May 2023 - Myanmar Special Weapons News

Myanmar troops torch Sagaing region village a second time Radio Free Asia 31 May 2023 -- Disaster has once again hit a community in northwestern Myanmar's war-torn Sagaing region.
Junta clamps down on displaying photos of Aung San Suu Kyi Radio Free Asia 31 May 2023 -- Military junta authorities are threatening - and sometimes arresting - people who display photos of Myanmar's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi in their homes, residents in Yangon, Mandalay and the Ayeyarwaddy region told Radio Free Asia.
Humanitarian groups say storm aid still not reaching parts of Myanmar's Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 30 May 2023 -- More than two weeks after Cyclone Mocha damaged much of Myanmar's Rakhine state, many people still haven't received aid, and humanitarian groups are asking the military junta to relax restrictions on road transport so that food and supplies can reach affected areas.
Intense clashes in Myanmar's Chin, Shan states leave 19 dead Radio Free Asia 30 May 2023 -- Intense fighting between the military and anti-junta forces in Myanmar's Chin and Shan states since the weekend left 19 dead, including four civilians, RFA Burmese has learned.
Global Affairs Canada engages international partners on Myanmar sanctions efforts Canada 27 May 2023
India Opens Myanmar Port with Wary Eye on China VOA 27 May 2023 -- India helped inaugurate a long-awaited seaport in western Myanmar this month amid New Delhi's efforts to cope with rival China's growing influence in Southeast Asia and across the Indo-Pacific.
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face grim choices as more cuts to food assistance imminent WFP 26 May 2023 -- Just weeks after thousands of Rohingya refugees lost their homes to Cyclone Mocha, they face another blow as funding shortages force the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to cut food vouchers in Cox's Bazar to just US$ 8, or less than 9 cents per meal.
Sixteen NLD lawmakers have died in junta custody or evading arrest since Myanmar coup Radio Free Asia 25 May 2023 -- Last June, junta security personnel arrested Kyaw Mo Myin, a lawmaker for the deposed National League for Democracy in central Myanmar's Mon state, along with two other party members and a fourth individual.
Court in Myanmar's Mandalay imprisons 3 monks for funding terrorism Radio Free Asia 25 May 2023 -- A court in Myanmar's central Mandalay region has handed down 22-year sentences to three Buddhist monks accused of supporting anti-junta People's Defense forces, a local resident told RFA Thursday.
Myanmar's junta increasingly relying on airstrikes, research group says Radio Free Asia 24 May 2023 -- Myanmar's junta is increasingly relying on airstrikes in its war against groups opposed to its rule, according to tallies compiled by Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica, an independent local research group, because its troops have faced fierce resistance on the ground.
Looting and destroying, junta declares war on Myanmar's cultural sites and artifacts Radio Free Asia 24 May 2023 -- In Myanmar, junta troops aren't just terrorizing villages and committing atrocities - they're looting and destroying historical sites and cultural artifacts, villagers say.
Myanmar troops raid Chin state hospital, arresting doctor and nurses Radio Free Asia 24 May 2023 -- Junta troops have raided a hospital in Myanmar's northwestern Chin state, arresting a doctor and four nurses, according to a local resident.
State Department Engages Partners on Burma Sanctions Coordination US Dept. of State 24 May 2023 -- On May 24, the Sanctions Coordinators for the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and the services in charge of sanctions policy and implementation of the European Commission and the European External Action Service met to continue to assess and align ongoing efforts related to sanctions on Burma (Myanmar).
Nearly 1,000 NLD-affiliated properties seized by Myanmar's junta since coup Radio Free Asia 23 May 2023 -- It was December 2022 when junta troops under the leadership of Major Aye Chan Aung raided the homes of deposed National League for Democracy lawmaker Hla Hla Win and her son, making off with valuables and the deed to her son's property.
