Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies)

OBL does not document all details of the ceasefires and peace negotiations as these are covered by several of the websites/multiple documents below.
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Individual Documents

Title: Myanmar: Humanitarian Response Plan 2019
Description: "Humanitarian needs in Myanmar are characterized by a complex combination of vulnerability to natural disasters, food insecurity, armed conflict, inter-communal tensions, statelessness, institutionalized discrimination, protracted displacement, human trafficking and risky migration. In Rakhine, the situation remains tense following the armed attacks and the military operations and violence in 2017 that led to the exodus of over 700 000 people to Bangladesh. In Kachin and Shan states, the escalation of armed conflict caused new and secondary displacements..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Date of publication: 2019-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.64 MB
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Title: UNICEF Myanmar Humanitarian Situation Report #2 - 15 March 2019
Description: "February proved to be a turbulent month in northern Shan and Rakhine States with both locations tracking additional displacements. In Rakhine, fighting between the Arakan Army and Tatmadaw continued with fighting in five of the 17 townships. Fighting also continued in northern Shan state between armed ethnic organizations leading to the displacement in February of 3,700 people bringing the total displacement in the first two months of the year to approximately 7,500 people. In contrast, Kachin State has not experienced armed conflict since September 2018 resulting in the lowest level of fighting since 2016. In Kachin, the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Myanmar Military (Tatmadaw) in December 2018 continues to hold. It is unclear if, when the ceasefire ends in April, fighting will restart. The Tatmadaw and Kachin State Government are encouraging people to leave IDP camps and return home or to other resettlement sites. Though similar encouragement has been given in the past, the lack of information among IDPs has created an environment of fear and anxiety in many locations. Though IDPs continue to state their desire to return to their place of origin, safety and security issues remain among the principal concerns. In northern Shan, of the 7,500 people displaced, most have been able to return home. However more than 1,100 remain in camps or camp-like settings—due principally to fighting in Hsipaw and Kyaukme townships—most newly displaced are sheltering in monasteries and are receiving assistance from the local community, private donors and civil society organizations. Assistance has also been provided by some international organizations as well as the Government of Myanmar. IDPs noted the need for additional sanitation, bathing and washing facilities, sleeping mats and interagency partners expressed concern about the length of displacement given the volatility in these areas. Fighting and displacement continued in late February causing injuries to civilians and children. In Rakhine State, fighting between the Arakan Army and the Tatmadaw continued with the use of explosive devices and shelling. In late February the fighting expanded into a sixth township, Mrauk-U, resulting in the temporary displacement of families, including women and children. Access in all six townships—Mrauk U, Kyawktaw, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Maungdaw and Buthidaung—remains limited to mainly urban areas for UNICEF and our partners. The clashes occurred on a near daily basis throughout February displacing over 6,000 people, primarily ethnic Rakhine, to villages, monasteries or camp-like settings. Interagency partners continue to face access restrictions in these areas and are tracking the impact of movement restrictions on both humanitarian and development programming. In addition to fighting within Rakhine State, the Arakan Army and Tatmadaw are fighting in Paletwa Township of southern Chin State. Fighting has thus far caused the displacement of approximately 500 people including ethnic Chin, Khami, Mor, and Rakhine..."
Source/publisher: reliefweb via UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)
Date of publication: 2019-03-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.06 MB
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Title: UNICEF Myanmar Humanitarian Situation Report #3 - 23 April 2019
Description: "In Rakhine State, fighting between the Myanmar Military or Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army (AA) continues and has spread to include Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya and Ponnagyun. To a lesser extent, fighting has also impacted communities in neighbouring Paletwa township of Chin state. The majority of fighting has occurred in more rural or mountainous areas, however recent fighting has spread to Minbya and Mrauk-U. Reports indicate the use of air strikes, increased use of landmines and other improvised explosive devises. During the month of February, the number of displaced persons increased by over 10,000 with reported displacement of nearly 17,000. (Note: though this Sit Rep covers the month of March, as of April 23 figures had increased to nearly 32,000. End Note). The Government of Myanmar, local communities, the Red Cross Movement, and the World Food Programme are responding to food and non-food emergency needs. UNICEF and other actors are working with the Government to access populations in need, especially as the IDP figures grow. In central Rakhine, OCHA is leading a process of contingency planning while in northern Rakhine UNICEF is working with UNHCR, UNFPA, and national and international actors to determine additional needs and response priorities. The current pattern of displacement indicates that primarily women and children are moving to monasteries or other ad-hoc settlements while men stay to protect households and assets. Additionally, some IDPs are quickly returning to their homes if the fighting subsides. As fighting continues unabated, concern is growing over the safety of families residing in paddy fields or overcrowded sites with inadequate services. The upcoming monsoon rains could create potentially hazardous conditions without addition support and appropriate planning. In locations not impacted by the current fighting, several agencies have resumed activities where possible. In a “note to correspondents” released on 19 March, the Acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator expressed his concern about the fighting and reported civilian casualties and displacement. He urged all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and uphold responsibilities under international humanitarian and human rights law, as well as allowing access to populations in need. In the central Rakhine IDP camps created in 2012, hosting primarily Rohingya IDPs, the situation remains unchanged. Over 128,000 people remain in overcrowded and under-resourced camps. As the end of the dry season approaches, agencies are preparing to address potential water shortages in Pauktaw IDP camps. In Chin State, more than 500 people remain displaced due to recent fighting. UNICEF field office staff report that an additional 2,000 people are constrained by fighting and insecurity. UNICEF is working with Sittwe-based NGO partners as well as Government of Myanmar officials in Paletwa and the state capitol Hakha to coordinate evaluation of needs, planning, and response activities. In Kachin State, a period of calm holds as the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Tatamadaw remains in place. However, humanitarian access, particularly to areas not under government control remains blocked by the Government of Myanmar resulting in a constrained response. National NGO humanitarian agencies continue to provide services in these areas. In review of the travel authorization requests by the humanitarian community, over half have not been approved by the Government. In Kachin and Shan, this results in effective access to less than 45 percent of the people in need. In Shan State, fighting between ethnic armed organizations or EAOs resulted in an increasing number of IDPs, including in south Shan State. Over 10,000 people have been displaced from six townships; the majority of these have now returned home. Fighting in early March displaced over 600 people in southern Shan State to two locations where they are receiving support from the Government, NGOs and private organizations. In northern Shan State, the displacement, or re-displacement of hundreds of people—many of whom have fled multiple times. Local groups who are generally the first to provide assistance are reporting a strain in response capacity as their resources are stretched by numerous repeated displacements in a short period of time. Though many IDPs have already returned to their homes, for those that remain displaced, they are generally sheltering in religious sites. Interagency assessments note that NFIs and WASH are the most needed support. In Shan, during the month of March, the Mine Risk Working Group noted three deaths and nine injuries due to conflict, landmines and UXO out of a total of five deaths and 22 injuries in Kachin, Shan and Rakhine..."
Source/publisher: reliefweb via UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)
Date of publication: 2019-04-23
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.26 MB
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Title: UNICEF Myanmar Humanitarian Situation Report #4 - April 2019
Description: "During the month of April, the unilateral ceasefire called by the Myanmar Military in December for four months and then extended through June generally continued to hold in all areas of the country except Rakhine. In Kachin, this ceasefire has led to a relatively longer period of calm than has been experienced in several years. While this is a positive step forward, UNICEF and other humanitarian actors continue to have difficulty accessing different population groups—for assessment or response activities; this is particularly true in areas not under government control. In Shan State, though military action taken by Myanmar armed forces has halted, fighting and conflict among different armed ethnic groups continues to cause small-scale displacement for communities. Many of these communities have been displaced multiple times. While local communities are among the first to respond and support displaced populations, they have noted to humanitarian colleagues that their ability to provide assistance is becoming strained as resources are stretched due to the increasing frequency of displacement. In Rakhine State, fighting between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army (AA) continued in April causing a near doubling of displaced people. Impacted townships include Mrauk-U, Minbya, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Rathedaung and Buthidaung and impacts mostly ethnic Rakhine populations, though Rohingya and other minority groups have also been affected. In Chin State, the number of IDPs in Paletwa township also doubled in April. Sixteen international non-governmental organizations released a statement on 1 April urging all parties to the conflict to ensure protection of civilian and be provided with unfettered and sustained access to all affected populations. The statement further identifies that at least 95,000 people living in the affected areas are unable to access basic and essential services which could jeopardize their health, food security and wellbeing. The Government of Myanmar, local communities, the Red Cross Movement, and the World Food Programme (WFP) continue to be the providers of first response but are calling for an increase in the number of nationals and international organizations to be allowed to access populations in need. With the onset of the rainy season, agencies are particularly concerned about the potential for disease outbreaks and contamination due to overcrowded, poor shelters in some locations, and a lack of required services. Support to over 128,000 Rohingya IDPs in camps in central Rakhine continues..."
Source/publisher: reliefweb via UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)
Date of publication: 2019-05-20
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1003.43 KB
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Title: Rakhine And Rohingya Civilians Continue To Suffer Most From Rakhine Conflict
Description: "Burma Human Rights Network remains extremely alarmed by the number of civilian casualties and injuries suffered by members of various ethnic groups in the areas of conflict between the Burmese Army and the ethnic armed group, the Arakan Army. Civilians have been killed or maimed by guns, landmines, and artillery shells with near silence from the international community. Among those casualties are Rakhine, Rohingya and Chin civilians. As of now, nearly 40, 000 civilians in Rakhine have been displaced due to this conflict. “The fighting between the Burmese Army and the Arakan Army has significantly harmed the communities of all ethnic groups living in the region. As minorities their lives are too often treated as less valuable to the military. It is imperative that Rohingya and Rakhine can achieve some unity now to amplify their voices to call for peace and that the international community acts to help them do so,” said BHRN Executive Director Kyaw Win. Between March of 2019 and today, BHRN believes that at least 35 civilians have died in the conflict based on confirmed ground sources and news reporting, though this number is a conservative estimate. Among the dead were five children and at least two elderly individuals. All of these deaths were the result of direct violence such as gunshots, artillery shelling, landmines, or aerial bombardments and do not include deaths which may have occurred due to sickness or starvation resulting from displacement. It is worth noting that the Burmese Military has not utilized the same scorched earth policy against civilians they deployed against the Rohingya in response to Rohingya militant attacks in 2016 and 201 but the disregard for civilian life while using heavy artillery, aerial bombardments, and landmines remains excessive and deadly. On top of deaths and injuries, Rohingya continue to frequently find themselves unable to seek medical help due to travel restrictions imposed on them by the Government and NGO access during the conflict is extremely limited. At the same time, reports are now emerging that Chin civilians are being forced to serve as porters in the conflict by the Burmese army, a serious human rights violation. In this conflict the Burmese Military continues to show disregard for International Law and guiding principles and norms. In particular, the Military has clearly violated the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 3 which guarantees the right of life liberty and security of person, Article 4 which prohibits slavery or servitude, Article 5 which prohibits the use of torture, Article 9 which prohibits arbitrary detention, and Article 13 which assures freedom of movement. The Burmese military have also disregarded the Principle of Proportionality which states, “Before launching an attack there is an obligation to assess whether or not the impact on the civilian population is excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.” Finally, the Military is operating in defiance of the ASEAN Charter Article 2 2(I) and 2(J) which call for the protection of human rights and upholding of International Humanitarian Law. The Burmese Government must be reminded that these cases should be referred to the International Criminal Court and that the civilian government also bears responsibility for the military operations taking place in Rakhine State. While the National League for Democracy has often escaped blame for Military operations, their continued enabling, excusing, and minimising of the violence of the military has made them culpable as well. These instances should be pertinent to the UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and when conducting further military actions Burma should be aware that any crimes are being monitored and documented. BHRN calls upon the international community to increase pressure on the Burmese Military to cease the conflict in Rakhine State and immediately end arbitrary attacks on civilians and the use of heavy weapons in civilian areas. The international community must impose targeted sanctions on the Military’s economic interests, including businesses connected to senior military and known cronies. An arms embargo against the Burmese Military is also necessary and requires the participation of all ethical governments. Simultaneously, the Arakan Army must stop the use of landmines and IEDs in or near civilian areas. Unimpeded access for NGOs must be granted and all residents in Rakhine State must be allowed freedom of movement, especially in order to obtain medical treatment..."
Creator/author: Kyaw Win
Source/publisher: Progressive Voice via "Burma Human Rights Network"
Date of publication: 2019-05-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar military committing war crimes in Rakhine: Amnesty
Description: "The same units of the Myanmar military that in 2017 were implicated in a brutal crackdown that drove hundreds of thousands of mainly Muslim Rohingya from the country are again committing war crimes as they step up their campaign against ethnic Rakhine rebels, Amnesty International has said. The conflict in western Myanmar's Rakhine state escalated in January after 13 police officers were killed in a co-ordinated attack by the Arakan Army, prompting the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi to order the armed forces to "crush" the group, which recruits from the largely-Buddhist ethnic Rakhine community. In a new report on Wednesday, Amnesty said its investigations showed war crimes and human rights violations were being committed by soldiers from the Rakhine-based Western Command, which was also implicated in atrocities against the Rohingya in August 2017. Victims also identified soldiers from the Myanmar Army's 22nd and 55th Light Infantry Divisions, units that usually operate in other parts of the country. Rebels clash with Myanmar forces, thousands displaced (2:30) "Less than two years since the world outrage over the mass atrocities committed against the Rohingya population, the Myanmar military is again committing horrific abuses against ethnic groups in Rakhine state," Nicholas Bequelin, regional director for East and Southeast Asia at Amnesty International, said in a statement. "The new operations in Rakhine state show an unrepentant, unreformed and unaccountable military terrorising civilians and committing widespread violations as a deliberate tactic." More than 730,000 Rohingya, a minority ethnic group denied citizenship by Myanmar, were driven into Bangladesh in the bloody crackdown in 2017. A United Nations fact-finding mission has called for the prosecution of top Myanmar generals for crimes against humanity and genocide over the violence..."
Creator/author: Kate Mayberry
Source/publisher: Al Jazeera
Date of publication: 2019-05-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar: Military commits war crimes in latest operation in Rakhine State
Description: "The report examines the period of intense military operations that followed coordinated attacks on police posts by the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic Rakhine armed group, on 4 January 2019. The new operation followed a government instruction to ‘crush’ the AA. “Less than two years since the world outrage over the mass atrocities committed against the Rohingya population, the Myanmar military is again committing horrific abuses against ethnic groups in Rakhine State” said Nicholas Bequelin, Regional Director for East and Southeast Asia at Amnesty International. “The new operations in Rakhine State show an unrepentant, unreformed and unaccountable military terrorizing civilians and committing widespread violations as a deliberate tactic.” Amnesty International conducted 81 interviews, including 54 interviews on the ground in Rakhine State in late March 2019 and 27 remote interviews with people living in conflict-affected areas. They included ethnic Rakhine, Mro, Rohingya and Khami villagers, belonging to the Buddhist, Christian and Muslim faiths. The organization also reviewed photographs, videos and satellite imagery, and interviewed humanitarian officials, human rights activists and other experts. While ethnic Rakhine communities have long fostered political grievances against Myanmar’s central government, the AA is led by a younger generation of ethnic Rakhine nationalists. Today the AA is estimated to have a fighting force of up to 7,000 troops. Established in 2009, it has fought alongside other ethnic armed organizations in northern Myanmar and in recent years has clashed sporadically with the military in Rakhine and neighbouring Chin State. Fighting intensified in late 2018..."
Source/publisher: Amnesty International
Date of publication: 2019-05-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: MYANMAR: "NO ONE CAN PROTECT US": WAR CRIMES AND ABUSES IN MYANMAR'S RAKHINE STATE
Description: "On 4 January 2019 the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic Rakhine armed group, launched coordinated attacks on four police posts in northern Rakhine State, killing 13 police officers and injuring nine others. The attacks – which came after months of low-level yet steadily increasing clashes between the group and the Myanmar military – triggered a major escalation in the conflict. Since then, Rakhine State – the site of the military’s horrific attacks on the Rohingya population in October and November 2016, and again from August 2017 – has plunged further into crisis. Days after the AA attacks, a government spokesperson announced that the military, officially known as the Tatmadaw, had been instructed to “crush” the AA. The military deployed additional combat division troops to the region, and the authorities suspended humanitarian access for most UN agencies and international humanitarian organizations. In the months that have followed, the fighting has intensified with regular clashes between the two parties. As is so often the case in Myanmar, civilians have paid the heaviest cost. This briefing documents violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses in Rakhine State since 4 January 2019, the overwhelming majority of which have been committed by the Myanmar military. It is based on research undertaken between January and May 2019, including 81 interviews with people directly affected by the conflict, 54 of which were done in-person in Rakhine State in March 2019 and another 27 by telephone. In addition, Amnesty International interviewed local and international humanitarian officials; local human rights activists; and journalists covering the conflict. The organization also reviewed photographs and videos related to human rights violations and analysed satellite imagery of the affected areas. Amnesty International’s research found that the military has fired indiscriminately in civilian areas, killing and injuring civilians and damaging homes and other property. Compounding the situation, soldiers have at times obstructed access to medical treatment for civilians injured by such attacks. In late January, a seven-yearold ethnic Rakhine boy died after a mortar exploded in Tha Mee Hla village, Rathedaung Township, during fighting between the AA and Myanmar military. Although he was severely injured, it took several hours before soldiers gave his family permission to take him to a hospital; he died the following day. In another incident in early April, a helicopter opened fire on Rohingya workers cutting bamboo in the forest close to the Sai Din waterfall in Buthidaung Township, killing at least six civilians and injuring at least 13 more. An ethnic Rohingya man who was severely injured during the attacks told Amnesty International, “The helicopter came from behind the mountain. Within minutes it fired rockets… I was running for my life thinking about my family and how I would survive..." .....“၂၀၁၉ ခုနှစ်၊ ဇန်နဝါရီလ ၄ ရက်နေ့တွင် ရက္ခိုင့်တပ်မတော် (အေအေ) က ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ်မြောက်ပိုင်းရှိ ရဲစခန်းလေးခုကို တစ်ပြိုင်တည်း တိုက်ခိုက်ခဲ့သဖြင့် ရဲတပ်ဖွဲ့ဝင် ၁၃ ဦးသေဆုံးပြီး ကိုးဦးဒဏ်ရာရခဲ့သည်။ ပြီးခဲ့သည့်လပေါင်းများစွာကတည်းက အေအေအဖွဲ့နှင့် မြန်မာ့တပ်မတော်တို့အကြား တိုက်ပွဲလေးများ တစတစတိုးမြှင့်ဖြစ်ပွါးနေခဲ့ရာမှ ယခုတိုက်ခိုက်မှုကြောင့် တိုက်ပွဲ၏အရှိန်အဟုန် ကြီးမားစွာ ဖြစ်ပေါ်လာခဲ့သည်။ ယင်းအချိန်မှစ၍ ၂၀၁၆ အောက်တိုဘာလနှင့် တစ်ဖန် ၂၀၁၇ သြဂုတ်လမှစတင်ပြီး ရိုဟင်ဂျာများအပေါ်စစ်တပ်က ရက်စက်စွာတိုက်ခိုက်ခဲ့သော ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ်တွင် ကြီးမားသော ပဌိပက္ခကြီးတစ်ရပ်ဖြစ်ပေါ်လာခဲ့သည်။ အေအေ၏တိုက်ခိုက်မှု ပေါ်ပေါက်ခဲ့ပြီး ရက်ပိုင်းအတွင်းမှာပင်…”
Source/publisher: Amnesty International (ASA 16/0417/2019)
Date of publication: 2019-05-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : PDF PDF pdf pdf
Size: 1.78 MB 342.47 KB 1.35 MB 334.29 KB
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Title: A hill station, a princess and a peace dividend
Description: "IT'S a scenic drive of about 30 miles (48 kilometres) up through the hills from Taungoo to Thandaung Gyi, a former British hill station in Kayin State just over the border with Bago Region that is enjoying a revival as a tourist destination. The outskirts of Taungoo give way to palm and banana trees, betel nut plantations and paddy fields. The road is reduced to one-way traffic as it climbs through tea and coffee growing country to the little town. The British established Thandaung Gyi as a hill station in the 1850s. It is about 4,000 feet (1,220 metres) above sea level and its cool, clean air and attractive setting offering panoramic views has helped it to benefit, via a grassroots tourism initiative, from a “peace dividend” following the signing of a ceasefire between the Karen National Union and the government in January 2012, which suspended more than 60 years of hostilities. After the ceasefire, PeaceNexus, an NGO, with help from Germany’s Hanns Seidel Foundation, consulted the government, KNU and community members about a livelihoods-based initiative that could best support the peace process. The outcome was the creation by residents of the Thandaung Gyi Tourism Development Working Group, which has supported the establishment of about a dozen guesthouses offering bed and breakfast accommodation. Thandaung Gyi is the only community in Myanmar where residents have been permitted to provide bed and breakfast accommodation. We stayed at the I-Wish guesthouse, which was built in 1912 and has been run by the same Karen family for three generations. There are two large rooms at the front of the original building and simpler rooms in a new block at the back, all of which have hot showers. The service is friendly, the breakfast hearty and guests can enjoy outstanding views across a valley to the nearby Bayintnaung military training base. One of the biggest in Myanmar, it looks weirdly picturesque in the distance. I had travelled to Thandaung Gyi with my family to escape the first days of Thingyan in Yangon, before returning to the commercial capital for the finale. The other reason for the trip was to attend an event celebrating the life and death of a Karen princess and the sacred mountain connected to her violent demise. The annual celebrations were launched 24 years ago. During the long years of fighting between the KNU and the government, Thandaung Gyi was a secure Tatmadaw garrison town. There was much fear in the community then but after the ceasefire in 2012 a more relaxed atmosphere prevailed because of the improvement, if only superficial, in relations between the KNU, Tatmadaw and Thandaung Gyi Township administration..."
