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Woman shot and injured on Ye-Thanbyuzayat Highway

HURFOM: On August 16, 2023, a vehicle was attacked on the Ye-Thanbyuzayat Highway Road near Aung Thu Kha Gas Station at the entrance of Hnit Ka Yin village, Ye Township, Mon State.

A female  passenger was shot and injured. The bullet penetrated the right chest of the woman.

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IDP child dies due to insufficient medical care in Yebyu

HURFOM: Since August 8, 2023, the junta has maintained a huge military operation in areas around Na Bu Lell village, Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division.

Approximately 8,000 residents have had to flee from their homes.

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Weekly Overview: Human Rights Situation in Mon State, Karen State, and Tanintharyi Region

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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The Human Rights Foundation of Monland Condemns the Ongoing Targeting of Internally Displaced People in Southeastern Burma

[For Immediate Release]

The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) condemns the military junta’s ongoing targeting of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Southeastern Burma. At least 200,000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes and seek shelter in the jungle and other remote areas in Karen State, Mon State and Tanintharyi region since the attempted coup on 1 February 2021. In recent weeks, HURFOM has observed an increase in displaced civilians being abducted and tortured by various battalions of the Burma Army. The impacts have been devastating as the ongoing conflict threatens their survival. We call upon the international community to act with urgency and compassion for the thousands of at-risk lives.

Download the Statement from HURFOM’s Website

On 7 August at noon, residents of Ya Nge village, Thayat Chaung Township, Dawei, who had been fleeing the fighting for the past two months, were beaten and arrested by the military soldiers when they attempted to return home. Soldiers tortured three local men and two women. The women were released. However, the men are still in military custody. In addition to arresting people, the military seized the motorbikes of residents and took them to the 403rd Light Infantry Battalion based in Thayat Chaung for their own use.

Even places of worship and religious practice are being targeted. Monasteries are among the most common safety areas as the monks often offer protection for those fleeing junta-sponsored violence. Now, the military is reinforcing and mobilizing its presence in villages between the Ye and Thanbyuzayat Township, Mon State. Soldiers are currently stationed at the monasteries in the villages. This has eliminated a pathway for security and brought new fears for villagers. Due to the heavy presence of Burmese troops, they are also seriously concerned about the possibility of armed clashes. One local told HURFOM: “Our village has become a battlefield, and we are afraid.”

Soldiers also continue to abduct civilians to be used as human shields, which most recently occurred on 13 August in Wazun Taw, Yebyu Township, Dawei, where 28 civilians, including women, were forced from their homes to guide junta troops. Household items in Wazun Taw village were also burned.

In addition, villagers taken as human shields by the military junta column in the Nabu Le area in Yebyu Township on August 8 have still not been released. At least three women are among those arbitrarily arrested. The villagers were abducted when they were fishing and looking for seasonable vegetables. The current situation has made access to food extremely challenging and has only been made worse with crippling inflation. Due to the rapid increase in the price of essential goods and difficulty purchasing food, as the fleeing residents have no work, there is an urgent need for humanitarian aid, including food.

These are just a few of the many cases that the HURFOM fieldworkers have reported on. Since 1 February 2021, at least 4,240 civilians have been arrested and detained, 1,008 injured and nearly 400 killed in HURFOM target areas.

The increasing presence of soldiers in civilian areas threatens their survival and further seeks to worsen their situation. Humanitarian assistance is urgently needed and must be delivered through cross-border aid where long-time, established, and trusted humanitarian responders can safely ensure it reaches those in need. To target displaced communities violates internationally binding agreements, laws and treaties.

Further, international aid agencies and donors, including the UN affiliates, must not partner in any capacity with the junta, particularly in providing humanitarian aid to those affected by the protracted conflict. This effort should be channelled through established community-based organizations founded and led by former refugees as well as ethnic service providers, ethnic revolutions organizations and long-time human rights defenders or departments operating within local governance structures or the National Unity Government. HURFOM calls for an immediate end to the violence and protection for those fleeing ongoing persecution.

Media Contact

Nai Aue Mon, HURFOM Program Director

Email: auemon@gmail.com 

Signal: +66 86 167 9741

HURFOM was founded by exiled pro-democracy students from the 1988 uprisings, recent activists and Mon community leaders and youth. Its primary objective is restoring democracy, human rights and genuine peace in Burma. HURFOM is a non-profit organization, and all its members are volunteers with a shared vision for peace in the country.

Download the Statement from HURFOM’s Website

Woman injured by the junta’s artillery attack in Kyike Hto

HURFOM: On August 13, 2023, fighting occurred between the military junta and the joint forces of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the People’s Defense Force (PDF) at Kim Moon Chaung Police Station near the base of Kyike Htee Yoe Mount, Kyike Hto Township, Mon State.

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Ye GAD orders removal of  houses and buildings for construction of offices

HURFOM: On August 12, 2023, the Ye General Administration Department issued orders to remove houses and buildings along the  Ye – Ah Sin Road within one month.  The department is planning to construct their new  offices in this space. 

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Junta burns down 40 houses in Yebyu

HURFOM: On August 14, 2023, the military junta burnt down approximately 40 houses in A Ka Ni village near the  Dawei Special Economic Zone, Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division.

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Junta arrest and charge  woman with life-imprisonment in Kyike Hto

HURFOM: On August 15, 2023, the military junta arrested a 52-year-old woman near Shan Market, Gant Kaw Ward, Kyike Hto Town, Mon State.

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Junta’s soldiers kill villager, and steal from 36 houses in Thaton

HURFOM: During a military operation in Thaton District soldiers killed a villager and looted valuable things from 36 houses, reported  the central Karen National Union (KNU) on August 14, 2023.  The area under attack is controlled by the KNU.

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Villagers fear going to monasteries due to presence of Burmese soldiers

HURFOM: The military junta is reinforcing and mobilizing its troop presence in villages between the Ye and Thanbyuzayat Township, Mon State.  Burmese soldiers are now being  stationed at the monasteries in the villages.

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