August 2023 - Myanmar Special Weapons News

Aung San Suu Kyi's appeal dismissed by junta's high court Radio Free Asia 31 Aug 2023 -- An appeal filed by lawyers for Aung San Suu Kyi has been rejected by the military junta's Supreme Court - a decision that comes a month after a junta pardon reduced her total prison sentence from 33 years to 27 years.
Junta arrests 11 civilians in Myanmar's Kachin state Radio Free Asia 31 Aug 2023 -- Junta troops have arrested 11 people in a raid on Myitkyina township in Myanmar's Kachin state, locals told RFA Thursday.
Myanmar army kills 2 villagers in Sagaing region raid Radio Free Asia 30 Aug 2023 -- Junta troops killed two civilians in a raid on a village in Sagaing region's Wetlet township, residents told Radio Free Asia Wednesday.
Tiny ethnic Ta'ang army is a bellwether for opposition fight against Myanmar junta Radio Free Asia 29 Aug 2023 -- In Myanmar's complex battle space, Shan state is a particularly fluid patchwork of people's defense forces, ethnic resistance organizations, and criminal gangs, all with varying loyalty to the military junta or the opposition National Unity Government.
Myanmar military shells Bago region townships, injuring 8 civilians Radio Free Asia 29 Aug 2023 -- Junta heavy artillery attacks on two townships in central Myanmar's Bago region have injured eight people, including a child, according to the Karen National Union.
Bangladesh prepares to start voluntary Rohingyas repatriation later this year People's Daily 29 Aug 2023 -- Bangladesh is preparing to start safe and voluntary repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland Myanmar later this year, initially with around 1,000 people, a senior government official has said.
Nearly 90 health care workers killed in post-coup military violence Radio Free Asia 28 Aug 2023 -- Almost 90 health care workers have lost their lives in military and police raids and other junta-associated violence since the February 2021 coup d'etat, a network of medical workers associated with the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement told Radio Free Asia on Monday.
Junta troops snatch villagers from monastery, kill 4 Radio Free Asia 28 Aug 2023 -- Junta troops arrested six civilians who were sheltering in a monastery in Myanmar's Sagaing region and killed four of them, locals told RFA Monday.
INTERVIEW: 'All we see is an increase in violence' Radio Free Asia 27 Aug 2023 -- Nicholas Koumjian is the chief of the United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, or IIMM, which earlier this month said that it had collected "strong evidence" that the junta and its affiliate militias are committing "increasingly frequent and brazen war crimes" in the country. Among the crimes mentioned in the agency's annual report were what it called "indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks on civilians from aerial bombing," as well as an increase in the "mass executions of civilians and detained combatants, and the large-scale and intentional burning of civilian homes and buildings."
Rohingya Muslims demand safe return to home after 6 years of exodus Press TV 25 Aug 2023 -- Rohingya Muslim refugees demand their safe return to their homeland, Myanmar, on the sixth anniversary of the violence that forced them to flee to Bangladesh.
More than 6,000 people flee junta raids in Myanmar's Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 25 Aug 2023 -- More than 6,000 people in Myanmar's Sagaing region have fled their homes because of heavy shelling and junta raids on their villages, locals told RFA Friday.
US jet fuel sanctions welcomed as tool to curb junta air strikes Radio Free Asia 25 Aug 2023 -- Myanmar's shadow government, armed resistance and activists have welcomed the U.S. Treasury Department's expansion of sanctions targeting those who procure jet fuel the military regime uses in air strikes against civilians at a rate of nearly once every two days.
Sixth Anniversary of the Myanmar Military's Attack against Rohingya Australia DFAT 25 Aug 2023 -- Today marks six years since the violence against Rohingya communities in Rakhine which resulted in mass displacement.
The Sixth Anniversary of Genocide Against Rohingya US Dept. of State 24 Aug 2023 -- On August 25, the sixth anniversary of genocide against Rohingya, the United States stands with the victims and survivors and reaffirms our commitment to pursue justice and accountability for the atrocities committed by the Burma military.
Myanmar junta 'furious' over US bank sanctions Radio Free Asia 24 Aug 2023 -- U.S. sanctions on two of Myanmar's state-owned banks aimed at cutting off funds to the military regime are making the junta "furious," military officials have acknowledged, prompting the junta to pivot to banks in India, China and Thailand to conduct foreign currency transactions.
Six years on, still no justice for Myanmar's Rohingya UN News 24 Aug 2023 -- UN human rights chief Volker Türk, on Thursday, reiterated the call for accountability and justice for the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya driven from their homes in Myanmar by security forces in 2017, in what has been described as "textbook" ethnic cleansing.
Junta officials close large Mandalay hospital for 3 months Radio Free Asia 23 Aug 2023 -- Military officials have ordered a 500-bed hospital in Mandalay region to shut down for three months after it allowed two physicians who joined the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement to work there, according to sources close to the hospitals.
Myanmar junta closes public buildings in a Chin state town Radio Free Asia 23 Aug 2023 -- Myanmar's junta has shut down public buildings in Chin state's Mindat town for the past three days, residents told RFA Wednesday.
