသိုင်းအဝိုင်းအနေဖြင့် ချက်ချင်းကူညီ လုပ်ဆောင်ရန် လိုအပ်ပါသည် ဟု သူမကဖြည့်စွက်ပါသည်။ သတင်းတင်ပြချက်များအရ လူဦးရေ ၁၀၀၁ ဦးနှင့်အထက် သည် မတရားစွာ ဖမ်းဆီးခံရခြင်း၊ စွဲချက်တင်ခံရခြင်း နှင့် ပြစ်ဒဏ်ချမှတ်ခြင်းများကို ရင်ဆိုင်ရပါသည်။ တကယ် အဖမ်းဆီးခံရသော လူဦးရေမှာ ဒီထက်ပိုများနိုင်သည်ဟု ယူဆရပါသည်။ သတင်းစာဆရာများသည်လည်း ပစ်မှတ်ထားခြင်း ခံရပြီး၊ ပြီးခဲ့သော စနေနေ့ နှင့် တနင်္ဂနွေနေ့များတွင် ၈ ဦးဖမ်းဆီးခံရပြီး အချို့သည်ဆက်လက်ထိန်းသိမ်းခံရဆဲဖြစ်ပါသည်။ ရန်ကုန်မြို့တွင် ဓတ်ပုံသတင်းဆရာတဦး အား ရဲတပ်ဖွဲ့ဝင်များသည် ရိုက်နက်ခဲ့ပါသည်။ ဤအတောအတွင်း မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ ရွေးကောက်ခံရသော အရပ်သားခေါင်းဆောင်များသည်လည်း အကျယ်ချုပ်ဖမ်းဆီးခံရဆဲဖြစ်ပါသည်။ နိုင်ငံတော်အတိုင်မင်ခံ ဒေါ်အောင်ဆန်းစုကြည် ၏ ရုံးတင်စစ်ဆေးခြင်းကိုလည်း ဗီဒီယို အစည်းအဝေးအားဖြင့် ယနေ့နံနက် ဆက်လက်ပြုလုပ်ခဲ့ပါသည်။ စစ်တပ်သည် သူမအား တိုင်းပြည်မတည်မငြိမ်ရန် လှုံးဆော်မှုအပါအဝင် စွဲချက် အသစ်နှစ်ချက်ဖြင့် ထပ်မံစွဲဆိုခဲ့ပါသည်။ တပ်မတော်သည် အခြေခံလူ့အခွင့်အရေးများအား ဆက်လက် ချိုးဖောက်ခြင်း နှင့် အရပ်သား ခေါင်းဆောင်များအား လွှတ်ပေးရန် ငြင်းဆန်ခြင်းများကို လက်မခံနိုင်ပါဟု Hammond ကပြောဆိုပါသည်။ နိုင်ငံခြားအစိုးရများထံမှ ဤဖြစ်ရပ်များနှင့်ပတ်သက်၍ စိုးရိမ်းသော သဘောထား​ကြေညာချက်များကို လက်ခံကြိုဆိုသော်လည်း နိုင်ငံခြားအစိုးရများအနေဖြင့် ပိုမိုပြင်းထန်သော အရေးယူမှုများ လုပ်ဆောင်ရန် လိုအပ်ပါသည်။ တပ်မတော်အား ပစ်မှတ်ထားသော ပိတ်ဆို့မှုများနှင့်အတူ နိုင်ငံခြားမှ​ပေးသည့် အကူအညီငွေများ သည် စစ်အစိုးရ၏လက်ထဲ ရောက်ရှိပြီး ဤငွေကိုအသုံးပြုပြီး အပြစ်မဲ့သော ပြည်သူများအား သက်ဖြတ်ခြင်း နှင့် ပြည်သူများ၏ အခွင့်အရေးများကို ချိုးဖောက်ခြင်း များ မဖြစ်လာနိုင်အောင်လုပ်ဆောင်ရပါမည် ဟု Hammond ကပြောဆိုရင်း နိဂုံးချုပ်ပါသည်။..."
