Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations

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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 31 March, (536) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (15) fallen heroes today. (2) died on 31 March. (13) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 31, a total of (2729) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (38) are sentenced. A further (120) people have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Protests across Burma endure. In a crackdown near Nat Chaung village in Kalay township, Sagaing Region, a man was killed by headshot and eight injured. In Kyaukme Town, Shan State, there were no deaths although the strike was dispersed with rubber bullets and tear gas. In Thaketa township, Yangon Region, the junta shot guns prior to the strike and occupied the streets. This morning and afternoon, Yangon seemed calm but by the evening there was brutal violence. The pause in repression coincided with Clarissa Ward, international chief journalist of CNN, arriving in Burma to report on the unfolding situation. However, Clarissa Ward would find it difficult to receive accurate facts because she was followed by many military vehicles and armed soldiers. She would not get permission to report on a violent crackdown, at a concurrent time to the CNN reporters visit, the electricity was cut off in some townships in Yangon. As a result, information flow was also difficult. There was gunfire last night and two men were reportedly shot dead by the junta forces’ when military vehicles were blocked on the road leading to Kalay town from Gantgaw township, Magwe Region. Moreover, the terrorist forces shot unstoppably into Phawt Kan Ward in Insein township, Yangon Region at midnight today. Not only does the junta torture detainees day after day, but also they commit atrocities onto streets and into houses. Yesterday, junta forces threatened the face of a trishaw driver with a knife, his face was slashed more than an inch and wounds were visible. In Zabu Thiri township in Naypyitaw, a man was arrested on March 15. Yesterday it was reported his body was buried by the military and not returned to the family, who could visit the cremation but which was heavily controlled by the military. Intending to hide the injuries from torture is yet another serious violation of international law. Although it is a fundamental right to go on strike against a government and authorities should prevent torture, in Burma there is no such protections from torture since the illegitimate coup attempted by this terrorist junta. The junta raids safe zones, at about 2am today, Tat Lan Hospital in South Okkalapa township, Yangon Region, was raided and the staff beaten with police batons, kicked by military boots, slammed and punched. The junta perpetrators destroyed CCTV records in order to delete their criminal activity. Some Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) have now made statements against the coup. Consequently, clashes in ethnic regions have reignited, particularly so in Kachin and Kayin States. Residents there have been forced to flee from their homes and some were injured and even killed. During these times, the coup junta is taking the offensive with air strike bombings in KNU controlled areas. Six villagers from Htee Fado village in Saw Hti township, Nyaunglebin District, Bago Region were killed and a house in Khat Pe Khee village in Hpapun District, Karen State, burnt down. Moreover, Me Wine village was reportedly scattered with air strike bombings. In the current situation, the local residents including elderly people, those in ill health and children are forced to flee from their homes and villages and hide in the forest. They then face starvation and lack of medical treatment, villagers fleeing across borders face many further difficulties also. Amid a decades-long civil war, local ethnic people struggle to survive extreme human rights violations, peace is consumed by coup after coup, many lose their lives and livelihoods due to these conflicts. The fruits of peace can only be achieved if the military dictatorship ends..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: Five killed in Myanmar as troops open fire on protesters
Description: "Myanmar troops fired at anti-coup protesters on Wednesday, killing at least five people and wounding several, media said, as activists defied a bloody crackdown and internet blockade by the ruling junta. More than 580 people have been killed, according to an activist group, in the turmoil in Myanmar since a Feb. 1 coup that ended a brief period of civilian-led democracy. Nationwide protests and strikes have persisted since then despite the ruling military’s use of lethal force to quell the opposition. Security forces opened fire on Wednesday on protesters in the northwestern town of Kale as they demanded the restoration of Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, a resident told Reuters. News outlets cited witnesses saying there were casualties and repeated gunfire. The Mizzima and Irrawaddy news outlets said five people were killed and several wounded. The Kale resident said the information was provided to him by witnesses, who took pictures of five bodies. Reuters could not independently verify the toll. The mostly youth-led anti-coup movement’s ability to organise campaigns and share information via social media and instant messaging has been severely hamstrung by curbs on broadband wireless internet and mobile data services. Fixed-line services, which few in Myanmar have access to, are available. “Myanmar has been subject to a stepwise collapse into the information abyss since February,” Alp Toker, founder of internet blockage observatory NetBlocks told Reuters. “Communications are now severely limited and available only to the few.” With print media also halted, protesters have sought workarounds to get their message across, producing their own A4-sized daily news pamphlets that are shared digitally and printed for distribution among the public. On Tuesday, Dr Sasa, who leads a parallel government of the remnants of Suu Kyi’s administration, said in a statement that its legal counsel would be submitting evidence of military atrocities to different U.N. human rights bodies. Sasa, a medical doctor who uses one name, said lawyers for his Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) had received 180,000 items of evidence and would meet on Wednesday with representatives of an independent investigative mechanism for Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: Indonesia says UK backs ASEAN push for Myanmar crisis resolution
Description: "The United Kingdom will support Southeast Asian countries in efforts to resolve the crisis in Myanmar, Indonesia’s foreign minister said Wednesday, after talks with her visiting British counterpart. Indonesia is among several countries leading a push for high-level talks between leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Myanmar, where nearly 600 people have been killed in a crackdown on demonstrators opposing a Feb. 1 coup. “We discussed... how the international community, including the UK could support the ASEAN effort to help Myanmar in resolving this situation,” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a news briefing after talks with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. In Raab’s speech, he reinstated Britain’s commitment to upholding international maritime law, echoing comments by the United States, Australia and European Union, which are concerned about China’s military activities in the South China Sea, a vital conduit for global trade. Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and China have competing claims in the strategic waterway, where China has been widely criticised for building defence facilities on artificial islands and deploying coastguard and hundreds of fishing boats in disputed waters. Raab said that Britain was committed to ensuring a rules based system be upheld, “because they’re an important pillar of regional and global security”. The two countries also signed a economic and trade and a counter-terrorism memorandums of understanding. The details of those were not immediately clear. Myanmar’s former colonial ruler Britain has been among the most vocal critics of the military’s overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government. It is among several Western countries that have imposed or tightened sanctions on the Myanmar generals and the military’s network of business monopolies in response to the coup. Indonesia is seeking a way to end the crisis through ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, but the bloc’s policy of non-interference and making decisions by consensus have hindered its ability to act decisively..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: Myanmar security forces kill 13 protesters; small blasts hit Yangon
Description: "Myanmar troops fired at anti-coup protesters on Wednesday, killing at least 13 people and wounding several, media said, as a series of small blasts hit the commercial capital Yangon and a Chinese-owned factory was set on fire. The country’s military ruler said the civil disobedience movement was “destroying” Myanmar. More than 580 people have been killed, according to an activist group, in the turmoil in Myanmar since a Feb. 1 coup that ended a brief period of civilian-led democracy. Nationwide protests and strikes have persisted since then despite the military’s use of lethal force to quell the opposition. Security forces opened fire on Wednesday on protesters in the northwestern town of Kale as they demanded the restoration of Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, domestic media said. (GRAPHIC: Myanmar’s internet suppression - here) A resident of the area and the Myanmar Now news outlet said 11 people were killed and several wounded. Reuters could not independently verify the toll. Two protesters were killed in the town of Bago near Yangon, Myanmar Now said. At least seven small explosions were heard in Yangon, including at government buildings, a military hospital and a shopping mall, residents said. There were no casualties and no claims of responsibility. The U.S. Embassy in Yangon said it had received reports of “handmade ‘sound bombs,’ or fireworks meant to create noise and cause minimal damage”. A fire broke out in the Chinese-owned JOC Garment Factory in Yangon on Wednesday, the Fire Department said. There were no reports of casualties and no details on the extent of damage. In another Yangon neighbourhood, activists set fire to the Chinese flag, according to pictures posted on Facebook. China is viewed as being supportive of the military junta and last month arson attacks were made on 32 Chinese-invested factories in Yangon. Details of the blasts and the fire were difficult to obtain because of the junta’s curbs on broadband internet and mobile data services. A spokesman for the junta could not be reached for comment. ‘DESTROY THE COUNTRY’ Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the junta, said in a statement on Wednesday the civil disobedience movement, or CDM, had halted the working of hospitals, schools, roads, offices and factories. “Although protests are staged in neighbouring countries and the international community, they do not destroy businesses,” he said. “CDM is an activity to destroy the country.” According to the Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group, 581 people, including dozens of children, have been shot dead by troops and police in almost daily unrest since the coup, and security forces have arrested close to 3,500 people, with 2,750 still detained..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: Myanmar: Hundreds Forcibly Disappeared
Summary: "Myanmar’s military junta has forcibly disappeared hundreds of people since the February 1, 2021 coup, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have taken into custody politicians, election...
Sub-title: Account for Missing Politicians, Activists, Others at Risk of Torture, Death
Description: "Myanmar’s military junta has forcibly disappeared hundreds of people since the February 1, 2021 coup, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have taken into custody politicians, election officials, journalists, activists, and protesters and refused to confirm their location or allow access to lawyers or family members in violation of international law. The security forces have arrested many people suspected of participation in anti-coup demonstrations or in the opposition Civil Disobedience Movement during nighttime raids on homes throughout the country. The nongovernmental organization, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, told Human Rights Watch they could confirm the location of only a small fraction of the more than 2,500 recent detainees they have identified. “The military junta’s widespread use of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances appears designed to strike fear in the hearts of anti-coup protesters,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “Concerned governments should demand the release of everyone disappeared and impose targeted economic sanctions against junta leaders to finally hold this abusive military to account.” Human Rights Watch spoke to family members, witnesses, and lawyers of 16 people feared to have been forcibly disappeared since the coup. On February 1 at about 5:30 a.m., four uniformed soldiers and a man in civilian attire arrived at the home of Mya Aye, 55, an outspoken activist and member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), in Mingalar Taung Nyunt township, Yangon. The men showed no arrest warrant and offered no basis for his arrest to family members, which was caught on a neighbor’s CCTV camera and later was posted on Twitter. Later that day, two plainclothes officers came to the residence to collect his medications but refused to provide additional information. In late March, Mya Aye’s family said that the authorities still had not told them where Mya Aye was being held and had not provided him access to a lawyer. On March 6, police arrived at the funeral in Mandalay of a protester shot dead by police, causing those attending to flee in panic. A prominent activist, Nyi Nyi Kyaw, fell and the police arrested him. A friend of Nyi Nyi Kyaw said that the authorities did not tell his family where he was, and that they went into hiding out of fear that they may be targeted as family members. The family received one communication from Nyi Nyi Kyaw – a short but chilling phone call to his eldest son from a blocked number – four days after his disappearance in which he sounded agitated and distressed, the friend said. The call was ended before the family could ascertain his whereabouts. On March 9, military trucks arrived around 1:30 p.m. and parked outside the office of Karmayut Media in Yangon, neighbors said. At about 3 p.m., they saw soldiers take away the media outlet’s co-founder, Han Thar Nyein, 40, and the editor-in-chief, Nathan Maung, 45. Their families still have not been informed of their whereabouts, a family member said. “We’re so anxious about where they are, and we’re worried for their well-being,” the family member of Han Thar Nyein said. “We want to see them with our own eyes, to accept that they are okay, that they are alive. And we want this to happen quickly, not to wait in this agonizing way.” Many friends and family members of anti-coup protesters who have been arrested told Human Rights Watch they do not know exactly where the person was being held, heightening concerns about their safety and well-being. In many cases, families have only received information informally about the location of their family member, such as when newly released detainees notify family members or lawyers that they had seen a person who had been detained. Some families believe that because a prison accepts a package for their family member, it is most likely the place where their relative is being held. However, this is conjecture and does not relieve the authorities of their obligation to provide information on a detainee’s whereabouts, produce a detainee in court within 48 hours, and allow access to counsel and family members. Under international human rights law, a state commits an enforced disappearance when government authorities or their agents arrest or detain an individual followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealing the fate or whereabouts of the person, placing them outside the protection of the law. Forcibly disappeared people are commonly subjected to torture or extrajudicial execution. Families must live with the uncertainty of not knowing if their loved ones are dead or alive, and worrying about their treatment in captivity. Enforced disappearances are grave violations of international law, and when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population, are crimes against humanity..."
Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: ‘She Just Fell Down. And She Died.’ - ‘သမီးက ရုတ်တရက် လဲကျသွားတာ။ ပြီးတော့ အသက်မရှိတော့ဘူး။’
Sub-title: Myanmar’s security forces have killed more than 40 children since February. Here is the story of one, Aye Myat Thu. She was 10.
Description: "In the swelter of the hot season, U Soe Oo cracked open the coconut with practiced blows of his machete. Small hands reached out for the first slice, cool and slippery. His daughter — 10 years old, with dreams of being a makeup artist or a nurse or maybe even a princess with long golden hair like the one in “Maleficent,” which she had watched a zillion times, no joke — ran down a path with her sweet prize. Just as she reached the trees that marked the perimeter of their property, the girl seemed to stumble, landing flat on her stomach, her father recalled. The piece of coconut slipped from her grasp, falling onto the reddish earth of Mawlamyine, a port town perched on a slender archipelago in southeastern Myanmar. Mr. Soe Oo put his machete down and ran to tell her it was OK, that she could have another chunk of coconut. He scooped her up, limp in his arms, but it still didn’t register where all the blood was coming from, why she wasn’t saying anything at all. The bullet had hit the left temple of his daughter, Aye Myat Thu, at about 5:30 in the soft glow of the afternoon of March 27. By the time darkness fell less than an hour later, she was dead. Since staging a Feb. 1 coup and jailing the nation’s civilian leaders, the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, has murdered, assaulted and arrested with impunity. More than 550 people have been killed on the streets and in their homes by soldiers or police officers, according to a monitoring group. At least 40 of the dead were children under 18, according to a tally compiled by The New York Times that relies on medical testimony, funeral details and family accounts. A few of the minors were killed for participating in the protests. Many others were bystanders who were seemingly executed, with a single gunshot to the head. Often the children were killed as they went about their lives, playing or huddling with their families, in cities and towns that have descended into terror. Some had done nothing more threatening in their final moments than seek the comfort of a father’s lap, serve tea, fetch water or run down a lane with a piece of coconut.....နွေရာသီ၏ ပူစပ်ပူလောင်နိုင်လှသော ရာသီဥတုကို အံတုလျက်က ဦးစိုးဦးသည် ကျင့်သားကောင်းပြီးသား ဓားချက်ဖြင့် အုန်းသီးတစ်လုံးကို ခွပ်ခနဲ ခွဲလိုက်သည်။ ကလေးလက်ကလေး နှစ်ဖက်က အုန်းသီးစိတ်အေးအေးလေးကို ဦးဦးဖျားဖျား စွပ်ခနဲဝင်နှိုက်ယူသွားလေသည်။ ဦးစိုးဦး၏ သမီးလေးဖြစ်သည်။ ၁၀ နှစ်သမီးလေးက မိတ်ကပ်ပညာရှင်ဖြစ်စေ၊ သူနာပြုဆရာမဖြစ်စေ ဖြစ်လိုသော အိပ်မက်များ ရှိသည်။ ဖြစ်နိုင်လျှင် သူအခါရာထောင်မက ကြည့်ဖူးသော ‘Maleficent’ ဇာတ်ကားထဲက ရွှေရောင်ဆံပင်ရှည်များနှင့် မင်းသမီးလေးပါ ဖြစ်လိုသည်တဲ့။ သမီးလေးက အုန်းသီးစိတ်ကလေးကိုင်၍ လူသွားလမ်းကျဉ်းလေးတစ်လျှောက် ပြေးထွက်သွားပြန်သည်။ သူတို့အပိုင်ခြံကွက်အနားသတ်အဖြစ် အမှတ်အသားပြုထားသော သစ်ပင်များနားအရောက် ချော်လဲသွားသလိုတွေ့သည်ဟု ဦးစိုးဦး ခပ်ရေးရေးမှတ်မိသည်။ ကလေးက မြေကြီးပေါ် ပြားပြားမှောက် ဝပ်လဲလျက်သားဖြစ်နေပြီ။ သူ့လက်မှ အုန်းသီးစိတ်လည်း ချော်ထွက်သွားပြီး မော်လမြိုင်မြို့၏ နီစွေးစွေးမြေအပေါ် အတိုင်းသားကျနေလေသည်။ မော်လမြိုင်မှာ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ အရှေ့တောင်ဘက်ပိုင်း ရှည်မျောမျော ကျွန်းစုတစ်ခုအပေါ် မေးတင်တည်ရှိသော ဆိပ်ကမ်းမြို့တစ်မြို့ဖြစ်သည်။ ဦးစိုးဦးက ဓားမကို အသာချပြီး သမီးကိုထူပေးရန် ခပ်သုတ်သုတ် ပြေးလိုက်သည်။ ဘာမှ မဖြစ်ဘူးမလား၊ အုန်းသီးနောက်တစ်စိတ်ယူလေ သမီးရဲ့ဟု ချော့ဖို့အဆင်သင့်။ သမီးကို ကောက်ပွေ့လိုက်သည်။ ပျော့ခွေလျက်ပါလာသည်။ သွေးအများကြီး ဘယ်ကထွက်နေမှန်း၊ သမီး အသံ ဘာကြောင့် မထွက်တော့မှန်း နားမလည်နိုင်သေးပေ။ မတ်လ ၂၇ ရက်နေ့ နေညိုချိန် ညနေ ငါးနာရီခွဲခန့်တွင် သမီး မအေးမြတ်သူ၏ ဘယ်ဘက် နားထင်ကို သေနတ်ကျည်ဆံထိမှန်ခဲ့ခြင်းပင်ဖြစ်သည်။ တစ်နာရီခန့်အကြာ နေဝင်ချိန်တွင် သူမဆုံးပါးသွားလေသည်။ ဖေဖော်ဝါရီ (၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် မြန်မာ့ အရပ်သား ခေါင်းဆောင်များကို ဖမ်းဆီးချုပ်နှောင်ကာ အာဏာသိမ်းအပြီးတွင် မြန်မာ့စစ်တပ်(တပ်မတော်)သည် ဒဏ်ခတ်ခံရခြင်းမှ ကင်းလွတ်ခွင့်အပြည့်ဖြင့် သတ်ဖြတ်ခြင်း၊ လက်ရောက်နှိပ်စက်ခြင်းနှင့် ဖမ်းဆီးချုပ်နှောင်ခြင်းတို့ကို ဆက်တိုက် လုပ်ဆောင်လာခဲ့သည်။ လေ့လာစောင့်ကြည့်ရေးအဖွဲ့များ၏ စာရင်းအရ စစ်သားနှင့် ရဲတို့၏ တိုက်ခိုက်မှုကြောင့် လမ်းပေါ်တွင်သေဆုံးရသူနှင့် အိမ်ထဲနေရင်း သေဆုံးရသူပေါင်း ၅၅၀ ကျော်လာပြီဖြစ်သည်။..."
