Myanmar commemorates 79th Martyrs’ Day; Bangladesh forms committee on Rohingya repatriation

Myanmar’s commemorates 79th Martyrs’ Day

A ceremony was held at the Martyrs’ Mausoleum in Yangon on Sunday to mark Burma’s 79th Martyrs’ Day, unfolding under intense surveillance and punctuated by a sharp public rebuke from the son of jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. Martyrs’ Day marks the July 19, 1947 assassination of independence hero General Aung San, and eight others, just months before the country broke from British colonial rule in 1948.

The historical anniversary was marked by a video address from Kim Aris, the grandson of Aung San and the youngest son of Aung San Suu Kyi. His mother, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and National League for Democracy (NLD) leader, has been held incommunicado by the regime in Naypyidaw for over five years since the Feb. 1, 2021 military coup.

In his statement shared on social media on July 19, Aris reiterated his urgent demand for the regime to provide “Proof of Life” for his mother. Aris noted that he has had no direct contact with her since her arrest. He also directly condemned the regime’s ongoing nationwide campaign to erase his grandfather’s physical legacy. Read more on our website

Bangladesh forms committee for Rohingya repatriation

Bangladesh has established an 11-member national committee headed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to formulate a comprehensive strategy for Rohingya repatriation, the government announced on July 12. The committee must prepare a national action plan within 90 days, including ministries, law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The body’s composition, dominated by military, police and intelligence officials, signals a shift towards prioritising security concerns over purely humanitarian approaches, analysts say. The announcement came less than two weeks after Rahman’s visit to Beijing, where discussions with Chinese leaders prominently featured the Rohingya crisis.

The Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division will serve as chief coordinator, while the director general of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) has been appointed member-secretary. The DGFI will provide secretarial and administrative support to the national committee.