Myanmar’s Weaponization of COVID-19 “ Myanmar leaves no one behind in its fight against COVID-19.”1 Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Aung San Suu Kyi, on 10 April 2020, describing the government’s pandemic response in conflict-torn Rakhine State. Introduction With the endorsement of the National tional and local news sources were consulted, League for Democracy (NLD) government, with a notable reliance on coverage by inde- the Myanmar military has weaponized the pendent ethnic media outlets whose websites COVID-19 pandemic and used it to intensify are now being blocked by a government order its repression of ethnic communities, rights issued during the pandemic that has classified defenders, and the media, all while advancing them as “fake news.” Due to the communi- a vision for the country in which its own ty-based nature in which they operate, ethnic permanent role in politics is ensured. media outlets have often been the only media Progressive Voice’s desk-based research for organizations able to provide updates on the this paper relied on a review of media reports human rights abuses and the combined politi- and civil society and government statements cal and health crisis currently facing Myanmar’s from 23 March until 10 May on COVID-19 most vulnerable communities, some of whom response strategies, the intensifying civil war, are also struggling with a state-imposed inter- and the diminishing tolerance for dissent in this net blackout. Their documentation and report- increasingly dangerous context. Both interna- ing have been invaluable. 1 Ministry of Information, Republic of the Union of Myanmar. “Office of the State Counsellor releases statement expressing sadness over civilian casualties in Rakhine, Chin states.” 22 April 2020. Available at: https://www.moi.gov. mm/moi:eng/?q=news/22/04/2020/id-21447 1