Internal displacement/forced migration in Chin State

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Title: Around 1,000 Villagers Displaced by Fighting in Western Myanmar
Description: "At least 1,000 people from Paletwa Township on the border of Chin and Rakhine states in western Myanmar have been forced to flee their homes, following fighting between the ethnic Rakhine armed organization the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military, according to residents and local aid groups. Fighting broke out near Ah Baung Thar, Hna Maung Dar and Ree Ma Wa villages on August 21. Clashes were still ongoing as of 30 August, with regime forces calling in artillery strikes. Some 1,000 people from around 190 households fled their homes in the three villages on August 24 because of the fighting. The majority are staying with relatives and friends. But around 300 of those forced to flee are staying at a cyclone shelter in Paletwa Town, said residents of the town. The largest number of refugees is from Ah Baung Thar Village, where 120 households fled. Another 70 households left Hna Maung Dar and Ree Ma Wa villages, according to the Raiki Community Development Foundation (RCDF), a local NGO. With no one left in the villages, there are fears that the refugees will go hungry as they are now unable to harvest their crops. “This is the time for people in the township to harvest their crops of yam, peanuts, sesame and rice,” said Salai Kyaw Shun, founder of RCDF. “But as they [AA and junta forces] keep fighting and the conflict area gets larger, the people are going to face starvation. We have no idea what we will do if the fighting intensifies,” he said. With transportation routes into Paletwa blocked by the military regime, the price of all goods has gone up and stocks are running low, said locals. “We no longer have any place to run away to. If the fighting gets heavier, we are going to starve,” said a 62-year-old man from Ah Baung Thar Village, who is now staying in Paletwa Town’s cyclone shelter. Before last year’s coup, fighting between the AA and the Myanmar military in Paletwa displaced some 5,000 people and was ongoing until November 2020, when an informal ceasefire was agreed. Now more and more clashes are taking place in the township, with civilians being killed or displaced. On August 24, a 40-year-old mother of three was killed in a landmine blast near Ah Baung Thar Village. Paletwa Township is of strategic importance to both the AA and the Myanmar military. Currently, junta forces still control Paletwa, with Light Infantry Battalion 289 deployed along the banks of the Kaladan River, the major waterway connecting Chin and Rakhine states..."
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2022-08-31
Date of entry/update: 2022-08-31
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Title: Myanmar’s Military Blocks Supply Routes to 50,000 Refugees in Chin State Amid Renewed Fighting
Sub-title: Sources say the hilly town of Mindat has only two weeks of food left.
Description: "The military junta has cut all supply routes to a hilly town in western Myanmar’s Chin state, putting as many as 50,000 refugees from months of fighting under siege with only two weeks supply of food, sources in the embattled region told RFA. Junta forces have blocked all entrances and exits to Mindat and shut down supply routes to neighboring regions in Chin state, a hotbed of resistance to the Feb. 1 military takeover, where fighting between troops loyal to the junta and local militias from March through May killed scores of regime soldiers and civilians. “All the roads have been blocked…The authorities stop, arrest or interrogate all the young men entering the town, and confiscate their mobile phones. Nobody dares to enter,” a refugee in Mindat who requested anonymity for security reasons told RFA’s Myanmar Service. The junta’s move to cut off access to Mindat came at a time when Mindat’s transportation situation was already complicated by heavy rains over the past month that had caused mudslides that had made some roads impassible, even by motorcycle. “The landslides west and south of Mindat cut off the roads there… We will run out of food in two weeks,” a refugee the refugee told RFA’s Myanmar Service. Mindat, with a population of 10,000-15,000 people, including its suburbs, is battling a COVID-19 outbreak, part of a third wave that has overrun the entire country. “Many goods cannot be purchased here in Mindat anymore, or the prices are up exponentially. No one is selling what we need. The military council’s forces have blocked access roads to the Yaw region, where all our supplies come from,” the refugee said. Refugees and others living outside of Mindat are too afraid to come into the town for grocery shopping, according to the refugee. An additional 7,000 refugees have been displaced by fighting since fighting resumed July 21, according to the Chin Defense Force (CDF), a local militia group founded after the military ousted Myanmar’s democratically elected government and seized power February 1. The CDF is a network of volunteers that formed in April to protect the people of Chin and has enjoyed relative success facing the military—the second largest in Southeast Asia—with slingshots and the same crude flintlock “Tumee” rifles their forefathers used to fight off British colonizers in the 1880s. The CDF said it had killed some 100 junta troops between March and May. The CDF keeps records of refugees displaced in the conflict, but estimated that in Mindat there are many more than it had the capacity to confirm. “In the villages there are between 30,000 and 50,000 IDPs, but in our IDP camps, we have around 15,000 to 20,000 on record. This is for the first record taken at the end of May, but fighting resumed in early June,” the information officer of the Mindat CDF told RFA. “Many IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons] fled to nearby Htilin and Pakkoku townships and the Yaw region. Some have fled to the inner parts of Mindat township and the Matupi and Palatwa townships in Chin state. We don’t know the exact numbers of all IDPs, but we have been able to gather info on the IDPs in the vicinity of the fighting, numbering around 6,000 to 7,000,” the information officer said. The junta has also prevented the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) from delivering aid that would have helped around 5,000 IDPs , but they were allowed to aid 60 households last month. The rest of the aid package, which included truckloads of food, medicines and necessities like tarps, had to be left at a local monastery. They stockpiled all the aid… at the monastery and won’t allow it to be distributed to nearby areas like the UNHCR wants,” a resident of Mindat told RFA. “The UNHCR cannot take it back, but they don’t want to leave it here because they don’t want the military forces to steal it. So they put it at the monastery with the caretaker,” said he resident, who declined to be named. When asked to comment on having to leave the aid at the monastery, Reuben Wende, information officer of UNHCR office in Yangon, told RFA July 23 that authorities should cooperate with efforts to distribute aid in Chin state, but made no direct mention of the incident. According to the United Nations and aid groups, conflict in Myanmar’s remote border regions has displaced an estimated 230,000 residents since the junta coup. They join more than 500,000 refugees from decades of conflict between the military and ethnic armies who were already counted as IDPs at the end of 2020, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, a Norwegian NGO. Troops loyal to Myanmar’s junta have killed more than 80 ethnic Chins in the country since the military took power during the Feb. 1 coup, including two infants and a 15-year-old rape victim, a Chin watchdog group said last month. The military killed at least 51 ethnic Chin in Chin state, two in Kachin state, 23 in the Sagaing region, one in Mandalay, one in Yangon, and three in Magwe region, according to a statement issued by the Institute of Chin Affairs (ICA) Amid nationwide turmoil, the military has stepped up offensives in remote parts of the country of 54 million that have led to fierce battles with several local militias..."
