Aung San Suu Kyi’s son reacts to meeting with ICRC
Jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s youngest son Kim Aris confirmed to DVB on Monday that he had spoken with Arnaud de Baecque, the Resident Representative and Head of Delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), after his visit with Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw on Aug. 3.
“And after all these years, it’s really the first sign of hope. But it’s only the first step. I still want to see her free, ultimately. So let’s hope this is just the first step toward better things,” Aris told DVB in an exclusive interview on Aug. 3, following the news of his mother’s meeting with the ICRC at an undisclosed location.
Aris launched the “Proof of Life” campaign in April to demand the regime provide independent verification that Aung San Suu Kyi is alive. The U.N. welcomed the ICRC visit with Aung San Suu Kyi and called for the release of all 14,645 political prisoners as a “fundamental step towards a credible and transparent political process” in Burma. Read more on our website
Myanmar’s crisis fuelled by Russia and China, Fortify Rights warns
Burma’s human rights crisis since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, has reached its most severe level in modern history, driven by an escalating campaign of aerial warfare and sustained military and financial backing from foreign powers, according to Benedict Rogers, the senior director at Fortify Rights.
In an interview with DVB English News, Rogers warned that the international community’s distraction by other global conflicts has allowed the regime in Naypyidaw to operate with relative impunity, threatening to turn Burma into a satellite state of China unless democratic nations step up.
“When I first started working [in] Myanmar 25 years ago, the attacks in ethnic areas were ground attacks… But now the military is using airstrikes—not only from fighter jets, but also drones, paramotors, and gyrocopters,” said Rogers,adding that the human rights situation now far outstrips what has happened in the past. Read more on our website
CHRO files second motion in Philippines for military investigation
War crimes survivors from Chin State and human rights advocates, working on their behalf, have filed a second “motion to resolve” at the Philippines Department of Justice (DOJ), escalating legal pressure on Manila to launch a formal investigation into the military’s 2021 destruction of Thantlang town.
The landmark legal action, initially lodged in 2023 under universal jurisdiction laws, seeks criminal accountability for the mass arson assault by regime forces that destroyed approximately 1,500 homes, churches, schools, and medical facilities, forcing thousands of civilians to flee across the border into India.
Among those killed were Christian Pastor Cung Biak Hum, who was targeted and mutilated while attempting to deliver medical assistance, and Pa Ral Tu, an unarmed church official who was shot and killed. The Chin Human Rights Organisation (CHRO) released a report detailing sustained attacks against ethnic Chin Christians between January and July 2026. Read more on our website
News by Region
CHIN—The Chin National Organization’s chairperson Pu David has been dismissed for meeting with representatives from the regime’s National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) in New Delhi, India, on an unspecified date, according to the resistance group’s leadership.
Min Aung Hlaing referenced its armed wing, the Chin National Defence Force, as a “dialogue partner” during his speech to parliament on July 31. Formed on April 13, 2021, the Chin National Organization is a resistance force aligned with the Chin Brotherhood–one of the two factions of the Chin resistance.
NAYPYIDAW—Pro-regime media reported that the United Wa State Party (UWSP) met with NSPNC representatives in the capital on Aug. 3-4. The regime report added that the meeting centered around regional development and anti-narcotics operations along the Burma-China border.
BBC Burmese reported that the UWSP requested the regime formally recognize “Wa State,” an autonomous territory in eastern Shan State, administered by the UWSP. The 2008 Constitution recognizes the Wa Self-Administered Division in eastern Shan, which consists of six townships.
AYEYARWADY—A search for three people who went missing during flooding from the breached Ngawun Dam in Lemyethna Township continued on Tuesday, rescue teams told DVB The flooding swept away at least 14 residents on Aug. 2. At least 20 homes were reportedly destroyed.
“The water levels are still rising,” one rescue team member told DVB, adding that electricity and telecommunications towers had been damaged by the flooding, making it difficult for residents and rescue teams to communicate. A 50 feet (15 metre) section of the Ngawun Dam was breached by floodwater on July 31. Read more on our website
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,330 MMK)
Watch our news interview with Kim Aris on DVB English News YouTube. Find us on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok & Bluesky.
