News
- Myanmar forces arrest son-in-law of country’s former military rulerMyanmar’s security forces arrested Nay Soe Maung, son-in-law of former longtime military ruler Than Shwe, for allegedly posting inflammatory statements on his Facebook account, state-run media reported Thursday. Nay Soe Maung is currently the head of Mingalardon Hospital and a retired military general. His father is General Tin Sein. Nay… Read more »
- Deteriorating humanitarian situation of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh sparks international concernAmnesty International reported Thursday that Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are facing a deteriorating humanitarian situation, and are living under life-threatening conditions due to the absence of essential facilities. The rights group called on the belligerents in Myanmar to abide by international law, and urged the international community to provide more… Read more »
- UN refugee agency warns of rise in displacement crisesHigh Commissioner of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, warned on Monday that displacement crises in Lebanon and Syria could worsen and urged effective solutions from stakeholders. In an opening statement to the Executive Committee at UNHCR’s annual meeting in Geneva, Filippo Grandi shed light onto the situation of about 123… Read more »
- Myanmar military court jails villagers for their alleged support of rebel armed groupMyanmar’s military court sentenced 144 civilians from Rakhine State to prison for their alleged support to insurgent armed groups, local media reported on Monday. The military court’s verdict comes more than three months after the arrest of the sentenced civilians in a military attack on their village Byain Phyu in… Read more »
- Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh hold rallies on seventh anniversary of exodusFootage from Northeast Live shows tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees were holding rallies in refugee camps Sunday to mark the seven-year anniversary of “genocide day” in Myanmar. Individuals involved in the rallies continued to call for an end to the violence and the ability to return to their home… Read more »
- UN rights commissioner expresses concerns over deteriorating situation in Myanmar amid ongoing violenceUN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in Myanmar amid the ongoing violence in the country. According to the UN Human Rights Office, the military and the Arakan Army committed human rights violations against the minority Rohingya community in Myanmar, despite their obligations… Read more »
- ICJ permits seven states to intervene in The Gambia’s alleged genocide case against MyanmarThe ICJ unanimously decided to allow seven states to intervene in the ongoing genocide case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar on Wednesday. The countries granted permission to participate in the proceedings are Maldives, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. The court found their declarations of intervention… Read more »
- Committee to Protect Journalists calls for release of Myanmar journalist who wrote about military operation in Arakan StateThe Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent organisation that defends the rights of journalists, called Tuesday for the release of Htet Aung, a Myanmar journalist who had been sentenced to five years imprisonment with hard labour. The sentence of Htet Aung followed the publication of his article for the… Read more »
- Argentina prosecutor requests arrest warrants for Rohingya genocide suspectsThe Argentine Prosecutor investigating the genocide against the Rohingya formally petitioned the Argentinian Court on to issue twenty-five arrest warrants for genocide and crimes against humanity under Article 294 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Argentina. The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) brought the case forward under the principle of… Read more »
- India investigation agency arrests individual for conspiracy to exacerbate Manipur violenceThe National Investigation Agency of India (NIA) arrested Thongminthang Haokip on Thursday in relation to a transnational conspiracy to exacerbate violence in Manipur. The arrests were made on various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. According to the NIA, the conspiracy can be traced… Read more »
Commentary
- Youth Caught in the Crossfire: The Devastating Impact of Myanmar’s Conscription LawFor many of the world’s nations, domestic warfare is thought of as a thing of the past. Battlefields, mass killings, hostilities, guerrilla warfare, and wartime brutalities are little more than words in a textbook for much of the global population — a theoretical possibility that only currently affects distant populations.… Read more »
- The Uphill Road to Peace Negotiations in MyanmarOn February 1, 2021, Myanmar’s military ousted the nation’s democratically elected government. Almost two years on, conflict continues to plague Myanmar and its citizens. In some parts of the country, a handful of groups have taken up arms. Most notably, the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs), the People Defense Forces (PDF),… Read more »
- One Year After Military Coup, Myanmar Heads NowhereIt’s been one full year since Myanmar has come once again under military rule. Since the February 1, 2021 coup, the poverty-stricken Southeast Asian nation has attracted international media attention, but for the wrong reasons. The country, with a 60 million population of varied ethnicities, continues to witness public protests… Read more »
- Folly Redux?: The Deeper Meanings of a Second Trump PresidencyCredo quia absurdum. “I believe because it is absurd.” -Tertullian Macrocosm and Microcosm One thing is certain. If Donald J. Trump should decide to run again, various condemnations and justifications would instantly spring forth from absolutely every segment of the political spectrum. The deepest and truest explanations, however, would not… Read more »
- Right to Life Encompasses Non-refoulement: Indian High Court Advances Refugee PolicyIn Nandita Haksar v. State of Manipur, decided May 3, 2021, the High Court of Manipur (an Indian state that borders Myanmar) granted seven Myanmarese citizens who had illegally entered India without documentation permission to approach the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Office in Delhi. This decision came… Read more »
- International Sanctions Against Military Coups – Cure or Curse?On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military seized power in a coup following the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders. The military, in an announcement on the military-owned channel “Myawaddy,” declared that Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto civilian leader of the country, had… Read more »
- The Constitutional Fiction of Myanmar’s CoupConstitutions don’t always matter much in a coup. But the 2008 Constitution matters to Myanmar’s coup of 1 February. The military has created a constitutional fiction about the coup in a thin attempt to claim legality for its actions. I explain the legal disputes that the military claims are the… Read more »
- Will Myanmar Comply with Provisional Measures in Gambia v. Myanmar?Introduction On November 11, 2019 The Gambia submitted an application against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging that Myanmar had violated its obligations under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention). The representation made by The Gambia as a… Read more »
- Release of Suu Kyi only a small step toward Myanmar democracyPaul Copeland [Advisory Council, Canadian Friends of Burma]: "Although I practice law in the city of Toronto, for the last 22 years I have been involved with the democracy movement in Burma (also known as Myanmar). I have visited three... The post Release of Suu Kyi only a small step… Read more »