Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
April 2020 - Myanmar News
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- Myanmar Press Freedom Decline Dashes High Hopes For 'Lady of Yangon' Radio Free Asia 30 Apr 2020 -- Press freedom in Myanmar has sharply deteriorated over the past four years, disappointing high hopes for Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian-led government, which pledged greater liberty for journalists but performed worse than the previous military-led administration, media watchdogs and journalists in the country say.
- Rakhine Man Reported Tortured to Death by Myanmar Army Radio Free Asia 30 Apr 2020 -- A man was tortured to death by Myanmar soldiers after he was arrested at a security checkpoint as he traveled from a village in volatile Rakhine state to have his motorbike repaired, members of his family said Thursday.
- UN envoy says Myanmar army still committing 'crimes against humanity' Press TV 30 Apr 2020 -- The UN's special rapporteur on Myanmar's human rights situation has accused the country's military of targeting "civilian population" in two states to an extent that could amount to "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity".
- U.N. Envoy Calls for War Crimes Investigation in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 29 Apr 2020 -- The U.N.'s outgoing envoy monitoring human rights in Myanmar Wednesday called for an investigation into claims of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the government army as it carries on a brutal war against ethnic rebels in Rakhine and Chin States.
- UN Official Requests New Probes into Claims of War Crimes in Myanmar VOA 29 Apr 2020 -- A departing United Nations official has requested new investigations into claims of continuing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Myanmar, while calling on the global community to help avoid other atrocities.
- Myanmar Front-line Medical Workers Face Discrimination Amid COVID-19 Fight Radio Free Asia 28 Apr 2020 -- Front line medical workers in Myanmar's fight against the coronavirus pandemic are being shunned by neighbors and landlords who fear infection from them, they told RFA Tuesday as experts warned that discrimination would reduce the number of people willing to help with the crisis.
- Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh Face 'Severe' Food Shortages, HRW Warns Radio Free Asia 28 Apr 2020 -- A coronavirus shutdown imposed on refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh has placed more than 1 million Rohingya sheltering there at severe risk of food and water shortages and disease outbreaks, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.
- Cambodia, Myanmar Workers Face Adversity as Outbreak Devastates Industry Radio Free Asia 27 Apr 2020 -- Workers in Cambodia and Myanmar are facing severe hardships as the spread of the coronavirus decimates their country's economies and causes widespread factory closures, prompting them to take to the streets to demand assistance from their governments.
- In Malaysia, A Haven for Refugees, Anger Grows against Rohingya Radio Free Asia 27 Apr 2020 -- A senior Malaysian official called for calm Monday amid growing "public anger" toward Rohingya people in the country, whose government has been criticized for turning away refugees due to COVID-19 contagion fears.
- UN rights chief warns of 'human tragedy of terrible proportions' in Bangladesh Press TV 27 Apr 2020 -- The United Nations' top human rights official has called on the Bangladeshi authorities to allow the disembarking of two stranded boatloads of starving Rohingya Muslim refugees who have fled Myanmar by boats.
- HRW Urges Bangladesh to Take In Rohingyas Stranded at Sea VOA 25 Apr 2020 -- Human Rights Watch has urged Bangladesh to "immediately allow" two boats with Rohingya refugees "to come ashore and receive necessary food, water and health care."
- Contradicting Myanmar Army Denials, Rakhine Pays to Rebuild 528 Houses Burned in Attacks Radio Free Asia 24 Apr 2020 -- The government in Myanmar's war-torn Rakhine state has paid to rebuild more than 500 houses that were burned in attacks by aircraft and artillery or torched by soldiers last month, disaster officials said Friday, in a revelation that appeared to undercut the national military's denial that the attacks took place.
- Chinese military sends medical teams, aid to Myanmar, Pakistan and Laos to fight COVID-19 Global Times 24 Apr 2020 -- China sent military medical teams to Pakistan, Myanmar and Laos to fight COVID-19 on Friday. Analysts say this shows the high-level of mutual trust and friendly relations between China and these countries, and that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) medical teams are the most experienced force in China in handling public health crises.
