March 2023 - Myanmar Special Weapons News

Once-bustling town of Thantlang reduced to rubble by Myanmar's junta Radio Free Asia 31 Mar 2023 -- Western Myanmar's once bustling town of Thantlang, with a sign above its gateway proclaiming that its inhabitants are "Not rich, but happy," now lies in ruin after an onslaught of military raids, arson attacks, and airstrikes.
Junta jets bomb village in western Myanmar, killing 10 Radio Free Asia 30 Mar 2023 -- Two Myanmar military jets bombed a village in western Myanmar on Thursday where there was no fighting, killing at least 10 people and injuring 20 others, according to ethnic rebels and residents.
The Dissolution of Political Parties in Burma US Dept. of State 30 Mar 2023
Canada condemns dissolution of political parties by Myanmar regime Canada 30 Mar 2023
Interview: Indonesian special office to 'steer ASEAN's efforts' on Myanmar Radio Free Asia 29 Mar 2023 -- U.S. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet recently returned from a trip to Southeast Asia with stops that included Bangkok and Jakarta. During his visit to Indonesia, Chollet spoke with officials about their country's role as this year's chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, and the establishment of a special office within its foreign ministry to focus on the political crisis in fellow bloc member Myanmar.
As Burmese refugees pour across border, India plans to build camps Radio Free Asia 29 Mar 2023 -- India is preparing to build temporary refugee camps at its eastern border for more than 10,000 Burmese who have fled recent fighting in Myanmar's Chin state and Sagaing region.
Statement on political party deregistration in Myanmar Australia DFAT 29 Mar 2023 -- Australia is seriously concerned about the further narrowing of political space in Myanmar resulting from the imposition and requirements of the new Political Party Registration Law.
Statement by a Federal Foreign Office Spokesperson on the dissolution of the National League for Democracy, the party of Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar Germany Federal Foreign Office 29 Mar 2023
Myanmar: FCDO statement on the dissolution of political parties UK FCDO 29 Mar 2023 -- FCDO statement on the Myanmar military's decision to dissolve the National League for Democracy and other democratic political parties.
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party dissolved by Myanmar's junta Radio Free Asia 28 Mar 2023 -- Myanmar's military junta on Tuesday announced the dissolution of the National League for Democracy - the party led by Aung San Suu Kyi that won the 2020 elections in a landslide - ahead of elections the regime plans to hold later this year.
Karen rebels seize large Myanmar military camp on Thai border Radio Free Asia 28 Mar 2023 -- Ethnic Karen rebels have attacked and seized a long-held military camp in Kayin state along Myanmar's border with Thailand, officials with the Karen National Union said Tuesday, calling it the last of the large camps held by the junta along the key Thanlwin River.
U.S. sanctions two people, six entities for supplying Myanmar with jet fuel Radio Free Asia 27 Mar 2023 -- The United States Treasury Department has announced additional sanctions on Myanmar to prevent supplies of jet fuel from reaching the military in response to airstrikes on populated areas and other atrocities.
Myanmar junta chief marks Armed Forces Day with vow to eradicate opposition Radio Free Asia 27 Mar 2023 -- Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing marked the 78th anniversary of the country's Armed Forces Day on Monday with a vow to "take decisive action" against the military's opposition, prompting derision from observers who dismissed what they said were empty threats.
Myanmar Armed Forces Day: UK announces fresh sanctions on aviation fuel and military equipment suppliers UK FCDO 27 Mar 2023 -- New UK sanctions will target those who supply the Myanmar regime with materials, including military equipment, which are still being used to attack its civilians.
UN Warning About Alarming Scale of Violence by Myanmar's Junta Forces VOA 25 Mar 2023 -- Despite the Myanmar army's denials, survivors and witnesses recently told VOA that during raids on their villages, soldiers used "systematic tactical force" to suppress resistance from villagers, including burning down houses, torture, rape, and mass killings.
