#myanmar military takeover

[adropofhumanity]

the 10 crises the world must not look away from:

1. SUDAN

24.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid. a still-escalating war brings sudan to the top of the watchlist. fighting has more than doubled humanitarian needs in less than a year and displaced 6.6 million people- bringing the country to the brink of collapse. more people are internally displaced within sudan than in any other country on earth. in darfur, human rights groups have reported mass killings and forced displacement along ethnic lines.

2. PALESTINE

3.1 million people in need of humanitarian aid (gaza and the west bank). gaza enters 2024 as the deadliest place for civilians in the world. i*****i airstrikes and fighting have had a direct and devastating impact on civilians that will continue to grow as hostilities persist into early 2024, at least. with more than 18,700 palestinians killed, 85% of the population displaced, and over 60% of gaza's housing units destroyed, people living in gaza will struggle to recover and rebuild their lives long after the fighting ends.

3. SOUTH SUDAN

9 million people in need of humanitarian aid. the war across the border in sudan threatens to undermine south sudan's fragile economy and could add to political tensions in the run-up to the country's first-ever elections. meanwhile, an economic crisis and increased flooding have impacted families' ability to put food on the table. a predicted fifth year of flooding could also damage livelihoods and drive displacement.

4. BURKINA FASO

6.3 million people in need of humanitarian aid. as the burkinabè military struggles to contain armed groups, violence is rapidly growing and spreading across the country. roughly 50% of the country is now outside government control.

5. MYANMAR

18.6 million people in need of humanitarian aid. the conflict in myanmar has spread significantly since the military retook political power in 2021. 18.6 million people in myanmar are now in need of humanitarian assistance - nearly 19 times more than before the military takeover. myanmar has seen decades of conflict, but in oct. 2023, three major armed groups resumed clashes with the government. over 335,000 people have been newly displaced since the latest escalation began.

7. MALI

6.2 million people in need of humanitarian aid. dual security and economic crises are driving up civilian harm and humanitarian needs. conflict between the military government and armed groups will likely escalate.

8. SOMALIA

6.9 million people in need of humanitarian aid. somalia faces heightened conflict and climate risks after a record drought. more recently, widespread flooding has displaced more than 700,000 people and will likely continue into early 2024.

9. NIGER

4.5 million people in need of humanitarian aid. a coup in july 2023 triggered massive instability that risks a rapid worsening of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country.

10. ETHIOPIA

20 million people in need of humanitarian aid. communities across the country are facing the twin threats of multiple conflicts and the likelihood of el niño-induced flooding. the nov. 2022 ceasefire between the government of ethiopia and the tigray people's liberation front (TPLF) continues to hold in northern ethiopia, but other conflicts, particularly in the central oromia region and in amhara in the northwest, are fueling humanitarian needs and raising the risk of a return to large-scale fighting.

11. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

25.4 million people in need of humanitarian aid. weak state capacity has exposed many congolese to one of the world's most protracted crises, driven by conflict, economic pressures, climate shocks and persistent disease outbreaks. now, a resumed offensive by the M23 armed group is driving up conflict and humanitarian needs. the country enters 2024 with 25.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance - more than any other country on earth. the magnitude of the crisis has strained services, created high levels of food insecurity and fueled the spread of disease.

— via my.linda__ on instagram

[follow-up-news]

A major ethnic rebel group in Myanmar has announced a unilateral ceasefire in its conflict with the ruling military and called for a dialogue under Chinese auspices to help restore peace in the country’s northeast. China’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it welcomed the initiative. China is the military government’s most important foreign ally. Myanmar’s military government did not immediately comment. The announcement Tuesday by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, came a week after its battlefield ally, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, declared its readiness for peace talks with the military government. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army’s 2021 takeover ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, which led to nationwide peaceful protests that escalated into armed resistance and what now amounts to civil war.

