June 2023 - Myanmar Special Weapons News

Junta cracks down on town in southern Myanmar, arresting more than 30 locals Radio Free Asia 30 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's junta has been cracking down on residents of a Tanintharyi region town, raiding homes and arresting more than 30 locals this week, Kawthoung residents told RFA.
Myanmar: Military's obstruction of humanitarian aid could be international crime UN News 30 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's military is killing civilians, destroying food and homes, and keeping the most vulnerable from receiving lifesaving aid, according to a new report from the UN human rights office (OHCHR).
Analysts: Junta meetings with ethnic groups was just for show Radio Free Asia 30 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's military rulers held peace talks with five ethnic armed groups in the capital Naypyidaw this week, but the meetings produced no agreement and several analysts criticized the talks as an attempt by the junta to deceive the international community.
Myanmar traders at China border worry about junta's new 'pay-by-bank' system Radio Free Asia 30 Jun 2023 -- Merchants at Myanmar's border with China say the junta's trade policy is too unstable and that a new pay-by-bank system announced last week will severely restrict their ability to import goods.
India Urged to End Arms Exports to War-Torn Myanmar VOA 29 Jun 2023 -- A Myanmar pressure group is urging India to stop selling arms to their war-torn country's military and asking its Western allies to join the call, singling out Sweden and the United States.
Chinese Cybercrime Syndicates in Myanmar Now Target Victims Worldwide VOA 28 Jun 2023 -- Organized criminal groups from China operating on the Thai-Myanmar border are threatening internet users worldwide with online scams and financial fraud, using trafficked "cyber slaves" to carry out their crimes, according to a new report by the congressionally established United States Institute of Peace in Washington.
Myanmar airstrikes leave ten people killed in Sagaing region: Reports Press TV 28 Jun 2023 -- A Myanmar military airstrike on a village has reportedly killed ten civilians as fighting ravages swathes of the country since a military coup in 2021 toppled Myanmar's democratically-elected government and put the junta at the helm.
Monk killed in Myanmar junta air raid on Sagaing region monastery Radio Free Asia 28 Jun 2023 -- Junta air raids on two Sagaing region villages killed 12 civilians including a monk, locals told RFA Wednesday.
Myanmar junta uses Telegram as 'military intelligence' to arrest online critics Radio Free Asia 28 Jun 2023 -- Telegram is becoming the messaging platform of choice for fans of Myanmar's junta, who are using it to report on critics - some of whom have gotten arrested.
Junta claims near-complete census in Myanmar, but experts say that's impossible Radio Free Asia 28 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's junta claims that it has completed a census that accounts for nearly 90% of the population ahead of planned elections, but critics and political analysts say that's impossible given the turmoil and fighting wracking the country.
Will the first Myanmar border guard defection have a contagion effect? Radio Free Asia 27 Jun 2023 -- The slowing of Myanmar military defections to the National Unity Government (NUG) since 2022 challenges the opposition theory of victory based on hollowing out the junta army as an effective fighting force, spread too thinly across too many fronts. The Myanmar military's most important victory to date may not have been on the battlefield, but in the barracks, having staved off mass defections.
Myanmar military kills 17 People's Defense Force members Radio Free Asia 27 Jun 2023 -- Junta troops killed 20 people in a raid on a People's Defense Force camp in Sagaing region and neighboring villages, locals and a militia official told RFA Tuesday.
Karen community tries to fight off dam project by gathering data to show damage Radio Free Asia 27 Jun 2023 -- For a full year, Singkarn Ruenhom is working with 14 others to document the potential destruction that a huge dam could wreak on the residents and rural farmland along the Yuam River.
Drug trade thrives in lawless post-coup Myanmar Radio Free Asia 27 Jun 2023 -- Drug production and usage is on the rise in Myanmar in the aftermath of the military coup, ethnic rebel groups and activists said Monday, as countries around the world observed International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Junta arrests 51 people for alleged dollar, gold speculation Radio Free Asia 26 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's junta has arrested 51 people for allegedly trying to cash in on the sudden spike in the price of gold and U.S. dollars, according to the regime-controlled central bank.
Local dealers decry influx of illegal Chinese traders to Myanmar jade town Radio Free Asia 25 Jun 2023 -- Burmese gemstone dealers are frustrated over the influx of Chinese jade traders who have set up shop in a northern mining town in Myanmar since the 2021 military coup, residents say.
Junta jet attack kills man in Myanmar's Kayah state Radio Free Asia 23 Jun 2023 -- A junta plane attacked two villages in Myanmar's eastern Kayah state Friday morning, killing a man and injuring two children, locals told RFA.