Myanmar junta pledges 15 villages for Rohingya repatriated from Bangladesh Radio Free Asia 24 Mar 2023 -- Myanmar's junta is planning 15 new villages with 750 plots of farmable land in Rakhine state as part of a pilot program that would see 1,500 ethnic Rohingyas repatriated from refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh next month.
United States Imposes Additional Sanctions on Jet Fuel Suppliers and Military Cronies to Address Burma Military Regime's Atrocities US Dept. of State 24 Mar 2023 -- The United States continues to promote accountability for the Burmese military regime's assault on the democratic aspirations of the people of Burma. Today we are designating two individuals and six entities. The regime continues to inflict pain and suffering on the people of Burma.
Treasury Sanctions Jet Fuel Suppliers and Military Cronies in Burma Prior to Armed Forces Day US Treasury 24 Mar 2023 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated two individuals and six entities that are connected to Burma's military and that have enabled the military regime's continuing atrocities, including through the importation, storage, and distribution of jet fuel to Burma's military. These actions come as the military regime prepares to mark the 78th Armed Forces Day. The two individuals and six entities are being designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O) 14014.
China Looks to Myanmar's Rebel Armies to Shore Up Business, Border Goals VOA 24 Mar 2023 -- China's special envoy to Myanmar held a third round of meetings in four months last week with several of Myanmar's most powerful armed rebel groups, some of them battling the military for control of the borderland area two years after the coup that brought the military to power.
Thai police seeking anti-junta activists detain 108 Myanmar nationals in Mae Sot Radio Free Asia 23 Mar 2023 -- Authorities in western Thailand's Tak province detained as many as 108 Myanmar nationals Wednesday in a series of raids on buildings believed to house members of anti-junta groups, confiscating what they claimed was military equipment.
More than 100,000 displaced by Myanmar conflict in two weeks Radio Free Asia 22 Mar 2023 -- No one remains in the villages on the east bank of the Sittaung River in Myanmar's Shwegyin township.
Civilians in northern Myanmar face growing risks from landmines Radio Free Asia 21 Mar 2023 -- Dang Zalian was out looking for something to feed his goat earlier this month when he stepped on a landmine.
Security personnel defectors face hardship in Myanmar's remote border regions Radio Free Asia 20 Mar 2023 -- Tin Myint's husband, Aung Myo Thant, risked his life to defect from Myanmar's navy and join the country's non-violent Civil Disobedience Movement, or CDM, in opposition to the junta shortly after the military seized power in a coup.
UN refugee agency confirms involvement in junta boat transport Radio Free Asia 20 Mar 2023 -- The UN refugee agency has acknowledged it transported Myanmar junta officials aboard unmarked UN boats to Bangladeshi refugee camps last week, a move that has been criticized as risky to humanitarian workers and a "serious breach" of UN neutrality.
UNHCR statement on Bangladesh, Myanmar bilateral pilot project on Rohingya returns UNHCR 19 Mar 2023 -- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is aware of the visit of a Myanmar delegation to Bangladesh to meet with a group of refugees on a bilateral pilot project between the two countries on possible returns. UNHCR is not involved in these discussions.
Pessimistic about future, young Burmese rush to get passports to go abroad Radio Free Asia 18 Mar 2023 -- Ohnmar Myint is in her 20s and doesn't think she can pursue her dreams - or make much of a living - in Myanmar anymore.
Unmarked UN boats used to ferry junta officials to refugee camps, email shows Radio Free Asia 17 Mar 2023 -- Military junta officials were transported from Myanmar into Bangladesh aboard United Nations boats on which UN markings had been removed, according to an email from the UN's resident coordinator in Myanmar, a move that could put humanitarian workers at risk.
More than 170 Myanmar refugees arrested in India's Manipur state since January Radio Free Asia 17 Mar 2023 -- Authorities in northeast India's state of Manipur have detained at least 170 refugees from villages along the border with Myanmar since the start of the year, according to the refugees and an aid group, causing others to shelter in the jungle or return home to avoid arrest.
In 'lucky' lottery, men forced to join junta militia terrorizing villages in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 16 Mar 2023 -- It was a "lucky" lottery, the men assembled were told.
