Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
March 2020 - Myanmar News
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- Myanmar Journalist Arrested For Interview With Blacklisted Arakan Army Radio Free Asia 31 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar authorities have arrested a Mandalay-based journalist on "terrorism" charges after his media organization published an interview with the spokesman of the Arakan Army following the government's blacklisting of the Rakhine ethnic force as an unlawful association and terrorist group, a judge and the wife of the accused man said Tuesday.
- Concern at Low COVID-19 Awareness in Myanmar's Rakhine Under Internet Blackout Radio Free Asia 31 Mar 2020 -- Residents of Myanmar's war-torn Rakhine state are conducting business as usual and holding gatherings in public, deprived by an internet blackout of information about how to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, residents and local lawmakers said Tuesday.
- Myanmar's IDP Camps Put 350,000 in Path of Coronavirus: Rights Group Radio Free Asia 30 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar's camps housing hundreds of thousands of civilians internally displaced by armed conflict in the country's ethnic regions are looming hot spots for the spread of the coronavirus, an international rights organization said Monday.
- Myanmar Villagers Tell of 150 Homes Burned in Deadly Army Air Attacks Radio Free Asia 30 Mar 2020 -- Artillery fire and aerial bombardments by Myanmar forces killed three civilians and burned scores of houses in their communities in mid-March amid fighting between Myanmar forces and the rebel Arakan Army in war-ravaged Rakhine state, villagers recounted Monday at a press conference.
- Rampant Fake News is a Key Front in Myanmar's Coronavirus Battle Radio Free Asia 27 Mar 2020 -- In the era of the coronavirus in Myanmar, online recordings claiming to be the voices of government officials warn listeners that residents in the commercial hub Yangon have been infected by the coronavirus.
- COVID-19: UN, Rights Watchdog Want Internet Restored at Rohingya Camps Radio Free Asia 27 Mar 2020 -- The United Nations on Friday urged Bangladesh to remove an internet blackout at Rohingya camps during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Human Rights Watch said the government was risking the lives of refugees by not lifting restrictions on their communications.
- Myanmar Army, State Telecom Firms Drop Rakhine News Websites Radio Free Asia 27 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar Army-backed and state-owned mobile network operators have blocked two news websites amid the internet shutdown in Myanmar's war-stricken northern Rakhine state, employees at both news outlets told RFA on Friday.
- China expands help to Myanmar with 2.45 tons of medical supplies Global Times 27 Mar 2020 -- The Chinese government on Thursday sent 2.45 tons of medical supplies including 5,000 protective outfits, 5,000 N95 medical masks, and 200,000 protective face masks to Myanmar to help the country fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Myanmar Says 'Terrorist' Arakan Army Is Losing Chance to Join Peace Process Radio Free Asia 26 Mar 2020 -- The rebel Arakan Army fighting the national army in western Myanmar's Rakhine state has "very little chance" to join the country's struggling peace process now that the government has designated the 11-year-old force an unlawful, terrorist organization, a military spokesman said Thursday.
- Myanmar Army Seizes Drugs, Detains Leaders in Raid on KIA Offshoot Group Radio Free Asia 26 Mar 2020 -- The Myanmar Army raided the headquarters of an offshoot of the rebel Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in northern Shan state on Thursday, seizing illegal drugs, interrogating leaders, and confiscating about 1,000 weapons, an officer in the militia told RFA's Myanmar Service.
- Fresh Fighting Adds 1,000 to Displaced Population in Myanmar's Rakhine Radio Free Asia 25 Mar 2020 -- More than 1,000 civilians in Minbya township have been displaced by fighting between Myanmar forces and the rebel Arakan Army in the latest flare-up in a conflict that has raged in Rakhine state for more than a year and uprooted 140,000 people, local villagers said Wednesday.
- Fighting Rages as Myanmar's Rakhine Braces For Fallout From Terrorist Designation Radio Free Asia 24 Mar 2020 -- Fierce fighting between Myanmar forces and the rebel Arakan Army killed a child and wounded 15 villagers in Rakhine state, hours after the government formally branded the AA a terrorist group, a move a local lawmaker said could lead to "endless fighting in the future."
- Joint patrol starts on Mekong River PLA Daily 24 Mar 2020 -- The 91st Mekong River joint patrol led by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand began Tuesday, as three Chinese vessels left the Guanlei Port in southwest China's Yunnan Province.
- Joint patrol starts on Mekong River PLA Daily 24 Mar 2020 -- The 91st Mekong River joint patrol led by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand began Tuesday, as three Chinese vessels left the Guanlei Port in southwest China's Yunnan Province.