INTERVIEW: 'We must blame those who created this nightmare' Radio Free Asia 23 Jun 2023
Myanmar's civilian death toll climbs amid soldier massacres, bloody clashes Radio Free Asia 21 Jun 2023 -- The civilian death toll in Myanmar's civil war continues to rise.
US sanctions Myanmar's defense ministry over Russian arms Radio Free Asia 21 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's Ministry of Defense and two banks that provide currency exchange services to the country's military junta have been added to a sanctions blacklist, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
Sanctioning Two State-Owned Banks and the Ministry of Defense for the Burma Military Regime's Atrocities US Dept. of State 21 Jun 2023 -- Today, the United States is designating Burma's Ministry of Defense (MoD) and two of Burma's largest regime-controlled banks, Myanma Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB) and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank (MICB).
Treasury Sanctions Burma's Ministry of Defense and Regime-Controlled Financial Institutions US Treasury 21 Jun 2023 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Burma's Ministry of Defense and two regime-controlled financial institutions that facilitate much of the foreign currency exchange within Burma and enable transactions between the military regime and foreign markets, including for the purchase and import of arms and related materiel.
Myanmar Authorities Must Ensure Full Legal Recognition of the Right to Citizenship of All Rohingya People, Deputy High Commissioner tells Human Rights Council - Council Concludes Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner on his Annual Report UNOHCHR 21 Jun 2023 -- The Human Rights Council this morning held a panel discussion on human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, hearing the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights say that the Myanmar authorities must ensure full legal recognition of the right to citizenship of all Rohingya people and issuance to them of appropriate civil documentation.
UN HRC53: UK Statement for Panel Discussion on Myanmar UK FCDO 21 Jun 2023 -- Statement for Panel Discussion on human rights violations against Rohingya & other minorities in Myanmar. Delivered by UK Human Rights Ambassador Rita French.
UN Expert Calls For New Approach to Myanmar Crisis VOA 21 Jun 2023 -- The United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar said Wednesday the international community needs to take a different approach to resolve the crisis in the country.
Myanmar Military Has No Plan to End Conflict, Experts Say VOA 21 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's military lacks a strategic plan to end the conflict in the country and move the nation forward regionally and globally on a diplomatic level. That's what experts are saying after Myanmar's military leadership, officially the State Administrative Council, met Monday with senior Thai officials in Thailand.
Arrested - or beaten - for wearing flowers to mark Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday Radio Free Asia 20 Jun 2023 -- Across Myanmar, more than 130 people were arrested - and others were beaten - on Monday for wearing flowers, residents told Radio Free Asia.
Analysts: Thailand's talks with Myanmar military expose ASEAN divisions Radio Free Asia 20 Jun 2023 -- Thailand's decision to hold talks with Myanmar's military has again tested the unity of Southeast Asia's main regional bloc, analysts said, questioning why the Thai government called the meeting especially after being trounced in last month's election.
Junta announces deaths of 5 people accused of attacking police station Radio Free Asia 20 Jun 2023 -- Junta authorities have announced the deaths of four men and a woman, arrested in connection with an attack on a police station in Myanmar's central Bago region, a local People's Defense Force militia group told RFA this week.
Myanmar's ousted president receives medical treatment in prison Radio Free Asia 19 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's ousted president is being treated for an unspecified disease at Bago region's Taungoo Prison, sources close to Win Myint and the prison told RFA on Monday.
Opposition group denounces Russia's assistance to Myanmar's junta Radio Free Asia 16 Jun 2023 -- An advisory group of political parties and civil society organizations opposed to Myanmar's military junta have condemned the Russian government's political support and continued sale of weapons to the regime.
Junta pilot and trainee killed in Myanmar military helicopter crash Radio Free Asia 16 Jun 2023 -- A junta helicopter crashed near an air force base in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, killing the pilot and a trainee, local media reported Friday.
Myanmar's junta raids 14 anti-junta camps in Sagaing, Magway Radio Free Asia 16 Jun 2023 -- Junta troops have raided 14 camps belonging to anti-regime People's Defense Force militia in Myanmar's Sagaing and Magway regions over the past two weeks, killing 15 people, including women, militia officers said.
Myanmar military burns houses, captures villagers in Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 16 Jun 2023 -- A woman was burned to death in her home when junta troops raided her village in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region, residents told RFA Thursday.
Myanmar's shadow government creates guerilla militia in Yangon Radio Free Asia 14 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's shadow government has established an armed battalion in the country's largest city of Yangon, intended to strengthen opposition to the junta and strategically formulate the fall of military rule, shadow government officials told Radio Free Asia.
Junta cracks down on residents of Myanmar's Kale township Radio Free Asia 14 Jun 2023 -- A junta slipknot is tightening in Sagaing region's Kale township, as troops guard every intersection, conducting door-to-door searches and arresting people suspected of being involved in pro-democracy politics, locals told RFA Burmese Wednesday.