New weapons law leads to roundup of activists and fighters in Myanmar cities Radio Free Asia 23 May 2023 -- A new weapons law introduced by Myanmar's military has led to a junta roundup of people accused of belonging to, or financing, anti-junta People's Defense Forces, according to Saya Kyaung, an official of Yangon Underground Association People's Defense Force.
Deadly Storm Compounds Need for Aid in Myanmar VOA 21 May 2023 -- One week after deadly Cyclone Mocha, Rohingya survivors are desperate for help. Residents at a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) told VOA that the storm made hundreds of Rohingya refugees "disappear."
HRW Calls for Halt to Rohingya Repatriation from Bangladesh to Myanmar VOA 20 May 2023 -- As Bangladesh and Myanmar gear up to repatriate about 1,100 Rohingya refugees in a pilot project, rights group Human Rights Watch, or HRW, says conditions in Myanmar's state of Rakhine are still not favorable for sustainable repatriation of Rohingya refugees.
Myanmar's junta threatens media that don't report official cyclone death numbers Radio Free Asia 19 May 2023 -- Myanmar's junta says that 100 Rohingya died from last weekend's Cyclone Mocha - and that news outlets that say it's higher will be sued.
Myanmar's junta shuts down 3 Mandalay hospitals Radio Free Asia 18 May 2023 -- The junta has revoked the business licenses of three private hospitals in Myanmar's central Mandalay region, it announced this week.
Myanmar enacts Weapons Law aimed at keeping guns away from resistance Radio Free Asia 18 May 2023 -- Myanmar's junta is threatening stiff prison terms and even the death penalty under a law regulating weapons ownership that analysts say aims to instill fear in supporters of the armed resistance.
Weapons from China and Russia fuel Myanmar's bloody civil war Radio Free Asia 18 May 2023 -- Chinese and Russian entities have sent more than US$660 million in weaponry and other arms-related equipment to Myanmar's military since its coup two years ago, enabling the junta to wage its brutal campaign to retain power.
Myanmar's oldest ethnic armed group rejects junta's offer for peace talks Radio Free Asia 17 May 2023 -- The Karen National Union, Myanmar's oldest ethnic armed group that has allied itself with the anti-junta People Defense Forces and the shadow government made up of junta opponents, has rejected peace talks offered by Myanmar's military regime that rules the country.
UN rights expert exposes $1 billion 'death trade' in arms for Myanmar military UN News 17 May 2023 -- The Myanmar military has imported at least $1 billion in arms and raw materials to manufacture weapons since generals staged their coup in February 2021, according to a new report released on Wednesday by the UN-appointed independent expert monitoring and investigating human rights abuses in the country.
UN Rights Expert: $1 Billion in Arms Flowing to Myanmar Military VOA 17 May 2023 -- The U.N. special rapporteur for Myanmar said Wednesday that Myanmar's military has imported at least a $1 billion worth of weapons and weapons materials since overthrowing the democratically elected government in February 2021, with Russia as the junta's top supplier.
Death toll seen rising in Myanmar's Rakhine state in aftermath of Cyclone Mocha Radio Free Asia 17 May 2023 -- Cyclone Mocha killed about 460 Rohingya villagers in Myanmar's Rakhine - deaths that humanitarian workers said could have been prevented if so many people hadn't been living in restricted camps near the seashore.
Cyclone Mocha destroys camp housing 700 in Myanmar's Magway region Radio Free Asia 17 May 2023 -- As news slowly emerges about the extent of damage caused by Sunday's cyclone, residents of a township in Myanmar's Magway region told RFA Wednesday that Mocha destroyed a displaced persons camp housing more than 700 people.
Nearly 400 feared dead after Cyclone Mocha hit Myanmar's Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 16 May 2023 -- Nearly 400 Rohingya refugees in Myanmar's Rakhine state were probably killed by Cyclone Mocha, the country's parallel National Unity Government and local aid workers told RFA Tuesday.
