Airstrikes kill seven in Sagaing Region on Monday
Residents of Depayin Township in Sagaing Region told DVB that seven people, including a member of the People’s Defence Force (PDF), were killed by two airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on Mukan village, located in the southeast of the township on Monday. Depayin is located 40 miles (64 km) north of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa. It is partly controlled by the PDF under the National Unity Government (NUG).
“There was a PDF meeting at the village monastery. The airstrikes took place even before the meeting started. It killed six people, including a PDF member and a Buddhist monk, instantly,” a Depayin resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. At least 18 others were injured and buildings inside the monastery compound were destroyed, residents added.
The PDF stated that the death toll may increase due to the number of seriously injured. A PDF member said that the Air Force jet took off from Tada-U Air Force base in Mandalay Region, firing rounds at the monastery before the airstrikes occurred. Residents of Mukan village have been forced to flee their homes due to the strikes. Depayin was among the 63 townships placed under martial law on July 31.
Death toll from strikes on Karenni State this week rises to 32
The Karenni State news agency Kantarawaddy Times reported that the death toll from airstrikes on Mawchi, Hpasawng Township, carried out by the Burma Air Force on Sunday has risen to 32. It added that three more people were injured in another airstrike. Mawchi is located 135 kilometers (84 miles) southeast of the Karenni State capital Loikaw.
The Karenni Interim Executive Council (IEC) issued a statement on Monday confirming the 32 fatalities and noting that several residents remain missing. The IEC called on the international community, including the U.N. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), “to give serious attention and take decisive action” against the regime for what it described as “serious military crimes against civilians.”
Hpasawng residents told DVB that no fighting was ongoing between Karenni resistance and regime forces in Mawchi in recent days. At least 29 civilians have been killed and more than 60 have been injured in eight airstrikes on Mawchi since January, according to Karenni resistance forces. Mawchi was seized by the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) in January 2024.
Military to cooperate in upcoming regime elections
Min Aung Hlaing told a meeting at the Magway Railway Station, which is the Light Infantry Division (LID) 88 headquarters, in Magway Region that the military would cooperate with elections on Dec. 28. He repeated claims that the National League for Democracy (NLD) government committed voter fraud in the 2020 elections as the reason he seized state power on Feb, 1, 2021. But he has never shared any proof or evidence.
A source close to the military told DVB on the condition of anonymity that Min Aung Hlaing pressured regime forces in Magway and Mandalay regions to intensify attacks on towns held by resistance forces. Magway’s Pauk, Myaing, Saw, Htilin and Yesagyo townships and Mandalay’s Mogok and Ngazun — either fully or partially controlled by resistance forces — were among 63 townships placed under martial law on July 31.
The Union Election Commission (UEC) announced that there would be 25 constituencies in Magway Region and 28 in Mandalay Region for the upcoming regime election. Min Aung Hlaing also said that the military had agreed to amend certain provisions of the 2008 Constitution but did not elaborate which ones. He added that the military would cooperate only if the democratic system was “implemented correctly.”
News by Region
AYEYARWADY—Sources close to the police department told DVB that over 300 Rohingya civilians from Arakan State, who had fled their homes due to conflict, were arrested over the last seven months. A total of 188 men, 89 women, and 24 children, arrived via land and waterways from January to June.
“Most were charged under the [1982 Citizenship Law]. Some of them are detained without charge,” a Rohingya human rights activist told DVB on the condition of anonymity. A source in the regime police department said that the 300-plus Rohingya planned to travel to Malaysia via Yangon.
KAREN—Sources told DVB that delegates of the pro-regime Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and Border Guard Force (BGF) met at the DKBA headquarters of Sone See Myaing village in Myawaddy Township on Monday. Myawaddy is located 81 miles (130 km) east of the state capital Hpa-An.
The BGF told DVB that the meeting was for “friendship and unity” among armed groups. The DKBA told DVB that it would soon meet with the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council — a signatory of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the military.
KARENNI—The KNDF held a funeral on Aug. 13 at an undisclosed location for a member killed during fighting in Demoso Township on Aug. 11. The PDF held a funeral in Hpruso Township on Aug. 18 for its member who went missing in Bawlakhe Township on Aug. 3. His body was never recovered.
A source in Demoso told DVB that regime forces entered the town to carry out its counteroffensive on Aug. 8. During fighting with resistance forces, it recaptured a village, the surrounding hills, the east–west road, and the town’s market. Demoso and Hpruso are located 11 and 19 miles (17-30 km) south of Loikaw.
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