September 2020 - Myanmar News

Myanmar Arrests 14 For Anti-War Protests, While 30 More Remain in Hiding Radio Free Asia 30 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar police have arrested 14 university student activists for protesting over the armed conflict in western Rakhine state, while about 30 others have gone into hiding to avoid arrest, an official from a student union umbrella organization said Tuesday.
Bangladesh Officials Blame Myanmar Minister for 'Disinformation Campaign' Radio Free Asia 30 Sep 2020 -- Bangladesh officials on Wednesday accused a Myanmar government minister of conducting a "disinformation campaign" to hamper Rohingya repatriation when he told the United Nations that militant groups including ARSA and the Arakan Army had found sanctuary in neighboring Bangladesh.
Myanmar Censorship of Party Messages on State Media Draws Fire Radio Free Asia 30 Sep 2020 -- One of Myanmar's newest political parties has withdrawn its election pitch from its allotted state media broadcast airtime because the national election commission censored statements on poverty and other key issues, the party leader said Wednesday.
Opponents Say Myanmar Government Was Slow to Tackle Second Wave of COVID-19 Radio Free Asia 29 Sep 2020 -- Political parties faulted the Aung San Suu Kyi government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic Tuesday because of Myanmar's rapidly rising number of coronavirus cases, saying a slow and poorly coordinated response allowed the predicted second wave of the virus to ravage the country's largest city and spread nationwide.
Bilateral cooperation 'only way' to resolve repatriation issue, Myanmar Minister tells General Assembly UN News 29 Sep 2020 -- Bilateral cooperation is the only way to effectively resolve the repatriation issue between Myanmar and Bangladesh, the Minister of the Office of the State Counsellor of Myanmar, told the UN General Assembly.
Bangladesh Deploys Artillery, Troops Along Myanmar Border Amid Simmering Tensions: Report Sputnik 28 Sep 2020 -- Relations between Bangladesh and Myanmar dipped to a new low after the mass exodus of ethnic Rohingyas in 2017 as a result of violence that erupted between local militants and government forces. Tension between the two countries further increased after repatriation efforts failed, resulting in trade, transport, and security concerns between them.
Myanmar Fights COVID-19 in Biggest City And in War Refugee Camps Radio Free Asia 28 Sep 2020 -- Health workers fighting a coronavirus resurgence across Myanmar face serious sanitation problems in the country's largest city and a military conflict that is pushing fresh waves of refugees into overcrowded refugee camps in Rakhine state, straining threadbare resources, doctors and relief workers said.
Over 500 arrested for violating COVID-19 rules in Myanmar in a week Global Times 27 Sep 2020 -- A total of 525 people were arrested in Myanmar in a week for violating the COVID-19 rules, state-run media quoted Myanmar Police Force as saying on Sunday.
Number of COVID-19 infections inches closer to 10,000 in Myanmar Global Times 27 Sep 2020 -- The number of COVID-19 infection cases in Myanmar reached 9,991 on Saturday night, said a release from the Health and Sports Ministry.
Bangladesh urges greater international action on Rohingya status UN News 26 Sep 2020 -- The Prime Minister of Bangladesh has called for stronger international action to help Rohingya refugees in the country to return to neighbouring Myanmar.
Bangladesh: Entire Cox's Bazar Police Force Transferred After Ex-Army Major's Killing Radio Free Asia 25 Sep 2020 -- In a rare move, Bangladesh police have transferred the entire 1,400-strong force out of Cox's Bazar to bring new personnel into the southern border district that hosts about a million Rohingya refugees, officials said Friday.
Rakhine Civilians Tell of Beatings During Overnight Detention by Myanmar Army Radio Free Asia 24 Sep 2020 -- Ten Rakhine civilians were released Thursday after being detained and interrogated overnight by Myanmar troops, with several villagers saying they were kicked and beaten by soldiers in what a local lawmaker called a common occurrence in the war-torn state.
Myanmar's Rakhine Conflict Creates Food Shortages in Next-Door Chin State Radio Free Asia 24 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar's conflict with the Arakan Army in Rakhine state has caused severe food shortages in a small corner of adjacent Chin state, where residents of some 200 villages are trapped by roadblocks and mandatory coronavirus lockdowns, a humanitarian worker said Thursday.
Concern as Captured Myanmar Forces Shown in New Arakan Army Video Radio Free Asia 23 Sep 2020 -- The rebel Arakan Army has released a video showing three Myanmar security officers captured in the war in Rakhine state appealing for talks to win their freedom, a move that has divided experts over whether displaying the captives violates international laws on prisoners of war.