Source/publisher: "Global Witness" (London)
Date of publication: 2021-03-01
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Is Myanmar the new Syria? Rising violence threatens a repeat tragedy
Sub-title: As ethnic militias back the popular uprising and refugees flee the country, the similarities with Syria are deeply disturbing
Description: "In August 2011, Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey’s then foreign minister, made a “mercy dash” to Damascus. He appealed in person to Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to stop killing his people and talk to his opponents after five months of anti-regime protests. Davutoglu spoke for Turkey but also, indirectly, for the US and the west. He had conferred with Hillary Clinton, then secretary of state, before making the trip. His message: it’s not too late to call a halt; the alternative is civil war. But Assad turned him down flat. At that early point in the crisis, about 2,000 people had died. Fearing worse to come, Davutoglu kept trying. In Istanbul the following year, he urged the US, Britain and other countries to work together to prevent a humanitarian “disaster”. Millions of Syrians were at risk, he told me. “How long can this situation continue? I mean in Bosnia, now we have Ban Ki-moon (then UN secretary-general) apologising 20 years after. Who will apologise for Syria in 20 years’ time?” Ten years on, Davutoglu has an answer. The west failed to act decisively, 500,000 or more Syrians are dead, 13.3 million are displaced, the country is in ruins – and no one has apologised. Meanwhile, half a world away, history repeats itself. Is Myanmar the new Syria? The portents and parallels are many and disturbing. They foretell yet another avoidable human tragedy of epic dimensions. Once again, those who could stop it don’t. Instead, they wrangle and seek national advantage. Once again, UN alarm bells ring, warning of an “imminent bloodbath”. Myanmar’s military junta, which seized power in a coup in February, is waging a war on citizens, the special UN envoy Christine Schraner Burgener told the security council last week. Another failure to uphold international law and honour the international community’s “responsibility to protect” could produce “a multi-dimensional catastrophe in the heart of Asia,” she said. But again, as perennially over Syria, the council is split. In Myanmar’s case, it’s China, not Russia, that holds the whip hand. Like Moscow, Beijing plays a double game. Its UN ambassador, Zhang Jun, said China supported stability, dialogue, and what he disingenuously termed the “democratic transition”. Yet it is China that is blocking international sanctions and other UN action to rein in the junta. Like Russia in Syria, it is a saviour of killers. No surprise, perhaps. If it’s a choice between autocracy and democracy, the world knows where president Xi Jinping stands. The US president, Joe Biden, says human rights are a central plank of his foreign policy. But over Myanmar, he looks weak as Beijing calls his bluff. The UK, the former colonial power, is trying harder, leading the UN debate, sanctioning military-related sales, and providing funds to record rights abuses. Meanwhile, Myanmar’s neighbours in the Association of South-East Asian Nations make solemn statements and do next to nothing. Taken altogether, it’s nowhere near enough. The pressure group Burma Campaign UK demands a global arms embargo, for example, and referral to the international criminal court. There is little doubt Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the junta boss, and members of the military and police are each day committing crimes against humanity and war crimes. Min Aung Hlaing is already wanted for the 2017 genocide of the Rohingya minority. These uniformed killers and torturers are counting on impunity fuelled by international divisions and inertia. As matters stand, it’s entirely possible that, like Assad and most of his henchmen, they will escape justice. Hundreds of civilians have been killed so far, and thousands detained or forcibly disappeared, according to the UN’s human rights office. “Night raids, mass arrests and killings have become daily occurrences,” it reported last week. “De facto military authorities have increasingly resorted to heavy weaponry such as rocket-propelled and fragmentation grenades, heavy machine guns, and snipers to kill demonstrators in massive numbers,” it said. Evidence accumulates that youthful civilian demonstrators are being radicalised by this trauma. Unusually, street protests appear to enjoy broad middle class support. There is talk of taking up arms in self-defence and building an opposition-based federal army – another echo of Syria in 2011. Significantly, Myanmar’s “parallel government”, the CRPH, comprising MPs elected in last year’s election and supporters of the deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is now proposing a new federal constitution that recognises the rights of ethnic minorities..."