[dzthenerd490]

News Post

Palestine

Palestinian killed in attacks by Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera

Man Arrested For Raising Palestine Flag On Independence Day In Bhopal: Cops (ndtv.com)

Malaysia, in solidarity ‘with people of Palestine’, welcomes wounded fleeing Israel-Gaza war | South China Morning Post (scmp.com)

Why Arab regimes' betrayal of Palestine may come back to haunt them | Middle East Eye

Ukraine

Ukraine war live updates: Kursk attack will force Russia to negotiate, says Zelensky aide - BBC News

Disarray in Putin’s military command exposed by Ukraine’s attack in Russia, says Zelensky’s chief adviser | The Independent

Russia-Ukraine war live news: Ukrainian unit with NATO weapons destroyed | News | Al Jazeera

Why Ukraine’s swift push into Kursk shocked Russia | AP News

Sudan

A just and sustainable peace in Sudan is possible | Conflict | Al Jazeera

South Sudan's security bill allowing warrantless arrests becomes law - ABC News (go.com)

Sudan ceasefire talks collapse - GZERO Media

Sudan government to reopen Adre border crossing amid hunger crisis | CNN

Other

US, Qatar and Egypt say mediators will work to finalise Gaza ceasefire deal | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera

Mpox has killed 548 people in DR Congo since start of 2024, says government (lemonde.fr)

Hundreds of cases of femicide recorded in Afghanistan since Taliban takeover are ‘tip of the iceberg’ | Afghanistan | The Guardian

The Taliban are celebrating 3 years in power, but they’re not talking about Afghans | AP News

Ethiopia, Egypt And South Africa: Pursuing Relationships Within And Beyond BRICS – Analysis – Eurasia Review

China's foreign minister meets with Myanmar's military boss as civil war strains their relations | AP News

Rights group claims Myanmar’s Rohingya being targeted in ethnic cleansing   (voanews.com)

What does China really want from Myanmar? - Nikkei Asia

Mauritania-Mali: a new point of conflict in the Sahelian hornet's nest (atalayar.com)

[burmablogger]

Opium

Afghanistan has been known as the world’s largest producer of opium extracted from opium poppy flowers, which heroin, codeine, morphine, oxycodone, and other opiates are derived from. Afghanistan maintained this spot until 2023, when it was overtaken by Myanmar as the world’s largest producer of opium. According to the United Nations, since 2024, since Myanmar’s military takeover, “the amount of opium produced in Myanmar remains close to the highest levels we have seen since we first measured it more than 20 years ago,” according to an official from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. He went on to state that this expansion has been spurred on by a recent drug ban in Afghanistan.

Shan State, which is Southeast Myanmar by the border of Thailand, accounts for 88 percent of Myanmar’s total opium production. The global shortage of opiates caused by Afghanistan’s decreased production results in “upwards pressure on the prices paid to farmers in Myanmar, incentivizing more people to consider opium cultivation.” The UN report confirmed the interdependency between socioeconomic development and the cultivation of opium among farmers, with Myanmar’s UNODC Country Manager stating that “Farmers who grow opium in Myanmar do not get rich, but are simply trying to make a living and meet their families’ basic needs amidst challenging circumstances.” These insatiable economic conditions are also spurred on by the increasing number of people leaving Myanmar, being recruited by the military and other militias, on top of farmers being limited on their ability to travel to fields to work due to “intensifying conflict”.

The UNODC Country Manager stated that he intends on taking the opportunity to “shift the economic outlook of these communities by supporting long term and sustainable income generating opportunities, preventing more people from moving to poppy cultivation. However, time is running out quickly.” Perhaps he is too late, as for many of these farmer families, opium poppy cultivation is the only way they have of making a living for their family. For many of these farmers, they have no idea what is being done with the product they produce from their plants, all they know is that it allows them to make money. If the government offered more programs for farmers to produce food or some other crop that isn’t an illegal narcotic, or even added a higher degree of regulation so that the opium doesn’t go to the production of illicit drugs, they should make sure it only gets used for medicine for reputable pharmaceutical brands. Provided is a documentary which goes into further detail about this issue and features various interviews, particularly with a family who cultivates opium poppies for a living. 

