September 2021 - Myanmar Special Weapons News

Global Groups Condemn Killing of Rohingya Refugee Leader VOA 30 Sep 2021 -- Refugees International said in a statement Thursday it "is deeply saddened" by the killing of Rohingya refugee leader Mohib Ullah.
On the Killing of Rohingya Muslim Advocate Mohib Ullah US Dept. of State 30 Sep 2021 -- "We are deeply saddened and disturbed by the murder of Rohingya Muslim advocate and community leader Mohib Ullah in Bangladesh on September 29."
Prominent Rohingya Muslim leader shot dead in Bangladesh refugee camp Press TV 30 Sep 2021 -- A prominent Rohingya Muslim leader has been fatally shot in a refugee camp in southern Bangladesh following months of deteriorating violence in the world's largest refugee settlement.
'Urgent' international response needed in Myanmar: UN chief UN News 30 Sep 2021 -- An "urgent" international response is needed to prevent the crisis in Myanmar from becoming a "catastrophe" in the heart of Southeast Asia and beyond, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned. In a report sent to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, the UN chief also said he feared that the military's grip on power would become increasingly difficult to counter.
Aung San Suu Kyi's Former Bodyguard Arrested in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 30 Sep 2021 -- A former bodyguard and close friend of detained Myanmar national leader Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested by junta security forces last week on charges of communicating with a shadow government formed in opposition to military rule, RFA has learned.
Top Rohingya Leader Gunned Down at Refugee Camp in Bangladesh Radio Free Asia 29 Sep 2021 -- Md. Muhib Ullah, a prominent Rohingya activist who represented his community in international settings including at the United Nations and the White House, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen Wednesday night at a refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh, police confirmed.
Junta Soldiers Evict Hundreds at Gunpoint, Highlighting Military Impunity in Post-Coup Myanmar Radio Free Asia 29 Sep 2021 -- Troops loyal to Myanmar's junta have forced the residents of nearly 200 homes in Mandalay region to relocate at gunpoint, villagers said Wednesday, underscoring how a military that once sought to justify rights violations through questionable legal means has enjoyed near-total impunity since seizing power.
Interview: Junta Administration in Myanmar's Rakhine State 'Has Totally Collapsed, Says Former MP Radio Free Asia 29 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's Arakan Army (AA) ethnic armed organization (EAO) has been beefing up its administrative and judiciary mechanisms in western Myanmar's Rakhine state during the past 10 months of a cease-fire negotiated with the army before its military coup. On Aug. 1, the AA announced that the people of Rakhine state can now report all crimes and land disputes, as well as other legal issues, to its political branch, the United League of Arakan (ULA). According to Pe Than, a top Rakhine politician and a former lower house MP from Arakan National Party's Myebon township, the AA now controls 80 percent of the administrative and judiciary sectors in Rakhine state, while military junta's administrative mechanism is almost completely collapsed.
In Post-Coup Myanmar, Citizens Fight to Get Online VOA 29 Sep 2021 -- Since the military coup in February, Myanmar's national army has cracked down on coup protesters, while deadly fighting continues to target rebel armies that oppose junta rule.
Myanmar Junta Calls 'Goodwill' Cease-fire With Ethnic Armed Groups, Omits Anti-Coup Militias Radio Free Asia 28 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's junta has announced a "goodwill" cease-fire with all ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), but observers say the move is part of a bid to take pressure off the military, which faces multiple domestic conflicts, and focus its efforts on eradicating the country's People's Defense Force (PDF) militias.
Myanmar Military Targets Sagaing Villages With Airstrikes During Weekend Clashes Radio Free Asia 27 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's military launched airstrikes on villages in northwestern Sagaing region as clashes with anti-junta joint forces intensified over the weekend, leaving at least 15 government troops dead and causing thousands of civilians to flee their homes to safety, sources said Monday.
