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13 - Dec - 2021

Summary of Monthly Situation Update for November 2021

Contents


  1. Info-graphs of BHRN’s Report
  2. Rohingya Issue
  3. Rohingya in Bangladesh
  4. Rakhine State
  5. Violations of Freedom of Religious and Belief
  6. Arrests and trials Faced by NLD members
  7. The activities of the CRPH and the NUG
  8. Fighting between ethnic armies and junta forces
  9. Internally Displaced People (IDPs)
  10. Arson attacks on villages
  11. Statements issued by the junta (SAC)
  12. Hate Speech
  • Social Media Monitoring
  • Offline Media Monitoring

13.Human Rights Violations

  • Rape as war-crime (committed by junta troops)
  • Violation of Freedom of expression
  1. Arrest of Journalists
  2. Arrest of Protesters
  • Extrajudicial Punishment
  1. The Arrest of Family Members
  2. Arbitrary Arrest
  3. Arrest of Those Who Joined CDM
  • Extra Judicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances
  • Violence attacks by pro-junta thugs, Pyu Saw Htee

Every month BHRN provides a summary of situation update for the previous month’s important event in Burma. More detailed information for each paragraph contained in the update is available in more details upon request.

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.


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1. Info-graphs of BHRN’s Report

2.Rohingya Issue

8 November- Three Rohingya women were arrested at their home in Yangon’s Dagon Myothit (South) Township, said to sources close to the local administration. He said the three Rohingya who are living in the same house were found undocumented and taken to the ward administration office for questioning. The military arrested many displaced Rohingya people in November.

 

8 November- 55 Rohingya people were arrested in Kyauktan Township in Yangon Region on 6 November. They were arrested while hiding in a forest in Ah Shay Kwin (Kamarpathi) village. The authorities said they were from Ah Lae Than Kyaw village in Maungtaw Township in Northern Rakhine State. They were arrested along with two boatmen and the boat they were travelling. The arrested Rohingya people include 44 women and five children. All the adult people arrested were sentenced to two-year imprisonment. The Kyauktan Township court pronounced the sentence three days after their arrest.

 

10 November- Thai authorities arrested 10 Rohingya who entered Thailand illegally. The chair of an organisation helping Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand said about 10 Rohingya were arrested in Thailand’s Tak province over the past few days. “They came from Rakhine State and the route they took to come into Thailand is a long one,” U Moe Kyo said. The Thai Prime Minister has recently ordered tightening of security along the Thai Myanmar border, after nearly 3,000 people entered into the country illegally over the past week. Including the latest arrest of 10 Rohingya, nearly 500 illegal migrant workers from Myanmar were arrested in Thailand over the past few weeks.

 

13 November- 20 undocumented Rohingya people were sentenced to two years in prison by a court in Gwa Township in Rakhine State. They were among the 52 Rohingya arrested in October. The other 32, who are minors were released. U Tin Moe Aung, deputy director of the Gwa Township Immigration Department said they were arrested for travelling without a passport. He said the group who are from Rathetaung Township were arrested on a highway in Gwa Township on 21 October. They were planning to travel to Malaysia.

 

13 November- A Rohingya refugee was arrested at his home in Maungtaw Township in Rakhine State on 12 November. He was arrested after he return from Bangladesh, where he fled in 2014. The man returned to his hometown due to poor living conditions in Bangladesh. He is being investigated and the local authorities are expected to take legal action against him.

 

15 November- An Islamic school was set on fire in Buthitaung Township, Rakhine State on 13 November, a local source said. He said the local Muslims suspect that the Madrasa Sariazul-Ulam Arabic University in Migaungswe village was set on fire by the members of the local military and police. The source said about 60 military and police were involved in the arson attack on the university. However, the military and police denied the accusation. Also the head of Migaungswe village administration U Hafiz ul Rahman said members of the local community were responsible for the attack. “The locals have set fire on the university. A total of six people has been arrested for the arson attack," he said. the Madrasa Sariazul-Ulam Arabic University has been shut down since 2017 due to political unrest in the state.

 

15 November- A group of displaced Rakhine and Muslim people has asked the government to allow them to return to their places of origin. They made the plea during a meeting with a Japanese envoy Mr. Yohei Sasakawa. Mr. Sasakawa who is a special envoy of the Japanese government on promoting national reconciliation in Myanmar met with the community for a few minutes in the Thakaypyin camp for internally displaced people in the state capital Sittwe. U Hla Kyaw, a member of the camp committee, said he would do his best to repatriate the Rohingya to their places of origin. Mr. Sasakawa was a key mediator for the ceasefire between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) that has been holding since last year.

 

26 November – The military junta ordered to reinforce the travel ban imposed on Rohingya people of Northern Rakhine State. An order issued by the General Administration Department on 25 November said members of a minority group are crossing the border of Rakhine State without permission and they are failing to apply for a permit, which could jeopardize township security and the rule of law. The order said failure to comply with the ban will face legal action under section 188 of the Penal Code. The International Court of Justice has issued four interim orders last year in connection with genocidal attacks on the Rohingya community by the Myanmar military.

 

26 November- Six undocumented Rohingya children were arrested in Mindone Township in Magwe Region on 25 November. An official said they were on their way to Yangon. “They came from Rakhine State along the forest route. They came to the forest road and waited for the car to pick them up in Mindon, but the local administration informed the security forces,” the official said. He said they are from Minbya and Mrauk U townships. The official said action would be taken against them under the immigration act.

 

29 November -The Myanmar Navy intercepted a boat carrying 228 Rohingya people bound for Malaysia on 29 November. An official said the boat was carrying 70 men, 125 women, and 33 children, who are being trafficked to Malaysia. He said the arrested Rohingya along with 5 boatmen were captured by the navy near Mayu Island situated in the seas in the southwest of the Rakhine State capital, Sittwe. The official said action will be taken against the arrested people.


3.Rohingya in Bangladesh

1 November-  Throughout the month Rohingya refugees reported that the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) had withdrawn from most of the refugee camps as police and locals sought to arrest members for their involvement in the assassination of Mohib Ullah and a mass shooting at a madrassa. ARSA has been reportedly more active in Burma over the past month, with members who fled the camps also returning to the country.

 

14 November- A portion of a letter written by Mohib Ullah before his death was published by the New York Times. In it, he says that he and 70 other human rights defenders were on a hit list by ARSA.

 

25 November- Bangladesh resumed the transfer of Rohingya refugees to Bhashan Char Island. Refugees have resisted being transferred to the island amid concern that the island is uninhabitable and prone to flooding. Bangladesh and the UN have reached an agreement for the transfer of refugees to the Island based on the presumption that measures taken by Bangladesh to prevent flooding would be effective. These measures remain unproven.

 

30 November-  The International Rescue Committee published a report saying that one in four women and girls in the Rohingya refugee camps were victims of Gender-Based Violence. BHRN has found that domestic violence is a consistent problem in the camps and increasingly street harassment, abduction, and human trafficking are areas of concern.


4.Rakhine Issue

4 November – Three girls including a high school student were arrested in Thantwe Township in Rakhine State on suspicion of providing financial support to the People's Defense Force (PDF). They were arrested after a transaction from their online payment account to PDF was found by the authorities. With the latest arrests, up to six people have been arrested in Rakhine State in connection with supporting PDF. Among them, five are from Thantwe Township and one from Mrauk-U Township.

 

10 November- About 100 villages in Mauntaw Township in Rakhine State were without internet access after a clash between the junta troops and the Arakan Army (AA) on 9 November, a local source said. The fighting took place in a mountain range about six miles away from Ye Nauk Nga Tha village. The junta is increasing its forces in the areas. The local people said the internet may have been cut off to prevent sharing of the pictures on junta’s military build-up.

 

16 November- Arakan Army (AA) has released 15 prisoners of the Myanmar military on 15 November, a new agency the Arakan Info Desk reported. Among the prisoner of war released include a medic, Captain Ye Lin Soe. The news agency reported that the AA released the prisoners whom it captured during a conflict with the Myanmar military were released on a humanitarian gesture. It said they have been held captive for a prolonged period and need medical treatment. The news agency reported that the move was also to reciprocate the release of AA troops captured by the Myanmar military in a recent general amnesty of prisoners. The release of Myanmar military prisoners coincided with a visit of a special envoy of the Japanese government Mr Yohei Sasakawa to Rakhine State. The prisoners were handed over to the Myanmar military after a meeting between Mr Sasakawa and AA representatives.


5.Violation of Freedom of Religion and Belief

6 November- The junta troops set fire seven properties, including a Christian orphanage, in Thantlang Township in Chin State, a spokesperson of the Chin Defense Force (CDF) said. The attacks on the civilian targets come as clashes between the junta forces and a combined troops of the Chin National Front (CNF) and CDF based in Thantlang over the past few days. In an earlier incident in Thantlang 164 civilian homes were destroyed in an attack by junta force on 29 October and 19 civilian homes destroyed in an attack on the town on 18 September.

 

9 November- The junta troops has ransacked a village in Mindat Township in Chin State on 7 November. At least seven civilian homes and a Church were destroyed in the attack on Aye Thayar village situated on the Mindat-Matupi highway, an official from the Chin Human Rights Group. “The junta troops set fire the Good News Baptist Church and seven houses in Aye Thayar village, which is situated 23 miles away from Mindat. The troops also looted valuable properties from civilian homes in the village,” he said. There are about 25 houses in Aye Thar Yar (also known as Sap Chauk) village.

 

10 November- A Roman Catholic Church in Phekon Township in Shan State came under attack by junta forces on 9 November, a local source said. He said the Golden Heart church in Nyaung Kone Thit ward was hit by artillery shells causing damage to the walls of the church. Also, an ambulance and the car owned by the church’s pastor were destroyed. About two-thirds of the population living in Phekon were forced to flee their homes due to the latest attack by the junta.

 

12 November- A local group PKRF-Information Center said on 12 November that the junta’s troops attacked seven Catholic churches in Kayanni Region. It said the junta forces attacked the churches with artillery shells in which four civilians in the church were killed. It said several churches in the state including the Phekone Church, Kayan Thar Yar Church, Demoso Saint Joseph Church, Daw Nang Kha Peace Queen church, Demawso Baptist church and the Six Miles Church in Phekhon were destroyed due to the attack by the military regime.

 

12 November- At least 22 religious’ buildings in Chin State have been damaged by artillery shelling by the junta’s security forces since August, according to Chin human rights groups. A group of Myanmar civil society organizations has called on the junta to stop targeting the religious buildings in the conflict zones as it is against the rule of engagement. In Chin State, more than 370 civilian homes were also destroyed since August due to the conflict in the region.