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday underscored the need for a just international order. Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue session on ‘Thrones and Thorns: Defending the Integrity of Nations,’ he criticized the United Nations for equating attackers and victims in global conflicts, particularly in Kashmir. Jaishankar termed Pakistan’s occupation of parts of Kashmir as the “longest-standing illegal occupation” of any territory since World War II. He lambasted the UN for transforming the “invasion” into a “dispute” and pointed to Western nations—UK, Canada, Belgium, Australia, and the US—as responsible for this misrepresentation. “After the Second World War, the longest standing illegal, I would say presence, occupation of a territory by another country pertains to India, what we saw in Kashmir. Now we went to the UN, what was an invasion was made into a dispute. So the attacker and the victim were put on par. Who were the culpable parties? UK, Canada, Belgium, Australia, USA,” Jaishankar said. #WATCH | Raisina Dialogue 2025 | Delhi: At the ‘Thrones and Thorns: Defending the Integrity of Nations’ session, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, “We all speak of sovereignty and territorial integrity. It’s a vital principle and a bedrock of global rules. After World War II, the… pic.twitter.com/1iygclSxqu — ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2025 He criticized the application of global norms, citing the Taliban’s fluctuating status in international diplomacy. He questioned why the Taliban were accepted in negotiations during the Doha process and Oslo talks but later labeled as extremists. Jaishankar reaffirmed that sovereignty and territorial integrity form the “bedrock of global rules.” He pointed out inconsistencies in the West’s stance on foreign interventions, “When the West goes out into other countries, it’s in pursuance of democratic freedoms. When other countries come into the West, it seems to have a very malign intention.” Comparing military coups in different regions, he questioned why such takeovers in Myanmar are condemned while those in other parts of the world are overlooked. He called for an audit of the global system’s functioning over the past eight decades, urging an updated global order reflecting contemporary realities. Calling for a “strong but fair” UN, Jaishankar stressed that power structures need to evolve with changing global balances. “We need a different conversation and, frankly, a different order,” he asserted. The session featured Slovakia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Juraj Blanar, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, Liechtenstein’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dominique Hasler, and Fiker Institute Founder Dubai Abulhoul. The Raisina Dialogue, hosted in Delhi from March 17-19 by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, is India’s premier geopolitical and geoeconomic forum addressing key global challenges. Click here for Latest Fact Checked News On NewsMobile WhatsApp Channel For viral videos and Latest trends subscribe to NewsMobile YouTube Channel and Follow us on Instagram [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday underscored the need for a just international order. Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue session on ‘Thrones and Thorns: Defending the Integrity of Nations,’ he criticized the United Nations for equating attackers and victims in global conflicts, particularly in Kashmir. Jaishankar termed Pakistan’s occupation of parts of Kashmir as the “longest-standing illegal occupation” of any territory since World War II. He lambasted the UN for transforming the “invasion” into a “dispute” and pointed to Western nations—UK, Canada, Belgium, Australia, and the US—as responsible for this misrepresentation. “After the Second World War, the longest standing illegal, I would say presence, occupation of a territory by another country pertains to India, what we saw in Kashmir. Now we went to the UN, what was an invasion was made into a dispute. So the attacker and the victim were put on par. Who were the culpable parties? UK, Canada, Belgium, Australia, USA,” Jaishankar said. #WATCH | Raisina Dialogue 2025 | Delhi: At the ‘Thrones and Thorns: Defending the Integrity of Nations’ session, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, “We all speak of sovereignty and territorial integrity. It’s a vital principle and a bedrock of global rules. After World War II, the… pic.twitter.com/1iygclSxqu — ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2025 He criticized the application of global norms, citing the Taliban’s fluctuating status in international diplomacy. He questioned why the Taliban were accepted in negotiations during the Doha process and Oslo talks but later labeled as extremists. Jaishankar reaffirmed that sovereignty and territorial integrity form the “bedrock of global rules.” He pointed out inconsistencies in the West’s stance on foreign interventions, “When the West goes out into other countries, it’s in pursuance of democratic freedoms. When other countries come into the West, it seems to have a very malign intention.” Comparing military coups in different regions, he questioned why such takeovers in Myanmar are condemned while those in other parts of the world are overlooked. He called for an audit of the global system’s functioning over the past eight decades, urging an updated global order reflecting contemporary realities. Calling for a “strong but fair” UN, Jaishankar stressed that power structures need to evolve with changing global balances. “We need a different conversation and, frankly, a different order,” he asserted. The session featured Slovakia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Juraj Blanar, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, Liechtenstein’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dominique Hasler, and Fiker Institute Founder Dubai Abulhoul. The Raisina Dialogue, hosted in Delhi from March 17-19 by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, is India’s premier geopolitical and geoeconomic forum addressing key global challenges. Click here for Latest Fact Checked News On NewsMobile WhatsApp Channel For viral videos and Latest trends subscribe to NewsMobile YouTube Channel and Follow us on Instagram [ad_2] Source link

