Burma/Myanmar:
Myanmar military and government considers Rohingya’s (ethnic group) as illegal immigrants and denies them citizenship along with restricting them access to the same medical treatment, education, and basic services as other citizens. The UN has described them as one of the world’s more persecuted people.
BBC News states at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed and more then 700,00 fled to Bangladesh following a violent crackdown between the Myanmar military and the Rohingya fighters in 2017. UN investigators said the military operation included mass killings, gang rapes and widespread arson, and was executed with “genocidal intent.”
However, Bangladesh says they do not want to take Rohingya refugees as they say they do not belong there. Therefore, according to UNICEF, they are having to live in makeshift camps along the border with a lack of water, food, and medical supplies to support them.
Aung San Kyi was the State Counsellor of Myanmar at the time however was put under house arrest by the military for 20 years, leaving them in control. In November 2020 she won her re-election, but the Myanmar military claimed voter fraud despite having no evidence. In February 2021, the military launched a coup (a violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government), arresting Aung San Kyi and retaking control of Myanmar. The Guardian stated tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Myanmar to protest, despite the military shutting down the internet across the country to stop the protests. The Netblocks Internet Observatory reported that connectivity had fallen to 16% of ordinary levels and the military has already blocked Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. More than 160 people have been arrested since the military seized power in the early hours of the first protest, said the United Nations special rapporteur on Myanmar.
The UN security council released a statement last week that expressed deep concern at the arbitrary detentions, and the US has threatened sanctions.
