Airstrikes kill 10 civilians in northern Shan State
Ten civilians, including one child, were killed and three others were injured in airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on Maikhuong village, northern Shan State, on Tuesday, residents of Kyaukme Township told DVB. Kyaukme, located 68 miles (109 km) southwest of the regional capital Lashio, was retaken by regime forces from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) on Oct. 1.
“A two-year-old boy, four men, and five women, were killed after the military aircraft dropped two bombs on the village,” a Kyaukme resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The TNLA political wing, the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF), claimed that at least six homes were destroyed by two 250-lb (113 kg) bombs in Maikhuong village.
The TNLA seized Kyaukme in August 2024 and held it until it was retaken last week. A monastery in Namtu was destroyed by an airstrike on Oct. 7. Namtu is located 63 miles (101 km) north of Kyaukme. The TNLA controls Namtu, Kutkai, Hsipaw, Namhsan, Monglon, Momeik, Manton, Mongngawt and Namhkam townships in northern Shan, and Mogok Township in neighbouring Mandalay Region.
Myanmar groups to sue Telenor over data sharing with regime
Civil society groups from Burma said on Tuesday that they are suing the Norwegian telecoms company Telenor, alleging that it shared customer user data with the military regime which seized power in Naypyidaw during the coup on Feb. 1, 2021. According to them, this allowed the regime to track, imprison, and kill citizens who oppose it.
Telenor, which is majority-owned by Norway’s government, sold its business in Burma after the 2021 coup that ousted the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, to avoid E.U. sanctions after pressure from the regime to activate intercept surveillance technology. Telenor said that it did not see anything in the legal notice that had not already been addressed including in previous police and court investigations in Norway.
The claimants allege Telenor, which was one of the largest foreign investors in Myanmar, handed over data from some of its 18 million customers to comply with requests from the regime before selling to a new majority-owner with a history of business ties to the military. “Like all operators in any country, Telenor Myanmar was legally required to provide traffic data to the authorities,” the company said. Read more
Thailand launches pilot work permit for Myanmar refugees
Human rights groups working with ethnic Karenni from Burma in Thailand told DVB that Thai authorities are compiling lists of refugees inside the nine camps along the Thai-Burma border, which is home to over 108,000 refugees from Burma, to see who qualifies for the new work permit pilot project that began on Oct. 1.
Maw Pray Myar, the chairperson of the Karenni National Women’s Organization (KNWO), told DVB that the process has started with Thai officials and camp committees visiting refugees in September to register those eligible to work. Thailand’s Department of Employment states that the pilot work program began after a Cabinet resolution on Aug. 26, which legally permits Myanmar refugees to work in 43 Thai provinces.
“I thank the Thais for allowing us to go outside and work, but I worry we will not be able to adapt. We have only done odd jobs inside the camp,” said Sae Mae, 39, a mother of three and a teacher from Karenni State who has lived in the Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp in Thailand’s Mae Hong Son Province since 2009. Read more
News by Region
ARAKAN—The Arakan Army (AA) shared on its social media account on Sept. 29 that 17 out of 100 residents of Maungdaw Township tested positive for malaria last month. The AA seized Maungdaw on Dec. 8, which brought the entire 167 mile (270 km) long Burma-Bangladesh border under its control.
“We can’t afford the treatment or transport costs to reach clinics,” a Maungdaw resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The AA reported over 400 malaria cases in territory under its control in the first four months of the year. No deaths were recorded. The AA seized 14 of Arakan’s 17 townships, as well as Paletwa Township in southern Chinland.
MANDALAY—Sources close to the regime Ministry of Home Affairs Prison Department told DVB that two family members of the warden at Myingyan Prison were detained, along with their driver, by an unknown armed group along the Myingyan-Mandalay road on Oct. 5. Myingyan is located 66 miles (106 km) northwest of Mandalay.
“No one knows where they were taken to,” a source close to the prison told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Pro-military social media channels are blaming resistance groups in Myingyan, but none have come forward to announce that they have the three individuals in their custody.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,085 MMK)
Check out our latest DVB infographics on the number of airstrikes and civilians killed this year in Burma, on DVB English News Facebook.
Jeanne Marie Hallacy speaks after the screening of her latest documentary film Thabyay: Creative Resistance in Myanmar in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Oct. 7. (Credit: DVB)
