The Karen National Union (KNU) Central Committee told DVB that officials from the Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO) Battalion 6 are being investigated for the murder of three, including a Buddhist monk. “They [the accused] were assigned by the KNDO to protect the monks. A judge will oversee the [legal] proceedings,” a KNU official said.
The two KNDO Battalion 6 officials are alleged to have killed a Buddhist monk and two others at Hparkya village monastery in Kyondoe Township on Oct. 22. This area is located at the KNU’s Brigade 6, Dupalaya District. KNU Central Committee member Padoh Saw Thamein Tun said that the case is being transferred to a civilian court.
The National Unity Government (NUG) Ministry of Defense has requested those accused be brought to justice. The NUG Ministry of Defense Secretary Naing Htoo Aung told DVB that the details of the incident are still under investigation.
Activist group calls for sanctions on Burma’s fuel sector
Justice for Myanmar calls for an immediate ban on the export of jet fuel to Burma and targeted sanctions against the individuals and entities involved in the military’s jet fuel supply chain, as the junta’s indiscriminate air strikes intensify. Its spokesperson, Yadanar Maung, says: “The illegitimate Myanmar military junta uses its air force to commit mass murder, as it wages a campaign of terror against the people of Myanmar, in the face of nationwide resistance.” Read more here.
Thai security forces seize assets of Burmese junta crony
Thailand’s Narcotics Suppression Bureau and the Ministry of Justice stated that over 1.8 billion THB ($47,331 USD) worth of assets owned by Tun Min Latt have been seized. Tun Min Latt and a Thai business associate were arrested in Bangkok last September. Thai authorities have seized a car, luxury items, and 1.5 billion THB worth of property in Mae Hong Son, Hua Hin, Songkhla and Prachuap Khiri Khan. Tun Min Latt is an associate of coup leader Min Aung Hlaing. According to Thai media, he has purchased weapons for the Burma Army.
Junta leader orders businesses to repay COVID-19 loans
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is ordering businesses to repay COVID-19 relief loans. He said that the repayment period for these loans had been delayed several times due to requests from business owners. The ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) government loaned K100 billion ($47.3 million USD) with an interest rate of one percent to businesses, including those in the hospitality industry, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Union Treasury Fund loaned out another K100 billion to local businesses.
News by Region
AYEYARWADDY—Twenty Rohingya are missing after their boat capsized
near Gatonelay village in Pyapon Township on Oct. 30. Sixty survivors have been arrested by police. “Locals informed us as the boat isn’t the usual type found in the area. We saw 60 of them and found out more than 20 were missing,” a source told DVB. The 60 Rohingyas arrested were detained in Kadonkani police station then transferred to Bogalay Police Station on Nov.1. The junta has been arresting, charging and convicting Rohingya found outside of Rakhine State under the Immigration Law.
KACHIN—An estimated 30 prison staff at Namhot Prison in Puta-O District have resigned. “The staff have not been allowed to go out for years…[so] they do not have access to what is happening outside,” a staff member told DVB. The remaining employees have to work under increasingly difficult circumstances due to dwindling staff, another man said. “Now only top officials and other staff are left in the prison. I heard that the rest have to work day and night,” he added.
Two school children were wounded by an artillery shell in Mhawan village of Hpakant Township on Nov. 2. “The children were hit by the heavy shell while they were going to school. One injured little girl’s toes were unable to move,” a resident told DVB. The Burma Army killed 60 in an airstrike on A Nang Pa on Oct. 24.
MAGWAY—The Burma Army destroyed 100 houses during its offensive in Htilin Township last month, according to local sources. Residents who were forced to flee are in need of food, shelter, and other essential items. “The displaced people do not have IDP camps to stay in. They have to live in forests. Some are temporarily staying at their relatives’ houses. They are facing difficulties obtaining food and shelter and they need warm clothes as the winter comes,” a local told DVB. Around 150 houses in Htilin Township have been destroyed by arson.
MANDALAY—The Burma Army sealed off Christian Orphanage School in Pyigyidagun Township, Myanmar Pressphoto Agency (MPA) reported. A majority of the children at the orphanage are from Kachin State and are sheltering inside. “The children are so young. They were sent to Damayone ward that night, but we don’t know what to do next [with the orphans],” a resident said. There are around 50 children staying at the orphanage. Security forces did not arrange a place for the students to stay. Security forces took food, rice and other valuable belongings from the school during the raid.