Myanmar Election Crowds Defy Coronavirus Restrictions at Campaign Events Radio Free Asia 23 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar's election authorities are calling on political parties to rein in large crowds of supporters defying coronavirus prevention rules that limit public gatherings to 50 people, but parties say they are unable to stop turnout as the race for Nov. 8 elections heats up.
Myanmar Parties Say Electoral Body Censored Their Campaign Speeches for Public TV Radio Free Asia 22 Sep 2020 -- Two small political parties in Myanmar have accused the country's election commission of censoring their campaign speeches to be aired on state broadcast media before general elections in November, in what rights activists say is a violation of freedom of speech in the nascent democracy.
Chinese City Scheduled for Limited Re-opening After COVID-19 Scare VOA 22 Sep 2020 -- A Chinese city on the border with Myanmar last week began testing thousands of residents for the coronavirus after two Myanmar migrants tested positive.
Myanmar: Mounting child death toll during Rakhine village assaults must end, urges rights expert UN News 22 Sep 2020 -- The assaults by security forces in Myanmar on villages in Rakhine state “need to stop”, and a ceasefire should be declared immediately, said the UN independent rights expert on the situation across the country on Tuesday.
Report: Violations Mar Lead-Up to Myanmar's National Election VOA 22 Sep 2020 -- A U.N. official documenting the human rights situation in Myanmar warned that the country's national election on November 8 will be neither free nor fair, and will not accurately reflect the will of the people.
Myanmar’s Yangon Tightens Coronavirus Restrictions to Deal With Surge in Cases Radio Free Asia 21 Sep 2020 -- Authorities in the Yangon region, Myanmar’s main population and commercial center, imposed expanded stay-at-home orders Monday to combat a spike of coronavirus cases in the nation of 54 million.
Myanmar Parties Raise Concern After Grenades Found Near Election Official’s Home Radio Free Asia 21 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar’s military and political parties on Monday condemned intimidation tactics in the run-up to November polls after the weekend discovery of unexploded hand grenades at the home of the top election official in the capital Naypyidaw.
Iran attends Caucasus 2020 drills IRNA 21 Sep 2020 -- Caucasus 2020 military drills started work in the presence of 13,000 military forces from Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan, Belarus, and Myanmar in the rim of the Caspian Sea, and the Black Sea on Monday.
New Attacks And Village Burnings Swell Refugee Ranks in Myanmar's Rakhine Radio Free Asia 19 Sep 2020 -- Artillery fire from Myanmar military patrol boats and fresh burnings of villages along a river in Rakhine state this month have added at least 17,000 refugees to the ranks of internally displaced civilians, aid workers in the western state said.
Myanmar’s Heavyweight Ethnic Armies Boost Training as Peace Talks Languish Radio Free Asia 19 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed groups, which remain outside national leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s slow-moving peace talks, have set up full-blown military service academies in their territories, with some training cadets from other rebel militias to face a common foe, the government military.
Scores of Rohingya Refugees Victimized by Extrajudicial Killings in Bangladesh, Amnesty Alleges Radio Free Asia 17 Sep 2020 -- A global human rights group has claimed that more than 100 Rohingya refugees were victims of extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh since 2017, but a senior government official told BenarNews that all Rohingya slain in "crossfire" incidents were drug traffickers.
Myanmar's Second Wave of Coronavirus Takes Toll on Under-60 Population Radio Free Asia 17 Sep 2020 -- A resurgence of coronavirus infections in Myanmar has been lethal for younger people in the Southeast Asian country, with 40 percent of those under the age of 60 who have tested positive dying from the highly contagious respiratory illness, a government health official said Thursday.
Myanmar Gears Up for November Election VOA 17 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy party will almost certainly dominate the country's November 8 general elections but could lose the majority it has and needs in parliament to keep governing alone after a bruising first term, analysts say.
Myanmar's Rakhine War Produces Grim Child Casualty Toll Radio Free Asia 16 Sep 2020 -- The intensifying war in Rakhine state between Myanmar government troops and rebel Arakan Army soldiers, often fought in populated civilian areas, is killing and maiming increasing numbers of children, international and domestic NGOs say.
Myanmar army admits to 'possible wider patterns' of violence against Rohingya Press TV 16 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar's military has for the first time admitted to "possible wider patterns of violations" against Rohingya Muslims, who are a minority in the Buddhist-majority country.
Myanmar Denies Destroying Rohingya Expulsion Evidence From 2017 Radio Free Asia 15 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar on Tuesday rejected concerns raised by the top U.N. human rights official about recent government actions in Rakhine state, saying there had been no effort to destroy evidence of the military campaign that drove 740,000 Rohingya Muslims into neighboring Bangladesh in 2017.
