Published on August 31, 2022
- Political Developments
- Earlier in August, the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) verbally agreed to join forces as the Kawthoolei Armed Forces. A KNU spokesperson also mentioned that other armed organizations in Karen State such as the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO) would be joining as well.
- On August 27, the junta arrested 40 Mandalay University teachers and staff for participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).
- On the fifth anniversary of the 2017 Rohingya Crisis on August 25, the NUG stated that it is pursuing three actions to bring justice and peace to the Rohingya people. In its statement, the NUG stated that it is working to establish conditions to support the repatriation of the Rohingya people, cooperating with the ICJ, the ICC, and other universal justice mechanisms to bring justice and accountability to the crimes committed against the Rohingya, and fulfilling its commitment on its Policy Position on the Rohingya announced last year.
- On August 24, the junta arrested Vicky Bowman, the former UK Ambassador to Burma and the current Director of Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, along with her husband, U Htein Lin, for alleged violation of immigration rules. The arrests came on the eve of the UK’s further round of sanctions on three military-linked businesses in Burma and the UK’s intention to intervene in the Rohingya Genocide Case at the ICJ.
- On August 24, the junta seized the home of U Kyaw Thu, a renowned local philanthropist and founder of the Free Funeral Service Society (FFSS). He and his wife have been in hiding since the start of the coup.
- Ground Situation
- As of August 30, 2022, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a Burmese human rights advocacy organization, reported that 2,257 individuals have been killed. AAPP also reported that 15,285 individuals have been arrested and 12,188 individuals are still detained by the Burmese military since the coup.
- Junta airstrikes in Kawlin Township in Sagaing Region killed four civilians on August 23. Local media reported that a six-year-old boy and a nine-month-pregnant woman were two of the victims killed in the airstrikes.
- On August 21, the Yaw Defense Force (YDF) killed six members of a family accused of being members of the pro-military militia in Saw Township in the Magwe Region. The NUG’s Ministry of Defense Ministry is investigating the incident after a complaint was filed and residents refuted YDF’s allegation that the victims were pro-military informants.
- Thousands of civilians in the Rakhine and Chin States are fleeing their homes due to the fighting between the junta forces and the Arakan Army (AA).
- Data for Myanmar (D4M) reported that more than 28,000 civilian homes were burned down by the junta and its affiliate groups since the coup.
- Junta troops killed five resistance fighters in Kani Township in Sagaing Region on August 26.
- Clashes between local PDFs and the junta forces in Sagaing and Mandalay Regions killed more than 30 junta soldiers on August 28 and 29.
- International Responses
- On August 29, the Thai authorities arrested several alleged spies of the Burmese junta near Mae Sot in Thailand. The alleged spies disguised as Buddhist monks and nuns were sent to investigate the activities of the resistance groups operating out of Thailand.
- On August 29, the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the junta’s ambassador to Bangladesh, Aung Kyaw Moe, to question the event of two mortar shells from Burma landing in Bangladesh. Although there were no casualties, Bangladesh officials are investigating the incident.
- On August 29, the military junta was invited to the Tri-Service Asian Defense & Security Exhibition, Conference and Networking Event, a weapons expo supported by Thailand’s Ministry of Defense. Justice for Myanmar (JFM) condemned Informa, a UK company that jointly owns the event organizer group, for their involvement and called for junta associates to be banned from the event.
- On August 26, on the 5th anniversary of the targeted military campaigns against the Rohingya, fourteen foreign missions in Bangladesh, including the US and the UK, called for more accountability for the Rohingya genocide and reiterated efforts to relocate Rohingya refugees to their respective countries. The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) also called for shared responsibility and outlined concrete approaches to help the Rohingya people.
- On August 24, the United Kingdom sanctioned three junta-linked companies, including International Gateways Group of Companies Limited, Star Sapphire Group of Companies, and Sky One Construction Company Ltd. The UK stated that these sanctions are intended to limit the military’s access to arms and revenue through these companies, including Sky One Construction, which is directed by Min Aung Hlaing’s son.
- Business and Economy
- On August 25, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar claimed that the military junta earned more than $800 million in natural gas exports from April to July, mostly to Thailand and China. This announcement is likely to “prompt a redoubling” of activist calls to sanction the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), the largest source of revenue to the junta.
- Vietnamese firms that work with the military regime are facing political risks as they continue to see lower returns and other countries sanction the regime. For example, VietTel, a major shareholder in Burma’s MyTel, a military-owned cellular provider, faced growing losses since the coup as people boycotted MyTel.
- The depreciation of the local currency and the junta’s import restrictions are contributing to a significant rise in the prices of essential medicines and shortages in Burma. Subsequently, the country is facing its highest level of inflation in a decade with prices of essential commodities rising at unprecedented rates.