News
- US imposes sanctions on Myanmar military government and jet fuelThe US Department of State Friday imposed further sanctions against Myanmar, joining other nations in their efforts to condemn human rights violations and violence occurring in the country in the two years since the military coup. The sanctions apply to two individuals and six entities, according to a statement released… Read more »
- Massive fire in Rohingya refugee camp raises humanitarian aid alarmThe UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Sunday reported a massive fire in the Balukhali refugee camp. The camp in southeast Bangladesh is home to tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees. UNHCR officials reported an estimated 2,0000 shelters and 90 hospitals, schools and other essential structures destroyed. Nearly 12,000 people lost everything… Read more »
- Myanmar suffering from ‘intensified violence’ and ongoing human rights abuses, UN human rights office reportsThe UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Friday released a report highlighting numerous human rights violations in Myanmar two years after the military coup. The report states: Myanmar’s conflict landscape has changed dramatically, highlighting concerns for the protection of civilians. By late 2021, and throughout 2022,… Read more »
- Meta announces removal of three state-linked fake account networksFacebook parent company Meta Thursday announced that it took down three state-linked “domestic influence operations” in the past quarter. Each operation used fake account networks to influence domestic politics and target opposition parties. Operations linked to ruling parties and governments in Cuba, Serbia and Bolivia were found by Meta investigators… Read more »
- Australia must take action against Myanmar’s military junta, Human Rights Watch saysA Human Rights Watch (HRW) report Sunday criticized Australia’s inaction since the military junta took over Myanmar in a military coup two years ago. According to the report, Australia has yet to impose sanctions on the junta in response to their human rights violations. HRW accuses the junta of being… Read more »
- Myanmar dispatch: two years after the military coup, Myanmar people stage a ‘silent strike’Myanmar law students are reporting for JURIST on challenges to the rule of law in their country under the military junta that deposed the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Here, one of our correspondents who must remain anonymous offers her perspective on circumstances and events… Read more »
- World powers issue new sanctions on second anniversary of Myanmar coupThe US, UK, Canada and Australia marked the second anniversary of Myanmar’s military coup with new sanctions on Myanmar individuals and entities. The US Tuesday issued sanctions on six Myanmar individuals, as well as mining enterprises and the Union Election Commission. In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken… Read more »
- Oil companies continue operating in Myanmar despite human rights abuses and sanctionsA human rights agency reported Wednesday that some of the world’s largest energy providers continue operating in Myanmar after the military’s attempted coup. The Myanmar military junta staged a coup in February 2021, and has killed thousands of citizens since taking power. The oil and gas industry is the junta’s… Read more »
- Myanmar junta restricts election participation in new lawMyanmar’s military junta Friday announced a new law that restricts the ability of political parties to participate in elections. The new Political Parties Registration Law contains strict provisions, such as requiring parties that wish to take part in the upcoming election to recruit a minimum of 100,000 party members within… Read more »
- Amnesty International calls for increased global action on Myanmar coup anniversaryAmnesty International Monday called for increased global action and solidarity with the people of Myanmar on the two-year anniversary of the 2021 coup by the military junta or Tatmadaw. Amnesty International highlighted Tatmadaw’s alleged human rights violations in its statement and drew attention to the regime’s use of aerial and… Read more »
Commentary
- 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 »