ASEAN calls for dialogue and ceasefire expansion
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) urged the regime in Naypyidaw to extend a temporary ceasefire and engage in peace talks with its rivals at the 46th summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 27. ASEAN Chair Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told regional leaders that there has been “significant” progress made to engage the regime and the resistance in Burma.
Anwar has called on the regime in Naypyidaw and the civilian-led National Unity Government (NUG) to begin peace talks. He held a face-to-face meeting with regime leader Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 17, and a virtual meeting with NUG Prime Minister Mahn Winn Khaing Thann the following day.
Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told the media after an ASEAN meeting on Saturday that he will submit the demands of “respective stakeholders” to Naypyidaw. But Hasan did not disclose a timeline, instead urging that negotiations were needed and that he would visit Naypyidaw in June.
UN warns of ‘catastrophic’ human rights crisis in Myanmar
The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) raised concern on Monday over the deteriorating human rights situation and economic collapse in Burma with military operations killing more civilians last year than in any year since the 2021 coup.
“The country has endured an increasingly catastrophic human rights crisis marked by unabated violence and atrocities that have affected every single aspect of life,” said Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Burma’s economy has lost $93.9 billion USD over the last four years with inflation surging and the kyat losing 40 percent of its value. Over half the population now lives below the poverty line, facing food insecurity and soaring prices, which has worsened since the March 28 earthquake, according to the U.N.
NUG wants India to investigate PDF deaths along border
The NUG issued a statement on Monday requesting the Indian government investigate the killing of 10 People’s Defence Force (PDF) members from Tamu Township of Sagaing Region allegedly by the paramilitary Assam Rifles on May 14. It also called on New Delhi to temporarily suspend unilateral border fencing in areas with unresolved border demarcation.
“I think so far we have two polar opposite accounts of what happened, one from the Indian side and one from the NUG side. And these two accounts differ in some of the very basic facts of the incident, which is that where did it happen? How did it happen? And of course, what exactly happened?” Angshuman Choudhury, an independent researcher on India-Burma border affairs, told DVB.
New Delhi has planned to fence the 1,021 mile (1,643 km) India-Burma border along Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram states within a decade. Manipur shares a 247-mile (398 km) stretch with Burma, bordering Chinland to the south and Sagaing to the north. The regime controls Tamu town but resistance forces have blocked all supply routes into it since April 20, local media reported.
News by Region
MANDALAY—The PDF in Taungtha Township told DVB that approximately 40 bus passengers were rescued by residents and resistance force members after their bus was swept away while attempting to cross a creek on Monday. Taungtha is located 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Mandalay. No casualties were reported.
“The Myingyan–Taungtha highway has been temporarily closed, forcing people to use an alternative route [through the creek],” a PDF member told DVB. The regime meteorological department has forecasted heavy rain across the country from May 25 to June 2. It warned of the risk of natural disasters such as strong winds, flash floods, and landslides.
The Mandalay Police Force launched a new security system called Guardian Link at a meeting on Sunday in order to better protect jewelry stores and banks from armed robberies, a source told DVB. This move follows 14 robberies reported in Mandalay over the past year.
The system cost 1.2 million MMK ($266 USD) with a 20,000 MMK ($4.4 USD) monthly fee. It alerts police when Guardian Link users report an incident via a smartphone app. First introduced in Tanintharyi Region, the source added that more training needs to be provided to police on how to properly respond to the new security system.
KACHIN—The Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) ordered all KTVs and restaurants with live music in Laiza, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) headquarters, to shut down on Saturday. Laiza is located 71 miles (114 km) south of the state capital Myitkyina.
A Laiza resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity that teenagers have been caught using drugs at KTVs in Laiza and in Maijayang. The KIO said that action will be taken if this order is not followed. At least six KTVs and restaurants with live-music were shut down by the KIA in Laiza.
YANGON—The Solidarity of Trade Union Myanmar (STUM) announced that the workers and the GTIG Guohua Glory garment factory owners in Shwepyitha Township have reached an agreement for a daily wage of 11,500 MMK ($2.59 USD) and an overtime fee of 2,100 MMK ($0.4 USD) per hour starting on June 1.
Over 1,000 factory workers staged a protest on May 23 demanding a daily wage of 13,000 MMK ($2.90 USD), an overtime fee of 3,000 MMK ($0.6 USD) and extreme heat compensation fees of 60,000 MMK ($13.6 USD) per month. The workers returned to work on May 26 and agreed to make no further demands within the next year.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,430 MMK)
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