Weekly Overview: Human Rights Situation in Mon State, Karen State and Tanintharyi Region
October 23, 2023
HURFOM, Third Week of October
Over the last week, the military junta has continued manipulating the Burma system to mock the rule of law as they target civilians. The regime does not consider fundamental freedoms and upholding and protecting human rights. The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) reported several cases of more pro-democracy forces being assaulted and charged under fabricated charges and baseless allegations.
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October 16, 2023
HURFOM, Second Week of October
Over the last week, a devastating airstrike claimed the lives of dozens of civilians, including women and children in Kachin State. The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) condemned the attack on civilians, including women and children, who were sheltering in an IDP camp when the attacks were launched. The violence against our communities must end. HURFOM amplified our calls for justice for the victims of this harrowing assault.
Even amid these atrocities, the international community, including the United Nations, has refused to name the perpetrator of the air and ground strikes perpetrated by the Burma Army. It is deeply unfortunate that despite the many opportunities to stand with the people, global actors engage with a terrorist regime responsible for the deaths of innocent villagers who have only wanted to live in peace for decades.
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October 9, 2023
HURFOM, First Week of October
Last week, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) released the findings from our monthly overview. In September 2023, HURFOM fieldworkers reported that 82 people were arrested, 50 detained, 38 injured, and 14 killed. These numbers continue to rise week after week, month after month, and now, two and a half years after the failed coup, the junta continues to commit acts of senseless violence.
In a reported release over the last week, between January and June 2023, HURFOM documented that 146 civilians were killed, 315 injured, and 840 civilians arrested and detained. These numbers are particularly worrying given that by the end of 2022, HURFOM reported that at least 1,155 innocent people had been arrested and detained, 146 killed, including 26 women and children, and nearly 500 injured, of which 120 were women and children. Across our findings, impunity for all the crimes committed remains consistent.
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September 25, 2023
HURFOM | Week Three, September 2023
As September 2023 nears an end, the brutality of the Burma Army is ongoing. Thousands of civilians remain displaced and living in uncertainty of whether or not they will survive to the next day. The junta only knows war, and their violent strategies have deprived innocent people of their humanity. The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) is concerned that despite these horrible circumstances, the international community and various United Nations bodies continue to engage with the regime. As HURFOM noted on International Peace Day, the military junta is not a partner in peace.
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September 18, 2023
HURFOM | Week Two, September 2023
Civilians living in Southeastern Burma continue to exist with the threat of attack by the Burma Army at any time. The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) is hearing ongoing reports of fear and terror as villagers ‘dare not return’ to the places they once called home. Over the last week, more human rights violations occurred, including destruction of property, torture, and indiscriminate firing.
The military junta is targeting supporters of the resistance movement. The illegal regime has failed to grab power in their attempted coup and continues to be engaged in a senseless, unearned bid for legitimacy.
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September 11, 2023
HURFOM | Week One, September 2023
A weekly update by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) on the situation on the ground. Summary data includes Mon State, Karen State, and Tanintharyi region.
As another ASEAN summit came and passed, little progress was made on the human rights situation in Burma. While the regional bloc condemns the junta’s behavior, they also enable it by permitting the murderous regime to attend meetings and training, including on anti-terrorism and security – of which the Burma Army has no place. The lives of innocent people are at risk, yet regional and global entities, including the UN, make conscious choices to stand with dictators rather than those of the pro-democracy movement.
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August 28, 2023
HURFOM | August Week 4
During the last week of August, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) continues to report increasing cases of injustice in Southeastern Burma. The situation’s urgency demands action and intervention by the international community, especially as vulnerable communities suffer from socio-economic instability. It has become extremely difficult for people to survive at the junta, which wages their offensives on largely unarmed people.
Read moreWeekly Overview: Human Rights Situation in Mon State, Karen State, and Tanintharyi Region
August 21, 2023
HURFOM | August Week Three
In Southeastern Burma, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), the impunity of the military junta is evident in the number of cases documented daily. Across the last two and a half years, ongoing, widespread attacks against civilians have occurred. Rather than engage meaningfully with civil society organizations and take accountability pathways which hold the junta responsible, UN affiliates and others have corresponded with the military. Most recently, the United Nations Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, met with the terrorist-in-chief, Min Aung Hlaing.
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August 14, 2023
HURFOM | August Week Two
Among the many worrying circumstances in Burma that have worsened since the attempted coup, the security of civilians’ livelihoods remains at high-risk. The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) continues to hear testimonies from survivors of attacks on their homes and families. The situation remains volatile as pathways for justice and accountability are extremely limited. The military is trying to create an illusion of normalcy in the country, but the people on the ground know all too well the horrors occurring. Their calls for accountability and justice are steadfast and must be listened to.
Read moreWeekly Overview: Human Rights Situation in Mon State, Karen State, and Tanintharyi Region
August 7, 2023
HURFOM | August First Week
Over halfway through the year, the situation in Southeastern Burma continues to deteriorate rapidly. The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) reports increasing violations of the rights and security of civilians targeted by the junta. Baseless accusations and a lack of rule of law have left the most vulnerable subjected to military force without accountability. HURFOM continues our calls for justice and reparations, and the international community to advocate for their protection through sanctions on aviation fuel and for a global arms embargo. The slowness and lack of urgency on the situation in Burma remain frustrating as civilians exist under increasing threats to their survival.
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