September 9, 2023

Methodology



Information in this document has been gathered by the BHRN team by primary and secondary research method. We employed local researchers and local informers across Burma including in Rakhine State, Thai-Burma border and the Bangladesh border monitoring, investigating and documenting incidents of human rights violations. Any information we receive is carefully checked for credibility and authenticity by experienced senior research officers in the organisation. Once the information is approved the editorial team prepares the final document.

Short Video for Summary of Situation Update - August 2023

Key Highlights      

·        The situation in Rakhine State should be closely watched in the coming days and weeks with the reports of possible renewed sectarian conflict targeting Rohingya Muslims. The concerns are raised as the reports indicate collaboration resumed between the junta and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in Northern Rakhine State in recent weeks. Rohingya communities could become a scapegoat once again for such a collaboration as they were in 2017. 

·        With the junta’s promise for an election is in a doldrum, and it has no solution on how to deal with rampant inflation in the country, it is expected that the junta will try to exploit the underlying ethnic crisis in Rakhine State to find a way out from the political crisis it created by itself. 

·        Also, as the junta lost battles across the country, they could exploit ethnic diversity in Rakhine State to create communal conflict to divert attention from the political crisis it created through the military coup of 2021. 

·    Like in many other parts of the country, Rakhine State needs urgent attention from international donors to address the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the country. A recent estimate from the United Nations indicates about a third of the country’s 51 million population needs urgent humanitarian assistance. The UN also indicated that more than 1.5 million people have been displaced since the coup. 

·        With the junta losing control of significant parts of the country to the People’s Defense Forces and the Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs), the junta alone has no authority to allow access to humanitarian assistance to the people who are in dire need.  

·     A report on the situation of the Rohingya community in Myanmar released by the UN Secretary-General on 14 August 2023 called for urgent humanitarian and community-based resilience support for the people of Myanmar, including the Rohingya Muslims. 

·        In recent months, the role of the local administration established in the areas under the control of different factions of the People's Defence Forces (PDF) has become more significant and their role in the distribution of humanitarian assistance has been cited in the report by the UN Secretary-General.

·        Meanwhile, as the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are to meet in early September for the last time under the leadership of Indonesia, many analysts review to what extent ASEAN has been able to achieve in dealing with the political crisis in Myanmar during the chairmanship by Jakarta. 

·        Many analysts would say the result has been close to zero and with the new chairman of ASEAN is to be passed on to Laos no proper action on Myanmar by ASEAN is expected at least for one year before Malaysia takes over the role from Laos in late 2024. 

Context 

There is a shocking but unsurprising revelation by a local media group Narinjara in late August over closer ties between the junta and the ARSA, which the junta declared as a terrorist group back in 2017. 

According to a report by Narinjara released on 30 August, the junta helped the ARSA with weapons and even allowed them to travel to Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships. 

The report quoted a spokesperson of the Arkan Army (AA) U Khaing Thukha said that there have been some renewed activities of collaboration between the junta and ARSA. 

“As far as we are concerned, I would like to inform you that we always keep a watchful eye on the situation of Buthidaung and Maungdaw areas and all kinds of activities by the junta forces and ARSA rebels” said U Khaing Thukha, quoted as saying in the Narinjara report.

It was also reported that ARSA rebels currently control some of the redundant junta camps which were previously occupied by the AA members at the peak of its fighting with the junta in 2021 and 2022. 

The Narinjara report also said the ARSA is extorting money from local Muslims after threatening and even abducting Muslim businessmen. On some occasions they have even challenged AA members, the report said. 

The junta and AA agreed to a gentlemen’s agreement for a ceasefire last November, which still seems to be holding. 

The renewed contacts between the junta and ARSA have led analysts to raise concerns over two possible options the junta might be considering. They said (i) The junta may be pondering the option to resume conflict with AA with the help of ARSA and the backing of the Muslim population in Northern Rakhine State. The Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims are currently living peacefully side by side in the areas under the control of AA, or (ii) to

reignite sectarian violence in the state to weaken AA as well as to dent the unity among the opposition forces in which Muslims and Buddhist groups are working together. 

In any option, the Rohingya community could become a pawn in the political game as was the case in the past. 

According to the same Narinjara report, a veteran Rakhine politician U Pe Than issued a warning to Muslims and Rakhine Buddhist communities not to fall into the junta’s trap.  

