Civilians injured by airstrike on hospital in Karenni State
Residents of Hpasawng Township told DVB that one child was injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Army on Mawchi town, Karenni State, on Sunday. A hospital and staff housing were destroyed. Mawchi is located 84 miles (135 km) southeast of the Karenni State capital Loikaw. The Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) seized control of Mawchi in January 2024.
A Mawchi resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity that scout Air Force jets flew over the town twice before the airstrikes occurred. Thai media reported that six people were injured after two fighter jets dropped bombs on the hospital in Mawchi’s Lokah village. Twenty-nine civilians have been killed and over 60 have been injured in at least eight airstrikes on Mawchi town so far this year.
Regime forces have carried out air and artillery attacks on Mawchi and parts of Demoso Township, which is also under Karenni resistance control, so far this month. Loikaw, Bawlakhe, and Hpasawng townships are under regime control. Three children were injured by 50 bombs reportedly dropped by the Air Force on Khaemaphyu village and Hpasawng town on Aug. 8. Read more
Female military conscripts receiving training in Yangon
The Myanmar Defense & Security Institute (MDSI), a research organization founded by military defectors, announced that the regime is providing training to its first batch of female conscripts at the No. 4 Officer and Sergeant Military Training School in Hmawbi Township, Yangon Region. The regime enforced its conscription law on Feb. 10, 2024.
“The training is being conducted secretly,” stated MDSI in a report on Aug. 13. It went on to claim that the female conscript training has been ongoing for over two months. The MDSI was established on March 27 by military personnel who defected to the non-violent Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), which is a nationwide uprising of civil servants against military rule since the coup on Feb. 1, 2021.
The No. 4 Officer and Sergeant Military Training School, known in Burmese as YaKaTha 4, has historically provided office training for female new recruits, military clerks, and sergeants, according to the MDSI. Sources from Yangon told DVB that local regime administrators began collecting the personal information of women over 18-years-old earlier this year. Read more
Refugees return from Thailand to Karen State
Residents of Hlaingbwe Township in Karen State told DVB that a total of 213 civilians from Mawpalkho, and nearby villages, who temporarily sought refuge in Thailand due to airstrikes near the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) headquarters, returned home on Saturday. Hlaingbwe is located 23 miles (37 km) northeast of the Karen State capital Hpa-An.
A resident of Hlaingbwe told DVB on the condition of anonymity that regime forces are intentionally targeting civilian areas, which is considered a war crime under international law. Twenty bombs were reportedly dropped by the Burma Air Force on the Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 7 headquarters, located in the state capital Hpa-An District along the Thailand-Myanmar border on Aug. 10.
One hospital, as well as an unknown number of homes and shops, in Mawpalkho village were destroyed by a fire resulting from the airstrikes on Aug. 10. The 213 Hlaingbwe residents, who crossed the border to seek safety in Thailand, were placed under the care of Thai authorities before returning on Aug. 16. Hlaingbwe residents also fled into Thailand due to fighting between the KNLA and regime forces on March 23.
News by Region
MANDALAY—Residents of Mogok Township told DVB that three civilians, including a child, were killed by airstrikes on Sunday. The ruby mining hub of Mogok, located 124 miles (200 km) northeast of Mandalay, was seized by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in July 2024.
“A fighter jet dropped two bombs onto a guest house and near a bank,” a Mogok resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Three homes were destroyed. Over 10 civilians, including three children and a pregnant woman, were killed by airstrikes in Mogok on Aug. 14. Read more
SHAN—Residents in Kutkai town told DVB that the latest round of talks between the regime and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) failed in Lashio Township on Thursday. Kutkai, located 47 miles (75 km) north of the regional capital Lashio, is under MNDAA control.
A source with knowledge of the talks told DVB that Naypyidaw demanded the MNDAA withdraw from Hsenwi, which is located 31 miles (49 km) north of Lashio. Both Kutkai and Hsenwi were seized by the Brotherhood Alliance, which includes the MNDAA, in January 2024.
YANGON—Two men were reportedly arrested by the regime authorities after one military personnel and two pro-military militia members were injured in an attack on an administration office in Ward 14 of Hlaingthaya Township on Thursday.
A spokesperson for an unnamed resistance group told DVB that it launched the attack. Residents of North Okkalapa Township told DVB on the condition of anonymity that two minor explosions occurred near the township court on Aug. 14.
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