Source/publisher: "The New York Times" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: CNN reports from inside Myanmar. Here’s what we’re seeing
Description: "CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward is in Myanmar reporting on the protests that are taking place in the country. CNN is in Myanmar with the permission of the military and the team is being escorted throughout. #ClarissaWard​ #Myanmar​ #CNNinternational..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Title: Comedian Zarganar arrested by junta
Description: "Maung Thura– widely known by his performance name, Zarganar– was arrested by the junta on Tuesday morning, according to a source close to his family. The 60-year-old comedian, actor and film director is a former political prisoner and a well-known critic of Myanmar’s past military governments. He was jailed multiple times after the 1988 popular uprising for his political activism, which he carried out through comedy and other performance platforms. Details of Zarganar’s arrest were still unknown at the time of reporting and the military’s spokesperson could not be reached for comment. After his initial release from prison in 1994, Zarganar was barred from engaging in any public performances, and banned from disseminating his writing. He was arrested and detained again in 2007 for supporting striking monks during Myanmar’s Saffron Revolution, and again in 2008 for aiding those affected by Cyclone Nargis. That same year, he was handed a 59-year prison sentence after being convicted of multiple charges for his work, according to PEN America, which classified him as a “Writer at Risk.” Zarganar was finally released in 2011 under an amnesty with several other political prisoners after Thein Sein’s government took office. Also a film director, Zarganar was once involved in the making of the biographical film about Myanmar independence icon General Aung San. Since his release in 2011, he has made filmmaking a primary focus. Zarganar co-organized the Art of Freedom Festival in 2012 with film director Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, who has been detained by the junta since the early morning of the military coup on February 1. Zarganar criticized the coup on his Facebook page after the military seized power from the elected civilian government led by the National League for Democracy’s Aung San Suu Kyi. The military regime has also issued arrest warrants for several filmmakers, actors, celebrities, influencers and journalists for speaking out against the coup and supporting the Civil Disobedience Movement. The movement aims to topple the junta headed by military chief Min Aung Hlaing..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 30 March, (521) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (11) fallen heroes today: (8) died on 30 March, (3) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 30, a total of (2608) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (37) are sentenced. A further (120) people have been issued arrest warrants. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 6 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. The junta is committing atrocities every day in many townships, South Dagon township in Yangon Region was the scene of particularly severe violence, with many killed and injured by so-called police and military. People made barricades to defend themselves from arbitrary gunfire into streets, wards and houses. The town had been raided and shot at by large numbers of junta troops since the barricades were broken down by grenades, launchers and heavy weapons last night (March). People’s cars and houses are being destroyed. They force detained youths onto both hands and kneel down, they set the detainees as targets for snipers from high apartments, then threaten the strikers “if you don’t come and save their detainees, they will be shot and killed”. In South Dagon last night dead bodies and injured people were taken away so it is difficult to collect accurate data. The number of the victims will increase. The junta raided Sanpya Hospital but also private and public hospitals, many lost the right to treatment because of this, the junta prepared to arrest the patients in advance. Pinnya Alin Library which provides treatment to injured people was violently destroyed by them this morning. Patients were insufficiently treated, and died from lack of adequate medicines. In South Dagon’s violent crackdown last night, a civilian was burnt to death. This brutal act followed the burning to death of a community guard in Mandalay. Today, two civilians were killed by gunshots in initial reports and the terrorist junta forces took away the body. In defiance to brute violence by the junta group, the strikers protest peacefully across Burma. Today, civilians were reportedly murdered and some wounded and arrested because of arbitrary shooting, raids and crack-downs in Bago and Pyay in Bago Region, Mandalay City, Kawthaung in Tanintharyi Region, Muse in Shan State and Myitkyina in Kachin State in addition to South Dagon in Yangon Region..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Type: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 29 March, (510) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (51) fallen heroes today: (14) shot to death on 29 March and (37) were killed the previous days. Children, students, youths and civilians have all been killed since the coup.. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 29, a total of (2574) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (37) are sentenced. A further (120) people have been issued arrest warrants. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 5 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. As people continue to oppose the dictatorship 57 day and nights now, junta repression against peaceful protests deteriorates in their attempt to govern the economy and over society. On March 29, there were unprovoked shootings into houses and wards, the death and injury toll is rising. Today, in Thaketa, South Dagon and Thanlyin Townships, Yangon Region; Taungoo Township, Bago Region; Myingyan City, Mandalay Region, Monywa City, Sagaing Region; Pathein City, Ayeyarwady Region; Myitkyina, Kachin State and Taunggyi and Muse, Shan State, there have were crackdowns and shooting in many wards, people were killed and many injured. More than 20 people have been arrested..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
[field_licence]
Type: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 2.53 MB 507.45 KB 639.32 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 27 March, (423) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. At least (90) were killed today, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented killings of children, students, youths and civilians. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when into our newly separately published lists. In addition, (5) others were confirmed killed on previous days. As of March 27, a total of (2428) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (24) are sentenced. A further (119) people have been issued arrest warrants. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 3 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Last night, the junta propaganda MRTV television station threatened the people they could be shot dead in the head and to the back if they strike. Today was known as a “Nationwide March Revolution”, people across Burma bravely protested against the military dictatorship knowing they risked their lives. The junta shot at peaceful protesters since the early morning, the most deadly day in the 55 days since the coup. Many civilians, including children, were shot dead and injured. Today, over 40 townships in Yangon Region, Bago Region, Magway Region, Sagaing Region, Tanintharyi Region, Ayeyarwady Region, Mon State, Kachin State, and Shan State were violently cracked down using live ammunition. Junta forces shot machine-guns into residential areas, resulting in many civilians, including six children between ten and sixteen years old, killed. In Meikhtila Township, Mandalay Region, a 13-year-old girl was shot dead while she was inside her house. This is the second child to be shot dead in the house after a 7-year-old girl from Mandalay Town. In Dawei Township, Tanintahryi Region, while a 16-year-old boy was driving a motorcycle, he was shot at from an unmarked car driven by junta forces, and his body dragged away. The boy died due from not receiving medical treatment in detention. The fact the illegitimate military regime is targeting children is a grave act of inhumanity. Children’s dignity and right to life are being threatened on a daily basis by this junta’s violence. Moreover, reporters who are broadcasting live also are targeted. Today in Kyeikhto Township, Mon State, while a reporter was reporting live on the crackdown, he was shot and injured, including a real bullet wound to the leg. Today, the junta violated diplomatic ethics by opening gunfire at the American Center in Yangon. Some shot dead bodies were dragged away and not returned to their families to erase all evidence of military crimes today. Injured people were taken away and given no medical treatment, later dying while in detention. Including girls, those arrested are beaten on the streets. The illegitimate military regime uses many tactics of intimidation, they destroy and loot public and private property. In Dagon Seikkan Township, Yangon Region, a young man who was bleeding was dragged away. In Mandalay Town, a civilian who was shot in the head was dragged away. Today, many towns in Burma were created into a combat zone, but were in fact killing fields of unarmed civilians, shot without mercy. The illegitimate military regime must take responsible and accountable for each and every crime it commits. As long as the international community fails to decisively protect Burma’s people, the junta’s inhumanity will deteriorate..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
[field_licence]
Type: Individual Documents
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Size: 2.43 MB 580.09 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 28 March, (459) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (36) fallen heroes today, 13 died on 28 March. Children, students, youths and civilians have all been killed since the coup.. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 28, a total of (2559) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (37) are sentenced. A further (119) people have been issued arrest warrants. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 4 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Yesterday, the illegitimate military regime viciously killed unarmed civilians, including children. Over 100 civilians, some were shot and killed in night-raids in towns without reason. Last night, at least five civilians were killed and thirteen civilians injured in Tharkayta Township, Yangon Region, Taunggyi Township, Shan State, Mogok Township, Mandalay Town, Mandalay Region, Pathein Township, Ayeyarwady Region, and Tatkon Township in Nay Pyi Taw, from unprovoked shootings by junta troops. One of those killed last night in Mandalay City was serving as a security guard in the ward. He was shot and dragged onto a fire of car tyres and burnt him alive. This inhumanity is a tactic of the junta to create a climate of fear among the people. Around 60 houses in Pyi Gyi Dagun Township were destroyed by fire yesterday and people in nearby neighborhoods were prevented from helping when the junta shot at them. Today, a large number of junta forces used live ammunition and grenades in Hlaing Township, Tharkayta Township, Kyauk Myaung Ward in Tamwe Township, Dagon Myothit (South) Township in Yangon Region, Monywa Township, Kalay Township in Sagaing Region, Myingyan Township in Mandalay Region, Taunggyi Township in Shan State, Myitkyina Township, and Hpakant Township in Kachin State. Nine civilians, including four women, were killed and many arrested and injured. The junta is using grenades, not just live rounds but machine-guns in urban areas, to create a combat zone of peaceful residential homes. Yesterday, in Kyauk Myaung Ward, Tamwe Township, Yangon Region, the junta forces used a grenade on a young man who died on the spot. Last night, the junta propaganda MRTV television station claimed this was done by an artist who was violently arrested during the crackdown in Kyauk Myaung Ward. Today (March 28), the junta forces used a grenade in Hlaing Township, resulting in one man’s hand being cut off from the wrist and another person injured. According to the international laws, hospitals, religious buildings, schools, women, and children are given special protection, however since the coup, the illegitimate military regime completely disregards this. Today, one hospital staff was injured and patients terrorized as gunfire was opened inside the Asia Royal Hospital, where youth protestors had fled to. Yesterday, the junta forces inhumanly looted dead bodies and forced their families not to celebrate public funerals but with family members and 5 monks. Some families therefore quickly buried their loved heroes to prevent the junta from looting their bodies. The illegitimate military regime uses many tactics of intimidation, they destroy and loot public and private property on a daily basis. In Dagon Seikkan Township and Tharkayta Township, Yangon Region, over 20 private cars were destroyed. The junta raided a store and stole food in Thingangyun Township, Yangon..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
[field_licence]
Type: Individual Documents
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Size: 2.66 MB 591.27 KB 478.65 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of March 26, a total of (3070) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. (328) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. AAPP documented (8) fallen heroes today. (24) coup detainees have been convicted. (117) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 2 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Of the fallen heroes, (4) were shot dead today in Myeik, Tanintharyi Region, (2) fallen heroes died today from serious injury sustained in Mohnyin Town in Kachin State and Kyauktaga Township in Bago Region yesterday, (2) others were confirmed killed on previous days. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. A group of six professors in social science at the University of Oslo in Norway nominated the Civil Disobedience Movement of Myanmar for the Nobel Peace Prize. CDM workers are facing repression, arrests, lawsuits, dismissals, and forced eviction from staff housing on a daily basis. However, the movement has not given up and continues to fight. We, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) warmly welcome this submission for the Nobel Peace Prize. US Ambassador Thomas Vajda and his wife Ms. Amy Sebes laid a wreath today in front of a school where 23-year-old network engineer Nyi Nyi Aung Htet Naing died on February 28, 2021. Although it has been 54 days since the coup, civilians are still subject to various forms of brutal repression by the junta, but demonstrations continue. Deaths, injuries, arrests, even against children and torture, as does destruction, arson, looting and raids also are deteriorating day after day across Burma. In the early morning of 26 March, the National League for Democracy (NLD) party headquarters in Shwegondaing, Bahan Township, Yangon region was set on fire. Home in a village in Laung Lone Township, Dawei District, was set on fire on March 21, leaving seven family members severely injured. Among them, was a 14-year-old boy who died. Today, civilians were killed across Burma in violent crackdowns of protests by the junta, in Kyauk Myaung, Tamwe Township, and Kyauktada Township, Yangon Region, Dawei Township, and Myeik Township in Tanintharyi Region. In Myeik Township, a large number of junta forces, including the Air force and Navy, used live ammunition to suppress people. Moreover, an ambulance vehicle was used to storm into protestors, four civilians, including one woman, were shot dead, and at least ten civilians were injured. Some civilians were violently arrested. During arrest, two youths were tied up with a piece of rope on their back and treated like dogs. In Kyat Sar Pyin Ward, Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region, one civilian was injured with live ammunition and two civilians were arrested. In Kyauktada Township, Yangon Region, 5 people were arrested for marching on strike. During the arrest of a student in Dawei Township, the junta raided the house and looted gold, a motorcycle, money, and other valuables. Yesterday (March 25), 11 civilians were killed during violent crackdowns by the military and so-called police in the day. Civilians were also shot and killed in raids in some towns during the night time without reason. Last night in Dagon Myothit (South) Township, the military and so-called police raided the area and fired at least 300 live rounds, one civilian was killed and ten civilians were injured, and at least 20 civilians violently arrested. In addition to this, they destroyed Wifi and phone line cables. In Tamu Township, Sagaing Region, one civilian was killed and nine civilians injured, three were put in critical condition. On the evening of March 25, Kyauktaga Township, Bago Region, when the police and military vehicles entered a village, the villagers fled into the fields. The junta followed and shot them, resulting in one man seriously injured who died today, and three others were arrested. During the crackdown in Mohnyin Township yesterday, one man who was seriously injured died today. The illegitimate military regime’s terror, even against children, is intensifying. Last night in North Okkalapa Township, Yangon Region, the military and so-called police raided a nursery school and destroyed equipment, and stole two computers. On the night of March 21 in Kalay Township, Sagaing Region, while a 14-year-old boy was driving a motorcycle, he was hit from behind by a military vehicle and then shot and taken away. Per available information, the child is suffering from a broken arm, and leg. He is in critical condition. Arrests and detentions of the injured currently being treated in hospital, demonstrate their brutality. Yesterday, the military and so called police came to Sanpya Hospital and arrested four people who were receiving medical treatment from gunshots in a crackdown in Thingangyun Township. They arbitrarily arrested these four people and threatened the health workers who asked the junta to not detain the four. The junta forces threatened the health workers that they have permission to shoot those who try to stop them making arrests. Article 14 of the Geneva Convention enshrines the protection of children, injured people, and hospitals and nursery schools as safe zones. However, as this military junta is using force and violence to break any laws..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
[field_licence]
Type: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 2.99 MB 484.97 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has documented and identified (275) heroes killed yesterday (March 23), and (12) heroes killed today. However, one person previously included in the list of casualties was removed today, details further below. Therefore, (286) heroes have been killed so far. That number is documented and verified by AAPP, and the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 24, a total of (2906) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. Of them, (24) were convicted. (109) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest, and (394) were released as of yesterday. (628) people, including students and civilians, were released across Burma today. The names of today’s released detainees have not been immediately available to compile. Therefore, we will provide the list of names who were released and remain in prison. The silent strike, so-called “the silence is the loudest cry” was held across Burma today to protest this military dictatorship. Nobody left their homes, shops and shopping centers closed and no cars or people were seen on the roads. Demonstrating the general public’s solidarity against dictatorship. Only some sit-down strikes were held because they did not know about the silent strike campaign from lack of internet connection. Ko Man Swin Khaing (a.k.a Wai Yan Maung Maung) was removed from the fatality list. He was shot in the thigh and disappeared during the North Okkalapa strike. His family members went to hospitals, police stations, and Insein Prison to investigate, but no further information was found, his family therefore assumed he died and held a funeral for him on 7 March. This is why his name was added to the AAPP fatality list, he is since included in the release list today. AAPP sincerely apologizes to all people, including the victim, and those citing our data with trust. While people adhered to the silent strike, the military junta last night went around communities and announced with loudspeakers the country was in a stable condition with no danger, and that people should carry on their daily lives as usual. At the same time, more than 600 students and civilians were released. The released raised the three finger salute on their way home to show solidarity with the people and opposition to the military dictatorship. However, according to AAPPs confirmed data, over 2000 detainees are still detained, sentenced, or face outstanding warrants. The junta coup continuously arrests, and today the military and so-called police raided Kyauk Myaung in Tamwe township, Yangon and captured the people there. Furthermore, they yelled and threw sound grenades, opening fire with live bullets onto Myanandar 13th Street, Yankin township and raided two houses, attacking and detaining 17 people including a 14-year old 8th Grade student. The coup junta commits these crimes against humanity, brutally arresting children, taking away dead bodies. Last night, they attempted to loot the body of a 7-year-old child who was shot and killed by the junta in Mandalay. Family members of the killed child were able to escape with the body of the child, in response the junta destroyed the house in rage. Moreover, the junta beat the head of the child’s brother with a gun, tortured and dragged him away. There has been no further news and he is assumed dead by his family. Such incidents are extreme human rights violations, children and their lives are given no dignity, constant threats to their security and education. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers and other civilians in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
[field_licence]
Type: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 435.39 KB 2.9 MB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "Today, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has compiled and documented (14) heroes. Of these, (3) were shot dead in Mandalay and (1) were struck by a military vehicle travelling at high speed in Dawei in Tanintharyi Region. (10) were killed on a previous day but added on 23 March. (275) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 23, a total of (2812) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. Of them, (24) were convicted. (109) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest, (394) were released. A total of (2418) are still under detention or have outstanding charges/evading arrest, including the (24) sentenced. In today’s detainee list, we received and documented the names of (130) people. However, more were arrested today, AAPP will continue investigating these and make appropriate announcements when. Today, March 23 is the 21st anniversary of the establishment of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). During these 21 years, AAPP tirelessly advocated for civil and political rights. However, since the coup on 1 February, democracy, civil and political rights have ceased. AAPP will continue to fight to attain these rights. Today, despite the illegitimate military regime continuing crackdowns, anti-coup protests have taken place across Burma. The crackdowns in Mandalay were severe and three civilians, including a 7-year-old girl, were killed. The girl was shot dead at home. Putting children in harm’s way is a clear violation of the terms of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It has been three days since the protests in Mandalay, and according to AAPP at least 21 civilians were killed here between March 21 and 23. A man was killed while he was standing to cross the road by a military vehicle in Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region. In Kyanginn Township, Ayeyarwady Region, when a man who was serving as a night watchman, the so-called police attacked and arrested him, thereafter , the local residents went on the road and demanded his release. The military and so-called police fired more than 50 rounds of live ammunition, resulting in 2 civilians getting seriously injured and 7 civilians were violently arrested. The junta has been raiding, arresting and shooting all day and nights as well as looting, destroying and vandalizing. Last night (March 22), they raided Nwel Aye Quarter, Dawpone Township, Yangon Region. They verbally abused the residents and shot aimlessly at the houses resulting in many injured people. Moreover, the junta destroyed public properties, cars, shops, and houses. This morning, they came back to Nwel Aye Ward and arrested people. Furthermore, in Mandalay, the military raided and destroyed a house with a bulldozer and stole two phones and money in the afternoon yesterday. At night, they arsoned the people’s barricades and threw fire rings into Aung San Quarter, Insein township at around 1:30am today, leading to two houses burning down. The terrorist junta also shot at and stormed Hana Microfinance, the South Korean loaning department, which provides loans to farmers, and ordered them to hand over money. The junta does not leave the disabled alone, they harassed them too, in one incident a disabled man living in Hinthada town, Ayeyarwady Region, was detained under section 505 (b) of Penal Code yesterday. A video of the junta destroying the trishaws of drivers who depend on daily income went viral on social media. They repressed railway staff participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement, evicting them from staff housing in Yangon and Mandalay, and today the same suppression happened to staff in Kaw Lin town, Sagaing Region. The junta, SAC, has also threatened the CDM staff in various sectors by postponing, dismissing, arresting and charging them and their job assignments. Crimes against humanity are committed daily by the regime, the SAC attempts in every possible way to inject fear in the general people, particularly by threatening the livelihood of the people. In the midst of this, people face physical and mental insecurities on a daily basis, yet the PEOPLE have defied for 51 days the orders of the dictatorship. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers and other civilians in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
[field_licence]
Type: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 2.75 MB 434.06 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "Today, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has compiled and documented (11) heroes. Of these, (3) were shot dead on the spot in Mandalay today. (8) were killed on a previous day but added on 22 March. (261) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 22, a total of (2682) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. Of them, (15) were convicted; (2) to two years imprisonment, (1) to three months, (2) to one year imprisonment, (2) to one month imprisonment, (8) to three months imprisonment. (109) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest, (380) were released. A total of (2302) are still under detention or have outstanding charges/evading arrest, including the (15) sentenced. In today’s detainee list, we received and documented the names of (17) people. However, more were arrested today, AAPP will continue investigating these and make appropriate announcements when. The junta crackdown using live ammunition, assaults and arrests, kidnapping, using repressive legislation, and forcibly evicts CDM participants from staff housing. They do this to spread fear, but people continue to protest. This evening, a man died in Mandalay, the crackdown had been severe yesterday afternoon yesterday, last night, protests against the military based in a Chan Mya Thar Si Township school were dispersed using live ammunition and random fire, 5 men died and 30 injured. Since this morning, the military and so-called police have continuously fired weapons towards Myayi Nandar housing, Aung Pinle, Aung Thar Yar quarters in Chan Mya Thar Si township. 3 people were killed including a young boy, Grade-8 student and more than 6 people got injured initially reportedly. The fallen child was shot when he strayed out of the house to fill the up water in front of the house. Furthermore, the junta forces arsoned barricades, and destroyed people’s cars. A grandma aged over 60 years was killed in an unprovoked shooting by the junta forces in No.(2) quarter, Kyaw town, Yaw province, Magway Region (formerly known as Pe Ma Sar village) last night. One of the tactics the junta practices is vicious assaults when detaining and in detention. In Taunggyi, Shan State, the military and s0-called police raided houses, arrested people, arsoned roads, and unprovoked shootings across yesterday and this morning. Yesterday, the Taunggyi so-called police beat people on the road in a public display of violence, during which a 14 year old youth and a civilian were detained and 20 civilians injured by rubber bullets. On March 22, in a crackdown in Natmatu, Kachin State, the junta beat the detainees including education civil servants with hard sticks and tied their hands on their backs. In addition, last night in Hakha, Chin State, military and so called police waited for the returnees from sit-in protests to be beaten. Five civilians were reportedly beaten and the fingers of two of them broken. This was not an isolated incident, similar happened elsewhere today. Since the military coup in Burma, instability of society is everywhere and the rule of law has been completely destroyed. If the coup group stays in power, the people will be enslaved to the military for decades more. Liberty, human rights, and freedom from persecution will not exist if dictatorship remains. No dignity for people or democracy, we will only have peace and stability if revolution succeeds. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers and other civilians in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585 “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
[field_licence]
Type: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 394.14 KB 2.59 MB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "Updated 7 February 2021 On February 7, demonstrations against the military coup intensified. This morning thousands of activists, students and civilians took part in protests in Rangoon and across the country, and Min Ko Naing, 88 Generation Student Leader, arrived and stood among the protesters. Demonstrations were held at Rangoon, Bago, Mandalay, Sagaing, Ayeyarwady, Tanintharyi and Magway Regions, Naypyidaw, Mon, Shan, Karen and Kachin States. Protests were peaceful and non-violent, and police blocked the roads for protestors and watched the situation, though there were no violent crackdowns. When police fired in the air at protestors in Myawaddy Town in Karen State, rioting broke out and a total of 14 civilians (5 women and 9 men) including former female political prisoner Khin Htar were arrested. By 6:30pm, they all were released. A woman was also shot during the protest in Myawaddy. The 8pm symbolic peaceful “Drumming out of Evil” continued across the country in opposition to the military junta. It has also been verified that Than Lwin, NLD Chairman of Payathonzu Town of Karen State, was arrested on the night of February 6. It has also been confirmed that Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, Chief Minister of Mandalay Division, was in the morning of February 7 moved from house-arrest with a group of MPs. He was then re-arrested and placed in another location. He is reportedly not in good health. Phyo Min Thein, Chief Minister of Rangoon Region, was re-arrested when under house arrest last night. Tun Tun Hein, Deputy Speaker of the lower house of the Myanmar parliament was released today. He returned to his hometown Nawnghkio, Shan State as he was not allowed to return where his family lives in Rangoon. U Htun Htun Hein, Vice Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House of the Parliament) and member of the Central Executive Committee of the NLD, was released from detention at around 10am, a family member confirmed. However, he was not allowed to return to his home in Rangoon. He and his wife are now going to Naung Cho, his birthplace in a small town, Shan State, Therefore, as of February 7, a total of (165) people have been arrested and detained in relation to the military coup on February 1. Of them, (2) were sentenced to two years imprisonment and (13) were released. A total of (152) are still under detention, including the (2) sentenced. In addition to all this, according to the Pyay Former Political Prisoner Group, Kyaw Nyan Tun, Myo Thant Htut and Phyu Phway will be charged under the Natural Disaster Management Law for staging a protest against the military coup in Pyay Township, Bago Division. They have not yet been detained. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges and sentences in relation to coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. When police fired in the air at protestors in Myawaddy Town in Karen State, rioting broke out and a total of 14 civilians (5 women and 9 men) including former female political prisoner Khin Htar were arrested. By 6:30pm, they all were released. A woman was also shot during the protest in Myawaddy. The 8pm symbolic peaceful “Drumming out of Evil” continued across the country in opposition to the military junta. It has also been verified that Than Lwin, NLD Chairman of Payathonzu Town of Karen State, was arrested on the night of February 6. It has also been confirmed that Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, Chief Minister of Mandalay Division, was in the morning of February 7 moved from house-arrest with a group of MPs. He was then re-arrested and placed in another location. He is reportedly not in good health. Phyo Min Thein, Chief Minister of Rangoon Region, was re-arrested when under house arrest last night. Tun Tun Hein, Deputy Speaker of the lower house of the Myanmar parliament was released today. He returned to his hometown Nawnghkio, Shan State as he was not allowed to return where his family lives in Rangoon. U Htun Htun Hein, Vice Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House of the Parliament) and member of the Central Executive Committee of the NLD, was released from detention at around 10am, a family member confirmed. However, he was not allowed to return to his home in Rangoon. He and his wife are now going to Naung Cho, his birthplace in a small town, Shan State, Therefore, as of February 7, a total of (165) people have been arrested and detained in relation to the military coup on February 1. Of them, (2) were sentenced to two years imprisonment and (13) were released. A total of (152) are still under detention, including the (2) sentenced. In addition to all this, according to the Pyay Former Political Prisoner Group, Kyaw Nyan Tun, Myo Thant Htut and Phyu Phway will be charged under the Natural Disaster Management Law for staging a protest against the military coup in Pyay Township, Bago Division. They have not yet been detained. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges and sentences in relation to coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. Today people have expressed their desire and great concern for the future of Burma. We urge the respect of people’s will and to protect peaceful protesters in ways that were not done during the past military regime in Burma. In addition, we urge foreign governments and the international community to monitor and take actions against the military coup. In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup 53 Days ago
Description: "As of March 25, a total of (2981) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. (320) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. AAPP documented (34) fallen heroes today, 11 who were killed on March 25. (24) of the recent detainees have been convicted. (109) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 2 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Fallen heroes were shot dead today in Thingangyun Township in Yangon, Khin-U Town in Sagaing Region, Mohnyin Town in Kachin State, Pyu Township in Bago Region and Taunggyi City in Shan State. (23) were killed on a previous day but added on 25 March. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. Since yesterday’s silent strike, night protests were held in a number towns, some of which were violently cracked down. People were shot to death, injured, and arrested. In Kyaukpadaung Township, Mandalay Region, a youth was killed. In Mandalay City, a 16-year-old child was killed and some others injured. In addition to this, ambulance vehicles also were shot at unprovoked. As the illegitimate military regime attempts to halt protests before Armed Forces Day on March 27, many soldiers and so-called police commit brutal acts. Today, protests in Mohnyin and Myitkyina, Kachin State, Hpa-an Township in Karen State, Mawlamyine Township in Mon State, Taunggyi Township in Shan State, Khin-U Township in Sagaing Region, Mandalay City, and Thingangyun and Tamwe Township in Yangon Region were violently crackdown..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Title: Statement on Recent Detainees in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "4th February 2021 On 1 February 2021, Burma’s elected politicians intended to take their seats in Parliament per democratic norms and Burma’s 2008 constitutional provisions. Instead, as of 4th February evening, AAPP knows of 133 officials and lawmakers who have been detained by the military in the attempted coup. These arbitrary detentions are an effort to subdue the democratic election of November 8, 2020. The detentions are also causing great distress to families, who are deeply concerned about the detainee’s health and want to see their loved ones again. There are also 14 civil society activists such as filmmaker Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, 88 generation activist Mya Aye, and Shwe Nya War Sayadaw, who are being detained by the military to stifle dissent against this illegitimate undermining of the election. So far, some officials have been released by the military, either under house arrest or unconditionally. Though on 3 February, U Thawbita was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment under Telecommunications Law Section 66(d), he was charged before the coup by the military for defamation. State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint were also charged under Import Export Law and Natural Disaster Management Law and both are to be remanded until 15 February. On 4 February, 3 arrests were made against peaceful demonstrators. These are some of the first prosecutions under the military coup. AAPPs recent list is for detainees with identified names, even though the NLD Secretary in Hpakhant Township and two commission members of Naung Mon Township and some commission members of Machanbaw Township of Kachin State were detained on 1 February, we have not confirmed their names. We will continue to diligently update our lists. AAPP calls for the immediate release of the remaining detained 147 recently detained political prisoners, in addition to the 42 sentenced and 663 (inside and outside prison) awaiting trial political prisoners already persecuted in Burma. In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Title: The Myanmar beauty queen standing up to the military
Description: "Speeches by beauty pageant contestants rarely make headlines. But when Han Lay, Miss Grand Myanmar, spoke out last week against alleged atrocities committed by her country's military, her speech turned heads. "Today in my country Myanmar ... there are so many people dying," she said at the Miss Grand International 2020 event in Thailand. "Please help Myanmar. We need your urgent international help right now." A little over a month ago, Han Lay, who is 22, was on the streets of Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, protesting against the military. The unrest in Myanmar began two months ago when the military seized control of the country, undoing a democratic election in which Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide. When tens of thousands of people took to the streets nationwide to protest the coup, the military used water cannon to disperse them. After a week, the response escalated to rubber bullets and then live ammunition. The deadliest day of the conflict came last Saturday, when more than 100 people were killed. A local monitoring group puts the overall death toll at more than 500. According to Save the Children, 43 of those killed were children. Han Lay, a psychology student at the University of Yangon, decided to use the pageant as a platform to speak out about her homeland on an international stage. "In Myanmar, journalists are detained ... so I decided to speak out," she told the BBC in a phone interview from Bangkok. She is concerned now that her two-minute speech could have put her on the radar of the military. She said she had decided to stay put in Thailand for at least the next three months..."
