26 A NATION LEFT BEHIND force against civilians, military spokesperson confirmed in Myanmar, 4,000 people were dis- Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun said that government placed in Rakhine State’s Kyauktaw Township forces had “no reason” to fire into villages and alone due to the armed conflict.93 More than suggested those injured were AA troops.91 half are women, according to UNOCHA. With a government-imposed internet The Myanmar military’s air strikes and blackout in nine townships in northern Rakhine shelling in the region have largely been and southern Chin States since June 2019, it is documented by independent ethnic media, difficult to confirm the exact number of casu- but their stories on the issue have repeatedly alties in the region. The number of IDPs rose been dismissed as “fake news” by the Myanmar from 128,000 at the end of February to more military’s public relations team, the so-called than 160,000 in May, marking an increase of True News Information Team.94 The military more than 30,000 in two months, according to violence that these news outlets have reported civil society organizations tracking the humani- confirm at least 40 casualties and 103 injuries tarian cost of the conflict, like the Rakhine Eth- between 23 March and 30 April. They are nics Congress.92 The UNOCHA reported that outlined in the following pages. in the first four days of the coronavirus being Reported Military Violence in Chin and Rakhine States: 23 March – 30 April The following list includes several records of air strikes, shootings, landmine explosions, and the burning of villages that have been reported in local and international media since Myanmar’s first confirmed case of coronavirus on 23 March until the end of April. It is not exhaustive, with multiple obstacles persisting in reporting these abuses: the shutdown of media reporting on Rakhine State, subsequent threats to journalists and CSOs for making war crimes public, travel bans to the conflict area, and the long-standing internet blockade in the region. Other civil society organizations that have continuously monitored the conflict have recorded hundreds of killings in Rakhine and Chin States, including a local civil society organization Burma Monitor that recorded 174 people killed and 229 wounded from March – April 2020 due to the ongoing civil war. 91 Min Aung Khine. “Nine-Year-Old Killed in Rakhine as Myanmar Military Launches Air Strikes Against AA.” The Irrawaddy. 25 March 2020. Available at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/nine-year-old-killed-rakhinemyanmar-military-launches-air-strikes-aa.html 92 RFA Myanmar Service. “Myanmar Military Column, Artillery Firing Displaces Rakhine Villagers.” Radio Free Asia. 7 May 2020. Available at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/military-column-05072020170849.html 93 UNOCHA. “Asia and the Pacific: Weekly Humanitarian Snapshot (24 March – 30 March 2020).” Reliefweb. 31 March 2020. Available at: https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/asia-and-pacific-weekly-regional-humanitarian-snapshot-24-30-march-2020 94 Verena Hoelzl & Cape Diamond. “Myanmar military steps up attacks as coronavirus spreads.” Al Jazeera. 16 April 2020. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/myanmar-military-steps-attacks-coronavirus-spreads-200416060255091.html