“We the Rakhine and Muslim people must be careful. As Muslims, we should live in the spirit of being together in our Arakan land with equal rights. Muslims should avoid participating in the activities of ARSA. Muslims and Rakhine people should live with the spirit of patriotism and love for each other. Let's not be used by the military council. We need to be watchful,” U Pe Than is quoted as saying in the Narinjara report. 

As the political and conflict situation in Rakhine State becomes more complex so as the need for the humanitarian assistance for the communities suffered due to years of conflicts and natural disasters including cyclone Mocha which struck the Arakan coast in May this year. 

The key humanitarian issue for Rakhine State remains the safe, voluntary return of nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh.

The situation in the camps in Bangladesh is increasingly stretched out which makes many refugees want to return to Myanmar should the conditions be conducive to their return and reintegration into the community. 

In his annual report on Myanmar to be submitted to the UN General Assembly later this year the UN Secretary-General Mr. Antonio Guterres said “To create conditions conducive to the dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees, structural issues related to citizenship and fundamental rights and freedoms, including equality before the law, must be addressed”. 

“The people of Myanmar, including the Rohingya, are experiencing mounting vulnerabilities, further compounded by the devastation caused by Cyclone Mocha, and urgently require humanitarian and community-based resilience support,” the UN Secretary-General said in the advanced version of the report published on 14 August.  

The scale of the current political, conflict and humanitarian situation in Myanmar is something the country has never experienced before. The first key step to help the country should come from providing humanitarian assistance to the conflict-affected people across Myanmar. Also, to provide support to the wider population in the country who are suffering immensely in the current worst economic crisis and rights violations the country has ever faced. 

To be able to provide safe, full and unimpeded humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar the UN Secretary-General highlighted the role of the local administration in the areas that are under the control of the people's defence forces and the EAOs. 

“Support to local humanitarian actors and a concerted effort to de-escalate the violence, prevent attacks against civilians and ensure safe, full and unimpeded humanitarian access for delivery through all available channels, including through local administrative structures and

networks are critical. It is imperative that the international community work with stakeholders in Myanmar, including in innovative ways with credible and trusted local organizations, to support all those in need. 

“We must also support the key role of women’s rights organisations and women-led organizations in delivering humanitarian assistance in Myanmar. Moving forward, it is critical to increase entry points and channels for women’s groups to deliver social services,” the report said. 

The report by the UN Secretary-General reiterated the support of the world body for the implementation of the five-point consensus adopted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations two months after the military coup, to try to resolve the political crisis in Myanmar. 

Mr Guterres said the United Nations stands ready to provide its comparative expertise for the implementation of the ASEAN five-point consensus, including mediation and humanitarian assistance.

However, ASEAN continues to grapple with how to implement its five-point consensus with the junta refusing to allow ASEAN envoys to engage with the members of the opposition groups. The junta is unlikely to grant access to ASEAN and the international community to deliver humanitarian assistance to the victims of conflict in accordance with the international humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. 

With the ASEAN leaders preparing to meet for the last time under the chairmanship of Indonesia in early September, the regional organisation remains clueless on how to deal with the situation in Myanmar, let alone able to lead the international community in finding a viable solution for the people of Myanmar. 

The latest summit in Jakarta will not be joined by the US President Joe Biden for a separate ASEAN-US Summit. It is seen as a major setback for ASEAN to muster support from the Western powers. Mr. Biden decided not to join the summit even though he is expected to be in the region on 9 September for G 20 Summit in India. 

7 August - Around Rohingya died, and many more remain missing after a boat they were on sank in the Bay of Bengal near Sittwe Township. The boat was headed to Malaysia. Among the dead were ten women. Reports from Maungdaw sources said the boat left shore during a bad storm. Sources told BHRN that the boat was ordered out during bad weather by an Arakan Army officer named Arkar Moe. The boat was ordered out in bad weather to avoid detection by authorities. BHRN has received several reports in the past that the Arakan Army are involved in the trafficking and smuggling of Rohingya IDPs. Reports indicate that Rakhine individuals were also being trafficked, though they were not listed among the dead. Source: BHRN