Creator/author: Ashley South
Source/publisher: Frontier Myanmar
Date of publication: 2019-06-03
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Rights group accuses Tatmadaw of war crimes in Rakhine State
Description: "Amnesty International has accused the Tatmadaw of committing war crimes in its operation against the Arakan Army in Rakhine State and has called on United Nations Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court. The global rights watchdog issues the call in “No one can protect us”: War crimes and abuses in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, a 46-page report issued on May 29. Amnesty says that intensified fighting between the Tatmadaw and the ethnic Rakhine Arakan Army since January has been accompanied by indiscriminate attacks, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests, torture and other ill-treatment, and enforced disappearances. “Less than two years since the world outrage over the mass atrocities committed against the Rohingya population, the Myanmar military is again committing horrific abuses against ethnic groups in Rakhine State,” Amnesty’s regional director for East and Southeast Asia, Mr Nicholas Bequelin, said in a statement ahead of the report’s release. “The new operations in Rakhine State show an unrepentant, unreformed and unaccountable military terrorizing civilians and committing widespread violations as a deliberate tactic,” he said. Frontier was unable to reach Tatmadaw spokespeople for comment on Wednesday. The report, which notes that the fighting intensified after a government order to “crush” the AA following its deadly attacks on security posts on January 4, Union Day, also calls on the UN Security Council to impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Myanmar. “With Myanmar’s military committing atrocities as brazenly as ever, it’s clear international pressure needs to intensify,” Bequelin said. “Again and again, the international community has failed to stop the Myanmar military’s crimes and protect the civilian population. The Security Council was established to respond to exactly these kinds of situations, it’s time it took its responsibility seriously,” he said. Many of the violations documented in the report were committed by troops from the Tatmadaw’s 22nd and 55th Light Infantry Divisions, identified by their distinctive shoulder patches. “The decision to deploy these units, which are usually based in other parts of Myanmar, could only have come from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, suggesting that the current operation against the AA is being overseen at the highest levels of the Myanmar military,” the report said. It alleged that other violations were committed by soldiers from units under the Western Command, the regional military command based in Rakhine State “which has been implicated in atrocities against the Rohingya population”. “The fact that violations – including war crimes – have been committed not only by units long based in Rakhine State and associated with previous atrocities, but also by newly-deployed units, highlights the institutionalised and systemic nature of military abuse in Myanmar,” the report said. “Even after the significant international attention of recent years, the Myanmar military has shown no sign of reform. On the contrary, and as this report shows, it appears intent on repeating a decades-old pattern of discrimination and violence,” Amnesty said. Amnesty said it conducted 81 interviews for the report, including 54 on the ground in Rakhine, and spoke to Rakhine, Mro, Rohingya and Khami villagers, belonging to the Buddhist, Christian and Muslim faiths..."
Source/publisher: Frontier Myanmar
Date of publication: 2019-05-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Notes from the Salween Peace Park
Description: "The inaugural Salween Peace Park General Assembly was unlike any gathering that has occurred in Mutraw District, Karen State. From 3 to 5 April 2019, about 100 participants congregated in Day Bu Noh village for the event, including representatives of the district-level Karen National Union (KNU), leaders of Karen civil society organisations active in Mutraw, and two elected representatives from each of the 26 village tracts designated as part of the Peace Park area. I have heard the General Assembly described as a “congress” or a “parliament”. In some ways it is: the assembly is a forum for discussion, dialogue, and negotiation among leaders that act in the interests of the area’s 38,000 inhabitants. Yet instead of statesmen, the General Assembly puts experienced leaders from the KNU and civil society into dialogue with community members who are being recognised as active participants in district-wide negotiations about peace, self-determination, and natural resource management for the first time. By creating a space for leaders and community members to converse on equal footing, the Salween Peace Park tests a new approach to peace in the heart of war-torn Kawthoolei—the “Karen homeland” claimed by the KNU. I visited the Peace Park to witness the General Assembly as part of my PhD research on civil society, development, and governance in Karen areas. There are many aspects of the Peace Park that I do not feel equipped to write about—the indigenous ontology that guides its formation, for example, or its approach to natural resource governance, land issues, and wildlife conservation—even as these aspects are no less integral to the overall vision. Instead, I strive to map the Peace Park’s novel approach to governance and peacebuilding, a testament to my interest in how people relate to each another, and the profound changes that occur as a result..."
Creator/author: SHONA LOONG
Source/publisher: New Mandala
Date of publication: 2019-05-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: An Opening for Internally Displaced Person Returns in Northern Myanmar
Description: "For the past seven years, around 100,000 people uprooted by conflict, primarily between Myanmar’s military and the Kachin Independence Organisation, have lived in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kachin state and the northern part of Shan state. Several recent developments have created a potential opening for a limited number of these IDPs to return to their homes or be resettled in new locations. In June 2018, the Myanmar government announced plans to close IDP camps across the country, and in December 2018 the Myanmar military proclaimed a unilateral ceasefire through 30 April 2019 covering Kachin and northern Shan. The latter declaration included a pledge to help people displaced by war return to where they had come from. The ceasefire has since been extended for a further two months, to 30 June 2019. The military’s ceasefire declaration has created a significant opening to accelerate IDP returns and resettlement, even though it has not yet translated into a bilateral ceasefire with the Kachin Independence Organisation. The prospect of the military’s assistance with demining and its willingness to pursue negotiations on troop withdrawals, both of which are in many cases necessary for the safe and voluntary return or resettlement of IDPs, create new potential for progress. Moreover, in parallel, support is also building among ethnic Kachin leaders for returning the IDPs to their former homes or resettling them elsewhere. Even prior to the ceasefire announcement, ethnic Kachin leaders were preparing for IDP returns and resettlement to begin. Though they are not yet of one mind about when the time is right to start accelerating these efforts, in recent months they have displayed a clear willingness to work with civilian and military authorities on the issue. Some have publicly estimated that between 6,000 and 10,000 IDPs might be able to return to their places of origin or resettle in the near term..."
Source/publisher: International Crisis Group (ICG)
Date of publication: 2019-05-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: MNHRC MUST TAKE STAND ON EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS OF RAKHINE VILLAGERS - ရခိုင်ရွာသားများ ဥပဒေမဲ့သတ်ဖြတ်ခံရခြင်းနှင့်ပတ်သက်၍ MNHRC မှ မှန်ကန်သည့် ရပ်တည်ချက်ပြရန်လို
Description: "We, the 24 organizations of the CSO Working Group on MNHRC Reform, call on the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) to act independently of the Myanmar military, and take firm, decisive action in regards to gross human rights violations committed in ethnic, conflict-affected areas. We are particularly disappointed that the MNHRC has unquestioningly accepted the Myanmar military’s version of events after six ethnic Rakhine villagers were shot dead while in custody of the military, despite on the ground reports that their killings were unlawful. On 30 April, 2019, the Myanmar military detained all male villagers between the ages of 15 and 50 from Kyauk Tan Village, Rathaedaung Township, Rakhine State on suspicion of having ties with the ethnic armed organization, the Arakan Army (AA). On 2 May, six of the detainees were shot dead and at least eight were injured. The Myanmar military has sought to absolve itself of any liability, claiming that the actions of their soldiers were in self-defense. Yet according to eyewitnesses, the soldiers fired indiscriminately into the crowd after one of the detainees started yelling and trying to run away. This is just the latest in a series of allegations that the Myanmar military is committing gross human rights violations throughout northern Rakhine State as it seeks to flush out the AA. Just last month, another three villagers from Latka Village, Mrauk Oo Township died in custody, after 27 people had been detained on suspicion of being part of the AA. The military claimed the causes of death were suicide, heart attack, and withdrawal from drug addiction, but the rushed cremation and the fact the families were not notified of their death points to extrajudicial killing. In this context it is vital that the MNHRC fulfils its mandate as a national human rights institution to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the deaths of these civilians. Yet in its statement, dated, 3 May, 2019, it simply echoes the military’s version of events, stating that “during detention, about 2am, May 2, 2019, some detainees started shouting and attempting to attack the security force. Therefore, the security forces fired to defend themselves and to separate the mob which caused 6 deaths, 8 injuries and 4 missing.” There was no attempt by the MNHRC to verify the claims of the Myanmar military, which contradict what eyewitnesses and other detainees have said what has happened. A similar statement was made by the MNHRC to Parliament in May 2018, when two Kachin men who, according to witnesses, were arrested while tending to buffalo in January 2018, were later found buried after being executed by the Myanmar military. A Kachin Independence Army (KIA) uniform had been put on one of the men. Despite medical reports that said they could have been tortured, the MNHRC stated that they were KIA soldiers, and had been killed in battle, contradicting all reports and testimony from the people on the ground that they were merely civilians and the Myanmar military had taken them away while they were in the fields. In times of armed conflict, where unspeakable human rights abuses are being committed against civilians, Myanmar needs a strong, effective and independent national human rights institution. In the cases outlined above, the MNHRC has been the opposite, unquestioningly siding with the Myanmar military’s version of events, despite the decades of misinformation and propaganda that the military has disseminated to try and hide its abuses. At best, the MNHRC is whitewashing the military’s crimes, and at worst, is complicit in them. We therefore urge the MNHRC to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the killings of Kyauk Tan Village. It must accompany such an investigation and any subsequent recommendations with public pressure to ensure that relevant parties, especially the Myanmar military, are held accountable. It is time for the MNHRC to show whether it is on the side of human rights, or the Myanmar military..." "မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ အမျိုးသားလူ့အခွင့်အရေးကော်မရှင် (Myanmar National Human Rights Commission – MNHRC) အနေဖြင့် လက်နက်ကိုင်ပဋိပက္ခဖြစ်ပွားရာ တိုင်းရင်းသားနယ်မြေများတွင် အစိုးရစစ်တပ် ကျူးလွန်သည့် ရက်စက် ကြမ်းကြုတ်သော လူ့အခွင့်အရေးချိုးဖောက်မှုများနှင့်ပတ်သက်၍ လွတ်လပ် အမှီခိုကင်းပြီး မှန်ကန် ခိုင်မာပြတ်သားသည့် အရေးယူဆောင်ရွက်မှုများကို လုပ်ဆောင်ရန် မိမိတို့ အဖွဲ့အစည်းပေါင်း ၂၄ ဖွဲ့ ပါဝင်သည့် အမျိုးသားလူ့အခွင့်အရေးကော်မရှင် ပြုပြင်ပြောင်းလဲရေးဆိုင်ရာ အရပ်ဘက်အဖွဲ့အစည်းများ လုပ်ငန်းအဖွဲ့ (CSO Working Group on MNHRC Reform) မှ တောင်းဆိုလိုက်ပါသည်။ စစ်တပ်မှ ဖမ်းဆီးထိန်းသိမ်းထားစဉ်အတွင်း ရခိုင်တိုင်းရင်းသားများ ဖြစ်ကြသည့် ရွာသားခြောက်ဦး ပစ်သတ်ခံခဲ့ရပြီး သက်သေသတင်းများအရ ယင်းသတ်ဖြတ်မှုများသည် ဥပဒေနှင့် မညီကြောင်း ထုတ်ဖော်ပြောဆိုကြသော်လည်း စစ်တပ်၏ အကြောင်းပြချက်ကို MNHRC က ကျိုးနွံစွာ လက်ခံလိုက်ခြင်းနှင့် ပတ်သက်၍ မိမိတို့မှ အထူးပင် စိတ်ပျက်မိပါသည်။ ၂၀၁၉ ခုနှစ် ဧပြီလ ၃၀ ရက်နေ့တွင် စစ်တပ်က ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ် ရသေ့တောင်မြို့နယ် ကျောက်တန်းရွာရှိ အသက် ၁၅ နှစ်နှင့် ၅၀ နှစ်ကြား အမျိုးသားအားလုံးကို ရက္ခိုင့်တပ်တော် (Arakan Army – AA) နှင့် ဆက်သွယ်သည်ဟူသော သံသယဖြင့် ဖမ်းဆီးထိန်းသိမ်းခဲ့ပါသည်။ မေလ ၂ ရက်နေ့တွင် ထိန်းသိမ်းခံရသူများထဲမှ ခြောက်ဦး ပစ်သတ်ခံရပြီး အနည်းဆုံး ရှစ်ဦး ဒဏ်ရာရရှိခဲ့သည်။ ထိုသို့ဖြစ်ရခြင်းသည် စစ်သားများက မိမိကိုယ်ကို ကာကွယ်သည့်အနေဖြင့် လုပ်ဆောင်ခြင်း ဖြစ်သည်ဟု စစ်တပ်ကပြောဆိုခဲ့ပြီး ၎င်းတို့တွင် အပြစ်မရှိကြောင်း ဖြေရှင်းချက်ပေးရန် ကြိုးစားခဲ့ပါသည်။ သို့သော်လည်း မျက်မြင် သက်သေများ၏ ထွက်ဆိုချက်များအရ ထိန်းသိမ်းခံထားရသူတစ်ဦး အော်ဟစ်ပြီး ထွက်ပြေးရန် ကြိုးစားချိန်တွင် စစ်သားများက လူအုပ်အတွင်းသို့ အရမ်းကာရောပစ်ခတ်ခဲ့ခြင်း ဖြစ်သည်ဟုဆိုပါသည်။ ဤသည်မှာ AA ကို အပြတ်ရှင်းရန်အတွက် ကြိုးစားရာတွင် ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ်မြောက်ပိုင်း၌ စစ်တပ်က ကျူးလွန်ခဲ့သည့် ရက်စက် ကြမ်းကြုတ်သော လူ့အခွင့်အရေး ချိုးဖောက်မှုဖြစ်စဉ်များထဲမှ နောက်ဆုံးရ သတင်းတစ်ခုဖြစ်ပါသည်။ ထို့အတူ ယခင်လက မြောက်ဦးမြို့နယ်ရှိ လက္ကာရွာမှ အရပ်သား ၂၇ ဦးကို AA အဖွဲ့ဝင်များ ဖြစ်သည်ဟူသော မသင်္ကာမှုဖြင့် ထိန်းသိမ်းခဲ့ရာ ရွာသား သုံးဦးမှာ ထိန်းသိမ်းခံရစဉ်အတွင်း သေဆုံးသွားခဲ့ပါသည်။ သေဆုံးရခြင်းအကြောင်းရင်းမှာ မိမိကိုယ်ကို သတ်သေခြင်း၊ နှလုံးရောဂါနှင့် မူးယစ်ဆေးပြတ်မှု တို့ကြောင့်ဖြစ်သည်ဟု စစ်တပ်ကပြောခဲ့သော်လည်း ချက်ချင်း မီးသြင်္ဂိုလ်လိုက်ခြင်းနှင့် ၎င်းတို့သေဆုံးခြင်းကို မိသားစုဝင်များအား အကြောင်းမကြားခြင်းတို့က ယင်းသေဆုံးမှုသည် ဥပဒေမဲ့သတ်ဖြတ်မှု ဖြစ်ကြောင်းကို ညွှန်းပြနေပါသည်။..."
