Myanmar: "Don't worry everything will be OK"

freelance television presenter who worked for the BBC's charity branch has been sentenced to three years hard labour in Myanmar.

Htet Htet Khine, the presenter of a programme produced by BBC Media Action for local audiences, was arrested in August 2021.

Many journalists and activists have been jailed since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021.

BBC Media Action's director of programmes said the move was alarming.

"This, and other detentions of media workers in the country, runs counter to basic principles of human rights and freedom of expression," Richard Lace said.

The authorities said Htet Htet Khine's reporting amounted to incitement and illegal association, charges her family said were unjust.

Her contact with family and access to legal representation has been limited since her arrest, BBC Media Action says.

Since the coup, 12 media outlets have been forcibly shut and 142 journalists arrested, according to the independent Myanmar Now website.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which keeps a toll of those killed, jailed or detained by the military, says that more than 14,000 people have been arrested, with an estimated 2,114 killed by military forces.

Htet Htet Khine became well known in the country as the face of Khan Sar Kyi, described by the charity as a national television peace programme.

She had travelled across the country showing the impact of internal conflicts.

Myanmar: BBC Media Action presenter sentenced to three years hard labour Htet Htet Khine was accused by Myanmar's military authorities of incitement and illegal association.

Mon 25 July 2022 - Myanmar junta executes democracy activists in first such killings in decades

Four Democracy figures, including a former lawmaker in Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, were executed after being accused of carrying out ‘terror acts’. Myanmar’s junta has executed four prisoners, including a former lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, according to state media, in the country’s first use of capital punishment in decades.

Lawmaker Phyo Zeya Thaw, a 41-year-old former lawmaker from ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party was among four men executed by the Myanmar junta.

Prominent democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, known as Jimmy, had been sentenced to death in January in closed trials.

On Monday, the junta-controlled Global New Light of Myanmar said that the sentences had been carried out. The men had been accused of conspiring to commit terror acts, it said. Local media reported that the families of the men had travelled to Insein Prison, in Yangon, demanding to see their loved one’s bodies

Aung Myo Min, human rights minister of the National Unity Government (NUG), which was formed by elected lawmakers, ethnic minority representatives and activists, said he was extremely saddened to hear of the ex*****ons. “What else do we need to prove how cruel the murderous Myanmar’s military is?”, he said.

Many in Myanmar turned their social media profile pictures black and red, in a show of mourning.

Myanmar’s military junta seized power in a coup in February 2021, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, and has since unleashed a campaign of brutal violence to suppress opposition.

A total of 14,847 people have been arrested since the coup, while 11,759 remain in detention, according to the advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) Burma, which monitors arrests and killings.

According to AAPP Burma, 76 prisoners have been sentenced to death since the coup, including two children. A further 41 people have been sentenced to death in absentia. Before the ex*****ons on Monday, Myanmar had not carried out capital punishment in more than 30 years, according to the UN.

The four men had tried to appeal, but their sentence was upheld in June. They were reportedly denied access to legal counsel during their appeal, in violation of international human rights law.

A source close to the family of Kyaw Min Yu told the Guardian that they had received confirmation from the deputy prison chief of Insein prison that the death penalty had been carried out. No information was provided about when the ex*****on took place. The family is still demanding to see the body, they said.

Thazin Nyunt Aung, the wife of Phyo Zeyar Thaw, told Reuters she had not been informed of her husband’s ex*****on.

Phyo Zeya Thaw, 41, was arrested in November when about 100 police and soldiers raided a housing complex in Yangon. Before entering politics, he was both an activist and rapper. In 2000, he released the country’s first rap album, having founded the hip-hop band, Acid. His lyrics, and their thinly veiled criticisms of the previous military regime, captured the anger and frustrations of a generation of young listeners.

Phyo Zeya Thaw was also an activist with the movement Generation Wave, which used art and coded protests to campaign against the previous regime. Like many of the group’s members, he was arrested and imprisoned. He went on to become a lower house MP in April 2012, the same year Aung San Suu Kyi was elected to parliament.

Kyaw Min Yu, 53, a veteran activist, was arrested in an overnight raid in October. He was a prominent leader of the 88 Generation Students Group, which led pro-democracy uprisings against the military, and was imprisoned in 1988 for his role in the protests. He was released in 2005, but jailed again from 2007 until 2012.

Kyaw Min Yu was also a writer, and while in prison translated works including Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, and wrote the novel, The Moon in Inle Lake. His 2005 self-help book Making Friends was a bestseller, according to PEN International.

The two other executed men - Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw - were accused of killing a woman they suspected was military informer in Yangon, according to AFP.

UN Special Rapporteur Thomas Andrews said he was “outraged and devastated” by the news. “My heart goes out to their families, friends and loved ones and indeed all the people in Myanmar who are victims of the junta’s escalating atrocities,” said Andrews.