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Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-04
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar junta orders internet blackout as more pro-democracy protesters are detained
Description: "Myanmar's military junta has cut all wireless internet services until further notice, in what appears to be part of a concerted effort to control communications and messaging in the Southeast Asian country. Pro-democracy demonstrators have repeatedly filled streets across the country for nearly two months in protest after the military overthrew the elected government over claims of election fraud, and installed a ruling junta. The military has responded to the protests with a bloody crackdown. At least 550 people have been killed by junta forces, according to advocacy group the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP). Rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Friday that the junta had also "forcibly disappeared hundreds of people" -- including politicians, election officials, journalists, activists and protesters -- since the February 1 coup. At least 2,751 people, among them journalists, protesters, activists, government officials, trade unionists, writers, students, civilians and even children, have been detained, often in nighttime raids, according to AAPP. On Friday, most Myanmar citizens woke up to no internet access after telecoms companies received instructions from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to stop wireless broadband internet services. Customers of telecoms company Ooredoo received text messages the night before saying wireless services would be stopped until further notice. The directive was dated from April 1. A majority of customers in Myanmar connect to the internet through wireless data services and the move will leave only those with physical connections to access the web. Mobile data has also been disabled for the 19th day, according to internet monitor Netblocks. CNN has reached out to Myanmar's military for comment on the wireless internet shutdown. As the military clamps down on the flow of information, dozens of journalists have been detained by security forces, according to the UN, and so have citizens who have spoken to media outlets, according to reports. A CNN team spoke with residents Friday while visiting a bazaar in Yangon's Insein township. CNN is in Myanmar with the permission of the military and is being escorted by the military, including during the visit to the market. Two women were arrested afterwards, ​according to a report from local outlet The Irrawaddy​. The report included an eyewitness account that one woman was seen speaking to the CNN team. It's unclear ​from that account whether that woman was among those arrested soon after. An improvised anti-regime protest broke out while the team was present, its report added. Multiple unverified reports posted on social media said at least two people had been taken away by security forces after speaking with the CNN team. CNN has reached out to the Myanmar military for comment on the reported detentions. In its latest briefing, the AAPP said it could confirm the location of "only a small fraction" of recent detainees it had identified. The co-chairs of the United Nations Group of Friends for the Protection of Journalists on Thursday issued a statement voicing "deep concern over the attacks on the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the situation of journalists and media workers in Myanmar and strongly condemn their harassment, arbitrary arrests and detention, as well as of human rights defenders and other members of civil society."..."
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Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-04-03
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar protesters paint anti-coup slogans on Easter eggs
Sub-title: Eggs left on doorsteps and hanging in bags on front gates after death toll from turmoil reaches 557
Description: "Anti-coup demonstrators in Myanmar have inscribed messages on boiled eggs in an Easter-themed protest against the country’s military junta. The country has been gripped by turmoil since a coup in February ousted the civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Security forces have sought to quell a mass uprising using lethal force, with the death toll reaching 557 as of Saturday, according to the local monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). To coincide with Easter Sunday, scores of Myanmar protesters decorated eggs with political messages and left them on neighbour’s doorsteps and hanging in bags on front gates. Pictures posted on social media on Sunday showed eggs adorned with Aung San Suu Kyi’s likeness and three-finger salutes – a symbol of the resistance – while others said “save our people” and “democracy”. “I am Buddhist but I have joined this campaign because it is easy to get hold of eggs. I spent almost one hour decorating my eggs,” said one Yangon-based egg decorator. “I am praying for Myanmar’s current situation to get back to democracy.” A Facebook group promoting the egg protest urged people to be respectful of Christian traditions on Easter Sunday. Myanmar’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal Charles Bo, tweeted an Easter message: “Jesus has risen: Hallelujah – Myanmar will rise again!” Protesters hit the streets of Mandalay early on Sunday, some carrying flags and riding motorbikes. It comes after four protesters were killed on Saturday in the cities of Bago and Monywa. While foreign companies have faced growing calls to sever ties with the junta, the French energy firm Total announced on Sunday it would not halt gas production in Myanmar. Its chief executive, Patrick Pouyanné, said Total had a duty to stay the course. “Can a company like Total decide to cut off the electricity supply to millions of people – and in so doing, disrupt the operation of hospitals, businesses?” he told the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-04