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Source/publisher: "RFA" (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-08-09
Date of entry/update: 2021-08-10
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Title: Displaced Myanmar Civilians Denied UN Aid
Description: "United Nations aid to displaced people from Mindat, a mountainous town in Chin State which saw fighting between junta troops and civilian resistance fighters, is only reaching areas permitted by Myanmar’s regime. This week UN humanitarian organization the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) delivered humanitarian aid in “emergency response” to Mindat’s growing displaced population. However, the aid had not reached those in need, who fled the town following shootouts into rural Mindat. But villagers told The Irrawaddy this week that the aid had not left Mindat town and they had not received any assistance. https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/ceasefire-broken-in-chin-state-as-myanmar-junta-troops-clash-with-civilian-resistance-fighters.html “The travel authorization granted to UNHCR permitted access to a number of displacement sites within Mindat town,” the UNHCR told The Irrawaddy by email on Friday. UNHCR convoys carrying non-food items and COVID-19 preventative materials went to Mindat on Monday. The agency said that since February it has been closely following developments in Chin State to assist those displaced. The UNHCR said it “calls for the continued collaboration of all concerned to facilitate unimpeded humanitarian access in Chin State and across the country, so that no disruption to humanitarian work occurs”. The agency declined to provide details about how the aid was distributed and how many civilians benefited from the assistance. The agency said on Monday it plans to distribute tarpaulins, mosquito nets, sleeping mats, blankets, kitchen equipment, solar lamps and protective equipment for COVID-19 prevention as humanitarian assistance for up to 5,000 people. Dr. Bu Htang, a member of a displacement camp committee in Tuili village, about 50km from Mindat, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that the internally displaced people (IDP) in his village did not receive the UNHCR’s aid. His village hosts some 1,200 people who fled fighting in Mindat town and are unable to return home. “There is no support. We are sharing whatever donations we have. We heard the UN’s aid only goes to the areas where the military regime’s governing council permits. The aid should be delivered to the IDPs and many of those are in the villages, far from the town,” he said. Despite the hurdles, the UNHCR said the agency is in regular contact with partners “to explore the best way to reach and respond to the needs of those displaced in other areas of Chin State”..."
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2021-07-23
Date of entry/update: 2021-07-23
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Title: Mindat IDPs return home during temporary ceasefire
Sub-title: More than 80 percent of IDPs come back to the Chin State town, but few are expected to stay beyond the two-week ceasefire
Description: "Locals who had fled fighting in Mindat, Chin State returned home after a ceasefire was agreed to between the regime military and the local People’s Defence Force (PDF), according to a committee working with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the township. After one week of negotiations involving local leaders and religious figures, the two forces agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday. The agreement is only valid until July 4. More than 20,000 locals have been displaced from Mindat since mid-May by clashes. More than 80 percent have returned home in recent days, the Mindat Township IDP Management Committee has stated. They had been taking shelter in 80 villages in the region, according to Lawrence, a representative of the committee. “There’s only a little more than 1,000 IDPs left in the villages,” Lawrence told Myanmar Now. The majority of the IDPs returned to check on the condition of their homes, many of which were raided when the junta’s armed forces took over Mindat town. Lawrence noted that this is the season in which Mindat farmers typically cultivate konjac, and the displacement has interrupted their livelihoods and food security. A member of the anti-coup Mindat Township People’s Administration Team said that while the majority of IDPs have returned following the temporary ceasefire, only a few are expected to stay. After three consecutive days of clashes in April, the military asked the local defence group to meet with them for negotiations, but the two sides were not able to come to an agreement. Clashes resumed on the night of May 12. On May 13, the military council imposed martial law in Mindat, and began carrying out raids. They officially seized the town on May 15. The military council’s armed forces attacked villages sheltering IDPs, including firing heavy artillery at an IDP camp despite the display of a white flag. They also blocked routes through which rations and medical supplies could be sent to the displaced persons. According to information provided by Mindat’s IDP management committee, by the third week of June, seven people, including a six-day-old baby, a seven-month-old baby, a 13-year-old child, a pregnant woman, and three other adults had died due to a lack of healthcare during their displacement. A local man who was involved in the negotiations between the regime’s armed forces and the PDF said that the temporary ceasefire was made with these conditions in mind. “The elderly are struggling a lot. So are the sick and disabled,” he told Myanmar Now. “Unidentified thieves were destroying the town and people’s homes. People are losing their homes and livelihoods. The entire town became a ghost town. So religious figures from all backgrounds joined hands to pray and plan to bring the town back to life.” For the period of the ceasefire, both the Mindat PDF and the military agreed to stop carrying out armed searches of people, shooting weapons, pressuring or threatening departmental staff or those involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement, and to allow vehicles carrying aid to IDPs to pass through the town. Military vehicles stationed on the town’s two main roads—Shwe Aung Thar and Htin Chaung—have since retreated, and some trucks have come to the town to provide supplies, locals said..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-06-25
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Six Vulnerable Refugees Die in Jungle After Fleeing Conflict in Myanmar’s Chin State
Sub-title: A pregnant woman, two infants and three elderly refugees died from lack of medical access, sources say.
Description: "At least six civilians displaced by conflict in Chin state—a pregnant woman, two infants, and three elderly people—have died from lack of access to medical care since fighting erupted between Myanmar’s military and the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) militia two months ago, sources said Thursday. The deaths come as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated 230,000 people have been displaced by fighting and violence this year and efforts to assist them is being hampered by armed clashes and insecurity. More than 20,000 people were sheltering at 100 displacement areas in Chin state bordering India, while 177,000 people were displaced in Kayah state bordering Thailand, according to OCHA. A refugee from the war-torn township of Mindat, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal, told RFA’s Myanmar Service that the six had died in the jungle while fleeing a junta offensive in the area. “At least six people have died in the jungle due to lack of medicine,” the source said, adding that he was unsure of their names. “The babies were just a few days old. There are old people [who died]. Some fell from the narrow mountain roads while escaping the fighting. Others died because they could not secure their usual medicine.” Clashes between the military and the CDF have been raging in the remote township of southern Chin state in Myanmar’s northwest since April 26 and have forced more than 30,000 people to flee to safety, according to aid groups. A five-point bilateral agreement was reached between the two sides Wednesday to ban armed surveillance and the targeting of civilians in Mindat, end the disruption of government services, cease the use of intimidation or coercion to force Civil Disobedience Movement participants protesting the military’s Feb. 1 coup d’état into returning to work, and lift a blockade of the Kyauktaw-Mindat-Matupi Road to allow the delivery of relief. A member of the CDF, who also declined to be named, said his group agreed to a ceasefire to alleviate the suffering of those in need of food and medicine, while the military “does not care about the plight of people fleeing the war.” “I don’t think they did it to show compassion to the people,” he said, adding that the military’s decision to enter the agreement likely stemmed from heavy losses it sustained in nearby Chaungzon township. “They suffered many casualties around Chaungzon and sent in around 60 more men as reinforcements. I don't know whether they came in to quell riots in other areas or to pressure us, but I’m sure they didn’t call for a ceasefire because they care about the people.” A CDF spokesman said military troops in the region had been told not to disturb residents or make arrests, adding that he was “monitoring the situation.” Some of the refugees who were hiding in the jungle to avoid the conflict began returning home in the days leading up to the agreement, relief workers told RFA. However, they said, access to food and medicine remains a challenge, and many refugees are suffering from illnesses, including seasonal flu and diarrhea, and supplies are desperately needed. “[The military] questioned people who returned to town and some were arrested,” the worker said, adding that the situation remains tenuous. “It is still unclear at this time what they will do to people after this. There are no guarantees. And there still is a need for food and medicine for the refugees.” When transporting supplies for refugees, he said, trucks are required to submit to inspections at multiple checkpoints throughout the area.....Ordering refugees home: On Feb. 1, Myanmar’s military staged a coup, seizing power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), rejecting its landslide victory in November 2020 general elections as the result of voter fraud. The junta has provided no evidence to back up its claims and citizens from all walks of life have protested the takeover. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), the military has killed at least 880 people, while some 5,104 people have been detained, charged, or sentenced in the five months since the coup. Amid nationwide turmoil, the military has stepped up offensives in remote parts of the country of 54 million that have led to fierce battles with a plethora of People’s Defense Force (PDF) militias formed to protect residents from troops loyal to the junta. Ethnic armies in other parts of the nation have used the instability to encroach on one another’s territory. Sources in eastern Myanmar’s Kayah state told RFA Thursday that the military has been ordering refugees from Demoso township—where fighting between junta troops and a branch of the People’s Defense Force (PDF) militia broke out on May 20—to return home, but that most have relocated to other areas because they fear for their safety. One person living in a makeshift camp outside of the township told RFA that soldiers had come to the area and told refugees to return to Demoso and that they would only be given protection if they agreed to do so. “Some villagers moved elsewhere instead of going back,” he said, adding that the others had no plan to return any time soon. “Even if we want to return, where would we stay? All our houses have been destroyed, totally or in part. [Troops] are still stationed in the villages. They are even stationed in the refugee camp’s medical center and are forcing people in the camps to cook for them.” Other sources said that a brave few have returned to villages near to the suburbs of Demoso, but only temporarily because of the need to cultivate their fields, noting that even the state capital Loikaw remains dangerous.....Few willing to return:At least 100,000 people have been displaced throughout Kayah state since fighting broke out more than a month ago in Demoso. They account for the lion’s share of the more than a quarter million civilians in seven regions of Myanmar that the United Nations estimates have fled clashes between the military and militias or conflict between ethnic armies in the four months since the junta overthrew the country’s democratically elected government. The 226,000 displaced in 2021 join more 500,000 refugees from decades of conflict between the government military and ethnic armies who were already counted as internally displaced persons at the end of 2020, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, a Norwegian NGO. Palan, a social worker based in Demoso, told RFA that only around less than one-third of the 100,000 displaced in Kayah state have gone home, while others refuse because they fear the military or have no dwelling to return to. “I think about 30,000 have returned at present,” he said. “The main problem is that most of them are now homeless. Almost all the residents of Demoso and about 50 percent of those from Loikaw have no homes now. There are still a lot of soldiers in the villages, as well as in Ngwedaung and Demoso [townships]. That’s why it isn’t easy to go back.” Bringing rice to Kayah state from neighboring Thailand to help feed the displaced is also nearly impossible because the military has blocked the supply routes, Palan added..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "RFA" (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-06-24
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-25
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Title: Mindat becomes a ghost town under military rule
Description: "Mindat, a small town in a remote and mountainous region of southern Chin State, is more isolated than ever these days. A full month has passed since martial law was imposed on the town and the surrounding area, and it now lies virtually empty, according to some of its few remaining residents. “There are no open shops, no hawkers—just dogs and pigs on the streets,” said one person who spoke to Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity. “People even left their pets behind when they fled. The pigs broke their fences and now they’re roaming the streets looking for food,” he added. Martial law was imposed on Mindat a day after talks between the military and local resistance forces collapsed on May 12. Since then, more than 90% of the town’s roughly 11,000 inhabitants have fled as the military continues to tighten its grip, according to residents. At least 10,000 people have been displaced, with most seeking shelter in neighbouring villages or in the forest, according to the Mindat People’s Administration Team, which negotiated with the military to end the fighting. A town in terror Mindat’s resistance movement was among the first in the country to take up arms against regime forces cracking down on anti-coup protesters. The Chinland Defence Force (CDF), formed in early April, claimed multiple casualties in its clashes with junta troops, but suspended fighting later in the month as it called for the release of detained protesters. However, it wasn’t until the military suffered even greater losses after fighting resumed a few days later that it agreed to negotiate. This led to 10 days of relative peace that ended abruptly on May 12. The resistance forces initially defied the imposition of martial law, but were forced to retreat when the military sent reinforcements to occupy the town two days later. Anyone who was still in Mindat after troops took control of the town on May 15 has been forced to stay there due to the heavy military presence, according to residents. Soldiers have taken over all major roads and public areas, making most fearful of encounters that could end in arrest or worse, they said. “They interrogate everyone very strictly, so no one dares to go out. They’re suspicious of young people, so it’s even worse for them. They want to know if you’re a local and tell you to show them your ID and phones,” said one man still living in Mindat. Another danger is stray artillery shells, which sometimes hit residential neighbourhoods. The junta has blamed such incidents on local resistance forces, despite the fact that they are not believed to possess any heavy weaponry. On May 26, the regime released a statement claiming that its troops were under orders to act only in self-defence. However, with soldiers taking over houses and public buildings, including churches and other places of worship, few believe that they are in the town simply to keep the peace. Meanwhile, the regime has portrayed the resistance forces variously as “rioters” and “terrorists”, citing ambushes targeting military columns and other guerrilla tactics. Armed only with hunting rifles and improvised weapons, the CDF has been accused by the military of “terrorising” its heavily armed troops. The regime has made no mention, however, of the thousands of civilians who have fled in terror of the troops that have taken over their town. Targeting IDPs While there has been no fighting in the town since it was placed under martial law, the surrounding area continues to see clashes. Since the third week of May, villages housing internally displaced persons (IDPs) have increasingly come under fire, according to relief workers. On May 21, the CDF attacked some soldiers in plain clothes who had entered the village of Pukun, where a number of IDPs had been hiding, amid fears that regime forces were trying to infiltrate camps for the displaced. In another incident that took place on May 30, troops opened fire on an IDP camp in the village of Asakan, despite the fact that a white flag had been raised at the site to indicate that its inhabitants were not engaged in the conflict. “The moment they hear that IDPs are arriving in a village, it becomes a target. It’s pretty obvious. They are clearly intent on cracking down on civilians, even when the CDF hasn’t made the first move,” an IDP camp administrator told Myanmar Now. The IDPs live in a constant state of insecurity, as the military steadily widens its area of control to include more and more villages in the area. “They always have to be ready to run. The moment they hear the word ‘Tatmadaw’, they start getting nervous,” said the secretary of one IDP camp committee, referring to the Myanmar military. In addition to direct attacks, the military has also moved to block shipments of food and other supplies to the IDPs. Since June 7, when clashes broke out along the main road from Kyaukhtu, the town in Magway Region that has been the chief source of supplies, most villages located near the road have come under military control, according to relief workers. “The rations mostly come from Kyaukhtu. Since the military is blocking the road from there, there’s no other way to transport rations. It’s the only route,” said one IDP camp official. Besides food and clothing, many of the IDPs, including children, pregnant women, and the elderly, are in need of medicine support, he added. White flags On May 29, military officials announced that Mindat residents who registered with the authorities would be free to return to their homes or stay in one of eight churches or two monasteries designated as shelters. Few, however, have taken them up on their offer. “Some who can’t stay in the forests have gone back, but the vast majority haven’t. They just don’t trust the military,” said a member of the Mindat People’s Administration Team. Some who were unable to leave in the first place have entered the military-sanctioned shelters, but only because the alternative seemed too dangerous. “We stayed at home before, but we kept hearing all these shots, so we didn’t dare go outside. [Soldiers] would just start shooting if they heard a sound or saw someone, so we moved here because we were told it would be safe,” said a member of one family now living in an official shelter. “We can go around town now, but only if we’re holding a white flag,” he added, noting that, to avoid taking unnecessary risks, he only goes to his home once a week. Other residents also expressed similar concerns about the efficacy of white flags as a form of protection. “Even when we’re just going out to get vegetables, we need to carry a white flag. That’s still no guarantee, but we have to take our chances so we don’t just starve to death,” said one local. To make matters worse, the town’s mains water supply has been cut off since May, making trips to collect water a daily necessity. “There’s no water, so we have to go to the streams to get it. We don’t even have enough water to maintain hygiene,” said another resident. A member of the Mindat People’s Administration Team said it was difficult to know how many people were still living in the town. Among them, however, are elderly people who were too frail to flee before the military arrived. In some cases, it is almost certain that they haven’t survived the challenges of meeting their basic needs on their own in a town under siege. Meanwhile, as fighting spreads to other villages in the area, many are worried that Mindat could once again become a battle zone. But for some, the greater fear is what will happen to the town if the military ultimately prevails in the ongoing struggle. “This is the poorest town in the poorest state. Even if our revolution succeeds, it will be difficult for us to get back on our feet. So I want to urge everyone to please be active before the entire population gets wiped out,” said one defiant resident..."