“The widespread and systematic murders of protesters, indiscriminate attacks against entire villages, and now the exectuion of opposition leaders, demands an immediate and firm response by member states of the United Nations,” he said.

The junta-controlled Global New Light of Myanmar said on Monday the men had given “directives, made arrangements, and committed conspiracies for brutal and inhuman terror acts”.

“According to the relevant department, the punishment has been conducted under the prison’s procedures,” it said.

The junta gave no details on how the men were executed.

Opinion: What a hip-hop star on death row has to do with dictators everywhere by Foreign Affairs Minister of the National Unity Government of Myanmar, Zin Mar Aung. July 1, 2022

Zin Mar Aung is Foreign Affairs Minister of the National Unity Government of Myanmar. A former political prisoner and lawmaker, Zin Mar Aung was ousted from office when the Myanmar military seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021. She is currently outside of her country for her safety.

"I am thinking of a man who sang of freedom. His name is Zeyar Thaw.

He released my country's first hip-hop album in 2000. In the Myanmar of that time, this was almost a revolution. His rap touched the lives of many.
Anyone who spoke of freedom then was living dangerously. A founder of Generation Wave, a pro-democracy movement, Zeyar Thaw's music brought him inevitably into politics. In 2011, after a stint in prison for his political activism and just as our democratic transition began, Zeyar Thaw was released and elected to parliament.

Now he is sitting on death row. A few weeks ago, Zeyar Thaw and fellow freedom activist Ko Jimmy were sentenced to die by the military regime that stole power in February 2021. If their ex*****on goes ahead it will be the first in the country in decades. Their crime? The regime accuses them of being "involved in terrorist acts." What does this mean? That they believe in freedom. The National Unity Government (NUG) has recorded almost 3,000 people who have been killed since the illegal coup. More than one million people have been displaced from their homes, with many seeking shelter in refugee camps. Another 1.6 million more have lost their jobs. More than 19,000 homes have been destroyed, the NUG estimates.

I was elected by the people of my constituency in November 2020. I was waiting to take the oath of office and to choose our next President. But on February 1, 2021, soldiers under the command of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing surrounded the dormitories where we lived as parliamentary members. They forced each of us to choose -- do we surrender to their guns or do we resist?

I had already endured 11 hard years as a political prisoner under a previous military regime between 1998 and 2009. Most of those I spent in solitary confinement. This time, I could not just watch as another despotic general forced my country into chaos. I chose resistance. So did Zeyar Thaw and Ko Jimmy and many thousands across Myanmar. Nurses, teachers, doctors, farmers, even children -- they came out into the streets against the unwanted coup. We are living in a world where dictators support each other to retain their power. Therefore it must be clear that the struggle for democracy and freedom undertaken by the Myanmar people is a struggle that concerns everyone

We chose to assert our legitimacy, as elected members of parliament. We formed the National Unity Government because our freedom will not be stolen by the military's Russian guns. Russia continues to be a major supplier of arms, equipment and training to the military in my country, including fighter jets, helicopters and drones -- weapons which have been used to bomb and kill civilians since the coup. We have first-hand experience that Russia's military interference is not limited to Ukraine. Russia and Myanmar are strengthening their ties and we see it as part of a larger strategic engagement with Southeast Asia -- a coordinated attempt to promote autocracy and erode democracy in the region.

In turn, the military junta has sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine. Just last week a high level delegation from the military council attended the 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum with the aim of strengthening their ties with the Russian regime. We are living in a world where dictators support each other to retain their power. Therefore it must be clear that the struggle for democracy and freedom undertaken by the Myanmar people is a struggle that concerns everyone.

I am the Foreign Minister of the National Unity Government of Myanmar. It is my task to tell the world we will not be defeated. But what can I tell the people of Myanmar in return? What is the world saying to us?

Over a year on from the coup, no country has formally recognized the regime of Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. The military continues its campaign of violence -- killing, burning, destroying food and crops, imprisoning people without charge. The generals stand accused of dreadful crimes against the Rohingya
Muslim community and other ethnic minority people in our country.

It claims it is targeting what it calls and has designated "terrorists" and blames many of these incidents on resistance fighters, rather than its own military.

But US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's words in March 2022 need to be heard: "There is no one the Burmese military won't come for. No one is safe from atrocities under its rule. And so more people in Burma now recognize that ending this crisis, restoring the path to democracy, starts with ensuring the human rights of all people in the country, including Rohingya." We have to overcome this junta, changing their calculus so that they realize that they cannot keep Myanmar forever in the chains of their fear and greed.

This is how we are going to do it.

We must deny the junta the income that funds its violence. The United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom have imposed some sanctions against the regime. But much more must be done to deny the junta the foreign currency it craves. The military continues to rely on funds from foreign companies to fund its acts of war. That flow of money, especially oil dollars, must and can be stopped.