Myanmar's UN Envoy Skips Address Amid US-China Brokered Deal With Junta Radio Free Asia 27 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's ambassador to the United Nations withdrew from addressing the General Assembly on Monday as part of a U.S.-China-brokered deal that will see him maintain a "low profile" until a U.N. decision on who will represent the country expected later this year, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Afghanistan, Myanmar Skip UN General Assembly VOA 27 Sep 2021 -- Afghanistan will not address the U.N. General Assembly, in the wake of the Taliban takeover and potential competing claims of representation at the world body.
Young People Discouraged by Life in Myanmar Queue For Passports to Leave the Country Radio Free Asia 27 Sep 2021 -- Young people disheartened by life in Myanmar following the February military coup are trying in growing numbers to leave the country, hoping to escape army rule and find work to help support their families, sources in the country say.
Chin Residents Flee to India After Fighting by Myanmar Forces And Local Militias Radio Free Asia 27 Sep 2021 -- More than 100 residents of a town in Myanmar's Chin state are across the border to India daily to escape ongoing offensives by the military junta in the western state, following clashes that erupted between national forces and local joint militia groups on Sept. 18, a civil society group and residents said.
Nearly Two Dozen Townships in Myanmar Without Internet as Military Tightens Restrictions Radio Free Asia 24 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's junta has shut down phones and the internet in nearly two dozen townships in Chin state and Magway region to block the flow of information in areas where armed clashes between the military and People's Defense Force (PDF) militias have intensified in recent weeks, residents said Friday.
Hundreds of Myanmar Junta Security Personnel Defect Over Past Two Weeks Radio Free Asia 24 Sep 2021 -- Around 450 soldiers and police in Myanmar have broken with the military junta over the past two weeks to join the resistance movement in opposition to the Feb. 1 coup that ousted the country's democratically elected government, defector groups told RFA.
UN Says Military Has Brought Myanmar to Brink of 'Collapse' in Damning Report on Rights Violations Radio Free Asia 23 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's junta has destroyed the country's economy, education, health, and social protection systems and led it to the brink of collapse, the United Nations said Thursday in a report detailing a litany of rights violations by the military that could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
UN expert warns of deteriorating situation in Myanmar, urges 'change of course' Press TV 23 Sep 2021 -- The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar has voiced concern over the ongoing brutal crackdown by the military junta on dissidents, stressing that the conditions inside the Southeast Asian country have deteriorated since the February 1 coup.
US Judge: Facebook Must Release Content Linked to Rohingya Genocide in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 23 Sep 2021 -- A U.S. magistrate has ordered Facebook to release records and deleted content which, he said, helped stoke attacks against Rohingya by Myanmar's military including during a 2017 offensive that unleashed a massive exodus of refugees into Bangladesh.
Counselor Chollet's Meeting with Burmese Representatives US Dept. of State 23 Sep 2021
UN Human Rights Council 48: UK statement for the interactive dialogue with High Commissioner for Human Rights on her written update for Myanmar UK FCDO 23 Sep 2021 -- UK International Ambassador for Human Rights Rita French gave a statement reiterating the UK's call on the military to respect the human rights and democratic wishes of the people of Myanmar.
Human rights 'catastrophe' in Myanmar: UN calls for urgent action UN News 23 Sep 2021 -- Urgent action is needed to prevent the situation in Myanmar from escalating into a "full-blown conflict", the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned on Thursday.
Myanmar Junta Violations May Amount to Crimes Against Humanity VOA 23 Sep 2021 -- A U.N. investigator on Myanmar has accused the country's military junta of systematic attacks against the people of Myanmar that may amount to crimes against humanity. The report by the special rapporteur was submitted Wednesday to the U.N. Human Rights Council.
Once Bustling Yangon Eerily Silent Amid Military Arrests, Anti-Junta Bombings Radio Free Asia 22 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon—once a bustling metropolis—has become a relative ghost town amid a heavy security lockdown and a declaration of war on the ruling military junta by the country's shadow National Unity Government (NUG), according to residents.