INTERVIEW: Arakan Army to assist aid efforts for cyclone victims in Myanmar's Rakhine Radio Free Asia 16 May 2023 -- On Sunday, Cyclone Mocha slammed into the coast of western Myanmar's Rakhine state, flattening homes, blocking roads with fallen electricity pylons, splintering trees and causing widespread flooding. Power was cut off to the capital Sittwe, a city of about 150,000. Of the 431 people confirmed dead throughout the country as of Tuesday, 425 were killed by the story in Rakhine state.
Dozens feared dead in Myanmar as Cyclone Mocha creates 'nightmare scenario' UN News 16 May 2023 -- Humanitarians expressed deep concern on Tuesday for Myanmar's most vulnerable communities after the "nightmare scenario" created by the passage of Cyclone Mocha.
Restrictions in Myanmar Impede Efforts to Help Victims of Cyclone Mocha VOA 16 May 2023 -- While United Nations and international aid agencies are racing to provide lifesaving aid to survivors of Cyclone Mocha in Bangladesh and Myanmar, humanitarians are expressing frustration at bureaucratic and political restrictions imposed by Myanmar's military rulers.
How Myanmar's Junta Uses Telecom Companies to Target Journalists VOA 16 May 2023 -- Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar's military has consolidated control over the country's mobile service providers, putting activists, opposition members and journalists at greater risk of surveillance, according to experts.
China, Myanmar criticized for attacks on religious freedom in annual U.S. report Radio Free Asia 15 May 2023 -- China came under harsh criticism for new restrictions on religious freedom in the U.S. State Department's annual global report on religious freedom, released Monday.
Cyclone Mocha inflicts heavy damage on Myanmar's Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 15 May 2023 -- Cyclone Mocha may have been less deadly than predicted, but it inflicted heavy damage on Myanmar's Rakhine state, including the capital of Sittwe.
Cyclone Mocha leaves 'trail of devastation' in Myanmar UN News 15 May 2023 -- Cyclone Mocha was one of the strongest cyclones to ever hit Myanmar, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) in the country reported on Monday, leaving a "trail of devastation" as it moved overland from the Bay of Bengal, particularly in the city of Sittwe, capital of Rakhine State.
Six dead as Cyclone Mocha makes landfall in western Myanmar coast Radio Free Asia 14 May 2023 -- Powerful Cyclone Mocha made landfall in western Myanmar Sunday, killing six people and bringing down trees, residents said, as humanitarian agencies warned of a severe impact on "hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people."
Rohingya must stay at camps despite approaching cyclone, Bangladesh govt says Radio Free Asia 13 May 2023 -- Bangladeshi authorities evacuated hundreds of thousands of people Saturday from coastal areas near the projected path of a monster storm, but Rohingya refugees would be prevented from leaving their camps in Cox's Bazar, the home minister said.
Cyclone Mocha barrels toward Myanmar and Bangladesh Radio Free Asia 12 May 2023 -- Potentially devastating Cyclone Mocha is expected to slam into the shared border region between Myanmar and Bangladesh on Sunday, putting hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced at risk.
Myanmar junta forces commit more atrocities, burn 19 civilians to death Radio Free Asia 12 May 2023 -- Myanmar troops burned alive 19 civilians, including eight minors, on Wednesday, relatives of the dead, witnesses and a spokesman for the shadow government said, in the latest atrocity committed by junta soldiers in the country's civil war.
Repeated raids force more than 3,500 villagers to flee Sagaing region township Radio Free Asia 11 May 2023 -- Junta raids over the past five days have forced more than 3,500 villagers to flee their homes in Khin-U township, locals told RFA Thursday.
ASEAN's Myanmar peace plan has been ineffective, bloc chair Indonesia acknowledges Radio Free Asia 11 May 2023 -- The president of 2023 ASEAN chair Indonesia warned the Burmese military on Thursday that human rights violations "cannot be tolerated," even as he acknowledged the bloc has made no progress in implementing its Myanmar peace plan.