RAKHINE—An explosion occurred at a Burma Army border guard outpost in Maungdaw Township on Nov. 2. Six Burma Army troops are said to be receiving medical treatment at Maungdaw Hospital. A police officer in Maungdaw told DVB that the explosion may have been caused by weapons testing.
YANGON—A crowd gathered in front of Insein Prison to drop off parcels for inmates inside. Parcel delivery reception services resumed on Nov. 1. All deliveries were halted due to a parcel bomb blast inside Insein Prison on Oct. 18.
A new report released today by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls on the international community to increase pressure on Myanmar’s military junta to guarantee the safety of all Burmese citizens and call for a return to democracy in the war-torn country. Launched on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the IFJ condemns the military junta’s gross violations of human rights in Myanmar, the ongoing persecution of journalists and attacks on independent media.
The report highlights inadequate global action to reject the junta and restrict the suppression and brutal campaign of aggression against Myanmar’s citizens. Critically, the report recommendations call on ASEAN for a stronger response to the junta ahead of the ASEAN summit on November 10-13, given the failures of the block’s five-point consensus on Myanmar. To date, the military continues to show flagrant disregard to regional and international efforts to cease the arbitrary violence, killing and intimidation against its own people.
As of the report’s release, 59 journalists and media workers remain incarcerated by the junta in Myanmar. At least 2,371 people have been killed by the military, including four media workers since February 2021. Today, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists’ (CPJ) 2022 Global Impunity Index listed Myanmar as the eight worst country worldwide for impunity, it’s first year ever being placed on the index.
The IFJ highlighted the important national and regional actions of IFJ affiliates and civil society. In Indonesia, the Aliansi Jurnalis Independ (AJI) Indonesia and other pro-democracy activists filed a petition to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia to allow Indonesian courts to prosecute human rights violation cases from Myanmar through the Indonesian legal system. In Timor-Leste, the Conselho de Imprensa (Press Council) of Timor-Leste (CITL) expressed serious concerns at the misleading representation of the situation of press freedom in Myanmar at the Dili Dialogue Forum by a representative of the Myanmar Press Council.
The IFJ said that governments must work urgently to coordinate on action to hold the junta to account. The report also underlines that journalists, media organisations and civil society members also have a significant role in drawing attention to the atrocities committed in Myanmar and combatting misinformation.
The IFJ is continuing to dedicate support to Burmese journalists since the coup in February 2021, working in solidarity with media workers amid immeasurable challenges and in the face of ongoing persecution. In 2022, the IFJ’s program of support, funded by Norsk Journalistlag, is assisting media workers to combat wage theft, strengthen networks both in Myanmar and in exile, and provide support to journalists currently detained.
Key findings and recommendations in the report:
The international community must do all it can to resolve the crisis and hold perpetrators of gross violations of international human rights law accountable for the heinous crimes against the people of Myanmar, including the use of laws to sanction violators of international human rights outside the country.
The international community must do more to guarantee the Safety of Journalists and Human Rights in Myanmar and to reject the military junta in every possible forum and event where such participation on serves to give a voice to a regime that is slaughtering, torturing and jailing its citizens.
A lifeline of support should be provided for journalists and media workers endeavouring to continue to report while living under the coup, as well as those continuing to tell the story of Myanmar’s people from its borders and beyond.
The military junta must cease its restrictions on internet access, including surveillance, censorship, and shutdowns, and protect the people of Myanmar’s fundamental rights to freedom of expression, access to information and privacy, as guaranteed under international human rights law.
ASEAN must take urgent and serious steps to act on its pledges to press the junta to end its continued human rights and freedom of expression violations. ASEAN must set clear demands and a deadline for the release of political prisoners and an end to the attacks on civilians or face clear penalties should it fail to meet them.
Journalists, media organisations and civil society members have a significant role to play in drawing the attention of local governments to the atrocities committed in Myanmar, combatting misinformation and encouraging further sanctioning of the military regime.
Governments bordering Myanmar must immediately stop the return of asylum seekers or refugees in the region back to the country and create specific provisions for journalists and media workers forced into exile for simply doing their jobs. The global community must also take note to seriously increase humanitarian intake of Burmese refugees.
A full list of recommendations is included in the report, available here.
