Weekly Updates on Current Situation in Myanmar
(27-2-2022)
It has been one year and one month since the Myanmar military attempted an illegal coup, toppled the civilian government, and unlawfully detained State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and other senior members of the civilian government, parliamentarians and activists. Since then, the Myanmar military has ignored the will of the people of Myanmar, placed the country in turmoil, and made people suffer with inhumane and disproportionate actions.
As of 25 February 2022, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), 1,582 people were ruthlessly killed by the military, whereas 12,396 people have been arrested, 9,378 people remain in detention, 1,973 people have been issued with warrants since 1 February 2021, when the military unleashed systematic and targeted attacks and violence against innocent civilians.
The Military arresting civilians in a Village of Mandalay Region
According to “Myanmar Now News”, the military forces again raided Na Nwin Taw Bo Village of Natogyi Township in Mandalay Region on 20 February 2022. That raid happened after the military had recently arrested dozens of civilians in the village. Local sources reported that the military forces arrived in the village in the early morning of 20 February, raided the houses and checked the official lists of household members and ID cards of the residents.
It is reported that twenty people were arbitrarily arrested during the military’s raid. A local villager said that the detainees included a 60-year-old amputee and an elderly woman in her 60s. Due to her poor health, an elderly woman had to be accompanied by her daughter. Local residents also said that most of those arrested were just farmers or local business owners.
The Military raiding and destroying Houses
According to “Mizzima News”, the military forces forcibly raided Min Oh Village in Kani Township of Sagaing Region on 20 February 2022, torching and destroying houses, and arresting the local villagers. Due to the military’s raid and brutal actions, more than 10,000 villagers from about seven villages within Kani Township have been forcibly displaced.
It is also reported that the military forces raided the villages within Kanpetlet Township on the border of Magway Division and Chin State on 21 February 2022, destroying houses, taking private property and forcing the residents to flee. Local villagers said that the military column, consisting of 18 military vehicles and 200 troops, arrived in Maw Chaung Village on this day, set four houses on fire in the evening, and confiscated private property. Due to the intensifying clashes, those from nearby villages, who have fled to the forest, are in need of assistance.
According to “Khit Thit Media”, on 20 February 2022, the military forces raided Ein Taung West Village in Kani Township of Sagaing Region, and burned a civilian alive. About 12 houses in the village were torched and destroyed. It is also reported that the military forces raided Kya Khat Village of Tabayin Township of Sagaing Region on 21 February 2022, and during the raid they set houses on fire and destroyed private property.
According to “Democratic Voice of Burma”, the military forces raided In Pin Thar Village in Taze Township of Sagaing Region on 22 February 2022, and set houses on fire. Local villagers said that the military have forcibly raided In Pin Thar Village three times, setting seven houses on fire during the first raid; destroying houses during the second raid; and again during the current raid torching the village and taking private property. It is reported that there are 40 houses in the village of In Pin Thar, and the whole village was completely burned down by the military.
On 22 February 2022, the military forces raided a hospital in Kyauk Tan Village of Kawlin Township of Sagaing Region, and set some hospital properties on fire. According to Kawlin Revolution group, four dead bodies murdered by the military have been found in Min Kone Village of Kawlin Township of Sagaing Region on 23 February 2022.
The Military bombing Civilian Areas in Demoso Township
According to “Myanmar Now News”, the military forces attacked the villages of Dung Ka Mee and Si Li Dung in Demoso Township of Karenni State (also known as Kayah State) from the air on 23 February 2022, killing three civilians and injuring five more. A volunteer rescue worker said that of those who were injured due to the military’s attack, an older woman was left unconscious and is now in critical condition.
According to the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), the military launched three more airstrikes on the Nan Mei Khon area on 24 February 2022. It is reported that the battles between the military’s forces and a Karenni resistance fighters in Moebye in southern Shan State have started since 16 February and spread to the area of Nan Mei Khon. During the clashes, the military used heavy weapons and airstrikes.
The Military attacking with helicopters in Yin Mar Pin Township
Credible news reported that the military group attacked and opened fire on Chin Pone Village in Yin Mar Pin Township of Sagaing Region with two helicopters on 26 February 2022. In that assault, the military forces also took more than 80 kindergarten students as hostages. The ages of those kindergarten students range from three to seven years old. Furthermore, the students of around 12 years old, who are taking the computer training courses, were also taken hostage.
It is reported that the teachers as well as the students from that kindergarten school, opened in a monastery in the village, were taken hostage. The military forces have been attacking, raiding and ruining the Chin Pone Village and Nyaung Kine Village for the whole night, and they burned down most of the houses in those villages.
The Military committing Inhumane Crimes against Women
It is reported that on the night of 20 February 2022, the three military forces raped a 20-year-old woman in Kan Lay Kone Village in Taze Township of Sagaing Region. “KhitThit Media” reported that among the four dead bodies murdered by the military in Min Kone Village in Kawlin Township of Sagaing Region on 23 February 2022, were two women who had been raped and killed. It is reported that of the two women raped by the military, one woman is a staff member who had joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).
