May 2024 - Myanmar Special Weapons News

Myanmar junta recruits thousands of soldiers: report Radio Free Asia 31 May 2024 -- Myanmar's junta has recruited nearly 4,000 men nationwide in its latest round of conscription as it seeks to reinforce the ranks of its army in the face of battlefield setbacks to insurgents battling to end military rule, a nonprofit group said.
Burmese workers in Thailand fear getting drafted under new visa restrictions Radio Free Asia 31 May 2024 -- Burmese migrant workers in Thailand are worried that a new policy requiring them to apply for an extension to their stay from Myanmar will subject them to conscription into the junta military, according to aid groups.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister, Myanmar Air Force Commander Outline Cooperation Prospects Sputnik 30 May 2024 -- Russian Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Alexander Fomin met with Myanmar Air Force Commander Gen. Tun Aung to outline cooperation prospects, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Young Rohingya men abducted, forced into 'human shield' roles by Myanmar military VOA 30 May 2024 -- On a February evening, a group of Myanmar junta government soldiers detained Jan Mohammad, who is not using his real name, from Maungdaw Township in Myanmar. When they took the 24-year-old Rohingya man to a nearby military compound, he knew he was being forcibly conscripted by the Myanmar Army.
Mass arrest in Myanmar's Rakhine State ends in interrogations, beatings Radio Free Asia 30 May 2024 -- Myanmar's junta detained hundreds of villagers in Rakhine State, including children, over suspected links to ethnic minority insurgents and beat at least three people to death, residents told Radio Free Asia on Thursday.
Myanmar's junta chief faces growing criticism over military failures: group Radio Free Asia 30 May 2024 -- Unprecedented humiliating defeats for Myanmar's military in its war against ethnic minority and pro-democracy insurgents are putting mounting pressure on junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who is facing widespread criticism and calls to step down, a think tank said in a report on Thursday.
EU Statement - UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting: Myanmar European External Action Service (EEAS) 29 May 2024 -- Written Statement by the European Union at the United Nations Security Council Arria-formula meeting on Children and Youth of Myanmar
Myanmar junta threatens to block food aid for Rohingyas who refuse military training Radio Free Asia 29 May 2024 -- Myanmar's junta is forcibly recruiting Rohingyas in the Rakhine state capital Sittwe and threatening to block monthly international aid supplies if they refuse to join military training, according to members of the ethnic group who are sheltering in camps for the displaced.
Clashes displace 15,000 civilians in western Myanmar Radio Free Asia 29 May 2024 -- Fighting in western Myanmar has forced thousands of people to flee from their homes, left parts of a town in smoldering ruins and killed three civilians, residents told Radio Free Asia, as opponents of military rule try to defeat the junta that seized power in 2021.
Bangladesh accepts 2 World Bank projects to improve refugee lives Radio Free Asia 29 May 2024 -- In addition to loans and grants from the World Bank, the Bangladesh authority has approved two projects worth $700 million to improve the quality of life of Rohingya refugees living in Cox's Bazar and the host community people of the southeast district.
UN launches probe into burning alive of 2 rebel fighters in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 28 May 2024 -- The United Nations' investigative unit has called on Myanmar's ruling junta to provide information about two young men in Magway region who were burned alive by junta forces, to build a criminal case against the perpetrators.
Myanmar's junta kills 4 villagers following mass arrest Radio Free Asia 28 May 2024 -- Junta troops and members of an affiliated militia killed four civilians in central Myanmar shortly after they and 19 other people were rounded up in a sweep as troops hunted for insurgents battling to end military rule, residents told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday.
Northern Myanmar residents caught up in fighting, dozens hurt Radio Free Asia 27 May 2024 -- Fighting in northern Myanmar trapped 40 people and wounded dozens, witnesses told Radio Free Asia on Monday, as the war between the junta that seized power in 2021 and its enemies trying to end military rule takes an increasing toll of civilians.
Volkswagen's truck unit should cut any Myanmar junta links: groups Radio Free Asia 27 May 2024 -- A human rights group called on German truck manufacturer Traton SE to cut any business ties to the Myanmar military or divest from a Chinese state-owned firm, in which it has a stake, that the group said supplies military trucks to the junta.
No: 97, 25 May 2024, Regarding the Escalation of Fighting in Myanmar Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs 25 May 2024
Reports emerge of new atrocities against Rohingya in Myanmar VOA 25 May 2024 -- Reports are emerging of new atrocity crimes being committed in a concerted campaign of violence and destruction by Myanmar's military against the largely Muslim Rohingya people in northern Rakhine state.
