On January 4, 2016, Burma’s Independence Day — celebrated with military parades in Naypyidaw and Yangon — government troops attacked a Ta’ang village in Lashio township, northern Shan State, killing two villagers, including one who was mentally disabled […]
• • •This update documents further incidents of abuse against civilians committed by Burmese government troops during their offensive in central Shan State since early October 2015. SHRF has documented the killing of a displaced farmer on November 13, and the disappearance of another, near Mong Ark, Mong Hsu township […]
• • •1. All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress (AASYC) find it shocking to witness the unlawful verdict of Koh Tao Murder Case, for which both UK, home to the bereaved family, and Myanmar, motherland of the accused, also express little sympathy and slight willingness to ascertain justice for the accused […]
• • •(Bangkok, December 24, 2015)— Witnesses involved in a high-profile human trafficking trial are under threat and are not receiving adequate protections in Thailand, Fortify Rights said today. Key witnesses have been forced into hiding while others are confined in shelters […]
• • •Shan community groups are calling for pressure on Naypyidaw to withdraw troops from areas occupied during their recent offensive in central Shan State, so that displaced villagers can return home without fear of persecution […]
• • •In mid-November, 2015, Burmese government soldiers burned down half of the houses in an ethnic Ta’ang village in Namtu township, northern Shan State, in punishment for allegedly supporting an ethnic armed group. A displaced farmer forced to guide the Burmese troops was shot dead in battle […]
• • •Hannah Witheridge (23) and David Miller (24) were murdered on 15th September 2014 on Koh Tao, a tourist island in the Gulf of Thailand. The murder investigation was widely criticised both domestically and internationally due to alleged mishandling of forensic evidence and alleged torture both of the two accused and migrant workers living on Koh Tao Island. The challenges faced to Thailand’s law enforcement and justice systems in this case also cast a serious shadow over the safety of tourism in Thailand […]
• • •Despite huge challenges, election day in Myanmar passed almost entirely peacefully. Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy triumphed in polls that were regarded by domestic and international observers as remarkably free from irregularities […]
• • •(Yangon, December 11, 2015)— The Myanmar government should immediately and unconditionally drop all charges against six men for printing the word “Rohingya” in a 2016 calendar, Fortify Rights said today. The government should uphold the right to freedom of expression and ensure protection for the six defendants, including Aung Khin who is in hiding […]
• • •Burma’s multi-billion dollar jade industry is coming under close scrutiny as two new reports demonstrate the corrupt, unaccountable, and dangerous industry that is driving conflict, a heroin epidemic, and hazardous working conditions […]
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