- Bangladesh: 'Not a Single Rohingya Will be Allowed to Enter' Radio Free Asia 23 Apr 2020 -- Bangladesh will not allow hundreds of Rohingya stranded at the sea in two trawlers off its southeastern coast to come ashore, the foreign minister said Thursday, despite calls by the United Nations and human rights groups to take in the refugees.
- Eight Civilians Die in Myanmar Military Battle With Arakan Army in Chin, Rakhine Radio Free Asia 23 Apr 2020 -- At least eight people were killed in volatile western Myanmar, the latest in near daily civilian casualties in a conflict between government soldiers and the rebel Arakan Army that has intensified even as the nation shuts down to fight the coronavirus, local residents said Thursday.
- Thousands of Returning Migrant Workers From China Strain Resources in Myanmar's Kokang Region Radio Free Asia 23 Apr 2020 -- Officials in Kokang, a remote corner of Myanmar bordering China, said Thursday they lack the capacity to quarantine thousands of migrant workers who have returned from jobs in China amid the coronavirus outbreak, and they urged the central government to come up with other options.
- UNHCR voices concern for Rohingya refugees on boats amid coronavirus emergency Press TV 23 Apr 2020 -- The United Nations refugee agency has voiced mounting concern over a "grave immediate risk" to persecuted Rohingya Muslim refugees who have fled Myanmar by boats amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- Trawlers Carrying 500 Rohingya Spotted off Bangladesh Coast Radio Free Asia 22 Apr 2020 -- Fishing boats carrying hundreds of Rohingya refugees were spotted off southeastern Bangladesh and sailing toward its coast, a local border-police commander said Wednesday, as Amnesty International called on the South Asian nation to take them in.
- Rakhine Villager Shot at Checkpoint in Latest of Myanmar Civilian Killings Radio Free Asia 22 Apr 2020 -- Myanmar Army soldiers gunned down a villager as he returned home from fishing in war-ravaged Rakhine state, the latest in a series of civilian killings, with troops saying the man failed to follow instructions at a security checkpoint, the victim's father said Wednesday.
- Myanmar ships 800 freed Rohingya prisoners back to Rakhine Press TV 20 Apr 2020 -- Myanmar shipped hundreds of recently released Rohingya inmates back to the country's restive western borderlands on Monday, after fears that its overcrowded prisons could become hotbeds for runaway coronavirus outbreaks.
- Myanmar Army Grills Dozens of Rakhine Villagers Over Alleged Rebel Ties Radio Free Asia 20 Apr 2020 -- Myanmar soldiers detained nearly 40 villagers on Sunday, but later released most of them, about a week after government forces hit their community with artillery shells amid the larger armed conflict with rebel Arakan Army troops in war-torn Rakhine state, a local lawmaker and a resident said.
- Myanmar ships Rohingya prisoners back to Rakhine amid pandemic Press TV 20 Apr 2020 -- Myanmar has shipped more than 800 recently released Rohingya prisoners back to the restive western state of Rakhine, where most members of the persecuted Muslim minority live under tight movement restrictions.
- Could Virus See Rohingya 'Floating Coffins' Crisis Return to ASEAN? VOA 20 Apr 2020 -- Malaysia is using COVID-19 as an excuse to reject Rohingya Muslim refugees, human rights groups say, bringing flashbacks of 2015 when boat refugees died after escaping Myanmar in what the United Nations called "floating coffins."
- Myanmar Clashes Take Heavy Toll on Ethnic Groups in Rakhine, Chin States VOA 18 Apr 2020 -- The U.N. human rights office is calling for an end to escalating clashes between Myanmar's army and the ethnic armed group known as the Arakan Army in Rakhine and Chin states as civilian casualties rise.
- Fighting between Myanmar military, ethnic rebels kills 32: UN rights office Press TV 17 Apr 2020 -- The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says at least 32 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in the restive Rakhine and Chin states in western Myanmar amid an escalation in fighting between the country's military and ethnic rebels.