Myanmar junta soldiers surrender in Thailand after border clash Radio Free Asia 24 May 2024 -- Dozens of Myanmar soldiers fled into Thailand following a clash with ethnic minority insurgents, a Thai commander told Radio Free Asia Friday, the latest spillover from increasingly bitter fighting in Myanmar.
China awaits junta approval to resume border trade with Myanmar's Shan state Radio Free Asia 24 May 2024 -- Ethnic rebels in eastern Myanmar's Shan state have reopened checkpoints on the border with China that were shuttered at the start of an offensive six months ago, but official trade has yet to resume as Beijing is awaiting approval from the military regime, rebel officials and residents said Friday.
Joint Statement on the Ongoing Conflict in Myanmar US Dept. of State 24 May 2024 -- The following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the European Union to address the ongoing conflict in Myanmar.
Myanmar violence draws global condemnation VOA 24 May 2024 -- The European Union, the U.S. and their allies issued a joint statement Friday about the rising violence in Myanmar.
Myanmar: UN rights office warns of growing crisis in Rakhine state UN News 24 May 2024 -- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday called for an end to renewed violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state, where reports have emerged of attacks against the minority Muslim Rohingya community, including beheadings and the razing of homes.
Myanmar: Growing human rights crisis in Rakhine state UNOHCHR 24 May 2024
20,000 civilians trapped by fighting in western Myanmar Radio Free Asia 23 May 2024 -- Around 20,000 civilians are trapped in western Myanmar's Rakhine state amid fierce fighting between ethnic rebels and the military for control of Maungdaw township on the border with Bangladesh, residents said Thursday.
Myanmar junta detains dozens, including 3 pastors, in village raid, witnesses say Radio Free Asia 23 May 2024 -- Junta troops raided a village in northern Myanmar's Kachin State on Thursday and detained more than 30 people, including Christian leaders and teenagers on suspicion of supporting a rebel group, residents told Radio Free Asia.
Junta targeting aid groups, social workers in Myanmar's Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 23 May 2024 -- Myanmar's junta is targeting welfare groups assisting people displaced by conflict and social volunteer workers in the country's northern Sagaing region, where armed clashes between the military and rebel groups are intensifying, aid workers said.
Myanmar court lowers bid price on democracy icon Suu Kyi's home Radio Free Asia 23 May 2024 -- Jailed democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi's brother on Thursday won an appeal to lower the bidding price for their family's historic home in Myanmar's Yangon region, after a court-ordered auction in March concluded with no one willing to pay 315 billion kyats, or about US$90 million, for the property.
Myanmar refugees in Thailand start interviews for US resettlement VOA 23 May 2024 -- Interviews have begun with Myanmar refugees living in Thailand who are eligible for a new resettlement program in the United States, the Thai government said.
Myanmar rebels capture junta camp near capital of Kachin State Radio Free Asia 22 May 2024 -- Ethnic minority Kachin insurgents have captured a junta military camp near the state capital of Myitkyina, in northern Myanmar, which has also given them control of a main trade route to the border with China, a spokesman for the rebel group told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday.
On the Situation in Burma's Rakhine State US Dept. of State 21 May 2024 -- The United States is deeply troubled by the reports of increased violence and intercommunal tension in Rakhine State, including reports of towns being burned and residents, including Rohingya, being displaced.
Airstrike kills woman on Myanmar-Bangladesh border Radio Free Asia 21 May 2024 -- A Myanmar junta airstrike near the border with Bangladesh on Tuesday killed one civilian and injured 11, residents told Radio Free Asia, the latest casualties in a region that has seen some of the country's most intense fighting in recent weeks.
Rebel Chin forces in Myanmar capture town on Indian border Radio Free Asia 20 May 2024 -- Armed ethnic Chin rebels have captured the town of Cikha in northwestern Myanmar near the border with India in the latest setback for the military junta.
Myanmar now requires biometric 'smart card' to exit country by border Radio Free Asia 20 May 2024 -- New restrictions requiring Myanmar nationals to obtain a special "smart card" before they can cross into a neighboring country have led to long lines at checkpoints and a thriving black market for the cards in border towns, applicants said Monday.
About 30 Rohingya killed in clashes between Myanmar junta, insurgents Radio Free Asia 18 May 2024 -- About 30 members of Myanmar's Rohingya minority have been killed in clashes between junta forces and ethnic minority Buddhist insurgents, residents of Rakhine State said on Saturday, raising new fears that the persecuted Muslim community is being caught in the middle of increasingly bitter fighting.