Creator/author: Moe Thway, Thet Thet Aung
Source/publisher: 24 Civil Society Organizations
Date of publication: 2019-05-14
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 564.57 KB 248.81 KB
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Title: Myanmar’s displaced Shan face harassment
Description: "Life is going from bad to worse for about 6,000 Shan villagers stuck in six camps for the displaced close to the Thai-Myanmar border. First, food aid was cut by international donors about 18 months ago, and recently Myanmar troops fired artillery shells near their camps, while drones have flown over their homes and citizens have been prevented from growing rice on nearby land. A new report, unveiled in Bangkok last Thursday (see video below), describes intimidation and other measures that are making life hellish for impoverished citizens stuck near the border of southern Shan state and northern Thailand. Displaced people in the camps were part of a mass exodus in the mid-to-late 90s when up to 300,000 people fled brutal massacres and forced eviction from their original villages in central Shan state, some of which were earmarked for the huge Tasang dam on the Salween River – a 7,000 megawatt project backed by Chinese and Thai utilities now known as the Mong Ton Dam. Most of those people were allowed to cross the border into Thailand and work in the north on orange plantations in Fang district and construction sites in Chiang Mai. But the security situation has become increasingly precarious for displaced villagers in the small camps along the border – Loi Kaw Wan, Loi Sarm Sip, Loi Lam, Loi Tai Leng and Kong Moong Murng, as well as Koung Jor near Wiang Haeng in northern Chiang Mai province. All of these sites had food support cut by international donors in late 2017. The Shan Human Rights Group (SHRG) says the Myanmar Army, or Tatmadaw, has been reinforcing positions around five Shan IDP camps, while building new roads and sending out drones to monitor the displaced Shan, despite a ceasefire deal agreed to by the Shan State Army. It said that in February six 120-mm shells were fired at two IDP locations. “Terrified IDPs have been preparing bunkers and carrying out evacuation drills in preparation for further attacks,” the group said..."
Creator/author: JIM POLLARD
Source/publisher: Asia Times
Date of publication: 2019-05-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: "Progressive Voice" 13 - 19 May, 2019
Description: NATIONALISTS FOILED BY COMMUNITY SPIRIT.....STATEMENTS AND PRESS RELEASES: ရခိုင်ရွာသားများ ဥပဒေမဲ့သတ်ဖြတ်ခံရခြင်းနှင့်ပတ်သက်၍ MNHRC မှ မှန်ကန်သည့် ရပ်တည်ချက်ပြရန်လို By 24 Civil Society Organizations...MNHRC Must Take Stand on Extrajudicial Killings of Rakhine Villagers By 24 Civil Society Organizations...Release of Journalists in Myanmar: Foreign Secretary’s Statement By Foreign Secretary of United Kingdom...ကယားပြည်နယ် လွိုင်ကော်မြို့တွင်ထားရှိသော ဗိုလ်ချုပ်အောင်ဆန်းကြေးရုပ်ထုနှင့် ပတ်သက်သည့် ကယားပြည်နယ်အစိုးရအဖွဲ့နှင့် ဝန်ကြီးချုပ် ဦးအယ်လ်ဖောင်းရှို၏ သဘောထားအပေါ် ကန့်ကွက်ခြင်း By Myanmar Cultural Research Society...Rohingya Refugees and International Supporters Welcome and Endorse UN Fact-Finding Mission’s Timely Call for Withdrawal of Financial and Other Support to Myanmar By The Free Rohingya Coalition...UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar urges financial isolation of Myanmar military By UN High Commissioner for Human Rights...UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar Urges Financial Isolation of Myanmar Military By UN Human Rights Council.....REPORTS: ရေးမြို့နယ်တောင်ပိုင်း၊ မန်ကျည်းကျေးရွာအုပ်စုရှိ တောင်သူများ လယ်ယာမြေလုပ်ပိုင်ခွင့်လက်မှတ် (ပုံစံ-၇) လျှောက်ထားရာတွင် ကြုံတွေ့နေရသော အခက်အခဲများ အစီရင်ခံစာ မှတ်တမ်း By Mon Area Community Development Organization.....RELATED POSTS: New Report Identifies Freedom of Religion or Belief As Key to Peace, Reconciliation and Democratisation...Burma’s Identity Crisis: How Ethno-religious Nationalism Has Led to Religious Intolerance, Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide...Statement on Discrimination and Coercion Faced by Minority Groups in Citizenship Registration Process...Buddhist Mob in Rakhine State Attacked Christians Celebrating Christmas...Enlightenment or Entitlement? Jack Dorsey’s Irresponsible Tweets.
Source/publisher: "Progressive Voice"
Date of publication: 2019-05-19
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: China’s Dynamic Grip on Myanmar
Description: China’s influence in Myanmar manifests on three different levels. At the bilateral level, the government and the military establishment of Myanmar receives diplomatic dividends for maintaining good ties with China. At the domestic political level, China’s relations with the country’s ethnic organizations makes it an important stakeholder in the ongoing reconciliation process. Finally, at the economic level, a lack of alternatives makes Naypyidaw reliant on Chinese investments, thereby ensuring favorable policies towards China over the longer term, notwithstanding regime changes. Despite Myanmar’s increasing outreach to the outside world, Chinese engagement with the military and political elites in the country is still strong. Although Aung San Suu Kyi’s relationship with China has been complicated given her stature as a pro-democracy leader, in her more recent political career as State Counsellor she has a pragmatic route with regard to foreign policy. Her official visits to China have been viewed as largely fruitful, resulting in a greater understanding between the two countries, and helping shield Myanmar from international ostracism.
Source/publisher: The Diplomat
Date of publication: 2019-05-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Civilians Suffer Landmine Injuries in N. Rakhine
Description: "Two civilians were injured after they stepped on a mine on Tuesday in Rakhine State’s Kyauktaw Township. Two locals, aged 25 and 27, from the village of Nga Pyaw Chaung in Kyauktaw suffered injuries to their legs, arms and shoulders and are receiving medical treatment at the local hospital in Kyauktaw, Ko Nyi Pu, a member of the Kyauktaw-based social organization Phyu Sin Meitta told The Irrawaddy. “They got serious injuries on their legs, but are not in a critical condition. We have arranged to send them to Sittwe Hospital if necessary,” said Ko Nyi Pu. The two men, together with some 30 other residents of the village went to a mountain to the west of the village to collect timber to be used for building houses. The pair stepped on a mine on their way back home, said Ko Maung Maung Than who was part of the group collecting timber. “The logs are quite big so we brought over 30 people to carry them. We used the same route to go to the mountain, but nothing happened. The two stepped on the mine and the explosion occurred as the whole group came down the mountain carrying logs,” Ko Maung Maung Thein told The Irrawaddy. Locals said that the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, and the Arakan Army (AA) had clashed in the same area some two months ago..."
Creator/author: Min Aung Khine
Source/publisher: The Irrawaddy
Date of publication: 2018-05-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: MNHRC MUST TAKE STAND ON EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS OF RAKHINE VILLAGERS
Description: "We, the 24 organizations of the CSO Working Group on MNHRC Reform, call on the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) to act independently of the Myanmar military, and take firm, decisive action in regards to gross human rights violations committed in ethnic, conflict-affected areas. We are particularly disappointed that the MNHRC has unquestioningly accepted the Myanmar military’s version of events after six ethnic Rakhine villagers were shot dead while in custody of the military, despite on the ground reports that their killings were unlawful. On 30 April, 2019, the Myanmar military detained all male villagers between the ages of 15 and 50 from Kyauk Tan Village, Rathaedaung Township, Rakhine State on suspicion of having ties with the ethnic armed organization, the Arakan Army (AA). On 2 May, six of the detainees were shot dead and at least eight were injured. The Myanmar military has sought to absolve itself of any liability, claiming that the actions of their soldiers were in self-defense. Yet according to eyewitnesses, the soldiers fired indiscriminately into the crowd after one of the detainees started yelling and trying to run away. This is just the latest in a series of allegations that the Myanmar military is committing gross human rights violations throughout northern Rakhine State as it seeks to flush out the AA. Just last month, another three villagers from Latka Village, Mrauk Oo Township died in custody, after 27 people had been detained on suspicion of being part of the AA. The military claimed the causes of death were suicide, heart attack, and withdrawal from drug addiction, but the rushed cremation and the fact the families were not notified of their death points to extrajudicial killing. In this context it is vital that the MNHRC fulfils its mandate as a national human rights institution to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the deaths of these civilians. Yet in its statement, dated, 3 May, 2019, it simply echoes the military’s version of events, stating that “during detention, about 2am, May 2, 2019, some detainees started shouting and attempting to attack the security force. Therefore, the security forces fired to defend themselves and to separate the mob which caused 6 deaths, 8 injuries and 4 missing.” There was no attempt by the MNHRC to verify the claims of the Myanmar military, which contradict what eyewitnesses and other detainees have said what has happened. A similar statement was made by the MNHRC to Parliament in May 2018, when two Kachin men who, according to witnesses, were arrested while tending to buffalo in January 2018, were later found buried after being executed by the Myanmar military. A Kachin Independence Army (KIA) uniform had been put on one of the men. Despite medical reports that said they could have been tortured, the MNHRC stated that they were KIA soldiers, and had been killed in battle, contradicting all reports and testimony from the people on the ground that they were merely civilians and the Myanmar military had taken them away while they were in the fields. In times of armed conflict, where unspeakable human rights abuses are being committed against civilians, Myanmar needs a strong, effective and independent national human rights institution. In the cases outlined above, the MNHRC has been the opposite, unquestioningly siding with the Myanmar military’s version of events, despite the decades of misinformation and propaganda that the military has disseminated to try and hide its abuses. At best, the MNHRC is whitewashing the military’s crimes, and at worst, is complicit in them. We therefore urge the MNHRC to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the killings of Kyauk Tan Village. It must accompany such an investigation and any subsequent recommendations with public pressure to ensure that relevant parties, especially the Myanmar military, are held accountable. It is time for the MNHRC to show whether it is on the side of human rights, or the Myanmar military..."
Creator/author: Moe Thway, Thet Thet Aung
Source/publisher: Progressive Voice via "24 Civil Society Organizations"
Date of publication: 2019-05-14
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 566.75 KB 248.81 KB
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Title: Asian allies boost Myanmar’s pariah military
Description: "Three years after Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) was elected to power, temporarily ending the nation’s decades-long pariah status under military rule, Naypyidaw is already back in the world’s bad graces. But that hasn’t stopped Asian governments from pragmatically supporting Suu Kyi’s controversial regime, now accused of genocide by the UN and others for its violent expulsion of over 700,000 Rohingya, in the form of strengthened defense ties. As de facto leader, Suu Kyi and her government has failed to stop a fresh spate of violence instigated by its Buddhist majority population on the Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim group. Its inaction on the humanitarian issue has resulted in economic sanctions from the West, with the United States, European Union and Canada imposing arms embargoes and penalties on Myanmar military officials. Its inaction on the humanitarian issue has resulted in economic sanctions from the West, with the United States, European Union and Canada imposing arms embargoes and penalties on Myanmar military officials. In contrast, Asia has ramped up security relations with the NLD administration and autonomous military, which controls the powerful defense, home and border affairs ministries..."
Creator/author: NYSHKA CHANDRAN
Source/publisher: Asia Times
Date of publication: 2019-05-17
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: NYAUNGLEBIN DISTRICT: TATMADAW ROAD CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES LEAD TO CONFRONTATIONS WITH THE KNLA, DISPLACEMENT AND PROPERTY DAMAGE IN KYAUKKYI TOWNSHIP
Description: "From February until early April 2019, intermittent confrontations between the Tatmadaw and the KNLA resulted in the displacement of at least 108 people in Kheh Der village tract. The fighting broke out because the Tatmadaw is undertaking controversial road construction works despite the objection of local communities and the KNU. Sporadic armed clashes leading to displacement In early February 2019, a Tatmadaw soldier was shot and injured in Muh Theh while he was building a road between the villages of Muh Theh and Pa Kaw Hta (Hkee). This incident occurred in a KNU-controlled area in Kheh Der village tract, Kyaukkyi Township, Nyaunglebin District. KHRG has not been able to confirm who fired at the soldier. Local people believe that he was shot because the Tatmadaw was engaged in road construction activities despite repeated objections from the local community and KNU leaders. On February 23rd 2019 around noon, a second Tatmadaw soldier was shot while he was operating a backhoe to build a road in Aee Thar Plaw [area], Kyaukkyi Township. In retaliation, the Tatmadaw fired two artillery shells and other weapons toward the area where they thought the shot came from. According to local people, no further fighting occurred that day. The shelling did not result in civilian casualties or property damage. Following this incident, the Tatmadaw sent reinforcements to provide security for the road construction. On March 27th 2019 at 7:00 AM, fighting broke out between the KNLA and Tatmadaw soldiers between Muh Theh and Pa Kaw Hta (Hkee), reportedly because the Tatmadaw trespassed into KNU territory in violation of an oral agreement with the KNLA. No casualties were reported. These clashes are a clear violation of section 5 (a) of the NCA, which states that the Tatmadaw and Ethnic Armed Organisations shall not engage in armed attacks in ceasefire areas. In addition, both the Tatmadaw and the KNLA failed to act with the necessary diligence to avoid this confrontation, as they should have under section 7 (a). On April 2nd, 2019, a first group of local people fled Pa Kaw Hta (Hkee). Because of the fighting that broke out, they did not feel safe staying in their village. They cleared new lands, preparing a space where the rest of the village could settle. On April 4th, 2019, more dismantled their houses to move to this new place, which is located a 30-minute walk from the village. In total, 108 people from 34 households have already moved there, and they now face livelihood difficulties and difficulties accessing water. They told KHRG that they fled to protect themselves from renewed fighting between the KNLA and the Tatmadaw. They did not feel safe staying in Pa Kaw Hta (Hkee) because their village was close to the road. Other community members from Kheh Der village tract are now worried that fighting between the Tatmadaw and the KNLA might recur, and have started preparing to flee their villages should the situation worsen..."
Source/publisher: Progressive Voice via "Karen Human Rights Group"
Date of publication: 2019-04-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 835.54 KB
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Title: Arakan Army chief cries out in Myanmar
Description: "Myanmar’s upstart Arakan Army (AA) has intensified its insurgent operations in recent months, opening a new front of instability in the nation’s long-running ethnic civil wars. The armed conflict has compounded volatility in Rakhine state, from where over 700,000 Muslim Rohingya have been expelled in government “clearance operations” beginning in 2017 the United Nations and others suggest may have had “genocidal intent.” In January, over 300 AA troops raided four border posts in northern Rakhine state, underscoring the 10,000-strong armed group’s rising capabilities since its formation in 2009, with support among the state’s ethnic Rakhine Buddhist majority. The Myanmar government has doubled down in its tit-for-tat reprisals, classifying the group as a “terrorist organization” and threatening reporters who cover the AA’s side of the surging conflict with unlawful association, an anti-state criminal offense. Asia Times spoke to the AA’s leader and founder General Tun Myat Naing in mid-April in Pangsang at the 30th anniversary celebrations of the United Wa State Army, another armed group which enjoys de facto statehood within Myanmar. In a wide-ranging interview, Tun Myat Naing spoke to his ambition of achieving autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and what he and his fighters are willing to do to achieve it. Excerpts follow..."
Source/publisher: Asia Times
Date of publication: 2019-04-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Peace march kicks up more war in Myanmar
Description: ''As Myanmar’s government invites a group of eight ethnic armed groups to yet another round of talks on March 21 to the capital Naypyitaw, the ethnically divided nation is more clearly headed towards more war than peace. The government refers to the invited groups, seven members of an alliance called the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC) plus the Karenni National Progressive Party, as “non-signatories” because they have not signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) The NCA, launched by Myanmar’s then president Thein Sein in October 2015 and now pursued by the elected government led by ex-opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, is a misnomer as it only includes a small number of the country’s many ethnic armed groups. Those eight non-signatory groups represent an estimated 80% of all armed rebels in the country, while the signatories, now up to ten groups, are mostly small entities which do not possess significant armed forces...''
Creator/author: Bertil Lintner
Source/publisher: Asia Times
Date of publication: 2019-03-19
Date of entry/update: 2019-03-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Press Release: Ongoing UN and Japan Cooperation on Rakhine extended in 2019 to also support communities in Kachin and Shan
Description: ''The Government of Japan and eight United Nations Agencies today signed a US$ 37 million value agreement to implement humanitarian and development projects in Shan, Kachin and Rakhine States. The funding will enable the delivery of life-saving assistance, protection, trust-building initiatives and early recovery support to women, men, girls and boys across the three states. This important partnership builds on a US$ 20 million agreement that was signed in 2018, that aimed to assist half a million people in Rakhine State. “I thank the Government and people of Japan for their continued support to respond to immediate humanitarian needs and address the long-term development prospects in Rakhine as well as Kachin and Shan States,” said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim Knut Ostby. “The UN agencies signing today appreciate the continued confidence of our partners that enable us to add urgently needed support for humanitarian activities in Kachin and northern Shan States to the ongoing humanitarian and development initiatives in Rakhine State.” The agreements were signed by His Excellency Mr. Ichiro Maruyama, Ambassador of Japan to Myanmar and representatives of the participating UN Agencies. UN bodies that receive contribution under the agreements include the International Organization on Migration (IOM), UN-Habitat, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Women, and the World Food Programme (WFP). The Agreement was signed in the presence of representatives of the Union Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement and Union Ministry of Foreign Affairs...''
Source/publisher: United Nations in Myanmar
Date of publication: 2019-02-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: RCHC ai remarks at Japan grants signing 26 Feb 2019
Description: ''It is an honor to participate in this signing and exchange of notes ceremony which builds on agreements signed a year ago, on 22 February 2018. Allow me to thank Government of the Union of Myanmar and specifically Union Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement His Excellency Dr. Win Myat Aye for leadership and partnership throughout this process. We look forward to continued strong leadership and partnership from the Government in the new phase of the programme. In 2018, we signed agreements totaling US$20 million that aimed to reach half a million people in Rakhine. This year, eight agencies – IOM, UN-Habitat, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UN Women, and WFP will receive will receive funding from agreements totaling US$37 million for humanitarian operations in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan, and development initiatives in Rakhine State. I thank the people and the Government of Japan for their continued support to allow the UN to respond to meeting the needs of vulnerable communities in the three states. I would like to recognize the indispensable role of His Excellency Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for National Reconciliation in Myanmar, who led the efforts to forge this partnership that merges the strengths of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Thank you also to His Excellency Mr. Ichiro Maruyama, Ambassador of Japan to Myanmar, for his tireless support to make this partnership happen. The Ambassador has always emphasized that the objective of this partnership is to benefit all communities in need. Finally, I would like to appreciate the work of the UN agencies who have been implementing the grants from the Government of Japan signed in 2018. They are IOM, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UN Women, and WFP. They have integrated their activities in line with the humanitarian-development-peace-human rights nexus to achieve better results. Their projects deliver simultaneously on tall three pillars of the UN Charter: peace, development and human rights. As Kofi Annan said: “There is no peace without development, there is no development without peace, there is no peace and development without human rights.”...''