9 August- 45 Rohingya Muslims were killed in a boat near Rakhine State capital Sittwe on 7 August. A local aid agency Shwe Yaung Mytta Foundation helping the victims said 15 bodies were found and other are still not forund. It said at least 55 Rohingya Muslims were travelling on the boat when it capsized near Bar Sar village in Sittwe. A spokesperson for Shweyaung Mytta said the bodies of 7 men and 8 women were sent to motuery and asking permission from the local authorities for burial. He said 8 people survived the incident and they are being questioned by the police. The boat was carrying Rohingya Muslims who are trying to flee to Malaysia to escape persecution in their home country. They reportedly paid Kyat 10 million per person to trafficked them to Malaysia. BHRN

10 August- More than 500 Rohingya prsioners held in the jails in Hap An and Mawlamyine were moved to Insein jail in Yangon on 10 August. A Rohingya source said among the prisoners moved included 25 children who are under 15 years of age and 50 women. “I came from Maungtaw, I was arrested when I was trying to fell to Malaysia, I was held for 2 years in Hpa An prison,” a Rohingya woman prisoner who was among the prisoners moved to Insein said. She said they were given neutralized citizenship card which is also called as green card. The Rohingya prsioners in Mawlamyine jail were transported to Yangon by ships. BHRN  

11 August- Only 49 Rohingya Muslims were freed among 7000 prisoners released from Thayat Prison in Magwe Region in an amnesty by the military junta in early August. A former political prisoner who was released from the same prison said at least 80 Rohingya Muslims including three women are still being held in Thayat Prsion. It was reported earlier that nearly 200 Rohingya Muslims who were arrested on immigration offence for crossing Myanmar Bangladesh border without official permission are held in Thayat Prison. Ref: Myanmar Now

11 August- The Maungtaw Township court has sentenced 6 Rohingya Muslims to 5 years imprisonment on an immigration offense. A local source said they were sentenced at the first hearing of the case without a trial. They were arrested in late July after their fishing boat from Bangladesh capsized near Maungtaw due to a storm. Ref: RFA

15 August - Two Rohingya men were kidnapped when twenty armed men detained them on the road. Locals said that the abductors were members of ARSA, while junta-affiliated media blamed the Rohingya Solidarity Organization.

Source: The Irrawaddy

16 August - The Under Secretary of UNOCA, Martin Griffith visited Ohn Daw Gyi IDP camp and met with IDPs to discuss the challenges the faced after Cyclone Mocha. The meeting was hindered by the presence of observers sent by the village administrator of Baw Du Pha. The observers filmed the meeting and said it was for the village administrator to update the military. Because of this the IDPs felt intimdated and unable to speak freely,

17 August - A 27-year-old Rohingya man from Thek Kay Pyin Village in Sittwe Township was beaten by a group of Rakhine men while on his way to work at around 9:30 AM. The group reportedly shouted “kalar” at the man as they beat him until he passed out. “Kalar” is a racist slur commonly used for Rohingya and other Muslims. The man went unconscious from the beating, and the group stole his mobile phone, motorcycle, and money. Police were on scene during the attack but did not intervene until after the attackers left when they took the man to the hospital. Source: BHRN

20 August- The local Rohingya communities in two townships in Northern Rakhine State expressed concern over renewed activities by the members of a militant group, The Arkan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). Concerns among the communities in the region grew after the militant group abducted two civilians including wealthy businessmen in recent weeks. A local source said they are concerned that further abductions by ARSA could be occurred. He said the communities are also concerned that the armed attacks could resume between ARSA and other armed groups operating in the area. The source said a clash broke out between ARSA and the Arkan Army (AA) in Gutarpyin village in Buthitaung Township on 12 July. BHRN

24 August- More than 5,000 Rohingya Muslims have been arrested and sentenced to lengthy prison sentences during the past 30 months since the military coup by the Min Aung Hlaing-led regime, a Rohingya activist U Shi Nay San said. He said the cases of discrimination and genocidal killings against the Rohingya communities are also on the rise since the military coup. U Shi Nay San said pregnant Rohingya women held in junta’s jails are not provided nourishing food and male prisoners are asked to do odd jobs including clearing toilets. The number of Rohingya prisoners the junta currently holds was also confirmed by a vice minister of Human Rights in the National Unity Government, U Aung Kyaw Moe. He said most of the Rohingya Muslims were arrested with the allegation of travelling outside of Rakhine State without official permission. RFA

