EU urged to sanction Myanmar’s entire oil and gas sector
Fourteen advocacy groups, including human rights groups such as Burma Campaign UK, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK), and Fortify Rights, have demanded on Tuesday that the European Union (EU) must sanction Burma’s entire oil and gas extraction industry and forbid European companies from working on oil and gas projects in the country.
The joint statement released on Oct. 20 claimed that Cyprus-registered SED Energy is playing a “critical role” in the operations of the Zawtika gas field, located in the Gulf of Martaban, which reportedly supplies gas to a newly re-opened oil refinery in Yangon’s Thanlyin Township. SED Energy operates in the Zawtika gas field with Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP).
Thailand’s PTTEP has a joint venture with Burma’s regime-controlled Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), according to the Oct. 20 statement by the three rights groups. MOGE has been sanctioned by the E.U. since 2022, as well as by the U.S. and Switzerland, for providing foreign revenue to the regime following the 2021 military coup.
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Southeast Asian human rights forum expels Myanmar
The Governing Board of the South East Asia National Human Rights Institutions Forum (SEANF) formally resolved on Oct. 1 to disqualify the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) from continued membership, with the decision taking effect immediately. Announced in a media statement on Oct. 19, the disqualification followed a formal eligibility review initiated on Aug. 14.
The MNHRC submitted a letter on Sept. 24 and issued a press statement on Sept. 26 that it rejected and disassociated itself from the review process. The SEANF concluded that MNHRC’s responses failed to address core eligibility matters, determining that the commission no longer fulfills the definition of a national human rights institution under amended Article 1 of the SEANF Rules of Procedure.
The disqualification strips the MNHRC of its eligibility to assume the rotating SEANF Chairpersonship in 2027 and is barred from participating in the upcoming 23rd Annual Conference of SEANF 2026 or any subsequent regional meetings. The consensus resolution was adopted by Indonesia’s Komnas HAM, Malaysia’s SUHAKAM, the Philippines’ CHRP, Thailand’s NHRCT, and Timor-Leste’s PDHJ.
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Thai immigration raids heighten fears among Myanmar migrants
Thousands of migrant workers from Burma living in Thailand are facing uncertainty about their futures in the country as Thai authorities continue inspections and arrests in cities with large migrant populations, after about 207 were arrested in Mae Sot, Tak Province, and 27 were detained in Chiang Mai Province since Saturday.
“If we can’t go to work, we have no income,” a migrant worker told DVB. “We don’t know when authorities might come and inspect. Some young people panicked and ran away.” A migrant worker group launched a campaign urging Thai authorities to allow them to maintain legal status using Thai-issued migrant registration cards, known as a “pink card,” without requiring regime-issued identification documents.
To obtain a “pink card,” a migrant worker from Burma must first obtain a Certificate of Identity (CI) issued by regime authorities through designated centres in Thailand. Migrants cited the high cost of obtaining a CI along with sharing personal data with regime authorities, warning they could lose their legal status in Thailand and become vulnerable to arrest during immigration inspections.
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News by Region
MANDALAY/SHAN—The regime revoked martial law in Mandalay Region’s Ngazun Township and Shan State’s Kyaukme and Hsipaw townships on Sunday. But the order was extended for another 90 days in 55 townships nationwide, which reduces the number from 58 under the previous extension on July 21.
“Administrative affairs, community peace and stability, and the rule of law have returned to normal conditions,” stated the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services on Oct. 18. Martial law transfers executive and judicial powers to the military under the Constitution. Read the full article on our website
SAGAING—At least six civilians, including three children, were killed during gyrocopter attacks carried out by regime forces on Butalin Township’s Kunchan village on Tuesday. Butalin, located 23 miles (37 km) north of Monywa, is partially administered by the National Unity Government (NUG).
A resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity that there was no fighting between regime and resistance forces during the attacks. At least 30 people have been killed in 44 aerial attacks, including airstrikes, drone, paramotor and gyrocopter attacks, carried out by regime forces in the region since Oct. 1.
TANINTHARYI—Residents in flood-hit Launglon Township have been affected by an outbreak of diarrhea since mid-October, according to rescue workers. “Our resources are limited due to the scale of the disaster and the number of people needing assistance,” a local rescue team member told DVB.
The outbreak follows severe flooding and landslides that struck the region on Sept. 24-27, killing more than 30 people. Launglon and Thayetchaung townships, located 12-18 miles (19-28 km) south of the region’s capital Dawei, were among the worst-affected areas. Read the full article on our website
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