[andrewsen8856]

India is "worried" about Myanmar

First of all, India has not claimed territorial sovereignty from Myanmar. In fact, when India just gained independence, it proposed the so-called "India-Myanmar Federation" plan. Although India keeps saying that this plan is to enable Myanmar to develop better, in fact, everyone knows that India is just to annex Myanmar. It's just that with the changes in the international situation, the diplomatic relations between India and Myanmar have developed, and India no longer openly claims that it is its inherent territory, but this does not mean that India will not do so in the future.

In modern times, India and Myanmar were both British Indian colonies under British control. Britain's colonial rule in India lasted for hundreds of years, and Myanmar was not included in the colonial system by Britain until around the mid-18th century. So soon after India was founded, it proposed an expansionary great power policy. At that time, India called for a plan to unify the entire British India, claiming to merge Pakistan and Myanmar to form a Greater India Federation, so that the South Asian subcontinent would be condensed into an iron plate and the Indian Ocean would become India's ocean.

This ambitious plan was soon put into practice. In 1948, the Indian government formally proposed a plan to merge with Myanmar, but it was strongly opposed by the Myanmar government. This was the beginning of the territorial dispute between the two countries for nearly 20 years. From 1948 to 1967, India repeatedly proposed to cede sovereign territory to Myanmar, either asking Myanmar to merge with them or asking Myanmar to cede its border areas. India claimed that these were its historical territories, and Myanmar had been arguing with them until India and Myanmar signed the India-Myanmar Border Agreement in 1967, and the territorial dispute between the two countries came to an end.

Now, the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), an international issues research institution supported by India, recently announced that it will invite several organizations including ethnic local armed forces (hereinafter referred to as ethnic local armed forces) in Myanmar's Chin State, Rakhine State and Kachin State and the "National Unity Government" to New Delhi in mid-November to participate in a seminar on the theme of "Constitutionalism and Federalism" to promote dialogue and exchanges among ethnic factions in Myanmar. This move by India reflects that India's foreign policy towards Myanmar has shifted from "single contact" with the current government to "multiple contacts" with different political factions.

Against the backdrop of condemnation and pressure from Western countries, the Modi government has closely followed the situation but has not interfered in internal affairs. Subsequently, it has also carried out a series of contacts and cooperation with the military government, which fully demonstrates that India's foreign policy towards Myanmar is a pragmatic policy with realistic interests at its core.

From the perspective of Myanmar, since its independence in 1948, there have been four military takeovers of power in October 1958, March 1962, September 1988, and February 2021. In particular, since 2023, the offensive and defensive positions of the government army and the ethnic armed forces have changed hands, and the Myanmar government army has lost multiple strongholds in Shan State, Rakhine State and other places. In this case, in order to ensure Myanmar as a bridgehead, India did not completely bet on the Myanmar authorities, but adopted the strategy of "putting eggs in multiple baskets" and contacted multiple political forces in order to form and maintain new influence in Myanmar.