Source/publisher: United Nations in Myanmar
Date of publication: 2019-02-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Building Agreement on Restitution Rights within the Myanmar Peace Process and National Legal Framework - A Manual for Practitioners
Description: ''A new 76-page report prepared by DS Director Scott Leckie with the collaboration of Jose Arraiza of NRC, with the support of the Joint Peace Fund, outlines the components of what an eventual agreement in Myanmar on housing, land and property restitution could look like. The report, entitled BUILDING AGREEMENT ON RESTITUTION RIGHTS WITH THE MYANMAR PEACE PROCESS AND NATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK examines all of the necessary components that would need to find recognition within an eventual national agreement designed to ensure that everyone with a viable HLP restitution claim could submit these to an independent judicial body with enforcement powers strong enough to ensure the full enjoyment of restitution rights throughout all corners of the country. Millions of people with legitimate restitution claims have yet to be able to have these claims heard by judicial bodies with the power to enforce these claims to return to, recover and/or re-inhabit the homes and lands from which they have been forced to flee over the past several decades. The report points out that HLP restitution rights are widely recognised in international law, and that many other countries have adopted restitution laws and procedures as key elements within peace processes and the context of post-conflict peace-building. The practically-oriented report contains a full draft of a National Restitution Agreement which could serve as a model for peace negotiators and government officials as they continue to search for ways to secure a sustainable peace and strengthened democracy throughout the country as a whole. The full report is available here: Building Agreement on Restitution Rights in Myanmar (March 2019)...''
Source/publisher: Displacement Solutions via "Euro-Burma Office"
Date of publication: 2019-02-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.44 MB
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Title: Building Agreement on Restitution Rights within the Myanmar Peace Process and National Legal Framework - A Manual for Practitioners
Description: ''This manual outlines proposals for the insertion of housing, land and property restitution rights simultaneously within the context of the ongoing peace process and within broader national legal reform eforts, including work towards a national land law. The paper begins by emphasising that many countries emerging from both conflict and political reform processes have successfully implemented restitution programmes, and that the current, largely piecemeal, eforts towards restitution in Myanmar under the Central Land Grab Reinvestigation Committee processes are simply inadequate in securing restitution rights for everyone in and from Myanmar with a legitimate restitution claim. The manual proposes that a comprehensive agreement be reached between all relevant stakeholders to establish restitution rights under Myanmar law, and that an independent Myanmar National Restitution Commission be created to receive and decide upon all outstanding restitution claims concerning housing, land and property anywhere within the country. The various sections of the manual provide detailed analysis of the types of provisions that would need to be included within such agreements, and suggest precise legal language as to how these provisions could be formulated within an eventual comprehensive agreement. The manual takes the view that the people of Myanmar will be best served if courageous decisions by all involved in the peace and legislative processes lead to the development of a comprehensive restitution process and procedure whereby all outstanding restitution claims can finally be addressed, adjudicated and enforced. Only through such a process can enough justice and clarity be provided within the housing, land and property sectors for the foundations of democracy, economic prosperity and growing security and stability be reached...''
Source/publisher: reliefweb
Date of publication: 2019-02-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.12 MB
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Title: Hpapun Short Update: Skirmishes between the KNLA and Tatmadaw and indiscriminate shelling in Lu Thaw Township
Description: ''This Short Update describes a skirmish that took place between the Tatmadaw and the KNLA in February 2019. It took place after three incidents of Tatmadaw soldiers firing artillery shells indiscriminately into civilian villages. The local communities have fled into the forest, and are afraid to return to their homes and plantations. In the first week of February, the Tatmadaw transported soldiers and rations to bases in Lu Thaw Township. On February 1st, 60 Tatmadaw soldiers from LIB #593 were sent to military camps in Sha Law Kyoh area, Hkay Poo village tract. They are still present in the area. On February 4th, at 6 PM, Tatmadaw soldiers transported food rations to their camp in the Sho Kyoh Daw Hkoh area, Saw Muh Plaw village tract. At 7:30 PM, KNLA soldiers led by Bo Pa Leh and a local home guard from Company #1 ambushed two military trucks transporting rations. The KNU prohibits Tatmadaw soldiers from entering into areas under their control without receiving prior permission. This incident was one of a series of skirmishes that occurred between the Tatmadaw and the KNLA in early February in Hpapun District. On February 5th, 2019, Tatmadaw soldiers transported food rations to their temporary army camp in Shoh Hpoh Kyoh area and transported food rations and 216 soldiers to their army bases in Wah Klay Tuh area. The increase in military activities is worrying local communities in Lu Thaw Township, who fear that the increase in troop rotations and food rations could indicate a return to violent conflict. These skirmishes occurred just a few weeks after the Tatmadaw fired artillery shells into civilian villages in Lu Thaw Township...''
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication: 2019-02-18
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Addressing Landmine Contamination within the Myanmar Peace Process: The Case of Karen State
Description: ''Official aspirations for landmine removal in Karen State are occurring alongside deeply- held community anxieties that their removal will increase the presence of militarised actors. Such tensions reflect a contrast between national/international efforts to promote humanitarian mine action and community fears that such actions are part of strategies to remove a line of defence and deterrence. The continued presence of militarised actors in ceasefire areas threatens to result in these actors further expanding their networks of militarised power over areas of community controlled resources. Given the fact that parties to the ceasefire have not progressed significantly towards an agreement on security governance reform, it should not come as a surprise that, as a primary issue related to security, agreement on the removal of landmines has been delayed. As a part of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signed in October 2015 between the Union Government and nine Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs, three of which are present within Karen State), negotiation on security sector reform, termed, “security reintegration processes,” was noted by commentators and those party to the ceasefire early in negotiations as a difficult subject to discuss. While such difficulties have not yet reached the position of a negative peace, they underline the patience that is required to negotiate and unravel preferences for security sector reform in the peace process. Despite the differing viewpoints held by parties to the ceasefire, this article seeks to highlight the potential role of mine action as a crucial link between security governance and political dialogue, one that might revitalise negotiations by identifying potential commonalities within the political dialogue...''
Source/publisher: Teacircleoxford
Date of publication: 2019-02-20
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar: Investigate Police Use of Force in Karenni State
Description: ''The Myanmar authorities should immediately investigate the alleged excessive use of force by police against protesters in Karenni State and hold those responsible for abuses to account, Human Rights Watch said today. On February 12, 2019, police fired rubber bullets and water cannon at ethnic Karenni youth who attempted to move beyond police barricades, injuring more than 20 protesters. Since February 1, police have arrested 55 people in the Karenni state capital for protesting against the installation of a statue of Gen. Aung San, the father of Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Gen. Aung San is considered the founder of modern-day Myanmar and of the Myanmar army, the Tatmadaw. On February 12, an agreement was reached between protest leaders and the Karenni state government to drop all charges in exchange for promises to suspend further protests for one month while the opposing sides discuss the fate of the statue...''
Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch
Date of publication: 2019-02-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: The revolution that will never die in Myanmar
Description: ''On a misty January morning, several thousand ethnic Karen people gathered near a mountaintop at Law Khee Lar, a rural part of their home state in Myanmar near the Thailand border. Law Khee Lar is located in territory controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU), a political organization with an armed wing that has been fighting against state forces for seven decades, in one of the world’s longest running civil wars. On this particular day, Karen people gathered to celebrate the 70th Karen Revolution Day, an annual commemoration of the beginning of the KNU’s Karen National Liberation Army’s (KNLA) long armed struggle for self-determination and rights...''
Creator/author: Oliver Slow
Source/publisher: Asia Times
Date of publication: 2019-02-16
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar: Peaceful Critics Prosecuted
Description: ''Myanmar’s first democratically elected civilian government in decades has prosecuted large numbers of peaceful critics in violation of basic human rights, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Concerned governments should press Myanmar to protect the rights to expression and assembly, and reform laws penalizing peaceful speech to bring them in line with international standards. The 87-page report, “Dashed Hopes: The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Myanmar,” documents the use of broad and vaguely worded laws against activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy-led government. While discussion of a wide range of topics now flourishes in the media and online, those speaking critically of the government, military, or their officials, as well as abuses in Rakhine or Kachin States, are frequently subject to arrest and prosecution...''
Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch
Date of publication: 2019-01-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Why Suu Kyi can’t and won’t democratize Myanmar
Description: ''Is Myanmar headed towards more representative and less military-steered democracy? On February 6, Myanmar’s parliament voted to establish a new preparatory committee to deliberate amending the country’s military-drafted 2008 constitution, which gives the armed forces an outsized “leadership role” in politics. The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) rose to power in a landslide November 2015 election win, in part on a vow to make democratizing changes to the charter. Nearly three years in office, however, the NLD has not yet made those promised amendments, a mark on its record as new elections scheduled for next year start to emerge on the political horizon. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD government has struck a balance with the autonomous military, seen in her dogged defense of the armed forces’ actions in Rakhine state, where internationally criticized “clearance operations” forced over 700,000 Rohingya Muslims into neighboring Bangladesh...''
Creator/author: Bertil Lintner
Source/publisher: Asia Times
Date of publication: 2019-02-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Nyaunglebin Situation Update: IDPs face difficulties returning to their villages of origin
Description: ''In 2016, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) returned to their 11 villages in the lowland areas of Moo Township. They had been displaced since 1975, when they were forced to leave by Tatmadaw Infantry Battalion #48, commanded by Bo Min Thein. In 2012, the KNU and the Myanmar government signed a preliminary ceasefire agreement that provided for the right of IDPs to return to their lands. Community leaders went to IDP camps to establish how many of them would come back. However, fewer people returned than originally expected. Overall, only one-fourth of the IDPs went back to their lands. According to community leaders, this could be explained by the fact that returnees did not benefit from any kind of support, apart from the CIDKP digging wells and providing animal husbandry. In addition, there are no schools, hospitals and clinics in these areas. The closest clinic can only be reached through a bumpy road, and it is not easy to travel during the rainy season. Some IDPs are afraid to return because the Tatmadaw is still operating in the Hpapun area. Others also think that the political situation is not stable yet. Since their return, there are a lot of land dispute problems. Some returnees saw their livelihoods threatened when their family lands were usurped by richer villagers. These villagers took advantage of the fact that the rightful owners did not have official land ownership documents, and went to the Myanmar Land Administration Department to register the disputed lands in their names. The people who lost their lands are now experiencing serious economic difficulties, as they were deprived of their main source of income...''
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication: 2019-01-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 319.07 KB
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Title: Policy Dialogues for Peace in Myanmar
Description: ''When President Thein Sein assumed office in 2011, the international community rushed to assist Myanmar’s democratization and its efforts to resolve the many armed conflicts that have fractured the state for 70 years. Fast-forward to 2019, however, and the giddy excitement of successful elections and ambitious peace negotiations has faded. While millions of aid dollars have been spent on peacebuilding, we face a sobering reality. Conflict is currently increasing in Rakhine and Shan States. The formal peace process is on life support. Where do we go from here? How do we foster dialogue between Myanmar’s warring factions that will lead to a peaceful and functioning state for all?...''
Creator/author: Nicola Williams
Source/publisher: Asia Foundation
Date of publication: 2019-01-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Statement: International Day of Education (24 January 2019)
Description: ''As the world observes the first International Day of Education, KHRG calls for urgent measures to be taken to ensure that all children in Myanmar can benefit from a free and high-quality education in their native language. Indeed, accessing education continues to be a challenge in rural areas of Southeast Myanmar. This situation contributes to the social and economic marginalisation of local people, further undermining the full enjoyment of their human rights and preventing them from stepping out of poverty. According to UNICEF, Myanmar has the second lowest youth literacy rate among ASEAN countries, which illustrates the failure of the government to meet its obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the country’s Constitution. Over the last years, the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement coupled with greater public investment have improved access to education in some parts of Southeast Myanmar. However, local children still lack comprehensive access to education materials and free, high-quality schools within a safe distance from their community. In parallel, educational fees and hidden costs further undermine the right to education for families facing livelihood and food security issues. Middle and high school education is particularly difficult to access due to higher fees and a lack of facilities in rural areas. Many villagers also remain displaced in refugee or IDP camps, which affects the quality and stability of their access to education. Sporadic armed clashes force others to temporarily leave their village, thus interrupting the activity of schools. KHRG also documented that trust in government teachers is undermined by cases of abuse against students, including sexual violence and corporal punishment...''
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication: 2019-01-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 318.9 KB 120.28 KB
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Title: Toungoo Situation Update: Tatmadaw military activities continue in Htantabin and Thaundaunggyi townships
Description: ''Units from the Tatmadaw Infantry Battalion #5, stationed in the Nat Ta Lin area in 2018, rotated with Tatmadaw Infantry Battalion #84. They placed landmines near Htee Hkuh area, where KNLA military units are stationed. [Article 5 of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement states that all signatories should cease the laying of mines. Tatmadaw Infantry Battalion #5 is in violation of the NCA.] Landmines continue to be a problem in Toungoo District. The NGO Committee of Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP) is running a Mine Risks Education (MRE) program to help local communities avoid the dangers of landmines, supported by Danish Church Aid. The landmines are located in Buh Has Hkee area and Maw Hkee road, starting from Th’ay Hta to Pluh Mee Hkoh area. The landmines were laid by the Tatmadaw and the KNLA prior to the ceasefire. So far, demining has not started in this area...''
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication: 2019-01-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 219.61 KB
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Title: Investing in Mon State?
Description: ''Questions around investments in Mon State are heating up these days. The Economic Affairs Reviewing Committee of the Mon State Parliament has announced that, within the next few months, all investments within the state will come under official inspection. As Dr. Aung Naing Oo, Vice-Chair of the Mon State Parliament, explained, this inspection is coming about due to concerns about the recent inflow of investments to the state. “Although the Union Parliament allowed permissions, those businesses should be reviewed whether they were beneficial for the Mon State,” he said.1 The favourable position of the Union Parliament towards investments mirrors that of the National League for Democracy (NLD) government. Addressing the people of Mon State in a speech at Mawlamyine University last year, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi proclaimed: “Mon is poor, so you should welcome investments in order to secure development.”...''
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of publication: 2019-02-04
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Rohingya Villages in Desperate Situation as New Conflict Continues
Description: ''Rohingya Villagers in Northern Rakhine State have informed BHRN of food and medical shortages as the conflict intensifies in the region between Burmese security forces and the ethnic Rakhine armed group, the Arakan Army (AA). While the International Committee of the Red Cross has been able to help several Rakhine villagers displaced by the conflict, Rohingya say restrictions imposed by the military have left them unable to receive aid. Some Rohingya villagers that spoke to BHRN have said that they haven’t been able to get aid since August 2017. Recently, Burma military has declared a unilateral ceasefire with most of the country’s many armed groups, they have excluded the Arakan Army from it and focused on isolating and targeting the Rakhine and Rohingya communities since. “Burma must ensure the safety and security of all civilians. Burma has already restricted aid going into the area, forcing those who have nothing to do with the fighting to suffer needlessly. The international community has an obligation to take a stand against such actions, and prevent them from worsening as the conflict is likely to continue,” said BHRN Executive Director, Kyaw Win. At the same time, Rohingya in Rathedaung Township have informed BHRN of fighting near the villages of Ye Khone Taing and Aa Ka Taung and said that Burmese soldiers have stationed in their villages, putting civilians at increased risk. Those in the area reported gunfire and what they believed to be artillery in fighting between the Burmese security forces and the Arakan Army. The Burmese military has also deployed helicopters in the conflict following statements from Aung San Suu Kyi’s administration’s calls to ‘crush’ the insurgents. While the majority of Rohingya living in Northern Rakhine State fled to Bangladesh in 2017, many remained behind and have continued to suffer from lack of food and medicine while being unable to find work or food as restrictions on movement imposed by Burmese authorities have prevented them from leaving their villages. Rohingya villagers in rural areas of Buthidaung and Rathedaung have said that people are again fleeing due to these shortages and fear of spillover of violence from the conflict. The Burmese Government must allow full access to NGOs to all areas in Rakhine State, especially to those areas facing conflict where people are most in need and most vulnerable. Burma must work towards a ceasefire with the Arakan Army in concert with its ceasefire with other armed groups. The International Community cannot wait for another full-blown crisis to emerge before acting and must address these issues now before they are beyond repair. To ensure a peaceful solution and avoid further chaos and suffering, sanctions against the Military and their business interests must be on the table as a means to ensure consequences for egregious behaviors...''
Creator/author: Kyaw Win
Source/publisher: Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) via "Progressive Voice"
Date of publication: 2019-01-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 209.51 KB
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Title: Why Myanmar’s military will win the Rakhine war
Description: ''Triggered by a wave of rebel attacks, the recent surge in hostilities in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state marks an ominous watershed in a hitherto low-intensity conflict between Arakan Army (AA) insurgents and government forces. After four years of low-key political and military infiltration from bases several hundred kilometers away on Myanmar’s northern Chinese border, assaults by hundreds of ethnic Rakhine fighters on four police posts in early January appeared to indicate the ethno-nationalist rebel group had shifted its operational focus squarely back onto its home-turf in Rakhine state. he military, or Tatmadaw, responded at speed by air-lifting crack units into Rakhine from other parts of the country and ratcheting up operations backed by artillery and air power aimed at “crushing” rebels who now operate across almost all townships in the northern half of the state. Last week, on January 31, the Tatmadaw staged a day of well-publicized war games in Meiktila in central Myanmar show-casing a range of improved capabilities, not least parachute assaults, low-level air strikes and aerial resupply drops. Attended by armed forces commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the drills were clearly intended to send a blunt message both to the general public and the AA: the gloves are coming off...''
Creator/author: Anthony Davis
Source/publisher: Asia Times
Date of publication: 2019-02-05
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar: Humanitarian Crisis and Armed Escalation
Description: ''The Rohingya crisis continues to take a heavy toll on the nearly one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, Rohingya remaining in Myanmar, and Myanmar’s international reputation, and remains a significant barrier to peace. No durable solution is on the horizon for the refugees, most of whom are in crowded camps exposed to health and natural disaster risks. Muslims remaining in Rakhine State suffer increasingly entrenched conditions of apartheid, with limited access to essential services and livelihoods. The human catastrophe on both sides of the border represents a major threat to peace and security. The ethnic Rakhine are also on a collision course with Naypyitaw, particularly over the detention and potential high treason conviction of a key Rakhine leader. This has undermined the Rakhine population’s confidence in politics and is driving broad support for the Arakan Army insurgency, which has sharply escalated attacks and threatens to tip the state into prolonged armed conflict. Elsewhere, in the north east, armed conflict has eased due to the unexpected declaration by the military on 21 December of a unilateral ceasefire in Shan and Kachin States. However, clashes between ethnic armed groups continue, the peace process remains moribund, and insecurity is exacerbated by increasingly lucrative opportunities for armed groups in drug production, human trafficking, and a range of other illicit activities...''
