The Situation of IDPs in Myanmar/Burma and Refugees in Neighboring Countries

Latest UNHCR displacement figures from April 6, 2022 indicated there are now over a half a million people, 561,000, displaced inside the country and 53,000 displaced to neighboring countries since the military coup of February 2021. Factoring in displacement that existed prior to the military coup, there are now 980,000 refugees and asylum seekers from Myanmar/Burma in neighboring countries and 908,000 internally displaced.

According to the UNHCR Emergency Update for April 6, there have been 36,300 Chin IDPs displaced in Chin State and 33,700 Chin refugees displaced to Mizoram State, India since the February 2021 coup.

On April 21, 2022, 6 asylum seekers including 2 children were killed at a riot at Sungai Bakap, a temporary immigration depot in the northern Malaysian state of Penang that mostly detains ethnic Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The asylum seekers were killed when riots broke out and approximately 528 Rohingya fled the facility. UNHCR does not have access to immigration detention facilities in Malaysia but remains concerned over the conditions of the detention facilities and the situation that caused the riot. UNHCR is ready to support the government to develop alternatives to immigration detention, especially for vulnerable populations.

Displacement trends of IDPs (green) and internationally displaced (red) from Myanmar/Burma since the military coup of February 2021 as of March 28, 2022.
Source: UNHCR Myanmar Emergency Overview Map, March 28, 2022

Human Rights and Religious Freedom in Myanmar/Burma

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) provides a daily report in regards to the coup. As of April 29, 2022, AAPP indicated there have been 1,803 killed and 13,496 arrested by the military. The military is also currently holding 10,449 people of Myanmar/Burma in detention.

On April 17, 2022, the Burmese military released approximately 1,619 prisoners to mark the Buddhist New Year, an annual tradition. Many families anxiously awaited their friends’ and relatives’ release, however only those with criminal charges were released, excluding protestors and those with political cases. What is usually a joyous holiday celebration was subdued due to the military crackdown.

On April 27 a court in Myanmar sentenced leader Aung San Suu Kyi to five years in jail after finding her guilty in the first of 11 corruption cases she faces. She was charged with at least 18 offences carrying combined maximum jail terms of nearly 190 years if prosecuted, complicating her political role in Myanmar/Burma.

On April 6, 2022, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) met with U.S. Ambassador to Burma, Thomas Vajda. The two discussed the National Defense Authorization Act as a means to push back against the military’s repression, to support democratic actors like the National Unity Government and National Unity Consultative Council, and to provide humanitarian support that effectively bypasses the Tatmadaw.

On April 6, 2022, The House of Representatives passed H.R. 5497, the BURMA Act of 2021. It is still pending in the Senate. If it passes the Senate it will go to the President to sign into law; it is expected President Biden will sign the bill.

On April 8, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) led Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and others led efforts to reauthorize the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (S. 3924) until December 31, 2034. The previous law was enacted in 2016 and was set to expire in December 2022. This law provides the President with the authority to leverage economic sanctions against any party responsible for “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights” against human rights defenders or individuals exposing government corruption.

The The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes the permanent reauthorization of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and stated, “The Global Magnitsky Act is an important tool to impose consequences on violators of religious freedom that can now be used for years to come thanks to its permanent reauthorization.” CAM also welcomes the reauthorization of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

On April 8, 2022, USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman met with Aung Myo Min, Human Rights Minister, National Unity Government of Burma. Deputy Administrator Coleman reinforced U.S. support to the pro-democracy movement, including the National Unity Government (NUG) of Burma, and underscored USAID’s commitment to stand with the people of Burma and promote democracy, as well as “justice and accountability for the genocide and acts of horrific repression committed against Rohingya” as well as the violence against pro-democracy activists and peaceful protestors by Burma’s military. They discussed ways to support the NUG and pro-democracy groups.

On April 12, 2022, the State Department’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor 
released their Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, including for Burma. The report outlines substantial human rights atrocities that have taken place by the military since the February 1 coup. Atrocities include unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings; forced disappearances; torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and punishment by the regime; substantial interference with the freedoms of peaceful assembly and association; particularly severe restrictions on religious freedom; restrictions on freedom of movement; the inability of citizens to change their government peacefully through free and fair elections; serious and unreasonable restrictions on political participation; and various other unjust actions. The report also underscores the military’s actions and abuses with complete impunity. The report also included details that “the military blocked humanitarian supply routes to 50,000 IDPs in Chin State” in late September 2021, leaving many at-risk and vulnerable. 

On April 16, 2022, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced President Biden will host the Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Washington, DC on May 12 and 13 for a U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit. The summit will demonstrate the President’s commitment to ASEAN and the Southeast Asia region. This will build on the last summit and the President’s commitment of $102 million for expanding initiatives with ASEAN for COVID-19 related issues, fighting climate change, promoting gender equity, and promoting economic growth.

On April 19, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield met with National Unity Government (NUG) representatives Aung Myo Min and Moe Zaw Oo. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield reaffirmed U.S. support for the people of Myanmar/Burma discussed avenues for promoting a transition to democracy.

On April 27, 2022 after the news of Aung San Suu Kyi’s jail sentence, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell made a statement on the Senate floor regarding Myanmar/Burma. He called the sentence a baseless claim and stated that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi “was handed yet another outrageous sham sentence by the military junta in Burma. For the past year, the leader of Burma’s democracy movement and thousands of her fellow citizens have been detained while the Tatmadaw drags their country violently backward.” He also commended the pursuit of democracy in Myanmar/Burma and unity that has emerged among ethnic minority groups in this pursuit.