“Myanmar Now News” reported that the military forces killed a woman and her two teenage daughters in Than Po Village of Sagaing Region on 23 February 2022. It is reported that when the villagers came to the village, a 40-year-old woman and her two daughters were hiding in a field of sunflowers. Local residents said that the military forces threatened to torch their house unless they came out from the place where they were hiding. When they came out, they were tied up and taken to the farmhouse in the eastern part of the village, where they were shot to death and their bodies were burned.
The Military confiscating the Houses of Civilians
The military is increasingly confiscating the houses of the civilians, including the activists and the celebrities who are participating in the pro-democracy movement and those who are supporting and contributing to the National Unity Government. “Mizzima News” reported that the house of well-known activist Pencilo, located in North Dagon Township of Yangon, was sealed off by the military on 17 February 2022. On 21 February 2022, the military forces sealed off the house of a film director Ko Pauk. On 22 February 2022, the house of a 1988 Generation Student Leader Min Ko Naing, located in Thingangyun Township of Yangon, was sealed off.
Activities of the National Unity Government
On 23 February 2022, the National Unity Government of Myanmar issued a statement on the appointment of EU Special Envoy for Myanmar and the Fourth Round of EU Sanction, expressing the profound appreciation of the European Union (EU) and its member states’ continued support of the various efforts to restore democracy and the civilian government.
The statement underlined that the National Unity Government welcomes the appointment of Ambassador Igor Driesmans as the European Union's Special Envoy for Myanmar, and looks forward to engaging and collaborating with the EU Special Envoy to realize the goals for Federal Democracy and to eliminate all kinds of dictatorship in Myanmar. It is also stated that the National Unity Government lauds the adoption of the fourth round of sanctions against 22 individuals affiliated with the military and four entities, including Htoo Group, IGE (International Group of Entrepreneurs), Mining Enterprise 1 (ME 1), and Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE).
On 27 February 2022, the National Unity Government of Myanmar issued a statement on the military’s illegal confiscation of civilians’ houses. The statement underlines that after the military group has been increasingly violating the privacy of civilians through posting the data of civilians on “Telegram” and inciting atrocities, the military is confiscating private properties and the houses of civilians daily. The statement strongly condemns those illegal acts of the military group against the civilians, stating that the National Unity Government will hold those responsible for illegal actions against civilians accountable in accordance with their involvement in these illegal acts.
Actions and Remarks by the International Community in response to the Military Coup d’état
Due to the continuing grave situation and intensifying human rights violations in Myanmar following the military coup, the European Council adopted a fourth round of sanctions on 21 February 2022. The new listings target 22 persons and four entities, including government ministers, a member of the State Administrative Council and members of the Union Election Commission, as well as high-ranking members of the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw). As regards the sanctioned entities, these are either state-owned entities providing substantive resources to the military or private companies closely connected to the military's top leadership. These are Htoo Group, IGE (International Group of Enterpreneurs), Mining Enterprise 1 (ME 1) and Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). Restrictive measures of the European Council now apply to a total of 65 individuals and 10 entities, and include an asset freeze and a prohibition from making funds available to the listed individuals and entities, as well as a travel ban applicable to the listed persons, preventing them from entering or transiting through EU territory.
On 22 February 2022, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Myanmar issued a report titled “Enabling Atrocities: UN Member States’ Arms Transfers to the Myanmar Military” to the UN Human Rights Councils, which identifies states, including two permanent members of the Security Council, which have supplied weapons used against civilians since the military coup. The report also calls for coordinated action by Member States to cut the military’s access to revenue. The UN special Rapporteur said, “It should be incontrovertible that weapons used to kill civilians should no longer be transferred to Myanmar. These transfers truly shock the conscience. Stopping the military’s atrocity crimes begins with blocking their access to weapons. The more the world delays, the more innocent people, including children, will die in Myanmar”.
On 23 February 2022, the Assemblée Nationale (Lower House of France) unanimously adopted a resolution in support of the people of Myanmar, strongly condemning the military coup d'état conducted by Myanmar’s military on 1 February 2021, its subsequent seizure of power, and the scale and impunity of its abuses. The resolution expresses its full support to the people of Myanmar in their peaceful and legitimate struggle for democracy, freedom and full respect for human rights, calls for support for the legitimately elected representatives of the people, and expresses its support for humanitarian efforts carried out for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations. The resolution calls for the military (the State Administration Council - SAC) and its institutions not to be recognised by France. It invites the Government to call in the strongest terms for the respect of the results of the general elections of 8 November 2020, to immediately and unconditionally release those arrested since the coup, and to work in a determined manner with its partners in the European Union, ASEAN and the United Nations to promote a peaceful, rapid and inclusive way out of the crisis, based on a process of political dialogue involving all parties.
*****
Date: 27 February 2022
Permanent Mission of Myanmar to the United Nations, New York