- Teenager Killed, Civilians Injured in Crossfire of Battle in Myanmar's Rakhine State Radio Free Asia 17 Apr 2020 -- A teenager was killed and a dozen other civilians were injured Thursday amid crossfire as government soldiers responded to landmine attacks in western Myanmar's war-ridden Rakhine state, where civilians are dying violent deaths even as their region braces for the contagious coronavirus, local residents said.
- UN human rights office calls for compassion following Rohingya deaths at sea UN News 17 Apr 2020 -- The UN human rights office (OHCHR), is calling for compassion for people desperately seeking shelter, after 30 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar died on a boat in the Bay of Bengal that had spent nearly two months at sea.
- Myanmar Steps up Coronavirus Measures as Medical Profession Feels Risks Radio Free Asia 16 Apr 2020 -- A Myanmar doctor who treated a coronavirus patient has tested positive for the deadly pathogen, raising concerns over the safety of healthcare workers who are exposed to COVID-19 amid its spread in the Southeast Asian country, according to Myanmar's Health Ministry.
- Bangladesh Coast Guard Rescues Hundreds of 'Starving' Rohingya Radio Free Asia 16 Apr 2020 -- Hundreds of "starving" Rohingya men, women and children were brought ashore in Bangladesh after a nearly two-month failed journey to Malaysia during which dozens died and were thrown overboard, officials and survivors said Thursday.
- Nearly 400 Rohingya Rescued from Boat Drifting Off Bangladesh Coast VOA 16 Apr 2020 -- At least 382 Rohingya refugees have been rescued off the coast of Bangladesh after drifting for several days aboard an overcrowded fishing boat.
- Two Myanmar Editors in Hiding Over Interview With Banned Arakan Army Radio Free Asia 15 Apr 2020 -- Two editors facing charges under Myanmar's Counter-Terrorism Law for interviews with the Arakan Army after the ethnic force was declared a terrorist group have gone into hiding to avoid arrest amid domestic and international appeals to drop their cases, supporters said on Wednesday.
- China-Myanmar border sounds highest alarms to avoid imported COVID-19 cases Global Times 15 Apr 2020 -- The China-Myanmar border is known for the interactive blending among people from both sides. But this trend brings extra pressure during the COVID-19 epidemic, as containing imported cases becomes China's main challenge.
- Myanmar Rock Star COVID-19 Positive, Two Pastors Face Charges After Illegal Services Radio Free Asia 14 Apr 2020 -- Two pastors and two followers were charged in Myanmar on Tuesday for holding Christian services in defiance of bans on large gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – events that sickened the four men and a famous rock musician with the coronavirus, a local official said.
- Myanmar Artillery Shells Kill 8 Civilians in Rakhine, as War Displaced Face Food Shortages Radio Free Asia 13 Apr 2020 -- At least eight civilians were killed and 17 injured Monday by artillery shells fired by Myanmar forces in conflict-ridden Rakhine state, with wounded villagers forced to wait at military checkpoints for two hours before receiving permission to go to hospitals for treatment, local residents and relief volunteers said.
- Myanmar Trucks, Fruit Snagged at China Border Crossing Under COVID-19 Restrictions Radio Free Asia 13 Apr 2020 -- Chinese border authorities are not letting cargo trucks from Myanmar pass through a key entry point into China from northern Myanmar's Kachin state under a new cross-border cargo policy to control the spread of the coronavirus, drivers and a state government official said Monday.
- Tough Chinese COVID-19 Restrictions at Border Worry Myanmar Traders Radio Free Asia 10 Apr 2020 -- Cross-border cargo policies put in place by China to control the spread of the coronavirus are pinching Myanmar traders and truck drivers, who have voiced concern about the safety of their cargo and charges imposed by the Chinese, officials at Myanmar trade associations said Friday.