28 August- The Rohingya students in Sittwe said they were forced to pay bribes to local traffic police. A series of such incidents were reported in recent weeks. In the latest case, one Rohingya student said he was asked to pay Kyat 70,000 as a bribe to traffic police in Sittwe’s Bumay ward. Similarly, two Rohingya students told the Burma Network for Human Rights (BHRN) that they also had to pay bribes to traffic police. The Rohingya Muslims have been banned from travelling outside of their homes since the sectarian violence erupted in the state in 2012. The Rohingya students were recently allowed to join the university in Sittwe, under a special arrangement. BHRN

29 August- Four Rohingya youths in Sittwe were sold to human traffickers, their families said. The four youths who are from a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) were trafficked by a broker with the name of Bai Tar Yar with a promise to find jobs for them in Rathetaung Township. A local source told BHRN that the mother of a trafficked youth Mohamen Salim has filed a complaint against an alleged mastermind of the crime U Sammudin in No 1 Police Station of Sittwe on 12 August. However, the police so far failed to arrest U Sammudin, he said. BHRN

31 August - University exams are set to begin and the status of Rohingya students remains in limbo. Initially, Rohingya students were told they could not participate if they didn’t have National Verification Cards (NVC) because they would not be issued student IDs, however, the authorities issued IDs with the expectation that Rohingya students would obtain NVCs by next year. Source: BHRN

31 August- At least 286 Rohingya Muslims were arrested in Rakhine and Mon states as well as in the Ayeyarwaddy Region during August, according to statistics compiled by the Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN). The group said the number could be more as they could only collect from its trusted sources. BHRN said most of the Rohingya Muslims were arrested in Ann, Sittwe, Gwa and Maungtaw townships in Rakhine state as well as from Kykhin and Labutta townships in Ayeyarwaddy Region and Thanbuzayat, near Myanmar Thai border in Mon State. BHRN said half of the arrested Rohingya Muslims were already sent to jails under immigration offences without conducting a fair trial. BHRN

8 August - A Rohingya woman and her child died in a mudslide following monsoon rains.

Source: Save the Children/ Reliefweb

8 August - Flash flooding in the camps destroyed 2,000 shelters and displaced 15,000 Rohingya refugees, according to a press release by the International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Source: IRC

16 August - A stray bullet reportedly hit a young girl during gang fighting in camp 8w and required surgery.

Source: BHRN

20 August - Two women reportedly had their phones confiscated in camp 8W, and a young man was beaten while performing prayers by the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), who claimed he was an ARSA supporter.

Source: BHRN

24 August - Police and RSO members assaulted two night guards in camp-12 in blocks F16 and F10 because they responded slowly to commands and were told they inadequately performed their duties.

Source: BHRN

25 August - Several rallies were held around the refugee camps to mark the sixth anniversary of the Rohingya Genocide in Burma. Police said the largest rally hosted 10,000 people. Police allowed the rallies and events to take place without interference.

Source: BHRN, Estimated rally attendance from AFP

26 August- A report from the Dhaka Tribune detailed information ARSA’s alleged finance minister, Maulana Mohammad Yunus, revealed to police. Yunus reportedly told police that ARSA collects money from several countries worldwide and Rohingya villages in Burma. Despite this, the group is said to only raise about $15,000 a month for all of its members and operations. BHRN has frequently received reports of ARSA members dissatisfied with the lack of finances and supplies. Source Dhaka Tribune, BHRN

27 August - A man from Camp 20 was kidnapped when he visited the Thangkhali market. He was released after a ransom of 10 lakh was paid. Locals believe members of the host community abducted him.

Source: BHRN

29 August - The RSO detained a 28-year-old resident from Camp 18 on suspicion he was a member of ARSA. His relatives paid 15,000 taka for his release.