It also relies on Russia. Russian weapons are flowing into my country, and Min Aung Hlaing has visited Moscow and even been honored by a Moscow university since the coup. Russia's veto makes it impossible for the UN Security Council to reach any common position on stopping this violence.
The example of Ukraine demonstrates how the world can use economic levers to put pressure on a regime. Sanctions have thus far been used in Myanmar mostly against individuals -- more can and must be done to go after oil revenues and the ease with which the military can use the international banking system to extract its stolen riches and import the weapons it needs to prosecute its crimes. Recently, the UK government imposed sanctions against Russian companies that are supporting the military junta: this a step in the right direction.

The murderous acts of the Myanmar military will not stop until their income fails.

Domestically, we will overcome the junta by the power of inclusion. My country has been at war with itself for many decades. Now, in opposition to the military, a new alliance between the ethnic groups of Myanmar is building a new, shared future. We are addressing the root causes of violence through our new Federal Democratic Charter -- a plan for a decentralized, inclusive Myanmar. We are learning together where we need to go.
The murderous acts of the Myanmar military will not stop until their income fails

This vision has been validated by our National Union Consultative Council, the most inclusive, substantive and people-oriented process we have ever had in Myanmar. This NUCC brings together representatives of different political parties, ethnic voices and civil society to create common solutions to the challenges we face. We are learning together where we need to go.

And we are putting this inclusion into practice. Many parts of our country are already free from junta control thanks to the bravery of ethnic resistance organizations and the actions of the people in defending their own homes.

In these areas, we are working with ethnic political and civil society organizations to build local administrations led by the people's representatives, and these new administrations are taking responsibility for health and human services.

Another element in our plan is to oppose the sham election that the junta seeks to impose on the country. This tactic is familiar, creating elections in which only they can stand, only they can win, and then parading the result as if it matters. This traps Myanmar in endless cycles of disempowerment and violence. Karen refugees who fled fighting between the Myanmar army and insurgent groups, in a temporary camp on the Myanmar side of the Moei River which forms the border with Thailand. Karen refugees who fled fighting between the Myanmar army and insurgent groups, in a temporary camp on the Myanmar side of the Moei River which forms the border with Thailand.

Our intention is to give the people of the country real freedom, not some mockery that serves the ambitions of one general who knows the people spurned him last time they had a choice. Internationally, we assert the right of the people of Myanmar to the government that they choose. The French Senate and other parliaments have already determined that we are the legitimate government, because we carry the authority of the 2020 election and the consent of the people.

The current ASEAN Five Point Consensus has failed. The international community needs a more effective strategy to help Myanmar -- and restore the civilian government.

This must start with a more effective plan to deliver humanitarian assistance. Efforts at providing aid will fail if the donors allow the military a veto over how it is delivered --- Min Aung Hlaing and his henchmen do not care about the sufferings of the people. They have even in the last few days targeted food supplies so as to starve our people. They made clear that they want full control on humanitarian aid as a way to gain legitimacy and leverage on their strategy.

We in the National Unity Government stand ready to enable humanitarian agencies to reach those most in need. Myanmar has a resilient civil society that is carrying out incredible work to serve their communities. Humanitarian aid can and should be delivered while being accountable to the Myanmar people.
Finally, we must hold Min Aung Hlaing and his henchmen to account for the crimes they committed. The murdered children, the people taken and tortured in prison, the villagers forced to watch their crops destroyed -- victims have a right to justice, and it shall not be denied to them.

We have seen the international reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That reaction gives me hope. We do not want to live in a world where such crimes can be committed with impunity. People believe that Ukraine can and should be free.

My country, its people and my friends -- Zeyar Thaw and Ko Jimmy, about to be murdered -- they are waiting for the world to believe that Myanmar can be free as well.

Fires detected within the last 36 hours within Ahsheysee village in Kale township, Kale district, Sagaing region,

FIRIS - Fire in Settlement on Twitter “🇲🇲 Fires detected within the last 36 hours within Ahsheysee village in Kale township, Kale district, Sagaing region, .”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPhkRaFni14

Inside the people’s resistance in Myanmar - BBC News Myanmar is now in a state of civil war. What started in February last year as a mass protest movement against the military coup is now an armed uprising. T...

The Death of Female Protestor Thu Thu Zin shot dead by the Burmese Army while wearing her Winnie the Pooh T-shirt.

Fire detected on March 23-24 within Tharsi and Moeso villages in Gangaw township, Gangaw district, Magway region,

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https://twitter.com/i/status/1477606834022322179

Link is to video of drone strikes carried out by the Karenni Generation Z Special Forces (KGZ) A unit of the Karenni Army that is said to be made up of young Karenni who hadn't previously been involved in the long-running fight against the military dictatorship (and the short-lived civilian government). Most of them were civilians before the most recent coup in February.

Unfortunately, these types of munitions will often end up not exploding on impact and can then become a long-term dangerous UXO hazard to civilians.

I am connected with old friends in the Humanitarian Demining Sector. Grateful if you could please share if you have similar photos or videos.