Flash floods reported in Kachin State’s Laiza
Residents of Laiza, Kachin State told DVB that an unknown number of temporary shelters housing displaced people were flooded as the Je Yang creek overflowed due to flash floods triggered by heavy rains on Monday. No casualties have been reported. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) headquarters of Laiza is located on the Burma-China border 63 miles (101 km) south of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina.
Win Naing, an independent meteorologist, told DVB that Lashio Township in northern Shan State, Mogok Township in northern Mandalay Region, and Bhamo Township in southern Kachin State are expected to experience heavy rainfall from Aug. 3 to 8. A resident told DVB that the road connecting Laiza and Maijayang towns has been blocked by landslides. Maijayang is located directly south of Laiza.
Sources in Kachin State told DVB that floods displaced at least 1,000 residents of Myitkyina Township on June 2. At least 16 people have been reportedly killed in Yangon, Shan State, and Bago Region during Tropical Storm Wipha, which brought heavy rains that caused flash floods and landslides in Burma since July 22.
Resistance ‘still controls’ key regime outpost in Sagaing Region
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Secretary Ni Ni Kyaw told DVB that resistance forces still control the regime’s Kandaung village police station in Pale Township of Sagaing Region, dismissing the rumours suggesting that it was retaken by regime forces on Aug. 1. Pale is located 39 miles (62 km) south of the region’s capital Monywa.
“Our joint resistance forces have blocked the regime column at two other villages away from Kandaung village,” Ni Ni Kyaw added. A member of another local resistance group told DVB that the PLA and its allies captured the police station on June 19, and clashes with regime troops have continued since then. The station is located on the Pale-Gangaw road, which leads to the Burma-India border.
More than 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Kandaung village is where the regime’s Directorate of Defence Industries (DDI) 23 is located in Kyaw town of Magway Region, and 35 miles (56 km) to the southwest is where DDI 24 is located in Pauk town of Magway Region. Media reported that the regime tried to develop ballistic missiles at DDI 23, whereas DDI 24 is reportedly an aluminum refinery.
Four arrested in Ayeyarwady Region for ‘using VPNs’
A source close to the military told DVB that regime police arrested four motorists in their 20s after finding Virtual Private Network (VPN) applications on their phones during spot checks at the Pandaing checkpoint along the highway connecting Yangon to Ayeyarwady Region on Saturday. The source stated that they were in detention as of Aug. 3.
A VPN is an online circumvention tool used to access blocked websites and social media platforms, as well as protect user privacy and data while using public Wi-Fi networks. It is intended to maintain anonymity online. Since the 2021 military coup, netizens have downloaded VPNs to bypass the regime’s block on Facebook and its Messenger application.
The regime in Naypyidaw enforced its Cybersecurity Law on July 30 after enacting it on Jan. 1. It forbids using or providing VPN services without obtaining permission from the relevant ministry without specifying which. Violators face a prison sentence of one to six months, a fine ranging from 1 million to 10 million MMK ($220–2,200 USD), or both.
News by Region
KACHIN—Residents of Hpakant Township told DVB that the KIA withdrew from the regime’s Nyaungbinkone outpost, which was swiftly retaken by regime forces on Saturday. Hpakant is located 94 miles (151 km) west of the state capital Myitkyina.
A resident told DVB that artillery attacks have displaced an unspecified number of residents across three villages near the Nyaungbinkone outpost since Friday. No casualties have been reported. Fighting in the KIA-controlled Hpakant town began on June 16.
KARENNI—Residents of Hpruso Township told DVB that a bridge and road that connects Hoyar and Kaykaw villages in the west part of the township were destroyed by heavy rains and floods on Saturday. Hpruso is located 20 miles (32 km) north of the state capital Loikaw.
“Children are unable to go to school,” a Kaykaw resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Residents report that they are facing transportation difficulties due to roads in western Hpruso needing repair after landslides and floods destroyed them on Aug. 2.
YANGON—Mayangone Township residents told DVB that a South Korean national, identified by police as Kim Young Deuk, was found dead at his office in the Kabaraye Condominium on Saturday. Police suspect it was a robbery turned homicide.
“The killer appeared to have broken into the office and murdered the man,” a resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity, adding that Kim’s employees were the first to discover his body at the crime scene and are now under investigation by police. Read more
The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) held a ceremony for new party members in Thanlyin Township on Saturday – two days after holding another event in Yangon, where USDP Chairperson Khin Yi hosted pro-military “celebrities” on July 31.
A source told DVB that Khin Yi invited at least 10 journalists, who were given 100,000 MMK ($22 USD) each for attending. “He invited pro-military online celebrities and journalists, who don’t understand politics or the economy,” a source told DVB. Read more
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,415 MMK)
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