Weekly Updates on Current Situation in Myanmar
(5-12-2021)
Ten months have passed since the military coup; the Myanmar military group is still ignoring the will of the people and putting the country into turmoil with disproportionate actions.
As of 4 December 2021, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a total of 1,303 people were ruthlessly killed by the military, whereas 10,681 people have been arrested, 7,750 people have still been detained, and 1,963 people have been issued with warrants since 1 February 2021 when the military unleashed systematic and targeted attacks and violence against innocent civilians.
Inhumane and Barbaric Act of Military against Unarmed Protestors in Yangon
According to credible reports and eye witnesses, at around 10 am on 5 December 2021, the military vehicle intentionally rammed into unarmed protesters at Panpingyi Street in Kyimyintdaing Township in Yangon, and five people were killed and 15 were arrested. It is reported that three protesters were instantly killed, while the fourth one died while carried into the car. Witnesses said that following the car crash, the military forces beat and arrested the scattered protesters, and some were seriously injured with head wounds and some were unconscious. The video of the inhumane action committed by the military forces, which has been viral online, witnessed that after the car has crashed through the crowd of anti-coup protesters, the bodies were scattering on the road.
After the video was viral online, it is reported that the military forces climbed up nearly the entire surrounding building and checked everyone’s phones in Kyimyintdaing Township where the brutal crackdown occurred. They reportedly arrested four people in relation to the pictures and videos of the crackdown trending on social media.
Burning Down more than a Dozen of Houses in Kalay Township
According to the Myanmar Now news, it is reported that the military forces burnt 10 houses in Lel Char Village in Kalay Township in Sagaing Region on 1 December 2021.According to a local resident, the military forces torched the houses they suspected of connections with the PDF. It is reported that two barns were also burnt and they tried to torch two more houses but it failed.
On 28 November 2021, the military reportedly set fire to 5 huts near Yaeshin Village in Kalay Township after detaining the owners. In accordance with a local resident, the soldiers made the owners send supplies to Kyauk Pyoke village where soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee members were stationed. Hundreds of villagers have fled from the villages on the banks of the Myinttha River in Kalay due to recent military violence around the villages.
Setting Fire upon Thantlang again
On 4 December 2021, the military reportedly set fire in Thantlang in Chin State. It destroyed 19 houses, including a Christian Church and its headquarter building. The affected residential properties were mostly in Market ward in the center of the town. It is reported that it was the eleventh time the military burnt down the town with more than 420 residential properties were being torched.
Using Military Aircraft to crush Anti-regime Forces
On 4 December 2021, military aircrafts were reportedly used to carry out airstrikes on Nyaung Hla Village of Depayin Township in Sagaing Region. According to a witness, four of the five helicopters were carrying soldiers, artillery shelling was used and the military shot up the village non-stop. The military set motorcycles which were parking at the monastery on fire. It is reported that the affected villages were Nyaung Hla, Segyitaw, Thayettaw, Mukatwin, Me Oe, Letyetkone, Weagyi and Yinkyin. There were also casualties and deaths and around 5,000 inhabitants have reportedly fled from the excessive use of violence attack.
In earlier November, around 100 soldiers reportedly raided three villages in Depayin Township and torched homes.
Arrests of Striking CDM Staff
On 1 December 2021, according to a local news agency, 5 CDM staff were reportedly detained by the SAC’s forces in Mandalay. The forces searched every room at Mya Nanda Housing Complex in Chanmyathazi Township in Mandalay and arrested five CDM staff. According to a local resident, nobody was allowed outside and the forces blocked the whole housing. Those who were arrested include a middle-school teacher who has diabetes and hypertension.
Activities of the National Unity Government
In response to the military’s barbaric act and inhumane killing of unarmed civilians in Kyimyintdaing Township in Yangon on 5 December 2021, the National Unity Government (NUG) issued the Press Statement, highlighting the following salient points:
On 5 December 2021, the military vehicle intentionally rammed into civilian protestors at Panpingyi Street, Kyimyintdaing Township in Yangon, and a total of four protesters were killed, while 15 were arrested.
This inhumane and violent act of military is a reminder to the whole world how critically dangerous and unsafe Myanmar has become even for its people since the military coup.
To date, the military has brutally murdered at least 1,303 civilians and arbitrarily arrested and tortured at least 7,750 people, and it has continued using violence and excessive force, committing arson, looting properties of civilians, and silencing those who rejected the military’s dictatorial rule.
The victims of the military’s atrocities are human beings they are supposed to protect.
The National Unity Government (NUG) urges the international community and global leaders to take decisive and timely action to help Myanmar save lives and stop the military’s brutality.
A strong political, diplomatic and economic pressure against the military, particularly cutting the military’s sources of revenue, weapons, and external support, is needed.
The military’s representation, regardless of their level of participation, in the international events is tantamount to international legitimacy, and the NUG urges other countries and regional and global organizations to prevent any representatives from the military (SAC) from participating.
Restoration of democracy and a credible civilian government as soon as possible remains the sustainable solution to the current instability.
Actions and Remarks by the International Community in response to the Military Coup d’état
On 3 December 2021, UN human rights experts – Mr. Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context, Ms. Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, and Mr. Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights – called on Myanmar’s military to immediately stop ongoing forced evictions and home demolitions of informal settlements in Hlaing Thar Yar Township in the Yangon region. They said that “the military’s actions were illegal under international law, and forced evictions are a gross violation of international human rights law”.
In response to the military’s vicious attack and killing of unarmed civilians by the military forces in Kyimyintdaing Township in Yangon on 5 December 2021, UN Resident Coordinator Ramanathan Balakrishnan issued statement of condemnation, expressing deep concern on the reported attack. The statement underlines that “freedom of expression is a fundamental human right”, and also stresses that this brutal act of the security forces is completely unacceptable and those responsible must be held to account.
With regard to the reports of killing by the security forces against the several peaceful protesters on the morning of 5 December, the United States issued statement through the Facebook page of its embassy in Yangon, supporting the right of the people of Myanmar to protest peacefully, and condemning the military’s widespread use of brutal violence. Underscoring the urgency of restoring the path to inclusive democracy in the country, it is stated that the U.S. stand with the people of Myanmar in their aspirations for freedom and democracy, calling on the military to end the use of violence, release those unjustly detained, and respect the will of the people.
*****
Date: 5 December 2021
Permanent Mission of Myanmar to the United Nations, New York