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar security forces open fire on anti-coup protesters
Sub-title: Reports say 550 people dead, including 46 children, and almost 3,000 detained since February coup
Description: "Security forces in central Myanmar opened fire on anti-coup protesters on Saturday in violence that a human rights group said has left 550 civilians dead since the military takeover. Of those, 46 were children, according to Myanmar’s Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Some 2,751 people have been detained or sentenced, the group said. Threats of lethal violence and arrests of protesters have failed to suppress daily demonstrations across Myanmar demanding that the military step down and reinstate the democratically elected government. Government forces fired at demonstrators in Monywa city in central Myanmar, according to social media posts. One video showed a group of protesters carrying away a young man with what appeared to be a serious head wound, as gunfire sounded. His condition was not immediately known. Late on Friday, armed plainclothes police took five people into custody after they spoke to a CNN reporter in a Yangon market, local media reported, citing witnesses. The arrests occurred in three separate incidents. Two women reportedly shouted for help as they were being arrested, Myanmar Now news service reported. One police officer, who was carrying a gun, asked if “anyone dared to help them”, a witness told the news service. “They pointed their pistols at everyone – at passersby and at people in the store,” a witness said of two police officers who forcibly took away two other women in the market. Meanwhile, the Karen National Union representing the ethnic minority rebel group that has been fighting the government for decades condemned “non-stop bombings and airstrikes” against villages and “unarmed civilians” in their homeland along the border with Thailand. “The attacks have caused the death of many people including children and students, and the destruction of schools, residential homes and villages. These terrorist acts are clearly a flagrant violation of local and international laws,” the group said. In areas controlled by the Karen, more than a dozen civilians have been killed and at least 20,000 displaced since 27 March, according to the Free Burma Rangers, a relief agency operating in the region. About 3,000 Karen fled to Thailand, but many returned under unclear circumstances. Thai authorities said they went back voluntarily, but aid groups say they are not safe and many are hiding in the jungle and in caves on the Myanmar side of the border. More than a dozen minority groups have sought greater autonomy from the central government for decades, sometimes through armed struggle. Several of the major groups – including the Kachin, Karen and Rakhine Arakan Army – have denounced the coup and said they will defend protesters in their territories. After weeks of overnight cutoffs of internet access, Myanmar’s military on Friday shut all links apart from those using fibre-optic cable, which was working at drastically reduced speeds. Access to mobile networks and all wireless, the less costly options used by most people in the country, remained blocked on Saturday. The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which for five decades languished under strict military rule that led to international isolation and sanctions. As the generals loosened their grip, culminating in Aung San Suu Kyi’s rise to leadership in 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the country..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-04-03
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: MYANMAR SITUATION UPDATE (FEBRUARY 2021)
Description: "The 2021 Myanmar military coup began on 1 February 2021 when the Myanmar military, Tatmadaw detained numerous government officials, including State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and Union Election Commission (UEC) Chair U Hla Thein, as well as pro-democracy activists and politicians from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) and other parties. Since then, civil resistance efforts in opposition to the coup has been growing across the country, and security forces have been violently cracking down on the anti-coup protests. In order to keep the international community informed about the post-coup development in Myanmar, ANFREL will closely monitor the situation and prepare weekly briefs on Myanmar for public dissemination. You may find our weekly briefs below: Myanmar Situation Update (1 to 14 February 2021) Myanmar Situation Update (15 to 21 February 2021 Myanmar Situation Update (22 to 28 February 2021) Myanmar Situation Update (1 to 7 March 2021)..."
