Ethnic minorities

Ethnic minorities

A member of the Mro ethnic group at a camp for displaced people in Kyauktaw, Rakhine state (Kyaw Lin Htoon/Myanmar Now)
‘Our voice has been killed’ - Rakhine’s smaller ethnic groups shut out of political process by vote cancellations 
Already marginalised and forgotten, state’s minority groups now face even less hope of being...
Published on Nov 6, 2020
Election workers carry portable polling stations in Yangon’s Thingangyun township on November 1, during advance polling for elderly voters. (Kyaw Lin Htoon/Myanmar Now)
Human rights defenders slam Myanmar’s ‘apartheid’ election
Poll will be less free and fair than in 2015 amid mass disenfranchisement of ethnic minorities, advocates say
Nov 5, 2020
Hmwe Hmwe Khin, who became Sagaing’s Shan ethnic affairs minister in 2015, is running again this year with hopes of remaining in the position. (Hmwe Hmwe Khin/Facebook)
A voice for the Red Shan of Sagaing
As minister for ethnic Shan affairs in Sagaing region, Hmwe Hmwe Khin hopes to continue working for her people
Oct 27, 2020
KSPP supporters take part in a campaign rally in Myitkyina, Kachin state, on October 17. (KSPP Youth)
Despite absence of clashes, election put on hold in large parts of Kachin state
Most of the affected areas are unoccupied due to conflict, inhabited by IDPs, or controlled by armed groups
Oct 21, 2020
Paletwa, seen from the Kaladan River in February 2020 (Kyaw Lin Htoon/Myanmar Now)
Tiny Khumi party fights uphill battle to claim a place in Paletwa’s political landscape
The Khumi may be in the majority in southern Chin State’s Paletwa township, but that won’t be any guarantee of success as the Khumi National Party takes on the Goliaths of Myanmar’s...
Oct 6, 2020
The app referred to a Rohingya candidate as “Bengali Bamar” (Supplied)
Activists condemn EU-funded election app for ‘inflaming ethnic and religious nationalism’
The mVoter 2020 app lists candidates’ official ethnicity and religion, data that critics say is used to oppress minorities
Sep 30, 2020
Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing hands a gift to Rev Dr Hkalam Samson after their meeting in Mandalay on September 12 (Photo: Commander-in-Chief's Office)
The Tatmadaw Is Poised To Change Genuinely Now: Kachin Reverend
Dr. Hkalam Samson said he held a “friendly” conversation with Tatmadaw chief after the latter dropped a criminal complaint against him
Sep 15, 2019