Indian authorities in Manipur state force Myanmar refugees out of border villagers Radio Free Asia 17 May 2024 -- Myanmar refugees who fled civil war and sought refuge in border villages in neighboring India's Manipur state said they are are being deported by local authorities and a paramilitary group.
Gas nears US$50 per gallon amid clashes in Kachin state Radio Free Asia 17 May 2024 -- Fighting between ethnic rebels and the military has cut off access to the district of Puta-O in northern Myanmar's Kachin state, trapping more than 100,000 civilians and sending the price of food and fuel skyrocketing, residents said Friday.
Talks between Myanmar rebel alliance and junta focus on Chinese interests Radio Free Asia 17 May 2024 -- Representatives of a Myanmar ethnic minority insurgent alliance met junta officials for a fifth round of Chinese-brokered talks, with key issues being Chinese border trade and stability in western Myanmar, where China has big investments, a source close to the rebel alliance said on Friday.
U.S. Ambassador to UN Agencies in Rome Calls for Urgent and Sustained Support for Rohingya Refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh WFP 17 May 2024 -- After a week-long mission in Bangladesh, visiting projects of the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Ambassador Jeffrey Prescott, the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, called on the international community to continue its support to the Rohingya refugees and their Bangladeshi host communities for a crisis that shows no signs of abating.
Myanmar rebel leaders meet senior Japanese official Radio Free Asia 16 May 2024 -- A senior Japanese official met with the representatives from several of Myanmar's ethnic armed organizations in Tokyo on Tuesday in a rare high-level meeting between anti-junta forces and a foreign power.
Myanmar's civil war has displaced 3 million people: UN Radio Free Asia 16 May 2024 -- Intensifying conflict in Myanmar's civil war has displaced more than 3 million civilians, according to the United Nations resident coordinator in the Southeast Asian country.
ASEAN special envoy meets with Myanmar junta leader Radio Free Asia 16 May 2024 -- A Southeast Asian envoy has met Myanmar's junta leader to discuss a peaceful resolution to its problems, a junta controlled newspaper reported on Thursday, but a shadow government opposed to military rule said there could be no solution without its involvement.
Thailand denies restricting student visas for Myanmar nationals Radio Free Asia 16 May 2024 -- Thailand has placed no restrictions on educational visas for Myanmar nationals, its foreign ministry said Wednesday, despite reports of students being rejected on the grounds that they must apply from outside the country.
Myanmar junta forces kill 15 villagers after clashes with Rakhine State insurgents Radio Free Asia 15 May 2024 -- Myanmar junta forces battling ethnic minority insurgents in three townships in the west have killed 15 people in strikes on villages, residents told Radio Free Asia Wednesday.
Myanmar military adds advanced Chinese drones to arsenal Radio Free Asia 14 May 2024 -- Myanmar's military is adding advanced Chinese drones to its arsenal and using them to attack its enemies with increasingly devastating effect, rebel groups say.
Widespread Myanmar water shortage kills scores of people Radio Free Asia 14 May 2024 -- Nearly 50 villages in western Myanmar are facing shortages of water, residents told RFA on Tuesday, after the hot season brought record high temperatures across the region.
Thousands of Rohingyas flee to rebel territory amid clashes in Rakhine Radio Free Asia 13 May 2024 -- Around 7,000 Rohingyas in western Myanmar's Rakhine state are sheltering in rebel territory amid escalating tensions between the military and the Arakan Army, according to residents and the AA.
Myanmar junta forces kill dozens in attack on monasteries Radio Free Asia 13 May 2024 -- Myanmar junta forces killed 32 civilians hiding in monasteries, witnesses and insurgent groups told Radio Free Asia, in what if confirmed would be one of the deadliest massacres in recent months of fighting.
Myanmar refugees in India fear more arrests, deportations VOA 13 May 2024 -- Refugees from Myanmar seeking shelter from their country's grinding civil war in neighboring India tell VOA they fear a wave of arrests and forced returns following the Manipur state government's recent moves to start deporting them.
Myanmar junta bombs rebel meeting, killing 16, including child Radio Free Asia 10 May 2024 -- Myanmar junta airstrikes on a gathering of opponents of military rule killed 16 people, including a child, and injured 25, residents and an anti-junta militia member said on Friday.
Fighting in Rakhine state townships displaces 40,000 Rohingyas Radio Free Asia 09 May 2024 -- At least 40,000 ethnic Rohingyas have been forced to flee intense clashes between junta troops and the rebel Arakan Army in two townships in western Myanmar's Rakhine state since the start of the week, and are now facing a humanitarian crisis, the displaced told RFA Burmese on Thursday.
