Over 60 Myanmar troops ‘defect’ to Arakan Army
Sources on the frontline in Arakan State told DVB that more than 60 troops defected from the Burma Army to the Arakan Army (AA) in Kyaukphyu Township of Arakan State on Saturday. The AA launched its offensive to seize the regime Police Battalion 32 in Kyaukphyu on June 9.
“They were members of a joint unit from Divisions 99 and 11, and some commanders were among them,” a source with knowledge of the defections told DVB on the condition of anonymity, adding that the battle between regime forces and the AA over control of the police battalion is ongoing.
The anonymous source added that most of the defectors were forcibly recruited by the regime under its conscription law, enforced by Naypyidaw on Feb. 10, 2024. Kyaukphyu is located 317 miles (510 km) south of the Arakan State capital Sittwe. The police battalion is located three miles (4.8 km) outside of Kyaukphyu town. Read more
CRPH enacts law on civil servants working under regime
The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) enacted a “Law on Non-violent Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) for Civil Servants” on June 13. It stated that the law is aimed to take action against civil servants who continue to work for the regime, and to show appreciation to those who joined the CDM and have faced severe repression since the 2021 military coup.
A former official in the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) government told DVB on the condition of anonymity that he welcomed the law. But critics argue that it will be used to prosecute civil servants for supporting the regime over the past four years. It also does not recognize promotions, or local and foreign examination results, issued since April 2021.
The All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) called the law “undemocratic,” stating that it targets all civil servants who continue to work under the regime. It noted that discrimination and prosecution against non-CDM staff and students at regime-run schools in resistance-controlled areas are already widespread, and warned that the law could worsen the situation.
Inle Lake residents say flooding has destroyed crops
Residents in Nyaungshwe Township of southern Shan State told DVB that flooding in villages near Inle Lake since June 10 has destroyed crop fields. They added that it costs 1.5 million MMK ($330 USD) to grow an acre of tomatoes, 1 million MMK ($220 USD) for rice and eggplants, and 600,000 MMK ($130 USD) for peanuts and chilies — expenses that have forced them to borrow money.
“We haven’t harvested the crops yet, and now they’re submerged under four inches of floodwater,” a resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Another resident said that at least 80 percent of the farms near Inle Lake and near the state capital Taunggyi are flooded. Inle Lake was one of the hardest hit areas by the earthquake on March 28. It is located 24 miles (38 km) south of Taunggyi.
The Pa-O Youth Organization stated that nearly 100 residents from 25 Inle villages were killed and 3,255 homes were destroyed by the quake. Aid groups in Nyaungshwe told DVB that at least 400 residents have fled their homes after flood waters rose by two feet (0.6 metres) since June 12. “One-third of the town is flooded,” an aid worker told DVB on condition of anonymity.
News by Region
AYEYARWADY—Residents of Ingapu Township told DVB that the Ingapu-Nyaungkyo road in Kanyintapin village is closed due to a landslide caused by the erosion of the Ngawun riverbank on Saturday. Ingapu is located 98 miles (157 km) north of the region’s capital Pathein.
“No vehicles can pass through as the river washed away six feet of the road,” a Nyaungkyo resident told DVB. Drivers said that the landslide has caused delays in transporting goods. Kanyintapin village has over 800 households which rely on the Ingapu-Nyaungkyo road.
BAGO—The People’s Defence Force (PDF) claimed that four civilians, including women and children, were killed and another civilian was injured by artillery fired by regime forces in Shwechaung and Nwaryechaung villages of Kyauktaga Township on Saturday.
“There was not much damage,” a PDF spokesperson told DVB. Over 20 civilians have been killed and nearly 50 have been injured by artillery in Kyauktaga following the 2021 military coup, according to the PDF. Kyauktaga is located 77 miles (123 km) north of the region’s capital Bago.
KAREN—Sources told DVB that 123 residents from Myawaddy District who have taken shelter in Thailand’s Phop Phra District are unable to return home. They fled across the border when the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) seized the regime’s Shweayemyaing, or Wamihta, outpost in late May.
Myawaddy is located 81 miles (130 km) east of the state capital Hpa-An and adjacent to Thailand’s Tak Province. The residents reported they don’t want to return since KNLA-led forces are in the midst of an offensive to seize one of the four remaining regime outposts in the district.
TANINTHARYI—At least 3,000 residents from six villages in Palaw and Launglon townships were forced to flee their homes due to a military offensive on Saturday. Launglon and Palaw are located 12-97 miles (19-157 km) south of the region’s capital Dawei.
A Palaw resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity that regime forces fired artillery. Residents said three villages in Launglon have been evacuated since June 14. The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are in need of food, temporary shelter, and medical assistance.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,520 MMK)
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