(Please be advised that this blog post is not designed to serve as a comprehensive news digest encompassing all events that transpired over a given period. Rather, our primary objective is to provide readers with a concise overview of noteworthy occurrences and narratives.)

SAC Announcements and Activities

Myanmar's military government has extended the state of emergency by another six months due to the need for more time to prepare for promised elections. This reveals the military's struggle to control the situation and suppress opposition to its rule, despite its manpower and weapons advantage. The extension is the fourth so far. 

Amid the junta's extension of Myanmar's national state of emergency, doubts have grown about the regime's commitment to holding the general elections they had pledged. The junta's leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, initially aimed to organize an election after taking power through a coup in February 2021. However, the extension of the state of emergency and ongoing fighting in regions like Sagaing, Magway, and others has cast uncertainty over the election timeline.

Myanmar's military junta has reduced Aung San Suu Kyi's jail term from 33 to 27 years in an announcement made on August 1, yet even with this partial pardon, she could still remain in detention until she is over 100 years old. Suu Kyi, held since the coup in February 2021, has been convicted of 19 offenses, including sedition and electoral fraud. The military's announcement coincided with Buddhist Lent and dropped five charges. Human rights groups have criticized the move, and the UN and US reiterated calls for her release and an end to violence. 

The SAC reshuffled key ministries on August 3. Admiral Tin Aung San, the former navy chief and transport minister, now serves as Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, while Lt-General Yar Pyae, the former National Security Adviser, leads the Ministry of Home Affairs overseeing police and prisons. Ko Ko Lwin, appointed as the new Energy Minister, replaced the US-sanctioned Myo Myint Oo. Nyan Tun is the new Electricity Minister. Ministries such as finance, commerce, and investment remain unchanged, and it's uncertain if the central bank will see changes. The regime also seeks to boost tourism revenue by appointing Thet Thet Khine as head of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, with Phyo Zaw Soe as her deputy. Additionally, the SAC reduced its membership to 18 from 20 while retaining 16 key members, and replaced several junior officials in various ministries.

On August 27, the Myanmar junta ordered East Timor's senior diplomat to leave the country as a response to East Timor's engagement with the National Unity Government. East Timor's President invited NUG's foreign minister to attend a ceremony, and the NUG's human rights minister visited East Timor for a human rights training program. In retaliation, Myanmar's Foreign Ministry ordered East Timor's charge d'affaires to depart by September 1. This action marks the first expulsion of a foreign diplomat from Myanmar since the military takeover. East Timor, Asia's youngest nation, has criticized Myanmar's military rulers and expressed support for the opposition, leading to strained bilateral relations.

A biometric data collection process for a new national ID card system in Myanmar has raised concerns among rights activists due to the potential for misuse by the military regime. The regime has trained biometric data collectors to gather citizens' fingerprints, iris, and face biometrics, along with personal information. Critics fear this data could be exploited for surveillance and to suppress dissent against the regime. Human rights advocates have warned of a "digital dictatorship" as the regime tightens control over the country's digital space, including initiatives like a facial recognition surveillance project. 

Myanmar Military and SAC's Human Rights Violations

A United Nations report from the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) has revealed that Myanmar's military has been increasingly committing war crimes, including bombing civilians, in a more frequent and brazen manner. The report, covering the period between July 2022 and June 2023, pointed to strong evidence of three types of combat-related war crimes: indiscriminate or disproportionate targeting of civilians with bombs, burning civilian homes and buildings, and killings of civilians or combatants detained during operations, sometimes resulting in the destruction of entire villages. These actions have escalated since the military junta seized power two years ago, leading to chaos and a resistance movement. The junta has denied these atrocities, while Western countries have imposed sanctions in response. The U.N. investigators emphasize the need for accountability and building case files for potential legal action against individual perpetrators.

ACLED's Asia-Pacific Regional Overview reported that in July, political prisoners in Myanmar were subjected to ongoing violence by the military government in various prisons. In the Bago region, 37 political prisoners were taken from Daik-U Prison in late June, supposedly for transfer to other prisons. Unfortunately, all 37 of them disappeared, and it's reported that at least eight of them were killed. The prison authorities claimed they died in a van accident while attempting to escape, but their families believe they were executed. This incident occurred during a period of anti-coup protests, marking one year since the execution of four political prisoners, including a former National League for Democracy member and a pro-democracy activist. Since the coup, many prisoners have been mistreated, sometimes fatally, and there have been over 400 documented cases of violence against individuals in the custody of the military, though the actual number is likely much higher due to underreporting.

