Ousted Myanmar Politicians Call for ‘People’s Defensive War’ Against Junta
Duwa Lashi La, the head of a group of legislators ousted by Myanmar’s military in a February coup, called for a “people’s defensive war” against the junta. He urged the escalation of attacks against Myanmar’s military (Al Jazeera)
Number of Rohingya Refugees Killed at Sea Soared in 2020
Last year’s death toll for Rohingya refugees attempting to depart Bangladesh and Myanmar by sea was eight times higher than the toll in 2019, the UN refugee agency said. An estimated 218 people died or went missing in 2020. The agency noted that potential receiving countries pushed back incoming refugee vessels (Al Jazeera)
Activist Group: At Least One Thousand Civilians Killed in Myanmar
Security personnel have killed at least one thousand civilians since the February military coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an activist group. Military authorities said in June that more than ninety security-force members had been killed (Agence France-Presse)
Bangladesh Begins Vaccinating Rohingya Refugees Against COVID-19
Bangladesh began a drive to vaccinate around forty-eight thousand Rohingya aged fifty-five and older in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. Reported COVID-19 cases are increasing in the camps, which are home to around 1.1 million people (Dhaka Tribune)
ASEAN Leaders Meet on Myanmar as Junta Extends Emergency Rule
Foreign ministers from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and other nations began their annual meetings virtually, with the appointment of a special envoy to Myanmar high on the agenda (Kyodo)
Myanmar’s military junta announced yesterday that it will extend a state of emergency for two years and hold elections in 2023 (Associated Press)
Since the military took power in a February coup, more than nine hundred people have been killed and nearly seven thousand arrested amid a crackdown on protests, according to the watchdog Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Reuters)
The military has clashed with opposition groups across the country, and doctors and others have refused to work as part of a civil disobedience movement. Meanwhile, the country has seen a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks (Kyodo)
Flooding in Bangladesh Destroys Thousands of Rohingya Refugees’ Homes
Days of heavy flooding in southern Bangladesh have destroyed an estimated 2,500 shelters at Rohingya refugee camps and killed at least six people, the UN refugee agency said. More than five thousand refugees have been temporarily relocated (Associated Press)
Blinken Urges ASEAN to Take Action in Myanmar
In his first meeting with foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the group to act to end violence and restore democracy in Myanmar (Al Jazeera)
New Charges Filed Against Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi
Four new, unspecified charges were filed against deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi at a court in Mandalay, adding to other charges filed against her since she was ousted by a military coup in February. Suu Kyi’s lawyers reject all of the charges (Al Jazeera)
Myanmar Junta Frees Thousands of Detainees
Myanmar’s military government released more than 2,200 detainees, most of whom had been charged for participating in protests against the junta, an official said. At least four thousand political detainees remain, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a human rights watchdog (Irrawaddy)
Myanmar Militia Clashes With Junta in Major City
Myanmar’s People’s Defense Force, a group of militias that emerged in opposition to the February military coup, exchanged gunfire with the army in the city of Mandalay. It was the militias’ first clash with junta forces in a major city (BBC)
Moscow Affirms Ties With Myanmar Junta
The leader of Myanmar’s junta and the secretary of Russia’s Security Council affirmed their commitment to strengthening security ties and boosting other cooperation during a meeting in Moscow. Defense cooperation between the two countries has increased in recent years (Reuters)
Myanmar Security Forces Reportedly Burn Village
Security forces set fire to a village of about eight hundred people in central Myanmar after a confrontation there with opponents of the country’s ruling military junta, village residents said (Reuters)
Myanmar Releases Detained American Journalist
Myanmar authorities released American journalist Nathan Maung, the editor of local news site Kamayut Media who had been detained in the country since March 9. American journalist Danny Fenster, who was detained on May 24, remains under arrest (CNN)
Rights Group Criticizes UN Over Rohingya Data Sharing
Human Rights Watch said the United Nations improperly collected and shared data from more than eight hundred thousand Rohingya refugees with the Bangladeshi government, as many refugees likely did not understand their information could be shared with Myanmar, the country they fled. The rights monitor called for an investigation, while the United Nations defended its practices (Agence France-Presse)
Aung San Suu Kyi’s Trial Begins in Myanmar
A trial by Myanmar’s military junta against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi begins today. She faces more than a decade in jail on a wide range of charges, which have been denounced by human rights organizations as politically motivated (Agence France-Presse)
Separately, a fire at a Rohingya refugee camp in India’s capital New Delhi left hundreds of people homeless. It is the second time a fire has destroyed the camp since 2018 (Al Jazeera)
One Hundred Thousand Displaced by Fighting in Eastern Myanmar
Around one hundred thousand people have been displaced in the eastern state of Kayah by fighting that includes “indiscriminate attacks by security forces,” the United Nations said (Reuters)
ASEAN Officials Conclude Visit to Myanmar
Officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) visited military and humanitarian leaders in Myanmar, where they discussed how ASEAN could help facilitate dialogue and humanitarian assistance in the wake of the country’s February coup (Bloomberg)
Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi Moved to ‘Unknown Location’
Myanmar’s military junta moved jailed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and former President Win Myint from their homes in the country’s capital to an “unknown location,” their political allies said (Bloomberg)
Myanmar Detains American Journalist
Authorities detained Danny Fenster, an American editor of the independent magazine Frontier Myanmar, as he attempted to leave Myanmar. Fenster is the fourth foreign journalist arrested since the country’s February coup (Reuters)
Bangladesh Moves to Lock Down Rohingya Camps Amid COVID-19 Spike
Authorities in Bangladesh locked down five refugee camps that collectively shelter more than one hundred thousand Rohingya refugees from Myanmar following a spike in COVID-19 cases. Gatherings and movement between the camps are restricted (Agence France-Presse)
Separately, Myanmar’s military junta will dissolve the political party of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s former civilian leader, a local news outlet reported. Suu Kyi has been detained since the military’s February coup and is charged with several crimes (Bloomberg)
U.S. Sanctions Myanmar Officials
The United States imposed financial sanctions on sixteen people linked to Myanmar’s military junta and on the military-created State Administration Council over the junta’s brutal crackdown following its February coup (Associated Press)
UN to Consider Arms Embargo on Myanmar
The UN General Assembly will consider a nonbinding resolution tomorrow calling for an arms embargo on Myanmar’s military junta. Forty-eight countries have cosponsored the resolution (Agence France-Presse)
Myanmar Security Forces Kill Eight as Protests Grow
Myanmar security forces killed eight people after opening fire on some of the largest protests in days across the country. Thousands of anti-coup protestors yesterday called for a “Global Myanmar Spring Revolution” (Al Jazeera)
Myanmar Military Launches Air Strikes on Rebels
The military in Myanmar reportedly launched air strikes against ethnic rebel groups in the country’s north and east, according to local reports. Karen and Kachin groups have fought for greater autonomy from the central government for decades and have allied with the movement opposing the junta’s rule (Associated Press)
Myanmar Rebels Seize Army Base
The Karen National Union, an ethnic rebel group in Myanmar, said they captured a military base near Myanmar’s eastern border with Thailand. The group is one of several that have been fighting Myanmar’s military junta since the February coup (Voice of America)