Brotherhood Alliance member distances itself from NUG
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), a member of the Brotherhood Alliance along with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA), released a statement on Wednesday declaring that it will not collaborate with the National Unity Government (NUG) in political or military affairs.
“The redline of the MNDAA is to not to engage or co-operate with an alliance involved with foreign entities which are opposed to China or Myanmar,” said the MNDAA statement online, which it previously posted on Sept. 4 but quickly deleted. It reaffirmed its commitment “to uphold the right to self-defense” and reiterated that it does not seek to secede from Burma.
The MNDAA announced that it will not launch attacks on the country’s second largest city, Mandalay, or the Shan State capital Taunggyi. It expressed its willingness to agree “to an immediate ceasefire and actively work with China to address the conflict through political dialogue.” The statement comes after Beijing sent a letter demanding the TNLA cease its offensive against the military on Aug. 29.
Death toll from aftermath of Typhoon Yagi rises
DVB data states that as of Thursday, a total of 337 bodies have been recovered from 12 townships nationwide since the remnants of Typhoon Yagi arrived in Burma on Sept. 9. The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it is launching an emergency response this week to aid survivors.
“WFP teams will soon begin direct distributions of a one-month ration of emergency food, including rice, fortified biscuits, and nutrition products to up to half a million flood-affected people across Myanmar,” the WFP released in a statement on Wednesday.
Regime media reported on Thursday that an updated figure of 268 people have been confirmed killed and 88 others remain missing. Fifty-nine townships were impacted by flooding in Ayeyarwady, Naypyidaw, Bago, Mandalay, Magway regions, as well as Karenni, Karen, Mon and Shan states. The WFP announced on Aug. 8 that over 200,000 people had been impacted by severe flooding caused by monsoon rains in Burma since June.
Regime orders flood relief and reconstruction in next six months
Min Aung Hlaing told officials from his regime during a meeting of the Natural Disaster Management Committee in Naypyidaw on Tuesday that he was caught “unaware” as heavy rains brought on by the remnants of Typhoon Yagi caused floods and landslides.
“Nobody can avoid natural disasters. This recent incident might be the worst loss [of life] in central Myanmar in history and it is necessary to take lessons from the event and address many issues,” said Min Aung Hlaing, who expressed his “sadness” at the number of people killed.
The regime stated that it will provide 800,000 kyat to families for every member killed in the disaster. It has accused independent media of ignoring the military’s relief efforts and claimed that members of the diaspora were spreading misinformation in order to cause panic. Read more here.
News by Region
AYEYARWADY—Five military officers, including a colonel from the Southwestern Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters in the Ayeyarwady Region capital Pathein, have been arrested for smuggling timber and fuel since the first week of September.
“They falsely reported the number of personnel in their battalion and bribed headquarters to avoid being sent to the frontlines,” a source close to the officers told DVB. The five arrested officers’ belongings and properties have been seized. They have been transferred to a military base in Yangon’s Mingaladon Township for interrogation, the source added.
SAGAING—A woman was killed after a vehicle she was inside activated a landmine planted by the People’s Defense Force (PDF) while it was passing through the Ye-U-Mandalay Road in Ye-U Township, located around 56 miles (90 km) north of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa, on Tuesday.
“We planted a landmine on a road that was used by the military between two villages, but it went wrong and exploded while a vehicle was passing by. We did not target the passenger vehicle and we are really upset by the death of a civilian,” a PDF spokesperson told DVB. He urged motorists to exercise caution along the Ye-U-Mandalay road.
Around 300 out of 1,000 civilians that were held by the military at a monastery in Indaw Township, located 210 miles (337 km) north of Monywa, were released on Monday. The 1,000 civilians have been held since the PDF and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) launched an offensive against the military in Indaw on Aug. 15.
“They were used as human shields by the military when they entered the town,” an Indaw resident who fled to a nearby town told DVB. At least four civilians have been killed over the last month of fighting. Residents told DVB that the military had burned down an unknown number of homes and a market in the town on Sept. 9.
NAYPYIDAW—The regime announced on Sept. 12 that its embassy in Bangkok, Thailand would stop renewing passports for Burma nationals studying at short-term language schools, and non-accredited educational institutions, in Thailand starting on Monday.
“It is going to cause a lot of trouble in the future now that the regime does not allow young people to renew their passports,” a Burma national living in Thailand told DVB. The consulate in Chiang Mai also announced it would follow the new rules. The number of Burma nationals relocating to Thailand has surged since the military activated its conscription law in February.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 5,300 kyat)