 

17 November- A Christian pastor was arrested and killed by the military junta during interrogation in Chin State. U Naing Kone, a paster of the Brotherhood Church in Nga Line village in Chin State’s Matupi Township was arrested on 23 September along with some civilians from the village. All the detainees apart from U Naing Kone were later released. The family was informed about U Naing Kone death nearly two months after his arrest.

 

19 November- Fighting erupts between the military junta’s troops and local defence forces in the predominantly Christian Chin and Kayah states. The conflict has made it impossible for the local communities to practice their religion. A Christian cleric has called for the restoration of religious freedom and human rights as the junta troops continue to attack churches in conflict zones. In some cases, junta troops are using churches as their base.

 

21 November- The junta troops have stolen Kyat 3 million and valuable items from a monastery in Yesagyo Township in Magway Region, a local militia leader said. The leader of the Bo Bilone militia group said the incident took place during a raid by junta troops on the monastery in the Ye Lay Kyun region in Yesagyo Township on 19 November. He said 57 troops were involved in the raid. The source said the junta troops have raided 25 other villages in the region during the past few days. They spent only a few hours in each village. He said some villages come under shelling with heavy weapons.

 

25 November – The junta’s security forces raided a monastery in Khin Oo Township in Sagaing Region on 25 November. A local source said the troops searched the Aung Myay Yadanar monastery in Ywa Thit Kone village and two dormitories inside the monastery compound were set on fire. The junta troops raided Ywa Thit Kone village on 22 and 24 October this year as well, during which they burn down about 30 houses and killed two innocent civilians.


6.Arrest and Trial Faced by NLD Members

1 November- The home of a former chief minister of Ayeyarwaddy Region, Mann Johnny, in Kyonpyaw Township has been sealed off by the military junta and his family members were evicted, according to a resident of Kyonpyaw. The move came after pictures of Mr. Johnny holding a gun have been circulating on social media. Mr. Johnny is a popular politician in Ayeyarwaddy Region. He won the 1990 election as well as in the 2012 and 2015 polls. Mr. Johnny served as the Chief Minister of the Ayeyarwaddy Region for more than two and a half years from 2015. He was elected to the upper house of parliament in the 2020 election, the result of which was annulled by the junta.

 

1 November- The State Counsellor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has testified in a hearing on the case against her in Special Tribunal in Nay Pyi Taw, a source closes her lawyer said. The detained leader faces a charge of breaching lockdown rules during the COVID-19 outbreak in Myanmar, which coincided with the campaign for the 2020 general elections. She was seen greeting a convoy of cars involved in the campaign on a road in Nay Pyi Taw. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is facing a total of 11 cases, filed against her after the 1 February military coup, including the one under section 55 of the Natural Disaster Management Law as well as Section 3 (1) (c) of the State Secrets Act, which carries a lengthy prison sentence. She is also facing a charge under Section 55 of the Anti-Corruption Law.

 

7 November- The junta arrested a political and security adviser of the National Unity Government U Kyaw Min Yu (a.k.a) Jimmy in Yangon on 24 October. A statement issued by the junta said Jimmy was arrested at a home in Dagon Satellite Town (North). Jimmy faces a lawsuit filed against him by the junta under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code shortly after the military coup. He is also facing other six charges against him.

 

9 November- The military junta imposed lengthy prison sentences on the two officials of the Kayin State government. A special tribunal in the state capital Hpa-An sentenced Chief minister Daw Nang Khin Htwe Myint to 75 years imprisonment and 90 years to Development Affairs Minister U Than Naing. Nang Khin Htwe Myint was charged with five counts under Section 55 of the Corruption Law. While U Than Naing was charged with six counts of corruption, he was given a maximum sentence of 15 years sentence on each count.

 

11 November- The Chief Minister of Taninthayi Region, U Myint Maung, was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a special court set up in the Dawei Prison on 11 November. U Myint Maung was sentenced to seven years in prison under Section 409 of the Penal Code for embezzlement of public funds. He was also given two years prison terms each on criminal defamation and the breach of natural disasters management law.

 

12 November- Six people, including the chairperson of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Thitpotpin village, in Mandalay Region’s Lewei Township, were arrested by the junta on 11 November. They were arrested during a raid on the village by a group of 20 members of the village. The families and colleagues of the arrested people are worried that they will be taken directly to an interrogation centre in Nay Pyi Taw.

 

12 November- The wife of the Chief Minister of Yangon Region, U Phyo Min Thein, has testified in a hearing for a corruption charge against the pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. During the hearing, Daw Khin Mi Mi Kywe said she had arranged for gold bars and the United States dollar to be given to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as a bribe by her husband. But she told the court that she did not know when the bribe was given to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Daw Khin Mi Mi Kywe has testified as a prosecution witness, in the case. U Phyo Min Thein had earlier testified in the court that he had paid Daw Suu Kyi seven gold bars and the US $ 600,000 to secure approval for an urban development project in Yangon by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, while she was serving as the State Counsellor. The military junta has indicted several leaders, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, on corruption charges. She also faces other three corruption charges, along with co-defendants who served with her in the government previously.

 

13 November- The Chief Minister of Mon State, Dr. Aye Zan, will have to face eight more charges against him imposed by the military junta, a source close to the Chief Minister said. Dr. Aye Zan was first charged with incitement for calling the government employees to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against the junta soon after the military coup in February. The court hearing the cases against Dr. Aye Zan, which include a corruption charge, said it will complete the hearing of all nine cases against him within 180 days.

 

16 November- The junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) announced on 15 November that 16 people, including the President and the State Counsellor, participated in electoral fraud. A statement issued by the commission said it had taken legal actions against them but did not say who in the commission will serve as plaintiffs. The military seized power in a coup on 1 February, claiming that the 2020 election organized under a government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD) was rigged.

 

16 November – A member of the Central Executive Committee of the National League for Democracy (NLD) said 418 members of the party, including its leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, were arrested since the military coup. U Kyaw Htwe mentioned in an article in the party’s newspaper the D-Wave published on 15 November. He said eight party members have died while they were under detention and five of them died in the interrogation centre. Apart from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi other senior party leaders President U Win Myint, Dr. Zaw Myint Maungas well as the members of the Central Executive Committee and 89 elected members of parliament, are under arrest by the junta, the article said.

 

19 November- A MP of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and a trusted aide of the pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Ko Phyo Zeyar Thaw was arrested in Yangon on 19 November, an announcement by the junta said. The announcement said Ko Phyo Zeyar Thaw was arrested together with a cache of weapons in a home in Hnin Si Housing Avenue in Dagon Seikkan Township. The junta’s announcement said Ko Phyo Zeyar Thaw was a mastermind of the attacks conducted by the pro-democracy militia groups in Thanlyin, Htantabin, North Okkalapa, and Kyemyintaing townships in recent days.

 

22 November- The military junta slapped two additional charges against a former Chief Minister of Mandalay Region, Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, a source close to his lawyer said. The source said the two charges are related to election irregularities. The source said Dr. Zaw Myint Maung will face a charge in the Amarapura District Court under section 171-f of the election law, for denying eight people in his constituency their rights to vote. And another charge was filed against him in Mandalay’s Aung Myay Thar Zan Township court under section 130 A for vote fraud. Dr. Zaw Myint Maung has been detained in Mandalay Oo Bo Prison since the military coup on 1 February. He is facing a total of seven charges including the latest two counts under the Election Law.

 

24 November- The junta charged a former minister of International Cooperation and Investment, U Thaung Tun, under two counts of corruption, a statement published in the state-owned media said. U Thaung Tun, served as a minister under the government led by the National League for Democracy, which was toppled in a coup on 1 February. U Bo Bo Oo, an MP of the Yangon regional legislature said that the charges against U Thaung Tun were illegal. Since the coup, the junta has arrested and charged several leaders served under the NLD government including President U Win Myint and the State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as well as government ministers and state chief ministers.

 

30 November – The special tribunal hearing the lawsuits against President U Win Myint and the State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has postponed its verdicts on the cases the two former leaders are facing. The court postponed the verdicts until 6 December. The court said it will pronounce the verdict on one case under section 505 (b) of the Criminal Procedure Code for criminal defamation, in which both leaders are defendants. It said a final verdict will be handed down on the same day for the lawsuit filed against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under Section 25 of the Disaster Management Law.

 

30 November – A military tribunal has sentenced an MP for the National League for Democracy (NLD), Daw Mar Mar Khaing, to one year in prison, according to a family member. She was elected as an MP for Thaton Township in Mon State. Daw Mar Mar Khaing was sentenced by the military tribunal set up inside the Thaton prison on 30 November. She was charged under Section 505 (a) of the Penal Code for leading the protests and encouraging the government employees to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against the junta.

 

7.The Activities of The NUG and The CRPH

4 November- The National Unity Government (NUG) said it will work only with the business organisations which pay tax to the parallel government when it comes back to power, the NUG’s Minister for Finance and Investment U Tin Tun Naing said. He said the NUG plan is to collect taxes online for people and businesses who want to pay taxes it. The NUG said it need a budget of USD 800 million during its revolution against the junta, which exclude defense spending, the minister said. To raise funding the NUG has introduced a lottery scheme and sold financial bonds.

 

4 November- The Minister for Finance and Investment of the National Unity Government (NUG) said he believes the revolution against the junta would be succeeded within two years. He said NUG introduced Treasury Bonds and an individual can purchase up to USD 500,000 worth of treasury bonds. He added that NUG will issue USD 200 million worth of treasury bonds. The NUG issued treasury bonds to raise funds for the revolution against the junta.

 

8 November-The Ministry of Defense of the National Unity Government (NUG), U Yee Mon, said more than 300 soldiers and police are planning to desert the junta. It said the number of soldiers and police who want to desert the junta is increasing since 7 September, the day the NUG declared war against the junta. It said during 8 October and 7 November, 155 soldiers, and 161 police officers have deserted the junta. The list does not include the troops that went to the liberated areas and those who joined the People's Defense Forces directly.

 

8 November- The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Representative Committee (CRPH) announced that it will continue to work for the return of state power to the people, who are its original owners. A statement released by CRPH to mark the one-year anniversary of the 2020 General Elections said it will work together with all the groups striving for the end of the military dictatorship and establish a new federal democratic state in Myanmar. The CRPH was formed with MPs elected in the 2020 elections. It is liaising with international parliamentary bodies. The group abolished the 2008 Constitution and adopted the Federal Democratic Constitution drafted by the National Unity Consultative Council. The CRPH has established an interim National Unity Government (NUG).

