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Power cuts and decline in charitably supports making water shortages more severe

HURFOM: As summer approaches, access to drinking water is coming under increasing threat in Mon State.  In addition, frequent power cuts and a decline in the number of charity groups providing drinking water is making a bad situation much worse.

“We are facing a water shortage problem, and power cuts are happening for half a day or nearly the whole day. Before the coup, there were many charity groups providing drinking water. But this year is different — we see no help. Some members of charity groups have to stay in hiding from the military, while some are being  arrested. That’s why the annual water shortage crisis is getting worse in our area,” said a resident who lives in Myine Thar Yar Ward, Mawlamyine.

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Weekly Update in HURFOM Targeted Areas [Week Four: March 2022]

Indiscriminate firing last week led to the death of a 17yr old Karen teenager as civilians continue to be targeted. Consequences await the junta.

Full Analysis:

As the month of March comes to an end, in HURFOM targeted areas there continues to be ongoing threats to survival and civilian safety and security. The war being forced upon innocent people has led to hundreds of thousands displaced across the country leaving many in crippling levels of poverty. Inflation has crippled households who are struggling to provide for their families with the bare minimum. Civil society organizations have attempted to fill these gaps, however, the ongoing blocks of aid and humanitarian assistance have made basic provision of services and delivery extremely difficult, and high risk.

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Military tightens security after killing activist: Villagers feel unsafe while traveling

HURFOM: On March 18, 2022, there was a shooting incident in Wae Paung village, Ye Township, Mon State.   The incident took place near the New Mon State Party (NMSP) controlled area.

A People Defense Force (PDF) vehicle broke down,  and members of the PDF were repairing the vehicle near a gasoline shop at the entrance of Wae Paung. The Burmese military responded by shooting at the PDF forces.

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Additional charge for street lighting burden Lamine residents

HURFOM: Privately owned companies that distribute and sell electricity in Ye Township, Mon State have been steadily increasing electricity fees month after month,  citing the rise in gasoline as the reason for the price hikes to consumers.

Bedok Construction & Engineering Co. Ltd, who distribute electricity in Lamine Sub-township and the nearby Kawdut village,  is also collecting an “extra fee” for street lights.   Local villages  see this as  unfair.

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Weekly Update in HURFOM Targeted Areas [Week Three: March 2022]

HURFOM: Weekly update on the situation in Karen, Mon & Dawei since the attempted coup:
13+ Arrested
9+ Detained
9+ Inured
4+ Killed

Civilians are unlawfully being targeted & charged in military-backed courts where justice has been delayed, denied, and dismissed.

Full Analysis:

In HURFOM target areas of Mon and Karen States, as well as Tanintharyi region, civilians have experienced mounting terror and intimidation tactics by the unlawful junta. Innocent people continue to be unlawfully arrested and charged in courts that are closed to the public which evokes the very spirit of authoritarian rule and judgment.

A school teacher involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in Khok Khwar village, Kyaninseki Township, Karen State was sentenced to 17 years in prison on three counts. Ko Hein Htet Aung was a primary school teacher who had joined the CDM. His court hearings were finalized on 9 March by a military junta backed court in Hpa-An, Taung Kale Prison. The court decision also included hard labor. The charges include Section 505 of the Penal Code, and Section 52a of the Anti-Terrorism Law. Two young activists in Dawei have also been sentenced to 12 years in prison each by the junta-backed Dawei prison court on March 14. These two strike leaders and activists, Ko Pai Khant Zaw, 19, and Ko Set Mai Soe, 24, were arrested in Dawei and detained since May last year.

In Mon State, a young man only 21 years old, along with his friends were stopped, searched and arbitrarily abducted by the junta near Ye Township highway station on 14 March. They were alleged to be affiliated with local civilian defense forces. Midnight raids in Ye Township, Mon State in particular are ongoing. On 16 March at 10:30 PM, Ko Yi Htay and another two residents from Yan Gyi Aung Ward were abducted after their homes were raided. A couple days there on 18 March, former National League for Democracy (NLD) Chairman, U Kyaw Moe Aye had his home and property seized by the junta in Ye township. His relatives, including his brother and nephew were arrested. Among the unlawful arrests this week, an elderly 80 year old man, who is well known and experienced in the community, was also abducted in Ye township, despite not having an arrest warrant or any grounds to do so.

At the end of the week, HURFOM documented more horror. At least three innocent local villagers were killed, and seven others injured when artillery shells exploded near a pagoda in Kyauktaung village, Thaton Township, Mon State during a festival. There must be justice and accountability for those who have fallen and lost their lives to such senseless violence.

Military junta security forces offer no protection from increasing thefts

HURFOM: The political situation in Mon State is becoming more unstable since the military coup.  Commodity prices have been steadily increasing and residents across Burma are experiencing a rise in thefts, burglaries and robberies nearly every day.

“We’ve frequently heard that motorbikes were stolen. There is no place to keep our motorbikes safe. If a motorbike is a little bit far away from its owner, it’ll be stolen for sure. People are also being robbed of their motorbikes even when they are riding them. We’re the ones who suffer. We can’t report these crimes to anyone or request protection from anyone,” said a Mawlamyine resident.

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Travel directive now requires NRC cards: Critics say, this is a new extortion tactic

HURFOM: On March 5, 2022, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population released a statement indicating that everyone traveling must show an authentic NRC (National Registration Card).   No longer would supportive documents  issued by the General Administration Department or a Police Station be accepted for any travel, visit or short stays and/or related business travel.

Effective April 1, 2022 everyone must instead now show an authentic NRC (National Registration Card). 

Critics argue that this new order simply creates  a new way for soldiers and police forces to extort money at all checkpoints.

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Weekly Update in HURFOM Targeted Areas [Week Two: March 2022]

HURFOM received rising cases of movement & travel restrictions by the junta in target areas including 8 incidents of moto + property confiscations.

Full Analysis:
It is undeniable that the military junta is losing their quest for power. Over one year since the failed coup, and Burma Army defections are mounting alongside a growing Civil Disobedience Movement. Armed resistance from local civilians who have taken up arms are defending their homes, villages and pushing back on the junta’s assaults. In response, the military has forced the wives and children of soldiers into training, and are putting police officers on the frontlines to fight.

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Power cuts forcing small business owners to consider shutting down

HURFOM: Since February 2022, the military junta has been unable to distribute enough electricity for citizens.  Power cuts for increasingly long periods of time are frequently happening across Burma.

Most small and medium enterprises (SMEs) rely on State provided electricity, but now  business owners are thinking they may have to shut down,  due to long and frequent power cuts and steep hikes in the price of gasoline.

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Electricity blackout periods mean people are limited to 3 to 6 hours/day of power

HURFOM: More than a year after the military coup, power outages are getting worse nationwide.  Since March, 2022, people in Mon State have had access to electricity for only 3 to 6 hours a day.

“When waking up in the morning, the power is already cut off. We can’t cook and the water supply system is also not working. Sometimes, the power comes back on at 1 am, then we have to wake up at midnight and do all the cooking,  because we don’t know when the electricity will turn off again. Now, we only have 3 to 6 hours of electricity a day,” said a Mawlamyine resident.

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