News
- UN urges Myanmar military to end aid obstruction after earthquakeThe United Nations Human Rights Office on Friday called upon Myanmar’s military to immediately halt its ongoing attacks and allow urgent humanitarian aid to reach communities devastated by last month’s earthquake. The UN emphasized the military’s obligation to comply with international law and ensure aid reaches those in dire need.… Read more »
- UN warns of worsening humanitarian crisis in Myanmar following earthquakeThe United Nations warned on Tuesday that the humanitarian situation in Myanmar is worsening following the two earthquakes that struck the country on March 28. The UN emphasized the need for international cooperation to help restore livelihoods and prevent similar events from having such devastating impacts in the future. Titon… Read more »
- Student protester arrested in Thailand for calling Myanmar leader a murderer, criticizing Thai governmentA Thai student protester was arrested in Bangkok on Friday for calling Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing a “murderer,” as well as for criticizing the Thai government over its support for the visiting leader during the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit. Hlaing’s… Read more »
- UN officials call for ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid following Myanmar earthquakesUN officials called for an immediate ceasefire in Myanmar on Monday, three days after two powerful earthquakes struck the country, killing approximately 2,000 people and overwhelming the already fragile infrastructure. UN Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator Marcoluigi Corsi issued a statement on behalf of the UN Country Team, expressing condolences to… Read more »
- Rights groups urge Myanmar junta to facilitate relief efforts after aid requestHuman Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International on Tuesday called on the military junta of Myanmar to facilitate relief efforts and join opposition groups in a partial ceasefire. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar and Thailand last Friday, devastating the Sagaing region. The official death toll is at 2,065 although… Read more »
- Trump defunding global media leaves human rights violations unchecked: Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International on Monday condemned President Donald Trump’s executive order that significantly reduced funding for US-backed media outlets, including Radio Free Asia (RFA). The organization said that the reduced funding effectively amounted to a closure and the surrender of “a tried-and-tested tool of soft US power.” The statement highlighted RFA’s… Read more »
- Rights group urges Myanmar to facilitate humanitarian aid for earthquake survivorsAmnesty International on Friday urged Myanmar’s military authorities to ensure full and unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for those affected by the recent 7.7-magnitude earthquake in central Myanmar. The group urged the military must remove administrative barriers that can delay needs assessments and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches all affected… Read more »
- UN agency to halve food ration for Rohingya refugees amid overall funding declineThe UN World Food Programme (WFP) plans to halve the food rations to $6 a month per refugee starting next month. Amnesty International on Thursday called on the international community to step up and support the WFP to avoid a devastating impact on the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. With 95… Read more »
- UN called to investigate possible affiliation of Special Envoy to Myanmar with China companiesJustice for Myanmar (JFM) released a statement calling on the United Nations to investigate possible conflicts of interest with its Special Envoy to Myanmar due to her possible links with Chinese state-owned entities. The Special Envoy, Julie Bishop, served as the Australian minister of foreign affairs from 2013-2018 and was… Read more »
- UN rights chief calls for arms embargo addressing Myanmar humanitarian crisisUN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday urged the international community to implement an arms embargo and targeted sanctions on Myanmar. Türk delivered his statement at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council, describing the rights situation in Myanmar as one of the worst in… 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 »