Indonesian President Says Regional Leaders Have Made No Progress in Myanmar Peace Efforts VOA 11 May 2023 -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo Thursday acknowledged that no progress has been made to end the deadly violence in Myanmar.
Activists burn Chinese flag amid growing anger its support for junta Radio Free Asia 11 May 2023 -- Young activists in central Myanmar burned a Chinese flag on Thursday amid growing anger at Beijing's unwavering support for the military junta.
ASEAN condemns attack on humanitarian convoy in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 10 May 2023 -- ASEAN leaders condemned a weekend attack on a convoy carrying regional diplomats and aid workers in Myanmar, as they opened a summit on Wednesday amid escalating violence in the Southeast Asian country under military rule.
ASEAN Summit Urges End to Violence in Myanmar VOA 10 May 2023 -- Leaders of the nine active members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations called for an end to the violence in Myanmar on the first day of a two-day summit in Indonesia Wednesday.
Southeast Asian leaders 'deeply concerned' about deadly Myanmar violence Press TV 10 May 2023 -- Southeast Asian leaders have expressed "deep concerns" about the violence in Myanmar, condemning a recent attack on a convoy of diplomats delivering humanitarian aid to the country.
Cash for carbines: Myanmar's junta offers reward to fighters who turn in weapons Radio Free Asia 10 May 2023 -- Myanmar's military is taking out its pocketbook to try to persuade rebels to stop fighting.
In Myanmar jade town, junta arrests 700 to use some for human shields, residents say Radio Free Asia 10 May 2023 -- As fierce fighting has enveloped a jade mining town in northern Myanmar, the military has arrested more than 700 civilians and used some of them as human shields in battles with rebel groups, residents told Radio Free Asia.
Pro-junta 'Blood Comrades' resurface in Myanmar with April killings Radio Free Asia 09 May 2023 -- The "Blood Comrades" are back. The shadowy pro-junta militia sows terror by targeting opponents of Myanmar's military for death and leaves a chilling calling card by their victims with their logo - an image of a Burmese warrior holding two swords.
Violence in Myanmar Likely to Top ASEAN Summit Agenda VOA 09 May 2023 -- Unrest in Myanmar is likely to dominate the agenda at the upcoming summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.
Myanmar crisis expected to dominate ASEAN summit amid escalating violence Radio Free Asia 09 May 2023 -- As Southeast Asian leaders gather at a scenic spot in Indonesia this week, they face a daunting challenge to resolve the crisis in Myanmar, where a military coup has unleashed a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and ethnic minorities.
The Attack on AHA Centre Convoy US Dept. of State 08 May 2023
Indonesia, Singapore condemn Myanmar attack on ASEAN aid convoy Radio Free Asia 08 May 2023 -- Indonesia and Singapore on Monday condemned an armed attack on an ASEAN humanitarian convoy in eastern Myanmar's Shan State and called for an end to violence in the strife-hit country.
Civilian deaths mount in Myanmar amid surge in junta airstrikes Radio Free Asia 08 May 2023 -- Civilian deaths are growing in Myanmar's civil war amid a jump in airstrikes by the military junta, whose ground forces have faced stiff resistance from rebels and ordinary citizens who have taken up arms.
Three international breweries pay Myanmar junta U.S. $155 million in taxes per year Radio Free Asia 08 May 2023 -- Democracy advocates in Myanmar are calling on three international beermakers to pull out of the country, alleging that taxes they pay to the military junta support crimes against humanity.
Rohingya stand firm on citizenship after day-trip to Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 08 May 2023 -- Bangladesh-based Rohingya who were taken to Myanmar's Rakhine state Friday to see preparations for refugee repatriation said they wouldn't return without citizenship rights, recognition of their Rohingya identity, and a guarantee that they could resettle in their home villages.