On April 29, 2022, the Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin indicated the Malaysian government would no longer acknowledge refugee status granted by UNHCR and would issue their own refugee cards from the Malaysian government. The Home Minister reiterated that Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol and that UNHCR did not have the legal or administrative framework to manage refugees in the country. In April of 2020 the Home Minister went on record indicating Malaysia would not recognize refugee status of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar/Burma and would classify them as illegal immigrants.
On April 25, 2022, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released their 2022 Annual Report. Zo Tum Hmung, Executive Director of the Chin Association of Maryland, Inc. (CAM) joined the Report Release Event. Nadine Maenza, Chair of USCIRF and Nury Turkel, Vice Chair of USCIRF provided the opening remarks. Speaker Nancy Pelosi(D-California) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) delivered special remarks. CAM issued a statement welcoming the report and the recommendations related to Burma, especially the redesignation of Burma as a Country of Particular Concern. CAM also commends the recommendations to “Actively support international efforts to hold the Tatmadaw, Burmese agencies, and officials accountable through the international legal system for atrocities against religious communities…” (page 14).

Since President Biden signed an Executive Order in February 2021 that permits the U.S. government to impose financial sanctions in response to the coup, the U.S. government has sanctioned 70 individuals and 27 entities, including top military commanders and businesses that generate revenue for the military. As the humanitarian crisis in Burma worsens, the U.S. government continues to encourage regional and likeminded partners to enhance humanitarian support and to pressure the military regime to allow unhindered and safe humanitarian access, including to at-risk communities and to safeguard aid workers.

Join CAM’s efforts in advocacy by writing a letter to your Senators asking them to sponsor the Burma Act of 2021 as amended: 

Please support the BURMA Act of 2021 by becoming a co-sponsor to the bill. This would help restore the democratically elected government of Burma. It would establish an inclusive political dialogue in Burma, which would be a step toward establishing a federal democratic union.

Please also consider the following amendments to make the Burma Act of 2021 more relevant to the current situation on the ground in Burma:

1- Establish A Federal Democratic Union of Burma
It is important that the Act mention “federal democratic union,” not just democracy. The political crisis in the union of Burma is not only about promoting democracy or human rights. For over a half a century, the Burmese military regimes have been persecuting the ethnic nationalities and the religious minorities. Resolving the political crisis in Burma is about respecting minority rights and autonomy. That is what the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) have been fighting for all these years. A “federal democratic union” would help ensure those rights are safeguarded. NUG’s duties include “establishing a federal democratic union” (see building a federal democratic union” under the Duties of NUG ( https://gov.nugmyanmar.org/about-nug/).

It is important that the bill restores civilian governance and ensures strong oversight over the military, but it should also mention the importance of establishing a federal democratic union that safeguards full autonomy for the internal administration of states or regions.

2- Abolish the 2008 Constitution
The Act should clearly mention abolishing the 2008 Constitution rather than reforming it (see NUG’s duties to abolish the 2008 Constitution). The ethnic political organizations and ethnic armed organizations have the same goal to abolish it.

3- Do Not Advocate for a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement
The Act should also not advocate for the implementation of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). It ceased being a just and viable instrument for maintaining peace when the military illegally took power on February 1, 2021. If included in the Act, many ethnic political organizations and ethnic armed organizations will strongly oppose it. The Act should instead advocate an inclusive peace process that would lead to establishing a federal democratic union.

4- Include engagement with Malaysia and India
Both Malaysia and India should be included in the bill because they both have a large stake in the return of refugees. According to UNHCR in Malaysia, there are 154,860 refugees from Burma, of which 102,990 are Rohingyas (https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance-in-malaysia.html, CAM’s Report, September 2020: https://chinmd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Chin-Refugees-Final-Oct-8-2020.pdf).  According to the Mizoram State government, since February 1, an estimated 20,000 Chins have fled to Mizoram seeking refuge. New Delhi has about 3,000 refugees. Besides hosting a large number of refugees Malaysia is an influential political and economic nation in the region. India likewise is very influential, as a Quad member, and the world’s largest democracy. Both countries can and should play a big role to put pressure on the military regime in Burma to change its behavior.

5- Provide Karenni State and Mon State with humanitarian assistance
The Act should provide Karenni State (also known as Kayah State) and Mon State  with access to humanitarian assistance from UN Agencies and the international community. After the February coup, Karennis have been severely targeted by the military, creating over 82,000 new internally displaced persons. Also, at least eight Catholic churches in Karenni State have been destroyed by the military.

To learn more ways to advocate with CAM, click here.

In 2020 and 2021, CAM produced three reports: After the 2021 Military Coup in Myanmar/Burma: Challenges for Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees; Unsafe: Chins Seeking Refuge in Malaysia; and New Delhi, India; and Unprotected: Chin IDPs in IDPs in Chin and Rakhine States, Myanmar/Burma. CAM continues to advocate that the crimes against the Chin people in Myanmar/Burma are crimes against humanity and should be brought to the IJC and the ICC.

1. Point your phone camera at the QR code below which will take you to the web site to sign up and submit the petition.
2. Go to www.Burmaadvocacygroup.org and follow the instructions to sign up and submit the petition.
3. Facebook:  Burma Advocacy Group.  Use the QR code to sign up and submit the petition.