Published on September 07, 2022
- Political Developments
- On September 06, the junta confirmed its plan to change the country’s electoral system to a proportional representation (PR) electoral system at the Union Election Commission training session.
- On September 02, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to three more years in prison. This sentencing also comes with hard labor, unlike the previous sentences.
- On August 31, Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota’s hearing was postponed to September 06. He was arrested for his alleged involvement with resistance movements and was charged with a violation of immigration rules.
- Ground Situation
- As of September 06, 2022, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a Burmese human rights advocacy organization, reported that 2,267 individuals have been killed. AAPP also reported that 15,416 individuals have been arrested and 12,312 individuals are still detained by the Burmese military since the coup.
- In its latest report, UN OCHA reported that nearly 1.3 million people are currently displaced in Burma. 974,000 of those displaced by the conflict and violence since the coup. More than 45,500 people remain in neighboring countries after fleeing since the coup.
- Chin National Front (CNF) reported that at least 60 junta soldiers were killed in fights with resistance forces in Hakha Township in Chin State in August. In Kayah State, it is reported that close to 1,500 junta troops and over 150 resistance fighters were killed since May 2021.
- In recent weeks, the junta has been strictly enforcing the overnight guest list registration law with door-to-door inspections throughout some cities. Some local junta authorities are allegedly taking advantage of this by extorting money from civilians.
- A Sagaing Region-based PDF, the Bo Tiger PDF, called on the NUG to investigate a recent clash between the Bo Tiger PDF and the Shwebo District PDF. The two PDFs clashed with each other in Wetlet Township over allegations of Bo Tiger PDF demanding money from travelers.
- International Responses
- On September 05, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing visited Russia (his second trip in the last two months and third since the coup) for economic talks. Junta-controlled media said he is attending the Eastern Economic Forum to “further cement” economic cooperation between the two countries. Min Aung Hlaing will also reportedly meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 07, the first meeting between the two leaders.
- On September 05, the UN Special Envoy to Burma, Noeleen Heyzer said that she would only visit Burma again if she is allowed to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. She expressed concern about Suu Kyi’s health following the ousted leaders’ sentencing and also said she “was told there would be a meeting eventually.”
- On September 05, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah reinforced his call for ASEAN to act on the situation in Burma. Saifuddin said he wrote to the ASEAN Secretary-General asking for updates as no reports were given after the ASEAN meeting in August.
- On September 03, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced the junta’s new sentencing of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. He called on other nations to “hold the regime accountable” for violence and arrests against elected leaders. The EU also released a statement calling on the regime to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and “all political prisoners.”
- On the morning of September 03, four junta fighter aircraft reportedly crossed into Bandarban near the Bangladesh-Burma border. The Bandarban Superintendent of Police said shells and gunshots were fired but no casualties were reported. Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign affairs summoned the junta’s ambassador to Bangladesh, U Aung Kyaw Moe, for the third time in two weeks, and expressed their concerns again about air and artillery strikes in Bangladesh territory.
- On September 02, Vicky Bowman, the ex-UK Ambassador to Burma, and her husband, Htein Lin were sentenced to one year in prison on potential “wider political” charges, rather than immigration offenses, “for which foreigners are rarely prosecuted.” The UK released a statement expressing their concern while the junta has defended the arrest, saying the couple registered an address but were living elsewhere.
- Business and Economy
- NUG’s Minister of Planning, Finance, and Investment U Tin Tun Naing said that the NUG is pressing the US to release Burma’s US$ 1 billion reserve in the US Federal Reserve to back its digital currency and its plan to create a new central bank.
- Sources close to the last foreign-owned telecom in Burma, Ooredoo, said that the company is planning to sell its stakes to Singapore-based tech company, The One Matrix Ventures (TOMV).
- Family members of the junta leadership have been awarded business contracts since the coup began. Local media reported that lucrative business contracts were given to companies run by family members of the junta circle.