Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day commemorated
The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M), a group of three international human rights experts, released a statement ahead of the eighth commemoration of Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day on Aug. 25. On this date in 2017, the Burma Army carried out a “military clearance” operation that killed thousands of Rohingya civilians in northern Arakan State and forced over 700,000 others to seek safety in Bangladesh.
“The architects and perpetrators of the Rohingya genocide—the Myanmar military—continue to act with total impunity,” said Marzuki Darusman, the former head of the U.N. Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar and one of the founding members of SAC-M. On Dec. 8, the Arakan Army (AA) took control of northern Arakan – and the entire Burma-Bangladesh border – when it seized Maungdaw Township.
A statement by Amnesty International on Aug. 22 accused the AA of committing extrajudicial killings, torture, forced labor and large-scale arson in northern Arakan against Rohingya civilians. An estimated 150,000 Rohingya have fled into Bangladesh since mid-2024, according to the U.N. The AA has seized 14 out of Arakan’s 17 townships. The state capital Sittwe, the port town of Kyaukphyu, and the island of Manaung, are under regime control.
Stay tuned Monday for an op-ed by Rohingya Maiyafuinor Collaborative Network co-founder Noor Azizah documenting her recent visit to the refugee camps in Bangladesh. Stay up-to-date by subscribing to the Daily Briefing.
5.6 magnitude earthquake on Myanmar-India border
The National Unity Government (NUG) reported on Friday that a 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck near Mawlaik town in western Sagaing Region on Aug. 22. It also noted that smaller earthquakes have been repeatedly occurring near Burma’s coastline. Mawlaik is located 156 miles (251 km) north of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa near the Burma-India border.
The regime’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology recorded a 5.2 magnitude earthquake at a location 36 miles (58 km) northeast of one of its earthquake monitoring centers in the Chinland capital Hakha on Aug. 22, but no casualties or damages were reported. Turkey’s Anadolu News Agency reported that tremors were felt across the border in Aizawl, the capital of India’s Mizoram State.
Residents of several townships in Yangon reported two back-to-back earthquakes on Aug, 20-21, but no casualties or damages were reported. At least 4,477 people were killed and 11,366 were injured during the March 28 earthquake, according to DVB data. The epicenter was in Sagaing Region, but the other five hardest-hit regions were neighbouring Mandalay, Naypyidaw, Magway, and Bago, as well as southern Shan State.
Burma nationals queue for passport renewal services at the embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 7, 2023. (Credit: Regime media)
Myanmar citizens living abroad refuse to vote in advanced polls
Burma embassies in Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, India, Germany, and the U.S. announced on Thursday that citizens overseas can register for advanced voting Aug. 21 to Sept. 8. The regime stated that Burma nationals living in these countries could register by filling out a “Form 15,” an application form available online at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Burma Embassy websites, or at the consular counters at its embassies.
“We have no desire to vote because we do not recognize this election or the military’s [legitimacy as a government],” a migrant worker in Thailand told DVB on the condition of anonymity. “I am worried about not being able to extend my passport [in the future], but so far I haven’t seen a direct threat linking it to voting,” a student living in Thailand told DVB.
The “Form 15” can be submitted online, in person, or by mail, to the embassies with detailed information, including name, address, email, and phone or WhatsApp numbers, as well as a valid passport attached to the form. The regime has not yet specified when advanced ballots will be issued to registered Burma nationals voting overseas. The first phase of voting in the elections will begin in 102 townships on Dec. 28. Read more
News by Region
ARAKAN—Islamic religious leaders in Maungdaw District released a statement on Aug. 23, claiming that the AA did not kill over 600 Rohingya in Htan Shauk Kan village of Buthidaung Township on May 2-3, 2024. Khaing Thukha, the AA spokesperson, also denied the allegations on Aug. 11.
The Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) shared a photo of human remains on Aug. 7, and accused the AA of committing the mass murder of 600 Rohingya villagers. The religious leaders added that 790 out of the village’s total 933 residents live in the village, while 138 have relocated to Bangladesh.
NAYPYIDAW—Whistleblower group Justice For Myanmar warned that the regime, which seized power during the 2021 military coup, could evade international sanctions placed on it by Western countries due to it renaming itself as the “State Security and Peace Commission.”
“Canada, E.U., U.K. and [the U.S.] must respond by urgently sanctioning [the] SSPC, opposing its sham election and increasing efforts to block the [regime]’s access to funds, arms, technology and aviation fuel,” said Yadanar Maung, the Justice For Myanmar spokesperson. Read more
YANGON—Some women aged 18 to 27 have been stopped from boarding flights abroad at Yangon International Airport, passengers told DVB. The Myanmar Defense & Security Institute (MDSI) reported that the first batch of female military conscripts have been undergoing training in Yangon.
“I was not allowed to leave the country,” a female passenger told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Overseas employment agencies for migrant workers told DVB that the regime Ministry of Labour have not released instructions to deny conscription aged women from departing for jobs overseas.
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