Entries by kwat-admin

The UN Must Establish a Mechanism towards Accountability for Gross and Systematic Human Rights Violations in Myanmar

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28 June 2018 Yesterday at the 38th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Ms. Yanghee Lee, proposed an international mechanism towards accountability that provides support for victims; investigates and documents violations, and prepares evidence for future criminal prosecution. The Special Rapporteur also […]

Myanmar: Drop Defamation Cases Against Kachin Anti-War Protest Organizers Trial against three protesters continues today

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(YANGON, May 21, 2018) – The Government of Myanmar should immediately and unconditionally drop criminal defamation charges against three ethnic-Kachin human rights defenders, said the Kachin Women’s Association of Thailand (KWAT) and Fortify Rights today. The cross-examination of prosecution witnesses will begin in Myitkyina Township Court today. “It is not a crime to want the Burmese military […]

Burma Army commits war crimes against Kachin IDPs: blocking access to refuge, using as human shields and minesweepers, indiscriminate shelling, looting

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May 15, 2018 Urgent update by the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT)  Contrary to claims by Burma Army commanders that they have not targeted civilians in their recent offensives against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), interviews by KWAT with IDPs reveal that in April 2018 Burma Army troops committed war crimes against villagers in three […]

Urgent call for safe passage of ethnic villagers trapped by Myanmar Tatmadaw offensives throughout Kachin State and for provision of humanitarian aids

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30 April 2018 From April 11 to 28, 2018, due to fierce offensives by the Myanmar Tatmadaw, people from Tanai township, Awng Lawt village, Kamaing township, Man Wai/Loi Nawng Khu village, Namti township, Kasung village, Inn Jang Yang township, Chipwi township and Zan Naung Yang villages have fled for their lives to the jungle and […]

Kachin Communities Worldwide Demand United Nations Security Council Urgently Refers Burma to the International Criminal Court

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23rd April 2018 The Burma military broke the ceasefire with the Kachin Independence Organisation in 2011. Since then, residents of the Kachin region have endured various forms of human rights violation as well as denial of humanitarian assistance by Burmese military. Their daily lives have also become dictated by the ebb and flow of armed conflict […]

State terror in the Kachin hills

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In late 2012, the Burma Army intensified military operations against strongholds of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). This culminated in a massive offensive on the KIA headquarters at Laiza on the China-Burma border starting in mid-December. This month long assault involved repeated mortar shelling and aerial bombings in the Laiza area, populated by 20,000 civilians, […]

Myanmar: Drop Criminal Defamation Charges Against Kachin Activist

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Decriminalize defamation laws, uphold right to freedom of expression (YANGON, November 14, 2017)—The Government of Myanmar should immediately and unconditionally drop criminal defamation charges against 56-year-old ethnic Kachin human rights defender Dashi Naw Lawn and uphold the right to freedom of expression, said the Kachin Women’s Association of Thailand (KWAT) and Fortify Rights today. The […]

Recent defamation case in Phakant highlights urgent need to bring the Burma Army under civilian control

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September 8, 2017 Since the founding of the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) on September 9, 1999, we have been working to promote and protect the rights of women and children in Kachin areas of Burma. Unfortunately, due to worsening Burma Army offensives and abuses, the rights of our communities continue to be systematically violated. A recent […]