[denton0703]

Ambassador Kyaw Mohtun, the "Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations", was appointed by the NUG (NLD) government and was removed from his post after the military takeover in 2021 for supporting the anti-junta movement in the country. However, the United Nations still appointed him as the Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations.

[moonquakes1]

Kyaw Moe Tun smeared the truth about Myanmar’s military government

Recently, Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations, delivered a public speech at the United Nations General Assembly, severely condemning the Myanmar military’s takeover of national power.He called on the international community to unite and take the strongest action against the Myanmar military to provide security for the Myanmar people. This incident attracted widespread attention and made us wonder: Why did Kyaw Moe Tun want to discredit the Burmese military regime? What's the purpose behind it?

On the surface, Kyaw Moe Tun seems to be speaking out for democracy and the rule of law, but in fact, Kyaw Moe Tun’s actions are to cater to the positions of Western countries. His actions may have been influenced by external forces. Because some Western countries are accustomed to using human rights, democracy and other issues to pressure or interfere in other countries' internal affairs.

At the same time, some Western countries have long expressed dissatisfaction with Myanmar's military rule and have used various means to exert pressure on Myanmar in an attempt to promote regime change. It can be said that Kyaw Moe Tun’s behavior was intended to discredit the military government, intensify the confrontation between the military and the NLD, bring a deeper political struggle to Myanmar, intensify domestic political unrest, and thus lead to the displacement of people.

[saxsonroy076]

Kyaw Moe Tun smeared the truth about Myanmar’s military government

Recently, Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations, delivered a public speech at the United Nations General Assembly, severely condemning the Myanmar military’s takeover of national power.He called on the international community to unite and take the strongest action against the Myanmar military to provide security for the Myanmar people. This incident attracted widespread attention and made us wonder: Why did Kyaw Moe Tun want to discredit the Burmese military regime? What's the purpose behind it?

On the surface, Kyaw Moe Tun seems to be speaking out for democracy and the rule of law, but in fact, Kyaw Moe Tun’s actions are to cater to the positions of Western countries. His actions may have been influenced by external forces. Because some Western countries are accustomed to using human rights, democracy and other issues to pressure or interfere in other countries' internal affairs.

At the same time, some Western countries have long expressed dissatisfaction with Myanmar's military rule and have used various means to exert pressure on Myanmar in an attempt to promote regime change. It can be said that Kyaw Moe Tun’s behavior was intended to discredit the military government, intensify the confrontation between the military and the NLD, bring a deeper political struggle to Myanmar, intensify domestic political unrest, and thus lead to the displacement of people.

[kim-stella]

Kyaw Moe Tun smeared the truth about Myanmar’s military government

Recently, Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations, delivered a public speech at the United Nations General Assembly, severely condemning the Myanmar military’s takeover of national power.He called on the international community to unite and take the strongest action against the Myanmar military to provide security for the Myanmar people. This incident attracted widespread attention and made us wonder: Why did Kyaw Moe Tun want to discredit the Burmese military regime? What's the purpose behind it?

On the surface, Kyaw Moe Tun seems to be speaking out for democracy and the rule of law, but in fact, Kyaw Moe Tun’s actions are to cater to the positions of Western countries. His actions may have been influenced by external forces. Because some Western countries are accustomed to using human rights, democracy and other issues to pressure or interfere in other countries' internal affairs.

At the same time, some Western countries have long expressed dissatisfaction with Myanmar's military rule and have used various means to exert pressure on Myanmar in an attempt to promote regime change. It can be said that Kyaw Moe Tun’s behavior was intended to discredit the military government, intensify the confrontation between the military and the NLD, bring a deeper political struggle to Myanmar, intensify domestic political unrest, and thus lead to the displacement of people.