Source/publisher: A month after coming under martial law, the town in southern Chin State has been all but emptied of its inhabitants
Date of publication: 2021-06-14
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Nearly 30 Junta Troops Killed in Myanmar’s Chin State as Rights Czar Calls For End to Violence
Sub-title: The country’s least developed state is dealing with a refugee crisis as well as a COVID-19 outbreak.
Description: "Nearly 30 junta troops were killed Thursday in Myanmar’s Chin state as fighting between militia groups and the military escalated in the country’s remote regions, prompting the United Nations rights czar to warn of a “human rights catastrophe.” Members of the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) in Chin’s Thantlang township said they attacked a column of soldiers traveling around 25 miles outside of the town center, killing as many as 17 in the ensuing firefight and suffering no casualties. “More than 100 junta soldiers were marching towards the Khuahring Thang mountain range,” said a fighter with the Thantlang CDF, who spoke to RFA’s Myanmar Service on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “We’re a little worried about the situation. There are more troops than ever pressing on us. The fighting is expected to become more intense.” The CDF fighter said his group attacked the column “because the military has been intimidating local residents.” The clash marked the first in Thantlang township and caused around 600 residents of three villages in the area to flee to the mountains, he said. “Most people fled because they were scared about the presence of the soldiers,” he said. “A lot of people in Thantlang had already fled their homes earlier [when troops began to deploy to the area].” A similar clash broke out in an area between the townships of Hakha and Gangaw, the Hakha CDF announced Thursday, saying it had killed 10 junta soldiers. The group did not report any casualties of its own in the fighting. In a statement, the CDF said it will “continue to fight fiercely in all parts of Chin state” to protect the people. RFA was unable to independently verify CDF claims about the number of soldiers killed in Thursday’s clashes and calls to Myanmar’s Deputy Information Minister Zaw Min Tun went unanswered Friday.....‘Human rights catastrophe’: On Friday, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned that any escalation in violence in Myanmar must be halted to prevent even greater loss of life and a deepening humanitarian emergency. “As I had feared, armed conflict and other violence are intensifying in many parts of Myanmar, including Kayah State, Chin State and Kachin State, with the violence particularly intense in areas with significant ethnic and religious minority groups,” Bachelet said in a statement, noting that the military has continued to use heavy weaponry, including airstrikes, against armed groups and against civilians. “In just over four months, Myanmar has gone from being a fragile democracy to a human rights catastrophe,” she said. “In addition to the loss of life, people are suffering from severe impacts on the social and economic rights. The military leadership is singularly responsible for this crisis, and must be held to account.” The junta deposed Myanmar’s democratically elected government on Feb. 1, claiming that the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party had won the country’s November 2020 elections due to widespread voter fraud, despite a lack of evidence. The move prompted widespread protests that the military has responded to with violent crackdowns, killing some 860 people over the past four months. The CDF is a network of volunteers that formed in April to protect the people of Chin and has enjoyed relative success facing the military—the second largest in Southeast Asia—with slingshots and the same crude flintlock “Tumee” rifles their forefathers used to fight off British colonizers in the 1880s. The CDF said it had killed some 100 junta troops between March and May. Fighters of the CDF were engaged in daily battles from May 12 until May 15, when the junta occupied Mindat with 1,000 fully armed troops who used civilians as human shields and sprayed gunfire indiscriminately, the CHRO said recently. The CDF pulled out May 16 to protect civilians from further artillery attacks and fire from helicopter gunships, Chin fighters have said, but fighting resumed on June 3 and both sides have suffered casualties. The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) estimates that some 40,000 civilians have fled their homes throughout Chin state since May.....Outbreak compounds challenges: As more residents flee intensifying fighting in Chin, the region is also facing an outbreak of COVID-19 that medical workers reported had killed 10 people as of Friday. Over the past three weeks, around 320 cases have been reported in the townships of Tunzan and Kyeehar, near Myanmar’s border with India. Myanmar’s least developed state had already been dealing with a shortage of health workers prior to the coronavirus pandemic, but sources told RFA that following the military coup, many of the medical personnel in the state joined the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement, leaving few behind to control the spread of the virus and treat those infected with COVID-19, the disease it causes. “Nobody who is infected wants to go to the hospital because there are no doctors there,” said an official with the COVID-19 Relief Team in Kyeekhar, where medical students are assisting three hospital staffers attend to 195 infected patients. “They are just being treated at home … We have tried to help them. If their condition becomes serious, they call us for help, and we take them by car to the hospital so that they can be given oxygen.” The administrator of Kyeekhar township confirmed to RFA that there are no longer any doctors at the local hospital. “We are treating patients with the help of volunteer doctors and nurses,” he said. On May 28, the local government issued a Stay At Home order in Kyeekhar and Tunzang townships and similar restrictions have since been implemented in the nearby townships of Tedim, Falam, Hakha and Thantlang. According to the junta’s Ministry of Health, a total of 144,876 confirmed infections and 3,237 deaths from COVID-19 have been recorded in Myanmar beginning in March 2020. Earlier this week, the United Nations in Myanmar voiced concern about what it called “the rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian situation” the country’s remote conflict areas. The U.N. stressed the urgent need for food, water, shelter, fuel, and access to healthcare for people fleeing the fighting, saying that the aid it has distributed is insufficient—particularly for those in remote locations, where insecurity, travel restrictions, and poor road conditions are delaying the delivery of supplies. Aid groups estimate that more than a quarter of a million civilians in seven regions of Myanmar have been displaced by clashes between the military and militias or fighting between ethnic armies in the four months since the junta coup. The 226,000 displaced in 2021 join more than 500,000 refugees from decades of military conflict between the government military and ethnic armies who were already counted as internally displaced persons at the end of 2020, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, a Norwegian NGO..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "RFA" (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-06-11