UNHCR: Rakhine not safe for Myanmar's Rohingya repatriation pilot project Radio Free Asia 16 Mar 2023 -- The United Nations refugee agency said Wednesday that conditions in Myanmar's Rakhine state were not favorable for the safe return of 1,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh whom Myanmar wants to repatriate under a China-mediated program.
The worsening situation in Myanmar means conditions for the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of the Rohingya are not in place: UK Statement at the UN UK FCDO 16 Mar 2023 -- Statement by Political Coordinator Fergus Eckersley at the UN General Assembly debate on Myanmar
More than two years on, impact of Myanmar military coup 'devastating' UN News 16 Mar 2023 -- Violence resulting from the brutal military coup is continuing inside Myanmar on an "alarming scale" the UN Special Envoy told a meeting of the General Assembly on Thursday.
UN Envoy Sees 'No Prospect' for Political Settlement in Myanmar VOA 16 Mar 2023 -- The United Nations envoy for Myanmar said Thursday that the prospect for a political settlement to that country's military takeover is not likely.
Amendment grants Myanmar junta sweeping new powers under Anti-Terrorism Law Radio Free Asia 15 Mar 2023 -- Myanmar's junta has expanded its ability to target those who seek its removal from power by sharpening the teeth of law that it's already used to jail hundreds of people since seizing power in a coup d'etat two years ago.
Five parties eligible for general election suggest victory for Myanmar military Radio Free Asia 15 Mar 2023 -- None of the five political parties that meet the criteria to take part in a general election in Myanmar can mount a challenge to the military's grip on power, an opposition official said Tuesday, urging the groups to boycott any junta-led ballot.
Nearly 10,000 Bago region residents forced to flee ahead of junta raids Radio Free Asia 14 Mar 2023 -- Nearly 10,000 residents of Myanmar's central Bago region have fled their villages as junta troops continue their scorched-earth operations in an attempt to flush out local People's Defense Forces and ethnic Karen fighters.
Activists wary of project that would return 1,000 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar Radio Free Asia 14 Mar 2023 -- Activists and refugees are doubting that a pilot project to repatriate about 1,000 Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar will be successful.
UN Security Council Urged to Refer Myanmar to International Criminal Court VOA 14 Mar 2023 -- Human rights activists are pushing for the United Nations Security Council to refer Myanmar junta officials to the International Criminal Court, citing what the activists say are ongoing abuses in the Southeast Asian nation.
Myanmar army kills 21 people sheltering in Shan state monastery, rebels say Radio Free Asia 13 Mar 2023 -- Junta troops killed 21 locals, including three monks, in a raid on a monastery in Shan state's Pinlaung township, according to the Karenni and Pa-O National Defense Forces.
Myanmar: Social media companies urged to stand up to junta UN News 13 Mar 2023 -- UN-appointed independent rights experts on Myanmar have urged social media companies to do more to resist the military junta's "online campaign of terror".
Talks Underway to Resume Work on Trans-Myanmar Railway Linking China to Bay of Bengal VOA 13 Mar 2023 -- After pandemic-related delays, discussion is now underway about resuming work on the railway project in Myanmar that will connect China's Yunnan province to the Bay of Bengal, according to the Myanmar government.
Could Myanmar Be Implicated in Russia's War Against Ukraine? VOA 11 Mar 2023 -- Russia is trying to buy "anything, anywhere"—including from Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar to get weapons for its invasion of Ukraine—according to the head of Ukraine's defense intelligence Kyrylo Budanov.
Residents too scared to return to resort town in southern Myanmar amid junta shelling Radio Free Asia 10 Mar 2023 -- No one has returned to the once-picturesque hilltop resort town of Thanduang in southern Myanmar.
Anti-junta militia attacks guard posts at Magway oil well Radio Free Asia 10 Mar 2023 -- A pro-democracy militia in central Magway region set fire to a junta-controlled oil well after storming a military guard post at a Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise oil field.