- Myanmar Confirms First Two Coronavirus Infections as Migrant Workers Pose New Challenge Radio Free Asia 23 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar on Monday announced its first two confirmed cases of the disease caused by novel coronavirus (COVID-19) after weeks of officials downplaying the risk to the country and as neighboring nations saw their infection counts skyrocket and braced for returning migrant workers.
- Myanmar's Kachin Take Higher Education Into Their Own Hands Amid Conflict Radio Free Asia 23 Mar 2020 -- High school graduates in northern Myanmar's Kachin state saw their prospects for higher education and good jobs disappear when armed conflict between government forces and a rebel ethnic army resumed about nine years ago.
- Myanmar Declares The Arakan Army an 'Unlawful Organization' Radio Free Asia 23 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar on Monday designated the Arakan Army, an ethnic force engaged in a yearlong armed fight against the government, and affiliates as unlawful organizations and terrorist groups, state television reported.
- Arakan Army Attacks Military Training School in Myanmar's Minbya Township Radio Free Asia 23 Mar 2020 -- The Arakan Army on Monday attacked a regional military training school in western Myanmar's Rakhine state, sparking fighting in nearby areas that left casualties on both sides, spokesmen from the two armies and a local lawmaker said.
- Panic Grips Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh over Coronavirus Concerns Radio Free Asia 20 Mar 2020 -- Panic hit Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh on Thursday after an international charity's report highlighted that the government had no resources to test for the deadly coronavirus, rights groups and officials said.
- Lack of COVID-19 Info Under Myanmar's Internet Ban Could Doom Rakhine Refugees: NGO Radio Free Asia 19 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar's government must lift its ban on internet service in war-ravaged Rakhine state to permit tens of thousands of displaced civilians to access information about the coronavirus, a civil society group demanded this week, warning of mass deaths if crowded refugee camps became infected.
- Myanmar's Ruling NLD Votes Down Bill on Ethnic Chief Ministers Radio Free Asia 17 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar's ruling party lawmakers on Tuesday rejected an opposition party-sponsored bill to amend the constitution to allow chief ministers in ethnic minority regions to be elected, rather than appointed by the country's president, legislators said.
- Ethnic Kachin Parties Join Hands to Face Myanmar's Ruling NLD in 2020 Polls Radio Free Asia 17 Mar 2020 -- Local political parties in northern Myanmar's Kachin state have been working together to strengthen the prospects of their candidates beating those from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party in general elections later this year, politicians and activists said Tuesday.
- Myanmar Rakhine Flare-up Kills 21 Civilians, Displaces 1,000 in Chin State Radio Free Asia 16 Mar 2020 -- Intense clashes and airstrikes by government forces in western Myanmar's Chin state over the weekend killed 21 civilians, injured more than two dozen others, and prompted more than 1,000 villagers to flee their homes, local lawmakers said Monday.
- Myanmar Steps up Efforts to Calm Fears Over Coronavirus Amid Rumors, Panic Buying Radio Free Asia 13 Mar 2020 -- The Myanmar government on Friday reassured citizens that food supplies were adequate and urged people not to panic over the coronavirus pandemic, amid rumors about the spread of highly contagious virus in the country, which has yet to see any confirmed cases.
- Myanmar Military Suing Lawmaker, Reuters Under Telecommunications Law VOA 13 Mar 2020 -- Lawmakers around Southeast Asia are coming to the defense of one of their counterparts in Myanmar, who faces legal action after he told the Reuters news agency that military shelling had left two Rohingya Muslim women dead.
- Myanmar Ruling Party Constitutional Amendments Again Thwarted Radio Free Asia 12 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar lawmakers on Thursday failed to pass constitutional amendments proposed by Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy party to reduce the power of the country's military chief during states of emergency.
- Lives of Rohingya 'Better' in Bangladesh Camps than Myanmar, UN Official Says Radio Free Asia 11 Mar 2020 -- The largest refugee settlement in the world is a "vibrant" place where the lives of Rohingya Muslims are "in some ways better" than they were in Myanmar, the World Food Program's representative in Bangladesh told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, in a recent interview.
- Aung San Suu Kyi Speech, Legislative Setback Underscore Dominance of Myanmar Military Radio Free Asia 11 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi raised eyebrows Wednesday when she visited the scene of a 2003 state-backed massacre of her followers in the central Sagaing region without mentioning the incident or the role of the military junta that ran the country at the time.
- Myanmar's Arakan Army Captures 30 Government Troops, Battalion Commander Radio Free Asia 11 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar's rebel Arakan Army captured 30 government soldiers, including a battalion commander, near the Paletwa township in western Myanmar's Chin state during heavy fighting this week, the ethnic armed group said in an announcement on Tuesday.
