April 2023 - Myanmar Special Weapons News

Myanmar, neighbors including Thailand hold Track 1.5 dialogue without ASEAN members Radio Free Asia 29 Apr 2023 -- Two years ago this week, ASEAN negotiated a five-point consensus with the Burmese military that had seized power in a February 2021 coup and arrested many leaders of Myanmar's elected government. The consensus was a roadmap for ending violence and starting a political dialogue, but the generals never intended to abide by it.
Chinese visits to Myanmar sow influence, but may hinder interests Radio Free Asia 28 Apr 2023 -- A slew of recent visits by top Chinese officials to Myanmar appears to be part of a bid by Beijing to counter U.S. influence on the nation, but rebel leaders warned that propping up the junta is a miscalculation, as there will be no stability while it remains in power.
UN expert urges Japan to 'step up pressure' on Myanmar junta UN News 28 Apr 2023 -- Japan must assume a greater leadership role to address the deteriorating crisis in Myanmar and "step up pressure on the country's military junta", a UN-appointed independent rights expert urged on Friday.
Junta raids force more than 7,000 villagers to flee northern town Radio Free Asia 27 Apr 2023 -- More than 7,000 residents of villages in Sagaing region's Salingyi township have fled their homes ahead of junta raids, according to a member of the pro-democracy Salingyi-Yinmarbin Strike Committee.
Myanmar's western Chin state pummeled by junta's air force in April Radio Free Asia 27 Apr 2023 -- Myanmar's junta carried out 47 airstrikes, killing at least 19 people and destroying multiple religious buildings and civilian homes in Chin state in April alone, a rights group said Thursday.
Q&A: Ban Ki-moon's Unannounced Myanmar Peace Trip Draws Questions VOA 27 Apr 2023 -- This week former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon went on an unannounced trip to Myanmar, where he met with the country's military rulers and urged them to find a peaceful resolution to their more than two-year-old violent political crisis.
Locals find mutilated bodies of 5 fellow villagers in Myanmar's Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 26 Apr 2023 -- Villagers have discovered the mutilated, charred bodies of five locals, who were arrested in Indaw township in Myanmar's northerly Sagaing region a month earlier, according to an official from the Indaw Revolution anti-junta militia.
Illegal gold mining up ten-fold in Kachin state since Myanmar coup Radio Free Asia 26 Apr 2023 -- Illegal gold mining has increased ten-fold in Myanmar's Kachin state since the military seized power in a coup more than two years ago, a new report and sources said, amid a decrease in federal oversight in the region.
Junta helicopter drops bomb on hospital where war refugees were being treated Radio Free Asia 25 Apr 2023 -- A hospital in Myanmar's southern Shan state that's been providing care to war refugees and civilians was bombed by the military junta on Tuesday, according to a local People's Defense Force official.
Myanmar junta troops torch 370 homes in Sagaing village Radio Free Asia 25 Apr 2023 -- Myanmar junta troops on Friday torched more than 370 in Inn Sa, a village 20 miles northwest of Sagaing city. About 100 soldiers took part in the raid, which forced more than 1,500 residents to flee.
Myanmar military beheads man in Sagaing region village Radio Free Asia 25 Apr 2023 -- Junta troops tortured a man and cut off his head after raiding a village in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region, locals told RFA.
Troops arrest around 100 villagers in Myanmar's Tanintharyi region Radio Free Asia 24 Apr 2023 -- Junta troops arrested around 100 villagers in Myanmar's southernmost Tanintharyi region and are still holding almost 80 of them, locals told RFA.
Junta's second bombing of Sagaing village meant to destroy evidence, rebels say Radio Free Asia 24 Apr 2023 -- A military airstrike last week on a village in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region where an earlier attack killed nearly 200 people was part of a bid to "destroy evidence," a member of the armed opposition said Monday, as reports emerged that the latest bombing killed nearly 20 of the junta's own troops.
Former UN Sec-Gen Ban Ki-moon meets with junta leaders in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 24 Apr 2023 -- Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has made a surprise visit to Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw over the weekend and met with junta chief Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to discuss the country's political crisis, according to official media reports.