UK provides new life-saving support for Rohingya people UK FCDO 10 Mar 2023 -- Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan announced new UK funding to support Rohingya people living in camps in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Rohingya Camp Residents Say Fire Was Arson VOA 10 Mar 2023 -- Members of the Rohingya Muslim community in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, say they are living with an unprecedented level of fear and hopelessness after a massive fire Sunday raced through their refugee camp, and some people are saying the fire was started by "a Rohingya gang."
Townships in Myanmar's Chin state hit by one airstrike per day over last two months Radio Free Asia 09 Mar 2023 -- Myanmar's military averaged nearly one airstrike per day on townships under martial law in Chin state, in the western part of the country, in the first two months of 2023 alone, an ethnic Chin minority rights group said Thursday, as NGOs urged governments to sanction companies selling jet fuel to the junta.
China, Myanmar, North Korea listed as 'worst of worst' in freedom report Radio Free Asia 09 Mar 2023 -- The Chinese Communist Party plays "a leading role in promoting authoritarian norms" around the world as some leaders show a willingness to collaborate in spreading new forms of repression, according to a report from Washington-based think tank Freedom House.
Crackdown, Financial Constraints Limit Myanmar Protests VOA 09 Mar 2023 -- Two years after Myanmar's military coup, a handful of young people are still protesting the coup, but, given the military crackdown on protests, the tightened security situation, and financial constraints only a relatively few flash mob protests now occur, and they do so in urban areas.
Myanmar's junta killed nearly 500 women in just over 2 years Radio Free Asia 08 Mar 2023 -- Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government marked International Women's Day Wednesday with a bleak statistic.
Additional Humanitarian Assistance for the Burma and Bangladesh Regional Crisis US Dept. of State 08 Mar 2023 -- During the launch of the 2023 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis in Bangladesh today, the Department of State announced nearly $26 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and the region, for those people in Burma affected by ongoing violence, and for communities hosting refugees from Burma.
Myanmar army arrests 50 villagers in Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 07 Mar 2023 -- Junta troops have arrested around 50 locals after raiding a village in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region, locals told RFA.
Bangladesh investigators probe cause of fire that left 12,000 Rohingya homeless Radio Free Asia 07 Mar 2023 -- Bangladesh inspectors are investigating the cause of a massive fire at a Cox's Bazar camp that destroyed about 2,000 makeshift homes and left 12,000 homeless over the weekend, an official said Monday.
UNHCR, partners seek $876m for Rohingya refugees facing 'chilling fog of uncertainty' and for Bangladeshi hosts UNHCR 07 Mar 2023 -- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and partners are calling on the international community to redouble efforts for sustained financial support and solutions for Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi communities that are hosting them as the dire situation enters its sixth year.
2023 Rohingya Joint Response Plan: UK statement UK FCDO 07 Mar 2023 -- The UK's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Simon Manley, delivered this statement during the 2023 Rohingya Joint Response Plan.
Myanmar's school system in shambles since coup as high school exam-takers plunge 80% Radio Free Asia 07 Mar 2023 -- Battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the military coup and an ensuing civil war, Myanmar's school system is in shambles. The number of high school students taking a key exam has plunged 80%, parents, teachers and educational experts say.
HRC52: UK Statement on Myanmar UK FCDO 07 Mar 2023 -- During the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Rita French, the UK's Human Rights Ambassador, delivered a statement on the situation in Myanmar.
Human Rights Council Hears that the People of Myanmar Continue to Suffer Profound Human Rights Harms and that Serious and Systematic Human Rights Violations and Abuses in Nicaragua are Crimes against Humanity OHCHR 06 Mar 2023
4 of every 5 townships in Myanmar impacted by conflict since coup: UN agency Radio Free Asia 06 Mar 2023 -- Nearly four out of every five townships in Myanmar has been impacted by conflict in the two years since the military coup, according to the United Nations, prompting calls by civil society for "immediate action" to end the junta's crimes against its own citizens.
Statement by UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh Sheldon Yett on fire in the Rohingya refugee camps UNICEF 06 Mar 2023 -- "Our deepest sympathies go out to the 12,000 Rohingya refugees - half of them children - who lost their shelter homes in the fire that broke out in the Cox's Bazar refugee camps yesterday. We commend the brave work of front-line responders who have brought the fire under control.
