Summary of News
- Human Rights Minister U Aung Myo Min welcomes Special Rapporteur’s report on Myanmar submitted to UN Human Rights Council
- Deputy Human Rights Minister cautions junta’s use of Rohingya as proxy to protest against AA
- Deputy Minister for Electricity and Energy says that only responsibility and accountability will ensure the success of revolution
- KIO Lieutenant General Gun Maw urges public to decide quickly on military junta’s conscription law, warning of irreversible consequences
- TNLA Brigadier General Tar Bhone Kyaw affirms Operation 1027 continues and urges unified resistance for swift fall of military dictatorship
- Magway Region PDF issues stern warning to personnel involved in military junta’s forced conscription, urging immediate resignation
- Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd to hold town hall meetings with Myanmar diaspora in New York, USA, to discuss current state of affairs in Myanmar
- KIA retakes former headquarters Nahpaw, occupied by the military for nearly four decades, along with Bugashan base
- Military junta utilizes drones to drop over 200 bombs on civilian targets in KNU 5th Brigade’s Hpapun District within two days
- Two elderly men killed by military junta in Htantabin township, Bago Region
1. Human Rights Minister U Aung Myo Min welcomes Special Rapporteur’s report on Myanmar submitted to UN Human Rights Council
In a social media post dated March 21, Human Rights Minister U Aung Myo Min of the National Unity Government (NUG) expressed appreciation for the report on Myanmar presented to the 55th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council by Special Rapporteur Mr. Thomas Andrew.
Minister U Aung Myo Min stated, “I welcome the report submitted by Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Mr. Thomas Andrew, to the United Nations Human Rights Council. He provided a comprehensive overview of the current situation in Myanmar through ten chapters. The report addressed various critical issues, including the killing of civilians, sexual violence during conflicts, landmine and cluster munition usage, forced labour and recruitment, and abuses by other armed groups. It also strongly advocates for the international community to engage with the NUG, EROs, and CSOs while isolating the military junta. It also urges the International Criminal Court (ICC) to accept the declaration lodged by the NUG. During discussions, the rapporteur encouraged states that have signed the Rome Statute to support the investigation into Myanmar under Article 14 of the Rome Statute.”
Minister U Aung Myo Min mentioned that 36 member states participated in the discussion, with many urging actions on various issues such as compulsory conscription, humanitarian aid for Rohingyas, human rights abuses, obstruction of humanitarian assistance, airstrikes and attacks on civilians, violations of international humanitarian law, and the transfer of these crimes to the ICC. He noted that a resolution is likely to be adopted soon.
2. Deputy Human Rights Minister cautions junta’s use of Rohingya as proxy to protest against AA
In a recent social media update, Deputy Human Rights Minister U Aung Kyaw Moe of the National Unity Government (NUG) cautioned the Rohingya community against the military junta’s tactics aimed at using them to instigate communal conflict in Rakhine State.
He stated: “Junta is using the Rohingya as a proxy to protest against AA in Buthidaung, [which] is definitely not organic. It is not that easy for the Rohingya to suddenly come together in hundreds of people on a random morning to protest. We, the Rohingya, must be politically very cautious and be in the right side of history. The act clearly instigates communal violence between Rakhine and the Rohingya, and at the end of the day, it is the Rohingya who will end up paying the highest price.”
3. Deputy Minister for Electricity and Energy says that only responsibility and accountability will ensure the success of revolution
In a Facebook update on March 20, U Maw Htun Aung, Deputy Minister for Electricity and Energy, underscored the significance of responsibility and accountability in achieving the revolution’s success. He expressed, “We are advancing the revolution’s objective by engaging in multifaceted battles. The objective of these battles is to actualize the revolutionary objective. The revolution’s objective serves as an unbiased criterion for evaluating every sector. Only having a clear and practical strategy, being able to measure this strategy, and being responsible and accountable will ensure the success of the revolution.”
Currently, the National Unity Government is collaborating with Ethnic Resistance Organizations (EROs) both militarily and politically, moving forward in accordance with the established Federal Democracy Charter.
4. KIO Lieutenant General Gun Maw urges public to decide quickly on military junta’s conscription law, warning of irreversible consequences
In a social media update on March 20, Lieutenant General Gun Maw of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) advised the public to swiftly decide on the military junta’s conscription law. He remarked, “It has been 40 days since the military council issued the military service law. Many may think they will be safe by staying indoors. However, the situation has escalated to the point where the military junta is issuing summons letters for military service directly to homes. I would like to caution that once the decision window passes, one may have to walk an irreversible, rough journey.”
The military junta announced the enforcement of the public military service law on February 10, 2024, and subsequently initiated forced recruitment processes in various states and regions in March. It was stated that selected individuals would undergo training in April.