- Democracy is sliding away in Myanmar, warns top rights investigator UN News 11 Mar 2020 -- Daily fighting in Myanmar, widespread internet blackouts and reporting restrictions, indicate that the shift to more democratic rule is "sliding away", a senior UN-appointed independent rights investigator said on Wednesday.
- Two Civilians Killed as Myanmar Army Hits Chin State Village With Air Strikes Radio Free Asia 10 Mar 2020 -- Heavy artillery fired during airstrikes killed two civilians and injured four others in a village in western Myanmar's Chin state on Monday, where government forces are fighting the rebel Arakan Army, a resident and a military spokesman said.
- UN Investigator Wants Myanmar Brought Before International Criminal Court VOA 10 Mar 2020 -- A U.N. investigator is calling for Myanmar to be referred to the International Criminal Court and tried for alleged international crimes, including the persecution of ethnic minorities that have forced millions to flee, fearing for their lives. The investigator has submitted a report on Myanmar to the U.N. Human Rights Council.
- Myanmar Army Brings Defamation Case Against Lawmaker, Reuters Over Report of Killings Radio Free Asia 09 Mar 2020 -- The Myanmar military has filed a criminal defamation lawsuit against an upper house parliamentarian and Reuters news agency over the coverage of a shooting in Buthidaung township in western Myanmar's war-ravaged Rakhine state, according to police.
- Myanmar Court Jails 15 Rohingya For Two Years For Trying to Flee Country Radio Free Asia 06 Mar 2020 -- A court in central Myanmar's Magway region on Friday sentenced 15 Rohingya Muslims to a maximum of two years in prison each for attempting to leave the country illegally, an immigration official said.
- No Positive Cases as Myanmar Tests For Coronavirus Amid Health System Concerns Radio Free Asia 03 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar heath officials have tested at least 45 people for possible coronavirus infections since January, with none testing positive, according to health officials, amid growing concern that the Southeast Asian nation's inadequate health care system will not be able to effectively deal with an outbreak.
- Myanmar's Wa Region to Take Part in 2020 Elections: UWSA Radio Free Asia 03 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar's largest ethnic armed group, the United Wa State Army, will hold voting in four townships of its self-administered region for the first time when general elections are held later this year, a spokesman for the UWSA said Tuesday.
- United States Announces New Humanitarian Assistance for Displaced Rohingya and Members of Other Affected Communities in Bangladesh and Burma US Dept. of State 05 Mar 2020 -- "On March 3, the United States announced more than $59 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh and internally displaced Rohingya and members of other affected communities in Burma. This funding will help address the emergency needs of more than 900,000 refugees in Bangladesh, many of whom are Rohingya women and children from Rakhine State, Burma, as well as the needs of Bangladeshi host communities."
- UN Seeks Over $800M to Support Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh Radio Free Asia 04 Mar 2020 -- The United Nations launched a worldwide appeal Tuesday to raise more than U.S. $800 million this year to support around 855,000 Rohingya refugees and 444,000 Bangladeshis who live in host communities in southeastern Bangladesh.
- Flare-up in Fighting in Myanmar's Rakhine State Takes Heavy Toll on Civilians Radio Free Asia 04 Mar 2020 -- Fighting in war-torn Rakhine state on Thursday drove residents and students from villages in Mrauk-U township as Myanmar soldiers looted and destroyed property, said affected residents as rights groups warned of deteriorating conditions for civilians.
- Myanmar doing too little to ensure displaced Rohingya return: UN refugee agency chief UN News 03 Mar 2020 -- UN agencies together with the Bangladesh authorities have appealed for $877 million to support hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, where conditions are still not conducive for their safe return, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said on Tuesday.
- Rohingya Refugee Crisis Has Bangladesh, UN Calling for Help VOA 03 Mar 2020 -- The U.N. refugee and migration agencies are jointly appealing for $877 million to aid 855,000 Rohingya refugees, most of whom fled violence and persecution from Myanmar three years ago, and more than 444,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis hosting them.
- Fierce Weekend Fighting Kills 11 Villagers in Myanmar's Rakhine State Radio Free Asia 02 Mar 2020 -- The bodies of two ethnic Rakhines and one Rohingya Muslim civilian were discovered Monday in Mrauk-U township in western Myanmar's war-ravaged Rakhine state, a local relief group said, following two days of clashes between Myanmar forces and the rebel Arakan Army that left 11 villagers dead.
- Myanmar army kills five Rohingya Muslims, including a child, in Rakhine Press TV 01 Mar 2020 -- At least five Rohingya Muslims, including a child, have been killed and several others injured during clashes in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine, where state-sponsored violence has prevailed in recent years.
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