Civilians trapped in Kachin State’s Shwegu amid fighting
Displaced residents from Kachin State’s Shwegu town told DVB that at least 10,000 residents are still trapped inside the town on Wednesday, following the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)’s notice on Monday for residents to evacuate Shwegu in anticipation of a regime counteroffensive. Shwegu is located 119-181 miles (191-291 km) southwest of the KIA headquarters in Laiza and south of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina.
Resident still inside Shwegu told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the roads connecting Shwegu to Ngar Ooe village in Mabein Township, located in northern Shan State, have been closed due to fighting between the military and the KIA since June 8, adding that they could hear the sound of artillery fire. Both Shwegu and Mabein, located 119 miles (191 km) south of Shwegu, are contested and were placed under martial law.
The military counteroffensive originated at the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 121 base in Ngar Ooe village in late April. Zin Yaw, a military defector who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) following the 2021 coup, told DVB that regime forces are advancing towards Kachin’s Bhamo Township via Shwegu. Fighting over control of Bhamo, 64 miles (102 km) east of Shwegu, has been ongoing since Dec. 4, 2024.
Conscripts from Irrawaddy Region ‘redeployed’ to Rakhine State
Five families in Ayeyarwady Region’s Yekyi and Lemyethna townships told DVB that their male relatives, who were conscripted into the military during the 4th intake in late 2024, were reportedly redeployed to the frontline in Arakan State instead of being discharged after completing their two-years of military service for all males aged 18 to 35 mandated under the conscription law enforced on Feb. 10, 2024.
The five families reported to DVB that the LIB 36 based in Ayeyarwady’s Kyaunggon Township did not allow their male relatives to return home upon completion of their military service, citing “operational needs.” This is the second reported case in the region in recent weeks, after six families in Bogale and Pyapon townships told DVB that their male relatives had also been redeployed to frontline positions in Arakan State this month.
The conscription law allows the regime to extend military service for up to five years during “an emergency.” The regime has conscripted nearly 120,000 males in 24 batches, but sources told DVB that only around 12 per cent have been allowed to return home after completing their service. ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) stated on May 28 that Naypyidaw has increased the abduction and forced conscription of youth across Burma, calling it “stealing a generation” over the last two years.
Myanmar doctor in Australia runs 81km for Aung San Suu Kyi
A doctor from Myanmar living in Australia has completed an exhausting 81-km run to raise awareness for jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi ahead of her 81st birthday on June 19. Myint Mo Oo, the daughter of renowned Myanmar actor and Free Funeral Service Society (FFSS) chairperson Kyaw Thu, conquered the distance on June 7 at Sydney’s Rouse Hill Regional Park.
Taking 10 hours and 30 minutes and racking up over 95,000 steps, her run was part of the global “81 for 81” challenge demanding Naypyidaw provide verifiable “proof of life” regarding the ousted leader. The “81 for 81” challenge was launched on June 1 by Kim Aris, Aung San Suu Kyi’s youngest son, who has called on supporters worldwide to walk, run, cycle, or move in honour of his mother’s June 19 birthday.
For Myint Mo Oo, the physical toll of the 81-km run was a necessary sacrifice to highlight a fundamental human rights violation. “We still don’t know where [Aung San Suu Kyi] is detained or if she is still alive. This campaign is not for politics,” Myint Mo Oo said. “It is for basic human rights. It is unacceptable to detain a person and not let their family know if they are alive.” Read more
News by Region
AYEYARWADY—A 3.8 magnitude earthquake struck seven miles (11 km) northwest of Dedaye Township on Thursday, according to the regime’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology. Dedaye is located 124 miles (199 km) southeast of the region’s capital Pathein.
A resident in Yangon’s Thaketa Township told DVB that she felt a moderate tremor on June 11. Residents of Yangon’s Kamayut, Hlaing, Sanchaung, Hlaing, Dawbon, Ahlon, Latha, Kyimyindaing and North Okkalapa townships also confirmed that they felt the tremor. Read more
KACHIN—Nearly 3,000 civilians have been killed since fighting between the Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) resumed in Kachin State in 2011 following the end of a 17-year ceasefire, according to a World Kachin Congress (WKC) report published on Tuesday to mark the 15th anniversary of the renewed conflict.
San Htoi, a spokesperson for the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT), helped organize the event “15th Anniversary of the Resumed War in the Kachin Region Commemoration,” at the Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on June 9. She told DVB that displaced civilians are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. Read more
SHAN—The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), announced that it has disbursed 10 million MMK ($2,369.67 USD) from its “special fund” to each family who lost a member during the explosion in Namkham Township’s Kaung Tat village on May 31. Namkham is located 128 miles (205 km) north of the regional capital Lashio.
While senior TNLA officials, including first and second Vice Chairpersons Tar Jok Jar and Tar Khu Lan, attended a memorial ceremony in Namkham on June 6 to deliver the funds and offer condolences, the ethnic armed group’s official statement failed to specify exactly how many families received the compensation. Read more
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,220 MMK)
Check out the DVB short documentary Blood Copper at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in Bangkok on June 15 at 7 pm.