Junta arrests 22 civilians after mine blast in Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 06 Mar 2023 -- Junta troops have been rounding up civilians in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region in the hunt for supporters of anti-regime militias after a mine blast that killed two People's Defense Force Members.
'Hope is rare now in Myanmar', UN Human Rights Council hears UN News 06 Mar 2023 -- The Myanmar military has continuously used arbitrary lethal violence against its own people amid an expanding humanitarian emergency, and a worsening economic crisis, the UN rights chief told the Human Rights Council on Monday.
Huge Blaze Leaves Thousands Homeless in Bangladesh Rohingya Camp VOA 05 Mar 2023 -- A massive fire broke out in the middle of a refugee camp occupied by Myanmar Rohingya refugees in southeastern Bangladesh, leaving thousands homeless under the open sky, officials said Sunday.
Myanmar's capital hit by 3 days of blasts Radio Free Asia 03 Mar 2023 -- Myanmar's capital city Naypyidaw - seat of the junta leadership - has been rattled by explosions for three days in a row.
Myanmar: Tatmadaw army's 'scorched earth' policy in spotlight UN News 03 Mar 2023 -- Two years since a military coup in Myanmar, the UN rights office, OHCHR, warned on Friday that the generals' "scorched earth" policy had left thousands of civilians dead, 80 per cent of townships impacted by fighting and the army "stretched so thin" on the ground, that it resorts to airstrikes.
Child fighters beheaded as Myanmar killings rise after martial law Radio Free Asia 03 Mar 2023 -- Two teenagers found beheaded last week were two of the most gruesome victims of an escalating number of violent incidents that the United Nations' special rapporteur says are "consistent with patterns of brutality" among forces affiliated with the military junta.
Myanmar opposition expels 4 top officials for allegedly assisting military junta Radio Free Asia 03 Mar 2023 -- Myanmar's deposed National League for Democracy on Friday expelled four top officials, including the party's head of Yangon, for supporting the junta's case against Chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi and the military's planned election for later this year.
Myanmar Diaspora in US Calling for No-Fly Zone Over Myanmar VOA 02 Mar 2023 -- Burmese ethnic groups in the United States urged the Biden government to establish a no-fly zone over Myanmar and to impose jet fuel sanctions on the country's military junta.
Anwar slams ASEAN on Myanmar: Non-interference not license for indifference Radio Free Asia 02 Mar 2023 -- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim slammed ASEAN on Thursday for its inaction on Myanmar, saying the regional bloc's principle of non-interference in member-states' affairs must not descend into indifference.
Rohingya refugees censure UN for 'devastating' cuts to food aid Press TV 02 Mar 2023 -- Rohingya refugees have decried as "devastating" cuts the United Nations has made to their food aid due to a massive funding gap, saying they are desperately struggling to survive after the reductions.
Food rationing for Rohingya refugees a 'matter of life and death': rights expert UN News 02 Mar 2023 -- As food rationing begins for Myanmar's Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, a top UN-appointed independent rights expert on Thursday urged the international community to step in and reverse the policy as "a matter of life and death".
Junta troops raze entire village in Myanmar's Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 01 Mar 2023 -- The junta troops entered the central Myanmar village of Kone Ywar on Tuesday evening and set it alight. When the flames had finally died down by Wednesday morning, they methodically set fire to whatever was left standing.
More Hunger, Crime Forecast for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh as Food Rations Dwindle VOA 01 Mar 2023 -- Myanmar Rohingya refugees living in camps in Bangladesh and the aid agencies helping them are warning of more hunger, crime and death in the wake of new cuts to World Food Program rations.
Myanmar junta sentences nearly 2,400 people in February alone Radio Free Asia 01 Mar 2023 -- Myanmar's military junta sentenced almost 2,400 people to prison terms in February, more than doubling the number of prisoners it sentenced since taking power in the 2021 coup to nearly 4,700.

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March 2023 - Myanmar Special Weapons News