Telegram channels responsible for leaking personal information of dissenters in Myanmar are still active, leading to arrests of individuals critical of the military junta. These leaks have resulted in the apprehension of many, including prominent figures like the rapper "Byuha" who criticized the junta's power outages. The leaks are often reported to pro-military Telegram channels such as "Ka Ka Han," which has encouraged the arrest of individuals like Byuha. Telegram has become a vital platform in Myanmar due to its accessibility without a VPN, replacing platforms like Facebook that were restricted after the military coup in February 2021. Pro-military Telegram channels, some with tens of thousands of subscribers, are used to propagate propaganda and gather information on those critical of the junta. Personal data leaks have led to arrests and fear of expressing dissenting views. Human rights advocates are calling on Telegram to take more significant action against state-sponsored hate speech and incitement on its platform.

Myanmar's military authorities arrested a Swiss citizen named Didier Nusbaumer, aged 52, for creating and directing a film that is said to have harmed the "morality and dignity" of the Buddhist religion. The arrest happened on August 8 due to the film, titled "Don't Expect Anything," shared on a Buddhist YouTube and TikTok channel in July. The movie "allegedly" contained disrespectful words about the culture and traditions of Buddhists, particularly monks. Thirteen others involved in the film were also arrested for negatively affecting the dignity of monks. Although it's unclear whether Nusbaumer is still in custody, the military warned of "effective action" against those detained. Religion holds great significance in Myanmar, where Buddhism is the predominant faith, and disrespecting it is taken seriously. This incident echoes a previous case in 2016 when a Dutch tourist was imprisoned for insulting religion by disconnecting a speaker during a late-night Buddhist sermon.

Actions and Responses from the International Community

Indian Interior Minister Amit Shah has attributed the ethnic conflict in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur to unrest in Myanmar, which has prompted thousands of refugees to flee across the porous border. Shah called on the majority Meiteis and the Kukis, who have been clashing in Manipur since May, to engage in peace talks and resolve their issues through dialogue. Resentment between these groups escalated after a court suggested extending special privileges granted to the Kukis to the Meiteis, leading to violence. Shah acknowledged the "feeling of insecurity" among the Meiteis due to the influx of refugees from Myanmar but emphasized the need for peace and resolution.

Meanwhile, Indian authorities in the border state of Manipur are gathering biometric information from Myanmar citizens who fled their country due to conflict between armed groups and the military junta. While this is intended to document the refugees, there are concerns that the collected data might be shared with the junta or used against the refugees. Around 50,000 Myanmar citizens have sought refuge in India since the 2021 coup. Refugees fear that this data could lead to their arrest and handover to the junta or their involvement in internal conflicts in India. The data collection process has sparked worries about the refugees' safety, and rights organizations are expressing concerns about the potential misuse of this sensitive information.

Civil society groups working on Myanmar have criticized UN relief chief Martin Griffiths for his recent visit to the country, asserting that his trip didn't result in significant progress on humanitarian aid and instead granted legitimacy to the coup leaders who were obstructing aid distribution. Griffiths, who leads the UN's emergency relief efforts, visited Naypyidaw on August 15, where he was seen shaking hands with army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. During the visit, he also toured a Rohingya displacement camp and a cyclone-hit village. However, the 514 civil society groups, in a shared statement, acknowledged his call for "safe, sustained aid deliveries" but emphasized that working with the military, accused of impeding assistance due to the coup-triggered conflict, wasn't the solution. They urged the UN agencies to disassociate from the junta and collaborate with legitimate stakeholders like the National Unity Government, ethnic organizations, and civil society groups, which possess the necessary access and trust to effectively deliver aid to those in need.