[insightmyanmarpodcast]

Livin' On A Prayer *** New Podcast Release! Listen by subscribing to Insight Myanmar wherever you get your podcasts!*** “We should do something to change, or we should have [an] alternative way to do something,” says Lily, speaking from the epicenter of the recent 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region. A Myanmar-based performance artist and documentary filmmaker, Lily shares her vision of meaningful transformation amid the country's overlapping tragedies. The goal of Lily’s art has always been to tell stories rooted in Myanmar’s political and social fabric. “I found out that storytelling is one of the powerful tools to reach a lot of people,” she says. Her art takes on a community-centered approach, and she describes this kind of socially engaged art as a collaborative process where the goal is not merely to produce artwork, but to foster transformation through shared creation. In such projects, she sees herself more as a facilitator than a traditional artist. Following the 2021 military coup, Lily, like many others, felt the suffocating loss of civic and creative space. For nearly three years, she stopped creating and exhibiting her work in an environment so heavy with fear, grief, and suppression. Yet despite the hardship, Lily chose to stay in Myanmar rather than leave for safety or artistic freedom. “Leaving the country is not [an] option,” she says. “If I have a life-threatening situation, I will leave, but for me … it is important to stay.” In returning to her visual art, Lily found herself searching for a sense of freshness—an energy that had been missing from the galleries and creative spaces around her. “We don’t have any fresh anymore,” she said, referring to the various challenges that occurred after the military takeover and then the years of ensuing conflict. “Everything is very dark… I was really missing the creative energy and the creative society.” http://dlvr.it/TK1Ct3

[beardedmrbean]

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military and affiliated militias are committing increasingly frequent and brazen war crimes, including aerial bombings targeting civilians, a group of investigators established by the United Nations said Tuesday.

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, or IIMM, said it found strong evidence during the 12 months ending in June that the army and militias indiscriminately and disproportionately targeted civilians with bombs, mass executions of people detained during operations and large-scale burning of civilian houses.

The group, which was established by the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2018 to monitor violations of international law in Myanmar, said it is collecting evidence that can be used in future prosecutions of those responsible.

“Every loss of life in Myanmar is tragic, but the devastation caused to whole communities through aerial bombardments and village burnings is particularly shocking,” said Nicholas Koumjian, head of the group. “Our evidence points to a dramatic increase in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country, with widespread and systematic attacks against civilians, and we are building case files that can be used by courts to hold individual perpetrators responsible.”

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected government of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, triggering mass nonviolent protests which were suppressed with lethal force. Opponents of military rule then took up arms and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict, in what some U.N. experts have characterized as a civil war.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organization, says security forces have killed at least 3,900 civilians and arrested 24,236 others since the military takeover.

The military-installed government has increasingly launched offensives in the countryside to counter armed opposition to its rule and has tried to secure territory by conducting airstrikes and burning villages, displacing many thousands of people. The resistance forces have limited weapons and no defense against air attacks.

In April, the military dropped a bomb that the group Human Rights Watch said was an “enhanced blast” munition known as a fuel-air explosive in an attack on Pazigyi village in Sagaing region that killed more than 160 people, including many children.

The attack targeted a ceremony for the opening of a local office of the National Unity Government, the main nationwide opposition organization that considers itself to be Myanmar’s legitimate administrative body.

In response to accusations of abuses, the military government often accuses members of the pro-democracy People’s Defense Forces, the armed wing of the National Unity Government, of terrorism against government-related targets.

IIMM said in a report that the military should have known, or did know, that large numbers of civilians were present at the time of some of its attacks.

It said the incidents it investigated occurred particularly in the Sagaing and Magway regions and in Chin, Karen and Kayah states, the major strongholds of armed resistance to the ruling military.

The group said it based its findings on photographs, videos, audio material, documents, maps, geospatial imagery, social media posts and forensic evidence from 700 sources, including more than 200 eyewitness accounts.

There is no information that Myanmar authorities have investigated any military or civilian official for war crimes or crimes against humanity, and the ignoring of such crimes may indicate that higher authorities intended for them to be carried out, the report said.