 

10 November-The Ministry of Justice of the National Unity Government (NUG) announced the temporary formation of the All-Myanmar Civil Service Workers' Association on 10 November. The organisation will have judicial responsibilities in accordance with the policy and plans set by the NUG and the National Unity Advisory Council (NUCC). The organisation has 12 members including Advocate Kaung Myat Thu, who heads the All-Myanmar Judicial Officers Union (JSU). He is appointed as the chair of the group. JSU is established with the staff working for the government’s judiciary department who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).

 

10 November-The National Unity Government (NUG) calls on the UN Security Council to immediately begin the process of declaring the Myanmar military a terrorist organisation. The NUG made the call in a message to the Security Council on 8 November to make a decision based on the current political and humanitarian situation in Myanmar. NUG sent the message as the junta forces prepare to launch military operations against its opponents in the north and northwestern region of Myanmar. NUG warned that the junta’s new operation code name “Anawrahta Offensive” could lead to "unprecedented large-scale war crimes in modern times."

 

14 November- The Interim Kachin Political Cooperation Group (KPICT), including the top leader of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIA)General Gun Maw, has met with the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) on 13 November. The CRPH said the discussion included the efforts to restore federal democracy in Myanmar. It said the two sides decided to meet regularly and increase cooperation on international cooperation and access to humanitarian aid. KPICT was formed on 15 March with 15 representatives from five exiled Kachin organisations.

 

15 November- The Education Ministry of the National Unity Government (NUG) announced that the results of the matriculation examinations held by the junta will not be accepted by the federal universities to be established in the future. It said amid efforts to build a federal democratic education system, the examination system will be adapted to federal education concepts and practices. The NUG said it would implement measures in line with international standards to ensure that the general public is not affected negatively due to its decision. The NUG statement said the junta is forcing the students and youths to enter matriculation against their wishes in an attempt to degrade their education level.

 

16 November- The National Unity Advisory Council (NUCC) said it will convene a public forum in December to ratify the draft federal constitution, said a spokesperson of the council, U Moe Thu, said. He said the objective of organising the forum is to seek membership of the other organisations as well as amend the interim charter and explain it to the public. The NUCC is made up of 28 pro-democracy organisations.

 

18 November- The National Unity Government (NUG) said the junta is blatantly violating the international laws by committing violent attacks on the hospitals and clinics as well as on health workers and social activities. A statement issued by the NUG’s Ministry of Health on 17 November said targeting public services is against the Geneva Convention and resolution no 2286 of the United Nations Security Council. Since the 1 February military coup many doctors, and nurses, as well as other health workers and social activists, are being targeted. They are subjected to extrajudicial killings, arrests, and imprisonments.

 

18 November- The National Unity Government (NUG) said nearly 1500 protest marches against the junta were organised in 97 townships in 12 regions and states of Myanmar since it declares an all-out war against the junta. NUG’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement issued on 18 November that the data was compiled over a period of 70 days from 7 September, when NUG made a call for a nationwide protest against the junta. The NUG has declared a state of emergency to counter the junta’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy protestors. The NUG statement said at least 11 incidents of the crackdown were reported since its declaration of emergency, in which 20 people were known to be arrested. A large number of the public participated in nationwide protests against the junta which is popularly known as the “Spring Revolution.”

 

19 November - The Defense Ministry of the National Unity Government (NUG) announced on 19 November that it has released three troops of the military junta arrested as prisoners of war. The statement said the prisoners were not subjected to any kind of torture and kept in a secret location with respect to their human dignity. The statement said the three prisoners were arrested during fighting between junta troops and a pro-democracy militia group the People Defense Force (PDF) in the No 1 Military Region. The statement said it will communicate with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on the issues related to the prisoners of war.

 

22 November - The National Unity Government (NUG) has issued the first batch of $ 200 million worth of special treasury bonds on 22 November. The NUG said it intends to use the proceeds from the sale of the bonds for its fight against the military dictatorship in Myanmar. NUG issued four categories of treasury bonds for sale, prices ranging from US$ 100 to US$ 5000. Treasury bonds are issued by governments in many countries normally to borrow money from the public to meet financial needs.

 

22 November- The National Unity Government (NUG) said its minister of Environmental Conversation Dr. Tu Khaung will join an international conference to discuss climate change and disaster risk reduction. The announcement said Dr. Tu Khaung will join along with the ministers from other member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It said the three days conference will be held virtually from 23 November. The statement said the NUG is not aware of a junta representative will be invited to the meeting. However, the name of the junta’s representative was not found in the list of presenters.

 

25 November- The Minister for the Human Rights of the National Unity Government (NUG), U Aung Myo Min said the arrest of volunteers working for the Karuna Clinic in Kayah State capital Loikaw is an amounting to a war crime. He said the Geneva Convention said those who are providing humanitarian assistance should not be subjected to attack or arrest during the conflict. The junta’s troops raided the clinic situated in Loikaw’s Christendom Church and arrested 18 volunteer doctors, nurses, and other health workers.

 

28 November-An anti-junta education group, Spring University, said it will conduct in-depth research on the needs of the teachers who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). It said the research will be conducted with the participation of the teachers who joined the CDM movement. The group said the outcome of the research will be also useful in adopting an interim education policy. Spring University was established in May this year and its offers courses to meet the interim education needs of the students


8.Armed Conflict Between Ethnic Armies and Juta Forces

1 November- The General Strike Committee (GSC), which opposes the military junta said in a statement issued on 1 November that the junta was committing another war crime and crimes against humanity during its attack on Thantlang Township in Chin State. The statement strongly condemns the attacks as well as violence, murder, arson attacks looting of civilian properties committed by the junta troops across the country. The latest attack on the town came after similar attacks by the junta against the civilian targets in Thantlang during September and October in which more than 200 private properties, including religious buildings and homes, were destroyed due to heavy artillery fire by the junta.

 

3 November- Three civilians were killed and three others were wounded when an artillery shell hit Nat Chaung and Nat Myaung villages in southern Kalemyo in Sagaing Region. The junta troops involved in the attack arrested five people, a local source said. Fighting between the junta troops and a local pro-democracy militia group the Kalemyo People's Defense Forces began on 2 November in villages south of Kalemyo. The source, who did not want to be named for security reasons, said that a man was killed in the attack. The Kalemyo PDF warns people not to travel on the Kale-Gangaw highway from 24 October to 4 November.

 

4 November – A local source said hundreds of civilians in three villages in Dawei in Tanintharyi Region were forced to flee after a convoy of junta troops was ambushed by pro-democracy militia the People Defense Force on 3 November. Following the attack, 11 villagers were arrested, and eight of them were used as human shields. Five junta soldiers were killed and two others injured in the ambush on a military truck that was travelling from Thitkatoe village to Ha Myingyi village in Dawei Township.

 

5 November- Fighting intensifies in Sagaing Region and Kachin State, with some civilians, including women and children, are being hit by artillery shells. Fighting broke out on 2 November at Min Kyaung Hill in the Shwe Kun area of ​​Katha District in the Sagaing Region. According to a local source scores of civilians were killed due to heavy artillery fire by the junta troops. In an earlier incident on 30 October five civilians, including women and children, were killed due to artillery shells fired by the junta troops who were stationed at Moe Tar High School in Katha. The attack forced hundreds of civilians of Katha to flee Bogone village which is situated on the east bank of the river.

 

5 November- A pro-democracy militia group Kawlin People Defense Force (KLPDF) announced Kyat 30 million rewards to battalion commanders who desert the junta. It said the KLPDF will also provide assistance to the troops who desert the junta. The KLPDF has also released a full list of donations from the people to the soldiers who have sided with the people. The KLPDF said it would provide Kyat with Kyat 500,000 to soldiers who desert the junta without carrying their weapons.

 

6 November- At least 40 junta troops were reportedly killed in fighting with a pro-democratic militia the People Defense Force (PDF) in Pinlebu Township in Sagaing Region on 5 November. A local source said five members of the local PDF group were also killed in the attack. The fighting took place near Malimton and Pindong villages in the eastern part of Pinlebu Township, according to a PDF official. He said about 700 junta troops in four battalions were involved in the attack. He said more than 5000 people from 10 nearby villages were forced to flee due to the attack.

 

14 November - Fighting broke out between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the troops loyal to the military junta on 14 November in Hpakant Township. The KIA said it launched a simultaneous attack on three military bases in Hpakant Township- Aung Lian; Sai Ja and Khagaran, which has led the fighting to intensify and prompted the junta troops to use fighter jets to defend the three camps.

 

16 November- A civil society group in Kayah State said 102 civilians were killed in recent fighting between military junta forces and local defence forces in Kayah State. Ko Banaya, a spokesperson of the Progressive Karenni People's Movement (PKPF) said most of the civilians were killed while they were trying to flee the fighting. He said both sides were responsible for the deaths of civilians. PKPF said there have been 109 clashes between the military council and local defence forces in Kayah State, which is also known as Kayanni State, from May to November this year.

 

16 November- A pro-democracy militia group, the Kalay-People Defense Force, said two of its female paramedics were killed and seven female soldiers captured by the Myanmar military in an attack by junta forces on its base in Kalay Township in Sagaing Region. The Kalay-PDF said it will try for the release of the captured soldiers. The Kalay PDF said the fighting has intensified near the Zichaung region in the western part of Kalay Township due to the junta’s offensives.

 

18 November- The military junta has threatened to kill the civilians it arrested as hostages in Yesagyo Township in Magwe Region if they hear gunfire from a local pro-democracy militia group the People's Defense Forces (PDF). A local source said the junta’s troops arrested 13 civilians on 17 November and five were later released. The military junta's 101st Infantry Battalion based in Pakokku in Magwe Region has raised more than 11 villages situated on Ah Lai Kyun Region in Yesagyo Township since 17 November. The source said up to 120 troops participated in the raids and the troops used civilian detainees as human shields, and they were asked to walk in front of military columns.

 

19 November- A series of clashes broke out between the junta forces and local defence forces near Htan Pin Kone village in Magwe Region’s Htee Lin Township on 17 November. A spokesperson of YDF- Htee Lin said 13 of its troops were killed in the fighting along with one from its ally the Chin Defense Force-Mindat and three others were injured. He said 10 junta troops were also killed. YDF- Htee Lin said it will continue the attack against junta troops in retaliation for the killing of five civilians, including two displaced people, by the junta troops in Htee Lin Township. The group said it will launch more severe fighting against the junta.