Myanmar, China target illegal crossings after confirmed cases in Ruili Global Times 15 Sep 2020 -- China and Myanmar have agreed on a joint fight against COVID-19 and a crackdown on illegal border crossings after two out of six people who crossed from Myanmar to Southwest China's Yunnan Province illegally were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19.
SW China border ports enter wartime status after two imported COVID-19 cases confirmed Global Times 14 Sep 2020 -- Authorities in the city of Ruili, which borders Myanmar in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, Monday called on border places in the city to enter wartime status requiring them to enhance border management and crack down on illegal border crossings after the city reported two imported COVID-19 cases on Sunday.
Main Opposition Party Wants Myanmar Election Postponed, Citing Coronavirus Concerns Radio Free Asia 14 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar's main opposition party and other small parties have called for a postponement of nationwide elections in November, arguing that quarantine measures to combat a resurgence of COVID-19 have hobbled campaigning amid growing fear of the pandemic in a country that largely avoided the early 2020 wave.
UN Human Rights Chief Sees Possible War Crimes in Myanmar Army Actions in Rakhine Radio Free Asia 14 Sep 2020 -- The U.N.'s human rights chief on Monday said the Myanmar military's brutal tactics in its 21-month-long war in Rakhine state were producing possible war crimes and that Naypyidaw had made no progress in resolving an earlier crisis sparked by the army's expulsion of Rohingya Muslims.
Bangladesh Protests Movement of Myanmar Troops Near its Border Radio Free Asia 14 Sep 2020 -- Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry has summoned Myanmar's ambassador to protest unusual troop movements near its southeastern borders, where refugee camps house close to 1 million Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar, authorities said Monday.
UN rights chief warns of 'further war crimes' against Rohingya Press TV 14 Sep 2020 -- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has warned that Myanmar's ongoing targeting of the persecuted Rohingya civilians in their homeland of Rakhine 'may constitute further war crimes or even crimes against humanity.'
UN Condemns Atrocities Against Myanmar's Rohingya, Other Minorities VOA 14 Sep 2020 -- The UN Human Rights office reports the Myanmar military continues to attack, persecute and commit gross violations against the Rohingya Muslims three years after similar actions triggered a mass exodus of more than 750,000 Rohingya to Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The report has been submitted to the UN Human Rights Council.
COVID-19 Surge Stresses Health Care in Myanmar's Biggest City Radio Free Asia 11 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar health workers are scrambling with a skyrocketing number of coronavirus cases in Yangon region, setting up additional quarantine facilities there in stadiums, universities, and government buildings, health officials said Friday.
Indonesia Urged to Ensure Adequate Aid to Rohingya After Three Die Radio Free Asia 11 Sep 2020 -- Indonesia should ensure that nearly 300 Rohingya migrants who landed in Aceh province this week are given adequate health care and aid, Amnesty International said Friday, as officials announced three of the new arrivals had died after suffering lung infections.
Future Unclear for Myanmar Army Deserters in Netherlands VOA 11 Sep 2020 -- Details are emerging about how two privates in the Myanmar army who confessed on video to committing atrocity crimes ended up in the Netherlands.
Myanmar Imposes COVID-19 Restrictions as Cases Surge VOA 11 Sep 2020 -- The government of Myanmar Friday imposed its toughest measures so far to control the spread of the coronavirus, banning travel from its commercial capital, Yangon, the country's transportation hub and transit point, and grounding all domestic flights.
Myanmar Election Campaign Launch Tripped up by Coronavirus Surge Radio Free Asia 10 Sep 2020 -- Coronavirus cases have spiked in Myanmar this month just as campaigning opened for nationwide elections, forcing political parties to deal with restrictions on rallies, stay-at-home-orders, and quarantines in the two-month race for votes on Nov. 8.
Amnesty reveals: Myanmar military figures profiting from secretive conglomerate Press TV 10 Sep 2020 -- Amnesty International says Myanmar's military figures – including those believed to have committed serious human rights abuses – have financial dealings with a secretive conglomerate with links to international businesses.
Myanmar Army Deserters Confess on Video to Mass Murders VOA 10 Sep 2020 -- They show little to no emotion. Their answers may have been rehearsed, but what they say is explosive. Two former foot soldiers, now deserters, from Myanmar's army say in video-recorded confessions that they participated in atrocity crimes including mass murder and the destruction of entire villages under the orders of senior officers.
Myanmar Army Dismisses Soldiers' Rohingya Atrocity Confessions as Coerced Radio Free Asia 09 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar soldiers' videotaped confessions that they committed atrocities against Rohingya Muslims during army sweeps of their villages in 2017 are "not true," an army spokesman said Wednesday, dismissing the admissions recorded by the rebel Arakan Army as coerced.
