Speaking Out on Behalf of the Persecuted in Burma at the UN

According to a human rights group, the Burma (Myanmar) Army has killed more than 1,000 civilians since it seized power in February 2021.

As we told you, the Burma Army took control of the government during a coup. Since then, it continues to discriminate against, persecute, and even kill religious minorities within the country. Furthermore, civilians who are not targeted because of their faith are also victims of the Burma Army’s campaign of violence and boundless evil atrocities which include looting, raping, and killing.

In order to bring awareness and urge further international action, we have submitted numerous reports to the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) explaining the dire situation. However, despite repeated calls for a ceasefire and international condemnation of the Burma Army’s “brute force,” the situation for the people of Burma continues to worsen.

Now, we have just submitted another report further detailing the senseless violence being carried out at an alarming rate:

Since May 2021, the Burma Army has continued to attack the people of Myanmar. In June 2021, according to our on the ground sources, 300 Burma Army troops attacked multiple villages in the Demoso and Loikaw areas of Karenni State, “firing indiscriminately at anything that moved”. The Burma Army soldiers “are now staying in the villagers’ homes,” as others “continue to loot the villages and homes”.

We also detailed what life is like for citizens on the ground who are continually under the threat of losing their livelihood or being killed:

In June 2021, there was a “reported tally of 34 artillery missions, 13 uses of mines and improvised explosive devices, and 27 troop contacts that resulted in short or prolonged fighting between EAO’s and Burma Army forces” in Shan and Kachin states. One villager who was forced to flee stated:

“The Burma Army camp is very close to our village; they often shell mortars into the village at any moment. All villagers there are now hiding in the forest; no one stays behind. And it is really difficult for us to go back and get the food. Burma Army patrol into the village and will shoot you if they see you. All civilians dare not go back to their homes. We have no food to eat, we don’t know what [to do] next.”

We shared another tragic story told by our on-the-ground source, the Free Burma Rangers, of a widow who, while planting rice in the morning, was forced to run and jump into a bush in order to escape machine gun fire from the Burma Army.

Tragically, these are just a few of the countless acts of violence the people of Burma face on a continual basis. Every day, they live with the realization that they could be killed or their homes and livelihood destroyed at any moment.

It is past time for the international community to get involved. Immediate and meaningful action must be taken to prevent further loss of life. As we further stated to the U.N. HRC:

The current political state of Myanmar renders the government incapable of enacting or upholding laws that guarantee basic human rights, including the right to life and freedom of religion. The continuing conflict within Myanmar has not only displaced thousands of people within the country itself, but has led to the murder of thousands of citizens at the hands of the Burma Army. We urgently request the United Nations to aid and protect the people of Myanmar from the continued atrocities that they are facing at the hands of the dictatorial military.

We have also appeared again before the U.N. HRC (via video) through our European affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), to deliver a critical oral intervention requesting that the Burma Army be held accountable for its atrocities.

As we said in our presentation:

Thank you, Madam President.

As High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Bachelet recently stated, within Myanmar is “a human rights catastrophe that shows no signs of abating. . . . Over 8,000 individuals – including children – have been arrested since the coup, with over 4,700  remaining in detention. Most are held without any form of due process and lack access to legal counsel, or even the ability to communicate with their families.”

Baptist Pastor, Rev. Thian Lian Sang of Chin State, is one such individual.

On September 16th, Rev. Sang, who was recovering from COVID, was arrested by approximately 20 plain-clothes armed men who had three military vehicles with them. The Army confiscated money and five cell phones from his family. On-the-ground sources indicate that Rev. Sang is still in detention, may have been tortured, and has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for unknown reasons.

On September 18th, the Myanmar Army burned down 19 houses in an attack on civilians in Chin State. During that attack, the military shot and killed a Baptist Pastor, and then stole his cell phone and watch, and cut off his finger to steal his wedding ring.

These arbitrary arrests and human rights abuses must end. We urgently call for the immediate release of Pastor Sang and for justice for the ongoing death and devastation caused by the Myanmar Army. We request that this Council more fully engage in the process to hold Myanmar accountable.

Thank you. The people of Burma need help, and they need help now. Thankfully, the U.N. has provided some humanitarian aid to the people of Burma, but more must be done. At the ACLJ, we will continue to advocate and speak out on behalf of those facing persecution in Burma and around the world.