Family and friends mourn passing of Pe Maung Same
The funeral of award-winning documentary filmmaker Pe Maung Same, 50, was held at Yayway cemetery in Yangon on Wednesday. He died at a hospital in Yangon Aug. 19, three days after his release from Insein Prison. Members of Burma’s literary, arts, and film industries attended the funeral.
Pe Maung Same’s longtime friend Htein Lin, a celebrated painter and performance artist, said Burma lost a remarkable filmmaker who directed many independent films and worked at the Yangon Film School, teaching aspiring filmmakers. One of his films was the 2015 documentary “The River Our Ayeyarwaddy” which tells the story of those living along the Irrawaddy River.
Pe Maung Same was arrested in Loikaw, Karenni State on May 18, 2022 and sentenced to three years in prison for violating the Unlawful Associations Act. He was transferred from Loikaw Prison to Nyaungshwe Prison in Shan State, then to Insein Prison in Yangon on July 13, where he received treatment until his health condition worsened and he ultimately died at a private hospital.
New Chinese ambassador meets Min Aung Hlaing
China’s new ambassador to Burma, Ma Jia, presented her diplomatic credentials to regime leader Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw on Wednesday. The two also reportedly discussed the relations between Beijing and Naypyidaw during the meeting.
Chinese state media reported that Min Aung Hlaing told Ma Jia that he would safeguard Chinese investments and citizens in Burma. Regime media reported that the two discussed increased collaboration between the Burma Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The regime accepted the appointment of Ma Jia as China’s ambassador to Burma on Aug. 12. Chinese diplomats have held several meetings with Min Aung Hlaing since the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) seized control of Lashio, located 107 miles (172 km) south of the vital China-Burma border town of Muse in northern Shan State, on Aug. 3.
UN reports nearly 700 landmine victims in first half of 2024
The U.N. International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF Myanmar) has documented that the number of civilian casualties from landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) has reached nearly 700 nationwide in the first six months of 2024.
This is an increase of more than 66 percent compared to the previous year, according to a UNICEF Myanmar report. It added that 32 percent of the victims were children. Shan State has the highest number of civilian casualties with 117, accounting for 24 percent of the total.
“The use of landmines is one of the human rights violations against people in our Shan State. I suggest to respective armed groups that landmines should be used judiciously,” Ying Leng Harn, a spokesperson at the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF), told DVB. Read more here.
News by Region
SHAN—The Pa-O National Organization (PNO/PNA) released images of its troops attending a graduation ceremony for military training in Pinlaung Township, located in the Pa-O Self Administered Zone of southern Shan State, on Wednesday. The PNO claimed that it has 10,000 troops to assist the regime in carrying out regional security and defense.
“They want to show off their manpower by holding a ceremony in Naungtayar town. There were men in military uniforms but we didn’t see [them carrying] any weapons,” a Pinlaung resident told the Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN). Residents claimed that the PNO has forcefully recruited men aged 18-40 from Hsawngpyaung village. Some Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) said that they were promised resettlement in return for joining the PNO.
ARAKAN—The Arakan Army (AA) denied responsibility on Wednesday for artillery and drone attacks that targeted over 200 Rohingya in Maungdaw Township, in northern Arakan near the Bangladesh border, on Aug. 5. The AA released a report claiming that there is no evidence linking them to the alleged massacre.
Survivors and human rights organizations blame the AA, which stated that the accusations are an attempt “to divert international attention in a misleading direction and could lead to erroneous conclusions.” The AA vows to investigate the attack once it has full control of Maungdaw. It seized neighboring Buthidaung Township on May 18.
SAGAING—The People’s Defense Force (PDF) claimed that it seized 34 million kyat ($10,468 USD) and freed more than 30 inmates, including political prisoners, being held at a police station in Tabayin Township during its attack against the military Aug. 15-19.
“Seventeen of them were political prisoners and the rest were jailed on other charges,” said a PDF spokesperson. Eighteen soldiers were killed in fighting between the military and the PDF, which seized Tabayin on Aug. 18, but retreated the following day when the military regained control. A total of 123 people, including military personnel, civil servants, and family members, surrendered to the PDF.
Passengers traveling along the Monywa-Ayadaw-Shwebo road in southern Sagaing told DVB that they were assaulted by armed men wearing PDF uniforms on Aug. 19. “They stopped the cars and checked the passengers’ phones. Anyone found with Mytel SIM cards or incoming calls from Mytel were beaten with a stick,” said one of the passengers.
Areas in Sagaing have access to Mytel, a telecommunications company partly owned by the military, as phone and internet lines have been cut off in much of the region. “What are people supposed to do in areas where Mytel is the only available network?” a Sagaing resident asked a PDF member and later recounted to DVB. A PDF spokesperson denied that the armed men were members.