Source/publisher: Asian Network for Free Elections (Bangkok)
Date of publication: 2021-03-01
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 153.15 KB 164.84 KB 164.72 KB 194.13 KB
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Title: Myanmar 'traitors' hounded in online anti-coup campaign
Topic: Myanmar, coup, junta
Topic: Myanmar, coup, junta
Description: "As Myanmar descends into chaos, smartphone warriors in the anti-coup movement are seeking revenge online against the junta, hounding people with family ties to the military as a form of "social punishment". The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February and the death toll from the violence has risen past 500 as the junta struggles to quash dissent. Anger and grief over the crackdown are being channelled into an online campaign, with close to 170 people with relatives in the junta listed on a website as "traitors". The site and a corresponding Facebook page - which had 67,000 followers before it was shut down - detail the personal information of these people, such as workplaces, universities and links to their social media accounts - a practice known as doxxing. "We are here to punish families of the military or the people who are supporting the military. Never forgive, never forget!" the Facebook page said. Facebook closed down the page for violating community standards, but other pages with smaller numbers of followers still exist. "We will continue to closely monitor the situation on the ground in Myanmar," a Facebook spokeswoman said. The consequences of social punishment have resulted in some victims being forced to shut down their online businesses and a Myanmar university student in Japan quitting her studies, according to local media reports. The campaign is broader in scope than those with family ties to the military - people not participating in the civil disobedience strike action are also being targeted and threats have been made to journalists who cover the junta's press conferences..."
Source/publisher: "CNA" ( Singapore)
Date of publication: 2021-04-01
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 477.99 KB
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Title: Protesters and Bystanders: Ethnic Minorities in the Pro-Democracy Revolution
Description: "The day after the coup on February 1, 2021, civil servants across Myanmar launched a national Civil Disobedience Movement, consisting of multi-sector labor strikes targeting the Myanmar state’s apparatuses. By February 4, the first visible anti-coup protest in the country appeared in Mandalay, the second largest city in the country. The first visible protest in Yangon occurred on February 5. By February 11, protests and rallies started appearing in ethnic minority areas and the country’s peripheries in full force. On February 22, millions of Myanmar people joined a nationwide general strike against the coup regime in what is considered to be the largest single-day pro-democracy demonstration in the country’s history. While the protest movements are widespread in many ethnic minority areas, ethnic minority communities disagree over how to respond to the coup. One side prefers to be quiescent and neutral bystanders; the other, particularly younger generations, insists on active resistance. In this essay, I describe and reflect on ethnic minorities’ reactions to the coup, focusing on an emerging class cleavage in Kachin State, where I conducted research between 2017 and 2019. I have also communicated with several Kachin local residents and protesters in an informal capacity in the past weeks. It is important to note that my observations of an emerging class cleavage in Kachin communities is part of a broader trend across Myanmar. While the coup precipitated from a power struggle between the military and the National League for Democracy (NLD), ultimately, I argue that the on-going pro-democracy revolution in Myanmar is a (class) struggle, between ordinary Myanmar people and complacent elites, a struggle which cuts across entrenched ethnic, religious and political divides in the country. To Protest or Not to Protest? In the immediate aftermath of the coup, Myanmar’s ethnic minorities encountered a dilemma— whether or not to participate in the anti-coup protests that were spreading across the country. At the time, young ethnic minorities in Yangon and Mandalay were already participating in and organizing protests. However, in the ethnic minority states, ethnic minority politicians and businessmen and their associates urged caution. They argued that the coup is primarily a Bamar power struggle between the military and the NLD— something in which ethnic minorities do not need to get involved. Many among the younger generations of ethnic minorities perceive the coup as a blatant assault on the country’s transition toward democracy and see the on-going crisis as an opportunity to remake Myanmar politics. They thus strongly disagree with elites’ calls to remain bystanders in this crisis. Social media posts by