20,000 displaced by battles: Myanmar rescue workers Radio Free Asia 09 May 2024 -- Clashes have forced more than 20,000 people from their homes in Myanmar, residents and rescue teams told Radio Free Asia on Thursday, exacerbating what the United Nations has warned is a deepening humanitarian crisis.
Lao police arrest and hand over 17 Myanmar citizens to military junta Radio Free Asia 08 May 2024 -- Lao police handed over 17 Myanmar nationals to junta soldiers at a border checkpoint in the northern Golden Triangle region - the first time Laos has arrested and transferred anti-junta activists, several Myanmar citizens who live in Laos told Radio Free Asia.
Myanmar's military on the back foot as the dry season comes to a close Radio Free Asia 08 May 2024 -- Myanmar's dry season is ending soon, with the military junta on the back foot after more than six months of reversals and losses to the opposition. This points to an intensification of attacks from the beleaguered regime.
Myanmar insurgents accused of recruiting Rohingya in Bangladesh camps Radio Free Asia 08 May 2024 -- Myanmar Muslim insurgents have pressed about 500 Rohingya refugees in camps in Bangladesh to join the war in their homeland where fighting between rival factions has intensified sharply in recent weeks, refugees told Radio Free Asia.
Thailand's biometric data collection stirs debate for Myanmar nationals Radio Free Asia 07 May 2024 -- Thailand has piloted a biometric data collection program across five provinces, seeking to streamline health services for Myanmar nationals and stateless people - the country's most mobile population.
Myanmar helicopter crash ends in shootout, killing pilot, anti-junta group says Radio Free Asia 07 May 2024 -- An insurgent group in eastern Myanmar said on Tuesday it shot down a junta military helicopter and killed its pilot then clashed with junta forces on the ground.
Junta troops and Rohingya militia jointly raid Rakhine village Radio Free Asia 07 May 2024 -- Junta troops accompanied by a newly recruited ethnic Rohingya militia raided a village in western Myanmar's Rakhine state on Monday night, torching buildings and killing a young mother of two children, according to residents.
Human rights lawyer predicts international warrants in Rohingya genocide case VOA 07 May 2024 -- A court in Argentina is hearing evidence of genocide in the 2017 murder and rape of tens of thousands of Rohingya people and may soon issue international arrest warrants against members of the Myanmar military, according to a legal representative of the Rohingya complainants.
Former Thai PM Thaksin seeks mediation role in Myanmar conflict VOA 07 May 2024 -- Thailand's influential former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, has met with key figures in the resistance to Myanmar's ruling junta with a goal of mediating a resolution to the armed conflict that has raged in Myanmar for more than three years.
INTERVIEW: Ex-UN rights rapporteur on Argentina's Rohingya genocide case Radio Free Asia 06 May 2024 -- In an interview with Radio Free Asia's Ye Kaung Myint Maung, international human rights attorney Tomas Ojea Quintana spoke about a case filed in a court in Argentina in 2019 that alleges genocide and crimes against humanity committed by senior Myanmar officials against Rohingya Muslims.
Hundreds of Myanmar junta troops surrender near Bangladesh border Radio Free Asia 06 May 2024 -- At least 200 Myanmar junta troops have surrendered after an ethnic minority army captured their headquarters in Rakhine State, near the Bangladesh border, the anti-junta organization said on Monday.
China sends 300 workers to deep sea port project in Myanmar's Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 03 May 2024 -- China has sent more than 300 technicians and workers to a deep sea port project in western Myanmar's Rakhine state amid intense fighting between the military and ethnic rebels, according to residents.
Myanmar junta bans all men from working abroad Radio Free Asia 02 May 2024 -- Myanmar's junta has banned all men from working abroad amid widespread public concern over the implementation of a military draft law.
Landmine toll set to surpass previous years in eastern Myanmar Radio Free Asia 02 May 2024 -- Thirty people have been injured or killed by landmines in an eastern Myanmar state this year, officials there said, highlighting a problem that the U.N. children's agency says has made Myanmar one of the world's most heavily mined countries.
Myanmar ethnic army secures 2 bases after month-long battle Radio Free Asia 01 May 2024 -- An ethnic minority insurgent force in Myanmar has captured two strategic positions near the junta's regional military headquarters in Rakhine State, residents told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday.

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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

May 2024 - Myanmar Special Weapons News