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Local resistance fighter killed as clashes continue in Mindat
Sub-title: The location of the most recent fighting is just a few miles from makeshift camps where displaced locals have been sheltering
Description: "A member of the local resistance force in southern Chin State’s Mindat Township was killed during clashes with the junta’s armed forces on Tuesday. The military fired artillery shells during the fighting, which took place near the villages of Hpayar Sakhan and Shet, 16km from Mindat town, a member of the anti-coup Mindat People’s Administration Team said. “Fighting broke out in two locations. They fired heavy artillery. One of our members was killed in the fighting this morning,” he told Myanmar Now by telephone on Tuesday. “Today we could not hear the sound of their airplanes, but heavy artillery is still being fired as I am speaking to you now,” he added Eighteen-year-old Salai Ling Yaw Um was the resistance member killed during the clash. The source in Mindat added that others were injured, but the exact number of people wounded had not been confirmed. The military council imposed martial law in Mindat in mid-May. Intense fighting has broken out with local anti-coup fighters, forcing residents to flee to the town for safety, and into the nearby jungle, where they set up makeshift camps. The camps are just a few miles from the area where the fighting took place on Tuesday. With the junta’s forces recently stationed near the camps, the displaced locals have been forced to flee again, with only children and the elderly remaining, a representative from the Lu Saw internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp told Myanmar Now. “Everyone had to run to different locations. As the troops approached the camp, IDPs had to run again. Some IDPs left the camp. But we don’t know where they went,” the camp representative said. “Some ran towards the jungle. Only the people who did not know where to run remained in the camp.” At the time of reporting, more than 8,300 IDPs from Mindat had taken refuge in 18 IDP camps. The junta blocked all routes through which food could be transported to the locations where displaced persons were staying. Camp officials have said that food, clean water and medicine are urgently needed. Clashes erupted in Mindat in late April after a crowd gathered to demand the release of several detained protesters and a member of the regime’s forces reportedly shot at a demonstrator. Local resistance fighters have since killed dozens of soldiers in ambushes. They retreated from the town on Saturday after the military sent in helicopters full of reinforcement troops. On May 13, the junta declared martial law in Mindat and intensified its attacks on the town with long range artillery, machine guns, and shoulder-held rocket launchers. Soldiers also arrested local residents and forced them to act as human shields. By contrast, the resistance fighters are armed with traditional Tumi hunting rifles, double-barreled guns, and home-made explosive devices. After three days of clashes between the Myanmar military and local resistance fighters in Mindat, the military took control of the town, also deploying helicopters full of reinforcement troops. Since then, the majority of Mindat residents have fled to the jungles or to the homes of relatives in nearby towns and villages. During fighting from May 13 to June 6, some 21 members of the civilian resistance were killed, according to the Mindat People’s Administration Team..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-06-09
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: New Clashes Between Myanmar’s Military and Ethnic Armies Exacerbates Refugee Crisis
Sub-title: Fighting in recent weeks has displaced some 45,000 civilians in Chin and Kachin states.
Description: "At least 10 military junta troops were killed and around 20 critically wounded in five clashes over the last two days in Myanmar’s Chin state, militia groups said Thursday, while tens of thousands of civilians have fled and are living in dire conditions as fighting has intensified in the region. Four of the engagements took place in Chin’s Hakha township, killing and injuring regime soldiers, a Hakha-based Chin-land Defense Force (CDF) spokesman told RFA’s Myanmar Service. The first occurred when CDF forces entered Lot Klone village on May 18 and were fired on by the junta troops, while the second took place the following morning, when a CDF unit ambushed soldiers on Matupi Road, killing seven, he said. “This morning [Thursday] we heard from sources close to the area that more than 10 troops were killed and more than 20 injured,” the spokesman said. Additionally, the CDF reported, a clash took place at a security checkpoint near Hakha University on May 18 and another near the intersection of Hakha Thar 6 and Hakha-Gangaw Roads the same day. On the evening of May 19, the military set fire to more than 30 motorbikes owned by Hakha CDF members, the group said, although no casualties were suffered. In Chin’s nearby Mindat township, the Mindat People’s Administration (MPA) militia said it engaged with regime troops on May 19 between mile markers 40 and 50 on Mindat-Matupi Road, killing three junta soldiers, including a sergeant. As of Thursday, the military had yet to confirm details of any of the clashes in Chin state, where soldiers are battling volunteer militias wielding mostly home-made weapons more than three months after it overthrew the country’s elected government in a Feb. 1 coup and reinstated junta rule. Za Op Ling, deputy executive director of the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), told