Myanmar Military Admits Soldiers Assaulted Woman in Rakhine State Radio Free Asia 09 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar's army on Wednesday admitted that three of its soldiers raped an ethnic Rakhine grandmother during army operations in her village in war-torn Rakhine state in late June, reversing its earlier denials and pledging that the men will face military and civil charges.
Two Myanmar soldiers at ICC after confessing to Rohingya killings: Reports Press TV 08 Sep 2020 -- Two Myanmarese soldiers have been taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) after confessing to their participation in the 2017 massacre of countless Rohingya Muslims, two news organizations and a rights group say.
Myanmar Soldiers Turn Up at International Criminal Court, Confessing to Atrocities Against Rohingya Radio Free Asia 08 Sep 2020 -- Two Myanmar soldiers who deserted their army posts and were held captive by the rebel Arakan Army are now in the custody of the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands after admitting that they committed atrocities against Rohingya Muslims three years ago, a human rights group said Tuesday.
Two Children Slain as Myanmar's Rakhine War Rages Amid COVID-19 Uptick Radio Free Asia 08 Sep 2020 -- At least four villagers, including two five-year-olds, died and eight others were injured when Myanmar soldiers allegedly shelled their community in Rakhine state Tuesday, a relief volunteer and local residents said, as fighting in the 21-month-long war raged on amid a spike in coronavirus infections.
Rohingya Leaders Say Bangladesh Island Appears Suitable for Refugee Relocation Radio Free Asia 08 Sep 2020 -- Rohingya leaders taken over the weekend to evaluate conditions on a Bay of Bengal island developed to house refugees reported the site is safe and well managed, but about 300 refugees living there since May said they are eager to move to camps on the mainland.
In Video Testimony, Ex-Myanmar Soldiers Confess to Atrocities Against Rohingya Muslims VOA 08 Sep 2020 -- Two news outlets say two Myanmar soldiers have recounted gruesome details of the 2017 military campaign against Rohingya Muslims in northern Rakhine state that the United Nations has categorized as genocide.
Inaction has been fatal, says UNHCR, as dozens of Rohingya refugees perish at sea UN News 07 Sep 2020 -- Dozens of Rohingya refugees are believed to have died in the Andaman sea after spending more than 200 days afloat, owing to a "collective unwillingness" of countries to take them in, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said.
Myanmar Military Implicated in Civilian Deaths, Arson in Rakhine Villages Radio Free Asia 04 Sep 2020 -- At least two villages were set on fire and two civilians shot dead allegedly by a Myanmar military column in war-ridden Rakhine state, witnesses said Friday, as the government dismissed a cease-fire offer by the rebel Arakan Army and its allies.
Arakan Army Accuses Myanmar of Using COVID-19 to Ramp Up Military Pressure Radio Free Asia 03 Sep 2020 -- The leader of the rebel Arakan Army has accused the Myanmar government of exploiting a surge in coronavirus cases to expand the military presence and tighten travel restrictions in conflict-ridden Rakhine state, causing more civilian suffering.
Myanmar Ruling Party Defends Kayah Chief Minister After Impeachment, Ouster Radio Free Asia 03 Sep 2020 -- Myanmar President Win Myint on Thursday removed the chief minister of Kayah state, two days after state lawmakers voted to impeach him over the alleged misuse of public funds from renting out state machinery and land designated by the legislature as public space.
Rohingya Refugee Groups in Bangladesh Urge Myanmar to Allow Them to Vote Radio Free Asia 03 Sep 2020 -- Rohingya rights groups in Bangladesh published an open letter to Myanmar election officials on Thursday urging them to allow all Myanmar nationals, including Rohingya refugees, to vote in and contest that country's general election Nov. 8, community leaders told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
China's Top Diplomat Confirms Relations, Projects in Second Myanmar Visit of 2020 Radio Free Asia 02 Sep 2020 -- China's top diplomat visited Myanmar this week to reconfirm major infrastructure plans with its Southeast Asian neighbor, his second trip to Naypyidaw in 2020 and a sign Beijing is shoring up relations in the region to help offset deteriorating ties with the West, analysts said Wednesday.
UAE Sends Medical Aid to Myanmar in Fight against COVID-19 SPA 01 Sep 2020 -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) sent an aid plane today carrying five tonnes of medical supplies and testing kits to Myanmar to bolster the country's efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. This aid will assist approximately 5,000 medical professionals as they work to contain the virus.

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September 2020 - Myanmar News