DVB founder Sein Win passes away at age 83 in US
The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) extended its deepest condolences to the family of Sein Win, 83, a DVB co-founder and a cousin of jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, following a Buddhist ceremony after his death in the U.S. state of Maryland on Friday.
“He worked his whole life for his country,” Moe Zaw Oo, an advisor to the National Unity Government (NUG) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told DVB. Sein Win served as chairperson of the board at DVB since its founding in Oslo, Norway on July 19, 1992 up until 2012. Yin Aye, a Burmese pro-democracy activist in the U.S., told DVB that he first met Sein Win during a visit to the U.N. headquarters in New York City in 1993.
He was the son of Ba Win, one of the nine martyrs assassinated alongside Burma’s independence leader Aung San on July 19, 1947 – just months before independence in Burma was achieved in 1948. Sein Win was a first cousin to National League for Democracy (NLD) party co-founder Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been held in detention since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. He is survived by his wife and two children. Read more
Access to education for Myanmar refugees in Thailand
An estimated 107,000 refugees from Burma in Thailand welcome a step toward expanding access to education for children living in nine refugee camps along the Thailand–Burma border, where Save the Children reports a “worrying situation” as student numbers rise due to conflict in Burma since the 2021 military coup driving more families into the camps while funding continues to decrease.
“Refugee families are struggling to secure basic needs. This education policy may reduce stress on families who are facing many difficulties,” Maw Pray Myar, the president of the Karenni National Women’s Organization (KNWO), told DVB. KNWO is an organization advocating for the rights of women and children from Karenni State living in Myanmar and Thailand.
On Jan. 30, Thailand announced a new policy requiring all schools under the Ministry of Education to accept children “regardless of nationality or legal status,” starting in the 2026 academic year, which begins in May. Under this policy, schools are instructed to coordinate with parents or guardians to collect relevant documents and work with district or local registration offices to enroll children. Read more
Myanmar military appoints 110 of 166 soldiers to legislature
The military’s Union Election Commission (UEC) shared a list of 110 soldiers appointed to the Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house of parliament, on Saturday. Burma’s Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, or union parliament, will convene in the third week of March, according to regime leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Under the 2008 Constitution, the military is allotted 25 per cent, or 166, of all seats in both levels of parliament.
The UEC will soon release the list of the 56 remaining soldiers to be appointed to the Amyotha Hluttaw, or upper house of parliament. The military-proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won 108 seats in the Amyotha Hluttaw and 231 seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw during the military’s 2025-26 elections, which began on Dec. 28 and ended on Jan. 25. Polls were held in three phases in 263 of Burma’s 330 townships.
Any political party that controls 294 of 586 seats in the legislature can appoint the president, according to the constitution. The combined total of USDP seats and appointed military lawmakers is 505, which far surpasses the required 294. Htin Kyaw Aye, an independent election analyst, told DVB that Min Aung Hlaing wants to be president. He passed a law on Feb. 3 to form a new council to “advise” the next government.
News by Region
BAGO—The People’s Defence Force (PDF) told DVB that at least 15 regime troops have been killed during fighting in Nattalin Township since Friday. It added that six PDF members were killed by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or drones. Nattalin is located 149 miles (239 km) northwest of the region’s capital Bago.
A PDF member told DVB that its forces have retreated from some positions after regime forces launched a counteroffensive east of Nattalin on Feb. 1. At least four civilians have been injured by indiscriminate artillery strikes carried out by regime forces north of Nattalin, according to the PDF.
KACHIN—The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) commemorated the 65th anniversary of Kachin Revolution Day at its headquarters in Laiza on Thursday. This is the date the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) was founded. Laiza is located on the Burma-China border 63 miles (101 km) south of the state capital Myitkyina.
“We are looking for ways to turn our victory on the battlefield into political success,” N’Ban La, the KIO chairperson, said during a speech to mark Kachin Revolution Day on Feb. 5. The National Unity Government (NUG) sent a congratulatory message, adding that it appreciates KIA leadership in the resistance to the 2021 coup. Read more
YANGON—Regime media reported on Thursday that the Yangon Gold Entrepreneurs Association (YGEA) chairperson, vice-chairperson and secretary were arrested for attempting to “destabilize” the gold market. Myo Myint, Myo Thu Win, and Nay Myo are accused of violating an order from the regime.
The three gold shop owners are accused of buying gold bars at prices set by the regime’s Ministry of Natural Resources & Environmental Conservation then trading at international gold prices. Legal action is being taken against any gold trader not complying with the regime’s orders to keep the gold market stable.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 3,910 MMK)
Read our latest op-ed: How Bangladesh’s election won’t solve the Rohingya refugee crisis. Find DVB English News on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Bluesky & YouTube.
