BURMA DECEMEBER 2018 – FEBRUARY 2019 BRIEFING

Humanitarian FiguresJUNE-AUGUST HighlightsBRIEFING 2018

862,900 >Continued attacks on Christians and other religious minorities testify to Estimated people in need of the dangers of religious nationalism in Burma Humanitarian Assistance in Burma, according to UN > Fighting between rival armed groups in Shan state displaces over a 1000 November reports people 106,900 >Burmese military in violation of human rights by limiting access to food Estimated Internally Displaced and humanitarian aid Persons (IDPs) in Kachin and northern Shan States, according >Crackdown on Activists in Karenni State leaves over 80 arrested to OCHA 128,200 Key Developments

Estimated Internally Displaced Persons in Rakhine IDP camps, >After a United Nations call for investigation of genocide, several EU according to latest UN figures countries are considering further increasing sanction against Burma. They 727,000 believe sanction will weaken military and big businesses linked to the country’s military. As of now the EU has placed a travel ban on 14 army Estimated people displaced from and boarder officials in Burma for committing serious human rights Burma to Bangladesh since violations. August 2018, the ISCG reports

128,000 > Jailed Reuters Journalist appeal of seven year sentence proves unsuccessful. A spokesperson for Reuters called the decision a “setback to Muslims, 95% of whom are media freedom, the public’s right to information and the rule of law in stateless Rohingya, remain in ” and a “missed opportunity to right a wrong”. camps more than six years after violence broke out in Rakhine >Bangladesh's foreign minister AK Abdul Momen has proposed State establishing a “safe zone” in the of Burma so that Rohingya

286,000 refugees can return to the land from which they fled state persecution. He also proposed that those who return be guaranteed Burmese citizenship. People in disaster-prone Burma A reparation deal was made between Burma and Bangladesh in 2017 but were temporarily displaced by has been postponed due to international worry for Rohingya safety in monsoon seasonal floods in their home country. 2018

Context

Myanmar (Burma) is a highly ethnically diverse country, consisting of 7 states and headed by de facto leader

State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi since free elections in 2015. Burma’s history of British colonisation has had a detrimental effect on internal ethnic divisions, and following independence in 1948 intercultural violence erupted between the national Government army () and ethnic opposition armies. In the subsequent years, ethnic tensions remained and from 1962 to 2011 Burma was under the rule of a highly repressive military junta.

Most of the population identifies at Buddhist (88%). Prevalent in the media is the Rohingya crisis, whereby roughly 900,000 Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since early 2017 following growing attacks by the Government of Myanmar military that claim they are dispelling terrorists, however there is mounting evidence to suggest that religion plays a significant role and has been deemed as “ethnic cleansing”. Less well documented is the persecution of Christians who make up 6.2% of the Burmese population that claim they are being attacked by the junta because of their faith.

There are numerous ethnic armies operating in Burma and regular clashes with the Tatmadaw has displaced thousands of civilians over the decades succeeding the end of British rule.

Ethnic Arms Operations (EAOs) Active in Burma › (KIA) was formed by soldiers that defected from the regime army in 1962 to fight for self-determination.

› Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) signed a ceasefire with the Tatmadaw in 2015 however it was violated in 2018, leading to armed clashes.

› Liberation Army (ALA) has operated in Rakhine state since 2009. › Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) are a newly formed group who claimed responsibility for the attacks in 2017 that catalysed the ongoing Rohingya crisis. › -South (SSA-S) is one of the

largest insurgent groups in Burma.

› Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) emerged following alliance with the of Burma and an internal split in SSA in 1996.

› Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) operates in Tawngpeng, Shan State, aiming for self-determination for the Ta’ang people. Map of Burma Administrative Divisions › The Northern Alliance is a military coalition HART’s partner Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) is located between ALA, KIA, Kokang’s Myanmar National in Shan State, and also provides assistance to displaced Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and TNLA populations in Thailand. against the Tatmadaw. Health and Hope, run by Dr SaSa is located in Chin State. Doh Say works mainly in Karenni (Kayah) state.

Latest Developments Concerns for Christians Continue as Burma Brutalises Minorities A Buddhist mob of 50 people attacked Christians celebrating Christmas on December 24th in Rakhine state in Burma, sending a priest to the hospital. According to a Burma Human Rights Network press release, there is a long history of persecution of non-Buddhist in the country, and recent events only further demonstrate the dangers of religious nationalism in Burma. As such, authorities must guarantee the protection of human rights for minorities and hold those responsible for violations accountable. This incident is indicative of the rising trend of persecution of Christians (and other religious minorities) in Burma. Police Crackdown on Peaceful Protesters in Karenni State Police continue crackdown on peaceful protesters in Karenni state. An estimated 6000 people, majority ethnic Karenni, marched through Loikaw on Myanmar’s Union Day (February 12) asking for the removal of a statute of General Aung San from Loikaw, and for the protection of ethnic rights in Burma. The Statue of general Aung San was installed in Loikaw by Karenni State government. Three days before the unveiling, local administration issued a ban on peaceful assembly in various locations around Loikaw (the capital of Kayah state). Despite the ban Karenni activists gave public speeches, handed out pamphlets about Karenni history, and demanded that general Aung San’s promise of federal democracy be fulfilled buy the Burmese military and NLD government. Additionally, civil society organizations expressed their dismay with the statue by drawing from Burman history and ultimately citing burmanization- a term which refers to the states attempt to erase ethnic nationalities and impose Burman cultural norms on all- as their reasoning. Thought the protests are peaceful and lawful, protesters were met by police with excessive force including water cannons and rubber bullets, and has left 82 people arrested.

Clashes at the Border Cause for Concern The United Nations has expressed concern over the ongoing situation on the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh as the Burmese army continues to clash with Buddhist rebel groups in Rakhine State. These clashes have caused panic and fear among Rohingya IDP’s who have been living in a limbo on the border between Burma and Bangladesh, and now are caught in the crosslines of fighting between the military and . UN Rights Envoy Calls for Accountability in Rohingya Genocide A United Nations human rights investigator has stated that the Burmese Army chef should be prosecuted for genocide against the Rohingya. The special rapporteur on human rights in Burma, Yanghee Lee, added that holding perpetrators of crimes against humanity and war accountable is necessary before refugees can return to their homes in affected areas. 13 Police Officers Killed in Rakhine State Arakan Army raid on police post in Rakhine state left 13 policemen killed. Khine Thu Kha, the spokesperson for the rebels, stated that the attacks were in response to a Burmese military attack against Arakan Army recently, which also targeted civilians.

Timeline December Christians Celebrating Christmas under attack in Rakhine State EU furthering sanctions against Burma January Jailed journalist appeal seven year sentence UN calls for accountability in Rohingya genocide Clashes at Bangladesh and Burma boarder cause of concern February Burmese forces violating human rights in Rakhine state unrest says Amnesty International Police use excessive force against peaceful protestors in Karenni State Bangladesh proposes ‘safe zone’ for Rohingya refugees in Burma