Source: BHRN

29 August- At least 43 Rohingya refugees including minors have been killed by armed groups since the beginning of this year. Most of the victims were from the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazaar district, a source said. He said some of the victims were killed after being abducted by the armed groups and some were killed after being caught in crossfire during attacks among the armed groups operating in the area. Ref: RFA

31 August- The Bangladesh authorities arrested 32 Rohingya refugees who fled their camps, a local news agency the Territorial News reported. The authorities said the Rohingya refugees are fleeing their camps to Okhara Province where they are offered jobs as taxi drivers. The newspaper reported that most of those who are employed as drivers are underage. They said the arrest of Rohingya refugees fleeing the camp is part of efforts to reduce traffic incidents in Okhara province. Ref: Arakan Express

31 August- The Bangladeshi authorities arrested 20 Rohingya Muslim refugees in the Bandarban Mountain region situated in the southeastern part of the country. The police identified that the arrested refugees are from blocks A, C and E of Thiran Khali refugee camp also called camp No. 13 situated in Cox’s Bazaar district. An official source said the arrested Rohingya refugees were trafficked by a Bangladeshi with a promise of jobs in the construction sector in Bandarban town, a Rohingya source said. Ref: Arakan Express

5 August- A senior monk critical of the military junta was arrested in Yangon on 5 August, a local source said. U Thumana was arrested from his monastery in the No. 55 ward of South Dagon Township. The monk was arrested after he was accused of writing politically motivated posts on social media. The arrest of U Thumana came after a pro-junta lobbyist on social media, Han Nyein Oo, and his supporters accused the monk of posting anti-junta messages on social media. The source said it is not known where the arrested monk is held.  Ref: DVB

12 August- A number of homes and a church were destroyed in an airstrike by the junta on a village in Pha Lam Township in Chin State on 12 August, a local media group Kanpalat Ah Than reported. It said the only church in Ram Thalo village was destroyed and the attack came as the junta’s No 268 Light Infentary Division based in the area fired shells indiscriminately into the civilian areas. BHRN

14 August- 4 houses and a church were destroyed in an airstrike by the junta on a village in Thatalan Township in Chin State on 14 August, it was the second such attack on Khawa Phoe village in the past few days, a Chin human rights group said. The airstrike comes as the fighting between the junta troops and the combined forces of Chni National Army (CAN) and Chin Defence Force-Thantlang engaged in fighting near Khawa Phoe village which is situated about 5 miles north of Thantlang. BHRN

16 August- A church in Kayah State was destroyed in an airstrike by the junta troops, a local militia group the Kayanni Defence Force (KNDF) said. A statement issued by KNDF said the “Thanar Chin Maetaw” church in Htee Thaw Ku village in Pharuso Township was destroyed in the attack, said the statement issued by the Central News and Communication Department of KNDF on 16 August. It said some of the buildings near the village and fence were destroyed in the attack. BHRN

18 August- Several pagodas were destroyed in an airstrike by the junta troops in Kayin State on 18 August. A rebel group the Kayin National Union said the pagodas were destroyed in three airstrikes the junta troops conducted to retake the control of a strategically important Letkhat Taung Camp which is currently under the control of KNU. A former political prisoner strongly criticized the junta for destroying the religious sites, which comes as the junta head on the other hand is spending tens of thousands of kyats public funds to build new pagodas and the status of Buddha across the country.  BHRN

22 August- A monk was injured in an airstrike by the junta troops on an ancient pagoda in Gangaw Township in Magwe Region. A local source said Mya Thein Dan pagoda was targeted by the junta in which three congregation halls, as well as 7 homes inside the compound of the pagoda, were destroyed. The pagoda in Gangaw’s Min Ywa village was built during the 17 century by King Thiri Dhamms Thawka of the Arakan Kingdom. BHRN

31 August- A monastery was destroyed in indiscriminate shellings by the junta troops in Salingyi Township in Sagaing Region. The local Public Administration Group said one monk was injured in the attack. It said the junta fired shells on the monastery from its naval vessel. BHRN

4 August- A former junta soldier said the top military leadership has issued a policy which encourage its troops to engage in arson, theft, killing and rape in a bid to end a strong resistance by the people defence forces against its rule. A private Tin Thein said after he surrendered to People Defence Force based in Moe Bye in Kayah State that he decided to quit the junta army after witnessing atrocities committed by the junta troops. Tin Thein said he was previously involved in conscripting recruits in the junta army. Ref: Khit Thit Media

8 August- A civil society group the Shan Human Rights Foundation said the junta troops committed sexual violence against two women during its recent fighting with the ethnic armed organsiations in northern Shan State. A spokesperson for the CSO said on 8 August that a 20 year and 31 year old women were rapped by junta troops. The junta troops engaged in fighting against the Kachin Indepedence Army (KIA) and Taung Natinoal Liberation Army (TNLA) troops in Kutkhai and Muse townships near Myanmar-China border. The Shan Human Rights Foundation said the commander of junta’s troop operating in the area threatened the civilains not to tell the incident to media otherwise the entire village will be burned down. The group said the junta’s troops from the light infentary division nos. 241m569,123 and 242 are committing murder, rape and other forms of atrocities against the local civilian population. BHRN