Source/publisher: International Crisis Group (ICG)
Date of publication: 2019-01-28
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: A New Dimension of Violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State - မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ်မှ အကြမ်းဖက်မှ၏အနေအထားသစ်
Description: ''Ethnic Rakhine insurgents have attacked four police stations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, provoking a military counteroffensive. Escalation could imperil both prospects for Rohingya repatriation and the country’s transition toward civilian rule. All sides should step back from confrontation and pursue talks about Rakhine State’s future. On 4 January – Myanmar’s Independence Day – the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic Rakhine group, launched coordinated attacks on four police outposts in northern Rakhine State, killing thirteen officers and injuring nine others. The attacks followed months of low-grade violence in the state, including a roadside bomb attributed to the AA that struck the chief minister’s convoy but did little damage. The government has directed the military to launch “clearance operations” against the group, which will likely precipitate further violence and civilian casualties. Thousands of civilians have already fled villages near the raided outposts. The attacks signify a dangerous shift from politics to insurgency as the means of addressing ethnic Rakhine grievances. The state is already afflicted by the Rohingya mass flight; an escalated fight between ethnic Rakhine and the government would represent a blow to Myanmar’s political transition to civilian rule and be difficult to stop. All sides should step back from confrontation and instead discuss how best to address Rakhine grievances through political channels...'' ''မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏လွတ်လပ်ရေးနေ့ ဇန်နဝါရီ(၄)ရက်နေ့တွင် ရခိုင်တိုင်းရင်းသားလက်နက်ကိုင်အုပ်စုဖြစ်သော ရခိုင့်တပ်မတော် (AA) သည် ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ်မြောက်ပိုင်ရှိ ရဲကင်း (၄)ခုကို တပြိုင်နက်တည်းတိုက်ခိုက်ရာ ရဲတပ်ဖွဲဝင် ၁၃ ဦးကျဆုံးခဲ့ပြီး ၉ ဦးဒဏ်ရာရရှိခဲ့သည်။ ပြည်နယ်အတွင်းဝန်ကြီးချုပ်ယဉ်တန်းကို အနည်းငယ်ထိခိုက်မှုဖြစ်စေခဲ့သော မိုင်းဗုံးခွဲမှုအပါအဝင် AA ကလုပ်ဆောင်ခဲ့သော အသေးစား...''
Source/publisher: International Crisis Group (ICG)
Date of publication: 2019-01-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 980.08 KB 956.97 KB
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Title: Myanmar: cooperation with UN needed, UN must put rights up front (UN statement)
Description: "Myanmar: cooperation with UN needed, UN must put rights up front (UN statement) MARCH 12, 2018 The ICJ today delivered a statement at the UN Human Rights Council calling on Myanmar to cooperate with UN mechanisms and for all UN agencies in the country to make human rights central to their approach. The statement, made in the interactive dialogue with the international Fact Finding Mission on Myanmar, and the Special Rapporteur, read as follows: “The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) welcomes the update of the Independent International Fact Finding Mission. In relation to crimes under international law, the ICJ encourages the experts to continue to develop further specific recommendations for securing criminal accountability and providing redress. The ICJ also welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur, and strongly supports the renewal of her mandate and tenure. As a UN Member State, the Government of Myanmar should fully cooperate with all the organs and mechanisms of the UN, in accordance with its obligations under the UN Charter. At this session, the government asked for ‘concrete evidence’ of alleged human rights violations, and committed to taking action against perpetrators, but permission to enter the country is still refused to the Fact Finding Mission, to the Special Rapporteur and to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. To demonstrate a genuine commitment to truth and accountability, the Government must allow them full access to areas of concern, particularly to Rakhine State and to conflict areas in Kachin State and Shan State. Humanitarian actors and independent media must also be immediately allowed full and unimpeded access, particularly to Rakhine State, as recommended by the government’s own Advisory Commission...''
Source/publisher: International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
Date of publication: 2018-03-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar: Government’s Commission of Inquiry cannot deliver justice or accountability
Description: ''Its creation follows at least eight other special government inquiries and boards conducted since 2012 in Rakhine State alone. In a five-page legal briefing, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) assesses the inquiry in reference to standards on the conduct of investigations. The ICJ finds that the ICOE cannot reasonably be seen as having any chance of being independent, impartial, or making an effective contribution to justice or accountability for the crimes under international law. To the contrary, giving any recognition to it is likely to undermine and delay effective international measures for justice and accountability...''
Source/publisher: International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
Date of publication: 2018-09-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 272.19 KB 540.9 KB
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Title: Myanmar: ICJ meets High Court and hosts human rights law workshop in Mawlamyine
Description: ''Prior to this workshop, on 6 April the ICJ met with the Mon State High Court, including its Chief Justice. Legal advisers from the ICJ had a constructive discussion with the justices about judicial reform in Myanmar, including the role of lawyers and civil society, as well as jurists, in advancing accountability and access to justice. The two-day workshop aimed to identify challenges and opportunities for human rights advocacy using law, and to encourage the building of relationships and networks between lawyers and civil society. The workshop considered strategic litigation concepts and case studies in the region. It also discussed the landscape of rule of law and justice in Myanmar, particularly the experiences regarding access to justice of some sixty participants from Mon State. The sessions were introduced by international and national experts and leaders from partner CSOs, followed by interactive discussions where participants contributed their own observations and experiences. Sean Bain, ICJ International Legal Adviser recognized in his opening statement that the formal justice system in Myanmar was making moves toward reform, offering new opportunities for legal advocacy for human rights across issues...''
Source/publisher: International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
Date of publication: 2018-04-09
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar: Reuters convictions a massive blow to the rule of law
Description: ''“The Court’s decision effectively punishes these two courageous journalists for exposing human rights violations, following a grossly unfair trial,” said Frederick Rawski, Asia Pacific Director for the ICJ. “The decision is a miscarriage of justice that inflicts needless suffering on them and their families, threatens freedom of expression, damages Myanmar’s global standing, and undermines its justice institutions all at once,” he added. The ICJ has monitored the case since the journalists’ initial detention in December 2017. As previously noted by the ICJ, the detention and trial has violated numerous basic fair trial guarantees. The prosecutors had a duty to drop charges and the judge should have dismissed the case given the lack of evidence and the unlawfulness of detention because of fair trail rights violations...''
Source/publisher: International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
Date of publication: 2018-09-03
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Gross human rights violations in Myanmar: options for international criminal accountability (UN Side Event)
Description: ''It is organized by the ICJ, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in cooperation with ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). The issues of documenting violations, possible evidence-gathering mechanisms and the role of the International Criminal Court will be discussed...''
Source/publisher: International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
Date of publication: 2018-09-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 90.27 KB
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Title: Myanmar: why an IIIM and Security Council referral are needed despite the ICC ruling relating to Bangladesh
Description: ''On 6 September 2018, an ICC Pre-Trial Chamber ruled that the Court could exercise jurisdiction over the alleged deportation (as a crime against humanity) of the Rohingyas from Myanmar into Bangladesh, since one element of the crime (crossing a border) took place in Bangladesh, which is a State party to the Rome Statute. The Chamber noted that the same rationale could apply to other crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court “if it were established that at least an element of another crime … or part of such a crime is committed on the territory of a State Party,” citing persecution and other inhumane acts as possible examples in this case. The crime of genocide was not directly addressed. The ruling did not address other crimes allegedly committed against the Rohingya, or crimes against other minorities elsewhere within Myanmar, including in Shan and Kachin States. The proceeding is still at an early, pre-investigation, phase. If at the conclusion of a preliminary examination the Prosecutor assesses that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation, she must first seek authorization from the Pre-Trial Chamber...''
Source/publisher: International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
Date of publication: 2018-09-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Aid Curbs in Myanmar's Rakhine Impact 'At Least 50,000 People'—UN
Description: ''New government curbs on aid activities in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State “are affecting at least 50,000 people,” the United Nations has said in an internal note, highlighting the growing impact of recent fighting on the civilian population. The Rakhine State government this month blocked non-governmental organizations and UN agencies from travelling to rural areas in five townships in northern and central parts of the state affected by conflict. The International Committee of the Red Cross and UN World Food Programme were exempted from the ban on aid activity in the region, where fighting between government troops and autonomy-seeking ethnic Rakhine rebels has displaced thousands. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) summarized recent information gathered from aid organizations on the impact of the restrictions in the two central Rakhine townships of Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun...''
Source/publisher: The Irrawaddy
Date of publication: 2019-01-25
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Aid Curbs in Myanmar's Rakhine Impact 'At Least 50,000 People'—UN
Description: ''New government curbs on aid activities in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State “are affecting at least 50,000 people,” the United Nations has said in an internal note, highlighting the growing impact of recent fighting on the civilian population. The Rakhine State government this month blocked non-governmental organizations and UN agencies from travelling to rural areas in five townships in northern and central parts of the state affected by conflict. The International Committee of the Red Cross and UN World Food Programme were exempted from the ban on aid activity in the region, where fighting between government troops and autonomy-seeking ethnic Rakhine rebels has displaced thousands. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) summarized recent information gathered from aid organizations on the impact of the restrictions in the two central Rakhine townships of Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun...''
Source/publisher: The Irrawaddy
Date of publication: 2019-01-25
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Border Guard Police Wounded in Rakhine Rebel Ambush: Myanmar Army
Description: ''Six border guard police officers were wounded in an ambush by the Arakan Army (AA) on Wednesday in northern Rakhine State, according to Myanmar Army spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun. He said the AA ambushed a vehicle with border guard police on board at around noon north of Maungdaw Township’s Kyee Kan Pyin Village, where the board guard police have a base. “One was seriously wounded and the rest sustained minor injuries,” Brig. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told The Irrawaddy. “It happened in the north of Kyee Kan Pyin, not near the [border] fence. It was closer to the motor road. As far as I know, they were ambushed, which was followed by an exchange of fire.” All the six wounded officers have been sent to Yangon for medical treatment, he added. Khine Thu Kha, a spokesman for the AA, claimed that there was no clash in Maungdaw on Wednesday...''
Creator/author: Min Aung Khine
Source/publisher: The Irrawaddy
Date of publication: 2019-01-17
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Fresh ARSA Attack Injured Six Police Officers: Govt
Description: ''Six policemen, including one police colonel, were wounded during an ambush by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on Wednesday in northern Rakhine State, according to an announcement on State media on Saturday. Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) announced on Saturday that a police van with security forces from No. 2 Border Guard Police Headquarters on board was attacked near Wat Kyein Village in Maungdaw Township. The government said ARSA, a Rohingya insurgent group which also launched serial attacks on police outposts in northern Rakhine State in 2017, was behind the ambush. The group has been denounced by the government as a terrorist organization since the 2017 attacks. Despite the attack taking place a few days ago, the government’s announcement came only after a short video allegedly recorded at the scene went viral online early on Saturday. The footage includes the date of the attack and bears an ARSA logo...''
Source/publisher: The Irrawaddy
Date of publication: 2019-01-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Govt Reports 2nd ARSA Attack in Northern Rakhine State This Month
Description: ''Three officers were wounded by artillery shells in a two-hour assault on a police post in northern Rakhine State’s Maungdaw Township Thursday morning by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), according to the General Administration Department (GAD). It was the militant Muslim group’s second reported attack on police in the area in as many weeks. U Hla Tun Tin, an official with the GAD’s Kyein Chaung office in northern Maungdaw, said the attack near Wai Lar Taung Village began at about 7 a.m., according to an initial police report. Citing the report, he said about 40 ARSA fighters crossed into Myanmar from Bangladesh near border marker No. 41 and tried to seize the post, which lies some 200 meters from the border. But he said the officers managed to repel the assault with the help of reinforcements from a neighboring regiment after two hours. “They broke through the border fence and ambushed them with artillery.” U Hla Tun Tin told The Irrawaddy. The police, he added, said the militants were well armed and managed to destroy some structures before retreating back across the border. He said ARSA had also mounted an attack near Maungdaw’s Wat Kyein Village on Jan. 16...''
Creator/author: Moe Myint
Source/publisher: The Irrawaddy
Date of publication: 2019-01-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Int’l Crisis Group Urges China to Push for Army Ceasefire in Rakhine
Description: ''In its latest report issued on Thursday, the International Crisis Group (ICG) urged China to put pressure on the Myanmar Army to extend its unilateral ceasefire to Rakhine State in order to address ongoing armed clashes there between government troops and the Arakan Army (AA). The report, entitled “A New Dimension of Violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State”, contains five sections detailing the insurgency waged by the AA, arbitrary arrests of prominent Rakhine politicians, the indiscriminate killings of protesters in Mrauk-U last year and the political grievances between Arakanese political parties and the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), as well as encouraging both sides to restrain from further offensives in the region. Regarding the ICG’s advice, Yangon-based ethnic affairs analyst U Maung Maung Soe said China has been playing a major role in facilitating the peace dialogue for the Northern Alliance group for several years, adding that a Chinese envoy even recently disused the ongoing violence in Rakhine with AA leaders in Kachin State’s Laiza, where the Kachin Independence Army and the AA headquarters are located. But any encouragement to the military to extend the ceasefire to cover Rakhine State should firstly involve negotiations between the actors, U Maung Maung Soe said. “Without having any negotiations between them, it’s really tough to discuss possibilities,” he said. As part of the solution, the ICG suggested the Myanmar government initiate dialogue with ethnic Rakhine representatives over key political, economic and social issues. It also recommended the authorities consider releasing Aye Maung and other ethnic Rakhine political prisoners. The report mentioned that political dialogue between the Union government and Arakanese stakeholders should cover the repatriation process for Rohingya refugees who have been sheltering for more than one year in Bangladeshi camps, the rebuilding of Rohingya communities, economic development and power sharing between the central and state governments...''
Creator/author: Moe Myint
Source/publisher: The Irrawaddy
Date of publication: 2019-01-25
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Military Column Detains Villagers, Loot Valuables in N. Rakhine
Description: ''A military column raided an entire village and looted gold, jewelry, cash and dozens of mobile phones from the villagers of Tha Mee Hla Village in Rathedaung Township in northern Rakhine State on Saturday, according to Arakanese lawmakers. Rathedaung Township representative, Lower House lawmaker Daw Khin Saw Wai said that she was initially informed by a villager over the phone on Saturday. Considering how serious the allegations were, she asked regional lawmaker U Than Naing to get firsthand accounts from the victims on Sunday morning. U Than Naing then went to the village to confirm the incident. “Firstly, I thought it’s hard to believe because we never expect such kind of treatment from the army,” said Daw Khin Saw Wai. U Than Naing posted on social media on Sunday stating that he found only 10 homes in the village spared of bullets out of a total 84 homes. Some homes were struck by artillery fire and had bullet holes. He wrote that a seven-year-old child had been wounded by an artillery explosion near his home and had to be immediately transported to Sittwe General Hospital for medical treatment. Another two women from Tha Mee Hla were also wounded by artillery shells...''
Creator/author: Moe Myint
Source/publisher: The Irrawaddy
Date of publication: 1970-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: KNU Rejects Military’s Claims It Extorts Civilians, Denies Launching Attacks
Description: ''The Karen National Union (KNU) has denied allegations by the Myanmar military that it is extorting money from civilians, and rejected the Army’s characterization of clashes between it and government troops as an effort to expand its area of control. Separately, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) issued its own rebuttal of the military’s recent claims against EAOs, saying it did not accept the terms of the military’s four-month truce. The Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) included its complaints against the KNU in a statement released Friday in which it accused ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) of burdening the public by continuing to recruit and extort civilians and expand their territories. In addition to the KNU, it mentioned all of the EAOs based in northeast Myanmar, including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Ta’ang Nationalities Liberation Army, Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army North, Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army South and Pa-Oh National Liberation Organization. It accused them of destabilizing the region and violating the terms of the truce...''
Creator/author: Nyein Nyein
Source/publisher: The Irrawaddy
Date of publication: 2019-01-28
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: 2019 Myanmar Humanitarian Response Plan: January - December 2019
Description: ''While much of Myanmar’s population continues to benefit from the ongoing process of political and economic reforms, there are close to one million people who remain in need of emergency assistance and protection as a result of ongoing crises in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan. In addition, despite significant progress and investments in disaster risk reduction, millions of people in different parts of Myanmar face the ever-present risk of natural disasters in one of Asia’s most disaster-prone countries. The aim of the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan is to assist the Government in ensuring that these emergency needs are met and that, as the political transition in the country continues, not one single man, woman or child is left behind. The response plan sets out the framework within which the United Nations and its partners will respond to the humanitarian assistance and protection needs of crisis-affected people in Myanmar. The plan has been jointly developed by members of the Humanitarian Country Team in Myanmar, in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including Government counterparts, local civil society, representatives of affected communities including the Rohingya, development actors, donors and others. The Humanitarian Country Team recognizes that humanitarian action is one critical component of a broader, long term engagement that is needed to address the wide range of humanitarian, development, human rights and peace-building challenges in Myanmar in a holistic fashion. To this end, the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan is aligned with other key documents and strategies that aim to enhance coherence and complementarity across these sectors, such as the Final Report and Recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State (August 2017) and the Strategic Framework for International Engagement in Rakhine (April 2018)...''
Source/publisher: Reliefweb
Date of publication: 2018-12-19
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.82 MB
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Title: Myanmar army kills 13 in attack on Rakhine rebels
Description: ''Myanmar’s army says it killed 13 ethnic Rakhine fighters in counter attacks, after the well-armed group carried out deadly strikes on police posts earlier this month. Rakhine state has seen new levels of violence in recent weeks between the Arakan Army (AA) – insurgents fighting for greater autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists – and security forces. Many of the battles are taking place in the same region from which more than 720,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh after August 2017, when the army launched a crackdown the UN deemed ethnic cleansing. The AA are a more formidable force than the fighters claiming to represent the Rohingya and have inflicted historically higher death tolls on the military. On Myanmar’s independence day on January 4, the AA launched pre-dawn raids that killed 13 police officers and wounded nine before the army stepped in, setting off violence that has displaced thousands...''
Source/publisher: The Guardian
Date of publication: 2019-01-19
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Hpapun Incident Report: Land confiscation by armed actors impede refugee return in Bu Tho Township, February 2018
Description: This incident happened on 7 February 2018 in K---Village, Ka Ma Maung Town, Hpapun district [K---Village, Htee Tha Daw Hta village tract, Bu Tho Township, Hpapun district]. ''In 2013, a KNU/KNLA-Peace Council[2] soldier, Saw Nyun Htun, confiscated 4.68 acres of land belonging to a local villager who had fled to Thailand. When the villager returned to his home in 2018, he reported the land confiscation to the Karen National Union. When he found out about this, Saw Nyun Htun threatened him. Saw Y--- lived in K---Village, but his family fled to Thailand when the conflict in the area escalated after the creation of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (“DKBA”)[3] in 1994. They registered as refugees in Mae La Ma Luang camp in Thailand. The DKBA took advantage of this situation to confiscate all their lands. Both the DKBA and the KNU/KNLA-PC confiscated land belonging to families that had fled the violence in the area. After the signing of the preliminary ceasefire between the KNU and the Myanmar government in 2012 and the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015, the situation in Karen State became more stable. Saw Y--- decided to return to his village after more than 20 years of living in a refugee camp. He is now 47 years old and has seven children. All of them have returned with him...''
