Weekly News in English (19/10/2026)⁩

Weekly News in English (19/10/2026)⁩

Six US lawmakers urge continued support for Myanmar’s Permanent 

Representative to the United Nations Ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s 

General Strike Coordination Body (GSCB) and three pro-democracy activists receive international award for courage and responsibility, 

Myanmar junta carried out 650 airstrikes in September, with Kachin State hardest hit.

xx
1. Six US lawmakers have urged the United States to continue recognizing Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun, and oppose any attempt by the military junta to replace him with its own nominee. In a letter dated Oct. 14, the lawmakers called on US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz to maintain support for U Kyaw Moe Tun and reject the junta’s efforts to appoint its own representative through the UN Credentials Committee. Since the February 2021 military coup, the committee has deferred consideration of Myanmar’s representation, allowing U Kyaw Moe Tun to remain in his post. The lawmakers said his continued representation has enabled Myanmar’s pro-democracy forces to engage with the UN on humanitarian access, civilian protection and preventing atrocities. They warned that changing the current arrangement could undermine US interests and the credibility of the United Nations. Allowing the junta to participate on equal terms with US strategic rivals, including China and Iran, would send the wrong message internationally, they said. The letter also highlighted the junta’s reliance on these countries for diplomatic protection, military cooperation, economic assistance and aviation fuel for airstrikes against civilians.
Xxx
2. Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun, has accused the military junta of turning interrogation centers and prisons into sites of torture and abuse against innocent civilians. Speaking during an interactive dialogue at the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee on Oct. 15, he said democratically elected leaders remained detained following the military coup in February 2021.  More than 32,000 people have been arbitrarily detained, including students, journalists, politicians, civil society leaders and peaceful protesters, who continue to face severe abuses in military-run detention facilities, he said.  Ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun also reported that more than 1,850 people had died in custody following torture or denial of medical treatment. Some families received their loved ones’ bodies in severely disfigured conditions, while others were never given the bodies.  He described the abuses as systematic and coordinated crimes against humanity rather than isolated acts. He called on the international community to help end the junta’s impunity, stressing that Myanmar’s people urgently need international solidarity and effective action to hold those responsible accountable.
Xxx  
3. Myanmar’s General Strike Coordination Body (GSCB) and three pro-democracy activists — Dr. Tayzar San, Nan Lin and Htet Myat Aung — have received the Forum 2000 International Award for Courage and Responsibility for their efforts to promote democracy and human rights. The award was presented on Oct. 11 during the opening ceremony of the 30th Forum 2000 Conference at the Prague Congress Centre in the Czech capital. The Czech Senate president presented the award before hundreds of international guests. Forum 2000 Foundation Executive Director Jakub Klepal said the recipients were recognized for sustaining nonviolent resistance despite severe repression. GSCB representatives accepted the award on behalf of all recipients, marking the first time Myanmar has received the honor. Dr. Tayzar San led early anti-coup protests in Mandalay, while Nan Lin is known for leading demonstrations in Yangon. Htet Myat Aung, a former Yadanabon University Students’ Union leader, remains imprisoned for opposing the junta’s planned election. GSCB comprises more than 30 strike organizations and has supported nonviolent resistance and the Civil Disobedience Movement since the 2021 coup.
Xxx
4. Myanmar’s military junta carried out 650 airstrikes nationwide in September, with Kachin State accounting for nearly half of the attacks, according to the Myanmar Defense and Security Institute (MDSI). The report recorded 175 airstrike incidents involving 650 individual attacks, a significant increase from August. Kachin State recorded 312 strikes across 32 incidents, representing 48 percent of the national total. Attacks on civilian sites in Rakhine, Sagaing, Magway and Karen resulted in 359 civilian casualties, accounting for 87 percent of civilian casualties nationwide, MDSI said. The junta used fighter jets, suicide drones, high-explosive bombs and cluster munitions to target military positions, villages, homes, religious and educational facilities, displacement sites and infrastructure.  The attacks killed 163 civilians, including women and children, and injured 249 others, nearly doubling civilian casualties compared with August. MDSI also reported precision airstrikes on the National Unity Government’s Special Operations Command. It urged resistance forces to strengthen intelligence gathering, communications and security measures to counter the junta’s increasingly intelligence-driven air operations.
Xxx
5. Myanmar nationals living in the United Kingdom staged protests outside the Malaysian Embassy and the Myanmar military junta’s defense attaché office in London on Oct. 13, calling for international action to address the crisis in Myanmar, according to the Myanmar Unity Movement. Led by the group, protesters gathered outside the Malaysian Embassy from 10 a.m. to noon, urging the Malaysian government to listen to the concerns of the Myanmar people, end cooperation with the military authorities and call on ASEAN to take effective action to address the crisis. A second demonstration took place outside the junta’s defense attaché office from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Protesters rejected the military’s planned election and the parliament it intends to establish. They also demanded an end to forced conscription, the killing of civilians and airstrikes on schools, hospitals, clinics and religious buildings. The demonstrators called for the immediate release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and demanded an end to torture, human rights abuses and the denial of basic medical care in Myanmar’s prisons.
Xxx

--

Send email to - editors@moemaka.net to contact and contribute with us!

MoeMaKa on the Facebook Page from here  (For Burma / Myanmar User)

MoeMaKa News & Media covering Burmese Community
http://www.MoeMaKa.Com - Burmese Language
http://eng.MoeMaKa.net - English Edition
http://moemaka.net/omeka2/ - Audio & Video Archives

Please show your support and donate Moemaka Media

     

Moemaka Multimedia is a tax-exempt organization in Richmond, California. Donations to Moemaka Multimedia are tax deductible.  This organization has been in operation for more than 20 years.  EIN - 26-1387654