FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
Brotherhood Alliance seizes Namhsan
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) claimed that over 60 Burma Army personnel were killed during the battle of Namhsan from Dec. 11-16. It seized all military outposts around the town, including four howitzers used for firing artillery.
Thirty-six soldiers and 28 of family members in Namhsan are being detained by the TNLA. The military carried out over 30 retaliatory airstrikes and artillery attacks. The Brotherhood Alliance has seized around 300 military outposts and at least six towns since launching Operation 1027 in northern Shan on Oct. 27.
Philippines urges ASEAN to act on Burma
The Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to address the escalating violence in Burma during the Commemorative Summit for the ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation in Tokyo on Dec. 17.
“We cannot also discuss peace and stability in our region without recognizing the need to address the worsening violence and the plight of the people of Myanmar through proactive engagement of all the stakeholders involved,” said Marcos. He added that ASEAN must enforce its Five-Point Consensus, which calls for an end to all violence.
Over 6,000 refugees are sheltering in Manipur
India’s Chief Minister of Manipur State N. Biren Singh said that around 6,000 refugees from Burma have taken shelter in Manipur and more are likely to come due to the ongoing violence in the country.
“We are providing them food and shelter owing to humanitarian consideration,” said Singh. He added that shelter cannot be denied to refugees but that foreigners are forbidden from establishing “illegal villages.” Manipur shares a nearly 400-km long border with Burma.
Labor groups demand protections for migrants in Thailand
The Northern Labor Network demanded the Thai government not send refugees and asylum seekers along the border back to their home countries, and for migrant workers to be granted equal rights as Thai workers on International Migrants Day Dec. 18.
A statement was drafted requesting migrant workers receive wage increases in line with inflation, government assistance, fair treatment under the law, and that they be given the right to form labor organizations under International Labour Organization guidelines.
“Representatives of the workers will send the statement to the Chiang Mai Province governor,” said Htaung Kham from MAP Foundation, an organization assisting migrant workers from Burma in Thailand.
News by Region
ARAKAN—Yanbye residents claimed that fighting between the Burma Army and the Arakan Army (AA) began on Dec. 18. “The AA attacked soldiers deployed in No. 5 ward which is near the town’s market. The fighting lasted for two hours, but the army continuously fired artillery even after the clashes ended,” said a Yanbye resident.
The AA has attacked military outposts in Arakan since Nov. 13. Yanbye and Kyaukphyu township residents claimed that the Burma Army arrested 21 civilians on Dec. 17.
AYEYARWADY—Residents said that the price of rice has surged for the second time in recent weeks. “It is getting worse. Business is not good and famine is about to come,” said an unnamed rice trader. The price of a bag of high-grade Pawsan rice increased from 70,000-125,000 kyat.
A bag of low-grade rice increased from 47,000-95,000 kyat in November. Residents blamed the rising prices on declining rice cultivation and the rising cost of fertilizer since the 2021 military coup.
MAGWAY—A Gangaw resident said two people were killed and five others were injured by artillery in Shoneshi village, Gangaw Township on Dec. 16. “The injured civilians are now receiving medical treatment in southern Gangaw,” said the resident. The two victims were cremated on Dec. 17.
SAGAING—Nearly 70,000 Tigyaing Township residents have been displaced by the fighting between the Burma Army and resistance forces ongoing since Nov. 8. “There are now shortages of food and medicine,” said Soe Win Swe, a spokesperson from the Sagaing Forum, a network of pro-democracy groups.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 3,520 kyat)
Read our latest op-ed: Is it time to acknowledge the obvious regarding Myanmar’s military? DVB English News is on X, FB, IG, Threads, Tiktok & YouTube.