Activists Concerned About Reports of Rohingya Refugees Being Coerced to Repatriate to Myanmar VOA 14 Jun 2023 -- Rights activists have expressed concerns about reports that Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are being coerced and offered cash incentives by the Bangladesh government to return to Myanmar. Bangladesh "must immediately suspend" the pilot repatriation project for Rohingya refugees to return to Myanmar, a senior U.N. expert said.
Three weeks of fighting in eastern Myanmar leaves nearly 3 dozen civilians dead Radio Free Asia 13 Jun 2023 -- Three weeks of fierce fighting between junta troops and ethnic Karenni forces in eastern Myanmar has killed at least 35 civilians, including three children, a domestic human rights group and local residents said.
Rapes and massacres detailed in Rohingya genocide case against Myanmar authorities Radio Free Asia 13 Jun 2023 -- Women gang raped, children stabbed and killed, men shot and burned to death.
Myanmar policeman killed in Naypyidaw grenade attack Radio Free Asia 13 Jun 2023 -- A policeman was killed in a grenade attack on a police station in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, residents of Lewe township told RFA Tuesday.
More than 5,000 people flee villages in Myanmar's Tanintharyi region Radio Free Asia 12 Jun 2023 -- More than 5,000 people have fled their homes in Myanmar's southernmost Tanintharyi region, locals told RFA Monday.
Myanmar's junta met jailed NLD chief Suu Kyi twice to discuss peace Radio Free Asia 12 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's junta has met at least twice with Aung San Suu Kyi, the jailed head of the deposed National League for Democracy, to enlist her help in peace negotiations with the armed resistance, only to be rebuffed by the former state counselor, Radio Free Asia has learned.
Junta ban on private oil wells could affect 300,000 owners and workers Radio Free Asia 12 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's junta last week issued an order shutting down all privately operated oil wells in a the central Magway region, a move that could affect as many as 300,000 workers in the industry.
Humanitarian Access Suspended in Cyclone-Ravaged Rakhine State UNOCHA 12 Jun 2023 -- One month after Cyclone Mocha hit western Myanmar with brutal force, the State Administration Council has suspended humanitarian access in Rakhine State, crippling life-saving aid distributions to affected communities.
Myanmar Junta Scaling Up Air War on Resistance VOA 11 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's military government continues to pick up the pace of deadly airstrikes against a growing armed and civil resistance to its rule, more than two years after seizing power in a coup. Rights groups and analysts say most of their targets and victims are civilians.
Israel provided Myanmar's junta with arms equipment amid Rohingya genocide: Report Press TV 09 Jun 2023 -- A rights group has revealed that Israel provided Myanmar's military junta with arms equipment despite a US and European Union embargo imposed over the country's genocide against members of the Rohingya Muslim minority.
Anti-junta groups align at Myanmar's Sagaing Forum, minus shadow government Radio Free Asia 09 Jun 2023 -- More than 170 anti-junta paramilitary groups from Myanmar's northern, embattled Sagaing region have held talks to deepen cooperation in their fight against the military and share strategies for administering areas under their control.
Myanmar junta shuts down NGO access to cyclone-hit Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 08 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's junta has issued a blanket ban on transportation for aid groups operating in Rakhine state only a day after granting them permission to assist victims of one of the worst cyclones to hit the country in a decade.
Myanmar military kills 6 people in raid on Sagaing region village Radio Free Asia 08 Jun 2023 -- Junta troops have shot dead six people in a raid on a village in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region, residents and People's Defense Force officials told RFA Thursday.
Bangladesh must suspend plans to return Rohingya refugees to Myanmar: Rights expert UN News 08 Jun 2023 -- Bangladesh must "immediately suspend" a pilot repatriation project for Rohingya refugees to return to Myanmar, where they face "serious risks" to their lives and freedom, a UN-appointed independent rights expert said on Thursday.
Argentine court to investigate Myanmar genocide against Rohingya Muslims Press TV 08 Jun 2023 -- Members of the Rohingya Muslim minority have testified in person for the first time in an Argentine court on genocide and war crimes committed by Myanmar military officials, in a "historic fight for justice."
Argentine court hears allegations of genocide against Myanmar leaders Radio Free Asia 07 Jun 2023 -- An Argentine court is hearing testimony about allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity committed by senior Myanmar officials against Rohingya Muslims in a landmark case.
Myanmar military is stepping up attacks on schools ahead of school year Radio Free Asia 07 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's military has stepped up attacks on schools run by anti-junta paramilitaries and ethnic armed groups, according to a Thai-based NGO, in what an aid worker says is a bid to force children to study under its education system.