'Ogre' battalion uses brutality to instill terror in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 22 Apr 2023 -- Sources say the unit takes heads as trophies to strike fear into the hearts of the junta's enemies.
Bombing of Civilians in Myanmar Leaves Village Reeling VOA 22 Apr 2023 -- Myanmar's government in exile is working to establish air defense warning systems for the public after the bombing of a village in the central part of the country killed nearly 200 civilians, including 38 children, 10 days ago, a top official of that government told VOA this week.
Junta air strike in Myanmar's Magway kills 3, injures 12 Radio Free Asia 21 Apr 2023 -- A junta airstrike in Myanmar's central Magway region killed three people and injured 12, residents told RFA.
Junta offensive in Myanmar's Kachin state kills 10, razes 1,000 homes Radio Free Asia 21 Apr 2023 -- The military offensive began in Shwegu township on March 23 and continued for 19 days, during which the junta carried out more than a dozen airstrikes and engaged local resistance forces in at least 10 major battles.
Junta arrests reporter, celebrities who criticized deadly Myanmar military airstrike Radio Free Asia 21 Apr 2023 -- Authorities in Myanmar have arrested a journalist and three celebrities who criticized the junta's bombing of a village in Sagaing region that killed 200 people, including children, a source with knowledge of the country's legal system said Friday.
Junta bombs Myanmar village again where earlier strike killed 200 Radio Free Asia 20 Apr 2023 -- Myanmar's junta on Thursday again bombed a village in northern Sagaing region where jet fighters had attacked only a week earlier, killing some 200 residents, according to sources.
Over 20,000 people flee as Myanmar's military raids Sagaing region villages Radio Free Asia 20 Apr 2023 -- More than 20,000 locals abandoned their villages in Sagaing region's Khin-U township as Myanmar's military intensified its offensive against local People's Defense Forces.
Potential Suu Kyi Supreme Court Appeals Just for Show, Analysts Say VOA 20 Apr 2023 -- Myanmar's Supreme Court reportedly will hear appeals by ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of her convictions for corruption, election fraud and violations of state secrets laws.
Myanmar's junta-controlled Supreme Court to hear appeal by Aung San Suu Kyi Radio Free Asia 19 Apr 2023 -- Myanmar's Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear an appeal by former State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi against her convictions on corruption charges and the violation of election and state secrets laws brought by the ruling junta, people close to the court said.
Thailand-Myanmar Ties Mean Myanmar Anti-Coup Activists Risk Arrest VOA 19 Apr 2023 -- returned to their homeland if they cross into Thailand, experts and rights groups say.
India shutters borders to Myanmar's Chin state after killing of three nationals Radio Free Asia 18 Apr 2023 -- India has locked the gates to key border crossings with Myanmar's Chin state after three Indian citizens were killed in the state last month, according to sources from the area.
INTERVIEW: The attack on unarmed civilians in Myanmar 'is definitely a war crime' Radio Free Asia 18 Apr 2023
Chinese Companies Reportedly Halt Rare Earth Mining in Myanmar After Protests VOA 18 Apr 2023 -- Chinese companies mining rare earth minerals in Myanmar's Kachin State have promised to halt activities after more than 1,000 local residents protested, acknowledging the environmental damage caused by extracting the elements key to the production of many everyday tech-heavy devices such as smartphones.
Death toll from Myanmar junta air attack on northern village rises to 200 Radio Free Asia 17 Apr 2023 -- The death toll from a military airstrike in northern Myanmar's Sagaing region on civilians has nearly doubled to an estimated 200 people, a local member of the People's Defense Forces told Radio Free Asia on Monday.
Myanmar's junta frees more than 3,000 prisoners Radio Free Asia 17 Apr 2023 -- Myanmar's junta has granted amnesty to 3,015 prisoners, according to a statement carried on the pro-military channel Myanmar Radio and Television.
Reverend Samson's Prison Sentence US Dept. of State 17 Apr 2023
Drone attack kills 8, injures 30 in Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 14 Apr 2023 -- Eight people were killed and 30 were injured when a drone bombed a water festival pavilion in a village in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region.