ethnic minority participants in the demonstrations indicate that many youth see only two abysmal outcomes if they remain quiescent: either (1) the coup-makers win, and Myanmar descends into another period of dictatorship or (2) the coup-makers retreat, and Myanmar goes back to the status quo—a political system that was hardly inclusive of ethnic minorities. So, they not only speak up against the coup but also advocate that the mainstream pro-democracy movement, including the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), recognize the interests of ethnic minorities. They collectively advocate for (1) ending dictatorship, (2) abolishing the 2008 constitution, (3) establishing a federal democracy and (4) unconditional release of those unjustly detained.[1] Their advocacy is broadly shaping the rhetoric of the mainstream pro-democracy movement in Myanmar. By early March, the Bamar public and the CRPH endorsed these demands..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Tea Circle (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-03-22
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 271.14 KB
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Title: “Situation Report of the LGBTIQs after the Military Coup in Myanmar” by Ministry of Human Rights and Ministry of Women, Youths and Children Affairs, National Unity Government of Myanmar
Description: "1. Context: Approaching nearly 5 months of military coup, people of Myanmar face vastuncertainty and regressions in socio-economic sectors, with all forms of their humanrights being violated. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners(AAPP), over (881) have been killed, (6,348) have been detained and (1,965) have beenissued warrants by the military junta since the day of the coup, 1 February 2021.Undeniably, members of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer(LGBTIQ) communities are also a part of that statistics. Since the beginning of the coup, LGBTIQ people have been activelyparticipating in anti-coup protests, demonstrations and civil disobedience movement(CDM). As crackdowns, violence and tortures against pro-democracy activists andcivilians intensified within the past few months, many LGBTIQs across Myanmar facedsevere human rights violations. The drag queens who used to be proudlyphotographed with protest signs took to the streets wearing helmets, goggles andshields. As impressive as it looked, the cheap helmets and shields however offeredno safety at all against live ammunition. The situation has extremely deteriorated for the human rights defenders andactivists who led the community as well as for the wider community. Many of theactivists have gone into hiding and change places to sleep every 3-4 days. Themilitary publishes new arrest lists every day and there is a constant fear of getting onthe list. Reports from LGBTIQ civil society organizations highlight that there are 12cases of LGBTIQ fatalities; with 73 being arrested and/or charged under 505 (a); (65)still being detained and (28) either in hiding or having fled to non-SAC controlledareas.....2. LGBTIQ Deaths, Arrests and Detentions: Gathering LGBTIQ-related data during the coup is a challenge given limitedaccess to the internet and communication with those who are out of reach forsecurity reasons or who do not want to disclose their identities. However, reliablesources indicate that gay people and transgender women are predominantly at thetop of the chart of most cases of human rights abuses and violations committedagainst the LGBTIQ.From 1 February to 20 June, (12) LGBTIQ community members from Myitkyina,Myingyan, Monywa, Mawlamyine, Yangon, Kyaukpadaung, and Mandalay were shotdead while participating in non-violent and peaceful protests and defendingprotesters from military violence. (3) gay men and (1) transgender woman fromMyingyan and Bago were seriously injured by riot police/armed forces. LGBTIQ groups throughout Myanmar actively participated under rainbow flagsas front-liners at every stage of the revolution. The visibility of the community leadsto highlighting the diversity and inclusivity of the people against the coup. Nodiscriminations against the LGBTIQ community was observed but respect and unity.Hence, LGBTIQ activists were equally targeted and a lot of them are blacklisted andcharged under section 5051 (a) and (c). Majority of blacklisted individuals are in hidingand some got arrested. (73) arrests of LGBTQ individuals have been reported since 1February. Majority of them were from Yangon and Mandalay regions. Because of thevisible identity of transgender people who got arrested, they experienced differentforms of sexual harassment during arrest, in police custody and in detention placesby armed forces..."
Source/publisher: Ministry of Human Rights and Ministry of Women, Youths and Children Affairs, National Unity Government of Myanmar
Date of publication: 2021-06-30
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 493.56 KB
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