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Indonesia Foreign Minister visits Myanmar; People’s Defence Force detains 70 militia members

Indonesia Foreign Minister visits Myanmar

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono discussed the implementation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Five Point Consensus and strengthening bilateral ties with Burma during a meeting with Min Aung Hlaing, who was inaugurated president on April 10, during his one-day official visit to the capital Naypyidaw on Monday, regime media reported.

The ASEAN Five Point Consensus is the 11-member regional bloc’s peace plan for Burma which calls for an end to violence against civilians, inclusive dialogue among all stakeholders, and the release of all political prisoners, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who was jailed during the 2021 military coup. Min Aung Hlaing agreed to it in April 2021 but failed to implement it upon his return to Burma.

Naypyidaw accused ASEAN of “excluding the Myanmar government” led by Min Aung Hlaing from the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines, May 7-8. While Indonesia was ASEAN Chair in 2023, Indonesia’s then-Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated that Jakarta had carried out more than 145 engagements over the course of nine months with unnamed stakeholders in Burma under the Five Point Consensus.

People’s Defence Force detains 70 militia members

The People’s Defence Force (PDF) in Magway Region’s Pauk Township told DVB that 70 pro-regime militia members were detained and an unknown number of them were killed by the PDF during a three-day battle over control of Kokkosu village, which ended on June 4. Pauk, located 136 miles (218 km) north of the region’s capital Magway, is contested by the PDF under the National Unity Government (NUG).

A PDF member told DVB on the condition of anonymity that it lost six of its members. Six pro-regime militia members escaped, adding that detainees are being held “in accordance with the Geneva Conventions on prisoners of war [POWs].” He said that Pauk’s Kokkosu village was home to over 100 pro-regime militia members who were reportedly led by a nationalist Buddhist monk named Ariyawuntha. 

The PDF attack on Kokkosu’s militia camp came after the Magway Federal Unit—an interim administration established in 2025 by National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmakers ousted in the 2021 coup—under the NUG called for greater unity among local resistance forces on May 27. Myaing is located 34-130 miles (54-209 km) east of Pauk and north of Magway. 

A regime-run high school in Launglon Township, Tanintharyi Region, on an unknown date. (Credit: Dawei Watch)

School buses in Tanintharyi Region stopped amid security concerns

Residents told DVB that armed groups have stopped school buses traveling to Tanintharyi Region’s capital Dawei from Launglon Township “in an attempt to forbid students from attending regime schools” since students returned on June 1. Most schools have been closed in Launglon due to fighting between the PDF and regime forces since 2022. Launglon is located 13 miles (21 km) south of Dawei.

A parent of a student in Launglon told DVB on the condition of anonymity that they fear the unnamed armed groups, adding that resistance forces should not interfere with children’s right to access education in the region. The PDF under NUG command stated on June 6 that regime forces “use school buses as cover” while traveling along the road from Launglon to Dawei. 

It told families to relocate to Dawei if they want their children to go to school safely. Launglon residents told DVB that the PDF has “threatened” school bus drivers and families with detention if they send their children on the school buses. Dawei Watch, a local media outlet, reported that the PDF attacked regime forces with landmines on the Launglon-Dawei road on June 4. No casualties were reported.

News by Region

BAGO—Fortify Rights on Tuesday accused the Burma Air Force of committing war crimes after an airstrike killed 26 civilians sheltering inside a Buddhist monastery in Yei Twin Gone village of Nyaunglebin Township on March 5. Nyaunglebin, located 50 miles (80 km) north of the region’s capital Bago, is in Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 3 territory.

John Quinley, the director at Fortify Rights, stated that the regime “did not take all feasible precautions to protect civilians” in the June 9 report. The KNU armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), and its allied PDF reportedly rescued over 300 civilians used as “human shields” in Yei Twin Gone village on March 7

CHIN—Residents of Mindat Township told DVB that at least 50 bombs were dropped in the east of the town during airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on Monday. Mindat, located 127 miles (275 km) south of the state capital Hakha, was seized by the Chin Brotherhood in 2024. 

A spokesperson with the NUG People’s Administration Team in Mindat told DVB that no casualties nor damages were reported from the 50 bombs dropped on June 8. The regime counteroffensive in Mindat began on May 12. At least 10 homes were destroyed by airstrikes in Mindat on June 7.

SHAN—Rice, corn, chili and tomato fields in Taunggyi, Hopong, Pinlaung and Nyaungshwe townships in southern Shan have been flooded June 4-8, according to residents. Continuous rainfall inundated low-lying farmland around the Inle Lake watershed, which has forced villagers to relocate.

Independent meteorologist Win Naing told DVB that heavy rains are expected across Burma in coming weeks due to a strengthening southwest monsoon. He urged anyone living in low-lying areas along rivers or highland areas near mountains to prepare for flooding and landslides.  

(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,220 MMK)

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