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication: 2018-12-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 515.88 KB
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Title: Hpapun Situation Update: Tatmadaw road construction activities results in skirmishes with the KNLA and displacement in Lu Thaw Township
Description: ''This Situation Update describes events that occurred in Lu Thaw Township, Hpapun District, between March and May 2018.[1] Tatmadaw soldiers entered areas under KNU control in Lu Thaw Township with the intention of building a road. This led to skirmishes with the KNLA. The Tatmadaw occupied and fired mortars in several villages, which caused the displacement of 3,088 persons. This situation threatened the livelihood of local people, as well as their access to education, food and healthcare...''
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication: 2019-01-23
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 97.03 KB
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Title: Mergui-Tavoy Situation Update: Extortion and Land Confiscations in Tanintharyi Township, November 2017 to January 2018
Description: ''In Beh Khoh Paw Plaw village, Tatmadaw Battalion 53 is extorting money from villagers who depend on rubber cultivation for their livelihoods. They intimidate workers into paying 20,000 kyat (US $12.61) as a monthly tax for each rubber processing machine. Tatmadaw Battalion 53 has also confiscated wood from local villagers. They forced them to hand over planks of wood that they had logged in a neighbouring forest. Tatmadaw Battalion 53 subsequently used the wood to build their army camp...''
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication: 2018-12-17
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 356.26 KB
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Title: Beyond Panglong: Myanmar’s National Peace and Reform Dilemma - ပင်လုံအလွန် - မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ ပြည်တွင်းငြိမ်းချမ်းရေးနှင့် ပြုပြင်ပြောင်းလဲရေး အကျပ်အတည်း
Description: ''ပည်ထောင်စုငြိမ်းချမ်းရေး ညီလာခံဟုလည်းသိထားကြသည့် ၂၁ ရာစုပင်လုံညီလာခံကို ၁၉၄၇ ခုနှစ် နှောင်းပိုင်း မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၌ တစ်နိုင်ငံလုံးအတိုင်းအတာငြိမ်းချမ်းရေးနှင့် နိုင်ငံရေးပြုပြင်ပြောင်းလဲရေး လုပ်ငန်းများဖော်ဆောင်နိုင် စေရန်ကြိုးပမ်းသည့် စိတ်အားတက်ကြွဖွယ်ရာအကောင်းဆုံး တာထွက်ခြေလှမ်းတစ်ရပ်အနေဖြင့် ကြိုဆိုဂုဏ်ပြု ခဲ့ကြသည်။ ယခုအချိန်ထိ “နှစ်ဆယ့်တစ်ရာစုပင်လုံ” ညီလာခံကို နှစ်ကြိမ်တိုင်တိုင်ကျင်းပခဲ့ပြီးဖြစ်သည်။ အမျိုးသား ဒီမိုကရေစီအဖွဲ့ချုပ်ဦးဆောင်သည့် အစိုးရ၏ တိုင်းရင်းသားငြိမ်းချမ်းရေး ဦးစားပေးဆောင်ရွက်မှုနှင့်အတူ ဤအခင်း အကျင်းသည် ပျက်ပြယ်ပျောက်ဆုံးမသွားသင့်သည့် အမျိုးသားပြန်လည်သင့်မြတ်ရေးအတွက် နှစ်ရှည်လများလိုအပ် နေခဲ့သည့် အခွင့်အလမ်းတစ်ရပ်ပေါ်ပေါက်လာသည့် အခါသမယဖြစ်နေသည်။ • အမျိုးသားနိုင်ငံရေးနယ်ပယ်၌ တံခါးပွင့်လာသည့် အရေးပါသော တိုးတက်ဖြစ်ထွန်းမှု အခင်းအကျင်းသုံးရပ်ရှိနေ ပြီဖြစ်သည်။ ပထမအချက်အနေဖြင့် နိုင်ငံရေးပါတီကိုယ်စားလှယ်များ၊ အစိုးရစစ်တပ် (တပ်မတော်)၊ တိုင်းရင်းသား လက်နက်ကိုင်အဖွဲ့အစည်းများနှင့် အရပ်ဖက်လူမှုအဖွဲ့အစည်းများအပါအဝင် မတူကွဲပြားသည့် အကျိုးပတ်သက် ပါဝင်သူအသီးသီးမှ မိမိတို့၏ အမြင်သဘောထားအမျိုးမျိုးကို ထုတ်ဖော်ပြောဆိုခွင့် ရရှိလာခြင်းဖြစ်သည်။ ဒုတိယ အနေဖြင့် ထိုကဲ့သို့သော အထင်ကရရှိသည့် စြင်္ကန်မျိုးကို ပြန်လည်အသက်သွင်းခြင်းက နိုင်ငံတော်ပြုပြင်ပြောင်းလဲ ရာ၌အဓိကသော့ချက်နှစ်ခုဖြစ်သည့် လွှတ်တော်နှင့် တိုင်းရင်းသားငြိမ်းချမ်းရေးတို့ကို လမ်းကြောင်း တစ်ခုတည်း၌ ပေါင်းစည်းလာနိုင်စေမည့် အလားအလာမျိုးကို ဖန်တီးပေးလျက်ရှိသည်။ တတိယအနေဖြင့် ဖက်ဒရယ်စနစ်ကို ဦးတည်၍ ပြုပြင်ပြောင်းလဲရန်လိုအပ်မှုကို အများပြည်သူမှ ကျယ်ကျယ်ပြန့်ပြန့်ထောက်ခံသဘောတူလာခြင်းဖြစ်သည်။...''
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of publication: 2017-09-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ), English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.4 MB
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Title: Economic corridor with China key to Myanmar’s peace process
Description: ''Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi was appointed the chairperson of a panel to oversee Belt and Road initiative (BRI) projects on December 7. The steering committee with Vice President U Myint Swe, ministers, and regional chief ministers as members aims to implement the joint establishment of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) under BRI. The committee not only signals the importance Myanmar attaches to BRI, but also demonstrates that the CMEC is an important part of the comprehensive strategic cooperation between China and Myanmar. Such cooperation includes better control over the northern Myanmar situation and maintenance of peace and stability on the border between Myanmar and China through which the CMEC will pass. Construction of the corridor will help regional stability and could also be a key to breaking the logjam in the peace process...''
Creator/author: Ge Hongliang
Source/publisher: College of ASEAN Studies via "Global Times"
Date of publication: 2018-12-20
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Implementation of Burma’s Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Land Management Law: At Odds with the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and Peace Negotiations
Description: ''Hundreds of civil society organizations are mobilizing in opposition to the government’s implementation of the VFV Land Law due to the expectation that the law will facilitate land grabbing and land conflict. One statement explains that the VFV Land Management Central Committee’s notification of 30 October 2018 requires that anyone using the VFV land register receives permission to continue using the land.2 This requirement creates serious uncertainties for a large portion of Myanmar’s population. If they do register their land, they will lose their historical and traditional rights to it, instead receiving a 30-year use permit. If they do not register the land, they risk eviction or penalties of imprisonment for two years and/or a 500,000 kyats fine. The government has reportedly estimated that 45 million acres qualify as VFV land, 82% of which is in the ethnic nationality states, threatening the livelihoods and survival of an unknown number of persons throughout the country.3 CSOs have pointed out the ways that the VFV Land Law will threaten pre-existing land tenure, will facilitate land grabbing, and will cause land conflicts to increase.4 Three hundred and forty-six organizations signed onto a statement saying, “Instead of accepting and enacting this law, the fundamental priority must instead be to effectively recognize customary practices and communal land rights, and to safeguard the interest of the peoples depending on land.”5 This statement and a recent statement by internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Kachin and northern Shan States point out that the law will negatively affect persons displaced by conflict, who already face challenges in holding on to their ancestral lands...''
Creator/author: Jason Gelbort
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of publication: 2018-12-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Title: BUILDING OF NEW MILITARY CAMPS IN KARENNI STATE DURING LATEST CEASEFIRE RAISES SUSPICIONS THAT BURMA ARMY IS PREPARING FOR WAR
Description: ''On December 21, 2018, the Burmese Commander-in-Chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing announced a unilateral ceasefire in five regional command areas, including the Eastern Command area which covers Karenni State. However, the Burma Army has built four new military camps in Karenni State since the ceasefire announcement, raising suspicions among local communities that they are preparing for renewed war, not peace. On December 23, 2018, 20 soldiers from LIB 54 led by the second battalion commander moved into Daw Pu village, Daw Pu village tract of Demawso township and built a new army camp there. The village administrator (headman) wrote a complaint letter to the township administrator but there has been no response to it. On December 24, 2018, 20 soldiers from Mawchi-based LIB 428 led by second battalion commander Aye Chan Soe came in and built a new camp at Nat Ye Thweh Pauk (Bo Than Win Gone), five miles away from Htoo Chat timber storage ground in Pasaung township. On January 3, 2019, 60 soldiers from LIB 337 based in Bawlake town combined with the troops from the new camp in Nat Ye Thweh Pauk patrolled along the west of the road between Loikaw and Mawchi. On January 1, 2019, 20 soldiers from Burma Army LIB 429 led by battalion commander Han Win Tun came in and built a new camp near Daw Wiraw village and Thiri Dah village in Shadaw township. Villagers have collectively sent a protest letter to their MP, but no action has been taken in this matter. On January 7, 2019, 30 soldiers from Bawlake-based LIB 337 led by Battalion commander Zaw Myo Tun came into the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) area and built a new camp at Nam Mahn Kee in Mae Set township saying that they would temporarily base themselves there for only three months...''
Source/publisher: Karenni Civil Society Network via Progressive Voice
Date of publication: 2019-01-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 299.09 KB 1.14 MB
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Title: BUILDING OF NEW MILITARY CAMPS IN KARENNI STATE... - နောက်ဆုံးအပစ်အခတ်ရပ်စဲရေးပြုလုပ်စဉ် ကရင်နီပြည်နယ်အတွင်း စစ်တပ်စခန်းအသစ်များ တည်ဆောက်ခြင်းသည် မြန်မာစစ်တပ်မှ စစ်ရေးပြင်ဆင်မှုများပြုလုပ်နေကြောင်းကို သံသယများဖြစ်ပေါ်စေခြင်း
Description: ''နောက်ဆုံးအပစ်အခတ်ရပ်စဲရေးပြုလုပ်စဉ် ကရင်နီပြည်နယ်အတွင်း စစ်တပ်စခန်းအသစ်များ တည်ဆောက်ခြင်းသည် မြန်မာစစ်တပ်မှ စစ်ရေးပြင်ဆင်မှုများပြုလုပ်နေကြောင်းကို သံသယများဖြစ်ပေါ်စေခြင်း...''
Source/publisher: Karenni Civil Society Network via Progressive Voice
Date of publication: 2019-01-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf
Size: 1.25 MB
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Title: Implementation of Burma’s Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Land Management Law - မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ မြေလွတ်၊ မြေလပ်နှင့် မြေရိုင်းစီမံခန့်ခွဲရေးဥပဒေ အကောင်အထည်ဖော်မှု၊ တစ်နိုင်ငံလုံးအပစ်အခတ်ရပ်စဲရေးနှင့် ငြိမ်းချမ်းရေးညှိနှိုင်းဆွေးနွေးမှု အလားအလာ
Description: ''ငြိမ်းချမ်းရေး တိုးတက်ဖြစ်ထွန်းမှုကို အထောက်အကူပြုရန်အတွက် လူထုလူတန်းစားများ၏ မြေ ယာရပိုင်ခွင့်အခွင့်အရေးများကို မဖြစ်မနေအကာအကွယ်ပေးရမည်။ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်အစိုးရ၏ မြေယာမူဝါဒအပေါ် ချဉ်းကပ်မှုပုံစံသည် မြေယာပဋိပက္ခများ တိုးပွားလာ စေပြီး တရားဝင်ငြိမ်းချမ်းရေး စေ့စပ်ညှိနှိုင်းရာ၌ လက်ရှိကြုံတွေ့ရလျက်ရှိသည့် စိန်ခေါ်မှုများကို ပိုမို ဖိတ်ခေါ်လျက်ရှိသည်။ အရပ်ဖက်လူမှုအဖွဲ့အ စည်းများကလည်း လတ်တလောပြင်ဆင်ခဲ့သည့် မြေလွတ်၊ မြေလပ်နှင့် မြေရိုင်းစီမံခန့်ခွဲရေးဥပဒေ (VFV မြေယာဥပဒေ)ကို အကောင်အထည်ဖော်ခြင်းဖြင့် ကျေးလက်နေလူထုလူတန်းစားများကို ၎င်းတို့၏ ဘိုးဘွားပိုင်နယ်မြေများမှ နေရပ်စွန့်ခွာတိမ်းရှောင်ရစေပြီး ဓလေ့ထုံးတမ်းဆိုင်ရာ မြေယာ ရပိုင်ခွင့်အခွင့်အရေးများ ချိနှဲ့အားနည်းသွားစေရန် တွန်းအားပေးလိမ့်မည်ဟူသည့် ကြောင်းကျိုးဆီ လျော်သည့် စိုးရိမ်ပူပန်မှုပေါ်အခြေခံ၍ အကောင်အထည်ဖော်မှုကို အပြင်းအထန်ကန့်ကွက်လျက် ရှိသည်။ 1 နေပြည်တော်၏ ဥပဒေပြုပြင်ပြောင်းလဲမှုသည် လက်ရှိငြိမ်းချမ်းရေးလုပ်ငန်းစဉ်၏ ရည် မှန်းချက်နှင့် တစ်နိုင်ငံလုံးအပစ်အခတ်ရပ်စဲရေးသဘောတူစာချုပ်(NCA)ပါ ကတိကဝတ်များနှင့် ဆန့်ကျင်သွေဖယ်လျက်ရှိကြောင်း ဤအချက်က သက်သေပြလျက်ရှိသည်။ ထို့အပြင် NCA ၌ သ ဘောတူလက်မှတ် ရေးထိုးထားခြင်းမရှိသေးသည့် နယ်မြေဒေသပေါင်းများစွာလည်း ကျန်ရှိနေဆဲ ဖြစ်သည်။ ထို့ကြောင့် အစိုးရတစ်ရပ်အနေဖြင့် အပြောင်းအလဲဆီသို့ ဦးတည်ချဉ်းကပ်ရာ၌ မြေယာ ရပိုင်ခွင့် အခွင့်အရေးများကို ကာကွယ်စောင့်ရှောက်ပေးရန်နှင့် ငြိမ်းချမ်းရေးတိုးတက်ဖြစ်ထွန်းလာ စေမည့် ယုံကြည်မှုတိုးတက်ခိုင်မာလာအောင် တည်ဆောက်သွားရန် မဖြစ်မနေလိုအပ်ပါသည်။...''
Creator/author: Jason Gelbort
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of publication: 2019-01-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ), English
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Title: Army chief threatens to sue media groups over ‘false reports’
Description: "The Myanmar military is threatening to take legal action against media organizations that report “unverified” stories about security issues and armed conflicts, The Myanmar Times reported on Tuesday. The newspaper quoted an announcement from Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s armed forces, as saying that news about the military “should be published only after being verified by the ministers for Security and Border Affairs and General Staff colonels of military commands.” The announcement cited what it claimed were “false reports” about clashes between Palaung rebels and the military in northern Shan State on December 24, days after the military announced a four-month pause in fighting in the north...''
Creator/author: Bertil Lintner.
Source/publisher: Asia Times
Date of publication: 2019-01-02
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar: Reuters journalists’ rejected appeal perpetuates an appalling injustice
Description: “Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were convicted on trumped-up charges. The massacre that they were investigating at the time of their arrest has been admitted to by the Myanmar military, and a senior police officer testified in court that the two journalists were set up by the police. That officer was subsequently jailed but is awaiting release. “Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have spent more than a year in prison since their arrest in December 2017, separated from their family and their young children. “One day in prison was already an injustice. This appalling farce must end now. Myanmar authorities must release the two journalists immediately and unconditionally. They must also ensure that the people of Myanmar have the right to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, including by repealing or amending the oppressive laws that are used against journalists, activists and human rights defenders.”
Source/publisher: Amnesty International
Date of publication: 2019-01-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar: Rights Catastrophe Deepens
Description: ''(New York) – The Myanmar government committed grave abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other ethnic minorities throughout 2018, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2019. Democratic space diminished in the face of increasing government actions to stifle free speech and peaceful assembly. A United Nations investigation found that the Myanmar military had committed the “gravest crimes under international law” in operations in Rakhine, Kachin, and Shan States since 2011, calling for senior military officials to face investigation and prosecution for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes...''
Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch
Date of publication: 2019-01-17
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Trouble ahead, trouble behind for Myanmar
Description: "There was no shortage of bad news from Myanmar in 2018 and few foresee cause for new hope in the year ahead. The Rohingya refugee crisis, the possibility that Myanmar’s military leaders may be held to account on charges of genocide at the International Criminal Court, and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi’s fall from grace as a pro-democracy icon dominated international media coverage of the country. At the same time, the United States imposed limited sanctions on certain Myanmar military leaders for their roles in the abuse of Rohingya; the European Union contemplated whether to remove the country’s tariff-free access to the bloc for the same reason...''
Creator/author: Bertil Lintner
Source/publisher: Asia Times
Date of publication: 2018-12-28
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: UN Members Thwart China’s Bid to Gut Funds for Myanmar Probe
Description: ''United Nations member countries thwarted an attempt by China to slash proposed funding for investigations into Myanmar’s ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims. This ensures that a newly established UN body will have the necessary financing to gather and preserve criminal evidence for future trials. After marathon negotiations – during which China called for cutting the proposed budget in half – the UN General Assembly’s budget committee approved without a vote some US$28 million for investigations in Myanmar, only slightly less than the proposed US$29 million budget...''