5. TNLA Brigadier General Tar Bhone Kyaw affirms Operation 1027 continues and urges unified resistance for swift fall of military dictatorship
Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) Brigadier General Tar Bhone Kyaw emphasized during a recent interview that Operation 1027, initiated in northern Shan State, is not stopping. He asserted that if all revolutionary forces, including Ethnic Resistance Organizations and People’s Defence Forces (PDF) born from the Spring Revolution, unite in resisting the military junta, the dictatorship will collapse swiftly. He noted that while Operation 1027 has ceased in northern Shan State, it persists in Rakhine State, with the Arakan Army (AA) continuously seizing military junta bases and towns. General Tar Bhone Kyaw stressed that Operation 1027 serves as inspiration, demonstrating that towns and bases can be captured through collective effort.
Despite a recent ceasefire between the Northern Alliance and the military junta due to Chinese intervention through the Haigeng Agreement, General Tar Bhone Kyaw clarified that the Northern Alliance’s decision was not out of desire but necessity, while the military junta still harbours resentment over its losses.
He acknowledged public discouragement following the sudden slowdown of Operation 1027 but called for unity to overthrow the military dictatorship, particularly as the People’s Defence Forces (PDFs) born from the Spring Revolution strengthen alongside robust resistance in Kachin, Rakhine, Karen, and Karenni States. General Tar Bhone Kyaw cautioned against prolonging the military dictatorship, which would only lead to further losses and suffering.
General Tar Bhone Kyaw stressed that the military junta is already weakened, with morale depleted, and urged everyone to engage in a practical revolution, emphasizing that collective resistance would lead to the collapse of the military dictatorship.
6. Magway Region PDF issues stern warning to personnel involved in military junta’s forced conscription, urging immediate resignation
The Magway Region People’s Defence Force issued a statement on March 21, strongly cautioning individuals at various administrative levels—region, district, township, and wards in Magway Region—involved in the military junta’s forced conscription to cease their actions and resign. The statement underscored that junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and the generals who unlawfully seized power have no legitimacy to impose laws and authority over the country and its citizens. It firmly warned those complying with the junta’s orders to disengage from their participation in junta procedures and resign promptly.
7. Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd to hold town hall meetings with Myanmar diaspora in New York, USA, to discuss current state of affairs in Myanmar
According to the New York-based NYCBC, Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd, a Professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKIAPCSS) and a retired U.S. Army Officer, will hold town hall meetings with the Myanmar diaspora in Queens, New York, on March 23 and in Albany on March 24, to engage in discussions and share perspectives for the eradication of the military dictatorship and democracy restoration in Myanmar.
8. KIA retakes former headquarters Nahpaw, occupied by the military for nearly four decades, along with Bugashan base
According to military sources, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has retaken control of the Nahpaw base, a former KIA headquarters, as well as the Bugashan base in Waingmaw township near Laiza, where the current headquarters is situated, in Kachin State, today, March 21. This follows the capture of two other bases in the township on March 20, out of a total of five junta bases in the area. The Nahpaw base, previously lost to the military for nearly 40 years since 1987, was recaptured around 7:00 a.m. on March 21 after defeating approximately 150 junta troops stationed there. Similarly, the Bugashan base was also seized on the same morning. Additionally, it is reported that the KIA and allied forces pursued and attacked fleeing junta troops.
The KIA’s recent operation, which launched on March 7, has thus far resulted in the capture of over 40 military outposts and bases within 14 days of operations. They continue their offensive against the remaining junta bases in Kachin State.
9. Military junta utilizes drones to drop over 200 bombs on civilian targets in KNU 5th Brigade’s Hpapun District within two days
In a statement issued by the Karen National Union (KNU) Hpapun District (5th Brigade), it was reported that between March 19 and 20, the military junta conducted multiple drone assaults on civilian places in Hpapun District, releasing a combined total of 222 bombs. Consequently, more than 1,200 individuals from 102 households residing in villages across the district were forced to flee to safer locations.
10. Two elderly men killed by military junta in Htantabin township, Bago Region
According to a statement from the headquarters office of the Karen National Union (KNU), two elderly men were killed in Htantabin township, situated within the KNU’s Kaw Thoo Lei administrative territory in Bago Region.
On March 18, a 70-year-old man from Gwae Kone village in Zayat Gyi village tract was arrested and subsequently killed by the military junta forces during a raid on the village. The military junta forces tied him with a rope, doused him with gasoline, and set him ablaze.
Earlier, on March 8, a 65-year-old man from La Min Thar village in Zayat Gyi village tract lost his life due to injuries sustained from an artillery shell indiscriminately fired by the military junta.
#Credit : Radio NUG
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