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-05
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Title: Global Witness calls for tough international response as Myanmar’s military opens fire on civilians - Global Witness သည် မြန်မာတပ်မတော်သည် ပြည်သူများအား ပစ်ခတ်ခြင်းကြောင့် နိုင်ငံတကာအသိုင်းအဝိုင်းအား ပြင်းထန်စွာ တုံ့ပြန်ရန် လှုံ့ဆော်ပါသည်
Description: "At least 18 people were killed across Myanmar yesterday as soldiers opened fire on peaceful protesters in the deadliest day since the military seized power in a February 1 coup. More than 30 demonstrators were wounded, according to a United Nations tally, as security forces used live rounds together with rubber bullets and tear gas against crowds who were protesting against the illegitimate takeover. “The violence used by Myanmar’s security forces against civilians who were expressing their right to assemble and demonstrate is abhorrent,” said Clare Hammond, Senior Myanmar Campaigner at Global Witness. “The international community must take immediate action to support the people of Myanmar in their effort to restore civilian rule, and to hold the military accountable for its actions,” she added. More than 1,100 people have been arbitrarily arrested, charged or sentenced over the past month according to reports, although the real figure may be higher. Journalists are increasingly being targeted, with at least eight arrested over the weekend and some still in custody, while a photojournalist was beaten by police in Yangon. Meanwhile, the country’s elected civilian leaders remain under house arrest, with the sham trial of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi proceeding via video conference this morning, and the military filing two more spurious charges against her, including for incitement. “The military’s continued violations of basic human rights and its refusal to release civilian leaders is unacceptable,” said Hammond. “While we welcome the flurry of concerned statements by foreign governments, these need to be followed by stronger actions. This includes the imposition of targeted sanctions against the military and the expansion of sanctions to help prevent foreign currencies from flowing to the regime that enable it to loot state coffers and kill, maim and violate the rights of innocent civilians with impunity,” concluded Hammond.....မနေ့က မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတပြည်လုံးတွင် စစ်သားများသည် ငြိမ်းချမ်းစွာ ဆန္ဒပြနေသော ပြည်သူများအား သေနတ်နှင့်ပစ်ခတ်မှုကြောင့် အနည်းဆုံး ၁၈ ဦး အသက်ဆုံးရှုံးခဲ့ရပါသည်။ ဖေဖော်ဝါရီလ ၁ရက်နေ့ စစ်အာဏာသိမ်းပြီးချိန်ကတည်းက အသေအပျောက်အများဆုံးနေ့ ဖြစ်ပါသည်။ လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့များသည် ဤတရားမဝင် အာဏာသိမ်းမှုနှင့် ပတ်သက်ပြီး ဆန္ဒပြနေသူများအား ကျည်ဆံအစစ်နှင့်ပစ်ခတ်ခြင်း၊ ရာဘာကျည်ဆံများနှင့်ပစ်ခတ်ခြင်း နှင့် မျက်ရည်ယိုဗုံး အသုံးပြုခြင်းများကြောင့် ကမ္ဘာ့ကုလသမဂ္ဂ ၏ ကောက်ချက်အရ ဆန္ဒပြသူ အဦး ၃၀ နှင့်အထက် ဒဏ်ရာရရှိခဲ့ပါသည်။ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့များသည် မိမိတို့၏ ဆန္ဒများကို အခွင့်အရေးရှိသည့်အရ ထုတ်ဖေါ် နေသော ပြည်သူများအား အကြမ်းဖက်ခြင်းသည် စက်ဆုပ်ရွံရှာဘွယ် ကောင်းပါသည် ဟု Global Witness ၏ Senior Myanmar Campaigner ဖြစ်သူ Clare Hammond ကပြောဆိုပါသည်။ မြန်မာပြည်သူများအား အရပ်သားအုပ်ချုပ်မှု ပြန်လည်ရရှိရန် နှင့် စစ်တပ်အား ၎င်းတို့၏ လုပ်ရပ်များကြောင့် အရေးယူနိုင်ရန် နိုင်ငံတကာအသိုင်းအဝိုင်းအနေဖြင့် ချက်ချင်းကူညီ လုပ်ဆောင်ရန် လိုအပ်ပါသည် ဟု သူမကဖြည့်စွက်ပါသည်။ သတင်းတင်ပြချက်များအရ လူဦးရေ ၁၀၀၁ ဦးနှင့်အထက် သည် မတရားစွာ ဖမ်းဆီးခံရခြင်း၊ စွဲချက်တင်ခံရခြင်း နှင့် ပြစ်ဒဏ်ချမှတ်ခြင်းများကို ရင်ဆိုင်ရပါသည်။ တကယ် အဖမ်းဆီးခံရသော လူဦးရေမှာ ဒီထက်ပိုများနိုင်သည်ဟု ယူဆရပါသည်။ သတင်းစာဆရာများသည်လည်း ပစ်မှတ်ထားခြင်း ခံရပြီး၊ ပြီးခဲ့သော စနေနေ့ နှင့် တနင်္ဂနွေနေ့များတွင် ၈ ဦးဖမ်းဆီးခံရပြီး အချို့သည်ဆက်လက်ထိန်းသိမ်းခံရဆဲဖြစ်ပါသည်။ ရန်ကုန်မြို့တွင် ဓတ်ပုံသတင်းဆရာတဦး အား ရဲတပ်ဖွဲ့ဝင်များသည် ရိုက်နက်ခဲ့ပါသည်။ ဤအတောအတွင်း မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ ရွေးကောက်ခံရသော အရပ်သားခေါင်းဆောင်များသည်လည်း အကျယ်ချုပ်ဖမ်းဆီးခံရဆဲဖြစ်ပါသည်။ နိုင်ငံတော်အတိုင်မင်ခံ ဒေါ်အောင်ဆန်းစုကြည် ၏ ရုံးတင်စစ်ဆေးခြင်းကိုလည်း ဗီဒီယို အစည်းအဝေးအားဖြင့် ယနေ့နံနက် ဆက်လက်ပြုလုပ်ခဲ့ပါသည်။ စစ်တပ်သည် သူမအား တိုင်းပြည်မတည်မငြိမ်ရန် လှုံးဆော်မှုအပါအဝင် စွဲချက် အသစ်နှစ်ချက်ဖြင့် ထပ်မံစွဲဆိုခဲ့ပါသည်။ တပ်မတော်သည် အခြေခံလူ့အခွင့်အရေးများအား ဆက်လက် ချိုးဖောက်ခြင်း နှင့် အရပ်သား ခေါင်းဆောင်များအား လွှတ်ပေးရန် ငြင်းဆန်ခြင်းများကို လက်မခံနိုင်ပါဟု Hammond ကပြောဆိုပါသည်။ နိုင်ငံခြားအစိုးရများထံမှ ဤဖြစ်ရပ်များနှင့်ပတ်သက်၍ စိုးရိမ်းသော သဘောထား​ကြေညာချက်များကို လက်ခံကြိုဆိုသော်လည်း နိုင်ငံခြားအစိုးရများအနေဖြင့် ပိုမိုပြင်းထန်သော အရေးယူမှုများ လုပ်ဆောင်ရန် လိုအပ်ပါသည်။ တပ်မတော်အား ပစ်မှတ်ထားသော ပိတ်ဆို့မှုများနှင့်အတူ နိုင်ငံခြားမှ​ပေးသည့် အကူအညီငွေများ သည် စစ်အစိုးရ၏လက်ထဲ ရောက်ရှိပြီး ဤငွေကိုအသုံးပြုပြီး အပြစ်မဲ့သော ပြည်သူများအား သက်ဖြတ်ခြင်း နှင့် ပြည်သူများ၏ အခွင့်အရေးများကို ချိုးဖောက်ခြင်း များ မဖြစ်လာနိုင်အောင်လုပ်ဆောင်ရပါမည် ဟု Hammond ကပြောဆိုရင်း နိဂုံးချုပ်ပါသည်။..."
Source/publisher: "Global Witness" (London)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
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Title: Is Myanmar the new Syria? Rising violence threatens a repeat tragedy
Sub-title: As ethnic militias back the popular uprising and refugees flee the country, the similarities with Syria are deeply disturbing
Description: "In August 2011, Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey’s then foreign minister, made a “mercy dash” to Damascus. He appealed in person to Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to stop killing his people and talk to his opponents after five months of anti-regime protests. Davutoglu spoke for Turkey but also, indirectly, for the US and the west. He had conferred with Hillary Clinton, then secretary of state, before making the trip. His message: it’s not too late to call a halt; the alternative is civil war. But Assad turned him down flat. At that early point in the crisis, about 2,000 people had died. Fearing worse to come, Davutoglu kept trying. In Istanbul the following year, he urged the US, Britain and other countries to work together to prevent a humanitarian “disaster”. Millions of Syrians were at risk, he told me. “How long can this situation continue? I mean in Bosnia, now we have Ban Ki-moon (then UN secretary-general) apologising 20 years after. Who will apologise for Syria in 20 years’ time?” Ten years on, Davutoglu has an answer. The west failed to act decisively, 500,000 or more Syrians are dead, 13.3 million are displaced, the country is in ruins – and no one has apologised. Meanwhile, half a world away, history repeats itself. Is Myanmar the new Syria? The portents and parallels are many and disturbing. They foretell yet another avoidable human tragedy of epic dimensions. Once again, those who could stop it don’t. Instead, they wrangle and seek national advantage. Once again, UN alarm bells ring, warning of an “imminent bloodbath”. Myanmar’s military junta, which seized power in a coup in February, is waging a war on citizens, the special UN envoy Christine Schraner Burgener told the security council last week. Another failure to uphold international law and honour the international community’s “responsibility to protect” could produce “a multi-dimensional catastrophe in the heart of Asia,” she said. But again, as perennially over Syria, the council is split. In Myanmar’s case, it’s China, not Russia, that holds the whip hand. Like Moscow, Beijing plays a double game. Its UN ambassador, Zhang Jun, said China supported stability, dialogue, and what he disingenuously termed the “democratic transition”. Yet it is China that is blocking international sanctions and other UN action to rein in the junta. Like Russia in Syria, it is a saviour of killers. No surprise, perhaps. If it’s a choice between autocracy and democracy, the world knows where president Xi Jinping stands. The US president, Joe Biden, says human rights are a central plank of his foreign policy. But over Myanmar, he looks weak as Beijing calls his bluff. The UK, the former colonial power, is trying harder, leading the UN debate, sanctioning military-related sales, and providing funds to record rights abuses. Meanwhile, Myanmar’s neighbours in the Association of South-East Asian Nations make solemn statements and do next to nothing. Taken altogether, it’s nowhere near enough. The pressure group Burma Campaign UK demands a global arms embargo, for example, and referral to the international criminal court. There is little doubt Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the junta boss, and members of the military and police are each day committing crimes against humanity and war crimes. Min Aung Hlaing is already wanted for the 2017 genocide of the Rohingya minority. These uniformed killers and torturers are counting on impunity fuelled by international divisions and inertia. As matters stand, it’s entirely possible that, like Assad and most of his henchmen, they will escape justice. Hundreds of civilians have been killed so far, and thousands detained or forcibly disappeared, according to the UN’s human rights office. “Night raids, mass arrests and killings have become daily occurrences,” it reported last week. “De facto military authorities have increasingly resorted to heavy weaponry such as rocket-propelled and fragmentation grenades, heavy machine guns, and snipers to kill demonstrators in massive numbers,” it said. Evidence accumulates that youthful civilian demonstrators are being radicalised by this trauma. Unusually, street protests appear to enjoy broad middle class support. There is talk of taking up arms in self-defence and building an opposition-based federal army – another echo of Syria in 2011. Significantly, Myanmar’s “parallel government”, the CRPH, comprising MPs elected in last year’s election and supporters of the deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is now proposing a new federal constitution that recognises the rights of ethnic minorities..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
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Title: Myanmar junta orders internet blackout as more pro-democracy protesters are detained
Description: "Myanmar's military junta has cut all wireless internet services until further notice, in what appears to be part of a concerted effort to control communications and messaging in the Southeast Asian country. Pro-democracy demonstrators have repeatedly filled streets across the country for nearly two months in protest after the military overthrew the elected government over claims of election fraud, and installed a ruling junta. The military has responded to the protests with a bloody crackdown. At least 550 people have been killed by junta forces, according to advocacy group the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP). Rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Friday that the junta had also "forcibly disappeared hundreds of people" -- including politicians, election officials, journalists, activists and protesters -- since the February 1 coup. At least 2,751 people, among them journalists, protesters, activists, government officials, trade unionists, writers, students, civilians and even children, have been detained, often in nighttime raids, according to AAPP. On Friday, most Myanmar citizens woke up to no internet access after telecoms companies received instructions from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to stop wireless broadband internet services. Customers of telecoms company Ooredoo received text messages the night before saying wireless services would be stopped until further notice. The directive was dated from April 1. A majority of customers in Myanmar connect to the internet through wireless data services and the move will leave only those with physical connections to access the web. Mobile data has also been disabled for the 19th day, according to internet monitor Netblocks. CNN has reached out to Myanmar's military for comment on the wireless internet shutdown. As the military clamps down on the flow of information, dozens of journalists have been detained by security forces, according to the UN, and so have citizens who have spoken to media outlets, according to reports. A CNN team spoke with residents Friday while visiting a bazaar in Yangon's Insein township. CNN is in Myanmar with the permission of the military and is being escorted by the military, including during the visit to the market. Two women were arrested afterwards, ​according to a report from local outlet The Irrawaddy​. The report included an eyewitness account that one woman was seen speaking to the CNN team. It's unclear ​from that account whether that woman was among those arrested soon after. An improvised anti-regime protest broke out while the team was present, its report added. Multiple unverified reports posted on social media said at least two people had been taken away by security forces after speaking with the CNN team. CNN has reached out to the Myanmar military for comment on the reported detentions. In its latest briefing, the AAPP said it could confirm the location of "only a small fraction" of recent detainees it had identified. The co-chairs of the United Nations Group of Friends for the Protection of Journalists on Thursday issued a statement voicing "deep concern over the attacks on the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the situation of journalists and media workers in Myanmar and strongly condemn their harassment, arbitrary arrests and detention, as well as of human rights defenders and other members of civil society."..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
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Title: Myanmar protesters paint anti-coup slogans on Easter eggs
Sub-title: Eggs left on doorsteps and hanging in bags on front gates after death toll from turmoil reaches 557
Description: "Anti-coup demonstrators in Myanmar have inscribed messages on boiled eggs in an Easter-themed protest against the country’s military junta. The country has been gripped by turmoil since a coup in February ousted the civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Security forces have sought to quell a mass uprising using lethal force, with the death toll reaching 557 as of Saturday, according to the local monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). To coincide with Easter Sunday, scores of Myanmar protesters decorated eggs with political messages and left them on neighbour’s doorsteps and hanging in bags on front gates. Pictures posted on social media on Sunday showed eggs adorned with Aung San Suu Kyi’s likeness and three-finger salutes – a symbol of the resistance – while others said “save our people” and “democracy”. “I am Buddhist but I have joined this campaign because it is easy to get hold of eggs. I spent almost one hour decorating my eggs,” said one Yangon-based egg decorator. “I am praying for Myanmar’s current situation to get back to democracy.” A Facebook group promoting the egg protest urged people to be respectful of Christian traditions on Easter Sunday. Myanmar’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal Charles Bo, tweeted an Easter message: “Jesus has risen: Hallelujah – Myanmar will rise again!” Protesters hit the streets of Mandalay early on Sunday, some carrying flags and riding motorbikes. It comes after four protesters were killed on Saturday in the cities of Bago and Monywa. While foreign companies have faced growing calls to sever ties with the junta, the French energy firm Total announced on Sunday it would not halt gas production in Myanmar. Its chief executive, Patrick Pouyanné, said Total had a duty to stay the course. “Can a company like Total decide to cut off the electricity supply to millions of people – and in so doing, disrupt the operation of hospitals, businesses?” he told the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
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Title: MYANMAR SITUATION UPDATE (FEBRUARY 2021)
Description: "The 2021 Myanmar military coup began on 1 February 2021 when the Myanmar military, Tatmadaw detained numerous government officials, including State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and Union Election Commission (UEC) Chair U Hla Thein, as well as pro-democracy activists and politicians from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) and other parties. Since then, civil resistance efforts in opposition to the coup has been growing across the country, and security forces have been violently cracking down on the anti-coup protests. In order to keep the international community informed about the post-coup development in Myanmar, ANFREL will closely monitor the situation and prepare weekly briefs on Myanmar for public dissemination. You may find our weekly briefs below: Myanmar Situation Update (1 to 14 February 2021) Myanmar Situation Update (15 to 21 February 2021 Myanmar Situation Update (22 to 28 February 2021) Myanmar Situation Update (1 to 7 March 2021)..."
Source/publisher: Asian Network for Free Elections (Bangkok)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
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Title: Myanmar 'traitors' hounded in online anti-coup campaign
Summary: "As Myanmar descends into chaos, smartphone warriors in the anti-coup movement are seeking revenge online against the junta, hounding people with family ties to the military as a form of "social...
Description: "As Myanmar descends into chaos, smartphone warriors in the anti-coup movement are seeking revenge online against the junta, hounding people with family ties to the military as a form of "social punishment". The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February and the death toll from the violence has risen past 500 as the junta struggles to quash dissent. Anger and grief over the crackdown are being channelled into an online campaign, with close to 170 people with relatives in the junta listed on a website as "traitors". The site and a corresponding Facebook page - which had 67,000 followers before it was shut down - detail the personal information of these people, such as workplaces, universities and links to their social media accounts - a practice known as doxxing. "We are here to punish families of the military or the people who are supporting the military. Never forgive, never forget!" the Facebook page said. Facebook closed down the page for violating community standards, but other pages with smaller numbers of followers still exist. "We will continue to closely monitor the situation on the ground in Myanmar," a Facebook spokeswoman said. The consequences of social punishment have resulted in some victims being forced to shut down their online businesses and a Myanmar university student in Japan quitting her studies, according to local media reports. The campaign is broader in scope than those with family ties to the military - people not participating in the civil disobedience strike action are also being targeted and threats have been made to journalists who cover the junta's press conferences..."
