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Arakan Army claims it seized military outpost in Bago Region; Justice for Myanmar exposes Singapore-listed company

Arakan Army claims it seized military outpost in Bago Region

The Arakan Army (AA) stated on Monday that it had seized control of the Moehti hilltop outpost in Bago Region on Jan. 26 – five days after it launched its attack. The military outpost is located in the Arakan Mountains, known as the Rakhine Yoma. 

“We recovered some bodies of Burma Army personnel together with military equipment, weapons and ammunition after the seizure of the hilltop outpost,” the AA shared on social media. It added that it had also taken control of the military’s Point 263 and 369 in Yekyi Township of Ayeyarwady Region Jan. 21-26.

Fighting between AA and the military continues along the Ann-Padan Road which connects Arakan to Magway Region. The AA released images on Monday of its members at the entrance gates to Magway and Bago regions. The AA has 14 out of 17 townships in Arakan, and Paletwa in southern Chinland, under its control.

Customs reverts to Central Bank rate with no explanation

The regime’s Customs Department announced that import and export duties will revert to using the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) rate which values $1 USD at 2,100 MMK starting on Jan. 25 – three weeks after switching to a weekly exchange rate that is calculated on market rates and values $1 USD at around 3,500 MMK. 

The regime provided no explanation for adopting market rates over the CBM reference rate, nor for reverting to the CBM rate this week. From Jan. 1-24, the exchange rates applied for calculations were approximately 70 percent higher than the CBM reference rate for foreign currencies. 

For the period from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1, the exchange rates used for duty calculations will be: $1 USD at 2,100 MMK, 1 Euro at 2,155 MMK, 1 Thai Baht at 60.5 MMK, 1 Indian Rupee at 24.2 MMK, and 1 Chinese Yuan at 286.4 MMK. In the market, the value of $1 USD has risen to 4,500 MMK. 

Justice for Myanmar exposes Singapore-listed company

Justice for Myanmar released a report today exposing the Singapore-listed company Interra Resources’ operations in Burma for supplying Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) with more than 2.3 million barrels of oil from January 2021 to the end of 2023 worth more than $150 million USD. The company owns 60 percent of Goldpetrol.

“The company’s business with MOGE directly supports the junta’s widening campaign of terror, which has killed children, destroyed schools and hospitals, and displaced over 3 million people. Interra Resources’ business has been enabled by a lack of international action to cut the junta’s access to funds, arms and fuel,” said Yadanar Maung, the Justice for Myanmar spokesperson.

It called on Singapore to impose targeted sanctions on the regime and end the companies’ operations in Burma. Goldpetrol provides one of the few remaining sources of oil for the military, refining it into jet fuel and diesel. The military’s airstrikes killed 2,257 people and injured 3,417 between Feb. 1, 2021, and Nov. 30, 2024, according to the Blood Money Campaign, which has called for a ban on aviation fuel to Burma.

News by Region 

The Border Guard Bangladesh in Teknaf displays goods seized from smugglers destined for Burma on Jan. 25. (Credit: Teknaf 71 News)

ARAKAN—A media outlet in Teknaf, Bangladesh reported that a boat transporting food and construction items into Maungdaw Township, along the Naf River, was seized by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) after its crew abandoned it on Saturday. The boat is now at the Teknaf Customs Office.

“The military has blocked trade in Rakhine for more than a year, leaving no legal trade routes open. In border towns like Maungdaw and Buthidaung, residents rely on goods smuggled from Bangladesh,” a trader in Maungdaw told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The AA took control of Maungdaw on Dec. 8.

MAGWAY—The People’s Defense Force (PDF) told DVB that five civilians were killed and three others were seriously injured by artillery carried out by the military from No. 22 Defense Equipment Factory, known in Burmese as KaPaSa, on Kinpuntaung village of Seikphyu Township, on Sunday. Seikphyu is located 73 miles (117 km) south of the regional capital Magway. 

“Five civilians, including children, were killed instantly after the shell landed on a home. There was no current fighting and no PDF camps [nearby],” a PDF spokesperson told DVB. Kinpuntaung village is located 10 miles (16 km) from KaPaSa 22. Villagers are concerned about attacks as the military has increased its presence in Magway due to the fighting against the AA. 

SAGAING—Regime media reported on Monday that four officials in Shwebo Township, including the police chief and the township administrator, were arrested for accepting bribes from the family of a military conscript. It added that the family paid 13 million MMK ($2,888 USD) to the officials on Jan. 25.

The money was reported to have been paid to allow their son to evade conscription but it was returned to them the next day following the arrests. The ninth intake of conscripts for military training began on Jan. 20. The regime has issued stricter regulations nearly one year after the conscription law was enacted on Feb. 10.

(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,550 MMK)

Read: A rebuttal to the allegations against Aung San Suu Kyi and a call for perspective. Find DVB English News on X, FB, Instagram, Threads & TikTok. Subscribe on YouTube.

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