Death toll in Myanmar air strike rises to 165, while threat of attack remains Radio Free Asia 13 Apr 2023 -- The number of people killed in an air strike seen as one of the worst attacks on civilians by Myanmar's junta since a military coup two years ago has risen to 165, the country's shadow government said Thursday.
Bomb kills 4, injures 11 in Shan state Radio Free Asia 13 Apr 2023 -- Four people have died and 11 were injured in a bomb blast near a pavilion built to host water festival events in Myanmar's eastern Shan state.
ASEAN condemns killings of 'at least dozens of civilians' in Myanmar airstrike Radio Free Asia 13 Apr 2023 -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations finally came out on Thursday to condemn the slaughter of as many as 130 people in an airstrike by Burmese junta forces on a village in Myanmar's Sagaing region this week.
Myanmar Opposition Envoy: 'Don't Leave Us Here Alone' VOA 13 Apr 2023 -- Myanmar's opposition envoy to the United Nations appealed Thursday for international action to protect civilians in his country after the military junta carried out deadly airstrikes this week on villagers in northwest Myanmar.
Military stymies rescue efforts at scene of Myanmar strike that killed at least 80 Radio Free Asia 12 Apr 2023 -- Efforts by workers to rescue the injured and collect the remains of mangled bodies at the scene of a junta air strike that killed at least 80 civilians in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region have been hampered by troops in the area, sources said Wednesday.
Military budget boost will lead to more civilian deaths in Myanmar: Observers Radio Free Asia 12 Apr 2023 -- An increase in Myanmar's defense budget of nearly U.S.$1 billion will fuel the country's brutal civil war and lead to more civilian deaths, observers said Wednesday, calling for urgent action by the international community to cut off the junta's access to income.
Junta troops torch over 100 homes in a Mandalay village Radio Free Asia 12 Apr 2023 -- Myanmar's military has torched more than 100 homes in a Mandalay region village as it continues to target civilians thought to be harboring People's Defense Forces.
Myanmar Confirms It Struck Rebel Village in Deadly Attack on 'Terrorists' Sputnik 12 Apr 2023 -- Tuesday's airstrike was the latest violent episode in a civil war that has stretched for over two years and since devolved into inter-ethnic bloodshed.
Q&A: Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur for Myanmar VOA 12 Apr 2023 -- The U.N. special rapporteur for Myanmar says the international community, including the U.N. Security Council, is still failing to provide protection against the Myanmar junta's violent attacks on the people of Myanmar.
Over 50 killed in army airstrike in Myanmar: Residents Press TV 11 Apr 2023 -- More that 50 people, including women and children, were killed in central Myanmar when the army launched an airstrike on an event attended by opponents to military rule, witnesses and media say.
Myanmar's military bombs village ceremony killing scores of civilians Radio Free Asia 11 Apr 2023 -- As many as 100 villagers have been killed and more than 50 injured when junta aircraft bombed a crowd of hundreds attending an office opening ceremony in Sagaing region's Kanbalu township, locals said.
Burma Regime Airstrikes US Dept. of State 11 Apr 2023 -- "We are deeply concerned by today's reports of a Burma military airstrike in the Sagaing region that killed more than 50 people and injured at least 30 people, including children."
Myanmar: UN condemns deadly military airstrike on crowd of civilians UN News 11 Apr 2023 -- The United Nations has denounced deadly airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Armed Forces which reportedly killed at least 100 people in an opposition stronghold in the northwest on Tuesday.
Q&A: Aung Kyi Nyunt of Myanmar's Disbanded NLD Opposition VOA 11 Apr 2023 -- Just weeks after Myanmar's military junta dissolved the country's former ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), Aung Kyi Nyunt, chairman of the party's central executive committee, told VOA that supporters in exile remain in dialogue with both U.S. and Chinese officials about how to move forward.
Myanmar's rebel groups bomb pavilions built by military for New Years water festival Radio Free Asia 10 Apr 2023 -- Myanmar's New Years, called Thingyan, is normally a water festival in which people can drench each other during the hottest time of the year. And junta troops have been busy building pavilions around the country to create a sense of normalcy in the war-wracked country.