Source/publisher: "CNA" ( Singapore)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-04
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Title: Myanmar police surround protesters and raid compound in Yangon
Sub-title: Demonstrators in North Okkalapa flee under fire, and junta units raid striking rail workers’ district
Description: "Police in Myanmar have surrounded and arrested at least 200 students and civilians protesting against the military coup on the outskirts of Yangon, according to witnesses who said those detained were driven away in unmarked trucks. Video footage from North Okkalapa showed protesters fleeing under fire. At least one person appeared to be seriously wounded. Earlier, military forces raided a compound in a Yangon neighbourhood that is home to state railway workers who have been on strike. Riot police sealed off the Mingalar Taung Nyunt area where the Ma Hlwa Kone train station and housing for rail employees are located. Photographs on social media showed officers blocking streets and what appeared to be people escaping. At least three arrests were reported. These could not immediately be confirmed. There was no apparent resistance to the raid, and local media said the authorities forced at least some residents from their homes. The latest clampdown follows mass arrests a week ago when about 400 young people were put in prison. As demonstrations continued in towns and cities across the country, the US embassy in Yangon condemned the police action against “innocent” people. It urged security forces to withdraw and to release all of those arrested. The military junta, led by Min Aung Hlaing, appears determined to crush the country’s general strike. Hlaing seized power on 1 February, overthrowing a civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy won elections in November and was about start a second term. The coup undid years of slow progress towards democracy following five decades of military rule, and sparked a wave of non-violent protests. A civil disobedience movement has united large numbers of public-sector employees – some of whom have taken to the streets – and there has been a boycott of military-owned companies. The raid on state rail workers comes days after several unions issued a joint call for a nationwide work stoppage. They said their strike would be part of a broader effort for “the full, extended shutdown of the Myanmar economy”. Despite the increasingly violent tactics of security forces, protests continued on Wednesday in cities including in Mandalay, Monywa, Dawei, Myitkyina, Myitkyina, Bago, Kalaw and Myingyan. Some were met with police force, while others were brief and free of violence. Riot police in the small southern city of Dawei fired teargas, forcing marchers to disperse and hide. There were reports of the use of rubber bullets. No injuries have been confirmed. A leading organiser of protests was arrested, according to the Dawei Watch news service. The city has become a hotspot for anti-coup protests and been subjected to heavy police crackdowns. Up to five deaths have occurred..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-11
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Title: Myanmar: UN calls for 'utmost restraint' from military as more deaths reported
Sub-title: British-drafted UN statement watered down by China, Russia, India and Vietnam, as Amnesty says military using battlefield weapons on protesters
Description: "The United Nations has condemned the Myanmar military’s violent crackdown against anti-coup demonstrators as seven more people were reported shot dead in protests on Thursday. Local media, witnesses and medics said six people were shot dead in the central town of Myaing when security forces opened fire on anti-junta protests and domestic media said one man was killed in the North Dagon district of Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city. Photographs posted on Facebook showed a man lying prone on the street, bleeding from a head wound. More than 60 people are believed to have been killed protesting against the 1 February coup that removed Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government from power. The UN statement however removed language that explicitly condemned the coup and threatened possible further action from the British-drafted text, due to opposition by China, Russia, India and Vietnam. The presidential statement, signed by all 15 members of the Security Council called for “utmost restraint” by the military. A presidential statement is a step below a resolution but becomes part of the official record of the UN’s most powerful body. The statement called for the immediate release of government leaders including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint who have been detained since they were ousted in the coup. It said it supported the country’s democratic transition and “stresses the need to uphold democratic institutions and processes, refrain from violence, fully respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and uphold the rule of law”. But it is weaker than the initial draft circulated by the United Kingdom which would have condemned the military coup itself and threatened “possible measures under the UN Charter” – UN language for sanctions – “should the situation deteriorate further.” Diplomats said council members China, Russia, India and Vietnam, which is a member of the 10-nations Association of Southeast Asian Nations known as Asean, along with Myanmar, objected to provisions in stronger earlier drafts of the statement. China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said in a statement that “it is important the council members speak in one voice,” and declared that it’s now time for de-escalation, diplomacy and dialogue. The UN statement came as Amnesty International accused Myanmar security forces of using battlefield weapons on unarmed protesters and carrying out premeditated killings orchestrated by their commanding officers. International pressure on the Myanmar junta has mounted since the army ousted and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi last month, triggering daily protests around the country. The United States also applied fresh pressure with sanctions against Aung Pyae Sone and Khin Thiri Thet Mon, two adult children of Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. The pair have a variety of business holdings that have directly benefited from their “father’s position and malign influence”, said a US Treasury statement. The UK is also exploring fresh sanctions, foreign minister Dominic Raab said in a tweet..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-11
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Title: Myanmar: Vast arsenal and notorious troops deployed during nationwide ‘killing spree’ protest crackdown – new research
Description: "The Myanmar military is using increasingly lethal tactics and weapons normally seen on the battlefield against peaceful protesters and bystanders across the country, new research by Amnesty International has revealed. By verifying more than 50 videos from the ongoing crackdown, Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab can confirm that security forces appear to be implementing planned, systematic strategies including the ramped-up use of lethal force. Many of the killings documented amount to extrajudicial executions. Footage clearly shows that Myanmar military troops - also known as the Tatmadaw - are increasingly armed with weapons that are only appropriate for the battlefield, not for policing actions. Officers are frequently seen engaging in reckless behavior, including the indiscriminate spraying of live ammunition in urban areas. NEWS CAMPAIGNS EDUCATION RESEARCH IMPACT NEWS (Photo by Kaung Zaw Hein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) MYANMAR UNLAWFUL KILLINGS SHARE Facebook Twitter Myanmar: Vast arsenal and notorious troops deployed during nationwide ‘killing spree’ protest crackdown – new research 11 March 2021, 00:01 UTC Analysis of more than 50 videos show systematic and premeditated killings amid extensive deployment of battlefield weaponry Soldiers implicated in atrocity crimes against ethnic minorities now operating in Myanmar’s cities Evidence of extrajudicial executions and killings on orders of commanders The Myanmar military is using increasingly lethal tactics and weapons normally seen on the battlefield against peaceful protesters and bystanders across the country, new research by Amnesty International has revealed. By verifying more than 50 videos from the ongoing crackdown, Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab can confirm that security forces appear to be implementing planned, systematic strategies including the ramped-up use of lethal force. Many of the killings documented amount to extrajudicial executions. These Myanmar military tactics are far from new, but their killing sprees have never before been livestreamed for the world to see. Joanne Mariner, Director of Crisis Response Footage clearly shows that Myanmar military troops - also known as the Tatmadaw - are increasingly armed with weapons that are only appropriate for the battlefield, not for policing actions. Officers are frequently seen engaging in reckless behavior, including the indiscriminate spraying of live ammunition in urban areas. “These Myanmar military tactics are far from new, but their killing sprees have never before been livestreamed for the world to see,” said Joanne Mariner, Director of Crisis Response at Amnesty International. “These are not the actions of overwhelmed, individual officers making poor decisions. These are unrepentant commanders already implicated in crimes against humanity, deploying their troops and murderous methods in the open. “For years, ethnic minorities - including the Chin, Kachin, Karen, Rakhine, Rohingya, Shan, Ta’ang and more - have borne the brunt of horrific violence meted out by the Tatmadaw. Along with other rights groups, we have called on the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court, and bring the Tatmadaw’s senior commanders, including Min Aung Hlaing, to justice. Instead the Security Council has done nothing, and today we see the same military units turn their fire on protesters. “The military authorities must immediately cease their deadly onslaught, de-escalate the situation nationwide, and release all those arbitrarily detained.” The 55 clips, filmed from 28 February to 8 March, were recorded by members of the public and local media in cities including Dawei, Mandalay, Mawlamyine, Monywa, Myeik, Myitkyina and Yangon. According to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, the death toll from the protests as of 4 March stands at 61. This official estimate excludes additional known casualties in recent days..."
Source/publisher: "Amnesty International" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-11
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Title: UN condemns Myanmar violence as US sanctions general’s children
Description: "The United Nations Security Council has condemned the escalating violence in Myanmar and called on the army to show restraint in its response to peaceful protesters, as the United States imposed sanctions on two children of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. In a statement issued on Wednesday following days of talks that sometimes broke down, the 15-member council said it “strongly condemns the violence against peaceful protesters, including against women, youth and children. “The council calls for the military to exercise utmost restraint and emphasizes that it is following the situation closely.” Language that would have condemned the February 1 coup and threatened possible further action was removed from the UK-drafted text, due to opposition by China, Russia, India and Vietnam. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he hoped the statement would push the military to realise it “is absolutely essential” that all prisoners are released and that the results of a November election are respected. The army has justified the coup by saying that the election, won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy in a landslide, was marred by fraud – a claim rejected by the electoral commission. The junta has promised a new election, but has not said when it might take place. Guterres acknowledged that Myanmar was not a “perfect democracy” before the coup. “It was still heavily under military control in many aspects, which makes this coup even more difficult to understand, especially the accusations of electoral fraud by those that were largely in control of the country,” he said. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an advocacy group tracking arrests since the military seized power, said on Wednesday night that more than 60 people had been killed since the protests began. Some 2,008 people had been detained with 1,689 still in custody, it said. While welcoming the Security Council statement, rights groups monitoring the situation in Myanmar said more action was needed..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-11
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Title: India: Halt All Forced Returns to Myanmar
Sub-title: Returned Refugees Face Risks to Life, Liberty Under Oppressive Junta
Description: "The Indian government should halt any plans to deport ethnic Rohingya and others to Myanmar, where they would be at risk from its oppressive military junta, Human Rights Watch said today. On March 6, 2021, the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir detained nearly 170 Rohingya, sent them to a holding center as part of a verification process, and said they plan to deport them. Myanmar authorities have also asked the Indian government to return eight police officers who with their families sought refuge in India after the military coup. Since the February 1 coup, when the Myanmar military overthrew the democratically elected government, the security forces have used excessive and lethal force against peaceful protesters throughout the country. They have killed at least 55 people and carried out hundreds of arbitrary arrests and detentions including enforced disappearances. The junta has amended laws to strip away basic rights, brought politically motivated prosecutions, and intermittently blocked internet access. “Any plan to forcibly return Rohingya and others to Myanmar will put them back in the grip of the oppressive military junta that they fled,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director. “Myanmar’s long-abusive military is even more lawless now that it is back in power, and the Indian government should uphold its international law obligations and protect those in need of refuge within its borders.” The recent detention of Rohingya in Jammu and Kashmir follows the Indian government’s announcement in 2017 that it would deport all Rohingya, whom they consider to be “illegal immigrants.” Since October 2018, the Indian government has deported 12 Rohingya to Myanmar, claiming that they left voluntarily. Many Rohingya in Jammu and Kashmir say that they hold identity documents issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and that they feared for their safety in Myanmar. Over a million Rohingya have fled Myanmar, primarily to Bangladesh, most of them since the military’s campaign of ethnic cleansing that began in August 2017. The 600,000 Rohingya remaining in Myanmar’s Rakhine State face severe repression and violence, with no freedom of movement, no access to citizenship, or other basic rights. Abuses against the Rohingya in Rakhine State amount to the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution, Human Rights Watch said. “We are not ready to go back, until the situation improves in Myanmar,” said Mohammad Saleem, 42, a Rohingya refugee in Jammu and Kashmir. “It is extremely distressing for us to be sent back to Myanmar against our wishes.” Indian authorities nonetheless say that they will deport Rohingya irregular immigrants not holding valid travel documents required under the Foreigners Act. But any forcible returns to Myanmar will violate the international legal principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits countries from returning anyone to a country where they may face persecution, torture, or other serious harm, Human Rights Watch said. Although India is not a party to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol, non-refoulement is recognized as customary international law and is binding on all countries. Human Rights Watch has extensively documented rampant and systemic human rights violations against the Rohingya in Myanmar. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January 2020 imposed provisional measures on Myanmar to prevent genocide while it adjudicates alleged violations of the Genocide Convention. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2019 began an investigation into Myanmar’s forced deportation of Rohingya and related crimes against humanity..."
Source/publisher: "Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-10
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Title: Myanmar security forces surround striking rail workers; U.N. fails to condemn coup
Description: "Myanmar security forces surrounded the staff compound of striking railway workers opposed to the military junta on Wednesday as ousted lawmakers appointed an acting vice president to take over the duties of detained politicians. In New York, the U.N. Security Council failed to agree on a statement that would have condemned the coup in Myanmar, called for restraint by the military and threatened to consider “further measures.” Talks on the statement would likely continue, diplomats said, after China, Russia, India and Vietnam all suggested amendments late on Tuesday to a British draft, including removal of the reference to a coup and the threat to consider further action. The railway staff in Yangon are part of a civil disobedience movement that has crippled government business and included strikes at banks, factories and shops since the army ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in a coup on Feb. 1. Security forces have cracked down with increasing force on daily, nationwide protests, leaving the Southeast Asian nation in turmoil. More than 60 protesters have been killed and 1,900 people have been arrested since the coup, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an advocacy group, has said. Footage posted on social media showed security forces near the railway staff compound. One person involved in the strike said by telephone they feared an imminent crackdown. “I think they are going to arrest us. Please help us,” said the person, who asked to be identified only as Ma Su rather than their full name. In a Facebook live broadcast from the area people chanted: “Are we staff united? Yes, we are united” and a commentator claimed police were trying to remove barricades and threatening to shoot. Details could not be independently verified. Police and army officials did not respond to requests for comment..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-10
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Title: Second death of official from Aung San Suu Kyi's party raises fears of Myanmar military detention
Description: "An official from ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party has died in custody following alleged torture, the second such death while in detention of junta forces this week, according to a watchdog group. The deaths have raised concerns about the condition and treatment detainees are receiving in detention. Since the military seized power in a coup on February 1, security forces quickly moved to stifle dissent and arrested government officials, protesters, journalists, civil servants and NGO workers, and repressed independent media. Many people have been taken arbitrarily in nighttime raids and their families do not know where their loved ones are, or what condition they are in, the United Nations said. Human Rights Watch said that people who are forcibly disappeared are more likely to be subjected to torture or ill-treatment than others arrested. The National League for Democracy's (NLD) Zaw Myat Lynn died in custody on Tuesday after he was arrested in the biggest city Yangon, Reuters reported, citing ousted parliamentarian Ba Myo Thein. Watchdog group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) released a statement saying "Zaw Myat Lynn, who was head of an educational institute, was announced dead today from injuries consistent with torture following an arbitrary nighttime raid." The exact cause of death is still unknown but AAPP added Zaw Myat Lynn was subjected to beatings. Shortly before his arrest, Zaw Myat Lynn posted a livestream on Facebook in which he said, "I want to encourage all citizens across the country that we will be protesting day and night for 24 hours against the dictatorship." He urged people to continue fighting the army, saying "we will risk our lives to defeat them." "We are showing to the international communities including UN and other agencies that we, citizens of Myanmar want democracy and we value democracy as the most precious thing in our lives," he said. It follows the death of a Yangon NLD party chairman Khin Maung Latt, who died while in custody on Saturday. "On the night of his arrest, Khin Maung Latt was tortured to death in his cell," AAPP said in a news release. Reports of bruising to Khin Maung Latt's head and body raised suspicions he had been abused, NLD lawmaker Ba Myo Thein told Reuters. CNN cannot independently verify this reporting and the details surrounding the deaths of Zaw Myat Lynn and Khin Maung Latt's are not immediately clear..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-10
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Title: At least three killed as anti-coup protesters wave women’s clothing in defiance of military misogyny
Sub-title: After over a month of daily protests, anti-coup demonstrators continued to adapt with creative tactics in response to military’s campaign of terror
Description: "The Myanmar military continued to terrorize peaceful anti-coup demonstrators with lethal force across the country on Monday, killing at least three protesters and severely injuring many others. The attacks came after soldiers and police came out in force in Yangon on Sunday night in anticipation of another day of mass protests. Security forces stationed themselves inside hospitals, pagoda compounds and universities in Yangon and other major cities. Gunfire and stun grenade explosions were heard at night in numerous Yangon townships in what appeared to be a bid to terrorize the city’s population. But anti-military demonstrators still took to the streets on Monday morning, rallying around yet another call for a general strike, this time to coincide with International Women’s Day. At a women-led anti-coup demonstration in Sanchaung township, protesters used htameins as flags. Many superstitious soldiers believe that walking beneath the sarong-like garment - or anything else worn by a woman below the waist - diminishes a man’s power. Protesters have been hanging htameins above roads to delay the advance of security forces, a strategy that uses the military’s own misogyny against them. At many protest sites in Yangon, security forces broke up demonstrations using teargas and stun grenades. Protesters once again avoided confrontations with a cat and mouse strategy, retreating when security forces approached but gathering again whenever they had the chance. Elsewhere in Myanmar, things were more violent. Two were shot dead by security forces in the Kachin capital of Myitkyina, residents and a protest organizer said. The two victims have been identified as 63-year-old Ko Ko Lay, also known as Cho Tha, and 23-year-old Zin Min Htet. They were both shot in the head. Security forces also used stun grenades and tear gas while attacking protesters in front of the Saint Francis Xavier Catholic church. “They died on the scene in front of the church. Both of their heads were crushed by bullets,” the protest organizer told Myanmar Now. The funeral for Ko Ko Lay will be held on Sunday afternoon in accordance with Islamic tradition, while Zin Min Htet’s body was brought to his house, said Lamai Gum Ja from the Peace-talk Creation Group, a local volunteer organization. At least ten people were arrested and five severely injured in the attack, he added..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-09
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Title: Myanmar: military revokes licences of five media outlets in blow to press freedom
Sub-title: The outlets have reported extensively on protests over the coup over recent weeks, as well as the brutal response by the security forces
Description: "Myanmar’s military junta has revoked the licences of five media outlets as it seeks to clampdown on independent coverage of anti-coup protests, a major blow to press freedom in the country. Mizzima, Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), Khit Thit Media, Myanmar Now and 7Day News have each been ordered to close, according to an announcement on state broadcaster MRTV. It said the companies were “no longer allowed to broadcast or write or give information by using any kind of media platform or using any media technology.” The outlets have reported extensively on protests over the coup over recent weeks, as well as the brutal response by the security forces. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets to call for the military to hand power back to the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Police and troops have responded with lethal force, killing more than 50 people. Rights experts warn the military has adopted a “shoot to kill” approach. On Monday evening, before the junta announced it was to ban several media companies, soldiers and police raided the headquarters of Myanmar Now, a news outlet that scrutinises the Tatmadaw, or military, seizing computers, part of the newsroom’s data server and other equipment. The offices were evacuated as a precautionary measure on 28 January as talk of a possible coup intensified and were empty at the time, a representative said. Nearly 1,800 people have been detained during army crackdowns, including dozens of journalists. In one disturbing video shared last week, Kaung Myat Hlaing, a journalist working for DVB in the southern city of Myeik, filmed from his balcony as security forces surrounded his apartment, shouting for him to come down. What sounds like gunfire can be heard in the background. He calls out, urging his neighbours to help him. DVB later confirmed he had been detained. Six journalists, including the Associated Press photojournalist Thein Zaw, have been charged with violating a public order law for covering the coup. They could be imprisoned for up to three years. DVB said it was not surprised by the cancellation of its licence, adding that it would continue broadcasting on satellite TV and online. “We worry for the safety of our reporters and our staff, but in the current uprising, the whole country has become the citizens’ journalists and there is no way for military authorities to shut the information flow,” executive director Aye Chan Naing told Associated Press. Since the coup, protesters have flooded social media with footage from protests, and used Facebook Live to document military crackdowns on peaceful demonstrators. The junta attempted to block social media early in February, but many have evaded the restrictions by using virtual private networks (VPNs). At night, however, when the military conducts raids of homes, the junta routinely imposes a nationwide internet shutdown. On Monday night, security forces blocked around 200 people from leaving a four-street area in Sanchaung township in the country’s largest city, Yangon, according to the UN rights office. The Associated Press reported that door-to-door searches were carried out, with police searching for protesters who had sought shelter in the buildings. Protesters have since been allowed to leave the area. A rights group told Reuters about 50 people had been arrested in Sanchaung after police searched houses, though checks were still being made. While the protesters were trapped, the UN secretary general, António Guterres had called for their release “without violence or arrests”. Guterres’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said the secretary general had been following the developments “very closely”, particularly in the township “where hundreds of peaceful protesters have been barricaded inside residential apartment complexes for hours”. Sharp loud bangs had been heard coming from the area, according to an AFP reporter, although it was not immediately clear if the sounds were caused by gunfire or stun grenades. Repeated screaming was audible in a live Facebook stream. Guterres also called the occupation of a number of public hospitals in Myanmar by security forces “completely unacceptable,” the UN spokesperson said..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-09
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Title: Myanmar: Urgently Investigate NLD Official’s Death in Custody
Sub-title: Immediately Produce Another NLD Official’s Forcibly Disappeared Father
Description: "Myanmar’s junta should promptly and impartially investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the torture and death in custody of a National League for Democracy (NLD) official, Human Rights Watch said today. The junta should also urgently produce U Peter, the forcibly disappeared father of an NLD elected official and all others “disappeared” since the February 1, 2021, coup. On the evening of March 6, 2021, witnesses saw soldiers and police arrive at the home of Khin Maung Latt, 58, a ward chairman in Pabedan township in downtown Yangon. After forcibly entering his home, the security forces beat and kicked Khin Maung Latt in front of his family, then took him away at gunpoint. The next morning, Khin Maung Latt’s family recovered his body from a hospital after notification by the authorities. The body had severe wounds to the hands and back and was covered in a bloody shroud, a witness said. “Myanmar’s junta runs the security forces and can quickly find out who killed Khin Maung Latt if they want to,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “If they want to show they believe in the rule of law, all those responsible should be held to account. Sadly, Myanmar’s security forces seem intent on using nighttime raids and brutal mistreatment to create fear and break popular resistance to military rule.” A witness told Human Rights Watch that at 9:15 p.m., four military trucks arrived and stationed themselves on Anawrahta Road between 29th and 30th streets. Soldiers identified as being from the 77th Light Infantry Division lined up on 30th Street, where Khin Maung Latt lived, while others stood on 29th Street. Between 9:15 p.m. and 10.30 p.m., 15 gunshots were heard, the witness said. All the military trucks left at 11 p.m. The authorities informed Khin Maung Latt’s family around 7:30 a.m. on March 7 that they should retrieve his body from the Mingladon military hospital. A member of the Muslim community who helped prepare Khin Maung Latt’s body for a Muslim burial said there were deep wounds on his back and hands consistent with torture..."
Source/publisher: "Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-09
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Title: What could make Myanmar's military junta back off?