- Bangladesh Imposes COVID-19 Lockdown in District with Rohingya Camps Radio Free Asia 10 Apr 2020 -- Bangladeshi officials have imposed a lockdown in a southeastern district where more than a million Rohingya refugees live in cramped camps, in a move to contain the coronavirus pandemic, as the nation recorded its highest daily spike in confirmed cases.
- Parts of Myanmar Reverse Plans For Long Coronavirus Lockdowns After Complaints Radio Free Asia 08 Apr 2020 -- Officials in a Myanmar state and region on Tuesday reversed earlier decisions to impose controversial two-week lockdowns to prevent the spread of the contagious coronavirus and are now allowing residents to leave their homes for essential services.
- Seven Die as Myanmar Army Aircraft Pound Chin Villages in Fight With Arakan Army Radio Free Asia 08 Apr 2020 -- Seven villagers were killed and eight others injured by mortar fire from Myanmar military aircraft following fighting Tuesday between government forces and the rebel Arakan Army in Chin state abutting war-riven Rakhine state, local residents said.
- IDPs in Myanmar's Kachin State Risk Health to Earn Living During COVID-19 Epidemic Radio Free Asia 07 Apr 2020 -- Internally displaced civilians who fled war in northern Myanmar are not heeding government orders and lockdowns to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, with hundreds continuing to work outside their camps so they can earn income to buy food amid shortages of humanitarian aid, camp and government officials said Tuesday.
- War Refugees in Myanmar's Rakhine State Face Housing Crunch as Monsoon Looms Radio Free Asia 07 Apr 2020 -- About 8,700 civilians displaced by ongoing armed conflict in Myanmar's war-ridden Rakhine state and living outdoors require emergency shelter before the onset of the annual monsoon season because a local Buddhist monastery cannot accommodate them, a local lawmaker and the monastery's abbot said Tuesday.
- Hundreds of Myanmar Migrant Workers Stuck Near Border Outpost After Return From China Radio Free Asia 06 Apr 2020 -- Up to 400 migrant workers returning to Myanmar from China amid the spread of the coronavirus are stranded near the border in Shan state, where authorities have blocked access to roads and are forcing them to remain during a mandatory 14-day quarantine period, two of the laborers said Sunday.
- Myanmar Faces Workers Strike, Price Gouging as Coronavirus Fears Mount Radio Free Asia 03 Apr 2020 -- Workers across Southeast Asia are feeling the economic pain from the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus, as business dries up and factories shut their doors, putting people out of work in the face of minimal welfare safety nets in their developing economies.
- Fighting Kills Five as Violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State Draws US Concern Radio Free Asia 02 Apr 2020 -- Five civilians were killed and eight others injured amid fighting between Myanmar soldiers and the rebel Arakan Army near Kyauktaw town in war-ravaged Rakhine state, residents and members of humanitarian groups said Thursday.
- Myanmar Migrant Workers Risk Fines And Jail to Get Home Amid COVID-19 Exodus Radio Free Asia 02 Apr 2020 -- Thai police arrested and later released 300 migrant workers as they headed to the border to return home to Myanmar on Thursday amid the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus, part of an exodus spanning across Southeast Asia as factories in Thailand that rely on foreign labor close down, a labor activist, an embassy official, a labor activist, and a lawmaker said.
- Myanmar Suspends New Rice Export Licenses to Ensure Domestic Supply Amid Virus Outbreak Radio Free Asia 01 Apr 2020 -- Myanmar has stopped issuing rice export licenses following the declaration of the coronavirus as a pandemic, but will honor existing licenses, the head of an industry group said Wednesday, as local merchants warned that hoarding could threaten domestic supply.
- Second Myanmar Media Group Charged Over Interview With Banned Arakan Army Radio Free Asia 01 Apr 2020 -- Police have filed charges under Myanmar's Counter-Terrorism Law against the top editor of a Rakhine-based new agency and three reporters, the second prosecution in as many days of journalists for interviews with the Arakan Army since the ethnic force was declared a terrorist group last week, sources in Myanmar said.
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