Chinland Defense Force accused of torturing teenagers
Two teenagers from Champhai district in India’s Mizoram State were released by the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) Hualngoram on Friday, The Print reported. The CDF arrested the boys for an alleged attack on one of its members in Rikhawdar town, located near the Indian border in Falam Township of Chinland, on Sept. 1. They were reportedly tortured while in CDF custody.
“We are almost at the edge of restraining our solidarity because of [CDF] action here and there. They start taking our kindness for granted, their statements these days almost anger our society. If these things continue we may not be able to tolerate their status,” a villager from Champhai district in India told The Print.
The teenagers, aged 15 and 16, were freed following negotiations between the CDF and local officials in Mizoram State. Chin resistance forces seized control of Rikhawdar, Chinland, on Nov. 13. Over 40,000 refugees from Burma have taken shelter in Mizoram State since the 2021 military coup. Mizo and Chin people are known collectively as the Zo ethnic nationality.
Military pledges ‘security’ for its nationwide census
Regime deputy leader Soe Win said that the military will provide security at “unsecure” locations across Burma in order for its workers to collect data for the nationwide census set to take place Oct. 1-15. He made the remarks during a meeting of the Central Census Commission in the capital Naypyidaw on Friday.
“It is impossible to collect nationwide. How will the census be conducted in northern Shan and Arakan states?,” a source from the regime’s Department of Immigration and Population told DVB. Officials from 14 districts in Yangon have been receiving training on how to conduct a census since Sept. 3.
Min Aung Hlaing said the census is being held in preparation for general elections that are tentatively scheduled for November 2025. Burma conducted its last national census in 2014. The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M), a group of experts on Burma, stated that the military regime has lost control of over 86 percent of the country’s territory to anti-coup resistance forces.
Heavy rainfall expected nationwide this week
Meteorologists predict that the remnants of Typhoon Yagi will cause heavy rainfall and strong winds in Shan, Chin, Arakan, Karen and Mon states, as well as Mandalay, northern Magway, eastern Bago, Tanintharyi, and Yangon regions until Wednesday. The storm arrived in Shan State on Monday.
“Our country is now between the remnants of Typhoon Yagi from the east and a strong depression in Bay of Bengal [from the west]. Now, it is entering eastern Shan State, causing heavy rainfall of more than 300 millimeters of rain. The remnants of the typhoon will reach Sagaing and Mandalay regions and bring more downpours,” meteorologist Win Naing told DVB.
He added that the water levels of rivers must be monitored due to the risk of floods. The regime’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology announced that the water levels of the Maesai creek in Tachileik exceeded three inches (7.6 cm) on Monday and may rise up to 1.5 feet (45.7 cm) in the next 24 hours. The World Food Programme (WFP) stated last month that more than 200,000 people have been impacted by flooding since late June.
News by Region
KACHIN—The bodies of three civilians that were killed during during fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the military were recovered in Saitaung village of Hpakant Township, located 106 miles (170 km) northwest of the Kachin state capital Myitkyina, on Sunday. Fighting began after the military searched for resistance forces at a hotel in the village on Friday.
“They arrested people inside the hotel after the raid. We heard the sound of gunfire and artillery shelling from Friday night until Sunday,” said a Saitaung resident. Some villagers managed to flee while others have locked themselves inside their homes. The regime cut off all telecommunication services to Kachin State in July.
MAGWAY—The Myaing People’s Defense Force (PDF) claimed that it set fire to government offices and the military-proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) office in Myaing Township, after it attacked a military gate on Saturday. The PDF retreated from the town after the attacks.
“The fighting at the gate lasted an hour. We are still looking at the number of casualties from their [military] side,” a PDF spokesperson told DVB. No government staff were working inside the buildings when the attacks took place. The PDF has had Myaing surrounded since early September.
SHAN—The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) stated that 12 civilians were injured during retaliatory airstrikes that were carried by the Burma Air Force in Lashio, northern Shan State, on Monday. The injured have been hospitalized and the full extent of the damage is unknown.
The military conducted airstrikes on residential areas, including a school and hotel, in Lashio on Aug. 30 and Sept. 8. Min Aung Hlaing said during his visit to the Shan State capital Taunggyi on Sept. 3 that the military would launch retaliatory attacks in areas controlled by resistance forces. The MNDAA seized full control of Lashio after it captured the Northeastern Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters on Aug. 3.
Read: An appeal to Muhammad Yunus, the interim leader of Bangladesh, from a Rohingya refugee by Pacifist Farooq.
Rohingya Cultural Night at Bamboo Family Market in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Sept. 8. Follow DVB English News on X, FB, IG, Threads & TikTok. Subscribe to us on YouTube.