UN Human Rights Council 48: UK statement for the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar UK FCDO 22 Sep 2021 -- UK International Ambassador for Human Rights Rita French gave a statement reiterating our call on the military to respect the human rights and democratic wishes of the people of Myanmar.
Thousands flee fighting in Myanmar town near India Press TV 22 Sep 2021 -- Thousands of people have fled a Myanmar border town amid an escalation of fighting between the military and militia forces in the region.
United States Announces Nearly $180 Million in Humanitarian Assistance for the Rakhine State/Rohingya Refugee Crisis US Dept. of State 22 Sep 2021 -- On behalf of the United States, Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced nearly $180 million in additional humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Rakhine State/Rohingya refugee crisis in Burma, Bangladesh, and elsewhere in the region.
Myanmar: UN expert says current international efforts failing, urges 'change of course' UN News 22 Sep 2021 -- The UN independent rights expert on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, told the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday that conditions inside the country following the 1 February military coup have worsened, urging a "change of course" to prevent further human rights abuses and deaths.
Attacks on Military on The Rise in Myanmar's Ethnic Regions After NUG Declaration of War Radio Free Asia 21 Sep 2021 -- Attacks on the military have seen a significant increase in wide swathes of Myanmar in the two weeks since the country's shadow National Unity Government (NUG) declared war on the junta, ethnic army representatives said Tuesday.
Internet Freedom Collapses in Myanmar, But China Still 'Worst' in Rankings: Report Radio Free Asia 21 Sep 2021 -- Internet freedom dropped sharply in Myanmar after the military coup that ousted the country's democratically elected government on Feb. 1, with Myanmar's new military rulers cutting off online access and blocking social media platforms to contain opposition, Freedom House said in an annual report on Tuesday.
Myanmar's Suu Kyi pleads not guilty in incitement trial Press TV 21 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's junta has put deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi on trial for incitement of violence, the latest on a string of charges that could lead to decades of imprisonment.
Former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi Will Not Oppose Armed Rebellion in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 20 Sep 2021 -- Detained ex-State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi will not stand in the way of an armed rebellion against Myanmar's junta, her legal team said Monday, as her trial on nearly a dozen charges resumed in the capital Naypyidaw.
Deadly gunfight erupts after Myanmar junta convoy hit by roadside bomb Press TV 19 Sep 2021 -- A roadside bomb attack has targeted a convoy of Myanmar's ruling military forces near Yangon, with several people being killed in an ensuing gunfight, the military and media said.
China Seen Playing Both Sides in Post-Coup Myanmar VOA 17 Sep 2021 -- Analysts say China's recent invitation of Myanmar's ousted pro-democracy party to a regional summit is an old move from its foreign policy playbook aimed at burnishing its bruised image in Myanmar and helping protect its economic and strategic interests there.
Kyat Falls to Historic Low, Signaling Lack of Confidence in Myanmar's Stability Radio Free Asia 17 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's currency reached an all-time low Friday, signaling growing concerns about the stability of a nation beset by civil unrest and teetering on the brink of a full-scale civil war, nearly eight months after the junta orchestrated a coup d'état.
Myanmar Troops Massacre 24 in Village Attacks in Magway Radio Free Asia 17 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar military forces killed at least 24 civilians in attacks this month on three villages in the country's central Magway region, murdering eight after taking them alive as prisoners, sources in the region said, with rights groups calling the killings war crimes.
Anti-Junta Townships in Myanmar Fear Internet Shutdowns Signal Imminent Military Offensive Radio Free Asia 16 Sep 2021 -- Residents of townships in Myanmar where authorities have shut down access to the internet say they fear an imminent military offensive amid an information lockdown and increase in arrests since the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) declared war on the junta last week.