Creator/author: Louis Charbonneau
Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch
Date of publication: 2018-12-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar Democracy: Small Steps on a Long Journey
Description: ''For decades, Myanmar was governed by a small military elite, accused of acting solely in their own interests. The introduction of a new constitution in 2008 was a dramatic and significant development, creating 14 new state and region governments and parliaments and the promise of democratic participation by a more diverse range of actors. At its heart, democratization in Myanmar means transforming a top-down, autocratic regime into a system that is responsive to the needs and aspirations of democratic constituencies at many levels—local, regional, and national—and establishing effective mechanisms of public administration to achieve them. The creation of the state and region governments thus marks the beginning of a process of decentralization with vast potential for greater participation by citizens and greater responsiveness to regional and local needs. On October 31, The Asia Foundation published a new edition of its flagship report, State and Region Governments in Myanmar, reflecting on five years of progress in Myanmar’s decentralization. The report finds both challenges ahead and grounds for cautious optimism, with encouraging signs of increasing accountability, responsiveness to local needs, and greater public participation in governance...''
Creator/author: Richard Batcheler
Source/publisher: Asia Foundation
Date of publication: 2018-11-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Analysis: Arakan Army - A Powerful New Threat to the Tatmadaw
Description: ''YANGON—More than nine years after it was formed by 26 Arakanese (Rakhine) youths, the Arakan Army (AA) today is a 7000-member strong army which is gaining progress in its bid to establish a stronghold in its homeland, Rakhine State. Hundreds of AA troops launched a coordinated attack on four border guard police outposts in Buthidaung Township on Friday. Only after the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) sent reinforcements and attacked from the air, the AA troops retreated. Thirteen police were killed in the attack during which the AA abducted 18 police and their family members who they later released. The conflict plays out as Myanmar comes under growing pressure from the international community regarding the exodus of Rohingya from northern Rakhine State into Bangladesh following brutal military clearance operations spurred by serial attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on a number of police outposts in August 2017...''
Source/publisher: The Irrawaddy
Date of publication: 2019-01-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Arakan Army denies ARSA link
Description: The Arakan Army has denied that it is allied with a Rohingya Muslim terrorist group and objected to a Myanmar government spokesman’s warning to its supporters not to back the insurgent group after it conducted deadly attacks on police outposts in northern Rakhine state last week, RFA reported. At a news conference on Monday, President’s Office spokesman Zaw Htay accused the AA of having ties to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Muslim terrorist group that in August 2017 launched deadly assaults on 30 police outposts and an army base in northern Rakhine state. In a statement on its website and Facebook page, the AA said Zaw Htay’s statements were inappropriate, viewing them as an attempt by the government and the military to stir up misunderstanding between the Arakan military group’s allies and ethnic Rakhine support base.
Source/publisher: Mizzima
Date of publication: 2019-01-09
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar Vows to Crush Arakan Army, Urges Locals to Cut Support
Description: ''Myanmar’s leaders on Monday vowed to “crush” an insurgency in western Rakhine state by the Arakan Army (AA), demanding that ethnic Rakhines end support for the armed group that killed 13 policeman in coordinated attacks during the country’s Independence Day last week. Zaw Htay, director general of President Win Myint's office, said Myanmar’s de facto leader State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi discussed the AA’s attacks during a meeting on national security held with the president, military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and other cabinet members. “The president’s office has instructed the military to launch an operation to crush the terrorists,” he told a news conference in the capital Naypyidaw. “The Myanmar government has denounced the AA as a terrorist organization and ordered the military to implement effective counter-insurgency measures against it,” he said. Zaw Htay also said that the AA’s attacks were a “stab in the back” and that political differences divisions should be resolved through discussion. On Friday, Myanmar’s Independence Day, members of the AA used both light and heavy weapons to attack four police outposts in Buthidaung township, killing 13 officers and injuring nine others. Zaw Htay accused the AA of having ties to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Muslim militant group that in August 2017 launched deadly assaults on 30 police outposts and an army base in northern Rakhine state, triggering a brutal military crackdown that killed thousands and drove more than 725,000 Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh...''
Source/publisher: Radio Free Asia
Date of publication: 2019-01-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar’s Arakan Army Denies Link to Muslim Militant Group in Rakhine State
Description: ''The Arakan Army on Tuesday denied that it is allied with a Rohingya Muslim militant group and objected to a Myanmar government spokesman’s warning to its supporters not to back the insurgent group after it conducted deadly attacks on police outposts in northern Rakhine state last week. Coordinated assaults by the AA on four police outposts in Buthidaung township on Jan. 4 left 13 policemen dead and injured nine others. The rebel force said it lost three of its soldiers in the violence. At a news conference on Monday, President’s Office spokesman Zaw Htay accused the AA of having ties to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Muslim militant group that in August 2017 launched deadly assaults on 30 police outposts and an army base in northern Rakhine state, triggering a brutal military crackdown that killed thousands and drove more than 725,000 Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh. In a statement on its website and Facebook page, the AA said Zaw Htay’s statements were inappropriate, viewing them as an attempt by the government and the military to stir up misunderstanding between the Arakan military group’s allies and ethnic Rakhine support base. AA commander-in-chief Major General Tun Myat Naing also posted an online message that the AA does not have any connection to ARSA...''
Source/publisher: Radio Free Asia
Date of publication: 2019-01-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: 'Panic' grips Rohingya as Myanmar army battles Buddhist rebels
Description: ''Frequent clashes between Myanmar security forces and Buddhist rebels in Rakhine state have spread alarm among thousands of Rohingya refugees living in no-man's-land on the country's border with Bangladesh, as concerns grow over the intensified fighting. More than 730,000 members of the mostly Muslim minority have fled Myanmar to escape a brutal military-led crackdown that started in 2017. Most of the Rohingya have taken shelter in sprawling refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh but some have been living in limbo on the border, unwilling to enter the settlements or return home...''
Source/publisher: Aljazeera
Date of publication: 2019-01-09
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Constitution-Making and Peace Process Stagnation in Myanmar: Will a conditional clause help restore confidence in the 21st Century Panglong - မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ တိုးတက်မှုဆိတ်သုဉ်းလျက်ရှိသည့် ငြိမ်းချမ်းရေးလုပ်ငန်းစဉ်နှင့် ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံ အခြေခံဥပဒေ တည်ဆောက်ရေး
Description: မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ အမျိုးသားအဆင့် ငြိမ်းချမ်းရေး စေ့စပ်ဆွေးနွေးမှုလုပ်ငန်းစဉ်သည် ရှေ့ဆက်မရွေ့ဘဲ တိုးတက်မှုဆိတ်သုဉ်း နေဆဲဖြစ်သည်။ ၁၄ လခန့် နှောင့်နှေးကြန့်ကြာသွားပြီးနောက် အနည်းငယ်အပြုသဘောဆောင်သည့် အရွေ့ကို ဆောင် ကျဉ်းမည့် ရည်ရွယ်ချက်ဖြင့် တတိယအကြိမ်မြောက် “ပြည်ထောင်စုငြိမ်းချမ်းရေး ညီလာခံ- ၂၁ ရာစုပင်လုံ(UPC-21CP)” ကို ယခုနှစ် ဇူလိုင်လလယ်၌ နေပြည်တော်တွင် စီစဉ်ကျင်းပခဲ့သည်။ ထိုသို့ ကျင်းပခဲ့လင့်ကစား အဓိကကျသည့် နိုင်ငံရေး တွေ့ဆုံဆွေးနွေးမှု၊ လုံခြုံရေးကဏ္ဍပြုပြင်ပြောင်းလဲရေး၊ သယံဇာတအရင်းအမြစ်ခွဲဝေသုံးစွဲရေးနှင့် တိုင်းရင်းသားများ၏ ကိုယ်ပိုင်ပြဋ္ဌာန်းပိုင်ခွင့် အခွင့်အရေးကဲ့သို့သော ကိစ္စရပ်များပါဝင်မှုမရှိခဲ့ပေ။ တကယ်တမ်း၌ ၂၀၀၈ ခုနှစ် ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအခြေခံ ဥပဒေအတွင်း ထည့်သွင်းပြဋ္ဌာန်းထားပြီးဖြစ် သည့် သာမညောင်ညကိစ္စ(၁၄)ရပ်ကိုသာ ဆွေးနွေးသဘောတူနိုင်ခဲ့ကြသည်။ အဆိုပါအချက်များကို ယမန်နှစ် UPC-21CP အစည်းအဝေး၌ တစ်စိတ်တစ်ပိုင်း သဘောတူလက်မှတ်ရေးထိုးခဲ့ကြသည့် “ပြည်ထောင်စု သဘောတူညီချက်”အတွင်း ထည့်သွင်းပေါင်းစပ်ခဲ့ကြသည်။ ၂၀၀၈ ခုနှစ် ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအခြေခံဥပဒေကဲ့သို့ပင် ပြည်ထောင်စုသဘောတူညီချက်နှင့် ပတ်သက်သည့် အသေးစိတ် အချက်အ လက်များသည်လည်း အလွန်ရှုပ်ထွေး၍ ဝိရောဓိဖြစ်နေဆဲဖြစ်သည်။ နယ်စပ်ဒေသတစ်လွှား၌ အာရှဒေသ၏ အရှည်ကြာ ဆုံးသော တိုင်းရင်းသားလက်နက်ကိုင်ပဋိပက္ခများ ဆက်လက်ဖြစ်ပွားလျက်ရှိသဖြင့် လက်ရှိအချိန်ထိ မြန်မာ့ငြိမ်းချမ်းရေး လုပ်ငန်းစဉ်ကြီး မည်သည့်အရပ်သို့ အမှန်တကယ်ဦးတည်လျက်ရှိကြောင်း သတ်မှတ်ဆုံးဖြတ်နိုင်ရန် အလွန်ခက်ခဲနေဆဲ ဖြစ်သည်။
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of publication: 2018-10-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: (Burmese မန်မာဘာသာ)
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Title: Constitution-Making and Peace Process Stagnation in Myanmar: Will a conditional clause help restore confidence in the 21st Century Panglong Conference?
Description: ''The national peace negotiation process in Myanmar is not working, and it is currently facing stagnation. After a 14-month delay, a third “Union Peace Conference—21st Century Panglong” (UPC-21CP) took place in Nay Pyi Taw in mid-July this year in a bid to convey a positive momentum. But, even then, core issues like political dialogue, security reform, natural resource-sharing and the ethnic right of self-determination were not included. Rather, only 14 subsidiary issues that are already covered in the 2008 constitution were discussed and agreed upon. They have now been added to a “Union Accord” that was partially inked at the previous UPC-21CP meeting last year. Like the 2008 constitution, the detail of the Union Accord remains a matter of deep controversy. Some of the longest-running ethnic conflicts in Asia are still continuing in several borderlands and, for the moment, it is very difficult to define in what direction Myanmar’s peace process is truly heading...''
Creator/author: Sai Wansai
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of publication: 2018-09-03
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: National Reconciliation and the Advancement of Peace in Myanmar - အမိုးသားရင်ကြားစေ့ရေးနွင့် ျမန္မာ့ငြိမ်းခ်မ်းရေးတိုးတက်ရေး ဆြေးနြေးပြဲ
Description: ''အက်ပ်အတည်း ျပဿနာ တစ္ခုကိုမွ နှိုးဆြျခင်းမျပုတဲ့ ကေ်ာင်းတော်၊ စိတ္မသက္မသာ မျဖစ်စေတဲ့ နှုတ္ကပတ်တော်၊ လူတစ်ယောက္ကိုမွ တနုံ့နုံ့နဲ့ မခံခိမခံသာ မျဖစ်စေတဲ့ ဘုရားရွင်ရဲ့ နှုတ္ကပတ်တ္တောစ္ခြန်း၊ အဲဒီစကားကို ြမြက်ကြားတဲ့နေရာ လူ့အသိုက်အဝန်းထဲမွာ တကယ်ရွိနေတဲ့ မေကာင်းမှုကို မထိမတို့တဲ့ နှုတ္ကပတ်တ္တောစ္ခြန်း၊ ဒါဟာ ဘယ္လို နှုတ္ကပတ်တ္မောိုးပါလိမ့်။'' ကက်သလစ် ဆရာတော်ကြီး အ္စောကာ ရိုမားရို၊ အယ္လ္ဆာဗေဒါ နိုင်ငံ၊ ၁၆ ဧပြီ ၁၉၇၈ ကက်သလစ် ဆရာတော်ကြီး ရိုမားရို (ခုတော့ သူတ္စောင် အရွင်သူျမတ် စိန့်ရိုမားရို) ရဲ့စကားတြေဟာ သူေျပာခဲ့တဲ့ ၁၉၇၈ ခုနွစ္တုံးကလိုပဲ ခုခိန္ထိ ဝမ်းနည်းအားငယ္စရာကောင်းတဲ့ အမွန္တရားတစ္ခု ျဖစ်နေတုံးပါပဲ။ ကိုးကြယ်ယုံကြည္မှု ဘာသာတရားတြေဆိုတာ ကမ္ဘာလောကကြီးရဲ့ အခက်အခဲ ဒုက္ခေတြကေန ပုန်းရွောင္ဖို့ ထြက်ေျပးဖို့မဟုတ္ပါဘူး။ လူ့လောကရဲ့ လက်တြေ့ဘဝေတြထဲက အခက်အခဲဒုက္ခေတြကို နားလည္ဖို့၊ ကရုဏာအျပည့္နဲ့ တုံျပန်ေျဖရွင်းဖို့လို့ ကြျန္မနားလည္ထားပါတယ်။ ဒါကြောင့္မို့ ခုလို အကြံပေးအဖြဲ့ရဲ့ စီစဉ္မှုနဲ့ ဘာသာပေါင်းစုံ စုဖြဲ့ပြီး ဒီဆြေးနြေးပြဲမွာ ပါဝင္ခြင့်ရကြတာဟာ ဝမ်းေျမာက္စရာ အခြင့္ထူးတစ်ရပ္ပဲ ျဖစ္ပါတယ်။...''
Creator/author: Lahpai Seng Raw
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of publication: 2018-12-05
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Title: National Reconciliation and the Advancement of Peace in Myanmar
Description: "The necessity of peace by political means, inclusive of all nationalities and faiths within the Union. A church that doesn’t provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, a word of God that doesn’t get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn’t touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed – what gospel is that? -Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador 16 April 1978- The words of Archbishop Oscar Romero are as poignant today as when first spoken in 1978. Faith does not mean shying away or hiding from the challenges of the world. It means being responsive, compassionate and understanding in the front-line challenges of human life. It is thus a wonderful opportunity for inter-faith dialogue that the Advisory Forum has provided by organising for us all to join together in this forum. I am a Kachin woman from northern Myanmar and was raised as a Christian, as are many Kachin people. Like all co-founders of the Union, the hope of the Kachin people is always for peace and justice. This sentiment for peace and justice was strong in the 1947 Panglong Agreement, again during the transition to independence, and even when armed struggle became prolonged between different forces within the country. The Kachin people always believed that, eventually, there would be a peaceful resolution by political means, which would include all nationalities and faiths within the Union.''
Creator/author: Lahpai Seng Raw
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of publication: 2018-11-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Clash Summary: Chaos Reigned in Northern Shan State in September
Description: Chaos reigned in northern Shan State in September. A Burma Army commander threatened to kill everyone in Na Leng Village, the "Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and its armed wing, the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), has been fighting Kachin, Ta’ang, and other Shan ethnic armies, and Burma Army attacks are increasing post-rainy season. The result is civilians being injured and killed, caught in the middle of this total war. There were at least seven civilian and soldier deaths and 26 civilians and soldiers injured in military battles in September. This fighting has displaced more than 2,185 civilians in northern Shan State. The 26 military actions documented in September in Kachin and northern Shan states is a conservative account and one exclusive to Burma Army and ethnic armed organization (EAO) troop-on-troop engagements, not troop-on-civilian attacks. The military actions included three EAO landmine incidents and one account of a civilian injured by a landmine. The person stepped on a landmine while foraging in the jungle in Waingmaw Township. Elsewhere in Waingmaw, the Burma Army laid landmines in three villages, displacing the remaining households and leaving the villages uninhabitable..."
Source/publisher: Free Burma Rangers
Date of publication: 2018-10-15
Date of entry/update: 2018-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar: Quash Conviction of Kachin Activists
Description: ''(Bangkok) – Myanmar authorities should quash the convictions of three ethnic Kachin activists found guilty of defaming the military, Human Rights Watch said today. Zau Jat, Lum Zawng, and Nang Pu were each sentenced to six months in prison and a 500,000 kyat (US$320) fine on December 7, 2018, for raising the plight of civilians trapped by fighting between the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s armed forces, and a Kachin armed group. “The Tatmadaw is once again using criminal defamation laws to punish those who criticize its actions,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director. “By filing charges against activists who simply urged help for civilians trapped by fighting, Myanmar’s military shows its unwillingness to curtail serious abuses.”...''
Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch
Date of publication: 2018-12-08
Date of entry/update: 2018-12-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Little trust, little hope for Myanmar’s faltering peace try
Description: ''When Karen National Union (KNU) representatives held an emergency meeting earlier this month at their jungle headquarters along the Thai-Myanmar border, the ethnic group’s leaders weighed their continued participation in the government’s peace process. The KNU, along with its armed wing the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), have battled against the central government since 1949 – a year after the country achieved independence from British colonial rule – marking one of the world’s longest-running civil wars. So when the KNU agreed to accede to a previous military-backed government’s so-called Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in 2015, the pause in hostilities lent the peace initiative a degree of credibility while wars still raged with other ethnic armed groups across the country...''
Creator/author: Brian Mccarian
Source/publisher: "Asia Times"
Date of publication: 2018-11-30
Date of entry/update: 2018-12-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar’s ex-junta chief resurfaces as conciliator
Sub-title: Senior General Than Shwe reemerges from retirement to cajole Pa-O ethnic group amid a faltering peace process
Description: "Myanmar’s former military strongman, Senior General Than Shwe, has resurfaced after falling from public view, sparking speculation that he may aim to play a role in the country’s stuttering peace process. According to a November 30 report in the local The Irrawaddy, the now retired military officer who served as chairman of the then ruling junta from 1992 to 2011 met recently with a delegation of ethnic Pa-O leaders at his home in the capital Naypyitaw. In the meeting, he reportedly urged them to devote themselves to building roads and educating their children. The Pa-O delegation was headed by Aung Kham Hti, leader of the Pa-O National Organization, which entered into a ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar military in 1991 and has since maintained a self-administered zone south of the Shan state capital of Taunggyi..."
