Having received poor compensation for their land, villagers demand Mon State government investigate June Cement Industry Ltd.

July 16, 2019

In their search for justice, farmers in Kyaikmayaw Township’s Mount Pyar Taung region are demanding that the Mon State government investigate the June Cement Industry Ltd.’s  2011 acquisition of farmland. Specifically, area farmers have taken issue with the low levels of compensation provided in exchange for their land.

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2-year prison sentence for social media post signals renewed attack on freedom of expression in Mon State

July 5, 2019

On July 1st 2019, U Aung San Oo, an activist and resident of Mote Tama town, Paung Township, Mon State, was sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labor by the Paung Township Court on charges of defamation under Section 66(D) of the Telecommunications Law. The charges were brought against U Aung San Oo by U Zaw Zaw Htoo, a Paung Township lawmaker, in response to a social media (Facebook) post wherein U Aung San Oo referred to the lawmaker as a “mindless drunk” following an interpersonal conflict between the two.

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Farmers brace for financial ruin as 30,000 acres flood due to Mon State government’s mismanagement of irrigation system

June 29, 2019

More than 2,000 farmers from 11 villages in Paung Township have suffered considerable financial loss this rainy season as the mismanagement of an irrigation system set up by the Mon State Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MOALI) has resulted in the flooding of some 30,000 acres of farmland. The irrigation system is in place to support the expansion of the Mon State government’s “Summer Paddy Project,” an initiative that extends rice growing through the dry season.

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Through transitional justice, victims and survivors will become the nation-builders of tomorrow: HURFOM’s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 2019 Statement

June 26, 2019

On this International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) stands in unity with all torture survivors across the globe, and recognizes that much work lays ahead if we are to truly end impunity for perpetrators of cruel, degrading, and inhuman acts, and eradicate in absolute terms such reprehensible rights violations.

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Villagers reluctant to voice true concerns in public consultation meeting with June Cement Ltd.

June 21, 2019

HURFOM: On June 15th 2019, June Cement Industry Ltd. hosted a public consultation meeting in Mae Ga Row village, Kyaikmayaw Township, Mon State. The meeting was held to inform villagers living near June Cement’s operations of the company’s proposed work plan, and to solicit feedback from villagers. The company’s operations are located in the Mount Pyar Taung region of Kyaikmayaw Township, home to the controversial Mawlamyine Cement Limited (MCL) factory.

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World Refugee Day 2019 Statement

June 20, 2019

HURFOM: On this World Refugee Day, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) is proud to announce the release of a new joint-report entitled “There Is No One Who Does Not Miss Home: A Report on Protracted Displacement Due to Armed Conflict in Burma/Myanmar.” Based on the work of 15 civil society organizations (CSOs) including HURFOM, the report documents the needs, concerns, and perspectives of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees long forced from their homes due to decades of armed conflict, oppression, and persecution.

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Teenage girl struck twice with machete while escaping attempted rape; Suspect still at large

June 19, 2019

HURFOM: On June 6th 2019, a 17-year-old girl from Hmin War Gone village, Kyar Inn Seik Kyi Township, Karen State, was struck twice in the head with a machete when escaping what she believed to be an attempted rape. The girl was visiting her parents’ farm while awaiting the results of her matriculation exam when the attacker entered the family’s home, requested a glass of water, and made an unwanted sexual advance. The perpetrator has yet to be apprehended.

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Teenage girl in Mawlamyine Township finally sees her rapist brought to justice

June 18, 2019

HURFOM: According to U Thet Tun of the Mitta Zone See Organization, on May 30th 2019, a man detained by authorities for the repeated rape of his niece was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In 2017, following the death of her father and her mother’s second marriage, the victim and her younger brother were sent to live with their grandmother in Zayar Thiri Region, Mawlamyine Township, Mon State. It was in this residence that the girl was repeatedly raped by her uncle.

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Tensions flare after Department of Basic Education attempts takeover of Mon National School

June 17, 2019

HURFOM: Without first informing the Mon National Education Committee (MNEC), on June 6th 2019, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) placed a placard in front of a Mon National School in Ye Ngan Gyi village, Yebyu Township, Tenasserim division. The placard stated that the school, which hosts some 50 students, was now operated by the DBE. As stated by Nai Rot Ka Kao, a member of the MNEC, the decision to place the placard in front of the school without first informing the MNEC could lead to conflict between the two bodies. The DBE operates under the authority of the Union-level Ministry of Education and promotes a Bamar-centric curricula.

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Man arrested for the rape and murder of 4-year-old girl in Thanbyuzayat Township

June 14, 2019

HURFOM: On June 5th 2019, a 4-year-old girl from Aung Thu Khaw Ward, Kyaik Kha Mi Town, Thanbyuzayat Township, was raped, killed, and her body disposed of in a lake by a 28-year-old man who had relocated to the area for work. The perpetrator has since been arrested and charged for his crimes.

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