Myanmar Villagers Destroy Chinese Fence Amid Border Dispute Radio Free Asia 16 Sep 2021 -- Residents of Myanmar's northern Shan state have destroyed a fence built by Chinese authorities they say encroaches on their country's territory, prompting observers to warn that if the dispute goes unresolved it could seriously damage relations between communities living along the two nations' shared border.
Electricity Bill Boycott Denies Myanmar Military US $1 Billion in Power Revenues Since Coup Radio Free Asia 15 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's junta has lost some 2 trillion kyats (U.S. $1 billion) in revenue from its military-operated power company since seizing power seven months ago amid a widespread public boycott of the paying of electricity bills, according to the country's shadow National Unity Government (NUG).
More Than Seven Dozen Reporters Arrested Since Myanmar Coup Radio Free Asia 14 Sep 2021 -- Authorities in Myanmar have arrested over seven dozen journalists since the junta seized control of the country more than seven months ago, and the number is rising as political tensions reach a new high with the shadow National Unity Government's (NUG) declaration of war on the regime last week.
Aung San Suu Kyi Trial Resumes in Myanmar After a Day's Delay Over Health Concerns Radio Free Asia 14 Sep 2021 -- Detained Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi returned to court on Tuesday after an absence due to poor health the previous day interrupted the re-start of her trial in the capital Naypyidaw this week, sources said.
Chin State Coalition Overruns Myanmar Military Outpost, Killing 12 Soldiers Radio Free Asia 14 Sep 2021 -- Anti-junta resistance forces in Myanmar joined up with an ethnic rebel group over the weekend and took over a military outpost in Chin state near the Indian border, killing 12 regime soldiers in the firefight, sources told RFA.
China Begins Landmine Removal Operation Along Border With Myanmar Radio Free Asia 13 Sep 2021 -- Chinese authorities have begun removing landmines along the border between southwestern Yunnan province and Myanmar, according to ethnic Chinese living on the Myanmar side.
China Online Meeting Including Myanmar's NLD Seen as Recognition of Ousted Myanmar Party's Influence Radio Free Asia 13 Sep 2021 -- China's inclusion of Myanmar's former ruling party in a regional summit is an indication that Beijing believes that the party ousted in a Feb. 1 military coup will continue to be a force in politics, analysts and party members told RFA.
UN Human Rights Council 48: UK Statement for the Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar UK FCDO 13 Sep 2021 -- The UK's Ambassador to the UN and WTO in Geneva, Simon Manley, delivered this statement during the Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar.
Myanmar Faces COVID Vaccination Woes as Health System Under Threat VOA 11 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's COVID-19 battle is facing further complications amid the fallout from February's military coup.
China Opens Rail Line, Trade Route to Indian Ocean Through Myanmar VOA 10 Sep 2021 -- China last month inaugurated a new trade route via ship, road and rail running through Myanmar in keeping with Beijing's dogged building spree across the Southeast Asian country to reach the Indian Ocean and points west.
Myanmar Citizens Voice Support For Uprising Against Junta Despite Risks Radio Free Asia 08 Sep 2021 -- Many people in Myanmar support the National Unity Government's (NUG) declaration of war against the military junta despite the threat of added instability and inflation, sources in the country said Wednesday, a day after the shadow government leadership announced the move.
Myanmar's Shadow Government Announces 'Defensive War' VOA 08 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's shadow government declared a "defensive war" on Tuesday that is being viewed by analysts as a call to arms against the junta controlling the country.
Chinese companies in Myanmar face potential disruption amid rising tensions Global Times 08 Sep 2021 -- Some Chinese state-owned companies in Myanmar said that they encountered certain disruptions, and they are following contingency plans such as asking some local employees to stay at home and suspending operations amid rising tensions in Myanmar.
Myanmar's Shadow Government Issues State of Emergency, Declares War on Junta Radio Free Asia 07 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government (NUG) on Tuesday declared a nationwide state of emergency and called for open rebellion against junta rule, prompting an escalation of attacks on military targets by various allied pro-democracy militias and ethnic armed groups.