 

21 November- A civilian was killed due to a mine explosion in Yesagyo Township in Magwe Region on 20 November. A local source said the mine was believed to be planted by the junta troops stationed in the region. The civilians in several villages in the region including those from Myit Thar, Thuhtay Kone, Shwe Hlan, Myit Sone villages in the Ah Lai Kyuan region were forced to flee after the junta increased its troops in the region. They are based in nearby Sin Hlaung village.

 

23 November- The junta’s troops have raided five villages in Monywa Township in Sagaing Region on 22 November and set fire to a camp of local pro-democracy militia groups, the Monywa People's Defense Force (MPDF) as well as two camps of its allies, a local source said. He said the raid come as the fighting broke out between the junta and local militia in Naung Gyi Ai village in Monywa. The source said the junta troops set fire to two houses and took away the motorcycles from the villages

 

26 November- The Karenni Human Rights Group (KHRG) said seven civilians were captured by the military junta to use as a human shield in Hofeit village in Kayah State. A statement issued by KHRG said the soldiers of the no 427 Light Infantry Division have abducted the civilians. According to records compiled by the KHRG, there have been five incidents in Kayah State in which the junta troops used civilians as human shields. KHRG statement accused the junta troops of committing worse human rights abuses against the civilians in Kayah State.

 

28 November- At least 20 civilians were killed in airstrikes by junta troops on Depaiyin Township in Sagaing Region on 27 November, a local resident said. He said the junta troops used airstrikes to aid its ground troops which are trapped in the region. The source said at least five military helicopters were involved in the attack and they bombed Nyaung Hla Ywa Pat village for 10 minutes. The junta troops have launched attacks against the local defence forces in Depayin and Yae-U townships. The local source said four battalions troops are involved in the attacks.


9.Internally Displaced People (IDPs)

1 November- A local commander in Sami town in Chin State was forced to join a pro-military rally. A source said the commander of the junta troops based in the region threatened to cut off rations provided by the World Food Organization (WFP) to those who failed to join the rally. The move is aimed at forcing more young people to join the rally. Around 3,000 displaced people are living in three wards and three refugee camps in Sami.

 

2 November- Around 8,000 people in Thantlang Township, Chin State, are facing food shortages, an India-based CSO group the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) said on 2 November. Salai Za Op Lin, deputy executive director of CHRO, said the blockade imposed by the junta had limited the access to food for the displaced people. CHRO said nearly 200 homes in the towns were destroyed in a series of attacks by the junta troops during the past two months. They include 164 houses that were burnt down during the latest attack by the junta on 29 October. And 18 houses were destroyed in clashes between the Chin National Front (CNF) and the military junta in September.

 

3 November- A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said on 1 November that escalating fighting between civil defense groups and the junta in the Northwestern Region of Myanmar has forced more than 37,000 people, including women and children, to flee to other parts of the country as well as to India. She said the situation in Myanmar, nine months after the 1 February military coup, has forced people to flee their homes and destroy their homes. In recent days, heavy artillery shelling has been reported in Thantlang Township in Chin State There were alarming reports, including the burning of more than 160 civilian homes.

 

7 November- A total of 20 villages have been evacuated due to airstrikes by the military junta in Kyunhla Township, Sagaing Region, an aid worker said. He said more than 10,000 people were forced to flee due to the attack. The aid worker said six military helicopters and about 180 troops have been sent to Kyunhla Township, and there are also ground troops already stationed in the town before the reinforcements were sent. Six military helicopters have attacked civilian targets near Kywe Tae village in Kyun Hla Township in late October.

 

16 November- Thirteen houses were set on fire by junta’s troops in Aye Thayar village in Chin State’s Mindat Township. Following the attack, 180 villagers were forced to flee their homes. A relief worker in Mindat said food and medicine supplies are in urgent need for the displaced people. The latest attacks were the fourth by junta troops on the village since the military coup in February. The village also came under attack on 15 May, 16 October, and 7 November, according to a local source. He said junta troops looted the properties of civilians during the previous attacks. The latest raid on the Aye Thayar village comes as fighting between a pro-democracy militia group the Chin Defense Force -Min Tat and the junta troops in the area has intensified with the latest fighting that occurred on 10 November.

 

18 November- 14 villages in Yesagyo Township in Magwe Region came under attack by junta troops during 15 to 18 November, a local source said. He said the attack came as a local militia group has captured a police station in the region on 13 November. The villages affected by the violence are situated in Yesagyo’s Ah Lai Kyuan Region. The source said up to 4,000 people have been displaced due to an attack by 150 strong junta troops on the villages.

 

19 November- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) says more than 23,000 people have been displaced due to recent fighting in Chin State since mid-May. OCHA said in a recently published report that more than 220 homes were destroyed in the blaze. It said the civilians were unable to return to their homes due to the road blockades built by the junta’s troops. The report said the displaced people are living on the Indian border, and they are currently facing shortages of food and shelter.

 

20 November- More than 5,000 people in Moebye and Dimawso townships in Kayah Region are fleeing the fighting as the military junta deploys around 500 troops to take control of the Moebye area, which is situated on the border between Shan and Kayah states. The junta’s forces which include four battalions have been attacking the area since 18 November. A source said the attack has forced thousands of people in the region to flee their homes and the number of displaced people are increasing in Kayah State, the source said.


10.Arson Attack on Villages

3 November- In an attack by junta troops on Loi Hwe village, in Phekhon Township in Shan State had forced more than 300 civilians to flee, said a spokesperson of the Phekone Regional Defense Force (PDF). He said the junta forces were forced to flee after they were attacked by PDF but three houses were burned down. He said there are clashes are between PDF and junta troops continued near Loi Hwe village.

 

4 November- Four houses were destroyed in an attack by junta troops on Chaung Kwa village in Kalay Township Sagaing Region. According to a video on the attack taken by the Mizzima news agency four civilian homes were destroyed as well as a barn and a motorcycle repair shop were destroyed in the attack. Mizzima said it had received the video footage of the fire on 3 November. There are around 550 houses in Chaung Kwa village with a population of over 3,000, and most of the villagers are fleeing due to fighting in the village.

 

6 November- The troops loyal to the junta and a pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee group has attacked Maukkadaw village in Sagaing Region’s Min Kin Township on 5 November. An eyewitness said the troops entered homes and set fire to motorcycles. More than 1,000 people from three nearby villages are fleeing the fighting in the region, the source said.

 

11 November - At least 1,000 villagers are forced to flee their homes after the latest fighting between junta troops and a pro-democracy militia group, the People Defense Force (PDF) in Katha Township. 12 houses in nearby Moeda Lay village were set on fire by junta troops, a local source. The attack on the village came after 20 junta troops were killed in an attack on a convoy while passing through the village. Mota village is situated on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River and it is a large village with about 1,500 houses and it has a station hospital.

 

14 November-The junta troops set on fire two houses in Dedanaw village in Kunchankone Township, Yangon Region. The attack follows a military vehicle that came under an attack in Kunchankone Township on 5 November. The junta troops also raided nearby Ingalone and Dedanaw villages in which some villagers were arrested. Among them, two died during the interrogation.

 

20 November – The junta troops put on fire two houses in Bukaing village in Sagaing Region’s Myaing Township on 19 November, a local source said. He said the attack come in a raid on the village by 50 troops. It was the fourth raid on the village in recent days. The source said the raids are linked to an attack on junta covey near Bukaing village in mid-October. The village has about 500 houses and many locals have fled after junta troops built their base in Bukaing village.

 

24 November- More than 1,300 villagers are forced to flee their homes due to the burning of Kyauktan West and Shwe Ta Chaung villages in Myaung Township in the Sagaing Region. An aid worker in the region said the attack follow reinforcement by the junta in the region. "The military has been deployed since early in the morning on that day. They are carrying heavy weapons. The villagers are fleeing and we are helping in the evacuation of the villagers,” he said. The aid worker said the junta troops has committed arson attacks on civilian targets on the civilian in the region more than 10 times during November.

 

28 November- A media report said at least 96 homes were burned down in the latest attack by the junta troops on Thantlang Township in Chin State. It was the ninth attack by the junta on the town since this year’s September, a local newspaper the Chin Journal reported. The journal said four churches and more than 300 homes have been destroyed in arson attacks on Thantlang by junta troops.


11.Statements Issued by The Junta (SAC)

2 November- A junta-appointed deputy minister of information, Zaw Min Tun, called for evidence on the junta’s involvement in the shelling of Thantlang Township in Chin State on 29 October. His comment came after a widespread of reports says indiscriminate shelling by junta troops on 29 October has destroyed several civilian homes in the town. “Everyone knows that there is no civilian population living in the town. The soldiers and police were not in the town at the time of the incident,” he said adding that only town elders remained in the town. “They (the locals) will know better. There are very few people who live in the town. Show us if there is any single-family living there. If anyone has convincing evidence please produce to us,” Zaw Min Tun said. An eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons said that four soldiers arrived and set fire to homes in five places in the town after a shootout between the junta troops and a local pro-democracy militia group, the Chin Defense Force (CDF), on 29 October. According to an estimate nearly 10,000 people live in Thantlang.

 

3 November- The deputy head of military junta Soe Win said excluding Myanmar at the recently concluded summit of the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) could undermine ASEAN unity and could lead to external forces intervening in the grouping’s internal affairs. He was speaking at an ASEAN event on 2 November. Soe Win said the move would also have an impact on ASEAN’s centrality adding that it will affect not only Myanmar but also other member states over a period of time. Soe Win has cautioned that other members will also face coercion and pressure by external actors. A statement issued after the ASEAN Summit held last April called on Myanmar to implement five-point agendas including the release of all political detainees, including foreigners, in Myanmar.

 

6 November-A junta spokesperson, Zaw Min Tun, said no country in the world can guarantee their security fully as long as there are vandalism and terrorist attacks. He said the security forces alone could not assure the security of civilians but it can only be done with the participation of the general public.

 

10 November- The junta head Min Aung Hlaing called for enacting a law against foreign interference in Myanmar’s internal affairs. Speaking at a regular meeting of the junta on 9 November he said that the Ministry of Justice has been tasked with conducting research to draft the law.

 

14 November - A tribunal is set to investigate the death of a pregnant woman, Ma Tin Maw Linn, who was arrested in connection with the theft of jewellery at the residence of the Deputy Chief of Administration of Maubin Township in Ayeyarwady Region. "We are planning to set up a tribunal in accordance with police procedures. The cause of death is currently being investigated," an official from the Ayeyarwady Region Police Chief's Office said. According to an official of the municipal office, U Tin Maw Lin, Ma Tin Maw Lin along with her husband was employed at the residence of the deputy head of local administration.

