FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
Court petitioned to issue arrest warrants for military officials
The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) petitioned a court in Argentina on Dec. 6 to issue arrest warrants for Min Aung Hlaing and six other officials accused of committing a massacre against a Rohingya village in Rathedaung Township of Arakan State.
“Now, we ask the Court to act on overwhelming evidence that these seven individuals are responsible, and to immediately issue international arrest warrants,” said Tun Khin, the BROUK president.
The petition stated that hundreds of Rohingya were killed and war crimes were committed by the military. The Argentine court began investigating crimes committed against the Rohingya under its universal jurisdiction law in 2021.
Over 500,000 displaced since late October
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) states that over 500,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are in need of food, shelter, and medical assistance.
“Sadly, the trend over the past two-and-a-half years is that the [military] will use overwhelming force to target the civilian population in order to punish the resistance. We’ve seen this in multiple places around the country,” said David Matthieson, an independent analyst on Burma, in an interview with DVB.
The U.N. states that airstrikes, roadblocks, and telecommunications disruptions have limited the transportation of essential supplies. Fighting has spread nationwide since the Brotherhood Alliance launched Operation 1027 in northern Shan State on Oct. 27. The total number of IDPs nationwide now exceeds two million.
Beijing hopes national reconciliation achieved ‘quickly’
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with regime Foreign Minister Than Swe on Dec. 6 in Beijing ahead of the eighth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. “China hopes that Myanmar will achieve national reconciliation and continue its political transformation process under the constitutional framework as soon as possible,” said Wang Yi.
The two LMC co-chairs reportedly discussed rescuing human trafficking along its shared border and continuing the crack down on cyber scams. A total of 31,000 fraud suspects have been transferred from Burma into Chinese custody.
News by Region
YANGON—Thousands of fuel tank trucks across Burma have been stuck at Thilawa port in Thanlyin over the past week. “We have been waiting to get fuel for six or seven days,” said a driver from the Denko fuel station.
A fuel shortage made gas stations in Pathein, Taungoo, Yangon, and Naypyidaw close on Dec. 6. The regime’s Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) decision to abandon its fixed foreign currency exchange rates on Dec. 5 caused the price of U.S. dollars and fuel to rise. One liter of 95 Ron reached over 2,600 Myanmar kyats on Dec. 7.
AYEYARWADY—A special court in Pathein Prison sentenced two residents to 22 years in prison on Nov. 30 for allegedly possessing explosives and supporting the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and the People’s Defense Force (PDF).
“They were arrested and then interrogated for over a month,” said a source close to the families. Chaw Su Tun and Thein Zaw were arrested last June. They were later charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law and for incitement against the state.
BAGO—The Karen National Union (KNU) announced that 19 members of the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 590, including three senior officers, surrendered during fighting in Mone town on Dec.3-4. It added that 42 LIB 590 family members also surrendered. All are being held as prisoners of war, according to KNU policies.
KARENNI—Nearly 700 IDPs who fled fighting in Loikaw to Demoso Township are in need of food, kitchenware and blankets due to the temperature. “A family of five had only one blanket as they fled in a hurry,” said the Htun Myanmar Donation group. Nearly 2,200 IDPs are sheltering in western Demoso Township.
Over 20,000 IDPs from Karenni State have sought refuge in Hsihseng Township of Shan State since Nov. 11 due to fighting between the military and Karenni forces. They are also in need of food and shelter. The Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) spokesperson Ar Lar Ra told DVB that it is providing medical services and rice to IDPs once a week.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 3,550 kyat)
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