Counteroffensive nearly complete in Mandalay’s Myingyan District
Over 5,000 civilians living in 10 villages located in Mandalay Region’s Myingyan Township have fled their homes to find refuge in territory controlled by the National Unity Government (NUG) in neighbouring Sagaing Region this month as regime forces have nearly regained complete control of Myingyan District’s Natogyi, Taungtha, Ngazun and Myingyan townships from the People’s Defence Force (PDF).
A PDF member in Ngazun told DVB on the condition of anonymity that a “large” number of PDF members and civilians have been killed by regime forces since it launched a counteroffensive in Myingyan against the PDF in November. He added that the military’s “superior” firepower and three columns with over 600 troops have been pushing the PDF out of Mandalay and into resistance controlled areas of Sagaing.
Regime forces have regained control of Mandalay’s Tagaung, Singu, Madaya, and Thabeikkyin towns from the PDF since 2025. The towns, located 27-131 miles (43-210 km) north and south of Mandalay, were fully or partially seized by the PDF in 2024. Myingyan District, located 69 miles (111 km) southwest of Mandalay, had been partially controlled by the NUG since the PDF seized it from the military in May 2025.
Military chief to arrange jobs for conscripts
Burma’s Commander-in-Chief Ye Win Oo announced that the regime is arranging employment for conscripts, who’ve completed their mandatory two years of military service, during a meeting with families of military personnel in the capital Naypyidaw on Friday. He added that those unable to find employment may re-enlist in the military. An estimated 120,000 males aged 18-35 have been conscripted to date.
The latest intake of conscripts on April 27 is the 24th round since the conscription law was enforced Feb. 10, 2024. A family member of a soldier killed in combat told DVB that no support is being provided to families like hers, casting doubt on Ye Win Oo’s pledge to arrange jobs for conscripts. She added that rental housing and land plots for families of soldiers killed have been promised, but have not been fulfilled.
Regime Deputy Labour Minister Maung Maung Than stated that some conscripts who’ve completed their military service would be appointed to “government” staff positions via a committee formed in July to arrange jobs for former conscripts. His Labour Ministry has instructed the Myanmar Overseas Employment Agency Association (MOEAA) to secure jobs abroad in Thailand, Japan and Malaysia for conscripts.
‘Youth Training Schools’ to open amid fear of indoctrination
Ye Win Oo also announced on Friday that the military will establish 13 “Youth Education Training Schools” in Yangon, Naypyidaw, as well as other states and regions. Slated to open in June for the 2026–27 academic year, the academies are ostensibly designed to educate teenagers, but critics and parents fear they are a thinly veiled mechanism for military indoctrination and forced conscription.
According to a May 1 recruitment letter published in regime media by the Directorate of Public Relations and Psychological Warfare, applicants must be single males under the age of 19. “The schools will not only nurture future generations for national defence, but also produce strong human resources for the military,” Ye Win Oo told a gathering of military families in the capital Naypyidaw on May 8.
He detailed that the military-supported schools will offer a high school-level education, with graduates eligible to matriculate into military universities, medical training programs, and sergeant-major/clerk courses. Despite earlier regime media reports that omitted gender requirements, the restriction to young, single males aged 15-19 has alarmed the public. Read more
News by Region
KACHIN—Fighting between regime forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) continued in Shwegu Township on Saturday, four days after a deadly series of airstrikes by the Burma Air Force killed one civilian and seriously injured three others on May 5.
Frontline sources report that a coalition of KIA and PDF fighters engaged with a massive deployment of over 1,000 regime troops between May 5-9. A KIA source told DVB on the condition of anonymity that regime forces suffered “heavy” casualties. Read more
SAGAING—Residents of Tigyaing Township told DVB that 138 regime staff arrived on Saturday, after the military regained control of the town on March 26. Tigyaing, located 182 miles (292 km) northeast of the region’s capital Monywa, was partially administered by the NUG after it was seized by the PDF in 2024.
A resident told DVB that regime administrative offices, schools and hospitals will soon reopen. The 341-mile (548 km) road connecting Mandalay to Kachin State, via Sagaing, was reopened on May 6 after the military took control of all 12 towns along the route, regime media reported.
SHAN—Residents of the state capital Taunggyi told DVB that the man accused of beating a 16-year-old female to death at a bar turned himself over to the Tongtar Township Police Station on May 6, two days after the girl was murdered. Tongtar is located 245 miles (394 km) east of Taunggyi.
A resident told DVB that the police must investigate the death and take physical abuse in workplaces more seriously. The man, identified as a local bar owner named Aung Myo Thu, had physically abused his employees and other acquaintances at the bar, according to patrons.
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