RFA that more than 35,000 civilians from Chin state have fled their homes since the attack on Lot Klone village—15,000 of whom have crossed Myanmar’s border into India’s Mizoram state. “Whenever there is a clash, the soldiers later search every house and make arrests,” he said. “Their main target is young people, so all the youths have fled to nearby villages. Some escaped to the Indian border. All this happened mostly in Mindat and at least 8,000 people have fled from the township alone.” Za Op Ling said that local authorities in Mizoram state have asked India’s central government to provide assistance to the refugees from Myanmar. A resident of Mindat confirmed that the township is nearly deserted after the military “opened fire with heavy artillery,” killing several residents. “In this kind of situation, it isn’t possible for people to live in the town. It’s not safe to stay at home at all,” she said. “People just fled to nearby forests or villages. The young people from our village have helped some of the refugees. Now there are only some elderly people left in the town, most of whom are trapped.” Around 3,000 people taking shelter in four villages in Mindat township are currently facing food shortages due to logistical difficulties and with water and power cut off, according to a local aid worker. A member of the Mindat CDF, which is helping the refugees, said the group plans to ask the United Nations refugee agency for help in distributing food and other necessities. A spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General said in a statement on Tuesday that that the UN Office for Human Rights is investigating reports of arbitrary detentions, including the killing of six people in Mindat over the weekend. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said at least 797 civilians, including dozens of children, have been killed by security forces since the latest military coup, while more than a thousand civilians have been injured. The fighting in Mindat over the weekend prompted Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) on Thursday to condemn the military’s blocking of humanitarian and medical aid and access to clean water. “The reports out of Mindat … expose the horrifying reality of ongoing violence against tens of thousands of civilians in Mindat by the Myanmar military,” the group said. “These actions further echo the unconscionable actions and severe breaches of international human rights law perpetrated by the Tatmadaw since the group seized power in a February 1 coup d’etat,” it said, using the Burmese name for the military. “Physicians for Human Rights is appalled by the Myanmar military’s unlawful implementation of martial law in Mindat, who has pushed civilians into Mindat’s surrounding jungles to escape detention, and the reported obstruction in access to clean drinking water.” The group noted that the fighting has left women and children in Mindat vulnerable to tactics of war it said the military regularly employs, including sexual and gender-based violence.....Kachin state refugees: In Kachin state, where junta troops have also been fighting the veteran ethnic Kachin Independence Army (KIA) since clashes broke out between the two sides on April 10, residents told RFA that the military has launched more than 30 airstrikes in the area over the past 40 days. The two sides have engaged in some 90 engagements in Kachin state’s Momauk township alone, prompting more than 10,000 people to flee from 20 villages. More than 3,000 have arrived in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), while the remainder are in hiding in forests near their homes, hoping to remain able to harvest their crops. A woman refugee from Momauk’s Sihak village told RFA her family had lost nearly everything in the fighting. “The three or four houses in front of ours were razed to the ground during the clashes,” she said. “The owners have nowhere to live and have fled.” A resident of Momauk’s Kone Law village said that clashes intensified just as farmers were preparing to harvest peanuts, and many crops were damaged. “We should have been harvesting then, but now, the harvest time has passed, and the ground has become very hard,” he said. “It’s very difficult to pull out the plants. We had to hire more people, but we still can’t get it done because the soil has hardened. There are a lot of people who dare not go to the fields because the soldiers are too close.” Civil society groups are attempting to provide food, shelter and medicine to Momauk, but refugees told RFA that the military is blocking them from doing so and confiscating the goods. Residents also complained that soldiers regularly plant landmines in area fields that kill essential cattle, but then demand compensation from farmers for “destroying their weapons.” A civil society worker who is assisting refugees in Momauk told RFA there are still not enough camps for those who have fled the fighting. “Even monasteries that used to take in refugees are full, so many people lack shelter because there is no place for them to live,” he said. “We are now trying to find ways to set up a new camp in a convenient location with the help of U.N. agencies, but it is difficult because of the rising number of refugees.” While the most intense fighting between the military and KIA has taken place in Momauk, clashes have also occurred in several other townships in Kachin state, including Laiza, Hpakant, Mohnyin, Mogaung, Tanaing, Bhamo, Putao, Mansi and Myitkyina.....Inter-ethnic conflicts: In addition to clashes with the military regime, Myanmar’s myriad ethnic armies have continued to fight amongst themselves in the pursuit of new territory, further exacerbating the country’s refugee crisis. Clashes between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and the combined forces of the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) broke out near Manli village in northern Shan state’s Namtu township in April. More than 2,000 residents of Namtu’s Panlong, Chaungsa and Manli villages, have since fled to the nearby town centers of Hsipaw and Namtu. Additionally, clashes between the SSPP/SSA-N and RCSS on May 19 prompted another 1,000 villagers to flee Hsipaw’s Wan Sein village, bring the total number of IDPs in the area to around 3,000. The SSPP/SSA-N and TNLA have called on the RCSS to withdraw their troops back to their home base in southern Shan state to ease fighting in the northern part of the region. Fighting between the RCSS and the TNLA intensified between 2015 and the end of 2017 in northern Shan state and in April 2018, the TNLA began joint operations with the SSPP/SSA-N in Namtu township. According to the SSPP/SSA-N, talks between the two Shan ethnic armies have yielded little progress..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "RFA" (USA)