Description: "With live fire being deployed on a widespread basis in Myanmar since a military coup on February 1, the generals who seized power have lived up to fears that they would resort to lethal force against their own citizens. Early restraint in the face of peaceful protesters has been replaced with bullets, and security forces have killed more than 50 people to date. Several victims were killed by shots to the head -- a sign that the troops were shooting to kill as part of their intensifying crackdown that also has included curfews and nightly internet shutdowns, armored vehicles and armed troops on the streets and draconian laws limiting freedom of speech and assembly. Predictably, the coup and the violence against unarmed civilians triggered international condemnation, new sanctions by the US, the UK and Canada and threats of sanctions from the European Union. But statements like these have done little more than highlight just how limited the world's diplomatic arsenal is against crises of this nature -- especially when most governments are battling the Covid-19 pandemic or trying to revive their sagging economies and Myanmar's military leaders seem not to care about returning their country to pariahdom. "The army in Myanmar has a long track record of not listening to the outside world, not caring what people think, simply living off, in a vicarious way, the isolation that is then imposed," Southeast Asia expert Michael Vatikiotis told me. Indeed, it is hard to see how international opprobrium or even sanctions -- a blunt and controversial tool with a limited record of success -- are likely to convince the generals to release the government leaders they're detaining and accept that the military lost last November's election. Nor are measures against the military likely to get backing from China and Russia, which have taken a softer line to responding to the coup. So is there anything that could persuade the generals to back down? Myanmar is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the political bloc that probably has the most influence over the generals. So far the bloc has failed to unite behind a strong call of action, but it's high time it did. If member countries such as Thailand begin to see a flood of refugees, transforming the unrest into a regional crisis, that could force ASEAN to relax its policy of non-interference in the affairs of member states and take a strong stance against the junta -- something it should do nonetheless for the sake of ASEAN's own credibility..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-09
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Title: 7 March 2021 Daily Briefing, Detention and Fatality Lists in Relation to Military Coup
Description: "The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) pays respect to the heroes who sacrificed their lives and liberty to fight for democracy, human rights and dictatorship to an end. Up until now, more than (54) people have been killed due to the violent and arbitrary crackdowns. As of March 7, a total of (1790) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. Of them, (3) were convicted; (2) to two years imprisonment, (1) to three months. (70) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest, (318) were released. A total of (1472) are still under detention or have outstanding charges/evading arrest, including the (3) sentenced. In today’s detainee list, we received and documented the names of (17) people. However, more than 100 protestors including students and youths were arrested during the crackdown across the country today. We will continue to investigate these and make appropriate announcements when. After brutal crackdowns on peaceful protests yesterday by the police and military, brutal acts continued into the night, raids into residential areas and homes, gunfire, and unlawful search and detentions. Some NLD members were targeted last night, these detentions are to deprive communities and protests of coordination and leadership. Last night, police and military raided the homes of NLD members in Pabedan Township, Rangoon, breaking down doors, opening fire at people looking out their apartments. The raids targeted the home of Khin Maung Latt, chair of the NLD party in Ward (7) in Pabedan Township who was found and detained. On the night of his arrest, Khin Maung Latt was tortured to death in his cell. They searched the home of Maung Maung, information officer of Pabedan Township NLD, but could not find him so they attacked his younger brother and put in a prone position. They searched the home of lawyer Maung Maung, vice chair of NLD Pabedan Township and took his phone and other material. Also detained were two sons of Thein Oo, vice chair of NLD Dagon Township, because they could not find Thein Oo. In Monywa, Sagaing, today they also arrested the wife of activist Nay Myo who they could not find. In Madaya Township, Mandalay Region, Ko Ko Lwin, treasurer of NLD Monywa Township was arrested last night. Such violently beatings of arrests and torture are beyond brutal and inhumane, they are also intentional. Tortures is prohibited across the world, however, torture to achieve confession is allowed in Burma right now. The Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment was encated to protect detainees and convicts, yet the military junta does not follow and respect any domestic and international laws and allows its troops to commit human rights violations. We strongly condemn the death of Khin Maung Latt, chair of the NLD party in Ward (7) in Pabedan Township, as well as the hostage taking of family members, this is terrorism. Today protests in Taikkyi, Tharkayta, South Okkalapa, Tamwe, Dagon Myothit (North), Mayangone, Sanchaung, Shwe Pyi Thar, Insein Townships in Yangon Region, Yay in Mon State, Magway, Pakokku Townships in Magway Region, Loikaw Township in Kayah State, Mandalay City, Myingyan, and Bagan Township in Mandalay Region, Lashio, Shan State, and Pathein Township, Ayeyarwady Region were brutally suppressed. Especially in Bagan, which is an ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mandalay Region of Burma. Near the Bagan New Town market, one protester was shot and injured and 6 protesters were arrested during the crackdown by the junta’s forces. Around 10 protestors in Sanchaung township and at least 20 peaceful protestors were arrested, and another one was hit with four rubber bullets in South Okkalapa Township. 50 peaceful protestors, including two women were arrested and some injured in Taikkyi Township. two peaceful protestors were injured and another one was arrested in Pathein township. Six peaceful protestors were arrested in Mawlamyaing Gyunn Township. Some peaceful protestors were arrested in Loikaw and Mandalay. One peaceful protestor was injured in Myingyan. Two were injured in Loikaw..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-08
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Title: Australia halts defence ties with Myanmar, redirects aid
Description: " Australia has suspended its defence cooperation programme with Myanmar, Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said, amid an intensified crackdown by the country’s military on massive protests against last month’s coup. Australia will also redirect immediate humanitarian needs to Rohingyas and other ethnic minorities, Payne said in a statement late Sunday. “We will prioritise the most pressing humanitarian and emerging needs and seek to ensure our humanitarian engagement is with and through non-government organisations, not with government or government-related entities,” Payne said. Australia bilateral defence ties with Myanmar’s military are restricted to non-combat areas such as English language training. Canberra will also continue to demand the immediate release of Sean Turnell, an economist and adviser to deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, authorities said. Turnell has been detained with limited consular access since the Feb. 1 coup that overthrew Myanmar’s elected government. Hundreds of people gathered in Australia’s largest city of Sydney over the weekend urging the Australian government to take a strong stance against the coup. The Southeast Asian country has been plunged in turmoil after the army took over control of the country and detained elected leaders, with daily protests that United Nations said had killed more than 50 people. “We continue to strongly urge the Myanmar security forces to exercise restraint and refrain from violence against civilians,” Payne said..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-08
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Title: China says willing to engage with all parties to ease Myanmar situation
Description: "China is willing to engage with “all parties” to ease the crisis in neighbouring Myanmar and is not taking sides, the Chinese government’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, said on Sunday. Beijing has said the situation in Myanmar, where the military seized power last month, was “absolutely not what China wants to see” and has dismissed social media rumours of Chinese involvement in the coup as nonsense. “China is ... willing to contact and communicate with all parties on the basis of respecting Myanmar’s sovereignty and the will of the people, so as to play a constructive role in easing tensions,” Wang told a news conference on the sidelines of China’s annual gathering of parliament. While Western countries have strongly condemned the Feb. 1 coup, China has been more cautious, emphasising the importance of stability. China nonetheless agreed to a United Nations Security Council statement that called for the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other detainees and voiced concern over the state of emergency. “China has long-term friendly exchanges with all parties and factions in Myanmar, including the National League for Democracy (NLD), and friendship with China has always been the consensus of all sectors in Myanmar,” Wang said. The NLD is Suu Kyi’s party. Its landslide November victory in national elections has been ignored by the junta. “No matter how the situation in Myanmar changes, China’s determination to promote China-Myanmar relations will not waver, and China’s direction of promoting China-Myanmar friendly cooperation will not change,” Wang said. On Saturday, an Israeli-Canadian lobbyist hired by Myanmar’s junta told Reuters that the generals are keen to leave politics after their coup and seek to improve relations with the United States and distance themselves from China. Some of the protests against the coup, which have drawn hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets, have taken place outside the Chinese embassy in Yangon, with protesters accusing Beijing of supporting the junta..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-08
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Title: Myanmar military occupies hospitals and universities ahead of mass strike
Description: "Troops in Myanmar have occupied hospitals and university campuses, and ramped up nighttime raids ahead of a nationwide strike to protest against the military coup, according to local media reports. It's the latest move by the military junta, which seized power on February 1, to consolidate its control of the country in the face of mass protests and resistance to its increasingly violent rule. More than 54 people have died in crackdowns on protests, including many teenagers and young people, according to the United Nations. In many districts of the biggest city, Yangon, on Saturday and Sunday, witnesses reported sounds of gunfire and stun grenades. Terrified residents watched and filmed as security forces raided residential areas in the city and made several nighttime arrests. Residents told Reuters police fired shots and did not give reasons for the arrests, which continued into the early hours of Sunday. One of those detained in the raids Saturday was a party official from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD). Khin Maung Latt died while in custody, according to advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and Reuters. "On the night of his arrest, Khin Maung Latt was tortured to death in his cell," AAPP said in a news release Sunday. Reports of bruising to Khin Maung Latt's head and body raised suspicions he had been abused, NLD lawmaker Ba Myo Thein told Reuters. CNN cannot independently verify this reporting and the details surrounding Khin Maung Latt's death are not immediately clear. Khin Maung Latt had worked as a campaign manager for one of two Muslim lawmakers elected in 2020. Mourners gathered for his funeral on Sunday in Yangon..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-08
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Title: Myanmar police occupy hospitals in Yangon ahead of national strike
Sub-title: Human rights group says move is a breach of international law as labour unions call for extended stop work
Description: "Police in Myanmar have occupied hospitals and universities and reportedly arrested hundreds of people involved in protesting last month’s military coup, while a coalition of labour unions called a nationwide strike for Monday. Tension was high in the country’s biggest city, Yangon, on Sunday night, where gunshots from heavy weapons could be heard in several areas after the 8pm curfew. The sounds of what apparently were stun grenades could also be heard on videos posted on social media. Some of the shooting was heard near hospitals, where reports said neighbourhood residents sought to block the entry of police and soldiers. Security forces have previously targeted medical personnel and facilities, attacking ambulances and their crews. There are fears the police presence in hospitals would allow authorities to arrest wounded people presumed to be protesters. The international Physicians for Human Rights group condemned the occupation of hospitals, saying in a statement that it was “appalled by this latest wave of violence by the Myanmar military, including the invasion and occupation of public hospitals and wanton excessive force against civilians”. “If it was not obvious before, it is absolutely clear now: the Myanmar military will not stop violating the rights of the people of Myanmar until the international community acts decisively to prevent and account for these outrageous acts,” it said. The group said the occupation of hospitals by force was a violation of international law which “only serves to further undermine a health care system already embattled by the Covid-19 pandemic and by the military’s recent coup d’état”. It said one eyewitness account reported armed security forces entering and seeking to occupy West Yangon General Hospital by force. It said it also had reports of Yangon General Hospital, North Okkalapa Waibagi Specialist Hospital, South Okkalapa Women and Children’s Hospital, East Yangon General Hospital, and Central Women’s Hospital, being occupied by the military. The group said it had received similar reports from Mandalay, Monywa, and Taunggyi. An alliance of influential worker unions in Myanmar has called for an extended nationwide strike starting on Monday, with the intention of causing the “full, extended shutdown” of the country’s economy in an attempt to halt the military coup. In a statement, nine labour organisations called on “all Myanmar people” to stop work in an effort to reverse the seizure of power by the military. Workers in several industries have joined the protest movement, most notably from the state railway and the banking sector. Moe Sanda Myint, chair of the Federation of Garment Workers Myanmar, said she believed the majority of workers would join. “We are urging to continue the strike until the dictatorship is uprooted,” she said. Andrew Tillett-Saks, Myanmar country program director for the Solidarity Center, a US-based worker rights organisation, said the strike “increases the likelihood that many more from the private sector will answer the call in the days and weeks that follow”. “This is a strategy that could actually plausibly really pressure the military,” he said. Tens of thousands of people came out in Myanmar on Sunday in one of the biggest days of protest against the coup, despite overnight raids by security forces in Yangon, on campaign leaders and opposition activists. In a single Yangon neighbourhood, Shwepyitha, at least 100 students were reported to have been arrested, and many protesters were also said to have been detained in other cities, especially at universities. Police fired teargas and stun grenades in Lashio town in the country’s northern Shan region, according to live video posted on Facebook. A witness said police opened fire to break up a protest in the historic temple town of Bagan, but it was not clear if they were using rubber bullets or live ammunition..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-08
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Title: Protests in Myanmar follow violent nighttime police raids
Description: "In Myanmar, protesters took zo the streets again to continue their demonstrations against last month's military coup and demanding the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Tens of thousands participated in the Marches, with the largest protests in the city of Mandalay. It followed police raids targeting opposition leaders, where a number of people were arrested. Witnesses have described hearing shots during those raids. It comes as the Chinese government says it's willing to work with the relevant parties to ease tensions. There hasn't been a day of rest for protestors since February first, when the military rounded up the country's democratically elected leaders, and told the world they are now in charge. Estimated 50 deaths, one in particular has gripped people around the world. Mandalay university student Kyal Sin was shot in the head as police opened fire on protesters last Wednesday. Thousands attended her funeral a day later. Giving the three-finger salute that has become a gesture of solidarity among pro-democracy civilians – and a show of defiance against the military. Kyal Sin hasn't been allowed to rest in peace. Witnesses say her grave was disturbed by soldiers shortly after her burial. They allege her body was subject to a graveside autopsy by military doctors. Only adding to the outrage over her killing. Kyal Sin's story is no isolated incident. Wednesday was the deadliest day since protests began at the start of February. But UN figures show more than 50 civilian protestors have been killed since the military coup. Many people say the international community isn't doing enough. Diplomatic efforts so far have failed. The UN's special envoy has urged the security council to act now. But that hasn't stopped one day of violence. With no signs of the bitter and dangerous standoff easing between civilians and the military, many are wondering when everything will nbe okay on the streets of Myanmar again..."
Source/publisher: "DW News" (Germany)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-08
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Title: Business revolt brewing in coup-crippled Myanmar
Sub-title: Western trade groups spurn coup regime's advances but nation's top business organization continues to engage the generals
Description: "Myanmar businesses are divided over how to respond to the new regime, even as the junta’s attempts to win legitimacy among investors have been rebuffed by major foreign business groups. Western business groups, namely European, American, British, Italian and French chambers of commerce, rejected the regime’s invitation to meet on March 4. At the same time, major Asian business groups such as the Thai, Hong Kong, Japanese and Chinese have not released any statements of concern since the coup and lethal crackdown on protesters. The Western chambers’ refusal comes at a time of widespread and rising condemnation against the regime’s brutal crackdown on unarmed protesting civilians, with more than 50 killed as of March 3, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), an independent monitoring group. Australian business group AustCham Myanmar said on Wednesday it has “serious concern over the increasing use of violence against the people campaigning for a return to democratic Government in Myanmar.” Yangon, the commercial capital, saw at least up to 32 killed in North Okkalapa township alone, in the eastern part, with witnesses saying they heard what sounded like continuous machine gun fire. Photos in Mandalay have shown fighter jets in the sky, which many citizens assume is to strike fear. Live ammunition was used in seven cities on Wednesday including Yangon, Mandalay, Myingyan, Mawlamyine, Monywa, Pyin Oo Lwin and Hpakant, said AAPP. “Myanmar will never be the same again,” Cardinal Charles Bo, the Catholic Church’s highest prelate in Myanmar, tweeted in response to the Wednesday massacre..."
Source/publisher: "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-07
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Title: Myanmar protests: The killing of Zin Ko Ko Zaw
Description: "Sky News investigates the killing of a protester in Myanmar after the military opened fire. Several videos from before and after the shooting give a full picture of how events unfolded. Zin Ko Ko Zaw was 22 years old. One of at least 38 people killed that day..."
Source/publisher: "Sky News"
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-07
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Title: Myanmar: Tens of thousands turn out for Sunday protests despite overnight raids
Sub-title: Demonstrations held in more than half a dozen cities after soldiers and police moved in on several districts in Yangon
Description: "Tens of thousands of people came out in Myanmar on Sunday in one of the biggest days of protest against the coup, despite overnight raids by security forces in the main city, Yangon, on campaign leaders and opposition activists. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades in Lashio town in the country’s northern Shan region, according to live video posted on Facebook. A witness said police opened fire to break up a protest in the historic temple town of Bagan, but it was not clear if they were using rubber bullets or live ammunition. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Protests in half a dozen other cities were peaceful. The biggest turnout in Sunday’s protests was in Myanmar’s second city, Mandalay, where activists staged a sit-in protest after two minutes of silence in honour of people killed by police and the army, video showed. The United Nations says security forces have killed more than 50 people since daily protests began after the military overthrew and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February. “They are killing people just like killing birds and chickens,” one protest leader said to the crowd in Dawei, in the country’s south. “What will we do if we don’t revolt against them? We must revolt.” Protests were also held in at least three places in Yangon, where residents said soldiers and police moved into several districts overnight, firing shots. They arrested at least three in Kyauktada township, said residents who did not know the reason for the arrests. “They are asking to take out my father and brother. Is no one going to help us? Don’t you even touch my father and brother. Take us too if you want to take them,” one woman screamed as two of them, an actor and his son, were led off. Soldiers also came looking for a lawyer who worked for Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy but were unable to find him, a member of the now dissolved parliament, Sithu Maung, said in a Facebook post. Police could not be reached for comment. A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment. More than 1,700 people had been detained under the junta by Saturday, according to figures from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an advocacy group..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK) via "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-07
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Title: Hopes for UN Security Council action against Myanmar military coup ‘waning’ fast, warns Special Envoy
Sub-title: Hopes placed in the UN and the Member States that serve on the Security Council to take action against leaders of Myanmar’s military coup, are waning fast, the UN Special Envoy for the country warned on Friday.
Description: "Christine Schraner Burgener welcomed the fact that the Council was meeting behind closed doors on Friday to discuss the rising death toll on the streets as daily protests continue but told Ambassadors that “your unity is needed more than ever on Myanmar”. Power to veto any Security Council statements or resolutions, rests with the five Permanent Members, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. ‘Real heroes’ The Special Envoy said she had been in close contact with people across various communities since the 1 February military takeover, noting that “they, including committed civil servants, are the real heroes and protectors of the nation’s democratic progress.” But, she added, “the hope they have placed in the United Nations and its membership is waning and I have heard directly the desperate pleas – from mothers, students and the elderly. I receive every day around 2,000 messages, for international action to reverse a clear assault on the will of the people of Myanmar and democratic principles.” She urged the Council to push further to end the violence, and restore democratic institutions, denouncing the actions by the military, “which continues to severely undermine the principles of this Organization and ignores our clear signals to uphold them.” The envoy noted that around 50 “innocent and peaceful” protesters had now been killed, with scores more injured, with evidence mounting of killings and maiming by military snipers, in contravention of international human rights law. As of 2 March, she said the UN human rights office OHCHR was reporting that around 1,000 are either detained or unaccounted for, having been arbitrarily taken from the streets. “The Secretary-General, who remains closely engaged, continues to speak out and has strongly condemned the violent crackdown”, she said, adding: “The repression must stop.” Be 'resolute and coherent' “It is critical that this Council is resolute and coherent in putting the security forces on notice and standing with the people of Myanmar firmly, in support of the clear November election results” she said, which overwhelmingly returned the party of jailed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to power. She praised the stand taken by Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN, Kyaw Moe Tun, who a week ago publicly sided with the protesters against the coup, and has remained in post, despite the efforts of the Burmese military to remove him. He “needs your full support”, she told the Council. Ms. Schraner Burgener said she had continued to communicate the UN’s “strong dismay and condemnation” for its failure to protect the Burmese people, and said she would continue to engage, with all actors during the crisis..."
Source/publisher: UN News
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-06
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Title: Myanmar's ethnic groups have long suffered from military brutality. The junta gave them a common foe
Description: "For many of Myanmar's ethnic minorities, the bloodshed inflicted across the country's towns and cities this week is a continuation of the oppression they have suffered at the hands of the military for decades. The Southeast Asian country is home to some of the world's longest civil wars, where myriad ethnic insurgencies have fought the military, central government and each other for greater rights and autonomy. Some of those bloody conflicts have ebbed and flowed in the borderlands for 70 years. Throughout years of conflict in Myanmar's jungles and mountains, ethnic people have witnessed and been subjected to horrific atrocities including massacres, rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture, forced labor and displacement by the armed forces, as well as state-sanctioned discrimination. In 2016 and 2017, the military launched a brutal campaign of killing and arson that forced more than 740,000 Rohingya minority people to flee into neighboring Bangladesh, prompting a genocide case to be heard at the International Court of Justice. In 2019, the United Nations said "grave human rights abuses" by the military were still continuing in the ethnic states of Rakhine, Chin, Shan, Kachin and Karen. This week, that brutality played out on the streets of Myanmar's biggest cities, as the ruling junta launched a systematic and coordinated attack on unarmed peaceful demonstrators calling for an end to the February 1 coup. Witnesses, footage and photographs showed police and the military shooting dead anti-coup protesters, beating detainees and reported extrajudicial killings, while images of crumpled bodies laying in pools of their own blood or being dragged through the streets shocked the world. Determined to fight against those abuses and ensure their distinct voices and demands are heard, ethnic people have loudly joined the nationwide protests, uniting in solidarity against a common enemy. Though many fear further violence and intensified conflict from an unchecked military junta operating with impunity and now firmly in control of the country. "This fight has been since the beginning of the forming of the country itself. We hope that the current fight against the military coup in 21st century might be a new hope for our people," said Chin activist Sang Hnin Lian..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-06
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Title: Myanmar crisis now or never moment for ASEAN
Description: "More than a month on from a democracy-suspending military coup in Myanmar, many see the junta’s increasingly violent crackdown on dissent as approaching a point of no return. As the United States and others press for tougher sanctions on the junta’s leaders, Southeast Asian nations are under pressure to intervene to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. With its credibility on the line after past failures to tackle human rights crises in the region, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is still widely seen as the best hope for a diplomatic solution amid uncharacteristic outspokenness from some of its member states who are pushing to build a regional consensus on the need for Myanmar to return to democracy. But the grouping isn’t speaking with one voice, with some of its members describing the putsch as an internal matter, consistent with the bloc’s long-held tradition of non-interference in members’ domestic affairs. Moreover, the organization’s diplomatic efforts have been met with skepticism by those protesting across Myanmar who are staunchly opposed to any engagement that would confer legitimacy onto Naypyidaw’s generals..."