In a first, Rohingya testify in person against Myanmar leaders about alleged genocide Radio Free Asia 07 Jun 2023 -- In a hearing that opened Wednesday in Argentina, Rohingya Muslims appeared in person in a court of law for the first time to provide eyewitness testimony about alleged crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity committed by senior Myanmar officials.
Junta helicopter attacks school in Myanmar's Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 06 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's military sent a helicopter gunship to attack a school in Sagaing region, injuring four people, locals told RFA Tuesday.
Dwindling junta defections pose challenge for Myanmar opposition Radio Free Asia 06 Jun 2023 -- More than two years after it was founded as a shadow opposition to the military junta, Myanmar's National Unity Government continues to enjoy high rates of legitimacy. The broader Civil Disobedience Movement remains robust, while the military is reviled. So what explains the military's cohesion and what are the implications of the low numbers of defections?
Thai authority cuts electricity to 2 regions in southeastern Myanmar Radio Free Asia 06 Jun 2023 -- Thailand's Provincial Electricity Authority cut power to two sections of southeastern Myanmar early Tuesday, leading to threats of retaliation from an ethnic Karen force aligned with the Burmese junta.
In Bangladesh, UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner calls for urgent support for Rohingya refugees UNHCR 05 Jun 2023 -- Wrapping up a four-day visit to Bangladesh today, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Kelly T. Clements, recognized the country for hosting one million Rohingya refugees for nearly six years, calling for livelihood and self-reliance initiatives to be scaled up to prevent the humanitarian situation in the refugee camps from deteriorating.
Food Rations for Each Rohingya Refugee Drops to $8 Per Month VOA 05 Jun 2023 -- Rights activists and refugees have expressed concerns over the United Nations food agency's decision to cut food aid for the second time in three months for more than 1 million Rohingya from Myanmar who are currently living in shanty colonies in Bangladesh.
Myanmar's junta has sentenced 156 civilians to death since coup Radio Free Asia 05 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's junta has sentenced at least 156 people to death - including four teenagers and manyl in their 20s - since seizing power in a coup d'etat, according to a group monitoring prisoners of conscience in the country.
Myanmar shutters 700 mobile bank accounts suspected of funding anti-junta forces Radio Free Asia 05 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's military regime has shut down more than 700 mobile bank accounts for allegedly funding anti-junta paramilitary groups in the month of May alone, according to data compiled by Radio Free Asia, industry insiders and account holders.
Peace Talks in Myanmar Highlight China's Increasing Influence VOA 04 Jun 2023 -- Chinese-sponsored talks in Myanmar between the junta and three of Myanmar's ethnic armies, known as the Brotherhood Alliance, aimed at persuading the three to support the junta's election plan concluded without an agreement Friday.
National League for Democracy minister released from prison in Mandalay Radio Free Asia 02 Jun 2023 -- Myanmar's junta released Set Aung from Yamethin Prison in central Mandalay region on Friday, sources close to him told RFA.
Time running out to save Myanmar's Rakhine from hunger and disease post-Cyclone Mocha UN News 02 Jun 2023 -- More than two weeks after deadly Cyclone Mocha hit Myanmar, aid access is uncertain, disease is spreading, and a major food crisis remains a very real threat, the UN said on Friday.
Junta raids force more than 3,000 to flee villages in Myanmar's Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 01 Jun 2023 -- Junta raids on villages in a township in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region forced more than 3,000 people to flee their homes Thursday morning, locals told RFA.
UN in Bangladesh decries devastating new round of rations cuts for Rohingya refugees UN News 01 Jun 2023 -- The UN in Bangladesh on Thursday condemned a second cut in food rations for Rohingya refugees who are sheltering in the country, after a funding shortfall of $56 million compelled the World Food Programme (WFP) to enforce the cuts.
Thai authority plans power shutdown to 2 areas in southeastern Myanmar Radio Free Asia 01 Jun 2023 -- Thailand's Provincial Electricity Authority plans to switch off power supplies in two sections of southeastern Myanmar early next week at the request of the junta government, officials in Mae Sot district told BenarNews.
China pressures Myanmar to proceed on port project amid community concerns Radio Free Asia 01 Jun 2023 -- China is racing to complete a deep sea port project in western Myanmar's Rakhine state, despite concerns from residents who rely on the area's waterways and say it will destroy their livelihoods.
UN Myanmar envoy to leave role Radio Free Asia 01 Jun 2023 -- Noeleen Heyzer, the U.N. secretary-general's special representative on Myanmar, will depart the role June 12, according to the United Nations, after a relatively brief term of about 18 months.

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June 2023 - Myanmar Special Weapons News