Published on September 14, 2022
- Political Developments
- On September 07, NUG’s acting President Duwa Lashi La announced that its People’s Defense Forces (PDF) and other ethnic revolutionary forces have effective control over half of the country.
- On September 07, Aung Zaw Oo, a PDF leader, died in custody in Taunggyi, Shan State after suffering from injuries during interrogation by the junta forces.
- EAOs including signatories to the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) rejected the junta’s proposal to sign a peace deal in exchange to be a part of the Burmese military.
- A junta adviser, Dr. Zaw Oo, commented that “good civil-military relations” were needed in Burma. He also praised Thein Sein’s government for its ability to manage civil-military relations.
- According to Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN), a UK-based human rights group, 217 people have been killed by the junta and the pro-military forces during interrogation and custody since the coup.
- Ground Situation
- As of September 13, 2022, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a Burmese human rights advocacy organization, reported that 2,273 individuals have been killed. AAPP also reported that 15,506 individuals have been arrested and 12,372 individuals are still detained by the Burmese military since the coup.
- The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) found more than 450 reported attacks on education and the military use of schools and educational facilities by the junta forces in 2020 and 2021. GCPEA reported that the attacks on schools increased by approximately 1,800 percent in 2021.
- Resistance forces have reported that PDFs and EAOs have seized nearly 90 junta bases all over the country since the beginning of the coup.
- On September 10, the Arakan Army (AA) seized a junta military base in Maungdaw Township in Rakhine State. The junta conducted airstrikes near the base the following day alarming local residents.
- On September 08, clashes between the junta forces and PDFs near Hlwe Tel and Si villages in Budalin Township of Sagaing Region killed more than 10 junta soldiers and forced the junta troops to retreat back to Budalin City.
- Local PDF in Shan State’s Mobye Town reported that more than 60 junta soldiers were killed in fighting between September 08 to 11. They also reported that the junta conducted airstrikes damaging civilian houses and the Mobye market during the fighting.
- International Responses
- On September 12, Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), stated that Facebook had shared millions of items and information on war crimes and genocide against the Rohingya people in 2017.
- On September 11, six Burmese Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) met with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah to discuss how outside governments can help with the “worsening humanitarian situation” in Burma. CSO representatives thanked the minister for his leadership on the issue within ASEAN and urged him to continue leading such efforts with other counterparts in ASEAN.
- On September 07, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing met Russian president Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok. Min Aung Hlaing “[heaped] praise” at the Russian leader for “bringing international stability” and providing continued economic support for the junta. Min Aung Hlaing also reportedly stated that the junta received its first delivery of diesel fuel from Russia, and also signed a nuclear cooperation “roadmap”, which includes a potential “small modular reactors project” in Burma.
- On September 07, an Indonesian human rights collective called the Universality of Human Rights petitioned for the country’s institutional court to amend its human rights law to allow for legal action against the Burmese junta. Fery Amsari, a constitutional law expert, said if the phrase “by Indonesian citizens” is removed, it would allow for trials against junta officials so long as they are in Indonesian territory.
- Business and Economy
- On September 08, Qatari telecommunications group Ooredoo sold its business in Burma to Nine Communications, “a Singapore-registered company”, for US$576 million. Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, CEO of Ooredoo Group, said the decision was “a direct result” of [reshaping the company’s] portfolio”. Ooredoo’s exit follows Norway’s Telenor, another telecommunications company that exited Burma in March 2022.