 

18 November- An article published in the state-owned Myanma Alinn newspaper said 198 local administrators were killed in a series of attacks across the country since the 1 February military coup. It said another 148 local administrators were injured in the attack. The article provides the breakdown of casualties, which said among the death 140 were ward administrators and 52 were the heads of 100 households, and six clerks working for local administration offices. It said among the injured 88 were ward administrators, 55 were the heads of 100 households and five clerks. An anti-junta group said it was responsible for the attacks on the administrators as they are working as informants to the junta.

 

23 November-A war veteran based in southern Shan State said the junta is regrouping the veterans to be used as a reserve force. He said those who have been convicted by the military will not be included in the reserve force. He said the members of the reserve forces are paid Kyat 8,000 a day as remuneration and they are armed with rifles, and officers are provided with pistols. There are 10538 officers and 103079 people of other ranks who are members of the War Veterans Association. There are 309 township-level War Veteran organisations established across Myanmar. According to the 2008 Constitution, there are a total of 330 townships in Myanmar.

 

26 November- A spokesperson of the military junta, Major General Zaw Min Tun, said declarations by the parents of the anti-junta activists, to disown them was not legal. He said during a media conference held in Nay Pyi Taw that a court order would be required to legally disown them. His comment came as parents of the activists announced the notice of disownment in the state-owned newspapers in recent weeks to avoid arrest. The junta is arresting family members of the activists and their homes are seized. The junta says the actions were taken under the country’s counter-terrorism law.

 

26 November – The junta rejects to hold talks with the pro-democracy groups who took up arms after the 1 February military coup. "There is no need to talk to those who have been declared illegal and those who have been declared terrorists,” a junta spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun told a media conference held in Nay Pyi Taw on 26 November. Many local people defence forces have sprung up since the military coup, and the junta troops are fighting intensely against them.

 

26 November – The junta issued a warning to the groups that are providing financial supports to the pro-democracy organisations it declared as terrorist organisations. A junta spokesperson, Major General Zaw Min Tun, said on 25 November that those who purchase the treasury bonds sold by the National Unity Government (NUG) could also face charges under the anti-terror law. His comments come as NUG said on 22 November that it had raised up to US$ 9.5 million in the 24 hours since the treasury bonds were put on sale. NUG said the proceeds from the sales of the treasury bonds would be used to fund the revolution against the military dictatorship.

 


12.Hate Speech

1.Social Media Monitoring


1 November - A Facebook user by the name of Moe Kaung Kin has posted misinformation about a monk killed by a Chin Christian. The post said the monk was attacked while he was walking through a jungle road. It said the monk was first hit but rifle butt and then he was immolated.

 

The post went on to say that 30 Buddhist monks had been killed in Thantlang Township in Chin State. The post said the killings were not only politically motivated but also against Buddhists as Thantlang has a predominantly Christian population.

 

The post is seen as an attempt to portray that Buddhists, who are in minority in Chin State, especially the monks who are revered by Buddhists are under persecution in the state. It is an obvious attempt to incite religious hatred.

 

The post with fake information was liked by 186 Facebook users and it was shared among 111 users of the social media site.

 

12 November - A Facebook user by the name of Ko Ko Moe Kaung Kin has posted a hate message on the social media site saying that Mosques in Myanmar are providing training to the People Defense Forces (PDF), a pro-democracy militia group fighting the military junta.

 

It said mosques in Myanmar provide training with the technique used by jihadists and the mosques are used as the headquarters of PDF forces. The post is seen as a hate message against Muslims and an apparent attempt to discredit the PDF groups.

 

The post could fuel suspicions among Buddhists in Myanmar, who have been misled over the past years by false allegations about Islamic mosques by an ultra-nationalist group the Association for Protection of Race and Religion (Ma Ba Tha in Myanmar acronym). It could also lead to losing faith in the PDF groups who are fighting against the military junta since the military coup on 1 February.

 

The post was liked by 136 Facebook users and it was shared among more than 1100 users of the social media site.

 

17 November - A Facebook user by the name of So Pyay posted a hoax message with an aim to incite hatred against a popular Myanmar actress Pai Phyo Thu. The post said other names of the actress should be Aisha Bi or the mastermind of the armed attack on Htantabin Gate in Hlaing Tharyar Township.

 

The fake post said Pai Phyo Thu (a.k.a) Aisha Bi had visited the headquarters of the No 7 Brigade of the Karan National Union (KNU) rebel group on 16 November. She discussed with KNU a plan to launch an attack on the Rakhine State in collaboration with the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO). It said she also briefed the rebel group on a plan to attack monks and civil servants in collaboration with 786 Muslim networks based in central Myanmar. The post could reignite conflicts between Muslims and Buddhists in Rakhine State ad also it could lead to widespread mistrust of Muslims living in other parts of Myanmar

 

The hate message was liked by 185 Facebook users and it was shared among 94 users of the social media site.

 

18 November - A post on the Facebook account of Zarni Hlaing said eleven non-pig eaters (a reference used to describe Muslims) were arrested with some ammunition inside the Taunggyi Mosque. It said other townships in Myanmar should also be vigilant.

 

The post is seen as reminiscent of what ultra-nationalist Buddhist group 969 has been trying to incite Buddhists in Myanmar against Muslims. It is also an attempt to defame the religious sites for Muslims and portrays that Muslims are linked with the pro-democracy militia group, the people defence force, fighting the junta.

 

The hate message was liked by 154 Facebook users and it was shared among 227 users of the social media site.

 

30 November - The Myanmar National Post, an online news agency published a news story critical of the Young Men Buddhist Association (YMBA) for inviting a Muslim man to join an event it organised in Yangon.

 

The news was posted on the news agency’s website and Telegram account. The report includes quotes of an ultra-nationalist monk, Ashin Asaraka, of the Patriotic Burmese Monks Union (Mandalay). He said it was very ugly for a big organisation like the YMBA to be associated with a kular (a derogatory term used in Myanmar to refer to the people of South Asian origin). “While our Buddhist nation was destroyed by the Indians,” the monk said.

 

The monk’s comment came after a Muslim businessman U Htay Aung, who is seen as close to the military was invited to the YMBA event. “If you have any historical evidence that shows that kulars keep good faith in our Buddhist religion, please show me. I cannot forget how our religion was destroyed by kulars. I cannot forget how our brothers Rakhine had to suffer because of these kulars. I will never forget the deaths of our monks because of the kular,” the monk was quoted as saying in the news report. Many analysts said such a comment could reignite the religious conflicts between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar

 

Ashin Asara is a member of the Patriotic Burmese Monks Union (Mandalay) and he was involved in the ultra-nationalist Buddhist movement 969. The Myanmar National Post is owned by a columnist, Naung Taw Lay, who is close to the military junta. The news agency claimed to have more than 9,500 subscribers.


2.Offline Media Monitoring


November – (Juornal:1) 

A commentary published in a pro-nationalist publication the Golden Hand Journal accused the supporters of the National League of Democracy (NLD) of committing politically motivated killings of Buddhist monks.


The article with the title "Political Terrorism" written by U Thura Zaw (Nationalist) was published in no 48 edition of the journal. It said the attacks on monks are reminiscent of the killings of monks by Bengali terrorists. Also, it is like supporting jihad as included in the religion of the Bengali people. Adding that the NLD is not only fighting against the military regime for a political purpose but waging a violent religious war. The article is widely seen as an attack on the NLD and portrays it as a pro-Muslim party.

 

The author also said if the NLD comes to power for another five years, the people of Myanmar and Buddhism will be completely destroyed.

 

The article said the NLD party allowed Bengalis refugees to come back to Myanmar and build houses for them that include electricity and water supply. It said such a move is a betrayal of the country and can pose great danger for the country’s sovereignty.

 

November – (Juornal:2)

A commentary published in a pro-nationalist publication the Golden Hand Journal accused the residents of Thantlang Township in Chin State of burning their own houses and putting the blame on the military junta. The article by columnist Sun Ye said it is reminiscent of the tactic being used by the Bengalis in Northern Rakhine State.

 

The article was published in the no 47 edition of the journal. It said as an extremist group the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) was able to win sympathy from the international community by accusing the military of committing genocide against Rohingya people (who are called Bengalis by the groups close to the junta).

 

It said Dr. Sasa, a Chin leader is using a similar tactic and portraying that the recent incidents in Thantlang, during which many of the town’s homes were put on fire allegedly by the military junta forces, was a genocide against Chin people. The recent attacks on the town saw churches and other many religious buildings desecrated. Also, a pastor of a church in Thantlang was killed.

 

The article in the Golden Hand journal said the town came under attack because of a rebel group the Chin National Front and the Chin Defense Force. The article is seen as misrepresenting the actual incident that took place in Thantlang.  

 

November – (Juornal:3)

A commentary published in a pro-nationalist the Golden Hand Journal said two senior Buddhist religion persons are on the hit list of the National Unity Government (NUG). The article by Maung Nyo Win (Ayeyarwady) which was published in the no 49 edition of the journal is seen to discredit the NUG among the Buddhists.

 

Even though the article did not include the names of the two prominent Buddhist religious leaders, however, some fake Facebook accounts said the two were Sitagu Monk and the Parmaukkha monk.

 

However, a spokesperson of the NUG Dr. Sasa denied that it has issued a hit list. He said in an interview with the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) news agency on 13 November that it was only a ploy used by the military junta to discredit the NUG.

 

November – (Juornal:4)

A commentary published in a pro-nationalist the Golden Hand Journal called on the military junta to wipe out the National Unity Government (NUG) and the pro-democracy militia groups, the people defence forces. U Thura Zaw (Nationalist) wrote in his commentary that the current situation is more worrisome some than the period the country was under more than 100 years of colonial rule by the British. He said the two groups are committing killings, including Buddhist religious leaders, based on political differences.

 

The article said an incident like shooting at a monk while he was eating his meal was very cruel. It said if we stop loving our religion, Myanmar will become like Afghanistan or Pakistan in the future.

13.Human Rights Violation

1 November- The junta’s security force is conducting checks on pedestrians in Moulmeinkyun Township in Ayeyarwady Region. A local source said those who could not show their mobile phones are asked to pay Kyat 5000 fine and those carrying their phones are asked to hand over their device for checking. A local source said harassment of the civilians is linked to two bomb explosions in the town on 31 October. He said since then the troops and police were patrolling the streets in Moulmeinkyun.