Myanmar Junta Forces Desecrate Churches and Destroy Refugee Food Stocks Radio Free Asia 07 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar junta forces have occupied churches and destroyed stocks of food aid for refugees during clashes with ethnic armed forces and militias that oppose the Feb. 1 military takeover, local officials told RFA.
Myanmar shadow government urges people to revolt against junta Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's shadow authority has called for an uprising against the ruling junta that seized power following a February coup, calling it 'a defensive war'.
Myanmar junta agrees to 4-month ceasefire to distribute aid, ASEAN envoy says Press TV 06 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's military rulers have agreed to an ASEAN call for a four-month ceasefire by all sides in the conflict to ensure the smooth distribution of humanitarian aid expected as early as mid-September, a special ASEAN envoy to Myanmar said.
UN to Discuss Myanmar Representation at General Assembly VOA 06 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar is awaiting a U.N. General Assembly decision that could play a role in who leads the country in the future. Myanmar is still grappling with the aftermath of a military coup that ousted the democratically elected government February 1.
Myanmar Junta Has Killed Five Doctors and Arrested Dozens More Since Feb. 1 Coup Radio Free Asia 03 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's military junta has killed five doctors, arrested dozens of others, and driven hundreds more into hiding since it overthrew the elected government seven months ago, undermining the fight against a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, doctors in the country told RFA.
Thousands of Myanmar Soldiers and Police Have Joined Anti-Junta Forces Since Coup Radio Free Asia 02 Sep 2021 -- Nearly 2,500 soldiers and police in Myanmar have broken with the military junta to join the resistance movement since the Feb. 1 coup that ousted the country's democratically elected government, defector groups said on Thursday.
Rohingya Refugees in Rakhine Ask to Return Home in the Face of COVID Hardships Radio Free Asia 02 Sep 2021 -- More than 100,000 Rohingya refugees who've been confined to camps in western Myanmar's Rakhine state for nearly a decade are asking to be allowed to return home so they can find work and food amid the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Muslim minority group say.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announces new Myanmar sanctions UK FCDO 02 Sep 2021 -- Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announces new sanctions against U Tay Za and Htoo Group of Companies.
A Dozen Myanmar Militias Form Alliance to Overthrow Junta Radio Free Asia 01 Sep 2021 -- Branches of the People's Defense Force (PDF) militia from a dozen different regions in Myanmar have formed an alliance to collectively take on the country's junta, despite each group facing respective offensives since the military seized power seven months ago, members said Wednesday.
Assassination Plot Suspect Was Security Volunteer For Myanmar Ambassador Radio Free Asia 01 Sep 2021 -- New details have emerged about the alleged plot to assassinate Myanmar's ambassador to the United Nations and how the conspiracy to attack this key critic of the nation's military junta was foiled.
Tens of Thousands Flee Homes in Magwe Region as Junta Troops Pillage Radio Free Asia 01 Sep 2021 -- Tens of thousands of civilians have fled their homes in Pauk township in Myanmar's Magwe region over the past week after troops loyal to the military regime set up camp and began raiding local villages in search of anti-junta militia members, residents said Wednesday.
On The Trail of The Overseas Movement Resisting Myanmar's Military Junta Radio Free Asia 01 Sep 2021 -- Overseas groups of exiles from Myanmar are increasingly organizing to support unarmed protesters against violence by the country's police and military in the wake of nationwide protests sparked by the military coup in February 2021.
Hundreds Flee During Four Days of Fighting in Myanmar's Shan State Radio Free Asia 01 Sep 2021 -- Four days of continuous fighting between Myanmar's military and a rebel army in northern Shan state's Lashio city, near the country's border with China, have left at least 17 junta troops dead and forced hundreds of civilians to flee their homes to safety, local media and residents said Tuesday.

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September 2021 - Myanmar Special Weapons News