Source/publisher: "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-05
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Title: NLD party stalwart Win Htein requests bail from Naypyitaw court
Sub-title: The 82-year-old’s lawyer asked that bail be granted due to Win Htein’s need for ongoing medical care
Description: "National League for Democracy (NLD) patron Win Htein requested that a Naypyitaw court release him from a detention center on bail on Friday, citing his deteriorating health. He awaits a trial for sedition charges brought against him by Myanmar’s ruling military council. At 82 years old, Win Htein uses a wheelchair and is reliant on an oxygen supply to help him breathe. He suffers from hypertension, diabetes and heart and thyroid diseases, according to his lawyer, Min Min Soe. He is charged with violating Section 124-A of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. “We requested that the court hold the trial with him out on bail because he needs constant medical care for those health issues,” lawyer Min Min Soe told Myanmar Now. At Win Htein’s second hearing on Friday at the Dekkhina District court in Naypyitaw, deputy judge Soe Naing said the court would make a decision regarding the bail request in the next hearing, scheduled for March 19. Lawyer Min Min Soe also said that officials at the Naypyitaw detention center have not allowed her to meet with her client or to obtain a copy of his medical records to submit to the court. She said that the NLD’s legal team has also requested that the judge allow an open court for her client’s hearings. The outspoken party stalwart Win Htein was arrested at his home in Yangon on the evening of February 4. He had recently returned from Naypyitaw, where he gave media interviews in which he said the coup was a result of Min Aung Hlaing’s “personal ambition.” At his first hearing on February 19, Win Htein asked for a sentence to be handed down to him immediately, which was rejected by the judge..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-05
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Title: 38 people killed in Myanmar's deadliest day of protest, says UN envoy
Description: "At least 38 people were killed after Myanmar's security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters in towns and cities across the country Wednesday, in scenes that have been described as "a war zone." Thousands of protesters across the Southeast Asian nation have taken to the streets over the past four weeks against a military coup on February 1. Security forces have intensified their response in recent days, opening live fire into crowds, and using tear gas, flash bangs and stun grenades on demonstrators. The United Nations said the total death toll since the coup was now 50, though activists put that total as higher. "Today was the bloodiest day since the coup happened," Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener told a briefing Wednesday. Around 1,200 people have been detained, while many relatives are unsure where they are being held, she said. "Every tool available is needed now to stop this situation," Burgener said. "We need a unity of the international community, so it's up to the member states to take the right measures." CNN reached out to the ruling military regime via email but has not yet received a response. Protesters run from police firing tear gas during a pro-democracy demonstration in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Wednesday. Protesters have for weeks been demanding the release of democratically elected officials, including the country's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who are currently in detention. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party (NLD) won a landslide victory in November elections; military leaders allege voter fraud but have provided no proof for their claim. Burgener said that in discussions with the military, she had warned that the UN Security Council and members states were likely to take strong measures. "The answer was: 'We are used to sanctions, and we survived those sanctions in the past'," she said. "When I also warned they will go in an isolation, the answer was: 'We have to learn to walk with only few friends'." Security forces -- which include members of the military's Light Infantry Divisions long documented to be engaged in human rights abuses in conflict zones throughout the country -- escalated their deadly crackdown on peaceful demonstrators this week. "Today, the country is like the Tiananmen Square in most of its major cities," the Archbishop of Yangon, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, said on Twitter. In one brutal instance, Myanmar security forces were caught on camera beating emergency services with the butts of their guns, batons and kicking them in the head, according to activist group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). The AAPP released the video on Wednesday and said in a statement that the leaked video was from North Okkalapa, in Yangon. The video provides a glimpse into the brutal methods deployed the security forces..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-04
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Title: Reports: Myanmar security forces kill at least 33 protesters
Description: "Myanmar security forces dramatically escalated their crackdown on protests against last month’s coup, killing at least 33 protesters Wednesday in several cities, according to accounts on social media and local news reports compiled by a data analyst. That is highest daily death toll since the Feb. 1 takeover, exceeding the 18 that the U.N. Human Rights Office said were killed on Sunday, and could galvanize the international community, which has responded fitfully thus far to the violence. Videos from Wednesday also showed security forces firing slingshots at demonstrators, chasing them down and even brutally beating an ambulance crew. The toll could even be higher; the Democratic Voice of Burma, an independent television and online news service, tallied 38 deaths. Demonstrators have regularly flooded the streets of cities across the country since the military seized power and ousted the elected government of leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Their numbers have remained high even as security forces have repeatedly fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds to disperse the crowds, and arrested protesters en masse. The intensifying standoff is unfortunately familiar in the country with a long history of peaceful resistance to military rule — and brutal crackdowns. The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in the Southeast Asian nation after five decades of military rule. The Wednesday death toll was compiled by a data analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared for his safety. He also collected information where he could on the victims’ names, ages, hometowns, and where and how they were killed. The Associated Press was unable to independently confirm most of the reported deaths, but several square with online postings. The data analyst, who is in Yangon, the country’s biggest city, said he collected the information to honor those who were killed for their heroic resistance. According to his list, the highest number of deaths were in Yangon, where the total was 18. In the central city of Monywa, which has turned out huge crowds, eight were reported. Two deaths each were reported in Salin, a town in Magwe region, and in Mandalay, the country’s second-biggest city. Mawlamyine, in the country’s southeast, and Myingyan and Kalay, both in central Myanmar, each had a single death. As part of the crackdown, security forces have also arrested hundreds of people at protests, including journalists. On Saturday, at least eight journalists, including Thein Zaw of The Associated Press, were detained. A video shows he had moved out of the way as police charged down a street at protesters, but then was seized by police officers, who handcuffed him and held him briefly in a chokehold before marching him away..."
Source/publisher: "Associated Press" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-04
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Title: Dozens killed in Myanmar's worst day of violence since coup
Sub-title: Security forces open fire on anti-coup protesters in Yangon, Mandalay and elsewhere
Description: "At least 33 people have been killed after Myanmar’s security forces opened fire on peaceful anti-coup protesters in multiple towns and cities, in the worst day of violence since the military coup last month. Police and military have increasingly used lethal violence in an attempt to crush demonstrations, killing at least 40 people since the coup on 1 February. Crowds have continued to take to the streets daily in defiance of the military junta, with just goggles, hard hats and homemade shields for protection. Protesters are demanding that the military restore democracy and for their elected leaders to be released. Thinzar Shunlei Yi, a human rights activist based in Yangon, described the military’s use of force against protesters as a “daily slaughter”. Among those who died on Wednesday was a 19-year-old woman shot in Mandalay. Images shared on social media showed her wearing a T-shirt that read “Everything will be OK”. A teenage boy was also killed. Local media reported that he was 14. Security forces used deadly force in several cities including Monywa, where six people were killed and at least 30 injured, a witness told the Guardian. Hundreds of people had turned out to protest when police opened fire around 11am. At least eight people were killed in a neighbourhood in Yangon after security forces opened sustained fire with automatic weapons in the early evening, according to Reuters. A protester who witnessed the crackdown in North Okkalapa township told the Guardian that the firing was continuous. “I’m still going to go to the frontlines. If I get shot and die then so be it. I can’t stand it any more,” he said..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-04
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Title: A fight is brewing over Myanmar's seat at the United Nations
Description: "The fight for control of Myanmar has now officially arrived at the United Nations. In a letter seen by CNN, Myanmar's UN Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun has told the international body that he still represents Myanmar, after making an impassioned speech last week rejecting the country's military takeover. Meanwhile, a deputy ambassador to the UN from Myanmar will claim that he is now the man the military authorities want to represent the country. Both sides have sent the UN letters to make their case on official letterhead. Myanmar's democratically elected government was overthrown last month in a military coup that saw civilian leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi detained. For weeks, thousands of people in the country have come out to protest against the coup, risking deadly violence and arrest by security forces. "The perpetrators of the unlawful coup against the democratic government of Myanmar have no authority to countermand the legitimate authority of the President of my country," Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun wrote in his letter to the UN. But the Myanmar foreign ministry is backing a deputy ambassador to take control of the country's UN representation, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. "It's a unique situation we have not seen in a long time," Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday of the dueling claims. He added that the UN is "trying to resolve things as quickly as possible." Myanmar's military leaders first announced Kyaw Moe Tun's removal over the weekend, after he called on UN members to use "any means necessary" to help restore the country's civilian leadership. "We need further strongest possible action from the international community to immediately end the military coup, to stop oppressing the innocent people, to return the state power to the people and to restore the democracy," he told the UN on Friday. Kyaw Moe Tun said he was delivering the speech on behalf of Suu Kyi's government, and flashed the three fingered "Hunger Games" salute used by protestors on the streets of Myanmar, prompting a rare round of applause from his UN colleagues at the end. The new US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, praised the envoy's "courageous" remarks..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-04
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Title: Myanmar security forces intensify crackdowns on protesters
Description: "Pro-democracy demonstators in Myanmar show no signs of backing down amid the ongoing crackdown by security forces. Police fired tear gas and warning shots to disperse protestors, who have been on the streets every day since the military siezed power over a month ago. Demonstrations are taking place around the country and strikes are planned in at least one state. Diplomatic efforts to ease the crisis stalled on Tuesday as ASEAN countries failed to make a breakthrough in talks with Myanmar's military junta..."
Source/publisher: "DW News" (Germany)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-04
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Title: Myanmar security forces kill 18 anti-coup protesters despite calls for restraint: rights group
Description: "Myanmar security forces opened fire on protests against military rule on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people, a human rights group said, a day after neighbouring countries called for restraint and offered to help Myanmar resolve the crisis. The security forces resorted to live fire with little warning in several towns and cities, witnesses said, as the junta appeared more determined than ever to stamp out protests against the Feb. 1 coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. “It’s horrific, it’s a massacre. No words can describe the situation and our feelings,” youth activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi told Reuters via a messaging app. A spokesman for the ruling military council did not answer telephone calls seeking comment. Ko Bo Kyi, joint secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners rights group, said in a post on Twitter: “As of now, so called military killed at least 18.” In the main city Yangon, witnesses said at least eight people were killed, one early in the day and seven others when security forces opened sustained fire with automatic weapons in a neighbourhood in the north of the city in the early evening. “I heard so much continuous firing. I lay down on the ground, they shot a lot,” protester Kaung Pyae Sone Tun, 23, told Reuters. A protest leader in the community, Htut Paing, said the hospital there had told him seven people had been killed. Hospital administrators were not immediately available for comment. Another heavy toll was in the central town of Monywa, where six people were killed, the Monywa Gazette reported..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-04
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Title: Myanmar: End Lethal Force Against Protesters
Sub-title: UN Security Council Should Impose Targeted Sanctions, Arms Embargo
Description: "Myanmar’s military junta should order its security forces to end the use of excessive and lethal force against largely peaceful protesters, Human Rights Watch said today. On March 3, 2021, security forces fired live rounds at protesters, killing at least 38 and wounding more than 100 at demonstrations across the country, the United Nations reported. One of the deadliest incidents took place in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, where security forces opened fire on largely peaceful protesters. Security forces fired on some protesters as they attempted to rescue an injured man. Earlier in the day, police detained and brutally beat medical workers. Human Rights Watch reviewed an incident in which a man in custody appears to be shot in the back. “Myanmar’s security forces now seem intent on breaking the back of the anti-coup movement through wanton violence and sheer brutality,” said Richard Weir, crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The use of lethal force against protesters rescuing others demonstrates how little the security forces fear being held to account for their actions.” At a March 3 briefing, the United Nations special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, reported that 38 people had been killed during the day’s violence, bringing the tally of those killed since the protests began a month ago to more than 50. At least four of those killed were children, according to Save the Children. Through the analysis of 12 videos and 15 photographs, Human Rights Watch documented three incidents in which security forces apparently used live fire against protesters along the Thudhamma Road in Yangon on March 3. In a Facebook live video posted on March 3, Human Rights Watch identified a line of at least five military vehicles positioned on the overpass road that merges into the Airport Road near Okkala Thiri Park on Thudhamma Road. The video shows hundreds of protesters shielding and taking shelter from ongoing gunfire coming from the direction of the overpass..."
Source/publisher: "Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-04
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Title: Myanmar: Reporter placed in chokehold as 6 journalists charged
Sub-title: Six journalists are facing charges punishable with up to three years in prison amid a crackdown on anti-coup protests.
Description: "The Associated Press news agency released a video on Wednesday that showed Myanmar security forces holding an AP journalist in a chokehold and handcuffs as security forces crack down on anti-coup protests. Myanmar authorities have charged Thein Zaw and five other journalists with violating a public order law, which could put them in prison for up to three years. "Independent journalists must be allowed to freely and safely report the news without fear of retribution," Ian Phillips, AP vice president for international news, said on Wednesday, calling for Thein Zaw's immediate release. What did the video show? In the AP video, Thein Zaw appears to be photographing security forces running at protesters on Saturday in Myanmar's largest city Yangon. Thein Zaw tries to escape as seven people place him in a chokehold and handcuffs. A policeman then pulls him with the handcuffs. What do we know about the charges? According to AP, Thein Zaw's lawyer said he faces charges under a law that punishes spreading false news, causing fear, or agitating for a criminal offense against public employees. The junta amended the law last month to increase the penalty from two years and widen its jurisdiction, the lawyer told AP. Thein Zaw, 32, is reportedly being held in Insein Prison in northern Yangon, where previous military regimes sent political prisoners. AP said that the lawyer confirmed Thein Zaw could be held until March 12 without another hearing. Among the charged journalists are reporters working for Myanmar Now, Myanmar Photo Agency, 7Day News, Zee Kwet online news and a freelancer, AP reported..."
Source/publisher: "DW News" (Germany)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-04
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Title: Two more protesters shot dead at Mandalay demonstration
Sub-title: Using live gunfire, security forces kill a 37-year-old man and 19-year-old woman in a crackdown on anti-coup protests
Description: "Two people were shot dead after security forces cracked down on anti-coup protesters using stun grenades and live ammunition in Mandalay on Wednesday afternoon. The victims have been identified as 37-year-old Myo Naing, who suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, and 19-year-old Kyel Sin, who was shot in the side of the head, emergency workers and family members told Myanmar Now. No further details about the victims were available at the time of reporting. At least 11 people were also injured in the shootings by security forces according to reporters who were covering the incident on the ground. Of those injured, two are in critical condition, having suffered gunshots to the forehead and to the back. Emergency medical workers have said that the number of people wounded could be higher, as multiple groups were working to treat them at the scene. The protests against the military regime started on Wednesday morning with hundreds of school teachers and members of student unions gathered at the corner of 84th and 30th streets in Mandalay. Soldiers and police officers then used stun grenades and fired their guns into the air to disperse the crowds. The protesters fled into apartment buildings in the area, as well as down side streets. They gathered again half an hour after the morning crackdown. At around noon, the security forces shot into the crowd with live ammunition to break up the demonstration. Mandalay has seen some of the most violent and lethal crackdowns in Myanmar in recent weeks, with at least 10 people killed in the city. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has estimated that around 30 people in anti-coup protests have been killed by security forces, and more than 1,200 arrested. Security forces also fired guns and detained hundreds of people in an attempt to crush similar protests in Yangon on Wednesday..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-04
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Title: ‘Stability of the region’ hangs on Myanmar, declares UN Special Envoy
Sub-title: UN Special Envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, warned on Wednesday that the situation in the country challenges “the stability of the region” and could lead to a “real war”.
Description: "Speaking at a virtual press conference, Ms. Burgener said the news out of Myanmar was shocking and, with the death of 38 people, marked the bloodiest day since the start of the coup on 1 February. More than 1,200 people are under detention and many families do not know where their loved ones are or what condition they are in. Ms. Schraner Burgener said that in discussions with the army, she warned that UN Member States and the Security Council might take “strong measures”, to which they responded: “We are used to sanctions and we survived the sanctions time in the past”. She continued, “I also warned they will go in an isolation”, to which they said, “we have to learn to walk with only few friends”. Chaos continues Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power and detained elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her National League for Democracy (NLD) leadership, who won a November election in a landslide, which the military said was fraudulent. However, the election commission said the vote was fair. The UN envoy said she remained in contact with the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), which represents the elected parliamentarians, and with all regional stakeholders, including leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). She noted that the Secretary-General condemned the coup and urged an end to the violence. Stressing that every tool available was now needed to end the situation, she spelled out that the unity of the international community was essential..."
Source/publisher: UN News
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-04
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Title: ASEAN set for talks with Myanmar military as crisis escalates
Sub-title: In a virtual meeting, regional foreign ministers will call for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release and encourage talks between the civilian leader and the military.
Description: "ASEAN foreign ministers are preparing to hold virtual talks with a representative of Myanmar’s military on Tuesday, as anti-coup protesters returned to the streets in the main city of Yangon defying fresh threats from Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Singapore’s foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan, in a televised interview late on Monday, said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will tell the military it is appalled by the violence in Myanmar and call for the release of the country’s elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and for the two sides to talk. “Instability in any corner of Southeast Asia threatens and affects the rest of us,” he said, adding that the coup will cause “grievous damage to Myanmar’s society and economy”. The military’s February 1 power grab has plunged Myanmar into chaos, drawing hundreds of thousands of people on to the streets of cities and towns across the country as doctors, teachers and other civil servants stop work in protest against the coup. In the bloodiest crackdown yet, security forces opened fire on protesters on Sunday, killing at least 18 and wounding dozens more. The killings triggered widespread international condemnation, including from the United Nations and a group of ASEAN legislators who said they were “alarmed at the scale of arbitrary arrests and surge in violence in Myanmar”. ASEAN, which comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, also renewed its efforts to open a channel between Myanmar’s military and civilian leaders. Philippine foreign minister, Teodoro Locsin, indicated on Twitter that ASEAN would be firm with Myanmar and said the regional group’s policy of non-interference in a member’s internal affairs “is not a blanket approval or tacit consent for wrong to be done there”. He also called Aung San Suu Kyi “Burmese democracy’s only hope”. ‘Illegitimate military-led regime’ But ASEAN’s effort to engage with Myanmar’s military was met with a fierce rebuke from groups in the anti-coup movement. Sa Sa, a representative of a committee of deposed legislators, said ASEAN should have no dealings with “this illegitimate military-led regime”, while the alumni of ASEAN youth programmes in Myanmar said the bloc should be talking to the international representatives of Aung San Suu Kyi’s administration, not to the military government. “ASEAN must understand that the coup or the re-election promised by the military junta is utterly unacceptable to the people of Myanmar,” it said it a letter to ASEAN. Aaron Connelly, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said ASEAN member states were in a difficult position..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-02
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Title: Army in Myanmar shoot dead “at least 18 peaceful protesters” - BBC News
Description: "The United Nations has condemned the use of lethal force against peaceful protesters in Myanmar. It said at least eighteen demonstrators had been shot dead in the bloodiest day of clashes since military leaders seized power four weeks ago. Elections in November saw the ruling party, the National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi, win a comfortable victory. That threatened the military's hold on power. On 1st February, generals seized power in a military coup. There have been huge protests leading to a violent crackdown by the security forces. Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head...."
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-01
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Title: Myanmar anti-junta protesters shot dead by police
Description: "Media in Myanmar are reporting that police have shot dead protestors and wounded several others in a crackdown on protests against the military junta. Tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades were fired into crowds in various locations, while scores of demonstrators were hauled away in police trucks. Authorities are trying to crush weeks of demonstrations against the February 1st military takeover which deposed the civilian government..."
Source/publisher: "DW News" (Germany)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-01
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Title: Myanmar: Protesters killed after police open fire during latest unrest
Description: "Police in Myanmar have fired tear gas, water cannon and stun grenades at pro-democracy protesters, killing at least 18 people, the UN has said. The UN's human rights office said it has received "credible information" that the crackdown on people demonstrating against a military coup included live ammunition being fired into crowds, resulting in the deaths and dozens of injured people. It is the highest single-day death toll among protesters, who demanded the restoration of Aung San Suu Kyi and her elected government..."
Source/publisher: "Sky News"
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-01
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Title: 2 dead, several hurt after Myanmar police crack down on protests for second day
Description: "Myanmar police opened fire on Sunday (Feb 28) on protests against military rule, killing at least two people and wounding several on the second day of a crackdown on demonstrations across the country, a doctor and a politician said. Myanmar has been in chaos since the army seized power and detained elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership on Feb 1, alleging fraud in a November election her party won in a landslide. The coup, which brought a halt to Myanmar's tentative steps towards democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule, has drawn hundreds of thousands onto the streets and the condemnation of Western countries. Police opened fire in different parts of the main city of Yangon after stun grenades and tear gas failed to disperse crowds. One man was brought to a hospital with a bullet wound in the chest and died, said a doctor at the hospital who asked not to be identified. The Mizzima media outlet also reported the death. Police also opened fire in the southern town of Dawei, killing one and wounding several, politician Kyaw Min Htike told Reuters from the town. The Dawei Watch media outlet also said at least one person was killed and more than a dozen wounded. Police and the spokesman for the ruling military council did not respond to phone calls seeking comment. Police were also cracking down on a huge protest in the second city of Mandalay and in the northeastern town of Lashio, residents there said. Junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing said last week authorities were using minimal force to deal with the protests. Nevertheless, at least five protesters have died in the turmoil. The army said a policeman has been killed..."
Source/publisher: "CNA" ( Singapore)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-28
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Title: Japan: Take Action Against Myanmar Coup
Sub-title: Join Targeted Economic Sanctions, Global Arms Embargo; Review Aid
Description: "The Japanese government should take urgent action to pressure the leaders of the military coup in Myanmar to restore the democratically elected government and respect human rights, Human Rights Now, Human Rights Watch, Japan International Volunteer Center, Justice For Myanmar, and Japan NGO Action Network for Civic Space said today. In a letter to Japan Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on February 25, 2021, the organizations urged the Japanese government to take joint action with other countries, including imposing targeted economic sanctions against the Myanmar military and companies that it controls, supporting a global arms embargo, and triggering human rights-based conditionals enshrined in Japan’s Official Development Assistance programs and charter. “As a major and influential donor, the Japanese government has a responsibility to take action to promote human rights in Myanmar,” said Teppei Kasai, Asia program officer. “It should urgently review and suspend any public aid that could benefit the Myanmar military.” The organizations also said in their letter that Japan should join other concerned governments in imposing targeted economic sanctions against the military-affiliated companies, including Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC), while assisting Japanese companies with direct or indirect ties to the military to terminate their business relationships responsibly..."
Source/publisher: "Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-28
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Title: Junta ramps up violence as it cracks down on protests around the country
Sub-title: Security forces came down hard on protesters on Saturday, arresting dozens as nationwide demonstrations against military rule continue
Description: "Myanmar’s junta stepped up its campaign to end anti-military protesters in Yangon and elsewhere on Saturday, three weeks after the start of daily protests and rallies against the February 1 coup. In Monywa, a town in central Myanmar, security forces shot a woman in the chest with live ammunition. An emergency worker told local news outlet 7Day that the woman was in critical condition and has been admitted to a hospital. No further details were available. Photos circulating on social media showed security forces, including those in plainclothes, slapping an arrested woman, kicking a man onto a police truck, and violently arresting journalists. According to the Monywa Gazette, at least 50 people have been arrested in the city since the crackdown began Saturday morning. At least five journalists, including a Myanmar Now multimedia reporter and the chief executive officer of the Monywa Gazette, were among several people arrested by the police during crackdowns in different cities. The arrested journalists also include an AP videographer, a photographer from local photo news agency MPA, and a reporter from the Chin state capital Hakha. The whereabouts of the arrested journalists remains unknown. It was unclear how many people had been rounded up by police on Saturday, but witnesses and journalists on the ground reported dozens of arrests at various locations throughout the day. The violence came a day after Myanmar's envoy to the United Nations, Kyaw Moe Tun, made an emotional appeal at the UN calling on the international community to use “all means necessary” to end the military takeover. Calling the military an “existential threat for Myanmar as a polity and civilized society,” he concluded his 12-minute speech by raising a three-finger salute in solidarity with the protesters. In Yangon, police were out in force from early in the day to break up protesting crowds at key rallying points. Using stun grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas, they repeatedly forced protesters to flee into nearby residential areas. As the police advanced, protesters scattered into side streets, sometimes running into apartment buildings or shopping centres..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-28
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Title: Myanmar coup protests: Police fire warning shots in Tamwe, Yangon
Description: "CNA filmed the build-up of Myanmar security forces in Tamwe township, Yangon and the moment they fired warning shots to disperse protesters, prompting many to flee. More on the anti-coup protests on Saturday (Feb 27): https://cna.asia/3uBQK8P..."