Myanmar junta targets health, education facilities to undermine shadow government Radio Free Asia 07 May 2023 -- In the past six months, in addition to their increased targeting of civilians as part of its "four-cuts" strategy-denying the opposition access to food, finances, intelligence and recruits-the Myanmar military has made a concerted effort to target the shadow National Unity Government's nascent civil administration and the provision of health and education.
Myanmar military strength likely half of current estimates: USIP scholar Radio Free Asia 05 May 2023 -- The size of Myanmar's military has been drastically overestimated by the international community, a U.S.-based think tank said Friday, suggesting that its victory over the country's armed opposition is no longer a foregone conclusion.
Bangladesh delegation with Rohingya to visit Myanmar Radio Free Asia 05 May 2023 -- Bangladesh is moving full steam ahead with a China-backed project to begin repatriating Rohingya to Myanmar, a plan that Human Rights Watch warned would put the lives of the persecuted refugees at "grave risk."
Indonesian FM: Jakarta has quietly engaged with Myanmar stakeholders, including NUG Radio Free Asia 05 May 2023 -- ASEAN chair Indonesia has quietly engaged with the Burmese parallel civilian government and military administration, as well as China, India and Thailand, to solve Myanmar's post-coup strife, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Friday.
Report: Almost 700,000 people in Myanmar have fled their homes since January Radio Free Asia 04 May 2023 -- Intense fighting has caused the number of internally displaced persons in Myanmar to grow by more than 680,000 between January and April 20, according to independent research group ISP-Myanmar.
Bangladesh delegation with Rohingya to visit Myanmar, see repatriation preparations Radio Free Asia 04 May 2023 -- Bangladesh is moving full steam ahead with a China-backed project to begin repatriating Rohingya to Myanmar, a plan that Human Rights Watch warned would put the lives of the persecuted refugees at "grave risk."
Data lacking on Asia's electricity needs, report says Radio Free Asia 03 May 2023 -- Asia urgently needs to improve the transparency of its power sector data, as over half of the region's economies lack information regarding electricity generation, a report said Thursday.
China, Myanmar to deepen cooperation in border security, anti-fraud measures Global Times 03 May 2023 -- China sincerely hopes Myanmar will achieve stability and national development, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said during his visit to Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Taw, during which China and Myanmar agreed to further promote comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries and deepen cooperation in various fields, including border security and anti-fraud measures.
Myanmar military announces amnesty for more than 2,000 political prisoners Radio Free Asia 03 May 2023 -- Myanmar's junta granted amnesty to 2,153 political prisoners Wednesday, a statement by the military said, as China's foreign minister continued a trip to the country.
Myanmar court denies appeal filed by religious leader Radio Free Asia 03 May 2023 -- A court has rejected the appeal of one of Myanmar's leading Protestant activists a month after he was sentenced to six years in prison under the country's counterterrorism law.
China supports Myanmar in maintaining stability, promoting development: FM People's Daily 03 May 2023 -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday that China has always supported Myanmar in maintaining stability and promoting development.
China's foreign minister arrives in Myanmar with eye on stability, trade Radio Free Asia 02 May 2023 -- China's foreign minister arrived in Myanmar's capital on Tuesday for meetings with military junta leaders, the latest visit by a top Chinese official to the embattled nation in recent months.
Myanmar's military kills 3 civilians after raiding Sagaing region villages Radio Free Asia 02 May 2023 -- Junta troops are continuing brutal raids on a township in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region, arresting and killing three villagers this week, locals told RFA.
Myanmar troops raze two-thirds of homes in Sagaing village Radio Free Asia 01 May 2023 -- It took two days for the junta to destroy what had taken generations to build in Myo Thit.
Myanmar village turns into ghost town as villagers hide out in jungle Radio Free Asia 01 May 2023 -- The village in Myanmar's wartorn north has been a ghost town for nearly two years, its 1,200 residents driven into the jungle by repeated raids by junta troops and fighting in the area.

NEWSLETTER

Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

May 2023 - Myanmar Special Weapons News