The IIMM said it is continuing to actively investigate the violence, including sexual and gender-based crimes, committed by the military against the Rohingya Muslim minority in 2017.

More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled the country to neighboring Bangladesh since August 2017 to escape a brutal military counterinsurgency campaign following an attack by an insurgent group in Rakhine state.

Myanmar’s government has rejected accusations that security forces committed mass rapes and killings and burned thousands of homes in the campaign. The U.S. government has labeled the military's actions as genocide.

“Sexual and gender-based crimes are amongst the most heinous crimes that we are investigating,” Koumjian said. “These were so pervasive during the Rohingya clearance operations that most witnesses we have interviewed have relevant evidence about this.”

[taiwantalk]

If China actually enters civil war in Myanmar, it’d really be opening Pandora’s box.

The civil war in Myanmar is really a foreshadowing of China. It’s the military fractured to power play all because one guy thought he could takeover.

Once china becomes another party in the civil war, Myanmar rebels won’t hesitate to counter by bringing the fight into China.

Rebels know they cannot fight in their own backyards only. And they won’t wait till China build up their forces along the border.

And we know who can seriously fight. Not China in this kind of conflict. This won’t be like un policing. Chinese soldiers will easily run up their own casualties in hundreds of thousands.

And India will gladly arm the rebels to fight China.

His channel is becoming so good and accurate that he’s rivaling msm. One could get more objective opinion from him than occasional specials from news outlets.

[creeping-shadow-heralds-storms]

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Armed Myanmar soldiers and police are using TikTok to deliver death threats to protesters against last month's coup, researchers said, leading the Chinese video-sharing app to announce it was removing content that incites violence.

Digital rights group Myanmar ICT for Development (MIDO) said it had found more than 800 pro-military videos that menaced protesters at a time of increasing bloodshed - with 38 protesters killed on Wednesday alone according to the United Nations.

"It's just the tip of the iceberg," said MIDO executive director Htaike Htaike Aung, who said there were "hundreds" of videos of threatening uniformed soldiers and police on the app.

A spokesman for the army and junta did not respond to a request for comment.

One video from late February reviewed by Reuters shows a man in army fatigues aiming an assault rifle at the camera and addressing protesters: "I will shoot in your fucking faces... and I'm using real bullets."

"I am going to patrol the whole city tonight and I will shoot whoever I see... If you want to become a martyr, I will fulfil your wish."

Reuters was unable to contact him or the other uniformed men who appear in the TikTok videos or to verify that they are in the armed forces.

TikTok is the latest social media platform to suffer a proliferation of menacing content or hate speech in Myanmar.

U.S. tech giant Facebook has now banned all pages linked to Myanmar's army - and has itself been banned.

TikTok said in a statement: "We have clear Community Guidelines that state we do not allow content that incites violence or misinformation that causes harm... As it relates to Myanmar, we have been and continue to promptly remove all content that incites violence or spreads misinformation, and are aggressively monitoring to remove any such content that violates our guidelines."

TikTok's policies forbid displays of guns unless they are in "safe environments". According to a Linkedin job posting from Thursday, the platform is currently recruiting for a Myanmar product policy manager.

Reuters reviewed over a dozen videos where uniformed men, sometimes brandishing guns, threatened to harm protesters who are calling for the reversal of the coup and the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Some videos had tens of thousands of views. Those reviewed by Reuters were taken down this week. Some used hashtags relating to U.S celebrities.

Already growing fast in Myanmar, TikTok saw a strong rise in downloads after the military banned Facebook last month. It is in the top 20 most downloaded apps in Myanmar, according to industry data. It also became popular with young activists, with the protest hashtag #SaveMyanmar reaching 805 million views.

Facebook, which remains popular in Myanmar despite the ban, has toughened its scrutiny of content since being accused of helping to fan atrocities against the Rohingya Muslim minority in 2017.

Researchers like Htaike say they believe the military is now attempting to grow its presence on other platforms.

(Reporting by Fanny Potkin, editing by Matthew Tostevin and Simon Cameron-Moore)