Burma Military Coup

The execution of the four political prisoners – Phyo Zeya Thaw, Ko Jimmy, Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw – was confirmed by the military regime’s spokesperson, Zaw Min Tun when he speaking to local media. The Democratic Voice of Burma reported, Zaw Min Tun told the Voice of Myanmar, the executions would go ahead. “They will be executed…

Justice for Myanmar, a campaign alliance collecting, investigating evidence and exposing the business network of the Burma military, issued a statement welcoming the European Union’s decision to impose economic sanctions on 22 individuals associating with the junta and four companies, including the International Group of Entrepreneurs (IGE), Mining Enterprise 1 (ME1), Htoo Group, and Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE),…

The farmer explained to Karen News the recent increase in costs associated with farming is creating hardship – fuel costs have tripled. “Price have increased a lot in recent days. Fuel is now more than 7,000 kyats (about USD$ 4) a gallon. Before, we could use 2,000 Kyat (about USD$ 1.5) worth of fuel for the whole day. Now, we…

For the last nine months the people of Burma have been battered by the military, left to struggle without healthcare protection against COVID-19 – thousands died. While soldiers and police terrorized urban civilians, the military’s warplanes and helicopters delivered airstrikes and the Burma Army ground attacks on ethnic villagers, displacing as many as 200,000 people. As of the 20th October,…

Most international NGO’s have fled Burma, leaving local community groups to do the best they can with limited resources. A briefing paper published on October 4, 2021 – No where to run: Deepening Humanitarian Crisis in Burma – highlights the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Kachin, Karen, Karenni (Kayah), Chin and Rakhine States. The briefing paper, the work of 10 civil…

During the last week of September, money exchanges offered 2,700 Kyat to the US dollar compared to 1,695 on the 1st September. The local currency began falling immediately after the military launched its coup against the democratically elected government on 1st February. When the military-appointed State Administration Council took control of the country, the Kyat traded at 1,395 to the…

By Conor Phelan* The government has restricted access to social media and the internet. On the 4th of February, popular social media sites Facebook, Facebook messenger and WhatsApp were blocked, followed quickly by Twitter and Instagram. The military appointed State Administration Council imposed nationwide internet blockades, regularly lasting from 1am to 9am, since February 15. The government’s attempt to supress…

The numbers of displaced Kachin villagers driven from their villages by the Burma Army is now estimated by community based organizations to be more than 100,000. To add to the difficulties of caring for the displaced villagers, Kachin community-based-organizations said they have had to deal with government policy and its military, blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid. A statement released…

The political situation in Burma had offered some hope for the more than 90,000 refugees living in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border to return to their homeland. Beginning in 2013, some refugees made the decision to return to Burma on their own, while others decided to go back through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) sponsored ‘Voluntary…

Journalists in Myanmar are being hunted and arrested by the country’s military for trying to do their job. Independent media outlets have been raided, licenses revoked and offices closed. To avoid arrest, independent journalists have gone into deep hiding, taken refuge in ethnic controlled regions or fled to neighboring countries. The military and its paid informers trawl through neighborhoods, coffee…