Mass killings in Myanmar

Myanmar Spring Chronicle – December 05 Scenes
MoeMaKa, December 06 2022

Mass killings in Myanmar

There have been mass killings and human rights violations in Myanmar since before the military coup, and many more have occurred after the military coup. It is happening in places and regions where it did not happen before, and every day civilians, not just the armed forces, are being killed for various reasons and accusations. It has been happening continuously, as not a day goes by without civilian deaths after the military coup in Sagaing Division, Magway Division, Yangon Division, Mandalay Division, Kachin State and Karen State. Sometimes tens of civilians are killed in a single incident. Being burned to death and burnings after shootings are common occurrences, and when they are in the news, incidents where only one person dies are no longer particular and are no longer important in such a big way.

Among the incidents before the military coup, what happened in Rakhine State was the killing of thousands of Rohingya civilians, and currently, the military council is facing a charge filed by The Gambia at the ICJ International Court in the Netherlands.

As deaths often occur even within a few days of arrests after a military coup, such an event has become a normal occurrence. As for the mass killings, 39 civilians, including children, were shot and burned, along with the car they were riding in, near Mo So Village in Hpruso Township, Kayah State. An incident also happened last May where dozens of civilians were arrested and shot dead in Monetaingpin village in Sagaing Division.

In today’s news, there is the news that the bodies of 13 Rohingya who came from Rakhine State and headed towards Myawaddy in southern Myanmar, bordering Thailand, were found on the side of the road in Hlegu Township, Yangon Division. Some reports said it was found abandoned at night and believed to have died with many injuries to the body within the last 48 hours. With the help of human traffickers, they are believed to be those trying to go to Malaysia from Yangon, through the Karen State, and Thailand. It is currently unclear how they died.

The Rohingya issue has been going on since before the military coup and is a human rights issue in Myanmar based on citizenship laws that have been implemented by successive governments and restrictions on immigration practices. Before the military coup, genocide against the Rohingya occurred in 2017, when 700,000–1 million people fled to Bangladesh as refugees. As for that, it became a problem that was constantly under pressure from the international community. The details of what happened to the 13 Rohingya who died and were abandoned in the news today are not yet known, but it is possible that they died as a result of human trafficking or were killed by an armed organization.

 

In today’s news, it is said that defense forces in Kayah State have arrested some of the junta troops who took part in the killing of 39 civilians near Moso Village on Christmas Eve last year.

 

This arrest is expected to yield more information about how they carried out the mass killings last year.

 

In armed battles, it is important to find justice for what the armed groups have committed, such as killing and torturing civilians, to give appropriate punishment for the perpetrators, and to prevent further perpetration of crimes by giving pressure, by prohibiting action, by taking action, and by disclosing information. It is also important not to cover up the actions committed by any side.