US sanctions Myanmar junta's jet-fuel suppliers Radio Free Asia 23 Aug 2023 -- The U.S. Treasury Department has expanded sanctions aimed at Myanmar's military junta so that any "foreign individual or entity" linked to procuring jet fuel for the military government can be targeted.
Expanding Burma Sanctions Authorities and Imposing Sanctions on Additional Jet Fuel Suppliers US Dept. of State 23 Aug 2023 -- Today, the United States expanded the use of its Burma-related sanctions authorities to allow for sanctions to be imposed on any foreign individual or entity determined to be operating in the jet fuel sector of Burma's economy.
Treasury Expands Burma-Related Sanctions and Designates Additional Jet Fuel Suppliers in Burma US Treasury 23 Aug 2023 -- Today, taking note of the Burmese military regime's violent airstrikes against the people of Burma, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a determination that allows sanctions to be imposed on any foreign individual or entity that operates in the jet fuel sector of the Burmese economy. Concurrently, OFAC designated two individuals and one entity that are involved in the procurement and distribution of jet fuel to Burma's military regime, and two entities for being owned or controlled by such persons.
India pushes back hundreds of Myanmar refugees fleeing fighting Radio Free Asia 22 Aug 2023 -- India has pushed back at least 300 hundred Burmese refugees who spilled across the border while fleeing fighting between Myanmar's military and rebel forces, forcing them to shelter in makeshift tents near the border, refugees and aid workers said.
Myanmar troops arrest 100 villagers, kill man in Magway region Radio Free Asia 22 Aug 2023 -- Junta troops arrested around 100 villagers in Myanmar's Magway region, killing one man, locals told RFA Tuesday.
Junta threatens unauthorized foreign currency holders as Myanmar kyat tanks Radio Free Asia 21 Aug 2023 -- Myanmar's junta is threatening legal action against anyone found to be in possession of foreign currency without authorization in what observers said was a bid to kneecap black market exchangers after the kyat has tumbled to one-third of its value against the U.S. dollar since the coup.
Junta airstrikes, shelling kill 5 people in Myanmar's Bago region Radio Free Asia 21 Aug 2023 -- Five civilians were killed and 12 were injured in a week due to junta airstrikes and heavy artillery shelling in Bago region's Nyaunglebin district, according to the Karen National Union.
H&M latest to call it quits in phased exit from Myanmar Radio Free Asia 21 Aug 2023 -- The world's second-biggest fashion retailer H&M has decided to gradually stop sourcing from Myanmar amid an upsurge in allegations of labor violations in the country's garment factories.
Suu Kyi's son urges young Burmese to 'never give up' on democracy Radio Free Asia 20 Aug 2023 -- Radio Free Asia's Soe San Aung spoke with Kim Aris, the son of former State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, last week.
Junta troops kill, burn 4 civilians in Myanmar's Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 18 Aug 2023 -- Junta troops killed and burned the bodies of a pregnant woman and three men in a gold mining area of Sagaing region's Pinlebu township in Myanmar, the local People's Defense Force told RFA on Friday.
Junta offensive in Myanmar's Shan state prompts fear of expanded conflict Radio Free Asia 17 Aug 2023 -- Myanmar's junta has launched offensives on ethnic armed rebels in Shan state amid a lack of progress on peace talks, prompting fear among residents of widespread fighting in the region.
Myanmar Shadow Government Official Apologizes to Rohingya VOA 17 Aug 2023 -- In an interview with VOA, the humanitarian minister in Myanmar's anti-junta shadow government has apologized for failing "to bring justice to the Rohingya in northern Rakhine State," where Myanmar's military launched a brutal crackdown in August 2017.
Displaced Burmese want Thailand to set up safe zone as sanctuary from fighting Radio Free Asia 17 Aug 2023 -- Burmese citizens displaced by fighting and who have sought refuge on both sides of the Thai border want Thai lawmakers to approve a proposed safe zone to protect them from daily air raids and artillery attacks by Myanmar's military, refugees and aid workers said.
Lack of access and funding hampering aid to 18 million people in Myanmar, UN Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths says following visit to the country UNOCHA 17 Aug 2023 -- Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths today called for expanded humanitarian access and increased funding to assist the 18 million people in need of aid across Myanmar.
Uncertainty looms over junta's plans to hold elections in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 17 Aug 2023 -- With the junta's extension of a national state of emergency in Myanmar, it has become increasingly uncertain whether the regime will hold general elections as it previously pledged, political analysts and election observers said.
Indian authorities collect biometric data of Myanmar citizen refugees Radio Free Asia 11 Aug 2023 -- Authorities in the Indian border state of Manipur have begun collecting biometric data from thousands of Myanmar citizens who have fled conflict between armed ethnic groups and the military junta in their home country, but the refugees fear that the collected data could be shared with the junta, several refugees told Radio Free Asia.
Junta airstrike kills 4 civilians in Myanmar's Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 11 Aug 2023 -- Four civilians, including an eight-month-old child, were killed and at least 10 injured when a junta jet bombed a township in Myanmar's Sagaing region on Friday morning, residents told RFA.