Anti-junta fighter killed during deportation from Thailand to Myanmar Radio Free Asia 10 Apr 2023 -- One of three Burmese armed resistance fighters who sought medical assistance in Thailand was killed as Thai authorities handed them over to junta authorities en route to Myanmar, Radio Free Asia has learned.
Myanmar authorities tell residents to relocate away from Magway's air force base Radio Free Asia 10 Apr 2023 -- Myanmar authorities in Magway have informed residents that they must relocate their homes from the vicinity of the air force base by May 20 under the pretext of land encroachment, locals said Friday.
Week of fierce fighting forces 50,000 to flee Kale township in Myanmar's north Radio Free Asia 07 Apr 2023 -- Heavy artillery began raining from the sky onto villages to the north of Kale township on March 30, touching off what would become a week of fierce fighting between junta troops and local armed opposition forces.
Myanmar junta sentences strike leader to a further 34 years in prison Radio Free Asia 07 Apr 2023 -- A prison court in Sagaing region's Monywa township has sentenced student activist and anti-regime strike leader Wai Moe Naing to 34 years in prison.
As China expands investment in Myanmar, experts warn of public backlash Radio Free Asia 07 Apr 2023 -- Death and destruction is everywhere in Myanmar, and it's getting worse by the day. But at least one country doesn't seem to mind.
Junta court sentences 4 people to life for 'funding terrorism' Radio Free Asia 06 Apr 2023 -- A military court in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region has sentenced four people to life imprisonment under the junta's anti-terrorism laws, locals told RFA.
More than 4,000 people flee into Thailand after fighting in Kayin state intensifies Radio Free Asia 06 Apr 2023 -- Intense fighting in southeastern Myanmar's Kayin state has prompted more than 4,000 people to flee across the Thai border, where many have crowded together in makeshift camps on goat and cattle farms, aid workers said.
New construction spotted on Myanmar island Radio Free Asia 04 Apr 2023 -- New satellite images show renewed construction on a Myanmar archipelago close to India's strategic islands, raising concerns about China's geopolitical intentions in the region, a British think tank said.
Myanmar navy arrests 130 Rohingya attempting to flee to Malaysia Radio Free Asia 04 Apr 2023 -- Nearly 130 Rohingya Muslims leaving Myanmar for Malaysia by boat were arrested by the junta's navy in waters off Mon state on Sunday after brokers revealed information about them to local villagers.
Junta raids kill 2, force 5,000 to flee Sagaing region villages Radio Free Asia 04 Apr 2023 -- Two people have been killed and around 5,000 have abandoned their homes as junta troops raided two villages in Tigyaing township, in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region, residents told RFA.
For Myanmar's ethnic groups, ID cards can help - or put them in junta's crosshairs Radio Free Asia 04 Apr 2023 -- For the Burman majority in Myanmar, obtaining a national identification card - usually needed for accessing medical services and public schools, opening a bank account or getting a passport - is a relatively easy process.
UN HRC52: UK General Comment on the situation in Myanmar UK FCDO 04 Apr 2023 -- UK General Comment on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, as delivered by Simon Manley, UK Ambassador to the WTO and UN in Geneva.
More than 4,000 villagers forced to flee fighting in Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 03 Apr 2023 -- More than 4,000 residents have been forced out of their homes in six Sagaing region villages due to fighting between the army and local defense forces.
Since coup, nearly 450 civilians killed in Myanmar's eastern Kayah state Radio Free Asia 03 Apr 2023 -- Civilians are being killed at an alarming rate in Myanmar's civil war, dying in airstrikes, artillery shelling and while being held in detention, data released from an armed ethnic group fighting the junta showed.
Myanmar's largest lake is threatened by illegal gold mining Radio Free Asia 02 Apr 2023 -- Gold mining is threatening wildlife living in and around Indawgyi lake, Myanmar's largest natural lake and a UNESCO-designated wildlife sanctuary and world cultural heritage site.
Women Seen Targeted by Myanmar Forces With 'Rape and Other Violence' VOA 02 Apr 2023 -- A Myanmar human rights activist told VOA in a recent interview that the ruling junta in Myanmar "is using rape and other violence against women as a bigger part of its campaign to crack down against opposition groups."

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April 2023 - Myanmar Special Weapons News