Date of publication: 2021-05-20
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Statement by the United Nations in Myanmar on the situation in Mindat, Chin State - ချင်းပြည်နယ်၊ မင်းတပ်မြို့တွင် ဖြစ်ပေါ်နေသော အခြေအနေများနှင့် စပ်လျဉ်း၍ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံဆိုင်ရာ ကုသလမဂ္ဂ၏ ထုတ်ပြန်ချက်
Description: "The United Nations in Myanmar is alarmed by the humanitarian impact of ongoing violence in the town of Mindat in Chin State in western Myanmar, following reports of indiscriminate attacks by the security forces against civilians and resulting population displacement and civilian casualties. Local sources indicated that close to 4,000 people have been internally displaced since the hostilities escalated in the town of Mindat on 12 May, with an unconfirmed number, believed to be in thousands, hiding in nearby forests and mountains in search of safety and protection. A higher number of civilians remain in Mindat as they were reportedly not allowed to leave during the height of the hostilities. There are reports of houses and other civilian property damaged, destroyed or occupied by security forces. An unconfirmed number of men, women, and children have lost their lives or sustained injuries because of the violence. The United Nations is also concerned by reports about the security forces using civilians as human shields and incidents of sexual assault perpetrated against women and girls. People who have already fled and others who remain are in urgent need of food, water, shelter, access to healthcare and gender-based violence and psychological support. The United Nations and humanitarian partners are making efforts to assess and address these needs; however, humanitarian access challenges, including due to insecurity and road blockages, are complicating these efforts. The United Nations calls on security forces to urgently take all necessary measures and precautions to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to adhere to the fundamental principles of distinction, necessity, proportionality and protection. We also call upon security forces to allow civilians who choose to leave areas of danger to do so without obstruction or delay, securing their safety, and to ensure that those who are injured are transferred to a medical facility situated in a safe area. We urge everyone involved to facilitate the delivery of relief by the United Nations and all humanitarian partners to people fleeing the violence, those trapped in their homes and everyone affected, by ensuring safe and unhindered humanitarian access. The United Nations reiterates its strong commitment to continue making all efforts to provide humanitarian assistance and protection services to people in need wherever they may be, guided by the internationally recognized principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.....မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ အနောက်ဘက်ရှိ ချင်းပြည်နယ် မင်းတပ်မြို့တွင် လုံခြုံရေး တပ်ဖွဲ့များက အရပ်သားများအပေါ် ခွဲခြားမှုမရှိဘဲ တိုက်ခိုက်မှုကြောင့် နေရပ်စွန့်ခွာထွက်ပြေးခြင်းများနှင့် အရပ်သားများထိခိုက်သေဆုံးမှုများ ရှိကြောင်းသိရှိရပါသည်။ ယင်းကဲ့သို့ ဆက်တိုက်ဖြစ်ပေါ်လျက်ရှိသော အကြမ်းဖက်မှုများ၏ အကျိုးဆက်များ အပေါ် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံဆိုင်ရာ ကုလသမဂ္ဂက စိုးရိမ်လျက်ရှိပါသည်။ မေလ ၁၂ ရက်နေ့မှစ၍ မင်းတပ်မြို့တွင် ပစ်ခတ်မှုများအရှိန်မြင့်တက်လာရာမှ လူပေါင်း ၄,၀၀၀ ခန့် နေရပ်စွန့်ခွာခဲ့ရသည်ဟု ဒေသခံများက သတင်းပေးပို့ခဲ့ပါသည်။ နေရပ်စွန့်ခွာသူ အရေအတွက်ကို အတည်မပြုနိုင်သေးသော်လည်း ထောင်နှင့်ချီမည်ဟု ခန့်မှန်းထားပါသည်။ ၎င်းတို့သည် အနီးအနားရှိ တောတောင်များထဲတွင် ဘေးရန်ကင်းပြီး အကာအကွယ်ရယူနိုင်ရန် ပုန်းခိုနေရလျက်ရှိပါသည်။ မင်းတပ်မြို့တွင်မူ အရပ်သားအများအပြားကျန်ရှိနေပြီး ပစ်ခတ်မှုများ ဖြစ်ပေါ်စဉ်အတွင်း ထွက်ပြေးခွင့်မရှိခဲ့ကြကြောင်း သိရှိရပါသည်။ လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့များကြောင့် အရပ်သားများ၏ အိုးအိမ်စည်းစိမ်များ ပျက်စီးခြင်း၊ အဖျက်အဆီးခံရခြင်းနှင့် သိမ်းယူခံရခြင်းများရှိကြောင်း သတင်းပေးပို့ချက်များလည်း ရှိပါသည်။ အကြမ်းဖက်မှုများကြောင့် အပြင်းအထန် ဒဏ်ရာရ၊ အသက်ဆုံးရှုံးသွားသည့် အမျိုးသား၊ အမျိုးသမီးနှင့် ကလေးသူငယ်များရှိပြီး အရေအတွက်ကိုမူ အတည်မပြုနိုင်သေးပါ။ အရပ်သားများကို ပစ်ခတ်မှုများတွင် လူသားဒိုင်းသဖွယ် အကာအကွယ်ယူခြင်းနှင့် အမျိုးသမီးများနှင့် မိန်းကလေးများအပေါ် လိင်ပိုင်းဆိုင်ရာ ကျူးလွန်ခြင်းများရှိနေသည်ဆိုသည့် သတင်းများအပေါ်လည်း ကုလသမဂ္ဂက စိုးရိမ်လျက်ရှိပါသည်။ ထွက်ပြေးသွားရသူများနှင့် ကျန်ခဲ့သူများပါ စားနပ်ရိက္ခာ၊ ရေ၊ ခိုလှုံရာနေရာနှင့် ကျန်းမာရေး စောင့်ရှောက်မှုများ အရေးတကြီး လိုအပ်လျက်ရှိပြီး လိင်အခြေပြု အကြမ်းဖက်မှုဆိုင်ရာနှင့် လူမှုစိတ္တပိုင်းဆိုင်ရာ အကူအညီများလည်း လိုအပ်နေပါသည်။ ကုလသမဂ္ဂနှင့် လူသားချင်းစာနာမှုဆိုင်ရာ မိတ်ဖက်အဖွဲ့အစည်းများသည် လိုအပ်ချက်များ လေ့လာဆန်းစစ်ပြီး ဖြည့်ဆည်းပေးနိုင်ရန် ကြိုးပမ်းအားထုတ်လျက်ရှိပါသည်။ သို့ရာတွင် လုံခြုံရေးအခြေအနေနှင့် လမ်းပိတ်ဆို့မှုများအပါအဝင် လူသားချင်းစာနာမှုဆိုင်ရာ အကူအညီပေးနိုင်ရေး သွားလာခွင့် အခက်အခဲများကြောင့် နှောင့်နှေးကြန့်ကြာမှုများဖြစ်နေပါသည်။ လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့များအနေဖြင့် အရပ်သားများနှင့် အများပြည်သူပိုင်အဆောက်အဦများကို မထိခိုက်စေရန် လိုအပ်သလို ထိန်းထိန်းသိမ်းသိမ်း ဆောင်ရွက်ရန်နှင့် တိုက်ခိုက်သူနှင့်အရပ်သားများအကြား ပစ်မှတ်ခွဲခြားခြင်း၊ လိုအပ်မှသာလျှင် ပစ်ခတ်ခြင်း၊ အင်အားအလွန်အကျွံအသုံးမပြုခြင်းနှင့် အရပ်သားများကို ကာကွယ်စောင့်ရှောက်ခြင်း အစရှိသည့် အခြေခံ မူဝါဒများကို လိုက်နာရန် ကုလသမဂ္ဂက တောင်းဆိုလိုက်ပါသည်။ ထို့အပြင် အန္တရာယ်ရှိသည့် နေရာများမှ ထွက်ခွာချင်သည့် အရပ်သားများကို တားဆီးခြင်း သို့မဟုတ် ကြန့်ကြာစေခြင်းများမဖြစ်စေဘဲ ခွင့်ပြုပေးရန်၊ ၎င်းတို့၏ ဘေးကင်းမှုအတွက် လုံခြုံရေးယူပေးရန်၊ ဒဏ်ရာရရှိသူများကို ဘေးကင်းလုံခြုံသည့် ကျန်းမာရေး စောင့်ရှောက်ရာ နေရာများဆီသို့ လွှဲပြောင်း ပို့ဆောင်ပေးရန် ထပ်မံတောင်းဆိုလိုက်ပါသည်။ အကြမ်းဖက်မှုများမှ ထွက်ပြေးရသူများ၊ မိမိတို့၏ နေအိမ်များထဲတွင် ပိတ်မိနေသူများနှင့် ထိခိုက်သူအားလုံးကို ကုလသမဂ္ဂနှင့် လူသားချင်းစာနာမှုဆိုင်ရာလုပ်ငန်းများ လုပ်ကိုင်သည့် လုပ်ဖော်ကိုင်ဖက်များက ကယ်ဆယ်ရေး လုပ်ငန်းများ လုပ်ဆောင်ပေးရာတွင် ပါဝင်ပတ်သက်သူအားလုံးအနေဖြင့် အကူအညီပေးရန်နှင့် ဘေးကင်းပြီး နှောင့်နှေးကြန့်ကြာမှုမရှိသည့် လူသားချင်းစာနာမှုဆိုင်ရာ အကူအညီပေးနိုင်ရေး သွားလာခွင့်များ ပေးပါရန် မိမိတို့က တိုက်တွန်းလိုက်ပါသည်။ ကုလသမဂ္ဂသည် လူသားချင်းစာနာခြင်း၊ ခွဲခြားမှုမရှိခြင်း၊ ကြားနေခြင်း နှင့် လွတ်လပ်ခြင်း အစရှိသည့် နိုင်ငံတကာ အသိအမှတ်ပြု မူဝါဒများနှင့်အညီ မည့်သည့်နေရာတွင်မဆို အကူအညီလိုအပ်နေသူများကို ကာကွယ်စောင့်ရှောက်ပေးသည့်ဝန်ဆောင်မှုများနှင့် လူသားချင်းစာနာမှုဆိုင်ရာ အကူအညီပေးရေး ကြိုးပမ်းအားထုတ်မှုများကို ဆက်လက်လုပ်ဆောင်သွားမည်ဖြစ်ကြောင်း ခိုင်မာသော သန္နိဌာန်အား ထပ်လောင်း အတည်ပြုလိုက်ပါသည်။..."