Creator/author: Bertil Lintner
Source/publisher: "Asia Times"
Date of publication: 2018-12-01
Date of entry/update: 2018-12-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: KNU say NCA is a good way for peace-26-11-2018 တၢ်မုာ်တၢ်ခုၣ်တၢ်လဲၤကျဲအဂီၢ် (NCA) အံၤ အဂ့ၤကတၢၢ်လီၤအဂ့ၢ် ဒူပျာ်ယာ်ကီၢ်ရ့ၣ်ခိၣ်စံး၀ဲ
Description: "ၢ်မုာ်တၢ်ခုၣ်တၢ်လဲၤကျဲအံၤအပူၤ ထံကီၢ်ဒီဘ့ၣ်တၢ်ပတုာ်တၢ်ခးအလံာ်ဃံးဃာ်(NCA)အံၤမ့ၢ်၀ဲကျဲအဂ့ၤကတၢၢ်တဘိ လၢကညီဒီကလုာ်အဂီၢ်လီၤအဂ့ၢ် ဒူပျာ်ယာ် ကီၢ်ရ့ၣ်ခိၣ်ပဒိၣ်စီၤရွ့ၣ်မီစံးလီၤ၀ဲဖဲ(ခ့ၣ်အဲၣ်ယူၣ်)ကညီဒီကလုာ်စၢဖှိၣ် ကရၢ ဒူပျာ်ယာ်ကီၢ်ရ့ၣ် ၀ီၢ်ရီကီၢ်ဆၣ် (၄)ဘျီတဘျီ တၢ်အိၣ်ဖှိၣ်ဖးဒိၣ် ဖဲနိၣ်၀့ဘၢၣ်၂၆သီအနံၤန့ၣ်လီၤႉ..."
Source/publisher: KIC (Karen Information Center)
Date of publication: 2018-11-28
Date of entry/update: 2018-12-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Sgaw Karen, Burmese(ျမန္မာဘာသာ)
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Title: Legal Analysis Statement Regarding the Meeting to Mark the Three-year Anniversary of the Ceasefire Agreement
Description: "1. Currently, Burma is in a dilemma over how to tackle the peace related issues, including the meeting ? to be attended by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, State Counsellor Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi and leaders of the 10 ceasefire signatory groups ? which has been scheduled to be held in Nay Pyi Daw on October 15. Unless the accountability issue, arisen out of the commission of heinous crimes committed against Rohingyas peoples and other ethnic nationalities in Rakhine, Kachin, Shan and Karenni States,1 is addressed in those so-called ?deadlock-breaking? peace talks, now and in future, genuine peace will never be achieved. 2. In the World Economic Forum, being convened in Hanoi, Vietnam, Oct 11 to 13, 2018, Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi didn?t answer directly to the moderator?s question on Rohingyas? plight whether the military had handled that issue well. She, nevertheless, responded indirectly by dividing the accountabilities between the military and her elected civilian government: for the former, she used the term, ?military aspect of operation?; and, for the latter, she highlighted by saying, ?from political aspect, the government has to take responsibility.” 3. According to that explication, it implies that Mrs. Aung San Suu and her government will not take any accountability for the military which launched military operation from military aspect. It is also conspicuous that in regard to accountability of the abovementioned heinous crimes Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi has kept a distance from the military. Only when she stands so, however, accountability issue cannot be circumvented..."
Source/publisher: Legal Aid Network (LAN) via "Progressive Voice"
Date of publication: 2018-10-14
Date of entry/update: 2018-10-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: YOU CANNOT IGNORE US: VICTIMS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
Description: "(Yangon ? 16 October, 2018) Victims of human rights violations desire government reparations and deserve to see justice for what they have suffered, said the Reparations Working Group initiated by the Network for Human Rights Documentation Burma (ND-Burma) in a new report released today. The report, which is the first ever needs assessment of victims of human rights violations in Burma, offers preliminary recommendations for action that must be taken for victims of human rights violations to rebuild their lives, including justice and accountability for the abuses they have suffered and guarantees of non-recurrence. The new report, You cannot ignore us: Victims of human rights violations from 1970 ? 2017 outline their desires for justice, is based on interviews with 170 individuals in 11 states and regions. The cases present the testimonies of survivors from Burma?s 70-year civil war, former political prisoners, and land grab victims. The majority of interviewees have experienced either the repression of the 1988 student-led protests against the military-run Burmese Socialist Programme Party, the military operation during the 1991 Bogalay crisis in Irrawaddy Region, or the ongoing armed conflict in northern Shan and Kachin states. Victims and their families have suffered a range of human rights violations, including arbitrary arrest, torture, killing, disappearance, rape, forced relocation, and arbitrary taxation..."
Source/publisher: ND-Burma via "Progressive Voice"
Date of publication: 2018-10-16
Date of entry/update: 2018-10-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: BURMA/MYANMAR: Ongoing attacks against civilians and faltering peace process
Description: "In March 2018, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, expressed concern that the peace process was ?losing its momentum.” Ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) stated this was largely due to a lack of trust in the Tatmadaw - the Burmese military - who continue to impede peace talks, flout provisions of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), commit human rights abuses, and violate international law.1 Meanwhile, the government?s attacks on press freedom and human rights defenders who document these abuses ? see Attacks on the media section below ? ensures that a culture of impunity can continue to flourish. The establishment of genuine justice mechanisms to achieve accountability for past and ongoing crimes against ethnic minorities, as well as security sector and constitutional reforms to prevent recurrence, are critical to achieving durable peace in Myanmar. Until then, the Tatmadaw will remain the single largest impediment to peace in Burma, and serious rights violations, atrocity crimes and conflict will continue..."
Source/publisher: Altsean-Burma, FIDH, "Progressive Voice"
Date of publication: 2018-10-18
Date of entry/update: 2018-10-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 146.81 KB
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Title: A vision for war without end in Myanmar
Description: "As the dust settles on one of the Myanmar military?s broadest counterinsurgency campaigns in decades, it is clear that its war in the country?s rugged north against the rebel Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has escalated sharply as military casualties mount and thousands more internally displaced persons (IDPs) are driven from their homes. The onset of the rains this month will reduce the tempo of the conflict as cloud cover impedes air strikes and troop and equipment movement along minor roads becomes more difficult. However, the manner in which the war is now changing as the KIA regroups and reassesses its shrinking strategic options guarantees all but guarantees sustained bitter fighting in the months ahead..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Asia Times"
Date of publication: 2018-05-30
Date of entry/update: 2018-10-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: From War to Peace in Kayah (Karenni) State A Land at the Crossroads in Myanmar
Description: "Conflict resolution has long been essential for peace and stability in Burma/Myanmar.1 But for the country?s non-Bamar (Burman) peoples, who constitute over a third of the population, the need is especially urgent. Over the decades, most fighting has taken place in ethnic minority borderlands, and the local populations have long suffered the most from state failure, political marginalisation and military rule. Kayah State, historically known as ?Karenni State”, is a resonant example of the reform dilemmas that the ethnic nationality peoples in Myanmar now face. Although the country?s smallest state, it reflects many of the challenges in peace-building and socio-political transition that need resolution in Myanmar at large: political impasse, a multiplicity of conflict actors, contested natural resources, land grabbing, humanitarian suffering, and divided communities seeking to rebuild after more than six decades of civil war..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of publication: 2018-07-00
Date of entry/update: 2018-08-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Burma?s Dead-End Peace Negotiation Process: A Case Study of the Land Sector
Description: "It became undeniably clear that Burma?s peace negotiation process would not result in the establishment of "a new democratic federal union" following the second 21st Century Panglong Conference1 (21CPC), held in May 2017. The objective of the 2nd 21CPC was to create a forum where representatives of the Burma Army, also known as the Tatmadaw, Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs), political parties, government, parliament and other stakeholders could negotiate a set of principles to guide the formation of a democratic federal union. This briefer analyses the peace negotiation process using dialogue over land management powers as a case study, by tracing original demands and negotiations related to land from the Karen ethnic-level national political dialogues held in January 2017 up to the 21CPC in May 2017. The land policy principles ?agreed” during the 2nd 21CPC contradict the recommendations developed through Karen national-level political dialogues, which clearly called for local ownership and state land management powers..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Karen Peace Support Network
Date of publication: 2018-07-00
Date of entry/update: 2018-08-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: ETHNIC COMMUNITIES? RECURRENT NIGHTMARE
Description: "The indigenous peoples of conflict-affected Mutraw District of northern Karen State, where a Myanmar[1] Army offensive has displaced over 2,000 people in recent weeks, have implored State Counsellor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to act to stop the violence. In a statement, the leaders of 16 indigenous Karen communities conveyed the suffering that they have experienced, not just in recent weeks, but throughout many decades of the Myanmar Army?s abuse. This was reiterated by a statement coming out of the Third Karen Women?s Seminar that called for the end of military operations in Karen areas. The Indigenous Karen Village Leaders? statement comes after the Myanmar Army violated terms of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) and entered Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) territory in order to rebuild a road. Over 2,000 people are displaced due to the subsequent fighting and hundreds more are living in fear. Building the road is significant, as it is part of a strategy to enhance the Myanmar Army?s political, economic and military power in the area which was previously inaccessible before the signing of the ceasefire. The Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN) has pointed out in an earlier statement, that ?roads allow the military to bring heavy weapons into Karen areas, and villagers are often in danger of being shot near these roads despite the ceasefire.” To make matters worse, a proposed meeting between the KNLA and the Myanmar Army to discuss and attempt to resolve the situation was cancelled by the Myanmar Army, allegedly because the KNLA?s Brigade 5 Commander ? the area in which the conflict has taken place ? was not going to attend. This is despite the fact that the meeting was supposed to be attended by the Military Affairs Negotiation Team which was established by the Karen National Union ? the political wing of the KNLA ? exactly to deal with matters related to the NCA..."
Source/publisher: Progressive Voice
Date of publication: 2018-04-05
Date of entry/update: 2018-04-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Wa Political Parties Call for Government to Lift Travel Curbs on Their People
Description: "Two Wa political parties have asked the government to allow their people to move freely in northern Shan State after authorities blocked members of the ethnic group from traveling to Kyaingtong and Tachilek. Ethnic Wa in the two major towns have also been stopped from returning to their homes near Pangsang Township. Meanwhile, ethnic Wa students who have just finished exams at government schools have also been prevented from going back to their homelands, according to a joint statement released by the Wa Democracy Party and the Wa National Unity Party. ?Blocking them from traveling benefits no one. We are asking the government to let our civilians travel,” said Nyi Palote, chairman of the Wa National Unity Party..."
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Source/publisher: Reuters via "The Irrawaddy"
Date of publication: 2018-02-23
Date of entry/update: 2018-02-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Remembering Nay Win Maung, year after year
Description: "anuary the 1st is a special day for most people. It is a good time to think of the ones you love, and a good opportunity to let them know your love for them. In fact, it has become a day to extend good wishes to everyone you know. While it is true in every family, there is one very special family for which this is particularly true in Myanmar: the Egress family. Every year, on that day, we remember Dr Nay Win Maung, who passed away six years ago in the first hours of 2012. Indeed, to those of us who worked for Myanmar Egress, a civil society organization that had been a training center and a think tank since 2006, his memory seems like it can never fade away. His last year, of 2011, had been a crazy year for Myanmar Egress, as it had been for Myanmar in general. In fact, as this post argues, the two were intimately related, and what happened at Egress closely mirrored what happened in the country at large, or vice-versa..."
Creator/author: Mael Raynaud
Source/publisher: TEACIRCLEOXFORD
Date of publication: 2018-01-02
Date of entry/update: 2018-01-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Peace and nation-building in Myanmar
Description: "Inclusion, understanding, autonomy, conflict and poverty ? often far from the reach of the state — reflect just some of the challenges, as opportunities and progress, linked to the emergence of an inclusive national identity in Myanmar. They were also the focus of an excellent panel discussion as part of the 2017 Myanmar Update hosted by the Australian National University on 17-18 February. Cecile Medail, PhD Candidate at the University of New South Wales, began the panel with a look at the grassroots voices of Mon people in forming an inclusive national identity in Myanmar. The challenges of national identity during transition, and particularly for minority communities, were noted..."
Creator/author: James T Davies
Source/publisher: "New Mandala"
Date of publication: 2017-03-24
Date of entry/update: 2017-12-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Why Myanmar?s ethnic minorities lose faith in federalism and peace
Description: "In May 2017, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi invited representatives from across her deeply divided nation to a new round of peace talks. About 1400 delegates from government, parliament, military, political parties, civil society and ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) attended the meeting that covered political, social, economic, military and environmental issues. Unsurprisingly, a binding agreement on the most fundamental issue, the nature of federal power-sharing mechanisms between the country?s ethnic groups, remained elusive. The most controversial negotiation point at the meeting was the issue of ?non-secessionism”. Fearing the disintegration of Myanmar, government officials insisted on inserting the term in any final agreement. Representatives of most EAOs officially reject secessionist aims and commit to finding a negotiated federal settlement. Against the background of a decades-long civil war, however, many feel that the option of self-determination should be retained as a matter of last resort. Importantly, the negotiation positions of EAO leaders cannot be understood in isolation from wider societal trends. This is because many of Myanmar?s ethnic insurgencies are strongly dependent on local support among ethnic minority communities. In fact, the organisations are inextricable parts of larger ethnonational projects. While some EAO leaders have demonstrated considerable willingness to compromise with the government, the perspective of their movement?s grassroots has often become more intransigent..."
Creator/author: David Brenner
Source/publisher: ??New Mandala??
Date of publication: 2017-08-03
Date of entry/update: 2017-12-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Resolving the Northern Stalemate is the Key to Peace in Myanmar
Description: "Angshuman Choudhury considers options for the government in engaging with a new ethnic umbrella group...On 11-12 November, a delegation of senior government officials led by the Union Minister for Border Affairs, Lt-Gen Ye Aung, met with members of Myanmar?s largest Ethnic Armed Organisation (EAO), the United Wa State Army (UWSA), and its smaller ally, the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA, also known as the Mongla Army), in the de facto Wa capital of Pangkham and Mongla Special Region-4, respectively. A large part of the discussions involved each party laying on the table their agenda for the ongoing ethnic peace process. This was a much-awaited icebreaker that came months after failed attempts by Naypyidaw to arrange talks with the northern groups that continue to dismiss the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA) ? the foundation of the current peace process? and flag their alternate framework for dialogue under a new alliance of seven non-ceasefire EAOs, known as the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC). The discussions that transpired indicate how differently the northern groups perceive the peace process and the federal imagination as compared to the union centres of power. Clearly, the FPNCC is a fresh challenge for the government, and could decisively stymie the already jittery relationship between the civilian government of State Counsellor (SC) Aung San Suu Kyi, the Tatmadaw (military), and the non-ceasefire EAOs. Insofar as the union government?s agenda for ethnic reconciliation is concerned, there is little doubt that the north, where the most powerful rebel armies operate, holds the key to a permanent negotiated settlement. There are few regions in the country where the need for de-escalation is as urgent as in the north, which has been ravaged by unprecedented levels of conflict for the past two years. Yet, the conditions for peace remain obscure as ever ? a point only reaffirmed by the recent meeting...What Happened At the Meeting? First, the FPNCC expressed that it wants to follow its own dialogue framework while the government and Tatmadaw insisted that all parties stick to the NCA. The two processes seem to be at serious loggerheads, especially in light of the recently-released FPNCC charter that proposes extensive devolution of powers to individual ?nations? within the Union? an agenda that radically challenges the centripetal sentiments of Naypyidaw?s ruling elite. There is little chance that the Tatmadaw would take up such a de-centralised model for discussion anytime soon. Second, the UWSA and NDAA insist that the government talk to them as a single group (i.e., as the FPNCC) along with the other EAOs, but the government/Tatmadaw side prefers individual meetings for reasons that are fairly obvious..."
Creator/author: Angshuman Choudhury
Source/publisher: teacircleoxford
Date of publication: 2017-11-28
Date of entry/update: 2017-12-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Beyond Panglong: Myanmar?s National Peace and Reform Dilemma
Description: KEY POINTS: • The 21 st Century Panglong Conference, also known as the Union Peace Conference, has been hailed as the most encouraging initiative to achieve countrywide peace and political reform in Myanmar since the Panglong Conference of February 1947. Two ?Panglong-21” meetings have been held so far. With the National League for Democracy government prioritising ethnic peace, this is a long-needed moment of opportunity for national reconciliation that should not be lost. • There have been three important advances in the landscape of national politics so far. First, different points of view could be expressed by a diversity of stakeholders, including representatives of political parties, the national armed forces (Tatmadaw), ethnic armed organisations and civil society groups. Second, the revival of such a symbolic platform raises the potential for the two key processes in national reform ? parliamentary and ethnic peace ? to be brought together on the same track. Third, there is broad agreement in public statements on the need for pro-federal reform. • Worrying failings, however, are beginning to appear, raising warning spectres from the country?s troubled past. Dating back to the Panglong Conference in 1947, each new era of government has witnessed new political initiatives to foster national peace, and all have been unsuccessful. This must not happen again. • Amidst urgent concerns: there is a lack of inclusion in the present peace process; Tatmadaw domination still continues; there is an over-reliance on the inconclusive Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement of ex-President Thein Sein; land-grabbing, natural resource exploitation and economic opportunism remain widespread; and military-first solutions are still being pursued in several parts of the country. Meanwhile civilian displacement and humanitarian suffering have not ended, highlighted by continuing emergencies in the Kachin, Rakhine and Shan States. • The international response to Myanmar?s ethnic challenges is divided. Western governments have backed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement as the road to peace; the NLD-led administration has reduced cooperation with United Nations? mediation; and China is seeking to take on the leading international role. Concerned by instability along its border, China recognises that a majority of ethnic armed organisations have been marginalised in the peace process to date. But, with major geo-political ambitions of its own, China?s involvement is only adding to uncertainties about Myanmar?s future direction. • A window of opportunity still remains. But, for genuine peace and national reform to be achieved, the 21 st Century Panglong must deliver a political destination of hope that includes all peoples rather than another cycle of failure in the country?s history of ethnic conflict. In one of the most ethnically-diverse countries in Asia, the present crises in Myanmar?s borderlands are not exceptions but long-standing examples of failures that lie at the heart of the modern-day state."
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of publication: 2017-09-21
Date of entry/update: 2017-10-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1 MB
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Title: Security integration in Myanmar - Past experiences and future visions
Description: "major developments in myanmar?s peace process have brought to the fore a critical debate about the future of the country?s security sector. In October 2015, the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw), which ruled the country for decades and retains significant political powers, signed a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with eight ethnic armed organisations (EAOs). The NCA is yet to be signed by more than ten other EAOs and so is still far from ?nationwide? in practice. Nonetheless, the deal is significant because it has committed all sides to undertaking political dialogue towards the establishment of a federal system of government, as long demanded by most EAOs but resisted by the Tatmadaw. Additionally, an agreement has been made regarding a dual process of security sector reform (SSR) and disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR), referred to in the NCA as ?security re-integration?. This raises important questions about what a transition from a de facto unitary structure to a more federal security structure in Myanmar would look like, and how EAOs might be incorporated into it..."
Creator/author: Kim Jolliffe, John Bainbridge, Ivan Campbell.
Source/publisher: Safer World
Date of publication: 2017-05-00
Date of entry/update: 2017-10-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 661.88 KB
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