Burma Update August 12, 2022

Last week, the ongoing United Nations IIMM investigation came out with a strong report that exposes the ongoing brutality of the Burmese regime, including crimes against humanity. The investigation started with a focus on mass atrocities against Rohingya but now includes the military’s ongoing attacks on anyone that resists its control.

It remains crucial to confront the complicity of international leaders and corporations with the Burmese military. Last week, Justice for Myanmar released a report naming various corporations that do business with the military. In addition, Global Witness has detailed international investment in extraction of Burmese raw materials used for electric vehicles and wind turbines. After additional research, we will have some actions related to this topic.

An elected Japanese politician has met the general for the first time since the coup. Most likely they discussed the recent arrest of Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota, who did high-profile work on the Rohingya crisis, including contributing to an Al Jazeera documentary. As with jailing Australia’s Professor Sean Turnell, the Burmese regime takes foreigners as hostages to discourage international action.

In the camps in Bangladesh, the security situation continues to worsen. On August 10, two camp leaders were killed by terrorist ARSA gunfire. While armed gangs engage in violence, the camps’ APBN police have largely lost the trust of the Rohingya themselves.