 

2 November- The local authorities in Palaw Township, in Tanintharyi Region ask Kyat 2 million per head for the release of arrested people. A local source said the local administrator of Zayat Seik village, who was appointed by the junta ask a total of Kyat 8 million for the release of four civilians of the village who were arrested by the 285th Battalion. Zayat Seik Village is located on the Myeik-Palaw highway.

 

4 November- A spokesperson of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Gerry Rice said on 3 November that the junta has failed to report on the US$ 372 million funds granted by IMF to Myanmar for the fight against COVID-19. IMF said it disbursed the fund to the Myanmar government just days before the February 1 military coup, however, the junta led by Min Aung Hlaing failed to provide a financial report on the fund even eight months after the coup. Mr. Rice accused the junta of not being transparent on the funds. The IMF has provided Myanmar with a total of more than $ 728 million in loans as a part of IMF’s support to low-income countries. IMF said Min Aung Hlaing regime is calling on the international community to donate more for COVID-19 vaccines despite the fact that millions of dollars of IMF funds are still unaccounted for.

 

4 November- A civil society group, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said the junta has destroyed at least ten offices of the National League for Democracy (NLD) across Myanmar during October. The junta has seized control of the offices of the NLD, which won the largest number of votes in the 2020 election and it is targeting the party members and supporters. The sign of the party in front of the NLD offices was also destroyed. In some cases, the junta attacked the party office with fire and explosives. AAPP said the junta is seizing the homes, hotels, and private clinics owned by NLD MPS. AAPP said at least 25 houses of NLD MPs were raided by the junta during October.

 

5 November- The military junta has seized 70 houses owned by the members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Representative Committee (CRPH), the National Unity Government (NUG), and the People’s Defense Force (PDF). Among the houses seized include interim the residences of Duwal Sheila, who was appointed as the interim president by NUG as well as the Minister of Health and Education, Dr. Zaw Wai Soe, Deputy Minister for Health Dr. Daw Shwe Pone, Federal Affairs Minister Dr. Salai Lian Hmung Sa Kaung, and a former Ayeyarwaddy Region Chief Minister Man Johnny. Other properties seized belong to student union leaders in Yangon Region as well as in Myingyan Township in Mandalay Region, Tangse Township in Sagaing Region, and Saetottara Township, in Magway Region. A junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said in a recent interview with Radio Free Asia that their properties were seized to cut off the sources of funding to terrorist groups.

 

9 November-The junta has sealed off the homes and properties of three NLD MPs in the Magway Region on the same day. A local resident of Min Hla in Magwe Region said he wished the junta failed as soon as possible. "They closed the houses of activists with an accusation of having a link with the People Defence Force (PDF). They (junta) put up a sign in front of the seized homes saying that the properties are confiscated as a public asset and do not allow anyone accesses to the house,” he said. “I think they have gone crazy. I do not think any medicine will work on them. I think people of Myanmar will be happy if they die quickly and badly," the Minhla resident said. The junta said the seizure was to cut off the supplies to the terrorists.

 

11 November- The military junta ordered the closure of 10 institutions and shops in Pathein and Maubin Township including the Parami Charity School. A local source said the junta had ordered the closures of the clinic of Dr Sit Tin, who died due to COVID-19 and a number of teahouses. The source said the junta has also ordered the closure of 50 homes in the Ayeyarwady Region since the beginning of November.

 

12 November – The junta seized the home of U Zaw Min Hteik a social activist in Kyakan village in Magwe on 11 November. The Rural Land charity group led by U Zaw Min Htike provides food and shelter to the vulnerable communities in Magway Region. In addition, the group helps local communities to alleviate drinking water shortage and it also provides the government employees who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). U Zaw Min Hteik’s home was also raided by the junta troops in October during which more than Kyat 4 million worth of gold jewellery and cash were seized.

 

12 November- The junta has evicted a local community in Ng Phe Township, in Magwe Region, a local source said. He said more than 150 houses in Padan village in Nga Phe were forcibly evicted with the accusation that land belong to a military-owned factory. The source said the homes of the families who refused to move out were bulldozed. He said the manager of the factory ordered to evict the families who have bought the land, the source said. He said some living in the area for almost 30 years. The military factory is situated in Malon village in Minhla Township, which is situated about 50 miles far from Padan village.

 

17 November- Ten local people in Yezakyo Township in Magwe Region were arrested and handcuffed during a military offensive in Ye Lae Kyun village. The arrest come as the junta troops stationed in a nearby Min Ywa village launched an offensive in the region on 15 November. They were moving from house to house, firing small and heavy artillery into the villages. More than 1,000 local people in the region were forced to flee due to the military offensive in the area.

 

21 November- The military junta has sealed off three houses in Maubin Township in Ayeyarwady Region on 20 November, a local source said. He said among the houses sealed off on the day include a shelter home for the poor. The house is owned by a social activist Ko Hteik Hteik Aung who works for a civil society organization Pyo Khin Thit. The source said the seizure of civilian homes was ordered by the head of the Maubin District Administration ahead of a trip to the town by the local military commander. In Maubin, three houses owned by the business organisations were sealed off by the junta in early November, bringing the total number of houses sealed off by the junta in the town to 6.

 

24 November- The junta ordered people in Yangon not to wear facemasks despite the number of COVID-19 cases in the city remains, a local source said. He said the local administrators in the city made the announcement by loud hailers in many parts of the city. “They ordered people not to ride a motorbike, and those who ride on motorbike cannot wear a helmet. They also order not to wear a face mask, sunglasses, and black shirt ongoing,” the source who lives in South Okkalapa Township said. He said those who wear face masks were asked to pay a fine and in some cases, they were hit by local authorities. He said some civilians in Thingangyun, Sanchaung, Shwepyithar, and Hlaing Tharyar townships have faced punishment. The move comes amid calls by the junta’s Ministry of Health for the wearing of face masks as a prevention measure against the COVID-19 disease

 

25 November- A military tribunal in Yangon has handed down heavy sentences on 51 men on 23 November for their anti-junta activities, a report in the state-owned newspaper said. The report said the sentences against the convicts, most of whom are youths from South Dagon and Hline Tharyar Township in Yangon, include death and life imprisonment. The junta said they were involved in killings, bomb attacks against its targets, and for having linked to the National Unity Government, the Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), and the people’s defense forces.  According to records compiled by Radio Free Asia, up to 85 people have been sentenced to death by military tribunals since the military coup on 1 February.

 

27 November- A civil society group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) says that 1,294 people have been killed by the junta since the 1 February military coup. It said 10,502 people were arrested during a series of public protests against junta popularly known as “the Spring Revolution”. AAPP said among the arrested people 7580 are still being held and of these, 341 were incarcerated. It said two minors are included among those convicted and 34 were sentenced to death.


Rape as war-crime (committed by junta troops)

9 November – A 62-year-old woman was raped by a soldier on 7 November in Kutkai Township in Northern Shan State. A local source said the woman was raped while she was alone at her home. The soldier went into the home to ask for food. The source said when the incident was reported to the commander, he apologised and promised that the soldier would be sent back to the battalion headquarters. The soldier who committed the crime was from the 336th Battalion, based in Southern Shan State. However, the local people wanted the solider to be punished. In a separate incident in June, a 14-year-old nun in Namphatka village in Kutkai Township was raped by a soldier, and the case is still pending.

 

14 November- A woman was repeatedly raped in front of her husband by three soldiers and several valuables were looted in an attack on a home by junta troops in Tiddim in Chin State on 11 November, a local pro-democracy militia group the Chin State Defense Force said. It said two of the three soldiers who committed rape had returned to the same home around midnight, raped the woman, who recently gave birth to a child, for a second time, and took her jewellery. Chin State PDF said it is still investigating the names and identities of the three alleged rapists. The families of the victims have been sent to a safe place, the statement said. It said local communities are feeling insecure as the junta troops as they are stationed in the Thaingin area in Chin State.

 

17 November-A pregnant woman was reportedly raped by two soldiers in Tiddim in Chin State on 11 November. The 30-year-old unnamed woman, who is a mother of four children was repeatedly raped, the victim said. On the same day, three soldiers repeatedly raped the mother of a one-and-a-half-month-old baby. The two women are related as sister-in-law and both were repeatedly raped in front of their husbands.

 

26 November – An instruction letter issued by the military leaders to troops to stop raping the wives of fellow soldiers was leaked to social media. The letter said at least five cases of soldiers raping the wives of other soldiers, who went to the front line, were reported over the past few weeks. The Myanmar military is known for committing sexual violence against women in ethnic areas.

 

29 November – A civil society group, the Women's League of Burma (WLB), says there were 10 cases of sexual violence against women were reported since the military coup in Myanmar on 1 February. It said the cases were reported in Sagaing and Yangon regions as well as in Kachin, Chin, and Shan States. It said among the victims of sexual abuse include 62-year-old elderly women and a 14-year-old minor.


Violation of Freedom of Expression

Arrest of Journalists

6 November- A reporter for the Myaungmya-based People's Journal, was arrested by the junta on 3 November for writing a poem about the arson attacks by the junta on Thantlang Township in Chin State. Some people close to him said that the poet Ya Wai Maung (U Nyunt Lwin) was arrested after he wrote a poem on his social media page titled “One wish I have in my mind”. The poem read “Thantlang is a city where we live together with our relatives." And “it is no longer peaceful due to militants.” The junta arrested a poet Rawe Maung was under Section 505 soon after the 1 February military coup for writing a poem critical of the junta. He was released in May.

 

12 November- A correspondent of the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) U Min Htee said he received threats from a group linked to the junta. He said the threat was made by telephone. U Min Htee added that the caller who identified himself as a member of the Thaki Thwe social network accused him of being the leader of a pro-democracy militia group the People Defense Force (PDF) and the mastermind behind a massacre in Myaing Township. Many journalists, including reporters working for the DVB, have been arrested and jailed for their work. They face arrest warrants and threats. Since the military coup on 1 February, 110 journalists have been arrested and 38 are still being held in various prisons.

 

16 November – An arrested American journalist, Danny Fanstar, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a military tribunal, was released on 16 November. Mr. Fenster was released from the Insein Prison in Yangon and deported on the same day, said a junta spokesperson General Zaw Min Tun. Mr Fanstar, who worked for Frontier Myanmar, was arrested at the Yangon airport in May and charged with five counts that include breaching national security.

