Airstrikes kill 17 Kachin Independence Army trainees in Kachin State
Sources in the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) told DVB that at least 17 of its trainees, including an unknown number from its allied People’s Defence Force (PDF), were killed and 19 others were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on a KIA training facility in Shwegu Township, Kachin State, on Sept. 17.
“I think the location of the training ground was leaked somehow,” Naw Bu, the KIA spokesperson, told DVB. He added that three Air Force jets dropped bombs at least three times on the KIA training facility at an undisclosed location in Shwegu, which is located 181 miles (291 km) south of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina and 119 miles (191 km) southwest of the KIA headquarters in Laiza.
A source close to the KIA told DVB on the condition of anonymity that regime forces might be able to track the location of KIA troops’ through online activity, or phone signals. “We change the training location [frequently],” the source added. Frontline sources told DVB that ethnic armed groups and the PDF rely on satellite internet, known as Starlink, but the signals from routers can possibly be tracked. Read more
Malaysia FM delays Myanmar visit, Indonesia urges aid
Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Friday that a planned visit to Burma by Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan was deferred due to “unavoidable circumstances.” The trip, scheduled for Sept. 19, was part of a joint Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) delegation with officials from Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia to Burma.
Indonesian lawmakers urged urgent humanitarian assistance for Burma at the 46th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), a forum of parliamentarians Sept. 18–20. Mardani Ali Sera, chair of the House of Representatives’ Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Body, which handles parliamentary diplomacy, tabled a draft resolution calling for stronger aid to communities affected by conflict and the March 28 earthquake.
Mardani said Indonesia has a responsibility to push for collective action, warning that continued instability in Burma threatens the wider region. He submitted draft resolutions on humanitarian assistance for Burma and on promoting green and blue economies across ASEAN at AIPA’s Executive Committee session. The proposals will be forwarded to AIPA’s Political and Economic Committees for debate.
Kim Aris calls for urgent medical care to Aung San Suu Kyi
Kim Aris, the son of Myanmar’s jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, told DVB that his mother’s heart condition is deteriorating in prison, where she’s been held incommunicado since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. He called on the regime in Napyidaw, which seized power during the coup, to provide her urgent medical care.
“Her heart condition is likely to be getting worse. She requested a cardiologist be allowed to see her from outside of the prison, but I don’t know if that has been granted,” Aris told DVB in an exclusive interview with DVB’s Mon Mon Myat on Sept. 16. Watch it here
He added that nobody outside of the regime in Naypyidaw, and its prison authorities, have been in contact with Aung San Suu Kyi. Aris has made repeated requests to the regime in Naypyidaw to speak to his 80-year-old mother – all of which have gone unanswered. He hasn’t even received proof of life. Read more here
News by Region
ARAKAN—The Arakan Army (AA) stated on Friday that it will increase security along the Burma-Bangladesh border in Maungdaw Township in response to alleged violence committed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) against civilians in AA-controlled areas.
The AA seized Maungdaw on Dec. 8, which brought the entire 167 miles (270 km) long border with Bangladesh under its control. It claimed that it is unable to provide full security in Maungdaw while fighting regime forces in the state. It accused Rohingya armed groups of arresting, kidnapping, and killing civilians.
MAGWAY—Residents of Pakokku told DVB that an unknown number of residents were relocated from two villages along the Ayeyarwady River due to riverbank erosion this month. Over 30 monasteries and houses were demolished. Pakkoku is located 118 miles (189 km) northwest of the region’s capital Magway.
“We still haven’t been able to get land to rebuild the monastery and houses [that were destroyed],” a Pakokku resident told DVB. Riverbank erosion along the Ayeyarwady has worsened in recent years due to flooding, deforestation, and sand mining that weakens soil, according to experts.
NAYPYIDAW—Regime media reported that its Foreign Minister Than Swe met with Timor-Leste’s Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas during his visit to Naypyidaw Sept. 17–19. The two pledged to strengthen ties under the ASEAN non-interference principle and discussed plans for tourism and visa exemptions for diplomats.
Regime media added that Timor-Leste invited the regime to establish an embassy in its capital Dili and pledged not “to allow the activities of illegal organizations” to operate in its territory. The National Unity Government (NUG) met Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta in New York in September 2023.
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