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Key Highlights
All the major developments in Myanmar this month (November) were dominated by the successes militarily by the Ethnic Armed Organizations and the civilian defence forces against the military junta. It was an unprecedented military operation that has made Myanmar's military most vulnerable both militarily and politically since the late 1940s.
The Brotherhood Alliance which is led by China baked the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance (MNDAA) is making gains on several fronts in Northern Shan State since the military campaign dubbed as “Operation 1027” for its start date, has been launched. Other members of the alliance are the T’ang Palaung National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA). Many areas have fallen under the control of the alliance including the Kokang Region on the border with China. Many analysts now say that the operation got tacit support from China.
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The Burmese military and its supporters have been spreading religious hate speech targeting ethnic groups and religious minorities to cause division among the revolutionary forces, and it is intended to weaken the unity among the opposition groups. While persecution on minorities in Burma has been typical military's policy, the 2021 coup accelerated persecution, marginalisation, and violence against minorities. The military uses the divide and rule strategy to maintain its power stronger by targeting religious minorities.
The junta and its supporters are circulating hate speeches in various ways via both online and printed media. Online media is spread on websites and apps, including Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram.
The objective of BHRN’s monthly report is to monitor and analyse hate speech circulated by the military and its supporters. BHRN documented 109 hate speech cases in October 2023.
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The current junta led by Min Aung Hlaing completed 1000 days in office on 27 October 2023 and the recent incidents tend to indicate that the junta is currently on the back foot in terms of its capacity to control the country and the international outrage against the atrocities it is committing against the people of Myanmar.
The junta lost control of a major border trading post on the Myanmar-China border and four other towns in Northern Shan State in concerted attacks by an alliance of ethnic armies, called the Brotherhood Alliance which started on 27 October. The operation is coded named "1027" in reference to the date it was started.
As the junta continued its atrocities against the civilians the United States, Canada, and the British government decided to impose new sanctions against the junta.
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BHRN monitors and documents hate speech and propaganda news from the military during the current political situation on a daily basis. This monthly report is based on the monitoring of the accounts of the military junta and its alliances, which are intended to spread hate speech. For the September report, we daily monitored 17 Facebook Groups, 59 Facebook Accounts, 19 Telegram Channels, and 4 Printed Media sources.
Limitations
In this report, BHRN has analyzed hate speech in the context of the ongoing political tensions in Myanmar. Sometimes, what might look like misinformation, when measured by international standards, takes on a different significance in the aftermath of the 2021 coup. This is because misinformation, particularly when aimed at individuals, groups with opposing political beliefs, or minority religious communities, can have severe consequences, even leading to loss of life and the intensification of religious and community conflicts.
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It is beyond anyone’s doubt that almost all of Myanmar’s top generals are ruthless and corrupt tyrants. Those who are more ruthless and corrupt tend to be more powerful. This is a scenario that has existed in the Myanmar military since it was first introduced to political power in 1958, barely 17 years after its establishment. No top leaders in the Myanmar army ever lost their positions only for involvement in corruption, most of them lost due to their ambition for the leadership role.
When the news came about the sacking of two senior junta members Moe Myint Tun, a close confidante of Min Aung Hlaing who is relatively young and ambitious and Soe Htut, home affairs minister, who oversaw the hangings of four pro-democracy activists in July last year, it was received by most of the analysts that the junta is facing intense internal rivalry.