The IFJ said:“The International Federation of Journalists calls on governments, ASEAN, journalists, media organisations, and civil society members to take every action possible to address the heinous human rights violations committed by the military junta in Myanmar. The IFJ stands in solidarity with our Burmese colleagues and commends the brave work of the country’s media, both inside Myanmar and those in exile, in resisting the military’s impositions and continuing to report in the face of severe challenges.”
For further information contact IFJ Asia – Pacific on [email protected]
The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 140 countries
NUG Pay app hiccups gives headache to its users and agents
Users of a mobile payment smartphone application set up by the National Unity Government called NUG Pay are having difficulties using it inside Burma. NUG Pay users complain that there are no agents or customer service. NUG Pay agents must wait for confirmation codes from MOPFI to allow transactions to be processed. NUG Pay launched last September.
Over 1.1 million displaced in Burma since the 2021 coup
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) stated that the number of people in Burma displaced from their homes due to conflict since the 2021 coup has reached 1.1 million. The total number of people displaced across Burma is 1.4 million. Over 30,000 civilian properties are estimated to have been destroyed since February 2021.
ABSDF celebrates its founding and mobilizes democratic forces
The All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) stated that it has been able to train and mobilize “a new generation of comrades” and is fighting the junta alongside pro-democracy coalition forces in Burma. The ABSDF marked the 34th anniversary of its founding on Nov. 1. Read more here.
FEM slams Burma on its impunity for crimes against journalists
Free Expression Myanmar (FEM) marked the “International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists” on Nov. 2. Its report stated that nine journalists, including four since the 2021 coup, have been killed in Burma. FEM expressed “solidarity with all those journalists who have been seriously injured, tortured, and subject to sexual violence with no recourse to justice due to the military’s complete impunity.” The British embassy in Yangon stated that it would “remember and pay tribute to all the journalists in Myanmar who have risked their lives and their freedom to provide vital news.” The Royal Norwegian Embassy stated that “ending impunity for crimes against journalists is one of the most pressing issues to guarantee freedom of expression and access to information for all citizens.”
Junta leader finds his white elephant
Junta media announced that Min Aung Hlaing named a three-month old white elephant born at an elephant camp in Toungup Township. The naming ceremony was held on Oct. 30 in Naypyidaw. Min Aung Hlaing named the elephant “Rahtananda,” which means “a white elephant that loves the country.” According to Burmese tradition, a white elephant only appears during the rule of a good leader and that its appearance will bring peace and prosperity to the country. Ten white elephants are being held in captivity in Yangon in Naypyidaw.
News by Region
BAGO—Political prisoners held in Pyay Prison since the coup have been sentenced between 10 to 69 years under different charges. “Phone Myint Myat was sentenced to 40 years in prison and there are still more sections left to charge him under. He still has to go to trial,” a family member told DVB.
MANDALAY—Anonymous Force MDY gave its “final warning” for nightclubs to shut down before Nov. 7. This period of time coincides with Tazaungdaing holidays in Burma. The resistance group said these venues are “holding parties as if the country was peaceful like the military council desires.”
Natogyi People Defence Force (NPDF) announced that it had killed one Burma Army soldier and injured another during an attack on Natogyi Myoma Police station on Nov. 1. “I heard an explosion inside the station. It was loud,” a local source told DVB. On Oct. 30, a village police station 10 miles from the city was attacked with a drone but no one was injured.
RAKHINE—Twenty-four Burma army troops are reported to have been killed and 26 others were injured in fighting against the Arakan Army during the last week of October. Battles were reported in Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Rathedaung Townships, and Paletwa Township in Chin State, according to the AA. Weapons and ammunition are said to have been seized. The AA states that the Burma Army has killed six civilians and injured 21.
SAGAING—Khin Maung Hla, the Attorney General of Sagaing Region, was released from Monywa Prison on Nov. 1. “He was arrested during the coup on Feb. 1, 2021,” a National League of Democracy (NLD) official stated. A court in Monywa Prison sentenced him to two years in prison under Section 505 (A) of the Penal Code last year for supporting striking civil servants who refused to work after the coup. Khin Maung Hla encouraged them to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).
DVB PICKS—Democratic Voice of Burma Editor-in-Chief Aye Chan Naing speaks to AJE Inside Story about the crimes committed against journalists in Burma since the 2021 coup. DVB Picks selects the best on Burma in English every week. Stay tuned.
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