October 2016

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CONFLICT UPDATE: Kachin and Shan States

• KACHIN AND NORTHERN SHAN STATES — Burma army troops have been firing on KIA outposts almost daily with artillery and mortar fires and the KIO has warned the government to halt its military offensives in the KIO’s territory.
• A two-year-0old girl was killed and two other children were injured when Burma Army’s artillery shell struck near their homes on October 1, in northern Shan state.
• The Burma Army has stopped a local environmentalist group from sending food relief to IDPs in Kachin State’s Hpakant Township on suspicion that the supplies were intended for the KIA.
• 49 Kachin youths were detained and charged under the Unlawful Association Act, with authorities that they were rebel fighters training. The KIO said the youth attended civil empowerment programs.
• Free Burma rangers released an update including the Burma Army’s use of fighter jets to drop bombs and the use of chemical weapons against KIA.
• Two Kachin villagers were detained on October 17 because police suspected that they were providing food to members of the KIA.
• CENTRAL SHAN STATE — Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) condemned Burma Army’s provocation of fighting with the NCA signatory group RCSS/SSA. The fighting has involved shelling of civilian areas and displacement of about 2,000 villagers since the start of October. One Shan villager was shot dead by a Burmese soldier.
• EASTERN SHAN STATE — Military tensions arose unexpectedly between Burma’s largest non-state armed group the UWSA (United Wa State Army) and the NDAA at the end of September when the UWSA seized control of strategic positions from the NDAA in the self-administered region of Mongla in northeast Shan State. UWSA leader on Oct. 21 said that the UWSA wants to avoid war with another armed ethnic group, but has been reinforcing its troops in the area. Around 100 local officials and villagers have fled their homes due to escalating tensions between the Burma Army (BA) and the UWSA.

CONFLICT UPDATE: Southeast Burma

• Leaders from the KNU and the NMSP met on Oct 15 and agreed more effort is needed to prevent territorial disputes between the two groups. Troops exchanged gunfire again on Oct 24 in their second clash in months.
• The KNU started their meeting of the Central Committee on October 31st. The meeting reviews reports from the various KNU departments and prepares for the KNU Congress, including elections, which takes place every four years. There are reports that the Congress could be postponed.
• Casualties were reported in fighting between the splinter DKBA and the Burma Army with the allied BGF on Oct 19 in Karen State.
• There are “strong indications” that government forces are using the armed clashes to expand its territorial control around the Hat Gyi dam site, said Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). Karen Rivers Watch also accused Burma Army of carrying out the offensives to secure a road to the construction site of the dam.
• KNU and DKBA splinter group (Buddhist) are preparing to meet on to discuss the possibility of DKBA joining the KNU.

DISPLACEMENT UPDATE: Thailand-Burma border

• Since the NLD-led government took the office, donor support for refugees has decreased, and the pressure for refugees to return has increased.
• The first organised return of more than 90 refugee camp residents took place on Oct 25. 25 refugees backed out at the last minute and after being repatriated, 17 persons reported regretting their decision and advised other refugees not to return.
• Karen groups say it is too early to be arranging the return as thousands of Karen remain displaced after the recent conflicts between the DKBA splinter group and the Burma Army-backed BGF (Border Guard Force), unable to return due to landmines, fears of being interrogated by the BA, and possibility of renewed conflict.
• Representatives of the KNU held meetings with refugees at the nine Thailand-Burma border camps to inform them about the peace process.

 

Update:  Violence in Arakan (Rakhine) State

• Violence erupted in Arakan State on October 9, after a militant group ransacked and killed nine police officers and wounded another five. In response, police and military started attacking Rohingya groups, targeting and killing innocent civilians.
• Abuses committed by government forces and security authorities include killings, rape, arson, torture, and arbitrary arrests. The European Union’s Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) estimates that 13,000 people had been displaced as of Oct 21.
• Lack of media access to affected areas makes it difficult to assess the true extent of the crisis. According to unconfirmed claims over 100 civilians have been killed by government forces whilst satellite images obtained by the Human Rights Watch show that at least three villages have been destroyed to the ground.
• Despite DASSK’s pledge to manage the situation “fairly” and according to “rule of law,” UN human rights experts called on the government to take action against alleged arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings and burning of mosques and homes.
• Burma’s President Office spokesperson denied accusations by the UN human rights experts. Senior military official also said recent killings in Arakan state were an appropriate response in cases where they have encountered weapons-wielding hostiles.
• Media and humanitarian aid have faced increasing government restrictions entering the affected areas and the WFP is concerned about the government’s continuous refusal to deliver food rations to thousands of people.
• The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) and other groups have released a number statements requesting various international organisations, the UN and countries to put pressure on NLD-led government to stop the killing of innocent Rohingya, restore their basic freedoms, and provide full protection and humanitarian assistance.

Voices from the Ground

• The UNA (United Nationalities Alliance) demanded an end to Burmese military offensives in Kachin, Shan and Karen States at a summit held on Oct 15.
• Hundreds of people joined a vigil in the Kachin State capital on Oct 3 to pray for an end to the ongoing armed conflict between Burma Army and the KIA.
• Tens of thousands of people protested in Kachin State’s capital Myitkina on Oct 6, calling for an end to Burmese military hostilities.
• In Rangoon, Kachin youth activists held a press conference and demanded the government do more to solve recent conflicts.
• A coalition of nine local humanitarian organisations active in Kachin State released a statement on Oct 14 voicing their concern over restrictions on humanitarian aid access to Kachin IDP camps.
• The KNO (Kachin National Organisation) in a press release on October 4 called on the UN to step in and protect innocent civilians and prevent further destruction in the Kachin State.
• The Chin Youth Network issued a statement on 4 October demanding that the Burma Army immediately halts all of its offensives in ethnic areas.
• People from about 30 organisations gathered in Rangoon on Oct 9 calling for the stopping of armed conflicts in Burma and a probe into the case where one child was killed and others injured due to Burma Army shelling.
• The UNFC released a statement calling for an end to the fighting in Kachin, Shan and Karen States.
• 100 representatives from civil society organizations, political parties and farmers across Shan State demanded the NLD-led government to take action on land seizures.
• Residents of 10 villages have banded together as the Thanlwin (Salween) Network to counter the proposed expansion of the military-owned cement industry in the Karen State. There have also been protests and other local gatherings to oppose the plans.
• There have been numerous calls and press releases by local groups as well as international INGOs calling for the Burma Government to address the growing reports of human rights violations in Arakan/Rakhine State and allow media and aid to enter the areas. These abuses perpetrated by the Burma Army, the BGF and police force include rape, arrests, arson, torture, and killings.
• Ethnic analysists such as Lahpai Seng Raw, founder of Metta Development Foundation that works in the Kachin State, have raised concerns over Aung San Suu Kyi’s lack of understanding of the Burma Army’s offensives that continue even against NCA signatories.

International Community Response

• The British House of Commons stressed that restrictions on humanitarian aid to conflict-affected communities in Kachin, northern Shan and Arakan state should be urgently lifted.
• Amnesty International called for Burma’s authorities to immediately lift restrictions that are preventing the UN and other humanitarian agencies from reaching people in need in Kachin and Arakan States.
• Despite loud objections from the civil society and human rights groups, President Obama formally announced the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Burma on October 7.
• The EU Delegation to Burma expressed their concern on Oct 7 over reports of intensifying military action and armed clashes in several states across the country.
• The U.S. ambassador Scott Marciel promised in a meeting on Oct 3 that they will not put pressure on any NCA non-signatory EAOs to sign the pact.