Military recaptures Myanmar-Thailand border town
Regime forces regained control of Tanintharyi Region’s Mawtaung town in Myeik District from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), and reportedly killed 24 resistance members on Tuesday. Mawtaung, located along the Burma-Thailand border 248 miles (399 km) southeast of the Tanintharyi Region capital Dawei, was seized by KNLA-led forces on Nov. 14.
A source close to the KNLA told DVB on the condition of anonymity that resistance forces withdrew due to the regime’s “overwhelming” firepower during its counteroffensive to retake Mawtaung, which began on May 5. The regime in Naypyidaw accused the KNLA, and its allied People’s Defence Force (PDF), of selling natural resources to an unnamed country and of bombing to destroy public roads and bridges in Mawtaung.
The Myeik-Mawtaung border trade route, used for transporting goods from Burma into Thailand, was closed on an unspecified date, according to local residents. Myeik is 109 miles (175 km) west of Mawtaung and 152 miles (244 km) south of Dawei. The Mawtaung border gate was opened by the Thein Sein government to improve trade with Thailand in May 2013.
…And regains control of another in northern Chin State
Sources in the Chin resistance told DVB that pro-regime forces, including the Zomi Revolutionary Army-Eastern Command (ZRA-EC), recaptured Chin State’s Tonzang town from the Chin National Army (CNA), which is the armed wing of the Chin National Front (CNF) and its Chinland Council, on Tuesday. Tonzang, located 144 miles (231 km) north of the Chin State capital Hakha, was seized by CNA-led forces on May 19, 2024.
A Chin resistance member told DVB on the condition of anonymity that their forces faced a “pincer attack” from the military, which advanced from Tedim Township, and ZRA-EC forces, which advanced from Tonzang’s Cikha town, simultaneously on May 11. This is when the fighting over control of Tonzang between pro-regime and resistance forces began. The towns are located 28-54 miles (45-86 km) south and north of Tonzang.
Tedim is contested between the regime and Chin resistance forces. The CNA seized Tonzang, as well as Cikha, on May 19, 2024, but it’s unclear if it has fully withdrawn its troops following the loss of Tonzang. Regime forces recaptured Falam Township, 41 miles (66 km) north of Hakha, from the Chin resistance on April 25. They now control Falam, Tonzang, Hakha, and parts of Thantlang and Tedim—contested by Chin resistance forces.
Malaysia moves to restore ties with Myanmar regime
After nearly five years of diplomatic isolation following the 2021 coup in Burma, signs of a thaw are accelerating. On May 19, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan visited Naypyidaw to meet with the regime’s Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe. Regime media reported that the ministers “cordially discussed matters relating to the enhancement of relations” both bilaterally and within the context of ASEAN.
The visit signals a political shift. Since 2021, ASEAN has largely refused to recognize Min Aung Hlaing’s regime, but Malaysia’s engagement suggests a recalibration is underway. “[Hasan]’s visit shows Malaysia has now recognised the election outcome, and it is a good move,” Thai journalist Kavi Chongkittavorn told Malaysian state media, adding that a recalibrated engagement could pave the way for Burma’s full return to ASEAN.
Min Aung Hlaing and his senior regime officials have been barred from ASEAN high-level summits since April 2021 when he agreed to the bloc’s Five Point Consensus peace plan, but refused to implement it upon his return to Burma. Proponents of re-engagement argue it is vital for addressing the severe humanitarian crisis in Burma, which was devastated by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on March 28, 2025. Read more
Read our latest DVB English News op-ed: ASEAN risks granting legitimacy to Myanmar junta in push for peace
News by Region
ARAKAN—The Arakan Army (AA) told Radio Free Asia (RFA) on Wednesday that it rejected the new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), which accuses the AA of massacring Rohingya and burning their homes and village of Htan Shauk Khan village, also known as Hoyyar Siri, in Buthidaung Township on May 2, 2024.
“We strongly object to and condemn the HRW report, which contains deliberate, baseless, false, and fabricated accusations,” Khaing Thukha, the AA spokesperson, told RFA. He accused HRW of creating the stories included in the report in order to obtain more funding ahead of U.N. meetings this month and next.
NAYPYIDAW—The regime’s Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) announced on Tuesday that it has never issued a business license for The Mountain Bank (TMB), which operates in Shan State’s Namhkam Township, which was seized by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in 2023, and Pangsang Township–located 100-169 miles (161-271 km) north and east of Lashio.
A Namhkam resident told DVB that TMB began operating its first branch in Pangsang, which is the capital of the Wa Self-Administered Division of northern Shan. Under Burma’s Financial Institutions Law (2016), an individual operating a bank without a license can face a maximum of five years in prison, as well as a fine of not more than 500 million MMK ($118,483 USD).
SAGAING—The PDF in Shwebo District told residents of Depayin Township that it had cleared regime forces from Saipyin town on Saturday and that 3,000 of them can begin to return home. A total of 11 military personnel were killed and an unknown number surrendered on May 14, according to the PDF.
It warned returning residents about potential airstrikes and told them not to travel along the Depayin-Monywa highway due to ongoing fighting between regime and resistance forces. Depayin, located 40 miles (64 km) north of the region’s capital Monywa, was seized by the PDF on Aug. 18, 2024.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,220 MMK)
Stay up-to-date with the latest on #WhatsHappeninginMyanmar by subscribing for free to DVB English News’ curated Daily Briefing newsletter.