Source/publisher: "CNA" ( Singapore)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-28
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Title: Myanmar envoy lashes out against the regime at UN
Sub-title: Ambassador breaks with convention to call for the return of state power to the people and to restore democracy
Description: "Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations made an impassioned plea Friday for the international community to take the “strongest possible action” to end the junta’s rule in the country. Kyaw Moe Tun’s voice cracked with emotion as he spoke out against the military regime that ousted the elected civilian government in a coup on February 1. It is extremely rare for a representative to break with the rulers of the country they represent during an address at the UN General Assembly. The ambassador even flashed the three-finger salute that has been used by pro-democracy protesters during street demonstrations against the junta, after concluding his speech with a message in Burmese. “We need… the strongest possible action from the international community to immediately end the military coup, to stop oppressing the innocent people, to return the state power to the people, and to restore the democracy,” he pleaded. Kyaw Moe Tun, his voice trembling, called on all member states to issue public statements strongly condemning the coup during the special meeting on Myanmar. He appealed for countries not to recognize the military regime or cooperate with it and asked them to demand that the junta respects last year’s democratic elections. The envoy also urged nations to “take all stronger possible measures” to stop violent acts committed by security forces against peaceful demonstrators..."
Source/publisher: "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-28
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Title: Myanmar military coup: Ambassador to the UN has been fired
Description: "State MRTV says he had 'Betrayed the country and spoken for an unofficial organisation'. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe​ - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish​ - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera​ - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/​ #AlJazeeraEnglish​ #Myanmar​ #MilitaryCoup ..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-28
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Title: Myanmar police open fire on protesters in Yangon
Description: "Riot police opened fire to disperse protesters in Myanmar's largest city Yangon. Witnesses say they used guns and stun grenades. Protesters have been taking to the streets since the elected government was overthrown in a military coup on February 1st. The military has now officially annulled the results from last November's election. Earlier this month it replaced the election commission, which had ruled the party of Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide victory. The protest march was quickly gripped by panic as shots rang out in Yangon. Witnesses say police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the crowd. Hundreds of people had turned out once again, blocking roads in Myanmar's commercial center, their defiance openly on display. But police soon moved in to clear them - banging a warning drum with their truncheons against their shields. And there was an even more severe crackdown in Myanmar's second-largest city, Mandalay - with several people requiring medical treatment for their injuries. There have been daily protests and strikes throughout Myanmar since the military took power on February 1st, despite the threat of a violent crackdown constantly looming. Elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has not been seen in public since the coup. And her lawyer says he's been allowed no contact. Suu Kyi is due to appear in court on Monday, and time is running out to prepare her defense. Outside her Yangon mansion, a group of supporters gathered to offer prayers for her release..."
Source/publisher: "DW News" (Germany)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-28
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Title: Myanmar police shoot protester dead, and wound others, as they open fire on demonstrations
Description: "Myanmar police shot dead one protester on Sunday and wounded several others as they moved to end weeks of demonstrations against the military coup, according to a local politician and news reports. Police opened fire in the southern town of Dawei, local politician Kyaw Min Htike said. The Dawei Watch media outlet reported that one person was killed and more than a dozen were wounded. Police and the spokesman for the ruling military council did not respond to phone calls seeking comment. Videos posted to social media also captured escalating confrontations between protesters and security forces in the cities of Yangon and Mandalay. In one video from the Hledan district of Yangon, shots could be heard. Local media reported that at least five people were injured in those clashes. At least five students were arrested at protests elsewhere in downtown Yangon Sunday. ​Shots could also be heard in a live stream posted on social media by local media from Yangon's Tamwe township, in which crowds of protesters could be seen fleeing from police. The military intensified its crackdown on anti-coup protesters over the weekend, with hundreds of people reportedly detained. The clashes come a day after the ruling military junta fired the country's United Nations ambassador for making an impassioned plea at the UN General Assembly for international action to help overturn the coup. On Saturday, state television MRTV announced UN ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun's removal, saying he had "abused the power and responsibilities of a permanent ambassador" and that he "betrays the country." Speaking to Reuters following his firing, Kyaw Moe Tun said that he "decided to fight back as long as I can." Myanmar has seen 22 consecutive days of protests since the country's military seized power in a coup on February 1, ousting the democratically-elected government of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained alongside other government leaders including President Win Myint..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-28
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Title: Myanmar’s coup takes a rising economic toll
Sub-title: Many businesses are struggling as protests, civil disobedience campaigns and cuts to the internet hit trade
Description: "Business operations are yet to fully resume following a coup d’etat launched by Myanmar’s powerful military three weeks ago, raising fresh concerns about an economic collapse. Many businesses are now dealing with low sales, finding it difficult to operate and face an uncertain future as the coup staged by Myanmar’s military approached its third week. The military regime, however, has been adamant that under its administration it will be business as usual, with Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing stating in his first televised speech on February 8 that agreements made under the previous government will be followed and adding that approaches were being made to the international community to come and invest in Myanmar. “There will be no change in the foreign policy, government policy and economic policy of the country during the period [where] we are temporarily taking responsibility for the state. We shall continue on the same path as before,” Min Aung Hlaing said on the military-owned Myawady TV channel. A forecast of Myanmar’s GDP growth has been lowered to 2% from 5% for the 2020/21 financial year by New York-based research group Fitch Solutions due to the coup..."
Source/publisher: "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-28
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Title: The staying power of SE Asia’s political militaries
Sub-title: Myanmar is not alone in a region where the armed forces continue to play outsized political roles
Description: "Myanmar’s recent reversion to outright military rule has ended a brief and tentative experiment with electoral democracy and restored the country’s status quo ante as a junta-run dictatorship. While international condemnation grows around the putsch, Myanmar is not alone in a region where the armed forces continue to play outsized political roles. While Southeast Asia’s militaries are deeply enmeshed in politics, their political authority could soon grow as the region teeters towards a potential conflict in the South China Sea and as internal strife simmers in various locales. Southeast Asian states spent US$34.5 billion on defense in 2019, up 4.2% from 2018, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think tank. A report last year by SIPRI’s Siemon T. Wezeman found that military spending by the ten ASEAN states increased by 33% between 2009 and 2018, “significantly more than the global increases [in] military spending or the growth in most other regions and subregions.” Thailand has seen two military coups in the past 15 years, in 2006 and 2014, both against the democratically elected governments of the Shinawatra siblings. Thailand is now ruled by the military-civilian hybrid government of Prayut Chan-ocha, the junta leader who took charge in 2014. He faces mounting street-level resistance among protesters who question his democratic legitimacy..."
Source/publisher: "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-28
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Title: Myanmar Ambassador to UN denounces military coup, as envoy warns democratic processes have been ‘pushed aside'
Sub-title: As the democratically elected leader of Myanmar, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is still in detention following the military takeover that triggered country-wide protests, violence and arrests, the UN envoy for the country observed on Friday, declaring that “democratic processes have been pushed aside”.
Description: "Speaking at an informal General Assembly meeting on the Myanmar crisis, Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener said, “I told you in 2019 that I would sound the alarm if necessary…This is now the case”. ‘Fragile and fluid’ situation The situation in Myanmar is “fragile and fluid”, the UN envoy said, calling it “a people’s fight without arms”. Ms. Schraner Burgener strongly condemned the military’s “recent steps” and urged the Ambassadors to “collectively send a clear signal” supporting democracy. She underscored the urgency in helping to lay the foundations of a “pluralistic democracy”, balanced with the complex domestic challenges of the civilian leadership. “I have tried again and again to explain the complex situation, namely that the army holds the real power”, the UN envoy said. “Genuine democracy requires civilian control over the military”. Reject regime Noting that “the takeover has not stabilized”, the UN official upheld that the international community must “not lend legitimacy or recognition to this regime”. She labeled it a “coup”, calling the military takeover and declaration of the state of emergency “a clear violation of the constitution regardless of what they claim”. Recalling that the National League for Democracy (NLD) had won the November election with 82 per cent of the vote, Ms. Schraner Burgener emphasized: “There is no justification for the military’s actions, and we must continue to call for the reversal of this impermissible situation, exhausting all collective and bilateral channels to restore Myanmar’s path on democratic reform”..."
Source/publisher: UN News
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-27
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Title: Myanmar envoy urges UN to 'use any means necessary' to restore democracy
Sub-title: Country needs strongest possible action from global community to end military coup, says Kyaw Moe Tun
Description: "Myanmar’s UN ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, speaking for the country’s elected civilian government ousted in a military coup on 1 February, has appealed to the United Nations “to use any means necessary to take action against the Myanmar military” to restore democracy to the south-east Asian country. He addressed the general assembly on Friday after secretary general António Guterres’ special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, warned that no country should recognise or legitimise the Myanmar junta. “We need further strongest possible action from the international community to immediately end the military coup, to stop oppressing the innocent people, to return the state power to the people and to restore the democracy,” said Kyaw Moe Tun to applause and praise from western and Islamic counterparts. Such an address is rare. Kyaw Moe Tun appeared emotional as he read the statement on behalf of a group of elected politicians that he said represented the country’s legitimate government. He ended with a three-fingered salute used by protesters..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-27
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Title: Follow the money: Myanmar coup puts pressure on army businesses
Sub-title: Calls are growing for sanctions on the military’s vast business empire after the February 1 coup.
Description: "From SIM cards to beer, skydiving and jade mining, there are few areas of Myanmar’s economy that escape the long arm of its military, the Tatmadaw. But after Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a coup on February 1 that scuppered a 10-year experiment with democracy, campaigners have once again set their sights on the military’s sprawling, and highly lucrative, business interests. Protests in Myanmar amid flurry of Southeast Asian diplomacy Timeline of events in Myanmar since February 1 coup Malaysia deports 1,086 Myanmar nationals despite court order US sanctions two more Myanmar generals after protest crackdown “Min Aung Hlaing led a genocide against the Rohingya and the international response has been almost nothing really,” said Anna Roberts, executive director of the Burma Campaign UK. “He’s probably calculated that there will be a small response, but that it will be a price worth paying.” Aung San Suu Kyi, and other senior members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), which won reelection in a landslide in November’s election, have been detained for more than three weeks with the military making unsubstantiated claims of fraud to justify its power grab. The United States has already announced financial sanctions to prevent the military from tapping into billions of dollars deposited in the US, as well as targeted moves against individual generals including Min Aung Hlaing, adding to the measures imposed after the 2017 crackdown that prompted an exodus of more than 740,000 mostly Muslim Rohingya into neighbouring Bangladesh. On Tuesday, after security forces used force to crack down on peaceful protesters killing two people, Washington added two more generals to its sanctions list..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-26
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Title: Facebook and Instagram ban Myanmar military as first pro-coup rally takes place
Sub-title: Junta banned from all Facebook and Instagram pages, including all commercial entities linked to the military
Description: "The Myanmar military has been banned from Facebook and Instagram with immediate effect, as the first pro-military rally took place in Yangon. In a blog post, Facebook said: “Events since the February 1 coup, including deadly violence, have precipitated a need for this ban,” adding: “We believe the risks of allowing the Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) on Facebook and Instagram are too great.” The army seized power this month after alleging fraud in a 8 November election won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), and detaining her and much of the party leadership. Facebook said it would also ban all “Tadmadaw-linked commercial entities” from advertising on its platforms. It said the decision to ban the Myanmar army was due to “exceptionally severe human rights abuses and the clear risk of future military-initiated violence in Myanmar”, as well as the army’s repeated history of violating Facebook’s rules, including since the coup.On the weekend Facebook said it had deleted a page belonging to the military’s propaganda agency, Tatmadaw True News Information Team Page, under its standards prohibiting the incitement of violence. The military government could not immediately be reached for comment. Facebook is widely used in Myanmar and has been one of the ways the junta has communicated with people, despite an official move to ban on the platform in the early days of the coup. In the commercial capital, Yangon, hundreds of pro-military demonstrators marched through downtown towards the central railway station, though the crowd was a fraction of the size of anti-coup protests. Democracy supporters met them with crossed wrists and banged pots and pans..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-25
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Title: Huge demonstrations across Myanmar despite military's warning that protesters could 'suffer loss of life'
Description: "Huge crowds brought Myanmar's towns and cities to a standstill Monday in a mass strike against the coup, despite a warning from the military junta that protesters will "suffer loss of life" if demonstrations confront security forces. Activists had called for a historic strike following the most violent weekend since protests against the February 1 coup began, in which police opened fire on protesters in the second largest city, Mandalay, on Saturday, leaving at least two dead. Images from photographers in the country and on social media Monday showed tens of thousands of people packing the streets in Yangon, Mandalay, and Naypyidaw, as well as in towns and cities across the country, including in southeastern Dawei, in Shan state's Taunggyi, in Ayeyarwady's Pathein, Kachin state's Myitkyina, and in one of the country's poorest regions, Chin state. In an ominous statement Sunday evening, the military junta said it could use lethal force against protesters. "It is found that protesters have raised their incitement towards riot and anarchy mob on the day of 22 February. Protesters are now inciting the people, especially emotional teenagers and youths, to a confrontation path where they will suffer the loss of life," the State Administration Council -- the name for the military junta now controlling the country -- declared Sunday evening on state broadcaster MRTV. A protester waves the National League for Democracy (NLD) flag while others take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on February 22. Video from social media Sunday night and Monday morning showed barbed wire blocking roads to some foreign embassies in the largest city, Yangon, the focus point for many recent protests. Footage also showed what appeared to be police and military vehicles rolling through the streets. Protesters called for all offices and shops to be closed on Monday, with activists urging all citizens to join the protest, known as the "Five Twos" -- or the 22222 strike -- in reference to Monday's date. "22.2.2021 will be a big historic day. Keep watching us and pray for us, friends," leading protest activist group, the Civil Disobedience Movement said in a tweet Sunday..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-25
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Title: Supporters of Myanmar coup attack rivals in Yangon
Description: "Some armed with knives and clubs, others firing slingshot and throwing stones, supporters of Myanmar's military attacked opponents of the coup in downtown Yangon on Thursday (Feb 25), while Southeast Asian governments groped for ways to end the crisis. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power on Feb 1 and detained civilian government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership after the military complained of fraud in a November election. There have been about three weeks of daily protests and strikes and students planned to come out again in the commercial hub of Yangon on Thursday. But before many opponents of the coup gathered, about 1,000 supporters of the military turned up for a rally in central Yangon. Some of them threatened news photographers, media workers and witnesses said, and scuffles soon escalated into more serious violence in several parts of the city centre. Some military supporters were photographed with clubs and knives. Some threw stones and fired catapults, witnesses said, and several people were beaten by groups of men. Video footage showed several apparent supporters of the military, one wielding a knife, attacking a man outside a city-centre hotel. Emergency workers helped the man as he lay on the pavement after his attackers moved off but his condition was not known. "Today's events show who the terrorists are. They're afraid of the people's action for democracy," activist Thin Zar Shun Lei Yi told Reuters. "We'll continue our peaceful protests against dictatorship." The violence will compound worries about a country largely paralysed by protests and a civil disobedience campaign of strikes against the military..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK) via "CNA" ( Singapore)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-25
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Title: UN Security Council: Impose Arms Embargo on Myanmar
Sub-title: Weapons Transfers Fuel Junta, Abuses
Description: "The United Nations Security Council should urgently impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar in response to the military coup and to deter the junta from committing further abuses, 137 nongovernmental groups from 31 countries said today in an open letter to council members. Governments that permit arms transfers to Myanmar – including China, India, Israel, North Korea, the Philippines, Russia, and Ukraine – should immediately stop the supply of any weapons, munitions, and related equipment. Since the February 1, 2021 coup, the Myanmar military has detained civilian leaders, nullified the November 2020 election results, and installed a junta, the State Administration Council, under a manufactured “state of emergency.” In the ensuing weeks, Myanmar security forces have used excessive and at times lethal force against demonstrators; arbitrarily detained activists, students, and civil servants; and imposed rolling internet shutdowns that put lives at risk. “Given the mass atrocities against the Rohingya, decades of war crimes, and the overthrow of the elected government, the least the UN Security Council can do is impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “Supplying any equipment to the military enables further abuses and bolsters the junta’s ability to repress Myanmar’s people.” The groups’ call reinforces UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s vow to “do everything we can to mobilize all the key actors and international community to put enough pressure on Myanmar to make sure that this coup fails.” The UN special rapporteur on Myanmar has called for a global arms embargo, while he and the deputy high commissioner for human rights have voiced support for targeted UN sanctions. Security Council members should draft a resolution that bars the direct and indirect supply, sale, or transfer to the junta of all weapons, munitions, and other military-related equipment, including dual-use goods such as vehicles and communications and surveillance equipment, as well as barring the provision of training, intelligence, and other military assistance, the groups said. This should be accompanied by a robust monitoring and enforcement mechanism, including close scrutiny of sales to third parties that may be likely to resell such items to Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: "Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-25
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Title: Indonesia Leading ASEAN Push on Myanmar Coup
Sub-title: Given its own history of transition from military rule, Indonesia is probably the nation best placed to lead the bloc’s diplomacy on Myanmar.
Description: "Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi is spearheading an effort to get the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to get more involved in resolving the political situation in Myanmar. Retno flew to Brunei yesterday and is scheduled to visit Singapore today for talks aimed at building a consensus within ASEAN on unfolding political crisis inside the country. Her visit comes just over two weeks after the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, seized power, arresting State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and abrogating her party’s landslide victory at national elections in November. The coup has been followed by an escalating nationwide civil disobedience campaign that has brought the country’s government to a standstill. “Many countries, including Indonesia, have raised concerns,” Retno said in a statement from Brunei. “Raising concerns is one thing, but the question is: What can Indonesia and ASEAN do to help Myanmar get out of this delicate situation?” Her tour came after Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin agreed to instruct their foreign ministers to talk to Brunei, this year’s chair of ASEAN, about setting up a special meeting to address the political crisis in Myanmar.The coup looms as an important test for ASEAN, which claims to occupy a position of diplomatic centrality in Asian diplomacy, but has often been sluggish in its response to regional crises. This is because of ASEAN’s decision-making process, which is based on the principles of consensus – meaning that any ASEAN member state can veto a course of action – and an allergy to any hint of “intervention” in member states’ internal affairs..."
Source/publisher: "The Diplomat" (Japan)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-19
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Title: Japan, U.S., India, Australia call for return of democracy in Myanmar
Description: "Foreign ministers of the so-called Quad grouping of countries seen as a forum to stand up to China in Asia agreed that democracy must be restored quickly in Myanmar and to strongly oppose attempts to upset the status quo by force, Japan’s foreign minister said on Thursday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia met virtually for the first time under the Biden administration and discussed Myanmar, COVID-19, climate, and Indo-Pacific territorial and navigation issues, the State Department said in a statement. “We’ve all agreed on the need to swiftly restore the democratic system (in Myanmar),” and to strongly oppose all unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters.“I stressed that, with challenges to existing international order continuing in various fields, the role we, the countries that share basic values and are deeply committed to fortifying free and open international order based on the rule of law, play is only getting bigger,” Motegi said. The State Department said Blinken and his counterparts discussed counterterrorism, countering disinformation, maritime security and “the urgent need to restore the democratically elected government in Burma.” They also addressed the “the priority of strengthening democratic resilience in the broader region,” it said..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-19
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Title: Myanmar crisis: ‘Terrified’ UN rights expert sounds alarm ahead of expected protests
Sub-title: The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar has warned of the potential for a sharp uptick in violence on Wednesday, as protests continue against the 1 February military takeover of the government.
Description: "Following reports that a “secretive trial” of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint began on Tuesday, Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews said in a statement that he is “terrified” that violence could break out, as additional soldiers have been deployed in towns and cities, including the commercial hub Yangon, where demonstrations are planned. “In the past, such troop movements preceded killings, disappearances, and detentions on a mass scale,” he said. “I am terrified that given the confluence of these two developments – planned mass protests and troops converging – we could be on the precipice of the military committing even greater crimes against the people of Myanmar”, he added. Mr. Andrews issued an “urgent call” on all governments, individuals and entities that may have influence on Myanmar military authorities to use that influence “to convince the junta that rallies planned for Wednesday must be allowed to proceed without detentions or violence.” ‘Repression must end immediately’ “Continued repression of the people of Myanmar's basic liberties and human rights must end immediately”, he stressed. In the statement, Mr. Andrews also reiterated that those in the chain of command, regardless of rank, can be held liable for any atrocities committed against the people of Myanmar, and that they “must disobey orders to attack”. Of course, we cannot rely on the Myanmar military to avoid bloodshed out of a moral or legal obligation alone, he added, underscoring : “that is why it is so imperative that all those with influence demand that the junta restrain itself from further violence and arbitrary arrests”. International business community urged to act The Special Rapporteur also called on the international business community to take “immediate action”. He urged them to call their interlocutors in State Administrative Council – the body set up to govern Myanmar following the military takeover – and to “stress to them that you [the businesses] will be forced to suspend or cease business in Myanmar if they continue down this violent path". “Specifically stress to them that under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, businesses and investors should suspend or terminate activities with the Myanmar junta when the risk of involvement in serious human rights abuses can no longer be reasonably managed”, the rights expert said. “I, and many others, would argue we have long passed that threshold. Please implore them to use restraint. Implore them to return power to the people of Myanmar”, Mr. Andrews added..."
Source/publisher: UN News
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-19
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Title: Rebel Riot: The punk soundtrack to Myanmar’s anti-coup protests
Sub-title: Inspired by protesters in Hong Kong and Thailand, Myanmar’s youth aim to grab the world’s attention as they fight to remove the generals.
Description: "In the background, mohawked and leather-jacketed punks wave red and black flags and raise three fingers, a symbol of resistance derived from popular film series, The Hunger Games, and adopted by Myanmar’s anti-coup protesters. “We just wanted to create something that can inspire people,” Hnin told Al Jazeera about the clip. “This song is meant for this moment.” Hnin met other members of Rebel Riot in 2015 during student strikes in Yangon. They started hanging out “and somehow I became a punk, I guess.” Describing themselves as a community more than a band, the collective are known not only for their music but for street-level social initiatives, such as handing out food to Yangon’s homeless. Hnin says that being a part of Rebel Riot allows her to share her voice, which she says goes against the grain of what is expected from young women in Myanmar. “One of the things is you can’t get angry. You need to be quiet, you need to be patient, you need to be polite,” she said. “But women have anger. They have things they don’t agree on. So, that’s the reason why we are doing this, why I am doing this – to show that it’s ok to be angry, it’s ok to explode and be aggressive.” Tens of thousands have taken to the streets since the military detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and seized power on February 1 – the day the country’s new parliament was due to sit. The generals have declared a year-long state of emergency and promised new elections, but have given no timeframe. The protests have not only featured mohawked punks, but also young people dressed as ghosts, superheroes and anime characters. Marginalised groups including the LGBTI community have also played a prominent role.