 

21 November- The junta arrested a senior freelance journalist Daw Yin Yin Thein (Nabako) in In Taw Township in Sagaing Region on 18 November. His family said they lost contact with Daw Yin Yin Thein since her arrest. In another case of harassment of journalists, a recent report said the junta is reportedly inquiring about the whereabouts of journalists in Sittwe in Rakhine State, which led many media persons to flee their homes.

 

23 November- A seven-year-old daughter of the arrested Thingangyun Post editor Ma Htet Htet was interrogated for two days by the military junta, a family member said. Ma Htet Htet and reporter Ko Wai Lin Yu were arrested in Yangon’s Thaketa Township on 11 September, along with Ma Htet Htet's youngest daughter. According to the figures compiled by a US-based broadcaster the Radio Free Asia, 110 journalists have been arrested since the military coup, and around 40 are still being held.


Arrest of Protesters

8 November- A member of the Dagon University Students' Union, Ma Thinzar Zaw, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a military tribunal in Yangon on 8 November. Ma Thinzar Zaw, the Third-year student was charged under Section 124-B (a) of the Criminal Code. On 14 September, six students from Dagon University, including Ma Thinzar Zaw, were arrested by the junta from a home in 39th Street, Kyauktada Township, Yangon. Another arrested student leader Si Thu Aung Tin was also sentenced to 10 years on 3 November. The cases of the other four students are not yet completed.

 

23 November- A military tribunal in Yangon has sentenced three members of a student union to 10 years in prison each on a criminal defamation charge. They were charged under section 124 of the Penal Code for criminal defamation after criticising the military junta for deliberately arresting young people who oppose injustices committed by the junta. They were denied the right to hire a lawyer to defend them. According to the Dagon University Students' Union, more than 40 students at the University have been arrested since the 1 February military coup for showing dissent to the regime.

 

23 November- An anti-junta protest leader was arrested in a village in Mandalay Regions’ Taungtha Township. Ko Kyaw Htet Wai was arrested from his home in Yone Pin village and he was held at an interrogation camp. A local source said the security forces bring Ko Kyaw Htet Wai back to the village on 22 November and paraded him to the villagers. The source said he was severely wounded. He said the move was to warn the people in the village not to engage in anti-junta activities. The source said the junta troops entered the village on 22 November and they destroyed at least 10 houses.

 

24 November- A student union representing medical students has called on the National Union Government (NUG) for the adoption of an interim education policy and a plan that guarantees for the continuation of education of protesting students also to fully guarantee the autonomy of universities in the future education system. The union said it made the call as the NUG so far failed to adopt an interim education policy and grantee for the continuation of education of the university students who protested against the military junta. The junta has reopened primary schools since 1 November. The NUG has stated that it does not recognise the education system of the regime.


Extrajudicial Punishment

The Arrest of Family Members

1 November- The security force has arrested government staff who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in Taungtwingyi Township in Magway Region on 31 October. The family members of the wanted civil servants were arrested as hostages if the security forces could not find the staff in their homes. An eyewitness said at least 10 people most of them women were arrested. Most of the detainees were from the two southern wards of Taungtwingyi Township.

 

2 November- The junta’s security forces arrested the mother of a senior student leader in Tanintharyi Region. The police arrested the mother of Min Lwin Oo, a member of the Dawei District Strike Committee from her home in Launglone Township. Daw Cho Than, 56, was arrested after the security forces failed to arrest her son. Min Lwin Oo did not live in the house even before the 1 February military coup. Min Lwin Oo was a member of the Dawei District Strike Committee and was the leader of the Dawei Education Strike Committee during the 2015 National Education Strike.

 

3 November- The security forces arrested the family members of a political activist, Ko Lu Zaw Zaw Aung after they failed to arrest him. Three family members of Ko Lu Zaw Aung, including his wife, were arrested at his home in Kad Nge Htein village in Launglone Township in Tanintharyi Region on 3 November. Ko Lu Lu Zaw had previously participated in public protest against the junta but is now living as an ordinary resident in the village. The junta forces stormed into the homes of civilians in Launglone Township and illegally arrested 10 innocent people in recent days.

 

4 November- The junta’s security forces arrested a son of a political activist in Zalun Township in Ayeyarwady Region, after they failed to arrest her. The arrest comes as the junta forces are rounding up political activists in the town to force them to sign an undertaking to leave politics. Ko Htike Lin Oo was arrested on 2 November after the security forces failed to arrest his mother. The security forces said they will release him if his mother surrender. However, he was not released even after his mother has surrendered to the police.

 

13 November – The junta arrested two family members of a medical doctor who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in Dawei Township in the Taninthayi Region. Two younger brothers of the unnamed doctors were arrested after the junta troops raided their mother Daw Lei Win’s residence in Dawei’s Pone Kyun ward. The whereabouts of the two brothers, both are minors, are still unknown.

 

17 November- A 13-year son of a member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Amarapura Township in Mandalay Region was arrested after the junta’s security forces failed to find his father during a raid on the family home in Yekyi Pauk village on 14 November. "Family members went to the home of the local military leader to request for the boy’s release; however, they were told to exchange the boy with his father,” a local source said. They arrested a 7th-grade student who has been held in the Myitnge Police station until 17 November. The junta has been targeting the members of the NLD and if they cannot arrest the wanted party members, they abduct their family members, including children. There are incidents of the death of abducted people during interrogation.

 

13 November- Two pregnant women were taken hostage after a raid on two houses in Naung Gyi Ai village in Sagaing Region’s Ayeyartaw Township on 12 November. They were abducted by the junta troops because they could not find the male head of the household, who is accused of hiding weapons at the home. An eyewitness said one woman was later released but the other was taken away.


Arbitrary Arrest

2 November- At least five local people, including the chair of a charity association, Win Min Soe, were arrested by the junta in Letpadan Township in Bago Region on 31 October. A source close to Win Min Soe said, “They were arrested on the evening of the 31st with the accusation of having a link to bomb attacks on government offices. I heard that he was tortured and forced to confess,” he said. Win Min Soe, who is from Letpadan is the Chairman of Phyu Sin Youth Charitable Association. In a similar incident in Pyay, the chair of the Moe Metta Social Welfare Association and some of its members were arrested by the junta and their belongings were confiscated.

 

4 November- More than 60 people were arrested by the military junta in Taungdwingyi Township in Magwe Region, on suspicion. They were arrested during late October and early November. The arrest came after an informant of the junta was killed in Taungtwingyi. The junta forces have been raiding homes of the civilians and disrupting traffic and raiding on tea shops and confiscating their mobile phones, a local resident said.

 

6 November- At least six people were arrested in Ye Township in Mon State after the killing of an individual close to the junta, a local resident said. He said on a condition of anonymity, that the arrests were made on suspicion of having a link with a pro-democracy militia group the People Defence Force (PDF). The killing come after PDF issued a warning to the local administrators to resign from their position and stop providing support to the junta. PDF in its warning said a heavy punishment will be imposed on those who do not obey the order.

 

10 November- The junta’s security forces stormed the village of Hanlin (Pyu Old Town) in the Sagaing Region on 9 November and arrested 19 innocent people, a local source said. “They first arrested 100 people to use as a human shield. Many were released the next morning and 19 were arrested and sent to a military barrack in Shwebo Township,” he said. About 70 junta troops have been deployed in the eastern riverside village of Indaung in Wetlet Township in Sagaing Region since 9 November, and about 50 troops stationed in Hanlin, which is situated in the northern parts of Wetlet Township.

 

18 November – The junta announced that it has arrested 47 people with weapons in Yangon whom it said were involved in violent attacks against the security forces. The arrest of 40 men and seven women was announced in the state-owned newspapers on 17 November. The report said they were involved in attacks on the Thanlyin Bridge, North Okkalapa Bridge as well as in Htantabin and Kyeemyindaing townships in Yangon Region. The junta alleged that the attacks were ordered by the National Unity Government (NUG). However, a spokesperson of the local People Defense Force (PDF) said among those arrested include innocent civilians. The junta said it will seize the houses and apartments where these suspects were arrested under the country’s Counter-Terrorism Law. And also press charges against the owner of the properties where they were arrested.

 

20 November- The junta arrested at least 10 youths in Yangon’s Hlaing, North Dagon, and Ahlone townships during a nationwide electricity outage. The junta troops conducted a search on the cars and mobile phones of the pedestrians on the main roads in Yangon. The junta is stepping up a crackdown on its opponent under an operation codenamed “Operation Swallow.”

 

20 November- At least 40 local people were arrested by the military junta in Kyeiktho in Mon State from 14 to 20 November with allegations of having links with the local People's Defense Force (PDF), a local source said. The junta accused them of providing financial support to PDF in Kyaiktho. The arrest coincided with a more severe crackdown on the supporters of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Kyeikto over the past few days. A local source said the junta’s security forces are conducting a series of raids on the homes of NLD supporters and erected roadblocks in some places in the town to closely monitor the movement of people.

 

22 November- Three members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Hlegu Township in Yangon Region were arrested. A local source said the three-party official from Kanyin Kokne village were arrested in connection with a bomb blast on a bridge in nearby Ye Mon village on 16 November. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast, which took place at the entrance of Ye Mon village.

 

22 November-The junta’s security forces raided a medical clinic inside a church in Loikaw in Kayah State. An eyewitness said about 200 soldiers and police stormed Karuna Clinic in the Central Church of Christendom in the town’s Naw Ya Ward. The church’s pastor, as well as doctors and nearly 20 volunteer nurses, were arrested. Karuna Clinic has been providing free medical treatment to patients. The military council raided the clinic on suspicion that it is linked to a local pro-democracy militia group the People Defense Force (PDF). The government employees who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against the junta are working in the Karuna clinic.

 

22 November- The junta has arrested 13 civilians in Mogok in Mandalay Region on 21 November on suspicion of involvement in anti-junta activities, a local source said. He said eight people were arrested from their homes in Aung Myay Thika ward and five pedestrians were arrested after searching their mobile phones. The latest arrests come as the junta troops tightened security in Mogok over the past few days.

 

23 November- More than 30 civilians were arrested in Myanaung Township in Ayeyarwady Region on suspicion of having links with a pro-democracy militia group the People Defense Force (PDF), a local source said. Among the arrested civilians include the supporters of the National League for Democracy (NLD). On previous occasions, some of the arrested civilians including NLD supporters were released after they paid bribes to the security forces. More than 50 people have been arrested in Myanaung since the military coup.