Source/publisher: United Nations (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-05-21
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-23
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Title: Myanmar displaced shelter in camps, France calls for aid
Description: "Children and the elderly make up a large proportion of the people taking refuge in camps in northwest Myanmar to escape fighting between the army and insurgents, residents said on Thursday, as France called for an urgent delivery of humanitarian aid. In the past week, Chin State bordering India has seen some of the most serious fighting since Myanmar's military seized power in a coup on Feb. 1 and removed the elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. India said this week that more than 15,000 people had crossed the border to seek refuge, but residents in Chin State said many of the most vulnerable were sheltering in camps around the town of Mindat after it was overrun by the army. "Children and the elderly make up a big proportion of the groups. Some didn't have sandals. They trekked through the forest barefoot for days," said a 34-year-old resident helping look after the displaced but asked not to be identified. He said that villages around Mindat were caring for about 2,000 displaced people in camps and churches, while access to the town once home to more than 40,000 people had been blocked. "We will face food shortage after a week," said the resident, adding that petrol supplies were about to run out. At least 10 people have been killed in Chin State in the past week, according to figures from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group. It puts the countrywide death toll since the coup at 807, a figure disputed by the army. Pleading for international aid, another Mindat resident said the camp he was at had 13 bags of rice and would see shortages soon, with the 140 people there now expected to swell to 300. Those fleeing say thousands of people left Mindat after the army attacked to root out fighters of the newly formed Chinland Defence Force, who are aligned with a National Unity Government (NUG) formed by the junta's opponents.....'IMMEDIATE NECESSITY': The French Embassy in Myanmar blamed a "disproportionate use of force and war weapons against civilians by the military" for causing a loss of human life and the displacement of thousands in Chin State. "The restoration of access to water and electricity as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid for population in need are an immediate necessity," the embassy said in a statement on its Facebook page. Fighting in the area is continuing, and a citizens' administrative group said in a post on social media that Chin militia had killed three soldiers on a road out of Mindat on Wednesday. The United Nations said nearly 10,000 people had been displaced in Kachin State in the north by renewed fighting since mid-March. Thousands have also been displaced by clashes in the east and northeast. A spokesman for the military council did not answer calls for comment. The junta has struggled to impose its authority in the face of daily protests, paralysing strikes and an upsurge of fighting against old and new groups of ethnic minority fighters. Attacks on junta-appointed local administrators have increased in recent weeks, with state media on Thursday reporting "terrorists" and "insurgents" had killed or wounded officials with knives, guns and home-made bombs. It also reported arson attacks on state-owned property in several cities. Witnesses and local media reported explosions on Thursday in Mandalay and the biggest city, Yangon. Anti-coup marches took place in different parts of the country by day, with candle-lit strikes and protests by night on Thursday, all calling for the overthrow of the military, many with signs backing the unity government. The NUG on Thursday announced the formation of a commission to draft a new federal constitution, hoping to follow through with a pledge by Suu Kyi's party to replace the current military-drafted charter. Myanmar's constitution had long been a source of friction between the army and Suu Kyi's government, which was intent on amending it to reduce the military's political powers, which included parliamentary seats and control of defence and interior ministries. The junta has been hit by Western sanctions and widely condemned over the coup and its violent suppression of protests, but has found a diplomatic friend in Russia, a key source of its defence hardware. News outlets in both countries on Thursday reported a Myanmar military delegation was visiting Moscow to attend an exhibition showcasing Russian helicopters..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2021-05-20
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: PHR Condemns the Mass Atrocities and Escalating Violence against Civilians in Mindat, Chin State, Myanmar, Calls for International Response
Description: "On Saturday, May 15, 2021, the Myanmar military – known as the Tatmadaw – launched a coordinated attack against the town of Mindat in Myanmar’s western Chin State. This latest crackdown was precipitated by several weeks of sustained fighting between the Tatmadaw and civilian defense forces in Mindat, formed in March in response to increasing military violence against civilians participating in the peaceful nationwide anti-coup resistance. Following an imposition of martial law on the grounds of insurgency, the siege of Mindat has been characterized by indiscriminate deployment of heavy weaponry by land and air, widespread use of forced labor and human shields, and active obstruction of delivery of basic humanitarian necessities for civilians, including food, water, and access to medical care and supplies. In response to escalating violence against civilians in Mindat, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) issued the following statement: “The reports out of Mindat, including the Tatmadaw’s blocking of humanitarian and medical aid and access to clean water, expose the horrifying reality of ongoing violence against tens of thousands of civilians in Mindat by the Myanmar military. These actions further echo the unconscionable actions and severe breaches of international human rights law perpetrated by the Tatmadaw since the group seized power in a February 1 coup d’état. Physicians for Human Rights is appalled by the Myanmar military’s unlawful implementation of martial law in Mindat, who has pushed civilians into Mindat’s surrounding jungles to escape detention, and the reported obstruction in access to clean drinking water. “Through an unlawful and violent campaign to seize power, directly violating security forces’ responsibility and duty to protect, the Tatmadaw continues to violate the basic human rights of Myanmar’s people. Mindat civilians, mostly men, who have reportedly been forced into the forested areas around Mindat, have little to no access to shelter, water, food, or medical care. Their forced absence has left women and children in Mindat vulnerable to the brutal tactics of war deployed against the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities by the Myanmar military, including sexual and gender-based violence, which PHR has long documented and corroborated. “This new wave of violence in western Chin State has further contributed to the displacement of tens of thousands of people, both internally and across the Indian border. The escalating crisis critically compounds already strained access to humanitarian and medical aid experienced by internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Myanmar. Medical personnel are reportedly unable to reach IDPs in Mindat without coming under artillery fire by the Tatmadaw, and are prevented from tending to patients in critical condition due to a lack of safe medical facilities available for emergency surgeries. PHR condemns the Myanmar military’s obstruction of critical medical and humanitarian aid, and the impediment of medical personnel’s duty to administer care to civilians desperately in need. “Physicians for Human Rights demands that the Tatmadaw immediately cease attacks against the Mindat community, reestablish access to clean water and medical supplies, and end the obstruction of medical and humanitarian aid, which is in grave violation of international human rights law. As well, PHR calls on international and regional actors, including the United Nations Security Council and the Association for Southeast Asian Nations, to urgently negotiate an agreement to establish a safe and secure demilitarized humanitarian corridor into Mindat and other similarly afflicted territories across Myanmar. PHR emphasizes the acute need for humanitarian and medical personnel to fully access affected civilians without encumbrance, as is necessary to provide health care to the sick and wounded, to deliver humanitarian aid more broadly, and to ensure the safety and security of surrounding communities. “The latest human rights violations demonstrate that ongoing sanctions and justice and accountability efforts are not sufficiently serving as deterrents. International actors that have been leading the effort to advance targeted sanctions against perpetrators of these abuses – such as the United States and European Union – should build a broad, international coalition comprised of governments and businesses in support of a sanctions regime that will prevent the Tatmadaw and other security forces from accessing resources to continue perpetrating abuses against the Myanmar people.” Dr. Maung,* a volunteer surgeon based in Mandalay and a PHR medical partner, said that he had spoken with medical colleagues on the ground in Mindat who have reported on the dire need for immediate medical aid. “Several patients are in need of emergency surgery. Without it, they won’t survive for long. Surgeons are traveling from Mandalay to try and assist the wounded, but first they must be able to transfer the patients to a safe zone, as there is little they can do in the jungle,” he said. In a statement responding to the Myanmar military’s coup, PHR condemned mass arbitrary arrests and detention of civilian leaders and human rights defenders in Myanmar, and called for an immediate de-escalation of the situation, the prompt release of political prisoners, and the restoration of communications networks. Following escalating violence directly after the coup, PHR additionally condemned attacks against protestors and the reported detention of medical professionals. PHR reprises its call to the international community to hold the Myanmar military and other responsible actors accountable for its August 2017 campaign of widespread and systematic violence against the Rohingya ethnic minority in “clearance operations” that forced more than 720,000 Rohingya into neighboring Bangladesh. The Tatmadaw has an egregious history of human rights violations against civilians, including perpetrating forced labor, sexual violence, torture, extrajudicial killings, child labor, and other abuses in Myanmar’s ethnic territories, including Chin State, which PHR documented in 2011. International efforts to quell the violence are critically important as the perpetrators of these grave violations increase their political power and continue to operate with impunity within Myanmar. *Dr. Maung asked that we use only his surname for security reasons..."
Source/publisher: Physicians for Human Rights (New York)
Date of publication: 2021-05-20
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: WFP reaches displaced people in Paletwa Township, Chin State
Description: "...THE United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has successfully obtained access and delivered food to people affected by ongoing armed conflict in Samee Town of Paletwa Township in Chin State, according to the regional office of the WFP..."
Source/publisher: The Global New Light of Myanmar, 2020
Date of publication: 2020-04-05
Date of entry/update: 2020-04-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
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