Funeral held for Zaw Myint Maung in Mandalay
The funeral for Zaw Myint Maung, the jailed Mandalay Chief Minister and vice-chair of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, was held in Mandalay on Tuesday. The 73-year-old died of leukemia at Mandalay General Hospital on Monday – one day after the regime granted him an amnesty on medical grounds.
The NLD and the Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS) issued condolence letters. The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) praised him for his “unwavering resistance” to military dictatorship. “He never bowed, even when imprisoned and tortured in various forms, and he fought for democracy and human rights until his last breath,” added the TNLA in its statement. India, the U.S., and the U.K. embassies in Yangon sent wreaths and shared messages of condolence with the family.
Around 1,000 mourners, including the wife of jailed President Win Myint, attended the funeral. Zaw Myint Maung was detained at Mandalay’s Obo Prison shortly after the military coup took place on Feb. 1, 2021. He was later convicted on nine charges and sentenced to 29 years in prison. Zaw Myint Maung died while receiving treatment at the Mandalay Hospital’s intensive care unit.
Garment workers face 155 labor rights violations in 213 days
The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) recorded 155 cases of abuse against garment workers in factories from December 2023 up to June 30. These incidents were linked to 87 international companies, and 158 fashion brands, sourcing from factories in Burma.
“The shocking and dangerous conditions that predominantly female garment workers continue to face in Myanmar are deeply concerning. However, these publicly recorded allegations are likely just the tip of the iceberg, and the full extent of labor rights abuses will be much greater,” said Natalie Swan, the BHRRC labor rights programme manager.
International fashion brands were linked to the highest number of abuse allegations over this period at factories they reportedly source from, or have recently sourced from. The total number of abuse allegations tracked by BHRRC since the 2021 military coup amounts to 556 incidents.
Airstrikes in southern Arakan’s Taungup kills 15 civilians
At least 15 civilians, including children, were reportedly killed and at least 10 were injured by airstrikes conducted by the Burma Air Force near a market in Tanlwalywama village of Taungup Township, located in southern Arakan State on Monday. The Arakan Army (AA) seized control of the village shortly after it launched its offensive on Nov. 13.
“The whole market stalls were destroyed and there was chaos in the village. Fifteen civilians were killed instantly and many people are still missing,” a villager told Arakan-based media outlet Lay Waddy FM. Tanlwalywama village is located around 15 miles (24 km) north of Taungup town, which is still under the control of the military.
Narinjara News reported that government offices and a hospital are located near the market. Two civilians were killed and three others injured during airstrikes on the village Sept. 24. Airstrikes have intensified in areas under the control of the Brotherhood Alliance – which includes the AA, the TNLA and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) – since September.
News by Region
CHINLAND—The Chin National Front (CNF/CNA) spokesperson Salai Htet Ni told DVB that it controls over 90 percent of Thantlang Township, located 22 miles (35 km) west of the Chinland capital Hakha, after it seized a private bank occupied by the military on Monday.
“We recovered the bodies of three military personnel and weapons after we seized the bank, which is located on the main road of the town. I have been told that our troops are clearing the area,” Salai Htet Ni told DVB. He added that the military still occupies Thantlang’s police station and NLD party office. Resistance forces led by the CNA launched an offensive against the military in Thantlang on July 22.
ARAKAN—The AA claimed control of the Maetaung strategic outpost, which is located more than eight miles (14 km) from the Western Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters in Ann town, on Monday. It launched an attack on the outpost and other camps in Ann Township on Sept. 26.
“Both strategic outposts that guarded the headquarters were seized by the AA. [It] will soon conduct its offensive [against] the battalions around the headquarters,” a source close to the AA told DVB. It also claimed that it seized military camps in Gwa Township, southern Arakan State, on Sunday. The military destroyed a bridge in Gwa town after it retreated.
SAGAING—The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the People’s Defense Force (PDF) took control of Pinlebu town, located around 216 miles (348 km) north of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa, on Tuesday. More than 60 military personnel have been detained and over 80 weapons were seized from them since Sept. 6.
“The regime conducted airstrikes and fired artillery shells in order to defend the town, but we seized control of the police station, its last position there,” a PDF spokesperson told DVB. The KIA and the PDF launched an offensive in Pinlebu on Aug. 15. A previous attempt to take control of the town was repelled by the military in November 2023.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,700 kyat)
Read: Myanmar regime official attends regional bloc Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Laos.
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