Subject: Myanmar Coup Updates for April 20
Bounty issued for Mandalay protest leader; UN SRap says 250,000 displaced since coup; health workers and journalists continue to be targeted; no cracks emerging (or likely) in Tatmadaw leadership; NUG declared unlawful association; with credibility on the line, ASEAN urged to engage NUG; Russia arms exports to Tatmadaw continued in February; Bangladesh defensive over Bhasan Char criticism
- "Blue shirt" campaign for Wednesday: In honor of the death seven years ago of NLD co-founder, journalist, and long-time political prisoner Win Tin, a "blue shirt" campaign is planned for Wednesday (after he was released from prison, Win Tin wore a blue shirt every day, the same color of his prison uniform). The campaign is intended to raise awareness of the growing number of political prisoners in Myanmar, with at least 3,300 now detained.
- Bounty issued for Mandalay protest leader: After raiding Mandalay protest leader Dr. Tay Zar Sann's house on Monday, Myanmar state media Tuesday offered a 10 million kyat bounty (nearly US$7,100) for information leading to his arrest; this is the first bounty issued by the Tatmadaw since the coup that I am aware of.
- Crackdowns in Sagaing and Myingyan continue: Security forces continued to crack down on protesters in Yinmabin (Sagaing), killing one (and possibly as many as six), while using drones to track protesters. Security forces also cracked down on protesters in Mingyan (Mandalay), with one injured, taken into custody, and dead by evening.
- 250,000 displaced? UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews suggested that some 250,000 people have been displaced since the coup, though the source of this information is unclear. Even before the coup, Myanmar was home to more than 300,000 IDPs.
- Targeting health workers...: Myanmar state media continues to issue arrest warrants for health workers participating in the CDM, naming (and showing the photographs of) some 160 health workers in the last week or so while also apparently revoking their passports. In a letter to the UN Secretary-General, a group of more than 15 university medical student unions raised concerns about health workers not being able to provide treatment to the injured and being directly targeted by security forces. The WHO's Surveillance System for Attacks has recorded 120 attacks on health workers in Myanmar since February 1; that is 72% of the attacks recorded globally during that time.
- ...And journalists: In addition to targeting health workers, the junta continues to target journalists, including by naming specific journalists in state media. UNESCO reported earlier this week that, more than 70 journalists have now been arrested, with half still in detention and Reporters without Borders ranked Myanmar at 140th of 180 countries in press freedom.
- No cracks in the Tatmadaw: One of the much discussed ways the coup could fail is if Tatmadaw splits. While up to a few hundred police have defected, just a handful of soldiers have defected (including a major that recently defected and a captain who was recently interviewed). Long-time Myanmar watcher Bertil Lintner says it is the fear of prison (or worse), "deeply entrenched economic interests and a dual-function ideology that holds the Tatmadaw so tightly together" and which make it unlikely that cracks in the Tatmadaw will emerge.
- Junta declares NUG unlawful association: The Tatmadaw declared the newly-formed National Unity Government an unlawful association. Not that it needs an excuse, but the declaration provides the military with an additional tool to target those in the NUG or who engage in any way with the body with detention, arrest, and prison. Separately, the International Union Trade Confederation called for the NUG to be recognized by the UN and other international organizations as well as governments.
- GoFundMe releases CRPH funds: GoFundMe released some US$9 million to for CRPH, but has said it will not allow future donations because of (unnamed) terms of service violations.
- The crisis on the Myanmar-Thai border: The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand held a panel yesterday with timely updates on the Myanmar-Thai border. A few highlights of the discussion: the Thai government has shifted attitudes compared to the past and the border is effectively closed; there are an estimated 7,000 IDPs are in the border areas in Myanmar, 3,000 have fled to Karen territory from elsewhere in Myanmar, and 1,000 refugees that have crossed into Thailand and are in hiding; and the Tatmadaw has fired on boats delivering aid across the Salween River, impacting the delivery of cross-border assistance. One interesting anecdote from Panu Wongcha-um, a Reuters journalist: Thailand "accepted" seven injured refugees in late March only after several attempts to land the boat with the injured at the port and the forceful intervention of sympathetic Thai health officials.
- Karen groups call for Thai prevention and proactive humanitarian support:A group of several dozen Karen organizations call on Thailand to use its diplomatic leverage with Myanmar to prevent further displacement, to refrain from border pushbacks, and to allow cross-border assistance to IDPs still in Karen.
- Shelling in southern Shan StateAfter threats against IDPs in RCSS-controlled territory along the Myanmar-Thai border in late March, the Tatmadaw has apparently shelled areas near an IDP camp in southern Shan State.
- Coup wipes out 1/3 garment jobs: A labor rights activist estimates that Myanmar's garment industry has shed 200,000 jobs since the coup on February 1.
- International response
- Calls for ASEAN to engage NUG as its credibility is on the line:Malaysia's Prime Minister confirmed his attendance at Saturday's ASEAN summit, with the foreign ministry reiterating Malaysia's position that the violence must end, political leaders must be freed, and the military must agree to receive an ASEAN visit. Former Rakhine Commission member Laetitia van den ASsum called for the appointment of an ASEAN special envoy and ASEAN engagement of the NUG, a position echoed by ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights. An editorial in the Irrawaddy echoed the call, noting that ASEAN has not yet reached out to the NUG, though also said "ASEAN needs to find a way to talk to him [Min Aung Hlaing] without lending him or his murderous junta a hint of legitimacy." Indonesia's former Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs called for ASEAN to engage the NUG, discourage new elections from being held, and offer to facilitate dialogue between the military and pro-democracy forces (though it is unlikely at this point either side would agree to participate).
- How will the West engage ASEAN if MAH is at the table? With the UK recently taking part in an ASEAN meeting at which Tatmadaw appointees represented Myanmar, there are major questions as to how the West will engage with ASEAN if the junta holds Myanmar's seat in the bloc in fora such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit. Analyst Aaron Connelly urged the US and European countries to clearly communicate to ASEAN how the junta's presence will impact their approach to the bloc.
- Russia exported US$15 million in defense equipment to Myanmar in February: Despite the February 1 coup, Russia exported $15 million in radar equipment to Myanmar in February, which may have been part of an arms deal the week before the coup which also included surface-to-air missiles and drones.
- Bangladesh gets defensive over Bhasan Char criticism: Responding on Al Jazeera report that expressed concerns about conditions on Bhasan Char, including the level of services provided and the accessibility of the island during the upcoming cyclone and monsoon seasons, Bangladesh's Foreign Minister trashed the report as "false information" and part of its "vindictive approach" to Muslim majority countries.
- Bangladesh FM calls on ASEAN to pressure Myanmar on Rohingya: Bangladesh is calling on ASEAN to pressure Myanmar on Rohingya repatriation, despite the fact that the primary perpetrator of the atrocities against the Rohingya in 2016 and 2017 is now in power.
Steve Ross
Senior Advisor and Program Director
Richardson Center for Global Engagement
