Yahoo News Myanmar: Military junta using fire as a weapon, Rohingya refugees fleeing Bangladesh
A weekly news show produced with photos, videos and personal accounts from FRANCE 24 Observers around the world - all checked by our staff here in Paris.
This week on The Observers, we focused on Myanmar, where it's been two years since the military junta seized power, ousting the country's democratically elected leaders. The coup d'état sparked widespread protests and a fierce opposition movement manned by the People's Defence Forces and local militias. But the junta is responding with force, using every weapon at their disposal to crush dissent -- even fire. They've been accused of burning down entire villages to cut off supplies to resistance fighters and stamp out morale.
Tracking and documenting these fires is difficult, but the team at Myanmar Witness has been using open-source tools to verify and record arson attacks since the coup. We spoke to one of their analysts to learn more about how fire has been used as a weapon of war.
Next, we followed the plight of the Rohingya people, who have been exiled from their home country of Myanmar, taking refuge in Bangladesh. Since the end of last November, many have tried to leave on boats, no longer able to stand living in the sprawling camps at Cox's Bazar. The boats are hoping to reach Malaysia, but many find themselves with nowhere to turn if Malaysia or other neighbouring countries don't take them in.