Members of the United Nations Security Council, except for China and Russia, have condemned the ongoing violence in Myanmar during a closed-door briefing on August 23. The council members called on the military junta to stop the violence and end the killing of civilians, expressing concern about the insufficient progress in implementing a December 2022 Security Council resolution on Myanmar. They particularly highlighted their concern over the use of airstrikes. The council meeting also discussed a report by UN independent investigators indicating that Myanmar's military and affiliated militias are committing war crimes. 

On the same day, the United States widened its sanctions against Burma. Now, they can impose sanctions on any foreign person or company that is involved in the jet fuel business in Burma. The U.S. Government has also marked two individuals and three companies that supply jet fuel to the military rulers. The goal is to stop the military from having the funds they use to oppress the people of Burma. These actions are being taken based on Executive Order 14014, which aims to address the situation in Burma. Derek Chollet, US Department of State's Counselor tweeted "Today’s actions on the jet fuel sector aim to constrict the Burma military regime’s ability to use airstrikes to harm civilians. The United States reaffirms its enduring support for the people of Burma as they seek democracy and respect for their human rights."

On August 9, South Korea clarified that its ban on arms sales to Myanmar remains in place, despite inviting an envoy appointed by Myanmar's military rulers to an event promoting the sale of weapons. The move had raised concerns and criticism, with the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, expressing "extreme concern" over the Myanmar ambassador's attendance at the event, suggesting it legitimized the military junta. South Korea emphasized that its policy towards Myanmar has not changed, and it continues to implement countermeasures, including the ban on military exports to Myanmar, since the crisis erupted in 2021.

Singapore did not participate in an international tabletop exercise for defense ministers hosted by the Russian Federation and Myanmar's military regime held between August 2 and 4 in Naypyitaw. This move made Singapore the first ASEAN member to skip one of the events. The exercise, which focused on countering terrorism in a border region of a mock state, drew criticism due to its parallels with Myanmar's internal conflict, where the military junta has designated opposition groups as "terrorists." The decision to allow the junta to co-chair the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) counter-terrorism group has faced condemnation from various quarters, including civil society organizations and UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews, who called for the junta's exclusion from ADMM.

Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) - a Burmese human rights organization and lawyers from the Philippines and Indonesia submitted a petition to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, urging accountability and justice for Myanmar's people. The petition asks for a permanent ASEAN envoy office dedicated to Myanmar, instead of having a new envoy every year, which the group believes lets the junta take advantage. The group demands action on war crimes committed by Myanmar's military, including bombings of civilians, killings of detainees, and intentional destruction of civilian buildings. The lawyers propose mechanisms for individual complaints and a regional criminal tribunal, emphasizing ASEAN's role in addressing human rights issues. Various legal actions against the junta are emerging across Southeast Asia, highlighting the need for accountability and regional cooperation.

More than 200 rights and civil society groups, including Justice for Myanmar (JFM), have collectively asked Singapore's government to take action and prevent the Myanmar junta from obtaining arms, technology, funds, and dual-use items. This request comes because Singapore has been a significant source of spare parts and materials for Myanmar's military weapons production since the coup. UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews revealed that around 138 companies in Singapore have assisted in shipping $254 million worth of arms to the junta between February 2021 and December 2023. Singapore banks have also been used by arms dealers connected to the junta. The groups have urged Singapore to investigate these activities, introduce sanctions, and prevent arms transfers. They also call for targeted sanctions to cut off the junta's access to Singapore's financial system, highlighting that such involvement undermines regional peace efforts.

Op-eds and Analyses (For Thorough Reading)

• Unrest in Myanmar linked to ongoing ethnic strife in India’s Manipur state (Read More)
• Former US Ambassador Scot Marciel discusses the challenges for Myanmar today (Read More) 
• The Ongoing Ethnic Conflict in Myanmar: Implications for Indo-Pacific Region - Analysis (Read More) 
• Myanmar crisis reflects East Timor’s ‘difficult balancing act’ in ASEAN accession bid: analysts (Read More) 
• What Do Changes in Myanmar Regime’s Roadmap and Objectives Mean? (Read More)
• Why has the West given billions in military aid to Ukraine, but virtually ignored Myanmar? (Read More)
• Myanmar Cannot Wait: Only Coordinated Global Pushback Will Stop Escalating Violence And Repression (Read More)
• India and the Myanmar crisis (Read More)