29 August- A pregnant woman was rapped and killed by the junta troops during a raid on two villages in Walat Township in Sagaing Region on 26 August, the Ministry of Human Rights of the National Unity Government (NUG) said. The ministry said in a statement issued on 27 August that the 20-year-old woman was rapped and killed in front of her father, who was also killed later along with another civilian in the village. The statement said at least 100 junta troops were involved in the raids on Kyee Kan North and Kyee Kan South villages. BHRN

13 August- Two political prisoners were killed in Tharyarwaddy prison in Bago Region, a source close to the prison told the Radio Free Asia on 14 August. A former political prisoner Ko Nyo Tun told RFA that one of his friends Ko Than Toe Aung who was hled in the prison has died and his family was not inform on the death. Ko Nyo Tun said Ko Than Toe Aung and another prisoner whose name is not disclosed was among the 4 inmates injured in an attack by the prison guards for organizing a Myter’s day commemorative event inside the prison. Other two injured prisoners are still admitted to the prison hospital, Ko Nyo Tun said. Ref: RFA

22 August- The prison authorities in Myinchan prison in Mandalay Region have adopted a 100-day plan since 21 May 2023 to attack the political prisoners who are held in the jail, a local newspaper Myanmar Now reported. The report said the plan was adopted after an accusation from the prison authorities that the political prisoners were using mobile phones without permission. The Myanmar Now reported quoting a former inmate of Myinchn jail that the jailer U Tin Cho along with two military officers came to the prison on 21 May and ordered the prison guards to beat up prisoners by accusing them of using mobile phones. The source said the prisoners were blindfolded and their hands tied behind them while they were beaten up, the source who spoke to Myanmar Now on a condition of anonymity said. The source said the prison authorities also used the electric shock in their attacks on the prisoners, in which at least 20 prisoners were seriously injured. Ref: Myanmar Now

3 August- A woman rights group said the junta killed 21 women and arrested another 19 during 1 to 27 July this year. The Burmese Women’s Union said in a statement issued on 3 August that among those killed included 3 women who died in aristrikes, 11 after hit by heavy weapon fires, 1 was burned alive and 6 were shot dead. BHRN  

13 August- The junta arrested 6 civilains including two Maluvis in a village in Taninthayi Township in Tanintharyi Region on 13 August. They were arrested in a raid on Mawtone village in the area by the junta troops, a local source said. He said at least 200 junta troops were involved in the raid. The source said 4 were later released, however, the troops taken away two maluvis, Yahyah and Mushareef. BHRN

15 August- A Rakhine political activist Daw Nyo Aye was arrested in Rakhine State capital Sittwe on 15 August, a local source said. He said Daw Nyo Aye,, serve as the Chiarperson of Rakhnie Women’s Congress, was arrested for organizing an event to commemorate “Rice Crisis Day” on 13 August. The day mark killing by the Myanmar military of several civilian protestors on the day in 1967 calling for the end of rice crisis in the state. The source said Daw Nyo Aye faces criminal deformation charge. He said she was presented in a local court, which granted her remand to her captors.   BHRN

19 August- The junta said it has arrested 14 people including a Swiss national and four children in Mandalay in connection with a documentary on Buddhism. The documentary Don’t Expect Anything was posted on YouTube and TikTok channels on 24 July, which the junta said was blasphemous to the Buddhist religion. The arrested people are being held at Aung Myay Tharzan Police Station in Mandalay for interrogation. Ref: DVB

21 August- The junta has abducted 10 civilians from Ye U Township in the Sagaing Region to use them as human shields in fighting against the local militia groups the People Defence Forces (PDF). A spokesperson of PDF Htoo Khant Zaw (Ah Mae Thar) told the Yangon Khint Thit Media that 10 farmers were abducted while they were working on their farms. Ref: Khit Thit Media