 


Arrest of Those Who Joined CDM

3 November- A teacher who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) was arrested on November 2 in Madara Township in Mandalay Region on 2 November. U Kyaw San Aung, a middle school teacher serving in a government school has joined the movement. The junta also arrested a private tutor Thein Zaw in Madara Township, which created concerns among the teachers who have joined the CDM for their safety.

 

4 November- A traffic police, April Tun, and his father were arrested by the junta forces in Pathein Township in Ayeyarwaddy Region on 29 October. April Tun, continue to live in his father’s home in Pathein even after he joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against the junta. A local source said April Tun and his father are still being detained and they were not allowed to see the family members.

 

13 November – A couple who are both government teachers were beaten and arrested by the military junta in Madaya Township Mandalay Region on 12 November. They were arrested during a raid on their home in No. (2) ward. They were arrested for participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). There are 202 government schools in Madaya where 2,300 education staff are employed. And more than 1,200 teachers have joined the CDM and eight have been arrested by the military junta.

 

14 November- The teachers who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in Mogok Township said they were forced to move out of the government quarters. A source said the principal of a high school in the town Daw San San Oo, who has not joined CDM, has threatened to inform about their whereabouts to the junta if the teachers failed to rejoin the school. 10 teachers who are living in the staff quarters in Mogok’s Mudpan Ward said they are being forced to leave their quarters. And they are facing difficulties to find a place to live. There are more than 1,000 education staff in Mogok who joined CDM.

 

19 November- A staff of the railway department in Aungban Township in Southern Shan State was arrested on 16 November. U Myo Zaw, assistant manager of a railway factory in Aungban, was arrested after he joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against the junta. A family source said they were not allowed to meet U Myo Zaw since his arrest as he was taken to interrogation camp.

           

20 November - The principal and two school committee members of a primary school in Naung Shwe Township in Shan State were arrested for failing to follow the junta’s order to reopen the school. They were detained on 19 November on a complaint against them from a parent of a student. The three staff of the Se Khaung primary school situated in the Inle Lake area joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) movement against the junta. The junta ordered the reopening of all government schools across the country from 1 November. All other government schools in Nyaungshwe Township apart from the two have reopened at the junta’s order. However, some schools are operating only with one Clark or a teacher. Some schools are run by teachers who just passed their matriculation examinations.

 

23 November - The military junta is secretly working to file a lawsuit against the government employees who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) under charges of misappropriation of government funds, for not repaying the advance salaries. The government employees were allowed to withdraw two months of their salaries in advance by the National League for Democracy (NLD) government last year to alleviate financial difficulties during the pandemic. The junta has deducted the advance salaries from the civil servant who returns to work after abandoning the CDM. The junta has threatened the civil service who still boycotting it to prosecute under Section 505 (a) of the Penal Code for criminal defamation as well as misappropriation of state funds for failing to repay the advanced salaries.

 

24 November- A policeman who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) has surrendered to the police in Yangon on 23 November, a local source said. He said Kyaw Ko Ko, who served with the police in Labutta Township in Ayeyarwady Region also informed the police on the activities of the local defence forces. The source said Kyaw Ko Ko had taken away the funds raised for the militia group fighting the regime. The groups fighting the junta have asked all those who previously communicated with Kyaw Ko Ko to take refuge in the liberated areas to avoid the arrest by junta troops.

 

26 November- The military arrested four civilians, including an education staff who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in Myaing Township, Magway Region on 25 November. A local source said they were arrested at a tip-off from junta’s informants. He said a pro-junta group Pyu Saw Htee has a large presence in the village. The people of Myaing Township strongly oppose the military coup and the People Defense Force of Myaing Township is fighting the junta forces in the region.


Extra-Judicial Killing and Forced Disappearance

3 November- A teacher who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) was arrested on November 2 in Madara Township in Mandalay Region on 2 November. U Kyaw San Aung, a middle school teacher serving in a government school has joined the movement. The junta also arrested a private tutor Thein Zaw in Madara Township, which created concerns among the teachers who have joined the CDM for their safety.

 

4 November- A traffic police, April Tun, and his father were arrested by the junta forces in Pathein Township in Ayeyarwaddy Region on 29 October. April Tun, continue to live in his father’s home in Pathein even after he joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against the junta. A local source said April Tun and his father are still being detained and they were not allowed to see the family members.

 

13 November – A couple who are both government teachers were beaten and arrested by the military junta in Madaya Township Mandalay Region on 12 November. They were arrested during a raid on their home in No. (2) ward. They were arrested for participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). There are 202 government schools in Madaya where 2,300 education staff are employed. And more than 1,200 teachers have joined the CDM and eight have been arrested by the military junta.

 

14 November- The teachers who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in Mogok Township said they were forced to move out of the government quarters. A source said the principal of a high school in the town Daw San San Oo, who has not joined CDM, has threatened to inform about their whereabouts to the junta if the teachers failed to rejoin the school. 10 teachers who are living in the staff quarters in Mogok’s Mudpan Ward said they are being forced to leave their quarters. And they are facing difficulties to find a place to live. There are more than 1,000 education staff in Mogok who joined CDM.

 

19 November- A staff of the railway department in Aungban Township in Southern Shan State was arrested on 16 November. U Myo Zaw, assistant manager of a railway factory in Aungban, was arrested after he joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against the junta. A family source said they were not allowed to meet U Myo Zaw since his arrest as he was taken to interrogation camp.

           

20 November - The principal and two school committee members of a primary school in Naung Shwe Township in Shan State were arrested for failing to follow the junta’s order to reopen the school. They were detained on 19 November on a complaint against them from a parent of a student. The three staff of the Se Khaung primary school situated in the Inle Lake area joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) movement against the junta. The junta ordered the reopening of all government schools across the country from 1 November. All other government schools in Nyaungshwe Township apart from the two have reopened at the junta’s order. However, some schools are operating only with one Clark or a teacher. Some schools are run by teachers who just passed their matriculation examinations.

 

23 November - The military junta is secretly working to file a lawsuit against the government employees who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) under charges of misappropriation of government funds, for not repaying the advance salaries. The government employees were allowed to withdraw two months of their salaries in advance by the National League for Democracy (NLD) government last year to alleviate financial difficulties during the pandemic. The junta has deducted the advance salaries from the civil servant who returns to work after abandoning the CDM. The junta has threatened the civil service who still boycotting it to prosecute under Section 505 (a) of the Penal Code for criminal defamation as well as misappropriation of state funds for failing to repay the advanced salaries.

 

24 November- A policeman who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) has surrendered to the police in Yangon on 23 November, a local source said. He said Kyaw Ko Ko, who served with the police in Labutta Township in Ayeyarwady Region also informed the police on the activities of the local defence forces. The source said Kyaw Ko Ko had taken away the funds raised for the militia group fighting the regime. The groups fighting the junta have asked all those who previously communicated with Kyaw Ko Ko to take refuge in the liberated areas to avoid the arrest by junta troops.

 

26 November- The military arrested four civilians, including an education staff who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in Myaing Township, Magway Region on 25 November. A local source said they were arrested at a tip-off from junta’s informants. He said a pro-junta group Pyu Saw Htee has a large presence in the village. The people of Myaing Township strongly oppose the military coup and the People Defense Force of Myaing Township is fighting the junta forces in the region.


Violence Attacks by Pro-Junta Thug, Pyu Saw Htee

4 November- A pro-junta militant group Pyu Saw Htee has ransacked Mying Si village in Sagaing Region’s Shwebo Township on 3 November, a local source said. He said the group attacked four houses owned by a former head of the village. The source said “the homeowners have been on the run for a long time. Before they left, the Pyu Saw Htee group took the furniture and set it on fire. "While they were burning, they fired their guns and waited until the houses were burned." The Pyu Saw Htee group is based in Shwebo, Khin Oo, Depayin and other townships the group assist the junta troops in raiding villages, looting public properties.

 

5 November- A group called itself “Death Note Tamu” has released a list of 37 members of the Pyu Saw Htee group who were provided with weapons by the military junta in Tamu Township in Sagaing Region. Death Note Tamu announced on 4 November that it received the list from an insider who is working for the junta. According to the statement, 36 members of Pyu Saw Htee were given weapons by a military loyalist U Myint Aung. The members who are issued weapons are mentioned along with their national registration numbers. Pyu Saw Htee group was formed in every township by the junta after the coup and its members are given weapons, said the statement.

 

7 November- Six people, including a monk and a child, were shot dead at 8:30 a.m. in Hopin Township in Kachin State on 7 November. They were shot inside Htoo Htaik San Tea Shop by a group of people who came on a Toyota Mark II vehicle a local source said. A local militia group the People's Liberation Army (PLA) said in a post on its social media page that it believes the shooting was carried out by a pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee group.

 

7 November- A group of local administrators in Yesagyo Township in the Magwe Region are taking refuge in a local military battalion and they are provided with military training, a local source said. He said they are taking military training in the 258th Battalion based in Yezakyo as they fear being attacked by local pro-democracy militia groups. There are 89 ward and village tracts in Yezakyo Township. The administrators from 56 of the ward/districts have resigned. The rest are fleeing to other townships where they have relatives, and some are hiding in the army barrack in the town.

 

16 November- A home of a former local administrator in Shwebo Township in the Sagaing Region was set on fire by the members of the pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee group on 15 November. The victim U Nyi Maung Aung, served as the local administrator of Myin See village under the government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD). The incident follows a similar attack on three homes in the village on 3 November. There is a widespread presence of the Pyu Saw Htee group in Shwebo Township, who have joined forces with the military junta in raids on villages and lootings.

 

17 November- The groups loyal to the military junta issued a warning to the local communities in Mandalay Region not to support the pro-democracy militia group the People Defense Force (PDF). A local source said notice from the junta and its affiliates warning the people not to join PDF was circulated and they were also posted on notice boards. The warning said those who support the PDF and the National League for Democracy (NLD) will face severe consequences including seizing their homes and properties. It said if the PDFs do not surrender they will be annihilated with the support of the junta’s security forces.

 

19 November- A pro-junta group Pyu Saw Htee reportedly set on fire several public gas stations in Lounglone Township in the Tanintharyi Region. A local source said the groups carried out the attacks with the permission of the military. He said the attacks come following a car carrying a local Pyu Saw Htee leader Ko Zaw was ambushed in Launglone Township on 11 November. The source said at least seven people were arrested in connection with the attack on Ko Zaw.


Background on the Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)


Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) is based in London, operates across Burma/Myanmar and works for human rights, minority rights and religious freedom in Burma. BHRN has played a crucial role in advocating for human rights and religious freedom with politicians and world leaders.



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