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-19
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Title: Burmese actress goes into hiding as celebrities opposing Myanmar coup added to arrest list
Description: "Since "day one" of the military coup, Burmese actress Paing Phyo Thu -- one of the country's highest-paid stars -- says she has been on the streets opposing the ruling junta. One of Myamar's highest-paid actresses, she has been offering financial help to striking staff who have given up their jobs to take part in the growing civil disobedience movement, known as CDM. But on Thursday, the Myanmar Academy Award winner and her director husband, Na Gyi, went into hiding after his name appeared on an arrest list, along with a number of other celebrities who have been accused of using their platform to oppose the coup. A police statement on Wednesday said Na Gyi, two other prominent directors, two actors and a singer, were wanted for "using their popularity and encouraging responsible civil servants to participate in CDM, encouraging civil servants to participate in protests." The notice from the governing State Administration Council said information on the whereabouts of the actor Payeti Oo, Director Ko Pauk, actor Lu Min, director Wine, director Na Gyi and singer Anatga was needed by the Myanmar Police Force. They are being sought under a section of the country's penal code that was amended this week by coup-leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, in an apparent effort to target protesters, journalists and critics of the takeover. Section 505a makes it a crime to "hinder, disturb, damage the motivation, discipline, health, conduct" of government employees and military personnel and "and cause their hatred, disobedience, or disloyalty" toward the government or military. Paing Phyo Thu said that while "we know that it's very dangerous to speak out like this," she won't stop -- despite the arrest warrant and being forced into hiding. Paing Phyo Thu has gone into hiding with her husband Na Gyi after a warrant for his arrest was issued. "We can talk about our opinions, we don't mind because since day one of the military coup, we've been talking about it on our social media platforms because we want the audience to know that we're with them and nobody likes this. It's such an unfair thing," she said..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-18
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Title: Myanmar protesters urge China to condemn coup. Will Beijing act?
Sub-title: Protesters accuse China of backing Myanmar’s generals, but analysts say Beijing does not favour a return to military rule.
Description: "“If this is an internal affair, why are you helping the junta?” read another. The nearly-daily rallies at the gates of the Chinese mission forced a response from China’s ambassador to the country, Chen Hai, who said on Tuesday that “the current development in Myanmar is absolutely not what China wants to see”. Beijing was “not informed in advance of the political change in Myanmar,” Hai said, dismissing as “ridiculous” rumours that China was helping the military consolidate its rule by flying in technical personnel and troops. Part of the speculation about Beijing’s alleged backing for the military’s power grab stems from China’s refusal to unequivocally condemn the coup, which took place just weeks after a meeting between China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s commander-in-chief and current head of the military government. During the January 12 meeting in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyidaw, the senior general – who is said to harbour presidential ambitions – repeated his claims that widespread fraud had occurred in a November election that returned civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) to power. The coup has brought Myanmar’s experiment with democracy to a halt, only a decade after the end of nearly 50 years of strict military rule. It prompted mass protests and international condemnation, with the United States has already imposed targeted sanctions on the generals who led the coup. Other countries are expected to impose similar curbs although campaigners want to avoid a return to the punishing sanctions that were enforced following the military’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1988, as well as its refusal to honour the results of an election that the NLD won in 1990..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-18
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Title: Myanmar: more than 100,000 protest in streets against coup
Sub-title: Demonstrators reject army claim that majority of country support military junta
Description: "More than a hundred thousand people have poured on to the streets in Myanmar to voice their anger against the coup and reject an army claim that it has majority support. At a demonstration in Myanmar’s main city, Yangon – the largest there since the deployment of troops on Sunday – protesters marched with red flags signalling their loyalty to the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and carried signs denouncing the military. Major junctions were blocked by a “broken down” rally, where drivers left their cars parked across the roads, with bonnets open, and by sit-down protests. Mass demonstrations were also held in the second-largest city of Mandalay, where students, engineers and farmers were among thousands who took to the streets, and in the capital, Naypyidaw. The demonstrations followed claims from a military spokesperson on Tuesday that protests would dwindle and that 40 million of the country’s 53 million population backed its power grab. The military, which once ruled the country for half a century, reiterated its promise to hold fair polls during the press conference, but protesters are unconvinced and have gathered daily to demand the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other politicians from her party, the National League for Democracy. She is now in house arrest. “I want Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, my president U Win Myint and other leaders freed immediately,” said a retired teacher, who was among those protesting in Yangon. “We want our democracy back.” About 1,000 university staff and students gathered outside the Secretariat, a sprawling colonial-era building that once served as the administrative centre for British Burma, to demand the release of their leaders..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-17
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Title: Myanmar military files new charge against Aung San Suu Kyi
Sub-title: Junta holds first press conference and describes coup as lawful, as internet shut for second night
Description: "Myanmar’s military regime has filed a new charge against the deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and shut down the internet for a second night as it tries to quell a popular revolt against the coup it launched at the beginning of the month. The junta held its first press conference on Tuesday, seeking in part to limit the economic and diplomatic fallout of its takeover, which it described as lawful. It said it would hold an election soon and denounced protesters for allegedly inciting violence and intimidating civil servants. “Our objective is to hold an election and hand power to the winning party,” Brig Gen Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the ruling council, told the news conference which the military broadcast live on Facebook, a platform it has banned. The military has not given a date for a new election but it has imposed a state of emergency for one year. Zaw Min Tun said the military would not hold power for long. “We guarantee … that the election will be held,” he said He denied rumours that the military was working with IT specialists from China to ringfence the country’s internet, arguing the state had the capacity to do so itself, and said commercial and diplomatic agreements struck under previous civilian-led governments would be honoured. Some local media outlets boycotted the conference, arguing it legitimised an illegal coup, as well over concerns that tough questions might lead to repercussions from a military that is facing credible accusations of committing genocidal violence in the country’s borderlands..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-16
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Title: ‘Unacceptable’ violence, intimidation and harassment in Myanmar – UN chief
Sub-title: An increased use of force and the reported deployment of armoured vehicles to major cities throughout Myanmar have sparked the deep concern of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Description: "In a statement issued on Sunday by his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, the UN chief called on the military and police of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to ensure that the right of peaceful assembly is “fully respected” and demonstrators are “not subjected to reprisals”. “Reports of continued violence, intimidation and harassment by security personnel are unacceptable”, he spelled out. The unfolding situation follows a military takeover on 1 February. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, tweeted, “it’s as if the generals have declared war on the people of Myanmar: late night raids; mounting arrests; more rights stripped away’ another Intrnet shutdown; military convoys entering communities”. “These are signs of desperation. Attention generals: You WILL be held accountable”, he underscored. Call for respect Ongoing arrests of political leaders, government officials, members of civil society and media representatives are “deeply concerning”, as are internet restrictions and communication restraints, according to Mr. Guterres who upheld that they “must not be disrupted" to ensure the right to freedom of expression, which includes access to information. He reiterated his call on Member States “collectively and bilaterally” to exercise influence regarding the protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Myanmar and reaffirmed the Organization's “unwavering support” to their pursuit of “democracy, peace, human rights and the rule of law”.   “The Secretary-General calls on the military authorities urgently to allow the Special Envoy, Ms. Christine Schraner Burgener, to visit Myanmar under agreeable conditions and to assess the situation firsthand”, concluded the statement..."
Source/publisher: UN News
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-15
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Title: Myanmar protests resume, internet restored as military circles
Sub-title: Armoured vehicles on streets of Yangon as people continue protests for restoration of civilian government.
Description: "NetBlocks, which tracks Internet disruption, said on Twitter that connectivity was being restored, but that social media remained restricted for many users. The system was shut down for eight hours from 1am (18:30 GMT). The military seized power on February 1, the day Myanmar’s parliament was due to begin a new session following elections in November, which were won by the National League for Democracy (NLD) in a landslide. Detaining NLD founder and civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi as well as senior members of her government, the generals said they were forced into the coup because of alleged election fraud. Election officials have said there is no evidence of fraud. The United Nations and a number of western countries including the United States have condemned the coup, and on Friday the US imposed the first new sanctions on military chief Min Aung Hlaing and other senior generals. In a statement late on Sunday, following reports of shots being fired in the northern state of Kachin and the deployment of armoured vehicles to various cities in Myanmar, United Nations’ Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” about the situation in the country. The Secretary-General reiterates his call on Member States collectively and bilaterally to exercise influence regarding the protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Myanmar, ” he said in a statement released through his spokesman Stephane Dujarric. On Monday, more than a dozen police trucks with four water cannon vehicles were deployed near the Sule Pagoda in Yangon, which has been one of the city’s main centres for protest..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-15
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Title: Myanmar security forces intensify crackdown on protesters
Description: "Security forces in Myanmar pointed guns toward anti-coup protesters and attacked them with sticks on Monday, seeking to quell the large-scale demonstrations calling for the military junta that seized power earlier this month to reinstate the elected government. More than 1,000 protesters rallied in front of the Myanmar Economic Bank in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, when at least 10 trucks full of soldiers and police arrived and immediately started firing slingshots toward the protesters, according to a photographer who witnessed the events. The soldiers and police then attacked the protesters with sticks, and police could be seen aiming long guns into the air amid sounds that resembled gunfire. Local media reported that rubber bullets were also fired into the crowd, and that a few people were injured. Police were also seen pointing guns toward the protesters. In the capital, Naypyitaw, protesters gathered outside a police station demanding the release of a group of high school students who were detained while joining in anti-coup activities. One student who managed to escape told reporters that the pupils — thought to range in age from 13 to 16 — were demonstrating peacefully when a line of riot police suddenly arrived and began arresting them. It wasn’t clear exactly how many students were rounded up, but estimates put the figure at between 20 and 40. Earlier Monday, Myanmar’s military leaders extended their detention of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose remand was set to expire and whose freedom is a key demand of the crowds of people continuing to protest the Feb. 1 coup. Suu Kyi will now be remanded until Feb. 17, when she will likely appear in court by videoconference, according to Khin Maung Zaw, a lawyer asked by Suu Kyi’s party to represent her. The Nobel laureate remains under house arrest on a minor charge of possessing unregistered imported walkie-talkies. Suu Kyi’s extended detention is likely to further inflame tensions between the military and the protesters who have taken to the streets of cities across the Southeast Asian nation seeking the return of the government they elected..."
Source/publisher: "Associated Press" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-15
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Title: Myanmar: troops and police forcefully disperse marchers in Mandalay
Sub-title: Protests against military coup continue despite overnight internet blackout and extra soldiers deployed
Description: "Troops have joined police in forcefully dispersing marchers in the city of Mandalay in northern Myanmar, as protests against the military coup continued despite the deployment of extra soldiers in some areas and an eight-hour internet blackout overnight. Images and reports from the city on Monday showed police and soldiers using rubber bullets and slingshots to disperse protesters. A student union in the city said several people had been injured. Myanmar resurfaced online at about 9am local time on Monday after an internet-monitoring service showed a dramatic fall in connectivity from midnight. There were fears the blackout might be used as cover for mass arrests or violence. There was no sign of that on Monday, but the country woke to extra troops on the streets of many cities including the former capital Yangon, where the new forces on the ground included the 77th light-infantry division which, during pro-democracy protests in 2007, was accused of ramming demonstrators and using live ammunition against them. Protests continued in the city despite the show of force, albeit in numbers smaller than the peaks of Friday and the weekend. Students and Buddhist monks demonstrated in front of the troops, and a banner reading “We do not want military government” was stuck to an army vehicle outside Yangon’s central bank. “Patrolling with armoured vehicles means they are threatening people,” said 46-year-old Nyein Moe, among the more than 1,000 gathered in front of the central bank in Yangon. “People are marching on the streets and they don’t care to be arrested or shot. We can’t stop now. The fear in our mind is going away.” There was a fresh rally in the southern city of Dawei, too, a verified live stream on Facebook showed, with hundreds of protesters accompanied by a marching band..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-15
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Title: Pro-military thugs injure two in attack on restaurant in army stronghold of Meiktila
Sub-title: ‘It’s as if the people in charge knew this was going to happen and deliberately let it happen,’ says man injured in attack
Description: "Knife-wielding thugs supporting the military ransacked a restaurant in Meiktila and threw bricks on Friday after accusing the diners of banging pots and pans in defiance of last week’s coup. The attackers were marching through the town in central Myanmar, which is home to several military barracks, at around 4pm before they stormed into the Ywet Nu restaurant, witnesses said. Videos posted on Facebook showed them throwing rocks, using slingshots, and overturning tables and chairs. Witnesses said the windows of nearby houses were also broken. “When they were marching, we were eating,” said Than Tun Lin, the restaurant’s owner, who injured his neck during the attack. “Then they just barged inside the restaurant claiming we were banging our pots and pans and started throwing bricks. Some of them had knives, it was like a hijack.” Another person, Chit San Maung, was injured in the neck, back, stomach and shoulders during the attack. “It’s like there’s no security in the town, we don’t even feel safe. And it’s as if the people in charge knew this was going to happen and deliberately let it happen,” says Chit San Maung, who was attacked. Meiktila township police station chief officer Thein Tun denied the allegation. “When the person concerned reports the case, we’ll take necessary action. We’ve been on patrols around the town for safety, taking precautions to maintain rule of law,” he told Myanmar Now..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-14
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Title: Tanks on streets of Myanmar city prompt US embassy warning
Sub-title: US warns of ‘military movements’ in Yangon and expects internet to be cut in next 12 hours
Description: "The US embassy in Myanmar has warned of “military movements” in the country’s main city, Yangon, and has said it expects the internet to be interrupted over the next 12 hours. The warning came after the appearance on Sunday of three Tatmadaw armoured vehicles on the streets of the commercial capital and the site of major daily protests against the military’s coup on 1 February. The expected outages, which have not been confirmed by the Norwegian telecommunications firm that runs the country’s communication grid, have raised fears of a possible crackdown overnight. The US urged its citizens to “shelter-in-place” on Sunday evening local time after three armoured vehicles were sighted in the city for the first time since the 1 February military coup. The embassy also said there was a “possibility of telecommunications interruptions overnight between 1am and 9am” (1830 to 0230 GMT). The internet was blocked last Saturday as the protest movement was taking shape but restored after 24 hours. Mostly young demonstrators have used the internet to organise, document their protests and capture the police response including firing rubber bullets at crowds and in some instances the use of live ammunition. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Myanmar’s major cities for a ninth day of anti-coup demonstrations on Sunday. Security forces fired to disperse protesters outside a power plant in the northern state of Kachin, footage broadcast live on Facebook showed, although it was not clear if they were using rubber bullets or live ammunition. Hundreds of people had gathered late on Sunday outside a power plant that soldiers had occupied in the city of Myitkyina. As darkness fell, riot police accompanied by troops arrived to drive away the crowds, the footage showed. A convoy on motorbikes and in cars drove through the capital, Naypyidaw. In the south-eastern coastal town of Dawei, a band played drums in shadows cast by awnings as crowds marched under the hot sun. In Waimaw, on the banks of the Irrawaddy River in Kachin, crowds carried flags and sang revolutionary songs. Many of the protesters nationwide held up images of Aung Sun Suu Kyi’s face. Her detention, on charges of importing walkie-talkies, is due to expire on Monday. Her lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, could not be reached for comment. More than 384 people have been detained since the coup, the monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said, in a wave of mostly night-time arrests..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-14
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Title: How Myanmar’s popular uprising aims to topple military rulers
Sub-title: Amid crackdown, protesters aim is to take away the coup leaders’ power by stopping all governance mechanisms from working.
Description: "Starve the government of legitimacy and recognition; stop it from functioning by staging strikes; and cut off its sources of funding. That is the strategy emerging from a mass movement in Myanmar aimed at toppling the new military dictatorship. As protesters defying the February 1 coup brave beatings, arrests, water cannon, and even live ammunition, activists hope a “no recognition, no participation” approach can sustain pressure even if demonstrations are stamped out with violence. “The immediate aim is to take away the military’s power by stopping all of its governance mechanisms from working,” said Thinzar Shunlei Yi, who like many activists is now in hiding to avoid arrest. “It will disable the military’s ability to rule.” Myanmar’s fragile 10-year experiment in democracy was snuffed out in early February when soldiers arrested civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and other top officials in early morning raids as military chief Min Aung Hlaing seized power. A civil disobedience movement began almost immediately and amassed support from broad swaths of society. Trains have ground to a halt, hospitals have closed, and ministries in the capital, Naypyidaw, are believed to be straining amid mass walkouts. Many thousands including nurses, doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, farmers, railway staff, civil servants, factory workers and even some police officers, have gone on strike or defected in a bid to cripple the new military government..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-13
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Title: Facebook curbs Myanmar military over 'misinformation' as protests swell
Sub-title: Thousands take to the streets again as junta releases 23,000 prisoners and detains more opponents overnight
Description: "Facebook has imposed widespread restrictions on Myanmar’s military rulers to prevent them spreading “misinformation”, as tens of thousands again took to the streets in what was set to be the biggest day of protests against the coup so far. The social network site said on Friday that it would reduce the distribution of all content and profiles run by Myanmar’s military, saying the generals have “continued to spread misinformation” after they seized power and detained civilian leaders in a coup. The measures were not a ban, Facebook said in a statement, “but are aimed at reducing the number of people who see the content” and will apply to an official page run by the army and one by a military spokesperson. They would also cover “any additional pages that the military controls that repeatedly violate our misinformation policies”. The pages would no longer appear on news feeds as “recommended”. The social media giant said it had also suspended the ability of Myanmar government agencies to send content-removal requests to Facebook through the normal channels used by authorities across the world. “Simultaneously, we are protecting content, including political speech, that allows the people of Myanmar to express themselves and to show the world what is transpiring inside their country,” said Rafael Frankel, Facebook’s director of public policy. Hundreds of thousands of people have been protesting across Myanmar since the army overthrew the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and detained most top leaders on 1 February. Friday saw hundreds of separate marches in Yangon alone as people marked the Union day public holiday with what appeared to be the biggest show of defiance since the military takeover. Witnesses said there were hundreds of separate marches, each with around 2,000 participants, and all converging on focal points such as Hledan, Sule pagoda and the Russian and Chinese embassies. One march consisted of the fans of rival English football teams joining together to vent their anger. One student protester outside the Russian embassy said: “We don’t want to join the main rally at Sule pagoda because we are worried the military will go there. The military won’t do anything outside an embassy because it will hurt their image so we feel safer here..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-12
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Title: Myanmar coup leader: ‘Join hands’ with army for democracy
Description: "Myanmar’s coup leader used the country’s Union Day holiday on Friday to call on people to work with the military if they want democracy, a request likely to be met with derision by protesters who are pushing for the release from detention of their country’s elected leaders. “I would seriously urge the entire nation to join hands with the Tatmadaw for the successful realization of democracy,” Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said using the local term for the military. “Historical lessons have taught us that only national unity can ensure the non-disintegration of the Union and the perpetuation of sovereignty,” he added. In addition to the military commander’s message published Friday in the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, the new junta also announced it would mark Union Day by releasing thousands of prisoners and reducing other inmates’ sentences. Min Aung Hlaing’s Feb. 1 coup ousted the civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and prevented recently elected lawmakers from opening a new session of Parliament. It reversed nearly a decade of progress toward democracy following 50 years of military rule and has led to widespread protests in cities around the country. The military has said it was forced to step in because Suu Kyi’s government failed to properly investigate allegations of fraud in November elections, though the election commission has said there is no evidence to support those claims. The rallies against the coup — now daily occurrences in Myanmar’s two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay — have drawn people from all walks of life, despite an official ban on gatherings of more than five people. Factory workers and civil servants, students and teachers, medical personnel and people from LGBTQ communities, Buddhist monks and Catholic clergy have all come out in force. On Thursday, people from Myanmar’s ethnic minority groups, who are concentrated in far-flung, border states, joined in — a striking show of unity in a country where some groups have resented the Burman majority’s control and have also had their differences with Suu Kyi. But their deep mistrust of the military, which has brutally repressed their armed struggles for more autonomy, has made them uneasy allies with her party. The protesters are unlikely to be swayed by Min Aung Hlaing’s call for unity, which come on Union Day, a national holiday celebrating the date in 1947 that Myanmar, then known as Burma, when many of the country’s ethnic groups agreed to unify following decades of British colonial rule..."
Source/publisher: "Associated Press" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-12
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Title: Myanmar police used machine guns against protesters, says Amnesty
Sub-title: Analysis of video evidence shows police firing live rounds at protesters and shooting one woman in the head.
Description: "Analysis of images from the protest showed a member of the police carrying a Myanmar-made BA-94 or BA-93 clone of the Uzi sub-machine gun, the human rights group said, contradicting the military’s claim that security forces only deployed non-lethal weapons during Tuesday’s protest. The video of the shooting captured the exact moment the young woman, identified as Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing, was hit in the head by a bullet. According to local media, the 19-year-old has lost significant brain function and only has a slim chance of survival. Amnesty verified the video and said the alleged police gunman could be seen standing at or close to the other side of the road from where the woman was shot. She was sheltering from water cannon with other protesters behind a bus stop when she was hit. “The social media materials we have verified show that police recklessly targeted protesters, with no respect for their lives or safety whatsoever,” said Sam Dubberley, head of Amnesty’s Crisis Evidence laboratory. “The serious injuries sustained by this young woman were caused by the Myanmar police firing live ammunition directly towards peaceful protesters,” he added. The shooting took place a day after coup leaders threatened to “take action” against protesters. After the young woman was hit, more gunshots could be heard in the video, which also captured fire bursts coming from weapons wielded by the police. Amnesty also verified the exact location of the shooting as being on Taungnyo Road, just southeast of the Thabyegone Roundabout in Naypyidaw. Dubberley urged government forces to “immediately stop” the “unnecessary and excessive use of force”, adding that, as protests continue, people’s right to peacefully express their grievances should be respected..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-12
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Title: Facebook Twitter Myanmar: Evidence police deployed sub-machine guns against peaceful protesters, despite denials
Description: "A young woman was shot in the head by Myanmar’s security forces during protests, Amnesty International has confirmed after investigating footage showing the attack. This evidence also contradicts Myanmar military claims that security forces were not carrying lethal weapons. A video shared on social media of the shooting, which happened in the capital of Nay Pyi Taw on 9 February, was verified by Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence experts. According to media reports, the woman has lost significant brain function and has only a slim chance of survival. The Myanmar military’s ‘True News Information Unit’ said in a statement that security forces only deployed non-lethal weapons. However, images show a member of the police (pictured above) wielding a Myanmar-made BA-94 or BA-93 Uzi clone, a Myanmar-made variant of this sub-machine gun. In the verified coordinates of the image, the alleged police gunman is standing at or close to the other side of the road from where the woman was shot. The distressing video captures the exact moment the young woman, named on social media as 19-year-old Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing, is hit in the side of her head by a bullet as she turns away from security forces. She had been sheltering with protesters from water cannons behind a bus stop when she was shot. “The serious injuries sustained by this young woman were caused by the Myanmar police firing live ammunition directly towards peaceful protesters,” said Sam Dubberley, Head of Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab. “The social media materials we have verified show that police recklessly targeted protesters, with no respect for their lives or safety whatsoever. Their abhorrent use of lethal force against protesters is unlawful, and must be independently, thoroughly and promptly investigated..."
Source/publisher: "Amnesty International" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-02-11
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