Myanmar's Karen National Union says nationwide cease-fire agreement is dead Radio Free Asia 10 Aug 2023 -- Myanmar's oldest ethnic armed group said Thursday that a nationwide cease-fire agreement it signed with the national army eight years ago is now null and void because of violations of terms by the ruling military junta.
Floods force evacuation of almost 30,000 people from 4 Myanmar regions Radio Free Asia 10 Aug 2023 -- Nearly 30,000 people from Kayin, Mon and Rakhine states and Bago region in Myanmar have been evacuated due to heavy rain and floods since the beginning of August, relief workers told RFA Thursday.
Military reshuffling aims to keep Myanmar's ruling junta in place for the long term Radio Free Asia 09 Aug 2023 -- A recent reshuffling of top military personnel by the leader of Myanmar's junta is part of an effort to gain control of the entire governing apparatus and remain in power for years to come, analysts and observers said.
Three months after cyclone, Myanmar's Rakhine state still seeing little aid Radio Free Asia 09 Aug 2023 -- About 1.6 million people in Rakhine state still haven't received sufficient humanitarian aid almost three months after one of the worst cyclones to hit Myanmar in a decade, aid workers and local residents told Radio Free Asia.
UN probe finds 'dramatic increase' in Myanmar war crimes Press TV 08 Aug 2023 -- The United Nations says it has evidence that Myanmar's military has been "committing increasingly frequent and brazen war crimes" since they took power in a coup d'état more than two years ago.
Burmese mark anniversary of 8888 uprising with protests against military junta Radio Free Asia 08 Aug 2023 -- Civilians across Myanmar on Tuesday commemorated the 35th anniversary of a significant uprising as they held protests against the ruling military junta dictatorship amid heightened security measures imposed by the regime, activists said.
Rohingya boat sinks off Myanmar's Rakhine state; 45 missing Radio Free Asia 08 Aug 2023 -- A boat carrying Rohingya people, reportedly heading for Malaysia, sank in the Bay of Bengal near Rakhine state's capital city Sittwe, a village administrator told RFA Tuesday. He said all but 10 of the 55 people on board are missing.
Illegal mining of rare earth metals surges in northern Myanmar Radio Free Asia 08 Aug 2023 -- An increase in the illegal mining of rare earth metals in northern Myanmar is being driven by demand from neighboring China for terbium and dysprosium - elements that are used in the production of electric vehicles, area residents and environmental activists said.
Myanmar military steps up fighting in 8 states and regions Radio Free Asia 07 Aug 2023 -- Fighting has intensified in eight of Myanmar's states and regions as the military renews attempts to seize control of territory from ethnic armies and People's Defense Force (PDF) paramilitaries, anti-junta groups told RFA.
Russian military delegation hold working meeting with Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces of Republic of Union of Myanmar Russia MoD 04 Aug 2023 -- Representatives of the Russian Defence Ministry held a working meeting with Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar General Maung Maung Aye.
More than 16,500 homes and buildings destroyed by Myanmar junta since coup Radio Free Asia 04 Aug 2023 -- Myanmar's military junta has evicted families and destroyed more than 16,500 homes and other buildings in large cities and towns across the Southeast Asian country, claiming that the structures "encroached on land owned by the state," according to data compiled by Radio Free Asia.
Transactions with Sanctioned Burmese Banks Must Be Wound Down by August 5, 2023 US Dept. of State 04 Aug 2023 -- On June 21, 2023, the United States designated two of Burma's military regime-controlled banks, Myanma Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB) and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank (MICB). MFTB and MICB have been instrumental in facilitating the regime's use of foreign currency to procure arms and jet fuel abroad and to access international markets using offshore accounts.
Myanmar military arrests Sagaing region villagers, torches homes Radio Free Asia 03 Aug 2023 -- Junta troops detained six villagers and burned homes in a township in Myanmar's Sagaing region, locals and anti-regime forces told RFA Thursday.
Rohingya Refugees Wary as China Develops Plan for Repatriation VOA 03 Aug 2023 -- Rohingya refugees living in squalid and sprawling camps in Bangladesh are casting a skeptical eye on a Chinese initiative to facilitate their return to Myanmar, where they were subjected to a campaign of murder and burning by the same military forces that now rule the country.
Junta captures 17 civilians in Myanmar's Tanintharyi region Radio Free Asia 02 Aug 2023 -- Junta troops have detained 17 civilians from a village in Myanmar's southernmost Tanintharyi region, locals told RFA Wednesday.
Myanmar junta reduces prison sentences of Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint Radio Free Asia 01 Aug 2023 -- Myanmar's military has cut the prison term of the jailed head of the deposed National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, by six years, the junta announced Tuesday.
Huge Buddha statue a fig leaf for Myanmar junta atrocities, critics say Radio Free Asia 01 Aug 2023 -- Myanmar's junta inaugurated a 1,700-ton Buddha statue at a grand ceremony in the capital Tuesday that was secretly mocked by citizens used to the military's efforts to win respectability through religion.
Myanmar extends state of emergency for 6 more months People's Daily 01 Aug 2023 -- Myanmar's National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) decided on Monday to extend the state of emergency in the Southeast Asian country for another six months.

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August 2023 - Myanmar Special Weapons News