22 August- A political activist U Myo Naing was arrested from his home in Yangon’s Tharkayta Township on 22 August. He was arrested after a picture of him taken in a liberated area holding a rifle was posted on his social media site. His family was not informed of his whereabouts and they are concerned about his safety, a source close to U Myo Naing’s family said. Ref: DVB

24 August- A military tribunal in Indaw Township in Sagaing Region has sentenced 4 civilians to death on suspicion of their involvement in attacks against the junta, a source in a local militia group Indaw Revolution- IR reported. The source said the four were charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law and the court passed the verdict on 18 August. According to IR, other 10 people are serving life imprisonment in Indaw prison. BHRN

25 August- A court in Launglone Township in Tanintharyi Region has sentenced the father of a pro-democracy activist to two years imprisonment on a criminal defamation charge. U Aung Phae, 65, the father of Ko Min Lwin Oo, who is a member of the Committee on Democratic Strike Committee was arrested in June from his home and he was allowed to meet his family only once since the arrest. BHRN

25 August- The military court of the Yangon Region Command has sentenced an officer to death on a treason charge. The 32-year-old captain, whose name is withheld for security reasons, was arrested in May after he posted posts critical of the military junta on social media. The officer is currently attending a master's course at the Military Medical Academy. He is from Mandalay, other details about the case are still sketchy.  Ref: Khit Thit Media

31 August- The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by incarcerated the pro-Democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi against the prison sentence imposed on her. Although the appeal has been rejected, the junta already commuted a total of six years sentence on the five cases submitted by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to the Supreme Court on 18 July. The junta announced on August 1 that it has granted amnesty for the sentences Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is facing in these cases. The move was taken ahead of the verdict of the Supreme Court which comes only on 29 August. The 78-year-old pro-democracy leader is facing a total of 27 years imprisonment even after the junta reduced six years from the 33 years sentence from 19 cases in which she was found guilty by the junta-appointed court. Ref: RFA

9 August- The junta troops killed 4 civilians during a raid on a village in Phyu Township in Bago Region on 8 August, a local source said. He told Yangon Khit Thit Media that the junta killed the civilians after accusing of the members of the people’s Defence Force (PDF). He said the troops has put the entire village of Auk Kyarin on fire after the raid and the killings. The incident took place amid fighting in the area between PDF and the junta forces.  Ref: Khit Thit Media

11 August- The junta troops killed four civilians including a mentally retard person in their recent raids on a number of villages in Watlet Township in Sagaing Region on 11 August. A spokesperson of a local group Wetlet Information Network said Maung Ko Zin, who is mentally rated and other three civilians were killed in the raids. The spokesperson said the junta troops have raided Taling, Kyaukphyu, Paethu Gyi, and Than Gyi villages in Wetlet Township since 11 August. BHRN

21 August- The junta troops shot dead 4 civilians in Yephyu Township in Taninthayi Region, a local source told the Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN). They were shot dead after being abducted to be used as human shields for the junta troops, the source said. The junta said the four victims were shot as they tried to flee. They were among a large group of civilians arrested by the junta. The source said other civilian victims, including a woman, were seriously injured in the incident. BHRN. 

22 August- The bodies of five civilians were found in a village in Kalay Township in Sagaing Region after the village was raided by the junta troops and its ally Pyu Saw Htee, a local source said. He said Tharzi village was raided by a combined force of 200 the junta and Pyu Saw Htee troops on 15 August. Many civilians fled the village after the raid and when they came back to the village on 22 August, they found the bodies of the victims and more than 800 homes, which accounted for up to two-thirds of the total homes in the village, were ransacked by the junta troops during the raid. BHRN

27 August- The junta troops shot dead a Muslim man in Pulaw Township in Tanintharyi Region on 23 August, a local source told the Burma Network for Human Rights (BHRN). The man whose identity was withheld was a merchant of metal scraps and he was shot after being asked to go into a checkpoint of junta troops. It said the man was shot after he refused to pay Kyat 500,000 he had with him at the time of his arrest. BHRN.

27 August- The junta has killed at least 89 doctors and other medical workers since the military coup in February 2021. A statistic released by a group the CDM Network said another 110 medical professionals were injured during the raids carried out by the junta troops on hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities, said the Network which was established with the doctors and other medical professionals who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) to oppose the military coup. The CDM Network said a total of 853 medical professionals are still under arrest. BHRN

[Burma Human Rights Network] | [Phone] | [E-mail] | [Website]